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.
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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
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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
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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!
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56: RED RECORD: The Story of Trey Reed
On September 15, 2025, 21-year-old Trey Reed—a first-generation college student at Delta State University—was found hanging from a tree on campus. Within hours, his death was ruled a suicide. No investigation. No real answers.
But Trey’s family knew something was wrong. And the deeper you look, the more disturbing the picture becomes: missing surveillance footage, a mysterious belt with no buckle, a second autopsy showing blunt force trauma, and a chilling history of racially motivated violence in the very place Trey died.
In this episode, Mel Barrett examines the facts, the cover-ups, and the rising pattern civil rights leaders are calling “lynching by suicide.” This isn’t just about one case. It’s about the systems that keep failing Black families, and the voices demanding justice.
Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide, racial violence, and harm to Black bodies.
❤️ If you like Mel's work, click the tip jar ❤️
🚨 Here's the link to the SOMETHING'S OFF YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomethingsOffPod -- Please subscribe for updates. Podcast episodes will be released on Patreon and video episodes will be released on YT!
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55: SOMETHING'S OFF with Michael Proctor's iCloud, Turtleboy charges + old rumors about a body in the snow
Something's Off with Mel Barrett + Rebecca Lavoie episode Two
Mel + Rebecca get into allll the chaos surrounding Michael Proctor, the Fed document dump/hearings, who lied: Dever or Cox? and an old rumor that resurfaced this week about a person being hit by a plow on Fairview Road.
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.
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Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
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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
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