The Girlfriends S4/E4: Three Sisters

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Girlfriends: Untouchable – Season 4
Episode 4: "Three Sisters"
Host: Nikki Richardson
Producers: iHeartPodcasts & Novel
Date: December 1, 2025

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Main Theme

This episode, “Three Sisters,” explores the enduring impact of Detective Roger Golubski’s abuse and the interlocking stories of the Quinn sisters. Through wrenching, personal storytelling from Niko Quinn, host Nikki Richardson, and their allies, the episode traces layers of generational trauma, systemic racism, and solidarity among the women of Kansas City, Kansas. Their fight for justice is both intimate and emblematic of the ongoing struggle against corrupt policing and institutional indifference.

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Sections & Key Discussion Points

1. Setting the Scene: Personal & Historical Context

[02:37 – 04:11]

• Nikki recalls her childhood near Quindaro Park, a site of the Underground Railroad—a symbol of Black resistance and migration.
• The murder of Niko’s favorite cousin, ongoing police violence, and the Black Lives Matter movement of 2016 set the stage.
• The case of Lamont McIntyre’s exoneration—after being framed by Detective Golubski—drove Nikki to activism.

Notable Quote:

“When the Black Lives Matter movement swept across the world in 2016, that history took on a whole new meaning.”
—Nikki Richardson [03:46]

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2. The Formation of a Sisterhood: Nikki, Khadijah & Niko

[04:05 – 09:46]

• Nikki describes meeting Khadijah Hardaway at a rally for police accountability, forming an “automatic sense of familiarity.”
• Together, they create “Justice for Wyandotte” to empower women harmed by Golubski.
• They reach out to Niko Quinn, previously coerced into false testimony, now ready to take a stand despite backlash.

Notable Quote:

“It was like meeting a sister I didn’t even realize I needed. We locked arms that day, and we’ve been by each other’s side ever since.”
—Khadijah Hardaway [05:01]

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3. The Quinn Sisters’ Childhood: Resilience Amid Chaos

[10:11 – 13:31]

• Niko describes growing up in a fractured home: an absent father, a mother with severe mental illness, and a crowded, chaotic household.
• The sisters face sexual abuse from an uncle.
• Stacy, the eldest, was fiercely protective—taking abuse upon herself to shield her younger sisters.

Notable Quote:

“She would put herself in harm’s way so he wouldn’t get us. She was a protector, especially me, because I was the baby.”
—Niko Quinn [13:06]

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4. Stacy’s Teenage Years: Targeted by Golubski

[13:31 – 16:38]

• Stacy, aspiring nurse, is raped by a white police officer matching Golubski’s description.
• The family begins to understand the police’s unchecked power and the danger looming in their community.
• Stacy is silenced by threats from her abuser.

Notable Quote:

“She had got raped and came in and told us, and we was holding her, crying. We was telling her to tell, and she was like, she couldn’t because of the threats that he made.”
—Niko Quinn [14:36]

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5. The Crack Epidemic & Stacy’s Downward Spiral

[16:09 – 17:53]

• Crack cocaine devastates the neighborhood; pamphlets warning of its dangers become a grim reality for the Quinn family.
• Stacy turns to drugs to cope with trauma, falling into addiction and prostitution—Golubski manipulates and exploits her at every step.

Notable Quote:

“Golubski hadn’t just assaulted her once and moved on. He tormented her all the way through her adolescence into adulthood.”
—Nikki Richardson [16:48]

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6. Golubski’s Reign of Terror: Inside & Outside the Police Department

[21:01 – 26:58]

• Retired cop Max Seifert describes rumors of Golubski patronizing sex workers off duty.
• The origins of Golubski’s career (Class of 1975) and his rapid ascent, enabled by a culture of silence and complicity in the KCKPD.
• Golubski is caught in a “sexual compromising situation” with a Black woman in his police office, but nothing is done.
• His pattern: supplying drugs, arresting women for prostitution, coercing sex.

Notable Quotes:

“[The commander] said, ‘Don’t you people have locks on your doors?’ Sexual misconduct … just wasn’t considered to be a bad thing. Roger, just being Roger. Boys will be boys.”
—Max Seifert [25:57]

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7. Breaking the Cycle: Niko’s Sanctuary & The Crisis for Women

[38:51 – 41:45]

• Niko transforms her home into a safe space for women on the streets, providing food, shelter, and dignity.
• She shares stories of women she helped—Rhonda Tribue and Monique Allen—both murdered after last being seen with Golubski.
• Despite being the last to see them alive, Niko is haunted but continues her mission.

