Murder in Boston Podcast

1989 Boston. The crack epidemic is raging, the murder rate soaring, and white flight has taken hold. Charles Stuart and his pregnant wife, Carol, are carjacked, drawn deep into a dangerous “inner city” neighborhood, and allegedly shot by a Black man. All of Boston – and the nation – is gripped by the hunt for the suspect. What follows will reveal truths about the city... and ourselves. Presented by The Boston Globe and HBO Documentary Films, Murder in Boston: The Untold Story of the Charles and Carol Stuart Shooting is hosted by Adrian Walker who, along with a team of Pulitzer-winning investigative reporters, unveils explosive new findings and change the narrative of a story long cemented in the city’s lore. The HBO Documentary Series Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning is available to stream on Max starting December 4.

Episodes

Introducing ‘Spotlight: Snitch City’

March 25, 2025 • 51 mins

Today, we’re sharing the first episode of the brand new podcast Spotlight: Snitch City, produced by The Boston Globe's award-winning Spotlight team – some of the same folks who brought you the Murder in Boston podcast! In this specific episode, you’ll find yourself on the docks of New Bedford, hearing whispers about a rogue police officer harassing fishermen and stealing drugs, all of which come to a head one late night aboard a ...

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Episode 10: Long Overdue

February 29, 2024 • 27 mins

Days after this podcast wrapped, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called a press conference. She had a major announcement about the Stuart case. Of course, we were there. In this episode, we’ll tell you how the mayor’s news landed with a community still trying to make peace with this case… and about a surprise figure who appeared that day, a man the Globe team had been chasing for a long time. Now we are able to share that important story,...

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Episode 9: Is This How it Ends?

December 18, 2023 • 51 mins

We knew when we started out on this story, we were digging into something that would cause people pain. And we've tried to balance our jobs as fact-finders and journalists, with being humane and thoughtful. Two innocent people lost their lives. The suspect’s family had their world upended too. And countless others will never be the same. So, what now? How does this story end? Has anything changed? And is it too late for justice? Fi...

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Episode 8: Setting the Record Straight

December 18, 2023 • 45 mins

Thirty-four years later, many reporters are still dragging the sins of their Stuart coverage around, in one form or another. This includes your host, Globe columnist Adrian Walker. There’s no doubt, the media screwed up. Journalists moved on without any corrections or apologies, but not without a gnawing sense that something had broken down. And it’s time to reckon with that coverage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...

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Episode 7: The Accomplice

December 18, 2023 • 50 mins

The main suspect might be dead, but this story is far from over. The long-told narrative – some kind of true-crime catnip – suggests the world was fooled by a master manipulator. But that’s not the case. More than 30 years later, Boston Globe investigative reporters dive into the case, unearth secret grand jury files, and obtain never-before-released recordings. The reporters find a conspiracy that was bigger than anybody knew and ...

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Episode 6: The Mask Comes Off

December 11, 2023 • 44 mins

Everything you know, everything you’ve heard, is flipped on its head when one morning a man walks to the edge of the Tobin Bridge and steps off, falling 145 feet into the frigid waters below. The death sends waves of disbelief, rage, and guilt through Boston. And it forces everyone to examine themselves and the role they’ve played in a terrible hoax. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Episode 5: The Camelot Couple

December 11, 2023 • 38 mins

For so long it was their story – and only their story – that got any attention. Charles and Carol Stuart. The media dubbed them “The Camelot Couple,” and they became the picture of domesticity and purity. White folks could see themselves in their car. The Stuarts were pretty, popular, and on the cusp of starting a family. But really, who were Charles and Carol? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Episode 4: The Suspect

December 11, 2023 • 51 mins

Boston police have spent 12 days searching for the suspect. They’ve stopped countless Black people in Mission Hill, all to no avail. But now, there’s a tip about a notorious man in the neighborhood who's been bragging about shooting the Stuarts. The whole story starts with a few teens smoking weed one afternoon and takes off from there. In this episode, hear never-released police interrogation tapes and meet the suspect: “Wild Bill...

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Episode 3: Boston's Backstory

December 4, 2023 • 36 mins

The shooting hits at the heart of Boston’s most bitter divisions and reopens a wound around race relations that was just beginning to heal. In 1974, the city was thrown into turmoil when a judge ordered the desegregation of Boston schools. Some parents revolted and attacked school buses carrying Black children. The Stuart shooting aftermath reignites unresolved anger and revives an ugly chapter of Boston's history. Learn more about...

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Episode 2: The Manhunt

December 4, 2023 • 37 mins

The shocking Stuart shooting incites a massive dragnet for a Black man in a striped track suit. Armed with “stop and frisk” powers, police tear through the Mission Hill neighborhood. Virtually every young Black male is a suspect. Boston is gripped by fear. Race, class, crime and punishment – the city's raw nerves are laid bare. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Episode 1: The Crime

December 4, 2023 • 40 mins

Charles Stuart dials 911 from his car phone. He’s lost somewhere in Boston and bleeding out. His pregnant wife, Carol, is in the seat next to him, with a gunshot wound to the head. This white couple from the suburbs was just carjacked upon leaving a birthing class at a hospital and drawn deep into Mission Hill. They are the epitome of the urban nightmare of the late 1980s. And their terror is captured on tape. Learn more about your...

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Coming Soon: Murder in Boston

November 27, 2023 • 3 mins

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