Wicked Words - A True Crime Talk Show with Kate Winkler Dawson

Author Beverly Lowry takes us inside the story of four teenagers who were brutalized and murdered inside a yogurt shop in 1990s Austin, Texas. Who killed these girls? Did the real killers get away with murder?      Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound designer Andrew Eapen/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink/additional research Ella Middlet...

Journalist Karen K. Ho covers the case of Jennifer Pan, a woman now in prison for ordering the hit on her parents, which ended with the death of one of them. But this story was personal for Ho because she went to high school with Jennifer in Canada. Was it difficult to report on someone who was in her social circle?      Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amoros...

Author Mike Vance gives us details on the murders of five people in the same Houston, Texas house in 1910. The police had a suspect but there was little evidence--was the killer a jealous lover? An envious wife? Or a serial killer?    Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound designer Andrew Eapen/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink/additional r...

Texas Monthly Senior Editor Katy Vine reports on the controversial criminal trial of Warren Jeffs, the polygamous prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound designer Andrew Eapen/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink/additional research Ella Middleton  Support this podcast...

Author Piper Weiss relives her privileged childhood in Manhattan when she was coached by a tennis instructor who was protecting a terrible secret; Weiss’s memoir is a cautionary tale about why young women need to trust their instincts.  Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound designer Andrew Eapen/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink/additional...

In this episode author Melissa del Bosque takes us through her investigation into one of Mexico’s deadliest drug cartels and how it infiltrated American horseracing, leaving so many victims dead.   Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound designer Andrew Eapen/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink/additional research Ella Middleton  Support this...

Author Buddy Moorehouse investigates the murder of his mother’s cousin, a Hollywood actress who starred in movies with Elvis Presley and Ronald Reagan. Did Jenny Maxwell really die during a botched robbery?   Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound designer Andrew Eapen/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink/additional research Ella Middleton  Su...

Former journalist Russell Maines takes us back to Upstate New York in 1989 when someone brutalized and murdered a mother, father and two children, and then set their home on fire just days before Christmas. An innocent person might have been sent to prison while the killer might have gotten away with murder.   Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound des...

Award-winning journalist Pamela Colloff reports on how the murder of Mickey Bryan stunned her small Texas town. But when Mickey's husband, Joe Bryan, was charged with killing her, controversial forensic evidence became the focal point. Did he do it, or had there been a terrible mistake thanks to junk science? Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound desi...

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Wesley Lowery talks with us about a lynching in rural Georgia in 1983 and how it impacted the victim’s family, along with the town. Will the Coggins family receive justice for the murder of Timothy?    Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound designer Andrew Eapen/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink/additional...

Author Sarah Weinman shines a light on the kidnapping of young Sally Horner and how her ordeal in the 1940s might have inspired controversial novelist Vladimir Nabokov’s book “Lolita” and what lessons we can learn about victim-blaming.   Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound designer Andrew Eapen/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink/additiona...

Documentary filmmaker Joshua Zeman takes us on a journey to unearth controversial evidence that perhaps there were two serial killers using the same dumping ground in Long Island, New York.  Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound designer Andrew Eapen/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink/additional research Ella Middleton  Support this podcast...

Vanity Fair reporter and New York Times best-selling author Bryan Burrough went to high school with a young man who would eventually become a serial killer. Burrough returns to his hometown of Temple, Texas for a deep dive into this very personal story, talking to survivors and investigators.  Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound designer Andrew Eape...

Forensic psychologist Dr. Katherine Ramsland spent years interviewing BTK Killer Dennis Rader in prison, digging into the psyche of a psychopath and a serial killer. Find out what he taught her in this fascinating episode.   Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producer Alexis Amorosi/sound designer Andrew Eapen/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink/additional research El...

The host of Tenfold More Wicked, Kate Winkler Dawson, interviews journalists and writers about their best true crime cases. You’ll meet the filmmaker who investigated the Long Island serial killer, the forensic psychologist who spent years interviewing BTK Killer Dennis Rader, and a New York Times best-selling author who went to school with a future serial killer. These are the stories behind the...

The climax of Howard Pierson’s story. After almost 30 years in a mental health facility, the killer might just walk free. And if he does, he’ll have a huge amount of money at his disposal, thanks to his siblings. But Howard Pierson’s life would end tragically…just not in the way you might expect. Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producers Jason Wehling and Laura Sobel/sound d...

Howard Pierson has escaped from the Austin State Hospital, three years after killing his parents. Newspapers print dramatic headlines while investigators, including the Texas Rangers, search for the escapee. Is Howard capable of killing again? One relative has a startling theory about why Howard really killed Will and Lena Pierson. Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producers J...

A jury finds Howard Pierson incapable of standing trial because he is insane. He’ll be sent to a mental health facility, not a prison. But there’s a caveat: if Howard is ever determined to be sane, he can be tried for killing his parents. We also find out more about Will Pierson…he’s not the kind person he appears to be. Howard is soon on the run. Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Da...

In April of 1935, Howard Pierson has confessed to Austin police that he murdered his parents. The district attorney prepares a case against the 21-year-old, asserting that Howard snapped because his father had refused to fund his education at the University of Texas and then forced him to toil in a hot oil field. But Howard’s brother and sister hire several top defense attorneys who declare that H...

Will and Lena Pierson are dead and their son, Howard, is sitting in a police station in Austin, Texas. Howard’s siblings describe him as a sad boy who became an awkward young man. Investigators also discover that Will and Lena Pierson had a hefty life insurance policy. But who would benefit the most from their murders? And were they really killed over money? Written, researched, and hosted by Kate...

In 1935 William and Lena Pierson are living a wonderful life; he is an associate judge on the Texas Supreme Court, a career politician. She is a beloved homemaker and mother to their three children: Bill, Alice and Howard. One night in April, Howard (their youngest child) rushes into a local hospital with an arm wound—he’s been shot by robbers in rural Austin, by a creek. His parents are dead. The...

The third season of Tenfold More Wicked is called “Murder in the Court.” It's a historical true crime story about a fractured family in 1930s Texas and the murders that left a black mark on its history. Associate Supreme Court Justice William Pierson is revered on the bench, while his wife Lena is adored by their three kids at home. One night in April of 1935 the couple is murdered. Soon the suspe...

The climax of Burke and Hare’s story—will they both die on the gallows? Would their wives face the same fate? A twist on the tale is coming. And Dr. Robert Knox has a reckoning. Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producers Jason Wehling and Laura Sobel/sound designer Eric Friend/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor de...

A raucous Halloween parts leads to a violent death for one poor person in Old Town. The police are offered a valuable tip, but will they ignore it? Dr. Robert Knox is targeted. The end is near… Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producers Jason Wehling and Laura Sobel/sound designer Eric Friend/composer Curtis Heath/web designer Ilsa Brink Clips at the beginning of the episode...

Resentment grows between William Burke and William Hare in Old Town, while Dr. Robert Knox continues to make professional enemies in New Town. And the serial killers pick the wrong victim. Will this be the end of their partnership…even their lives? Written, researched, and hosted by Kate Winkler Dawson/producers Jason Wehling and Laura Sobel/sound designer Eric Friend/composer Curtis Heath/web des...