This is an episode of Inside the Tent, a podcast going behind the scenes of Campside’s award winning shows.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
Seven years ago, journalist Justine van der Leun received a letter that would change her life. The sender was a woman named Kwaneta Harris, who was incarcerated at a prison in Texas.
Kwaneta’s story turned out to be more complicated, deceptive, and unhinged than Justine could have ever imagined.
Bad checks are cashed. Fibs turn into lies. Lies turn into scams. A mysterious man wrapped in bandages signs binding legal documents.
At one point, a young mother walks into a courthouse in Dallas and confesses to a murder she did not commit. None of it is real, or maybe all of it is. And somehow at every twist, behind every bizarre story, Justine kept finding her way back to one person: Kwaneta.
Matt begins by asking about Justine’s mission to learn about women in U.S. prisons on murder and manslaughter charges. She sent more than 10,000 letters and received more than 1,000 responses.
Kwaneta responded with a thoughtful note about the stigma of a murder accusation and the stigma of facing your past. Justine wanted to hear more.
Typically Justine communicated with women who had clearly acted in self defense. But Kwaneta’s story seemed quite a bit more complicated than that. Well, that turned out to be an understatement, and Justine’s journey turned into the What She Buried podcast.
Matt notes that there was in incredible level of access. Justine still can’t believe that even a judge in Texas was willing to talk on the record.
There seemed to be two reasons for the access: first, Kwaneta’s cooperation - at least initially - made others more willing to talk. Second, it was a case that was truly memorable, even to law enforcement professionals with decades of experience.
Justine tells Matt about one of the most surprising interviews she and producer Eric Benson conducted. And then she flags one of the most remarkable elements of the show: Justine became a part of the story.
Listen to Inside the Tent on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us with questions or comments: questions@campsidemedia.com.
We hope to see you inside the tent again soon. Subscribe now for updates on What She Buried and all of Campside’s hit shows.
