Dateline Originals

Brothers Ambrose and Silas go on trial for the murder of John Jago. Naomi swears Ambrose is innocent. But London attorney Philip Lefrank is not so sure. This episode was originally published on August 28, 2024.

There's tension at the Meadowcroft estate. Farm manager John Jago fights furiously with the owner's sons, Ambrose and Silas. They discover that Jago had a secret meeting with Ambrose's girlfriend, Naomi. And then suddenly... John Jago goes missing. This episode was originally published on August 27, 2024.

The mystery of what happened to John Jago seems finally solved after someone confesses to killing him. But all is not as it seems, as the trial concludes with a stunning twist. This episode was originally published on August 29, 2024.

London attorney Philip Lefrank travels to America for a relaxing vacation with his relatives, the Meadowcrofts. But he soon finds himself embroiled in an intense and dangerous family drama. This episode was originally published on August 26, 2024.

In this bonus episode of the award-winning Letters from Sing Sing podcast, veteran producer Dan Slepian reflects on the final chapter in J.J. Velazquez’s hard-fought path to full exoneration after being wrongfully convicted of murder over two decades ago. Dan and J.J. join Kristen Welker on Meet the Press for a “Meet the Moment” conversation to detail their 20+ year path to overturning J.J.’s conviction.

Terrence Woods grew up in Maryland and was working with a television production crew in a remote area of central Idaho when he was last seen on October 5, 2018. Witnesses told sheriff’s deputies that as they were wrapping up for the day, Terrence, 26, abruptly ran down a steep embankment into the dark. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz speaks with Terrence’s father, Terrence Woods Sr., his former journalism professor Bethany Swain, his mentor Joanna Abeyie, and retired Idaho County sheriff Doug Giddings. Terrence is 5’9” and 130 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding his disappearance is asked to contact the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office at 208-983-1100. Get more information and see pictures of Terrence Woods here: https://www.nbcnews.com/datelinemissing This episode was originally published on August 1, 2024.

Melanie James, 21, was last seen in the spring of 2014 in Farmington, New Mexico. Melanie’s sister, Melissa, saw her walking down the street with an unidentified man on April 20. Days later, police discovered Melanie’s purse and duffel bag in an alleyway in Farmington, but saw no sign of Melanie. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz talks to Melanie’s sister, Melissa James, her mother, Lela Mailman, as well as Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe and Detective Daven Badoni. Melanie is 5’ and weighed about 115 lbs. when she was last seen. At the time of her disappearance, she had dark black hair and a chip on one of her top front teeth. Melanie would be 32 years old today. If you have information about Melanie’s case, please call the Farmington Police Department at 505-334-6622. Get more information and see pictures of Melanie James here: https://www.nbcnews.com/datelinemissing Visit the New Mexico Department of Justice's website for missing and murdered Indigenous people: https://mmip.nmdoj.gov/ This episode was originally published on July 30, 2024.

Shy’Kemmia Pate was last seen near her home in Unadilla, Georgia, on September 4, 1998. She was 8 years old. Several people reported seeing her that evening in the neighborhood. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz speaks with some of her loved ones, as well as Dooly County Sheriff’s Deputy Randy Lamberth, and Natalie Wilson of the Black and Missing Foundation. Shy’Kemmia would be 34 years old today. When she disappeared, she was wearing a neon green Atlanta Braves jersey with red lettering, Levi’s jeans, and had a leg brace. Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call the Dooly County Sheriff’s Office at 229-645-0920 or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at 478-987-4545. Get more information and see age-progressed pictures of Shy’Kemmia Pate here: https://www.nbcnews.com/datelinemissing This episode was originally published on July 25, 2024.

Tyler Goodrich left his home in Lincoln, Nebraska on November 3, 2023, and hasn’t been seen since. On the night of his disappearance, Tyler and his husband, Marshall Vogel, were arguing, and Marshall called 911. Home security video shows a figure running from their house minutes after the call. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz speaks with Marshall, as well as several of Tyler’s family members and close friends. Tyler is about 6’1” and 185 lbs. He has pale skin, red hair and freckles. At the time of his disappearance he was 35 and had a red beard. Anyone with information about Tyler’s case is asked to call the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office at 402-441-6500 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600. Get more information and see pictures of Tyler Goodrich here: https://www.nbcnews.com/datelinemissing This episode was originally published on July 23, 2024.

