Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie is by far my favorite true crime podcast and I have listened religiously to it for the past 6 months. Every Monday, host Ashley Flowers shares a new crime in a way that feels like you're sitting and chatting with your best friends. I love this podcast because it doesn't stray from the story, making the cases suspenseful. Not to mention, the theme song is incredibly catchy. You can even join their Patreon, which provides extra episodes that satisfy your true crime craving.

Sword and Scale

"A show that reveals that the worst monsters are real." This podcast shares both well known true crimes, as well as, stories that would only be known if you live in the town that it occurred in. Sword and Scale includes a ton of real audio from the crimes that have taken place which makes for a very real listening experience. Host, Mike Boudet, combines sound, music and effects, and incredible story telling making this podcast one of my favorites.

Mile Higher Podcast

My obsession with true crime podcasts started with the JonBenét Ramsey episode on Mile Higher Podcast, done by hosts, Josh Thomas and Kendall Rae. This podcast focuses on both true crime and conspiracy theories, and also has long episodes, perfect for my road trips back to Minnesota. They have popular episodes on the Denver Airport, Casey Anthony, Charles Manson, and Ted Bundy.

Martinis and Murder

This podcast is from the Oxygen Network where hosts Daryn Carp and John Thrasher share true-crime stories over themed martinis. They add humor in their dialogue with each other while covering the cases, which make for light hearted episodes. I have been in love with this podcast for about a year and I highly recommend to anyone who's looking to fall in love with true crime.

Serial

I really enjoy Serial because they cover one, true crime, over the course of a season. This podcast has won a ton of major awards for broadcasting and is always on my list for long road trips or flights. They have three seasons; one on the controversial case of Hae Min Lee and Adnan Syed, the second on Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, and third on the justice system.

My Favorite Murder

Hosts, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstack deliver the My Favorite Murder comedy podcast which has a giant following on all podcast platforms. This podcast has a variety of true crime stories mixed in with a ton of comedic relief, resulting in the podcast oftentimes landing in the top 10 regular iTune's comedy podcast charts. I highly recommend this podcast if you want a light-hearted approach to true crime versus a dark, straightforward approach.

Casefile

Casefile has been a classic, true crime podcast for many years. Winning best of 2018, Off the Charts 2017, and Best of 2016, this podcast is amazing and I find myself constantly bingeing episodes.

In the Dark

I was drawn to In the Dark because the first season is based on the Jacob Wetterling case, which took place about an hour from where I grew up. I like how this podcast does series that are based on one single case. This allows the hosts to go into an incredible amount of detail about each case they cover. The second season is about Curtis Flowers, who has been tried 6 times for the same crime over the course of 21 years, all while maintaining his innocence. In the Dark also follows up with the crimes that they cover on their website by listing updates on the cases.

Dateline

When I was growing up, I spent countless hours watching Dateline with my family during the winter. I blame Dateline for sparking my original obsession with true crime. This podcast brings each episode of Dateline into the podcast world so when I'm not on the couch watching it on TV, I can listen to the episodes on-the-go.

Dr. Death

I haven't listened to this podcast yet, but it was recommended to me by a friend. After researching about it a little bit more, I have added it to my list to listen to as soon as possible. The podcast description states, "We're at our most vulnerable when we go to our doctors. We trust the person at the other end of that scalpel. We trust the hospital. We trust the system. Christopher Duntsch was a neurosurgeon who radiated confidence. He claimed he was the best in Dallas. If you had back pain, and had tried everything else, Dr. Duntsch could give you the spine surgery that would take your pain away. But soon his patients started to experience complications, and the system failed to protect them. Which begs the question: who - or what - is that system meant to protect?" This podcast is from the same network that produced Dirty John, another popular true crime podcast, and shares the story of a charming surgeon and 33 patients.