True Crime Docs/Series/Podcasts

[Ethan Reigns]

One of the shows that is common here is "Fear Thy Neighbour", a story about murders in suburbia.

I have watched crime shows and almost got on a jury for a particularly grisly murder but one thing has stuck in my mind: We had the Paul Bernardo case where he killed Krysten French and Leslie Mahaffy. Leslie has a cousin named Rhonda who has been over to our house and she looks like a clone of Leslie. She was saying that she was walking down the street in her home town of St. Catharines and someone said, "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" That guy is probably a Facebook influencer now.

 

[BibliophileAnn]

One of the shows that is common here is "Fear Thy Neighbour", a story about murders in suburbia.

I have watched crime shows and almost got on a jury for a particularly grisly murder but one thing has stuck in my mind: We had the Paul Bernardo case where he killed Krysten French and Leslie Mahaffy. Leslie has a cousin named Rhonda who has been over to our house and she looks like a clone of Leslie. She was saying that she was walking down the street in her home town of St. Catharines and someone said, "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" That guy is probably a Facebook influencer now.

I have wanted to be in the galley of a murder case but haven’t got the chance yet.Maybe they don’t allow spectators at live trials. About 4 years ago a skull was found in a remote area and I was hoping it was evidence in a murder. It came from the victim of an accident and the person ended up landing in an overgrown area. The person died and being out in the elements only the bones were left. I don’t know if they found the rest of the bones. I was disappointed the skull didn’t come from a murder victim. I know somebody who knows somebody who was approached by Ted Bundy. Fortunately she re-buffed him and walked away. I think she is lucky that she didn’t end up in his car.

One of the shows that is common here is "Fear Thy Neighbour", a story about murders in suburbia.

I have watched crime shows and almost got on a jury for a particularly grisly murder but one thing has stuck in my mind: We had the Paul Bernardo case where he killed Krysten French and Leslie Mahaffy. Leslie has a cousin named Rhonda who has been over to our house and she looks like a clone of Leslie. She was saying that she was walking down the street in her home town of St. Catharines and someone said, "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" That guy is probably a Facebook influencer now.

 

[nightshade]

I know somebody who knows somebody who was approached by Ted Bundy. Fortunately she re-buffed him and walked away. I think she is lucky that she didn’t end up in his car.

My old neighbour, was approached by Fred West, her moped had broken down and he offered her a lift, but she refused and managed to get the moped going again.

 

[Priceless]

Just started listening to a podcast about BTK (Wicked Words), then thought better of it as I'm going to bed and I don't want those nightmares.

 

[Cohen]

Been obsessing over a new podcast called “Murder in Alliance”. It’s about a murdered mother and the botched police investigation into her mother, which has cost an innocent man 24 years of his life… so far.

 

[FromBeneathYou]

I love true crime & I love podcasts, so I have listened to a lot over the past couple of years. I have recently been listening to:-

"Unraveled: The Stalker's Web", which compiles the story of one of the most prolific cyber stalkers, who viciously attacked & destroyed over 50 victims lives spanning multiple decades.

"The Apology Line", the story of an artist who created a phone line in Manhattan that anyone could call and anonymously apologize for anything they felt they needed to. From shoplifting, drug dealing, cheating and murder...

"Tenfold More Wicked: Wicked Words", true crime story telling and interviews with journalists and writers about their most interesting cases.

Would recommend all three of these to any true crime fan.

 

[Cohen]

One of my favorite podcasts, "Undisclosed," ended this week, but a host from that show started a new one called "Proof" and it's so interesting thus far! It's an innocence case that starts with a game of Russian roulette, and ends with one best friend dead and the other accused (and convicted) of murder. Looking forward to this season.

 

[Plasma]

Oh my goodness how did I not know about this thread. 😳

I’d highly recommend the Netflix doc The Confession Killer. It’s about Henry Lee Lucas and exposes some seriously shoddy police work done at the time. Unlike most Netflix docs, it isn’t superfluous or filled with worthless info either. The whole thing is fascinating from beginning to end and the people they have are actually interesting to listen to.

