In Her Defence

After missing for six years, Miles Naslund was discovered at the bottom of an Alberta pond, his body welded inside a metal toolbox. Police arrested his wife Helen who said she shot him in 2011 while he slept after enduring three decades of abuse. But the full extent of her sons’ involvement in the killing remains murky. And Helen’s sentence was much harsher than that of other Canadian women who’ve used the Battered Woman defense. 

From The Globe and Mail  comes the podcast “In Her Defence.” Host Jana G. Pruden recounts Helen Naslund’s case through jailhouse interviews and commentary from friends, children, and legal experts. Did the court fully take into account the 30 years of domestic violence she endured at the hands of her shooting victim? And is she protecting any family members who might have played a larger role in the killing and coverup? 

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "IN HER DEFENCE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Peacock's Dr Death season 2

TV producer Benita Alexander thinks the work of a transplant surgeon will make for a great story. Dr. Paolo Macchiarini is saving lives by implanting the first artificial tracheas, and Benita soon finds herself in a secret relationship with the charismatic medical pioneer. Once they’re engaged, Benita grows suspicious of his tales of famous friends and promises of a new life in Europe. But worse, Macchiarini has been obfuscating the results of his surgeries, treating patients like human guinea pigs while the devices rot inside their bodies.

Peacock is out with the second installment of their dramatic adaptation of “Dr. Death,” based on the Miracle Man season of the Wondery Podcast. Actors Mandy Moore and Edgar Ramírez recreate Macchiarini’s catfishing romance in the US, while Luke Kirby plays one of the doctors in Sweden looking to expose the surgeon’s deadly lies.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DR. DEATH" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of Week: road script.

Burden of Guilt

As a child, Tracyrachel Bern’s father would beat her if she asked about the 1971 death of her baby brother Matthew. Her parents would later tell her what they told police: that the two-year-old girl threw the infant from his crib. After living years with the guilt, Tracyrachel came to question details of the accident and whether her abusive father, Jan Barry Sandlin, may have killed the baby and blamed it on her. She set off on a four decades long journey to learn the truth and get justice for Matthew.

From Glass Podcasts comes “Burden of Guilt.” Host Nancy Glass interviews Tracyrachel about her efforts to clear her name and hold Matthew’s killer responsible. Did a toddler really dash a baby’s head or was she scapegoated to hide someone else’s fatal act of violence?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BURDEN OF GUILT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Boston Globe's Murder in Boston Podcast

It was a crime story that shook Boston. The survivor of a fatal carjacking said his pregnant wife was murdered by an unknown Black man - triggering an unprecedented police crackdown in Black neighborhoods still dealing with the racial legacy of bussing. The city’s spotty track record on civil rights fueled police, politicians, and the media too eager to believe a fiction wrapped in racism. But even after it was revealed to be a hoax - and that Charles Stuart staged the death of his wife - the damage to the community could not be undone.  

The “Murder in Boston Podcast” by The Boston Globe is a companion to, but separately-produced from, the HBO series of the same name. Hosted by editor Adrian Walker, the podcast digs into the Charles Stuart case from a local point of view, going deeper into its many threads. It takes a critical look at the city’s racial backstory, flaws in the investigation, and the indiscriminate targeting of Black men - as well as the failures of its own newspaper. It even uncovers new information into who knew ahead of time that Stuart was the culprit.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER IN BOSTON PODCAST" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: pothole committed.

HBO's Murder in Boston: Root, Rampage & Reckoning

In 1989, Boston was stunned by a dramatic carjacking. Charles Stuart said his wife Carol was shot in the head and he was gravely wounded by a Black man who robbed them. While the media fought each other for the latest details, police launched an aggressive and prolonged manhunt in the adjacent Black neighborhoods. Within the Black community, the harassment and heavy handed arrests opened fresh wounds in a city with a checkered past on race relations. But police were so willing to believe Stuart’s account of the bizarre attack, few suspected he was behind it all along.

From HBO Documentary Films in association with The Boston Globe comes “Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning. The three-part series retraces the investigation into who killed Carol Stuart against the backdrop of a liberal city unable to reconcile its racist history. We also hear from reporters, activists, and local residents affected by the manhunt and an unapologetic cop who helped run it.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER IN BOSTON: ROOTS, RAMPAGE & RECKONING" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

The Bakerfield Three

In 2018, Micah Holsonbake’s family said the 34-year-old banker went missing from Bakersfield, California. Two weeks later, a friend of Micah’s reported his 20-year-old girlfriend Baylee Despot also vanished. Just weeks after that, another friend, 38-year-old entrepreneur James Kulstad, was gunned down in a quiet neighborhood. Their families believed the fates of the three were more than a coincidence.

