REIGN OF INJUSTICE (PT 1): THE CAL HARRIS MURDER TRIAL- MY INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR & DEFENSE INVESTIGATOR DAVID BEERS

From 1001 True Crime Stories · 01:01:53

Show by Host Jon Hagadorn

REIGN OF INJUSTICE – PART ONE MY INTERVIEW WITH DEFENSE INVESTIGATOR & AUTHOR DAVID M. BEERS 1001 True Crime Stories What happens when the people charged with finding the truth become convinced they already know the answer? This week on 1001 True Crime Stories, we begin an extraordinary two-part interview with David M. Beers, author of REIGN OF INJUSTICE: THE CAL HARRIS STORY. This interview came to me through a close friend in New York who knew David Beers well in high school and strongly recommended that I speak with him about his book. I took his advice. What followed was a jaw-dropping conversation and one of those true-crime stories that becomes more remarkable the deeper you get into it. On September 12, 2001, Michele Harris disappeared from her small town in upstate New York. She has never been found. Four years after her disappearance, her husband, Cal Harris, was arrested and charged with her murder. There was no body and no murder weapon. Harris was nevertheless tried and convicted. But that was only the beginning of an extraordinary legal saga. New evidence surfaced, the conviction was overturned and another trial was ordered. Harris was convicted again and sentenced to 25 years to life. That conviction was also overturned on appeal. Then came a third trial, which ended in a mistrial. By the time Harris faced his fourth trial, Michele Harris had been missing for nearly 15 years. Defense investigator David M. Beers was there from start to finish. Beers takes us behind the headlines and inside the investigation, presenting the evidence and events that led him to believe the Cal Harris case became a "reign of injustice." It's a perspective few true-crime stories can offer: not simply another reconstruction of a famous case, but the story from someone who actually participated in the investigation on behalf of the defense. In our conversation, we'll examine the investigation, the evidence, the prosecution of Cal Harris, and Beers' allegations and concerns about how the case was handled. But most importantly, we'll ask the question that belongs at the heart of every true-crime investigation: Was the evidence allowed to lead investigators to a suspect, or did investigators decide upon a suspect and then make the evidence fit? You can listen to David Beers' account and decide for yourself. This is REIGN OF INJUSTICE: THE CAL HARRIS STORY. PART ONE begins this week. And be sure to join us next Sunday for PART TWO of my interview with author and defense investigator David M. Beers, right here on 1001 True Crime Stories.

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