Legally Brunette

Veteran Court TV journalist Ted Rowlands interviewed Scott Peterson just days after Laci Peterson vanished, and he says something immediately felt wrong. Ted takes us inside those early encounters, the questions about the case that still don't have answers, and the bizarre behavior that made him suspicious from the start. He also reveals why Amber Frey's recorded phone calls became the moment Scot...

The 30th anniversary of Kristin Smart’s disappearance was last week, so Emily and Shane are breaking down all of the details, including a discovery that was made just last month. Kristin’s body has never been found… How did they convict her killer? Was his family allegedly in on the crime? What were the most crucial mistakes made throughout this investigation? See omnystudio.com...

Ted Bundy didn’t look like a monster. He looked like someone you’d trust. Charming, intelligent, and seemingly normal, Bundy fooled friends, girlfriends, neighbors, and even some of the people investigating him. Bonnie Bartlett joins Elisa Donovan to revisit The Deliberate Stranger  and the true story behind one of America’s most notorious serial killers. Decades later,...

Proceed with caution, as Emily and Shane are discussing the graphic murder of Miss Switzerland finalist, Kristina Joksimovic at the hands of her husband, Marc Rieben. Rieben was methodical when murdering and dismembering his wife, but Kristina’s father learned the truth when he discovered her severed head in a trash bag in their home.   How does Switzerland law differ from The Unit...

What happened to Korey Wise after the Central Park Five convictions was almost unimaginable. Emmy-winning actor Jharrel Jerome opens up about filming the brutal prison scenes in Netflix’s  When They See Us , portraying Korey Wise’s years inside Rikers, and the emotional toll of stepping into one of the most devastating wrongful conviction stories in America. He also shares the pow...

Emily and Shane are back with NBC correspondent Andrea Canning to gain her perspective on some of our top cases... As mothers, how do Emily and Andrea view the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez? In what ways does it draw comparisons to the Gabby Petito case? What's some parenting advice from Andrea that Emily and Shane are definitely stealing?! Plus, Andrea has been investigating the Gilgo Beach m...

What's it like to step inside one of the most heartbreaking true crime stories ever dramatized on screen? Emmy-winning actor Jharrel Jerome joins Elisa Donovan to revisit the story behind Netflix’s When They See Us. He reveals the emotional toll of playing Korey Wise, one of the wrongly convicted Central Park Five. Jharrel opens up about meeting Korey in real life, filming inside active pris...

Emily and Shane are giving you the latest updates on Kouri Richins, who was sentenced to life in prison on what would have been her husband’s 44th birthday. Her childrens’ victims impact statements may surprise you…   Plus, Alex Murdaugh’s double murder convictions have been overturned. What does that mean and how did it happen?! Will a new jury find him not guilty? S...

Aspiring van life YouTuber, Gabby Petito, went missing after going on a trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. The search for Gabby became a story that gripped the nation, with people wanting justice. Jen sits down with Gabby's mother, Nichole Schmidt, to talk about her magnificent daughter, the Netflix documentary American Murder: Gabby Petito , and how the loss of Gabby has led to creating...

Just when it seemed like the Murdaugh saga might finally be slowing down, the case exploded again. Alex Murdaugh’s murder conviction has been overturned, but investigative journalist Mandy Matney says that does not change what she believes: Alex killed Maggie and Paul. Mandy joins Elisa Donovan to break down the shocking South Carolina Supreme Court ruling, the Becky Hill jury controversy, w...

Emily and Shane are discussing the murder of Dominic Russo & Davion Flanagan at the hands of Mackenzie Shirilla. What did they think of the new Netflix documentary on this case? How did they perceive Mackenzie’s parents and their reaction to their daughter’s crimes? Do they believe Mackenzie will ever get out of prison? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From alleged childhood abuse and hidden sexuality to football culture, fame, brain trauma, paranoia, and drugs, Dr. Toles breaks down the many factors that may have fueled Hernandez’s escalating violence. She also discusses the warning signs people allegedly ignored and the heartbreaking possibility that Aaron’s life had been unraveling long before the murders became public. You c...

