Forensic Tales

#103 - In September 2003, Alan and Diane Johnson were shot in cold-blood in their Bellevue, Idaho home. The couple's 16-year-old daughter, Sarah Johnson, was the only other person inside the home when the shooting took place. Suspicions fell on Sarah's story after the police discovered key evidence inside a trash can behind the house.   Support My Work If you love the show, the easiest way to show...

"I want to minimize my digital carbon footprint because I understand that storing old emails in server farms uses a lot of energy. I have three email accounts with thousands of emails because I'm super lazy about emails. If I delete 1,000 of the really old unnecessary emails, what's my annual CO2 savings? If all of your listeners did the same, how much energy could we save? How many ca...

It takes a village to raise a child. And in those days and weeks following childbirth? Research finds that mothers benefit from an awful lot of support. In fact, women with culturally-embedded support in the fourth trimester report extremely low incidences of baby blues and postpartum mood disorders as opposed to cultures without such support. Today I'm speaking with postpartum doula and newbo...

#102 - On July 29, 2012, two police officers from the Jonesboro, Arkansas, Police Department pulled over a vehicle containing three males. One of the passengers was 21-year-old Chavis Carter. After discovering that Chavis had a small amount of marijuana on him and he had an active warrant, the police handcuffed him and placed him in the back of the patrol car. Within minutes, Chavis was shot in th...

Listeners often reach out with questions big and small, and so today I'm answering 5 of them in a rapid style format.   Here's a preview of the questions answered in this episode: [2:15] Which is the better environmental choice: organic produce but wrapped in plastic, or non-organic and plastic-free? [7:30] How should we best declutter during a pandemic and where should we put our efforts?...

Too many choices breeds uncertainty, and excessive clothing options makes getting dressed harder, not easier. But knowing intuitively what looks good on you? Such knowledge simplifies shopping, reduces your environmental impact, and creates a coordinated wardrobe without unnecessary effort. Today I speak with Jeannie Stith, founder and CEO of  Color Guru . Jeannie is an expert at matching people t...

#101 - A teenager from Silver Spring, Maryland, was found hanging from a tree in 1986. Even though the teen was only one month away from starting college and seemed to have a bright future ahead of him, the police ruled his death a suicide. On what would have been his 25th birthday, the teen's mother received a mysterious envelope on her doorstep. Inside the envelope were official crime scene phot...

Online shopping has made buying more convenient, sure. But because we can't touch, feel, and try items on when perusing e-commerce sites, return rates have skyrocketed. Each year in the US alone, shoppers return approximately 3.5 billion products, only 20% of which are actually defective. Spoiler alert: these perfectly new and non-defective items that we return? Workers only very rarely restoc...

Most of us don’t tend to think about the environmental or ethical consequences associated with coffee; we just like what we like. And because there's something about the ritual of drinking coffee that's so deeply embedded in our daily lives, we often stick with what we've always done—and buy the brand we've always bought—instead of attempting to brew a more ethical cup of joe. Toda...

#100 - In 2005, 19-year-old Missouri native, LaVena Johnson was deployed to serve in Iraq. Eight weeks into her tour, fellow soldiers found LaVena's body inside a contractor's tent on base. She had been shot with her own M-16 automatic rifle, which was found lying next to her on the ground. After a quick investigation, the Army ruled her death a suicide. However, her death became suspicious after...

We tend to frame intentional, eco-friendly living in terms of reduction: Create less trash. Lower that carbon footprint. Tread lighter on our shared planet. But a reduction-centered mindset assumes that we can only be less bad; there's nothing to be said about forcing tangible good. What if we reframed the conversation to one that assumes we can leave the planet BETTER than we found it? Can we...

#099 - In January 1984, murder arrived in Colorado for a 12-day stay. Over 12 long days, the cities of Aurora and Lakewood, Colorado, were terrorized by a real-life boogeyman. His M.O. was horrifying yet simple and effective. He targeted strangers. He raped women and children and then bludgeoned them to death. But just as quickly as he arrived in Colorado, the Hammer Killer mysteriously vanished....

When it comes to giving presents, sustainable minimalists understand that less is more and thoughtful is better. Indeed, minimalist holiday gift ideas don't manifest themselves when walking the mall; you can't find them by panic buying in the days leading up to Christmas, either. Need some inspiration? Today I'm thrilled to turn the mic over to you the listeners as you offer up nearly...

Instead of legitimate reform, companies often rebrand their problematic practices as "green," "woke," and "ethical." Not surprisingly, we consumers are both angry and disillusioned by these marketing lies. But when we use our collective purchasing power to fight back, we show our strength. Hence, the power of the purse. Today I speak with author  Tanja Hester . While Tanja...

#098 - On July 22, 2015, twelve year old David Bever called 911 to report that his brother was attacking his family. When the police and paramedics arrived at the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, home they found five dead family members, one who was severely injured, and another who was found unharmed. A short investigation led to the arrest of the Bever's two older sons. What drove two teenage boys to bru...

The holidays are here, and the season is about relationships first and foremost. And while we may understand intuitively that gift giving is just one way in which we can show love, our days leading up to Christmas will likely be filled with chasing sales, navigating crowded shopping malls, and wrapping piles of gifts. I believe that we can show deep, meaningful love in many ways. But if we don&#39...

Capitalism has coerced us into thinking about contentment in terms of possessions, and many of us accumulate both stuff and money in hopes of living happier. But time and time again research finds that happiness is actually found in places that are notoriously free: in getting good sleep, in nurturing quality relationships, and in giving, to name a few. Today I bring you an interview with podcaste...

#097 - In 2007, 36-year-old Hugues De La Plaza,  a sound engineer with dual U.S. and France citizenship was found mysteriously dead inside his locked San Francisco apartment. Security cameras outside his apartment don't show anyone else coming or leaving from the apartment and the forensic evidence lead the police to explore the possibility Hugues committed suicide. However, Hugues' family strongl...

"I have a number of clothing items that don’t fit in boxes on the top of my cupboard. My weight fluctuates so frequently (and I have a newborn) that it seems irresponsible to get rid of things that don’t fit, yet I hate having clutter! Should I keep clothes that don't currently fit? When do I just let it go?"   Keeping clothes that don't fit prevents you from accepting your body as...

There's no way around it: more stuff means more sedentarism. Products of convenience move on our behalf, and our kids are moving their bodies less than any other generation in human history. Our culture–and the items the market produces to support our ways of life—dissuade self-sufficiency, and so creating a movement-rich life for our health and for the planet's may often feel like an uphi...

#096 - Linda Stermer was convicted of murder and arson after the police say she set their home on fire to murder her husband and ran him over with the couple's van. However, Linda says she's completely innocent. According to her, her husband, Todd, was the one who intentionally set the house on fire and she accidentally ran him over. What does the forensic evidence say happened? Support My Work If...

Got yourself some leather boots? How about a faux leather handbag? The fashion industry relies heavily on both the durability and aesthetic of leather and, these days, vegan leather is rapidly rising in popularity as an ethical alternative to animal-based hides. But what is vegan leather, exactly, and does it stand up to the hype? On this episode, I'm answering a listener's question about...

Fairy lights for our little girl? A dinosaur theme for our baby boy? When designing our children's nurseries and, later, their big kid rooms, it's natural for parents to get caught up in the aesthetics. After all, designing is fun; researching ethical and eco-friendly products is decidedly not. But sustainable interior design is more accessible today than it has ever been before and with a...

#095 - In May 2006, Rey Rivera disappeared from his Baltimore home after receiving a mysterious phone call. A week later his body was discovered beneath a hole in the roof of the Belvedere Hotel. The Baltimore Police suspect that Rey probably committed suicide but the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death are disputed. Support My Work If you love the show, the easiest way to show y...

"I’d love to hear a podcast episode about a bidet for toilet attachment ... Our family recently got one, and we love it but I know a lot of people have questions about them, including myself."   I did it. I bought a bidet attachment, installed it myself and, on this short and sweet episode, I'm answering a listener's question all about whether bidets have a place in a modern family...