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Pamela Colloff

@pamelacolloff.bsky.social

27K followers 1.3K following 310 posts

@propublica.org reporter + @nytimes.com Magazine staff writer. Texas-based criminal justice reporter, storyteller, curious person. At work on a book for Knopf

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · Dec 30

NEW, from me: Shaken baby syndrome--a diagnosis that has resulted in wrongful convictions across the country--continues to shape criminal prosecutions and child welfare investigations, under the name "abusive head trauma."

My story of what happened to one family.

www.propublica.org/article/shak...

He Frantically Called 911 to Revive His Infant Son. Now He Could Face 12 Years in Prison.

Exonerations and new science continue to raise questions about shaken baby syndrome, a diagnosis that lives on under a different name: “abusive head trauma.” Critics say the name deflects scrutiny whi...

www.propublica.org

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · 2d

An expert witness at the trial of Robert Roberson said he was a psychopath "and compared him to Adolph Hitler and Saddam Hussein" writes @mauricechammah.bsky.social

Roberson, who's almost certainly innocent, is scheduled to be executed in Texas on Oct. 16
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/10/06/r...

Did the ‘Psychopath Test’ Help Send Robert Roberson to His Execution?

The case against Robert Roberson, whose execution is scheduled for Oct. 16, is the latest to raise questions about a controversial diagnosis.

www.themarshallproject.org

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Reposted by Pamela Colloff

Elon Green @elongreen.bsky.social · 18d

I’ve been working on this for a while. (I tried to find Bobbie more than a decade ago and failed.) Please do give it a read.

Sarah Weinman @sarahweinman.com · 18d

If you love the song “Me and Bobby McGee” you absolutely must read @elongreen.bsky.social on the life of the woman who inspired the song.

The Unlikely Story of the Secretary Who Inspired One of Music’s Greatest Songs

“Me and Bobby McGee” was originally about a woman—Barbara “Bobbie” McKee. I talked to her.

slate.com

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Reposted by Pamela Colloff

Melody Joy Kramer, MLIS @mkramer.bsky.social · 8d

Exciting news! The second @propublica.org metro ad on @wmata.com has been spotted in the wild on a metro car!

There are thousands of federal staffers with stories to tell. Share yours.

propublica.org/tips

there are thousands of federal staffers with stories to tell. share yours. propublica.org/tips

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · 8d

YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!

Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · 8d

The men wrongfully accused of the Yogurt Shop Murders--two of whom were convicted, and one of whom was sent to death row--should've been exonerated long ago. Glad to see our D.A. doing the right thing. But we need a top-to-bottom review of police + prosecutor conduct.

www.kvue.com/article/news...

Men wrongfully accused of Yogurt Shop Murders seek formal exoneration

In 1999, Michael Scott and three other teenage boys, ages 15 to 17, were arrested in connection with the killings.

www.kvue.com

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · 12d

Sarah just put into words the significance of the Yogurt Shop Murders—and the subsequent wrongful convictions, and the ongoing fallout from those injustices—for Austin.

Sarah Weinman @sarahweinman.com · 12d

I never thought to make this connection before but this case is Austin’s equivalent of the Central Park Five

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Reposted by Pamela Colloff

Michael Luo @michaelluo.bsky.social · 22d

I had to pick my jaw off the floor after reading this lede in @rachelmonroe.bsky.social on self-defense insurance. Like out of an Elmore Leonard novel. www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...

Your First Call After You Shoot Someone

In the era of Stand Your Ground, self-defense insurance is increasingly popular. Does it promote gun violence?

www.newyorker.com

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · 12d

Earth-shattering news here in Austin: the crime that has haunted this city for more than three decades and sent innocent men to prison, including one to death row, has been solved with genetic genealogy.

www.kvue.com/article/news...

After more than 3 decades, investigators believe the Yogurt Shop Murders have been solved

Nearly 34 years ago, four teen girls were killed at a yogurt shop in North Austin. Their murders have remained unsolved – until now.

www.kvue.com

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · 12d

Earthshattering news here in Austin. I'm at a loss for words.

www.kvue.com/article/news...

After more than 3 decades, investigators believe the Yogurt Shop Murders have been solved

Nearly 34 years ago, four teen girls were killed at a yogurt shop in North Austin. Their murders have remained unsolved – until now.

www.kvue.com

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · 12d

A stunning trailer. Please take the time to watch.

deadline.com/2025/09/the-...

‘The Alabama Solution’ Trailer: Shocking Treatment Of Prisoners Exposed In Documentary From ‘The Jinx’ Director Andrew Jarecki And Charlotte Kaufman

Watch the trailer for 'The Alabama Solution,' a doc that exposes shocking conditions in Alabama prisons from the team behind 'The Jinx' parts 1 and 2.

deadline.com

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Reposted by Pamela Colloff

Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 15d

“Impressive … Lennon’s ambition is not to turn human suffering into spectacle, but to restore complexity to his own story and those of the men around him.“ @pamelacolloff.bsky.social’s sensitive and admiring review of THE TRAGEDY OF TRUE CRIME.

