Barbara Bradley Hagerty

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.

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.

That's right. Exactly. He was morally outraged. Yeah. So we found him. Daryl and I found him, and he was living at a halfway house. Danny had spent about half his life in prison by that point, and time had changed him, and also the circumstances had changed, right? The statute of limitations for perjury in Ben Spencer's case had passed. It was only five years. It had been 30 years at this point.

That's right. Exactly. He was morally outraged. Yeah. So we found him. Daryl and I found him, and he was living at a halfway house. Danny had spent about half his life in prison by that point, and time had changed him, and also the circumstances had changed, right? The statute of limitations for perjury in Ben Spencer's case had passed. It was only five years. It had been 30 years at this point.

That's right. Exactly. He was morally outraged. Yeah. So we found him. Daryl and I found him, and he was living at a halfway house. Danny had spent about half his life in prison by that point, and time had changed him, and also the circumstances had changed, right? The statute of limitations for perjury in Ben Spencer's case had passed. It was only five years. It had been 30 years at this point.

So Danny could speak to us without worrying about being arrested or without any consequences. And what he told Daryl and me is that Ben never confessed to him.

So Danny could speak to us without worrying about being arrested or without any consequences. And what he told Daryl and me is that Ben never confessed to him.

So Danny could speak to us without worrying about being arrested or without any consequences. And what he told Daryl and me is that Ben never confessed to him.

So now, you know, Ben Spencer's been in prison for 30 years. I thought he was out. No, he's in for life.

So now, you know, Ben Spencer's been in prison for 30 years. I thought he was out. No, he's in for life.

So now, you know, Ben Spencer's been in prison for 30 years. I thought he was out. No, he's in for life.

Well, my story aired on NPR and was published in The Atlantic, and I thought naively that the attention would create kind of enough outrage that Ben might be freed. But you know what? Nothing happened, right? A radio or magazine story doesn't have any weight in a court of law. And so it was interesting, just like Jim McCluskey. Now I was haunted by Ben's story.

Well, my story aired on NPR and was published in The Atlantic, and I thought naively that the attention would create kind of enough outrage that Ben might be freed. But you know what? Nothing happened, right? A radio or magazine story doesn't have any weight in a court of law. And so it was interesting, just like Jim McCluskey. Now I was haunted by Ben's story.

Well, my story aired on NPR and was published in The Atlantic, and I thought naively that the attention would create kind of enough outrage that Ben might be freed. But you know what? Nothing happened, right? A radio or magazine story doesn't have any weight in a court of law. And so it was interesting, just like Jim McCluskey. Now I was haunted by Ben's story.

So I decided to write a book with absolutely no prospect of Ben's release. But then something finally went right for Ben Spencer. A new district attorney for Dallas County was elected in November of 2018. His name is John Crizzo. He's a And so Ben's legal team approached Crusoe and suggested that they wanted to try basically a new legal strategy.

So I decided to write a book with absolutely no prospect of Ben's release. But then something finally went right for Ben Spencer. A new district attorney for Dallas County was elected in November of 2018. His name is John Crizzo. He's a And so Ben's legal team approached Crusoe and suggested that they wanted to try basically a new legal strategy.

So I decided to write a book with absolutely no prospect of Ben's release. But then something finally went right for Ben Spencer. A new district attorney for Dallas County was elected in November of 2018. His name is John Crizzo. He's a And so Ben's legal team approached Crusoe and suggested that they wanted to try basically a new legal strategy.

Rather than trying to get Ben declared innocent, which had failed before, they wanted to prove that he didn't get a fair trial. And that is a much, much easier standard. So Crusoe agreed to assign one of his prosecutors, a woman named Cynthia Garza, to dig into the new evidence that Daryl and I had uncovered. And this prosecutor discovered even more evidence suggesting that Ben was innocent.

Rather than trying to get Ben declared innocent, which had failed before, they wanted to prove that he didn't get a fair trial. And that is a much, much easier standard. So Crusoe agreed to assign one of his prosecutors, a woman named Cynthia Garza, to dig into the new evidence that Daryl and I had uncovered. And this prosecutor discovered even more evidence suggesting that Ben was innocent.

Rather than trying to get Ben declared innocent, which had failed before, they wanted to prove that he didn't get a fair trial. And that is a much, much easier standard. So Crusoe agreed to assign one of his prosecutors, a woman named Cynthia Garza, to dig into the new evidence that Daryl and I had uncovered. And this prosecutor discovered even more evidence suggesting that Ben was innocent.