Podcast Summary: Betrayal Season 5, Episode 6 – "Credibility | EP 6 | Saskia's Story"

Podcast: Betrayal by iHeartPodcasts and Glass Podcasts
Date: March 5, 2026
Host: Andrea Gunning

Overview

In this emotionally charged episode, "Credibility," the podcast drills into Saskia Inwood’s legal battle against her estranged husband, Mike Levengood, following the discovery that he had secretly recorded and distributed videos of her sexual assault. The story examines how the courts—and society—scrutinize survivors, exposing the destructive power of credibility attacks and “the myth of the perfect victim.” The episode articulates Saskia’s agonizing experience through the divorce trial where her character, sanity, and truth were all questioned, despite Mike’s criminal conviction.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. After the Criminal Case: The Divorce Becomes Another Battlefield

• Mike Levengood pleads guilty to second-degree rape, receives an 18-month sentence (03:00).
• Saskia is immediately served divorce papers, just four days after reporting the crime. Mike’s complaint alleges that Saskia herself was complicit, claiming they had been consensually camming together (05:57–07:17).
  • Quote – Saskia: “He was actually saying that I was complicit in all this and I knew about chatterbait and it's pages and pages of allegations that him and I were a team camming together.” (06:16)

2. Manipulation of Legal Systems

• Mike files for divorce on grounds of cruelty—blaming Saskia, positioning himself as victim and using the divorce as leverage to undermine her criminal testimony (07:25–08:11).
  • Quote – Saskia: “I think that he assumed that I would accept some kind of deal for alimony in exchange for not testifying. It would be easy to throw some cash my way and this would all go away.” (08:11)
• Saskia refuses, choosing justice over a settlement: "If the condition is that I don't testify, there's no way. I don't care. I'll be destitute. We're going to follow through with this." (08:34)

3. The Divorce Trial: Character Assassination

• Only 5% of divorces go to trial; this one does—despite criminal conviction (09:34–10:01).
• Mike, representing himself in an orange jumpsuit, insists on his innocence in the divorce trial, making it an arena to try to clear his name and gaslight Saskia (10:01–11:00):
  • Quote – Saskia: "It really felt like I was the one on trial.” (07:43)
• Strategy: Attack Saskia’s credibility by highlighting instances of depression, substance use, and mental health history (“She was very depressed. Was unable to get out for work…” – Mike, 11:40).
  • Quote – Saskia: "I felt like I was in the twilight Zone. The fact that the judges were even listening to these things was blowing my mind." (12:43)

4. Societal Scripts: The Perfect Victim Myth

• Interview with Professor Deborah Turkheimer (Northwestern Law), who deeply critiques the “perfect victim” myth in sexual assault cases (22:39–26:26). She explains how courts (and society) expect victims to be unimpeachable—never drinking, always fighting off the perpetrator, remembering every detail.
  • Quote – Deborah Turkheimer: "It's unfair to impose a set of rules that, for the most part, can't be followed and aren't followed." (24:26)
  • On societal tropes: “The regretful woman… the gold digger… the hysterical woman. It’s one of the oldest and most effective ways to discredit a victim.” (24:47–25:15)

5. Contesting Consent: The Use (and Misuse) of Evidence

• Mike and his attorney present over 200 photographs and videos to argue Saskia was a “willing participant” in their sex life and online activities—contradicting both criminal conviction and Saskia’s testimony (33:11–34:54).
  • Saskia acknowledges that some consensual images existed, but the vast majority she did not remember and did not consent to (34:28–34:59).
• Even with damning evidence, proving consent or lack thereof is fraught with cultural and judicial bias toward doubt (35:13–36:08).
  • Quote – Deborah Turkheimer: “There's an initial default to doubt that is sort of culturally ingrained in us.” (35:13)

6. Painfully Public Trauma

• A particularly disturbing photo leaves the host and Saskia reeling, with Saskia’s eyes open but clearly not present (37:16–37:52).
  • Quote – Andrea Gunning: “It's so hard to describe as anything other than horrific, like, yeah, she's not there.” (37:19)
  • Quote – Saskia: “The idea that images like this, where her eyes are open were being used to say that she was awake and consented to everything is so disturbing.” (37:52–37:58)
• The trial devolves into Saskia being forced to watch and answer for her own assault, further compounding the trauma (40:56–41:16).
  • Quote – Saskia: “It made me feel like a fool. It made me feel like less than a person.” (40:56)
  • Quote – Saskia: "It's heartbreaking to think that he put everybody through that just so that he could get away with humiliating me." (41:09)

7. Judgment, Vindication, and the Lingering Toll

• In the end, the judge credits Saskia’s testimony and discredits Mike’s, granting the divorce on grounds of cruelty and stating unequivocally that Saskia was victimized and Mike had lied (43:51–44:53).
  • Judge's Decision: “This court credits defendant's testimony and expressly discredits plaintiff's testimony… The plaintiff betrayed his spouse in the worst type of way. He then lied about it and continue to lie about it.” (43:51–44:48)
  • Final grounds for divorce: “This court can think of few actions that warrant a divorce on this ground, more so than the rape and sexual exploitation that occurred here.” (45:53–46:02)
• Saskia’s experience highlights that even legal vindication feels hollow and exhausting after years of being doubted and forced to defend oneself.
  • Quote – Saskia: “Of course, yes, she found that he was not credible and that I was credible, but it still didn't take away from what I had been through in this divorce and would have been taken away from me.” (45:02)
  • Quote – Deborah Turkheimer: “…along the way, that process can be enormously difficult, degrading, even traumatic.” (45:31)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "He was actually saying that I was complicit in all this... pages and pages of allegations that him and I were a team camming together." – Saskia Inwood (06:16)
• "It really felt like I was the one on trial." – Saskia Inwood (07:43)
• "It was to his advantage to keep her in this drunken, drugged up, bad mental health state because the more vulnerable she became, the easier it became for him to take advantage of her." – Heather, Saskia’s friend (19:20)
• "It's unfair to impose a set of rules that, for the most part, can't be followed and aren't followed." – Deborah Turkheimer (24:26)
• "The plaintiff betrayed his spouse in the worst type of way. He then lied about it and continued to lie about it." – Divorce Judge, reading the final judgment (44:48)
• "It made me feel like a fool. It made me feel like less than a person." – Saskia Inwood (40:56)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:00 – Recap of Mike’s guilty plea and sentencing
• 05:57 – Saskia is served with divorce papers
• 07:43 – Saskia reflects on feeling like the trial’s real defendant
• 11:40–12:27 & 18:05–18:42 – Mike’s efforts to paint Saskia as unstable and unreliable
• 22:39–26:26 – Interview with Professor Deborah Turkheimer about “the perfect victim” myth
• 33:11–34:54 – Introduction of “200 photographs and videos” as putative evidence of consent
• 37:17–37:58 – Reaction to the disturbing photo which became key “evidence” in the trial
• 40:56–41:16 – Saskia's testimony about being re-traumatized in court
• 43:51–44:48 – Excerpt and summary of the judge’s ruling
• 45:31 – Deborah Turkheimer on how victory in court can still feel traumatic for survivors

Conclusion

"Credibility" peels back the layers of trauma that victims endure, not just through abuse, but in relentless battles for belief and justice in the aftermath. It exposes both the destructive impact of legal strategies that rely on blaming and discrediting survivors, as well as the larger cultural scripts that shape (and often stymie) justice for victims of sexual violence. Despite legal vindication, Saskia's account reveals the immense, lasting toll of having to prove victimhood against a barrage of doubt.

For resources on sexual violence, visit RAINN