Introducing: The Burden

The Burden - available everywhere on March 19 Detective Louis N. Scarcella was a legendary figure in New York City during the '90s. In a city overrun with violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. But the story changed when a group of convicted murderers-turned…

Episode 1 | The Scoop

Episode 1 of 10 New York Times journalist Frances “Frenchie” Robles gets a tip about a group of wrongfully convicted men in the New York State prison system. The common denominator: many were arrested by the same detective. Frenchie tracks down the story in a surprise visit to prison. The Burden …

Episode 2 | The Confessions of Louis Scarcella

Episode 2 of 10 Steve chases down the legendary detective. He hasn’t talked in years, but after tracking him to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, Louie starts to sing. We learn about his uncle, the mobster who Louie must investigate for murder. The Burden is available everywhere you get your podcas…

Episode 3 | The Actual Innocence Team

Episode 3 of 10 We meet Shabaka Shakur, Derrick Hamilton, and the rest of the law firm they founded in prison. They are the best jailhouse lawyers of their generation. They have roles: lecturer, writer, PR man, intern… They claim they were framed...by Louie Scarcella. They declare common cause: br…

Episode 4 | The Crazy World of Murder

Episode 4 of 10 We meet the single eyewitness at the heart of some of Scarcella’s high profile cases. Teresa Gomez claimed to witness 11 murders, and she brought them all to Scarcella. For Louie, she was a truth teller and a “special friend” who also boosted his career. For those she testified aga…

Episode 5 | The Derrick Dilemma

Episode 5 of 10 Derrick Hamilton, champion of the wrongfully convicted, claimed innocence since the day he was arrested by Scarcella. He claimed innocence in a previous murder conviction as well. But we uncover documents that show he lied. He admits to being a liar. So… was he framed? Or is he the…

Episode 6 | Does a New D.A. Mean a New Day?

Episode 6 of 10 It’s 2013, and a fierce election for Brooklyn D.A. is in process. It’s an election that will change Brooklyn forever. The old guard is on the ropes and Louie Scarcella is a hot button issue. The lives of our main characters - Derrick, Shabaka, Louie, converge and no one will be the…

Episode 7 | Shabaka’s Last Shot

Episode 7 of 10 Shabaka Shakur is in court and Louie Scarcella is on the witness stand. It’s Shabaka’s last shot to prove he was framed. The courtroom drama doesn’t disappoint. A famed civil rights lawyer does the cross examination of a career, and “gets” Scarcella. A judge takes a hard look at th…

Episode 8 | Judgment

Episode 8 of 10 Derrick and Shabaka are out of prison, but one “law partner” - the one who served as intern - is still behind bars. Derrick wins him a hearing in court. All seems aligned when reality warps. In an exclusive interview, we reveal why: the judge suffers from dementia and the system ha…

Episode 9 | Vindication

Episode 9 of 10 The new D.A. personally overturns Derrick’s conviction. But is he really guilty? The question hovers over the series: Have murderers been freed because of Scarcella’s alleged misdeeds? We investigate. We track the lone eyewitness in Derrick's murder trial to the woods of North Caro…