The Other Shoe | EP 2 | Season 3 - Burden of Guilt

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[00:00]
Cindy
This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.
[00:04]
Andrea Gunning
This is Andrea Gunning from Betrayal Weekly. This is a stunning story based on the hit true crime podcast Betrayal. He was a tall, handsome police officer, the man of her dreams. Caroline knew right away he was the man she would spend her life with. But then she got a text that changed everything. The man she loved was having affair after affair with so many different women in his cop car while on duty. I implore you to watch Betrayal Dirty Secrets now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.
[00:40]
Nancy Glass
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[00:41]
Andrea Gunning
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[00:46]
Nancy Glass
That's it.
[00:47]
Andrea Gunning
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[00:49]
Nancy Glass
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[01:15]
Andrea Gunning
Right now.
[01:16]
Nancy Glass
Get 10% off at Hero Co with code iheart. That's H E R O C O CO iheart. All figures per serving of hero bread. See nutrition facts on hero coffee. There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. Stand still. Not a chance. You're a lifelong learner who's come this far. Now we're here to help you keep going further. Capella University. What can't you do? Visit Capella Edu to learn more. In the months leading up to Cindy and Kenny's engagement, the topic of marriage was a sensitive subject.
[01:50]
Cindy
When Kenny first brought it up, I almost bit his head off. I'm like, hell, no. Never again. Never doing that.
[01:57]
Nancy Glass
After Cindy's marriage to Steve ended, she never imagined a second walk down the aisle. But Kenny wasn't like her first husband. He was the polar opposite.
[02:07]
Cindy
The more I thought about it, I was like, you know, maybe I'm just having this really negative view of marriage because of the person I was married to. And maybe I need to start rethinking that because I've already created this bias in my head, and that's not fair. That's not fair to him.
[02:24]
Nancy Glass
The closer Cindy and Kenny got, the more Cindy let her guard down.
[02:29]
Cindy
I started thinking more and more about it, and I'm kind of warming up to this idea of possibly getting married and to give it another try.
[02:36]
Nancy Glass
And that's what happened? After a year and a half of dating, Kenny proposed during a trip to Hawaii. And Cindy said yes.
[02:46]
Cindy
I was super excited that night. And so I did text my daughter. She's 13, and this is how we communicated. I said, hey, I got something important to tell you. And then this all blew up the next morning.
[02:59]
Nancy Glass
The next day, Cindy got a phone call from the agency in Colorado that investigates child abuse. They informed Cindy that they were looking into allegations that Kenny had abused one of Cindy's boys.
[03:14]
Cindy
I was shocked. I'm like, what are you talking about? What happened last week?
[03:19]
Nancy Glass
Cindy's questions didn't matter. On top of that, the agency wanted Cindy's kids to stay with her ex husband Steve.
[03:30]
Cindy
And she said, well, we're just going to allow the kids to stay with the dad. Are you going to fight me on this, or do I need to get a court order? And I was like, okay, this is weird.
[03:41]
Nancy Glass
While she and Kenny were in Hawaii, something had been happening back home. When she and Kenny walked off their plane in Colorado, they walked straight into a scorched earth war they never saw coming.
[03:56]
Cindy
I felt pretty confident. I was like, they're gonna see through this. They're gonna see the kind of person he is. Someone's gotta see this. And nobody did. It was one lie after the next lie after the next lie. It just got so out of control. And that's kind of how I knew. I was like, something is happening in the background here.
[04:23]
Nancy Glass
I'm nancy glass, and this is season three, a burden of guilt. Episode two the other shoe. During Cindy's marriage to Steve, they created a company called Wildcat Minerals. Wildcat was a successful player in the fracking business. When Cindy and Steve cashed out and sold their company, they retained an ownership interest in the new company, which they split evenly. That arrangement continued after Cindy and Steve's divorce. But it was after the divorce that Cindy learned some disturbing news.
[05:06]
Cindy
I accidentally found out about it by talking to another friend that there might be some fraud going on. And so we started our investigation and filed a lawsuit.
[05:19]
Nancy Glass
In April of 18, Cindy sued Steve and another former colleague for fraud. It made headlines in the Denver Gazette. Here's the journalist who covered that story, Chris Osher.
[05:32]
Kenny
They had a business in the mining industry, and Cindy felt that she had not been allowed to participate in a profitable arrangement that business had negotiated.
[05:45]
Nancy Glass
According to court transcripts, that profitable arrangement involved the sale of a piece of land. The price tag of that land, $275 million, which is a lot of money.
[06:00]
Kenny
And she was able to point out that she should be able to participate in the proceeds of that.
[06:08]
Nancy Glass
Cindy believes she was cut out of that deal. And according to Chris article, she thought she was owed some of the roughly $90 million in profits her ex husband netted from the sale. $90 million. So there was a lot on the line for both sides.
[06:26]
Cindy
I got the information about how much money was involved. This isn't just a little bit of money. This is a lot of money, and it could wipe out Steve. How do people react when they get caught doing stuff like that? This could get scary. Anytime there's a lot of money involved, People make really bad choices. It's really nerve wracking. And I didn't feel safe, even with my own friends, to share what was going on. I literally was scared to death.
[06:58]
Nancy Glass
Cindy says filing that lawsuit was a turning point. After that, strange things started happening.
[07:06]
Cindy
I just got this weird sense that somebody had been in the condo. There were things that were out of place, and I'm like, someone's been here. I was on high alert after that. So I had all the locks changed.
[07:21]
Nancy Glass
Cindy also felt like she was being followed and that Steve might be listening to her conversations.
[07:27]
Cindy
I felt like he was using my kids to get information because one of my kids blurted out that my daughter's phone was being used to record because he took away the phone I gave her and he decided to buy her his own. And then he wouldn't give me the parenting code to even look at it. So then I just said, hey, no more phones in mommy's house. Your phone stays with your dad.
[07:48]
Nancy Glass
Cindy became anxious, almost paranoid. And all that happened right around the time Kenny first asked her out.
[07:55]
Cindy
My life is turned upside down right now, and I got this super cute guy that I just adore, and I don't want to screw it up, but I have to be honest. I can't let him walk into my life and not be honest about what's really happening here.
[08:08]
Nancy Glass
So Cindy came clean and shared all the uncomfortable details of her messy divorce and the litigation she had against her ex husband. She expected Kenny to go running for the hills.
[08:20]
Cindy
I mean, that's a lot to let on somebody. I was surprised he even stuck around, to be honest with you.
[08:30]
Nancy Glass
The first time I met Kenny in person was last spring. We met at a waterfront cafe In Florida, some 2,000 miles away from their home in Steamboat Springs. And there's a reason we met there, but we'll get into that later. Kenny came in a little late. He looked really tense. His arms were folded across his chest. And I knew he didn't want to talk to me at first, but he had changed his mind.
[08:55]
Kenny
This is important to me. This is important to Cindy, and that's why we're here doing this podcast. This could happen to you, and it has happened to other people.
[09:03]
Nancy Glass
And there was a good reason why Kenny looked so uncomfortable. Since 2019, he'd been defending himself against one of the most serious crimes imaginable. According to Kenney, the crime he's been accused of never happened.
[09:20]
Kenny
You know how embarrassing this is for me. You know how hard it is to throw this out there to the world.
[09:28]
Nancy Glass
Today, Kenny Hemp is 53 years old. He's 6ft tall with short white hair, a color much like Cindy's. They met in steamboat in 2018.
[09:38]
Kenny
I don't know why I made the choice to come to Steamboat, but something was just telling me to go to steamboat since 2010. It worked out for me because I met Cindy, you know, the love of my life.
[09:50]
Nancy Glass
Moving to Steamboat checked off all of Kenny's boxes.
[09:54]
Kenny
It fit every single niche of what I liked. Small town, but not too small. You have high end restaurants here. Skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, fly fishing. You have a couple lakes around it. So it is the epitome of the sportsman's paradise with culture and class.
[10:13]
Nancy Glass
Kenny grew up in a small, working class town just outside of Spokane. It's where he got his love of the great outdoors and where he first started working in the hospitality industry.
[10:25]
Kenny
My family, we didn't have the money for college. I didn't have it, you know.
[10:29]
Nancy Glass
After he graduated from high school, he leaned into his outgoing personality and got a job waiting tables at the Olive Garden.
[10:37]
Kenny
My job was to give people joy, smiles, happiness. I think that's what I truly loved about the business.
[10:48]
Nancy Glass
Kenny quickly went from serving endless salad and breadsticks to management. He became a kind of traveling restaurant manager, opening and running different bars and restaurants around the country.
[11:00]
Kenny
I just get these calls, you know, all the time of, hey, we need you up here in Maryland. Hey, we need you up here in Washington, DC.
[11:07]
Nancy Glass
By 2018, Kenny ended up in Colorado. He took a job as the general manager of a restaurant. And that restaurant was on the ground floor of the building where Cindy lived.
[11:18]
Kenny
First time I met her, she was sitting at a table reserved for the owner. So I went over there to ask her to leave. The table, not the restaurant, the table. She goes, oh, I'm friends with the owner's wife. And lo and behold, I guess that she kept approaching the owners on asking about Me, who I am. Who's this guy?
[11:37]
Nancy Glass
At the time, Kenny had just gotten out of a relationship.
[11:41]
Kenny
I had no interest in dating, period. I was there to work, fish, establish myself, and make sure that I'm going to stay in this town. So I kind of had a blocker up in front of me of, I'm not interested in anybody, no matter who you are.
[11:57]
Nancy Glass
He got to know Cindy at the restaurant. At first, it was casual conversation, and as they got to know one another, there was chemistry and a lot of commonalities. Slowly, Kenny's wool came down. Months later, he finally asked Cindy out.
[12:15]
Kenny
And then we just started texting each other for about three weeks straight, kind of like two kids flirting with each other from a distance. That's kind of what it felt like. I'd send her pictures of me in my past, fishing and camping and, you know, doing the things that I love to do. And in return, she would send pictures of her past in her geologist days and her camping. And she would also send me a lot of pictures with her and the kids, knowing that she is a mother, she has a family, knowing that those were important things. Things.
[12:46]
Nancy Glass
The first time he really got to know Cindy's children was at a Kentucky Derby party Cindy hosted at her condo.
[12:53]
Kenny
I was scared shitless on meeting these children. To me, it was a make or break situation. I was like, are these kids going to like me? Am I going to like these kids?
[13:05]
Nancy Glass
Kenny said he didn't want to impose, so he gave the kids their space and waited for them to approach him. And that's what happened. One of Cindy's twin boys came over
[13:16]
Kenny
first, so he comes over and immediately just says, all right, what are your numbers? And I was like, what are my numbers? Okay, what do you mean? He's like, kentucky Derby. What are your numbers? What are your horses? You gonna pick? What's your first and second? I go, all right, seven, 11. And he's like, mom. He goes, he picked the same numbers you did. And I was like, B.S. this is, you know, it's like that. She goes, no, we wrote them down. She goes, I picked 7 11.
[13:41]
Nancy Glass
And then the other twin approached Kenny.
[13:44]
Kenny
He's an intellectual soul, so you don't talk to him like a kid whatsoever. You talk to him like an adult, because I don't think he respects you if you treat him like a kid, because he's got this super brain.
[13:57]
Nancy Glass
So the two played a game of chess, something Kenny, for sure, thought he would win.
[14:03]
Kenny
He moved his king around so many times that I couldn't keep him in check. He's moving around a couple of his ponds and he finally. I didn't realize that he put me into a stalemate situation. I was like, you got me, buddy. You got me.
[14:19]
Nancy Glass
As easy as things started with Cindy's children, it was a different story with Cindy's ex husband, Steve. On one of their early dates, they ran into him.
[14:32]
Cindy
Steve has a way of making you feel constantly under attack. You're always under attack with Steve. You're always feeling like you're defending yourself. He never saw me as an equal, as a partner, that I have any rights at all. And when you look at somebody that way, you can easily hurt that person because you don't look at them as a human being anymore. So my mind was going to the extremes of what he was willing to do.
[14:59]
Kenny
I didn't know she was involved in a horrific lawsuit with her ex husband at the time. She kept that from me because who wants to air their dirty laundry? When you first started dating someone and it is very detrimental on how money can control people, direct people and move people to do horrendous things, it was just super uncomfortable and my gut instinct should have kicked in more than it did.
