A woman is brutally attacked and murdered in her Ohio home in 1998. The only witness? Her 6-year-old granddaughter, whose eye-witness account helps to convict her “Uncle Clarence.” But Clarence’s wife is certain he didn’t commit the crime, and she makes it her mission to prove it.

Join co-hosts Julie and Charity in the Escape Pod this week, where a wife’s amateur sleuth skills help an innocent man escape a life sentence.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 :35 Escaping bad backs, bladders, and bedtime habits.

• Topic #2 9:19 Escaping prison – but not in the way you think!

• Topic #3 24:47 The mind playing tricks with memories.

• Topic #4 30:19 Our OneHeart “Woohoo of the Week!”

Resources & Links

• https://video.hipstr.tv/feature/conviction-true-story-clarence-elkins

• https://innocenceproject.org/cases/clarence-elkins/#:~:text=On%20December%2015%2C%202005%2C%20a,crime%20he%20did%20not%20commit

• https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/politics/2015/06/02/wrongfully-convicted-man-challenges-ohio/23718232007/

• https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3202#:~:text=Early%20on%20the%20morning%20of,raped%20and%20left%20for%20dead

• https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3202

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Good kid, model student, high achiever – just a few of the descriptors bestowed on Sidney Powell during her high school years in Ohio. But college proved much more challenging, and some theorize that – rather than face her academic failures – Sidney turned on one of the people who loved her most. Is she a stone-cold murderer, or a young woman who suffered a mental break? On this episode of the Escape Pod, the co-hosts dive into a deep discussion about the desire to be perfect, and how that very mindset can be perfectly dangerous.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 2:00 Trying to escape our own negative thoughts

• Topic #2 14:46 Introduction to Sidney Powell

• Topic #3 26:45 A blood-curdling phone call

• Topic #4 32:28 A father speaks out

• Topic #5 42:45 Escapism, co-host-style!

Resources & Links

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff3spm-V-8Q Law & Crime Network “Killer Daughter Beat, Stabbed Mom to Death to Cover Up College Failures”

• https://lawandcrime.com/crime/woman-who-beat-her-mom-with-skillet-stabbed-her-in-neck-nearly-30-times-to-conceal-suspension-from-college-is-sentenced-for-murder/

• https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/2023/10/19/sydney-powell-convicted-stabbing-death-mother-brenda-powell-akron-ohio-insanity-plea/71238220007/

• https://people.com/sydney-powell-ohio-college-student-killed-mom-7972815

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goreXfyTaqY Crime Salad “The Murder of Brenda Powell”

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Hop in for a Halloween-inspired edition of the Escape Pod! This week, we turn up the volume on unexplained (and very eerie) encounters with people or things seemingly from “the beyond.” A deep-breathing, bodiless man? A spirit hell-bent on having clean hands? A ghost cat? Who knows?! But if you’re up for a (mostly) mild scare with a good dose of traumedy, then this episode is for you!

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 1:13 Co-host goes on ghost tour.

• Topic #2 13:27 Meditating ghost gets caught on tape.

• Topic #3 17:36 Strange encounter following fatal crash has lasting impact.

• Topic #4 34:27 Child gets the last laugh.

• Topic #5 39:50 Ghost cat haunts a coffee shop? Maybe!

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Open the “Can’t Make It Up” file, please! The Escape Pod takes a turn toward the lighthearted this week, as special guest (and Charity’s husband) Lt. Tim returns to the pod to share tales of true crime that will “crack” you up – in more ways than one!

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 2:27 Escaping the responsibilities of parenthood and computer pop-ups.

• Topic #2 9:52 Man tries to pull himself up by the beltloops.

• Topic #3 26:14 Water “rescues”? Not exactly.

• Topic #4 36:47 Meet the Parents: Police Edition.

• Topic #5 51:35 Common misconceptions about law enforcement’s use of force.

• Topic #6 1:02:27 Foot pursuit ends with a fall, then another fall, and another ...

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One definition of historical trauma is “the cumulative and collective psychological and emotional injury that a group of people experiences over generations.” But it’s more than just a trendy phrase used to explain away some of the world’s biggest problems; science has shown it impacts descendants’ DNA, and in the case of Indigenous peoples in the United States, there are many hard truths behind the historical trauma they experience.

The co-hosts welcome a very special guest (by phone) into The Escape Pod this week. Jim Warne is a former professional football player, academic, filmmaker and Lakota “elder-in-training.” He also happens to be the son of one of the cohosts’ all-time favorite people: the late Bev Warne. Jim shares stories and wisdom from his mom, who rose above the heartache and hardships she and many Lakota faced – and continue to face – to become a respected elder, educator, nurse, and escape artist in her own right who spent her life helping, healing, and advocating for her people and the culture they nearly lost.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 6:47 An introduction and explanation of historical trauma

• Topic #2 19:09 Bev’s story

• Topic #3 33:02 Lessons American students typically don’t learn

• Topic #4 50:55 Raising awareness through modern media

• Topic #5 1:05:34 Jim’s interesting journey through the ‘90s

Resources & Links

• https://www.gen7films.com

• https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/elections/right-to-vote/voting-rights-for-native-americans/

• https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/native-americans-and-freedom-religion/

• https://www.archives.gov/research/native-americans/bia/termination

• https://nativenewsonline.net/health/cdc-native-americans-see-highest-increase-of-suicide-deaths

• https://americanaddictioncenters.org/addiction-statistics/native-americans

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25985068/

• https://www.se.edu/native-american/wp-content/uploads/sites/49/2019/09/A-NAS-2017-Proceedings-Smith.pdf

• https://www.britannica.com/event/Wounded-Knee-Massacre

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The county’s top prosecutor returns to the Escape Pod this week with true tales from the courtroom that rival anything you’d see on a TV drama! Plus, the co-hosts ask for insight on a case out of Wisconsin, where a woman is behind bars for killing the man she said trafficked her for years.

