Forensic Psychology

2:45

Justice Delayed: The Science and Psychology of the...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/10/05

Teresa Ann Houck, 23, left her job at a Baltimore club in October 1986 and was found shot to death in Druid Hill Park hours later, leaving investigators with evidence but no suspect. For nearly 40 years, the case sat unsolved until a routine DNA database search produced the match prosecutors say identified her killer. This episode examines what that breakthrough shows about the staying power of forensic evidence and how long-dormant cases can reopen. We also consider what a decades-long wait means

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3:00

The Psychology of the Getaway Driver: How Responsible...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/10/04

The getaway driver may never enter the building, hold a weapon, or physically harm anyone—yet they can play an essential role in a violent crime. Psychologically, their distance from the violence can make participation easier by allowing them to see themselves as an assistant rather than an offender. This episode explores moral disengagement, diffusion of responsibility, group loyalty, and the uncomfortable difference between psychological distance and legal responsibility.

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3:36

The Psychology of Lawful Deception: How Interrogation...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/10/01

Courts have long allowed detectives to use certain deceptive tactics during interrogations — falsely claiming an accomplice confessed, or that evidence exists when it doesn't — but that doesn't mean anything goes. This episode examines the Supreme Court case Frazier v. Cupp and the voluntariness rule, the legal standard used to separate acceptable psychological pressure from coercion that produces an unreliable confession. We explore how deception tactics interact with suggestibility, stress, and

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3:14

Can a Brain Injury Turn Someone Into a Criminal? The...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/09/30

Can damage to the brain actually change someone’s personality enough to contribute to criminal behavior? From impaired impulse control to aggression and poor judgment, injuries to certain brain regions can dramatically alter how a person behaves. This episode explores what neuroscience can—and cannot—tell forensic psychologists about the connection between brain injury, responsibility, and crime.

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4:29

The Poison That Left a Trail: Forensic Science and...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/09/27

When Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian security officer, fell inexplicably ill in London in 2006, doctors initially had no explanation — until forensic testing uncovered polonium-210 in his system. This episode examines how that finding reshaped the investigation, forcing forensic teams to trace radioactive contamination across an entire city while reconstructing the method behind the poisoning. We explore why standard toxicology screening missed the cause entirely, and what the case reveals

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3:57

What a Body Still Knows: The Stephen Smith Exhumation...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/09/21

When 19-year-old Stephen Smith was found dead on a South Carolina road in 2015, investigators initially attributed his death to a vehicle strike — a conclusion that didn't hold up over time. This episode looks at what happened when his body was exhumed eight years later, and what forensic pathologists can and can't still determine after that much time underground. We examine how the second autopsy and surrounding physical evidence forced a re-reading of the case, and what it reveals about the limits

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5:04

The Clock That Lied: How a Jealous Fiancé and a Pinch...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/09/20

Through the lens of forensic psychology, this case illustrates how pathological jealousy and an obsessive need for control can drive an intimate partner toward violent, calculated homicide. Émile Gourbin demonstrated the traits of an organized offender, weaponizing social manipulation and cognitive bias by tampering with a clock to exploit his friends' alcohol-impaired perception of time. Ultimately, his intellectualized alibi unraveled when confronted with undeniable physical proof, exposing the

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5:20

China’s T800 Robot SWAT Patrols: The Dawn of AI...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/09/14

China just deployed the EngineAI T800 humanoid robot alongside SWAT officers in Shenzhen, walking real public patrols with fluid human-like motion, 5G real-time alerts, and zero fatigue – the most advanced real-world test of AI policing yet. In this episode we break down the massive pros for public safety, cost savings, and officer protection, plus a few honest cons around jobs and privacy, and how these $25K–$50K humanoids will evolve into smart-city staples by 2030. If you love cutting-edge

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4:59

“Diagnosed for Dollars: How Law Firms Betrayed the...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/09/13

The NFL’s billion-dollar concussion settlement was designed to compensate former players suffering from the devastating neurological consequences of a career in professional football — but a bombshell report reveals that five law firms systematically exploited that system through an organized scheme of fraudulent diagnoses. Special masters appointed by a federal court found that attorneys steered clients to unapproved doctors willing to hand out Parkinson’s disease diagnoses regardless of symptoms,

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3:19

Behind the Behavioral Science Unit: Jana Monroe on...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/09/07

