Shows
CriminalKids on the CaseThe summer after Jessica Maple finished 6th grade, she found out that her great-grandmother’s house had been burglarized. So, 12-year-old Jessica got out her notebook, looked for fingerprints, and decided she would conduct her own investigation. This week, four stories of kids who cracked the case. We speak with 10-year-old Griffin Steele, Griffin’s dad Shane Steele, his mother Carol Steele, and his brother, Jackson. Logan Hultman, age 10, and his mother Alyssa Hultman share a story about helping out. Plus, National Police Service tactical flight officer Rory Niblock tells Phoebe about the day he was in his h...2020-09-1134 min
CriminalTen DoorsTim Jenkin was a member of the ANC (African National Congress). The organization had been declared unlawful in South Africa, seen by the white minority as a threat to public order. In 1978, Tim Jenkin was charged under South Africa’s Terrorism Act for disseminating anti-apartheid material and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Just before he was convicted, someone gave him a book called Papillon, by Henri Charrière, which he said “was really a manual of escape.” Along with two other incarcerated activists, Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris, he began to secretly collect materials and cash, following instructions from the boo...2020-08-2832 min
CriminalHow to Sell A Haunted HouseIn 1989, Helen Ackley decided to sell her old Victorian house in Nyack, New York at 1 Laveta Place. It didn’t go as planned. There were stories of ghosts, and the house became the center of a case that’s referred to as “The Ghostbusters ruling.” The judicial opinion read: “as a matter of law, the house is haunted.” We speak to Mark Kavanagh, Cynthia Kavanagh, Richard Ellis, University of Chicago law professor Lior Strahilevitz, and Randall Bell, who specializes in real estate damage economics. Randall Bell has consulted on the property where 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult died by...2020-08-0733 min
CriminalLooking OutPeople incarcerated in California’s San Quentin State Prison aren’t allowed to have pets — but some people, like Ronell Draper, have found ways to work around that. Meet Ronell Draper, also known as “Rauch,” plus Ear Hustle’s Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods join Phoebe to talk about the impact of Covid-19 at San Quentin.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery.Artwork by...2020-07-1735 min
CriminalKnock and Announce“I didn’t do what they said I did. And it was like, I don’t know how to disprove the police. I mean, it’s my word against theirs. I don’t really stand a chance.”In 2015, the 15th Circuit Drug Enforcement Unit in South Carolina gave a confidential informant $100 to buy marijuana from Julian Betton. And then they broke down his door. Officers David Belue, Chris Dennis, and Frank Waddell shot at Julian an estimated 29 times.We speak with Julian Betton and Jonny McCoy.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for...2020-07-0336 min
CriminalRobert SmallsOn May 13, 1862, in Charleston, South Carolina, a man named Robert Smalls took command of a Confederate ship called The Planter and liberated himself and his family from enslavement. As they passed the Confederate-held Fort Sumter, Robert Smalls was said to have saluted it with a whistle, and then added an extra one, “as a farewell to the confederacy.”Robert Smalls’ great-great-grandson, Michael Boulware Moore, tells the story.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.We a...2020-06-1932 min
CriminalIt Looked Like FireOn August 10th, 2014, one day after 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, Edward Crawford went to his first protest. “The people, you know, I guess they were out there to be heard,” Ed told us.We also speak with Robert Cohen of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.We first released this episode in 2015—this version includes an update. This episode contains references to police brutality. To see Robert Cohen's photographs, visit the episode on our website.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occ...2020-06-0520 min
CriminalCowboy BobIn May 1991, a bank robber walked into a bank in Irving, Texas, and without speaking handed the teller a note that read, “This is a bank robbery. Give me your money. No marked bills or dye packs.” Witnesses reported that the robber was wearing a cowboy hat and a brown leather jacket. And then it happened again. And again. But when FBI agents finally got a lead, they discovered that robber wasn’t who they expected at all.We speak with writer Skip Hollandsworth and former FBI agent Steve Powell about Peggy Jo Tallas. To learn more, check...2020-05-1535 min
CriminalLearning How to Forgive“I’ve been teaching law for almost 40 years. And I recently realized we don’t really teach people in law school about the tools of forgiveness that are built into the legal system.”Today, we’re talking with Harvard law professors Dehlia Umunna and Martha Minow about when and how the law should forgive.Martha Minow’s latest book is When Should Law Forgive.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.We also make...2020-05-0137 min
CriminalStarlight ToursIn January 2000, the bodies of two First Nations men were found frozen in a remote area of Saskatoon, Canada. It was a place where nobody walked, especially in the winter. And then, a man named Darrell Night came forward and said he had been dropped off by police on the outskirts of town, but he had made it back alive.We speak with former police officer Ernie Louttit and reporter Dan Zakreski about the deaths of Neil Stonechild, Lawrence Wegner, and Rodney Naistus, and “starlight tours” within the Saskatoon Police Service.Say hello on Twitter, Face...2020-04-1738 min
CriminalWolf 10In April of 1995, wildlife biologists flew small airplanes over Yellowstone National Park, looking for two missing wolves. “They’re just gone. And that’s implausible because wolves don’t just disappear.”The missing wolves were two of 14 that had been brought down from Canada in an attempt to reestablish the wolf population in Yellowstone. Not everyone supported the Yellowstone Wolf Project—including a man named Chad McKittrick.We speak with Thomas McNamee and Joe Fontaine. McNamee’s book is The Killing of Wolf Number Ten.We’re trying something new. Two stories about the same family...2020-04-0335 min
CriminalLooking for WolvesOur other show, This is Love, is coming back on April 1. All new stories, about animals and the wild, and what happens when we take time to look around us. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Please review us on Apple Podcasts! It’s an important way to help new listeners discover the show: iTunes.com/CriminalShow. We also make Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Learn more about your ad c...2020-03-2501 min
CriminalLa Brea DaveSgt. David Mascarenas was the Dive Supervisor for the Los Angeles Police Department. He’s been diving his whole life, and prides himself on never refusing a dive, no matter how treacherous. At least until the summer of 2013, when a murder investigation led him into the unusually murky waters of the La Brea tar pits.We first spoke with Sgt. Mascarenas in 2015. This week, we’re adding to the story with information about the crime he couldn’t tell us before. In 2011, a man named Alonzo Ester was shot and killed in LA. The LAPD received a tip th...2020-03-2034 min
Criminal527 Lime StreetJust before midnight on October 15, 1990, police arrived at 527 Lime Street in Jacksonville, Florida to find the small wood-frame house on fire. A man named Gerald Lewis was standing in the front yard. He said there were people inside the house. What happened next was so unusual that it changed the way we think about arson.We speak with attorney Frank Ashton and fire investigator John Lentini about the Lime Street case and why it was so important.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show...2020-03-0632 min
CriminalRed Hair, Gold CarOne day Adam Braseel got a phone call from his mother. She said that a man in Grundy County, Tennessee had been murdered, and the police thought Adam had something to do with it.Adam was charged with and convicted of the murder of Malcolm Burrows and assault against Rebecca Hill and Kirk Braden, despite there being no physical evidence against him. And then, 8 years later, Judge Justin Angel ordered a new trial.We speak with Adam Braseel, Judge Justin Angel, and Sergeant Mike Brown.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign...2020-02-0740 min
CriminalHerrin MassacreIn the spring of 1922, the United Mine Workers of America announced a national strike. And then, that summer in Herrin, Illinois, 23 people were murdered over two days. Men, women, and children came out of their houses to watch, and in some cases, to take part in the violence.Scott Doody’s book is Herrin Massacre. Special thanks to the Special Collections Research Center at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and Matt Gorzalski, and to John Griswold, who wrote Herrin: The Brief History of an Infamous American City.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up fo...2020-01-2427 min
CriminalSunset MesaDebbie Schum waited a long time to receive the cremated ashes of her friend, LoraLee Johnson, from Sunset Mesa Funeral Directors in Montrose, Colorado. When she did, she felt relieved to finally take them home with her. But then, she got a call from the FBI.It turned out that the owner of the funeral home, Megan Hess, and her parents Shirley and Alan Koch had been operating a body brokering business—without permission from anyone.We speak with Debbie Schum, Elena Saavedra Buckley, Melissa Connor, and Danielle McCarthy. To learn more, check out Saavedra Bu...2020-01-1034 min
CriminalWho's ThereCrime Blotter: “The Learning Center on Hanson Street reports a man across the way stands at his window for hours watching the center, making parents nervous. Police ID the subject as a cardboard cutout of Arnold Schwarzenegger.”Today, we’re looking at mistakes and misunderstandings. Like when Nate Roman returned home one evening to find his Marlborough, Massachusetts home mysteriously clean, and when 82-year-old Willie Murphy dealt with a home intruder in her own way.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on...2019-12-2031 min
CriminalPanic DefenseIn 1995, two men filmed an episode of the daytime talk show, The Jenny Jones Show. A few days later, one of the men was dead. The shooter later claimed he’d committed the murder “in a panic that he was being falsely accused or identified as a gay person.”We speak with Cynthia Lee, Carsten Andresen, and Paul Howard about so-called “gay panic” and “trans panic” defenses, and we discuss the murders of Scott Amedure, Islan Nettles, Larry King, Ahmed Dabarran, and Matthew Shepard.Thanks to Thomas Curry, who helped co-produce this episode.Say hello on T...2019-12-0640 min
CriminalDeep BreathWorld-class biathlete Kari Swenson was on an afternoon trail run in the mountains near Big Sky, Montana in July 1984 when two men blocked her path. They were Don and Dan Nichols, a father and son pair who later became known as the “mountain men.”This story was produced by 30 for 30 Podcasts from ESPN, and reported by Bonnie Ford. Find more at 30for30podcasts.com.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.We also make...2019-11-2242 min
CriminalThe ReverendIn 1977, a man named Robert Burns went to a funeral and shot someone, in the head, in front of 300 people. He didn’t deny it, and his lawyer, Tom Radney, didn’t deny it. Burns told a police officer: “I had to do it. And if I had to do it over, I’d do it again.” The man he’d shot was Willie Maxwell, and everyone knew who Willie Maxwell was. 6 people who had been close to him had died in 7 years—including two wives, Mary Lou Edwards and Dorcas Anderson. We speak with Casey Cep and John Denson...2019-11-0837 min
CriminalA New Kind of LifeIn 1930, a Cuban woman named Elena de Hoyos went to the hospital in Key West, Florida. She had a bad cough, and her family was afraid she had Tuberculosis. She met a German x-ray technician named Carl Von Cosel who claimed he could save her, using unusual methods he’d invented himself. But on October 25, 1931, Elena de Hoyos died. “Count Von Cosel,” as he called himself, wrote that a strange new kind of life began for him.For more, check out Ben Harrison’s book, Undying Love.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for o...2019-10-3021 min
CriminalThe Less People Know About UsSPOILER WARNING: Please listen to Episode 51: Money Tree before you listen to this one.Three years ago, we spoke with Axton Betz-Hamilton about discovering that her identity had been stolen as a child. When she found out who had stolen it, everything changed.We spoke with Axton again a couple of weeks ago. She said that since our last conversation she’s been conducting an investigation, going back to the very beginning of her own life, and reconsidering every memory. Axton’s new book is The Less People Know About Us.Say h...2019-10-2541 min
