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  • They Blew Up a Man on Embassy Row - Who Pressed the Button?

    They Blew Up a Man on Embassy Row - Who Pressed the Button?
    2026/11/04
    They Blew Up a Man on Embassy Row - Who Pressed the Button?

    A car detonated on Embassy Row on September 21, 1976, killing Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt in an attack that used a radio-controlled bomb placed under the driver's seat. A single shouted word - "DINA" - scrawled into the chaos, and the trigger was handed off to others before the bomb-maker left the country; who actually pressed the button remains unanswered. Who walked away knowing a man would die in the capital of the United States?

    In this episode, we recount the scene, the players, and the chain of decisions that led to a public assassination in Washington D.C., following the clues from the initial investigators to the links that point to a foreign secret police program. How did a former ambassador with a briefcase become a target, and why did the operation rely on a remote trigger?

    Date: September 21, 1976
    Location: Embassy Row, Washington D.C.
    Person: Orlando Letelier
    Person: Ronni Moffitt
    Agent: Carter Cornick

    - The bomb detonated mid-block on Embassy Row on September 21, 1976.
    - Two people died instantly: Orlando Letelier and 25-year-old Ronni Moffitt.
    - The device was placed under the driver’s seat and detonated by a radio-controlled trigger.
    - Bomb-maker Michael Townley attached the device between September 18 and 19 and left Washington by plane to Florida before the explosion.
    - An eyewitness shouted the word "DINA," which an FBI agent recorded and which later linked the operation to Chile’s secret police.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 分
  • Seven Feet, Seven Shores: The Bizarre Strait of Georgia Mystery

    Seven Feet, Seven Shores: The Bizarre Strait of Georgia Mystery
    2026/11/03
    Seven Feet, Seven Shores: The Bizarre Strait of Georgia Mystery

    The Strait of Georgia returned seven human feet in running shoes between 2007 and 2009, each foot sealed in a tied shoe and most with no accompanying body-six of the first seven were right feet. How could separate DNA profiles, sealed shoes, cold currents, and months-long drift combine into a mystery that left four people missing and most unnamed?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of finds across British Columbia’s islands, the forensic work on DNA and decomposition, and the oceanographic data that localized the origin to the Strait of Georgia-ending on the unresolved question of why the feet arrived as they did.

    Person: unknown for three of four missing individuals
    Date span: August 20, 2007 to November 2008 (initial finds)
    Location: Strait of Georgia, British Columbia (Jedediah, Gabriola, Valdez, Kirkland, Westham, Finn’s Slough, Quandar)
    Status: case never officially closed
    Forensic methods: cryogenic grinding, PCR amplification of short tandem repeats; submerged carcass studies at VENUS observatory

    - August 20, 2007: a size 12 Adidas right-foot found on Jedediah Island with laces tied and sock intact.
    - About one week later: a size 12 right-foot found on Gabriola Island; laces tied; initially assumed same person.
    - February 8, 2008: third right-foot found on Valdez Island; DNA confirmed distinct profiles for the three right feet.
    - May 22, 2008: fourth foot, size 7 right-foot female, found on Kirkland Island.
    - November 2008 DNA match: Valdez (third) and Westham (fifth) feet belonged to the same man; Kirkland (fourth) and Finn’s Slough (sixth) feet belonged to the same woman.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • The Detective Who Buried a Man Alive: The Barry Gibbs Frame-Up

    The Detective Who Buried a Man Alive: The Barry Gibbs Frame-Up
    2026/11/02
    The Detective Who Buried a Man Alive: The Barry Gibbs Frame-Up

    A postal worker, a decorated detective, and two witnesses - but only one man spent nineteen years in prison. This episode reveals how a single off-duty detective steered an investigation, coerced an identification, and left a Vietnam veteran to serve nearly two decades for a murder he did not commit. How did a routine life become perfect cover for a frame-up?

    In this episode, we walk through the events of November 4, 1986, the roles played by the people at the Belt Parkway crime scene, and the gaps that turned a four-day trial into a nineteen-year conviction. What evidence was hidden, who was pressured, and how did the truth finally emerge?

