The Girlfriends S4/E8: It Could Have Been Us

Summary

The Girlfriends: Untouchable – Season 4, Episode 8: It Could Have Been Us

Release Date: December 29, 2025
Host: Nikki Richardson
Production: iHeartPodcasts and Novel

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Overview

The season finale of The Girlfriends: Untouchable delves into the lingering impact and unresolved trauma left by the decades-long abuse and corruption of Detective Roger Golubski in Kansas City, Kansas. Host Nikki Richardson and contributors Niko Quinn and Khadijah reflect on new evidence, the enduring pain for victims and families, and hopes for both justice and future community healing. While the story acknowledges a measure of closure—particularly surrounding Golubski’s death—it remains unfinished, especially for the women and girls whose lives were scarred or lost.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tina Peterson’s Testimony and Golubski’s Connections

• The episode opens with the story of Tina Peterson, who worked at McCall’s service station, later owned by known drug dealer Cecil Brooks.
• Tina observed suspicious dealings:

  “I would see Golubski almost every day, typically in the evening… Cecil would go out to speak privately with him.” — Tina Peterson (voice actor), [05:09].

• Peterson realized the station operated as a drug house, with Golubski not simply turning a blind eye but potentially acting as co-conspirator ([06:00]).
• She later witnessed cash exchanges between Brooks and Golubski ([06:22]).
• Tina also noticed underage girls in the Delavan Apartments, owned by Brooks, and expressed concern about their presence and Golubski’s interactions:

  “I also noticed underage girls there, which was very troubling. I also saw Golubski there with Cecil and noticed that they seemed to socialize with the underage girls.” — Tina Peterson (voice actor), [09:55].

2. The Federal Indictment: Alleged Sex Trafficking

• A 2022 federal case indicted Golubski and Brooks for alleged sex trafficking of minors.
• The indictment accused them of:

  “Protection and participation. From then Detective Galupski, held young women and girls at an apartment complex owned by Brooks and forced the young women, through beatings and threats of force, to provide sexual services.” — Nikki Richardson, [11:14].

• Trafficked girls were as young as 13, many were runaways or recently released from a juvenile correctional facility ([13:03]).
• The case paints a picture of institutional complicity and deeply systemic abuse:

  “They disguise, they deflect, they cuss you out, they do everything they can, and then they ship your kid on… the corruption is so deep, so entrenched, it’s ridiculous.” — Khadijah, [14:10].

3. “It Could Have Been Us”: Confronting Systemic Racism and Vulnerability

• Both Nikki and Khadijah reflect on the concept of “adultification bias”—the myth of Black girls as less vulnerable, leading to increased victimization ([15:58]).
• The episode emphasizes how easily vulnerable girls slipped through systemic cracks due to overlapping failures by law enforcement, housing authorities, and corrections.

4. Re-examining Past Injustices – The Motive for Cover-ups

• Reflects on the original framing of Lamont McIntyre and the possibility that he was targeted to protect Golubski and Brooks’s criminal enterprise:

  “He needs Cecil on the street so he can continue to conduct business… so it would just make sense for him to continually wrongfully convict other people so he can continue that business relationship.” — Nikki Richardson, [24:04].

5. Hopes for Justice & Systemic Change

• As Golubski’s death precludes holding him accountable in court, many survivors and their families grapple with what justice means now.
• Khadijah on the coming trial:

  “My hoax is that the prosecution closely looks at testimony and the implications of other officers because we know that Roderick Lousby did not act alone… I would like to see karma hit each and every one of these individuals…” — Khadijah, [25:01].

• Nikki:

  “You never want to hear these stories, but you know that they have to come to light. Our community deserves that light. It deserves the truth.” — Nikki Richardson, [25:27].

• Trena Cooper (speaking about her murdered mother):

  “Justice would have looked like Golubski going to jail for me… But of course, that didn’t happen. So now I really don’t know what justice will look like for me going forward.” — Trena Cooper (via Nikki), [27:44].

6. KCK Police Department’s Response

• The current chief condemned Golubski’s crimes:

  “Roger Galupski has been charged with deplorable crimes… he did wear the uniform and caused pain… Based on these charges, Bellutski’s tenure in law enforcement was a moral, ethical, and legal failure. Roger Galutski does not represent the culture, vision, or mission of the current Kansas City, Kansas Police Department.” — Chief Carl Oakman statement, [28:31].