CriminalA Bucket, a Mop, and a SledgehammerAfter a crime occurs, or when someone dies, the police aren’t responsible for cleaning up. That’s not their job. The coroner takes the body, the police conduct their investigation, and then everyone leaves. But the blood, and the rubber gloves, and the uneaten food in the refrigerator are all left behind. Sandra Pankhurst didn’t like imagining that. So she decided to clean it up. She became a crime scene cleaner.To learn more about Sandra’s story, you can read The Trauma Cleaner, by Sarah Krasnostein.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagra...2019-10-1122 min
CriminalMrs. Sherlock HolmesIn 1917, 18-year-old Ruth Cruger disappeared. She’d last been seen getting her ice skates sharpened in the motorcycle shop of a man named Alfredo Cocchi. Newspapers reported that she probably ran off with a boyfriend, and New York police said that there were no clues to go on. But an investigator named Grace Quackenbos Humiston decided that she would do whatever it took to find her. She became known as “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes.”Brad Ricca’s book is Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The True Story of New York City’s Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case That Capti...2019-09-2730 min
CriminalProfessor QuaaludeJohn Buettner-Janusch was one of the first Americans to study lemurs. He held prestigious faculty positions at Yale, Duke and NYU, before surprising everyone with a series of increasingly bizarre crimes. Peter Kobel's Book is The Strange Case of the Mad Professor. You can learn more about lemurs at The Duke Lemur Center, which Peter Klopfer and John Buettner-Janusch founded together.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.We also make This is...2019-09-1331 min
CriminalOff Leash“I never did anything wrong. I never had a speeding ticket. I think I just saved all my stuff up for just one thing.” This week, we speak with Toby Dorr – better known as the Dog Lady of Lansing Prison. She started the Safe Harbor Prison Dogs program in 2004, and that’s how she met John Maynard.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery.Art...2019-08-3047 min
CriminalThe TunnelIn the late 1800s, North Carolina was trying to build a railway system through the Western part of the state. In December of 1882, something went wrong. The Raleigh News and Observer called it “too horrible to chronicle without a shudder.” We speak with Gary Carden, George Frizell, and Al Fisher about the Cowee Tunnel disaster.Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice.Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery.2019-08-0223 min
CriminalHe's Still NeutralDan Stevenson has lived in Oakland’s Eastlake neighborhood for 40 years. He says crime has been an issue for as long as he can remember, but he isn’t one to call the police. He’s a pretty “live and let live” kind of guy. Or he was. Before he finally got fed up and took matters into his own hands. We update one of our favorite episodes about “the Buddha of Oakland” with news and additional interviews, including a chat with Kurt Kohlstedt from 99% Invisible about other creative community interventions, including parklets and Guerrilla gardening.Say hello on Twitt...2019-07-1936 min
CriminalShowEpisode 80: Photo, Hair, FingerprintIn 1988, a man in Hickory, NC was sentenced to life in prison based on evidence that experts would later call "junk science." It took him 24 years to convince someone to look at the evidence again.
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CriminalShowEpisode 79: Secrets and SéancesHelen Duncan was a famous medium who travelled around Britain in the 1940s performing séances. She claimed to speak to the dead, and even produce physical manifestations of their spirits. But when she seemed to know wartime secrets about the whereabouts of military ships, she caught the attention of MI5. And in 1944, a few months before D-day, she was convicted under a 200-year-old "Witchcraft Act".
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CriminalShowEpisode 78: The BotanistIn 1993, a man in Steamboat Springs, Colorado was found dead in his home. He'd been burned with a stun gun, hit with a shovel, and shot several times. The victim's wife was the primary suspect, but she had an alibi for the estimated time of death. Investigators were at a loss, and turned to two very unlikely people for help.
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CriminalShowEpisode 77: The EscapeIn 1962, two men managed to escape the one prison in America that was supposed to be inescapable. They were never found. More than 50 years later, their 82-year-old sister is still waiting for them to come home...and one U.S. Marshal is still on the case.
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CriminalShowEpisode 76: The Big LickThe Tennessee Walking Horse has a natural gait that's famously smooth. And, if trained in a certain way, it can perform a walk that's even more spectacular. But, there's a secret behind how, exactly, these horses are trained to do the crowd-pleasing step they're celebrated for. Mary Helen Montgomery brings us the story.
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a++[Criminal] Episode 75: The Gatekeeper"I keep saying 'where's the body? Kill someone,'" Marilyn Stasio told us. She reads at least 200 crime novels a year to determine which are worthy of her prestigious "Crime Column" in the New York Times Book Review. We talk with her about crime as entertainment - and why people are so addicted to the genre that she can't stay away from: "My fingers just itch when I see something that's says 'murder.'" You can find more of Marilyn Stasio's thoughts on crime fiction in her column. We want to know what...2017-09-2200 min
CriminalShowEpisode 75: The Gatekeeper"I keep saying 'where's the body? Kill someone,'" Marilyn Stasio told us. She reads at least 200 crime novels a year to determine which are worthy of her prestigious "Crime Column" in the New York Times Book Review. We talk with her about crime as entertainment - and why people are so addicted to the genre that she can't stay away from: "My fingers just itch when I see something that's says 'murder.'"
