Podcasts: True Crime For Your Ears

[starri]

My Favorite Murder, am I right?

Georgia and Karen are always talking up Last Podcast on the Left, and while I've enjoyed a few of their episodes (their series on Japanese death cult Aum Shinrikyo was great), I'm also put off by a bunch of white Brooklyn Bros making rape jokes, race jokes, gay jokes, etc.  I know comedy is subjective, but speaking in an offensive Asian accent is not particularly funny to me.

OTOH, In The Dark, about the kidnapping and murder of Jacob Wetterling has been great.  There was also a similar Canadian podcast called Someone Knows Something, about a five year old boy who simply disappeared on a fishing trip with his family in the 70s.

[Lyndy]

My Favorite Murder? Not on my radar but it is now! 

I've listened to 20-some episodes of Missing Maura Murray in the past week or so and I think I need a break from this. Another true crime podcast is maybe not a smart choice but I can't stop.

[Princess Sparkle]

On 10/8/2016 at 6:56 AM, starri said:

OTOH, In The Dark, about the kidnapping and murder of Jacob Wetterling has been great.  There was also a similar Canadian podcast called Someone Knows Something, about a five year old boy who simply disappeared on a fishing trip with his family in the 70s.

In the Dark is superb.  I look forward to the new episodes on Tuesdays like I used to get excited for new episodes of Serial on Thursdays.  This week's episode This Quiet Place is one of the best podcast episodes I've heard in awhile. 

A few months ago, the Reply All podcast had a run of episodes called "On the Inside" about a man who claims he was falsely accused of murder.  I can't recommend those episodes enough; I was fascinated throughout the entire thing.

[glowbug]

Ever since Serial I've become kind of obsessed with true crime podcasts. I just finished Accused about the murder of a Miami University student in Ohio (not to be confused with the University of Miami in Florida). The boyfriend was charged but aquitted and the case remains unsolved (it's pretty clear the boyfriend didn't do it) because the police and prosecutors are still convinced he did it despite overwhelming evidence that he didn't.

I really like Real Crime Profile with Jim Clemente and Laura Richards and wish they would cover the Hae Min Lee case. The hosts started to on the Truth and Justice podcast but haven't been able to finish due to scheduling conflicts with Bob Ruff, the host of Truth and Justice. I've started listening to season two of that podcast (I had already listened to season one which was about Hae Min Lee) and I'm horrified by what's going on in Tyler, TX. The corruption there is like something out of a bad movie. 

I'm also listening to Undisclosed. Their first season was about the Hae Min Lee case (Rabia Chaudry, the family friend of Adnan Syed who brought the case to Sarah Koenig is one of the hosts) and their second season is about another case of someone who was wrongly convicted, this time in Georgia. I have to say between this podcast and Breakdown (which is currently covering the Justin Ross Harris case and previously covered a wrongful conviction case) I'm not getting a very positive view of the criminal justice system in Georgia. 

I also listened to Missing Maura Murray. The guys that host it don't seem all that bright and I feel like the structure of each episode is disjointed. The case itself is interesting so I've continued to listen. There's also Someone Knows Something about a boy who went missing in a small Canadian town, which I liked, and Bowraville about a series of murders in a small Australian town. 

Crime Writers On is another podcast I enjoy. They cover other true crime podcasts and television shows, both true crime and fictional crime. I haven't listened in a little while because they started talking about HBO's The Night Of and I don't want to be spoiled since I plan on watching it sometime. 

I think that's all I've listened to. I'm always open to more true crime podcasts. 

[starri]

Also, Criminal.  They tend to focus on weirder true crime stories instead of the salacious ones, but it's great listening.  They have a great one with an interview with a retired Chicago courtroom sketch artist who worked on, among others, John Wayne Gacy's trial.

And Phoebe Judge, the hostess, has a fabulous voice.  I sound creepy when I talk about it, but it's just so soothing.  I wish she did audiobooks.

