Hosted and executive produced by Attorney and Law&Crime anchor Jesse Weber, Prime Crime puts a spotlight on infamously controversial stories that have shocked investigators and the public alike. Jesse Weber takes a deep dive into the most high-profile and shocking criminal cases that have garnered national attention.
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On a December evening in 2016, a man called 911 when he spotted an abandoned car on a bridge. Police discovered that 19-year-old Sarah Stern of Neptune City, New Jersey, usually drove the vehicle. She was now missing, and police needed to determine if she had left the car voluntarily or was the victim of a crime. If you’d like to learn more about the cases covered in this episode, or learn more about Missing and Unidentified Persons Awareness Month, head to www.spotify.com/disappearances . Learn...
In September 1999, 36-year-old Girly Chew Hossencofft was supposed to report to work at a local Bank of America branch in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Due to recent threats made by her husband, Girly’s co-workers were worried. When a colleague went to her house to check on her, she was gone. And she was never seen again. If you’d like to learn more about the cases covered in this episode, or learn more about Missing and Unidentified Persons Awareness Month, head to www.spotify.com/disappearances. Le...
It was May of 1996 when college freshman Kristin Smart went to a party and never returned to her dorm. More than 20 years later, a stranger started a podcast that ignited interest in the case and brought a killer to justice. If you’d like to learn more about the cases covered in this episode, or learn more about Missing and Unidentified Persons Awareness Month, head to www.spotify.com/disappearances . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
When his family realized that the Canton police would not conduct an honest investigation into the murder of journalist Don Mellett, they hired a PI named Ora Slater to look into the case. He quickly narrowed his suspect list down to three people. But finding eyewitnesses willing to cooperate proved to be an even bigger task. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
He had recently led a crusade against the city's corrupt police force as the editor of the Canton Daily News. After exposing crooked officials and getting some officers fired, Don Mellett was shot dead outside his home by an unknown assailant. His family didn't trust that the Canton police department would try to solve the murder, so they looked elsewhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the mid-1980s Los Angeles is in the midst of a serial killer boom. But that’s not all. A serial arsonist has been setting blazes across the area, leading to millions of dollars in damage and the deaths of four people. Most of the fires started in bins of pillows, cushion stuffing, or bedding — lending the “Pillow Pyro” moniker to the slippery culprit. This episode originally aired on Cold Cases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
On the evening of March 2nd, 2016, indigenous environmental activist Berta Cáceres was murdered in her home by armed intruders. Due to widespread corruption in Honduras, police weren't motivated to solve the case. Her family knew she was killed for trying to stop urban development on sacred land. They just needed to prove it. If you’d like to take action on the climate or learn more about the topics covered in “Dark Green: Earth Crimes and Conspiracies,” visit www.spotify.com/darkgreenresources ...
He dedicated most of his life to protecting rubber trees in the Amazonian town of Xapuri, where he lived. During that time, Chico Mendes received countless death threats. But on the night of December 22nd, 1988, somebody made good on their promise. If you’d like to take action on the climate or learn more about the topics covered in “Dark Green: Earth Crimes and Conspiracies,” visit www.spotify.com/darkgreenresources . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
It was 1991 when four teenage girls were brutally killed inside a yogurt store in Austin, Texas. With no witnesses to the crime, police had very little to go on. But soon, there was a confession. Then another. And another. It was up to investigators to sort through the evidence and discover the truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Prosecutors Walter Hill and James P. Tuttle were faced with a difficult task. They had to convince a jury that Frederick Small could burn down a cottage from a hundred miles away. They would get their chance with the help of an electrician who was ready to testify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Late one night in September 1916, a cottage in New Hampshire burst into flames. Florence Small’s body was eventually found in the cellar — but it was clear she’d suffered more than just burns. Less than 24 hours later, police had a suspect. There was only one problem: he had an alibi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As a firestorm of racial violence rages through the territory, Bass Reeves learns of his next arrest: his own son. Soon after, statehood and Jim Crow laws force Bass into retirement, while whitewashing covers up his accomplishments as Oklahoma's Lone Ranger. In search of justice, we consider his complex legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Explore the darker side of Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves' career, including his trial for the murder of his cook, William Leach, and the financial ruin it caused. The episode also highlights his fearless dedication to justice, his unusual alliances with informants like Belle Starr, and his involvement in the intense "Ned Christie's War," showcasing the immense personal and professional challenges he faced in a changing frontier. Discover the human behind the legend, his struggles with PTSD, and his unique blend of faith and superstition.
