Family Feud: When Love Becomes Murder

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No tears for black girls when
they disappear, No tears for

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black girls like they were never
here, but we remember will speak

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their names.
On February 23rd, 2023, in the

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quiet town of Quincy, IL, a 911
call shattered the morning

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silence.
A frantic voice reported

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gunshots at 616 Kentucky St.
When police arrived at the

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modest two-story home, they
found a scene that would haunt

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this small community forever.
Rebecca Becky Bleifnik lay dead

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in her bathroom, struck by
multiple gunshots.

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The 41 year old mother of three
had been living her worst

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nightmare, a contentious divorce
that had turned increasingly

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bitter and dangerous.
But this wasn't a random home

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invasion or burglary gone wrong.
The evidence would reveal

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something far more sinister.
Becky had been afraid.

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For months, she'd been telling
friends and family that she

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feared for her life.
Her estranged husband, Timothy

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Bleepnik, had been making
threats.

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The divorce proceedings had
become a battlefield, with

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custody of their three young
sons hanging in the balance.

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Becky had even gone to court
seeking an order of protection.

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But the system that was supposed
to protect her had failed.

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The night before her murder,
Becky had been out with friends,

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trying to maintain some normalcy
in her increasingly chaotic

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life.
She returned home to her

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children, tucked them into bed
and prepared for what she didn't

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know would be her final night
alive.

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Sometime in the early morning
hours, an intruder entered her

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home through a basement window.
But this wasn't just any

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intruder.
This person knew the house

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layout.
They knew where to find Becky.

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They knew the children would be
sleeping upstairs.

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The killer moved through the
darkness with purpose, making

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their way to the bathroom where
Becky would make her last stand.

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The investigation revealed
chilling details.

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The basement window had been
carefully removed from the

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outside, not broken, but
methodically taken apart by

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someone who had time and
knowledge of the houses

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construction.
Footprints in the snow LED

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investigators on a trail that
would eventually point to 1

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devastating conclusion.
Timothy Bleifnik, the man who

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had once promised to love and
protect Becky, had become her

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greatest threat.
Phone records, surveillance

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footage and forensic evidence
began painting a picture of a

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man who couldn't accept that his
marriage was over, a man who

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would rather see his wife dead
than see her free.

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The most haunting detail?
Just months before her murder,

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Becky had appeared on a game
show called Family Feud

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alongside Tim.
When host Steve Harvey asked

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what the biggest mistake in her
life was, Becky had answered,

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laughing.
Saying yes to my husband when he

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asked me to marry him.
The audience laughed.

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Tim smiled.
But those words would prove to

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be tragically prophetic.
What makes this moment even more

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chilling is what Tim said during
that same appearance.

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When Steve Harvey asked the men
what they thought their wives

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biggest mistake was, Tim
responded with an eerie

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calmness.
Not my mistake.

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I love my wife.
But behind that smile was a man

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who would later stalk, terrorize
and ultimately murder the woman

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he claimed to love.
The couple had met at Quincy

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University, where Tim was a star
football player and well known

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local salesman.
They seemed like the perfect

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couple, successful, attractive,
with three beautiful sons.

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But beneath the surface, their
marriage was crumbling under the

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weight of Tim's controlling
behavior and Becky's growing

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independence.
As investigators dug deeper,

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they uncovered a pattern of
escalating threats and

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controlling behavior.
Tim had been monitoring Becky's

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movements, showing up at her
workplace and making her life a

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living hell.
Friends and family members came

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forward with stories of his
increasingly erratic behavior

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and his obsession with
maintaining control over Becky's

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life.
The forensic evidence was

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overwhelming.
Tim had planned this murder with

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cold calculation.
He had stalked his wife for

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weeks, learning her routines,
studying her home.

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On the night of February 22nd,
he rode his bicycle to her

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house.
Undercover of darkness, security

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cameras captured A shadowy
figure on a bike riding toward

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Becky's home just before the
murder, and away from it just

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after.
At 1:11 in the morning on

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February 23rd, Becky tried to
call 911.

