On July 23, 2010, Shan Fieldman got into a pick-up truck in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Pontiac, Illinois to arrange the murder of his ex-wife, Shelley, and her current boyfriend, Alan.    Fieldman left briefly to get $100.00 from his fiancé, Talia Fonce, which was used as a down‑payment on the hit.  Fieldman also provided the hitman with descriptions of his ex and her boyfriend, as well as their home and their habit of hanging out in their garage.  He gave the hitman their correct address.  While he also left an IOU in the amount f $7,400.00 with the hitman, he did ensure himself plausible deniability by signing it “Joe Smith.”  Fieldman was arrested later that night with his fiancé’s children in his car.  His fiancé was also arrested because she had introduced Fieldman to Trina Bennett, the informant who reported the potential crime to police.  Join Lisa O’Brien and Michael Carnahan on Sunday, June 6, 2021, at 8:00 p.m., Central, for Episode 13 of Clear and Convincing.  We’ll talk about the events leading up to the meeting with the hitman, the evidence against Fonce and Fieldman, their trials and appellate process, including the grant of federal habeas relief to Fieldman with the intervention of Kathleen Zellner.  We are a live show and, as always, calls are welcome at (347) 989-1171.

On June 26, 1980, a drive-by shooting near the intersection of Sarah Avenue and Olive Street in St. Louis, Missouri, took the life of 19-year old Quinton Moss and wounded Wallace Conner.  Moss had been a suspect in the January, 1980 murder of Dennis “Gant” Griffin, but had never been charged.  Larry Griffin was linked by a police officer who saw him in the company of two other men getting into a car similar to the one described by witnesses to the shooting and a bystander at the scene who was able to identify Griffin as one of the shooters.   Join Lisa O’Brien and Michel Carson on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, for Clear and Convincing,  Episode 11, State of Missouri v. Larry Griffin.  Griffin’s 1995 execution was controversial due to his claim of his actual innocence.  A 2005 investigation sponsored by the NAACP concluded that there were “doubts” about Griffin’s guilt.  A subsequent investigation by the St. Louis City Circuit Attorney’s Office reached a different conclusion.  We’ll talk about the evidence against Griffin, the post-execution investigation that raised doubts about his guilt and the investigation conducted by the St. Louis Circuit Attorney.  We are a live show and, as always, calls are welcome at (347) 989-1171.

On August 7, 2004, an anonymous call brought Nashville police to 2728 Mossdale Drive, where they found the home’s owner, 43-year old Johnny Michael Allen, dead in his bed.  He’d been shot once in the back of the head.  A tip led police to Room 302 at the InTown Suites, where they arrested 16-year old Cyntoia Denise Brown.  Initially, Brown gave police a fake name and claimed to be 19-years old.  Brown was a runaway from Clarksville, Tennesse.  While in Nashville, she’d been living with 24-year old Gary McGlothen, who went by the nicknames “Cut” or “Cut Throat.”  During questioning, Brown admitted shooting Johnny, but claimed self-defense, which was refuted by the crime scene and the evidence that Brown took guns, money, paper work and Johnny’s truck after shooting him in the head.  Her initial efforts to blame others were unsuccessful and she was charged with first degree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery.  Join Lisa O’Brien and Michael Carnahan on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. Central for Episode 10, State of Tennessee v. Cyntoia Brown.  We’ll talk about the evidence linking Brown to the murder of Johnny Michael Allen and the propaganda campaign waged in 2019, which resulted in a grant of clemency by Bill Haslam, Tennessee’s governor and release from prison 15 years into a life sentence.  We are a live show and, as always, calls are welcome at (347) 989-1171.

