True Crimecast

In the mid-90s, Robert Downey Jr. was widely considered the most gifted actor of his generation. But while critics were comparing him to Chaplin, the LAPD was seeing a man spiraling toward a tragic end. From a high-speed arrest on Sunset Boulevard with a .357 Magnum to the infamous afternoon he wandered into a neighbor's home and fell asleep in a child's bed, Downey’s life became a series of "front-page" disasters that nearly silenced one of cinema’s brightest lights.

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Timothy Bradburn had just returned to his Spokane home from a trip to Hawaii, keys and suitcase still in hand, when he was met with a lethal ambush. The shooter wasn't a stranger, but his 33-year-old daughter, Alyssa, who had spent weeks practicing at a gun range and journaling about her plan to kill him. In a case that moved from a claim of self-defense to a blunt courtroom confession, the Pacific Northwest was left searching for a motive that never came.

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Lana Clarkson was a woman of "big dreams and new shoes." A cult-cinema icon known to fans as the Barbarian Queen, Lana was a fixture of the 1980s Los Angeles scene, appearing in everything from Scarface to Three’s Company. At forty years old, she wasn’t a woman in despair; she was a woman in transition, working as a hostess at the House of Blues to fund her own independent production, Lana Unleashed. She was a daughter and a friend who, on her final day of life, was still shopping for the future.

Enter reclusive and vola...

In today's Patreon Exclusive episode, we take a deep dive into the Brady Rule and several cases that highlight a Brady Violation. This rule seems very simple, but it has major, life changing consequences if not followed correctly.

To access the full episode, visit www.patreon.com/truecrimecast and sign up for as little as $3 per month. 

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On Friday, March 27, 2026, just four miles from his home on Jupiter Island, Florida, the golf world stood still once again. 15-time major champion Tiger Woods was involved in a high-speed rollover crash involving a Land Rover and a pressure-cleaning truck. While Woods walked away from the wreckage uninjured, the legal aftermath began almost immediately.

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This is a story that feels like a Greek tragedy set in a Maricopa County courtroom. Michael Marin was a man who lived his life at the highest possible altitude, both literally and financially, and it seems he simply could not reconcile a reality where he was grounded by a prison cell.

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In the quiet mountain town of Kamas, Utah, Kouri Richins was seen as a pillar of strength. After her husband Eric died suddenly in 2022, she wrote a children’s book to help their three sons navigate grief. But while she was promoting "Are You With Me?" on national television, investigators were uncovering a $3.1 million debt, a secret iPhone, and a search history that included "luxury prisons for the rich." In this episode of True Crimecast, John and Jamie walk through the trial that captivated the nation in 2025/26.

Big thank you to our friend Jules, co-founder of Fire Ey...

Mary Carole McDonnell was the CEO of a successful Burbank production company, behind true crime hits like I Married a Murderer. But behind the scenes, the company was hemorrhaging cash. To keep the lights on and the payroll moving, the 73-year-old allegedly stepped into a role of her own making: the secret heir to the McDonnell Aircraft fortune.

In this episode of True Crime To Go, John and Jamie break down the brazen 2017–2018 fraud scheme that allegedly siphoned nearly $30 million from financial institutions. We detail how she used a non-existent $80 million trust fund to bait banks, the fe...

Dayton Webber was a household name in the world of professional cornhole. A quadruple amputee who overcame a life-threatening infection as an infant, he became an ESPN-featured athlete and a symbol of "no excuses" perseverance. But on the night of March 22, 2026, a different story began to emerge in the charging documents of Charles County, Maryland.

In this breaking news episode of True Crimecast, John and Jamie discuss the arrest of the 27-year-old athlete following the shooting death of his friend, Bradrick Michael Wells. We walk through the harrowing timeline: an argument in a moving Tesla, two witnesses...

On a humid Kentucky night in July 1994, Trent DiGiuro, a rising star on the University of Kentucky offensive line, was sitting on his front porch just three days away from his 21st birthday. Without warning, a single rifle shot rang out from the darkness 100 yards away. Trent was gone before his friends even realized what the sound was.

