Hands Tied

iHeartPodcasts•www.iheart.com

Lizz Melgar Rose went from being interested in true crime to living true crime. Back in 2012, relatives found her mother Sandy Melgar shut in a closet, her hands bound behind her back. Her dad Jim Melgar had been murdered. There was no time to finish the university course Lizz had signed up for, inspired by her teenage fascination with violence and serial killers. She needed to figure out what happened. If it weren't for her strange interest, she believes she’d have been lost. It enabled her to protect her family and herself and helped her try to fit the pieces of a seemingly unsolvable puzzle together. Award-winning journalist and host Maggie Robinson Katz will take you inside the police investigation that followed, inside the courtroom drama as a jury wrestles with who’s responsible for a truly shocking crime, and inside Lizz’s ongoing battle for answers and for justice. Because there is one thing Lizz is convinced of, the wrong person is in prison for her dad’s murder.Hands Tied is a new eight part true crime podcast from iHeartPodcasts and BBC Studios.

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Episodes

Episode 10 - Unanswered Questions

New insights from the lead detective, the task force tackling home invasion gangs and the role religion played in the trial... Host Maggie Robinson Katz and producer Maggie Latham share the revelations and the conversations that have stayed with them while making the show. Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Series producers: Maggie Robinson Katz and Maggie Latham Sound designer: Tom Brignell Production support from: Dan Marchini and Mabel Finnegan-Wright Managing Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina Ev...

Oct 08, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 10

Episode 9 - Amanda Knox

Exoneree Amanda Knox on prison life, Manic Pixie Dream Girls, and the similarities she sees between her case and Sandy Medgar’s. In the first of two special, bonus episodes, we also hear the latest developments in Sandy’s case from The Innocence Project of Texas’ Mike Ware. Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Series producers: Maggie Robinson Katz and Maggie Latham Sound designer: Tom Brignell Production support from: Dan Marchini Mabel Finnegan-Wright Managing Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina Evere...

Oct 01, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 9

Episode 8 - Hope?

It’s been thirteen years since the murder of Lizz's father and she no longer recognizes the person she has become. But she hasn't given up, and is still fighting for justice every single day. Her spirit, her father's and those of her ancestors give her the strength to keep going, because this story isn’t over. Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producers: Maggie Robinson Katz and Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill Music research by Aisha Antwi Sound designer: Tom Brignell Production suppor...

Sep 24, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 8

Episode 7 - Aftershock

The jury has reached a verdict in the murder trial of Sandra Jean Melgar, but it’s not over yet. Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producer: Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill Sound designer: Tom Brignell Production support from: Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-Wright Managing Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina Everett Executive Producer (BBC Studios): Joe Kent Hands Tied is a BBC Studios Audio production for iHeartPodcasts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Sep 17, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 7

Episode 6 - The Trial

A woman found tied up in a closet, her hands tied behind her back, the door jammed shut from the outside. Now, she’s on trial for stabbing her husband, without a motive. Nearly five years after Jim Melgar’s death, Sandy Melgar is in court, accused of his murder. Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producer: Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill Sound designer: Tom Brignell Production support from: Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-Wright Managing Executive Producer (iHeart): Cris...

Sep 10, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Episode 5 - Warrior Spirit

Lizz has entered what feels like a parallel universe. Her mom is no longer Sandy Melgar, or Nana, but The Defendant - accused of first-degree murder. As the wheels of justice slowly grind on, they prepare for trial. Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producer: Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill Sound designer: Tom Brignell Production support from Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-Wright Managing Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina Everett Executive Producer (BBC Studios): J...

Sep 03, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Episode 4 - Suspects and Suspicions

Lizz knows her best chance of convincing the cops her mum didn’t kill her dad is to find out who did. So she starts investigating. Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producer: Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill Sound designer: Tom Brignell Production support from Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-Wright Managing Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina Everett Executive Producer (BBC Studios): Joe Kent Hands Tied is a BBC Studios Audio production for iHeartPodcasts See omnystudi...

Aug 27, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Episode 3 - Homecoming

Sandy is back home, but her home is now a crime scene besieged by journalists. Friends rally around her, Lizz flies in to be with her and the police continue to suspect her. Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producer: Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill Sound designer: Tom Brignell Production support from Dan Marchini, Elaina Boateng and Mabel Finnegan-Wright Managing Executive Producer (iHeart): Cristina Everett Executive Producer (BBC Studios): Joe Kent Hands Tied is a BBC Studios Audio ...

Aug 20, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Episode 2 - The Interview

Sandy Melgar finds herself in a cramped interview room being questioned by cops, but is she there as a witness or a suspect? Just hours after her husband was found murdered and she was found shut in a cupboard, her arms tied behind her back, Santy agrees to a police interview. She tells detectives she’s not well and that she can’t remember what happened. They want her to take a lie detector test. Host: Maggie Robinson Katz Producer: Maggie Latham Script consultant: Emma Weatherill Sound designer...

Aug 13, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Episode 1 - The Call

This episode delves into the unimaginable tragedy that strikes Liz Melgar Rose's family just days before Christmas, as her father is murdered and her mother found tied up. It recounts Liz's immediate shock and frantic search for answers, then shifts to the horrifying discovery of the crime scene by her cousin, Marissa. The narrative explores Liz's deep family roots, the unique dynamic of her parents' relationship, and how her lifelong interest in true crime now uniquely positions her in her tireless pursuit of justice, convinced the wrong person is behind bars.

Aug 06, 2025•31 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Introducing: Hands Tied

Lizz Melgar Rose went from being interested in true crime to living true crime. Back in 2012, Lizz’s world cracked in two when relatives find her mother locked in a closet, her hands and feet bound, and her Dad, Jim – murdered just a few feet away. Lizz was meant to continue a university course inspired by her teenage fascination with violence and serial killers. But all that is put on hold as she tries to put the pieces together and figure out what happened to her parents – and who killed her D...

Jul 30, 2025•2 min

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