Marcus Rutledge disappeared on June 8, 1998, in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 23 years old and had been attending Tennessee State University. Nearly a month later, Marcus’s car, a red Plymouth Neon, was found abandoned about 20 miles from his apartment in Nashville. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz talks to his father, David Rutledge, his sister, Felicia Rutledge, his ex-girlfriend Valencia Bryant, and Metro Nashville Police Department Detective Matthew Filter. Marcus is 6’ and weighed 190 lbs. when he disappeared. Anyone with information about his case is asked to call the Metro Nashville Police Department Cold Case Unit at 615-862-7329. Get more information and see pictures of Marcus Rutledge here: https://www.nbcnews.com/datelinemissing This episode was originally published on July 18, 2024.

25-year-old Arelie Garcia was last seen leaving her Salinas, California apartment on September 22, 2022. Later that day, Arelie’s bright red Honda Accord was found abandoned in Big Sur on Highway 1. Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz speaks with her sisters Veronica Garcia and Elizet Mendoza, and Detective Arras Wilson of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. Arelie is 5’5” and about 150 lbs. She has brown hair and brown eyes. When she was last seen, she was wearing a black hoodie, black leggings, and sneakers. Anyone with information about her case is asked to call Detective Edwin Cruz with the Salinas Police Department at 831-758-7393 or the anonymous tip line at 831-775-4222. Get more information and see pictures of Arelie Garcia here: https://www.nbcnews.com/datelinemissing This episode was originally published on July 16 2024.

Hear an exclusive audio excerpt from NBC News and Dateline producer Dan Slepian’s new book “The Sing Sing Files” which chronicles his two-decade journey navigating the criminal justice system to help free six innocent men. Available now wherever books and audiobooks are sold. For more details and to purchase, follow this link: https://bit.ly/TheSingSingFilesDateline

In August of 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo grants JJ executive clemency. Three weeks later, JJ steps out of Sing Sing a free man. But he wasn’t exonerated. In the eyes of the law, he was still a convicted felon. Within the first 24 hours of his release, JJ needs to check in with the parole office. He has a curfew. He has to get permission to travel out of state. As he likes to say, he’s freer, but not free. Soon after his release, JJ gets a job at the Frederick Douglass Project. He’s invited to give talks, run workshops. His life is focused on connecting people on the outside with those on the inside. And unbelievably, his work leads to a meeting with the President of the United States. This episode was originally published on March 27, 2023.

In 2017, JJ finally gets some good news. After years of denials and setbacks, he would appear before a judge for the first time since his conviction. A new judge would determine whether JJ’s rights were violated when the prosecutor at his trial withheld police reports related to his case – reports that, 10 months earlier, had arrived in Dan’s mailbox. But the judge ultimately denies JJ’s request for a new trial. Dan and JJ are devastated. JJ explores other avenues for getting released. He applies for clemency, but year after year, the governor passes him over. Then, in 2020, the pandemic hits. The world stops. And JJ experiences the pandemic behind bars. This episode was originally published on March 27, 2023.

By 2015, JJ had been locked up for nearly 18 years. His mom, Maria, drives to Sing Sing to visit him on his 40th birthday and reflects on how much it hurts to watch him age in prison. In the last decade, JJ has built a rich life in prison in order to survive. He talks about his involvement in the prison’s programs, like organizing fundraisers and leading workshops. He was even elected by the prison’s population to speak for them when issues came up. He says this work has given him purpose, but it also helps distract him from the trauma of being incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit. While all of this is happening, JJ’s older son, Jon, gets into more trouble. He’s arrested on charges of burglary. He hides out in a motel room, and Dan goes to check on him there. Dan also follows up on old and new leads in JJ’s case. And then one day, he gets a yellow envelope in the mail. This episode was originally published on March 20, 2023.

