Criminal

Black and white digital illustration of a small cardboard box with items scattered around it: two combs, an envelope, a pencil and a roll of tape.

The Kit

Episode #246

2023-12-01 05:00:09

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In the early 1970s, Marty Goddard was worried about the high rates of sexual assault in Chicago. She learned from police that evidence from sexual assault cases often wasn’t collected properly — or at all. “They said, ‘We don’t get evidence.’ And this really kicked everything off.”
Black and white illustration of a poodle with a poofy haircut standing inside of an ornate picture frame.

Masterpiece

Episode #245

2023-11-24 05:00:59

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In the 1950s poodles were all the rage — one tabloid even 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.
Black and white digital illustration of a gallery wall with many different framed paintings. In the middle, there's a painting of a naked woman. The other paintings are portraits of men.

Fine Art and Meat Cleavers

Episode #244

2023-11-17 05:00:14

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In 1913, museums and art galleries in London received a memo from the police. It told them to be careful when they let in visitors – women might try to attack the art.
Black and white illustration of a poster tacked onto a brick wall. On the poster, one hand reaches down from the upper left and another reaches up from the bottom right, three clean unused syringes in the open palm. Between the hands, large text reads "The Liverpool Exchange."

The Liverpool Exchange

Episode #243

2023-11-10 05:00:07

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In the 1980s, Liverpool was having what journalists called a heroin epidemic. The chairman of a local organization where people would go for drug counseling told a reporter, “We are on the brink of complete catastrophe.” Then a small group of people decided to try something.
Black and white sketch of a small room with a table and two chairs, one on either side, across from each other. An overhead light hangs from the ceiling above and illuminates the table and chairs.

Interrogation Room

Episode #242

2023-11-03 05:00:08

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After a 17-hour-long interrogation, a woman confesses to a murder. But then, evidence surfaces proving that she can’t have actually done it – and that it was a false confession. Today, we’re looking at what goes on in the interrogation room – and we hear what happens on the inside.
Black and white illustration of an old Victorian-style house with bushes and trees around it. One of the windows appears to have a crack in it. A large arm is sticking out of one of the top windows and making a peace sign gesture. A large leg is sticking out of one of the bottom windows and its toes are holding a triangular flag that reads “for Sale.”

How to Sell a Haunted House

Episode #241

2023-10-27 05:00:15

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In 1989, Helen Ackley decided to sell her old Victorian house in Nyack, New York. It didn’t go as planned. The house became the center of a case that’s referred to as “The Ghostbusters ruling.”
Black and white illustration of U.S. documents in a messy pile. They include a New York State Drivers' license with a signature that reads "Jack Barsky," a Social Security care with the "Jack Barsky" signature, a U.S. Passport, and a birth certificate.

The Spy

Episode #240

2023-10-20 05:00:31

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Jack Barsky was a college student in 1970 when the KGB knocked on the door of his dorm room to inquire about his plans after college.
Black and white drawing of a Brink's armored truck

Chesa, Kathy, and David

Episode #239

2023-10-13 05:00:44

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When Chesa Boudin was 14 months old, his parents were arrested for participating in a robbery that led to the murder of a security guard and two police officers. He spent his childhood visiting them in prison.
Three white shapes sketched against a black background — two squares and a circle. They very slightly overlap.

The Confession, Part 2

Episode #238

2023-10-06 05:00:09

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17 years after he shot a man, Trevell Coleman walked into a police station and tried to turn himself in. He’d never been a suspect in the case, and had kept the secret for years. He also never knew if the man had lived or died — but after turning himself in, he finally found out.
An abstract black and white illustration of overlapping geometrical shapes.

The Confession, Part 1

Episode #237

2023-09-29 05:00:00

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Trevell Coleman signed with Bad Boy Records in 1998. He made it onto the Billboard charts, and was called “the latest protege of rap’s royal family.” But there was something from his past he hadn’t told anyone about – and he couldn’t let it go.
A black and white illustration of a white crabapple tree on a black background. The tree is bare, missing its leaves and many of its branches.

Under the Crabapple Tree

Episode #236

2023-09-22 05:00:25

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On September 16, 1922, a reverend and a choir singer were found dead under a tree. Between their bodies was a stack of love letters. When police began investigating the murders, tabloid reporters did too, and rumors about the case began to spread quickly.
Black and white illustration of several notebooks laying flat.

The Newsroom

Episode #235

2023-09-15 05:00:47

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Reporter Jeff German spent his life investigating corruption, fraud, and murder. After he was killed, his colleagues were determined to figure out why he had died.
Black and white digital illustration of a homemade Ouija board. The board is a black square with a white circle in the middle. Along the edge of the circle are letters that look handwritten. In the middle of the board is a drinking glass, turned upside down.

The Séances

Episode #234

2023-09-08 05:00:10

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In 1916, two British soldiers were held captive in a remote prisoner-of-war camp. To fight boredom, they decided to make a Ouija board. When reports of ghosts started circulating around the camp, the two soldiers had an idea.
A black and white illustration of a coastline with mountains rising up and a small house in front of them.

Iceland Noir

Episode #233

2023-08-25 05:00:03

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Iceland is one of the most peaceful countries in the world, but people there love to read about crime.
Black and white illustration of a wolf in profile, walking.

Wolf 10

Episode #232

2023-08-18 05:00:56

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In 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.”
Black and white illustration of an open drawer with compartments filled with various types of medicine, including vials and pills.

The Nurse

Episode #231

2023-08-11 05:00:49

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When Amy Loughren started working as a nurse at Somerset Medical Center, she did everything she could to hide the fact that she had a heart condition. And then, another nurse named Charles Cullen discovered Amy’s secret. He told her that he would keep it, but she didn’t know that he was keeping his own secret too.