One Minute Remaining - Stories from the inmates

In 1997, a two-year-old boy collapsed on the floor of his bedroom in Biloxi, Mississippi. His stepmother, Tasha Shelby, called for help. By the time the sun came up, she was the prime suspect. By the time the trial ended, she had a life sentence.

Tasha was twenty-two. Twelve days postpartum. Engaged to be married. The only adult in the house the night Bryan collapsed. The case against her rested on a single diagnosis, Shaken Baby Syndrome, delivered by the medical examiner who performed the autopsy.

Decades on, that same medical examiner has taken the stand again, under oath, to say he got it wrong. The certainty that once surrounded the diagnosis has been picked apart in courtrooms across the world. Hundreds of people convicted on the same theory have walked free.

Tasha has not.

Recorded from inside Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, this is her story in her own words. The thump in the night, the newborn daughter taken from her arms,the trial and the expert recantation.

What happens when the expert says they got it wrong?

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In 1997, a two-year-old boy collapsed on the floor of his bedroom in Biloxi, Mississippi. His stepmother, Tasha Shelby, called for help. By the time the sun came up, she was the prime suspect. By the time the trial ended, she had a life sentence.

Tasha was twenty-two. Twelve days postpartum. Engaged to be married. The only adult in the house the night Bryan collapsed. The case against her rested on a single diagnosis, Shaken Baby Syndrome, delivered by the medical examiner who performed the autopsy.

Decades on, that same medical examiner has taken the stand again, under oath, to say he got it wrong. The certainty that once surrounded the diagnosis has been picked apart in courtrooms across the world. Hundreds of people convicted on the same theory have walked free.

Tasha has not.

Recorded from inside Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, this is her story in her own words. The thump in the night, the newborn daughter taken from her arms,the trial and the expert recantation.

What happens when the expert says they got it wrong?

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In 1997, a two-year-old boy collapsed on the floor of his bedroom in Biloxi, Mississippi. His stepmother, Tasha Shelby, called for help. By the time the sun came up, she was the prime suspect. By the time the trial ended, she had a life sentence.

Tasha was twenty-two. Twelve days postpartum. Engaged to be married. The only adult in the house the night Bryan collapsed. The case against her rested on a single diagnosis, Shaken Baby Syndrome, delivered by the medical examiner who performed the autopsy.

Decades on, that same medical examiner has taken the stand again, under oath, to say he got it wrong. The certainty that once surrounded the diagnosis has been picked apart in courtrooms across the world. Hundreds of people convicted on the same theory have walked free.

Tasha has not.

Recorded from inside Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, this is her story in her own words. The thump in the night, the newborn daughter taken from her arms,the trial and the expert recantation.

What happens when the expert says they got it wrong?

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In the 1990s and early 2000s, Shaken Baby Syndrome was considered unshakeable medical fact. When doctors found three specific symptoms—subdural bleeding, retinal hemorrhages, and brain swelling—the diagnosis was automatic: someone had violently shaken a baby to death.

Two women's lives were destroyed by this "certainty."

Tasha Shelby was 25 years old when she was convicted of murdering her fiancé's two-year-old son. Just two weeks after giving birth by emergency C-section, prosecutors claimed this 4'9" woman had shaken 33-pound Bryan Thompson with the force of a car crash. Her trial lasted two days. Her sentence: life without parole.

Marsha Mills was a 55-year-old grandmother caring for neighbourhood children when two-year-old Noah Shoup died in her care. Despite her spotless record and the family's trust, medical testimony sent her to prison for life based on the same three symptoms.

Neither woman had any history of violence. Neither had any other evidence against them except the testimony of medical experts who claimed absolute certainty.

But that certainty was built on a foundation of sand.

From prison, both women tell their stories to host Jack Laurence in this groundbreaking investigation into how flawed science can destroy innocent lives.

Through exclusive interviews with Valena E. Beety—professor of law at Arizona State University, deputy director of the Academy for Justice, and Tasha's attorney—we uncover how the medical establishment's false confidence railroaded families through the courts.

Professor Keith Findley of the University of Wisconsin Law School, co-founder of the Wisconsin Innocence Project and co-author of the definitive Cambridge University Press book "Shaken Baby Syndrome: Investigating the Abusive Head Trauma Controversy," reveals how modern science has shattered the assumptions that sent these women to prison.

The science was wrong. The convictions were wrong. But the women remain behind bars.

Across America, 34 people have been exonerated from Shaken Baby Syndrome convictions as courts slowly recognise the diagnosis is unreliable. Yet Tasha and Marsha—despite overwhelming evidence of their innocence—have exhausted their appeals and face dying in prison for crimes that may never have happened.

Unshakeable Science exposes how medical arrogance, prosecutorial certainty, and judicial inertia have created a system where admitting error is harder than perpetuating injustice.

When the science breaks down, who pays the price?

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In 1997, a two-year-old boy collapsed on the floor of his bedroom in Biloxi, Mississippi. His stepmother, Tasha Shelby, called for help. By the time the sun came up, she was the prime suspect. By the time the trial ended, she had a life sentence.

Tasha was twenty-two. Twelve days postpartum. Engaged to be married. The only adult in the house the night Bryan collapsed. The case against her rested on a single diagnosis, Shaken Baby Syndrome, delivered by the medical examiner who performed the autopsy.

Decades on, that same medical examiner has taken the stand again, under oath, to say he got it wrong. The certainty that once surrounded the diagnosis has been picked apart in courtrooms across the world. Hundreds of people convicted on the same theory have walked free.

Tasha has not.

Recorded from inside Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, this is her story in her own words. The thump in the night, the newborn daughter taken from her arms,the trial and the expert recantation.

What happens when the expert says they got it wrong?

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In 1997, a two-year-old boy collapsed on the floor of his bedroom in Biloxi, Mississippi. His stepmother, Tasha Shelby, called for help. By the time the sun came up, she was the prime suspect. By the time the trial ended, she had a life sentence.

Tasha was twenty-two. Twelve days postpartum. Engaged to be married. The only adult in the house the night Bryan collapsed. The case against her rested on a single diagnosis, Shaken Baby Syndrome, delivered by the medical examiner who performed the autopsy.

Decades on, that same medical examiner has taken the stand again, under oath, to say he got it wrong. The certainty that once surrounded the diagnosis has been picked apart in courtrooms across the world. Hundreds of people convicted on the same theory have walked free.

Tasha has not.

Recorded from inside Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, this is her story in her own words. The thump in the night, the newborn daughter taken from her arms,the trial and the expert recantation.

What happens when the expert says they got it wrong?

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When you hear that someone has been handed a sentence of life plus 104 years you'd be forgiven for thinking that today I am sitting down with some sort of serial killer, or someone who has committed some incredibly heinous crimes but you'd be wrong.

Brad Hays is currently serving his incredible sentence in the state of Missouri. Brad is no career criminal, in fact up until this sentence he had never been to prison. Brad Hays did not kill anyone, he wasn't even present when someone was killed, in fact no one died at all in Brad's case but none the less he has been unable to get any relife in his case.

Today I catch up with Brad to see whats been happening in the world of the Missouri DOC, the disaster that is the lack of health care, officers accused of committing murder, the rise in the drug K2 and where he's at with trying to get a reduction in his sentence.

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Susan Brown was thirty weeks pregnant when her estranged husband attacked her. She says he beat her, raped her, and stabbed her in the stomach. She fought back. She woke in a hospital bed with a baby born devastatingly premature, and learned her ex-husband was dead.

Susan was charged with first degree murder. The law that now protects Michigan women defending themselves during a sexual assault did not exist in 2004. She was sentenced to life without parole.

Twenty years on, Susan is an internationally exhibited artist, a mentor, a conflict mediator, and a leading voice for second look legislation in her state. A clemency package was submitted to Governor Whitmer in August 2022. Her 2024 commutation hearing did not result in release.

In this check in, I catch up with Susan on life inside Huron Valley, where her case sits now, and the hope she still carries for Governor Whitmer's final term in office.

If you would like to support Susan, letters to the Governor's office make a real difference.

Write to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, Michigan 48909, USA. Reference MDOC

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On New Year's Eve 2011, a landscaper named Ronald Hauser was found shot dead in the basement of his home in Livingston County, Michigan. A month later, police came knocking on the door of one of Ron's friends, a man named Anthony Duke. Tony was arrested, charged, and in 2015 convicted of murder. He has maintained his innocence ever since.

Tony Duke is now serving life without the possibility of parole. Under Michigan law, that sentence means exactly what it says -- there is no parole date, no automatic review, no mechanism for release. The only path out runs through the Governor's office, and it is a path that very few people ever reach the end of.

In this episode we catch up with Tony, who recently appeared before the Michigan Parole Board for what is known as a commutation initial -- a formal hearing that is, for people in Tony's situation, one of the rarest and most significant steps in a process that offers very little. We talk through what that meeting means, what came back from the Board, and what the road ahead looks like from inside a Michigan prison cell.

We also examine the broader landscape of clemency in Michigan -- who gets it, who doesn't, and why the final stretch of a governor's time in office has historically been the window that matters most for people who have run out of any other options.

Tony Duke's case has never stopped raising questions.

How to contact Governor Whitmer about Tony Duke's case

There are three ways to reach the Governor's office directly.

Online contact form (easiest option) The Governor's office has a contact form at michigan.gov/whitmer/contact -- you can use this to write directly to the office and share their thoughts on Tony's case.

By phone Constituent Services: (517) 335-7858 Main office: (517) 373-3400

By post Governor Gretchen Whitmer P.O. Box 30013 Lansing, Michigan 48909

Tips for anyone writing in:

A letter or message to the Governor's office in support of a clemency case is most effective when it is brief, respectful, and specific. You don't need legal expertise, you just need to be genuine.

A few things worth including:

Keep it to one page if writing by post. If using the online form, a few clear, considered paragraphs is plenty. The Governor's office does read correspondence on clemency cases -- volume of letters on a specific case does register.

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A child takes the stand. They describe what they saw in vivid detail. They are consistent, they are convincing, and the jury believes them. But how much of what they are saying actually happened -- and how much of it was shaped by the questions they were asked, the adults they trusted, and a memory that was never as fixed as anyone assumed?

In this episode, we sit down with Dr Ben Francis Cotterill, lecturer in psychology at Clemson University and one of the leading researchers in the field of child eyewitness testimony. His work examines the gap between what children genuinely remember and what the justice system asks them to do with those memories -- and that gap, the research tells us, can be significant.

We take you through the science of how children's memories form and how they can be altered -- sometimes dramatically -- through suggestion, leading questions, and repeated interviewing. We look at why the authority of an adult in a room with a child can reshape what that child believes they witnessed. And we examine the uncomfortable truth that some of the most well-intentioned interview techniques used in abuse investigations have been shown to increase the risk of false reporting rather than reduce it.

This is not a conversation about doubting children. It is a conversation about understanding them and about asking hard questions of a justice system that has not always asked those questions of itself.

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We just wrapped up the story of Kara Garvin, sentenced to life without parole for a crime she says she didn't commit, we have heard her version of events and explored the case against her but now it's time to get the opinion of the man they call 'The Voice of Reason' a man with over 30 years experience as a criminal defence attorney from Chicago Illinois, it is Michael Leonard.

Kara Garvin grew up in Franklin Furnace, Ohio, a small, tight-knit community nestled along the Ohio River, the kind of place where everybody knows everybody, and where the OxyContin crisis of the early 2000s didn't just make the news, it moved in next door. Like so many in her community, Kara's life became entangled with addiction. And like so many, that entanglement would come to define how the world saw her.

On the evening of the 22nd of December 2008, three days before Christmas, Edward Mollett, his wife Juanita, and their daughter Christina were shot and killed inside their mobile home in Franklin Furnace. A six year old boy, covered in blood, ran down the hill to a neighbour's house for help. Within hours, Kara Garvin had voluntarily walked into the Scioto County Sheriff's Office. By morning, she was facing three counts of aggravated murder.

She has never stopped saying she didn't do it.

In this series, I sit down with Kara inside the prison where she has spent the last sixteen years of her life. We go back to the beginning — her childhood, her struggles, the community that shaped her — and we walk, step by step, through the night of the 22nd of December, the investigation that followed, and the trial that put her away. We examine the state's case, the evidence, the witnesses, and the questions that Kara says have never been adequately answered.

Three people lost their lives that night. A family was destroyed. A six year old boy saw things no child should ever see. Those facts are not in dispute.

What is in dispute is who pulled the trigger.

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Kara Garvin grew up in Franklin Furnace, Ohio, a small, tight-knit community nestled along the Ohio River, the kind of place where everybody knows everybody, and where the OxyContin crisis of the early 2000s didn't just make the news, it moved in next door. Like so many in her community, Kara's life became entangled with addiction. And like so many, that entanglement would come to define how the world saw her.

On the evening of the 22nd of December 2008, three days before Christmas, Edward Mollett, his wife Juanita, and their daughter Christina were shot and killed inside their mobile home in Franklin Furnace. A six year old boy, covered in blood, ran down the hill to a neighbour's house for help. Within hours, Kara Garvin had voluntarily walked into the Scioto County Sheriff's Office. By morning, she was facing three counts of aggravated murder.

She has never stopped saying she didn't do it.

In this series, I sit down with Kara inside the prison where she has spent the last sixteen years of her life. We go back to the beginning — her childhood, her struggles, the community that shaped her — and we walk, step by step, through the night of the 22nd of December, the investigation that followed, and the trial that put her away. We examine the state's case, the evidence, the witnesses, and the questions that Kara says have never been adequately answered.

Three people lost their lives that night. A family was destroyed. A six year old boy saw things no child should ever see. Those facts are not in dispute.

What is in dispute is who pulled the trigger.

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Kara Garvin grew up in Franklin Furnace, Ohio, a small, tight-knit community nestled along the Ohio River, the kind of place where everybody knows everybody, and where the OxyContin crisis of the early 2000s didn't just make the news, it moved in next door. Like so many in her community, Kara's life became entangled with addiction. And like so many, that entanglement would come to define how the world saw her.

On the evening of the 22nd of December 2008, three days before Christmas, Edward Mollett, his wife Juanita, and their daughter Christina were shot and killed inside their mobile home in Franklin Furnace. A six year old boy, covered in blood, ran down the hill to a neighbour's house for help. Within hours, Kara Garvin had voluntarily walked into the Scioto County Sheriff's Office. By morning, she was facing three counts of aggravated murder.

She has never stopped saying she didn't do it.

In this series, I sit down with Kara inside the prison where she has spent the last sixteen years of her life. We go back to the beginning — her childhood, her struggles, the community that shaped her — and we walk, step by step, through the night of the 22nd of December, the investigation that followed, and the trial that put her away. We examine the state's case, the evidence, the witnesses, and the questions that Kara says have never been adequately answered.

Three people lost their lives that night. A family was destroyed. A six year old boy saw things no child should ever see. Those facts are not in dispute.

What is in dispute is who pulled the trigger.

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Kara Garvin grew up in Franklin Furnace, Ohio, a small, tight-knit community nestled along the Ohio River, the kind of place where everybody knows everybody, and where the OxyContin crisis of the early 2000s didn't just make the news, it moved in next door. Like so many in her community, Kara's life became entangled with addiction. And like so many, that entanglement would come to define how the world saw her.

On the evening of the 22nd of December 2008, three days before Christmas, Edward Mollett, his wife Juanita, and their daughter Christina were shot and killed inside their mobile home in Franklin Furnace. A six year old boy, covered in blood, ran down the hill to a neighbour's house for help. Within hours, Kara Garvin had voluntarily walked into the Scioto County Sheriff's Office. By morning, she was facing three counts of aggravated murder.

She has never stopped saying she didn't do it.

In this series, I sit down with Kara inside the prison where she has spent the last sixteen years of her life. We go back to the beginning — her childhood, her struggles, the community that shaped her — and we walk, step by step, through the night of the 22nd of December, the investigation that followed, and the trial that put her away. We examine the state's case, the evidence, the witnesses, and the questions that Kara says have never been adequately answered.

Three people lost their lives that night. A family was destroyed. A six year old boy saw things no child should ever see. Those facts are not in dispute.

What is in dispute is who pulled the trigger.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

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Kara Garvin grew up in Franklin Furnace, Ohio — a small, tight-knit community nestled along the Ohio River, the kind of place where everybody knows everybody, and where the OxyContin crisis of the early 2000s didn't just make the news, it moved in next door. Like so many in her community, Kara's life became entangled with addiction. And like so many, that entanglement would come to define how the world saw her.

On the evening of the 22nd of December 2008, three days before Christmas, Edward Mollett, his wife Juanita, and their daughter Christina were shot and killed inside their mobile home in Franklin Furnace. A six year old boy, covered in blood, ran down the hill to a neighbour's house for help. Within hours, Kara Garvin had voluntarily walked into the Scioto County Sheriff's Office. By morning, she was facing three counts of aggravated murder.

She has never stopped saying she didn't do it.

In this series, I sit down with Kara inside the prison where she has spent the last sixteen years of her life. We go back to the beginning — her childhood, her struggles, the community that shaped her — and we walk, step by step, through the night of the 22nd of December, the investigation that followed, and the trial that put her away. We examine the state's case, the evidence, the witnesses, and the questions that Kara says have never been adequately answered.

Three people lost their lives that night. A family was destroyed. A six year old boy saw things no child should ever see. Those facts are not in dispute.

What is in dispute is who pulled the trigger.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

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Patreon and find us on Facebook here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kara Garvin grew up in Franklin Furnace, Ohio — a small, tight-knit community nestled along the Ohio River, the kind of place where everybody knows everybody, and where the OxyContin crisis of the early 2000s didn't just make the news, it moved in next door. Like so many in her community, Kara's life became entangled with addiction. And like so many, that entanglement would come to define how the world saw her.

On the evening of the 22nd of December 2008, three days before Christmas, Edward Mollett, his wife Juanita, and their daughter Christina were shot and killed inside their mobile home in Franklin Furnace. A six year old boy, covered in blood, ran down the hill to a neighbour's house for help. Within hours, Kara Garvin had voluntarily walked into the Scioto County Sheriff's Office. By morning, she was facing three counts of aggravated murder.

She has never stopped saying she didn't do it.

In this series, I sit down with Kara inside the prison where she has spent the last sixteen years of her life. We go back to the beginning — her childhood, her struggles, the community that shaped her — and we walk, step by step, through the night of the 22nd of December, the investigation that followed, and the trial that put her away. We examine the state's case, the evidence, the witnesses, and the questions that Kara says have never been adequately answered.

Three people lost their lives that night. A family was destroyed. A six year old boy saw things no child should ever see. Those facts are not in dispute.

What is in dispute is who pulled the trigger.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

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I first met Dustin in August 2025. He talked me through his life — his intense training to become a coveted Navy SEAL, through to the night his life would change forever, and his subsequent 30-year battle to clear his name.

When we first spoke, Dustin's options for returning home were pretty limited. After exhausting most avenues for release, all he had left was placing his freedom in the hands of a parole board. As I have mentioned on many occasions, parole boards are tough to crack. It can take a lot of convincing to get them to agree to send you home — even more so when you maintain your innocence of the very crime you're in prison for.

As we know, for the majority of parole boards, your innocence — or claims of it — are usually of little interest. That's not what they're there for. What they want to know is whether you have changed. Are you remorseful? Have you been a model prisoner? Their job is not to review the case against you, merely to decide whether you still pose a threat to the public.