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She managed to dial 91126 before
the phone was knocked from her

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hand.
She had run to her bathroom, the

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only room with a lock, but it
wasn't enough to save her.

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Tim kicked in the door and shot
her 14 times with a 9mm handgun.

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None of the wounds were
immediately fatal.

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Becky lay dying on her bathroom
floor for several minutes, alone

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and in agony.
The evidence was overwhelming.

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Tim Bleepnick was arrested and
charged with his wife's murder.

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During the trial, prosecutors
painted a picture of a man

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consumed by rage and
entitlement.

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They showed how Tim had planned
this murder, how he had stalked

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his wife, and how he had
executed his plan with cold

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calculation.
The jury heard testimony about

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Becky's fear, her attempts to
protect herself and her

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children, and the system's
failure to keep her safe.

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In the end, justice was served.
Timothy Bleifnik was convicted

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of first degree murder and
sentenced to life in prison

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without the possibility of
parole.

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His appeal was denied in
November 2024, ensuring he will

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spend the rest of his life
behind bars.

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But for Becky's three young
sons, justice could never bring

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back their mother or erase the
trauma of losing both parents in

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one horrific act of violence.
Now let me tell you about

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another case, one that received
far less attention despite being

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equally tragic.
Her name was Corin Gaines, a 23

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year old black woman and mother
of two from Baltimore, MD.

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On August 1st, 2016, Corin was
shot and killed by police during

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a standoff at her apartment.
But unlike Becky Bleepnik's

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case, which dominated national
headlines for months, Corin's

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story was largely ignored by
mainstream media.

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Corin had been living in fear
too, not just of police, but of

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her abusive boyfriend, 39 year
old Kareem Courtney.

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Police reports show that
Courtney had stalked, choked and

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slapped Corin and possibly
struck her with a chair just one

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month before her death.
Like Becky, Corin had tried to

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work with the system,
cooperating with police to get a

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warrant for Courtney's arrest.
But when police came to serve

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that warrant, they found Corin
armed with a shotgun, terrified

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and convinced they were there to
kill her.

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The standoff lasted 6 hours.
Corin live streamed parts of it

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on Facebook, showing her five
year old son asking what the

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police were trying to do.
They trying to kill us?

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The child replied when his
mother asked.

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Unlike Becky's case, where the
victim was portrayed as an

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innocent nurse and devoted
mother, Corin was immediately

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labeled as a dangerous criminal
who brought her death upon

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herself.
But here's what the media didn't

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tell you about Corin Gaines.
She had suffered severe lead

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poisoning as a child, just like
Freddie Gray, another Baltimore

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victim of police violence.
The lead poisoning had caused

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permanent brain damage,
affecting her impulse control

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and ability to assess threats.
She had grown up in the same

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over policed, underserved
neighborhoods of West Baltimore

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where calling police for help
often meant becoming a victim

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yourself.
Corin couldn't find safety

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anywhere.
She was harassed by police while

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driving in her own home.
She experienced abuse at the

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hands of her daughter's father.
When she tried to protect

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herself by cooperating with
police against her abuser, those

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same police ended up killing
her.

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Her five year old son was shot
in the crossfire, suffering

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injuries to his arm and face.
The contrast in media coverage

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is stark and telling.
Becky Bleifnik's story was

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covered by every major news
outlet.

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Her case was featured on 48
Hours, Dateline, and countless

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true crime podcasts.
The Family Feud angle made it

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irresistible to media outlets.
A perfect tragic story of

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domestic violence with a
compelling hook.

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Corin Gaines, meanwhile, was the
9th Black woman killed by police

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in 2016.
But hers was the only case that

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received any significant
national coverage at all.

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And even then, the coverage
focused on whether she deserved

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to die, whether she was a good
victim worthy of sympathy.

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The media questioned her
parenting, her mental state, her

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decision to arm herself.
They didn't ask why a young

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mother felt so unsafe that she
believed she needed a gun to

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protect herself and her
children.

