In 2016, officials at England’s The Countess of Chester Hospital began an inquest into what was causing a statistically high number of babies in the neonatal unit to die or require resuscitation. They found the cases all had one thing in common: night nurse Lucy Letby was on duty for all of them. Police accused Letby of killing the infants in a number of ways - including tampering with oxygen, feeding tubes, and insulin injections. But her lawyers said the outcomes were the result of poor care from the hospital, and the causes of death were medical, not murder.

The Netflix documentary “The Investigation of Lucy Letby” looks into the largest case of infant homicides in British history. It uses body cam and security footage to show how their probe came together and possible motives for the killings. The film also uses controversial AI technology to change the appearance of some contributors who wanted to remain anonymous.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "THE INVESTIGATION OF LUCY LETBY" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: fowl odor.

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In 2011, Matt Leili told police his wife Nique left their suburban Atlanta home with nothing but her toothbrush a week before her naked body was discovered in the woods. Investigators learned that for years Matt had been surveilling his family in their home through hidden cameras. Through thousands of hours of tape, police pieced together Matt's coercive and abusive marriage with Nique, but the cameras stopped rolling the night she vanished. Investigators were left with the challenge of proving Matt was the killer when they had evidence of everything in their lives - except the murder.

From Sony Music Entertainment and Wavland Media comes “Watching You,” the latest season from The Binge. Host Jonathan Hirsch walks listeners through the murder of Nique Leili. It illustrates the couple’s troubling relationship through recordings from inside their home. It also chronicles the journey of the couple’s children who took opposing sides in the case.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WATCHING YOU" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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Combing passages within the newly-built Providence Place mall, a group of local artists located an unused, overlooked space within the building. They sneaked in furniture and construction supplies, and fashioned a small apartment under the noses of management and security guards. Though the confederates used the space like a club house, they considered the project a political and artistic commentary on gentrification and consumerism. They filmed themselves for four years, but they could not avoid detection forever.

The 2024 documentary film “Secret Mall Apartment” is now available on Netflix. It shows Michael Townsend and his crew building and maintaining the space. The film shows how the clandestine project was more than just a plucky urban legend, but also an artistic statement about community and capitalism.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "SECRET MALL APARTMENT" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: Home (Alone) invasion.

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The brazen kidnapping of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart from her bedroom captivated the nation. And when their main suspect died in custody, police feared they’d never learn her fate. But Elizabeth was still alive, being held in the woods, and facing daily abuse at the hands of her captors. Though investigators thought of it as a cold case, the Smart family continued their search. And a clue from Elizabeth’s younger sister about the kidnapper’s identity led to her dramatic rescue and emotional family reunion.

In the Netflix documentary film “Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart,” we hear from Elizabeth herself about her nine month ordeal, as well as from loved ones and investigators who worked to bring her home. She explains how she survived in captivity, the physical and psychological abuse she suffered, and why she passed on earlier chances to escape.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "KIDNAPPED: ELIZABETH SMART" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 9 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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Sydney McDowell was preparing for the last steps in her fertility journey. But when she went to Nashville’s Center for Reproductive Health for a final check-up, she learned the clinic was abruptly closing, and what would happen to her frozen embryos was unclear. Hundreds of families who’d paid thousands of dollars were left in the lurch, unable to recover their money or their embryos. As the would-be mothers compared notes, they said they missed many red flags that something wasn’t right at this fertility clinic.

From School of Humans and iHeartPodcasts comes “What Happened in Nashville.” Host Melissa Jeltsen brings the heartwrenching stories of those whose dreams of conceiving were dashed. She also explores the background of the clinic’s owner-operator, attempts to hold him accountable, and the lingering deficiencies in regulating this kind of medicine.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "WHAT HAPPENED IN NASHVILLE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 11 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: rolling in the dough.

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From no-knock warrants and phony police informants to civil forfeiture and international narcotics interdiction, the US war on drugs has affected more than just traffickers. Its highly provocative methods have caused the deaths of innocent bystanders, often with no consequences for those responsible. Animated by decades of political cries stoking fear and anger, police departments have gained more power in their tactics, which look more like combat than law enforcement. And the deaths of people caught in the crossfire are now accepted as necessary sacrifices in the quest for a drug-free America.

In each episode of the podcast “Collateral Damage” from The Intercept, investigative reporter Radley Balko covers an unjust or avoidable death as a result of the government’s questionable enforcement policies and practices. The series distills the war on drugs down to the personal stories of bystanders who lost their lives or livelihood as collateral damage to the dangerous and quixotic goal of saving a nation from itself.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "COLLATERAL DAMAGE" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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A group of armed thieves force their way into a London investment firm which manages pension funds. In order to move billions of pounds into an offshore account, low-level office worker Zara Dunne is forced to complete the transaction with a gun to her head. DCI Rhys Covac thinks the heist isn’t all that it seems, and is paired with forensic accountants and MI5 operatives to unravel the operation. As Covac investigates her co-worker Luke, Zara finds herself in the middle of a high-stakes caper, looking for a way out.

The six-episode series “Steal” on Prime Video stars Sophie Turner. The thriller puts her character in the crosshairs of cold-blooded spies, crypto-robbers, and the cops looking for the missing billions. Was the theft of the workers’ retirement money an inside job? Was it a cash grab or was it a political statement?

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "STEAL" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: regrets only.

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In 2001, a wealthy American couple moved to Costa Rica to build a multimillion-dollar home and wildlife sanctuary in the rain forest. In their lavish estate patrolled by armed guards, John and Ann Bender found themselves more isolated as the couple dealt with debilitating illness, bipolar disorder, and growing paranoia. When tragedy struck in 2010, authorities were left to wonder whether what happened was an accident, suicide, or murder. What followed was a legal saga which lasted years and grabbed the world’s attention. To this day, what happened that night at the Boracayan Estate remains the subject of debate.

From Blanchard House, Exactly Right Media, and iHeartPodcasts comes “Hell in Heaven: A Mysterious Death in Paradise.” Host Becky Milligan traces John and Ann Bender’s lives in the Costa Rican jungle and seeks the truth about what happened in the couple’s opulent rain forest estate. The eight-part series explores how cultural differences, personal demons, and the estranging influence of the wild contributed to the tragedy.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HELL IN HEAVEN" IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

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