The Burden

By Orbit MediaTrue Crime

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Typical duration
30 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

The Burden episodes

March 03 Introducing - Robert Pickton: The Final Chapter, Part 1
Today we bring you the first episode of the new miniseries - Robert Pickton: The Final Chapter, from Canadian True Crime.

Everyone knows about the Canadian pig farmer who confessed to murdering 49 women on his farm near Vancouver – many of them sex workers and Indigenous women.

What you might not know is that Robert Pickton was recently murdered in prison in an act of vigilante justice. His final chapter may now be closed, but the story is far from over. The evidence suggests he did not act alone.

In this special miniseries from Canadian True Crime, Aussie-Canadian host Kristi Lee traces a disturbing childhood on the Pickton family farm where cruelty was normalized, and morality optional. Moving past the caricature of a lone monster in buddy boots, this series restores the humanity of the women targeted and examines the systems that failed them for so long — leaving their loved ones with many unanswered questions.

This miniseries draws primarily from court records, historical news archives, investigative journalism, personal interviews and the Missing Women Inquiry final report.

This mini-series comes from Canada’s leading independent podcast Canadian True Crime. From the snowy streets of small-town Canada to the darkest corners of the big cities, join Aussie-Canadian host Kristi Lee as she unearths chilling true crime stories that shook the nation. With meticulous research and a trauma-informed approach, Kristi takes listeners beyond the headlines for a thoughtful deep dive into compelling true crime stories, unraveling some of Canada's most compelling criminal cases and justice system failures.

You can listen to the second part of Robert Pickton: The Final Chapter now, just find Canadian True Crime wherever you get your podcasts or visit www.canadiantruecrime.ca

CONTENT WARNING: This series includes graphic details that will be distressing for many listeners to hear, including mention of sexual assault, residential schools, Indigenous issues, child abuse and suicide.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 17 min
February 24 Introducing - Earwitness: Chapter 1 | Behind the Crown
This is exclusive access to Earwitness: Chapter 1 | Behind the Crown

Beth Shelburne dives into the shocking conviction of Toforest Johnson for the murder of Deputy William Hardy, following a case that never stopped bleeding questions. With former Attorney General Bill Baxley as her guide, she moves through a justice system wired for punishment over truth, uncovering a story built on fear, assumption, and a man who may not belong at its center.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

www.toforestjohnson.com

Toforest on Instagram

Earwitness is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
45 min
February 17 Introducing - Killer Story | 1. A Rose for Mom
This is exclusive access to The Binge Cases: Killer Story.
In this episode, Seventeen-year-old Sabrina Kidd goes missing, four years later reporter Lyndal Marks, decides to find her.
Binge all episodes of Killer Story ad-free today by subscribing to The Binge. Visit The Binge Cases on Apple Podcasts and hit ‘subscribe’ or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access.
Killer Story is brought to you by Sony Music Entertainment and Orbit Media.

Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
30 min
February 03 Introducing - Crying Wolf
Dax-Devlon Ross returns to the Orbit fold to drop the first episode of his new true crime series, Crying Wolf. Dax, a co-founder of Orbit, co-hosted Orbit's hit true crime series, The Burden. His new show is a gripping series about a man who claims to have been wrongfully convicted, and his best friend, his former cellmate who spent a lifetime trying to prove his innocence.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
32 min
January 27 Introducing - The Jordan Harbinger Show: Joe Loya | Confessions of a Bank Robber Part Two
In this special preview of The Jordan Harbinger Show, former bank robber Joe Loya reveals how childhood trauma transformed him into a prolific criminal — and how he found his way back. We first met Joe in Season 4 of The Burden, Get the Money and Run.

You can hear Part 2 of this interview at:

https://www.jordanharbinger.com/joe-loya-confessions-of-a-bank-robber-part-two/

And you can listen to Joe's life story in the acclaimed 7-episode podcast Get the Money and Run:

https://omny.fm/shows/the-burden/get-the-money-and-run-first-time-out

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
1 hr 4 min
January 16 Death & Deceit in Alliance Q&A with Maggie Freleng - Hosted by Steve Fishman
Maggie Freleng, Pulitzer prize winning producer, journalist and host of Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng sits down for a Q&A with Steve Fishman to chat about Death & Deceit in Alliance. In this special episode, Maggie is joined by private investigator Danny Wexler.

Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
49 min
January 09 Death & Deceit in Alliance | 14. The Reckoning
In the season finale, Maggie gives David a chance to explain what happened when Danny and John visited and the guys make a decision on whether or not to take David's case.

New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.

Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
37 min
January 06 Death & Deceit in Alliance | 13. The Circling
The team finally gets to speak with David Thorne himself and ask him about everything they've learned. However, the answers were not what they were looking for.

New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.

Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
26 min
January 02 Death & Deceit in Alliance | 12. The Choir Boy
After speaking with Joe Wilkes, the team reckons with the possibility that David could have been involved after all.

New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.

Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
33 min
December 30, 2025 Death & Deceit in Alliance | 11. The Best Friend
Maggie, John, and Danny search for Joe Wilkes' best friend who he allegedly confessed to that he killed Yvonne. Things take a turn to where no one thought the investigation would go.

New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.

Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
28 min

About The Burden

From the publisher's feed

The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them.

Season 7 - The Burden: Bad Cops

Baltimore, Maryland likes to call itself Charm City. But you have to wonder: Is the nickname ironic? Consider one of the city's star cops, a sergeant so accomplished that he earned his own nickname, the Golden Boy. But Golden Boy led a double life. Said one of those who encountered him in the street. "I was robbed by the Baltimore City Police….with a gun … armed robbery." No one believed the allegation. Then a GPS tracker was discovered where it shouldn't have been; next, a wiretap went up on a cop's phone. An FBI agent couldn't believe what she was hearing. Are these guys gangsters? And then … an insider turned witness. "Like Rambo said, burn it down. And that's what I did." Welcome to Charm City, where it was sometimes difficult to tell the protectors from the predators.

Season 6 - The Burden: Lives of Crime

Ever wondered what it’s like to live on the edge?
To not follow the rules?
To live outside of the law?
On Lives of Crime you'll hear true stories from criminals themselves, narrating moments from their lives and expounding upon the crimes they’ve committed. This first person narrative podcast series creates an intimate connection between criminal and listener. It’s true crime without intermediaries. Presented without judgment, each episode features a single voice - a person with a criminal past - telling us the deeply personal details of their lives. We hear about their crimes, sure, but Lives of Crime goes beyond that. We hear the stories that shaped them, the moments that made them, the details that changed the direction of their lives for good or for ill.
True Crime Told by true criminals.

Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance

On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish?

Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run

“Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father.

Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger

Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice.

Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country.

Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood

Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question.

This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago.

Season 1 - The Burden

In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname.

Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance.

For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast.

Welcome to The Burden.