Threat to Society: The Making of a Case

Austyn Castelli
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  • Social Sciences

Threat to Society: The Making of a Case is a behind-the-scenes true crime podcast that follows the real-time process of researching and writing a book about a death penalty case that refuses to stay in the past. Hosted by a forensic mental health clinician, the show documents what it actually looks like to uncover a case from the inside out—digging through appellate records, tracking down witnesses, navigating court archives, and confronting the gaps between official narratives and lived reality. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the process: the breakthroughs, the dead ends, the ethical questions, and the moments where the story shifts in unexpected ways. Rather than retelling a finished narrative, the podcast invites listeners into the uncertainty of building one—where facts are incomplete, perspectives conflict, and the truth is something you have to fight to see clearly. At the center is a single question: how does a person become defined as a “threat to society”? But the podcast isn’t here to answer it neatly—it’s here to show how that answer gets constructed. This is not just a story about a case. It’s a story about how a case becomes a story.

Episodes

  1. Introducing Threat to Society: The Making of a Case

    Season 1 Trailer

    Introducing Threat to Society: The Making of a Case

    What would you do if you discovered that a relative had been executed for murder? When forensic mental health clinician Austyn Castelli received a text message about an executed family member, she expected to find a straightforward true crime story. Instead, she uncovered a tangled history and a death penalty case that raised more questions than answers. Threat to Society follows one woman's attempt to understand the life, crime, and execution of Joseph Savino—and what that journey reveals about crime, punishment, and human behavior. This is where the investigation begins. Follow Threat to Society Project on Instagram, TikTok, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

    6 min

Trailer

About

Threat to Society: The Making of a Case is a behind-the-scenes true crime podcast that follows the real-time process of researching and writing a book about a death penalty case that refuses to stay in the past. Hosted by a forensic mental health clinician, the show documents what it actually looks like to uncover a case from the inside out—digging through appellate records, tracking down witnesses, navigating court archives, and confronting the gaps between official narratives and lived reality. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the process: the breakthroughs, the dead ends, the ethical questions, and the moments where the story shifts in unexpected ways. Rather than retelling a finished narrative, the podcast invites listeners into the uncertainty of building one—where facts are incomplete, perspectives conflict, and the truth is something you have to fight to see clearly. At the center is a single question: how does a person become defined as a “threat to society”? But the podcast isn’t here to answer it neatly—it’s here to show how that answer gets constructed. This is not just a story about a case. It’s a story about how a case becomes a story.

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