So Much Crime, So Little Time

We have a major update on the Karen Stitt cold case from 1982. As a reminder, Karen was a 15-year-old on a date in Sunnyvale, California. Her boyfriend left to get home and Karen was supposed to take the bus back to Palo Alto, but she never made it. Her body was found the next day. In 2022, Gary Ramirez was arrested thanks to a tip and the detective work of Matt Hutchison. Now, Ramirez is in court...

During the Troubles in Northern Ireland, a senior IRA member known as Stakeknife was leading a double life; he was also working as a top British agent. In the IRA, Freddie Scappaticci's job was to interrogate, torture, and murder suspected informants. But he was a leading informant himself. We're previewing the BBC series Stakeknife . --- For our Time Machine, we have a unique double featu...

In the 1970s, a serial killer targeted gay men in San Francisco. He was never caught but, 50 years later, a renewed hunt seems closer than ever. This discussion covers everything from how the gay community protected themselves to what it was like to be a Black detective in an overwhelmingly white police force. There are references to Harvey Milk, Martin Luther King, and more. And there's a str...

In this special interview episode, we're interviewing Chris Mancini. Chris serves on the board of San Francisco's Theatre Rhinoceros, the longest-running queer theater in America. Through March 2nd, you can see Doodler , a play about the serial killer who attacked gay men in San Francisco in the 1970s. In this interview, we discuss the Doodler case and the unique play by John Fisher. We al...

Starting in 1974, a serial killer was attacking gay men in San Francisco. He would draw their pictures, earning their trust, before violently murdering them. He was never caught. But 50 years later, is this cold case solvable? A San Francisco police detective is looking into the case. And there's a unique theater experience trying to bring attention to it at the Rhino, the longest-running queer th...

The crime scene at the Hargan home was staged to look like a murder-suicide. Millionaire businesswoman Pamela Hargan and her youngest daughter, Helen, were dead. But investigators quickly suspected this was something else entirely. We're here to discuss of Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings from CBS News and 48 hours , hosted by Peter Van Sant. --- If you missed our Preview of Blood...

When millionaire businesswoman Pamela Hargan and her youngest daughter Helen are found dead in their Virginia home, it first looked like a murder-suicide. But was there more to this story? Was the crime scene staged to appear like something it wasn’t? This is a Preview of Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings from CBS News and 48 hours , hosted by Peter Van Sant. Here, we discuss only the f...

A mysterious murder in the California desert, a motorcyclist caught on tape, a secret Costco-based affair, and some fake religiosity. Yep, it's a Dateline podcast! We're here to discuss Deadly Mirage, hosted by Josh Mankiewicz. This is the story of Rob Limon, who was seemingly murdered in a plot devised by his wife, Sabrina, and her firefighter boyfriend, Jonathan Hearn. If you missed our...

Rob Limon had a seemingly perfect life in the California desert: a wife, two young children, and a tight-knit group of friends known as the Wolf Pack. But when Rob ended up murdered, deep secrets emerged about friendships, religion, and sex. This is a Preview of Dateline's Deadly Mirage, hosted by Josh Mankiewicz. Here, we discuss only the first episode of the series to decide if this crime is...

Craig Kielburger's charity set out to fight child slavery. Free the Children (later the WE Charity) got a ton of attention. But did it actually help? Was it more of a cult? Were families and volunteers deceived? Let's discuss. We're here to discuss The White Saviors, hosted by Olusola Adeogun, with appearances by Jesse Brown. If you missed our Preview of The White Saviors, it's the...

When Craig Kielburger was 12, he was inspired to start a charity to fight child slavery around the world. It was a massive success. Free the Children, which became the WE Charity, raised millions and got the attention of Oprah, the Pope, Justin Trudeau, Hillary Clinton, and many more. But where was the money going? And was this charity actually exploiting, not saving, children? This is a Preview o...

Lyn Dawson disappeared in 1982. Her husband, Chris Dawson, spent decades denying any foul play. Meanwhile, he married his teenage mistress (and former student) Joanne Curtis. But journalist Hedley Thomas made it his mission to bring Chris to justice. We're here to discuss The Teacher's Pet, the award-winning and massively popular podcast from the Australian. If you missed our Preview of Th...

