Tag: wrongful conviction

Appealcast – First Circuit Decision Extravaganza, Pt. 2

Heather3 Comments

Heather and Tom Frizzell further discuss the July 31, 2020 First Circuit Court decision to overturn Dzhokhar "Jahar" Tsarnaev's death sentence. In this episode, we talk about the remainder of the appellate rulings and the significance of the "smaller" issues, including the far-reaching consequences of anti-Muslim bias, new case details revealed by the decision, and the vacation of three of Jahar's convictions in the guilt phase. We also discuss the political reaction to the decision, next steps for the appeal, and what you can do to help.

Appealcast – First Circuit Decision Extravaganza, Pt. 1

Heather9 Comments

Heather and Tom Frizzell discuss the July 31, 2020 First Circuit Court decision to overturn Dzhokhar "Jahar" Tsarnaev's death sentence. We talk about the issues the defense won on, as well as the four biggest takeaways from the decision.

Orientalism, Islamophobia, and the Tsarnaev Case, Part 3: The Micro, Continued

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In this final podcast installment, Heather wraps up her discussion of the "micro": how the mainstream media coverage of Jahar's case fanned the flames of misinformation, which aided prosecutors in their bid to sentence him to death in 2015.

Orientalism, Islamophobia, and the Tsarnaev Case; or, What I Learned in Grad School, Part 2: The Micro

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Heather dives into her process for writing her thesis, the hospital confession notes, prejudiced FBI protocols, the dubious nature of the High Value Detainee Interrogation Group, how the politics of policing Jahar relates to Guantanamo, and just how far the devastating effects of Orientalism reach.

Regimes of Truth: Why Everything “Known” About the Boston Marathon Bombing is Wrong

Heather4 Comments

An exhaustive new report, submitted by Heather Frizzell for her master's thesis at the University of Washington, explores the ways in which law enforcement, the mainstream media, and federal prosecutors manufactured prejudicial myths against Muslims in general and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in particular.

The Unusual Suspects, Part 2: Viskhan Vakhabov, the Phone Man

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A phone call to Tamerlan Tsarnaev's friend two hours before the murder of Sean Collier changed everything I knew about the Boston Marathon bombing. So why did the government protect him?

Appealcast – Updates in Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s Appeal

Heather7 Comments

Heather and Tom dive into developments in Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's appeal. In a July 2018 filing by appellate counsel, his lawyers have forecasted some of the many arguments they intend to make on appeal, which may be filed this November. We discuss venue changes; negative pre-trial publicity at the hands of a recently suspended Boston Globe journalist, Kevin Cullen; death-qualified juries; forced confessions; the discovery that prosecutors used secret ex parte filings to suppress information about Tamerlan Tsarnaev's potential involvement in a 2011 triple murder, and more.