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In 1982, postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger was abducted from her one-room post office in Elgin, Ohio — a town of fifty people and murdered. Six weeks later, John Spirko, a career criminal with a talent for spinning stories, decided to trade invented information about her death for a deal that would keep his girlfriend out of prison. It didn't work. Instead, his web of lies contradictory, provably wrong, and completely fabricated, somehow became the centrepiece of a capital murder prosecution. No physical evidence. No connection to the victim. No connection to the crime scene. Just the words of a man who admitted he made it all up. John Spirko has been on Ohio's death row, and now serves life without parole, for over forty years. A federal judge called his conviction a foundation of sand. A governor said there was enough doubt to spare his life but not enough to free him. This is his story as told by him from his prison cell in Ohio.

In 1982, postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger was abducted from her one-room post office in Elgin, Ohio — a town of fifty people and murdered. Six weeks later, John Spirko, a career criminal with a talent for spinning stories, decided to trade invented information about her death for a deal that would keep his girlfriend out of prison. It didn't work. Instead, his web of lies contradictory, provably wrong, and completely fabricated, somehow became the centrepiece of a capital murder prosecution. No physical evidence. No connection to the victim. No connection to the crime scene. Just the words of a man who admitted he made it all up. John Spirko has been on Ohio's death row, and now serves life without parole, for over forty years. A federal judge called his conviction a foundation of sand. A governor said there was enough doubt to spare his life but not enough to free him. This is his story as told by him from his prison cell in Ohio.

In 1982, postmistress Betty Jane Mottinger was abducted from her one-room post office in Elgin, Ohio — a town of fifty people and murdered. Six weeks later, John Spirko, a career criminal with a talent for spinning stories, decided to trade invented information about her death for a deal that would keep his girlfriend out of prison. It didn't work. Instead, his web of lies contradictory, provably wrong, and completely fabricated, somehow became the centrepiece of a capital murder prosecution. No physical evidence. No connection to the victim. No connection to the crime scene. Just the words of a man who admitted he made it all up. John Spirko has been on Ohio's death row, and now serves life without parole, for over forty years. A federal judge called his conviction a foundation of sand. A governor said there was enough doubt to spare his life but not enough to free him. This is his story as told by him from his prison cell in Ohio.

On Aug. 23, 1984, Mary Flynn had been visiting her brother Martin Flynn and his wife, Kate, looking for houses for sale in their neighborhood. That night, around 10 p.m., a neighbor saw Flynn walking from her Toyota Tercel to the back door of her home after her visit to her brother and his wife. Hours later, she was dead. The next day, concerned that Mary hadn’t shown up for work and unable to reach her, a fellow nurse at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital called Marty Flynn. The two met at the duplex and got in through an unlocked door on the tenants’ side of the basement, according to court documents. His sister was lying facedown on her bare mattress, nude, badly beaten and bloodied. Her wrists were bound behind her back with what appeared to be a torn strip of the bed sheet, which was also tied around her neck and the bed’s headboard. It wasn't long till police would bring in Tony for questioning, he'd recently done some work on Mary's house and had been seen talking with her that day. Innitially they let Tony go but a month later he got a call to say he needs to come in to the station because he is going to be formally charged with murder. After being convicted Tony eas sentenced to death and would spend more than 30 years on death row until DNA would seemingly exonerate him of the crime. He spent two years back home iwth his family until eventually a techincal legal loop hole saw him re arrested and sent back to death row where he remains today. EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Aug. 23, 1984, Mary Flynn had been visiting her brother Martin Flynn and his wife, Kate, looking for houses for sale in their neighborhood. That night, around 10 p.m., a neighbor saw Flynn walking from her Toyota Tercel to the back door of her home after her visit to her brother and his wife. Hours later, she was dead. The next day, concerned that Mary hadn’t shown up for work and unable to reach her, a fellow nurse at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital called Marty Flynn. The two met at the duplex and got in through an unlocked door on the tenants’ side of the basement, according to court documents. His sister was lying facedown on her bare mattress, nude, badly beaten