Lyn Dawson disappeared in January, 1982. Was it murder? Investigative journalist Hedley Thomas thinks so. He believes Lyn's husband, Chris Dawson, was responsible. Chris was a former rugby star who worked as a P.E. teacher at a high school. Two days after Lyn's disappearance, Chris moved Joanne Curtis into their home. Joanne was a student at Chris's school, a teenager he was having an...

A murderous geisha, a teenage serial killer, the Red Room Curse, and a quick (but haunting) ghost story. We're here to discuss Japan Crime Desu, hosted by Christi and Tamoko. If you missed our Preview of Japan Crime Desu, it's the episode before this one in your feed. Go check that out first. Preview episodes are released each Thursday. Full Recaps are released the following Tuesday. You can find...

When 22-year-old English student Lindsay Hawker was murdered in Japan by Tatsuya Ichihashi, it kicked off a multi-year search. This is a story that includes eluding capture by getting cosmetic surgery, some questionable policework, and one really terrible email address. This is a Preview of Japan Crime Desu, hosted by Christi and Tamoko. Here, we discuss only the first episode of the series to dec...

How does April Balascio, daughter of serial killer Edward Wayne Edwards, come to terms with her father's crimes? How does she challenge a conspiracy theorist who thinks he knows more about her father than she does? And how does she explore a shared tragic history with the families of her father's victims? We're here to discuss The Clearing, hosted by Josh Dean. If you missed our Preview of The Cle...

When April Balascio was 40 years old, she called the police with a tip: She believed that her father, Edward Wayne Edwards, was a serial killer who escaped justice for decades. This is a Preview of The Clearing, hosted by Josh Dean. Here, we discuss only the first episode of the series to decide if this crime is worth your time. There will be no spoilers for anything after episode one. Check back...

Happy 2025! We are changing things up a little at the show for 2025. Please check out this short announcement for the details. Thank you!

In our final holiday special of the season, we our giving you a peak behind the scenes of one of our regular features available to our Patreon community: Extended Time Machine segments! Here, you can listen to longer trips back in time to the 1960s, 1980s, and 1990s. More song lyric flat reads, more pop culture quizzes, more exploring the vast differences between Ireland and the United States. If...

In this special episode, we look back on 2024 - Our favorite hosts, the most challenging listens, our best interview guests, and much more. We also look ahead to 2025 - What are the trends in true crime and what do we want to do more (or less) of on this show? Share your thoughts in the comments and/or on our social media. See you in 2025! More time for crime? For early access, bonus content, outt...

What if we did a true crime podcast that wasn't at all about true crime? In this special episode, we challenged each other to listen to our favorite non-true crime podcasts. We discuss these, then also touch on other non-true crime recommendations. Here are the full episodes we discuss: My Therapist Ghosted Me - ⁠Spencer's Record, Oasis, and A Roman Burglar episode⁠ WTF with Marc Maron - ⁠Ali Maco...

We're revisiting one of our most popular episodes: Our preview of The Thing About Pam from Dateline NBC. In this special re-release, we've added a brand new Time Machine segment that takes us back to 2011. Enjoy this holiday treat with newly-added content! You can listen to The Thing About Pam on your favorite podcast app or the ⁠⁠Dateline NBC⁠⁠ site. To listen to our Full Recap of The Thing About...

A tragic Christmas story from Ireland: The murders of Sharon Whelan and her two young daughters, a criminal given a light sentence, and a family in mourning. We're here to recap The Whelan Family Story, which was the first season of Inside the Crime from Newstalk, hosted by Frank Greaney. If you missed our Preview of The Whelan Family Story , it's the episode before this one in your feed. Go check...

In 2008, on Christmas morning in rural Kilkenny, Ireland, Christy and Nancy Whelan were getting ready to host their children and grandchildren. What they didn’t yet know was that the home of their daughter Sharon and their young granddaughters was on fire. But Sharon and the two girls didn't die in an accident; it was murder. This is a Preview of The Whelan Family Story, which was the first season...

There's more news on the story of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. After our last special episode, police arrested Luigi Mangione in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Here, we discuss news on the case and the conspiracy theories swirling around it. Episodes we reference here: 13 Alibis Preview The Thing About Pam Preview First Special on Brian Thompson We welcome you joining the discussion in the commen...