Sistas Who Kill: A True Crime Podcast · CAKE MEDIA

Throwback Thursday : Joan Little

·1 hr 3 min·1 clip

She grabbed the ice pick and stabbed him 11 times to save her life during a sexual assault in jail.

This Throwback Thursday episode from "Sistas Who Kill" revisits the 1974 case of Joan Little, a Black woman who killed a jailer while incarcerated. Hosts Marah and Taz, who focus on true crime stories involving Black women, frame this as a foundational story for their podcast, especially during Black History Month. Joan Little, born in 1953 in Washington, North Carolina, had a troubled youth that included a stint at the Dobbs Farms Training School. As a young adult, she faced repeated arrests with her boyfriend Julius Rogers, but charges were often dismissed until her brother Jerome testified against her in a breaking-and-entering case, leading to a seven-to-ten-year sentence. She was held in the all-male Beaufort County Jail, where 62-year-old jailer Clarence Allgood was a guard who sometimes did her small favors but was also described as racially biased. On August 27, 1974, Allgood entered Little's cell with an ice pick and sexually assaulted her; she grabbed the weapon and stabbed him eleven times before escaping. Her legal team, led by attorney Jerry Paul, orchestrated her surrender and built a defense centered on self-defense, supported by activists like Angela Davis and fundraising through the Joan Little Fund. The defense conducted a $35,000 survey showing local bias, successfully moved the trial to Raleigh, and used unconventional jury selection methods, including a psychic and body language expert, to seat a panel of six white and six Black jurors. A surprising claim is that Joan Little hid from police by slipping between two feather mattresses while an officer sat on top of them for 30 minutes. The hosts note the prosecution's weak case led the judge to reduce the charges from first-degree to second-degree murder mid-trial. They highlight the lost evidence, including a cleaned crime scene and an ice pick with no fingerprints, despite a cop handling it without gloves. The media's portrayal of Clarence Allgood as having "died in the line of duty" is sharply contrasted with the crime scene description of him found pants-down with a bra on the cell door. An interesting insight is how the defense team meticulously changed Little's public image, coaching her demeanor and style to appear more "demure" for the trial. The tone is conversational and analytical, with the hosts offering candid commentary and personal anecdotes while dissecting the legal and social dynamics. They blend educational facts with relatable asides, like comparing Dobbs Farms to "Dr. Phil" reform schools and discussing school credit transfers. This episode would deeply interest listeners passionate about criminal justice reform, Black history, and cases involving race and gender bias. Fans of narrative-driven true crime that examines systemic issues will find it compelling. Listeners who prefer straightforward murder mysteries without socio-political commentary might want to skip it.

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