Bitter Academia

Since a manhunt ended with the arrest of Luigi Mangione for the alleged murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in late 2024, he’s almost reached celebrity status. He even has his own fanclub – girls who make their way into his court hearings. Unlike many killers, the unique qualities of Mangione’s case – including his own manifesto – have received a surprisingly warm reception by some. In addition to providing an update on his trials, we’ll unpack his public reception a bit in this episode. To end the show, we’ll touch on one of the most famous celebrity murder cases, the OJ Simpson trial. Mark Fuhrman, a police officer whose infamous, televised, testimony was a key feature of the trial, died this week, and Audacy stations reflected back on how it impacted the eventual verdict. Featuring audio from The Dave Glover Show out of KMOX in St. Louis, Jason DeRusha and Chad Hartman out of WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities and the Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City.

On Monday, May 18th, 2026, two teen shooters entered the Islamic Center of San Diego and opened fire, according to authorities. It hasn’t been a week yet since suspects shot and killed two men there and then took their own lives. Investigators have discovered a manifesto they believe the shooters penned. Those indicate that the shooters were at least partly motivated by another shooter who made headlines. We’ll be taking a closer look at that case and its relationship to online culture – including glorification of mass shooters and more – in this episode with expert interviews. KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, 1010 WINS in New York City, WBEN News and Talk in Buffalo, KNX News in Los Angeles and WWJ Newsradio in Detroit.

Crime and fame have an uncomfortable relationship. While the public wants and needs to know about crimes, the criminals themselves can actually chase the attention that comes committing a crime. Some crimes are so bizarre that its inevitable that they’ll become headline news. And sometimes, criminals are already famous by the time they go down a violent path. In all of these circumstances, increased attention can change the way criminal investigations play out. This week, we'll look at the how fame and infamy played a part in the and recent San Diego mosque shooting, the Luigi Mangione case and the OJ Simpson trial. Featuring audio from KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, 1010 WINS in New York City, WBEN News and Talk in Buffalo, KNX News in Los Angeles, The Dave Glover Show out of KMOX in St. Louis, Jason DeRusha and Chad Hartman out of WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities and the Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City.

We’ll hear about a mass shooting that has been linked to artificial intelligence, ongoing efforts in Buffalo to heal from the 2022 Tops Supermarket mass shooting and a new program in Minnesota aimed at reducing homicides. Featuring audio from WBEN News & Talk in Buffalo and WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities.

A case that people thought was closed – the Murdaugh murders case in South Carolina – was turned on its head this week. A judge overturned the convictions of Richard Alexander Murdaugh, known as Alex Murdaugh, for allegedly killing his wife and son, and ordered a new trial. While the Murdugh case made plenty of headlines this week, you may have missed an update to another high-profile case, the 2024 Kansas City Super Bowl parade shooting. This week, two men convicted of the shooting went free. We’ll also check in on the Tanner Horner case in Texas and other quick updates from across the U.S. Featuring audio from 1010 WINS in New York, NYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, KRLD 1080 in Dallas, The Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City, The Tara Show out of 98.9 WORD in Greenville, South Carolina and KCBS Radio out of the Bay Area.

A case that people thought was closed – the Murdaugh murders case in South Carolina – was turned on its head this week. A judge overturned the convictions of Ricard Alexander Murdaugh, known as Alex Murdaugh, for allegedly killing his wife and son, and ordered a new trial. While the Murdugh case made plenty of headlines this week, you may have missed an update to another high-profile case, the 2024 Kansas City Super Bowl parade shooting. This week, two men convicted of the shooting went free. Those are just some of the cases we'll cover in this episode. Featuring audio from 1010 WINS in New York, NYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, KRLD 1080 in Dallas, The Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City, The Tara Show out of 98.9 WORD in Greenville, South Carolina, KCBS Radio out of the Bay Area, WBEN News & Talk in Buffalo and WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities.

Scott Vaughn, a former football official who now owns First Down Healthcare & Aesthetics in suburban New Orleans, is the co-founder of a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping survivors of human and sex trafficking get rid of tattoos and other physical markings. We’ll hear from Vaughn about the project in this episode. We’ll also hear about the release of Robert Courtney, a former pharmacist who was found diluting cancer patient medications, as well as other cases from coast to coast. Featuring audio from the Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City and Tommy Tucker out of WWL in New Orleans.

Here, we have quick crime roundups from coast to coast, including an update on the Renne Good case out of Minneapolis, Minn. Featuring audio from 1010 WINS in New York, KCBS Radio in the Bay Area, KRLD 1080 in Dallas, KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia and Drivetime with DeRusha out of WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities.

Scott Vaughn, a former football official who now owns First Down Healthcare & Aesthetics in suburban New Orleans, is the co-founder of a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping survivors of human and sex trafficking get rid of tattoos and other physical markings. We’ll hear more from Vaughn about the project in this episode. We’ll also hear about the release of Robert Courtney, a former pharmacist who was found diluting cancer patient medications, as well as other cases from coast to coast. Featuring audio from 1010 WINS in New York, KCBS Radio in the Bay Area, KRLD 1080 in Dallas, KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, Drivetime with DeRusha out of WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities, the Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City and Tommy Tucker out of WWL in New Orleans.

