There have been few assassinations as notorious or consequential as Abraham Lincoln's.

But for years before he killed the President, Lincoln’s assassin was a household name across North America. In fact, stage actor John Wilkes Booth was so famous that many people had images of him hung on the walls of their homes.

So how does an American celebrity kill an American President in front of hundreds of witnesses and escape the scene, kicking off a wild and farcical manhunt?

This is the story of how the hunter became the hunted.

• Host: Aslan Pahari
• Producer: Hannah Jose
• Audio Engineer: John Jacobs
• Video Producer: Tejas Bhat
• Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research
• Executive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica Radburn

To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hit man to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac, Rasputin, and Gandhi met their end.