Notable Quotes:

“They are human, just like we are. They just got dealt a bad hand.”
—Niko Quinn [39:55]

“And then the next morning, they find her dead in the middle of the street off of 18th and the side street.”
—Niko Quinn on Monique Allen [44:33]

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8. Stacy’s Exclusion from the Murder Investigation & Ongoing Mystery

[35:01 – 37:50]

• Stacy had witnessed her cousin’s murder and could have cleared Lamont McIntyre, but was never called as a witness, likely due to Golubski’s manipulation.
• Stacy later becomes a victim of abduction and brutal assault, surviving to reunite with her family.
• Her life becomes a symbol of both suffering and strength.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Part of her wanted to move on, leave it all in the past. But rumors about Golubski were coming to light, and Nikko wanted to join the fight.” —Nikki Richardson [07:16]
• “I got you. I got you. I got you.” —Niko Quinn [09:14 chorus; 20:56 and episode end]
• “This one right here, you gonna leave alone. You ain’t gonna touch this one. You ain’t gonna get this one.” —Stacy Quinn, as remembered by Niko [30:22]
• “Monique and Rhonda’s murders were investigated by the KCKPD. But no one was arrested or convicted. Nico didn’t know what to do. The women in her community were in crisis.” —Nikki Richardson [45:25]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Personal Context: [02:37–04:11]
• Formation of Justice for Wyandotte: [04:11–09:46]
• Quinn Sisters’ Upbringing: [10:11–13:31]
• Stacy Attacked by Police: [13:31–16:38]
• Crack Epidemic & Its Toll: [16:09–17:53]
• Police Culture & Golubski’s Abuse: [21:01–26:58]
• Niko’s Sanctuary for Women: [38:51–41:45]
• Deaths of Rhonda Tribue & Monique Allen: [41:45–45:25]
• Stacy’s Exclusion & Abduction: [35:01–37:50]
• Episode Conclusion / Teaser for Next: [46:10–46:18]

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Tone and Language

The language is raw, vulnerable, and matter-of-fact; the women candidly recount abuse and survival, often punctuating harrowing recollections with warmth, humor, and close sisterly bonds. There's an undercurrent of rage and heartbreak, but also hope and empowerment brought by collective action and testimony.

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Episode Takeaway

“Three Sisters” reveals the multilayered devastation inflicted by Golubski on individuals, families, and the entire Black community of Kansas City, Kansas. Through the voice of survivors, it’s clear that the justice system repeatedly failed them—but their sisterhood, both familial and chosen, becomes powerful resistance. The episode ends on the precipice of another horror, driving home both the chronic danger and ongoing courage required to confront it.

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Content Warning:
This episode contains discussions of substance abuse, violence, murder, and sexual assault (including against minors). Resources are available in the episode description for anyone affected.

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Transcript

[Nikki Richardson]

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[Nico Quinn]

Shh.

[Nikki Richardson]

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[Nikki Richardson]

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[Nico Quinn]

Yeah.

[Nikki Richardson]

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[Nikki Richardson]

Hey, it's Nikki. This is an episode about sisterhood, both the ones we're born with and those we choose for ourselves. It's full of love, but there's also a lot of pain in stories that explore substance abuse, violence, murder, and sexual assault. One of those victims is a minor. There will also be some strong language. So if you or someone you love has been affected by any of the themes in the show, we've left some links in the description that offer resources and support. Take care of yourself. When I was a kid, I used to hang out near Quindero Park, a few minutes from my family's home. From the outside, it's nothing remarkable. Bright green grass, a kid's playground, benches to watch the world go by. As I grew up, I began to learn more about how this place was once a part of the Underground Railroad, a stop along the route enslaved black people took on the road to freedom. It's a part of our city's history that's all too easy to forget. When the Black Lives Matter movement swept across the world in 2016, that history took on a whole new meaning.

[Nico Quinn]

Police, no justice. No peace. No racist police, no justice.

[Nikki Richardson]

I'm no stranger to the racism and the prejudice black people face at the hands of police. But seeing the violent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor made this century's old fight feel more urgent than ever. It also gave me a greater awareness of cases involving police corruption happening right on my doorstep, like that of Lamont McIntyre. He was released after 23 years in prison, but the detective who had framed him was still walking free. Roger Galupski had retired from police work in 2016 on what seemed like his own terms. And none of the women he'd abused had seen justice. So in 2020, I organized a petition calling for greater police accountability in Kansas City, Kansas. As a result, I was invited to my first rally calling for an end to police violence and prejudice. One of the speakers instantly caught my eye. I was trained to look around, know my surroundings. That woman was Khadijah Hardaway. So I'm looking far and deep when I saw her. And literally, she is a full length of a block away. And I noticed her walking up to me. It was just almost like this weird eye contact. I immediately saw this ray of light. It was Nikki. She was walking up. We had never met each other before. We just gravitated to each other. I had just immediately hugged her, and she hugged me. We introduced ourselves, but it felt like we already knew each other. It was just this automatic sense of familiarity. I Can't even describe it. I've never had a feeling like that in my life. It was like meeting a sister I didn't even realize I needed. We locked arms that day, and we've been by each other's side ever since. Khadijah and I spent hours talking about Detective Galupski. The reports that he'd abused his authority, and the stories we'd heard from the women he assaulted. We needed to do something. So the next day, we set up justice for Wyandotte, an organization named after the county KCK belongs to. Our aim was to give voice to those who had suffered as a result of Golubski's actions. Like Nico Quinn, who had been coerced into giving false testimony against Lamont McEntire. In the lead up to Lamont's exoneration, Nikko had become the target of intense public scrutiny. It was like her own city had turned against her.

