The Girlfriends: Untouchable – Season 4, Episode 2: "So Help Me God"
Podcast: The Girlfriends: Untouchable
Host: Nikki Richardson
Production: iHeartPodcasts and Novel
Original Air Date: November 17, 2025
Episode Overview
In this gripping episode, "So Help Me God," the podcast deepens its investigation into the wrongful conviction of Lamont McIntyre for a double homicide, examining the roles of intimidation, racial bias, and sexual violence at the heart of Kansas City, Kansas’ justice system. The episode focuses on the stories of Nico Quinn—who witnessed a murder and then was coerced to give false testimony—and Rose McIntyre, Lamont’s mother, who reveals her harrowing history with Detective Roger Golubski, the corrupt and predatory cop whose actions destroyed countless families. Through firsthand accounts, chilling threats, and haunting memories, Episode 2 exposes not only what happened in the courtroom but what happened in the dark corridors of power; it is a narrative about fear, guilt, and the birth of resistance.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Shadow of Grief and Intimidation (03:38 – 09:49)
- Nico Quinn’s initial trauma: After witnessing her cousin Danielle’s murder, Nico describes the suffocating sense of loss and how the community coped in silence.
- Quote (Nico Quinn, 04:38):
“It was like it was a dark cloud over us all, and nobody really didn't say too much about it. Everybody just drank. I thought by drinking that it would make me forget or make me feel like it's a dream.”
- First police contact: Nico receives a call to meet with ADA Tara Morehead and Detective Golubski.
- The DA’s office meeting is depicted as both intimidating and manipulative (06:11 – 09:49). Nico is shown crime scene photos of her cousin, told that Lamont McIntyre is responsible, and pressed to validate the prosecution’s narrative.
- Tara Morehead employs a mix of false evidence, emotional manipulation, and intimidation.
- When Nico resists, Morehead threatens her children and threatens jail, escalating the coercion:
- Quote (Nico Quinn, 09:10):
“Well, if you don't do what I tell you to do, I will go get your kids and I'll throw you in jail. Do you want to see your kids again? ... She went from being this kind person to being Evelyn in 2.2 seconds when I didn't give her or tell her what she wanted. I got you. I got you.”
2. The Preliminary Hearing and Courtroom Coercion (10:15 – 18:59)
- Lamont’s bewildering court experience:
- Lamont describes the preliminary hearing as a “play” for which he didn’t get the script (11:38).
- Quote (Lamont, 11:38):
“The preliminary hearing was like it was a play. And I was the only one that didn't get a script.”
- Prosecution presents no real evidence; the case depends entirely on coerced eyewitness testimony.
- Witness intimidation in action:
- Nico, in the courtroom for the first time, immediately recognizes that Lamont is not the perpetrator based on physical characteristics (13:31).
- In a direct confrontation with Morehead and officers, Nico insists Lamont is too tall and not the killer; Morehead reiterates her threats (13:55–14:10).
- Quote (Nico Quinn, 13:58):
“That's when she threatened me again that she was going to throw my black ass in jail. She'll send the police to go get my kids, and I'll never see them again.”
- The impossible choice:
- On the stand, Nico is forced to choose between protecting her children or telling the truth:
- Quote (Nico Quinn, 16:12–16:58):
“Everything in me was saying, tell the truth. Tell the truth. Tell the truth. And I know it wasn't but the Holy Spirit telling me to tell the truth... The only thing I could see was my children … I'm praying, Father, forgive me. Forgive me.”
- This leads to her falsely identifying Lamont as the murderer under duress.
- Quote (Lamont McIntyre, 17:27):
“I felt like I was dreaming at that moment. I felt like that wasn't me sitting there. I felt uneasy and I felt weird. It's like I was watching somebody else's life unravel like that. It wasn't mine.”
- Community fallout:
- With two witnesses coerced, even Lamont’s family starts doubting him, except for his mother, Rose.
3. The Revelation of Past Abuse & Systemic Corruption (24:32 – 32:52)
- The predation of Golubski, as told by Rose:
- The episode shifts to the late ‘80s, when Rose McIntyre recounts her sexual assault by Detective Golubski, who used his authority to threaten and coerce her.
- Office environment is described in chilling detail, highlighting the impunity with which Golubski operated, and the complicity (or at least apathy) of other officers:
- Quote (Rose McIntyre, 26:45):
“I saw a white uniformed officer in the doorway. For a moment it seems like somebody might intervene, but when the officer saw Golubski and me, he simply backed out and shut the door. Golubski never stopped what he was doing, and the officer himself did not act surprised.”
- Harassment was ongoing; Rose felt “terrified and sick to my stomach … powerless to say no” (28:07), eventually relocating and changing her phone number to escape.
- Golubski’s long shadow:
- Years later, Rose suspects that Lamont’s prosecution might be retaliation—a chilling intersection of her own victimization and her son’s.
4. The Aftermath: Guilt, Despair, and the Beginnings of Resistance (37:33 – 44:47)
- Nico’s guilt and attempted suicide:
- Haunted by her testimony, Nico describes a suicide attempt and a pivotal moment where she is stopped by the thought of her children and an inner voice urging her to fix what’s been done:
- Quote (Nico Quinn, 38:15):
“I took a handful of them, and I heard, stop. And it scared me... And I heard the Holy Spirit say, who's gonna fix it if you die? Who gonna fix it? And from that day forward, I worked on trying to make my own right.”
- Attempted recantation and legal indifference:
- Nico tries to tell ADA Morehead the truth and recants her statement, but is met with indifference and implicit racism:
- Quote (Nico Quinn, 40:12):
“She asked me who was I gonna tell? Who's gonna believe me over her is what she told me.”
- Self-education and activism:
- Denied justice through official channels, Nico educates herself on the law and attempts to start grassroots efforts, writing letters to media figures in hopes of drawing attention to the case.
- She forges a bond with Rose, becoming the emotional lifeline for each other as they attempt to survive and resist the fallout of Golubski’s crimes.
5. A Broader Pattern of Abuse (44:47 – 45:35)
- Learning they’re not alone:
- It becomes evident that Lamont and his family are just one instance in a much broader web of Golubski’s abuse and the systemic coverups protecting him.
- Quote (Nikki Richardson, 44:47):
“Lamont was defeated. Nico felt guilty, and Rose was inconsolable. Each of their lives had been devastated by Roger Golubski, but what they didn’t know at the time was that this was just the beginning. And they weren’t alone.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote |
|-----------|----------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 04:38 | Nico Quinn | “It was like it was a dark cloud over us all, ... I thought by drinking that it would make me forget or make me feel like it’s a dream.” |
| 09:10 | Nico Quinn | “If you don’t do what I tell you to do, I will go get your kids and I’ll throw you in jail. Do you want to see your kids again? ... I got you.” |
| 11:38 | Lamont McIntyre| “The preliminary hearing was like it was a play. And I was the only one that didn’t get a script.” |
| 13:58 | Nico Quinn | “That’s when she threatened me again that she was going to throw my black ass in jail. She’ll send the police to go get my kids, and I’ll never see them again.” |
| 16:12 | Nico Quinn | “Everything in me was saying, tell the truth. Tell the truth. ... The only thing I could see was my children.” |
| 17:27 | Lamont McIntyre| “I felt like I was dreaming at that moment. ... It’s like I was watching somebody else’s life unravel like that. It wasn’t mine.” |
| 26:45 | Rose McIntyre | “I saw a white uniformed officer in the doorway... he simply backed out and shut the door. Golubski never stopped what he was doing, and the officer himself did not act surprised.” |
| 38:15 | Nico Quinn | “I took a handful of them [antidepressants], and I heard, stop. ... And I heard the Holy Spirit say, who’s gonna fix it if you die?” |
| 40:12 | Nico Quinn | “She asked me who was I gonna tell? Who’s gonna believe me over her is what she told me.” |
Timeline & Timestamps for Significant Segments
- 03:38 – 04:38: Introduction to Nico’s state following her cousin’s murder.
- 05:41 – 09:49: DA meeting, confrontation, and first threats by Moorehead.
- 10:15 – 18:59: Lamont’s preliminary hearing and coerced witness testimony.
- 24:32 – 32:52: Rose’s flashbacks: Golubski’s predation and ongoing trauma.
- 37:33 – 39:50: Nico’s post-trial guilt, suicide attempt, resolve to fix things.
- 40:12 – 41:05: Efforts to recant and system’s stonewalling of her testimony.
- 41:05 – 44:47: Nico’s attempts at advocacy and the deepening relationship with Rose.
- 44:47 – End: Realization that Golubski’s abuses are widespread; foreboding of wider revelations to come.
Tone, Style, and Themes
The episode is delivered in a raw, intimate manner, centering the voices of the survivors. The tone is mournful, tense, and ultimately determined. The speakers’ language is direct, emotional, and often marked by both resignation and the spark of resistance. The episode repeatedly emphasizes the isolation experienced by individuals confronting systems of power, while also tracing the beginnings of collective action and mutual support.
Summary/Takeaway
Episode 2 of "The Girlfriends: Untouchable" exposes how police and legal authority not only facilitates miscarriages of justice but perpetuates personal and communal trauma—especially for Black women in Kansas City, Kansas. Through stories of intimidation, sexual violence, and the crushing consequences of a corrupt system, the episode weaves a narrative of tragedy but also the roots of a grassroots, woman-led resistance that will fight to expose and end the abuses of power.
Further Listening
Next episode promises deeper explorations into Golubski’s network of victims and the emerging coalition seeking justice.
