Murder on the Towpath with Soledad O’Brien

About Murder on the Towpath with Soledad O’Brien

One of America’s greatest unsolved mysteries, and the two women at its core; One black, one white. One poor, one rich. They never actually met. But their lives came to intersect through one tragic day when Mary Pinchot Meyer was mysteriously murdered on her daily walk in broad daylight in 1964. A black man stood accused, and a barrier-breaking civil rights lawyer, Dovey Roundtree, rose to his defense. Award-winning journalist Soledad O'Brien weaves a tale of crime and culture that still resonates with our socio-political climate today.

Publisher

MyCultura and iHeartPodcasts

Category

history · true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Apr 2025

Latest episode

30 Apr 2026

Latest episodes

13 of 13 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   30 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   From SNAFU: The Arctic Whodunnit of Charles Francis Hall (with Jad Abumrad)

   HI, Murder on the Towpath listeners! We wanted to share an episode from SNAFU with Ed Helms that we thought you might enjoy. Jad Abumrad is the definition of inquisitive. As the creator of hit shows RadioLab and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, Jad has the innate ability to calculate idionsyncrasies, question the peculiar, and posit grand deductions. Perfect for this week's Murder Mystery of a SNAFU. Ed leads Jad on a tangled journey to the Arctic, where late 19th Century explorer Charles Francis Hall fell fatally ill. Was it the unforgiving tundra, or was there something more sinister afoot? Don your detective deerstalker alongside Jad as he tries to unravel this week's SNAFU WHODUNNIT! See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

2. 

   28 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   From Here We Go Again with Kal Penn: Is the Dynasty Dead? with Alexis Coe

   Presidential historian Alexis Coe examines America's history of powerful political families and discusses whether political dynasties are fading away in this interview with Kal Penn.

3. 

   14 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   From SNAFU with Ed Helms: Sophia Bush and the Mona Lisa Heist

   Actress Sophia Bush joins Ed Helms on SNAFU to investigate the 1911 heist of the Mona Lisa, revealing historical blunders and human fallibility in an interview.

4. 

   2 Jul 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Introducing: United States of Kennedy

   Hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris introduce "United States of Kennedy," a podcast exploring cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty, offering listeners a deep dive into the Kennedy story in this interview.

5. 

   11 Jun 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Two Women

   Soledad O’Brien explores how the legacies of artist Mary Pinchot Meyer and civil rights pioneer Dovey Johnson Roundtree intertwine following a Georgetown murder; this is an interview.

6. 

   4 Jun 2025TRANSCRIPT

   White Noise

   Soledad O'Brien explores the theories surrounding Mary's unsolved murder, including potential CIA involvement, driven by the human need for explanations in mysterious cases.

7. 

   28 May 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Exhibit A

   Soledad O'Brien presents the testimony of a prosecution witness who claims to have seen Ray Crump after Mary Pinchot Meyer's murder, impacting Crump's defense.

8. 

   21 May 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Just Say Yes

   Soledad O'Brien discusses Mary Meyer's artistic exploration, drug use, and affair with John F. Kennedy, revealing a love letter as evidence in this episode.

9. 

   14 May 2025TRANSCRIPT

   The Mapmaker's Testimony

   Soledad O'Brien examines Dovey's year-long retracing of Mary's steps on the towpath to defend Ray against the prosecutor's portrayal of him as a ruthless killer facing the death penalty in this interview.

10. 

    7 May 2025TRANSCRIPT

    The CIA Wife

    Soledad O'Brien discusses Mary Pinchot's life, from her eccentric upbringing and commitment to world peace to her marriage to a CIA agent and her passion for painting.

11. 

    30 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Married to the Law

    Soledad O'Brien interviews Dovey Johnson Roundtree, a pioneering Black female lawyer, about her courageous defense of Ray Crump Jr., a Black man accused of murder, revealing the racial injustices of the time.

12. 

    23 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Bad Luck, Mary

    It was a baffling mystery in 1964. Mary Pinchot Meyer - a socialite and painter connected to politicians and artists alike - was shot in broad daylight on a Georgetown towpath. Nobody knew what to make of it. A Black man soon became the suspect. But was he her killer or a scapegoat? See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

13. 

    15 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Introducing Murder on the Towpath with Soledad O’Brien

    In 1964, Mary Pinchot Meyer was shot in broad daylight in Georgetown, Washington, DC. Just 45 minutes after Mary’s death, her killer had been arrested. Or, so the police claimed. Only one woman dared to defend him: civil rights lawyer Dovey Johnson Roundtree. Join journalist Soledad O’Brien as she unravels the whole story. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

Inside a recent episode

From SNAFU: The Arctic Whodunnit of Charles Francis Hall (with Jad Abumrad)

Published 30 Apr 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And remember that store of liquor on board, the one that Buddington and the rest of the crew were stealing from? Well, Bessel was the one who insisted that that even be on board in the first place for scientific purposes, or so he said. Hmm. Hall never wanted it there. Hall was furious that there was liquor on the ship at all or alcohol of any kind. And I imagine he resented Bessels for how much trouble the alcohol was causing once the expedition got underway. Like I said before, Hall's death wasn't considered suspicious at the time at all. But here's the catch. The guy who gave the cause of death as, quote, natural causes was none other than Emil Bessels, which is awfully convenient. […]

Who has been a guest on Murder on the Towpath with Soledad O’Brien

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Alexis Coe
• Sophia Bush
• Dovey Johnson Roundtree

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

419,108,275

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.3 / 5

439 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 64 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

55

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

90

Contact Murder on the Towpath with Soledad O’Brien

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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