Libsyn Directory

344 | When Public Defenders Support Community Organizing, Community will Organize to Support Public Defense w/Heather Lewis

Public Defenseless

Release Date: 04/08/2025

347 | How Participatory Defense has and can help Minnesota Public Defenders w/Damon Drake

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter spoke with Damon Drake, Executive Director of We Resolve Minnesota, a participatory defense organization out of the twin cities. As is the case in our discussion about participatory defense, Damon joins the show to discuss the successes and challenges of trying to get Public Defenders onboard with the participatory defense. Guest Damon Drake, Executive Director, We Resolve Minnesota Resources: Learn more about We Resolve Here Contact Hunter...

346 | The Revival of Public Defense in Santa Cruz County California w/Heather Rogers and Caitlin Becker

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter spoke with Heather Rogers and Caitlin Becker of the Santa Cruz County Public Defenders. In 2020, the Sixth Amendment Center put together a report detailing the severe issues with how Santa Cruz County provided Public Defense. At the time, a law firm was working a flat rate fee contract to provide public defender services in the county. As is expected, that system was deeply flawed and couldn’t meet the demands of the Sixth Amendment. Fast forward five years, Heather, Caitlin, and the team at the Santa Cruz County Public Defender has transformed the office into a comprehensive...

345 | Will Governor Jeff Landry's Push to Execute More People get an Innocent Man Killed? w/Piper French

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter spoke with journalist Piper French about the wrongful conviction of Jimmie “Chris” Duncan. In 1998, Duncan was convicted of murdering his girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter. Originally, Duncan was charged with negligent homicide as it appeared his story, that he stepped away for a few minutes while the child took a bath and then she fell and drowned, was accurate. However, the notorious peddler of the junk science bite mark “evidence,” Dr. Michael West, conducted a dubious autopsy where he pressed a mould of Duncan’s teeth into the body of the girl. With this dubious...

344 | When Public Defenders Support Community Organizing, Community will Organize to Support Public Defense w/Heather Lewis

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter sat down with Heather Lewis a participatory defense organizer and the Executive Director of the Reuniting Family Bail Fund. Unlike many places where participatory defense hubs have been set up, Montgomery County Public Defenders welcomed participatory defense with open arms. Today, we will see the benefit of having an activated community when policy makers retaliate against public defenders. Guest Heather Lewis, Reuniting Family Bail Fund, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Resources: Reuniting Family Bail Fund Websites and Socials Coverage of...

343 | How the Neglect and Indifference of the Jefferson County Jail Killed a 76 Year Old Man Suffering from Parkinson's and Dementia w/Darold Killmer and Maddie Lips

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter sat down with Civil Rights lawyers Darold Killmer and Maddie Lips to discuss a tragic case. James Purdy, a 76 year old man with dementia and Parkinson’s, was arrested after a women alleged he attempted to kidnap her. When he was arrested, Purdy incredibly frail condition was obvious and his family insisted he be kept on his essential medication. Unfortunately, the Jefferson Count Jail staff did not comply with this request. Over his multi-week pretrial incarceration, Purdy was recorded falling around 100 times, and ultimately, these falls left him with injuries that would lead...

342 | What was Revealed about the Death Penalty When a Man on Death Row Volunteered to be Executed? w/Gianna Toboni

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter spoke with Emmy Award winning documentarian and investigative journalist, Gianna Toboni to discuss her new book The Volunteer: The Failure of the Death Penalty and One Inmate’s Quest to Die with Dignity. In this book, Gianna tells the story of Scott Dozier. He was on death row in Nevada for two separate homicide convictions, but despite him volunteering to be executed, forces both inside and outside of the prison prevented the state from executing him. Ultimately, Dozier took his own life after a few weeks on a mental health, solitary confinement hold. How did this all happen...

341 | Why did a Judge Stop a Defense Lawyer from Showing the Jury the Complaining Witness's Habit of Fabricating Evidence w/Blake Weiner

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter spoke with Criminal Defense Lawyer Blake Weiner about a wrongful conviction case he has been working on. Blake’s client, Marcus Cooper was charged with rape and strangulation in two separate counties in Virginia. At the first trial, evidence came to light that the complaining witness was lying about pictures she provided to the Commonwealth that she claimed proved her accusations. This trial resulted in a mistrial, and ultimately the charges were dismissed. At the second trial, which featured the same witness and the same charges, the complaining witness once again provided...

340 | The Amendment to Louisiana's Constitution that is Trying to Make it Easier to Send Kids to Angola Prison w/Kristen Rome

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter spoke with Kristen Rome the Executive Director of the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights. Last fall, Hunter spoke with another member of LCCR about the policies pursued by Governor Jeff Landry to make it easier for the state to criminalize young people. Sadly, today’s episode is on the same topic. Up for a vote on March 29th, Louisiana’s Amendment Three is a Constitutional Amendment that would give the legislature nearly unlimited power to get young people prosecuted in the adult legal system. Kristen joins the show to help explain what the amendment is, how it got on...

339 | Did One Woman Coerce her Foster Kids into Wrongfully Accusing their Family of Sexual Abuse? w/Amy Parker

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter spoke with former Public Defender and current Criminal Defense Lawyer Amy Parker about a shocking wrongful conviction case. Normally, Public Defenders find themselves working in opposition of Child Protective Services workers. So when a former CPS worker reached out to Amy, admit that an innocent man was incarcerated, Amy knew there was a serious injustice happening. Through her work, she was able to exonerate Mr. Ezquiel Apolo-Albino and stop his deportation, but how did he end up wrongfully convicted for molesting his children? Based on Amy’s tireless work, it appears we...

338 | How Trump is Using the Alien Enemies Act to Destroy Due Process Protections w/Nayna Gupta

Public Defenseless

Today, Hunter spoke with Nayna Gupta of the American Immigration Council. This conversation covers a recent slate of Trump Administration Immigration Policies that are a naked power grab by the President so he can detain and deport whoever he wants, whenever he wants, and however he wants without due process of law. Specifically, Nayna walks us through how the Alien Enemies Act, the designation of several cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and the new Immigration Registration requirement will work in concert to grant the President nearly limitless power to detain and deport people. ...

More Episodes

Guest

Heather Lewis, Reuniting Family Bail Fund, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Resources:

Reuniting Family Bail Fund Websites and Socials

https://bailfundmontco.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@reunitingfamilybailfund

https://www.instagram.com/familybailfund/

https://x.com/familybailfund

https://www.facebook.com/reunitingfamilybailfund

Coverage of Retaliation Against Montgomery County Public Defenders

https://www.inquirer.com/news/montgomery-county-public-defenders-fired-lawsuit-keisha-hudson-dean-beer-20200318.html#:~:text=Fired%20public%20defenders%20sue%2C%20alleging%20Montgomery%20County%20retaliated%20for%20bail%20practice%20criticism.