WARNING: This episode includes content involving physical and sexual violence.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 4:48 Woman fighting traffic violation gets feisty with the judge.

• Topic #2 10:22 Courtroom couture? Not exactly.

• Topic #3 22:18 WI: Trafficking survivor kills her alleged abuser.

• Topic #4 41:44 Co-host is left truly speechless.

Resources & Links

• https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y87kpg8rpo

• https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/chrystul-kizer-sentenced-11-years-prison-killing-man-said-sexually-tra-rcna167226

• https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2024/08/19/woman-charged-with-killing-her-suspected-sex-trafficker-receives-11-years-in-prison/74861586007/

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A California couple begins a whirlwind romance in 2014. When it ends, the woman sends a bizarre and threatening email to her ex. After he moves on and marries another woman a short time later, his new wife starts receiving threatening messages in her inbox as well. But the bad behavior doesn’t stop with threats. At one point, the wife reports being attacked in her own home, and law enforcement believes she’s the victim of a “rape fantasy” ad posted online.

We take the Escape Pod off-road this week for a tale of true crime that has truly “crazy exes” and more sharp turns than the co-hosts can count!

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 0:41 Escaping high stress, bad intentions, and teen lingo

• Topic #2 10:03 California, 2014: Michelle and Ian begin a whirlwind romance

• Topic #3 19:15 Suspect's lawyer and family begin their own investigation

• Topic #4 25:52 Fast-forward 6 years for update on Ian

• Topic #5 36:20 Escapism, co-host-style!

Resources & Links

• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4257684/Michelle-Hadley-speaks-framed-jailed.html 2/24/2017

• https://www.nbcnews.com/dateline/diabolical-scheme-woman-jailed-craigslist-rape-fantasy-plot-against-ex-n724881 2/24/2017

• https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pocharaponneammanee/ian-angela-diaz-guilty-frame-sexual-assault 3/26/2023

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michelle-hadley-da-says-rape-fantasy-attack-was-hoax-woman-arrested-was-framed/ 01/10/2017

• https://ktla.com/news/local-news/ontario-woman-jailed-for-posing-as-exs-wife-to-post-rape-fantasy-ads-online-was-framed-orange-county-da/ 01/10/2017

• https://news.yahoo.com/woman-framed-rape-fantasy-plot-120041983.html 03/27/2023

• https://www.courthousenews.com/anaheim-settles-lawsuit-by-woman-framed-in-rape-fantasy-case/ 03/30/2021

• https://ktla.com/news/local-news/woman-sentenced-to-5-years-after-framing-husbands-ex-fiancee-for-stalking-attempted-rape-in-o-c/ 10/17/2017

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ian-diaz-michelle-hadley-former-us-marshal-convicted-in-twisted-rape-fantasy-plot/ 03/24/2023

• https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-deputy-us-marshal-sentenced-cyberstalking-perjury-and-obstruction 06/30/2023

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A 13-year-old is abducted in Texas and driven hundreds of miles from home; a 17-year-old is kidnapped in Florida and abused for 26 hours; a 15-year-old is taken in South Carolina by a man later identified as a serial killer. Rarely do such horrific crimes result in even a smidge of a happy ending, but these actually do! In fact, all three cases and others included in this episode put the spotlight directly on amazing young escape artists who kept their cool, outsmarted their captors, and survived to see justice served.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode includes content involving crimes against children and teens.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 3:04 Escaping school threats and house guests in unexpected places

• Topic #2 19:12 Texas, 2023: 13yo abducted, driven to California

• Topic #3 23:53 Florida, 1984: 17yo snatched while bicycling home from work

• Topic #4 35:59 S.C., 2006: 14yo departed school bus, vanished

• Topic #5 40:45 S.C., 2002: 15yo kidnapped from front yard of friend’s house

• Topic #6 46:30 Teenage co-host hangs with motorcycle gang

Resources & Links

• https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/news/kidnapping-victim-helps-orchestrate-her-own-rescue-by-holding-up-sign-saying-help-me Robin Raven. US Dept of Justice.

• December 1,2022. Melinda Beck. https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/lisa-mcvey-interview

• September 9, 2023. Miss Spooks. “Surviving Abduction: Lisa McVey” https://medium.com/@lisariggio1994/surviving-abduction-lisa-mcvey-4800242c08ba

• March 26, 2020. C.M. Frankie. https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/elizabeth-shoaf-kidnapping-assault-in-bunker

• February 2023. Christine Pelisek. https://people.com/crime/kara-robinson-lifetime-movie-girl-who-escaped/

• https://www.oxygen.com/escaping-captivity-the-kara-robinson-story/crime-news/kara-robinsons-story-who-were-richard

• July 13, 2011. ABD News. https://abcnews.go.com/2020/jeannette-tamayo-escape-kidnapper/story?id=14062737

• If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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