<div>In December 1993, a young man named Brandon Teena was trying to build a life in rural Nebraska—one built on truth, freedom, and finally being seen for who he was. Instead, he walked straight into a storm of transphobia, violence, and a criminal justice system that treated him like a joke rather than a victim. Days after reporting a brutal assault, Brandon, along with Lisa Lambert and Philip DeVine, was murdered in a farmhouse outside Humboldt. 
 
In this deeply personal episode, Mel revisits Brandon’s life, the failures that led to his death, and the courtroom battles that followed. She also reflects on her own journey—coming out in homophobic Texas at seventeen, traveling to Nebraska to stand vigil at the trials, and recognizing the same chilling patterns in the recent death of Sam Nordquist. 
 
This isn’t just a story about the past. It’s a warning that echoes forward. 
 
If you like Mel's work, PLEASE TIP : <a href="https://venmo.com/melbarrettwrites"><a href="http://venmo.com/melbarrettwrites">venmo.com/melbarrettwrites</a> 
</a> 
Watch SOMETHING'S OFF on YouTube @somethingsoffpod 
 
You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. 
 
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc 
 
Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! 
 

</div>

In December 1993, a young man named Brandon Teena was trying to build a life in rural Nebraska—one built on truth, freedom, and finally being seen for who he was. Instead, he walked straight into a storm of transphobia, violence, and a criminal justice system that treated him like a joke rather than a victim. Days after reporting a brutal assault, Brandon, along with Lisa Lambert and Philip DeVine, was murdered in a farmhouse outside Humboldt. In this deeply personal episode, Mel revisits Brandon’s life, the failures that led to his death, and the courtroom battles that followed. She also reflects on her own journey—coming out in homophobic Texas at seventeen, traveling to Nebraska to stand vigil at the trials, and recognizing the same chilling patterns in the recent death of Sam Nordquist. This isn’t just a story about the past. It’s a warning that echoes forward. If you like Mel's work, PLEASE TIP : venmo.com/melbarrettwrites Watch SOMETHING'S OFF on YouTube @somethingsoffpod You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

In December 1993, a young man named Brandon Teena was trying to build a life in rural Nebraska—one built on truth, freedom, and finally being seen for who he was. Instead, he walked straight into a storm of transphobia, violence, and a criminal justice system that treated him like a joke rather than a victim. Days after reporting a brutal assault, Brandon, along with Lisa Lambert and Philip DeVine, was murdered in a farmhouse outside Humboldt. 
 
In this deeply personal episode, Mel revisits Brandon’s life, the failures that led to his death, and the courtroom battles that followed. She also reflects on her own journey—coming out in homophobic Texas at seventeen, traveling to Nebraska to stand vigil at the trials, and recognizing the same chilling patterns in the recent death of Sam Nordquist. 
 
This isn’t just a story about the past. It’s a warning that echoes forward. 
 
If you like Mel's work, PLEASE TIP : <a href="https://venmo.com/melbarrettwrites" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a><a href="http://venmo.com/melbarrettwrites" rel="noopener noreferrer">venmo.com/melbarrettwrites</a> 
 
Watch SOMETHING'S OFF on YouTube @somethingsoffpod 
 
You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. 
 
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc 
 
Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

73: A Boy Named Truth: The Murder of Brandon Teena

<div>There’s the official story. And then there’s the truth. 
 
The In Between is an investigative narrative podcast that digs into cases where the facts got buried, distorted, or deliberately ignored. Hosted by journalist and screenwriter Mel Barrett, each season unpacks one story that was never fully told, blending deep reporting, legal analysis, and raw personal narrative. 
 
Mel doesn’t just rehash headlines—she goes digging. She’s spent over a decade uncovering new evidence in the Pamela Smart case, work that helped form the basis of a new habeas petition. In Season One, she revisits the trial that made Smart a national villain—and questions everything we thought we knew. 
 
