Hands Tied

Lizz Melgar Rose went from being interested in true crime to living true crime. Back in 2012, Lizz’s world cracked in two when relatives find her mother locked in a closet, her hands and feet bound, and her Dad, Jim – murdered just a few feet away. Lizz was meant to continue a university    course inspired by her teenage fascination with violence and serial killers. But all that is put on hold as she tries to put the pieces together and figure out what happened to her parents – and who killed her Dad.Hands Tied is a new eight-part true crime podcast from iHeartPodcasts and BBC Studios.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A phone call that changes everything; something unimaginable has happened and Lizz needs to figure out how. In an instant, she goes from being interested in true crime to living it.  Award winning journalist and host Maggie Robinson Katz take you inside the police investigation that followed, inside the courtroom drama as a jury wrestles with who’s responsible for the shocking crime, and inside Lizz’s ongoing battle for answers and for justice. Because there is one thing Lizz is convinced of, the wrong person is in prison for her dad’s murder.   Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producer: Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill  Sound designer:  Tom Brignell Production support from  Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-WrightManaging Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina EverettExecutive Producer (BBC Studios): Joe Kent Hands Tied  is a BBC Studios Audio production for iHeartPodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sandy Melgar finds herself in a cramped interview room being questioned by cops, but is she there as a witness or a suspect?  Just hours after her husband was found murdered and she was found shut in a cupboard,  her arms tied behind her back, Santy agrees to a police interview. She tells detectives she’s not well and that she can’t remember what happened. They want her to take a lie detector test.    Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producer: Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill  Sound designer:  Tom Brignell Production support from  Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-WrightManaging Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina EverettExecutive Producer (BBC Studios): Joe Kent Hands Tied  is a BBC Studios Audio production for iHeartPodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sandy is back home, but her home is now a crime scene besieged by journalists. Friends rally around her, Lizz flies in to be with her and the police continue to suspect her.    Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producer: Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill  Sound designer:  Tom Brignell Production support from  Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-WrightManaging Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina EverettExecutive Producer (BBC Studios): Joe Kent Hands Tied  is a BBC Studios Audio production for iHeartPodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lizz knows her best chance of convincing the cops her mum didn’t kill her dad is to find out who did. So she starts investigating.   Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producer: Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill  Sound designer:  Tom Brignell Production support from  Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-WrightManaging Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina EverettExecutive Producer (BBC Studios): Joe Kent Hands Tied  is a BBC Studios Audio production for iHeartPodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lizz has entered what feels like a parallel universe. Her mom is no longer Sandy Melgar,  or Nana, but The Defendant - accused of first-degree murder. As the wheels of justice slowly grind  on, they prepare for trial.    Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producer: Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill  Sound designer:  Tom Brignell Production support from  Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-WrightManaging Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina EverettExecutive Producer (BBC Studios): Joe Kent Hands Tied  is a BBC Studios Audio production for iHeartPodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A woman found tied up in a closet, her hands tied behind her back, the door jammed shut from the outside. Now, she’s on trial for stabbing her husband, without a motive.   Nearly five years after Jim Melgar’s death, Sandy Melgar is in court, accused of his murder.   Host: Maggie Robinson KatzProducer: Maggie LathamScript consultant: Emma Weatherill Sound designer:  Tom BrignellProduction support from:  Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-WrightManaging Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina EverettExecutive Producer (BBC Studios): Joe Kent Hands Tied is a BBC Studios Audio production for iHeartPodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The jury has reached a verdict in the murder trial of Sandra Jean Melgar, but it’s not over yet. Host: Maggie Robinson KatzProducer: Maggie LathamScript consultant: Emma Weatherill Sound designer: Tom BrignellProduction support from: Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-WrightManaging Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina EverettExecutive Producer (BBC Studios): Joe Kent Hands Tied is a BBC Studios Audio production for iHeartPodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been thirteen years since the murder of Lizz's father and she no longer recognizes the person she has become. But she hasn't given up, and is still fighting for justice every single day.  Her spirit, her father's and those of her ancestors give her the strength to keep going, because this story isn’t over.  Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producers: Maggie Robinson Katz and Maggie  Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill   Music research by Aisha Antwi Sound designer: Tom Brignell Production support from: Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-Wright Managing Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina Everett Executive Producer (BBC Studios): Joe Kent Hands Tied is a BBC Studios production for iHeartPodcasts At iHeart podcasts: David Wasserman is the Brand Marketing Manager and  Ally Cantor-Graber is the director of marketing  At BBC Studios Audio: Micahel Fadda is the editorial standards advisor   Ella Squire is  Podcast Marketing Manager  Lucy Matthias is Commercial Lead  Helen Penbury is the  Commercial & Business Development Director  James Cooke is the creative director of Factual for Audio  Richard Knight is the Director of Audio See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.