Criminally Obsessed

Criminally Obsessed

Criminally Obsessed goes deeper — inside the investigations, the courtroom drama, and the human stories at the center of the country’s biggest true crime cases. We track breaking developments, uncover overlooked details, and bring clarity to the chaos — always with compassion for victims and the people whose lives are forever changed. Host Anne Emerson brings more than 30 years of award-winning investigative reporting to every episode. She’s covered the nation’s most high-profile trials firsthand, conducted interviews with some of the biggest names in the true crime world — from Amanda Knox to Elizabeth Smart — and has trusted sources connected to the cases dominating the national conversation.

  1. 2d ago

    “He’s Going to Kill Me”: What Mica Miller Told Her Best Friend

    Two days after serving divorce papers to her husband, Mica Miller was found dead at Lumber River State Park on April 27, 2024. Her death was ruled a suicide, but questions about the circumstances surrounding her death remain. According to her best friend, Bruna Pabon, Mica had confided in her that she feared her husband, John-Paul Miller, would kill her and make it look like she had taken her own life. Bruna says Mica made one thing clear: she wanted to live.  In Part 1 of this special two-part interview, Criminally Obsessed investigative reporter Anne Emerson sits down with Bruna, one of Mica’s closest friends, to hear her firsthand account of their friendship and the deeply personal conversations they shared before Mica’s death.  Bruna remembers Mica as vibrant, compassionate, and devoted to her faith. She recounts what she says Mica told her about her marriage, including concerns about control, her health and medications, and experiences she confided in Bruna after saying she had not felt safe sharing them with others. Bruna also reflects on the changes she says she witnessed in her friend and Mica’s efforts to find a way forward.  Next week, in Part 2: Bruna recounts learning that Mica had died, revisits the events of Mica’s final day, and shares her perspective on the unanswered questions surrounding her death.  Important note: This interview presents Bruna Pabon’s personal experiences, recollections, and opinions, including statements she attributes to Mica Miller. These statements and any allegations discussed are not independently verified findings of fact. John-Paul Miller has not been charged in connection with Mica Miller’s death.  Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing true crime investigations, courtroom analysis, exclusive interviews, and expert perspectives that go beyond the headlines.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  2. 3d ago

    Can Nick Reiner Inherit From The Parents He's Accused Of Killing? A Trust Attorney Explains

    Nick Reiner, charged in the murders of his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner, is heading to Los Angeles probate court on October 23rd to fight for access to a trust worth more than $1.5 million that he says he needs to pay for his criminal defense. The former trustee distributed close to $350,000, which allowed Reiner to hire defense attorney Alan Jackson for about two weeks; after funds were cut off Reiner moved to a public defender. In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with asset protection attorney Ann-Margaret Carrozza, a former New York state legislator who chaired her state's trust committee (and who is not involved in the case, though, coincidentally, the former trustee of Nick Reiner's trust wrote her children's trust), to break down how this trust works and why this case is so unusual. Carrozza explains revocable vs. irrevocable trusts, who controls the money as trustee, and why she believes Nick Reiner's interest may have vested when the trust was funded in 1993, the year he was born, a point his defense is likely to make since the trustee already released funds. She also explains California's slayer statute barring one who feloniously and intentionally kills from taking, why probate court can decide it now by a preponderance of the evidence without waiting for a criminal conviction beyond a reasonable doubt, and why intent could matter with reported diagnoses discussed in the episode. She addresses whether money tracing to his grandfather, Carl Reiner, changes the picture, whether money paid to defense counsel could be clawed back after a finding of responsibility, the reports of a second larger family trust, and why she expects the probate court as a court of equity to weigh Jake and Romy's interests as potential takers against Nick Reiner's need for a rigorous defense, plus what parents can take from this when setting distribution standards for their own children.  Nick Reiner is presumed innocent until proven guilty.  Check out Ann-Margaret's book, The Smart Woman's Guide to Building and Protecting Wealth: The Laws of Your Money. Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing true crime investigations, courtroom analysis, and exclusive interviews that go beyond the headlines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  3. 5d ago

    JP Miller on Mica Miller in Unaired Interviews: “I’m the Only One Who Tried to Keep Her Alive”

    You asked for the full JP Miller interviews and now you're getting them — this Mica Miller interview special shares both unaired JP Miller interviews in order. Reporter Mike Owen sat down with South Carolina pastor JP Miller twice in 2024 after the death of his wife Mica Miller on April 27th, 2024, and ABC 15 News in Myrtle Beach only aired a few soundbites out of caution before any public allegations or charges. In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson gives you both interviews in order mostly unedited, starting with the short first interview weeks after her death when church leaders abruptly ended it and told Mike to turn off the camera and then the second interview a couple months later that Mike describes as the weirdest and hardest interview he's ever done after JP started texting him practically every morning. You'll hear JP in his own words about being married to Mica, who he blames for her death, and his answer when asked if he ever abused her. JP Miller is charged with cyberstalking and making false statements to investigators. He pleaded not guilty and is not charged with anything in connection to Mica's death. For more of our Mica Miller coverage, check out our YouTube. Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing true crime investigations, courtroom analysis, and exclusive interviews that go beyond the headlines. #micamiller #jpmiller #truecrimecommunity #truecrimepodcast #truecrimestories  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  4. Oct 15