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This disparity in coverage
reflects A broader pattern in

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how our society values different
victims.

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When a white woman like Becky
Bleifnik is murdered, she

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becomes a symbol of innocence
destroyed.

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Her story is told with empathy
and nuance.

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We hear about her dreams, her
struggles, her attempts to

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escape an abusive situation.
We understand that the system

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failed her.
When a Black woman like Corin

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Gaines is killed, the narrative
immediately shifts to what she

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did wrong.
Did she comply with police

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orders?
Was she a good mother?

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Did she bring this on herself?
The same empathy and

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understanding extended to white
victims is rarely offered to

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Black women.
Both women were failed by

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systems that were supposed to
protect them.

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Becky's restraining order was
denied.

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Corin's calls for help against
her abuser led to the very

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confrontation that killed her.
Both women were mothers trying

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to protect their children.
Both women died because the men

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in their lives, whether an
abusive husband or an abusive

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boyfriend, created situations
that put them in mortal danger.

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Yet only one of these stories
captured the nation's attention.

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Only one of these women was seen
as a perfect victim, deserving

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of our tears and outrage.
This is the reality that Black

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women face every day.
Their pain is minimized.

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Their deaths are justified.
Their stories are ignored.

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The statistics are staggering.
Black women are killed by

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intimate partners at rates
significantly higher than white

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women, yet their cases rarely
make national news.

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When Black women go missing,
there are no wall to wall cable

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news coverage, no viral social
media campaigns, no celebrity

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advocates.
Their families have to fight

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just to get local news coverage,
let alone national attention.

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This isn't just about media
coverage.

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It's about how our society
values Black women's lives.

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When we don't tell their
stories, when we don't demand

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justice for their deaths, when
we don't see them as worthy

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victims, we send a message that
their lives don't matter as much

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as others.
Becky Bleefnick's story is

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important.
Her death was a tragedy that

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should never have happened.
Timothy Bleepnick deserved to

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spend the rest of his life in
prison for what he did to the

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mother of his children.
But Corin Gaines's story is

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equally important.
Her death was equally tragic.

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The system failed her just as
completely as it failed Becky.

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The difference is that Becky's
story fits our comfortable

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narrative about domestic
violence.

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A good woman victimized by an
evil man.

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Corin's story forces us to
confront uncomfortable truths

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about racism, police violence,
and the intersection of domestic

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abuse and state violence.
It's easier to ignore her story

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than to grapple with these
complex realities.

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But we cannot continue to ignore
the Corin Gaines of the world

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while mourning only the Becky
Bleefniks.

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Every woman deserves to have her
story told with dignity and

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compassion.
Every mother deserves to be seen

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as more than the circumstances
of her death.

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Every victim deserves justice,
regardless of the color of her

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skin.
Until we can extend the same

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empathy to all victims, until we
can see Black women as worthy of

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our tears and our outrage, we
will continue to fail the very

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people who need our protection
the most.

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The question isn't whether these
women were perfect victims.

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The question is whether we're
willing to fight for justice for

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all women, not just the ones
whose stories make us

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comfortable.
Both Becky Bleifnik and Corin

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Gaines deserved better.
They deserved to live.

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They deserved protection.
They deserved justice.

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And they both deserved to be
remembered not just as victims,

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but as human beings whose lives
had value, whose deaths

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diminished us all, and whose
stories demand that we do

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better.
Coming up next, we have the full

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preview of No Tears for Black
Girls by Jada Truth on Dots Hot

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00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:05,840
Records.
Thank you for listening to No

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Tears for Black Girls.
If you enjoyed our show, please

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00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,760
be sure to leave a five star
rating and positive review to

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00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:14,720
help spread the word about our
podcast.

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Stay loved, stay blessed and
stay safe.

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This is Samantha Paul.
It's a proven fact that every

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person in the world comes from a
black woman, but we're still the

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most disrespected.
We hold it down in public and

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fight storms in private.
This one's for the missing, the

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silenced, and the sisters and
sons we still speaking for We

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here count the names, hold the
line.

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We don't fold.
We design no tears for black

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girls.
We turn prayers in advance.

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Make up in a purse not for glam
but for bruises.

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He said love.
Then he swung.

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Then he circumcuses.
Called three times file papers.

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They barely enforced.
He was out by the weekend.

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Came back like a four sack of
Pryor on a jacket from a year.

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She hit his gun.
So they took the charge for his

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case.
Thought the time he won.

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He turned his back that night.
Fear snapped like a wire broke,

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broke in a moment from a decade
on fire.

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Courtroom fell.
Art judge reading a life they

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said premeditated, not survival
or strife.

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They don't, Sir.
We saw a headline, not the year

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she endured.
They gave a life in the cell,

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00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:06,960
said the past.
Made sure I held my breath in

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the closet, counting seconds
like prayers.

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If I make it to the morning,
maybe somebody cares.

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Protect black women.
We don't celebrate death.

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We indict the neglect back When
safety is a myth, then the cycle

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collects truth.
We keep proceeds, count the

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names, hold the line, hold the
line.

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00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:42,360
We don't fall, we design.
We got you flyer on the pole

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00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:46,040
kept peeling in the rain on at
the vigil, repeating the same

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name, say headline, scroll past
low clicks, no spin till the

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00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:51,720
body was discovered with details
they won't print.

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00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:53,320
Silence.
Whispers in the barbershop,

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00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:56,520
rumors in the thread, all the
shadows in the value placed upon

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the deck.
We don't spread what we can't

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prove, but we name what we can.
Facts only.

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There's a pattern in the silence
when it's one of our fans last

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00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:05,560
seen.
Late night rideshare, never pink

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on cakes.
Worker on vacation, phone never

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rings.
We archive every day, We post

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every map I can pressure on the
desk to like, fill every tap,

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push back.
I kept calling her number, let

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00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:17,920
it ring to the end, call it,
save the voice on my phone, play

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00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:20,760
the back like a hymn.
Remember, say her name if the

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story gets told only after she's
gone so late.

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We failed during daylight.
So we write her a song.

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We write from Rihanna to Sandra,
from near the core.

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Every name is a dot, every lock.
Because within family build

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tables, not walls.
Createspace, not divide.

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00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:37,320
When the system fails us, we
become the guy.

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00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,720
Yeah, late.
Run to the store for milk and

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00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:52,680
little diapers.
Phone on 3%, wallet by the

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00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:55,000
wipers.
Trip lights in the rearview,

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00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,400
hands on the wheel, no license
registration.

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Breathing steady the hill.
Call this Mama like I'm cool.

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Be home in a SEC.
That's why.

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00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:03,720
Audio cut short, then the dash
cams.

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Check evidence.
They said he breached wrong, she

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00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:07,040
said that ain't him.
Lies.

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00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:09,480
He moved like a father would
have liked a temple.

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00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:12,680
He stood in the robe talking
soft to the press, didn't he?

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00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:14,840
Clutching on a receipt like a
cross on the chest.

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Proof no chief at the podium
just forms in a frame.

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You rock a statement in the
inbox.

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00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:21,720
No one taking the blame, Howard.
He kissed his baby's forehead.

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00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:24,600
Whisper be right back.
I still hear the door clicked in

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00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:27,360
the world turn black on.
Remember, remember, we don't

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00:18:27,360 --> 00:18:30,520
traffic and rage.
We demand what it's due policy

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00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:32,160
and charges.
When the facts prove true

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accountability.
We want the true.

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00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:36,120
We carry what they drop, we
repair what they break.

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If they won't build the bridge,
we become Hispanic.

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00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,000
Take every prayer blooper and
every tear builds the

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foundation.
We don't just survive the storm,

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we become the transformation
transform.

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We rise.
We build.

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00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:52,280
Count the names.
Hold the line, hold the line.

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00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:57,600
We don't fold.
We design no tears for black

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00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:00,320
girls.
We turn praise into plants.

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Turn them on.
Say your name.