For six years, the case remained one of Lexington’s most haunting mysteries. The breakthrough didn't come from a forensic lab or a high-speed chase, but from a secret whispered in a bar and a woman who had the co...

In September 2024, the state of Kentucky was on edge as law enforcement hunted for I-75 shooter Joseph Couch. In the midst of that panic, a 911 call from Knott County reported a man with a knife who "looked like the shooter." That man wasn't a fugitive—he was 25-year-old Travis Pratt, a local man in the middle of a mental health crisis.

In this episode of True Crime To Go, John and Jamie trace the harrowing final minutes of Travis Pratt’s life. We break down the factual timeline from the moment Pratt hid in a neighbor's bathroom to t...

Sunday service at Campground Pentecostal Church in Laurel County, Kentucky, was interrupted by a terrifying arrival on March 8, 2026. 56-year-old James D. Bell walked into the sanctuary, but what he said next is a matter of intense legal debate. While multiple churchgoers reported a chilling threat—"I am here to kill the children"—the church’s pastor recalls a man in the throes of a spiritual emergency, claiming he was possessed and asking for prayer.

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In 2012, Lester Young, a 34-year-old church handyman, was gunned down in his East Oakland home in front of his teenage nephew. The only eyewitness identified a specific shooter—but the lead detective, Phong Tran, had other plans. Ignoring the witness, Tran pivoted to Steven Buggs, a truck driver who had grown up with the victim. What followed was a 15-hour interrogation filled with racial threats, a decade behind bars, and an 82-year-to-life sentence based on "investigative work" that was rotting from the inside out.

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Robin Dreeke is a former Marine Corps Officer and retired FBI Special Agent, where he served as Chief of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program. With over 40 years of experience across diverse environments - military, counterintelligence, behavioral analysis, business, nonprofits, and community action groups - Robin has a wealth of knowledge and expertise that makes him the perfect guest for a True Crime show.

In today's interview, we talk about recruiting spies, ways to detect deception, and Robin's latest book! If there is anything you have ever wanted to ask a spy, join Jamie and John as...

The Flamingo Hotel and Casino is a Las Vegas icon, known for its lush outdoor wildlife habitat and its namesake pink residents. But at 5:00 a.m. on March 3, 2026, surveillance cameras captured a scene that was far from a tourist attraction. 33-year-old Mitchell Fairbarn allegedly breached the habitat, resulting in a terrifying ordeal for a flamingo named "Peachy."

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In March 2025, the community of Dixie County, Florida, rallied around a 15-year-old boy reportedly fighting a losing battle with cancer. Local businesses like Papa Luigi’s held fundraisers, and a GoFundMe campaign drew in thousands from neighbors eager to help pay for "doctor visits and surgery." But by February 2026, the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office revealed a much darker reality: the boy never had cancer, and his actual medical care was fully covered by Medicaid.

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Just after midnight on June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy stood at the peak of his political life. He had just won the California primary, flashing his trademark smile and telling a roaring crowd, "On to Chicago." Moments later, while cutting through a crowded kitchen pantry to avoid the crush of the ballroom, the trajectory of American history was altered by a .22 caliber revolver.

In this episode of True Crimecast, John and Jamie trace the evolution of "Bobby" from a ruthless political operative to a voice for the voiceless. We break down the chaotic scene in the pantry, the...

In July 2024, Michael Fosler was charged with 43 felony counts of sexual assault involving a 13-year-old girl. Three months later, that girl’s father, Aaron Spencer, found her in the passenger seat of Fosler's truck in the middle of the night. What happened next on a darkened Arkansas highway sparked a legal firestorm that has reached the state’s Supreme Court and the local ballot box. In a new, unexpected twist, Aaron Spencer won a primary election and is now on his way to becoming the Sheriff of Lonoke County.

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Most people reach for a rolled-up newspaper or a can of bug spray when they see a spider. But in February 2026, authorities say Sean McDermott reached for a lighter—and didn't stop until four homes were in ruins.

