Sneak peek: Unraveling the Case Against Melissa | Forensic Files

hello Melissa hi it's been boy more than a decade since I first met you mhm when
we first met did you ever think you'd still be here this long no why am I still in
here I just don't understand you may remember in 2009 Melissa kazinski was working at a Lincolnshire
daycare she was given 31 years in prison for the death of a 16-month-old who was
in her care since then she and her supporters have been fighting back calling this a wrongful
conviction it hurts she doesn't belong there she's the kind of person that would take her shirt
off her back and help other people this is my baby this is my youngest I just want her
home I used to work at the minii daycare I think it was definitely more than a job to her the kids were her
number one priority I feel like the kids brightened her day do you believe that Melissa kusinski
had anything to do with Ben King and's death zero she had nothing to do with it I am Melissa kosinski's current
attorney she loved Ben Ben loved her and what she told the police was that she threw him to the floor you
threw him on the floor yeah show us how hard you threw him on the ground like that did you hurt that baby no I did not
I would never do that you've got her I isolated in a small room with these two men for hours I never put she's trying
so hard to be the good girl the compliant girl I want to help you guys so much she's not equipped to deal with
a situation like that we're not going anywhere until we get the facts here the only way for me to get out was to make a
confession a false confession is there there any evidence that corroborates the confession that Melissa
made zero we would never take someone to trial with just a confession this child
had a fractured skull there was extensive injuries to this child internally it's clear that she killed
Benjamin do you believe there was a skull fracture no there is no fracture the evidence had been
manipulated if I take these sliders here you can manipulate this photo so somebody went in and they altered the
contrast to make it look like that on screen somebody took xrays that were completely clear and turned them into
unreadable images yes I can't think of an innocent explanation so you're saying that either the prosecutor's office or
the coroner's office but somebody representing the state did this yes yes a former daycare worker convicted of
killing a todler rise again today to be released from prison your case was before the prisoner Review Board in an
effort to get clemency people have to know the truth I have to keep pushing fighting no matter how much it hurts I
want people to know I'm innocent [Music]

Was key evidence manipulated to help convict a day care worker of murder? "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty reports Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 at 10/9c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Melissa Kazinski fights for exoneration after wrongful conviction for a toddler's death, claiming evidence was manipulated and her confession was coerced.

Key points

Melissa Kazinski's Fight for Justice. After being wrongfully convicted, Melissa's supporters fight to prove her innocence.

Episode quotes

I just want her home.

A mother expressing her longing for her daughter.

1:03WatchJan 16, 2025

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