Criminally Obsessed

Criminally Obsessed
  • 4.5 (59)
  • True Crime
  • Updated Weekly

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. 3d ago

    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

  2. 4d ago

    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

  3. 5d ago

    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

  4. 6d ago

    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

  5. Oct 8

    The Man Who Wrote Death Penalty Law Says Christa Pike's Botched Execution Was "Almost Inevitable"

    On September 30, 2026 in Tennessee, Christa Pike survived a botched execution by lethal injection for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer after living through two supposedly lethal doses of pentobarbital. Prison staff called an ambulance to take her to a hospital where she is now reportedly awake and talking and moving around her room. However, she has pneumonia, a blood clot, and is unable to swallow or move her arms, which are still swollen. In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with David Raybin, a Tennessee criminal defense attorney and former assistant state attorney general who drafted the state's modern death penalty statute in the 1970s. Raybin says he wasn't surprised by what happened. He argues the state ignored recommendations made after an earlier botched execution, and he calls the "we followed the protocol" defense "a damning indictment" of the system. He explains why he believes what Pike endured raises serious Eighth Amendment questions, and whether the state can legally try again. He also breaks down the judge's sweeping order to preserve all evidence from the execution, why he says the state is "drawing the blinds" on the process, and why he calls the death penalty "a luxury" Tennessee isn't willing to pay for. 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

  6. Oct 7

    Why Fill the Tank If You're Never Coming Back? Rich McHugh on Mica Miller's Last Hours

    Mica Miller’s death has generated countless questions, theories, and investigations. But what actually happened during the final hours of her life? In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Rich McHugh, investigative correspondent for NewsNation, who began reporting on Mica’s case shortly after her death. McHugh went to South Carolina and retraced Mica’s final movements, visiting the pawn shop where she purchased a gun, the gas station where she stopped on her drive north, and crossing the North Carolina border into Lumber River State Park, where she was found dead. Throughout his investigation, McHugh was in close contact with Mica’s family and friends and even sat down with Mica’s husband, John-Paul Miller, who is currently facing federal cyberstalking charges. McHugh takes us through that final-day timeline in detail, including what he noticed in surveillance footage, why certain parts of Mica’s journey raised questions for him, and what he learned from the fisherman who said he heard a cry and gunshot before finding Mica’s belongings. He also discusses the unanswered questions surrounding the evidence, including the location of the shell casings, the circumstances surrounding Mica’s death, and why he does not have a definitive answer about whether her death was self-inflicted. Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for true crime investigations, breaking trial coverage, expert interviews, and conversations that go beyond the headlines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  7. Oct 6

    5 Things Everyone Is Talking About in the Cornell 7 Case with a Forensic Psychologist

    The Cornell 7 case centers on “Jane Doe.” In 2024, while a student at Cornell University, Jane Doe reported being assaulted while unconscious at a Chi Phi fraternity party. Her 120-page interview transcript was condensed to a six-page summary by campus police, and District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined to pursue criminal charges. Instead, two fraternity members were expelled, one was barred from campus for three years, and others were assigned to write reflective essays. Jane Doe dropped out of Cornell University.  Now, two years later, a 101-page civil complaint filed by Jane Doe meticulously outlining her experience has exploded into public view, pressuring the District Attorney to reopen the criminal investigation into her case. In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Dr. Leslie Dobson, a forensic clinical psychologist, about the five things people can’t stop talking about with this case: the timeline, the texts, bystanders, the infamous Snapchat image, and why the case has struck such a nerve nationwide. Dr. Dobson walks through the two-year timeline between the alleged 2024 assault and this month's civil lawsuit, and explains why the self-blaming, minimizing text messages Jane Doe sent in the days and weeks afterward are a textbook trauma response — not evidence of consent, as some online commentary has suggested. Dr. Dobson also breaks down the bystander effect at play among the dozens of fraternity members allegedly aware of what was happening, and draws a direct line between fraternity hazing culture and military psychological conditioning. She addresses why New York's consent laws make criminal prosecution difficult in cases involving intoxication and why she believes civil litigation may be survivors' most realistic path to accountability.  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

  8. Oct 5

    What Really Happened in Christa Pike's Execution Room? Media Witness Breaks It Down

    HE WAS AT CHRISTA PIKE’S BOTCHED EXECUTION: Christa Pike was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee on September 30, 2026. What was meant to be a day of closure for Colleen’s family after decades of grieving ended up becoming one of the most chaotic days – and nights – in execution history. Steven Hale was in the room where it happened. In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Hale, a reporter for the Nashville Banner and author of Death Row Welcomes You, who served as one of seven media witnesses inside the execution chamber. This was Hale's fifth time witnessing an execution in Tennessee, but he says nothing prepared him for what happened this time: after the first dose of pentobarbital was administered, Pike remained audibly alive, talking, moving, and even asking prison officials, "Is it supposed to happen like this?" Hale walks us through the moment prison staff abruptly closed the curtain on the witness room — even though Pike could still be heard breathing — and describes being left in near-total darkness for nearly 50 minutes, writing his notes blind as doors opened and closed and Pike's spiritual advisor and attorney moved in and out of the room. He recounts the surreal scene that followed: being escorted out of the prison still believing Pike was alive, only to watch an ambulance race in with sirens on as the press conference began. 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

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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.

Information

  • Creator
    Criminally Obsessed
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    146
  • Copyright
    © Sinclair Inc.
  • Show Website
    Criminally Obsessed

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