1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: Back in twenty seventeen, I recorded in an episode with 2 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 1: Michelle Murphy and Michelle was wrongfully convicted of the murder 3 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 1: of her baby, Trevor, of fifteen week old boy. She 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: was egregiously framed and served twenty years to the day 5 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 1: in prison of a life sentence. Upon her release, a 6 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,959 Speaker 1: judge said through tears that in his four decades on 7 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: the bench, it was the worst miscarriage of justice he'd 8 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: ever seen. She's been fully exonerated, and she is an 9 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: extraordinary person who is full of life, very brilliant, and 10 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 1: is working at the Bail Fund in Oklahoma helping two 11 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,880 Speaker 1: free other women from sentences they don't deserve and getting 12 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 1: them back home with their. 13 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 2: Families where they belong. 14 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: Sad news is that in twenty eighteen March of twenty eighteen, 15 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: she lost a lawsuit that she filed against the city 16 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: of tall for violating her civil rights. There are ongoing 17 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: developments and hopefully this wrong will be eventually righted. But 18 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: it's shocking to say that now, almost five years since 19 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: her release, she has gotten nothing from the state of 20 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:19,319 Speaker 1: Oklahoma or anyone else for her twenty years of wrongful incarceration. 21 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: Her daughter from whom she was taken at the age 22 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: of seventeen. When this tragedy happened, she was taken directly 23 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: to interrogation. She was interrogated for nine hours, without an attorney, 24 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: without a parent. It was an illegal interrogation, and from 25 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:41,640 Speaker 1: that interrogation she was taken to jail and never saw 26 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:46,120 Speaker 1: her daughter again. The good news is that in twenty eighteen, 27 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: in May, she was reunited with her daughter, and I 28 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: was there. It was an unbelievably emotional scene. Her daughter, 29 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 1: not twenty five, has a daughter of her own, and 30 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: so there's still a lot of healing to be done. 31 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: But Michelle is one of the strongest and bravest people 32 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 1: I've ever known, and you have to hear her story 33 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: to believe it. Michelle Murphy Wrongful Conviction Shout out to Michelle. 34 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 3: I fell into the hands of a corrupt detective. 35 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 4: I was naive enough to believe that I would be 36 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 4: able to just present all of my proof of actual innocence, 37 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 4: that they would investigate adequately, and so that I wouldn't 38 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 4: be going to prison because I was a good person. 39 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 4: I hadn't done anything wrong. 40 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 3: In the back of your mind, you say, well, when 41 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 3: we go to a hearing, we go to court, the 42 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 3: truth will come out. The prosecution from day one knew 43 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 3: I was innocent and let forced testimony go uncorrected from 44 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 3: the lower courts all the way up to the United 45 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 3: States Supreme Court. 46 00:02:55,080 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 5: You have someone with a badge with ultimate and in 47 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:02,119 Speaker 5: that moment unchecked authority. 48 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 4: Don't presume that people are guilty when you see him 49 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 4: on TV, because it may just be a dirty DA 50 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:11,239 Speaker 4: that is trying to rise upward. 51 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: Welcome back to Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flomp. I'm actually 52 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: almost at a loss for words already today because one 53 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: of my favorite humans is here in the studio with us. 54 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: Michelle Murphy, the only female ax honery in the history 55 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: of Oklahoma. 56 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 3: Twenty years in prison for a crime she didn't commit. 57 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 6: On September twelfth, nineteen ninety four, Murphy's fifteen week old son, 58 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 6: Travis was found debt his throat slit. One year later, 59 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 6: Murphy was found guilty of murder received a life sentence 60 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 6: without the possibility of parole. This morning at Tulsa County 61 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 6: judge dismissed Mischelle Murphy's conviction. Prosecutors asked for the conviction 62 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 6: to be vacated because of new evidence they just became 63 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:53,839 Speaker 6: aware of. It involves DNA evidence. They say it wasn't 64 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 6: available twenty years ago. Murphy's attorneys, however, say the Ditrich 65 00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 6: attorney's office always had the evidence and it was im 66 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 6: Haarriss himself who applied to jurors twenty years ago. The 67 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 6: blood the crime scene belonged to Murphy. 68 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 5: After two decades in prison, including four years of legal work, Murphy, 69 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 5: now thirty seven, gets a second. 70 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 7: Chance at life. 71 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 2: Michelle welcome, Thank you. Yeah, it's good to you. Hear. 72 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:20,919 Speaker 1: And with Michelle is her attorney, Shannon McMurray, and is 73 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 1: working on her civil suits. So Shannon, welcome to ronful conviction. 74 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 7: Thank you. 75 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: So Michelle, your case is really it's just beyond I mean, 76 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: your case is so extreme that the judge in your 77 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: original hearing said that in his more than four decades 78 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:41,600 Speaker 1: on the bench, it was the most terrible miscarriage of 79 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,239 Speaker 1: justice he'd ever seen. But let's go back to the beginning. 80 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 1: You were born in Tulsa, Yes, that's great. And what 81 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,600 Speaker 1: was your upbringing like? You had a difficult childhood. 82 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 2: Did you not? 83 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:52,559 Speaker 7: Yes? 84 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 5: I did. I was brought up in poverty stricken projects, 85 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 5: and welfare. I was in and out of foster homes. 86 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 5: I went through pretty much every form of abuse you 87 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 5: can think of as. 88 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: A child, and then you ended up at the age 89 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: of seventeen with two kids, right, yeah, which may not 90 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:16,640 Speaker 1: be as unusual in Oklahoma, but certainly in many parts 91 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: of America, people be like, wow, that's you know, that's 92 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:22,599 Speaker 1: pretty crazy. And you had a difficult relationship with the 93 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:24,040 Speaker 1: father of your children. 94 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:28,919 Speaker 5: As well, right, It was a dysfunctional relationship, but I 95 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 5: had kicked him out, and I was raising my kids 96 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,760 Speaker 5: on my own because that's all I wanted was kids 97 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 5: in my own to raise. 98 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 7: I've pretty much brought up my sisters and my brother, 99 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 7: so I. 100 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 8: Wanted to get out there and have my own. 101 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 7: So I started a little early. 102 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:45,599 Speaker 1: You raise your sisters and your brothers as well, so 103 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:48,479 Speaker 1: you were you had experience at this, right, right, Although 104 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: at seventeen, how much experience can you really have? You'd 105 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,840 Speaker 1: been through some crazy stuff already, as you said, every 106 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: kind of abuse and everything else, So I guess you 107 00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: were sort of prepared. 108 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 5: You know, I knew it all, but I was seventeen. 109 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 5: What seventeen year old doesn't think that they know everything? 110 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 5: And they're ready to take on the world. All I 111 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 5: ever wanted was my own kids, and I was ready 112 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 5: to make it happen, and I did so. 113 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 1: Now we fast forward to that faithful night we're talking 114 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: about September twelfth, nineteen ninety four, right when you went 115 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: to sleep, probably more or less like any other night, 116 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:32,239 Speaker 1: you had your two and a half year old daughter 117 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 1: right right and your baby son, Travis. Can you just 118 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,360 Speaker 1: walk us through what happened that night, because it's, you know, 119 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,600 Speaker 1: it's really the beginning of what is going to be 120 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: an unbelievable saga. 121 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 5: Well, after I left visiting a friend of mine, I 122 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:55,919 Speaker 5: went home. I fed Michelle, my daughter, and I fed 123 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 5: Travis and gave him his little bath and everything else, 124 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,160 Speaker 5: prepared him for sleeping, went to sleep, and I couldn't 125 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 5: sleep for some reason, so I stayed up and I 126 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:08,159 Speaker 5: was going through baseball cards that I was trying to 127 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 5: save for him for his future, because I just wanted 128 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 5: him to have something that could possibly be a collectible 129 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 5: one day or something, you know. And I was making 130 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 5: a list of them and stuff until I finally was 131 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:24,680 Speaker 5: able to go to sleep. And I can't even remember 132 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 5: what time it was that I went to sleep, and 133 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 5: when I woke up, my my lights were on, my 134 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 5: head was hurting, and I noticed my son wasn't where 135 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 5: he was when I laid him down to sleep. 136 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 2: You were sleeping with the kids right at the time. 137 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:53,160 Speaker 5: My ac from upstairs had fallen out the window, and 138 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 5: so at that time we were all just sleeping downstairs 139 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 5: where it would be cooler, and we were sleeping on 140 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 5: a couch, all three of us. I had a huge 141 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 5: L shaped couch and so we were all in different 142 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 5: areas on it asleep. 143 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: And so the first thing you would have noticed when 144 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 1: you woke up is that your son was missing. I mean, 145 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: because you're I mean, he would have been right in 146 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: your immediate vicinity. He would have been in your eyesighted 147 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: as soon as you woke up. 148 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 5: So he was gone, right, And my first instinct is 149 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 5: to look and make sure that they're there and they're 150 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,080 Speaker 5: asleep and they're okay, because I woke up to try 151 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:27,480 Speaker 5: to go use the restaurroom. 152 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 1: Right and there's nowhere he could have gone. It was 153 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: only fifteen weeks solds now that he walked somewhere, and 154 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: I just. 155 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 5: I started panicking because I was like, where's where's my baby? 156 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 5: You know, my front door was open and my closest 157 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 5: friends lived right behind me at that time, so I 158 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:53,320 Speaker 5: went to go out the back door and that's when 159 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:54,319 Speaker 5: I found Travis. 160 00:08:56,960 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 2: He was in the kitchen. 161 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:00,560 Speaker 7: Yeah, in a pull of his own blood. 162 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,679 Speaker 1: It's the ultimate nightmare of anybody who's ever had a child. 163 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 2: So what did you do? 164 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 5: I freaked out. I went to my friends to get help. 165 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:20,920 Speaker 9: And it's the last time I got to see my daughter, 166 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 9: and it was the last time I felt complete half 167 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 9: of my kids. You know. 168 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 5: After I went to my friends and they seen what 169 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 5: had happened with Travis, they went and they called the police, 170 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 5: and then they came out and I was in a 171 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:47,520 Speaker 5: police car. I remember sitting there and people just kept 172 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 5: coming up to the car asking me what was going on. 173 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:57,960 Speaker 5: And eventually they took me to the police station where 174 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 5: an officer of the law, if you could call him that, 175 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:07,679 Speaker 5: interrogated me. And it wasn't so much an interrogation, it 176 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 5: was more like a browbeating, like he told me I 177 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:14,679 Speaker 5: had done this, and this is what I did and 178 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 5: how I did it, and why I did this and 179 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 5: just and all I could say was I didn't do it. 180 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:24,640 Speaker 1: There's so many things wrong with this story, even just 181 00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: this beginning part of the story, because it's illegal in 182 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:31,560 Speaker 1: Oklahoma for a seventeen year old you're a minor to 183 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,080 Speaker 1: be interrogated without an adult in the room, a guardian 184 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: or an attorney, right, But that didn't. 185 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 10: Stop them at that time in Oklahoma. It was not proper. 186 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,640 Speaker 10: It's legal today, they've changed the law. But what they 187 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:48,120 Speaker 10: did to Michelle is nothing less than despicable. 188 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 1: But why would they do this? And here you were 189 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 1: just an innocent child. I mean, you're still a child. 190 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 1: And they interrogated you for seven fucking hours, and that 191 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 1: is a long long time, particularly when you are in 192 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 1: such a fragile state, right and you're seventeen, you have 193 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: an eighth grade education, you're totally overmatch. You've apparently been 194 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: hitting the ad right because you wake up with this 195 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: horrible headache. And yet they really didn't manage to extract 196 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,560 Speaker 1: the confession from you. Seven hours and they finally get 197 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,439 Speaker 1: you to say they say, you said something that was 198 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: sort of like, you know, well, maybe I could have 199 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:33,719 Speaker 1: accidentally dropped a knife for what. 200 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:37,199 Speaker 5: He had guided me to say. The investigator was guiding 201 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:40,560 Speaker 5: me and things that I needed to say this is 202 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 5: how I did it, And I was more like asking 203 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:47,160 Speaker 5: him a question as to instead of making a statement, 204 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 5: I was asking him that's what he wanted to hear, 205 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 5: because because I wanted to see my daughter. I wanted 206 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:54,440 Speaker 5: to make sure my daughter was okay. I wanted to 207 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:55,320 Speaker 5: hold my daughter. 208 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 10: He made false promises. Just say it was an accident. 209 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 10: Just say this, and you'll get to go home, and 210 00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 10: you'll get to see your daughter. We'll get you counseling, 211 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:06,520 Speaker 10: we'll get you therapy. You just need to say it 212 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:09,640 Speaker 10: this way. When he didn't like what Michelle said, he 213 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 10: would start the recording over again. Michael Lee William was 214 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 10: very likely the person who decapitated Travis and left him 215 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 10: dead in Michelle's kitchen. There was no knife, no weapon 216 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 10: ever found, absolutely no blood evidence on Michelle. They never luminalled. 217 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:33,000 Speaker 10: There were five separate sets of fingerprints that they never tested. 218 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:36,200 Speaker 10: They didn't test the screen door for fingerprints. They didn't 219 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 10: test a chair that was seemed like blocking the front 220 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:42,199 Speaker 10: screen door and it had blood on it. There was 221 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:46,600 Speaker 10: an open back window that they've later admitted William could 222 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:51,679 Speaker 10: have crawled through. There's so many inconsistencies between his interviews 223 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:55,120 Speaker 10: and his testimony at preliminary hearing, and then after preliminary hearing, 224 00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:59,480 Speaker 10: he was found hung quite suspiciously and dead. So the 225 00:12:59,559 --> 00:13:03,240 Speaker 10: only person who really knows the truth is dead. After 226 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:06,960 Speaker 10: he testified and what the preliminary hearing, judge pulled the 227 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 10: prosecutor and the defense attorney in after the preliminary hearing 228 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:14,119 Speaker 10: and said, you need to seriously consider him as the suspect. 229 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:16,400 Speaker 1: Well, I was reading about this, Shannon, and I found 230 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: it absolutely extraordinary that the judge at your preliminary hearing 231 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:26,240 Speaker 1: was Judge Messler, And in an interview he called this 232 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 1: case and I'm quoting, the biggest miscarriage of justice end 233 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:31,760 Speaker 1: quote that he had ever been connected to, and he 234 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: was holding back tears when. 235 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:33,320 Speaker 2: He said it. 236 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: What does that tell you about I mean, for a 237 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,479 Speaker 1: judge who'd been on the bench for over four decades 238 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:42,640 Speaker 1: to say something that holding back tears, this is where 239 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:45,560 Speaker 1: it really gets me. And I've never heard this before. 240 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:47,720 Speaker 1: At one point during this preliminary hearing, which is when 241 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: this should have stopped, he actually called the attorneys to 242 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 1: his chambers to ask if the quote unquote witness who 243 00:13:56,040 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 1: we now know was almost. 244 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 2: Certainly the perpetrator murderer. 245 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 1: William Michael Lee if he had an attorney, And when 246 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:07,959 Speaker 1: the prosecutor asked why, Judge Messler responded, and I'm quoting, 247 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:11,560 Speaker 1: because that's the murderer of this baby, and everybody in 248 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,280 Speaker 1: the courtroom knows it except you apparently. 249 00:14:16,679 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 2: Wow. You know, like. 250 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:25,120 Speaker 1: You would hope that at that point somebody would have said, Okay, 251 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: we're done, that's enough. 252 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 2: We could stop. 253 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:33,480 Speaker 1: Now, we can shift our focus. You sit there and go, wait, 254 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 1: wait a minute, stop like something, just stop, right, You 255 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: have that feeling like this has to This can't be right. 256 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:42,680 Speaker 2: It can't be that the judge. 257 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: Said something so strong and so profound, and yet everybody 258 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:49,920 Speaker 1: felt fine just going ahead with this. Let's not call 259 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:52,600 Speaker 1: it a prosecution. Let's call it a persecution, right, because 260 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: and that's really what was happening. It wasn't an interrogation 261 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:59,040 Speaker 1: that Michelle endured. It was like a witch hunt, basically. 262 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:04,720 Speaker 1: And it's so nuts because this kid who was another neighbor, right, 263 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: and who hadn't made unwanted sexual advances towards. 264 00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:12,320 Speaker 2: You, right. And it gets worse. 265 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 1: And worse as this unravels because of the fact that 266 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:19,400 Speaker 1: there was evidence that was not allowed in court. Because 267 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: the kid's self asphyxiated and hung himself between the time 268 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:23,880 Speaker 1: of your arrest and the time of the trial. 269 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:26,000 Speaker 2: It's all just totally bizarre. 270 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: But the testimony was not allowed that was going to 271 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,840 Speaker 1: be presented that he had decapitated a cat, that he 272 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: had shown up at school the day of the murder, 273 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:38,360 Speaker 1: joyful and talking about how he had, you know, exacted 274 00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: some revenge on you and other details. Yeah, right, So, 275 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: I mean that would have been the end of the 276 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,880 Speaker 1: trial right there. Right, it would have been like, oh, 277 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: I mean, any jury, I don't care, any jury is 278 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: going to hear that stuff. 279 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:53,360 Speaker 2: And there was more. 280 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: There was a psychologist who had said that he was 281 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: ten years old, he had examined him, and that he 282 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 1: had shown when he feels rejected that he had violent tendencies. 283 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 1: I mean, this is textbook, right, That's exactly what happened. 284 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: He had this rejection, and obviously he was pretty twisted 285 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:13,920 Speaker 1: considering the way he died, right. Self asphyxiation is a 286 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 1: bizarre thing at any age, but the fact that he 287 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: was doing that when he was fourteen or fifteen when 288 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: he died is really it takes it to a whole 289 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:27,600 Speaker 1: other level. So there's just so many bad actors in 290 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: this particular play. So back to this crazy judicial nightmare 291 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 1: of yours. 292 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 2: Right, So. 293 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:43,160 Speaker 1: They decide to proceed even though everybody knows that you're innocent, 294 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: and they just went ahead anyway, which is shocking. So 295 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,800 Speaker 1: what happens next? Now you're in jail awaiting trial. Right, 296 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:52,520 Speaker 1: they didn't let you see your baby. They lied to 297 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: you in the interrogation room. You're in jail. 298 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 5: I was put in a cell by myself because I 299 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 5: was seventeen, with a barrier front of my door until 300 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:03,880 Speaker 5: I turned eighteen. Even though I was being charged as 301 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:07,360 Speaker 5: an adult, I was still treated as a juvenile. And 302 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:10,960 Speaker 5: I didn't get out. I didn't get out but for 303 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:15,520 Speaker 5: an hour day after everybody else was locked down and 304 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:16,960 Speaker 5: have access. 305 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 7: To the phone, so the shower, what have you. And 306 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:21,359 Speaker 7: it was only for an hour at a time. 307 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:23,160 Speaker 2: You're in solitary confinement. 308 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 7: Yeah, that's correct, right. 309 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:28,480 Speaker 1: No, nobody bothered to think that she needed a psychologist, 310 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,399 Speaker 1: any sort of counseling after what you've been through. 311 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:35,080 Speaker 2: I mean, okay, I can't I can't even process that. 312 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:38,919 Speaker 1: And meanwhile, are you even aware of what's going on 313 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 1: with your daughter at this point? 314 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:40,960 Speaker 2: Has anybody told you. 315 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:42,879 Speaker 7: I couldn't get any answers from anybody. 316 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:46,280 Speaker 2: Did you have parents that you could talk to or anybody? 317 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:46,680 Speaker 5: Mother? 318 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 7: But she didn't know either. 319 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:52,480 Speaker 5: Well, they just denied her access as well because of 320 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 5: things that had happened to me in her care as 321 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:55,879 Speaker 5: a child. 322 00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:58,640 Speaker 7: They kept her out of the loop too. 323 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:03,000 Speaker 2: My entire family was anyone visiting you. 324 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:08,920 Speaker 5: I got a few visits from family, but they were 325 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 5: in the dark just as much as I was. 326 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: And we find out later that your daughter was adopted 327 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:19,720 Speaker 1: by close friends of the prosecutor, right, correct, which again 328 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:23,879 Speaker 1: just adds a layer to this that is off the 329 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,600 Speaker 1: fucking wall. I mean, it's just like I mean, it 330 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:29,679 Speaker 1: just doesn't make any logical sense. And then you go 331 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 1: to trial. You turned eighteen in prison, right, the worst 332 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:33,880 Speaker 1: eighteenth parent? 333 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 5: Yeah? 334 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 2: Ever? 335 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 5: Spent some of the best birthdays or supposed to be 336 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:39,800 Speaker 5: the best birthdays in jail or prison. 