About this episode

The episode introduces a new series called Examined, focusing on overlooked criminal cases, starting with a story about police misconduct and a complicated individual.

Lost Hills has been quiet for a bit, so we've decided to do something different: turn this feed into a home for a new kind of story, told fresh each season. Starting this fall, this feed becomes Examined — a show about overlooked cases that never got the real investigation they deserved and need to be unpacked. These are stories about crime, punishment, and the people caught inside the criminal legal system. Every season, a new host will dig into one of these stories with the kind of in-depth reporting you’ve always heard in this feed. First up: Examined: The Backfire Effect, coming September 14, a story of police misconduct and prosecutorial zeal, and about a very complicated man. Don't worry — previous episodes of Lost Hills will still stay on this feed so you can return to them at any time. One last thing: we want to hear from you. What overlooked cases have stuck with you — the ones you think about, the ones nobody's really told right? Email us at info@pushkin.fm . Thanks for staying with us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Topics covered

• police misconduct
• prosecutorial zeal
• criminal legal system
• overlooked cases
• in-depth reporting

Keywords

• Lost Hills
• Examined
• Backfire Effect
• crime
• punishment
• investigation
• police
• prosecutor

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Western Sound, Pushkin Industries

Books & works: Lost Hills, Examined: The Backfire Effect

More episodes of Examined: The Backfire Effect

• Trailer: The Backfire Effect · September 8, 2026 · 3 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Examined: The Backfire Effect podcast page.