Watching crime television shows and movies has been growing more and more popular, hence Netflix’s recent documentaries/docuseries and SNL’s “Murder Show” skit. I am here to tell you my three favorite true crime podcasts so you can be an official true crime lover like me. Before you read on, my advice is that you should refrain from listening to these before you go to sleep or when you are home alone because (from experience) you will end up having nightmares.
#1 The Murder Squad
I am bringing Murder Squad to the list because I find the two hosts very fascinating. Paul Holes is a former Cold Case Investigator (which are unsolved cases that hit a point where it goes in no direction, so it gets tucked away for a long time) and Billy Jensen is a crime journalist who solved ten homicides himself! Knowing this information, listening to this podcast is very engaging and I feel like I always learn something new from every story. They tend to talk about the psychological aspects of a murder, and they even try to solve the murder in the podcast itself using many different methods. One of my favorite episodes from these two men is “Who Killed Danielle and Lindsay” because they talk about how Southern Ohio is an ideal place for murderers to do their worst. They give their audience new perspectives and reasoning that most people don’t even begin to think about, such as “why did the killer choose the place they did?” The Murder Squad is definitely a podcast to check out to dig deep into true crime cases.
#2 Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie is the first crime podcast that I ever listened to and they got me hooked. The hosts are two best friends, Ashley Fowlers and Brit Prawat, who give their audience a very well-researched crime story. Ashley is the host that explains most of the stories posted, and when she talks, I can easily tell that she is invested in every bit of information. Brit adds in commentary that makes the podcast all the more interesting and puzzling. Crime Junkie has a fan club where you can find exclusive content. They also post collabs with fellow true crime lovers, and provide a ton of extra podcasts on their website! My advice to you all is to start off listening to Crime Junkie if you are a newborn crime lover. My favorite episode that they have created is “CONSPIRACY: Women in the U.S. Military”. In it, Ashley and Brit talked about so many incidents pertaining to how women in the United States Military were dead by non-combat-related incidents, and many were ruled suicides. This podcast brings light to possible women murders that have been covered up by the military. I had little knowledge on this issue before the podcast, so go ahead and give them a listen because you never know what you will learn.
#3 Morbid
My personal favorite crime podcast is Morbid, hosted by two ladies, Ash and Alaina, who are aunt-niece related but were raised as sisters. These women bring entertainment to the crime world not only through their close relationship but because they add their own stories into the podcasts. They are not afraid to say their opinions about the awful murders and Ash and Alaina even turn their listeners’ true crime and ghost stories into episodes. I love that you can hear their passion in the podcast itself because it is different from any crime podcasts I have listened to. Sometimes, in their collaborations with other crime lovers, they will tell paranormal ghost stories that keep you up at night. My favorite paranormal podcast has to be “Black-Eyed Children” which I just recently listened to. I was cleaning alone in my apartment while listening and jumped with every slight noise around me (and of course the story itself was very interesting). Let’s just say I hope I never see any Black-Eyed Children at my door. My favorite episode from Morbid is “The Unbelievable Life and Crimes of Carl Panzram” because they bring every single gory detail into the story, which makes you feel like you understand the emotion that Carl felt (but try not to feel bad for him, he’s awful). Anyway, this podcast is my favorite because Ash and Alaina have a lot of fun with the twisted true crime stories, so go listen!
Again, welcome to the crime podcast community. Some of the stories are extremely bizarre and unbelievable, but they are so interesting. To think that these people are even capable of committing these crimes makes me want to solve these mysteries myself in order to bring justice to all the victims. Enjoy my recommended podcasts and remember: don’t listen in the dark.