309. Crossing the Thin Blue Line: Lawrencia "Bambi" Bembenek

Lawrencia Bembenek’s beauty was both a blessing and a curse. To some, it was a key that unlocked doors. But to others, it was the perfect tool for shaping a narrative—a narrative that framed her as a modern-day femme fatale. The press depicted her as “a former Playboy bunny,” yet Laurie had worked only three weeks as a waitress at the Lake Geneva Playboy Club and never posed for the magazine in her birthday suit. The closest she came to being a centerfold was fully clothed in a Schlitz beer calendar. This story was eaten up by the public and often distorted by the media. There were public rallies cheering her on with cries of “Run, Bambi, Run,” the name the press gave her and the name she hated. People could not get enough of this case, which brings me to the whole reason I decided to cover it today, as it may sound a bit familiar to another case in the headlines today. Take a listen and see what you think. Was Laurie set up? Join Jen and Cam on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast’s ‘Crossing the Thin Blue Line: Lawrencia "Bambi" Bembenek.’Listener discretion is by @octoberpodVHSMusic is by our EP @theinkypawprintSources:https://www.nytimes.com/1991/09/06/us/murderer-s-fiance-is-guilty-of-aiding-her-prison-escape.htmlhttps://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrNPSRhBCVoQAIAlJRXNyoA;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1748466018/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fLaurie_Bembenek/RK=2/RS=AkhxsqB51BnrkNSjGnQcq94GW4Y-https://www.oxygen.com/snapped/crime-news/laurie-bambi-bembenek-did-she-kill-or-was-she-framed-by-copshttps://www.milwaukeemag.com/archive-obsession-ira-robins-quest-justice-laurie-bembenek/https://www.fox6now.com/news/attorney-seeks-pardon-for-laurie-bembenek-murder-convictionhttps://shepherdexpress.com/culture/milwaukee-history/shes-beautiful-shes-dangerous-and-shes-on-the-run-the-law_1/https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrFDyJPBiVonJgL5AcPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1747285712/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.upi.com%2fArchives%2f1993%2f05%2f13%2fBembenek-argues-with-juror-during-interview%2f5138737265600%2f/RK=2/RS=Ze19vMx_lPU62e0go3aMzzSnaC0-https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrFYG93BiVour8KgzoPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzMEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1747285752/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fcrimelibrary.org%2fnotorious_murders%2fwomen%2fbambenek%2f8.html/RK=2/RS=flDMvoE.qGH2UUjOqCwK4J2noYU-https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrNPc0iBiVoPFQLFhgPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzMEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1747285667/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fthecinemaholic.com%2flaurie-bembenek%2f/RK=2/RS=PKZLDh5bTW0wQg2UMuJD.hNFtW0-https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrNPc0iBiVoPFQLIBgPxQt.;_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzUEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1747285667/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.jsonline.com%2fstory%2flife%2f2023%2f09%2f12%2flawrencia-laurie-bembenek-run-bambi-run-facts-murder-escape-from-prison-cause-of-death%2f70794066007%2f/RK=2/RS=1GdjKM0vWnG.dKmdAS5BcBrp2Sk-https://www.jsonline.com/picture-gallery/life/2023/09/07/laurie-bembenek-tried-for-murder-in-1982/70791199007/https://www.amazon.com/Woman-Trial-Lawrencia-Bembenek/dp/0061006009https://web.archive.org/web/20141019065121/http://www.milwaukeemag.com/article/6212011-laurieslastdayshttps://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19900815&id=C75RAAAAIBAJ&pg=5364,3674311http://www.jsonline.com/news/obituaries/109696054.html