A Journalist on the Inside Upends Good vs. Evil Criminal Stereotypes

www.nytimes.com

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · Sep 8

thanks!!

Reposted by Pamela Colloff

Keri Blakinger @keribla.bsky.social · Aug 25

It is true!!! Can confirm!! I am thrilled to be joining @propublica.org next month.

(Pam has all the best sources 🖤)

Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · Aug 25

BREAKING: @keribla.bsky.social is joining @propublica.org!!!

www.propublica.org/atpropublica...

ProPublica Hires Keri Blakinger and Raquel Rutledge as National Reporters

ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

www.propublica.org

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · Aug 25

BREAKING: @keribla.bsky.social is joining @propublica.org!!!

www.propublica.org/atpropublica...

ProPublica Hires Keri Blakinger and Raquel Rutledge as National Reporters

ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Pamela Colloff

Elon Green @elongreen.bsky.social · Aug 15

interviewing someone today who yelled at me when i cold called them months ago. Persistence!

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · Aug 15

You're too kind. It's a fantastic piece! Just posted about it.

Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · Aug 15

What happens when there is no meaningful oversight of crime labs? In Illinois, innocent people are convicted of driving high.

A really important investigative deep dive by @mdoukmas.bsky.social

www.injusticewatch.org/project/fore...

Fake science, faulty methods, misleading testimony

How a rogue forensics lab in Chicago got people wrongfully convicted for driving high.

www.injusticewatch.org

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Reposted by Pamela Colloff

Steve Cavendish @scavendish.bsky.social · Aug 5

As a media witness to the last two executions, Tuesday's was different. Whether it was the Pentobarbitol causing pulmonary edema or the defibrillator that courts ruled did not have to be turned off, Byron Black was in obvious pain.

“Oh, it’s hurting so bad,” he said minutes before dying.

Nashville Banner @nashvillebanner.bsky.social · Aug 5

In a painful execution, attorney says Byron Black was ‘tortured’ by the State of Tennessee

nashvillebanner.com/2025/08/05/b...

Byron Black executed; attorney says he was 'tortured' - Nashville Banner

Byron Black's execution by lethal injection raises questions about his suffering and the role of his defibrillator. His attorney calls it 'torture.'

nashvillebanner.com

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Reposted by Pamela Colloff

Olivia Messer @oliviamesser.bsky.social · Jul 25

NEW bombshell allegations from the Texas Legislature today. The author of Texas’ abortion “trigger ban” has been accused by a former exotic dancer of paying for abortions. He has denied the claims and threatened to sue the outlet that ran them. More:

thebarbedwire.com/2025/07/25/t...

Author of Texas Abortion Ban Denies He Paid for Abortions Amid Bombshell Allegations from Former Exotic Dancer

Capriglione authored Texas’ “trigger ban,” which banned abortion when Roe v. Wade was overturned. He announced he wouldn’t seek reelection.

thebarbedwire.com

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Reposted by Pamela Colloff

Michele Deitch @micheledeitch.bsky.social · Jul 16

No shackles, no cuffs: Texas death row loosens solitary confinement for first time in years. Kudos to @tdcj.bsky.social for this new initiative.

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...

Texas is trying a new kind of death row – one with a sense of community

A new program in the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas, allows death row prisoners to mingle outside of solitary confinement.

www.houstonchronicle.com

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · Jul 16

Roberson's conviction rested on a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. An appeals court recently called SBS “junk science," and the diagnosis has resulted in wrongful convictions across the country.

But the state of Texas has decided to put Roberson to death.

www.texastribune.org/2025/07/16/t...

Judge sets Robert Roberson’s execution date for Oct. 16

Wednesday’s decision affirms Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request for an October execution date for Roberson, whose case has divided the state’s Republicans.

www.texastribune.org

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · Jul 13

"When the water finally began to ebb, hours later, it receded so quickly that it left fish flopping and gasping on the highway. Pool kicked them back into the water with his boot. 'If I can’t save people now, I’ll save fish,' he said."

By @rachelmonroe.bsky.social:
www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...

Recovering the Dead in Texas’s Flash-Flood Alley

In the wake of disaster, people are relying on the volunteer fire department, the backbone of the Hill Country.

www.newyorker.com

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Reposted by Pamela Colloff

Rachel Monroe @rachelmonroe.bsky.social · Jul 11

In Kerr County, I was struck by two things -- the extent of the devastation (it's hard to fathom) and people's incredible desire to help one another www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...

Recovering the Dead in Texas’s Flash-Flood Alley

In the wake of disaster, people are relying on the volunteer fire department, the backbone of the Hill Country.

www.newyorker.com

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Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff.bsky.social · Jul 11

🙏❤️