    Person: Barry Gibbs
    Person: Louis Eppolito
    Date: November 4, 1986
    Location: Belt Parkway, Brooklyn
    Duration: 19 years in prison

    - Barry Gibbs was 38 years old, a postal worker and Vietnam veteran with no prior arrests.
    - The victim was found strangled and thrown from a moving vehicle on November 4, 1986.
    - A jogger named Peter Mitchell witnessed the body being thrown and later identified Gibbs at a lineup after Eppolito showed him who to select.
    - Parks officer Gentili saw the driver at the scene but never identified Barry Gibbs and was not presented at trial by the defense.
    - Barry Gibbs’ trial lasted four days and led to a conviction that resulted in 19 years of imprisonment.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • The Axe That Vanished: How Evidence Was Turned Into Silence

    The Axe That Vanished: How Evidence Was Turned Into Silence
    2026/11/01
    The Axe That Vanished: How Evidence Was Turned Into Silence

    Fear sits behind ordinary nights: two seventeen-year-old girls cycled home from Teddington Lock in 1953 and by morning one body floated in the Thames and another washed up two miles downstream; an axe thought to be the murder weapon was handled so casually it became nearly useless as evidence - how did an object vanish into silence and change the course of justice?

    In this episode, we tell the story of the disappearances and deaths of Barbara Songhurst and Christine Reed, the arrest and conviction of Alfred Whiteway, and the unanswered question about the axe that jurors sent to the judge before delivering their verdict; could the missing forensic clarity around that axe explain why this case still matters?

    Person: Barbara Songhurst
    Person: Christine Reed
    Person: Alfred Whiteway
    Date: 31 May 1953 (night of disappearance)
    Location: Teddington Lock, Thames

    - Barbara Songhurst was found floating in the Thames at 8:15 the morning after, 800 yards downstream from Teddington Lock.
    - Christine Reed’s body was discovered five days later on Glover’s Island, two miles further downriver.
    - Both victims were seventeen years old and had their shoes neatly placed together in undergrowth beside the towpath.
    - Alfred Whiteway was twenty-one, lived less than a mile from the lock, and had prior convictions including a 1948 burglary sentence and recent sexual assaults in the area.
    - The axe believed to be the murder weapon was taken home by a police officer and used to chop firewood before reaching the courtroom.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • When the Wrong Cargo Arrived: Undercover in a Medellín Sting

    When the Wrong Cargo Arrived: Undercover in a Medellín Sting
    2026/10/31
    When the Wrong Cargo Arrived: Undercover in a Medellín Sting

    The wrong shipment turned a year-long undercover sting into a surreal trap: agents found 272 crates with 19,000 pounds of marijuana worth over $21 million-none of it what was promised. How did a meticulously built identity and a single misdelivered container upend an operation that had taken months to earn trust?

    In this episode, we follow Detective Richard Eppolito’s undercover work as "Tony Romano," the months of cultivation inside New York’s drug networks, and the simultaneous February 3, 1993, raids that unfolded across a warehouse and six locations. What went wrong between the broker’s promise and the cartel’s delivery?

    Person: Richard Eppolito
    Alias: Tony Romano
    Date: February 3, 1993
    Seizure: 272 crates, 19,000 pounds of marijuana
    Value: more than $21 million

    - Operation began with a December 1991 tip naming a broker called Eduardo.
    - The port of New York received approximately 5,000 shipping containers per day.
    - Each shipping container held between 18,000 and 30,000 pounds of cargo.
    - Wiretaps were deployed after an initial buy established probable cause.
    - The raid targeted one warehouse and six separate New York locations simultaneously.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • The Casino Bomb That Nearly Flattened Tahoe - And Why It Stayed Silent

    The Casino Bomb That Nearly Flattened Tahoe - And Why It Stayed Silent
    2026/10/30
    The Casino Bomb That Nearly Flattened Tahoe - And Why It Stayed Silent

    A one-thousand-pound bomb was carried into a Nevada casino office disguised as a photocopier, sat unseen on an executive floor above 600 sleeping guests, and produced X-ray images so dense a federal lab could not penetrate them - yet the device never detonated. What single overlooked detail kept Stateline from turning into total destruction, and why did the builder include a warning that the FBI would be targeted again?

