Shows / Wrongful Conviction
Wrongful Conviction
Hosted by celebrated criminal justice reform advocate and founding board member of the Innocence Project Jason Flom, Pulitzer prize-winning podcast host and producer Maggie Freleng, and Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and podcast host Lauren Bright Pacheco, Wrongful Conviction features intimate conversations with men and women who have spent years in prison for crimes they maintain they did not commit. Some have been fully exonerated and reunited with family and friends while others…
Episodes
Wrongful Conviction#426 Maggie Freleng with Jason Walton
On a November Sunday in 2005, two 14-year-olds were shot outside of a street carnival in South Central Los Angeles, CA. One of the teenagers died, but the…
Wrongful Conviction#425 Jason Flom with Larry Smith Jr.
In the early morning of March 24, 1994, 20-year-old Kenneth Hayes was getting out of his car when someone emerged from the bushes, chased him down, and fatally…
Wrongful Conviction#424 Maggie Freleng with Odelia and Nerissa Quewezance
In February of 1993, 70-year-old Anthony Dolff was found murdered in his home in Saskatchewan, Canada. That morning, indigenous sisters Odelia and Nerissa…
Wrongful Conviction#423 Jason Flom with Fabian Santiago
Several shots were fired from an alley toward a group of friends on the night of January 16, 1993, in Chicago, IL. One person was fatally shot and two others…
Wrongful Conviction#422 Maggie Freleng with Angela Garcia
In November of 1999, a fire broke out in Angela Garcia’s home in Cleveland, OH. Angela jumped out of a second-story window and ran for help, but her two…
Wrongful Conviction#421 Jason Flom with James Gibson
On December 22, 1989, two men were fatally shot at a garage on the south side of Chicago, IL. Twenty-three-year-old James Gibson was falsely implicated in the…
Wrongful Conviction#420 Maggie Freleng with Wilson Rivera
On September 15, 1993, two gunmen entered a home in Detroit, Michigan, and murdered Lavonda Brown and her son, 20-year old Douglas Williams. Detroit police…
Wrongful Conviction#419 Jason Flom with Matt Huang
On January 15, 2013, Matt Huang’s eight-year-old adopted daughter, Gloria, unexpectedly passed away in Doha, Qatar. Despite the fact that Gloria had a…
Wrongful Conviction#418 Maggie Freleng with Nikki Zinger
On March 8, 1991, 27-year-old Nikki Zinger and her boyfriend Daniel Risher returned home to find Nikki's mother brutally murdered. Despite there being no…
Wrongful Conviction#417 Jason Flom with Larry Walker
In May of 1983, Clyde Coleman was fatally shot at his home in Philadelphia, PA. Eyewitnesses reported seeing three men fleeing the scene. But when police found…
Wrongful Conviction#416 Jason Flom and Maggie Freleng with Andre Brown (Live from the UJC Summit 2023)
This special edition of Wrongful Conviction was recorded on December 1, 2023 live from the United Justice Coalition (UJC) Summit in New York City. This annual…
Wrongful Conviction#415 Maggie Freleng with Faye Jacobs
February 9, 1992 started as a normal day for 16 year old Faye Jacobs – she attended church and hung out with friends in Little Rock, AR. When she and her…
Wrongful Conviction#414 Guest Host John Huffington with Elmer Daniels
On January 15, 1980, in Wilmington, DE, a 15-year-old girl, "G.S," reported she had been raped alongside the railroad tracks. The victim and her young male…
Wrongful Conviction#413 Jason Flom with Rickey Jackson
On May 19th, 1975, in front of a store in Cleveland, OH, two assailants robbed a man, splashed acid in his face, shot and killed him, and then fired into the…
Wrongful Conviction#412 Jason Flom with Douglas DiLosa
In September 1986, 34-year-old Douglas DiLosa was found bound with rope in his Jefferson Parish, LA home. His wife was found strangled upstairs. DiLosa, who is…
Wrongful Conviction#411 Jason Flom with John Jerome White
Early on the morning of August 11, 1979, an intruder broke into a Manchester, GA home to find a 74-year-old woman asleep on her couch. The man beat and…
Wrongful Conviction#410 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Shaken Baby Syndrome
Kate Judson, Executive Director of the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences, updates Josh Dubin's exploration of Shaken Baby Syndrome on Wrongful…
Wrongful Conviction#409 Jason Flom with Terry Ceasor
On October 3, 2004, in Port Huron, MI, Terry Ceasor was at home alone with his girlfriend Cheryl’s 1 year old son, Brenden. Terry and Brenden had been…
Wrongful Conviction#408 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Eyewitness Testimony
Josh Dubin discusses Eyewitness Testimony with renowned psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, a professor at the University of California, Irvine. She studies human…
Wrongful Conviction#407 Jason Flom with Jerome Dixon
Just after midnight on July 25, 1990, a man was shot and killed in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Oakland, CA. Shortly after the shooting, police…
Wrongful Conviction#406 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Roadside Drug Test Evidence
Josh Dubin examines Roadside Drug Testing with Greg Glod, Criminal Justice Senior Policy Fellow. Faulty tests, which cost police departments $2 a piece or…
Wrongful Conviction#405 Jason Flom with Pierre Rushing
On April 15, 2011, Dawone Taylor was murdered in Oakland, CA over a dispute about an allegedly stolen ipod. Pierre Rushing, a promising young musician who…
Wrongful Conviction#404 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Coerced Confession Evidence
Josh Dubin does a deep dive into the psychology behind Coerced Confession Evidence with David Rudolf, criminal defense and civil rights attorney, and co-host…
Wrongful Conviction#403 Jason Flom with Gilbert King on the Groveland Four
On July 16, 1949, 17-year-old Norma Padgett and her estranged husband, Willie Padgett, reported to police that they had been attacked by four black men in Lake…
Wrongful Conviction#402 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Tool Mark Analysis
The notion that tools leave a unique mark on a surface is commonly presented to unsuspecting juries. But, it turns out that it's not necessarily the case at…
Wrongful Conviction#401 Guest Host Ashley Fantz with Marvin Anderson
On July 17, 1982, in Hanover County, VA, a white woman was raped by a black man who was a total stranger. During the rape, the man beat her and threatened her…
Wrongful Conviction#400 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Gunshot Residue Evidence
Of all the many faulty forensic sciences, Gunshot Residue certainly has some truly startling and scary issues that began almost a century ago. Josh Dubin…
Wrongful Conviction#399 Jason Flom with Sean Tyler and Reginald Henderson
On March 29, 1994, 10-year-old Rodney Collins was fatally shot while riding his bike after being caught in a crossfire between two street gangs in Chicago, IL…
Wrongful Conviction#398 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Fingerprint Evidence
Contrary to what pop culture has ingrained in the American conscience, matching known fingerprints of a suspect to prints left at the scene of a crime is not…
Wrongful Conviction#397 Guest Host Kemba Smith with Leon Benson
On August 8th, 1998, 25-year-old Kasey Schoen was shot and killed while sitting in his car in Indianapolis, IN. A few days later, a man approached officers and…
Wrongful Conviction#396 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Footwear Comparison Evidence
Even when done correctly, impression analysis of evidence, like shoe prints and tire tracks, is purely subjective. Many experts recognize its limitations. But…
Wrongful Conviction#395 Jason Flom with Sullivan Walter
On the night of May 10, 1985, a 35-year-old woman was attacked and sexually assaulted in her home in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans, LA. The victim…
Wrongful Conviction#394 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Hair Microscopy Evidence
Even when examined under a microscope, the similarities that can be observed between two hairs are open to wide interpretation, there are no definitive traits…
Wrongful Conviction#393 Guest Host Tiffany Reese with Patrick Brown
On February 21, 1994, in New Orleans, LA, a 6-year-old girl was taken to the hospital after complaining of pain and unusual vaginal discharge. The doctors…
Wrongful Conviction#392 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Arson Evidence
Built on a foundation of conjecture and best guesses that were never adequately tested according to any valid scientific principles, arson evidence experts…
Wrongful Conviction#391 Jason Flom with George Toca
On April 23, 1984 a couple was robbed at gunpoint by two perpetrators outside a convenience store in New Orleans, LA. The couple fought back, which resulted in…
Wrongful Conviction#390 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Bloodstain Pattern Evidence
Bloodstain pattern experts falsely claim that they can identify the culprit of violent crimes by examining the shape and distribution of bloodstains from a…
Wrongful Conviction#389 Guest Host Maggie Freleng with Quincy Cross
18-year-old Jessica Currin’s burned and decomposing body was discovered on August 1, 2000 behind Mayfield Middle School in Mayfield, KY. Jessica had…
Wrongful Conviction#388 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Bite Mark Evidence
Like other forms of junk science used in criminal trials, bite mark evidence does not benefit crime victims or their loved ones. So why is it treated like…
Wrongful Conviction#387 Jason Flom with Eduardo Dumbrique and John Klene
