Criminal
Criminal is the first of its kind. A show about people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Hosted by Phoebe Judge. Named a Best Podcast of 2023 by the New York Times. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Episodes
April 26, 2024 • 49 mins
In 1980, posters appeared in subway stations and on telephone poles in New York City with a phone number to call. When you called it, you would hear a message: “This is Apology. Apology is not associated with the police or any other organization but rather is a way for you to tell people what you have done wrong and how you feel about it.”
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Acco...
Mark as Played
April 19, 2024 • 50 mins
When he was 14 years old, Ron Bishop testified in a murder trial. Decades later, he told an investigator everything he said on the stand was a lie – and that it was just what he was told to say.
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.
Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes...
Mark as Played
April 12, 2024 • 47 mins
When people started saying that John D. Rockefeller Jr. was responsible for the deaths of two women and 11 children near a coal mine in Colorado, he decided to do something unusual. He hired “the father of public relations.”
Scott Martelle's book is Blood Passion: The Ludlow Massacre and Class War in the American West.
Amy Westervelt's podcast is called Drilled.
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasion...
Mark as Played
April 5, 2024 • 43 mins
Sultan Alam was the first Pakistani officer to join the traffic department of the Cleveland Police in the UK. He was harassed at work and complained to his senior officers about it. Then his coworkers showed up at his house to arrest him.
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.
Sign up for Criminal ...
Mark as Played
March 22, 2024 • 43 mins
For almost thirty years, Adolfo Kaminsky lived quietly, forging documents for people all over the world. It started when he was 18.
Sarah Kaminsky’s book is Adolfo Kaminsky: A Forger’s Life.
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.
Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of ...
Mark as Played
March 15, 2024 • 41 mins
As the famous English actor William Macready was preparing to go on stage in New York, over 300 police officers were placed in and around the theater. “But the head of the police said, ‘I don't know that that's going to be enough people.’”
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.
Sign up for Criminal...
Mark as Played
March 8, 2024 • 45 mins
In the early 1920s, painters at a watch dial factory in New Jersey started to get sick. No one could tell them why.
Kate Moore's book is called The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women.
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.
Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonu...
Mark as Played
March 1, 2024 • 41 mins
In 1974, musician Connie Converse drove away from home and was never heard from again.
Howard Fishman’s book is To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse. Martha Wainwright’s cover of "One By One" is on Vanity of Vanities: A Tribute to Connie Converse. Julia Bullock’s album is Walking in the Dark. You can find Connie Converse’s music at http://connieconverse.com.
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and In...
Mark as Played
February 23, 2024 • 49 mins
“I never did anything wrong. I never had a speeding ticket. I think I just saved all my stuff up for just one thing.” We speak with Toby Dorr, who started a prison dog training program in 2004. That’s how she met John Manard.
This episode was originally released in 2019.
Criminal is on tour this month! We're telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi before the show. Ticket...
Mark as Played
February 16, 2024 • 33 mins
“The police had surrounded the house. They had been there for quite a while. They didn’t want to try to rush the house because they thought he might kill one of the innocent people. But after waiting for a long time, I asked the police: ‘Let me see if I can talk to the guy.’”
For decades, TV news reporter Russ Ewing stood beside more than 100 people — at their request — as they surrendered to the police.
Thanks to CBC Licensing.
Th...
Mark as Played
February 9, 2024 • 37 mins
In May 1991, a bank robber walked into a bank in Irving, Texas, and without speaking handed the teller a note that read, “This is a bank robbery. Give me your money. No marked bills or dye packs.”
Check out Skip Hollandsworth’s Texas Monthly article, “The Last Ride of Cowboy Bob.”
This episode was first released in 2020.
Criminal is on tour this month! We’re telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet...
Mark as Played
February 7, 2024 • 29 mins
Listen to the latest Criminal Plus bonus episode completely for free. Phoebe and Lauren hit record on the drive to visit a 100-year-old Liberal Arts Club in Tarboro, North Carolina. You’ll also hear Phoebe’s presentation to the club about the history of Criminal, and how she thinks about the stories we tell.
If you’re not a Criminal Plus member and you like what you hear, become a member at thisiscriminal.com/plus or in your Apple ...
Mark as Played
February 2, 2024 • 38 mins
A conversation with a 911 operator about what happens on the other end of the line – and the day she heard her daughter's voice on the phone.
Criminal is going back on tour this month! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi before the show. Tickets are on sale now at thisiscriminal.com/live. We can’t wait to see you there!
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Inst...
Mark as Played
January 26, 2024 • 44 mins
Martin Abramowitz knew that his father had worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, but he always thought he hadn’t been there the day the building caught fire and 146 workers died. Then he found out that a man with the same name as his father had testified at the factory owners' trial.
Criminal is going back on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come an...
Mark as Played
January 19, 2024 • 45 mins
This episode picks up where 48 Hours, Part 1 left off. We suggest you listen to them in order.
When Aaron Quinn called the Vallejo police to report that his girlfriend Denise Huskins had been kidnapped, and went into the station for questioning, a detective told Aaron that he didn't believe him. When Denise was released after being held captive for about 48 hours, police didn't believe her either. It soon became clear that the poli...
Mark as Played
January 19, 2024 • 54 mins
“I think it was around 3:00 a.m., and that’s when I heard a strange man’s voice waking me from sleep.”
This is part one of a two-part episode. Listen to part two in our next episode.
Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn’s book is Victim F.
This episode was originally released in 2021.
Criminal is going back on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi b...
Mark as Played
January 12, 2024 • 31 mins
In 2016, the FBI attaché in Pretoria, South Africa, got a phone call from a woman asking the FBI to investigate the death of her friend, Bianca Rudolph. Bianca had died on a hunting trip in Zambia’s Kafue National Park, but her friend didn’t think it was an accident.
Criminal is going back on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi before the sh...
Mark as Played
January 5, 2024 • 46 mins
Ken Eto worked for the Chicago Outfit for 30 years. He was known as the mob’s bolita expert, bringing in millions of dollars a year for them. But in 1983, they turned on him.
Dan O’Sullivan wrote about Ken Eto for Chicago Magazine and Epic Magazine - you can read his piece here.
Criminal is going on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi befor...
Mark as Played
December 22, 2023 • 48 mins
Stories of animals really going for it.
Criminal is going back on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi before the show. Tickets are on sale now at thisiscriminal.com/live. We can’t wait to see you there!
Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple ...
Mark as Played
December 15, 2023 • 39 mins
Today we meet “Genius Grant” winner Andrea Armstrong. In 2019, she started the Incarceration Transparency Project to identify and make public how many people were dying behind bars in Louisiana. The project also documents conditions inside the state’s prisons and jails – what Andrea Armstrong calls “secretive spaces of confinement.” She’s said: “Too often, the how and why a person in prison dies is kept secret from everyone, includ...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Anna Sale explores the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.
A straightforward look at the day's top news in 20 minutes. Powered by ABC News. Hosted by Brad Mielke.