Episode 17: The Questionable Confesssion
Ziang Sung Wan v. United States
In 1919, the murder of three Chinese diplomats stunned Washington, D.C. When a young Chinese man, Ziang Sung Wan, confessed to the crime, it seemed like an open and shut case. But at the trial, Wan's lawyers would claim that police had coerced Wan into confessing. What happened next would change the nature of police work and the rights of suspects, forever.
Episode Resources
Episode Transcript
Works Cited/
Referenced
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“The Boxer Indemnity Scholarship Program,” China Comes to MIT.
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“CA City Pays $900K For Falsely Accusing Man of Killing Father,” National Criminal Justice Association, May 26, 2024.
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Matthew Hale, Pleas of the Crown, v. II.
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“Legislative Summary: District of Columbia,” John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
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Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966).
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“Overturning False Confessions,” Innocence Project, September 14, 2010.
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Scott D. Seligman, The Third Degree: The Triple Murder that Shook Washington and Changed American Criminal Justice (Lincoln, Nebraska: Potomac Books, 2018).
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Scott D. Seligman, “The Triple Homicide in D.C. That Laid the Groundwork for Americans’ Right to Remain Silent,” Smithsonian Magazine, April 30. 2018.
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"United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch, uploaded October 15, 2019. New York, New York City no 134; Q-Z, image 1834 of 2298; citing NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
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“What Are Your Miranda Rights?” MirandaWarning.org, 2024.
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Ziang Sung Wan v. United States, 266 U.S. 1 (1924).