meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Unjust & Unsolved

8: Darrell Ewing

Unjust & Unsolved

Daisy

True Crime

4.9 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 22 October 2020

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On December 29, 2009 two cars pulled up to a Detroit intersection. In one was J.B. Watson, his girlfriend LaRita Thomas, and his cousin Phillip Reed. In the other, two black men. One got out and fired multiple shots at the trio, killing Watson. The shooting was claimed to be gang related and Darrell Ewing and and his co-defendant Derrico Searcy were convicted of the murder. However, Darell had a solid alibi at a family funeral and Tyree Washington came forward repeatedly to confess to the murder, including under oath. In 2017, Darrell and Derrico were ordered a new trial based on jury contamination and lack of overwhelming evidence of guilt. Again in 2019 a judge ordered a new trial, but the prosecutor Kym Worthy has fought every decision and appeal. They have been in prison for almost a decade for a crime they did not commit.

Learn more about Darrell's case and how to help:
https://actualinnocentprisoners.com/darrell-ewing

For more information and a complete list of sources for this episode, visit:
https://www.unjustandunsolved.com/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

My name is Maggie Freeling. A majoringist and producer and this is unjust and unsolved.

0:06.5

A podcast about people who I believe are wrongfully incarcerated for crimes that are actually

0:13.5

unsolved. You've surely heard stories like these on the news, but the thing is, the ones you've

0:19.2

heard about barely scratch the surface. The Innocence Project gives a conservative estimate

0:25.2

that about 20,000 innocent people are currently locked away in US prisons. After reading some of

0:31.6

these stories, I felt compelled to do something. So I sent 20 letters to people who are locked up

0:36.8

despite evidence pointing away from them. Some responded through mail, some emailed, and some

0:43.4

called me on contraband cell phones. But all wanted their stories to be heard. So I left my public

0:49.8

radio job and decided to do just that. In each episode, I speak with those people, their loved

0:57.8

ones, supporters, and lawyers, to shed light on how they wound up incarcerated for decades,

1:03.7

despite the evidence, and how that means the crimes they were convicted of are still unsolved.

1:09.7

This week, I'm telling the story of Derell Ewing. On December 29, 2009, two cars pulled up to a

1:21.2

Detroit intersection. A shooting occurred and one man was left dead. Outgunfire erupts in a

1:27.3

barrageable its fly in a neighborhood on Detroit's east side. Police and prosecutors described the

1:33.3

shooting as gang related. And when they started, they were promoting events at nightclubs, but they

1:37.8

eventually started dealing drugs like oxycut and marijuana. Derell Ewing and Dereco Circe were

1:44.2

convicted of the murder of J.B. Watson. However, Derell had a solid alibi, and furthermore,

1:50.1

a different man has repeatedly come forward under oath to confess saying he is the real killer of

1:58.0

J.B. Watson. And two judges have ordered new trials, because a juror also came forward with

2:10.8

disturbing allegations from the jury room. So why has Derell been imprisoned for over a decade?

2:17.0

For a crime, he did not commit. We'll get to that after this.

2:23.2

One of the things that stood out to me about Derell's case is how it fits into a documented

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Daisy, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Daisy and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.