To Live and Die in LA - NOPE. Plus, an In The Dark SCOTUS update!

On a quiet morning, British police raid the home of Jamie Miller and arrest the 13-year-old for murder. The boy proclaims his innocence as he and his parents are put through the whirlwind of the arrest process and questioned about the crime. As investigators look for the weapon and a motive, a psychologist searches for clues into Jamie’s psyche, and what in the unassuming boy’s background might have driven him to kill.Netflix’s “Adolescence” features newcomer Owen Cooper as Jaime and veteran actor and co-writer Stephen Graham as his father. Each of the four hour-long episodes were filmed in one continuous shot, as the camera follows characters through various rooms, buildings, on car rides, and even across town through the air. The story explores large themes about growing up in the modern world, the effects of crime on the community and family members, and questions who - if anyone - is responsible for making a murderer.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ADOLESCENCE" IN THE LAST 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: hiss-demeanor. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

24 Maalis 51min

Ruby Franke earned fame and fortune on her YouTube channel highlighting an ideal family life with her husband and six children. But that world crumbled when it was discovered her parenting style was more draconian than the loving image they portrayed on screen. After she fell into the orbit of life coach Jodi Hildebrandt, Ruby became estranged from her husband and older children. But police took notice when Franke's youngest son knocked on the door of Hildebrandt’s neighbor, severely emaciated and covered in duct tape.From ABC Studios and streaming on Hulu, “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” explores her journey from influencer to inmate, and Hildebrandt’s sway over the entire family. It includes interviews with her husband and children, and access to 1,000 hours of raw video which foreshadow the abuse to come.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DEVIL IN THE FAMILY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

20 Maalis 47min

Former tv personality Caroline D’Amore met a suave, well-connected businessman at her swanky LA apartment complex. David Bloom said he wanted to invest in her organic food startup and brokered a meeting with the CEO of Whole Foods. But after the money changed hands, D’Amore got a bad feeling about her business partner. It was just Bloom’s latest con in a lifetime of swindles. But determined to get satisfaction, D’Amore and her fellow victims tried to turn the tables on the fraudster…all while recording audio of it.From iHeartPodcasts, AYR Media and 32 Flavors comes “Once Upon a Con.” The former model/reality star/business woman tells her story of getting defrauded by a professional grifter. It also features audio D’Amore recorded in real-time of her discovering the swindle and confronting the perpetrator. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ONCE UPON A CON" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: dead letter. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

17 Maalis 44min

While breaking into the world of fashion, twenty-five year old Hannah Mossman Moore is befriended by a well-connected, middle-aged man from Hong Kong, who mentors her and shows her the high life. At the same time, Hannah begins receiving unending menacing messages online and on her phone from a stranger she can’t escape. Her rich friend denies involvement, claiming he’s also been targeted by hackers. With the police unable to make a case, Hannah turns to a journalist to help identify the anonymous intruder who has turned her life upside down.In the podcast “Stalked” from BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live, Hannah teams with her ex-stepmother, journalist Carole Cadwalladr, to investigate in real time who is behind the elaborate campaign of harassment. They employ everything from IP address tracing to linguistic forensics to unmask the person obsessed with her.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "STALKED" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

13 Maalis 49min

In the mid-90s, several men vanished from Indianapolis-area gay bars. Police were piqued after a man claimed he was nearly strangled during sex with Herb Baumeister. Investigators found bones throughout the woods of his secluded horse farm, but before they could question him Baumeister died by suicide in Canada.In 2022, a local coroner renewed the effort to identify victims from the 10,000 bone fragments found on the property. But it revived an unanswered question: how did Baumeister get the bodies of his victims into the woods by himself? And what should we make of the peculiar man who claimed to have escaped being the killer’s victim?From ABC News Studios and streaming on Hulu, “The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer” looks back at the incomplete story of Herb Baumeister’s crimes. It follows those helping victims’ families find closure, while also diving into the biggest hole of the original investigation. The series builds toward a confrontation with an unreliable narrator many suspect is lying about his involvement in the mystery.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE FOX HOLLOW MURDERS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Why Don't We Do It In The Road Road. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

10 Maalis 45min

In December 2020, police in Marion, Illinois responded to a brutal death on Songbird Road. Eleven-year-old Jade Beasley was found in a bathtub, stabbed multiple times. Investigators homed in on her stepmother, Julia Bevely, who claimed she returned home to find a man dressed in black with a knife fleeing the scene. Prosecutors pointed to video of Bevely throwing away something at a gas station and a 30 minute gap between finding the body and calling 911. But there was nearly no physical evidence connecting the woman to a bloody attack in the home. That inconsistency has led some to believe Bevely was convicted for a crime she didn’t commit. In the podcast “Murder on Songbird Road,” host Lauren Bright Pacheco teams with podcaster Bob Motta to examine holes in the case against Julia Bevely, including the absence of a weapon, a DNA link, and sightings of an stranger dressed in black nearby at the time of the murder.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER ON SONGBIRD ROAD" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

6 Maalis 42min

Since we reviewed the new ABC doc, we thought we'd drop our original review of the Scamanda podcast.Inspired by her blog posts about her cancer journey, friends and admirers gave Amanda Riley money - but her illness was all an act. Following our review of the ABC adaptation of the hit podcast, we going back to our original June 8, 2023 episode "Scamanda" from host Charlie Webster and Lionsgate Sound. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

4 Maalis 42min

Amanda Reilly warmed hearts with her blog describing her battle with terminal cancer. The young mother received donations from her church and various fundraisers in her name. But some around her became suspicious her elaborate website was nothing more than theater. Soon, reporters and law enforcement were picking apart her health claims and following the money. Even after her fraud was made public, Amanda maintained she was a cancer survivor being set up by her enemies.Available on Hulu, ABC News Studios presents “Scamanda,” telling Reilly’s story and picking up where the hit 2023 podcast left off. Through interviews with key players, including original host Charlie Webster, the four part documentary recounts her seven year con for cash and sympathy, and relays what Reilly is now doing nearly two years after the number one show made her infamous.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SCAMANDA" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: p*ssed off. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

3 Maalis 41min