In this episode, we examine the life and assassination of Colombian senator Manuel Cepeda Vargas, one of the most prominent leaders of the left-wing Patriotic Union (UP). During the height of Colombia's armed conflict and the U.S.-backed war on drugs, political violence engulfed the country as guerrillas, drug cartels, paramilitary groups, and elements of the state battled for power.We explore how the Patriotic Union became the target of a systematic campaign of violence that claimed thousands of lives. As one of the UP's last remaining elected senators, Manuel Cepeda spoke out against repression and advocated for a political solution to Colombia's conflict. On August 9, 1994, he was assassinated in Bogotá while traveling to Congress.The episode also examines the broader context of the Colombian drug war, the role of paramilitary groups, allegations of state involvement, and the long struggle for justice led by his family, including his son, Senator Iván Cepeda. We discuss how Cepeda's death became a symbol of political persecution and one of the most significant human rights cases in modern Colombian history.

In this episode of Strawberry Inc., we examine the 2021 shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, that ended with the death of 17-year-old Anthony J. Thompson Jr. After school officials reported that a student may have brought a weapon onto campus, police responded and confronted Thompson in a school bathroom. What followed was a chaotic and controversial encounter that sparked protests, public debate, and questions about school safety, police procedures, and the events that led to the fatal shooting. Join us as we break down the timeline, the investigation, and the lasting impact this case had on the Knoxville community.

On August 30, 1990, Colombian journalist Diana Turbay was lured into what she believed would be an interview with a guerrilla leader, only to be kidnapped by operatives working for the Medellín Cartel under Pablo Escobar. Held hostage for nearly five months during Colombia’s brutal war against narcoterrorism, Turbay became one of several high-profile captives used to pressure the government into ending extradition policies. On January 25, 1991, a rescue operation near Medellín turned tragic when she was struck by gunfire during the raid. Despite being rushed to a hospital, she died from her injuries at age 40. Her death shocked Colombia and became one of the most heartbreaking episodes of Escobar’s campaign of violence, later chronicled in News of a Kidnapping.