Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can really kill you...Or get you caught!Words To Kill By is a true crime podcast that looks at old, new, and cold cases through the lens of forensic linguistics. What phrase got the Unibomber sent to prison? What ONE word meant life or death to a person charged with accessory to murder? How dangerous is the suspect, based only on voice and text messages? Is an apostrophe really that important? (hint: it is if it provides the break needed to solve the case!)These are just some of the ways spoken and written language, catches criminals every day. Come along with me as we dive into all your old favorites and discover new ones through the lens of forensic linguistics.
The Gun, The Suspects, & The Theories: Circleville Letter Writer, Pt. 2
Part Two of the Circleville Letter Writer is finally here. Did you figure out who the gun belonged to? Who do YOU think is the Circleville Letter Writer? Did the police get it right? Hit that play button to see if you are right!
1 Aug 2022
Ethos, Logos, & Pathos: The Circleville Letter Writer, Part 1
Bullying comes in all forms and even back before social media, people would write horrible things about other people, spreading rumors, and making lives miserable. Now imagine this happening not to just a student in a class, or a few students in a school (which is bad enough), but to an entire town. AN. ENTIRE. TOWN. That’s exactly what happened to Circleville, OH back in the late 1970s and continued in the next decade, when someone sent vicious, hateful, and terrifying let...
27 Jul 2022
Charlene Hummert and the Case of Contractions
Charlene Hummert and her family were under siege by a crazed stalker. This went on for years until one day, Charlene turned up dead. Police immediately suspect foul play and a homicide investigation was launched. Two key pieces of evidence, the Stalker Letter and the Serial Killer Letter were turned over to a forensic linguist. Tune in to find out what linguist marvels were found in this language evidence!
11 Jul 2022
Idiolects and Murder: The Stacey Castor Case
Stacey Castor seemed to have it all: a great childhood, an amazing husband, two kids, a solid job. Then her husband suddenly dies of a heart attack at age 38. Forcing herself to move on, Stacey again finds love and remarries, but tragedy strikes again: her second husband David commits suicide after just two years of marriage. But life has even more in store for her. Her oldest daughter Ashley also tried to commit suicide because she was responsible for the deaths of her dad and ...
6 Jul 2022
"I am a monster": David Berkowitz
Beginning in July of 1976 and ending almost exactly one year later, the serial killer who eventually became known as the Son of Sam terrorized the boroughs of New York City. He targeted young women with long brunette hair, causing many women to cut and color their hair in hopes of escaping his crosshairs. Still, six people died and seven more were injured during the killing spree. To make matters worse, the killer began to taunt police and newspapers alike by leaving and sending ...
27 Jun 2022
Haus, Frankfurther, and Gut: The Charles Lindbergh, Jr. Kidnapping
Charles Lindbergh Jr was just shy of 2 years old when he was stolen from his second story nursery. Left on the windowsill was a ransom note that was the beginning of more than 2 months of investigation and heartache for the Lindbergh family and law enforcement officials. Twelve more notes followed the first ransom note and in these notes are clues that might just prove that the man who was convicted and executed for the kidnapping and death of poor baby Charlie was NOT the person respo...
20 Jun 2022
Too Much Cake: The Unabomber
One of the most infamous cases in US history involves a a brilliant man who became disenchanted with the world as machines and technology began to replace the natural world that he loved so much. Over a 17 year span, Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski sent 16 bombs, killing 3 and injuring 23, all in an effort to get revenge on those who built houses in his favorite meadow. It wasn't until he wrote and shared his 35,000 word manifesto did Kaczynski finally leave enough evidence for law enf...
20 Jun 2022
The War and Peace of Ransom Notes: The JonBenet Ramsey Case
Early in the morning on December 26th, 1996, Patsy Ramsey found a 2.5 page ransom note, waiting for her on the steps she had to walk in order to get to the kitchen for her morning coffee. Upon reading the note, Patsy knew her daughter was in serious trouble. In fact, her daughter had been kidnapped, or so everyone thought for the next several hours. Later that afternoon, a more thorough search was conducted and the body of Patsy's daughter was found in the family basement. J...
16 Jun 2022
Derek Bentley: The Power of Little Words
Derek Bentley was just 19 when he was hanged for a murder he did not commit. No, really. He didn't commit a murder and nobody is arguing that point. Not even the police. So how did a young man end up at the wrong end of a rope? It all came down to word choice. Hit that play button and follow the language evidence in the first modern case where words decided the fate for one very unlucky man.
11 Jun 2022
Mental Health, Messages, and Murder: The Michelle Carter Case
"You’re so hesitant because you keeping over thinking it and keep pushing it off. You just need to do it, Conrad. The more you push it off, the more it will eat at you. You’re ready and prepared. All you have to do is turn the generator on and you will be free and happy. No more pushing it off. No more waiting." Such an encouraging message from a girlfriend to her boyfriend. The only problem is...she was encouraging him to commit suicide. Meet Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy and help u...
27 May 2022
Intro
Words To Kill By is where Word Nerds and True Crime fans come to hang out.! Join us every Monday for a new episode where language evidence cracks cases one word at a time.
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