You can find more of Marilyn Stasio's thoughts on crime fiction in her column: https://www.nytimes.com/column/crime
We want to know what your...2017-09-2123 min
CriminalShowEpisode 74: CatastropheIn 1993, more than 1,000 levees broke along the Mississippi River, flooding thousands of acres. In most cases the floods were seen as an "Act of God." In one case, however, the flood was a crime: "knowingly causing a catastrophe." This story comes to us from Noam Osband.
For more information, check out Adam Pitluk's book, Damned to Eternity.
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CriminalShowEpisode 73: Carry A. NationAt the turn of the century, Carry Nation was “America’s foremost lady hellraiser” and "the apostle of reform violence.” In her own words, she was "a bulldog running along at the feet of Jesus, barking at what He doesn't like."
We liked her hatchet pins so much, we thought we'd try to make some of our own. They say "CRIMINAL" on the handle. Get yours here: https://criminal-show.myshopify.com/products/carry-a-nation-lapel-pin
Thanks to everyone at the Kansas State Historical Society, and to Maya Goldberg-Safir.
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If you haven't already, please review u...2017-08-1723 min
CriminalShowEpisode 71: A Bump in the NightAmber Dawn was 20 when she moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Enumclaw, Washington. On her very first night, she began to notice strange sounds. And they didn't stop.
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Artwork by Julienne Alexander.2017-07-2117 min
CriminalShowEpisode 70: The ProcedureIn 1967, a very unlikely group of individuals gathered to help women quietly break the law and obtain an abortion. The first step was to call a phone number. A recording of a woman's voice would tell you what do to next.
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CriminalShowEpisode 69: Becoming Chief BrownShortly after David Brown was sworn in as the Dallas Chief of Police, his son shot and killed a police officer. Just before he retired as chief, 5 Dallas officers were shot and killed in what was said to be the deadliest attack for law enforcement since September 11th, 2001. Today on the show, we ask David Brown how he's changed after 33 years of policing.
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Say hello on Twitter, Facebook...2017-06-1629 min
CriminalShowEpisode 68: All the Time in the WorldThe “body farm" at Texas State University is a place almost no one except researchers and law enforcement are able to see, because it's one of very few places in the world that deliberately puts out human bodies to decompose in nature. Forensic Anthropologists observe decomposition in order to help law enforcement discern when and how someone may have died. We asked if we could visit, and they agreed.
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CriminalShowEpisode 67: Milk Carton KidsOn a Sunday morning in 1982, in Des Moines, Iowa, Johnny Gosch left his house to begin his usual paper route. A short time later, his parents were awakened by a phone call–it was a neighbor—their paper hadn't come. His would be the first face of a missing child ever printed on a milk carton. This story comes to us from reporter Annie Brown and our friends at 99% Invisible. We're on the road reporting new stories this week, and will be back on June 2nd with a brand new Criminal episode.
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX...2017-05-1917 min
CriminalShowEpisode 66: BullySkidmore, Missouri is a very small town. In the '70s, there was only one bar, one grocery store, and one bully. Ken McElroy was so ruthless and intimidating that even law enforcement looked the other way. He terrorized the town for decades, until they finally fought back.
We spoke with Harry MacLean, author of In Broad Daylight.
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CriminalShowEpisode 65: The KingfishIn 1928, Huey P. Long became the youngest Governor in Louisiana’s history. He bragged that he bought lawmakers like “sacks of potatoes, shuffled ‘em like a deck of cards.” By the time he was 39 years old, he’d made his way to the U.S. Senate. And just a couple of weeks after his 42nd birthday, he was dead. Buried 16 feet deep on the front lawn of the state Capitol, with no autopsy.
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If you haven't already, please review us on iTunes! It's an important way to help new listeners discover the show...2017-04-2126 min
CriminalShowEpisode 64: 420The Colorado Department of Transportation says the 420 mile markers on the state's highways were stolen so often, they had to replace them with 419.99 mile markers. Many people know that "420" represents marijuana - hence the popularity of the mile markers - but very few know why. It's not a police code, it's not the number of chemical compounds in cannabis, and it's certainly not Bob Marley's birthday. Today on the show, we try for the real story.
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CriminalShowEpisode 63: Rochester, 1991Kim Dadou says she wishes she had a nickel for every person who has asked why she didn't leave her abusive boyfriend. They stayed together for four years. And then, in the middle of the night on December 17th, 1991, Kim's entire life changed.
This episode contains descriptions of physical violence against women. It may not be suitable for everyone. Please use discretion.
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CriminalShowEpisode 62: WildinIn 2014, 16-year-old Wildin Acosta left Olancho, Honduras and traveled toward the U.S. border. When he arrived, he turned himself in to border patrol agents. He was one of 68,541 unaccompanied minors who crossed the border into the U.S. that year.
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CriminalShowEpisode 61: VanishPeople have faked death to escape criminal convictions, debts, and their spouses. In 2007, a man named Amir Vehabovic faked his death just to see who showed up at the funeral (answer: only his mom). It's an appealing soap-opera fantasy, but actually disappearing requires an incredible amount of planning. How do you obtain a death certificate, a believable new identity, or enough money to start a new life? Today -- the answers to those questions, stories of fake death gone wrong, and a man who spends his life bringing back the dead.
Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death...2017-02-1724 min
CriminalShowEpisode 60: Finding Sarah and PhilipIn 2005, Teri Knight drove 650 miles on midwestern roads through Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and Illinois, pleading with the public to help her do what law enforcement and the FBI had not been able to: find the remains of her children Sarah and Philip Gehring. An Ohio woman read about Teri Knight's search in her local paper, and decided she would try to help.