The three were loosely connected in a world filled with drug addiction, sex trafficking, and illegal weapons. The mothers of the so-called Bakersfield 3 banded together to alert the public, keep pressure on investigators, and support each other, all while Baylee’s boyfriend publicly taunted her mom. But as new evidence turned up, the answer to what happened threatened to tear their alliance apart.

From Casefile Presents comes the 15-part podcast “The Bakersfield Three.” Host Olivia LaVoice draws upon her years of covering the case as a TV reporter. Using her police sources, intimate relationships with the families, and her own story, LaVoice walks us through a mystery filled with shocking twists.  

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE BAKERSFIELD THREE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 15 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: gold brick.

Best TV of 2023

There was something for everyone on the TV in 2023. We saw documentaries that dug deep into issues of crime and punishment. There were several true stories told in real time by the people in the middle of them. But there were also shows that made us laugh…and sometimes sing.

But which TV shows and documentaries truly stood out? The crime writers will reveal their lists for the Best TV of 2023.

Lara's Top Ten

1. Great Photo, Lovely Life

2. Navajo Police: Class 57

3. Victim/ suspect

4. Reality

5. Only Murders in the Building season 3

6. Navalny

7. Telemarketers

8. How to Create a Sex Scandal

9. Jury duty

10. Last Call

Toby's Top Ten

1. Great Photo, Lovely Life

2. Reality

3. Shiny Happy People

4. Telemarketers

5. Last Call

6. Savior Complex

7. Murder in Big Horn

8. Only Murders in the Building  season 3

9. Navalny

10. The Diplomat

Kevin's Top Ten

1. Jury Duty

2. Victim/Suspect

3. Great Photo, Lovely Life

4. Only Murders in the Building season 3

5. BS High

6. Scouts Honor

7. Stolen Youth

8. Burden of Proof

9. Telemarketers

10. Murder in Big Horn

Rebecca's Top Ten

1. Great Photo, Lovely Life

2. Jury Duty

3. The Diplomat

4. Shiny Happy People

5. Only Murders in the Building season 3

6. Telemarketers

7. Netflix's Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal

8. Navalny

9. Navajo Police: Class 57

10. Last Call

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Best Podcasts of 2023

This year brought us podcasts that examined interesting characters - from the super famous to the terribly infamous. There were the meticulously investigated stories of people caught in a system stacked against them. And it provided us with many series told by hosts with very personal connections to the crimes they covered. 

But which titles truly stood out? All four crime writers present their top 10 podcasts for 2023.

In Crime of the Week: A lot of nerve swerve.

Lara's Top Ten

1. Earwitness

2. Suspect: Five Shots in the Dark

3. The Retrievals  

4. Blind Plea  

5. Ghost Story  

6. The Kids of Rutherford County  

7. Fiasco: Vigilante

8. Verified: Full Disclosure  

9. Overlooked

10. Admissible Sheds of Evidence 

Toby's Top Ten

1. Fiasco: Vigilante

2. You Didn’t See Nothin’

3. Blind Plea

4. Earwitness

5. I’m Not a Monster season 2

6. Alabama Astronaut

7. Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch

8. Ghost Story

9. Chameleon: Dr. Dante

10. The Retrievals

Kevin's Top Ten

1. You Didn't See Nothin

2. Earwitness

3. I Am Not a Monster season 2

4. Fiasco: Vigilante

5. Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch

6. City of Tents: Veterans Row

7. Suspect: Five Shots in the Dark

8. Blind Plea

9. The Retrievals

10. Overlooked

Rebecca's Top Ten

1. You Didn't See Nothin

2. Earwitness

3. Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch

4. The Retrievals

5. Think Twice: Michael Jackson

6. Fiasco: Vigilante

7. Ghost Story

8. Blind Plea

9. Dear Alana,

10. The Dream season 3

Great Photo, Lovely Life

International photojournalist Amanda Mustard returns home to pursue an open family secret. As her grandfather Bill Flickinger nears the end of his life, Amanda investigates the decades of sexual abuse he inflicted on his young chiropractic patients. Mustard looks at how Flickinger avoided accountability for decades and reaches out to her grandfather’s many victims. They include her mother and sister, but the effort to find forgiveness between them threatens to tear the family apart.

In the raw HBO Original “Great Photo, Lovely Life,”  Mustard chronicles her family’s story, seeks to empower survivors, and confronts the fallout that facing family trauma head-on can bring. Viewers are presented with home movies, boxes of mementos, and intimate conversations aimed at disrupting a cycle of abuse, blame, and anger.