Eager to protect his growing family, Bass becomes one of the first Black Deputy U.S. Marshals West of the Mississippi. The face of the law in a lawless land, Bass outwits and outshoots countless criminals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As an enslaved man, Bass Reeves fights hand-to-hand with his enslaver. Victorious, Bass escapes, becoming a fugitive in America’s most dangerous, lawless territory just before the Civil War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Over the next four weeks, Carter and Wenndy are handing over the reins to Darnell Ishmel, guest host of a four-part miniseries exploring the exploits of a legendary figure of the Wild West. The man widely believed to have inspired the Lone Ranger… Who was born into slavery and became one of America’s most revered lawmen. His name was Bass Reeves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Prosecuting attorney George Yeaton was certain who committed the gruesome murders on Smuttynose Island. To him, the evidence pointed to a robbery gone wrong. But what motivated the suspect to kill the only friends he had? A follow-up conversation with the lone survivor would give him the answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In 1873, two women were brutally murdered on Smuttynose Island just off the coast of Maine. A woman who escaped the attack reported her story to the police. Though she didn't see him, she claimed to know who the killer was. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Based on witness testimony, authorities believed that Scott Watson killed Olivia Hope and Ben Smart. The jury agreed and took less than 24 hours to convict him. But since his incarceration, several witnesses have recanted their testimony, saying they were pressured by police. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It was New Year's Eve 1997 in the Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand when 17-year-old Olivia Hope and 21-year-old Ben Smart enjoyed a long night of partying. When friends couldn't locate the pair the following day, they assumed the two may have gone off on their own. But after days without contact, it became evident that something was very wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It was May of 1919 in Barre, Vermont, when the body of Lucina Broadwell was found naked on her stomach, hands tied behind her back. To solve the crime, investigators must uncover a dark secret that the entire town is hiding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It was the most extensive manhunt since John Dillinger. Authorities believed they’d found the identity of the man who’d kidnapped and murdered Ad Coors. But when they finally tracked him down in Canada, he refused to talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Adolph “Ad” Coors was a father of four and an heir to the Coors brewing dynasty when he was kidnapped in 1960. Breakthroughs in the case put the FBI hot on the trail of Ad’s kidnapper, until leads ran dry. Seven months after he disappeared, Ad’s body was found off a hiking trail in Denver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When reporter John McCormack went looking for missing celebrity pundit Madalyn Murray O’Hair, he thought it might be more than a simple case of tax evasion. Sure enough, he found a trail of stolen gold, disgruntled employees, and a disembodied torso... But it would still take years to uncover the truth about Madalyn’s tragic last days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
She was a popular atheist speaker who challenged American evangelicals wherever she went. She was also called "the most hated woman in America" and had no shortage of enemies. So when Madalyn Murray O'Hair and her family went missing in 1995, no one went looking... for two whole years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The spree continues into Christmas Day and beyond, during which the teen gang murders their third, fourth, fifth and sixth victims. After a tip, police catch the group wearing victims’ clothing, driving a victim’s stolen car, and in possession of the guns they used in their murders. A Parcast holiday special from Serial Killers . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
In the early hours of Christmas Eve 1992, a senseless murder in Dayton, Ohio, marks the beginning of a rampage. What started as a desire for Christmas cash turns into a three-day killing spree that leaves six people dead. Even more shocking was that the brazen killers were just teens. A Parcast holiday special from Serial Killers . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
It’s August in Alton, a small farm town in the English countryside. Eight-year-old Fanny Adams goes out to play with her friends, but never returns home. When she’s finally found, it’s a gruesome scene. In their tight knit community, there’s one man who stands out. A man who might be responsible for the death of an innocent girl. If only police could get him to crack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The deaths at Greystone mansion were far from straightforward — at least as far as Detective Leslie White was concerned. But shortly after the DA announced they’d be launching a full investigation, they closed the case. The official narrative was that Hugh Plunkett shot Ned Doheny before turning the gun on himself. The evidence tells a different story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Carter introduces Spotify’s latest true crime podcast, delving into the case of Kevin Keith. Listen to an exclusive clip from the first episode right here, then head to The System to finish the episode and hear more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
