Listen to more of Amanda’s episodes: Hard Knox with Amanda Knox

Learn more about Scott’s case: Scott McMahon – The Innocence Center 

More than 27 years later, DNA testing finally proved his innocence and set him free. In this episode, Dillon explains how he was swept into the murder investigation, how coercive interrogations and untrustworthy testimony shaped the verdict—and how his love of music helped him survive the darkest years of his incarceration.

Be sure to read the full account of Dillon’s story in FRAMED, written by his wife, Ellen Moscovitz. And, listen to his album on YouTube: Black Robes and Lawyers.

This time on For the Innocent, Michael Semanchik welcomes Matthew Cooke, writer and director of Survivors Guide to Prison, a documentary exploring life in United States prisons from the perspectives of two wrongfully convicted men, Bruce Lisker and Reggie Cole. Drawing from his extensive research, Matthew reveals a system plagued with fundamentally misaligned incentives that do little to create pathways for inmates to succeed on the outside. 

Michael and Matthew discuss new shifts in criminal justice reform and offer their thoughts on how to continue to bring this issue to the forefront of public discourse. The system is broken, but change is possible. 

• Listen to our episode about Bruce Lisker’s story:  A Deceitful Detective & Manipulated Evidence – The Wrongful Conviction of Bruce Lisker.
• Learn more about Matthew Cooke and his film projects on IMDB: Matthew Cooke – IMDb

People in prison are more than just prisoners, and the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program continues to help participants discover new strengths through creative expression. In today’s episode, Michael Semanchik welcomes John “Divine G” Whitfield and Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin—both former inmates, RTA members, and actors in the Oscar-nominated film Sing Sing—to talk about their experiences on the inside. They discuss the film project and its ability to teach the outside world about the transformative power of community, art, vulnerability, and purpose.

Creativity and storytelling can restore dignity, bridge divides, and reveal the humanity that is too often overlooked within the prison system. 

Please visit www.FreeDivineG.org to learn the details of John “Divine G” Whitfield’s fight for exoneration.

• John “Divine G” Whitfield is an Oscar-nominated adapted screenplay writer, executive producer, and the compelling inspiration behind the critically acclaimed, multiple Oscar-nominated film, Sing Sing. 
• Oscar Nominee Clarence Maclin starred in the feature film Sing Sing, inspired by his life story as a graduate of Sing Sing’s Rehabilitation Through the Arts program.

Divine G and Clarence are friends to another former Sing Sing and RTA-involved inmate, Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez, whose long and arduous exoneration was shared in our last episode. Listen to JJ’s story here: A Murdered Cop and a Mishandled Mugshot – JJ Velazquez’s Wrongful Conviction

The man in the photo, Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez, was accused, arrested, and labeled a cop killer—despite the fact that there was a complete lack of physical evidence linking him to this terrible incident. JJ was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison for a crime of which he had no knowledge or connection. 

JJ, along with friend and investigative journalist Dan Slepian, tells the story of his 27-year fight to gain his freedom and clear his name. They dig into the failures of the system that led to JJ’s conviction and how his tenacious advocacy finally led to his exoneration.   

• Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez is an American actor and activist who exemplifies resilience and dedication to legal reform. JJ is the founder of MONUMENTAL MEDIA based in NYC, a mission-driven creative agency and talent incubator dedicated to reshaping the narrative around incarceration and social justice issues. JJ now serves his community locally as the Co-founder and Executive Director of Voices from Within based in New York, and nationally as the Program Director at the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice.
• Dan Slepian is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Emmy winning investigative journalist at NBC News whose reporting has helped solve cold cases, exonerate the innocent, and spark legal reform. 

In this episode, Michael Semanchik speaks with this trio of truth-seekers about their involvement in the Lisker case. Initially skeptical, each of them set out to poke holes in Bruce’s claims, but as their investigations progressed, the evidence increasingly pointed to his innocence. They share details of their research, explaining how discoveries of both ignored and manipulated evidence in the decades-old case raised red flags in the original investigation, ultimately bringing the truth to light.

• Matt Lait is Vice President of CNN’s investigative team. Previously, he worked at the Los Angeles Times where he was an investigative reporter, city editor and ran the local investigations team. 
• Scott Glover is a reporter on the CNN Investigates team. Glover came to CNN with 20 years of experience at the Los Angeles Times where he covered the LAPD, federal courts and law enforcement agencies.
• Jim Gavin retired from the Los Angeles Police Department in August 2020, as the head of Operations Valley Bureau Homicide. He served 32 years with the LAPD in a wide variety of assignments.

