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Words To Kill By

Words To Kill By

By: Erin
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About this listen

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can really kill you...Or get you caught!Words To Kill By is a true crime podcast that looks at old, new, and cold cases through the lens of forensic linguistics. What phrase got the Unibomber sent to prison? What ONE word meant life or death to a person charged with accessory to murder? How dangerous is the suspect, based only on voice and text messages? Is an apostrophe really that important? (hint: it is if it provides the break needed to solve the case!)These are just some of the ways spoken and written language, catches criminals every day. Come along with me as we dive into all your old favorites and discover new ones through the lens of forensic linguistics.© 2024 Words To Kill By Language Learning Science Social Sciences True Crime
Episodes
  • The Gun, The Suspects, & The Theories: Circleville Letter Writer, Pt. 2
    Aug 8 2022

    Part Two of the Circleville Letter Writer is finally here. 

    Did you figure out who the gun belonged to? Who do YOU think is the Circleville Letter Writer? Did the police get it right? 

    Hit that play button to see if you are right!


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    30 mins
  • Ethos, Logos, & Pathos: The Circleville Letter Writer, Part 1
    Aug 1 2022

     Bullying comes in all forms and even back before social media, people would write horrible things about other people, spreading rumors, and making lives miserable.

     Now imagine this happening not to just a student in a class, or a few students in a school (which is bad enough), but to an entire town. 

    AN. ENTIRE. TOWN.

    That’s exactly what happened to Circleville, OH back in the late 1970s and continued in the next decade, when someone sent vicious, hateful, and terrifying letters, hundreds of them, to citizens of the town, effectively placing the whole community under siege. 

    Find out just how the Circleville Letter Writer manipulated the lives of so many people, leaving at least one person dead. 

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    41 mins
  • Charlene Hummert and the Case of Contractions
    Jul 27 2022

    Charlene Hummert and her family were under siege by a crazed stalker. This went on for years until one day, Charlene turned up dead. 

    Police immediately suspect foul play and a homicide investigation was launched. 

    Two key pieces of evidence, the Stalker Letter and the Serial Killer Letter were turned over to a forensic linguist. 

    Tune in to find out what linguist marvels were found in this language evidence! 

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    41 mins
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