Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,920
What if I told you there's a way to plead in courts that's neither guilty nor not guilty?
2
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:22,000
A plea born from fear, legal strategy, and one man's fight to avoid the ultimate punishment.
3
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,560
It's called the offered plea, and it's as gray as the justice system gets.
4
00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:33,160
Today we're diving into its origins, starting with a heated argument at a party in 1970 that
5
00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:37,160
left one man dead and another facing the death penalty.
6
00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:41,600
We'll follow how this case climbed all the way to the US Supreme Court and went on to
7
00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:45,960
impact cases like the Westman Fist III and Michael Peterson.
8
00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:50,560
This is a story about how the legal system found middle ground, one that still sparks
9
00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:53,360
debate about justice, fear, and compromise.
10
00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:58,320
But before I get into that story, if you like your true crime, brief, and bingeable, you
11
00:00:58,320 --> 00:00:59,840
found the right podcast.
12
00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:04,800
I give you at least two episodes per week, so hit the follow button now and welcome to
13
00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,280
10 Minute Murder.
14
00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:19,640
When a case heads to courts, the script usually follows one of two familiar paths.
15
00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:24,680
First, the defendant might plead guilty, which speeds things up by skipping straight to the
16
00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:30,120
sentencing phase, like the express lane at the grocery store, excepts instead of groceries
17
00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:32,000
its consequences.
18
00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:37,320
Second, they might plead not guilty, which sets off a court room showdown.
19
00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:39,360
And here's how that typically plays out.
20
00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:44,120
The prosecution meticulously assembles their case, piling up evidence like the building
21
00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:49,520
a jingotower, hoping it's sturdy enough to convince the court beyond a reasonable bout.
22
00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:53,560
Meanwhile, the defense gets their shot to argue their side of things, presenting evidence
23
00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:58,080
and cross examining witnesses to prove their client is not guilty.
24
00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:03,000
This legal tug of war continues into a judge or jury decides the defendant's fate, guilty
25
00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,800
or not guilty, end of story.
26
00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:06,800
Or is it?
27
00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:12,960
What most people don't realize is that in many states across the US, there's a third option.
28
00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:17,200
It's an increasingly popular plea, and it's shaking up the traditional guilty versus
29
00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,680
not guilty dichotomy and fascinating ways.
30
00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:24,880
Enter the Alfred plea, the legal system's middle child.
31
00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:30,320
Unlike the straightforward guilty or not guilty pleas, the Alfred plea parks itself right
32
00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:32,160
in the grey zone.
33
00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:36,680
When a defendant enters this plea, they're essentially saying, "I didn't do it, but
34
00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:41,040
I can see how your stack of evidence might make a jury think otherwise."
35
00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:46,600
It's a strategic nod to the prosecution's case without fully waving the white flag.
36
00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:51,520
In plain terms, the defendant is declaring, "Hey, I'm not guilty, but let's be real.
37
00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:55,520
If this goes to trial, the jury's going to slam me with a conviction and probably a punishment
38
00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,040
that might make me regret everything."
39
00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:04,680
Court houses are supposed to be bastions of clarity, innocent or guilty, black or white.
40
00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:09,680
Yet the Alfred plea introduces a murky shade of grey, which begs the question, "Why would
41
00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,200
anyone willingly step into such a nebulous space?"
42
00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,800
To understand the Alfred plea, you've got to rewind to its origin story.
43
00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:23,080
Starring Henry Alfred, a man who found himself neck deep in legal trouble back in 1970.
44
00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:25,080
Here's the setup.
45
00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:30,600
Witnesses spotted Henry and his girlfriend at a lively party, and Nathaniel Young's house.
46
00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:32,840
The good vibes didn't last.
47
00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:37,800
Henry and Nathaniel got into an argument that escalated fast, like "Get everyone out
48
00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:39,680
of the splash zone fast."
49
00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,160
Fortunately, Henry left before it turned physical.
50
00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,400
Not long after Henry walked out, there was a knock at the door.
51
00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,840
Nathaniel answered it and was promptly shot dead.
52
00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:54,240
No one inside saw who pulled the trigger, but almost everyone at the party remembered
53
00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,600
an earlier fireworks between him and Henry.
54
00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:02,680
With Henry's track record, complete with a previous conviction for murder and armed robbery,
55
00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,720
it didn't take long for him to become suspect number one.
56
00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,880
He was arrested and his case was sent to trial.
57
00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:10,920
Henry was in a tight spot.
58
00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:15,600
If the jury convicted him on first degree murder, he could be sentenced to death.
59
00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:17,600
But there was a lifeline.
60
00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:22,240
Plead guilty to a lesser charge, and he'd avoid the death penalty, likely getting life in
61
00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:23,640
prison instead.
62
00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:25,760
On paper, it sounded simple.
63
00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:30,160
Confess and save your neck, or gamble on a jury and risk it all.
64
00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:34,120
Henry maintained his innocence, but knew the odds were stacked against him.
65
00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:38,720
Witnesses could place him at the scene, arguing with Nathaniel before the murder.
66
00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:40,680
It wasn't a flattering look.
67
00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:45,480
Understanding he had little chance of convincing a jury otherwise, Henry pleaded guilty to second
68
00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:48,920
degree murder, earning a 30-year sentence.
69
00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,080
But Henry wasn't ready to throw in the towel.
70
00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:57,280
Almost immediately, he filed for a new trial, arguing that the plea wasn't genuine.
71
00:04:57,280 --> 00:05:02,440
He claimed he'd only confessed out of fear, specifically fear of being executed.
72
00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:06,800
As bluntly as he put it in his appeal, quote, "I just pleaded guilty because they said
73
00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,960
if I didn't, they would gas me for it."
74
00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:15,040
Henry's kicked off a year's long legal debate about the validity of his plea.
75
00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:20,280
Lower courts upheld the original conviction, but eventually Henry's case climbed the judicial
76
00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:21,280
ladder.
77
00:05:21,280 --> 00:05:23,120
That's a hard word to say, judicial.
78
00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:27,760
Henry's case it climbed the judicial ladder all the way to the US court of appeals for
79
00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:29,360
the fourth circuit court.
80
00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,880
And that's where things got interesting.
81
00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:38,880
Henry Alfred's case took a pivotal turn when the courts acknowledged a critical detail.
82
00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:43,280
His guilty plea wasn't driven by confession, but fear.
83
00:05:43,280 --> 00:05:48,600
He had pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty, not because he admitted to the crime.
84
00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:52,000
This revelation propelled his case to the US Supreme Court.
85
00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:57,160
The Supreme Court found that Henry's legal team had acted in his best interest by advising
86
00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:58,800
him to plead guilty.
87
00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:03,880
It had saved him from the death penalty, earned him a reduced 30-year prison sentence, and
88
00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:07,040
downgraded his charge to second degree murder.
89
00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:12,200
If Henry had indeed committed the crime, this was a tactical win for his defense.
90
00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:17,140
But if he was innocent, as he claimed, this was a no-win scenario.
91
00:06:17,140 --> 00:06:21,000
He had been too frightened to properly defend himself.
92
00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:25,800
Wain the evidence, the Supreme Court concluded that a jury would likely have found Henry guilty.
93
00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:29,940
However, they also recognized the genuine fear that it skewed his ability to fight the
94
00:06:29,940 --> 00:06:31,140
charges.
95
00:06:31,140 --> 00:06:32,340
The solution?
96
00:06:32,340 --> 00:06:33,640
A new plea.
97
00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:38,500
The defendant could acknowledge the strength of the prosecution's evidence while maintaining
98
00:06:38,500 --> 00:06:40,280
their own innocence.
99
00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:46,160
Thus, the Alfred plea was born, a nuanced legal gray option that forever altered the
100
00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:47,800
justice system.
101
00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:53,400
By 2000, the Alfred plea had become a significant if controversial feature of the American justice
102
00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:54,720
system.
103
00:06:54,720 --> 00:07:01,840
Around 17% of state inmates and 5% of federal inmates had entered an Alfred plea, highlighting
104
00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:06,560
its utility and navigating the murky waters between guilt and innocence.
105
00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:11,520
Its impact became even more apparent in a series of high-profile cases that brought this
106
00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:13,640
plea to the public eye.
107
00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:20,240
One of the most famous instances involves the West Memphis 3, Damian Eccles, Jason Baldwin,
108
00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:21,960
and Jesse Miskelli.
109
00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:26,720
In 1994, as teenagers, they were convicted of the horrific murders of three young boys
110
00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:28,640
in West Memphis, Arkansas.
111
00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:34,080
Their trial was a media circus, with prosecutors leaning heavily on tenuous evidence and
112
00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:36,880
the then-popular Satanic Panic Narrative.
113
00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:42,360
Baldwin and Miskelli received life sentences while Eccles, the perceived ringleader, was
114
00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:43,840
sentenced to death.
115
00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:48,600
For years, advocates, legal experts, and celebrities rallied around their case, pointing
116
00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:53,960
to a lack of credible evidence and a coercive police tactic used during the interrogations.
117
00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:59,400
Finally, after nearly two decades in prison, new DNA evidence emerged that cast serious
118
00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:00,840
doubt on their guilt.
119
00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:06,320
However, rather than reopen a painful and contentious trial, the trio faced a difficult
120
00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:07,720
choice.
121
00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:13,480
Remain incarcerated while battling for complete exoneration, or accepted Alfred plea, they
122
00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:19,000
chose the latter, acknowledging the prosecution's strong circumstantial evidence while maintaining
123
00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:20,520
their innocence.
124
00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:27,320
In 2011, they were resinnanced to time served and released, though their plea left the convictions
125
00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:28,720
technically intact.
126
00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:34,240
It was a bittersweet victory, freedom achieved, but without full vindication.
127
00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:39,880
Another notable example is Michael Peterson, the subject of the documentary The Staircase,
128
00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:44,200
which detailed his long, winding journey through the justice system.
129
00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:50,320
In 2003, Peterson was convicted of first-degree murder for allegedly killing his wife, Kathleen,
130
00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,040
by pushing her down a flight of stairs in their North Carolina home.
131
00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:59,200
The trial became one of the longest in state history, marked by dramatic twists, including
132
00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:05,080
a prosecution theory involving a blowpoke as the murder weapon, and an odd tangent about
133
00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:10,680
a suspicious death years earlier involving another woman connected to Peterson.
134
00:09:10,680 --> 00:09:16,240
Peterson was sentenced to life in prison without parole, but his case didn't end there.
135
00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:22,200
After eight years behind bars, a judge granted him a new trial, citing issues with the key prosecution
136
00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:23,200
witness.
137
00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:27,360
Yet by this point, Peterson had seen the power of the evidence against him enough to sway
138
00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:29,400
a jury once before.
139
00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:34,160
Facing the prospect of another lengthy trial and the potential for another life sentence,
140
00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:37,600
he opted for an offered plea in 2017.
141
00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:42,880
By pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter while maintaining his innocence, Peterson was
142
00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:45,880
resinnanced to time served and released.
143
00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:51,180
His case remains a lightning rod for debates about justice, guilt, and the role of the offered
144
00:09:51,180 --> 00:09:52,540
plea.
145
00:09:52,540 --> 00:09:57,200
Both of these cases underscore the offered plea's unique position in the justice system.
146
00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:02,120
For defendants, it can be a strategic escape from harsher penalties, offering a way out
147
00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:04,640
without an outright confession.
148
00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:10,120
For critics, it's a troubling compromise, allowing the state to preserve convictions in the face
149
00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:12,120
of significant doubt.
150
00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:16,640
Whatever your perspective, the offered plea continues to shape how justice is navigated
151
00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:28,600
in high stakes and high profile cases.
152
00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:34,120
That is 10 Minute Murder for Today, Brief and Bingeable True Crime.
153
00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:39,760
I'm Joe, I'm the host, and thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode.
154
00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:43,840
If you are a brand new listener, make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening
155
00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,840
to this podcast right now and follow on social media.
156
00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:49,720
If you're no G-Listener, I love you with my whole heart.
157
00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:53,760
Be sure to keep doing what you're doing, sharing the podcast with your friends and family.
158
00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:59,280
And if you've got a case suggestion, you can email it to me, joe@10minutemurder.com.
159
00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:04,080
And I'm a little bit surprised, unless I've missed one over the years, I've never seen
160
00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:07,200
speaking of Michael Peterson, who I mentioned in this episode.
161
00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:10,240
I've never seen a request for me to cover that episode.
162
00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:11,560
I might do it anyway.
163
00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:17,000
And if you have suggested that case, and I just missed it or don't remember my apologies,
164
00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:18,400
but I'm going to do it.
165
00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:23,280
At some point, no promises on exactly when, but it wasn't until doing my research for this
166
00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:25,200
case that I was like, you know what?
167
00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:27,080
I haven't covered that case before.
168
00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:28,720
And it would be an interesting one to do.
169
00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,720
So Michael Peterson coming up on 10 Minute Murder at some time in the future.
170
00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:34,720
Probably.
171
00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:36,080
Alright, that's going to do it.
172
00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:37,800
That is your episode for today.
173
00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,720
Thank you so much for listening to 10 Minute Murder.
