Today I am joined by Anthony Redgrave to highlight the work of the Trans Doe Task Force; TDTF was created to research cold cases in which the subject may have been transgender or gender-variant. TDTF also advises and educates the public, media, and law enforcement regarding the needs of and sensitive differences between Trans Doe cases and other Doe cases. The TDTF also reaches out to assist law enforcement departments, medical examiners, and forensic anthropologists with getting their cases sub...
Dec 09, 2020•52 min
I am joined by Bruce Maitland who has not seen his daughter, Brianna, since she went missing on March 19, 2004. ( age 17 at the time of her disappearance) Bruce shares parts of his journey and how he was able to think outside himself and start the non-profit, Private Investigations for the Missing. PI For the Missing seeks to, at no cost, provide families with a missing loved one, qualified, expert investigators to work on and hopefully locate or bring some form of closure for them. They are tir...
Dec 02, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Welcome our 4th guest to our November series on True Crime Podcast series, AMBER HUNT. As I learned, Amber is so much more than a podcaster, she is an award winning (hello, 2018 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting) reporter, an author, and someone who reminded me about ZINES! Amber’s reporting is thorough, well-respected and you will hear she blazed a path into journalism. She shares about her latest podcast, Crimes of the Centuries, on the Obsessed Network, and how every case she selects has his...
Nov 25, 2020•1 hr 13 min
You might know my next guests podcast, SMALL TOWN DICKS. If you don't, you still might feel like you know of my hosts. What do I mean? Well, Yeardley Smith, one host and producer of Small Town Dicks podcast, is also the iconic voice of Lisa Simpson. She's a legend. What. DELIGHT to speak with her. And her co-hosts and co-producers, Detectives Dan and Dave? They are pretty stellar as well. Small Town Dicks is a new favorite of mine and you will hear exactly why once you listen to this episode. Ye...
Nov 18, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Week 2 of our November series: TRUE CRIME PODCASTERS! My next guest needs no introduction, but let me try anyway. He is one half of the raucously funny, wild hit of a podcast, TRUE CRIME OBSESSED. The show who's title we all relate to immediately. Patrick Hinds is here today and he shares how he and Gillian stumbled into the successful format of TCO, then formed his network, THE OBSESSED NETWORK, and hints at a new some show coming in January. I am confident you will hear a new side of Patrick i...
Nov 11, 2020•55 min
Welcome to the November series: TRUE CRIME PODCASTERS! I mean, this is what we are all about, my friends! Thrilled to kick it off with the talented writer, reporter, producer and podcast, Josh Dean. You might know him from his long form journalism days, his first podcast, The Clearing ( which we discuss at length!), or his current podcast, CHAMELEON: Hollywood Con Queen. Josh shares how the story came to be, and teases us with with what sounds to be a satisfying ending. This podcast is a white c...
Nov 04, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Today's episode is from a LIVE event last October at Caveat in New York City. Co-hosted with the lovely and talented Tori Telfer, we delved into the feminine side of cults, with some cult trivia for good measure! If you just want to hear my spiel on NXIVM skip to about 3o minutes in and you will hear me breakdown what I know then about the women leadership who helped Keith Raniere run the operation. I know so much more one year later, but my enthusiasm for the subject has not waned since then as...
Oct 28, 2020•1 hr 22 min
It is my pleasure to introduce you to my guest, Frank Lyford. Frank spent 18 years in the Heaven's Gate cult, following the teachings of Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles. Frank saw red flags along the way, but it took nearly two decades for these warnings to become loud enough for him to know if was time to go. And once he knew, we left. What happens after is a long journey of reorienting and healing from that experience. Frank has done extensive recovery work to help get to a place of sel...
Oct 21, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Another Wednesday, another new DIE-ALOGUE episode about cults. We are joined today by a wonderful professor, author, expert and sociologist, Dr. Janja Lalich. Dr. Lalich unwittingly joined a political cult in the 1970's and spent over 10 years crushed by the group's grip. She finally broke free and set about the long road to recovery. Once healed, she wanted to dedicate her professional energy to education around cults and did so as a professor, a consultant, and still consults now, even when sh...
Oct 14, 2020•57 min
Welcome back to our kick off cult episode - PART TWO. I spoke with a leading expert in the world of cults, Rick Alan Ross. Does his name sound familiar? He is often called up to speak about cults in the media and was most recently seen on HBO’s The Vow. In this episode you hear all about Rick's 14 year legal battle with Keith Raniere and NXIVM and just how dangerous a man he really is when a file on the organization kept on Rick was exposed. And wait until you hear what - or who (?) is keeping h...
