Crime Salad Podcast: "Filicide Awareness Interview with Hope Houdin"

Host: Ashley (BLACKCAT)
Guest: Hope Houdin
Release Date: September 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This powerful and emotionally charged episode centers on raising awareness about filicide—the act of a parent deliberately killing their own child. Host Ashley interviews Hope Houdin, whose life was devastated by filicide when her two children, Alec and Lydia, were killed by their father. Hope courageously shares her personal journey through grief, her fight for change in the legal and social systems, and practical advice for those in abusive relationships. The discussion emphasizes the need for education, systemic reform, mental health awareness, and community support, with the goal of preventing similar tragedies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Understanding Filicide and the Need for Awareness

• Filicide Defined: Ashley opens by noting that the term “filicide” is unfamiliar to many, even those who follow true crime stories (00:54).

  “I wasn't very familiar with the term filicide… it struck me how rarely the word itself is used or how little this subject is openly discussed.”

• Hope’s Mission: Hope explains her work to make the term known and understood, sharing that even other parents affected by filicide only learned the term through her advocacy (02:04).

  “You don't know what it is until it happens to you. … We're trying to spread awareness and make sure that people use the actual term, because I think in our culture... they don't use the word filicide in the media."

2. Surviving After Loss and the Power of Faith

• Coping Day-to-Day: Hope credits her faith with helping her endure the trauma of her children’s loss, pushing her to honor their memory through activism (03:44).

  "My faith is super strong, and so that’s what keeps me going... I do what I do to help other children and to honor Alec and Lydia and to make sure that their memory and their light never goes away."

3. Advice for Those in Abusive or Dangerous Situations

• Safety Planning: Hope provides actionable step-by-step advice for parents or individuals in abusive relationships (04:40):

  • Tell a trusted friend or family member (not someone who will judge)
  • Contact a victim’s advocate via local police or sheriff’s department
  • Have a “to-go bag” ready (essentials and money stashed away)
  • Understand most danger is while leaving; ensure a support network

  “The most dangerous part is leaving an abusive marriage or relationship. That’s scientifically proven.” (05:44)

• Recognizing Red Flags: She stresses the importance of finding real-life survivor stories to recognize abuse, since abusers often “gaslight” victims into doubting their reality (07:25).

  “I had to find real life examples...through that I was able to then finally realize, okay, this is what I'm in.”

4. Systemic Failures in Family Court

• Judicial Negligence and Immunity: Hope discusses how the court failed her children by not reviewing evidence of abuse and granting 50/50 custody to her ex-husband despite red flags.

  “Judges and courts have judicial immunity. You cannot sue them because they are 100% immune from every decision that they make.” (09:13)

• Sealed Records: After media scrutiny, Hope’s court records were sealed—she believes to protect the judge and system, not her (10:24).

  “They made it seem like they were protecting me from the media at first, but now I know that they were protecting themselves because they knew the media was going to come after and look at every document...” (10:36)

• Push for Legislative Change (Alec & Lydia Act): Hope is working with state representatives to push for:

  • Child safety as ultimate priority in custody cases
  • Mandatory evidence review if there’s any proven domestic abuse or mental illness
  • Children over age 12 having a say in custody
  • Judicial accountability and enhanced judge training in trauma and abuse (13:38, 15:54)

  “The number one point on that bill is child safety first.” (13:38)

5. The Importance of Mental Health Support

• Distinguishing Severity: The Act aims to protect children in cases of severe mental illness while not penalizing parents seeking help for issues like anxiety or depression (22:54).

  “We do not want the parent that is getting the help for anxiety or depression or PTSD … to have that go against them.”
  “Only 3% of people with mental illness harm other people or themselves. Brock was part of that 3%.” (24:43)

• Mental Health Resources: Hope advocates normalization of therapy and resources like the 988 crisis line, sharing her own experience calling it for support (25:54, 27:05).

  “I called 988 when I separated from Brock... I needed to talk to somebody. It was 2:00 in the morning, nobody's up.” (25:54)

• Community Involvement: She encourages friends and family to kindly check in on loved ones showing signs of distress, warning against rationalization and inaction (28:39).

  “If you see something that might be wrong, our brains try to rationalize it right… But as a friend or a family member that truly does care, you need to get involved.”

6. Hope’s Ongoing Activism and Memoir

• Memoir Announcement: Hope is writing "There Is Still Hope," which covers her entire life, her children, and her activism. Planned for release in 2026, it blends faith, tragedy, and resilience (31:34).

  “Even though this dark time happened, the dark tries to swallow everything up, but the dark cannot extinguish the light. And so there's always hope.”

• Podcast & Resources: Her podcast, "Voices Against Filicide," and website feature episodes, survivor stories, and resource links, including those for crisis help and education (27:05, 37:00).

  “We have the Voices Against Filicide website, where we have resources and links… as a friend or a family member, if you see... someone struggling, you need to say something.”

• Community & National Action: She shares stories of other filicide survivors and activists, such as Leslie Hu’s Pierce’s Pledge in San Francisco, urging listeners to recognize the scale of the issue and learn from multiple cases (37:00).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Faith and Purpose (03:44)
  “The Holy Spirit within me keeps me going.”

• On Judicial Failings (09:13)
  “There is no other job in our country that you can do stuff that these judges are doing and then face no consequences from it … that’s not how the world works.”

• On Protective Legislation (13:38)
  “The safety of the child is the number one reason why I’m doing this.”

• On Mental Health Support (27:05)
  "I called 988 when I separated from Brock … that was super helpful, just to talk about it and get that off my chest."

• On Survivor’s Guilt and Legacy (35:07)
  “What I am doing will outlive me. What I am doing will save more children than I can comprehend. And that is why I'm here.”

• On Societal Responsibility (28:39)
  "If your gut is telling you what I'm watching right now in this interaction is not okay, you need to follow through before your brain catches up and tries to wash away that situation."

• Ending on Determination (38:21)
  “It’s not a hope. We are going to make changes.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:54] – Introduction to filicide and Hope’s story
• [02:04] – Why nobody talks about filicide and the need for correct terminology
• [04:40] – Step-by-step plan if you’re in (or suspect) an abusive relationship
• [07:25] – Recognizing red flags, survivor stories, and gaslighting
• [09:13] – Failings of the court system and judicial immunity
• [13:38] – Legislative activism: The Alec & Lydia Act
• [22:54] – Differentiating severe mental illness versus seeking help
• [25:54] – The 988 crisis line and its importance
• [31:34] – Details on Hope’s upcoming memoir “There Is Still Hope”
• [37:00] – Hope’s ongoing podcast and resource recommendations

Final Thoughts

This episode is both a cautionary tale and a call to action. Through the trauma and aftermath of filicide, Hope Houdin’s voice is a force for reform, hope, and community vigilance. Her clear guidance, advocacy, and personal vulnerability make this essential listening for anyone interested in child safety, domestic violence, or systemic justice.

Resources Mentioned:

• National Crisis Hotline: 988
• Hope’s podcast: Voices Against Filicide
• Pierce’s Pledge: piercespledge.org

Follow Hope:

• TikTok: @hopeinthepain
• Podcast: Voices Against Filicide (links and resources in show descriptions)

Quote to Remember:

“The dark cannot extinguish the light. And so there's always hope.” – Hope Houdin (31:34)