Hey everyone, Sarah here. One of the things we talk about a lot on this show is how our justice system

isn't only flawed, but performative. It looks like justice, but when the layers are peeled back,

you start to see the cracks. That's why I want to share with you a powerful new series from

revisionist history, best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell's podcast about things overlooked and

misunderstood. The new series, The Alabama Murders, looks at the ethical and emotional layers of a

criminal case, providing a thoughtful interrogation of the structures that allow injustice to persist.

The series tells the story of Charles Senate, an Alabama Church of

Christ minister, who was having an affair with a parishner, and rather than facing the shame of

divorcing his wife, arranged for three men to kill her. This decision would lead to unexpected

consequences, including the disturbed, botched execution of one of the hitmen,

Kenny Smith, that would trickle down for decades. Examining the systems we've created,

systems that led to moral, legal, and institutional failures, Malcolm asks, why in our efforts

to alleviate suffering do we so often make it worse? In the episode you're

about to hear, Malcolm speaks with a psychologist who worked with Kenny Smith when he was on

death row. Kenny's story would lead Malcolm down to Alabama, to learn about the crime that landed

him in prison, the church leader that set the crime in motion, and the cascading effect that one

action would have for years to come. I think this series will speak to you, and hope you like this

episode. If you want to hear the full story, find revisionist history available wherever you get

podcasts.

Pushkin. Podcasts. A little while ago, a friend of mine told me, you have to meet this person I know,

Kate Porterfield. She's got the strangest job in America. So I did. We got together,

Porterfield and I, in a little conference room in Manhattan. I just want to understand how you

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