Criminally Obsessed

Nearly 80 years after 22-year-old Elizabeth Short's body was found in Los Angeles, the Black Dahlia case remains one of America's most famous unsolved cold cases. In this episode, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with filmmaker Jeff Thomas, producer Kimberly Lupini, and senior criminalist Leslie Thompson about their five-year investigation for Deconstructing Dahlia, why they say they have identified a still-operating Los Angeles motel as the murder scene, and why they say they know who killed Elizabeth Short but cannot name him yet. Plus they share with us exclusive pictures of the alleged crime scene and hidden room they found.

Thompson describes why she started skeptical, what she says she found after removing layers of drywall down to original plaster, how presumptive testing indicated blood and suggested a major bloodshed event consistent with bludgeoning, and why mitochondrial DNA testing on blood and hairs is still pending after nearly eight decades. The team also lays out supporting claims from 1949-1950 grand jury testimony placing Elizabeth and the suspect they have identified at the motel, an eyewitness account of a bloody room found the day her body was discovered, and claims the owner cleaned it up himself. Thomas and Lupini say the final piece is Elizabeth's original medical examiner's report, which they say has never been made public and which the LAPD has refused to release, and they explain why they say that single document matters for motive and why they are asking the public for help getting it.

Check out their petition here.

On September 30, 2026 in Tennessee, Christa Pike survived a botched execution by lethal injection for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer after living through two supposedly lethal doses of pentobarbital. Prison staff called an ambulance to take her to a hospital where she is now reportedly awake and talking and moving around her room. However, she has pneumonia, a blood clot, and is unable to swallow or move her arms, which are still swollen.

In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with David Raybin, a Tennessee criminal defense attorney and former assistant state attorney general who drafted the state's modern death penalty statute in the 1970s.

Raybin says he wasn't surprised by what happened. He argues the state ignored recommendations made after an earlier botched execution, and he calls the "we followed the protocol" defense "a damning indictment" of the system. He explains why he believes what Pike endured raises serious Eighth Amendment questions, and whether the state can legally try again. He also breaks down the judge's sweeping order to preserve all evidence from the execution, why he says the state is "drawing the blinds" on the process, and why he calls the death penalty "a luxury" Tennessee isn't willing to pay for.

Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing coverage of the Christa Pike case and exclusive interviews that go beyond the headlines.

Mica Miller’s death has generated countless questions, theories, and investigations. But what actually happened during the final hours of her life?

In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Rich McHugh, investigative correspondent for NewsNation, who began reporting on Mica’s case shortly after her death. McHugh went to South Carolina and retraced Mica’s final movements, visiting the pawn shop where she purchased a gun, the gas station where she stopped on her drive north, and crossing the North Carolina border into Lumber River State Park, where she was found dead. Throughout his investigation, McHugh was in close contact with Mica’s family and friends and even sat down with Mica’s husband, John-Paul Miller, who is currently facing federal cyberstalking charges.

McHugh takes us through that final-day timeline in detail, including what he noticed in surveillance footage, why certain parts of Mica’s journey raised questions for him, and what he learned from the fisherman who said he heard a cry and gunshot before finding Mica’s belongings. He also discusses the unanswered questions surrounding the evidence, including the location of the shell casings, the circumstances surrounding Mica’s death, and why he does not have a definitive answer about whether her death was self-inflicted.

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The Cornell 7 case centers on “Jane Doe.” In 2024, while a student at Cornell University, Jane Doe reported being assaulted while unconscious at a Chi Phi fraternity party. Her 120-page interview transcript was condensed to a six-page summary by campus police, and District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined to pursue criminal charges. Instead, two fraternity members were expelled, one was barred from campus for three years, and others were assigned to write reflective essays. Jane Doe dropped out of Cornell University. 

Now, two years later, a 101-page civil complaint filed by Jane Doe meticulously outlining her experience has exploded into public view, pressuring the District Attorney to reopen the criminal investigation into her case.

In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Dr. Leslie Dobson, a forensic clinical psychologist, about the five things people can’t stop talking about with this case: the timeline, the texts, bystanders, the infamous Snapchat image, and why the case has struck such a nerve nationwide.

Dr. Dobson walks through the two-year timeline between the alleged 2024 assault and this month's civil lawsuit, and explains why the self-blaming, minimizing text messages Jane Doe sent in the days and weeks afterward are a textbook trauma response — not evidence of consent, as some online commentary has suggested. Dr. Dobson also breaks down the bystander effect at play among the dozens of fraternity members allegedly aware of what was happening, and draws a direct line between fraternity hazing culture and military psychological conditioning. She addresses why New York's consent laws make criminal prosecution difficult in cases involving intoxication and why she believes civil litigation may be survivors' most realistic path to accountability. 

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HE WAS AT CHRISTA PIKE’S BOTCHED EXECUTION: Christa Pike was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee on September 30, 2026. What was meant to be a day of closure for Colleen’s family after decades of grieving ended up becoming one of the most chaotic days – and nights – in execution history.

Steven Hale was in the room where it happened.

In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Hale, a reporter for the Nashville Banner and author of Death Row Welcomes You, who served as one of seven media witnesses inside the execution chamber. This was Hale's fifth time witnessing an execution in Tennessee, but he says nothing prepared him for what happened this time: after the first dose of pentobarbital was administered, Pike remained audibly alive, talking, moving, and even asking prison officials, "Is it supposed to happen like this?"

Hale walks us through the moment prison staff abruptly closed the curtain on the witness room — even though Pike could still be heard breathing — and describes being left in near-total darkness for nearly 50 minutes, writing his notes blind as doors opened and closed and Pike's spiritual advisor and attorney moved in and out of the room. He recounts the surreal scene that followed: being escorted out of the prison still believing Pike was alive, only to watch an ambulance race in with sirens on as the press conference began.

Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing coverage of the Christa Pike case and exclusive interviews that go beyond the headlines.

Christa Pike was scheduled to be executed in Tennessee on September 30, 2026, at 10 a.m. for the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer.

Nothing went as planned.

In what was a day filled with shocking turns and twists, we saw Pike’s execution stayed by a federal appeals court; her stay overturned by the Supreme Court; and two lethal injection doses of pentobarbital administered that were unsuccessful. It is believed Pike is the first person to ever have lethal injection drugs enter her system and survive. According to Pike’s attorneys today, she is currently in critical condition.

In the wake of the failed execution, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee halted all executions in the state for the rest of this year. Meanwhile, journalists who were allowed inside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution to witness the execution were stunned by what they saw; reportedly, Pike’s arm turned purple after the second round of drugs, with blistering and burning around the injection sites.

In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Abe Bonowitz, director and co-founder of Death Penalty Action, who was in downtown Nashville protesting Pike’s execution as the events unfolded. Bonowitz takes us through the extraordinary day — including the failed lethal injection at Riverbend. 

Bonowitz discusses what he was hearing from the media witnesses inside the execution chamber, why he believes the lack of visibility into the process raises questions about transparency, and why Pike’s execution was different from previous failed executions. He also explains the role of Pike’s spiritual advisor, what happened after the curtains were closed, and the moment an ambulance arrived at the prison — something that immediately signaled to people outside that something had gone seriously wrong.  

For more on this story, check out the Criminally Obsessed original documentary, Dead Woman Walking: Pike Vs. Tennessee.

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When Kathryn Myers shared her story of surviving postpartum psychosis with Criminally Obsessed during the Lindsay Clancy trial, thousands of women responded. Now, her husband Chris is sharing his side — what it was like to watch his wife slip away from reality without fully understanding why, and how the couple found their way back to each other.

In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Chris Myers, whose wife Kathryn gave birth to their son Joey in August 2020, right as the world shut down for COVID. Chris describes the early warning signs he now recognizes in hindsight, including a terrifying phone call from Kathryn while he was traveling for work, and admits he didn't fully grasp the severity of what she was going through or even hear the words "postpartum psychosis" until she began sharing her story publicly, years later.

Chris opens up about the isolation and helplessness he felt as a husband on the outside of his wife's psychiatric care, why he believes shame and stigma kept Kathryn from telling him how bad things had gotten, and what he'd say to any partner facing a similar crisis. He also shares his unfiltered reaction to Patrick Clancy's public comments about Lindsay Clancy's mental health struggles, and where he believes Clancy fell short as a husband during his wife's crisis.

Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing Lindsay Clancy trial coverage, true crime investigations, expert interviews, and conversations that go beyond the headlines.

He took diligent notes. He seemed to laugh along with Kevin Reddington's courtroom moments. And when Lindsay Clancy's jury became deadlocked 11-1, almost no one who watched him in that courtroom expected he'd be the one holding out for guilty.

In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Sierra Gillespie, host of Law & Crime's "Scandal," who covered the trial in person from jury selection through the final verdict.

Gillespie describes what it was like watching juror Michael Desronvil over six and a half weeks — and why nothing about his demeanor signaled he'd become the lone holdout standing between Clancy and a not-guilty verdict.

Gillespie breaks down what's now surfaced about Desronvil's past, including a 2021 domestic violence incident and an active protective order at the time he served on the jury, and explains why defense attorney Kevin Reddington is now demanding his phone records, background, and jury questionnaire. Reddington will make those arguments in front of the judge at the next hearing on November 2nd. 

During today's hearing, Reddington argued Lindsay Clancy should be found not guilty due to the lack of evidence beyond a reasonable doubt presented at trial. The Commonwealth called his argument laughable. The judge took both sides under advisement.

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It's the second week of the Caleb Flynn murder trial. He's a former pastor and American Idol contestant who is accused of murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, and then staging the scene to make it look like a burglary.  

The defense and prosecution have rested. 

Prosecutors have been piecing their circumstantial evidence together for the jury:  an extramarital affair,100,000 texts between Caleb and his mistress including messages about wanting his wife dead, and a crime scene that seems off. 

In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson speaks with Death Investigator Barbara Butcher, a renowned expert in death investigations who spent decades at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner and oversaw the remains recovery effort at the World Trade Center site after 9/11. 

Barbara Butcher breaks down the important details she sees in the Flynn crime scene. Does it really look like an intruder broke into the Flynn home? What insight can she give into the location of Ashley Flynn's body? Is there enough evidence to prove Caleb Flynn is guilty beyond reasonable doubt? 

Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing coverage of the Caleb Flynn trial, true crime investigations, and exclusive interviews that go beyond the headlines.    

#calebflynn #calebflynntrial #murdertrial #truecrimepodcast #truecrimecommunity 

After the Netflix documentary "Death of the Pastor's Wife", Mica Miller's loved ones began to publicly speak out more – sharing new details and demanding justice. Investigative journalist Robbie Harvey, who has spoken with many of Mica's friends and family, says they are opening up because they are no longer afraid, and he says more charges and more allegations are on their way. 

30-year-old Mica Miller called 911 on April 27, 2024. She told the 911 operator she was going to kill herself. Her body was found hours later at Lumber River State Park in North Carolina. But many questioned the bizarre circumstances around the day she died. Her husband and pastor, John-Paul Miller, was later charged with Cyberstalking and giving false statements to investigators in December 2025. He pleaded not guilty. 

In this episode of Criminally Obsessed, investigative reporter Anne Emerson sits down with Robbie Harvey, host of The Robbie Harvey podcast, and asks him about the inside details he knows, the charges he expects will soon come, and the allegations he's been told by people close to this tragic story. 

If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by call or text.  

Subscribe to Criminally Obsessed for continuing true crime investigations, courtroom analysis, and exclusive interviews that go beyond the headlines.