You Can’t Make This Up

This episode contains *spoilers* so make sure to watch the entire series of "The Sons of Sam" on Netflix before listening on.When the “Son of Sam,” David Berkowitz was caught in the summer of 1977 after a string of shooting attacks in New York City, the world believed the nightmare was over, but for journalist Maury Terry, the real mystery was just beginning. Terry was convinced that Berkowitz had not acted alone. He spent decades attempting to prove that the web of darkness behind the murders went deeper than anyone imagined.In this episode, our host Rebecca Lavoie is joined by Joshua Zeman, the director and executive producer of the docu-series "The Sons of Sam." 

This episode contains spoilers so make sure to watch all of the film "Why Did You Kill Me?" on Netflix before listening on.After her daughter’s murder, a mother uses the social networking site MySpace to find the people she believes are responsible. She creates a fake profile that leads to unexpected intimacy with the suspects, a key break in the case, and a dark revenge plot. The documentary film "Why Did You Kill Me?" offers a gripping look at the effects of loss and the relationship between revenge, forgiveness, and the criminal justice system. Join host and journalist, Rebecca Lavoie as she speaks with the film’s director and producer, Fredrick Munk.Stay tuned for our next episode on “The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness.” You Can’t Make This Up is a production of Netflix. 

On today’s show, we’re taking a break from our usual format to premiere a new original Netflix podcast: “Searching for The Sons of Sam.”From Tenderfoot TV and true crime director Joshua Zeman comes a 5-part audio documentary about Zeman’s relationship with the late journalist Maury Terry. Terry spent 40 years of his life trying to prove that convicted Son of Sam serial killer David Berkowitz had not acted alone. Terry’s book, “The Ultimate Evil,” lays out his case that the Son of Sam murders were carried out by multiple members of a satanic cult.After Terry’s death, Zeman inherited all of his case files. “Searching for The Sons of Sam” is the companion podcast to Zeman’s Netflix docu-series, “The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness,” which retraces Maury Terry’s investigation into who was really behind one of America’s most notorious serial killings.It's our pleasure to present to you the world premiere of the podcast: Searching for the Sons of Sam - Episode 1: The Ultimate Evil. 

In 1990, two men dressed as cops conned their way into a Boston museum and stole a fortune in art. The stolen works are estimated to be worth over half a billion dollars today and there’s a 10 million dollar reward for whoever finds it. “This is A Robbery: The World’s Greatest Art Heist” goes deep into the leads, dead ends, lucky breaks, and speculations surrounding this notorious crime that remains unsolved over 30 years later.Join host Rebecca Lavoie as she speaks with Colin Barnicle, the series director, and executive producer. A note to listeners: This episode contains spoilers. So make sure to watch the entire series and then, listen on.You Can’t Make This Up is a production of Netflix. Our music is by Hansdale Hsu and our producer is Shana Daloria.

You’ve probably heard a lot about the 2019 college admission scandal, but you haven’t heard everything. Operation Varsity Blues goes beyond the celebrity-driven headlines with real conversations from FBI wiretaps. The film offers a rare glimpse of the man at the center of the scandal,  Rick Singer, and the methods he used to help his wealthy clients cheat a system already designed to benefit the privileged.Our host Rebecca Lavoie is joined by two guests in this episode, Jon Karmen (the film’s editor, writer, and producer) and Chris Smith (the film’s director and producer).This episode contains spoilers so make sure to watch the entire series before you listen on.

A note to listeners: This episode contains spoilers. So make sure to watch the entire series and then, listen on. In Salt Lake City in 1985, a trio of pipe bombings killed two people. The murders sent shockwaves through the Mormon Church when a trove of historically controversial Latter-Day Saints letters was found destroyed in the vehicle of the third victim, a renowned collector of rare documents. As he fights for his life, investigators raced to uncover the truth. “Murder Among the Mormons” is the first comprehensive look at one of the most horrifying crimes to have ever taken place among the LDS community and the criminal mastermind behind it all. 

For nearly a century, the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles has been linked to some of the city’s most notorious activity — from untimely deaths to housing serial killers. In 2013, college student Elisa Lam vanished while staying as a guest at the hotel. Her disappearance ignited a media frenzy that mobilized a global community of internet sleuths eager to solve the case.In this episode, host Rebecca Lavoie speaks with Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger to discuss the first season of his new series “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at The Cecil Hotel.” 

It was the late 1970s. A serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper cast a dark shadow over the lives of women across England. Over a span of five years, thirteen women were dead and the police seemed incapable of catching the murderer. No one felt safe – and every man was a suspect.

The mid-1980s was a period of terror in Southern California. A series of random home invasions, sexual assaults, and brutal murders were happening across the region. Men, women, and children of all races and walks of life were victims. Stranger yet, the horrendous methods of killings fit no particular pattern. Some victims were strangled. Some were shot. Some were beaten to death.Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer is the definitive portrait of one of the most disturbing and unpredictable serial killers in criminal history from the perspective of the two detectives leading the hunt to capture him. On the show this week, our host Rebecca Lavoie (Crime Writers On...) speaks with Tiller Russell, the Night Stalker series director.  This episode contains spoilers. So make sure to watch the entire film and then, listen on.

In the early 1980s, the crack epidemic tore through America like a tsunami, ravaging all in its wake. And the destructive effects on people's lives, families, and communities are still deeply felt decades later. “Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy” examines the drug’s devastation, shadowy origins, and the ongoing criminalization of Black and Brown people in U.S. prison and healthcare systems.Rebecca speaks with director Stanley Nelson. This episode contains spoilers. So make sure to watch the entire film and then, listen on.