D.C. Snipers Part 3

Mike tells Sarah about the indoctrination of Lee Boyd Malvo and the beginning of the sniper attacks. Digressions include Jonestown, Greek tragedy and something called “creepy crawling.” The episode begins with a lengthy meta-discussion of true-crime tropes and whether we are playing into them. The final section includes a detailed description of a suicide attempt.

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Links!

• “The Making of Lee Boyd Malvo”
• “The Diary of the D.C. Sniper”
• Mildred Muhammad’s book, “Scared Silent”
• “23 Days of Terror: The Compelling True Story of the Hunt and Capture of the Beltway Snipers”
• “Sniper: Inside the Hunt for the Killers Who Terrorized the Nation”

Valentine’s Day Re-Release: Anna Nicole Smith

Valentine’s Day re-release! Sarah and Mike reflect on one of the only love stories they’ve ever covered on the show.

 

Why Didn’t Anyone Go to Prison for the Financial Crisis?

“Every big fish you catch, you end up with a hole in the net.” Mike tells Sarah how America’s white-collar crime spree got so bad. Digressions include self-checkout kiosks, Barbie dolls and moonshine. Homeless shelters and teacher pay feature prominently. By the standards of this podcast, this episode is relatively upbeat.

This episode is based on an article by Mike and here it is!

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D.C. Snipers Part 2

Mike tells Sarah how a nice Jamaican kid became the disciple of a mean American adult. Digressions include Tonya Harding (of course), “Sliding Doors” (again) and “Anne of Green Gables” (Sarah has an English degree). Mildred re-appears just after the hour mark. We are unable to conceive of a content warning comprehensive enough for all the horrors contained in this episode. There is less crying than last time, but only slightly.

Support us: Subscribe on Patreon, donate on PayPal or get a T-shirt

Links!

• “The Making of Lee Boyd Malvo”
• The 2004 Vanity Fair article on Lee
• Mildred Muhammad’s book, “Scared Silent”
• “23 Days of Terror: The Compelling True Story of the Hunt and Capture of the Beltway Snipers”
• Newsweek, “Descent Into Evil”
• “Sniper: Inside the Hunt for the Killers Who Terrorized the Nation”
• Congressional hearing on John’s Antigua document shenanigans