Fatal Voyage fans have a new celebrity death podcast to consider -- this time, about Marilyn Monroe. I binged on Fatal Voyage: The Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood podcast as I drove from San Francisco and through a fire-ravaged Yosemite, so I’ll forever associate the voice of Lana Wood with smoke, ash, and an apocalyptic landscape. It feels like a portent of sorts that I’m also planning a trip to the desert on August 19, the same day that Fatal Voyage’s creators drop their next show, The Killing of Marilyn Monroe.

Now, I’ve got to be pedantic, here: I’m a little irritated at the foregone conclusiveness demonstrated by the use of the phrase “The Killing” to describe a death that’s widely believed to be a suicide. So, Wood’s death is just “mysterious,” but Monroe’s overdose was a "killing”? Slow down, snappy, and give me some evidence before you make that claim.

While I’m complaining, I’ll note that the show is a product of American Media, Inc., which is a sketchball news org by all accounts. And its host is “style expert” Jackie Miranne, which seems like an…odd choice for an ostensibly journalistic endeavor. But the Wood investigation was engaging, thorough, and felt intelligently done. Will TKoMM have the same standards? Well, in its teaser, Miranne says that “through on the ground, investigative reporting, brand new sources, and meticulous reviewing of evidence, we will reveal for the first time exactly what happened on the night of Opens a New Window. August 4, 1962, and why [Monroe’s] killer has never been brought to justice.” Fine, I’ll be in the car anyway, show. Let’s give you a shot and see what you have for me. -- EB

The true crime craze has had an impact on the so-called “Murderabilia” business. Writing for Rolling Stone, Elizabeth Yuko reports that crime “collectables” companies like Serial Killer Ink have seen an uptick in sales as interest in bad actors has risen. The most obviously example are the John Wayne Gacy’s paintings, which used to go for around $2,000 and now fetch around $7,000.

Using Son of Sam laws and other legislation, victim’s advocates are now seeking limits to how convicted criminals and others can profit off the products, many of which are created or generated from behind bars. Says parole officer turned victims' rights crusader Andy Kahan, “I can unequivocally tell you that from the victims’ perspective, it’s one of the most nauseating and disgusting feelings in the world, when you find out that the person who murdered one of your loved ones now has personalized items being hawked by third parties for pure profit.” Meanwhile, many collectors say they’re just interested in the historical import these items have. J.D. Healy, the owner and curator of the Museum of Death, says “People will complain, ‘You’re exploiting the murder of these poor victims.’ No, I’m not. I’m a collector who’s trying to save a part of history and, if you think about it, the news reports on this stuff every day and they are much more graphic and worse than I am.” You can read Yuko’s full report on the debate here. -- EB

A TV adaptation of the Dr. Death podcast is currently looking for a distributor. The podcast about serial surgery-botcher Dr. Christopher Duntsch (if you haven’t read D Magazine’s longread on the plastic surgeon, do so now) was a big hit last year, so it seemed inevitable that the tale would make its way to other formats. Now Deadline reports that a TV version is in the works, starring Jamie Dornan as the titular doc and Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater as the real-life doctors who broke the physicians’ code of silence to call out their colleague.

With casting in place, the show’s producers are now “shopping the project to networks and streaming platforms,” so don’t be swayed by headlines saying that the series will be “your new favorite true crime show” (yes, they exist, but I ain’t linking). Given the speed at which TV works, we have plenty of time to wonder if Baldwin has already texted Dornan this clip as part of a pack of helpful suggestions for their upcoming collaboration. -- EB

If you watched Free Meek this weekend, this Esquire interview with investigator Tyler Maroney will likely be of interest. You likely recognized Maroney (that’s him on the right in the photo above) and partner Luke Brindle-Kym from The Case Against Adnan Syed, in which they also appeared. The pair run investigations firm QRI, which, after reading its website, makes me want to throw it all in and come intern for them.

As you know from the Amazon series, it was Roc Nation that brought QUI onboard to unravel the case against Mill, eventually discrediting the arresting officer that started the case against the artist. According to Maroney, “if it doesn't come through in the documentary, there's no question that the amount of work that we did, and not just us, but these lawyers, these supporters behind the scenes was really a full-time job for six months. And it's kind of what is needed to be done—which most defendants who are navigating the criminal justice do not have the resources to do, by Meek’s own admission.”

You can read the full interview here and, if you missed it, listen to The Blotter Presents’ episodes on Free Meek here and The Case Against Adnan Syed here. -- EB

A new book seeks to explore why women are interested in true crime. Rachel Monroe’s Savage Appetites: Four True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession details the obsessions of four women, none of whom are law enforcement professionals, in an effort to understand why interest in the genre skews so female. In an interview with Jezebel, Monroe says that she wrote the book after “feeling really unsatisfied with a lot of the answers that I saw out there. There’s been a lot of really smart writing about true crime but I felt like in the same way women’s appetites are both literally and metaphorically policed, it felt similarly with this realm of interest.” You can read Monroe’s full interview here, and pre-order her book, which drops on August 20, here. -- EB

Tuesday, on Best Evidence: Mindhunter’s coming up on Friday, so what should you read so you can constantly hit “pause” and tell your viewing companion “so, actually…”?

What is this thing? This should help.

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