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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.

Copyright: 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia

Latest Episodes:

#531 Ben Bowlin with Trevor Mattis Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

On September 15, 1988, there was an argument inside of Philadelphia, PA row house. As one party tried to leave, Everton Meade Johnson followed while making threats and was fatally shot. The victim's brother only knew one man at the row house, Trevor Mattis. But Trevor maintained that he was just a bystander and another eyewitness corroborated Trevor’s story. But when Trevor was charged with murder, that same eyewitness said something different at Trevor's trial and Trevor was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.

To learn more and get involved, visit:
https://www.instagram.com/faniam23/

https://www.tiktok.com/@freeantonf

Wrongful Conviction with Ben Bowlin 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.

#530 Ben Bowlin with Duane Williams Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

On the morning of August 20, 2012, police and firefighters were called to a house fire in Detroit, MI. Bobby Cross and Darryl Simms died in the fire. Bobby’s long-term partner’s son, Duane Williams, was staying over the house that week, but he was not harmed in the fire. Rather, he was accused and ultimately charged with arson and felony murder. After some faulty expert testimony, an incentivized jailhouse witness and numerous Brady violations, Duane was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

To learn more and get involved, visit:
http://spot.fund/4ct5sxsc

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572739177828

https://www.instagram.com/duanewilliams313/

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

https://organizationofexonerees.com/

https://www.fireflyadvocates.org/

https://www.cooley.edu/academics/experiential-learning/innocence-project

Wrongful Conviction with Ben Bowlin 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.

#529 The Wrongful Conviction of Leonard Peltier - Part 3 Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

In part three of this three-part series, at Leonard’s trial in 1977 federal prosecutors changed the failed narrative from the Butler / Robideau trial, claiming that Leonard executed the agents with an AR15 that they claimed matched casings found near the bodies.

Bruce Ellison and Ron Kuby explain how false evidence was used to secure a conviction that survived our appellate system and 8 presidencies. But through it all, Leonard never gave up, and with the help of tribal advocate Holly Macarro, he was finally granted clemency in the final minutes of the Biden Administration.

The Wrongful Conviction of Leonard Peltier is a production of Lava For Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. It follows the January 2025 Sundance premiere of the documentary FREE LEONARD PELTIER, a searing investigation of the case from Public Square Films and directors David France and Jesse Short Bull.

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The Wrongful Conviction of Leonard Peltier is a production of Lava For Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. It follows the January 2025 Sundance premiere of the documentary FREE LEONARD PELTIER, a searing investigation of the case from Public Square Films and directors David France and Jesse Short Bull.

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.

#528 The Wrongful Conviction of Leonard Peltier - Part 2 Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

Ben Bowlin, new co-host of Wrongful Conviction and host of the long-standing podcast Stuff the Don’t Want You to Know and Jason Flom from the Wrongful Conviction podcast had the honor of sitting down for many hours to speak with Leonard Peltier about his personal life, the historical context of the resistance movement and events that led to the attack on Jumping Bull Ranch in ‘75, as well as his near 50 year fight for justice that led to his sentence commutation in the final minutes of the Biden Administration.

In part two of this three-part series, the FBI had such a large suspect list after the shootout on Jumping Bull Ranch that it included every native combat veteran in the area and even a 4-year-old. But soon the target list was narrowed down to Dino Butler, Bob Robideau, and Leonard Peltier. Both Butler and Robideau were soon arrested, tried, and acquitted, successfully arguing self defense.

But Leonard tells us how he sought help from Marlon Brando, and asylum in Canada before the presentation of false evidence brought him back to the US to stand trial.

The Wrongful Conviction of Leonard Peltier is a production of Lava For Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. It follows the January 2025 Sundance premiere of the documentary FREE LEONARD PELTIER, a searing investigation of the case from Public Square Films and directors David France and Jesse Short Bull.

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.

#527 The Wrongful Conviction of Leonard Peltier - Part 1 May 29, 2025

Show notes

Ben Bowlin, new co-host of Wrongful Conviction and host of the long-standing podcast Stuff the Don’t Want You to Know and Jason Flom from the Wrongful Conviction podcast had the honor of sitting down for many hours to speak with Leonard Peltier about his personal life, the historical context of the resistance movement and events that led to the attack on Jumping Bull Ranch in ‘75, as well as his near 50 year fight for justice that led to his sentence commutation in the final minutes of the Biden Administration.

In part one of this three-part series, Leonard discusses his early life and experiences with American injustice before joining the American Indian Movement (AIM). He goes on to explain how the FBI targeted AIM with the same counterintelligence apparatus that was used against Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and the Black Panthers.

When American businesses were interested in mining uranium in South Dakota, the FBI funded a paramilitary group that sought to neutralize any resistance on the Pine Ridge Reservation. To support the resistance effort, AIM set up camp at Jumping Bull Ranch. Leonard and his co-defendant Dino Butler tell us about their harrowing experience on June 26th, 1975, when tensions broke out into a deadly firefight.

The Wrongful Conviction of Leonard Peltier is a production of Lava For Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. It follows the January 2025 Sundance premiere of the documentary FREE LEONARD PELTIER, a searing investigation of the case from Public Square Films and directors David France and Jesse Short Bull.

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.

#526 Ben Bowlin with Sonny Bharadia May 22, 2025

Show notes

On November 18, 2001, a woman returned home from church to a man burglarizing her apartment in Thunderbolt, GA. While wearing a pair of batting gloves, the man proceeded to sexually assault her and steal various items. In the days following, police found those items in the residence of a man named Sterling Flint. When the victim identified Flint as a possible perpetrator, Flint blamed a man named Sonny Bharadia, who had pressed charges against Flint days prior for stealing his car and threatening to kill Sonny and his family. A new photo array was presented to the victim, and she identified Sonny, however that photo array disappeared prior to trial. Nevertheless, Sonny was convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

To learn more and get involved, visit:
https://www.instagram.com/sonb1944/
https://healingjusticeproject.org/
https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/050-jason-flom-with-ronald-cotton/
https://www.georgiainnocenceproject.org/act/donate-2/

Wrongful Conviction with Ben Bowlin 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.

#525 Jason Flom with Willie "Pete" Williams May 15, 2025

Show notes

On April 5, 1985, around 11 p.m., a woman exiting her car in her apartment complex parking lot just north of Atlanta, GA was approached by an African-American man. The man asked her if she could help him find "Paul." He then pulled out a gun and told her to move into the passenger seat. He drove to a nearby dead-end street where he raped the victim. After the attack, he drove her back to the parking lot and left on foot. She reported the attack to the police and helped them draw a composite sketch of the perpetrator.

Five days later, another woman exiting her car in her apartment complex was approached by an African-American man. This parking lot was on the same street in the same area as the other crime. The man asked her if she could help him find "Carol." He then put a razor blade to her throat and got in the car. He demanded sex and tried to pull off her clothes. She was able to talk the man into leaving her car. The police showed the second victim the first victim's composite sketch, and the second victim immediately identified the sketch as resembling her attacker.

Later that month, Willie “Pete” Williams, a 23-year-old part-time painter, was in a car pulled over for a traffic violation when police noted that he resembled the composite sketch of a serial rapist in a nearby neighborhood. The officers included Pete in a line-up, and two victims and a witness identified Pete as the perpetrator. The actual rapist was not included in the line-up.

Based solely on faulty eyewitness identification, and despite arguments Pete’s attorney made about an alternate suspect, a jury convicted Pete of rape, aggravated sodomy, and kidnapping. The judge sentenced him to 45 years in prison.

Learn more and get involved at:

https://nacdl.org/

https://www.georgiainnocenceproject.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.

#524 Jason Flom with Clemente Aguirre May 08, 2025

Show notes

Coming of age in Honduras, Clemente “Shorty” Aguirre was faced with a choice: join MS13 or die. He moved to Nicaragua with his grandmother instead, but with no economic prospects, he chose to come to the United States as an undocumented immigrant. Life was calm for a while, as he worked as a cook and lived in a trailer park, where he had found a place in a nice community of friends. Then, on June 17th, 2004, after a long night out, Shorty dropped by a neighboring trailer shared by his friends Cheryl Williams, part-time by her daughter Samantha, and her mother Carol Bareis. They were known for always having a stockpile of beer, and Shorty was going to ask them for an early morning nightcap, when he discovered Cheryl and Carol had been stabbed and were lying in pools of their own blood. Realizing that they were gone and that making a call to the police would certainly get him deported to a country where MS13 awaited his return, he went to his own trailer to lay low. Later that day, he came forward to investigators with his discovery and became the prime suspect. With the combination of an ineffective public defender, the prosecution’s tunnel vision, and plenty of circumstantial evidence, Clemente would be tried, convicted, and sentenced to death.

If you feel compelled to support Clemente, please go to: https://www.mightycause.com/story/Clementeaguirree2019

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.

#523 Jason Flom with Lerico Kearney May 01, 2025

Show notes

On November 21, 1997, Gene Artis and his sister Yvonne Giles were shot and killed at their apartment in Suffolk, VA. Six-year-old Travone Artis was the only witness who saw his mother and uncle get murdered, and he unequivocally told authorities that a relative of his was the shooter. Despite this, 18 year old Lerico Kearney became a suspect when police found out he and Gene gambled together.There was no physical evidence linking Lerico to this crime, but with the help of multiple jailhouse snitches, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://www.change.org/p/governor-glen-youngkin-governor-youngkin-lerico-kearney-does-not-deserve-to-die-in-prison

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.

#522 SPECIAL EMERGENCY EPISODE: Jason Flom and Maggie Freleng with Andre Brown live from the UJC Summit Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

In this updated special edition of Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom & Maggie Freleng, we revisit the case of Andre Brown, whose conviction was vacated in 2022 after newly presented evidence and witness testimony demonstrated he could not have committed the crime.

Despite this, the Bronx District Attorney has shockingly overturned the vacated ruling—and Andre is now being sent back to prison this Friday, April 25, 2025, to serve an additional 17 years, after already spending 23 years behind bars for a crime he has always maintained he did not commit.

Recorded live at the UJC Summit 2023, Jason and Maggie sat down with Andre to hear his firsthand account of the nightmare that began in 1999, when he was wrongfully convicted of attempted murder in the Bronx. Although Andre suffered from a medical condition that made running nearly impossible—and multiple witnesses pointed to another suspect—he was sentenced to two 20-year terms.

This episode is a Call to Action. Andre Brown’s life is once again on the line. We need your help!

Listen, share, and speak out. Justice must be upheld.

Take Action Below:

1. Contact the Bronx DA , Darcel Clark, and respectfully ask her to consent to resentencing: 718-590-2000 and email (email script is here)

2. Contact New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and respectfully ask her to grant Andre Brown clemency: 518-474-8390 and complete contact form (script for form is here)

3. Sign the Petition: https://www.change.org/p/nyc-government-the-people-free-andre-brown

To learn more, please visit:
https://www.unjustandunsolved.com/post/episode-19-andre-brown

https://www.jiarizvi.com/andrebrown

https://www.deskovicfoundation.org/cases/the-case-of-andre-brown

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.

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