Document

The true crime media spotlight shines on Jason Carroll. Then, a chance encounter leads to a surprising discovery that changes the course of his case.

For more on the case and to see selected data on exonerations, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

How could someone possibly confess to murder if they didn’t do it? A modern understanding of confessions sheds new light on Jason Carroll’s case.

For more on the case and to see selected data on exonerations, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

Jason Carroll stands trial twice – and the juries come up with their own versions of what happened.

For more on the case, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

A new true crime story is told and when juries hear it, it leads to different results for all three defendants. During the first trial, the lead detective makes a big mistake.

For more on the case and to see a table of confession discrepancies, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

One set of confessions leads to another and three men are arrested for Sharon Johnson’s murder. Then, an alleged secret comes to light that changes everything.

For more on the case and to see a timeline of the interrogations, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

Police interrogate a second teenager named Jason Carroll – with help from Jason’s own mother.

For more on the case, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

We begin with the story police told about Sharon Johnson’s murder. The veteran detective on the case develops a theory involving her husband and a teenager. A surprising admission leads to a new break in the case.

For more on the case and to see a timeline of Sharon's last day, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

Sharon Johnson’s family and friends have spent the last 35 years coping with her brutal murder. But what if that story was based on a lie? The man imprisoned for her murder maintains his innocence.

For more on the case, visit bearbrookpodcast.com. To make a donation in support of Bear Brook, click here.

A conversation with one of the women whose story of sexual assault you heard earlier in this podcast. She talks with Lauren about what it was like to hear her story published, the legal threats she has faced from Eric Spofford and his lawyers, and why she decided to speak out in the first place.

Resources and more at 13thsteppodcast.org

Since Lauren began reporting, Eric Spofford sold his New Hampshire company for millions of dollars and filed a defamation lawsuit in response to NHPR’s coverage. We catch you up on everything that’s happened. And we introduce you to a sober living community where addressing women’s sexual trauma is a priority. Listen to the whole series now by clicking here.

What does it take to catch a predator in the addiction treatment industry? We hear about a case in California where the CEO of a network of treatment facilities was convicted of sexual assault and massive insurance fraud. It required years of work – and two women who banded together and refused to give up. Listen to the whole series now by clicking here.

How did 13th stepping become so common in the recovery world and who can hold people accountable? Lauren looks into the history of the addiction treatment industry; goes in search of the people, government agencies, and industry groups that are supposed to oversee it; and does a deep dive into its most pervasive cultural force: AA and the 12 steps. She finds a lot of good intentions, alongside a lot of problems. Listen to the whole series now by clicking here.

To support investigative journalism like The 13th Step at NHPR, click here.

In March of 2022, Lauren publishes her first story detailing allegations against Eric Spofford. The events of the next several months illustrate the ways powerful, wealthy people can intimidate sources and try to stop journalism from happening. And then, there was the vandalism… Listen to the whole series now by clicking here.

As Eric Spofford tells it, he spent his teen years in the throes of addiction and crime. When he got sober, he became a crusader for recovery. We hear how he built his company – and his power. And we hear allegations that he abused that power by sexually assaulting members of his own staff. Listen to the whole series now by clicking here.

Nearly all the music in this podcast was written by Jason Moon. At the top of this episode, we used an excerpt of a track by “grapes” featuring J. Lang and Morusque. It’s called “I dunno.”

To support investigative journalism like The 13th Step at NHPR, click here.

What is “the 13th step,” and why does it matter? It all starts with understanding what it’s like to be in the earliest days of recovery. We meet two women who say they were harassed during early recovery. And we meet the man who allegedly harassed them – the founder of New Hampshire’s largest addiction treatment network. Listen to the whole series now by clicking here.

Reporter Lauren Chooljian starts getting tips about the founder of New Hampshire’s largest addiction treatment network. He is allegedly sexually harassing or assaulting women — employees and former clients at his facilities. The tips send Lauren on a journey deep into the addiction treatment industry, which, as one source says, “needs a #MeToo movement.” The 13th Step is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio’s Document team. Listen to the whole series now by clicking here.

As you might remember, The List was all about secret lists of police officers. Officers who engaged in misconduct that could potentially be used to undermine their testimony in a trial.

In The List, we talked why these lists were created in the first place, why some cops hate these lists, and why a lot of people think they shouldn’t be secret. We focused largely on the story of New Hampshire’s version of this kind of list, what’s known around here as the Laurie List. And we asked: what would happen if the list was finally made public?

But it was a question we didn’t get to answer because – well, the Laurie List was still secret. We knew there were somewhere north of 250 names of police officers on it. But we didn’t know which names. 

Until now.

Attorneys for the federal government and Josh collide in a dramatic courtroom debate that traces the history of Josh’s family, the War on Drugs, and the ethics of death resulting laws themselves. In the end, a judge hands Josh a sentence. And we ask you to decide if this outcome is justice.

Document is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio. More at nhpr.org/document.

Death resulting laws seek to punish a single person — the drug dealer — for an overdose death. But the laws all but ignore what pushed that dealer into this terrible position in the first place. In this episode we tell the story of everything in Josh’s life that pushed him into the hotel bathroom where Liz overdosed on drugs he gave her. And we examine a broader definition of “guilt” to find a system that failed Josh at every step of the way.

Document is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio. More at nhpr.org/document.

In 1986, racist fears and the death of a basketball star prompt Congress to lay down the legal foundation for the War on Drugs. Today most Americans see that war as a failure. But buried deep in that 35-year-old law was the death resulting law — a penalty little used until the opioid epidemic, and now disproportionately impacting people of color. 

Document is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio. More at nhpr.org/document.