Two Minutes Past Nine & Motive Season 3

It's the feel bad episode of the season! 

First, the Oklahoma City bombing opened America’s eyes to anti-government groups. In “Two Minutes Past Nine” from BBC Sounds, host Leah Sottile ("Bundyville") provides a primer on American extremism and draws a straight line between Timothy McVeigh and today's extremists. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "TWO MINUTES PAST NINE," GO TO 26:00

Then, in season 3 of “Motive” from WBEZ, host Odette Yousef explores how the White Supremacist movement recruited a new generation of followers by co-opting the style of the punk rock subculture known as “skinheads.”

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "MOTIVE," GO TO 1:01:00

In Crime of the Week: sugar loaf. 

Who Killed CJ Davis? and Bunga Bunga

He was a troubled teen who fell into a gang before being gunned down in an East London park. Was CJ the actual target? Are his killers taunting his family in rap videos? We’ll review “Who Killed CJ Davis?”

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "WHO KILLED CJ DAVIS?" GO TO 33:00

It's the story of a womanizing real estate developer whose unconventional political movement propelled him to the highest elected office - in Italy! We’ll talk about Wondery’s Silvio Berlusconi podcast, “Bunga Bunga.”

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "BUNGA BUNGA" GO TO 56:00

In Crime of the Week: pass(word) interference. 

IT'S TRUE CRIME WEEK ON STITCHER. CHECK OUT THEIR COLLECTION OF THE BEST IN TRUE CRIME.

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Class Action Park & Smoke Screen: Fake Priest

His parishioners didn't learn Father Ryan Scott wasn't a priest until he'd already made off with their money. The crime writers share their thoughts on "Smoke Screen: Fake Priest."

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "SMOKE SCREEN: FAKE PRIEST," GO TO MINUTE 24:00

Then HBO Max's "Class Action Park" plays for laughs with its look back at a NJ water park with rides so ridiculously hazardous that no insurance company would cover it. Then things take a hard turn when we hear from the family one of the many guests who died there.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "CLASS ACTION PARK," GO TO MINUTE 54:30

In Crime of the Week: kids these days!

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The Vow & Unfinished: Deep South

Lara announces she's combining her love of cats and investigative skills into a new career. Who knew you could?

Was the 1954 lynching of prominent Black businessman Isadore Banks solely an act of racism, or was there also a financial motive? We're discussing "Unfinished: Deep South” from Witness Docs.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "UNFINISHED" GO TO MINUTE 29:00

Then the panel gets a real-time inside look at the multilevel marketing/sex cult NXIVM with the people who were there. We’re talking about the HBO documentary: "The Vow."

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE VOW" GOT TO MINUTE 1:03:00

In Crime of the Week: divine intervention.

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BONUS: One on One with Madeleine Baran

In this bonus episode of Crime Writers On, here is Rebecca's exclusive interview with Madeleine Baran, host of "In The Dark," with her reactions to news the state has dropped charges against Curtis Flowers.

Additional resources:

APM Reports: It's Over: Charges against Curtis Flowers are dropped 

• New York Times: After 6 Murder Trials and Nearly 24 Years, Charges Dropped Against Curtis Flowers 

• Motion to Dismiss 

• SCOTUS decision 

• Transcript of SCOTUS oral arguments 

The Sneak and Morally Indefensible

Kevin kicks off the discussion with some excellent medical news.

In season two of "The Sneak: The Murders at Whiskey Creek," Jack Murphy was a champion surfer who captured headlines in 1964 as a cool jewel thief for stealing the world’s largest sapphire from a New York museum. But was the charming thief known as "Murph the Surf" more violent than his legacy portrays? 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE SNEAK," GO TO MINUTE 33:00

The relationship between a murderer and a journalist resulted in Fatal Vision, one of the most famous true crime books. But to what lengths was the author willing to go to get the story? We’ll review “Morally Indefensible.”

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "MORALLY INDEFENSIBLE," GO TO MINUTE 1:04:00

In Crime of the Week: blocked up nose.

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Relative Unknown and Fear City

With Kevin taking a sick day, the rest of the panel gets to hear about Lara's new profession: pet detective. Plus, Toby's killer cat Little Foot is at it again.

In the podcast “Relative Unknown," host Jackee Taylor learns the man at the center of a double murder/homicide was actually her father, a former Hells Angel who took his family into Witness Protection and later disappeared from her life. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "RELATIVE UNKNOWN" GO TO MINUTE 23:00

In the 70s and 80s, the FBI was unable to make headway against the New York City mafia, until they used a new law to target the entire organization. Netflix's "Fear City" recounts the investigation that required bugging the city’s biggest mobsters and the case that took down the Five Families.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "FEAR CITY" GO TO MINUTE 46:00

In Crime of the Week: elephant strain.