337 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,439 Speaker 10: And back then, you know, I've been a lawyer now 338 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 10: twenty some years, but I was an intern for the 339 00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:48,240 Speaker 10: Public Defender's Office and would have to go to the 340 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:53,639 Speaker 10: adult detention center, and these women and men were either 341 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 10: in cages or in a bunk or so to speak, 342 00:18:57,119 --> 00:19:00,199 Speaker 10: lying on top of each other, roaches, rats, my it 343 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 10: was despicable, and this smell was unfathomable. I mean I 344 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:10,480 Speaker 10: would throw up in my mouth every time. 345 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:12,040 Speaker 7: It was just awful. 346 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:14,920 Speaker 10: But you had to go out there as a public defender, 347 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 10: intern or lawyer. We would go out there just to 348 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 10: check on their well being and we would report the 349 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:24,320 Speaker 10: conditions and it never changed. I could not even imagine 350 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:28,359 Speaker 10: having to endure that, even if I did do something wrong, 351 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:32,040 Speaker 10: but knowing I didn't do anything and being in that 352 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:33,680 Speaker 10: just it just. 353 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 2: This is the jail. 354 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:37,800 Speaker 7: It's unspeakable. That's where Michelle was held right prior to 355 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 7: the trial. The adult. 356 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:43,200 Speaker 1: Yes, it was horrible, and that's something that is worth understanding. 357 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:46,919 Speaker 1: Jails by and large, are worse than prisons for some 358 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:48,399 Speaker 1: of the reasons that you're talking about. 359 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:49,359 Speaker 2: There's no recreation. 360 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:51,880 Speaker 1: Many people are held, as Michelle was, in their cell 361 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:55,000 Speaker 1: for twenty three hours a day. The lights don't go off, 362 00:19:55,560 --> 00:20:02,879 Speaker 1: they're never cleaned. They're literally breathing grounds for disease, violence, rape, 363 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:06,240 Speaker 1: because there's so much pressure built up because there's nothing 364 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:08,600 Speaker 1: to do except for sit there. You've got people in 365 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:10,760 Speaker 1: there who are innocent, like Michelle. You've got people in 366 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 1: there who are accused of crimes but can't post bail, 367 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:14,480 Speaker 1: but they may or may not be innocent. We have 368 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:17,320 Speaker 1: no idea, and then we have them mixed in with 369 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,800 Speaker 1: violent criminals. It sounds like a more benign word than prison, 370 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: and it's important for people to understand that it's the 371 00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 1: farthest thing from it. 372 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:29,639 Speaker 5: Well, and then also especially whenever the media crucifies you 373 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 5: and makes you out to be one of the most 374 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:36,840 Speaker 5: horrific monsters there is and you're charged with any form 375 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:37,119 Speaker 5: of a. 376 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:39,719 Speaker 7: Child crime and they broadcast it. 377 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:43,440 Speaker 5: These people, these women or men in jail, they see that, 378 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:44,880 Speaker 5: they watch the news. 379 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:46,400 Speaker 7: You get taunted. 380 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 5: You just get fucked with really bad in there, and 381 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:52,880 Speaker 5: it's twenty four hours. 382 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:59,480 Speaker 7: You get fucked with, excuse my language, messed with in there. 383 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 5: And especially for well, the crime that I was charged 384 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 5: with and the goryinous, the horror of it, and what 385 00:21:12,119 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 5: they would say on the news and stuff. People will 386 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,560 Speaker 5: take that and then they twist it and make it 387 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,320 Speaker 5: even worse, as if you could make it any worse. 388 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 7: But being in there and you're innocent of this as well, 389 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 7: and you don't know, like me, I. 390 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 5: Didn't know where my daughter was and just I'm going 391 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 5: through this, and then I'm having people yelling through the vents, 392 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:39,160 Speaker 5: hollering at me all the time, calling me a baby killer. 393 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:44,280 Speaker 5: I got threats all the time. They were going to 394 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:47,720 Speaker 5: make sure my food had something in it. They were 395 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:49,679 Speaker 5: gonna do the same thing to me that I had 396 00:21:49,720 --> 00:21:56,119 Speaker 5: supposedly done to my job. I mean, you learn to 397 00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:59,440 Speaker 5: just kind of try to block it out as much 398 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 5: as you can, but you can't block it all out. 399 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:04,680 Speaker 7: And it's twenty four hours a day. 400 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 2: I can't imagine how. It's just bad and worse. And 401 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:10,920 Speaker 2: it's a miracle that. 402 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:14,679 Speaker 1: You survived that ordeal, because you're right, it can't be 403 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:17,159 Speaker 1: any worse than that. To be in there accused of 404 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 1: what you were accused of, having lost your child, being 405 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,160 Speaker 1: deprived of the scene. I mean, it's like it's literally the 406 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:26,320 Speaker 1: ultimate nightmare, and yet you live through it and here 407 00:22:26,359 --> 00:22:29,560 Speaker 1: you are today, which is that's a miracle. So then 408 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: there's the trial and you're finally going to trial. 409 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:36,120 Speaker 2: Did you believe that. 410 00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:38,520 Speaker 1: Things were going to work out and that finally somebody 411 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 1: would tell the truth and you would be able to 412 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:41,399 Speaker 1: go home. 413 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:45,919 Speaker 5: I knew that I was innocent, and I believe that 414 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:51,120 Speaker 5: once they heard all this bs that they had made 415 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:54,000 Speaker 5: up about me, and everything else is somebody was going 416 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:58,920 Speaker 5: to see what I knew and they would let me 417 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:04,680 Speaker 5: go home. But they were so narrow minded and blinded 418 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:08,760 Speaker 5: by what the prosecutor portrayed, and. 419 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 7: I got a life without pearls sins, and so the 420 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 7: lawyer was asleep. 421 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:16,959 Speaker 10: As a defense attorney, and I've done it my entire career, 422 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 10: I know that we as attorneys are the only thing 423 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:26,960 Speaker 10: that can stop the mountain of the United States and 424 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:30,439 Speaker 10: the government. We're the stop gap and we have to 425 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:32,800 Speaker 10: If you can't get in there and fight like hell, 426 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 10: then get the hell out of the courtroom. I see 427 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,880 Speaker 10: it day in and day out lawyers that aren't prepared. 428 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:42,400 Speaker 10: But they weren't just not prepared. It's almost like they 429 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,879 Speaker 10: just went with the prosecution and whatever their theory of 430 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,879 Speaker 10: the case was, they did not control anything in that 431 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:52,400 Speaker 10: courtroom or anything leading up into the courtroom, and they 432 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 10: didn't do what they're supposed to do. And so that 433 00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:57,520 Speaker 10: was a part of the problem as well. 434 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:01,239 Speaker 1: Is a problem that we see all too frequently is 435 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:06,480 Speaker 1: that people are not adequately represented by their defenders. And 436 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 1: you're certainly a textbook case of that as well. I mean, 437 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 1: this was a case where even though there was prosecutorial misconduct, 438 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:19,200 Speaker 1: gross prosecutor miscrossed, including lies about the blood evidence, which 439 00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:22,560 Speaker 1: had they told the truth, would have exonerated you instantly 440 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:25,600 Speaker 1: because your blood type didn't match the blood that was 441 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:27,720 Speaker 1: found with the crime scene. And of course it even 442 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:31,560 Speaker 1: goes further. There was blood presumably from the perpetrator at 443 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:32,680 Speaker 1: the crime scene. 444 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:34,879 Speaker 7: And going out the front door, and going out. 445 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:37,320 Speaker 2: The front door. I mean, this one comes with instructions. 