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