[15:37]
Andrea Gunning
This is Andrea Gunning from Betrayal Weekly. This is a stunning story based on the hit true crime podcast Betrayal. He was a tall, handsome police officer, the man of her dreams. Caroline knew right away he was the man she would spend her life with. But then she got a text that changed everything. The man she loved was having affair after affair with so many different women in his cop car while on duty. I implore you to watch Betrayal Dirty Secrets, now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.
[16:12]
Kenny
Hi, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Are you looking for a beach read this summer? May I suggest your big wireless bill? It's got suspense, mystery, a slightly flat emotional arc, and a shocking twist where you realize you've been overpaying the entire time. Fortunately, though, Mint Story is better. Every plan, $15 a month, even unlimited.
[16:29]
Andrea Gunning
That's it.
[16:30]
Kenny
Happy ending. Zero tears. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment
[16:35]
Nancy Glass
of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month. Equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy. See terms.
[16:42]
Tony Ayo
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[17:43]
Kenny
I'm Glenn Washington from Snap Judgment, the storytelling podcast from kqed. Imagine an iconic piece of paradise overrun by one of the most horrific fires in recent memory. Everyone flees. Everyone except one person who decides to fight the flames. All systems down. The moment when nature, institutions, and technology fail at the exact same time. A new Snapdragon miniseries from kqed. Wherever you get your podcasts
[18:14]
Tony Ayo
Foreign.
[18:24]
Nancy Glass
She wanted to move on. But once she suspected that Steve had cut her out of a huge profit from the company they created together, she found herself torn. Filing a lawsuit would be reopening the door and litigating with the father of her three children. She ultimately believed it was a battle worth fighting. In the spring of 2018, Cindy filed a lawsuit against Steve and another former colleague. That happened right around the time she started dating Kenny. So how do you tell your new boyfriend that you're involved in a nasty lawsuit with your ex husband disputing the split of a $90 million profit? That's the question that rolled around in Cindy's head.
[19:10]
Cindy
It is so uncomfortable to tell somebody, hey, this is my world right now, and it's probably going to get worse.
[19:18]
Nancy Glass
By that summer, it was clear to Cindy that Kenny wasn't just some guy she was dating. She had feelings for him. And if they really had any chance of a future together, it was best just to be totally honest about what was going on with her ex husband, Steve.
[19:34]
Cindy
First, I started telling him about the lawsuit and I had to tell him how much money was involved because this isn't just a little bit of money. This is A lot of money, and it could wipe out Steve and how afraid I was of Steve and the fear I had of just being in my condo.
[19:51]
Kenny
That's when she started being brutally honest about the past, current affairs with Steve, her worries about Steve in the future.
[20:00]
Nancy Glass
Cindy remembers that Kenny didn't say a word. He just listened as she ran through the laundry list of drama happening in her life.
[20:10]
Cindy
It was an awkward conversation. I said, you know, I don't blame you if this is too much. I mean, I got three kids. You've never been married. You don't have kids. I mean, that in and of itself can be a challenge. And then you add a layer of financial fraud going on, and I'm scared to death about it.
[20:29]
Nancy Glass
She feared that the lawsuit against Steve could bankrupt him was a huge chunk of change, an amount that could bring out the worst in people. And she was fearful of what the worst of Steve could look like. Kenny was conflicted as much as what Cindy was describing was scary. Kenny was attached to what he was building with Cindy and her kids.
[20:53]
Kenny
I taught those kids how to fish, fly fish, even taught the kids how to chop firewood, build a fire. And it turned out to be an amazing close relationship. It was special. I stepped into being an adult in their lives and becoming their stepfather. It was something I hadn't done in my life before. It actually felt very easy.
[21:17]
Nancy Glass
Kenny's biggest compliment was came from Cindy's daughter.
[21:21]
Kenny
She said, I've never seen my mom this happy in her entire life. You make my mom so happy, you know, you love her, you take care of her. I think the kids were all happy that Cindy and I were happy, therefore the kids were happy. It was quite a special bond that we had all together. Cindy and I thought it was just the best thing ever. That's why we were blindsided at what happened.
[21:48]
Nancy Glass
As great as things were between Cindy and Kenny and the kids, Cindy's fear of Steve consumed her.
[21:55]
Kenny
She asked me to get my concealed weapons permit by a pistol.
[21:59]
Cindy
And I said, I want you to have a concealed carry so you can have a gun in each vehicle. So if we're together, you have it.
[22:06]
Kenny
Never was I thinking I'd get a concealed weapons permit to carry on me on a day to day basis because there was a threat out there against you for your life.
[22:16]
Nancy Glass
So, Kenny, what's going through your mind when Cindy says she wants you to carry a gun?
[22:22]
Kenny
Well, the hair raises on the back of your neck, like, is this serious? Are you just being an overdramatic person? But I know she's dead serious. She was deathly afraid of Steve. When she told me the truth of what was going on, that was unnerving. But I wasn't backpedaling. I was already involved emotionally.
[22:45]
Cindy
He took it in stride. He's like, I can understand why you feel that way after meeting him.
[22:52]
Nancy Glass
The first time Kenny officially met Steve was at a fundraiser to benefit Cindy's children's school. The event featured a silent auction of kids artwork. Cindy knew there was a chance Steve would be there, and she was right. Steve was there with his girlfriend, Christine.
[23:09]
Cindy
He had been with Christine for over a year by then, so I was thinking that he wouldn't even care.
[23:15]
Nancy Glass
As soon as Cindy spotted Steve, she pulled Kenny aside and gave him a warning.
[23:21]
Kenny
She goes, you know, we're fine with each other. It's okay if he comes over and say hi. Just shake his hand, say hi, but keep a small talk. Don't engage in conversation. And I kind of, like, raised my eyebrow over that one. I was like, okay, I get it. But I just respected that and didn't ask questions.
[23:36]
Nancy Glass
To Kenny, Steve didn't exactly look the part of a scary ex husband. He was in his mid-40s. He was tall, thin, with salt and pepper hair and facial hair. And on this particular night, Steve is
[23:49]
Kenny
using a cane to kind of hobble around.
[23:52]
Nancy Glass
At the time, Steve was recovering from surgery and was using a cane.
[23:57]
Cindy
He kept trying to walk right in front of us, and we kept moving, and he'd walk in front of us again. And I noticed every time that I'd bid on something, Steve would walk up right behind me and try and outbid me. And so that was really awkward.
[24:11]
Kenny
It got to the point where she actually had to have her friends go bid on the auction item she wanted, because whenever she went over there to go bid on an auction, he'd follow up and write his name down behind us and try and outbid her. He just kept following us around the entire, entire evening. You know, hey, hey, hey, what's going on? It was just awkward, uncomfortable.
[24:35]
Nancy Glass
Kenny and Cindy ended up leaving the silent auction early without any altercation with Steve. Cindy felt uneasy and unsettled after seeing her ex, but to Kenny, the guy seemed harmless.
[24:48]
Kenny
Cindy was deathly afraid of Steve. So anything that had to do with Steve and Cindy, Cindy always wanted me there.
[24:57]
Nancy Glass
Kenny started taking the kids places, like boy scouts school, or any place Steve might be. He says he was stepping up to protect Cindy from having to interact with her ex. But the more Kenny watched Steve interact with the kids, the more he Began to see what cindy saw. One afternoon, Kenny brought the kids to the pediatrician. The twins were only seven or eight, and they started playing with the toys in the waiting room while kenny watched. Then steve arrived.
[25:29]
Kenny
He goes to the two boys sitting on the floor, and he sits on the ground with him and halfway starts, like, crying, and he's telling the boys, oh, I know you're so scared. I know you're so scared. The kids get awkwardly uncomfortable, and he puts them in his lap, and he's just, like, stirring them into a state of fear. They were confused. Their emotions were confused. Like, he got them scared, and they started kind of crying with him, and then all of a sudden, he just snaps out of it. As soon as the kids kind of got, like, erupted into some sort of emotional frenzy, Then he looks at me and just starts talking to me like nothing happened, like, we're best friends.
[26:09]
Nancy Glass
While kenny was trying to process what he had just witnessed, Steve remained nonchalant and began peppering him with questions.
[26:17]
Kenny
Oh, so he used to be a manager for a restaurant, huh? And like that. So you're not working right now. So you're Cindy's, like, you know, business partner right now. Kind of that salesman routine that I know is fake. It's insincere. He's kind of trying to personally agitate me on stuff. Not as in he was actually really caring who I was and what I was doing. It was more of a nice, confrontational style.
[26:41]
Nancy Glass
To kenny, the questions felt backhanded, loaded, Kind of like the taunting nickname Steve would later use to refer to him. He'd call kenny cindy's paid caregiver.
[26:52]
Kenny
For me, I was like, whatever. I didn't really care too much. But it was very upsetting for cindy.
[27:03]
Nancy Glass
As much as cindy and kenny tried to avoid steve, it wasn't always possible, Especially when it involved picking up the kids at school. Cindy and kenny were there to pick up her three kids, and steve was there to pick up the son from his current marriage, his stepson cindy. And kenny watched as steve began an unsettling routine where he seemed to be lingering during pickup.
[27:28]
Cindy
I would intentionally show up 10 minutes after my kids were supposed to be picked up, and he's still there. And he'd make a big scene at the car right in front of the kids, Telling him how much he's going to miss them.
[27:41]
Kenny
And steve is just in tears, bawling in front of the whole school. So I would have to go over there and tell the kids, come on, guys, you have to go with me. And I had to do this multiple times.
[27:54]
Nancy Glass
Things got so bad, Cindy brought it up in the courts. And the judge in their custody case actually ordered Steve not to be at school when it was Cindy's day to pick up their children.
[28:06]
Kenny
Cindy and Steve are not supposed to be in the same room with each other, per the court order. So you drop them off in front of the school. You exchange no conversations.
[28:15]
Cindy
Bye.
[28:16]
Kenny
Bye.
[28:17]
Nancy Glass
But that didn't always happen. One afternoon, Kenny went to pick up the boys, and there was Steve.
[28:25]
Kenny
Steve is not supposed to be there, but he was waiting outside the door. And then Steve starts following me down the hallway. Finally I saw and I turned, and I just politely asked him. I was like, steve, you're not supposed to be here. I don't want to talk to you, and I've got nothing to say. I go, I'm just here to pick up the kids. And I go, you need to leave.
[28:46]
Nancy Glass
But Steve didn't leave.
[28:49]
Kenny
He starts pointing his finger at me, almost to the verge where he's pointing me in the chest. He doesn't touch me, but he's just sticking his finger in my face, yelling at me, saying, you do not talk to me in front of my children's way. And I was very polite. And so I said, come on, boys, we gotta go. It doesn't stop there. He follows me all the way to my truck, and this is halfway down the block, berating me to my truck. And he wasn't even parked anywhere near me at that point, I realized that he has an underlying rage that is scary. And you know what he did the next day? He called the school and said that I tried to fight him. And he told the children, and the children next week was like, you tried to fight my daddy. I was like, kids, you were there. All the teachers were there. Everybody saw this. Did I really try and fight? It's like, no, but that's what you told us.
[29:41]
Nancy Glass
It was uncomfortable for Kenny, but he was mostly concerned with the kids.
[29:45]
Kenny
I feel like I'm stealing the kids away from their own father. They don't want to take sides, but he used them in that situation in order to take a side. So Steve was emotionally putting up road barriers and getting these kids highly reactive to them coming with me and Cindy.
[30:08]
Nancy Glass
Ultimately, Kenny was most shocked at the one thing Steve didn't do.
[30:14]
Kenny
I mean, months have gone in. I've become close with the children, but he never once gave a phone call. He never once gave an invite, an email, asked Cindy, hey, why don't Kenny and I get together and Have a little chit chat because, you know, we're sharing children now. Never once did he ever asked me to have a conversation. If I was a father, I would have. I would want to know, who is this guy that's dating my ex wife that's become a parental figure in my children's life?
[30:43]
Nancy Glass
Despite the uncertainty of the lawsuit and all the other drama happening with Steve, Cindy and Kenny's relationship flourished. And yet, as good as things were, they both felt Steve's presence like a looming threat in the background.
[31:00]
Cindy
You know, I am genuinely scared. I have a lot of fear of my ex. You got this hyper vigilance of what's next. Something bad's around the corner. I know it's coming, and you need to kind of keep your head on a swivel.