[Nico Quinn]

I would get calls from friends and family members telling me to stop talking to the media. Cause they was making me look bad.

[Nikki Richardson]

Part of her wanted to move on, leave it all in the past. But rumors about Galupski were coming to light, and Nikko wanted to join the fight, which is how she got put in touch with Khadijah.

[Nico Quinn]

I was at my worst when I met Khadijah. I was kind of, like, leery to talk to her. But then when we finally talked to each other, oh, we was on that phone for a long time, and it was like we have always knew each other.

[Nikki Richardson]

We talked on the phone for probably about five to six hours. The very first time we talked.

[Nico Quinn]

The.

[Nikki Richardson]

Three of us got to know each other pretty quickly. We were united by our experiences as black women fighting for justice and our shared goal of creating a better future for Kansas City, Kansas, a city we love. But it was going to take a lot of work. I just knew that, like after George Floyd and watching the communities around the world world come together because they saw the injustice. It was a time like no other. We shared stories during dinners, made plans over coffee, and spent hours getting to know each other. Until our friendship began to feel like something deeper. A sisterhood. The police had failed to stop Golubski from putting the community at risk. The authorities hadn't held him accountable for the abuse he inflicted on the women we'd heard from. And it was starting to feel like nobody was coming to fight for the women of Kansas City. So we decided to fight for ourselves. Nicki, I'm Nikki Richardson, and from the teams at Novel and I Heart Podcast, this is the Girlfriends Untouchable.

[Nico Quinn]

I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you.

[Nikki Richardson]

Episode 4 Three Sisters I got you.

[Nico Quinn]

I got you. I got you.

[Nikki Richardson]

When Khadijah and I decided to join the fight, the woman we gravitated to was Nico Quinn. We thought we knew her story, her cousin's shooting, the witness intimidation, and the threat of her kids being taken away. But it turned out there was even more to Nikko's connection to Glubski than we had realized. So we asked her to tell her story from the very start.

[Nico Quinn]

I grew up in Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas. I was born to Josephine Quinn, who.

[Nikki Richardson]

Had three daughters, Nikko, her older sister Liz, and their oldest sister, Stacy.

[Nico Quinn]

Stacy was beautiful. She was so beautiful. I used to love her eyes. And all the people that I know that knew her talks about how beautiful her spirit was, how very respectful she was because that's how we was raised.

[Nikki Richardson]

The Quinn sisters were like best friends.

[Nico Quinn]

We used to have fun, used to act like we was singers. Acting like we liked the Braxton sisters or stuff like that. Watching movies, you know, mocking the stuff that's in the movies.

[Nikki Richardson]

But they were regular sisters who would bicker and wind each other up too.

[Nico Quinn]

Stacy used to be so ornery. I remember when we was little, my mom used to be like, we said, mama, can we have some cookies or whatever? She say clean up and y' all can get them some. She was like, stacy, give them kids a few of them cookies. She go, elf, we should lick every.

[Nikki Richardson]

Cookie and then give it to us.

[Nico Quinn]

She was ornery, but she used to protect us.

[Nikki Richardson]

Niko needed a protective presence in her life because her family was fractured. Their father hadn't stuck around and Josephine had a lifelong battle with mental health issues.

[Nico Quinn]

My mother was in and out of the psychiatric hospital, mental facilities all my life. She got paranoid schizophrenic. She'll be okay for a couple of months or maybe a few years, and then she'll go back into the mental hospitals. But then we end up moving to a home with my grandmother, grandfather, auntie, uncles, cousins. So probably about 50 of us in a six bedroom house.

[Nikki Richardson]

Niko was surrounded by family, but it didn't always feel like a loving home.

[Nico Quinn]

I lived in nothing but chaos all my life. As a kid, I seen my uncles fighting the police, was in and out of my grandmother's house almost every other weekend. My grandfather was an Active, alcoholic. We was taught to be tough, have tough skin.

[Nikki Richardson]

Their grandparents tried their best, but they failed to fully protect the Quinn sisters. One of their relatives, a man who was supposed to take the girls to school, took advantage of them.

[Nico Quinn]

My mom would have my uncle take us to school, and he would take us back to the house and would rape us before we would go to school. When it started, Stacy was 8, Liz was 6, and I was 4.

[Nikki Richardson]

They were just kids, but Stacy stepped in to try and shield her younger sisters from the worst of it.

[Nico Quinn]

She would put herself in harm's way so he wouldn't get us. She was a big sister. She was a protector, especially me, because I was the baby.

[Nikki Richardson]

The Quinn sisters went through a lot together, but they still had dreams. Stacy wanted to dedicate her life to taking care of people.

[Nico Quinn]

She was going to school to be a nurse.

[Nikki Richardson]

In the mid-1980s, Stacy, who was around 16 years old, was doing a clinical placement at a local health center. She finished late some nights and usually got a ride home from one of her other relatives. But if they couldn't pick her up, she would make her own way back.

[Nico Quinn]

She was walking home one night because my grandfather had got drunk, and my uncle didn't pick her. Whatever it was, she didn't get picked up from her clinicals.

[Nikki Richardson]

When Stacy walked through the door, she looked shaken. Her sisters immediately asked her what had happened. After a moment, she burst into tears. Stacy told them about the police officer she'd seen on her way home. A white man with brown hair, bushy eyebrows, and a thick mustache. It was dark out, so he offered her a ride home. Being a kid who had no reason to distrust the police, Stacy had accepted the offer. When she got into his police car, his friendly demeanor faded. The officer forced himself on her.

[Nico Quinn]

She had got raped and came in and told us, and we was holding her, crying.

[Nikki Richardson]

Stacy was their older sister, their protector. It was painful to see her so.

[Nico Quinn]

Broken, and we was telling her to tell, and she was like, she couldn't because of the threats that he made.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico didn't know what the police officer had threatened to do to her sister if she reported him. But she was beginning to discover how much power and influence the police wielded over her community. Nikko came of age in the 80s, and as she grew up, she began to notice the ways her neighborhood was changing. There were patrol cars all around them, regular house raids across Quindero, and rumors of friends and relatives getting locked up by the police in record time. Because in the 80s, Kansas City, Kansas, was hurtling. Into a devastating crisis. Niko can still remember the moment it hit her neighborhood.

[Nico Quinn]

They had this big old community meeting up on Fifth street at the Jack Reardon Center. Our grandparents and parents used to go to these things. I mean, where their packed house is standing room only.

[Nikki Richardson]

Her grandmother came home from the community meeting with a handful of pamphlets.

[Nico Quinn]

And I'll never forget the one that said, hi, my name is crack cocaine. It said, I'll make a preacher forget how to preach, a teacher forget how to teach, a beauty queen forget her looks, a schoolgirl forget her books, the.

[Nikki Richardson]

Beauty queen forgetting her looks, and the schoolgirl forgetting her books. Nikko realized that is what was happening in real time to her sister.

[Nico Quinn]

Stacy started experimenting with drugs. I know she used to smoke and then she went to crack, and that was her way of escaping, because Golubski.

[Nikki Richardson]

Hadn'T just assaulted her once and moved on. He tormented her all the way through her adolescence into adulthood. Stacey's life began to spiral.

[Nico Quinn]

I noticed that a lot of people that I've talked to that start using drugs from childhood trauma or things in their life that they don't understand or know how to deal with. A lot of women end up on the streets on drug, prostitution.

[Nikki Richardson]

And that's what happened to Stacy. She got addicted to drugs and became a sex worker to earn the money she needed to pay for them. It was dangerous work that led her to spend long nights walking up and down shady streets, interacting with seedy men, one of whom was a constant presence. Detective Roger Golubski.

[Nico Quinn]

Shh.

[Nikki Richardson]

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[Nico Quinn]

I got you. I got you, I got you.

[Nikki Richardson]

It's the 90s in Quindero, a neighborhood on the northeast side of Kansas City. By day, it's a normal, slightly chaotic neighborhood filled with families and ordinary people living their lives. But at night, it can become a pretty eerie place. Men selling drugs, women selling sex. Sketchy individuals who linger around street corners buying both. It's an area Officer Max Seifert knows well, and he recently heard that one of his fellow officers, Detective Roger Golubski, had been seen hanging around in the area while off duty.

[Max Seifert]

Rumors were going around, you know, that he was spending a lot of time up in the northeast part of town, which is a high crime area.

[Nikki Richardson]

People were seeing him hanging out there off duty, not in his official role as a cop.

[Nico Quinn]

I received a phone call from an.

[Max Seifert]

Informant of Mine, he's very animated. And basically what he was saying was that Golubski was up there patronizing prostitutes.

[Nikki Richardson]

It turned out that the northeast side of the city wasn't just the area Golubski had been assigned to. The seedy streets and the dark back roads had become his hunting ground. Khadijah and I wanted to find out how Galupski had gotten started. What had shaped and enabled him to become the kind of police officer who abused his authority and harm the people he had been trained to protect. We wanted to see if we could find any clues, so we went all the way back to the KCKPD's graduating class of 1975. And they definitely was on a budget. Cause these uniforms look out of. They are public servants. They are. But Khadijah and I found a photo of some of the officers that joined the police force that year. They looked younger than we thought they would. Some of them even had baby faces. But we could tell they were police officers from the light blue uniforms. They look like jailhouse uniforms. They do, actually. They got a badge on. They really do. I mean, just very baggy blue inmates. Yeah, very baggy blue shirts. They've got pinballs. But ill fitting uniforms weren't our main concern. It was the people wearing them. In particular, a man on the second row from the top. So Galupski is. I mean, he looks creepy. I mean, he does look creepy, but he also looks like just kind of the guy you just walk past the grocery store, you know, just average build, a little bit on the pudgy side, wide pie face with, you know, big old. What is this, 70s inches? What I will tell you in this picture, he has the largest, thick. His mustache. He looked like a gangster cop to me. He's not very happy. I'm a people reader, because his lips is supporting a upside down frown. He just seems very unassuming. I mean, yeah, he might seem a little creepy. He looks like the person who would cut up the cat and put it in his freezer. He does look a little creepy, but he looks like somebody who would get away with it for so long because you would just cause he under the detective, that's all. To say that back then, Roger Golubski looked like a young, pretty unassuming new recruit. Another one of the officers in that photo is Max Seifert, a retired detective who graduated alongside Galupski and worked with him during his time in the Crimes Against Persons unit. The Crimes Against Persons unit handled assaults.

