10 Top New True Crime Podcast Shows of 2023 (So Far)!
Earlier this week I released my first true crime podcast blog of 2023 New Year & New Seasons From Our Favourite True Crime Podcast Shows - February 2023 which is a round-up of all the new true crime seasons now available for all my favourite true crime podcast shows.
This second true crime podcast blog focuses on brand new true crime podcast shows that I have also been binging on the last few months. As always, I listen to all my podcasts on Spotify so when I mention available episodes, I am referring to what is currently available there.
1. Through The Wall: The Case Against Luke Mitchell - By Naomi Channell.
This six-part series explores the case against convicted killer Luke Mitchell who, in 2003, was found guilty of murdering his then 14 year old girlfriend Jodi Jones in a small village in Scotland. Mitchell was also aged 14 at the time of the crime and has always maintained his innocence. He has now served over 18 years in prison.
I did not know what to expect when I started listening to this true crime podcast but I really feel that the host Naomi Channell did a great job of presenting the evidence, the sequence of events surrounding the crime itself and what happened in its aftermath. She offers great insights into how the Police approached this case and she includes excerpts of interview tapes that were recorded during some of the original Police interviews with then 14 year old Mitchell.
Anyone who listens to this podcast or is familiar with the violent nature of Jodi Jones’ murder would want justice for her and her family. However, when you listen to this true crime podcast in its entirety (including a bonus seventh episode in which we hear directly from Mitchell) I think you will find yourself questioning if in-fact justice for Jodi has been achieved; has the right person been charged with this truly horrific crime? This podcast series has left me with more questions than answers - I hope there will be some follow up episodes!
2. The Trial of Lucy Letby - Hosted By Liz Hull & Caroline Cheetham - The Mail+.
As the title of this podcast suggests, this podcast is following the on-going trial of Lucy Letby. Lucy Letby is a nurse accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder a further ten babies during her time working in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester in the UK. There are a total of 22 charges against Letby, all of which she denies. In each episode the hosts bring us all the latest news from the courtroom. The details and facts revealed about each victim and their families in this case are absolutely heart breaking. For this reason, this podcast does not make for easy listening. However, as all the information that we hear in the podcast is that which has been presented to the jury, with no room for speculation, personal opinion and so forth, I think this podcast is invaluable as it allows the listener to hear what the jury hears and come to his/her/their own conclusion.
There are currently seventeen episodes available.
3. The Children in the Pictures - Hosted By Akhim Dev - LiSTNR.
I binged this podcast show over the course of a day, I could not stop listening even with its upsetting and shocking content. The Children in the Pictures is a true crime podcast investigating and reporting on the sleazy illegal world of child sexual exploitation that exists on the dark web. This podcast series is also a documentary, both are created by Akhim Dev. Host Akhim Dev is excellent throughout this podcast and you can feel his passion, his need to get this story told and to do his part in exposing these crimes, the people who commit them and to work towards preventing future crimes of this type taking place - to protect children all over the world.
“… Akhim Dev follows the hunt to take down the world’s most notorious dark web child sexual exploitation network. Taskforce Argos, an elite team of Australian investigators, must act to bring these dangerous criminals to justice. The Argos team use controversial undercover strategies, taking over the identities of these secretive online predators to become the very criminals they are pursuing. It’s a race against time: they must identify and rescue the innocent victims whose abuse is documented in videos and images on the network, before these offenders disappear into the dark web.” (Source here).
We hear directly from members of various Police forces that were involved in the Argos team and learn some of the methods they used to catch those producing, uploading and selling images and videos of child sexual exploitation on the dark web. This podcast is so so so interesting and it really is essential listening for everyone.
All eight episodes are available now.
4. Love Janessa - Hosted By Hannah Ajala - CBC Podcasts & BBC World Service.
Love Janessa is a brand new true crime podcast show investigating the world of catfishing! At the centre of this particular catfish story is a person by the name of “Janessa Brazil”. Host Hannah Ajala is on a mission to find “Janessa Brazil” and takes us the listen along on her quest. The moment I started listening to this podcast I knew it was going to be good. There are only three episodes available so far on Spotify but I am already getting an idea of the sheer scale of this catfish/con-artist plot - it is HUGE! I am totally invested and cannot wait to hear how the story unfolds and evolves throughout the rest of the episodes.
