WRONGFUL CONVICTION: Toforest Johnson

Summary

Up and Vanished Weekly: WRONGFUL CONVICTION – Taforest Johnson
Hosted by Tenderfoot TV
Release Date: February 19, 2025

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Introduction to the Case

In the February 19, 2025 episode of Up and Vanished Weekly, hosts Payne Lindsay and Maggie Freiling delve into the harrowing story of Taforest Johnson, a man who spent decades on death row for the murder of Deputy Bill Hardy—a case fraught with questionable evidence and procedural missteps.

The Shooting of Deputy Bill Hardy

The episode begins by recounting the events of July 19, 1995, when Deputy William "Bill" Hardy was fatally shot near the Crown Sterling Suites Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama.

• Payne Lindsay (01:26):
  "A few miles from the glass spires of Midtown Atlanta lies the south river forest. In 2021 and 2022, the woods became a home to activists from all over the country who gathered to stop the nearby construction of a massive new police training facility nicknamed Cop City."

The night manager, Barry Rushakoff, alerted authorities after hearing gunshots and witnessing Deputy Hardy injured in an alley.

Initial Investigation and BOLOs

Detective Tony Richardson took charge of the investigation, collecting witness statements that led to immediate questions about Deputy Hardy's actions and the potential suspects.

• Jamie Albright (05:03):
  "A forensic interview is a conversation between a trained interviewer and a child who may have experienced or witnessed any type of physical abuse, sexual abuse, or even homicide."

Witnesses described a suspicious vehicle—a four-door light brown or dark copper sedan with a maroon vinyl top—that fled the scene, but ironically, authorities never issued a BOLO (Be On Lookout) for this very vehicle.

• Jamie Albright (12:03):
  "That's something that I found super strange because they were able to issue a BOLO for two other vehicles, but not the vehicle that was seen by multiple people..."

The Role of Yolanda Chambers and Latonia Henderson

Rosa Hardy, Deputy Hardy's wife, tipped off authorities that her 15-year-old daughter, Yolanda Chambers, might have crucial information. Yolanda and her friend Latonia Henderson were interviewed multiple times, revealing inconsistencies in their testimonies.

• Maggie Freiling (16:52):
  "There are a number of red flags that stand out to me right away. First is the police's interviews with Yolanda and Latonya."

Arrest and Trial of Taforest Johnson and Adregas Ford

Based largely on Yolanda's shifting testimonies, Taforest Johnson and Adregas Ford were arrested. Despite presenting alibis and lacking substantial evidence, they faced trials that highlighted the flaws within the criminal justice system.

• Payne Lindsay (30:51):
  "After Yolanda's witness testimony, DeForest Johnson and Adregas Ford are arrested and thrown into a nightmare they can't escape."

Issues with the Investigation and Trial

Several critical issues plagued the investigation:

• Lack of Physical Evidence: Only two shell casings were recovered, and no firearm was found.

• Inconsistent Witness Descriptions: The getaway car described by witnesses did not match the vehicles for which BOLOs were issued.

• Dubious Interview Practices: Yolanda was interviewed over 25 times without neutral, forensic interview protocols, leading to potential coercion and unreliable testimonies.

• Jamie Albright (17:03):
  "When you interview minors for criminal investigations, there are just certain protocols that should be in place."

Doubts Raised and Lack of Evidence

As the investigation unfolded, it became evident that the evidence against Taforest was tenuous at best.

• Jamie Albright (25:45):
  "The fact that the witnesses stated the car quietly pulled off with headlights off, I mean that car could not have quietly pulled out of that parking lot. There's just no way."

The credibility of key witnesses, like Violet Ellison, who claimed to have overheard Taforest confessing the crime over a prison call, was highly questionable.

Retrials and Outcomes

Both Taforest Johnson and Adregas Ford faced retrials after initial hung juries:

• Adregas Ford:
  Cleared of all charges in his second trial due to insufficient evidence.

• DeForest Johnson:
  Convicted in his retrial primarily based on Violet Ellison's questionable testimony, leading to a death sentence despite ongoing doubts about his guilt.

• Payne Lindsay (32:23):
  "Both men faced grueling trials. Authorities intensified their efforts, determined to convict someone, anyone, for the murder of Deputy Hardy."

Current Status and Ongoing Efforts for Justice

As of the episode's airing, DeForest Johnson remains on death row, awaiting a potential retrial amidst widespread advocacy for his innocence.

• Jamie Albright (50:02):
  "It's horrifying to be honest with you, that he's still sitting in prison, that he's been there for 29 years, and that he's one of the lucky ones where his case has gotten media attention."

The Innocence Project and various legal experts argue that Taforest's conviction was a miscarriage of justice, urging for a comprehensive review of the evidence and trial procedures.

• Maggie Freiling (51:54):
  "To me, his case screams of a wrongful conviction and it's truly one of the most shocking ones I've seen."

Conclusion

The episode underscores the critical flaws in Taforest Johnson's conviction, highlighting how wrongful convictions can result from unreliable witness testimonies, biased investigations, and systemic pressures within the legal system. The case remains a poignant example of the urgent need for reforms to prevent innocent individuals from being wrongfully imprisoned.

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Notable Quotes

• Jamie Albright (17:09):
  "It's definitely better to have a parent present, especially if there's any chance that the young person is going to be accused of being a suspect in the crime."

• Maggie Freiling (43:13):
  "An innocent man is sitting on death row and it's not too late to right this wrong, y'all."

• Jamie Albright (50:02):
  "One of the most common questions I'm hearing is what can I do to help?"

Key Takeaways

• Reliability of Witness Testimonies: The case of Taforest Johnson highlights the dangers of relying heavily on testimonies from minors, especially when interviews lack proper forensic protocols.

• Systemic Pressures: The urgency to solve Deputy Hardy's murder potentially led investigators to overlook inconsistencies and focus on securing a conviction rather than uncovering the truth.

• Advocacy and Justice: Ongoing efforts by organizations like the Innocence Project are crucial in addressing wrongful convictions and ensuring that justice is truly served.

For those seeking a deeper understanding of Taforest Johnson's case and the broader implications of wrongful convictions, Up and Vanished Weekly offers a compelling narrative that emphasizes the importance of due process and the safeguarding of individual rights within the criminal justice system.

