Episode 15: Teenager in Love: Falicia Blakely

Falicia Blakely was only 16 when she met the man who would change the course of her life. At first, Mike Berry was the perfect boyfriend—bringing her flowers, treating her little boy as his own son. But then came the brainwashing, the manipulation, and the fire. Before long, Falicia would find herself holding a phone and a pistol, with Mike on the other end of the call, urging her to shoot.

Sources:

Interview with Falicia Blakely (11/26/18)

“Learning to Hit a Lick” parts 1 and 11, by Mara Shaloup, Creative Loafing, March 2004

A Treacherous Hustle: Hitting a Lick for the Love of a Pimp, by Sereniti Hall

The Falicia Blakely Letters From Her Pimp by Sereniti Hall

“Videotaped statement admissible in slayings,” The Atlanta Constitution, 13 Sept 2003

“Death penalty sought in sex scam slayings,” The Atlanta Constitution, 18 Jan 2003

“Prostitute admits to 3 slayings, blames pimp,” The Atlanta Constitution, 17 Jan 2004

“Prostitute admits role in slayings,” The Atlanta Constitution, 10 June 2004

Music:

“Guilty,” by Ruth Etting, via archive.org

“Haunted House of the Rising Sun” by Kathleen Martin, licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.