Abuse of Power with David Rudolf and Sonya Pfeiffer

State of Florida vs. James Dailey

James Dailey has been on Florida’s death row for 32 years for the murder of Shelly Boggio. Jury consultant, trial strategist, and Dailey’s criminal defense lawyer, Josh Dubin, walks Sonya and David through Dailey’s case, highlighting how the only “evidence” linking Dailey to the crime was the questionable testimony of a jailhouse informant whose testimonies have sent no less than dozens to jail and four to death row. Retired Sun-Sentinel reporter Martin Dyckman also weighs in on the entrenched misconduct as it pertains to the Florida death penalty. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

State of Texas vs. Hannah Overton

In 2006, mother of six, Hannah Overton, was convicted of capital murder after a jury found her guilty of “omission”, failure to seek medical attention for her sickly child in a timely manner. Further investigation after Hannah’s conviction revealed shocking miscarriages of justice at the hands of the prosecutor. Sonya and David speak to Hannah Overton, who shares her experience of losing all of her children to the justice system seemingly overnight, and Hannah’s attorney, Cynthia Orr, who uncovered the truth of the investigation’s findings and was able to prove Hannah’s innocence. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

State of Oklahoma vs. Perry Lott

Perry Lott is another victim of incorrigible police practices in Ada, Oklahoma. He was charged and convicted of rape in 1987, despite having an alibi. The main evidence against him was that the victim "thought" she recognized him. Perry Lott himself, along with private investigator Shaun Hittle and Innocence Project co-founder Barry Scheck, discuss the pervasive influence of police misconduct in Ada at the time of his arrest and the suffering Perry endured as a result. Even though Perry was wrongfully incarcerated, he accepted a sentence modification of “time served” in order to regain his life, a deal with the courts that would allow his release from prison but not legally declare his innocence. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

State of Oklahoma vs. Karl Fontenot

Karl Fontenot was convicted for the 1984 murder of Denice Harraway in Ada, Oklahoma. In 2018 Netflix released the documentary ‘The Innocent Man’ based on John Grisham’s only nonfiction book that detailed the crime and, further, the corruption in Ada. One year after the doc’s premiere, Karl was released on bond. Currently, his fate rests in the hands of the prosecutor who has yet to declare whether or not he intends to retry Karl. If Karl loses in a retrial, he will be sent back to prison. Barry Scheck, the co-founder of the Innocence Project, John Grisham, and journalist A.C. Shilton, discuss the false confession that landed Karl in prison and his eventual release after 35 years. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

State of California vs. Quintin Morris

In 1991, Quintin Morris was arrested for opening fire on a group of teenagers in Los Angeles. In 1994, he was convicted of three counts of first-degree attempted murder. Sonya and David interview his lawyer, Alissa Bjerkhoel of the Innocence Project, as well as Jim Tranium, a retired homicide detective from the Washington, D.C. police department, to understand the abuses of power in this case, including unjust eyewitness identification practices, and the legal technicalities that kept Quintin in prison for years, even after the real culprit confessed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.