Examined: The Backfire Effect
Pushkin Industries
About Examined: Overlooked cases that never got the real investigation they deserved. Each season features deeply reported stories about crime, punishment, and the people inside the criminal legal system.
Nearly 40 years ago, in the parking lot of a community college in Port Huron, Michigan, a 20-year-old student named Scott Macklem was shot dead in broad daylight. His murder shocked the community. It made no sense. The police quickly found their suspect. There was only one problem: the man said he was nowhere near the scene of the crime. And he could prove it. In Examined: The Backfire Effect, journalist Josie Duffy Rice talks with eyewitnesses, investigators and local reporters to unravel a shocking story of judicial apathy and expedience — a story that leaves no one off the hook.
Nearly 40 years ago, in the parking lot of a community college in Port Huron, Michigan, a 20-year-old student named Scott Macklem was shot dead in broad daylight. His murder shocked the community. It made no sense. The police quickly found their suspect. There was only one problem: the man said he was nowhere near the scene of the crime. And he could prove it. In Examined: The Backfire Effect, journalist Josie Duffy Rice talks with eyewitnesses, investigators and local reporters to unravel a shocking story of judicial apathy and expedience — a story that leaves no one off the hook.
Episodes
Mentioned books
13 snips
Sep 21, 2026 • 35min
Episode 3: The Ninja
A murder trial unfolds amid political ambition, tangled local relationships, and a defense attorney struggling with addiction and divided loyalties. With physical evidence scarce, prosecutors build their case around character attacks, martial-arts mythology, manipulated identification, and an allegedly fabricated confession. Timogen’s extensive alibi faces a last-minute courtroom showdown.
20 snips
Sep 14, 2026 • 43min
Episode 2: The Hypnotist
A drifter’s sudden move to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula becomes central to a murder case hundreds of miles away. Conflicting police reports, a mishandled crime scene, and a witness’s flawed hypnosis session propel the investigation. As allegations shift and a controversial detective takes control, an unlikely suspect faces a dramatic arrest despite missing evidence.
31 snips
Sep 14, 2026 • 32min
Episode 1: The Good Cop
Joshua Sharp is an investigative journalist in Detroit known for reporting on crime, policing, and the justice system. He explores the 1986 murder of Scott Macklem, mistaken for a car backfire at a Michigan college. Conflicting witness accounts, Scott’s troubling fears, a reopened investigation, and the suspect who emerges set the stage for a gripping true-crime mystery.
Sep 8, 2026 • 3min
Trailer: The Backfire Effect
In 1986, college student Scott Macklem is murdered in broad daylight, and eight days later Fred Freeman is arrested. He insists he was elsewhere, backed by eyewitnesses, but is branded a dangerous mastermind. Nearly four decades on, a reporter revisits troubling evidence, police integrity, small-town politics, and the possibility that an innocent man remains imprisoned.
Sep 4, 2026 • 2min
Lost Hills is Becoming Examined
A familiar true-crime feed transforms into a new home for deeply reported stories about overlooked cases and the criminal legal system. The first investigation explores a murder conviction questioned by nearly a dozen alibi witnesses, allegations of police misconduct, and prosecutorial zeal. Previous Lost Hills seasons remain available, while listeners are invited to suggest cases still waiting for the scrutiny they deserve.
13 snips
Mar 2, 2026 • 53min
Episode 8: The Finish Line | Valley of Shadows
Two retired detectives reunite to reexamine tangled leads around the AJay investigation. A suspicious double death at a deputy's home raises questions about ruled suicides and possible cover ups. Paging patterns, autopsy contradictions, and gunshot residue details are scrutinized. Investigators discuss legal strategies, oversight failures, and a troubling pattern of deaths linked to one deputy.
10 snips
Feb 23, 2026 • 51min
Episode 7: The Trial | Valley of Shadows
Darren Hager, a former LASD deputy and Operation Silent Thunder member who sued the county, tells first-person accounts and courtroom battles. He discusses award-winning drug raids, being fired and fighting back in court. The conversation digs into internal LASD memos, alleged deputy misconduct, and how disclosures reopened questions about linked killings.
11 snips
Feb 16, 2026 • 43min
Episode 6: The Big Takedown | Valley of Shadows
Darren Hager, a retired narcotics detective who led major Antelope Valley investigations, narrates behind-the-scenes law enforcement drama. He describes running Operation Silent Thunder, long wiretap surveillance, tense safe-house moments, and a massive coordinated multi-agency takedown. The story spotlights corruption suspicions, daring rescues, and dramatic raids across the valley.
11 snips
Feb 9, 2026 • 43min
Episode 5: The Legend of Bigfoot | Valley of Shadows
A small town’s Bigfoot folklore collides with real danger around the Devil’s Punchbowl. A deputy’s odd absence from a major search raises suspicion. Informants tie law enforcement to meth dealers and whispered threats. Detectives chase phone logs, wiretaps, and departmental pushback while a covert narcotics operation keeps the case moving.
12 snips
Feb 2, 2026 • 47min
Episode 4: Outlaw Country | Valley of Shadows
Darren Hager, a former LASD narcotics detective turned DEA task force agent, recounts undercover work against meth-trafficking biker gangs. He describes forming a covert task force, handling risky informants, and linking outlaw bikers to disappearances. Short, tense stories about raids, evidence, and dangerous alliances drive the conversation.
