Emily Simpson

This isn't a scenario where it's a 50-50 and we got to get it to 51%.

The jury has to believe it beyond a reasonable doubt.

In the final lead-up to the trial, Ashley had to pass the case off to another colleague.

I had to go out on maternity leave.

She was pregnant with twins, and they came early.

In the months after they were born, she practically lived in the NICU.

The day before Mike's trial was set to begin, Ashley was in the hospital.

She was at her baby's bedside when her phone rang.

It was Rebecca McFitty, the prosecutor who took over Saskia's case.

Ashley answered right away.

She knew how much I cared about it, and she called me to make sure I was okay with what she was going to do.

I'm Andrea Gunning and this is Betrayal, Season 5, Episode 5.

Tornado Saskia had just started working again after taking a year off to manage her trauma.

That morning, she was sitting in a conference room, talking with her fellow social workers.

But the only thing on her mind was tomorrow's trial.

She was expecting a call from the prosecutor to let her know what time to be there the next day.

Instead, she got a message saying there was news.

I said I had to excuse myself, and I went into the psychiatrist's office because it was a bigger room, and I went and sat on the chair and was kind of shaking and just waiting to hear what happened, how we were proceeding.

The minutes crept by.

Then, after what felt like an eternity... I got the call saying that he made this plea deal, and they wanted to accept it.