Crime Story Editor

In Part 86, Judge Mader examines the circumstances of a so-called Watson murder, where an intoxicated driver kills someone while driving drunk, and details the hidden tragedies she finds among the jury pool. You can find links to all installments of Inside the Robe here. November 3 An unusual murder trial arrived in my court this morning. It is called a “Watson” murder, named after a case allowing drunk drivers to be prosecuted for second-degree murder if they kill someone on the road while intoxicated. These cases are sad because, almost always, the victim is a stranger. A Watson murder conviction carries life...

In Part 85, Judge Mader looks back at her reasons for becoming a judge and considers the financial demands placed on the candidates in contemporary judicial races. You can find links to all installments of Inside the Robe here. November 1 Why did I run for judge? I couldn’t see myself growing old in the DA’s office. In my fifties, I was working with prosecutors in their twenties, a thirty-year age gap that was bound to widen. I don’t like being the oldest person in the room. Surrounded by judges, many of whom are my age, it’s comfortable to talk about our party...

You can find links to all of CRIME STORY’S coverage of the Robert Durst trial here. On our last episode, host Kary Antholis and co-host Brittany Bookbinder recapped the On our last episode, host Kary Antholis and co-host Brittany Bookbinder recapped the events surrounding the reading of the jury’s guilty verdict against Robert Durst for the murder of Susan Berman. In this episode, The Trial's Most Memorable Moments — Part 2 — Charles Bagli's Top Ten, our reporter in court virtually every day of the trial — and who has been covering the Durst story for over 20 years for the...

You can find links to all of CRIME STORY’S coverage of the Robert Durst trial here. On Friday, September 17th, a Los Angeles jury found Robert Durst guilty of murder with special circumstances of lying in wait and killing a witness. In this episode, The Durst Trial's Most Memorable Moments, host Kary Antholis, co-host Brittany Bookbinder, and journalist Charles V Bagli, who is covering the Durst story for CrimeStory.com and the New York Times, reflect on the most significant and memorable moments in a truly extraordinary trial. This is Part 1 of a 2 episode recap.

CRIME STORY has received permission to feature profiles of exonerees represented by the California Innocence Project (CIP). The CIP reviews more than 2,000 claims of innocence each year and since its founding in 1999 has secured the release of dozens of innocent people who may otherwise have spent the rest of their lives wrongfully incarcerated. Kimberly Long’s is “one of those classic cases where the person who finds the dead person ends up becoming a suspect,” says Justin Brooks, Director of the California Innocence Project. “Her case was paper thin when it went to trial, and now when you consider what...

In Part 84, Judge Mader explains the hierarchy of court assignments. She then details the case of a mentally ill defendant accused of assault and the tension between the need to prosecute crime and the desire to help someone in crisis. You can find links to all installments of Inside the Robe here. October 24 At the end of the calendar year, judges who are frustrated with their assignment wonder whether they will be transferred. For many years I was one of those judges. I felt trapped at the Airport Courthouse, even though I occupied a desirable felony trial court. “We are at...