Season Two, From Victim to Accused: The Veronika Rodriguez Story, pulls back the curtain on a case where a 26-year-old Air National Guard member reported a sexual assault—and ended up the one in handcuffs. What happened next is more than a miscarriage of justice. It’s a warning. 
 
This is the space between the crime and the courtroom, the headlines and the hidden truth. This is The In Between. 
 
Join the Investigator Club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast: <a href="https://patreon.com/TheInBetweenPodcastwithMelBarrett?utm_medium=unknown&amp;utm_source=join_link&amp;utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&amp;utm_content=copyLink">https://patreon.com/TheInBetweenPodcastwithMelBarrett?utm_medium=unknown&amp;utm_source=join_link&amp;utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&amp;utm_content=copyLink</a> 
 
Follow The In Between Podcast at: 
IG: @TheInBetweenPodOfficial 
FB: @TheInBetweenPod 
Bluesky: @inbetweenpod 
TikTok: @jackofalltradesdc 
 
Web: <a href="http://inbetweenpod.com/">inbetweenpod.com</a> 
 
 

</div>

Society & Culture

Documentary

True Crime

There’s the official story. And then there’s the truth. The In Between is an investigative narrative podcast that digs into cases where the facts got buried, distorted, or deliberately ignored. Hosted by journalist and screenwriter Mel Barrett, each season unpacks one story that was never fully told, blending deep reporting, legal analysis, and raw personal narrative. Mel doesn’t just rehash headlines—she goes digging. She’s spent over a decade uncovering new evidence in the Pamela Smart case, work that helped form the basis of a new habeas petition. In Season One, she revisits the trial that made Smart a national villain—and questions everything we thought we knew. Season Two, From Victim to Accused: The Veronika Rodriguez Story, pulls back the curtain on a case where a 26-year-old Air National Guard member reported a sexual assault—and ended up the one in handcuffs. What happened next is more than a miscarriage of justice. It’s a warning. This is the space between the crime and the courtroom, the headlines and the hidden truth. This is The In Between. Join the Investigator Club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast: https://patreon.com/TheInBetweenPodcastwithMelBarrett?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Follow The In Between Podcast at: IG: @TheInBetweenPodOfficial FB: @TheInBetweenPod Bluesky: @inbetweenpod TikTok: @jackofalltradesdc Web: inbetweenpod.com

There’s the official story. And then there’s the truth. 
 
The In Between is an investigative narrative podcast that digs into cases where the facts got buried, distorted, or deliberately ignored. Hosted by journalist and screenwriter Mel Barrett, each season unpacks one story that was never fully told, blending deep reporting, legal analysis, and raw personal narrative. 
 
Mel doesn’t just rehash headlines—she goes digging. She’s spent over a decade uncovering new evidence in the Pamela Smart case, work that helped form the basis of a new habeas petition. In Season One, she revisits the trial that made Smart a national villain—and questions everything we thought we knew. 
 
Season Two, From Victim to Accused: The Veronika Rodriguez Story, pulls back the curtain on a case where a 26-year-old Air National Guard member reported a sexual assault—and ended up the one in handcuffs. What happened next is more than a miscarriage of justice. It’s a warning. 
 
This is the space between the crime and the courtroom, the headlines and the hidden truth. This is The In Between. 
 
Join the Investigator Club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast: <a href="https://patreon.com/TheInBetweenPodcastwithMelBarrett?utm_medium=unknown&amp;utm_source=join_link&amp;utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&amp;utm_content=copyLink" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://patreon.com/TheInBetweenPodcastwithMelBarrett?utm_medium=unknown&amp;utm_source=join_link&amp;utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&amp;utm_content=copyLink</a> 
 
Follow The In Between Podcast at: 
IG: @TheInBetweenPodOfficial 
FB: @TheInBetweenPod 
Bluesky: @inbetweenpod 
TikTok: @jackofalltradesdc 
 
Web: <a href="http://inbetweenpod.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">inbetweenpod.com</a>

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