Mel sits down with her good friend, Matt Zernhelt, Pamela Smart’s attorney, on the same day her habeas petition was filed—basically the legal vehicle that lets you challenge a conviction after appeals are over. If that sounds confusing, don’t worry. They break it down in real, normal-person language and talk through what went wrong in Pam’s trial and why her team believes her constitutional rights were violated, including:

The wiretap transcripts the jury used—and why they’re a huge problem

A confirmation bias study that shows how those transcripts may have shaped what jurors thought they heard

Evidence that a juror relied on media coverage that was never introduced at trial

A moment where Pam’s own lawyer told the jury she was guilty of one charge—without her consent

Serious issues with jury instructions and sentencing, including whether her life-without-parole sentence was ever actually mandatory

Mel and Matt also get into the very weird jurisdiction mess—why this petition had to be filed in both New York and New Hampshire—and what could happen next if a judge agrees to hear it.

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