Death in the West

Latest Episodes:

Episode 1: The Taking of United Flight 855 Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

In episode one, we meet Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., a Mormon Sunday school teacher and Vietnam veteran who friends said had become obsessed with skyjacking and D.B. Cooper in the months after Cooper's famous crime, committed during Thanksgiving weekend, 1971. By April 1972, McCoy's fascination led him to his own skyjacking--a caper that bore striking resemblances to what Cooper had pulled off, but had a very different outcome.

DB Cooper 50th Anniversary Episode Nov 23, 2021

Show notes

Before season two kicks off in earnest on 1/4/22, here's a quick primer into the legendary case that will be part of our focus during the upcoming series. Fifty years ago this week, on 11/24/1971, a man calling himself "Dan Cooper" hijacked a Northwest Orient flight from Seattle, Washington to Portland, Oregon and demanded a $200,000 ransom from the airline. What happened next would make the mystery man--who would be remembered as "DB Cooper"--an iconic figure in the outlaw history of the west and inspire half a century's worth of investigation and speculation: he jumped.

Season Two Trailer Nov 19, 2021

Show notes

Season two of Death in the West officially begins 1/4/22, but we have a special episode marking the 50th anniversary of DB Cooper's legendary skyjacking coming on 11/23/21. Stay tuned, as we trade our whiskey tumblers and hardboiler mining hats for martini glasses and platform shoes. It's going to be a ride.

The Great French Copper Scheme Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

In this bonus episode to Season One, we plunge into one of the most audacious financial schemes of all time—an international plot to seize control of the copper market that linked the fate of Butte, Montana to the wiles of a mysterious Frenchman.

Season One Roundtable Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

The Death in the West team meets to debrief and answer some questions from listeners following the end of season one. What did we learn? What surprised us most about making the first season? Why do we think the story of Frank Little persists more than 100 years after his death?

Episode 10: Butte/America Dec 18, 2020

Show notes

In the final episode of season one, we examine Frank Little's legacy a century after his death and hear the theories of his murder from leading experts. Plus, one final trip to Butte, Montana, as locals grapple with the mining town's past, present and future.

Episode 9: Why Copper is Red Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

In episode nine, after two years interviewing experts and sifting through the evidence, we present our best theory of who killed Frank Little. We also spend some quality time with the rogues' gallery of crooked cops, seedy businessmen, company gunmen, corporate lawyers and patriotic vigilantes who've been linked to the murder over the years.

Episode 8: Theories Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

In episode eight, we begin to comb through the many theories surrounding Frank Little's unsolved murder and meet some of the case's most colorful researchers. Plus, after Little's death, the federal government cracks down on the IWW.

Episode 7: Tinder Box Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

In episode seven, Frank Little arrives in Butte, Montana where, after 13 days of hell-raising speeches and furious organizing, he's murdered by unknown assassins. The Death in the West team invades the sixth floor of the Hennessy Building and reports from what was once the nerve center of the Anaconda Company.

Episode 6: The Desert Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

In episode six, America dives into WWI and conflicts between workers and their bosses reach a fever pitch across the West. The physical toll of multiple beatings begins to weigh on Frank Little as he travels from Arizona to Chicago and finally to Butte, Montana during the final days of his life.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected