Share

cover art for The Sunday Edition: The high school class that found a serial killer

The Story

The Sunday Edition: The high school class that found a serial killer

This episode was first published last August.


When Alex Campbell suggested to his high school sociology class that they would be investigating a 40-year-old cold case, he had no idea where it would lead. Within a year, a serial killer had been identified. In his next class, they decided to try and overturn a wrongful conviction. And they did. So just how did Mr. Campbell breed a class of super sleuths?

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory


Guest: Harriet Alexander, Senior Features Reporter, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Producer: Taryn Siegel.

Clips: WBIR Channel 10, NewsNation, WKRN News 2.


Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

More episodes

View all episodes

  • Ozzy Osbourne: Working class wild-man who changed the sound of rock

    11:02|
    Ozzie Osborne, who died this week, was the Black Sabbath front-man who became an unlikely TV personality. The 'Prince of Darkness' leaves behind a legacy that's shaped heavy metal rock music and inspired a generation of fans and musicians. We look at the legend, the music, the stories and the extraordinary resurrection of a career when all seemed lost.Image: Getty
  • A "tipping point" in Gaza. What happens now?

    28:58|
    With starvation spreading across Gaza, over a thousand Palestinians have been killed while trying to get aid, according to the UN. As negotiations over another ceasefire founder, will there be anything - or anyone - left to save?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Catherine Philp, World Affairs Editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Clips: CNN, BBC, CBS, Channel 4, Al Jazeera, PBS, ABC, FOX, Parliamenttv.live, ITV, YouTube / @politicsJOE.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com
  • Why are the doctors striking?

    28:06|
    With Britain’s resident doctors due to walk off the job tomorrow, the government is planning changes to the law that could make this kind of strike more common.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Eleanor Hayward, Health Editor, The Times.Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Hannah Varrall.Read more: How much do resident doctors earn? The BMA’s claims examinedClips: Labour Party, PoliticsJoe, The BMJ, BMAtv, BBC, Sky News.Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com.
  • Can Trump shake his Epstein problem?

    27:00|
    With President Trump due to touch down on British soil this week, he seems unable to escape the shadow of Jeffrey Epstein. So why is Trump finding this story so hard to shake?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Katy Balls, Washington Editor and Columnist, The Times and The Sunday Times.Host: Luke Jones. Producer: Edith Rousselot.Read more: Jeffrey Epstein is a dead weight Trump needs to shake offWhy Maga won’t let Trump ignore his Epstein problemClips: ABC News, @AcountableGop account via X, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, The New York Times, Tucker Carlson via YouTube. Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com
  • The Afghan leak: what next?

    17:27|
    After last week’s shocking revelations that a list of tens of thousands of Afghans who’d helped the British was leaked, has that already led to deaths - and what happens now?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Tom Witherow, News Reporter, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Clips: Times Radio, BBC, Sky, ITV, YouTube / Times News. Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com.
  • We demanded help for our sick children. We were accused of abuse.

    34:46|
    An investigation by The Sunday Times has found that hundreds of parents are being falsely accused of fabricating their child’s illness, facing allegations of abuse when they seek medical or social care. Elly Chapple told our reporter what happened to her family.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Emily Dugan - Special Correspondent, The Sunday TimesHost: Luke JonesProducer: Hannah VarrallRead more: We demanded help for our sick children. We were accused of abuseFurther listening: 38 years - Britain’s worst miscarriage of justiceClips: Good Morning BritainPhoto: Ian ForsythGet in touch: thestory@thetimes.com  
  • "Crazy Rich Asians meets War of the Windsors” - the Sunday Story

    35:14|
    The city-state of Singapore has been scandalised by a bitter row tearing apart its first family. The two sons of the country’s founder, Lee Kwan Yew, are fighting over the future of a small 19th-century bungalow - their childhood home. The is battle being fought in the law courts, debated in parliament and picked apart in the media - and one brother has fled to London seeking political asylum. With Singapore itself delicately balanced between the US and China, what happens next could affect us all.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Josh GlancyHost: Manveen RanaProducer: Shabnam GrewalClips: @pmosingapore, channelnewsasia.comPhoto: Getty Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com  
  • The trials of Constance Marten - the Saturday Story

    30:28|
    Born into an aristocratic family, Constance Marten and her unlikely partner Mark Gordon's became the target of a police manhunt launched to find them and their missing baby in January 2023. Their full story can now be told after the couple's criminal trial came to an end this week. Why did her life of privilege descend into such chaos? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuests:David Brown, Chief News Correspondent, The Times.Helen Rumbelow, Feature Writer, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana.Producer: Olivia Case.Read more: Who is the real Constance Marten? A life that led to tragedyPersecuted by the state? No, Constance Marten was in thrall to conspiracy cultureClips: Sussex Police, GB News, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, On Demand News. Photo: Metropolitan Police / PA Wire.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com
  • Why AI is making us stupid and what we can do about it

    27:48|
    Students are getting AI to write their essays and it’s hard to spot the difference. Professor Niall Ferguson says AI is bad for our brains, but he has a plan to save education.This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guest: Professor Niall Ferguson, Times Columnist.Host:  Luke Jones.Producer: Shabnam Grewal.Further reading: AI’s great brain robbery — and how universities can fight backFurther listening:  One day in the life and death of an AI chatbotClips: Photo: Getty Images.Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com