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CriminalShowEpisode 59: In Plain SightIn 1849, abolitionist and attorney Wendell Phillips wrote: "We should look in vain through the most trying times of our revolutionary history for an incident of courage and noble daring to equal that of the escape of William and Ellen Craft; and future historians and poets would tell this story as one of the most thrilling in the nation's annals, and millions would read it, with admiration of the hero and heroine of the story." Unfortunately, almost 170 years later, William and Ellen Craft aren't well known anymore. Today, we have the story of this couple's incredible escape.
Read the Craft's book...2017-01-2029 min
CriminalShowEpisode 58: Walnut GroveIn 2010, Michael McIntosh's son was incarcerated at the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility in the small town of Walnut Grove, Mississippi. One Sunday, McIntosh went to visit his son and was turned away because, he was told, prison officials "did not know" where his son was. He spent the next six weeks searching for his son, only to find him in the hospital with severe injuries. And McIntosh's son wasn't the only one who had been hurt at the facility. Walnut Grove was such a violent prison that one Federal Judge called it "a cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts."...2017-01-0632 min
CriminalShowEpisode 57: Everyday GeniusTo close out 2016, we're bringing you two lighter stories of people exhibiting everyday genius under. . . unusual circumstances. Comedian Dave Holmes' story begins with an upsetting phone call from the IRS. Then we meet a Baton Rouge attorney with a story of wild resourcefulness at Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola.
A word of caution, this episode contains language that may not be suitable for everyone.
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Say hello...2016-12-1618 min
CriminalShowEpisode 56: Don't Let Me See You In The WhirlSince 1938, a weekly African-American owned newspaper called The Evening Whirl has covered crime in St. Louis with a style all its own, using alliteration and rhyme, and often omitting the usual crime-reporting words like "accused" or "alleged." The paper has been widely criticized for its casual approach to fact-checking and sensational writing style. But the paper's owner, Anthony Sanders, who has been helping out with it since he was 18 years old, doesn't have any plans to change it. As the pages of The Whirl have said: “If that’s too much for you, pick up the Times and read the thea...2016-12-0216 min
CriminalShowEpisode 55: The Shell GameThe Magic Castle in Hollywood has been a private club for magicians since 1963, and its walls are lined with portraits of magicians past and present. Among them is a portrait of one of the earliest American organized crime bosses and conmen, Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith. And though it may seem strange that this "mecca of magic" honors a criminal, Soapy's legacy reveals just how blurry the line is between a delightful trick and a dirty one.
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Congratulations to our fellow Radiotopia show The Heart, which just won first prize at the...2016-11-1815 min
CriminalShowEpisode 54: Melinda and ClarenceSPOILER WARNING: Please listen to Episode 53: Melinda and Judy before you listen to this one.
Melinda Dawson found out on the same day in 1998 that her adoptive mother had been killed and that her husband Clarence was being charged with the murder. Clarence was convicted in 1999 and given two life sentences. Left alone with her two sons, no money, and no experience, Melinda set out to try and prove that he was innocent. She started with a suspect list.
Special thanks to David Massar, who is currently working on a film about Melinda's life story, Miss America (http://www.missamericamovie...2016-11-0431 min
CriminalShowEpisode 53: Melinda and JudyWhen Melinda Dawson was seven years old, she learned that she was adopted under mysterious circumstances. As she got older and had children of her own, she tried to learn something about her biological parents. And when she went to the county courthouse and asked to see a copy of her birth certificate, she discovered that she was an unwitting participant in something much bigger and more complicated than she could have imagined.
We are going on tour! We will be in Washington, Durham, Philadelphia, Anaheim, New York, Boston, Chicago, Iowa City, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Toronto. Learn more...2016-10-2125 min
CriminalShowEpisode 52: The ChecklistSPOILER WARNING: Please listen to Episode 51: Money Tree before you
listen to this one. While working on our last episode, we became
curious about the nature of psychopathy -- how it is defined, and what
to do if someone close to you meets the criteria. We spoke with Dr.
Ronald Schouten, author of Almost a Psychopath, and Jon Ronson, author of The Psychopath Test.
We are going on tour! We will be in Washington, Durham, Philadelphia, Anaheim, New York, Boston, Chicago, Iowa City, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Toronto. Find out more here.
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia...2016-10-0723 min
Kickass NewsPhoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer of CRIMINAL PodcastCRIMINAL is the wildly popular true-crime podcast hosted by Phoebe Judge and produced Lauren Spohrer. These "partners in crime" talk about the criminal justice system, their love of fictional detective stories, and how the name of their podcast sometimes proves problematic when booking guests. They share some of the quirkier and more touching stories they’ve investigated including a truck stop owner with a Bengal tiger, the black market for a famously hard to get bottle of bourbon, and a white collar prison inside the last leper colony in America. Plus we discuss getting letters from prison, cops who won’t...2016-09-2948 min
CriminalShowEpisode 51: Money TreeWhen Axton Betz-Hamiton was 11 years old her parents' identities were stolen, but at that time consumer protection services for identity theft victims were basically non-existent. So the family dealt with the consequences as best they could. But then when Axton got to college she realized that her identity had been stolen as well. Her credit score was in the lowest 2%. As she was working to restore her credit, she inadvertently discovered who had stolen the family's identity. It would change everything forever.2016-09-2225 min
CriminalShowEpisode 50: This is CriminalTo celebrate Criminal's 50th episode, we check in with some of our most memorable guests including Fran Schindler from Episode 17: "Final Exit," Dan Stevenson from Episode 15: "He's Neutral," Corporal Scott Foster from Episode 29: "Officer Talon," and Marian Tolan from Episode 18: "695-BGK."
