CI: Which novelist murdered to protect their secret?

Criminal Intent S7 E7 “Self-made”

“I love cases that require Bobby to read several books. Except when he sniffs the pages.”

Goren and Eames investigate the murder of an aspiring writer. Kira Danforth was surrounded by unsavory literary figures, including a lecherous book agent (Fisher Stevens), an author with a hardscrabble back story (Pablo Schreiber), and a publishing giant who hasn't had a bestseller in years (Peter Coyote). The detectives learn Kira discovered TJ Hawkins' gritty biography was a lie and that the washed-up Lionel Shill plagiarized her unpublished novel.  Did one of the writers kill her to protect their secret?

We're talking about Criminal Intent season seven episode seven "Self-made." Our returning guest is Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dr. Marcia Chatelain.

Among the literary scandals that inspired this episode is that of J.T. LeRoy. 

SVU: Stabler beats up Sabrina Carpenter's attacker

SVU S12 E12 “Possessed”

“…and that’s how I got the inspiration for ‘Please Please Please’ and ‘Taste.’”

Benson and Stabler connect an assault on a child (played by a young Sabrina Carpenter) to the rape of Larissa, who'd been forced into child pornography decades ago. The rapist leads them to Orville Underwood, the man acquitted of making the explicit videos years earlier. He explains that his DNA was on photos found at the rapist's home because he decided to rub one out in the bathroom and it got everywhere.

Unable to make a case against Underwood, Olivia and Elliot look for Daniel, Larissa's scene partner. The detectives discover he's making his own child porn and refuses to testify against his old kidnapper. After Underwood gets the case thrown out of court, Larissa takes matters into her own hands.

We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 12 episode 12 "Possessed." Our returning guest is Lauren van der Meer from the "Drinks with Death" podcast.

 Aspects of this episode take some inspiration from the case of Alex Cabarga.

L&O: Did a drug dealer sell his baby to a woman pretending to be pregnant?

Law & Order S16 E7 “House of Cards”

I’m not saying I’d see my baby, but I would at least entertain the offer.

After a mother is murdered and her newborn Nicky kidnapped, Detectives Joe Fontana and Ed Green interrogate Frank, the drug dealer who was in her apartment that morning. But Lt. Van Buren says a witness spotted a pregnant woman fleeing the building with Nicky. The trail leads to Arlene Tarrington, a woman who'd been faking her pregnancy.

Arlene admits while suffering from postpartum psychosis, she kidnapped the infant but didn't kill the victim. ADA Alexandra Borgia learns Arlene had offered a teen mom $50,000 for her baby, and she called Frank days before the murder. He tells the cops he's Nicky's biological father and scammed Arlene with a promise to sell his child for cash. EADA Jack McCoy must decide who he believes the actual killer is and offer a deal to the other...but does he make the right choice?

We're talking about Law & Order season 16 episode 7 "House of Cards." Our guest is Margo Donohue from the Book vs. Movie podcast. 

Some inspiration for this episode comes from the 1988 kidnapping of Rachael Ann White. 

SVU: Keke Palmer searches for her sister...and anthrax!

SVU S7 E10 “Storm”

“Spend the day listening to Munch talk about anthrax and black helicopters? NOPE!”

After escaping from her kidnapper, Tasha (played by Keke Palmer) tells Benson and Stabler the man rescued her and her sisters from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The detectives track down the abductor and find Tasha's sister, but the suspect has contracted a fatal case of anthrax inhalation.

The FBI swoops in, takes the girls, steals all of SVU's evidence, and threatens to prosecute any detective who discloses the information. Olivia leaks the story to reporter Jackson Zane whose front page exposé gets the sisters returned. After she and Elliot arrest a lab tech and learn the anthrax is still at large, Olivia again tips off Zane. The reporter refuses to identify the leaker and chooses to go to jail instead of revealing Benson as his source.

