Wrongful Conviction

One morning in February of 1975, 17-year-old high school basketball star Leslie Vass was running an errand for his mother at the local pharmacy in Baltimore, MD when he was approached by a police officer. This was Vass’s first encounter with the police, and he was confused and frightened when they placed him under arrest at gunpoint. Four months prior, three men robbed a delivery man at this same pharmacy. The victim of this robbery happened to be there that day, and reported that Vass was one of the armed robbers. Vass was sentenced to 20 years in prison solely on the questionable testimony of this one witness. 

Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On August 11, 1991, the body of a young woman was found outside an apartment building in Austin, TX. A bystander reported a black man rubbernecking at the incident, causing the police to question 26-year-old Allen Andre Causey for “suspicious behavior.” 

After hours of interrogation police handed Andre a written statement claiming it was his alibi. Andre says only after signing did he learn it was a confession to murder that would land him in prison for three decades. On warm, sunny days, Andre would look outside the prison windows and daydream: “Man, it's just beautiful. I need to be at home.” Home with his family and wife of 23 years, Dellanda. But it would be years before they could reunite.

To learn more and get involved, visit:
https://innocencetexas.org/

Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On January 31, 2002, Robert Roberson was awakened at his home in Palestine, TX by a cry and went to find his two year old daughter, Nikki Curtis, on the floor at the foot of the bed with a small amount of blood on her mouth. He cleaned up her mouth and kept her up for a while, then they both fell back to sleep. 

A few hours later, Robert awoke up to find Nikki unconscious and turning blue. He tried to revive her but she was unresponsive. 

Robert brought his daughter to the emergency room and after extensive triage, including reviving her heart (but not her brain), Nikki was driven to Dallas for further treatment and eventually taken off of life support. She passed away on February 1, 2002. 

Robert was eventually indicted and ultimately convicted for capital murder for Nikki’s death and sentenced to death by lethal injection.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/justice-for-robert-roberson/
https://justiceforroberson.com/

To write Robert:
Robert Roberson
TDCJ 999442
Polunsky Unit
3872 FM 350 South
Livingston, TX 77351
https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/410-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-shaken-baby-syndrome/

Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pulitzer Prize winner and iHeartPodcast 2024 Social Impact Award Honoree Maggie Freleng brings compelling stories of redemption and justice with new episodes of Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng starting September 9, 2024.

Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good™ Podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In June 1986, Kevin Dykes witnessed the attempted murder of 2 people and the actual murder of a 3rd person in his neighborhood in Compton, CA. Kevin decided to go to the police, partly out of fear of reprisals by the killers who knew he witnessed the murder. The prosecutors then used his knowledge of the crimes that he witnessed against him and charged him with all 3 crimes.
Learn more and get involved at:

 https://www.change.org/free-kevin-dykes

https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/with-jason-flom

https://cash.app/$kevindykes0712

Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a short stint in prison, Stephen Carrington was a newlywed father, training to be an EMT and getting his life back on track. But when the police came looking for his brother at the same Brooklyn, NY address, the police mistakenly zeroed in on Stephen as the primary suspect of a felony murder at a Brooklyn lumber store. Stephen was convicted and sentence to 23 years to life. 

Learn more and get involved at:

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=6802

http://www.brooklynda.org/2024/05/16/brooklyn-district-attorney-moves-to-vacate-conviction-of-brooklyn-man-who-served-23-years-for-homicide-in-case-of-mistaken-identity/

https://www.nyls.edu/faculty/adele-bernhard/

Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On June 14, 2007, 32-year-old Chris Vaughn was found limping on the side of the road near Joliet, IL, bleeding from two gunshot wounds. When police arrived on scene, they found the bodies of his wife and three children shot in the car. Chris is unable to recount the events of that early morning, and there are no other witnesses to the crime. Chris was subsequently convicted of 4 counts of first-degree murder. Although the state intended on imposing the death penalty, it was abolished four years after Chris’s arrest. His trial hadn’t begun, altering the state’s course of action. He is currently incarcerated and serving 4 consecutive life sentences for the killings. 

Chris Vaughn’s case was covered in the hit 2021 podcast series Murder in Illinois. While Chris was interviewed extensively for that podcast, this is the first time we hear Chris Vaughn’s voice as he shares his tragic story with Jason Flom.

Featuring: 

Chris Vaughn

Keith Altman (Attorney)

Lauren Bright Pacheco 

Jason Flom

Click here to listen to Murder in Illinois:

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-murder-in-illinois-84071522/

Please tell Governor Pritzker about your support for Christopher Vaughn:

https://gov.illinois.gov/contact-us/voice-an-opinion.html

https://www.instagram.com/govpritzker/?hl=en

To write to Christopher, send letters to:

Christopher Vaughn IDOC#MM33173

5835 State Route 154

Pinckneyville, IL 62274

To learn more, visit:

https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/250-jason-flom-with-rodney-lincoln/

Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the early 1990s, Calvin Buari was a well-known crack cocaine distributor in the Bronx, NY. In 1992, a disgruntled associate who had recently shot Calvin implicated him in the murder of Elijah and Salhaddin Harris. Calvin was charged with the double murder and six rival drug dealers testified against him at his 1995 murder trial. No physical evidence connected him to the crime. A jury took only two hours to convict Calvin of murder, and he was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. 
But he never stopped fighting for his freedom, and the case took a turn with a 2003 affidavit from the key witness against him who confessed to the crime, stating that he “pinned this double murder on Calvin Buari because of a dispute between Calvin and me, and because I wanted complete control of my drug spot.” 
Journalist Steve Fishman followed Calvin’s story for seven years and eyewitnesses, first interviewed by Fishman, testified in court in 2015 that Calvin was not the murderer. By May 2017, a judge overturned the conviction and ordered 46-year-old Calvin Buari freed. In this episode, Calvin is joined by Steve Fishman, who chronicles his journey for justice in the hit podcast Empire on Blood.

To learn more, click here:
https://link.chtbl.com/KsTvKFl3

Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Terrel Barros and his friends thought they were just going out clubbing until a tragic encounter changed all that. Then, authorities compounded that tragedy by sending an innocent man to prison and setting the confessed killer free.
Learn more and get involved at:

http://www.change.org/freeterrelbarros

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LQPNFwumJQ

https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/with-jason-flom

Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jerome Curry was arrested in connection with several shootings in the Bronx, NY, on September 20, 1996. When taken in for questioning, Jerome faced verbal and physical abuse from the police and ultimately falsely confessed to the shootings. Despite no physical evidence tying him to the crimes and questionable police tactics, Jerome was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for murder and attempted murder. 

To learn more, visit:

https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/444-jason-flom-with-rafael-martinez/

We started the Wrongful Conviction podcast to provide a voice to innocent people in prison.
We want to hear your voices, too.
So call us at 833-207-4666 and leave us a message.
Tell us how these powerful, often tragic and sometimes triumphant, stories make you feel.
Shocked?
Inspired?
Motivated?
We want to know!
We may even include your story in a future episode.
And hey, the more of you that join in, the more power our collective voices will have.
So tell a friend to listen and to call us too at 833-207-4666

Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.