Transcript

[Maggie Freeling]

Foreign you're listening to a Tenderfoot TV podcast. Have you ever dreamed of stepping into a mystery novel and solving a case yourself? Let me introduce you to June's Journey, an enchanting hidden object game that lets you do just that. Right now, I'm deep into chapter 12 unraveling clues to uncover the truth behind June's sister's mysterious death. And let me tell you, the story is packed with TW and turns that keep me coming back for more. And my favorite part? The stunning hidden object scenes that transport me to the roaring 1920s. Imagine searching for clues on a Parisian sidewalk or in an opulent New York parlor. It's like stepping back in time. I love playing when I need a break during my day. It's relaxing yet exciting and lets me flex my observation skills while enjoying a gripping tale of family secrets, mystery and romance. Plus, designing my island estate is a fun, creative escape. Whether you're solving puzzles, competing with other sleuths in the detective league, or just enjoying the immersive story, June's Journey offers something for everyone. So how sharp are your observation skills? Put them to the test in June's Journey Download for free today on iOS and Android.

[Payne Lindsay]

A few miles from the glass spires of Midtown Atlanta lies the south river forest. In 2021 and 2022, the woods became a home to activists from all over the country who gathered to stop the nearby construction of a massive new police training facility nicknamed Cop City.

[Jamie Albright]

At approximately 9:00 this morning, as law enforcement was moving through various sectors of.

[Payne Lindsay]

The property, an individual, without warning shot.

[Jamie Albright]

A Georgia State Patrol trooper.

[Payne Lindsay]

This is We Came to the Forest, a story about resistance.

[Beth Shelburne]

The abolitionist mission isn't done until every.

[Payne Lindsay]

Prison is and shut down. Love and Fellowship it was probably the.

[Jamie Albright]

Happiest I've ever been in my life.

[Payne Lindsay]

And the lengths we'll go to protect the things we hold closest to our hearts. Follow We Came to the Forest on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of We Came to the Forest early and ad free right now by joining Wondery.

[Beth Shelburne]

Up and Vanish Weekly is released every Wednesday and brought to you absolutely free but for one week early access and ad free listening. Subscribe to Tenderfoot plus at tenderfootplus.com or on Apple Podcasts.

[Maggie Freeling]

This podcast discusses mature and sensitive content, including descriptions of violence that may be triggering for some audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

[Payne Lindsay]

In the morning hours of July 19, 1995, the streets of Birmingham are still at the Crown Sterling Suites Hotel. Night manager Barry Rushakoff makes his rounds, unaware of the night's coming chaos. Inside, a security guard steps away from his post, leaving behind a warm coffee and a lit cigarette. Signs of a routine night. Two gunshots cut through the silence. Barry rushes outside, his heart pounding. In the dim alley behind the hotel, he spots a figure on the ground. Blood pools beneath the man and Barry recognizes him. It's the hotel's security guard, William Bill Hardy. A 23 year veteran of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. Hardy is barely clinging to life. Paramedics arrive and rush him to the hospital, their sirens fading into the night. As the city begins to stir, the pieces of a grim puzzle emerge. Witnesses report shadowy figures, speeding cars and arguing voices in the dark. The questions are immediate. Why did Hardy leave his post? And who would attack a police office? From Tenderfoot TV in Atlanta, I'm Payne Lindsay.

[Maggie Freeling]

And I'm Maggie Freeling, and you're listening.

[Payne Lindsay]

To up and Vanished Weekly.

[Maggie Freeling]

Hey, y'all. Welcome back to up and Vanished Weekly. I'm Maggie Freeling, and today we're talking about Taforist Johnson. And joining me to talk about this case is Jamie Albright, a forensic interviewer and producer at Tenderfoot. Jamie, thank you for joining me.

[Jamie Albright]

Thanks. I'm so excited to be talking to you today, too.

[Maggie Freeling]

What is forensic interviewing and when is this technique used?

[Jamie Albright]

So a forensic interview is a conversation between a trained interviewer and a child who may have experienced or witnessed any type of physical abuse, sexual abuse, or even homicide. And they're conducted for the purpose of a criminal investigation. So, yeah, that's what we do.

[Maggie Freeling]

Can you explain maybe some of the challenges you face in your work?

[Jamie Albright]

Being a forensic interviewer, you are providing a space for someone to share a story that's really heavy. And these are stories that include details that you are trying to visualize in order to ensure you're gathering the correct information. And what you visualize honestly does stick with you. It's really important in that line of work to practice self care and have safe people that you can talk to about the work that we do. And there's times when I'm so let down by the criminal justice system, to be honest with you. People who are listeners of true crime want to hear certain things or have certain proof that someone is guilty. And it's not tv. These are real people and real lives, and I think that's when it's challenging. But I appreciate the fact that the true crime space is really paying more attention to victims and advocacy because it's really important.

[Maggie Freeling]

Right. This case really centers around two teenage girls who were interviewed, and I would love to get your expertise on how that went down. But first, to really understand the facts of the case, we have to go back and talk about a man named Bill Hardy. Here's Payne with more.

[Payne Lindsay]

In the early hours of Wednesday, July 19, 1995, around 12:40am Birmingham 911 receives a call reporting possible gunshots near the Crown sterling suites hotel.

[Jamie Albright]

911. Yes, ma'am.

[Maggie Freeling]

This is Barry calling from Crown Sterling.

[Jamie Albright]

Suites hotel in Birmingham, Alabama.

[Maggie Freeling]

I've had several guests report what appears out the window. Could have been two gunshots and people running in the parking lot.

[Jamie Albright]

Oh, there's 2300 woodcraft flight.

[Maggie Freeling]

That is correct.

[Beth Shelburne]

I have security on the premises, which.

[Maggie Freeling]

Is chips of the county police. But I'm calling you because I want to make sure that the Birmingham police arrive, please. All right, we'll get someone out.

[Payne Lindsay]

Moments later, Deputy William Bill Hardy is discovered in an alley behind the hotel, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He's rushed to a nearby hospital, fighting for his life. Detective Tony Richardson, a colleague and close friend of deputy Hardy, arrives on the scene and takes charge of the investigation. Determined to uncover the truth, Richardson begins gathering statements from witnesses. Barry Rushakoff, the night manager who called 911, recounts hearing two loud pops when he tried to reach deputy Hardy on the radio. There was no response. Investigating further, he found Hardy's radio left at his post next to a still lit cigarette and a cup of coffee. Moments later, Grushakoff discovers Hardy laying in the alley. But he didn't see any suspects or vehicles leaving the scene. From a fourth floor window above the back parking lot, hotel guest Marshall Kelly Cummings recalls being jolted awake by an argument between two men followed by two gunshots. Looking outside, he spots a four door light brown or dark copper sedan with a maroon vinyl top near the hotel's rear doors. He watches as a tall man enters the driver's seat and the car pulls away slowly with its headlights off. As his eyes adjust, he sees a body on the ground. Another guest, Leon Colvin, provides an identical description of the car and its driver. A fourth witness describes the alleged shooter as a man around 5 foot 10, medium build, wearing a black and white striped shirt and beige khakis. Authorities issue a bolo. Be on the lookout for vehicles matching two descriptions. A white Caprice with two to three occupants and a black car. Strangely, there's no record of a bolo for the copper sedan seen by multiple witnesses. As the search intensifies, investigators are determined to find whoever shot one of their own. But as the investigation unfolds, unusual details from that night begin to surface, raising more questions than answers.

[Maggie Freeling]

Okay, so there is a lot to dig into out of the gate, but first, let's step back and talk more about who Deputy Hardy was. We know he was a longtime veteran of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. He was a married father of four. He was known in Jefferson county for his commitment to his career and family. And based on everything that we know about Hardy, he was really liked, and his absence was felt by many. Jamie, what stands out to you about Deputy Hardy?

[Jamie Albright]

Well, just as you mentioned, there were so many people that had good things to say about Deputy Hardy and also his commitment to his profession. I mean, 23 years as a sheriff deputy is pretty impressive. And to have so many people have good things to say about you and about the work that you did is just pretty amazing.

[Maggie Freeling]

There were several things that seemed out of place, starting with the fact that Deputy Hardy left the building, and we don't really know why. We don't know if he heard something and was going to check it out or if he was planning to meet someone outside. What about this stands out to you?

[Jamie Albright]

Deputy Hardy went out of the rear of the hotel, and he left his radio at his post with coffee and his cigarette burning. And even when I first heard that in the account, I thought, why would a police officer go out in the middle of the night alone on foot without a radio? And then I listened to those interviews, and that's also what Barry from the front desk said. He said that was not normal and that he normally did patrols, actually in his sheriff deputy car. And he always had his radio and actually often had his cigarette in his mouth. So that just seems odd that he would do that.

[Maggie Freeling]

Do you have thoughts on that, what he could have been doing?

[Jamie Albright]

My first thought is this is the 90s, so we're not talking about him having a cell phone or anyone called him or anything. But the first thing I thought was, was he meeting someone? Did he know someone that was back there and was he inspecting something? Just so many questions came to mind, and I think that it. My concerns were sealed even more when I read Barry's concerns because he's someone that knew him and knew his regular routine.

[Maggie Freeling]

Something else that stood out to me that is pretty crazy is the authorities issued a BOLO for two vehicles, but neither of them was the brown or copper car with a maroon top which eyewitnesses saw at the hotel. Why would police not issue a BOLO for the vehicle that people placed at the scene.

[Jamie Albright]

That's something that I found super strange because they were able to issue a BOLO for two other vehicles, but not the vehicle that was seen by multiple people, three at least, leaving the scene. And it just seems odd because it's a hotel. Lots of cars are coming and going, but this is one that multiple people specifically said was leaving in an odd way right after the gunshot. So that's just weird.

[Maggie Freeling]

So the investigation into the shooting of Deputy Hardy intensified very quickly once authorities arrived on scene. But as we can gather from their initial radio transmissions, police were still trying to piece together the details about what may have happened.

[Jamie Albright]

Yes, ma'am, I have a pit.

[Maggie Freeling]

Would appear to be a Jim as.

[Payne Lindsay]

A county police officer shot in the.

[Jamie Albright]

Back of our building. 332 Jefferson County Deputy has been shot on the back entrance of the hotel Crownstrone Suites. It is one of us and we are. They have got one down.

[Maggie Freeling]

He has been shot.

[Jamie Albright]

Right. And it looks bad.

[Maggie Freeling]

More of our discussion after a quick break.

[Jamie Albright]

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[Maggie Freeling]

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[Jamie Albright]

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[Maggie Freeling]

They made it easy.

[Payne Lindsay]

Transparent terms, customizable, down and monthly.

[Jamie Albright]

Didn't even have to do any paperwork.

[Maggie Freeling]

Wow. Hey, have you checked out that spreadsheet I sent you for our dinner? Options finance your car with Carvana and experience total control financing subject to credit approval. All right, now back to our case.

[Payne Lindsay]

Despite the best efforts of the medical team, Deputy Horty succumbs to his injuries. Seven hours after arriving at the hospital. The Jefferson county medical examiner's report confirms gunshot wounds to his head, jaw and finger, all fired at close range at an upward angle. A gunshot wound to his hand suggests he tried to shield his face. Two shell casings are recovered at the scene. And the examiner notes that Hardy's firearm remains holstered. The urgency of the investigation escalates. What began as a police involved shooting is now a full blown murder investigation. Authorities launch a manhunt for someone bold enough to kill a uniformed deputy in cold blood. After a week with no leads, the investigation stalls. It seems Deputy Hardy's murderer has somehow escaped justice. Desperate for leads, the Jefferson County Sheriff's department offers a $10,000 reward, hoping to incentivize people to come forward. And thankfully, their plan works. Investigators receive a call from Rosa Hardy, who claims her 15 year old daughter, Yolanda Chambers, knows who killed deputy Hardy. On July 24, just six days after the shooting, Yolanda is brought in for questioning. She tells investigators that on the night of the shooting, she was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by police about four miles from the hotel. During the stop, officers searched the car and its four occupants. Yolanda, her 16 year old friend Latonya Henderson and two men. While the others were released, one of the men was taken into custody on a warrant for a traffic violation. Initially, Yolanda denies knowing anything about the shooting. But over the course of several interviews, her story begins to shift. She names multiple suspects, motives and scenarios, all explaining Deputy Hardy's murder. As her stories conflict, investigators bring in Latonya to corroborate Yolanda's accounts. The two girls agree on some details, such as their activities earlier that night and the police stop. But their accounts of the murder itself differ drastically. Yolanda implicates two male passengers in the murder in several versions of her story, while Latanya remains firm, insisting she knows nothing about the shooting at all. As the lead investigator, Detective Richardson, grows increasingly frustrated with the tremendous lack of clear answers on tape, he delivers an ultimatum to the girls. They can either be witnesses or defendants. The choice is theirs. This turning point in the investigation begins to cast doubt on the tactics used by authorities and the reliability of these two girls accounts.