446 00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:39,119 Speaker 5: I mean it was on the chair as well, that 447 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:41,680 Speaker 5: was propped up against the outside of my front door 448 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:43,320 Speaker 5: to where I couldn't go out the front door if 449 00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 5: I had went out the front door, so I'd have 450 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 5: to have gone at the back. 451 00:24:47,280 --> 00:24:51,080 Speaker 1: On top of everything else, you have no blood on you, right, 452 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:56,240 Speaker 1: And so any investigator right out of school would go. 453 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:59,119 Speaker 2: Well, wait a minute, this doesn't make any sense. You 454 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:00,240 Speaker 2: can't commit. 455 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:03,880 Speaker 1: Violent, terrible stabbing with blood everywhere, but you don't get 456 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:08,200 Speaker 1: any blood on you, right, And so immediately there should 457 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:10,360 Speaker 1: have been like, she didn't do it. Let's take care 458 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:12,920 Speaker 1: of her, right, She's been through the most traumatic experience 459 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:15,639 Speaker 1: that anyone can go through. Let's get her some help. 460 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 1: Let's make sure her daughter's okay. That would be the 461 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:20,359 Speaker 1: appropriate reaction, and let's go find who did this. 462 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:22,960 Speaker 7: You would think that that would be the proper way. 463 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 2: To do well, that is the proper one. 464 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:26,240 Speaker 1: Well, I think, but that's not what they did, right, 465 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:28,440 Speaker 1: I mean, I mean, in a civilized society, there's no 466 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:31,119 Speaker 1: question that that's what should have been done. They had 467 00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 1: their sight set on you, and it's it's hard. 468 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:36,480 Speaker 7: It was an easier target for him. 469 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:40,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, right, except for not really though when you think 470 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:44,240 Speaker 1: about it, because they had all evidence that they needed to. 471 00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:46,360 Speaker 1: I mean, they had blood evidence and everything. I mean, 472 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 1: they knew that. 473 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:57,760 Speaker 11: I'm going to get too angry. 474 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: So back to where we left off. At trial, you 475 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:05,080 Speaker 1: needed a dream team, you needed a superstar attorney, and 476 00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 1: you got someone who was let's say, borderline incompetent and 477 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:13,760 Speaker 1: that maybe being kind. At the same time, not only 478 00:26:14,359 --> 00:26:19,439 Speaker 1: was the prosecution on this crazy mission to convict you 479 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 1: at all costs, but they also broke so many different rules. 480 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:23,360 Speaker 2: Right. 481 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:28,159 Speaker 1: The misconduct in this case is extreme, including I think 482 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 1: it was Harris was the prosecutor right, he lied about 483 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:35,440 Speaker 1: the evidence. Not only did they withhold the culpatory evidence, 484 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:38,920 Speaker 1: which is a Brady violation. They lied about the actual evidence. 485 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,879 Speaker 1: They at least suggested to the jury that the blood 486 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,000 Speaker 1: that was found at the crime scene could have been 487 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 1: or was probably yours, which they knew was one hundred 488 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,760 Speaker 1: percent on tropline. They knew it was not yours, but 489 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,440 Speaker 1: they led the jury to believe that it was. And 490 00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:57,520 Speaker 1: that's hard when you're in the jury seat, right You're 491 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:00,000 Speaker 1: one of these jurors, and you're sitting there and you 492 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:02,159 Speaker 1: been hit with all this publicity around your case and 493 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:05,560 Speaker 1: everything else, and you know you're feeling, I'm sure, very 494 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,159 Speaker 1: stressed out because it was a baby killed. 495 00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 5: They even showed the jurors and autopsy of my son. Yeah, 496 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:18,600 Speaker 5: that's horrific too, so they I can only imagine what 497 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,360 Speaker 5: it was like for them to sit there and see that. 498 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:25,840 Speaker 7: I mean, I had to just listen to it. I 499 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:26,480 Speaker 7: was forced to. 500 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 5: I didn't want to see it, you know, I already 501 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:32,720 Speaker 5: had enough horrors, but I had to sit in there 502 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:36,680 Speaker 5: and I could hear the video plan and all the 503 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:40,080 Speaker 5: things that they were doing. So I can only imagine 504 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:43,920 Speaker 5: that that made a big impact on the jurors too, 505 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,480 Speaker 5: And they wanted somebody to pay for it, And I 506 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:49,560 Speaker 5: get that I want somebody to pay for it too, 507 00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 5: but not me. 508 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:52,600 Speaker 7: I didn't do it. 509 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:58,600 Speaker 1: So there had been this circus of a trial, and 510 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:02,959 Speaker 1: ultimately the jury was out. You were probably, even as 511 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: a seventeen eighteen year old girl with an eighth grade education, 512 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:10,800 Speaker 1: you were probably aware that your own attorney wasn't doing 513 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:14,000 Speaker 1: such a great job, right, But did you think that 514 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:16,840 Speaker 1: they were going to come back and actually find you guilty? 515 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:20,800 Speaker 5: I never lost hope, and I was just I was 516 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:25,040 Speaker 5: praying that they would see the truth and that they 517 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:28,800 Speaker 5: would know I couldn't do something like that, but it 518 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:29,399 Speaker 5: was wrong. 519 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:36,399 Speaker 1: So that moment, Michelle, Now you've been through everything a 520 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:38,840 Speaker 1: human being can endure from the time you were a child, 521 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 1: and what was that moment? 522 00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:44,960 Speaker 5: Like, I can't forget it. There's a lot of things 523 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:48,120 Speaker 5: I wish I could forget. When the jurors come back 524 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:51,560 Speaker 5: in and I was in there, I was just holding 525 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:54,760 Speaker 5: onto my faith and that they were going to know 526 00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:58,240 Speaker 5: there is no way that I could do that. 527 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:03,080 Speaker 8: There's too many holes in what they tried to portray, 528 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 8: and that they would see through that. And I kept 529 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 8: holding on to the fact that I knew I was 530 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 8: innocent and that I was hoping that they were. They 531 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:16,320 Speaker 8: weren't too blind to see that I was innocent, because 532 00:29:16,360 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 8: it was clear I was wrong, because they found me 533 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:21,120 Speaker 8: guilty and. 534 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:22,960 Speaker 7: Gave me a life without pearl sentence. 535 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:28,840 Speaker 5: I remember my grandfather and my uncle in the courtroom, 536 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:32,480 Speaker 5: and I had never seen them cry, and they both 537 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 5: broke down and cried. I remember my sister break down 538 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:42,000 Speaker 5: and she was screaming at the jurys, telling them that 539 00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:46,800 Speaker 5: how could they do it, that they were wrong. And 540 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:49,120 Speaker 5: I remember seeing my mom over there. 541 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:56,640 Speaker 7: And she was breaking down crying as well. Well everybody 542 00:29:56,680 --> 00:29:57,600 Speaker 7: that was there. 