From audiochuck comes a brand new podcast called ANATOMY OF MURDER, a weekly true crime podcast examining homicide cases and paths to justice for the victims. Former New York City homicide prosecutor and host of Investigation Discovery’s True Conviction, Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi, teams up with Emmy award-winning investigative journalist and former Deputy Sheriff Scott Weinberger, to take listeners behind the scenes for an insider’s perspective of compelling homicide cases from around the country. In every episode, listeners will also hear and gain insight from a victim’s family member, the prosecutor, or a member of law enforcement directly involved in the investigation.
Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi is a career homicide prosecutor. She spent 21 years (1995 – 2017) at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, in New York, the last 16 of which were in the office’s Homicide Bureau, where she served as Chief of Trials. Specializing in multiple defendant, double-jury and other complex cases, Anna-Sigga has worked on hundreds of investigations and tried well over 50 felonies, 35 of which were homicides. Currently, Anna-Sigga is the television host and Co-EP of the series, True Conviction, which is currently in production for its 3rd season on Investigation Discovery. She has appeared frequently as a legal analyst on many of the national television networks and also lectures and teaches nationally.
Scott Weinberger has spent his career focused on crime. He is a three-time Emmy-award winning investigative Journalist, previously at WNBC-TV and WCBS-TV in New York. Before that, he served for close to a decade in law enforcement in Florida. He is currently CEO and Executive Producer at Weinberger Media, which he founded in 2007 to create unique content for television. Weinberger Media specializes in producing and developing non-scripted television programming that brings viewers into the world of crime, investigations, police and the judicial system. Best known for creating and launching On the Case with Paula Zahn, the highly popular series is now celebrating its 21st season on Investigation Discovery, and is close to a record 300 episodes. His company also produces the successful series True Conviction, now going into its 3rd season, also on Investigation Discovery.
How did the podcast come to be?
Anna-Sigga: We have been friends and colleagues for a long time. Over the years we’ve discussed that we wished there was a format to take the many conversations we have about these cases, and highlight them to the public. Doing a podcast was our answer. We can talk about the cases, and the factors influencing the investigation and prosecution in a bit more depth.
Scott: I’ve known Anna-Sigga for many years, when I was a Reporter in NYC I had the privilege to see her in action inside a courtroom. Fast forward several years, I convinced her to be interviewed for one of my shows and after she retired from the DA’s office I was back on the convincing end, to take her passion for victims’ rights by creating her own TV show. As the Executive Producer of True Conviction, we spend a lot of time together talking about the critical decisions that prosecutors and Law Enforcement make in Homicide cases. Those discussions became popular with our crew. A podcast was born.
Take us behind the scenes of creating a podcast. How long does it take to bring an episode together and what is involved?
Anna-Sigga: A lot more than we originally realized! First we each do our own research, a combination of investigative reports, medical reports, articles, studies, photos etc. Then we interview someone involved in the case. We incorporate that interview and our own research into the actual conversation we record. We don’t work off scripts, but our executive producer, the very talented Sumit David, lays out an outline for each story and we use that to guide us, as we talk through each case. Our conversation is then intermixed with the actual interviews, and laid out through the edit into the episodes you eventually hear.
Scott: This podcast is not scripted, it requires both of us to look at these cases at a granular level. That takes hours of reviewing, police reports, ME reports, witness statements, crime scene photos and diagrams. Each podcast included one on one interviews with a victim’s family member, and case detective or prosecutor. Once we have a real feel for the case from all perspectives, talking about the case becomes natural for us.
Within the episodes, you gain insight from various individuals involved, including a victim’s family member, the prosecutor, or a member of law enforcement directly. Was there any process behind deciding which individuals you would have within the episode?
Anna-Sigga: There is no bright line rule. We look at each case and decide who makes sense to us for that particular story. We want the voices of all three – victims’ family members, law enforcement and the prosecutors involved – to be heard. We try to rotate them, but not necessarily in equal measure. Each individual case serves as our guide.
Scott: We decide on a case by case basis, literally! For us, honoring the victims is crucial and any voice that helps us weave that along with what I believe is our authentic perspective is what AoM is all about.
Out of the episodes currently released, which has been the most interesting to delve into?
Anna-Sigga: There would be no way to pick one. Each and every case we feature stands out to us in some way. Each case matters. Each victim matters. Each case presents various challenges that are worthy of dissecting. That’s why we created Anatomy of Murder, the podcast – because we care about them all and are intrigued to learn about each one.
Scott: While every case matters, it’s the cases that highlight the family members who never give up until justice is served, or the detective who delays retirement until he solves a cold case. We have several of those!
What do you believe makes Anatomy of Murder stand out from other true crime podcasts?
Anna-Sigga: There are many great true crime podcasts out there. What ours brings to the table is this: We approach each story from our backgrounds, and then take listeners behind the scenes, delving into the many Whys of each case. Our respective careers span a pretty full spectrum, Scott as an investigative journalist and former deputy sheriff, and me (Anna-Sigga), as a former Homicide prosecutor. We intertwine our insights with the story and perspective of those interviewed and actually involved in each case. We want to tell these stories in a way that honors the memory of each victim and explain how these cases unfolded, and the journeys to justice for each life lost.
Scott: I believe It’s the authentic perspective, a passion for telling true crime stories with insider knowledge that every case is complicated, every victim deserves justice, every podcast episode will deliver the insight on how those all come together.
