Jesse Mack Butler was charged with raping and choking two girls at Stillwater High School. Eleven felonies. One girl thought she was going to die. And somehow—he walked. No jail. No detention. Just therapy, community service, and a ban on social media.
In this episode, Mel breaks down exactly what he did, what the victims survived, and how the system—judges, prosecutors, schools—chose to protect him. This isn’t a case of “he said, she said.” This is a case of “she said—and they still didn’t care.”
This one’s tough. But it’s the truth.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted RAINN: https://rainn.org/help-and-healing/hotline/
TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips
SOMETHING'S OFF on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomethingsOffPod
Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off on Fridays, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
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21:32
60: Something's off with the Karen Read email dump and VERDICT WATCH in the Zwerner 1st grade shooter case
Something's Off with Mel Barrett + Rebecca Lavoie episode 4
Mel + Rebecca break down the MarburyVMad (Corri Hopkins) MSP email dump from the Karen Read Trial and Mel breaks down the civil case of the 1st grade shooter who shot his teacher, Abigail Zwerner.
TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips
You can now join the channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content.
SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB
SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts
And check out listener, Kristan Shimpi's blog, The Thoughtful Mom https://thethoughtfulmom.com/2025/11/01/somethings-off/?fbclid=IwY2xjawN52fBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeiaF6lnQKs_Mx1Id-8LZdku0mMMMiluD-VAhgB_Fu9EFNZwWs8uY0bJGYkpw_aem_TYDfVHFPSLTbIO4EMl85HA
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59: She Called for Help: The Killing of Sonya Massey
When 36-year-old Sonya Massey—a Black mother of two—called 911 for help during a mental health crisis, she needed compassion. Instead, she was shot in the face by a white sheriff’s deputy in her own kitchen. In this episode of The In Between, host Mel Barrett walks listeners through the events of July 6, 2024, the bodycam footage that shook a community, the trial that followed, and the broader failures in policing, race, and mental health response.
We’ll hear from Sonya’s family, legal experts, and activists demanding change. This isn’t just one isolated tragedy—it’s part of a devastating pattern. And as we trace Sonya’s legacy through courtroom justice, community grief, and legislative reform, we ask: What does accountability really look like when someone dies after asking for help?
⚠️ Content warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of police violence, mental health crisis, and the fatal shooting of a Black woman. Listener discretion is advised.
TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips
SOMETHING'S OFF: https://www.youtube.com/@SomethingsOffPod
Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off on Fridays, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
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58: EXTRA Something's Off w/the feds and Michael Proctor's messages and well...Jen McCabe's 911 call
Something's Off with Mel Barrett + Rebecca Lavoie episode 3.5
Mel + Rebecca break down the preservation of Michael Proctor's messages and go on a deep dive into Samanthan Benigno's analysis of the 911 call Jen McCabe made at the scene of John O'Keefe's death. If you weren't already convinced the McCabes and Alberts had something to do with you, you might be after watching Sam's video. We'll link below.
TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips
Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off on Fridays, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts
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45:41
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57: SOMETHING'S OFF with that Microdots video, Turtleboy and the Jurks, and Kelsey Fitzsimmons' case eps 3
Something's Off with Mel Barrett + Rebecca Lavoie episode Three
Mel + Rebecca get into allll the chaos surrounding Turtleboy and the other boys, updates on all things Karen Read adjacent, including Microdots, and we take a deep dive on the Kelsey Fitzsimmons case.
TIP JAR: https://tinyurl.com/SomethingsOffTips
Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off on Fridays, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC
Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Follow @reblavoie on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts
There’s the official story. And then there’s the truth.
The In Between is an investigative narrative podcast that digs into cases where the facts got buried, distorted, or deliberately ignored. Hosted by journalist and screenwriter Mel Barrett, each season unpacks one story that was never fully told, blending deep reporting, legal analysis, and raw personal narrative.
Mel doesn’t just rehash headlines—she goes digging. She’s spent over a decade uncovering new evidence in the Pamela Smart case, work that helped form the basis of a new habeas petition. In Season One, she revisits the trial that made Smart a national villain—and questions everything we thought we knew.
Season Two, From Victim to Accused: The Veronika Rodriguez Story, pulls back the curtain on a case where a 26-year-old Air National Guard member reported a sexual assault—and ended up the one in handcuffs. What happened next is more than a miscarriage of justice. It’s a warning.
This is the space between the crime and the courtroom, the headlines and the hidden truth. This is The In Between.
Join the Investigator Club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast: https://patreon.com/TheInBetweenPodcastwithMelBarrett?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
Follow The In Between Podcast at:
IG: @TheInBetweenPodOfficial
FB: @TheInBetweenPod
Bluesky: @inbetweenpod
TikTok: @jackofalltradesdc
Web: inbetweenpod.com
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