Episode 10: All These Years

Summary

Podcast Summary: Everything They Missed – Episode 10: "All These Years"
Host: Stephanie Tinsley
Date: January 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

In Episode 10 of "Everything They Missed," Stephanie Tinsley delivers a gripping culmination of a year-long investigation into the 2007 murder of Danny Harris in Memphis—a case that languished for nearly two decades and saw Andrew Hayes wrongly imprisoned. This episode documents both the unraveling of a long-standing injustice and the seismic emotional impact new evidence has had on all those touched by the crime. A secret recording, years in the making, finally exposes the truth. Tinsley, with the help of community members and advocates, traces the case's overlooked details and celebrates a hopeful turning point for Hayes and the Harris family.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Failure of the Legal System

• Opening (00:00–02:00):
  • Jason Gishner (Tennessee Innocence Project) expresses disbelief that Andrew Hayes remains in prison despite overwhelming evidence of innocence.
  • Quote (Jason Gishner, 00:29):
    “Anybody who looks at the facts of this case say, that's an innocent man sitting in prison. Shouldn't be this hard to get him out.”
• Gishner acknowledges the collective effort required to correct miscarriages of justice.

2. The Revelation: Sarah Lucas’s Confession

• Stephanie Tinsley (02:06–04:44) introduces the secret tape recorded by Stephen Harris (Danny Harris's son) on September 14, 2025.

• Tactics Used: Stephen employs assurances, emotional appeals, and direct questioning to elicit the truth from Sarah Lucas.

• Content of the Tape (04:44–13:36):

  • Sarah Lucas is indirectly confronted with evidence (DNA, witness timelines) and eventually admits her and her mother's involvement, repeatedly confirming that Andrew Hayes was not present at the scene.

  • Key admissions:

    • Sarah’s mother struck Danny Harris with a hammer.
    • Sarah implicates herself as an accessory, stating she may have helped hold a pillow but insists she did not strike Danny.
    • Andrew Hayes was never present (08:58, 10:06).

  • Quote (Stephen Harris, 08:58 & 10:06):
    “I know Andrew was not there when this happened.”

    • “Yes [Sarah agrees].”

• Follow-Up (13:36):

  • Tape is turned over to the Memphis District Attorney, initiating a turning point after years of institutional inaction.

3. The Aftermath: New Charges and Arrest

• Stephanie Tinsley (14:06–16:38):

  • December 9: Charges approved against Sarah Lucas—facilitation of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated perjury.

  • December 15: Attempted but delayed arrest due to Sarah’s health and law enforcement unpreparedness.

  • December 16: Sarah transported to court, judge orders her into custody.

  • Quote (Stephen Harris, 16:30):
    “They just called me and said, man, congratulations. ... You never let up.”

4. Sharing the News: Emotional Fallout

• At Flora Hayes’ (Andrew’s Mother) Home (18:48–26:07):

  • Stephanie plays the confession tape for the Hayes family; emotional collapse and expressions of relief and gratitude follow.

  • Discussion of judicial process ahead—Sarah Lucas in custody, new hope for Andrew's exoneration.

  • Memorable moments (20:08–22:19):
    Flora and Lakonda (Andrew’s sister) react with tears and disbelief;
    Quote (Flora Hayes, 21:54):
    “Oh, thank you, Jesus.”

  • Jason Gishner: “The Avengers, baby.” (22:22, moment of levity/lightness)

5. Reflections: Systemic Failing and Persistence

• Team Reflections (24:29–26:07):

  • Clark Chapman (original investigator) notes the rarity of both exoneration and perpetrator arrest:
    “For somebody to get out and somebody else to get arrested is like, that's one in a million.” (Clark Chapman, 23:56)
  • Stephanie and her supporters underline the power of relentless advocacy and ordinary people making a difference.

• Stephen Harris’ Emotional State (26:56–29:08):

  • Not celebratory—reflective about the personal cost of the process:
    Quote (Stephen Harris, 26:56):
    “I'm going to be happy when this goes. All goes away. … The more just realized it is far better to have this piece and not have to talk about this on a regular basis because as much as I think it doesn't affect me, it does.”

6. Confession's Legal Impact & Next Steps

• Jason Gishner on Legal Proceedings (30:24–33:23):
  • Details the significance and authenticity of Sarah’s confession compared to coerced confessions of the past.
  • Outlines the petition process for Andrew Hayes’s exoneration.
  • Quote (Jason Gishner, 31:58):
    “It's way easier to put an innocent person in prison than it is to get them out.”

7. The Broader Meaning of "Everything They Missed"

• Stephanie’s Reflection (35:26–36:53):
  • The "missed" in the title extends beyond law enforcement failures—encompasses years of grief, lost time, and secondhand sorrow for all families affected.
  • Andrew's hope for exoneration is bolstered by a confession that makes the injustice undeniably clear.

