28 episodes

The Innocence Project estimates that there are currently over 20,000 innocent people locked away in US prisons. These cases remain unsolved. Each week, Investigative Journalist Maggie Freleng tells the story of one of those people and takes a deep dive into the crime they were convicted of. Through her original interviews with the convicted, their lawyers, families, and friends, Freleng chronicles each inmate’s fight for exoneration and their hope that justice can still be served.

Unjust & Unsolved Obsessed Network

    • True Crime
    • 4.9 • 2.8K Ratings

The Innocence Project estimates that there are currently over 20,000 innocent people locked away in US prisons. These cases remain unsolved. Each week, Investigative Journalist Maggie Freleng tells the story of one of those people and takes a deep dive into the crime they were convicted of. Through her original interviews with the convicted, their lawyers, families, and friends, Freleng chronicles each inmate’s fight for exoneration and their hope that justice can still be served.

    Introducing "Murder in Alliance: Ep. 1 Dead in the Water"

    Introducing "Murder in Alliance: Ep. 1 Dead in the Water"

    Hey, Unjust and Unsolved listeners! We're so excited to bring you the new show from the Obsessed Network, "Murder in Alliance." The new show dives deep into an episode we covered in "Unjust and Unsolved," reinvestigating the case in real time.  We've got the first episode here for you in this feed, and two more available right now wherever you get your podcasts.

    Listen to the first three episodes and follow "Murder in Alliance" on your favorite podcast player HERE (https://lnk.to/98BXWuip).

    In the podcast, investigative journalist Maggie Freleng reinvestigates the 1999 murder of Yvonne Layne. Though her ex-boyfriend David Thorne was convicted of the murder, evidence points to his innocence. Now, twenty years later, Maggie travels to Ohio to talk with people involved in the case, explore new leads, and try to identify who killed Yvonne.

    Follow "Murder in Alliance" on Twitter and Instagram: @Murder_Alliance

    • 29 min
    Cheri Hayden

    Cheri Hayden

    On Feb 23, 2008 a botched robbery took place leaving 68-year-old Patricia Landry dead. Witnesses said the driver of the vehicle that ran her over was a blonde woman in her 20s. Despite the age discrepancy, Cheri Hayden, a 45-year-old woman with deep facial wrinkles, clearly not 20, was arrested, tried and convicted with no evidence other than eyewitness testimony. In fact, if the police had done a proper investigation they would have found multiple people who said the real killer confessed...and she was blonde and in her 20s.

    For more information and a complete list of sources for this episode, visit:
    https://www.unjustandunsolved.com/

    Join us on Patreon to support the show and access exclusive content:
    patreon.com/unjustandunsolved

    • 42 min
    Brandon Spencer

    Brandon Spencer

    Halloween night 2012, 19-year-old Brandon Spencer and his girlfriend were on the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles attending a Halloween party. Suddenly, shots rang out and it was pandemonium. Everyone scattered, ducked, and hid. There was screaming...it was chaos and Brandon Spencer a smart kid from a well-to-do supportive family, with a good job getting ready to enter an EMT program wound up being pinned for it. Family, friends, police, even the former mayor of Inglewood vouched for Brandon, but the jury bought the prosecution's theory, that Brandon was a hardcore gangbanger and Brandon was sentenced to 40 years to life for four counts of attempted murder. However, years later, the star witness recanted and without his testimony...there is no evidence linking Brandon to the shooting. So why is Brandon still in prison? And if he's innocent, why was he railroaded?

    For more information and a complete list of sources for this episode, visit:
    https://www.unjustandunsolved.com/

    Join us on Patreon to support the show and access exclusive content:
    patreon.com/unjustandunsolved

    • 41 min
    Sara Bennett

    Sara Bennett

    Former appellate attorney and author Sara Bennett captures stunning, honest portraits of women serving life sentences in prison. She and Maggie talk about how women doing time differs from men, re-entry for women, and the humanity of the people we lock up. Sara’s art has been widely exhibited and featured in publications like The New York Times, The New Yorker Photo Booth, and Variety & Rolling Stone’s “American (In)Justice.” Right now she has art up in New York City at MOMA PS1 in the “Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration” exhibit along with folks who have made art from inside prison.

    For more information and a complete list of sources for this episode, visit:
    https://www.unjustandunsolved.com/

    Join us on Patreon to support the show and access exclusive content:
    patreon.com/unjustandunsolved

    • 44 min
    Andre Brown

    Andre Brown

    1990’s Bronx, New York: The most violent decade in the city’s history in one of the most impoverished areas in the nation at the time, and college student Andre Brown was right in the middle. A drug turf war, teens with guns, and a corrupt mob lawyer for the Bonanno crime family - what could possibly go wrong?

    For more information and a complete list of sources for this episode, visit:
    https://www.unjustandunsolved.com/

    Join us on Patreon to support the show and access exclusive content:
    patreon.com/unjustandunsolved

    • 43 min
    Ralph Trent Stokes

    Ralph Trent Stokes

    On March 11, 1982 three people were murdered during a robbery of a famous Philadelphia restaurant. 19-year-old Ralph Trent Stokes was arrested three days later and at trial after only 45 minutes of deliberation, Ralph Stokes was convicted of three counts of first degree murder and sentenced to death. Roger King was the prosecutor. He held the record for most death sentences achieved in the state of Pennsylvania when he retired. He’s also infamous for prosecutorial misconduct and having multiple overturned convictions. King used made up physical evidence placing Ralph at the location of the crime and his star witness who fled the jurisdiction dressed as a woman - could have been the real killer all along.

    For more information and a complete list of sources for this episode, visit:
    https://www.unjustandunsolved.com/

    Join us on Patreon to support the show and access exclusive content:
    patreon.com/unjustandunsolved

    • 41 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
2.8K Ratings

2.8K Ratings

misskristhepriss ,

Miss Hearing From You, Maggie!

I binged this podcast while at work, and love it! It’s inspired me to try to get involved in any way I can help! Thank you Maggie for your work! Would love to hear more!

atwistf8 ,

From New Jersey,

Maggie, Let me start off by saying, I NEVER do this....unless I’m moved. Your narration of the house ‘pest’ I just listened to had me laughing out loud!! Yes, some, about the family moving into their new house, but mostly because of your clever and witty writing. Don’t you worry, you’ll be rolling in cash and success if you keep writing,if that’s your dream. Millions is awaiting for talents like yours, just be a slave to the work(although your work seems effortless), not to the money. If I’m moved by your writing, there are countless more. Thank you for the 2 times I listened this Easter morning while sitting by the beach eating breakfast. It was truly wonderful! You are truly gifted. I’m jealous, but appreciative to have stumbled upon your podcast! One of many fans, AJ From Florida.

Fdxgbhcd ,

Love this!

I really enjoyed these stories.

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