Don’t miss an episode. Find us on:
THROUGH THE KEYHOLE: Without a doubt, the very worst thing criminal mastermind John Hall did to my family was what he did to my brother Herb. He put Herb in prison for 18 months and made him stand trial for a brutal rape and murder he absolutely did not commit. And all because Herb had done the right thing – reporting to the authorities that John and my mom had been leaving our 12 year old youngest sister “home alone” (that’s how the newspapers reported it) in a dangerously cold house for six months.
Show Notes
To look at John Hall, my stepfather, you would never think he was a criminal mastermind. But, for a short time, that’s what he was. He corrupted the Philadelphia PD and DA’s office with dubious confessions they were only too happy to insist were true. Because they scored convictions where the actual truth had failed.
The sheer number of confessions John Hall had secured from criminals the authorities couldn’t secure should have sent up red flags.
To his credit, John was a studious rat. He’d do research in the prison law library (he liked being the law librarian) and then send Phyllis, my mom, to get the right details on the ground.
John took it very personally – more personally than did Phyllis – when Herb called the authorities about our sister and put Phyllis in prison for 6 months. Though John would never stoop to murder – he wasn’t violent in any way – as he told my mom in a letter to her from prison, he had no problem with the state murdering Herb via capital punishment.
As Herb learned the hard way, when you’ve spent your life victimizing people, it’s hard for the system to see you as a victim. Even though Herb, where John Hall was concerned, was very much the victim. Of a crime!
We cannot recommend highly enough that you buy and read Tom Lowenstein’s “THE TRIALS OF WALTER OGROD”. You can buy it here at Amazon or here at Goodreads.
The Hall Closet is written by Donna Hall and A L Katz. Costard & Touchstone Productions produced it. Donna Hall and A L Katz are the executive producers.
CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNINGS
The Hall Closet is not intended for sensitive audiences. Domestic abuse, violence, child endangerment, adultery, explicit language.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Facebook: @THEHALLCLOSETPODCAST
Instagram: @THE_HALL_CLOSET_PODCAST
TikTok: @the.hall.closet.p
WEBSITE
SUPPORT THE SHOW
Please visit our Patreon Page: patreon.com/hallcloset