42: From Victim to Accused: The Veronika Rodriguez Story part five - Pier Hess Graf
In Episode five, host Mel Barrett, goes on a deep dive into the prosecutor in Veronika's case: Pier Hess Graf
Pier Hess Graf didn’t just prosecute the alleged victim in this case, she went hard at Veronika Rodriguez, asking for up to 16 years in prison for reporting her own sexual assault. I wonder where that kind of resentment and unrelenting spite comes from. Did getting accused of sleeping her way into the DA’s office create internalized misogyny in Pier Hess Graf? Why has she never brought a sexual assault case before Veronika’s? Is her ambition to fit into the boy’s club so great that she hates women because of it?
Pier Hess Graf will be remembered as a DA who inspired fierce loyalty and fierce opposition. You can respect her relentlessness in court and still demand she follow ethics. You can back law enforcement and still expect independence. You can acknowledge false accusations exist–though in my opinion, not in Veronika’s case–and you can still refuse to build a system that punishes reporting itself.
Those aren’t contradictions. They’re the bare minimum for a justice system worthy of the word justice.
Please share. Veronika's sentencing happens on August 20, 2025 so sharing this episode helps get the word out about what really happened in her case.
Back story: Veronika Rodriguez reported her rape to police. She even had evidence to prove it happened. Still police didn't believe her and turned her from victim, to accused, to convicted.
Mel hadn’t planned to make a several episode push about one subject in between seasons, but this story has fallen into her lap and she can’t look away. Veronika has been tried and convicted of making a false report of sexual assault and felony wiretapping in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvaia. She is awaiting sentencing on August 20, 2025.
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41: From Victim to Accused: The Veronika Rodriguez Story Part Four - Fahad Pervez
In this episode of The In Between Podcast, Mel spends an hour discussing the alleged assault of Veronika Rodriguez with the man she accused...Fahad Pervez
Please share. Veronika's sentencing happens on August 20, 2025 so sharing this episode helps get the word out about what really happened in her case.
Back story: Veronika Rodriguez reported her rape to police. She even had evidence to prove it happened. Still police didn't believe her and turned her from victim, to accused, to convicted.
Mel hadn’t planned to make a several episode push about one subject in between seasons, but this story has fallen into her lap and she can’t look away. Veronika has been tried and convicted of making a false report of sexual assault and felony wiretapping in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvaia. She is awaiting sentencing on August 20, 2025.
Join the club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast: https://patreon.com/TheInBetweenPodcastwithMelBarrett?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
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1:20:21
40: From Victim to Accused: The Veronika Rodriguez Story Part Three - Investigating the Investigators
In this episode of The In Between Podcast, Mel goes on a deep dive into the investigation and even manages to score an interview with an elusive guest.
Please share. Veronika's sentencing happens on August 20, 2025 so sharing this episode helps get the word out about what really happened in her case.
Back story: Veronika Rodriguez reported her rape to police. She even had evidence to prove it happened. Still police didn't believe her and turned her from victim, to accused, to convicted.
Mel hadn’t planned to make a several episode push about one subject in between seasons, but this story has fallen into her lap and she can’t look away. Veronika has been tried and convicted of making a false report of sexual assault and felony wiretapping in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvaia. She is awaiting sentencing on August 20, 2025.
Join the club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast: https://patreon.com/TheInBetweenPodcastwithMelBarrett?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
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39: DARK WEEK: Revisiting Live Free or Die: The Pamela Smart Story
This is a dark week for TIBP, as Mel is currently investigating the Veronika Rodriguez case which is very much a living, breathing story. A new episode about Veronika’s story will air next tuesday, August 5, 2025.
Season One of TIBP, which re-investigates the Pamela Smart case, didn’t just revisit a high-profile trial—Mel's reporting uncovered new evidence, new witnesses, major discrepancies between the wiretaps and transcripts, and a constitutional violation during trial when Pamela’s own defense told the jury she was guilty—without her consent. A new habeas petition is in the works, her first real shot at a new trial in 35 years. Mel also found a juror who admitted to convicting based on a false media report—and a witness who can testify to that. This is no longer just a podcast—it’s become a story with legal traction, so for those of you who haven’t listened to season one, Mel wanted to drop the first episode–Live Free or Die–here while you await the concluding weeks of Veronika’s story.
And if you’re looking for ad-free bonus content, don’t forget to subscribe to the TBIP club at the researcher level to gain more access to content, behind-the-scenes looks at cases, and lives with special guests.
Your support keeps this train on the tracks and we couldn’t do it with out you. So please hit the subscribe button, rate, and review to keep us moving.
And now…Season One, episode one of the In between podcast: Live Free or Die, the Pamela Smart story.
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38: From Victim to Accused: The Veronika Rodriguez Story - An Update
It's getting wild. Here's an update about the case.
This one's important. Please listen, share, rate, review.
Veronika Rodriguez reported her rape to police. She even had evidence to prove it happened. Still police didn't believe her and turned her from victim, to accused, to convicted.
Mel hadn’t planned to make a several episode push about one subject in between seasons, but this story has fallen into her lap and she can’t look away. Veronika has been tried and convicted of making a false report of sexual assault and felony wiretapping in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvaia. She is awaiting sentencing on August 20, 2025.
Join the club for AD FREE, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and bonus content of The In Between Podcast: https://patreon.com/TheInBetweenPodcastwithMelBarrett?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
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À propos de The In Between Podcast with Mel Barrett
There’s the official story. And then there’s the truth.
The In Between is an investigative narrative podcast that digs into cases where the facts got buried, distorted, or deliberately ignored. Hosted by journalist and screenwriter Mel Barrett, each season unpacks one story that was never fully told, blending deep reporting, legal analysis, and raw personal narrative.
Mel doesn’t just rehash headlines—she goes digging. She’s spent over a decade uncovering new evidence in the Pamela Smart case, work that helped form the basis of a new habeas petition. In Season One, she revisits the trial that made Smart a national villain—and questions everything we thought we knew.
Season Two, From Victim to Accused: The Veronika Rodriguez Story, pulls back the curtain on a case where a 26-year-old Air National Guard member reported a sexual assault—and ended up the one in handcuffs. What happened next is more than a miscarriage of justice. It’s a warning.
This is the space between the crime and the courtroom, the headlines and the hidden truth. This is The In Between.
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