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The Case of Raphael Rowe
📻 Episode #249
🎙️ Hosted by Jason Flom
📅 Mar 16, 2022
About This Episode
In December of 1988, 18 year old Londoner Raphael Rowe was living with 5 other men in social housing, when four violent robberies shocked Southeast England, leaving eight victims in their wake. One was killed and another was severely injured. The assailants' MO was to steal the victims' cars, ditch them at the next crime…
The Case
In December of 1988, 18 year old Londoner Raphael Rowe was living with 5 other men in social housing, when four violent robberies shocked Southeast England, leaving eight victims in their wake. One was killed and another was severely injured. The assailants' MO was to steal the victims' cars, ditch them at the next crime scene, and repeat the process. Twelve people in the area of the first abandoned cars were arrested, including Raphael and his friend Michael Davis. Contrary to the victims' descriptions of two white men with fair hair and blue eyes and one black man, several of those arrested helped police to shape a false narrative that instead pinned the crimes on three black men, Raphael, Michael, and a 3rd man, named Randolph Egbert Johnson. Police also planted evidence and coerced Raphael's main alibi witness to win the conviction. From inside his cell, Raphael enlisted the help of journalists and attorneys to investigate his claims of innocence, finally winning his freedom. Now, Raphael is a successful actor and journalist, but is still fighting to fully clear his name.
https://raphaelrowefoundation.org/
https://raphael-rowe.com/
https://raphael-rowe.com/book
https://raphael-rowe.com/second-chance
https://www.instagram.com/areporter/
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.
00:04:41“Speaker 2: best friend Michael party In doing the things that you Speaker 2: do as a teenager without a care in the world. Speaker 1: And so that brings us to this insane series of Speaker 1: events of four separate violent, hyperviolent robberies that took place Speaker 1: between December thirteenth and December sixteenth and nineteen eighty eight.”
00:18:29“Speaker 2: This was just as the second robbery was taken place, Speaker 2: and I'm forty miles away from where these incidents were Speaker 2: already taking place, and this was my alibi. And all Speaker 2: of these witnesses I just mentioned came into the court Speaker 2: at the time of my trial and told the jury”
00:32:03“Speaker 2: were lots of technological developments, so I was learning things Speaker 2: on the job at the BBC, and this was within Speaker 2: twelve months of getting out, and I worked my way Speaker 2: through the BBC, working for the Radio Pro then I Speaker 2: worked for the prestigious BBC News program, and then I”
Listen to the Episode
🎧 Listen on Omny / the podcast's platforms
Resources & links from the episode:
- raphaelrowefoundation.org
- raphael-rowe.com
- raphael-rowe.com
- raphael-rowe.com
- www.instagram.com
- lavaforgood.com
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