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Episode 10: Three Strikes

April 6, 2026·50 min·4 clips

A social worker turned prosecutor turned defense attorney says she can explain every crime through trauma, fear, and addiction—but she cannot explain why Michael Thompson, after everything, is still kind.

A promo breaks the spell. The excerpt starts with a quick plug for another podcast, all fear, confession, and murder-case tension, and it feels like it wandered in from a louder story. Then Michael's story comes up. Someone talks about release, a call to Ken, and the first loose ties to Lake County authorities. Trust is the hinge. Mike wanted something to work, but the speaker says he cared more about the outcome than how he got there. The con cuts both ways. A mother tells Eric he has lived close to cons himself, then says the damage plainly: he was conned by a con man. The courthouse scene lands softly. Brian climbs a steep double set of stairs and sees Michael in a suit, a brown straw hat, a dark denim blue shirt, blue jeans, and boots. Their hello is almost too normal. Michael asks if Brian is Brian. Brian asks if Michael is Michael. They meet with the court date hanging over everything. Ken is there already. He says he is Michael's best friend and is holding Michael's things, including two sets of keys. Security moves Michael along. The stairs would be tough, so he heads for the elevator while the others pass through the building. In the courtroom, everything tightens. Michael sits by his wife Ariel, their hands together, while Brian notices how little time they may have left. Brian asks one question. Michael leans forward and whispers that he is calm, then says it again like the words might steady him. Then the bailiff calls State v. Michael Thompson. Michael lets go of Ariel's hand, sits beside his lawyer Justin Peterson, and the room faces what comes next.

As heard by us

A sentencing hearing where fraud, loyalty, and self-deception share the same room.

Michael Thompson's sentencing carries the episode, and the story keeps circling back to how fraud and personal loyalty can get tangled together.

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Why you'd press play

A sentencing hearing that turns into a close look at trust, fraud, and the fallout.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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