In this mini roundup, we're check in with some updates on developing true crime cases throughout the country. Featuring audio from KNX News, KRLD 1080, KWY Newsradio and WBEN.

For this episode, we’re going to dive into some of what goes into bringing criminals to justice, and what happens when that process goes wrong. We’ll hear from reporter Steve Neavling as well as officials from around the country, like St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith and Pennsylvania lawmakers who want to put a stop t0 the death penalty. Featuring audio from WWJ Newsradio in Detroit, KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, The Dave Glover Show out of KMOX in St. Louis and WBBM Newsradio in Chicago.

On this episode, we’re going to dive into some of what goes into bringing criminals to justice, and what happens when that process goes wrong with an interview with reporter Steve Neavling about a scandal regarding coerced suspect statements in Michigan. We'll also get updates on the White House correspondent's dinner incident, the Nick Reiner trial, the D4vd trial, the Tanner Horner trial, and more. Featuring audio from: WWJ Newsradio in Detroit, KNX News in Los Angeles, KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, KRLD 1080 in Dallas, The Dave Glover Show out of KMOX in St. Louis, A New Morning out of WBEN News Talk in Buffalo and WBBM Newsradio in Chicago.

Around a month ago, I wrote about the case of a missing scientist in New Mexico. This week that case, and other similar cases have been making headlines. At least scientists who two lawmakers say are connected to U.S. nuclear secrets or rocket technology have either died or disappeared. There are reasons why people believe these cases might be linked, and we’ll get into those. However, we’ll also hear from an expert about why we shouldn’t jump to conclusions or get lost in conspiracy theories. But we’re actually starting this episode in Los Angeles, where Audacy station KNX News has been covering one particular murder case for months. It began with the report of human remains found in a Tesla last September. This week the owner of that Tesla, Billboard-charting musician David Burke, whose stage name is stylized as D-4-V-D, was charged with the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. She was just 14 years old when she died. Featuring audio from KNX News in Los Angeles, the Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City and WBEN News and Talk in Buffalo.

A trial for the murder of 7-year-old Athena Strand and a mystery centered on a couple who went on what many speculate was a deadly boat ride in the Bahamas for Lynette Hooker are some of the developing cases we’ll cover in this episode. We’ll also take listeners into a recent meeting where investigators explained how they finally solved a nearly 30-year-old cold case murder of Deborah Kennedy, tracking it down to a neighbor who hadn’t even been a suspect with new DNA analysis technology. A new documentary film, “Echoes in the Night: The Jacob Wetterling Story” that is premiering his month explores another case that went unsolved for decades. We’ll hear from murder victim Jacob Wetterling’s mother of how solving these crimes impacts the families of victims. Featuring audio from KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, KRLD 1080 in Dallas, the Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City, WBEN News Talk in Buffalo, WWJ Newsradio in Detroit and the Adam & Jordana Show out of WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities.

In this episode, you’ll hear Eli Frankel, author of “The Black Dahlia, The Prairie Heiress and Their Hunter” discuss the lesser-known Prairie Heiress case, the murder of a woman named Leela Welsh. It mirrors the Black Dahlia case in many ways, and Frankel argues that the same killer was behind both gruesome crimes. We’ll also dive in to the case of a Hawaii doctor who has been accused of trying to kill his wife on her birthday, the guilty plea of the Gilgo Beach murderer who authorities tried to track down for decades, the trial of a FedEx driver accused of murdering a 7-year-old girl and other cases from across the country. Featuring audio from KNX News in Los Angeles, KCBS Radio in the Bay Area, WWJ Newsradio in Detroit, KRLD 1080 in Dallas, 1010 WINS in New York, KDKA Radio in Pittsburgh and the Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City.

This week, we’re focusing on trials. Once the hunt for a killer or other criminal is over, it can take years for them to go to trial. The high -profile Luigi Mangione case is a good example, both his state and federal trials have been postponed. Meanwhile, the trial for a man accused of killing his neighbor after allegedly harassing the entire neighborhood has been scheduled, and a homicide cause of death ruling in Buffalo might not lead to a trial at all. We'll also cover narrowly avoided crimes and other updates from Audacy stations across the country. Featuring audio from WBBM Newsradio in Chicago, WBEN News & Talk in Buffalo, WWJ Newsradio in Detroit, KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, 1010 WINS in New York, WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities and the Dana & Parks Show of KMBZ in Kansas City.

This week, looking into what happens when violent criminals get parole – specifically how it impacts the communities the move into after their release. We’ll also get a detailed rundown of a harrowing Uber drive that ended in gunfire and some reflections on the late director Rob Reiner three months after his murder. We also have short updates on several other cases – including the Nancy Guthrie disappearance. Featuring audio from KRLD 1080 in Dallas, WBBM Newsradio in Chicago, KMOX in St. Louis, WBEN News Talk in Buffalo, the Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City and KNX News out of Los Angeles.

In this episode, CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman, who worked on the Oscar-winning documentary “All The Empty Rooms” about mass shootings discusses the film. We’ll also hear about the latest development in the two by four killer case out of Kansas and more. Featuring audio from WWJ Newsradio in Detroit, KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia, WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities, the Dana & Parks Show out of KMBZ in Kansas City and KCBS Radio in the Bay Area.