Crime Writers On...

In February 2022, Florida deputies responded to a service call in which a white woman complained about Black children in her neighborhood playing near her property. Though deputies found the behavior innocuous, Susan Lorincz continued to call the police on the kids, fueling growing tension among neighbors. Then in June 2023, Ajike Owens went to Lorincz’s door to confront her after the woman allegedly threw a roller skate at her son. Within minutes, gunshots rang out—leaving one woman dead and another in custody. Detectives were left to determine whether this was a case of self-defense or a premeditated attack. Note: The Perfect Neighbor begins streaming on 10/17.The documentary The Perfect Neighbor, now streaming on Netflix, is shot almost entirely through police body-worn camera footage. It recounts Lorincz’s slow burn from Karen to killer and examines the racial disparity in the application of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law—asking whether the suspect was motivated by fear or by anger.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIE

Fascinated by a 2000 unsolved local murder, Susan Galbreath decided to become a citizen sleuth. With the help of a British journalist, the Mayfield, KY homemaker identified Quincy Cross and five others of kidnapping and killing Jessica Currin, then raping her lifeless body and setting it on fire. While the press loved the story of an amateur detective cracking the case, serious problems were overlooked. The theory of the crime changed, evidence was circumstantial, and interrogation techniques were coercive. Witnesses have recanted their statements, and even Jessica’s father thinks the wrong man is in prison. But what the world didn’t know at the trial was that Galbreath had a reason to lead police to Cross and away from their original suspect.“Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County” from Lava for Good asks whether the made-for-movie tale of an average citizen solving a murder is too good to be true and the consequences of that fiction. Host Maggie Freleng picks apart the inconsistencies in the investigation and

TV producer Jodi Tovay caught a standup comedy set in Scotland that took a dark and captivating turn. Interwoven with his earnest jokes, comedian Edd Hedges told the terrifying story of how a killer struck his neighborhood - then attempted to get into his house. Years later Tovay convinced Hedges to further explore the crime that continued to haunt him. And as she learned more about what happened that night in 2015, and Hedge’s place in it, she wondered how much of the entertainer’s story is based in truth.From Tenderfoot TV and iHeartPodcasts comes “Wisecrack.” Listeners hear Hedges tell his story of mirth and murder live on stage, before the pair dig deeper into the causes behind the violence his family escaped from. With its “Baby Reindeer” echos, the series explores unreliable memories, criminal behavior, and lingering trauma. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WISECRACK" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterso

While studying in Italy, Amanda Knox and her boyfriend are arrested for the brutal murder of her British roommate. Although they convicted another man for killing Meredith Kercher, authorities also try Knox - relying on a coerced confession and compromised DNA evidence. She finds herself cartooned and slut-shamed in a Kafkaesque legal system. Despite an eventual acquittal, Knox remains vilified in the tabloids and pursued by prosecutors. Unable to fully clear her name and restart her life in America, she returns to Italy to confront the man who refuses to believe her innocence.Hulu’s dramatic series “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox” stars Grace Van Patten. Co-written by Knox and told largely from her point of view, the series recounts the many turns in the sensational case. It depicts its protagonist as powerless to control the events around her and her quest to reclaim her own narrative. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE TWISTED TALE OF AMANDA KNOX" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the

True crime fan Lizz Melgar Rose found herself in the middle of her own case. In 2012, her father Jim was murdered in his Texas home while her mother Sandy was tied up and left in a closet wedged shut by a chair. But Sandy Melgar’s inability to recall details of the home invasion made police suspicious. Lizz claimed investigators never pursued other leads, including evidence of a burglary, choosing instead to believe Sandy tied her own hands behind her back and staged the crime scene. Even with no motive or evidence linking her to the brutal stabbing, prosecutors charged her with murder.iHeartPodcasts and BBC Studios present “Hands Tied.” Host Maggie Robinson Katz explores the theory that a middle-aged woman with epilepsy and arthritis could stab her husband 30 times, stay spotless, then bind herself in a closet locked from the outside. The podcast also follows Lizz’s fight to prove her mother’s innocence.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HANDS TIED" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 15 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podca