We're very excited to announce that we're taking the show on the road this fall, visiting Washington D.C., Durham, Philadelphia, Anaheim, Brooklyn, Boston, Chicago, Iowa City, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Toronto. We'd love to see you. Learn more at http://thisiscriminal.com/live/.
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.2016-09-0936 min
CriminalShowEpisode 49: The EditorIn November of 1988, Robin Woods was sentenced to sixteen years in the notoriously harsh Maryland Correctional Institution. In prison, Robin found himself using a dictionary to work his way through a book for the first time in his life. It was a Mario Puzo novel. While many inmates become highly educated during their incarceration, Robin became such a voracious and careful reader he was able to locate a factual error in Merriam Webster's Collegiate Encyclopedia. He wrote a letter to the encyclopedia's editor, beginning an intricate friendship that changed the lives of both men. Contributor Daniel A. Gross has the...2016-08-2627 min
CriminalShowEpisode 48: Eight Years2008 was an exciting time to be a Harry Potter fan. The final book,
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, had been released. Movies were
on the way. And author Melissa Anelli was at the center of it all,
running a popular fan site called The Leaky Caldron and working on a
book, Harry, a History. Just as things couldn’t get better, Melissa
received her first death threat.
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We’re taking Criminal on the road for a series of live shows! Learn
more and buy tickets here...2016-08-1222 min
CriminalShowEpisode 47: Brownie LadyShortly after Meridy Volz moved from Milwaukee to San Francisco, she received a phone call from a friend asking her to take over a small bakery business. Meridy agreed to run the bakery, but she only wanted to sell one thing: pot brownies. Her brownies were a massive success, and soon she was making enough money to support three families. Meridy tells her story alongside her daughter, Alia Volz, who describes what it's like when "the original brownie lady" is your mom.
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. To see Meridy's final brownie bag & recipe, visit: http...2016-07-1521 min
CriminalShowEpisode 46: TigerThere are more tigers in captivity in America than wild tigers in the entire world. The exact number of captive tigers in this country isn't known, because many of them live in people's backyards or unaccredited zoos, and the legality of their ownership varies widely by state and even by circumstance. We travelled to Louisiana to see a 550-pound Siberian-Bengal tiger who lives at a truck stop, and the man who's fought very hard to persuade Louisiana lawmakers he's not a criminal.
We're a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more at...2016-06-3019 min
CriminalShowEpisode 45: Just MercyAs a law student, Bryan Stevenson was sent to a maximum security prison to meet a man on death row. The man told Stevenson he'd never met an African-American lawyer, and the two of them talked for hours. It was a day that changed Stevenson's life. He's spent the last 30 years working to get people off of death row, but has also spent the final hours with men he could not save from execution. He argues that each of us is deserving of mercy.
Learn more about Bryan Stevenson in his book, Just Mercy.
We're a proud member of Radiotopia...2016-06-1724 min
CriminalShowEpisode 44: One Eyed JoeNot only was John Frankford a famous horse thief, he was also a notoriously good escape artist. People thought no jail was strong enough to keep him, but then in 1895 he was sentenced to Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary. At Eastern State, Frankford became the victim of a strange practice that carried implications for both the state of Pennsylvania and the medical establishment as we know it today. Reporter Elana Gordon from WHYY's The Pulse has today's story.2016-06-0328 min
CriminalShowEpisode 43: 39 ShotsIn 1979, a group of labor organizers protested outside a Ku Klux Klan screening of the 1915 white supremacist film, The Birth of a Nation. Nelson Johnson and Signe Waller-Foxworth remember shouting at armed Klansmen and burning a confederate flag, until eventually police forced the KKK inside and the standoff ended without violence. The labor organizers felt they'd won a small victory, and planned a much bigger anti-Klan demonstration in Greensboro, North Carolina. They advertised with the slogan: “Death to the Klan" and set the date for November 3rd, 1979.
As protestors assembled, a caravan of nine cars appeared, and a man in a...2016-05-2029 min
CriminalShowEpisode 42: The FingerPeople have been giving each other "the finger" since Ancient Greece. The first documented use is said to be a photograph from 1886 in which the pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters extends his middle finger to the camera (ostensibly to the rival New York Giants). Even though it's been around for so long, many still find the gesture offensive enough to try to bring criminal charges. Courts have ruled that "flipping the bird" is a form of speech protected by the First Amendment. It's not a crime to be obnoxious. But there's a man in Oregon who tests the limits of...2016-05-0615 min
CriminalShowEpisode 41: Open CaseSince 1965, there's been an unsolved murder in Houston, Texas. The main suspect managed to disappear and police were never able to find him. The case is still considered open. In 1997, a couple of accountants decided to look into the murders, and were able to uncover evidence that the police missed. They think they've solved the mystery.
To learn more about Hugh and Martha's book. The Ice Box Murders, click here: http://iceboxmurders.com
We're heading to Los Angeles on May 4th for a special Radiotopia live event. Find out more: http://www.axs.com/events/308712/radiotopia-live-tickets2016-04-1523 min
CriminalShowEpisode 40: PappyWhen it comes to the bourbon Pappy Van Winkle, it doesn't matter who you are or how much money you have -- you can't get it unless you're exceptionally lucky or willing to break the law. The Pappy frenzy has law enforcement, bartenders, and even the Van Winkle family themselves wringing their hands.
