| Culpable | |
| Host: | Dennis Cooper |
| Language: | English |
| Audio Format: | Podcast (via streaming or downloadable MP3) |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 15 |
| Length: | Variable (27–62 minutes) |
Culpable is an investigative true crime podcast hosted by Dennis Cooper that covers the 2014 death of 21-year-old Christian Andreacchio.[1] It is produced by Dennis Cooper, Mark Minnery, Donald Albright, and Jacob Bozarth as a partnership of Black Mountain Media, Tenderfoot TV, Resonate Recordings, and Cadence13.[2] [3] In September 2019, the podcast was the #2 true-crime podcast and #3 podcast overall on Apple Podcasts.[4] The podcast brought national attention to Andreacchio's case.[4] [1] Tenderfoot TV and Black Mountain Media offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.[4]
In February 2014, Christian Andreacchio left his job on a tugboat, was picked up by Dylan Swearingen, and went to confront his girlfriend, Whitley Goodman, about her alleged cheating.[1] Andreacchio was found dead in his apartment on February 26, 2014, in Meridian, Mississippi. After a brief investigation, the police ruled Andreacchio's death a suicide.[4] [5] He was found in the bathtub with a gunshot wound to the head.[6] Andreacchio's mother, Rae Andreacchio, questioned the police's conclusion due to evidence that emerged showing it may have been a homicide.[7] Swearingen and Goodman were both in the apartment with Andreacchio, and had arrest warrants which were never fulfilled by the Meridian Police Department.[6] The gun was found near Christian's left leg, but he was right handed.[6] Additionally, Rae claims that Christian once told her, "Mom, if anybody ever tells you I killed myself, you come looking—because I wouldn’t do that."[7] In 2017, a jury did not indict two people who were connected to Andreacchio's death.[7] [8] Andreacchio's family hired a private investigator, Sheila Wysocki, to investigate the case.[3] In August 2019 a district prosecutor announced that she was willing to reopen the case should new evidence come to light.[7] [1] In November 2019, the Meridian City Council asked the United States Department of Justice to investigate the city's handling of Andreacchio's case.[7]