Suspect Convictions

Marty Markowitz had his share of problems. His parents had recently died. He had troubles at work. A failing relationship. He needed someone to help him through this rough patch in his life. So he decided to get some professional help from a psychiatrist. What he did not count on, was what happened in his life over the next twenty-nine years.This is a story about power, control, and turning to the wrong person for help. Listen now at wondery.fm/

The courtroom can be a battlefield over money, people’s rights, and even their lives. For some cases, the consequences can affect us long after the verdict is read.Based on extensive interviews and court transcripts, Wondery’s new podcast LEGAL WARS puts you inside the jury box of some of the most famous court cases in American history. Subscribe to Legal Wars today at wondery.fm/suspect

Five years ago, three teenagers set out to investigate the local legend of their small town, The Blackwood Bugman, and the mysterious disappearances and murders connected to him over the years. But as they soon come to find out, getting too close to the truth can be dangerous. From the masterminds behind Hunt A Killer comes a chilling tale of secrets, monsters, and murder. Subscribe to Blackwood today at wondery.fm/convict

Demarco Carpenter was wrongly convicted of murder. Suspect Convictions investigates this travesty.SPONSOR:for 25% off your first order of RX bars visit rxbar.com/suspect and enter the promo code "Suspect" at checkout

Jurors return to the courtroom to deliver the fruit of their deliberations.SPONSOR:For 25% off your first order visit rxbar.com/suspect and enter the promo code "Suspect" at checkout!

Lawyers make closing arguments in the Stanley Liggins case and Scott Reeder analyzes what the jury knows and doesn't know.SPONSOR:stitchfix.com/suspect for 25% off, when you keep all 5 items in your box!

Who killed Jennifer Lewis? Her step-father? A band of dog thieves? Or Stanley Liggins? Defense attorneys explore these possibilities.SPONSOR:stitchfix.com/suspect for 25% off, when you keep all 5 items in your box!

As the prosecution rests, the defense and prosecution make arguments forwhether or not there is evidence for a jury to decide Stanley Liggins fate. The judge rules.SPONSOR:stitchfix.com/suspect for 25% off, when you keep all 5 items in your box!

The judge decides whether jurors will learn of Stanley Liggins sex crime conviction and Jennifer’s mother shares what happened the night her daughter was slain. Liggins' lawyer asks the grieving mother graphic sexual questions. SPONSOR:stitchfix.com/suspect for 25% off, when you keep all 5 items in your box!

A jailhouse snitch testifies that Stanley Liggins admitted to killing JenniferLewis. But this key prosecution witness has a history of being less than truthful. We’ll showyou how.

Stanley Liggins's attorneys maneuver to keep a mentally ill woman from testifying in person. Prosecutors present DNA evidence.

A police officer says Stanley Liggins lied about not seeing Jennifer Lewis before 6 p.m. the day she died. A witness says she smelled gasoline and saw a gas can in Liggins’ car the morning after the murder.

Jurors in the Stanley Liggins murder case are not hearing the whole truth. He’s been accused of harming other little girls. Scott Reeder reveals what is being hidden from the Waterloo, Iowa, jury and examines the past deception of a key witness.

Jurors aren’t hearing the the whole truth in the Stanley Liggins trial. Scott Reeder examines testimony given in the ongoing trial and discusses why jurors are being kept in the dark.

During cross examination, defense attorneys highlight inconsistencies in testimony given by prosecution witnesses.

A criminalist with the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation testifies about evidence that may link Stanley Liggins to the murder.SPONSOR:Visit TakeCareOf.com and use promo code "Suspect" at checkout for 25% off your first month of personalized vitamins.

Prosecutor Mike Walton gives opening arguments, jurors view grisly photos and testimony begins as Stanley Liggins goes on trial in the murder of 9-year-old Jennifer Ann Lewis.SPONSOR:Visit TakeCareOf.com and use promo code "Suspect" at checkout for 25% off your first month of personalized vitamins.

Robert Hirshhorn, one of the top defense attorneys in the United States, analyzes the Stanley Liggins case and discusses strategy for selecting a jury and presenting a case.

Next week, Stanley Liggins goes on trial for the murder of 9-year-old Jennifer Lewis. The case received international attention during the first season of Suspect Convictions. Scott Reeder and Lacy Scarmana review key clips from the first season and share their thoughts on the case.

In September of 1990, the burning body of 9-year-old Jennifer Ann Lewis was found abandoned in the playground of an Iowa school yard. Reporter Scott Reeder was one of the first people on the scene that night and he has continued to follow the case for the past 28 years. The man accused of her murder, Stanley Liggins, will be re-tried this month after an appellate court threw out his conviction. Suspect Convictions explains the case to listeners and prepares them for the upcoming trial.

Obie Anthony spent 16 years in prison for a crime he had nothing to do with after a man was killed outside a Los Angeles brothel.

Women get assaulted. Women get attacked. Women get harassed, manipulated, intimidated, but women are survivors. Time and time again, she persists, even against all odds. Hosts Jenna Brister and Wagatwe Wanjuki share their stories, and those of the men and women who fought back, who won, and who live rising above the trauma of their experiences. Subscribe to I, Survivor today www.wondery.fm/isurvivor

Lesley Vass was convicted of an armed robbery he did not commit. After a decade in prison, he proved his innocence. His is a tale of perseverance, courage and disappointment.SPONSORS:https://www.hungryroot.com Use promo code "Suspect" at checkout for $25 off your first two orders!welcome.havenlife.com/suspect Get a free quote today!

Rpynes Dural served eight years in a Hawaii prison for a sexual assault that may never have taken place. A Hawaii court threw out his conviction, but he remains on the sex offender registry. We look at this miscarriage of justice.SPONSORS:welcome.havenlife.com/suspect Get a free quote today!shudder.com/podcast and use the promo code "SUSPECT" to try Shudder free for 30 days!

When 36-year-old Kim Ancona's body was found, nude, in the men’s restroom of the Phoenix, Arizona bar where she worked, police focused on bar patron, Ray Krone. Even though he had no criminal record, police suspected him because he had a protruding tooth which seemed to match a bitemark on one of the victim’s breasts. Based on this evidence alone, he was sentenced to death. But the DNA in saliva on the bitemark told a much different story.SPONSORS:rxbar.com/suspect use promo code "SUSPECT" at checkout for 25% off your first order!

Lorenzo Johnson went to prison for murder based on the testimony of one woman. Defense attorneys learned decades later she was the alternate suspect.SPONSORS:rxbar.com/suspect use promo code "SUSPECT" at checkout for 25% off your first order!

Author Anthony Ray Hinton served 34 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. Scott Reeder talks with him about his new book, life on death row, and his battle to prove his innocence.SPONSORS:warbyparker.com/suspect

Marshall Hale was convicted of rape. But blood evidence proved he couldn't have committed the crime.SPONSORS:https://www.hungryroot.com/ Use promo code "Suspect" at checkout for $25 off your first two orders!

Scurvy once the plague of pirates and seafaring explorers provided a unique defense for Charles Robbins after 29 years on Nevada’s death row. And remarkably, the defense worked.SPONSORS:https://www.hungryroot.com/ Use promo code "Suspect" at checkout for $25 off your first two orders!

Reginald Adams was framed for murdering a New Orleans police officer's wife and served 34 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.SPONSORS:https://www.hungryroot.com Use promo code "Suspect" at checkout for $25 off your first two orders!https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/yours-in-murder/id1252518334?mt=2

Imagine a defense attorney who refuses to sit with his client, a corrupt police department and a mysteriously edited videotape of an interrogation and you can begin to understand what Darrell Jones faced when he went on trial for a murder he may not have committed.

The Wonderland Murders takes you on journey back to the drug- and sex-fueled world of 1970s L.A. all building to brutal multiple murder just off the Sunset Strip. You can hear the first two episodes right now by searching for The Wonderland Murders on Apple Podcasts, wherever you’re listening to this, or visit wondery.fm/suspect

Tyrone Hicks was once thought to be the “Bronx Rapist.” The woman who was attacked misidentified Tyrone as her assailant. DNA eventually cleared him of the crime – after he had finished serving his prison sentence. Journalist Scott Reeder explores how faulty identifications happen and what impact they have on individual lives.

Did a faulty forensic technique called “bite mark analysis” send two innocent men to Mississippi’s death row? Scott Reeder examines the issue.   Sponsors: www.ThisSoundsSerious.com  

Rachel’s Casey’s duplex erupted into flames in July 2001. and her 7-month-old baby died. An arson investigator used a dog to search the fire scene and the dog “alerted” to the possibility that a flammable liquid was used.  But a subsequent laboratory test found the canine was wrong. Despite this, Rachel was prosecuted and found guilty of arson and murder. She had served 14 years of a life sentence when a law professor investigated the case and found the earlier investigation was faulty and relied on “junk science.” Sponsor: RXBar.com/Suspect

Perry Cobb was sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit. Today he holds the record for the person tried the most times for the same murder. He was freed from death row by a young journalist and a new law school graduate, who defied political pressure to testify on Perry’s behalf.

Kristine Bunch served 17 years in prison for a crime that never happened. On June 30, 1995, the Indiana trailer where she lived erupted into flames. Her 3-year-old son, Tony, was found dead in his bedroom. Police immediately accused Bunch of arson, which she denied. A laboratory report was altered and based on this altered report she was convicted. Bunch tells the story of how she overcame the false conviction.

We introduce you to a new podcast by Wondery that contemplates challenges in the workplace. wondery.fm/suspect

Mary Beth Haglin was a brilliant young teacher, a recipient of a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship and a talented instructor. Then the 23-year-old had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student. When they were found out, her life began to unravel. First, she lost her job and then she became a pariah in the community. Next, she became a stripper and acted in porn videos. Now, she faces jail time. We look at Mary Beth’s descent, the decisions she made and ask: Should her mistake be treated bad judgment or criminal conduct? Sponsor: Rxbar: rxbar.com/suspect and use the promo code "SUSPECT" at checkout for 25% off your first order

Darrel Parker was a 24-year-old newlywed when he was convicted of murdering his wife in Lincoln, Nebraska. He spent the next 60 years fighting to clear his name. Scott Reeder interviews the 86-year-old Parker and takes listeners on a 60-year journey until Parker was able to prove his innocence and receive an apology from the state. Sponsor: Rxbar: rxbar.com/suspect and use the promo code "SUSPECT" at checkout for 25% off.

Netflix vs. HBO. Nike vs. Adidas. Business is war. Sometimes the prize is your wallet, or your attention. Sometimes, it’s just the fun of beating the other guy. The outcome of these battles shapes what we buy and how we live.  Business Wars gives you the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights -- or to ruin. Hosted by David Brown, former anchor of Marketplace. From Wondery, the network behind Dirty John and American History Tellers. Don’t forget to subscribe at wondery.fm/businesswars

Hosts Willis Kern and Scott Reeder recap what they’ve discovered over the first 13 episodes covering Barton McNeil’s conviction. And they look ahead at what’s next for the Illinois Innocence Project, which is expected to file motions seeking a new trial for McNeil in the coming months.

Misook's ex-husband says she tried to get him to plant drugs on Bart the night of the murder. And Scott Reeder and Willis Kern examine Bart's life before prison.

The bed in which Christina McNeil was murdered was later purchased at a thrift store by the same woman who the girl’s father says killed her, a Department of Children and Family services report indicates. That is one of the revelations in this week’s episode of Suspect Convictions. After Barton McNeil was arrested and ultimately convicted of the murder, his brother donated the bed to The Salvation Army. Misook (Nowlin) Wang was doing community service at The Salvation Army at that time, related to a domestic abuse case against her. Wang is said to have bought the bed and gave it to her own daughter to sleep on.

Two of Barton McNeil’s cousins have been tireless advocates for his innocence. What motivates them to help a man neither knew before he was convicted of murder? Grace Schlafer from Indiana and Chris Ross from California have interviewed witnesses, poured over documents, and questioned detectives. They were instrumental in getting the Illinois Innocence Project involved in McNeil’s fight for exoneration. The Illinois Innocence Project is expected to file motions soon in hopes of winning McNeil a new trial.

Scott Reeder shares a letter he received from Misook Nowlin Wang, who is serving a 55-year prison sentence for killing her mother in-law. She addresses Barton McNeil’s assertions that she killed his 3-year-old daughter Christina.  Reeder and co-host Willis Kern are joined by social psychologist and true-crime buff Amanda Vicary, a professor at Illinois Wesleyan University to discuss the twists and turns in the McNeil case to date.

New DNA evidence has been uncovered that defense attorneys contend points to Barton McNeil' s innocence and Misook Nowlan Wang's guilt. But prosecutors are saying not so fast.   Sponsor: Simplisafe: Simplisafe.com/Suspect

Barton McNeil is incarcerated in the the murder of his 3-year-old daughter, Christina. He maintains he is innocent. While serving a life sentence at an Illinois maximum security prison, he answered questions from Suspect Conviction listeners. Sponsors: Simplisafe: Simplisafe.com/Suspect

Misook Nowlin Wang was the alternate suspect presented by the defense in the killing of 3-year-old Christina McNeil. What is known for certain is that she killed her mother in-law Linda Tyda, 11 years later. Scott Reeder and Willis Kern explore this murder and how it may or may not impact Barton McNeil's case. Sponsor: Simplisafe Home Security: Get $200 off a home security kit at Simplisafe.com/Suspect