Deborah Roberts

Welcome back, everybody, to 2020 The After Show.

I am talking with Juju Chang here about her most recent report, Footprints in the Snow.

And this one just had so many of us not only talking, but scratching our heads.

The wife of a firefighter, 38-year-old James Schwalm's wife, Ashley, was found dead.

And ultimately, police were able to zero in on him as the killer.

He was the one who killed his wife and tried to cover his tracks.

He eventually, Juju, pleaded guilty in this case.

His kids would have had to testify potentially.

So I guess presumably everybody wanted to spare them that?

Yeah, it would have been traumatic for everybody involved.

Well, he was charged with first degree murder, but then he pleaded to what was his second degree.

That's what I think really floors us.

I mean, in the U.S., we are more accustomed to stiffer sentences.

But in this case, it's a little different.

You mentioned her friends and the victim impact statement from the family.

I mean, there were 21 victim impact statements being read.

I mean, that speaks to how loved she was.

Again, the kids didn't have to testify, so that had to be a little bit of relief for the family.

But then did they sort of sacrifice a feeling of justice, or did they feel ultimately that they are satisfied?

But you raise an interesting point there, because is it really going to benefit the family that much more for him to get another five or 10 years in prison?