[31:16]
Nancy Glass
In fact, Cindy's fear of Steve played into why she wanted Kenny to move in with her.
[31:23]
Kenny
When I moved in, not only did she want me there as a companion, but she wanted me there also for protection. You know, she's love of my life. She's my best friend, so I want to protect her. When you're in the hospitality industry for 20, 25 years, you get to know personalities. You can pick up on them pretty quickly. I never thought Steve was a physical threat. I think he was more of a. A person that would use other tactics to cause harm or ill will. And my feelings were right.
[32:06]
Andrea Gunning
This is Andrea Gunning from Betrayal Weekly. This is a stunning story based on the hit true crime podcast Betrayal. He was a tall, handsome police officer, the man of her dreams. Caroline knew right away he was the man she would spend her life with. But then she got a text that changed everything. The man she loved was having affair after affair with so many different women in his cop car while on duty. I implore you to watch Betrayal. Dirty Secrets now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.
[32:42]
Kenny
Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now, I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited premium Wireless Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills. But it turns out that's very illegal, so there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment
[33:04]
Nancy Glass
of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month. Equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy. See terms.
[33:12]
Tony Ayo
This is Tony Ayo from the Real Report with Tony Yayo and Uncle Murder. You ever notice how everything keeps going up? Rent's going up, streaming services are going up. Even your favorite burrito spot suddenly thinks salsa should cost extra. But with Boost Mobile, you and your phone bill don't have to play the Willis Go up soon game. Because Boost Mobile has an unlimited talk, text and data plan at a price that'll never go up. It's the same price you'll pay for life, meaning you're set to never worry about your bill increasing again for as long as you're on the plan. While the world keeps finding new ways to nickel and dime you, Boost Mobile gives you unlimited wireless at one set price for life. Imagine something in your budget actually staying the same. You'll pay the same for unlimited wireless when you're posting mirror selfies in your 20s. And when you're posting mirror selfies in retirement, some things never change. Switch now for unlimited wireless at a price that'll never go up. Only at boost mobile. After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.
[34:13]
Kenny
I'm Glenn Washington. This is Snap Judgment from kqed. When everything is falling apart, what do you do? Hurricane Helene shut everything down. No roads, no cars, no way through. But his daughter was getting married. And somehow, some way, he was going to walk her down that aisle. All systems down. A new Snap Judgment miniseries from kqed. Wherever you get your podcasts.
[34:50]
Nancy Glass
At the time Kenny met Cindy, he was 42. He'd never been married, and he'd given up on the dream of having kids of his own. Years earlier, he rescued a chocolate lab who became his travel companion.
[35:05]
Kenny
I think that dog saved my life. And I think it was because I got something that I guess needed me as much as I needed it. Maybe that's what a wife and children does for you. Something bigger to live for. And you know, that's what happened with these kids.
[35:28]
Nancy Glass
That's what this holds story is about. The happy family Cindy and Kenny were hoping for would never come to be. And the timing of it all is more than coincidental. By the summer of 2019, the lawsuit Cindy filed against her ex husband Steve and another former colleague was scheduled to go to trial. They were arguing over tens of millions of dollars. And as that trial got closer, Cindy's anxiety was off the charts.
[35:59]
Cindy
What it is, is greed. And greed does things to every single human being on the planet. That's why it's one of the seven deadly sins because it can really put you down the wrong path.
[36:10]
Nancy Glass
Even with Kenny at her side, she couldn't shake that feeling that somehow the other shoe was going to drop. And then, just as jury selection began, Something unexpected happened. Both sides reached a settlement. Usually in cases like this, terms of a settlement remain private. But according to the denver gazette, the settlement paid to Cindy was $10.5 million. The article states that the settlement was based on Steve having, quote, misled Cindy about the lucrative aspects of an investment. With that over, Cindy breathed a sigh of relief and said she finally relaxed.
[36:59]
Cindy
I was like, you know what? We just need to go and celebrate. I mean, this was a monkey off my back since 2017. When I found out about it, she
[37:07]
Nancy Glass
booked a trip to hawaii for her and Kenny. The plan was to get some sun, play a little golf, and just take a deep breath. Breath.
[37:16]
Kenny
Everything was over. Like, steve's gone. Not in her life. There's no more fight.
[37:20]
Cindy
So that's what the whole point was, was to celebrate the end of the litigation.
[37:25]
Nancy Glass
And according to court documents, Cindy received that $10.5 million settlement shortly before she and Kenny flew to hawaii.
[37:34]
Cindy
When you're in litigation, it literally consumes all of your available downtime. Your mind goes immediately to it. It is a non stop ruminating nightmare. So when we were in Hawaii, I was like, this is great. I had this massive load off my shoulders, like my life can finally move forward again
[37:57]
Nancy Glass
with a clear head. Cindy started to focus on the next family camping trip she wanted to take, the new house they were about to move into, all the things she had put on hold.
[38:08]
Cindy
And then it allowed me to relax and say, you know, maybe marriage isn't such a bad thing. I've been discounting it. And, you know, this person in front of me is wonderful, and he's never experienced it.
[38:20]
Nancy Glass
In the months leading up to this trip, Kenny had been hinting about marriage.
[38:25]
Cindy
When Kenny first brought it up, I mean, I almost bit his head off. I'm like, hell, no. Never again. Never doing that.
[38:31]
Nancy Glass
As you can imagine, Cindy's first marriage to Steve left her a little gun shy about doing that again.
[38:38]
Cindy
I said, that was such a miserable experience. I'll let you know if I change my mind, but it's probably not for now.
[38:47]
Nancy Glass
But leading up to that Hawaiian vacation, Cindy started to soften.
[38:52]
Cindy
The more I thought about it, I was like, you know, he's never been married, and maybe I'm just having this really negative view of marriage because of the person I was married to. And maybe I need to start rethinking that because I've already created this bias in my head and that's not fair. It's not fair to him.
[39:14]
Nancy Glass
One night during their vacation in Hawaii, Cindy and Kenny went to a luau. Cindy said that's when it hit her. She couldn't imagine being without Kenny.
[39:25]
Cindy
And I just brought it up to him. I was like, you know, I'm kind of, of warming up to this idea of possibly getting married. I think I need to give this another chance. I'm thinking marriage is bad because of my first experience and that it's a controlling environment and you lose yourself. And I don't feel like I lose myself when I'm around you. I feel like myself.
[39:45]
Nancy Glass
That night in Hawaii, Cindy and Kenny got engaged.
[39:50]
Kenny
Man, that was pretty special. I was wanting to marry Cindy for some period of time. We were together for over a year and a half or so. It was like, it's time, right? We're going to do this, we're taking the next steps in life and doing this as a family and going forward with
[40:08]
Nancy Glass
was a wonderful, life changing moment for Kenny.
[40:11]
Kenny
I guess you could say I didn't realize what I missed in my entire life of not having a family, a wife, children. You know, they're not my children, but they were my children, you know, because we have that bond we had, that love, we had, that relationship of I do anything, you know. You know, I do anything for those kids. And they loved me and I loved them back. I just didn't know what I missed out on. So I was blessed. And it was probably the most amazing year and a half to a couple years of my life.
[40:50]
Nancy Glass
That night, Cindy teased the good news in a text to her daughter. She said, we have something special to tell you when we see you and the boys.
[41:00]
Cindy
I think I was just kind of giddy at that moment because she had been talking about a wedding dress. She had already shown me pictures how she's going to do my hair. So I wanted to share it with her first.
[41:13]
Kenny
All's happy and all's great. Well, that changed.
[41:19]
Cindy
This all blew up the next morning.
[41:21]
Nancy Glass
That following day, Cindy received a phone call from a caseworker with DHS Colorado's Department of Human Services. The caseworker had some disturbing news. Kenny was being investigated for child abuse.
[41:36]
Cindy
I was shocked and like, what are you talking about?
[41:41]
Nancy Glass
The victim was one of Cindy's nine year old boys. And the caseworker had a warning for Cindy.
[41:48]
Cindy
She says, my children are in imminent danger as we speak. And I'M like, I'm not the one who poses that danger. That person's always been living with them. And she couldn't wrap her head around that idea. Idea.
[42:05]
Nancy Glass
After a long conversation with dhs, Cindy hung up the phone. She had a bad feeling, but it's not what you might think.
[42:13]
Cindy
My first thought wasn't, did Kenny abuse my kids? Because I knew he didn't. I never saw anything, any whole year and a half with my kids anything to ever consider that this man was abusive.
[42:27]
Nancy Glass
Cindy believed this was something that Kenny did not do. But that decision cost her because once Cindy and Kenny return home from Hawaii. So we need you to go ahead
[42:39]
Cindy
and turn around and place your hands behind your back.
[42:40]
Nancy Glass
Okay?
[42:40]
Kenny
You are under arrest.
[42:42]
Cindy
All right, Mr. Hamm, let's go ahead
[42:43]
Andrea Gunning
and walk this way.
[42:44]
Nancy Glass
I said this in the first episode, and I'm gonna say it again. At first glance, this looked like a story about child abuse allegations. But the more I learned, the clearer it became that the real story was something completely different.
[43:01]
Cindy
I could not have imagined the future of the legal warfare I was going to be involved with and the fact that I would not see my children for almost seven years.
[43:14]
Kenny
My motto is it always it's going to work out. Don't worry about it. You just keep on trucking forward, keep on moving forward. Have faith, and it works. Well, maybe not this time.
[43:28]
Nancy Glass
That's next time on Burden of Guilt. Thanks for listening. If you're enjoying Burden of Guilt, subscribe rate and review the series with five stars. Hopefully that helps other people find our show. Are you curious about what the people involved in this look like? Do you want to hear bonus content? Just check out our Instagram account at Glass Podcasts. You can reach out to the Burden of guilt team@burdenofguiltpodmail.com that's burdenofguiltpodmail.com Burden of Guilt is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcast. This series is executive produced and hosted by me, Nancy Glass, produced by Todd Ganz, also produced by Ben Federman and Andrea Gunning. Additional production support provided by Carrie Hartman. Our story editor is Monique Laborde. Our associate producer is Jade Abdul Malik. Our production manager is Kristin Melchuri. Our iHeart team is ally Perry and Jessica Krynczyk. Audio editing by Tanner Robbins. Audio mixing and mastering by Anna McLean and Matt D'. Albacchio. The burden of Guilt theme is composed by Oliver Baines Music Library, provided by MIB Music. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app or Apple podcast. I love the little everyday moments with
[45:45]
Andrea Gunning
my dog, especially treat time.
[45:48]
Nancy Glass
But dental care not always so fun. Until we found Greenies dental treats. These are more than just tasty. They're vet recommended and designed to support
[45:57]
Andrea Gunning
the four areas vets check the most
[45:59]
Nancy Glass
plaque, tartar gums and breath. Their unique texture cleans down to the gum line and supports cleaner teeth after 28 days when fed daily. It's a simple daily habit that supports their health and gives us another moment to enjoy together. Greenies make health a treat. Shop now@greenies.com this is a stunning story based on the hit true crime podcast Betrayal. He was a tall, handsome police officer, the man of her dreams. Caroline knew right away he was the man she would spend her life with. But then she got a text that changed everything. The man she loved was a severe
[46:33]
Andrea Gunning
sex addict, having affair after affair with
[46:37]
Nancy Glass
so many different women in his cop car while on duty. I implore you to watch Dirty Secrets now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney. Eminem's popped caramel do sound different? Oh no. People are gonna be obsessed.
[46:54]
Kenny
What do you mean? Hmm.
[46:55]
Nancy Glass
People hate the sound of chewing. Maybe they won't like the crunch.
[47:00]
Kenny
Maybe we're saved. Wait a minute.
[47:03]
Nancy Glass
Yellow. Have you been eating them this whole time? Mmm.
[47:09]
Kenny
So tasty.
[47:11]
Nancy Glass
Hands off us.
[47:13]
Kenny
M&M's popped caramel. It's more fun together. Whether it's help with hormone therapy, weight management, or sexual health, every woman should have access to affordable prescription medication and personalized care that understands the whole woman. Join me Dr. Doug Lucas, clinical lead of hormone optimization and longevity at LifeMD, along with other leading experts on the podcast. Here's something good on women's health and longevity. To learn more, go to lifemd.com iheart
[47:47]
Cindy
this is an iheart podcast. Guaranteed human.

