On Sunday, Feb. 13, 2000, Jane Dorotik’s husband Bob went out for a run in Valley Center, San Diego County, and never came back. He was found dead by the side of the road early the next morning. Three days later, Jane was arrested for his murder. Over the next two decades of her life, Jane would become a convict, a martyr, an advocate and a major force in exposing fatal flaws in the criminal justice system. KPBS is sharing Jane’s story in her own voice in “Free Jane,” a new seven-part podcast available at kpbs.org/freejane starting Aug. 28, 2024.
“Free Jane” tells the compelling story of Jane, her trial, and her eventual release. It is a true crime podcast where the holes in the criminal justice system are highlighted and abolition is front and center.
“Jane’s story is a San Diego story, but it is a national story too,” says Claire Trageser, editor and producer of the podcast. “Her experience and the discovery of new forensic evidence leading to her exoneration have implications for other court cases. The arc of Jane’s development from a white woman who thought the criminal justice system worked fine to becoming an activist is thought-provoking and deeply moving. It’s an honor to tell her story,”
"I think society believes a wrongful conviction is such a rarity, and that the justice system generally works. This whole journey has been and continues to be, such an eye-opener, exposing the failures of our criminal justice system. We need a criminal justice system that is built on searching for and finding the truth, not a system where winning at all costs is the main goal,” says Jane Dorotik.
Listen to the trailer here. All episodes of the podcast will be available Aug. 28 at kpbs.org/freejane and wherever you get your podcasts.
Episode descriptions:
Episode 1: What happened to Jane Dorotik?
On Sunday, Feb. 13, 2000, Jane Dorotik’s husband Bob went out for a run and never came back. He was found dead by the side of the road early the next morning, and Jane’s life changed forever.
Episode 2: Jane’s trial
Jane Dorotik’s trial began in March 2000 and it was a media circus. While the prosecution focused on scientific evidence — tire tracks, blood pattern analysis, contents of Bob’s stomach — the defense didn’t tackle that evidence and instead took the unusual strategy of blaming Jane’s daughter Claire for the murder.
Episode 3: Jane’s time in prison
Jane Dorotik had always believed the justice system worked just fine, and people who were in prison likely deserved to be there. Then she went to prison herself.
Episode 4: Bad science
Jane Dorotik’s luck had finally begun to change. While she was still in prison for her husband’s murder, she was able to get the attention of lawyers with the Innocence Project.
Episode 5: How forensic science is used
Popular culture and the media are obsessed with forensic science. But much of that science does not always hold up to scrutiny.
Episode 6: Implications for other cases
The bad science in Jane’s case has implications for many other cases in San Diego County as well. The work of Jane’s lawyers led the DA’s office to send out a Brady letter to defense attorneys warning them that evidence used in other cases could be questionable.
Episode 7: What happens next
We still have no strong leads on who actually killed Bob Dorotik. But Jane has to move on. Now she is devoting all her time to activism, lobbying the government for prison reform.
Press Contact:
Heather Milne Barger
hmilne@kpbs.org
