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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:

#262 Maggie Freleng with Brian Parnell May 23, 2022

Show notes

On August 28, 1997, Brian was staying overnight at his girlfriend’s house with his cousin, girlfriend, and girlfriend’s sister in West Philadelphia, PA. 45 minutes away, restaurant owner Gus Boulias was killed in his home. A detective, relying on the questionable analysis of a partial fingerprint, decided that Brian was the killer. Even though the state presented no murder weapon, no witnesses, no motive, and no connection to the victim, Brian was convicted of second-degree murder and burglary and sentenced to life in prison. Maggie speaks to Brian Parnell at SCI Coal Township in PA., Marc Howard J.D., Brian's advocate and Tamara Parnell, Brian's sister.

This episode features a portion of #156 Wrongful Conviction: Junk Science - Fingerprint Evidence with host Josh Dubin released on September 9th, 2020.

For more on the junk science of Fingerprint Analysis, click the link below:

https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/156-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-fingerprint-evidence/

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://www.justiceforbrianparnell.com/
https://twitter.com/justice4parnell
https://www.instagram.com/justiceforbrianparnell/
https://www.facebook.com/justiceforbrianparnell

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.

#261 Jason Flom with Clay Chabot May 19, 2022

Show notes

On April 19, 1986, the body of a 28 year old woman was found in her bedroom in Garland, Texas. She had been tied, gagged, raped and shot three times. Clay Chabot, a friend of the victim's husband, became the main suspect after voluntarily providing information to the police about his brother-in-law, Gerald Pabst, who had visited the victim's home on the morning of the murder. Initially telling police that he had no involvement in the crime, Pabst later changed his story by claiming that Clay had forced him to tie up the victim before she was shot. Despite no physical evidence linking Clay to the crime, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison solely on the testimony of Gerald Pabst.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://guiltypleaproblem.org/?id=clay_chabot

https://innocenceproject.org/clay-chabot-veterans-day-2018/

https://innocenceproject.org/

https://lavaforgood.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.

#260 Maggie Freleng with Mike Politte May 16, 2022

Show notes

On December 5, 1998, a 14 year old Mike Politte woke up to find his Mineral Point, MO home filled with smoke. When he checked on his mom, he found her on the floor – on fire. After days of interrogations, investigators decided that Mike had been grieving incorrectly and that he must have been the perpetrator. Despite evidence pointing to other relatives and evidence against Mike eventually being disproved, Mike was convicted of second degree murder in the killing of his own mother and condemned to spend the next 2 decades in prison. Maggie speaks to Mike Politte at Jefferson City Correctional Center in MO., Megan Crane J.D., Mike's advocate, and Melonie Politte, Mike's sister.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-michael-politte-after-wrongful-conviction

https://twitter.com/michaelpolitte?lang=en

https://lavaforgood.com/with-maggie-freleng/

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.

#259 Jason Flom with Alan Newton May 12, 2022

Show notes

In the early morning hours of June 23rd, 1984, 2 customers, a man and a woman, left a Bronx bodega. The store clerk said that the woman went with the man willingly. According to the woman, she was abducted, dragged into a park, raped, and robbed. Then, while waiting for a cab home, the same man dragged her into an abandoned building, where she was again raped and robbed. This time, he cut her face, damaging her eyesight. A rape kit was performed at the hospital, and she was shown a mugshot book, from which she identified Alan Newton - a man who had spent the night at his fiancee's family's home in Queens. Unfortunately, Alan had to wait for over 22 years for both the DNA testing and the authorities to begrudgingly locate the biological evidence to finally corroborate that alibi.

To learn more and get involve, visit:

https://innocenceproject.org/

https://lavaforgood.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.

#258 Maggie Freleng with Melvin Ortiz May 09, 2022

Show notes

On December 23, 1997, a botched robbery at a popular pizza restaurant in Reading, PA resulted in the death of its beloved owner, George Clauser. A reward in the paper led police to 19 year old Melvin Ortiz, when two individuals with obvious agendas implicated him. Despite 19 alibi witnesses placing Melvin at a birthday party at the time of the crime, Melvin was sentenced to spend life in prison without parole. Maggie speaks to Melvin Ortiz at SCI - Dallas, PA., Marc Howard J.D., Melvin's advocate, and Victoria Blanco, Melvin's fiancee.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

If anyone has any information on this case, please email freemelvinortiz@gmail.com

https://www.freemelvinortiz.org/

@freemelvinortiz on instagram, twitter, facebook, tiktok

https://www.change.org/MelvinOrtiz

https://www.instagram.com/freemelvinortiz/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNCpeXu5tURsdkRezBY2EVQ

https://fundly.com/support-ortiz-family

https://lavaforgood.com/with-maggie-freleng/

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.

