The Burden

The Burden

The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.

Episodes

March 12, 2024 2 mins

The Burden - available everywhere on March 19

Detective Louis N. Scarcella was a legendary figure in New York City during the '90s. In a city overrun with violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. But the story changed when a group of convicted murderers-turned-jailhouse lawyers made a startling discovery that linked all their cases: Scarcella was the cop who helped put many of them away. They m...

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March 19, 2024 37 mins

Episode 1 of 10

New York Times journalist Frances “Frenchie” Robles gets a tip about a group of wrongfully convicted men in the New York State prison system. The common denominator: many were arrested by the same detective. Frenchie tracks down the story in a surprise visit to prison.

The Burden is available everywhere you get your podcasts.
All episodes will be available one week early and ad free, along with exclusive bonus co...

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Episode 2 of 10

Steve chases down the legendary detective. He hasn’t talked in years, but after tracking him to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, Louie starts to sing. We learn about his uncle, the mobster who Louie must investigate for murder.

The Burden is available everywhere you get your podcasts.
All episodes will be available one week early and ad free, along with exclusive bonus content on Orbit’s newly launched “True Crime...

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Episode 3 of 10

We meet Shabaka Shakur, Derrick Hamilton, and the rest of the law firm they founded in prison. They are the best jailhouse lawyers of their generation. They have roles: lecturer, writer, PR man, intern… They claim they were framed...by Louie Scarcella. They declare common cause: bring him down. That cause will change the history of New York state jurisprudence.

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Episode 4 of 10

We meet the single eyewitness at the heart of some of Scarcella’s high profile cases. Teresa Gomez claimed to witness 11 murders, and she brought them all to Scarcella. For Louie, she was a truth teller and a “special friend” who also boosted his career. For those she testified against, she was a crack addict and fabulist. We explore the complicated relationship of Louie and Teresa, and her reliability.

The Burden i...

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April 9, 2024 43 mins

Episode 5 of 10

Derrick Hamilton, champion of the wrongfully convicted, claimed innocence since the day he was arrested by Scarcella. He claimed innocence in a previous murder conviction as well. But we uncover documents that show he lied. He admits to being a liar. So… was he framed? Or is he the master manipulator the prosecution claimed?

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Episode 6 of 10

It’s 2013, and a fierce election for Brooklyn D.A. is in process. It’s an election that will change Brooklyn forever. The old guard is on the ropes and Louie Scarcella is a hot button issue. The lives of our main characters - Derrick, Shabaka, Louie, converge and no one will be the same.

The Burden is available everywhere you get your podcasts.
All episodes will be available one week early and ad free, along with...

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April 23, 2024 39 mins

Episode 7 of 10

Shabaka Shakur is in court and Louie Scarcella is on the witness stand. It’s Shabaka’s last shot to prove he was framed. The courtroom drama doesn’t disappoint. A famed civil rights lawyer does the cross examination of a career, and “gets” Scarcella. A judge takes a hard look at the legendary detective, and changes history. 

The Burden is available everywhere you get your podcasts.
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April 30, 2024 46 mins

Episode 8 of 10

Derrick and Shabaka are out of prison, but one “law partner” - the one who served as intern - is still behind bars. Derrick wins him a hearing in court. All seems aligned when reality warps. In an exclusive interview, we reveal why: the judge suffers from dementia and the system has been covering it up. The judge issues a devastating decision. 

The Burden is available everywhere you get your podcasts.
All episode...

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May 7, 2024 37 mins

Episode 9 of 10

The new D.A. personally overturns Derrick’s conviction. But is he really guilty? The question hovers over the series: Have murderers been freed because of Scarcella’s alleged misdeeds? We investigate. We track the lone eyewitness in Derrick's murder trial to the woods of North Carolina and sort truth from fiction. We reveal a secret report on Derrick’s case, and find out who’s really to blame.

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May 14, 2024 58 mins

Episode 10 of 10

Louie Scarcella bursts into tears. “It sucks. It sucks.” The swaggering detective has been brought low by jailhouse lawyers. But did one “rogue” cop hoodwink the system? What role did Scarcella play? We confront the famed detective who finally makes admissions and then…in an unexpected twist, Derrick confronts Louie in a zoom call. They have some words for one another. 

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In-depth conversations with people at the top of their game. Jordan Harbinger unpacks guests' wisdom into practical nuggets you can use to impact your work, life, and relationships. Learn from leaders (Ray Dalio, Simon Sinek, Mark Cuban), entertainers (Moby, Tip "T.I." Harris, Dennis Quaid), scientists (Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye), athletes (Kobe Bryant, Dennis Rodman, Tony Hawk) and an eclectic array of fascinating minds, from ...

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Steve and Dax’s team unearth 30-year old audio recordings of Teresa Gomez making a statement to an assistant district attorney about a murder she claims to have witnessed. Teresa Gomez is arguably the single person most responsible for Louis Scarcella’s rise, and fall as an NYPD detective.

The Burden is a production of Orbit Media in association with Signal Co. No1

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Soon after correctional officer Valentino Rodriguez starts working at New Folsom prison, he gets caught up in a bad incident. An incarcerated man ends up in the hospital with horrific injuries, and the prison starts an investigation. Valentino feels pressured to back up his fellow officers’ version of the story, even though he thinks it might not be the truth. Then he gets an opportunity he’s dreamed of — to join an elite unit inve...

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Deep Cover is a show about people who lead double lives. Season four, The Nameless Man, tells the epic tale of two federal agents who investigate a rumor about a murder that supposedly took place 15 years prior. It is also the story of a family searching for answers about why their brother was killed. These two storylines collide in a courtroom in Philadelphia, PA where murder, memory, and morality go on trial.

If you enjoy ...

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Steve and Dax dive into the case that made Louie Scarcella famous.

The Burden is a production of Orbit Media in association with Signal Co. No1

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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If you’re intrigued by the darker side of vacation tales, tune into Slaycation. The show navigates through the sinister underbelly of travel, making you question whether your next getaway might be more dangerous than you think.
This episode of Slaycation: "My Big Fat Greek Murder" first ran in back in April. If you enjoy this episode, listen to Slaycation wherever you get this podcast.

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What would you do if someone you knew turned out to be a serial killer? In the 1970s, Steve Fishman was an intern at his local newspaper. One day, he hitched a ride back home from Boston with a kind stranger who graciously picked him up and dropped him off at his destination. What Steve didn’t know however, was that this stranger was hiding a dark secret: by the time he picked up Steve, he had already killed three people - all hitc...

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From Airship, the studio behind American Scandal, American History Tellers, and History Daily, comes a new true crime history podcast that takes you inside the minds of some of our most notorious felons and outlaws, exploring the dark side to the American dream. The debut season tackles one of the country’s most sensational cases: The Menendez Murders. In 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez brutally shot their parents. Prosecutors said it...

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Steve and Dax are joined by journalist Ted Hamm who examines the conduct of the Assistant District Attorneys who worked on Louis Scarcella's wrongful convictions.

The Burden is a production of Orbit Media in association with Signal Co. No1

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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