Not long into his job as prison superintendent, Frank Thompson had to prepare his staff to perform Oregon's first execution... more

When Jeffery Manchester escaped from prison, a lot of people weren't surprised. But they didn't expect what happened next. "I... more

Between 1998 and 2000, more than 40 stores and chain restaurants across the country were robbed by a masked man... more

In the midst of the 1996 race for North Carolina governor, a new candidate emerged. Her name was Jolene Strickland,... more

In May of 2021, the National Park Service received a call that a woman had fallen over the Grandview Overlook... more

A Toronto police officer was having an affair with a government worker – and then they found out about an... more

Right after sunset, three boats sailed towards the rice plantations on the Combahee River. Harriet Tubman knew they had to... more

“Christopher Kinahan is probably the most successful and entrepreneurial criminal that Ireland has ever produced.” Say hello on Facebook, Instagram and... more

Last year, a committee of state lawmakers in Texas issued a subpoena for a man on death row to testify... more

The first time Ed Newcomer went to the L.A. Bug Fair, he met a man who called himself the world’s... more

“He stole my watch. He stole my jewelry. I stopped wearing jewelry – just to see what else he would... more

On May 13, 1862, in Charleston, South Carolina, a man named Robert Smalls took command of a Confederate ship called... more

In 2023, police raided the Kansas newspaper where Eric Meyer worked with his mother, Joan. Seven officers also searched their... more

“Anything you can think of is going to be in the water.” Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign... more

Bettersten Wade searched for her missing 37-year-old son for nearly six months. Then she found out that the police knew... more

On September 18, 1998, an unusual ad ran in USA Today — a company called John’s Estate Sales was looking... more

The bodies of a woman and her child were found inside a burned house on Christmas Day, 1843. An autopsy... more

Stories of animals really going for it. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter,... more

In 1985, 160 people were sent letters saying they’d won free tickets to an NFL football game. They were told... more

In 1791, three men filed lawsuits in the General Court of Maryland. They were all suing the same person: the... more

“Children nowadays, they make maps. And say, this is the street where the store is that we're going to rob,... more

In 1993, Gary Settle was sentenced to 177 years in prison. Twenty-six years into his sentence, he started helping other... more

In 1977, a man named Robert Burns went to a funeral and shot someone, in the head, in front of... more

This week, part two of the Reels family story – how two brothers went to jail in an attempt to... more

Melvin Davis and Licurtis Reels refused to leave the land that had been in their family for generations – so... more

Today, a personal story from Phoebe about her mother, Valentine, who died this spring. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and... more

Soon after the Berlin Wall went up, a group of students knocked on Joachim Rudolph’s door. They told him they... more

Before Guantánamo Bay became the prison we know today, Marie Genard spent more than a year of her life there.... more

In 1977, a new bar opened on North Wells Street in Chicago. Things weren’t as they seemed at the aptly... more

One morning, two men got in a boat and sailed down a river in the Amazon rainforest. They were never... more

In the summer of 1975, two best friends attempted a robbery unlike any they’d ever pulled off before. Their target:... more

When Madison Smith went to her county attorney’s office to talk about her rape case, she knew she wanted to... more

In 2010, a $16.5 million Hot Lotto ticket was sold at a gas station in Des Moines, Iowa. At first,... more

Two men turned in the winning catch at a Lake Erie fishing tournament. But when the tournament director squeezed one... more

Phoebe: Are there a lot of spies in this country today? Scott: Far more than people can probably even imagine. You... more

Hunters in the Everglades used to kill millions of birds every year for their feathers. In 1902, a man named... more

“There was a saying I heard a few times: ‘under the influence, above the law.’ And I think that describes... more

In the 1980s, Pablo Escobar smuggled four hippopotamuses into Colombia for a zoo on his ranch. Today, there are over... more

In 1967, a 24-year-old named Leslie Arnold escaped from prison. The FBI looked for him for years. And then, in... more

On the afternoon of June 23rd, 1972, Martin McNally walked into the St. Louis airport with a wig, a sawed-off... more

When Karen Bethea-Shields was in college, she heard a judge say, “No way in the world a Black woman can... more

“The ingenuity of depraved human genius has culminated in the production of margarine.” Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign... more

The Lawrence H. Woodward funeral home in Brooklyn has been run by one family for generations, and has handled many... more

When JonRe Taylor was called for jury duty in 2007, she voted ‘not guilty’ on every charge. But the defendant... more

In 1989, three people confessed to participating in a murder. Eventually, a total of six people were arrested. But when... more

Six people were arrested for a murder in Nebraska. Some said they couldn't remember details of the crime, or being... more

When we last spoke with Trevell Coleman, he was waiting to hear back about his clemency application. And then, in... more

In 1991, two police officers stopped Tupac Shakur for jaywalking. He said he was knocked unconscious during his arrest, and... more

In 1980, posters appeared in subway stations and on telephone poles in New York City with a phone number to... more

When he was 14 years old, Ron Bishop testified in a murder trial. Decades later, he told an investigator everything... more

When people started saying that John D. Rockefeller Jr. was responsible for the deaths of two women and 11 children... more

Sultan Alam was the first Pakistani officer to join the traffic department of the Cleveland Police in the UK. He... more

For almost thirty years, Adolfo Kaminsky lived quietly, forging documents for people all over the world. It started when he... more

As the famous English actor William Macready was preparing to go on stage in New York, over 300 police officers... more

In the early 1920s, painters at a watch dial factory in New Jersey started to get sick. No one could... more

In 1974, musician Connie Converse drove away from home and was never heard from again. Howard Fishman’s book is To Anyone... more

“I never did anything wrong. I never had a speeding ticket. I think I just saved all my stuff up... more

“The police had surrounded the house. They had been there for quite a while. They didn’t want to try to... more

In May 1991, a bank robber walked into a bank in Irving, Texas, and without speaking handed the teller a... more

Listen to the latest Criminal Plus bonus episode completely for free. Phoebe and Lauren hit record on the drive to... more

A conversation with a 911 operator about what happens on the other end of the line – and the day... more

Martin Abramowitz knew that his father had worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, but he always thought he hadn’t been... more

This episode picks up where 48 Hours, Part 1 left off. We suggest you listen to them in order. When Aaron... more

“I think it was around 3:00 a.m., and that’s when I heard a strange man’s voice waking me from sleep.” This... more

In 2016, the FBI attaché in Pretoria, South Africa, got a phone call from a woman asking the FBI to... more

Ken Eto worked for the Chicago Outfit for 30 years. He was known as the mob’s bolita expert, bringing in... more

Stories of animals really going for it. Criminal is going back on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories,... more

Today we meet “Genius Grant” winner Andrea Armstrong. In 2019, she started the Incarceration Transparency Project to identify and make... more

When a young woman showed up at a boarding house in Manhattan, she said her name was Nellie Brown –... more

In the early 1970s, Marty Goddard was worried about the high rates of sexual assault in Chicago. She learned from... more

In the 1950s poodles were all the rage — one tabloid even reported that when a girl “makes the big... more

In 1913, museums and art galleries in London received a memo from the police. It told them to be careful... more

In the 1980s, Liverpool was having what journalists called a heroin epidemic. The chairman of a local organization where people... more

After a 17-hour-long interrogation, a woman confesses to a murder. But then, evidence surfaces proving that she can’t have actually... more

In 1989, Helen Ackley decided to sell her old Victorian house in Nyack, New York. It didn’t go as planned.... more

Jack Barsky was a college student in 1970 when the KGB knocked on the door of his dorm room to... more

Kathy Boudin and David Gilbert were once members of the radical activist group the Weather Underground. In 1981, they helped... more

Here's a little preview of what we’re making over on Criminal Plus! We’re having a lot of fun making these... more

This episode continues where Episode 237 leaves off. 17 years after he shot a man, Trevell Coleman walked into a police... more

Trevell Coleman signed with Bad Boy Records in 1998. He made it onto the Billboard charts, and was called “the... more

We’re coming up on 10 years of Criminal. In the past decade, we've loved taking the show all over the... more

On September 16, 1922, a reverend and a choir singer were found dead under a tree. Between their bodies was... more

Jeff German was a reporter for over 40 years in Las Vegas. He spent his life covering the mafia, corruption,... more

In 1916, two British soldiers were held captive in a remote prisoner-of-war camp. People said the camp was escape-proof. One... more

Iceland is one of the most peaceful countries in the world, but people there love to read about crime. Even... more

A preview of what we’re making over on Criminal Plus! Hear me and Criminal co-creator Lauren Spohrer taking your questions,... more

In April of 1995, wildlife biologists flew small airplanes over Yellowstone National Park, looking for two missing wolves. “They’re just... more

When Amy Loughren started working as a nurse at Somerset Medical Center, she did everything she could to hide the... more

A story about religion, sex, an assassination, and silverware.  Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional... more

In the summer of 1917, 16-year-old Elsie Wright took a photograph of her 9-year-old cousin, Frances Griffiths. It was the... more

The UNABOM investigation was one of the longest manhunts in American history - it lasted for 18 years starting in... more

In the summer of 1984, a local newspaper reporter outside of Manchester, England, got a tip from the police. A... more

A little over sixty years ago, there were 250 prison newspapers being published on a regular basis. Today, there are... more

Mary Jones could sing just like Aretha Franklin. One night, a James Brown impersonator saw her perform at a Motown... more

In 1934, a man collecting driftwood along the Lake Erie shore found a human torso on the beach. No one could... more

When a toymaker and a doctor teamed up to make the world’s first CPR doll, they decided to make the... more

As recently as 1965, if you had a medical emergency, the people who showed up at your door would be... more

Helen James grew up in a military family — her great-great-grandfather fought in the Civil War, her father in WWI,... more

There’s an old sailors’ saying about the ocean at the southernmost part of the world — “below 40 degrees latitude,... more

In the late 1870s, a woman named Sarah Howe started a bank just for single women called the Ladies’ Deposit... more

“What we ask jurors to do is to just absorb all this trauma and just to keep on absorbing it... more

In 2008, Sven Berger was chosen to serve on the jury for a murder trial. He says the sentence that... more

When she was 14 years old, Elizabeth Coppin was sent to a place called Peacock Lane in Cork, Ireland. It... more

In 1948, two horse jockeys were riding on a beach in Australia when they came across a man lying in... more

When Benjamin Ferencz was 27 years old, he prosecuted his very first trial. It's been called the largest murder trial... more

When Debra Miller woke up on October 8th, 1964, she was expecting to see a black Volkswagen in her family’s... more

In 1911, two sisters traveled to Seattle to meet a "doctor" named Linda Hazzard. The sisters didn’t seem very sick,... more

In the 1980s, the discount electronics chain store Crazy Eddie was so famous, its commercials were parodied on "Saturday Night... more

In 1964, one of the best javelin throwers in Australia traveled to England to see if he could qualify for... more

This episode continues where Episode 208 leaves off. In 2001, Daniel Taylor wrote a letter from prison to a reporter at... more

Daniel Taylor was 17 years old when he was arrested for a 1992 double homicide in Chicago. But Daniel had... more

In 2016, a man named Anthony Novak created a parody Facebook page of his local police department. "I just thought,... more

On October 4, 1960, Eastern Airlines Flight 375 took off from Boston’s Logan airport, and then, two minutes later, it... more

Debbie Schum waited a long time to receive the cremated ashes of her friend, LoraLee Johnson. When she did, she... more

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August of 2021, they unlocked the prisons and freed prisoners, some of... more

Stories of animals really going for it. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The... more

In February of 1910, members of the Music Hall Ladies Guild in London received a strange letter from their treasurer... more

On September 29, 1982, Adam Janus suddenly collapsed in his home outside of Chicago. He died within hours. Later that... more

On a Saturday night, in February 1949, the music programming on one of the most popular radio stations in Quito,... more

On Halloween night, in 1992, an unusual television special aired on the BBC. Nobody expected what happened next. “The technicians... more

In the winter of 1803, residents outside of London reported strange encounters with a ghost. Some said it looked like... more

Ed and Bertha Briney’s unoccupied farmhouse was reportedly broken into 50 times over 10 years. They put up “No Trespassing”... more

In March of this year, a biologist working in a nature preserve in Florida saw an alligator swimming along a... more

In 1967, a very unlikely group of individuals gathered to quietly break the law and help facilitate abortions. They established... more

This episode picks up where Episode 193 left off. We suggest you listen to them in order. Blanche Molineux visited her... more

In 1895, Blanche Chesebrough moved into a small apartment in Gramercy Park, in New York City. She brought a portrait... more

There is a cave in the middle of the Mojave Desert called Devil's Hole. It's home to a small iridescent... more

In 1982, forensic dentists examined the teeth of thousands of sailors stationed on an aircraft carrier called the USS Carl... more

When Laura Coates decided to become a prosecutor in Washington, D.C., she was told that the job would be “human... more

In 2018, we talked with three of America’s most experienced trauma surgeons about what happens when someone is shot. We... more

For 10 years, Detective John Reilly and his horse Trooper were the only mounted team assigned to Central Park. They... more

Pontiac Correctional Center is a maximum security prison in the small town of Pontiac, Illinois. It’s the oldest in the... more

When Shigeru Yabu was 9 years old, he and his family were incarcerated at Heart Mountain Internment Camp, along with... more

One night in 1817, a woman appeared in the village of Almondsbury, in England. No one could figure out who... more

