Shapearl Wells wants to know who killed her son Courtney. The cops won’t help, so she sets out on her own investigation to find the killer.
Somebody
When Shapearl Wells’s son Courtney is found outside a Chicago police station with a fatal bullet wound, Shapearl immediately distrusts the official narrative. So she launches her own investigation into her son’s murder and teams up with journalists from the Invisible Institute to confront the cops and find the truth about Courtney’s death. Somebody explores the racial disparities and turbulent relationship between law enforcement and citizens in one of America’s largest cities.
Somebody is a co-production of Topic Studios,The Intercept, the Invisible Institute, and iHeartRadio, in association with Tenderfoot TV. Somebody has won numerous awards, including a2020 Third Coast award for best serialized story, Adweek’s podcast host of the year, IDA Documentary Awards’ best audio documentary, theScripps Howard Award for excellence in radio/podcast coverage, and a Headliner Award.
For educators, we have a free 10-lesson curriculum available on the Invisible Institute’s resource page for teachers.
First Episode
Archive
Somebody: Coming Soon
- Mar. 27, 2020
Coming March 31, 2020. When Shapearl Wells’s son Courtney is found outside a Chicago police station with a fatal bullet wound, Shapearl immediately distrusts the official narrative. So she launches her own investigation into her son’s murder and teams up with journalists from the Invisible Institute to confront the cops and find the truth about […]
Somebody, Episode 1: Shapearl Wells wants to know who killed her son Courtney. But her grief turns into suspicion when police start asking her questions.
This Season on Somebody
- Apr. 6, 2020
Chicago mom Shapearl Wells investigates her son Courtney’s murder on her own, teaming up with journalists to challenge the police’s story of what happened. A co-production of Topic Studios, The Intercept, the Invisible Institute, and iHeartRadio, in association with Tenderfoot TV. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Nurse
- Apr. 7, 2020
Police promise Shapearl they’ll do everything they can to solve Courtney’s case, but the detectives won’t release the names of officers who interacted with her son. With nowhere left to turn, Shapearl begins her own investigation and has a serendipitous run-in with the nurse who treated Courtney the night he died. A co-production of Topic […]
The Police
- Apr. 14, 2020
Shapearl enters a legal battle with the City of Chicago, to get them to release videos from the night Courtney died. She contacts a journalism organization called the Invisible Institute and teams up with them to investigate the case. With this added pressure, the city releases the videos, and Shapearl and her family gather to […]