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Wrongful Conviction

Hosted by celebrated criminal justice reform advocate and founding board member of the Innocence Project Jason Flom, Pulitzer prize-winning podcast host and producer Maggie Freleng, and Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and podcast host Lauren Bright Pacheco, Wrongful Conviction features intimate conversations with men and women who have spent years in prison for crimes they maintain they did not commit. Some have been fully exonerated and reunited with family and friends while others continue to languish, with some even facing execution on death row. Each episode peels back the layers behind the stories of those who have found themselves caught in a legal system gone wrong, with illuminating insights from lawyers and leading experts sharing their in-depth knowledge about each case, from prison visits and courtroom battles to reexamined crime scenes and witness interviews. This gripping series reveals the tragedy of injustice…as well as the triumph that is possible when people step up and demand change.

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Latest Episodes:

#501 Jason Flom with Delia D'Ambra on Jeff Pelley Dec 12, 2024

Show notes

This is a special episode of Wrongful Conviction, featuring guests Delia D'Ambra, host of Audiochuck's CounterClock, and Frances Watson, President of the Indiana Innocence Project.

In Lakeville, Indiana in 1989, Reverend Bob Pelley, his wife Dawn, and Bob’s step-daughters, Janel and Jolene were found shot to death in their home. Bob’s teenage son, Jeff Pelley, was a suspect due to ongoing tensions with his father, which were exacerbated by him restricting Jeff’s ability to attend prom night activities. Jeff claimed to have left home to pick up his girlfriend, but inconsistencies in his alibi and the timeline raised suspicions. Jeff was ultimately charged with the murders in 2002, over a decade after they took place, and convicted in 2006 based on circumstantial evidence. He was sentenced to 160 years in prison. Jeff Pelley has consistently maintained his innocence, and post-conviction litigation raised alternate theories, including alleged ties between Bob Pelley and organized crime from his past life in Florida, potentially involving his friends and the Hawley family who were implicated in various financial crimes. Testimony from a woman supported the theory that Bob might have been targeted for his past illegal financial activities. However, this evidence was deemed inadmissible, and Jeff's requests for a new trial have been repeatedly denied.

To hear more on this case, click the link below to listen to season 3 of Delia D'Ambra's CounterClock, from Audiochuck:

https://counterclockpodcast.com/season-three/

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://indianainnocenceproject.org/frances-watson-president/

https://www.justiceforjeff.org/

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#500 Maggie Freleng with Stacy Larson Dec 09, 2024

Show notes

On May 12, 1990, Ron Hilgenberg and his wife were driving in South Dakota on Interstate 90 when a passing vehicle opened fire, killing the 76-year-old man. Stacy Larson and two of his friends were charged with his murder despite no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and what his attorneys called an iron-clad alibi. Stacy was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

If you have information on Stacy's case, please call: (612) 624 4779

or email us at: info@gn-ip.org

To learn more and get involved, visit:

Great North Innocence Project

https://www.greatnorthinnocenceproject.org/

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#499 Guest Host Earlonne Woods with Joaquin Ciria Dec 05, 2024

Show notes

On Wednesday November, 27, 2024, the night before Thanksgiving, Governor Gavin Newsom of CA granted a a “full and unconditional” pardon to Earlonne Woods, co-host and co-creator of the award-winning podcast, Ear Hustle. Earlonne helped create Ear Hustle while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. In recognition of Earlonne’s achievement, we are sharing with you an episode of Wrongful Conviction where Earlonne appeared as a guest host. Congratulations Earlonne. We are eager to hear more from you in the future.

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On March 24, 1990, Felix “Carlos” Bastarrica was shot and killed on the street in San Francisco, CA. Following the shooting, Candido “Peter” Diaz, started rumors that one of Felix’s friends, Joaquin Ciria, was responsible. Relying on the rumors, police immediately targeted Joaquin and coerced 18-year-old George Varela – the man who drove the actual shooter to the crime – to falsely implicate Joaquin. Based primarily on this, and despite the complete lack of physical evidence linking him to the crime, Joaquin was convicted of murder and sentenced to 31 years to life in prison. Earlonne Woods talks to Joaquin Ciria and Paige Kaneb, Joaquin's attorney.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://ncip.org/

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#498 Maggie Freleng with Rosa Jimenez Dec 02, 2024

Show notes

In August 2005, 22-year-old Rosa Jimenez was sentenced to 99 years in prison for murder and injury to a child after a 21-month-old child she was babysitting choked on a wad of paper towels. The prosecution’s experts testified that Rosa had to have shoved the towels down little Bryan’s throat. And Rosa, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who didn’t speak English, had woefully inadequate defense. Years later, several top pediatric ENT experts concluded Bryan’s death had been accidental. And Rosa was exonerated almost two decades later.

