‘Hush’ bonus episode: Jesse Johnson was wrongfully convicted. Now, he’s suing

About this episode

Jesse Johnson, wrongfully convicted for a murder he didn't commit, is suing the state of Oregon and the Salem police for racism in his investigation.

On September 5th, 2023, Jesse Johnson  walked out of jail a free man . He’d spent a quarter century incarcerated, including 17 years on death row, for a crime he always insisted he didn’t commit: the 1998 murder of Harriet Thompson in Salem, Oregon. Two years after his release,  Johnson is suing  the state of Oregon and the Salem police detectives who locked him up for much of his life. The lawsuit argues that flagrant racism played a key role in the investigation into Johnson that led to his imprisonment. The case against Johnson was the focus of the first season of  OPB’s investigative podcast series “Hush,”  reported by Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas. Today, Ryan joins us for an update.

People in this episode

Host: Leah Sottile

Guest: Ryan Haas

Topics covered

• wrongful conviction
• racism in justice
• death row
• legal battles
• true crime
• investigative journalism

Keywords

• Jesse Johnson
• wrongful conviction
• Harriet Thompson
• Oregon
• death row
• lawsuit
• racism
• Hush
• true crime
• investigative podcast

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oregon, Salem police, Oregon Public Broadcasting

Books & works: Hush

Places: Salem, Oregon

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• Episode 7: Cornered · November 19, 2025 · 51 min
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• Episode 5: The Good Old Boys Club · November 5, 2025 · 50 min
• Episode 4: Boogeyman · October 29, 2025 · 48 min
• Episode 3: We All Fam · October 22, 2025 · 38 min