Latest / Least of These / The William 'Jake' Embert Act - An Urgent Request

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The William 'Jake' Embert Act - An Urgent Request · Least of These

• 0:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to least of these, where I cover the cases that need it most, because every life matters and everyone deserves justice.
• 0:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm your host, Leah D. I'm actually off this week for Holy Week, but I'm poppin' in real quick to ask for your help.
• 0:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Back in 2021, I told the story of Jake Embert, a veteran and father who was murdered at the hands of his new wife.
• 0:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: Susan, not the nurse.
• 0:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: Y'all remember her?
• 0:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: Anyhow, if you've heard Jake's story, then you know just how hard his family has had to fight.
• 0:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: First, for an investigation into his death, which was initially rolled to suicide.
• 0:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: They hired a private investigator who gathered all the evidence and ultimately charges were brought and Susan was convicted.
• 0:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: However, since that episode aired all the way back in 2021, so much has happened.
• 0:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: Three years after Susan was convicted, it was discovered that one of the jurors was a convicted felon and therefore an eligible to serve as a juror.
• 1:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: The trial court dismissed the case on constitutional speedy trial grounds, finding that the December 2019 trial was void.
• 1:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: And since more than nine years had passed since Susan's arrest, her constitutional rights have been violated.
• 1:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: Susan walked right out of prison, and again, Jake and Bert's family had to fight.
• 1:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: The case was taken all the way to the Georgia Supreme Court.
• 1:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: The Supreme Court reversed the trial course decision, finding that a trial with an ineligible germ made the verdict
• 1:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: That new trial took place in December of 2025, but during that re-trial, the corner mentioned excluded testimony on the stand in front of the jury, and Judge Victoria Johnson declared a mistrial.
• 1:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: You see, evidence that Jake Embert had been systematically poisoned prior to being shot in June of 2014 had been presented during the first murder trial in 2019, but ruled in
• 2:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Why?
• 2:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: Hell I couldn't tell ya, but I can't tell you that that 2025 trial ended in a mistrial.
• 2:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: The embered family was back at square one again, and again, they'd have to fight to have Jake's case try to third time.
• 2:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: January of 2026, Susan was tried to third time and convicted again of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and a firearm charge.
• 2:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: She was sentenced to life without parole plus five years.
• 2:43
  [SPEAKER_00]: Susan, not the nurse, will die behind bars.
• 2:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: For more than a decade, the embered family fought for justice for Jake, and now they're fighting for other families of victims of violent crimes with the William Jake embered act.
• 2:59
  [SPEAKER_01]: The family of William Jake Embord, who waited more than a decade to receive full justice and connection, says his 2014 shooting death have submitted legislation to the Georgia General Assembly.
• 3:10
  [SPEAKER_01]: The family says the core purpose is to strengthen investigative integrity, establishing clear professional standards, and ensuring victims' families are heard, protected, and treated with dignity.
• 3:20
  [SPEAKER_01]: William Jake Embord act addresses early investigative inconsistencies, lack of standardized oversight.
• 3:26
  [SPEAKER_01]: gaps in coroner training qualifications and protocols.
• 3:29
  [SPEAKER_01]: It also addresses prolonged procedural delays that create emotional and financial strain and breakdowns in communication with victims families about for those who don't know Susan Amber was found guilty twice.
• 3:42
  [SPEAKER_01]: and connections to the death of her husband, William Jake and Bird, not too long after her since in saying, Dori County Police Department released a statement to their Facebook post following national media coverage of the case that read in part quote, this case has been fully adjudicated through the court system where all available evidence investigative actions and witness testimony were examined in detail out of respect for the integrity of the judicial process.
• 4:07
  [SPEAKER_01]: The Dordi County Police Department declines to further comment on the matter in, quote, Rachel Invert, the daughter of the victims says she responded to that statement with questions, but she never heard back.
• 4:19
  [SPEAKER_02]: Respectfully if they have done any investigative internal review, what you know they could have done better and under an hour less than an hour I don't even want to call it an investigation because it was nothing of the sorts you know this is a human life that we're talking about.
• 4:39
  [SPEAKER_01]: Rachel says her family had to render a ton of unreasonable delays which prompted her family to submit the legislation.
• 4:47
  [SPEAKER_02]: The ball was dropped on so many occasions when it came to the judicial system.
• 4:51
  [SPEAKER_02]: There's so many systematic gaps that need to be filled.
• 4:57
  [SPEAKER_02]: And in my father's case, it exposed all of them.
• 5:02
  [SPEAKER_02]: A change is absolutely necessary required, and it should be implemented.
• 5:06
  [SPEAKER_01]: From the legislation that family detailed primary reform areas, including investigative accountability, and independent review of safeguards, they're also calling for mandatory corner qualification, certification, and oversight enforceable victims rights, protections, and communications standards and safeguards against unreasonable delays aligned with Marcy's Law.
• 5:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: So many careless errors were made in Jake's case, and his family doesn't want anyone else to have to endure what they have had to go through.
• 5:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: And that's where you come in.
• 5:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: They need 5,000 signatures before meeting with legislators.
• 5:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: They need 5,000 signatures before this coming Monday, and they're currently sitting at a little over 300.
• 5:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: We have three days.
• 5:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: This is a real actionable way we can help families of victims of violent crimes.
• 6:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's free and it only takes a minute.
• 6:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: It would mean the world to me and to the ember family if you could take a minute to sign the petition.
• 6:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna make it real easy.
• 6:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'll drop a link in the show notes.
• 6:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let's help them get those 5,000 signatures.
• 6:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: Sign it, share it, let's make it happen.
• 6:20
  [SPEAKER_00]: Y'all know I love you more than my luggage.
• 6:23
  [SPEAKER_00]: I hope you have a happy Easter and I'll talk at you next week.