So when Dustin came up for parole, the stress and tension were high. But something happened in his case that rarely, if ever, happens — a couple of the board members, including a former prosecutor, took it upon themselves to actually look at the case against him. And it's not every day that a co-defendant comes out and tells a courtroom that you didn't commit the crime you were convicted of.

Following this, that same board member — the former prosecutor — took the further unprecedented step of publicly acknowledging his belief in Dustin's wrongful incarceration for murder, and stating on record that he believed Dustin had already served far more time for his involvement than he ever should have. With that, Dustin was granted parole in a 2-3 majority verdict.

It wasn't, of course, as straightforward as that, and Dustin's road back home wasn't without its complications — but he is now free. Albeit with strict parole conditions. And for the first time, we got the chance to sit down face to face and talk about how he's found life on the outside.

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The words "Don't you die on me" came back to haunt me recently, as I got a message to say John Spirko may have had a suspected heart attack just minutes after we hung up the phone and I uttered those words. It would turn out it wasn't a heart attack and after some time in hospital John was returned to prison in time to get some better news.

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In 1982, postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger was abducted from her one-room post office in Elgin, Ohio — a town of fifty people and murdered.

Six weeks later, John Spirko, a career criminal with a talent for spinning stories, decided to trade invented information about her death for a deal that would keep his girlfriend out of prison. It didn't work. Instead, his web of lies contradictory, provably wrong, and completely fabricated, somehow became the centrepiece of a capital murder prosecution. No physical evidence. No connection to the victim. No connection to the crime scene. Just the words of a man who admitted he made it all up.

John Spirko has been on Ohio's death row, and now serves life without parole, for over forty years. A federal judge called his conviction a foundation of sand. A governor said there was enough doubt to spare his life but not enough to free him.

This is his story as told by him from his prison cell in Ohio.

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After twenty-three years, a last-minute act of clemency from a departing New Jersey governor changed everything for Tariq MaQbool. 150 years became 45, Maximum security became lower. However inside the order that finally gave him hope was language that raises serious questions and when his paperwork arrived, something was on it that had never been there before. As always with these situations with the D.O.C when one door opens another one shuts and all you're left with is just more questions, more confusion and very little in the way of answers.

We sit back down with Tariq to hear what happened.

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We just wrapped up the story of John Spirko, a man who's spent over 40 years in prison for a murder that put him on death row, a murder he's always maintained he's innocent of, even though he was the one who put himself in the firing line of detectives. So as always when we finish these cases, it's time to find out what the man they call 'The Voice of Reason' thinks, does he believe John has a case for innocence, or is he not convinced? Let's find out from Michael Leonard of Leonard Trial Lawyers in Chicago, Illinois.

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In 1982, postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger was abducted from her one-room post office in Elgin, Ohio — a town of fifty people and murdered.

Six weeks later, John Spirko, a career criminal with a talent for spinning stories, decided to trade invented information about her death for a deal that would keep his girlfriend out of prison. It didn't work. Instead, his web of lies contradictory, provably wrong, and completely fabricated, somehow became the centrepiece of a capital murder prosecution. No physical evidence. No connection to the victim. No connection to the crime scene. Just the words of a man who admitted he made it all up.

John Spirko has been on Ohio's death row, and now serves life without parole, for over forty years. A federal judge called his conviction a foundation of sand. A governor said there was enough doubt to spare his life but not enough to free him.

This is his story as told by him from his prison cell in Ohio.

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In 1982, postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger was abducted from her one-room post office in Elgin, Ohio — a town of fifty people and murdered.

Six weeks later, John Spirko, a career criminal with a talent for spinning stories, decided to trade invented information about her death for a deal that would keep his girlfriend out of prison. It didn't work. Instead, his web of lies contradictory, provably wrong, and completely fabricated, somehow became the centrepiece of a capital murder prosecution. No physical evidence. No connection to the victim. No connection to the crime scene. Just the words of a man who admitted he made it all up.

John Spirko has been on Ohio's death row, and now serves life without parole, for over forty years. A federal judge called his conviction a foundation of sand. A governor said there was enough doubt to spare his life but not enough to free him.

This is his story as told by him from his prison cell in Ohio.

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In 1982, postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger was abducted from her one-room post office in Elgin, Ohio — a town of fifty people and murdered.

Six weeks later, John Spirko, a career criminal with a talent for spinning stories, decided to trade invented information about her death for a deal that would keep his girlfriend out of prison. It didn't work. Instead, his web of lies contradictory, provably wrong, and completely fabricated, somehow became the centrepiece of a capital murder prosecution. No physical evidence. No connection to the victim. No connection to the crime scene. Just the words of a man who admitted he made it all up.

John Spirko has been on Ohio's death row, and now serves life without parole, for over forty years. A federal judge called his conviction a foundation of sand. A governor said there was enough doubt to spare his life but not enough to free him.

This is his story as told by him from his prison cell in Ohio.

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In 1982, postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger was abducted from her one-room post office in Elgin, Ohio — a town of fifty people and murdered.

Six weeks later, John Spirko, a career criminal with a talent for spinning stories, decided to trade invented information about her death for a deal that would keep his girlfriend out of prison. It didn't work. Instead, his web of lies contradictory, provably wrong, and completely fabricated, somehow became the centrepiece of a capital murder prosecution. No physical evidence. No connection to the victim. No connection to the crime scene. Just the words of a man who admitted he made it all up.

John Spirko has been on Ohio's death row, and now serves life without parole, for over forty years. A federal judge called his conviction a foundation of sand. A governor said there was enough doubt to spare his life but not enough to free him.

This is his story as told by him from his prison cell in Ohio.

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In 1982, postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger was abducted from her one-room post office in Elgin, Ohio — a town of fifty people and murdered.

Six weeks later, John Spirko, a career criminal with a talent for spinning stories, decided to trade invented information about her death for a deal that would keep his girlfriend out of prison. It didn't work. Instead, his web of lies contradictory, provably wrong, and completely fabricated, somehow became the centrepiece of a capital murder prosecution. No physical evidence. No connection to the victim. No connection to the crime scene. Just the words of a man who admitted he made it all up.

John Spirko has been on Ohio's death row, and now serves life without parole, for over forty years. A federal judge called his conviction a foundation of sand. A governor said there was enough doubt to spare his life but not enough to free him.

This is his story as told by him from his prison cell in Ohio.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1982, postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger was abducted from her one-room post office in Elgin, Ohio — a town of fifty people and murdered.

Six weeks later, John Spirko, a career criminal with a talent for spinning stories, decided to trade invented information about her death for a deal that would keep his girlfriend out of prison. It didn't work. Instead, his web of lies contradictory, provably wrong, and completely fabricated, somehow became the centrepiece of a capital murder prosecution. No physical evidence. No connection to the victim. No connection to the crime scene. Just the words of a man who admitted he made it all up.

John Spirko has been on Ohio's death row, and now serves life without parole, for over forty years. A federal judge called his conviction a foundation of sand. A governor said there was enough doubt to spare his life but not enough to free him.

This is his story as told by him from his prison cell in Ohio.

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What I Survived explores the extraordinary true stories of people who survived the unthinkable. Each story takes you back to who these people were before everything changed, then inside the moment their lives were pushed to the edge, shipwrecked at sea for weeks, held captive by terrorists, falling 15,000 feet from a plane after a parachute failure, and other extreme, life-or-death situations.

Through first-hand accounts, we follow the ordeal as it happened, the decisions made under unimaginable pressure, and the will it took to survive.

Then what came after, the physical and psychological recovery, and the process of rebuilding a life forever altered.

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Today I catch up with Tariq Maqbool, a man serving 150 years in prison for a double homicide he has always maintained he did not commit, a sentence that would see him die behind bars.

That was until now. Tariq recently petitioned the Governor of New Jersey for clemency, his only real last hope of making it home to his family and he's just received some very welcome news.

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Anthony Duke, or Tony, is, it's fair to say, a favourite amongst those of us who have gone through this crazy journey over the last almost four years. A man of strong values, strong faith, and the strong silent type.

Tony isn't a man to ask for help. He's not one to say if he needs something, he is the one who provides, for himself and others. He is not someone who shares news too often, I believe because he doesn't want to get his or anyone else's hopes up, hopes that he will be coming home sooner than his life sentence will allow. However, he did recently get some news, news he was planning on keeping close to his chest. He had no choice but to tell his mum as he needed her help with getting some information, and once she knew, she in turn told him he should tell me. I'm very grateful she did, because now I know, and so will you—because Tony needs us, even if he doesn't like to ask for it.

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The story of Nosakhare Onumonu is nothing short of incredible.

As a young man, Nosa’s sister was brutally attacked by her partner—violence that ended when he set her home on fire and left her for dead. That man was arrested and sentenced to prison for his crimes, but the trauma left Nosa riddled with guilt. Why wasn’t he there to protect her? In his mind, he had failed his sister, his niece, and their family.

As time went by, Nosa helped his mother nurse his sister back to health while also caring for his niece. But those feelings of guilt only grew stronger. And when his sister was finally back on her feet, he made a decision—he was going to take something back from the man who had hurt his family. He wanted revenge.

Of course, the man who had done this was behind bars and would be for many years to come. But Nosa wasn’t willing to wait that long. He embarked on a suicide mission inside prison walls to get to him. And that was just the beginning. His story would take an even more shocking turn when he found himself wrongly convicted of a crime he didn’t commit.

Now he is free and finally back home with his family.

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On Aug. 23, 1984, Mary Flynn had been visiting her brother Martin Flynn and his wife, Kate, looking for houses for sale in their neighborhood. That night, around 10 p.m., a neighbor saw Flynn walking from her Toyota Tercel to the back door of her home after her visit to her brother and his wife.

Hours later, she was dead.

