Accused launched in 2016 when journalists Amber Hunt and Amanda Rossmann teamed up on an assignment for The Cincinnati Enquirer. The goal was to tell just one story -- that of Elizabeth Andes' 1978 murder -- as fully as possible. To do that, we reinvestigated the case and found leads the police missed. That was supposed to be the end of things, but the podcast did so well, reaching No. 1 on iTunes and far surpassing any goals we could've imagined, that we've been allowed to continue. We adopt one cold case a season and spend about a year interviewing witnesses, poring through police documents and court records, exploring complex issues with the help of experts and then writing and recording what we've uncovered. It's labor-intensive work and we love allllmost every minute of it. (We'd be lying if we said all of the interviews are comfortable.)



For us, this job is as close to perfect as we could hope. We get to put to work our storytelling and investigative skills, which we've honed over a combined 40 years in journalism. (That is admittedly a horrifyingly big number when written.) When we pick a case, investigating it becomes a full-time job. Our focus is the victim and the questionably accused. We choose cases that seem like they weren't given the attention they deserved, either because investigators formed a theory too quickly and stuck with it, or because investigators didn't have the time or support to do the legwork needed. Our resources are limited, so we have to be selective about the cases we adopt. To that end, each case also highlights issues in the criminal justice system that we want to explore as journalists.



In a changing journalism landscape, we're experimenting here with a new way to help fund our work. The focus of Accused will always be on the cases we reinvestigate, and that work takes priority and will always be free to listeners. But with this Patreon community, we'll post bonus content for those wanting more. We also will make new episodes of Accused available early and free of ads.



Members also can get access to a bonus monthly podcast called -30-, in which Amanda and Amber discuss criminal cases that have stuck with them over their combined 35+ years in journalism. Plus, Amber's insecure about making you happy, so she audio recorded her 2014 true crime book "See How Much You Love Me" in 30ish-minute chunks, and, as of April 2020, she started recording occasional solo episodes of -30- that look at crime cases in history that made a big impact.



Finally, members get access to a cold case column called Backstory that Amber began writing for The Enquirer in May 2020. That column is otherwise only available to Cincinnati.com subscribers.



Thank you for your support. It means more than you know.