345. Targeted: The Killing of James Craig Anderson

345. Targeted: The Killing of James Craig Anderson

Author: Our True Crime Podcast February 4, 2026 Duration: 33:16
For much of the twentieth century, Mississippi was a place where racial violence was not merely ignored but actively erased. Witnesses stayed silent. Juries looked away. It was just a different time, they say. James Craig Anderson’s murder did not happen in 1955. It happened in 2011. This time, the cameras were watching. This time, the federal government stepped in. This time, the perpetrators pleaded guilty. Progress would be measured not in apologies or promises, but in prison sentences. And unlike so many before him, Anderson’s killers were not celebrated, excused, or folded gently into historical amnesia. They were named. They were tried. They were sentenced. Dragged into the light, they could not escape what they had done. Join Cam and Jen on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled ‘Targeted: The Killing of James Craig Anderson.’ Listener Discretion by @octoberpodVHS Music by @theinkypawprint Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRcYtzZS5kE https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/23/us/23jackson.html?hp http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/18/james-craig-anderson-fbi-investigation_n_930155.html http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/07/17/hate-crime-indictment-tells-details-five-attacks-one-fatal/12793527/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/family-of-alleged-miss-hate-killing-victim-doesnt-want-death-penalty/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/18/james-craig-anderson-fbi-investigation_n_930155.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW8dRJ3SNh0 https://www.law.virginia.edu/static/uvalawyer/html/alumni/uvalawyer/spr15/reeves.htm https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/ten-sentenced-in-hate-crime-case https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/01/four-white-men-ordered-to-pay-840000-for-jim-crow-style-lynching-of-mississippi-black-man/ https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/12/385777366/a-black-mississippi-judges-breathtaking-speech-to-three-white-murderers https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/10/james-craig-anderson-case/25563641/ https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/02/10/deryl-dedmon-two-others-to-be-sentenced-in-hate-crime-tuesday/23166397/ https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/restitution-ordered-jackson-mississippi-hate-crime-case-involving-death-james-craig-anderson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a whole world of strange and unsettling stories that rarely make the headlines, and that's exactly where you'll find Our True Crime Podcast. Each episode digs into one of those bizarre, lesser-known cases from any corner of the globe, stories that often defy easy explanation. Hosts Jen and Cam guide you through these peculiar narratives with a genuine sense of respect for those involved, balancing the darker details with their own conversational chemistry and a bit of well-timed humor. You might even get a smidge of song along the way, because real life, especially the strange parts, rarely follows a single tone. This isn't just a retelling of facts; it's a shared exploration of the oddities hidden within human behavior and society. Tuning into this podcast feels like pulling up a chair with two friends who have a knack for finding the most compelling, offbeat tales. You'll hear the careful research, the thoughtful discussions, and the personal touch that Jen and Cam bring to every story, making even the most obscure case feel immediate and fascinating. If you're looking for a true crime experience that ventures far beyond the usual cases and does so with character and heart, you've found it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Our True Crime Podcast
Podcast Episodes
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Duration: 1:19:01
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Duration: 1:15:56
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368. The Boogeyman of Melbourne: Mr Cruel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:53
368. The Boogeyman of Melbourne: Mr Cruel On August 22nd, 1987, a man wearing a balaclava broke into a home in Lower Plenty, Australia. After tying up the parents and their young son, he brutally assaulted their eleven-y…
367.  Hidden Fort: Jonathan Sellers and Charlie Keever [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:24
On March 27, 1993, the morning began like countless others for nine-year-old Jonathan Sellers and thirteen-year-old Charlie Keever. The two boys set off on their bicycles, planning nothing more extraordinary than a day o…
366. Monster on the M1: The Murders of Samo Paull & Tracey Turner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:39
The UK Midlands is a region steeped in history and folklore, from the ancient Kingdom of Mercia to the birthplace of Shakespeare. But on a freezing, misty day in December 1993, a peaceful village right off the M1 motorwa…
365. The Predator of East Harlem: Arohn Kee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:32
In January 1991, 13-year-old Paola Illera arrived home from school and stepped into the elevator of her East Harlem apartment building. She was only moments from her family's 30th-floor apartment, but she never made it u…
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Duration: 1:06:35
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364. An Unholy Act: Elizabeth Mackintosh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:18
Thank you to Kimberly for the request. Creve Coeur, Missouri, is known for its affluent, charmed lifestyle. It's a kind of safe, quiet suburb where nothing bad ever happens. But in French, Creve Coeur translates to “brok…