The next day, concerned that Mary hadn’t shown up for work and unable to reach her, a fellow nurse at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital called Marty Flynn. The two met at the duplex and got in through an unlocked door on the tenants’ side of the basement, according to court documents.

His sister was lying facedown on her bare mattress, nude, badly beaten and bloodied. Her wrists were bound behind her back with what appeared to be a torn strip of the bed sheet, which was also tied around her neck and the bed’s headboard.

It wasn't long till police would bring in Tony for questioning, he'd recently done some work on Mary's house and had been seen talking with her that day. Innitially they let Tony go but a month later he got a call to say he needs to come in to the station because he is going to be formally charged with murder.

After being convicted Tony eas sentenced to death and would spend more than 30 years on death row until DNA would seemingly exonerate him of the crime. He spent two years back home iwth his family until eventually a techincal legal loop hole saw him re arrested and sent back to death row where he remains today.

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On Aug. 23, 1984, Mary Flynn had been visiting her brother Martin Flynn and his wife, Kate, looking for houses for sale in their neighborhood. That night, around 10 p.m., a neighbor saw Flynn walking from her Toyota Tercel to the back door of her home after her visit to her brother and his wife.

Hours later, she was dead.

The next day, concerned that Mary hadn’t shown up for work and unable to reach her, a fellow nurse at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital called Marty Flynn. The two met at the duplex and got in through an unlocked door on the tenants’ side of the basement, according to court documents.

His sister was lying facedown on her bare mattress, nude, badly beaten and bloodied. Her wrists were bound behind her back with what appeared to be a torn strip of the bed sheet, which was also tied around her neck and the bed’s headboard.

It wasn't long till police would bring in Tony for questioning, he'd recently done some work on Mary's house and had been seen talking with her that day. Innitially they let Tony go but a month later he got a call to say he needs to come in to the station because he is going to be formally charged with murder.

After being convicted Tony eas sentenced to death and would spend more than 30 years on death row until DNA would seemingly exonerate him of the crime. He spent two years back home iwth his family until eventually a techincal legal loop hole saw him re arrested and sent back to death row where he remains today.

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On Aug. 23, 1984, Mary Flynn had been visiting her brother Martin Flynn and his wife, Kate, looking for houses for sale in their neighborhood. That night, around 10 p.m., a neighbor saw Flynn walking from her Toyota Tercel to the back door of her home after her visit to her brother and his wife.

Hours later, she was dead.

The next day, concerned that Mary hadn’t shown up for work and unable to reach her, a fellow nurse at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital called Marty Flynn. The two met at the duplex and got in through an unlocked door on the tenants’ side of the basement, according to court documents.

His sister was lying facedown on her bare mattress, nude, badly beaten and bloodied. Her wrists were bound behind her back with what appeared to be a torn strip of the bed sheet, which was also tied around her neck and the bed’s headboard.

It wasn't long till police would bring in Tony for questioning, he'd recently done some work on Mary's house and had been seen talking with her that day. Innitially they let Tony go but a month later he got a call to say he needs to come in to the station because he is going to be formally charged with murder.

After being convicted Tony eas sentenced to death and would spend more than 30 years on death row until DNA would seemingly exonerate him of the crime. He spent two years back home iwth his family until eventually a techincal legal loop hole saw him re arrested and sent back to death row where he remains today.

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On Aug. 23, 1984, Mary Flynn had been visiting her brother Martin Flynn and his wife, Kate, looking for houses for sale in their neighborhood. That night, around 10 p.m., a neighbor saw Flynn walking from her Toyota Tercel to the back door of her home after her visit to her brother and his wife.

Hours later, she was dead.

The next day, concerned that Mary hadn’t shown up for work and unable to reach her, a fellow nurse at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital called Marty Flynn. The two met at the duplex and got in through an unlocked door on the tenants’ side of the basement, according to court documents.

His sister was lying facedown on her bare mattress, nude, badly beaten and bloodied. Her wrists were bound behind her back with what appeared to be a torn strip of the bed sheet, which was also tied around her neck and the bed’s headboard.

It wasn't long till police would bring in Tony for questioning, he'd recently done some work on Mary's house and had been seen talking with her that day. Innitially they let Tony go but a month later he got a call to say he needs to come in to the station because he is going to be formally charged with murder.

After being convicted Tony eas sentenced to death and would spend more than 30 years on death row until DNA would seemingly exonerate him of the crime. He spent two years back home iwth his family until eventually a techincal legal loop hole saw him re arrested and sent back to death row where he remains today.

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On Aug. 23, 1984, Mary Flynn had been visiting her brother Martin Flynn and his wife, Kate, looking for houses for sale in their neighborhood. That night, around 10 p.m., a neighbor saw Flynn walking from her Toyota Tercel to the back door of her home after her visit to her brother and his wife.

Hours later, she was dead.

The next day, concerned that Mary hadn’t shown up for work and unable to reach her, a fellow nurse at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital called Marty Flynn. The two met at the duplex and got in through an unlocked door on the tenants’ side of the basement, according to court documents.

His sister was lying facedown on her bare mattress, nude, badly beaten and bloodied. Her wrists were bound behind her back with what appeared to be a torn strip of the bed sheet, which was also tied around her neck and the bed’s headboard.

It wasn't long till police would bring in Tony for questioning, he'd recently done some work on Mary's house and had been seen talking with her that day. Innitially they let Tony go but a month later he got a call to say he needs to come in to the station because he is going to be formally charged with murder.

After being convicted Tony eas sentenced to death and would spend more than 30 years on death row until DNA would seemingly exonerate him of the crime. He spent two years back home iwth his family until eventually a techincal legal loop hole saw him re arrested and sent back to death row where he remains today.

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Last year, I introduced you to the case of Dustin Turner, a man who has long maintained his innocence while serving a sentence that has kept him behind bars for decades for the murder of Jennifer Evans. He and his co-accused, Billy Brown, were sentenced to 75 and 85 years behind bars without the possibility of parole.

Since his conviction, Dustin has consistently denied he played any part in Jennifer’s murder and that his only involvement was making the poor decision to help Billy cover it up by disposing of her body.

Ahead of his most recent parole hearing, I caught up with Dustin to talk through how he was feeling as the decision approached. He was cautiously optimistic. This time, the maths mattered. He didn’t need a unanimous decision, only a majority vote. Based on prior indications, he believed he already had that support. What remained was for it to be formally decided at a public hearing.

I attended that hearing via Zoom, battling through audio issues as the parole board laid out their views. What followed was a mix of encouragement and concern. One board member, a former prosecutor with more than forty years’ experience, stated that he believed Dustin had already spent more time in prison than he should have. Another warned that granting parole could set a dangerous precedent.

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He was born into the Gambino family with a father as a made man who committed multiple murders, Anthony Ruggiano Jnr’s life was always going to be different.

He would spend 14 years in prison and commit multiple murders himself, including that of his brother in-law, before he decided he’d had enough.

My first ‘sit down’ with a former Mafia member and is this months Bonus subscriber episode.

Anthony's YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@AnthonyRuggiano

Instagram

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

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He was born into the Gambino family with a father as a made man who committed multiple murders, Anthony Ruggiano Jnr’s life was always going to be different.

He would spend 14 years in prison and commit multiple murders himself, including that of his brother in-law, before he decided he’d had enough.

My first ‘sit down’ with a former Mafia member and is this months Bonus subscriber episode.

Anthony's YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@AnthonyRuggiano

Instagram

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

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With OMR taking a break over Christmas, I thought I’d use this opportunity to introduce you to some of my other shows you may not have discovered yet.

In 2024, I created Mysteries at Bedtime — a show designed for those who enjoy a good mysterie before drifting off to sleep. So here’s one of our most popular episodes to date.

If you enjoy it, why not check out more available right now.

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In the quiet village of Dodleston, Cheshire, a bizarre and baffling mystery began unfolding in 1984. Ken Webster, a schoolteacher, was working on a BBC Micro computer when strange messages began to appear—written in an archaic form of English, and allegedly sent by someone living in the year 1541. The messages continued over the following months, becoming more elaborate and unnerving. Later, new messages arrived this time from someone claiming to live in the year 2109, warning of unseen forces manipulating time itself.

Known today as the Dodleston Messages, this case remains one of the strangest examples of alleged time slip communication in modern paranormal lore. Was it an elaborate hoax, a psychological trick… or genuine contact across centuries? In this episode of Mysteries at Bedtime, we examine the digital trail, the witness accounts, and the unanswered questions behind one of Britain’s most haunting tech-era mysteries.

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With OMR taking a break over Christmas, I thought I’d use this opportunity to introduce you to some of my other shows you may not have discovered yet.

In 2023, I created Crime at Bedtime — a show designed for those who enjoy a good crime story before drifting off to sleep. So here’s one of our most popular episodes to date. If you enjoy it, why not check out the almost 150 episodes available right now?

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In 2008, nine-year-old Shannon Matthews vanished on her way home from school, sparking one of Britain’s largest ever missing child hunts. For 24 days the nation searched, prayed, and donated. But when Shannon was found alive less than a mile from home, the truth was more shocking than anyone imagined. This is the story of betrayal, manipulation, and the mother who staged her daughter’s disappearance.

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Well, we are at the end of another year of One Minute Remaining. As we say goodbye to 2025, I thought it was a good opportunity to sit down with the man they call The Voice of Reason, Michael Leonard, to reflect on some of the wildest cases of the past year.

I have selected four cases that I feel had the biggest impact on you, the Jury. Michael and I take another look at the key issues in each case, the unanswered questions, and what they reveal about the justice system itself.

If a case is not mentioned, it does not mean I do not have major concerns about it or feel for the person at the centre of it. I am grateful for each and every person who has been willing to share their story with me, and we will, as always, make sure we stay in contact with them and keep you updated on their individual situations.

