Tom Olson

I didn't think so. I thought that there was no question. I think everyone believed in the case that the individual most culpable was Fester. No question about it. That the only person who had cooperated was Jessica. That the only person who really did the right thing by exonerating Livers and Sampson was Jessica.

that she did show true remorse, that she had done some constructive things while she was incarcerated, and that you would have thought that something would have been given to her.

That's what you're hoping. That's what we were hoping for. I mean, she was only 17. She really had no record to speak of, of anything prior to this. That the circumstances by which she came here, along with Fester, he's older. She loves him. They're going across country. And that this... occurrence, the murders, was not a planned thing.

They didn't go in there with the intent to go and shoot up the place. At least she didn't. That she would have gotten something for that. And I was hoping at least for some type of term of years where she had a date. And so we were disappointed. I know Jessica was disappointed that she didn't. She got the life sentence. But at least she can go away with knowing that she did the right thing.

Faced with the opportunity to probably write her ticket out of jail at some point in time, she did the right thing. She told the truth, and she didn't take the bait or fall into the trap of— saying that these boys were there when they were not to save her own neck.

Months and months and months after, because he said those things the day after his confession.

So basically from the official story, his recantation simply disappeared.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a barnyard duck.

What was it like to watch those people die?

So there was a real, genuine, itch in your back fear that somebody was going to come after you.

Make you angry?

We sat down in the conference room and they laid everything out. And Jessica, tell us the truth. We need to know right now. It's time to let us know who was there, when they were there, how long they were there, everybody. Right now, put it all on the line. Tell us who was there. And Jessica looked at me and asked if we could step outside. And so we stepped outside and I'll never forget it.

She looked at me and she said, I'm screwed.

And I told her, I said, you just gotta tell the truth. That's all you can do at this point.

I didn't think so. I thought that there was no question. I think everyone believed in the case that the individual most culpable was Fester. No question about it. That the only person who had cooperated was Jessica. That the only person who really did the right thing by exonerating Livers and Sampson was Jessica.

that she did show true remorse, that she had done some constructive things while she was incarcerated, and that you would have thought that something would have been given to her.

That's what you're hoping. That's what we were hoping for. I mean, she was only 17. She really had no record to speak of, of anything prior to this. That the circumstances by which she came here, along with Fester, he's older. She loves him. They're going across country. And that this... occurrence, the murders, was not a planned thing.

They didn't go in there with the intent to go and shoot up the place. At least she didn't. That she would have gotten something for that. And I was hoping at least for some type of term of years where she had a date. And so we were disappointed. I know Jessica was disappointed that she didn't. She got the life sentence. But at least she can go away with knowing that she did the right thing.

Faced with the opportunity to probably write her ticket out of jail at some point in time, she did the right thing. She told the truth, and she didn't take the bait or fall into the trap of— saying that these boys were there when they were not to save her own neck.

We sat down in the conference room and they laid everything out. And Jessica, tell us the truth. We need to know right now. It's time to let us know who was there, when they were there, how long they were there, everybody. Right now, put it all on the line. Tell us who was there. And Jessica looked at me and asked if we could step outside. And so we stepped outside and I'll never forget it.

She looked at me and she said, I'm screwed.

And I told her, I said, you just gotta tell the truth. That's all you can do at this point.

She had nothing connected to them. Sure. They weren't friends, family. She had no reason to protect them. And she had every reason to benefit herself.

I said, what's wrong? She said, I know what they want. They want me to tell them that those two boys were here. And they weren't. And I can't do it, and I'm going to put myself away for life. And I told her, I said, you just got to tell the truth. That's all you can do at this point.

And we went back in, and that's what she told them, that those boys were not there, that Livers and Sampson were never at that farmhouse when the killings occurred, that they had never met them before, that they had nothing whatsoever to do with it, that it was her and Fester.