12 episodes

Laurie Bembenek was a Milwaukee police officer and Playboy Club bunny before being arrested for the murder of her husband’s ex-wife, a crime she insisted she did not commit. Nicknamed “Bambi Bembenek,” she became a tabloid fixation, a feminist cause célèbre and, after she escaped from prison, an American folk hero, though she was never exonerated. Journalist and Campside Media co-founder Vanessa Grigoriadis takes a fresh look at the case Diane Sawyer called the "most glamorous murder case of the 1980s.”

New episodes out every Monday. 

Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun

Run, Bambi, Run Apple TV+

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.4 • 849 Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires macOS 11.4 or higher

Laurie Bembenek was a Milwaukee police officer and Playboy Club bunny before being arrested for the murder of her husband’s ex-wife, a crime she insisted she did not commit. Nicknamed “Bambi Bembenek,” she became a tabloid fixation, a feminist cause célèbre and, after she escaped from prison, an American folk hero, though she was never exonerated. Journalist and Campside Media co-founder Vanessa Grigoriadis takes a fresh look at the case Diane Sawyer called the "most glamorous murder case of the 1980s.”

New episodes out every Monday. 

Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.
https://apple.co/RunBambiRun

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires macOS 11.4 or higher

    String of Women

    String of Women

    Convicted of the murder of her husband’s ex-wife, Laurie Bembenek escaped Wisconsin’s only womens’ prison in 1990. A nationwide manhunt ensued, but the truth about whether Laurie was guilty of the crime has never been revealed.




    Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.

    https://apple.co/RunBambiRun

    • 31 min
    Do You See Anyone Wearing Lipstick?

    Do You See Anyone Wearing Lipstick?

    Laurie proudly graduates from the police academy and becomes one of Milwaukee’s first female officers. But her career as a cop is short-lived. While navigating what she believes to be discrimination due to her gender, she becomes a target of her superiors. 




    Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.

    https://apple.co/RunBambiRun

    • 30 min
    Indecent Exposure

    Indecent Exposure

    After being unceremoniously fired from the police department, Laurie fights to get her job back. But tackling the sexism embedded within the department has far-reaching consequences. 

    Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. 

    Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts. 

    https://apple.co/RunBambiRun

    • 33 min
    Ramsey Avenue

    Ramsey Avenue

    The shocking murder of Christine Schultz, a mother of two, leads police to focus on a small circle of suspects. Laurie’s refusal to take a polygraph test turns out to be a critical misstep. 

    Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.

    https://apple.co/RunBambiRun

    • 31 min
    Killers Don’t Play Flute

    Killers Don’t Play Flute

    Laurie is tried for murder in the first gavel-to-gavel televised trial in the state of Wisconsin. As Laurie’s physical appearance and wardrobe choices are held against her, a surprise witness steps forward with potentially damning testimony. 

    Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.

    https://apple.co/RunBambiRun

    • 40 min
    Wigging Out

    Wigging Out

    Sentenced to life for a murder she maintains she did not commit, Laurie begins digging into the police investigation. She also has her eye on a handsome man she meets in prison. 

    Run Bambi Run is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Campside Media. Listen and follow on Apple Podcasts.

    https://apple.co/RunBambiRun

    • 35 min

Customer Reviews

4.4 out of 5
849 Ratings

849 Ratings

rolsanch ,

Accidental Find

I found this podcast while perusing accounts of historical crimes. I enjoyed the story told here intertwined with 80’s nostalgia. Great storytelling voice too. Overall, nicely done.

kurcheva ,

Truly well made

As a journalist myself, I really enjoyed this story. It feels serious with real research and journalistic work but also fun. Loved it and would highly recommend it.

Marcelll Barn ,

Who and what broader social context dunnit

Overall an excellent story. Grigorious is one of the best. HOWEVER.... Despite the laborious effort to set this story in the context of the struggle for equal rights and changing mores of the time .... the narrator consistently calls the grown-up, profesional and worldly protagonist "just a kid" when referring to some of her questionable behavior. None of the dirty cops in her cohort have the benefit of this "just kids" wave of the hand (nor should they) to minimize their anti-social debauchery. Trying to overlay a cumbersome "these are the important themes worthy of study which justifies our inquiry into this salacious story" veneer only distracts from the nuance and originality of the reporting. It details the narrative and dilutes the genuine value it may offer to social scientists and pulp readers alike

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