Bear Brook

For three decades, Andy Perkins didn’t talk about what happened to him at a place called YDC – the Youth Development Center. Then, he saw something on the news, and he realized he wasn’t the only person with a story about YDC. Andy gives us a rare glimpse into the black box of the juvenile justice system. 

Click here to read the companion digital story made in collaboration with The Pudding.

If you have suffered abuse and need someone to talk to, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. If you’re in a mental health crisis, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8. 

To support investigative journalism like The Youth Development Center at NHPR, click here.

The state of New Hampshire has made a sudden about-face: Prosecutors have now agreed to DNA test old evidence in Jason Carroll’s case. It’s the biggest development in the case in 35 years – and one step closer to possibly learning who killed Sharon Johnson.

For more on the case, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

It’s been one year since we dropped Bear Brook Season 2. Here’s where things stand with Jason Carroll’s case and a refresher on how we got here – and where the case is going. Host Jason Moon talks with Kathleen Goldhar of CBC’s “Crime Story” podcast about the series.

Reporter Lauren Chooljian starts getting tips about the founder of New Hampshire’s largest addiction treatment network. He is allegedly sexually harassing or assaulting women — employees and former clients at his facilities. The tips send Lauren on a journey deep into the addiction treatment industry, which, as one source says, “needs a #MeToo movement.” The 13th Step is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio’s Document team. Listen to the whole series now by clicking here.

The true crime media spotlight shines on Jason Carroll. Then, a chance encounter leads to a surprising discovery that changes the course of his case.

For more on the case and to see selected data on exonerations, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

To explore more data, visit The National Registry of Exonerations.

How could someone possibly confess to murder if they didn’t do it? A modern understanding of confessions sheds new light on Jason Carroll’s case.

For more on the case and to see selected data on exonerations, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

To explore more data, visit The National Registry of Exonerations.

Jason Carroll stands trial twice – and the juries come up with their own versions of what happened.

For more on the case, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

A new true crime story is told and when juries hear it, it leads to different results for all three defendants. During the first trial, the lead detective makes a big mistake.

For more on the case and to see a table of confession discrepancies, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

One set of confessions leads to another and three men are arrested for Sharon Johnson’s murder. Then, an alleged secret comes to light that changes everything.

For more on the case and to see a timeline of the interrogations, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

Police interrogate a second teenager named Jason Carroll – with help from Jason’s own mother.

For more on the case, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

We begin with the story police told about Sharon Johnson’s murder. The veteran detective on the case develops a theory involving her husband and a teenager. A surprising admission leads to a new break in the case.

For more on the case and to see a timeline of Sharon's last day, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

Sharon Johnson’s family and friends have spent the last 35 years coping with her brutal murder. But what if that story was based on a lie? The man imprisoned for her murder maintains his innocence.

For more on the case, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

Jason Carroll is serving life in prison for a murder he says he didn’t commit. The only evidence against him? His own taped confession. More than 30 years later, is it possible to get to the truth – and who gets to tell it?

From the creators of the hit podcast Bear Brook comes A True Crime Story. In the show’s second season, host Jason Moon returns with a new, even more complex story: In 1989, New Hampshire police charged three men in the murder of a pregnant woman named Sharon Johnson. But only 19-year-old Jason Carroll was convicted. Police built the case against him around his own taped confession.

For more than 30 years, that story has profoundly shaped the lives of many people. A True Crime Story is about what happens when the official narrative is challenged. When alternate versions are told by lawyers – and podcasters – as part of a mounting effort to free Jason Carroll from prison and clear his name. 

Host Jason Moon documents how those involved grapple with the idea that the prevailing story about who killed Sharon Johnson could be a lie. And he brings a fresh examination of the evidence to a state that has never exonerated anyone for murder.

A clue is found buried on an internet message board. DNA is wrestled from rootless hair. Two investigators work parallel leads, and authorities call a press conference.

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A son remembers his father, and searches for clues in his military paperwork. A conversation with one of Terry Rasmussen's surviving children.

This is the first in an unknown number of short updates to the story of the Bear Brook murders that we’ll be producing to let listeners know about any breaking news in the case. 

This isn't the big news we're hoping to break - stay subscribed for another full episode of Bear Brook that we hope to bring you soon.

The case that was solved in reverse leaves many questions unanswered. New methods of inquiry are used to crack other cold cases. Do groundbreaking techniques come at the cost of genetic privacy?

Want to make sure that NHPR continues creating projects like Bear Brook? Click here to donate $20. Thanks for your support.  

This is part two of episode 5. A child is abandoned. Timelines come together. A family tree begins to take shape. A chameleon is revealed. 

Want to make sure that NHPR continues creating projects like Bear Brook? Click here to donate $20. Thanks for your support.  

A child is abandoned. Timelines come together. A family tree begins to take shape. A chameleon is revealed. 

Want to make sure that NHPR continues creating projects like Bear Brook? Click here to donate $20. Thanks for your support. 

An ominous New Year’s party introduction. An estranged cousin goes missing. Police question a man with multiple identities. A search leads authorities to his basement.

Want to make sure that NHPR continues creating projects like Bear Brook? Click here to donate $20. Thanks for your support.