#585 Jason Flom with Keith LaMar

**Connor Hall** (0:05)
Hey, it's Connor Hall, Senior Producer for Wrongful Conviction with another case update and more behind the scenes insights. And today, we're talking about a case that for me, was about as difficult to cover as only a few others.
Namely, Brendan Dassey, Rodney Reed, Leonard Peltier. It took me about six weeks to produce the final episodes in each of those cases, and also for this man here, Keith LaMar. I've been speaking with his advocate, Amy Gordeyev, since about 2021, and at that point, the task was just too damn big. We're talking about five murders, one of which happened separately from the other four, and all of the alleged witnesses gave their statements while in prison. I mean, some are still in there. Some probably never spoke to a defense attorney, not alone a journalist, given their own culpability. So we were going to need reinforcements. And over time, the team at Levine, Bell Dock and Hoffman got involved and did a lot of the heavy lifting. They were able to build on Keith's previous attorney's work, piecing together all the ways in which each of the witnesses in this case had changed their stories along the way and then benefited from doing so. And as I understand it, a number of other folks, some of whom I've become aware of in the past couple of years, have come forward about the part they played in this case. So we're looking forward to that information being presented to the court, as Keith is quickly running out of time. His execution date is set for January 13th, 2027, and Governor DeWine once again has a chance to step in and grant some sort of relief. Perhaps those running to replace him in November 2026 will take up this issue and state their intentions for Keith and the death penalty in general in Ohio.
I mean, it's not news to any of us here that the criminal legal system in Ohio is deeply troubled. Now, after you hear Keith's story, maybe you'll agree that there are enough problems in Ohio that it's hard to trust any conviction, especially those on death row. Because the stakes are so high, a lot of corners get cut.
Now, originally, this was a two-parter, but I edited it down to just one. With some voiceover, I get to the heart of the matter a lot quicker while preserving the details. Some of those details will have you wondering how some folks sleep at night.

**Jason Flom** (2:42)
On Easter Sunday, 1993, inmates at Lucasville Prison in Ohio took control of an entire cell block. The crisis that became known as the Lucasville Prison Riot lasted 11 days and claimed 10 lives, including one of the prison guards.
When the cell block was finally surrendered, an investigation ensued aimed at bringing the riot leadership to justice. After several rounds of interviews, five names emerged, including a man who lived on that cell block, named Keith LaMar. According to the state, Keith had allegedly commanded a team of men who murdered four supposed snitches before heading out to the prison yard where the authorities ushered all the inmates to another block that was still under state control. Then, while confined in a cell with nine other men, he allegedly ordered one more death. The other inmates weren't telling this particular story in their initial interviews, but by the time of Keith's capital trial, they were all somehow singing the same tune. But this is Wrongful Conviction.
Welcome back to Wrongful Conviction. Today's guest is somebody I've been waiting for, for a long time. His story, as terrifying as it is, it's also the stuff of legend because this is a man, and Keith, I'm talking about you, I'm talking about you in the third person, but I'm going to talk directly to you now. Keith, you have had a life that if somebody wrote it into a movie, nobody would believe it. And this is a guy, now I'm back to talking about the third person, who has performed concerts all over the world from inside of your cell on death row.

**Keith LaMar** (4:28)
It sounds bizarre when I hear you say it, you know, but yeah, it's been a hell of a journey, man, to say the least, and this situation that I'm currently facing has only focused me more on trying to get as much life out of my life as I possibly can. Yeah.

**Jason Flom** (4:46)
I mean, despite fighting for your very life from death row, which is literally hell on earth, your pursuit of art and life seems to have only gotten stronger. And like I just mentioned, you've put on this spoken word and jazz concert series called Freedom First. And if that wasn't enough, you also put out an album by the same name.