Top True Crime Podcasts

Not all stories have happy endings... Hosted by Courtney Fretwell, M.S. in Forensic Psychology, Forensic Tales is a weekly true crime podcast with a forensic twist. Each episode features real cases and explores how forensic science, criminal profiling, and investigative techniques were used to uncover the truth—or, in some cases, left more questions than answers. From fingerprint analysis and DNA evidence to bloodstain pattern analysis and behavioral profiling, every episode breaks down the science behind the headlines. Whether it's a solved murder, a cold case, or a controversial investigation, Forensic Tales takes you beyond the crime scene and into the forensic evidence that shaped the case.

Canada is facing a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

TAKEN the Podcast investigates these tragic stories from across the country, and links together clues that might one day bring these cases to justice.

We all have limits. And some people who are pushed beyond those limits will do unspeakable things. From Wondery, "Joe vs. Carole" is the story of a man who has devoted his life to raising and breeding lions, tigers, and other exotic animals at his Oklahoma zoo. He croons ballads, shoots guns, and puts it all on YouTube. But throughout his career, he's made a lot of enemies. And the biggest of all is the owner of a big cat sanctuary in Florida named Carole Baskin. The feud between Joe Exotic and Carole gets messy, vicious, and outrageous -- until both of them are pushed far beyond their limits. Reported and hosted by Rob Moor.

Binge all episodes of Joe vs Carole exclusively and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/joe-exotic/ now. Watch the television series based on the podcast 'Joe vs. Carole' now streaming on Peacock: smarturl.it/Joe_vs_Carole

The Big Steal tells the story of Vladimir Putin and his violent assault on human dignity, rule of law, democracy and truth – in Russia, its neighbours and across the West.

A former KGB officer, Putin climbed his way to the presidency of the world’s largest nation, and put in place a mafia state that steals from its own people to cause havoc abroad. When he stole the country’s most successful energy company, Yukos, he gave a clear warning of what was to come. Since then, Western enablers in politics, business and the law have helped Putin on his way.

Gavin Esler speaks to the people who have challenged Putin, tried to understand him, or simply hoped to survive. He takes us through to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a new and dangerous world that is opening up, and asks the question: where do we go next?

Produced by Fresh Air Production

Official Selection of the 2024 Tribeca Audio Festival.

Selected as one of Apple Podcasts Favourites of 2024 so far.

Strap on your binoculars and lace up your boots: A Field Guide to Gay Animals explores sexuality, gender, and joy in the animal world.

Hosts Owen Ever and Laine Kaplan-Levenson take you on a quest to see beyond the natural world as we know it and into the natural world as it is: queer as f*ck.

Homosexuality has been documented in over 1,500 species of animals. From gay geese and bisexual bison to lesbian elephant love affairs and all-male, all-whale orgies, expressions of same-sex action in the animal queendom are all around us.

Owen and Laine are your intrepid guides to investigate this variety of animal behaviors – exploring the depths of the ocean, the heart of the forest, and the bushes in your backyard – to dive deep into nuanced conversations about queerness in the animal world.

Cheeky and contemplative, curious and raunchy, Field Guide shows you the natural world is more exuberant, more joyful, and more gay than you could possibly imagine.

Coming in June, 2024.

Artwork features illustrations by John Megahan. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hollywood & Crime series explores notorious true crime stories from the heart of Hollywood, delving into the dark underbelly of fame and uncovering infamous murders, scandals, and unsolved mysteries.

