The “So Dead” podcast explores Michigan true crimes stories but also dabbles in the supernatural and paranormal.
Its host, Jenn Carpenter is a writer and Lansing native.
She joined WKAR's Sophia Saliby to talk about the podcast and some spooky stories for the month of October.
Interview Highlights
On Why People Like True Crime Stories
With the true crime, there's a lot of different theories. A big one is, you know, because the true crime audience is primarily women, a lot of times that, you know, we want to know all there is to know, so that we can watch for the red flags. And it helps with our anxiety to have knowledge because women are also, by and large, the biggest victims of a lot of these crimes as well.
On How She Deals With Working With Such Heavy Subjects
I watch a lot of Nick At Nite. So I get done doing my work, and I turn the TV to Nickelodeon, or I'll put it on the Disney Channel and watch Disney movies until I fall asleep. I don't watch as much true crime anymore as people probably think I do. These new documentaries and things will come out, and I'll just kind of be like, "Nope, haven't seen it yet. I'm over here watching 'Friends.'"
On How She Recommends Episodes To New Listeners
If someone wants something a little lighter, I'm definitely going to recommend them a story from the first season. Because that is when I had a co-host, and so things were a lot more kind of light and airy. Whereas now that it's just me, things are a lot more serious. Depending on where they're from, if I know I've got an episode from their hometown, that's what I'll recommend.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: This is All Things Considered on WKAR. I’m Sophia Saliby.
The “So Dead” podcast explores Michigan true crimes stories but also dabbles in the supernatural and paranormal.
Its host, Jenn Carpenter is a writer and Lansing native.
She’s with me now to talk about the podcast and some spooky stories for the month of October. Thanks for joining me.
Jenn Carpenter: Absolutely. Thank you for having me.
Saliby: Last year, you joined us in October to talk about ghost stories in Michigan. Today, we're speaking about true crime. Why do you think people have such a fascination with the macabre [or] the dark?
RELATED: ‘Haunted Lansing’ Tells The Story Of Capital Region’s Spookiest Places
Carpenter: That is a hard question for me to answer because, for me, it's just kind of what I've always been interested in, you know, ghost stories. And even when I was pretty young, the true crime stuff, you know, lots of made-for-TV movies in the 90s and "Rescue 911" and "Unsolved Mysteries," and those were the types of shows I liked to watch.
It's just kind of what I've always been interested in, you know, ghost stories. And even when I was pretty young, the true crime stuff, you know, lots of made-for-TV movies in the 90s and "Rescue 911" and "Unsolved Mysteries" and those were the types of shows I liked to watch.
That's hard for me, just because it's always been that way for me. But I think that you know, ghost stories, the paranormal, that's fascinating, because it's talking about the unknown. And then with the true crime, there's a lot of different theories.
A big one is, you know, because the true crime audience is primarily women, a lot of times that, you know, we want to know all there is to know, so that we can watch for the red flags. And it helps with our anxiety to have knowledge because women are also, by and large, the biggest victims of a lot of these crimes as well.
But the psychology of it is very interesting, and just the the human condition is so interesting, and learning about history in a different sort of way, I think all plays a role.
Saliby: A lot of your work, as we've kind of talked about has to do with death and other gruesome things. How do you balance out such heavy topics on the podcast but also in your daily life?
Carpenter: On the podcast, I think a big thing that helps is that it's very informal. You know, when I'm talking about the stories, it's very serious. But there's also just kind of everyday talk as well to lighten the mood.
Because there is that balance, you know, we go through hard things, and I mean, we've gone through a really hard past couple years here, all of us. Bad things happen, and we have to find a way to balance those and keep our sanity.
But in my personal life, I watch a lot of Nick At Nite. So I get done doing my work, and I turn the TV to Nickelodeon, or I'll put it on the Disney Channel and watch Disney movies until I fall asleep. I don't watch as much true crime anymore as people probably think I do. These new documentaries and things will come out, and I'll just kind of be like, "Nope, haven't seen it yet. I'm over here watching 'Friends.'"
Saliby: Where do you find the stories that you make into podcast episodes?
Carpenter: I try to stay away from the bigger ones [or] the ones that, you know, there are movies about, and there have already been other podcasts because what's the point? So, I do try to seek out the lesser known stories. I've got a pretty big community base now as far as people that listen to the podcast and interact on the Facebook group, so I get suggestions every day. And some of them are cases that I've never heard of.
I try to find stories that I've never heard of, so that I know that probably no one else has heard them either.
I scour old newspapers. My most recent episode came from just a random newspaper article that I found from like the 1920s about this little boy that got kidnapped twice. And so, I really, through suggestions and research, I try to find stories that I've never heard of, so that I know that probably no one else has heard them either.
Saliby: Do you have maybe a favorite episode that you like to share with people that have never listened to the podcast before?
Carpenter: I think that's hard because, you know, what are you looking for out of the podcast? If someone wants something a little lighter, I'm definitely going to recommend them a story from the first season. Because that is when I had a co-host, and so things were a lot more kind of light and airy.
Whereas now that it's just me, things are a lot more serious.
Depending on where they're from, if I know I've got an episode from their hometown, that's what I'll recommend. Because it's always interesting to hear these stories about, you know, I know exactly where that is. I can picture that in my head. And that's how people make a best connection.
But I guess, largely, if I'm just picking one episode that I would say, I would want everyone to hear, it would be a pretty recent episode. I'm unsure of the episode number, but it was the episode I did about Brandon Mitchner, who died here in Lansing, actually right near where my bookstore is located, in 2014. And the episode title is "Eleven Seconds."
Saliby: And then just real quickly here as a last question, can you share fun fact about Michigan history that you learned through producing the podcast that you didn't know before?
Carpenter: I find it interesting that Michigan was the first English-speaking government to ever abolish the death penalty. So, when we're talking about these crimes, you know, it was very rare for someone to be put to death in Michigan. It has to be a situation where there's a federal crime involved. I find that really interesting.
We've got the only serial killer siblings in history here in Michigan. They're both still alive in prison. They're from the Kalamazoo area.
We've got the only serial killer siblings in history here in Michigan. They're both still alive in prison. They're from the Kalamazoo area. So, there's lots of really, really weird and interesting stuff.
Saliby: Jenn Carpenter hosts the "So Dead" podcast. Thank you for joining me.
Carpenter: Yes. Thank you for having me.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
