Criminal Plus (Supporting Cast)

In 1982, Sister Helen Prejean was invited to write a letter to a man on death row named Elmo Patrick Sonnier. She told us, “I thought that all I was going to be doing was writing letters. And lo and behold, two years later, I am in that execution chamber.” When we spoke to her in 2021, she was 81, and had been present at the executions of six men. Sister Helen’s book, Dead Man Walking, is about her time as a spiritual advisor to Elmo Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie.  This episode was originally released in 2021. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Criminal Plus is moving to ⁠Patreon⁠ and this podcast feed is ending on 12/31! Patreon members get behind-the-scenes photos, access to chat rooms, virtual live events, and more – including the ad-free shows and special bonus episodes available to current members. ⁠⁠⁠Learn more about transferring your membership here⁠⁠⁠. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Access your Supporting Cast account here. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stories of animals really going for it. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Criminal Plus is moving to Patreon and this podcast feed is ending on 12/31! Patreon members get behind-the-scenes photos, access to chat rooms, virtual live events, and more – including the ad-free shows and special bonus episodes available to current members. ⁠⁠Learn more about transferring your membership here⁠⁠. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Access your Supporting Cast account here. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Animals Episode Eve! Lauren and Phoebe discuss popcorn garlands gone wrong, their gift-giving strategies for our annual team Secret Santa, and the joys of chocolate-covered cherries. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. We’d love for you to send us your questions – give us a call and leave a message at (833) 822-7850.  Criminal Plus is moving to ⁠Patreon⁠ and this podcast feed is ending on 12/31! ⁠Learn more about transferring your membership here⁠. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram.  Access your Supporting Cast account here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Christmas morning, Laura Nowlin was in her living room with her infant son. They were getting ready to leave to spend the day with family. Then, Laura heard a knock on the door. She says it sounded frantic. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Criminal Plus is moving to Patreon! Patreon members get behind-the-scenes photos, access to chat rooms, virtual live events, and more – including the ad-free shows and special bonus episodes available to current members. Learn more here. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Access your Supporting Cast account here. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1833, a writer named Catharine Williams began working on a new book. She’d published books of poetry and about the Revolutionary War before, but this book was going to be different. It was going to be about a Methodist minister, a mill worker, and a murder.  Kate Dawson’s book is The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Criminal Plus is moving to Patreon! Patreon members get behind-the-scenes photos, access to chat rooms, virtual live events, and more – including the ad-free shows and special bonus episodes available to current members. Learn more here. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Access your Supporting Cast account here. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Phoebe talks about her new hobby, and meeting Santa in an unexpected place. Plus, Lauren shares a children's book she recently discovered, and Phoebe does her best audiobook narrator impression. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. We’d love for you to send us your questions – give us a call and leave a message at (833) 822-7850. Criminal Plus is moving to ⁠Patreon⁠! Patreon members get behind-the-scenes photos, access to chat rooms, virtual live events, and more – including the ad-free shows and special bonus episodes available to you now. This feed will end on 12/31/2025. ⁠Learn more about transferring your membership here⁠. Say hello on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠. Access your Supporting Cast account ⁠here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Years ago, we put out an episode called ⁠“The Manual.”⁠ It was about a triple murder investigation in 1993. When police searched the suspect's home, they found a book called Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors. The author of the book used a fake name, and their real identity was a mystery for decades – until a few months ago. Today: A special addition to the latest episode of Criminal, for Criminal Plus members only. Abbott Kahler's Vanity Fair article is called ⁠The Florida Divorcée’s Guide to Murder⁠. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. We’d love for you to send us your questions – give us a call and leave a message at (833) 822-7850.  Criminal Plus is moving to ⁠Patreon⁠! Patreon members get behind-the-scenes photos, access to chat rooms, virtual live events, and more – including the ad-free shows and special bonus episodes available to you now. This feed will end on 12/31/2025. ⁠Learn more about transferring your membership at http://thisiscriminal.com/plus. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram.  Access your Supporting Cast account here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1993, a family was found murdered in their home. A Maryland police spokesperson described the homicide investigation as the most “exhaustive and labor intensive” in the department’s history. And then investigators found a strange manual - written by someone calling themselves Rex Feral. This episode was originally released in 2018. To hear more about who actually wrote Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors, listen to today's bonus episode - available only on Criminal Plus. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Criminal Plus is moving to Patreon! Patreon members get behind-the-scenes photos, access to chat rooms, virtual live events, and more – including the ad-free shows and special bonus episodes available to current members. Learn more about transferring your membership at ⁠http://thisiscriminal.com/plus⁠. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Access your Supporting Cast account here. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott Darlington ran the post office in a village outside Manchester for four years. One day, the computer system told him there was money missing from the branch – and he was accused of theft and fraud. “I started thinking, ‘Maybe I’ve done this and I just haven’t realized that it’s been me.’” Nick Wallis’s book is The Great Post Office Scandal. Scott Darlington’s book is Signed Sealed Destroyed. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Criminal Plus is moving to Patreon! Patreon members get behind-the-scenes photos, access to chat rooms, virtual live events, and more – including the ad-free shows and special bonus episodes available to current members. Learn more here. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Access your Supporting Cast account here. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Lauren tells Phoebe the story of a neighborly lawsuit in Ohio, including a judge’s best guess about “a squirrel’s decision to chew on a wire.” Also – a pitch from Phoebe’s father, the perils of turkey frying, and other Thanksgiving menu items to consider. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. We’d love for you to send us your questions – give us a call and leave a message at (833) 822-7850. Criminal Plus is moving to Patreon! Patreon members get behind-the-scenes photos, access to chat rooms, virtual live events, and more – including the ad-free shows and special bonus episodes available to you now. This feed will end on 12/31/2025. Learn more about transferring your membership here. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. Access your Supporting Cast account here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When David Hahn was 16, he started working on something that caught the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the FBI. Ken Silverstein’s book is The Radioactive Boy Scout. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Criminal Plus is moving to Patreon! Patreon members get behind-the-scenes photos, access to chat rooms, virtual live events, and more – including the ad-free shows and special bonus episodes available to current members. Learn more here. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Phoebe and Lauren share some big news about Criminal Plus, and discuss photo anxiety, podcast playback speeds, and Mr. Darcy.  Find out all about our move to Patreon at thisiscriminal.com/patreon, and look for an email about it in your inbox today! Say hello on Facebook and Instagram.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of one day in one neighborhood in Chicago – and the people living there who try to stop ICE agents from arresting their neighbors. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Listen to them ad-free by adding them to your podcast player from your Criminal Plus account page. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Phoebe tells Lauren how running the New York City Marathon went – including the “closest thing to a religious experience” Phoebe’s ever had in her life. Plus, Phoebe and Lauren discuss artificial sources of heat, mispronounced words, and the state of jeans. Thank you for being a member of Criminal Plus. We’d love for you to send us your questions – give us a call and leave a message at (833) 822-7850.  Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery which you can subscribe to ad-free on your account page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Halloween night, in 1992, an unusual television special aired on the BBC. Nobody expected what happened next. “The technicians were looking up at the big screen in the lobby, saying to each other, ‘My God, what's going on in Studio One?’”  This episode was first released in 2022. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Listen to them ad-free by adding them to your podcast player from your Criminal Plus account page. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1883, a sailing captain named Thomas Dudley accepted a job no one thought was a good idea: to sail a small ship called the Mignonette halfway across the world. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Listen to them ad-free by adding them to your podcast player from your Criminal Plus account page. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Audrey Ryan’s father told her he once found 20 pounds of hash while he was fishing for scallops, she didn’t believe him. But he said that he wasn’t the only one who had found drugs in the ocean. Audrey Ryan wrote about the Tusker for Boston Globe Magazine. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Listen to them ad-free by adding them to your podcast player from your Criminal Plus account page. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Phoebe and Lauren talk with producer Lene Sillesen about one of her favorite episodes. Plus, Lauren fills Phoebe in on a drama unfolding in her neighborhood, and Phoebe recommends an activity to make you feel more in control of your life. Thank you for being a member of ⁠Criminal Plus⁠. We’d love for you to send us your questions – give us a call and leave a message at (833) 822-7850. Say hello on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery which you can subscribe to ad-free on your ⁠account page⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2006, a group of young men and teenagers were arrested under the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act for planning to set off bombs in Toronto. They were known as the Toronto 18. One of the group’s leaders was a 20-year-old named Zakaria Amara. Michelle Shephard wrote about Zakaria Amara for The Walrus magazine. Thank you very much for being a member of Criminal Plus! We’re grateful for your support. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Listen to them ad-free by adding them to your podcast player from your Criminal Plus account page. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Phoebe and Lauren discuss a tree-related crime, writer-editor relationships, and some “thrilling” TV recommendations. Plus, a sneak peek at what’s coming next on Phoebe Reads a Mystery, and how we’re getting ready for our 5th annual “animals gone wild” episode. Thank you for being a member of Criminal Plus. We’d love for you to send us your questions – give us a call and leave a message at (833) 822-7850. Say hello on Facebook and Instagram. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery which you can subscribe to ad-free on your account page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices