One morning in February 1979, 21-year-old Joe Giarratano woke up to a horrific scene. Two of his housemates had been brutally murdered. Joe had a drop of blood on his shoe and no memory of the previous night due to alcohol and drug use. He was terrified that he had been the one that killed the two women. Overcome with grief and guilt, he turned himself into the police. Despite his descriptions of the crime never matching the crime scene, and a long list of errors in the investigation, Joe was convicted of the murders and sentenced to death in Virginia. That put him in the path of our second guest, anti-death penalty activist and minister Joe Ingle. Together with Marie Deans, they were in the trenches of the fight against the death penalty. Joe Giarratano eventually became an expert in the law, fighting not only his own conviction, but that of other prisoners — arguing one all the way to the Supreme Court. To learn more, visit: Too Close to the Flame by Joseph B. Ingle https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Too-Close-to-the-Flame/Joseph-B-Ingle/9781637632918
If Joe is still fighting for justice, your voice matters. Consider sharing this case on social media, signing any active petitions, or contacting your representatives about wrongful conviction reform.
The Wrongful Conviction podcast, hosted by Jason Flom and Khaliah Ali (daughter of Muhammad Ali), has featured over 500 cases of men and women who spent years — sometimes decades — in prison for crimes they did not commit. The podcast has been downloaded over 70 million times and has directly influenced exonerations, clemencies, and criminal justice reform legislation across the country.