Two barrels, four bodies, and an enigmatic killer. The cold case that changed the way murders will be investigated forever.
Introducing: What Remains from Outside/In
Introducing “What Remains,” a special series from NHPR’s Outside/In. A classroom display of human skulls sparks a reckoning at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia. A movement grows to “abolish the collection.” The Penn Museum relents to pressure. But there are more skeletons in the closet. To hear all three parts, including the prologue, subscribe to Outside/In.
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10/24/2024 • 37 minutes, 54 seconds
Introducing: The Youth Development Center
For three decades, Andy Perkins didn’t talk about what happened to him at a place called YDC – the Youth Development Center. Then, he saw something on the news, and he realized he wasn’t the only person with a story about YDC. Andy gives us a rare glimpse into the black box of the juvenile justice system. Click here to read the companion digital story made in collaboration with The Pudding.If you have suffered abuse and need someone to talk to, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. If you’re in a mental health crisis, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8. To support investigative journalism like The Youth Development Center at NHPR, click here.
7/9/2024 • 31 minutes, 46 seconds
Episode 9: The Reversal
The state of New Hampshire has made a sudden about-face: Prosecutors have now agreed to DNA test old evidence in Jason Carroll’s case. It’s the biggest development in the case in 35 years – and one step closer to possibly learning who killed Sharon Johnson.For more on the case, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.
4/22/2024 • 28 minutes, 24 seconds
Bonus: ‘Crime Story’
It’s been one year since we dropped Bear Brook Season 2. Here’s where things stand with Jason Carroll’s case and a refresher on how we got here – and where the case is going. Host Jason Moon talks with Kathleen Goldhar of CBC’s “Crime Story” podcast about the series.
2/22/2024 • 47 minutes, 57 seconds
Join us for Bear Brook Live
Join us for Bear Brook Live at WBUR CitySpace in Boston on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. Host Jason Moon and psychologist Dr. Fabiana Alceste will go deep on the science of false confessions, discuss the latest in Jason Carroll’s case, and take your questions. For tickets and more information, visit www.wbur.org/events.
9/6/2023 • 53 seconds
Introducing: The 13th Step
Reporter Lauren Chooljian starts getting tips about the founder of New Hampshire’s largest addiction treatment network. He is allegedly sexually harassing or assaulting women — employees and former clients at his facilities. The tips send Lauren on a journey deep into the addiction treatment industry, which, as one source says, “needs a #MeToo movement.” The 13th Step is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio’s Document team. Listen to the whole series now by clicking here.
6/6/2023 • 6 minutes, 6 seconds
Introducing: The Last Ride
Introducing The Last Ride: Two young men of color vanished three months apart, on the same road in Naples, Florida, under eerily similar circumstances nearly 20 years ago. They were last seen with the same white sheriff's deputy. The since-fired deputy said he gave the men rides to Circle K stores, a story that could never be corroborated. He's the only person of interest but has never been charged. No one has.Listen to The Last Ride on NPR One or wherever else you get your podcasts
4/26/2023 • 8 minutes, 29 seconds
A Special Announcement
Join Bear Brook's Jason Moon and Undisclosed host Rabia Chaudry for a live, on-stage conversation on Wednesday, May 17 at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage in Concord, New Hampshire.The event will be moderated by NHPR's podcast director Rebecca Lavoie, who is also the host of the hit podcast Crime Writers On, and will be a wide-ranging conversation about the Jason Carroll case, the lines between journalism and advocacy, the ethics of true crime storytelling, why some voices in the genre get more traction in the real world, and much more. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION
4/20/2023 • 1 minute, 33 seconds
Episode 8: The Box
The true crime media spotlight shines on Jason Carroll. Then, a chance encounter leads to a surprising discovery that changes the course of his case.For more on the case and to see selected data on exonerations, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here. To explore more data, visit The National Registry of Exonerations.
4/10/2023 • 48 minutes, 9 seconds
Episode 7: This Side of the Line
How could someone possibly confess to murder if they didn’t do it? A modern understanding of confessions sheds new light on Jason Carroll’s case.For more on the case and to see selected data on exonerations, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here. To explore more data, visit The National Registry of Exonerations.
4/3/2023 • 56 minutes, 14 seconds
Episode 6: ‘Don’t Roll the Dice’
Jason Carroll stands trial twice – and the juries come up with their own versions of what happened.For more on the case, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.
3/27/2023 • 54 minutes, 24 seconds
Episode 5: Trial in a Trial
A new true crime story is told and when juries hear it, it leads to different results for all three defendants. During the first trial, the lead detective makes a big mistake.For more on the case and to see a table of confession discrepancies, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.
3/20/2023 • 50 minutes, 9 seconds
Episode 4: ‘Promises Have Been Made’
One set of confessions leads to another and three men are arrested for Sharon Johnson’s murder. Then, an alleged secret comes to light that changes everything.For more on the case and to see a timeline of the interrogations, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.
3/13/2023 • 45 minutes, 24 seconds
Episode 3: The Breaking Point
Police interrogate a second teenager named Jason Carroll – with help from Jason’s own mother.For more on the case, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.
3/6/2023 • 51 minutes, 16 seconds
Episode 2: The Pursuit
We begin with the story police told about Sharon Johnson’s murder. The veteran detective on the case develops a theory involving her husband and a teenager. A surprising admission leads to a new break in the case.For more on the case and to see a timeline of Sharon's last day, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.
2/27/2023 • 41 minutes, 11 seconds
Episode 1: Extraordinary
Sharon Johnson’s family and friends have spent the last 35 years coping with her brutal murder. But what if that story was based on a lie? The man imprisoned for her murder maintains his innocence.For more on the case, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.
2/20/2023 • 39 minutes, 22 seconds
Trailer: Bear Brook S2: A True Crime Story
Jason Carroll is serving life in prison for a murder he says he didn’t commit. The only evidence against him? His own taped confession. More than 30 years later, is it possible to get to the truth – and who gets to tell it?From the creators of the hit podcast Bear Brook comes A True Crime Story. In the show’s second season, host Jason Moon returns with a new, even more complex story: In 1989, New Hampshire police charged three men in the murder of a pregnant woman named Sharon Johnson. But only 19-year-old Jason Carroll was convicted. Police built the case against him around his own taped confession.For more than 30 years, that story has profoundly shaped the lives of many people. A True Crime Story is about what happens when the official narrative is challenged. When alternate versions are told by lawyers – and podcasters – as part of a mounting effort to free Jason Carroll from prison and clear his name. Host Jason Moon documents how those involved grapple with the idea that the prevailing story about who killed Sharon Johnson could be a lie. And he brings a fresh examination of the evidence to a state that has never exonerated anyone for murder.