[Maggie Freeling]

There are a number of red flags that stand out to me right away. First is the police's interviews with Yolanda and Latonya. And I would love to get your expertise on how that went down.

[Jamie Albright]

When you interview minors for criminal investigations, there are just certain protocols that should be in place.

[Maggie Freeling]

They're teenagers and they're interviewed without their parents. And I know you listen to those interviews. Why did she speak to the police without her parents present?

[Jamie Albright]

I couldn't find anything about why she spoke to them without her parent present. Her parent did bring her to be interviewed. With that type of situation, it's definitely better to have a parent present, especially if there's any chance that the young person is going to be accused of being a suspect in the crime. Because a child isn't going to know the right questions to ask. They're not going to know to ask for legal representation. Right. So, you know, it really gave Detective Richardson the upper hand to have her there where he could say whatever he wanted to say or ask whatever he wanted to ask. Children are still interviewed today without their parents in the room if they are being interviewed as potential witnesses, because that way they're ensuring that the interview is fair and impartial and that there's no one that's influencing what they're disclosing. But in this case, Deputy Richardson wasn't sure if he thought the girls were involved or not. So they're being interviewed more like suspects. It seems Detective Richardson had a narrative that he was helping Yolanda build. When you listen to those interviews, and mind you, we only listened to a few of them, she was interviewed over 25 times. This was absolutely not a neutral interview.

[Maggie Freeling]

What do you mean by neutral? That's actually a term I've never heard. Sure.

[Jamie Albright]

So that's actually a big part of the forensic interview training, that while we're conducting an interview as part of an investigation, that when you walk in that room, you're completely neutral. You are providing a space for the child to disclose if there's something that they experienced or witnessed. But in this case, you're hearing the detective ask questions and then kind of fill in the blanks. That's not a neutral interview. He's interviewing them to fill in his blanks in the investigation. Also, threats shouldn't be used, nor should praise. So in an interview, if you were to watch an interview I conduct, I almost look neutral, like facial expressions. Children are so impressionable, even to our tone. And you don't hear that in the interviews with Detective Richardson and Yolanda and Latonya, he actually even says to them, either you're a witness or a defendant. If you're a witness, you're on my side. If you're a defendant, you're not. And that's a threat. Right. It's not best practice to interview a child multiple times about the same incident. There's also a significant amount of time in between those multiple interviews of Yolanda. So are there conversations happening in between? There's this one moment in the interview with Yolanda where he says, no one promises you anything. Right. And she says something like, well, but. And then the tape is abruptly stopped. So she's about to say something about a possible promise, it sounds like. And then he stops her from finishing.

[Maggie Freeling]

Yeah. What do you make of the tape stopping and starting? To me, that's quite nefarious. I think the police later even admitted that best practice would be to leave it on the entire time as far.

[Jamie Albright]

As rewards or promises. Although we don't hear that per se in the interviews, It's a huge red flag to me that an interview is stopped and started today. What you do is you start an interview before you even enter the room with the minor child, and then it runs all the way through you exiting that room until you stop the interview, there's absolutely no stopping or starting because it. You can't help but wonder what conversations are occurring when that tape is stopped or why it stopped.

[Maggie Freeling]

So initially, Yolanda implicated four men and all four were arrested. But two men, deforest Johnson and Ardregas Ford, quickly became lead suspects. But my question is, who are these men and what was their connection to Yolanda?

[Jamie Albright]

Yolanda ended up coming in for that interview after her mom reached out to law enforcement after reward was offered. And Yolanda apparently did tell her mother that she had heard about Deputy Hardy being killed. And so there was a conversation that occurred, but the mom then called in and said her daughter knew who killed him. So, you know, I just, I don't know. I do think that her mother's motive should be thoroughly investigated because at the end of the day, she ended up testifying in multiple cases for the state. And so it just seems that that's could have been a motivator, money or she got in trouble a lot. And so having that relationship with law enforcement, you know, I don't know. But those are things that definitely need to be examined today.

[Maggie Freeling]

Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of little details that seem off to me, but the question for me is what exactly Yolanda said in her interviews with police that implicated deforest and Ordregas in the shooting of Deputy Hardy. What can you tell us about what she may have shared with authorities?

[Jamie Albright]

She claims that she met Taforis a day or so before at a club and that she had paged him to get together or to meet up around 2 o'clock the morning of the murder. And he said, hey, bring a friend for my friend Rodriguez. And I don't think we should breeze past the fact that the girls are 15 and 16 and the guys are 21 and 22. That's something that we're not quite sure if Taforis and Rodriguez knew their age. We're not sure of that situation. But they did. They reached out to kind of hang out with them. And they did meet at an 18 over club, apparently just the day before. Well, Yolanda did. She met Taforis. So she brings her friend and they go out on a night with the guys. And that's how their names ended up in this investigation.

[Maggie Freeling]

So Tforrest and Rodriguez find themselves as persons of interest in Deputy Hardy's death, but they're like, we don't know anything. In fact, they say they were somewhere completely different. They have an alibi. So what do they say? They were up to that night.

[Jamie Albright]

Yeah. So they say that they're at a club called T's Place and they give really good details. They have an event called Tasty Tuesday where they were frequently at the club for this event and they were there. And they give names of alibi witnesses. And then they do line their story up with Yolanda and Latonya, that they pick them up, they drive around, try to find a hotel to hang out at. And then they all agree that they are stopped by law enforcement. So all their stories line up to that point. And then that's when Yolanda's story drifts off and mentions them as possible offenders.