    In this episode, we trace the morning of August 26, 1980, at Harvey's Resort Hotel and Casino in Stateline, Nevada, describe the discovery of the metal box and its letter, and follow the initial investigative and response actions up to the aborted ransom drop - asking how a device so carefully engineered failed to destroy the building.

    Person: Captain Ron Perrini
    Person: FBI Special Agent Bill Jonkey
    Date: August 26, 1980
    Location: Harvey's Resort Hotel and Casino, Stateline, Nevada
    Demand: $3 million

    - Two men entered Harvey's front entrance at 5:30 a.m. carrying what they described as a photocopier and rode the elevator to the executive offices.
    - The metal box measured about the size of a large filing cabinet and was divided into an upper section with 28 numbered switches and a lower section impenetrable to X-rays.
    - Switch 23 was the only switch in the up position while the other 27 were down.
    - A letter at the base of the box claimed the device contained 1,000 pounds of TNT and described three separate timers set to detonate.
    - Nuclear Emergency Search Team blast estimates predicted significant structural damage between 1,500 and 2,500 feet, severe damage to 800 yards, and total destruction within 200 meters.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 分
  • The Hair That Didn't Belong: Neighbor, Hammer, and Silence

    The Hair That Didn't Belong: Neighbor, Hammer, and Silence
    2026/10/29
    The Hair That Didn't Belong: Neighbor, Hammer, and Silence

    A single dark lock of hair placed in a dead woman's hand turned a brutal murder into a puzzle that refused to make sense: the strand did not belong to Heather Barnett, and police found a towel with mixed blood but no immediate suspect. How could a crime that was methodical, staged and unhurried leave behind a piece of hair that pointed to someone else?

    In this episode, we follow the known facts of the November 12, 2002 homicide in Bournemouth and the immediate forensic trail that puzzled investigators, asking how proximity, planning, and a stranger's hair came together in a house where nothing else seemed random.

    Person: Heather Barnett
    Date: November 12, 2002
    Location: Bournemouth
    Person: Danilo Restivo
    Item: green towel with mixed DNA

    - Heather Barnett, age 48, was found murdered on November 12, 2002 after being struck with a hammer that fractured her skull.
    - Two children, a 14-year-old boy and an 11-year-old sibling, found her and a 14-year-old made the 999 call.
    - A lock of Heather's own hair was in her left hand and a different, darker lock of hair was deliberately placed in her right hand.
    - Sports shoe prints tracked through blood across every room with none leading toward the front door, and the killer had changed clothes in the living room.
    - A green towel near the front door carried blood with a mixed DNA profile including Heather's and an unknown second individual.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • The Man in the Closet: How a Routine Life Hid Murder

    The Man in the Closet: How a Routine Life Hid Murder
    2026/10/28
    The Man in the Closet: How a Routine Life Hid Murder

    Everyday routines hid a stranger sleeping four feet from a husband's bed for an entire month, and a video in the cloud became the only thing that unraveled it. How did a life of predictable phone calls, a county courthouse wedding, and a hardware store end with a camera and a closet-used-as-prison?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from pizza delivery and daily phone calls to a decision made while the homeowner was out for twenty minutes. Listen to how the routines that defined Randy Roberts’ life intersected with Candace and Ricardo’s choices - and what finally exposed the truth.

    Person: Randy Roberts
    Person: Candace Roberts
    Person: Ricardo
    Location: Roanoke, Virginia
    Date: July 4, 2011

    - Randy called his mother every weekday at 1:00 PM without fail.
    - Randy was 37 years old and owned a hardware store on a quiet commercial strip.
    - Candace delivered pizza to the store on Tuesdays and Thursdays before they started dating.
    - Ricardo lived in the master bedroom walk-in closet behind hanging clothes for one month.
    - Randy walked away from the house for about twenty minutes the night he returned to be attacked.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    16 分