Criminal

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Black and white illustration of a ship on a rough and stormy ocean, with dark clouds overhead.

Shipwrecked

Episode #220

2023-05-26 05:00:57

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There’s an old sailors’ saying about the ocean at the southernmost part of the world — “below 40 degrees latitude, there is no law; below 50 degrees, there is no God.” The story of what happened when five British warships sailed around the very bottom of South America, at 56 degrees latitude.

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...

Press

New York Magazine

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

San Francisco Chronicle

“Criminal is the NPR of crime podcasts. You learn something new every time.”