[Maggie Freeling]

So Yolanda says that while she and Latonya were driving around with to Forest and or Dragus, the four of them pulled into the hotel. And this is what sets the scene for what happened to Deputy Hardy. What exactly does Yolanda say happened?

[Jamie Albright]

Yeah, so what Yolanda says happened is that it was a drug deal gone wrong and that while she wasn't present, she was picked up after. Cause remember, the shooting took place 12:30, 12:40, and then she was picked up around 2:00am her and Latonya. So she just says that it was a drug deal gone wrong and two of the men shot at each, at Deputy Hardy and he was shot by both of them. That was one of her stories. She multiple times mentioned that it was a drug deal that he just happened to walk or come upon. The other thing that really caught my attention was the getaway vehicle doesn't match our Dragus car. However, there's something else that stuck out to me. So our Dragis drove a black two door 1972 Monte Carlo. It had a Flowmaster exhaust. I don't know if you know what that is.

[Maggie Freeling]

No. Please describe.

[Jamie Albright]

Okay, so a Flowmaster exhaust makes the car sound really, really loud.

[Maggie Freeling]

Uh huh. Okay.

[Jamie Albright]

My husband ironically has a 72 Monte Carlo. So I kind of have been able to test this out. Not even with the Flowmaster muffler. And he cannot start that car and get out of the driveway without me hearing him. So the fact that the witnesses stated the car quietly pulled off with headlights off, I mean that car could not have quietly pulled out of that parking lot. There's just no way.

[Maggie Freeling]

So I found that our Dragus is actually fascinating in terms of their innocence. Our Dragus is paralyzed. Why is that significant?

[Jamie Albright]

The reason our Dragis being paralyzed is an important part of this story is because eyewitnesses from the hotel who believe that they saw the shooter state that the shooter got Back in the driver's side of the vehicle. And obviously, our Dragis could not have gotten in that door for two reasons. Number one, he's paralyzed and in a wheelchair. And number two, the driver's side door was stuck. It did not open at all. And that is noted in the police report that they inspected the vehicle and the driver's side door did not open or close. So that, you would think would have been the thing that made them not move forward with them as suspects.

[Maggie Freeling]

Why do you think they kept pursuing them?

[Jamie Albright]

The murder of a sheriff deputy that everybody liked, that they all knew. The investigators knew, the prosecutor knew. You know, it seems like there was a lot of pressure to solve this case. And so the authorities felt they had their suspects and they could get Yolanda to say what she needed to say, and they just ran with that. I do think they really wanted to get their guy, and they believed that they did, right?

[Maggie Freeling]

Their intentions were in the right place. They wanted to find the people responsible for shooting Deputy Hardy. But the problem seems to be the credibility of Yolanda's account, which was always changing. I mean, I deal with this all the time, working in wrongful convictions. Memories are not photographic. Right. So little details will change. So here I'm wondering how the police decided they could trust her initially. She implicated four men, but two of them were eventually cleared. So she's implicating people that couldn't have been there. So this, to me, raises red flags. I would pause with this witness. So this left to Forest and Rodriguez as the primary suspects. And this whole investigation triggered a series of events that would have a massive impact on everyone involved. We'll be right back after a quick break. You're listening to up and Vanished Weekly. Where'd you get those shoes? Easy. They're from dsw. Because DSW has the exact right shoes for whatever you're into right now. You know, like the sneakers that make office hours feel like happy hour, the boots that turn grocery aisles into runways, and all the styles that show off the many sides of you, from daydreamer to multitasker and everything in between. Because you do it all in really great shoes. Find a shoe for every you at your DSW store or dsw.com looking to improve your diet in the new year? Try seeing a personal dietitian with Nourish. Nourish has hundreds of dietitians who specialize in a variety of health concerns, including weight loss, gut health, and more. Meet with your dietitian online and message.

[Jamie Albright]

Them anytime through the Nourish app.

[Maggie Freeling]

Nourish accepts hundreds of insurance plans. 94% of patients pay $0 out of pocket. Find your personal [e-mail] that's usenourish.com hey listeners, if you have a tip or theories about a case you want to share or a case of interest you'd like to recommend to us, then we want to hear from you. Email us casesenderfoot tv DMUS on Instagram avweekly or give us a call at at 770-545-6411. Now here's John with this week's critical missing case.

[Beth Shelburne]

So here's what I have this week. On November 20, 2024, 32 year old Normarice Colon Velez went missing from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. Now, according to authorities, around 12:30am she took an Uber to a sports bar to meet another individual and later she left with two other unknown males. Norma Reese never returned home and she's not been heard from since. Her last listed location is Hofnagel street between Eastwood street and Bradford Street. Norma Reese is of Hispanic ethnicity and she's between 5 foot 4 inches and 5 foot 6 inches tall with a weight between 180 and 190 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes and she was last seen wearing a white one piece romper, brown sneakers and hoop earrings. So listeners, if you know any information about the disappearance of Norma Reese, please contact Detective Gwendolyn Queen with the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-3153 and you can reference case number 2024-071-033326.

[Maggie Freeling]

Okay, now let's get back to the show.

[Payne Lindsay]

After Yolanda's witness testimony, DeForest Johnson and Adregus Ford are arrested and thrown into a nightmare they can't escape. The men insist they did not commit this crime. Yet for 15 long months, and despite the absence of any hard evidence, they faced the suffocating reality of a system unwilling to listen. For To Forrest, every day behind bars was a fight against despair, a constant reminder that his life had been reduced to a number in a place he didn't belong. His freedom was gone, and with it, the chance to clear his name. For investigators, the case seemed solved and they were eager to close the book. And whether or not the men were truly guilty didn't seem to matter. The cases against them would soon reveal just how far authorities were willing to go to protect their own narrative, even at the expense of truth and justice. DeForest Johnson and Andregas Ford faced separate trials that hinged on the same fragile evidence. The prosecution's case rested almost entirely on, on the conflicting testimonies of 15 year old Yolanda, whose story shifted with every telling. Despite the lack of solid evidence, both men faced grueling trials. Authorities intensified their efforts, determined to convict someone, anyone, for the murder of Deputy Hardy.

[Maggie Freeling]

The way these trials played out is shocking and these cases are really a microcosm of the bigger picture of how our criminal legal system works. There is so much I want to get into and we can't. But luckily for you, another podcast did. It's called Ear Witness. They did an eight part deep dive into this whole story. Investigative journalist Beth Shelburn hosts the podcast. She did an amazing job covering the details of the trial. Jamie, what do you make of how everything played out?

[Jamie Albright]

Right. There's an interview on the Ear Witness podcast with our Dragus relative and she talks about how the grandmother scraped together $10,000 because they knew that they had to pay to get him a fair trial or get him fair representation. Then you have deforest relative who says they went to an attorney who says, I'll bring your loved one home for $10,000 and they just didn't have it. It's also interesting that DeForest had two public defenders and I was able that they were only paid about $20 an hour at the time. Even Taforest's family, when they were interviewed, stated that they really thought he was coming home and they believe he did too. Because of the lack of evidence, they've never been able to connect to Forrest or our Dragis, to Deputy Hardy in any way. So it just seems like he didn't have a chance.

[Maggie Freeling]

I mean, it's just so crazy. So they're both tried and there really is no evidence to try these guys. So their first trials end in a hung jury. So we don't know all the details, but it's reasonable to think that Yolanda's changing testimony and her lack of credibility wasn't enough to convince the jury that they were guilty. But prosecutors and authorities were determined to hold someone accountable for this. So they decided to retry both of them them. But this time they found new evidence to bolster their case. A few days after Deputy Hardy's death, authorities raised the reward from 10,000 to $20,000.

[Payne Lindsay]

Just one day after the reward money was doubled, a new witness emerged. The phone system at the Jefferson county jail in 1995 operated under strict rules, with inmates only allowed to make outgoing collect calls. For these calls, the recipient had to actively accept the charges to connect. This is where Violet Ellison and her daughter Katrina enter the story. In 1995, Taforest had an ongoing relationship with Katrina and frequently called her from the prison phone system. During one of these calls, Violet claimed to have overheard Tafores confess to Deputy Hardy's murder. But her account immediately raised red flags. She had never even met Taforest and offered no details about the crime itself. Moreover, Katrina, the third person on the line, testified in two separate trials that she did not hear Taforis confess. Her direct contradiction of her mother's story added a layer of uncertainty and cast doubt on Violet's credibility. This discrepancy leaves many troubling questions. How could the testimony of a witness with no personal connection to Tiforest and whose claim was refuted by Katrina become the cornerstone of the prosecution's case? And with so much riding on Violet's statement, could the justice system have overlooked these glaring inconsistencies in its pursuit of a conviction?

[Maggie Freeling]

So Violet's account of what Tafora said on that phone call became key evidence for prosecutors trying to prosecute Taforest. My question is, what exactly did Violet tell the authorities? Jamie, what do you know about this?

[Jamie Albright]

Yeah, so first it's a seven minute interview, which that immediately caught my attention because who goes to the police station is interviewed for seven minutes? She had never met Taforis, so how did she know it was him? How did she know his voice? They take her seven minute interview and don't initially seem impressed with it until Yolanda's story changes and then she becomes the star witness in the next trial.

[Maggie Freeling]

Taforest, at his second trial, was convicted based on Violet Ellison's testimony, which was actually hearsay. That was one of the big things this podcast Ear Witness discussed was that she was an ear witness. Violet heard this conversation. It was hearsay. She heard this. It wasn't said to her. So why was that allowed to be admitted in court?

[Jamie Albright]

Right, and hearsay is not usually admitted in those types of trials. Again, I think it just shows the desperation that she was allowed to testify. And the other thing that's important to mention too is remember, it was a three way call. Well, the other young lady on the phone testified that DeForest did not tell her that he killed Deputy Hardy. I mean, she is clear in two trials that she had discussed why he was incarcerated, but he never at any point stated that he was the one that shot Deputy Hardy.

[Maggie Freeling]

Wow. So he presented that at both trials as his defense and was still convicted.

[Jamie Albright]

Yes.

[Maggie Freeling]

And he also presented an alibi?

[Jamie Albright]

Yes. And now he has, I think they said, maybe 10 alibis that have come forward, people that contacted law enforcement to say that they were with him that night, and no one ever followed up to interview them.

[Maggie Freeling]

Okay, so Yolanda's story alone, it's a hung jury now. This woman, Violet Ellison, is now bolstering what Yolanda says. And then did Yolanda's story change again to fit what Violet is now saying?

[Jamie Albright]

So they actually don't even call her in his final trial, which, again, if she's a star witness in four other cases related to Hardy's murder, she's not used at all. In his second trial, Violet Ellison went on to continue to try to be a star witness for the prosecution until they realized that her stories were not true, or at least a few of them, and those led to mistrials. The other thing about her statement is that she says that Tiforis and one of the other men both shot at Deputy Hardy. Well, the physical evidence doesn't match that. Both bullets, the shell casings at the scene show that they came from the same gun. So my guess is police heard that and didn't find her statement to be credible. But then they found it necessary to use in his second trial. I mean, the prosecution is presenting a case to a jury, mind you, who doesn't know anything about the previous trials. If I were on the jury, and I knew that you had four other narratives at four different trials before this, that would definitely influence my opinion of the prosecution's case. That should not be allowed unless there's new evidence to present. Right, and in this case, there wasn't.

[Payne Lindsay]

Despite a lack of evidence, both cases move forward to retrials. The outcomes will forever define the lives of two men accused of the same crime. Dragis Ford faces his second trial. The courtroom is heavy with anticipation, but there's a small glimmer of hope. The evidence against him hasn't stood up to scrutiny. He sits quietly, his shoulders tense, as the jury returns to deliver their verdict. Not guilty. Relief washes over Rodriguez as he exhales for the first time after spending a year behind bars for a crime he did not commit. Months later, DeForest Johnson's retrial begins. The weight of Violet Ellison's prison phone testimony hangs over the room. DeForest stands, his expression calm, but his hands tightly cuffed, as the jury enters with their decision. Guilty. The air is sucked out of the room. The judge declares DeForest his sentence. Death. Two men, tied by the same accusations face separate trials with the Same shaky evidence, yet they walk away with starkly different fates. Adregas leaves a free man, but for DeForest, the nightmare continues as the fight for his life takes on a new and desperate urgency.

