Hero Of Innocence Movement: Edward T Blake

Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan

CrimeOnline and iHeartPodcasts

True Crime

4.8 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 15 October 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

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Summary

He was the first to use PCR testing on crime-scene DNA, inspiring a practice that has freed thousands of wrongfully convicted people. Edward T. Blake passed away due to pancreatic cancer at the age of 80. He is credited with being THE forensic expert that sparked the Innocence Movement using PCR to help set wrongfully convicted people free. Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack go behind the scenes of the life of Forensic Scientist Edward T. Blake and explore how the technology he helped develop showed up on the big screen as Jurassic Park but showed up in courtrooms across the country as a way to prove a convicted person innocent of the crime as charged.

Transcribe Highlights
00:00.03 Introduction

02:12.96 Edward Blake has died, led to exoneration of more than 50 people

06:26.42 Peter Neufeld calls Edward Blake the Ted Williams of DNA

09:53.90 What is a "forensic prostitute"

15:16.69 using fragmented DNA

20:08.12 DNA Replication and Jurassic Park

25:08.04 Blake was a problem solver

30:12.93 Work as a forensic scientist

35:07.77 Testing methodology

40:01.81 Blake set the standard

42:07.71 Conclusion

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
0:05.5	Bodybacks with Joseph Scott Moore.
0:10.1	I don't get to watch movies like I used to, or at least, let me rephrase that.
0:15.7	I don't have the ability to watch movies like I used to.
0:19.7	For one, most of the stuff that comes out is a repeat of something else that's already been done.
0:28.2	It's not much effort put into it relative to writing.
0:32.2	And secondly, I fall asleep.
0:36.9	I just can't.
0:38.3	I can't avoid it.
0:39.9	I'll sit there and I will try and watch a movie and I just can't stay awake anymore.
0:46.1	I don't know.
0:47.3	It's an odd thing because, boy, I used to really enjoy watching films.
0:55.0	And I watched a variety of things.
0:59.0	You know, plus I had small kids.
1:01.0	So I was introduced into the Marvel Universe early on.
1:05.0	I wouldn't walk across the street to watch one of those movies now.
1:09.0	But, you know, I like, I like, you know, more intellectual
1:14.3	things as well over the years, room with a view, you know, I don't know. We'll see. What else?
1:23.2	I guess probably Kelly's Heroes. That's real intellectual.
1:28.3	But anyway, today we're going to talk about a man who utilized a particular type of technology
1:40.9	that actually comes up in a very, very famous and well-known Steven Spielberg movie.
1:49.7	Of course, I'm talking about Jurassic Park.
	...

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