April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and today, to close out this month, I felt I would bring you an incredibly important story to me. You all have empowered me to finally speak my truth and share my survivor story. This is why I advocate. A special thank you to all who participated in sharing "Why I Advocate" for this episode.  And an extra special thank you to Rosebud Ireland for lending us her beautiful song Sister Survivors for this episode. RAINN.org | 1-800-656-4673 bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy

In May of 1996, California Polytechnic freshman Kristin Smart attended a birthday party for a friend on campus. She was walked back to her dorm by Paul Flores, never to be seen or heard from again. Flores had been suspected in her murder since the beginning, but hardly any evidence could prove Kristin was even dead. New developments have led to Flores' arrest and new information about his past. Find out more in this episode. RAINN.org | 1-800-656-4673 bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy   References: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/09/07/kristin-smart-vanished-in-1996-authorities-say-she-may-be-buried-on-her-college-campus/ https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/crime/article100287482.html https://www.recordnet.com/article/20070524/A_NEWS/705240316 https://calcoastnews.com/2020/02/paul-flores-detained-in-disappearance-of-kristin-smart/ https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/14/us/kristin-smart-case-district-attorney/index.html https://ktla.com/news/local-news/paul-flores-suspect-in-kristin-smart-case-was-subject-of-redondo-beach-rape-investigation-14-years-ago/ https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article250978094.html https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-27/kristin-smart-paul-flores-la-sexual-assault-claims

Today, April 28, 2021 marks another Denim Day. Hear all about the case that sparked this movement (and the absurd 'Jeans Alibi') and why it is so important to wear your denim today! https://www.rcne.com/contact/countries/italy/ | +39 055 602311 (violence against women); + 39 055 601375 (violence against children) | http://www.artemisiacentroantiviolenza.it/ RAINN.org | 1-800-656-4673 bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy   References: https://www.denimdayinfo.org/history https://www.cbsnews.com/news/italians-protest-rape-ruling/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/277881.stm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denim_Day

Brandon Lee Dye was born November 4, 1988. From what I could find on his Facebook page it seemed he had struggled with addiction for a long while and he acknowledged that he had a lot of grief and trauma that he needed to work through and alluded to his drug use being caused by this trauma. On the night of July 15, 2019, in Virginia, Brandon was at home in with his girlfriend, Megan Anne Walthall. Find out what happened that night and why we discuss this case during SAAM. RAINN.org | 1-800-656-4673 bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy   References: https://nypost.com/2021/03/04/woman-sentenced-for-sexually-abusing-boyfriend-as-he-died/ https://www.foundandsons.com/obituaries/Brandon-Dye/#!/Obituary https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/state-and-regional/fredericksburg-woman-gets-16-years-in-prison-for-abusing-boyfriend-before-he-died-of-overdose/article_4ab9fa82-e6f7-55fc-9666-8cc096f167af.html https://potomaclocal.com/2012/10/25/girl-told-father-about-slaying-mother/ https://www.foundandsons.com/obituaries/Brenda-Dye/#!/Obituary

The Manhattan, NY, DA has decided his office will no longer prosecute sex workers following suit behind a few other jurisdictions in the US. Find out what this means for sex workers and johns. bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy Reference: https://www.npr.org/2021/04/21/989588072/a-relic-and-burden-manhattan-district-attorney-to-stop-prosecuting-prostitution

In June 2017, Manchester graduate student Reynhard Sinaga was arrested on 136 counts of rape of young men around Manchester. He was ultimately convicted of all counts for drugging and raping these young men. Hear about this resilience of these survivors and how Sinaga's case helped so many more young men come forward about their sexual assaults. bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy rainn.org | 1-800-656-4673 supportline.org.uk | 01708 765200   References: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50688975 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50987823 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jan/25/friends-flatmates-reynhard-sinaga

On March 3, 2021, Sarah Everard was kidnapped while walking home from a friend's house. One week later her remains were discovered and a police officer was arrested for her murder. Hear why street harassment is such an important topic to discuss during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. International Anti-Street Harassment Week - April 11-17, 2021 Find out more: https://www.ihollaback.org/about/ bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy References: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/police-officer-charged-kidnap-murder-sarah-everard-case-gripped-u-n1261010 https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/wayne-couzens-know-officer-arrested-23694346 https://stopstreetharassment.org/resources/statistics/

About 3% of American men—or 1 in 33—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. In the UK, 4% of men have experienced some type of sexual assault since the age of 16. Sam Thompson became a statistic, but found a way out of the trauma. Hear how his story helped improve law enforcements response to sexual assaults perpetrated against men. bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy rainn.org | 1-800-656-4673 supportline.org.uk | 01708 765200   References: https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence#:~:text=About%203%25%20of%20American%20men,completed%20rape%20in%20their%20lifetime.&text=1%20out%20of%20every%2010%20rape%20victims%20are%20male. https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-informed/about-sexual-violence/statistics-sexual-violence/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/f78ad097-77d7-4ec0-8014-54ace0fc4b11

On May 7, 1998, Shannon Schieber's brother found her dead in her Center City, Philadelphia, apartment. Her neighbor had thought something odd the night before and called the police, who were dispatched to her apartment, but soon left after they heard no response. Find out what happened and how the Philadelphia PD allowed a serial rapist to get away with his crimes for years. RAINN.org | 1-800-656-4673 Crisistextline.org | text 'home' to 741741 bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy   References: References:  https://people.com/crime/people-magazine-investigates-center-city-rapist-case/  https://www.thedp.com/article/2002/06/center_city_rapist_gets_life_sentence  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Graves  https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/12/18/rape-is-rape-isn-t-it