[Max Seifert]

Aggravated battery, rapes, child abuse. He wasn't a Person that would share things or talk about things. You know, he was always kind of a quiet person. Now he was very close and kept.

[Nikki Richardson]

Things close to him. Golubski quickly rose up the ranks because he gained a reputation for clearing up crimes in record time. He was given a private office, the kind of space where he could hold sensitive meetings and make confidential calls. But according to one of Max's colleagues, Golubski took advantage of the privacy his office gave him to abuse his position.

[Max Seifert]

A detective that was serving in his unit one day went to his office, and what happened was the detective sees the doors shut and he just opens.

[Nico Quinn]

It and walks in.

[Nikki Richardson]

He didn't knock or anything.

[Max Seifert]

He walks in and he catches Glubski involved in a sexual compromising situation with a black female in his office.

[Nikki Richardson]

According to Max, the detective immediately shut the door and walked away, taking in what he had just seen. A high level policeman having sex in the workplace. Max says someone reported it to their supervisor.

[Max Seifert]

Nothing was done about it.

[Nikki Richardson]

Even when it was allegedly reported to a division commander.

[Max Seifert]

Instead of saying, hey, you know, this is outrageous, you know, we're not going to tolerate this. You can't do this. Bringing discredit to the department. He said, don't you people have locks on your doors? Sexual misconduct was something that, you know, that just wasn't considered to be a bad thing. You know, Roger, just being Roger, you know, that's kind of like a boys will be boys.

[Nikki Richardson]

We reached out to the division commander Max is referring to, and his response was, this is an old rumor spread around the police department that was followed up on years ago. Had it occurred, an investigation would have resulted. Max says some officers in the police department knew about Galupski's misconduct. Others even witnessed his behavior in the office and on the streets. But he wasn't stopped. Golubski kept his position of power and continued to target women like Nico Quinn's older sister, Stacey. He would give her drugs to encourage her dependence and then force her into having sex with him.

[Nico Quinn]

He would arrest her for prostitution and put her in jail, drugs or whatever. And she was like, she didn't understand because he was the one bringing it to her.

[Nikki Richardson]

It was a vicious cycle that was not only destroying her life, but. But affecting the people who loved and depended on her too, because Stacy was a mother. In her teenage years, Stacy had given birth to her only son, a boy named Jornell. And in spite of everything, she spent the 80s and 90s trying to be a good mom.

[Nico Quinn]

My mama was really outgoing, you know, when music come on she'd be singing, dance all that well, we used to dance a lot. She used to connect with me on.

[Nikki Richardson]

That, like, different songs that I used to listen to. There's one song they both loved, the early 90s classic jump by Kris Kross. Remember it? Jump, jump, crisscross will make you.

[Nico Quinn]

She turned the music all the way up, and she turned the little light on and she plays music. And we just started dancing, just chilling, vibing. She was on my level and it hyped me up, you know, and made me feel better.

[Nikki Richardson]

Stacy would take Jonell to the park and show him her back bends. She spent hours teaching him how to play chess and making sure he felt loved. But as Jonell got older, he began to notice his mother's issues.

[Nico Quinn]

I knew exactly what was going on, but I didn't know, like, was that normal or not? You feel me? When I got older, I realized it.

[Nikki Richardson]

Gets bad like that. Stacy's addiction, trauma, and mental health issues made it hard for her to be a present and stable parent. So his family arranged for Janell to move out and be taken care of by their relatives.

[Max Seifert]

I always thought about her just like.

[Nikki Richardson]

She thought about me.

[Nico Quinn]

Cause it don't matter what you know, My mama is a mama. It wasn't a day she haven't seen.

[Nikki Richardson]

Me, let me know she doing good, give me kisses. While Stacy could no longer look after her family the way she used to, she still had a protective streak. Which brings us back to where this story started. The spring of 1994, when tragedy hit Quindero and Stacy and Nikko's cousins Donyell and Donnie were murdered. When Stacey saw her younger sister Nico being drawn into detective Galupski's orbit during the murder investigation, her protective older sister instincts kicked in. Nico remembers the moment when she and Galupski ended up in a room together around the time of Lamont's trial.

[Nico Quinn]

We were sitting in this little room, and, man, Galuski was in this room. That's when he started hitting on me. Oh, I heard you dance. I heard you used to be a dancer. Why don't you get on the table and let me watch you dance? I'll pay you. I'll this at this time, my sister walk in and she looks at him and she looks at me, and he had that little grin on his face. So she pushed me, pulled me back and put her hand in his face and said, this one right here, you gonna leave alone. You ain't gonna touch this one. You ain't gonna get this one.

