The Cop Who Went to Prison for 19 Years | Kent McGowen

Kent McGowen spent years enforcing the law. Then he spent nearly two decades behind bars.

Kent is a former Houston police officer and Harris County deputy who was convicted of murder after fatally shooting Susan White while serving a felony retaliation warrant in 1992. Kent has maintained for more than three decades that the shooting was justified and that he was wrongfully prosecuted.

He takes Ken through the entire case: the informant and stolen-gun investigation that started it, White’s threats, the warrant, the forced entry, the moment he says White pointed a .32-caliber pistol at him, and the three shots that changed his life forever.

Kent also details his allegations of misconduct by prosecutors and investigators, his first conviction being overturned on appeal, the disastrous second trial that sent him to prison, and what he witnessed during 19 years inside the Texas prison system.

He ultimately walks Ken through the letters that finally brought outside attention to his case, the people in law enforcement who came to his aid, his 2021 release, and the fight he says is still far from over.

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Chapters

(00:00) Meet Kent McGowen

(00:42) Early Policing Days

(04:46) Texas Law Enforcement Breakdown

(06:43) Informant and Gun Crew

(10:27) Sponsor Break Roka

(12:08) Buy Bust Gone Sideways

(16:41) Susan White Arrives

(25:32) Threats and Retaliation Case

(29:59) Phone Records No Link

(30:38) Midnight DA Intake

(33:17) Warrant Delay Whiteout

(35:12) Sergeant Orders Warrant Run

(39:11) Calling Suspect First

(40:48) Door Knock Escalation

(43:59) Legal Theory Unlawful Warrant

(47:34) Forced Entry And Shooting

(55:19) Aftermath And Scene Chaos

(58:39) Deputy Matt And Prior Contact

(01:02:50) Captain Harper Statement Shift

(01:03:43) Fax Cover Sheet Fallout

(01:04:40) Grand Jury Pressure Tactics

(01:10:27) Sealed Indictment Arrest

(01:12:43) Denholm and the Corrupt Clique

(01:20:45) Prosecutor Harassment Campaign

(01:26:21) Conviction and Appellate Bond

(01:30:32) Appeals Victory and State Pushback

(01:33:52) Appeals Win Streak

(01:35:33) DA Targets His Wife

(01:37:53) Airport Intimidation

(01:41:01) Hiring Cogdell

(01:43:56) Lawyer Chaos Spiral

(01:45:51) Trial Strategy Disaster

(01:50:29) Eleventh Hour Warning

(01:56:25) Coked Up Closing

(01:58:00) Guilty and Bond Revoked

(02:00:34) Processed Into Prison

(02:03:17) Safekeeping Shock

(02:04:40) Intake and Sociology Interviews

(02:05:20) Case File Shock and Hidden Discovery

(02:06:57) Zimmerman Takes the Case

(02:08:31) How Prosecutors Rig Cases

(02:09:53) First Units and Bench Warrant Detour

(02:11:11) Goree Unit and Karla Faye Tucker Cell

(02:14:13) Jury Confusion and No Protective Custody

(02:16:48) Price Daniel Unit and Dangerous Cellmates

(02:19:50) Juan Flores Heart Attack Crisis

(02:28:59) Retaliation Transfer and Solitary

(02:30:07) Pack Unit Life and Surviving on Anger

(02:32:15) Visits, Parole Setback, and Journaling

(02:34:05) Parole Setoff Trap

(02:34:51) Corruption And Beatings

(02:37:57) Parole Shakedown Revival

(02:41:17) Letters That Got Help

(02:46:21) Immediate Release Decision

(02:50:12) Walking Out After Loss

(02:56:07) Life On Intensive Parole

(03:01:10) Aftermath And New Cases

(03:03:17) Fundraising And Wrap Up

(03:04:54) Host Outro And Subscribe

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