[Lyndy]

On 10/13/2016 at 10:19 AM, starri said:

And Phoebe Judge, the hostess, has a fabulous voice.  I sound creepy when I talk about it, but it's just so soothing.  I wish she did audiobooks.

I mean maybe it's creepy to say so but you're right. Phoebe Judge has a fantastic voice. I'd like her to narrate my life actually.

[Soobs]

I second My Favorite Murder, Criminal, Breakdown and In the Dark.

I also like Generation Why, True Crime Garage and Sword and Scale.

I occasionally listen to Last Podcast on the Left and I agree with the criticism that it's sometimes offensive in the name of bro-dude comedy. There are certain episodes where that works well as long as the jokes aim up.

[starri]

You Must Remember This is not a true crime podcast, but they did a multi-part history of the Manson family, specifically their connection to Hollywood and the entertainment industry.  They do cover the murders themselves, but most focus on things that aren't as talked about, from both before and after.  Sharon's relationships with Jay and Roman, what happened to Dennis Wilson, who Terry Melcher was, Leslie's friendship with John Waters, Kenneth Anger and Bobby Beausoleil.  It's a lot more interesting than you might think.

[glowbug]

I just finished listening to the In the Dark and loved it. I'm looking forward to the final episode next week. Thanks for the recommendation. I'd definitely recommend Accused to anyone who liked In the Dark. I felt like the reporting had a similar feel though the hosts are very different and In the Dark has a wider scope in terms of addressing the policing system as a whole and Stern County's Sheriffs Department in general. 

[bkathi]

I listen to most mentioned - one of my favorite I didn't see is "White Wine, True Crime".  They talk about reality crime shows and their stories.

[starri]

In the Dark turned out to be something all-together different than I was expecting.  And better, in a lot of ways.  I wasn't really expecting them to so thoroughly take down the sheriff's office, and honestly, by the end of it, I wanted someone to punch that sheriff right in his patronizing face.

I'm wondering if they're going to be able to find a story that compelling for Season 2.  It ultimately wasn't just the Wetterling case that was so fascinating, it was also how about badly the investigation was bungled and just how many different levels, from the sheriff to the FBI to the US Attorney had failed Jacob's family.

[starri]

Another recommendation for Georgia and Karen (and me):  Unsolved Murders.

It's a true crime podcast, but it's done in the style of a radio drama.  I only wish the episodes were longer.

[TattleTeeny]

Oooh, I gave My Favorite Murder too many chances. But they know so little about their topics that I had to quit. I don't expect them to be perfect but knowing names and key parts of the cases would make me happy. I do like Talking Crime with H. Alan Scott and Margot Leitman, who cover TV shows and docs about crimes as opposed to just the crimes themselves in a "lighter" style than more serious crime podcasts. They've done the O.J. series, The Staircase, the Amanda Knox Netflix doc, The Witness (Kitty Genovese doc), The Case of JonBenét Ramsey, and something I'm forgetting...

I like Last Podcast on the Left a lot but I often skip episodes if I'm not hooked right away. I also like Real Crime Profile with Jim Clemente (who can be kind of annoying) and Laura Richards, the two people who were on the CBS JonBenét show.

Quote

And Phoebe Judge, the hostess, has a fabulous voice.  I sound creepy when I talk about it, but it's just so soothing.  I wish she did audiobooks.

Haha, I have a friend who said the same thing!

Edited November 30, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[glowbug]

6 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Oooh, I gave My Favorite Murder too many chances. But they know so little about their topics that I had to quit. I don't expect them to be perfect but knowing names and key parts of the cases would make me happy. I do like Talking Crime with H. Alan Scott and Margot Leitman, who cover TV shows and docs about crimes as opposed to just the crimes themselves in a "lighter" style than more serious crime podcasts. They've done the O.J. series, The Staircase, the Amanda Knox Netflix doc, The Witness (Kitty Genovese doc), The Case of JonBenét Ramsey, and something I'm forgetting...

I like Last Podcast on the Left a lot but I often skip episodes if I'm not hooked right away. I also like Real Crime Profile with Jim Clemente (who can be kind of annoying) and Laura Richards, the two people who were on the CBS JonBenét show.

