Coming of age in Honduras, Clemente “Shorty” Aguirre was faced with a choice: join MS13 or die. He moved to Nicaragua with his grandmother instead, but with no economic prospects, he chose to come to the United States as an undocumented immigrant. Life was calm for a while, as he worked as a cook and lived in a trailer park, where he had found a place in a nice community of friends. Then, on June 17th, 2004, after a long night out, Shorty dropped by a neighboring trailer shared by his friends Cheryl Williams, part-time by her daughter Samantha, and her mother Carol Bareis. They were known for always having a stockpile of beer, and Shorty was going to ask them for an early morning nightcap, when he discovered Cheryl and Carol had been stabbed and were lying in pools of their own blood. Realizing that they were gone and that making a call to the police would certainly get him deported to a country where MS13 awaited his return, he went to his own trailer to lay low. Later that day, he came forward to investigators with his discovery and became the prime suspect. With the combination of an ineffective public defender, the prosecution’s tunnel vision, and plenty of circumstantial evidence, Clemente would be tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. If you feel compelled to support Clemente, please go to: https://www.mightycause.com/story/Clementeaguirree2019 https://www.wrongfulconvictionpodcast.com/with-jason-flom Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#523 Jason Flom with Lerico Kearney
On November 21, 1997, Gene Artis and his sister Yvonne Giles were shot and killed at their apartment in Suffolk, VA. Six-year-old Travone Artis was the only witness who saw his mother and uncle get murdered, and he unequivocally told authorities that a relative of his was the shooter. Despite this, 18 year old Lerico Kearney became a suspect when police found out he and Gene gambled together.There was no physical evidence linking Lerico to this crime, but with the help of multiple jailhouse snitches, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. To learn more and get involved, visit: https://www.change.org/p/governor-glen-youngkin-governor-youngkin-lerico-kearney-does-not-deserve-to-die-in-prison Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co No1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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47:18
SPECIAL EMERGENCY EPISODE: #522 Jason Flom and Maggie Freleng with Andre Brown live from the UJC Summit
In this updated special edition of Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom & Maggie Freleng, we revisit the case of Andre Brown, whose conviction was vacated in 2022 after newly presented evidence and witness testimony demonstrated he could not have committed the crime. Despite this, the Bronx District Attorney has shockingly overturned the vacated ruling—and Andre is now being sent back to prison this Friday, April 25, 2025, to serve an additional 17 years, after already spending 23 years behind bars for a crime he has always maintained he did not commit. Recorded live at the UJC Summit 2023, Jason and Maggie sat down with Andre to hear his firsthand account of the nightmare that began in 1999, when he was wrongfully convicted of attempted murder in the Bronx. Although Andre suffered from a medical condition that made running nearly impossible—and multiple witnesses pointed to another suspect—he was sentenced to two 20-year terms. This episode is a Call to Action. Andre Brown’s life is once again on the line. We need your help! Listen, share, and speak out. Justice must be upheld. Take Action Below: 1. Contact the Bronx DA , Darcel Clark, and respectfully ask her to consent to resentencing: 718-590-2000 and email (email script is here) 2. Contact New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and respectfully ask her to grant Andre Brown clemency: 518-474-8390 and complete contact form (script for form is here) 3. Sign the Petition: https://www.change.org/p/nyc-government-the-people-free-andre-brown To learn more, please visit: https://www.unjustandunsolved.com/post/episode-19-andre-brown https://www.jiarizvi.com/andrebrown https://www.deskovicfoundation.org/cases/the-case-of-andre-brown Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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42:09
#521 Jason Flom with John "Divine G" Whitfield
On March 25, 1988, Harold Wesley shot and killed Jimmy Calibera in a drug deal gone wrong. The crime occurred in front of the Breukelen Houses estates in Brooklyn, NY where John “Divine G” Whitfield lived with his mother and sister. Divine G was scheduled to turn himself in on drug charges in May of that year, but due to the testimony of an unreliable and incentivized informant, and despite evidence disproving this account, Divine was convicted of the murder and sentenced to 25 to life. To learn more and get involved, visit: https://chng.it/cX5Fb9vnZk https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/new-york-discovery/ https://a24films.com/films/sing-sing https://pen.org/the-whitfeld-files/ https://divinegentertainment.com/shop/ https://www.instagram.com/divine_g47 https://rta-arts.org/blog/sing-sings-john-divine-g-whitfield-clarence-divine-eye-maclin-where-are-they-now/ Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava For Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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41:28
#520 Jason Flom with Ivery Dorsey
On July 10, 1994, in Houston, TX, four to six armed men forcibly entered a house that was being used as a base for selling crack cocaine. The intruders kicked down the door and immediately opened fire. Willie Williams and Clifford Tyler were shot while trying to flee but survived. Alton “Bud” Brown managed to escape unharmed but Charles Monroe was shot and succumbed to his injuries and died. Neither Williams nor Tyler were able to identity the shooter and since there was no physical evidence the case was closed. 12 years later, the case was re-opened with Ivery Dorsery as the primary suspect. Even though Ivery had several alibi witnesses who attested to his whereabouts the night of the crime and even though there was still no physical evidence tying anyone to the shooting, Ivery was charged and convicted with felony murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. To learn more and get involved, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-iverys-fight-for-justicehttps://www.instagram.com/bringiveryhome/https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/186-jason-flom-with-alfred-dewayne-brown/ Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava For Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hosted by celebrated criminal justice reform advocate and founding board member of the Innocence Project Jason Flom, Pulitzer prize-winning podcast host and producer Maggie Freleng, and Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, and podcast host Lauren Bright Pacheco, Wrongful Conviction features intimate conversations with men and women who have spent years in prison for crimes they maintain they did not commit. Some have been fully exonerated and reunited with family and friends while others continue to languish, with some even facing execution on death row. Each episode peels back the layers behind the stories of those who have found themselves caught in a legal system gone wrong, with illuminating insights from lawyers and leading experts sharing their in-depth knowledge about each case, from prison visits and courtroom battles to reexamined crime scenes and witness interviews. This gripping series reveals the tragedy of injustice…as well as the triumph that is possible when people step up and demand change.
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