We're talking about the jam-packed Special Victims Unit season seven episode ten "Storm." Our guest is Maggie Freleng from the "Wrongful Conviction" podcast.

A character in this episode is based on former New York Times journalist Judith Miller.

SVU: Can a schizophrenic woman help find her rapist?

SVU S6 E9 “Weak”

You’re saying Amanda is going to win an Emmy and I’m going home empty handed again? Time to change the hairstyle again!

Benson and Stabler look for a serial rapist who's targeting women with disabilities. Into the squad room walks Miranda Cole, a woman with schizophrenia (Amanda Plummer, in an Emmy-winning appearance), but it's hard to find answers within her disorganized speech. Olivia butts heads with Miranda's doctor, a former cop who went to the academy with her. Tidbits from the victim's ramblings lead Munch and Tutuola to a closeted gay man who's a strong suspect, but Cragen says his DNA doesn't match the crime scenes. Stabler breaks the rules to decipher the misleading DNA, while Benson lets Miranda be Miranda to discover important evidence.

We're talking about Special Victims Unit season six episode nine "Weak." Our guest is Aviv Rubinstein of the "Special Viewing Unit" podcast.

This episode is inspired by the ripped-from-the-headlines story of Troy Graves.

SVU: The preacher's sleeping with his daughter-in-law

SVU S1 E17 “Misleader”

Chris Meloni: This actor is the son of the actor playing his father.
Chris Orbach: He’s not talking about me for once. It’s the guy in the picture.

Benson and Stabler investigate the murder of a woman in her hotel room. She's the daughter-in-law of the president of an ultra-conservative college, Ben Hadley. Munch and Jeffries arrest the culprit behind a string of hotel burglaries, but he's not the killer. Neither is the financial consultant the victim had been hitting on.  Elliot discovers Ben Junior wasn't aware his wife was pregnant, and Olivia learns she had a two-year-long affair with Ben Senior. When Cragen confronts the Hadleys with the DNA results, the son confesses to strangling the victim in a jealous rage, unaware her lover was his father.

We're talking about Special Victims Unit season one episode 17 "Misleader." Our returning guest is Nettie Smith from the Saber's Playbook podcast.

This episode is inspired by the real life story of George Roche III.

CI: The parents left their baby alone in a hotel room while they went to dinner

Criminal Intent S8 E7 “Folie á Deux”

“Don’t let this beard fool you. I can still sniff a suspect from across a room.”

Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the kidnapping of a baby left alone in a hotel room while the parents went out to dinner. They locate a cat burglar who robbed several rooms, then foil a fake ransom scam targeting a wealthy aunt, but baby Emma is still missing.

Captain Ross says there's no way the baby could have left the hotel undetected. Maybe she was never there to begin with? The detectives discover the little girl in the picture is actually the Haslum's neighbor. Goren finally gets to the truth: Emma died months ago in a hot car and the grieving parents are suffering from a dual madness pretending it didn't happen.

We're talking about Criminal Intent season eight episode seven "Folie á Deux." Our returning guest is Katie from A Date with Dateline podcast.

Among the stories drawn upon for this episode include the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

L&O: Benson battles Price over an SVU victim charged with murder

Law & Order S24 E2 “The Perfect Man”

“I’ve been here an actual total of 48 minutes of network television minutes and already I’m doing shady stuff.”

Detectives Vincent Riley and Jalen Shaw investigate the murder of a dating app developer. The squad's new lieutenant, Jessica Brady, runs the suspect's DNA through the rape kit database. Laura, the shooter, is a former SVU victim. Captain Olivia Benson goes to bat for her, arguing victims will refuse to give their DNA if they think it will be used against them in the future.

Benson stuns prosecutors Nolan Price and Samantha Maroun by agreeing to testify the shooting was self-defense. She says Laura's trauma gave her a heightened sense of danger, even though the victim wasn't actually stalking her. Benson convinces Price to offer Laura a deal - which she refuses. Meanwhile, District Attorney Nicholas Baxter pledges to reform the use of that DNA database.

We're talking about the latest episode of NBC's "Law & Order" season 24 episode 2 "The Perfect Man." Our returning guest is Brandi Brown.

Plot points in this story are inspired by the concerns over the use of artificial intelligence in dating apps.

SVU: That Hudson student does violent porn

SVU S16 E5 “Pornstar’s Requiem”

“Spending hours watching porn for this trial? Yes. Yes, that’s why I was doing that. That.”

When two frat boys at Hudson University learn co-ed Evie Barnes earns her tuition shooting violent porn, they rape her in a dorm. Sgt. Olivia Benson says the attack is still a crime because Evie didn't consent. At trial, the defense says Evie is so good in her rape fantasy pornos, the boys had no idea she wasn't acting. Barba wins a conviction, but the judge sets the conviction aside, saying there was no evidence she said "no." Betrayed by the court, disowned by her parents, and expelled from school, Evie leaves the city once and for all to star in even more violent adult films.

We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 16 episode 5 "Pornstar's Requiem." Our returning guest is Kimberly from the A Date with Dateline podcast.

This episode is inspired by the real life story of Duke University student Miriam Weeks, an adult film actress who performed under the name Belle Knox. 

Toronto: The cost of bread in Canada is MURDER!

L&O Toronto: Criminal Intent S1 E6 “Minnow and the Shark”

We are going to ask you politely to confess to this murder and give you a respectful amount of time to compose a sincere apology in both English and French. Please and thank you.

Nous allons vous demander poliment d'avouer ce meurtre et vous accorder un délai respectueux pour rédiger des excuses sincères en anglais et en français. S'il vous plaît et merci.

Toronto detectives Henry Graff and Frankie Bateman arrest the hit man responsible for the murder of Zoe Vaughn, the COO at grocery store mega-chain Best Betts. The search for who hired the assassin leads them to Douglas Hill, owner of rival Hill Breads. But photos taken by the victim show the competitors were actually colluding to fix the price of bread in Canada. Graff uses his Gorenesque skills to deduce CEO Nadia Betts fooled Hill into hiring the hit man - not to keep Vaughn from exposing their price fixing scheme - but to keep her from stealing Betts's job.

We're talking about the new Canadian spin-off series Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent season 1 episode 6 "Minnow and the Shark." Our guest is Simone Paget from the We’re Never Doing This Again podcast.

Plot points for this episode come from the scandal over the Canadian bread price fixing scheme.

SVU: Cragen finds a kidnapped baby 12 years later

SVU S3 E3 “Stolen”

“I was on a whole other “Law & Order” show. I had to work with Michael Moriarty, Chris Noth, Paul Sorvino, George Dzundza…please don’t send me back…”

A baby snatched from a supermarket leads Benson and Stabler to a sketchy adoption agency. Records show one of the children may have been connected to a cold case from Cragen's days at the 27th precinct.  The late Sergeant Max Greevey never learned who murdered Jennifer Talmadge and kidnapped her infant son, Stephen. 

After Cragen and Munch find the 12-year-old boy alive and well, a custody battle ensues among his biological father, his grandparents, and the family that raised him. But Olivia and Elliot find evidence the father's ex-wife might have been behind the fatal crime all those years ago.

We're talking about Special Victims Unit season three episode three "Stolen." Our guest is Matt Reuter from the Special Viewing Unit podcast.

Plot points for this episode come from the 1998 kidnapping of Allyson Dalton. 

L&O: The second wife wants to implant the first wife's embryos

Law & Order S9 E6 “Scrambled”

What happens in the room? The crime scene techs are not going to like what they find with the black light.

A tech at an IVF clinic is bludgeoned with a liquid nitrogen tank by someone who dumped all of its embryos down the sink.  Briscoe and Curtis learn, before he died, a wealthy man won the embryos in his divorce. His second wife wanted to implant the first wife's fertilized eggs and create a new heir to his fortune. 

