Since December, there has been a new podcast featuring ex-gangster Maximilian Pollux on Podimo: "Letters From A Killer – Briefe aus der Todeszelle". In this podcast, excerpts from letters written by convicted murderers are discussed, examining what they reveal about the personalities of the offenders:

What does a murderer think about their own crime? How does it feel to be sentenced to death for it?

The True Crime Format

When creating a true crime format, recounting cases and discussing letters from American prisoners, it involves violence and questions regarding the psyche. In "Letters From A Killer – Briefe aus der Todeszelle", such questions are answered directly by the offenders themselves. The letters provide a unique insight into the psyche of convicted violent offenders. It concerns cases like Jose Sandoval, who was sentenced to death in Nebraska's state prison for multiple murders during a robbery, or Stephanie Jacobo, who is incarcerated in a Texas state prison for aiding and abetting murder. 

The material originally comes from documentary filmmakers Zoe Hines and Ned Parker, who obtained the letters from convicted murderers for the Netflix series "I Am A Killer".

The Podcast Hosts:

• Maximilian Pollux is a former inmate who spent almost 10 years in prison for drugs, robbery, and violence. Today, he is an anti-violence trainer and advocates for young people not to go down the wrong path. With "Pollux", he has already created a successful true crime podcast on Podimo alongside host Claudia Kamieth.

• Dr. Nahlah Saimeh is a specialist in psychiatry and psych psychotherapy, with a focus on forensic psychiatry. She is also an author and provided the forensic report in the case of "Oma-Mörder" Olaf D. from Bremerhaven.

In the podcast "Letters from a Killer – Briefe aus der Todeszelle", the two initially discuss the background of the crime and the offenders before analyzing excerpts from the letters. They show where they agree and where their opinions sometimes diverge.