The Atlanta Lawyer December 2017/January 2018 | Page 21

but leaving open to speculation
what really happened in the case
of Adnan Syed, a new Podcast
emerged, reexamining the case
in even more depth than its pre-
decessor. Undisclosed is hosted by
three lawyers, Rabia Chaudry, Su-
san Simpson and Colin Miller, who
were ultimately able to uncover
evidence that led to a post-convic-
tion hearing for Syed. For those of
you following the case, Syed won
the hearing and potentially could
have a new trial. For Undisclosed's
second season, which launched
in July 2016, the team brought in
vocal Syed supporter, Jon Cryer,
but instead focused on another
15-year-old murder case: the 2000
death of Isaac Dawson. Season 2
may be more interesting to mem-
bers of the Atlanta Bar as the case
was brought to Undisclosed by the
Georgia Innocence Project, has the
team thinking that they could pos-
sibly overturn another conviction.
Since season 2, the team has cov-
ered 6 new cases, including “The
Killing of Freddie Gray” and most
recently, “The State v. Terrance
Lewis.” New episodes are released
Mondays, while "Addendums,"
explanations of legal questions
brought up in the show, hosted
by Cryer, are released Thursdays.
My Favorite Murder
By Sarah Malkin
2L, Georgia State University
Practice Area: Criminal
Hosts: Georgia Hardstark,
Karen Kilgariff
Most Recent Episode:
MFM Minisode 54
My Favorite Murder is a weekly-
ish podcast wherein the two hosts,
Georgia Hardstark and Karen
Kilgariff (occasionally joined by
beloved podcast master Steven
Morris and the hosts’ many animal
friends) tackle true stores about
real-life crimes with dry wit and
riot grrl rage. Topics range from
the Black Dahlia to Ted Bundy to
Jonbenet Ramsey, occasionally
sprinkled with retold episodes
of Unsolved Mysteries, Forensic
Files, and I Survived. Georgia and
Karen, who will be the first to share
that they are not professionals,
comment on each story, sharing
one-liners and advice such as “stay
out of the woods,” “call your dad,
you’re in a cult,” and the rallying
cry of thousands of fans, “f*** po-
liteness.”
that they utilize their platform
as a coping technique for anxiety.
For every joke about John Wayne
Gacy, they point out the respective
anxiety that a serial killer may be
hiding in plain sight. Each insis-
tence to forego politeness carries
with it the implication that self-
preservation is self-care. And lis-
teners get the message – several
mini-episode letters carry with
them notes that the podcast gave
the push to seek counseling. For
many listeners, even and especially
those who typically aren’t inter-
ested in true crime, My Favorite
Murder has become a safe space
where they can acknowledge (and,
yes, laugh about) the chaotic and
dangerous world out there. Stay
sexy, don’t get murderd.
▪
But what makes this podcast
unique are the regular “mini”
episodes wherein Georgia and
Karen read listeners’ “hometown
murders.” These stories discuss
listeners’ closes calls, such as the
listener’s mother who refused a car
ride from Ted Bundy; small-town
crimes that never got national at-
tention; and the occasional ghost
story. The hosts began the pod-
cast as a way to share these sto-
ries, a holdover from their late
70’s/early 80’s childhoods when
every neighborhood seemed to
have a legend of a horrific crime,
and each live show ends with an
audience member sharing theirs.
Additionally, Karen and Georgia
openly discuss their mental health
on the podcast and clearly note
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