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The Case of Deborah Nicholls
📻 Episode #587
🎙️ Hosted by Maggie Freleng
📅 Aug 20, 2026
About This Episode
One evening in March, 2003, a fire broke out in Deborah Nicholls' Colorado Springs, CO home, killing her three children. Her husband suffered significant burns, but escaped. After a 2-year investigation, it was determined that the fire was not accidental, and that Deborah and her husband started it for the insurance money. The trial was…
The Case
One evening in March, 2003, a fire broke out in Deborah Nicholls' Colorado Springs, CO home, killing her three children. Her husband suffered significant burns, but escaped. After a 2-year investigation, it was determined that the fire was not accidental, and that Deborah and her husband started it for the insurance money. The trial was a battle of the experts – one presenting the junk science of arson evidence, one asserting that the science was outdated. The former triumphed, and Deborah was sent to prison for the murder of her children. Maggie speaks to Deborah Nicholls, Deborah's father, Douglas Baumgardner, and Deborah's attorneys, Anne-Marie Moyes, Director of the Korey Wise Innocence Project and Kathleen Lord, Staff Attorney at the Korey Wise Innocence Project.
https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/149-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-arson-evidence/
https://www.colorado.edu/outreach/korey-wise-innocence-project/
https://giving.cu.edu/fund/korey-wise-innocence-project-fund
District Attorney John Newsome:
https://www.denverpost.com/2009/01/15/former-springs-da-cited-for-official-misconduct-for-misusing-funds
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.
00:04:51“Speaker 4: way and trying to attain what she's headed for. She Speaker 4: was always that way all of her life. Speaker 2: Her family later moved to Colorado, but for college, Deb Speaker 2: carved her own path and moved out to California. After Speaker 2: studying in San Diego for a year, Deb left the”
00:18:55“Speaker 2: But Doug was also having a hard time. His daughter Speaker 2: had lost her children and he had lost his grandchildren. Speaker 4: Can I show you a picture of the kids. Have Speaker 4: you ever seen one? Speaker 6: I got to reach it up there, I see. And anyway,”
00:31:47“Speaker 3: heart open so that I can feel that pure love Speaker 3: with my children, and fighting to clear our names because Speaker 3: we had nothing to do with that fire. Speaker 2: In twenty twenty, Kathleen Anne Marie and the Corey Wise Speaker 2: Innocence Project joined experienced criminal defense lawyer Jeanine McCabe in”
Listen to the Episode
🎧 Listen on Omny / the podcast's platforms
🎧 Full episode page — Lava for Good
📺 Video referenced in this episode: Watch on YouTube
Resources & links from the episode:
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Also on the podcast: #331 Deborah Nicholls