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In the 1980s, John Gotti wasn't just the boss of the Gambino crime family—illegally, he was the face of New York City. With his $2,000 Brioni suits, silver hair, and a smirk that defied the FBI, he became a folk hero to some and a nightmare to the Department of Justice. But behind the "Dapper Don" persona was a man who clawed his way to the top through a bloody coup outside a Manhattan steakhouse.

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In the mid-1940s, Chicago was a city gripped by a unique kind of terror. It wasn’t the mob wars or the wartime rationing that kept people awake—it was the phantom breaking into high-rise apartments and leaving behind a plea scrawled in red: "For heaven's sake catch me before I kill more. I cannot control myself."

In this episode of True Crimecast, John and Jamie dissect the case of William Heirens, the 17-year...

In 1925, the sweltering heat of Harlan County, Kentucky, was matched only by the intensity of a manhunt for 14-year-old Mary Vickery. When skeletal remains were discovered in an abandoned mine shaft, the case seemed closed: a grieving father identified her jewelry, a "witness" claimed to have seen the murder, and local taxi driver Condy Dabney was sent away for life. But justice in coal country is rarely buried deep enough.

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In the quiet community of Lakeport, Florida, deputies were on a mission to track down a elusive boat thief. What they found instead was a "woman" in a light blue dress, a white cardigan, and a blonde wig, casually strolling away from a residence. This episode of True Crime To Go explores the bizarre arrest of Joshua Kolotka, a man whose wardrobe change wasn't quite enough to fool the sharp instincts of the Glades County Sheriff’s Office.

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In the affluent suburbs of Fairfax County, Virginia, IRS Special Agent Brendan Banfield seemed to have the perfect life. But on the morning of February 24, 2023, when police arrived at his home, they walked into a horrific scene of a double homicide. Brendan claimed he had walked in on a handyman, Joseph Ryan, attacking his wife, Christine Banfield, and acted in self-defense.

But as the "Au Pair Murders" investigation unfolded, the story of a heroic husband crumbled. In this episode of True Crimecast, we dive into a twisted web of a secret affair between Brendan and the family’s...

In the high-stakes world of college football, a single season can be the difference between a multi-million dollar NFL contract and a life of "what ifs." But for many athletes, the NCAA’s strict eligibility clock is a barrier they are no longer willing to accept. From the "stolen" seasons of the COVID-19 pandemic to the new era of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) wealth, players are increasingly trading their cleats for courtrooms.

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In 2021, a fatal confrontation in Morgan County, Tennessee, left one man dead and another behind bars. But as the case wound through the legal system over the next four years, it became one of the strangest files in the state’s history. The reason? The defendant repeatedly and adamantly claimed in open court that he was the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

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On a Tuesday afternoon in March 2024, Ashley Smylie—a beloved high school mathematics teacher—returned home with her 14-year-old daughter, Carly. Minutes later, the quiet of their Brandon, Mississippi, home was shattered by three gunshots. What followed was a chilling sequence of events captured on home security footage: a teenager calmly texting on her mother’s phone, a lure set for a stepfather, and a friend invited over to see a "dead body."

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In 1974, Sweden delivered 1,000 Volvo 144 sedans to North Korea, hoping to spark a new era of trade. The cars arrived, but the payment never did. Five decades later, the debt has ballooned into the billions, and the vintage Volvos are still being spotted on the streets of Pyongyang. This episode of True Crime To Go breaks down the largest "car theft" in history—a state-sponsored swindle that remains on Sweden's books to this day.

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On May 17, 1995, a quiet evening in San Diego turned into a scene out of a war movie. Shawn Timothy Nelson, a struggling Army veteran and plumber, breached a National Guard armory, hot-wired an M60A3 tank, and began a 25-minute path of destruction through suburban streets.

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In 2016, Nathan Carman was found drifting in a life raft eight days after his boat, the Chicken Pox, sank during a fishing trip. He was a survivor—but to the FBI, he was a cold-blooded killer.

This episode of True Crimecast explores the disturbing history of the Chakalos-Carman family. From the unsolved 2013 murder of Nathan’s multimillionaire grandfather to the "suspicious" modifications Nathan made to his own vessel, we examine the government’s theory that Nathan orchestrated multiple deaths for a massive inheritance. We also cover the shocking 2023 conclusion that left both families without a final verdict.