Generation Why, as Priceless mentioned, is a good one. I’ve also listened to The Vanished, which is more about missing persons than it is murder and the like. Crimes of the Century is also interesting and a newer choice.

The podcast network Wondery runs some more limited series that focus on crime and scandal. WeCrashed was an interesting listen about corporate fraud and their Tiger King miniseries actually did what that terrible Netflix garbage didn’t and painted a great picture of the scenario without glorifying awful people. The reporter involved in that one actually spent a significant amount of time at the zoo before it imploded, so you get his firsthand reporting about what he observed.

The one podcast I cannot recommend enough is Unexplained by Richard Maclean Smith. Not all of his episodes are true crime based (he mostly does supernatural stories) but every now and again he throws in a true crime one. You have to listen to this one at least once. Richard tells a story like no one I have ever heard. You’ll have to search through his catalogue to find true crime episodes like his ones on Hinterkaifeck or the Jamison family, but it is absolutely worth it. (I also recommend his episodes “Alone with Everyone” and “Always Already”. Though they aren’t true crime, they’re some of his best episodes when it comes to telling a captivating story. If you’re intrigued, fair warning that “Alone with Everyone” is absolutely frightening.)

Final recommendation is one that is probably already well known, but Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej hosted a show on Buzzfeed titled “Buzzfeed Unsolved”. There’s three shows under the umbrella: True Crime, Supernatural, and the short-lived but equally entertaining Sports Conspiracies.

Don’t let the title fool you, it basically has nothing to do with Buzzfeed’s usual fare and is the best content that site has ever made as far as I’m concerned. The first season is a little “eh”, but by Season 2 they found their rhythm and ran with it for several years. They have single-video marathons of every episode in a season, but there’s also playlists of the seasons. If you’re looking for a laugh, a creepy story, and two amazing hosts, this is the show for you. Nobody makes me laugh like they do in their videos.

 

[Cohen]

Okay, so I started watching Hulu's new limited series "The Girl From Plainville" (Read more about it here).

It is about the "suicide by text" case involving Michelle Carter and her influence in the death of Conrad Roy. It's a tragic story about teenage mental health--on both sides. The first three episodes are available on Hulu and there's also a documentary on HBO called "I love you, now die".

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts on the case were. I will admit, when the case was first in the news, I leaned hard onto the Michelle is a villain trope, but after watching the first 3 episodes of TGFP and ILYND, I realized I never thought about Michelle's backstory. I didn't realize that Michelle, too, struggled with severe mental health issues, and that they were kindred spirits in this way--which likely lit the fuel to the fire that ended up causing Conrad to go through with his suicide.

What are your thoughts on this case?

 

[Plasma]

It has been a significantly long time since I read into this, but a quick Wiki search refreshed things.

I still think the real case is just really messed up and is an unfortunate example of the failure of the mental healthcare in America. Roy had a lot of problems, and Carter did too. There should have been a more vested interest in helping them both instead of what the healthcare system did.

With that being said, she is a very disturbed individual. I remember when I read it for the first time (and re-reading it now) I had this reaction of just “understanding disgust”. She wanted to put him out of his misery like an animal, which shows a startling lack of empathic abilities. I guess I understand that she was incapable of such feelings due to her own problems, but someone should have caught this.

 

[Cohen]

It has been a significantly long time since I read into this, but a quick Wiki search refreshed things.

I still think the real case is just really messed up and is an unfortunate example of the failure of the mental healthcare in America. Roy had a lot of problems, and Carter did too. There should have been a more vested interest in helping them both instead of what the healthcare system did.

With that being said, she is a very disturbed individual. I remember when I read it for the first time (and re-reading it now) I had this reaction of just “understanding disgust”. She wanted to put him out of his misery like an animal, which shows a startling lack of empathic abilities. I guess I understand that she was incapable of such feelings due to her own problems, but someone should have caught this.

