Sign inOpen the app
Artwork for Off Duty | The Guardian Investigates
Society & Culture

Off Duty | The Guardian Investigates

The Guardian

How the brutal murder of a Chicago police officer spiralled into a sweeping 12-year hunt for justice – at all costs. An investigation by Melissa Segura

SubscribeListen in podnodRSS feedShow website
  • 44 episodes
  • Updated March 18

Episodes44

Newest first
  • March 18 · 36 min

    Off Duty: The Last Stand | Ep 7

    Of all the hearings Alex Villa had been through in nearly 11 years, Jennifer knew this could be the one. In her possession was the disc with the FBI cellphone map – evidence that prosecutors had never turned over. But in a system that had fought Alex at every turn, would it finally be enough to set him free? This is the final episode of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  • March 18 · 17 min

    Off Duty: The Sentence | Ep 6

    Alex was in prison for life, and Jennifer and Eric discovered they’d become captives to the case, too – the ‘termites’ digging in at every level of their lives. For the first time, they thought about giving up. But then they got their hands on a disc they’d never seen before. This is episode six of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  • March 18 · 32 min

    Off Duty: The Prosecutors | Ep 5

    Raul Palma, the video game repair specialist who found the evidence that could break open Alex’s case, had gone missing. Again. As Jennifer and Eric worry that Raul has been spooked, they must face the prosecutors in a ‘bone-crushing’ courtroom battle for Alex’s life. This is episode five of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  • March 18 · 23 min

    Off Duty: Digital Forensics | Ep 4

    Since the day he was arrested, Tyrone Clay had been asking police to look at his PlayStation. He said he had been playing NBA 2K11 on the night of the murder. For years, the console sat in an evidence room gathering dust while the FBI claimed it was broken beyond repair. That’s until the attorney Eric Bisby came along. This is episode four of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  • March 18 · 28 min

    Off Duty: The Police | Ep 3

    Unlike the other suspects, Alex Villa refused to confess. He was released after 48 hours, but the police weren’t done with him. Not by a long shot. To build their case, the state relied on three people who claimed they overheard Alex saying he did it. But do their stories check out? This is episode three of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  • March 18 · 32 min

    Off Duty: The Interrogations | Ep 2

    Within 72 hours, three men confessed to having murdered Officer Clifton Lewis. But in time, they all recanted, insisting they never had anything to do with the murder. So if they didn’t do it, why did they say they did? This is episode two of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  • March 18 · 26 min

    Off Duty: The Crime | Ep 1

    Officer Clifton Lewis was moonlighting as a security guard at a Chicago minimart when two men walked in. They shot Lewis several times, then took off with his gun and police star. A week later, police had their suspects: four men affiliated with a gang called the Spanish Cobras. They all said they didn’t do it. But that didn’t seem to matter. This is episode one of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  • Dec 10, 2025 · 42 min

    The Birth Keepers: Death plan – episode six

    A backlash against FBS grows and Emilee and Yolande respond to the growing crisis. This is episode six of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne

  • Dec 10, 2025 · 31 min

    The Birth Keepers: FBS goes global – episode five

    Emilee and Yolande had grown an ideology and seeded it globally. A reach investigative reporters Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne could not have fathomed when they started reporting on the story. They set out to see just how far FBS has spread. This is episode five of a year-long investigation

  • Dec 10, 2025 · 42 min

    The Birth Keepers: Growing an empire – episode four

    Within months of the death of Lorren’s baby, Journey Moon, and the public backlash against the Free Birth Society that followed, Emilee Saldaya took the FBS membership private, turning the business into a global multimillion dollar empire. This is episode four of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne

  • Dec 10, 2025 · 34 min

    The Birth Keepers: Journey Moon

    When Lorren Holliday got pregnant in 2018, she joined Emilee Saldaya’s Facebook group and quickly became hooked on the Free Birth Society podcasts. It was a decision that led to tragedy. This is episode three of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne

  • Dec 10, 2025 · 40 min

    The Birth Keepers: When Emilee met Yolande

    Who is Emilee Saldaya, the woman behind the Free Birth Society movement? And how did she meet her business partner Yolande Norris-Clark? Do either woman have the credentials they are claiming? This is episode two of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne

  • Dec 10, 2025 · 36 min

    The Birth Keepers: I choose this

    The Free Birth Society was selling pregnant women a simple message. They could exit the medical system and take back their power. By free birthing. But Nicole Garrison believes FBS ideology nearly cost her her life. This is episode one of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne

  • Oct 23, 2025 · 1 hr 15 min

    Gina: a real life Succession story, episode 8

    In this episode, we explore how the influence of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged is playing out in Rinehart’s life today, including her proposal to build a coalmine in Canada’s Rocky Mountains.

  • Oct 23, 2025 · 45 min

    Gina: a real life Succession story, episode 4

    In an in-depth interview, Gina’s son, John Hancock, explains how his relationship with his mother fell apart and discusses a high-stakes legal case that could threaten the foundations of her empire