OUR-SPOILER FREE REVIEWS OF "GREAT PHOTO, LOVELY LIFE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Gooned

The Troubled Teen Industry comprises the wilderness programs, therapeutic boarding schools, and group programs desperate parents turn to when their kids are struggling with mental health, substance misuse, and behavioral issues - whether real or perceived. Often, kids are escorted to these programs by so-called Goons - transport agencies hired to take kids away from home, often against their will in the dark hours before dawn. But are these Goons a last-resort tactic for families at the end of their rope or a high-ticket, legal kidnapping operation?

In the podcast “Gooned,” journalist Emma Lehman details many facets of the Troubled Teen Industry, interviewing survivors, former employees, and even impersonating the parent of a teen in crisis in order to dig up dirt on what she asserts is ground zero for the emotional, physical, and psychological abuse that leads to lasting trauma for those the industry is claiming to help.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GOONED" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: ghost in the machine.

Gay Girl Gone

Amina Arraf grew a following for her blog recounting her life as an openly gay woman in Syria, a nation where homosexuality is illegal. She was revered by the queer community internationally, started an online romance, and drew attention from journalists covering the Arab Spring. Her legions of fans were shocked when Amina was arrested by the government and disappeared. But Amina’s descriptions of life under the Syrian regime didn't ring true to those in the small gay community of Damascus. As international efforts to locate and rescue Amina were underway, cracks in her story appeared.

From the CBC comes the podcast “Gay Girl Gone.” Journalist Samira Mohyeddin investigates what happened to the famed blogger. The show also explores the impact on the people and political causes damaged by the whole affair.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GAY GIRL GONE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God

In 2021, police in Oregon discovered the mummified corpse of Amy Carlson. Her body had been transported and adorned by the members of her small cult “Love Has Won.” The woman they called Mother God had been emaciated and her skin had turned blue. Her followers believed Carlson was the reincarnation of Joan of Arc and Marilyn Monroe, and communed with a group of Galactics led by dead celebrities like Robin Williams and John Lennon. The cult sustained itself through online donations and selling miracle cures as new leaders annointed by Mother God sewed internal strife. Was it her very practices and beliefs that led to her failing health and eventual death?

From HBO Documentary Films, the series “Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God” examines Carlson’s rise as spiritual guru and her conspiracy-laced convictions. It features interviews with her followers in the immediate days after her death, still enthralled with her dogma.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "LOVE HAS WON: THE CULT OF MOTHER GOD" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: A Santa Claus bites the dust.

Ghost Story

Journalist Tristan Redman had no idea his wife's great-grandmother Naomi Dancy had been shot in the eyes by her brother in a 1937 murder-suicide that happened in the house next door. He wondered if it was connected to the spooky incidents in his bedroom or claims from the new owners that it was haunted by a ghost with no face. 

Naomi’s husband had narrowly escaped a bullet during the crime, but modern researchers questioned whether it was he who might have killed his wife and brother-in-law. Redman wondered if the apparition was Naomi asking him to prove John “Feyther” Dancy was the real killer…an inquiry that wouldn’t sit well with Redman's in-laws.

In the podcast “Ghost Story” from Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios, Redman explores the life of the accomplished-yet-problematic patriarch while managing his in-laws’ misgivings. He employs historians, cold case detectives, and spiritual mediums to determine whether his long-dead neighbor was killed by her troubled war veteran brother or her braggadocious husband.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "GHOST STORY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen

Mommy-influencer Katie Sorensen went viral with a story of a couple who attempted to kidnap her kids in a craft store. When Sadie and Eddie Martinez saw their photos in the news, they knew they’d been racially profiled and falsely accused in the latest so-called “Karen” incident.

As it became clear Katie had exaggerated the event, police charged her with filing false reports. The criminal case turned into a litmus test on the online phenomenon of white women accusing people of color of criminal behavior for innocuous things. Did she make up the story to get clicks, or did other factors contribute to her allegation?

In a short series from LAist Studios, “Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen” looks into the backlash against one white woman’s incrimination and the people who fought back against the racism and social media shaming. Reporter Emily Guerin also examines other things in the zeitgeist that may have led to her thinking her children were at risk.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "IMPERFECT PARADISE: PEOPLE VS. KAREN" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: Airing of the Grievances.

Witnessed: Fade to Black

Screenwriter Gary DeVore vanished in 1997 driving through the Mojave Desert. He’d been writing an action film with input from CIA agent Chase Brandon. His wife Wendy wondered whether Gary's disappearance and his missing script were linked to the CIA and whether authorities were trying to scuttle the case. And even when his body and SUV were discovered a year later in the California Aqueduct, she still was convinced things didn’t add up.

