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The Case of False Confessions - Walter Ogrod
📻 Episode #382
🎙️ Hosted by Jason Flom
📅 Aug 07, 2023
About This Episode
To win exoneration, it wasn’t enough for the DA to declare innocence. The judge had to agree, or Walter wasn’t going anywhere.
The Case
To win exoneration, it wasn’t enough for the DA to declare innocence. The judge had to agree, or Walter wasn’t going anywhere.
Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin bring us to Philadelphia for the story of Walter Ogrod. Walter was sent to death row by an old-school Philly justice system that was better known for injustice. He spent decades in prison for a murder he didn't commit -- until a new wave of reform-minded prosecutors found the truth behind Walter's false confession.
This updated episode talks about Philadelphia's efforts to right the wrongs of the past. Things like voting for progressive District Attorneys are necessary to reform our criminal justice system.
We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.
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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.
00:03:47“Speaker 1: and that's exactly what we see in today's story, the Speaker 1: story of Walter Ogrod. Today's story starts in Northeast Philadelphia. Speaker 1: It's a working class part of Philly. The side streets Speaker 1: are lined with bungalows and the main drags are lined Speaker 1: with discount big box stores. The northeast is an outlying”
00:15:24“Speaker 2: in Philadelphia. Speaker 1: This partnership with such a prolific snitch had helped the Speaker 1: Philly DA's office win a steady stream of convictions, but Speaker 1: by the time of Walter Ogrod's second trial, the Monseignor Speaker 1: had accumulated such a reputation that even prosecutors realized he”
00:26:45“Speaker 1: The DA agreed, but the judge again delayed ruling for days. Speaker 2: This is not the time for a power struggle. Give Speaker 2: the guy the fucking test. Oh yeah, there are other Speaker 2: people who want to be tested too, but nobody else Speaker 2: has been locked up for two decades or more for”
Listen to the Episode
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← #381 False Confessions - Daniel Villegas #383 Nelson Cruz →
Also on the podcast: #115 False Confessions - Origin Story · #116 False Confessions - Robert Davis · #117 False Confessions - Dixmoor 5