In November 1986, Robert Cleland was the head prosecutor in St. Clair County, Michigan. The morning after Cleland lost a statewide race for Attorney General, Scott Macklem was murdered. Cleland decided to prosecute the case himself, depicting the defendant as a dangerous ninja out for revenge.

You can hear the entire season of Examined: The Backfire Effect, ad-free, right now by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the show page on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ or at ⁠Pushkin.fm/plus⁠. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, and exclusive binges of other true crime podcasts throughout the year.

In November 1986, Robert Cleland was the head prosecutor in St. Clair County, Michigan. The morning after Cleland lost a statewide race for Attorney General, Scott Macklem was murdered. Cleland decided to prosecute the case himself, depicting the defendant as a dangerous ninja out for revenge.
You can hear the entire season of Examined: The Backfire Effect, ad-free, right now by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/examined-the-backfire-effect/id1549249596" data-airgap-id="12">⁠Apple Podcasts⁠</a> or at <a href="http://pushkin.fm/plus" data-airgap-id="13">⁠Pushkin.fm/plus⁠</a>. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, and exclusive binges of other true crime podcasts throughout the year.

About Examined: Overlooked cases that never got the real investigation they deserved. Each season features deeply reported stories about crime, punishment, and the people inside the criminal legal system. 

Nearly 40 years ago, in the parking lot of a community college in Port Huron, Michigan, a 20-year-old student named Scott Macklem was shot dead in broad daylight. His murder shocked the community. It made no sense. The police quickly found their suspect. There was only one problem: the man said he was nowhere near the scene of the crime. And he could prove it. In Examined: The Backfire Effect, journalist Josie Duffy Rice talks with eyewitnesses, investigators and local reporters to unravel a shocking story of judicial apathy and expedience — a story that leaves no one off the hook.

About Examined: Overlooked cases that never got the real investigation they deserved. Each season features deeply reported stories about crime, punishment, and the people inside the criminal legal system.&nbsp;
Nearly 40 years ago, in the parking lot of a community college in Port Huron, Michigan, a 20-year-old student named Scott Macklem was shot dead in broad daylight. His murder shocked the community. It made no sense. The police quickly found their suspect. There was only one problem: the man said he was nowhere near the scene of the crime. And he could prove it. In Examined: The Backfire Effect, journalist Josie Duffy Rice talks with eyewitnesses, investigators and local reporters to unravel a shocking story of judicial apathy and expedience &mdash; a story that leaves no one off the hook.

Examined: The Backfire Effect

Episode 3: The Ninja

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1e70453b-3818-4450-ba1e-b4c7012fe84c/transcript

At trial, Temujin Kensu’s defense is simple — he was across the state when the crime occurred. In court, he brings multiple witnesses to testify that they saw him in the Upper Peninsula, more than 400 miles from Port Huron. But then prosecutor Robert Cleland pulls an unusual Hail Mary.

You can hear the entire season of Examined: The Backfire Effect, ad-free, right now by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the show page on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ or at ⁠Pushkin.fm/plus⁠. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, and exclusive binges of other true crime podcasts throughout the year.

At trial, Temujin Kensu&rsquo;s defense is simple &mdash; he was across the state when the crime occurred. In court, he brings multiple witnesses to testify that they saw him in the Upper Peninsula, more than 400 miles from Port Huron. But then prosecutor Robert Cleland pulls an unusual Hail Mary.
You can hear the entire season of Examined: The Backfire Effect, ad-free, right now by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/examined-the-backfire-effect/id1549249596" data-airgap-id="16">⁠Apple Podcasts⁠</a> or at <a href="http://pushkin.fm/plus" data-airgap-id="17">⁠Pushkin.fm/plus⁠</a>. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, and exclusive binges of other true crime podcasts throughout the year.

Episode 4: The Alibi

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/38bb2f8a-dda7-49f0-b8bd-b4c7013bf96a/transcript

Temujin Kensu spent much of his youth wandering, mainly in his home state of Michigan. In 1986 he and his then-fiancée moved to a cabin outside Port Huron, where he briefly dated someone else. A few weeks later, he and his fiancée moved again, more than 400 miles away, to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. He says he was there on November 5, 1986. But that didn’t stop police from accusing him of a murder he said he could never have committed.

You can hear the entire season of Examined: The Backfire Effect, ad-free, right now by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, and exclusive binges of other true crime podcasts throughout the year.

Temujin Kensu spent much of his youth wandering, mainly in his home state of Michigan. In 1986 he and his then-fianc&eacute;e moved to a cabin outside Port Huron, where he briefly dated someone else. A few weeks later, he and his fianc&eacute;e moved again, more than 400 miles away, to Michigan&rsquo;s Upper Peninsula. He says he was there on November 5, 1986. But that didn&rsquo;t stop police from accusing him of a murder he said he could never have committed.
You can hear the entire season of Examined: The Backfire Effect, ad-free, right now by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/examined-the-backfire-effect/id1549249596">Apple Podcasts</a> or at <a href="http://pushkin.fm/plus">Pushkin.fm/plus</a>. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, and exclusive binges of other true crime podcasts throughout the year.

Episode 2: The Hypnotist 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ca826616-92bc-4492-a862-b4c10002a47a/transcript

On the morning of November 5th, 1986, students at a community college in Port Huron, Michigan, heard the sound of what many thought was a car backfiring. It was a gunshot, and it killed a student named Scott Macklem. The murder would leave the community shocked, and police baffled. Until they found a suspect: a young man who lived across the state.

You can hear the entire season of Examined: The Backfire Effect, ad-free, right now by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, and exclusive binges of other true crime podcasts throughout the year.

On the morning of November 5th, 1986, students at a community college in Port Huron, Michigan, heard the sound of what many thought was a car backfiring. It was a gunshot, and it killed a student named Scott Macklem. The murder would leave the community shocked, and police baffled. Until they found a suspect: a young man who lived across the state.
You can hear the entire season of Examined: The Backfire Effect, ad-free, right now by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the show page on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/examined-the-backfire-effect/id1549249596">Apple Podcasts</a> or at <a href="http://pushkin.fm/plus">Pushkin.fm/plus</a>. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks, and exclusive binges of other true crime podcasts throughout the year.

Episode 1:  The Good Cop

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ec29958b-0f1b-478b-8f54-b4c0018255d9/transcript

Episode 3: The Ninja

Examined: The Backfire Effect

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