Ep. 117- The Laken Riley Murder : Women Shouldn't Have to Run Scared

A normal morning jog should not come with a survival plan, but that’s exactly where our minds go when we talk through the murder of Laken Riley. We start with the heartbreaking basics: Laken is a 22-year-old nursing student who texts her mom before a run on the University of Georgia campus. Within minutes, a 911 SOS call is triggered from her phone, the call drops, and she never answers again. A trail camera, phone records, and a Garmin watch timeline turn this case into a chilling sequence of moments you can almost feel ticking by.

We dig into what investigators and the courtroom record point to, including the trail camera sighting of a man matching Jose Ibarra’s clothing, scratches observed during questioning, and the discarded jacket and gloves found near his apartment. Then we get into the forensic details that matter in real life: DNA under Laken’s fingernails, DNA on the jacket and gloves, and how those results shaped the case. We also talk about the autopsy findings and why this kind of violence hits so hard, especially for women who already get trained to carry pepper spray, watch over their shoulder, and still get blamed for simply existing.

The story doesn’t stay contained to one trail in Athens. This case became a national immigration flashpoint, and we wrestle with how tragedy gets politicized while still keeping the focus on what happened and what women live with every day. We close with practical awareness tips for runners and a reminder to stay safe out there. If this conversation hits home, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave us a review so more listeners can find the show.

Transcript

Cold Open And Cruise Scares

SPEAKER_01 0:00

On february twenty second, twenty twenty four, an ordinary morning jog on the University of Georgia's campus becomes a tragedy. This is Hold My Sweet Tea.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

Welcome. Or welcome black. Or welcome back. Welcome back, welcome black, either one. Bro.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

Aiden's gonna be like, Mom, right. Get it together, really. Welcome to my tongue-twisted episode. I'm Pearl.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

And I can articulate today. I'm Holly.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

Annunciate Pearl.

unknown 1:24

Annunciate.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

It's sad that I do the most of the talking today because apparently I cannot.

SPEAKER_02 1:32

Well, here's a word for you to uh think about Hontavirus. Oh no. You heard? Yeah. About the cruise ship? Yeah. The floating plague. Yeah, gross. I'm like, are we coveting again? It's only been what six years? Yeah, I mean coveting the whole time. Yeah. I'm like, are we doing another shutdown? I mean, I could use another shutdown, but we don't need the virus.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

It's a vacation, but your bills are mad. Right.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

But I mean, out of like all of those passengers, like roughly 150, three deaths already. Yeah. That's insane.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

That stuff is gross.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

Yeah. And they're saying that it's a it's a strain which is it's rare because usually it's from mice and rats that can be transmitted between humans. Mm-hmm. So my thing is, are they just keeping them all on there until they're eliminated? Or what are we doing? Because that's got to be scary for the people on board.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

And this is why it's probably also scary for the doctors on board.

SPEAKER_02 2:53

And this is why I've never been on a cruise, and I will never go on a cruise because bad things happen. I think we need to do an episode on why you should not cruise and the true crime behind it.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

I went on a cruise. My mom went with me. I know. We actually had a great time and nobody got sick. But I mean, the amount of people Apparently, my child disclosed that he lost his virginity on said cruise. But that's what happens when you guys let your kids go to the little kitty nightclub on the cruise. There you go. Bad things happen.

SPEAKER_02 3:27

Yep, no chaperones.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

They're like, oh, you want to go to the comedy club? Let your children come over here. We'll watch them. No, they don't. Right.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

Yeah, watched him go off with some girl.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

Right. Right. Actually, I'm pretty sure she could have been uh arrested because she was older.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

Oh wow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:50

Thanks a lot, guys. Yeah. Thanks for watching my kid. He's proud. I'm not. Right.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

So yeah. Like, that's weird. Yeah. But I I I honestly think that maybe we should do an episode on cruises and the weird things that happen. The people that go missing.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

And now my my son's uh co-worker who works on the car lot with him that listens to our podcast. Shout out Jay again, is probably gonna be like, hey, your mom talked about you getting jiggy on the cruise, right? On her pod.

Who Laken Riley Was

SPEAKER_02 4:28

I know more about you. There you go. So what are we doing today?

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Today we're going to Georgia.

