Motive & Method
Motive & Method
Motive & Method is an expert-led Australian true crime podcast. Join Dr Xanthe Weston and criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro as they unpack what really makes the offenders behind some of history’s most notorious cases tick, and also react and unpack crimes as they hit the headlines. You will also hear from victim survivors, investigators and advocates for change analysing motive, and method.
Facing Evil: Serial Killers and Cults with Mike King
He’s sat face-to-face with some of the world’s most dangerous killers. And what they’ve told him is chilling. From hunting serial predators across American highways to raiding notorious cults and interviewing religiously obsessed killers, veteran investigator and profiler Mike King has spent decad…
39:08
VIP EPISODE pt2: Michael Kirby on Humanity, Love & The Future of Justice
In the second part of our conversation with former High Court Justice Michael Kirby, he takes us beyond Australia’s courtrooms and into some of the biggest challenges facing the world. From his work investigating human rights abuses in North Korea to fighting the stigma surrounding the HIV/AIDS e…
29:16
VIP EPISODE: The Honorable Justice Michael Kirby
Former High Court Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG is one of Australia’s most influential legal minds. During his 13 years on the High Court he stood at the centre of some of the nation’s most significant human rights battles. In the first part of this very special interview with Tim & Xanthe, Justice…
36:47
16. Ivan Milat: The Taxi Shooting He Was Never Charged Over
A hostile former top cop, stonewalled families and an explosive revelation about Ivan Milat’s crimes. In this series finale for 2026, Xanthe and Tim sit down with NSW MP Jeremy Buckingham fresh off the fiery climax of the parliamentary inquiry into unsolved homicides and missing persons. Buckingh…
36:02
MAFS, Mistaken Identity, Missing: The Katie Walker Case with Josh Fox
It started with a case of mistaken identity - and led to a global search for answers. When media outlets falsely reported that a Married at First Sight producer had vanished near Bondi, reality TV commentator Josh Fox planned to make a quick awareness post. Instead, he wound up unravelling a baff…
23:20
15. Searching For Elaine: Does A Sinister Arcade Hold The Clue?
Could dark secrets at a games arcade in 1980’s Cronulla hold the key to solving this cold case? This episode, journalist Kate Kachor joins Tim and Xanthe to discuss her investigation into the 1980 disappearances of Sydney teenagers Elaine Johnson and Kerry Ann Joel. Kate’s podcast Out From the …
16:39
49,000 Reports| Who Is Looking For Australia's Missing
What happens behind the scenes when someone disappears? In this episode, Tim and Xanthe sit down with AFP Commander Joanne Cameron to discuss how Australia tackles some 49,000 missing persons reports every year. The conversation dives deep into high-risk demographics, the impact of ambiguous los…
28:24
14. Two Teenage Girls Vanished: A Sister’s 46-Year Search For Answers
It’s been 46 years since 16-year-old Elaine Johnson vanished alongside her friend Kerry-Ann Joel. But Elaine’s little sister, Helen Cooper, refuses to let her become a forgotten statistic. Her relentless search for answers has taken her to local brothels, into confrontations with bikies and chasi…
22:47
You Asked, We Answered: Serial Killers, Psychopaths & Bizarre Murder Methods
In our first ever Q & A episode Tim and Xanthe are answering your questions about the inside world of true crime, forensics and criminal psychology. From the top personality traits of psychopaths, to why most serial killers are men, to the psychology behind mothers who murder. In this very special…
31:42
How To Rob A Bank: The Thief & The Agent Who Caught Him
They were on opposite sides of the law - one robbing banks, the other hunting him. In this extraordinary interview, bank robber Steven Meyers and former FBI agent Shawn Johnson sit down with Tim & Xanthe to share their side of the case and the chase. In 1990s Seattle, Meyers was part of a crew …
54:39