Crime To Burn

In central Pennsylvania, there's a fire that's been burning for over 60 years and it's still burning. They said it was just a tragic accident. A fire burning in the underground abandoned coal mines in Centralia, Pennsylvania was at first a nuisance, then a concern, then a crisis of epic consequence. However, many investigators over the decades have uncovered evidence that this fire wasn't actually...

In this week's episode we conclude our coverage of the Evelyn Zigerelli Henderson case out of Harrisburg, PA. Evelyn was tried and convicted for setting her husband, a former sheriff's deputy, on fire on the back porch of their home following an argument over money. This week we evaluate the interpretations of the physical evidence by the fire investigator hired by the defense. I take you through...

In June of 2022, Evelyn Zigerelli Henderson called 911 to report that her husband of more than 30 years, a former sheriff's deputy, had either intentionally or accidentally set himself on fire. However, police quickly suspected foul play. Evelyn changed her story multiple times but ultimately, she was convicted for the murder of her husband by arson. Does the evidence presented in court stand up t...

Crime to Burn is a true crime podcast about criminal fires including arson, bombings, and criminal negligence. Hosted by April, a fire protection engineer with over 20 years of industry experience. Her husband, a self-proclaimed professional idiot, is her hilarious co-host and he may not be a fire expert but he's seen the movie Backdraft at least twice. 

Let's close out 2024 with some festive... arson? Turns out that one holiday tradition in Sweden, the Gävle Goat or Gävlebocken has a dark and sinister history associated with the otherwise festive tradition. The Gävle Goat has been damaged or destroyed 42 out of 58 years. It's been hit by cars, beaten with clubs, and even subjected to an Alfred Hitchcock style bird massacre. However, the most popu...

In this final episode of the Juwan Deering Wrongful Arson Conviction Case, we learn even more allegations of investigatory and prosecutorial misconduct. We find out what evidence the independent investigator found indicating that Deering's rights were violated and who was allegedly responsible for those actions. In addition, we uncovered new court documents for a civil suit that sheds new light on...

This week we continue our coverage of the Juwan Deering wrongful conviction. Juwan Deering was a Michigan man accused of setting a fatal fire that killed 5 children in Royal Oak Township, Michigan. Deering was convicted based on now-debunked arson investigation myths but that isn't the only reason he was convicted. The prosecutor in the case stands accused of some shocking misconduct and we get in...

Juwan Deering was charged and convicted for setting a fire at a home that killed five children. However, investigators based their determination of how the fire began on now-debunked arson investigation myths. Juwan Deering was seen by investigators and the court system in a negative light and as a result he did not receive a fair trial nor did investigators behave in an ethical manner in prosecut...

In November 2017, a "volunteer reporter" went viral for her coverage of a house fire in Norfolk, Virginia for all the right reasons. What she lacks in professional broadcast training and polished vocabulary, she makes up for with her enthusiasm. While her reporting is nothing short of a national treasure, the fact is that in her coverage of this fire, she happened to actually solve a crime. Our ha...

Angie Abdullah should be alive today. She should be celebrating the accomplishments and successes of her now-adult children. Instead she was prematurely silenced by a controlling husband who carried out a gruesome murder and attempted to cover his crime with arson, risking the lives of four children in the process. However, her husband, Azad Abdullah, was as inept an arsonist as he was a husband a...

This is a special feature on Crime to Burn. On Sunday, November 10, I was able to sit down and have a conversation with Kristine Bunch. We covered Kristine's case in episodes 32 and 33. Kristine was accused of intentionally setting a fire at her home that claimed the life of her toddler son. Investigators developed their theory of what happened based on a now debunked arson investigation myth that...

Clarence Roberts was reported to have died in a fire in 1970... and then he died in another fire in 1980. But we know a man cannot die twice but we have two bodies and many believe he died in 1970 while others believe he died in 1980 and at least one that believes he wasn't killed in either fire. This case is a crazy story of desperation, murder, and arson. So, if only one of the bodies can be Cla...

