Meet Hunter Parnell

I created the Public Defenseless podcast to explain the criminal legal system from the outside. Today, I work inside it as a public defender.

I've witnessed firsthand how the criminal legal system treats people as cases to close quickly instead of as human beings with their own needs. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, I wanted to help fix the system but didn't know where to start. I knew I was not alone. People from every walk of life and every political background care about justice and fairness, but many never act because they don't know where to begin.

So I took the first step toward solving any problem: I tried to understand it. After more than a year of research and writing, I wanted to share what I'd learned, talk with the people inside the system and bring others along in my quest for reform. In December 2021, while serving as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, I launched Public Defenseless.

I'm a Colorado native and a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, where I was a member of the Wings of Blue, the Air Force's parachute demonstration team. In 2024, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice recognized my work on the show with its Journalistic Integrity Award. In May 2026, I earned my J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School and was admitted to the bar in September of the same year.

Public defenders help build safer, healthier communities, both in and out of the courtroom, and most people never see that work. I want every listener to come away knowing what public defense looks like, why it matters and how they can help shape its future. Join me: start with the newest episode, or dig into the archive.