The Girlfriends: Untouchable – Season 4, Episode 6: "What Would You Have Done?"

Date Released: December 15, 2025
Host: Nikki Richardson
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts & Novel

Episode Overview

This gripping episode explores the emotional quest of Trena Cooper as she seeks justice and truth about her mother Dorothy’s brutal murder in 1983, a crime shrouded in mystery and neglect. Through Trena's eyes, listeners learn how decades of failures by the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department—especially regarding the notorious Detective Roger Golubski—enabled shocking abuses and left countless women and families devastated. The episode builds to a crescendo as a grassroots movement for the truth finally converges with long overdue official scrutiny.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trena Cooper’s Family History and Trauma

• Trena’s Childhood Discovery: Trena shares how she first realized her godmother was not her biological mother and became curious about her true origins.
  • "I didn't realize that she wasn't my mother until I was five, six years old." (Trena Cooper, 03:58)
• Recurring Nightmares: She describes childhood dreams of a woman being attacked, which later connected to the mystery surrounding her mother's fate.
  • "I used to always dream about this lady getting tortured in an alley… And he was like, that was probably Mama." (Trena Cooper, 04:34 & 04:48)

2. Details of Dorothy Cooper’s Murder and the Aftermath

• Family’s Experience with Law Enforcement: When Dorothy went missing, police refused to file a report—apathetic indifference that marked the start of decades of mishandled justice.
• Uncovering the Truth:
  • The family learned from TV news that a young Black woman’s body had been found.
  • Oscar, Trena's uncle, identified her by a childhood scar—a moment that still haunts the family.
    • "My uncle said that he remembered the scar that they had had alike... The childhood scar was there. This was his younger sister." (Trena Cooper, 08:39 & 08:51)
  • A disturbing detail: Dorothy's left wrist was cut off, ostensibly to hide evidence.
    • "Something else, and that's when he discovered that her left wrist was cut off. And my uncle's nim was telling me… they just did it. Like, her bones and stuff was fresh." (Trena Cooper, 08:59)

3. Trena’s Determined Search for Justice

• Chasing Answers:
  • Trena’s frustration grew as her family seemed reluctant to seek more information. She was particularly disturbed that evidence was mishandled, e.g., her mother's jean jacket was taken as a memento instead of being preserved.
    • "They gave my uncle my mom's jean jacket from the crime scene, and… that was supposed to stay in evidence." (Trena Cooper, 11:54)
• Attempts to Reopen the Case:
  • In 2007, motivated by her children’s questions, she tried to reopen her mother’s unsolved case at the police station and was directed straight to Detective Roger Golubski, not knowing his reputation.
    • "The only detective you can talk to about this case is Roger Galupski." (Trena Cooper, 13:44)

4. The Ominous Role of Detective Roger Golubski

• Suspicious Encounters:
  • Golubski showed little interest, cited uncooperative witnesses, and couldn’t locate evidence from the case.
    • "I went and looked in the evidence closet, and her evidence is not in there." (Trena Cooper, 17:17)
  • When Trena mentioned her nightmares involving a police officer, Golubski grew irate and abruptly ended their meetings.
    • "I told him... I've always had a dream that a police officer killed my mom... he got so mad... he got so red." (Trena Cooper, 17:34)
• Systemic Cover-up:
  • A medical examiner gave an implausible explanation for severing Dorothy’s wrist (to obtain fingerprints), fueling Trena’s suspicion of a cover-up.
    • "I said, she had another hand. Why didn't you use her other hand to get her fingerprints?" (Trena Cooper, 16:35)

5. FBI Public Corruption Investigation

• Background from the FBI:
  • Former FBI agent Allen (Public Corruption Unit), shares how, in the late 1980s, the agency began hearing damning accounts from prisoners regarding police corruption, specifically about Golubski.
    • "I think at the high point we had 15 cops who were titled subjects of the investigation. That's a lot. And one of those people was Golubski." (Allen, 25:58)
  • Allen describes the “blue code of silence” and evidence destruction inside the KCKPD:
    • "[The Internal Affairs Unit's] purpose… is to protect the upper ranks, to protect the people running the police department." (Allen, 26:30)
    • "They wanted all internal affairs reports destroyed after three years. You can't go back… because it's all destroyed." (Allen, 27:25)
  • The FBI investigation codenamed "Operation Street Smart" was ultimately shut down when a supportive prosecutor left; Allen believes that if they'd been able to continue, much suffering would have been prevented.
    • "We would have got him in the early 90s... a lot of people whose lives he ruined... we could have prevented..." (Allen, 29:51)

Notable Quote:

“You can’t be friends with people and investigate them at the same time.”
(Allen, 28:31)

6. Golubski Deposed & Victims Find Their Voice (36:25 – 38:46)

• In 2020, Golubski is subpoenaed for the Lamont McIntyre wrongful conviction civil suit. He pleads the Fifth Amendment 555 times, refusing to answer allegations about decades of abuse.

