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This episode contains descriptions and details that some listeners might find disturbing.
Listener discretion is advised.
It's around 9 p.m. on October 23, 1989.
At Boston City Hospital, an operating room is buzzing with activity.
29-year-old Charles Stewart lies on a bed. His mouth covered by an oxygen mask. His hand
smeared with blood. Nurses carefully cut away his jeans and attached monitors,
while doctors ask Chuck where he's feeling pain. A police officer stands to one side waiting
for the right moment when he can ask more questions about the man who gave Chuck the gunshot wound
in his abdomen. Hovering on the periphery is a small film crew. Their camera capturing every
moment for the television show Rescue 911. They're filming Chuck's pained groans. The doctors
calling out vitals. The nurse holding Chuck's hand. Through it all, the patient is incredibly
calm. In an even voice, he asks about his wife, Carol. They were both shot less than half an hour
ago after they left a birthing class. The doctors tell Chuck that Carol's at another hospital so
they can't give him an update right now. Chuck's not faced. He doesn't cry. He doesn't seem
scared or in shock. It's almost like this is a routine procedure for him. Like he was expecting
to be undergoing life-saving surgery tonight. Minutes later, technicians take X-rays so doctors
can get a better look at what they're dealing with. Then the surgeon scrub in. As Chuck lies on
the bed, he only seems half awake, but his mouth is going a mile a minute. He keeps repeating
the same phrases over and over again. Shot me, shot my wife, black male, shot my wife,
I ducked, shot me. It almost sounds like a mantra or like an actor rehearsing lines ahead of his
big performance. Starting something new isn't just hard. It's downright terrifying. I mean,
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From Airship, I'm Jeremy Schwartz and this is American Criminal.
On October 23, 1989, 29-year-old Charles Stewart shot his pregnant wife in the head,
then turned the gun on himself. His plan was to blame the attack on an imaginary black man,
correctly guessing that people would believe his vague story. Not just the police,
but his family, his friends, the city of Boston. But Chuck wasn't prepared for just how much
attention he would receive in the wake of the crime. The same night he planned his crime. A film crew
was riding along with a team of paramedics to capture footage for the popular TV show Rescue 9-1-1.
So, when first responders arrived on the scene, cameras were there to document every moment.
Those same cameras followed Chuck to the hospital into the operating room,
where his strange behavior caught the attention of semiglide nurses.
They spotted right away that this man didn't seem like someone whose wife and unborn son were
fighting for their lives. This was a man who had something to hide. But while the people who saved
his life whispered that they didn't believe his story, Boston's leaders took Chuck Stewart at his
word and did exactly what he wanted them to do. They started hunting for a black man to blame.
This is Episode 3 in our three-part series on the murder of Carol Stewart, the body in the water.
It's the afternoon of October 24, 1989. In Boston's Mission Hill projects, a group of teenage
boys is gathered in Joey Bennett's bedroom to play a video game. On the street outside,
cop cars are making regular patrols, sometimes running their sirens, but mostly just cruising
slowly through the neighborhood. It's been less than 24 hours since Charles and Carol Stewart were
shot in their car not far from here and the whole city's on edge. 17-year-old Joey has his eyes on
the screen while his friends laugh and joke around him. They may or may not be passing a
join around too. Now one of those friends Derek Jackson picks up a frame newspaper article.
It's about Joey's uncle Willie Bennett, a man with a violent criminal past. The article is
about a standoff he had with police a few years back. Derek knows all about Willie. He's something
of a legend to these kids. They think he's a fearless badass. Chuckling slightly, Derek asked Joey
if his uncle had anything to do with the shooting last night. Joey concentrating on the Nintendo
a little bit high and barely paying attention to the question shrugs and says one word. Yeah,
and so it begins. After Joey's off hand comment in his bedroom, his friends all had home. None of
them want to be out after dark with how many cops are in the neighborhood. On the way, Derek runs
into another kid he knows. 18-year-old Eric Whitney. He tells Eric all about what Joey said.
How his uncle Willie shot that pregnant woman. A little while after that, Eric goes home and tells
his mother only he embellishes the story like a lot. According to Eric's version, Willie Bennett told
his nephew that he was the gunman. Showed him the gun he used for the crime then demonstrated exactly
how he did it. Eric's mother listens to the story and wraps silence. Then she picks up the phone
to call her boyfriend who just happens to be a Boston PD officer. The story's passed around and
eventually makes its way up the chain to the detectives leading the investigation.