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In this fascinating bonus episode of True CrimeCast, we are joined by homicide prosecutor and author Jarrett Ferentino to dissect one of the most polarizing ethical dilemmas in legal history: The "Buried Bodies" Case.

When serial killer Robert Garrow confessed to his attorneys, Frank Armani and Francis Belge, that he had murdered two missing women and hidden their remains, the lawyers did the unthinkable. They used Garrow’s hand-drawn maps to find the bodies, photographed the remains, and then… they stayed silent. For six months, while the victims' families pleaded for answers and searched the woods, the lawy...

Most fugitives run to escape the law, but Christopher Daniel Gay ran to find his way home. Known by the nickname "Little Houdini," Gay didn't commit violent sprees or masterminded conspiracies; instead, he became a national folk hero and a law enforcement nightmare through a series of daring escapes and one of the most bizarre vehicle thefts in history.

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A quiet Sunday morning in Tucson, Arizona, turned into a national nightmare when Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, failed to show up for church. By Monday morning, what began as a frantic search for a missing grandmother escalated into a full-scale criminal investigation, with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department declaring her home a "crime scene."

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In the early 1970s, as the "Golden Age of Skyjacking" gripped the American skies, one man didn't just want to pull off a heist—he wanted to outdo a legend. Just months after the mysterious D.B. Cooper vanished into the Pacific Northwest wilderness, Richard Floyd McCoy Jr., a Vietnam veteran, helicopter pilot, and Sunday school teacher, decided to put his own elite training to the test.

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In 2017, a social media firestorm in Trumbull County, Ohio, turned 18-year-old Austin Burke into the prime suspect in the disappearance and murder of 22-year-old Brandon Sample. What followed was a whirlwind investigation that culminated in a five-day trial where Austin was convicted of both murder and an unrelated pizza shop robbery—despite significant questions surrounding the physical evidence.

In this episode, we sit down with Austin’s mother, Jamie Sell, and author Donna Waters (Wrong Ride Home) to dissect a case they argue is a textbook example of a wrongful conviction. We explore the glaring inconsistencies in the...

Happy February! In this Patreon exclusive episode, we dive into the murder of Louise Cicelsky. She was found brutally stabbed to death in her home in 1995. Louise was a 69-year-old go getter. She was a strong, independent woman who could handle her own affairs and her property rental business. When police found her murdered, they found themselves chasing leads down a rabbit hole rather than chasing evidence.

To hear the rest of the episode, join us on Patreon at patreon.com/truecrimecast.

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In a bizarre collision of NFL stardom, pop-culture drama, and legal procedure, a quiet Sunday at Travis Kelce’s Kansas home turned into a police matter. This episode of True Crimecast examines the arrest of Justin Lee Fisher, a process server who jumped a fence to hand-deliver a subpoena to Taylor Swift.

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In a legal first that made headlines across the globe, a small town in North Wales became the backdrop for a case that redefined the boundaries of digital harassment. What began as a domestic dispute took a surreal turn when 25-year-old Rhiannon Evans decided to weaponize her phone camera in the most juvenile—yet legally consequential—way possible.

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Ana Montes seemed like the ultimate American patriot. By day, she was the "Queen of Cuba," the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) top analyst at the Pentagon. By night, she was the most dangerous mole in U.S. history, using a Toshiba laptop and a shortwave radio to dismantle American operations from within.

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Cairenn Binder is the Assistant Director of the IGG (Investigative Genetic Genealogy) Center and the Director of the IGG Certificate Program. Cairenn has been at the forefront of IGG since its inception, applying genetic genealogy to identify human remains with the nonprofit organization DNA Doe Project from 2018 through 2023. In 2022, she co-founded Coast to Coast Genetic Genealogy Services to fulfill the need for additional IGG practitioners to generate leads in violent crimes. She began working at Ramapo in October of 2022, helping to launch the IGG center in December 2022. Her casework has been featured on BBC news, ABC, NBC, Fox, Oxygen...