Crime Writers On...True Crime Review

When Gabe Ortiz’s brother was killed in 2023, the prominent Texas lawman had to deal with more than a murder investigation. He had to confront their different life choices. Faced with few prospects, young Gabe left town for the Air Force and the police academy. Meanwhile, his brother Larry stayed at home, where his best opportunity was selling drugs. While Gabe climbed the ranks in the Department of Public Safety, his brother climbed the ranks as a dealer and prison gang leader. But Larry had pulled himself out of The Game to live a more normal life before being gunned down. The question lingers: how did the siblings who were so close as children end up on such opposite paths?

The podcast “The Brothers Ortiz” from Campside Media and iHeartPodcasts examines the lives of two men, bound by blood but living in distant worlds. Host Sean Flynn talks with the Ortiz family to learn why the brothers’ paths diverged so widely and how they tried to connect despite living on opposing sides of the law. It’s a story of how circumstance, choice, and the world around them steered the two men toward separate destinies.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE BROTHERS ORTIZ" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: Blue Man Dupe.

 

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In 1977’s Moscow, Americans Bea Grant and Twila Hasbeck learn their husbands have died during a secret mission in Soviet Russia. Determined to learn why, they convince the CIA station chief to let them return to the US embassy to complete their husbands’ covert operation and uncover why it went wrong. Bea and Twila find themselves helping a young Russian leak secret Soviet technology. But they’re drawn in deeper when Bea catches the eye of a ruthless KGB officer who’s been gathering kompromat. Now they must complete their dangerous mission before the Russians figure out that American women can also work as spies.

In Peacock’s breezy, buddy spy thriller “Ponies,” Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson star as CIA widows who become operatives and find themselves in a high stakes game of international espionage. The unlikely pair try to balance romance, friendship, double-crosses, and a Cold War conspiracy in which the role of women is greatly underestimated.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "PONIES" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more.

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When San Diego police discovered fellow officer Ciara Estrada dead in her bathroom, they determined she shot herself with her own gun. At a New Year’s party the night before, Estrada got drunk, fought with her boyfriend, and made many references to self-harm. But Estrada’s family say police didn’t go deep enough, claiming investigators were too quick to lay the blame on her. They say Estrada’s tumultuous relationship with another cop was never explored. They believe the department protected the man who — directly or indirectly — is responsible for her death.

In the podcast “One of Their Own” from KPBS, host Katie Hyson explores how the San Diego Police Department investigated the 2017 death of their officer. It looks into claims that Estrada was either shot by the fellow cop who was her boyfriend, or that their volatile romance drove her to suicide. It also asks what responsibility the department might have when two of its employees are in a problematic relationship.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "ONE OF THEIR OWN" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: cold wallet.

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Thabo Bester, South Africa’s so-called “Facebook Rapist,” was serving a murder conviction when he died by suicide in his prison cell, setting his bed on fire. But authorities later revealed the victim had been killed before the fire began. The story took another turn when celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana attempted to claim Bester’s body. Investigators looked deeper into the connection between the inmate and the social media influencer. Then the media questioned whether Bester had faked his death and escaped with Magundumana’s help.

The three-part Netflix series “Beauty and the Bester” recounts the extraordinary investigation into South Africa’s most notorious criminal, his relationship with a celebrity, and what happened next. Featuring extensive interviews with Magudumana's family and investigative journalists, the series shows how a bizarre prison death turned into a national sensation.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BEAUTY AND THE BESTER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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While doing defense work, Ariel crosses paths with inmate Michael Thompson. Incarcerated for decades on murder charges, she finds him to be soft-spoken, educated, and spiritual. Ariel’s intrigued by Thompson’s life growing up on an Indian reservation, his claims of being wrongfully convicted, his time leading the brutal Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, and his quest for enlightenment. He dispenses wisdom as he recounts his violent past and deeds done to atone for them. But prosecutor Heather Brown finds Thompson’s stories to be false or exaggerated, tales that shift as they suit his purpose. Whereas Ariel sees a reformed man worthy of a second chance, Heather believes him to be a slippery con artist intent on talking his way out of prison.

In the podcast “Love + Radio: Blood Memory,” host Nick van der Kolk explores Thompson’s life in a true crime series presented largely without narration. Through extensive interviews, it allows Thompson to tell his own life story, leaving it for the listener to decide whether he’s credible.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "LOVE + RADIO: BLOOD MEMORY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 14 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: power vacuum. 

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This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more.

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