7. The Unfinished Story

• Nikki and Niko discuss the challenge of “ending” such a story when legal justice is incomplete and wounds persist.
• Khadijah imagines a happier ending as a catalyst for community-driven change and healing:

  “I imagine that we evoke something in the hearts of people in Wyandotte county… that this would be the next chapter in what we do to make a difference and that we produce great things for the community that centers around healing.” — Khadijah, [30:35].

8. Niko’s Personal Closure and Continuing Mission

• Niko reflects on her grief and survival, including why she became a truck driver to escape Golubski’s shadow ([38:05]).
• She describes efforts to support survivors, including forming the Spiritual Sister Circle:

  “Helping get them work ready and ready to change their lives.” — Niko Quinn, [37:45].

• On living with pain:

  “I tried so many things to get rid of the pain, and the pain is still here… She’s not cold, she ain’t hungry, she ain’t hurt no more.” — Niko Quinn, [40:39].

• On letting her sister Stacy rest:

  “After all this is said and done… I’m gonna give my sister a sense of peace… I’mma close that casket. I’m gonna let her rest because it’s time.” — Niko Quinn, [43:13].

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the scope of corruption:

  "Anytime that…you have crimes like this that go on for years and decades. It is not done by just one person. It was an organized effort." — Nikki Richardson, [15:27]

• On how easily it could have happened to anyone:

  “I think that’s what really pushed me—the idea that I was so close to danger and God protected me…But I was angry that so many people weren’t.” — Khadijah, [17:32]

• On the impossibility of a clean ending:

  “This story doesn’t tie together as neatly, and the outcome hasn’t been as satisfying for you or for the victims and survivors… If you were telling the story, how would you end it?” — Nikki Richardson and Niko Quinn, [30:20–30:27]

• On commemoration and legacy:

  “I want these women to be remembered in a positive way, not of what they were, prostitutes or crackheads… Let’s say their name and continue to say it because they had a hard life in life. Let’s honor them in death.” — Niko Quinn, [36:08]

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Important Timestamps

• Tina Peterson describes Golubski and Brooks’s activities: [05:09–10:04]
• Federal indictment and case details: sex trafficking: [11:09–14:49]
• Systemic failures, “adultification bias,” and Black girls’ vulnerability: [15:58–17:32]
• Lamont McIntyre’s wrongful conviction context: [22:24–24:04]
• Reflection on justice, hopes for the trial: [25:01–27:13]
• KCKPD Chief Carl Oakman’s public statement: [28:31]
• The challenge of “ending” the story & drive for healing: [30:08–31:29]
• Niko Quinn on grief, memory, and letting go: [36:08–43:13]
• Quindaro’s symbolism – “bundle of sticks” for community resilience: [44:39]

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Closing Reflections

• The episode is emotionally charged, centering survivor voices and the complexity of healing after such sweeping harm.
• It underscores the role of community storytelling, memorialization, and the unfinished process of reckoning with institutional failures.
• The final thought invokes Quindaro’s legacy:

  “Quindaro, it means bundle of sticks. One stick by itself is easy to break, but you put a bundle of sticks together and that’s harder to break. If we stick together, it’s harder to separate us.” — Niko Quinn, [44:39]

The story of Golubski’s crimes may have closed one chapter, but the struggle for justice and healing in Wyandotte County, and beyond, is ongoing.

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This episode summary omits advertisements and non-content material and captures the final act of The Girlfriends: Untouchable as both a conclusion and a call to continued vigilance and community care.

Transcript

[Nikki Richardson]

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[Nikki Richardson]

And you're listening to the final episode of the Girlfriends Untouchable. Before we bring this story to a close, I wanted to give you a heads up that while this episode will include some touching moments of hope, sisterhood and people coming together to fight for the city we love, we'll also discuss violence, murder, suicide and sexual assault. Some of the victims are minors. There will also be some strong language 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. All sorts of people roll into a service station at night, shift workers coming to fill up their tanks before a long drive, teenagers trying to buy drinks on their way to a party, and parents looking for late night supplies. McCall's, a service station in Quindero, saw many people from across the community pass through its doors in the 90s, including Tina Peterson, who started working there after leaving her job at the women's shelter. She described her time there in an affidavit. Her words here are read by an actor.

