This podcast and the host does such an incredible, thoughtful job at diving into this story. It was so moving to hear from the people who experienced this horrific event. This story feels so relevant now, especially in the context of gun violence in schools today. Thank you Sara and her team at the Drag for shining a light on this story.

I’m looking forward to hearing about the story of the tower shooting at UT. I’m very proud of the host behind the scenes and I just know she’s put in so much effort. She is without a doubt a compelling storyteller and she is passionate about her work, can’t wait for others to hear it!

Amazing story telling!! The host was a perfect fit!

Great storytelling, sensitive delivery, a true 10 out of 10!

Season 1 & 2 were pretty good. The host for season 3 sounds like she’s recording at 1 am in a full room of sleeping people. She mumbles and whispers. While the ads are twice the volume. Skip season 3.

This is excellent. I’ve heard one episode versions about the tragic Jennifer Cave murder, but this story really deserves a deep dive. Thank you for doing such a great job

I’m familiar with the case and I’m wondering why she leaves out the fact that Costanzo was gay and that all the victims were brutally gang raped before being murdered. The cult also kidnapped Costanzo’s nephew on accident. Costanzo raped him and cut his head off all while he had a bag over his head and never knew it was him until he was decapitated. This was a major reason that they were only going to kidnap gringos from that point on. Good show but definitely not the whole story. This Conspiracy Guys do an in depth 4 hour dive into this case that has all the details.

Great storytelling but often hard to hear.

Great work on the Mark Kilroy story. I’ve been looking for thoughtful coverage of this. Have been awaiting new episodes weekly!

I really enjoyed your story telling, the intimacy between you and those you interviewed. I cannot wait for your next story. Plz hurry ❤️

Awkward ad transitions

Woke Latin-x using host. Woke hysteria about climate change in ads. Nope

Amazing story! The host is so detailed on the events that I get transported to that time. I heard of that horrific murder but was unaware of the details. Thank you for sharing the story of Mark Kilroy.

Interesting and very Informative! I was unaware of the religions of Santeria and Palo mayombe. Thank you for this strong and unique story.

The audio mixing makes it hard to understand and the narrator should speak up and with more clarity. English and Spanish mix together into a melange that’s tough to separate.

ITS SO GOODDDD wow!!!!! i'm investedd! the host is doing an incredible job! i love her storytelling skills

actually obsessed. this is literally so so sooo goood. My favorite podcast rn! Looking forward to the next episode fr !!!

So thrilling!! Had me at the edge of my seat the entire time 😱😱

This podcast is truly an incredible listen, I can’t wait for the next episode!!!

I know this isn’t the norm for this podcast, but season 3 episode 2 seems to have some audio issues? It sounds like volume of the hosts voice is being turned down every so often. I double checked that it wasn’t something I was doing.

Not sure how to tell the staff that something is wrong with the sound in episode 2 of season 3. Her voice keeps fading out during a sentence into the music. Seems like something they should have noticed before posting? Great story but this is just lazy.

The sound on episode 2 of the new season is not good. The speakers voice drifts off while talking to where you can no longer hear her.

Really an interesting story and I want to give it more stars but the narrator’s voice and reading style is so distracting. Not everyone has the personality or voice for radio. I hope the show goes back to Season 1 hosts. Sorry for being harsh. :(

Are you serious with these disgusting ground beef ads?

The two young ladies who narrate “The Orange Tree,” Haley Butler and Tinu Thomas, speak in conversational tones and appear to be seasoned reporters. I was impressed or maybe stunned is a better description to learn they were only 21 when they made this podcast. I found the content gripping and the interviews compelling. These two young ladies are rock stars. Well done! After breezing thru the seven episodes, I was excited to start the second season. I don’t want to be too harsh on “Austin Bomber,” but the narration is a massive drop off from season one. Very monotone, delivery is too slow as she just reads a script with voice inflection at the wrong times. A complete departure from the conversational tone of The Orange Tree. The content is interesting, but it doesn’t seem to flow nearly as well as season one. At times I found myself wanting to skip forward to an interview to avoid her long readings. I don’t want to keep going, as I’m sure this is 1000x better than what I could produce, but I was just so surprised at the drop off.

…told way too slow and WAYYYYY to many ads.

The quality of this podcast is awesome for being a student project! Congrats and Hook ‘Em! My criticism is that vital journalistic aspects of the story were oddly left out. Eg: how deeply Jennifer was into drugs - y’all, not just a little weed, but coke & meth. METH. She was in a very bad place. That’s crucial info. Also to note that Colton was a National Merit Scholar who had received a $150k! scholarship to McCombs, as that illustrates just how far he fell. Maybe because I’m a mom and I felt so awful for both Jennifer & Colton’s moms, I think that it should have been strongly emphasized that these were two incredibly intelligent kids from loving families with bright futures ahead, and it all fell apart for only one discernible reason: drugs. To dismiss the extent of their addictions was neglectful. True Crime Brewery gives a much more thorough picture in just one podcast. As for Laura, well, watch the 48 Hours “In Too Deep” on YouTube. Total sociopath. Regardless, Colton killed Jennifer…not Laura.

