The Escape Pod

When Misogyny Leads to Mass Murder – Ep. 44

Ten years before the word “Columbine” became synonymous with school shootings in America, a young man in Canada carried out a massacre at a college in Montreal. His motive? An extreme hatred for women, whom he thought were “stealing men’s jobs.” This tale of true crime happened in 1989, but the perpetrator’s attitude toward the female sex – unfortunately – is alive and well in some male circles today. This trip into The Escape Pod is the first in a two-part series on extreme misogyny and a little-known but highly dangerous online community of women-hating men, known as “InCels.” 
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains violence and other content listeners might find extremely disturbing. 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1     2:51 When misogyny reaches a whole new level. 
Topic #2    8:38 The perpetrator’s background.  
Topic #3  17:24 The day of the massacre. 
Topic #5  32:00 Escapism, co-host-style! 
 
Resources & Links 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/04/mass-shooting-1989-montreal-14-women-killed 
https://theconversation.com/the-montreal-massacre-is-finally-recognized-as-an-anti-feminist-attack-128450 
12/07/2019. James Morgan. https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/40106/20191207/three-decades-since-the-cole-polytechnique-mass-shooting-in-montr-al 
https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Marc_L%C3%A9pine   
By unknown - http://www.philo5.com/Textes-references/LepineMarc_TexteIntegralDeSaLettre_891206.htm, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16837530 
 
 
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True Crime, Thanksgiving-style! – Ep. 43

We are feasting on family dysfunction in The Escape Pod this week, as true crime takes on a holiday twist. (Special thanks to Reddit for giving generously content-wise, coming through BIG for the co-hosts when one asked the other, “Do you think you could find some good stories about holiday dinners gone wrong?” Indeed, she did!) 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1      :52 Escaping arthritis, a wonky earlobe, and a wrong-way driver. 
Topic #2  19:29 Intro to true crime, Thanksgiving-style!  
Topic #3  33:04 Hostess requests reimbursement. 
Topic #4  47:53 Holiday-inspired headlines! 
Topic #5  58:35 Escaping the real world for rock concerts. 
 
Resources & Links 
https://aezoutbailbonds.com/10-of-the-wildest-thanksgiving-day-crimes-that-ever-took-place/ 
Ross Yoder. 11/23/23. https://www.buzzfeed.com/rossyoder/thanksgiving-horror-stories 
https://www.ranker.com/list/people-recall-awkward-thanksgiving_dinners/samantha-dillinger 
 
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Not Today, Predators! – Ep. 42

A female runner stops for a bathroom break and gets attacked from behind. Little did the predator know that he did not choose easy prey. Kelly Herron said, “Not today, mother f@#!er!” and she meant it, fighting back successfully in that moment and then starting a whole movement around her now-famous line. Join the co-hosts in The Escape Pod this week for an episode featuring true crime, a truly incredible escape artist, and tips from self-defense experts who want to give you a fighting chance, too. 
 
Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 
Topic #1      :49 Co-host escapes a stinky situation. 
Topic #2    8:57 Intro to Kelly’s story of escape. 
Topic #3  23:31 Tips Kelly learned in self-defense class that saved her. 
Topic #4  40:26 Advocate for following one’s intuition offers tactics to stay safe. 
Topic #5  51:41 Escapism, co-host-style! 
 
Resources & Links 
https://www.girlswhofight.co/post/the-survival-signals-that-indicate-danger-the-gift-of-fear-by-gavin-de-becker 
Jan 6, 2020. Caitlyn Pilkington. https://www.womensrunning.com/culture/assault-survivor-kelly-herron-story/ 
April 14, 2019. Maggie Ryan. https://hellogiggles.com/self-defense-moves-escape-attacker/  
https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/kelly-herron-sexual-assault-story-45966885 
https://www.crime-safety-security.com/Self-Defense.html 
https://www.girlswhofight.co/post/ten-self-defense-strategies-women-need-to-know To sign up for Girls Who Fight Back Newsletter 
 
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Escaping Prison (for Good Reason!) – Ep. 41

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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High Achiever Hits Breaking Point – Ep. 40

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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Escaping Eerie Encounters – Ep. 39

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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Easy Cases to ‘Crack’ – Ep. 38

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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The Hard Truths Behind Historical Trauma – Ep. 37

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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