#596 Jason Flom with Terrel Barros

The last time Terrel Barros’s story was featured on the show, there had been a major breakthrough. After spending 11 years in prison for a murder he has always maintained he didn’t commit, Terrel’s conviction was vacated in 2023, and he was released on bail into the arms of his mother. But the State of Rhode Island appealed that decision. Now, we have another update with some very good news. In July 2026, the Rhode Island Supreme Court affirmed the decision that overturned Terrel’s conviction. At the center of the case was powerful new evidence: the cousin of Stephen Bodden, the man Terrel has always said was the actual shooter, testified that Bodden confessed to her multiple times. On the night of the shooting, Bodden himself had told police, “It’s me. It’s all me. It’s all mine.” The lower court found the new witness credible and concluded that her testimony could have changed the verdict. The Rhode Island Supreme Court agreed that this newly discovered evidence justified overturning Terrel’s conviction and upheld the ruling granting him post-conviction relief. The case now goes back to Superior Court, and the state still has to decide whether it will try Terrel again. So Terrel’s fight isn’t completely over. But after more than a decade behind bars and years fighting to prove what he has said from the beginning, one of the biggest obstacles standing between Terrel and his freedom has finally fallen. Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1. ​​We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.