and bloodied. Her wrists were bound behind her back with what appeared to be a torn strip of the bed sheet, which was also tied around her neck and the bed’s headboard. It wasn't long till police would bring in Tony for questioning, he'd recently done some work on Mary's house and had been seen talking with her that day. Innitially they let Tony go but a month later he got a call to say he needs to come in to the station because he is going to be formally charged with murder. After being convicted Tony eas sentenced to death and would spend more than 30 years on death row until DNA would seemingly exonerate him of the crime. He spent two years back home iwth his family until eventually a techincal legal loop hole saw him re arrested and sent back to death row where he remains today. EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Aug. 23, 1984, Mary Flynn had been visiting her brother Martin Flynn and his wife, Kate, looking for houses for sale in their neighborhood. That night, around 10 p.m., a neighbor saw Flynn walking from her Toyota Tercel to the back door of her home after her visit to her brother and his wife. Hours later, she was dead. The next day, concerned that Mary hadn’t shown up for work and unable to reach her, a fellow nurse at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital called Marty Flynn. The two met at the duplex and got in through an unlocked door on the tenants’ side of the basement, according to court documents. His sister was lying facedown on her bare mattress, nude, badly beaten and bloodied. Her wrists were bound behind her back with what appeared to be a torn strip of the bed sheet, which was also tied around her neck and the bed’s headboard. It wasn't long till police would bring in Tony for questioning, he'd recently done some work on Mary's house and had been seen talking with her that day. Innitially they let Tony go but a month later he got a call to say he needs to come in to the station because he is going to be formally charged with murder. After being convicted Tony eas sentenced to death and would spend more than 30 years on death row until DNA would seemingly exonerate him of the crime. He spent two years back home iwth his family until eventually a techincal legal loop hole saw him re arrested and sent back to death row where he remains today. EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Aug. 23, 1984, Mary Flynn had been visiting her brother Martin Flynn and his wife, Kate, looking for houses for sale in their neighborhood. That night, around 10 p.m., a neighbor saw Flynn walking from her Toyota Tercel to the back door of her home after her visit to her brother and his wife. Hours later, she was dead. The next day, concerned that Mary hadn’t shown up for work and unable to reach her, a fellow nurse at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital called Marty Flynn. The two met at the duplex and got in through an unlocked door on the tenants’ side of the basement, according to court documents. His sister was lying facedown on her bare mattress, nude, badly beaten and bloodied. Her wrists were bound behind her back with what appeared to be a torn strip of the bed sheet, which was also tied around her neck and the bed’s headboard. It wasn't long till police would bring in Tony for questioning, he'd recently done some work on Mary's house and had been seen talking with her that day. Innitially they let Tony go but a month later he got a call to say he needs to come in to the station because he is going to be formally charged with murder. After being convicted Tony eas sentenced to death and would spend more than 30 years on death row until DNA would seemingly exonerate him of the crime. He spent two years back home iwth his family until eventually a techincal legal loop hole saw him re arrested and sent back to death row where he remains today. EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Aug. 23, 1984, Mary Flynn had been visiting her brother Martin Flynn and his wife, Kate, looking for houses for sale in their neighborhood. That night, around 10 p.m., a neighbor saw Flynn walking from her Toyota Tercel to the back door of her home after her visit to her brother and his wife. Hours later, she was dead. The next day, concerned that Mary hadn’t shown up for work and unable to reach her, a fellow nurse at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital called Marty Flynn. The two met at the duplex and got in through an unlocked door on the tenants’ side of the basement, according to court documents. His sister was lying facedown on her bare mattress, nude, badly beaten and bloodied. Her wrists were bound behind her back with what appeared to be a torn strip of the bed sheet, which was also tied around her neck and the bed’s headboard. It wasn't long till police would bring in Tony for questioning, he'd recently done some work on Mary's house and had been seen talking with her that day. Innitially they let Tony go but a month later he got a call to say he needs to come in to the station because he is going to be formally charged with murder. After being convicted Tony eas sentenced to death and would spend more