In this final episode of the Juwan Deering Wrongful Arson Conviction Case, we learn even more allegations of investigatory and prosecutorial misconduct. We find out what evidence the independent investigator found indicating that Deering's rights were violated and who was allegedly responsible for those actions. In addition, we uncovered new court documents for a civil suit that sheds new light on some of the undisclosed witness testimony and offers an alternative plausible theory of how the fire started. 

We also remember the victims of this horrific tragedy: Taleigha Dean, Age 10; Craig Dean, Age 8; Aaron Dean, Age 7, Eugene Dean, Age 5, and Michelle Frame, Age 11. 

Special thanks to the University of Michigan Law school for providing the court transcripts for the original Juwan Deering Trial. 

The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989—cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of innocence. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989.

You can support their mission to help fight wrongful convictions here: https://funraise.org/give/National-Registry-of-Exonerations/49d88db1-4a88-433c-a0ab-3a4453535ba8/

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Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

For a complete list of sources used, please see Episode 38. Below are additional sources used this week:

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-mied-2_22-cv-11809/pdf/USCOURTS-mied-2_22-cv-11809-4.pdf

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-mied-2_22-cv-12973/pdf/USCOURTS-mied-2_22-cv-12973-1.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mied.363716/gov.uscourts.mied.363716.49.0.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mied.363716/gov.uscourts.mied.363716.53.0.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mied.363716/gov.uscourts.mied.363716.56.0.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mied.363716/gov.uscourts.mied.363716.71.0.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mied.363716/gov.uscourts.mied.363716.87.0.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mied.363716/gov.uscourts.mied.363716.91.0.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mied.363716/gov.uscourts.mied.363716.128.0.pdf

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/64868582/deering-v-oakland-county/

https://thecountypress.mihomepaper.com/articles/courser-attorney-moves-to-have-case-tossed/

https://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/28006/u-m_innocence_clinic_prods_oakland_prosecutor_to_look_into_2006_metro_detroit_conviction

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2021/05/14/juwan-deering-arson-oakland-county-prosecutor-jail-informantsf/5071835001/

https://youtu.be/vLu-lil21IE?si=f-_clC2Y8wknYriM

https://www.youtube.com/live/niu2qkygKUA?si=gxtceGpXNwjMiXVq

This week we continue our coverage of the Juwan Deering wrongful conviction. Juwan Deering was a Michigan man accused of setting a fatal fire that killed 5 children in Royal Oak Township, Michigan. Deering was convicted based on now-debunked arson investigation myths but that isn't the only reason he was convicted. The prosecutor in the case stands accused of some shocking misconduct and we get into it in this episode. Could it be that political motives pushed a prosecutor violate ethics standards to secure a conviction in a mass murder that had been languishing for 6 years? We'll tell you what he's accused of doing but we can only make guesses at his motives for these alleged actions. 

Special thanks to the University of Michigan Law school for providing the court transcripts for the original Juwan Deering Trial. 

The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989—cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of innocence. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989.

You can support their mission to help fight wrongful convictions here: https://funraise.org/give/National-Registry-of-Exonerations/49d88db1-4a88-433c-a0ab-3a4453535ba8/

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Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

For a complete list of sources used, please see Episode 38. Below are additional sources used this week:

https://catherinebroad.blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/March-27-2022-Article.pdf

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/070674370505001303#:~:text=Taken%20together%2C%20these%20studies%20show,not%20make%20that%20memory%20reliable.

https://www.wxyz.com/news/oakland-co-prosecutor-uncovers-ethical-violations-in-deadly-arson-case-conviction

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/05/14/prosecutor-townsend-whitmer-kidnap-ethics/5094269001/

Juwan Deering was charged and convicted for setting a fire at a home that killed five children. However, investigators based their determination of how the fire began on now-debunked arson investigation myths. Juwan Deering was seen by investigators and the court system in a negative light and as a result he did not receive a fair trial nor did investigators behave in an ethical manner in prosecuting the case. Find out all the details of Juwan Deering's case on Crime to Burn. 

Special thanks to the University of Michigan Law school for providing the court transcripts for the original Juwan Deering Trial. 

The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989—cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of innocence. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989.

You can support their mission to help fight wrongful convictions here: https://funraise.org/give/National-Registry-of-Exonerations/49d88db1-4a88-433c-a0ab-3a4453535ba8/

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Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

Sources:

Juwan Deering court transcripts provided courtesy of the University of Michigan law school. People of the State of Michigan v Juwan Knumar Deering No. 06-207873-FC

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=6042

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2022/08/05/juwan-deering-lawsuit-fire-royal-oak-township/10246683002/

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2022/08/05/juwan-deering-lawsuit-fire-royal-oak-township/10246683002/

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1041970362/juwan-deering-michigan-freed-wrongful-conviction-fire-children-deaths

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2021/09/30/juwan-deering-free-prison/5928691001/

https://murderpedia.org/male.D/d/deering-juwan.htm

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2021/08/31/prosecutor-vacate-life-sentence-man-convicted-fire-killing-five-kids-juwan-deering/5665134001/

https://www.chronline.com/stories/man-sentenced-to-life-for-fire-that-killed-five-children-freed-from-prison,273634

https://casetext.com/case/deering-v-oakland-cnty-3

https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/juwan-deering-exonerated-by-detroit-area-court-after-15-years

https://www.wxyz.com/news/new-evidence-vindicates-man-convicted-of-fire-that-killed-5-children-decades-ago-in-royal-oak-township

https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/09/man-wont-face-second-trial-after-wrongful-conviction-in-house-fire-that-killed-5-kids.html

https://apnews.com/article/fires-fec10106eec4b2646a8b65608fe015d3

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-mied-2_11-cv-10320/pdf/USCOURTS-mied-2_11-cv-10320-1.pdf

https://www.foxnews.com/us/case-ends-man-wrongly-convicted-5-kids-deaths

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/09/22/conviction-sentences-dropped-for-house-fire-that-killed-5-kids/

https://casetext.com/case/deering-v-oakland-cnty-3

https://law.justia.com/cases/michigan/court-of-appeals-unpublished/2008/20081211-c274208-93-274208-opn.html

https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2004/04/06/reward-offered-in-arson-case-that-killed-5-children/

https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2006/08/24/killer-gets-life-without-parole/

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2021/05/14/juwan-deering-arson-oakland-county-prosecutor-jail-informantsf/5071835001/

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/mi-court-of-appeals/1403179.html

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2021/09/21/oakland-county-judge-grants-new-trial-man-serving-life-fire-killed-5/5789185001/

https://www.frontpagedetectives.com/p/michigan-freed-prisoner-house-fire-child-killed

In November 2017, a "volunteer reporter" went viral for her coverage of a house fire in Norfolk, Virginia for all the right reasons. What she lacks in professional broadcast training and polished vocabulary, she makes up for with her enthusiasm. While her reporting is nothing short of a national treasure, the fact is that in her coverage of this fire, she happened to actually solve a crime. Our hats off to you Rhoda Young. We are in your debt as a society and this episode is dedicated to you.  

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Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

Please check out Rhoda Young's YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@RhodaYoungTVgmail

You can find the video we discuss on Statter 911 here: https://youtu.be/xuUkvE0H1Ig?si=_seQI2IUuGKMhW2W

and the Statter 911 YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@STATter911

Source List:

https://www.boredpanda.com/woman-reporter-fire-arson-case-solves-facebook-live-rhoda-young/

https://www.wral.com/man-arrested-charged-with-arson-after-norfolk-house-fire/17146449/?version=amp

https://patch.com/new-jersey/mahwah/don-stricker-jr-mahwah-fire-chief-who-started-scuba-team-dies

https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/crime/norfolk-man-charged-with-burning-down-his-own-home/291-495320737

https://www.wtkr.com/2018/09/05/norfolk-man-pleads-guilty-to-setting-house-on-fire

https://www.wtkr.com/2017/11/27/crews-battling-large-house-fire-in-norfolk

Angie Abdullah should be alive today. She should be celebrating the accomplishments and successes of her now-adult children. Instead she was prematurely silenced by a controlling husband who carried out a gruesome murder and attempted to cover his crime with arson, risking the lives of four children in the process. However, her husband, Azad Abdullah, was as inept an arsonist as he was a husband and provider. As a result of his ineptitude, police quickly figured out Azad was responsible for arson, murder, attempted murder, and felony injury to a child. He was sentenced to death for his crimes and he sits today in an Idaho prison awaiting his execution date. Azad Abdullah silenced Angie forever, so today we give a voice to an innocent victim of a tyrannical husband by telling Angie Abdullah's story on Crime to Burn. 