Haha, I have a friend who said the same thing!

I found Talking Crime on iTunes but the only episodes they have up are about Amanda Knox and The Staircase. Are the JonBenet Ramsey and O.J. Simpson episodes elsewhere? It sounds like an interesting podcast and I'm interested in those other crimes as well. 

[TattleTeeny]

You know what? I might be wrong about O.J., and the JBR one may have been done as sort of a test model for Talking Crime, which is relatively new. Hang on, I'm on the case!

ETA: OK, I'm back--and, no, they actually did not do an O.J. one. But...

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/case-jonbenet-ramsey-response/id1154672910?mt=2

Edited November 30, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[starri]

9 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Oooh, I gave My Favorite Murder too many chances. But they know so little about their topics that I had to quit. I don't expect them to be perfect but knowing names and key parts of the cases would make me happy.

They do frequently cop to getting things wrong and it's billed as a comedy podcast.  The overall entertainment value outweighs Karen's frequent problems with math.  It's one of the few true crime podcasts that I can enjoy with my decidedly non-fan husband.

[TattleTeeny]

I have a non-crime-fan beau as well. One night during the recent craze of JonBenét coverage, some of which my BF endured with me (or at least was in the room for), I was flipping channels, and the info at the bottom of the screen said "JonBenét Ramsey." All I heard from the other couch was a tiny, pathetically whispered, "...noooo."

Oooh, but he made me so mad! I used to try to tell him all about the WM3 and the docs, and he just was not interested at all. But the minute Jay Mohr has Damien Echols on his podcast, the BF comes home telling me all about how awful the whole mess was! What?! Are you serious, Boyfriend?!

Also, I feel like Jim Clemente from Real Crime Profile is sometimes a douchey mansplainer. 

Edited December 1, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[starri]

I am fairly cold-blooded about true crime things, even those that involve children.

However, In the Dark put out an addendum last week that covered some stuff that happened since they wrapped up their season, mostly having to do with the sentencing of Danny Heinrich.  And they were quoting things that Jacob Wetterling's family said in their victim impact statements, and something that his younger sister said hit me like a blow to the chest.

She said that when Jacob had disappeared, she asked her imaginary friends to go look for him.  I'm a little misty-eyed even thinking about it.

[TattleTeeny]

Started the Manson episodes of "You Must Remember This" today. It's OK but I find the host's voice and pronunciations off-putting: sounds like she's reading a book report in class, and then there's stuff like "saydin" for "Satan," "Mardin" for "Martin," "threaden" for "threaten," etc. She does the Ts elsewhere, so I'm not sure what's happening. But I'm not even done with the first episode yet, so I'll likely just get used to her. If I can stand the LHotL guys clumsily barreling through sentences at lightning speed before tripping over their own tongues, this host is doing just fine.

Edit: No, she's not fine. I might have to scrap her! I heard "ridden" when she said "written"--it was confusing. Then I heard "ediTTTTed" and "BeaTTTTles" so I have no idea what she's up to with her pronunciation.  

Edited December 8, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[AltLivia]

I started listening to a podcast called Up and Vanished, which is two seasons of 6 episodes. The first season has to do with the disappearance of beauty queen Tara Grinstead. If you've seen Disappeared on the I.D. Network, you're probably familiar with the case. History teacher (and former beauty queen) missing, glove found in yard. It's not bad. The guy hosting the podcast is able to do an amount of investigating that feels startlingly unprofessional for a civilian to be doing (like testing soil for blood). 

I finished one, called The Aftermath about a college student murdered in 1979, and found in her apartment. It's produced by a local paper, I believe, in Ohio where the murder took place. The hostess deals a lot with local officials, and an independent group of former investigators called VDOC,  I believe. They're famous, and they get pretty mansplain-y with her, in my opinion. But all in all, the podcast is worth a listen.