543 00:29:57,560 --> 00:30:02,000 Speaker 5: My family was were all broke down and cried because 544 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:05,320 Speaker 5: they all believed I was going to come home. And 545 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,960 Speaker 5: I didn't know what the sentence was that they had 546 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,400 Speaker 5: given me until I was able to talk to my 547 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:16,560 Speaker 5: mom later and I asked her, I said, what was 548 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:19,040 Speaker 5: the sense they gave me? All I heard was guilty 549 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:24,640 Speaker 5: in life. Everything else was just kind of like blacked out. 550 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 5: I just I couldn't believe it that they had found 551 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:33,520 Speaker 5: me guilty, and just hearing them say that, it was 552 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:36,920 Speaker 5: like I lost my heart, it was ripped out again 553 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:41,800 Speaker 5: what was left of it anyhow, And then seeing my 554 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:45,080 Speaker 5: family breakdown like that it was. 555 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 7: It was hard, and then they took me back to 556 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 7: the county jail and put me in my room. 557 00:30:57,640 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, I can't believe even now that they can. 558 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: To you, it's something that all of us as Americans 559 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:06,200 Speaker 1: and human beings should be ashamed of. 560 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:07,959 Speaker 2: And I am. 561 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:11,000 Speaker 1: So you're sentenced to life in prison, and you had 562 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:13,800 Speaker 1: a lot of life left to live when you're eighteen 563 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:18,200 Speaker 1: years old and you end up going to prison. I 564 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: want to get to how you managed to persevere and 565 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,320 Speaker 1: find the strength to fight for yourself when you could 566 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 1: have so easily given up. I mean, I think most 567 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,080 Speaker 1: people in your situation would have given up. 568 00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:33,880 Speaker 5: There are times that I wanted to give up, but 569 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:34,520 Speaker 5: I couldn't. 570 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:37,760 Speaker 7: I just couldn't because. 571 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:41,640 Speaker 5: I have a daughter and now I know I have 572 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:46,720 Speaker 5: a granddaughter too, and tell with everybody else, I had 573 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:50,880 Speaker 5: to prove to her that I didn't do this, and 574 00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:55,640 Speaker 5: in order for that, I had to get my innocence proven. 575 00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 5: And that's what kept me going through the twenty years 576 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:04,840 Speaker 5: and even now is what keeps me going is one day, 577 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:10,120 Speaker 5: haven't the possibility of let her in heart know the facts, 578 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:13,920 Speaker 5: not what she's been led to believe, and being. 579 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:14,680 Speaker 7: A part of her life. 580 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:19,920 Speaker 1: The fact that you still now two years after being 581 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:24,480 Speaker 1: three years after being fully exonerated. 582 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 7: And found actual innocent, found. 583 00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:30,520 Speaker 1: Actual innocent, and the ruling was with prejudice, so that 584 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 1: means they can't retry you. The idea that you still 585 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:36,920 Speaker 1: haven't been able to re establish a relationship with hers 586 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,400 Speaker 1: is something that troubles me a lot. 587 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:40,160 Speaker 2: But I'm hopeful. 588 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:43,959 Speaker 1: I mean, I think that ultimately you will and hopefully 589 00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:45,080 Speaker 1: there'll be a happy ending to this. 590 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:47,800 Speaker 5: And I believe one day she will come around and 591 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:49,160 Speaker 5: she'll let me be a. 592 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:49,920 Speaker 7: Part of her life. 593 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:53,600 Speaker 1: It is going to happen, because it has to. You know, 594 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: there's another couple of twists and turns in this, right 595 00:32:55,880 --> 00:33:00,880 Speaker 1: because you ended up serving twenty years. But halfway through 596 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:03,440 Speaker 1: that there was light, there was a break in the case. 597 00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:04,000 Speaker 7: Yeah. 598 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:07,920 Speaker 5: Before my mom passed away, my mother had written the 599 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:08,840 Speaker 5: Innocence Project. 600 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:12,440 Speaker 7: She wrote a lot of people because she. 601 00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:14,600 Speaker 5: Wanted to get me in my dream team, my own 602 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:18,600 Speaker 5: dream team, so what she called it. They had taken 603 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:21,040 Speaker 5: my case on it and. 604 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:24,760 Speaker 7: They had requested all this exculpatory. 605 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:26,560 Speaker 5: Evidence to be turned over to them to be were 606 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:31,720 Speaker 5: in and tested, and come to find out, now not 607 00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:35,680 Speaker 5: all that evidence was provided to them. They supposedly couldn't 608 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:40,840 Speaker 5: find some or it didn't exist anymore or whatever. 609 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:42,240 Speaker 2: Right, the games continued. 610 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:44,040 Speaker 1: There were three envelopes at one point that were sent 611 00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:45,960 Speaker 1: in the mail and two of them were empty, right, 612 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:48,800 Speaker 1: which is really like, and let's just reflect on just 613 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:49,520 Speaker 1: that alone. 614 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:53,040 Speaker 2: It's so nuts, right, like, really, are you kidding me? 615 00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:56,720 Speaker 1: That's ridiculous. But it's not funny. It sounds it sounds 616 00:33:56,760 --> 00:33:58,720 Speaker 1: ridiculous now, but it's not funny. It's very it's a 617 00:33:58,800 --> 00:33:59,280 Speaker 1: very real. 618 00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:01,280 Speaker 5: They were still trying to cover their masses. 619 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:04,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, so the NS Project took your case, which is 620 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:07,440 Speaker 1: the blessing of blessings when you're stuck in that nightmare, right, 621 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,600 Speaker 1: and the Ennis Project takes your case. But in two thousand, 622 00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:13,320 Speaker 1: this is two thousand and five. 623 00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:19,000 Speaker 5: I believe it was before that. They think it was 624 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 5: two thousand and four. I'm not sure on the timeline. 625 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:25,719 Speaker 5: But whenever they ran the test on what they were 626 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:29,080 Speaker 5: provided with, there was nothing that they could do because 627 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:33,040 Speaker 5: it was all just Travis's blood. There was none of 628 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:38,240 Speaker 5: the perpetrators. It was just Travis's blood that was provided 629 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:41,160 Speaker 5: to them. So they had said that there was nothing 630 00:34:41,160 --> 00:34:43,319 Speaker 5: that they could do. They did what they could do, 631 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:47,880 Speaker 5: so it kind of lost hope for a moment in 632 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:51,160 Speaker 5: a sense. But at the same time, I was like, 633 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:54,120 Speaker 5: I'm not giving up. I just didn't know how to 634 00:34:54,160 --> 00:34:56,879 Speaker 5: go about doing it because I didn't have money. 635 00:34:56,880 --> 00:35:01,719 Speaker 7: I was in prison. I had already lost my parents, I. 636 00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:07,480 Speaker 5: Lost a lot of people, and finances don't exist really 637 00:35:07,560 --> 00:35:08,040 Speaker 5: in prison. 638 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:09,920 Speaker 7: You can't make it living in there. 639 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:12,960 Speaker 5: So I didn't know how I was going to do it, 640 00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:14,680 Speaker 5: but I knew it was going to happen one day. 641 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:17,239 Speaker 2: And you didn't give up. And Nina's Project didn't give 642 00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 2: up either. 643 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:22,440 Speaker 5: Well, they weren't able to assist with what was provided 644 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 5: to him, and they had done what they did. So 645 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 5: eventually a friend of mine had found my attorneys that 646 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:39,160 Speaker 5: helped prove my innocence, and my sister and her guy 647 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:41,360 Speaker 5: at the time, he was a doctor. He paid for 648 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:46,319 Speaker 5: my attorneys, and the Innocence Project got involved with them 649 00:35:46,560 --> 00:35:49,600 Speaker 5: on proof of my innocence because they were able to 650 00:35:49,640 --> 00:35:53,160 Speaker 5: locate the evidence that was held back from the Innocence 651 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:56,600 Speaker 5: Project the first time to be ran and tested again. 652 00:35:57,480 --> 00:36:01,440 Speaker 1: And those lawyers the ones that came to your rescue 653 00:36:01,719 --> 00:36:05,480 Speaker 1: at this time, it's worth giving them a shout out here, right. 654 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:08,919 Speaker 5: I am grateful for them bringing me home and doing 655 00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:10,720 Speaker 5: the work that they did to brieve my innocence. 656 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:13,799 Speaker 1: And that was Richard and Charisse o' caroll, right correct. 657 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:17,040 Speaker 1: So you finally got a team on your side that 658 00:36:17,239 --> 00:36:21,040 Speaker 1: was up to the task, right, right. And then the 659 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:24,680 Speaker 1: Inns Project got reinvolved because the evidence was found, right, 660 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:29,000 Speaker 1: which existed all along with this group of very sinister 661 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:33,120 Speaker 1: people had successfully hidden for as long as they had. 662 00:36:33,239 --> 00:36:34,360 Speaker 2: It was finally found. 663 00:36:34,719 --> 00:36:38,040 Speaker 5: And I believe it took Charise and some interns going 664 00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:43,040 Speaker 5: in theirselves and looking through the evidence theirselves in order to. 665 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:45,560 Speaker 7: Get it and have it tested. 666 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:48,600 Speaker 5: But see, the thing is is that it had already 667 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:50,520 Speaker 5: been tested before my trial. 668 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:53,280 Speaker 7: Tim Meritis had already had it tested. 669 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:56,440 Speaker 1: He knew right the Oklahoma State grew up investigations, had 670 00:36:56,480 --> 00:36:59,160 Speaker 1: tested the evidence and had provided it to the projector, 671 00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:01,839 Speaker 1: which was Harris. But he just chose to ignore it. 672 00:37:01,960 --> 00:37:02,600 Speaker 2: He chose to. 673 00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:04,839 Speaker 1: Hide it and ignore it and then lie about it 674 00:37:04,920 --> 00:37:08,520 Speaker 1: and do basically everything he had to do in order 675 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:12,120 Speaker 1: to turn your life into more of a living hell 676 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:24,400 Speaker 1: than it already was. Ultimately, you come back to court 677 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:30,560 Speaker 1: with appropriate representation, strong representation, actually, let's call it what 678 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:33,600 Speaker 1: it is. Yeah, and you finally get justice. 679 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:34,319 Speaker 2: What was that like? 680 00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:37,880 Speaker 5: It was like a huge weight of the world just 681 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:41,360 Speaker 5: lift it off of me. And it was a major relief. 682 00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:44,839 Speaker 5: But at the same time, it was like it had 683 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:48,640 Speaker 5: a moment of sadness because my parents couldn't be there, 684 00:37:49,200 --> 00:37:50,160 Speaker 5: especially my mom. 685 00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:52,279 Speaker 7: My dad wasn't really a part of my life, but 686 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:56,520 Speaker 7: my mom couldn't be there to experience it with. 687 00:37:56,400 --> 00:38:00,960 Speaker 2: Me or my daughter who I was there that day, 688 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:05,800 Speaker 2: Michelle with you. Besides Richard and Cheris, I had. 689 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:08,759 Speaker 5: Some family in the courtroom that day. I believe my 690 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:10,920 Speaker 5: baby sister was there with her husband. 691 00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:14,480 Speaker 7: And the doctor was there, Doctor. 692 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:18,319 Speaker 5: Fizzelle, who paid Charis and Ritual Carol to take my 693 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:18,799 Speaker 5: case on. 694 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:24,399 Speaker 2: Well that's I mean, that's pretty heroic of him. 695 00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:28,960 Speaker 1: So finally some good people have come to your aid rescue. 696 00:38:29,239 --> 00:38:32,399 Speaker 1: It's bittersweet because obviously your parents weren't there to see 697 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:34,360 Speaker 1: their baby beat but it was. 698 00:38:35,560 --> 00:38:40,399 Speaker 5: Awesome to be able to finally the court system acknowledges 699 00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:44,839 Speaker 5: that I am innocent, and to all the people that 700 00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:50,479 Speaker 5: had prosecuted me and even in prisoned, those that beat 701 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:55,520 Speaker 5: me down and talked horribly about me, and made my 702 00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:59,000 Speaker 5: life hell in there to all those people that. 703 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:03,719 Speaker 7: Had misjudged me. And it was just like I told 704 00:39:03,719 --> 00:39:05,960 Speaker 7: you I was innocent. 705 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:07,160 Speaker 2: What did judge say? 706 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:09,280 Speaker 7: Really, he looked. 707 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:14,080 Speaker 5: Straight at me and he said, Michelle Lomurphy, you are 708 00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:21,520 Speaker 5: actually innocent. And he said that three times and said 709 00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:22,560 Speaker 5: that we were dismissed. 710 00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:26,160 Speaker 2: Did anybody apologize? 711 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:31,280 Speaker 1: Oh no, no, Well, not that it would have really 712 00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:34,080 Speaker 1: changed anything, but it might have been a nice gesture. 713 00:39:34,239 --> 00:39:36,960 Speaker 10: And for Christ's sakes, I would just add and not 714 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:43,120 Speaker 10: only has nobody apologized to Michelle from law enforcement, that 715 00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:48,440 Speaker 10: it's their intent to attempt to try and retry her 716 00:39:48,719 --> 00:39:53,640 Speaker 10: in her civil suit for the murder of Travis in 717 00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:57,440 Speaker 10: order to convince the jury that Michelle should not receive 718 00:39:58,320 --> 00:40:02,760 Speaker 10: money damages for the twenty years she's spent in prison innocent. 719 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:06,960 Speaker 10: So I think that that's important for everyone to know. 720 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:11,120 Speaker 10: The nightmare persists. She can never be convicted or go 721 00:40:11,239 --> 00:40:15,360 Speaker 10: to prison or jail. But it is their attempt in 722 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:17,759 Speaker 10: the civil trial, which is going to be in April, 723 00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:21,960 Speaker 10: to put her on trial for killing Travis and to 724 00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:26,840 Speaker 10: try to get this confession before the jury. And so no, 725 00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:28,239 Speaker 10: nobody's apologized to her. 726 00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:29,600 Speaker 2: Kind of the object. 727 00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:32,759 Speaker 5: They still want to try to prosecute me innocence. They 728 00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:34,799 Speaker 5: don't want to admit that they were wrong, and they 729 00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:38,759 Speaker 5: don't want to compensate. There's not enough money in the 730 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:39,880 Speaker 5: world that could. 731 00:40:39,640 --> 00:40:41,239 Speaker 7: Ever replace what was taken from me. 732 00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:46,399 Speaker 5: I would rather go penniless and have my kids than 733 00:40:46,480 --> 00:40:47,640 Speaker 5: have all the money in the world. 734 00:40:48,520 --> 00:40:50,640 Speaker 1: And that's something I want to talk about a little 735 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:54,879 Speaker 1: bit to Michelle, because it's important for people to understand 736 00:40:55,239 --> 00:40:59,279 Speaker 1: the struggle that happens after you get out. I think 737 00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:04,160 Speaker 1: people see on the news, the coverage on the courthouse steps. 738 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:08,360 Speaker 1: There's cameras, and there's hugging, and there's crying, and there's cheering, 739 00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:10,960 Speaker 1: and there's everything. But then you walk out into a 740 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:14,360 Speaker 1: world that doesn't really want you. You've got a resume 741 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:17,200 Speaker 1: that's got a twenty year hold in it, and you 742 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:19,719 Speaker 1: haven't had a chance to develop skills when everybody else 743 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:22,840 Speaker 1: has been out building their career or their family or 744 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:26,480 Speaker 1: their and you get nothing. Here we are three years later, 745 00:41:26,600 --> 00:41:29,120 Speaker 1: and now you have to still wait until April to 746 00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:33,279 Speaker 1: go and fight for compensation that should be provided to you, 747 00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:36,839 Speaker 1: in my opinion, immediately, I mean so that you can 748 00:41:36,880 --> 00:41:38,360 Speaker 1: start rebuilding your life. 749 00:41:38,440 --> 00:41:41,560 Speaker 5: I'm grateful to be free and living on this side 750 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:47,120 Speaker 5: of the world, but it's so hard to survive sometimes 751 00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:50,400 Speaker 5: out here because we have to play catch up. 752 00:41:51,480 --> 00:41:54,760 Speaker 7: Me for instance, I have no computer skills. I'm learning 753 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:57,560 Speaker 7: them now. I had never had a job. 754 00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:00,799 Speaker 5: I was seventeen years old. I had never drove a 755 00:42:00,840 --> 00:42:05,200 Speaker 5: car day in my life. I never had a house alown, 756 00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:08,680 Speaker 5: you know, I had never experienced so much that most 757 00:42:08,719 --> 00:42:13,319 Speaker 5: people have experienced in their life or the beginning of 758 00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:14,279 Speaker 5: their life, you know. 759 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:17,440 Speaker 7: So it's a struggle. 760 00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:23,359 Speaker 5: And the panic attacks, the anxiety of trying to catch up, 761 00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:24,560 Speaker 5: which would. 762 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:26,720 Speaker 7: Probably never catch up to the rest of the world. 763 00:42:27,840 --> 00:42:31,319 Speaker 7: But I'd like to know somethings, you know. 764 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:35,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, the PTSD has got to be profound. 765 00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:39,000 Speaker 1: It's just like I said another sentence. 766 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:43,680 Speaker 7: Almost right form of another prison in a sense. 767 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:50,279 Speaker 1: But you know, you're even with physical problems related to 768 00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:52,520 Speaker 1: your time you spent in prison and everything else, and 769 00:42:52,560 --> 00:42:54,320 Speaker 1: you're still here, right, I'm. 770 00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:55,680 Speaker 7: Still a fighter and a survivor. 771 00:42:56,080 --> 00:42:59,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, And we've got your back, and you're taking classes 772 00:42:59,120 --> 00:43:01,920 Speaker 1: now with an organization called Goodwill, is that right? 773 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:02,279 Speaker 11: Yeah? 774 00:43:02,320 --> 00:43:03,680 Speaker 7: Goodwill? It also works. 775 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:07,080 Speaker 5: The thing is a lot of people out there don't. 776 00:43:06,880 --> 00:43:08,560 Speaker 7: Realize what all is available. 777 00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:11,120 Speaker 5: They know is the donation sites and the stores that 778 00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:14,960 Speaker 5: they have, but they don't realize that there's classes. 779 00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:17,319 Speaker 7: That are available to them. For me, I didn't have 780 00:43:17,360 --> 00:43:18,280 Speaker 7: any computer skills. 