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Hosted by The Innocence Center Executive Director Michael Semanchik, Season 3 launches on September 9 with a powerful premiere episode featuring Amanda Knox, whose case became one of the most widely publicized wrongful convictions in recent history.
Unlike other true crime shows, For the Innocent pairs gripping personal stories with expert legal analysis to uncover how wrongful convictions happen—and what reforms are necessary to prevent them. Each episode blends the resilience of exonerees with commentary from attorneys, scholars, and advocates, offering listeners both emotional impact and a deeper understanding of the justice system.
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Watch more videos from For the Innocent.
Legal Talk Network Launches New Season of For the Innocent Podcast Featuring Amanda Knox (09/09/2025)
The Fight for Justice: Marty Tankleff’s Story of a Coerced Confession… (05/24/2023)
Falsely Accused: The Brian Banks Story (04/12/2023)
Legal Talk Network Launches Podcast to Share Stories of the Wrongfully Convicted… (03/31/2023)
Amanda Knox is an exoneree, journalist, podcaster, and author of the New York Times best-selling memoir, Waiting to Be Heard in 2013 and Free: My Search for Meaning in 2025. Between 2007 and 2015, she spent nearly four years in an Italian prison and eight years in multiple trials for murders she didn’t commit. She now advocates for the wrongfully convicted, and is the co-host, alongside her husband Christopher Robinson, of the podcast Labyrinths. She also hosts Hard Knox with Amanda Knox podcast, and in 2025 joined with Monica Lewinsky on a Hulu miniseries “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox.” See Amanda’s bio here: Amanda Knox Bio.
Bruce Lisker was just 17 when he was wrongly arrested, tried, and convicted for the March 10, 1983 murder of his adoptive mother Dorka, 66, in the family’s Sherman Oaks residence. Bruce spent 26 years wrongfully imprisoned. He wasn’t exonerated and released from prison until 2009. His conviction was overturned in a 2009 ruling by United States district court judge Virginia A. Phillips: she found that his 1985 murder conviction was obtained through the use of false evidence and ineffective assistance of counsel.
Zavion Johnson was wrongfully accused of fatally injuring his 4-month old daughter under the shaken baby theory. In 2002, he was arrested at his daughter’s funeral and convicted to 25 year to life. His daughter’s tragic death was later attributed to injuries sustained in a short fall. Zavion was exonerated in early 2018 after losing 17 years. See Zavion’s bio here: Zavion Johnson Bio.
Brian Banks was wrongfully convicted in 2002 of rape at age 17 after being wrongly accused by a high school acquaintance. Brian was pressured into a plea deal only to have his accuser recant her testimony after his release.
See Brian’s bio here: Brian Banks Bio.
Uriah Courtney was wrongfully identified then convicted of kidnapping and rape in 2005. Uriah served eight years before the victim’s clothing was re-tested for DNA, and the results pointed to the real perpetrator who committed additional crimes putting him in the DNA database. See Uriah’s bio here: Uriah Courtney Bio.
Marty Tankleff was wrongfully convicted in 1990 for the murder of his parents. He was a 17-year-old high school Senior when he was arrested. He was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 25 years to life. After exoneration, Mr. Tankleff was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2020. Since then, he won favorable results on behalf of his clients and is the current Peter P. Mullen Distinguished Visiting Professor at Georgetown University. Marty Tankleff Bio.
Michael Semanchik joined The Innocence Center as Executive Director after spending 14 years at the California Innocence Project, first as a staff attorney and then as managing attorney. Mike graduated cum laude from California Western School of Law where he was a student in the California Innocence Project. After passing the California State Bar, Mike worked as an investigator for the California Innocence Project and later became a staff attorney, then Managing Attorney. See Michael’s bio here: Michael Semanchik Host Bio.
The Innocence Center is an independent non-profit law firm dedicated to freeing the innocent from prison, educating the public on the causes of wrongful conviction, and assisting freed clients as they reenter society. Launched in 2023, the Board and Staff have decades of innocence work under their belt, all having worked at the California Innocence Project as a staff or faculty member. Collectively, the group has freed more than 40 people who have served 560+ years in prison for crimes they did not commit. The team has been responsible for getting a dozen laws changed to prevent future injustices and make it easier to free the innocent.
David S. Rudolf is a Criminal Defense and Civil Rights Attorney based in Charlotte, NC, and is passionate about fighting for the individual against the power of the government. He started the Criminal Law Clinic at the University of North Carolina School of Law, authored American Injustice, and co-hosts the criminal justice podcast Abuse of Power. David can be heard in Season Two. See his full bio here: David S. Rudolf Bio.
Deanna Lankford is a highly respected forensic scientist who currently serves as the Director of Forensic Casework at BODE Technology, a leading provider of forensic DNA analysis and services. Lankford has developed expertise in various areas of forensic science, including DNA analysis, serology, and trace evidence. Deanna Lankford can be heard in Season One. See her full bio here: Deanna Lankford Bio.
Alissa L. Bjerkhoel has served as a judge in Nevada County’s Superior Court since 2023 and was the Litigation Coordinator at the California Innocence Project’s in-house DNA expert since 2008. She speaks at conferences on topics relating to forensics and helps draft new laws. You can hear Judge Bjerkhoel in Season One. See her full bio here: Judge Alissa L. Bjerkhoel Bio.
For the Innocent Podcast has been more than three years in development capturing interviews and researching with experts about how innocent people find themselves wrongly accused. Legal Talk Network has invested time, resources, and creativity to bring these stories to a wider audience. The most compelling aspect of For the Innocent is the courage of the people featured in the show. After losing years of their lives, they share their stories not just to reclaim their voice, but to prevent others from facing the same fate. Season 3 is about giving those stories the widest reach we’ve ever had.
Adam Lockwood, the show’s producer and audio engineer, graduated University of Colorado Denver School of Music Entertainment Industry Studies with a degree in music business and vocal performance. Adam was instrumental in capturing the show’s extensive interviews and incorporating the music from William Michael Dillon. You can find him online and performing in the Denver area. Follow him on X: @adamlockwood.
Legal Talk Network earned a second Bronze Judges Choice award for “Best Guest” in September 2025 with Amanda Knox telling her story in first person. Listen to our award-winning episode with Amanda Knox.
Amanda shared details from her public ordeal that she’s never told other outlets. Suffering is part of the human experience, but most of us are granted the dignity of processing our pain and healing in private. For Amanda Knox, that has never been an option. As she herself puts it, “The worst experience of my life is the thing that most people know about me.”
Legal Talk Network and The Innocence Center earned a bronze award for their exceptional activism, public service, and social impact of For the Innocent, a podcast about wrongful convictions.
The episode “Marilyn’s Story: A Plea Deal Turned Deadly” from For the Innocent’s second season received the recognition and featured an emotional and shocking interview with Marilyn Mulero, an exoneree who received a death penalty conviction after taking a plea deal. She spent more than 26 years behind bars for a crime she did not commit because of a false report from two disgraced Illinois detectives and troubling advice from her lawyer.
William Michael Dillon wrote and performed much of the music on For the Innocent Podcast based on his own experience being wrongfully convicted for a 1981 murder in Florida. Bill spent 27 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Dillon’s book Framed describes how DNA testing was used to exonerate him. His CD Black Robes and Lawyers was written in prison.
Easily embed this podcast in your website where your audience can find it easily. Paste this simple html code in your page. Or if you use WordPress, call up a Custom HTML block and drop it in there. Adjust the width and height to suit your layout. New episodes will be added to the top of the player as released.
<iframe frameborder="0" src="https://legaltalknetwork.com/podcasts/for-the-innocent/?embed" width="100%" height="477" loading="lazy"></iframe>Lisa Kirkman
Managing Director
Legal Talk Network
[email protected]
Michael Semanchik
For the Innocent Podcast Host and Executive Director
The Innocence Center
[email protected]
You can help us continue telling exoneree stories with care and accuracy by partnering with us to expand Season 3. Legal Talk Network is collaborating with a small group of organizations who believe in this work, believe these stories need to be told, and want to amplify the issue of wrongful conviction.
If you would like to explore how your organization can be involved, please find a time on my calendar to discuss how being part of the podcast can add to your brand’s work in the legal community with two simple sponsorship paths. I am always happy to meet and talk through what participation might look like.
Even if sponsorship is not a fit, sharing an episode or embedding the show’s HTML audio player on your website helps these stories reach the people who need them.
