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Somebody

Somebody

When Shapearl Wells’s son Courtney is found outside a Chicago police station with a fatal bullet wound, Shapearl immediately distrusts the official narrative. So she launches her own investigation into her son’s murder and teams up with journalists from the Invisible Institute to confront the cops and find the truth about Courtney’s death. Somebody explores the racial disparities and turbulent relationship between law enforcement and citizens in one of America’s largest cities.

Somebody is a co-production of Topic Studios,The Intercept, the Invisible Institute, and iHeartRadio, in association with Tenderfoot TV. Somebody has won numerous awards, including a2020 Third Coast award for best serialized story, Adweek’s podcast host of the year, IDA Documentary Awards’ best audio documentary, theScripps Howard Award for excellence in radio/podcast coverage, and a Headliner Award.

For educators, we have a free 10-lesson curriculum available on the Invisible Institute’s resource page for teachers.

Credits

Archive

The Secret Girlfriend

Somebody - Apr. 21 2020
Shapearl and Alison sit down with Courtney’s secret girlfriend. Turns out, she knows more than she initially told Shapearl and provides new leads in the case. A co-production of Topic Studios, The Intercept, the Invisible Institute, and iHeartRadio, in association with Tenderfoot TV. We want to hear from you, email us at info@somebodypodcast.com or leave […]

The Two-Year Anniversary

Somebody - Apr. 28 2020
On the second anniversary of Courtney’s death, Shapearl holds a middle-of-the-night protest in front of the police station. She drives the exact route that Courtney took the night he was killed, and runs into the supervising officer from that night. Two witnesses show up at the protest to tell Shapearl what they know. A co-production […]

The Tipster

Somebody - May. 2 2020
Shapearl receives a Facebook message from someone with crucial information, but police dismiss the tip. On Halloween night 2018, there’s a similar murder in the neighborhood where Courtney was shot. Shapearl and Alison decide to tell detectives what they know. A co-production of Topic Studios, The Intercept, the Invisible Institute, and iHeartRadio, in association with […]

Coming Up on the Season Finale

Somebody - May. 5 2020
After Shapearl and the Invisible Institute hand over all of their evidence to Chicago Police, the job is not done. In this Episode 7 season finale preview, Shapearl gives a glimpse into her life beyond Courtney’s case as she advocates for reform and fights to preserve her son’s legacy. Learn more about your ad-choices at […]

Shapearl

Somebody - May. 12 2020
Having taken her investigation as far as she can, Shapearl moves on to an even bigger fight: making sure this never happens to anyone else’s child. She travels to Brazil to speak at a summit of mothers of murdered children and works to honor Courtney’s legacy and advocate for police reform in new ways. A […]

“Democracy in the Streets,” a Conversation with Shapearl Wells and Jamie Kalven

Somebody - Jun. 12 2020
Shapearl and Jamie sit down to talk about the uprising for Black lives happening in Chicago and around the nation, and their hope that this moment might translate to great positive change. A co-production of Topic Studios, The Intercept, the Invisible Institute, and iHeartRadio, in association with Tenderfoot TV. We want to hear from you, […]
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