Uncover truth. Expose injustice. Empower communities through storytelling.
Writer | Crime Reporter | Founder, Next PAGE
Emily Palmer is a New York–based narrative nonfiction writer and crime reporter whose work examines complicated women, criminal cases, and the systems that shape power. Her reporting appears in The New York Times, People, ELLE, and other national outlets, and sits at the intersection of gender, justice, and the forces that drive human behavior.
An authoritative voice on capos and con artists, she is featured in a new documentary on Emma Coronel, premiering on Oxygen on Black Friday and later streaming on Peacock.
In 2025, she founded Next PAGE, a literacy nonprofit offering trauma-informed creative writing workshops for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth.
She is currently writing a hybrid memoir that weaves her personal history with the criminal cases she’s covered.
Selected Reporting
Life as El Chapo’s Wife
Anna Delvey’s First Night of House Arrest
She Wrote a Book on Grief After Her Husband Died. Did She Kill Him?
I’m drawn to stories that sit at the intersection of crime, power, and human behavior — especially when the truth isn’t straightforward. My work often follows women whose lives have collided with criminal or failing institutions, and the systems that shape their trajectories.
Across courtrooms, detention centers, and communities affected by violence and inequity, I trace the deeper forces behind the headlines — revealing not only what happened, but why, and what those stories show us about ourselves.
Trailer for the Oxygen True Crime documentary featuring journalist Emily Palmer’s reporting on Emma Coronel Aispuro and Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán. Premiering on Black Friday and later streaming on Peacock.
Watch the Trailer
A new Oxygen documentary centers on Emma Coronel Aispuro’s story and features Emily Palmer’s reporting on Coronel and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Streaming later on Peacock.
FAQ
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I report on crime, courts, and cases involving complex women, coercion, trauma, and systemic inequity. My work often examines how institutions fail — and the human stories that unfold within those failures.
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I first encountered Emma Coronel while covering the trial of her husband, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, in 2018 and 2019. That reporting led to years of continued work on women connected to criminal organizations and the systems surrounding them. My coverage includes courtroom reporting, extensive background investigation and exclusive interviews.
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Yes, I work with production teams on research, reporting, narrative development, and on-camera commentary for projects involving complex criminal cases.
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The book weaves together several cases I’ve investigated over the years — a narrative about women, power, systems, and the stories we tell about crime.
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Next PAGE is a restorative creative writing and literacy program I founded for young people in New York City’s detention and reentry settings. I lead trauma-informed writing workshops that help students build emotional language, narrative agency, and confidence through storytelling.
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Use the contact form below. I welcome documents, background information, or context that may be helpful for an ongoing or future investigation.
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Please use the contact form and note the nature of your request.
Contact Emily
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