Criminal Records Podcast

Can you break the law by reincarnating in the wrong body? We get into Tibet’s complicated battle with China over its reincarnation lineages, including a government-mandated ceremonial golden urn, a legal precedent that requires time travel to make sense, and an inheritance dispute involving a parent who’s younger than his own child. Sources and show notes here Support the show on Patreon

Get ready for more discussion of of glory holes than you’ve ever heard in a civics lesson before. This landmark case invalidated sodomy laws across the United States. But did the plaintiffs involved actually commit any sodomy with each other? And is the Supreme Court’s legal reasoning at risk today? Sources and show notes Support the show on Patreon

This secret society of criminals had a fake leader, but their grievances were very real. Were the Luddites just a bunch of anti-technology cranks, or was there more to their machine breaking movement? Sources and show notes Support us on Patreon

The invention of one incredibly minor traffic offense had massive consequences for legal systems around the world. When did we lose the right to cross the street wherever and whenever we wanted?  Sources and show notes Support us on Patreon

One of the most important trials in recorded history might not have happened. But the story of a Roman hero fighting treason charges is still a wild ride that included public murder, monkey-based punishments, and a legal decision so novel that it changed the western world's court systems forever. Sources and show notes Support us on Patreon

It’s time to take to the sea in style. Why did a gentleman abandon a life of luxury to become a pirate? And how did one of the most incompetent ship captains in history end up sailing with Blackbeard himself?  Sources and show notes Support us on Patreon

The interrogation records of three criminals tell part of the story of a secret religious movement that tried to topple a dynasty. This sect of apocalyptic Buddhism was so secretive, and so completely quashed by government authorities, that criminal cases are some of our only sources about the extent of their activity. Sources and show notes Find us on Patreon

In a follow-up to our episode about one very slick criminal, we're taking listeners through a tour of Denver's seedy side. Learn how to scam people 1920s style with an immersive confidence game that required elaborate acting, money swapping, and fake fights. Sources and show notes here Subscribe to the Patreon here!

What happens when you put a bunch of philosophers in charge of investigating crimes? You end up with one of the most organized and longest-lasting criminal codes in human history. We're going back to Imperial China to examine the case of a deadly dispute over a handful of beans. Show notes and sources at this link

Richard Lawrence was full of lead. On one fateful day in 1835, he decided to fill President Andrew Jackson with lead too. Why did the course of American history nearly hinge on a once-common house paint additive, and why have people throughout history been consuming and working with this poisonous metal? Content note: This episode contains some outdated medical terms about mental illness. Show notes and sources at this link