SPEAKER_02 4:37

Ooh, I got my peaches down in Georgia.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

That's right. I just figured we've been living in our state for a minute. And then despite the fact that I ran across the country, I still wanted to get back to a different. Well, yeah, you went to Las Vegas.

SPEAKER_02 4:55

I went to Ohio on my episode, so we'll bring it back down south.

SPEAKER_01 5:01

But I was like, don't go back to Louisiana Pearl as much as you want to, because it's what it's what's familiar. It is. I see it every day.

SPEAKER_02 5:09

And my next episode will be in Louisiana.

SPEAKER_01 5:11

So there you go. Um, we're actually gonna talk about uh the 2024 murder of Lake and Riley. So she was a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University. And like as per usual, it seems like bad things happen to good people.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

Right.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

She was born on January 10th, 2002, in Marietta, Georgia. So she's a year, was a year older than my son who we just talked about. She had graduated in 2020 during the vid.

SPEAKER_02 5:57

During the vid. That's the worst worst year to graduate because they didn't get one.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

From uh River Ridge High School. And anybody who went to school with her said she was like an outstanding scholar and athlete. She rank cross country, I'm sure, while she could. Because again, the vid. Right. And that she was an inspiration to her classmates and teachers, that she had a love for learning and was just an all-around kind person. Which makes sense that she's going to nursing school.

SPEAKER_02 6:38

Right. Cares for others and let's bring it around. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Right. So she went to attend University of Georgia, but then transferred to Augusta University, their College of Nursing.

SPEAKER_02 6:54

Right. Which a lot of them do. Like they'll go to one and then transfer for different things depending on what field they're going into. Right.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

Do kind of their prereqs stuff and then move over. The school actually would describe her as a promising future nurse. On February 22nd, on the youth University of Georgia's campus, it was around 8:55 that morning. And Lakin would text her mom and tell her, I'm about to go on a run. Do you have time to talk? So 9.03 rolls around and Lakin talks to her mom. Her mom's name is Allison Phillips. And once that call ends, she turns on some music for her run. Right. We all would. There's a trail camera that shows Lakin running at 9.05. Her cell phone's in her hand, and she's running in the direction of the intramural fields. It takes about a minute, so by 9.06, she's out of view of the camera. At 9 11, there's a 911 call placed from her phone that was initiated through that SOS stuff. So it's like the fastest way to call 911. However, the dispatcher who answered never actually spoke to Lakin, and the call was just like immediately disconnected. The dispatcher made two attempts to call her back and both calls went unanswered. At 9 24, Lakin's mother tried to call her again and there was no answer. She followed up with a text 14 minutes later that read, Call me when you can. Her mother would continue to call back, and all of those calls remain unanswered. She texts again around 9.58 stating, You're making me nervous not answering while you are out running. Are you okay? That would be me. Yeah. Like, where are you at? Especially with the relationship I have with my kid. I would be like, Where is my daughter? Why is she not answering me? I've done that before. Where is my daughter? Why is she not answering me? Thankfully she was fine. Yeah. But I was still pissed.

SPEAKER_02 9:22

Looking on life 360 and going, Where why are you there?

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Why are you in a weird spot that you've never been before and not answering me?

unknown 9:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:31

It was crazy. And I'm like, I know you have signal because if you didn't, I couldn't find you.

SPEAKER_02 9:36

Right.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

So more calls from her mother and her sister. And they all go unanswered as well. At 11:47, her mother texts her again. Please call me. I'm worried sick about you. Right. Her stepfather also attempts to call her, and nothing. Just like the rest, his call also goes unanswered. That same trail camera later that morning, they see footage of Lakin's roommates, Lily and Sophia, searching for her. By 12.05, her roommates report her missing. And Georgia University police officer would actually find her body about 65 feet away from the trail 33 minutes later at 1238. So Lakin was wearing a Garmin watch.

SPEAKER_02 10:42

Yes.

The Morning Timeline And SOS Call

SPEAKER_01 10:42

You know, everybody's got like little Fitbits and stuff like that. She's wearing a Garmin watch on her run, and that watch showed that her heart had actually stopped at 928.

SPEAKER_02 10:59

And when was the SOS placed? 911. 911. Okay.

unknown 11:04

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

Her mom, the phone call her mother made at 924 was the last call probably placed to her phone while she was still alive.

