The In Between Podcast with Mel Barrett

While Rebecca's on vacation, Mel sits down with fellow podcaster, rockstar journalist, all around badass, and friend, Maggie Freleng. If you want to watch Mel fangirl all over Maggie, join us! We'll be talking about Maggie's groundbreaking work on wrongful convictions, her newest and amazing podcast, Bone Valley: Graves County Season 3, and the ethics of reporting in the true crime sphere. If you like us, please tip us:venmo: @melbarrettwritescashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTipsYou can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level.Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

We knew that already though. Join Mel and cohost, Ellyn Marsh, who is in for Rebecca who is on vacation as they talk Alan Jackson on Billy Bush, Rotten Mango interview w/Karen Read, and Microdots 24 mph in reverse?If you like us, please tip us:venmo: @melbarrettwritescashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTipsYou can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level.Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

In this episode of The In Between, Mel sits down with Pamela Smart’s attorney and her good friend— Matthew Zernhelt, on what feels like a turning point day in Pam’s case.Matt has spent years doing the kind of work that doesn’t fit neatly into soundbites: complex post-conviction litigation, constitutional violations, and the long, grinding fight to get a court to actually look at what went wrong. And this week, he and his team filed a new habeas petition — a last-resort legal mechanism that lets you challenge a conviction after the appeals are over, but only on specific, fundamental constitutional grounds.We break down what a habeas petition is (in plain English), why Pam’s case is so unusual, and why this filing is happening in two places at once: New Hampshire, where she was convicted, and New York, where she’s been incarcerated for decades under an interstate compact that creates a jurisdictional mess no one seems to have a clear playbook for.Then we walk through the five core arguments in the petition — including: A groundbreaking scientific study on confirmation bias and “expectation-induced” hearing, showing how state-created transcripts shaped what jurors believed they heard on barely-audible wiretaps. A media-tainted verdict, including evidence that a juror relied on a newspaper story during trial — information that was never presented in court. An unauthorized concession of guilt by trial counsel in closing argument, and why that matters legally (not just emotionally). Faulty jury instructions, including what the jury was not properly told about accomplice liability, premeditation, and what evidence they were allowed to consider. A sentencing problem that still stops me cold: the claim that Pam was given life without parole as if it were mandatory — when the law didn’t actually mandate it for the charge she was convicted of. This is a conversation about law, yes — but it’s also about how a person gets “convicted by headline,” how institutions double down, and what it takes to reopen a case the public thinks it already knows.You’ll hear what happens next, what an evidentiary hearing would look like, and what a “win” actually means here — a new trial, a new sentencing hearing, or the first real shot in decades at getting Pamela Smart back to New Hampshire… and back to her life.(The petition is public and will be made available to listeners. The underlying study has not yet been formally published, but it’s coming.)If you're a fan of Mel's work, please tip her. She's a one-woman-show and is appreciative of your support. ❤️venmo: @melbarrettwritescashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTipsWant to listen to The In Between Podcast AD FREE and receive loads of bonus content? Join the Investigator ClubWatch Something's Off on YouTube

Listener discretion advised.What happens when the state kills someone — and then decides the story matters more than the truth?In this episode of The In Between, host Mel Barrett, examines the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three shot and killed by a federal ICE agent in Minneapolis. Using newly analyzed video, eyewitness accounts, and reporting that directly contradicts the federal government’s claims, this episode slows the moment down — frame by frame — and asks what we’re being told to believe, and why.This isn’t just about one shooting.It’s about narrative power.About confirmation bias and “alternative facts.”About being trained to reject the evidence of our own eyes.As protests erupt and federal agencies close ranks, local investigators are shut out, the FBI takes exclusive control of the evidence, and career civil rights prosecutors resign rather than participate in what they see as a refusal to investigate. The institutions meant to provide accountability begin to crack — and the cost of that collapse becomes painfully clear.This episode confronts fear-as-justification, panic-as-crime, and the growing gap between what happens and what we’re told happened. It asks what justice looks like when transparency disappears — and what it means when the people inside the system walk away.Because Renee Good didn’t get a trial.And her story deserves more than a press release.If you're a fan of Mel's work, please tip her. She's a one-woman-show and is appreciative of your support. ❤️venmo: @melbarrettwritescashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTipsWant to listen to The In Between Podcast AD FREE and receive loads of bonus content? Join the Investigator ClubWatch Something's Off on YouTube

What can we say? You don't want to miss this one!If you like us, please tip us:venmo: @melbarrettwritescashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTipsYou can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level.Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

What can we say? You don't want to miss this one! If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTipsYou can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level.Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

