Clarence Elkins' Wrongful Conviction
How one family dismantled a wrongful conviction
4.1 (21)
35 mins
Explore how Clarence Elkins was convicted of murdering his mother-in-law, Judith Johnson and raping her and his six-year-old niece in Ohio in 1998. View how the case largely rested on the child's identification of Elkins, despite investigators finding no physical evidence connecting him to the crime.
Ep 1:
A Child's Scream, A Stolen Life
A six-year-old's shattered memory and a horrific murder send an innocent man to prison for life, while the true killer walks free in plain sight.
Ep 2:
A Mother's Vow, A Television Education
Convicted and abandoned by a splintering family, Clarence endures prison's brutality as his wife Melinda transforms herself into a self-taught DNA detective hunting her mother's killer.
Ep 3:
The Monster in the Next Cell
A newspaper photo reveals a shocking suspect living steps from the crime scene—and an impossible twist lands him in Clarence's own prison pod.
Ep 4:
The Cigarette Butt That Freed a Man
A smuggled cigarette butt delivers undeniable proof of innocence, but a defiant justice system refuses to let Clarence go without one final fight.
Discussions (5)
Warren
Level 4 · 5 days agoMelinda taught herself forensic science from a TV show and collected DNA from bars while sitting across from potential killers. That is not the justice system working. That is one woman refusing to let it fail.
Wallace
Level 7 · 5 days agoMelinda learning forensics from TV and it actually worked is insane
Joseph
Level 3 · 5 days agoMelinda watching Forensic Files to save her husband hits different
