When people think of true-crime media these
days, podcasts jump to the forefront of many of our minds. Over recent years,
we have seen podcasts help re-open investigations, crowdsource clues from
armchair detectives, and even lead to solving cold cases. They have also
brought to light injustices and false imprisonments, as well as given voices to
untold amounts of victims. One of the first podcasts on the scene to make a
splash was famously Serial, followed by Undisclosed diving even deeper into the
murder of Hae Min Lee and conviction of Adnan Syed. Then, came the age of the
‘Murderinos’. We had always been lurking in the shadows, but the podcast My
Favorite Murder brought us all out in droves to openly and honestly discuss our
fascination with true crime. On a personal note, being Murderinos has brought
us an invaluable writing group, friends across the world who share our
interests, and even, helped grab the attention of a Murderino editor in another
country who ended up helping secure our book publishing contract after spotting
us in a Twitter pitch contest. To celebrate our love for true-crime journalism
and media, here are five more crime podcasts worth a listen.
TOP FIVE Crime Podcasts
1. The Murder Squad with Billy Jensen and Paul Holes
Anyone who has followed the Golden State
Killer case or listened to My Favorite Murder is likely very familiar with
these two names, and rightly so. Retired cold case investigator Paul Holes and
investigative journalist Billy Jensen use this podcast to try to solve cold
cases using their personal expertise as well as a wide range of methods,
including crowdsourcing from listeners. At the end of each episode, Billy and
Paul give a homework assignment that allows listeners to play a hands-on role
in unearthing new clues and witness statements for the case discussed in that
episode. And every once in a while, you get an update that shows the successful
leads they’ve gotten due to listener involvement. Not only are they extremely
smart and skilled at investigations and storytelling, but their genuine care
for others and humble, good-natured personalities make you feel like you know
them, sitting around discussing crimes alongside them in your new career as an
investigator.
Bonus: Need more Billy? We couldn’t blame you. He’s got another podcast out now as well called Unravelled, diving into the case of the Long Island Serial Killer and how it’s possible that the case is still unsolved. His journalistic skills are always on point, and this is another example of his exemplary ability to shine light on unsolved cases.
Unravelled, diving into the case of the Long Island Serial Killer Podcast
2. CounterClock
CounterClock is led by host Delia D’Ambra and one not to miss. Season One started out as an interesting case of a women found brutally murdered inside her own home in a coastal North Carolina town, D’Ambra’s own hometown. But then, when D’Ambra returned for Season Two, CounterClock took on a whole new level of intrigue. What started as two separate stories, two sperate murders, ended up being connected in a shocking new discovery, never uncovered before CounterClock came onto the scene. Season 3 is now also available, including new interviews and information pulled from thousands of documents, diving into the Pelley Family massacre in Lakeville, Indiana.
3. RedHanded
It’s not surprising that RedHanded is an award winning podcast and a listener favorite in the UK. If you haven’t checked it out yet, there are nearly 200 episodes at the time of writing this so buckle in and get ready to binge! As podcast listeners who drank the true crime media kool-aid very quickly with My Favorite Murder, this was a delightful find with similar vibes – but British. Hosts Hannah and Suruthi are both relatable and interesting, like you’re sitting down with your best friends talking over grizzly crimes and fascinating mysteries. Their personalities are down to earth and humorous at times, not worrying about filtering their anecdotes or language to dull their quick wit or scurrying away from important societal issues. Not only are they entertaining, but their episodes are well researched and informative, and cover a wide range of cases from all over the world.
4. Big Mad True Crime
We discovered this podcast from following the host, Heather Ashley, on Instagram before she began producing it. What started off as interesting dives into cases told through Instagram Stories and saved to her Highlights so she could add updates if cases progressed further, turned into a well-researched and enjoyable podcast with almost 3k reviews averaging nearly 5 stars on Apple Podcasts at the time of writing this. Heather covers everything from little-known cases to the big ones everyone is buzzing about, and she does it in a way that’s accessible and easy to listen to. The level of care she puts into overturning every possible stone in her research to know the ins and outs of each case makes each episode interesting and entertaining. Her Instagram is worth a follow as you listen along, as she adds images, supporting documents, and sometimes even graces us with humorous sketches on maps and personal commentary that make you feel like she’s a friend who also gets “big mad” at murder and unsolved mysteries, seeking justice together case by case. She keeps a running list of cases fans have asked her to cover and selects from this list when it comes time to pick the next one, so you’re sure to see cases that interest you when you subscribe.
5. Down the Hill: The Delphi Murders
The unsolved murder of Abby and Libby, 13
and 14 years old, is a case covered on many podcasts and is a mystery that has
garnered over 50,000 tips. The town of Delphi, Indiana is still haunted by this
horrible crime committed in broad daylight, feeling like a murderer has been
living among them all this time. One of the most frustrating things of this
case, is that despite a grainy photo of the suspect and a released audio
recording from a video on one of the victim’s phones of his voice telling them
to go “down the hill”, he still has not been caught. This podcast exhibits
great investigative journalism and really dives into the lives of the people of
Delphi, working hard to unravel the truth behind The Delphi Murders and how
this case is yet to be solved.
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