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

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

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.

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].

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]

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]

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.

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.