8. The Hayes Family’s Perspective

• Flora Hayes (36:53–41:35):
  • Expresses gratitude for Stephen and those who persevered for the truth.
  • Advocates persistence for anyone wrongly accused:
    Quote (Flora Hayes, 41:04):
    “If a person ever get put in the position that I'm in … and you know that you innocent, don't give up … You just gotta hold on, you know, you can't give up. You got to make the best of it while you win it. So that's what I did.”
  • The family tempers their hope: they’ll truly celebrate when Andrew is finally free (41:35).

9. Andrew Hayes's Reaction

• Stephanie’s Visit to Prison (37:11–39:28):
  • Stephanie and Jason deliver the news to Andrew Hayes in prison.
  • Andrew is stunned, then moved to tears upon hearing “Andrew was never there.”
  • The long-awaited emotional release—the episode's emotional heart.

10. Forgiveness and Forward Motion

• Flora Hayes on Stephen and Sarah (39:31–40:47):
  • Regards Stephen as an “angel,” offers forgiveness and prayer for Sarah Lucas in spite of all hardship endured.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Jason Gishner (00:29):

  • “Anybody who looks at the facts of this case say, that's an innocent man sitting in prison. Shouldn't be this hard to get him out.”

• Stephen Harris / Sarah Lucas (10:06):

  • “Andrew was never there?” — “No.”

• Flora Hayes (21:54):

  • “Oh, thank you, Jesus.”

• Clark Chapman (23:56):

  • “For somebody to get out and somebody else to get arrested is like, that's one in a million.”

• Stephen Harris (26:56):

  • “I'm happy that the way things have worked out for everybody, I think there's going to be a happy ending for all of us in this.”

• Jason Gishner (31:58):

  • “It's way easier to put an innocent person in prison than it is to get them out.”

• Flora Hayes (41:04):

  • “If a person ever get put in the position that I'm in … and you know that you innocent, don't give up.…You just gotta hold on, you know, you can't give up.”

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Memorable Moments

• Sarah’s confession on tape (10:06): The turning point—admitting Andrew Hayes was innocent.
• Family emotional reaction (21:54): Hayes family erupts in relief and gratitude after hearing the news.
• Andrew’s prison reaction (38:00–39:28): Silent disbelief, then weeping at hearing his innocence finally spoken.
• Forgiveness from Flora Hayes (40:28): Prays for the woman who helped imprison her son.

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Timeline of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Summary | |-----------|-------------------------|--------------------------------| | 00:00–02:00 | Jason Gishner & legal struggle | The system's failure to free an innocent man | | 02:06–13:36 | Sarah Lucas confession tape | Key new confession, evidence, and admission | | 14:06–16:38 | Law enforcement action | Sarah Lucas arrested | | 18:48–22:19 | Hayes family informed | Emotional family reaction | | 24:29–26:07 | Reflections on rarity & persistence | Discussion on how rare true justice is | | 30:24–33:23 | Legal perspective | How the confession changes the legal approach | | 36:53–41:35 | Flora Hayes' perspective | Hope, forgiveness, and the message not to give up | | 37:11–39:28 | Andrew hears the news | Andrew's emotional reaction to learning he's exonerated | | 39:31–40:47 | Reflections on allies/forgiveness| Flora’s gratitude for Stephen and compassion for Sarah |

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Tone

The episode is steadfastly earnest, emotionally raw, and intensely personal, marked by moments of both devastation and relief. Tinsley maintains compassion, urgency, and journalistic humility throughout, amplifying the voices of those directly affected.

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Conclusion

"All These Years" is a compassionate, thoroughly reported episode that lays bare the emotional costs of wrongful conviction and the painstaking effort required for even the slimmest hope of justice. The confession on tape changes everything—structurally, legally, and for the lives at the heart of the story. The episode deftly combines investigative rigor with empathy, concluding not with a neat resolution, but with the truth finally spoken and hope newly kindled for Andrew Hayes and both families torn apart by a crime now, at last, understood.

Transcript

[Stephanie Tinsley]

The following story discusses individuals connected to the case of Danny Harris. Except, as otherwise stated, no one mentioned in this podcast has been found guilty of any crime related to his death.

[Jason Gishner]

Sometimes you can do everything right and just get unlucky, right? I mean, that, that to me is, is one of the hardest parts about this job. Like, I, like, I'm amazed where we are now with all of the evidence in Andrew's case. But I'm also, it, it blows my mind that we've needed all of this evidence to get to where we are. You know, Andrew's been innocent this whole time. And I feel like, I feel like when you show this case, when you talk about this case with people who aren't lawyers, who aren't judges, who aren't doing this stuff all the time, you just show it to folks and talk to them about it. They're like, how is that guy still in jail? I mean, it just, it doesn't make any sense. And when anybody who looks at the facts of this case say, that's an innocent man sitting in prison, shouldn't be this hard to get him out. You know, as I told you from the jump, these things take an army, right? There's so many things that go into to getting an innocent person out of prison and you can't have enough people in the fight. And you being in the fight has made a difference.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

