Crime Writers On...True Crime Review

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The original true crime review podcast that looks at other podcasts, TV, and pop culture. True crime authors and real-life couple Rebecca Lavoie and Kevin Flynn hold a pop-culture round table with noir novelist Toby Ball and journalist-turned-investigator Lara Bricker. The panel chats about other podcasts (including 'Serial') as well as journalism, storytelling, TV shows and films, and the special segment, 'Crime of the Week.' Show website: crimewriterson.com. Follow the show on X @crimewriterson. Find us on Facebook facebook.com/crimewritersonpodcast. Email the show at crimewriterson@gmail.com.

  1. The Brothers Ortiz

    5 HR AGO

    The Brothers Ortiz

    When Gabe Ortiz’s brother was killed in 2023, the prominent Texas lawman had to deal with more than a murder investigation. He had to confront their different life choices. Faced with few prospects, young Gabe left town for the Air Force and the police academy. Meanwhile, his brother Larry stayed at home, where his best opportunity was selling drugs. While Gabe climbed the ranks in the Department of Public Safety, his brother climbed the ranks as a dealer and prison gang leader. But Larry had pulled himself out of The Game to live a more normal life before being gunned down. The question lingers: how did the siblings who were so close as children end up on such opposite paths? The podcast “The Brothers Ortiz” from Campside Media and iHeartPodcasts examines the lives of two men, bound by blood but living in distant worlds. Host Sean Flynn talks with the Ortiz family to learn why the brothers’ paths diverged so widely and how they tried to connect despite living on opposing sides of the law. It’s a story of how circumstance, choice, and the world around them steered the two men toward separate destinies. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE BROTHERS ORTIZ" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: Blue Man Dupe.   For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    46 min
  2. Ponies

    4 DAYS AGO

    Ponies

    In 1977’s Moscow, Americans Bea Grant and Twila Hasbeck learn their husbands have died during a secret mission in Soviet Russia. Determined to learn why, they convince the CIA station chief to let them return to the US embassy to complete their husbands’ covert operation and uncover why it went wrong. Bea and Twila find themselves helping a young Russian leak secret Soviet technology. But they’re drawn in deeper when Bea catches the eye of a ruthless KGB officer who’s been gathering kompromat. Now they must complete their dangerous mission before the Russians figure out that American women can also work as spies. In Peacock’s breezy, buddy spy thriller “Ponies,” Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson star as CIA widows who become operatives and find themselves in a high stakes game of international espionage. The unlikely pair try to balance romance, friendship, double-crosses, and a Cold War conspiracy in which the role of women is greatly underestimated. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "PONIES" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    40 min
  3. One of Their Own

    16 MAR

    One of Their Own

    When San Diego police discovered fellow officer Ciara Estrada dead in her bathroom, they determined she shot herself with her own gun. At a New Year’s party the night before, Estrada got drunk, fought with her boyfriend, and made many references to self-harm. But Estrada’s family say police didn’t go deep enough, claiming investigators were too quick to lay the blame on her. They say Estrada’s tumultuous relationship with another cop was never explored. They believe the department protected the man who — directly or indirectly — is responsible for her death. In the podcast “One of Their Own” from KPBS, host Katie Hyson explores how the San Diego Police Department investigated the 2017 death of their officer. It looks into claims that Estrada was either shot by the fellow cop who was her boyfriend, or that their volatile romance drove her to suicide. It also asks what responsibility the department might have when two of its employees are in a problematic relationship. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ONE OF THEIR OWN" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: cold wallet. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    43 min
  4. Beauty and the Bester

    12 MAR

    Beauty and the Bester

    Thabo Bester, South Africa’s so-called “Facebook Rapist,” was serving a murder conviction when he died by suicide in his prison cell, setting his bed on fire. But authorities later revealed the victim had been killed before the fire began. The story took another turn when celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana attempted to claim Bester’s body. Investigators looked deeper into the connection between the inmate and the social media influencer. Then the media questioned whether Bester had faked his death and escaped with Magundumana’s help. The three-part Netflix series “Beauty and the Bester” recounts the extraordinary investigation into South Africa’s most notorious criminal, his relationship with a celebrity, and what happened next. Featuring extensive interviews with Magudumana's family and investigative journalists, the series shows how a bizarre prison death turned into a national sensation. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BEAUTY AND THE BESTER" 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. This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    42 min
  5. Love + Radio: Blood Memory

