Joe Budden’s ‘Crime in America’ podcast examines when systems fail victims

CrimeJoe Budden for the Crime in America with Joe Budden podcastAndrew MohrerBy Keydra Manns | Headline GroupOn episode two of Crime in America, Joe Budden takes listeners on an emotional roller coaster, unpacking three stories that raise a disturbing question: What happens when the systems designed to protect us and improve our lives fail us? From a shady lawyer to AI being used to sell drugs to a police department that was slow to respond, this episode explores what happens when the people and institutions we trust fall short.Budden kicks off this week’s episode with a quick hit in Cleveland, Ohio. About 13 years ago Aliza Sherman was found stabbed to death in downtown Cleveland. The mother of four was in the middle of tumultuous divorce and was on her way to visit her divorce lawyer the day she was murdered. With little evidence the case went cold for over a decade. That was until new evidence surfaced in 2023, pointing to Sherman’s own lawyer. The man she paid upwards of $100,000 to represent her in her divorce has become the primary suspect in her murder, according to prosecutors.Budden’s passionate reaction sums up what many of us are thinking: “This stops me cold: Your lawyer is supposed to have your back, literally paid to fight for you.”Next, he took listeners to New York City, where a Brooklyn couple allegedly turned the idea of a “power couple” into a full-fledged online drug operation. The alleged dealers used encrypted messaging apps to communicate with customers and even turned to AI to create a logo and slogan for their business. To prove they were legitimate, they asked customers to send photos of drugs. But when a customer came looking for four pounds of cocaine for $30,000, they didn’t realize they were actually communicating with federal agents.“I’m assuming they had a more sophisticated way of verifying the images beyond reverse image search, but ... maybe not,” adds Budden. “So far, they seem to have a lot of faith in the information superhighway.”Finally, for the main story, Budden takes listeners to Portland, Oregon, where the shooting deaths of three people and injuries to three others may have been prevented if police had acted on warnings.In 2022, Joseph Kelly Banks went on a killing spree. What makes the case even more disturbing is that authorities had been warned about Banks before the shootings. A diagnosed schizophrenic, he had been living in a halfway house, and was already under supervision for a felony gun possession.Mental health professionals alerted authorities that when off his meds, Banks could become threatening quickly, but no action was taken — the reason? Police say they were understaffed. You’ll be shocked at the twists and turns of this story and just how preventable it all was. “2022 was Portland’s deadliest year, ending with 101 homicides —most were killed in shootings,” adds Budden. “And Banks turned out to be the most prolific and deadly shooter of all.” The OregonLive journalist Maxine Bernstein reported on the case. “Lack of resources and negligence seem to be the theme this week,” says Budden. Keydra Manns is a story producer for the Crime in America podcast. She earned a bachelor's degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a master's degree in journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate...