An almost obsessive true crime listener, GREG FOX lists his favourite long form podcasts from the investigative genre.
Honourable Mentions:
Unforgotten: The Unsolved Murder Of Matt Stewart
A personal, if not obscure favourite. Questions why a young father and nurse was shot and stabbed to death in a quiet subdivision near Mooresville, North Carolina. Painstakingly digs into the minutiae of this unsolved 2009 late night killing by an unknown intruder. Researcher Freddie Wilson explores the odd circumstances surrounding the crime scene – and a possible small-town cover-up where few appear to want the case resolved. Was Matt Stewart murdered during a random home invasion gone wrong or was there something more sinister afoot…?
Who Killed Leanne Holland?
The only Australian podcast on this list. Retired detective Graeme Crowley’s procedural, produced in 2020, continues to have real implications for the Queensland legal system. On 26th September 1991, 12-year old Holland was found brutally beaten and dumped in bushland, after going missing from her family home in Goodna. In no time Holland’s older sister’s live-in boyfriend was charged and convicted of murder – in what appears today as a shocking miscarriage of justice. Across 23 podcast episodes, Crowley analyses the known police evidence in deliberate fashion – whilst delivering his sensational investigative opinions.
5. In The Land Of Lies
Brilliantly narrated by creator Sean Kipe. Revisits the events leading to former Georgia police officer Michael Chapel’s life imprisonment for the killing of 53-year old Emogene Thompson in 1993. Did the entrenched criminality within Gwinnett County conspire to achieve Chapel’s initial arrest, then conviction – and his ongoing incarceration for robbery and murder? Kipe uncovers the dark forces (police corruption, an organised crime ring, drug dealing and murder) at play in this somewhat modern southern gothic (true) crime tale.
4. Snake River Killer
Brandon Schrand’s real time investigative podcast continues to profile an elusive offender that few knew existed. The host and his team’s capacity for research and fact-finding are simply unmatched by any other online inquiry. This sprawling story begins with the April 1979 cold case disappearance of 12-yr old Christina White from Asotin, WA. It follows with series of unsolved murders around the Idaho and Washington border – and whether one man – a sadistic but highly intelligent predator is responsible.
3. The Dossier (Seasons 1 & 2)
Who killed Notorious B.I.G. – and why? Journalist Don Sikorski’s definitive account of the forces at play leading to the gangland style murder of rapper Christoper Wallace, outside the Petersen Automotive Museum on a spring night in 1997. Emmy-nominated Sikorski and his myriad of sources delve into the ensuing cover-up that existed within the LAPD, the LA Times and the city’s District Attorney’s Office. A must listen for those fascinated by urban culture and organised crime.
2. Your Own Backyard
A harrowing story of personal loss and the decades long search for answers. Focusing on the 1996 disappearance of beautiful, free-spirited college freshman, 19-year old Kristin Smart at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Freelance journalist Chris Lambert skilfully lays out the known details of the puzzling case whilst chasing down evidence against the likely offender. With over 30 million downloads, this docuseries stood crucial in building awareness for Smart’s tragic vanishing – and the eventual arrest of suspect and fellow student Paul Flores.
1. In the Dark (Season 2)
A benchmark in true crime podcasting. Underlines a compromised deep south judicial system and generational racism whilst delving into the 1997 multiple-murder conviction of black man Curtis Flowers in Winona, Mississippi – and his subsequent five murder trials. The accused would ultimately spend twenty years on death row. Madeleine Barran masterfully delivers this riveting piece of meticulous investigative journalism which at times leaves you in a state of intense despair. If you only ever listen to one true crime podcast, then this should be it.
See Also: OUR TOP 15 TRUE CRIME READS | True Crime Spotlight