For 20 years, Sarah Delashmit told people around her that she had cancer, muscular dystrophy, and other illnesses. She used a wheelchair and posted selfies from a hospital bed. She told friends and coworkers she was trapped in abusive relationships, or that she was the mother of children who had died. It was all a con. Sympathy was both her great need and her powerful weapon. But unlike most scams, she didn’t want people’s money. She was after something far more valuable.Â
What Happened to Talina Zar unravels the chilling mystery of a woman who vanished during the COVID-19 lockdown, the internet sleuths who wouldn’t let it go, and the dark subcultures and betrayals they unearthed. Listen here or on the iHeartRadio app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hi Sympathy Pains Fans! Take a listen to the trailer of our newest show, Forgive Me For I Have Followed. About the show: Join Jessica Acevedo, the Executive Producer of Netflix's explosive docu-series, Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, and Kailea Gray, marketing strategist and former 7M Films member, as they further expose the core of 7M Films and Shekinah Church. Forgive Me For I Have Followed embarks on a gripping journey into the hidden truths behind this high control group. Through powerful in-depth interviews with former members and new, chilling first-hand accounts, the series will illuminate untold, necessary perspectives. Stories like Kailea's happen far too often. This podcast will also feature individuals whose lives have been affected by other cults. This will be more than an exploration—it is a vital revelation aimed at ensuring these types of abuses never happen again. Listen here and subscribe to Forgive Me For I Have Followed on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Detective Louis N. Scarcella was a legendary figure in New York City during the '90s. In a city overrun with violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. But the story changed when a group of convicted murderers-turned-jailhouse lawyers made a startling discovery that linked all their cases: Scarcella was the cop who helped put many of them away. They made a vow: Take down Scarcella. And with the help of a relentless New York Times reporter, they did just that. Thirty years later, 20 people who Scarcella helped put behind bars have since walked free. In the media, he's known as the disgraced, rogue cop who hoodwinked an entire system. But was this really the workings of one person? We spent hundreds of hours talking with witnesses who were coerced, jailhouse lawyers, outraged attorneys, and righteous cops. Scarcella insists he didn't do anything wrong. And after finally tracking him down, he agreed to take us into the belly of the beast... where justice is done (and undone). Welcome to The Burden. Listen here or on the iHeartRadio app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In 1987, 18-year-old Michelle Schofield was found dead in a phosphate pit in Florida. Two years later, her husband Leo was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Fifteen years later, previously unidentified fingerprints matched Jeremy Scott--a violent teenager who lived nearby. Jeremy has since confessed to Michelle's murder. Yet Leo Schofield remains behind bars. In this groundbreaking podcast, Bone Valley host Gilbert King uncovers startling new evidence that Jeremy is responsible for a string of murders. King is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Devil in the Grove, which led to the exonerations of four innocent men. Listen here or on the iHeartRadio app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Laura gets a call from a relative who provides insight into Sarah's past. Sarah has her day in court. Her victims have the chance to say their piece, but still struggle to make sense of what happened to them. The judge issues a surprising sentence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Across the country, people who have known Sarah see the Dr. Phil show and learn the scope of her lies. Victims call police, who say they cannot prosecute Sarah because “it's not a crime to fake cancer.” Soon, federal prosecutors learn of crimes they can prosecute Sarah for. But should her mental state be considered in the search for justice? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Liz, Brian and Bethany confront Sarah on national television. Dr. Phil arranges psychiatric care for Sarah, after she leaves the set. Meanwhile, Andrea Smith, a stay-at-home mom in South Carolina, has been tracking Sarah across the internet for 20 years, warning non-profits not to allow her into their communities. Andrea even went to the police when Sarah was in college. Sarah's past is about to catch up with her. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Liz Hickox works in financial services and volunteers for a breast cancer charity. At a bike ride for young survivors, she meets Sarah, who says she has stage 4 metastatic disease. Liz and her husband Brian welcome Sarah into their winter home in Florida and help her train for a triathlon– her single goal before she dies. After they discover the truth, they find other victims of Sarah's scams and together vow to get her help, turning to an unlikely person: Dr. Phil. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This time, at a summer camp in California, Sarah Delashmit is a counselor. She becomes fast friends with Erin Johnson, a 23-year-old woman who was born with cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair. Over the next decade, Erin supports Sarah, from afar, through setback after setback: a brain tumor, an Ebola infection, and multiple children born prematurely and dying. Erin mourns Sarah's losses as if they were her own, and ultimately faces an even greater devastation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sarah shows up at a Texas camp for people with disabilities in the fall of 2015 in a power wheelchair, seemingly unable to move her body. During the week of camp, counselor Bethany Turner takes care of Sarah's every need, bathing her, and even changing her menstrual pads. After camp is over, they speak almost daily. Then one day, Bethany gets a shocking call from the camp. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.