489 episodes

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.

Wrongful Conviction Lava for Good+

    • True Crime
    • 4.4 • 5.5K Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

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.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    #467 Jason Flom with Jerome Curry

    #467 Jason Flom with Jerome Curry

    Jerome Curry was arrested in connection with several shootings in the Bronx, NY, on September 20, 1996. When taken in for questioning, Jerome faced verbal and physical abuse from the police and ultimately falsely confessed to the shootings. Despite no physical evidence tying him to the crimes and questionable police tactics, Jerome was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for murder and attempted murder. 
    To learn more, visit:
    https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/444-jason-flom-with-rafael-martinez/
    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.

    • 41 min
    #466 Lauren Bright Pacheco with Joe Giarratano

    #466 Lauren Bright Pacheco with Joe Giarratano

    One morning in February 1979, 21-year-old Joe Giarratano woke up to a horrific scene. Two of his housemates had been brutally murdered. Joe had a drop of blood on his shoe and no memory of the previous night due to alcohol and drug use. He was terrified that he had been the one that killed the two women. Overcome with grief and guilt, he turned himself into the police. Despite his descriptions of the crime never matching the crime scene, and a long list of errors in the investigation, Joe was convicted of the murders and sentenced to death in Virginia.
    That put him in the path of our second guest, anti-death penalty activist and minister Joe Ingle. Together with Marie Deans, they were in the trenches of the fight against the death penalty. Joe Giarratano eventually became an expert in the law, fighting not only his own conviction, but that of other prisoners — arguing one all the way to the Supreme Court.
    To learn more, visit:
    Too Close to the Flame by Joseph B. Ingle https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Too-Close-to-the-Flame/Joseph-B-Ingle/9781637632918
    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.

    • 55 min
    #465 Jason Flom with David Ayala

    #465 Jason Flom with David Ayala

    On August 16, 1981, shots were fired from a gangway into Piotrowski Park on the southwest side of Chicago, IL. As a result, two people were fatally shot, and another was injured. Initially, the police identified two men as their main suspects, but ultimately dropped those leads. Due to a combination of unethical interrogation techniques and faulty eyewitness testimony, a few members of the Two-Six Street Gang were arrested for the crime, including 18-year-old David Ayala. Despite multiple defense witnesses and no physical evidence tying him to the crime, David was convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
    To learn more and get involved, visit:https://www.gofundme.com/f/new-beginnings-for-david-ayala-support-his-reint?qid=62fe5c8abaa69bfeac6d1d0d370dda17
    https://www.bonjeanlaw.com/
    Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. 
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 32 min
    #464 Lauren Bright Pacheco with Jofama Coleman

    #464 Lauren Bright Pacheco with Jofama Coleman

    In 2003, 20-year-old Jofama Coleman was just getting his life together - he had a stable job, a nice place to live, a girlfriend, and a baby on the way. After a tumultuous childhood, things were finally going well. Then one day the police came to his workplace to question him about a murder in his Los Angeles, CA neighborhood. Due to faulty eyewitness testimony, Jofama was ultimately convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
    17 years later, mom and educator Jessica Jacobs got obsessed with true crime documentaries during the pandemic. She was inspired to get involved in the fight against wrongful convictions, eventually joining forces with legendary defense attorney Ellen Eggers to help Jofama argue his case. Their friendship is built on their shared belief in education, persistence and the power of self advocacy.
    To learn more, visit:
    https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jofama-colemans-justice-after-freedom?qid=dc334dfea004ee8a055ef2f9ec03f1b1
    https://www.ditchschool.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.

    • 49 min
    #463 Jason Flom with Ashunte & Willie Smith

    #463 Jason Flom with Ashunte & Willie Smith

    On April 8, 1995, Reggie Lewis’s body was found in a creek behind the Dalebridge Apartments in Warrensville Heights, OH. He had two gunshot wounds to the back of his head. Willie and Ashunte Smith are serving life sentences for his murder based on testimony by their own cousin, William Marshall. Marshall recanted in 2022 and now swears it was actually his uncle who committed the crime but Marshall was so frightened at the time—by his uncle and the police—he was pressured into lying under oath and sending his cousins to prison. 
    The Ohio courts recently granted Willie and Ashunte a new trial.
    To learn more, visit:https://www.kimlawcrimlaw.com/
    https://www.instagram.com/kimlawcrimlaw/?hl=en
    Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. 
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 36 min
    #462 Lauren Bright Pacheco with Greg Bright

    #462 Lauren Bright Pacheco with Greg Bright

    Greg Bright was wrongfully convicted in New Orleans, LA for the murder of Elliot Porter in 1975. He would spend more than 27 years in Angola, the notorious prison in Louisiana built on a former slave plantation, and in many ways still run like one today. While incarcerated, Greg not only taught himself to read and write, he also learned enough about the law to challenge his conviction.
     
    After his release in 2003, he met Lara Naughton, a compassion trainer and creative writing teacher. Together they created a one man show about Greg’s experience titled Never Fight a Shark in Water. The creative process helped both of them process trauma and explore what it means to embrace forgiveness and compassion.
    To learn more, visit:
    Lara Naughton’s memoir The Jaguar Man: https://centralrecoverypress.com/product/the-jaguar-man
    Never Fight a Shark in Water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0W-L6Yvojc
    The Historic New Orleans Collection: https://www.hnoc.org/exhibitions/captive-state-louisiana-and-making-mass-incarceration
    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.

    • 1 hr 1 min

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
5.5K Ratings

5.5K Ratings

Chap&Hue ,

One of my favs

Lauren Bright Pacheco?! Yay!! Keep up the great work. Appreciate you so much shedding light on these cases.

PDJOR ,

Episode #453

I get so mad listening to cases like Jennifer’s I really pisses me off to hear how corrupt & lazy our justice system is!! Talk about broken from the cope, defectives right to the prosecutor’s & judges that just don’t care it’s amazing that they don’t do their jobs or admit wrongdoing so the innocent can be freed it’s disgusting!!!!!

Mckingbj ,

Reading list

On each show the guest list books they read and that were important to them. Is there a book list available. Also I never see the notes at the end of the podcast to sign patitions or send money. Thx

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