I’ve been a lover of all things crime-related since I was young. I remember watching NCIS with my dad at 13 and binging Law & Order SVU marathons on days off from school at 16. I read James Patterson novels, watched murder mystery movies, and had long discussions with friends about serial killers. In high school I even took a forensics class where our final was a pretend crime scene, and we had to investigate and collect evidence to figure out who the murderer was. It was the coolest class I’ve ever taken.
As I’ve become an adult though, I have less and less time to sit and watch TV or read mysteries, so I needed to figure out how to still indulge in my love of crime while doing everything else I need to do. On a road trip with my sister, she played a true crime podcast for us to listen to and I was hooked. Since then, I’ve gone down the long rabbit hole and listened to SO many. I figured I’d recap my top five favorite ones here.
Root of Evil : The True Story of the Hodel Family and the Black Dahlia –
If you like true crime and don’t mind some CREEPY stuff that will make your skin crawl, I cannot recommend this one enough. The podcast is hosted by Rasha and Yvette who are George Hodel’s great-granddaughters. George Hodel has long been suspected of murdering Elizabeth Short, AKA The Black Dahlia. Rasha and Yvette interview their family members about the history of their family and gather more information to show why they believe George Hodel was the perpetrator of this terrible murder.
Cold –
Cold was the podcast my sister played for me on our road trip. The episodes seem very long for some reason, but I was enthralled the entire time. This is the story of Susan Powell’s disappearance. Susan went missing in 2009 in Utah, and it is presumed that she was murdered by her husband. It’s a very twisted and devastating story that ends with a murder-suicide.
Down the Hill : The Delphi Murders –
Down the Hill was a podcast that I found randomly while looking through the true crime section on the podcast app on my phone. It is about an unsolved murder that is still being investigated. The episodes are short, each 30-45 minutes. This podcast is the story of two young girls, Abigail Williams and Liberty Germain, who went to hang out at a place called High Bridge. By the end of the day, they were reported missing and eventually found dead. This case baffles me – there is a grainy photo of the suspect, an audio recording that one of the girls recorded of the man talking, and there have been over 50,000 tips reported. Yet the case is still unsolved over three years later.
Serial –
I feel like Serial is one of the most popular podcasts people think of when they think of true crime podcasts. While I’ve only listened to the first season, it’s one of my favorites. Season one is the story of Hae Min Lee’s murder. Adan Masud Syed was convicted of first-degree murder, but the evidence presented in Serial shows that it might not have been him who actually did it.
Crime Junkie –
When I ask people what true crime podcasts they listen to, 9 out of 10 times, they say Crime Junkie. This podcast is hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat. Every week they come out with a new hour-long episode discussing a crime. Most of the crimes they talk about are murders, serial killers, and missing people. The setup is basically two best friends discussing true crime and it reminds me a lot of me and my friends when I was younger. That is probably why I like it so much.
These are my top 5 favorite true crime podcasts, but I will forever be on the hunt for more! I’ll even listen to podcasts of cases that have been covered by other podcasts that I’ve listened to. I love them all.