Ep. 3 Blown Cover: The Preventable Murder of LeBron Gaither

When LeBron Gaither was 17, he got into an altercation with a staff member at his school that resulted in assault charges. As Gaither faced the possibility of a criminal record, a Kentucky State Police detective offered him a deal: Charges would go away if Gaither agreed to become a drug informant. At the time, such an agreement was illegal without consent from Gaither’s parents or guardian. But Gaither agreed. In 1996, Gaither’s body was found in the woods. Gaither had helped police build a case against a local drug dealer, and a grand jury member had tipped off the dealer that Gaither had testified against him. An autopsy revealed Gaither had been tortured before he was murdered. This episode revisits Gaither's case and others in which police were reckless and careless with the lives of those they pressured to become informants.You can support our work at theintercept.com/join. Your donation, no matter the amount, makes a real difference.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.