Season 8: The Cotton Club Murder: On June 10th, 1983, the decomposing body of a well-dressed man was found in a desolate canyon near Los Angeles. John Doe #94 would soon be identified as missing variety show producer Roy Radin. He'd last been seen after meeting with a mysterious woman in a gold dress. Her name was Lanie Jacobs.Jacobs and Radin were obsessed with becoming Hollywood movie producers. And when their paths collided, it led them to a tantalizing film deal promising fame and fortune. But then, a twisted script unfolded, plunging them into a million-dollar cocaine and cash heist, a tangled web of lies, and ultimately – murder.The trail led investigators right to Hollywood's doorstep, linking former golden boy producer Robert Evans to the case and dredging up Radin's own troubled past.But the case turned ice cold. It would take more than five years of dogged pursuit by the L.A. Sheriff’s Department detectives, a secret undercover witness, and another murder almost 3,000 miles from Hollywood – to unlock the truth.This is the story of a doomed Hollywood partnership, a grisly murder and the search that stretched across the country for a killer – or killers.

Season 7: The Execution of Bonny Lee Bakley - The story of the toxic relationship between actor Robert Blake and his wife Bonny, her shocking murder, and the chaotic trial that followed.

Season 6: Billionaire Boys Club - In 1980s LA, a group of prep school boys, led by Joe Hunt, formed the "Billionaire Boys Club" but spiraled into kidnapping, torture, and revenge.

Season 5: The Wonderland Murders - In 1981, a drug-fueled gang and a crime kingpin were involved in a brutal quadruple murder in the Hollywood Hills.

Season 4: Death of a Starlet - The tragic tale of Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, caught between three men - Hugh Hefner, Peter Bogdanovich, and her husband Paul Snider.

Season 3: The Dating Game Killer - The story of Rodney Alcala, a serial killer who appeared on The Dating Game while in the midst of a cross-country murder spree.

Season 2: Young Charlie - The dark journey of Charles Manson, from his troubled childhood to orchestrating the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders.

Season 1: Murder in Hollywoodland - The investigation into the 1922 murder of famed director William Desmond Taylor, revealing scandalous affairs and underground drug dens. (edited) 

Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Hollywood & Crime ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

New Orleans Unsolved is an independent narrative true crime podcast based in the historic city of New Orleans. Investigator/producer Anna Christie and veteran journalist Thanh Truong dive deep into a string of unsolved case from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Season 1 focused on the mysterious death of a teenager whose body was recovered from the Mississippi River that connects to Season 2.The Rope Murders, revolves around a set of cold cases involving murder victims who were ritualistically tied up and left in desolate areas of Louisiana and Mississippi.

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Pirate Predator tells the story of Eamon Cooke, a man of many faces who, on one hand, became a cult like figure - filling a void for disillusioned youth through Radio Dublin in the 1970s and 1980s- while on the other became one of Ireland's most prolific child sexual abusers.

Narrated by Peter Mulryan, who encountered Cooke in the 1980s, Pirate Predator uncovers the chilling true story of 'Captain Cooke' and how he used the cover of pirate radio to groom and abuse, hiding a decades-long reign of terror in plain sight.

This series features scenes of child sex abuse. If affected by any issues raised, please visit rte.ie/helplines

If you have any information or knowledge about this story, please email us documentaries@rte.ie.

Previous RTÉ Documentary On One series include Stolen Sister, Where is Jón?, The Real Carrie Jade, Runaway Joe, Finding Samantha, First Consignment, GunPlot, Tiger Roll and The Nobody Zone. 

An ex-fundamentalist sheds light on the dark side of the church… from the pulpit to the pews.

On August 26, 1980, 14-year-old Ronda Blaylock disappeared shortly after leaving her high school. In the days to follow, her family and friends searched for her in the area of her hometown in Rural Hall, North Carolina, hoping to bring her home alive. Shockingly, Ronda’s partially clothed body was found three days later in a town called Pilot Mountain, with deputies saying she’d been raped and brutally stabbed to death. As an appalled community wrapped their minds around the vicious crime, detectives released information on a suspect. The killer, however, remained at large. More than three decades later, a group of seasoned detectives took over the case. Together, they re-examined old evidence, submitted new evidence and reinvented how the case was investigated. Nearly 40 years after her death, all roads led to a 62-year-old man, who was living mere miles away from the sheriffs office. This is Murder in Pilot Mountain: A 40-year Mystery.