It’s been eight months since Dan’s investigation into JJ’s case aired on Dateline. When he visits JJ at Sing Sing, JJ is frustrated—he thought he’d be out by now. But the Manhattan DA is looking into his case. In 2010, Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance created a conviction integrity unit focused on investigating claims of innocence. Bob Gottlieb and Celia Gordon, JJ’s lawyers, are confident that this unit will determine that he was wrongfully convicted. Meanwhile, Bob and Celia hear from a woman who claims she and a friend know Mustafa: the NYPD’s “primary target” for the murder of Al Ward. Dan follows up on this lead and travels to Seattle, where he interviews both women. They tell him their friend Mustafa confessed to killing Al Ward. Dan tracks down this Mustafa, and in a tense interview, tries to determine whether this man is the real killer. This episode was originally published on March 13, 2023.

Dan tracks down Juror Number Six: Ramon Aviles. Ramon remembers the moment when the 84-year-old eyewitness, Dorothy Canady, pointed him out as the shooter. He says he was shocked and that people were laughing. The juror breaks down what he remembers from the deliberation room and ultimately admits he might have made a mistake in voting to convict JJ. Dan starts to wonder if other jurors from JJ’s trial would feel the same way. He meets up with a different juror and when she sees Dan, she immediately starts to cry. She says she felt pressured by some of the other jurors to convict JJ because they were sequestered and wanted to go home. More than decade later, she believes she ruined JJ’s life. Dan is stunned. He’s building a compelling case for JJ’s innocence, but there’s still one more person he needs to talk to: JJ’s alleged accomplice, the man with the duct tape, Derry Daniels. Dan visits Daniels, who refuses to talk to him, but Dan is now certain that JJ did not get a fair trial. He sits down with Barry Scheck, co-founder of the Innocence Project, to talk through the case. Barry explains how eyewitness accounts can be unreliable. This episode was originally published on March 6, 2023.

It turns out, back in 1998, just days after the crime, the NYPD had a main suspect for the murder of Al Ward: a man named Mustafa. Dan tries to find out more about Mustafa and understand why this lead was dropped after JJ’s name entered the case. He also learns that JJ’s legal team had a court-assigned private investigator. Dan tracks down that private investigator, and discovers that he hardly looked into JJ’s case. He didn’t know about Mustafa and he never interviewed the eyewitnesses to the murder of Al Ward. So Dan decides to do what the private investigator didn’t do – investigate JJ’s case. In the summer of 2009, Dan finds Augustus Brown, the key witness, the man who first identified JJ. He’s incarcerated at the Elmira Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Dan pays him a visit. This episode was originally published on February 27, 2023.

JJ Velazquez claimed he had an alibi: a 74-minute phone call on a landline with his mother, Maria Velazquez, that overlapped with the time of the crime. So Dan visits Maria. She lives in a town in New York on the Hudson River directly across from Sing Sing, the maximum security prison where her son is incarcerated. Maria talks to Dan about JJ’s childhood. And she recounts in detail her memory of January 27th, 1998, the day of Al Ward’s murder. Meanwhile, Dan is still familiarizing himself with JJ’s case file. There are thousands of pages of documents that sit in a box by his desk. He starts to work his way through the trial transcript. Immediately, it’s clear to him that the trial was strange. As Dan unpacks what happened in the courtroom, he’s left with more questions than answers. Prosecutors say five people identified JJ as the man who killed Al Ward. Dan decides to find them. This episode was originally published on February 20, 2023.

In December of 2002, NBC News Producer Dan Slepian got a letter from a New York State maximum security prison. It was detailed and meticulous, almost like it had been written by a lawyer. It was from a man serving 25 years to life for murder. And it ended with a desperate plea: look into my case. In 1998, Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez was arrested for killing a retired New York City police officer. A year later, he was convicted of second degree murder. But he insisted he didn’t do it. Dan was skeptical. Prosecutors said five eyewitnesses had sworn JJ was the killer. Could five people be wrong? So Dan pays JJ a visit. And at the end of it, JJ gives Dan a challenge: prove me guilty. This episode was originally published on February 20, 2023.