Criminal
Criminal is the first of its kind. A show about people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Hosted by Phoebe Judge. Named a Best Podcast of 2023 by the New York Times. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 33 minutes
- Episodes
- 346
- Years Active
- 2014 - 2025
The Reverend
In 1977, a man named Robert Burns went to a funeral and shot someone, in the head, in front of 300 people. He didn’t deny it, and his lawyer didn’t deny it. Burns told a police officer: “I had to do …
00:38:03 |
Fri 08 Nov 2024
The Family Land, Part 2
This week, part two of the Reels family story – how two brothers went to jail in an attempt to save their family land, and were held there for eight years without being charged with a crime. “I’m not…
00:29:47 |
Fri 01 Nov 2024
The Family Land, Part 1
Melvin Davis and Licurtis Reels refused to leave the land that had been in their family for generations – so they were sent to jail. They expected to be in jail for 90 days. They were there for 8 yea…
00:33:47 |
Fri 25 Oct 2024
Valentine
Today, a personal story from Phoebe about her mother, Valentine, who died this spring.
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Fol…
00:41:34 |
Fri 18 Oct 2024
Under the Wall
Soon after the Berlin Wall went up, a group of students knocked on Joachim Rudolph’s door. They told him they were trying to get people out of East Germany - and they wanted his help.
Helena Merrima…
00:39:05 |
Fri 11 Oct 2024
A Land Without Law
Before Guantánamo Bay became the prison we know today, Marie Genard spent more than a year of her life there. She was 14.
Brandt Goldstein’s book is Storming the Court: How a Band of Law Students Fou…
01:01:08 |
Fri 04 Oct 2024
The Mirage
In 1977, a new bar opened on North Wells Street in Chicago. Things weren’t as they seemed at the aptly named “Mirage Tavern.”
This story is from our friends at Snap Judgment.
Say hello on Twitter, Fa…
00:34:51 |
Fri 27 Sep 2024
A Murder in the Forest
One morning, two men got in a boat and sailed down a river in the Amazon rainforest. They were never heard from again.
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional…
00:39:01 |
Fri 20 Sep 2024
Into the Vault
In the summer of 1975, two best friends attempted a robbery unlike any they’d ever pulled off before. Their target: the mob.
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occa…
00:42:17 |
Fri 13 Sep 2024
The Petition
When Madison Smith went to her county attorney’s office to talk about her rape case, she knew she wanted to press charges. But the prosecutor told her he wouldn't bring a rape charge. Then she discov…
00:38:45 |
Fri 06 Sep 2024
Hot Lotto
In 2010, a $16.5 million Hot Lotto ticket was sold at a gas station in Des Moines, Iowa. At first, no one showed up to claim the prize. And then, a series of lawyers tried to claim the money on behal…
00:33:41 |
Fri 23 Aug 2024
Big Fish
Two men turned in the winning catch at a Lake Erie fishing tournament. But when the tournament director squeezed one of their fish - he felt something inside.
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Inst…
00:36:09 |
Fri 16 Aug 2024
Ana
Phoebe: Are there a lot of spies in this country today?
Scott: Far more than people can probably even imagine. You can't rule anybody out. You never know what it is that motivates people to do this.
…
00:47:20 |
Fri 09 Aug 2024
Trouble in Flamingo
Hunters in the Everglades used to kill millions of birds every year for their feathers. In 1902, a man named Guy Bradley was hired to stop people from shooting the birds – but it wasn’t easy. “If you…
00:37:31 |
Fri 02 Aug 2024
Millions of Pills
“There was a saying I heard a few times: ‘under the influence, above the law.’ And I think that describes the mindset of a certain type of fraternity guy.”
Max Marshall’s book is Among the Bros: A F…
00:45:51 |
Fri 26 Jul 2024
Los Hipopótamos
In the 1980s, Pablo Escobar smuggled four hippopotamuses into Colombia for a zoo on his ranch. Today, there are over 160 hippos in the country. “It’s like hippo paradise here. They have water and foo…
00:48:21 |
Fri 19 Jul 2024
The Disappearance of Leslie Arnold
In 1967, a 24-year-old named Leslie Arnold escaped from prison. The FBI looked for him for years. And then, in 2022, a U.S. Marshal got a message from his son.
How are we doing? Take our survey here.…
00:47:34 |
Fri 12 Jul 2024
Ten Thousand Feet in the Air
On the afternoon of June 23rd, 1972, Martin McNally walked into the St. Louis airport with a wig, a sawed-off rifle, and a plan.
Special thanks to Danny Wicentowski. Learn more at the Riverfront Time…
00:34:53 |
Fri 05 Jul 2024
State of North Carolina v. Joan Little
When Karen Bethea-Shields was in college, she heard a judge say, “No way in the world a Black woman can get raped.” A few years later, in 1975, she helped successfully defend Joan Little—a Black woma…
00:37:11 |
Fri 28 Jun 2024
The Demon Spread
“The ingenuity of depraved human genius has culminated in the production of margarine.”
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the…
00:28:25 |
Fri 21 Jun 2024
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of Vox Media Podcast Network. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.