The Real Killer

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One autumn night in 1997, 18-year-old Anastasia WitbolsFeugen is found brutally murdered, her body discovered in a place meant for eternal rest. But nothing about this case would prove peaceful or simple. Investigative journalist Leah Rothman peels back the layers of a haunting case that defies everything you thought you knew about murder investigations. Does it all come down to one recorded phone call or an eyewitness who may not have seen a thing? Who killed this promising young woman and why? Who is telling the truth and who has a motive to lie? This season's hit podcast promises a heart-stopping journey through a teen tragedy so complex, so twisted, that each episode will leave you questioning: who is The Real Killer?

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Recent Reviews
  • hcchgchh
    Truth can be bent both ways
    The truth can be bent both ways! You are accusing the prosecuting parties of sloppy work and bending the truth, when you do the same thing. You accuse Kelly of lying, instead of trying to see that she got sober and had a clear mind and decided to do the right thing! This is another option. Why not explore it???? Nope!!! The prosecutors knew Kelly would be torn to pieces because of her lifestyle. It makes sense that they wanted more proof!! You and Brian, the new lawyer, make this due diligence ( getting the recording)seem evil and proof that they don’t believe Kelly. Brian said that the prosecutors should get rid of their biases! YOU guys need to follow this advice. Bryon lied to you about something little and meaningless,(when he talked about his arrest) so logic says he will really lie about the big things like murder!!! Everyone says they are innocent….doesnt mean it’s true!!!
  • Rae1114
    Super Confused
    I’m not sure why the sudden change of mission based on the interview of one person. You took what was an objective podcast and now it’s slant is to prove to a defense team that Kelly is the truth teller. It’s almost as if you need Kelly’s version to be true. At the end of the day you can’t solve this and had the prosecution and LE investigated the case properly from the jump then we wouldn’t be here. Did Byron get a fair trial or not?
  • Kbutter
    Got Ads?
    100 percent positive I would enjoy this show if there weren't ads every 10 minutes. I subscribed and still have constant ads so will not listen past E1 It's a real shame because would be a great podcast sans all those ads especially in a subscriber edition!
  • Poodletude32
    2 different points of view
    I think the problem here, and why this podcast turned from, in my opinion, very interesting to bad, is that the host and the attorneys for Byron have two different goals. Well the host is trying to prove the entire case, the Lawyers for Byron just want a fair trial. In other words, the Brady violation should lead to a new trial. But that doesn’t mean that even at a new trial Byron is not convicted again. The minutia of the lie told by Kelly regarding her criminal past is not important, what is important is the fact that she lied about it and Byron had the absolute right to cross examine her in his first trial about her criminal history
  • NickNameNanoo
    3 way phone call
    Are we going to get a challenge to Kelly saying they all spoke on the phone the night of the murder? I honestly felt like the host was afraid of catching her in a lie, so many contradictions in her interview that should have been drilled down on, but the host is so concerned with being fair that the entire next episode is spent chasing a red herring. Everyone is so terrible at interviewing in this story from police to the host, no wonder the truth has still never been told.
  • Brendo88
    Excellent Podcast
    This is the most compelling serialized true crime podcast since “Serial” season 1, over 10 years ago.
  • JenLMF13
    Change The Show Name
    This podcast started off on a good note, a compelling story of the murder of a teenage girl, Anastasia, and the circumstances surrounding her death. That is until episode 13 when the presenter/journalist allowed a witness the opportunity to air her grievances with the way she is being represented. Never in the hundreds of true crime podcasts I have listened to have I heard a podcaster change the entirety of their show to accommodate the feelings of a witness. Not a family member of the victim or even the accused, a witness. A witness with a questionable memory who was given hours of air time to dispute claims against her and tell lies. Leah, you have lost your credibility all because you are upset that you misread a case number. Present the facts not the ramblings of an unreliable witness and get back to telling the story of Anastasia’s murder.
  • THE Dee (dee)🎤
    👏🏽👏🏽
    I listen to a lot of podcasts and I can’t wait for every new episode. I appreciate how objective and fair you are to all people but still make it interesting. To hold your own when speaking with a team of lawyers who are doing a very good job advocating for their client is impressive. I believe Kelly..
  • jessjr22
    Enough!
    Way too many episodes for season 3! Going back and forth over details ad nauseum.
  • Fenz22
    Ads for Subscribers?
    Come on. As a subscriber, I should not get adds every 7 minutes.
  • JuliJules91
    Kelly
    I believe you sweetheart.
  • Mdhbet1224
    Really good !
    I really love this podcast. I’ve binged all three seasons. All are really good. Don’t love the ads but there’s a fast forward button for a reason. Thought all three cases were really interesting. However.. Kelly drives me insane. I can’t stand listening to her talk. The last episode has been a struggle to get through. I think her side is important to here but it’s hard to listen to her talk, and believe what she says. Overall, great podcast. Waiting for updates !
  • SportyKid0728
    Gravel Voice
    I’ve enjoyed this podcast until now. Her gravel voice is horrible to listen to. Just can’t do it.
  • IsGi D
    Season 3❤️
    Love love season 3 and 1- not 2
  • Xio Martinez
    Riveting
    I am so engrossed and don’t known what to believe at this point. Is she lying? Is he? So many lives ruined.
  • medicshelly223
    Season 3- episode-13
    Interview with Kelly……Your interview with Kelly…. How in the heck anyone “prosecute” used Kelly’s statements to put anyone in PRISON, BLOWS MY MIND. It truly feels like Kelly is ABSOLUTELY involved in the murder,BUT I do NOT believe the story she is telling at all. Kelly makes too many statements, followed by- “whatever, you know” as a blank term for extremely serious allegations. Mental illness runs rampant through her family???? I pray that Kelly is put into PRISON, as she is not coming off as truthful at all.
  • Ctina23f
    Ads?
    Why are there ads when I’m a subscriber to I heart podcasts? So sick of hearing them!
  • DeeDee428
    A bit more challenging during her interviews
    Listen, I’m not saying Byron did or didn’t commit murder. However, aside from Kelly’s testimony, there’s absolutely no concrete evidence to support the claim that he killed her. When people ask, “Why would she lie?” or “It’s been 26 years, and she’s still sticking to her story,” consider this: if a lie you told 26 years ago led to someone being imprisoned for the rest of their life, would you all of a sudden want to come forward and confess? It’s likely because she was angry that he was moving out of state, starting a new life, and didn’t want anything to do with her. I wish someone had challenged everyone who blindly defended her, at least a bit, to see their response. Let’s not forget how Kelly herself impeached herself on the stand during her deposition when discussing her arrest history.
  • susannj
    Interested in the case but
    Too much bad audio and intrusive ads making it difficult to follow. I’m going to pass on this. Too bad.
  • ksubsn
    Bad sound
    I had never listened to this podcast before so I thought I would give it a try, starting with season three. I didn’t even make it 10 minutes due to the horrible audio of the phone call with that father. I listen to a lot of podcasts, I know that the audio shouldn’t sound that bad. These things make or break podcast for me, and this time it broke it.
  • Emily Ann Pro
    Pretty Good Not Great
    The research into Anastasia’s case is thorough. There is circumstantial evidence that points to so many people not just Byron. The audio from the police interviews and phone calls do get pretty long at parts especially when it’s hard to understand from bad audio quality. Also the more episodes that come out the less interesting it gets. It seems like there is a decent amount of useless information given and a lot could have been cut to make a better podcast that does this case justice.
  • Wouldntyou
    Lisp
    The host’s lisp is annoying.
  • Teon77
    Loved Season 3
    Well done podcast. One of my favs
  • whittylove
    Great show!
    I love how Leah is able to show that the law is not black and white, there are shades of gray!
  • mdmg96
    Just OK
    I found the first season very interesting. The third season literally put me to sleep with all the police interviews/audio. At times, it’s bad quality. It just gets so old. Why even have a podcast host. Just play the tapes. Boring
  • Engman19
    Why does there always…
    Every single criminal podcast on this channel ends up mentioning how racist every thing is. This is a podcast about a wrongfully convicted murderer who is white and the victims were all white…yet you just couldn’t help virtue signaling. And by the way Missouri is NOT considered the south, its the midwest and its always midwest and northern states (esp the ones that vote blue) are the most racist areas in the world. Dumb podcast
  • Ronster200095
    Police Interviews
    This podcast is good but I have to skip over all the police interviews. I may be one of few but I find it pretty useless when any podcast adds police interviews. A majority of the time they are too emotional or just plain hard to listen to be of any help to the listener. Between the interviews and the ads I listen to maybe 30 minutes of each episode. It also seems redundant here because she pauses the interviews to go over what was said.
  • jsspain
    Good Listen
    Very well done and very interesting. I have a really hard time feeling empathy for Rodney’s situation since he was in fact a murderer previously. Maybe his conviction was Devine intervention given his extremely light sentence the first time.
  • Jess-Lei
    Host could be more compassionate about Mental Health
    I thought the podcast was interesting but was really turned off by a flippant comment the host made about OCD during Season 3 episode 1. She said the case made her want to pull her hair out. Trichotillomania is a form of OCD where someone has the compulsion to pull their hair out. It isn’t a joke and flippant comments about it reinforce the stigma surrounding this condition. If you wouldn’t make dismissive comments about bipolar disorder or schizophrenia then you shouldn’t about OCD either. It made her PSA about the suicide crisis hotline at the end of the episode seem really fake. It’s possible the host wasn’t aware, so I hope she will do better in the future.
  • theblackmariah
    Long bouts of police interview records
    Not bad, but found myself skipping through the police interviews. Hard to listen to on and on and on.
  • buzz•buzz
    Audio
    I’m so interested in this story, but the police interview audio is next to impossible to understand. I feel like I’m missing so much.
  • gypsyocean
    Incredible story telling
    This podcast has changed my outlook on the death penalty. There’s just too many issues with our justice system to put people to death. There’s too much room for error. Hearing these men speak about forgiveness and spreading love with the cards they have been dealt has left me feeling grateful today, thank you for the work you’re doing with this show.
  • pgturner
    Well researched and reported
    Bravo, Leah! I have had this podcast on my phone for awhile and binged both seasons this week. I knew both cases peripherally but the reporting she did was outstanding in my opinion. It is obvious she spent a lot of time digging through files, documents and knocking on doors/calling everyone involved. I don’t typically write a review along with a rating but felt compelled here.
  • G. Madison
    Excellent Podcast
    Wonderfully addictive!
  • Petronila78075
    Amazing Podcast
    Please listen to this podcast and get Keith Lamar’s Story out there!
  • srl09
    Obsessed!
    I listen to every true crime podcast and this is my favorite! I’m sad that I finished in only a couple days!
  • TS3370
    Hoping for Justice and humanity
    Sadly, In a way, this is one of the best podcasts I’ve listened to, and I listen to a lot! I cannot believe how these people are treated, particularly if they have been wrongfully convicted like Rodney and Keith Lamar. I hope and pray and wish for the freedom of those that deserve it. The Justice system is corrupt and I don’t understand why those in positions of power are so determined to keep the innocent incarcerated and down. more needs to be done to stop this. Everybody talks about what a great country this is but if this is what the system is like it is not great at all, even when proven innocent people are still kept in prison. That is not America, that is not freedom. That is not great. Everyone needs to listen to this podcast and maybe more will be done to help those that need it.
