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The Case of Ben Bowlin with Duane Williams

📻 Episode #530
🎙️ Hosted by Jason Flom
📅 Jun 19, 2025

⬥ STILL IMPRISONED

About This Episode

On the morning of August 20, 2012, police and firefighters were called to a house fire in Detroit, MI. Bobby Cross and Darryl Simms died in the fire. Bobby’s long-term partner’s son, Duane Williams, was staying over the house that week, but he was not harmed in the fire. Rather, he was accused and ultimately…

Case status as carried in this site's original 2026 profiles. Independent record verification is rolling out episode by episode — statuses are being re-checked against court and registry sources and date-stamped as verified.

The Case

On the morning of August 20, 2012, police and firefighters were called to a house fire in Detroit, MI. Bobby Cross and Darryl Simms died in the fire. Bobby’s long-term partner’s son, Duane Williams, was staying over the house that week, but he was not harmed in the fire. Rather, he was accused and ultimately charged with arson and felony murder. After some faulty expert testimony, an incentivized jailhouse witness and numerous Brady violations, Duane was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572739177828

https://www.instagram.com/duanewilliams313/

https://www.youtube.com/@DIABLOYNS

https://organizationofexonerees.com/

https://www.fireflyadvocates.org/

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.

00:04:16
“Speaker 4: else who was with him. Besides getting rich, I did Speaker 4: everything in the music business. I signed all the grand Speaker 4: I toured, and like how Eminem says, you only had Speaker 4: one hot to blow, I actually have had probably a Speaker 4: shot at four major record deals. But at any rate,”
00:17:08
“Speaker 1: And we'll get to all that they hid from the Speaker 1: defense and in just a bit. But still trial counsel Speaker 1: failed to use what was available to him to discredit Speaker 1: the state's case, not only lay witnesses but also their expert. Speaker 1: Even the jury was curious enough to ask for the”
00:29:45
“Speaker 1: Now the Dwayne's out, He's been working with two nonprofits, Speaker 1: one called Firefly Advocates, which works toward criminal legal system Speaker 1: reform as well as supporting reintegration for system impact of folks, Speaker 1: and the second comes to us from another Michigan based Speaker 1: exogneri Ken Nixon. His group is called the Organization of”

Listen to the Episode

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🔊 How You Can Help

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← #529 The Wrongful Conviction of Leonard Peltier - Part 3 #531 Ben Bowlin with Trevor Mattis →

Also on the podcast: #1 Jason Flom and Barry Scheck with Barry Gibbs · #10 Jason Flom on Christmas Behind Bars: A Special Episode with Amanda Knox, Jarrett Adams, and Jeffrey Deskovic · #17 Jason Flom and Barry Scheck with Jason Baldwin