Six of the surviving accused men adjust to life outside of prison walls. In a final act, they consider a last-ditch effort to clear their names and bring justice to light: a presidential pardon.  -- If you want to support a presidential pardon for the men from the 8th and H case, there are 3 things you can do. First, start conversations about the 8th and H case. Discuss it with your friends and family. Write to your member of Congress to make sure they know about it. Post about it on...

Two decades later, the Catherine Fuller murder case is cracked open again—with the support of a dogged reporter, the Innocence Project, and a team of expert lawyers. And in a moment of hope, it goes all the way to the Supreme Court, where only 2 percent of cases are accepted. 

An unchecked theory leads to the incarceration of eight young Black men. What is it like to live in prison for decades for a crime you didn’t commit? The accused share their firsthand experience, and criminal justice reform experts Reuben Jonathan Miller, Josie Duffy Rice, Christine Montross, and Melissa Segura “zoom out” to discuss the long-term impacts of incarceration.

As the accused prepare for trial, the theory of a “vicious gang killing” is presented as fact by the media. Listeners discover that key evidence was hidden from the defense attorneys by the prosecutors. This represents a constitutional violation of the Brady rule, which requires the disclosure of any material evidence. 

A series of chain reactions resulted in police arresting 17 young Black people for the murder of Catherine Fuller. Four charges were dropped, and two suspects plead guilty to lesser crimes. Meanwhile, 11 of the arrestees—all of whom maintained their innocence—prepared to face the biggest murder trial in Washington, DC’s history.

Intense interrogation tactics and a threat of life in prison leads to a coerced confession, setting off a chain reaction that would ultimately lead to 17 arrests. False confession experts Jim Trainum and Marissa Bluestine weigh in on why innocent people confess to crimes they didn’t commit. Follow New America on all platforms and use #TheAlleyPod to share your thoughts.

An anonymous tip led to a theory of a “violent gang attack” that captured detectives’ imaginations—without any physical evidence. How could the DC justice system mishandle this case so egregiously from the start? In a city built by slave labor and steeped in racial politics, you don’t have to look too hard to find answers.

New America’s Shannon Lynch revisits the 1984 murder of Catherine Fuller that rocked Washington, DC. The story starts at the scene of the crime—an alley near the busy intersection of 8th and H Streets Northeast—and unveils the fateful tip that caused investigators to settle quickly on a theory of the murder. - Executive producers: Jason Stewart and Shannon Lynch Cover art: Samantha Webster Editorial and media support: Jodi Nardie, Molly Martin, and Joe Wilkes Audio editing and mixing:...

On October 1st, 1984, Catherine Fuller was brutally killed in the H Street Corridor in northeast Washington, DC. Her murder not only scarred the nation’s capital for decades, but it also resulted in the arrests of 17 young Black Washingtonians—the most arrests in D.C. history for a single murder. Of those charged, eight young men were sentenced to life in prison.  They always maintained their innocence.  Years later, evidence previously hidden by prosecutors was discovered, ultimately...