On October 8, 1983, Bob Tate, Jerry Mack Brown, Ronald Mayes and Philip Good were shot in Tate’s ultralight airplane hangar in Sherman, Texas.  Their bodies were discovered by Tate's wife and son after Tate failed to come home that evening.  Tate’s ultralight, which had been advertised for sale by Good, was missing from the hangar.  Bower was identified in January, 1984 when phone records linked 3 calls to Good to a phone calling card provided to Bower by his employer, a chemical company.  In his initial interviews with police and FBI agents, who were asked to assist the investigation by the Grayson County Sheriff, Bower lied about everything, including the extent of his contact with Good and Tate, his presence in Sherman and his interest in the ultralight.  When police obtained a search warrant, they found aluminum tubing consistent with tubing used in ultralight aircraft, decals removed from an ultralight, wheels with the name “Tate” on them and Jerry Brown’s fingerprints on some of the tubing.  Bower was arrested and, in April, 1984, tried, convicted and sentenced to death.  Join Lisa O’Brien and Michael Carnahan for Episode 12, State of Texas v. Lester Leroy Bower.  We’ll talk about the evidence linking Bower to the murders, his post-conviction claims of actual innocence and his claim that execution after 31 years on death row was “cruel and unusual” punishment.

On June 2, 1983, Kevin Cooper, who had a long history of escpaes from prison and mental health facilities, walked away from the Chino Institution for Men (CIM) in Chino, California.  Cooper had a long history of escape from prison facilities and mental hospitals.  During the night of June 4, or early on the morning of June 5, Cooper entered the home of Doug and Peggy Ryen, where he beat, slashed and stabbed Doug, Peggy, and Jessica Ryen and family friend Christopher Hughes to death.  The sole survivor was 8-year old Joshua.  Cooper was convicted on February 19, 1985 and sentenced to death on May 15, 1985.  Join Lisa O’Brien and Michael Carnahan on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. for Episode 8, California v. Cooper and our interview with San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson.  We’ll talk to Mr. Anderson about Cooper’s most recent request for clemency, his request for an “innocence investigation” and the results of DNA testing recently ordered by outgoing Governor Brown and current Governor Newsome.  We’re a live show and calls are always welcome at (347) 989‑1171.

About Jason Anderson:  

Jason Anderson was elected as the 36th District Attorney of San Bernardino County on June 5, 2018. He has been a member of the California State Bar since 1997 and served as a deputy district attorney for San Bernardino County from 1998 to 2014.  He entered private practice in Rancho Cucamonga in 2014 and has been an adjunct professor teaching Criminal Procedure and Trial Advocacy at the University of LaVerne College of Law.  He is a 2008 recipient of the Jennifer Brooks Lawyer of the Year Award, a 2012 recipient of the Above and Beyond Award  and a 2018 recipient of the George W. Porter Criminal Trial Attorney Award.

On the afternoon of November 8, 2002, police in Stamford, Connecticut responding to a 911 call, found the body of Anna Lisa Raymundo in the entryway of her condominium.  She had been beaten and stabbed by an unknown assailant.  Her case would remain unsolved until March 23, 2003, when Sheila Davalloo, was arrested in connection with the attempted murder of her husband, Paul Christos.  Davalloo, a research scientist at Purdue Pharma, was a co-worker of Nelson Sessler, Raymundo’s boyfriend at the time she was murdered.  Detectives investigating the attack on Christos made the connection between Davalloo’s voice and the still unidentified 911 caller.  Davalloo was subsequently linked to Raymundo’s murder based on DNA evidence found in the bathroom of Raymundo’s condo.  After Davalloo’s conviction in the attempted murder of her husband in 2004, investigators and prosecutors built a murder case against Davalloo, who was eventually indicated in 2007.  In 2012, Davalloo, who represented herself at trial, was convicted  Raymundo’s murder.  Join Lisa O’Brien and Michael Carnahan on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. Central for Clear and Convincing, Episode 7, State of New York v. Sheila Davalloo and State of Connecticut v. Sheila Davalloo.  We’ll talk about Davalloo’s crimes, her separate trials in New York and Connecticut and the convictions that resulted in consecutive prison sentences that will keep Davalloo behind bars for a minimum term of 75 years.  We are a live show and, as always, calls are welcome at (347) 989-1171.

Join Lisa O’Brien and Michael Carnahan on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, for Clear & Convincing, Episode 6, Women in Horse Racing.  For a change of pace, we’ll talk to Natalie Voss, Editor-in-Chief at The Paulick Report and 3-time Eclipse Award winner.  Natalie joins us to talk about the expansion of the roles held by women in horse racing.  We’ll also talk to Natalie about her work, including  her award-winning articles, many of which deal with important issues, including jockey health, regulatory developments and making sure thoroughbreds are safe when their racing careers end.  

