The In Between Podcast with Mel Barrett

Mel sits down with her good friend, Matt Zernhelt, Pamela Smart’s attorney, on the same day her habeas petition was filed—basically the legal vehicle that lets you challenge a conviction after appeals are over. If that sounds confusing, don’t worry. They break it down in real, normal-person language and talk through what went wrong in Pam’s trial and why her team believes her constitutional rights were violated, including:The wiretap transcripts the jury used—and why they’re a huge problemA confirmation bias study that shows how those transcripts may have shaped what jurors thought they heardEvidence that a juror relied on media coverage that was never introduced at trialA moment where Pam’s own lawyer told the jury she was guilty of one charge—without her consentSerious issues with jury instructions and sentencing, including whether her life-without-parole sentence was ever actually mandatoryMel and Matt also get into the very weird jurisdiction mess—why this petition had to be filed in both New York and New Hampshire—and what could happen next if a judge agrees to hear it.If you like us, please tip us:venmo: @melbarrettwritescashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTipsYou can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level.Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdcListen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!If you need legal help, give Matt a call: https://www.zernheltlaw.com/about

Mel and Rebecca discuss the ongoing drama between anti-Karen Read supporters and the #FKR movement--are the McAlberts fractured? Also sidebars, dogs, finances, Kevin Flynn's bodily functions, and then get into the meat of the episode when they delve into a case Mel investigated and covered in a seven-episode season on The In Between Podcast, the Veronika Rodriguez story, about a woman who reported a SA, but ended up in jail herself when the District Attorney charged her with a felony for recording the SA. Listen to the first episode of From Victim to Accused: The Veronika Rodriguez story here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-victim-to-accused-the-veronika-rodriguez-story/id1785257330?i=1000716368111 If you like us, please tip us:  venmo: @melbarrettwrites  cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en... You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

Mel and Rebecca's discuss Karen Read case updates with the civil trial, Sean Goode's compelling motion for ALLL messages between Goode and, well, everyone, millions of discovered Epstein files, the Sam Nordquist case out of upstate New York, and of course tangents about Carvel's cakepuss, new years resolutions and so much more! If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips To donate to Sam Nordquist's family fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-help-to-locate-sam-nordquist If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en... You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

Mel + Rebecca wind down 2025 with their first livestream featuring mini-chainsaws, lots of trolls, and news about Kelsey Fitzsimmons, Sean Goode, Jesse Mack Butler, and of course...Turtleboy drama. If you like us, please tip us: venmo: @melbarrettwrites cashapp: cash.app/$SomethingsOffTips If you too have been a victim of impersonation of the McAlbert's fundraiser, you can contact GiveSendGo here to lodge a complaint: https://help.givesendgo.com/portal/en... You can now join the YouTube channel! Click the join button to select your favorite level. Follow @realmelbarrett on all socials / TT: @jackofalltradesdc Listen to the In Between Podcast wherever you get your podcasts! Follow ‪@reblavoie‬ on all socials Listen to Crime Writer's On wherever you get your podcasts

This update includes graphic and disturbing information about torture, captivity, group violence, and abuse involving a trans victim. Please take care while listening. When I first introduced you to Sam’s story earlier this season, we talked about what was publicly known at the time: a 24-year-old trans man from Minnesota who flew to New York to meet a woman he’d met on TikTok… and never made it home. He missed his flight. His phone shut off. And the messages that trickled back to his family didn’t sound like Sam at all. Sam was sweet. Artistic. Covered in tattoos he’d chosen with intention — two trans pride designs, an infinity symbol for his family. His sister Kayla describes him as someone who processed the world with the earnestness of a teenager, partly because of a head injury earlier in life. He wanted to be in love more than anything. He wanted to belong. Instead, he stepped into a nightmare. On December 18th 2025, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle released a well-sourced and detailed article by journalist, Madison Scott, which shows exactly how that nightmare unfolded for Sam. Please read Madison's article and share this episode and that article on socials. Here's my conversation with Sam's sister, Kayla and his mom, Linda. Thanks for listening and PLEASE SHARE Sam's story far and wide. If you appreciate Mel's work, please tip her. ❤️ Donate if you can to Sam's family's fundraiser. They're raising money to travel to New York from Minnesota to be there for the trial. Join the Something's Off Community on Youtube and Facebook.