9 episodes

Kim Barker, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times, revisits an unsolved murder that took place while she was in high school in Laramie, Wyoming, nearly 40 years ago. She confronts the conflicting stories people have told themselves about the crime because of an unexpected development: the arrest of a former Laramie police officer accused in the murder.

The Coldest Case In Laramie Serial

    • True Crime
    • 4.0 • 3.4K Ratings

Kim Barker, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times, revisits an unsolved murder that took place while she was in high school in Laramie, Wyoming, nearly 40 years ago. She confronts the conflicting stories people have told themselves about the crime because of an unexpected development: the arrest of a former Laramie police officer accused in the murder.

    Episode 1

    Episode 1

    A Times investigative reporter, Kim Barker, revisits the murder of Shelli Wiley — a long-unsolved case from Kim’s time in high school. She reaches out to Shelli’s family to understand why the police arrested a man named Fred Lamb for Shelli’s murder in 2016, and why prosecutors abruptly dropped the charges against him.

    • 23 min
    Episode 2

    Episode 2

    Kim talks to Shelli’s former roommate, who connects Kim with a man who was at the crime scene and has troubling memories about Fred Lamb and the police.

    • 23 min
    Episode 3

    Episode 3

    Kim heads to Laramie and hears two very different versions of the case against Fred Lamb.

    • 28 min
    Episode 4

    Episode 4

    Kim digs into the early stages of the investigation into Shelli’s murder and follows up with old suspects.

    • 36 min
    Episode 5

    Episode 5

    Kim talks to someone who confessed to Shelli’s murder from a jail in Arizona.

    • 32 min
    Episode 6

    Episode 6

    Kim examines the bizarre interrogation that led to Fred Lamb’s arrest.

    • 31 min

Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5
3.4K Ratings

3.4K Ratings

Netsypie ,

Laramie

I found this murder case very interesting due to local ties to Laramie. The town Kim described did not match up with the quaint friendly town I visited for long periods. Honestly feel this did not clear Fred. For the detective to hold onto this case for so long tells me there is something more! I also was blindsided by Kim calling out the 2 witnesses Pat and Michelle as having false memories. It’s very possible that the recorded interview of the 1st guy on site was incomplete or not entirely recorded! And as well with the card that Michelle recorded. Kim said herself in the beginning that Laramie police were protecting their own. The story how Freds blood got on Shelley’s door is laughable…All my opinion

Carlislecake ,

Questionable Approach

I think the reporter leaned too heavily into finding doubt and raising dubious questions in a quest to make this case seem more complicated than it is. The blood evidence and Fred’s confession point overwhelmingly to one highly probable conclusion and yet Kim seemed determined to make his guilt look improbable. I found myself yelling at her in my car - “why on earth are you helping a guilty man go free?”

1234everYOUng. ,

too much mention of pandemic

I’m a pro-vaxxer, pro-masker, pro-believe-science, etc. etc. but my god, why am I only 3 episodes into this story and I’ve already heard mention of the pandemic 4 times now. if the story were about the pandemic, then yes of course I can understand why that topic is being repeatedly brought to life in this series. but it’s not, and each mention kind of just weighs it down. we all lived (and lost!) during that period of time, and it doesn’t need to be mentioned upon staging every scene. it takes away from what is an otherwise riveting story. deducting two stars for overwhelming and unnecessary mention of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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