Alex Hannaford presents Huddled Masses

For the final episode to the series, Alex talks to John Hardin about what motivated him to dedicate his life to freeing the wrongfully convicted. John also talks about some of the inmates they believe to be innocent and are currently helping, and has some advice for any listeners wanting to get involved with supporting them.

The Innocents is presented by Alex Hannaford and produced by Peter Sale

Juan Melendez tells Alex about spending nearly 18 years on death row for the murder of Delbert Baker in Florida. Juan was innocent of the crime, and despite having an alibi for the time of the murder, he was prosecuted using the testimony of a known criminal. Juan talks about the use of the electric chair in Florida and the pain of losing friends he had made on death row when their time came to be executed. 

The Innocents is presented by Alex Hannaford and produced by Peter Sale

In this episode, Alex talks to Sabrina Butler Smith, the first woman to be exonerated and freed from death row in the United States. Sabrina was sentenced to death for the murder of her baby son Walter. After he stopped breathing, she had rushed him to hospital. Walter died the next day and Sabrina was arrested due to the bruises left by her resuscitation attempts. Eight years later, after a retrial, she was released from prison, and today, Sabrina campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty and is still trying to get Walter's official cause of death changed from 'murder'. 

The Innocents is presented by Alex Hannaford and produced by Peter Sale

Daniel Villegas tells Alex his tragic story of spending 18 years in prison for the shooting of two young men in El Paso - a crime he didn't commit. Daniel was forced to confess by detectives, and he was convicted of murder despite immediately recanting his confession. He tells Alex about his first few years in prison in which he was forced by prison guards to take part in “gladiatorial” fights with other inmates.

The Innocents is presented by Alex Hannaford and produced by Peter Sale.

Alex speaks to Anna Vasquez — one of the so-called San Antonio Four — about being wrongly convicted for the brutal gang rape of two children. This was during the 'Satanic Panic' era and the story was front page news. Anna spent nearly 13 years in prison — and it took many more to finally clear her name.

The Innocents is presented by Alex Hannaford and produced by Peter Sale

Alex speaks to Tim Howard about spending 19 years behind bars - nearly 15 of them on Death Row - for the murder of his best friend. Contaminated evidence was used to convict Tim and there were strong accusations of racial bias. 

At his second trial in 2015, a compromise verdict was reached: acquittal of all capital and first-degree charges, but conviction on the second-degree charges. Tim was forced to spend two more years in prison. He has always maintained his innocence.

The Innocents is presented by Alex Hannaford and produced by Peter Sale

Alex speaks to Hannah Overton, the quiet, church-going woman who was sentenced to life in prison for the death of her foster son. She was accused of forcing him to eat salt as a punishment for bad behavior.  It's a bizarre and tragic story, and Hannah was released on appeal after 7 years in prison — when new evidence made it clear that no crime had actually taken place.

The Innocents is presented by Alex Hannaford and produced by Peter Sale

Alex speaks to Jason Baldwin — one of the West Memphis Three — about the 18 years he spent in a maximum security prison, convicted for a murder he didn't commit. He was only released in 2011 when he and his co-defendants agreed to take an Alford Plea — a guilty plea in which they could proclaim their innocence, but admit the prosecution had enough evidence to prove their guilt. It was a decision that would profoundly impact what 'freedom' meant for Jason to this day.

The Innocents is presented by Alex Hannaford and produced by Peter Sale

Check out Proclaim Justice: http://proclaimjustice.org/

And Jail Guitar Doors: https://www.jailguitardoors.org/

Thanks to our advertisers for this episode, stamps.com and helixsleep.com

Alex and Pete are here with details of the new series of Huddled Masses. Fans of true crime will be pleased to hear they're back with more criminal justice stories.

In the final episode of Battleground, Alex speaks to Lindsey Kane about being kicked out of the evangelical church and the trauma of having the only world she knew turn against her.

They also discuss the reasons why evangelicals have previously backed Trump and how evangelicalism effects other areas of the culture war.

Battleground is presented by Alex Hannaford and produced by Peter Sale