On October 25, 1994, a South Carolina mother’s frantic cries launched a nationwide hunt for two missing boys — but what began as a desperate plea soon became a shockingly unraveling lie. In this episode of In Time Crime, I Robin Bagayoko will guide listeners through Susan Smith’s troubled past, a failing marriage, and the fateful night that turned a family’s life to ruin.

With measured compassion for the victims and a hard look at the deception that gripped a community, this episode reconstructs the investigation, the confession that changed everything, and the aching aftermath that still raises questions about grief, guilt, and accountability.

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Music by- Jeremy Blake

Sources:

• The State — Susan Smith: How the Crime Unfolded A detailed timeline of the case, including Susan's relationship with Tom Findlay, the nine-day investigation, her confession, and the trial. Read Article
• The Washington Post — Woman Held in Sons' Deaths Details Abuse (1995) Covers Susan's troubled childhood, allegations of sexual abuse by her stepfather, and family court records. Read Article
• ABC News — Revisiting Susan Smith's 1994 Case Explores the disappearance, inconsistencies investigators discovered, and the confession. Read Article
• The Washington Post — South Carolina Mother Arrested in Sons' Deaths (November 1994) Original reporting about the discovery of the boys and Susan's arrest. Read Article
• Los Angeles Times — Susan Smith Asked for Gun, Confessed, Sheriff Testifies (July 1995) Covers Sheriff Howard Wells' courtroom testimony about how Susan eventually confessed. Read Article
• Los Angeles Times — State Rests in Smith Trial; Defense Opens (July 1995) Details testimony about Susan's emotional state, childhood experiences, relationships, and defense arguments. Read Article
• Associated Press — Smith Spared Death Penalty (July 29, 1995) Explains the jury's decision to sentence Susan to life imprisonment rather than death. Read Article
• The Washington Post — 1994 Murders of Two Boys Still Trouble South Carolina Town (2004) Examines the lasting impact of the murders on the community and the victims' families. Read Article
• Associated Press / PBS News — Susan Smith Denied Parole (November 2024) Covers Susan's first parole hearing, David Smith's opposition to her release, and the board's unanimous decision. Read Article
• The State — Susan Smith Applies for Parole Again (April 2026) Reports on her second parole application and the hearing scheduled for November 19, 2026. Read Article

October 11, 1925 begins like any other day in a bustling Chicago garage—until a single arrest attempt explodes into violence and an ordinary car thief becomes the most wanted man in America. In this episode, we follow Special Agent Edwin C. Shanahan as he walks into a trap that will change federal law enforcement forever.

Through breathless eyewitness accounts and the era’s paper-thin communications, we reconstruct Durkin’s trail of stolen Cadillacs, the small clues that built a nationwide dragnet, and the tense winter morning when a train became his final undoing. Feel the urgency of investigators piecing together telegrams and train schedules, racing against a fugitive who lived to steal and kill.

More than a historical case file, this is a human story—of a man doing his job, a city on edge, and the birth of a legacy preserved on the FBI’s wall of honor. Join us as we guide you through the suspense, the sorrow, and the surprising twists of a manhunt that played out across states and changed a bureau forever.

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Ear Balls Media

Music by- Jeremy Blake

Sources:

• FBI — “Durkin: Murder of an FBI Agent” This is the main source for the case. It covers Shanahan’s October 11, 1925 attempt to arrest Martin James Durkin, the shooting, the nationwide manhunt, Durkin’s capture near St. Louis on January 20, 1926, and his later convictions. FBI case history
• FBI Wall of Honor — Edwin C. Shanahan This confirms that Shanahan was the first FBI agent killed in the line of duty, gives his background, and summarizes the fatal encounter with Durkin. Edwin C. Shanahan — FBI Wall of Honor
• FBI — Duty Weapon of First Special Agent Killed in the Line of Duty This supports the stakeout details, Shanahan’s attempt to arrest Durkin, the nationwide search, the January 1926 capture, and the preservation of Shanahan’s duty weapon as an FBI historical artifact. Shanahan’s duty weapon and case history
• FBI Chicago Field Office History This gives broader historical context for the Bureau in the 1920s and discusses Shanahan’s death and the manhunt that followed. FBI Chicago history
• FBI Historical Timeline This independently confirms the key date—October 11, 1925—and Shanahan’s status as the first Bureau agent killed in the line of duty. FBI historical timeline

Trigger Warning: Sound of gunshots after intro music

More than 22,000 people gathered in Las Vegas for the final night of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival, expecting nothing more than music, dancing, and a good time. But in minutes, the night became one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history. In today's episode of In Time Crime, we travel back to October 1, 2017, to reconstruct the hours leading up to, during, and after the attack.

Through eyewitness accounts, the courage of first responders, and the fractured trail left by the shooter, we trace how a retired auditor turned reclusive gambler assembled an arsenal, chose a vantage point high above the crowd, and unleashed over a thousand rounds. Alongside heartbreaking profiles of victims and survivors, the episode explores the chaotic scramble of evacuation, the surge of compassion that followed, and the enduring mystery of motive — the unanswered question that haunts investigators and families alike.

Join us as we remember those who were lost, honor those who rushed toward danger to save strangers, and grapple with the societal reverberations of a night that changed Las Vegas forever.

For all things In Time Crime and all Ear Balls media podcast join us at:

Ear Balls Media

Music by- Jeremy Blake

Sources:

• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department — Final Criminal Investigative Report of the 1 October Mass Casualty Shooting This is the best primary source for the timeline, hotel rooms, weapons, police response, Jesus Campos, Paddock’s movements, evidence recovered, and the conclusion that no second gunman or conspiracy was established. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department LVMPD 1 October records and reports

• LVMPD — 1 October After-Action Review Useful for the emergency response, police deployment, hospital evidence recovery, command decisions, and lessons learned after the attack. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

• FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit — Las Vegas Review Panel Key Findings This is the strongest source for the motive section. The FBI concluded there was no single or clear motivating factor and found no evidence that Paddock was targeting a particular hotel, casino, festival, or victim. FBI

• ATF / Federal Register — Bump-Stock-Type Devices rulemaking Useful for the bump-stock section, including their use in the shooting and the federal regulatory response that followed. ATF

• ATF — National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment Provides background on how bump stocks had previously been classified and how the Las Vegas attack led ATF and DOJ to reconsider those classifications. ATF

• Clark County — 1 October Memorial Committee / Memorial Project Best source for the permanent memorial, the memorial committee, the victims and survivors being honored, and the community’s long-term remembrance efforts. Clark County, NV Clark County 1 October Memorial

• Clark County and LVMPD remembrance materials Useful for the continuing memorial ceremonies and how Las Vegas still publicly remembers the victims, survivors, and first responders.