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True CrimeOne of the most popular podcast genres in the US, true crime refers to factual narrative retellings of real-life criminal cases. The style of storytelling has a rich history, stretching back to at least the medieval era.
The genre's modern era is typically traced to the 1966 publication of "In Cold Blood," a nonfiction narrative novel by American writer Truman Capote that details the 1959 murder of a family in America's heartland. The arc of true crime media turned audible after the success of the podcast "Serial," launched in 2014.
Outside of its ability to influence criminal proceedings or lack thereof, true crime crawls into the painful crevices carved into the lives of those who remain: survivors and victims' friends and families. Explore True Crime
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Some attorneys are using true crime fans to their advantageTrue crime fans are notorious for falling down rabbit holes. Now that passionate interest is being exploited by attorneys marshaling influencers to serve as informal public relations representatives, a trend that's blurring the lines between fan theories and reality. Pirate WiresTrue crime, explainedTales exploring some of the most grisly and unthinkable crimes have satisfied the public's morbid curiosity for more than a century, and modern podcasting has shot the genre to new heights. Want to learn more about the history of true crime? 1440 has the breakdown here. 1440True crime content can influence the justice systemThe 2014 podcast "Serial" inspired national doubt about the outcome and quality of a 1999 Baltimore murder case, resulting in overturned convictions (that were then reinstated). The series "In the Dark," whose second season pored over the murder trials of a Black Mississippi man, revealed crucial testimony was recanted, provided evidence of racial discrimination in jury selection, and was cited in case filings. CBC NewsTrue crime fans can sometimes disregard the real people and trauma behind casesTrue crime content has become a social gathering place. In addition to content generated by creators, consumer-driven true crime spaces have blossomed on social media. In these spaces, consumers track developments and share theories as if criminal cases are sports. Citizen sleuths can sometimes inspire new leads but often add to survivors' suffering and sling speculation that can clog tip lines and hit innocent bystanders. VICE NewsDetermine if you're an ethical true crime fanTrue crime entertainment researcher Lindsey Sherrill is obsessed with her field of study. She noticed that some true crime content dove into criminal and justice reform, illuminating forgotten cases, while others turned into exploitative entertainment. So, she developed four questions to reflect on the real-life implications of one's true crime consumption. TEDTrue crime survivors often deal with the fallout from their association long after the case is closedCollier Landry was a preteen when he notified police and later testified that he had overheard his father killing his mother. His role in the case cost him his dog and adoptive sister, and, as recently as 2023, led his extended family to reject him. The GuardianNearly a quarter of the US's 451 top-ranked podcasts belong to the true crime genrePerhaps, Pew Research Center proposes, this popularity stems from the fame of "Serial," the 2014 hit series about a 1999 murder in Baltimore. Politics and government is the second top genre. Outside typical genre divides lie series such as fictional radio stories and Dungeons & Dragons podcasts, which account for 12% of top-ranked podcasts. Pew Research CenterTruman Capote's 'In Cold Blood,' a pioneer of the true crime genre, isn't wholly accurateThe nonfiction novel "In Cold Blood" influenced true crime's narrative and investigative bend and was supposedly only 92% accurate. Journalist Ben Yagoda reflects on its accuracy after finding the fact-checking file for the four-part series published before the story was converted into hardback. Yagoda says the inaccuracies are "especially striking" because the story was originally published in one of the magazines credited with establishing fact-checking as a practice. (Some users may experience a paywall.) SlateHow a rural Indiana tragedy became true crimeIn February 2017, two teens were dropped off at a local hangout spot near the northern edge of Delphi, Indiana, a city of less than 3,000 people. One of the girls was filming and briefly caught footage of a man coming toward them before they were apparently cornered and "marched to their deaths." The suspect remains unknown despite audio and grainy video evidence, giving rise to rumor and speculation. VoxTrue crime fans can derail lives with misguided accusationsIn the wake of four stabbing deaths at the University of Idaho in November 2023, online sleuths, without any supporting evidence, were quick to point accusatory fingers at potential perpetrators. Poring over news reports, social media pages, and internet interactions can reveal viable information that can help solve crimes. Such (sometimes monetizable) behavior can also easily give rise to rumors and threats while impeding official investigations.