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Confession

A sheriff hat and badge on a cream-colored background that includes a document from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Just Say You’re Sorry May 1, 2023
In a Texas Cold Case, a Potential Murder Witness Slowly Realizes He’s a Suspect
In ‘Just Say You’re Sorry,’ a new Marshall Project podcast, we meet a famed Texas Ranger and a prisoner who says he was railroaded.
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A podcast logo set atop a tan and black background. In the logo, a tan cowboy hat with a Texas Ranger badge floats in front of prison bars. Above, in all caps: "Smoke Screen" and "Just say you're sorry." Below, branding for Sony Music and The Marshall Project.
Just Say You’re Sorry April 26, 2023
‘Just Say You’re Sorry’: Podcast Dissects Famed Texas Ranger’s Controversial Tactics
Our six-part podcast asks if Texas’ “serial killer whisperer” ensnared an innocent man through tactics like lying and hypnosis.
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Violation March 29, 2023
‘Bad Seed’: Two Generations, Two Terrible Crimes
Part Two of the “Violation” podcast explores whether violence runs in families and what should happen to kids who commit murder.
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Melissa Lucio, who has long brown hair and is wearing a white prison uniform, sits behind glass at a prison.
Death Sentences February 24, 2022
How Melissa Lucio Went From Abuse Survivor to Death Row
Why some trauma victims are more likely to take responsibility for crimes, even when they may be innocent.
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Feature January 18, 2022
Anatomy of a Murder Confession
Texas Ranger James Holland became famous for cajoling killers into confessing to their crimes. But did some of his methods — from lying to suspects to having witnesses hypnotized — ensnare innocent people, too?
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Hundreds of students and community members came out for a vigil held for the Barnard College freshman Tessa Majors, who was stabbed to death in New York City’s Morningside Park.
Analysis December 13, 2019
What Have We Learned Since the Central Park Jogger Case?
An eerily similar crime in New York this week will test public attitudes about juvenile justice.
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Case in Point November 13, 2017
Confess, or “They’ll Fucking Give You the Needle.”
An idle threat, but the teenage suspect confessed.
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Commentary June 12, 2016
For 50 Years, You’ve Had “The Right to Remain Silent”
So why do so many suspects confess to crimes they didn’t commit?
By Samuel Gross and Maurice Possley
Life Inside June 2, 2016
The Bogus Murder Confession That Changed How I Investigate Family Violence
A prosecutor on the case he’ll never forget.
By Staley Heatly
News September 4, 2015
A Phone Call From Jail? Better Watch What You Say
A confession, a threat—it’s probably taped. And admissible.
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