781 00:43:18,280 --> 00:43:22,359 Speaker 5: I didn't know how to do Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and 782 00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:26,920 Speaker 5: Excel and all this stuff. And I'm learning that extremely 783 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:29,960 Speaker 5: quickly and I'm loving it. I know how to do 784 00:43:30,120 --> 00:43:33,160 Speaker 5: a power point, I know how to do a spreadsheet now. 785 00:43:34,120 --> 00:43:38,040 Speaker 5: I'm very quick learner. And they've taught me how to 786 00:43:38,080 --> 00:43:41,520 Speaker 5: do resume, which I don't have much of a resume, 787 00:43:42,120 --> 00:43:44,239 Speaker 5: but I know how to do one. I know how 788 00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:48,440 Speaker 5: to carry myself in an interview. I know more about 789 00:43:48,440 --> 00:43:50,680 Speaker 5: this process that it takes. 790 00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:53,920 Speaker 7: To get a job now. But as soon as I complete. 791 00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:57,640 Speaker 5: This class, I am going to start a plus certification 792 00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:01,880 Speaker 5: which does harder and the motherboards and stuff like that 793 00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:05,920 Speaker 5: and building computers. And I'm going to take forklifting classes 794 00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:10,400 Speaker 5: as well. And then in January they're supposed to be 795 00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:14,200 Speaker 5: starting in an OSHA program so it can be certified 796 00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:14,640 Speaker 5: as well. 797 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:16,520 Speaker 2: Wow, that's a lot. That's really great. 798 00:44:16,560 --> 00:44:19,279 Speaker 1: It's great and it's important because people ask me what 799 00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:23,480 Speaker 1: can I do to help? So programs like this Goodwill program. 800 00:44:23,680 --> 00:44:26,279 Speaker 1: Do you know that there's not enough of them? People 801 00:44:26,320 --> 00:44:28,200 Speaker 1: could start one. You could learn more about it, check 802 00:44:28,239 --> 00:44:32,600 Speaker 1: out the Goodwill program, tutor mentor you know, help provide 803 00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:35,440 Speaker 1: equipment or clothes. There's a million things you can do 804 00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:37,319 Speaker 1: and we're gonna help. 805 00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:40,760 Speaker 7: It just takes somebody to believe in us. Sometimes, Yeah, exactly. 806 00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:44,000 Speaker 7: I'm always hungry for knowledge. I want to learn everything. 807 00:44:44,640 --> 00:44:45,200 Speaker 2: It's amazing. 808 00:44:45,239 --> 00:44:48,440 Speaker 1: There's so many great stories of xuneries coming out and 809 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:51,879 Speaker 1: succeeding and triumphing. If there's anything else you can think 810 00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:53,799 Speaker 1: of that you could recommend for people to do. Who 811 00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:55,200 Speaker 1: are going to hear this and they're going to say, 812 00:44:55,239 --> 00:44:57,080 Speaker 1: I want to do something to help, what would you 813 00:44:57,080 --> 00:44:57,920 Speaker 1: recommend people do. 814 00:44:58,520 --> 00:44:59,200 Speaker 7: I would like to. 815 00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:03,800 Speaker 5: See more programs that are going to help, especially exoneries. 816 00:45:04,640 --> 00:45:08,320 Speaker 5: There are some programs that are available to people coming 817 00:45:08,360 --> 00:45:11,200 Speaker 5: out of prison that are being released from their time 818 00:45:12,360 --> 00:45:16,760 Speaker 5: re entry programs. Well, one of us, exoneries, we come out. 819 00:45:17,560 --> 00:45:21,520 Speaker 5: We don't meet their criteria because we're not being released. 820 00:45:21,719 --> 00:45:24,840 Speaker 5: We've been exonerated for a crime we did not commit, 821 00:45:25,680 --> 00:45:29,160 Speaker 5: and we can't get into those programs because their focus 822 00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:32,680 Speaker 5: is to help those coming out of prison from serving 823 00:45:32,719 --> 00:45:36,600 Speaker 5: a time and for crime that they did commit. 824 00:45:37,239 --> 00:45:39,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, we have in this country. We have various re 825 00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:43,680 Speaker 1: entry programs and also, you know, parole probation officers, I 826 00:45:43,719 --> 00:45:48,400 Speaker 1: should say probation officers for people who are released after 827 00:45:48,440 --> 00:45:50,319 Speaker 1: serving the time of the crime that they were guilty of. 828 00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:53,120 Speaker 1: But when you're an exonnery, you come out to nothing, right, 829 00:45:53,360 --> 00:45:55,880 Speaker 1: it's actually paradoxical. You don't get any of those services 830 00:45:55,920 --> 00:45:57,600 Speaker 1: because you weren't guilty in. 831 00:45:57,600 --> 00:46:00,799 Speaker 2: The first place. It's ass backwards, actually, I mean, yeah, I. 832 00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:04,760 Speaker 5: Mean help them by all means, but help us as well. 833 00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:08,080 Speaker 5: Because now I had never even talked on it cell 834 00:46:08,120 --> 00:46:09,399 Speaker 5: phone or used a cell phone. 835 00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:11,359 Speaker 7: I had never even seen it except for on TV, 836 00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:12,840 Speaker 7: you know. 837 00:46:13,480 --> 00:46:16,280 Speaker 5: And as soon as I walk out the county jail, 838 00:46:17,040 --> 00:46:19,440 Speaker 5: doctor Vizille hands me my first phone, and I'm like, 839 00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:24,880 Speaker 5: how do I use this? You know? And my sister's 840 00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:26,600 Speaker 5: calling me on it. I don't even know how to 841 00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:30,440 Speaker 5: answer it. We don't know how to live in this 842 00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:31,280 Speaker 5: side of the world. 843 00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:33,520 Speaker 7: We've been trained. 844 00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:39,839 Speaker 5: To live by prison rules, prison structure, if you can 845 00:46:39,920 --> 00:46:44,960 Speaker 5: call it that. We just need more programs and more awareness. 846 00:46:45,280 --> 00:46:47,080 Speaker 5: I want to get stuff out there that's going to 847 00:46:47,120 --> 00:46:51,719 Speaker 5: help people coming out and provide them with resources. 848 00:46:51,280 --> 00:46:57,800 Speaker 10: Not just financial and educational, but emotional mental health counseling, 849 00:46:58,480 --> 00:47:03,480 Speaker 10: because re entry after certainly twenty years in prison proves 850 00:47:03,480 --> 00:47:09,840 Speaker 10: to be extremely overwhelming. I've represented clients who have spent 851 00:47:10,560 --> 00:47:12,560 Speaker 10: most of their life in prison and come out and 852 00:47:12,680 --> 00:47:16,279 Speaker 10: don't know how to run a microwave or a CD 853 00:47:16,480 --> 00:47:22,120 Speaker 10: player or a phone. Without that support family or community, 854 00:47:22,480 --> 00:47:26,760 Speaker 10: such as Michelle has had, they literally either violate parole 855 00:47:27,320 --> 00:47:31,360 Speaker 10: or reoffend in some way so they can go back 856 00:47:31,400 --> 00:47:34,120 Speaker 10: to what they know, which is prison where they feel safe, 857 00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:37,000 Speaker 10: which is tragic I've had I'm like, why did you 858 00:47:37,080 --> 00:47:39,480 Speaker 10: do that? Because I don't know how to live in 859 00:47:39,520 --> 00:47:41,360 Speaker 10: this world and I can't cope. 860 00:47:41,640 --> 00:47:45,120 Speaker 1: So, Michelle, we have a tradition on wrongful conviction, as 861 00:47:45,160 --> 00:47:47,839 Speaker 1: people who listen to the show already know, which is that. 862 00:47:48,560 --> 00:47:50,839 Speaker 1: I like to just turn the microphone over to you 863 00:47:50,960 --> 00:47:54,800 Speaker 1: for any closing thoughts at all. What's on your mind. 864 00:47:58,040 --> 00:48:03,600 Speaker 5: I'm determined I'm going to change some things. I want 865 00:48:03,640 --> 00:48:06,600 Speaker 5: to change a fewel all that, especially in Oklahoma, and 866 00:48:06,760 --> 00:48:08,680 Speaker 5: I want to start a program that's going to go 867 00:48:08,760 --> 00:48:13,880 Speaker 5: back into facilities and help prove the innocence of those 868 00:48:14,040 --> 00:48:17,080 Speaker 5: that need to be home, and I want to get 869 00:48:17,080 --> 00:48:21,120 Speaker 5: programs in the facilities that's going to teach individual skills 870 00:48:21,160 --> 00:48:25,040 Speaker 5: to survive out here. I want to provide resources for 871 00:48:25,080 --> 00:48:29,160 Speaker 5: them on what is available out here for them. I 872 00:48:29,200 --> 00:48:32,359 Speaker 5: want to go into schools and to speak out and 873 00:48:32,440 --> 00:48:35,920 Speaker 5: teach to let kids know, Hey, you don't have to 874 00:48:35,960 --> 00:48:38,440 Speaker 5: commit anything, you don't have to be doing anything. 875 00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:40,120 Speaker 7: You can still. 876 00:48:39,880 --> 00:48:43,120 Speaker 5: Get caught up and your life can be taken away 877 00:48:43,120 --> 00:48:45,640 Speaker 5: from you in the blink of an eye, especially the 878 00:48:45,640 --> 00:48:47,640 Speaker 5: way this is going out here in the world now. 879 00:48:48,960 --> 00:48:50,799 Speaker 7: And I just want to help. 880 00:48:51,520 --> 00:48:53,759 Speaker 2: Michelle, what can I say? 881 00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:59,720 Speaker 1: You are amazing and it's been really a profound experience 882 00:48:59,719 --> 00:49:02,840 Speaker 1: for me well having you in my life and having 883 00:49:02,880 --> 00:49:05,240 Speaker 1: you on wrongful conviction today. 884 00:49:05,320 --> 00:49:07,160 Speaker 2: So I want to thank our. 885 00:49:06,920 --> 00:49:12,520 Speaker 1: Two guests, our star Michelle Murphy and her wonderful attorney 886 00:49:12,520 --> 00:49:15,919 Speaker 1: Seana McMurray. So thank you both for being here, and 887 00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:18,520 Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to the next. 888 00:49:18,280 --> 00:49:19,120 Speaker 2: Phase of your life. 889 00:49:19,320 --> 00:49:21,280 Speaker 7: Thank you for having us. 890 00:49:26,760 --> 00:49:29,400 Speaker 1: Don't forget to give us a fantastic review wherever you 891 00:49:29,440 --> 00:49:31,200 Speaker 1: get your podcasts. 892 00:49:30,600 --> 00:49:31,520 Speaker 2: It really helps. 893 00:49:31,960 --> 00:49:34,799 Speaker 1: And I'm a proud donor to the Innocence Project, and 894 00:49:34,840 --> 00:49:37,560 Speaker 1: I really hope you'll join me in supporting this very 895 00:49:37,600 --> 00:49:41,520 Speaker 1: important cause and helping to prevent future wrongful convictions. Go 896 00:49:41,640 --> 00:49:44,440 Speaker 1: to Innocence Project dot org to learn how to donate 897 00:49:44,560 --> 00:49:47,439 Speaker 1: and get involved. I'd like to thank our production team, 898 00:49:47,560 --> 00:49:50,479 Speaker 1: Connor Hall and Kevin Wartis. The music in the show 899 00:49:50,560 --> 00:49:52,600 Speaker 1: is by three time OSCAR nominated. 900 00:49:52,239 --> 00:49:53,640 Speaker 2: Composer Jay Ralph. 901 00:49:53,800 --> 00:49:56,560 Speaker 1: Be sure to follow us on Instagram at Wrongful Conviction 902 00:49:56,960 --> 00:50:00,960 Speaker 1: and on Facebook at Wrongful Conviction Podcast. Wrongful Conviction with 903 00:50:01,040 --> 00:50:04,160 Speaker 1: Jason Flahm is a production of Lava for Good Podcasts 904 00:50:04,200 --> 00:50:15,680 Speaker 1: and association with Signal Company Number one