About a week later, Derek and Eric are both hauled down to the police station to answer questions
about Willie Bennett. Derek shocked by how much the story has changed since he told Eric.
All he'd said was that Willie told his nephew he did it. By this stage, the cops believe that
Willie himself held an audience with Joey and his friends, brandishing the murder weapon and loudly
bragging about shooting the stewards. So, Derek tries to set the record straight to tell the cops
exactly how it all went down, but they are not interested in hearing what he has to say,
unless it confirms the version of the story they've heard. Derek sticks to his guns, though,
and when he refuses to back down, they threaten him with 20 years in prison. He's a liar,
they say, and liars like him belong behind bars. Now, as a reminder, Boston PD have been stopping
and searching young black men and boys like Derek for months. Initially, it was a response
to rising rates of violence in the city, but it's caused a lot of friction between the cops
and Boston's black community. Now, in the wake of the stewards shootings, they've stepped things
up a notch, and even though a superior court judge told them to stop the Boston PD have kept
right on doing it. So, in Derek's teenage mind, the cops can do whatever they want,
so when they threaten him with jail time for trying to correct them over a rumor he started,
he's scared. Eventually, the cops wear Derek down. Eric's version of the story is true, he says,
and now that he's singing their tune, the detectives finally start taping the interview.
Both teenagers give the statements the police have told them to give the cops give them 20 bucks
to buy some burgers and they're told to scram. Once they get home, though, Derek and Eric talk
on the phone. In the safety of their apartments away from the intimidation of a cop in a uniform,
the guilt sets in. Neither of them feel good about lying. So, the next morning, they returned to
the station and tell the officers that they want to correct their statements. The ones they gave
yesterday weren't truthful. This is not what the cops want to hear. They bring the teens into
separate interrogation rooms where Derek is taunted about being a popular target for men in prison,
and Eric is made to watch as an officer fills out a form for his arrest. It's terrifying for them,
the thought of spending decades in prison. So, again, they do exactly what the investigators are
hoping for. They once again confirm that the story about Willie Bennett is true, he's the killer.
After that, an officer types up an affidavit about all he's learned about Willie Bennett's confession
to a room full of teenage boys. The document is submitted as part of a request for a search warrant
for Willie's apartment, which is duly granted. After that, parts of the affidavit are leaked to the press,
tipping the local media off that Willie Bennett is undoubtedly the man responsible for the shootings
of October 23rd. Around 3am on November 11th, police and riot gear show up to the house of
Willie's girlfriend in Burlington, 19 miles north of Mission Hill. They haul 39-year-old Willie out of
bed and place him under arrest. Later that day, Boston's media makes a meal out of the late-night
raid. It's been nearly three weeks since Carol Stewart was murdered and everyone wants answers.
Now it seems like they finally have them. And while newspapers and morning news spend the next
few days celebrating the triumph of the justice system, Boston PD assembles a case against Willie
with a grand jury. But there's a problem. Their witnesses keep recanting, or else telling journalists
that the cops have twisted their words, they're all basically saying the same thing. They were
coerced by the police. And with pretty much all their witnesses backing out, prosecutors have
got nothing to use against their suspect. Luckily for them, they do have one eyewitness to the crime
who they can trust to tell the truth, Chuck Stewart. In mid-November, investigators take a stack of
photos to Boston City Hospital and lay them out in front of Chuck. After careful examination,
he points to two of the pictures as possibilities. One of those pictures is of Willie Bennett.
A few days later, the investigators return with more photos, including another one of Willie.
Chuck selects Willie again. Only this time he's shaking and holding back tears, he says it's
the best picture he's seen so far. As far as identifications go, it's a compelling performance,
but it's hardly a slam dunk. He doesn't say it was this guy or this is the man who shot me,
officer. He says that a picture of Willie is the best one he's seen so far. Still, police
leaked the story to the press. The Boston Herald breathlessly reports that the evidence is stacking
up against Willie Bennett, but it's not. This shaky idea is the very best investigators have
so far, and it's not good. But the narrative, oh, the narrative fits so well. Willie has a criminal
record and he vaguely matches the description Chuck gave to police. It doesn't help that he also
committed arm robbery just a few weeks before the shootings. If you take the case at face value,
Willie just seems guilty. The thing is, Willie's not responsible for the death of Carol Stewart,
nor is he to blame for the death of her son. Little Christopher's life support was turned off
on November 9th. His father was beside him when he died. Chuck seemed distraught, crying tears for
the son he'd murdered. And Willie Bennett, he was looking set to take the fall for Chuck's evil plot.
