Listen now to the podcast.
https://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/for-the-innocent/
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Hear heartbreaking first-person accounts of exonerees: Zavion Johnson: wrongfully convicted of killing his 4-month old daughter and served 17 years in prison for a crime that should have been treated as a tragic loss of a baby; Angela Garcia: bullied into a false guilty plea of arson for a fire that killed her family; Guy Miles and Luis Vargas: went to prison because eyewitnesses misidentified them; Marilyn Mulero: faced the death penalty because of poor legal advice from her attorney. Then legal and criminal experts help us understand and analyze what went wrong in these cases. Expert guests provide insights about our criminal justice system and how wrongful convictions become a terrible reality. Season 2 legal experts include Justin Brooks, board member of The Innocence Center; Matthew Cooke, an Oscar nominated filmmaker; Scott Budnik, a Hollywood producer, Wayne Little, former LA Prosecutor; and David Rudolf, famed criminal defense attorney from Netflix’s documentary, ‘The Staircase.’
RELEASE: Legal Talk Network Launches Season Two of ‘For the Innocent’ Podcast Sharing New Stories of the Wrongfully Convicted, Focusing on Pervasive Use of Junk Science in Convictions," by Lisa Kirkman, published by The Legal Talk network, on April 10, 2024.
GIST: "Wrongfully convicted, Zavion Johnson and others tell their exoneration stories in Season Two of Legal Talk Network’s For the Innocent Podcast. Real men and women spend decades in prison every year for crimes they didn’t commit. The 12-episode series will premiere on Legal Talk Network on April 11 with its first episode.
“No human endeavor is perfect. Even with the best intentions and technology, our criminal justice system still wrongfully convicts innocent people. It is important to share these stories so we can fix what needs to be fixed” said Laurence Colletti, Producer and Writer of For The Innocent Podcast.
For the Innocent episodes are grouped by topic featuring an exoneree telling their own story. Host Michael Semanchik skillfully simplifies case details in a narrative tone that is easy to understand and engages the audience.
Hear heartbreaking first-person accounts of exonerees Zavion Johnson, who was wrongfully convicted of killing his 4-month old daughter and served 17 years in prison for a crime that should have been treated as a tragic loss of a baby; Angela Garcia, who was bullied into a false guilty plea of arson for a fire that killed her family; Guy Miles and Luis Vargas, who went to prison because eyewitnesses misidentified them; and Marilyn Mulero, who faced the death penalty because of poor legal advice from her attorney.
Then legal and criminal experts help us understand and analyze what went wrong in these cases. Expert guests provide insights about our criminal justice system and how wrongful convictions become a terrible reality. Season 2 legal experts include Justin Brooks, board member of The Innocence Center; Matthew Cooke, an Oscar nominated filmmaker; Scott Budnik, a Hollywood producer, Wayne Little, former LA Prosecutor; and David Rudolf, famed criminal defense attorney from Netflix’s documentary, ‘The Staircase.’
“I’m thrilled Legal Talk Network continued to help us tell the stories of the wrongfully convicted in Season 2,” said Michael Semanchik, Executive Director of The Innocence Center, and host of the podcast. “The stories of the men and women told in the podcast are some of the gravest miscarriages of justice. It is imperative to learn from the past mistakes our criminal legal system has made. Legal Talk Network has been a great partner in our mission to educate the public on the causes of wrongful convictions.”
Junk Science Episodes:
In the Junk Science series of episodes, For the Innocent Podcast delves into debunked forensic sciences that wrongfully convict people. As we look backwards in time, we examine how those sciences initially gained prominence only to lose it later. But many of those who were convicted by junk science still remain behind bars.
- Zavion’s Story: Zavion Johnson was wrongfully convicted and spent 17 years in prison on a charge of Shaken Baby Syndrome, arrested on the day of his infant daughter’s funeral.
- Bite Mark Evidence: All the rage in the 1980’s, bite mark evidence was partially responsible for convicting Ted Bundy. There were inaccuracies from the beginning but it gained widespread institutional support, making it difficult to challenge these cases in court.
- Shaken Baby Syndrome: Faulty from the beginning, this theory was supported by a circular reasoning flaw. Even though prosecutors were trying to save children from abuse, they were also sending innocent and grieving parents to prison. It was not until home videos of children dying from short playground falls did the medical community begin to reverse its thinking.
- Undoing the Damage: This episode wraps up the series focusing on the impact of debunked sciences and what has been learned in the criminal justice system.
In Season One of For the Innocent, former NFL football player Brian Banks and celebrated attorney Marty Tankleff, both exonerees, discuss their experiences of being falsely accused and how they were able to thrive following a wrongful conviction.
For the Innocent Podcast, produced by Legal Talk Network, is available now on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Click here for Photos, Bios, and Media Resources about For the Innocent Podcast and Legal Talk Network.
About Legal Talk Network:
Legal Talk Network is a leading podcast network that covers a wide range of legal topics, including legal news, practice management, and career development. With a diverse roster of hosts and guests, the network is committed to advancing the legal profession by providing quality educational content and fostering a community of legal professionals who are passionate about improving the practice of law. For more information visit legaltalknetwork.com.
About The Innocence Center:
The Innocence Center is an independent non-profit law firm dedicated to freeing the innocent from prison, educating the public on the causes of wrongful conviction, and assisting freed clients as they reenter society. Launched in 2023, the Board and Staff have decades of innocence work under their belt, all having worked at the California Innocence Project as a staff or faculty member. Collectively, the group has freed more than 40 people who have served 560+ years in prison for crimes they did not commit. The team has been responsible for getting a dozen laws changed to prevent future injustices and make it easier to free the innocent.
About Clio:
Clio is transforming the legal experience for all by creating the world’s leading cloud-based technologies for law firms. Firms of all sizes and practice areas use Clio products—Clio Manage, Clio Grow, and Clio Draft—to manage firm operations, streamline billing and payments, automate legal documents, and improve client experiences. As a result, Clio is helping lawyers and their clients better connect throughout the legal process."
The entire release can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:
David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.
https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801
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SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
---------------------------------------------------------------
FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
————————————————————————————
YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:
David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.
https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801
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