It was a crime story that shook Boston. The survivor of a fatal carjacking said his pregnant wife was murdered by an unknown Black man - triggering an unprecedented police crackdown in Black neighborhoods still dealing with the racial legacy of bussing. The city’s spotty track record on civil rights fueled police, politicians, and the media too eager to believe a fiction wrapped in racism. But even after it was revealed to be a hoax - and that Charles Stuart staged the death of his wife - the damage to the community could not be undone.

The “Murder in Boston Podcast” by The Boston Globe is a companion to, but separately-produced from, the HBO series of the same name. Hosted by editor Adrian Walker, the podcast digs into the Charles Stuart case from a local point of view, going deeper into its many threads. It takes a critical look at the city’s racial backstory, flaws in the investigation, and the indiscriminate targeting of Black men - as well as the failures of its own newspaper. It even uncovers new information into who knew ahead of time that Stuart was the culprit.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "MURDER IN BOSTON PODCAST" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

In Crime of the Week: pothole committed.