Criminal is the first of its kind. A show about people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Hosted by Phoebe Judge. Named a Best Podcast of 2023 by the New York Times. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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This episode is unlocked and available for everyone to listen to! It took some trial and error, but Phoebe finally figured out how to put on makeup. Plus, Lauren asks for advice on delivering bad news, and we hear the latest in a crime story involving bees. If you enjoyed listening to today's Criminal Plus episode and you'd like more - join us on Patreon . We put these episodes with Phoebe and Lauren out twice a month - plus you'll have access to ad-free listening, behind-the-scenes videos wit...
Ed and Bertha Briney’s unoccupied farmhouse was reportedly broken into 50 times over 10 years. They put up “No Trespassing” signs, repeatedly complained to sheriffs in two different counties, nailed doors shut, and boarded up windows – but nothing worked. So they decided to try something else. This episode was originally released in 2022. Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal P...
On January 18, 2025, Thomas Plamberger and his girlfriend Kerstin Gurtner began climbing the tallest mountain in Austria. But when they were almost to the top, they got stuck. One year later, prosecutors filed charges against Thomas for Kerstin’s death. Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal , ad-free listening of all of o...
In 1902, twelve young men volunteered for a government experiment. They agreed to eat food laced with chemicals like formaldehyde, borax, and salicylic acid every day, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They were called The Poison Squad. Deborah Blum’s book is The Poison Squad . Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal , ad-f...
In January 1993, a lot of children started showing up at Seattle Children’s Hospital with the same unusual symptoms. Doctors didn't know what was going on – until they realized that most of the children had recently eaten at the same restaurant: Jack in the Box. Jeff Benedict’s book is Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat . Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on ...
When Fannie Davis and her family moved to Detroit in the mid-1950s, they hadn’t prepared themselves for how hard it would be. They had trouble finding steady work. So, Fannie found a way to take care of her family. She started small, but built a robust and lucrative operation… a business that a lot of people knew about but no one talked about. Bridgett Davis’ book is The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in the Detroit Numbers . This episode was originally released in 2019. Say h...
On the morning of May 20, 1957, a bomb exploded under Don King’s front porch. Police got a tip that they should search the home of someone he knew - a woman named Dollree Mapp. But when they got there, she refused to let them in. Soon, her case would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Carolyn Long’s book is Mapp v. Ohio: Guarding Against Unreasonable Searches and Seizures. Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us ...
Alice and Leonard Rhinelander had only been married for a few weeks when his family lawyer came to their house and took Leonard away with him. The next time Alice saw her husband was a year later, in a courtroom. Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal , ad-free listening of all of our shows, invitations to virtual events, ...
For years, John Moore and Tanner Mansell ran shark diving tours off the coast of Florida. One day, they came across a fishing line in the middle of the ocean – with over a dozen sharks caught on it. “This looked like something very illegal going on. And we felt like if we didn’t act, these sharks would definitely die.” Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-th...
On Christmas Eve in 1926, a man came running into Bellevue Hospital in New York screaming that Santa Claus had been chasing him for blocks with a baseball bat. Not long after that, he died. And then another person arrived in the emergency room. And then another. This started happening in emergency rooms around the country. And it was happening because of a plan created by the U.S. government. Deborah Blum’s book is The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age Ne...
This episode recounts the extraordinary and tragic story of the Dionne Quintuplets, born in 1934, who quickly became a worldwide sensation. Their lives turned into a public spectacle, first with their parents attempting to exhibit them at the World's Fair, then under provincial guardianship at "Quintland," a major tourist attraction. The narrative delves into their commercial exploitation, the mismanagement of their trust fund, their difficult return to their birth family, and their courageous later years fighting for justice, including revealing allegations of abuse.
When Cecilia Gentili was growing up in Argentina, she felt so different from everyone around her that she thought she might be from another planet. “I think that we are all aliens until we find our communities.” This episode was originally released in 2019. Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal , ad-free listening of all ...
When Angelo Quinto died, his family said police were responsible for his death. But a lawyer told them his official cause of death would likely be something called “excited delirium.” You can read more of Renu Rayasam's reporting on "excited delirium" at KFF Health News . Arjun Byju's article for Current Affairs is: Excited Delirium: How Cops Invented a Disease . Reporter Chris Gelardi obtained Rochester Police Department training materials on "excited delirium" for New York Focus. You can read ...
After a gang leader was murdered in San Francisco’s Chinatown, the only witnesses who would talk with the police were tourists. They looked through so-called “mug books” filled with photographs of Asian men - and pointed out a man named Chol Soo Lee. Years later, a journalist decided to investigate his case, and described it as an “unreal, Alice-in-Chinatown murder case." Today’s episode comes from the Smithsonian’s Sidedoor podcast . Julie Ha's documentary is Free Chol Soo Lee . Join our newsle...
In 1864, a 41-year-old woman named Mary Surratt was running a boarding house in Washington, D.C. One of the most famous actors in the country began visiting her – which led to her becoming known as the woman who “kept the nest that hatched the egg." Kate Clifford Larson’s book is The Assassin’s Accomplice . Join our newsletter by 2/28/26 to be entered to win a free year of Criminal Plus: thisiscriminal.com/newsletter . (Additional rules apply.) Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Fo...
