Crime podcasts to add to your playlist
After a long break for the holidays and some desperately needed personal space, listening to true crime podcasts is sure to revamp your alone time. If you ran out of your favorite fear not: here’s a list of 20 true crime podcasts that were popular in 2019 coming your way. Many of these podcasts can be found in podcast apps or websites that publish the specific podcast.
Jensen & Holes: The Murder Squad
This podcast is hosted by two retired cold case investigators who discuss unsolved cases and try to solve them while bringing the listener along with them. The hosts takes this podcast a step further by urging their listeners to participate by helping them solve the cases through submitting tips to them, and therefore becoming members of the Murder Squad as well.
Root of Evil
Hosted by Yvette Gentile and Rasha Pecoraro, this podcast is about The Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia — or in other words the murder of Elizabeth Short, also known as ‘Black Dahila,’ in 1947. 70 years after one of America’s most infamous unsolved murders, new evidence has come to light that could implicate Dr. George Hodel. This podcast presents this new evidence and provides never before heard audio and interviews with the Hodel family. Whether it be good or bad, the history surrounding this case is being told in the fullest way possible.
Up and Vanished
“Up and Vanished” is hosted by Payne Lindsey and tells the stories of unsolved missing persons cases. Payne reviews old leads and obtains new ones through interviewing people who are close to the case and/or the people within the town of where the victim vanished. The most recent story is about Tara Faye who went missing on October 22, 2005 from Ocilla, Georgia.
To Live and Die in LA
Hosted by Neil Strauss, this podcast tells the story about the 2018 disappearance of 25 year old Adea Shabani. With dreams of becoming an actress, Shabani mysteriously disappeared in front of her apartment — ironically located adjacent to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Crime Junkie
Hosted by Ashly Flowers and co-host Brit Prawat comes a true crime podcast that explores big and small town cases around the US. Not only does this podcast discuss murders, but it also covers missing people and unsolved cases as well.
Over My Dead Body
Robert Moor tells the story about Joe “Exotic” Shreibvogel, a man who loves animals and works at the Oklahoma Zoo with a love for cats, big and small. Over the years Joe has made some enemies, particularly the owner of the biggest big cat sanctuary in Florida. Things get heated between the two men and flames are thrown.
Dr. Death
In this podcast, Laura Beil tells the story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch; a neurosurgeon who claimed he was the best in Dallas, despite having bad outcome after bad outcome. That is, until someone brings out the truth regarding what really happens behind the mask.
Atlanta Monster
Hosted by Payne Lindsey, this podcast looks back at the murders of 25 children between the years of 1979–81 in Atlanta, Georgia.
My Favorite Murder
This is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark.Like many of the other podcasts, they cover a wide range of cases from small town to very well known murders, while also including survivor stories and historical events. Along with their normal podcast they also do minisodes, which are stories that listeners send in. Not only this, but they have also done other topics including paranormal, hidden objects, family secrets, first responder stories, or topics that the host has requested.
Cold
Hosted by Dave Cawley, “Cold” is a podcast that follows a case that most Washingtonians will know about, or really anyone who was in Washington State in February of 2012 — the missing case of Susan Powell. While the case happened in Utah, it also had a prominent history in Washington due to her husband’s family affiliation.
Dirty John
Christopher Goffard tells the story of John Meehan — your typical heartthrob that checks everyone’s boxes with both his personality and good looks. What could be better than a man who just got back from a year in Iraq with the international humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders? Well, Debra Newell was dating John when things switched from happy couple into getting entangled in an increasingly complex web of love, deception, forgiveness, denial, and ultimately survival. It all started when Debra’s family didn’t approve of John.
Casefile
Hosted by Dean Laffan this podcast deals with unsolved or cold cases that are often related to well known murders or serial crimes.
In the Dark
Here, the host Madeleine Baran produces a podcast with two seasons about two separate crimes. Season one is about the abduction of Jacob Wetterling that has had no answers for 27 years. This crime lead to the creation of the nation’s sex-offender registries and crime solving accountability within departments. Season two is about Curtis Flowers, a man that has been tried six times for the same crime and for the past 20 years and has maintained his innocence despite these trials.
Criminal
While they only upload new episodes twice per month, Phoebe Judge hosts “Criminal,” another podcast that covers stories of individuals who have done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle of the two.
Undisclosed
Hosted by Rabia Chaudry and fellow attorneys Colin Miller and Susan Simpson, this podcast is about people who have been wrongly convicted of crimes. The three hosts dig into the investigation and trial while also following the wrongly convicted person and their journey through the system.
Someone Knows Something
Hosted by David Ridgen this podcast has a whopping five seasons. Ranging from seasons about missing persons cases to others concerning murders that have yet to be solved, “Someone Knows Something” brings each episode to life.
Serial
Sarah Koenig generates a true crime podcast that has three seasons, each about a specific case. Season one is about Hae Min Lee who went missing her senior year in Baltimore 1999. Season two is about Bowe Bergdahl and the Black Hawk helicopter that went down in May of 2014. During season three, the host decides to look at ordinary cases and at the criminal justice system as a whole in Cleveland.
S-Town
Brain Reed tells the story of John who doesn’t like his hometown in Alabama and decided to do something about it. One day, he asked an investigator to investigate the son of a weathy person who continues to declare he committed a murder. Shortly thereafter, another person is murdered and secrets surrounding one man’s life becomes unraveled.
American Scandal
Hosted by Lindsay Graham, this podcast covers a range of high profile scandals that have been associated with large businesses or celebrities and discuss how they thought they’d be able to get away with them.
Unsolved Murders
Hosted by Roy Carter and Wenndy Mackenzie, this podcast offers twists and turns of ‘whodunits’ regarding several unsolved cases. Some of the cases being about Jack the Ripper, The Okaland County Child Murder, The Zodiac Killer, Jeffery Dahmer, Edgar Allen Poe, and The Phantom Killer.
