Episodes

After her daughter Shanna was disqualified from the cheerleading tryouts, Wanda Holloway was seeing red. In her mind, there were two people responsible for Shanna not being a cheerleader: Verna Heath and her daughter Amber. And there was only one thing she could do. Both of them had to go, so it was time for Wanda to find a hitman. To listen to all three episodes of 'To Kill A Cheerleader' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠ Learn more...

In 2017, a little-known consulting firm called NXIVM became the center of an international scandal. One day, no one had heard of the group at all. The next, people were calling it a cult. There were accusations of a secret society, psychological manipulation, imprisonment, occult sexual abuse. Then there was the group’s founder, Keith Raniere – a self-styled genius whose followers worshipped him and called him “Vanguard.” Suddenly, everyone wanted to know: where had this group come from? Who was...

Obviously, most of us don’t use the internet as a search engine for murder. But there are bad apples in every bunch. Richard Beasley was one of those bad apples. When he decided he wanted to kill people, he sought the desperate, the lonely, and the forgotten. And thanks to modern technology, there was one place he could go to cast as wide a net as possible: Craigslist. On her show, The God Hook, journalist Carol Costello traces the origins of this serial killer, and the lives of the people tou...

In 2017, a little-known consulting firm called NXIVM became the center of an international scandal. One day, no one had heard of the group at all. The next, people were calling it a cult. But this wasn’t your typical religious fringe group. Then again, a little digging definitely made things sound more cult-like: there were accusations of a secret society, psychological manipulation, imprisonment, occult sexual abuse. Then there was the group’s founder, Keith Raniere... To listen to all fo...

By the turn of the century, Keith Raniere had launched a new company that would not only bring him vast sums of money, it would also give him access to vulnerable people in search of ways to improve themselves. They’d willingly share their deepest secrets, their insecurities, and Keith would use that insight to control them all. To listen to all four episodes of 'NXIVM' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ We'd like to hear from...

As Keith Raniere's company hits its stride, he lures billionaire heiresses and hollywood actresses into the fold. But not everyone is content to stay under his thumb, and when people speak out against him, Keith goes scorched earth. To listen to all four episodes of 'NXIVM' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We'd like to hear from you! Take a short survey about the show: ⁠⁠theshowsurvey.com/criminal Learn more about your ...

When Keith Raniere felt the women in his cult slipping out of his control, he came up with a way to keep them under his thumb. The secret group known as Dominus Obsequius Sororium, or DOS, was designed to turn women into his literal sex slaves. But it would also be his undoing. To listen to all four episodes of 'NXIVM' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We'd like to hear from you! Take a short survey about the show: ⁠⁠⁠the...

On July 27, 1981, six-year-old Adam Walsh was kidnapped from a Sears parking lot in Florida. Just days later his remains were found in a drainage canal over 100 miles away. The case captivated America, and started a national conversation about how to respond to cases of missing children. But investigators had no leads and the case eventually went cold. Then, in 1983, drifter Ottis Toole confesses to the crime out of the blue. At the same time, Ottis’s friend Henry Lee Lucas is making some confes...

Mattie Lasiter and Ashleigh Teeter's father led a doomsday cult in Arkansas. Now they're sharing their stories and educating others about how to recognize a cult when you see one -- even from the inside. To listen to all four episodes of 'NXIVM' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ We'd like to hear from you! Take a short survey about the show: ⁠theshowsurvey.com/criminal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole are two of history’s most prolific serial killers. Or they’re liars who aren’t to be trusted. Either way, they’ve both got red in their ledger – all stemming from their twisted beginnings. To listen to all four episodes of 'Lucas, Toole, and the Murder of Adam Walsh' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We'd like to hear from you! Take a short survey about the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠theshowsurvey.com/cri...

When Ottis Toole meets Henry Lee Lucas outside of a homeless shelter in Florida, he’s overjoyed to have found a soulmate. But when one friend abandons the other, it leads to a crime that changes America. To listen to all four episodes of 'Lucas, Toole, and the Murder of Adam Walsh' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We'd like to hear from you! Take a short survey about the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theshowsurvey.com/criminal Learn...

After abandoning Ottis Toole once again, Henry Lee Lucas finds himself in Texas. There he commits a pair of horrifying murders that will open a Pandora’s Box of trouble for law enforcement around the country. To listen to all four episodes of 'Lucas, Toole, and the Murder of Adam Walsh' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We'd like to hear from you! Take a short survey about the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theshowsurvey.com/criminal ...

With their confessions piling up, Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole earn infamy as two of history’s most prolific serial killers. But while not everything about their stories add up, some refuse to believe they’ve been conned. To listen to all four episodes of 'Lucas, Toole, and the Murder of Adam Walsh' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We'd like to hear from you! Take a short survey about the show: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theshowsurvey.com/...

This season on American Criminal we’re taking you inside the minds of the killers who committed one of the most infamous crimes of the 20th century: Leopold and Loeb. In 1924, two teenagers abducted and murdered Bobby Franks in broad daylight because they were convinced they could get away with it. But what made them think that? Why were they obsessed with committing the perfect crime? And how did their meticulous scheme come so spectacularly undone? Don’t miss the latest season of American Cr...

There have been a lot of developments in the Menendez case since our last update. Recently, Lyle and Erik Menendez appeared before the parole board for the first time. Here's everything you need to know about what happened. Thank you for being a listener. Please be sure to rate, review, and follow American Criminal wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe in Apple, Spotify, or at americancriminal.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ahead of our next series on Leopold and Loeb, Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers, & History Daily) joins the show to talk about a key figure in the Leopold and Loeb story, and one of the 20th century's most famous trial lawyers: Clarence Darrow. Thank you for being a listener. Please be sure to rate, review, and follow American Criminal wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe in Apple, Spotify, or at ⁠americancriminal.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

In this special bonus episode, we're bringing you pieces of our favorite stories that didn't make it to the final episodes. Thank you for being a listener. Please be sure to rate, review, and follow American Criminal wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe in Apple, Spotify, or at ⁠americancriminal.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up in Chicago, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb both seemed destined for greatness. They each performed well in school, and advanced to university long before their peers. But once they met at college, Leopold and Loeb began a dance that would lead them to one of the most infamous crimes of the 20th century: the murder of Bobby Franks. To listen to all four episodes of 'Leopold and Loeb' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠...

A frank conversation with our host Jeremy Schwartz about his favorite cases we've covered, his career as an actor on and off the stage, and what he's listening to when he's not behind the mic. Thank you for being a listener. Please be sure to rate, review, and follow American Criminal wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe in Apple, Spotify, or at ⁠americancriminal.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once they're reunited in Michigan, Leopold and Loeb carried on their downward spiral into criminality. Their schemes got progressively more daring until the little things wouldn't do anymore. Now they wanted to carry out the perfect crime. And that crime would start with murder. To listen to all four episodes of 'Leopold and Loeb' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We'd like to hear from you! Take a short survey abou...

In May, 1924, Leopold and Loeb set out to commit their carefully planned "perfect crime." First they had to choose a victim, then kidnap and kill him, hide his body, and collect a substantial ransom. They were certain they could pull it off, but nothing went quite accordingly to plan, leaving the teenage killers dangerously close to being found out. To listen to all four episodes of 'Leopold and Loeb' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal...

This Halloween, American Criminal is bringing you three tales of real crimes with a spooky twist. A masked trick or treat slayer, a real-life killer Candyman, and a house so haunted it caused the brutal murders of an entire family. Don’t miss the latest season of American Criminal – Halloween Horrors, beginning October 2nd. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or to get early, ad-free access to the entire season first, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at americancriminal.com Learn m...

Following their brutal murder of Bobby Franks, Leopold and Loeb were facing imminent arrest, and when investigators put the screws to them, the teenage killers had to face just how badly they'd messed things up. Suddenly, all of Chicago was screaming for their heads. But the arrival of lawyer Clarence Darrow looked set to change the trajectory of this crime of the century. To listen to all four episodes of 'Leopold and Loeb' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠...

Jeremy sits down to chat with Christie Vela and Michael Federico from "Terror and Tacos" to talk about Alfred Hitchcock's 1948 thriller, "Rope." The film shocked audiences with its on-screen depiction of murder, and examined the Leopold and Loeb case in a fresh new light. To listen to all four episodes of 'Leopold and Loeb' right now and ad-free, subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmericanCriminal.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Link to Terror & Tacos hosted by Christie Vela and Michael...