True Crime Reporter

by Robert Riggs This isn’t the kind of story I usually tell. The police didn’t converge on the scene with sirens blaring and guns drawn. But what happened inside a Dallas apartment complex was just as devastating and just as unforgivable as a cold-blooded murder. In 2015, a silent killer slipped into the home of two young children. Not through malice, but through neglect, greed, and a rusted furnace exhaust pipe no one wanted to fix. The carbon monoxide gas that leaked out of it took their minds, leaving them permanently brain-damaged, trapped in silence. For nine years, their mother fought a legal battle against apartment owners and their insurance company, which denied everything. What followed was a story of delay, deception, and courtroom drama that will outrage even the most hardened true crime listener. This episode is a departure from my usual reporting, but it’s one I had to tell. Because sometimes, the deadliest crimes aren’t committed with a weapon. They’re committed with indifference. Legal Resources Mentioned In This Story: Ted B. Lyon Personal Injury Lawyer Science Resources for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Dr. Lindell Weaver Science.org

Most predators don’t pounce—they pick. They observe. They wait. And they choose the person who looks the easiest to catch. In this episode, you’ll learn how to make sure you’re not the one they choose. From FBI profilers to a former producer for CBS 48 Hours, I’ll walk you through the red flags predators look for and how to shut them down before they ever get a chance. This isn't about paranoia. It's about awareness. And once you know what to look for, you’ll make it very difficult to be chosen. Because survival starts before the crime ever happens. Links: Robin Dreeke -- Stop Pause Observe Katherine Schweit Tase Bailey Claire St Amant

The Story of 200 Forgotten Murder Victims By Robert Riggs They were daughters. Mothers. Sisters. Strangers. Their lives ended violently—and their names were lost to time. For more than half a century, Detroit’s forgotten dead lay buried beneath weeds and silence—unidentified murder victims dumped into paupers' graves, sometimes stacked in vaults three-deep, known only by numbers in crumbling cemetery logs. No names. No justice. No answers. This is the remarkable five-year journey of a team of relentless female investigators who pledged to identify more than 200 victims of Detroit’s outstanding murder cases. Led by Detroit Police Detective Shannon Jones and FBI Special Agent Leslie Larsen, this group of dedicated women—detectives, agents, forensic anthropologists, and scientists—literally dug through the past to bring closure to families and justice to the murdered. Their quest became known as Operation UNITED, the largest coordinated exhumation of cold case murder victims in FBI history. Katherine Schweit tells the story of this unprecedented, five-year mission in her book, Women Who Talk to the Dead. Schweit is a former FBI Special Agent Executive, Chicago prosecutor, and journalist. She wrote the FBI’s seminal report on mass shooters and is a recognized expert in crisis response and workplace violence. If you or someone you know is searching for a missing loved one, there’s a tool that can help. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs.

Unsolved Murder of Jim Grimes Haunts Quiet Tennessee Town By Robert Riggs A bold reward offers ONE MILLION DOLLARS to solve a cold case murder mystery. Since the $25 million bounty on Osama bin Laden, few rewards have reached this level—yet a grieving widow in rural Tennessee is offering $1 million of her own money to find her husband’s killer. A single shotgun blast shattered the life of a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. Sixty-three-year-old Jim Grimes was ambushed while tending animals on his peaceful property on April 19, 2021. No witnesses. No forensic evidence. Just shadows and silence. Who knew Jim's routine? Who knew their way around the property at night? Who lay in wait? And who’s finally ready to talk? This is a true crime story of grief, grit, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Link To Previous Cold Case Episodes With Joe Kennedy Part 1: NCIS From Evidence to Arrest: Analyzing Murder Cases Step by Step Part 2: NCIS Confidential: Solving Real-Life Cold Cases To Catch Killers

Alcatraz shut its cell doors more than 60 years ago, but its grip on the American imagination hasn’t loosened. Each year, nearly a million and a half tourists ride the ferry across San Francisco Bay, through cold, choppy waters, to walk the crumbling corridors of the most infamous prison in U.S. history. Visitors today frequently cite the desire to see the cellblocks that once confined legendary outlaws, Notorious gangsters such as Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Robert “Birdman” Stroud were inmates here, cementing Alcatraz’s image as the end of the line for incorrigible criminal offenders. I’ve included a link in the show notes to their “rap sheets” from the Warden’s records. During its 29 years as a federal prison, Alcatraz gained a fearsome reputation for strict discipline and inescapable walls. Now, President Donald Trump says he wants to reopen and expand Alcatraz as a high-security federal prison. In this episode, I take a hard look at the history of The Rock—how it earned its reputation as escape-proof, the men it held, the myth it became, and why, even in ruins, it still casts a long shadow over American justice. The Warden's "Rap Sheets" for Alcatraz's infamous convicts.

You Just Thought Your Home Was Safe By Robert Riggs You lock your doors at night. You check on your kids. But what if the real threat is already inside—hiding in your phone, your smart TV, or your child's video game chat? In this episode of True Crime Reporter®, former federal probation officer Art Bowker takes us into the digital battlefield unfolding inside your home. Bowker’s book Surviving a Cyberattack: Securing Social Media and Protecting Your Home warns how predators groom teenagers with flattery, how romance scammers bleed retirees dry, and how artificial intelligence is being weaponized to impersonate loved ones. Bowker and his coauthor Todd Shipley call themselves “The Cyber Safety Guys”. This is the story about how cybercriminals not only bleed their victims but leave them emotionally devastated, isolated, and too ashamed to ask for help. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center - (IC3.gov)

A Former 48 Hours Producer Reveals the Psychology and Power Behind the Genre By Robert Riggs When the curtain drops on everyday life, true crime shows like this podcast and especially those on television expose the darkest side of humanity. Television relentlessly chases the latest trending crimes on police blotters and court dockets. Claire St. Amant pursued those stories in the cutthroat world of prime-time television as a producer for CBS 48 Hours. She also produced segments for 60 Minutes. She’s written a memoir about her experiences, Killer Story: The Truth Behind True Crime Televison. Television executives have known for decades that the audience is overwhelmingly female. We’re talking 70-80 percent, sometimes more. Mothers and daughters. Best friends. Women of all ages coming together for what amounts to a girls’ night out… centered on murder. You may want to go back and listen to my episode with Journalist Mike Cox. He wrote a satire, Getting Away With Murder, Learning From Dateline and Other True Crime Shows. So what’s going on here? Why are women so drawn to true crime? Claire St Amant, now a fellow true crime podcaster, shares her insights.

By Robert Riggs The Godfather. Goodfellas. The Sopranos. Hollywood entertained us with polished fiction—honor among thieves, loyalty bound by blood, men of principle wrapped in tailored suits. But the real mob? It was darker. Colder. Predatory. The smile came first. The knife came after. This is the true story of how FBI Special Agent Mike Campi helped dismantle the Genovese crime family—the oldest, largest, and most insidious of New York’s five Mafia Families. Founded by Charles “Lucky” Luciano in 1931. Consolidated under Vito Genovese in the late 1950s. The family once ruled Manhattan’s west side piers and the Fulton Fish Market on the East River with quiet brutality. Everything moved through their hands—money, muscle, silence. Campi joined the FBI’s Organized Crime Squad in 1985, stepping into the heart of a sweeping federal assault on the American Mafia. Over the next two decades, he led investigations that exposed the rot behind the façade. His new book, Mafia Takedown, pulls back the curtain on what really happened. Not the Hollywood version. The truth.

Mobsters Hit Tony Soprano Style Before They Can Testify By Robert Riggs The JFK assassination files recently released by President Trump shed more light on the secret plot by the CIA to use Mafia gangsters to kill Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Investigative reporter Thomas Maier, the author of Mafia Spies, his book about the unlikely alliance between the CIA and mobsters, is back to discuss the latest revelations. This is the second part of my True Crime Reporter® series about the Mafia Spies. Two Chicago gangsters, Sam Giancana and Johnny Roselli, were central to a Congressional investigation by Senator Frank Church in the mid-1970s Both were murdered shortly before they could testify. I was an investigator for another committee working on a related inquiry at the time. The mob-style hit sent a chill through Senators digging into CIA abuses. Speculation continues about whether the CIA or a Mafia kingpin silenced the mobsters. Maier and I discuss the murders and revelations from his new book, “The Invisible Spy.” His dogged investigation uncovered how former CIA Director Allen Dulles steered the Warren Commission’s investigation of President Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas away from the plot to kill Castro. Here's a link to the cast of characters.