  • stacilynnb
    From a Felon
    Its 2023 and some things seem as though they will never change! Ive been in and out of several different institutions in my life and this is so scary because it’s absolutely true that this could happen to anyone in the “system” especially someone of color! People that are willing to do anything instead of admitting to wrong doing or making a mistake I firmly believe are thee worst people you can possibly come into contact with in this life because nothing and nobody mean anything but their pride! This podcast is absolutely amazing and yet so sad that its even necessary at the same time! I pray Keith gets a chance for a new hearing before its too late and the people that pushed all the wrong buttons receive their own karma! November has never seemed so close! Oh and also from the reviews I’ve read you can just tell the people that walk with their noses up at everyone and have never done a single thing wrong in their world!!! (Guilty people are always the very first to point fingers and point out failing in anyone else)
  • Julieb1219
    The Real Deal
    I love this podcast. The subject matter is hard to hear at times, but she is telling the truth. It is so well done. I like Keith, I believe him, I want him to get a second chance. He’s no saint, but I don’t believe he did the crime they want to kill him for. I don’t believe in the death penalty anymore because of things just like this! This man deserves a new trial and even freedom.
  • Navy Vet Nicole
    Justice for Keith!
    This story is a tale of corrupt prosecution and a blatantly racist justice system. We can not allow this appalling miscarriage of justice.
  • @justiceforkeithlamar
    Ohio: We Demand Justice for Keith LaMar!
    Leah Rothman approached Season 2 of The Real Killer Podcast with objectivity and a firm commitment to reporting the truth as she uncovered it. She has done a beautiful job of toppling over the house of cards that Ohio set up after the 1993 Lucasvillle Prison Uprising. They wanted to bury the truth of their inability to prosecute anyone due to their mishandling of the evidence (contaminating it all). Their only way out of their mess was to PAY informants—the very perpetrators of the crimes—to point fingers at innocent others. Keith LaMar is a beautiful human being, one of the most generous. His entire life is spent in service to others. Ohio intends to murder this incredible man in order to hide their misconduct. It’s time to tell the truth, Ohio. #justiceforkeithlamar
  • Zedmunds
    An un-covering worth following
    The depths at which Leah explores this case is just amazing. I’m so impressed at how many voices and perspectives were included throughout this series to show such a deep and complex picture. Thank you to iHeartRadio and Leah for creating space for these journalistic explorations to uncover truths that have been attempted to be buried for far too long. The ways in which Keith LaMar's voice and heart shines through each time he is in these episodes, it is incredibly touching. What a human.
  • PDJOR
    Season 2
    Great story not sure if he’s innocent or guilty but I do know these lawyers that don’t care if the people there putting in jail/death row are innocent or not should definitely get in trouble at least a month in jail for every year the person they falsely convicted (because they knowingly held back evidence) spent in prison!! This has to stop!!!!!
  • OB1 K.
    Leah Rothman is a serious researcher!
    I am an attorney specializing in the post-conviction representation of prisoners and I would love to have her on my team! She digs for documents, locates witnesses, and she is a good interviewer. More important, she is a good listener. I hope lawyers and investigators are listening and learning! Sean
  • Mattsky Pink Pants
    The Murderer is The Victim
    This is pathetic journalism. A criminal doing what they do, manipulating and fleecing this reporter, and she weakly eats up. He spends the majority of time painting himself as the victim, while implying those who died in the riot deserved to do so because they are snitches. This clown is where he belongs.
  • AbbeAF
    A tale of two systems
    The best path to justice in the U.S. for some comes from the journalism of podcasts and cellphone recordings. Even when the evidence reveals grave miscarriages, it’s still nearly impossible to put things right unless you have power and privilege. Talk about a tale of two systems.
  • He-did-it
    Fooled by a killer
    Why don’t they mention the fact that Lamar single handedly took over the death row block at Mansfield correction and tried to kill Inmate Derek Evans?
  • Willis5150
    Uprising or Riot?
    To call Lucasville an uprising is giving it undue legitimacy. Like it’s some civil rights battle. These rioters murdered and raped inmates and guards. They should all be executed.
  • Cosima2010
    Fantastic Investigative Journalism
    As an Investigative Analyst, I tend to scrutinize investigative podcasts. This is a wonderful example of investigations and journalism. I was immediately hooked after the first episode. Skip through the ads, it isn’t difficult. Also, investigations take time and money! 😀
  • vhhhkkkkoii
    Unfortunately no
    I quit episode two because there is 11 minutes of ads, introductions,and previews. I’m sure this is probably a great podcast if you’re OK with half of it being NOT the podcast!
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