Episode 559: The Murder of Timothy Coggins

Over a half-century after the civil rights movement sought justice for African Americans, prominent movements such as Black Lives Matter continue fighting to expose and resist injustice. In this social landscape, Bryan Stevenson’s message is timely: The US justice system consistently denies justice to society’s most vulnerable members.

In his 2014 book, Just Mercy, Stevenson examines the justice system’s pervasive failures toward marginalized populations, especially Black Americans. To illustrate these failures, Stevenson discusses numerous criminal cases, most prominently the 1989 case of Walter McMillian, a Black man wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Alabama.

In this guide, we’ll discuss Stevenson’s analysis of the McMillian case and his evidence of extreme punishments doled out more broadly by the justice system. Moreover, we’ll consider Stevenson’s diagnosis of the root problems with the American conception of justice and his suggestions for repairing it. We’ll also examine arguments from other sources about how to improve the justice system and provide further context for the cases that Stevenson cites.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI is about the Osage Reign of Terror—the 1920s organized killings of members of the oil-rich Osage Indians. Powerful and bigoted whites systematically exploited and murdered the Osage people to expropriate their wealth, showing us the horrors that result when racism and greed align. The murders were also a major catalyst for the growth of the FBI, and the triumph of its rational and scientific vision of law enforcement—and a shift away from the era of frontier justice, corrupt and incompetent local sheriffs, and rogue “lawmen.”

Dive into the gripping world of true crime with Bailey Sarian in "Murder, Mystery & Makeup," where makeup artistry meets bone-chilling narratives. In this compelling episode, Sarian illuminates the haunting case of Lonnie Franklin Jr., also known as the Grim Sleeper, who evaded justice for decades despite the turmoil sown by his heinous acts. As Bailey shifts her content to a biweekly Monday release, she beckons her audience to join her in exploring darker histories, embedding her personal reflections within the grim recounting of Franklin's reign of terror.

Bailey Sarian's storytelling is as intricate as it is impactful, drawing attention to the societal backdrop of 1970s and 80s Los Angeles that incubated such brutality. She articulates the systemic failures and police negligence that allowed the Grim Sleeper to cast a long, dark shadow over a city already grappling with the crisis of crack cocaine and economic decline. Through Sarian's narration, escapees' harrowing tales merge with community advocacy, culminating in the eventual conviction of Franklin. But with many questions left unanswered and untold victims yet unrecognized, Sarian closes reflectively, urging us to stay vigilant, while paying homage to those scarred by these tragedies.

Over a half-century after the civil rights movement sought justice for African Americans, prominent movements such as Black Lives Matter continue fighting to expose and resist injustice. In this social landscape, Bryan Stevenson’s message is timely: The US justice system consistently denies justice to society’s most vulnerable members.

In his 2014 book, Just Mercy, Stevenson examines the justice system’s pervasive failures toward marginalized populations, especially Black Americans. To illustrate these failures, Stevenson discusses numerous criminal cases, most prominently the 1989 case of Walter McMillian, a Black man wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Alabama.

In this guide, we’ll discuss Stevenson’s analysis of the McMillian case and his evidence of extreme punishments doled out more broadly by the justice system. Moreover, we’ll consider Stevenson’s diagnosis of the root problems with the American conception of justice and his suggestions for repairing it. We’ll also examine arguments from other sources about how to improve the justice system and provide further context for the cases that Stevenson cites.

Dive into the gripping world of true crime with Bailey Sarian in "Murder, Mystery & Makeup," where makeup artistry meets bone-chilling narratives. In this compelling episode, Sarian illuminates the haunting case of Lonnie Franklin Jr., also known as the Grim Sleeper, who evaded justice for decades despite the turmoil sown by his heinous acts. As Bailey shifts her content to a biweekly Monday release, she beckons her audience to join her in exploring darker histories, embedding her personal reflections within the grim recounting of Franklin's reign of terror.

Bailey Sarian's storytelling is as intricate as it is impactful, drawing attention to the societal backdrop of 1970s and 80s Los Angeles that incubated such brutality. She articulates the systemic failures and police negligence that allowed the Grim Sleeper to cast a long, dark shadow over a city already grappling with the crisis of crack cocaine and economic decline. Through Sarian's narration, escapees' harrowing tales merge with community advocacy, culminating in the eventual conviction of Franklin. But with many questions left unanswered and untold victims yet unrecognized, Sarian closes reflectively, urging us to stay vigilant, while paying homage to those scarred by these tragedies.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI is about the Osage Reign of Terror—the 1920s organized killings of members of the oil-rich Osage Indians. Powerful and bigoted whites systematically exploited and murdered the Osage people to expropriate their wealth, showing us the horrors that result when racism and greed align. The murders were also a major catalyst for the growth of the FBI, and the triumph of its rational and scientific vision of law enforcement—and a shift away from the era of frontier justice, corrupt and incompetent local sheriffs, and rogue “lawmen.”