Oct 08, 2020•42 min
It’s October and our new 4 week series will be CULTS. To kick it off, I spoke with a leading expert in the world of cults, Rick Alan Ross. Does his name sound familiar? He is often called up to speak about cults in the media and was most recently seen on HBO’s The Vow. He is the author of CULTS Inside Out, and wow, what a resource. It has just about every cult you can name and many you can’t inside, and also has a dedicated section to NXIVM - Rick Alan Ross is the forefront of what is happening ...
Oct 07, 2020•57 min
This is PART 2 of my conversation with Jeff. Go back to Part 1 if you didn't listen. We left off when Jeff shared how his exoneration happened and how he was released with nothing. Learn how unprepared for life on the outside he was, and what he accomplished in spite of it. He is a survivor, a hero, and now a legal advocate for those still behind bars fighting for their innocence and freedom. Jeff is an inspiration! See resources and ways you can learn more and support Jeff in his work below. Je...
Sep 30, 2020•55 min
It was an honor to interview today's guest, Jeff Deskovic. He is many things - an advocate, a lawyer, a business owner, a free man, but for 16 years, he was an inmate at a maximum security mens prison. His story is harrowing and humanizes the topic of wrongful convictions. I am astounded at his resilience and blown away by his desire to help other people who find themselves serving unjust sentences. The fact that he made his way through law school and established a foundation is even more impres...
Sep 23, 2020•45 min
Welcome, Maggie Freleng! Maggie has been on my list to interview for a while, and the launch of her new podcast from the Obsessed Network, Unjust & Unsolved, seemed like the perfect time to do so. Maggie lets us in on her reluctant foray into the true crime world, and how her background in journalism prepared her to advocate for stories she felt needed amplifying. Our JUSTICE/INJUSTICE conversation heats up as Maggie shares the incredible stories from those inside who are fighting to overtur...
Sep 16, 2020•46 min
We are back! Welcome to Season 2 of DIE-ALOGUE: a true crime conversation! We are kicking it off STRONG with power couple, David Rudolf and Sonya Pfeiffer - married attorneys who are now focused entirely on wrongful conviction cases. You will hear all about how their podcast came to be and their impassioned perspectives on the American criminal justice system. You probably know David from his work representing Michael Peterson, and his scene stealing presence in Netflix's The Staircase, but this...
Sep 09, 2020•1 hr 4 min
In light of the recent press mention in THRIVE GLOBAL, I thought I would re-play the episode that. made their list of "Unbelievable True Stories" because that's just what this one is... IF you CHOOSE to believe him. I have gotten some push back on this one, but I stand by the interview, the conversation and the wonderful Steve Hodel, who was gracious enough to share his story. I will see you next week, Sept. 9 with an ALL NEW episode as we kick off Season 2! _____________________________________...
Sep 02, 2020•1 hr 31 min
DIE-ALOGUE is on hiatus until September, but now is a great time to go back and check out other episodes you may have missed over the last year! There are 56, ya know! Here is the very first one - the premier episode, if you will. Humbly recorded at my apartment with the lovely, talented, and super smart author, Tori Telfer! Enjoy the dog days of Summer, see you with new interviews in just a few weeks!
Aug 19, 2020•47 min
If you are FOR changing what police work in the Unites States looks like, and want to bring equality to our system, but ALSO want to remain supportive of law enforcement, Matthew Horace has ideas. He lays out the ways and reasons all of this is not only possible, but necessary. I can't think of a better interview to close out Season 1 - yes, DIE-ALOGUE is taking a brief hiatus to prepare for a new Season in September, more on that below! First, you need to listen to my conversation with Matthew ...
Aug 12, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Recognize this guy? He was my guest on Episode 19, where we explored his amazing work on the CBC podcast, UNCOVER: Escaping NXIVM! That's right, it's Josh Bloch - my first returning guest - this time to discuss his latest work, the UCP Audio podcast, The Lost Kids, which focuses on the troubled teen industry- and guess what? It has possible roots to a bizarre cult - I am seeing a theme here. Josh is a talented journalist and I love how he thinks and how he reports his findings. If you haven't al...
Aug 05, 2020•48 min
When I watched Fear City - the new three part docu-series about the mafia in 1980’s New York, I immediately zeroed in on FBI agent Charlotte Lang. I wanted more of her story. And lucky me, I got it! Now retired, Charlotte shares her not so conventional path to the FBI (she answered a newspaper ad after working sales for IMB), and some mob related stories that you won’t see on Fear City ( SHE HAD LUNCH NEXT TO FAT TONY AND SPIED ON HIM). Come for the mafia stories, stay to hear what it was like t...