than 30 years on death row until DNA would seemingly exonerate him of the crime. He spent two years back home iwth his family until eventually a techincal legal loop hole saw him re arrested and sent back to death row where he remains today. EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He was born into the Gambino family with a father as a made man who committed multiple murders, Anthony Ruggiano Jnr’s life was always going to be different. He would spend 14 years in prison and commit multiple murders himself, including that of his brother in-law, before he decided he’d had enough. My first ‘sit down’ with a former Mafia member and is this months Bonus subscriber episode. Anthony's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AnthonyRuggiano Instagram https://www.instagram.com/anthonyruggianojr/?hl=en EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He was born into the Gambino family with a father as a made man who committed multiple murders, Anthony Ruggiano Jnr’s life was always going to be different. He would spend 14 years in prison and commit multiple murders himself, including that of his brother in-law, before he decided he’d had enough. My first ‘sit down’ with a former Mafia member and is this months Bonus subscriber episode. Anthony's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AnthonyRuggiano Instagram https://www.instagram.com/anthonyruggianojr/?hl=en EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well it's that time again! The Facebook group of legendery jurors have been busy coming up with a stack of great questions for me to answer so in this episode I take on all of them! We chat everything from how I choose the show music, what I think of the death penalty and which show is my least favourite to make!! It's a good one. EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well it's that time again! The Facebook group of legendery jurors have been busy coming up with a stack of great questions for me to answer so in this episode I take on all of them! We chat everything from how I choose the show music, what I think of the death penalty and which show is my least favourite to make!! It's a good one. EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well, we are at the end of another year of One Minute Remaining. As we say goodbye to 2025, I thought it was a good opportunity to sit down with the man they call The Voice of Reason, Michael Leonard, to reflect on some of the wildest cases of the past year. I have selected four cases that I feel had the biggest impact on you, the Jury. Michael and I take another look at the key issues in each case, the unanswered questions, and what they reveal about the justice system itself. If a case is not mentioned, it does not mean I do not have major concerns about it or feel for the person at the centre of it. I am grateful for each and every person who has been willing to share their story with me, and we will, as always, make sure we stay in contact with them and keep you updated on their individual situations. Thank you to each and every one of you for another year of amazing support. The show received more than 2.5 million downloads in 2025, which has truly blown me away. Thank you, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you next year. EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PLEASE BE ADVISED: This story contains subject matter that some may find upsetting. Listener discretion is advised. In the sweltering bayous of southern Louisiana, Dwight “Jerome” Bergeron grew up hard. As a boy, he trapped raccoons, muskrats, and nutria for pocket money, learning survival before he ever learned opportunity. He left school in the 11th grade, trained in plumbing at Vo-Tech, and once dreamed of repairing helicopters in the Army, a dream that died when his recruiter told him his certificate wasn’t enough. Instead, Dwight built a life for himself and his children on the bayou. But in the early 1990s, everything changed. His kids were removed from his home and placed with adoptive parents. Soon after, accusations surfaced, claims that Dwight had harmed the very children he loved. There was no physical evidence. Medical exams were inconclusive. But the state had some powerful words from his own children, testimony that was enough to secure his conviction. Dwight was sentenced to life, while his partner Angela, under intense pressure from prosecutors, took a plea deal she said was forced upon her. Both went to prison. Now, decades later, the children, now adults, have spoken. In sworn statements and letters, they insist their father never harmed them, that they were manipulated as kids, and that their testimony was built on lies told to keep them from returning home. Dwight has spent his life behind bars maintaining his innocence, while his children fight to clear his name. Echoes from the Bayou is the story of a man condemned on the word of children, the family torn apart, and the haunting possibility that Louisiana’s justice system got it wrong. EARLY AND AD FREE ACCESS: for as little as $1.69 a week! Apple + HERE Patreon and find us on Facebook here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.