[Tina Peterson (voice actor)]

Initially, McColl's was a good place to work and I enjoyed speaking with the people who came to the station.

[Nikki Richardson]

It was all going well until the station was sold to a new owner, a guy named Cecil Brooks. According to a legal statement Tina gave years later, Cecil, a known drug dealer, was organizing what she thought were shady meetings and questionable transactions. And from her perspective, he didn't hide it.

[Tina Peterson (voice actor)]

Whatever arrangements Cecil had, I observed that he never seemed to worry about getting caught or arrested. Despite this open and illegal activity at McCall's, the station was never shut down or raided by the police. One of the most frequent visitors to McCall's was Roger Golubski. I would see Golubski almost every day, typically in the evening. He would often park his car right on the lot and Cecil would go out to speak privately with him.

[Nikki Richardson]

Golubski's job as a police officer was to fight crime, including the illegal sale of drugs, but according to Tina's declaration, he saw exactly what was going on at McCall's and didn't do anything to try to stop it. And he wasn't just turning a blind eye.

[Tina Peterson (voice actor)]

Galupski seemed to know everything that was going on at McCall's and had free run of the station.

[Nikki Richardson]

Hanging out with a criminal and seemingly protecting him was one thing, but Tina witnessed something else during her evenings at McCall's, something that made her wonder if there was more to the service station operation than she first thought. She was working a shift at the station one day when Tina witnessed an unusual transaction.

[Tina Peterson (voice actor)]

I saw Cecil go to the cash register, pull out some cash and give it to Golubski.

[Nikki Richardson]

It seemed as if Golubski wasn't just protecting the notorious dealer, but that he may have been a co conspirator in something much bigger, an underground operation that involved more than just drugs. What was really going on between the abusive cop and this powerful dealer? We were going to have to find out.

[Niko Quinn]

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

[Nikki Richardson]

I'm Nikki Richardson and from the teams at Novel and I Heart podcast, this is the Girlfriends Untouchable. Episode 8 it could have been Us. We still have so many unanswered questions. People we want to talk to, like Tina Peterson. We tried to get in touch, but we haven't been able to reach her yet, so we don't have the full story from her point of view. From what we found out though, Tina tried to report Roger Golubski's abuse to the KCKPD when she was working at the women's shelter. She says the police never got back to her. Tina then worked at the service station owned by Cecil Brooks. She quickly realized that it operated like a drug house and was frequented by Roger Glupski. So she left because she no longer felt safe. But it seemed like no matter how far Tina went, Cecil and Golubski were always there. In the 90s, Tina's aunt lived in a housing project on the northwest side of Kansas City, a place called the Delavan Apartments. From the outside, the complex seems pretty ordinary. Now it's a block of cream colored three floor buildings. Each has their own patch of grass in front of the yard and there are a few trees lining the road. But back in the 90s it was kind of rough.

[Tina Peterson (voice actor)]

When I was there, I observed that the complex was overrun with illegal activity, including drugs.

[Nikki Richardson]

At the time, the Delavan Apartments were owned by Cecil Brooks, one of the kingpins of the drug trade in the Northeast. Tina noticed a variety of men walking in and out of those apartments, but there was a frequent visitor who caught her eye. You've guessed it. Roger Golubski. It seemed like he was either involved with or protecting the men in the area involved with organized crime. Tina had seen and heard enough to know he messed around with dangerous men. And she wasn't surprised to see the apartment complex had become a hub of illegal activity either. But what did surprise her were the people she recalls hanging out there.

[Tina Peterson (voice actor)]

I also noticed underage girls there, which was very troubling. I also saw Golubski there with Cecil and noticed that they seemed to socialize with the underage girls.

[Nikki Richardson]

This is an allegation yet to be proven in court. In Tina's affidavit, she says that she was unsettled by what she saw. But it would take years for us to put the pieces together and make sense of how those girls fit into the bigger picture of our story. We'd already heard of Cecil Brooks. He's the drug dealer Nico Quinn told us attacked her cousin Danielle in the days before he was murdered. Cecil was the guy Golubski told Nico to stop mentioning. He's also the man Nico says knocked on her door to intimidate her. And Cecil himself signed an affidavit in 2019 saying that he knew the identity of Danielle's real killer, a guy named Monster, who Nico said had beat her cousin up alongside Cecil. We thought Cecil Brooks role in this story stopped there. But then a new federal case came up. The USA versus four men, including Cecil Brooks and Roger Golubski.

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Galubski has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of sex trafficking.

[Nikki Richardson]

When we first heard about the indictment back in November 2022, we didn't think too much of it. He'd already been arrested for sexual assault. And at the time, it seemed like a new case came up against Galupski every couple of months. But as we tried to figure out what justice looked like in the months after Golubski's death, Khadijah and I decided to read more about this trafficking case. We wanted to understand just how connected Galupski and Cecil really were. The federal indictment claimed that Brooks and the other two defendants was, quote, protection and participation. From then, Detective Galupski held young women and girls at an apartment complex owned by Brooks and forced the young women, through beatings and threats of force, to provide sexual services, unquote. The defendants have said they were not trafficking women, but were running a drug operation that they say the authorities knew all about. The allegation's yet to be proven in court, but the indictment alone was painful for me and Khadijah to read. Cecil Brooks and his associates had allegedly been running a sex trafficking operation in Kansas City with protection from and participation by Roger Golubski, a police detective. Assaulting women was a disgusting abuse of power, but actively aiding an alleged sex trafficking operation. The more we read, the worse it seems to get.

[Khadijah]

Wait, what? Wait a minute. Read that again. Let me read that again.

[Nikki Richardson]

Here's the allegation that caught us off guard. It says, quote, the girls held there ranged in the age from 13 years old to 17 years old. The defendants selected young girls who were runaways, who were recently released from Beloit Juvenile Correctional Facility, and or who came from broken homes and moved these girls into Delavan to use them in criminal activities, including sex trafficking, unquote. The case alleges that girls were being funneled straight from the juvenile detention system or difficult family backgrounds into sex trafficking.

[Khadijah]

Oh, my God.

[Nikki Richardson]

We need to process this.

[Khadijah]

Oh, my God. It makes me so angry.

[Nikki Richardson]

They didn't have to scour the streets.

[Khadijah]

It speaks to the whole juvenile system and how they operate, how the fuck they cover shit up. They cover up everything. They won't tell you nothing. When you have a loved one, they won't help you.

[Nikki Richardson]

As you can hear, processing those allegations was pretty overwhelming.

[Khadijah]

They disguise, they deflect, they cuss you out, they do everything they can, and then they ship your kid on. I can't believe that that is. Wow. And it just speaks to how tough this fight is all the time. All the time. Because the corruption is so deep, so entrenched, it's ridiculous.

[Nikki Richardson]

The indictment paints a picture in which Galupski was able to use his police credentials to allegedly access and abuse some of the most vulnerable children in Kansas City.

[Khadijah]

Oh, my God, that hurts. I don't know how to process that.

[Nikki Richardson]

We reached out to Cecil Brooks, the other two defendants and their lawyers to ask about those allegations, but have not heard back from them at the time of this recording. As we tried to digest it all, we began to rifle through our own memories. Khadijah recalled a conversation she had with someone soon after Golubski's death.

[Khadijah]

The person that called me said that she quit that juvenile detention center because of what was going on behind the scenes, and she tried to speak out about it.

[Nikki Richardson]

There are a ton of people who allowed this to happen. Anytime that. That you have crimes like this that go on for years and decades. It is not done by just one person. And so it was an organized effort, and they clearly had found a system that worked well for them.

[Khadijah]

It's crazy to me that you will have a number of people that actually work in the juvenile detention center and watch this thing happen and follow through with it.

[Nikki Richardson]

We've heard so many stories of Roger Galupski targeting vulnerable black women from poorer areas of our city. The kind of women who society is less likely to believe. But the allegations in those documents suggest that both Galupski and Cecil Brooks knew that young black girls were easier targets in part because of the way that society treats us like adults when we're still children. It's called adultification bias where black and brown kids are treated like they're older, less vulnerable and more mature than they are. You see it all the time. 16 year old black boys hanging out on the street like Lamont McIntyre are quick to being labeled intimidating or thuggish. 15 year old black girls walking home from school like Stacy Quinn are quick to be labeled fast and approached by older men because they're seen as more mature. It's a cycle that leads them to be perceived and punished like adults. We couldn't help but wonder if an organized operation like this would have been able to take place in plain sight if it wasn't happening to black girls. Khadijah and I didn't have perfect childhoods. And even if we had, we're aware that so many children are only ever just a few traumatic life events away from being caught up in the criminal justice system or having to flee a violent home. In short, those girls could have been us.

[Khadijah]

When I was looking at the case, I felt naive. It opened my eyes. I think that's what really pushed me was the ideal that I was so close to danger and God protected me through all of the ideal of what danger really could have been like for me. And so I was one grateful that I was protected, but I was angry that so many people weren't and that as easily as I can see myself in danger, that's how easy it was for them to allegedly do what they did to so many women.

[Nikki Richardson]

And it's just like I was just so close, you know, I was just.

[Khadijah]

So close and it's, it's not just.

[Nikki Richardson]

And that it was happening right around.

[Khadijah]

Me and I so to. It just wouldn't have never crossed my mind in that manner, in that magnitude, that much explosiveness. It angered me once I realized that I could have been one of them. It just, yeah, it blows my mind.

[Nikki Richardson]

Leafing through the indictment made me feel sick. A part of me just wanted to put the documents down and walk away because the darkness was overwhelming but Khadijah and I were already in too deep and we were about to put together the final pieces of the puzzle.

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[Nikki Richardson]

We started this series with the story of a shooting Nico Quinn's cousins, how she was intimidated into bearing false witness, and how Lamont McIntyre was sent to prison for a shooting he didn't do. We've learned a lot since then, but there's something we've been wondering ever since why was Roger Galupski so determined to frame an innocent boy for that particular murder? Reading the indictment felt like coming close to an answer. Since the beginning, Nikko has been saying that she thinks Cecil and Monster were involved in her cousin's shooting. The men she alleges beat her cousins up and knocked on her door to frighten her. The men Golubski told her, not to mention during her cousin's murder investigation. Neither Cecil or Monster have ever been formally accused of the shooting or charged with the crime. We reached out to them and their lawyers to ask about those allegations, but have not heard back from them at the time of this recording. But if the story laid out in the indictment is true, and Galupski did work with Cecil BROOKS throughout the 90s, this story takes on a whole new light. Why focus attention away from Cecil if not to avoid exposing his connection to Galupski? To keep prying eyes away from what was happening at the Delavan Apartments.

[Khadijah]

It speaks to motive and it gives credibility to many other stories.

[Nikki Richardson]

He saw an opportunity to hit two birds with one stone. He needs Cecil on the street so he can continue to conduct business and have the protections that he needed. And so it would just make sense for him to continually wrongfully convict other people so he can continue that Business relationship. Golubski is dead. But because there are several other defendants in the sex trafficking case, they have all pled not guilty, and the case is going to trial. In fact, by the time you hear this, it might have already happened. We reached out to the people involved, but neither the lawyers or the people in the FBI who investigated it are able to talk about an ongoing case. And to our knowledge, all of the victims have made the decision to remain anonymous. So the two of us talked about what we hoped the trial might bring to light.

[Khadijah]

My hoax is that the prosecution closely looks at testimony and the implications of other officers because we know that Roderick Lousby did not act alone. I would like to see karma hit each and every one of these individuals that saw it, knew what was going on, and actively participated in harming people in Wyandotte County.

[Nikki Richardson]

I'm eager for information to just come out. I think now that Galupski is no longer here, Cecil Brooks may be more compelled to just lay it all out. I don't think he has anything to lose at this point in his life of just being honest and being truthful. So I'm really hoping that that's what happens. You never want to hear these stories, but you know that they have to come to light. Our community deserves that light. It deserves the truth. It's very easy for that to happen again. Within Wyandotte county, the way our systems are set up are still set up that way. Our housing authority has a relationship with our police department, which has a relationship with our juvenile correctional facility. And so if someone wanted to get into the system and organize that same type of sex trafficking pipeline, they very well could do that. And so I really just want to understand exactly what happened so we can then start doing the work to break that system down, wherever it may still be standing. We need the information so we can make sure that it doesn't happen again. Golubski's victims and their families are hoping the trial can bring about justice, give them some sense of closure by proving he did what they say he did. But we're all still reckoning with what comes next now that Golubski is dead. Lamont McIntyre got a settlement, but he'll never get back the 23 years of his life that he lost in prison after he was wrongfully convicted of murdering Nikko's cousin. I can't change what happened with Galupski.

