Criminal

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A black and white illustration of "The Reverend" written diagonally in white text on a black background - overlaying hand-written life insurance policy applications.

The Reverend

Episode #292

2024-11-08 05:00:15

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In 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 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.”

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...

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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...
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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...

Press

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.”