5 True Crime Podcasts Worth Listening To

#1Black Effect's Bloodline Crimes

Morgyn Wood8/10

The idea behind this one is simple, and it unsettled me more than I expected: true crime involving Black families, where, in the show's own framing, relatives turn on one another or commit crimes together. Crime inside a family breaks something that a stranger's crime doesn't, and this series sits with that. It's hosted by Morgyn Wood, an anchor at the Black Information Network and a White House correspondent, and it comes from iHeart's Black Effect network. It premiered on Thursday 8 October, with new episodes on Thursdays. The first episode, Three Brothers, One Darkness, goes to Richmond, Virginia, in 1979, and the killing spree carried out by the brothers Linwood, James ("J.B.") and Anthony Briley. The show describes a loving family; the public record describes what the brothers went on to do. Linwood and James were convicted of capital murder and executed, and Anthony was given a life sentence. An accomplice, Duncan Meekins, gave evidence for the state. At around 24 minutes, the episode is short enough for a lunch break, though I wouldn't recommend listening while you eat. I'd suggest it to anyone who wants a weekly drop rather than a long serial, and who is curious about how a family can become the setting for violence rather than the protection against it. The series is new, so I'll be watching to see whether later episodes keep the same care. Content warnings: Multiple murders; rape; violence against children; arson; discussion of capital punishment. Legal note: Episode 1 covers a closed historic case. Linwood Briley (executed 12 October 1984) and James Briley (executed 18 April 1985) were convicted of capital murder; Anthony Briley received a life sentence. Later episodes may cover other cases, and we'll check each one is closed before recommending it. Start here: Episode 1, Three Brothers, One Darkness: The Briley Brothers Turn Richmond Into a War Zone (8 October, about 24 min). Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/black-effects-bloodline-crimes/id6818073176 · Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Taf1BztTSlBFdcAbZudY2 · iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-black-effects-bloodline-c-346085384/ I'd suggest it to anyone who wants a weekly drop rather than a long serial, and who is curious about how a family can become the setting for violence rather than the protection against it. Format: Anthology · new episodes on Thursdays · launched 8 October · Episode 1 runs about 24 min LTC's published verdict: No LTC review yet

#2The Scream Murder: A True Teen Horror Story

Pat Rogers and Conor McCarthy8/10

⚠ Content warning, please read first: This pick concerns the murder of a 16-year-old girl, Cassie Jo Stoddart, in 2006. It includes a graphic stabbing, killers who were themselves teenagers, a fixation on a horror film, and material from a recording made by the killers. Please decide whether it's right for you before pressing play. If any of this affects you, Samaritans are available day or night on 116 123 (free) or at samaritans.org: https://www.samaritans.org/. I hesitated over this one, and I want to explain why it's here anyway. On 22 September 2006, Cassie Jo Stoddart, who was 16, was murdered in Pocatello, Idaho. Two teenagers, Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik, were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy and given fixed life sentences. This six-part series from ABC News and 20/20 is presented by Pat Rogers and Conor McCarthy, who also made the Hulu documentary on the case. According to the makers, the podcast expands on that film with new material. The series frames the killing around the influence of the film Scream and a tape the killers made. That's the show's framing, and I'd rather you heard it in their careful hands than in a summary from me. What stays with me is Cassie herself: a girl of 16, and a case where the people responsible were barely older. I'd ask you to keep her at the centre when you listen. The first episode, The Crime, is about 39 minutes long. The free feed started on Tuesday 6 October, with episodes weekly on Tuesdays; the first two are out now. I'd suggest it to documentary listeners who want a short six-part series they can follow week by week, and who are ready for difficult material. Legal note: This is a closed case. Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy and are serving fixed life sentences. The link to Scream and the content of the tape are as presented by the series. Start here: Episode 1, The Crime (6 October, about 39 min). Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-scream-murder-a-true-teen-horror-story/id6809924678 · Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1dnPUrMiUvgxokl9AeDbxl · ABC Audio: https://abcaudio.com/podcasts/the-scream-murder-a-true-teen-horror-story-podcast/ I'd suggest it to documentary listeners who want a short six-part series they can follow week by week, and who are ready for difficult material. Format: Six-part limited series · listen in order · new episodes on Tuesdays in the free feed · Episode 1 runs about 39 min · episodes arrive early and ad-free for 20/20 True Crime+ subscribers LTC's published verdict: No LTC review yet

#3

Uncover

Timothy Sawa (CBC Podcasts / the fifth estate)8/10

If you want something you can start tonight and finish by the weekend, this is it. Season 38 of CBC's Uncover, The Mile Zero Murders, is complete: seven episodes, all out. It's set in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, the "Mile Zero" of the Alaska Highway. The host, Timothy Sawa from CBC's the fifth estate, looks into disappearances and killings that the series links to the local drug trade. Among the people named in the episode descriptions are Cole Hosack, Darylyn Supernant and Renee Didier. What I value here is that the series looks at what these losses do to a small community, and at how accountability can stay incomplete for years. Several strands of the story are, by the series' own account, unresolved. So I'd listen to it as an investigation that asks questions, not one that hands you answers, and I respect it more for that. It also makes a good counterweight to this week's two new American launches: slower, longer, more about place. Please note it's Season 38 I'm recommending. The newest season in the same feed is a different story, and it isn't part of this pick. Content warnings: Murder; missing persons; the drug trade; graphic violence. Legal note: Some strands may involve investigations or charges that are still live in Canada. We don't suggest that anyone not convicted is guilty, and the links between cases are the series' framing. Start here: Season 38, Episode 1, S38 E1: Everyone's afraid | The Mile Zero Murders. All seven episodes are out. Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncover/id1364665348 · Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5asD2sDYXsiUCtYi7VUO49 · CBC Listen: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/187-uncover If you want something you can start tonight and finish by the weekend, this is it. Format: Complete season · seven episodes plus a trailer · listen in order · episodes about 27–46 min LTC's published verdict: see our Uncover page LTC review: https://www.listentruecrime.com/podcasts/uncover

#4Secret Devon: The McGinty Mystery

Emily Wood (presenter and producer). Executive producer: James Watts7/10

This is the gentlest pick this week, and the most personal. Emily Wood, a BBC Radio Devon producer, sets out to understand the 1935 murder of her great-aunt Eva, who lived in London under the name Eveline (or Evelyn) McGinty. According to the programme, an inquest found that Eva was killed by her boyfriend, who then took his own life. The family still has questions. Then the series asks a bigger one: could Eva's story somehow have reached Agatha Christie and helped inspire Mrs McGinty's Dead? I want to be clear that this is a theory the series explores, not an established fact. Christie experts Dr Mark Aldridge and Laura Thompson take part, as do Jeremy Vine and Robert Thorogood. What I like most is the scale. The episodes are each around a quarter of an hour, from The Queen of Crime's Hometown to Flat 203, The Coroner's Report and the newest, Clues in Christie's Notebooks, so you can catch up on all five in under an hour and a half. It feels like sitting with someone going through a family box of papers. If you love Christie, or local history, start tonight. Content warnings: A historic murder; suicide (as recorded at the inquest); archive and forensic detail in Episode 4. The BBC notes that it "contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting". Legal note: A 1935 case. The connection to Agatha Christie is a question the series raises, not a fact. Start here: Episode 1, A murder in the family (first broadcast Friday 18 September) (BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0pb98pf). Listen: BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0jbk3jz · Series page: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0p967d9 If you love Christie, or local history, start tonight. Format: Short episodes · listen in order · about 15–18 min each · new episodes on Fridays · five out so far (Episode 5 released 16 October) LTC's published verdict: No LTC review yet

#5UK True Crime Podcast

Adam Lloyd7/10

I wanted to end the week closer to home. UK True Crime Podcast is an independent show hosted by Adam Lloyd, and it has been going since around 2016. In that time it has built up a catalogue of more than 600 episodes, covering cases from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. New episodes come out every Tuesday and Friday, with extras in between, so there's always something waiting. That steadiness is what I like about it. After a week of big-network launches, this is a single host who keeps turning up, case after case, often in places you know. Recent episodes show the range: A Bristol Gang, out since Friday 9 October, is about an armed robbery. Another is a long conversation with Tom Wood, a retired Scottish detective and author, released just after midnight on Sunday 11 October. I'd start with A Bristol Gang. It's about half an hour, and it gives you a good sense of how the show works. With a catalogue this size, you don't have to go in order. Pick a place near you and go from there. Content warnings: Armed robbery and violence (Episode 551). Other episodes vary, so please check each one's description. Legal note: Episode 551 covers an armed robbery case. We're recommending that episode specifically; not every episode in the feed carries the same low risk. Start here: Episode 551, A Bristol Gang (out since Friday 9 October, 31 min). Listen: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uk-true-crime-podcast/id1182818802 · Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gT6XIH3PNi6EEkMjTKsHi · Acast: https://shows.acast.com/uk-true-crime-podcast- · Official site: https://uktruecrime.com/ After a week of big-network launches, this is a single host who keeps turning up, case after case, often in places you know. Format: One case per episode, plus interviews · any order · new episodes every Tuesday and Friday, plus extras · Episode 551 runs 31 min LTC's published verdict: No LTC review yet