5. The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods - Hosted By Jake Adelstein & Shoko Plambeck - Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment.
The Evaporated: Gone with the Gods true crime podcast is a super interesting deep dive into the “fascinating and bizarre world of Japan’s johatsu, or “evaporated” people.”. This was a world that I had never heard of before and I am really enjoying learning all about it. The hosts are excellent and the people they interview for this podcast are those who have themselves “disappeared” and/or are involved in helping people to disappear. There are nine episodes available already so this is a good option if you have free time and want to binge!
6. Secrets, Lies & Alibis: A True Crime Podcast - Hosted By Jaimes Lee - Thriller Digital.
I really liked this well presented and researched true crime podcast from Thriller Digital. Secrets, Lies & Alibis: A True Crime Podcast deep dives into the double murder of a mother and daughter in their home in Florida in June 2004. Cheryl Williams and her mother Carol Bareis are found brutally stabbed to death and the number one suspect is their neighbour Clemente Aguirre-Jarquin, a young illegal immigrant from Honduras. Arrested and charged, Clemente Aguirre-Jarquin is soon found guilty of the murders and sentenced to death. In this gripping podcast, we hear all the evidence of this case and new suspects are quickly highlighted. Avoiding too many spoilers, suffice to say we are forced to confront the real possibility that an innocent man is on death row.
This podcast will stay with you long after you have finished listening to all eight episodes. If you want to know more about this case (after you have listened to the podcast) then click here.
7. Stolen Hearts - Hosted By Kerry Godliman - Wondery & Novel.
This brand new true crime podcast from Wondery and Novel has me hooked… well I do love a con-artist story and this is one with a real twist! Without giving too much away, we are introduced to the lovely endearing Sergeant Jill Evans and her somewhat complicated love life. One, two, skip a few and single successful entrepreneur Dean makes his grand entrance. It isn’t long before Jill and Dean get serious and it looks like happily ever after might finally be on the cards for Jill. But yes, you guessed it, Dean has been telling porkies! Having listened to the first two episodes I cannot wait to see where this story goes next.
8. Undetermined - By Jessica Noll & Todd McComas - Tenderfoot TV, Resonate Recordings & Cadence13.
Forty three year old Jessica Easterly Durning went missing from her home in New Orleans on the 12th of August 2019. Earlier that day, Jessica had phoned a close friend Maria and informed her that she had finally decided to leave her husband Justin (and their troubled marriage) and she needed Maria’s help to do so. As Maria lived some distance from Jessica, they decided that the following day, August 13th, would be when Jessica would finally make her move and Maria would be there to help her. That phone-call on August 12th was the last time Maria ever heard from her friend Jessica. On August 22nd 2019, Jessica’s body was found a mere 2.5 blocks from her house. Her cause of death was found to be “undetermined” and her case remains open and unsolved.
In this podcast the hosts dig deep into this unsolved case in the hope of uncovering new evidence and leads and with the goal of finally uncovering how Jessica died and who or what was responsible for her death. There are ten episodes available now making this a great podcast to binge!
9. Run, Hide, Repeat - By Pauline Dakin - CBC Podcasts.
This five-part true crime podcast series tells the story of the host Pauline Dakin and is based on her best-selling 2017 memoir. Pauline Dakin led an unusual life, constantly on the run but never knowing what she (and her family) were running from:
“Pauline Dakin’s childhood was marked by unexplained events, a sense of unseen menace, and secretive moves to new cities with no warning.” (Source here).
Until one day, when Pauline is by then an adult, her mother sits her down and tells her what they had been running from all those years - but is any of it true?
“It was a story so mind-bending, so disturbing, Pauline’s entire world was turned upside down.” (Source here).
A thought provoking podcast that will having you asking questions and wondering who in your own life can you really have faith and trust in?
All five episodes are available now.
10. Frozen Head - Hosted By Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart - Wondery.
Frozen Head is a seven-part true crime series from Wondery. The hosts are also hosts of the Morbid true crime podcast. Frozen Head is a story about cryonics and it begins with the death of 90 year old Laurence Pilgeram and his pre-death wish to be frozen and brought back to life in the future. Let’s just say, nothing is straight-forward when it comes to cryonics and we hear all about it throughout the course of this podcast series. You can expect plenty of family drama, altercations and lots of frozen heads! There are four episodes available now.
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