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Serial Crazy

Law-types and non-law-types alike are gushing over the This American Life spin-off, Serial, a podcast that "reopens the investigation into the 1999 strangling death of a Baltimore high-school student and her former 17-year-old boyfriend now serving a life sentence for the crime." Each week, a new episode is posted in which a journalist unravels the story in an attempt to get to the truth: did the convicted boyfriend commit the murder or was he wrongfully jailed?

The podcast gives a fascinating look into the criminal justice system, police interrogation techniques, the veracity of witnesses, and the beliefs and perceptions of jurors. For extra fun, Slate.com has a companion podcast, Slate's Spoiler Specials for Serial. And now you can learn the history behind Leakin Park, the Baltimore park where the Serial deceased was (and dozens of other Baltimore-region homicide victims have been) found.