Miles Hargrove was in his sophomore year of college when he got a phone call that his father had been... more

In 1971, a woman visited an F.B.I. office in Pennsylvania. She identified herself as a college student interested in learning... more

In 2013, a small boat called The Midnight Slider was found floating empty in the waters off of Isle Madame in Nova Scotia.... more

When it comes to Kentucky bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle is among the most exclusive. You can’t get it unless you’re... more

15 years after the Supreme Court ruled that school segregation was unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education, many schools... more

Stories of animals really going for it. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The... more

1. Please continue. 2. The experiment requires that you continue. 3. It is absolutely essential that you continue. 4. You have no other... more

When Benjamin Ferencz was 27 years old, he prosecuted his very first trial. There were 22 defendants, each of them... more

In 2006, a man named William Ramsey went to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida for a life-saving liver transplant.... more

The story of two famous friends — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini — and the disagreement that ended... more

“There is something he hasn’t been telling me and I’m about to find out what it is.” Bobby and Cheryl Love’s... more

When Beverley Schottenstein’s husband Alvin died, she and her children sold their stake in his family’s business, worth an estimated... more

Michael Hingson was on the 78th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.... more

Today's episode begins with rock & roll and ends with royalty. When bands like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles... more

"The phone rang and rang and a lady picked up on the other end and I still remember the operator... more

The story of a cryptic children’s book, a real-life treasure hunt, and its very mysterious winner: “He refused to be... more

This episode picks up where Episode 167 left off. We suggest you listen to them in order. When Aaron Quinn called the... more

“I think it was around 3:00 a.m., and that’s when I heard a strange man’s voice waking me from sleep.”... more

On November 12th, 2012, the Accomack County volunteer fire departments got a call. An abandoned house had suddenly gone up... more

In August 1934, Ann Cooper Hewitt was having lunch with her mother when she suddenly felt pain in her abdomen.... more

After 32 years in the United States, José Chicas was told he had to leave. He bought a plane ticket... more

The Pacific Northwest was said to be terrorized by a serial killer in the early 20th century. Bodies were floating... more

The song “I Fought the Law” by the Bobby Fuller Four reached number 9 on the Billboard Charts in the... more

When Joan Borsten married actor Oleg Vidov, also known as “the Soviet Robert Redford,” he introduced her to beautiful Soviet... more

In 2010, a $16.5 million Hot Lotto ticket was sold at a gas station in Des Moines, Iowa. At first,... more

One Sunday afternoon, a man named William Mumler decided to take a self portrait. He said he was alone in... more

“What I recall most is the way that she grabbed my wrist and, shaking a bit, she said over and... more

Qandeel Baloch grew up in a conservative village in Pakistan called Shah Sadar Din, a place where it was shocking... more

In 1982, Sister Helen Prejean was invited to write a letter to a man on death row in Louisiana’s Angola... more

A day in the life of the town of Kalispell, Montana. Thanks very much for listening this year, and happy... more

With Covid-19 shutdowns, people have been taking advantage of quiet highways to drive as fast as they can from New... more

When Nathan Myers and Clifford Williams were charged with the murder of Jeanette “Baldie” Williams in Jacksonville, Florida on May... more

One Sunday night in November 1987, something very odd happened in the middle of the WGN nine o’clock news in... more

Early one morning in 1948, a phone call woke up the police chief in the small town of Clearwater, Florida.... more

In 1932, a group of men in a speakeasy in Prohibition-era New York City hatched a plan — to take... more

On May 8, 2013, a man named Timothy Jones was arrested in Chicago. He says it wasn’t until he got... more

In the mid-1800s, Harvard Medical School had a reputation for being a “den of body snatchers.” And then, in November... more

Early in his career, Errol Morris read about a shocking series of alleged insurance crimes in a small town in... more

The summer after Jessica Maple finished 6th grade, she found out that her great-grandmother’s house had been burglarized. So, 12-year-old... more

Tim Jenkin was a member of the ANC (African National Congress). The organization had been declared unlawful in South Africa,... more

In 1989, Helen Ackley decided to sell her old Victorian house in Nyack, New York at 1 Laveta Place. It... more

People incarcerated in California’s San Quentin State Prison aren’t allowed to have pets — but some people, like Ronell Draper,... more

“I didn’t do what they said I did. And it was like, I don’t know how to disprove the police.... more

On May 13, 1862, in Charleston, South Carolina, a man named Robert Smalls took command of a Confederate ship called... more

On August 10th, 2014, one day after 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson,... more

In May 1991, a bank robber walked into a bank in Irving, Texas, and without speaking handed the teller a... more