Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps Podcast By M. William Phelps cover art

Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps

Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps

By: M. William Phelps
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About this listen

Crossing the Line is a true crime podcast revealing cases of the missing and murdered, told start-to-finish each week. Using the campfire storytelling style that made Paper Ghosts a #1 hit on the charts, host M. William Phelps connects deeply with families touched by violent crime - he understands them, because he is one of them. Having gone through the murder of his own pregnant sister-in-law, Phelps brings not only his personal experience, but also 20-plus years of investigative journalism into the worlds of these stories. Follow and subscribe to Crossing the Line for a weekly dose of murder, mayhem and madness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2023 M. William Phelps True Crime
Episodes
  • ‘Love,’ Revenge, Murder: Gavin MacFarlane, Russell Jones, & ‘Ellie’ and Aaron Friar
    May 21 2025

    Gavin MacFarlane, a 19-year-old man, plans to run off with Ellen 'Ellie' Friar, a 15-year-old minor. Ellie’s father has an issue with an adult man dating his minor child. When Ellie and her father turn up missing one morning, Medford, Oregon, police send 70 officers out onto the streets to search … and yet the answer is hiding right there ... in plain sight.

    Sign up for your free Patreon account here, where I’ll be streaming “live,” sending out newsletters, dropping an exclusive limited series podcast later in 2025, and posting other content you won’t get anywhere else.

    Visit www.crossingtheline.biz to contact investigative journalist and host M. William Phelps, get more information about the show, updates to cases, and more.

    And don't forget to subscribe to Phelps's #1 hit podcast PAPER GHOSTS, now in its fourth season, wherever you get your favorite shows.

    M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 46 nonfiction books and winner of the Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Phelps has written for numerous publications1, including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant. Diversifying his talents, Phelps consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter and has executive produced and starred in over 350 hours of true crime television. All of which gives him a confluence of expertise and experience to bring to true crime fanatics.

    Phelps grew up in East Hartford, Connecticut, and now splits his time between Tolland County and N. Stonington, CT. In July 2017, he published his definitive, 10-year project about Happy Face Killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, DANGEROUS GROUND: My Friendship with a Serial Killer.

    **For mental health assistance or to get help, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Health NAMI website or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text "HelpLine" to 62640, or email helpline@nami.org**

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    38 mins
  • SHORT CUTS: Julie Sulpizio and Her Doomsday Cult: God, Guns, & A Hero's Murder
    May 20 2025

    Julie Sulpizio, her husband and two children are certain God has given them a sign that the end of the world is near … and so they hatch a racist, murderous plan to take out as many ‘lost souls’ as they can before the Rapture begins.

    Welcome to a bonus feature here on the Crossing the Line feed. I come across all sorts of stories while researching books, TV series, and my iHeartMedia podcast, Paper Ghosts, in addition to the ideas you send me. A lot of them grab hold of me emotionally—especially the victims' stories and the ordeal their families go through. A good number of the cases, for myriad reasons, don’t fit into the model for a more complete CTL episode. So I wanted to create a sub platform to showcase some of those stories, as well.

    That said, thank you for supporting Crossing the Line, which has allowed me to produce this new expansion of the brand … Once or twice per month, maybe more, I’ll present a 15 to 20 minute episode, covering murder and missing person cases, and other interesting crimes I think you’ll want to hear about—but maybe more importantly, cases that give us a deeper understanding of the crimes and scumbags who commit them.

    Sign up for your free Patreon account here, where I’ll be streaming “live,” dropping an exclusive limited series podcast later in 2025, and posting other content you cannot find anywhere else.

    Visit www.crossingtheline.biz to contact investigative journalist and host M. William Phelps, get more information about the show, updates to cases, and more.

    And don't forget to subscribe to Phelps's #1 hit podcast PAPER GHOSTS, now in its fourth season, wherever you get your favorite shows.

    M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 46 nonfiction books and winner of the Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Phelps has written for numerous publications1, including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant. Diversifying his talents, Phelps consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter and has executive produced and starred in over 350 hours of true crime television. All of which gives him a confluence of expertise and experience to bring to true crime fanatics.

    Phelps grew up in East Hartford, Connecticut, and now splits his time between Tolland County and N. Stonington, CT. In July 2017, he published his definitive, 10-year project about Happy Face Killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, DANGEROUS GROUND: My Friendship with a Serial Killer.

    **For mental health assistance or to get help, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Health NAMI website or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text "HelpLine" to 62640, or email helpline@nami.org**

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    24 mins
  • Julie Doe and Pamela Leigh Walton: Missing and Murdered
    May 14 2025

    *A Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps listener hears an episode of the show describing how submitting your DNA to the online forensic genealogy databases can help solve cold cases. So, she decides to do it. And lo and behold, a near 40-year-old cold case murder victim, known all this time as "Julie Doe," now has her real name back.

    *Suggested by Laura

    Sign up for your free Patreon account here, where I’ll be streaming “live,” sending out newsletters, dropping an exclusive limited series podcast later in 2025, and posting other content you won’t get anywhere else.

    Visit www.crossingtheline.biz to contact investigative journalist and host M. William Phelps, get more information about the show, updates to cases, and more.

    And don't forget to subscribe to Phelps's #1 hit podcast PAPER GHOSTS, now in its fourth season, wherever you get your favorite shows.

    M. William Phelps is the New York Times best-selling author of 46 nonfiction books and winner of the Excellence in (Investigative) Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. Phelps has written for numerous publications1, including the Providence Journal, Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Courant. Diversifying his talents, Phelps consulted on the first season of the hit Showtime cable television series Dexter and has executive produced and starred in over 350 hours of true crime television. All of which gives him a confluence of expertise and experience to bring to true crime fanatics.

    Phelps grew up in East Hartford, Connecticut, and now splits his time between Tolland County and N. Stonington, CT. In July 2017, he published his definitive, 10-year project about Happy Face Killer, Keith Hunter Jesperson, DANGEROUS GROUND: My Friendship with a Serial Killer.

    **For mental health assistance or to get help, please visit the National Alliance on Mental Health NAMI website or call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text "HelpLine" to 62640, or email helpline@nami.org**

    Show more Show less
    31 mins
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Love the show. Wish you posted more than once a week. I've caught up on everything I can find, really great stuff.

Would Love More Content

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Phelps “KILLS” it in a way only a talented crime writer can. I was so excited to stumble onto this podcast. They get right down to it, lots of pertinent info, masterful story-telling…. Exactly what you’d expect from this writer. Love it!

BINGE-WORTHY!!!

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I always enjoy what William Phelps puts together. Glad he has a weekly podcast now.

Very well done

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Love this series. Phelps dug deep into the case of Karen Read, who murdered John O'Keefe, and the crazy people supporting a murderer and trying to subvert justice.

A Perfect Podcast

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I appreciate that M. William Phelps deli vers an interesting, well researched story every time. I want to hear the facts not just have popular opinion reiterated. I also want a podcast that is easy to listen to. I get annoyed with constant laughing and giggling and I get bored with monotone lecture type delivery. I can't wait for each new episode from any of Mr. Phelps podcasts. I've recommended his podcasts many times and the feedback is always great.

Solid investigative reporting

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True Crime. Phelps tells all with no holds barred. I like that he never sugar coats subject matter.

Everything you ever wanted to know about

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I listen to a lot of true crime and two low key authors I love are M. William Phelps and James Renner.

Phelps is great.

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So excited CTL is back. This is one podcast I really enjoy and trust. It’s not sensational and is respectful of the victims.

Welcome back!!!

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I have not heard investigative journalism as real as this podcast. The facts of tragic cases are presented while keeping the victims and their families at the heart of each episode.

True investigative journalism

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please do more reporting we need more true crime stories. can't wait for more. keep up the great work!!

keep up the great work!!

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