The Letter: Ripple Effect

In 1982, restaurant manager Michael Moore shot accountant Jordan Rasmussen, then laundry van driver Buddy Booth who discovered the body. Though he escaped the firing squad, Moore sought advice from the sentencing board on how he might someday win his release from prison. The murders left gaping holes in the lives of the victims’ families, but when they learned Moore was an exemplary prisoner who was contrite about his crimes, some saw the killer in a new light. They began a process of forgiveness, one to provide compassion for Moore and one to heal their own pain they’d been carrying for years.From Lemonada and KSL Podcasts comes the second season of “The Letter: Ripple Effect.” Host Amy Donaldson brings another unlikely tale on the power of restorative justice. Could a grieving family recover by extending mercy to Jordan and Buddy’s killer? And can Moore be completely rehabilitated - or is he just playing the family in a long con to get out of prison? OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE LETTER: RIPPLE EFFECT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL NINE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: Happy birthdays to me For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

As California’s gay community began flourishing in the 1970s, a conservative politician pushed through a statewide ballot question: should gay and lesbian teachers be banned from California schools? State Senator John Briggs told voters children were at risk of molestation and indoctrination in the classroom. Though their political influence was small, queer activists began to mobilize against a growing anti-gay countermovement. If Proposition 6 passed at the ballot box, it would be more than a defeat for the teachers. It could set gay rights back for decades.In its ninth season, Slate’s “Slow Burn: Gays Against Briggs” revisits this consequential dispute on equality - the first time a state held a vote on gay rights. Host Christina Cauterucci brings us the voices of the activists and political consultants on both sides of the referendum which echoes in today’s news.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SLOW BURN: GAYS AGAINST BRIGGS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 7 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

In May 2021, Belize police superintendent Henry Jammott was shot in the head with his own service weapon. Investigators arrested socialite Jasmine Hartin, who claimed the gun accidentally fired while Jammott was teaching her to handle it. Many in Belize assumed Hartin would get special consideration because her common-law husband was the son of British billionaire Lord Michael Ashcroft. Instead, Hartin believed the Ashcrofts weren’t using their considerable clout to help her - they were doing all they could to bend the rules, convict her, and cut her out of the family and its fortune.In the 12-part series “White Devil” from Campside Media, host Josh Dean uses extensive interviews with Hartin to dig into the puzzling investigation of the shooting, as well as examine her high stakes custody case and financial disputes with the Ashcrofts. It also looks into the depths of corruption in Belize and the unchecked influence of a businessman dubbed by locals as a “white devil.”OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WHITE DEVIL" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: take it from a Top. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

In 2019, authorities in California searched the sea for Scottish tourist Kim Avis, who was last seen going for a swim. BBC journalist Myles Bonnar remembered Avis as an eccentric street vendor from his hometown. But American police believed Avis faked his disappearance to avoid criminal prosecution for sexual assault back in Scotland. An international manhunt failed to turn up the fugitive. But a thousand miles away, a Colorado woman was growing suspicious of her new friend with the indiscernible accent.In “Dead Man Running” from BBC Sounds, Bonnar recounts the search for Avis. It also does a deep dive into his life as a figure around town, the crimes he committed, and why it took years to bring him to justice.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DEAD MAN RUNNING" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.  For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

For fifty years, George Coulam has owned the Texas Renaissance Faire, which he runs with an iron fist. Seeking to fill his remaining years with romance, the 86-year-old is considering selling the faire. His earnest general manager Jeff Baldwin believes “King George” will someday pass the reigns to him.For reasons unclear, the mercurial owner sours on his loyal employee, forcing him to share responsibility with a former elephant trainer. Meanwhile, a kettle korn vendor with deep pockets makes a play for the faire. It sparks a game of thrones among those seeking to rule, and for the future of the kingdom.The HBO Documentary series “Ren Faire” mixes cinema verité and fantasy to tell this feud among subcultures. Will the festival’s temperamental monarch sell his prized asset? And how will those decisions affect those in this Shakespearean-sized story of succession?OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "REN FAIRE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: nut case. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

In 2015, the gentlemanly world of professional curling was rocked by a new breakthrough. A team debuted the Hardline broom, one whose brushes were incredibly effective at guiding the gliding rock across the ice to the target with astonishing precision. Opponents bristled, claiming the Hardline broom provided an unfair advantage. Then a competing manufacturer unveiled an even better broom, one that practically allowed players to steer the rock. In a sport operating mostly on handshakes, this broom arms race threatened to alter the game and sweep away the bonds among the curling community. In the podcast “Broomgate: A Curling Scandal” from CBC and USG Audio, comedian and curler John Cullen recounts those rancorous days when gamesmanship nearly won over sportsmanship in the most unlikely of athletic controversies. Cullen talks to the central figures who brought curling to the brink, but later found a way to preserve the sport.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BROOMGATE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

Workers discover a young woman has overdosed in a hotel room filled with drugs and a video camera, but the police never take any action against the older man who was with her. After getting a tip, LA Times investigative reporter Paul Pringle learns the man is Doctor Carmen Puliafito, the dean of USC’s medical school, who’s been living a secret life of hard drugs and coercive sex with the victim. Pringle and his colleagues are stonewalled by Pasadena police and the administration at USC. But once they uncover enough to print an explosive story about Puliafito and the medical school, they find their own editors are slow-walking the exposé on the powerful university. From iHeart Podcasts and Best Case Studios comes “Fallen Angels: A Story of California Corruption.” Pringle recounts the steps of his investigation into Puliafito and lengths taken by USC to cover up the scandal. Pringle also points fingers at the bosses in his own paper who acted as if they were in cahoots with the university to kill the story.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "FALLEN ANGELS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE PODCAST.In Crime of the Week: cock up. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

What do some of the most prominent Indigenous celebrities, politicians, and cultural leaders have in common? They’re not actually affiliated with the tribes they claim to have ties with. More and more so-called “pretendians” are being unmasked, accused of fabricating their native heritage. Some fake their ancestry to accumulate power, reshape their public image, or obtain benefits meant for Indigenous people. While motivations vary, risk of exposure or accountability remains low.In “Pretendians” from Canadaland, co-hosts Robert Jago and Angel Ellis reveal unbelievable stories of audacious fraudsters and investigate the complex phenomenon of Indigenous identity theft.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "PRETENDIANS" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE SHOW. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

Writer Rebecca Godfrey returns to her parents’ home in Vancouver to develop a book about local teens in a foster home. One of the troubled girls she focuses on is soon connected to the disappearance of her frenemy, Reena Virk, last seen fleeing a group of teens who chased her from a party. When Reena’s body is discovered, Rebecca inserts herself in the teens’ world to find the real story for her book. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s childhood friend, Officer Cam Bentland, seeks her own answers as to what happened that night under the bridge.  Hulu’s “Under the Bridge” stars Riley Keough and Golden Globe winner Lily Gladstone in this adaptation of Godfrey’s nonfiction book. The series combines the real life story of Reena Virk and the teens responsible for her death with a dramatized story of women confronting their pasts.  OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "UNDER THE BRIDGE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.In Crime of the Week: traffic jam. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com

Two decades ago, reporter Tonya Mosley got an unexpected phone call from a man claiming to be her nephew by a half-sister she never knew about. Antonio Wiley said his mom vanished in Detroit in the 1980s when he was just 14-years-old. When Anita Wiley’s body was identified in 2020, Tonya and Antonio teamed up to retrace her life and examine why she died. The journey changed the way the journalist looked at her hometown, her family, and herself.From APM Studios and TMI Productions comes the latest season of “Truth Be Told Presents: She Has a Name.” The series is part investigation/part memoir, with the host exploring Anita’s troubled life and unsolved murder. It also examines Tonya’s and Antonio’s struggles to reconcile their feelings about absent parents and their lives that could have been.OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SHE HAS A NAME" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com