Bruce Lisker tells the story of how presumptions, the actions of a dishonest detective, and failures to examine critical evidence led to his wrongful conviction. After years seeking justice through every conceivable avenue, Bruce was finally exonerated through the determined efforts of LAPD Sgt. Jim Gavin and LA Times articles by Matt Lait and Scott Glover that shed light on the mistakes and manipulations that led to his false conviction.

This time on For the Innocent, Michael Semanchik welcomes a panel of experts to explore how Amanda Knox’s case gained such incredible notoriety and how the truth was obscured by a series of mistakes, assumptions, and media distortion.

Michael is joined by Martina Cagossi, Justin Brooks, and Mark Olshaker to walk listeners through the facts of the case, explain the prevalence of false confessions in high-stress situations, and discuss how Amanda’s “trial by media” ultimately overshadowed clear evidence that should have set her free.

• Martina Cagossi is a criminal lawyer based in Milan, Italy. She is the co-founder and Program Manager of the Italy Innocence Project.
• Justin Brooks is a Professor at University of San Diego School of Law. He is a board member of The Innocence Center and co-founder of the California Innocence Project.
• Mark Olshaker is a writer and Emmy-award winning filmmaker. He authored the international bestseller MINDHUNTER, the basis for the acclaimed Netflix series.

Listen Amanda’s Story on Apple, Spotify, Youtube, or your favorite podcast app.

Amanda recounts the harrowing story of her wrongful conviction for the murder of her roommate while studying abroad in Perugia, Italy. The 2007 crime sparked a global media frenzy that vilified Amanda at an international scale, branding her as guilty despite the absence of evidence connecting her to the crime. A combination of her own naiveté, coercive police interrogations, language barriers, and critical errors in the investigation process led to Amanda’s wrongful imprisonment. 

And yet, since her eventual acquittal, Amanda has found a way to live in hope and transform her painful experience into a force for good. She now focuses on finding meaning in the aftermath, using her story to expose the realities of wrongful convictions and to advocate for others who have been falsely accused.

Learn more about Amanda through her books, “Waiting to Be Heard” and “Free”, and her podcast, “Hard Knox”. 

Watch the Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox on Hulu.

Host Michael Semanchik sits down with retired Los Angeles Detective Greg McKnight, Distinguished Professor of Psychology John Wixted, and California Innocence Project Founder Justin Books to discuss the science of misidentifications and why so many people who were so sure got it so wrong.

It would take a random speeding ticket, admissions from the true criminals, DNA evidence, a recanting investigator, 18 years in prison, and a “Dark Plea” deal to finally set him free. Tune in to hear this harrowing real-life account of wrongful incarceration from the man who lived through it.

Lindsay Herf, executive director for the Arizona Justice Project joins host Michael Semanchik to discuss junk science and ways to protect innocent people.

Host Michael Semanchik is joined by Katherine Bonaguidi. She is nationally recognized for her expertise in Shaken Baby Syndrome. Formerly a staff attorney with the California Innocence Project, today she works as a San Diego County Public Defender.

Moments after his daughter’s funeral, Zavion Johnson was arrested for murder under a medical theory called “Shaken Baby Syndrome”. It would take 17 years for the criminal justice system to realize its mistake. This is his story…

So stay tuned… The first episode of season 2, ‘Zavion’s Story’ drops April 11th.

Featured song ‘Brand New Start’ by our good friend and real-life exoneree William Michael Dillon.

In this episode, Brian recounts the shocking experience of being falsely accused, losing his athletic prospects, and an ill-advised plea deal that hurt him way more than it helped.

Stay tuned to hear about secondary transfers and why your DNA can be on objects you never touched. The case of Lukis Anderson should terrify all of us.

Alissa Leanne Bjerkhoel is the Litigation Coordinator at the California Innocence Project.

Host Michael Semanchik interviews world-renowned experts John M. Butler and Deanna Lankford about the history of DNA evidence and its use in the criminal justice system. Hear what investigators learned over the years to correctly identify profiles detected at crime scenes. The results might surprise or scare you.

John M. Butler is the Special Assistant to the Director for Forensic Science at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Deanna Lankford is the Director of Forensic Casework at BODE Technology.

Hosted by Michael Semanchik. Produced and written by Laurence Colletti. Audio engineering by Adam Lockwood. Music contributions by real-life exoneree William Michael Dillon.