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The story of an 11-year-old convicted murderer and the flaws in the case against him

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River to River, hosted by Ben Kieffer

Wesley Elkins entered Anamosa State Penitentiary at 4'8" and 75 pounds. He was six years younger than the next youngest inmate. The 11-year-old would spend the next 12 years in prison for the 1889 murder of his father, John, and stepmother, Hattie.

River to River host Ben Kieffer is joined by authors and husband-and-wife duo Tom Wolf and Patricia Bryan to discuss their book The Plea, in which they explore this early case of horrific youth violence and the legal, social and political environment in Iowa that surrounded it.

Guests:

  • Patricia Bryan, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill professor of law, author
  • Thomas Wolf, freelance writer, author
Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River
Dani Gehr is a talk show producer for Iowa Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University. Since 2022, Gehr has worked with IPR's talk team to bring news and features to IPR's listening audience.