Episode Description
Identical twins Frederick and Cedric Young were caught in a wrongful-conviction controversy after a 1993 string of armed robberies, when Frederick was convicted largely on eyewitness identification and guns found in his car, despite alibis, claims of mistaken identity, and later testimony that Cedric was the real perpetrator.
The case, featured on Unsolved Mysteries, highlights serious flaws in eyewitness testimony and the difficulty of exoneration when crimes involve identical twins and no definitive DNA evidence.
Kayley Ramsey. (2024, August 27). After 27 years in prison, Frederick Young breaks free of the cycle. Smart Justice. https://smartjustice.org/incarceration/after-27-years-in-prison-frederick-young-breaks-out-of-the-cycle
2025 Archive | Most recent Court of Appeals Summaries | Iowa Judicial Branch. (n.d.). Copyright 2026 Iowa Judicial Branch. All Rights Reserved. https://www.iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/court-of-appeals/most-recent-coa-summaries/archive/2025
Which twin do you believe? The case of Frederick and Cedric Young. (n.d.). Criminal. https://vocal.media/criminal/which-twin-do-you-believe-the-case-of-frederick-and-cedric-young
FilmRise True Crime. (2017, March 9). Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina - Season 4, Episode 16 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O8Ljh5rS-I
This episode supports The Branch of Hope Foundation January 2025 sponsored charity:
The Honey & Barry Sherman Legacy Foundation - A charitable organization established in 2020 by their daughter Alex Krawczyk to honor the memory and continue the philanthropic vision of Barry Sherman, the founder of Apotex, and his wife Honey, following their tragic deaths in 2017.Its primary purpose is to support charitable organizations focused on healthcare equity, human rights, scientific education and research, and Jewish community institutions, thereby furthering the couple's unfinished philanthropic aims.
The foundation directs grants to initiatives that improve lives, advance medical care and accessibility (such as donations to hospitals and vision care programs), promote scientific discovery, and strengthen community organizations.
By building on the Shermans' long-standing commitment to giving it creates a lasting legacy of impactful philanthropy.
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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep