1 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: Hey, it's Laura and I writer. This week on False Confessions, 2 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,400 Speaker 1: we're bringing you the deeply compelling story of Tira Patterson, 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,840 Speaker 1: a young woman who was coerced into confessing to a robbery, 4 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: but then who ended up with a murder conviction. The 5 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:23,920 Speaker 1: reasons for this include archaic rules, teenage drama, and plenty 6 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: of dirty police tactics. It's a story too good for 7 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: me to spoil before you get to the episode. But 8 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: this week we wanted to bring you an update on 9 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 1: Tyra and the incredible impact her story and her work 10 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: has made on the community. She's still working with the 11 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,520 Speaker 1: Ohio Justice and Policy Center as a community outreach strategist, 12 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: and she recently joined represent Justice, a project that turns 13 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: stories like hers into change in the system. In twenty 14 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: twenty one, Ohio State Representative Jean Schmidt proposed a bill 15 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: that would abolish the death penalty in Ohio. She cited 16 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: her meeting with Tyra as a catalyst for the new bill. Tyra, 17 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: you're a rock star and a change maker. Keep doing 18 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: what you're doing, but there's still more to come. Late 19 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: last year, filming wrapped up on a documentary film about 20 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: Tyra's life and work. We're so excited for its twenty 21 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 1: twenty three release and so excited to see what Tyra 22 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: will accomplish. Welcome to Wrongful Conviction, False Confessions. I'm Laura, 23 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 1: and I writer, and I'm Steve Dressing. In today's episode, 24 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 1: will take you to Dayton, Ohio to tell you about 25 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: Tyra Patterson. Nineteen year old Tira falsely confessed to stealing 26 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: a necklace, but an obscure law turned her false confession 27 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: to robbery into something far worse. 28 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 2: I was sitting in my office one day in the 29 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 2: phone rank and on the other end of the call 30 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 2: was David Singleton, the director of a group called the 31 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:14,239 Speaker 2: Ohio Justice and Policy Center. David was looking for somebody 32 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 2: who could assist him in a case that involved a 33 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:24,920 Speaker 2: false confession. It was Tyra Patterson's case. We've told a 34 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 2: lot of stories about people who falsely confessed to murders 35 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 2: last season, but the crazy thing is, this is a 36 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 2: case where a false confession to robbery is converted into 37 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 2: a false conviction for murder. And it's all because of 38 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 2: an obscure, archaic rule called the felony murder doctrine. The 39 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:49,679 Speaker 2: felony murder leads to people going down for murders who 40 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 2: never killed anyone. 41 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: When most people think about people in prison who they'd 42 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: been convicted of murder, they think of truly bad people, 43 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: you know, scary folks. But there are a lot of 44 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: people in prison for murder who never touched a gun 45 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: or a murder weapon at all. 46 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 2: The prisons are filled with people convicted of felony murder, 47 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 2: people like Tyra Patterson. 48 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: Today's story starts in Dayton, Ohio. It was a manufacturing 49 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 1: town back in the day, but those jobs left in 50 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: the eighties and nineties and never came back now. Dayton's 51 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: claim to fame is that the guys who invented the 52 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: airplane used to live there, Wilbur and Orville Wright. In fact, 53 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: our story starts in a part of town named after 54 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: the Wright brothers, a lower income, mixed race neighborhood called 55 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 1: Right View. It was just after midnight on a Tuesday 56 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: in Right View, September twentieth, nineteen ninety four. Tyra Patterson 57 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: was awake and bored. Tyra was nineteen and smart as 58 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: hell with a sunny personality. She was full of promise, 59 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: but there weren't many open doors in front of her. 60 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: Tyra's home life was really tough. Her dad was an 61 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: alcoholic who hit her mom when he'd been drinking. He 62 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: left when Tyra was just a kid, and they got 63 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 1: evicted when her mom couldn't pay the bills. Tyra dropped 64 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: out of school in sixth grade. She was tired of 65 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: the other kids bullying her about being poor. She got 66 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: a job at a fast food restaurant, and they put 67 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: her at the register because she was so friendly. But 68 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: Tyra hadn't learned enough math to make change. She was 69 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,800 Speaker 1: humiliated every time someone handed her at twenty and. 70 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:26,360 Speaker 2: Quit the job. 71 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: By the time Tyra reached her late teens, the family 72 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: had found an apartment to live in again, but Tyra 73 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: had lost her way. She smoked a lot of weed 74 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: and tried not to think about how her life could 75 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: have been different. It was around two am on September 76 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: twentieth when Tyra's boring night started getting a little too interesting. 77 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: Tyra and her friend Rebecca were hanging out at Tyra's place, 78 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 1: and they decided to go for a walk outside. They 79 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: ran into five other young people from right View. Tyra 80 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 1: barely knew most of them, but she and Rebecca stuck 81 00:04:56,839 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: around anyway. The group was mixed gender and mixed. Five 82 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 1: were black, including Tyra, and two were white, including Rebecca. 83 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: To keep things clear in our story, we're going to 84 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 1: call all of them the Right View Group. Sometime after 85 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: two am, a gray Chevrolet rolled into an alley near 86 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,480 Speaker 1: where the group was hanging out. The Chevy was filled 87 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: with five teenagers, all white girls from another part of town. 88 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 1: They'd driven to Right View to steal stuff from people's 89 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,440 Speaker 1: garages in the alley. Two of these would be thieves 90 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: got out of the Chevy to steal a radio. They 91 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: were gone about ten minutes before they returned to the 92 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,480 Speaker 1: car in a hurry. Following them on foot were three 93 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:38,920 Speaker 1: members of the Right View Group, Lashawna, Angie, and Joe, 94 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:42,599 Speaker 1: and on a leash. Joe had a pit bull. Before 95 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: the girls in the Chevy can drive away, another car 96 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: pulls up in front of them, blocking the alley's exit. 97 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,560 Speaker 1: It's the other four members of the Right View Group, 98 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: and crammed into a corner of that car. Wondering what 99 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:58,919 Speaker 1: she's gotten herself into is Tira Patterson. Tyra's friend. Rebecca 100 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: gets out of the car and heads for the Chevy 101 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 1: along with the other Right View people. Not knowing what 102 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: else to do, Tyra gets out too, but she's not 103 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:11,239 Speaker 1: prepared for what happens next. There's a confrontation. Everyone starts yelling. 104 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: One of the right View girls, not Tyra, calls the 105 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:17,480 Speaker 1: girls in the Chevy white bitches. Two other right View 106 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:20,600 Speaker 1: girls join in, still not Tyra, and start telling the 107 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:23,239 Speaker 1: girls in the Chevy to check it in. That means 108 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:27,120 Speaker 1: throw your money and jewelry on the ground. The girls 109 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: in the Chevy don't immediately comply, and that's when things 110 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:33,840 Speaker 1: really escalate. Tyra hangs back, but three of the right 111 00:06:33,920 --> 00:06:37,360 Speaker 1: View girls open the car doors and start landing punches. 112 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: Joe lets his pit bull into the car and orders 113 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 1: it to attack. Now it's a melee. Some of the 114 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: girls in the Chevy do check it in, throwing their 115 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 1: jewelry onto the ground. Tyra's not used to this kind 116 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:51,680 Speaker 1: of stuff. She doesn't have a record, and she has 117 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,720 Speaker 1: no interest in violence. She tries to calm the situation down, 118 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: but no one listens. As the punch is intensify, Tyra 119 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: and her friend and Rebecca starts slipping away. They want 120 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: no part of this, but as they leave, Tyra spots 121 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: a necklace on the ground costume jewelry, a cheap gold cross. 122 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: She's never owned that kind of jewelry, and it seems 123 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 1: valuable to her. Tyra picks up the necklace, puts it 124 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: in her pocket, and keeps walking away. 125 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,520 Speaker 2: When Tyra picked up that necklace, at worst it was 126 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 2: a theft. It might not even have been a crime. 127 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 2: Picking up a necklace off the ground is not something 128 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 2: that prosecutors are interested in. It's not something that people 129 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 2: go to prison for, and it's certainly not murder. 130 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:40,720 Speaker 1: Right as Tyra's walking away, she hears words being yelled, 131 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 1: yelled maybe to her by one of the girls in 132 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:47,640 Speaker 1: the chevy. Eighteen year old Holly Lay, Please make them stop. 133 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 1: Holly calls, we don't have anything. Before Tyra can respond, 134 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 1: a gunshot rings out. Lashawn Aa Keeney, part of the 135 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 1: Right View group, had pulled out a gun and fired 136 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 1: into the car. The bullet went straight into the temple 137 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: of Michelle Lay, Holly's fifteen year old sister. Michelle died instantly. 138 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: Later on another one of the Right View girls, Angie, 139 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: expressed bewilderment that had all happened so fast. We just 140 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 1: meant to punk them out, she said. Within minutes though 141 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: punking out turned into murder. The moment the shots rang out, 142 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,600 Speaker 1: everyone scattered. Most members of the Right View Group fled 143 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:33,079 Speaker 1: to a nearby motel, but Tyra ran to her apartment 144 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: only a few hundred feet away, where she panicked and 145 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 1: flushed the necklace down the toilet. She was afraid it 146 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: would connect her to a shooting she didn't commit. For 147 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: her part, Holly Lay got out of the Chevy and 148 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: started banging on doors, pleading desperately for someone, anyone to 149 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:52,720 Speaker 1: call an ambulance help her sister. Eventually, someone did call 150 00:08:52,800 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 1: nine one one. It was Tyra. A Police only needed 151 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:08,680 Speaker 1: about twelve hours to figure out who'd been there when 152 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:11,719 Speaker 1: Michelle Lay was shot. The girls from the Chevy gave 153 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 1: some pretty good descriptions of both their assailants and the pitbull. 154 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:19,320 Speaker 1: Police found the dogs sitting outside its owner's house, and 155 00:09:19,400 --> 00:09:22,679 Speaker 1: when the owner matched the girl's descriptions of Joe, police 156 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: knew they'd found one of the Right View Group. Pretty soon, 157 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: several people had been rounded up and the police were 158 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 1: knocking at Tyra's door. Two before long, Tyra Patterson found 159 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:43,640 Speaker 1: herself in an interrogation room. 160 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:47,680 Speaker 3: This episode is sponsored by AIG, a leading global insurance 161 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 3: company and Paul Weiss Rifkin, Wharton and Garrison, a leading 162 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 3: international law firm. The AIG pro Bono program provides free 163 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 3: legal services and other support to many nonprofit organizations and 164 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 3: in individuals most in need, and recently they announced that 165 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 3: working to reform the criminal justice system will become a 166 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 3: key pillar of the program's mission. Paul Weiss has long 167 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:13,440 Speaker 3: had an unwavering commitment to providing impactful pro bono legal 168 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 3: assistance to the most vulnerable members of our society and 169 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 3: in support of the public interest, including extensive work in 170 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:22,200 Speaker 3: the criminal justice area. 171 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: The police were angry. The shooting was tragic, and they 172 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 1: wanted to nail as many people as possible for murder, 173 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:36,440 Speaker 1: not just Lashana who pulled the trigger, but the others too. 174 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: But how do you get someone who didn't kill anyone 175 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 1: to go down for murder. Well, one tool that police 176 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 1: and prosecutors have is that felony murder rule. We mentioned earlier. 177 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: This little known law can be the source of enormous injustice. 178 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:56,439 Speaker 2: In its purest form, the felony murder rule is felony 179 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:02,319 Speaker 2: plus death equals first to go. So if you commit 180 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 2: a felony and during the course of that felony, someone dies. 181 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:10,320 Speaker 2: You are convicted of first degree murder, even though you 182 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,560 Speaker 2: never intended to kill somebody, even though you couldn't have 183 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:17,080 Speaker 2: foreseen that somebody would have died. It is the intent 184 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 2: to commit that felony that substitutes for the intent to kill. 185 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:26,680 Speaker 2: They didn't coerce Tyra into confessing to murder because they 186 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:32,040 Speaker 2: knew before the interrogation who the murderer was. It was Lashawnakini. 187 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 2: All they needed to do was get Tyra to say 188 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:38,200 Speaker 2: that she grabbed a necklace by force from one of 189 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 2: the girls in the car. That's a robbery. They could 190 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 2: get her for the same murder that Lashawna Keeney committed. 191 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:49,320 Speaker 1: So getting Tyra to say she snatched the necklace instead 192 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:55,280 Speaker 1: of picking it up is what this interrogation is all about. Now, 193 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 1: like all interrogations that aren't fully recorded, there are two 194 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:01,320 Speaker 1: stories about what happened in the room. There is the 195 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:04,439 Speaker 1: official story told in police reports, and then there's the 196 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: story told by the defendant. They almost always diverge. In 197 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:12,560 Speaker 1: Tyra's case, the police story goes like this. Tyra admitted 198 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 1: to being there, but she denied being involved in the robbery, 199 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:18,839 Speaker 1: assault or shooting. But as she was being booked, Tyra 200 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:22,600 Speaker 1: spontaneously announced that she wanted to tell the truth and 201 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,600 Speaker 1: admitted reaching into the car and grabbing the necklace off 202 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:28,560 Speaker 1: one of the girls. That's when police captured her confession 203 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 1: on videotape. No coercion, no drama. But according to Tyra 204 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:37,079 Speaker 1: and her lawyer, she confessed after a very different sequence 205 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 1: of events. Here's David Singleton, that lawyer who called Steve 206 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:44,480 Speaker 1: about this case. David has represented Tyra for the past 207 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:45,320 Speaker 1: eight years. 208 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:51,080 Speaker 4: Tyra recalls very clearly the detective screaming at her, saying 209 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:54,200 Speaker 4: she's a murderer, that she's going to be locked up 210 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 4: for the rest of her life, cursing at her telling 211 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:01,920 Speaker 4: her she's an effing liar, was saying I didn't rob anybody, 212 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:07,400 Speaker 4: I didn't shoot anybody. Eventually, the detective takes Tyra out 213 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:12,720 Speaker 4: of the interrogation room and walks her past where Tyra 214 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 4: could see Rebecca sitting in a police car about to 215 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 4: go home. And Tyra's like, well, you know Rebecca's going home. 216 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 4: Why am I not going home? The detective said, well, 217 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:27,080 Speaker 4: she gave us a videotape statement, and Tyra said, well, 218 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:29,840 Speaker 4: I give you a videotape statement. The detective said, well, 219 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:33,080 Speaker 4: you don't have anything to tell us, and Tyra said, well, 220 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:34,920 Speaker 4: I picked up a necklace from the ground, and the 221 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 4: detective smiled and took her back in to try and 222 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 4: charge her. 223 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 1: The police tell Tyra she just needs to change one 224 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:46,439 Speaker 1: thing in her story about the necklace. She didn't pick 225 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:49,559 Speaker 1: it up off the ground. Instead, she robbed it from 226 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: the girls. After all, they say, wouldn't it be better 227 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 1: to go down for a robbery than for murder? Getting 228 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:58,680 Speaker 1: caught up in a murder is what Tyra's been terrified 229 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:02,360 Speaker 1: of all along, so this is what breaks her. She 230 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:05,200 Speaker 1: falsely admits to snatching the necklace off one of the 231 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:08,960 Speaker 1: girls in the chevy. Now she's confessed to robbery and 232 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: the cops have their felony. It's only at this point 233 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: that the video camera gets turned on. 234 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 5: Describe the necklace? Is it a gold necklace? 235 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 4: I wouldn't have web that. 236 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:29,840 Speaker 1: I don't know why I grab it, okay? 237 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 2: And from which girl in the back seat did you 238 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 2: take that? 239 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 4: Next the driver? Okay, from the person behind the driver okay. 240 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 2: Yeah. 241 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 4: What struck me about Tyra's appearance in that video is 242 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 4: she did look tired. 243 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:49,040 Speaker 2: She also looks scared. 244 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 4: At one point, you hear somebody screaming in another room, 245 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 4: and she's just terrified. And another point I recall very vividly, 246 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:04,320 Speaker 4: she's looking to the detective for an answer. I mean, 247 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 4: she was trying to satisfy what he wanted because she 248 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 4: thought that was her ticket to go back home and 249 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 4: continue on with her life. And the minute that she 250 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 4: finished the video and the camera was turned off, she said, 251 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 4: do I get to go home now? And he said no, 252 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 4: I'm booking you for murder. That's when the nightmare truly began. 253 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 1: How is Tyra to know that one little change in 254 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 1: her story was enough to charge her not just with robbery, 255 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 1: but with felony murder, That one little change made Tira 256 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 1: as liable for Michelle Lay's death as the murderer herself. 257 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 2: You know, there's a huge irony in this case. They 258 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 2: needed Tyra to confess to a robbery, not a theft, 259 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 2: and the way they did it was they told her 260 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 2: it's better to go down for a robbery than it 261 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:58,520 Speaker 2: is for a murder, and she accepted that explanation. 262 00:15:58,720 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 1: She believed that premise. 263 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:04,320 Speaker 2: Everybody believes that, of course, because they don't understand the 264 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 2: felony murder rule. We've seen police officers lie before, but 265 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:13,280 Speaker 2: this is a particularly dangerous lie because it sets somebody 266 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 2: up for murder charges. 267 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 1: There's actually a second irony in this case too, because 268 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: here you have the felony murder rule being applied to 269 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:24,520 Speaker 1: Tyra Patterson. She didn't have a weapon with her that night. 270 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,280 Speaker 1: She didn't know the people who did come to that 271 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: scene with weapons. She tried to intervene and stop the fight. 272 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:33,360 Speaker 1: She tried to de escalate as things were getting more 273 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:36,440 Speaker 1: serious and more violent, and when she couldn't stop the fight, 274 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 1: she walked away after the gunshot. She called nine to 275 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: one to one. Tyra is a hero here. She's not 276 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 1: a murderer. She's the one, though, who ends up going down. 277 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 1: Tyra Patterson's only crime, if it even was a crime, 278 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 1: was picking up a necklace from the ground. But suddenly, 279 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 1: somehow she was on trial for murder and facing life 280 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: in prison. And like too many murder trials, Tyra's was 281 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 1: a shit show. 282 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:09,240 Speaker 4: So Tyra was represented by attorneys in the local public 283 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 4: Defender office. The problem was that they were overwhelmed and 284 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:20,480 Speaker 4: didn't have the resources to defend Tyra. 285 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:21,640 Speaker 2: Appropriately. 286 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:25,439 Speaker 1: The primary evidence against Tyra was her confession, but her 287 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 1: attorneys never argued that it was false or coerced. In fact, 288 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,359 Speaker 1: no one, not the judge or the jury, ever heard 289 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 1: Tyra's account of her interrogation. Her attorneys actually advised her 290 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: not to testify in her own defense, not to tell 291 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 1: her side of the story, and why not. 292 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:48,200 Speaker 4: They said that she was too unsophisticated and talked too 293 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 4: much like she was from the ghetto, that she'd be 294 00:17:54,119 --> 00:17:57,480 Speaker 4: eaten alive by the prosecutors. And I think that Tyra 295 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:00,160 Speaker 4: got ridden off in that way. 296 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 1: Did hear though from Holly Lay, who testified that she'd 297 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:06,520 Speaker 1: seen Tyra reaching into the car. A few other girls 298 00:18:06,560 --> 00:18:09,880 Speaker 1: from the Chevy testified the same way. Their stories went 299 00:18:10,119 --> 00:18:13,680 Speaker 1: unchallenged by Tyra's lawyers, even though they could have called 300 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 1: Rebecca to testify that Tyra never snatched a necklace off anyone. 301 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,920 Speaker 1: The lawyers didn't even play Tyra's nine one call, which 302 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:22,760 Speaker 1: would have showed that she was trying to help. 303 00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 4: We were able to find out by talking to the 304 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:29,800 Speaker 4: jurors years later that that nine to one one call 305 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:31,680 Speaker 4: would have made a difference had they heard it when 306 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:33,400 Speaker 4: I played it for them. They were like, we never 307 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:35,320 Speaker 4: would have convicted her had we known. 308 00:18:35,119 --> 00:18:36,399 Speaker 2: That she had called nine one one. 309 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 4: But the defense gave the jurors nothing to work with. 310 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:47,320 Speaker 1: Nothing, And that's how Tira Patterson, the woman who never 311 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,840 Speaker 1: touched a gun or robbed anyone, was convicted of one 312 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:55,040 Speaker 1: kind of aggravated murder and four counts of aggravated robbery. 313 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:58,359 Speaker 1: When the jury announced its verdict, she stood up and 314 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 1: shouted in disbelief. But I didn't do it. It didn't matter. 315 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:06,639 Speaker 1: She was sentenced to forty three years to life. That's 316 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:10,040 Speaker 1: thirteen more years than Lashawna, who actually pulled the trigger. 317 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 1: And in December nineteen ninety five, Tira Patterson became Ohio 318 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: Department of Correction's inmate number three seven seven three seven. 319 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 1: Fast forward to twenty eleven, Tira Patterson had been in 320 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:42,160 Speaker 1: prison for just over sixteen years, not even halfway through 321 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,760 Speaker 1: her sentence. When she got her first break. Ohio Governor 322 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 1: Ted Strickland learned about her case. He thought it was 323 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:51,440 Speaker 1: unfair that her sentence was more severe than the shooters, 324 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 1: so he issued what's called a commutation. 325 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 2: Tyra tried to stop this from happening. She walked away 326 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 2: before the shots were fired. All she did was pick 327 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:07,600 Speaker 2: up a necklace off of the ground. Lashawna Keeney brought 328 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 2: the gun to this event and she pulled the trigger 329 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 2: that led to Michelle Lay's death. It is grossly unfair 330 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,879 Speaker 2: for Lashawna to be sentenced to thirty years and for 331 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:22,680 Speaker 2: Tyra to be sentenced to forty three years, and that's 332 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:27,439 Speaker 2: why the governor commuted tyra sentence to sixteen years to life, 333 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:30,880 Speaker 2: which made her immediately eligible for parole. 334 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:34,760 Speaker 1: But Tyra's hopes of freedom were dashed a few months later. 335 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,919 Speaker 1: The Ohio Parole Board denied her request for parole, and 336 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,440 Speaker 1: they said she had to wait up to seven years 337 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:45,280 Speaker 1: before asking again. They said her crime was too severe. 338 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,119 Speaker 1: That's when David Singleton got involved. He'd heard about her 339 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:51,879 Speaker 1: case from a friend and he decided to go meet 340 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 1: Tira Patterson. When David met Tyra in prison, she was 341 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:58,960 Speaker 1: different from that nineteen year old girl whose future looked 342 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:02,479 Speaker 1: like a broken promise behind bars. Tyra had redeemed her 343 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:05,439 Speaker 1: own promise. She had gained skills in prison, working as 344 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:08,920 Speaker 1: a porter, a food service worker, a maintenance person. She'd 345 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:11,680 Speaker 1: gone from an illiterate sixth grade dropout to someone who 346 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:15,560 Speaker 1: earned her ged, she'd participated in more than two hundred 347 00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 1: self improvement programs, and most importantly, she was becoming an 348 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 1: incredible advocate for herself and for justice. When she told 349 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:27,320 Speaker 1: David she was innocent, he believed her, and he set 350 00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:30,800 Speaker 1: out to prove it, enlisting Steve Drison's help in the process. 351 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:35,679 Speaker 2: There's no DNA miracle for people like Tyra and for 352 00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:38,280 Speaker 2: most of the people who are locked up in prison. 353 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:41,920 Speaker 2: I mean, DNA is only present in maybe ten percent 354 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:43,359 Speaker 2: of all cases. 355 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: Well, that's the thing. Even if the shooter had left 356 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:48,720 Speaker 1: DNA on the gun, everybody already knew that Lashana Kini 357 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:50,600 Speaker 1: was the one who pulled the trigger. This is not 358 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:53,480 Speaker 1: a case where DNA testing is going to exonerate Tira Patterson. 359 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:58,480 Speaker 2: What she needed here was a reinvestigation, an advocacy. 360 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 1: As David and Steve dove into the case against Tyra, 361 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:05,560 Speaker 1: they found some major cracks. First, David discovered that the 362 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:09,199 Speaker 1: victim's sister, Holly Lay, had testified at the trial of 363 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:11,560 Speaker 1: another one of the Right View girls a year before 364 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:15,600 Speaker 1: Tyra's trial. Back then, Holly had testified that Tyra wasn't 365 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:18,000 Speaker 1: the one who reached into the car and snatched the necklace. 