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“CRIME OF THE TRUEST KIND” IS A MASS PODCAST LIKE NO OTHER

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“Centered on New England crime stories, each episode unravels the details of what happened.”

There aren’t many resumes in Massachusetts music that are as thick and impressive as Anngelle Wood’s track record. A staple on Greater Boston rock radio for decades, her voice and knowledge of New England culture—especially the counter- kind—are local treasures in and of themselves.

All past experiences considered, Wood’s latest venture is a perfect fit on every frequency. As she explains, her podcast Crime of the Truest Kind “has taken Wood and her listeners to cities and towns all across the region—across Massachusetts from Groveland and Peabody to Hopkinton and Canton, from West Warrick, Rhode Island to Mont Vernon, New Hampshire—while uncovering the gritty details of New England’s most heinous acts.”

“Crime of the Truest Kind is centered in New England, a place I have lived my entire life,” Wood says. “I am reminded regularly of some old news story I’d forgotten about. I have covered and will cover stories that impacted me as well. I have learned tricks on how to get old news stories and I have started to reach out to local journalists who’ve covered the cases. Some stories are really difficult to find factual information, while others have little info available. I start each show with local history about the town and talk about people from the region and places related to the crime story. It allows me to riff, add my personality to what is always heavy subject matter. Learning things about the region is great fun. I always learn something new.”

More info from the Crime of the Truest Kind team below, including episode links:

Across its six states and diverse populace, New England may as well be its own country. Unfortunately, like any country, it has its share of crime. But crime stories in New England—the ones that scream from the headlines and lead the nightly news—always seem to have multiple layers, some unexpected twists, and backstories as complex and distorted as the people who live here. Longtime Boston radio DJ and personality Anngelle Wood has uncovered, deconstructed, and unwrapped these stories via her new true crime podcast, Crime of the Truest Kind. 

What launched in October 2020 with a two-part series on notorious Boston mobster Whitey Bulger has now grown to a bi-weekly series fast approaching 20 episodes. The list of subjects tackled by Wood is fascinating: Michael McDermott’s December 2000 murderous rampage at the Edgewater Technologies office in Wakefield; a three-part series on the horriffic 2004 Station Nightclub Fire in Rhode Island that killed 100 concertgoers; the shocking 1986 murder of Canton high schooler Shaun Ouillette. In each carefully researched and worded episode, Wood brings the listener to the crime scene with detail, perspective, and solicitude. It’s an engaging listen for those new to the events themselves (it does not require New England residency to come along for the ride), as well as a chilling reminder for those who can recall the days they happened.

Wood’s love for the true crime genre dates back to her childhood, when she would sit with her grandmother and read her often salacious and graphic detective magazines — forensics, profiling, psychology of crime, serial killings, all of those things fascinated her, and the details of each case stayed with her long after reading. Her background in radio — on long-gone legacy stations like WBCN and WFNX, as well as host of the long running and now independently operated and produced Boston Emissions radio program — led her to be an early and avid fan of podcasts. While vacationing in Maine last summer, reading Dave Wedge and Casey Sherman’s Hunting Whitey, she decided to turn a lifelong interest into a dedicated practice.

“I had a name within minutes and that was that,” Wood admits. “I’ve never been one to drag my feet on anything once I decide I want it. But much of what I have learned over my 20-plus years as a radio DJ has translated very well. Research, preparation, writing, recording, voicing, production. The beauty of those years in radio is that I figured out early on to learn as much as possible — how to record audio, edit. I love people’s reactions to it, I especially love when people I know discover it and listen. Like my years as a DJ, I enjoy hearing from listeners. People have started to send news items and show ideas. That’s a very cool part of this.” 

‘Crime of the Truest Kind’ episode index:

DIG STAFF
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