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 shot him in front of his home in Detroit, MI. 18-year-old Larry Smith Jr. became a suspect when a car belonging to a friend of his was spotted near the scene of the crime. Since there was no physical evidence tying Larry to the crime, authorities relied on junk science and questionable eyewitness testimony to convict him of the murder and sentence him to life in prison without parole.
To learn more and get involved, visit:
https://www.lifeafterjustice.org/
https://www.jarrettadamslaw.com/redeeming-justice
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiterrorism_and_Effective_Death_Penalty_Act_of_1996
https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/396-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-footwear-comparison-evidence/
Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#425 Jason Flom with Larry Smith Jr.

Hosted by celebrated criminal justice reform advocate and founding board member of the Innocence Project Jason Flom, and Pulitzer prize-winning podcast host and producer Maggie Freleng, 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 continue to languish, with some even facing execution on death row. Each episode peels back the layers behind the stories of those who have found themselves caught in a legal system gone wrong, with illuminating insights from lawyers and leading experts sharing their in-depth knowledge about each case, from prison visits and courtroom battles to reexamined crime scenes and witness interviews. This gripping series reveals the tragedy of injustice…as well as the triumph that is possible when people step up and demand change.

True crime

In season three of Ozarks True Crime, host Anne Roderique-Jones returns to her home state of Missouri to report on the case of Sandra Hemme: a person living with mental illness who could soon become the longest-known wrongfully convicted woman in the United States. Anne speaks with journalists, lawyers, and mental health professionals to try and uncover why Sandra was found guilty of a murder, despite no solid evidence that she committed the crime. Follow along as we travel back to Missouri for Sandra’s evidentiary hearing, where her lawyer’s will be presenting never-heard-before evidence in hopes to set her free. 

Ozarks True Crime: The Sandra Hemme Story, is an editaudio Original production. 
Connect with us:
Instagram: anniemarie_ / editaud.io 
Twitter: @editaud_io / @AnnieMarie_ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing: Ozarks True Crime - The Sandra Hemme Story

A fire erupted in the basement of an apartment building in Pittsburgh, PA, on January 17, 1993, killing three people. Arson officials believed the fire was set purposefully, but the case went cold for 13 years. Dan Carnevale was arrested for the fire in 2006 based on the questionable testimony of a man claiming to be an eyewitness. All of the physical evidence in this case had been destroyed so the case against Dan relied solely on this witness, the testimony of a jailhouse informant, and junk science hypotheses. Dan was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without parole for arson and the three deaths. 
To learn more and get involved, visit:
https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/392-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-arson-evidence/https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/151-jason-flom-with-kristine-bunch/https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/429-jason-flom-with-greg-brown/https://oakmontbakery.com/
We started the Wrongful Conviction podcast to provide a voice to innocent people in prison. 
We want to hear your voices, too.
So call us at 833-207-4666 and leave us a message.
Tell us how these powerful, often tragic and sometimes triumphant, stories make you feel.  
Shocked?
Inspired?  
Motivated?
We want to know! 
We may even include your story in a future episode.
And hey, the more of you that join in, the more power our collective voices will have.
So tell a friend to listen and to call us too at 833-207-4666
Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#446 Jason Flom with Dan Carnevale

In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname.
Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers (who all say they are innocent!) turned jailhouse-lawyers. In prison they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away. They set out to turn the tables on Scarcella while still in prison. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they would succeed.
Thirty years later, more than 20 people Scarcella helped put away have walked free. In the media he’s the “disgraced detective,” the rogue cop who hoodwinked an entire system. 
For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast ... where justice is done (and undone).
Welcome to The Burden.
https://link.chtbl.com/nYQpPnkg
The Burden is a production of Orbit Media in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing: The Burden

On March 8, 2016, Officer Nicholas Blake became suspicious of two vehicles traveling together on Interstate 70 toward Manhattan, KS due to their appearance and registration inconsistencies. He suspected they were involved in drug trafficking, with one acting as a decoy. Following a series of stops and surveillances by multiple law enforcement officers, a considerable amount of marijuana and methamphetamine was found in one of the vehicles leading to the arrest of Donte Westmoreland and others. Westmoreland was convicted based largely on the testimony of an informant, Jacob Gadwood, who claimed to have bought marijuana from Donte, but the informant's credibility was later questioned, and a prosecutorial deal ensuring Gadwood would not be charged with a crime was never disclosed. 
To learn more and get involved, visit:
https://www.lastprisonerproject.org/
https://fromtheearth.com/missouri/independence-menu/?dtche%5Bpath%5D=brands%2Fwest-by-illicit
We started the Wrongful Conviction podcast to provide a voice to innocent people in prison. 
We want to hear your voices, too.
So call us at 833-207-4666 and leave us a message.
Tell us how these powerful, often tragic and sometimes triumphant, stories make you feel.  
Shocked?
Inspired?  
Motivated?
We want to know! 
We may even include your story in a future episode.
And hey, the more of you that join in, the more power our collective voices will have.
So tell a friend to listen and to call us too at 833-207-4666
Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#445 Jason Flom with Donte West

Leo Schofield’s parole hearing in Tallahassee, FL, April 17th, 2024 with reporting from Gilbert King and Kelsey Decker.
Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#425 Jason Flom with Larry Smith Jr.

Download our free app to listen on your phone