Betrayal - Introducing: The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer

Episode Date: July 19, 2025

What does it mean to be a victim, or a villain? What happens when the line between the two starts to blur? On 7th July 2010, Kelly Harnett says her abusive boyfriend murdered a man right in front of her.  So how did she end up in prison for it? Anna Sinfield - the journalist behind the global number 1 podcast, The Girlfriends, returns with her toughest story yet. This series isn’t a whodunnit. It’s not even really about what happened. It’s about how a woman who was a victim of domestic violence became a villain in the eyes of the law. Found guilty of murder and locked up for over a decade; Kelly Harnett taught herself the law. And as she battled to overturn her conviction, she became a beacon of hope, fighting for the freedom of the abused women locked up alongside her. Listen here and subscribe to The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I got to the station, they asked me what I knew about the murder in the park. And do you mind telling me how your shoelace got around the victim's neck? This is Kelly Harnett. 15 years ago, she was arrested for murder. A murder she says she didn't commit. I'm 100% innocent. Kelly says it was her violent ex-boyfriend who committed the murder. I saw him put the shoelace around the man's neck.

So now I realize he really is gonna kill this man. And that she is just another victim. It was like Kelly was his possession. I think she was afraid to walk away from him. I'm scared to death. The police don't believe Kelly, so she goes to trial. All of us were like, are you gonna go home? But unfortunately, that's not what happened.

She says she had been found guilty. But like how? How is that possible? That's what I'm hoping to find out. I'm Anna Sinfield and this is The Girlfriend's Jailhouse Lawyer. This show isn't about who done it. It's not even really about what happened. Whether you think I'm guilty or not, it has no meaning.

It's about how it happened. About how a woman who was a victim of the most horrific domestic abuse became a villain in the eyes of the law and served 12 years in prison. As the journalist and producer behind The Girlfriends, I've interviewed so many women throughout my career. But Kelly Harnett is the most complicated one I've ever met. All of your stories seem kind of shocking, and they're almost sometimes like...

Hard to believe. It's hard to believe that. Yes. There's been a lot of insane stories. I agree. Kelly's story is lot of insane stories. I agree. Kelly's story is the toughest I've ever reported. It's going to challenge your understanding of what it means to be a victim. You have to think of the domestic violence aspect and not the truth-finding aspect. I'm

trying to figure out how the hell am I going to get out of this one? Will I live to see the next minute? Who's the victim? I think to get out of this one? Will I live to see the next minute? Who's the victim? I think everybody's the victim. Yeah. Like, they're all the victim. This story will even challenge your understanding of justice itself. This is the justice system?

In God we trust. No, you know, there is no God there. What do you want, my blood? That's what everyone would have preferred. A dead girl in the park. But don't worry, girlfriends, because along the way, I'm going to introduce you to an incredible cast of women. Our sisterhood, we called ourselves the Shoties.

You're shortodis! Women who've been through hell and back again. I said, were you a victim of domestic violence? And she was like, yeah. My father was drunk and tried to kill me. I ended up killing him. He came up behind me and put me in the, oh, man, it was an awful chokehold.

Next thing I know, I was being arrested for murder in the first degree. Women who have somehow managed to find strength in each other. As terrible as an experience is in order to survive it, we're going to find lightness and everything. And in the center of all of this is Kelly Harnett. In her many complicated multitudes, a woman who went to prison on a murder conviction. I said, what do you want me to do? I was found guilty. She goes, oh, guilty shmilty. Who ended up finding that the law would be the greatest love of her life.

I said, how many people have gotten other incarcerated individuals out of here? He goes, like, you mean other inmates? Nobody's ever done that. I said, I'm gonna be the first one to do that. Yes, I will. Kelly fought back not just for her own freedom, but for her girlfriends too.

She said, Kelly, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be walking out of these doors. I know they say you're supposed to have your faith in God, but I had nothing but faith in her. I think I have a mission from God. I think I was put here to save souls by getting people out of prison. You're a very unique person, Kelly. Thank you. I take that as a compliment.

It's a compliment. It is a compliment, for sure. The Girlfriends, Jailhouse Lawyer, with me, Anna Sinfield. Listen on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I just hope listeners can open up their hearts and give me the chance because I've faced too much injustice already. Please, please just be fair with me.