In 2003,20-year-old Jofama Coleman was just getting his life together - he had a stable job, a nice place to live, a girlfriend, and a baby on the way. After a tumultuous childhood, things were finally going well. Then one day the police came to his workplace to question him about a murder in his Los Angeles, CA neighborhood. Due to faulty eyewitness testimony, Jofama was ultimately convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

17 years later, mom and educator Jessica Jacobs got obsessed with true crime documentaries during the pandemic. She was inspired to get involved in the fight against wrongful convictions, eventually joining forces with legendary defense attorney Ellen Eggers to help Jofama argue his case. Their friendship is built on their shared belief in education, persistence and the power of self advocacy.

To learn more, visit:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jofama-colemans-justice-after-freedom?qid=dc334dfea004ee8a055ef2f9ec03f1b1

https://www.ditchschool.org

Wrongful Conviction with Lauren Bright Pacheco is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. 

In 2003, 20-year-old Jofama Coleman was just getting his life together - he had a stable job, a nice place to live, a girlfriend, and a baby on the way. After a tumultuous childhood, things were finally going well. Then one day the police came to his workplace to question him about a murder in his Los Angeles, CA neighborhood. Due to faulty eyewitness testimony, Jofama was ultimately convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
17 years later, mom and educator Jessica Jacobs got obsessed with true crime documentaries during the pandemic. She was inspired to get involved in the fight against wrongful convictions, eventually joining forces with legendary defense attorney Ellen Eggers to help Jofama argue his case. Their friendship is built on their shared belief in education, persistence and the power of self advocacy.
To learn more, visit:
<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jofama-colemans-justice-after-freedom?qid=dc334dfea004ee8a055ef2f9ec03f1b1">https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jofama-colemans-justice-after-freedom?qid=dc334dfea004ee8a055ef2f9ec03f1b1</a>
<a href="https://www.ditchschool.org">https://www.ditchschool.org</a>
Wrongful Conviction with Lauren Bright Pacheco is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

Hosted by celebrated criminal justice reform advocate and founding board member of the Innocence Project Jason Flom, Pulitzer prize-winning podcast host and producer Maggie Freleng, and Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, and podcast host Lauren Bright Pacheco, Wrongful Conviction features intimate conversations with men and women who have spent years in prison for crimes they maintain they did not commit. Some have been fully exonerated and reunited with family and friends while others continue to languish, with some even facing execution on death row. Each episode peels back the layers behind the stories of those who have found themselves caught in a legal system gone wrong, with illuminating insights from lawyers and leading experts sharing their in-depth knowledge about each case, from prison visits and courtroom battles to reexamined crime scenes and witness interviews. This gripping series reveals the tragedy of injustice…as well as the triumph that is possible when people step up and demand change.

Hosted by celebrated criminal justice reform advocate and founding board member of the Innocence Project Jason Flom, Pulitzer prize-winning podcast host and producer Maggie Freleng, and Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, and podcast host Lauren Bright Pacheco, Wrongful Conviction features intimate conversations with men and women who have spent years in prison for crimes they maintain they did not commit. Some have been fully exonerated and reunited with family and friends while others continue to languish, with some even facing execution on death row. Each episode peels back the layers behind the stories of those who have found themselves caught in a legal system gone wrong, with illuminating insights from lawyers and leading experts sharing their in-depth knowledge about each case, from prison visits and courtroom battles to reexamined crime scenes and witness interviews. This gripping series reveals the tragedy of injustice…as well as the triumph that is possible when people step up and demand change.

Wrongful Conviction

In 2007, Chris Vaughn was arrested during a funeral for his wife and three children. He would be tried and convicted of their murders. To this day he maintains no memory of what occurred that tragic day 20 years ago. Murder in Illinois follows the complicated circumstances that led to Vaughn’s conviction, as well as the forensic evidence his supporters believe proves his innocence- in attempt to answer one question: Who killed the Vaughn family?

