There are certain crime events that stand out in a nation’s history. In the U.S., you might think of the Manson Family murders, or the O.J. Simpson trial. In a new Spotify Original podcast from Parcast, host Ashley Flowers goes international, telling the stories of the most renowned crimes from around the world.
Premiering June 15th in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, International Infamy will cover 15 countries’ most notorious crimes across as many weeks, as well as the societal issues these events revealed, both when they happened, and through the lens of history.
The first episode tells the story Mexico’s “Little Old Lady Killer,” thought to be responsible for the murders of nearly 50 elderly women in Mexico City in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The killer accessed their victims’ homes, many of whom lived alone, by posing as a social worker. Despite witnesses seeing a woman dressed as a nurse near the crime scenes, cops at first insisted they were looking for a male killer. Later, they decided the murderer could have been someone dressed as a woman, as law enforcement put it, leading them to indiscriminately arrest dozens of trans sex workers in the area while the real killer walked free.
Flowers is known for co-hosting the ultra-popular Crime Junkie podcast, where she scrutinizes cold cases and murder investigations with Brit Prawat. Her podcasting prowess grew out of her role on the board of directors for Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana. “True crime has been my passion for as long as I can remember, so to expand my storytelling internationally is a dream come true,” Flowers told Rolling Stone. “I’m excited to embark on this journey with the global Spotify audience and can’t wait for fans to hear what we have in store!”