#257 Jason Flom with Rickey Jackson May 05, 2022

Show notes

On May 19th, 1975, in front of a store in Cleveland, OH, two assailants robbed a man, splashed acid in his face, shot and killed him, and then fired into the store injuring the co-owner. 12 year-old Eddie Vernon was riding a bus near the scene and later bragged that he had seen Ricky Jackson, as well as Ronnie and Wiley Bridgeman commit the crime. However, according to all the other occupants of the bus, they were too far away to even see the crime. But police ignored other more compelling leads and focused on Eddie’s story. When he tried to back away from the fib, they threatened to take his parents to prison if he didn’t stick to the story. Eddie’s false testimony at trial helped send all three young men to death row.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://law.uc.edu/real-world-learning/centers/ohio-innocence-project-at-cincinnati-law.html

https://lavaforgood.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.

#256 Maggie Freleng with Patty Prewitt May 02, 2022

Show notes

After an evening out with friends in Holden, MO, high school sweethearts Bill and Patty Prewitt kissed their children goodnight and went to bed. Patty was soon awakened by a man trying to rape her. She ran to a neighbor’s house and called the police. When the police arrived, Bill was found dead in his bedroom from 2 gunshots to the head. The police quickly set their sights on Patty and neglected to lift a single fingerprint from the entire house. Nevertheless, after a trial riddled with sexism and questionable forensics, Patty was sentenced to life in prison where she has been for 36 years.

Maggie speaks to Patty Prewitt at the Women’s Correctional Center in Missouri, Brian Reichart Esq., Patty’s attorney, and Jane Prewitt Watkins, Patty’s daughter.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://www.change.org/p/missouri-governor-mike-parson-free-patty-prewitt

https://pattyprewitt.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pattyprewitt/

https://twitter.com/justiceforpatty

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.

#255 Jason Flom with Dieter Tejada Apr 27, 2022

Show notes

On March 8th, 2008, the leader of a bat wielding group of high schoolers from a wealthy Connecticut town instigated a fight with Dieter Tejada. After Dieter wrestled the bat away, defended himself with it, and fled, the aggressor continued to instigate violence with some of Dieter’s friends. The following day, allegations of serious injuries led to assault charges. Despite acting in self defense, Dieter and the others avoided lengthy sentences by pleading guilty. In the United States, 95% of felony charges are resolved by plea bargain. This is one of those stories.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://gofund.me/d306d52e

https://justiceimpactnetwork.org/

https://justiceimpactalliance.org/

https://guiltypleaproblem.org/

https://lavaforgood.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.

#254 Jason Flom with Chris Ochoa Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

In 1988, Chris Ochoa and his roommate Richard Danziger both worked at different Pizza Huts locations in Austin, Texas, when a robbery, rape, and murder occurred at another location on October 24th. With no sign of forced entry, police focused on other Pizza Hut employees. An aggressive interrogation complete with lies about evidence and polygraph results, as well as threats of prison rape and the death penalty made Chris Ochoa's acquiescence a foregone conclusion. He made false statements uncorroborated by the physical evidence, implicating Richard and himself. Eventually, modern DNA testing supported the confession of the actual killer, but not before both men spent 12 years in prison.

To learn more and get involved:

https://law.wisc.edu/fjr/clinicals/ip/support.html

Sign the petition at: https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/stop-execution-of-innocent-melissa-lucio-texas/

If you live in Texas, call Cameron County DA Saenz to ask that Melissa's execution date be withdrawn: 956-300-3881

OR Call Governor Abbott to tell him that you support clemency for Melissa Lucio: 956-446-2866

Social Media Toolkit: https://innocenceproject.org/social-media-toolkit-stop-execution-melissa-lucio-texas/

https://lavaforgood.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.

#253 Jason Flom on Melissa Lucio Apr 13, 2022

Show notes

Time is running out for Melissa Lucio. We must act now!

Melissa Lucio had 12 children with twins on the way, when the family was moving to a new apartment at the behest of Child Protective Services. A set of rickety exit stairs was high on the list of reasons, and a history of inter-sibling violence was well documented. Melissa's youngest, 2 year old Mariah, fell down those rickety stairs during the move. There were no outward injuries; however, over the next 2 days, the fall caused a sequence of medical issues to unfold, including cerebral edema, brain bleed, a deficiency of blood clotting factors, and eventually the appearance of wide spread inexplicable bruising. On February 17th, 2007, paramedics were dispatched to an unresponsive Mariah who subsequently died. Injuries and bruises from her siblings, the tumble down the stairs, and her depleted ability to stave off internal bleeding led first responders, physicians, and the police to believe that Mariah had experienced horrific child abuse at the hands of her primary caregiver. Melissa Lucio was convicted of child abuse, as well as capital murder, and sentenced to death. The DA on her case is himself serving 13 years for accepting bribes in exchange for favorable outcomes in other trials. Shortly after Melissa's conviction, her defense attorney was hired by that DA at a higher than usual rate, as was his wife. Meanwhile, Melissa's execution date is set for April 27th, 2022.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

Sign the petition at: https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/stop-execution-of-innocent-melissa-lucio-texas/

If you live in Texas, call Cameron County DA Saenz to ask that Melissa's execution date be withdrawn: 956-300-3881

OR Call Governor Abbott to tell him that you support clemency for Melissa Lucio: 956-446-2866

Social Media Toolkit: https://innocenceproject.org/social-media-toolkit-stop-execution-melissa-lucio-texas/

https://lavaforgood.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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