Emily and Shane are taking a time machine back to 2007, when Linda Stermer lit her husband on fire and ran him over with their family van…   Linda’s adamant that the entire scene was an accident, but her two children beg to differ. What is their recount of that night? Was the relationship between Linda and her husband, Todd, tumultuous?    Why was Linda sentenced twice...

In this episode, we discuss the disturbing documentary My Killer Father: The Green Hollow Murders, which investigates allegations that a man may have been responsible for multiple suspicious deaths tied to his family over several decades, including claims that he murdered his wife and secretly buried her in a remote area known as Green Hollow. We’re joined by the film’s director, Aengu...

What really turned Aaron Hernandez from NFL superstar into convicted killer? As seen in American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez...alleged childhood abuse, hidden sexuality, severe brain trauma, paranoia, drugs, football culture, and the pressure of living a double life may all have contributed to an escalating pattern of violence. In this episode, forensic psychologist Dr. Rachel Toles unpacks the...

Emily and Shane are joined by Terrill Swift, who was just 17 years old when he confessed to a crime he did not commit, and Dave Thompson, an expert in police interrogations and false confessions.   Together, Terrill and Dave are discussing the complexities surrounding false confessions and false imprisonment. Terrill was in prison for 14 years as an innocent man… What did he experience...

Regina Rowe-Hicks’ was discovered inside of her submerged car under suspicious circumstances back in 2001. But, with no DNA evidence and no witnesses, the case went cold for over 20 years… It was only when her husband, Paul, was charged with arson years later and a determined podcaster did more digging into Regina’s death that things started to line up. What made Paul’s ar...

Denise Huskins was abducted in the middle of the night from her boyfriend’s house. The police first believed her boyfriend murdered her then when they received a voice recording of Denise alive they were convinced she was copying the movie “Gone Girl”. In a bizarre twist Denise was released 48 hours later and upon her return she realized that the police and media didn’t bel...

Olympic dressage competitor Michael Barisone shot his student, Lauren Kanarek, in 2019 after a year of tension and alleged harassment. Though Lauren was the victim, do Emily and Shane believe she’s entirely innocent?  Was Michael’s “temporary insanity” case valid, considering he still looked mentally unstable two years after the shooting?!  Plus, what did they thi...

A quiet night. A locked door. And a stranger is already inside. She thought she was safe. She wasn’t. In this episode, Director Traci Hays and star Tyler Perez talk about Kidnapped in Her Own Home: The Martha Carelli Story, a chilling story where a quiet life is shattered when a stranger takes control from inside of a home. But what makes it even more disturbing? There’s no grand plan,...

Marsha Allen concocted a plan to poison her husband alongside her daughter, Ashley Jones, in 2022 using a root beer float and antifreeze… When the victim, Harold Allen, was pronounced dead, authorities didn’t suspect any foul play. It was only when Marsha’s home was burglarized 9 months later that the truth finally came out. Why did Marsha and Ashley do it? How many times did th...

A woman is stabbed to death. Her husband has an alibi, witnesses, and a time-stamped fast-food receipt. It doesn’t matter. He’s arrested, convicted, and sent to prison, even as a story full of wild contradictions and shifting claims takes hold. The case behind  The Thing About Pam  is as shocking as it is baffling. We break down the lies, the missed red flags, and how everyth...

In Old Town Louisville, Joey Banis and Jeffrey Mundt killed their lover, Jamie Carroll, and stored his deceased body in their basement for six months.    Why did they do it? Which one of them pulled the trigger? How did they keep Jamie’s body hidden for months? Were both men convicted of murder? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He had a family. A job. A role in his church. And for decades, no one suspected he could be the BTK killer. The story of The Hunt for the BTK Killer , is disturbing enough. But the psychology behind it is even more unsettling. Famed forensic psychologist Dr. Katherine Ramsland shares what she learned through her personal relationship with Dennis Rader: from the childhood patterns that shaped him,...

Emily and Shane are giving updates on THREE cases that are making headlines right now… Starting with D4VD’s capital murder charge against 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Will prosecutors seek the death penalty? They’re also giving details on the murder of influencer Ashlee Jenae, who was found dead in Tanzania during a birthday/engagement trip with her new fiancé. Wa...