In the minority, but I love My Favorite Murder. They never fail to entertain me, and I don't mind the quality of the research. They're just armchair murder fans like the rest of us. I feel like I'm among (hilarious) friends, listening to them.

I did some free research for a couple sweet ladies on The Insight Podcast. Ali's from Australia and Charlie's in the States, so you get a good mix of international crimes/missing persons. They're always thoughtful, respectful, researched  and they put forth solid theories. 

I still listen to Thinking Sideways but they tend to cover weird anomalies now , which I don't really care for. And the older host, (whose name I forget) tends to talk over the two younger hosts, for absolutely no reason.

Edited December 9, 2016 by AltLivia

[glowbug]

12 hours ago, AltLivia said:

I finished one, called The Aftermath about a college student murdered in 1979, and found in her apartment. It's produced by a local paper, I believe, in Ohio where the murder took place. The hostess deals a lot with local officials, and an independent group of former investigators called VDOC,  I believe. They're famous, and they get pretty mansplain-y with her, in my opinion. But all in all, the podcast is worth a listen.

Up and Vanished reminds me a lot of Missing Maura Murray. The hosts are probably the least intelligent of all the true crime podcasts I listen to (they all have some version of the annoying modern valley boy accent), both shows are there to promote a documentary, both are about interesting missing persons cases and both seem to be more about the hosts and their film careers than about the cases themselves. I still listen but these two are probably my least favorite. 

12 hours ago, AltLivia said:

I finished one, called The Aftermath about a college student murdered in 1979, and found in her apartment. It's produced by a local paper, I believe, in Ohio where the murder took place. The hostess deals a lot with local officials, and an independent group of former investigators called VDOC,  I believe. They're famous, and they get pretty mansplain-y with her, in my opinion. But all in all, the podcast is worth a listen.

I think you mean The Accused unless there is another podcast about the same case. :)

[RainbowBrite]

I'm not certain whether these two podcasts are available outside of Canada, but I am hooked on Missing & Murdered: Who Killed Alberta Williams? and Someone Knows Something Season 2 (I couldn't stomach Season 1 as it was about a child). They are both produced by the CBC - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 

[bkathi]

Another great one - Offshore - the first season focuses on the case of a federal officer who killed a young Native man in a McDonalds in Hawaii in 2011 and a parallel crime in 1932.  From Honolulu Civil Beat and PRX. It is a really interesting look at race relations in Hawaii. Also am enjoying (can you say that about a murder podcast?) Missing & Murdered.

[Princess Sparkle]

I mentioned this one in the regular podcast thread, but it will probably be of interest to people in this one as well - Gimlet media has a new podcast called Crimetown and it is excellent!  Each season, they're going to look at a city and discuss the culture of crime in that city.  The first season is all about Providence, Rhode Island and it is fascinating so far - I had no idea the mafia was so prevalent there.

[starri]

Stranglers, a new podcast covering the persistent mysteries surrounding the Boston Strangler(s).  Interesting, but given that they've chosen to give it a title specific to a crime, I don't know how they'll do another season.  Are there any other stranglers out there?

[MargeGunderson]

Hillside Strangler (LA), Honolulu Strangler, sometimes the Night Stalker (Richard Ramirez) was also called the Night Strangler. In England their was the Suffolk Strangler.

(Why yes, I am procrastinating. How did you guess?)

[TattleTeeny]

My Favorite Murder's Karen Kilgariff was a commentator on last night's episode of A Crime to Remember. 

[MargeGunderson]

And there was a Cincinnati Strangler - thanks, Accused podcast!

[glowbug]

16 hours ago, bkathi said:

Another great one - Offshore - the first season focuses on the case of a federal officer who killed a young Native man in a McDonalds in Hawaii in 2011 and a parallel crime in 1932.  From Honolulu Civil Beat and PRX. It is a really interesting look at race relations in Hawaii. Also am enjoying (can you say that about a murder podcast?) Missing & Murdered.

