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After losing her husband Mike, fifty-five-year-old Marsha Mills found purpose in caring for her two beloved granddaughters and occasionally watching Evan and Noah Shoup, toddlers from her daughter's best friend's family.On May 10th, 2006, that love would destroy her life. After feeding lunch to the four children, Marsha took them outside to play. With her infant granddaughter in her arms, she turned to close the back door when two-year-old Noah fell from the porch to the concrete patio below.The child was unconscious. Marsha moved him inside, called his father, and waited for emergency workers while caring for three other frightened children. When Noah died the next day, Marsha was charged with murder.The case against her was built on medical opinion, not evidence.Detective Larry Hootman, who first investigated the scene, testified it was a "freak accident." He was removed from the case. Detective Michael Goodwin used ultraviolet imaging throughout Marsha's house but found no substances or evidence of violence.No physical evidence. No weapon. No motive.But Dr. Daryl Steiner of Akron Children's Hospital had an opinion.Based on Noah's injuries, Steiner testified the child had been abused. The prosecution's medical examiner agreed, using a doll to demonstrate how Marsha allegedly slammed the toddler repeatedly against surfaces.The defense fought back with science.Biomechanical engineer Dr. Chris VanEe built a replica of Marsha's back porch and used crash test dummies to prove a fall down the steps could cause fatal injuries. Forensic pathologist Dr. John Plunkett testified that Noah's death was "probably accidental" and consistent with Marsha's account.Two experts saying accident. Two saying murder.The jury chose to believe the prosecutors.After five hours of deliberation, they found Marsha Mills guilty of murder. She was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after fifteen years.She remains behind bars today, a grandmother whose only crime was caring for children who weren't her own.VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDSEARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week!Apple + HEREPatreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On New Year's Eve 2011, a landscaper named Ronald Hauser was found shot dead in the basement of his home in Livingston County, Michigan. A month later, police came knocking on the door of one of Ron's friends, a man named Anthony Duke. Tony was arrested, charged, and in 2015 convicted of murder. He has maintained his innocence ever since.Tony Duke is now serving life without the possibility of parole. Under Michigan law, that sentence means exactly what it says -- there is no parole date, no automatic review, no mechanism for release. The only path out runs through the Governor's office, and it is a path that very few people ever reach the end of.In this episode we catch up with Tony, who recently appeared before the Michigan Parole Board for what is known as a commutation initial -- a formal hearing that is, for people in Tony's situation, one of the rarest and most significant steps in a process that offers very little. We talk through what that meeting means, what came back from the Board, and what the road ahead looks like from inside a Michigan prison cell.We also examine the broader landscape of clemency in Michigan -- who gets it, who doesn't, and why the final stretch of a governor's time in office has historically been the window that matters most for people who have run out of any other options.Tony Duke's case has never stopped raising questions.How to contact Governor Whitmer about Tony Duke's caseThere are three ways to reach the Governor's office directly.Online contact form (easiest option) The Governor's office has a contact form at michigan.gov/whitmer/contact -- you can use this to write directly to the office and share their thoughts on Tony's case.By phone Constituent Services: (517) 335-7858 Main office: (517) 373-3400By post Governor Gretchen Whitmer P.O. Box 30013 Lansing, Michigan 48909Tips for anyone writing in:A letter or message to the Governor's office in support of a clemency case is most effective when it is brief, respectful, and specific. You don't need legal expertise, you just need to be genuine. A few things worth including:Tony's full name: Anthony DukeThat he is currently incarcerated in Michigan serving a life without parole sentenceThat he has appeared before the Michigan Parole Board for a commutation initialWhy you believe his case deserves the Governor's attention -- whether that is concern about the original conviction, evidence of Tony's character, or simply a belief that the case warrants a closer lookKeep it to one page if writing by post. If using the online form, a few clear, considered paragraphs is plenty. The Governor's office does read correspondence on clemency cases -- volume of letters on a specific case does register.VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDSEARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week!Apple + HEREPatreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After losing her husband Mike, fifty-five-year-old Marsha Mills found purpose in caring for her two beloved granddaughters and occasionally watching Evan and Noah Shoup, toddlers from her daughter's best friend's family.On May 10th, 2006, that love would destroy her life. After feeding lunch to the four children, Marsha took them outside to play. With her infant granddaughter in her arms, she turned to close the back door when two-year-old Noah fell from the porch to the concrete patio below.The child was unconscious. Marsha moved him inside, called his father, and waited for emergency workers while caring for three other frightened children. When Noah died the next day, Marsha was charged with murder.The case against her was built on medical opinion, not evidence.Detective Larry Hootman, who first investigated the scene, testified it was a "freak accident." He was removed from the case. Detective Michael Goodwin used ultraviolet imaging throughout Marsha's house but found no substances or evidence of violence.No physical evidence. No weapon. No motive.But Dr. Daryl Steiner of Akron Children's Hospital had an opinion.Based on Noah's injuries, Steiner testified the child had been abused. The prosecution's medical examiner agreed, using a doll to demonstrate how Marsha allegedly slammed the toddler repeatedly against surfaces.The defense fought back with science.Biomechanical engineer Dr. Chris VanEe built a replica of Marsha's back porch and used crash test dummies to prove a fall down the steps could cause fatal injuries. Forensic pathologist Dr. John Plunkett testified that Noah's death was "probably accidental" and consistent with Marsha's account.Two experts saying accident. Two saying murder.The jury chose to believe the prosecutors.After five hours of deliberation, they found Marsha Mills guilty of murder. She was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after fifteen years.She remains behind bars today, a grandmother whose only crime was caring for children who weren't her own.VOTE FOR OMR AUSTRALIAN AUDIO AWARDSEARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week!Apple + HEREPatreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marsha Mills