The story sounds like something straight out of a spy thriller. A plot by America’s most feared criminal syndicate and its most secretive intelligence agency to assassinate a foreign leader using poison cigars and other James Bond-inspired schemes. But this isn’t fiction. This is the true story of how the CIA joined forces with Mafia hitmen to assassinate Fidel Castro. The revelations with ties to the Watergate scandal in the 1970s have fueled conspiracy theories about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In this episode of True Crime Reporter®, I sit down with fellow investigative reporter Thomas Maier, whose book Mafia Spies pulls back the curtain on a chilling chapter of American history. Together, we trace how the mob lost its Cuban gambling empire after Castro’s revolution and how, in Cold War fear, U.S. intelligence agents turned its gangsters to eliminate Castro. Maier says the challenge of his investigation was figuring how out to tell a story in which everyone lies. Here's a link to the cast of characters in the episode.

In this episode, we continue our deep dive with retired FBI Special Agent Robin Dreeke—a man whose job wasn’t just catching spies but recruiting them. Dreeke led the FBI’s elite Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program, where he mastered the art of predicting human behavior. He turned foreign operatives into informants—not with force, but with trust. Now, he’s sharing the same tools that can help you avoid fraud, betrayal, and toxic relationships in everyday life. In part one, we peeled back the curtain on his high-stakes career in counter espionage against Russian operatives in the United States. Now, in part two, Dreeke reveals how you can learn to think like an FBI behavioral analyst. How to see the red flags before they wave. How to spot manipulation before it wraps around your life. And how to use behavior patterns—what he calls “behavior arcs”—to make better decisions about who you can trust. If you’ve ever been lied to, blindsided, or left asking how did I not see that coming?—this episode is for you. Dreeke is the author of “Sizing People Up”, a book I recommend every listener study and underline. His short guide, “It’s Not All About Me”, offers a crash course in building rapport in any situation. Let’s get into it—here’s part two of my conversation with Robin Dreeke.

Whether walking through a dimly lit parking lot, meeting someone new, or even evaluating the behavior of people close to you, the ability to read people and size them up could mean the difference between safety and danger. This episode teaches you how to think like an FBI Behavioral Analyst. Robin Dreeke, who headed the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Program, joins me to discuss his framework for predicting human behavior. Dreeke wrote the book, “Sizzling People Up”, based on his years in counterespionage. His unit was part of the Behavioral Analysis Unit that focuses on violent crime—popularly known as the serial killer unit. Now, in private consulting, Dreeke teaches how anyone can learn to predict what others will do in the most important situations. Robin Dreeke is here to help keep you safe in public and online by learning to read people. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR WORK Click the Promo Code for your exclusive 20% OFF DISCOUNT at Eric Javits Designer Hats. We wear these hats and receive a sales commission to keep producing stories. Click the Promo Code for your exclusive 41% OFF DISCOUNT at Cozy Earth Bedding & Lounge Wear. Oprah's favorite since 2018. We receive a sales commission. Click the Promo Code for your exclusive 30% OFF DISCOUNT at Protégé Painless Stiletto Heels. Designed by an MIT graduate who wanted comfort & luxury. We receive a sales commission. Click the Promo Code for your exclusive 20% OFF DISCOUNT at Men's HyperNatural Cool Polo Shirts. Great for travel and golf. We receive a sales commission. Click the Promo Code for your exclusive 15% OFF DISCOUNT at TONA Activewear Designer Gym Leggings. Created by one of the founding designers of Lululemon. We receive a sales commission. Please support me by purchasing my books. Click here to purchase my "Texas Crime Stories" audiobook. It downloads into your podcast app. Click here to purchase the Paperback & Kindle editions on Amazon. Subscribe to the True Crime Reporter® podcast. Subscribe to the "Stories To Keep You Safe" Newsletter on the True Crime Reporter® website. Schedule me to speak at your social meeting or corporate event. My presentation, "Evil Walks Among Us," features stories about serial killers and notorious criminals and personal safety tips. Step into the storied halls of the Texas Prison Museum and uncover the gripping tales of infamous inmates, daring escapes, and the history of justice in the Lone Star State.

