13th juror podcast by Brandi Churchwell

One year after her acquittal, Karen Read is back in court—this time as the plaintiff.

When a teenage girl disappeared from her Arkansas home in the middle of the night, her parents immediately feared she had been taken by the man accused of sexually abusing her. Months earlier, 67-year-old Michael Fosler had been arrested and charged with 43 felony counts involving a child. Despite the allegations, he was released on bond while awaiting trial. Then, on October 8, 2024, everything came to a head. What followed was a frantic search, a pursuit through rural Lonoke County, and a confrontation that left Fosler dead. Authorities charged Aaron Spencer with murder. Supporters rallied behind him, arguing he was a...

One year after her acquittal, Karen Read is back in court—this time as the plaintiff.

When a teenage girl disappeared from her Arkansas home in the middle of the night, her parents immediately feared she had been taken by the man accused of sexually abusing her.

Everyone saw Jack Ruby pull the trigger. But what was happening inside his mind in the moments before he killed Lee Harvey Oswald? From claims of psychomotor epilepsy to suspicions of larger conspiracies, the defense attempts to explain one of the most shocking moments in American history.

After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the world searched for answers until Jack Ruby stepped out of a crowded police basement and killed Lee Harvey Oswald on live television. Was he a grieving patriot overcome with emotion or a man who deliberately silenced the accused assassin before he could stand trial?

Years after the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh shocked the nation, the legal system is once again under the microscope. With allegations of outside influence and misconduct threatening the integrity of the verdict, the possibility of a retrial could change everything.

The downfall of Alex Murdaugh shocked the nation when a powerful attorney from one of South Carolina’s most influential legal dynasties was accused of murdering his wife and son. Explore the prosecution’s theory, the defense’s fight for reasonable doubt, and the key moments that led jurors to a guilty verdict in one of the country’s most high-profile trials.

Go beyond the courtroom with exclusive interviews featuring Jamie Snow and a key advocate fighting for his release. As new evidence and overlooked details emerge, the curtain is pulled back on a conviction that may not be as solid as it once seemed.

The case against Jamie Snow hinges on witness testimony, but what if those stories don’t hold up? With no DNA, no weapon, and conflicting testimonies, the question becomes: was this a conviction based on truth or on a carefully constructed narrative? The defense argues that when you strip away unreliable testimony, what’s left may not be enough to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Easter Sunday, 1991. Bill Little is found shot behind the counter of a Bloomington gas station, and the case stalls without physical evidence. Years later, prosecutors build their case against Jamie Snow through eyewitness accounts, statements, and reported conversations. Do those pieces form a clear picture or something harder to define?

Aileen Wuornos takes the stand and delivers a chilling account that could change everything the jury thought they knew. As the defense challenges the prosecution’s narrative, disturbing allegations and emotional confessions blur the line between predator and survivor. In the end, the question remains: was this murder or a desperate fight to stay alive?

Seven men are dead, their bodies scattered along Florida’s highways, and one woman stands at the center of it all. The prosecution paints Aileen Wuornos not as a victim but as a predator driven by greed and control. As their case unfolds, the line between self-defense and cold-blooded murder begins to blur in the most unsettling way.

What happens when the verdict is read but the story is far from over? In this episode, we go beyond the jury box to uncover the evidence the jury never saw, the lawsuits that followed, and the revelations that continue to cast doubt on what really happened to Caylee Anthony. Years later, the questions remain, and the truth may be more complicated than anyone expected.

Just when the case seems clear, Casey Anthony's defense turns everything upside down with a version of events no one saw coming. Shocking claims, fractured family dynamics, and disputed evidence collide to cast doubt on what really happened. As the narrative unravels, the truth becomes harder to define—and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Step inside the prosecution’s case against Casey Anthony. Examine the timeline, forensic evidence, and her web of lies presented to the jury. From the mysterious disappearance of her daughter Caylee, to chilling discoveries made close to the Anthony home, the State builds its argument for premeditated murder. But the question lingers: Was this a tragic accident—or a calculated choice for freedom?

Robert Atrops called police repeatedly the night his wife disappeared. Prosecutors called his actions suspicious, but the defense says they were simply the moves of a worried husband. Add in evolving memories, flawed forensic interpretation, and a second man’s DNA found inside the victim, and this case becomes far more complicated than a simple narrative of guilt. But will the jury decide?

When 30-year-old Deborah Atrops was found strangled in the trunk of her car in 1988, suspicion quickly turned to her estranged husband, but the case went cold for more than three decades. Now, with new forensic soil analysis, advanced DNA testing, and long-questioned phone records, prosecutors believe they finally have the evidence to prove Robert Atrops committed murder.

From explosive allegations to a headline-making verdict, now Amber Heard takes the stand and tells her story. One of power, fear, and what she says her life was like behind closed doors.

What happens when a marriage implodes under the glare of worldwide fame and the fallout becomes a $50 million defamation battle? Hear Johnny Depp’s version of events, from volatile fights to the op-ed he claims ended his career.

