From the production team that brought you Bone Valley, here is Episode 1 of our new podcast: Earwitness. If you like what you hear, you can listen to episode 2 right now wherever you get your podcasts or by clicking this link: http://lavaforgood.com/earlanding Journalist Beth Shelburne meets with former Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley, who explains why he is deeply disturbed by the wrongful conviction of Toforest Johnson for the murder of Deputy Bill Hardy. Through her reporting on the case, Beth, like Baxley, is convinced that Toforest has no connection to the murder. She sets out to conduct an in-depth investigation into why detectives targeted him in the first place, how he was convicted, and why the State of Alabama is still seeking his execution today. Earwitness will be available every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts. To hear episodes a week early and ad free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts. Earwitness is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One July night in 1995, Deputy Sheriff William G. Hardy was shot behind the Crown Sterling Suites hotel in Birmingham, Alabama. At the same time as the murder, at least ten people saw Toforest Johnson four miles away, at a popular nightclub called Tee's Place. But detectives zeroed in on him as a main suspect in Deputy Hardy’s murder anyway, ultimately resulting in Toforest being tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. For over a quarter century, Toforest has been confined to a 5’ by 8’ cell on Alabama’s death row. In 2019, investigative journalist Beth Shelburne began covering the case, going down a disturbing rabbit hole revealing many unsettling facts that cast grave doubts about Toforest’s guilt. The facts she found tear at the very foundation of the American criminal justice system: No eyewitnesses or physical evidence tied Toforest to the murder; the state tried to convict a different man for the same crime; and perhaps most disturbing of all, Toforest’s conviction relied on an ‘earwitness’ – a woman who claimed to have eavesdropped on an incriminating phone call, a woman whom prosecutors paid for her testimony, in secret. That payment was not disclosed to the jury, Toforest, or his lawyers until after he had been on death row for 17 years. From the team behind the award-winning hit podcast Bone Valley, Lava for Good’s Earwitness is an 8-episode docuseries that asks the question, “How did an innocent man end up on death row — and why is the state still trying to execute him over the objection of the prosecutor who put him there?” Shelburne’s unprecedented access to key players—the lead detective, lead prosecutor, witnesses, jurors, and the earwitness herself— illuminate a story filled with disturbing twists, frustrating ambiguities, and shocking admissions. The story of Toforest Johnson and the state's enthusiasm for the death penalty in the face of such troubling evidentiary flaws brings to light the failings of a criminal justice system run amok. https://link.chtbl.com/uvmXtbob Earwitness will be available every Tuesday beginning September 19 wherever you get your podcasts. To hear episodes 1 week early and ad free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts. Earwitness is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we present a special episode of The War on Drugs podcast. Hosts Clayton English and Greg Glod are live on stage with some of the top names in podcasting including Gilbert King from Bone Valley, Jason Flom from Wrongful Conviction and Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown from Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know to discuss the intersection of The War on Drugs and wrongful convictions. Recorded Live at iHeart Media in Atlanta, GA on April 26th, 2023 Featuring hosts from the following podcasts; Bone Valley Stuff They Don't Want You to Know  The War on Drugs  Wrongful Conviction To see photos and a video of the entire event go to; https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/s1e11-lava-for-good-live-the-war-on-drugs-did-anyone-win/ This event is the first of an ongoing series of recorded discussions from Lava for Good aimed at amplifying the voices behind Podcasts of Purpose. To hear Lava for Good podcast episodes 1 week early and ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts. All Lava for Good+ subscribers enjoy early access and ad-free episodes from Bone Valley, Wrongful Conviction, The War on Drugs and all other Lava for Good podcasts on Apple Podcasts. Please click here to take part in our listener survey. Your feedback will help inform how we make podcasts in the future. Complete and candid answers will help us continue to bring you unparalleled access and insight into the heart of social justice in America. So please go to lavaforgood.com/survey and participate today. Thank you for your support. To learn more, go to: Stand Together -  https://standtogether.org/issues/criminal-justice-reform/ Stand Together Blog - https://standtogether.org/news/criminal-justice-podcasts-discuss-pressing-issues/  The War on Drugs is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leo Schofield’s parole hearing is held in Tallahassee, FL on May 3rd, 2023, before the Florida Commission on Offender Review. In the lead up to the hearing, Gilbert and Kelsey check in with Scott Cupp and Crissie Schofield. Following the commission’s decision, Leo’s friends, family, and supporters grapple with the outcome. And Leo processes the news. For photos, images, and full transcripts of each episode visit:  https://lavaforgood.com/bone-valley/ To read and sign the petition from the Innocence Project of Florida visit:  http://bit.ly/BringLeoHome PLEASE CLICK HERE TO TAKE PART IN OUR LISTENER SURVEY. YOUR FEEDBACK WILL HELP INFORM HOW WE MAKE PODCASTS IN THE FUTURE. AND YOUR COMPLETE AND CANDID ANSWERS WILL HELP US CONTINUE TO BRING YOU UNPARALLELED ACCESS AND INSIGHT INTO THE HEART OF SOCIAL JUSTICE IN AMERICA. SO PLEASE GO TO LAVAFORGOOD.COM/SURVEYAND PARTICIPATE TODAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Wednesday, May 3, 2023, Gilbert and Kelsey are on the way to Leo’s parole hearing. Live update from the hearing coming soon. For photos, images, and full transcripts of each episode visit: https://lavaforgood.com/bone-valley/ To read and sign the petition from the Innocence Project of Florida visit: http://bit.ly/BringLeoHome PLEASE CLICK HERE TO TAKE PART IN OUR LISTENER SURVEY. YOUR FEEDBACK WILL HELP INFORM HOW WE MAKE PODCASTS IN THE FUTURE. AND YOUR COMPLETE AND CANDID ANSWERS WILL HELP US CONTINUE TO BRING YOU UNPARALLELED ACCESS AND INSIGHT INTO THE HEART OF SOCIAL JUSTICE IN AMERICA. SO PLEASE GO TO LAVAFORGOOD.COM/SURVEYAND PARTICIPATE TODAY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Bone Valley is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.