[Khadijah]

Now, no matter how much anger, how.

[Nikki Richardson]

Much energy I give to it. That's a final that's happened, right?

[Khadijah]

So now I gotta move on. Courtly. I can't dwell on it no more.

[Nikki Richardson]

I gotta just keep moving. We also asked Trena Cooper, who reinvestigated her mother's murder, about how she was feeling in the wake of Galupski's death. Justice would have looked like Golubski going to jail for me. That would have been the biggest justice ever for me. But of course, that didn't happen.

[Khadijah]

So now I really don't know what.

[Nikki Richardson]

Justice will look like for me going forward. But she does want the community and authorities to focus their attention back to the institution that allowed Golubski to operate the way he did.

[Khadijah]

My hope is they shut Wyandotte down.

[Nikki Richardson]

Shut the police department down.

[Khadijah]

If it don't shut down, they clean it up.

[Nikki Richardson]

Clean up all the corruption that's happening right up under your nose that y' all know about.

[Khadijah]

That's my biggest hope.

[Nikki Richardson]

In 2022, the current chief of Police, Carl Oakman, spoke out in a press conference. Here's what he said.

[Khadijah]

Roger Galupski has been charged with deplorable crimes. Although the crimes date back 20 to 25 years ago, he did wear the uniform and caused pain to members of this community and shame to the badge. Based on these charges, Bellutski's tenure in law enforcement was a moral, ethical, and legal failure. Roger Galutski does not represent the culture, vision, or mission of the current Kansas City, Kansas Police Department. I would like to make it clear corruption in any form will not be tolerated on kckpd.

[Nikki Richardson]

It's good to hear that the KCKPD acknowledged the pain Roger Galupski caused and are taking the matter of corruption seriously. But it's clear the story is not over. Remember Rhonda Tribue, Nico Quinn's friend, who was last seen getting into a car with Galupski before being murdered? The investigation into her murder has been reopened. The FBI are actively following new leads and seeking out information for her case. But Rhonda is just one of the many murdered women linked to Galupski. There are so many other grieving family members unsure if they'll ever get answers or any form of justice. So how do you even end a story like this? Khadijah and I are still trying to figure that out. It's a conversation we had with our producer, Rafaro.

[Niko Quinn]

We sometimes like to tell stories, podcasts, documentaries that end with a happy ending. Like justice happens as a resolution. The bad guy gets caught. But this story doesn't tie together as.

[Nikki Richardson]

Neatly, and the outcome hasn't been as satisfying for you or for the victims.

[Niko Quinn]

And survivors.

[Nikki Richardson]

So if you were telling the story.

[Niko Quinn]

How would you end it?

[Nikki Richardson]

In a way that's happy, in any way, in a way that feels true.

[Khadijah]

I often do fantasize a little bit, imagine what would happen when this podcast comes out. And so when I imagine, I imagine that we evoke something in the hearts of people in Wyandotte county, and not just Wyandotte county, but across the world, that evokes that Wyandotte county deserves this type of change and it deserves the help of the people to do that. And so I would hope that this would be the next chapter in what we do to make a difference and that we produce great things for the community that centers around healing. Some form that is community wide would break out from telling this story. Even though we don't have the outcome we were looking for. I just, I still have hope.

[Nikki Richardson]

But one thing we've learned through this process is that you don't always get justice through the legal system. Sometimes the most important thing that can come out of a story like this is culture change. A community coming together to demand that something like this can never happen again. Abuse thrives in silence. So we have to keep speaking out. I think it would be a lie to sit up there and say that this story is over, because it's, it's not. I believe the chapter of Golubski maybe is over, but the story isn't, the work isn't. So for us here in Wyandotte County, I believe it's to be continued.

[Unrivaled Basketball Announcer]

Season two of unrivaled basketball is here and the talent is unreal. The best women's players on the planet are running it back with even bigger moments and bigger stakes. Don't miss as Paige Beckers, Nafiza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more take the court and redefine the game. This isn't your regular season. This is unrivaled, where the pace is faster, the energy is higher and every athlete shines. Unrivaled basketball season two, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy, tips off January 5 on TNT, TruTV and HBO.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Max support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into into an investable index. With AI, it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an unpacked, uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, LLC SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail] disclosures it's the most.

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[Ed Helms]

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[Nikki Richardson]

D. It's been over 40 years since Roger Galupski first assaulted Niko's older sister, Stacy. Nikko knows Golubski will never face trial, but she's determined to make sure that nobody forgets what he did. She refuses to let the memory of women who lost their lives fade away.

[Niko Quinn]

I want these women to be remembered in a positive way, not of what they were, prostitutes or crackheads. And they're not a homicide victim. These women had names. Let's say they name and continue to say it because they had a hard life in life. Let's honor them in death.

[Nikki Richardson]

Niko's still trying to figure out what justice looks like for her.

[Niko Quinn]

I'm praying that everybody that was murdered, their homicides be solved, whether the person that did is deceased or whatever. And I'm wanting these families to get closure. That's all I'm asking for, is closure, a sense of peace.

[Nikki Richardson]

She's been trying her best to live the kind of life her older sister would be proud of by looking out for her family, especially her nephew Stacey's son, Jarnell.

[Niko Quinn]

That is my baby. I love him to pieces. He done made three babies, finna be four. So I think I did my part, and I'm still trying to protect them.

[Nikki Richardson]

They're close. But Nikko often thinks about the families of murdered women in her community who don't have someone looking out for them. When she was younger, she used to open her home up to women who needed her help. Now she wants to extend that safe place out to their families and loved ones by starting a support group she calls the Spiritual Sister Circle to help.

[Niko Quinn]

The victims, their children, to learn how to cope or live with the traumatizing things that happen in their life and to try to move in a positive direction, helping get them work ready and ready to change their lives.

[Nikki Richardson]

Neeka's been a professional truck driver for over 20 years now. She loves her life on the open road, but it's not the life she originally planned out.

[Niko Quinn]

I was going to get my nursing license.

[Nikki Richardson]

She wanted to fulfill the dream. Her older sister Stacy wasn't able to, but she needed to make some extra money to support her kids while she did it.

[Niko Quinn]

So I started looking into the trucking, and then I went in to get my trucking license. My key is always, mama. You were never home. You always worked two jobs. And I said I had to provide for y'. All.

[Nikki Richardson]

But there was more to it than just money.

[Niko Quinn]

My thought process was, what's the best thing to do to get away from this man than to hide over the road? I went into trucking because I just wanted to get away from everybody and mainly to get away from him.

[Nikki Richardson]

Nikko spent long days on the road trying to outrun her memories. Of Roger Galupski and the shadow he cast over her hometown.

[Niko Quinn]

I was able to clear my mind. I was able to forget about what I was going through. It stayed in the back of my mind, but I knew I was safe on the highway. I didn't too much have to look over my shoulder or worry about somebody following me or things of that nature.

[Nikki Richardson]

It's been almost a year since Chalupski died, but Niko hasn't moved back to Kansas City, Kansas. She lives on the Missouri side now. Because while she's come a long way, the grief of knowing what Golubski did to her sister and so many of the other women she loved hasn't left her. She's not sure if it ever will.

[Niko Quinn]

A lot of people ask me, well, how do you feel? So I don't know if you're familiar with Solange. That song, she got, Cranes in the Sky.

[Nikki Richardson]

It's a song about heartbreak and all the things you can do to try to numb, avoid, and navigate pain.

[Niko Quinn]

It's just there until somebody remove it. So how do we get rid of the pain? You dance, you sing, you change your hair, you change your style of dress.

[Nikki Richardson]

In the song, Solange sings about how you can try to drink the pain away, run it away, ride it away, or even drive around 70 states in hopes that moving around might make you feel better. But in reality, the pain doesn't ever truly leave you, just learn to live with it.