The prosecution called it a clear case of guilt. The defense called it a rush to judgment. Revisit the Scott Peterson trial through the defense’s lens, unpacking disputed evidence, alternative theories, and developments still unfolding years later.

When Laci Peterson vanished on Christmas Eve 2002, a missing-person search quickly turned into one of the most infamous murder cases in modern history. Prosecutors laid out a case built on lies, timelines, and a secret life they say reveals motive and intent. This is the story the state believes proves Scott Peterson murdered Laci and their unborn son.

The verdict may be final, but the unanswered questions are not. Brandi and Bob Motta (Defense Diaries) revisit the Delphi case through the lens of what jurors were barred from hearing, especially the third-party culprit evidence and the Odinism defense that never reached the trial. Decide for yourself what’s compelling… and what’s troubling.

Was Richard Allen really the man on the bridge, or did investigators lock onto a suspect while overlooking evidence that pointed elsewhere? In this episode, the defense exposes investigative failures, conflicting eyewitness accounts, and digital evidence that suggests someone else may have been handling Libby’s phone long after the murders.

A cellphone video, a single unspent bullet, and a man who admits he was there. The prosecution says these pieces finally reveal the truth behind one of America’s most haunting unsolved murders. But do they prove guilt or just proximity? Dive into the prosecution's case against Richard Allen.

Did the jury get it right?

Trials don’t always tell the whole story. In this bonus episode, we step outside the jury box with Travis Rudolph’s defense team to uncover hidden evidence, questionable police work, and bombshell details that never made it into court.

A football star fighting for redemption suddenly finds himself fighting for his life. The defense claims this wasn’t vengeance—it was survival. Hear their version of events that could make you question everything you thought you knew.

One night, four unarmed men walked away from a fight—until Travis Rudolph opened fire. The prosecution’s case rests on one question: where does self-defense end and murder begin?

The defense tears into the state’s case against Leo Schofield, exposing timeline gaps, shaky eyewitness testimony, and a glaring forensic twist: fingerprints in Michelle’s Mazda that aren't Leo's. From a guilty verdict to a long fight for freedom and parole, this episode asks whether justice can survive when emotion outweighs evidence.

A neighbor’s sleepless night, a steam cleaner, and a father who says God led him to the body... Prosecutors say Leo Schofield’s rage boiled over, and they have the witnesses and evidence to prove it. Step into the jury box as the State lays out its case.

Decades after five Winston-Salem 5 were convicted of murdering Nathaniel Jones, new DNA testing, expert testimony, and a key witness’s recantation blow the case wide open. Follow the fight beyond the courtroom—through the Innocence Inquiry, a 2025 evidentiary hearing, stunning exonerations, and a jaw-dropping twist that leaves two men declared innocent still behind bars.

Five teens, six “confessions,” and a murder that shook Winston-Salem—what happens when the loudest evidence is fear? In this defense-side deep dive, we unpack hours of unrecorded interrogations, shifting stories, and forensic dead ends that challenge the case against the boys accused of killing Nathaniel Jones. Does the evidence prove guilt or coercion?

The brutal murder of Chris Paul's grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, shocked the town of Winston-Salem. Prosecutors say five teens set out for “easy money,” leaving a trail of confessions, a star witness, and a shoe print on a Lincoln’s hood. Step inside the courtroom as the State presents its version of the truth.

As the defense takes center stage, the Lizzie Borden trial twists into a battle of logic versus legend. Every piece of evidence is reexamined, every assumption dismantled. Was Lizzie a victim of circumstance—or the most misunderstood suspect in American history?

The evidence seemed damning: a locked house, a vanished note, and a hatchet in the cellar. But could the prosecution really prove Lizzie Borden guilty beyond doubt? Step into the courtroom where America’s most notorious murder trial unfolded.

The verdict was only half the story. Uncover the evidence jurors never saw—sealed wiretaps, secret hearings, and the family fractures that shattered the Adelsons long before the trial began.

A mother’s meddling or a mastermind’s plot? In part two of Florida v. Donna Adelson, the defense paints her not as a killer but as an overbearing grandmother caught in a storm of extortion, suspicion, and family betrayal. Their version of events asks: is Donna truly guilty of murder—or simply guilty of caring too much?

A Harvard-trained law professor executed in his driveway. A bitter custody battle turned deadly. In part one of Florida v. Donna Adelson, prosecutors argue this doting grandmother wasn’t just meddling—she was the mastermind behind a murder-for-hire plot that shattered a family and shocked a community

Week 9—After 36 days, the second trial of Karen Read has come to an end, but what did the jury ultimately decide?

Week 8—Cranky Hanky returns with a vengeance against Dr. Rentschler, and the defense rests their case!

Week 7: The defense begins their case, and fireworks erupt in the courtroom as one attorney demands a mistrial...

Week 6: The prosecution wraps up their case with Dr. Welcher, and I go down a Welcher rabbit hole...