Summary6 min read

Burden of Guilt: "The Other Shoe" (Season 3, Episode 2)

Air Date: August 5, 2026
Host: Nancy Glass
Podcast: Burden of Guilt, iHeartPodcasts | Glass Podcasts

Episode Overview

“The Other Shoe” continues the deeply personal journey of Cindy and her partner Kenny as they navigate the perilous fallout of Cindy’s bitter divorce from Steve, her former business partner and husband. The episode traces the devastating impact of money, paranoia, and an escalating custody battle—culminating in shocking child abuse allegations against Kenny just as Cindy finally believes her long legal struggle is over. Host Nancy Glass guides listeners through firsthand accounts, court records, and raw interviews, revealing how fear, love, and suspicion can unravel lives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cindy and Kenny’s Love Story & the Shadow of Steve (01:49–15:36, 18:24–32:06)

Reluctance About Marriage: After her tumultuous previous marriage, Cindy is resistant to the idea of marrying again, but Kenny’s patience and warmth gradually change her perspective.
- “Maybe I'm just having this really negative view of marriage because of the person I was married to. And maybe I need to start rethinking that because I've already created this bias in my head, and that's not fair. That's not fair to him.” — Cindy (02:07)
Kenny Becomes Part of Cindy’s Family: Kenny grows close to Cindy’s three children, bonding over everyday activities and building trust, but his introduction into their lives is complicated by Cindy’s ex, Steve.
- “I was scared shitless on meeting these children. To me, it was a make or break situation.” — Kenny (12:53)
- “She said, I've never seen my mom this happy in her entire life. You make my mom so happy, you know, you love her, you take care of her.” — Kenny (21:20)
Encountering Steve’s Hostility: Kenny and Cindy both describe a pattern of hostility, mind games, and emotional manipulation from Steve, who repeatedly tests boundaries at school and family events.
- “Steve has a way of making you feel constantly under attack. You're always under attack with Steve.” — Cindy (14:31)
- “He follows me all the way to my truck...realized that he has an underlying rage that is scary.” — Kenny (28:45)

2. The Lawsuit & Paranoia (05:05–08:07, 19:10–21:17)

Discovery of Financial Fraud: Cindy suspects Steve cut her out of multimillion-dollar profits from their former company, Wildcat Minerals, prompting her to sue him and another former colleague.
- “This isn't just a little bit of money. This is a lot of money, and it could wipe out Steve. How do people react when they get caught doing stuff like that? This could get scary.” — Cindy (06:26)
Amped Paranoia: After filing the lawsuit, Cindy feels followed, suspects her condo has been entered, and discovers that Steve may be using her children to gather information.
- “I just got this weird sense that somebody had been in the condo... There were things that were out of place, and I'm like, someone's been here.” — Cindy (07:06)
- “I felt like he was using my kids to get information... So then I just said, hey, no more phones in mommy's house.” — Cindy (07:27)
Coming Clean With Kenny: Fearing for his involvement, Cindy reveals everything to Kenny about the lawsuit and her fears for Steve's capacity to retaliate.
- “I mean, that's a lot to let on somebody. I was surprised he even stuck around, to be honest with you.” — Cindy (08:20)

3. Kenny’s Role & Growing Tensions (15:36–32:06)

Blending Into Family Life: Kenny teaches Cindy’s kids how to fish and build fires, finding unexpected fulfillment as a stepfather figure.
- “I stepped into being an adult in their lives and becoming their stepfather. It was something I hadn't done in my life before.” — Kenny (20:53)
Confronting Threats: Cindy’s anxiety leads her to ask Kenny to get a concealed weapons permit for protection, amplifying the sense of fear in their daily lives.
- “She asked me to get my concealed weapons permit... Never was I thinking I’d get a concealed weapons permit to carry on me...but I know she's dead serious.” — Kenny (21:55–22:21)
Conflict at Children’s Events and School: Steve’s emotional manipulations and boundary-pushing escalate, including a dramatic scene at the pediatrician and persistent attempts to undermine Cindy and Kenny in front of the children.
- “He's just sticking his finger in my face, yelling at me, saying, you do not talk to me in front of my children’s way... He called the school and said that I tried to fight him...” — Kenny (28:45–29:40)

4. Legal Resolution, Hope, and the Sudden Downfall (35:28–43:14)

Lawsuit Settlement: The million-dollar battle finally ends; Cindy receives a $10.5 million settlement. She and Kenny celebrate with a trip to Hawaii, feeling relief and hope for the future.
- “We just need to go and celebrate. I mean, this was a monkey off my back since 2017.” — Cindy (36:58)
- “Everything was over. Like, Steve’s gone. Not in her life. There’s no more fight.” — Kenny (37:15)
Engagement and Optimism: On the trip, Kenny proposes. Cindy, at last, warms to the idea of remarrying, and together they look forward to a new chapter.
- “I feel like myself when I’m around you. I feel like myself.” — Cindy (39:24)
- “I was blessed. And it was probably the most amazing year and a half to a couple years of my life.” — Kenny (40:10)
Shock: Explosive Abuse Allegations: The morning after sharing the engagement news, Cindy is contacted by Colorado DHS: Kenny is being investigated for child abuse. Cindy is told her children are in “imminent danger,” and her life unravels once again.
- “She says, my children are in imminent danger as we speak. And I’m like, I'm not the one who poses that danger. That person's always been living with them.” — Cindy (41:48)
- “I could not have imagined the future of the legal warfare I was going to be involved with and the fact that I would not see my children for almost seven years.” — Cindy (43:01)
- “My motto is it always it's going to work out. Don’t worry about it. ...Well, maybe not this time.” — Kenny (43:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Paranoia and Fear:
“I literally was scared to death.” — Cindy (06:26)
“Is this serious? Are you just being an overdramatic person? But I know she's dead serious.” — Kenny (22:21)
On Family and Fulfillment:
“I guess needed me as much as I needed it. Maybe that's what a wife and children does for you.” — Kenny (35:05)
On Steve’s Manipulation:
“I feel like I'm stealing the kids away from their own father. They don't want to take sides, but he used them in that situation in order to take a side.” — Kenny (29:45)
On Devastation of False Accusations:
“This all blew up the next morning.” — Cindy (41:18)
“I could not have imagined...the fact that I would not see my children for almost seven years.” — Cindy (43:01)

Segment Timestamps (Key Sections)

Cindy’s remarriage reluctance & new relationship (01:49–04:23)
Introduction to the lawsuit and Steve’s fraud (05:05–08:07)
Kenny joining the family, meeting the children (12:14–14:03)
Steve's antagonism at family/school events (14:18–30:43)
Cindy’s paranoia and request for protection (21:55–22:52)
Litigation settlement and trip to Hawaii (35:28–39:45)
Engagement and renewed optimism (39:14–41:13)
Sudden investigation and arrest for child abuse (41:21–43:28)

Episode Tone & Language

The tone is candid, tense, and at times raw, with Cindy and Kenny baring their fears, suspicions, and joys. Nancy Glass maintains a compassionate yet probing presence, anchoring the story while allowing the participants’ voices and emotions to shine through.

Final Thoughts

This episode masterfully re-creates the emotional whiplash experienced by Cindy and Kenny as they move from hard-won hope to sudden disaster. Through firsthand storytelling, it exposes how the reverberations of lies, money, and custody battles can destroy families and reputations—and hints at the deeper injustices yet to unfold.

[End of Summary]

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Transcript195 lines

[00:00]
Cindy
This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.
[00:04]
Andrea Gunning
This is Andrea Gunning from Betrayal Weekly. This is a stunning story based on the hit true crime podcast Betrayal. He was a tall, handsome police officer, the man of her dreams. Caroline knew right away he was the man she would spend her life with. But then she got a text that changed everything. The man she loved was having affair after affair with so many different women in his cop car while on duty. I implore you to watch Betrayal Dirty Secrets now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.
[00:40]
Nancy Glass
Thinking about selling your car?
[00:41]
Andrea Gunning
Get a real offer worth real money from CarMax. Then take seven days to think it over.
[00:46]
Nancy Glass
That's it.
[00:47]
Andrea Gunning
No haggling, no hassles, no pressure.
[00:49]
Nancy Glass
Get all the details and a real offer today@carmax.com. wanna drive CarMax bite into a stacked sandwich made with Hero. Then the only thing you'll think is delicious. You won't think it has up to 19 grams protein, 11 to 32 grams of fiber, or just 0 to 5 grams net carbs, but it does. HeroBread. No compromises. Just loaves, buns, tortillas, bagels and noodles packed with flavor.
[01:15]
Andrea Gunning
Right now.
[01:16]
Nancy Glass
Get 10% off at Hero Co with code iheart. That's H E R O C O CO iheart. All figures per serving of hero bread. See nutrition facts on hero coffee. There's a fire inside you you can't ignore. Stand still. Not a chance. You're a lifelong learner who's come this far. Now we're here to help you keep going further. Capella University. What can't you do? Visit Capella Edu to learn more. In the months leading up to Cindy and Kenny's engagement, the topic of marriage was a sensitive subject.
[01:50]
Cindy
When Kenny first brought it up, I almost bit his head off. I'm like, hell, no. Never again. Never doing that.
[01:57]
Nancy Glass
After Cindy's marriage to Steve ended, she never imagined a second walk down the aisle. But Kenny wasn't like her first husband. He was the polar opposite.
[02:07]
Cindy
The more I thought about it, I was like, you know, maybe I'm just having this really negative view of marriage because of the person I was married to. And maybe I need to start rethinking that because I've already created this bias in my head, and that's not fair. That's not fair to him.
[02:24]
Nancy Glass
The closer Cindy and Kenny got, the more Cindy let her guard down.
[02:29]
Cindy
I started thinking more and more about it, and I'm kind of warming up to this idea of possibly getting married and to give it another try.
[02:36]
Nancy Glass
And that's what happened? After a year and a half of dating, Kenny proposed during a trip to Hawaii. And Cindy said yes.
[02:46]
Cindy
I was super excited that night. And so I did text my daughter. She's 13, and this is how we communicated. I said, hey, I got something important to tell you. And then this all blew up the next morning.
[02:59]
Nancy Glass
The next day, Cindy got a phone call from the agency in Colorado that investigates child abuse. They informed Cindy that they were looking into allegations that Kenny had abused one of Cindy's boys.
[03:14]
Cindy
I was shocked. I'm like, what are you talking about? What happened last week?
[03:19]
Nancy Glass
Cindy's questions didn't matter. On top of that, the agency wanted Cindy's kids to stay with her ex husband Steve.
[03:30]
Cindy
And she said, well, we're just going to allow the kids to stay with the dad. Are you going to fight me on this, or do I need to get a court order? And I was like, okay, this is weird.
[03:41]
Nancy Glass
While she and Kenny were in Hawaii, something had been happening back home. When she and Kenny walked off their plane in Colorado, they walked straight into a scorched earth war they never saw coming.
[03:56]
Cindy
I felt pretty confident. I was like, they're gonna see through this. They're gonna see the kind of person he is. Someone's gotta see this. And nobody did. It was one lie after the next lie after the next lie. It just got so out of control. And that's kind of how I knew. I was like, something is happening in the background here.
[04:23]
Nancy Glass
I'm nancy glass, and this is season three, a burden of guilt. Episode two the other shoe. During Cindy's marriage to Steve, they created a company called Wildcat Minerals. Wildcat was a successful player in the fracking business. When Cindy and Steve cashed out and sold their company, they retained an ownership interest in the new company, which they split evenly. That arrangement continued after Cindy and Steve's divorce. But it was after the divorce that Cindy learned some disturbing news.
[05:06]
Cindy
I accidentally found out about it by talking to another friend that there might be some fraud going on. And so we started our investigation and filed a lawsuit.
[05:19]
Nancy Glass
In April of 18, Cindy sued Steve and another former colleague for fraud. It made headlines in the Denver Gazette. Here's the journalist who covered that story, Chris Osher.
[05:32]
Kenny
They had a business in the mining industry, and Cindy felt that she had not been allowed to participate in a profitable arrangement that business had negotiated.
[05:45]
Nancy Glass
According to court transcripts, that profitable arrangement involved the sale of a piece of land. The price tag of that land, $275 million, which is a lot of money.
[06:00]
Kenny
And she was able to point out that she should be able to participate in the proceeds of that.
[06:08]
Nancy Glass
Cindy believes she was cut out of that deal. And according to Chris article, she thought she was owed some of the roughly $90 million in profits her ex husband netted from the sale. $90 million. So there was a lot on the line for both sides.
[06:26]
Cindy
I got the information about how much money was involved. This isn't just a little bit of money. This is a lot of money, and it could wipe out Steve. How do people react when they get caught doing stuff like that? This could get scary. Anytime there's a lot of money involved, People make really bad choices. It's really nerve wracking. And I didn't feel safe, even with my own friends, to share what was going on. I literally was scared to death.
[06:58]
Nancy Glass
Cindy says filing that lawsuit was a turning point. After that, strange things started happening.
[07:06]
Cindy
I just got this weird sense that somebody had been in the condo. There were things that were out of place, and I'm like, someone's been here. I was on high alert after that. So I had all the locks changed.
[07:21]
Nancy Glass
Cindy also felt like she was being followed and that Steve might be listening to her conversations.
[07:27]
Cindy
I felt like he was using my kids to get information because one of my kids blurted out that my daughter's phone was being used to record because he took away the phone I gave her and he decided to buy her his own. And then he wouldn't give me the parenting code to even look at it. So then I just said, hey, no more phones in mommy's house. Your phone stays with your dad.
[07:48]
Nancy Glass
Cindy became anxious, almost paranoid. And all that happened right around the time Kenny first asked her out.
[07:55]
Cindy
My life is turned upside down right now, and I got this super cute guy that I just adore, and I don't want to screw it up, but I have to be honest. I can't let him walk into my life and not be honest about what's really happening here.
[08:08]
Nancy Glass
So Cindy came clean and shared all the uncomfortable details of her messy divorce and the litigation she had against her ex husband. She expected Kenny to go running for the hills.
[08:20]
Cindy
I mean, that's a lot to let on somebody. I was surprised he even stuck around, to be honest with you.
[08:30]
Nancy Glass
The first time I met Kenny in person was last spring. We met at a waterfront cafe In Florida, some 2,000 miles away from their home in Steamboat Springs. And there's a reason we met there, but we'll get into that later. Kenny came in a little late. He looked really tense. His arms were folded across his chest. And I knew he didn't want to talk to me at first, but he had changed his mind.
[08:55]
Kenny
This is important to me. This is important to Cindy, and that's why we're here doing this podcast. This could happen to you, and it has happened to other people.
[09:03]
Nancy Glass
And there was a good reason why Kenny looked so uncomfortable. Since 2019, he'd been defending himself against one of the most serious crimes imaginable. According to Kenney, the crime he's been accused of never happened.
[09:20]
Kenny
You know how embarrassing this is for me. You know how hard it is to throw this out there to the world.
[09:28]
Nancy Glass
Today, Kenny Hemp is 53 years old. He's 6ft tall with short white hair, a color much like Cindy's. They met in steamboat in 2018.
[09:38]
Kenny
I don't know why I made the choice to come to Steamboat, but something was just telling me to go to steamboat since 2010. It worked out for me because I met Cindy, you know, the love of my life.
[09:50]
Nancy Glass
Moving to Steamboat checked off all of Kenny's boxes.
[09:54]
Kenny
It fit every single niche of what I liked. Small town, but not too small. You have high end restaurants here. Skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, fly fishing. You have a couple lakes around it. So it is the epitome of the sportsman's paradise with culture and class.
[10:13]
Nancy Glass
Kenny grew up in a small, working class town just outside of Spokane. It's where he got his love of the great outdoors and where he first started working in the hospitality industry.
[10:25]
Kenny
My family, we didn't have the money for college. I didn't have it, you know.
[10:29]
Nancy Glass
After he graduated from high school, he leaned into his outgoing personality and got a job waiting tables at the Olive Garden.
[10:37]
Kenny
My job was to give people joy, smiles, happiness. I think that's what I truly loved about the business.
[10:48]
Nancy Glass
Kenny quickly went from serving endless salad and breadsticks to management. He became a kind of traveling restaurant manager, opening and running different bars and restaurants around the country.
[11:00]
Kenny
I just get these calls, you know, all the time of, hey, we need you up here in Maryland. Hey, we need you up here in Washington, DC.
[11:07]
Nancy Glass
By 2018, Kenny ended up in Colorado. He took a job as the general manager of a restaurant. And that restaurant was on the ground floor of the building where Cindy lived.
[11:18]
Kenny
First time I met her, she was sitting at a table reserved for the owner. So I went over there to ask her to leave. The table, not the restaurant, the table. She goes, oh, I'm friends with the owner's wife. And lo and behold, I guess that she kept approaching the owners on asking about Me, who I am. Who's this guy?
[11:37]
Nancy Glass
At the time, Kenny had just gotten out of a relationship.
[11:41]
Kenny
I had no interest in dating, period. I was there to work, fish, establish myself, and make sure that I'm going to stay in this town. So I kind of had a blocker up in front of me of, I'm not interested in anybody, no matter who you are.
[11:57]
Nancy Glass
He got to know Cindy at the restaurant. At first, it was casual conversation, and as they got to know one another, there was chemistry and a lot of commonalities. Slowly, Kenny's wool came down. Months later, he finally asked Cindy out.
[12:15]
Kenny
And then we just started texting each other for about three weeks straight, kind of like two kids flirting with each other from a distance. That's kind of what it felt like. I'd send her pictures of me in my past, fishing and camping and, you know, doing the things that I love to do. And in return, she would send pictures of her past in her geologist days and her camping. And she would also send me a lot of pictures with her and the kids, knowing that she is a mother, she has a family, knowing that those were important things. Things.
[12:46]
Nancy Glass
The first time he really got to know Cindy's children was at a Kentucky Derby party Cindy hosted at her condo.
[12:53]
Kenny
I was scared shitless on meeting these children. To me, it was a make or break situation. I was like, are these kids going to like me? Am I going to like these kids?
[13:05]
Nancy Glass
Kenny said he didn't want to impose, so he gave the kids their space and waited for them to approach him. And that's what happened. One of Cindy's twin boys came over
[13:16]
Kenny
first, so he comes over and immediately just says, all right, what are your numbers? And I was like, what are my numbers? Okay, what do you mean? He's like, kentucky Derby. What are your numbers? What are your horses? You gonna pick? What's your first and second? I go, all right, seven, 11. And he's like, mom. He goes, he picked the same numbers you did. And I was like, B.S. this is, you know, it's like that. She goes, no, we wrote them down. She goes, I picked 7 11.
[13:41]
Nancy Glass
And then the other twin approached Kenny.
[13:44]
Kenny
He's an intellectual soul, so you don't talk to him like a kid whatsoever. You talk to him like an adult, because I don't think he respects you if you treat him like a kid, because he's got this super brain.
[13:57]
Nancy Glass
So the two played a game of chess, something Kenny, for sure, thought he would win.
[14:03]
Kenny
He moved his king around so many times that I couldn't keep him in check. He's moving around a couple of his ponds and he finally. I didn't realize that he put me into a stalemate situation. I was like, you got me, buddy. You got me.
[14:19]
Nancy Glass
As easy as things started with Cindy's children, it was a different story with Cindy's ex husband, Steve. On one of their early dates, they ran into him.
[14:32]
Cindy
Steve has a way of making you feel constantly under attack. You're always under attack with Steve. You're always feeling like you're defending yourself. He never saw me as an equal, as a partner, that I have any rights at all. And when you look at somebody that way, you can easily hurt that person because you don't look at them as a human being anymore. So my mind was going to the extremes of what he was willing to do.
[14:59]
Kenny
I didn't know she was involved in a horrific lawsuit with her ex husband at the time. She kept that from me because who wants to air their dirty laundry? When you first started dating someone and it is very detrimental on how money can control people, direct people and move people to do horrendous things, it was just super uncomfortable and my gut instinct should have kicked in more than it did.
[15:37]
Andrea Gunning
This is Andrea Gunning from Betrayal Weekly. This is a stunning story based on the hit true crime podcast Betrayal. He was a tall, handsome police officer, the man of her dreams. Caroline knew right away he was the man she would spend her life with. But then she got a text that changed everything. The man she loved was having affair after affair with so many different women in his cop car while on duty. I implore you to watch Betrayal Dirty Secrets, now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.
[16:12]
Kenny
Hi, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Are you looking for a beach read this summer? May I suggest your big wireless bill? It's got suspense, mystery, a slightly flat emotional arc, and a shocking twist where you realize you've been overpaying the entire time. Fortunately, though, Mint Story is better. Every plan, $15 a month, even unlimited.
[16:29]
Andrea Gunning
That's it.
[16:30]
Kenny
Happy ending. Zero tears. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment
[16:35]
Nancy Glass
of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month. Equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy. See terms.
[16:42]
Tony Ayo
This is Tony Ayo from the Real Report with Tony AO and Uncle Murder. You ever notice how everything keeps going up? Rent's going up. Streaming services are favorite. Burrito spot suddenly thinks salsa should cost extra. But with Boost Mobile, you and your phone bill don't have to play the Will this go up soon? Game because Boost Mobile has an unlimited talk, text and data plan at a price that'll never go up. It's the same price you'll pay for life, meaning you're set to never worry about your bill increasing again for as long as you're on the plan. While the world keeps finding new ways to nickel and dime you, Boost Mobile gives you unlimited wireless at one set price for life. Imagine something in your budget actually staying the same. You'll pay the same for unlimited wireless when you're posting mirror selfies in your 20s. And when you're posting mirror selfies in retirement, some things never change. Switch now for unlimited wireless at a price that'll never go up, only at boost mobile. After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.
[17:43]
Kenny
I'm Glenn Washington from Snap Judgment, the storytelling podcast from kqed. Imagine an iconic piece of paradise overrun by one of the most horrific fires in recent memory. Everyone flees. Everyone except one person who decides to fight the flames. All systems down. The moment when nature, institutions, and technology fail at the exact same time. A new Snapdragon miniseries from kqed. Wherever you get your podcasts
[18:14]
Tony Ayo
Foreign.
[18:24]
Nancy Glass
She wanted to move on. But once she suspected that Steve had cut her out of a huge profit from the company they created together, she found herself torn. Filing a lawsuit would be reopening the door and litigating with the father of her three children. She ultimately believed it was a battle worth fighting. In the spring of 2018, Cindy filed a lawsuit against Steve and another former colleague. That happened right around the time she started dating Kenny. So how do you tell your new boyfriend that you're involved in a nasty lawsuit with your ex husband disputing the split of a $90 million profit? That's the question that rolled around in Cindy's head.
[19:10]
Cindy
It is so uncomfortable to tell somebody, hey, this is my world right now, and it's probably going to get worse.
[19:18]
Nancy Glass
By that summer, it was clear to Cindy that Kenny wasn't just some guy she was dating. She had feelings for him. And if they really had any chance of a future together, it was best just to be totally honest about what was going on with her ex husband, Steve.
[19:34]
Cindy
First, I started telling him about the lawsuit and I had to tell him how much money was involved because this isn't just a little bit of money. This is A lot of money, and it could wipe out Steve and how afraid I was of Steve and the fear I had of just being in my condo.
[19:51]
Kenny
That's when she started being brutally honest about the past, current affairs with Steve, her worries about Steve in the future.
[20:00]
Nancy Glass
Cindy remembers that Kenny didn't say a word. He just listened as she ran through the laundry list of drama happening in her life.
[20:10]
Cindy
It was an awkward conversation. I said, you know, I don't blame you if this is too much. I mean, I got three kids. You've never been married. You don't have kids. I mean, that in and of itself can be a challenge. And then you add a layer of financial fraud going on, and I'm scared to death about it.
[20:29]
Nancy Glass
She feared that the lawsuit against Steve could bankrupt him was a huge chunk of change, an amount that could bring out the worst in people. And she was fearful of what the worst of Steve could look like. Kenny was conflicted as much as what Cindy was describing was scary. Kenny was attached to what he was building with Cindy and her kids.
[20:53]
Kenny
I taught those kids how to fish, fly fish, even taught the kids how to chop firewood, build a fire. And it turned out to be an amazing close relationship. It was special. I stepped into being an adult in their lives and becoming their stepfather. It was something I hadn't done in my life before. It actually felt very easy.
[21:17]
Nancy Glass
Kenny's biggest compliment was came from Cindy's daughter.
[21:21]
Kenny
She said, I've never seen my mom this happy in her entire life. You make my mom so happy, you know, you love her, you take care of her. I think the kids were all happy that Cindy and I were happy, therefore the kids were happy. It was quite a special bond that we had all together. Cindy and I thought it was just the best thing ever. That's why we were blindsided at what happened.
[21:48]
Nancy Glass
As great as things were between Cindy and Kenny and the kids, Cindy's fear of Steve consumed her.
[21:55]
Kenny
She asked me to get my concealed weapons permit by a pistol.
[21:59]
Cindy
And I said, I want you to have a concealed carry so you can have a gun in each vehicle. So if we're together, you have it.
[22:06]
Kenny
Never was I thinking I'd get a concealed weapons permit to carry on me on a day to day basis because there was a threat out there against you for your life.
[22:16]
Nancy Glass
So, Kenny, what's going through your mind when Cindy says she wants you to carry a gun?
[22:22]
Kenny
Well, the hair raises on the back of your neck, like, is this serious? Are you just being an overdramatic person? But I know she's dead serious. She was deathly afraid of Steve. When she told me the truth of what was going on, that was unnerving. But I wasn't backpedaling. I was already involved emotionally.
[22:45]
Cindy
He took it in stride. He's like, I can understand why you feel that way after meeting him.
[22:52]
Nancy Glass
The first time Kenny officially met Steve was at a fundraiser to benefit Cindy's children's school. The event featured a silent auction of kids artwork. Cindy knew there was a chance Steve would be there, and she was right. Steve was there with his girlfriend, Christine.
[23:09]
Cindy
He had been with Christine for over a year by then, so I was thinking that he wouldn't even care.
[23:15]
Nancy Glass
As soon as Cindy spotted Steve, she pulled Kenny aside and gave him a warning.
[23:21]
Kenny
She goes, you know, we're fine with each other. It's okay if he comes over and say hi. Just shake his hand, say hi, but keep a small talk. Don't engage in conversation. And I kind of, like, raised my eyebrow over that one. I was like, okay, I get it. But I just respected that and didn't ask questions.
[23:36]
Nancy Glass
To Kenny, Steve didn't exactly look the part of a scary ex husband. He was in his mid-40s. He was tall, thin, with salt and pepper hair and facial hair. And on this particular night, Steve is
[23:49]
Kenny
using a cane to kind of hobble around.
[23:52]
Nancy Glass
At the time, Steve was recovering from surgery and was using a cane.
[23:57]
Cindy
He kept trying to walk right in front of us, and we kept moving, and he'd walk in front of us again. And I noticed every time that I'd bid on something, Steve would walk up right behind me and try and outbid me. And so that was really awkward.
[24:11]
Kenny
It got to the point where she actually had to have her friends go bid on the auction item she wanted, because whenever she went over there to go bid on an auction, he'd follow up and write his name down behind us and try and outbid her. He just kept following us around the entire, entire evening. You know, hey, hey, hey, what's going on? It was just awkward, uncomfortable.
[24:35]
Nancy Glass
Kenny and Cindy ended up leaving the silent auction early without any altercation with Steve. Cindy felt uneasy and unsettled after seeing her ex, but to Kenny, the guy seemed harmless.
[24:48]
Kenny
Cindy was deathly afraid of Steve. So anything that had to do with Steve and Cindy, Cindy always wanted me there.
[24:57]
Nancy Glass
Kenny started taking the kids places, like boy scouts school, or any place Steve might be. He says he was stepping up to protect Cindy from having to interact with her ex. But the more Kenny watched Steve interact with the kids, the more he Began to see what cindy saw. One afternoon, Kenny brought the kids to the pediatrician. The twins were only seven or eight, and they started playing with the toys in the waiting room while kenny watched. Then steve arrived.
[25:29]
Kenny
He goes to the two boys sitting on the floor, and he sits on the ground with him and halfway starts, like, crying, and he's telling the boys, oh, I know you're so scared. I know you're so scared. The kids get awkwardly uncomfortable, and he puts them in his lap, and he's just, like, stirring them into a state of fear. They were confused. Their emotions were confused. Like, he got them scared, and they started kind of crying with him, and then all of a sudden, he just snaps out of it. As soon as the kids kind of got, like, erupted into some sort of emotional frenzy, Then he looks at me and just starts talking to me like nothing happened, like, we're best friends.
[26:09]
Nancy Glass
While kenny was trying to process what he had just witnessed, Steve remained nonchalant and began peppering him with questions.
[26:17]
Kenny
Oh, so he used to be a manager for a restaurant, huh? And like that. So you're not working right now. So you're Cindy's, like, you know, business partner right now. Kind of that salesman routine that I know is fake. It's insincere. He's kind of trying to personally agitate me on stuff. Not as in he was actually really caring who I was and what I was doing. It was more of a nice, confrontational style.
[26:41]
Nancy Glass
To kenny, the questions felt backhanded, loaded, Kind of like the taunting nickname Steve would later use to refer to him. He'd call kenny cindy's paid caregiver.
[26:52]
Kenny
For me, I was like, whatever. I didn't really care too much. But it was very upsetting for cindy.
[27:03]
Nancy Glass
As much as cindy and kenny tried to avoid steve, it wasn't always possible, Especially when it involved picking up the kids at school. Cindy and kenny were there to pick up her three kids, and steve was there to pick up the son from his current marriage, his stepson cindy. And kenny watched as steve began an unsettling routine where he seemed to be lingering during pickup.
[27:28]
Cindy
I would intentionally show up 10 minutes after my kids were supposed to be picked up, and he's still there. And he'd make a big scene at the car right in front of the kids, Telling him how much he's going to miss them.
[27:41]
Kenny
And steve is just in tears, bawling in front of the whole school. So I would have to go over there and tell the kids, come on, guys, you have to go with me. And I had to do this multiple times.
[27:54]
Nancy Glass
Things got so bad, Cindy brought it up in the courts. And the judge in their custody case actually ordered Steve not to be at school when it was Cindy's day to pick up their children.
[28:06]
Kenny
Cindy and Steve are not supposed to be in the same room with each other, per the court order. So you drop them off in front of the school. You exchange no conversations.
[28:15]
Cindy
Bye.
[28:16]
Kenny
Bye.
[28:17]
Nancy Glass
But that didn't always happen. One afternoon, Kenny went to pick up the boys, and there was Steve.
[28:25]
Kenny
Steve is not supposed to be there, but he was waiting outside the door. And then Steve starts following me down the hallway. Finally I saw and I turned, and I just politely asked him. I was like, steve, you're not supposed to be here. I don't want to talk to you, and I've got nothing to say. I go, I'm just here to pick up the kids. And I go, you need to leave.
[28:46]
Nancy Glass
But Steve didn't leave.
[28:49]
Kenny
He starts pointing his finger at me, almost to the verge where he's pointing me in the chest. He doesn't touch me, but he's just sticking his finger in my face, yelling at me, saying, you do not talk to me in front of my children's way. And I was very polite. And so I said, come on, boys, we gotta go. It doesn't stop there. He follows me all the way to my truck, and this is halfway down the block, berating me to my truck. And he wasn't even parked anywhere near me at that point, I realized that he has an underlying rage that is scary. And you know what he did the next day? He called the school and said that I tried to fight him. And he told the children, and the children next week was like, you tried to fight my daddy. I was like, kids, you were there. All the teachers were there. Everybody saw this. Did I really try and fight? It's like, no, but that's what you told us.
[29:41]
Nancy Glass
It was uncomfortable for Kenny, but he was mostly concerned with the kids.
[29:45]
Kenny
I feel like I'm stealing the kids away from their own father. They don't want to take sides, but he used them in that situation in order to take a side. So Steve was emotionally putting up road barriers and getting these kids highly reactive to them coming with me and Cindy.
[30:08]
Nancy Glass
Ultimately, Kenny was most shocked at the one thing Steve didn't do.
[30:14]
Kenny
I mean, months have gone in. I've become close with the children, but he never once gave a phone call. He never once gave an invite, an email, asked Cindy, hey, why don't Kenny and I get together and Have a little chit chat because, you know, we're sharing children now. Never once did he ever asked me to have a conversation. If I was a father, I would have. I would want to know, who is this guy that's dating my ex wife that's become a parental figure in my children's life?
[30:43]
Nancy Glass
