Crime Story

Debra Newell was ready to give up on love. By the fall of 2014, she’d been married and divorced four times and was reeling from a string of bad dates. But then she met John Meehan, and it seemed like her luck was finally changing. Meehan was a handsome doctor who doted on Newell. She fell in love almost immediately. Two months later, they were married. But Newell would eventually discover that Meehan wasn’t a charming doctor at all – he was a serial con artist with a violent past. Los Angeles Times reporter Christopher Goffard joins Crime Story to take us behind the scenes of Dirty John, one of the most popular true crime podcasts of all time. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca.

On January 21 2020, Wenbo Jin woke up just after 4 a.m. to the sounds of two men ransacking his apartment. The 24-year-old had left his home in China to study statistics at the University of Toronto. That night, Wenbo lay there, terrified, as his dream of higher education in Canada turned into a nightmare at the hands of criminals with a diabolical scheme. This week on Crime Story, journalist Simon Lewsen takes us inside Wenbo Jin’s apartment and reveals the surprising reason kidnappers are targeting international students. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca.

In 2015, the small town of Oxford, Michigan became the scene of a uniquely American nightmare: a school shooting. It was, tragically, like many of the mass shootings that had come before it. A lonely young man with access to guns and a history of mental illness. A number of warning signs that went unnoticed. But then, something happened that had never been done before: the prosecutors charged the shooter's parents, too. This week on Crime Story, I speak with Jessica Lowther, who unpacks this story in her new podcast Sins of the Child. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca.

Management company 7M represents some of TikTok’s most viral dancers. But beyond the polished choreography and idyllic Hollywood sets, a new documentary alleges these young stars are being controlled by a cult-like leader. When one family comes forward with their story, they learn that allegations of financial, psychological and sexual abuse go back decades. Today we’re joined by Derek Doneen, the director of Netflix’s hit documentary Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult. For ad-free listening and early access to episodes of Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca.

Pope John Paul I was only 33 days into the job when he was found dead. While the Vatican insists he died of a heart attack, they have never been able to shake rumours of murder and conspiracy. Now, one man with ties to the mafia has come forward alleging that he knows the pope was murdered — because he was there. The question is: do you believe him? This week on Crime Story, we discuss The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi with host Marc Smerling. For ad-free listening and early access to episodes of Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca.

When Pamela Hargan and her youngest daughter Helen were found dead in their home, it was a shock of the highest order. From the outside looking in, Pamela, a millionaire business woman, and her close knit family had it all. But as investigators puzzled over the bizarre crime scene, a very different picture would emerge. Journalist Peter Van Sant sheds light on this American tragedy in his hit podcast Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca.

When Shannon Gilbert went missing in Long Island, her disappearance was largely ignored by the media and police. That is, until months later when the remains of other sex workers were discovered nearby — but none of them were Shannon. What happened to her? Who was targeting these women? And why weren't police doing more? Journalist Bob Kolker, author of Lost Girls, investigated Shannon Gilbert's story and the institutional failings that plagued these women's cases. He joins us this week on Crime Story, providing updates on the investigation, including a recent arrest. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca.

Crime Story is back with all-new episodes starting next week. Before then, we’re bringing you episode 1 of The No Good, Terribly Kind, Wonderful Lives and Tragic Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman, a podcast about the mysterious deaths of billionaire Canadian pharma giant Barry Sherman and his philanthropist wife Honey. Hosted by our very own Kathleen Goldhar, we just found out the final episode was the most downloaded Canadian podcast episode of 2023! If you like what you hear, you can binge the entire series here.

Sharon Johnson’s family has spent decades coping with her brutal murder. But what if the story they were told is a lie? What if the man imprisoned for her murder is innocent? In season two of Jason Moon’s hit podcast Bear Brook, he investigates the case of convicted killer Jason Carroll. At 19, Carroll confessed to Johnson’s murder, but recanted a few hours later. Carroll has been in prison for 35 years, and still maintains his innocence. In this fascinating conversation, we go behind the scenes with Bear Brook host Jason Moon and explore the growing science of wrongful confessions. Why do they happen and who among us is most vulnerable? Crime Story is taking a quick summer break. We're back in September with all new episodes.

In the early 2000s, Bikram Yoga spread across North America like wildfire. It was a multi-billion dollar business, spurred on by its eccentric founder, Bikram Choudhury. Choudhury was as close to yoga royalty as you could get and was unafraid to hide it. But according to some of his own students, his empire was built upon blood, sweat and tears – as well as a few critical lies. Reporter Julia Lowrie Henderson practiced Bikram Yoga for nearly a decade and joins Crime Story to discuss the scandal that rocked her yoga community. Note: This episode contains difficult subject matter, including references to sexual assault. Crime Story is taking a quick summer break. We're back in September with all new episodes.

