Jury Duty

People of Hope is a Catholic Covenant Community that grew to prominence in 1980s suburban New Jersey. Some speculate that it was the inspiration for Margaret Atwood’s “A Handmaid’s Tale.” Host Karen Ann Coburn returns to her hometown to uncover the truth about this secretive group.  

Coming September 22, 2024. New episodes every Sunday morning.

In The Verdict and the Aftermath, we present our coverage of the verdict in the trial of Alex Murdaugh, as well as the aftermath of the case.

Before we begin this final episode of Season 8 of Jury Duty, we want to let you know, that we are suspending publication of this Jury Duty Podcast, as well as further publication on our flagship website, CrimeStory.com, to focus our energies on other endeavors that are only possible because of the work we’ve done here at Jury Duty and over at CrimeStory.com. 

One of those new endeavors is a podcast produced by our sister company, Pleasant Run Productions. “Shadow of Hope” explores the history of the People of Hope, a Catholic Covenant Community. At their peak in the 1980s, the People of Hope took over a parish in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, clashed with local residents, and built the suburban equivalent of a compound.

Over eight episodes, host Karen Ann Coburn tries to find out what led regular people – her neighbors, classmates, and friends – to commit their lives to this secretive group. In the process, she reveals the truth about life inside a Covenant Community and ponders the question, “What price are we willing to pay to belong to something bigger than ourselves?”

Meanwhile, over nine seasons here at Jury Duty, we’ve covered the trials of Robert Durst, Kyle Rittenhouse, Travis and Gregory McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan (convicted for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery), former Olympic equestrian Michael Barrisone, Harvey Weinstein, Danny Masterson, OJ Simpson, and Alex Murdaugh. Over the last four and a half years, this podcast series has generated nearly five million downloads.

For a more detailed and thorough overview of the work we’ve accomplished both at Jury Duty and across the Crime Story Media Endeavors, head over to our Farewell Page at CrimeStory.com.  

Most importantly, we want you to know that we are so grateful to all of you for following us on this journey, and we hope you will stay tuned for what comes next.

In Closing Arguments — Part 3, we conclude our look at the Jim Griffin’s summation for the defense and we present our coverage of John Meadows rebuttal closing argument for the State.

In Closing Arguments — Part 2, we conclude our coverage of the State’s closing argument in the trial, and we begin our look at the defense team’s summation.

In Closing Arguments — Part 1, we begin our review of closing arguments in the case. Specifically we offer the first part of the prosecution’s closing.