True crime is an addictive podcast category bringing intriguing drama, and the primal dread of a Law & Order episode to our ears. A tense whodunnit unfolding in audio form is like a modern-day ghost story.
Whether you're a cold case enthusiast or just starting out, here are our favorite true-crime podcasts.
My Favorite Murder
This is the place to begin for true-crime fans who don't take themselves too seriously. Comedians Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark discuss cold cases including the Golden State Killer, Black Dahlia, and Zodiac murders on this bimonthly podcast. Their motto, “Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered” has become a huge success thanks to the show's passionate audience of "murderinos," and has even spawned a live production and book.
Suspect
This 2021 episode is in the traditional style of investigating a cold case in great depth. In this case, it's the 2008 murder of Arpana Jinaga, a 24-year-old who was discovered strangled at her apartment following a Halloween party at Washington State. Journalists Matthew Shaer and Eric Benson, transport listeners to that fateful night and guide them through the trial, delving deeply into the themes at play in the case. These themes range from the improper use of DNA evidence all the way to the strained relationship between police and minorities.
LISK: Long Island Serial Killer
Nearly a dozen persons, most of them female sex workers, were murdered over the course of two decades, from 1990 to 2010. Their bodies were dumped along a remote section of Long Island's Ocean Parkway. This podcast, based on the best-selling book, Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery, revisits the horrific case with previously unreleased interviews with family members, law enforcement, and others involved.