Nice White Parents and The Orange Tree

Leading off...“The Orange Tree” revisits a crime which resonates with college students in Austin years later. What makes "The Orange Tree" different is the seven-part series is not the work of a major publishing house. It’s written and produced by students at the University of Texas.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE ORANGE TREE," GO TO 35:00

Then, from Serial Productions comes “Nice White Parents.” Host Chana Joffe-Walt looks at one Brooklyn majority-minority school where a new batch of white parents believe they are increasing opportunities for all, but are actually committing a kind of educational gentrification.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "NICE WHITE PARENTS," GO TO 1:07:00

In crime of the week: ham on the run.

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Guru and Heavy Medals

They thought they were on a vision quest retreat with a leading self-help teacher. In the end, three were killed in a make-shift sweat lodge. We learn what happened in Wondry’s new hit, “Guru.”

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "GURU" GO TO 34:00

The new 30 for 30 podcast “Heavy Medals” looks at the story of Bela and Martha Karolyi, who made champions through motivation, manipulation, and masochism. The famed coaches elevated American women’s gymnastics, then created the situation which has nearly destroyed it.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "HEAVY MEDALS" GO TO 1:06:00

In crime of the week: beware of the dark side.

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Perry Mason and Motive For Murder

HBO is out with a reboot of “Perry Mason.” But this time, Mason is not a 1950s defense attorney. Instead, he’s a 1930s private eye, working for a lawyer and investigating the case of a kidnapping-gone-wrong. Will Mason find the answers in Hollywood’s underbelly...and will he get the case-clearing confession the character is known for?

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "PERRY MASON" GO TO THE 29th MINUTE.

In 2012, Gelareh Bagherzadeh was shot in her car outside her home. Police were stumped not only as to who the killer was, but why someone would want the graduate student and political activist dead. Dateline and NBC News are back with the new podcast “Motive for Murder.”

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "MOTIVE FOR MURDER" GO TO THE 61st MINUTE.

In Crime of the Week, ain't nobody here except us chickens. 

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Uncover: Dead Wrong and Quiz

On this episode we introduce our podcast audience to our new Facebook Watch audience. Be sure to tune in and be a part of both CWO families.

His alibi was solid and the case went cold...until investigators put together a prosecution with bad evidence and dodgy witnesses. He was exonerated after two decades, but if Glen Assoun isn't Brenda Way's killer...was it the serial killer living a block away? We’re talking about season 7 of the CBC podcast "Uncover: Dead Wrong."

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF UNCOVER: DEAD WRONG, GO TO 31:00

Then, did a British couple cheat their way to a fortune on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” in 2001? When Charles Ingram goes from clueless contestant to game show champion, it doesn’t take long for executives to get suspicious. We'll review AMC's "Quiz."

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "QUIZ" GO TO 57:00

In crime of the week: take-out food. 

I'll Be Gone in the Dark! Plus a review of Slow Burn: David Duke

Here's a big announcement from the team. "Crime Writers On..." is now a video show on FACEBOOK WATCH. Just search for "Crime Writers On..." on Facebook Watch or on Facebook to see video from the podcast. DEBUTS JULY 7.

In the latest season of “Slow Burn” from Slate, host Josh Levin chronicles white supremacist David Duke’s methodical journey from fringe figure to mainstream politician, a journey not fully appreciated by the establishment until it was too late.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "SLOW BURN," GO TO 27:00

Then, HBO’s six-part adaptation of Michelle McNamara's book, "I’ll Be Gone In The Dark," pulls together the narratives of the criminal’s many victims, the cops frustrated by the cold case, and the army of armchair detectives dabbling into the five-decade unsolved mystery of the Golden State Killer. But at the heart of the documentary is McNamara, who died before completing her manuscript.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK," GO TO 1:00:00

In crime of the week: pepperoni, sausage, extra cheese, and what? 

Does Killing Eve still slay? Plus, the important documentary "The 13th"

We begin with season three of the highly-acclaimed and much-loved comic-espionage drama "Killing Eve." Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer return as the rivals driven by equal measures of dangerous obsession and fatal attraction. Can Eve root out the spies and what will happen when she finally crosses paths with Villanelle?

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "KILLING EVE" SEASON THREE GO TO 27:00

Then, it's an important time to revisit Ava DuVerney's Oscar nominated "The 13th." The Netflix doc is timely and trending...touching on the politics, policies, financial influences, and systemic racism which causes the unequal application of justice in America.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE 13TH" GO TO 52:00

In crime of the week: sting operation.

ALL BETTY! It Was Simple and Dirty John 2: The Betty Broderick Story

It's the summer of Betty Broderick!

