In this episode of The In Between, Mel takes a deep, careful look at one of the most disturbing and contested criminal cases in modern British history: the conviction of neonatal nurse Lucy Letby.

Between 2015 and 2016, a spike in infant deaths inside the neonatal unit at Countess of Chester Hospital led to a massive police investigation — and ultimately to Letby being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder others. She is now serving multiple whole-life sentences.

But this story doesn’t end with a verdict.

In this episode, Mel walks through the trial evidence, the medical theories presented to the jury, Lucy Letby’s handwritten notes and diaries, and the appeals that followed. We also examine new developments — including a controversial Netflix documentary and a detailed briefing paper from sixteen senior medical and scientific experts who now say Letby may be the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

They argue the case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, flawed statistical reasoning, and disputed medical interpretations — and that alternative explanations rooted in systemic hospital failure were ignored.

So what happens when fragile newborns die inside an under-resourced unit?

What happens when doctors raise alarms and administrators worry about reputation?

What happens when grief meets criminal prosecution — and certainty arrives faster than science?

This is not an episode about defending the indefensible.

It’s about sitting in the gray.

About how medicine collides with the justice system.

About institutional silence, whistleblowers, and what gets lost when we turn human collapse into narrative certainty.

And about Baby A — and the tiny lives caught inside a system that may have already been breaking.

Listener discretion advised: this episode discusses infant death, neonatal medical emergencies, and institutional trauma.

If you like Mel's work please hit up the tip jar!

venmo: @melbarrettwrites
cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips

You can now join the Something's Off YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level.

Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts!

Mel and Rebecca have A LOT to catch up on: Starting with the Norfolk County DA race, Karen Read's reply all, Kelsey Fitzsimmons motion to recuse the judge in her case, the super bowl, and a recap of Mel's bday celebrations, which were a little hindered because of a big New England blizzard!

If you like us, please tip us: 

venmo: @melbarrettwrites 

cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips

You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts!

Mel and Rebecca break down Michael Proctor lost his phone (AYFKM?) Who Danny Dasilva from the Lowell PD is and wtf is he doing with a 17 year-old? And have you heard about JMail? You have now. You don't want to miss this one!

If you like us, please tip us:
venmo: @melbarrettwrites
cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips

You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts!

Mel and Rebecca break down the explosive news of the week: Matthew Farwell asks the judge to change the venue AND dismiss the case against him and the judge in Aidan Kearney's witness intimidation case suggest Cosgrove sub in another prosecutor if Lindsey Gaitani takes the stand. WTAF?

PLUS menopausal injuries, lotsa tangents, and what's up with the journalism debate between Turtleboy and Sue O'connell? Oh and there's also the Epstein Files, Don Lemon, and Mel teases a new show about politics.

If you like us, please tip us:
venmo: @melbarrettwrites
cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips

You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts!

We're doing a back episode this week since it's Groundhog Day!

Pamela Smart has received a hearing date in late February 2026. We don't have news yet whether this will be an evidentiary hearing or just process, but Mel will keep you informed as the news comes out.

Pam's attorneys feel confident that their arguments are solid and based in NH case law, so if the state of NH doesn't hear this case, it proves politics are at play once again when it comes to Pamela Smart.

Stay tuned! It's going to be an interesting year!

And if you like the work I do, please tip.

TO LISTEN TO SEASON ONE, start here.

Watch SOMETHING'S OFF

Join the Investigator Club for early and ad-free episode, bonus content, lives, and so much more!

Episode Description:

It's been a long road, but we're finally here. Pamela Smart's attorneys have filed a petition of Habeus Corpus asking for a new trial or at the very least resentencing and they've given me access to the petition. I've been investigating Pam's case for going on a decade and some of the work I did on the first season of The In Between Podcast became the basis for this Habeus. I'm always so proud of the work I do on The In Between Podcast, but this case has been my white whale and I'm so honored to be apart of these arguments.

I want to share what I can with you, so without further adieu, here are the five points Pam's case will hinge on.

PLEASE PLEASE share her story.

If you like us, please tip us: 

venmo: @melbarrettwrites 

cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips 

You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. 

Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc 

Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! 

Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts!

Within hours of Alex Pretti being killed by a federal officer in Minneapolis, the government decided who he was.

They said he was a terrorist.
They said he came to kill law enforcement.
They said the case was clear.

But the evidence tells a very different story.

Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old ICU nurse, a licensed gun owner, and a U.S. citizen who was filming a federal immigration enforcement operation when things escalated. Video shows him holding a phone. Witnesses say he moved toward a woman who had been shoved to the ground. Seconds later, he was dead.

In this episode of The In Between, Mel Barrett breaks down what actually happened — and what happened next: how senior officials in the Trump administration rushed to declare motive, intent, and guilt before the public had access to the evidence; how the right’s long-standing claims about guns, protests, and “intent” suddenly collapsed; and how a coordinated narrative blitz turned a witness into a threat.

This is not just a story about a killing.
It’s a story about how the state controls the narrative after lethal force — and why some lives are explained away instead of examined.

Because once the public accepts the label, the questions stop.
And that’s how accountability dies.

If you like Mel's work, please tip her:

venmo: @melbarrettwrites

You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

Mel and Rebecca welcome Karen Read Dramaturge, Jimmy aka Auntie Deb, to the show to dish on all things Read adjacent and pop culture. We had a blast with Jimmy, though he does show up late. 🤣 

If you like us, please tip us: 

venmo: @melbarrettwrites 

cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips 

You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. 

Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc 

Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! 

Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your p

Mel and Rebecca discuss KAren Read updates, the Turtleboy movie, Aaron Spencer trial updates, police corruption and civil rights.

If you like us, please tip us:
venmo: @melbarrettwrites
cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips

If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en...

You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level.

Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

0:00 Intro + Nightline/Other Updates

11:20 David Yanetti + should Rebecca play poker?

25:05 Updates from the show with Maggie Freleng

36:53 Karen Read updates/sidebar info

51:45 What’s up with paid commenters?

58:45 Aaron Spencer Case Info/Updates

1:20:33 Police Corruption/Civil Rights Discussion

1:27:16 Can we use all the bad to bring people together?

1:39:42 Discussion of politicized language/freedom of speech

1:47:20 Dyson AirWrap…share the show… goodbye for now!

A new episode of Something's Off! Rebecca's back from her nude beach vacation and she's got some stories to tell!

We also dive into the new release of Brian Higgins police interview and the inconsistencies we found there, Turtleboy/Young Jerks fundraiser drama, Plevin Lenihan's "bombshell," and of course, more sidebahs!

This is the audio from the Something's Off YouTube presentation. If you want to watch the replay, stop by Something's Off and don't forget to engage, subscribe, and share. It helps the algorithm tremendously!

If you like us, please tip us:
venmo: @melbarrettwrites
cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips

You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level.

Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts