Criminal

A black and white illustration of a map of the waterways around Charleston, South Carolina. There is a ship drawn on the water.

Robert Smalls

Episode #303

2025-02-07 05:00:31

Download

On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls took command of a Confederate ship and liberated himself and his family from slavery. His great-great-grandson, Michael Boulware Moore, tells the story.
A black and white illustration of a pile of computers, monitors, keyboards, hard drives and other electronics.

The Raid

Episode #302

2025-01-31 05:00:49

Download

“No one ever expected anything like this to happen.”
Black and white digital illustration of a lot of different metal items, scattered all over - including a gun, toe nail clippers, a grenade, a pair of scissors, a cellphone, handcuffs, plus lots of cutlery, nails and keys.

Guns, Grenades, and $100,000

Episode #301

2025-01-24 05:00:10

Download

“Anything you can think of is going to be in the water.”
Black and white abstract illustration of several gravesites, marked only by small numbered signs. The gravesite closest to the foreground is labeled number 672.

Dexter Wade

Episode #300

2025-01-17 05:00:06

Download

Bettersten Wade searched for her missing 37-year-old son for nearly six months. Then she found out that the police knew where he was the whole time.
Black and white illustration of a newspaper page with an advertisement that reads "Moon Rocks Wanted" by John's Estate Sales with a picture of an astronaut wearing a spacesuit and helmet on the moon.

Moon Rocks Wanted

Episode #299

2025-01-10 05:00:17

Download

On September 18, 1998, an unusual ad ran in USA Today — a company called John’s Estate Sales was looking to buy a moon rock.
Black and white illustration of a woman wearing a long black hooded cape over a white skirt. She is looking to the right.

The Christmas Fire

Episode #298

2024-12-27 05:00:08

Download

The bodies of a woman and her child were found inside a burned house on Christmas Day, 1843. An autopsy showed that they’d died before the fire even started.
Black and white drawing of a seagull holding a spice shaker, a pick walking on train tracks, a mouse inside an in-flight meal, a possum in a Christmas tree, bees flying around a child’s bedroom, a turtle knocking over a toilet, and a Goldendoodle with an envelope in its mouth.

Turtle vs. Toilet, a Monster in the Closet, and a Surprise Possum

Episode #297

2024-12-20 05:00:53

Download

Stories of animals really going for it.
Black and white illustration of several tickets for football games arranged in a grid, the tickets show football players and team names like the Vikings, Seahawks, Lions, Dolphins, Giants, Cowboys, and Steelers.

Operation Flagship

Episode #296

2024-12-13 05:00:20

Download

In 1985, 160 people were told they’d won tickets to an NFL football game. But then, they found out there were never any tickets at all.
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

Download

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.
A black and white digital illustration with three comic-style panels. In the top left panel, a woman in a trench coat hitches her dress up and raises one high-heeled foot and leg into an open doorway, a gun in her hand hidden away from the door. On the bottom left, a man with a slight smile in a hat and trench coat points directly at the viewer. In the panel on the right, a woman in boots and a skirt and a blouse with billowing sleeves walks forward with purpose, arms halfway raised. Her eyes are obscured by a mask.

For the Sake of American Youth

Episode #294

2024-11-22 05:00:30

Download

“Children nowadays, they make maps. And say, this is the street where the store is that we're going to rob, and this is where we're going to hide, and this is how we get away.”
Black and white illustration of a wheelchair in the open doorway of a prison cell.

Extraordinary and Compelling Reasons

Episode #293

2024-11-15 05:00:53

Download

Gary Settle estimates he’s helped more than 40 inmates get out of prison using compassionate release. He still has over 100 years of his own sentence left to serve.
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

Download

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.”
Black and white sketch of a small one-story house surrounded by pine trees, with water in the background and lots of clouds in the sky. The house is covered in vines and the grass surrounding the house is overgrown.

The Family Land, Part 2

Episode #291

2024-11-01 05:00:13

Download

This week, part two of the Reels family story – how two brothers went to jail for eight years in an attempt to save their family land.
Black and white sketch of a small one-story house surrounded by pine trees, with water in the background and a few clouds in the sky.

The Family Land, Part 1

Episode #290

2024-10-25 05:00:13

Download

Melvin Davis and Licurtis Reels refused to leave the land that had been in their family for generations – so they were sent to jail. They expected to be in jail for 90 days. They were there for 8 years.
A white signature on a black background that reads "Valentine"

Valentine

Episode #289

2024-10-18 05:00:16

Download

Today, a personal story from Phoebe about her mother, Valentine, who died this spring.
A black and white illustration of a white triangle-shaped tunnel on a black speckled background. Drawn inside the triangle shape are a hard hat, two shovels, a log and a board, a lantern, and a cart filled with dirt.

Under the Wall

Episode #288

2024-10-11 05:00:21

Download

Soon after the Berlin Wall went up, a group of students knocked on Joachim Rudolph’s door. They told him they were trying to get people out of East Germany - and they wanted his help.