Crimes of the Times

Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff is a six-part podcast exploring the crisis that toppled one of the country’s most prominent lawmen, Lee Baca. Rising from humble beginnings, he presented himself as a reformer when he took over the scandal-plagued agency in 1998. He vowed that he would be sheriff as long as he lived, and voters seemed to approve. But inside the massive jail system he ran,...

In this special feature bonus episode, our host Christopher Goffard is joined by his editor, Steve Clow to discuss the aftermath of the case.

In this featured episode, The fates of Frank Carson and his co-defendants are decided, and jurors explain their reasoning. An interview with the state’s star witness, now out of lockup, raises troubling questions about the state’s handling of the case.

In this special feature bonus episode, our host Christopher Goffard is joined by his editor, Steve Clow, to examine the evidence against Carson and his co-defendants as the longest California criminal trial in decades staggers to its conclusion.

In this specially featured episode, defense attorneys offer alternate theories to explain Korey Kauffman’s death, and the trial becomes an endurance test. As Frank Carson’s health deteriorates, he wonders whether he will live to see a verdict. 

In this specially featured bonus episode,  our host Christopher Goffard is joined by his editor, Steve Clow, to discuss the implications of Frank Carson's trial on the criminal-justice system.

In this special-feature episode, Frank Carson hits rock bottom, and offers his co-defendants a way out. During the marathon preliminary hearing, the prosecution belatedly reveals a cache of undisclosed evidence — with major consequences.

In this special-feature bonus episode, our host Christopher Goffard is joined by his editor, Steve Clow, to discuss how detectives zeroed in on Frank Carson’s wife and stepdaughter. 

In this specially featured episode,  a series of wiretaps lead to criminal charges against Frank Carson’s wife and stepdaughter, an art student.

 In this special-feature bonus episode, our editor Steve Clow and our host Christopher Goffard discuss how three California Highway Patrol officers fell into the District Attorney’s crosshairs.

In this special-feature episode, Frank Carson and his co-defendants are accused of a complicated murder conspiracy after a three-year investigation. Among the accused: three cops.

In this special-release bonus episode, our host Christopher Goffard talks with false-confession expert Richard Leo, who questions the credibility of the government’s star witness.  

In this special featured episode, the discovery of Korey Kauffman’s remains gives the investigation new impetus, and a man named Robert Woody offers a methamphetamine-fueled “confession.” But his story changes again and again. 

In this special-released bonus episode,  our host Christopher Goffard is joined by his editor, Steve Clow, to talk about how authorities linked the disappearance of Korey Kauffman to Frank Carson.

 In this special-release bonus episode,  our host Christopher Goffard is joined by his editor, Steve Clow, to discuss the origins of The Trials of Frank Carson.

In this special-release episode, investigators  confront a defiant Frank Carson about the disappearance of a scrap-metal thief with a reputation for making enemies. 

In Season 2 of Crimes of the Times, host Christopher Goffard revisits one of the longest and most bizarre murder trials in U.S. history. This special podcast rerelease will include fresh insights, bonus content and a new episode with the latest news on this fascinating case. The story follows the rise and subsequent downfall of one of Stanislaus County’s most controversial defense attorneys, Frank...

John Orr was a renowned fire investigator who was also a prolific arsonist, and whose thinly veiled novel helped to convict him. In this episode we hear from the fire captain who first suspected him—and from Orr himself.  New episodes every Tuesday. To read more about these cases, visit Crimes of the Times at latimes.com Video episodes will be available on Spotify and Youtube.

The case of Barbara Graham, known in the 1950s as “Bloody Babs” after the murder of a Burbank widow. Former prosecutor Marcia Clark joins us to reexamine the questionable tactics that sent Graham to death row.  New episodes every Tuesday. To read more about these cases, visit Crimes of the Times at latimes.com Video episodes will be available on  Spotify and Youtube .

The story of Synanon, the drug rehabilitation group once known as “the miracle on the beach,” and the rattlesnake attack on the crusading Los Angeles lawyer who made an enemy of the group’s leader. New episodes every Tuesday. To read more about these cases, visit Crimes of the Times at latimes.com Video episodes will be available on Spotify and Youtube .

Former Manson prosecutor Stephen Kay recounts the strange story of Ronald Hughes, the “hippie lawyer” who enraged the cult leader and vanished mysteriously in the middle of trial. New episodes every Tuesday. To read more about these cases, visit Crimes of the Times at latimes.com Video episodes will be available on Spotify and Youtube

The last living prosecutor of Charles Manson gives an inside account of the trial and the cult leader’s deadly vision. Stephen Kay recalls the case that still haunts America. New episodes every Tuesday. To read more about these cases, visit Crimes of the Times at latimes.com Video episodes will be available on  Spotify and Youtube.

The Black Dahlia mystery: Wild theories, enduring myths and a long-overlooked suspect. New episodes every Tuesday. To read more about these cases, visit Crimes of the Times at latimes.com Video episodes will be available on Spotify and Youtube.

The kidnapped heiress who became an “urban guerrilla” and embraced her captors. New episodes every Tuesday. To read more about these cases, visit Crimes of the Times at latimes.com Video episodes will be available on Spotify and Youtube.

Smuggled out of a Santa Monica safe, the top-secret documents that changed American history. New episodes every Tuesday. To read more about these cases, visit Crimes of the Times at latimes.com Video episodes will be available on Spotify and Youtube .