Hush

After decades of being imprisoned, Jesse Johnson is free— but has Oregon changed?

Today we’ll listen to the first episode of OPB’s new podcast “Hush.”

In 1998, just before he arrived in Key West — the seat of Monroe County — Salem police investigated William Elmer Cross as a potential suspect in the murder of Harriet Thompson.

After denying repeated requests for interviews and answering direct questions from OPB, the Marion County District Attorney's office issued a lengthy statement outlining its view on Jesse Johnson's release.

There were three men who all had connections to Thompson and violence in their pasts. But police and prosecutors never seriously considered a scenario where Jesse Johnson didn't kill Harriet Thompson.

An interview with the detective in charge of the case reveals new biases.

In the early days after Harriet Thompson's death, Salem police detectives received several tips from the public. But they only focused on one to pursue as part of their investigation.

While there was a significant amount of forensic evidence presented to the jury at Jesse Johnson's trial, the significance and importance of that evidence is still debated today.

Forensic scientists, part of a quickly changing field, used Jesse Johnson's fingerprints in DNA testing. New documents reveal those scientists might have been more focused on convicting Johnson, instead of finding a murderer.

Two new people come forward with critical information, one who was at Harriet Thompson's house the night she died, and another who no one seriously questioned.