366 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 1: It had actually been someone else. Second, David uncovered the 367 00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:24,679 Speaker 1: very first statements the girls in the chevy gave to 368 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:28,399 Speaker 1: police right after Michelle Lay was shot. And when he 369 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 1: and Steve reviewed those early statements, well, it was revealing. 370 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 2: Remember some of these were given within an hour or 371 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:39,919 Speaker 2: two of the crime, so the memories were fresh for 372 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:44,240 Speaker 2: their witnesses, and Tyra was like a ghost. The two 373 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:49,400 Speaker 2: people who were mentioned far less than everybody else in 374 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:54,000 Speaker 2: all of these accounts were Tyra and Becca, and so 375 00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:56,359 Speaker 2: that's squared with Tyra's story. 376 00:22:56,960 --> 00:22:59,919 Speaker 1: Third, David talked to some of the other Right View girls, 377 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:02,080 Speaker 1: the ones who were born involved in what went down 378 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 1: that night. Three of them signed affid David supporting Tyra's innocence, 379 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:11,960 Speaker 1: including Lashawna Keeney. Lashawna confirmed that far from participating, Tyra 380 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 1: had actually tried to stop the confrontation from escalating. Before long, 381 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: Tyra's case was attracting attention among some pretty influential people. 382 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 1: Ohio State Senator Peggy Lanner visited Tyra in prison, and 383 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 1: she was so compelled by Tyra's story that she got 384 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:31,040 Speaker 1: four other state senators to back Tyra's efforts for release. 385 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:36,159 Speaker 1: Celebrities and advocates also began getting involved, everyone from actor 386 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:40,119 Speaker 1: Elfrey Woodard to mad Men creator Matthew Weener. They began 387 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 1: tweeting and posting in support of Tyra, using the hashtag 388 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:45,800 Speaker 1: I Am Tyra Patterson. 389 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:49,159 Speaker 4: This I Am Tyra Patterson campaign the hashtag. What it 390 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 4: meant was they were in solidarity with her. People were 391 00:23:54,119 --> 00:24:00,000 Speaker 4: saying We're there for you, we see you, we hear you, 392 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,520 Speaker 4: and that was a powerful message. 393 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:05,399 Speaker 1: You know, I think the first time I heard the 394 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:08,520 Speaker 1: name Tira Patterson was when I opened up my Twitter 395 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 1: feed one day and there I see a video of 396 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:15,440 Speaker 1: Steve giving a speech and holding a poster that says, 397 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:18,320 Speaker 1: in big black letters, I am Tyra Patterson. 398 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:23,359 Speaker 2: That was take five of that video, because the first 399 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:26,800 Speaker 2: take went along what I thought was really well, and 400 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 2: then I picked up the sign I am holding it 401 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:34,359 Speaker 2: upside down. Great. Great. The point of the campaign was 402 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:39,199 Speaker 2: to demonstrate that anybody could falsely confess if pressured by 403 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 2: the police, and I am Tyra Patterson to me, was 404 00:24:44,359 --> 00:24:47,520 Speaker 2: making that message loud and clear. I could have been 405 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 2: Tira Patterson, nor my child could have been Tyra Patterson. 406 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,880 Speaker 4: That's how Tyra became in my view her best advocate. 407 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:59,840 Speaker 4: It was exposing people to her so that they could 408 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:07,160 Speaker 4: see her as a living, breathing daughter, sister, and person 409 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 4: who was going to shine in the community if we 410 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:10,959 Speaker 4: could get her free. 411 00:25:11,359 --> 00:25:14,320 Speaker 1: One person this message reached was the victim's sister. 412 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 4: Twenty sixteen is when Holly Lay got in touch with 413 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:21,439 Speaker 4: me and her husband said, Holly wants to meet you 414 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 4: at Michelle's grave on Michelle's birthday. So I showed up. 415 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:28,159 Speaker 4: I didn't think they were going to come. I was like, 416 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:33,200 Speaker 4: this cannot be happening. Holly said, you know, Tyra didn't 417 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,480 Speaker 4: do this. And in fact, that night, Tyra walked by 418 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:40,000 Speaker 4: as we were talking to the police, and the police 419 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,520 Speaker 4: officer looked and said, is that one of the ones 420 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:44,080 Speaker 4: who was involved? And we all said no. 421 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:47,600 Speaker 1: On the night of the crime, Holly had seen one 422 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:50,800 Speaker 1: of the other girls snatch the necklace, not Tyra. But 423 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:54,320 Speaker 1: when she heard about Tyra's concession, Holly figured she must 424 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:56,919 Speaker 1: have been mistaken. After all, who would confess to a 425 00:25:56,960 --> 00:26:01,919 Speaker 1: crime they didn't commit. Years later, learned about false confessions 426 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:05,959 Speaker 1: and she realized Tyra must have given one. Holly's memory 427 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 1: had been right all along. Tira was innocent. And Holly 428 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:17,680 Speaker 1: agreed to support Tyra's release. In twenty seventeen, Tira Patterson 429 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:21,919 Speaker 1: was granted parole after twenty one years behind bars. On 430 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:25,720 Speaker 1: Christmas morning, she walked out of prison, bent down and 431 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 1: kissed the winter snow. It wasn't exoneration, but at last 432 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:35,960 Speaker 1: she was free. To quote Shashank Redemption, Tira Patterson got 433 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:36,679 Speaker 1: busy living. 