(Some readers may experience a paywall.) The Washington PostFamilies of true crime victims deal with added pain when their stories are publicizedTrue crime enthusiasts have never asked Annie Nichol to consent to public recountings of her sister's murder. For decades, Nichol has been inundated with gruesome dramatizations of one of life's greatest losses by people who profit from such productions. She has, however, been asked to share memories of her sister, though such memories "are all that I have left of her that haven't been exploited for public consumption." The New York TimesThe oft-cited roots of the true crime genreThe 1966 book "In Cold Blood" by American author Truman Capote is often considered the beginning of true crime as it's known today. The story details the real-life murders of a family of four in Holcomb, Kansas, using techniques that, at the time, were relegated to fictional tales. Before it was a book, the narrative was published by The New Yorker in 1965 as a four-part series. The New YorkerTrue crime broadsides were a popular business venture in 19th-century EnglandOffered by traveling peddlers, these playbills described crimes and crime scenes in detail and often included speeches and confessions of the soon-to-be executed. Broadsides typically included illustrations of crime and execution scenes to drive home the details. Harvard University True crime refers to media that detail real-life criminal casesSome have taken this to mean that the retelling must include "as many nitty-gritty facts about the case as possible." True crime media can focus on a single case, such as in the 1966 book "In Cold Blood," or can include serialized collections of criminal cases or behaviors, such as in the podcast "Casefile." Celadon BooksConsuming true crime media can increase stress and anxietyConsuming true crime media can activate one's sympathetic nervous system, which controls the fight-or-flight response. Staying in this heightened state of vigilance can lead to stress-related illnesses, including hypertension, and mental conditions, including depression and anxiety. Additionally, people who actively consume crime news, whether they consider it to be entertainment or educational in nature, report being more fearful of crime, regardless of actual crime rates. VICE MediaThe bloody history of the true crime genreThe true crime genre appears to have crawled out of an unlocked closet between 1550 and 1700. Rising literacy rates and printing technologies during this period led to leaflets and ballads-turned-broadsides that graphically regurgitated the findings. These products often included woodcuts of the crime's "unsavory acts.". Such content was snapped up by the "artisan class and above" as poorer classes lacked the funds to fuel the hobby. JSTORA beginner's guide to Toni MorrisonThe legendary American writer died in 2019, but her fiction is still as relevant as ever. This primer walks aspiring Morrison fans through her body of work, outlining the ideal starting point for several different kinds of readers. (Some readers may experience a paywall.) The New York TimesEddie Murphy avoided the show for years thanks to a joke made at his expenseA 1995 segment with David Spade criticized Murphy's unsuccessful film "Vampire in Brooklyn." Muprhy was offended and called the SNL offices to confront Spade. Murphy avoided the show through the 2010s, finally returning in 2015 for the show's 40th anniversary special, where he hugged Spade backstage. BiographyIn 1969, one British taxi driver stole a Goya from the National Gallery in LondonFrancisco de Goya's portrait "The Duke of Wellington" was believed to be seized by a criminal mastermind. In reality, a 60-something cabby named Kempton Bunton confessed to the crime about four years later. In 2021, it was revealed that he was actually covering for the actions of his son. The heist has since been immortalized in the film "The Duke." ARTnews.comChild prodigy writer Barbara Newhall Follett mysteriously disappeared in 1939She published her first book at age 12 to much critical acclaim. She then did the same two years later. But by 25 she was married and struggling to publish another manuscript. One day, she left her apartment and never returned. The case was never solved. CrimeReadsIn 2009, people thought a young boy was floating over Colorado in a homemade balloonThe "Balloon Boy" event received coverage from news outlets, and a search began after his parents claimed he was trapped inside his balloon. Later that day, the boy emerged from his attic where he had been hiding the whole time. His parents were later accused of orchestrating a hoax. TIMEVolcanoes in the 1340s likely helped trigger the Black DeathThe "bubonic plague" that wiped out roughly half of Europe and Asia originated from many factors. Recent research suggests volcanic eruptions contributed as well. The "aerosol" effects of matter released from eruptions likely prompted famine and accelerated the spread of infected fleas riding on grains avoiding spoilage. Popular ScienceThe unsolved murder case of Martha Moxley and the overturned conviction of a Kennedy cousinMoxley was murdered in 1975, and the case went cold for a quarter of a century until Michael Skakel—a young relative of the Kennedy clan—was convicted of the murder. Eleven years into his sentence, Skakel's conviction was overturned, prompting a new set of questions. Dead CertainThe story of serial killer Ed Gein who inspired pop cultureThe creators of antagonists from "Silence of the Lambs" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" took notes from this horrifying Wisconsinite's story, known for body-snatching and creating keepsakes from corpses. Crime, Conspiracy, Cults, and MurderSleep is often viewed individually, when its impact and meaning may be more communalAt any given point, roughly 2 billion people may be asleep on Earth. The typical scientific description of sleep focuses on its individual impact, but the phenomenon shapes whole cultures and eons. This essay prompts a fresh rethinking of the importance of sleep for humanity. AeonA wealthy Austin man's murder-for-hire conspiracy led to two deathsErik Maund, heir to one of the most successful car dealerships in Austin, Texas, was a family man with a mansion by an exclusive golf club. Maund orchestrated a botched murder-for-hire scheme after being blackmailed over his penchant for hiring escorts during business trips. Texas Monthly True CrimeThe story of a bitcoin loophole that gave one man millionsJames Parker discovered a glitch in an Australian cryptocurrency exchange that would allow him to cash in credits worth over $20M and make big gifts to his friends. Like most loopholes, the authorities found out, but not before his life was transformed. The first in a six-part series. GlobalClimate change is disrupting maple syrup by shortening its production seasonThe number of unusually warm winter days in parts of Maine has increased significantly over the past few decades, stressing maple trees into shifted sap flows and leaving producers with less consistent outputs. CBS'Serial': The podcast that revived a genre (4 seasons)"Serial" debuted in 2014, sparking the contemporary fascination with true crime podcast content with a look at the murder of teenager Hae Minh Lee in 1999, and the jailing of Adnan Syed. The Peabody Award-winning season became a pop culture sensation, spawned countless imitators, and was followed by three more seasons on new topics. Listen to all four seasons here. SerialThe 1979 murder trial of Ted Bundy was the first nationally televised trialMost of the world's known serial killers are made in America, a country with a seemingly bottomless appetite for true crime. Masses of viewers watched the trial of Ted Bundy, who admitted to killing 30 girls and women. "It was the first time serial murder and serial rape was made into live entertainment," says Joe Berlinger, director and "godfather of true crime." The AtlanticAdnan Syed's case became a podcast phenomenon thanks to 'Serial'The 2014 debut of "Serial" is a journalist-led podcast series that overviews an investigation into a 1999 murder, reinvigorated the true crime genre, and set a new standard for audio storytelling. The 12-episode series also upended the investigation itself, leading to the vacated murder conviction of the victim's former boyfriend, Adnan Syed. Syed's conviction was reinstated, but his sentence was reduced. The series has hundreds of millions of downloads and accolades accompanied by "just about every major journalism award." NPRThe earliest novelistic writing about a real-life murder might be an 1875 essay by poet Celia ThaxterThough the nonfiction novel "In Cold Blood" is often cited as the beginning of the true crime genre, records show that true crime narratives were woven for decades before the novel's 1965 serialization. In "A Memorable Murder," Thaxter recounts the slaughter of her neighboring New England islanders. Reactor
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