Thank you to each and every one of you for another year of amazing support. The show received more than 2.5 million downloads in 2025, which has truly blown me away. Thank you, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you next year.

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This year I teamed up with arguably the world’s biggest true crime podcast, Casefile, to bring you the story of an incarcerated man I met some time ago who was suing Sean “Diddy” Combs for 100 million dollars.

Across this seven-episode series we go on a wild ride through allegations of assault, corruption, and murder for hire which, Derek claimed, all led to his wrongful conviction. Strap yourselves in, because just when you think you’ve heard it all, this story takes you somewhere else entirely.

If you enjoy this episode, you can hear the full season now by searching Suing Diddy wherever you get your podcasts.

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For the past three years, Jack Laurence has gone behind the bars of America’s toughest prisons, hearing the stories of robbery, arson, murder, and everything in between. He thought he’d heard it all… until he met one prisoner with a story unlike any other.

A man who wasn’t just fighting for his freedom, but was on the verge of becoming one of the richest prisoners in the world, by suing Sean “P. Diddy” Combs for $100 million.

But that was only the beginning. What Jack uncovered was a rabbit hole of alleged assault, corruption, cover-ups, and murder. A story so unbelievable it made headlines around the globe and left him questioning everything he thought he knew.

If you think you’ve heard it all before when it comes to crime stories… you haven’t heard anything like this.

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Well it's that time again!

The Facebook group of legendery jurors have been busy coming up with a stack of great questions for me to answer so in this episode I take on all of them! We chat everything from how I choose the show music, what I think of the death penalty and which show is my least favourite to make!! It's a good one.

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Well it's that time again!

The Facebook group of legendery jurors have been busy coming up with a stack of great questions for me to answer so in this episode I take on all of them! We chat everything from how I choose the show music, what I think of the death penalty and which show is my least favourite to make!! It's a good one.

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For many men and women incarcerated across the United States, once all legal options for release have been exhausted, there is often one last avenue to hope for: clemency.

Clemency in most states is at the discretion of a single person – the governor. This is not to be confused with presidential pardons, as the president can only grant clemency in federal cases, while state-level clemency sits with state governors. Governors hold an incredible power: the ability to effectively give someone their life back, someone who might otherwise be condemned to die behind bars.

Of course, like most things, it’s never guaranteed. The exact number of clemencies granted isn’t clear, but it’s fair to say that, compared to the number of people incarcerated, the figure is extremely small. For a fortunate few, though, that mercy does come.

Today I speak with one of those people. A man whose story we covered some time ago.

Shawn Robert Johnson was staring down a minimum of more than 60 years in prison before he would even be eligible for parole. Instead, this Christmas he will be going home to his family after just shy of 20 years behind bars.

Today we catch up to talk about how it happened – and what his plans are for life on the outside.

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In today’s episode, I catch up with John Merritt, who’s been navigating a very serious health crisis. John talks me through how a growth on his head was left untreated for so long that he was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with cancer. He underwent surgery, but the doctor who operated on him failed to recognise just how severe the situation really was.

John explains what the last few months have been like and the conditions he faced inside a facility for sick prisoners — conditions that sound like something straight out of a horror film. This story genuinely gave me nightmares.

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John Merritt has been behind bars for longer than I’ve been alive. Like many of the men and women we speak to, John’s early life was marked by encounters with the law—mostly for petty, non-violent offences. He became trapped in a cycle, moving in and out of the system, until one day, while serving time for burglary, his life took an even darker turn.

A visit from a sheriff's investigator would change the course of his life forever, propelling him down an unexpected and terrifying path toward the death penalty for a crime he says he didn’t commit.

In the end, John faced a grim choice: life in prison or the electric chair.

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He’s simply a man who doesn’t stop. Since being exonerated for a crime that saw him spend almost 27 years behind bars, Evaristo Salas Jnr has wasted no time making up for the life that was taken from him.

In this catch-up, we dive into everything he’s achieved in the two years since his release. He’s travelled across the United States giving talks to everyone from school kids to some of the top legal minds in the country. He’s started a business, founded a non-profit, and even taken his message as far as Europe.

But the last two years, while full of incredible moments, haven’t been without challenges. Jnr opens up about the times he’s caught the old prison mentality creeping back in — and how he’s learning to navigate freedom after nearly three decades inside.

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Today I catch up with David Talley — a man serving a 100-year prison sentence for crimes that should only have carried a decade behind bars.

Now, more than 20 years later, David is still fighting for a resentencing hearing. We talk about how that fight is progressing, and about a recent stint in confinement following an issue with his cellmate.

Despite the contraband not being his, David was punished — spending two months in segregation, losing his job, his cell, and now finding himself housed in a punishment wing surrounded by drugs, gangs, and violence… all at the age of 63.

A raw and honest look inside one man’s ongoing struggle for justice and survival behind bars. If you know of someone who can help David please get in touchhere

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Today I catch up with Jeremy Cain for an update on what’s been happening with his case since we last spoke.

After his story aired on One Minute Remaining, the community of Pleasant Grove came together to raise awareness and funds to support the Cain brothers. Their efforts made it possible to hire an attorney — but what, if anything, did that attorney achieve? And where does the case stand now?

I also need your help to keep spreading the word about the Cain brothers’ fight for freedom. If you can assist with sharing their story, whether through community boards, advertising, or outreach, please get in touch. HERE

A powerful follow-up on one of OMR’s most talked-about stories, exploring hope, persistence, and the fight for freedom.

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Today I catch up with Tariq Maqbool to get the latest on his bid for clemency with the governor.

We explore life inside prison and what happens when men become institutionalised,incarcerated for so long that freedom itself becomes something to fear. Many struggle with the idea of release, stepping back into the shadows rather than walking into the light.

Tariq also opens up about his favourite film, Shawshank Redemption, and how closely it mirrors the realities of prison life. He’s met men like Brooks — those broken by the system and lives by the same mantra that defines the film: get busy living, or get busy dying.

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We have just wrapped up the story of Dwight Bergeron who has served over 30 years of his three life sentences for what the authorities say was his crime of sexual assualt against his own children. I crime he and those children, now adults say he didn't commit. Today I sit down with one of Dwights kids to see what he remembers from all those years ago.

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In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name.

Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

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Today we catch up woth the man they call 'The voice of reson' Michael Leonard from Leonard trial lawyers in Chicargo illanois to get his take on the case against Dwight Bergeron.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name.

Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name.

Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

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PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name.

Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

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Over the past three years, I’ve spoken with men and women incarcerated across the United States, from Florida to Alaska, New Jersey to Louisiana, and everywhere in between.

In that time, I’ve told the stories of more than 50 prisoners, many facing decades behind bars. From murder and arson to drug trafficking, gang warfare and stay at home mums convicted of attempted murder, I’ve heard it all. I’ve witnessed two exonerations along the way and even spoken to a man just months before the state of Missouri put him to death for a crime thousands believe he didn’t commit.

But these aren’t just stories of crime and punishment. They’re stories of real people, lives shaped by circumstance, injustice, and resilience. Stories that need to be heard to be believed.

Pull up a chair at the jury table… because what you’re about to hear might just change everything you thought you knew.

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PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name.

Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week!

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Patreon and find us on Facebook here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name.

Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week!

Apple + HERE

Patreon and find us on Facebook here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name. Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name. Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

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Patreon and find us on Facebook here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name. Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name. Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

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PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name. Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

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PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised.

In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough.

Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction.

Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison.

Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home.

Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name. Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong.

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Trinity Mattherson is not a man who claims he is a saint, he's not a man who says he did no wrong in his life. He is a man who grew up on the streets, with little to no rules from inside his home, a home where his parents battled drug and alcohol dependecy. From a young age Trinity would need to learn how to look after himself, how to provide and care for not only his own well being but also his mothers.

That need, he said, took him to the streets, as a white kid in a black neigbourhood he foundhimself as one of the few white guys joining the notorious street gang, the bloods.

Spending most of his adolescence locked up in various juvenile facilities Trinity bounced around until he eventualy found himself in an adult facility after he and two others made a daring escape.

In 2002, Trinity paroled to Michigan looking to make a fresh start away from the people and places he knew would only mean touble. 

Nine months after his arrival he was attacked while attempting to break up a fight at a crowded house party. Two people are shot in the melee and Trinity says he was wrongfully convicted of the shooting of one of the men involved in the altercation. 

Multiple witnesses were questioned by the police, with just one pointing the finger at Trinity. That witness, who originally identified the shooter as being a light-skinned black man, was released from probation the day after giving his testimony. The other victim maintained it was a light skinned black man who had the weapon and had shot at them.

Even though none of the victims received life threatening injuries, because of his prior record, Trinity was sentenced to serve 42 to 72 years in prison.

This is his story.

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Trinity Mattherson is not a man who claims he is a saint, he's not a man who says he did no wrong in his life. He is a man who grew up on the streets, with little to no rules from inside his home, a home where his parents battled drug and alcohol dependecy. From a young age Trinity would need to learn how to look after himself, how to provide and care for not only his own well being but also his mothers.

That need, he said, took him to the streets, as a white kid in a black neigbourhood he foundhimself as one of the few white guys joining the notorious street gang, the bloods.

Spending most of his adolescence locked up in various juvenile facilities Trinity bounced around until he eventualy found himself in an adult facility after he and two others made a daring escape.

In 2002, Trinity paroled to Michigan looking to make a fresh start away from the people and places he knew would only mean touble. 

Nine months after his arrival he was attacked while attempting to break up a fight at a crowded house party. Two people are shot in the melee and Trinity says he was wrongfully convicted of the shooting of one of the men involved in the altercation. 

Multiple witnesses were questioned by the police, with just one pointing the finger at Trinity. That witness, who originally identified the shooter as being a light-skinned black man, was released from probation the day after giving his testimony. The other victim maintained it was a light skinned black man who had the weapon and had shot at them.