    Murdaugh Latest: Defense "Going Crazy" Over Missing Weapons

    Alex Murdaugh returns to court Friday, October 16, for an urgent pretrial evidence hearing, months before the date the judge says she won't move: an April 5, 2027 retrial in Sumter, South Carolina. The defense and prosecution have been trading a "dizzying" flurry of filings over what the jury will and won't see, and the judge is about to start making calls. In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Valerie Bauerlein, a Wall Street Journal reporter, author of The Devil at His Elbow, and Edward R. Murrow Award-winning co-creator of the podcast Camp Swamp Road, who has covered the Murdaugh case since 2021. Bauerlein breaks down the issues Judge Debra McCaslin is expected to address. The defense is asking the judge to privately review state grand jury testimony tied to a tip about the missing murder weapons and is accusing the state of failing to turn over information. They are also asking the judge to order testing of cartridges against other crimes, access to raw data from the crime scene scans, and cellphone extraction data they say the state never fully provided.  Bauerlein shares why she thinks this will be a very different trial from the first one, what the South Carolina Supreme Court's decision means for the evidence jurors will hear, and what the biggest challenges will be for both sides. Alex Murdaugh is presumed innocent in the retrial. Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing coverage of the Alex Murdaugh retrial, courtroom analysis, and exclusive interviews that go beyond the headlines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. Oct 14

    JP Miller Didn't Know Who I Was: Reporter on His Strange Interview with Mica Miller's Husband

    Mike Owen was the first reporter to interview pastor John Paul "JP" Miller after the news broke that his wife, Mica Miller, was dead. Owen says what followed was months of daily texts from Miller, a binder of documents, and a sit-down JP Miller interview in which, according to Owen, Miller didn't seem to remember who he was. In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Owen, a former WPDE ABC 15 reporter who, as far as he knows, is the only journalist to interview JP Miller twice, in 2024. Owen takes us back to that first, tense interview, when church leaders hovered over him, told him what not to ask, and ordered the cameras off after he asked about a possible divorce. He then walks through how the relationship with Miller evolved, how the second interview came together, and what it was like to talk with Miller in person: Miller's unexpected laughter at a question about missing money, his answers about tracking Mica, and a moment when, Owen says, Miller seemed to become "a different person." Owen also shares what he heard from the community, why he put cameras on his house before agreeing to this interview, and what he thinks needs to happen for there to be justice for Mica. JP Miller has not been charged in connection with Mica Miller's death. Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing true crime investigations, courtroom analysis, and exclusive interviews that go beyond the headlines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  6. Oct 13

    Doctor Knew Christa Pike Execution Would Fail: "She Entered as a Prisoner and Left as a Patient"

    Before Christa Pike's execution attempt on September 30, 2026, a physician told a Tennessee court the procedure was likely to fail. Unpersuaded, the court moved forward with her execution -- only for their worst-case scenario to become a reality. Pike survived the two doses of pentobarbital meant to end her life and was rushed to the hospital where the extent of the adverse effects to her body is still uncertain.  Now, there’s a newly-released 911 call from after the failed execution that seems to establish a pattern of chaos from inside The Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center on the night of Pike’s failed execution. In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Dr. Joel Zivot, a critical care physician and anesthesiologist who reviewed Pike's medical records as an expert for her defense. He explains the three warning signs that led him to write in his report that the execution was very likely to fail: Pike's documented history of difficult IV access, a mild blood-clotting condition, and Tennessee's recent failed attempt to execute Tony Carruthers. Dr. Zivot also educates us on the medical science behind why IV lines could have failed and how the pentobarbital that never reached her bloodstream could cause severe chemical burns to her arms.  Having examined more than 200 autopsies of executed prisoners, Dr. Zivot explains why he believes lethal injection is cruel by design, why he says executions "always fail" even when they appear to succeed, and why he thinks the secrecy surrounding the process makes it impossible to fix. Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing coverage of the Christa Pike case and exclusive interviews that go beyond the headlines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. Oct 12

    Who Killed the Black Dahlia? Filmmakers Say They Know and Need Your Help Proving It

    Nearly 80 years after 22-year-old Elizabeth Short's body was found in Los Angeles, the Black Dahlia case remains one of America's most famous unsolved cold cases. In this episode, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with filmmaker Jeff Thomas, producer Kimberly Lupini, and senior criminalist Leslie Thompson about their five-year investigation for Deconstructing Dahlia, why they say they have identified a still-operating Los Angeles motel as the murder scene, and why they say they know who killed Elizabeth Short but cannot name him yet. Plus they share with us exclusive pictures of the alleged crime scene and hidden room they found. Thompson describes why she started skeptical, what she says she found after removing layers of drywall down to original plaster, how presumptive testing indicated blood and suggested a major bloodshed event consistent with bludgeoning, and why mitochondrial DNA testing on blood and hairs is still pending after nearly eight decades. The team also lays out supporting claims from 1949-1950 grand jury testimony placing Elizabeth and the suspect they have identified at the motel, an eyewitness account of a bloody room found the day her body was discovered, and claims the owner cleaned it up himself. Thomas and Lupini say the final piece is Elizabeth's original medical examiner's report, which they say has never been made public and which the LAPD has refused to release, and they explain why they say that single document matters for motive and why they are asking the public for help getting it. Check out their petition here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4.5
out of 5
60 Ratings

About

Criminally Obsessed goes deeper — inside the investigations, the courtroom drama, and the human stories at the center of the country’s biggest true crime cases. We track breaking developments, uncover overlooked details, and bring clarity to the chaos — always with compassion for victims and the people whose lives are forever changed. Host Anne Emerson brings more than 30 years of award-winning investigative reporting to every episode. She’s covered the nation’s most high-profile trials firsthand, conducted interviews with some of the biggest names in the true crime world — from Amanda Knox to Elizabeth Smart — and has trusted sources connected to the cases dominating the national conversation.

You Might Also Like