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Podcast: Wrongful Conviction Podcasts
Episode: #442 Maggie Freleng with Amer Zada
Description: In the early morning hours of June 15, 1979, 17-year-old Amer Zada’s truck stalled out near the waterfront in Nyack, NY. While he waited for a ride, Amer discovered the body of Shirley Smith behind a dumpster in a restaurant parking lot. Minutes later, police arrived on the scene. Amer was thrown into the cruiser, arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. Evidence proving his innocence was never turned over to his trial attorney. “I guess the first time the reality of my situation hit me was the day of my sentencing, when they gave me 25 to life,” Amer remembe...