Filmmaker Nina Gilden Seavey talks about one of the longest running fugitives in U.S. history

August 6, 2021

Hosts Alesha and Dax kick off Podsauce’s fourth episode by dishing on their picks of the week. In their signature segment, “If You Like This, You’ll Like That,” Wondery’s “Life is Short with Justin Long” is recommended for fans of Spotify’s “Armchair Expert by Dax Shepard.” Alesha loves hearing about the human experience from Justin’s guests, such as John Stamos, Deepak Chopra, and Paris Hilton, just to name a few.

Next, Alesha shares “I Spy” as her pick of the week, a podcast about spies around the world. Alesha enjoys the “Narcos” episode describing the hunt for cartel kingpin Pablo Escobar in Colombia.

On this episode of Podsauce, documentarian Nina Gilden Seavey joined Alesha and Dax to discuss her podcast, “My Fugitive.” Inspired by her father, Louis Gilden, and his work as a civil rights activist attorney, this podcast explores the consequences of government surveillance. The story starts in 1970 with Washington University’s campus fire in St. Louis. As a result, students were arrested and faced unprecedented, federal charges. Nina’s father represented the students. All students went to prison except Howard Mechanic. Howard fled and became one of the longest-running fugitives of all time. For years, Nina’s father wondered what happened, and passed his curiosity on to his daughter.

Determined to uncover what really happened, Nina sued the federal government for 150,000 documents for more information on the St. Louis case. In addition, these documents contain details about Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. Nina explains that the FBI failed to complete the investigation of MLK’s assassination. Nina connected with parties who have been waiting to tell their story for years, and they are also shared on “My Fugitive.”

It’s no surprise that Nina loves listening to podcasts as well as making them. Nina shares she’s a true crime podcast fanatic! Her picks include “Criminal” and “My Favorite Murder.” When she’s in the mood to hear interviews, she tunes in to NPR’s “Fresh Air” and “This American Life.”

After Nina’s interview, Dax shares his pick of the week, “NPR’s StoryCorps.” This podcast features true life stories. Dax recommends the episode, “Carrying the Weight,” following the story of a man who has forgiven and befriended his son’s killer.

See below for a complete list of the podcasts mentioned: