Podcasts about fairbanks four

Imagine, spending 18 years in prison for a crime youdidn't commit! October 1997. Late one night in Fairbanks, Alaska, a passerby finds a teenager unconscious, collapsed on the edge of the road, beaten nearly beyond recognition. Two days later, he dies in the hospital. His name is John Gilbert Hartman and he's just turned 15 years old. The police quickly arrest four suspects, all under the age of 21 and of Alaska Native and American Indian descent. Police lineup witnesses, trials follow, and all four men receive lengthy prison terms. Case closed. But journalist Brian Patrick O'Donoghue can't put thestory out of his mind. When the opportunity arises to teach a class on investigative reporting, he finally digs into what happened to the "Fairbanks Four." A relentless search for the truth ensues as O'Donoghue and his students uncover the lies, deceit, and prejudice that putfour innocent young men in jail.

Indigenous people in Canada suffered a noticeably disproportionate number of fatal interactions with law enforcement in 2024. In one three-month period, 15 Indigenous people died either in custody or from direct interactions with police. It prompted the Assembly of First Nations and other Indigenous leaders to call for a national inquiry. It also inspired the news program, APTN Investigates, to pry into the factors that contribute to such an imbalance in the justice system. Their new three-part series looks into the strained relationship between Indigenous people and law enforcement. We'll talk with APTN Investigates team members about their findings. We'll also hear from Marvin Roberts, the Athabascan man who just settled a wrongful conviction lawsuit against the city of Fairbanks, Alaska for $11.5 million. Roberts is one of the men – all Native – deemed the "Fairbanks Four". They were all convicted and imprisoned for the 1997 murder of a teenager. They were released in 2015 after another man confessed to the crime. GUESTS Cullen Crozier (Gwich'in, Dene, and Métis), producer with APTN Investigates Tamara Pimental (Métis), video journalist with APTN Investigates Tom Fennario, video journalist with APTN Investigates Marvin Roberts (Athabascan), one of the "Fairbanks Four" Reilly Cosgrove, partner at Kramer and Cosgrove law firm

Indigenous people in Canada suffered a noticeably disproportionate number of fatal interactions with law enforcement in 2024. In one three-month period, 15 Indigenous people died either in custody or from direct interactions with police. It prompted the Assembly of First Nations and other Indigenous leaders to call for a national inquiry. It also inspired the news program, APTN Investigates, to pry into the factors that contribute to such an imbalance in the justice system. Their new three-part series looks into the strained relationship between Indigenous people and law enforcement. We'll talk with APTN Investigates team members about their findings. We'll also hear from Marvin Roberts, the Athabascan man who just settled a wrongful conviction lawsuit against the city of Fairbanks, Alaska for $11.5 million. Roberts is one of the men – all Native – deemed the "Fairbanks Four". They were all convicted and imprisoned for the 1997 murder of a teenager. They were released in 2015 after another man confessed to the crime.

One of the "Fairbanks Four" who spent almost two decades behind bars for a murder he didn't commit settled a wrongful conviction lawsuit with Fairbanks. Plus, Alaska lawmakers are sounding the alarm over broken weather buoys, making a plea for Congress to step in.

‘Fairbanks Four’ member settles for $11.5 million in wrongful conviction lawsuit. Plus, a woman who dedicated decades to the U.S. Postal Service in Alaska was laid to rest on Tuesday.    

Jory Knott is the Executive Director of the Alaska Innocence Project. The Alaska Innocence Project started in 2008 under the direction of Bill Oberly, and it took seven years for them to get their first exoneration — it was the Fairbanks Four case, in which four Alaska Native men were wrongly convicted of murder and subsequently spent 18 years in prison. Jory says that that case involved a number of factors that led to a wrongful conviction, including eyewitness misidentification, incentivized witnesses, confirmation bias, racial animus, misconduct, and bad science. This was the case that got Jory interested in working with the Innocence Project — he was an intern then, but made the decision to go to law school so that he could work there full-time.  Studies that consider the number of people who have been wrongfully convicted in the U.S. since the late-1980s estimate that up to 5 percent of the prison population is wrongfully convicted. In Alaska, that would mean about 150 innocent people are in prison. Nationally, the average person who is wrongfully convicted spends 12 years in prison before they're exonerated. And Alaska is among about a dozen other states that do not have a wrongful conviction compensation statute, so exonerees don't get any money following their release. Even convicted felons receive things like re-entry services, recidivism prevention, education, job services and drug counseling. But Jory says that, despite all of this, he still has faith in the criminal justice system because, for the most part, it gets it right and wrongful convictions are rare.

In this one, Cody talks to Jory Knott. He's the Executive Director of the Alaska Innocence Project. The Alaska Innocence Project started in 2008 under the direction of Bill Oberly, and it took seven years for them to get their first exoneration — it was the Fairbanks Four case, in which four Alaska Native men were wrongly convicted of murder and subsequently spent 18 years in prison. Jory says that case involved a number of factors that led to a wrongful conviction, including eyewitness misidentification, incentivized witnesses, confirmation bias, racial animus, misconduct, and bad science. This was the case that got Jory interested in working with the Innocence Project — he was an intern then, but made the decision to go to law school so that he could work there full-time. Studies that consider the number of people who have been wrongfully convicted in the U.S. since the late-1980s estimate that up to 5 percent of the prison population is wrongfully convicted. In Alaska, that would mean about 150 innocent people are in prison. Nationally, the average person who is wrongfully convicted spends 12 years in prison before they're exonerated. And Alaska is among about a dozen other states that do not have a wrongful conviction compensation statute, so exonerees don't get any money following their release. Even convicted felons receive things like re-entry services, recidivism prevention, education, job services and drug counseling. But Jory says that, despite all of this, he still has faith in the criminal justice system because, for the most part, it gets it right and wrongful convictions are rare.

October 12th: Josh Hartman Dies (Fairbanks Four) (1997) The fight to prove innocence can be long, hard, and completely devastating. On October 12th 1997 a young man was brutalized and killed in a case that saw 4 men fight to prove their innocence. https://www.newsweek.com/2016/01/22/alaska-fairbanks-four-and-how-murder-convictions-end-414201.html, https://www.tananachiefs.org/fairbanks-four-timeline/, https://uaf.edu/centennial/uaf100/ideas/fairbanks-four.php, https://www.ktoo.org/2021/04/15/city-of-fairbanks-asks-judge-to-consider-fairbanks-four-civil-rights-case-in-two-stages/, https://fm.kuac.org/local-news/2021-03-08/u-s-supreme-court-declines-fairbanks-4-dismissal, https://www.newsminer.com/fairbanks_four/, https://psmag.com/news/how-the-fairbanks-four-finally-found-freedom, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Innocence_Project, https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/fairbanks/2020/01/23/appeals-court-reverses-dismissal-of-fairbanks-four-lawsuit-against-city/

Matt and Bill discuss the case of John Hartman, a teenager who was murdered in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1997. Four young men were charged with the crime, but were they the correct suspects? Death Row Diaries is the only podcast hosted live from Death Row.

New drinking game - drink everytime this case makes you angry: do this on an evening where you will not be working the next day as this case is infuriating pretty much from start to finish. Once again, we are so very grateful for all of the positive attention that this podcast has received in recent weeks, we would not be able to continue doing cases like this if not for all of you fantastic listeners, thank you.Social Media:https://www.facebook.com/northernnightmarespodhttps://www.patreon.com/northernnightmaresnorthernnightmarespod@gmail.comhttps://twitter.com/nn_podhttps://www.instagram.com/northernnightmarespodcast/@northernnightmarespod on Tik Tok for 3 minute one part videos about content covered fully here on the podcastSources:Eugene's confession: http://www.uafjournalism.com/extreme/Hartman/transcripts/Vent.pdfGeorge's interrogationhttp://www.uafjournalism.com/extreme/Hartman/transcripts/Frese.pdfMarvin's interrogation http://www.uafjournalism.com/extreme/Hartman/transcripts/Roberts.pdfKevin's interrogationhttp://www.uafjournalism.com/extreme/Hartman/transcripts/Case%20Number%2097-5823.pdfhttps://weatherspark.com/h/d/273/1997/10/11/Historical-Weather-on-Saturday-October-11-1997-in-Fairbanks-Alaska-United-States#Figures-Temperaturehttps://www.google.com/search?q=1997+alaska+pfd+amount&rlz=1C1UEAD_enUS966US966&oq=1997+alaska+pfd+amount&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l6.5695j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8https://www.tananachiefs.org/fairbanks-four-timeline/https://psmag.com/news/how-the-fairbanks-four-finally-found-freedomhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itCHf2LJ7HEhttp://www.uafjournalism.com/extreme/Hartman/lastday.htmlSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/northernnightmares)

“You're trying to fill my brain with things I didn't do.” Rabinowitz Courthouse, Fairbanks At 2:45 am on October 11th, 1997, three friends in Fairbanks were heading home from a bar when they discovered the badly beaten body of 15-year-old John Hartman. Someone had kicked the boy's head so many times that he was unrecognizable. He died the following evening when his parents agreed to take him off life support. Sources: O'Donoghue, Brian. 7-12-2014. Vent attorney alleges ‘prosecutorial misconduct. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Fairbanks Four when Charged O'Donoghue, Brian. 9-28-2014. The Fairbanks four: The elusive hunt for truth. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Boyce, Rod. 8-30-2015. Keeping the public informed – Inside the decision to publish in a divisive case. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Friedman, Sam. 10-6-2015. ‘Fairbanks Four' trial begins. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Friedman, Sam 11-10-2015. Attorneys for ‘Fairbanks Four' wrap up case. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Friedman, Sam. 12-18-2015. The four freed. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Fairbanks Four after Release Buxton, Matt. 12-30-2015. Fairbanks Four announce fundraiser for their attorney whose husband died in Anchorage plane crash. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Friedman, Sam. 12-18-2016. 1 year out: What's happened since December 17, 2015, when the Fairbanks Four were released? Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Engman, Eric. 6-14-2017. Arlo Olson, key witness in Fairbanks Four trials, dies in reported jail suicide. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. ___________________________________________________ If you would like to support Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier? Become a patron and join The Last Frontier Club. Each month I will provide one or more of the following to club members. · An extra episode of Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier available only for club members. · Behind the scenes glimpses of life and wildlife in the Kodiak wilderness. · Breaking news about ongoing murder cases and new crimes in Alaska · Merchandise or discounts on MMLF merchandise or handmade glass jewelry. Become a Patron! _______________________________________________________________________________________ Check out the store: Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier merchandise. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to my free, monthly Murder and Mystery Newsletter for more stories about true crime and mystery from Alaska. Join me on: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Visit my website at http://robinbarefield.com Check out my books at Author Masterminds ___________________________________________________________________________________ If you would like to check out one of my novels, visit The Readers and Writers Book Club, where you can read Murder Over Kodiak - Free! While you are there, take a look at some of the other free book serializations by wonderful authors in nearly every genre you can imagine. Robin Barefield is the author of four Alaska wilderness mystery novels, Big Game, Murder Over Kodiak, The Fisherman's Daughter, and Karluk Bones. Sign up to subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter on true murder and mystery in Alaska.                      

The City of Fairbanks files a lawsuit against the Fairbanks Four, meanwhile, another young Native man is killed by the police. Priorities.

The Fairbanks Four, having been in prison for over fifteen years, are granted a new trial. Old forces reunite, does history repeat itself? 

