Before the crime, there was a childhood in Pompano Beach, Florida. Episode 1 follows brothers Shannon and Shauncey Box through brother dynamics, family chaos, and a childhood car accident — until the family leaves Florida in 1979.

Crooked Trees is a serialized documentary about the people, places, and circumstances that come before an extraordinary event. Season One investigates a 2024 triple homicide in rural Georgia, but it does not start with the murders. It starts here, with a place, and with who these brothers were before they became names in a case file.

I'm Lauren Mohler, your host. My guest is my dad, Mark, a retired attorney and former prosecutor who lived a few doors down from Shannon and Shauncey in Pompano Beach. I'm an artist first — I hand-drew all the artwork for this series, including the intro animation frame by frame — and this season is built place-first: to understand a story, you first have to understand the place that produced it.

Follow Crooked Trees so you don't miss Episode 2, and please share Episode 1 with one person who loves a story told patiently — that's how a new show grows!

Watch the full video version on YouTube: @crookedtreespodcast

Trailer: https://youtu.be/_JFY5ZKgQBQ?si=Oslunsgmf3jBNVlK

More: www.crookedtrees.org | Instagram and TikTok: @crookedtreespodcast

Content note: this episode includes discussion of difficult family experiences, childhood hardship, and violence. Take care while listening.

An extended look at Season One of Crooked Trees.

This four-minute prologue offers a deeper preview of the story, people, places, and questions at the center of the season before Episode One begins.

“A tree born crooked never straightens its trunk.”

Where does the bend begin?

Season One premieres October 31.