[Nikki Richardson]

Stacy turned away from Galupski and looked at Nikko, her face serious, and she.

[Nico Quinn]

Said, don't ever mess with this dude. This dude is the devil. He's a snake. He's dangerous. He'll hurt you.

[Nikki Richardson]

Golubski had ruined Stacey Quinn's life, coerced Nico into a falsehood testimony, and sent an innocent man to prison for murder. But as we were about to discover, Golubski had even more power over their city than the Quinn family could have possibly imagined. We knew he assaulted women and abused his power. But there was another mystery at the heart of this story. And the Quinn sisters were about to find themselves right in the middle of it.

[Nico Quinn]

Shh.

[Nikki Richardson]

You won't believe what my new friend just told me about dinosaurs. Is your child having conversations you never imagined? Are they learning without realizing it? It's not a tablet. It's not a toy. It's Meco Mini plus, the AI powered companion that turns curiosity into endless learning. Hear the future of playtime. Meet the extraordinary Meco Mini Plus. Only at Costco.

[Max Seifert]

Tis the season for identity theft. This time of year, most of us are checking off our holiday gift lists. But guess what? Identity thieves have lists too. And your personal information might be on them. Protect your identity with Lifelock. Lifelock monitors hundreds of millions of data points every second and alerts you to threats you could miss by yourself, even if you keep an eye on your bank and credit card statements. If your identity is stolen, your own US based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. And all plans are backed by the million dollar protection package. The last thing you want to do this holiday season is face drained accounts, fraudulent loans or or other financial losses from identity theft all alone. Make this season about joy, not identity theft. With Lifelock, save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off terms apply. Every story begins somewhere for your child. It could begin with a Guardian bike, built right here in the usa. Engineered for safety and designed for confidence. Kids of all ages are learning to ride in just one day. No tears, no frustration. It's why Guardian is America's favorite kids bike and the New York Times and Wirecutter's top pick three years in a row. This holiday season, give the gift that's safer, smarter and built to last. Visit guardianbikes.com to save up to 40% on all bikes, plus a free accessory bundle worth over $100. The only thing between you and your best self is a start button this Cyber Monday, explore the world with NordicTrack. From the peaks of Peru to the streets of Paris, every workout moves you somewhere new, with iFit trainers leading the way. The equipment's amazing, smooth, quiet, and those screens make it all feel real. Ready to start your next workout adventure with the number one treadmill brand in the U.S. shop NordicTrack.com for Cyber Monday savings? NordicTrack. Train anywhere, explore everywhere. Hey, everyone. Ed Helms here, and hi, I'm Kal Penn, and we're the hosts of Irsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast, I am sitting down with Jenny Garth, host of the iHeart podcast. I choose me to discuss the new Audible adaptation of the timeless Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. This is not a trick question. There's no wrong answer. What role would I play?

[Nikki Richardson]

You know what? I can see you as Mr. Darcy. You got a little Colin Firth.

[Max Seifert]

OK, that's really sweet. I appreciate that, but are you sure I'm not the dad? I'm not Mr. Bennett. Here, listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nikki Richardson]

What we got here? I'm sitting in a room with Khadijah. This looks like an affidavit. We're looking through a bunch of files and papers. Affidavit? State of Kansas, county of Jefferson. Oh, this is for Stacy Stacey Quinn. Stacy Quinn. Mm. Well, the first thing I can tell you, just the form itself looks historic, right? Yeah. I mean, you can tell it goes back decades. In fact, the affidavit was signed in 1996, two years after Lamont McIntyre was convicted for her cousin Danielle's murder. It turned out that, like Nico, Stacy was desperate to do what she could to free Lamont from his wrongful conviction. Because Stacy had been at the scene of the shooting, too. She had actually seen the shooter's face. But for some reason, Nico was the only sister called in as a witness. Stacy describes what happened in the affidavit. The man had braids in his hair and had on black pants with a white T shirt with black writing on it.

[Nico Quinn]

The man walked up to the passenger.

[Nikki Richardson]

Side of the light blue car, pointed a shotgun at the passenger and fired twice. Stacey saw the shooter, but she was never called in to make a witness statement. And I think it was because she already had the relationship with Roger Galupski. Khadijah and I couldn't help but wonder if Galupski had kept Stacey away from the murder investigation. On Purpose? Was he worried about bringing a woman he'd abused to the police station? Was he trying to avoid the risk that she might expose him? A year went by, and Nikko moved on. But then she got an unexpected phone call from Minneapolis.

[Nico Quinn]

Somebody had kidnapped her and took her to Minneapolis, Minnesota. They told us they had found her beaten. She was naked in the streets of Minnesota in the wintertime. So me, my sister, my mom, and my cousin drove up to go get Stacy.

[Nikki Richardson]

The police reassured them that Stacy was alive. But when they arrived in Minneapolis, they were distraught to see just how violently she'd been attacked.

[Nico Quinn]

She said that two guys in a truck kidnapped her, beat her up, raped her, sodomized her, and took out her clothes and stuff and left her in the middle of the street of Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was so beat up and bruised. And my thought was, aren't you tired of going through this?

[Nikki Richardson]

Niko doesn't know why her sister was kidnapped, but it wasn't the first time. Stacey's life on the streets had led her to become a victim of brutal violence. It was painful to witness her sister's downward spiral. Love, Nico realized, would not be enough to break Stacy out of addiction. Nico could use her experiences, though, to support other women in her community struggling with their mental health, addictions, and the dangers of working on the streets. By 1998, Nico was 26 and had gotten a job at the local post office. She had her own place, and while it wasn't grand, she believed in helping as many people as she could with the resources she had. So if you'd walked into Nico's house back then, you would have seen a revolving door of friends, relatives, and neighbors who found refuge within those welcoming walls.

[Nico Quinn]

I talked to a lot of the women on the streets. I kind of made my house like a safe house, and that made me feel good because I was able to do something for these people that nobody else would do because they looked down at them. I knew about 20 of them that would come and sit and talk to me or come and sit if it's hot. Maybe they just want to come and cool off or a glass of ice water. The Bible said, if you can't do anything else, give your brother or sister a drink, give them shelter, give them food if they hungry. And that's what I tried to do.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nikko's home was a sanctuary, a place to sleep for a few nights while they got ready to pick themselves up.

[Nico Quinn]

I would make sure they eat, make sure they was warm or cool. When it was summertime, I let them Wash their clothes, take shoes, and just relax from whatever it is they've been through. And just sitting there talking to a lot of the women. They are human, just like we are. They just got dealt a bad hand.

[Nikki Richardson]

One of those women was Rhonda Tribue.

[Nico Quinn]

Rhonda had moved up on 22nd in corn duro.

[Nikki Richardson]

On an early autumn night, Rhonda came over for a chat.

[Nico Quinn]

She was just talking to me about her kids and her husband and the stuff her husband said and told her. And I asked her, how did she end up getting out on the streets? And she was saying she was being abused. And she confided in me on some things.

[Nikki Richardson]

Neiko suggested something to take Rhonda's mind off things.

[Nico Quinn]

I said, do you want to go across the street and have some drinks? And she was like, yeah, but I want to take a bath, change my clothes.

[Nikki Richardson]

So they did what friends did, listened to music and got ready together, going back and forth about who they might see that night and what they would wear.

[Nico Quinn]

She was saying, I got this shirt in my bag. It was a black shirt with, like some orange and different color flowers on it. And I gave her some rust orange Kaley jeans to put on.

[Nikki Richardson]

Then it was time to do their hair and makeup. It was the 90s, so they went for an old school look.

[Nico Quinn]

I gave her like a frieze, some finger waves, then you pull it up like scrunchies. She had a short haircut with a little brown or auburn color in her hair, like a blonde in her hair. And I'll never forget that.

[Nikki Richardson]

They crossed the road for a couple of drinks, then they went back to Niko's.

[Nico Quinn]

We came back and sat on the porch, and she was like she was waiting on a ride.

[Nikki Richardson]

A car drove up the road. Inside was a white man with bushy eyebrows and a thick mustache. Detective Roger Golubski.

[Nico Quinn]

Galuski went up the street, went down the street.

[Nikki Richardson]

After a moment, Rhonda got up, leaving Nico on the porch.

[Nico Quinn]

She said, well, I gotta go. I watched her walk out my door, walk up the street, make the right, then the left. She walked around the bend from my house.

[Nikki Richardson]

Rhonda took a turn and left Nico's line of sight. A few moments later, Detective Galupski's car drove back down the road. Nico leaned forward to take a closer look. Rhonda was in the passenger seat.

[Nico Quinn]

She was sitting back in the chair. Like she had the chair recline back, but I could see the hair. And I think a day or two later, they end up finding her in the middle of K32 deceased.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nico was heartbroken. Her friend had been killed. She'd been the last one to see her. And she knew who Rhonda had left with Golubski. She was terrified and desperate for answers. The autopsy report found that Rhonda had died from multiple blows to her head. But while the police launched an investigation, they never pinned down a suspect. After that, Nikko held her loved ones to and continued to do what she could to support the women in her community. One of those women was Monique Allen, a 26 year old who was down on her luck.

[Nico Quinn]

Monique ended up coming to my house. She ended up staying with me.

[Nikki Richardson]

Niko had young children, and so Monique would help her with them.

[Nico Quinn]

She would do my daughter's hair or my boy's hair. Cause my son had long hair. And get them dressed, had them pretty cute, going to school.

[Nikki Richardson]

They were good friends. They would talk about their children and their lives growing up on the northeast side of Kansas City. But like Rhonda and Stacy, Monique had gotten caught up with the life on the streets. Neiko can still remember one of the times they hung out at her house in the winter of 1998.

[Nico Quinn]

She braided my hair. French braided my hair. And she said she was going to see her mom. I believe she took a shower. She told me she was finna call somebody. So who you calling?

[Nikki Richardson]

Monique had a card with a phone number.