Jana Monroe, the first female FBI agent in the Behavioral Science Unit, spent her career applying crime-scene analysis and victimology to roughly 850 homicide cases — work she describes as systematic suspect-pool reduction, not psychic access to a killer's inner life. This episode unpacks that distinction and why it matters, since decades of television have trained the public to expect a kind of certainty profiling was never designed to deliver. It's a grounded look at the actual methodology behind

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5:25

Weaponizing Narcocultura: The Cartel Marketing Machine

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/09/06

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2:23

Trapped on the Roof: The Killing of a correctional...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/08/31

On May 20, 2012, a gang fight inside a privately run Mississippi prison exploded into a multi-hour riot that left the facility in chaos. Twenty-four-year-old Senior Correctional Officer Catlin Carithers, called in on his day off, was cornered and beaten to death on the roof after inmates used food carts as a makeshift ladder to reach him. This episode walks through how the riot escalated, what happened to Carithers, and how prosecutors later held accountable the men who took part in the attack and

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14:52

The Psychology of the Vigilante — Applying the PEPS...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/08/31

In part two of their look at vigilantism, Carlos and retired FBI profiler Andrew Bringuel dig into what actually motivates someone to bypass the justice system and act on their own. Using the PEPS model — personal, economic, power/political, and social motives — they break down real cases, including the Bernhard Goetz shooting, to separate the myth of the vigilante from the psychology behind it. The conversation also turns practical, weighing what "good" versus destructive vigilante behavior looks

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5:26

"Don't Shoot, G-Men!" — How a Bureau PR Line Became...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/08/30

The legend goes that gangster "Machine Gun" Kelly coined the term "G-Men" when he begged federal agents not to shoot during his 1933 arrest — but the real story is a lesson in institutional myth-making. This episode traces how J. Edgar Hoover's Bureau and a cooperative press turned a routine capture into a branding coup months after the fact. It's a case study in how authority, narrative control, and media complicity combine to shape public memory long before anyone had a Twitter account.

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2:57

The 49ers owner gets caught in a trailer park

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/08/27

A billionaire’s son gets caught in a trailer park sting. The league says it is reviewing the matter. This is what happens when the story a man tells himself finally meets the version everyone else can see. Every case has a moment before the moment. A man sits in an SUV at a mobile home park in East Palestine, Ohio, waiting for something he told himself was one thing while some other part of him knew it was another. That is where this story starts, not with the arrest, but with the choice that made

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2:57

PART TWO: THE JUMP SHE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO SURVIVE

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/08/24

Nine years after Belgium, in the English countryside, a military-trained parachute instructor jumped from four thousand feet with both her main and reserve chutes disabled — and lived. Behind it sat a husband, a life insurance policy, and a marriage already in freefall long before she was. This part covers the near-impossible survival, the motive, and what two cases a decade apart reveal about this method of killing.

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3:13

Cut Lines: The Anatomy of a Parachute Murder: PART...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/08/23

In 2006, an experienced Belgian skydiver stepped out of a plane and discovered mid-air that neither of her parachutes would open. What looked at first like an unthinkable equipment failure turned out to be something far colder — a killing engineered days in advance by someone who never had to be in the room. This part covers the jump, the investigation, and the rival who built a death out of patience.

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3:32

Why Bank Robbers Still Skip the Optimal Window:...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/08/17

Bank robberies in the United States have plunged to historic lows, yet the patterns of when and where they occur still reveal surprisingly suboptimal choices by perpetrators. Drawing on the latest FBI Bank Crime Statistics and regional breakdowns, this episode revisits classic insights about morning versus afternoon yields alongside current numbers showing a sharp national decline concentrated in certain areas. Listen for a clear-eyed look at risk, reward, human habits, and how the crime itself has

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3:01

The Imposter in the Abbey: Michael Dongarra and the...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/08/16

1997, a fugitive con man who had stolen over a million dollars in religious artifacts while posing as an Anglican priest sought refuge inside a Benedictine monastery in Massachusetts. This episode examines how Michael Dongarra exploited the psychological architecture of trust that monastic life depends on, and what his case reveals about the blind spots built into institutions designed around faith rather than suspicion. We explore the intersection of psychopathy, religious performance, and the

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4:25

Live on Camera: How Mexico's Cartel War Turned...

Forensic Psychology ·

2026/08/13

Mexican content creators are being killed in real time on TikTok and Instagram as rival Sinaloa Cartel factions settle scores in public. César Gastélum's murder outside a fast-food restaurant is only the latest in a string of more than a dozen influencer killings tied to the Chapitos-Mayos split. This episode examines why narco groups now treat social media stars as both propaganda tools and disposable liabilities.

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