For many men and women incarcerated across the United States, once all legal options for release have been exhausted, there is often one last avenue to hope for: clemency.

Clemency in most states is at the discretion of a single person – the governor. This is not to be confused with presidential pardons, as the president can only grant clemency in federal cases, while state-level clemency sits with state governors. Governors hold an incredible power: the ability to effectively give someone their life back, someone who might otherwise be condemned to die behind bars.

Of course, like most things, it’s never guaranteed. The exact number of clemencies granted isn’t clear, but it’s fair to say that, compared to the number of people incarcerated, the figure is extremely small. For a fortunate few, though, that mercy does come.

Today I speak with one of those people. A man whose story we covered some time ago.

Shawn Robert Johnson was staring down a minimum of more than 60 years in prison before he would even be eligible for parole. Instead, this Christmas he will be going home to his family after just shy of 20 years behind bars.

Today we catch up to talk about how it happened – and what his plans are for life on the outside.

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In today’s episode, I catch up with John Merritt, who’s been navigating a very serious health crisis. John talks me through how a growth on his head was left untreated for so long that he was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with cancer. He underwent surgery, but the doctor who operated on him failed to recognise just how severe the situation really was.

John explains what the last few months have been like and the conditions he faced inside a facility for sick prisoners — conditions that sound like something straight out of a horror film. This story genuinely gave me nightmares.

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John Merritt has been behind bars for longer than I’ve been alive. Like many of the men and women we speak to, John’s early life was marked by encounters with the law—mostly for petty, non-violent offences. He became trapped in a cycle, moving in and out of the system, until one day, while serving time for burglary, his life took an even darker turn.

A visit from a sheriff's investigator would change the course of his life forever, propelling him down an unexpected and terrifying path toward the death penalty for a crime he says he didn’t commit.

In the end, John faced a grim choice: life in prison or the electric chair.

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He’s simply a man who doesn’t stop. Since being exonerated for a crime that saw him spend almost 27 years behind bars, Evaristo Salas Jnr has wasted no time making up for the life that was taken from him.

In this catch-up, we dive into everything he’s achieved in the two years since his release. He’s travelled across the United States giving talks to everyone from school kids to some of the top legal minds in the country. He’s started a business, founded a non-profit, and even taken his message as far as Europe.

But the last two years, while full of incredible moments, haven’t been without challenges. Jnr opens up about the times he’s caught the old prison mentality creeping back in — and how he’s learning to navigate freedom after nearly three decades inside.

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Today I catch up with David Talley — a man serving a 100-year prison sentence for crimes that should only have carried a decade behind bars.

Now, more than 20 years later, David is still fighting for a resentencing hearing. We talk about how that fight is progressing, and about a recent stint in confinement following an issue with his cellmate.

Despite the contraband not being his, David was punished — spending two months in segregation, losing his job, his cell, and now finding himself housed in a punishment wing surrounded by drugs, gangs, and violence… all at the age of 63.

A raw and honest look inside one man’s ongoing struggle for justice and survival behind bars. If you know of someone who can help David please get in touch here

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Today I catch up with Jeremy Cain for an update on what’s been happening with his case since we last spoke.

After his story aired on One Minute Remaining, the community of Pleasant Grove came together to raise awareness and funds to support the Cain brothers. Their efforts made it possible to hire an attorney — but what, if anything, did that attorney achieve? And where does the case stand now?

I also need your help to keep spreading the word about the Cain brothers’ fight for freedom. If you can assist with sharing their story, whether through community boards, advertising, or outreach, please get in touch. HERE

A powerful follow-up on one of OMR’s most talked-about stories, exploring hope, persistence, and the fight for freedom.

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Today I catch up with Tariq Maqbool to get the latest on his bid for clemency with the governor.

We explore life inside prison and what happens when men become institutionalised, incarcerated for so long that freedom itself becomes something to fear. Many struggle with the idea of release, stepping back into the shadows rather than walking into the light.

Tariq also opens up about his favourite film, Shawshank Redemption, and how closely it mirrors the realities of prison life. He’s met men like Brooks — those broken by the system and lives by the same mantra that defines the film: get busy living, or get busy dying.

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We have just wrapped up the story of Dwight Bergeron who has served over 30 years of his three life sentences for what the authorities say was his crime of sexual assualt against his own children. I crime he and those children, now adults say he didn't commit. Today I sit down with one of Dwights kids to see what he remembers from all those years ago.

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In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name.

Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

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Today we catch up woth the man they call 'The voice of reson' Michael Leonard from Leonard trial lawyers in Chicargo illanois to get his take on the case against Dwight Bergeron.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name.

Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week!

Apple + HERE

Patreon and find us on Facebook here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name.

Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week!

Apple + HERE

Patreon and find us on Facebook here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name.

Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week!

Apple + HERE

Patreon and find us on Facebook here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.