Even though none of the victims received life threatening injuries, because of his prior record, Trinity was sentenced to serve 42 to 72 years in prison.

This is his story.

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Trinity Mattherson is not a man who claims he is a saint, he's not a man who says he did no wrong in his life. He is a man who grew up on the streets, with little to no rules from inside his home, a home where his parents battled drug and alcohol dependecy. From a young age Trinity would need to learn how to look after himself, how to provide and care for not only his own well being but also his mothers.

That need, he said, took him to the streets, as a white kid in a black neigbourhood he foundhimself as one of the few white guys joining the notorious street gang, the bloods.

Spending most of his adolescence locked up in various juvenile facilities Trinity bounced around until he eventualy found himself in an adult facility after he and two others made a daring escape.

In 2002, Trinity paroled to Michigan looking to make a fresh start away from the people and places he knew would only mean touble. 

Nine months after his arrival he was attacked while attempting to break up a fight at a crowded house party. Two people are shot in the melee and Trinity says he was wrongfully convicted of the shooting of one of the men involved in the altercation. 

Multiple witnesses were questioned by the police, with just one pointing the finger at Trinity. That witness, who originally identified the shooter as being a light-skinned black man, was released from probation the day after giving his testimony. The other victim maintained it was a light skinned black man who had the weapon and had shot at them.

Even though none of the victims received life threatening injuries, because of his prior record, Trinity was sentenced to serve 42 to 72 years in prison.

This is his story.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trinity Mattherson is not a man who claims he is a saint, he's not a man who says he did no wrong in his life. He is a man who grew up on the streets, with little to no rules from inside his home, a home where his parents battled drug and alcohol dependecy. From a young age Trinity would need to learn how to look after himself, how to provide and care for not only his own well being but also his mothers.

That need, he said, took him to the streets, as a white kid in a black neigbourhood he foundhimself as one of the few white guys joining the notorious street gang, the bloods.

Spending most of his adolescence locked up in various juvenile facilities Trinity bounced around until he eventualy found himself in an adult facility after he and two others made a daring escape.

In 2002, Trinity paroled to Michigan looking to make a fresh start away from the people and places he knew would only mean touble. 

Nine months after his arrival he was attacked while attempting to break up a fight at a crowded house party. Two people are shot in the melee and Trinity says he was wrongfully convicted of the shooting of one of the men involved in the altercation. 

Multiple witnesses were questioned by the police, with just one pointing the finger at Trinity. That witness, who originally identified the shooter as being a light-skinned black man, was released from probation the day after giving his testimony. The other victim maintained it was a light skinned black man who had the weapon and had shot at them.

Even though none of the victims received life threatening injuries, because of his prior record, Trinity was sentenced to serve 42 to 72 years in prison.

This is his story.

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We recently wrapped up the story of Pamela Schrader, who is serving life without parole for a murder she insists she had no part in. Under Florida’s unique laws, however, she was found guilty and sentenced for the death of her employer.

The actual killing was carried out by Noe Peña, who admitted to the crime but claimed Pam orchestrated it. He took a plea deal, receiving a 30-year sentence with the possibility of parole, while Pam faces the prospect of dying behind bars.

The central question remains: was this an independent act by the killer, or was Pam equally culpable? The jury said yes but what does our resident legal expert, “The Voice of Reason” Michael Leonard, think?

I sat down with him to find out.

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For the past three years, Jack Laurence has gone behind the bars of America’s toughest prisons, hearing the stories of robbery, arson, murder, and everything in between. He thought he’d heard it all… until he met one prisoner with a story unlike any other.

A man who wasn’t just fighting for his freedom, but was on the verge of becoming one of the richest prisoners in the world, by suing Sean “P. Diddy” Combs for $100 million.

But that was only the beginning. What Jack uncovered was a rabbit hole of alleged assault, corruption, cover-ups, and murder. A story so unbelievable it made headlines around the globe and left him questioning everything he thought he knew.

If you think you’ve heard it all before when it comes to crime stories… you haven’t heard anything like this.

listen here

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We recently wrapped up the story of Dustin Turner, a man serving a life sentence for the murder of a young woman named Jennifer Evans. Since his incarceration, his co-accused, Billy Brown, has testified in court that the evidence he originally gave about what happened that night was fabricated. Brown admitted he alone committed the murder, while Dustin was merely a bystander who helped cover up the crime. Despite a panel of three judges finding Dustin factually innocent, the Governor intervened and blocked his release, leaving him with no other option but the hope of parole.

As always, once we conclude these cases, I sit down with Michael Leonard, the man they call the voice of reason, from Leonard Trial Lawyers in Chicago, Illinois, to get his thoughts on the case.

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In the Navy SEALs, no rule is more sacred than this: you never leave your swim buddy. For Dustin “Dusty” Turner, that bond would change the course of his life forever.

In 1995, Dusty and his swim buddy Billy Brown went out for what was meant to be a simple night of drinks. By the next morning, a young woman by the name of Jennifer Evans was dead, eight days later Billy and Dusty are arrested and eventually both are convicted of the crime.

Despite overwhelming evidence that his Navy SEAL Swim-Buddy who later confessed to the crime was the true perpetrator, Turner was sentenced to 82 years without the possibility of parole. The actual killer who was also convicted of attempted rape, received a lesser sentence of 72 years.

The case took a dramatic turn in 1999 when Brown confessed that he alone had killed Jennifer and stated that Dusty had no role in her death. Neither Dusty, the jury that convicted him nor the public learned of this confession until 2002. Shortly thereafter, Dusty filed a petition for a Writ of Innocence. At an evidentiary hearing on the petition in 2008, Brown provided in detail testimony that laid bare his own guilt for Jennifer’s murder.

Dusty also testified at the hearing. Both men gave the same account of what happened that Dusty gave his Warrant Officer eight days after Jennifer’s death.

The court would rule the following "this court finally finds that Mr. Brown is credible in his assertion that he acted independently in murdering the victim and that Mr. Turner had no role in the murder or in the restraining of the victim." 

Based on the findings of Judge Lowe, a 2 to 1 panel of Judges at the Virginia Court of Appeals granted Dusty a Writ of Innocence holding that he was, in fact, “actually innocent” and should be set free.

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In the Navy SEALs, no rule is more sacred than this: you never leave your swim buddy. For Dustin “Dusty” Turner, that bond would change the course of his life forever.

In 1995, Dusty and his swim buddy Billy Brown went out for what was meant to be a simple night of drinks. By the next morning, a young woman by the name of Jennifer Evans was dead, eight days later Billy and Dusty are arrested and eventually both are convicted of the crime.

Despite overwhelming evidence that his Navy SEAL Swim-Buddy who later confessed to the crime was the true perpetrator, Turner was sentenced to 82 years without the possibility of parole. The actual killer who was also convicted of attempted rape, received a lesser sentence of 72 years.

The case took a dramatic turn in 1999 when Brown confessed that he alone had killed Jennifer and stated that Dusty had no role in her death. Neither Dusty, the jury that convicted him nor the public learned of this confession until 2002. Shortly thereafter, Dusty filed a petition for a Writ of Innocence. At an evidentiary hearing on the petition in 2008, Brown provided in detail testimony that laid bare his own guilt for Jennifer’s murder.

Dusty also testified at the hearing. Both men gave the same account of what happened that Dusty gave his Warrant Officer eight days after Jennifer’s death.

The court would rule the following "this court finally finds that Mr. Brown is credible in his assertion that he acted independently in murdering the victim and that Mr. Turner had no role in the murder or in the restraining of the victim." 

Based on the findings of Judge Lowe, a 2 to 1 panel of Judges at the Virginia Court of Appeals granted Dusty a Writ of Innocence holding that he was, in fact, “actually innocent” and should be set free.

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In the Navy SEALs, no rule is more sacred than this: you never leave your swim buddy. For Dustin “Dusty” Turner, that bond would change the course of his life forever.

In 1995, Dusty and his swim buddy Billy Brown went out for what was meant to be a simple night of drinks. By the next morning, a young woman by the name of Jennifer Evans was dead, eight days later Billy and Dusty are arrested and eventually both are convicted of the crime.

Despite overwhelming evidence that his Navy SEAL Swim-Buddy who later confessed to the crime was the true perpetrator, Turner was sentenced to 82 years without the possibility of parole. The actual killer who was also convicted of attempted rape, received a lesser sentence of 72 years.

The case took a dramatic turn in 1999 when Brown confessed that he alone had killed Jennifer and stated that Dusty had no role in her death. Neither Dusty, the jury that convicted him nor the public learned of this confession until 2002. Shortly thereafter, Dusty filed a petition for a Writ of Innocence. At an evidentiary hearing on the petition in 2008, Brown provided in detail testimony that laid bare his own guilt for Jennifer’s murder.

Dusty also testified at the hearing. Both men gave the same account of what happened that Dusty gave his Warrant Officer eight days after Jennifer’s death.

The court would rule the following "this court finally finds that Mr. Brown is credible in his assertion that he acted independently in murdering the victim and that Mr. Turner had no role in the murder or in the restraining of the victim." 

Based on the findings of Judge Lowe, a 2 to 1 panel of Judges at the Virginia Court of Appeals granted Dusty a Writ of Innocence holding that he was, in fact, “actually innocent” and should be set free.

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In the Navy SEALs, no rule is more sacred than this: you never leave your swim buddy. For Dustin “Dusty” Turner, that bond would change the course of his life forever.

In 1995, Dusty and his swim buddy Billy Brown went out for what was meant to be a simple night of drinks. By the next morning, a young woman by the name of Jennifer Evans was dead, eight days later Billy and Dusty are arrested and eventually both are convicted of the crime.

