Beyond All Repair

Mar 04 2025 27 ep. 33 mins 2.7k

Beyond All Repair Podcast artwork

WBUR's reintroducing you to Endless Thread's 2020 series, "Madness," that unraveled the shocking story of forced brainwashing and the murky history of CIA-funded mind-control experiments. This feed is the home of Beyond All Repair, WBUR & ZSP Media's 10-part true crime investigative series as well as Violation, a podcast from WBUR & The Marshall Project, exploring America’s opaque parole system.

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Endless Thread's "Madness," Part 2: Brave New World

Mar 04 2025 34 mins

Hundreds of people who were experimented on at the Allan Memorial Institute over the course of two decades are all connected to one man: Dr. Ewen Cameron. In this episode, we look at how Cameron rose to prominence in his field and investigate the surprising origins of his treatment program. This episode is part of "Madness: The Secret Mission for Mind Control and the People Who Pa

Endless Thread's "Madness," Part 1: The Sleep Room

Feb 24 2025 29 mins

"Hey, it's Amory. We've had such a huge response for Beyond All Repair that the team and I are thinking and talking about what we might bring to you in the future. But in the meantime, we wanted to keep things going, at least for now, with something a little different. So, as you may know, I'm the co-host of another show called Endless Thread. This is a show about mysteries and hi

Beyond All Repair Bonus: Your questions... answered!

Jun 13 2024 74 mins

What did Susie, Sean's girlfriend at the time of Marlyne Johnson's murder, tell detectives? Was a $10,000 stash of cash ever found in the Johnsons' home? Did Sophia have an alibi? These are just a few of the many questions listeners sent to the Beyond All Repair team. In this follow-up episode, Amory is joined by Beyond All Repair producer Sofie Kodner to answer these questions an

Beyond All Repair Ch. 10: Truth

May 02 2024 59 mins

Amory talks to Shane about the 2010 report, along with the detective who wrote it and Rick Buckner, the lead detective on Sophia’s case 20 years ago. She explores what can legally happen from here, both with regards to Marlyne Johnson’s homicide case and with Sophia herself. Amory finally confronts Sophia about the 2010 report, and comes to a conclusion about the case. ***

Beyond All Repair Ch. 9: Someone Is Lying

Apr 25 2024 45 mins

After Sean’s conversation with Amory, he and his younger brother, Shane, talk to each other for the first time in two decades. Shane is open to hearing his brother out, until Sean denies a painful memory from their childhood. Their father, who has always defended Sean, starts sending aggressive voice messages to Sophia and Shane. Meanwhile, Amory has even more questions for Soph

Beyond All Repair Ch. 8: Anthony Snow

Apr 18 2024 36 mins

After disappearing before he was supposed to testify in Sophia's second trial, Sean reappears in Guyana under the name Anthony Snow. He has since launched various ventures, including a short-lived campaign for president of Guyana in 2011, a land development business that’s been the source of allegations of fraud, and a robust social media presence. Sophia and Sean hadn’t seen

Beyond All Repair Ch. 7: Made Up

Apr 11 2024 32 mins

Amory meets Sophia in person for the first time with a sense of uneasiness. While in jail awaiting her second trial in 2005, Sophia made a friend who convinced her to testify in her own defense. Today, this friend, Morgen, is Sophia’s life partner. After getting ahold of the footage of Sophia’s second trial, Morgen and Amory discover that Sophia told a different story about

Beyond All Repair Ch. 6: Hope

Apr 04 2024 34 mins

The jury has reached a verdict: Sophia is found guilty of first-degree murder. At sentencing, Sophia hears victim impact statements, including one delivered by the woman raising her son. She is sentenced to 43 years in prison, and just as she’s settling into that fate, she gets a call from her lawyer saying that she’s won the right to a new trial. If you have questions about

Beyond All Repair Ch. 5: The Motive

Mar 28 2024 35 mins

The prosecution in Sophia’s trial claims greed was her motive for killing Marlyne. Shortly after Sophia and Brad Johnson started dating, Sophia began stealing money from her employer. Sophia explains how the theft started and quickly spiraled out of control. By the time of the murder, Sophia was tens of thousands of dollars in debt, with a baby on the way. Was she desperate eno

Beyond All Repair Ch. 4: The Husband

Mar 21 2024 35 mins

Amory meets Lyn Page and Linda Dillard, friends of Marlyne Johnson and her husband Richard, who share more about the Johnson family. Richard struggled with alcohol abuse and gambled, and Marlyne had started saving money in case she needed to leave him. Richard eventually agrees to talk to Amory and shares memories of his wife and the day she was killed. If you have questions abo