Constitutional Defenders

Latest Episodes:

The Exoneration of Marvin Cotton Jan 24, 2022

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Episode 4 of Season 2 of Constitutional Defenders is now live! In this episode, Mary Chartier, Takura Nyamfukudza, and Lizzy Sailor speak with Marvin Cotton about the lengths he went through to become exonerated and released from prison. At the age of 21, Marvin was falsely accused and subsequently convicted of first-degree murder and illegal use of a firearm in commission of a felony. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Marvin spent 19 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, until he was finally exonerated and released in 2020.

Relentless - The Exoneration of Kenneth Nixon Dec 01, 2021

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In this episode, Mary Chartier, Takura Nyamfukudza, and Lizzy Sailor speak with Kenneth Nixon about his case and exoneration, as well as all of the great work he is doing today. At the age of 19, Kenneth was wrongfully accused and convicted of setting fire to a house that ended the lives of two children.

Hide and Seek: DNA Edition Nov 18, 2020

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In this episode, Mary, Takura, and Lizzy speak with attorneys Marla Mitchell-Cichon and Lori Montgomery about their previous work on exoneration cases when it comes to finding and testing DNA evidence. Find out some of the interesting places where evidence has been found!

Exonerating Lacino Hamilton Oct 15, 2020

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Welcome to season 2! Join Mary, Takura, and Lizzy as they speak with their client Lacino Hamilton. Lacino spent 26 years in prison for a murder he did not commit due to corruption in the Detroit Police Department and a "jailhouse snitch."

Growing Up Behind Bars May 22, 2020

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Mary, Lizzy, and Marisa speak with Attorney Sofia Nelson about her extensive work on juvenile lifer cases.

Defending Justice: A Story of Self Defense Jan 03, 2020

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Join Lizzy and Mary as they speak with Attorney Mariell Lehman about her recent win in a self defense case. Mariell's client was charged with first degree premeditated murder when all he was doing was protecting his own life.

Congrats, Mariell!

Behind the Scenes of an Exoneration Dec 11, 2019

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Join Mary, Takura, Lizzy, and Kim as they answer listener questions about their work on the Tomasik case! The Defenders explain the work they did on the case, which led to Dennis Tomasik's exoneration.

When Bad Science Puts Good People in Prison Nov 19, 2019

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Join The Defenders as they speak with Marla Mitchell-Cichon, who is the director of the Western Michigan University-Cooley Innocence Project. Marla and her team represented Ledura Watkins - a man who was wrongfully convicted in 1976 of murder due largely to scientifically invalid evidence. Ledura spent over 41 years in prison until he was exonerated. In this episode, Marla discusses what led to Ledura's exoneration and the process that she and her team went through to help get him released.

Gardening While Black Oct 11, 2019

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In this episode, Mary, Takura, and Lizzy speak with Attorney Robert Burton-Harris about race in the criminal justice system and his case dubbed the "Gardening While Black" case. Robert's client was falsely accused of numerous crimes by three white women in Detroit, when he was doing nothing more than gardening in a community garden - while being black.

Breaking Bud: Navigating Laws Surrounding CannaBusiness and Recreational Use Sep 17, 2019

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Welcome to episode 2! Curious or - more likely - confused about recreational marijuana use in Michigan? Mary, Takura, and Lizzy discuss the new laws surrounding CannaBusiness and recreational use with CannaBusiness Attorney Bob Hendricks.
Long live Lizzyville!

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