Bitter Academia

Latest Episodes:

TRUE CRIME ROUNDUP: Biggest murder stories of 2025, Kirk and Reiner Dec 30, 2025

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The murder of Charlie Kirk in September and the murders of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele in December shocked America this year.

TRUE CRIME ROUNDUP: Biggest political crimes of 2025 Dec 29, 2025

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These were the biggest political crimes we covered in 2025.

TRUE CRIME ROUNDUP: Biggest crimes of 2025 Dec 27, 2025

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This roundup covers the biggest crimes of the year featured by On Deadline.

TRUE CRIME ROUNDUP: Questions rise after Reiner murders Dec 20, 2025

Show notes

This week, we’re focusing on the murders of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner last Sunday in their Brentwood home. Their son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, has been arrested for the slayings. This case is still developing, but it has brought questions and concerns about what exactly happened and what, if anything, could have been done to prevent it. Audacy stations around the country grappled with those questions this week with the help of experts, and that’s what we’ll be covering here.

TRUE CRIME ROUNDUP: Do we take stalking seriously enough? Dec 13, 2025

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In this episode, we’ll cover crimes to keep an ear on, including an update to the Kada Scott case. We’ll also hear two interviews – one about an app that could leave children vulnerable to sexual exploitation and another with longtime DJ Mary Lucia, who wrote the book “What Doesn’t Kill Me Makes Me Weirder and Harder to Relate To” about her experience with a stalker.

TRUE CRIME ROUNDUP: The latest on Luigi Dec 06, 2025

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This week, we’re focusing on two crimes: the shooting of National Guard members last week in Washington, D.C. and the ongoing case of Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of late UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

TRUE CRIME ROUNDUP: It’s all about the evidence Nov 29, 2025

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This week, we’re talking about evidence. Fingerprints, Ring doorbell camera footage, witness testimony, DNA, all those clues that eventually lead investigators to perpetrators – and alleged perpetrators of crimes. Finding the evidence and using it to piece together how crimes were committed is complicated in and of itself. Things get even more complicated in the courtroom, where prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges and jurors pore over it. And administrative issues like DNA testing backlogs can snarl the process. We’ll cover several cases today where we can see how evidence, or the lack of evidence, has played a role in the search for justice. We’ll also focus on one type of evidence in particular -- DNA evidence – and efforts to improve how it’s collected and how it’s tested.

TRUE CRIME ROUNDUP: Abusers in our midst Nov 22, 2025

Show notes

This week, we’re covering stories that touch on red flags of abuse that are overlooked. In one case, alleged warning signs may have been glossed over due to a family connection. In another, a faith community reportedly allowed a system of abuse to go unchecked.

TRUE CRIME ROUNDUP: Teens who kill Nov 15, 2025

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Today, we’re taking a look at teens who kill, in particular teen mass shooters. Since teen assailants Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed their fellow Columbine High School students in 1999, these criminals have faced increased public attention. According to the Violence Prevention Project at Hamline University, shooters between the ages of 11 and 19 have conducted 19 mass shootings in the US since 1966, killing 162 people and injuring 145. This episode will address four of these shooters: Payton Gendron, Salvador Ramos, Colt Gray and Ethan Crumbley, and the devastation they have left behind.

TRUE CRIME ROUNDUP: Crimes you may have missed Nov 08, 2025

Show notes

This week, we are catching up on several cases you may have missed this month. First, we’ll get an update on the case of a nurse in the Detroit area who has been accused of sexually abusing patients for years after a whistleblower complaint. Then, well look into two cold cases – one in Minnesota that’s still open and one in Pennsylvania that authorities say has been solved after more than 60 years. Finally, we’ll return to both of those states to check in on a number of cases currently under investigation, from two bodies found dead in a Best Buy parking lot to a shooting on the campus of Historically Black College.

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