On June 28, 1997, 25-year-old member of the Lil Watts gang, Antonio Alarcon, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Hawthorne, California, by a rival gang…
Wrongful Conviction#386 Jason Flom with Kristine Bunch
In the early morning hours of June 30th, 1995 in Greensburg, IN, 21 year old mother Kristine Bunch awoke in a carbon monoxide haze to the decimation of her…
Wrongful Conviction#385 Jason Flom with Al Cleveland
In Lorain, OH, a notorious informant father and son duo traded false information for $2k, wrongfully ensnaring 4 young men in the criminal legal system - one…
Wrongful Conviction#384 Jason Flom with Stephanie Spurgeon
Stephanie Spurgeon was a married mother of two who had been running a daycare facility from her home for 15 years. On August 21, 2008, Stephanie took care of 1…
Wrongful Conviction#383 Jason Flom with Nelson Cruz
On March 28th, 1998, Nelson Cruz was celebrating his birthday over Chinese food with friends when they heard shots fired down the block. Police were…
Wrongful Conviction#382 Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Walter Ogrod
To win exoneration, it wasn’t enough for the DA to declare innocence. The judge had to agree, or Walter wasn’t going anywhere. Laura Nirider and…
Wrongful Conviction#380 Jason Flom with Keith LaMar Pt. 2
On April 11, 1993, a riot broke out at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, OH, primarily due to tensions between the prisoners and the…
Wrongful Conviction#381 Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Daniel Villegas
How can one man save the life of a perfect stranger? The case of Daniel Villegas shows how ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference in the fight…
Wrongful Conviction#379 Jason Flom with Keith LaMar Pt. 1
On April 11, 1993, a riot broke out at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, OH, primarily due to tensions between the prisoners and the…
Wrongful Conviction#378 Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Hamid Hayat
How could anyone believe a confession about 1,000 pole-vaulting terrorists all dressed like Ninja Turtles? This week, Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin tell us a…
Wrongful Conviction#377 Jason Flom with Tyrone Noling
On April 5th, 1990, Bernhardt and Cora Hartig, both 81, were shot to death in their Atwater, OH home with a .25 caliber gun. Miles away, 18-year-old Tyrone…
Wrongful Conviction#376 Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Norfolk 4
Four honorable men volunteered to fight for their country, but ended up fighting for their own freedom. Hosts Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin, co-directors at…
Wrongful Conviction#375 Guest Hosts Clayton English and Greg Glod with Louie Garcia
On August 10, 2017, police executed a search warrant at a home in San Antonio, TX and found nearly three pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a bathroom. Upon…
Wrongful Conviction#374 Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Henry McCollum and Leon Brown
I shall no longer tinker with the machinery of death. Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin bring us inside a decades-long fight for the truth. The story of Henry…
Wrongful Conviction#373 Jason Flom with Elwood Jones
On September 3, 1994, Rhoda Nathan was murdered in Room 237 of the Embassy Suites Hotel in Blue Ash, OH. Police focused on hotel employee Elwood Jones as a…
Wrongful Conviction#372 Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Teina Pora
Have you heard about New Zealand's Brendan Dassey? Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin take us across the globe to New Zealand with a story that hits way too close…
Wrongful Conviction#371 Guest Host Earlonne Woods with Joaquin Ciria
On March 24, 1990, Felix “Carlos” Bastarrica was shot and killed on the street in San Francisco, CA. Following the shooting, Candido…
Wrongful Conviction#370 Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Tyra Patterson
The prisons are filled with people convicted of murder who never killed anyone. Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin take us to Dayton, Ohio where a young…
Wrongful Conviction#369 Jason Flom with Kwame Ajamu
On May 19, 1975, Harold Franks was confronted by two men as he left a grocery store in Cleveland, OH. The men demanded Franks’ briefcase and, when he…
Wrongful Conviction#368 Wrongful Conviction: False Confessions - Birmingham Six
The thing about torture is that it works, at least if your only goal is to find a scapegoat. Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin take us to Birmingham, England. In…
Wrongful Conviction#367 Guest Host Lauren Bright Pacheco with Sidney Holmes
On June 19, 1988, 20-year-old Vincent Wright and 17-year-old Anissia Johnson were robbed at gunpoint by two men outside of a convenience store in Fort…