Ira talks with UC Davis Professor Kathy Stuart about a macabre trend that dates back to 17th and 18th century Europe. It seems that in order to avoid eternal damnation for the sin of committing suicide, a number of people began committing murder for the express purpose of turning themselves in, confessing their sins to a priest in order to be blessed and forgiven before being executed. (9 minutes)
More in Death
Act Two: Oh Mother Where Art Thou?
Contributor Samuel James thought he knew what happened to his mother.
Act Three: Seance Fiction
In the 1920s, at the height of the Spiritualism movement, a friendship blossomed between two men with opposing views on the topic: Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Act One: Exit Strategy
Amy Bloom tells the story of her husband, Brian, getting Alzheimer's and wanting assisted suicide.
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The rise and fall of a school maintenance man in Schenectady, New York who terrorized his staff and got away with it for decades.
Americans in Paris
David Sedaris takes Ira on a tour of his favorite spots in Paris.