The Girlfriends: Spotlight

Sharing your story, whether that’s on social media or through the news can be pretty daunting. But putting a spotlight on your community is essential to drawing attention to the causes you care about. So in this episode, Khadijah speaks to journalist Tamara Cherry about how trauma informed reporting can give survivors and advocates the opportunity to tell their stories in an ethical way.   US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emmet Till’s murder sparked a 70 year movement, in this episode Khadijah speaks to a woman whose family has been fighting to preserve his legacy about what it takes to launch a movement and how you can mobilise your community to enact change.    US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roger Golubski’s story exposed decades worth of corruption at the heart of Kansas City Kansas, a systemic failure to hold perpetrators to account. In this episode, we explore how Wyandotte County’s current District Attorney is working to weed out corruption and enact change.   US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are your rights if you’re stopped by a police officer? What evidence would you need to build a case if you were a victim of police misconduct? In this episode Nikki dives into the laws and protocols surrounding police conduct to share tips for how to navigate distressing situations with law enforcement.   US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    To learn more about the National Police Accountability project, visit: https://www.nlg-npap.org/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Quindaro was once home to a stop on the Underground Railroad. In this episode, Nikki traces the long, rich, revolutionary history of Kansas City Kansas through the lens of a freedman who escaped slavery to make Quindaro home.   US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve explored how people fight for justice, but how are the women whose lives were affected by Roger Golubski healing the aftermath of their trauma? In this episode, Khadijah and Nikki discuss the power of sisterhood and how community based programmes can support women on their path to recovery.   US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Nikki and Khadijah start to pick up the pieces, they discover the story is darker than they could have ever imagined. The shocking news takes them back to the very beginning, where they uncover a vital missing piece in the puzzle.   US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/  The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s December 2nd 2024. After flying under the radar for decades, Detective Roger Golubski has finally been arrested. So the girlfriends drive over to the courthouse for the first day of a trial that will shake them to the core.    US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Trena Cooper was a child, she had a dream that her mom had been killed by a police officer. 20 years later, she sets out on a mission to get to the bottom of her mothers murder investigation as whispers surrounding that Detective build to a chorus of protests.   US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Stacey Quinn’s life goes into a downward spiral, her sister Niko watches on, desperate to save Stacey before it’s too late. But the walls are closing in on her, and it will take a whole sisterhood of women to get to the bottom of what’s really going on in Kansas City. US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Niko, Khadijah and Nikki finally come together, they instantly form a sisterhood. Niko tells her girlfriends the story of her older sister, Stacey. A woman whose life was turned upside down when she met Roger Golubski at 15 years old.  US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 23 years behind bars, Lamonte McIntyre is finally stepping back into court to try and prove his innocence. When Khadijah Hardaway joins his desperate fight for justice, she helps uncover a chilling pattern of corruption as one man’s fight to be exonerated sparks a movement to expose the decades of abuse the women of Kansas City have faced at the hands of Roger Golubski.  US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When tragedy strikes on a quiet spring morning, Niko Quinn’s tight knit community is torn apart. But that moment is just the start of an investigation that will uncover deep corruption, decades of abuse and a dark scandal at the heart of her hometown, Kansas City Kansas.  US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Niko Quinn grieves the loss of her favorite cousin and Lamonte McIntyre stands trial for a murder he says he didn’t commit, buried secrets about the lead detective in the case begin to  surface.  US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Niko Quinn saw her favourite cousin murdered in broad daylight, her life turned upside down. She went looking for justice, but instead uncovered a dark scandal at the heart of her community: A police detective had spent decades targeting, threatening and sexually abusing black women across Kansas City Kansas.   Detective Roger Golubski used the power of his badge to launch a reign of terror. He acted as if he was above the law, until Niko, and an incredible group of women, came together to take him down.   The Girlfriends: Untouchable tells the story of a courageous sisterhood who exposed the dark underworld of a corrupt police officer, and brought their city’s horrifying truths to light. Because when the women of Kansas City Kansas realised the police weren’t coming to save them from their abuser, they stepped up to save themselves.   US resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://rainn.org/    International resources for Violence and Sexual Assault: https://nomoredirectory.org/    US Suicide & Crisis Helpline: https://988lifeline.org/   International Suicide & Crisis Helplines: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/    The Girlfriends: Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Untouchable completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fourth and final bonus episode of Season 3 and our first ever LIVE episode of The Girlfriends! Recorded in front of a live audience from Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire, UK, Anna is joined by author Kate Summerscale to discuss her book, “The Peepshow” and the wider impact of the True Crime genre.    If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show please reach out to NO MORE at https://www.nomore.org a domestic violence charity we’ve partnered with.    The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.  You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anna sits down with author, lawyer and activist; Leigh Goodmark, to discuss the problems of prisons. Especially when it comes to imperfect victims, like Kelly.  And Anna asks - is prison abolition really the answer?    If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show please reach out to NO MORE at https://www.nomore.org a domestic violence charity we’ve partnered with.    The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/. You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anna deep dives into the story of Tina, who you first met back in Episode 7.  Unlike Kelly, Tina fully admits that she committed a terrible crime. But is prison the right place for her?  And does she deserve to be forgiven?    If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show please reach out to NO MORE at https://www.nomore.org a domestic violence charity we’ve partnered with.    The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.  You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bruna DiBiase is the judge who presided over Kelly’s resentencing. But long before Kelly walked into her courtroom, Judge Bruna’s life had already been touched by tragedy.  In the first of four bonus episodes, Anna sits down with Bruna and her daughter Lisa- to discover how this mother and daughter found their way back to each other, from opposite sides of the law.    If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show please reach out to NO MORE at https://www.nomore.org a domestic violence charity we’ve partnered with.    The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.  You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Struggling to adjust to life outside of prison, Kelly tries to start fresh.   And Anna discovers that while her story is nearly over, for Kelly… it’s only just the beginning.    If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show please reach out to NO MORE at https://www.nomore.org a domestic violence charity we’ve partnered with.    The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Years into her incarceration, with a decade left to serve… a new law might finally give Kelly, and some of her inmate clients, a chance at freedom. But for some, it might have come too late.    If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show please reach out to NO MORE at https://www.nomore.org a domestic violence charity we’ve partnered with.    The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reeling from the jury’s verdict, Kelly searches for the strength to keep fighting in a new maximum security prison.    If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show please reach out to NO MORE at https://www.nomore.org a domestic violence charity we’ve partnered with.    The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kelly’s case finally goes to trial and the prosecution throws everything they have at her. How can she convince a jury that, not only is she not guilty but that she’s a victim too? If you’re affected by any of the themes in this show please reach out to NO MORE at https://www.nomore.org a domestic violence charity we’ve partnered with.    The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.    You can listen to new episodes of The Girlfriends: Jailhouse Lawyer completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.