Podcast
The Trial: USA
Hosted by The Crime Desk · EN
Launched in the UK in 2022, The Trial is an award-winning, chart-topping podcast that goes behind the headlines of some of the biggest trials in the world. We take you into the courtroom, bringing you the detail as the evidence unfolds, examining key moments and carrying out exclusive interviews with detectives, victims, and experts.
The Trial series occasionally uses actors and some voices generated by AI. Their words are taken as verbatim from the official court transcript.
For ad-free listening to all of our shows, exclusive bonus episodes of The Trial every week, and complete access to our show archives, subscribe to The Crime Desk now.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episodes
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‘Cults’ and Cold Cases: A 2026 CrimeCon Recap
Yesterday00:36:42Summary readyCartisha Morgan came to CrimeCon in the hopes of bringing attention to the case of her missing daughter and young grandchild, a toddler when she vanished. Morgan believes her daughter Ma’Kayla Wickerson bought into the teachings of a group that police have called a cult before disappearing with the tot from their Missouri home. Another family was at the event to ask to promote their campaign for answers. Christopher Abeyta, a 7-month-old, was stolen from his crib in Colorado Springs nearly 40 years ago. His family, including a niece he never met, wants police to focus on a woman who they believe may have gotten away with the crime. They hope that person can explain what happened to baby Christopher. The episode this week brings you a roundup of these stories and others from the Crime Desk team at CrimeCon 2026 in Las Vegas. Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy RobsonEditor: Chelsey RanoreCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastFollow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrimeEmail us: thetrial@dailymail.comWhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastClick here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Kaylee Goncalves’s Parents On Treating Killers 'Like The Animals That They Are'
1w ago00:36:28Summary readyWe share in this episode an in-depth conversation with the parents of Kaylee Concalves at CrimeCon 2026 in Las Vegas where they promoted the “Murder Has a Name” foundation started in their daughter’s honor to help other families find answers with the help of advanced DNA technology. Steve and Kristi Goncalves also discussed their family’s raw anger at killer Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing and the risk they decided to take to speak their minds unfiltered. ‘These guys need to be treated like the animals that they are,’ Steve Goncalves told the Mail. ‘If you're gonna behave like an animal, treat them like an animal.’ The couple also discusses threats they've faced from supporters of Kohberger and the twisted logic his fans have used to challenge investigative facts, even though his criminal case resulted in Kohberger’s guilty plea last year. Kohberger was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole for the 2022 slayings. Kaylee’s parents say he should have received nothing less than capital punishment. Join us for Daily Mail US Crime Correspondent Rachel Sharp’s full interview with the Goncalves parents. Murder Has a Name: https://www.murderhasaname.com/Click here to sign up to The Crime Desk: thecrimedesk.comPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy RobsonEditor: Chelsey RanoreCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastFollow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrimeEmail us: thetrial@dailymail.comWhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialIt's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world.Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrimeEmail us: thetrial@dailymail.comWhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastClick here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Prosecutor Speaks on Death Sentence for 7-year-old Athena Strand’s Killer
2w ago00:49:41Summary readyJames Stainton spent years working to bring Tanner Horner to justice for abusing and killing a beloved child before callously discarding her remains in rural Texas on November 30, 2022.On this episode, Stainton shares with The Trial: USA’s Kayla Brantley what it was like to shoulder the task of seeking justice for Athena Strand and her devastated family. He also discusses capital punishment and why, as he argued at trial, Horner's actions are why the death penalty exists.Horner was sentenced to execution by lethal injection on May 5 after a five-week jury trial held to determine his fate. He’d previously pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping the first-grader, who was abducted from her family’s sprawling property in Paradise, Texas.Athena’s death devastated her family, friends and community. She inspired a law that enables law enforcement to employ quicker responses to missing children calls by issuing what has become known as an “Athena Alert.” Her family also started a charity in her honor in an effort to share the little girl’s legacy.Athena’s Army: https://asarmy.com/Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy RobsonEditor: Chelsey RanoreCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastFollow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrimeEmail us: thetrial@dailymail.comWhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastClick here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Murdaugh Wife And Son Murder Verdict Tossed Out: What Went Wrong And What’s Coming
3w ago00:38:19Summary readyThe latest development in the Alex Murdaugh story was a ruling by the highest court in South Carolina reversing his conviction for the 2022 murder of his wife and son.An elected county court clerk was accused of tampering with the jury process by hinting to sitting panelists that Murdaugh was guilty — a stunning betrayal of the public’s trust that the court said denied him a fair trial.The clerk, Rebecca Hill, faced her own investigation and resigned.In this episode, legal expert and retired chief judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals James Lockemy discusses the Murdaugh reversal with The Trial: USA’s Kayla Brantley.The episode breaks down Hill’s flagrant conduct which included plans for a behind-the-scenes book during the trial.Evidence presented in post-trial proceedings examined how Hill hoped to profit from the publication, which was released six months after the trial but later pulled from circulation.Hill pleaded guilty in December to obstruction of justice and perjury for releasing graphic, sealed crime scene photos to the media and lying about it under oath at a 2024 hearing. The ex-official also admitted to improperly awarding herself cash bonuses.Murdaugh’s increasingly complicated prosecution is now headed toward a retrial. He could also now face the possibility of a death sentence if convicted again.Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy RobsonEditor: Chelsey RanoreCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastHelp shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.Terms and conditionsOpen to UK residents aged 18 or over.Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusiveThe Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).There will be one (1) winner.The winner will win £50 Amazon VoucherAmazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrimeEmail us: thetrial@dailymail.comWhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastClick here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Killer Is Sentenced To Lethal Injection In Texas For Killing First-Grader
4w ago00:31:55Summary readyJustice for a joyful little girl who was abducted outside her rural Texas home and murdered by a stranger driving a delivery truck.MaryAnn Martinez, the Daily Mail’s Texas bureau chief, was in the courtroom as a jury sealed the fate of 7-year-old Athena Strand’s killer, Tanner Horner.Athena, a first-grader with an affinity for the outdoors and the color pink, was abused and tortured by Horner, a FedEx driver, before he killed her and callously discarded her tiny frame in a nearby creek on Nov. 30, 2022.A frantic, multi-day search for Athena ensued. The child’s death traumatized her rural community.Horner pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in April but a jury still had to determine his fate, which in Texas included the possibility of the death penalty. After a five-week trial,Athena’s family watched as the panel found that Horner should be executed by lethal injection.On this episode, Martinez discusses the case with host Kayla Brantley and takes us inside the courtroom for the dramatic last moments of the proceeding.We also learn what is expected to happen next as Horner waits on death row.Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducers: Shayna Jacobs and Lucy RobsonEditor: Chelsey RanoreCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastHelp shape the Crime Desk by taking our quick, listener survey. It takes just five minutes, and you could win a £50 Amazon voucher.Terms and conditionsOpen to UK residents aged 18 or over.Enter between 00:01 BST on 23rd April 2026 and 23:59 BST on 23rd May 2026, inclusiveThe Promotion is free to enter by visiting, completing the online survey and providing your contact details (including email address).There will be one (1) winner.The winner will win £50 Amazon VoucherAmazon Vouchers are subject to Amazon’s T&Cs found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Full T&Cs apply, click here to read them.Follow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrimeEmail us: thetrial@dailymail.comWhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastClick here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Lively vs. Baldoni: The Real Reason the Feuding Stars Settled
May 600:16:31Summary readyAfter two years of legal mudslinging between “Gossip Girl” actress Blake Lively and actor-director Justin Baldoni, a civil trial was set to unfold in New York.The “It Ends With Us” co-stars instead capped their bitter dispute with a settlement deal that ended an ugly and costly two-year public ordeal that battered their reputations.The Trial: USA this week examines the history of the litigation and explains why a last-minute settlement was a likely outcome. Kayla Brantley interviews entertainment and sports attorney Thomas H. Herndon Jr. about the legal drama.In this episode, Herndon Jr. breaks down the legal strategies at play and weighs in on what a trial may have looked like.Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonEditor: Chelsey RanoreCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastFollow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrimeEmail us: thetrial@dailymail.comWhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastClick here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The Ted Bundy Murder That Took 50 Years to Prove
Apr 800:19:07Summary readyA 17-year-old girl disappears on Halloween. And for more than half a century - no definitive answers.In 1974, Laura Ann Aime vanished after leaving a party in Utah. Weeks later, her body was found in the mountains. Investigators long suspected Ted Bundy - and before his execution in 1989, he even confessed to her murder.But it wasn’t enough to close the case.Now, decades later, a major breakthrough in DNA technology has finally confirmed Bundy as her killer - officially bringing an end to one of the many cold cases tied to his name.In this episode of The Trial: USA, host Kayla Brantley is joined by Daily Mail Senior Crime Correspondent Rachel Sharp to unpack the latest breakthrough and explain the new DNA technology that made it possible. Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonEditor: Chelsey RanoreCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastFollow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrimeEmail us: thetrial@dailymail.comWhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastClick here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Is Rex Heuermann going to plead guilty to the Gilgo Beach Murders?
Apr 100:36:33Summary readyFor more than a decade, the murders at Gilgo Beach haunted Long Island - a string of victims, discovered along a remote stretch of coastline, with no arrests and few answers. Until 2023.Rex Heuermann, a Manhattan architect, was charged with the murders of seven women - accused of carrying out one of the most chilling killing sprees in recent US history. He pleaded not guilty. But now, in a shock development, he’s expected to plead guilty - a move that could bring a sudden end to a case that has gripped investigators and victims’ families for years.In this episode, Senior Crime Correspondent Rachel Sharp steps in for Kayla Brantley and is joined by Daily Mail reporter Ruth Bashinsky - two journalists who have been covering this case from the very beginning.Together, they take you through the full story, from the first disappearance, to the discovery of the bodies, the years the case went cold, and the breakthrough that led police to Heuermann.And they break down what this latest twist could mean - for the case, for the families, and for the truth.Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonEditor: Chelsey RanoreCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastFollow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrimeEmail us: thetrial@dailymail.comWhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastClick here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Suburban Mom Accused in 15-Year Cold Case Killing of Realtor
Mar 2500:14:09Summary readyFor nearly 15 years, the murder of Iowa realtor Ashley Okland remained unsolved.Shot twice in broad daylight inside a model home she was showing, the 27-year-old’s killing shocked her community - but left investigators with no clear suspects or motive.Now, over a decade later - there’s been a dramatic breakthrough. Kristin Ramsey, a 53-year-old mother, has been charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors say the killing was premeditated. She denies the charges.So what changed? On this week’s episode, host Kayla is joined by Daily Mail Senior News Reporter Natasha Anderson to unpack what happened, why the case went cold, and the new developments that led to this long-awaited arrest.After more than a decade without answers - could this finally be justice for Ashley Okland?Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonEditor: Chelsey RanoreCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastFollow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrimeEmail us: thetrial@dailymail.comWhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastClick here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Farrah Fawcett’s Son in Court Over Bloody LA Crime Spree
Mar 1800:17:18Summary readyIn this episode of The Trial: USA, we take you inside the case of Redmond O’Neal, son of Hollywood icon Farrah Fawcett, whose long history of addiction, mental illness, and arrests has culminated in a shocking series of alleged violent attacks across Los Angeles.Prosecutors say O’Neal carried out a week-long crime spree in 2018 - including the brutal beating of one man with a glass bottle and the stabbing of another, leaving him with traumatic, life-altering injuries.But for years, this case was paused - after a judge ruled O’Neal was not mentally competent to stand trial.Now, nearly a decade later, he has been deemed fit to face justice and new, disturbing details are emerging in court.Daily Mail’s West Coast correspondent Marjorie Hernandez was in the courtroom for O’Neal’s preliminary hearing - and joins us to break down what happened, what the witnesses revealed, and what comes next.Follow us for more episodes of The Trial: USA - where we take you inside the courtroom and beyond the headlines.Email us: thetrial@dailymail.com WhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonEditor: Chelsey RanoreCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastFollow us on TikTok: @DailyMailCrimeEmail us: thetrial@dailymail.comWhatsApp us: +44 7796 657512 Start your message with TrialPresenter: Kayla BrantleyProducer: Lucy RobsonCreative Director: Caroline CheethamExecutive Producer: Jamie EastClick here to sign up to The Crime Desk's weekly newsletter. It's free and packed with exclusive interviews, expert insight, and gripping deep dive investigations from across the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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