Criminal

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Sharks

Episode #90

2018-05-04 12:37:12

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The U.S. Navy attempted to develop a shark attack repellant after many sailors were attacked during WWII. The first step was the formation of a "Shark Research Panel," which led to what we have today: the International Shark Attack File. When someone is attacked by a shark, anywhere in the world, the investigation closely resembles police work. "We're not reinventing the wheel. There's been no shortage of of trial and error that went into police investigations and what we do follows," says George Burgess, the world's foremost shark attack investigator.
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Shadowing Sheila

Episode #89

2018-04-20 12:28:52

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Sheila Wysocki became a PI to try to help solve the murder of her college roommate. She wasn't planning on taking on any more cases, but then the letters started coming. This week, we shadow Sheila as she sifts through evidence for one of her current cases. 
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Cold Case

Episode #88

2018-04-06 13:10:28

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In 1984, Sheila Wysocki found herself helping the police investigate the murder of her college roommate. Detectives asked her to help gather information, even sending her out to dinner with the main suspect.
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Casper, Wyoming

Episode #87

2018-03-23 14:14:30

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David Dovala has lived in Casper, Wyoming since he was 19. He’s worked all kinds of cases, first as a detective and later as sheriff, but a 1973 murder stays with him.
An illustration of Willie Bosket.

Willie Bosket

Episode #86

2018-03-09 17:46:10

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Before he was 10 years old, Willie Bosket had skipped school, started fires, picked pockets, and stolen a car. By the time he was 16 years old, he was known all over New York City as the “Baby-Faced Butcher." His crimes led to the passing of the Juvenile Offender Act of 1978 and changed how juvenile offenders are punished all over the country.
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The Manual

Episode #85

2018-02-23 13:07:30

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In 1993, a family was found murdered in their home. A Maryland police spokesperson described the homicide investigation as the most “exhaustive and labor intensive” in the department’s history. And then homicide investigators found a strange manual, and the case became national news.
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Masterpiece

Episode #84

2018-02-09 12:52:12

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In 1955 one tabloid reported that when a girl “makes the big time she traditionally acquires 3 things — minks, gems, and a poodle.” But one poodle in particular put the breed on the map. His name was Masterpiece...and police in 13 states knew exactly what he looked like.
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The Mothers

Episode #83

2018-01-26 13:05:57

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There is a group in Durham, NC called "Parents of Murdered Children." This week, we meet three of its members.
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The Choir

Episode #82

2018-01-12 13:55:54

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As a child, Lawrence Lessig sang at Carnegie Hall and toured the world. But it was what happened behind the scenes that would change his life forever.
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Like a Page from a Book

Episode #Bonus

2018-01-11 15:51:11

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In 1892, a gruesome murder took place in a small fishing village in Argentina. The police had a suspect who would not confess. What happened next would change the way murders were investigated around the world. This bonus episode of Criminal was made possible by TNT's The Alienist. https://thealienist.com/
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Unexpected Guests

Episode #81

2017-12-15 13:43:52

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Three mysteries we can't stop thinking about.  
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Photo, Hair, Fingerprint

Episode #80

2017-12-01 14:23:36

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In 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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Secrets and Séances

Episode #79

2017-11-17 12:39:54

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Helen 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 Helen Duncan seemed to know wartime secrets about the whereabouts of military ships, like the sunken HMS Barham,...
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The Botanist

Episode #78

2017-11-03 13:10:58

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In 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 turned to two very unlikely people for help.
An illustration of scissors, glue, a needle and thread, crumpled paper, dummy heads, and various other implements used to escape from Alcatraz.

The Escape

Episode #77

2017-10-20 23:45:09

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In 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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The Big Lick

Episode #76

2017-10-06 23:38:03

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The 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, called the Big Lick. But, there's a secret behind how, exactly, these horses are trained to do the crowd-pleasing step they're celebrated for;...