Ashley and Albert Debelbot had just put their newborn McKenzy to bed for the first time, but hours later rushed the infant back to the hospital after finding a bump on her forehead. When she died, police concluded the parents harmed her and charged them with murder. Facing an overzealous prosecutor, a partial judge, and ineffective defense attorneys, the Debelbots spent twelve years in prison trying to clear their names. But a new legal team uncovered evidence suggesting McKenzy died from a prenatal injury, not a beating.Season 11 of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s investigative series “Breakdown: Three Days in May” looks into the Debelbots’ complicated case. Hosts Bill Rankin and Tamara Hallerman recount the investigative rush-to-judgment, the flawed trial, and the evidence pointing to a medical cause of the baby’s death—not a criminal one.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BREAKDOWN: THREE DAYS IN MAY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THIS EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: going nuts! For exclusive podcasts and mo

He left his child in the backseat of a hot car. He said it was a tragic accident - the police said it was a calculated murder. We’ll go back to our  May 7, 2016 discussion of “Breakdown: Death in a Hot Car" from host Bill Rankin and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A group of pensioners at a British retirement village have an unusual hobby: they gather weekly to ponder cold cases. But when its co-owner is murdered in the midst of a business dispute over closing the Cooper Chase facility, the elderly sleuths insert themselves in the mystery. With a mix of senior citizen charm and a lifetime of hidden expertise, the Thursday Murder Club digs into the shady backgrounds and dodgy business associates of the retirement community’s remaining owners. As the bodies pile up, these armchair detectives find themselves in real-world peril as they get closer to solving the mystery. Based on the hit book series, “The Thursday Murder Club” stars Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and Ben Kingsley.  It brings the cozy murder trope into a quiet retirement village where the unlikely sleuths chase down a killer—and remind the world that experience, friendship, and love never grow old.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of

Many feared their lives would be forever altered after New Years 2000. For some, it was - just not in the ways they thought. We’ll go back to our Dec 10, 2018 review of “Headlong: Surviving Y2K” from Dan Taberski.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HEADLONG: SURVIVING Y2K" BEGIN IN THE FINAL SIX MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thirteen-year-old Lauryn thought the cruel texts about her and her boyfriend were just another case of teenage cyberbullying. But the messages didn’t stop. They escalated, becoming more vicious, graphic, and relentless. Everyone had a theory. Parents blamed classmates. Teachers suspected students. Police hit dead ends. Then a digital breadcrumb buried deep in the texts exposed the last person anyone expected.From Netflix and the director of “Abducted in Plain Sight” comes “Unknown Number: A High School Catfish,” a chilling dive into digital deception. Teen victims, shattered families, and stunned investigators retrace the damage. We also hear from the catfish, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions about their actions and motives.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "UNKNOWN NUMBER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: A Dark Knight's sleep. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz c

Three neighbors put their true crime fandom to the test in a real life mystery. But they won’t solve just any crime…only murders in the building. We go back to our September 6, 2021 review of season one of the Hulu classic starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selina Gomez, "Only Murders in the Building."OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING" BEGIN IN THE FINAL SEVEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At a Chicago hospital, labor-and-delivery nurse Clara Hochhäuser prepared to give birth to her own set of twins. But during her Caesarian section, her epidural never kicked in, subjecting her to feel the pain of the entire procedure. Despite her cries of agony, her own colleagues downplayed her suffering as routine discomfort. The incident forced an obstetric anesthetist to realize Clara’s experience was not uncommon. Not only do the pain medications fail in a significant number of C-sections, but doctors often dismiss patients’ complaints as anxiety or over-reactions. It set her on a crusade to change the way her profession perceives and addresses women’s pain. In season two of “The Retrievals” from Serial Productions and The New York Times, host Susan Burton explores the under-reported horror of unmedicated C-sections and exposing how institutional neglect and cultural silence continue to shape the way women experience birth. It also follows the quest for systemic change in medical attitudes and procedures

He forced a standoff with the federal government over grazing rights, then gave the world a peek into his follower’s radical vision for America. We’ll revisit our August 3, 2018 review of season 1 of Bundyville from Longreads, Oregon Public Broadcasting and host Leah Sottile. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BUNDYVILLE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL FIVE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1991, four teenage girls were found murdered inside a frozen yogurt store in Austin, Texas. The building had been set on fire, and the crime scene was compromised by the blaze. With no clear motive and little physical evidence, investigators struggled to make sense of what had happened. Years later, after coercive police interviews, a group of men pointed fingers at each other about the crime. Though their stories didn’t completely match, two were convicted and one of them sent to death row. But their convictions were overturned, and new DNA evidence pointed to an unknown suspect. The case remains unresolved, leaving investigators and relatives to wonder what went wrong.From HBO Documentary Films comes “The Yogurt Shop Murders.” The series digs into the twists and turns of the homicide investigation. It also spends considerable time exploring the emotional toll the case has had on the accused, the grieving family members, and the detectives trying to get justice.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE YOGURT SHOP

A Chicago accountant flees to the backwoods to launder money and pay his debt to a Mexican drug cartel. We’ll revisit our August 18, 2017 review of season one of the crime-thriller classic “Ozark.”OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "OZARK" BEGIN IN THE FINAL FOUR MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Leaving their troubled past in New England behind, Sophie O’Neil’s family moves to Texas, where she’s invited into a friend circle of rich wives. The bougie ladies enjoy couture fashion, boozy brunches, and shooting rifles in the woods. Sophie’s connection to group leader Margo Banks grows intense, stirring something more than friendship. As Margo’s oil magnate husband plans to run for governor, the sheriff is dealing with two violent crimes. Sophie’s secret life becomes entwined in a murder investigation. As the walls close in, Sophie finds she’s not the only one willing to hide their secrets.The buzzy Netflix series “The Hunting Wives” stars Brittany Snow, Malin Åkerman, and Dermot Mulroney. It attempts to mix scandal, suspense, and obsession, all while serving up soapy mystery and plenty of skin.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE HUNTING WIVES" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: whole lotta faking goin' on. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our n

A journalist investigates an unsolved murder along Canada's infamous Highway of Tears…and sheds light on an overlooked epidemic of violence against Indigenous women. We’re going back to our December 2, 2016 review of the CBC’s groundbreaking podcast “Missing and Murdered” with host Connie Walker.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MISSING AND MURDERED" BEGIN IN THE FINAL FOUR MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fire investigator Dave Gudsen is assigned a new partner to help capture two arsonists. One has been setting fires with milk jugs filled with gasoline and grease. The other has been taunting officials with a delayed-ignition device that’s burning grocery stores. Dave draws on his experience to write a novel about a heroic arson investigator with unusual insight into his suspect’s mind. To Detective Michelle Calderone, the book reads more like a confession. She begins to wonder whether her partner’s uncanny ability to pinpoint these fires’ origins is because he’s been setting them himself.Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett star in the Apple TV+ series “Smoke,” inspired by the podcast “Firebug.” The show also features Greg Kinnear, John Leguizamo, and Anna Chlumsky. As Dave closes in on the other arsonist he’s hunting, Michelle secretly collects evidence to learn whether the smoke surrounding her partner will lead to actual fire.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SMOKE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In C

She raised millions of dollars to build a machine that could conduct dozens of diagnostic tests from a single drop of blood…but it was all a lie. We’ll return to our Feb 11, 2019 review of the biotech-con podcast “The Dropout.”OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE DROPOUT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL FOUR MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the 1990s, Teen Mania Ministries aimed to compete with pop culture influences and reach Christian youth with rock concert-like worship events and international mission trips. The program became a pipeline for the Honor Academy, a religious education facility built on a curriculum of fundamentalist beliefs and unquestioning obedience. Founder Ron Luce aligned his group with conservative political organizations looking to create the next generation of evangelical Americans.  But his program would soon take on a militaristic tone, putting teens through brutal boot camps, glorifying martyrdom, and building an army of actual cultural warriors.“Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War” is season two of the hit series on Prime Video. Producers pivot away from the drama around reality TV family the Duggars and focus on the rise and fall of Teen Mania. It features alumni recounting how their membership went from joyful engagement to physical and spiritual abuse.  It also shows how the youth program fits into a larger