First, The LA Times is out with a four-part podcast called "It Was Simple: The Betty Broderick Murders." The series is more of a retrospective of the crime and its cultural effects. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "IT WAS SIMPLE" GO TO [+1]

Then season two of the "Dirty John" TV series (also with LA Times roots) is an eight-part television melodrama. "Dirty John 2: The Betty Broderick Story" features Amanda Peet as Betty, a woman unable to come to grips with the end of her marriage, vacillating between winning back her husband (Christian Slater) and making him feel her pain.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "DIRTY JOHN 2: THE BETTY BRODERICK STORY" GO TO [+4] 

In crime of the week: took you long enough. 

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Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich and The Imperfect Alibi

He was the billionaire investor who hosted celebrities, politicians, and royalty. He was also a pedophile who used his enormous wealth to traffic young girls. Netflix’s four-part series “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich,” goes deep into the people and events around his life and provides a platform for his many victims, who are not afraid to name names.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "FILTHY RICH" GO TO MINUTE 32.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution is out with a multi-media investigation into a 1985 double murder and whether the right man is in prison. In a YouTube documentary on the case, “The Imperfect Alibi,” reporter Joshua Sharpe picks up the trail which leads to an alternate suspect.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE IMPERFECT ALIBI" GO TO MINUTE 53.

In Crime of the Week, license to dill. 

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"The Lost Kids" and season 2 of Prime's "Homecoming"

Why did 16 year old Daniel Yuen walk away from a school for "troubled teens" and where did he go? The podcast “The Lost Kids” explores the under-regulated industry of “tough love” programs and, in particular, the Southern California facility known as CEDU and its historical connections to a dangerous cult.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE LOST KIDS" GO TO :34

A woman wakes up in a canoe with no memory of how she got there. The trail leads her to the Geist corporation, the mysterious company behind those mind-erasing experiments on veterans. Prime's second season of "Homecoming" veers away from the podcast, with novel characters and new plan's for Geist's product.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "HOMECOMING" GO TO 1:03

In crime of the week: robocall me, maybe. 

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Wind of Change and Son of a Hitman

In this episode: two investigations that touch on spycraft and show business. 

First, he was a professional gambler in-and-out of trouble with the law. He was also the father of future-actor Woody Harrelson. But in 1979, Charles Harrelson was charged with slaying a federal judge. The new podcast “Son of a Hitman,” explores Harrelson’s life of crime with the help of his son, Brett. Was he involved in the most famous assassination in history?

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "SON OF A HITMAN," GO TO 26:00

Was the power ballad “Wind of Change” an artistic commentary on the end of the Cold War or western propaganda designed to weaken Soviet influence? The podcast “Wind of Change” investigates whether the CIA was responsible for The Scorpions’ iconic hit. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "WIND OF CHANGE," GO TO 56:00

Then in Crime of the Week, Mack truck and cheese.

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Our review of "Trial by Media"

Sweat pants? Has Kevin finally given up? Plus, does Toby know who anybody is? 

The crime writers discuss “Trial by Media,” from Netflix. The six part series looks at a group of high-profile cases and how press coverage influenced their outcomes. Sometimes the intense media coverage and live television broadcasts were major factors. Sometimes, public opinion shifted and turned one-time heroes into villains. And in other instances, engaging the media was a deliberate defense strategy.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF “TRIAL BY MEDIA,” GO TO 1:03

In crime of the week: caught red (wine) handed. 

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Giri/Haji and Waco (Both on Netflix!)

A murder in London sparks a gang war in Tokyo among rival Yakuza. Detective Kenzo Mori is told his brother, thought to be dead, may be living in the UK and central to the conflict. “Giri/Haji,” from BBC-2 and Netflix. is a bilingual drama that bends genres...plus it has an ending unlike anything we’ve seen. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GIRI/HAJI" GO TO 25:00

Then we talk about the re-release of the Paramount Network’s miniseries “Waco.” It features a sanitized version of David Koresh as a thoughtful, spiritual leader offering enlightenment to his followers. We also follow an FBI hostage negotiator who fears the agency’s reliance on military tactics is the wrong direction.

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WACO" GO TO 47:00

Then in crime of the week: baby driver.

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Run and The Innocence Files eps 4-9

After a rage-inducing opening act, the crime writers discuss the final two sections of Netflix's The Innocence Files. Each story is good on its own; how do they work stacked side-by-side?

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "THE INNOCENCE FILES" EP 4-9, GO TO 33:00

Then the panel hits the rails for HBO's romantic comedy, Run. Starring Emmy-winner Merritt Wever, we’re left to wonder where the reunited couple are going and what they’re leaving behind. 

FOR OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF "RUN," GO TO 57:00

In crime of the week: a train crashes into a boat. For real. 

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