Carissa Heavy Runner
Appearances
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
He went around the light pole thing once because he didn't know which way he was going and he had trouble trying to back up over and it's like his tires were just spinning and we're just standing at the window like laughing. And I was like, did that really just happen?
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
It's been hard. I find myself where... Kevin's wanting to, you know, get me outside, go take a ride up the mountain. And then I'm being reluctant because I'm already thinking in the back of my mind, this is going to make me sad. I'm going to cry. I don't want to do that, you know.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
And I feel bad about that because I know he's just trying to get me outside and do the things that we love and Micah loved.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
You know, we all looked at each other, us, all our friends, and like, oh my gosh, we cannot let them get away with this. Same lead prosecutor, same lead investigator.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
I believe it was because of the woman that hit her and her children's names.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
What's going through your head, Grisa? I just, oh no. I appreciate my husband so much for his truth and his fearlessness that he's just going to come out and say whatever. That's how we're a good team is that we are able to cover all sides of it.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
He was adamant about following us home to get it. And, you know, I repeated, she did not have her phone on her. It was in her brother's car. Why do you need it? What's it going to... you know, show or whatever. And then he said, we need to look at all aspects. I was torn, fought with myself, and I thought I was helping. And so I gave him the phone up here at our house.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
I was quiet that whole thing. I didn't say one thing because I was mad. Like, is everyone this dumb in this world that are in these positions of power? And we're like telling them what they need to look for or do, how to do their, I don't know. I mean, chemists look at each other. We're like, oh my God, like it's crazy. You know, like I just can't believe it sometimes.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
I couldn't believe that, you know, it was happening.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
I'm thankful that today finally happened where Sonny White read her charges. I don't want the judge and the county to take the easy way out, do a plea bargain. I would like to see this go to trial.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
I was thinking like, yeah, plea bargain, that's the easy way out. That's keeping it hush-hush, sweeping it under the rug. That's, you know, cutting the media out and all that. You know what I mean? It's ending it abruptly. When we did all this and looking at the bigger goals, it would be trial and everything would be laid out and all that. You know, that's what I visualized.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
Um... I'm just thinking, when would you like us to tell you what terms, I mean, today?
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
It was a huge, almost instantaneous, like weight off my shoulders. I just felt it like gone. And that's part what brought on the crying. I don't know. Something just clicked inside of me where I just felt like finally, you know, she's admitting guilt. Of course, Kevin did not feel that way.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
You could hear her, like, probably even in the garage, just laughing. And her laugh was just so loud. Like, her sound just echoed. Or if she was mad, just like, ha, like, you know, just had to let that energy out. And just things like that she would do. Run into our room, fart, run away, just laughing all the way. She was like that.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
We haven't even been talking. I don't know if we're going to survive this, honestly. It's him. He can't handle what I'm doing, I guess. I don't know. It sucks. To pull this shit, like, right before this.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
by Berger Gidden. It's 8.53, but thank you for being here.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
Hello, everyone. Thank you for... Being here. She pulled out a crumpled sheet from a yellow legal pad. I had to speak up as hard as it was when all I wanted to do was stay in bed and do nothing and just cry. But I couldn't because that's not who I am and that is not the people that I come from. And that's not the values that I instilled in my daughter.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
And I had to do what I had to do as hard as it was. So hard. And this is what all these other families are up against, when you should just be able to grieve and trust the system, trust the law enforcement to have open communication with you and to trust that they're doing their job. And I didn't have that trust. And it's breaking our family. It's causing strain between me and my husband.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
And most families, parents that lose a child, they don't survive the loss of a child. I don't know if me and my husband will survive this.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
I would like that the tenure, what the attorneys are going to be fighting for, I would like that to be taken into consideration.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
She had a four-year-old daughter named Arian and I believe a two-year-old son named Nation.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
Those that gave testimony, we did what we came here to do today. Thank you so much.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
She said that a tribal police officer pulled over a woman, a non-native, and she had said, I came here to kill Andan. I remember I was a speechless after that. It's just like, you know, like thinking, could it have been a hate crime? You know, could she have driven by, turned around, came back and hit her and thought, oh, I'm not going to get caught.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
Sorry about that. Carissa Heavy Runner, the mother of Micah Westwolf. You gave me your number when we were putting a cross on the side of the road and there was you and another trooper there?
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
No, because I don't know who else to talk to.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
This is who's investigating our daughter's case. This is who we're supposed to rely on to give us information and who we're supposed to trust.
This American Life
858: How to Tell a Dumb American Story
I can tell you 100% after that we knew that. We spooked him, you know, and so you could tell he was clearly mad after that. You could tell he was flustered. I wish we would have recorded him trying to leave our driveway.