10 Top New True Crime Podcasts of February 2024
Yes I am super late with my February recommendations but I was on holidays (and lazy) so here they finally are! The good news is I am already preparing my March list and will have it ready to go next week - back to normal scheduling.
1. Three - Hosted By Justine Harman and Holly Millea - Wavland.
I am not sure how I found this true crime podcast, I think maybe it found me via Spotify algorithms and suggestions but regardless of how it happened, I am so glad I did. I binged the first four episodes straight away, it is absolutely gripping. This true crime story takes place in Star City, West Virginia. On the 6th of July 2012 three teenage best friends sneak out of their homes for a late night adventure, but by the following morning only two of the three teenage girls have returned home.
This podcast tells the shocking true story of 16 year old Skylar Neese who was brutally murdered by her “two best friends”. In this ten-part series we are taken through the events leading up to Skylar’s murder, the hours and months after and the eventual arrest and trials of the two accused. There is so much more to this story but I really do not want to give away too much, needless to say it is a really shocking case.
Seven of the ten episodes are available now and you will definitely want to clear your schedule before you start listening this true crime podcast series.
2. Who Trolled Amber? - Hosted By Alexi Mostrous - Tortoise Media.
Alexi Mostrous is back with another top notch true crime podcast! Previously featured and award winning true crime podcasts by Alexi Mostrous include Sweet Bobby and Hoaxed and if you haven’t already listened to these then I am jealous, you have some great “listening times” ahead!
As the title of this new true crime podcast hints Who Trolled Amber? investigates what host Mostrous believes to have been a mass, organised, trolling campaign against Amber Heard, that took place in 2022, during her trial against Johnny Depp. This trolling campaign fuelled hatred and presented false “truths” about Amber Heard and may have even affected the outcome of her trial and the events that followed:
“What comes to mind when you think of Amber Heard? Liar? Survivor? Narcissist? Millions of us watched the celebrity trial of the century, Depp v Heard, in 2022. Amber Heard lost and Johnny Depp was vindicated. But what if Amber was actually the victim of an organised trolling campaign? What if the online hate against her was manufactured?.” (Source here).
Mostrous engages with experts in data analysis, bot campaigning and disinformation distribution (and more) to gain concrete evidence to support and build this theory and what he uncovers is truly mind-blowing! This is a story about:
“… how our own thoughts and opinions can be moulded without us even realising.” (Source here).
There are five episodes available so far so get caught up before episode six drops!
3. Uncover: Hunting Warhead (Season 24) - Hosted By Daemon Fairless - CBC & VG.
In the true crime podcast Uncover: Hunting Warhead listeners are taken into the depths of the dark web and the criminal networks that operate there. Here specifically, the focus is on catching child abusers and asks the important question of “How do you rescue child abuse victims who could be anywhere in the world?”.
This is a fascinating investigation that shows how teamwork and co-ordination between key societal figures like the police, investigators, white hat hackers, journalists and members of the public can work together to catch these now prevalent “online” criminals.
There is so much to this true crime story that I cannot even begin to try and explain it, you simply have to listen for yourself! I found this podcast so engaging, we hear from so many different people involved in “Hunting Warhead” and their perspectives enrich the story and will have you glued to it. There is a reason this podcast has over 2000 five star reviews! All six episodes are available now.
4. Mind of a Monster: The Butcher Baker (Season 6) - Hosted By Dr. Michelle Ward - ID.
In this the latest (sixth) season of the true crime podcast Mind of a Monster host Dr. Michelle Ward investigates:
“… the case of one of the US’s most prolific, but not widely known, serial killers.” (Source here).
Robert Hansen, more commonly referred to as “The Butcher Baker”, is an American serial killer whose reign of terror took place in the 1980s in Anchorage, Alaska:
“On the seedy 4th Avenue strip in Anchorage, nicknamed the world’s longest bar, women start to go missing, plucked from the street or the bars and never seen again.” (Source here).
Over seven episodes host Dr. Michelle Ward deep dives into the life and appalling acts of Robert Hansen. What makes this true crime podcast so enthralling are all those we hear from throughout - we even hear from survivors of Robert Hansen, the lucky few who escaped from his clutches and literally lived to tell their stories. We also hear from Police involved in this case as well as Police audio recordings giving us direct access to Robert Hansen himself.
I found this podcast absolutely fascinating and deeply disturbing; the cold matter of fact nature of Hansen when discussing his crimes is frightening.
All seven episodes are available now.
5. Hello, John Doe - Hosted By Todd Matthews - iHeartPodcasts.
I think this is the first true crime podcast that I have listened to that begins with a missing person finding themself on a missing persons website! Steve Patterson was forty-five years old when he made a shocking online discovery, he found his own missing person’s page. In Hello, John Doe we join Steve as he tries to establish how he came to be on a missing persons website and he recruits missing persons investigator Todd Matthews to help him get some answers.
I really do not want to give any spoilers but just to say that this true crime podcast story is jam packed full of twists and turns; family secrets, lies, criminal activities and even murder. Honestly, just clear your diary and get listening, the first seven episodes are available now.
6. Rainwalker: The Lost Boy - Hosted By Jessica Marshall - Times Union.
Over ten episodes this true crime podcast reinvestigates the November 1st 2007 disappearance Jaliek Rainwalker in Greenwich, New York. At the time of his disappearance Jaliek Rainwalker was only twelve years old. He was last seen eating dinner in a local eatery in Greenwich with his adoptive father Stephen Kerr. Jaliek Rainwalker has never been seen again and no one has ever faced charges over his disappearance. Now, almost seventeen years later Times Union journalists are digging deep and hoping to finally solve this case.
While listening to Rainwalker: The Lost Boy you are sure to experience a roller-coaster of emotions as you learn all about Jaliek Rainwalker’s life before his disappearance, his short life was not an easy one. Was Jaliek even safe with his adoptive parents?
This true crime podcast is sure to leave you with more questions than answers and hoping for justice for Jaliek. All seven episodes and two bonus episodes are available now.
7. REAL - Naomi Channell.
In December 2023 I featured the true crime podcast REAL Presents: What Happened To Charlene Downes? hosted by TV Producer Naomi Channell. I really liked this podcast and I thought the host was excellent. Wanting to know more about the host, I did a little online searching and quickly discovered that Naomi Channell has another regular true crime podcast called REAL. Having now listened to lots of the available episodes since December, this true crime podcast deserves its own spot on one of my true crime podcast blogs - so here it is!
In each episodes of REAL, host Naomi Channell covers a true crime story from start to finish, making this podcast a great option if you are tight on time (45 minutes to 1 hour per episode) but want a true crime fix. If you love true crime but don’t want to commit to a full series then you will love this podcast, you can pick and choose your episodes based on the brief episode description and get stuck in.
There are now 47 episodes available so you have plenty to choose from. What I am also excited about is that Naomi has another true crime limited series on the way very soon - stay tuned!
8. Cover Up: The Anthrax Threat (Season 4) - Hosted By Giles Milton - Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment.
As the title suggests, this latest series of the true crime podcast Cover Up investigates the 2001 anthrax letter attacks that targeted prominent journalists and politicians in New York City and Washington D.C. (in the wake of 9/11). These attacks resulted in the deaths of five people. A further seventeen people were infected but survived. These attacks have been labelled as:
“… the worst case of bioterrorism in American history.” (Source here).
This podcast is so interesting. The mystery builds as Police investigators try to establish who sent the letters? and why?. Even if, like most, you knew of this case already, there is just so much more to this story that you might not have heard before now. We gain valuable insights into what happened “on the ground” during this time when we hear from people who were directly involved in the case, such as the U.S Postal Service employees whose lives were in danger but received very little assistance:
“Through revealing interviews with victims, agents, and suspects, we unpack the case in its messy entirety, all with an eye toward the question that remains today: Did the FBI identify the true killer, or is this case still unresolved?.” (Source here).
There are four episodes available so far.
9. In The Dark: The Runaway Princesses - Hosted By Madeleine Baran Heidi Blake - The New Yorker.
If you liked the previously featured true crime podcast series Infamous: Dubai’s Missing Princesses then you should definitely check out this new four-part series In The Dark: The Runaway Princesses which deep dives into the same story but offers new perspectives, ideas and theories. This podcast really questions why Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed has caused family members to flee from him and why those that have, have received little support, telling the story of:
“… the royal women who risked everything to flee the brutality of one of the world’s most powerful men.” (Source here).
You can tell that this podcast has been really well researched and thought through. The hosts are excellent. They have so much information but they do an excellent job of presenting it in a clear and succinct manner:
“… drawing on thousands of pages of secret correspondence and never-before-heard audio recordings, “The Runaway Princesses” takes listeners behind palace walls, revealing a story of astonishing courage and cruelty.” (Source here).
All four episodes are already available so get listening!
10. Queen of The Con: The Athlete Whisperer (Season 5) - Hosted By Johnathan Walton - iHeartPodcasts & AYR Media.
Last but not least, true crime podcast Queen of the Con is back with a brand new season and of course, a brand new con-artist! This time host Johnathan Walton is telling the story of the scamming of ex-professional NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman by Peggy Ann Fulford. Peggy Ann Fulford embezzled millions from Rodman and other sportspersons during her time acting as a financial advisor and we learn all about her schemes and tactics in this podcast. I have actually already listened to a podcast about Peggy Ann Fulford but I am still loving Johnathan’s telling of this story, I find him so entertaining as a story teller. The first two episodes are available now with new episodes to be released weekly.
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