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Ex-Philly homicide detective Phil Nordo’s downfall subject of national investigative podcast episode

Inquirer reporters Chris Palmer and Samantha Melamed partner with Reveal for an hour-long episode about Nordo’s rise and fall.

Former Philadelphia homicide detective Philip Nordo (center) and lawyer Michael van der Veen exit the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia in May.
Former Philadelphia homicide detective Philip Nordo (center) and lawyer Michael van der Veen exit the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia in May.Read moreJessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

Ex-Philadelphia homicide detective Philip Nordo is the subject of an hour-long episode of Reveal, a podcast from The Center for Investigative Reporting.

The show partnered with Inquirer reporters Chris Palmer and Samantha Melamed to tell the rise and fall of the disgraced Philadelphia police officer who was found guilty of sexually assaulting witnesses while on the job earlier this spring. Nordo, 56, was sentenced to 24 ½ to 49 years in prison on Friday in connection to his charges of rape, sexual assault, official oppression, and related crimes. He was on the force for two decades.

Read the full Predator in Blue investigation: Philip Nordo was an esteemed PPD homicide detective in ‘the perfect place’ to prey on incarcerated men

The podcast episode, “The Suspect Detective,” takes listeners through the incidents that led to Nordo’s downfall, including groping an informant at Police Headquarters and forced sex with a key witness in a Chinatown hotel. The show, released Sunday, features exclusive audio clips from the case.

You can listen to “The Suspect Detective” below, and is also available wherever you get your podcasts. The show aired on WHYY-FM 90.9 on Dec. 18 at 4 p.m.