After an 18-hour interrogation with no attorney present, an exhausted and traumatized Larry gave a 'hypothetical' confession.
On August 3rd, 1989, Larry DeLisle's four children died in a horrific car accident as the family drove home after a long, hot day. Larry's leg cramped up, causing him to hit the accelerator on his late model station wagon. The accelerator stuck after he removed his foot, and the car was propelled into the Detroit River.
While Larry and his wife, Sue, were able to escape, all of their children - Bryan (8), Melissa (4), Katie (2), and Emily (8 months) - were trapped in the car and drowned. After an 18-hour interrogation with no attorney present, an exhausted and traumatized Larry gave a "hypothetical" confession (one that the court later ruled was an "involuntary statement" and suppressed during his trial).
Demonized in the local media after police went to the news with the "confession" and with his requests for a change of venue denied, it was impossible for Larry to get a fair trial. Despite the finding that issues with the car corroborated Larry and Susan's version of events and Susan's testimony proclaiming his innocence, Larry was convicted of four counts of murder and one count of attempting to murder his wife.
Larry DeLisle is currently serving five natural life sentences, with a petition for clemency sitting in front of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
In the latest episode of Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom, Larry speaks out from Lakeland Correctional Facility in Michigan. In addition to offering a firsthand account of Larry's tragic story, the episode features forensic psychologist Dr. Michael Abramsky, the expert tasked with determining if Larry's interrogation room "confession" had been voluntary.
Flom, the founder and CEO of Lava Records and a longtime criminal justice advocate, has been personally involved in the cases of hundreds of wrongfully convicted people. Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom is produced by Lava For Good Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
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