You read my mind. I was just coming on here and ask how people liked Offshore and I saw your post. :)

Edited December 15, 2016 by glowbug

[MargeGunderson]

This isn't strictly true crime, but I really enjoy Lore. It's more unexplained things/mysteries but some are crimes, it's quite good so I wanted to mention it. 

[starri]

The Lore guy is so credulous.  That kind of bugs me.

[glowlights]

The Lapse is not a true crime podcast, but it does have a couple of episodes that center around a crime. The episode called "Where's Violet" was quite intriguing, and sad. It is told by the missing woman's daughter, who is still searching for answers:

http://www.thelapse.org/wheres-violet-felisha-martin/

The Lapse's other eps are overall excellent storytelling with great production values, for when you want a break from strictly true crime. :)

[RainbowBrite]

I just listened to the most recent episode of the Criminal podcast - #59: In Plain Sight. I'm not American and my American history knowledge is limited. I learned a lot, but what I took away most was the absolute determination, industriousness and tenacity of William and Ellen Craft. By the end I had chills. 

[RainbowBrite]

I'm just getting into Accused now; I started yesterday on a long drive and now I'm sitting at my desk at work with headphones on listening to Chapter 5. Compared to the other true crime podcasts I've listened to, I'm amazed by the number of interviewees who are rude, hostile or just plain odd.

[starri]

On 1/24/2017 at 4:14 PM, RainbowBrite said:

I just listened to the most recent episode of the Criminal podcast - #59: In Plain Sight. I'm not American and my American history knowledge is limited. I learned a lot, but what I took away most was the absolute determination, industriousness and tenacity of William and Ellen Craft. By the end I had chills. 

I cried, especially when they said that Ellen was able to free her mother.

And I wanted to cheer at the description of the what the Boston abolitionists did to the two men who tried to catch them:  pelting them with rotten eggs, giving them wrong directions, the police giving them tickets and jailing them for minor infractions.

Between this and what's happened over the last few days, I've retired the word "Massholes" from my vocabulary.

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Anyone else still listening to Crime Writers On? 

 

And I'm bracing for the Netflix-style Dumbo drop of S-Town, from the Serial team, which is releasing its entire season at once, because apparently I don't have enough to do what with Oxygen going to an all-crime line-up.

[starri]

I have to wonder when the True Crime bubble is going to burst.  At some point all of the podcasts are going to run out of crimes to cover.

[MargeGunderson]

On 2/5/2017 at 8:03 AM, Sarah D. Bunting said:

Anyone else still listening to Crime Writers On? 

 

And I'm bracing for the Netflix-style Dumbo drop of S-Town, from the Serial team, which is releasing its entire season at once, because apparently I don't have enough to do what with Oxygen going to an all-crime line-up.

I have not heard of Crime Writers On but it is now on my list.

I've been on a Canadian kick with Someone Knows Something and Missing & Murdered: Who Killed Alberta Williams. I like but didn't love either; I can't quite put my finger on why. I've also been trying to get into True Crime Garage but the guys get on my nerves a bit. I gave them a shot because they covered the Johnny Gosch kidnapping, which took place in my hometown when I was a kid.

[azshadowwalker]

On 2/6/2017 at 6:08 PM, MargeGunderson said:

I've also been trying to get into True Crime Garage but the guys get on my nerves a bit. I gave them a shot because they covered the Johnny Gosch kidnapping, which took place in my hometown when I was a kid.

I can't follow anything about the Johnny Gosch case because of the fifteen pounds of batshit crazy in a five pound bag that it has become over the years. 

[starri]

11 minutes ago, azshadowwalker said:

I can't follow anything about the Johnny Gosch case because of the fifteen pounds of batshit crazy in a five pound bag that it has become over the years. 

The TCG guys are also really credulous.  Like, there's no critical thinking at all.

[MargeGunderson]

1 hour ago, azshadowwalker said:

I can't follow anything about the Johnny Gosch case because of the fifteen pounds of batshit crazy in a five pound bag that it has become over the years. 

Yeah, it really has. The whole Franklin Creit Union child prostitution ring thing was crazy.  Poor Noreen Gosch.