434 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 4: She's my colleague now at the Ohio Justice and Policy Center. 435 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:44,240 Speaker 4: She's soaring in her job as our community relations expert. 436 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:48,959 Speaker 4: She speaks multiple times a week to different community groups, 437 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:52,160 Speaker 4: mentoring young people, not just in our community, but in 438 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:58,320 Speaker 4: places across the country. Tira basically runs Cincinnati. Everybody knows her. 439 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:04,040 Speaker 4: She is the brains behind this social justice mural that 440 00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:09,240 Speaker 4: is going up in downtown Cincinnati featuring women who have 441 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:11,480 Speaker 4: spent a long time in prison and have come home 442 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:13,600 Speaker 4: and are doing well. And her face is one of 443 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:17,320 Speaker 4: the ones up there. It's just sad that her life 444 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,080 Speaker 4: was interrupted for twenty three years, but now she's living 445 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:24,920 Speaker 4: and it's a beautiful thing to see. 446 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:32,160 Speaker 1: Hello Tira, Hey, Steve, how are you, Hey Tyra? 447 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:33,600 Speaker 3: It's Laura. 448 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 5: Hey, Laura, how I'm great? 449 00:27:37,119 --> 00:27:40,359 Speaker 2: Are you at home? I am So Tyra was living 450 00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 2: in an apartment for a while and now she's a homeowner. 451 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 1: Yes, what was it like to have you in place 452 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:47,240 Speaker 1: after being in prison so long? 453 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:53,240 Speaker 5: Oh my god, the privacya no yelling, no strimon no arguing. 454 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:56,439 Speaker 5: It was beautiful. I slept like a baby. 455 00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 2: I spoke alive. 456 00:27:58,720 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 1: Man, if I were you, first thing I would have 457 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:02,000 Speaker 1: done is like stood in the shower for three hours. 458 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:05,000 Speaker 1: There's nothing like a long shower. 459 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:08,159 Speaker 5: No, Laura, I didn't even do that. I stayed in 460 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,159 Speaker 5: a bathtub for three hours. Yes, you know, President, we 461 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,560 Speaker 5: didn't get to take a bath. So all I ever 462 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 5: wanted to do was just come home and take a 463 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 5: bubble bath. 464 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:19,720 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go take a bubble bath in your honor. 465 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:23,920 Speaker 5: To see if I love you. 466 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:33,920 Speaker 1: Tyra hasn't given up on exoneration. She and her legal 467 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:37,280 Speaker 1: team are still fighting to clear her name. If you 468 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:39,719 Speaker 1: want to follow Tyra's case and send her a message 469 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:43,240 Speaker 1: of support, look her up on Instagram at Tyra dot 470 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:47,160 Speaker 1: Imani dot seven seven seven. She inspires Steve and Me 471 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:55,680 Speaker 1: every day. Wrongful Conviction, False Confessions is a production of 472 00:28:55,760 --> 00:28:59,640 Speaker 1: Lava for Good Podcasts in association with Signal Company Number 473 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:03,760 Speaker 1: one special thanks to our executive producers Jason Flamm and 474 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:07,560 Speaker 1: Kevin Wardis. Our production team is headed by Senior producer 475 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:11,280 Speaker 1: and Pope, along with producers Joshi Hammer and Jess Shane. 476 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:14,720 Speaker 1: Our show is mixed by Genie Montalvo. John Colbert is 477 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 1: our intrepid intern. Our music was composed by Jay Ralph. 478 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,080 Speaker 1: You can follow me on Instagram or Twitter at Laura 479 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:22,240 Speaker 1: and I. 480 00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:25,880 Speaker 2: Wrider, and you can follow me on Twitter at s Drizsen. 481 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:30,400 Speaker 1: For more information on the show, visit wrongfulconvictionpodcast dot com. 482 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:34,120 Speaker 1: Be sure to follow the show on Instagram at Wrongful Conviction, 483 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:38,959 Speaker 1: on Facebook at Wrongful Conviction Podcast, and on Twitter at 484 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:39,920 Speaker 1: wrong Conviction