Natalie received her bachelor's degree in equine science with honors from the University of Kentucky.  Her work includes investigative features, breaking news and profiles on a variety of topics, with her byline appearing in the Paulick Report, Business Lexington magazine, Chevy Chaser, Southsider, Chronicle of the Horse, The Horse magazine, The Blood-Horse, Quarter Horse News, American Racehorse, Acreage Life, Veterinary Practice News, BirdTalk, and Equine International among others.  She’s a 3-time Eclipse Award winner and has been nominated a record 4-time nominee for the Stanley Bergstein Writing Award for investigative reporting.  She’s also a proud board member of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association and the Kentucky Horse Council. 

For more about Natalie, visit her website at http://www.natalievoss.com/about-1.

At 2:40 a.m. on December 9, 2001, Michael Peterson, an author and former mayoral candidate, contacted Durham County 9-1-1 services to summon help for his wife, Kathleen.  Peterson claimed that Kathleen, who appeared to have fallen on a narrow, back staircase, was still breathing.  After disconnecting, he called 9-1-1 back and reported that his wife was no longer breathing.  Kathleen’s injuries, the copious amounts of blood on the staircase and the inconsistent statements from Peterson led police to suspect that her death was no accident.  Peterson’s 2003 conviction for first degree murder was vacated in 2011 after a prosecution expert was accused of malfeasance in several cases, including Peterson’s.  Join Lisa O’Brien and Michael Carnahan and special guest Michelle D. on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. Central for Clear and Convincing, Episode 5, State of North Carolina v. Michael Iver Peterson.  We’ll talk about the case against Peterson, the documentary “The Staircase” and the information the filmmakers left out.  We are a live show and, as always, calls are welcome at (347) 989-1171.

In the early morning hours of October 2, 1999, Steven Beard called 9-1-1 in Austin, Texas to report a medical emergency.  First responders initially thought Beard was experiencing sudden complications after a recent surgery.  A shotgun shell found on the floor of Beard’s bedroom suggested a more sinister scenario.  Beard’s second wife, Celeste, did her best to keep her friend Tracey Tarlton’s name out of the investigation.  Celeste also refused to allow investigators to speak to her husband and counseled her children and their friends to refuse to cooperate in any investigation.  Tarlton was soon linked to the shooting and initially charged with assault.  When Steven Beard died in January of 2000, the charge was upgraded to murder.  When Celeste remarried, Tarlton broke her long held silence.   Join Lisa O’Brien and Michael Carnahan tonight at 8:00 p.m. Central for Clear and Convincing, Episode 4, State of Texas v. Celeste Beard Johnson.  We’ll talk about the evidence implicating Celeste Beard, her trial, conviction and sentence and direct appeal.  We’ll also talk about her unsuccessful state post-conviction claim and her late-filed federal habeas claim, which was dismissed by the federal court.   We are a live show and, as always, calls are welcome at (347) 989-1171.

New York Times bestselling author or co-author of 14 books, including Dead Reckoning; Hunting Charles Manson; Secrets, Lies, and Shoelaces; Naked Addiction; Then No One Can Have Her; I'll Take Care of You; and Poisoned Love is joining Lisa O’Brien and Michael Carnahan to talk about her new book Death On Ocean Boulevard: Inside the Coronado Mansion Case.  For the first time since the body of Rebecca Zahau was found hanging naked, bound, and gagged in July, 2011, Ms. Rother takes a comprehensive, authoritative, and objective look at the entire death case, laying out the evidence and theories from all sides in this murder vs. suicide debate in her 11th true crime book, which is based on a compilation of research from the sheriff’s investigative files and her own interviews, investigation, and personal experience with her husband’s suicide. With no agenda, financial settlement, or verdict to protect, Ms. Rother’s narrative will correct rumors, misinformation, and conflation of speculative details, with the ultimate goal of uncovering the truth about the events leading to the deaths of Rebecca Zahau and Max Shacknai,  which are inextricably linked.