In April 1979, the lives of two teenagers from two very different parts of the country were inextricably linked by murder. In Brewer, Maine, 17-year old Amy Banks awoke one night to learn that her father, Dr. Ronald Banks, had been murdered in New Orleans, Louisiana.
One month later, authorities in New Orleans arrested 16-year old Isaac Knapper and charged him with the killing of Amy’s father. But Isaac didn’t commit the murder.
This is the story of a wrongful conviction, a young Black man railroaded by the justice system, and evidence withheld at trial that would’ve saved him from a life sentence behind bars in the nation’s bloodiest prison.
This is the case of Dr. Ronald Banks, told by his daughter Amy Banks, and Isaac Knapper, the man once charged and convicted of his murder.
View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/wrongfulconviction
Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.
The Disappearance of Kim Moreau Part 1 (Maine)
The Dark History and Demise of Élan School (Maine)
The Murders of Cyrus Everett and Donna Mauch (Maine)
The Murder of Julie Campbell (Massachusetts)
The Murder of Emma J. Turnbull (Maine)
The Murder of Zenovia Clegg (New York)
The Suspicious Death of Patricia Wing (Maine)
The Survival Story of Kayleigh Ballantyne (Massachusetts)
The Disappearances of William Sanborn and Alphonse Cote Jr. (Maine)
The Murder of Mary Catherine Olenchuk (Maine)
The Murders of Stella Bolton & James ‘JJ’ Moore (New Hampshire)
The Murders of Dr. and Mrs. Littlefield (Maine)
The Murder of Sarah Cherry (Maine)
The Murder of Leslie Spellman (Maine)
The Murder of Kathy Frost (Maine)
The Murders of Janet Brochu & Geraldine Finn (Maine)
The Disappearance of Daniel K. Wood Jr. (Maine)
The Murder of Lizzi Marriott (New Hampshire)
The Murder of Sonny Grotton (Maine)
The Disappearance of Pauline Rourke (Maine)
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