[Niko Quinn]

I tried so many things to get rid of the pain, and the pain is still here. A lot of people say, how do I feel about her being gone? First of all, I know where she is. Second of all, she's not cold, she ain't hungry, she ain't hurt no more.

[Nikki Richardson]

2025 marks the 25th anniversary of Stacy's death. Niko recently got a new headstone to mark Stacey's grave, and she and Jonelle want to plan a celebration to honor Stacy's life.

[Niko Quinn]

I want to throw her a big party. I just want to get the family together because a lot of them haven't seen the headstone. So I want them all to go out and look at it and take pictures and put some flowers down, have a few family and friends there, do a big dinner, a prayer, another balloon release, and let her go. The spirit is already telling me that's going to be a nice day.

[Nikki Richardson]

Niko's not sure how to navigate the lasting pain of her grief or how to reckon with the justice she and her sister won't get. But once the memorial has taken place. She wants to finally move on.

[Niko Quinn]

I was talking to my nephew and he said, annie, I'm tired. I'm tired of keeping on reliving this. So because of his wishes, and I think everybody wishes, I'm gonna let my sister go ahead and be peaceful, give her that peace that she needs. Cause I think every time we talk about it, we're not doing nothing but digging these people up.

[Nikki Richardson]

It hasn't been easy for her, but Nikko wanted this story to be told. She wanted you to know what happened to her, her cousins, her friends, and her sister, in her own words, so they would never be forgotten. But the time for grueling legal investigations, depositions, and podcast interviews is over. After 30 years of rewinding the tape back to 1994, Nico has made the decision to close the chapter.

[Niko Quinn]

After all this is said and done and we get done with what we doing, I'm gonna give my sister a sense of peace. She done hunted Galuski enough. She didn't taunted him enough. It's time for her to sleep and have some type of peace because she needs it. Because if she had a rough life, in life, I'm let her rest. In death, I'mma close that casket. I'm gonna let her rest because it's time.

[Nikki Richardson]

Sam. The series may be over, but there's more to come. Next time, in the first of our bonus episodes, I'll be taking a deep dive into the area where this story takes place, Quindero, and looking at its unique and remarkable history. In the fight for freedom, there were.

[Niko Quinn]

A bunch of families seeking freedom in Kansas, and there was talks of an underground railroad through that area, and they were able to just walk around across that river to safety. And then they had to be hidden. Quindero, it means bundle of sticks. One stick by itself is easy to break, but you put a bundle of sticks together and that's harder to break. If we stick together, it's harder to separate us.

[Nikki Richardson]

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 Mazurua. 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 Fendal Fulton. Sound design, mix, dancing and scoring by Daniel Kimpson with additional engineering by Nicholas Alexander. Music supervision by Rufaro Mazurua, 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 Lemkul. The voice of Tina Peterson was read by Ebony, Janelle 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 Etor are the executive producers for iHeart podcast and the marketing lead is Allison Cantor. Special thanks to Will Pearson and a special thanks to Karlie Frankel and the whole team at wme.

[Unrivaled Basketball Announcer]

Season two of Unrivaled Basketball is here and the talent is unreal. The best women's players on the planet are running it back with even bigger moments and bigger stakes. Don't miss as Paige Becker, Snafeeza Collier, Kelsey, Chelsea Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more. Take the court and redefine the game. This isn't your regular season. This is unrivaled, where the pace is faster, the energy is higher and every athlete shines. Unrivaled basketball season two, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy, tips off January 5 on TNT, TruTV and HBO.

[Kalpen (Kal Penn)]

Max support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.com disclosure@cvs it.

[Nikki Richardson]

Matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it. It matters that we're here for you when you need us, day or night. And we want everyone to feel welcomed and rewarded. It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and, yeah, healthy snack. At cbs, we're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine matters. So Visit [e-mail] or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location.

[Ed Helms]

The world's best ski and snowboard athletes are chasing medals. Now you can follow their every move. Join Insider, the official US Ski and snowboard fan loyalty program, and get premium viewing at World cup ski events, exclusive athlete meetups, discount from brands you love, and a custom welcome gift mailed direct to your doorstep this winter. Show your support as they race for the podium. Head to insider.usski and snowboard.org and join today.

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[Nikki Richardson]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.