SPEAKER_02 11:17

Four minutes before.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

So her mom actually called her while this was happening.

SPEAKER_02 11:25

While it was happening, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

There was significant blunt force trauma to her head. There were literally eight injuries sustained to the left side of her head. And then there was another injury just above her temple on the right side of her head. And Dr. Michelle DeMarco, who had conducted the autopsy, said one of the injuries was significant enough that it caused brain bleeding and could have been fatal on its own. Yes. However, there was also evidence of asphyxiation, but it was difficult to determine the manner in which it occurred. Her cause of death would be ruled as a combined effect of the blunt force trauma and the asphyxia. So she was brain bleeding and associated.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

That's just I don't know. It it infuriates me every time I hear this same thing happening to women, girls, and things like that. It it should never happen.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

No, I mean you should be just as safe as that guy over there. Right. Running in the morning. Where you want.

unknown 12:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:51

Just like that guy over there.

SPEAKER_02 12:52

Yeah. That guy. Yeah. But it doesn't happen that way. Not for women, because we're taught again to be cautious at all times.

SPEAKER_01 13:01

And I just sent you a reel this morning about that.

SPEAKER_02 13:05

You know what was funny? That reel popped up on my FYP, and then I like clicked on your thing and it was the same reel. So I saw it too.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

That's so crazy.

SPEAKER_02 13:15

But yeah, we're taught to carry pepper spray and watch over our shoulder and keep our keys between our fingers and all that stuff. Because as women, we are constant victims.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

Don't wear tight clothing. Don't wear revealing clothing. Oh, you might like because you're just asking for it then. Like you can't be disgusting. You can't wear things that make you comfortable when you're going to be out sweating your butt off, right? Running. Because you look good to somebody.

SPEAKER_02 13:42

Right. It's like the whole thing, like I know when I was in high school and you were in high school, it was like, oh, well, you know, you don't want to distract other students by wearing something strapped, you know, with little straps, because it might distract somebody. What? A male student? A male teacher? Right. How about you control your fucking self? Absolutely. That was my card. No. But still how about it? Yeah. Like this that goes back to the whole like choose the bear thing.

SPEAKER_03 14:16

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

But there was, I also seen a thing that um was it on that same reel? No, it was on something else. That there was a um a child in Ethiopia that was being attacked and violated, and a lion literally attacked the male and protected the child. So now people are like, oh, now I will choose the lion.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:44

Because a lion stepped in because he saw that that was a child.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

It was a baby.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

A baby, a small thing that was defenseless, and he protected and attacked the males that were attacking the child.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Which is insane.

SPEAKER_02 15:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

Like a wild ass animal. Right. Just saved a human child.

SPEAKER_02 15:06

Knew better.

SPEAKER_01 15:07

Right.

SPEAKER_02 15:09

Okay, back to Lakin.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

But it's it is it is just like a crazy world.

SPEAKER_02 15:14

It is.

SPEAKER_01 15:17

So a man was captured on a trail camera heading toward those same intramural fields right before 8 a.m. on that morning. This man was wearing specific clothing, including a black Adidas cap, that would match the clothing and hat being worn by Jose Ibarra. He actually had a Snapchat post from the same morning wearing those identical clothes.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

So he would be picked up and interviewed the day after the murder. And when he's brought in, the police noticed that he has several scratch marks on his arms. He was also seen discarding a blood-soiled jacket and disposable gloves near his apartment at 9 44 the morning of the murder.

SPEAKER_02 16:30

So he brought gloves because he was intending on doing something to someone.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Right.

SPEAKER_02 16:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

Like, but he didn't know who.

SPEAKER_02 16:40

Right. He whoever walked whoever came down that trail, he was grabbing.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Yeah, like he had to have known that women jog this way frequently.

SPEAKER_02 16:49

Mm-hmm. So he had I'm sure he scoped it out already.

SPEAKER_01 16:54

His DNA would be found under the right fingernails of Lakin. Ashley Hinkle, a crime lab scientist with the GBI, would testify that the probability of that DNA being someone else other than Jose would be one in ten billion. His own two brothers were even excluded as matches. Hairs from the discarded jacket were determined to be Lakin's. Well, you know, they look at them and they go, okay, these are the same consistency, whatever. Both Lakin and Jose's DNA were found on the jacket. Again, his brothers were excluded from this DNA as well because they lived with him. Right. The gloves also contained Lakin's DNA. Yeah. And there was DNA on these gloves that belonged to at least one other person, but who that person is was not determined. The gloves were actually found in a bush near Jose's apartment and were determined to be a match to gloves he had in his possession in a drawer in his apartment.

SPEAKER_02 18:21

So how many times has he done this or planned to do this? Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

And like, or are these like just disposable? Like I know we have disposable gloves in the kitchen, so I put them on when I handle chicken. Oh, absolutely. And stuff like that. So I don't know if it's that or what Right.

SPEAKER_02 18:37

I have some in my bathroom because when I like color, like dye my hair or whatever, I yeah, the ones that come in the package are trash. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Yeah, they are. They they always come apart, and yeah, with hair dye.

SPEAKER_02 18:48

I'm like, there's hair dye between my fingers.

unknown 18:50

Yeah.

Autopsy Findings And Cause Of Death

SPEAKER_01 18:52

So in May of 2024, 26-year-old Jose, he's a migrant from Venezuela who illegally entered the U.S. Right in 2022. He pled not guilty to the charges of malice murder and felony murder in connection to the death of Lakin Riley. He also waived his right to a jury trial. This led to his case being assigned to an Athens Clark County courtroom that was presided over by Superior Court Judge Patrick Haggard. Prosecutors would say Riley refused to be his rape victim. This is what they feel like happened.

SPEAKER_00 19:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:45

And that's why she was murdered. So she obviously said that.

SPEAKER_02 19:53

Yeah, so she didn't submit to being his rape victim, so she was killed, and that was her punishment.

SPEAKER_01 19:58

She fought back and he killed her.

SPEAKER_02 20:00

Yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

He would also waive his right to testify in his own defense. Defense was very slim, and I'm really not feeling like the witness they called helped them in the least. I feel like they were kind of trying to push some of the blame off on Jose's brother, Diego, somehow. I I don't understand how we were using this as defense.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

So his brother was also arrested for possessing an illegal green card. And was obviously questioned in the case because they all live in the same apartment. Right. Um, but so defense calls a female witness who lives in the same apartment complex. And this witness testifies that Diego, the brother of Jose, threatened her the night of Lakin's murder. She said he had asked her about the police and why they were at the apartment complex's dumpster. And she told him that someone passed away in the back of our apartment.

SPEAKER_02 21:20

So he was just like kind of playing more than likely aware of the situation.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

Right. Well, as their conversation continues, that becomes apparent.

SPEAKER_02 21:31

Right.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

She said that she told him if he knew anything, he should tell the police.

SPEAKER_00 21:36

Right.

SPEAKER_01 21:38

And he's using like a translator app to communicate with her. So he's like having to type stuff out to ask her questions and things of that nature. And he wrote out what was translated to her was if you tell them, I will tell them you did it, and then I will kill you too. What? Yeah. And I'm like So this this is their defense of Jose by trying to throw his brother under the bus? Right.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

And also uh aside from the fact that, okay, they are illegal, immigrants and everything, this could be literally anyone, yes. So yeah, they're illegal, and I know that that plays into it and everything, but also this could be uh the tens of millions of thousands of males that do this all the time.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

A classmate that was a U.S.

SPEAKER_02 22:37

citizen.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

I mean they I mean, just despite being illegals, they were still afforded every legal right of a US citizen. And at that point.

SPEAKER_02 22:47

I know that that's been a big pivotal point of this case is oh, they're illegal and all that stuff. But also let's let's let's stick to the facts. They're male.

SPEAKER_01 22:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:56

There we go.

SPEAKER_01 22:57

Yeah. That's that's the point. Yeah. So Diego would never testify in his brother's case. And ultimately, no other defense witnesses were ever called.

SPEAKER_03 23:13

Right.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

The trial would end in Jose being found guilty on all charges, and he would be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. This sentence honored the requests made by Lakin's friends and family.

SPEAKER_02 23:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 23:27

That's what they wanted. District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez said today, the integrity of our judicial process and pursuit of justice transcended political considerations. No sentence can undo the harm caused by Jose's actions. But we hope it brings justice to Lakin's family and community. Our hearts remain with Lakin's family and friends as they continue to grieve this tragic loss. Ultimately, it's believe this was a crime of opportunity. Like we talked about, like he just kind of knew people are running this way. Let me go sit and Right.

SPEAKER_02 24:06

And I'm sure he's noticed them down there, so he's like, Oh, well, there we go.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

Right. Um he does request a new trial, which gets denied. His lawyers were arguing that his constitutional rights were violated with when the judge had declined two defense motions before trial. One of these requests was for a delay to allow an expert witness some time to analyze DNA data for the defense.

SPEAKER_00 24:40

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:41

And the other was to exclude some cell phone evidence. So because both of those motions were denied, they felt like, oh, he wasn't afforded these rights. Well, he was.

SPEAKER_02 24:53

Well, also, if you're a legal do you have rights?

SPEAKER_01 24:59

Do you actually have rights? So they were afforded rights. Right. Did they legally have those rights? No.

Suspect Trail Camera And DNA Links

SPEAKER_02 25:06

No. And also in that sense, you're being put in an American prison, which is way better than a business Venezuelan prison, as we've seen. Sure. So, you know, you could be sent back there to that one.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

And I don't, I don't think, I mean, I don't think there's anything like DNA-wise that would have come up that the police didn't already have proof of that would have come up different for the defense. So I don't I understand why that would have been like something like this is just a waste of time. Why are we delaying this for that? Because it's, you know, been handled. Um and obviously, you know, like we you said before, this this case was a flashpoint right in the national debate over immigration. And this is as close as we come to political because I don't share political opinions on our podcast.

SPEAKER_02 26:01

No.

SPEAKER_01 26:02

But President Trump signed into law the Lake and Riley Act that mandates federal detention of undocumented immigrants who are arrested for burglary and theft. And I'm like, what does that have to do? Like, did he ever burglarize? Did he steal anything? Like, I'm not really sure that he stole her life, but I mean, yes, yeah, but it's not the same thing. I'm not really sure where that made sense to me. I guess they were just like any sort of crime by an illegal is you know, warrants federal detention, which I guess it would because they're illegal for one. Right. So it didn't in this situation, I feel like there was like that big celebration of the of the Trump supporting.

SPEAKER_02 26:56

Right, because there was an opportunity for them to go, oh, this is you know something that we can jump on for whatever because he's illegal, right?

SPEAKER_01 27:06

Right. This is the reason why we need this, and and whatever.

SPEAKER_02 27:09

But again, let's go back to the fact that he's a human being, he's a man.

SPEAKER_01 27:13

Correct. And any man could have done the same exact thing. Many men here who are legal citizens of the United States have done the same thing.

SPEAKER_00 27:22

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 27:23

So, I mean, obviously, others accuse the Trump administration of politicizing a tragedy for their own benefit. And I don't think that that like either way, this is not appropriate.

SPEAKER_02 27:35

Not at all.

SPEAKER_01 27:36

And so, you know, it did spark something that caused other, like it's literally sparked other tragedies. It's like there has to be a better solution than this craziness, but in all honesty, like we said before, this happens no matter where you're from. Right, no matter where you're from, no matter where you live. We could be in Venezuela, those men are still doing the same thing to them, to their women in their country. Right. Like it's not a specific to the United States thing, and it's not illegals enacting these bad things on these women by themselves. Right. Like it's just a man thing, apparently. Sorry, I know I'm not saying every man is this way.

SPEAKER_02 28:28

No, but but as a woman's part of well, and like you were saying, like he had scratch marks, she had DNA in her nails. So if you think back to like when you're hearing about, you know, men are like, oh, men square up with their fist and women pull hair and all, maybe, maybe it's an instinctive thing that has been put in the brains of women and everything from the time a woman was created. Now it's like just innate that this is the only way to defend yourself and to prove that something happened. Something happened, and this man or you know, whoever attacked you by getting his skin and blood, even when they didn't have DNA, you could be like, you know, freaking Fred from the farm down there has blonde hair. He's the only one with blonde hair, and he attacked me. I have blonde hair in my hand from where I yanked his hair out and stuff. So maybe it's an extraordinary.

SPEAKER_01 29:28

And Lord help me, I hope it's got right.

SPEAKER_02 29:31

And this is this is why women pull hair and scratch because it's a defense mechanism to save them and to prove that this is and you're being she's she's not a big girl.

SPEAKER_01 29:44

She's like, and this dude's overpowering her. Of course. And like in that sense, there's no way I'm defeating you in a fight, but I'm gonna make sure somebody knows you did it.

SPEAKER_02 29:59

Exactly. And that's and that is also put into girls' brains as a young child.

SPEAKER_01 30:05

And honestly, I think it's just you're born that way anymore. Like that's what I'm saying. Weirdly enough thing there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:11

Yep. And that's why all girls do it.

SPEAKER_01 30:14

And it's a sad thing. And women attack women. Yeah. Women attack men all the time. Yep. I'm not saying it's just strictly men who do this kind of stuff, but it is mostly men who do this kind of stuff.

SPEAKER_02 30:27

I had a teacher in high school that said, I will break up a male fight any day of the week if boys start fighting because they square up and they, you know, they talk big shit and they puff their chest out. She said, I will step in front of them. I will never try to break up two girls because they will lock onto each other and not let go. And they do. And I think that is just a defense mechanism. And then if two girls do fight, then their defense mechanism against each other. So they do. They lock in. They the hair pulling, the scratching, the wrapping their legs around, because the closer you can get a male towards you, the less harm he can commit, like hitting you and everything. So, like, you know, years of taking dance and stuff as a child, I have good calf muscles. Right. And that would be one of the things, like if I was dating somebody, we'd be like play, you know, fighting or whatever. I could pin that sucker down with my legs every time because I have some strong leg muscles, and they're like, God dang, your legs. Yes. I was like, Yup.

SPEAKER_01 31:40

Yeah.

Trial Outcome And Political Flashpoint

SPEAKER_02 31:41

Ask, ask Chicken Voldemort about Indian leg wrestling with we got some strong legs, and like I will take you down with my legs. So if I can ever get like a guy, like somebody attacking me in a leg hold, you're done. You're done.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

Yeah, I'm squeezing you to death.

SPEAKER_02 32:01

Yep. But yeah, it's a defense thing, and we have to fight back.

SPEAKER_01 32:07

Yeah, absolutely. And I feel so. I think I had sent you something yesterday too that uh someone was talking about like men make a lot of their decisions based on emotion.

SPEAKER_02 32:18

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 32:18

And um they I guess they don't realize that. It's not like emotions or emotional. Emotions are not always sensitive. They're like rage and and anger, you know, all those things are still emotions. Right. And that ninety-two percent of violent crime is committed by men. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:40

With their emotions because they're like, oh, I'm feeling lonely, and and now I I need to go out and like find some female to I'm mad at this.

SPEAKER_01 32:50

She looks like her.

SPEAKER_02 32:51

She looks like her, so I'm gonna, you know, do this and stuff like that. And then the men that call women females, I hate that.

SPEAKER_01 32:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:58

Oh, this female.

SPEAKER_01 33:00

And I'm like, but do you know what my son said to me once? What he said, mom. He's like, I want to break down the word female scientifically. He's like male is man, right? Male equals man. Sure. He said, periodic chart, F E iron. He said, so basically women are iron men. Yep. And I was like, high five, homie.

SPEAKER_02 33:32

Exactly, high five homie, because that's amazing. And your son would never hurt a woman. And because of the way you raised him, might be.

SPEAKER_01 33:40

He might emotionally because he is very sweet. He is, and he pours his heart into really like him. And so he has a hard time drawing like making that line so that they understand we're friends because they automatically assume that he's just being nice to me because he's very more than my friend.

SPEAKER_02 34:00

He's very charming.

SPEAKER_01 34:01

It's not always the case, but he's much I'm like that. And so I've had like a lot of men in my life think that I like them in some certain way because I smiled at them. And I'm like, bro, I smile at everyone.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

Right.

SPEAKER_01 34:12

So it's it's hard. It's hard living the nice life.

SPEAKER_02 34:17

I don't know. All the guys I meet are like, I thought you were a bitch when I first met you.

