As summer heads towards us like a man-eating shark skimming through the water around Amity Island, you’re probably starting to notice the warm, sunny, cloudless days that are beginning to pop up at least a few days out of every week. While it’s not the best time to start (that’s what a New Year’s Resolution gym membership is for), you might be considering taking a jog. Maybe for a long distance or perhaps at least around your block once or twice.
What better way to enjoy a warm day than panting like an overweight sea lion while you attempt to stop the curse of gravity from dragging your weak, formless body toppling back down to earth’s soil, right? But what are you going to listen to while you jog the day away? While the atmospheric, rocking beats of ’80s new wave is great for amping you up in the short term, maybe you’ll want to listen to something a little more satisfying while you pretend you’re not totally out of shape. You might possibly want to listen to a podcast or two in between The Human League, Tears For Fears, and Oingo Boingo.
But just any podcast won’t do. To really get that blood pumping, you’ll want to listen to something mysterious, thrilling, and perhaps a little morbid. Specifically, a true crime podcast. Who doesn’t enjoy a good cold case, missing person, or murder investigation while they briskly run? But, in a sea of crime and murder, how can you possibly pick the best? Fear not. You don’t have to. The hard work has already been done for you.
Man in The Window
In this limited podcast from the LA Times, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Paige St. John investigates the Golden State Killer. Eventually found to be a man named Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., his reign of terror from the ’70s to the mid-1980s, and included 13 murders and over 200 other crimes ranging from burglary to assault to rape. It took more than 40 years to find him and [spoiler] they eventually determined it was him by using DNA found in his garbage.
Criminal
Unlike some podcasts that go into detail about one crime (or one per season), Criminal is a different story about someone who committed a crime, had a crime done to them, or managed to find themselves in the middle of a crime in every episode. Host Phoebe Judge goes into detail and explains the story of the crime in full in each episode. It’s easy to binge because you don’t need to listen to a dozen episodes to get the story and can enjoy a few different binge sessions at your leisure.
Last Podcast on the Left
A reference to the movie Last House on the Left, this podcast is hosted by Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, and Henry Zebrowski. On it, the trio tells us stories of serial killers, cults, paranormal phenomena, and even demons and other legends. Episodes drop twice per week and are between 30 minutes up to more than an hour depending on the depth of the subject matter.
Dr. Death
Dr. Death is a truly terrifying story. The first season of the podcast goes into detail explaining the story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a Texas-based spinal surgeon who managed to seriously injure 31 patients and kill two more as he moves from hospital to hospital before eventually getting caught and convicted of multiple crimes, including felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The podcast attempts to understand how he was able to move freely throughout the medical world for so long while all of this was occurring.
Morbid
With a name like “Morbid,” you should have a pretty good idea about what you’re in for with this podcast. Hosted by autopsy technician Alaina Urquhart and hairdresser Ash Kelley, the podcast takes a deep dive into the morbid side of our brains. They dive deep into ghost stories, true crimes, and everything in between. Episodes are centered around stories like the Golden State Killer, serial killer Edmund Kemper, urban legends, and more.
My Favorite Murder
There are few true crime podcast with a more fanatical following than My Favorite Murder. Hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, the show has been going strong since 2016. It details stories of serial killers, murders, and crime sprees, and gets input about murders and nefarious crimes from fans and guests. Unlike some true crime podcasts that take a completely serious tone, the duo adds humor whenever possible.
Up And Vanished
Produced by Tenderfoot TV, Payne Lindsey hosts this investigative-style podcast. As the name suggests, it deals with missing person cases. Each new season is a different cold case. Lindsey takes a look at old leads, interviews those involved, goes to the sites to investigate, and tries to breathe new life into the story in hopes of finding the truth. The first season deals with the disappearance of beauty queen Tara Grinstead, the largest case file in the history of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.
S-Town
To say that S-Town might be the most interesting true crime podcast ever is an understatement. This 2017 podcast from the folks who brought us Serial and This American Life tells the story of a man named John who absolutely hates the Alabama town he lives in. The story begins when he asks host Brian Reed to investigate the son of a wealthy elite family who claims he got away with murder. This is the least strange part of the story. Things get way worse. Especially for John. The story involves small-town secrets coming to light and even buried treasure.
Bear Brook
The first season covers the Bear Brook killings. It all started in 1985 when a hunter found a 55-gallon drum with the bodies of an adult female and a young girl inside Bear Brook State Park in New Hampshire. The crime remained unsolved for decades until another barrel appeared in 2005 with the body of a female adult and three young girls. The podcast details efforts to find out who these victims are and figure out once and for all who committed this brutal crime. The second season is about a man named Jason Carroll who was convicted of a murder in 1988, but claims he’s innocent.
Someone Knows Something
This CBC radio podcast, hosted by David Ridgen consists of deep dive into a new cold case every season. The first season is centered around the disappearance of five-year-old Adrien McNaughton who vanished without a trace during a family fishing trip in June of 1972. This story had added significance for Ridgen because he grew up in the same Ontario, Canada town where the McNaughton family lived. So far, there have been six seasons. Each season deals with a different Canadian cold case.
Learn More