In 2007, Chris Vaughn was arrested during a funeral for his wife and three children. He would be tried and convicted of their murders. To this day he maintains no memory of what occurred that tragic day 20 years ago. Murder in Illinois follows the complicated circumstances that led to Vaughn’s conviction, as well as the forensic evidence his supporters believe proves his innocence- in attempt to answer one question: Who killed the Vaughn family?

Murder in Illinois

Hosted by celebrated criminal justice reform advocate and founding board member of the Innocence Project Jason Flom, and Pulitzer prize-winning podcast host and producer Maggie Freleng, Wrongful Conviction features intimate conversations with men and women who have spent years in prison for crimes they maintain they did not commit. Some have been fully exonerated and reunited with family and friends while others continue to languish, with some even facing execution on death row. Each episode peels back the layers behind the stories of those who have found themselves caught in a legal system gone wrong, with illuminating insights from lawyers and leading experts sharing their in-depth knowledge about each case, from prison visits and courtroom battles to reexamined crime scenes and witness interviews. This gripping series reveals the tragedy of injustice…as well as the triumph that is possible when people step up and demand change.

Hosted by celebrated criminal justice reform advocate and founding board member of the Innocence Project Jason Flom, and Pulitzer prize-winning podcast host and producer Maggie Freleng, Wrongful Conviction features intimate conversations with men and women who have spent years in prison for crimes they maintain they did not commit. Some have been fully exonerated and reunited with family and friends while others continue to languish, with some even facing execution on death row. Each episode peels back the layers behind the stories of those who have found themselves caught in a legal system gone wrong, with illuminating insights from lawyers and leading experts sharing their in-depth knowledge about each case, from prison visits and courtroom battles to reexamined crime scenes and witness interviews. This gripping series reveals the tragedy of injustice…as well as the triumph that is possible when people step up and demand change.

#464 Lauren Bright Pacheco with Jofama Coleman

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/36a645c4-a6e6-4b84-bc22-b1ae00679edc/transcript

On August 16, 1981, shots were fired from a gangway into Piotrowski Park on the southwest side of Chicago, IL. As a result, two people were fatally shot, and another was injured. Initially, the police identified two men as their main suspects, but ultimately dropped those leads. Due to a combination of unethical interrogation techniques and faulty eyewitness testimony, a few members of the Two-Six Street Gang were arrested for the crime, including 18-year-old David Ayala. Despite multiple defense witnesses and no physical evidence tying him to the crime, David was convicted and sentenced to life without parole.

To learn more and get involved, visit:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/new-beginnings-for-david-ayala-support-his-reint?qid=62fe5c8abaa69bfeac6d1d0d370dda17

https://www.bonjeanlaw.com/

Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. 

On August 16, 1981, shots were fired from a gangway into Piotrowski Park on the southwest side of Chicago, IL. As a result, two people were fatally shot, and another was injured. Initially, the police identified two men as their main suspects, but ultimately dropped those leads. Due to a combination of unethical interrogation techniques and faulty eyewitness testimony, a few members of the Two-Six Street Gang were arrested for the crime, including 18-year-old David Ayala. Despite multiple defense witnesses and no physical evidence tying him to the crime, David was convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
To learn more and get involved, visit: <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/new-beginnings-for-david-ayala-support-his-reint?qid=62fe5c8abaa69bfeac6d1d0d370dda17">https://www.gofundme.com/f/new-beginnings-for-david-ayala-support-his-reint?qid=62fe5c8abaa69bfeac6d1d0d370dda17</a>
<a href="https://www.bonjeanlaw.com/">https://www.bonjeanlaw.com/</a>
Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

#465 Jason Flom with David Ayala

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/58877b11-7722-4bb6-89c5-b1b00113408c/transcript

On April 8, 1995, Reggie Lewis’s body was found in a creek behind the Dalebridge Apartments in Warrensville Heights, OH. He had two gunshot wounds to the back of his head. Willie and Ashunte Smith are serving life sentences for his murder based on testimony by their own cousin, William Marshall. Marshall recanted in 2022 and now swears it was actually his uncle who committed the crime but Marshall was so frightened at the time—by his uncle and the police—he was pressured into lying under oath and sending his cousins to prison. 

The Ohio courts recently granted Willie and Ashunte a new trial.

To learn more, visit:
https://www.kimlawcrimlaw.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kimlawcrimlaw/?hl=en

Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. 

On April 8, 1995, Reggie Lewis’s body was found in a creek behind the Dalebridge Apartments in Warrensville Heights, OH. He had two gunshot wounds to the back of his head. Willie and Ashunte Smith are serving life sentences for his murder based on testimony by their own cousin, William Marshall. Marshall recanted in 2022 and now swears it was actually his uncle who committed the crime but Marshall was so frightened at the time—by his uncle and the police—he was pressured into lying under oath and sending his cousins to prison. 
The Ohio courts recently granted Willie and Ashunte a new trial.
To learn more, visit: <a href="https://www.kimlawcrimlaw.com/">https://www.kimlawcrimlaw.com/</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kimlawcrimlaw/?hl=en">https://www.instagram.com/kimlawcrimlaw/?hl=en</a>
Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

#463 Jason Flom with Ashunte & Willie Smith

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d3d48e11-5cf2-4ca6-ac9f-b1aa003132c8/transcript

Greg Bright was wrongfully convicted in New Orleans, LA for the murder of Elliot Porter in 1975. He would spend more than 27 years in Angola, the notorious prison in Louisiana built on a former slave plantation, and in many ways still run like one today. While incarcerated, Greg not only taught himself to read and write, he also learned enough about the law to challenge his conviction.



After his release in 2003, he met Lara Naughton, a compassion trainer and creative writing teacher. Together they created a one man show about Greg’s experience titled Never Fight a Shark in Water. The creative process helped both of them process trauma and explore what it means to embrace forgiveness and compassion.

To learn more, visit:

Lara Naughton’s memoir The Jaguar Man: https://centralrecoverypress.com/product/the-jaguar-man

Never Fight a Shark in Water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0W-L6Yvojc

The Historic New Orleans Collection: https://www.hnoc.org/exhibitions/captive-state-louisiana-and-making-mass-incarceration


Wrongful Conviction with Lauren Bright Pacheco is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. 

Greg Bright was wrongfully convicted in New Orleans, LA for the murder of Elliot Porter in 1975. He would spend more than 27 years in Angola, the notorious prison in Louisiana built on a former slave plantation, and in many ways still run like one today. While incarcerated, Greg not only taught himself to read and write, he also learned enough about the law to challenge his conviction.
 
After his release in 2003, he met Lara Naughton, a compassion trainer and creative writing teacher. Together they created a one man show about Greg’s experience titled Never Fight a Shark in Water. The creative process helped both of them process trauma and explore what it means to embrace forgiveness and compassion.
To learn more, visit:
Lara Naughton’s memoir The Jaguar Man: <a href="https://centralrecoverypress.com/product/the-jaguar-man">https://centralrecoverypress.com/product/the-jaguar-man</a>
Never Fight a Shark in Water: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0W-L6Yvojc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0W-L6Yvojc</a>
The Historic New Orleans Collection: <a href="https://www.hnoc.org/exhibitions/captive-state-louisiana-and-making-mass-incarceration">https://www.hnoc.org/exhibitions/captive-state-louisiana-and-making-mass-incarceration</a>
 Wrongful Conviction with Lauren Bright Pacheco is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

#462 Lauren Bright Pacheco with Greg Bright

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/2d2085f3-ee38-4e79-9c51-b1a600ff271c/transcript

#464 Lauren Bright Pacheco with Jofama Coleman

In 2 playlist(s)

Wrongful Conviction

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips