Betrayal
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One July night in 1995, Deputy Sheriff William G. Hardy was shot behind the Crown Sterling Suites hotel in Birmingham, Alabama. At the same time as the murder, at least 10 people saw Toforest Johnson four miles away at a popular nightclub called Tee's Place. But detectives zeroed in on him as a main suspect in Deputy Hardy’s murder anyway, ultimately resulting in Toforest being tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. For over a quarter century, Toforest has been confined to a 5’ by 8’ cell on Alabama’s death row.
In 2019, investigative journalist Beth Shelburne began covering the case, going down a disturbing rabbit hole revealing many unsettling facts that cast grave doubts about Toforest’s guilt. The facts she found tear at the very foundation of the American criminal justice system: No eyewitnesses or physical evidence tied Toforest to the murder; the state tried to convict a different man for the same crime; and perhaps most disturbing of all, Toforest’s conviction relied on an "earwitness" – a woman who claimed to have eavesdropped on an incriminating phone call, a woman whom prosecutors paid for her testimony, in secret. That payment was not disclosed to the jury, Toforest, or his lawyers until after he had been on death row for 17 years.
From the team behind the award-winning hit podcast Bone Valley, Lava for Good’s Earwitness is an eight-episode docuseries that asks the question, “How did an innocent man end up on death row — and why is the state still trying to execute him over the objection of the prosecutor who put him there?” Shelburne’s unprecedented access to key players—the lead detective, lead prosecutor, witnesses, jurors, and the earwitness herself—illuminate a story filled with disturbing twists, frustrating ambiguities, and shocking admissions. The story of Toforest Johnson and the state's enthusiasm for the death penalty in the face of such troubling evidentiary flaws brings to light the failings of a criminal justice system run amok.
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The Betrayal team checks in with Ashley after she receives disappointing news.
If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at [email protected].
To report a case of child sexual exploitation, call The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline at 1-800-THE-LOST
If you or someone you know is worried about their sexual thoughts and feelings towards children, reach out to stopitnow.org
In the UK reach out to stopitnow.org.uk
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Canadian ex-pat living in Australia is stunned to discover that her lovely new boyfriend has very dark and illegal interests.
If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at [email protected].
To report a case of child sexual exploitation, call The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline at 1-800-THE-LOST
If you or someone you know is worried about their sexual thoughts and feelings towards children reach out to stopitnow.org
In the UK reach out to stopitnow.org.uk
In Australia reach out to stopitnow.org.au
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
New York Times investigative reporters Michael Keller and Gabriel Dance share more about what tech companies and the government are doing and aren’t doing to confront the vast trading of child sexual abuse material across the internet.
If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at [email protected].
To report a case of child sexual exploitation, call The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline at 1-800-THE-LOST
If you or someone you know is worried about their sexual thoughts and feelings towards children reach out to stopitnow.org
In the UK reach out to stopitnow.org.uk
Read the article by Michael Keller and Gabriel Dance, The Internet Is Overrun With Images Of Child Sexual Abuse. What Went Wrong?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Betrayal listeners, we have some exciting news to share! ABC News Studios has turned Betrayal Season 1 into a documentary. This is a sneak peek of the three-part docuseries . You can stream, Betrayal – The Perfect Husband starting July 11th on Hulu.
If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at [email protected].
To report a case of child sexual exploitation, call The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline at 1-800-THE-LOST
If you or someone you know is worried about their sexual thoughts and feelings towards children, reach out to stopitnow.org
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.