Facing Evil

On the morning of February 16th, 2012, Rodricus Crawford awoke to find his one-year-old son Roderius Lott unresponsive. After the infant died, investigators believed Crawford was responsible, and he was convicted of homicide. Crawford wrongfully spent years on death row, before new revelations led to his eventual release. We talk about the issue of death penalty convictions with Maurice Chammah, Staff Writer for The Marshall Project and author of "Let the Lord Sort Them: The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty.” 

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The case of the Central Park Five is one of the most notorious crime cases in history. In 1989, a young woman named Trisha Meili was jogging in the park when she was attacked, raped, and beaten. But during the investigation, police wrongly accused and convicted five young men of color. They were later exonerated, but only years after already serving a prison sentence. We discuss the issue of wrongful conviction with Jason Flom, Board Member with the Innocence Project and host of the podcast “Wrongful Conviction."

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One night in December of 1986, Cara Knott disappeared while driving home. She and her car were found the next day off the side of a highway. That same day, a local police officer known for pulling over women late at night was seen with scratches on his face. But did he actually kill Cara Knott? We talk with Jim Trainum, retired MPD homicide detective and investigative consultant.

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The attempted exorcism and eventual death of Anneliese Michel inspired films like 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' and 'Requiem.' But what actually happened to Michel in 1976? Was she actually posessed by some supernatural force? Or was her hysteria the result of mental illness? We talk about the practice of exorcisms with Father Carlos Martins, Director of the ‘Treasures of the Church’ Ministry and an official exorcist.

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In one of the most shocking stories of 2008, 15-year-old Larry King was killed in a middle school classroom by a fellow student in Oxnard, CA. Larry was openly gay, and was constantly bullied for his sexual orientation. So how did bullying lead to murder? We talk about Larry's life with one of his best friends from school named Tiger.

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'Missing' is an exciting new crime-thriller movie produced by Sony Pictures. Rasha and Yvette sit down with Directors Will Merrick and Nick Johnson to talk about the film's unique creative direction. 'Missing' is out on Blu-Ray today (March 28), and is also available digitally on Amazon Prime Video. 

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In 1977, Charles Scudder and Joseph Odom left Chicago to build a dream home in rural North Georgia. Five years later, the gay couple were robbed and murdered in their home. The story sparked a media frenzy, revealing widespread paranoia about the Satanic Church and homosexuality. We dig into the case with B.T. Harman, writer and host of the historical crime podcast "Catlick."

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The 1992 murder of 12-year old Shanda Sharer is considered one of the most disturbing cases in recent history. In January of that year, four teenage girls abducted, tortured, and burned Shanda alive in a jealous rage. We discuss this gruesome case with writer Aphrodite Jones, who wrote a book about the murder and its aftermath.

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In 2007, 50-year-old Michele MacNeill died under mysterious circumstances in Pleasant Grove, Utah. At the request for her husband Martin, she had recently undergone facial surgery. Then, also at her husband's request, she was given a dangerous cocktail of medications following the surgery. And so, was Martin MacNeill responsible for his wife's death? We talk with podcaster and true crime writer M. William Phelps, host of 'Paper Ghosts' and author of books including ‘We Thought We Knew You’ and ‘Don’t Tell A Soul.'

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20-year-old Dorothy Stratten was a model and actress who was killed by her estranged husband in 1980. The case revealed a relationship rife with power imbalance, manipulation, and domestic abuse. We sit down to discuss the issue of intimate partner violence with Dr. Joe Hyunkag Cho, an Associate Professor at Michigan State University’s College of Social Science.

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