A shocking story, as told to investigators in 1994.
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S1 E5: The Transcript

Sept. 10, 2001. One block from the World Trade Center. Security cameras capture the last known images of Dr. Sneha Anne Philip, shopping. The next day, chaos. What happened to Sneha?
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True crime

One July night in 1995, Deputy Sheriff William G. Hardy was shot behind the Crown Sterling Suites hotel in Birmingham, Alabama. At the same time as the murder, at least 10 people saw Toforest Johnson four miles away at a popular nightclub called Tee's Place. But detectives zeroed in on him as a main suspect in Deputy Hardy’s murder anyway, ultimately resulting in Toforest being tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. For over a quarter century, Toforest has been confined to a 5’ by 8’ cell on Alabama’s death row.
 
In 2019, investigative journalist Beth Shelburne began covering the case, going down a disturbing rabbit hole revealing many unsettling facts that cast grave doubts about Toforest’s guilt. The facts she found tear at the very foundation of the American criminal justice system: No eyewitnesses or physical evidence tied Toforest to the murder; the state tried to convict a different man for the same crime; and perhaps most disturbing of all, Toforest’s conviction relied on an "earwitness" – a woman who claimed to have eavesdropped on an incriminating phone call, a woman whom prosecutors paid for her testimony, in secret. That payment was not disclosed to the jury, Toforest, or his lawyers until after he had been on death row for 17 years.
 
From the team behind the award-winning hit podcast Bone Valley, Lava for Good’s Earwitness is an eight-episode docuseries that asks the question, “How did an innocent man end up on death row — and why is the state still trying to execute him over the objection of the prosecutor who put him there?” Shelburne’s unprecedented access to key players—the lead detective, lead prosecutor, witnesses, jurors, and the earwitness herself—illuminate a story filled with disturbing twists, frustrating ambiguities, and shocking admissions. The story of Toforest Johnson and the state's enthusiasm for the death penalty in the face of such troubling evidentiary flaws brings to light the failings of a criminal justice system run amok.
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Introducing: Earwitness

Hi, Mo9/11 fans! We're excited about the newest TenderfootTV podcast, Freeway Phantom. Since you enjoyed our show, we think you won't want to miss this important story. You don't have to only take our word for it, though. Check out the trailer to decide if Freeway Phantom is your next true-crime obsession!
Show Description: Between 1971 and 1972, six black girls went missing in the Washington D.C. area. Their bodies were discarded alongside DC freeways. And their killer was never found. The media dubbed him “The Freeway Phantom.” From iHeartRadio and Tenderfoot TV, a new podcast reinvestigates the 50-year-old unsolved murders of these young girls. Journalist and Public Radio veteran Celeste Headlee (NPR, PBS, TEDx) examines old case files and interviews the investigators and family members who are still haunted by these killings. Headlee will ask the questions: Why didn’t these murders make the news headlines? Did law enforcement do enough to solve these crimes? And how do racial disparities impact these types of investigations, past and present? Plus, we’ll explore new evidence which may crack the cold case wide open again.
Listen to Freeway Phantom on the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get your podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing: Freeway Phantom

Hi, Missing on 9/11 fans! iHeartPodcasts and TenderfootTV are excited to announce The MLK Tapes - a brand new podcast that takes a second look at the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We think you'll enjoy the thrilling storytelling, but don't just take our word for it. Check out the trailer to decide for yourself!
About The MLK Tapes: According to the official story, on April 4th, 1968, a lone gunman assassinated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. That man, James Earl Ray, pled guilty and for most people, the case was closed. The MLK Tapes, a new true-crime podcast from the creators of Atlanta Monster and Monster: DC Sniper, explores rare recordings of eye-witness testimony and new interviews with people who were there to reveal the true story of the plot to kill Dr. King.
Listen and subscribe to The MLK Tapes on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!
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Introducing: The MLK Tapes

We air FBI audio recorded on 9/11 at the World Trade Center.   Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Audio Artifact: The FBI Tape

The FBI lost photos taken high in the towers on 9/11.   Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

S1 E5: The Transcript

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