Sharay “Punisher” Hayes is a former professional dancer and author who found himself at the center of one of the year’s most high-profile cases — testifying in the civil trial against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. His story goes beyond the headlines, revealing how fantasy, silence, and shame can trap men just as deeply as violence and power can trap women.

Follow Sharay on Instagram: @getpunished
Check out his new book: In Search of FREEZER MEAT — a raw and personal story about male mental health, erectile dysfunction, and the unexpected solution that changed his life.

 

Episode Description:

In Part 2, CSI Sheryl McCollum continues her raw and revealing conversation with Sharay Hayes — a dancer turned courtroom witness in one of the biggest trials of the year.

This time, the focus turns inward. Sharay opens up about the emotional and psychological toll of being pulled into someone else’s fantasy, how he rationalized what he saw, and why the truth didn’t hit until the headlines did.

They also dive into erectile dysfunction, male performance pressure, and the silence around mental health that keeps so many men trapped. Sharay’s story may have started in the club — but it ends in court, with real consequences and a long road toward healing.

 

Show Notes: 

• (0:00) The money, the setup, and a moment that still raises questions — a man in a hijab enters the room
• (2:00) Sheryl asks the big question: Did Sharay ever suspect Combs was abusive?
• (4:00) “ I always thought it was something for her ” — Sharay explains how he rationalized it all in real time
• (5:00) Domestic violence, denial, and realizing that what you see isn’t always what’s happening
• (6:30) What Sharay would say to Cassie — and how hindsight shapes what he sees now
• (9:00) Sheryl shifts focus to his book — and why In Search of FREEZER MEAT made her nervous to Google
• (10:00) What ED taught Sharay about pressure, shame, and being a man in a fantasy job
• (12:30) A 14-year-old, a school rumor, and the first wave of anxiety
• (14:00) How performance anxiety quietly wrecks confidence, connection, and self-worth
• (16:00) Sheryl shares a Vegas story — and why pressure hits differently face-to-face
• (17:00) Testifying in court — the nerves, the backlash, and how Sharay stayed honest with no horse in the race
• (21:00) Why his book’s helping more than readers — and what men are telling him
• (22:30) Sheryl closes the episode with a quote from Sean Combs himself: “You have to be somewhat crazy if you wanna be successful.”

Thanks for listening to another episode! If Zone 7 is part of your weekly routine, show us some love with a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. It helps more folks find the show—and helps us keep telling these stories.

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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award-winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnline, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook Cold Case: Pathways to Justice and the founder/director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute — a collaboration between universities and the criminal justice community that advances techniques for solving unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.

Social Links: 

• Email: [email protected] 

• Twitter: @ColdCaseTips 

• Facebook: @sheryl.mccollum 

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