Learn more about the practice of shackling incarcerated women who are giving birth:
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/childbirth-behind-bars-shackling-maggie-freleng-1234657748/

The Innocence Project
https://innocenceproject.org/

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#497 Jason Flom with Jerry Mark Nov 28, 2024

Show notes

In a 1976 case known as the “Cain and Abel Murders”, Jerry Allen Mark, a former Peace Corps volunteer and “hippie lawyer,” was convicted of murdering his brother Leslie Mark, Leslie’s wife, and their two children in their Iowa farmhouse. The prosecution argued that Jerry killed his family over a property dispute, citing alleged jealousy after Leslie inherited the family farm after their father passed. Authorities claimed he was nearby on the night of the murders and had purchased bullets similar to those used in the crime shortly before it happened. But no physical evidence was found that pointed to Jerry and witness statements which were withheld by the prosecution during his initial trial suggested he was miles away at the time of the murders. Nevertheless, Jerry was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without parole.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://www.drake.edu/law/clinics-centers/clinic/wrongfulconvictionsclinic/

https://www.facebook.com/enicholscook/

https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/396-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-footwear-comparison-evidence/

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#496 Maggie Freleng with William Beeman Nov 25, 2024

Show notes

On the morning of April 26, 1980, visitors at Wildcat Den State Park in Iowa found the body of 22-year-old Michiel Winkel. She had been stabbed 17 times. From the start, police zeroed in on William Beeman, a local DJ with a reputation for being a womanizer. Despite the fact that William did not know Michiel, there was no physical evidence for the crime, and he had an alibi for the days of her possible killing, William was convicted of murder and remains in prison today.

If you want to help William you can contact the Muscatine, Iowa County Attorney, Jim Berry:
https://www.muscatinecountyiowa.gov/141/Attorneys-Office

or, The Drake Wrongful Convictions Clinic:
https://www.drake.edu/law/clinics-centers/clinic/wrongfulconvictionsclinic/

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#495 Jason Flom with Gary Benloss Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

UPDATE- Gary Benloss walked out of prison on November 20th, 2024, after 22.5 years. Jason was there to greet him.

On April 10, 2002, Victor Vulcain was shot and killed in broad daylight in front of 201 Linden Blvd. Brooklyn, NY. There were several witnesses, each of whom provided a version of events to police that stood in conflict with the other witnesses; not even their descriptions of the shooter matched. No murder weapon was ever recovered, and no DNA evidence connected Gary to the murder. Yet, Gary was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-gary-benloss https://www.freegarybenloss.com/

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#494 Maggie Freleng with Annette Cahill Nov 18, 2024

Show notes

On the evening of October 13, 1992, in the small town of West Liberty, Iowa, Corey Wieneke’s body was found in his bedroom by his fiancee. Annette Cahill, formerly Annette Hazen, was having an affair with him at the time and fully cooperated with the police investigation. But the case went cold for decades until 2017, when investigators got a tip from a woman saying that when she was nine years old, she’d overheard Annette confess to killing Corey while at a sleepover. Based mostly on this testimony, Annette was convicted of murder in 2019 and sentenced to 50 years in prison.

If you’re interested in contacting public officials about Annette’s case, you can reach out to the Muscatine County prosecutor’s office: https://www.muscatinecountyiowa.gov/Directory.aspx?did=6

To learn more, visit:
The Drake Wrongful Convictions Clinic
https://www.drake.edu/law/clinics-centers/clinic/wrongfulconvictionsclinic/

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#493 Jason Flom with Ronnie Miller Nov 14, 2024

Show notes

Ronald Miller and Lori Johnson of Rockford, IL had a daughter, G.M., in 2010. In 2015, several days after an argument between Johnson and Miller in which Miller threatened to sue Johnson for full custody, Johnson reported Miller to DCFS. Shortly after, she obtained an order of protection which ended all contact between Miller and his daughter. Johnson claimed G.M. had told her that Miller touched her inappropriately and proceeded to bring her daughter to Carrie Lynn Children's Center to record a video accusing her father of sexual abuse. Before the trial, G.M. took back her accusation, telling her mother, her therapist, and the trial prosecutors that the abuse never happened. The trial proceeded anyway, and this information was not shared with the jury. The prosecutors presented the testimony of a pediatric nurse admitted as an “expert in the field of child abuse.” Trial counsel called no experts for the defense, and Miller testified in his own defense. He was convicted by the jury on all three counts and sentenced to twenty years.

To learn more and get involved, visit:
https://www.lengoodmanlawoffice.com/

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#492 Jason Flom with Keith Washington Nov 11, 2024

Show notes

On January 24th, 2007, Keith Washington, a police officer and former Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, was home with his wife and 6 year old daughter while they awaited a delivery from Marlo Furniture store. Two men, Robert White and Brandon Clark, arrived with the furniture, and while showing them to the master bedroom, Keith realized that White had broken away and was snooping in his daughter’s bedroom. Keith asked them to leave which started a fight. Overpowered by the two men, Keith shot them in self defense, killing Clarke. Meanwhile, 12 time convicted felon, Robert White, who wasn’t even a Marlo employee, became the state’s main witness. Keith was convicted and sentenced to 45 years, while Robert White continued his life of crime.

Learn more and get involved at:
https://oneinnocentman.org/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/free-keith-washington
https://www.makinganexoneree.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9d5w10I_kI&t=1s
https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/with-jason-flom

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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