Criminal

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A black and white illustration of a tree with leaves on it, drawn on a paper that is ripped down the middle so that the tree is split into two halves. The word "Sister" is written on the two main branches of the tree that are split apart.

The Sale

Episode #295

2024-12-06 05:00:28

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In 1791, three men filed lawsuits in the General Court of Maryland. They were all suing the same person: the Jesuit priest who enslaved them.

Criminal Is A Podcast About Crime

Stories of people who’ve done wrong,
been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.

New to Criminal? Start here...

An illustration of a man wearing a top hat, bandages, and a long jacket.

In Plain Sight

Episode #59

2017-01-20 13:36:02

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In 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...
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Money Tree

Episode #51

2016-09-23 00:39:49

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When Axton Betz-Hamilton 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 when Axton Betz-Hamilton got to college, she realized that her identity had...
An illustration of a Texas license plate with the license plate number 695 BGK.

695BGK

Episode #18

2015-04-03 01:49:21

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Police officer John Edwards was patrolling a quiet neighborhood in Bellaire, Texas when he saw an SUV driven by two young African-American men, including Robbie Tolan. It was just before 2am on December 31, 2008. Edwards followed the SUV and ran the license plate number. When his computer indicated that...
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Animal Instincts

Episode #1

2014-01-30 05:05:09

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In 2001, Kathleen Peterson was found dead in a pool of her own blood. Her husband Michael Peterson was convicted of her murder. A curious neighbor, a lawyer named Larry Pollard, had a different theory... one that brings new meaning to man vs. beast. Explore a theory you won’t find...

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The New York Times, Best Podcasts of 2023

“This venerated series has grown only more impressive with time.”

New York Magazine

“One of the most expansive, compassionate portraits of the lives of real people caught up in crime.”