A recording of the song 'Mama needs cherries'

D&C Podcast Network

Recording: 'Mama needs cherries'

Baseball bats were very prevalent in the Attica prison collection.

Attica Artifacts - Baseball Bats

In the initial wave of the uprising on Sept. 9 the prisoners had succeeded in securing the whole prison, including the kitchen.

Attica Artifacts - Butter Knives

A football helmet recovered from Attica, part of the recreational equipment.

Attica Artifacts - Football Helmet

The only surviving copy of a manifesto drafted by prisoners at Attica in 1971.

Attica Artifacts - Prisoner Manifesto

A makeshift explosive device, known as a Molotov cocktail.

Attica Artifacts - Molotov Cocktail

A prison crank key that would open a bank of cell doors at Attica.

Attica Artifacts - Prison Crank Key

A makeshift rocket launcher was built in the yard at Attica by prisoners working under the guidance of Samuel Melville who had been a member of The Weathermen.

Attica Artifacts - Rocket Launcher

Items that were used to create a public address system in the Attica yard during the uprising.

Attica Artifacts - Speaker System

A tear gas projectile recovered from the prison yard, tagged with a NYS police evidence tag.

Attica Artifacts - Tear Gas Projectile

A weight belt grabbed from an exercise yard and wrapped in tape. The belt was worn by prisoners guarding hostages during the Attica uprising as a form of intimidation.

Attica Artifacts - The Executioner Belt

A prison issue shirt that could have been worn either by a prisoner or a hostage during the Attica uprising in 1971.

Attica Artifacts - Prison Issued Shirt

When I visited Sunray, I never thought I’d be able to get into Tim Dean’s house — the place where the video of Tim hitting his daughter was recorded, and where he and Charlene Childers planned how they'd kill Josh Niles. We were there in the driveway, taking photos and peeking in windows, when someone walked across the street. She asked what we were doing — and then offered to let us in.

Point of No Return - Tim Dean's house

I've never had the chance to speak with Tim Dean and he declined every opportunity to speak during his trial or at his sentencing. That's why I find the body camera footage from his crash in Kansas to be so valuable — it’s the only time I've ever gotten to hear Tim speak about the plan and what was going on in his life in the days leading up to the shooting.

Point of No Return - The crash in Kansas

After sitting through the entire trial, sifting through dozens of crime scene photos and spending hours, on multiple occasions, with Josh Niles' family, I knew I wanted to make sure people understood how unusual this killing was. It's unlike any other story I've written about, and I want readers to know how that day has haunted Josh's family ever since.

Point of No Return - The day of the shooting

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