Trial By Combat

Kösem Sultan was the favorite of the Sultan and the mother of a ruler. She had extraordinary power over the Ottoman Empire, but, as we've learned from this podcast, power can have deadly consequences.Support Noble Blood:—PRE-ORDER 'THE ARCANE ARTS'— Bonus episodes, stickers, and ...  Show more

In 2000, weeks before the Academy Awards ceremony, 55 Oscars vanished during shipment to Los Angeles. The disappearance triggered a frantic search. Then, in a twist worthy of a movie plot, a man digging through a grocery store dumpster stumbled on dozens of missing trophies. He w ...  Show more

In the spring of 1922, the United Mine Workers of America announced a national strike. And then, that summer in Herrin, Illinois, 23 people were murdered over two days. Men, women, and children came out of their houses to watch, and in some cases, to take part in the violence. Sc ...  Show more

Convinced Amanda is lying about her cancer, Nancy enlists the support of San Jose Detective Jose Martinez. Amanda’s birthday brings a massive rally of support, including a #TeamAmanda video that gets the attention of thousands, set to the tune of Rachel Platten’s Fight Song. Scam ...  Show more

Bonny Lee Bakley’s life is rife with controversy, chaos and just straight up tragedy. She was born into an incredibly toxic environment and seemed to go through life looking for some sense of purpose. She was married multiple times, but her last marriage to actor Robert Bl ...  Show more

In 2008, Sven Berger was chosen to serve on the jury for a murder trial. He says the sentence that he and his fellow jurors handed down “felt like a mistake right away.” Sven talked about what happened next on the podcast Heavyweight, and today, we’re sharing that episode with yo ...  Show more