[Nico Quinn]

She set it on the table and I looked at it and she said, girl, I'm about to go. Give me some money. I need to get some money. I watched her walk out my door, walk up the street and over to.

[Nikki Richardson]

A blue police vehicle. She got into the car and then it drove away.

[Nico Quinn]

Then the next morning, they find her dead in the middle of the street off of 18th and the side street.

[Nikki Richardson]

Like Rhonda, Monique had been murdered.

[Nico Quinn]

She had been bludgeoned. They had beat her.

[Nikki Richardson]

I think the phone number Monique had dialed, it belonged to Detective. Detective Roger Galupski.

[Nico Quinn]

It was so crazy to me because I probably was the last one to see them alive or even talk to them that day. And I'm like, father God, why is this so? Why am I the last one to talk to these women? And then they're gone.

[Nikki Richardson]

Monique and Rhonda's murders were investigated by the kckpd. But no one was arrested or convicted. Nico didn't know what to do. The women in her community were in crisis. Her friends were being killed. And the man who lurked in the shadows of their lives seemed untouched. Quindero felt more dangerous than ever. And things were about to get worse. Because for Nico, her greatest, most terrifying heartbreak lay just around the corner. Coming up on the Girlfriends Untouchable.

[Nico Quinn]

There's too many predators. There's too many devils out here.

[Nikki Richardson]

The whole time he's holding a gun to their head.

[Nico Quinn]

I'm trying to save y'. All. I'm trying to protect y'. All.

[Nikki Richardson]

They about to issue a warrant and go look for this. Is this worth risking my life for it? The Girlfriend's Untouchable is produced by Novel for iHeart podcast. For more from Novel, visit Novel Audio. The show is narrated by me, Nikki Richardson. It was written and produced by Rufaro Mazaroora. The editor is Joe Wheeler. Our assistant producer is Mohamed Ahmed. The researcher is Zayana Youssef. Production management from Sheree Houston and Joe Savage. The fact checker is Findl Fulton. Sound design, mixing and scoring by Daniel Kimpson with additional engineering by Nicholas Alexander. Music supervision by Rufaro Mazura, Nicholas Alexander and Joe Wheeler. Original music by Amanda Jones. The Girlfriends theme was composed by Amanda Jones and Louisa Gerstein. The series artwork was designed by Christina Lemkel. Story development by Olivia Smart and Nell Gray Andrews. Novel's director of development is Selena Mehta. Willard Foxton is Novel's creative director of development. Max o' Brien and Craig Strachan are executive producers for Novel. Katrina Norvell and Nikki Itor are the executive producers for iHeart podcast. The marketing lead is Allison Cantor. Special thanks to Will Pearson and a special thanks to Karlie Frankel and the whole team at wme.

[Nico Quinn]

I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. Shh.

[Nikki Richardson]

You won't believe what my new friend just told me about dinosaurs. Is your child having conversations you never imagined? Are they learning without realizing it? It's not a tablet. It's not a toy. It's Meco Mini plus, the AI powered companion that turns curiosity into endless learning. Hear the future of playtime. Meet the extraordinary Meiko Mini plus only at Costco.

[Max Seifert]

Every story begins somewhere for your child. It could begin with a Guardian bike, built right here in the usa, engineered for safety and designed for confidence. Kids of all ages are learning to ride in just one day. No tears, no frustration is why Guardian. Guardian is America's favorite kids bike and the New York Times and Wirecutter's top pick three years in a row. This holiday season, give the gift that's safer, smarter and built to last. Visit guardianbikes.com to save up to 40% on all bikes, plus a free accessory bundle worth over $100. Tis the season for identity theft. This time of year, most of us are checking off our holiday gift lists. But guess what? Identity thieves have lists too, and your personal information might be on them. Protect your identity with LifeLock. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points every second and alerts you to threats you could miss by yourself even if you keep an eye on your bank and credit card statements. If your identity is stolen, your own US based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. And all plans are backed by the million dollar protection package. The last thing you want to do this holiday season is face drained accounts, fraudulent loans or other financial losses from identity theft all alone. Make this season about joy, not identity theft. With Lifelock, save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off terms apply.

[Nikki Richardson]

Let's play a little holiday Fill in the blank. Are you ready? Jingle Blank Obviously it's Jingle Jammies, because when Old Navy rolls out the Jingle Jammies, you know the holidays are officially on. The new collection is their biggest ever, 22 prints in tons of styles, from classic plaids to playful patterns. They even have coordinating graphic tees, sweatshirts, socks, fleece blankets, and even pet sweaters. Get your Jingle Jammies, crank up the cheer and make the season official. Find Jingle Jammies and other holiday [e-mail] at Hills Pet Nutrition, we know that pet parent guilt is real. Leaving too long, playing too little, new homes, new babies, Waking them up when they look so comfy. Running out of patience, running out of.

[Max Seifert]

Treats, running the vacuum.

[Nikki Richardson]

You can only do so much. That's why there's hills. Science led nutrition to help you give more love than humanly possible because you're only human. There's hills. Find the right [e-mail] Science does more this is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.