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Welcome to Crimetown, a series produced by Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier in partnership with Gimlet Media. Each season, we investigate the culture of crime in a different city. In Season 2, Crimetown heads to the heart of the Rust Belt: Detroit, Michigan. From its heyday as Motor City to its rebirth as the Brooklyn of the Midwest, Detroit’s history reflects a series of issues that strike at the heart of American identity: race, poverty, policing, loss of industry, the war on drugs, an ...
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There’s a disturbing pattern in America’s justice system — one that stretches from the past into the present.
From the John Wayne Gacy investigation of the 1970s to Aaron Spencer’s prosecution today, we keep coming back to the same haunting question:
Why does the system protect predators and punish those who fight them?
In the first half of this episode, Defense Attorney Bob Motta — host of Defense Diaries and BURIED: Inside the John Wayne Gacy Investigation — takes us deep inside the newly remastered Gacy Tapes: never-before-heard recordings of Gacy speaking with his defense attorneys, including Bob’s own father. For decades, those tapes sat in darkness. Now, with enhanced audio and new detective interviews, BURIED exposes how the Gacy investigation really unfolded — revealing police shortcuts, ignored victims, and the desperation that finally cracked the case.
It’s a chilling reminder of how often the system gets it wrong — even when it’s trying to get it right.
Then, in the second half, we shift to Lonoke County, Arkansas, where a father named Aaron Spencer is facing second-degree murder charges after allegedly shooting a known predator he found with his 14-year-old daughter.
The twist? Spencer is now running for sheriff — against the very department that arrested him. His slogan: “Restoring Trust.”
To some, he’s a hero. To others, a vigilante. But to many, he’s proof that faith in law enforcement has been replaced by something darker — a belief that justice only comes when you take it into your own hands.
From Gacy’s crawl space to Arkansas courtrooms, this is the connective tissue of true crime: the failure of systems built to protect us, and the people forced to fill the gaps.
Hosted by Tony Brueski | Guest: Bob Motta (Defense Diaries, BURIED)
Subscribe for more true-crime conversations that challenge the system — and the stories we think we know.
#JohnWayneGacy #AaronSpencer #BobMotta #DefenseDiaries #HiddenKillers #BuriedPodcast #JusticeSystem #TrueCrimePodcast #VigilanteJustice #TonyBrueski
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?
Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod
Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
From the John Wayne Gacy investigation of the 1970s to Aaron Spencer’s prosecution today, we keep coming back to the same haunting question:
Why does the system protect predators and punish those who fight them?
In the first half of this episode, Defense Attorney Bob Motta — host of Defense Diaries and BURIED: Inside the John Wayne Gacy Investigation — takes us deep inside the newly remastered Gacy Tapes: never-before-heard recordings of Gacy speaking with his defense attorneys, including Bob’s own father. For decades, those tapes sat in darkness. Now, with enhanced audio and new detective interviews, BURIED exposes how the Gacy investigation really unfolded — revealing police shortcuts, ignored victims, and the desperation that finally cracked the case.
It’s a chilling reminder of how often the system gets it wrong — even when it’s trying to get it right.
Then, in the second half, we shift to Lonoke County, Arkansas, where a father named Aaron Spencer is facing second-degree murder charges after allegedly shooting a known predator he found with his 14-year-old daughter.
The twist? Spencer is now running for sheriff — against the very department that arrested him. His slogan: “Restoring Trust.”
To some, he’s a hero. To others, a vigilante. But to many, he’s proof that faith in law enforcement has been replaced by something darker — a belief that justice only comes when you take it into your own hands.
From Gacy’s crawl space to Arkansas courtrooms, this is the connective tissue of true crime: the failure of systems built to protect us, and the people forced to fill the gaps.
Hosted by Tony Brueski | Guest: Bob Motta (Defense Diaries, BURIED)
Subscribe for more true-crime conversations that challenge the system — and the stories we think we know.
#JohnWayneGacy #AaronSpencer #BobMotta #DefenseDiaries #HiddenKillers #BuriedPodcast #JusticeSystem #TrueCrimePodcast #VigilanteJustice #TonyBrueski
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video?
Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod
Listen Ad-Free On Apple Podcasts Here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-crime-today-premium-plus-ad-free-advance-episode/id1705422872
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