After being told "Scotland is not rap," Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd transformed into American hip-hop artists Silibil N’ Brains, fabricating elaborate backstories to secure a major record deal with Sony. They navigated intense pressure, including touring with Eminem and D12, by meticulously maintaining their false identities and employing quick thinking to avoid exposure. The episode explores the personal toll of their deception, the challenges of living a double life, and the eventual unraveling of their elaborate lie, revealing the lengths they went to chase their dreams.
This episode is unlocked and available for everyone to listen to! Phoebe tells a story about an uncooperative plane passenger. Plus, Lauren and Phoebe discuss what embarrasses Phoebe the most, the intentional vagueness of Criminal episode descriptions, and whether or not Phoebe is a "finger princess." If you enjoyed listening to today's Criminal Plus episode and you'd like more - join us on Patreon . We put these episodes with Phoebe and Lauren out twice a month - plus you'll have access to behi...
When Mike Williams went missing while duck hunting on Lake Seminole, investigators wondered if he had been eaten by alligators. But Mike’s mother was sure something else had happened. Mikita Brottman’s book is Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida . Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal , ad-free ...
Explore the incredible life of Alan Abel, a master satirist who, alongside his wife Jean and later daughter Jenny, executed decades of elaborate hoaxes. From convincing the media that animals needed clothing (CINNA) and running a fictional Jewish mother for president, to staging his own death with a New York Times obituary, Abel challenged norms and delighted in public reaction. The episode highlights the origins of his pranks, the family's involvement, and his enduring legacy as a unique American original who constantly sought to provoke thought through humor.
This episode details a chilling murder investigation in Poland where a detective, stymied by a cold case, stumbles upon a novel. The book's plot remarkably mirrors the unsolved murder, leading him to its author, Christian Bala. The narrative explores the blurred lines between fiction and reality as the detective pieces together clues from the novel and the author's life, culminating in a sensational trial.
One night in 1989, Karen Palmer got in her car with her husband and two daughters and drove away from their home in California. They didn’t tell anyone where they were going. Karen Palmer’s memoir is She’s Under Here . Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal , ad-free listening of all of our shows, invitations to virtual ev...
One day in 2011, Lindsey Schweigert’s roommate came home to an open garage, a missing dog, and an overflowing bathtub. Lindsey remembers waking up in police custody. Ramya Nagesh is the author of A Practical Guide to Insane and Non-Insane Automatism in Criminal Law – Sleepwalking, Blackouts, Hypoglycaemia, and Other Issues . Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal Plus to get beh...
In this episode, Catholic nun Sister Helen Prejean shares her profound journey from growing up in Jim Crow Louisiana to becoming a leading advocate against the death penalty. She recounts her awakening to systemic injustice, her unexpected role as a spiritual advisor to men on death row, and the psychological torture of executions. The conversation delves into the Catholic Church's evolving stance on capital punishment, the meaning of human dignity, and her transformative encounters with victims' families, emphasizing the power of forgiveness and the fight for justice.
Stories of animals really going for it. Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal , ad-free listening of all of our shows, invitations to virtual events, special merch deals, and more. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery . Artwork by Julienne Alexander . Check out our online shop . Episode transcripts are pos...
This episode recounts the extraordinary Christmas morning when Laura Nowlin discovered a baby in a car seat on her icy porch. The narrative details her initial shock, confusion, and empathy as police quickly arrive and reunite the baby with its distraught mother. It then shifts to the revelation that a frightened teenage boy, who had stolen the car without realizing a baby was inside, was responsible for leaving the infant, transforming Laura's anger into understanding. The story concludes with the lasting impact on Laura and her reflections on both children involved.
In 1833, a writer named Catharine Williams began working on a new book. She’d published books of poetry and about the Revolutionary War before, but this book was going to be different. It was going to be about a Methodist minister, a mill worker, and a murder. Kate Dawson’s book is The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne . Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcast...
After the brutal 1993 murders of Mildred Horn, her disabled son Trevor, and their nurse, suspicion quickly fell on Mildred's ex-husband, Lawrence Horn, who desired Trevor's settlement money. Investigators uncovered a "Hitman" manual, meticulously followed by the hired killer, leading to a groundbreaking lawsuit against its publisher, Paladin Press. The case explored the complex intersection of free speech and liability for explicit instructions on committing crimes, culminating in a landmark ruling and the eventual revelation of the manual's unexpected author.
Scott Darlington ran the post office in a village outside Manchester for four years. One day, the computer system told him there was money missing from the branch – and he was accused of theft and fraud. “I started thinking, ‘Maybe I’ve done this and I just haven’t realized that it’s been me.’” Nick Wallis’s book is The Great Post Office Scandal . Scott Darlington’s book is Signed Sealed Destroyed . Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the...
This episode recounts the incredible true story of David Hahn, a teenage Boy Scout who, fueled by a chemistry book and a desire for recognition, attempted to build a nuclear breeder reactor in his suburban backyard shed. His dangerous experiments, involving stolen and improvised radioactive materials, eventually triggered an FBI and EPA response. The narrative explores David's motivations, the escalating risks, and the surprising aftermath, including a Superfund cleanup and his later life.
The story of one day in one neighborhood in Chicago – and the people living there who try to stop ICE agents from arresting their neighbors. Say hello on Facebook , Instagram and TikTok . Sign up for our occasional newsletter . Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts . Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal , ad-free listening of all of our shows, special merch deals, and more. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery . Artwork by Julien...