In order to get a felony murder conviction against the first wife, McCoy has to argue the destroyed embryos were now the property of the young widow. But when Carmichael discovers an additional two surviving embryos, a new battle over who should get the eggs commences. 

We're talking about Law & Order season 9 episode 6 "Scrambled." Our guest is Ellyn Marsh from the "I Think Not" podcast.

This episode is based on the 1998 case of Kass v Kass.

SVU: The football player can't remember being a perv

SVU S13 E10 “Spiraling Down”

My condition means I don’t remember things in the evening…except where to find underaged sex slaves, how much money to bring, and get a lawyer. Not guilty, bitches.

Benson and Amaro rescue a teen drawn into the world of underage sex trafficking. Fin and Rollins set up a sting to catch her customers and arrest retired quarterback Jack Stanton (Treat Williams). Olivia believes his disorientation and unusual actions are the result of concussions he received playing football, but Nick thinks it's all an act. She gets defense attorney Bayard Ellis (Andre Braugher) to take his case, much to the ire of Cabot. After he displays signs of dementia on the stand, the jury acquits him. But the QB knows the problem is his brain and calls an audible on the courthouse steps.

We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 13 episode 10 "Spiraling Down." Our guest is Ronald Young Jr. from the "Weight for It" podcast.

This episode is inspired by the 2010 arrest of Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.

For exclusive content from Kevin and Rebecca, sign up on Patreon.

L&O: Did an athlete pay a goon to break her rival's bones?

Law & Order S4 E21 “Doubles”

“Can I just point out you’re spending all this time on something that’s not a murder?”

Tennis star Korey Burke will miss the tournament after an unidentified attacker breaks her wrist with a club. Logan and Briscoe rule out her obsessed fan and turn their attention to Korey's main rival and her burly boyfriend. Kincaid wonders if her demanding father (John Heard) might have set up the assault to boost her image and endorsement money. But when Stone obtains Korey's diary, it's clear the athlete has been looking for a way to get out of professional sports.

We're talking about Law & Order season 4 episode 21 "Doubles." Our returning guest is Leigh Bardugo, best-selling author of Shadow and Bone and The Familiar.

This episode is inspired by the 1994 attack on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. 

For exclusive content from Kevin and Rebecca, sign up on Patreon.

SVU: Dana Delany's son rapes a starlet to get on the radio

SVU S6 E3 “Obscene”

Making jokes about crimes that are especially heinous? What do you think this is? A podcast?

A 16-year-old TV actress who plays a hypersexual undercover agent is raped in her trailer. A shock jock (Lewis Black) has been suggesting listeners try to bang her. Stabler and Fin learn the culprit is the teenage son of an anti-smut crusader (Dana Delany) who thought stealing her panties would get him on the radio.  Later, the activist shoots the DJ for corrupting her son.  It's a case of the First Amendment versus family values.

We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 6 episode 3 "Obscene." Our guest is Roberta Blevins from the Life After MLM podcast.

Among the many figures who inspired this episode includes radio host Howard Stern.

L&O: The politician's husband was bludgeoned protecting a trans kid

Law & Order S22 E19 “Private Lives”

“We’re a classic Law & Order detective pairing…one of us will be gone next season.”

Cosgrove and Shaw investigate the murder of a right wing congresswoman's husband, a doctor bludgeoned in his home office. The detectives focus on a teenager who'd been secretly visiting the doctor's home. They learn the patient is a trans girl who'd been receiving gender affirming care despite her parents' objections, and Frank and Jalen arrest the dad for murder. His lawyer argues self-defense, and Price and Maroun quarrel about whether the victim should have been treating the 13-year-old without permission. In order to protect the teen from a withering cross-examination, McCoy offers a plea. But the political fallout from the trial might make things less safe for trans kids in the future.

We're talking about Law & Order season 22 episode 19 "Private Lives." Our guest is Brady Carlson from the Cool Weird Awesome podcast.

This episode takes its inspiration from the attack on the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

SVU: It's not the hot teacher! It's the catfishing wrestling coach!

SVU S27 E10 “Catfishing Teacher”

“Here’s where the school is…here’s where he disappeared from…and here’s where you should spread my ashes when you get me killed this season.”

Nerdy teenager Zach is getting dirty pics and suggestive texts from his English teacher, but vanishes on his way to a secret tryst with her. Benson and Dodds learn Miss Barnap has been giving lessons in lust to some students, but the photos to Zach were actually sent by the school's wrestling coach. The squad later finds the kidnapped boy in the man's remote cabin.  Zach's parents won't let him testify, so Olivia and Mike ask some of the coach's past victims to come forward. But one has a better idea...he gets a videotaped confession from the coach by torturing him to death. Also, Rollins apparently survived childbirth.

In our 200th episode, we're talking about Special Victims Unit season 17 episode 10* "Catfishing Teacher." Our special guest is the winner of the "These Are YOUR Stories contest," Jon Gregory.

Some inspiration for this episode comes from the life of former teacher Mary Kay Letourneau.

*Note, because of a two-part season opener, some streaming services list this as episode 9.

SVU: Amaro beats up that creep with a camera

SVU S15 E23 “Thought Criminal”

“You know, Stabler would have just done this in the interrogation room. Not out on the street in broad daylight!”

An online sting leads the squad to a photographer (Joshua Malina) who has fantasies about slicing up children. Murphy and Tutuola uncover his torture chamber, but Benson and Rollins can't find any real-life victims. Barba prosecutes him anyway, but the defendant is acquitted. Meantime, while already dealing with family issues, Amaro spots the photographer taking pictures at a playground. Nick beats him to a pulp and is quickly arrested.

We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 15 episode 23* "Thought Criminal." Our guest is Kimberly from the Date with Dateline podcast. 

Inspiration for this story comes from the case of the so-called "Cannibal Cop" Gilberto Valle.

*Note, because of a two-part season opener, some streaming services list this as episode 22.

CI: She's not the killer because she can only poop in her home toilet

Criminal Intent S7 E15 "Please Note We Are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation from Henry Kissinger

If she cannot shit, you must acquit.

When three parents are killed in separate shootings, Goren and Eames learn their three-year-old children had all been accepted to an exclusive day care center. Is someone trying to get their own kid off the waitlist and into the school by picking off the other moms and dads? An overbearing matriarch found with the murder weapon would do anything to get her grandson in, but Goren de-deuces she couldn't do it because she can only poop in her home toilet. It seems the child's belittled mom set up her mother-in-law, and now she's taken school officials hostage at gunpoint.

We're talking about Criminal Intent season 7 episode 15 "Please Note We Are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation from Henry Kissinger." Our guest is Chris Farah from the DocuSweeties podcast.

Inspiration for this episode comes from the real life case of the Texas cheerleader murder plot.

SVU: Will Arnett is adopting kids for all the wrong reasons

SVU S4 E6 “Angels”

I just arrange for men to pay for sex and take a percentage for myself. I’m not a sex trafficker. I’m a capitalist.

A Guatemalan boy is discovered in a bus luggage compartment. His friend tells Benson and Stabler they were running away from the child molester who adopted them and kept them locked in his apartment for sex. Before they can question Brett Jansen, he's found murdered in his bed. Olivia and Elliot learn Jansen is among those who've been traveling to Central America to bring back boys for their own pleasure. Munch goes undercover to bust the travel agent arranging the trips (Will Arnett). Was Jansen killed to protect the pedophile ring? Or was it because his love for the boys wasn't sweet enough?

We're talking about Special Victims Unit season 4 episode 6 "Angels." Our guest is Alexis Linkletter from "Unraveled" and "The First Degree" podcasts.

Inspiration for this story comes from the 1999 case of Marvin Hersh.