Beware of the Fraudster Knocking At Your Door Scammers don’t just lurk online—they may be coming straight to your front door. For centuries, con artists have refined their craft, using deception and misdirection to separate victims from their money. But today’s fraudsters have more sophisticated tools than ever before. The worst part? You won’t even realize you’ve been conned until it’s too late. In this episode, I break down the playbook of modern swindlers with Jim Grinstead, veteran newspaperman and host of the Scams and Cons podcast. Grinstead studies the psychology of deception—and what he’s uncovered should concern us all. Click the Promo Code for your exclusive 20% discount at Eric Javits Designer Hats. We wear these hats and receive a sales commission to keep producing stories. Please support me by purchasing my books on the True Crime Reporter® website. Click here to purchase my "Texas Crime Stories" audiobook. It downloads into your podcast app. Click here to purchase the text version on Amazon Kindle. Subscribe to the True Crime Reporter® Podcast. Schedule Robert Riggs to speak at your social meeting or corporate event. His presentation, "Evil Walks Among Us," features his true crime stories and "Stories To Keep You Safe." Step into the storied halls of the Texas Prison Museum and uncover the gripping tales of infamous inmates, daring escapes, and the history of justice in the Lone Star State.

How long would you tolerate thieves breaking into your home to steal your precious jewels? For years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been getting away with doing just that by orchestrating the theft of cutting-edge technologies and intellectual property– the crown jewels of the United States economy and its national security. Chinese companies controlled by the CCP have been embedding themselves into the heartland of American business by systematically investing in and buying U.S. companies. It’s not like a bank robbery with alarms going off. It’s a silent crime spree that costs Americans 600 billion dollars a year, according to the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property. The case of Dallas energy entrepreneur Patrick Jenevein is a textbook example of how Chinese state-backed entities exploit American businesses to fuel China’s economic, geopolitica, andl totalitarian ambitions. His book about the experience, Dancing With The Dragon, is a cautionary tale about the threat posed by the United States' number one adversary. And the nation’s failure to do much about it. FOLLOW the True Crime Reporter® Podcast SIGN UP FOR my True Crime Newsletter THANK YOU FOR THE FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON APPLE Please leave one – it really helps. TELL ME about a STORY OR SUBJECT that you want to hear more about Step into the storied halls of the Texas Prison Museum and uncover the gripping tales of infamous inmates, daring escapes, and the history of justice in the Lone Star State.

This true crime story is not about a heist pulled off by a notorious bank robber or a cunning scam artist—but an audacious act of bureaucratic theft that spans generations. It’s an audacious act of bureaucratic theft that spans generations. Picture this: over $30 billion in matured U.S. savings bonds, investments made with trust and patriotism, are sitting unclaimed. The rightful heirs, families like mine and maybe even yours, are stonewalled by the very institution that promised to safeguard these assets. The U.S. Treasury, armed with meticulous records of bondholders, holds fast to those names while demanding impossible proof—a serial number—to claim what’s rightfully ours. It’s a $30 billion heist orchestrated through silence and red tape. Join me as I unravel this true crime story of broken promises, frustrated heirs, and the relentless pursuit of justice. Because sometimes, the biggest heists don’t happen in the dead of night—they happen in plain sight, sanctioned by those who are supposed to protect us. Make Your Voice Heard! Write, Call, or Email Mike Crapo (R-ID) Chair - Senate Finance Committee 239 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 202-224-6142 https://www.crapo.senate.gov/contact/email-me Jason Smith (R-Mo.) Chair - House Ways and Means Committee 1011 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-4404 https://jasonsmith.house.gov/contact Help end this bureaucratic theft and ensure justice for millions of American families. CLICK TO READ THE STORY FOLLOW the True Crime Reporter® Podcast SIGN UP FOR my True Crime Newsletter THANK YOU FOR THE FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON APPLE Please leave one – it really helps. TELL ME about a STORY OR SUBJECT that you want to hear more about Step into the storied halls of the Texas Prison Museum and uncover the gripping tales of infamous inmates, daring escapes, and the history of justice in the Lone Star State.

In the blood-soaked pantheon of Depression-era gangsters, one killer stood apart - not for his height, but for his face. Witnesses consistently described him as looking like "an angel," with bright blue eyes and features so youthful that bank tellers often mistook him for a teenage messenger boy. That angelic countenance masked the soul of perhaps the most efficient killer in gangster history. Baby Face Nelson didn't just rob banks - he hunted FBI agents for sport, kept a list of their license plates, and giggled like a schoolboy while gunning them down. He was a member of John Dillinger’s gang and replaced him as Public Enemy Number One. This isn't the story of another charming outlaw like Bonnie and Clyde - it's the tale of a cherub-faced psychopath who turned Depression-era America into his personal killing ground. FOLLOW the True Crime Reporter® Podcast SIGN UP FOR my True Crime Newsletter THANK YOU FOR THE FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON APPLE Please leave one – it really helps. TELL ME about a STORY OR SUBJECT that you want to hear more about Step into the storied halls of the Texas Prison Museum and uncover the gripping tales of infamous inmates, daring escapes, and the history of justice in the Lone Star State.

We used to fear sexual predators stalking our neighborhoods, ready to snatch our children off the streets. We called it “Stranger Danger”. But “Stranger Danger” has moved online with Sextortion schemes on the social media platforms and gaming apps our children use daily. Organized crime rings now prowl the internet, tricking teenagers into sharing explicit images through these familiar channels. Once they have those images, the nightmare begins. These criminals blackmail their victims, threatening to expose the photos and videos to friends, family, and the public unless they pay the extortion demand. Fear and shame overwhelm the teenage victims, driving some to suicide. In response, a pair of Texas Detectives known as the “Catfish Cops” troll these dangerous waters, sinking their hooks into predators before they can destroy more lives. True Crime Reporter® Security Libary: Sextortion Safety Resources For Parents FOLLOW the True Crime Reporter® Podcast SIGN UP FOR my True Crime Newsletter THANK YOU FOR THE FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON APPLE Please leave one – it really helps. TELL ME about a STORY OR SUBJECT that you want to hear more about

Mike Cox’s name is synonymous with Texas crime reporting. Cox spent decades covering grisly crimes, working as a police beat reporter and later as the Chief of Media Relations for the Texas Department of Public Safety and authoring books about the Texas Rangers. His latest book, Getting Away with Murder: Learning from Dateline and Other True Crime Shows, blends his sharp wit with his vast experience in law enforcement, offering readers a tongue-in-cheek take on crime and the often bizarre ways criminals get caught. As an enterprising police beat reporter for the Austin American Statesman, Mike broke the story about serial killer Henry Lee Lucas' courtroom confession to 100 murders. Mike extensively interviewed Lucas in jail and wrote the definitive book about the case, The Confessions of Henry Lee Lucas. During our interview, Cox reflects on his lifelong immersion in storytelling, his family’s deep connection to journalism, and how true crime shows like Dateline rekindled his passion for the subject. FOLLOW the True Crime Reporter® Podcast SIGN UP FOR my True Crime Newsletter THANK YOU FOR THE FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON APPLE Please leave one – it really helps. TELL ME about a STORY OR SUBJECT that you want to hear more about

True Crime Reporter® presents a story that straddles the line between horror and history. Mike Cox, a veteran police beat reporter and former chief of media relations for the Texas Department of Public Safety, spent his life documenting murder cases and bringing clarity to chaos. From unraveling the disturbing confessions of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas to sorting out the facts for the press at the Luby’s Cafeteria massacre, Cox's career has been one immersed in blood and ink. In this episode, we examine one of Cox’s most sensational stories: serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. Lucas, a drifter with an off-kilter gaze and a chilling demeanor, shocked the world by confessing to over 600 murders. His admissions sent law enforcement agencies scrambling, but as Mike Cox discovered, the truth was far more elusive. Join us as we revisit the courtroom where Lucas dropped his bombshell confession, follow Cox's journey from crime scenes to interviews with Lucas inside prison, and explore the fine line between fact and fiction in one of the most bizarre cases in true crime history. FOLLOW the True Crime Reporter® Podcast SIGN UP FOR my True Crime Newsletter THANK YOU FOR THE FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON APPLE Please leave one – it really helps. TELL ME about a STORY OR SUBJECT that you want to hear more about

Juan David Ortiz, a U.S. Border Patrol supervisor, wore the uniform of a trusted protector. But he lived a double life -- husband, father, war veteran, and respected agent. Yet beneath this facade of normalcy lay a monster. Over the course of twelve days in 2018, Ortiz unleashed his dark urges on the streets of Laredo, Texas, brutally ending the lives of four vulnerable women. What drove a man like Ortiz to commit such heinous acts? I explore that question through the eyes of Lyzza Janette, an unlikely observer who dared to confront the killer face-to-face. As she unraveled the duality of a man who could be both charming and monstrous, she was left both horrified and fascinated. This is a story not just about the crimes committed by a trusted Border Patrol Agent but about the thin line between good and evil. Link To BORDER PATROL SERIAL KILLER: Conversations with JUAN DAVID ORTIZ FOLLOW the True Crime Reporter® Podcast SIGN UP FOR my True Crime Newsletter THANK YOU FOR THE FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON APPLE Please leave one – it really helps. TELL ME about a STORY OR SUBJECT that you want to hear more about