Amazing hosts!! cant wait for more

This podcast is so well put together and the storytelling keeps you on the edge of your seat. There isn’t coverage of the 2018 bombings that does the victims and their families justice like this production. The narrator is articulate and you can tell has done their due diligence to produce a well-developed story from start to finish. Excited to see more from the Drag and their students.

Narrator speaks slowly, is monotone, and takes too many pauses. If I hadn’t wanted to know the story, I probably wouldn’t have continued listening after Episode 1.

I’m averaging the stars because I’m not a fan of season 1 (e.g. that was the WORST explanation of 4-H I’ve ever heard!) and season 2, which had me jumping out of the seat of my car!

Great podcast, with interesting interviews and storytelling that is vivid without being lurid. Unfortunately, I found the narrator’s overly mannered style unendingly irritating. It also flattened out what was said, making it sound robotic and unattached to significance of any given sentence. I dislike criticizing otherwise great student work, but I struggled to get through all of episodes because of this.

Sean made it out like he was a hero. He ingratiated himself into his neighbors death and made it about himself. You mention the very long (self aggrandizing) Facebook post, but unmentioned was the private group post where he said “Stephan is shady, if anyone on my street was going to get bombed it was him”. Their kids were not friends. Sean’s only interested in self gratification and attention.

Couldn’t get through the first 10 minutes without the journalism student ceasing to provide facts and go onto promoting theories that might sell.

Very good story line about the Austin Bombings.Narration is spot on.The production is on par with wondery pod cast very good.Also please stop using the phrase latinx. It’s uncalled for we are ok with Latino Latina or just Latin

Good podcast.

Fine until the over-the-top violins at the end.

Amazing! I loved this podcast! The author’s extensive research, writing and incredible capacity for story telling bring these events to life. I live in Texas and followed this in the news, but this podcast brings the real-life impact and the lives of those lost into sharp focus.

Love everything about this podcast. These college students do amazing research and tell the story along the way. Important stories told in a respectable way. Love it

Please stop saying Latinx. It’s Latin. A few people don’t get to change an entire culture. Did all the Latin and Hispanic people of the world vote on this? Nobody asked me and I don’t agree with it. Why would a few people who are always offended by something get to change my entire culture. It’s not right. It’s ridiculous and I cringe every time you say it.

I want to love this podcast because it is an engaging subject, well researched, and utilized interviews well. But I can’t love it because the narrator’s voice rips me violently out of the experience every time she over-enunciates a word, or tries too hard to sound like a seasoned podcaster without actually being experienced, or pronounced words like “Austin” or “bomb” - which come up A LOT - as if she were straight out of central casting for a European film’s idea of what an American accent sounds like. It is so foreign to what people in Austin or anywhere in central Texas sound like that it’s almost like she’s trying to be 180* out of sync on purpose. I know she’s a student and she’s doing her best but I have an active love/hate relationship with this podcast because of her stilted, try-hard delivery coupled with her skill as a writer and researcher, which are decent. Tough listen over all for sure.

Incredible journalism and storytelling!

So excited about a second season!! Season one was so good the ladies did such a good job I loved their investigative series. The bomber series is good too I actually found the show from the Orange Tree. I’ve listened to season one of the Orange Tree like 3x!

I lived in Austin during the bombings, and I’m learning so much from this podcast. The host is so thoughtful in her coverage of the victims. A must listen.

Great podcast! Well narrated and victims’ stories are told in such a way that make you feel that you know them.

Waaay too much digging into the victims health before the explosions. Way too much talk about background info from the victims that doesn’t pertain to the crime.

What a great podcast! The depth of the reporting, the sensitivity to all the factors at play in the city, the care taken to tell each victim’s story, the host’s cadence and voice, it’s all so impressive. Really well done and very captivating.

This is an excellent podcast - so well done. Can’t wait to listen to the next episodes.

Darkness is sensitive to the people directly involved in the Austin serial bombings but was also compelling to me as a listener. As an Austinite who just heard the story from headlines on the news, I am appreciating an up-close and behind the scenes look at what was actually happening during that time. I really loved the audio experience and choice of music with these released episodes too. I’m looking forward to hearing more about this story and also diving into Season 1 of the Orange Tree as I have never listened before.

I love everything you all have done so far. The storytelling is fantastic & voice is calming yet confident & enjoyable to listen to. There are not too many ads like with other podcasts. I was brought to tears listening to the stories of these victims, and that was a first for me. Keep up the amazing work!