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The Case of Talalelei "TJ" Edwards
📻 Episode #347
🎙️ Hosted by Maggie Freleng
📅 Apr 10, 2023
About This Episode
In May 2001, Talalelei “TJ” Edwards, his wife and son were sharing an Anchorage, AK apartment with a woman named Melissa along with Melissa’s 1 year old son, Derrick. Talalelei often watched the boys on the days when other sitters were not available. On the morning of May 8, Derrick slept for a few hours…
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The Case
In May 2001, Talalelei “TJ” Edwards, his wife and son were sharing an Anchorage, AK apartment with a woman named Melissa along with Melissa’s 1 year old son, Derrick. Talalelei often watched the boys on the days when other sitters were not available. On the morning of May 8, Derrick slept for a few hours until Talalelei noticed his odd breathing. Trained in child caregiving, Talalelei responded by blowing air on the child’s face, and performing CPR. When he did not respond, Talalelei took Derrick to the hospital. He passed away later that night. Based on the now discredited science of Shaken Baby Syndrome, Talalelei was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Maggie talks to Talalelei "TJ" Edwards, Salome Inoke, Talalelei's sister, and Bill Oberly, Talalelei's attorney.
https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/172-wrongful-conviction-junk-science-shaken-baby-syndrome/
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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.
00:04:11“Speaker 1: she packed up a car with whatever they could fit Speaker 1: and drove herself and her nine kids from California to Anchorage, Alaska, Speaker 1: where she had family. So what is living in Alaska like? Speaker 2: Living in Alaska's it's a pretty, you know, slow motion state.”
00:15:48“Speaker 1: something called posturing, which is what TJ saw with Derek's Speaker 1: clench fists and bent arms. Posturing is a sign of Speaker 1: seizure activity and can also indicate swelling in the brain. Speaker 1: But when doctors discovered the brain swelling, they then focused Speaker 1: their attention on confirming their suspicions of SBS, ignoring any”
00:27:29“Speaker 6: And secondly, I looked into the facts of the case Speaker 6: as it related to shaking baby syndrome and realized that Speaker 6: the challenges that were being put forward on shaking baby Speaker 6: cases all pretty much applied to TJ's case. Speaker 1: Today, experts agree that there can be other explanations for”
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