Top 13 True Crime Podcasts Right Now - April, May & June 2024!
WOW - I have some excellent new true crime podcasts for you this month! Some of the biggest names in true crime podcasting are back with brand new true crime investigations. Additionally, as I didn’t release any true crime blogs in April or May, I have added the best true crime podcasts of those months to this blog too so you get a bumper edition this month! As always, I listen to all my podcasts on Spotify so any mention of available episodes is referring to Spotify.
1. Bronwyn - By Hedley Thomas - The Australian.
Award winning journalist Hedley Thomas is BACK!! I am so excited about this brand new cold case true crime investigation Bronwyn from Hedley Thomas and the team at The Australian who brought us the incredible The Teacher’s Pet podcast back in 2018.
Hedley Thomas is re-investigating a cold case with eerily similar characteristics and circumstances to the Lyn Dawson case he previous investigated.
Bronwyn Winfield disappeared from her home in New South Wales in Australia on the evening of May 16th 1993. Bronwyn said goodnight to her daughters and simply vanished. Aged thirty-one at the time of her disappearance, Bronwyn was a devoted mother to two young daughters Chrystal and Lauren and her close family and friends are adamant that she would not have willingly left her family; they firmly believe that Bronwyn’s disappearance was not voluntary.
Now, thirty years later, can Hedley and his team “work their magic” and finally solve Bronwyn’s case? The first episode is out now with new episodes released weekly on Thursdays.
2. Crime World Presents: Caught in the Crossfire - Hosted By Nicola Tallant - The Sunday World.
The fantastic Nicola Tallant is back with this brand new true crime series Caught in the Crossfire. In this series, Tallant deep dives into the tragic 2006 murder of plumber Anthony Campbell:
“… Anthony was working as an apprentice plumber in Dublin when he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. An innocent bystander caught up in the brutal assassination of Martin ‘Marlo’ Hyland, Campbell’s senseless murder is still unsolved almost twenty years later.” (Source here).
To help us understand this murder, Tallant must first take us back in time to the months and days leading up to the murder. We are provided with detailed first hand accounts and descriptions of the men at the epicentre of the illegal drugs trade, “the criminal underworld”, that was operating in Dublin (and Ireland as a whole) at this time. Ultimately it was this illicit drugs operation that led to Anthony’s murder. There is so much to this story and it is captivating hearing about some of these criminals from those who knew them intimately at the time.
The first three episodes are available now so get caught up before episode four of this gripping true crime podcast drops.
Another excellent, previously featured, true crime podcast from Nicola Tallant and the team at The Sunday World is Beast: The Murder of Nora Sheehan. Nicola also worked on the true crime podcast The Witness: In His Own Words, a fantastic podcast. Joseph O’Callaghan (from the aforementioned The Witness podcast) is also part of this new Caught in the Crossfire podcast.
3. The Stardust Tragedy - The Irish Sun.
If like me you assumed that this new true crime podcast The Stardust Tragedy would be sad, then you assumed correctly. It is terribly sad but it is also incredible powerful and poignant; it is a podcast that will stay with you long after you have finished listening.
As the title suggests, the podcast details the deadly fire which took place in the Stardust nightclub in Artene, Dublin on the 14th of February 1981. A whopping 800 people were attending a disco in the Stardust on the night of the fire. Forty-eight people lost their lives and a further 214 were injured as a result of the fire. In the years that followed, the fire and the trauma it caused was also regarded as being responsible for the suicides of some of the survivors and family members.
This eight-part series tells the story of the Stardust tragedy from the very beginning:
“… with several individual stories of the young victims as they set off for the Valentine’s night disco in the Stardust nightclub in Artane in 1981. The podcast continues with a thorough investigation into the fatal fire, testimonies from survivors, firefighters and first responders on the scene, and the devastating aftermath that followed as families fought for over four decades for justice for their loved ones.” (Source here).
This is a truly excellent podcast, it is so well put together, thorough and all consuming. Seven episodes are available now.
4. Trial By Water - Hosted By Michael Bachelard - The Age & Sydney Morning Herald.
Trial By Water is a brand new true crime podcast which takes us to back to Father’s Day 2005 in Australia. On this day, Robert Farquharson was driving his car with his three young sons inside, Jai aged ten, Tyler aged seven and Bailey aged two, when his car left the road and became submerged in a dam. While Robert Farquharson managed to escape from his submerged car, his three sons were not so lucky. All three children lost their lives on this day. Subsequently, Robert Farquharson was accused and found guilty of the murder of his three sons:
“Robert Farquharson was twice convicted for the murder of his three sons… His first conviction in 2007 was overturned on appeal. He was convicted again in 2010, and another appeal was rejected. Farquharson has always maintained the boys’ deaths were the result of a tragic series of events that began with him blacking out at the wheel after a coughing fit.” (Source here).
Now, years later:
“… scientists and lawyers are raising serious doubts about his conviction, and asking whether in his case, the justice system has got it wrong.” (Source here).
