Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Now, you'll remember I said Ben had an alibi, a friend he was with, but no one believed her. Well, Daryl and I ended up tracking down her younger brother, who said he was with both of them at the time of the assault, but he had never been questioned. So that's new evidence. Mm-hmm. We eventually found one of the original three eyewitnesses. Another wouldn't talk to us, and the third was dead.

And this guy's name is Jimmy Cotton, and he was one of the teenage boys that Gladys Oliver directed the police to, if you'll recall. Daryl and I found him at his mother's apartment.

And this guy's name is Jimmy Cotton, and he was one of the teenage boys that Gladys Oliver directed the police to, if you'll recall. Daryl and I found him at his mother's apartment.

And this guy's name is Jimmy Cotton, and he was one of the teenage boys that Gladys Oliver directed the police to, if you'll recall. Daryl and I found him at his mother's apartment.

Hi, I'm Barb. Nice to meet you. Jimmy was tall. He was real thin. He had served time in prison. Now he was in his late 40s. And he told me that he felt a lot of pressure from the authorities, from the police, to identify Ben Spencer in 1987.

Hi, I'm Barb. Nice to meet you. Jimmy was tall. He was real thin. He had served time in prison. Now he was in his late 40s. And he told me that he felt a lot of pressure from the authorities, from the police, to identify Ben Spencer in 1987.

Hi, I'm Barb. Nice to meet you. Jimmy was tall. He was real thin. He had served time in prison. Now he was in his late 40s. And he told me that he felt a lot of pressure from the authorities, from the police, to identify Ben Spencer in 1987.

And he said something else. Jimmy said that he also felt pressure from Gladys Oliver because she wanted to get the $25,000 reward money.

And he said something else. Jimmy said that he also felt pressure from Gladys Oliver because she wanted to get the $25,000 reward money.

And he said something else. Jimmy said that he also felt pressure from Gladys Oliver because she wanted to get the $25,000 reward money.

Yeah, that's how everybody knows there's a reward there. So before we left, Jimmy said he felt really terrible, really awful about helping a man, helping put a man in prison for a crime he didn't do. And later he signed an affidavit and he took a polygraph in which he said he had not seen Ben Spencer's that night and that Gladys Oliver had pressured him.

Yeah, that's how everybody knows there's a reward there. So before we left, Jimmy said he felt really terrible, really awful about helping a man, helping put a man in prison for a crime he didn't do. And later he signed an affidavit and he took a polygraph in which he said he had not seen Ben Spencer's that night and that Gladys Oliver had pressured him.

Yeah, that's how everybody knows there's a reward there. So before we left, Jimmy said he felt really terrible, really awful about helping a man, helping put a man in prison for a crime he didn't do. And later he signed an affidavit and he took a polygraph in which he said he had not seen Ben Spencer's that night and that Gladys Oliver had pressured him.

And he passed the polygraph with flying colors. Now, you know, Aisha, I've been a journalist for more than 40 years by now. I'm showing my age. But I learned two new things when Daryl and I began hunting for evidence. And the first is kind of a basic rule of investigating and journalism and, frankly, life, which is just show up. You'll never know what you'll find.

And he passed the polygraph with flying colors. Now, you know, Aisha, I've been a journalist for more than 40 years by now. I'm showing my age. But I learned two new things when Daryl and I began hunting for evidence. And the first is kind of a basic rule of investigating and journalism and, frankly, life, which is just show up. You'll never know what you'll find.

And he passed the polygraph with flying colors. Now, you know, Aisha, I've been a journalist for more than 40 years by now. I'm showing my age. But I learned two new things when Daryl and I began hunting for evidence. And the first is kind of a basic rule of investigating and journalism and, frankly, life, which is just show up. You'll never know what you'll find.

The second is that time, yeah, it may be the enemy of truth, but it's also its friend. Okay, so, sure, evidence disappears, memories fade, witnesses die. But also, you know, alliances change, marriages collapse. People's consciences begin to eat away at them. You know, a person no longer has a reason to lie. That's what we found with Jimmy Cotton and also with Danny Edwards.

The second is that time, yeah, it may be the enemy of truth, but it's also its friend. Okay, so, sure, evidence disappears, memories fade, witnesses die. But also, you know, alliances change, marriages collapse. People's consciences begin to eat away at them. You know, a person no longer has a reason to lie. That's what we found with Jimmy Cotton and also with Danny Edwards.

The second is that time, yeah, it may be the enemy of truth, but it's also its friend. Okay, so, sure, evidence disappears, memories fade, witnesses die. But also, you know, alliances change, marriages collapse. People's consciences begin to eat away at them. You know, a person no longer has a reason to lie. That's what we found with Jimmy Cotton and also with Danny Edwards.

He was a jailhouse informant because, remember, he was one who said that Ben Spencer had confessed to him while he and Spencer shared a jail cell. Edwards got out essentially two months after he testified at trial.