In September 2020, NOLA officer Rodney Vicknair was arrested for sexually assaulting an under-age rape victim he brought to the hospital for a sexual assault examination. Hear the story here. RAINN.org | 1-800-656-4673 CrisisTextLine.org | text "home" to 741741 bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy | merch - 20% off #saam collection at blackbirdadvocacy.com   References: https://www.vice.com/en/article/akdpek/cop-allegedly-raped-teen-girl-after-driving-her-to-the-er-for-a-rape-kit https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/article_97254922-026b-11eb-b297-e74f8265d467.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/05/us/rodney-vicknair-new-orleans.html

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so we figured we would re-release our SA FAQs minisode. If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual violence, please read out to RAINN at 1-800-656-4673 or rainn.org bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy

Sarah tests Dan's true crime knowledge on this bonus live episode from Pod vCon; Spring Break.

February 22-28 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. In honor of this week, we are bringing you a Psyche Saturday dedicated to eating disorders, namely Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. If you or someone you know needs help with an eating disorder, please contact https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/help-support/contact-helpline 1-800-931-2237 or text NEDA to 741741 bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy References: www.anad.org https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/specialty_areas/eating_disorders/faq.html Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed.

Alyssa Noceda was a fun-loving, beautiful 18-year-old who was taken from this earth way too soon. Her perpetrator basically got a slap on the wrist. Hear her story and why it needs to be told. bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy bytesize.me/podvcon References https://apnews.com/article/dc1657cdab234ee4bbb974be7c49fdbf https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/11/16/brian-varela-rape-sentence-dying-alyssa-noceda-34-months/2030881002/ https://www.q13fox.com/news/its-a-joke-teens-mom-furious-after-man-who-raped-her-dying-daughter-gets-less-than-3-years-in-prison https://www.washingtonpost.com/crime-law/2018/11/20/he-raped-teenager-she-was-dying-an-overdose-his-sentence-months/ https://www.miamiherald.com/article199319924.html https://www.heraldnet.com/news/man-who-raped-dying-everett-teen-sentenced-to-under-3-years/

Florida has proposed a new law to create a system for sexual assault victims to track their sexual assault forensic examination kits! Learn about this new law and the backlog of sexual assault kits within the United States. Also, tune in to facebook.com/groups/podvcomm March 12-14 and 19-21 for our virtual podcast convention, Pod vCon: Spring Break! Bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy references: https://www.wcjb.com/2021/02/15/gails-law-would-allow-rape-victims-to-better-track-their-cases/ https://www.manhattanda.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Test-Every-Kit-Results-from-the-Manhattan-District-Attorneys-Offices-Sexual-Assault-Kit-Backlog-Eliminaton-Grant-Program.pdf

Join us March 12-14 and 19-21 at facebook.com/groups/podvcomm for Pod vCon: Spring Break - a virtual podcast convention from around the world!

In this Valentine's Day special, Dan and Sarah discuss Emerald Fennel's film Promising Young Woman starring Carey Mulligan. Go see this movie!! It is on demand now.  We also get into a bit of an update on the Zephi Trevino case. Happy Valentine's Day!

On today's episode, we discuss brief psychotic disorder and get into the case of Sarah Henderson, a Texas woman who was sentenced to life in prison for killing her two daughters.  Our new link: bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy Pod vCon: Spring Break - March 12-14 & 19-21, facebook.com/groups/podvcomm References: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. American Psychiatric Association. Chowdhury, N.Z., et. al. (2019). First diagnosis of psychosis in the prison: results from a data-linkage study. Stephen, A. and Lui, F. (2020). Brief Psychotic Disorder. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/sarah-henderson-woman-accused-of-fatally-shooting-daughters-5-and-7-may-strike-plea-deal-wednesday/213445/ https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/woman-shot-killed-daughters-henderson-co-sheriff/45233/

In the continuation of Nicole Addimando's case, we discuss the trial and the prosecutions theory.  https://westandwithnikki.com/ National Sexual Assault Hotline - 1-800-656-4673 National Domestic Violence Hotline - 1-800-799-SAFE References: https://gen.medium.com/nikki-had-proof-shed-been-abused-but-was-it-enough-for-self-defense-bd9f196396eb https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nicole-addimando-murder-case-chris-grover-48-hours/ https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-signs-domestic-violence-survivors-justice-act https://www.sutori.com/story/the-people-vs-nicole-addimando--7NdCJyqhqvVdNESrNSbXbhLg https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/2020/08/11/nicole-addimando-appeals-conviction-denial-survivors-sentencing/3337887001/

Today we discuss two more disorders on the schizophrenia spectrum, both of which do not have much evidence-based research surround them. We also discuss two case studies about delusional disorder. linktr.ee/blackbirdadvocacy facebook.com/groups/podvcomm References: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed. American Psychiatric Association. Tamburello, A.C., Bajgier, J., and Reeves, R. (2015). The Prevalence of Delusional Disorder in Prison. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. Reid, W. H. (2005). Delusional Disorder and the Law. Journal of Psychiatric Practice. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9571-schizophreniform-disorder