2405: The Prophet: Matthew Fenner vs Ted Bell

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Javier Leiva

Society & Culture, True Crime, Technology

4.7 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What happens when the person responsible for prosecuting your case seems more interested in protecting your attackers? Matthew Fenner has been asking that question for eight years. After a 2017 mistrial in his assault case against Word of Faith Fellowship members, the judge ordered an immediate retrial. It never happened. Instead, DA Ted Bell granted delay after delay to the defendants while refusing to meet with Matthew, the victim. A gag order meant to last weeks stretched into years, silencing everyone involved and shielding WOFF from public scrutiny. Now Bell has suddenly scheduled the trial—during Matthew's critical medical residency interview. And when Matthew asked for a single accommodation after watching defendants receive years of them, Bell said no. Matthew's response? A legal petition alleging willful misconduct, political corruption, and conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice. He's asking the court to remove Bell from office entirely—or at minimum, remove him from this case. This episode features parts 10 and 11 of The Prophet series, followed by an in-depth analysis of Matthew's petition. Stick around for an update at the end of the episode. Listen to the entire Prophet series on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4wvQwgTDC0XPEo5rkkW2Uj?si=2a9e6c9214e64b81 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	True Story Media
0:05.4	Hey Sainsbury's, I'm having a big party.
0:09.7	Got any finger food that won't cost an arm and a leg?
0:12.1	We do. All our Sainsbury's party food is three for two with nectar,
0:15.9	like our Taste the Difference crispy mushroom tartlets,
0:18.7	mini-waggy beef cheeseburgers or crispy chicken bow buns,
0:21.9	that will get them coming back for seconds.
0:23.8	And third?
0:24.9	Want to save big on party pleases?
0:27.4	Ask Sainsbury's.
0:28.6	Sainsbury's good food for all of us.
0:30.8	18 plus, nectar required, cheapest product free, available in store and online, excluding locals, subject to availability, teas and sees apply.
0:37.7	Before Lodana, Tanya Fernandez and even Frank Abagnall, there was Jane Whaley and the Word of Faith Fellowship.
0:44.1	Word of Faith Fellowship is an ultra-conservative church, which many consider a cult out of Western North Carolina,
0:50.7	and they're best known for their screaming prayers and the accusations of physical
0:55.1	abuse by some of their members. Today, we're going to go way back in the pretend archives to talk
1:00.9	about new developments at the Word of Faith Fellowship. And it's been a long time since I've
1:05.3	covered this story. And a big reason for that is that not a lot has been happening, at least
1:09.7	not a lot that I'm aware of.
1:11.6	Many of the former members who have spoken out against the church have moved on. I follow
1:16.7	some of them on social media and it's kind of cool to watch them rebuild their lives. And
1:22.3	some have sadly passed away. I've produced almost 300 episodes of pretend for almost nine years now. And my
	...

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