In this episode we conclude the story of Kristine Bunch's wrongful conviction for arson and murder. When Kristine was 21, her trailer home burned down taking the life of her toddler son. At 22, Kristine was sentenced to 60 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. Last week we had an in-depth discussion of fire dynamics and what arson investigators found. This week we uncover the dark truth...

What happens when we allow junk science and fire investigation mythology into the halls of justice? Kristine Bunch can tell you. She spent 17 years paying a debt to society that she didn't owe after being wrongfully convicted of the arson that killed her toddler son. But Kristine Bunch never stopped fighting for truth and even after her release, she continued the fight to help others that have bee...

This is the FINALE of the David Michael Crawford serial arson case. In this episode we share some updates with you. We discuss the prosecution's rebuttal of the defense's closing arguments. The jury's verdict. The sentence handed down by the judge and some of Crawford's statements at sentencing. We discuss the grounds for appeal and we'll give you a bit of information on some other fires that occu...

In this episode of the David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case, we finally get into the defense and closing arguments that the jury heard as they considered whether or not Crawford should be found guilty for 8 counts of first degree attempted murder.  I have to admit, the defense strategy isn't what I expected, but did it work? Listen now to find out.  Background Music by Not Notoriously Coordina...

This week on Crime to Burn, we cover the second fire Crawford was convicted of setting at Evelyn and Scott Henderson's home. Evelyn and Scott were weeks away from moving back into the home Crawford had burned once already while they slept inside after a 9 month rebuilding process. The family still had no idea who had targeted them or why but with two fires at their home, there was no doubt someone...

In Part 7 of the David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case, we address the final name on Crawford's "target list" found by investigators in his phone. The entry simply read "Evelyn 2" which sounds as benign as a dinner reservation. However, this entry represents a living nightmare for one Howard County family. Crawford was charged with attempting to kill them in their home by burning it down while...

In this sixth part of the David Michael Crawford serial arson case, we cover two more of the fires Crawford is accused of setting. The first fire is a truck fire belonging to the son of a former colleague of Crawford's. The second is the home of a husband and wife chiropractor team that had treated Crawford. Then we take all the fires we've covered and put them into chronological order along with...

In Part 5 of the David Michael Crawford Serial Arson Case, we have brand new information provided by people that knew Crawford and are familiar with the case plus we have the police reports in the alleged harassment Crawford is accused of committing against his own daughter. We also begin digging into the list of victims found on Crawford's phone. We'll even tell you about a celebrity connection t...

In part 4 of the David Michael Crawford case, we get into some truly horrifying allegations made by David's daughter Carrie against her father. We don't have any proof that David is responsible for these crimes but Carrie made allegations in several news sources after her dad was found guilty. If these allegations are true, one word comes to mind: psychopath. If these allegations are true, it's ho...

This week we continue the saga of the David Michael Crawford serial arson case. Today we dig deep into family drama that allegedly resulted in three separate fires targeting a single family. The most shocking part is that the family targeted was that of David Crawford's own stepson. But the drama doesn't end here. Crawford's own daughter has some really insane allegations to lob at her father that...

This week we continue our in-depth coverage of the David Michael Crawford serial arson case. Crawford was a retired police chief that spent over 30 years serving the citizens of Baltimore City, Prince George's County, District Heights, and finally ending his career as the Chief of Police for the City of Laurel, MD. After he retired, he is accused of having spent the next 10 years on an arson spree...

See below for timestamps! In today's episode we kick off the case of David Michael Crawford, a retired Maryland Police Chief turned serial arsonist. We will be starting with the first arson in a series he was linked to in court with a fire at the home of a fellow city employee. We're bringing you a deep dive into a case I've been researching for over 6 months and currently this case is pending app...

In 1995, after weeks of harassment, a restaurant owned by an immigrant family was set aflame with one of the family members inside the building. She managed to escape and an enraged community rallied in support of the family and to decry the racism that had nearly cost them a neighbor. Police worked quickly and it wasn't long until they were able to make an arrest in this horrific crime. However,...