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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Toddlers have tantrums. Children talk back. Teens push boundaries. It’s all part of “growing up,” but more serious acts of aggression committed by kids can be signs of much bigger problems.

Your Escape Pod co-hosts explore the topic this week and share true tales of times they encountered not-so-sweet children and – spoiler alert! - weren’t so sweet themselves. (Eight-year-old co-host drawing blood on the playground? Yep. That happened.) Thankfully, some people escape these especially bad behaviors and grow into awesome adults, so there IS hope – we promise!

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 3:33 Opening the “$%^t my mom did” file

• Topic #2 14:42 Co-host explains her aversion to kids “rough housing”

• Topic #3 23:53 Escapism, co-host-style!

Resources & Links

• https://teenlife.ngo/kids-fighting-at-school-connection/#:~:text=Why%20do%20kids%20fight%3F,significant%20roles%20in%20instigating%20conflicts

• https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/DASHfactsheetViolence.pdf

• https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Understanding-Violent-Behavior-In-Children-and-Adolescents-055.aspx

• https://chadd.org/attention-article/children-and-violent-behavior-where-it-comes-from-and-what-to-do/

• https://www.westlionsroar.com/opinions/2023/12/22/causes-of-fights-in-high-schools/#:~:text=Some%20common%20reasons%20for%20fights,to%20learn%20from%20one%20another

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A 17-year-old boy in Louisiana calls dispatch saying he shot his father. As investigators begin to work the case, they note the teen, Anthony Templet, seems confused about his arrest and oddly calm during questioning. He says he’s endured abuse at the hands of his father, but there’s no record of any abuse in the home, and law enforcement officials doubt his story. But several people come to Anthony’s defense, and as details of his unusual upbringing emerge, so too does the question: Was he justified in his actions, or is he just another teen killer?

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains content involving domestic abuse against women and children.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 0:48 Escaping from narcissists and scary school zones

• Topic #2 8:05 June 2019: 17yo calls dispatch saying he shot his father

• Topic #3 19:24 Work supervisor starts searching for teen’s mom

• Topic #4 29:05 Clinical/forensic psychologist gets involved in criminal case

• Topic #5 38:21 Update on Anthony

Resources & Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wSyl1oNDfQ

https://www.wafb.com/2019/06/03/man-seriously-injured-early-morning-domestic-shooting/

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/courts/in-2019-killing-of-father-young-man-pleads-no-contest-and-is-sentenced-to-probation/article_a89331e4-7866-11eb-b274-e3d4c7f08b5d.html

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/crime_police/baton-rouge-teen-accused-of-killing-father-now-faces-second-degree-murder-charge/article_dbec5bca-b958-11e9-8e0f-3368e699227d.html

Netflix docuseries: “I Just Killed My Dad”

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• https://www.escapepod.live

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Hop into The Escape Pod this week for an episode with just a little bit of trauma and a whole lot of laughs! An Escape Pod listener scolds one of our co-hosts for her recent handling of an odd-looking arachnid, which leads to more tales of escape from creepy crawlers and “bad juju” in general.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 0:43 Listener scolds Charity for killing a weird-looking spider

• Topic #2 7:31 Trauma on a hiking trail

• Topic #3 16:45 Trying to reason with an 8-legged home invader

• Topic #4 31:26 Escapism, co-host-style!

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• General mail: justbecause@escapepod.live

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Fight. Flight. Freeze. Fawn. In the 21st century, most of us know these as very real responses to trauma and fear, but sometimes the laws of the land don’t recognize them as such. In cases of sexual assault, for example, victims often freeze because their brain doesn’t allow them to fight back, even if they want to.

For years in the state of South Dakota, prosecuting such cases was a futile effort. But not anymore. On this episode of The Escape Pod, co-hosts Julie and Charity welcome in a special guest: Pennington County’s top prosecutor, who advocated for changing state law and – ultimately – changing how survivors who “freeze” are perceived.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussion of rape and other forms of sexual violence.

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 2:35 Escaping irresponsible drivers ... and crazy calendars

• Topic #2 15:55 Topic o’ the Day: “Freezing” as a recognized trauma response

• Topic #3 28:30 Other cases keeping Lara up at night

• Topic #4 37:51 Escapism, family-style!

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• General mail: justbecause@escapepod.live

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Ever respond to someone or something in a way that you recognized later as being completely irrational and over-the-top? Maybe your amygdala was hijacked! Yep – that pesky and primal part of the brain that makes us back away from a hot flame so we don’t get burned can also play a role in impulsive decisions and bad behaviors. Want to escape the effects of amygdala hijack, often referred to on the Escape Pod as “crisis brain”? Jump into this week’s episode to learn about the signs of a hijacking and helpful hints to come out of crisis mode!

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers:

• Topic #1 3:45 Escaping proper punctuation? No, thank you.

• Topic #2 18:50 "Crisis brain” explained

• Topic #3 39:28 10 signs someone in your life is in crisis brain mode

• Topic #4 38:16 Short-term strategies to escape the effects of crisis brain

• Topic #5 1:01:12 Long-term strategies

Resources & Links

• https://psychcentral.com/health/amygdala-hijack#the-amygdala

• https://www.simplypsychology.org/amygdala-hijack.html

• https://www.verywellmind.com/toxic-stress-signs-symptoms-effects-stress-relief-tips-6504391

• https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/29/crosswords/texting-punctuation-period.html

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