Today we're introducing you to Earwitness. Earwitness is one of Lava for Good’s most important investigative series and will be released right here in the Bone Valley feed. You’ll see it shown here as Bone Valley Season 4 but it is a completely different show told by a different host - noted Alabama-based journalist and podcaster Beth Shelburne. We hope you enjoy.

One hot July night in 1995, Deputy Sheriff William G. Hardy was shot dead behind a Birmingham, AL hotel. At the same time, four miles away at least ten people saw Toforest Johnson at a packed nightclub called Tee’s Place. It didn’t matter. The cops zeroed in on Toforest as the culprit anyway.

What followed was a familiar American ritual: arrest, trial, conviction, death sentence. No eyewitnesses. No physical evidence. Just unjustifiable confidence. For more than 25 years, Toforest has lived in a five-by-eight cell on Alabama’s death row.

In 2019, journalist Beth Shelburne reopened the case and found something far worse than incompetence. The state once tried to pin the murder on another man. Its case hinged on an “earwitness,” a woman secretly paid by prosecutors to testify about an overheard phone call. The jury never knew. Neither did the defense. They found out 17 years later.

Earwitness, an eight-part docuseries from the team behind Bone Valley, pulls back the curtain on a justice system that refuses to admit it got it wrong. With rare access to detectives, prosecutors, jurors, and witnesses, Shelburne asks the only question that matters: how did an innocent man end up on death row, and why is the state still trying to kill him?

On February 4, we'll be releasing all eight episodes right here in the Bone Valley feed as Bone Valley Season 4 | Earwitness. For those who want to hear Earwitness early and ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.

Earwitness is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we're bringing you something unexpected: Lava for Good’s investigative series Earwitness will be released right here in the Bone Valley feed. You'll see it here as Bone Valley Season 4: Earwitness. The entire season will be available to Lava For Good+ subscribers on Apple Podcasts on January 28th, and everywhere you listen to podcasts on February 4th.

As an introduction, Gilbert King, Pulitzer prize-winning author and host of Bone Valley, sits down for a Q&A with Earwitness host and producer, journalist Beth Shelburne, as well as Emmy award-winning filmmaker Andrew Jarecki and film producer Charlotte Kaufman to discuss Earwitness, Toforest Johnson - the man at the center of the story - as well as their recent, critically acclaimed HBO documentary The Alabama Solution.

Bone Valley Season 4: Earwitness is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leo Schofield turns tables.

Exclusive Excerpts from Gilbert King’s new book, Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida.

Subscribers to Lava For Good Plus on Apple podcasts can hear new ad-free excerpts from the book every Wednesday.

The book is available for purchase now at the link below:

Buy Here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Graves County, Chapter 6 | Something Rotten

Just how far are cops and prosecutors allowed to go in their pursuit of justice – and who do we hold accountable when their whole case falls apart? These are questions that Quincy Cross, Tamara Caldwell, and Jeff Burton live with every day. Meanwhile, answers to why Jessica Currin’s murder investigation went so wrong in the first place may lie somewhere in the beginning.

Key figures in this chapter:

Tom Mangold: British journalist who covered the Jessica Currin case and worked alongside citizen investigator Susan Galbreath.

Tim Fortner: The lead Mayfield Police detective on Jessica’s murder case.

Ronnie Lear: Assistant Chief of the Mayfield Police in the early 2000s.

Michael Greisz: Mayfield Chief of Police from 2004 to 2005.

Wayne Potts (1939-2019): Former Mayor of Mayfield.

Joe Currin: He is still waiting for answers on the death of his daughter.

Quincy Cross: He is in prison, fighting for an evidentiary hearing and the chance at a new trial.

Tamara Caldwell and Jeff Burton: They are still hoping to clear their names.

David Cross and Rachelle Brown: Quincy Cross’ father and sister.

Darra Woolman: Our source.

**Editorial Note** This case involved many defendants throughout the years and investigations by three law enforcement agencies. There was a lot we couldn’t get to, including the fact that two more men were charged in Jessica’s case: Isaac Benjamin and Austin Leech. Benjamin pled guilty to complicity to tampering with evidence and served just over one year in prison. Leech went to trial for perjury and tampering with evidence – the only other defendant to stand trial – and was acquitted in 2009.

For photos and images from this chapter, visit Lava for Good

Graves County is hosted by Maggie Freleng, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the hosts of Lava For Good’s Wrongful Conviction, and is executive produced by Gilbert King.

New episodes of Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County are available every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.

Graves County is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Graves County: Chapter 5 | The Receipts

Prosecution witness Rosie Crice was the first person to publicly say that law enforcement made her lie on Quincy Cross and his co-defendants – but she wouldn’t be the last.

Key figures in this chapter:

Vinisha Stubblefield: the last known person to see Jessica Currin alive and one of the prosecution’s main witnesses.

Rosie Crice: Victoria Caldwell’s sister. She was a prosecution witness.

Miranda Hellman: Attorney with the Kentucky Innocence Project working on Quincy Cross’ post-conviction case.

Ken Nixon: Exoneree and volunteer with the Kentucky Innocence Project.

Victoria Caldwell: the prosecution's key witness.

Bob O’Neil: Agent with the Kentucky Bureau of Investigation (KBI).

Tamara Caldwell: Victoria and Rosie’s cousin. She was convicted of manslaughter and abuse of a corpse.

Brenda Jackson: Tamara Caldwell’s mom

Noble Faulkner: Private investigator, Brenda Jackson’s common-law husband.

Others: Victoria and Rosie’s mom, Wanda; KBI agent Lee Wise; Kentucky Assistant Attorney General Barbara Maines Whaley; Citizen investigator Susan Galbreath; British journalist Tom Mangold; and Susan’s friend, Lacey Gates.

For photos and images from this chapter, visit Lava for Good

Graves County is hosted by Maggie Freleng, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the hosts of Lava For Good’s Wrongful Conviction, and is executive produced by Gilbert King.

New episodes of Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County are available every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.

Graves County is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Graves County: Chapter 4 | My Girl Susan

Soon after Jessica Currin’s death, Victoria Caldwell came forward with a story different from the one she told at trial and implicated two completely different people. But the investigation into those suspects ended after Mayfield Police bungled the investigation and Susan Galbreath – with the help of Tom Mangold – homed in on Quincy Cross.

Key figures in this chapter:

Jeremy Adams: The purported father of Zion, Jessica Currin’s son. He was first charged with her murder.

Carlos “Lolo” Saxton: Jessica Currin’s last known boyfriend. He was first charged with complicity to commit murder.

Donna Adams (1958-2019): Jeremy Adams’ mom and alleged friend of Susan Galbreath.

Nette Todd: Jeremy Adams' girlfriend during the early 2000s. She joined Susan Galbreath for parts of her investigation.

Miranda Hellman: Attorney with the Kentucky Innocence Project who worked in the post-conviction case for Quincy Cross.

John Poole: Private investigator, three-time Mayfield councilmember, and the uncle of Jeff Burton. Jeff Burton was convicted of manslaughter and abuse of a corpse.

Lacey Gates (1971-2022): A friend of Susan Galbreath. She helped her with the investigation.

Rosie Crice: Victoria Caldwell’s sister and a prosecution witness. She later recanted her testimony in the trial of Quincy Cross.

Others: Citizen investigator Susan Galbreath; British journalist Tom Mangold; former Mayfield Police detective Tim Fortner; Jessica’s dad Joe Currin; Victoria Caldwell, the state’s key witness; and source Darra Woolman.

For photos and images from this chapter, visit Lava for Good

Graves County is hosted by Maggie Freleng, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the hosts of Lava For Good’s Wrongful Conviction, and is executive produced by Gilbert King.

New episodes of Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County are available every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.

Graves County is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Graves County: Chapter 3 | Persons of Interest

Six years after Jessica’s death, agents with the Kentucky Attorney General’s office took over her murder investigation. After pinpointing their main suspects with the help of citizen investigator Susan Galbreath, the agents conducted a series of unorthodox interrogations that elicited key confessions and led to the trial and conviction of Quincy Cross.

Key figures in this chapter:

Susan Galbreath (1960 - 2018): Citizen investigator.

Greg Stumbo: Attorney General of Kentucky from 2004 - 2008. He promised Joe Currin that he would solve his daughter’s murder. He revamped the Kentucky Bureau of Investigation (KBI).

Lee Wise and Bob O’Neil: Agents with the Kentucky Bureau of Investigation (KBI). They ran the interrogations that elicited key confessions later used in the 2008 trial and conviction of Quincy Cross.

Rosie Crice: Victoria Caldwell’s sister. Served as a corroborating witness for the prosecution.

Quincy Cross: Convicted of murder and currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Tamara Caldwell: Served almost six years in prison for manslaughter in the second degree. Victoria and Rosie’s cousin.

Jeff Burton: Served almost eight years in prison for manslaughter in the second degree.

Victoria Caldwell: The state’s key witness in the trial of Quincy Cross. Served less than three months in jail for being an accomplice to the crime.

Vinisha Stubblefield: The other main witness in the trial of Quincy Cross and the last known person to see Jessica Currin alive. Served six months in jail for being an accomplice to the crime.

Barbara Maines Whaley: The lead prosecutor in the trial of Quincy Cross. Assistant Attorney General at the Kentucky AG’s office.

David Cross: Quincy Cross’s father. He was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee.

Darra Woolman: Fighting alongside David Cross’s family to get Quincy Cross out of prison.

For photos and images from this chapter, visit Lava for Good

Graves County is hosted by Maggie Freleng, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and one of the hosts of Lava For Good’s Wrongful Conviction, and is executive produced by Gilbert King.

New episodes of Bone Valley Season 3 | Graves County are available every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to Lava for Good+ on Apple Podcasts.

Graves County is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.