On December 5th, Chuck is released from the hospital. He's had a surprisingly speedy recovery,
given how serious his injury seemed when he was brought in. But that just fits the narrative
the media have created about Chuck. The resilient husband, a man soldering on in the wake of
unspeakable tragedy. But not everyone in Boston is so enamored with Chuck Stewart. In fact,
a lot of the staff at Boston City Hospital are happy to see the back of him. Over the six weeks
he spent in their care, plenty of them came to suspect that he was the real killer. He was too
cheerful with the nurses, too optimistic about his future, too cold to his wife's parents.
They heard him talking about the new car he was going to buy about his plans for Christmas,
and the one thing that seemed to bum him out was having to use a colostomy bag.
It wasn't the behavior of a man who'd lost his wife and son in a robbery gone wrong.
It was the behavior of a man who'd orchestrated the whole thing.
And the staff at Boston City Hospital aren't the only ones who think Chuck's story stinks.
In fact, in his hometown of Revere, plenty of people know that Chuck killed his wife.
The morning after the shooting, Chuck's younger brother Matthew told his ex-girlfriend,
he just couldn't keep it to himself, and neither could she. She told her parents who told her to
meet with their lawyer. Within days, Matt had also spoken with the lawyer. So that's at least five
people who knew. Matt also went to another one of his brother's Michael. Now he doesn't have any
trouble believing the story since Chuck approached him about killing Carol months ago.
At the time, Michael hoped it was all a joke. Now he knows better. But neither of the guys
knows what to do. Chuck's still in the hospital, and everyone in Boston seems to think he's some
kind of hero. And besides, can they really betray their brother like that?
And then, there's David McLean. The friend Chuck also approached about helping him find
someone to kill Carol. David's been talking to people about that strange conversation,
and how cold Chuck was when David shot him down. The story makes its way around Revere,
and eventually is whispered to one of the town's cops who calls the tip into his colleagues on the
Boston PD. A detective on the case doesn't put much stock in the rumor, but he tracks down David
McLean and gives him a call. But David so surprised and scared by the attention from the police that
he denies the whole thing, and that's the last anyone ever looks into it. Meanwhile, Boston's newsrooms
have been receiving anonymous tips that Chuck's not telling the truth. There are rumors of him trying
to find someone to kill Carol, of his crush on a young office assistant who worked at a store
over the summer, and stories about his controlling nature. There are a few journalists at the city's
major newspapers, the Globe and the Herald, who push their editors to run with the story.
But they're shot down. There's just no evidence to back up the rumor, and while that is responsible
journalism, it just serves to prolong the charade a little bit longer. Not the Chuck's trying all
that hard to keep up appearances on his end. By the time he left the hospital, he'd already received
an $82,000 check from Carol's life insurance policy. That would be just over 200 grand today.
And he wastes no time putting it to use. That new car, the hospital nurses heard him talking
about. He goes and picks one out. Then he goes to a jewelry store and buys a pair of diamond
earrings for a thousand bucks. That's an unusual purchase for a man whose wife was just murdered.
I'm sure Christmas is coming up, but is he really spending that much money on a gift for his mom
or one of his sisters? No, it seems more likely that he's got someone else in mind. That summer
office assistant at Chuck's work. Debbie Allen is 21, studying at Brown and she definitely caught Chuck's
attention over the summer. In her mind, they were just work friends. He's got a wife and she's
dating the football captain at her school. But then in November, he called and begged her to come
visit him in the hospital. He didn't want to be alone. So she went and sat by his bed for a while,
promised to call him when she got back to school. Nothing has happened between the two of them,
but people talk about Debbie all the same. And now it seems like Chuck might have bought her expensive
earrings. Not that anyone gets wind of that little detail just yet, but with how much people are
talking, it's bound to come out soon enough. For now though, Chuck spends Christmas with his
family and it's just like when he was very young and everyone in the family dotered on him. He
revels in it. And he feels untouchable. He even falls back into his usual habit of treating his
youngest brothers like crap. Chuck's always found Matt a disappointment and he's never made a secret
of that. Not even now, with everything Matt's done for Chuck, with all he knows, Chuck still
doesn't think enough of his brother to treat him well. It's almost like the last few months never
happened. But they did happen. It's all Matthew Stewart can think about. And he's not going to
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It's just after lunch on December 28, 1989, two months since the murder of Carol Stewart.