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. On May 4th, all of the Radiotopia shows are coming together in Los Angeles for a very special live performance. Tickets and information here: http://www.axs.com/events/308712/radiotopia-live-tickets?skin=acehotel
Say hello:
Twitter: @criminalshow
Instagram: @criminal...2016-04-0123 min
CriminalShowEpisode 39: Either/OrIn 1983, three men were prepared to plead guilty to a violent sexual assault in Anderson, South Carolina. Defense attorneys did not want their clients to go before a jury, and arranged a plea deal. This left the sentencing in the hands of the judge, who gave the assailants a very controversial choice.
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Learn more at thisiscriminal.com2016-03-1825 min
CriminalShowEpisode 38: Jolly JaneJane Toppan was born in Massachusetts in 1857. She attended the Cambridge Nursing School, and established a successful private nursing career in Boston. Said to be cheerful, funny and excellent with her patients, nothing about "Jolly Jane" suggested she could be "the most notorious woman poisoner of modern times."
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Visit us at thisiscriminal.com.2016-03-0425 min
CriminalShowEpisode 37: HastingsIn 2010, an eighth-grader brought a loaded gun to a middle school in Hastings, Minnesota. We speak with two students and the principal about the minutes and hours in lockdown.
Read Jake Bullington's essay, "Yeah, I'm Afraid of Guns."2016-02-1819 min
CriminalShowEpisode 36: Perfect SpecimenThe 500-year-old Treaty Oak in Austin, Texas was once called "the most perfect specimen of a North American tree." But in 1989, Austin's city forester realized that the Treaty Oak didn't look so good, and began to wonder whether someone had intentionally tried to kill it.
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.2016-02-0522 min
CriminalShowEpisode 35: Pen & PaperAs a young woman in the 60s, Andy Austin talked her way into a job as a courtroom sketch artist in Chicago. She spent 43 years sketching everyone from disgraced governors to John Wayne Gacy, and says she only made someone look bad on purpose once.2016-01-2217 min
CriminalShowEpisode 34: The StayMichael Ross was the first person in Connecticut to be sentenced to death since 1960. He claimed that he wanted to die in order to atone for what he had done. One journalist spent twenty years trying to figure out whether his remorse was real.
Learn more about Martha Elliot's relationship with Michael Ross in her book The Man in the Monster.
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.2016-01-0827 min
CriminalShowEpisode 33: Deep DiveSgt. David Mascarenas is the Dive Supervisor for the Los Angeles Police Department. He's been diving his whole life, and prides himself on never refusing a dive, no matter how treacherous. At least until the summer of 2013, when a murder investigation led him into unusually murky waters.
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.2015-12-1821 min
CriminalShowEpisode 32: It Looked Like FireEd Crawford had never been to a protest until he heard about the
shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Robert Cohen, a staff photographer with the St. Louis Post Dispatch, ended up taking a photograph of Ed that would be seen around the world, and change both of their lives.2015-12-1117 min
CriminalShowEpisode 31: American DreamWhen we're kids, we have ideas of what we want to be when we grow up -- movie star, doctor, astronaut. But what if we dream of being like Butch Cassidy, Jesse James, or John Dillinger? And what happens when you're not a kid anymore but you're still obsessed with becoming an outlaw?
Many, many thanks to everyone who donated to the Radiotopia Fall Fundraising Campaign. Your support means so much.
Say hello on Twitter @criminalshow, visit on Facebook at facebook.com/ThisIsCriminal/ and on our new Instagram at Criminal_Podcast.
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.2015-11-2721 min
CriminalShowEpisode 30: The AgreementIn 2005, Danny Egipciaco had the opportunity to participate in a robbery of a drug supplier's stash house. He was told he'd take home between $100K-200K. In the end, the robbery never happened, so why has Danny spent the last ten years in the Fort Dix Correctional Institution?2015-11-1319 min
CriminalShowEpisode 28: P.D.I.D.Patti Hammond Shaw is a transgender woman. She's legally female on her birth certificate and driver's license, and has been since 1993. But when she was arrested in 2009, male officers strip-searched her in front of male detainees, and held her overnight in a men's cellblock. Patti hired a lawyer and fought back. Her case was instrumental in changing how the police process and detain transgender individuals in Washington, DC.2015-10-0919 min
CriminalShowEpisode 27: No Place Like HomeIn the early 90s, a wealthy magazine publisher was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 18 months in a minimum security prison in Louisiana. But white collar criminals weren't the only people living there, and the other people inside had basically been forgotten about by the outside world, some of them for decades.2015-09-2524 min
CriminalShowEpsiode 26: AngieIn July of 2002, Philadelphia Homicide Detective Pat Mangold was called to the scene of a gruesome murder on the Schuylkill River. When he wasn't able to determine the victim's identity, he expected the case to remain unsolved. But then, out of the blue, a professional soccer player inserted himself into the investigation, and became obsessed with solving the crime.
Tickets on sale now for Criminal LIVE in Durham, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. If you live in one of those cities, we'd love to see you. More info here: http://thisiscriminal.com/live-shows/
Criminal is proud member of Radiotopia...2015-09-1024 min
CriminalShowEpisode 25: The PortraitMore than eighty years ago, a North Carolina family of nine posed for a Christmas portrait. Two weeks later, all but one of them had been shot dead.
Thanks to Elephant Micah for collaborating with us this month. Download their version of "Lawson Family" here: http://apple.co/1MmvZof
Criminal is putting on live shows this fall in Durham, Seattle, LA, and San Francisco. Tickets on sale now: http://thisiscriminal.com/live-shows/2015-08-2725 min
CriminalShowEpisode 24: Pearl BryanIn February of 1896, a little boy discovered a woman's headless body in a farmer's field in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. No one knew who she was, or what had happened. Newspapers carried headlines like "Hunt for the Head" and "Headless Horror." Quickly, the crime scene became a tourist attraction and visitors traveled from all over to collect bloody souvenirs. The gruesome details were adapted into a song that was recorded dozens of times. We talk with folklorist Sarah Bryan about the true story behind the murder ballad, and the band Elephant Micah performs their own original arrangement.
