Truth is stranger than fiction, and no podcast proves that better than the Criminal podcast. Their standout true crime episodes plunge deep into bizarre cases, testing the limits of belief. From owl attacks to slave escapes, this podcast never fails to surprise. We combed their entire archive to spotlight the wildest rides.
Whether you’re a crime junkie or just love a thrilling story, these best Criminal podcast episodes showcase some of the strangest true tales ever told.
Episode 51: Money Tree
- Release date: September 23, 2016
- Duration: 29 minutes
Seeking justice, a girl investigates a childhood identity thief’s cruel financial ruin.
At just 11 years old, Axton Betz-Hamilton saw her family’s world turn upside down because someone had stolen their identities. It wasn’t until her college years, when she found out her own credit was a mess, that she realized she was a victim too. Diving into fixing her credit, Axton stumbled upon a shocking truth: the thief was Pam Elliot. With a name in hand, she started digging deeper. What began as a quest to fix her credit score turned into a journey for justice. Axton’s determination to solve this mystery brought light to the dark corners of her past, finally offering some peace after years of struggle.
Episode 23: Triassic Park
- Release date: July 17, 2015
- Duration: 20 minutes
Ancient spirits curse thieves of a petrified forest.
Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park is a sight to see, with its 200-million-year-old petrified wood that looks like a forest turned to stone. Visitors come from all over, but some end up taking pieces of this ancient wood home with them. The strange thing is, more wood seems to disappear than what the park rangers find missing. There are stories about people who take the wood facing bad luck afterward, as if ancient spirits are protecting the park and getting back at them. Could these stories be real?
Episode 66: Bully
- Release date: May 5, 2017
- Duration: 30 minutes
Town bullied by violent lifelong residents takes justice into own hands.
Skidmore, Missouri, was overshadowed by Ken McElroy for years. This bully made life hard for everyone, using fear and threats to get his way. Despite numerous calls for help, the law couldn’t touch him. That was until the town had enough, leading to a shocking end to his reign of terror.
Episode 60: Finding Sarah and Philip
- Release date: February 3, 2017
- Duration: 21 minutes
Grieving mom searches 650 miles to find missing children’s remains.
Imagine driving hundreds of miles, fueled by nothing but hope and desperation. Teri Knight’s relentless search for her missing children leads her to unlikely allies and a dramatic discovery. This episode unpacks a mother’s love and the lengths she’ll go to for closure and justice.
Episode 33: Deep Dive
- Release date: December 18, 2015
- Duration: 23 minutes
LAPD diver braves sticky prehistoric tar pits to find lost evidence.
When some evidence turned up at the bottom of the La Brea tar pits, the LAPD Dive Unit knew they were in for a wild ride. Sarge Dave Mascarenas stepped up to take the near-impossible dive into the sticky prehistoric goo. Decked out in a hazmat suit and guided by his team above, Dave battled getting stuck and losing his gear to pull off the crazy 77-minute mission. Though he lost both equipment and orientation, Dave prevailed in recovering the critical items needed to advance the case.
Episode 255: 911
- Release date: February 2, 2024
- Duration: 38 minutes
Get the inside scoop on the wild world of 911 operators.
Teri Clark has fielded 911 calls for over 20 years. She’s dealt with it all – from fussy callers complaining about fast food orders gone wrong to frantic cries for help from robbery victims. This episode will surprise you as Teri reveals the intensity of handling life-or-death situations daily. You’ll be shocked when she gets a call from her own daughter’s cell while her daughter’s at work.
After hearing Teri’s experiences, you’ll never listen to a 911 call the same way again.
Episode 142: Robert Smalls
- Release date: June 19, 2020
- Duration: 32 minutes
Civil War Heroism
This mind-blowing episode tells how an enslaved man, Robert Smalls, pulls off a daring escape in 1862. Smalls was forced to work on a Confederate ship called The Planter. Robert Smalls’ audacious escape from slavery aboard a Confederate ship is a saga of daring and wit. Masquerading as the captain, Smalls navigated his way to freedom, outsmarting foes and changing his destiny.
Smalls became an icon of the incredible strategies of those fighting for their right to live freely. His story of rebellion on the high seas is an absolute must-listen.
Episode 241: How to Sell a Haunted House
- Release date: August 7, 2020
- Duration: 33 minutes
Buyers sue sellers over home’s “haunted” reputation.
What happens when your new home comes with unseen tenants? This episode explores the bizarre intersection of real estate and the supernatural. When a family’s dream home turns into a nightmare, they’re thrust into a legal battle that asks: Can a house’s spooky reputation be grounds for a sale gone wrong?
Episode 140: Cowboy Bob
- Release date: May 15, 2020
- Duration: 35 minutes
FBI trails polite suburban bank robber “Cowboy Bob.”
A polite bank robber stumped Texas police in the 90s. Dubbed “Cowboy Bob” for his western garb, he hit suburb after suburb, vanishing before cops arrived. This episode follows one dogged FBI agent’s race to unmask the bandit behind the cowboy mask. With dead ends at every turn, this cat-and-mouse game has all the makings of an old western shootout. Can authorities lasso this evasive outlaw?
Episode 18: 695BGK
- Release date: April 3, 2015
- Duration: 21 minutes
A minor typo causes a cop to mistakenly shoot an innocent man.
A minor typo leads to major consequences in this award-winning episode. This episode dives deep into the aftermath of a misentered license plate that escalates into a life-or-death situation. Tragically, the encounter results in one of them getting shot at close range. It’s a compelling look at the human cost of errors in the digital age.
Episode 59: In Plain Sight
- Release date: January 20, 2017
- Duration: 33 minutes
A true story of clever bravery and the fight for freedom.
Few know the thrilling story of William and Ellen Craft’s daring escape from slavery in 1848. Disguising herself as a white man, Ellen fled with her husband from Georgia to Philadelphia right under the noses of slave catchers. This episode explains their incredible journey to freedom, their abolitionist pastor who married them, and their founding of a school for formerly enslaved people.
Episode 1: Animal Instincts
- Release date: January 29, 2014
- Duration: 22 minutes
Can an owl commit murder?
This premiere episode explores a mystery – could an owl be responsible for a woman’s shocking murder? Despite everybody’s doubt, one man becomes obsessed with proving his feathered suspect theory. Digging into the unexpected danger of owl talons, this story may make you think twice before going outside after dark. With new evidence emerging, will the truth finally take flight?
Dive into these Criminal podcast episodes for a roller-coaster ride through the unexpected and the extraordinary. Each story challenges our perceptions, revealing the depth of human courage, the shadows of fear, and the complexities of truth. Prepare to discover the extraordinary tales hidden in the folds of the everyday.
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