#459 Jason Flom with Melissa Calusinski

On January 14, 2009, sixteen-month-old Benjamin Kingan died after being in daycare at a suburb outside of Chicago, IL. Despite no physical signs of abuse or injury, police took 22-year-old Melissa Calusinski, an employee at the daycare, in for extensive questioning. Melissa repeatedly told officers she had nothing to do with the baby’s death, but after nine hours of interrogation, she falsely confessed to throwing the baby on the ground. The state relied on the later disproven theory that Benjamin died from a skull fracture, junk science testimony from medical professionals, and Melissa’s false confession to sentence her to 31 years in prison for first-degree murder. Write your letters of support for Melissa’s clemency petition to IL Governor Pritzker and send to: [email protected] Letters are due by 7/8/2024 https://www.kathleentzellner.com/melissa-calusinski https://www.facebook.com/groups/740709216037007/ We started the Wrongful Conviction podcast to provide a voice to innocent people in prison. We want to hear your voices, too.So call us at 833-207-4666 and leave us a message.Tell us how these powerful, often tragic and sometimes triumphant, stories make you feel.  Shocked?Inspired?  Motivated?We want to know! We may even include your story in a future episode.And hey, the more of you that join in, the more power our collective voices will have.So tell a friend to listen and to call us too at 833-207-4666 Wrongful Conviction  is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. ​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.