Courtney Browen
Appearances
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Officer Sorensen learned that Brittany and Celeste had been living at the hotel for nearly four months. They moved there after being forced to leave the Congress Inn due to it permanently closing. But as he walked around their small hotel room that morning, he noticed that not only were there no toys for the three young children, but that there was not a designated area for homeschooling.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
There were no computers, school books, or even pencils and markers to indicate that Brittany did in fact homeschool her kids. The reality was they weren't being homeschooled. Officers also discovered multiple trash bags around the room with various items of clothing, some of which were soiled with urine.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
In one bag located to the left of the bed, they found a children's diaper that was wrapped in duct tape and a set of rubber gloves. On top of the refrigerator was a box of white trash bags in a bottle of bleach. Now to an investigator, these items may raise some red flags, but there was nothing that screamed that Amari was met with foul play, at least not in this hotel room.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
So from here, investigators speak with Brittany, Amari's mom, and they want to get any information they can. Brittany once again told the officers that Amari had gone to sleep on Saturday, November 20th, at around 10 p.m. And once she was asleep, Brittany took a lift to the BP gas station.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
She admitted that she was only gone for around 20 minutes and that her girlfriend Celeste stayed behind to watch the kids. Brittany said that when she returned, Amari was still sleeping in the room. Now her girlfriend Celeste told officers that after Brittany came back home from the store,
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
she had her sister pick her up and take her to her grandmother's house so she could babysit her niece and nephew and celeste claimed that she was there all night long in fact she said she came back to the hotel at around 5 that morning so naturally when celeste tells the officers this they have some questions the first thing they ask is when you came back to the hotel room this morning
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
did you see Amari? But Celeste couldn't really give an answer. She claimed that it was too dark in the hotel room, so she didn't really notice if Amari was there or not. Once she arrived, she said she went back to sleep and it wasn't until hours later when Brittany woke her up in a panic, claiming that Amari was missing. According to Brittany, when she realized that Amari wasn't in the room,
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
she rushed outside and began looking for her. Brittany said she searched the parking lot, checked the back of the hotel, and she went floor to floor to see if anyone had seen her. But after about five minutes of searching, Brittany decided to call 911. Now, Officer Sorensen knew that there were surveillance cameras at the hometown studios.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
And luckily, there was even one near Brittany and Celeste's doorway. So from there, he walked to the management office to review the camera footage. and what he saw would immediately raise some red flags. Shockingly, there wasn't any footage of Amari leaving the hotel room that morning. There was also no footage of her wandering around all on her own.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
They also checked the footage to see if Brittany, Amari's mom, had actually looked for her. They were expecting to see on the camera a frantic mother running around looking for her daughter. But surprisingly, Brittany was not on the footage either. She had not left the room that morning to search for Amari, like she had claimed.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
In total, eight cameras were searched, including cameras from a nearby car wash and hibachi restaurant. None of them showed Amari or Brittany Hall, who said she was looking for her daughter. So why lie?
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
That night, both Brittany and Celeste were allowed to go back home as there was no evidence to hold them. And sadly, by 4.30 p.m. that day, there was still no sign of Amari Hall, despite the massive search in and around hometown studios. Soon enough, the sun was going down and the air outside was getting colder and authorities continue to worry about the safety of the eight-year-old little girl.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Now, I'm not sure why authorities told the public that they didn't suspect foul play, because Brittany and Celeste were raising all the red flags. Their stories were changing. They weren't matching up. Maybe authorities didn't want them to suspect that they were onto them. But soon enough, the women were back at the police station for questioning.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
And specifically, authorities wanted to know everything that happened that weekend, everything that led up to Amari's disappearance.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Now, like you just heard, Celeste said that she was at her grandmother's house that night, but at some point in the interview, she stated that her and her grandma had an estranged relationship due to Celeste being a lesbian, which is strange because she said she was at her house all that night.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Detectives also wanted information on Celeste's sister, the one who picked her up that night, but Celeste told them that she didn't have her sister's phone number and that they only communicated via Instagram.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
A few years later in June of 2015, Brittany Hall would give birth to her second daughter named Zaire. And by then, Barbara's house was feeling a little crowded. So she actually decided to help her daughter Brittany get an apartment of her own. For the first time in years, Brittany was on her own and she now had two young children. Things weren't easy.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
At this point in the interview, detectives ask Celeste what she believes happened to Amari. And immediately, she starts talking about Amari's behavioral issues, something that her grandmother Barbara said was completely fabricated.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
On a cold November night in 2021, eight-year-old Amari Hall suddenly disappeared from the hometown studios, an extended stay hotel in the Peachtree Corners area of Gwinnett County, Georgia. Amari's mother, Brittany Hall, claimed that Amari fell asleep at around 10 p.m., safe and sound inside the hotel room. However, when she woke up that next morning, Amari was nowhere to be found.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
And every so often she would send the kids back with her mom, Barbara, when she was feeling overwhelmed. Now the following year on September 19th, 2016, Brittany would give birth to her third child, a son named Jakari. And he had the same father as her second daughter, Zaire. But from what I could tell, the father wasn't very present in the children's lives. So after the birth of her third kid,
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
By now, both Detective Conaway and Officer Sorenson were highly skeptical of Celeste's version of events. She continued to say that on the morning of Amari's disappearance, Brittany had frantically searched the parking lot and the surrounding areas of the hotel. But like we mentioned, investigators had watched the surveillance footage and there was no sign of Brittany outside of the room at all.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
When confronted with this, Celeste acted shocked and confused. According to her, Brittany had searched for Amari before dialing 911.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
In a desperate attempt to mislead investigators, Celeste then mentioned a mysterious man behind the hotel that was trying to lure children to a box. According to Celeste, Brittany had learned from a neighbor, whom she described as a crackhead, that the man was in a black vehicle and he was acting extremely suspicious.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Brittany decided to move back in with her mother for a period of time. Barbara wanted to make sure the kids were taken care of. And once Brittany was back on her feet, she would once again move back out on her own. Here is Barbara Wright.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
So as you can see, the first few years of Amari's life were a little unstable, having to move back and forth between her mother and grandmother's house. But in the end, she was cared for. Her grandmother, Barbara, stated that Amari was the brightest light. She brought a smile to everyone around her. And like every little girl, she had dreams of what she wanted to become when she was older.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
At this point, investigators stepped out of the interrogation room to speak with Brittany, who was being held in room one. They also used this opportunity to speak with Brittany's two other children, Zaire and Jakari. About an hour later, they returned to Celeste's room and revealed that one of the children had made a shocking statement.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Six-year-old Zaire told investigators that Celeste physically removed Amari from the hotel room on the night in question and said that she was taking her to the bad kids hospital. But Celeste tried to play off the bad kids hospital as a statement she often made when Amari was misbehaving.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
And Amari wanted to be a hairdresser. Any chance she could, Amari was playing with everyone's hair. And if it wasn't her mom or grandma's hair, she was doing her doll's hair.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
From here, detectives would only find more discrepancies within Celeste's story. Receipts at the BP gas station showed no purchases by either Celeste or Brittany when they both said that they had been there that night.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
And when confronted with this, the investigators also noticed that Celeste and Brittany's stories were similar, but specific details were completely different, almost like they had rehearsed things, but not well enough. For instance, the description of that crackhead neighbor was different. And so was the man who they claimed was luring children behind the hotel.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Investigators knew that they were both somehow involved, but they needed more information. So Detective Conaway once again went over Celeste's timeline from Saturday, November 20th up until she discovered that Amari was missing. And this is a tactic that detectives use to catch people in lies. They'll get you to tell your story over and over again, asking specific questions about every detail.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
And when you're telling the truth, recalling those details shouldn't be that hard. However, when you're lying, they are. After a few hours of questioning, Celeste was obviously irritated and she continued to argue with them, especially when they brought up the family members that she claimed to have babysat that night.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
At this point in the interview, detectives bring up something extremely disturbing. During their talk with Amari's sister, Zaire, she mentioned that Celeste would often use a napkin to put the kids to sleep. But when they bring this up to Celeste, she plays dumb and says that the little girl is lying.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
She also changes the subject and says that Amari and Zaire are very difficult children who fight all the time. But Celeste said that they never addressed the fights professionally because they believed that they would be falsely targeted for abusing the children when it was really just them fighting. But it was clear to detectives when they spoke to Zaire that she was very afraid of Celeste.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
The little girl said that she would often brandish her gun and threaten the kids when she was upset, that she would hit them when they misbehaved. But of course, Celeste denied all of this. And from this point forward, it was very clear that she was no longer willing to cooperate with investigators. When detectives asked if they could look through her cell phone, she told them no.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
now barbara was a huge figure in the children's lives but once brittany came back to get her children they lost touch with their grandma for a while disturbingly once brittany took them back she didn't even tell her mom where she was going for months Barbara called and texted her daughter over and over again, trying to get in touch with her, but they all went unanswered.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Obviously, there were secrets inside. Secrets that she didn't want investigators to know about. But eventually, they would get access to her cell phone. And as soon as she handed it over, Celeste began to grow even more angry.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
But then finally, Brittany picked up the phone. Barbara was so relieved to finally hear her voice, but when she asked where Brittany was located, she still refused to tell her. So Barbara then asked, well, can we FaceTime? I'd love to see the kids, but Brittany once again refused.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
At this point in the interview, Celeste tries to leave, but investigators quickly tell her that she isn't allowed to leave. Now, they don't have enough evidence to place her under arrest for Amari's disappearance, but they do have proof that she lied to investigators. So from here, she's arrested for making a false statement and she's taken to the Gwinnett County Jail.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Meanwhile, investigators took pictures of Jakari and Zaire's injuries that were visible once they arrived at the Sheriff's Department. Officer Sorensen later said that when they first encountered the children at the hotel room, both had been under blankets. And then even during transport, Celeste and Brittany had them wrapped in blankets in an attempt to hide their injuries.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Shockingly, when the blankets were removed, both children had bruises, scabs, and cuts all over their legs, arms, backs, and even on their faces. Now, throughout the time they were at the police station, both Zaire and Jakari complained that they were hungry. Investigators would later admit that both of the children's bellies were distended. which indicated that they were extremely malnourished.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
But while at the police station, the children were fed Papa John's pizza. But due to their significant injuries, the children were not allowed to go back in the custody of their mom. Instead, they were taken into state custody.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
and disturbingly, the door to the hotel room was left ajar. Investigators in Georgia worked tirelessly to find the little girl, and in the beginning, they had hope that she would be found alive. However, with each passing hour, investigators were growing more and more suspicious of the main people in Amari's life.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Now, even before finding these videos, investigators had a sinking feeling that Amari was no longer alive. But after watching the horrific abuse found on Celeste's phone, they were more sure than ever that Amari was dead. And sadly, they were right. On Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021, at around 10.45 a.m., the search for Amari Hall came to an end.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Tragically, her naked body was discovered inside of a white trash bag in a wooded area near the Stone Mill Trace neighborhood in DeKalb County. Crime scene investigation supervisor, Key Jimenez, was immediately called out to the scene to assist the two detectives.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Amari's body had been concealed by three trash bags, one trash bag over the top of her head down to her abdomen, another covered up her legs towards her hips, and the last one had been used to wrap around the remainder of her torso, and they were all secured with a long black rope.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
The trash bag that covered the top portion of Amari's body was ripped upon discovery. Key explained that the rip was consistent with animal activity. But upon finding Amari's remains, investigators were heartbroken. This was not the outcome that anyone wanted, but it sadly was the outcome that they had suspected from the very beginning. So following the discovery, police chief J.D.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
McClure updated the community in a press conference at 1 p.m.,
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Battered Child Syndrome is where a child is beaten on multiple occasions. There are multiple wounds, multiple locations of these wounds, and multiple stages of healing. So essentially, when a child dies from Battered Child Syndrome, it means they faced beatings over and over again until their body could no longer take it.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
For Amare's little body, she was covered in bruises, lacerations, and contusions that were all in various stages of healing. Her ankles had wounds that suggested she had them tied together at one point. And based on how the wounds look, Dr. Downs stated that they happened weeks or even days before her death. In addition, Amari was extremely thin when she was found.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Her ribs were poking through her skin, which indicated she was severely malnourished. and she only weighed 54 pounds. Now, Amari was tall for her age, she was 4'10", and according to Dr. Downs, she should have weighed at least 80 pounds, so she was 30 pounds underweight. Dr. Downs also discovered that Amari had almost no muscular development.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Her knees were extremely bony, which indicated she was neglected and not fed on a regular basis. Almost all of the injuries on her body had at one point been an open wound, and professionals believe that she had been repeatedly beaten with a long thin type of instrument, such as a cord or a plastic hanger.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
She also had a torn frenulum, a thin piece of tissue that connects the top lip to the gum line. Dr. Downs suggested that this could have been torn after being repeatedly punched in the face. And these were just the external injuries. During her internal examination, Dr. Downs discovered a large amount of blood in blood clots in her belly.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
There was bruising to her lungs, several fractured ribs that were in multiple stages of healing. There was a large bruise on the back of her head and a three-inch tear on her liver. Dr. Downs stated that he believed while Amari was lying on the ground, someone wearing boots had stomped on Amari's liver
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
and crushed it into her spine he also stated that this injury was likely caused just hours before her death and that she would have been in excruciating pain for an eight-year-old little girl she definitely would have been crying complaining of severe stomach pain but no one came to help her ultimately dr downs determined that the cause of death was battered child syndrome due to the significant number of blunt force injuries to amari's body as well as malnutrition
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
With the license plate number recorded from the back of the U-Haul van, investigators were able to utilize flock cameras, which are special cameras that read license plates. And they were able to determine that from there, Celeste traveled back towards the hometown studios.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
However, first, she decided to make a quick stop at the Family Dollar, located right across the street from the Extended Stay Hotel. Investigators learned that on November 19th, At 1.39 p.m., Celeste purchased a gallon of bleach, blue latex gloves, and a few snacks, including Powerade, Mountain Dew, and some candy. Her total came out to be $18.50. From there, she got back into the van
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
and drove to the hometown studios located at 7049 Jimmy Carter Boulevard. A few hours later, at around 5.52 p.m., the U-Haul van was moved to a closer parking spot near the stairwell by room 251. Celeste had backed the van into the parking spot and at 5.53, the back door of the van was opened. And from the cameras, you could see that there was movement.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Now, the camera view was compromised, but it's safe to assume that it's here where Celeste put Amari's body into the back of the van. Then, at 5.58 p.m., the van pulled out of the parking lot heading eastbound on Jimmy Carter Boulevard. Flock cameras tracked the location of the van going towards DeKalb County and then ultimately turning around at 7.03 p.m.,
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