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Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

Source List:

https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/3133306/state-v-azad-haji-abdullah/

https://law.justia.com/cases/idaho/supreme-court-civil/2021/46497.html

This is a special feature on Crime to Burn. On Sunday, November 10, I was able to sit down and have a conversation with Kristine Bunch. We covered Kristine's case in episodes 32 and 33. Kristine was accused of intentionally setting a fire at her home that claimed the life of her toddler son. Investigators developed their theory of what happened based on a now debunked arson investigation myth that was once widely believed. When the forensic testing didn't support investigators' theories, they allegedly colluded to falsify test reports that were presented in court to secure Kristine's conviction for arson and murder. Kristine spent 17 years incarcerated for a crime she did not commit. The truth finally prevailed and Kristine was exonerated and released from prison and she has not stopped fighting to help others. Hear about Kristine's work since her release and how you can get involved. 

Please visit the organizations listed below to find out how you can get involved in Kristine's continued fight for truth, justice, and successful reintegration post-incarceration. 

IMPORTANT NEWS: 

April is a guest on the Dairyland Frights podcast episode airing on November 17th. You can find Dairyland Frights here: Dairyland Frights Linktree

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Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

Clarence Roberts was reported to have died in a fire in 1970... and then he died in another fire in 1980. But we know a man cannot die twice but we have two bodies and many believe he died in 1970 while others believe he died in 1980 and at least one that believes he wasn't killed in either fire. This case is a crazy story of desperation, murder, and arson. So, if only one of the bodies can be Clarence Roberts, who exactly is the second body? Find out what we know on Crime to Burn.

IMPORTANT NEWS: 

April is a guest on the Dairyland Frights podcast episode airing on November 17th. You can find Dairyland Frights here: Dairyland Frights Linktree

Crime to Burn will have a special feature Monday November 18 - an interview with Kristine Bunch. Kristine was the subject of episodes 32 and 33 after she was wrongfully convicted for a fatal arson based on arson investigation myths and allegedly falsified evidence. We had the opportunity to sit down and discuss her case and her continued work since her release from prison. 

Background music by Not Notoriously Coordinated 

Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

Source List:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC_qai0wwwQ   Dark Curiosities YouTube Channel

https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/court-of-appeals/1980/1-1179a307-6.html

https://vocal.media/criminal/the-tale-of-the-husband-presumed-dead-and-buried-twice

https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Clarence_and_Geneva_Roberts

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/12/02/The-fiery-death-of-Clarence-Roberts-now-or-then/6856344581200/

Obituary Geneva Robertsy, Brown county Democrat, Nashville, Indiana, Wed, 3 dec 1980. 

Arson fire claims life of Geneva Roberts; second victim ‘looks like’ Clarence., Brown County Democrat, Nashville, Indiana, 3, dec 1980.

https://www.unilad.com/community/life/clarence-thomas-indiana-fire-mystery-436674-20231120

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/12/02/Clarence-Roberts-apparent-fire-victim-again/5830344581200/

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/experiences/indiana/unsolved-mystery-in

https://www.grunge.com/1050389/clarence-roberts-the-man-who-died-in-a-mysterious-fire-twice/

https://podcasts.musixmatch.com/podcast/crime-junkie-01gtg7m4g0zktw8z1m5q0r8msy/episode/mysterious-death-of-clarence-roberts-01h8xf2q3r7b8ed1j0x31dbbyt

https://youtu.be/lPNkkOI3aGc?si=2nX_T0zshBz1r9zU

https://youtu.be/QNM9W7fZft8?si=wkhkcwcmAJsZ10gg

In this episode we conclude the story of Kristine Bunch's wrongful conviction for arson and murder. When Kristine was 21, her trailer home burned down taking the life of her toddler son. At 22, Kristine was sentenced to 60 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. Last week we had an in-depth discussion of fire dynamics and what arson investigators found. This week we uncover the dark truth about the alleged collusion between investigators and an ATF forensic chemist that altered test results and ultimately sent Kristine to prison for 17 years. We discuss Kristine's agonizingly long fight and wait for justice to be served. Kristine's conviction was overturned but that's not the end of her story. Hear about her amazing work to help others that have been wrongfully convicted. 

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Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

Source List:

https://indymaven.com/articles/kristine-bunch/

https://justicereformfoundation.org/wrongfully-convicted/kristine-bunch-a-woman-wrongfully-convicted-becomes-a-voice-for-justice-reform/

https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/supreme-court/1998/060901-trb.html

https://www.creators.com/read/susan-estrich/10/22/17-years-in-prison-for-a-crime-she-did-not-commit

https://communitydining.com/2016/05/02/the-plight-of-kristine-bunch/

https://casetext.com/case/bunch-v-united-states-11

https://vocal.media/criminal/the-story-of-kristine-bunch-how-arson-investigators-sent-a-woman-to-prison-for-more-than-17-years

https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/court-of-appeals/2012/16a05-1007-pc-439.html

https://casetext.com/case/bunch-v-frank-1

https://cwc.law.northwestern.edu/freed-exonerated/kristine-bunch/

https://www.happyscribe.com/public/wrongful-conviction-podcasts/wrongful-conviction-with-jason-flom-kristine-bunch

https://www.nprillinois.org/news/2019-10-23/kristine-bunch-life-after-a-wrongful-conviction

https://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/opinion/columns/17-years-in-prison-for-a-crime-she-did-not-commit/article_9dcec81a-5477-11ed-8e09-f38e5a50d3a0.html

https://woffordogb.com/20131/news/the-wrongful-conviction-of-kristine-bunch/

https://www.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/wrongfulconvictions/exonerations/in/kristine-bunch.html

https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/the-price-of-freedom

What happens when we allow junk science and fire investigation mythology into the halls of justice? Kristine Bunch can tell you. She spent 17 years paying a debt to society that she didn't owe after being wrongfully convicted of the arson that killed her toddler son. But Kristine Bunch never stopped fighting for truth and even after her release, she continued the fight to help others that have been wrongfully convicted. 

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Please follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and Youtube for the latest news on this case. You can email us at [email protected] We welcome any constructive feedback and would greatly appreciate a 5 star rating and review. 

Source List:

https://indymaven.com/articles/kristine-bunch/

https://justicereformfoundation.org/wrongfully-convicted/kristine-bunch-a-woman-wrongfully-convicted-becomes-a-voice-for-justice-reform/

https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/supreme-court/1998/060901-trb.html

https://www.creators.com/read/susan-estrich/10/22/17-years-in-prison-for-a-crime-she-did-not-commit

https://communitydining.com/2016/05/02/the-plight-of-kristine-bunch/

https://casetext.com/case/bunch-v-united-states-11

https://vocal.media/criminal/the-story-of-kristine-bunch-how-arson-investigators-sent-a-woman-to-prison-for-more-than-17-years

https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/court-of-appeals/2012/16a05-1007-pc-439.html

https://casetext.com/case/bunch-v-frank-1

https://cwc.law.northwestern.edu/freed-exonerated/kristine-bunch/

https://www.happyscribe.com/public/wrongful-conviction-podcasts/wrongful-conviction-with-jason-flom-kristine-bunch

https://www.nprillinois.org/news/2019-10-23/kristine-bunch-life-after-a-wrongful-conviction

https://www.jacksonvilleprogress.com/opinion/columns/17-years-in-prison-for-a-crime-she-did-not-commit/article_9dcec81a-5477-11ed-8e09-f38e5a50d3a0.html

https://woffordogb.com/20131/news/the-wrongful-conviction-of-kristine-bunch/

https://www.law.northwestern.edu/legalclinic/wrongfulconvictions/exonerations/in/kristine-bunch.html

https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/the-price-of-freedom

This is the FINALE of the David Michael Crawford serial arson case. In this episode we share some updates with you. We discuss the prosecution's rebuttal of the defense's closing arguments. The jury's verdict. The sentence handed down by the judge and some of Crawford's statements at sentencing. We discuss the grounds for appeal and we'll give you a bit of information on some other fires that occurred in the area and have some ties to David Crawford although we'll have to wait for the full investigation reports to bring you the whole story. We'll obviously bring you follow up episodes as this case is up for appeal but we're officially putting the David Crawford serial arson case down here until we have new information to share with you. This is a case I've spent the better part of a year working on now and I want to share a very special thank you to every single person that has reached out throughout this process. Your help was so greatly appreciated. 

ANNOUNCEMENT: We're working on merch designs! If you are interested, drop us a message on our social media to tell us what you're interested in. Do you want stickers, t-shirts, sweats, hoodies, hats, bags, water bottles.. what do you want? No pressure to buy, just tell us what would be most tempting. 

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For a full list of sources, Please refer to Episode 22.