    9 MAR

    Love + Radio: Blood Memory

    While doing defense work, Ariel crosses paths with inmate Michael Thompson. Incarcerated for decades on murder charges, she finds him to be soft-spoken, educated, and spiritual. Ariel’s intrigued by Thompson’s life growing up on an Indian reservation, his claims of being wrongfully convicted, his time leading the brutal Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, and his quest for enlightenment. He dispenses wisdom as he recounts his violent past and deeds done to atone for them. But prosecutor Heather Brown finds Thompson’s stories to be false or exaggerated, tales that shift as they suit his purpose. Whereas Ariel sees a reformed man worthy of a second chance, Heather believes him to be a slippery con artist intent on talking his way out of prison. In the podcast “Love + Radio: Blood Memory,” host Nick van der Kolk explores Thompson’s life in a true crime series presented largely without narration. Through extensive interviews, it allows Thompson to tell his own life story, leaving it for the listener to decide whether he’s credible. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "LOVE + RADIO: BLOOD MEMORY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 14 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: power vacuum.  For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    52 min
  6. Valley of Shadows

    5 MAR

    Valley of Shadows

    In 1998, Deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in the California desert and never returned. After a weeklong search, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department determined he went to the Devil’s Punchbowl to commit suicide - a conclusion that did not sit right with some of his fellow deputies. Given the area’s reputation for meth labs, colleagues suspected Aujay stumbled across something he wasn’t supposed to see. They point to dealers who’ve claimed to kill a cop in the desert. And the accusations against one of Aujay’s fellow deputies who was investigated for his ties to a violent meth dealer.  The podcast “Valley of Shadows” digs into the disappearance of Jon Aujay and whether it’s tied to the ruthless drug trade run out of the Southern California desert. Hosts Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd take listeners on a journey that includes cover-ups, dirty cops, Bigfoot, and a meth dealer who looks like Santa Claus. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "VALLEY OF SHADOWS" 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. This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    47 min
  7. Murder in Glitterball City

    2 MAR

    Murder in Glitterball City

    After a routine domestic disturbance call at a Louisville home, Jeffrey Mundt and Joey Banis shocked police by revealing a dead body was in their basement. The ex-lovers each accused the other of killing a drag performer during a ménage à trois, and being forced to help bury the victim beneath the dirt floor. With one defendant an ex-con and the other into sadistic kinks, attorneys used their pasts to paint each other as liars and killers. But years after their trials, their community still revels in the salacious crime and questions of whether justice was served. “Murder in Glitterball City” from HBO Documentary Films looks at the 2009 case and tries to parse whether one - or both - of the suspects are responsible for the death of Jamie Carroll. It also uses a cast of unconventional community members reading aloud from a true crime book to explore themes of gay identity, toxic intimacy, and Old Louisville’s quirky subcultures. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER IN GLITTERBALL CITY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. In Crime of the Week: Lion Wait. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    48 min
  8. Murder at the U

    26 FEB

    Murder at the U

    In 2006, University of Miami football player Bryan Pata was shot outside his apartment coming home from practice. On the ten-year anniversary of the death, police invited ESPN to look into the cold case. The reporters found cops had many viable suspects, including a teammate with a compelling motive and shaky alibi. But the journalists also came to find their law enforcement sources to be unreliable partners, and eventually their story turned into both a quest to find Pata’s killer and an investigation into the investigation. From ESPN’s 30 for 30 Podcasts comes “Murder at the U.” Host Paula Levine takes listeners through her team’s exhaustive multiyear reporting into Pata’s death and its many suspects. With a murder trial about to begin in Florida, the podcast also focuses on the police and prosecutors who started as collaborators on their reporting, but eventually became impediments. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER AT THE U" BEGIN AT THE TEN MINUTE MARK. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    50 min
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The original true crime review podcast that looks at other podcasts, TV, and pop culture. True crime authors and real-life couple Rebecca Lavoie and Kevin Flynn hold a pop-culture round table with noir novelist Toby Ball and journalist-turned-investigator Lara Bricker. The panel chats about other podcasts (including 'Serial') as well as journalism, storytelling, TV shows and films, and the special segment, 'Crime of the Week.' Show website: crimewriterson.com. Follow the show on X @crimewriterson. Find us on Facebook facebook.com/crimewritersonpodcast. Email the show at crimewriterson@gmail.com.

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