Mel and Rebecca discuss the ongoing drama between anti-Karen Read supporters and the #FKR movement--are the McAlberts fractured? Also sidebars, dogs, finances, Kevin Flynn's bodily functions, and then get into the meat of the episode when they delve into a case Mel investigated and covered in a seven-episode season on The In Between Podcast, the Veronika Rodriguez story, about a woman who reported a SA, but ended up in jail herself when the District Attorney charged her with a felony for recording the SA. Listen to the first episode of From Victim to Accused: The Veronika Rodriguez story here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-victim-to-accused-the-veronika-rodriguez-story/id1785257330?i=1000716368111 If you like us, please tip us:  venmo: @melbarrettwrites  cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en... You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

Mel and Rebecca's discuss Karen Read case updates with the civil trial, Sean Goode's compelling motion for ALLL messages between Goode and, well, everyone, millions of discovered Epstein files, the Sam Nordquist case out of upstate New York, and of course tangents about Carvel's cakepuss, new years resolutions and so much more! If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips To donate to Sam Nordquist's family fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-help-to-locate-sam-nordquist If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en... You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

Mel + Rebecca wind down 2025 with their first livestream featuring mini-chainsaws, lots of trolls, and news about Kelsey Fitzsimmons, Sean Goode, Jesse Mack Butler, and of course...Turtleboy drama. If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en... You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

This update includes graphic and disturbing information about torture, captivity, group violence, and abuse involving a trans victim. Please take care while listening. When I first introduced you to Sam’s story earlier this season, we talked about what was publicly known at the time: a 24-year-old trans man from Minnesota who flew to New York to meet a woman he’d met on TikTok… and never made it home. He missed his flight. His phone shut off. And the messages that trickled back to his family didn’t sound like Sam at all. Sam was sweet. Artistic. Covered in tattoos he’d chosen with intention — two trans pride designs, an infinity symbol for his family. His sister Kayla describes him as someone who processed the world with the earnestness of a teenager, partly because of a head injury earlier in life. He wanted to be in love more than anything. He wanted to belong. Instead, he stepped into a nightmare. On December 18th 2025, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle released a well-sourced and detailed article by journalist, Madison Scott, which shows exactly how that nightmare unfolded for Sam. Please read Madison's article and share this episode and that article on socials. Here's my conversation with Sam's sister, Kayla and his mom, Linda. Thanks for listening and PLEASE SHARE Sam's story far and wide. If you appreciate Mel's work, please tip her. ❤️ Donate if you can to Sam's family's fundraiser. They're raising money to travel to New York from Minnesota to be there for the trial. Join the Something's Off Community on Youtube and Facebook.

The holidays are in full swing, so you'd think the news would slow down. It's not. It actually feels like it's ramping up. It's an advent calendar of true crime news on the daily and Mel and Rebecca are here to discuss and dish a little. In this episode the team breaks down the back-and-forth in the O'Keefe civil suit against Karen Read, new information dripping out about the contents of Michael Proctor's emails, and who is affected by his misconduct, those photos of all the president's men (and women) in Vanity Fair, the Sean Goode suspension letter, data scraping the McAlberts fundraiser, Corri Hopkins is back with a bombshell about Nick Guarino's testimony, and JP Miller is indicted on federal cyberstalking charges in the death of his estranged wife, Mica Miller. Hold onto your butts. If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en... You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

In December 1993, a young man named Brandon Teena was trying to build a life in rural Nebraska—one built on truth, freedom, and finally being seen for who he was. Instead, he walked straight into a storm of transphobia, violence, and a criminal justice system that treated him like a joke rather than a victim. Days after reporting a brutal assault, Brandon, along with Lisa Lambert and Philip DeVine, was murdered in a farmhouse outside Humboldt. In this deeply personal episode, Mel revisits Brandon’s life, the failures that led to his death, and the courtroom battles that followed. She also reflects on her own journey—coming out in homophobic Texas at seventeen, traveling to Nebraska to stand vigil at the trials, and recognizing the same chilling patterns in the recent death of Sam Nordquist. This isn’t just a story about the past. It’s a warning that echoes forward. If you like Mel's work, PLEASE TIP : venmo.com/melbarrettwrites Watch SOMETHING'S OFF on YouTube @somethingsoffpod You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

Rebecca and Mel had a lot to talk about today that weighs heavy on the heart, but luckily they also know how to take a hard left at a tangent and keep the laughter shining a light. This shit is tough to talk about. Thanks for being with us. If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en... You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts Watch the Brian Walshe hearing on @bostone25news / @boston25news

Mega Something's Off episode with a few menopause breaks.  Mel and Rebecca are talkers...what can we say. 🤷🏻‍♀️  In this episode the hosts--who like to interrupt one another often--breakdown historic cases like OJ Simpson, Pamela Smart, and Matthew Shepard, while getting into the nuances of why the defense chose NOT to put on a case in the Brian Walsh Trial. We'll be on verdict watch starting (probably) tomorrow, but in the meantime, something's off...especially with all those Lowes and Home Depot buckets. WHERE ARE THE BUCKETS?? If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en/newticket  You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts Watch the Brian Walshe hearing on @bostone25news    / @boston25news   Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC

In October 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was lured from a Wyoming bar, beaten, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, and left alone in the freezing dark for eighteen hours. His murder shocked the nation, ignited a global outcry, and reshaped the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in America. But behind the headlines and the legislation that now carries his name was a real kid — small, gentle, hopeful — who trusted the wrong people on an ordinary Tuesday night. In this episode of The In Between, Mel Barrett reconstructs the final hours of Matthew Shepard’s life . She walks listeners through the investigation, the trials, the brutal arrival of Westboro Baptist Church, the angel-wing counterprotest that became legend, and the sweeping cultural and legal aftershocks that followed. And she asks the question many of us are wrestling with today: how did a nation that fought so urgently for justice in Matthew’s name find itself, decades later, drifting backward? This is not just the story of a murder. It’s the story of a movement, a mother’s resolve, a community’s grief, and a warning from history about what happens when we let the tide turn. If you like Mel's work, PLEASE TIP : venmo.com/melbarrettwrites Watch SOMETHING'S OFF on YouTube @somethingsoffpod You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level.  Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc  Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

Mel + Rebecca take a train to tangent city PLUS the new Turtleboy hearing v. Cosgrove where Cosgrove argues for emails verses hard copies, days 4+5 of the Brian Walshe Trial--including testimony from Ana Walshe's DC boyfriend, William Fastow...and vampire facials? If you like us, tip us. http://www.venmo.com/melbarrettwrites  Thank you!!! You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts Watch the Brian Walshe hearing on @bostone25news    / @boston25news   Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) or Crime Writer's On Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB SO IN PARTNERS IN CRIME: https://tinyurl.com/SOCWOPIC

Drama, drama, drama.  Mel + Rebecca try to parse the latest Turtleboy drama, while the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is back on their bullshit with the Kelsey Fitzsimmons case, and Mel takes you on a journey through the bonkers first three days of the Brian Walshe Murder Trial. If you like us, tip us. http://www.venmo.com/melbarrettwrites  Thank you!!! You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts Watch the Brian Walshe hearing on @bostone25news https://www.youtube.com/@Boston25News Join the Investigator Club (The In Between Podcast) on Patreon for the audio drop of Something's Off, AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content. SO IN THE INVESTIGATOR CLUB: https://tinyurl.com/INVESTIGATORCLUB

It's been a long road, but we're finally here. Pamela Smart's attorneys are filing a petition of Habeus Corpus asking for a new trial or at the very least resentencing and they've given me access to the petition. I've been investigating Pam's case for going on a decade and some of the work I did on the first season of The In Between Podcast became the basis for this Habeus. I'm always so proud of the work I do on The In Between Podcast, but this case has been my white whale and I'm so honored to be apart of these arguments. I want to share what I can with you, so without further adieu, here are the five points Pam's case will hinge on. PLEASE PLEASE share her story. And if you like the work I do, please tip. TO LISTEN TO SEASON ONE, start here. Watch SOMETHING'S OFF Join the Investigator Club for early and ad-free episode, bonus content, lives, and so much more!

It’s been more than thirty years since Pamela Smart, a 22-year-old media coordinator from Derry, New Hampshire, was convicted of plotting her husband’s murder. But the story isn’t over. In fact, it’s entering a new chapter. Pamela’s legal team, led by attorney Matthew Zernhelt, has just filed a new habeas corpus petition — and some of the evidence behind it came directly from Mel's own investigation. Among the claims: Inaccurate transcripts given to the jury — words allegedly spoken by Pam that were never actually audible on tape. A defense attorney’s unauthorized admission of guilt, undermining her right to a fair defense. Jurors influenced by the media, not the evidence. Faulty jury instructions that failed to define deliberation and premeditation. And a sentence—life without parole for an accomplice—that may have been unconstitutional under New Hampshire law. Over the next few weeks, Mel will be breaking down these developments, including new expert findings from Marion Davidson and a Loyola University study confirming major transcript errors that went unnoticed for decades.

If you're a listening learner, you'll hopefully get a lot out of listening to Mel read you the new Karen Read complaint. If you want to read along, here's the court filing: https://www.scribd.com/document/951000000/Karen-Read-Lawsuit#from_embed If you want to listen without ads, join The Investigator Club Thanks for listening. If you like Mel's work, please let her know, by tipping.