Crime Writers On...True Crime Review - podcast cover

Crime Writers On...True Crime Review

Partners in Crime Mediawww.crimewriterson.com
The original true crime review podcast that looks at other podcasts, TV, and pop culture. True crime authors and real-life couple Rebecca Lavoie and Kevin Flynn hold a pop-culture round table with noir novelist Toby Ball and journalist-turned-investigator Lara Bricker. The panel chats about other podcasts (including 'Serial') as well as journalism, storytelling, TV shows and films, and the special segment, 'Crime of the Week.' Show website: crimewriterson.com. Follow the show on X @crimewriterson. Find us on Facebook facebook.com/crimewritersonpodcast. Email the show at crimewriterson@gmail.com.
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Episodes

Scam Factory

Max travels from the Philippines to Thailand to take a high-paying job at a casino. But when he arrives, he’s instead taken to a camp in the jungles of Myanmar and put to work in a call center running phone scams across the globe. His sister Charlie learns the only way to get him home is also to work for the syndicate. In order to meet Max’s quota, his brother joins the labor camp while Charlie tricks new recruits into the scam factory. With the hope of rescue slim, they’re left with few options...

Jul 07, 202540 min

Uncover: Calls from a Killer

In 1989, Canadian serial killer Clifford Olson initiated contact with two journalists, sparking a series of recorded phone calls. Peter Worthington and Arlene Bynon aimed to unravel the psychology of a man who not only murdered eleven children but also persuaded the government to pay him $100,000 in exchange for the locations of their bodies. Suspecting there may be more unidentified victims in the US and Canada, the reporters spent years secretly talking with Olson, learning his M.O. and pickin...

Jul 03, 202544 min

Surviving Ohio State

In the 80s and 90s, athletes on the Ohio State wrestling team said Doctor Richard Strauss fondled them during physical exams and insinuated himself into their showers. His behavior seemed common knowledge among players and coaches, and the few complaints that were made were brushed aside by the school. Decades later, former athletes from different sports came forward with allegations of Strauss’s abuse. University officials claimed to take the scandal seriously, but have tried to limit their lia...

Jun 30, 202548 min

Death County, PA

When Ty’Rique Riley died after a brief stay in the Dauphin County Prison, his family blamed guards who beat and pepper sprayed him with a bag over his head. But the county coroner, best known for his embellished true crime TV show, declared the 29-year-old's death a routine medical incident. It was just the latest in a string of inmate deaths at the jail for which neither guards nor medical staff had been held accountable. As investigative journalists turned up the heat on county officials, outs...

Jun 26, 202544 min

The Better Sister

Crusading magazine publisher Chloe Taylor discovers her husband Adam murdered on the floor of their Hamptons beach house. As suspicion turns to their teenage son Ethan, Chloe is reunited with her troubled sister Nicky, who has spent years battling addiction. But their family secret is revealed: before Chloe married Adam, he was married to Nicky and Ethan is her biological son. Is the murder related to Chloe’s online stalker, Adam’s legal work with a shadowy syndicate, or something more personal?...

Jun 23, 202548 min

Dept. Q

Returning to the Edinburgh police after surviving a shooting, detective Carl Morck reluctantly takes a new assignment: re-investigate cold cases. He takes up the search for a homicide prosecutor who four years earlier disappeared from a ferry while traveling with her non-verbal brother. With the help of other misfit investigators, Morck digs into Merritt Lingard’s family, her enemies, her connections to a muckraking journalist and the powerful man she tried for murder. But the questions remain: ...

Jun 19, 202543 min

The Mortician

In the 1980s, David Sconce took over the family funeral home business and expanded it to offer crematory services. But questions were raised among industry rivals over how Sconce was able to cremate the amount of remains he did. Authorities learned Sconce was not only commingling bodies in the chamber, but also robbed families of their loved one’s valuables - and worse. As the revelations came to light, attention shifted to how Sconce was said to deal with his competitors. The HBO Documentary Fi...

Jun 16, 202547 min

Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam

Three older women fell in love online with the same handsome man who popped up in their feeds. Using different names and cover stories, the Romeo scammed them for thousands of dollars, then disappeared. With broken hearts and empty pockets, the women scoured the internet looking for the man who ripped them off. But when they find him in Los Angeles they learn he’s a victim of the scam too. From ABC News Studios and Anchor Entertainment, the three part series “Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance ...

Jun 12, 202542 min

The Arsonist Next Door

In 2000, a series of luxury homes built on the edge of a Phoenix mountain preserve were set ablaze. Graffiti left at the scene hinted that the fires were the work of eco-terrorists taking a stand against new construction and residential development. After a bombshell newspaper interview with the arsonist shook the investigation, police lured a potential suspect into a trap. He was known as an upstanding citizen, but cops enlisted the help of his best friend to get a confession. From Sony Music E...

Jun 09, 202549 min

Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer

Jerry Springer and his titular TV show became synonymous with trash entertainment, serving up daily episodes of sensational confrontations and bad behavior. But the host began his public life as a progressive local politician whose career was nearly derailed by a sex scandal. After a stint as a Cincinnati anchorman, Springer became one among a crowded field of new daytime talk shows. His program rose to the top, with its uniquely crude style of on-camera confrontations. Though it made him famous...

Jun 05, 202546 min

The Quilters

At a maximum security prison in Licking, MO, a select group of inmates take part in a restorative justice program in which they make quilts for foster children. The incarcerated men work in a special sewing room, using donated material to make the intricate, customized blankets. In this quiet setting, the men support each other as they craft quilts of surprising artistry. Several say the project is more than an activity - it provides them an opportunity to atone for their crimes and give back to...

Jun 02, 202545 min

Suave season 2

Seven years after his release, former juvenile lifer David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez is thriving as an inmate advocate and emerging podcaster. But despite his successes, he struggles with his new reality of supervised freedom and time lost in prison. Journalist Maria Hinojosa also attempts to balance her often-fraught relationship with a longtime friend who’s also her interview subject. Meanwhile, as Suave grows personally and professionally, he grapples with situations that could send him back to p...

May 29, 202547 min

A Deadly American Marraige

Jason Corbett was the widowed father of two young children when he began a relationship with his American au pair, Molly Martens. They moved from Ireland to North Carolina to start a new life. But it came to a violent end after Molly and her father killed Jason with a baseball bat and a brick, claiming self-defense. As authorities charged the pair with murder, the Corbett family said the attack was premeditated, accusing Molly of trying to obtain custody of Jason’s kids. But when the Martens rec...

May 26, 202552 min

The Diamond Heist

In 2000, a group of career criminals known for their audacious heists gets recruited for what would be the biggest robbery in history. Lee Wenham and his crew draw up a plan to steal the world’s largest diamond on display for the public at London’s Millennium Dome. As the thieves work out how to thwart guards, vaults, and impregnable glass, an elite police unit has been monitoring their plans. While the so-called Flying Squad has clocked elements of the bandits’ scheme, it won’t be until the day...

May 22, 202542 min

Not a Very Good Murderer

While writing his latest #MeToo-related story, Ronan Farrow reaches out to a wealthy and histrionic aging beauty queen who’s made allegations against a powerful politician. As he tries to decide whether CeCe Doane is a credible source, he learns the woman is connected to a jewel heist, an arson, and murder attempts on two husbands. Intrigued by the colorful figure, Farrow switches his focus to CeCe’s life story and the cold cases attached to her. What he discovers is a complicated woman shaped b...

May 19, 202545 min

Bone Valley season 2

When Jeremy Scott confessed that he - and not Leo Schofield - murdered Michelle Schofield in 1987, the state of Florida refused to believe him. Journalist Gilbert King’s quest to exonerate Leo drew him closer into Jeremy’s background and the family who drifted away from him. Convinced the key to clearing Leo’s name included proving Jeremy’s involvement in a separate unsolved murder, King doubled down on his investigation, turning up new leads. But the effort brought King new understanding of the...

May 15, 202547 min

Showtime's Happy Face

TV make-up artist Melissa Reed is trying to keep a family secret: her father is the infamous Happy Face Killer. But Keith Hunter Jesperson lures her back into his life with a startling confession: a man in Texas is about to be executed for a murder he committed. Melissa and a TV producer look for evidence Jesperson killed Heather Richmond to exonerate her boyfriend, Elijah. While those around the Reed family grow increasingly fascinated by their ties to a serial killer, Melissa struggles with wh...

May 12, 202544 min

Lucky Boy

When he was 14, “Gareth” began a sexual relationship with his attractive science teacher at his North London school. Students spread rumors and adults minimized the gravity of the relationship, saying Gareth had lived out every teen’s fantasy of sleeping with an older woman. After struggling with his emotions and mental health for thirty-five years, Gareth came to realize Sally-Anne Bowen wasn’t his girlfriend - she was his abuser. But his quest to get justice is hampered by those who don't view...

May 08, 202545 min

Good American Family

The Barnett family agrees to a hasty adoption of a seven-year-old girl from Ukraine who has dwarfism and other disabilities. But her paperwork is suspiciously incomplete, and Kristine and Michael grow worried about Natalia Grace’s menacing behavior. They come to a shocking conclusion: she’s really an adult impersonating a child. After a court “re-ages” her, the Barnett’s move Natalia into her own apartment where she seems ill-equipped to live on her own. Then a cop suspects the real scammers may...

May 05, 202551 min

Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy

The celebrity event of the year was the White Party, where stars would gather at the East Hampton mansion of hip hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. But when most of the crowd went home, others would stay for what Combs called the “freak-off,” a drug-fueled sex party secretly filmed for the musician’s benefit. When his longtime girlfriend, the singer Cassie, sued him for rape, Diddy quickly settled the case. But details in the filings piqued the interest of authorities, who began to investigate whethe...

May 01, 202547 min

Don't Cross Kat

While living in Canada, Desirrê becomes a follower of Kat Torres, a fellow Brazilian and online life coach. The social media star says she has mystical powers and dispenses advice to her audience. But as Kat’s influence over Desirrê grows, her friend Paty notices changes in her behavior. Years later, Paty learns Desirrê is among several women who’ve left their life behind to move to the US with Kat. And as the influencer’s behavior grows more bizarre, she forces Desirrê and others around her int...

Apr 28, 202541 min

American Hustlers

Party boy Danny Garcia was a con artist who drained the bank accounts of his friends and lovers. Kaushal Niroula passed himself off as a member of the Nepalese royal family. Together they posed as bankers, art dealers, and real estate developers to dupe investors, each scam more outrageous than the last. When the so-called “Gay Grifters” set their sights on Palm Springs socialite Cliff Lambert, they graduated from fraud to bloodshed. They drained Lambert’s accounts and liquidated his property af...

Apr 24, 202542 min

The Residence

When the body of the chief usher is discovered in the living quarters of the White House during a state dinner, the responsibility of investigating the crime falls to the world’s greatest detective. Cordelia Cupp orders that neither the staff nor the prestigious guests may leave the building until she uncovers who killed A.B. Wynter. The quirky sleuth soon discovers that nothing is as it seems. Shifting clues and peculiar evidence reveal that many of the staff he supervised, as well as members o...

Apr 21, 202546 min

Spotlight: Snitch City

In the war on drugs, police rely heavily on confidential informants, because citing a CI empowers them to use tactics with less oversight and fewer guardrails. But the practice is rife with abuse, allowing them to skirt civil liberties on the word of snitches who might not even exist. The problem is pronounced in the historic fishing town of New Bedford, MA. Investigative reporters have identified many instances where cops used the CI system to make dubious arrests, rip off dealers, and avoid ac...

Apr 17, 202545 min

Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer

The search for a missing sex worker in 2010 led to a grizzly discovery: the bodies of several women were unearthed in the dunes along New York’s Gilgo Beach. It led investigators to the conclusion that a serial killer was targeting women on Long Island. The high profile case remained cold for years, with books, podcasts, and movies raising awareness - all while investigators were dogged by dissention and corruption. But new technology and a fresh set of eyes spotted a likely suspect, someone ide...

Apr 14, 202549 min

Blink

Jake Haendel was a heroin user diagnosed with a rare brain disease. He soon slipped into a vegetative state and was thought to be brain dead. But Jake was fully aware of his surroundings, unable to move or communicate. It would be 18 months before doctors realized he was awake, the only known patient to survive Locked-In Syndrome. But as he returned to the world, Jake had stories about the things said to him when no one thought he could hear them. In the podcast “Blink,” host Corrine Vein and Ja...

Apr 10, 202545 min

The White Lotus season 3

Gunshots ring out at The White Lotus, just days after a new group of guests traveled to the exclusive resort in Thailand. They include Timothy Ratliff, whose entitled family is unaware the FBI has just uncovered his financial crimes. TV star Jaclyn Lemon and her two besties are enjoying a girls’ getaway, but tensions are brewing among the life-long friends. Rick Hatchett has traveled with his free-spirit girlfriend, but his interest lies with some mysterious personal business in Bangkok. Among t...

Apr 07, 202554 min

Long Bright River

Officer Mickey Fitzpatrick attempts to balance life as a single mother and a cop patrolling Philadelphia's high crime section of Kensington. She discovers a pattern of women whose murders are made to look like overdoses, but struggles to get her supervisors interested in the deaths of addicts and sex workers. Teaming up with her ex-partner, Mickey works to find the serial killer targeting women working the streets. But she’s also looking for one in particular: her drug-addicted sister who’s gone...

Apr 03, 202547 min

Crook County

In the 1970s, Kenny “The Kid” Tekiela worked his way up from a teenage doorman at a brothel to a hitman for the Chicago mob. But he left the mafia to become a paramedic, get married, and have children. It was a life he kept from his family for decades, until Kenny’s drug addiction forced him to reveal his past deeds. Years later, his son asked him to finally open up about his past for a podcast. Mixed in with his grandiose tales of mob life, Kenny confessed to struggling with guilt and regret fo...

Mar 31, 202544 min

CHAOS: The Manson Murders

The 1969 Manson Family killings gripped the nation for their sheer brutality and madness. But left unanswered is exactly how Charles Manson turned a group of hippies into assassins through mere persuasion. The book Helter Skelter says Manson convinced his followers of an impending race war, one they needed to be at the center of. But journalist Tom O’Neill uncovered loose connections between Manson and the head of the CIA’s secret program MK-Ultra. He says the Manson murders read less like a spr...

Mar 27, 202545 min
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