WHEN INNOCENCE IS NOT ENOUGH x THE ALLEY PODCAST
Date and Time
Jul 30, 2023 6:00 pm
Location
Hyattsville
5331 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, Maryland, 20781
Jul 30, 2023 6:00 pm
Hyattsville
The Brady rule was meant to transform the U.S. justice system. In soaring language, the Supreme Court decreed in 1963 that prosecutors must share favorable evidence with the defense—part of a suite of decisions of that reform-minded era designed to promote fairness for those accused of crimes. But reality intervened. The opinion faced many challenges, ranging from poor legal reasoning and shaky precedent to its clashes with the very foundations of the American criminal legal system and some of its most powerful enforcers: prosecutors.
In this beautifully wrought work of narrative nonfiction, Thomas L. Dybdahl illustrates the promise and shortcomings of the Brady rule through deft storytelling and attention to crucial cases, including the infamous 1984 murder of Catherine Fuller in Washington, DC. This case led to eight young Black men being sent to prison for life after the prosecutor, afraid of losing the biggest case of his career, hid information that would have proven their innocence.
With a seasoned defense lawyer’s unsparing eye for detail, Thomas L. Dybdahl chronicles the evolution of the Brady rule—from its unexpected birth to the series of legal decisions that left it defanged and ineffective. Yet Dybdahl shows us a path forward by highlighting promising reform efforts across the country that offer a blueprint for a legislative revival of Brady’s true spirit.
New America will launch the New America Project podcast exploring a central focus of Tom’s book, the 1984 DC murder case of Catherine Fuller and the ensuing wrongful convictions which sent eight young Black men to jail with life sentences for a tragedy they played no part in.
In order from left to right, those standing up in the photo are Timothy Catlett, Russell Overton, Charles Turner, Clifton Yarborough, Levy Rouse, and Christopher Turner. Sadly Kelvin Smith, the one kneeling in front in the picture, passed a few months after the photo was taken.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and the author will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of WHEN INNOCENCE IS NOT ENOUGH will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is IN PERSON and will NOT be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Thomas L. Dybdahl, who has degrees in theology, journalism, and law, is a former staff attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where he worked in both the trial and appellate divisions, and tried twenty-five homicide cases. The author of When Innocence Is Not Enough (The New Press), he lives in Boulder, Colorado.
Shannon Lynch is a podcast producer at New America. Previously, she worked as a producer on various political talk shows at SiriusXM. She holds a master's degree in audio technology from American University and a bachelor's degree in political science from Georgetown University.
Shannon was born in DC and grew up in the Pacific Northwest. She's been back in DC for 12 years and currently lives in Southeast DC with her dog, Lincoln Douglass.
Patrice Gaines is an award-wining veteran journalist, an author, and a creative writing and transformation coach. Her best-selling autobiography Laughing in the Dark details her journey from heroin user and abused woman to noted journalist and good mother.
Most recently, she co-authored Say Their Names: How Black Lives Came to Matter in America. Ms. Gaines was a reporter at the Washington Post for 16 years and member of a reporting team that was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. She has received prestigious residencies at both Yaddo and MacDowell artists’ communities as well as a Soros Justice Media Fellowship.
She has written for National Public Radio, Essence, the New York Times magazine, and numerous other publications. She is the subject of a short film by Chiquita Lockley, “Master Class: The Patrice Gaines Story,” which has been featured at film festivals across the country. Ms. Gaines is also a veteran justice advocate, who has taught and spoken in jails and prisons around the country, and an abolitionist, who believes crime can be reduced without the mass incarceration of human beings.
Christopher Turner
"I am 57, single, and employed at DESA. I also work as a motivational speaker and social activist. I am currently a board member of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project as well as the Free Minds Book Club. I attended Parks College. I was wrongfully incarcerated for 26 years on a 27½ to life sentence for first-degree murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and felony murder."
Charles Turner
"I am 59 years old. I was wrongfully arrested, tried, and convicted for the murder of Catherine Fuller in 1985. I spent 36 years of my life behind bars and was released on June 10, 2020. I'm currently on parole. I maintain my innocence and will also look toward the day when my family name may be cleared. Since my release, I spend my days working and relaxing. I'm currently trying to live life like a normal person."
Levy Rouse
"I am 58 years old and recently got married last year. I have an associate's degree in computer science. I was tried and convicted of a murder I did not do. I was wrongfully incarcerated for 36 years. When I get the opportunity, when I'm not working, I encourage young men by telling my story so that maybe they will listen and live right. I'm spending my free time with family."
Timothy Catlett
"I'm 57 and am not single or married. I'm currently employed at EM Block Yard as a forklift driver and have been there for over two years now. I've spent over half of my life serving 40 to life for a murder, kidnapping, and armed robbery that I knew nothing about. I've been out in the free world for two and a half years after serving 36 years. Life is a struggle. I still pray for the day that this will all be cleared up. So for now I take each day at a time and try to live a normal life."
Clifton Yarborough
"I'm 55 and single. I'm employed by Colonial Parking. I am involved with Safe Passage, as a motivational speaker, and Free Minds Book Club. I coach Little League basketball. I was wrongfully incarcerated for 35 years on a 35-to-life
sentence for first-degree murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and felony murder."
Russell Overton
"I'm 64 years old. I spent 37 1/2 years in prison for something I had nothing to do with. I'm currently working with God. Grace is a full-time job. I attend church regularly and pray God reveals the truth. I attend the Free Mind group and stay home when I'm not at work to take care of my mother who was a big advocate for us from the beginning. She knows her son is innocent."