was then shown traveling towards the direction of the A1 storage facility.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Now Celeste Owens would plead not guilty for her trial that was set for December of 2024, but the prosecution had a pretty strong case. When the trial finally commenced a few months back, prosecutor Sabrina Nizam painted a horrible and disturbing picture of what life was like for Brittany Hall's three young children.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Sabrina stated that both Celeste and Brittany had a pattern of severe abuse, stating, quote, slapping them in the back of the head, the stomping, the blindfolding, the lying on the ground. They did this together. Their method was together. But she told the jury that on November 19th, 2021... Two days before Amari was reported missing, it all came to a head.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Like we mentioned, Amari had a laceration to her liver, an injury she received after Celeste Owens stomped on her. It's believed that Amari spent hours in the hotel room in excruciating pain, crying and asking for help. But instead of caring for her, Celeste Owens responded to Amari's cries with a blunt force hit to her head. And sadly this time, she wouldn't make it.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Throughout 2021, Barbara and Tony tried on numerous occasions to locate the children, but to no avail. And in the meantime, Brittany had rekindled an on-again off-again relationship with a 29-year-old woman named Celeste Owens. It was reported that Brittany and Celeste had been friends since they were teenagers. but they weren't romantically involved until their late 20s.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
On the floor of the hometown studios, eight-year-old Amari Hall succumbed to her injuries. Her young siblings, Zaire and Jakari, were there watching it all unfold. And by that next morning, both Brittany and Celeste noticed that Amari was unresponsive. But instead of calling for help, they began to think about themselves.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
They knew that a beaten and dead eight-year-old child would result in prison. So it's here where they started planning their cover-up. That day, Celeste Owens rented out that U-Haul. She bought trash bags, gloves, and cleaning products. And once she had everything she needed, she made her way back to the hometown studios. Inside room 251, she picked up Amari's deceased and battered body
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
and began wrapping her in trash bags, securing it with rope. From there, she shoved her body into a container, put on the lid, and then threw her into the back of the U-Haul. Along the way to the dump site, Celeste called Amari's mom, Brittany, updating her on what was going on. In the late hours, Celeste discarded Amari's body like trash. deep in the woods in DeKalb County.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
After returning to the apartment that night, Brittany and Celeste came up with their stories. They were going to wait until the morning to report Amari missing. They would say that Amari had been having behavioral issues and that she likely ran away on her own. It's eerie to think about Brittany and Celeste lying in bed that night with their two other abused and battered children in the room.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
I always find myself wondering if they got any sleep that night or if they laid in bed rehearsing their lies over and over again. Whatever the case may be, investigators saw right through it from the get-go.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
And this time around, things were serious between the two. Celeste had even moved in with Brittany and her three kids, and they were instructed to call Celeste dad. But their life together was unstable to say the least. Brittany, Celeste, and the three children moved around constantly, never staying in one place for too long. They often lived in various extended stay hotels.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
So Zaire said that Amari and Jakari weren't allowed to eat real food that day. And when Amari came out of the bathroom, her mother Brittany shoved toilet paper into her mouth. Now I couldn't find the reasoning they gave as to why she may have done this. But as we know, Amari had severe internal injuries. So she was likely crying a lot. Maybe her parents were wanting to silence the cries.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
But like Zaire said, by that next morning, Amari wouldn't wake up.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
It's heartbreaking to think about what Zaire and Jakari witnessed that day. Not only did they watch their sister get abused and die, but after she wouldn't wake up, they watched Celeste wrap her body up like trash and put her into that small bin.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Celeste and Brittany also used this opportunity to emotionally abuse Zaire and Jakari by telling them that because Amari was misbehaving, they were taking her to the bad kids hospital, something that they had threatened pretty frequently. Zaire's testimony was heartbreaking and extremely disturbing. For years, Amari, Jakari and Zaire were subjected to prolonged horrific abuse and torture.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
In the spring of 2021, they were living at the Congress Inn in Norcross, Georgia. Then in August, they moved into room 251 at the Hometown Studios. Now for work, Brittany considered herself to be a spiritual healer, and she also claimed to have homeschooled Amari, Zaire, and Jakari. And her partner Celeste reportedly worked as an artist. Their careers weren't really bringing in a lot of money.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
And the jury was able to see that firsthand. On December 13th, 2024, After four days of emotional testimony, graphic autopsy photos, and witness statements, both the defense and prosecution rested their case. The jury deliberated for only two hours before reaching their verdict, guilty on all counts.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
They also didn't have vehicles, so anytime they needed to get somewhere, they had to rely on Uber or Lyft. Now Brittany's mom, Barbara, truly had no idea what was going on in her daughter's life. She didn't know that the kids were bouncing around to hotel rooms or that they barely had enough money to let the kids eat. And Barbara could never get a hold of Brittany to get any updates.
Murder In America
EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
There were timelines that didn't match up, lies exposed, and cell phone data that painted a horrible picture of child abuse and torture. And sadly, this story would end in the worst way you can imagine. So this is the story of Amari Hall. I'm Courtney Browen.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
But towards the beginning of 2021, she had this horrible feeling that something was wrong. However, she had no idea just how bad things had gotten, especially for her oldest granddaughter, While their family was drifting around town to different hotel rooms, the children were also experiencing unimaginable physical, emotional, and verbal abuse.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
As Celeste Owen stood at the defense table with a blank expression on her face, Judge Duncan admitted that throughout her entire career in law, Amari's case was the most horrific she had ever seen.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Brittany Hall and Celeste Owens had turned their home into a prison. The children were not only denied love and care, but also basic needs like food or a bed. But Brittany and Celeste got plenty to eat. They got to sleep in the hotel room's bed. while the kids, Amari, Zaire, and Jakari had to sleep on the cold ground with no pillows or blankets.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
And we can only hope that she too will get the justice she deserves. Brittany Hall may not have murdered her daughter, but she watched it happen right in front of her. She also participated in the abuse. Amari's young life was marked by relentless suffering and cruelty by the hands of those who were meant to protect and love her. Her tiny body was covered with bruises,
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Her ribs were broken, she was severely malnourished, and she had suffered from internal bleeding. Amari's mother, Brittany, and her partner, Celeste Owens, had turned their home into a chamber of horrors for all three of those children. And as a result, Amari's life was cut short. She never got to experience the love that every child deserves.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
And instead of hugs, warmth, and care, Amari only knew fear, pain. Now, as for her siblings, Zaire and Jakari, they have both been placed in the custody of their grandparents, Barbara and Tony Wright. And we can only hope that their lives are brighter now that they've escaped the torturous environment that it started in.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Thank you.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
That Sunday morning around 9.15 a.m., Brittany Hall called the Gwinnett County Police Department to report that her daughter Amari was not in the hotel room when she woke up. Brittany was frantic as she stated that Amari had gone to sleep the previous night at around 10 p.m., but when she woke up at 9 a.m., her daughter was nowhere to be found.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
She also said that the front door was left slightly ajar, suggesting that Amari may have left the hotel on her own. Brittany mentioned that Amari was diagnosed with high functioning autism, but that she was extremely intelligent. She stated, quote, she is very, very smart. Even though she is autistic, she's very aware of things. She's very observant. this hurts.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
She told dispatch that Amari knew not to close the door behind her when she left because she knew it would wake up everyone in the room. So she likely left the door cracked on purpose. Additionally, the medication she took for her autism was also missing.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
The dispatcher asked Brittany if Amari was known to walk out of the room by herself and Brittany replied, quote, no, but we've been having problems with her, end quote. And those problems, Brittany stated, were due to her high-functioning autism. Brittany said that Amari knew her surroundings, but her behavior had been a huge problem in their home.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
And you're listening to Murder in America.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Officer Sorensen said that when he pulled into the parking lot, there were 15 officers from Gwinnett County and a few more from neighboring precincts who were on foot with canines searching the wooded areas near the hotel. They were also going door to door to different businesses to see if anyone had seen Amari.
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EP. 191: GEORGIA - The Child In The Trash Bag: The Disturbing Murder of Amari Hall
Helicopters and the Division of Family and Children Services were also on scene to help with the large-scale search operation. But something Sorensen quickly noted was the state of Brittany Hall's hotel room.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Our senior class girls has this thing where if we saw him looking at girls in a certain way, we knew he would take pictures of any skin showing. So we started letting the other girls around know that he was looking and that they should probably put a sweatshirt on because no matter how many times we told the school about the disgusting things he did, the school never did anything.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
We wrote out our statements and are pressing the issue and so are the cops. They were as helpful as could be. He's 18 and started crying and denying it. Then they tried to turn it on my kids, saying they were mad that they were walking down and looking into their windows. We didn't see it walking down the stairs. We saw it from across our yard, 15-20 feet away.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
And it was still daylight out, so he was close enough to the window that we could vividly see everything. That is not okay. Like someone said above, he was positioned to where my daughter and then myself could see exactly what he was doing. That took some effort. And that kind of behavior is gross, disturbing, and unacceptable in every sort of way. I'm so sad for my kids right now.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
especially redacted she was white as a ghost and in shock that's the last thing my 11 year old daughter should have to see I also heard him saying he was getting dressed well never in my life have I seen someone get dressed in that manner he knows what he did and so do we another Kellogg resident commented on the post with her own interaction with Devin saying the following
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Known him since middle school where he was attempting to look up CP and had his Chromebook taken for having, quote, questionable content on it. He would always stare at the girls in class and had me covering up any time I'd walk near him. He's been caught shoving girls against their lockers and walls of the school trying to rape them.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
and touching multiple girls, including myself inappropriately for years. Praying that your babies stay protected. It's so sad you have to keep them from being kids because of creeps.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
According to Kellogg Police Chief Paul Twitt, "...we responded to the call, investigated the call, and the report was done that day and submitted to the prosecutor's office for charges." Now, the police department recommended that Devin Smith be charged with one misdemeanor count of indecent exposure, and the charges were supposed to be filed with the prosecutor's office.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
However, for reasons unknown, the charge was not in the court system by the evening of June 18th. And for the time being, Major John and Kaylee Kaler were angry. Apparently, Major John even attempted to speak with Devin's mother, Kenna, and his grandfather, Kenneth, to explain what had transpired. But according to him, they brushed it off. but they couldn't avoid each other forever.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
After all, they lived in the same building and the town where they resided was small. So much so, the Kalers even saw them at the grocery store a few days later.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
This is the sicko who made eye contact with my daughter while masturbating and exposing himself. His name is Devin and he is 18. We walked into the store yesterday and he was standing there with his mom named Kenna, who still hasn't said a word to us. She just put her head down and looked embarrassed.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
He stared at my kids and I when we walked in and then gave Major the same smug look that he was giving when Major was confronting him. So angry.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Call the cops. Report it. He's graduated and out in society full time now.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
But according to the people of Kellogg, Devin Smith had a history of this kind of behavior. Another student who went to school with Devin named Daisy Sawyer also told the local newspaper that Devin quote, harassed her at school and was known to be inappropriate. So when word started spreading about him exposing himself to these young girls, it didn't seem like anyone was surprised.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Then, as if the Kaler family couldn't be more upset, after sharing their stories, they were met with all of these people who had similar disturbing stories of their downstairs neighbor. The Kalers were beginning to realize that this likely wasn't a one-time thing. Their downstairs neighbor was allegedly a serial offender.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Now, upon seeing this Facebook post, I can assume that no one actually thought Major John would take matters into his own hands like Gary did. But that post was an eerie foreshadowing of what was to come, which brings us to Sunday, June 18th, 2023, Father's Day. That morning, Kaylee posted a heartfelt message to her husband. It read, quote, Happy Father's Day to the best dad ever.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
I see you in all that you do for your kids and I. You work hard, stand your ground, and don't give up. You're the exact person I want our kids looking up to. Our life together is the greatest, and I'm so amazingly lucky to have someone like you as the father to my children. The kids and I love you. Can't wait for you to get home from work. End quote.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
However, Kaylee had no idea that when her husband would come home from work, all chaos would break loose at the duplex. It was a little after 7 p.m. when Major John arrived back home. And the first thing he did when he walked through the doors was holster his gun. From there, he and Kaylee went to the backyard to allegedly water some plants. But that's when they ran into their neighbors.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Kenna and her father Kenneth. Upon seeing each other, a heated argument ensued, something that was also caught on surveillance footage from a business across the street. Now Kaylee knew that Major John had his gun on him, but at this point it was put away in his holster. However, within a few minutes, the sound of gunfire would echo throughout the street. During their argument,
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Major John pulled his gun from his holster and aimed it directly at Kenna. In an attempt to protect herself from the bullets, she put her hand out, but Major John pulled the trigger. The bullet from his gun went through Kenna's hand and directly into her chest, but she wasn't dead just yet. After dropping to the ground, Major John stood over her and put the muzzle of his gun right up to her head.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
He pushed it so hard against her, there was a muzzle imprint on her temple, and then he pulled the trigger once more, killing her. Standing next to Kenna was her father, Kenneth. He had just watched his daughter get gunned down in the backyard of their home, and it seems as if he tried to get away, but soon enough, Major John turned the gun on him.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Like with Kenna, he first fired a shot into Kenneth's chest. Then, once he dropped to the ground, he pushed the gun up against his temple and fired a fatal shot into his head. execution style. Now Major John's wife Kaylee was outside at this time. She would later say that everything happened so fast. All she remembered was hearing the gunshots and seeing Kenna and Kenneth drop to the ground.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
And from there, she quickly ran inside. But the entire time she was running, the gunfire continued. Her husband wasn't finished with his rampage. After murdering Kenna and Kenneth, Major John made his way into his neighbor's home. Horrifically, 16-year-old Aiken Smith heard the gunshots outside, and it seemed as though he got up to run to safety.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Within their duplex, there was an area between the living room and kitchen. and as Aiken was running through it, he encountered his upstairs neighbor. Major John was standing there, in their home, holding a gun. Aiken tried to run away from him, but in response, Major John lifted his gun and fired a shot into Aiken's back.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Once he was down, he then fired a second shot into his temple, killing him instantly. Then from there, Major John went to find the main target, Devin Smith. the 18-year-old who allegedly exposed himself to his two young daughters. Along the way to Devin's bedroom, Major John grabbed an extra magazine and loaded it into his gun.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
After hearing the gunshots outside and in his home, Devin likely knew what was coming, and he probably knew exactly who was coming as well. And then suddenly, the door to his room burst open. Standing there in the threshold was Major John Kaler. Now from how Devin's body was later found, it's believed that he got onto his knees.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Maybe he did that on his own, or maybe Major John forced him into that position. We don't know. But what we do know is that after Devin got onto his knees, Major John fired a shot directly into his head. Now that first shot would have definitely killed Devin, but Major John continued to fire at him. In the end, Devin had a total of four bullet holes in his head.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
As more first responders arrived at the scene, Major John's wife, Kaylee, and their three kids emerged from their upstairs apartment. Sadly, they were covered in a blanket and screaming. As Major John was being escorted into a police cruiser, he handed his wife his wallet, keys, and phone, and he told her that he, quote, protected their kids. But Kaylee was in shock.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
This was her husband, the man she had been with for 18 years. the father of her children. And now he was being arrested for murdering people. Now at the scene, Kaylee told Detective Klitsch everything that had happened, about Devin masturbating in front of the window while she and her daughters were outside, about the police reports they made, and how nothing was done about it.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
So when they went outside that day and saw Kenna and Kenneth, Major John decided to confront them. Kaylee admitted that she knew Major John had his gun on him, but she never thought he would actually use it. Kaylee told the officers that as soon as her husband started shooting, she ran upstairs to her apartment.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
And over the next few minutes, all she could do was listen in horror as the gunshots continued. Now, the officers asked her, quote, did you two have a plan for if you caught Devin masturbating in front of the children again?
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
To which Kaylee said, yes, Major John admitted that he was going to take care of it, which is exactly what he told the police when they first reported the masturbating incident. Major John told dispatch that if this happened again, he was going to quote, handle it. And that quote, somebody's going to get hurt. However, Kaylee said that she just assumed her husband was going to beat Devin up.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
She had no idea that he was going to murder him and his entire family.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Imagine this, you and your family are looking for a place to live. You spend hours on the internet looking up all of the available homes in your area. After some searching, you finally find a few that meet your standards. So over the next few weeks, you take time out of your busy schedule to tour these homes. And finally, you come across the perfect one.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Now, following his arrest, Major John was actually taken to a nearby church for further questioning. And while there, he would speak to Detective Justin Klitsch and Captain Jeff Lee. But surprisingly, Major John's main concern at the time was actually about his broken shoulder. He kept complaining to the officers about how badly it hurt and how he was tired and nauseous.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
But from there, he started talking about everything leading up to the shooting and how Devin, who he referred to as a pedophile, was masturbating in front of his kids. Now, the detectives were actually really understanding and likely to get Major John talking. Detective Klitsch even brought up this podcast he had recently listened to.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
He told Major John, quote, "'So I gotta tell you, dude, I just got back from Seattle about an hour ago.'" Have you ever heard of the Sean Ryan show? Well, you'll have to listen to this podcast. But my wife cried the whole way to Seattle. We were listening to this sex predator bullshit. End quote. And Major John agreed, telling the detective that he had a huge problem with sexual predators.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Detective Klitsch also brought up Kaylee's Facebook posts. where she had talked about what happened. And the detective told Major John that after reading it, he, quote, couldn't fucking believe that shit, end quote. Now, as for his motive behind the shooting, Major John said that they had reported the incident to the police, but nothing ever happened. There were zero repercussions.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
So he took matters to his own hands. Here is the following conversation he had with detectives. Colin will play the part of Major John and I will be the detective.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
I'm not going to allow it, period. Like I said, dude, my wife literally cried for two hours. When I read that Facebook message from your wife, it just pissed me off. But before we get started, I do want to ask some questions. All I know is that Facebook post, okay? That's all I've seen. But I do have to go through some procedural shit here.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Some evidence would later show that Major John's actions may have not been spur of the moment. In fact, it may even prove that his rampage was premeditated. Because shortly before the shooting, surveillance footage showed Major John arriving home in his black Dodge truck. But before going inside, he walked around his residence for several minutes.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
He also walked across the street to that assisted living facility where Kenna worked. Major John was then seen walking back over to the duplex behind a park trailer. His position gave him a view of the backyard. and the back door of apartment A. From the looks of it, it seemed as though Major John was looking for his victims.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Then from there, he would go inside of his apartment where, according to his wife, he put his gun in his holster. Then moments later, you could hear a verbal dispute break out on the surveillance footage. The argument lasted about five minutes before the gunshots were heard.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Major John Allen Kaler, born around 1991, was born and raised in Kellogg, Idaho. Court documents indicated that his childhood was plagued by abuse, poverty, and instability. But specific details are not available. Now in 2007, when Major John was around 16 years old, he was charged with battery. He also had misdemeanor driving violations and one charge of drug possession.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Now, clearly, the public was going to have their opinions about the case. And as you can imagine, there were people who were not very upset about the murder of Devin Smith. Based on his actions beforehand and the actions he was accused of by people in his community, some people believed that Devin was better off dead.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Others completely disagreed, saying that Devin was just a kid and that justice needs to be in the hands of law enforcement, not vigilantes. But I think regardless of your stance, most people agreed that it was a tragedy that Devin's entire family had been killed that day. Three generations completely erased. Now Devon's little brother Aiken was described as a good kid.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
One of Aiken's friends, Alex Rodriguez, wrote on one of Kaylee's original Facebook posts, quote, "'Yeah, justified in killing the whole family? "'The pedophile's brother is one of my best friends "'and an amazing kid.'" Three years JROTC serving his community. He was going to be a senior this year. He had his whole life ahead of him. I had so many great memories with him.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
I'm not saying his pedophile brother is innocent, but he is no hero taking the life of his innocent brother and family. It sucks knowing the last conversation I'll ever have with him was about how awful his brother was earlier today.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
But Major John's wife, Kaylee, was also speaking to the public, letting them know that her husband was a good person despite his actions on that fateful evening. She blamed police officers and Kellogg High School for never stepping in when it was obvious Devin had significant issues.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
But once he reached adulthood, everything seemed to change. Major John vowed to live differently than how he was raised. He wanted his family to have stability, which meant he had to work hard and keep a steady job, which he did. And Major John was proud of himself. With the way he grew up, things could have gone a lot differently.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
The community of Kellogg, Idaho was completely shaken by this quadruple homicide. Resident Dawn Rauenhorst remembered that the day it happened, she had just left her daughter's house across the street from the shooting when she noticed flashing police lights.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Dawn admitted to the local newspaper that she figured it was a car accident or that they were responding to a medical call at the nearby nursing home. She said, quote, "'I didn't imagine it would ever be anything serious.' And that's how many people in this community felt. This was not the kind of town where families are wiped out in their own homes.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
This neighborhood in particular was quiet, calm, and mostly filled with elderly people, people who looked out for one another. In fact, according to residents, It was common to get your neighbors to grab your mail for you if you were out of town. If you were missing an ingredient while you were making dinner, you could knock on your neighbor's door and they'd give you whatever you needed.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
And it seemed as if Kenna Gardepe was one of those people. She was described as kind with a big heart for others. and the elderly people she worked with across the street would definitely feel her absence after she was killed. Soon enough, a memorial for their family was even put up outside of their duplex.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
He himself watched kids with similar upbringings, lives of crime and drug addiction. But not him. He was taking control of his life. Now, Major John ended up marrying his high school sweetheart, Kaylee. The two had been together since they were 14 years old. And by 2023, they had three children, two daughters and one son.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Detective Klitsch and Sergeant Jared Belaski stated that Major John willingly spoke to them, a choice that was all on his own and not from a formal interrogation. They also said that they did not ask details about the murders until after his Miranda rights were read. And body cam footage worn by both men backed these statements up.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
But this issue never even moved forward because in December of 2023, Major John accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to four counts of second degree murder. So his original charges were reduced and that burglary charge was dropped. But this plea deal meant that there would not be a trial and instead he would move straight to the sentencing phase.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Kenna's aunt Teresa described her as, quote, a single mom that worked harder than ever to raise her babies. She was a good mama. She was tough, strong-willed, and very independent. She always made sure her boys had everything they needed and some things that they wanted. End quote. Teresa went on to say that Devin and Aiken were robbed of their lives.
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She concluded with, quote, if what he did to our family doesn't haunt him every day, I hope that at least what he did to his family does. End quote. At least four impact statements stated that both Devin and Aiken were polite. Family friend Judith Haley wrote that both boys were, quote, well-mannered, respectful, and never demanding.
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And family friend Gerilyn Sylvia said, quote, they would always address people yes ma'am and yes sir when they spoke, end quote. Now, obviously, the deaths of these four victims were horrific. impacting not only family and friends, but the entire community of Kellogg and the state of Idaho as a whole.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
In fact, only seven months prior to the quadruple homicide, the University of Idaho stabbings rocked the state when four students, Madison Mogan, Kaylee Gonsalves, Zanna Cronodle, and Ethan Chapman were found stabbed to death in a three-story home near the university campus. Now that is a story that we will definitely be covering on the podcast someday.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
But even though these tragedies were unrelated, both cast a dark heavy shadow over the state of Idaho.
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
In October of 2023, the staff at Mountain Valley of Cascadia, where Kenna worked, would celebrate her life and dedicate a bike rack in her honor. After the murders, Kenna, Devon, and Aiken were cremated, and it's stated that there was no public memorial for them. Today,
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EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Major John Kaler is at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution in Kuna, Idaho, a prison designed for inmates with severe sentences or behavioral issues. And he had no possibility of parole, so he will be spending the rest of his life behind bars for the brutal murders of Kenneth Gardepe, Devin Smith, and Akin Smith.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
For a lot of people, they believe that justice had been served for the cold-blooded killer, However, there were a few others who disagreed, saying that Major John was a desperate father who was only trying to protect his young girls.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Prior to 2023, the Kalers had shared the two-story duplex with an older woman. She had lived in the unit below them and there were no issues. Now, I wasn't able to figure out what happened to that older lady, but by the summer of 2023, she was no longer living there. And soon enough, The Kalers watched as another family moved in. It was June 4th, 2023.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
41-year-old Kenna Gardapie and her two sons, 18-year-old Devin and 16-year-old Aiken, began moving boxes in. They were the new tenants of 515A Brown Avenue. Born in 1982, Kenna worked as a cook at Mountain Valley of Cascadia, an assisted living facility right across the street from the duplex. So when this unit opened up, Kenna jumped at the opportunity.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
As soon as you step inside, you know that it's the house where you will raise your kids, where you will create memories for the years to come. And luckily for you, after applying to live there, you get accepted. When moving day finally comes around, you couldn't be happier. And for the first few years, everything is going great. That is until a new family moves in next door.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
She could now live right across the street from her work, which was ideal as a single mother of two. For those who knew her, Kenna was described as a dedicated mother. She was also a great caretaker to the residents at the nursing home. According to a family friend, Kenna knew all of the residents' meal preferences. and she loved to play dress-up with them.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
The dress-up days were her favorite thing. She'd dress up for the residents and have fun." One of her coworkers told the Coeur d'Alene Post Falls Press that Kenna owned more tutus than anyone she had ever known. She was described as tough, independent, and hardworking. She was the type of mother that tried her best to give her children a good life, despite their single family income.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
But things weren't always easy. Her sons, Devin and Aiken, they didn't have a stable father figure in their lives. But luckily, Kenna's father, 65-year-old Kenneth Gardepe, had really stepped in to help. Now, Kenneth had been getting older and slowing down. He was looking forward to retirement, especially after he had just recently suffered a heart attack.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
But even so, he did everything he could to make their lives easier. Kenneth would drive the boys to after-school events, and he would even take them to doctor's appointments while Kenna was working.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
However, that summer, an incident would occur that would change the lives of both families living at the duplex. Now keep in mind, Devin and Aiken lived in the downstairs unit with their mom and grandpa, and the Kaler family lived upstairs, so they shared a backyard. According to Kaylee Kaler, everything had been fine during those first few weeks.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
No loud music, no parties going on after hours, but there was something that stuck out to her. In the days after the family moved in downstairs, she noticed that nearly every time her young daughters would go outside to play, the 18-year-old boy living beneath them would come outside as well. But she said that he wasn't out there for any particular reason. He would just come out and watch them.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Now, Kaylee said that at first she tried to brush it off, After all, they shared a backyard, so he was allowed to be out there. But there was something in her that felt off, a nagging feeling in her gut telling her to be cautious while her children played outside. So she made a mental note of it. But about a week later, something would happen that would prove her mother's intuition was right.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
At the end of the day, you may be able to find the perfect house, but it's the people living around you that can completely change everything. Maybe the neighbor across the street plays loud music at all hours of the night. The neighbors to your left fight all the time. The man down the street will come knocking on your door if your grass is half an inch too high.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
It was June 13th, 2023. Kaylee was in the backyard with her two daughters. The girls were coloring with chalk on the concrete when suddenly one of her daughters yelled out, mom, the boy's in the window. Now Kaylee said that at first she didn't think anything of it. She even told her daughter, yes, it's their house. It's fine.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
But when she looked up and saw her daughter's face, she said that she looked shocked. And that's when her little girl yelled out, quote, no mom, the boy, he's shaking his penis, end quote. When Kaylee got up to see what her daughter was looking at, she said that she immediately saw 18-year-old Devin Smith naked, standing right there at his window. Upon seeing her,
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Kaylee said that he quickly jumped onto his bunk bed and pushed himself back out of sight. But as you can imagine, Kaylee was furious. Immediately, she ran inside to tell her husband what she just witnessed, and he was even more furious. Major John Kaler quickly ran into the backyard and knocked on Devin's window, but it seemed as if Devin was no longer in his room.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
So we got new neighbors downstairs two weeks ago. They have two teenage boys. One just graduated, and the other one does next year. We share a backyard. My kids stay on their side, but they're out there a lot. They jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler. Almost every single time, the older boy goes outside on his porch and... He seems to be watching them.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
I tried to brush it off since it's their yard too, but my mama gut couldn't shake it. I was outside with Redacted and Redacted, coloring with chalk in our backyard tonight, when Redacted says, "'Mom, the boy's in the window,' and she seems shocked. I say, "'Yes, it's their house. It's fine.'" And she goes, no, mom, the boy. He's shaking his penis.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
This dude was staring out the window directly at my girls and I, beating his dick off. I saw his naked body jump up on the bunk bed and scoot back. I made an effort to not look in their windows. So the fact that he was standing right there in front of it and my daughter saw everything is absolutely disgusting.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Especially because she was on the opposite side of our climbing dome, as far away in the yard as she could be on our side. Not even close to his window. Why were you staring in their direction? I immediately ran to get Major, who went down to go bang on the window, but he was gone. So Major went to the front door and had knocked several times before he got an answer. I am freaking distraught.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Or maybe, like in our story for today, the 18 year old boy living downstairs exposes his penis to your two young children. Scenarios like that can make your perfect home feel like a house of horrors. And sometimes, neighborhood disputes can end in bloodshed, sending shockwaves through your tight-knit community. So this is the story of Major John Kaler. I'm Courtney Browen.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
I called the landlord to let him know in case they start to complain about us or if they want to try and start drama and get us kicked out so he knows why. I am livid. The police have been called. I don't take stuff like this lightly. I just want to protect my children, but people always act like you are being dramatic. This is the last thing I want to be dealing with in this market.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
Now my kids can't play outside like they've been able to for years when there was just a sweet old lady living below us.
Murder In America
EP. 199: IDAHO - The Man Who Killed His Neighbor's Family: The Majorjon Kaylor Murders
I went to school with him from kindergarten all the way up to my sophomore year. He is a creep and will not stop. He's been doing this kind of shit for a long ass time now. The police department needs to lock his ass up for life. He is disgusting.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
She went on to work several jobs in the world of publishing, and eventually, she married a man named James H. Davis, who was the student body president at UCLA in June of 1951. Soon after their marriage, the two purchased the home in the Los Feliz Hills that would one day be known as the Writer's Villa.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Kathy's husband, James, went on to become a prominent attorney, and Miss Kathy focused her efforts on raising their daughter. But their marriage wouldn't last long. There are a few different accounts on what happened, but what we do know is this. In 2001, at the age of 71, her husband, James, was arrested and jailed for 12 years for stealing from the clients he was meant to defend.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
An LA Times article notes, quote, Judge Robert Perry had to consider the severity of his crimes and the vulnerability of the victims, many of whom were paraplegics who did not speak English, end quote. So he took advantage of people and he had to pay the price. When you contrast that with what we know of Ms. Cathy's personality, it's easy to see why the two weren't a good match.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
As easy as it is to imagine all the glitz and glamour of fame, the reality of achieving it is much more gritty, soul-crushing and exhausting than people realize. Imagine going to audition after audition, having your work, looks and voice picked apart in front of all these people, having to deal with constant rejections.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And for many, they'll make it far enough where their dreams are just out of reach, only for the rug to be ripped out from under them. Maybe a role is given to someone else, or maybe you get the role and then the entire project falls through in a blink of an eye. This is the reality for many people in Hollywood. It's harsh, unforgiving, and nothing is promised.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
It doesn't matter how good you are at what you do, sometimes it just doesn't work out. And Miss Cathy knew this. When an audition went poorly for an actor or a pitch was a flop for a writer, she would be waiting in the kitchen of the writer's villa with open arms. She would often make them homemade tamales, sit with her Hollywood children and give them the comfort they desperately needed.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
The majority of people flocking to Hollywood have families that are hundreds, if not thousands of miles away. And usually these far away families don't understand the line of work that they're trying to get into. and very often they don't support it. But Miss Kathy was the parent and guiding force that dozens of people needed as they embarked on their journey into Hollywood.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
A journey that offers no training wheels and no mercy for newbies.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
In the summer of 2009, Johnny was told that he was going to be a father. His girlfriend at the time, Diane Ghida, was a talented actress, artist, and producer.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Now the exact state of their relationship over the course of her pregnancy isn't entirely clear, but evidently, the two got apartment together in Hollywood with the intention of co-parenting their daughter, regardless of the status of their relationship. But in time, this agreement began to fall apart. Some people just don't work out, and it seems like that was the case for Johnny and Diane.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
However, Johnny's friend, Doug Usher, told the LA Mag that Johnny was beyond thrilled to become a dad, and that at the baby shower, everything seemed to be going well. By April of 2010, Johnny and Diane's daughter, Cola Mae, was born, and their entire lives changed. But soon enough... After several months of trying to co-parent, the two hit a fork in the road.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
There are very few details about what happened between them, but it is known that a custody battle began and that it was vicious. Close friends and family have described this period of Johnny's life as rather tumultuous.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
But just two years after the filming of Lovely Molly in October of 2011, it was a blow to Johnny's head that would ultimately lead to his downfall. On October 30th, 2011, Johnny went for a motorcycle ride to clear his head. During the filming of Sons of Anarchy, he fell in love with motorcycles and ultimately purchased his pride and joy, a Triumph motorcycle affectionately nicknamed Bonnie.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
On that warm October day, Johnny decided to take Bonnie for a road trip towards Joshua Tree National Park. And if you've ever been to this part of California, you know the appeal of just driving into the desert to get your mind in order. From the concrete jungle of Los Angeles, you can hop on the 10 freeway and watch the city disappear behind you.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Within a few short hours, there will be nothing on either side of you but distant mountains, orange rock formations, and Joshua trees that reach up to the blue sky. The drive itself, watching the world disappear behind you and replaced by nature is therapeutic. And it seems at the time that Johnny needed this, but the ride wouldn't go as planned.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Along the drive, Johnny hit 29 Palms, a desert town just north of Joshua Tree National Park. And as he blew through the town and out on the other side, making his way towards the more open desert, something went wrong. No one knows exactly how the crash happened, but near the corner of 29 Palms Highway and Primrose Lane, Johnny hit the ground hard and fast.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
He later told his brother and medical workers that he believed he was going around 50 miles per hour at the time of the accident. And it's never been reported if he was wearing a helmet. But with his bike beat up and his head spinning, he reached out to his brother for a ride back to L.A.,
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
At a nearby hospital, he was checked for signs of a concussion, but he was allowed to leave after they determined he didn't have one. But according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, there is growing evidence to suggest that traumatic brain injuries can often show no outward signs immediately following a head injury.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Thank you.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
By January of 2012, those around him could no longer ignore his strange behavior. According to his father, it was around this time that Johnny began to sit in near total darkness. On his blog, Johnny's father wrote, quote, his sensitivity to light was such that he would prefer to sit in a room with all the lights out, illuminated by one candle.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Extreme sensitivity to light is one of the most common symptoms of a traumatic brain injury. And knowing something was deeply wrong, Johnny's parents decided to keep a close eye on him. On Sunday morning, January 3rd, 2012, he was relaxing at his parents' condo in Northridge. As his mom cooked omelets on the stove, Johnny stood up abruptly, still wearing his pajamas.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
He told his mother that he was going for a walk and he headed out the door. But what happened next still isn't entirely clear. According to Johnny's retelling of events, as he was walking, he thought he heard a woman scream for help in a nearby condo. So in a panic, he broke in the window only to discover that the apartment was completely empty.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Now on the street, two men actually saw him break into this window and they approached him and demanded that he leave. But in response, Johnny attacked the men with a glass bottle, hitting each of them over the head. From there, the three began to viciously fight. Johnny even bit one of the men in their arm, but eventually he was overpowered and the men pinned him to the ground.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
At the trial, one of these men who pinned him down stated that as they did so, he continued to fight and thrash. And to try and stop him, he punched Johnny in the face anywhere from 10 to 15 times before law enforcement arrived. When they finally pulled up, Johnny was hauled to jail and charged with trespassing, burglary, and assault with a deadly weapon.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
But in January of 2012, he was huddled in the corner of a dark room in his parents' condo, unable to be in the light, unable to carry on a meaningful conversation, or do much of anything but feel fear, confusion, and anger. And I don't know about you, but the fact that that can happen to anyone at any time is terrifying.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Upon being discharged from the hospital, Johnny's papers read, quote, "'Chief complaint,' blunt head trauma, and suicidal. And this didn't change when he was released. Sometime in January, Johnny cut open his wrists in a suicide attempt. These cuts were one inch long on his left wrist and several inches on his right. but it would later be noted that they were well-heeled.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And sadly, despite his suicide attempts, he was able to move to Santa Monica and live on his own. Now, we aren't here to cast blame, but in Johnny's state, I can't imagine him living alone. And tragically, his move to Santa Monica went about as well as you can expect. One night in mid-February, a passerby walking on the beach in Santa Monica noticed something in the dark waves.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
When they got closer, they realized it was a man. He was fully clothed and walking deeper into the churning frigid waves. The witness actually helped pull him out of the water and called an ambulance that would rush him to the hospital. There, Johnny was treated for hypothermia and he was released.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Within just two weeks of this incident, he was arrested twice for increasingly bizarre and concerning behavior. On February 10th, he was arrested for punching a man in the face outside of a yogurt shop. And it was completely unprompted. For that incident, he was released on a $20,000 bail.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
But he wouldn't stay out of trouble because just days later on February 18th, Johnny was arrested once more for attempting to break into a woman's apartment. When asked by police, he told them that he believed it was the home of a friend. But again, after his arrest, he was let go on bail.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
As for their son, Johnny, he was the middle child, wedged between his older sister, Anna, and his younger brother, Eric. And while we normally begin stories about people who commit horrible crimes with a peek at a traumatic childhood, that wasn't the case with Johnny Lewis. By all accounts, he wasn't a monster mutilating neighborhood pets.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
There are millions of people around the world whose dream is to be widely known. People who want their names in the spotlight. Maybe they wanna sing, perform on Broadway, or maybe even star in movies. For a lot of these people, they will move to places like Hollywood or New York City, and they'll work for years to get their big break in showbiz.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Not only did they denounce the existence of mental health conditions in this paragraph, but they also compared taking antidepressants to brutal lobotomies, which 19.3 of adult US population does daily. We think it's fair to say that Johnny was in desperate need of treatment, whether that was medication, counseling,
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
or the two combined, which is the recommended course of action for people suffering with psychosis. Now, we aren't saying that everyone needs to be medicated, but in the documentary In Search Of, starring Johnny's brother, Eric, he states that his parents didn't believe in medication.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And though Eric fought to put Johnny in the facility to keep him on the right medication and to keep him into treatment,
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
He wasn't starting fires or getting in fights with people, and he stayed out of trouble. All of those heinous acts would come much later. The little Johnny Lewis growing up in Sherman Oaks was beloved and kind, and he seemed to have a magical, almost magnetic quality about him.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
he claims that his parents wanted to keep him off the psychiatric medication but johnny's father denies this saying that he quote tried everything to help his son end quote but regardless johnny ended up at ridgeview ranch a now closed treatment center for substance abuse and psychosis
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
In line with the rules of Scientology that Ridgeview was affiliated with, there was no prescribed psychiatric medication at the facility. However, over the next few months, Johnny seemingly began to improve. In July, he wrote in his journal, quote, felt more whole today, more complete, like parts of myself had been stolen in my sleep and scattered all over the world.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And now they've begun to return. I'm more determined than ever now. I'll face what I am. I'll face what I was." End quote. But sadly, it seems like that feeling didn't last long. In late July, Johnny went to trial for the aggravated assault at the condo in Northridge from the previous January. His attorney wanted to approach the judge with a proposal.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
If Johnny spent a year at Ridgeview, he wouldn't have to go to jail whatsoever. But at this time, Johnny wasn't in his right mind. He was confident that his case would be dropped because he believed he acted in self-defense. So he fired his attorney and decided to act as his own. But this of course didn't work out as planned.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Instead of receiving no sentence or simply going to Ridgeview, Johnny was sentenced to a year in prison.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
In his brother Eric's 2018 documentary titled In Search Of, Eric describes his older brother in a way that I'm sure many younger siblings can relate to. He said, quote, he taught me love and compassion and grit and pride and vulnerability. He taught me how to be a human, end quote.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
On September 24th, Johnny moved back into the Red Room, the same suite he had stayed in when his career was just kicking off. He told his friends and family that he wanted to settle down and start digging into his real passion, writing and poetry. He intended to work on his book at the writer's villa, but that never happened. And this is where we see some discrepancies in the timeline.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Now Johnny's father claimed that he was excited to go back to the writer's villa and that it was initially his idea. However, in the documentary In Search Of, Johnny's close friend Jonathan Tucker states that Johnny called him on the 24th the same day that he moved into the villa, and he asked if he could stay with him for a while.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Here is that voicemail from the documentary, allegedly recorded just two days before Johnny went on a murderous rampage.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Now this isn't touched on more deeply in the documentary, but to us, it was of huge importance. Jonathan's close lifelong friends were scared of him. So scared that they wouldn't allow him to stay in their home out of fear of their family's safety. They clearly saw him as a time bomb. And though we have many details about his behavior, we don't have all of them.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
How much worse was his mental health than what was released to the public? Now that same day, September 24th, Johnny's father reportedly called him to check in, but when he answered, Johnny was agitated. His dad said that he answered the phone angrily, quickly snapping that he was busy, and he demanded to know what his dad wanted.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
But shortly after their conversation, he began to calm down, and that was the last time Johnny's father ever spoke to his son. However, his brother hadn't spoken to him in several days.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
That day in autumn was September 26th, 2012. Dan Blackburn, the neighbor of Miss Kathy, had been watching out of his window, skeptically eyeing the disheveled looking man pacing up and down the road. This man, of course, was Johnny Lewis. He was shirtless and wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and bright red shoes. He was soaked with sweat and had a distant hollow look in his eyes.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
After pacing for about 15 minutes, Johnny approached Dan. He introduced himself as John, Dan's new neighbor. And then suddenly, he turned around and walked away. And in that moment, Dan had this sinking feeling in his chest. Something about their interaction was unusual. However, Dan brushed it aside. After all, artists were known to be a bit unconventional.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
So from there, he went on with his daily routine. But about a half hour later, Dan's wife, Gloria, began to scream. Not knowing what was going on, Dan ran through the house and found his wife on the patio with a look of horror on her face. He quickly looked out to see what she was looking at. And there he saw Johnny Lewis pinning a man to the ground. The man was a painter working on a nearby home.
Murder In America
EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And horrifically, there was blood stained all over the worker's face and Johnny's fist. Dan watched as Johnny Lewis punched the worker in the face over and over again, pummeling him and throwing droplets of blood all over himself and the ground around him. Dan quickly rushed to the painter's rescue, throwing Johnny off of him. But in response, Johnny decked Dan in the face with a hard, fast punch.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
When describing the scene, Dan told LA Mag, quote, his expression was flat. his gaze distant, but he seemed to have supernatural strength, end quote. And Dan quickly knew that he was fighting for his life. When Johnny approached him again, Dan punched him in the face, but Johnny didn't even react. He didn't flinch. He didn't cry out. It was like hitting a brick wall.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Finally, Dan managed to get an upper hand by slamming a patio chair against Johnny. From there, the painter and Dan quickly raced into the house to escape. But as they tried to shut the door, Johnny threw his arm through the crack at the last minute. It was like a scene out of The Shining. And from the sounds of things... that's not very far off.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
In that moment, Dan the painter and Dan's wife, Gloria, repeatedly slammed their bodies against the door in an attempt to get it closed. But Johnny refused to move his arm, reaching for them like a madman. Finally, after four hard slams, Johnny pulled his arm out, allowing the Blackburns to lock their door and barricade themselves.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
From there, they frantically called the police, who had no idea what kind of horrific scene they were about to walk into.
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When detectives entered the writer's villa just moments later, it became very clear who had strangled him and that it was in self-defense. Now the first floor of the villa was pristine, lined with art and very organized. But the second floor was a wildly different story. As law enforcement walked up the stairs, they noticed broken glass littered across the floor.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And upon entering the master bedroom, they found a grisly scene. The room was coated in blood. The walls, the bed, the tables, and the chairs in the room were all stained with crimson red. Every mirror in the room and in the bathrooms had been shattered into a million pieces. But in the center of the mayhem, lying next to her bed, was Miss Kathy Davis.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And although Johnny's childhood was normal, in the sense that he grew up in a loving home, it was pretty different from other kids his age. In fact, at just six years old, his mother took him to his very first audition. And by seven years old, he had landed his first acting role. Now, we couldn't find much information about whether acting was Johnny's idea or his mother's,
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At 81 years old, after being a Hollywood mom to hundreds of people, she had met a violent, terrible end. The coroner's report described the blunt force trauma as follows, quote, it fractured her entire skull and obliterated the left side of her face, leaving her brain exposed. Brain and tissue matter seen on the floor around her. Her face is covered in blood.
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Her nose split down the middle and upper jaw is split open, end quote.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Upon further investigation, detectives came to believe that Johnny beat Miss Kathy with a rusty hammer that was found in his room. Horrifically, he then punched her repeatedly and strangled her with his bare hands. The beating was so violent and the injuries on Miss Kathy were so gruesome that investigators believe that Johnny had stomped on her head
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after he suffocated her in addition to the brutal punches kicks and hits with the hammer she had four puncture wounds on her cheeks which were likely from a mechanical pencil found beside her body this was definitely overkill but why sadly as detectives continued to walk through the scene they also believe that they also found that after johnny killed miss kathy
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
he moved on to Jessie, her cat, who was constantly by her side as her loyal companion. It's likely that Jessie was in the room at the time of her attack. But to this day, no one knows exactly what set Johnny off. Miss Cathy was known to be kind to everyone, understanding, and above all, helpful. The two had never been seen arguing, there were never any screams heard coming from the house,
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And both only had nice things to say about each other. As the media learned about the violent attack, it seemed as if the entire city was in mourning. And at the same time, they were enamored with the news. After all, Johnny Lewis was a famous actor. So how did he go from being on our TV screens to a violent murderer, especially to a woman like Ms. Cathy.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
The people who knew her spoke publicly about how she was essentially an angel. Actor Taylor Negron told magazine XO Jane that she was a quote, "'Hollywood legend, a near saint, and a kind and loving mother to so many.'" including me, end quote. And then there was the coverage of Johnny, and it was sensational and fueled with rumors. The following clips are from the Daily Buzz and Clevver News.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
but her support of his career would last for the rest of his life. His first acting gig was actually a video about escalator safety, and in it, he acted with an animated raccoon. It was obviously a small role, but it seemed to jumpstart a passion for him, because from there on out, throughout his childhood and prepubescent years, he was frequently casted in commercials, like this Pizza Hut ad.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
So what could have driven Johnny Lewis to commit this heinous act? Some suggest that it was just the brain injury. Others believe that Johnny already had an underlying psychiatric disorder that was worsened by the brain injury he sustained. According to an article published in the National Library of Medicine, quote,
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
once considered a largely benign phenomenon, is known to be associated with a range of affective symptoms, with suicidality, with worsening or new onset of several psychiatric disorders." And we've seen in many stories we've covered in the past how brain injuries can cause people to become violent,
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
down the road so is this what happened to johnny lewis we may never know but after the crime his family has worked hard to promote education about traumatic brain injuries and this story is just tragic all around johnny lewis had it all he was living out the dream that so many people would give anything to have but in the end he Fame, money, and notoriety clearly isn't everything.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Within a few short years, Johnny Lewis went from being a beloved actor to a violent killer.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And before we end the episode today, we do have a shout out to two very special listeners of ours, and their names are Tess and Angel. I recently just connected with Tess on TikTok, and she told me that on December 9th, three years ago, she and Angel really bonded over our podcast. And just this past week, they got engaged. So congratulations, you two. We are so, so happy for you.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And we just want to thank you for being loyal listeners for all these years. And we wish you a lifetime of happiness.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
¶¶
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Of course, being a teen of the 90s, Johnny was wearing his hair with some spiky frosted tips, which gave him the look of a classic teen heartthrob. This very look, in addition to his acting skills, caught people's eye and eventually propelled him out of commercials and into movie and television roles. His rise to fame started with a guest role in 7th Heaven.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
where he played a baggy pants-wearing, rap-listening teenager. And if you've seen any of Seventh Heaven, you know that it made him the antagonist of the episode. But then in the year 2000, Johnny took on a role as a straight-laced cadet in Malcolm in the Middle. And in 2004, he acted in several episodes of Drake and Josh, which is the first time I remember seeing him.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
He was the drummer in Drake's band. In one episode, he gets the band in trouble for his unique method of getting them all tickets to a show.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
But this was only the beginning for Johnny. He went on to star as one of the main cast members in the Fox sitcom, Quintuplets. And he also took a reoccurring role in the wildly popular teen drama, The O.C. Around this time, it looked like he was on his way to becoming a Hollywood staple.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
However, the reality is only a fraction of the people with this dream will actually go on to achieve it. As we know, the industry is pretty selective. So the stars that do make it big are the lucky ones. They have it all. Money, fame, nice houses, luxury cars, notoriety. But sometimes being at the top isn't all that it's made out to be.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Not only had he acted in some of the most popular shows of the era, but he had made some loyal friends and good connections while doing it.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Now remember, this was 2005. At the time, Katy Perry was an up and coming name, trying her hardest to make her mark on the world. After breaking away from the Christian genre that she had started her career in, she was wetting her feet in the world of secular music. From 2004 to 2007, she went to several different record labels trying to find a home.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And like Johnny, she was exploring the impact she wanted to have on the world of art. And for around a year, they explored that together. Both Johnny and Katy Perry appeared on red carpets. They went to parties together and they attended many concerts over the years. And in all of the pictures of them, they're wrapped up in each other's arms.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
It's obvious that they were in love, but neither of them would have any idea that they were on the cusp of life-changing success. Now the couple would end up parting ways before either of them had their big break. They announced that they had separated by 2006 and the exact details on their breakup are still a little unclear.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
But years down the road, a source close to Katy Perry told ABC News that her song, The One That Got Away, was partially written about Johnny Lewis. Just in case you forgot what those lyrics are, it goes, "'In another life, I would be your girl. We keep all our promises, be us against the world. In another life, I would make you stay, so I don't have to say you were the one that got away.'"
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
The song was about young love, and whatever the reason was why they broke up, it's clear that they still shared a mutual respect for one another. However, neither of them would ever speak about the breakup publicly.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
And in the story we have for you today, you'll see just how true that statement is. In the early 2000s, actor Johnny Lewis was on his way to becoming a household name. At just 28 years old, he had already starred in the main cast of four popular TV shows, becoming a fan favorite character in the breakout hit, Sons of Anarchy.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
As season one wrapped up production and season two began, Johnny started to talk to the executive producer and creator, Kurt Sutter. In a 2009 interview with Alan Sepinwall of the Star-Ledger, Kirk stated, quote, "'Johnny wasn't happy on the show. Creatively, he wanted out of the contract. People are going to have their reaction, but I don't want an actor that's not happy.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
It's not good for the actor and it's not good for the show. I love Johnny.'" I'd work with him again in a heartbeat. But because Johnny was not happy with his role in Sons of Anarchy, the creator, Kurt Sutter, eventually sent him an email informing him that his character would be killed off. The email read the following.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Johnny's father would later say that his interest in quitting the show was purely creative and that it had nothing to do with anyone on set or his own love of acting. In an interview with LA Mag, Michael stated, quote, he told us he left because the show was getting into gratuitous violence. He didn't want to communicate that as an artist, end quote.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
Now, in hindsight, this statement is full of irony because the story of Johnny Lewis would soon end in violence. But at the time, He was so concerned about portraying violence that he left the most profitable and successful role of his career, one that most actors would give anything to have.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
He also walked the red carpets with his once girlfriend, pop star Katy Perry. But in late 2012... Johnny Lewis came in the spotlight for a very different reason. So this is his story. I'm Courtney Browen.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
But the home actually wasn't for sale. A woman named Catherine Davis had owned it since 1958, and she was only interested in renting it out. So when Johnny Lewis, the young and successful actor, came to tour it, she was happy to rent it out to him. Now, Catherine Davis was born in 1930 in Dallas, Texas, but she moved to Los Angeles in 1950 to attend UCLA.
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EP. 190: CALIFORNIA - Hollywood Celebrity Turned Ruthless Killer: The Tragic Tale of Johnny Lewis
At the time, only 21% of students attending college in the United States were women, and only 1.2% of all eligible women in America attended college. Ms. Cathy was unconventional, independent, hardworking, and a fearless woman in her early 20s, but she would remain that way for the next 60 years of her life.
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Nun, ihr Vater war an der Zeit am Arbeit, also hat sie entschieden, ihre Mutter in Redlands, Kalifornien zu nennen. Für Reference, das ist eine 11-Hour-Fahrt weg, etwa 680 Meilen. Also, als ihre Mutter den Anruf bekam, dachte sie, dass ihre Tochter nur aufmerksam war, aber das ist überhaupt nicht so, wie dieser Anruf gehen würde.
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Als Pamela antwortete, erzählte Gracelyn ihr über den roten Van, der ihr am Tag vorbeigekommen hatte, und sie war furchtbar, dass es etwas mit Ashlyn und Ian zu tun hatte, nicht nach Hause zu kommen. Und sobald sie es gesagt hat, wusste Pamela, dass ihre Tochter recht war. Sie wusste direkt dann, dass ihre Kinder verabschiedet worden waren und sie nicht einen Moment Zeit verwenden würde.
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Gleichzeitig hang Pamela den Telefon auf und rief die Navajo Nation Polizei.
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Die beiden sollten immer noch hier sein, ihre Zähne zu malen, mit ihren liebsten Pets zu spielen, Geheimnisse zu ihren Freunden bei den Schlafzimmern zu sprühen. Aber stattdessen sind sie tot. Und ihre Gemeinschaften sind in Mord. Ashlands Tod im Jahr 2017 spart Veränderungen in der Art und Weise, wie die nativale und die städtische Gefährdung heute arbeiten.
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Ungefährdend ist, dass die gleiche Umgebung andere Probleme erzeugt, wie das Problem, das Pamela Foster am 2. Mai, kurz nach 4 Uhr, hatte, als sie die Navajo Nation Police Department für Hilfe fragte. Sie sagte Esquire, Quote, Sie hielten mich immer auf und verabschiedeten mich, sagten mir, dass sie auf der Staffe zu kurz waren, dass es nur einen Anwalt auf der Anlage bei Shiprock gab.
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Und traurig, ist es möglich, dass es einen war. Unterfunding ist eines der chronischsten Probleme auf der Landwirtschaft.
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Jim Walters, ein Amber Alert-Koordinator, der mit der Navajo Nation ständig gearbeitet hat, sagte dem Justiz-Departement im Jahr 2006, dass dieses Unterfunding die meisten 9-1-1-Operatoren auf tribaler Lande führte, auf Legal-Pads zu nehmen, nicht auf einem Computer, nicht in einem System, sondern mit Hand, mit mobilen Radios als ihre einzige Verbindung zu den Anrufern.
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Also verhindert dieses hohe Funding die nativen Gemeinschaften unterverwundet. es sind hohe Aufstiegsrate wegen der bedeutend niedrigeren Betriebe und tribaler Rechtsanwälte als der Staat, was in langen Zeitperioden mit niemandem ihre Gemeinschaften schützt. Walters sagte Esquire, Quote, Fort Peck auf der Sioux-Reservation in Montana hat keinen Polizeichief in fünf oder sechs Jahren, Ende Quote.
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Also Pamela nicht in die Möglichkeit zu erreichen, einen Anwalt an dem Tag, an dem ihre Tochter und Sohn verschwunden sind, wasn't out of the ordinary, but it was crushing. She was 11 hours away from her missing children, hearing from police over the phone that they would try and find her kids, but that they were so short staffed, it was going to take some time.
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I can't imagine how infuriating that must be. Frustrated, Pamela decided to turn to Facebook, posting about her missing kids. und sprach zu Gary Mike, dem Vater der Kinder, über eine Strategie. Ihr Facebook-Post beobachtete, was Grace Lynn ihr über den roten Van erzählt hatte.
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Und innerhalb einer halben Stunde ihrer Postung sprangen die Lokale in Aktion, formierten ihre eigenen Suchteams auf der Suche nach den vermisslichen Kindern im roten Van.
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Aber um 7.10 Uhr, ein Paar fuhr durch die Reservation auf der Navajo-Route 13, auch bekannt als Red Rock Highway, als sie etwas bemerkten, was ihre Herzen stoppte. Nun, wir sind uns nicht sicher, ob das Paar Teil der Navajo-Nation war oder nicht, oder ob sie sich sogar von den verlassenen Kindern erkennt.
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Aber egal, sie stoppten sofort ihr Auto, weil sie auf dieser desolierten Straße ein junges Kind gesehen haben. in der Dunkelheit allein. Es war neunjähriger Ian. Als das Auto neben Ian hochgezogen wurde, war er visuell furchtbar und weinte. Laut den L.A. Times hat er immer wieder gesagt, dass ein Mann in einem roten Van mich fährt.
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Aber Emilys Tod im Frühjahr 2025 zeigte, dass diese Veränderungen fast nicht genug sind. Heutes Geschichte zeigt dir die Verletzungen im Justizsystem, sowohl vor als auch nach ihren Mördern. Aber es ist auch eine Geschichte von residenziellen Schulen, generational Trauma, juristischen Glauben und zwei Gemeinschaften, die nicht aufgeben.
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Von hier aus versuchte das Paar, 911 zu rufen, aber weil der Bereich so weit weg war, konnten sie keine Hilfe bekommen. Stattdessen führten sie das weibliche Kind in ihr Auto und rufen ihn zurück in den Schiprock-Polizeistationen des Navajo Nation Police. Einmal da, hat Ian es nicht erklärt, was da passiert ist. Seine Tochter, Daryl Foster Joe, hat den L.A.
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Times gesagt, dass er so müde war und nur weinend für seine Schwester weinte. Es war wirklich schwer, irgendwelche Informationen aus ihm herauszufinden. Aber wenn die Behörden die Informationen aus ihm herausgefunden haben, Es war furchtbar. Er erzählte ihnen alles darüber, was er gesehen hatte. Über das Reifen, über seine Schwester, wie sie nie zurückkam.
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Er erzählte ihnen, dass der Mann Navajo war, einer ihrer eigenen. Und glücklicherweise kam bald danach sein Vater, um ihn zu beruhigen.
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Und schau dir nur einen Moment an, wenn die zwei Kinder, die verpasst wurden, keine liebende Familie hatten, um sie für sie zu suchen. die Polizei-Departementen ständig anrufen und in Person für die Polizei anrufen, um sie zu beurteilen. Was wäre passiert?
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Das ist etwas, das wir später erläutern, weil tragisch die Anzahl der missbrauchten indigenen Menschen und die sparse Informationen, die über sie vorhanden sind, für sich selbst sprechen. Aber während Maybelline die Farmington-Polizei anrufte, um Hilfe in der Suche zu bekommen, war der Kindesvater, Gary Mike, eine Suche nach seinem eigenen.
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Es ist die Geschichte eines Mörders auf dem Weg und der Apache-Tribe, die nichts stoppt, um ihnen Gerechtigkeit zu bringen. Weil als ich das geschrieben habe, ist Emily Pikes Mörder noch da und wir müssen sie finden. Also ist das die Geschichte von Ashlyn Mike und Emily Pike. Ich bin Courtney Browen.
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Und er ging nur auf die Erinnerung seines neunjährigen Sohnes, wo sie hinfuhren. Ian hatte so panikiert, so schmerzhaft, dass seine Erinnerung auf die Events am besten patchig war. Und um es noch schwieriger zu machen, hatte die Dunkelheit über die heilige Landschaft gefallen, um es noch schwieriger zu erinnern, wo sie waren.
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Aber Ian erinnerte sich, dass das Auto nach Set Bataille fuhr, ihre heilige Landschaft. Er erinnerte sich auch daran, dass es Pferde waren, vor denen sie stoppten, Kühe auf der rechten Seite von ihnen und Häuser auf der linken Seite. Gary drove down the isolated farming and access roads with nothing but his headlights and the lights of his phone to search for his baby girl.
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Und unbekannt zu allen... Ashlyn war bereits tot. Am Morgen des 3. Mai 2016 waren die Search-Partys vollständig im Bereich, in dem Ian sich erinnerte, zu bringen. Nur 24 Stunden vorher hatte Ashlyn ihren Zeitraum in ihrer 5. Klasse genossen. Sie war wahrscheinlich, so wie sie jeden Tag war, auf ihre Musikklassen aufgeregt.
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Sie träumte, irgendwann Musiklehrerin zu werden und ihre Liebe für die Kunst den Kindern anzupassen. in der gleichen Weise, wie es ihr passierte. Aber sie bekam nie die Chance. Denn kurz nach 11 Uhr entstanden ein Gruppe Anwesender auf ATVs Ashlands Körper. Sie war nackt, liegend in der Wüste an der Basis eines kleinen Hills. Und mit einem einzigen Blick auf sie
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Es war offensichtlich, wie sie getötet wurde, weil ihr Kopf in den Arm geschlagen wurde. Es war ein furchtbarer Eindruck, einen, den niemand jemals vergessen würde. Als Ashlands Familie die Nachricht hörte, waren sie überwältigt. Ihre Mutter sagte, es sei der Tag, an dem mein Welt in Millionen Teile zerstört wurde. Ich musste eine Kriegsmutter werden.
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Ich musste wütend sein und für meine Tochter kämpfen. Ashlands Vater, Gary Mike, sagte dem Albuquerque Journal, dass es so viele Menschen in der Welt mit Herzen gibt. Die Person, die das Leben meines Kindes verbracht hat, hatte kein Herz. Aber glücklicherweise, als ihr Körper gefunden wurde, war die Gefahr, dass die Gefahr, dass die Gefahr, dass die Gefahr,
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based on the description of the vehicle. Now mind you, this is a description that they had from the very beginning. From the moment that Gracelyn told her mom about Ashlyn and Ian's disappearance. Sadly, Ashlyn was likely still alive when Gracelyn disclosed the information about the van. Yet it wasn't until the next day that police were using that to find her.
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Am Morgen, an dem Ashlands Körper gefunden wurde, hatte Tom von Rufuses Stopp, bevor er nach Farmington fuhr, um einen Freund zu finden. Währenddessen brachte Rufus den Amber Alert, erhielt er, dass Toms Auto die Beschreibung geklappt hatte. Reportiert wurde, dass Tom lachte und sagte, dass er es überhaupt nicht gedacht hätte. Dann kam er von dort in den geklappten Van und fuhr weg.
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Rufus war aber nicht der Einzige, der es bemerkt hatte. Außerhalb von Farmington haben FBI-Agenten Tom überholt, weil sein Fahrzeug geklappt hatte. Sie haben sogar Bilder von ihm und dem Fahrzeug genommen, aber zu diesem Zeitpunkt gab es nichts, um zu beweisen, dass er ihre Befugnis war. In der Tat, bis dahin hatte Ashlands Körper noch nicht gefunden.
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Als Resultat wurden die FBI-Agenten gezwungen, Tom zu verlassen. Aber dann kamen weitere Tipps. Anrufe von der FBI über Toms Auto, die die Beschreibung vergleichen, flutten. Einige Leute erinnern sich sogar daran, dass sie sein Auto in der Gegend gesehen haben, an dem Tag von Ashlands Verabschiedung und Tod.
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So from here, Agent showed her little brother Ian a photo of Tom in a lineup, as well as a photo of his vehicle. And immediately, Ian knew that he was the person who had kidnapped him and his sister. He was also able to identify his car. But once they got this confirmation, No one knew where Tom was.
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Unbeknownst to them, he was at a sweat lodge ceremony with his local church, along with his friend, Rufus Dickey.
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Das war bis spät in der Nacht, als auf dem Gesang die Stimmen außerhalb hörbar waren, die beantragten, dass alle rauskommen. In der Mitte der Zeremonie wurde jeder gezwungen, zu erscheinen. Steine riefen aus dem Schmerzlodge aus, als sie die Tür öffneten und eins nach dem anderen kamen. Das, was sie erwartet hatten, war wie etwas aus einem schrecklichen Film.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Von ihrem friedlichen, geistigen Ausdruck kamen sie in einen Weltraum, in dem die Waffen an sie beobachtet wurden. Verblackte SUVs flashten rot und blau, schlug offene Entranz oder Ausflüge ab. Als der Agent Tom beobachtete, beantragten sie, dass er seine Hände aufhebt, vorwärts steigt und auf seine Knie kommt. Und von dort an wurde er für das Verstürzen und Mord von Ashlyn Mike verhaftet.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Alle, die das sahen, waren völlig überrascht. Toms Freund, Rufus Dickey, sagte The Last Cruises Son News, Quote, Ich habe ihn mit meiner Familie vertraut. Ich habe ihn mit meiner Tochter vertraut und er hat mich verletzt. Ich kannte ihn im Sonnenschein. Ich wusste ihn nicht zu Hause hinter geschlossenen Türen. Endquote.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Rufus hatte Tom, seinen Bruder, angerufen und Tom hatte die Audazität, Ashlands Rückkehr direkt neben ihm zu beten.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
However, later faced with the autopsy results, he had no choice but to tell the truth. In reality, Tom hadn't just digitally penetrated her. Tom had raped Ashlyn vaginally and anally. Then, after the brutal assault, he hit her in the head and left. Tom stated that when he left the scene, Ashlyn was still moving and breathing. So he left her there to die in the desert, on her ancestral land.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Ashlyn war an einem so spannenden Zeitpunkt, an der Zeit ihres Todes. Sie machte neue Freunde, fand neue Hobbys und entwickelte sich als Vorjüngerin mit ihrem eigenen Gefühl von Independence und Autonomie.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Aber sie bekam nie die Chance, zu sehen, ob Blau ihr Lieblingsfarbe bleibt oder ob sie lernen konnte, das neue Stück Musik, das sie praktizierte, oder ob sie ihre Lieblingsessen, Spaghetti, kochen konnte, wie auch ihre Eltern irgendwann. Ashlyn ist immer noch 11 Jahre alt und das infuriiert ihre Eltern rechtlich, die nichts mehr tun könnten, um ihre Tochter zu schützen.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Nach Ashlyns Mord begannen Pamela und Gary hart zu drücken, um ein Review zu machen, wie die Amber Alerts auf Reservierungen behandelt werden. Wegen der juristischen Probleme, wurden die nativen Kinder nicht geschützt. Und Pamela Foster besonders wollte einen Weg, um Amber Alerts über die gesamte Nation zu stellen, ohne mit der Angelegenheit der verschiedenen Staaten zu kämpfen.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Und glücklicherweise, am 29. März 2017 zahlte ihr hartes Arbeit. Senator John McCain hat den Ashland-Mike-Amber-Alert, einen indischen Landtagsantrag, vorgesehen.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Dieses Gesetz würde Triben mit Regierungsfunding und Training bieten, um tribalen Amber Alerts mit staatlichen Amber Alerts zu integrieren und tribalen Polizisten zu ermöglichen, Alerts über ihre gesamte Reservation zu aktivieren, auch wenn sie die staatlichen Linien überschritten.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Ashlyn Mike's case put a huge spotlight on the reform needed when it comes to the disappearance and murders of indigenous women and children. But there is still so much further for us to go. As it currently stands, according to the Department of Justice, Native American women on reservations are ten times more likely to be murdered than women of other ethnicities anywhere in the US.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
And that's not even counting the indigenous women and children die noch nie gefunden wurden. Nun, unsere nächste Geschichte handelt es sich um eine Frau, die verschwunden wurde, die gefunden wurde. Jedoch, wie sie gefunden wurde, ist, traurig genug, das, was ihr Name in den nationalen Spotlight verweigerte.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Emily Pike war eine 14-jährige Frau, die in der San Carlos Apache-Tribe in Arizona geboren wurde. Und wie ihr lernt, ist Emily Pike eine der vielen, vielen Mädchen aus dem gleichen Bereich, die verschwunden sind. Dank ihrer Familie für Gerechtigkeit und Reformen, kann sie nicht die Einzige sein, um nationalen Aufmerksamkeit zu bekommen.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Von einer jungen Zeit an hat Emily beklagt, dass sie mit psychischen Problemen kämpft. Es ist traurig, die Hand, mit der sie getroffen wurde, aber das war nicht alles. Emily war auch eine vibrante und wunderschöne junge Frau. Ihre Tochter, Carolyn Pike Bender, sagte 12 News, Quote, Emily, ich meine, wir lieben sie. Sie war für uns Erwartung. Sie liebte Butterflys. Sie liebte alles, was sparklte.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Sie liebte alle Sterne. Nur alles. Sie war nur eine Mädchen. Ende Quote. Und diese Liste schreckte mich. Sie war nur eine Mädchen. Ehrlich, sie war. Und so oft vergessen die Medien das. Besonders, wenn man sich junge Mädchen der Farbe anschaut. jungen Mädchen mit psychischen Problemen oder jungen Mädchen mit disziplinären Problemen.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Manchmal in den Medien werden sie die Probleme, die sie befinden, die nicht der Fall sind. Nun, Emily hat mit ihrer psychischen Gesundheit und Disziplin geübt, laut einigen Gründen. Aber das macht sie nicht weniger wertvoll von Liebe. Denn aus dem Geräusch der Dinge Sie wusste, wie man wirklich liebt. Emily liebte K-Pop, Pink und Kunst.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Ihre Social-Media-Page waren voller Kunst, die sie erschaffen hat. Ihre Familie erinnerte sich deutlich daran, was für einen starken Respekt und Liebe für das Leben, das Emily hatte. Als sie ihr Kind als junge Mädchen verloren hat, war es das stärkste, was sie je erlebt hat. Begab sie sofort ihre Eltern, andere Katzen zu nehmen, damit sie sich um sie kümmern konnte.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Es war nur die Art von Person, die sie war. Selbst wenn sie sich stört fühlte, wollte sie andere komfortieren. Und das ging mit ihr weiter, als sie zu einer Gruppe nach Hause ging. Im Jahr 2022, als Emily 11 Jahre alt war, wurde sie von der San-Carlos-Apache-Tribe Social Services entfernt.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Berichte wie Arizona Central News haben spekuliert, dass dies wegen einiger mentale Krankheiten war, die sie erlebte. Aber von dort wurde sie zu einem Gruppengebäude in Mesa, Arizona, etwa zwei Stunden von ihrer Wohnung auf der Reservation entfernt.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Chelsea, the pseudonym of one of Emily's friends who lived at the facility, told ABC 15 that Emily came to the facility to get better resources for her mental health. Sie sagte, dass es für sie herausfordernd war, sie auf eine Reservation zu bekommen. Chelsea und Emily waren nahe. Und das Leben in dieser Gruppe war herausfordernd. Sie versuchten also, sich in die richtige Richtung zu steuern.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Nichts, was wir über diese Gruppe gehört haben, schlägt es in eine positive Farbe ein. Aber es gibt einige missbrauchliche Informationen. Die Medien sind schnell darauf eingegangen, dass die Gruppe 30 missbrauchte Menschen berichtet hatte, in den letzten drei Jahren alleine. Und das scheint eine überraschende Anzahl zu sein. Besonders, da sie dort nur zehn Gebäude hatten.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Aber Gruppenhäuser wie der, an dem Emily war, müssen Menschen verurteilt werden, wenn sie ohne Verabschiedung weggehen. Um das in Perspektive zu bringen, hat Emily bereits drei Mal verurteilt worden, dass sie von der Gruppe aus verurteilt wurde. Einer war am 11. September 2023.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Am Halloween des Jahres 2023 verschwand Emily und wurde vermutlich verloren, aber sie kam bald nach dem Nachtfall zurück auf ihr eigenes Vertrauen.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Nun, es scheint, dass sie im Jahr 2024 wieder in der Familie ihrer Familie auf der Reservation war, aber in der Zwischenzeit im Jahr 2024 kam sie zurück zu der Gruppe in Mesa und sie war dort bis Januar des Jahres 2025, aber bald genug würde ihre Geschichte zu einem tragischen Ende kommen. Am 27. Januar 2025, um 6.30 Uhr, lernte der Gruppenteilmanager, dass Emily Pike missging.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Und um 8.19 Uhr kam ein Mesa-Polizei-Officer, um die Mitarbeiter zu interviewen, wie sie verschwunden ist. Seine Freundin Chelsea erzählte Fox 10 in Phoenix, dass Emily das Haus verlassen hat, weil sie einen Junge besuchen wollte, den sie mitgetreten hat, während sie Gitarre-Lessungen machte.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
While a local church group was visiting, Emily snuck out of a window in her room by pushing out the screen. And from there, she disappeared into the cold January desert night. Once it was realized that Emily was missing, her family wasn't immediately notified. Instead, her case manager was alerted. And she only spoke with Emily's mother and other relatives over a week after she had disappeared.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Imagine finding out that your daughter has been missing for over a week. And by the time you learn about her disappearance, you're already so far behind that it makes it nearly impossible to catch up. In response, Emily's family immediately scrambled to make up for that lost time. They canvassed nearby communities, posted relentlessly on Facebook, and they spoke with law enforcement on the daily.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Initially, Emilys Mutter, Brüder, Onkels und Onkels warten in Angelegenheit, um sogar die kleinste Beweise davon zu bekommen, wo sie war.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Nach dem Publisieren dieses Videos, suchen die Leute immer noch nach Emilys Händen und Arm. Twyla Casador sagte bei ABC 15, in unserer Apache-Kultur musst du voll sein, wenn du ins nächste Leben gehst. Wir müssen sie finden und ihr nur helfen, ihre Reise in ihre Reise zu machen. Als nativistische Person ist das alles, was du machst."
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Um Emily in ihr nächstes Leben in den Augen ihrer Leute und Traditionen in Frieden zu haben, muss ihr gesamtes Körper auf tribaler Lande geboren werden. Also hat nicht nur derjenige, der sie ermordet hat, ihr Leben genommen, sondern er hat auch die friedliche Vision von ihr im Nachhinein von ihrer Familie genommen. Und um ihre Schmerzen noch schlimmer zu machen, Seine Mörderin ist noch da.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Es ist so wichtig, dass wir alle zusammen reisen und ihre Name überleben, bis diese Person hinter den Bars ist. Und laut einem vertretenen FBI-Agenten, Jim Eagleson, scheint es sich, dass das, was diese Person hinter den Bars stellt, für viele andere schuldig sein könnte. Hier ist, was er von Phoenix Station KPHO gesagt hat.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Wir arbeiten in der Welt der echten Kriminellen. Wir haben uns immer sehr bewusst von der Krise der verurteilten und verlassenen indigenischen Menschen und der Untersuchung der Verlangenheit und Mord von 13-jähriger Emily Pike. Wir wurden gezwungen, wirklich die Räume zu schauen, um für diese Menschen für das erste Mal Gerechtigkeit zu bekommen, und wir wollten Fälle wie Emilys finden.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Vielleicht Mädchen ihres Erachtens, die aus dem selben Gebiet oder dem Gebiet, wo ihr Körper gefunden wurde. Aber was wir stattdessen gefunden haben, war, um es besser zu nennen, ein unorganisierter Mess. Wir haben uns die tribalen Bereiche um Globe und Mesa angeschaut. Auf tribalen Polizei- und Gemeinschafts-Facebook-Page
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Wir haben literally dozens of cases recently posted, asking for the public's help, wanting more information on these lost kids, some of them as young as 11 years old. We looked on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's website, which is usually a go-to for the status of missing children. But these cases weren't there. At first we thought we were entering information wrong.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
dass es vielleicht eine andere Datenbank gab, weil diese Verlangenheit auf tribaler Lande geschehen ist. Von dort haben wir dann auf die Büro of Indian Affairs Webseite gegangen, die eine gesamte Teilung von Missing Persönlichkeiten hat, die alle Missingindividuen aus tribalen Gemeinschaften listet. Aber das, was wir dort gefunden haben, war das gleiche.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Keine der Fälle, die lokal veröffentlicht wurden, wurden national veröffentlicht. Dann haben wir uns die Seiten der Stadt und der Stadtpolizei angeschaut. Und wiederum gab es keine Einführung dieser verlassenen Kinder. Und hatten wir wirklich die Statistiken vor diesem Deep Dive angeschaut, könnten wir uns nicht so überrascht haben.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Im Jahr 2016 hat das National Crime Information Center 5.712 Fälle von Missing American und Alaskaner Frauen und Mädchen veröffentlicht. Doch das US-Departement of Justice hat nur 116 dieser Fälle auf ihrem Website veröffentlicht. Das ist weniger als ein Zehntel der Missing Women and Girls.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Emily Pike's family feels the same way. Her mother posts almost daily about other missing children, teens and adults in the area, praying for their families. She knows more than anyone what it's like to have a loved one missing. But of all the missing people that she posts about, I hadn't heard of a single one of these cases.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
All of Ashlyn Mikes life, she was raised beneath the towering peaks of Set Bataille. It seems like there couldn't be a more fitting place for a Danette girl to grow up, protected under the peak of a sacred site, warming herself in the sun and nourishing herself with the earth of her native land. Ashlyn wurde am 13. November 2004 geboren zu Gary Pike und Pamela Foster.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
We would be remiss not to mention just a few of the names that we found of missing people in the Mesa and Globe area.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Dies ist eine Krise in so vielen Gründen. Und es ist so wichtig, dass wir diese Geschichten erzählen. Wenn Emily Pikes Familie das Licht finden kann, indem sie diese Fälle aus der Dunkelheit herausbringt, dann verdienen wir ihnen alle dieselben Respekt.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Also in Ehren von Emily Pike und Ashlyn Mike werden wir eine Donation zu den Not Our Native Daughters, einer indigenisch verbreiteten Überlebendenorganisation, um das Problem der missbrauchten, verletzten und verletzten indigenischen Frauen und Mädchen zu beantworten.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Sie wollen indigenische Gemeinschaften ermöglichen, indem sie für Gerechtigkeit und Unterstützung der betroffenen Familien unterstützen.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Und ihre Mutter beschreibt den Tag ihres Geburtstags so stark, dass sie sagt, habe ich bemerkt, dass die Spargel in ihren Augen mein leitender Licht war." Auf Ashlands 20. Geburtstag schrieb ihre Mutter in Erinnerung auf sie, dass es an einem wunderschönen Sonnenschein war, die Blätter der Bäume auf den Bäumen klingelten und die Sonne ihre letzten goldenen Flügel durch die Krankenhäuser schlug.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Das Sonnenlicht öffnete unsere Wohnung, erzählte mir, dass eine andere Star geboren wurde und was für ein besonderes Geschenk du sein würdest. Und auf alle Fälle war Ashlyn ein besonderes Geschenk. Eine Sache, die mich während des Forschens und des Lesens über diese schwarze kleine Mädchen beeindruckt hat, ist, wie viele Leute sie als elegant beschrieben haben.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Das ist ehrlich gesagt eine der letzten Wörter, die mir auf die Kinder kommen, aber laut ihrer Mutter, sobald sie die Zutaten halten konnte, hat sie langsam und intensiv gegessen. like a dainty princess. In an interview with the Farmington Daily Times, her principal, Abina McNeely, described her as having, quote, this quiet elegance about her, end quote.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Aber ihre Brüder waren ihre liebsten Freunde. Nach ihrem Tod hat ihr neunjähriger Bruder Ian sich daran erinnert, dass sie ihm mit seinen Fingern durch seine Haare schlafen musste. Nur zwei Jahre älter als ihn, hat sie den Ruhestand ihres Begeistern und Unterstützern aufgenommen. Und am 2. Mai 2016 versuchte Ian, den Vorteil zurückzuwerfen, indem er seine Schwester als Schutzmann war.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Es hat angefangen, wie jeden anderen Tag. Die drei Kinder, Ian, Gracelyn und Ashlyn, haben sich bereit gemacht, in Fruitland, New Mexico, eine Schule in Ojo, Amarillo, zu gehen. Die Schule, die von einer fast gesamten nativen Bevölkerung betroffen ist, hat reportedly nur ca. 300 Schülerinnen und Schüler im Kindergarten bis in die 6. Klasse.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Es ist die Art der Schule, in der jeder alle kennt und die Kinder eine Gefühl der Sicherheit haben. Eines Tages erinnert Gary Mike, Ashlands Vater, an sie zu schütteln und zu sagen, dass er sie liebte. Als sie am Morgen aus der Tür ging, hatte er keine Ahnung, dass es sein allerletztes Mal sein würde, mit seiner starren, talentierten 11-jährigen Tochter zu sprechen.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Nach der Schule wurden die Kinder an einem Busstopp verlassen, der nur eine Viertelmeile von ihren Häusern entfernt war. Und noch einmal, das ist auf einer Reservation, dem Ort, den die Mikes seit Jahrhunderten zu Hause genannt haben. So no one had any reason to worry. Even further, Ashlyn wouldn't be getting off the bus alone. She was surrounded by cousins, friends and her two siblings.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
But as dainty and elegant as Ashlyn was described as being, she was still a kid. und sie wollte spielen. Nachdem sie auf dem Bus ging, begann sie und ihr kleiner Bruder Ian, in einer Kanäle neben dem Busstopp zu spielen. Die Woche vorher hatte das Gebäude ungefähr drei Mal mehr Regen als normal, also flog die Kanäle, und die desertischen Pflanzen eruptierten in einem karbigen Grün.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Trigger Warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder and offenses against children.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
während Ashlyn und Ian spielten. Seine ältere Schwester Gracelyn und einige ihrer Cousins gingen weiter nach Hause. Nach allem, die Kinder spielten eigentlich in ihrem eigenen Hintergrund und es war nicht ungewöhnlich für die Jüngsten, ein bisschen hinter sich zu lagern, als sie nach Hause kamen. Aber dann geschah etwas Ungewöhnliches. Etwas, das alles in einem Moment verändert hat.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
The third leading cause of death for women in America is unintentional accidents. A car crash, an overdose, a fall. Tragic mistakes that can happen to anyone at any time. Often there isn't anyone to blame but fate itself. But when you look at Native American women, the third leading cause of death is something much more disheartening, something that is preventable.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
So from here, Gracelyn and the cousins continued to walk on. Meanwhile, Ashlyn and Ian were playing in the canal alongside the road. But somehow, in the midst of their roughhousing, Ashlyn hurt her foot. And Tom Begay was eager to prey on that. Seeing Ashlyn on the side of the road, he pulled up to the kids, asking if they needed a ride home.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
And Ashlyn, not wanting to limp a quarter mile back on her injured foot, agreed. But her nine-year-old brother Ian immediately had alarm bells ringing in his head. He had a bad feeling about the man, about this stranger. But the idea of letting his big sister go on alone overrode his fear. So when Ashlyn hopped into the passenger seat... kam Ian in die Rückseite. Sein kleines Herz schluchzte.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Von da an fuhr der Van auf die Straße. Und für einen Moment war alles normal. Das war, bis der Van in die gegenseitige Richtung ihres Hauses gedreht wurde. In diesem Moment Ian's little heart started beating out of his chest, and same for Ashlyn. Terror coursed through both of the children, as the man began driving them further and further away from their community, out into the sprawling desert.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
According to Ian, Ashlyn begann, den Mann umdrehen zu lassen. Er weinte in der Rückseite und Ashlyn panikierte in der Passagierseite. Aber selbst in der Mitte ihrer Panik, rief sie zurück und hielt Ians kleine Hand, um ihn zu beruhigen. Und trotz ihres Anliegens, fortsetzte die Fahrt durch die wandelnden Wiesen, ohne jemanden mehr in Sicht zu haben. für Meilen.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Ashlyn schüttelte ihr Bruders Hand, als sie weiter nach Set B'tai führten. Der Ursprung ihrer Menschen auf der Erde. Der Monolith, der die Meik-Kinder überwacht hat, als sie aufgewachsen sind. Für ihre gesamten Leben stand Set B'tai über ihnen. Und jetzt fuhren sie immer näher und näher dorthin. Unbewusst von dem, was sie dort erwarteten.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Und ich kann nicht helfen, zu wundern, was durch ihre Gedanken ging. Als sie durch den Desert fuhren, Sie konnten sich für Meilen und Meilen aussehen. Es ist möglich, dass während dieser ganzen Fahrt die Kinder ihre Häuser, ihre Gemeinschaft, weiter und weiter entfernen konnten, sie von der Zivilisation zu entfernen.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
However, Ian's account speaks very differently of what he saw next. According to him, he saw Tom grab a curved bar of metal and he had it in his hands as he ordered Ashlyn to go. So in reality, he wasn't hiding the weapon at all. He was using it to intimidate these innocent children.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
And from the back of the car, Ian watched as Tom and Ashlyn disappeared over a nearby hill beneath the shadow of Sepp Bate. Für die nächste Stunde konnte er nur in Schmerzen sitzen, hoffte mit allem in ihm, dass er bald seine große Schwester zurück nach dem Auto sehen würde. Aber im Endeffekt, als er die Bewegung über den Berg sah, sah er nur Tom. Ashlyn war nirgends in Sicht.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Tom fuhr dann in den Van und begann zu fahren. Ian schaute aus dem Fenster, hoffte, seine Schwester irgendwo auf der Landschaft zu sehen. aber er konnte sie nicht sehen. Dann, nach einem paar Minuten Fahrt, stoppt Tom plötzlich den Van und beurteilt Ian, um raus zu kommen. Ian machte das, was er gesagt hatte.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Yet it keeps happening, again and again and again, as the world watches on in silence. Murder. Und heute werden wir euch die Geschichten von Ashlyn Mike und Emily Pike erzählen. Zwei Frauen, die Teil dieser Statistik geworden sind. Aber traurig ist, dass es nicht richtig ist, sie Frauen zu nennen, weil sie nur kleine Mädchen waren. Ashlyn war 11 und Emily 14.
