Barbara Bradley Hagerty Barbara Bradley Hagerty

The Luckiest of the Unlucky

In part two of our story about Ben Spencer, a man sentenced to life in prison for a crime he said he didn't commit, former NPR correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty begins her own investigation.

In this episode of The Sunday Story from Up First, a look at what finally happens to a man who pinned his hopes on the idea that the truth would eventually set him free.

December 22, 2024 | Up First from NPR

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Barb’s Interview with Alisa Chang | NPR

In 'Bringing Ben Home,' Barbara Bradley Hagerty examines a wrongful conviction.

In today's episode, Bradley Hagerty speaks with NPR's Ailsa Chang about her own investigation into the case and the kind of criminal justice reform she says is necessary to prevent this from happening again.
August 2024 | National Public Radio Series, "NPR's Book of the Day"
Photo: NPR
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Barbara Bradley Hagerty Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Maggie Freleng with Ben Spencer | Wrongful Conviction Podcast

On the evening of March 22, 1987 a businessman and father were robbed and killed in Dallas, TX. Just a few days later, 22-year-old Benjamine Spencer, a newlywed with a child on the way, was arrested for the crime. A reward for any information on the killing would lead several eyewitnesses to fabricate a story implicating Ben. Despite the fact that he had an alibi and there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime, Ben was sentenced to life in prison. He fought for the next 37 years to finally be declared an innocent man.

October 14, 2024 | Wrongful Conviction Podcast

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Barbara Bradley Hagerty Barbara Bradley Hagerty

The possibilities and pleasures of middle age

In America, the word “midlife” is so often followed by the word “crisis” that we’re likely more inclined to dread entering this phase of life, rather than relish it.  In the book "Life Reimagined: The Science, Art, and Opportunity of Midlife, Barbara Bradley Hagerty uses emerging information from neurology, genetics, sociology—as well as her own story—to reimagine the possibilities, purposes, and pleasures of middle age.
March 2016 | WHYY'S Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane
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