Download Elephant Micah's "Pearl...2015-08-0619 min
CriminalShowEpisode 23: Triassic ParkThe Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona has the largest collection of petrified wood in the world. The beautiful wood is more than 200 million years old, and visitors to the park often take a little piece home with them as a souvenir. But stealing the wood has serious consequences, both legal and, some say, supernatural.2015-07-1620 min
CriminalShowEpisode 22: Ex LibrisHundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of rare books have been disappearing across America since the late 90s, and haven't resurfaced in the marketplace. They've just vanished, never to be seen again. But unlike most thieves, this thief is motivated by something more abstract and romantic than money, which makes him extremely difficult to catch.2015-06-2621 min
CriminalShowEpisode 21: BloodlinesJulius Robinson had killed for revenge before, and so when his sister was brutally murdered in her sleep last year, he says he planned to "get" the killer. He felt like his family expected him to get revenge, because that's what he'd always done, both in and out of prison. But when he learned that the killer was actually his 17-year-old nephew, he struggled against his family's expectations and his own.2015-06-0521 min
CriminalShowEpisode 20: Gil From LondonKaren Miller met a man named Gil Harper on Facebook. They started flirting. The flirtation grew more serious. Eventually, they planned to meet in real life. Gil would travel from London to meet Karen for her birthday. With his arrival just a few days away, Karen's son scrambled to learn more about Gil's identity. But trying to determine whether someone is who they say they are turned out to be a whole lot more confusing and dangerous than Chris imagined.
To learn more, visit us at thisiscriminal.com. We're on Twitter @criminalshow. Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from...2015-05-1525 min
CriminalShowEpisode 19: Mother's Little HelperSandie Alger is a 71-year-old woman with a very long rap sheet. She was in and out of prison throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, and upped her game each time she got out. Prison, she says, is where you move "up the criminal ladder, just like the corporate ladder."2015-04-2419 min
CriminalShowEpisode 17: Final ExitNo one disputes that it's against the law to take another person's life, but is it against the law to sit with someone and watch while they commit suicide? We meet an elderly woman who sneaks around the country as an "exit guide."
To learn more about Criminal, visit our (newly redesigned!) site: thisiscriminal.com. Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.2015-03-1323 min
CriminalShowEpisode 16: Poster BoyOn July 17th, 1889, the residents of Clayton County, Iowa woke up to news of the worst crime in their history. A Civil War veteran and his young wife had been murdered in their bed in a grisly attack. Their two children escaped to raise the alarm. But something was off. There were no suspects. There were no clues. To quote the local newspaper, the whole thing was “surrounded in a veil of mystery."
To learn more about Criminal, visit thisiscriminal.com
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.2015-02-2017 min
CriminalShowEp 15: He's NeutralDan Stevenson has lived in Oakland's Eastlake neighborhood for 40 years. He says crime has been an issue for as long as he can remember, but he isn't one to call the police on drug dealers or sex workers. He's a pretty "live and let live" kind of guy. Or he was. Before he finally got fed up and took matters into his own hands.
To learn more about Criminal, visit thisiscriminal.com
Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
http://www.radiotopia.fm2015-01-3016 min
CriminalShowEp 14: The Fifth SuspectIn June 2014, authorities released information about a massive child pornography ring being conducted in North Carolina. Four suspects had already been arrested, and the police were asking the public for help finding a fifth suspect. But they didn't need to look very hard -- the suspect was about to turn himself in, almost by accident.2015-01-0920 min
CriminalShowEp 11: I'm About to Save Your LifeIn 1977, a mild-mannered aeronautical engineer sideswiped a parked car in Compton, CA. He stopped his car to see the damage, and all of a sudden a man opened his car door, and jumped in the car. He said, "I'm about to save your life." What happened next would torture him for the rest of his life.2014-10-3019 min
CriminalShowEp 10: Dear SheilaWorking as a reporter for a TV station in New Hampshire, Kevin Flynn was covering the capture and arrest of a female serial killer named Sheila LaBarre. As he grew more and more obsessed with LaBarre's story, Flynn decided to write her a letter. She wrote back. Their correspondence became flirtatious, and eventually he went to visit her in person.2014-09-2615 min
CriminalShowEp 8: Can't Rock This BoatIn March 1964, a 35-year-old African American woman named Johnnie Mae Chappell was walking along the side of the road in Jacksonville, Florida. Four white men were driving around listening to the race riots on the radio. They had a gun on the dashboard. As they passed Chappell, one of the men leaned out the car window and shot her to death. As the police investigated the crime, evidence began to mysteriously disappear, making it impossible to punish the men who admitted to committing the crime.2014-07-2917 min
CriminalShowEp 6: We Lost ThemOn April 13, 2014, former KKK member Frazier Glenn Cross pulled into a Jewish Community Center and ambushed a grandfather and grandson, killing both. He then killed another woman a short distance away. What does the family left behind do when they are thrust into a national spotlight? How do they figure out what to disclose and what should be private?2014-05-2314 min
CriminalShowEp 5: Dropping Like FliesEvery year for the past few years, tens of thousand of flytraps have gone missing – from the wild, from gardens, from nurseries. And, really, nobody knows where they go. What’s cropped up in rural North Carolina is essentially a Venus Flytrap crime ring -- with lackies, middle men, and a mysterious end buyer who’s perpetuating the market.2014-04-2421 min