Josh Ritter

So asking for a full-fledged investigation I think is absolutely appropriate.

Josh Ritter is a Fox News contributor.

A former prosecutor, he is now a criminal defense attorney.

And it's an investigation into what actually happened, what went wrong.

crimes.Do you think in the end she'll have her sentence commuted?

I think what this is becoming is far more of a political question, and I believe probably the governor, if this were put in front of him again to grant some sort of clemency, he probably would just to avoid the, the optics of attempting to do this again after botching it the first time.

Josh Ritter is a Fox News contributor, former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.

Great to have you on the show.

Well, she's one too.

Josh Ritter is a real criminal defense attorney, and he knows that Hochul and James have to own this, and they're in trouble.

She owns this now.

Kathy Hochul and Letitia James own this now.

That's going to lay in their lap as well.

Can you imagine they do not realize for the small shortsighted political points that they were scoring now how this can be an absolute m- mess for them later on.

Carpe diem, Josh Ritter.

By the way, Fox News is celebrating today their 30th anniversary, and of course, they had to bring Hannity in, and all Hannity ever says is, "Oh, I was so bad back then." No, you're still bad.

Now, Governor Bill Lee has suspended all executions for the rest of the year to investigate what went wrong, while Pike's legal team demands her death sentence be commuted to life without parole.

So what happens now? And can the state legally try to execute her again? Joining me now is criminal defense attorney Josh Ritter.

Josh, thank you for being here, buddy.

How far would you go when someone threatens everyone you love? Who can you trust? From Academy Award winner Ben Affleck, Animals stars Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, and Steven Yeun.

I couldn't have shot this guy.

And then it's gonna come down to, well, is that home video legit? It's just a fascinating thing, and it's an interesting time to be a lawyer and an interesting time to be alive.

And it's an interesting time to talk to my friend Josh Ritter.

Josh, I tease you all the time, but there's a reason you're becoming such a big name.

Hello and welcome to The Sidebar, presented by True Crime News, taking you inside the courtrooms of high profile and notorious cases from across the country.

I'm your host, Joshua Ritter.

I'm a criminal defense lawyer based in Los Angeles and previously an L.A. County prosecutor for over a decade.

We are recording this on Thursday, October 1st, 2026.

Absolutely.

I'm your host, Josh Ritter.

You can find me on Instagram and Twitter at JoshuaRitterESQ.

And if you want to hear my thoughts and coverage on even more true crime cases, please check out my YouTube channel, Courtroom Confidential.

Welcome to courtroom confidential Idaho for after the plea.

I'm your host, Josh Ritter, criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor.

Throughout this special series, we've looked back at the 2022 deaths of four University of Idaho students, Madison Mogan, Kayla Gonsalves, Zena Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, and the case against Brian Koberger, one year after the plea deal that brought the possibility of a trial to an end.

For our final conversation, we are joined by Kaylee's parents, Steve and Christy Gonsalves.

Our thanks to Steve and Christy Gonsalves for sharing their perspective with us and for telling us about the work they're doing in Kaylee's name through Murder Has a Name.

If you haven't already, please go back and listen to the first two episodes in this series, our conversation with Idaho Statesman investigative reporter Kevin Fixler on what it was like covering the case from the very beginning, and Body Bags podcast host Joseph Scott Morgan, who takes us inside the investigation and what physical evidence can and cannot reveal about a violent crime.

Once again, I'm your host, Josh Ritter.

Please hit the like and subscribe buttons, and thank you for listening to Courtroom Confidential, Idaho 4, After the Plea.