SPEAKER_01 34:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:21

I've been trying to practice that, but I mean, it's just I was like, that's just the vibe I give off because I'm very like observant and quiet when I meet somebody because they're like, oh, you don't talk very much. I'm like, I don't know you. So therefore, I will not talk to you until I get to read your entire vibe and your entire personality and determine whether I want to talk to you or not. So maybe I am a bitch. I don't know. But I'm a very nice laid-back person when I like you when I get to know you. And then I don't shut up, right? Right. And you're like turkey time. Right. But yeah, I feel for Lakin's family and all that. That's a tragedy that should have never happened.

SPEAKER_01 35:14

Absolutely not. Because that is the fear I have every time my daughter leaves the house. It's like I don't feel I fear for my son for a different reason because he is mixed race and I worry that something's gonna happen to him based on that. Absolutely. Um my daughter, I just worry about her because she's a girl. Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 35:33

And and I get I get where people are like, oh, this should have never happened because he wasn't illegal and all that stuff, and he came into this country, so it would have never happened. I get that. I get that.

SPEAKER_01 35:45

But also It wouldn't have happened to her in that place. No. However, there was still some other guy somewhere else doing the same thing to someone.

SPEAKER_02 35:56

That wasn't illegal. That wasn't illegal. So, you know, just like people say things happen for a reason and it's not always a good reason.

SPEAKER_01 36:06

It would have I don't understand the reasons. Right. Yeah. At all. There is no reason for you to do something crazy like this to another human person who's literally done nothing to you.

SPEAKER_02 36:20

Right. Stop stop the crimes and the killing. Just stop. Minding your own business. Right. Taking a morning run. Go buy a fleshlight. Something.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

You're I mean, there are there are things that you don't have to do. You have Palmetto and her five sisters, and they're free.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

Right. You don't have to assault a woman to get yourself off. Like there are many, many things out there. Go go buy you a a silicone doll. Whatever you gotta do. You don't need to do to do that. Or palmetta.

SPEAKER_01 36:55

That's why I said she's free. Like you have palmetto palmetto on the left, palmetto on the right. Right.

SPEAKER_02 37:05

You lay on one and get your arm to go to sleep, it feels like a stranger.

SPEAKER_01 37:09

Right. So we hear. I don't know. But yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There are options that you have have nothing to do with assaulting an innocent. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 37:25

And this is why this whole movement of women are going, you know what? I like my life a lot better without complications.

SPEAKER_01 37:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:33

Yeah. It's it is uh a big change occurring. It's a huge shift that is that is occurring, absolutely. And I've I see it every day and I'm like, whoa. I'm on board.

SPEAKER_01 37:48

I mean, if you ask the creator of our our theme music, Patty Salzetta, I have been a lesbian and didn't realize it. Right. But she she always tells me that uh the men I date are less of a man than I am.

SPEAKER_02 38:03

Right. You're the one who picks up a whole dryer and carries it outside because it's on fire.

SPEAKER_01 38:11

Yes. Yes, I did. She did. I'm also the one who spent my weekend weeding the ditch and doing all kinds of other yard work.

SPEAKER_02 38:21

And tell everybody about your aloe plant who is a a slut.

Women’s Safety Talk And Closing CTAs

SPEAKER_01 38:25

Oh my god. I I'm like, hey, if you want to message me because you'd like to meet me somewhere in Louisiana to have a piece of my aloe plant, this bitch has a million babies.

SPEAKER_02 38:40

Fertile Myrtle. Except for the one she gave me. He is sterile stan. He has not produced. He is a homosexual male who does not want children. He's asexual. He's asexual. Whatever.

SPEAKER_01 38:54

With himself.

SPEAKER_02 38:55

He has never produced a baby.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

Well, that's the thing. Is like, I don't understand that because I have like the other offspring from that time that I gave you that one, and they all have babies.

SPEAKER_02 39:09

Minds. And I'm like, nope.

SPEAKER_01 39:11

I want to be honest with all of you. I put these plants in a pot and I I transplant them when needed. Yes. Literally, I do nothing else. This is this is the aloe that she rescued that was dead. Yes, it was dead at Home Depot, and I got like a mega discount because it was the only one left, and I just wanted one. And I'm like, let me see if I could bring it back.

SPEAKER_02 39:33

It's its appreciation. It's just multiple.

SPEAKER_01 39:36

Apparently, it's trying to give back, and I want it to stop giving. She's running out of pots. I literally had to go buy 30 pots from uh a lady on marketplace because I have so many babies.

SPEAKER_02 39:50

Say aloe to your little friend.

SPEAKER_01 39:53

Yes. And if anybody wants one, message us. Hold my sweet tea podcast at gmail.com. Hold my sweet tea aloe. Yeah. Carly, do you want an aloe vera plan? Right. Or three.

SPEAKER_02 40:07

Patty.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

Would you like some aloe, my dear?

SPEAKER_02 40:11

Summer. Look, aloe vera season's coming up. People get sunburns. You need that aloe vera. Slice it open, throw it in the freezer, slap it on that sunburn.

SPEAKER_01 40:20

Yeah, it's ready-made and you don't have to go to the store.

SPEAKER_02 40:23

Absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 40:24

All natural. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 40:27

Nice and sticky. Just like it should be. And my my aloe that you gave me started out from a tiny little thing. It's huge. Yeah. Like mega huge. It's thriving. It's just producing. Just no, no babies. No babies. He is just one with the soil, and he's like, I I literally was like, let me trade you.

SPEAKER_01 40:45

Let me give you this one. And I'll take back your sterile plant. My sterile plant. And I said, but my luck, I'd get it here and it would start having babies too. And I'd be like, what the hell? Right?

SPEAKER_02 40:56

He's like, okay, I'm I'm producing now.

SPEAKER_01 40:58

So what they like, I literally neglect them other than to bring them inside when it's freezing. Yep. That's kind of it. I I go out there and pull the weeds out when they come when they end up with a weed in their pot, but I like they sit on the on the porch area where they get the morning sun and the afternoon shade. And apparently they love life right there.

SPEAKER_02 41:18

So now I do have a um it's a I call it's like a moon, they call it a moonshine um plant, but it's like the one you gave me a part of? Yeah, the one I gave you a part. Is it is it thriving and growing?

SPEAKER_01 41:32

It's growing and everything, but it's it's also not reproducing until we'll see.

SPEAKER_02 41:36

Now mine has reproduced. I have transfer planted it to a bigger pot and it's like taken over the whole pot. So I need to transplant it again because it's huge, but I'm gonna start breaking pieces of it off too, because it's huge already. So I think the bigger pot you put it in, the bigger it gets. Right. So, you know, one day we'll have some land.

SPEAKER_01 41:55

I will happily take another piece of this if you would like to add to it because I like it.

SPEAKER_02 42:00

And if anybody wants one of those, hit us up. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:02

So we're we're giving away plants here. Here we are giving away plants.

SPEAKER_02 42:07

Maybe that's way too much.

SPEAKER_01 42:08

Also, while you're asking for the plant, you could also give us a sweet tea after dark story.

SPEAKER_02 42:14

Yeah, we'll trade these. There we go.

SPEAKER_01 42:16

Like I'll give you a plant in exchange for your story. Yes, there we go.

SPEAKER_02 42:21

Deal. We're handshaking through the pod. That is the cost of the plant.

SPEAKER_01 42:27

A story.

SPEAKER_02 42:28

A story, so we can uh you know have an episode that we don't have to look up. But I did enjoy doing the cryptid last time. That was that was a good one, and we got to laugh and have fun with that one. I like when we get to do those. So definitely. Yep. But reach out to us. Hold my sweet tea podcast at gmail.com.

SPEAKER_01 42:49

Yep, yep, yep.

SPEAKER_02 42:51

And as always, hold my sweet tea as a drunken bee production. Maybe that's what it is. You got some good bees over there. I must. They're pollinating the shit out of your plants. Remember to stay safe out there. Just keep watch your six. Yeah, watch it. Like keep uh keep your head on a swivel. I mean, I know you got music going and you're in a in a groove and a vibe and you're doing things and all that stuff, but be aware. Be aware, especially as a woman. Yeah, like carry some spike strips. Maybe that's what we need to invent some spike strip bracelets and stuff for joggers. So that way you can just like when they lay in your hand. Maybe some like Wolverine type shit. Yeah. There we go. And just because we're dipping doesn't mean you can't keep sipping. Bye.