COJ #190 - The Corruption That Cost Lamonte McIntyre 23 Years: How A Detective, A Prosecutor and A Judge Built A Trial By Lies…

In 1994, 17-year-old Lamonte McIntyre was arrested hours after a double homicide in Kansas City, Kansas — a crime he had nothing to do with. There was no physical evidence and no real investigation. What there was: a detective with a grudge against Lamonte's mother, a prosecutor who apparently knew her witnesses were lying, and a judge allegedly "involved" with that prosecutor. Undoing all those wrongs took 23 years.

This week, Investigative Journalists ⁠⁠Mandy Matney⁠⁠ and ⁠Liz Farrell⁠⁠ sit down with Miracle of Innocence co-founder Lamonte McIntyre to talk about being swallowed by a system built to protect itself — the moment two strangers pointed at him in a courtroom, the years he refused to wear a prison ID, and the day a prosecutor finally stood up and dropped every charge.

But this isn't only a story about what was taken. Lamonte talks about what he built after: Kansas compensation law, legislation to prevent police from sexually assaulting citizens, and what he's asking the rest of us to do.

Learn more about the Miracle of Innocence's 9th Annual Fundraising Gala, September 26, 2026 @ 5:00PM

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Episode References

'Vengeance is his': Witness in Lamonte McIntyre's case reacts to Terra Morehead's disbarment - KSHB 41 📺

Lamonte McIntyre’s wrongful conviction story

“23 Years for Murder. He Didn’t Do it. What Went Wrong?” - NY Times, Nov 20, 2017