The In Between Podcast with Mel Barrett

Mel breaks down pre-trial motions and day-by-day coverage of the first week of the Kouri Richins trial.Here's what you'll find inside the episode:  A new straight bear we love: Judge Daddy False testimony sloppy investigators witness recantation a member of the gallery thrown out of the courtroom lead detectives threatening to take a witness' dog if she doesn't comply with their requests to testify. And soooo much more!Mel will be covering the trial Read-a-Thon style, doing nightly updates with Rebecca when she's available and solo when she's not!Join Mel tomorrow for DAY SIX!If you want to watch the Impact x Nightline episode that Mel is featured in about Pamela Smart's new legal fight, watch it here: https://www.hulu.com/series/98fb0a9b-...If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips 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!

Join Mel + Rebecca as they break down the new filing from Kelsey Fitzsimmons team alleging that her ex-fiance, Justin Aylaian, broke into her home while she was recovering from her gunshot wound and destroyed her surveillance system, burglarized her home, and illegally gained access to her electronics where he proceeded to steal money from her bank accounts and infiltrate her social media. And the icing on top: THERE'S VIDEO On the other side of Massachusetts crime news we have a new hearing where Michael Proctor is fighting against the release of his phone extraction to Karen Read's team. This one's spicy too.Buckle up, y'all.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!

Mel + Rebecca finally share the lowdown on the Kouri Richins case and trial, while asking questions of our DOJ.If you want to watch the Impact x Nightline episode that Mel is featured in about Pamela Smart's new legal fight, watch it here: https://www.hulu.com/series/98fb0a9b-8a84-40df-8d88-7e1b032252f1?play=false&utm_source=shared_linkIf you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips 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!

Well...the State of the Union Happened. Mel watched, so you wouldn't have to. Plus, a disgraced monarch has fallen and did the DOJ hide Epstein Files that would hurt Donald Trump, plus the Supreme Court of the United States finally does its job and acts as a check on this unlawful president. Guests: Mr. Winks and Ellyn Marsh.Mel is building this new show from scratch and can use your help! If you appreciate the work, please consider tipping.Venmo: @melbarrettwriteCashapp: $newslightIf you are unable to tip, that's totally okay! Please consider liking, sharing, commenting, and subscribing on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@newslightwithmelbarrett

A Utah mother writes a children’s book about grief. A year later, she’s charged with murdering her husband with fentanyl.In this episode, Mel Barrett breaks down the financial timeline, the alleged prior poisoning attempt, the mansion flip, the boyfriend, and the prosecution’s theory against Khouri Richins — as her five-week trial begins.Money. Marriage. Motive. And the evidence that will decide it all.If you appreciate my work, please leave a tip:Venmo: @melbarrettwrites

We couldn't fit it all into the title, but there's lots to discuss:Karen phone, Jen McCabe allegedly intimidating witnesses (?), more audio and video from the Corri Hopkins doc dump, YES we'll get to Sean Goode, Nancy Guthrie, and Norfolk DA, Michael Morrissey shows up in a big way in Epstein Files -- why are no Boston journalists covering this story?? and probably a ton of tangents.Buckle up.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!Links from the episode: Mel's new show - ‪ @newslightwithmelbarrett These Are Their Stories Podcast: https://www.lawandorderpodcast.com/ The In Between Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-in-between-podcast-with-mel-barrett/id1785257330 You Can't Make This Up: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/ycmtu YT Member Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...  @AttorneyMelanieLittle Corri Hopkins doc dump: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/fo... ‪

Mel and Rebecca are back together—double-fisting caffeine, single-fisting water, filling the swear jar, and trying (struggling) to keep it together after Rebecca’s near-death plague tour (DC included). We kick off with some housekeeping + sticker chaos—yes, they’re coming, yes, there’s a form, no, we’re not taking complaints—then slide into a quick, nerdy love letter to signposting (because some of you are apparently listening like it’s a scavenger hunt).Then it’s straight into the true crime/power structure blender:Michael Proctor’s phone download and Rosemary “Picchi” Scapicchio’s push in the Myles King case—plus the headline-making reality that Proctor’s filings basically boil down to: “Sure, there’s racist/homophobic stuff… but it’s fine because the targets are white and straight.”The bigger theme: toxic masculinity, institutional loyalty, and why these guys keep getting away with it—from frat-house bodycam audacity to “boys will be boys” policing.Karen Read updates you can actually use: the taillight footage (and what it does—and doesn’t—show), the recurring problem of missing videos, and why some narratives keep getting pushed even when the visuals don’t match.New-ish audio and timeline chatter (fight vs. snowplow language), plus the reality check: what’s compelling, what’s debunked, and what still stinks.We also hit the Karen Read civil-case sideshow: the infamous bcc email mishap, the judge basically begging grown adults to act like professionals, deposition wrangling, discovery stonewalling, and the ongoing comedy of “we lost the phone” in the case where the phone is the whole point.It’s messy. It’s infuriating. It’s funny in that “if we don’t laugh, we scream” way. And it’s very, very Something’s Off.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!Links from the episode: Mel's new show - ‪@newslightwithmelbarrett‬  :   / @newslightwithmelbarrett  These Are Their Stories Podcast: https://www.lawandorderpodcast.com/You Can't Make This Up: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/ycmtuYT Member Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...Frat boys: https://www.the-independent.com/tv/ne...‪@AttorneyMelanieLittle‬    / @attorneymelanielittle  Corri Hopkins doc dump: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/fo...‪@BrotherCounsel‬  BC  v Big Case Mike:   • Karen Read Trial Debate between Brother Co...  

In January 2001, Tara Louise Baker, a 23-year-old University of Georgia law student, was found dead in her Athens apartment after a fire that investigators quickly determined was no accident. Tara had been sexually assaulted, beaten, strangled, and stabbed. The fire came after — an apparent attempt to erase what happened inside that apartment.For more than twenty years, her case lived in silence.Then, in 2023, new funding for Georgia cold cases reopened old evidence. Modern DNA testing produced a profile that led investigators to Edrick Lamont Faust. In 2024, Faust was arrested. In 2026, after a trial built largely on forensic science, he was convicted on all twelve counts.But this episode isn’t just about a verdict.It’s about what DNA can — and can’t — tell us.It’s about how cold cases move from evidence lockers to courtrooms decades later.It’s about reasonable doubt, secondary transfer, chain of custody, tunnel vision, and the quiet power of probability when everything else has faded.We walk through Tara’s life, the crime scene, the stalled investigation, the CODIS hit, the courtroom battles, and the defense’s unanswered questions — including the absence of eyewitnesses, fingerprints, surveillance, phone data, and any documented relationship between Tara and Faust.We also talk honestly about race, forensic certainty, and what it means for a Black defendant to stand trial for the murder of a young white woman in the South — especially when a case rests almost entirely on DNA.Faust was found guilty.But did the jury get it right?Or are we watching a justice system still learning how to handle science that arrives decades late?This is a story about grief and proof.About science and certainty.About what justice looks like when it finally shows up — and what it leaves behind.Because cold cases don’t just reopen files.They reopen wounds.And they force us to sit in the in between.If you like Mel's work, please support her by tipping: venmo: @melbarrettwrites You can now join the Something's Off 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 NewsLIGHT on Youtube or listen ad free at The In Between Investigator ClubIf you like Mel's work, please tip:Venmo: @melbarrettwrites (put NewsLIGHT in the description)CashApp: cash.app/$NewsLightJoin host Mel Barrett with special guests, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and producer, Maggie Freleng (Wrongful Convictions, Bone Valley Graves County, The Disappearance of Maura Murray), Broadway superstar and Podcast host, Ellyn Marsh (I Think Not!, STFU Nick Lachey), and Thomas, the guy who looks like he might vote a certain way, but surprise, he doesn't as they break down the Epstein Files and what's going on with the Save Act, which just passed the House and is on its' way to the Senate. What does the Save Act mean for YOUR voting rights?We'll discuss/debate it all and Mel's guest will share their wildest news stories of the week!

Mel is solo while Rebecca's still recovering, but don't pass up this big debate about Lana Oriani's (Truth and Transparency on YT) video positing that Michael Lank may have shown up to the scene at 34 Fairview with John O'Keefe's phone on his person. Let's discuss!Also, the Lucy Letby case, and Corri Hopkins' latest document drop. If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips 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 this episode of The In Between, Mel takes a deep, careful look at one of the most disturbing and contested criminal cases in modern British history: the conviction of neonatal nurse Lucy Letby.Between 2015 and 2016, a spike in infant deaths inside the neonatal unit at Countess of Chester Hospital led to a massive police investigation — and ultimately to Letby being convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder others. She is now serving multiple whole-life sentences.But this story doesn’t end with a verdict.In this episode, Mel walks through the trial evidence, the medical theories presented to the jury, Lucy Letby’s handwritten notes and diaries, and the appeals that followed. We also examine new developments — including a controversial Netflix documentary and a detailed briefing paper from sixteen senior medical and scientific experts who now say Letby may be the victim of a miscarriage of justice.They argue the case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, flawed statistical reasoning, and disputed medical interpretations — and that alternative explanations rooted in systemic hospital failure were ignored.So what happens when fragile newborns die inside an under-resourced unit?What happens when doctors raise alarms and administrators worry about reputation?What happens when grief meets criminal prosecution — and certainty arrives faster than science?This is not an episode about defending the indefensible.It’s about sitting in the gray.About how medicine collides with the justice system.About institutional silence, whistleblowers, and what gets lost when we turn human collapse into narrative certainty.And about Baby A — and the tiny lives caught inside a system that may have already been breaking.Listener discretion advised: this episode discusses infant death, neonatal medical emergencies, and institutional trauma.If you like Mel's work please hit up the tip jar!venmo: @melbarrettwritescashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTipsYou can now join the Something's Off 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 have A LOT to catch up on: Starting with the Norfolk County DA race, Karen Read's reply all, Kelsey Fitzsimmons motion to recuse the judge in her case, the super bowl, and a recap of Mel's bday celebrations, which were a little hindered because of a big New England blizzard!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 break down Michael Proctor lost his phone (AYFKM?) Who Danny Dasilva from the Lowell PD is and wtf is he doing with a 17 year-old? And have you heard about JMail? You have now. 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!

Mel and Rebecca break down the explosive news of the week: Matthew Farwell asks the judge to change the venue AND dismiss the case against him and the judge in Aidan Kearney's witness intimidation case suggest Cosgrove sub in another prosecutor if Lindsey Gaitani takes the stand. WTAF?PLUS menopausal injuries, lotsa tangents, and what's up with the journalism debate between Turtleboy and Sue O'connell? Oh and there's also the Epstein Files, Don Lemon, and Mel teases a new show about politics.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're doing a back episode this week since it's Groundhog Day! Pamela Smart has received a hearing date in late February 2026. We don't have news yet whether this will be an evidentiary hearing or just process, but Mel will keep you informed as the news comes out. Pam's attorneys feel confident that their arguments are solid and based in NH case law, so if the state of NH doesn't hear this case, it proves politics are at play once again when it comes to Pamela Smart.Stay tuned! It's going to be an interesting year!And if you like the work I do, please tip.TO LISTEN TO SEASON ONE, start here.Watch SOMETHING'S OFFJoin the Investigator Club for early and ad-free episode, bonus content, lives, and so much more!Episode Description:It's been a long road, but we're finally here. Pamela Smart's attorneys have filed 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.

If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips 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!

Within hours of Alex Pretti being killed by a federal officer in Minneapolis, the government decided who he was.They said he was a terrorist.They said he came to kill law enforcement.They said the case was clear.But the evidence tells a very different story.Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old ICU nurse, a licensed gun owner, and a U.S. citizen who was filming a federal immigration enforcement operation when things escalated. Video shows him holding a phone. Witnesses say he moved toward a woman who had been shoved to the ground. Seconds later, he was dead.In this episode of The In Between, Mel Barrett breaks down what actually happened — and what happened next: how senior officials in the Trump administration rushed to declare motive, intent, and guilt before the public had access to the evidence; how the right’s long-standing claims about guns, protests, and “intent” suddenly collapsed; and how a coordinated narrative blitz turned a witness into a threat.This is not just a story about a killing.It’s a story about how the state controls the narrative after lethal force — and why some lives are explained away instead of examined.Because once the public accepts the label, the questions stop.And that’s how accountability dies.If you like Mel's work, please tip her:venmo: @melbarrettwritesYou 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 and Rebecca welcome Karen Read Dramaturge, Jimmy aka Auntie Deb, to the show to dish on all things Read adjacent and pop culture. We had a blast with Jimmy, though he does show up late. 🤣 If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips 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 p

Mel and Rebecca discuss KAren Read updates, the Turtleboy movie, Aaron Spencer trial updates, police corruption and civil rights.If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTipsIf 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 podcasts0:00 Intro + Nightline/Other Updates11:20 David Yanetti + should Rebecca play poker? 25:05 Updates from the show with Maggie Freleng36:53 Karen Read updates/sidebar info 51:45 What’s up with paid commenters? 58:45 Aaron Spencer Case Info/Updates1:20:33 Police Corruption/Civil Rights Discussion1:27:16 Can we use all the bad to bring people together? 1:39:42 Discussion of politicized language/freedom of speech1:47:20 Dyson AirWrap…share the show… goodbye for now!

A new episode of Something's Off! Rebecca's back from her nude beach vacation and she's got some stories to tell!We also dive into the new release of Brian Higgins police interview and the inconsistencies we found there, Turtleboy/Young Jerks fundraiser drama, Plevin Lenihan's "bombshell," and of course, more sidebahs!This is the audio from the Something's Off YouTube presentation. If you want to watch the replay, stop by Something's Off and don't forget to engage, subscribe, and share. It helps the algorithm tremendously!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