30-year-old Chuck Stewart stands in a small dark vestibule looking through a dim window into a
larger brightly lit room. He's flanked by a pair of detectives who tell him he doesn't have to
make a positive ID today. Just pick out the guy who looks the closest to the man who killed his
wife and child. Chuck stares at the black men on either side of the two-way mirror.
Seven of them are Boston PD employees and playing clothes. The eighth is Willie Bennett.
Still in custody over an armed robbery charge. Chuck's eyes keep returning to Willie.
He definitely looks familiar, but that's only because he's seen Willie in two different photo
lineups. One by one, the men step forward so Chuck can get a better look. After all, he still says
he can't be sure. So all the men step closer to the glass once again. Finally, Chuck says that
number three, that's Willie, might be the guy, but he can't be sure. Then he turns away from the
glass signaling that he's done looking at the lineup. It's strange that he's so hesitant to
pin the blame for this crime on another man when he had no qualms about murdering his wife and son.
But for whatever reason, he won't give a more firm ID than that. Still, it's the best the cops
are going to get from Chuck Stewart today. And they're going to run with it. Chuck's shaky
idea of Willie Bennett as the gunman is once again leaked to the press. But the cops tell journalists
that it was as certain an identification as they've ever seen. Chuck didn't hesitate. They promise
Willie's their guy. No doubt about it. It's a sweaty move from a team anxious to give the
public some good news about the case that's been looking increasingly fragile as the weeks drag on.
There's not one shred of physical evidence against Willie. So a positive identification from the
victim is paramount to securing a conviction. And even that's a long way off. And you know what?
It's about to get even further away because when Matt Stewart hears about the lineup,
about his brother throwing some other man under the bus, he knows he can't keep Chuck's secret anymore.
Neither can Michael. The brother Matt's already confided in. A few days after the lineup on January
1st, Michael tells their older brother Mark the whole story. He tells one of their sisters and
together they tell Matt that he's waited long enough. It's time to go to the police with what he
knows even if it means Chuck goes to jail. But first they have to bring the rest of the family in.
They call everyone together on the third. All of the Stewart siblings and their parents.
They sit in the living room silent as 23 year old Matt explains what Chuck did. Or at least what Matt
knows about the plot. How he and Chuck practiced the handoff of some jewels and cash for an insurance
how Chuck looked and sounded when he threw Carol's purse in the Matt's car about finding the gun
inside that purse. His story is that he just helped get rid of the evidence that he wasn't there
for the crime but we'll put a pin in that for now. When Matt finishes talking, Charles,
senior and Dorothy are both crying. They ask their kids why? Why would Chuck do something like this?
He was their golden boy. He and Carol were so happy. They were about to have a baby. It just
doesn't make sense. But there's no answer that anyone can give. They don't know why their brother
decided to kill his wife and child. But they all know. They all agree. They can't let him get away
with it. That same night Matt drives to Boston with his attorney to meet with a prosecutor from
the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Also there are the head of Boston PDs homicide
unit and the lead detective from the Stewart case. To them, Matt's story sounds unbelievable,
especially when investigators are already so convinced that Willie Bennett is their guy.
But then Matt pulls something out of his pocket that shifts everything. Carol's engagement ring.
It's enough to convince everyone in the room. As Matt records a statement, his eldest brother
stops by the family home and revered to show off his new car. But Chuck doesn't get the reception
he's expecting. His other siblings tell him where Matt is, what he's doing. At that point Chuck
goes silent, paces around the room a few times and then runs from the house without saying goodbye.
He drives his new car the 15 miles to his perfect home and revere. He'd been looking forward
to setting up his new life here alone, maybe making room for a new woman someday, but now that's
all ruined. He leaves his car in the driveway and rushes inside. Less than 10 minutes later he's
running out the door again and overnight bag over his shoulder. He backs into the street and
heads for the highway. A little while later he's in a lawyer's office. John Dolly is a family
friend of the stewards and Chuck hired him to be their spokesperson back when he was still recovering
in the hospital. Now Chuck tells him everything and asks for help. He can't go to jail, he says he won't.
He needs John to be his defense attorney. But John Dolly tells Chuck there's nothing he can do,
he represents the family, which means he represents Matt. That's a clear conflict of interest
that John can't ignore. Privately, he's relieved to have such a convenient excuse. He's repulsed by
what Chuck did. Still, John gives him a list of reputable criminal defense attorneys who will gladly
take the case. Then he politely walks Chuck to the door and shows him out. He's on his own.
From John's office, Chuck drives through Boston wondering what his next move should be. He can't
believe he's going to be brought down by his waste of a brother. That kid he always looked down
on and belittled at a travesty. By 9.30 p.m., Boston PD have issued an arrest warrant for Chuck,
but this is one development they don't leak to the press right away. So, when Chuck checks into
a Sheridan by the interstate, he still doesn't know exactly where he stands. He just knows that it's
not looking good. He spends the night alone in his room watching the TV for any mention of him.
But there's nothing. The whole time has mined races. Should he get ahead of the story? What if he
denies the whole thing? No one's going to believe a guy like Matthew over him? He could run,
but would he get very far? Eventually, he makes up his mind. He calls the front desk to ask for
a 4.30 a.m. wake-up call. Then he turns out the light and goes to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day.
Is this on? Season 3 of Proof Murder at the Bike Shop is available now, wherever you get your
podcasts. I'm scared to be sitting here in this damn chair talking about this shit. This is a guy
confessing a murder to her and she has no idea what day it happened. Everything I tell you is
true. I hope I don't bring it down to shit down on me. Listen to season 3 of Proof Now,
wherever you get your podcasts. There was evidence in the house that they would not listen to me.
It's just after 7 a.m. on January 4, 1990. Arthur Suckney stands at the railing of the Tobin Bridge.
The soaring structure spans two miles over the Mystic River connecting Boston to Chelsea.
At Artsback, rush hour traffic flows in both directions. Shift workers heading home,
office drones heading to the city to start their day. Ordinarily,
art would be in a warm office of his own near the toll booths, watching a wall of screens,
monitoring the bridge for breakdowns. I mean, one stopped car can cause chaos on a busy morning.
But right now, Arts peering into the frozen waters of the Mystic, some 200 feet below.
Behind him, a state patrolman is leaning into an abandoned Nissan Maxima near a cluster of
construction equipment. Art noticed the empty vehicle on a screen a couple of minutes ago,
and hustled into the winter air to check it out. The patrolman arrived around the same time as he
did. They both seen this kind of thing too many times before. Art sighs, staring down into the river.
He's looking for signs of life, but he knows from experience he won't find any.
Later that morning, district attorney Newman Flanagan holds a press conference alongside
Mayor Raymond Flint and the police commissioner. In a conference room at Logan Airport,
Flanagan tells a packed house of reporters that members of the Stuart family gave statements
last night that, quote, clearly ex-copated Willie Bennett. Then the kicker, those same statements
inculpated Charles Stuart in the murder of his wife and infant son. At that, the room erupts
with frenzied questions from the city's journalists, all of them wanting to know more details.
Chief among their questions, where is Chuck now?
The answer to that comes within the hour, when rescue divers pull Charles Stuart from the Mystic
River. By this stage, news crews are set up on the riverbank, a chopper hovering above
all of them filming as Chuck's body is hauled onto a boat and brought to shore. It's a solemn moment.
Not only has a man died, but the city of Boston is being confronted with the fact that they were
tricked, that this person was not who he claimed to be, that he told them what they were ready to hear
and they believed it. And now, while the Stuart family reckoned with what their son and brother
has done, and the tomatoes deal with the truth about Carol's death, a city has to shift its made
up mind. But that'll be a more complicated process than anyone imagines. At the edge of the river,
D.A. Flanagan tells reporters that Chuck Stuart was always a viable suspect in their investigation.
It was the media who focused so heavily on Willie Bennett, he says. The police have handled
themselves without most professionalism and they never once said that Chuck had been ruled out.
It's not us, it's you. But even if that were true, it's definitely not that simple.
In the aftermath of Chuck's death, a grand jury is convened to fully investigate the murder of his
wife and son. But like the earlier grand jury who faced problems with coerced witnesses and
withdrawn testimony, this one has issues. Only this time, people just straight up don't want to talk.
Matthew Stuart pleads the fifth to most questions. Whether he knew it at the time or not,
he took an active role in the murder and he doesn't want to say anything that might get him into
trouble. Jack McMahon, the friend who helped Matt get rid of the gun and Carol's purse, he also
pleads the fifth. John Dolly, the Stuart family's attorney, is asked about what Chuck told him the
night before he died, but John claims client confidentiality prevents him from answering.
And since Chuck's dead, the only person who can legally waive that is his heir. Thing is, Chuck's mother
is his heir. Dorothy Stuart has the power to let the world know exactly what her son did,
for it to be on the record, the unvarnished truth of it all. But that's not what she does.
Out of a protective instinct for one son or for two of them, Dorothy refuses to waive privilege.
That decision effectively seals away the truth that a box no one can open.
But the case continues to reverberate all the same. Willy Bennett's name is cleared,
but he still has crimes to answer for. In October of 1990, he's convicted on an unrelated
armed robbery charge. He'll spend the next 12 years of his life in jail.
Jack McMahon pleads guilty to a range of charges for his role in covering up the crime and a sentence
to one to three years in prison. As for Matt, he also pleads guilty to several charges,
including conspiracy and possession of a firearm. But people still ask if Matt was more involved
in the crime than he's been letting on. Way back on the night of October 23rd,
people were saying that Chuck Stuart couldn't possibly have shot himself. The angle was wrong,
the wound was too serious. So the surgeons who operated on him were adamant.
There had to be someone else there, but if Chuck didn't pull the trigger, then who did?
Three witnesses from Mission Hill reported early on that they saw a man in the back of Stuart
and Carol's car, or that they saw a figure get out of the car and run away moments after the gunshots.
One of those witnesses described a man who closely matched Matt's description.
But no other firm evidence linking Matthew Stewart to the murder ever surfaces.
Even a grand jury can't find anything concrete. Over 100 people testify and prosecutors
still can't place him in his brother's car on the night of the crime. Matthew will eventually die
of a drug and alcohol overdose in 2011, never wavering in a story about Carol's murder.
And so the case is closed. Investigators in the wider community are left to accept that legally
speaking, Chuck Stuart was the one who pulled the trigger that night. As to the question of why he
did it, that's a mystery that no one will ever know the answer to. Some believe it was greed,
that Chuck wanted insurance money to open a restaurant others think he was angry with his wife for
insisting on having their baby when Chuck wanted her to get an abortion. And there were the rumors
that Chuck was having an affair with a college student who worked at a store. All are believable
motivations. None can be proven.
Absent a complete understanding of what made Chuck do it. Those left behind have to move forward
as best they can. Carol's parents, Guisto and Evelyn Damady, decide to turn their tragedy into
a force for good. Once the dust settles, they realize just how much their daughters murder hurt
the black community of Mission Hill. So they start a scholarship in her name. The Carol Damady
Stuart Foundation is established to grant college funds for students from Mission Hill.
At a press conference announcing the project, the Damady specifically cited desire to promote
better race relations throughout the city and greater Boston. Within a month, the foundation
has received some $270,000 in donations. Today, that amount would be worth close to 700 grand.
The jacks come from all over the country. People write with stories of their own murdered
children. Politicians thank the Damady's for their noble deed. Others send money with prayers for healing.
Healing. It's a nice thought, but it's not always simple. Almost 40 years later, Chuck Stewart's
crime still echoes through Boston. In 2023, the city issued a formal apology to Willie Bennett.
And to another black man falsely accused of Carol's murder during the course of the investigation.
Mayor Michelle Wu told the men what was done to you was unjust, unfair, racist, and just wrong.
Even people who weren't around in 1989 still live with an inherited fear.
Fathers, grandfathers, uncles, mothers, aunts, they all repeat the story of the time
when Boston's cops were sent into Mission Hill to stop and search young black men in the middle
of the streets. All because a man wanted to kill his wife, and he knew that he'd be believed when he lie.
From Airship, this is episode three in our series on the murder of Carol Stewart.
On the next series, the story of a woman who lies as easily as she breathes and won't let anyone
stand in her way on her path to wealth. Not even if it means she has to kill.
We use many different sources while preparing this episode. A couple we can recommend are deadly
greed by Joe Sharkey. The television show Rescue 911 and reporting by the Boston Globe.
This episode may contain reenactments or dramatized details, and while in some cases we can't
know exactly what happened, all our dramatizations are based on historical research.
American Criminal is a co-production of airship and evergreen podcasts.
It's hosted, edited, and produced by me, Jeremy Schwartz. Audio editing and sound
designed by Sean Roelhoffman, Music by Throne. This episode is written in research by Joel
Callan, Managing Producer Emily Burke. Executive producers are Joel Callan, William Simpson,
and Lindsey Graham.
American Criminal
