I Fear You, Babe
I Fear You, Babe is a true crime podcast hosted by Dino Malvone, a New York-based storyteller who believes the most important part of any case isn't the crime — it's the person at the center of it.
Every Thursday, Dino goes deep on one case: the victim's life, the investigation, the failures, and the questions that remain. Every Monday, he covers what's moving in the true crime world right now — active trials, new arrests, verdicts, and developments that can't wait for a deep dive.
No gore. No sensationalism. No pretending to be a detective. Just careful research, honest storytelling, and a commitment to saying a person's name like it means something — because it does.
Before we talk about how they died, we talk about how they lived.
New episodes every Monday and Thursday. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
I Fear You, Babe
12. Rekia Boyd: The Shot That Was Never Meant For Her
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This is I Fear You, Babe. Before we talk about how Rekia Boyd died, we talk about how she lived.
Rekia Boyd was twenty two years old. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a Black woman standing with her friends in her own city on an ordinary night.
In March of 2012, Rekia was shot and killed by an off duty Chicago police officer. She was unarmed. The officer was never convicted. Her case ended not with accountability, but with a legal technicality that exposed how easily justice can be mischarged, misdirected, and ultimately denied.
This episode examines what happened the night Rekia Boyd was killed, how the legal system responded, and why her death did not receive the attention it deserved. This is not a story about a single decision. It is about systems of protection, prosecutorial failure, and whose lives are treated as disposable.
Rekia Boyd — References & Sources
Primary Reporting & Context
- Rekia Boyd Foundation (family and advocacy) — official site
https://rekiaboydfoundation.org - Chicago Tribune — Coverage of the shooting and trial
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/chi-chicago-police-officer-cleared-in-rekia-boyd-shooting-20150715-story.html - ABC7 Chicago — Article on Rekia Boyd case and aftermath
https://abc7chicago.com/rekia-boyd-shooting-dante-servin-chicago/1501854/ - CNN — Reporting on the judge’s ruling and community response
https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/15/us/chicago-rekia-boyd-officer-acquitted/index.html
Legal & Court Details
- Chicago Sun-Times — Analysis of the legal decision and involuntary manslaughter issues
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2015/7/15/18448752/cook-county-judge-acquits-former-cpd-officer-dante-servin-in-rekia-boyd-killing - South Side Weekly — Breakdown of legal arguments and community impact
https://southsideweekly.com/rekia-boyd-acquittal-police-accountability/
Police Violence & Racial Justice Context
- Mapping Police Violence — Database of police killings (nationwide data)
https://mappingpoliceviolence.org - Black Women’s Blueprint — Report on Black women and state violence
https://www.blackwomensblueprint.org - Center for Constitutional Rights — Racial justice resources and case archives
https://ccrjustice.org
Historical & Social Context
- NAACP — Police Reform and Accountability Resources
https://www.naacp.org/issues/criminal-justice-reform - ACLU — Civil liberties and police violence overview
https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police
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