Crimes of the Times
L.A. Times reporter Christopher Goffard of “Dirty John” is back with another riveting podcast from L.A. Times Studios. In “Crimes of the Times,” Goffard goes deep behind the scenes of a new story each week, cutting through common myths and misconceptions to uncover what really happened in the most compelling cases from L.A. and beyond.
Series Episodes
The Abduction of Polly Klaas
When a violent felon with a long record kidnapped a 12-year-old girl from a slumber party in Northern California in 1993, it triggered a massive search -- and far-reaching changes in the law.
34 mins
3 November Finished
The Trials of Robert Blake
Robert Blake, the star of "In Cold Blood," played killers with unsettling intensity and spoke openly of his own dark impulses. As his fame faded, he was charged with murdering his wife. The star witnesses: his former stuntmen.
34 mins
27 October Finished
The Water Czar's Deadly Hubris
William Mulholland was the water boss who made L.A. possible. His reputation gave him unchecked authority as a dam builder. In 1928, that led to one of America's deadliest disasters--and the question of whether it was a crime.
34 mins
20 October Finished
The Shadow War Against L.A. Nazis
From his law office in downtown Los Angeles, an attorney named Leon Lewis ran a clandestine operation to thwart Nazi and fascist plots in the 1930s and 40s to kill Jews in Southern California. His work went unseen and uncelebrated until long after his death.
35 mins
13 October Finished
The Trial of Errol Flynn
On screen, Errol Flynn played a series of daredevils, fortune hunters, and suave romantics. Off screen, he lived a life of outsize debauchery and recklessness, including a persistent interest in underage girls. In 1943, at the height of his fame, he faced trial in Los Angeles on charges of statutory rape.
34 mins
6 October Finished