[Maggie Freeling]

This case was so thin, and this man is sentenced to death.

[Jamie Albright]

Tiforis was really sentenced to death strictly on the testimony of Violet Ellison. And at trial, no one knew that she was actually paid for her testimony. Beth Shelburne from the podcast Ear Witness found evidence that Violet Ellison was actually paid for that testimony. $5,000. And when she tried to reach out to the DA's office, they said she was not paid. She was not paid. And then she found the documents and they said, oh, that must have been misfiled, you know, and the judge was aware she was paid, and so was the prosecutor. So that, again, is concerning. And by the way, Violet Ellison called in the day after the Reward went to 20,000. So the reward definitely brought in tips, but not sure if they were the right ones. I think what happened in this trial is they were just desperate to find someone and desperate to get information. And I think that when you look back at this and you see all of the things they've learned today compared to what they had then, that's evidence that should have been shared with the defense and with the jury. He also does not at all match the description of the shooter given that night by one of the witnesses. That description was 5 foot 10, medium build. Taforest is 5 foot 5, not even close to 5 foot 10. Again, how did that even stick? And then, of course, the multiple descriptions of the car, but never finding the getaway car. Also the fact that both men had multiple alibis for T's place. These alibis were never called into Forrest's retrial.

[Maggie Freeling]

Yolanda has now recanted.

[Jamie Albright]

Yes. And actually she sadly was found murdered a few years ago.

[Maggie Freeling]

I did not know that.

[Jamie Albright]

Yeah, so she became known as like police girl in the neighborhood, which again, is disturbing because she was a child and communicating with law enforcement may have put her in a situation that led to her death. You look back and think it is good to offer rewards if it brings tips that are actual tips and factual. But you just can't help but wonder how those rewards impacted to Forrest's fate today.

[Maggie Freeling]

You know, rewards are great. It can definitely help get cases solved. But I see this all the time in wrongful conviction cases that there are instances where people might not have the best motives. Right. They might provide false leads or bad information or just flat out lie with the hope that they'll get their reward money and they might not realize that this could put an innocent person in prison for life or sentenced to death for something that they never did. More on this case after a quick break. Start fresh in the New Year as you set resolutions for 2024, consider how learning a new language can enrich your life, whether through travel, career advancement, or cultural appreciation. Keeping in mind everything you've learned over the last year, it's time to build on that, and learning a new language can help you connect with others and explore new cultures. With that in mind, there's no better tool than Rosetta Stone, the most trusted language learning program available on Deskt Mobile. Rosetta Stone immerses you in the language so you truly learn to think, speak and understand it naturally. With Rosetta Stone's intuitive approach. There are no English translations, you're fully immersed, and the built in truaxent feature acts like a personal accent coach, giving you real time feedback to make sure you sound just right. Don't put off learning that language. There's no better time than right now to get started. Start the new year off with a resolution you can reach today. Listeners can take advantage of this Rosetta Stones lifetime membership for visit rosettastone.com Rs10. That's 50% off. Unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your Life. Redeem your 50% off at rosettastone.com RS10today.

[Beth Shelburne]

Escape to a bygone age of mystery, danger and romance as you immerse yourself into the world of June's Journey, a hidden object mystery mobile game that puts your detectives together, kills to the test. Play as June Parker and investigate beautifully detailed scenes of the 1920s while uncovering the mystery of her sister's murder. With hundreds of mind teasing puzzles, the next clue is always within reach. Wouldn't you love to play a game on your phone where you can become a detective and find clues? Figure out scandalous family secrets with each scene leading to a new thrilling storyline. Solve mind teasing mysteries of the Roaring twenties. Each chapter uncovers a collection of dazzling hidden object spectacles for you to solve. This game is about a daring young girl, June, traveling to her sister's estate to uncover scandalous family secrets, mystery, danger and romance. Where will each new chapter take you? Collect scraps of information to fill your photo album and learn more about each character. Chat and play with or against other players by joining a detective club. You'll even get the chance to play in a detective league to put your skills to the test. If you're craving a good mystery or just looking for an escape? June's Journey is what you need in your life. I just got through the vault door in the secret tunnel and I'm not going to tell you what's behind it. You'll have to find out for yourself. Discover your inner detective when you download June's Journey for free today on iOS and Android. Hey, it's John from the up and Vanish team. If you're enjoying this episode, then you should check out the Tenderfoot original series Sworn have you ever wondered what impact mandatory minimum sentences have on cases? Or how common false confessions really are? What about the reliability of eyewitness testimony and polygraphs? Pull back the curtain on the criminal justice system and explore untold stories and hard truths behind some of the most misunderstood aspects of the legal process. Join host Philip Holloway, a defense attorney and former prosecutor, as he digs into the technical aspects of these cases as well as the emotional consequences of their outcomes. Listen to all episodes of Sworn wherever you get your podcasts or binge ad free exclusively on Tenderfoot Plus. Now back to the show.

[Maggie Freeling]

So Jamie, I know you've been keeping tabs on deforest case. Where do things stand with him right now? Is he pursuing a retrial clemency? What is the latest?

[Jamie Albright]

So we reached out to Taforest's friend to find out if there is a set execution date and we've not heard back yet. But he is still on death row. He is still waiting to see if his case is going to be heard and basically he's asking for a retrial or a new trial. And at this time, you know, they keep denying the appeals that his attorney or his legal team is making. And even though the jury, the former prosecutor, all of these leaders in Alabama are coming forward and the Innocence Project saying he absolutely deserves a new trial, he keeps getting denied. I don't understand why DeForest is not eligible for, at minimum, a new trial.

[Maggie Freeling]

So I look at cases like this every day for my podcast, Wrongful Conviction, and every time I think I've seen it all, another case comes to me and I am once again shocked, appalled, and just left feeling really bleak about humanity. To me, his case screams of a wrongful conviction and it's truly one of the most shocking ones I've seen. Taforest has now been in prison for three decades. The Innocence Project is a nonprofit that takes on cases with strong evidence of a wrongful conviction, like to Forests. So they have looked into his case pretty extensively, and the original trial prosecutor is calling for a new trial. The elected district attorney in Birmingham calling for a new trial. Three former state supreme court justices, two former governors, several former attorney general, numerous jurors and other high ranking officials in Alabama are calling for a new trial. They say they would not have convicted Taforis had they known the full story. Jamie, lay it on me. What are your closing thoughts?

