In my opinion, podcasts are the best form of media— especially for the busy college student, because they only occupy one of your major sensory functions—the auditory. This makes it so easy to pop in some headphones while you walk to class, research, or slave away on yet another last-minute term paper. Homework and studying is time consuming and personally, I feel like the amount of time I spend purely on studying and writing papers is robbing me of the joy in life. Okay, well maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but I am sure that there are a few of you who can relate, right?
I also love true crime; thanks to the wonderful digital age we live in, I can listen to true crime stories without also having to exhaust my eyes watching a video. That’s why podcasts are my favorite; I really enjoy being able to intake my ultimate passion whilst studying for the upcoming midterms. Honestly speaking, podcasts are the multi-tasker’s holy grail.
Anyways, if you can relate, or if you love podcasts and true crime, you’ve come to the right place. I have compiled a small unranked list of my favorite day to day true crime podcasts that I listen to help me get through the tiring experience that is my secondary education.
7. Wine and Crime
In “Wine and Crime”, three best friends come together to tell you their favorite true crime stories each week based weekly themes chosen by listeners. Lucy Fitzgerald, Kenyon Laing and Amanda Jacobson do all this while drinking a themed wine, because sometimes you need a drink to help the rest go down. Because of the themed nature of this podcast, each week you get to take in bizarre cases that otherwise you might never have the chance to hear. I recently listened to “Amusement Park Crimes” — which, let me tell you, was a real doozy.
6. Morbid: A true Crime Podcast
I personally am a sucker for this dynamic; two sisters come together over their shared interest in the “morbid”. Ash and Alaina cover tragic and bizarre missing person and murder cases each week. The banter is stimulating, and they do a really nice job at giving accurate victim representation in their chosen cases. They also work hard to provide a community for those with alike morbid interests. If you are an inquirer of things morbid, I definitely recommend “Morbid: A True Crime Podcast”.
5. My Favorite Murder
I actually had the pleasure of seeing this podcast live in Denver, CO a few years ago. These ladies are hilarious, and they tastefully blend a dose of comedy with important retellings of well-known and the more unknown true crime cases all around the world. Karen Kilgarriff and Georgia Hardstark also use their podcast as a platform to advocate for victims, ending the backlog (getting untested rape kits tested!), and general promotion of safety and empowerment for women. I truly recommend this one.
4. Hollywood and Crime
Do you ever wonder about the dark side of Hollywood? “Hollywood and Crime” host Tracy Pattin investigates the sensational unsolved murders and mysteries of the darkest corners of Hollywood. One sensational case being The Black Dahlia murder. Also, I have to mention Tracy Pattin’s voice is like satin; I could probably listen to “Hollywood and Crime” all day, everyday. This one’s a real bop, I find the breakdown of glamorous Hollywood fascinating and I think you will too.
3. Teacher’s Pet
Published by The Australian newspaper, “The Teacher’s Pet” is an investigation into the suspenseful disappearance of Lynette Dawson in Sydney, Australia. Lynette, a devoted wife and mother, vanishes without a trace. The Teacher’s Pet investigates further into Lynette’s life and unearths the darker and creepier circumstances surrounding her disappearance. There is a cheating husband, school sex scandals, and corruption in this investigative retelling. The Teacher’s Pet is full of intrigue and scandal. I strongly recommend this podcast if you’re looking to be kept on the edge of your seat.
2. Crime Junkie
“Crime Junkie” is hosted by Ashley Flowers and co-hosted by Brit Prawat. Each week Ashely brings cases that she’s particularly interested in and Brit provides an objective perspective on the facts of the case. Ashely Flowers has the voice of a podcaster through and through; she delivers concise and chilling retellings of cases that will leave you shook and covered in goosebumps. If you want a well-researched and chilling podcast adept at retelling the stories of the victim, you NEED to listen to Crime Junkie.
1.The Murder Squad
Paul Holes is a top notch retired cold case investigator known for his groundbreaking contribution to apprehending the infamous Golden State Killer. Billy Jensen is an American investigative journalist, producer, and author known for his contributions to the closing of 10 cold cases across the country. Together, they are “The Murder Squad”. This epic duo explores a new unsolved cold case each week, highlighting the facts, the suspects and more; in the end, they turn the cases they cover over to the public, to “citizens detectives”. Jensen and Holes hope that with the help from citizen detectives they may be able to identify victims, witnesses, and suspects that would be imperative to solving these cold cases. This podcast had a strong impact on me; the premise is so unique and important. I seriously and strongly recommend this podcast and who knows, maybe you have information that could help close a case.
I literally listen to these podcasts daily; they help make those hard weeks go by a little bit faster and make studying a little more bearable. Each of these podcasts offer something unique to the listener, different retellings, perspectives, and insights. If you’re a busy true crime fan and you want to broaden your horizons beyond the headlines and Facebook pop-ups, these 7 podcasts offer fresh and interesting true crime cases that will enthrall your interest and hold it tight. So please, if you want to learn more about true crime, or even if you merely want something to listen to on the bus ride to campus — check out these 7 podcasts. I think you’ll like them!