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The Case of Calvin Buari
📻 Episode #469
🎙️ Hosted by Jason Flom
📅 Aug 07, 2024
About This Episode
In the early 1990s, Calvin Buari was a well-known crack cocaine distributor in the Bronx, NY. In 1992, a disgruntled associate who had recently shot Calvin implicated him in the murder of Elijah and Salhaddin Harris. Calvin was charged with the double murder and six rival drug dealers testified against him at his 1995 murder…
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The Case
In the early 1990s, Calvin Buari was a well-known crack cocaine distributor in the Bronx, NY. In 1992, a disgruntled associate who had recently shot Calvin implicated him in the murder of Elijah and Salhaddin Harris. Calvin was charged with the double murder and six rival drug dealers testified against him at his 1995 murder trial. No physical evidence connected him to the crime. A jury took only two hours to convict Calvin of murder, and he was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. But he never stopped fighting for his freedom, and the case took a turn with a 2003 affidavit from the key witness against him who confessed to the crime, stating that he “pinned this double murder on Calvin Buari because of a dispute between Calvin and me, and because I wanted complete control of my drug spot.” Journalist Steve Fishman followed Calvin’s story for seven years and eyewitnesses, first interviewed by Fishman, testified in court in 2015 that Calvin was not the murderer. By May 2017, a judge overturned the conviction and ordered 46-year-old Calvin Buari freed. In this episode, Calvin is joined by Steve Fishman, who chronicles his journey for justice in the hit podcast Empire on Blood.
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In Their Own Words — transcript excerpts
Short excerpts from the episode's official published transcript, with timestamps — listen from these moments, or read the full transcript via the podcast's own platforms.
00:08:00“Speaker 2: the bronx DA, He's got a big reputation. He comes Speaker 2: in like they're throwing their heavy hitter at it because Speaker 2: they want Col. And you know, Cal has in their minds. Speaker 2: I think he's you've been accused of another murder and Speaker 2: Cal keeps eluding them, and this kind of engenders this”
00:30:39“Speaker 1: away and say, you know, I'm in here for somebody Speaker 1: didn't do. If I was here for drugs, it'll be Speaker 1: all right. I did the crime, I'll do the time, Speaker 1: but I'm in here for a double homicide I did Speaker 1: not commit. And I just started getting into the books,”
00:52:33“Speaker 4: trying to get people to listen, to have a man Speaker 4: in that position vacates your conviction. Speaker 1: It didn't really hit me at first. I think when Speaker 1: I went back to the bullpen, then it really really Speaker 1: like really just started to sink in, like I made it,”
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← #468 Terrel Barros #470 Chris Vaughn →
Also on the podcast: #58 Calvin Buari · #64 Calvin Johnson