I love podcasts. They’re a great way to delve deeper into a subject you are morbidly curious passionate about and pass the time while commuting to far-away destinations/walking the dog/pretending to be working.
And, like a gazillion other people on the planet, I enjoy true crime podcasts for the train wreck… You know, the whole “this makes me cringe but I have to know how this crazy person got away with murdering 27 people and a goat” factor.
Here are my three favorites from this week. Disclaimer: Keep in mind these may not actually have been released this week. These are just the ones I listened to this week. But if there’s anything I’ve learned from true crime podcasts and TV shows, it’s that the depravity of some messed-up humans can live on for a very long time.
Note: ⚠️ denotes explicit language
Criminal: 48 Hours
A couple in California wakes up in the middle of the night to—yep, you guessed it—armed intruders. They claim they don’t want to hurt them, they’re just there for money, but the next 48 hours prove otherwise. This is a two-part roller coaster of mistaken identity; criminals who drug, threaten, and assault their victims; law enforcement officers who say the story is too crazy to be true; and intense scrutiny from the media. If that isn’t enough to convince you to listen, check this: The story was dubbed “the real-life Gone Girl.”
Crime Show: 18 Minutes
A woman’s newborn baby is killed in an accidental fire, which investigators say was caused by a space heater that was set up to keep the baby warm during the winter. They also say the baby is most definitely dead—incinerated to ash. Everyone thinks she’s crazy—even her husband tells her to accept the truth—but the mother insists the baby is still alive. Somehow, she says, the baby escaped. But how? And where is it now?
Crime Show: Scums.xlsx⚠️
One regular day while at work, a man receives several calls from family members asking if he is all right. They had all received calls that he was in trouble and were worried about his welfare. Then he receives the same call: He has a massive debt that was sent to collections, and if he didn’t pay it right away, he would be arrested. But the debt has been paid, and when he challenged the caller, he threatened to come to his house and beat him up. No one comes, but the calls continue, and reporting it to authorities yields no help. So he starts an obsessive effort tracking down the person responsible—uncovering a huge criminal operation in the process.
What are your favorite true crime podcasts? Share a link in the comments below!
Cover photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash
