The Knife: A True Crime Podcast
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
The Knife: A True Crime Podcast is a weekly true crime podcast from journalist/producers Hannah Smith and Patia Eaton.It's a show about people who’ve been dropped into a story they didn't start, but are left to finish. In-depth interviews take the listener behind the punchy headlines to hear what really happened from the people who lived it. The Knife reveals the ripple effect of crime.Through empathetic, solution-oriented journalism, Hannah and Patia find the untold stories of people who’ve been touched by crime. They’re not breaking news or solving cases, they’re cutting to the heart of the experience through gripping, first-person storytelling.Follow The Knife on Instagram @theknifepodcast and on Bluesky @theknifepodcast.bsky.social.The Knife is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including true crime, comedic interviews, news, science, pop culture and more. The network is home to My Favorite Murder hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, This Podcast Will Kill You, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, Buried Bones and more.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 18, 2025 • 1h 7min
Chilling Obsession
Kylie Bearse, a meteorologist at a local news channel in Denver, joins us to discuss what it feels like to be stalked by an obsessed man. When Kylie took legal action, she thought she’d be protected—until one night in September, when it became clear his obsession was far from over. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 11, 2025 • 57min
The Knife: Off Record 136
In 2017, a family friend’s concern over a peculiar coworker led FBI Agent Mark Hastbacka straight into the path of Dana Lawrence — a serial con artist hiding behind the alias “Genna Kaplan.” Patia tells Hannah how Hastbacka pieced together the truth behind Dana’s long con. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 4, 2025 • 1h 6min
When Trust Becomes A Trap
Ashlee and Kristal join us from Perth, Australia, to discuss the case of their mother, Donna Nelson. In January 2023, their 58-year-old mother was arrested in Tokyo on international drug-smuggling charges. Right away, they suspected the man Donna had been dating online. Together, Ashlee and Kristal share their family’s heartbreaking story, their ongoing fight for justice, and the warning signs of the elder drug mule scam. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 20, 2025 • 1h 5min
A Preventable Tragedy
Criminal defense attorney Michael Foote joins The Knife to discuss the murder trial of Bricen Rivers. In July of 2024, 22-year-old Lauren Johansen was found dead in the trunk of her own car. Her ex-boyfriend, Bricen Rivers, is now charged with capital murder. Lauren’s father is fighting to change the system that ignored the warning signs and allowed Rivers to be released on bail. We speak with Michael Foote about the case and how the criminal justice system failed to protect Lauren. Listen to Michael Foote’s podcast, Brief Recess, wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 13, 2025 • 1h 7min
I Know Everything
When Heather Rovet met Jace Paratti, the chemistry was instant. And soon, they were making plans for the future. But when the relationship hit a rough patch, Heather wondered if maybe Jace was hiding something. What she discovered would thrust them both into international headlines and reveal that Jace Paratti wasn’t Jace Paratti at all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 6, 2025 • 46min
What Remains
The sudden passing of husband and father, Michael Cochran, in 2019, was initially a medical mystery. But when his widow, Natalie Cochran was convicted of fraud, a web of lies and a possible motive were revealed. By 2025 Natalie Cochran stood trial for his murder. Forensic Pathologist Dr. Paul Uribe walks us through the results of the autopsy he conducted on Michael Cochran’s remains and the role of his findings in Natalie Cochran’s shocking murder trial. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 4, 2025 • 1h 5min
Special Episode: It’s Worse Than We Thought
In this crossover episode with lovelustfear, a podcast hosted by Jake Deptula, we hear a powerful story from a woman named Allyn. Allyn met a captivating man who swiftly declared his love, asked her to be his girlfriend, and even proposed. But as their long-distance relationship deepened, she uncovered his lingering connection with an ex, which led Allyn down a dark path of deception. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 30, 2025 • 1h 7min
Haunted
When Jaime and Ben bought their first home in Lamar, Arkansas, a charming 1800s fixer-upper with two chimneys and a wraparound porch, they were thrilled to start their new life. But soon after moving in with their kids, strange things began to happen. What started as small, unexplained events grew harder to ignore, leading the family to wonder if their dream home might be haunted. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 23, 2025 • 1h 14min
Am I Dating You?
For nearly two decades Alec Couros has been the target of scammers on the internet. A professor and public speaker from Canada, Alec discovered in 2007 that his photos were being stolen and used in romance scams. Since then, his face has been used thousands of times to con victims around the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 21, 2025 • 56min
Special Episode: Solving Cold Cases with DNA
Elin Lantz Lesser joins us to talk about a cold case that haunted Texas for more than four decades, the 1974 murder of Carla Walker. Recently solved through DNA and genetic genealogy, Elin, host of America’s Crime Lab, walks us through how new science finally brought answers to a case that had gone cold for over 40 years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