Plasss… watch the doc. It was so enlightening on her mental health and the reasoning behind her supporting his decision. It’s such an interesting case though.

 

[xxstaindrosesxx]

Like many here, I used to listen to My Favorite Murder. They definitely got way too political, and while I appreciate them discussing mental health, it has become too much. It seems like half the podcast is taken up by them just randomly discussing things. Sometimes it's fine, but when they get to a point where they are only doing one murder each per episode, splicing old episodes, or even branching out from true crime, no thank you.

However, they are the reason I found Tenfold More Wicked. That podcast is superb. The first two seasons really had me hooked, and although the third isn't as good, it's still better because it actually focuses on the story. Not as nuts about Wicked Words, which as someone mentioned, she interviews people associated with true crime.

Bailey Sarian is pretty good. She has a YT channel where she does a makeup look and talks about some kind of true crime. Her Dark History podcast is alright, but definitely not as good as her channel.

Honestly, I listen to a lot of Dateline or 48 Hours when I do some diamond painting. Hah.

 

[nightshade]

I tried listening to a plane crash one as I love documentaries about it, but I just couldn't get into it, I missed the visuals too much.

 

[Cohen]

I tried listening to a plane crash one as I love documentaries about it, but I just couldn't get into it, I missed the visuals too much.

But this sounds very interesting. What's the title?

Post automatically merged: Apr 5, 2022

Bailey Sarian is pretty good. She has a YT channel where she does a makeup look and talks about some kind of true crime. Her Dark History podcast is alright, but definitely not as good as her channel.

I absolutely love her Dark History pod, but I never really got into her YouTube channel. I'm not big on watching YouTube videos. She makes America's messed up history exciting and stuff!

 

[Cohen]

There’s a new documentary series on Netflix called “Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes” that is so interesting! I just finished (it’s 3 episodes each, about 1 hour in length) and it was equally disturbing and fascinating. The way that this not super attractive man would be able to coax these young men to coming to his house and then coercing them into doing egregious things with him before he killed them is so gross yet, from a psychological aspect, captivating. The most disturbing part came toward the end when one of the prosecutors stated “there could be an Everyman doing similar acts right now and no one knows”.

 

[nightshade]

Have you seen I Am A Killer? I enjoyed those, it was more than interviews with the killers, but other people around at the time too.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

Okay, so I started watching Hulu's new limited series "The Girl From Plainville" (Read more about it here).

It is about the "suicide by text" case involving Michelle Carter and her influence in the death of Conrad Roy. It's a tragic story about teenage mental health--on both sides. The first three episodes are available on Hulu and there's also a documentary on HBO called "I love you, now die".

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts on the case were. I will admit, when the case was first in the news, I leaned hard onto the Michelle is a villain trope, but after watching the first 3 episodes of TGFP and ILYND, I realized I never thought about Michelle's backstory. I didn't realize that Michelle, too, struggled with severe mental health issues, and that they were kindred spirits in this way--which likely lit the fuel to the fire that ended up causing Conrad to go through with his suicide.

What are your thoughts on this case?

I'm really enjoying The Girl From Plainville, I've never heard of this case before. It's a really tragic story. Michelle clearly has mental health issues and problems that no one really addresses with her. Like people just think she's a bit weird, but don't actually care enough to help her. Her "friends" in the show are very flat. Conrad did get some help, but it wasn't working, and it seems like maybe he enjoyed being on his dads fishing boat, but he doesn't have the best relationship with his dad. It's all very sad. I haven't watched the Documentary yet, I'm waiting until I finish the show.

Hulu has a lot of good True Crime content, I just started this 3 part series on the kidnapping of Steven Stayner, which happened in the 70's. Also, I just love to binge the Law and Order shows. lol

 

[Plasma]

I know someone around here mentioned Madeleine McCann, but there’s been good(ish) news regarding her case. It’s good to see some progress on this

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I also would throw out that anyone interested in the Zodiac case from San Francisco should read the Zodiac book. It’s great and fact based for a good long while, but you can skip the last little bit where the author postulates on a suspect. Having known of Zodiac but not understanding why they were so scary to so many people, this was an eye opening and (at times) chilling read.

 

[Cohen]

I'm really enjoying The Girl From Plainville, I've never heard of this case before. It's a really tragic story. Michelle clearly has mental health issues and problems that no one really addresses with her. Like people just think she's a bit weird, but don't actually care enough to help her. Her "friends" in the show are very flat. Conrad did get some help, but it wasn't working, and it seems like maybe he enjoyed being on his dads fishing boat, but he doesn't have the best relationship with his dad. It's all very sad. I haven't watched the Documentary yet, I'm waiting until I finish the show.

Hulu has a lot of good True Crime content, I just started this 3 part series on the kidnapping of Steven Stayner, which happened in the 70's. Also, I just love to binge the Law and Order shows. lol

Dude I’m really enjoying the Girl From Plainville too! I really think they are doing a great job of showcasing the “why” it happened, without villainizing Michelle or victimizing Conrad. Both people have flaws and they have triumphs, and the show is really showcasing how this case became a perfect storm for aiding suicide, and how it is so very rooted in this technical generation of pseudo-intimacy behind a firewall.

I’m just starting the Steven documentary. I’m interested in seeing how this unfolds because I haven’t heard of the story.

And seriously, I will binge any of the L&O series for hours. I love watching the classic episodes of the original from the 90s and the first few seasons of SVU with Cabot and Novak as the ADAs (not to knock new episodes, I love the show! But I’m very nostalgic!) I prefer the early seasons of Criminal Intent than the split seasons. And I haven’t really gotten into Organized Crime. I think it’s the serialized format that I don’t love.

On the true crime miniseries note, has anyone started “Joe Vs Carol” on Peacock? The comedy is downright gold, after having seen the whole Tiger King series.

I know someone around here mentioned Madeleine McCann, but there’s been good(ish) news regarding her case. It’s good to see some progress on this

This smart home fitness device helps keep your motivation up

Change the way you move with 500+ workouts.

nypost.com

I also would throw out that anyone interested in the Zodiac case from San Francisco should read the Zodiac book. It’s great and fact based for a good long while, but you can skip the last little bit where the author postulates on a suspect. Having known of Zodiac but not understanding why they were so scary to so many people, this was an eye opening and (at times) chilling read.

I just watched a full documentary on the McCann case! I kind of remembered that happening, but I was in high school then, and the news wasn’t high on my nightly priority list. It was interesting how quick the media was to place blame on a family going through such a tragedy and that the police completely botched the investigation!

What’s the Zodiac book called? Link to kindle 🥰?

 

[Fuffy Baith]

I prefer the early seasons of Criminal Intent than the split seasons. And I haven’t really gotten into Organized Crime. I think it’s the serialized format that I don’t love.

I never got into Criminal Intent, cause I didn't like the format. My favorite is SVU, but I started watching the new Law and Order that just relaunched, and I'm enjoying it. I think SVU is great this season. I love Organized Crime. I think the serialized version is how they got Christopher Meloni to come back as Stabler, cause it's focused on his character, but I like the supporting characters too. I'm not a fan of the 90's L&O, but it is classic, and I should try to rewatch some older eps.

On the true crime miniseries note, has anyone started “Joe Vs Carol” on Peacock?

No, I don't watch Peacock, even though I think we have the app. I'm more of a Hulu person, then HBO Max, than Netflix and Disney Plus. But I am interested in checking out Joe v Carol, cause I liked Tiger King.

I haven't checked out the Madeline McCan one either but I will after the Steven Stayner one. Did you ever watch Wild Crimes on Hulu. I loved that one. I also love Only Murders in the Building, which is not a real true crime but a comedy about true crime fans, it's super funny.