Despite overwhelming evidence that his Navy SEAL Swim-Buddy who later confessed to the crime was the true perpetrator, Turner was sentenced to 82 years without the possibility of parole. The actual killer who was also convicted of attempted rape, received a lesser sentence of 72 years.

The case took a dramatic turn in 1999 when Brown confessed that he alone had killed Jennifer and stated that Dusty had no role in her death. Neither Dusty, the jury that convicted him nor the public learned of this confession until 2002. Shortly thereafter, Dusty filed a petition for a Writ of Innocence. At an evidentiary hearing on the petition in 2008, Brown provided in detail testimony that laid bare his own guilt for Jennifer’s murder.

Dusty also testified at the hearing. Both men gave the same account of what happened that Dusty gave his Warrant Officer eight days after Jennifer’s death.

The court would rule the following "this court finally finds that Mr. Brown is credible in his assertion that he acted independently in murdering the victim and that Mr. Turner had no role in the murder or in the restraining of the victim." 

Based on the findings of Judge Lowe, a 2 to 1 panel of Judges at the Virginia Court of Appeals granted Dusty a Writ of Innocence holding that he was, in fact, “actually innocent” and should be set free.

So why after 30 years is Dustin Turner still in prison?

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In the Navy SEALs, no rule is more sacred than this: you never leave your swim buddy. For Dustin “Dusty” Turner, that bond would change the course of his life forever.

In 1995, Dusty and his swim buddy Billy Brown went out for what was meant to be a simple night of drinks. By the next morning, a young woman by the name of Jennifer Evans was dead, eight days later Billy and Dusty are arrested and eventually both are convicted of the crime.

Despite overwhelming evidence that his Navy SEAL Swim-Buddy who later confessed to the crime was the true perpetrator, Turner was sentenced to 82 years without the possibility of parole. The actual killer who was also convicted of attempted rape, received a lesser sentence of 72 years.

The case took a dramatic turn in 1999 when Brown confessed that he alone had killed Jennifer and stated that Dusty had no role in her death. Neither Dusty, the jury that convicted him nor the public learned of this confession until 2002. Shortly thereafter, Dusty filed a petition for a Writ of Innocence. At an evidentiary hearing on the petition in 2008, Brown provided in detail testimony that laid bare his own guilt for Jennifer’s murder.

Dusty also testified at the hearing. Both men gave the same account of what happened that Dusty gave his Warrant Officer eight days after Jennifer’s death.

The court would rule the following "this court finally finds that Mr. Brown is credible in his assertion that he acted independently in murdering the victim and that Mr. Turner had no role in the murder or in the restraining of the victim." 

Based on the findings of Judge Lowe, a 2 to 1 panel of Judges at the Virginia Court of Appeals granted Dusty a Writ of Innocence holding that he was, in fact, “actually innocent” and should be set free.

So why after 30 years is Dustin Turner still in prison?

This is his story as told by him from prison.

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Jamie Morgan Kane has lead quite an incredible life. 34 years of it spent in some of Americas toughest prisons.

Convicted for a murder he says he didn't commit, his entire life would be controlled by a man named Dr. Wetmore, a man with powerful connections and a serious temper.

In 1983 Jamie returns home to find a man dead in his house, faring he would be arrested for the crime he decides to move the body away from his home. A serious of events would lead him, his wife and a lady he believed to be his half sister to be arrested.

Jamie is offered a deal to save his wife ad he takes it.

This is his incredible story.

Become an OMR family member HERE

https://www.amazon.com.au/34-Years-Hell-Americas-Toughest-ebook/dp/B07RLT96D8

https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Granite-Walls-Americas-Toughest/dp/1913406490

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Alan Gunner Lindbloom (born 5 April 1973) is an American novelist known for his 'To Be A King' novels and remarkable personal story. Known to most as “Al” or “Gunner,” he has had quite a remarkable life journey. Raised in and around the Detroit Mafia, known to law enforcement simply as the 'Detroit Partnership'.

Gunner was seemingly destined for a life of crime and, ultimately, prison. At only age 15 he was expelled from school indefinitely for being part of a stolen merchandise ring. He then became immersed in a full-time life of crime, and his life would slowly take him further into the world of organized crime, something that came very natural to him.

At 29 Gunner would eventually be arrested and faced up to 50 years in prison for a whole list of offences, however at his lowest point in life he would turn his life around. 

You can get a copy of Gunners book ;To Be A King' here 

Check out his website here

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The law says that if you play a role in a crime, you can be treated as a principal, even if you never carried out the violence yourself. That’s what happened to Pamela Shrader, a woman struggling with addiction whose words led to a man’s death.

But was it an independent act by the killer, Noe Pena, or a crime she must share full responsibility for? While the trigger man took a plea deal and will soon be eligible for parole, Pam faces the very real probability of spending the rest of her life behind bars.

Is that justice? As always, it’s your chance to step into the jury box, hear the case, and make up your own mind.

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The law says that if you play a role in a crime, you can be treated as a principal, even if you never carried out the violence yourself. That’s what happened to Pamela Shrader, a woman struggling with addiction whose words led to a man’s death.

But was it an independent act by the killer, Noe Pena, or a crime she must share full responsibility for? While the trigger man took a plea deal and will soon be eligible for parole, Pam faces the very real probability of spending the rest of her life behind bars.

Is that justice? As always, it’s your chance to step into the jury box, hear the case, and make up your own mind.

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In this episode of One Minute Remaining, I sit down with defence attorney Michael Leonard—known to OMR listeners as “the voice of reason.” Together, we break down the case of Charles McCrory, convicted on the basis of contested bite mark evidence. Michael gives his expert take on the original trial, the evidence presented, and the long and complex appeals process that has followed. This in-depth conversation looks at what went wrong, the challenges of overturning a conviction, and what McCrory’s story reveals about the U.S. justice system.

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Today I sit down with Chris Fabricant, Director of Strategic Litigation at the Innocence Project and author of Junk Science and the American Criminal Justice System. From his early days as a New York public defender to leading the fight against flawed forensic techniques, Fabricant shares his personal journey and the urgent mission behind his work.

Together, they dive deep into the controversial world of junk science, with a sharp focus on bite mark analysis, a discredited practice that has contributed to multiple wrongful convictions. Fabricant explains how faulty forensic methods continue to corrupt the justice system, and why science must be held to higher standards in courtrooms across America.

As Chris unpacks the troubling history and lasting consequences of forensic pseudoscience, this conversation is a must-listen to help understand how 'Science' isn't always as solid a foundation for truth as one might think.

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In 1985, Charles McCrory found his wife, Julie Bonds, brutally murdered in their Andalusia, Alabama, home. Just two small marks on her arm—misrepresented in court as a definitive “bite mark”—became the sole forensic evidence used to convict him for her murder.

A forensic odontologist, famed for testifying at Ted Bundy’s trial, claimed the impressions matched McCrory’s like a fingerprint. Yet decades later, that same expert fully recanted the testimony, acknowledging the scientific consensus now recognises bite mark evidence as unreliable “junk science”.

With no blood, no DNA, and hair in the victim’s hand that didn’t match McCrory’s, his conviction rested entirely on this flawed forensic interpretation. Over 40 years later, even as two independent forensic dentists testified that the so called bite mark was never human, Alabama courts repeatedly denied him a new trial, judging that his lengthy imprisonment still stood, and that procedural hurdles outweighed modern science

In July 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. Justice Sotomayor warned that wrongful convictions like his, based on “faulty science,” are startlingly common and urged state and federal lawmakers to enact stronger safeguards to prevent miscarriages of justice.

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In 1985, Charles McCrory found his wife, Julie Bonds, brutally murdered in their Andalusia, Alabama, home. Just two small marks on her arm—misrepresented in court as a definitive “bite mark”—became the sole forensic evidence used to convict him for her murder.

A forensic odontologist, famed for testifying at Ted Bundy’s trial, claimed the impressions matched McCrory’s like a fingerprint. Yet decades later, that same expert fully recanted the testimony, acknowledging the scientific consensus now recognises bite mark evidence as unreliable “junk science”.

With no blood, no DNA, and hair in the victim’s hand that didn’t match McCrory’s, his conviction rested entirely on this flawed forensic interpretation. Over 40 years later, even as two independent forensic dentists testified that the so called bite mark was never human, Alabama courts repeatedly denied him a new trial, judging that his lengthy imprisonment still stood, and that procedural hurdles outweighed modern science

In July 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. Justice Sotomayor warned that wrongful convictions like his, based on “faulty science,” are startlingly common and urged state and federal lawmakers to enact stronger safeguards to prevent miscarriages of justice.

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In 1985, Charles McCrory found his wife, Julie Bonds, brutally murdered in their Andalusia, Alabama, home. Just two small marks on her arm—misrepresented in court as a definitive “bite mark”—became the sole forensic evidence used to convict him for her murder.

A forensic odontologist, famed for testifying at Ted Bundy’s trial, claimed the impressions matched McCrory’s like a fingerprint. Yet decades later, that same expert fully recanted the testimony, acknowledging the scientific consensus now recognises bite mark evidence as unreliable “junk science”.

With no blood, no DNA, and hair in the victim’s hand that didn’t match McCrory’s, his conviction rested entirely on this flawed forensic interpretation. Over 40 years later, even as two independent forensic dentists testified that the so called bite mark was never human, Alabama courts repeatedly denied him a new trial, judging that his lengthy imprisonment still stood, and that procedural hurdles outweighed modern science

In July 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. Justice Sotomayor warned that wrongful convictions like his, based on “faulty science,” are startlingly common and urged state and federal lawmakers to enact stronger safeguards to prevent miscarriages of justice.

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In 1985, Charles McCrory found his wife, Julie Bonds, brutally murdered in their Andalusia, Alabama, home. Just two small marks on her arm—misrepresented in court as a definitive “bite mark”—became the sole forensic evidence used to convict him for her murder.

A forensic odontologist, famed for testifying at Ted Bundy’s trial, claimed the impressions matched McCrory’s like a fingerprint. Yet decades later, that same expert fully recanted the testimony, acknowledging the scientific consensus now recognises bite mark evidence as unreliable “junk science”.

With no blood, no DNA, and hair in the victim’s hand that didn’t match McCrory’s, his conviction rested entirely on this flawed forensic interpretation. Over 40 years later, even as two independent forensic dentists testified that the so called bite mark was never human, Alabama courts repeatedly denied him a new trial, judging that his lengthy imprisonment still stood, and that procedural hurdles outweighed modern science

In July 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. Justice Sotomayor warned that wrongful convictions like his, based on “faulty science,” are startlingly common and urged state and federal lawmakers to enact stronger safeguards to prevent miscarriages of justice.

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In 1985, Charles McCrory found his wife, Julie Bonds, brutally murdered in their Andalusia, Alabama, home. Just two small marks on her arm—misrepresented in court as a definitive “bite mark”—became the sole forensic evidence used to convict him for her murder.

A forensic odontologist, famed for testifying at Ted Bundy’s trial, claimed the impressions matched McCrory’s like a fingerprint. Yet decades later, that same expert fully recanted the testimony, acknowledging the scientific consensus now recognises bite mark evidence as unreliable “junk science”.

With no blood, no DNA, and hair in the victim’s hand that didn’t match McCrory’s, his conviction rested entirely on this flawed forensic interpretation. Over 40 years later, even as two independent forensic dentists testified that the so called bite mark was never human, Alabama courts repeatedly denied him a new trial, judging that his lengthy imprisonment still stood, and that procedural hurdles outweighed modern science

In July 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. Justice Sotomayor warned that wrongful convictions like his, based on “faulty science,” are startlingly common and urged state and federal lawmakers to enact stronger safeguards to prevent miscarriages of justice.

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In 1985, Charles McCrory found his wife, Julie Bonds, brutally murdered in their Andalusia, Alabama, home. Just two small marks on her arm—misrepresented in court as a definitive “bite mark”—became the sole forensic evidence used to convict him for her murder.

A forensic odontologist, famed for testifying at Ted Bundy’s trial, claimed the impressions matched McCrory’s like a fingerprint. Yet decades later, that same expert fully recanted the testimony, acknowledging the scientific consensus now recognises bite mark evidence as unreliable “junk science”.

With no blood, no DNA, and hair in the victim’s hand that didn’t match McCrory’s, his conviction rested entirely on this flawed forensic interpretation. Over 40 years later, even as two independent forensic dentists testified that the so called bite mark was never human, Alabama courts repeatedly denied him a new trial, judging that his lengthy imprisonment still stood, and that procedural hurdles outweighed modern science

In July 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. Justice Sotomayor warned that wrongful convictions like his, based on “faulty science,” are startlingly common and urged state and federal lawmakers to enact stronger safeguards to prevent miscarriages of justice.

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In 1985, Charles McCrory found his wife, Julie Bonds, brutally murdered in their Andalusia, Alabama, home. Just two small marks on her arm—misrepresented in court as a definitive “bite mark”—became the sole forensic evidence used to convict him for her murder.

A forensic odontologist, famed for testifying at Ted Bundy’s trial, claimed the impressions matched McCrory’s like a fingerprint. Yet decades later, that same expert fully recanted the testimony, acknowledging the scientific consensus now recognises bite mark evidence as unreliable “junk science”.

With no blood, no DNA, and hair in the victim’s hand that didn’t match McCrory’s, his conviction rested entirely on this flawed forensic interpretation. Over 40 years later, even as two independent forensic dentists testified that the so called bite mark was never human, Alabama courts repeatedly denied him a new trial, judging that his lengthy imprisonment still stood, and that procedural hurdles outweighed modern science

In July 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case. Justice Sotomayor warned that wrongful convictions like his, based on “faulty science,” are startlingly common and urged state and federal lawmakers to enact stronger safeguards to prevent miscarriages of justice.

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Todays guest is certainly different and unlike anyone I've spoken with so far, todays guest, although having a long and successful career putting bad people behind bars, one in which we will discuss, would round out his career in the public service protecting the most famous family in the world, The British Royal family.

Simon Morgan spent over 6 years as a close protection office charged with ensuring the safety and lives of William and Harry, the late Queen and her husband prince Phillip and of course the then prince of Wales, now, King Charles.

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Todays guest is certainly different and unlike anyone I've spoken with so far, todays guest, although having a long and successful career putting bad people behind bars, one in which we will discuss, would round out his career in the public service protecting the most famous family in the world, The British Royal family.

Simon Morgan spent over 6 years as a close protection office charged with ensuring the safety and lives of William and Harry, the late Queen and her husband prince Phillip and of course the then prince of Wales, now, King Charles.

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John Crawley was born in New York to Irish immigrant parents, and moved to Ireland as a young teenager to attend school. 

Inspired there by the struggle for Irish freedom against British rule in the North of Ireland, he returned to America to receive military training in an elite, special forces “Recon” unit of the US Marine Corps. Afterward, he returned to Ireland to volunteer for the IRA and conducted many missions, including gun-running from the US, working with Boston criminal head Whitey Bulger. 

Crawley would be captured and imprisoned twice, both in Ireland and in England, while on major missions, done in both times by informers. He is now retired and married with a family, and lives in County Monaghan, Ireland. 

He remains as committed as ever to the ending of British rule in Ireland and the establishment of a united Irish Republic.

find his book here

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So One Minute Remaining is on a short break at the moment while I work on a new project that I'm excited about telling you about very soon. However in the mean time I thought I would take this oppotunity to introduce you to some of my other shows that you may pr may not have heard of or in fact had a listen to yet!

Today I want to introduce you to WANTED. Check it out HERE

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So One Minute Remaining is on a short break at the moment while I work on a new project that I'm excited about telling you about very soon. However in the mean time I thought I would take this oppotunity to introduce you to some of my other shows that you may pr may not have heard of or in fact had a listen to yet!

Today I want to introduce you to Mysteries at Bedtime . Check it out HERE

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So One Minute Remaining is on a short break at the moment while I work on a new project that I'm excited about telling you about very soon. However in the mean time I thought I would take this oppotunity to introduce you to some of my other shows that you may pr may not have heard of or in fact had a listen to yet!

Today I want to introduce you to Crime at Bedtime. Check it out HERE

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On December 11, 2000, Hani Zebib was fatally shot while working in his Detroit convenience store — a dream he had built after fleeing war-torn Lebanon in search of a better life. Among the young men involved in the robbery that day was Demel Dukes. Though Demel never pulled the trigger, he was sentenced to life without parole under the felony murder rule — a controversial legal doctrine that allows for harsh sentences even when a person didn’t carry out the killing themselves.

But what makes this story different isn’t just the law — it’s what happened after.

More than two decades later, the family of Hani Zebib have done something remarkable: they’ve forgiven Demel. In fact, they now advocate for his release.

In this powerful new series, Jack Laurence explores the layers of Demel’s life — from growing up surrounded by love but drawn into the streets, to the heartbreaking events that led to that fatal day.

It’s a story about loss, the justice system, and perhaps most importantly, the transformative power of forgiveness.

If you've ever questioned whether true redemption is possible, this is the story you need to hear.

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Apple + HERE

Patreon and find us on Facebook here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On December 11, 2000, Hani Zebib was fatally shot while working in his Detroit convenience store — a dream he had built after fleeing war-torn Lebanon in search of a better life. Among the young men involved in the robbery that day was Demel Dukes. Though Demel never pulled the trigger, he was sentenced to life without parole under the felony murder rule — a controversial legal doctrine that allows for harsh sentences even when a person didn’t carry out the killing themselves.

But what makes this story different isn’t just the law — it’s what happened after.

More than two decades later, the family of Hani Zebib have done something remarkable: they’ve forgiven Demel. In fact, they now advocate for his release.

In this powerful new series, Jack Laurence explores the layers of Demel’s life — from growing up surrounded by love but drawn into the streets, to the heartbreaking events that led to that fatal day.

It’s a story about loss, the justice system, and perhaps most importantly, the transformative power of forgiveness.

If you've ever questioned whether true redemption is possible, this is the story you need to hear.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week!

Apple + HERE

Patreon and find us on Facebook here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I catch up with Susan Brown. We recently heard Susan’s story—a woman serving life without parole for the murder of her former husband, a man she says attacked her. In what she describes as an act of self-defence, she stabbed him, inflicting injuries that would later prove fatal.

Since airing her episode, I’ve received a flood of messages, and there’s been plenty of discussion in the Facebook group about Susan’s case. Many listeners have connected with her—drawn to her perspective, resilience, and honesty about her situation. Susan has been remarkably open, not only about the events that led to her incarceration, but also about daily life inside the Michigan Department of Corrections.

So I arranged another conversation with her to explore just that—what life is really like for a woman in prison. As fate would have it, when she called, her facility was making national headlines across the U.S.—for all the wrong reasons.

In this episode, Susan and I discuss, as openly as we can with our conversation being monitored, the current lawsuit involving her facility, and what her day-to-day reality looks like behind prison walls.

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In this episode, I’m joined once again by Michael Leonard of Leonard Trial Lawyers in Chicago — known to many of you as The Voice of Reason. Together, we unpack the troubling case of Joshua Sedgmen, a young man wrongfully convicted of armed robbery despite a complete lack of evidence tying him to the crime. Michael shares his expert legal opinion on the failings of the prosecution, the misuse and mishandling of DNA evidence, and the disturbing reality that it can cost someone thousands just to prove their own innocence. We also dive into the glaring issue of prosecutorial accountability — or the lack thereof — and ask why no one is held responsible when lives are shattered by misconduct and negligence.

VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDS

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Apple + HERE

Patreon and find us on Facebook here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.