DeepSummary
In 1985, a 68-year-old woman named Helen Wilson was murdered in her apartment in Beatrice, Nebraska. Six people were eventually arrested for the crime, but nearly 20 years later, DNA evidence proved that none of them were present at the murder scene. Three of the six had initially confessed to the crime, while the other three pleaded no contest or not guilty.
After years of appeals and legal battles by the wrongfully convicted individuals, their convictions were overturned based on the DNA evidence in 2008. This marked the first time someone in Nebraska had been exonerated through DNA testing. The six people had collectively spent over 70 years in prison for a crime they did not commit.
The wrongful convictions were the result of a reckless investigation by law enforcement, who coerced false confessions and manufactured evidence against the six individuals. A civil lawsuit brought by the exonerated individuals against the county and investigators resulted in a $28 million judgment against the county in 2016, with the final payments being made in 2023.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Six individuals were wrongfully convicted of murder in 1985 based on coerced confessions and fabricated evidence.
- DNA evidence nearly 20 years later proved their innocence, leading to their exoneration in 2008.
- The wrongful convictions were the result of a reckless investigation by law enforcement.
- The exonerated individuals spent over 70 combined years in prison for a crime they did not commit.
- They won a $28 million civil judgment against the county for the investigative misconduct.
- The case highlighted systemic issues within the criminal justice system and its reluctance to admit mistakes.
- One of the exonerated individuals forgave those who had falsely testified against him, despite the injustice he faced.
- The exonerated individuals were viewed as disposable by authorities during the flawed investigation.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “They needed a bunch of disposable people and it was us.“ by Kathy Gonzalez
- “And what we had to show was that the investigators were deliberately indifferent to our clients known constitutional rights.“ by Jeffrey Patterson
- “Now, I'm going to tell you this. My clients know a little bit more about paying for something that somebody else did than anybody in Gage county knows.“ by Jeffrey Patterson
Entities
Product
Person
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Episode Information
Criminal
Vox Media Podcast Network
5/24/24