I wanted to share the short audio documentary I created for Flightless Bird about the execution of a quite possibly innocent man, Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams. I travelled to Jefferson City, Missouri, as both the victim’s family and the original prosecutor in the case urged lawmakers to halt the execution — saying terrible mistakes had been made in the case. This was all based on the reporting I did for Webworm back in September last year. Some of you are Flightless Bird listeners and will have heard this already, but I figure plenty of you aren’t. I felt proud of how this turned out and wanted to share it with you. It’s just the audio documentary — no yapping from any podcast hosts. This reporting wouldn’t have been possible without you. So thank you.

Finally, I wanted to note that January 20, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order to implement a fed­er­al death penal­ty. Looking back on my time in Jefferson City, this fills me with fucking horror.

In this Webworm podcast, a story I've been working on for some time. Just over a year ago — in March of 2024 — I got an email from Jake. He had a story he wanted to tell, and he wanted to find a way to tell it that could help others. A warning, of sorts. And so over the last year, as a court case played out — I’ve been working on this story. It takes place in and around CityLife church in Melbourne. And while this story is a warning, I also think it’s a story about the truth, justice, and pushing back against institutions that allow abuse to happen. This piece discusses emotional and physical abuse that may be distressing for some readers, so please take care when reading. For more see https://www.webworm.co

Something is killing the birds in a sleepy Auckland suburb. The locals are on a witch hunt. Alexandria Edwards was playing Pokemon Go in her car when she saw the sparrows. Dozens of them were strewn in various states of stupor on the grass nearby. Some had passed out. Others were struggling and failing to fly. Magpies were swooping at the ones who couldn’t get away. She got out to shoo the bigger birds. Help arrived promptly. A call had gone out on the local Facebook community page. Come down, it said. The birds have been poisoned again.

TAKE PART IN THE DISCUSSION: https://www.webworm.co/p/brownsbaybirdpoisoner