The 10 Best Criminal Podcast Episodes
The Criminal podcast is an interesting and unusual true crime podcast that strays away from your typical murder mysteries. Full of twists, intrigue, and first-person interviews, the podcast has covered fascinating cases of identity theft, haunted houses, faked deaths, and more. The best Criminal episodes defy expectations for what true crime can be and will undoubtedly leave you with thought-provoking questions about ethics, humanity, and right and wrong. Fans also love the voice of Criminal podcast host Phoebe Judge, an award-winning journalist who brings compassion and journalistic integrity to the podcast. For the best episodes of Criminal, look no further than this list, full of recommendations from Podyssey users.
Last Updated: Jan 13th, 2022
1) Episode 15: He's Neutral
What would you do if your neighborhood is ridden with crime, but you don’t want to get the police involved? Dan Stevenson found an ingenious solution that didn’t just solve the pestering crime issue, but ballooned into something wildly different. We won’t spill the beans too much to keep the element of surprise, but be sure that this hilarious Criminal podcast episode is definitely a fan favorite that truly shows the best of humanity.
2) Episode 51: Money Tree
A woman discovers that her identity has been stolen since she was a child. The criminal racked up an enormous credit card bill that severely damaged her credit score and crippled her ability to function financially as an adult. Upon learning her fate, she made it her life’s mission to figure out who the thief was, going as far as getting a PhD in children identity theft. But the answer to her life-long search will yield a larger mystery that she may not be ready for. The Money Tree episode is definitely one of the best Criminal episodes of all time.
3) Episode 71: A Bump in the Night
Thump, thump, thump. If you heard noise from the attic of your home, what would you do? Twenty-year-old Amber Dawn had to face this freaky reality when she moved into her new apartment in Washington state. Her landlord tells her the thumping from the attic was nothing more than noisy rodents, but her gut tells her it’s something more. This scariest Criminal episode will have your heart skip a beat or two.
4) Episode 160: Hot Lotto
We all dream of the day we’ll win the jackpot against all odds, but for most of us, it’s just that — a dream. But in Des Moines, Iowa, something strange happens. The winner of $16.5 million in the lotto fails to show up to claim it. It doesn’t go unclaimed for long though when a series of mysterious figures including lawyers, an unnamed person, and a hooded figure join the scene. In this best of Criminal episode, this seemingly bizarre story unexpectedly cracks open one of the longest-running financial crimes of all time.
5) Episode 137: Wolf 10
A wolf of an endangered species goes missing in Yellowstone Park. The government responds quickly and mounts a huge search party for it to no avail. The response may seem excessive at first, but the animal is essential to the park’s ecosystem and there’s only a handful of them left. This is more than a true crime animal story, but a story about our relationship to animals and the prejudices we unknowingly project on them. To complement your listening, check out the sister episode “The Wolves” on the podcast “This is Love” also narrated by Phoebe Judge. You’ll get to hear a whole new side of the same pack of wolves — one of love and family in the wild.
6) Episode 152: The Clearwater Monster
Strange beastly footprints kept appearing in the quiet Clearwater town in Florida. The sleepy town’s citizens were immediately intrigued and equally horrified at the possibility that there’s a monster lurking on their beach. What could the Clearwater Monster be? A cryptozoologist from New York even dropped by to try to decipher this mystery. In this top Criminal episode, Phoebe Judge digs deep into the past and uncovers the secret that everyone’s been waiting for. What she finds will for sure open your eyes and your heart in an unexpected way.
7) Episode 149: Dr. Parkman is Missing
The Harvard Medical School had a dirty secret on how they get cadavers for their medical students in the 19th century. But that didn’t phase their biggest patron, Dr. George Parkman, a wealthy Boston businessman who kept supporting the school. Then one fall day, after an interlude into the medical school building, Dr. Parkman suddenly disappeared and was never seen again. This mystery plagued the prestigious school until a professor got a weird feeling that unravelled it all. If you’re looking for Crime Junkie episodes that are solved, this one is worth a listen as it offers an astounding look into the privilege and moral troubles at one of the world’s top institutions.
8) Episode 126: A New Kind of Life
A German medical professional falls in love with a sick Cuban woman and vows to keep her safe forever. When she died from her illness, the unexpected kept happening and happening...and happening. This best episode of Criminal podcast is an unusual love story of infatuation and attachment. Meet Elena de Hoyos and her obsessive love Count Von Consel who didn’t want to let her go.
9) Episode 167: 48 Hours
In 2015, Denise Huskins and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn experienced a living nightmare: they were awoken in the night by armed men who drugged them and abducted Denise. The men told Aaron that they would take Denise for 48 hours and that he would have to pay over $17,000 for her return. Aaron was told that if he went to the police they would kill Denise, but he made the incredibly difficult decision to get the police involved, and when he did things got even worse: they didn’t believe him, or even Denise when she was eventually released. In this two-part series, Denise and Aaron tell their harrowing story of kidnapping and re-victimization by the police in their own words. This is one of the most terrifying episodes of Criminal that will stay with you for a long time.
10) Episode 122: Professor Quaalude
John Buettner-Janusch, or “BJ”, was a professor who studied lemurs at prestigious universities including Yale, Duke, and NYU. As one of the first Americans to study lemurs, a charismatic group of primates, BJ inspired many biologists with his cutting-edge research. But what was BJ really doing in his lab with the help of his students? And why? This episode starts out as a quirky animal story, more like a science podcast episode than what you might expect from a show about crime, but of course that unexpectedness is one of the unique things that characterizes the best episodes of Criminal.