Murder In America
EP. 198: ARIZONA - The Murder of Emily Pike
Er hat dann geschaut, als der rote Van verschwand, ihn alleine in der riesigen Wälder zu lassen, als die Sonne nach dem Horizont krepte. Nun, zurück an Ashlands Zuhause, hatte ihre Familie bereits designt nach ihr und Ian. Als ihre große Schwester Gracelyn nach Hause kam und ihre Brüder nicht um 4 Uhr herrschten, Sie wusste, dass etwas falsch war.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Yeah.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
April was the period of...
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Before we get into this episode, I'm gonna give you an overview about this case. I know we already gave you a three part series on it, but it was many months ago. So just as a refresher, April Lynn Holt was a 29 year old living in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2023, she was building her career as a lash artist. She was a mother of two beautiful children named Serenity and Denzel.
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EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
We were getting ready for... Jamie, do you promise you're just listening?
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
And she was also married to a man named Donovan Holt, who was Denzel's father. Now at this point, everything in April's life was going well for her. Everything except her marriage. For years, April and Donovan had had one reoccurring problem. and it had to do with their finances. Now, Donovan was a cook, but he had a hard time holding down a job.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Right. No. So they let you they kind of gave you the two options and they said, which one would you rather do? And that was.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Hello, everyone. Today's episode is an update episode. And sadly, it's not the kind of update we wanna give you. Now, if you haven't listened to our episodes about the murder of April Holt, which were episodes 177 through 179, You have to go back now and give those a listen or you will be very confused here.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
It is insane. And we posted about it just, like, a little snippet on our Instagram. Just, like, the results and everyone, like, hundreds of comments of people saying, like, I am so shocked. But at the same time, I'm not because of how they handled it from the very beginning. I was so... I think it's their way of, like...
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
And in July of 2023, April Holt got a call from her apartment complex, letting her know that she was being evicted because their rent wasn't paid. In that moment, April found out that Donovan had lied to her. He had told her that he had covered his portion of the rent and that it was taken care of when... It wasn't. And it was at this very moment where April had had enough.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
that's i was a murderer yes people get like drugged like weed charges you could have pot and you get more yes it is insane it's insane i cannot believe it so he will be spending two years in prison well he only has 18 more months oh yeah because it's with time served right So 18 months. And then he's going to be moving to, I had never even heard of what that other community corrections.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
That is insane. That is, there's no possible way that he could ever get custody of Denzel with the sentence he's under. Okay.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Oh, I know. And with how things have gone, he probably could have. Probably would have.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
She told Donovan that she wanted a divorce. Now they were still living together at the time, but April was done with him. She told all of her friends and family that she was moving on for good. She had even reconnected with an old boyfriend of hers. But tragedy was right around the corner, in more ways than one.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Yeah. Pretty much. Yeah, that's something that Colin really wants to talk about, too. Like in his the documentary that he's going to be working on soon. He like the way that the whole entire case was handled from beginning to end.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Yeah.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Tragically, in the days before April's death, she had met up with this man in Tennessee for a work obligation. And while there, he sexually assaulted her. Following the assault, she wrote in her journal, quote, I feel so ashamed, dirty, hurt. I'm physically hurting." April was clearly in a tough spot in her life.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Yeah.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
No, exactly. Also, you wouldn't even let anyone see that video because you were trying to protect the outcome of this case. Like when we covered the story months ago, like I was like, can I hear Donovan in that face? I can't, which totally, but I've never released it up until now.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Right.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Yeah.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
After he lied about it to your faces for months. Twice. Twice.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
And, like, not only did Denzel have to be around it, but then the mental games that Donovan was playing with him being like, you're talking to people. Yeah. It's your fault. He told him it was his fault. It's your fault we had to move.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
She was divorcing her husband and she had just been sexually assaulted, but the worst was yet to come. On July 28th, 2023, Donovan Holt told his seven-year-old son Denzel to go check on his mom, who was in the bathroom of their apartment. And when Denzel walked into the bathroom, he found his mother unconscious in the shower with a bag taped over her head.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Insane. And then the police are like, that's not. Not our problem.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Gosh. Well, that's again, I'm Colin. He gets way more views on his stuff than the podcast even does. We just appreciate you guys.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
We appreciate you, Jeremiah. We're so excited to share the story with even more people, especially now that we have more, it's more of a conclusion for lack of, you know, I think that, Oh, sorry. I think that, yeah, I just – Colin has so many people on his YouTube that will be just as outraged as we are and our listeners were.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
And I think now that we have the conclusion and it's so incredibly disappointing, it's like we are going to put these people on blast and –
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
good so that's actually a positive that's such great news especially because i think like the the medical examiner part of april's story is such another just huge fail in the system like how did you not see what happened to her the bruises it's because the detective went in there and put it in their head ahead of time exactly and then with all the false things with throughout the report of like websites things like that i'm like
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
And I can't believe that's not protocol already. Like that's crazy.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
From there, 911 was called and April was rushed to the hospital where she sadly succumbed to her injuries. And for the detectives in this case, their job was easy. After briefly speaking with Donovan, he told them about how April had just been sexually assaulted. He also lied and said that she had been drinking and doing a lot of drugs and that she killed herself that day.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
your impact statement, correct? Or no, you just didn't?
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
And surprisingly, they took his word for it. Investigators didn't even step foot in April's apartment until hours after she was brought to the hospital. To them, this was an open and shut case. Without hardly investigating, the lead detective even went into the medical examiner and told her that this was a suicide. And without a proper investigation, That's exactly what they ruled April's death.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
They said that she had died by suicide by taping that plastic bag around her head. But from the very beginning, April's mother, Jamie, knew that that wasn't the case. She knew that her daughter had been murdered. However, despite her efforts, no one believed her. For months and months, Jamie pleaded with investigators to take another look at the case.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
What about, so the grief center, that's, that was, it didn't end up working out. It was just costing us more and more money.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
I love that. And I think that that's, you can have a wider reach with that. We're doing it. We're doing the whole United States. That's beautiful. I think that is so good. And I, and you know, a door closing like that is just, it means that another one's going to open for you and it wasn't meant, it wasn't meant to be. So this is the final episode of our April Holt series.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
And like we mentioned, it's not the outcome that any of us wanted, but it's also the outcome that we all expected. After all, you can't really convict someone of murder when the police department in charge of the investigation didn't do a proper investigation. In our opinion, Donovan Holt got incredibly lucky. If April's case would have had a more competent department handling things,
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
And she was especially worried because April's son Denzel was still in the custody of his father, the very man that she knew murdered her daughter. But again, no one was listening. So finally, Jamie decided to take matters into her own hands. One day, she FaceTimed Donovan and she had a secret camera that was recording their entire conversation.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
we are confident that this outcome would have been different but you can't turn back time so all we can hope going forward is that april's case can make a difference in future cases that the police department will realize their mistakes and they'll do better next time so that no other family has to go through what april's family went through and that next time maybe justice will actually be served
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
And surprisingly, it's on that FaceTime where Donovan admitted to strangling April. Finally, Jamie had the evidence she needed. And after handing that video over to the police, Donovan was finally arrested. a whole year after April's death. Now, Jamie was happy that he was finally behind bars and that Denzel was now in her custody, but it wasn't all good news.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
But in them, we worked with April Holt's mother, Jamie Dickerson, to tell you the story about how a mother of two was strangled to death by her estranged husband, in 2023. The man in question is Donovan Holt, and he admitted to killing April that day. He also admitted to staging her death to make it look like a suicide.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
You see, when Donovan sat down with investigators a year after April's death, he admitted that he had lied to them. April hadn't died by suicide, he said. He had strangled her, but he said that it was an accident. This time, Donovan claimed that they were having sex and getting a little rough. He said he started choking her and at some point he looked down and April was unconscious.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Donovan said that from there, he completely staged her suicide. He put her in the shower, grabbed a plastic bag and some tape, and then wrapped the bag around her head. From there, he went out into the kitchen and he made his seven-year-old son Denzel some lunch. After eating that lunch, he then told his son, hey, go check on your mom. And Denzel did what he was told.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Donovan Holt not only strangled April to death and staged her suicide, but he made his own son find her body. Now, once again, when he told the police this story about choking her during sex, they believed him. And that's when they charged him with reckless homicide. But if you listen to our coverage of the episode, you'd know that we don't believe this was an accident at all.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
And neither does anyone who knew and loved April. According to all of April's friends, she was done with Donovan. They were estranged. She had moved on. Her loved ones all said that April wouldn't have been having sex with him that day. And to prove that even further, April had actually written in her journal that she and Donovan were not having sex anymore.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Another reason we believe that April was not killed during sex with Donovan has to do with the sexual assault she experienced before her death. Being sexually assaulted is an incredibly traumatic situation for anyone, and April made that very apparent in her journal entries.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
For most people, they don't even want to be touched afterward, let alone have violent, choking sex, especially when that person is their estranged husband. But despite all of this, Investigators believed Donovan's story, and they charged him with reckless homicide. Or maybe they didn't believe him. Maybe, because of their lousy investigation, that was the best they could do.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
In the last episode about this case, we left you with the news of Donovan's arrest. And for months, we have been patiently waiting for his sentencing, which just took place on February 18th, 2025. But unfortunately, his sentence was anything but justice. So in this episode, we are going to tell you about Donovan's slap on the wrist sentence.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
People get longer sentences for drug charges, and this guy took someone's life, whether it was an accident or not. We are incredibly disheartened by this sentencing, and we decided to set up an interview with April's mom, Jamie, and her husband, Jeremiah, to hear their thoughts on everything.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
But before we play that, we are going to play the never-before-heard footage of that FaceTime call where Jamie recorded Donovan's confession, the one that ultimately got him arrested. Now, last year when we were working on our coverage of this case, I had asked Jamie if we could use it in the episode. But because Donovan's trial was still pending,
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Jamie wasn't allowed to share it with anyone, but now that it's over, she wanted to give it to us. She was so overwhelmed by all of the support that our listeners gave her when we released these episodes. You were all so kind and supportive, and we truly do have the best listeners in the world, so she wanted you guys to hear it first.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
Now, in it, you're going to hear Donovan talking about his marriage with April, and he doesn't paint her in the best light. But I want you guys to take everything he says with a grain of salt. After all, this is the same guy who staged an entire suicide and lied to the police's faces for an entire year.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
So, he's proven himself to be a liar, someone who will say anything to keep himself out of trouble. We don't believe a word that comes out of his mouth, but... Without further ado, here is Donovan Holt's confession.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
We also sat down with Jamie and her husband Jeremiah to hear their thoughts on everything. And lastly, we are going to play for you the never before heard confession that Jamie herself got from her daughter's killer. So this is the update on the murder of April Holt. I'm Courtney Browen.
Murder In America
EP. 192: TENNESSEE - The Confession: A Massive Update In The April Holt Case
I know.