S03E07 - Willie Stokes

In episode seven season three of the American Justice Podcast, Scott and C. Derick discuss the disappointing case of Willie Stokes, a Philadelphia man who spent 37 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. The duo go through how a key witness was allegedly offered sex and drugs at police headquarters to frame Stokes in an unsolved 1980 dice-game slaying case that highlights the ugly side of police and prosecutorial misconduct.

Time Stamps

01:50  Introducing Willie Stokes

03:07  The Most Common Cause of Wrongful Convictions

04:02  The Backstory to Stokes' Arrest and Conviction

07:18  The Lying Witnesses in Willie Stoke's Trial

09:00  Glaring Question Marks From Witness Recounts

10:14  The Suspicious Interaction Between Key Witness Franklin Lee and The Philadelphia DA

15:21  How Key Witness Franklin Lee Falsely Implicated Willie Stokes

17:55  Lee Admits to Falsely Testifying Against Stokes During the Recantation Hearing

19:08  Stokes is Charged with First Degree Murder

19:51  Stokes Gets New Trial on December 30th, 2021

20:42  Stokes is Released From Prison 

22:10  All the Key Details in Stokes' Troubling Case

23:09  Franklin Lee Reveals Why He Took the Deal to Falsely Implicate Willie Stokes

25:45  Why The DA Was So Obsessed With Nailing Willie Stokes

27:17  Official Misconduct, Racism, and Coerced Statements in Stokes' Case

28:15  Stokes' Daughter Passes Away 20 Years After His Conviction

29:09  Stokes Sues City of Philadelphia for Police Misconduct

33:50  Confession Coercion: The Way Law Enforcement Sees It

35:04  Parting Thoughts 

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Scott Poggensee
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C. Derick Miller
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Article Sources

Intro Credit: CBS Philly- Willie Stokes, Cleared Of Murder After 37 Years In Prison, Sues City Of Philadelphia - YouTube