Wrongful Conviction Lava for Good+

Shortly before 1 a.m. on September 1, 1994, a car pulled up in front of an apartment building in Chicago, IL and a passenger fired several gunshots at a group of people, killing two and injuring a third. Notorious police detective Reynaldo Guevara was assigned the case and claimed that surviving eyewitnesses identified 19-year-old Roberto Almodovar and 17-year-old William Negron as the perpetrators. Despite no physical evidence tying either man to the crime, both men were sentenced to life in prison without parole for the shooting.
To learn more and get involved, visit:
https://www.bonjeanlaw.com/
We started the Wrongful Conviction podcast to provide a voice to innocent people in prison. We want to hear your voices, too.So call us at 833-207-4666 and leave us a message.Tell us how these powerful, often tragic and sometimes triumphant, stories make you feel.  Shocked?Inspired?  Motivated?We want to know! We may even include your story in a future episode.And hey, the more of you that join in, the more power our collective voices will have.So tell a friend to listen and to call us too at 833-207-4666
Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 28th, 1989, 18-year-old Francisco Benitez was having a normal day. He picked up his paycheck, got a haircut, then went to his friend’s house to watch Beetlejuice on HBO. That same night two teenage boys were shot and killed. An eyewitness said as the shooter ran from the scene, she noticed that he had a fresh haircut. Despite no other similarities between Frank and her description of the shooter, not to mention no physical evidence, Frank was ultimately convicted of the crimes and sentenced to life without parole.
The prison environment was violent and dangerous, Frank says he often wondered “is this the day that I’m going to die in prison?” But his mother Betty was steadfast in her love and her belief in Frank’s innocence. She told him over and over to never give up, even after 34 years, to keep believing that a brighter day is coming.
To learn more and get involved, visit:
Francisco Benitez Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/innocent-man-exonerated-after-34-years
University of Chicago Law School Exoneration Project: https://www.law.uchicago.edu/clinics/exoneration
Loevy & Loevy Civil Rights Law Firm: https://www.loevy.com/ 
Wrongful Conviction with Lauren Bright Pacheco is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alan Beaman was 21 years old when his life was forever altered. Going into his senior year in college, he suddenly found himself ensnared in the Normal, IL murder investigation of his former girlfriend, Jennifer Lockmiller. Despite a total lack of evidence, Alan was arrested just weeks before his graduation. He was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to 50 years.
Through it all, his parents Carol and Barry fought for their son and did their best to keep his spirits high. Come back for part 2 and the conclusion of the Beaman’s incredible story.

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

Shortly before midnight on February 16, 1984, James Montgomery was shot and killed as he walked with two friends on the eastside of Detroit, MI. Montgomery’s friends told police they recognized the gunman as 20-year-old Darrell Siggers who they had seen earlier in the night at a gathering. Despite no physical evidence linking him to the crime, Darrell was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.
To learn more and get involved, visit:https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/163-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-tool-mark-analysis/https://www.wolfmuellerlaw.com/https://michigan.law.umich.edu/academics/experiential-learning/clinics/michigan-innocence-clinic-0
We started the Wrongful Conviction podcast to provide a voice to innocent people in prison. We want to hear your voices, too.So call us at 833-207-4666 and leave us a message.Tell us how these powerful, often tragic and sometimes triumphant, stories make you feel.  Shocked?Inspired?  Motivated?We want to know! We may even include your story in a future episode.And hey, the more of you that join in, the more power our collective voices will have.So tell a friend to listen and to call us too at 833-207-4666
Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When he was just 20 years old, an act of violence changed James “Jimmy” Soto’s life forever. Despite no physical evidence and numerous alibi witnesses, Jimmy and his cousin David were convicted of a 1981 double homicide in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, IL. They would end up serving 42 years in prison, the longest served wrongful conviction sentences in Illinois history.While incarcerated, Jimmy earned a bachelor’s degree and became a regular in the law library. He helped dozens of his fellow inmates with their legal cases, including his cellmate, Robert Almodovar. Jimmy and Robert formed a lifelong friendship. They helped each other survive prison — and now that they are both exonerated, they’re helping each other adjust to life on the outside.
To learn more and get involved, visit:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/life-after-42-yrs-of-wrongful-imprisonmenthttps://paroleillinois.org/
Wrongful Conviction with Lauren Bright Pacheco is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On March 6, 2001, two masked men attempted to rob a small restaurant in McHenry, IL. The owner, wielding a butcher knife, and his employee chased the men out of the restaurant, and in the ensuing chase, the owner was shot and killed. Police began to focus on 19-year-old Jennifer McMullan and some of her friends after finding out that they were in the area at the time of the shooting. A couple of months later, police – believing Jennifer was the getaway driver in the shooting – questioned her for 15 hours resulting in Jennifer falsely confessing to the murder. Despite the only eyewitness not identifying Jennifer’s friend group as the perpetrators, she was sentenced to 27 years in prison for first-degree murder. 
TO GET INVOLVED, PLEASE CALL ILLINOIS GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER AT 217-782-0244 AND SAY:
"Governor Pritzker -Jennifer McMullan was wrongfully convicted as a party to a 2001 robbery homicide. It appears the prosecution withheld evidence of more compelling suspects who had confessed to multiple witnesses. Further, DNA test results have made the state’s theory in her case completely implausible. Her clemency petition is currently under review, and she rightfully deserves a pardon.I hope you do what is just.Thank you."
YOU CAN ALSO WRITE GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER AT:Office of the Governor555 W. Monroe St., 16th FloorChicago, IL 60661
To learn more, visit:https://www.uis.edu/illinoisinnocenceproject
https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/443-jason-flom-with-mario-casciaro/
We started the Wrongful Conviction podcast to provide a voice to innocent people in prison. We want to hear your voices, too.So call us at 833-207-4666 and leave us a message.Tell us how these powerful, often tragic and sometimes triumphant, stories make you feel.  Shocked?Inspired?  Motivated?We want to know! We may even include your story in a future episode.And hey, the more of you that join in, the more power our collective voices will have.So tell a friend to listen and to call us too at 833-207-4666
Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.