Day: May 2, 2026

In this episode of “The Truth of the Matter,” host Natasha Zouves sits down with prosecutor Matt Murphy, a legal powerhouse with a staggering record: 52 homicide trials, zero losses.

Murphy has come face-to-face with some of the most dangerous people alive, including serial killers like Rodney Alcala, the so-called “Dating Game Killer.” Over nearly two decades in the Orange County DA’s elite Homicide Unit, he built a reputation as one of the most formidable prosecutors in the country.

Murphy pulls back the curtain on a life spent chasing justice and the toll it takes. In this raw, wide-ranging conversation, he opens up about the cases that haunt him, the moral weight of wielding prosecutorial power and the personal cost of devoting everything to the pursuit of truth.

From cold cases cracked wide open to his at times punishing commitment to mastering the craft of murder prosecution, Murphy shares what it really means to walk into court with someone’s life, or death, on the line.

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The Truth of the Matter with Natasha Zouves isn’t just another podcast — it’s a fight to uncover what powerful institutions want hidden. From secret human experiments the government carried out on unsuspecting citizens to toxic cover-ups poisoning communities, Emmy and Murrow Award-winning journalist Natasha Zouves brings you the stories people in power don’t want told.

We expose evidence buried in archives, amplify the voices of those who’ve been silenced, and hold the powerful accountable. From radioactive “oatmeal experiments” on children, to cancer-causing chemicals destroying farms, to veterans erased from history — these are the stories that matter.

This is journalism that refuses to look away. The Truth of the Matter is about transparency and justice for the people left behind.

Follow us on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/truthofthematterpod/

Find host Natasha Zouves:
https://www.instagram.com/natashazouves/

@natashazouves

https://www.facebook.com/natashanzouves/

WATCH our original podcast episode with Dave Crete, where he describes the secret missions on the range: https://youtu.be/8fKxOliNuNA?si=zzIrWWiet6GnPSsv

You can find “The Truth of the Matter” wherever you listen to your podcasts:

This podcast is put together by:
Ryan Kerr
Allie Purser
Mia Balbin-Cuesta
Richard Bodee
Kate Linderman
Natasha Zouves

Edited by:
Maria Morales Salazar

NewsNation is your source for fact-based, unbiased news for all America.

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Chapters:
00:00-12:56 – 52 Homicides, Zero Losses: The Story of a Star Prosecutor
12:57-23:34 – Matt Murphy’s Roots
23:35-27:50 – An Addiction to the Job
27:51-32:45 – A Rude Awakening
32:46-40:57 – The First Crime Scene
40:58-43:50 – Matt Murphy’s Notable Cases
43:51-47:49 – Fighting for Victims’ Families
47:50-51:31 – What Makes a Good Detective, Lawyer
51:32-59:59 – “Obsession is a Gift”
1:00:00-1:07:18 – Going Up Against the Dating Game Killer
1:07:19-1:09:53 – Why Do Serial Killers Represent Themselves in Court?
1:09:54-1:12:18 – Defining a Serial Killer
1:12:19-1:16:33 – Dissecting the Golden State Killer
1:16:34-END – How Homicide Prosecutors Keep Going