After 27 Years, Maryland Nurse’s Murder Solved — and ‘American Nightmares’ Podcast Helped Keep the Case Alive

A decades-old Maryland murder case that was the focus of Season 2 of the true-crime podcast American Nightmares has been solved — and the victim’s family says the podcast helped inspire investigators to keep pursuing the case.

As shown above, Prince George’s County Police announced this week, surrounded by pictures of the victim, that Edward Watts, who also went by Baari Shabazz — and who died in 2019 — was responsible for the 1998 rape and murder of 50-year-old nurse and mother of three, Sherry Crandell, inside her office at the former Prince George’s County Medical Center in Cheverly, Maryland.

Crandell’s story was at the center of American Nightmares: Murder in a Safe Place, hosted by longtime WTOP investigative reporter Paul Wagner and produced by Gamut Podcast Network and WTOP News. The 2021 season reexamined the unsolved killing and chronicled the family’s decades-long search for answers.

Following the police announcement, Crandell’s son, Darren Crandell, credited the podcast with helping to keep the case alive:

“The FBI told me the genealogy team listened to the podcast and it energized them to keep on working and finally identify the man who committed the crime”

Investigators say advances in forensic genetic genealogy — and renewed attention to the case — ultimately identified Watts as the killer.

“It’s deeply gratifying to know our work may have helped maintain momentum on a case that deserved closure,” said American Nightmares host Paul Wagner. “This is exactly why we tell these stories — to remind people that justice can still be found, even decades later.”

To coincide with this development, American Nightmares has released a new episode featuring exclusive details about the breakthrough and insight from the Crandell family and investigators. The episode is available now on all major podcast platforms.

American Nightmares, produced by Gamut Podcast Network and WTOP News, is currently releasing new episodes from its latest season, which uncovers fresh information about the case featured in Season 1. The series continues to blend rigorous reporting with powerful storytelling to shed light on some of America’s most haunting unsolved crimes.