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Forensic Tales
Featured together in 30 Criminally Slept On True Crime Podcasts
Notes on this show
From our lists
Innocence lawyer Michael Semanchik talks with exonerees about how they ended up wrongly convicted and what it took to finally get out.
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Latest episodes
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The Exoneree Band – Finding Purpose and Healing After Wrongful Incarceration
April 2, 2026 · 40 minHow do you rebuild a life after it was taken from you? A wrongful conviction strips a person of their agency, leaving pain and loss where there once was freedom and purpose. Healing from such a profound injustice is no easy task, and even…
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Why Being Right Won’t Set You Free — Hard Knox with Amanda Knox
January 27, 2026 · 1 hr 14 minIn this episode of Hard Knox, now airing on For the Innocent, Amanda Knox sits down with Michael Semanchik and exoneree Scott McMahon. Scott is an American who endured more than five years of imprisonment in the Philippines for a crime he…
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Presumed Guilty: The Framing of William Michael Dillon
January 13, 2026 · 58 minWe trust the justice system to protect the innocent and prosecute the guilty, but what happens when it gets things catastrophically wrong? In 1981, 21-year-old William Michael Dillon became the focus of a murder investigation in Canova…
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Survivors Guide to Prison: Examining a Broken System with Matthew Cooke
December 17, 2025 · 1 hr 1 minThe failure rate of our prison systems is staggering, with recidivism exceeding 70% in nearly every state. What should this tell us about the success—or lack thereof—of our criminal justice system? And, how can those who are incarcerated…
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From Prison to the Oscars: The True Story Behind Sing Sing and Rehabilitation Through the Arts
November 18, 2025 · 59 minA maximum-security prison may not seem like the natural setting for a homegrown theater program. But at Sing Sing Prison in New York, just such a project has inspired scores of incarcerated men to learn and grow through the stories they…
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A Murdered Cop and a Mishandled Mugshot – JJ Velazquez’s Wrongful Conviction
November 4, 2025 · 50 minIn 1998, a retired NYPD officer was shot and killed inside an illegal gambling parlor. Angry cops wanted speedy justice for one of their own, and an overzealous, incautious investigation ensued. A witness to the shooting with a criminal…
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The Collapse of a Conviction: How an LAPD Cop and Two Journalists Unraveled the Case Against Bruce Lisker
October 21, 2025 · 1 hr 0 minAt just 17 years old, Bruce Lisker was branded a murderer after being accused and convicted of the violent killing of his mother. He would go on to spend the next 26 years of his life in prison, until a federal judge finally overturned his…
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A Deceitful Detective & Manipulated Evidence – The Wrongful Conviction of Bruce Lisker
October 7, 2025 · 53 minIn 1983, Bruce Lisker’s mother was violently attacked in their family home. After responding to his frantic 911 call, police quickly drew assumptions from the chaotic crime scene. Dorka Lisker was bludgeoned, stabbed several times, and…
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Breaking Down the Amanda Knox Case: Facts vs. Frenzy
September 23, 2025 · 57 minTo this day, some still believe Amanda Knox is guilty of the horrific murder of Meredith Kercher in 2007. However, this belief appears to stem entirely from the wildly sensational media coverage surrounding her supposed involvement…
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The Amanda Knox Story: Her Fight for Justice on the Global Stage
September 9, 2025 · 46 minSuffering is part of the human experience, but most of us are granted the dignity of processing our pain and healing in private. For Amanda Knox, that has never been an option. As she herself puts it, “The worst experience of my life is…
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Amanda Knox, JJ Velasquez, and More | For The Innocent Season 3 Trailer
September 2, 2025 · 4 minHosted by Michael Semanchik, For the Innocent exposes the shocking reality of wrongful convictions through raw, first-person stories from the exonerated. Season 3 returns September 9th featuring powerful accounts from Amanda Knox, JJ…
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Evidence Preservation: Who’s Responsible and What Happens When It’s Lost or Destroyed
September 26, 2024 · 40 minAt the moment of conviction, the incentive to safeguard evidence diminishes in the eyes of the Criminal Justice System. That’s why it is critically important to act quickly to ensure evidence remains available for future appeals. Without…
About the show
Hosted by Michael Semanchik, For the Innocent exposes the shocking reality of wrongful convictions through raw, first-person stories from the exonerated. Season 3 returns September 9th featuring powerful accounts from Amanda Knox, JJ Velasquez, Bruce Lisker— three exonerees whose names have become synonymous with injustice— and more.
Through their voices, uncover how the justice system failed them, what it took to win back their freedom, and the lifelong impact of being branded guilty while innocent. Plus, hear legal and criminal experts break down the systemic flaws from false confessions and eyewitness misidentifications to flawed forensic science and corrupt police officers. This season uncovers the truth behind America’s most haunting wrongful convictions.
Season One and Two are now available.