Break in the Case

Jun 05 2023 1.7k
Break in the Case Podcast artwork

In Season 3 of Break in the Case, we take you behind the scenes of one of NYPD’s most notorious cases from the 1990s, the New York Zodiac Copycat. From 1990 to 1996, a serial killer evades capture while sending taunting notes to the media and the police. For six years, detectives from the Zodiac Task Force follow every lead to the ground. And then, one day, a series of events brings them face to face with the Zodiac. Break in the Case is written and produced by the New York City Police Department and sponsored by the New York City Police Foundation.

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S3 E7: New York Zodiac Copycat: East New York, Then and Now

Jun 05 2023 18 mins  
The 75th Precinct was a hotbed of crime in the early 90s. In this special episode, officers talk about what it was like to work in East New York back then. We also hear from a present-day Youth Coordination Officer who is trying to improve lives in East New York.

S3 E6: New York Zodiac Copycat: The Trial

May 29 2023 23 mins  
After the Zodiac’s arraignment for three murders and one attempted murder in Queens, a Queens prosecutor must prepare to counter a psychiatric defense.

S3 E5: New York Zodiac Copycat: Only Orion Can Stop the Zodiac

May 22 2023 22 mins  
After an East New York man is arrested in the 75th Precinct for attempted murder, the evidence connects him to more sinister crimes.

S3 E4: New York Zodiac Copycat: East New York Chaos

May 15 2023 21 mins  
One day in June, 1996, a 911 call leads to a shootout and a hostage situation. Detective Sergeant Joseph Herbert is called to his very first hostage job. And then, the unthinkable happens. True to the precinct motto, “Everything happens in the 75,” it all goes down in the 75th Precinct in East New York, Brooklyn.

S3 E3: New York Zodiac Copycat: Return of the Zodiac

May 08 2023 29 mins  
In August, 1994, a new letter from the Zodiac lands on the front page of the New York Post. The Zodiac claims to have shot five more victims in 1992 and 1993, in the same geographic area as his first three shootings. A second Zodiac Task Force is formed. Detective Sergeant Joseph Herbert from the 75 Detective Squad focuses on the hard evidence: fingerprints, ballistics, and the Zod

S3 E2: New York Zodiac Copycat: We Need to Put This Fire Out

May 01 2023 24 mins  
At Zodiac Task Force headquarters in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, tips pour in from across the city. Even the psychics get in on the action. After one of the victims dies from his wounds in the hospital, the case becomes a homicide.

S3 E1: New York Zodiac Copycat: Kid, You've Got the Case

Apr 24 2023 22 mins  
It’s the summer of 1990, and crime in New York City is at an all-time high. Daily headlines bring fresh stories of random violence and stranger-on-stranger crime. Then, one day in June, someone calling himself “Zodiac” writes a disturbing letter to the New York Post. He claims to have killed three people in Brooklyn according to their astrological signs, and he promises to ki

Introducing Season 3: The New York Zodiac Copycat

Apr 19 2023
Season 3 of Break in the Case goes behind the scenes of one of New York City's notorious cases from the 90s, The New York Zodiac Copycat. Look for new episodes every Tuesday beginning April 25, 2023.

SPECIAL EPISODE: The Real Crimes of the Fake German Heiress

Apr 15 2022 32 mins  
Anna Sorokin, also known as Anna Delvey, came to New York City from Germany in 2014 and quickly became a fixture in the downtown social scene. She claimed to be an heiress with a vast fortune. But she wasn’t quite what she said she was. In August 2017, she was indicted on an array of financial and fraud-based crimes, including Attempted Grand Larceny. In this special episode, the

S2 E7: Queens Sniper (Part 2)

Feb 10 2022 43 mins  
Season 2 concludes with the second and last episode of the Queens Sniper story. In Part 2, a suspect is in custody, and the case is upgraded to a homicide. The real work begins for the detectives and the Queens prosecutor as they collect evidence and build a counter-narrative to a potential insanity defense.