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Wrongful Conviction

#543 Jason Flom with Jonathan Parker

Wrongful Conviction

Lava for Good Podcasts

True Crime

4.65.7K Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On April 9, 1997, shortly after midnight in Buffalo, NY, Officers Charles “Skip” McDougald and Michael Martinez were patrolling near Northampton and East Parade in Buffalo’s East Side when they observed what they described as a “suspicious person.” According to police accounts, when they approached, the individual produced a handgun and fired. Officer McDougald was struck in the chest and fatally wounded, and Officer Martinez was shot and seriously injured but survived. Nineteen-year-old Jonathan Parker was convicted for the shooting death of Officer McDougald and the attempted murder of Officer Martinez, and was sentenced to life without parole plus consecutive terms. The prosecution’s case rested heavily on eyewitness testimony and seized items, while Parker has consistently maintained his innocence. 

To learn more and get involved, please visit: 

https://www.instagram.com/metcalflawnyc/

https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/159-jason-flom-with-keyontay-ricks/

https://lavaforgood.com/podcast/s1e1-us-senator-dick-durbin-on-ending-mass-incarceration/

Or call: 

Steven Metcalf: 631.521.1499

[email protected]

Wrongful Conviction 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

On April 9, 1997, sometime before 1 a.m., two Buffalo police officers were shot, one in the ankle,

0:11.9

while the other was killed. The surviving officer gave a description that was echoed by two others,

0:17.9

a light-skinned male, about 5'9, in dark clothing.

0:22.1

That morning, nearly a half mile from the scene, police found some personal effects belonging

0:27.8

to Jonathan Parker, a local young man with a criminal record who was in the middle of fighting

0:33.2

another case. And even though Jonathan didn't match the description, he was identified by three

0:39.4

alleged eyewitnesses while the surviving officer would not join them. This is wrongful conviction.

0:51.2

Hey, y'all, it's Maggie. I'm here to tell you about a new show I've been working on for the past two years.

0:57.5

It's called Graves County, and it's an investigative series about the murder of a young mom in Kentucky,

1:03.5

and just how far our legal system will go in order to find someone to blame.

1:10.3

Here is the trailer for Graves County.

1:15.6

All I know is what I've been told, and that to have truth is a whole lie.

1:21.1

For almost a decade, the murder of an 18-year-old girl from a small town in Graves County, Kentucky, went unsolved,

1:30.5

until a local homemaker, a journalist, and a handful of girls came forward with a story.

1:36.9

I'm telling you, we know Quincy killed her. We know.

1:39.9

A story that law enforcement used to convict six people,

1:44.6

and that got the citizen investigator on national TV.

1:47.9

Through sheer persistence and nerve,

1:50.8

this Kentucky housewife helped give justice to Jessica Curran.

1:55.2

My name is Maggie Freeling.

1:57.0

I'm a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, producer,

2:00.3

and I wouldn't be here if the truth were that easy to find.

...

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