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

YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/AmericanJusticePodcast

Where to Listen:

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/american-justice-podcast/id1442874178

Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/american-justice/s1e1-brandon-woodruff-case-overview

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5y7UVzvchLxJYbrceVTbvX

Online - www.AmericanJusticePodcast.com

If you would like to get in touch with us, you can do so in any of the following ways:

https://www.facebook.com/americanjusticepodcast
https://www.instagram.com/americanjusticepodcast/
https://www.twitter.com/ajusticepodcast
https://www.americanjusticepodcast.com
Voicemail: (972) 942-0444
Email: info@americanjusticepodcast.com

You can reach the hosts here -

Scott Poggensee
Email - Scott@AtuAProductions.com
www.facebook.com/scott.poggensee
www.twitter.com/moonscare1

C. Derick Miller
www.cderickmiller.com
https://www.facebook.com/howlgrowlsnarl
https://twitter.com/howlgrowlsnarl
https://www.instagram.com/howlgrowlsn/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCylWekMVEiop3uAPi1MAQ_w
https://howlgrowlsnarl.podbean.com/
https://open.spotify.com/user/chadandnez?si=BICZNwedTBCSsdtz90PTNg

Call to Action

Thank you for listening to this season of the American Justice Podcast. Leave us a voicemail, send us a Facebook message, or blog about the show on American Justice Podcast. If you have any tips on the case, please call 972-942-0444.

Article Sources

• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/27/us-man-cleared-murder-conviction-after-37-years-in-prison
• https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=6104&fbclid=IwAR3eZzkYLjo8mv1g96lv3vWTn2RCm5HxD7EnsuDmvHhZo4PTY4wqRo3HS3M
• https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/willie-stokes-free-after-witness-says-cops-bribed-him-to-lie
• https://www.legalscoops.com/6-most-common-causes-of-wrongful-convictions/

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