Somebody (podcast)

Somebody is an American true crime podcast, hosted by Shapearl Wells, that investigates the shooting and death of her son, Courtney Copeland.[1] The series premiered on March 31, 2020 and is hosted by Copeland's mother Shapearl Wells, Alison Flowers, and Bill Healy.[2][3] The podcast was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2021.

Somebody
Presentation
Hosted by
GenreTrue crime
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesWeekly
LengthVariable (30-70 minutes)
Production
Opening theme"Everybody's Something"
Composed byChance the Rapper
Audio formatPodcast (via streaming or downloadable MP3)
No. of seasons1
Publication
Original releaseMarch 31, 2020 (2020-03-31)
Provider
Related
Websitesomebodypodcast.com

Background

On March 4, 2016, 22-year-old Courtney Copeland was shot in the back and drove himself to a police station on the West Side of Chicago.[4][5] Copeland exited his BMW convertible and collapsed.[5] He was taken by ambulance to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. His heart stopped while in the ambulance and he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.[5][6] After his death, police details, phone records, and witness statements did not match, so Copeland's mother, Shapearl Wells, began investigating his case, hoping to find the truth about her son's death.[2] In 2017, Wells met with Alison Flowers, a journalist who works at The Invisible Institute in Chicago. They decided to record and produce an investigative podcast with hopes of finding the truth.[7][8] Wells also founded the Copeland Memorial Foundation in Courtney's honor.[2] Copeland attended Jones College Prep High School, where he became friends with Chance the Rapper, who is interviewed in the series and whose song is used as the theme.[3][5][7]

Episodes
# Title Length (minutes:seconds) Original release date
1"Courtney"30:42March 31, 2020 (2020-03-31)
Shapearl Wells wakes up to the police at her door, who inform her that her son, Courtney Copeland, has been shot and is in the hospital. When Wells arrives at the hospital, she learns that Courtney has died. Wells begins to discuss the case with the police, but as they ask Wells questions she becomes suspicious of the police officers involved in Courtney's case.
2"The Nurse"32:37April 7, 2020 (2020-04-07)
At a cafe, Courtney's parents ran into the Emergency Room nurse who treated Courtney on the night of his death. The nurse reveals that Courtney was handcuffed when he arrived at the hospital, leading Shapearl to further question the police testimony.
3"The Police"70:26April 14, 2020 (2020-04-14)
The City of Chicago refuses to release video footage from the night Courtney died, leading Wells to contact The Invisible Institute, a journalism organization. Eventually, the police release the video footage, and Shapearl and her family watch the footage, which reveals that some of their prior suspicions may have been misguided.
4"The Secret Girlfriend"47:24April 21, 2020 (2020-04-21)
At the time of his death, Courtney was secretly dating a woman from his work, Alma. He was on his way to her house when he was shot. Shapearl, Alison, and Billy interview Alma about the night of his death, and she reveals that she heard gunshots on that night.
5"The Two-Year Anniversary"29:03April 28, 2020 (2020-04-28)
Shapearl and Alison speak with Alma's neighbors who called the police to report gunshots on the night Courtney died. On the two-year anniversary of Courtney's death, Shapearl retraces Courtney's steps from the night he died, joined by friends and family, who meet outside of the police station for a vigil and protest. During the protest, Shapearl encounters the supervising police officer from the night Courtney died.
6"The Tipster"43:21May 5, 2020 (2020-05-05)
7"Shapearl"31:58May 12, 2020 (2020-05-12)

Awards
Award Date Category Recipient Result Ref.
Third Coast International Audio Festival 2020 Best Serialized Story Somebody Won [9]
Adweek Podcast Awards 2020 Podcast Host of the Year Shapearl Wells Won [10]
Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting 2020 Audio Reporting Somebody (Episodes 1-7) Finalist [11]

See also

References
  1. "INTRODUCING SOMEBODY EPISODE 1: COURTNEY". The Intercept. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  2. Jack, Fisher (March 30, 2020). "A Chicago Mother Investigates Murder of Her Son in New Podcast 'Somebody'". EurWeb. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  3. "BOSSIP Exclusive: Chicago Mother Investigates The Murder Of Her Son In 'Somebody' Podcast Audio". Bossip. March 27, 2020.
  4. Lamarre, Eddie (June 29, 2016). "Brent Wells adjusts to his new normal after the murder of his son". Rolling Out. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  5. Wang, Judy; Hall, Gaynor (March 4, 2016). "Man shot, drives to police station on West Side before he died". WGNTV. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  6. Kalven, Jamie (March 31, 2020). "Who Shot Courtney Copeland? Episode One". The Intercept. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  7. Luck (March 27, 2020). "CHICAGO MOTHER INVESTIGATES THE MURDER OF HER SON IN 'SOMEBODY' PODCAST". Power 103.5 Chicago. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  8. Flowers, Alison (March 20, 2020). "INTRODUCING SOMEBODY, AN INVESTIGATIVE PODCAST". The Intercept. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  9. "Somebody". www.thirdcoastfestival.org. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  10. Griner, David; Gamboa, Julian (October 26, 2020). "Adweek's Podcasts of the Year for 2020". Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  11. "Staffs of the Invisible Institute, Chicago; The Intercept and Topic Studios". pulitzer.org. Retrieved June 16, 2021.

See Also
  • Whence Came You
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