THE BURDEN · SEASON 5
Death & Deceit in Alliance
On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish?
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Introducing: Death & Deceit in Alliance - Trailer
On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish?
New episodes of Death and Deceit in Alliance will be available every Tuesday and Friday starting on December 2 wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death and Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 1. Dead in the Water
In 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Ohio home while her children slept. Her ex-boyfriend, David Thorne, was instantly a suspect as the father of one of her children, but he had a solid alibi. So the police found Joe Wilkes, a friend of David’s, who said David hired him to kill Yvonne. In 2000 with Joe’s testimony, David was sentenced to life without parole. But, our investigation has shown that almost everyone in Yvonne's life had a motive to kill her – like her own family, a creepy neighbor and even police officers.
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 2. The Lovers
In this episode we learn about Yvonne, David and how the two came together and had their son, Brandon. But we also learn about the problems the couple had and issues in Yvonne's life ultimately causing the two to break up before her murder. Who was Yvonne Layne? What brought the young lovers together and ultimately caused their split?
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 3. The Murder
On the morning of April Fools Day 1999, Tawnia Layne went to pick up her grandkids at Yvonne's home. But instead, she stumbled upon a brutal crime scene, her daughter nearly decapitated in a pool of her own blood. Who could have done this to Yvonne? In this episode we look at the first hours and days of the investigation.
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 4. The Trial
After David Thorne and Joe Wilkes were arrested for the murder of Yvonne Layne in April 1999, they went to trial in January 2000. What evidence was used to convict them? What kind of defense did David have in the face of Joe's confession?
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 5. The Wife
David Thorne has spent over 20 years in prison for a murder he says he did not commit. Although he says his case is "Dead in the Water", he hasn't been alone. Sue Thorne, a retired postal worker turned amateur investigator, has kept his case alive all these years and uncovered new evidence that could point to David's innocence.
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 6. The Witness
On April 1, 1999, the day Yvonne was found murdered in her home, a neighbor stopped by and told police he saw someone leaving her home, unbeknownst to him, after Yvonne was already dead. But this witness's statement was never turned over to the defense. Why? And who was the man he saw leaving Yvonne's home after her murder?
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 7. The Psychic
Months into the investigation of Yvonne Layne's murder, police felt stuck, so they did something controversial: they went to a psychic. And the audio recordings we obtained from the visit give an incredible amount of insight into who may have killed Yvonne. However, it wasn't what the psychic said to detectives, but what they told her that is truly shocking.
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 8. The PIs
Jason Baldwin from the West Memphis 3 and his team of private investigators from Proclaim Justice team up with Maggie to look into David's case. They hit the ground in Ohio to find out: who really did kill Yvonne Layne?
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 9. The Others
Maggie, John and Danny set out in Ohio to speak with some top people of interest who have been named in the case. Jim, the allegedly creepy neighbor who was spying on Yvonne and Jeremy, someone close to the family and who the Psychic described as the perpetrator.
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 10. The Shakedown
In order to understand a murder like this, you have to understand the victim. Maggie, John and Danny talk to some of the people closest to Yvonne to try to find out what was going on in her life in the months leading up to her murder.
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 11. The Best Friend
Maggie, John, and Danny search for Joe Wilkes' best friend who he allegedly confessed to that he killed Yvonne. Things take a turn to where no one thought the investigation would go.
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 12. The Choir Boy
After speaking with Joe Wilkes, the team reckons with the possibility that David could have been involved after all.
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 13. The Circling
The team finally gets to speak with David Thorne himself and ask him about everything they've learned. However, the answers were not what they were looking for.
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance | 14. The Reckoning
In the season finale, Maggie gives David a chance to explain what happened when Danny and John visited and the guys make a decision on whether or not to take David's case.
New episodes of Death & Deceit in Alliance are available every Tuesday and Friday wherever you get your podcasts. To binge the entire season, ad-free, subscribe to True Crime Clubhouse on Apple podcasts.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance Q&A with Maggie Freleng - Hosted by Steve Fishman
Maggie Freleng, Pulitzer prize winning producer, journalist and host of Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng sits down for a Q&A with Steve Fishman to chat about Death & Deceit in Alliance. In this special episode, Maggie is joined by private investigator Danny Wexler.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Death & Deceit in Alliance - Bonus Episode | Face Off
The journalist and the best friend go at it.
Pulitzer Prize winner and host of Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie Freleng set out to investigate what she believed to be the wrongful conviction of David Thorne for murder. The investigation took a twist. Maggie, David’s onetime champion, felt betrayed by David. Josh McComb doesn’t feel betrayed. He’s David's best childhood friend. David would never have been involved in murder. In this bonus the two face off. Think of them as a prosecutor and a defense attorney meeting at the local bar. Not surprisingly, things get personal, and heated.
Death & Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
Credits
Death and Deceit in Alliance is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1. Hosted by Maggie Freleng.