Oregon death row inmate Jesse Lee Johnson always proclaimed his innocence in the 1998 murder of Harriet Thompson. Seventeen years later, with little fanfare, authorities released Johnson from prison instead of retrying him for the crime. But if the case was too weak to pursue a conviction, how was Johnson arrested in the first place? Why did Salem police rely on recanted witness statements and badly documented evidence, while ignoring DNA placing other people at the crime scene? And was Johnson’s race a factor for the investigators with a history of problematic statements? 

From Oregon Public Broadcasting comes the investigative series “Hush.” Host Leah Sottile and producer Ryan Haas examine the investigators and their evidence that nearly sent Johnson to the execution chamber. It explores the inequities in policing policies. And it refutes the state’s claim Johnson was the only suspect in Thompson’s murder.

OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "HUSH" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 13 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE.

For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.

Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.

This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.