So, it’s been a fun week, hasn’t it? Is it just me who feels like the apocalypse is nigh? Are people who don’t live in the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak day drinking as much as we are?

I am very fortunate: as far as I know, I’ve COVID free. And, although my day job surrounds services provided in the courts, jails, and prisons, I’m able to work remotely and keep getting paid. I’m also grateful to live in an apartment with a private backyard, so I can go outside without having to interact with anyone.

But even as a hardcore introvert, the hermit life is admittedly not great for my mental health. I’m feeling scattered, trying to find the New Normal in between blowing my tax return on bulk Amazon purchases and aggressively sweeping my porch to expel anxious energy.

As I said in my last post, I’m clinging to routine: attempting to stick to regularly-scheduled programming makes me feel more in control, and therefore more productive. For me, that means waking up before 7:30, giving it the ol’ college try with my hair and make-up, changing out of my sleep pajamas into my work pajamas, filling up my work thermos with a piping hot cup of coffee, and firing up a podcast before I clock in.

Here are four of true crime podcasts that help me stay sane during the coronavirus lockdown:

Cool Mules

Canadaland’s Cool Mules is a six-part exploration into how Yaroslav Pastukhov, better known as “Slava P,” facilitated an international cocaine smuggling operation inside VICE Canada in 2015. After pleading guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine in September 2019, Slava P decided to break his years-long silence in a series of conversations with host Kasia Mychajlowycz.

With its incredibly access to the parties involved, Cool Mules is a perfect example of how to show, rather than tell. I imagine Mr. P wanted to elicit empathy by sharing his side of the story. But, what makes this show so delicious (and, sometimes, enraging) is how spectacularly out-of-touch he reveals himself to be. No one has to defame Slava; he does a pretty good job of doing that himself, and seems oblivious to it all.

If you enjoy watching pretentious man-children reckon with the consequences of their poor decisions, check out Cool Mules!

KEep Reading: 45 YEars Without an Arrest – Who Killed Mary Ann Pryor and Lorraine Kelly?

Cult Podcast

Cults are absolutely fascinating, which is why I’ve long-lamented the lack of quality cult-focused podcasts. Sure, you’ll get an episode or two from Last Podcast here and there, but I’ve struggled to find a top-shelf show that focuses exclusively on the subject.

Enter Cult Podcast. Although it’s been around for a while, Cult Podcast only recently came on my radar, and has been instrumental in treating the anxiety and boredom of life under lockdown.

Hosts Armando Torres, Andrea Guzzetta, and Paige Wesley successfully balance humor and top-notch research in their explorations of both genre standards, like Heaven’s Gate and the Peoples Temple, and lesser-known fringe groups. It works because they’re actually funny. There’s nothing worse than a true crime/”comedy” hosted by unfunny people.

If you’re interested in cults and enjoy true crime/comedy shows like My Favorite Murder and Last Podcast on the Left, be sure to check out Cult Podcast!

Related: The Ultimate True Crime Podcast List

Uncover (Season 6): Satanic Panic

CBC’s excellent podcast series Uncover is back with its sixth season, this time focusing on the Satanic Panic’s spread in Canada. Host Lisa Bryn Rundle explores the contributing factors to the hysteria surrounding satanic ritual abuse, and how that hysteria wreaked havoc on a small Saskatchewan town called Martensville.

While we’ve have several depictions of the Satanic Panic’s effect on society in the United States, I enjoy the non-American lens offered in Uncover. I also enjoy the measured way in which they explore touchy subjects like false memory syndrome.

If you have an interest in false confessions, wrongful convictions, and/or psychology, be sure to check out Season 6 of Uncover.

Keep Reading: Four Unidentified Decedent Cases That Can Be Solved

“The Other LAtif” from Radio Lab

In “The Other Latif” from WNYC’s RadioLab, producer Abdul Latif Nasser explores the life and potential crimes of the a man who shares his unique name. In fact, according to the internet, the only other person named Abdul Latif Nasser is detainee 244 at Guantanamo Bay.

The core question at the center of this six-part miniseries is the legitimacy of the accusations that landed the Other Latif in Gitmo: according to the U.S. government, Latif was as top advisor to Osama bin Laden. But, according to his attorney, the Other Latif was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

An astounding amount of time and effort went into creating “The Other Latif”: Nasser delves into a years-long investigation, in which he develops a relationship with the Other Latif’s family halfway across the world, interviews top experts, and even travels to Guantanamo Bay in an attempt to weed out the truth and reckon with his own past.

If you’re looking for long-form story that touches on criminal justice, policy, history, and our shared humanity, be sure to check out RadioLab’s “The Other Latif.”

Keep Reading: Who Killed Kimberly Shawn Cheatham?

What are you doing to maintain your sanity during this global pandemic? Do you find Slava P’s bullshit compelling? Drop me a comment below, or send me an email! And, more than ever, please take care of yourselves. We’re all in this together!