California Innocence Project Frees Another Client

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Pat Finn / Producer

Published January 19, 2021 at 10:41 AM PST

Justin Brooks, project director of the California Innocence Project, in Berkeley ahead of a 100-mile march to Sacramento on September 30, 2018.

After 29 years in prison for murdering her three children in a Los Angeles County house fire, JoAnn Parks was granted clemency and paroled. Her attorneys from the California Innocence project continue the fight to exonerate her.

Convicted nearly three decades ago for an arson fire that killed her three children, JoAnn Parks had been in prison for first degree murder with no possibility for parole ever since — until Tuesday.

Ten years after an arson review panel concluded the fire was most likely an accident and that the evidence used to incriminate her would not hold up under scrutiny today, Parks walked out of prison, thanks to the determined attorneys at the California Innocence Project at California Western School of Law.

Justin Brooks, director of the California Innocence Project and Raquel Cohen, the lead attorney in the JoAnn Parks case, described the lengths they went to to gain attention for Parks' case, including a 700-plus mile walk to Sacramento and the attempt to build a model of the apartment to prove the fire was an accident.

KPBS Midday Edition

Maureen Cavanaugh

twitter

Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

See stories by Maureen Cavanaugh

Pat Finn

Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

See stories by Pat Finn