  • "With all due respect, on the advice of my attorney, I vote my Fifth Amendment constitutional rights." (Golubski, 37:24)
  • "That day, Golubski pleads the Fifth 555 times. 555." (Nikki Richardson, 37:32)

• The case settlement inspires more victims and families—including Trena—to come forward. Information and stories begin to circulate widely, turning whispers in the community into calls for justice.

7. Building a Sisterhood of Survivors and Advocates (41:23 – 43:11)

• Trena’s daughter urges her to re-open her mother’s case, especially upon learning about a survivors' movement in Kansas City and the organizing efforts of women like Khadijah Hardaway and Niko Quinn.
  • "Mama, you really need to look into this, Detective... it's getting serious. This police officer, he was doing X, Y, and Z to these ladies." (Trena Cooper, 39:22)
• Trena attends a public rally organized by "Justice for Wyandotte." Just seeing others also seeking justice for murdered or abused loved ones fills her with hope and solidarity.
  • "For all of these years, I've always thought it was just me." (Trena Cooper, 42:01)

8. The Relentless Pursuit Despite Obstacles (43:04 – 47:02)

• Trena and her uncle face dismissiveness and even hostility from current KCKPD detectives as she questions lost evidence and mishandled reports. Police threaten that sharing her mother's file would bar her from suing.
  • "If I give this file to you, you cannot sue us. Why would you say something like that?" (Trena Cooper, 43:37)
  • When Trena asks them to empathize, they claim they would have left it alone, which she calls out as untrue and presses harder.
    • "If it was your mom that got killed in the 80s... what would you have done?" – "We would have left it alone." – "Well, I'm not y'all. I wanna figure it out." (Trena & KCKPD Detectives, 44:15)
  • The tension peaks when they throw a crime scene photo in front of her and suggest, "what are you trying to say, Roger Garlowski killed your mom? I said, I didn't say that. You said that." (Trena Cooper, 45:15)

9. A Turning Tide: The FBI Steps In Again

• As community organizing leads to increasing scrutiny and public pressure, former detective Roger Golubski is eventually arrested by the FBI, signaling both a reckoning for the police department and validation for the survivors’ relentless pursuit of justice.

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• "I didn't realize that she wasn't my mother until I was five, six years old."
  (Trena Cooper, 03:58)

• "I used to always dream about this lady getting tortured in an alley..."
  (Trena Cooper, 04:34)

• "He remembered the scar that they had alike."
  (Trena Cooper, 08:39)

• "The only detective you can talk to about this case is Roger Galupski."
  (Clerk at KCKPD, 13:44)

• "I've always had a dream that a police officer killed my mom... he got so mad that I said that."
  (Trena Cooper, 17:34)

• "The purpose of the Internal Affairs unit is to protect the upper ranks..."
  (Allen, FBI Agent, 26:30)

• "With all due respect, on the advice of my attorney, I vote my Fifth Amendment constitutional rights."
  (Golubski, 37:24)

• "For all of these years, I've always thought it was just me."
  (Trena Cooper, 42:01)

• "If it was your mom that got killed in the 80s... what would you have done?" – "We would have left it alone." – "Well, I'm not y'all. I wanna figure it out."
  (Trena & KCKPD Detectives, 44:15)

Notable Segment Timestamps

• Trena's earliest memories & her mother’s murder: 03:49 – 09:16
• Investigation details & Golubski’s involvement: 13:41 – 18:25
• FBI context on Golubski & systemic corruption: 24:26 – 30:18
• Golubski deposed, pleads the Fifth 555 times: 36:25 – 37:53
• Trena seeks support from survivor networks & rallies: 40:26 – 42:14
• Showdown at police HQ, pushback from detectives: 43:04 – 47:02
• Episode close—new hope, FBI arrest teased: 47:02 – END

Tone & Style

The episode is raw and personal, marked by the trauma, resilience, and hope of survivors. Trena speaks with vulnerable honesty and persistent determination. The tone veers from heartbreaking (the details of Dorothy’s death and family neglect) to defiant (the confrontations with law enforcement) and finally, inspirational, as Trena finds community and momentum in her quest for truth.

Summary

This episode powerfully illustrates how one woman's refusal to be silenced—joined by a sisterhood of survivors—helped expose systemic rot in Kansas City’s police department. Trena’s journey, fraught with obstacles and pain, grows into a movement for justice that reverberates through her entire community. As suspicion transforms into action, and pleas for answers become a collective outcry, authorities can no longer ignore the truth or the strength of those demanding it.

Next episode preview: The arrest of Roger Golubski by the FBI and the implications for all those who fought to bring him to justice.