Despite the uncertainty of the lawsuit and all the other drama happening with Steve, Cindy and Kenny's relationship flourished. And yet, as good as things were, they both felt Steve's presence like a looming threat in the background.
[31:00]
Cindy
You know, I am genuinely scared. I have a lot of fear of my ex. You got this hyper vigilance of what's next. Something bad's around the corner. I know it's coming, and you need to kind of keep your head on a swivel.
[31:16]
Nancy Glass
In fact, Cindy's fear of Steve played into why she wanted Kenny to move in with her.
[31:23]
Kenny
When I moved in, not only did she want me there as a companion, but she wanted me there also for protection. You know, she's love of my life. She's my best friend, so I want to protect her. When you're in the hospitality industry for 20, 25 years, you get to know personalities. You can pick up on them pretty quickly. I never thought Steve was a physical threat. I think he was more of a. A person that would use other tactics to cause harm or ill will. And my feelings were right.
[32:06]
Andrea Gunning
This is Andrea Gunning from Betrayal Weekly. This is a stunning story based on the hit true crime podcast Betrayal. He was a tall, handsome police officer, the man of her dreams. Caroline knew right away he was the man she would spend her life with. But then she got a text that changed everything. The man she loved was having affair after affair with so many different women in his cop car while on duty. I implore you to watch Betrayal. Dirty Secrets now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney.
[32:42]
Kenny
Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now, I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited premium Wireless Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills. But it turns out that's very illegal, so there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment
[33:04]
Nancy Glass
of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for a 12 month plan. Required $15 per month. Equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy. See terms.
[33:12]
Tony Ayo
This is Tony Ayo from the Real Report with Tony Yayo and Uncle Murder. You ever notice how everything keeps going up? Rent's going up, streaming services are going up. Even your favorite burrito spot suddenly thinks salsa should cost extra. But with Boost Mobile, you and your phone bill don't have to play the Willis Go up soon game. Because Boost Mobile has an unlimited talk, text and data plan at a price that'll never go up. It's the same price you'll pay for life, meaning you're set to never worry about your bill increasing again for as long as you're on the plan. While the world keeps finding new ways to nickel and dime you, Boost Mobile gives you unlimited wireless at one set price for life. Imagine something in your budget actually staying the same. You'll pay the same for unlimited wireless when you're posting mirror selfies in your 20s. And when you're posting mirror selfies in retirement, some things never change. Switch now for unlimited wireless at a price that'll never go up. Only at boost mobile. After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.
[34:13]
Kenny
I'm Glenn Washington. This is Snap Judgment from kqed. When everything is falling apart, what do you do? Hurricane Helene shut everything down. No roads, no cars, no way through. But his daughter was getting married. And somehow, some way, he was going to walk her down that aisle. All systems down. A new Snap Judgment miniseries from kqed. Wherever you get your podcasts.
[34:50]
Nancy Glass
At the time Kenny met Cindy, he was 42. He'd never been married, and he'd given up on the dream of having kids of his own. Years earlier, he rescued a chocolate lab who became his travel companion.
[35:05]
Kenny
I think that dog saved my life. And I think it was because I got something that I guess needed me as much as I needed it. Maybe that's what a wife and children does for you. Something bigger to live for. And you know, that's what happened with these kids.
[35:28]
Nancy Glass
That's what this holds story is about. The happy family Cindy and Kenny were hoping for would never come to be. And the timing of it all is more than coincidental. By the summer of 2019, the lawsuit Cindy filed against her ex husband Steve and another former colleague was scheduled to go to trial. They were arguing over tens of millions of dollars. And as that trial got closer, Cindy's anxiety was off the charts.
[35:59]
Cindy
What it is, is greed. And greed does things to every single human being on the planet. That's why it's one of the seven deadly sins because it can really put you down the wrong path.
[36:10]
Nancy Glass
Even with Kenny at her side, she couldn't shake that feeling that somehow the other shoe was going to drop. And then, just as jury selection began, Something unexpected happened. Both sides reached a settlement. Usually in cases like this, terms of a settlement remain private. But according to the denver gazette, the settlement paid to Cindy was $10.5 million. The article states that the settlement was based on Steve having, quote, misled Cindy about the lucrative aspects of an investment. With that over, Cindy breathed a sigh of relief and said she finally relaxed.
[36:59]
Cindy
I was like, you know what? We just need to go and celebrate. I mean, this was a monkey off my back since 2017. When I found out about it, she
[37:07]
Nancy Glass
booked a trip to hawaii for her and Kenny. The plan was to get some sun, play a little golf, and just take a deep breath. Breath.
[37:16]
Kenny
Everything was over. Like, steve's gone. Not in her life. There's no more fight.
[37:20]
Cindy
So that's what the whole point was, was to celebrate the end of the litigation.
[37:25]
Nancy Glass
And according to court documents, Cindy received that $10.5 million settlement shortly before she and Kenny flew to hawaii.
[37:34]
Cindy
When you're in litigation, it literally consumes all of your available downtime. Your mind goes immediately to it. It is a non stop ruminating nightmare. So when we were in Hawaii, I was like, this is great. I had this massive load off my shoulders, like my life can finally move forward again
[37:57]
Nancy Glass
with a clear head. Cindy started to focus on the next family camping trip she wanted to take, the new house they were about to move into, all the things she had put on hold.
[38:08]
Cindy
And then it allowed me to relax and say, you know, maybe marriage isn't such a bad thing. I've been discounting it. And, you know, this person in front of me is wonderful, and he's never experienced it.
[38:20]
Nancy Glass
In the months leading up to this trip, Kenny had been hinting about marriage.
[38:25]
Cindy
When Kenny first brought it up, I mean, I almost bit his head off. I'm like, hell, no. Never again. Never doing that.
[38:31]
Nancy Glass
As you can imagine, Cindy's first marriage to Steve left her a little gun shy about doing that again.
[38:38]
Cindy
I said, that was such a miserable experience. I'll let you know if I change my mind, but it's probably not for now.
[38:47]
Nancy Glass
But leading up to that Hawaiian vacation, Cindy started to soften.
[38:52]
Cindy
The more I thought about it, I was like, you know, he's never been married, and maybe I'm just having this really negative view of marriage because of the person I was married to. And maybe I need to start rethinking that because I've already created this bias in my head and that's not fair. It's not fair to him.
[39:14]
Nancy Glass
One night during their vacation in Hawaii, Cindy and Kenny went to a luau. Cindy said that's when it hit her. She couldn't imagine being without Kenny.
[39:25]
Cindy
And I just brought it up to him. I was like, you know, I'm kind of, of warming up to this idea of possibly getting married. I think I need to give this another chance. I'm thinking marriage is bad because of my first experience and that it's a controlling environment and you lose yourself. And I don't feel like I lose myself when I'm around you. I feel like myself.
[39:45]
Nancy Glass
That night in Hawaii, Cindy and Kenny got engaged.
[39:50]
Kenny
Man, that was pretty special. I was wanting to marry Cindy for some period of time. We were together for over a year and a half or so. It was like, it's time, right? We're going to do this, we're taking the next steps in life and doing this as a family and going forward with
[40:08]
Nancy Glass
was a wonderful, life changing moment for Kenny.
[40:11]
Kenny
I guess you could say I didn't realize what I missed in my entire life of not having a family, a wife, children. You know, they're not my children, but they were my children, you know, because we have that bond we had, that love, we had, that relationship of I do anything, you know. You know, I do anything for those kids. And they loved me and I loved them back. I just didn't know what I missed out on. So I was blessed. And it was probably the most amazing year and a half to a couple years of my life.
[40:50]
Nancy Glass
That night, Cindy teased the good news in a text to her daughter. She said, we have something special to tell you when we see you and the boys.
[41:00]
Cindy
I think I was just kind of giddy at that moment because she had been talking about a wedding dress. She had already shown me pictures how she's going to do my hair. So I wanted to share it with her first.
[41:13]
Kenny
All's happy and all's great. Well, that changed.
[41:19]
Cindy
This all blew up the next morning.
[41:21]
Nancy Glass
That following day, Cindy received a phone call from a caseworker with DHS Colorado's Department of Human Services. The caseworker had some disturbing news. Kenny was being investigated for child abuse.
[41:36]
Cindy
I was shocked and like, what are you talking about?
[41:41]
Nancy Glass
The victim was one of Cindy's nine year old boys. And the caseworker had a warning for Cindy.
[41:48]
Cindy
She says, my children are in imminent danger as we speak. And I'M like, I'm not the one who poses that danger. That person's always been living with them. And she couldn't wrap her head around that idea. Idea.
[42:05]
Nancy Glass
After a long conversation with dhs, Cindy hung up the phone. She had a bad feeling, but it's not what you might think.
[42:13]
Cindy
My first thought wasn't, did Kenny abuse my kids? Because I knew he didn't. I never saw anything, any whole year and a half with my kids anything to ever consider that this man was abusive.
[42:27]
Nancy Glass
Cindy believed this was something that Kenny did not do. But that decision cost her because once Cindy and Kenny return home from Hawaii. So we need you to go ahead
[42:39]
Cindy
and turn around and place your hands behind your back.
[42:40]
Nancy Glass
Okay?
[42:40]
Kenny
You are under arrest.
[42:42]
Cindy
All right, Mr. Hamm, let's go ahead
[42:43]
Andrea Gunning
and walk this way.
[42:44]
Nancy Glass
I said this in the first episode, and I'm gonna say it again. At first glance, this looked like a story about child abuse allegations. But the more I learned, the clearer it became that the real story was something completely different.
[43:01]
Cindy
I could not have imagined the future of the legal warfare I was going to be involved with and the fact that I would not see my children for almost seven years.
[43:14]
Kenny
My motto is it always it's going to work out. Don't worry about it. You just keep on trucking forward, keep on moving forward. Have faith, and it works. Well, maybe not this time.
[43:28]
Nancy Glass
That's next time on Burden of Guilt. Thanks for listening. If you're enjoying Burden of Guilt, subscribe rate and review the series with five stars. Hopefully that helps other people find our show. Are you curious about what the people involved in this look like? Do you want to hear bonus content? Just check out our Instagram account at Glass Podcasts. You can reach out to the Burden of guilt team@burdenofguiltpodmail.com that's burdenofguiltpodmail.com Burden of Guilt is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcast. This series is executive produced and hosted by me, Nancy Glass, produced by Todd Ganz, also produced by Ben Federman and Andrea Gunning. Additional production support provided by Carrie Hartman. Our story editor is Monique Laborde. Our associate producer is Jade Abdul Malik. Our production manager is Kristin Melchuri. Our iHeart team is ally Perry and Jessica Krynczyk. Audio editing by Tanner Robbins. Audio mixing and mastering by Anna McLean and Matt D'. Albacchio. The burden of Guilt theme is composed by Oliver Baines Music Library, provided by MIB Music. For more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app or Apple podcast. I love the little everyday moments with
[45:45]
Andrea Gunning
my dog, especially treat time.
[45:48]
Nancy Glass
But dental care not always so fun. Until we found Greenies dental treats. These are more than just tasty. They're vet recommended and designed to support
[45:57]
Andrea Gunning
the four areas vets check the most
[45:59]
Nancy Glass
plaque, tartar gums and breath. Their unique texture cleans down to the gum line and supports cleaner teeth after 28 days when fed daily. It's a simple daily habit that supports their health and gives us another moment to enjoy together. Greenies make health a treat. Shop now@greenies.com this is a stunning story based on the hit true crime podcast Betrayal. He was a tall, handsome police officer, the man of her dreams. Caroline knew right away he was the man she would spend her life with. But then she got a text that changed everything. The man she loved was a severe
[46:33]
Andrea Gunning
sex addict, having affair after affair with
[46:37]
Nancy Glass
so many different women in his cop car while on duty. I implore you to watch Dirty Secrets now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney. Eminem's popped caramel do sound different? Oh no. People are gonna be obsessed.
[46:54]
Kenny
What do you mean? Hmm.
[46:55]
Nancy Glass
People hate the sound of chewing. Maybe they won't like the crunch.
[47:00]
Kenny
Maybe we're saved. Wait a minute.
[47:03]
Nancy Glass
Yellow. Have you been eating them this whole time? Mmm.
[47:09]
Kenny
So tasty.
[47:11]
Nancy Glass
Hands off us.
[47:13]
Kenny
M&M's popped caramel. It's more fun together. Whether it's help with hormone therapy, weight management, or sexual health, every woman should have access to affordable prescription medication and personalized care that understands the whole woman. Join me Dr. Doug Lucas, clinical lead of hormone optimization and longevity at LifeMD, along with other leading experts on the podcast. Here's something good on women's health and longevity. To learn more, go to lifemd.com iheart
[47:47]
Cindy
this is an iheart podcast. Guaranteed human.