#533 Maggie Freleng with Selma Butler

Wrongful Conviction

Lava for Good Podcasts

True Crime

4.6 • 5.7K Ratings

🗓️ 10 July 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, we are bringing to you a special episode of Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng featuring Selma Butler. Maggie has returned to share this remarkable story with you, and to set the stage for another special announcement next week alongside Pulitzer Prize-winning author and creator of the Bone Valley podcast, Gilbert King. So please make sure and check in next Wednesday, July 16th.

On November 13, 1995, Angela Young was stabbed to death in her apartment which was located in a building that was controlled by the Gangster Disciples in Chicago, IL. Within weeks, teenagers Selma Butler and Gino Wilson were charged with the murder—despite the shaky testimony of a single 14-year-old witness. Gino was acquitted, the witness recanted, yet Selma was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

In this episode, Maggie talks with Selma Butler and Ashley Cohen, Managing Partner at Bonjean Law Group and founder of ABC Reentry, a nonprofit helping people rebuild their lives after incarceration.

To learn more and get involved, visit:

https://www.abcreentry.org

Wrongful Conviction with Maggie Freleng is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.

We have worked hard to ensure that all facts reported in this show are accurate. The views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in this show are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Lava for Good.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Just like great shoes, great books take you places through unforgettable love stories and into
0:05.9	conversations with characters you'll never forget. I think any good romance, it gives me this
0:11.4	feeling of like butterflies. I'm Danielle Robay and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club,
0:16.8	the new podcast from Hello Sunshine and IHeart Podcasts where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off.
0:24.3	Each week, I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TVR pile.
0:34.3	Listen to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:41.4	I knew I wanted to obey and submit, but I didn't fully grasp for the rest of my life what that meant.
0:50.1	For My Heart Podcasts and Rococo Punch, this is the Turning, River Road.
0:54.6	In the woods of Minnesota, a cult leader married himself to 10 girls and forced them into a secret life of abuse.
1:01.5	But in 2014, the youngest escaped.
1:05.4	Listen to The Turning River Road on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:11.5	Hey guys, it's Janae, aka Cheekies from Cheekies and Chill Podcasts.
1:16.3	And I'm bringing you an all new mini podcast series called Sincerely Jeanne.
1:20.7	Sure, I'm a singer, author, businesswoman, and podcaster, but at the end of the day,
1:25.4	I am human.
1:26.5	And that's why I'm sharing my ups and downs with you in real time and on the go.
1:31.7	Listen to Jikis and Chill on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:39.7	Hey, y'all, it's Maggie. Today, I'm sharing an interview I did last year, but we chose to hold off on releasing it.
1:46.5	At the time, Selma Butler was working on his post-conviction relief, so we didn't want to risk slowing down his pursuit of justice in the courts.
1:54.9	But sadly, despite strong evidence of his innocence, Selma's request for post-conviction relief has been denied.
2:02.4	Now, for the second time, he has to go before the Illinois Appellate Court to continue his fight.
2:08.5	Selma's story is a painful reminder of how our justice system can fail and how easily innocent
	...

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