Anatomy Of A Bad Confession

WBUR's 2011 investigative series on the 2008 interrogation of a teenager by Worcester police.

A screenshot of video footage attained by WBUR shows Worcester Police Sgt. Kevin Pageau, right, and Detective John Doherty as they interrogate Nga Truong, then 16, after the 2008 death of her baby boy.

Woman In Tossed-Out Confession Gets $2.1M Settlement From Worcester

Nga Truong was 16 years old at the time of her arrest and spent nearly three years in jail, before prosecutors dropped the charges.

All Things Considered

04:58Jun 30, 2016

Worcester Police Sgt. Kevin Pageau, right, and Detective John Doherty, left, interrogate Nga Truong, 16, following the 2008 death of her baby boy. (WBUR screenshot)

Worcester Says Nga Truong's Lawyer To Blame For Time She Spent Behind Bars

The city says her lawyer took too long to prove her confession that she killed her son was coerced, a charge other lawyers say is unprecedented.

Local Coverage

05:07Aug 23, 2013

Worcester Responds To Nga Truong Lawsuit With 'Unusual' Argument

Nga Truong filed a suit against the city after spending three years in prison awaiting trial on charges brought on the basis of a confession a judge later said was...

Local Coverage

03:33Feb 28, 2013

Worcester Police Sgt. Kevin Pageau, right, and Det. John Doherty interrogate Nga Truong, 16, following the 2008 death of her baby boy. (WBUR screenshot)

Lawsuit Filed In Thrown-Out Worcester Confession

Nga Truong, 21, is suing the city of Worcester after she spent almost three years in jail before being freed on a charge of murdering her toddler son.

Local Coverage

06:05Dec 4, 2012

Questions Remain In Coerced Worcester Confession

We follow-up on a coerced confession involving a 16-year-old girl charged with murdering her 13-month-old son. The Worcester Police Department has still not made an accounting.

Local Coverage

06:46Feb 16, 2012

Nga Truong, with lawyers Jeff Richards, left, and Ed Ryan, on Monday. Ryan has called Truong's 2008 interrogation by Worcester police "psychological torture." (Lisa Tobin/WBUR)

Anatomy Of A Bad Confession, Part 2

We continue our special report on a coerced murder confession by exploring how the case fell apart and what, if anything, has changed in the Worcester Police Department. We also...

Local Coverage

12:57Dec 8, 2011

Anatomy Of A Bad Confession, Part 1

In 2008, two Worcester detectives spent two hours interrogating a 16-year-old girl whose baby son had just died, until they forced from her what was later judged a coerced confession...

Local Coverage

13:15Dec 7, 2011

Videos: Anatomy Of A Bad Confession

See exclusive interrogation videos from our special report. And watch as WBUR's David Boeri reflects on the case.

Local Coverage

Dec 7, 2011