@starri, I think that's my problem with them too. Plus the Captain grates on my nerves.

[starri]

11 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

Yeah, it really has. The whole Franklin Creit Union child prostitution ring thing was crazy.  Poor Noreen Gosch.

I feel badly for her.  Because I'm sure her claim that her son just showing up one day was either A) someone being cruel, or B) something she invented out of grief.

But the problem is that there is literally no evidence that any of it actually happened.

[starri]

I'm having a really hard time with the second season of Someone Knows Something.  Partly, it's because nearly everyone involved seems like an awful person (I literally have almost no sympathy for Sheryl Sheppard).  And even though I feel terrible about this, Sheryl's mother's voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

[MargeGunderson]

29 minutes ago, starri said:

I'm having a really hard time with the second season of Someone Knows Something.  Partly, it's because nearly everyone involved seems like an awful person (I literally have almost no sympathy for Sheryl Sheppard).  And even though I feel terrible about this, Sheryl's mother's voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

[MargeGunderson]

Sorry, post fail! 

The Sheryl Sheppard story just hasn't grabbed me. Her mom's voice is really grating - honestly, it sounds like she's on something. 

On thing that bugs me with the Someone Knows Something and Missing & Murdered is that the journalists are always just showing up unannounced at people's workplaces. One woman (a cashier, I think) got upset and her manager had to ask the journalist to leave. It seems unnecessary to me to harass someone at their job for a story.

[starri]

1 hour ago, MargeGunderson said:

The Sheryl Sheppard story just hasn't grabbed me. Her mom's voice is really grating - honestly, it sounds like she's on something. 

I'm going to Hell for saying this, but I'm fairly certain she's developmentally delayed.

I'm actually have trouble with a lot of the accents.  I don't normally mind any accent, but so many of the the people being interviewed have these really harsh ones that bug me.  I'm honestly not even sure why I'm soldiering through the series, because the cross-country trips to interview these terrible people is not actually compelling.  And there's clearly not going to be any big reveal.

The lack of a big reveal isn't a huge problem, as the first season of Serial demonstrated, but it comes down to execution.  And they're not really executing it that well.

[pigs-in-space]

I actually like the mother's voice/way of speaking.  I'm not Canadian, though, so all the "ehs" do crack me up at times.  

I haven't really gotten a good read on who Sheryl really was as a person, but I can't think of anything about her that made me dislike her.  Everyone mentioned how much she loved kids, which I thought was sweet.  It's her clearly abusive boyfriend that I've got a problem with.  I feel bad for his poor kids who were clearly traumatized from everything that happened with Sheryl.

[starri]

On 2/11/2017 at 9:59 PM, pigs-in-space said:

I haven't really gotten a good read on who Sheryl really was as a person, but I can't think of anything about her that made me dislike her.

The criminal behavior doesn't sit well with me.  I have no truck with sex workers, but I take a dim view of thieves.

[pigs-in-space]

12 minutes ago, starri said:

The criminal behavior doesn't sit well with me.  I have no truck with sex workers, but I take a dim view of thieves.

I had forgotten about those mentions, and I was behind a few episodes, so now I've gotten more details on that.  It seems like everyone in their circle was involved in that kind of thing (or worse).

[starri]

Yeah.  So she (allegedly) did a bunch of dangerous things with a bunch of dangerous people with predictable results.  I'm not saying she deserved what was probably her ultimate fate; of course she didn't.  I'm not saying I don't have sympathy for her mother; of course I do.

But what I'm left with here is not a group of people who were forced, by desperate circumstances, to do criminal things in order to survive.  All I see is a bunch of violent people doing bad stuff.  And they're unlikely to find her, alive or dead, and are obviously not going to get a confession out of the guilty party.

That was one of the things that kept me from loving the first season.  Not because there wasn't an ultimate answer, but because they basically ignored the fact that it's overwhelmingly likely that the kid just had a tragic accident because they needed a true crime story.  I know why the kid's parents clung to the idea he was abducted, because that lets them hope they'll see him again.