by: Maddie Rowley
Towards the end of 2019, it seemed like the once-overflowing true crime podcast creek bed was running a little dry. It felt like I had listened to almost everything out there, so I found myself turning to other genres like self-help which was fine, but ultimately just not as intriguing (shocker). I’m happy to report that 2020 brought a flood (I’m just going to keep going with these water puns for no reason) of new true crime content, which I’ve been listening to voraciously and thought I should share some favorites.
CounterClock: Produced by the true crime queen herself, Ashley Flowers of the popular Crime Junkie podcast, CounterClock follows the story of investigative journalist Delia D’Ambra who revisits a cold case murder that happened in her hometown of Kill Devil Hills, NC. The burnt and bloody body of Denise Johnson was found inside her little beach cottage in July of 1997. When her body was removed from the home, police and firefighters determined that she had been stabbed in the neck before various fires were lit throughout the house by the killer, whose identity is still unknown 22 years later. D’Ambra’s reporting is compelling and the multi-media elements available to listeners who want to take a deeper dive into the case are helpful, such as this video walkthrough of Johnson’s street which paints a better picture of the crime scene. Also be sure to check out the CounterClock Facebook page for more info on the case.
Break in the Case: This podcast provides a fresh perspective on true crime in that it’s actually written and produced by the New York City Police Department. I was skeptical at first because I wasn’t sure about this new concept of “copcasting” as the New York Times dubbed it, but I truly couldn’t stop listening. Detectives from the 34th precinct dive into the 1991 “Baby Hope” case, about an unidentified baby girl found dead inside a lunchbox cooler by a road construction crew in Washington Heights. The podcast reveals gruesome details of the crime that are difficult to listen to but simultaneously make you more invested in the larger-than-life story of how this case was solved. The detectives’ thick New York accents evoke images of old-timey investigators in trench coats puffing cigars on a busy street corner but it ultimately became endearing as I listened; these rough-around-the-edges detectives never gave up on finding baby Hope’s killer.
Chasing Cosby: A different kind of true crime podcast that deviates from murder, the Chasing Cosby podcast is reported and written by Nicki Weisensee Egan of the L.A. Times. She covers the story of the once-beloved comedian Bill Cosby and how he groomed, drugged, and then sexually assaulted dozens of women and girls from the 1970s and on. It’s harrowing to hear from survivors firsthand about their experiences with Cosby and how he tried to pay some of them off, gaslight them by saying nothing ever happened, and even threaten them in several cases. The last episode covers the trial in which he was finally convicted of three counts of sexual assault and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Egan recounts the case in painstaking detail and gives Cosby’s sexual assault victims and survivors the platform to tell their stories.
Your Own Backyard: Freelance journalist Chris Lambert seemingly broke open a cold case after releasing this multi-part deep dive into the 1996 disappearance of Cal-Poly student Kristin Smart. This podcast is proof that looking into an old case with fresh eyes can unearth new clues that in this instance resulted in police executing three search warrants on a suspect’s home and vehicles along with two other locations in the past week. Kristin Smart, 19, was last seen walking back to her dorm room after leaving an off-campus party. She was legally declared dead in 2002 even though her body was never found. Lambert interviews Smart’s parents and talks to her college friends to get a first-hand account of what she was like and how her disappearance has affected them. The case is an emotional roller coaster overall because there seems to be one obvious suspect who conveniently evades police and detectives at every turn. Check out Your Own Backyard’s Facebook page for more.
Down the Hill: The Delphi Murders: The Delphi, Indiana double murder case has intrigued me since I first saw it covered in the news back in 2017 for several reasons. Best friends Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, went for a hike along the trails at the local Monon High Bridge one afternoon and were found dead a half a mile from the bridge one day later on February 14th. A photo and voice recording of the murder suspect was found on Libby’s phone, and the suspect can be heard ordering the girls “down the hill,” hence the podcast’s name. This podcast, reported and produced by HLN, reveals details I didn’t know, even after listening to another “just ok” podcast covering the same case. As of right now, there are only three episodes available, but I still highly recommend listening. Libby’s sister, Kelsi German, is a key spokesperson for the case and is often featured on podcasts, YouTube videos, and TV interviews.
Fake Heiress: Yet another different-kind-of-true-crime podcast about “Anna Delvey” aka Anna Sorokin, the girl who duped everyone around her into thinking she was a worldly socialite set to inherit $67 million on her 26th birthday. But guess what? She was actually super broke. The podcast is reported by Vicky Baker for BBC and it’s presented in a new format that includes a mix of voice acting and reporting. I’m not a huge fan of character/voice acting and thus could never get in to listening to books on tape, but the story behind Sorokin’s ability to fully manipulate those around here was just too compelling and I was able to get past the voice acting part. The whole podcast gave me Fyre Festival/ The Dropout Elizabeth Holmes vibes and I highly recommend listening!
The Officer’s Wife: Written and reported by Brendan Keefe of 11Alive News, this podcast covers the peculiar story of a small-town police officer named Matthew Boynton and his (ex) wife Jessica, who was found bleeding and unresponsive in their closet one night from an apparent gunshot wound by Boynton’s service weapon. Did Jessica shoot herself in a failed suicide attempt or did Matthew shoot her and stage the scene to make it look like a suicide? Lots of twists and turns in this one that I don’t want to give away, but I finished the last episode still a little unsure as to what really happened in that closet...the only consolation being that everyone interviewed as a part of the investigation and overall story also seemed just as confused as me.
Flatrock: Full disclosure, I’m still listening to this podcast but the investigative reporting by Olivia Lind is great and the production quality is top-notch for a smaller-scale podcast. Lind covers the unsolved 1969 murder of 12-year-old Kathy Jones who disappeared on the way to a roller rink and was found dead a few days later in South Nashville. I like how Lind weaves her own memories and life experiences into the story itself and how she discloses details that otherwise weren’t known to the public regarding the case.