#591 Jason Flom with Andrew Krivak

This special edition of Wrongful Conviction Behind Bars was recorded inside of Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Buffalo, NY with Andrew Krivak, and his attorney Professor Adele Bernhard in 2017.

Andy’s case concerns the murder of Josette Wright, whose body was found in November 1995 in a wooded area of Putnam County, NY with her hands and feet hog-tied behind her back and her underwear shoved down her throat. A few weeks later, detectives from the sheriff’s office picked up an unsuspecting teenager on drug charges, and managed to coerce him into pointing the finger at a group of his friends, including Anthony DiPippo and Andy Krivak. That same sheriff’s office used a since-discredited polygraph expert to get a false confession out of Andy, which along with a coerced witness statement, ultimately led to 25 to life sentences for both Andy and Anthony.

Since the taping of this episode, Andy’s conviction was vacated, and in October 2020, he was released on bail. Jason was there to welcome him back to the free world. The Deskovic Foundation helped bring on additional legal counsel, the legendary Oscar Michelen and Karen Neuwirth, to represent Andy at his 2023 retrial. The jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty. Andy was finally exonerated, after 24 years in prison. In 2024, Putnam County paid him a $20 million settlement.

To hear more about Andy’s incredible case, tune into Season 5 of Bone Valley, titled “The Devil’s Quarry.” Paul Solotaroff tells the story of Andy’s co-defendant Anthony DiPippo and the crime that landed both Andy and Anthony wrongfully in prison.

A second installment of the Devil’s Quarry is coming soon — it investigates another case in the same town with eerie links to Andy Krivak’s story. Look out for the first episode on September 30th, you won’t want to miss it.

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