Jul 29, 2020•57 min
Christian Barth is an author and attorney living in Connecticut, but hails from the lovely Garden State - New Jersey. His most recent book, The Garden State Parkway murders, is about about the unsolved murders of Susan Davis and Elizabeth Perry, which occurred on Memorial Day Weekend, 1969in Ocean City, NJ. Christian recalls his parents discussing this case while driving along the very same highway where their bodies were discovered. His curiosity around the case combined to his deep interest in...
Jul 22, 2020•1 hr 11 min
Cheyna Roth is an investigative journalist and true crime author, but her career began as a lawyer in the prosecutors office. Hear all about what inspired the change, and most importantly, what led to her 1st book ( JUST LAUNCHED YESTERDAY), COLD CASES: A True Crime Collection. Cheyna and I had a great chat about all aspects of true crime, including which victims we care about and why. We spend sometime discussing the Freeway Phantom Killings and why the victims - all young women of color, recei...
Jul 15, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Harold Schechter is a true crime historian with an impressive 43 books under his belt. You might fancy yourself an expert on serial killers, but Mr. Schechter, legit and officially, which you will hear in our conversation. He is also Professor of Literature and Pop Culture at Queens College which only validates his expertise in story structure and history. He is just a walking, talking encyclopedia of true crime factoids, stats, history and stories! I am upping my true crime trivia game thanks t...
Jul 08, 2020•1 hr 16 min
Today's episode will give us a legal refresher on topics that are relevant to current events. Benjamin Taylor, partner at Taylor Gomez Law brings kindness, wisdom and action to today's conversation! I enjoyed my time with Benjamin and hearing how his career pivot ( from finance to law) led him to advocating for clients who's rights had been violated. We talk a lot about definitions of terms we are hearing a lot right now: civil rights violation vs. hate crime, defunding police vs. police reform....
Jul 01, 2020•1 hr
My guests today need no introduction: Please welcome the Crawlspace Network Founders, Missing Maura Murray Creators, and fixtures of the true crime community: Tim Pilleri + Lance Reenstierna. You might know a little about these two already, but you’re going to learn a lot. What is Lance reading these days, do the guys even watch true crime shows, was Tim’s Mom a murderino?!? I promise these two deliver as always in this laugh filled hour, but you will also learn they do so much more than you rea...
Jun 24, 2020•1 hr 11 min
Say hello to my lovely guest and new friend, Andre Matthews: creator and host of 'Bruh Issa Murder.' We get to the meaning and story behind that title straight out the gate, but essentially, it's a statement of the obvious that so many of us have experienced while watching a story about a possible accident or maybe a murder... bruh, issa murder. Andre shares how he's a voracious true crime consumer, but failed to see the cases and stories featuring of people of color and LGBTQ folks. He set out ...
Jun 17, 2020•41 min
Truth and Lies - both are critical elements in discerning what happened in most true crime cases. I speak with an interview expert, Mark McClish, who in addition to a 26 year in federal law enforcement, developed a technique called Statement Analysis, which helps him ascertain if a person’s statements - written or oral - are truthful. We discuss truthfulness at large and how humans generally do not want to lie. You will learn why “never” is a problematic word, and I ask him about one of the prin...
Jun 10, 2020•1 hr 8 min
In lieu of a new episode today, I am participating in a podcast blackout and Podcasters for Justice as a way to peacefully protest the racism we continue to witness and experience every day in America. I am enraged and heartbroken over the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. I know this list is tragically incomplete. The following statement was created by Danielle Des and Tangia Al-awaji Estrada, both voices in the WOC Podcaster Community: We are podcasters united to conde...
Jun 03, 2020•3 min
What do you get when two individual true crime podcasters with unique but complimentary skillsets team up to create one together? A fantastic podcast and a great interview on DIE-ALOGUE. Javier Leiva and John Taylor each have their own successful podcasts. PRETEND Radio and Twisted, respectfully. They collaborated to tell the story of the mysterious death of Michelle O'Connel, and the murder of Eli Washtock. If that's confusing at all, start listening to their show, Criminal Conduct, now. Wait, ...
May 27, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Detective?CHECK. Bronze Star Army Vet? CHECK. Former Secret Service Agent? CHECK. Hit Podcast host? CHECK. Is there anything today's guest can't do?!? Say hello to Jim Rathman, the other half of Real Life Real Crime; we had his other half, Woody Overton on episode 33. Jim walks me through his career and how he's happily landed where he is, investigating cold cases that desperately need attention. Jim and Woody balance their vast talents and skillsets to bring answers and closure ( if that's even...
May 20, 2020•1 hr 5 min