In this five-part investigative true crime podcast host Michael Bachelard is re-examining all the evidence of this case, interviewing people who were involved in the case and of course trying to establish whether or not Robert Farquharson is guilty or an unfortunate victim of a great miscarriage of justice. This would not be the first great miscarriage of justice against a parent that has taken place in Australia in recent history. The wrongful convictions of Lindy Chamberlain, which is covered in the true crime podcast A Perfect Storm: The True Story of the Chamberlains and Kathleen Folbigg, which featured in the true crime podcast Mother’s Guilt: The Kathleen Folbigg Story are two such cases that come to my mind immediately. However, having only listened to the first episode of this podcast so far, it is too soon to come to any conclusions but I look forward to seeing how this case develops.
5. The Boy in the Water (Season 2) - Hosted By Melanie Reid - newsroom.co.nz.
Back in July 2023 in my 8 Top New True Crime Podcasts of June and July 2023 blog I featured the true crime podcast The Boy In the Water which detailed the tragic death of three year old Lachlan Jones. Lachlan’s body was recovered from a sewage oxidation pond near his home in Gore, New Zealand, in January 2019.
Now season 2 of The Boy in the Water has launched and in it host Melanie Reid attends and reports on the coronial inquest into the death of Lachlan. We are taken into the courtroom and hear the voices of those giving evidence to the inquest.
There are twenty-three episodes available so far so this is the ideal option if you are looking for a true crime podcast to binge. I can guarantee that you will be so enthralled by what you are hearing that you won’t want to stop listening! Will we finally know the truth about what happened to Lachlan Jones?
6. Ransom: Position Of Trust - Hosted By Edward R. Murrow - KSL Podcasts.
Ransom: Position Of Trust is a engrossing new nine-part true crime podcast series which delves into the 1992 kidnapping of twelve year old McKay Everett. When McKay’s father Carl arrives home from work to an empty house, he quickly realises something is very very wrong, where is his son? Suddenly, the house phone rings. The caller is an unknown female who informs Carl that his son has been kidnapped and she demands $500,000 dollars in ransom. Carl is warned not to involve any police or officials and instructions on how to pay the ransom will follow. If Carl ever wants to see his son alive again then he must do what the kidnappers want.
I really do not want to give any spoilers for this true crime podcast so as to maintain the intrigue and mystery of this story so I am going to leave it here. Needless to say I am hooked!! The good news is that the first five episodes are already available so you can get stuck in without delay and be all caught up before episode six is released.
7. Media Pressure: The Untold Story of Maura Murray - By Julia Murray - Voices for Justice Media.
Maura Murray was a twenty-one year old student of nursing at the University of Massachusetts when she disappeared without a trace on the 9th of February 2002, near the town of Haverhill, New Hampshire. Maura’s crashed car was found abandoned on the side of Route 112 but despite in-depth searches of the area and further afield, no trace of Maura has ever been found. Maura’s debit card, credit cards and cell phone were also never recovered and none of them have ever been used since her disappearance. Again, there is a lot more to this story but I think it is much better for you to hear it directly from the podcast.
Maura’s sister Julia is the host of this true crime podcast and she does an excellent job of telling the story of Maura; not just the story of Maura’s disappearance but telling us who Maura was as a person before she vanished. Throughout this podcast we hear from members of Maura’s heartbroken family, her father Fred’s interviews were especially heart-wrenching for me, you can clearly hear the regret, despair and utter sadness in his voice. Maura’s brothers also tell their stories of Maura and her disappearance. The courage and strength they show by telling their stories must be commended.
All nine episodes of Media Pressure: The Untold Story of Maura Murray are available now. This is for sure another true crime podcast that you will want to binge so clear your diary!
8. Proof: Murder at the Warehouse (Season 2) - Hosted By Susan Simpson & Jacinda Davis - Red Marble Media.
This new true crime podcast Proof: Murder at the Warehouse begins with the disappearance of eighteen year old Renee Ramos. Renee Ramos disappeared from the town of Manteca Central California in June 2000. On June 5th 2000, the body of Renee Ramos was discovered buried under debris on a site that would later become a Home Depot Store. Renee’s boyfriend, eighteen year old Jake Silva and thirty-three year old Ty Lopes, an uncle of one of Jake’s close friends, were arrested for her murder. In 2002 both men were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of Renee Ramos. In 2011 Lopes was murdered in prison. Jake Silva has now served twenty-three years in prison and still maintains his innocence.
The hosts of this podcast are reinvestigating this case in their search for the truth. Is Jake Silva innocent? The hosts pursue endless new leads, uncover potential new witnesses and look for new evidence, their dedication to this case is out astounding. No stone is left unturned!
There are seventeen episodes available now and an additional sixteen “sidebar” episodes also available so an absolute treasure trove of information is waiting for you!
9. Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings - Hosted By Peter Van Sant - CBS News.
When successful millionaire businesswoman Pamela Hargan and her youngest daughter Helen are found dead in their home in McLean, Virginia, investigators first instinct is that they are dealing with a tragic murder-suicide. However, it isn’t long before some strange, apparently staged, crime scene evidence suggests something far more sinister has taken place. When Pamela’s other daughter Megan is interviewed by police, her changing statements and inconsistencies grab their attention…. and then comes THE phone-call from Pamela’s bank about a large amount of money being transferred on the day of the murders. Suddenly all eyes are on Megan as the potential perpetrator of these crimes:
“Detectives try to untangle mixed motives from mother-daughter discord, to sibling rivalry, jealousy and a family fortune.” (Source here).
This podcast is definitely binge worthy and the first five episodes (of this six-part series) are available now.
10. The Price of Paradise - Hosted By Alice Levine - Wondery.
Well there was always going to be at least one Wondery true crime podcast somewhere on this list and here it is. I am sure that everyone’s idea of paradise is different and I have to say having listened to The Price Of Paradise podcast, my idea of paradise is far removed from the woman at the centre of this podcast, Jayne Gaskin’s idea of paradise. Jayne Gaskin is looking for a new beginning, an adventure and so when she finds a website selling desert islands she is thrilled to realise that she can afford to buy one of the islands listed for sale! The island Jayne buys is located off the coast of Nicaragua (located in an area named Mosquito Coast which alone would be a hard “NO” from me) and Jayne is sure that it will be her very own slice of heaven. She packs up her life in the UK and heads off with her children and her partner to their new island home. To complicate matters further, a reality TV crew follows them to film a new show entitled “No Going Back”.
Honestly, so much happens from the moment Jayne and her family get to their island that I couldn’t possibly even try to include it here, you will just have to listen for yourself. I found this podcast really interesting and completely perplexing; some crazy sh*t happens. Hearing from the TV crew that was on the island with them also really adds to the validity of the story and you really get an insider point of view and version of the events.
All seven episodes are already available.
11. Happily Never After: Dan and Nancy - Hosted By Heidi Joy Tretheway - Wondery.
Another Wondery true crime podcast coming up! Happily Never After: Dan and Nancy tells the story of Nancy Brophy and her loving husband Dan Brophy. Nancy is a writer of romance novels and lives a seemingly quiet life in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon with her chef husband Dan. However, in 2018, Dan Brophy is shot dead in his classroom in the culinary school at which he taught. It isn’t long before police have their eyes firmly on a suspect and that suspect is Dan’s wife, Nancy Brophy:
“… this is a story about what happens when the line blurs between fiction and reality.” (Source here).
I am only two episodes in but I can already tell that Nancy Brophy is a real character! We hear directly from Nancy via police tape recordings and these recordings are very insightful and telling; the real Nancy begins to reveal herself. I look forward to seeing how this true crime podcast plays out!
12. Fur & Loathing - Hosted By Nicky Woolf - Brazen.
Honestly, I have learned so much from this true crime podcast already in the first four episodes! Welcome to the world of “Furries” or “Furry Fandom”, a subculture “interested in anthropomorphic animal characters”. Its December 2014 and the final night of “Midwest Furfest” (the world’s largest convention for furries) is taking place at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Rosemount, Illinois. The convention attendees (furries) have gathered and are happily partying the night away when people start to have difficulty breathing and a strong smell of chlorine starts to filter through to the party room. It is quickly established that:
“… poisonous levels of chlorine gas are sweeping through the hotel corridors.” (Source here).
People quickly start to flee the building into the freezing cold night, those still wearing their fursuits were probably relieved to still have them on for warmth. Nineteen people are hospitalized. When the hazmat teams arrive they are able to trace the gas to a stairwell in the hotel and subsequently find the remains of a chemical bomb which of course leads to the startling realisation that this was an intentional attack and thus a criminal investigation begins.
In Fur & Loathing the host, investigative reporter Nicky Woolf, hopes to finally find the person (or persons) responsible for this attack that have evaded police for the last ten years. We get to hear from furries who were at the scene of the crime as well as interviews with some people who were suspects in the case:
“It’s a journey that will bring him face-to-face with the challenges this vibrant, often misunderstood subculture faces – including the far-right extremists looking to wreck the community from within.” (Source here).
The first four episodes are out now.
13. Status Untraced - Hosted By Liam Luxon - Tenderfoot TV & Audacy.
Come along on this a ten-episode journey, a true crime investigation which attempts to uncover what really happened to survivalist Justin Alexander who disappeared while trekking in the Himalayan Mountains in 2016:
“While the circumstances of his disappearance point to murder, a chilling message he left behind throws everything into question: “I should return mid-September or so. If I’m not back by then, don’t look for me.” Four years later, host and true crime newcomer Liam Luxon is introduced to Justin’s story and embarks on an investigation into the mysterious case.” (Source here).
I’m nine episodes in and enjoying this true crime podcast although it is at times a little repetitive and slow moving. We do get a great idea of who Justin Alexander was prior to his disappearance, insights into his personality and character. We hear directly from his father too and about his relationship with his son which was somewhat unconventional.
Get caught up with the first nine episodes in time for next weeks tenth and final episode.
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