The newest season of “Witnessed: Fade to Black” looks into the conspiracy theories around the famous case and explores the CIA’s very real Hollywood influence efforts. Host Josh Dean tries to pull apart fact from fiction, with new reporting on whether Gary’s death was a high-stakes assassination or a simple accident.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WITNESSED: FADE TO BLACK" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: flying horses couldn't drag me away.

The Kids of Rutherford County

A fight among children caught on video led to the arrest of eleven Black students, charged for not stopping the fight. Kids as young as 8 were cuffed and booked into jail, even though Tennessee law says juveniles can’t be detained for minor infractions. Two attorneys were shocked to learn that over a decade officials in Rutherford County arrested hundreds of children for small violations and left them in jail cells for days. The police, the prosecutors, and the detention center all ignored the case law for one reason: the juvenile court judge told them to.

From Serial Productions and The New York Times comes “The Kids of Rutherford County.” Host Meribah Knight looks at a massive civil rights violation, reveals how it came to be, and follows the two juvenile delinquents-turned-lawyers who try to do something about it.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE KIDS OF RUTHERFORD COUNTY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: faked Alaska.

Unrestorable

In 2014, Catherine Hoggle returned home without her three- and two-year old children. Though their bodies have never been recovered, Hoggle was placed in a psychiatric facility to treat her mental illness and restore her competency for trial. But Maryland law states if a defendant is still deemed incompetent after five years, their charges will be dropped. With the deadline approaching, both prosecutors and the children’s father accuse Hoggle of faking it, trying to run out the clock and avoid prison.

In the podcast “Unrestorable,” journalists Sarah Treleaven and Beth Karas examine the balance between a father’s quest for justice and the rights of the mentally ill in the justice system. Meanwhile, one key question that overshadows this case: Can you really fake being incompetent and get away with murder? 

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "UNRESTORABLE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTE OF THE EPISODE. 

Earwitness

In 1995, Deputy Sheriff William Hardy was shot while moonlighting at a Birmingham hotel. An informant told police the shooter was Toforest Johnson. Even though ten people saw him in a nightclub at the time of the crime, detectives believed they had their man. But after Yolanda Chambers’s statements were discredited, prosecutors turned to Violet Ellison who said she overheard Johnson confess on a three-way phone call. Years later, even the prosecutor has doubts about the so-called “earwitness” and whether Johnson should be on Alabama’s death row.

From the producers of “Bone Valley” comes “Earwitness.” Host Beth Shelburne picks apart the original investigation, police conduct, and the credibility of the key witness. What does it say when even the people who put an innocent man on death row can’t get the justice system to right a wrong?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "EARWITNESS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: It's a small turd after all.

Murder in Apartment 12

In 2005, Kevin Jones discovered his girlfriend bludgeoned to death in her Russellville, Arkansas apartment. Police zeroed in on Jones, thinking the murder of former beauty queen Nona Dirksmeyer was an open-and-shut case. Despite a strong alibi and critical evidence pointing to an unknown assailant, prosecutors would not alter their theory of the case. And years after a jury would decide Jones’s fate - and DNA from the scene was linked to Nona’s violent neighbor - many would not change their minds about what happened in apartment 12.

From Dateline NBC comes their latest podcast, “Murder in Apartment 12.” Host Keith Morrison looks back at his two decades of covering the case. While still employing his famous droll delivery style, this Dateline mystery does not get wrapped up in a bow at the end.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER IN APARTMENT 12" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Navajo Police: Class 57

The Navajo Nation is the only tribe that runs its own police academy, training officers for an understaffed force patrolling the largest reservation in the US. The latest class of about two dozen Navajo recruits must go through a rigorous 28 week boot camp to prepare them for the rigors of the job.

But Class 57 begins to dwindle, with recruits dropping out or being dismissed for misconduct. Yet those who graduate find themselves unprepared for the emotional reality of patrolling a reservation filled with poverty, addiction, and violence which mirrors their own experiences growing up Navajo.  

The HBO Original documentary series “Navajo Police: Class 57” takes us inside the academy of a police force desperately trying to fill its ranks and into the complicated lives of those seeking to wear the uniform. It reveals how the NPD is a microcosm of the Navajo Nation itself…revealing its history, uncertain future, and its resiliency.  

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "NAVAJO POLICE: CLASS 57" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

Plus, the Crime Writers read a statement regarding toxicity in podcasting.

In Crime of the Week: Mamas boys.