PRETEND

A 911 call in Madison County, Arkansas reported what sounded like a violent attack. It should have remained confidential. But when LaDonna Humphrey got involved, that caller’s life was turned upside down.Now she is caught in a web of harassment, conspiracy theories, and public exposure that puts her safety at risk.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LaDonna Humphrey has spent years trying to overturn a $3.57 million judgment. But in a rare legal move, her right to appeal was sold in bankruptcy court — to the very person she was fighting, Anthony Christopher.In this episode, you'll hear directly from Anthony Christopher as he reacts to the latest court decision. I also spoke with law professor Joshua M. Silverstein from the University of...

This week on PRETEND, we’re bringing you something special: a feed drop from Nobody Should Believe Me, an award-winning investigative true crime podcast created by author Andrea Dunlop.With over 15 million downloads and a spot on The New York Times' radar as “a rich and harrowing chronicle of the condition,” this show dives deep into one of the most disturbing forms of abuse—Munchausen by Proxy....

Melanie dies. Jayson takes control of her estate. Then he moves in with her mother.Her children are stunned. They suspect something isn’t right, especially as questions about Melanie’s will and health begin to surface. Jayson was the last person caring for her before she passed.Just when we think the story is over, another woman comes forward. We’re calling her Julie. She says she was seeing...

In the year 2000, the merger of AOL and Time Warner seemed like themoment that the pendulum shifted from offline to online media. But themegamerger went off script fast. In-fighting, cooked books and incompatiblecorporate cultures would turn it into a marriage from hell, one that would scarboth companies. But before any of that could happen, AOL had to overcomethe odds…to take America online. In...

In Part 2 of The Playwright, we shift focus to the show at the center of it all: The History of Now. Written and directed by Jason Bartlett, the play was billed as a bold, political drama. It was a plan meant to honor a woman he claimed to love. But former cast members and collaborators started noticing red flags. Was this play ever really meant to open? Or was it all just a front? Was The...

In this episode, we investigate the mysterious Jayson Bartlett and the many women whose lives he upended.Emma was a single mother in England who fell for Bartlett’s charm and artistic persona. At first, everything seemed perfect. But soon, she realized she was being gaslit, lied to, and emotionally manipulated.Then there’s Melanie. She lived in North Carolina and had been diagnosed with a...

What if your phone could place you at the scene of a crime—years later?In this bonus episode of PRETEND, we uncover how nearly 200 mobile devices that visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island left behind invisible data trails. Using just a free trial from a location data broker, an outsider was able to map those devices back to homes, offices, and even gated communities across the U.S.This...

David Crow says he was his father's criminal accomplice.In today's episode, we delve into the extraordinary story of David Crow, author of the book titled "The Pale-Faced Lie." It's the story of a father and son entangled in a life of crime.David recounts his experiences as his father's criminal accomplice, always by his side. And what it was like growing up with a violent and convicted felon who...

Rick Fernandez—yes, the same Rick who thought he’d escaped six felonies—just got slapped with brand-new criminal charges in Phoenix Municipal Court. I flew in a court-runner to watch the hearing, dug through fresh police files, and pieced together how a self-published book and two midnight phone calls may blow up Rick & Tanya’s “clean-slate” diversion deal.🎧 New to this saga?Binge the entire...