True Crime for Your Ears

If you're like me, sometimes I find that I'm too busy (or tired) to pick up a true crime novel and really dive deep.

I work and commute to school and I find that it often doesn't take too long before my playlists start to sound redundant. Or often I'll be out for a run, or stuck in a public place with nothing but my AirPods and some time to kill. This is why I turned to podcasts. Specifically, the ones that discuss horrific crimes.

Okay, I'll be honest. I first turned to podcasts as a way to cope with rumination and intrusive thoughts. Listening to other people have a conversation or spit facts at me was an amazing distraction. The only problem was finding a topic I was interested in. I had always been fascinated with true crime, scary lure, and the occasional dark conspiracy theory. I thought at first that combatting my negative thoughts with even darker topics would be a recipe for disaster...

Now here I am, recommending these dark and dreary podcasts to you.

1. My Favorite Murder

Karen and Georgia will use humor to help us cope with some of the worst things that could happen to a human being. They cover some of the most famous murders around the world, survivor stories, and the occasional mysterious unsolved crime. I never knew that true crime and humor could go together before I tuned into this podcast, which has now become one of my favorites. Having written a book and now with their own podcast network, these self-described "murderinos" sure know what they're doing.

Tune into their first episode to get a taste:

2. Jensen and Hole's: The Murder Squad

Retired detective Paul Holes and real-life reporter and author Billy Jensen team together in an attempt to raise awareness and solve unsolved U.S. crimes with the help of those who listen. They even cover serial murder cases that have already solved but may have more victims than the investigators had accounted for. This podcast is thorough, well-researched, and led by two professionals. Due to this podcast, new leads in unsolved cases have been explored and answers have been found.

Here is one of the episodes that got me hooked:

3. Your Own Backyard

For as long as I've been obsessed with true crime, the case of Kristin Smart has always been a frustrating one to follow. Was it a bungled investigation, covered up intentionally, or was the suspect really that good at evading law enforcement? Chris Lambert interviews family, investigators, and many experts in the case in order to get closer to who is responsible for Smart's disappearance. This was riveting to listen to and was much like a great novel, I couldn't put it down. Now, in 2021, thanks to the work of Lambert and the newly drawn attention to this case, the two sought-after suspects have been arrested due to a new lead.

Here's the first episode:

4. Morbid: A True Crime Podcast

This podcast will always be close to my heart as it is one of the first I had ever listened to and the two hosts are from a city near and dear to my heart: Boston. Alaina and Ashleigh walk through some of the darkest cases of our time, cover oddities and old lure, such as the Bridgewater Triangle, and often include special guests. These two also have a way of including humor in their true crime tales, in appropriate amounts.

Here is one of my favorite episodes:

5. Atlanta Monster

Heard of the Atlanta Child Murders? Crimes committed over 40 years ago are combed over once again as the FBI is confident they have their suspect securely behind bars. Payne Lindsey from Tenderfoot TV speaks directly to the alleged serial murderer himself, Wayne Williams. He interviews the family of the victims, friends of the convicted murderer, and law enforcement who worked the case many years ago. This podcast covers racism, hasty police work, and flirts with the idea that a wrongly accused man may sit behind bars. At least that's what Wayne Williams himself will have you believe.

You decide for yourself. Here's episode one: