Best Christopher Goffard Podcasts (2025)

1
Death on the Set of the Twilight Zone Movie 28:25

4d ago28:25

28:25

When a helicopter crash killed actor Vic Morrow and two children on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie, the filmmakers called it an unforeseeable accident. An LA County Sheriff’s detective saw something else: broken laws, reckless risks, and an A-list director who ignored warnings.By L.A. Times Studios

1
Dane Huckelbridge: Queen of All Mayhem 1:07:53

5d ago1:07:53

1:07:53

We hear a lot about gunslingers and outlaws in the American West, and those stories are mostly about men. But there were female outlaws, too—like Belle Starr, probably the most famous of them all. Her murder was a mystery. But her life was extraordinary. Author Dane Huckelbridge tells me about Belle and his book: Queen of All Mayhem. Support this p…

1
Satanic Panic: A Death in the Manson Tunnel 26:26

11d ago26:26

26:26

On the summer solstice in 1990, a UCLA student with an interest in the occult was stabbed to death in a railway tunnel in the San Fernando Valley. Rumors of ritual violence swirled in the era of the so-called Satanic Panic. Police investigating the murder of Ronald Baker found his killers knew him well. One of them had even carried his casket.…

1
Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee: Shadow of the Bridge 1:04:18

12d ago1:04:18

1:04:18

The murders of Liberty German and Abigail Williams in Delphi, Indiana shook the country. But the impact of the attention, the speculation and the fear is still felt in the community. Now podcasters Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee have written a book about the case, but it feels different from other investigations. Their book does focus on the case, bu…

1
Tinker, Tailor, Stoner, Spy 28:20

18d ago28:20

28:20

When 21-year old college dropout Christopher Boyce got a job as a clerk at the TRW Defense and Space Systems complex in Redondo Beach, he was given access to some of the country’s biggest government secrets. And under a Robin Hood-like ethos, he and his childhood pal Andrew Daulton Lee began sharing those secrets with the Soviet Union. Their story …

1
Rich Cohen: Murder in the Dollhouse 56:27

19d ago56:27

56:27

The disappearance in 2019 of Jennifer Dulos is one of the most chilling stories I’ve ever read about. When the mother of five vanished from her wealthy Connecticut suburb, her estranged husband became the prime suspect. But when Fotis Dulos ended his own life, the mystery deepened. Author Rich Cohen has the inside story in his book, Murder in the D…

1
I Killed John Belushi 30:23

25d ago30:23

30:23

When comic John Belushi died of a speedball overdose at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont, it wasn’t clear there had been a crime—until the National Enquirer got involved. This episode follows the tabloid reporter who hunted down Belushi’s dealer, coaxed a confession, and transformed a drug overdose into a homicide investigation.…

1
Jane Borden: Cults Like Us 50:21

26d ago50:21

50:21

What is the origin story of cults? Author Jane Borden says it goes all the way back to the Puritans and their doomsday beliefs. She says that from the beginning, we’ve been a nation of easy marks for con artists and manipulators. She tells me about her book, Cults Like Us. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at …

1
The Other Side of the Door: The Case Against Lee Baca 32:28

1M ago32:28

32:28

James Sexton endures weeks of solitary confinement in federal prison, as prosecutors finally gear up to take Lee Baca to trial. Baca’s lawyers claim he has Alzheimer’s Disease. It’s late 2016, and the recent presidential race has made the FBI unpopular in liberal Los Angeles. Sexton testifies for the government and is released early, a humbled man,…

1
Anne Soon Choi: L.A. Coroner 45:18

1M ago45:18

45:18

When you write a biography about a man dubbed “Coroner to the Stars,” it’s bound to be a compelling story. Who doesn’t want to read about the coroner who performed the autopsies on Marilyn Monroe, RFK, and Natalie Wood, among others? Author Anne Soon Choi tells me about her book, “L.A. Coroner.” Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor d…

1
The Generals: Power, Deception and a Cover-Up that Goes to the Top 27:36

1M ago27:36

27:36

By L.A. Times Studios

1
Patricia Cornwell: Scarpetta 1:04:40

1M ago1:04:40

1:04:40

I’ve interviewed quite a few authors who are inspired by real people or real crimes. And then they write these fantastic novels. Patricia Cornwell’s iconic character, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, has a legion of fans because of how clever she is as a medical examiner, how she solves a mystery. Cornwell was working with Virginia’s first female chief ME Dr. Ma…

1
Inside Man: A Jailer Turns Informant 28:09

2M ago28:09

28:09

James Sexton thinks Operation Pandora’s Box is behind him. When he reports a superior officer for misconduct, he is branded a snitch and treated as a pariah. Ostracized and scared, he does what he once thought unthinkable: he begins feeding information about the Sheriff’s Department to the FBI, and tells a grand jury about the scheme to hide Anthon…

1
Ross Halperin: Bear Witness 1:06:00

2M ago1:06:00

1:06:00

A gang in a mountain barrio in Honduras terrorized the people there for years. The police claimed that their hands were tied because witnesses refused to testify. An American sociologist and a Honduran schoolteacher devised a plan to protect their neighbors by taking matters into their own hands. Author Ross Halperin tells me the story in his book:…

1
Gunning Up: L.A. County’s Top Cop Versus the Feds 26:20

2M ago26:20

26:20

When Lee Baca took over the LA County Sheriff’s Department in 1998, he inherited a scandal-plagued agency. He built a reputation as a progressive reformer, and his jail-education programs were celebrated. But the feds notice that investigations into his agency always seem to evaporate when he gets involved. By 2011, he is 70 years old and has run t…

1
Michael Beach Nichols: Perfect Wife 1:03:52

2M ago1:03:52

1:03:52

Most of us have heard about Sherri Papini. She’s the woman who faked her own kidnapping in 2016, which terrified her husband and soon sparked outrage in her Northern California community. Michael Beach Nichols is the director and producer of the Hulu series, “Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini.” He tells US about his experi…

1
The Ghost: An Inmate Disappears in L.A. County Jail 30:16

2M ago30:16

30:16

After an inmate sucker-punches James Sexton, he defies the jail’s unwritten rules by failing to exact violent retribution, and finds himself ostracized by his peers. But he becomes an expert in the antiquated jail computer system and eventually wins promotion to an elite jail-intelligence unit. Leah Marx has a cell phone smuggled to inmate-informan…

1
Bryan Burrough: The Gunfighters 50:22

2M ago50:22

50:22

We’ve heard from my buddy Bryan Burrough before for one of his Audible books based on a true crime story. His new book is very different. It’s called The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild. Enough said. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/4gF2K18 See more information on my boo…

1
The Dungeon: Inside Men’s Central Jail 30:16

2M ago30:16

30:16

A young FBI agent named Leah Marx arrives in Los Angeles and receives a tip in 2010 about brutal conditions at Men’s Central Jail downtown. Such complaints have gone nowhere for years, since they pit the allegations of inmates against the word of jail deputies. But she finds informants, including a wily bank robber, Anthony Brown, who is facing lif…

1
James Polchin: Shadow Men 59:21

2M ago59:21

59:21

Our story this week is set in the 1920s in Westchester County, New York…it’s a Jazz Age mystery. A young ex-sailor is found dead on a desolate road. A suspect from a wealthy family admits to the murder, but he claims that he was trying to protect a dangerous secret. Author James Polchin’s book, Shadow Men unravels a mystery more than a century old.…

1
Dan Slater: The Incorruptibles 59:01

3M ago59:01

59:01

New York in the early 1900s was filled with people trying to make their lives better. But for many, the rise of organized crime kept them in constant fear. On the Lower East Side, Jewish criminals from Eastern Europe formed crime syndicates. There were gangs of horse poisoners, casino owners, thieves and thugs. But then a group of Jewish uptowners …

1
Introducing Pandora's Box: The Fall of L.A.'s Sheriff 2:36

3M ago2:36

2:36

Pandora’s Box: The Fall of L.A.’s Sheriff is a six-part podcast exploring the crisis that toppled one of the country’s most prominent lawmen, Lee Baca. Rising from humble beginnings, he presented himself as a reformer when he took over the scandal-plagued agency in 1998. He vowed that he would be sheriff as long as he lived, and voters seemed to ap…

1
Tanya Talaga: The Knowing 56:48

3M ago56:48

56:48

If you’ve ever dug deep into your family history, you know that there are sometimes surprises. Author Tanya Talaga discovered that the life of her great-great grandmother Annie Carpenter was mostly unknown because she was Indigenous. It’s a struggle that many Indigenous people in Canada have: how do you learn about your family’s past without crucia…

1
Featuring: The Trials of Frank Carson, Episode 8 Bonus 25:21

3M ago25:21

25:21

In this special feature bonus episode, our host Christopher Goffard is joined by his editor, Steve Clow to discuss the aftermath of the case.By L.A. Times Studios

1
Alex Eliseev: Cold Case Confession 56:51

3M ago56:51

56:51

This week on Wicked Words on Exactly Right: in 1999, a woman named Betty Ketani went missing in Johannesburg, South Africa. She just vanished from the restaurant where she was working. Then a letter found 13 years later changed everything. Author Alex Eliseev tells me about his book Cold Case Confession—a real Agatha Christie story. Support this po…

1
Featuring: The Trials of Frank Carson, Episode 8 54:47

3M ago54:47

54:47

In this featured episode, The fates of Frank Carson and his co-defendants are decided, and jurors explain their reasoning. An interview with the state’s star witness, now out of lockup, raises troubling questions about the state’s handling of the case.By L.A. Times Studios

1
Megan Abbott: El Dorado Drive 58:40

3M ago58:40

58:40

New York Times’ best-selling author Megan Abbott often uses true crime stories as a jumping off point for her wildly popular novels. Now she has a new book out called El Dorado Drive. It’s about three sisters who become entangled in a pyramid scheme that turns very dark. The real story behind the novel is so strange, it’s hard to know what really h…

1
Featuring: The Trials of Frank Carson, Episode 7 Bonus 23:06

3M ago23:06

23:06

In this special feature bonus episode, our host Christopher Goffard is joined by his editor, Steve Clow, to examine the evidence against Carson and his co-defendants as the longest California criminal trial in decades staggers to its conclusion.By L.A. Times Studios

1
Caroline Fraser: Murderland 53:12

3M ago53:12

53:12

This week’s author grew up in the Pacific Northwest with the memories of notorious serial killers like Ted Bundy and the Green River Killer, who also lived there. But the region wasn’t just home to those two murderers: there were many more. Was there a connection between the Pacific Northwest’s most infamous killers…and its incredible amounts of po…

1
Featuring: The Trials of Frank Carson, Episode 7 46:39

4M ago46:39

46:39

In this specially featured episode, defense attorneys offer alternate theories to explain Korey Kauffman’s death, and the trial becomes an endurance test. As Frank Carson’s health deteriorates, he wonders whether he will live to see a verdict.By L.A. Times Studios

1
Matthew McGough + Rick Jackson: Black Tunnel White Magic 1:03:43

4M ago1:03:43

1:03:43

In 1990, a UCLA student was found murdered in a tunnel in LA. Detective Rick Jackson and his partner were assigned to the complicated case. Who had a motive to stab Ronald Baker? Was the pentagram pendant around his neck a clue? Author Matthew McGough and Detective Rick Jackson tell the story in their book, Black Tunnel White Magic: A Murder, a Det…

1
Elon Green: The Man Nobody Killed 48:29

4M ago48:29

48:29

We’ve had journalist Elon Green on before to talk about his fantastic book Last Call. His new book is about an inspiring young Black artist in 1980s New York. Michael Stewart ended up dead after encountering a Transit Authority police officer at a 14th Street subway station late one night. Witnesses say that police beat him to death, and it made na…

1
Featuring: The Trials of Frank Carson, Episode 6 Bonus 21:04

4M ago21:04

21:04

In this specially featured bonus episode, our host Christopher Goffard is joined by his editor, Steve Clow, to discuss the implications of Frank Carson's trial on the criminal-justice system.By L.A. Times Studios

1
Featuring: The Trials of Frank Carson, Episode 6 44:06

4M ago44:06

44:06

In this special-feature episode, Frank Carson hits rock bottom, and offers his co-defendants a way out. During the marathon preliminary hearing, the prosecution belatedly reveals a cache of undisclosed evidence — with major consequences.By L.A. Times Studios

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Christopher Goffard Podcasts

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