I'm Stephanie Tinsley and this is everything they missed. Episode 10 all this time, I'm going to play an extraordinary tape for you, one never before made public. But before I do, there's some catching up to do. The petition packet that Jason Gishner and the Tennessee Innocence Project submitted on behalf of Andrew Hayes and argued in open court before the Tennessee Court of Appeals failed. There was no ambiguity in the ruling and no sense that this was a close call. The door simply closed. The evidence ruled unworthy for days. Jason was so disappointed he wouldn't even get on the phone with me. After a long stretch of back and forth messages, I finally reached him. When we spoke, I told him what I believed then and what I still believe now. This wasn't the end of the road for Andrew Hayes. The cord may have stopped listening, but the story hadn't stopped moving. I told him about Stephen Harris, the relationship we had built, and what Stephen had done then. I shared this tape with him. What you're about to hear was recorded by Stephen Harris on September 14, 2025 at 8:00 night. The recording is legal. The conversation itself is legal. The method Stephen used However uncomfortable it may sound is also legal. Stephen used assurances and promises, suggestions of safety, closure, and even the idea that the investigation could Stop.

[Sarah Lucas]

Stop.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

None of those things were true, much like a similar method used on Andrew. Either way, all of it is protected by law. What matters is what Sarah said and whether she said it, believing she was speaking to someone she could trust, someone she felt safe confiding in, someone she felt she could share the truth.

[Sarah Lucas]

I know. I'm just going through a lot trying to get back every day to get to take care of my daughter, to clean my own damn house and not have to have providers come in and help me and all that, you know, it's.

[Stephen Harris]

Well, that's what I want to talk to you about. So I started thinking about this the other day, and this is why I've been so silent for the past week. It's just really been weighing on my mind lately. You believe in second chances?

[Sarah Lucas]

Yes.

[Stephen Harris]

Oh, yeah. Me too. I mean, I think everybody deserves it. Long story short. So I've gotten the evidence back. I've gotten it secured, so don't think you have to worry about that anymore.

[Sarah Lucas]

Okay?

[Stephen Harris]

I think you owe me a little bit of info now that this is over. Like, more of the truth that I know to be the truth. But you probably don't think. You never thought I would know and just be honest with me. You don't got. I mean, it's past this. We're way past. You and I are way past this. You know what I mean? You didn't forget this. You were there the morning of. I know that for a fact. Okay? I know where your DNA was. I know where your handprint was. Now, I'm gonna give you the opportunity that nobody gave my dad or nobody gave me. And I'm allow you to get a second chance. That's what I'm doing. I'm gonna leave. This guy's gonna rot in jail. He ain't gonna get out now. Okay? You can advertise with me. Enjoy your life. I'll send you money when I get paid on this book because I'm gonna use things you told me about your mother. And I'll pay you on your part, and then you won't ever hear from me again. But I. I gotta have things from me or I'm not gonna. I. I can never put this to bed. That's the only thing that makes sense to me, is you to help me put it to bed. And I'll allow you to live your life. I think that's a fair Trade.

[Sarah Lucas]

Why are you stressing me out there?

[Stephen Harris]

I'm trying to put this to bed and let you live your life. That should be not stressing you out.

[Sarah Lucas]

It is stressing me out.

[Stephen Harris]

Well, I can give you the alternative. You want somebody knocking on your door? No, I'm not asking for you to muddy the water. I'm just asking for the truth. And that's not the truth. So try again. Tell me. I know you were there that morning. I want to know exactly what happened. And then I'm. Like I said, I'm a demo. Your part of the book. You're going to take that money off the card. You're going to delete my info. Nobody knows how you got paid, and we're going to move forward. You. Your mom went to West Memphis, got your driver's license, y came back to the apartment. How did Andrew get over there?

[Sarah Lucas]

She went by and picked Andrew up.

[Stephen Harris]

When?

[Sarah Lucas]

After west Memphis?

[Stephen Harris]

Well, they didn't because his cell phone is in the car and we were tracking the cell phone. I know exactly where every stop we saw you got picked up in the morning. We saw y' all went to West Memphis. We saw y' all went to a gas station, got food, and then came back to the apartment. Once y' all got back to the department y' all got, y' all were there for an hour and a half and then y' all left at 11 o'.

[Sarah Lucas]

Clock.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

There.

[Sarah Lucas]

What's that? Andrew was there.

[Stephen Harris]

That's not honest. That's not the truth. You tell me. Andrew knew my dad before all this, I'm assuming.

[Sarah Lucas]

Yeah, My mom said they got along.

[Stephen Harris]

Do you speak like it's firsthand knowledge?

[Sarah Lucas]

No. I mean, no, I didn't know that. That for fact, but I mean, the day that Andrew was there, they weren't fighting or anything.

[Stephen Harris]

Okay, so how did your mom get a black eye then?

[Sarah Lucas]

What do you mean?

[Stephen Harris]

When did my dad supposedly hit your mom in the face, in the eye that day? So when?

[Sarah Lucas]

I guess when they were all scuffling.

[Stephen Harris]

And you were in the car when she picked him up. And my dad was in the car when y' all picked him up?

[Sarah Lucas]

Yes. And I went and sat down in the living room and was drinking my soda.

[Stephen Harris]

So what do you want me to do about the. The touch DNA that was all over his body? That. That's yours?

[Sarah Lucas]

I didn't touch your dad like that.

[Stephen Harris]

Okay, well, it's all over his. His clothes. And that's new stuff they got.

[Sarah Lucas]

Are you sure it's not Danny's DNA?

[Stephen Harris]

I'm 100. Why you think we're having this conversation? You're not letting me walk away from me. I mean, you're making this. I'm trying to give you a break that I feel like nobody would want me to do this. I'm the only one that has all the information now between you and I. Don't lie to me. No, I know Andrew. Listen to me. I know Andrew was not there when this happened.

[Sarah Lucas]

He was there, Sarah.

[Stephen Harris]

You want to see your girl grow up?

[Sarah Lucas]

Yes. Why are you threatening me?

[Stephen Harris]

Not threatening you any more than I feel like. Damn. I'm almost being threatened myself here with this and giving you an opportunity, but it ain't there. So, I mean, this is a one deal, one day thing. I'm. If I hang up, there's no more deals on the table. You and I are done, and we'll see what happens.

[Sarah Lucas]

But I wouldn't hurt your dad. I promise.

[Stephen Harris]

You were doing things back then that probably didn't. I mean, you were on some back then. Let's just be honest, okay? Look, if you hit him with a hammer, that's fine.

[Sarah Lucas]

I didn't hit him with a hammer.

[Stephen Harris]

You're gonna walk away if you just tell me the truth. That's all I'm asking for.

[Sarah Lucas]

So I can burn everything my mom did.

[Stephen Harris]

Say again?

[Sarah Lucas]

I didn't hit him with a hammer. My mom did.

[Stephen Harris]

It was just you and her, correct?

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yes.

[Stephen Harris]

Andrew was never there?

[Stephanie Tinsley]

No.

[Stephen Harris]

God damn it, Sarah. That's all I asked for. Me this whole time. Did you hold the pillow over his face? Yes or no? Tell the truth.

[Sarah Lucas]

The pillow over his face. I don't know. I might have that part. I mean, I don't remember a lot. I'm not gonna lie.

[Stephen Harris]

I'll take everything. You were helped out. You helped her out, correct?

[Sarah Lucas]

I helped her a little bit by, I think, holding something, but it might have been a pillow.

[Stephen Harris]

Are you the one that put the rag in his mouth?

[Ruby (Sarah's sister)]

Yes.

[Sarah Lucas]

No, I didn't put a rag in his mouth. She did that. She's the one that rags, I don't know. Bleach in a rag.

[Stephen Harris]

He poured bleach on a rag.

[Sarah Lucas]

Bleach and. On him and a rag.

[Stephen Harris]

So you held the pillow over. Over his face, correct?

[Sarah Lucas]

I might have, yeah, that part.

[Stephen Harris]

Okay. You hit him once yourself.

[Sarah Lucas]

I didn't hit him with a hammer.

[Stephen Harris]

Or nothing, no, but you hit him once, correct?

[Sarah Lucas]

No, I didn't hit him there. I'm telling you. I don't remember that part now. I don't remember hitting him I mean.

[Stephen Harris]

You helped hold him down. I mean, you. You helped. Essentially, y' all two are the ones that killed him. Essentially.

[Sarah Lucas]

I didn't kill him like that.

[Stephen Harris]

There. You helped out. You held him. You held him down. You held a pillow on them while she's beating him. So, yes, eventually, you did. There's no point us like, saying code words.

[Sarah Lucas]

I mean, you look at it like that. I'm sorry. I don't.

[Stephen Harris]

You don't think that was accessory to murder? I mean, that's exactly what y' all did. But like I said, you're lucky. I feel lucky today.

[Sarah Lucas]

I hate her for this. You have no clue. Even though she's dead and gone, I hate her for everything she's ever done.

[Stephen Harris]

Well, Sarah, you need to take a look in the mirror, too, because you're part of this. And like I said, your only second shot at life is because you have a little girl. I understand you have a little kid. I don't know if you do or not.

[Sarah Lucas]

I do.

[Flora Hayes]

For real.

[Stephen Harris]

I don't think you do. Okay. Andrew was never there when this happened.

[Sarah Lucas]

Are you mad at me?

[Stephen Harris]

Yeah, I was quite mad, but, you know, I told you I'd keep my word. Okay.

[Ruby (Sarah's sister)]

Yeah.

[Stephen Harris]

You hear that voice in the background? That's your. That's your lucky second chance. Really hope you don't blow and do something stupid. So Andrew sitting in jail rotten, in jail for being an idiot, I get.

[Sarah Lucas]

I don't know.

[Stephen Harris]

What do you mean? You'll know.

[Sarah Lucas]

Yeah, I guess. Yeah.

[Stephen Harris]

Listen to this. This is the up part. You and I are the only two people now know that Andrew Hayes is sitting in prison for crime he didn't do. So let's just not make sure that, you know, whatever. Make sure what that stays. Stays underground.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Everything you just heard was turned over in its entirety to the Memphis District attorney's office on September 29, 2025. What followed was silence. Weeks passed without a formal update or confirmation of next steps. We were told very little, only that the recordings were being reviewed over two months later. Finally, I started hearing whispers of movement.

[Stephen Harris]

Well, I mean, I've. I've gotten some word, but this is not just somebody talking.

[Flora Hayes]

This is it.

[Stephen Harris]

But, I mean, I know something big's happening at this moment.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

On December 9th, I learned Memphis prosecutors had taken action in the case and that charges had been approved against Sarah Lucas. The charges, facilitation of first degree murder, aggravated robbery, and aggravated perjury. The following week, on December 15th, the Memphis District Attorney's office coordinated with the Duncan, Oklahoma, Police Department to execute the warrant and take Sarah into custody.

[Sarah Lucas]

I got called saying that the federales were at her house. Apparently they are taking her, but they did not take her yesterday, which I think is weird.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Despite advance warnings about Sarah's wheelchair bound condition, Duncan police arrived without the necessary resources to transport her safely. She was not taken into custody that day. Instead, she was placed under what I was told was house arrest. Ruby, Sarah's sister, called and told me this directly.

[Sarah Lucas]

They told her that they're coming back to get her. She has a few days to get her affairs in order.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

It was a step forward, but it raised real concerns about what she might do and about how unevenly this arrest was being handled. By that point, I had already reviewed dozens of police reports documenting years of threats, harassment and intimidation involving Sarah. And yet, despite advance warnings, law enforcement still arrived unprepared. But the next day, things changed.

[Stephen Harris]

I woke up this morning and it was a weird morning. Like just Things just felt different, weird. I don't know what to say, but something just didn't feel like the same.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

On December 16, 2025, Sarah Lucas was transported by ambulance to the Stevens county courthouse. Her father, John Vance, was with her, stating to the court that she was too sick to be taken into custody. The judge disagreed.

[Stephen Harris]

They just called me and said, man, congratulations. And they started in talking about, you know, you never let up.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Sarah Lucas was ordered into custody immediately. She has remained in the Stevens county jail since then, awaiting extradition to Memphis. After everything that's been uncovered in this case, after everything that was overlooked for years, there are no excuses left. For once, the record is complete. This time, they can't miss it. Hi, how are you? I went back to Memphis, to the Fraser neighborhood, into a home I never expected to spend this much time in. The last time I was here, it felt like a dark cloud hung overhead, blocking the sun from ever shining through. But this time, there was the faintest rays of light. This is the news I wanted to share with you. Last time, when Jason came, some things hadn't happened yet. Is Laconia here? I'm gonna wait. Flora Hayes, Andrew's mother, didn't know why I'd asked to meet again or why it felt so urgent. Christmas was in three days. For her, it was just another holiday without her son. A horrible reminder. And I hoped this pain, the kind that had lived in this house for so long, might finally be close to an end. Lakanda, Andrew's younger sister, was also present at the house, likely there to support their mother as they waited to hear what was coming. I've been working hard trying to get this sorted out. I got. Okay. I got something I want y' all to hear. Why don't you. You want to sit down? I want to stand up.

[Stephen Harris]

My nerves bad.

[Jason Gishner]

Already.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Okay.

[Stephen Harris]

This boy done call me.

[Jason Gishner]

Tell them.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

About a week before my podcast came out, Danny Harris's son, Stephen Harris, reached out to me. And Stephen had heard I was doing the podcast and wanted to talk to me. And so I told him that I was looking for Sarah, that I felt like we needed to talk to Sarah because all of the Innocence Project's evidence is pointing toward her. And he reached out to Sarah, and he believed that he could get her to talk, you know? So what you're about to hear is Stephen and Sarah talking, and this is their conversation. And I want you to hear this both. Both comments.

[Stephen Harris]

You're gonna walk away if you just tell me the truth. That's all I'm asking for so I can.

[Jason Gishner]

Everything my mom did. Say again.

[Sarah Lucas]

I didn't hit him, but I am. My mom did.

[Stephen Harris]

It was just you and her, correct? Yes. Andrew was never.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

I wasn't prepared for how fast it happened. Flora and Laconda collapsed, so she said. Andrew was never there. So wait, that's all that.

[Stephen Harris]

I can't.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

This. This just.

[Stephen Harris]

Wait a minute. I can't even grasp it.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Let me tell you something that's gonna help this. So I took the recordings to this DA and the D. A. Issued an arrest warrant for Sarah. And Sarah is sitting in jail right now? Yes.

[Jason Gishner]

Oh, my God.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

They charged her. They charged her with facilitation of murder, aggravated robbery, and aggravated perjury. And she's sitting in jail waiting to be extradited to Memphis right now.

[Stephen Harris]

Oh, my God.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

And so Jason will have. He'll file a hearing. Sarah will. Sarah will serve probably the rest of her life for this. Oh, my Lord. Thank you.

[Jason Gishner]

Oh, my.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

So Stephen caught his father's killer and his friend Andrew at the same time? Most likely. I mean, we can't. We have to stay focused because Andrew's not out yet, But I don't see a world where this doesn't get him out.

[Sarah Lucas]

Oh, thank you, Jesus.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

You found my prayers. It's all your prayers.

[Stephen Harris]

2026 going to be a good year. Least they got the white one.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

They got their right one.

[Sarah Lucas]

Thank you, Jesus.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

They got the right one. See?

[Stephen Harris]

Told y'. All.

[Jason Gishner]

The Avengers, baby.

[Stephen Harris]

It's hard, baby I didn't sleep damn last night.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Oh, tonight you.

[Stephen Harris]

But tonight, baby, I know I'm giving you. I'M be like, Stephan, give me a good night.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

It's going to be such a peaceful, peaceful sleep.

[Jason Gishner]

Okay.

[Stephen Harris]

It's going to be a peaceful sleep. I can't wait to put my head on the pillow just to see.

[Ruby (Sarah's sister)]

See.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Thank you, Lord.

[Jason Gishner]

Thank you.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

A. I've delivered a lot of hard news during this investigation. And I've learned to be careful with hope, careful with promises. This was different. Flora and LA expressed religious relief, real relief, the kind I'd never witnessed before. And walking out of the Hayes house, I felt it, too. Relief and the responsibility that comes with it. Because once the truth is spoken, it no longer belongs to the person who found, belongs to everyone who's been living without it. And there were a lot of people still waiting.

[Sarah Lucas]

Well, like, I know that you're very calm, but can you believe this?

[Stephen Harris]

It's been a long process.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Clark Chapman, the original investigator in Andrew's defense, has been in this case longer than almost anyone. And finally he could let out a breath.

[Stephen Harris]

Yeah. It is amazing, though. It really is. I mean, after all this time, I mean, all this just constant stuff that we've done and you've done and everybody else has looked in this case and worked on it and know, you know, what's going on. And it really is, you know, it's. It's just a long journey that it's just got here to this point. But, you know, once sometimes there's cases where they get turned around and you right or wrong and somebody just gets out. But for somebody to get out and somebody else to get arrested is like, that's one in a million.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Then I didn't just share this news with investigators and attorneys. I shared it with the people who had been living it with me. From my confidant, Elizabeth Stephanie, you did it.

[Sarah Lucas]

I mean, you did it. God, I didn't do it, but I mean, I. You played your part in it. You accepted what you needed to do and did it. And what a Christmas gift for his family.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

To the person who heard every late night doubt and every moment I wasn't sure I could keep going. My husband, Mark.

[Ruby (Sarah's sister)]

Well, it's amazing, you know, and what's. I think the most amazing thing is this comes and. And this, which is really, hopefully at the end of the day is going to be justice. But it comes after the system said, you know, no on every court and said the case was final, every legal avenue was exhausted, and yet the truth still came out. But it wasn't until ordinary people doing extraordinary things just went above and beyond the system and Refused to stop asking questions.

[Stephen Harris]

And.

[Ruby (Sarah's sister)]

And I think it's really a testament to. If you give voice to something, some call, some purpose, and you don't stop, then you can affect real change. And I think it took a lot of courage on Stephen's part to choose truth over closure.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Stephen and I spoke briefly after Sarah's arrest. He wasn't celebrating. He was upset I. About how the police handled it, about how long it took and what it cost. Shortly after, I drove to Memphis and had dinner with him and his family. His wife, Britney, and two bright, spirited daughters, and his beautiful, genteel mother, Suzanne, a lovely woman who's quietly carried this burden for herself and her four sons all these years. She told me the fallout had torn their family apart, but still, she was so proud of Steven. I could tell he needed time. So we didn't speak over the holidays until the new year.

[Stephen Harris]

I mean, I'm going to be happy when this goes. All goes away. I was a lot happier before doing this, obviously. And the more just realized it is far better to have this piece and not have to talk about this on a regular basis because as much as I think it doesn't affect me, it does. I realize that now. And, you know, I. I'm happy that the way things have worked out for everybody, I think there's going to be a happy ending for all of us in this. I mean, I, you know, I didn't start out doing any of this open, you know, know, thinking anything was going to come of it. But I'm glad that the way things have gone is how it's going to be. I think when my family looks back and can see all this, when they're okay with this, I think that's going to be the thing for me is when they're going to be able to sit there and say, you know, like, we appreciate you doing this and, you know, not hold it against me. I guess I'm happy to know you. I'm happy that we'll be friends for a long time here. But, man, after all this said and done, I hope we never talk about any of this stuff again. But we just talk about whatever, like, you know, just happy stuff. Truly, this whole time I'm doing this, I've had to separate myself from this, being my father this whole time. And that's the only way I survived. And I've noticed, you know, even my. My children, they're aware of all this. And that was never. I never wanted them, you know, to know about all this.

[Flora Hayes]

And.

[Stephen Harris]

But it's Something you can't hide when you're in the thick of it. Not sure if this was the closure I was looking for, but I'm going to take it. I think. I think everybody, we've all done a good job on this. I think we. We made what was wrong right, and there's something to be said about that. You know, I hope things work out for Andrew. That's been the toughest thing to navigate right there is to not have somebody to focus your anger on or having to take your anger that you've been focusing on that person for years and move it somewhere else or take it off that person altogether. And that's. That's been tough, too.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Somewhere along the way, something in Stephen had shifted. Not just his understanding, his heart. The anger that had carried him for years was loosening its grip. In its place was something quieter, warmer, a hope he hadn't expected to feel. His wishes for Andrew were real.

[Stephen Harris]

I think we did a pretty good job, though, don't you?

[Sarah Lucas]

I think we did a really good job.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

And while it felt like an ending, Andrew was still inside the story, and a lot was about to happen.

[Jason Gishner]

I was surprised that she was willing to talk to him to the level that she did, and I was surprised that she was willing to confess to the things she confessed to. I don't know, maybe it's been weighing on her all this time. I don't know what the reason was. I'm sure it made a difference that she was talking to the victim's son. Right. And I'm sure she had some guilt when she was talking to him, and maybe that's why she was willing to finally tell the truth.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Among all the voices I'd caught up with, there was one person who couldn't afford to slow down when the confession surfaced. Jason Gishner, director of the Tennessee Innocence Project, was there no hesitation?

[Jason Gishner]

I mean, I think what stands out the most from Sarah's confession is obviously the fact that she's saying Andrew isn't. There is powerful new evidence, but what really stands out about those calls and why they just sound so true is one, she's speaking in a level of detail. Right. This isn't just an off the cuff, okay, I did it. Right. It's not like compare and contrast it to the alleged confession that Andrew Hayes gave almost two decades ago. Now, it took 27 hours to. To essentially coerce Andrew Hayes to say that he did something he didn't do and then confess the facts that don't match up with any of the evidence at the crime scene. That's not what happened with Sarah. Right. Sarah's not talking to the police. She's talking to somebody she believes to be her friend. And she's giving great detail about what happened, about the crime scene. And she's not just saying these things. What she's saying is confirmed by objective evidence. So we'll file a new petition at the beginning of the year, which is called an error quorum novus petition. And that gives us the ability to go back into court with new evidence. Essentially, that's not science based. It's new evidence that proves innocence, and it has never been heard before.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

On January 6, when the courts reopened after the holidays, Jason filed the new petition on Andrew's behalf. But this time, he felt it wasn't just another filing after everything had already failed. This confession was the only thing that could truly change Andrew's chances of getting out.

[Jason Gishner]

The judge has to read that and agree to give us a hearing. And then we go in at a hearing and we put on all the proof. It's kind of like a mini trial. It's not a jury trial. We go, you know, if we're granted a hearing, we go back in front of the judge, we put on all of this evidence to prove that Andrew Hayes is innocent. Does this get us over the top? Is this enough? I hope it is. I mean, to me, this is overwhelming evidence of innocence. But I've always believed Andrew was innocent. I mean, it's taken us years to get to where we are right now. And, you know, it's way easier to put an innocent person in prison than it is to get them out. It's still a long, complicated legal process, and we need to get through that before we know if Andrew ever walks out of prison or not. The best case scenario is that we win in the trial court. After 30 days, the order becomes final and there's no appeal, and then the case is over. So that's procedurally wise. That's the best case scenario of what could happen.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Jason Gishner has spent years learning how to stay upright in a system designed to grind people down. He knows when to hold the line, when not to let himself believe too much too soon. But with Andrew's case, I've seen that discipline fade. I've watched it bruise him persistently. I see it in the way he carries the story with him long after the meetings end. And now, sitting across from him again, a year after he first told me about a man named Andrew Hayes, something's changed the tension. I'd come to recognize, wasn't there? The guardedness, the constant anticipation of disappointment. Instead, there was something in his eye I hadn't seen before. Not optimism. Something harder earned than that resolve.

[Jason Gishner]

Now, I have a friend who talks about this concept of the single victim fallacy. And it's just. It's nonsense. It's not true, right? I mean, often we think about the person who was killed and their family and the tragedy that they've. They've suffered and they've endured. And that's real. And sometimes we forget that there are victims on the other side of it, too, Especially when you convict an innocent person, right? So you've got somebody sitting in prison for something they didn't do. You've got a son growing up without his dad. You've got a moment living on the outside, waiting for two decades for her son to come home. And then on the Harris family side of it, they've been told all of this time that the case was solved, that they got justice, that the right person is sitting in prison. None of that's true, right? So the collateral damage when an innocent person is convicted is just monumental. It's generational. It affects entire communities. Two families have just been devastated by the fact that they got this case wrong.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

I never imagined I'd get pulled inside a murder case. I walked into this just curious, untrained and driven by the need to understand how something can go so wrong. I chose a story close to home so I could sit in the rooms where these people lived, grieved, lied, remembered, and hoped. I wanted to understand the weight of this case carried for everyone caught in its wake. When I titled the show everything they Missed, it was a jab at the legal system and law enforcement in Memphis. People who I felt overlooked necessary parts of their job. But as the story unfolded, that title shifted into something else. Everything Flora Hayes missed while her son sat behind bars. Everything Tamarion missed growing up without a father. Everything Stephen Harris missed believing for years that the wrong man killed his father. Everything Andrew hayes missed during 18 stolen years. It began as a title, but it became a map. The real killer is finally named. The truth has finally spoken, and Andrew Hayes may finally have a real chance at exoneration. He may have a shot to live. Everything.

[Flora Hayes]

I just been praying for that day for a long time. And to hear how tape confess saying that I ain't had nothing to do with that. I'm saying, like, that's the blessing I've been waiting on. That's what's keeping me going. You know, it's this really was a blessing, though, man. Cuz, like I told y', all, man, I really thought that she was going to take that to her grave with her. For real, though.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

I made a third trip to Northwest Correctional Facility in Memphis. In the days before, I didn't sleep. Not really. Every night, I'd picture Andrew's face when he would finally hear what we had. I tried to prepare myself for it. I couldn't. On a cold December day, Jason Gishner was gracious enough to let me go with him. Andrew had no idea we were coming. Jason hadn't told him. So when we walked into that same visitation room, Andrew was already there, waiting. The way he always waited, sitting, like time hadn't moved for him in years. He looked up and saw Jason first. Then he saw me. And he did that thing where you try not to smile, but it happens anyway. A real smile, one he couldn't hide. We went back into a small conference room, and Jason started to lay it out carefully. Stephen Harris had reached out. He'd gotten Sarah to talk. She'd open the door, and then Jason said it. Just said it. Sarah confessed. Andrew didn't speak. He didn't even move. At first, the only word I wrote down on my notepad was stunned. He just sat there, like his mind was trying to catch up with something his body couldn't trust yet. Then Jason said, and now I'm going to play the tapes for you. And Andrew swelled up, like a part of him had been waiting his whole life to hear it, because truly he had been. And then he cried. He just cried and cried and cried. And when the tape finally hit the words and Andrew was never there, his whole body collapsed in the chair, and all that was left was an honest man, an innocent man, and the truth.

[Sarah Lucas]

What do you think about Stephen and how all that went down?

[Flora Hayes]

I mean, he was my angel. That was my angel, man. It's like God sent him to help me, even though I don't know who he is, you know? But I really, I. I love to meet him one day, though, to just thank him. Because without him, I don't even think she would have broke if it wasn't been for him. And for him to go through all that for me, I mean, it's like there can't be no. But a blessing.

[Sarah Lucas]

What would you say to Stephen?

[Flora Hayes]

I sent. To be honest with you, I hug him. Miss Stephanie. I don't think words. Words can be powerful. I just. I have to hug him because, like, for him to go through all that, I mean, like, man, this. That's amazing to know that you got other people fighting for you and that you don't even know who they is.

[Sarah Lucas]

How do you feel about Sarah right now?

[Flora Hayes]

I wish the best for him always. No harm on her. You know, actually, I pray for that lady more than I pray for myself sometimes, you know, that God, just to help her, you know? But it's like I don't wish no harm or I don't wish no hate. I ain't got no hate for in my heart or nothing, you know? It just. I hate that they had. They took me through this. You know what I'm saying? Why me?

[Sarah Lucas]

Do you remember when we first played the tapes and Jason turned it off? Do you remember the first thing that you said.

[Flora Hayes]

All these years? All these years? Y' all remember Number Stephanie? Yes, ma'.

[Stephen Harris]

Am.

[Stephanie Tinsley]

Yeah.

[Flora Hayes]

Other thing I would like to say, Stephanie, is that, you know, if. If a person ever get put in the position that I'm in, that I'm in right now, and you know that you innocent, don't give up.

[Stephen Harris]

You know what I'm saying?

[Flora Hayes]

Just keep fighting, because one day you're gonna get your answer. One day, and I got my answer. You just gotta hold on, you know, you can't give up. You know, you got to make the best of it while you win it. So that's what I did.

[Jason Gishner]

All right, man.

[Stephen Harris]

Hey, rules.

[Jason Gishner]

We haven't won anything yet, right?

[Flora Hayes]

No, sir.

[Stephen Harris]

We celebrate. When you walk out of prison, better.

[Flora Hayes]

Know it on the other side of that gate.