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

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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 |

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.

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.