An eyewitness testifies that he saw the Fairbanks Four assault another person minutes before John Hartman was beaten to death, his credibility comes into question, as police conduct a questionable investigation. Whose back is being scratched here exactly? 

Chris Stone seems to be given a free pass, as charges are brought quickly against the Fairbanks Four, they don't have much time left to figure out the truth. Snitches come out of the woodwork implicating George, Eugene, Kevin, and Marvin. 

The other half of the Fairbanks Four deny involvement in stomping John Hartman to death, even though Kevin, the whiteboy, lied about his whereabouts that night. John Hartman's friend Chris Stone's story doesn't make a lot of sense. Hartman's older brother wants answers, but maybe he has a guilty conscience. 

The City of Fairbanks is challenging a decision that’s allowed a federal civil rights suit filed by the Fairbanks Four against the city to proceed. The city announced that it has petitioned the U.S.... Visit knba.org/news to get more information.

In the early hours of October 11th, 1997, in Fairbanks Alaska, the body of 17 year old John Hartman lay in the street beaten and was dead the next day. Less than 24 hours later 4 Native Alaskan teens were in custody and 2 coerced confessions were on the record. Through quick judgements, bias, and denial of alibis, join as we investigate how the detectives botched this case and created a great social injustice for Native Alaskan community. This is the wrongful conviction of the Fairbanks Four. 

Two decades of stolen freedom. How a police department coerced the fairbanks four into giving false confessions, falsifying documents, concealing pertinent information, and botching a murder case. Four young adults who spent 20 years maintaining their innocence. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/themirandarights/message

In this second episode of Unjustified, we examine the story of the Fairbanks Four, a group of four native teenagers, who spent 18 years in prison for a crime they didn't commit. 

Karen and Georgia cover the Fairbanks Four and the Dixmoor Five cases and the Pillowcase Rapist.

The Fairbanks Four. October, 1997. Fairbanks, Alaska. A 15 year old named John Hartman was found badly beaten on a curb in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska. At the hospital he was placed on life support as police worked the case and tracked down witnesses and suspects. By the next day John had died and authorities felt certain that a picture of what had happened was quickly coming into focus. But after four convictions and almost two decades the case had changed and the four who had landed in prison for murder were being released after new evidence made its way before the courts. Had the Fairbanks Four been wrongfully convicted? Or could they have committed the murder and then convinced many otherwise?

On this week's "minisode", our friend Pam stops by to tell a true murder story from her hometown in Alaska. It's the story of The Fairbanks Four.

For nearly 15 years, a journalism professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has been investigating the case of the Fairbanks Four, a group of men convicted in the 1997 beating death of a teenager. And he hasn’t been working alone. Each year, students in Brian O’Donoghue’s investigative reporting class picked up the case. Their work had a huge impact: In December 2015, the Fairbanks Four were exonerated, freed after nearly two decades behind bars. On this episode, Brian takes us through the investigation. EPISODE NOTES: bit.ly/26otklP

Brian O'Donoghue

Hello Alaska! In this episode we start talking about the story of the Fairbanks Four, a group of young men who were convicted of killing a teenager on a street corner in downtown Fairbanks. The four, three are Alaska Native, have always argued their innocence, arguing that racial bias and police misconduct put them away.

Hello Alaska! In this episode we wrap up our discussion on the Fairbanks Four, a group of young men who were recently released after 18 years in prison for a murder they said they didn't commit. We'll talk about the critical testimony that helped put them away, why it had its problems and how this case fits in with other recent notable innocence project efforts.

https://nv1-offload-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/20123132/FairbanksFour-WithoutWallace.mp3 A court hearing in Alaska is determining the fate of the Fairbanks Four, young men who were convicted of murder in 1997. But evidence has been mounting for years that the men are innocent despite a zealous prosecution. During the courtroom last week there was a  silent protest. People stood up and held four fingers in the air. A similar protest occurred at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage.