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Society & Culture
True Crime
NBI Studios
The Truth & Justice Podcast is listener driven show, devoted to the pursuit of truth and justice. Host, Bob Ruff, investigates potential wrongful conviction and cold cases using a unique crowdsourcing approach. Bob invites listeners to participate in the investigations, as he breaks down a new case in each season in real time. Truth & Justice season 15 follows and investigates the potential wrongful conviction of Jodi (Joseph) Hill, and the divide between the people of Benton Harbor Michigan and the police force tasked with serving and protecting them.
S6 Ep43: Oscar
Bob covers his findings in case files from the Harris County DA office on Oscar Garcia and Siniad Gonzalez.
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53:2316/06/2019
S6 Ep42: S6:E42 Follow-Up
In this episode Bob addresses listener questions after his break down of the surveillance footage from the Essman's driveway on the night of Jim Melgar's murder.
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43:4914/06/2019
S6 Ep42: Caught on Camera
In this episode, Bob breaks down what the security footage from the Melgar's neighbors actually shows on the night Jim Melgar was murdered.
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38:1509/06/2019
S6 Ep41: S6:E41 Follow-Up
In this episode, Bob answers listener questions after looking into "the new neighbor boy", Chad and his whereabouts on the night of Jim Melgar's murder and onward.
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28:3107/06/2019
S6 Ep41: The New Neighbor Boy
Bob looks into the distant neighbor of the Melgars, Chad, who up to this point has been referred to by Bob as Randy. Bob covers his shady criminal past, as well as the sloppy police investigation into Chad as a suspect in the Melgar murder.
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18:1502/06/2019
S6 Ep40: S6:E40 Follow-Up
In this episode, Bob answers questions from listeners regarding the Melgar's renters and their possible connections to the murder of Jim Melgar.
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41:5831/05/2019
S6 Ep40: The Renters
With the help of some Truth & Justice Army members, Bob makes a connection between Siniad Gonzalez-Londoño and the renters that were about to be evicted from Jim and Sandy's rental home. In this episode, we get the full picture on the depth of Detective Shawn Carrizal's investigation into Jim's murder.
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36:0426/05/2019
S6 Ep39: S6:E39 Follow-Up
In this episode, Bob answers a voicemail and listener questions from social media. The guys even give their thoughts on the final episode of Game of Thrones for listeners that are interested.
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51:3824/05/2019
S6 Ep39: Organized Criminals
Bob digs deeper into Siniad Gonzalez as a possible suspect and reveals some concerning information about her family.
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24:4619/05/2019
S2 Ep58: S2:E58 Follow-Up
Bob answers listener questions after returning to the Ed Ates case in Sunday's episode to interview Innocence Project of Texas Attorney Allison Clayton for an update on his case.
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42:1117/05/2019
S2 Ep58: Justice for Elnora and Ed
Bob is joined by Innocence Project of Texas Attorney, Allison Clayton, to update the Truth & Justice Army on the most recent developments in our Season 2 Case. Allison has just been cleared to release the results of testing that has been conducted in Ed's case, and is here to share the results.
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41:4312/05/2019
S6 Ep38: S6:E38 Follow-Up
Bob answers listener questions from social media as well as unveils plans for the upcoming Truth and Justice televised series on the Oxygen network.
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30:2110/05/2019
S6 Ep38: Mac Secrest
This week, Bob interviews Sandy Melgar's defense and appeal attorney, Mac Secrest. Mac talks about pre-trial investigation, the trial, and the appeals process.
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01:08:4105/05/2019
S6 Ep37: S6:E37 Follow-Up
In this episode, Bob answers listener questions from social media as well as voicemails that weren't included in last week's Friday Follow-Up.
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49:5903/05/2019
S6 Ep37: Listener Call-Ins
After a busy week on the road, Bob fields questions and comments from listeners in this listener driven call-in episode.
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46:2828/04/2019
S6 Ep36: S6:E36 Follow-Up
In this follow-up, Bob answers questions from listeners regarding the Kingwood home invasion, the perpetrators from that crime's current whereabouts and more.
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42:3226/04/2019
S6 Ep36: Wrong is Wrong
This week, Bob looks a little more closely into the Kingwood home invasion the the two people who were convicted of that crime. Along the way we discover some very disturbing information. Things are not always as they seem.
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36:0321/04/2019
S6 Ep35: S6:E35 Follow-Up
In this episode, Bob answers questions from social media over Episode 35.
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48:1219/04/2019
S6 Ep35: Making Sense of Things
This week Bob compares a home invasion that occurred in Harris County on 2/26/12 to the Melgar home invasion. The two attacks occurred about 10 months apart, and the similarities are shocking.
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37:5314/04/2019
S6 Ep34: S6:E34 Follow-Up
In this episode, Bob answers listener questions over both the Adnan Syed and Sandy Melgar cases. He also gives his opinion on the recent remarks made on the Getting Off podcast, where the hosts gave disparaging opinions on ordinary people's contributions to criminal justice reform.
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48:5212/04/2019
S6 Ep34: Adnan Syed Wrap-Up/Belk Pt. 2
In this episode, Bob gives his thoughts on the Adnan Syed case after the HBO docuseries The Case Against Adnan Syed concluded. He also finishes his breakdown of the trial testimony of Billy Belk in the Melgar case.
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44:0407/04/2019
S6 Ep33: S6:E33 Follow-Up (Adnan Syed Update)
While Bob is out of town, he calls into the studio for a recording with Mike. They discuss the conclusion of the HBO docuseries, The Case Against Adnan Syed as well as answer listener questions over both the Adnan Syed and Melgar cases.
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01:02:3505/04/2019
S6 Ep33: Unconscionable
Bob begins his breakdown of defense investigator, Billy Belk. Belk is a 32 year veteran of the Houston Police Department. As a former homicide investigator and a licensed attorney, he tells the jury what a real investigation is supposed to look like.
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35:0531/03/2019
S1 Ep35: Bonus: Colin Miller - Adnan Update
Bob invites lawyer and co-host of the Undisclosed podcast, Colin Miller, onto the show for an interview. They discuss their thoughts on the new HBO docuseries The Case Against Adnan Syed, as Colin was a consultant on the show. They also delve into what legal steps can be taken next to see Adnan Syed walk out of prison.
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39:1729/03/2019
S6 Ep32: Detective Dousay - Pt. 3
This week, Bob concludes his look into the trial testimony of Detective James Dousay.
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43:0924/03/2019
S6 Ep31: S6:E31 Follow-Up (Adnan Syed Update)
In this episode, Bob answers questions on both the Melgar case and the Adnan Syed case, after the second episode of The Case Against Adnan Syed aired on HBO.
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46:2622/03/2019
S6 Ep31: Detective Dousay - Pt. 2
Bob continues to break down the testimony of Harris County Detective James Dousay. They week, we finish up direct examination and move onto Mac Secrest's cross of Dousay. The truth begins to show it's face as his direct testimony is picked apart.
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39:4017/03/2019
S6 Ep30: S6:E30 Follow-Up (Adnan Syed Update)
This week, Bob updates listeners on the Adnan Syed case amidst the airing of the new HBO docuseries, The Case Against Adnan Syed. Bob also addresses listener questions pertaining to the Melgar case after last week's episode, which covers the first part of Detective Dousay's trial testimony.
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54:0515/03/2019
S6 Ep30: Detective Dousay - Pt. 1
Bob begins his breakdown of Detective James Dousay's trial testimony. We get a much clearer understanding of how the jury was convinced that Sandy changed her story throughout her police interview on December 23, 2012.
The episode is derailed in the final act, when Bob receives some devastating news during the recording. #FreeAdnan
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37:0110/03/2019
S6 Ep29: S6:E29 Follow-Up
While Bob is on the road, he invites Patreon subscriber Jennifer Neeley onto the show to co-host this week's Friday Follow-Up. Jennifer is an instructor at UC San Diego Extension and asks Bob questions from her influencer marketing students. For more information on Jennifer and what she does, visit jndglobal.com.
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01:38:3508/03/2019
S6 Ep29: Alison Sweeney
This week, Bob interviews Days of Our Lives & The Biggest Loser star, Alison Sweeney. Alison has just launched a series of three movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. The series is inspired by grass roots true crime podcasts . . . like ours! The movies are fantastic and the interview is really fun.
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50:2703/03/2019
S6 Ep28: S6:E28 Follow-Up
In this episode, Bob answers listener questions from Mike collected from social media. Topics of discussion include Sandra Melgar's health issues, paramedic Stephanie Roberts' testimony at trial, and more.
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42:3301/03/2019
S6 Ep28: Parallel Universes
Bob compares and contrasts the trial testimonies of two women who were standing side by side with Sandy, in the hour immediately following the discovery of Jim's body. Paramedic, Stephanie Roberts, and Harris County Precinct 4 Constable, Jennifer Martinez, witnessed the same things . . . but their impressions could not be more different.
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36:4224/02/2019
S6 Ep27: S6:E27 Follow-Up
In this episode, Mike addresses listener questions to Bob gathered from social media. Topics of discussion include why Bob decided to take on this case as well as the testimony of Maria Melgar at Sandra Melgar's trial.
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35:5322/02/2019
S6 Ep27: Maria's Memory
This week we hear an English translation of Maria Melgar's initial police statement, followed by Maria and Herman's trial testimonies. Bob reveals a distinct contrast between their recollections on the night of, and their memories 5 years later at trial.
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40:4717/02/2019
S6 Ep26: S6:E26 Follow-Up
This week, Bob answers questions from social media surrounding the transcribed police interview of Herman Melgar.
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39:1715/02/2019
S6 Ep26: Herman Melgar
This week Bob is assisted by listeners, who have transcribed and recorded an English speaking version of Herman Melgar's initial police statement given on December 23, 2012.
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31:0410/02/2019
S6 Ep25: S6:E25 Follow-Up
In this episode, Bob invites listener and psychologist Kelly Dziedzic into the studio. They discuss trauma, its impact on memory, and how these topics relate to Sandy Melgar's case. To learn more about Kelly's work advocating for trauma survivors and teaching others to do trauma-informed forensic assessments well the first time (including the DASH - 2009), visit her on Twitter @RelativelyUn or email her at [email protected].
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52:5008/02/2019
S6 Ep25: Where's the Beef?
Bob breaks down Harris County Homicide Detective, Shawn Carrizal's trial testimony. We find out what the lead investigator charged with finding Jim Melgar's killer did . . . and didn't do.
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55:4503/02/2019
S6 Ep24: S6:E24 Follow-Up
Bob answers listener questions form social media and voicemails. Topics include: The woman that Sandy remembers seeing in the bathroom, and the similar home invasion in Kingwood.
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46:3401/02/2019
S6 Ep24: We're No Fools
This week Bob attempts to find the investigative leads that convinced the Harris County DA's office to approve murder charges on Sandy Melgar. On December 23, 2012 the DA rejected Detective Carrizal's request for the charges. A year and a half later, Sandy was indicted for murder. What changed?
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41:3927/01/2019
S6 Ep23: S6:E23 Follow-Up
In this episode, Mike asks Bob questions from listeners on social media. Topics of discussion include the relationship between the prosecutor and the jury foreman and more importantly, the experiments conducted by jurors during Sandra Melgar's trial.
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45:4925/01/2019
S6 Ep23: A Fox In The Hen House?
This week Bob breaks down Point of Error Number 3, from Sandy Melgar's Appeal Brief. P.O.E. #3 alleges misconduct on the part of the jurors. We also hear about some new revelations, regarding the post trial behavior of the Prosecutor and the Foreman of Sandy's jury.
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35:3520/01/2019
S6 Ep22: S6:E22 Follow-Up
In this episode, Bob answers listener questions from social media. Topics of discussion range from the prosecution's use of religion as a motive at Sandra Melgar's trial, to the confusion over the missing television set.
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47:0618/01/2019
S6 Ep22: Rule 610
This week, Bob breaks down Point of Error Number Two in Sandy's appellate brief. Error #2 cites alleged prosecutorial misconduct, in that the State injected the religious tenants of the Jehovah's Witnesses into trial in order to prejudice the jury against Sandy.
We're still working on building the Jim Melgar reward fund. Please consider donating here: www.GoFundMe.com/JimMelgar
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36:4613/01/2019
S6 Ep21: S6:E21 Follow-Up
This week, Bob responds to a voicemail and questions from listeners. He also focuses on the GoFundMe launched to create a reward for information on Jim Melgar's killer.
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49:4611/01/2019
S6 Ep21: Legally Insufficient
This week Bob begins the breakdown of Sandy Melgar's recently filed Appeal Brief. The focus of this episode is on the first of three "Points of Error" spelled out in the brief. Point of Error Number One states that Sandy's jury errantly convicted her, without legally sufficient evidence beyond the legal standard of reasonable doubt.
The episode is concluded with Bob announcing a new funding campaign, to raise money for a reward fund. Listeners can donate to the fund at www.GoFundMe.com/JimMelgar
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44:0406/01/2019
S6 Ep20: S6:E20 Follow-Up
In this episode, Bob and Mike address listener questions from social media after the last episode where we heard from linguistic forensics expert Jim Fitzgerald.
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37:2304/01/2019
S6 Ep20: Jim Fitzgerald
After reviewing Sandy's police interrogation videos multiple times, Bob decides to bring in an expert. Jim Fitzgerald is a retired FBI profiler specializing in language. Fitz gained notoriety when his skills in forensic linguistics helped to find and capture the UNABOMer.
In this episode Fitz gives his expert analysis of Sandy's police interrogations.
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44:3823/12/2018
S6 Ep19: S6:E19 Follow-Up
In this episode, Bob and Mike bring Lizz Rose onto the show to help answer questions generated by listeners on social media.
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44:4521/12/2018