[Jamie Albright]

You know, it's horrifying to be honest with you, that he's still sitting in prison, that he's been there for 29 years, and that he's one of the lucky ones where his case has gotten media attention. It makes you wonder how many other people are out there like Tiforest who need someone to hear their case and to look at the evidence. One of the interviews with Detective Richardson, he said no one should ever speak to the police if they're interviewing you. That just makes you feel really yucky about the criminal justice system. I don't really know what other word to say because you should be able to trust them. For me, as a mom of four black sons, I'm literally like, hey guys, so I've now learned do not ever talk to police. Isn't that terrible? Because I work with law enforcement, like there should be a level of trust. But after hearing that detective say that, it really made me think, what in the world that you're going in there with your already preconceived notion that they're guilty and you're just gonna find and create the story. I don't know. It's terrifying.

[Maggie Freeling]

Jamie, thank you so much for talking through Tafora's case with me. How can people keep up to speed on what you are working on?

[Jamie Albright]

So I'm working on several new podcasts. You can find them on Tenderfoot's website at Tenderfoot tv. And and I had a podcast last year called Freeway Phantom. It was a 10 episode investigative podcast. We dove into a 50 year old unsolved case of at least 6 black girls who were murdered and discarded along the highway in Washington D.C. their families are still hoping for justice and we have helped double the reward with the help of Iheart and Black Bar Mitzvah. So we really hope people will continue to listen to that podcast and support because there's still a chance that that can't case could be solved.

[Maggie Freeling]

It's been almost 30 years since the murder of Deputy Bill Hardy and I can't imagine how difficult this loss has been for his family. Even today, they decline requests for interviews every time an innocent person is in prison. The real perpetrator is living their life possibly committing more crimes. Not only is it an injustice to the person who is wrongfully convicted, losing years and decades of their life, but it's no justice for the families of the victims who don't get the truth. It's not justice for the citizens who are potential prey. And there is still so much we do not know about what happened that early morning of July 19, 1995. Why did Deputy Hardy leave his desk to go to the back alley? Did he meet someone he knew? Was it a stranger? And what happened there? Who is the driver of the brown car that witnesses saw? Is that the shooter? It's also been almost 30 years since DeForest Johnson was last free. For decades he sat behind bars with a looming execution date for a crime he says and I believe he did not commit. Taforest was convicted solely on the testimony of a witness who we now know was paid $5,000 for her testimony and this information was withheld from the defense and the jury. No one should be incarcerated, let alone face the death penalty when there is insufficient evidence against them. Beth Shelburne from the Ear Witness podcast has been a vocal advocate for Taforest's release. Here's what she said on a recent social media post. People listen to the appalling flawed evidence that sent DeForest to death row where he remains today, and they want to do something. One of the most common questions I'm hearing is what can I do to help? The best thing you can do is to go to his advocacy page. It's deforestjohnson.com and you can add your name to DeForest's list of supporters, people who believe he deserves a new trial. You can sign up for updates in his case and where you can spread the word. In an interview with WVTM 13 in December 2023, Taforist daughter said it's not too late to fix this mistake and I believe that's true. DeForest Johnson is scheduled to be executed in Alabama. But you can join the current Jefferson County District Attorney, former Alabama Attorney General and countless legal experts and advocates who are insisting that there be a thorough investigation into the conviction of Taforis Johnson. A new trial for DeForest Johnson could lead to a new investigation into who the killer or killers. Maybe Visit justice for DeForest [e-mail] to see how you can help. For a more detailed look at deforest case, listen to Ear Witness wherever you get your podcasts. An innocent man is sitting on death row and it's not too late to right this wrong, y'all. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of up and Vanished Weekly. Be sure to tune in now next Friday as we dig into another new case. Until next time.

[Payne Lindsay]

Up in Vanish Weekly is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey. Your hosts are Maggie Freeling and myself, Payne Lindsay. The show is written by Maggie Freeling, myself and John Street. Executive producers are Donald Albright and myself. Lead producer is John Street. Additional production by Meredith Steadman and Mike Rooney. Research for the series by Jamie Albright, Celicia Stanton and Carolyn Tallmadge. Edit and mix by Dylan Harrington and Sean Nurney. Supervising producer is Tracy Kaplan. Artwork by Biological Byron McCoy. Original music by Makeup and Vanity Set. Special thanks to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at uta, Beck Media and Marketing and the Nord Group. For more podcasts like up and Vanish Weekly, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us@Tenderfoot TV. Thanks for listening. My name is Sarah Turney. I spent years fighting for justice for my missing sister, Alyssa Turney, before an arrest was finally made in her case after nearly 20 years.

[Maggie Freeling]

But after my experience with the media.

[Payne Lindsay]

Law enforcement and the court system, I knew I couldn't stop with Alyssa's case. I know what it's like to fight for media attention, for answers, and for justice.

[Maggie Freeling]

After I stopped telling my sister's story.

[Payne Lindsay]

I knew I wanted to help as many other victims, survivors and families as I could. On my podcast, Voices for Justice, I provide unique insight into these tragic cases because I know what it's like to not just listen to these stories, but to live them and more importantly, how to help them by being a true voice for justice. Listen to Voices for Justice in your favorite podcast player Today.

[Maggie Freeling]

You can be so much more than just a passive consumer of true crime.

[Payne Lindsay]

You have the power to help.

[Jamie Albright]

Help.

[Payne Lindsay]

Ghosts, aliens, skinwalkers. What do you believe?

[Jamie Albright]

Well, brace yourself for Unexplained Encounters, the.

[Beth Shelburne]

Podcast where people from around the world.

[Maggie Freeling]

Share their most bizarre and terrifying experiences with us.

[Payne Lindsay]

I narrate them to you from alleged sightings of werewolves.

[Maggie Freeling]

Jesus Christ, you better chance two demonic entities in the dark shadows of the room.

[Jamie Albright]

We're not asking you to decide what to believe in.

[Maggie Freeling]

Rather decide what you fear. Get somebody out here. Follow and rate Unexplained Encounters on Spotify and Apple podcasts or go to eeriecast.com.