Is putting on makeup while talking about a murder case insensitive to crime victims? A recent explosion of true crime content on social media has generated millions of likes, views, and exploding follower counts for users. With 1.8 billion views on TikTok alone, the Gabby Petito case brought it all to an unfathomable level of popularity. Phelps unpacks the ethical questions raised by this phenomenon, exploring the topic from an insider’s perspective... both as a murder victim’s family member and a longtime content creator in the crime genre.* 

*This episode includes producer Cristina Everett, who no longer works on the show. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We'd like to think that if something terrible happens to us, the truth will come out, and justice will prevail. But what if your life is worth only a few years behind bars for your killer, and they're released -- only to kill again? Phelps details a case about his former classmate who was brutally murdered... by someone who is set to be released from jail this week.* 

*This episode includes producer Cristina Everett, who no longer works on the show. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

True crime as a genre has exploded in the last few years - killers, and even victims, have passionate followings and even entire fandoms. Using Richard “The Night Stalker” Ramirez and the Jennifer Dulos case as examples, Phelps asks: Are we vandalizing the soul of memory when we talk about the final days of a victim's life and distill it down to a headline focused on their death?*

*This episode includes producer Cristina Everett, who no longer works on the show. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How rare are female serial killers? Phelps discusses the latest trends in serial murder and takes a deep dive into the story of Dorothea Puente, an unsuspecting murderer who seemed like the sweetest, little old lady on the block. She set up her home as a safe place for the unhoused and elderly, promising to care for them--that is, until her tenants began to disappear.*

*This episode includes producer Cristina Everett, who no longer works on the show. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Days before her wedding, 24-year-old grad student Annie Le was seen entering her research lab on the Yale campus–and was never seen again. What really happened the day Annie Le disappeared? Connecticut State Police Crime Scene Investigator Peter Valentin joins the show to retrace the steps he took upon arrival, the subtle clues that helped break the case, and the surprising way he found the body.*

*This episode includes producer Cristina Everett, who no longer works on the show. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A novel technique has been solving cold cases all over the country - all without a single drop of DNA. What's genius about this crime-solving method is that it only costs $2, and is paid by the criminals themselves.

Join investigative journalist and true crime author of 46 books M. William Phelps as he explores how "the deck" of cold case playing cards inmates use in prison has led to the resolution of murder and missing person cases nationwide.*

*This episode includes producer Cristina Everett, who no longer works on the show. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the 1981 Fourth of July weekend, four people were found dead inside a massive farmhouse that belonged to a wealthy Ohio family. Desperate to find answers, surviving family members reached out to M. William Phelps for help. After a years-long investigation, new developments help track the movements of a new suspect and uncover a series of mysterious deaths that could expose what really happened that terrible night 40 years ago.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four girls go missing, all within miles from one another in neighboring New England towns. And not one arrest is made. Fifty years later, the search for answers is reignited when a call reveals new information that sets the investigation in motion.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.