Introducing: The Burden

Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

iHeartPodcasts

Society & Culture

4.3 • 10.7K Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2024

⏱️ 3 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Detective Louis N. Scarcella was a legendary figure in New York City during the '90s. In a city overrun with violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. But the story changed when a group of convicted murderers-turned-jailhouse lawyers made a startling discovery that linked all their cases: Scarcella was the cop who helped put many of them away. They made a vow: Take down Scarcella. And with the help of a relentless New York Times reporter, they did just that. Thirty years later, 20 people who Scarcella helped put behind bars have since walked free. In the media, he’s known as the disgraced, rogue cop who hoodwinked an entire system. But was this really the workings of one person?

We spent hundreds of hours talking with witnesses who were coerced, jailhouse lawyers, outraged attorneys, and righteous cops. Scarcella insists he didn’t do anything wrong. And after finally tracking him down, he agreed to take us into the belly of the beast... where justice is done (and undone). Welcome to The Burden.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	He goes for a gun. I put my Glock to his head and pull the trigger, but the gun's no good, my gun's no good.
0:10.0	I grab him and I knock him to the ground.
0:13.2	There's no feeling like it in the world.
0:15.8	No, you're doing good for good people, putting bad guys away.
0:19.8	Meet Detective Louis Scarcella. It's the 1980s and 90s and New York City is a crazy world of murder.
0:29.0	2,500 bodies one year. The city wanted a hero. They called me the Hulk, yes. He was the guy who
0:37.7	made sure the worst killers were brought to justice. I am the protector of these people. I am the guardian that they need.
0:46.0	That's one version.
0:49.0	This guy is a piece of shit, but he gets to run around like he's God.
0:55.0	Derek Hamilton was put away for murder by Detective Scarcella.
0:59.0	Scarcella took me to the precinct and lied.
1:02.0	In prison, Derek turned into a jail. took me to the precinct and lied.
1:02.8	In prison, Derek turned into a jailhouse lawyer,
1:06.1	the best of his generation.
1:07.9	The lawyer was my girlfriend.
1:09.4	I had to love it, because it's my only way to freedom. Derek and other convicted murderers banded together and started a law firm behind bars.
1:20.0	This is how you're at emotion.
1:22.0	This is how you respond to something.
1:24.0	Then, Derek and two other members of the prison law firm stumble on to something.
1:29.0	We never knew we had the same cop in a case.
1:32.0	Scarsella.
1:34.4	We got to show that he's a corrupt cop.
	...

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