New true crime podcasts that are taking a fresh look at crimes of the past
History is full of crime, from the stolen artifacts that fill museums to the CIA's experiments in mind control. This episode we're playing riveting new true crime podcasts that give us windows into the past. You'll hear about how Old Hollywood dealt with its first major scandal, and about the murders that shocked a community in 1930s Texas.
Plus, we speak to Yusuf Faqiri. In 2016 Yusuf's brother Soleiman Faqiri was found dead in his jail cell in Lindsay, Ontario, after being beaten, pepper sprayed and shackled by guards. The new podcast Unascertained re-examines the unanswered questions in Soleiman's case, and how the prison system treats people with mental health issues. Yusuf Faqiri joins our host Elamin Abdelmahmoud in this episode to talk about his brother's case and what he hopes will come out of the podcast.
Podcasts featured this week:
Tenfold More Wicked: "In 1935 William and Lena Pierson are living a wonderful life; he is an associate judge on the Texas Supreme Court, a career politician. She is a beloved homemaker and mother to their three children: Bill, Alice and Howard. One night in April, Howard (their youngest child) rushes into a local hospital with an arm wound—he's been shot by robbers in rural Austin, by a creek. His parents are dead. The local police are panicked."
Unascertained: "Part II: Anthony Ouellette was an inmate at the Lindsay jail in 2016. He watched as Soleiman Faqiri's mental health slowly deteriorated during the 11 days he was kept in segregation, and desperately tried to get him help. Ouellette shares the shocking details of what he saw during that time, and how on the eleventh day, he came back to his cell to find out that Soleiman had died."
Brainwashed: "Communist brainwashing, mind control experiments, a government cover up... MKULTRA sounds like the stuff of conspiracy theories or science fiction. But it was real. John Marks, author of The Search for the Manchurian Candidate, and Stephen Kinzer, author of Poisoner in Chief, reveal the shocking details of the bizarre and expansive secret CIA project."
Stuff The British Stole: "In 1897, the Nigerian Kingdom of Benin was a magnet for imperial powers who wanted to exploit its wealth. Not surprisingly, the rulers of Benin didn't see it that way - which led to an invasion, a massacre and plunder on a grand scale. When the smoke cleared, thousands were dead and the winners had made off with treasures including an exquisite set of bronzes. But, years later, justice prevailed, and its protagonists were an unlikely team; two cops from Kensington Palace and a retired microbiologist, the descendant of one of the British invaders."
Badlands: "One of Hollywood's greatest scandals involved underground brothels, studio hush money, bootlegged alcohol, a dead actress, and the most famous silent-era star you've never heard of: Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. In 1919, already a household name, Arbuckle became the first actor to earn a million dollars a year, eclipsing even his friend and competitor, Charlie Chaplin. Just two years later, he had a reversal of fortune of epic proportions. Over 100 years later, however, few people know anything about Arbuckle's fame or his infamous downfall. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual assault."
What new true crime shows are on your radar? Please send your recommendations our way! Email, tweet us @PodcastPlaylist, or find us on Facebook.
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