Case 350
Alice Sebold & Tony Broadwater
*** Content warnings: Sexual assault, racism ***
After college student Alice Sebold was violently raped in 1981, a 21-year-old man named Tony Broadwater was promptly arrested and subsequently convicted of the crime. Alice later wrote a powerful memoir about her ordeal, called Lucky, which became a bestseller. But Alice’s book would reveal more than anyone could have realised…
CREDITS
EPISODE
Research & writing – Emily Shirley
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas
Audio editing – Anthony Telfer
OTHER
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
COURT DOCUMENTS
Anthony Broadwater v County of Onondaga et al
Affidavit of J David Hammond – 21 June 2024
Affidavit of Daniel Myers – 21 June 2024
Affidavit Timothy Mucciante – 12 June 2014
PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE
Email from Ken Otterbourgh – Researcher for The National Exoneration Registry, 8 June 2026
BOOKS
Lucky – Alice Sebold
ONLINE ARTICLES
Anthony Broadwater – The Exoneration Registry
The Man in the Lineup – Air Mail
Anthony Broadwater was wrongfully convicted four decades ago – and fought to get his life back – Philadelphia Tribune
“The Worst Prison in New York State” – New York Focus
State Panel, Citing Racism and Harassment, Calls Comstock Prison ‘Volatile’ – The New York Times
Lawyer faces discipline in condoms-for-chickens scam – UPI Archives
Statement from Alice Sebold – Medium
The memoir ‘Lucky’ was about a real rape. The accused is now exonerated : NPR – NPR
Conviction overturned in 1981 rape of author Alice Sebold – AP News
An Overturned Conviction Magnifies Flaws in a Discredited Forensic Technique – Retro Report
Don’t Call Me a Survivor – The Sunday Times
The Tortured Bond of Alice Sebold and the Man Wrongfully Convicted of Her Rape – The New Yorker
ARCHIVED ARTICLES
Rapist Convicted in Syracuse – The Palladium-Times, 14 July 1982
Auburn Inmate Dies in Stabbing – The Palladium-Times, 28 August 1984
Despite Violence a Sense of Control prevails at Auburn Prison, 6 June 1983
Justice at Last – PEOPLE True Crime Stories, 30 December 2022
40-Year Old Rape Conviction at the Heart of Author Alice Sebold’s Memoir is Thrown Out – Syracuse Post-Standard, 22 Novemeber 2021
A Ruined Life: How a Writer Pointed the Finger at the Wrong Man – The Week, 11 December 2021
How Race and Incompetence Doomed Anthony Broadwater to Prison – Syracuse Post-Standard, 25 Jan 2022
He Was Convicted of Raping Alice Sebold. Then the Case Unraveled – The New York Times, 15 December 2021
Anthony Broadwater, falsely imprisoned for a rape, wins back control of his dramatic story – Syracuse Post-Standard, 28 February 2026
Behind the ‘Lucky’ exoneration: 2 lives filled with pain – Syracuse Post-Standard, 26 November 2021
Exonerated in Alice Seboldʼs Rape, He Lost a Chance to Tell His Story – The New York Times, 13 June 2025
Justice Delayed Again – Syracuse Post-Standard, 19 October 2023
Man Exonerated in Alice Sebold Rape Case to Get $5.5 Million – The New York Times, 27 March 2023
My work on Alice Sebold’s ‘Lucky’ helped get a wrongful rape conviction overturned – The Los Angeles Times, 2 December 2021
Anthony Broadwater was wrongfully convicted of Alice Sebold’s rape — and fought to get his life back – The Washington Post, 3 December 2021
VIDEOS
Exoneration in the Rape of Alice Sebold – NBC
New York to pay $5.5 million to man exonerated of Alice Sebold’s rape – NBC
How Anthony Broadwater spent 40 years wrongly convicted of raping Alice Sebold
– Syracuse.com / Syracuse Post-Standard
PODCASTS
“J. David Hammond and Melissa Swartz discuss the exoneration of Anthony Broadwater” – Miranda Warnings Podcast, 20 December 2021