2 TRUE-CRIME PODCASTS THAT HAD REAL-WORLD IMPACTS FROM PODCAST TO PROSECUTION
THIS MONTH ON THE ‘DEWITT LAW REVIEW’
The "DeWitt Law Review" airs every Sunday at 10 a.m. on 107.3 FM and 580 AMWDBO. It is always our goal to bring the listeners of Central Florida the latest legal news and create a forum where they can ask legal questions anonymously from the comfort of their own home without having to retain an attorney. To listen to this month’s episodes or any episode of the "DeWitt Law Review," you can visit our website at DewittLaw.com, where you can download the podcast from Apple Podcasts or Spotify. We receive many legal questions from our listeners each month, and we wanted to share some of the interesting questions in the hopes that they may also benefit others facing similar legal issues. If you would like to ask a question, give us a call and leave a voicemail at 407-536-6737. You can also text questions to that number or email Ask@DewittLaw.com. Q: My truck was hit at a truck stop. Fortunately, I was not injured. However, I will not be able to work until my truck is fixed. Can I recover my lost wages? A: Yes, you should set up claims with your insurance company and the at-fault party’s insurance company. When you set up the claim, make sure you also let them know about your lost wages. Q: I was arrested for driving on a suspended license and was told it was a felony. Will they pull my driving record? A: Yes, they will access your driving record to prove that your license is suspended and to prove that you have previously been convicted of driving on a suspended license. In Florida, the maximum penalty for driving on a suspended license for the third time is up to five years in prison. The maximum penalty for the first time is up to 60 days in jail, and the maximum penalty for the second time is up to one year in jail. Q: I relocated to Nebraska with my daughter. I was never married to the father of my daughter, and now he has filed a paternity action in Florida, trying to force me to move back to Florida. Can he do that? A: In Florida, if you have a child with someone you are not married to, a paternity action is required to legally establish the father of the child. If the father filed the paternity action prior to you leaving the state, then he can prevent you from leaving. However, if he filed after you had already moved, the court cannot make you move back to Florida. The court will establish a long-distance parenting plan in that situation.
Americans have long loved murder mysteries, whether they’re fictional plays performed on stage or true stories told on television. So, it’s no surprise that as podcasting has skyrocketed in popularity, so have true- crime podcasts. While there is some debate about whether gruesome crimes should be aired for entertainment value, the best shows in the genre are supported by high- quality investigative journalism — and some are having real-world impacts.
‘SERIAL’ One of the best-known and most popular true-crime podcasts of all time, “Serial” first aired in 2014. Season 1 focused on the case of Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murdering his high school girlfriend in 1999. “Serial” called into question whether Syed’s trial was fair and if there was enough evidence to convict him. The groundbreaking series helped bring Syed’s case back to life. In 2018, a Maryland appeals court ruled that Syed should be granted a new trial based on “ineffective legal counsel” who failed to call a witness to testify who would have corroborated Syed’s alibi, according to The New York Times. Though this was a triumph for Syed, the ruling was appealed, and a year later, the Maryland Supreme Court refused to hear the new case. Syed and his counsel continue to appeal to higher courts. ‘IN THE DARK’ Season 2 of this popular true-crime podcast centered on Curtis Flowers, a man from Mississippi who’s been tried six times for the murder of four Winona residents at a local furniture store. Despite very little evidence linking Flowers to the murders, he was convicted and sentenced to death in 1997. “In the Dark” investigated Flowers’ four overturned convictions and two mistrials and uncovered an indisputable pattern of racial bias in prosecutor Doug Evans’ jury selection process. Flowers’ case was eventually appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2019, which overturned the latest conviction. While Evans contemplated bringing a seventh trial against Flowers, he did not. All charges were eventually dropped, and Flowers was freed in late 2019 after spending 23 years in prison. These two podcasts show that good journalism and strong storytelling can not only captivate an audience but also help bring long-delayed justice.
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