Beth Shelburne
@bshelburne
Journalist, writer, investigative reporter, podcaster. Heart attack survivor, pal to assorted humans. Mostly brave except with roaches.
Earwitness is available wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to my 2-year investigation into Toforest Johnson’s conviction as I try to figure out how an innocent man has been trapped on Alabama’s death row for 25 years. #innocent #podcast #mustlisten
The time for polite talk about Alabama's prison crisis is over. I wrote about the elephant in the room during the prison oversight meeting this week. Leaders need to stop avoiding the uncomfortable truth. bethshelburne.substack.com/p/its-corrupti…
Acute care for adolescents in mental health crisis should be covered 100% by insurance. Looking at you @BCBSofAlabama.
Alabama has paid Lunsford $14 million THIS YEAR. Judge wrote "he paired his apology with an explanation of how very little work he personally puts in to be sure that his team's motions tell the truth. This cannot be how litigators practice in federal court or run their teams."
Federal judge issues scathing reprimand of attorney Bill Lunsford, Alabama's highest paid hired gun to defend state prison system, for using AI to fake citations. Also disqualifies him & others at firm from this case, refers sanctions to bar, but doesn't suspend from practice.
Federal judge issues scathing reprimand of attorney Bill Lunsford, Alabama's highest paid hired gun to defend state prison system, for using AI to fake citations. Also disqualifies him & others at firm from this case, refers sanctions to bar, but doesn't suspend from practice.
For anyone who wants to watch the full Alabama prison oversight meeting today. Witnesses detailed officers selling drugs, inadequate violence prevention & extreme heat inside the prisons, along with calls for more programming & substance use treatment. youtube.com/watch?v=SS8Sne…
Ancestry dot com has the bait & switch marketing down to a science. "Click here to unlock the clue about your great-great grandmother!" Just kidding. Renew your membership for $99 to see it.
Reading depositions of former Alabama correctional officers is incredibly revealing. Anyone in state government who tries to downplay corruption in ADOC needs a side eye. And guess what? The new billion dollar @GovernorKayIvey mega-prison doesn't fix this.
Man held pre-trial in 8x10 jail cell meant for 2 ppl, but he's the 3rd, so he's forced to sleep on bare floor next to toilet where he's exposed to human excrement. 11th Circuit says it's "not enough to clearly establish that the conditions of confinement were unconstitutional."
Interesting those so concerned with government bloat aren’t willing to target the worst offender in America: MASS INCARCERATION.
A question journalists should ask more: “How do you know that?” Try it with cops, prosecutors, politicians or any “expert” who gives their take. Hold them accountable for their point of view.
Robert Roberson's conviction rested on a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. An appeals court recently called SBS “junk science," and the diagnosis has resulted in wrongful convictions across the country. But the state of Texas has decided to put Roberson to death on October 16.
BREAKING: Judge sets new date for the execution of death row inmate Robert Roberson. Oct. 16 at 6pm. @FOX4
just learned I am OBSESSED with a good Italian ice. Cherry & lemon are my fave combo but coconut good too.
"Across the state the pattern repeats: Someone dies in police custody, grieving families ask for body camera footage, and authorities often say no with the same refrain: 'Due to an ongoing investigation.'" #Alabama al.com/news/2025/07/a…
A second death in Alabama's Jefferson County jail in a week. 46 y/o Michael Taylor found dead by cellmates on 7/11. On 7/7 Andre Hope, 43, was found dead in his cell. Both cases say no foul play suspected, causes pending lab studies. What's going on in the jail?
The practice of judicial override was finally abolished by the legislature in 2017 but they failed to make it retroactive, leaving 30 people sentenced to die this way on death row. Lawmakers finally banned it when it became clear more overrides happened during election years.
Alabama's @GovernorKayIvey sets execution date for man with severe mental illness whose jury sentenced him to life. Despite outlawing judges' power to override jury sentences of life, the state is still killing people who got to death row this way. clemencyfordavidlee.com
Alabama's @GovernorKayIvey sets execution date for man with severe mental illness whose jury sentenced him to life. Despite outlawing judges' power to override jury sentences of life, the state is still killing people who got to death row this way. clemencyfordavidlee.com
I ❤️ Del Fartnipple III.
Local politicians are so great. There’ll be a guy named like Delmond “Del” Fartnipple III who’s been your county’s waste and sewage commissioner for 30 years, running unopposed in 15 consecutive elections, and you’ve never even heard of him until he gets indicted for fraud.
I once hula-hooped on live TV.
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Instead of fixing problems, the state of Alabama is paying private attorneys MILLIONS to defend its deadly prison system. One attorney, Bill Lunsford, is far and away the highest earner. So far this year he's made over $13 million. Since 2020, he's banked $42 million.
