Over My Dead Body review, True Detective wrap, and a Steven Avery win

The panel is at full strength now that Lara managed to talk her way out of an arrest by the railroad police (yes, there is such a thing). We begin with some voice messages from listeners wondering what the "Up and Vanished" serendipitous conclusion means for the realm of true crime podcasting.We return again to the white hot podcast "Missing Richard Simmons." Are the crime writers still committed to seeing (hearing) this journey through?Then we turn our attention to Spike TV's six-part doc "Time: The Kalief Browder Story." It's a heavy look at the true story of a black teen who spent 800 days in solitary confinement on Rikers Island while awaiting trial of a flimsy robbery charge. Is it perhaps too heavy to enjoy...or too important to ignore?The Crime of Week deals with a politician whose resume is all sizzle and no steak.  Click here to donate to Kevin's Walk-a-Mile in Their Shoes event to benefit NH's Thrive Survivor Support Center.For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

10 Mar 20171h 4min

It's another paper dump in the ongoing appeals around Adnan Syed from Serial season one. Kevin takes a look at yet another news-making turn in the case, and Rebecca gives it a big old eye roll (cute the hate mail!).And, episode 3 of Missing Richard Simmons was CRAY. From witchcraft to bitchcraft, we learned Richard's closest confidants f'ing HATE each other. How can we not revisit a podcast that brings up black magic? Yeah...we're SO gonna do that.Then, the Crime Writers examine HBO's newest murder mystery mini-series, "Big Little Lies." Does an A-list cast + domestic noir = another hit? And should the producers stay keep the same killer/victim as the book, or make it fresh for the whole audience? Plus, what we learned in this Crime of the Week: if you live to be 100 you might get a lap dance from your nurse.  Click here to donate to Kevin's Walk-a-Mile in Their Shoes event to benefit NH's Thrive Survivor Support Center.For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

4 Mar 20171h 5min

Can you feel the love tonight? The Crime Writers can. Plus, the gang dives in to the breaking news about an arrest in the Tara Grinstead case - that's the one featured in the "Up and Vanished" podcast. At the time of our recording, it was unclear what role the podcast played in Ryan Duke's arrest, but did Payne Linsey's grandmother actually know more than the cops did?Next, Rebecca interviews Missing Richard Simmons creator Dan Taberski about why he was drawn to the vanishing of everyone's favorite flamboyant exercise guru.Then the Crime Writers review the podcast: Is it ethical to chronicle someone's withdrawal from public life? What makes Simmons's story so uniquely compelling? Why did someone who gave support to so many individuals seemingly turn his back on them? Also, Kevin recalls his own professional interactions with Richard Simmons.In the Crime of the Week: a squirrel plays guard dog by going spider monkey on a cat burglar.   Click here to donate to Kevin's Walk-a-Mile in Their Shoes event to benefit NH's Thrive Survivor Support Center.For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

25 Feb 20171h 14min

In a jam-packed episode, the panel drinks the hater-aid as they read some of their correspondence. Rebecca name drops her fill-in gig on Slate's "Mom & Dad Are Fighting" podcast - which, ironically, is what the Lavoie-Flynn kids call "Crime Writers On!"A figure from Serial Season 2 makes a cameo, a certain general who made the adamant assertion that any soldier wounded in Afghanistan can be linked to Bowe Bergdahl's rescue mission. And, after waiting almost 40 years for a conviction, the crime writers take a thoughtful dive into the famous Etan Patz kidnapping case. It was more than just the crime that put kids' faces on milk cartons - it was the social turning point in how parents perceived the safety of their children.In our review segment, the crew goes around the horn on whether or not you should check out the Israeli documentary "Shadow of Truth," now available on Netflix. This four-part subtitled mini-series looks at the sensational murder of a teenage girl, the questionable investigation into the convicted killer, and the rabid public fanbase that trolls the Internet seeking alternative suspects. (Kind of sounds like a certain American podcast we've listened to...)Then, in the Crime of the Week, the cops give a fugitive a tumble...and a spin.  Click here to donate to Kevin's Walk-a-Mile in Their Shoes event to benefit NH's Thrive Survivor Support Center.For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

17 Feb 20171h 6min

The panel tackles a HUGE true crime update - the Alford plea taken by Michael Peterson, the novelist and suspected murder featured in The Staircase - a documentary Rebecca contends is the Citizen Kane of true crime. As a bonus, our very own Legal Siri (AKA legal professor and Undisclosed genius Colin Miller) educates us on WTH Alford pleas actually are. Then the Crime Writers argue about an alternative theory posed in the Peterson case...was his wife Kathleen actually killed by an owl? That was the theory posed in the amazing pilot episode of the podcast Criminal - but Toby's not exactly buying it. (Shocking, we know.)Then, in our regular segment about whether you should watch/listen to/read the latest big thing in crime media, we review Stranglers, the podcast by Earwolf that takes a deep ol' dive into the Boston Strangler case. (Warning: This segment features a quasi-mansplain meltdown and Kevin Flynn doing a pretty convincing trashy Boston accent.)Finally, our Crime of the Week features one of Rebecca's favorite big box stores, a sex crime, and scabies.  Click here to donate to Kevin's Walk-a-Mile in Their Shoes event to benefit NH's Thrive Survivor Support Center.For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

11 Feb 20171h 1min

The first Serial spinoff, "S-town," will be dropping in March. And we do mean "dropping." Serial Productions says it will release all of its episodes at once...making it one of the first major podcasts to invite fans to binge listen. Will you listen? Of course you will. And so will we.Rebecca brings in reporter Jason Moon to discuss the decade's old case of four unidentified bodies found in two barrels in Allenstown NH's Bear Brook Park. A seemingly unrelated murder on the other side of the country may have revealed a serial killer...but no one knows who he actually is.Then the panel goes into the scary, provocative HBO documentary, "Beware the Slenderman." It looks at the case of two young girls who stabbed their friend to appease a modern-day internet boogeyman. So, should you watch the movie?? The panel is split but agrees on one thing: don't watch this one in the dark.Then in Crime of the Week, the only way to foil high-tech crooks is to go old school.  Click here to donate to Kevin's Walk-a-Mile in Their Shoes event to benefit NH's Thrive Survivor Support Center.For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

4 Feb 20171h 18min

Pardon us. Please. We're looking into the latest twist in the court martial of Serial season two protagonist Bowe Bergdahl. We're joined by friend-of-the-show USMC Judge Advocate James Weirick (ret), host of the Military Justice podcast. Now that former-President Obama declined to pardon Bergdahl, his lawyers say he can't get a fair trial with President Trump as Commander-in-Chief. Weirick will explain the arguments in the docket, why they submitted a video presentation, and he'll also provide some insight into the clemency granted to Pvt. Chelsea Manning. Also, Lara gives a quick review of the new true crime podcast, Gone at 21. One of her positives: "it's short."Then we'll talk about a documentary premiering on PBS's Independent Lens, "The Witness" (also available on Netflix). It reexamines the infamous 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese, the NY woman killed as 38 neighbors alleg edly watched but did nothing. Fifty years later Kitty's brother, Bill, digs into a crime he (and we) don't really know the truth about...including the myth that so many bystanders did nothing. And in the Crime of the Week, one Florida man makes a big mistake when seeking his own presidential pardon.  Click here to donate to Kevin's Walk-a-Mile in Their Shoes event to benefit NH's Thrive Survivor Support Center.For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

28 Jan 20171h 4min

Toby's back...just in time to weigh in on the newest true crime podcast fill our ears.But first - the state of Maryland has won the latest round in Adnan Syed's quest to get out of prison now that his conviction has been overturned. What does it mean that they've been granted a "Leave to Appeal" and how much closer are we to a new trial for the Serial season one protagonist? Then, we talk about something a little bit weird that happened during the latest episode of one of our favorite podcasters, Amber Hunt of the Cincinnati Enquirer's Accused podcast.Then we'll get into "Suspect Convictions," and break down what's good, not good, and controversial (among the panel) about this true crime podcast from WVIK.In the Crime of the Week, we're getting frisky in the Granite State - and it's got some goopy consequences!  Click here to donate to Kevin's Walk-a-Mile in Their Shoes event to benefit NH's Thrive Survivor Support Center.For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

21 Jan 20171h 13min