Public Defenseless

• 346 | The Revival of Public Defense in Santa Cruz County California w/Heather Rogers and Caitlin Becker

  Today, Hunter spoke with Heather Rogers and Caitlin Becker of the Santa Cruz County Public Defenders. In 2020, the Sixth Amendment Center put together a report detailing the severe issues with how Santa Cruz County provided Public Defense. At the time, a law firm was working a flat rate fee contract to provide public defender services in the county. As is expected, that system was deeply flawed and couldn’t meet the demands of the Sixth Amendment. Fast forward five years, Heather, Caitlin, and the team at the Santa Cruz County Public Defender has transformed the office into a comprehensive holistic defender program. How did that happen? What are the benefits of this model? All those questions and more on today’s episode!   Guest Heather Rogers, The Public Defender, Santa Cruz County, California Caitlin Becker, Director of Holistic Defense, Santa Cruz County, California   Resources:   Read the 6AC Report Here https://6ac.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6AC_ca_santacruzcountyreport_2020.pdf Contact Santa Cruz County Public Defenders Here https://www.santacruzdefenders.us/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-rogers-3525b4242/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvUi9TWRyNIOvEwgHN87KA https://www.facebook.com/CruzDefenders# https://www.instagram.com/cruzdefender/ https://x.com/cruzdefender     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home     Guest Heather Rogers, The Public Defender, Santa Cruz County, California Caitlin Becker, Director of Holistic Defense, Santa Cruz County, California   Resources:   Read the 6AC Report Here https://6ac.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6AC_ca_santacruzcountyreport_2020.pdf Contact Santa Cruz County Public Defenders Here https://www.santacruzdefenders.us/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-rogers-3525b4242/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvUi9TWRyNIOvEwgHN87KA https://www.facebook.com/CruzDefenders# https://www.instagram.com/cruzdefender/ https://x.com/cruzdefender     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

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• 345 | Will Governor Jeff Landry's Push to Execute More People get an Innocent Man Killed? w/Piper French

  Today, Hunter spoke with journalist Piper French about the wrongful conviction of Jimmie “Chris” Duncan. In 1998, Duncan was convicted of murdering his girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter. Originally, Duncan was charged with negligent homicide as it appeared his story, that he stepped away for a few minutes while the child took a bath and then she fell and drowned, was accurate. However, the notorious peddler of the junk science bite mark “evidence,” Dr. Michael West, conducted a dubious autopsy where he pressed a mould of Duncan’s teeth into the body of the girl. With this dubious autopsy and the help of a jail house snitch, the state convicted Duncan of capital murder. Since then, Duncan has been fighting to prove his innocence, but with Governor Jeff Landry’s drive to increase the number of executions in the Louisiana, Duncan might never get the chance.     Guest Piper French, Part Time Staff Writer at Bolt Magazine, Freelance Journalist   Resources: Read the Article Here https://boltsmag.org/the-human-cost-of-jeff-landrys-drive-to-resume-executions/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/louisiana-execution-bolts-chris-duncan-jeff-landry-death-row-capital-punishment/  Read more by Piper Here https://www.psfrench.com/ Contact Piper [email protected] https://x.com/pipersfrench https://bsky.app/profile/psfrench.bsky.social Read more About Duncan’s Case Here https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-an-innocent-man-jimmie-chris-duncan/ https://www.propublica.org/article/louisiana-jimmie-duncan-bite-mark-analysis-death-row-junk-science   Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

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• 344 | When Public Defenders Support Community Organizing, Community will Organize to Support Public Defense w/Heather Lewis

  Today, Hunter sat down with Heather Lewis a participatory defense organizer and the Executive Director of the Reuniting Family Bail Fund. Unlike many places where participatory defense hubs have been set up, Montgomery County Public Defenders welcomed participatory defense with open arms. Today, we will see the benefit of having an activated community when policy makers retaliate against public defenders.   Guest Heather Lewis, Reuniting Family Bail Fund, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania   Resources:   Reuniting Family Bail Fund Websites and Socials https://bailfundmontco.org/ https://www.youtube.com/@reunitingfamilybailfund https://www.instagram.com/familybailfund/ https://x.com/familybailfund https://www.facebook.com/reunitingfamilybailfund Coverage of Retaliation Against Montgomery County Public Defenders https://www.inquirer.com/news/montgomery-county-public-defenders-fired-lawsuit-keisha-hudson-dean-beer-20200318.html#:~:text=Fired%20public%20defenders%20sue%2C%20alleging%20Montgomery%20County%20retaliated%20for%20bail%20practice%20criticism. https://www.inquirer.com/news/montgomery-county-public-defenders-commissioners-protest-dean-beer-keisha-hudson-20200305.html https://theappeal.org/pennsylvania-public-defenders-not-reinstated-despite-public-outcry-over-firing/#:~:text=Montgomery%20County%20Chief%20Public%20Defender,Photo%20courtesy%20of%20ACLU%20Pennsylvania. https://www.aclupa.org/en/press-releases/aclu-pa-statement-response-dismissal-montgomery-county-chief-and-deputy-public     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

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• 343 | How the Neglect and Indifference of the Jefferson County Jail Killed a 76 Year Old Man Suffering from Parkinson's and Dementia w/Darold Killmer and Maddie Lips

  Today, Hunter sat down with Civil Rights lawyers Darold Killmer and Maddie Lips to discuss a tragic case. James Purdy, a 76 year old man with dementia and Parkinson’s, was arrested after a women alleged he attempted to kidnap her. When he was arrested, Purdy incredibly frail condition was obvious and his family insisted he be kept on his essential medication. Unfortunately, the Jefferson Count Jail staff did not comply with this request. Over his multi-week pretrial incarceration, Purdy was recorded falling around 100 times, and ultimately, these falls left him with injuries that would lead to his death.   Guest Darold Killmer, Partner, Killmer Lane Civil Rights Litigation, Denver, CO Maddie Lips, Associate, Killmer Lane Civil Rights Litigation, Denver, CO   Resources:   Contact Killmer Lane https://killmerlane.com/ Contact Darold and Maddie [email protected] [email protected]   Read More About James Purdy’s Case https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/family-of-man-with-dementia-files-federal-lawsuit-after-his-2023-death-in-jefferson-county-jail https://www.9news.com/article/news/investigations/9news-investigates-arrest-death-jim-purdy/73-091a289f-4dbe-47cb-99a6-10ba61a141b0     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

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• 342 | What was Revealed about the Death Penalty When a Man on Death Row Volunteered to be Executed? w/Gianna Toboni

  Today, Hunter spoke with Emmy Award winning documentarian and investigative journalist, Gianna Toboni to discuss her new book The Volunteer: The Failure of the Death Penalty and One Inmate’s Quest to Die with Dignity. In this book, Gianna tells the story of Scott Dozier. He was on death row in Nevada for two separate homicide convictions, but despite him volunteering to be executed, forces both inside and outside of the prison prevented the state from executing him. Ultimately, Dozier took his own life after a few weeks on a mental health, solitary confinement hold. How did this all happen and what can we learn about the death penalty in America? All those questions and more in today’s episode.   Guest Gianna Toboni, Documentarian, Investigative Journalist, Author of The Volunteer   Resources:   Pick up a Copy of the Book Here https://www.simonandschuster.biz/search/books/Author-Gianna-Toboni/Category-Law/_/N-1z0v8eyZh3kZm2st/Ne-pgt?options[sort]=BOOK_ORDER%7C0%7C%7CTITLE%7C0 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-volunteer-gianna-toboni/1145681921 Follow Gianna On Socials https://bsky.app/profile/giannatoboni.bsky.social https://www.instagram.com/giannatoboni/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianna-toboni-970174272/ https://x.com/GiannaToboni?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Gianna’s Work at Vice (Including Interview’s with Dozier) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw613M86o5o6ig6LRdAL5W_w7w1k_UeQ5     Contact Hunter Parnell:                                 [email protected]  Instagram @PublicDefenselessPodcast Twitter                                                                 @PDefenselessPod www.publicdefenseless.com  Subscribe to the Patron www.patreon.com/PublicDefenselessPodcast  Donate on PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=5KW7WMJWEXTAJ Donate on Stripe https://donate.stripe.com/7sI01tb2v3dwaM8cMN Trying to find a specific part of an episode? Use this link to search transcripts of every episode of the show! https://app.reduct.video/o/eca54fbf9f/p/d543070e6a/share/c34e85194394723d4131/home  

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