For nearly 50 years, Bill Cosby charmed America. But behind the scenes, there were rumours of something sinister – that Cosby was drugging and assaulting women. Nicole Weisensee Egan was the first reporter to dig into the claims against Cosby, when many journalists were afraid to do so. Her book and podcast, Chasing Cosby, is the definitive take on the rise and fall of Bill Cosby. Note: This episode contains difficult subject matter, including details of sexual assault. Crime Story is taking a quick summer break. We're back in September with all new episodes.

When Carole Fisher met Bob Bierenbaum in 1989, he seemed like a catch. He was a Jewish doctor who spoke five languages, a gourmand who loved skiing, and a New Yorker who could fly planes. He was every Jewish mother’s dream. But there was something off about Bob. He could fly into a sudden rage and be distant and controlling. Carole sensed he was hiding something. More than 30 years after Carole and Bob broke up, she uncovers his dark and sordid past in a podcast called The Girlfriends. Crime Story is taking a quick summer break. We're back in September with all new episodes.

Bernie Goetz shot four Bronx teenagers on the subway in 1984 — and was celebrated as a national hero. New York was known as a dangerous place at the time. Locals who felt abandoned by police applauded Goetz for "taking the law into his own hands." Leon Neyfakh, host of Fiasco: Vigilante, investigates this era-defining story, exploring the paranoia of 1980s New York, the media culture that supported it, and its unsettling parallels to today. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca. You can find this episode's transcript here.

In 2018, journalist Scott Johnson received a tip that someone was impersonating high-powered women in Hollywood. Using their identities, the scammer lured artists from across the entertainment industry to Indonesia on the promise of work. People thought it was their big break. Instead, hundreds of victims found themselves in increasingly strange scenarios with a shadowy figure known as the Hollywood Con Queen. It sounds like a textbook con: steal someone’s identity, create a fake story and exploit people for cash. But as Scott reveals in this week’s episode of Crime Story, the scammer wasn’t motivated by money. It was about something much deeper. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca. You can find this episode's transcript here.

For 5 years, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bomber had been living on the lam in the woods. Locals sold shirts that read “Eric Rudolph: 1998 Hide and Seek champion.” Meanwhile, Eric ate salamanders, shot bears, and racked up the bill for one of the most costly manhunts in U.S. history. How did he do it? What were his motivations? And why was he able to pull off four separate bombings before police finally nabbed him? Journalist Henry Schuster, author of Hunting Eric Rudolph, was there when that first bomb went off in Atlanta, and he joins us this week on Crime Story. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca. You can find this episode's transcript here.

In part two of our conversation, The Jinx creators Andrew Jarecki and Zac Stuart-Pontier reflect on what it was like watching Robert Durst take the stand, how his inner circle enabled his strange behaviour, and the impact of documenting a suspected killer for 20 years. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca. You can find this episode's transcript here.

When director Andrew Jarecki first met the eccentric billionaire Robert Durst, Durst had been dubbed the “unluckiest man in the world,” being linked to not one, but three suspected murders. In this two-part episode, Jarecki and his co-producer Zac Stuart-Pontier, take us behind the scenes of their jaw-dropping documentary, The Jinx, which added yet another "unlucky" chapter to Durst’s strange and sordid life. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca. You can find this episode's transcript here.

For the Canadian July 1 holiday, we’re interrupting our regularly scheduled programming for something a little lighter, but scandalous nonetheless. Today you’ll hear episode 1 of Broomgate, a podcast about the broom that nearly destroyed Canada’s most charming sport: curling. Broomgate is hosted by comedian John Cullen, and produced by our very own Kathleen Goldhar. If you like what you hear, be sure to find and follow Broomgate: A Curling Scandal here! Crime Story will be back with a new episode next week. (Hint: BEVERLEY)

When a woman connected to one of Belize’s most powerful families is found next to a dead cop, rumours swirl. Will she be arrested? Will she walk away scot free? Podcaster Josh Dean takes us behind the scenes of his new podcast, White Devil, where nothing is ever as it seems. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca. You can find this episode's transcript here.

From Hollywood hacks to billion-dollar heists, North Korea is rewriting the rules of cyber warfare. Learn all about the regime's elite hackers with Jean Lee, the first American to open a foreign newsroom in PyongYang. For early access to Crime Story episodes and to listen ad-free, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts. Feedback for us? You can email us directly at crimestory@cbc.ca. You can find this episode's transcript here.