Disturbing True Crime Stories For Sleep With Rain Sound | Black Screen | Mr. Nightscared

Hello everyone. I am Mr. Nightcared. I know many of you enjoy listening to these videos as you fall asleep. So before you drift off, I'd love for you to leave a comment letting me know where in the world you're tuning in from. And if you're enjoying the story, don't forget to like and subscribe. All right, now let's get comfortable, relax, and dive into tonight's case. Story one, day eight in the search for missing University of Florida student Christian Aguilar. A missing University of Florida student is growing more intense. At least 100 people have joined the

search party. Here is Christian Aguilar. Authorities say the missing 18-year-old University of Florida student was last spotted at a Best Buy in Gainesville. 18-year-old Christian Aguilar was a freshman at the University of Florida. He was a talented young man and obtained a scholarship to the university studying biomedical engineering. His brother described him as quiet and shy and said it took him a while to open up to people. But when he did, he was incredibly funny and charming with lots of charisma. While at university and living in Gainesville, he and his longtime friend Erica Freeman, who'd

been known since school, became an item. From this point on, the pair were joined at the hip. Carlos, Christian's father, said he had never seen his son so happy as when he was dating her. Erica described them as soulmates and believed that one day they would get married. September 20th, 2012 would seemingly start as any other day. As usual, as soon as Erica finished her classes, she sent Christian a text message to arrange a meetup. At this point, they'd been dating a little while, but their relationship was blossoming and they spent every day together. always

quick to respond. When Erica didn't hear back from Christian, she became a little concerned, telling herself he must have been busy with something, she headed back to her apartment alone. Several hours would pass, however, and despite many calls and texts, Erica still had no idea where he was. She now knew something was wrong and walked to his dorm room to ask his roommate if he had seen him. Hours would pass with no word from Christian, and just after 4:00 a.m., Erica rang Christian's childhood friend, Pedro Bravo. The boys had gone shopping the day before, but

Pedro said they had parted ways in the afternoon, and he hadn't heard from him since. Frantic with worry, she decided to phone Christian's father, Carlos, 300 m away in Miami, praying he might have heard from his son. But Carlos hadn't either. and knowing his son and how out of character this was, he and Christian's mother, Claudia, immediately set off to Gainesville, Florida. Just before 10:00 a.m. the next day, September 21st, Erica, and Pedro met with Officer Timothy Peek of the University of Florida's Police Department to report Christian as missing. Christian, Erica, and Pedro had all

known each other since attending Doral Academy together. Pedro and Erica had been friends since high school, but Pedro and Erica had dated prior to her relationship with Christian. It hadn't worked out, and she had ended the relationship shortly before going to college. Although Pedro had been upset about the breakup, he soon moved to Gainesville himself, and it appeared that the trio from school were back together. Christian and Erica had yet to tell Pedro about their relationship and were waiting for him to be in a better place mentally before they broke the news. Growing more concerned

by the hour, Erica made the police aware that Christian had suffered from depression, and this rang more alarm bells. They wondered if maybe Christian had attempted to hurt himself in some way. So, officers headed out to his apartment. They found absolutely nothing. Not a thing was out of place, and there were no obvious signs of anything being disturbed. Pedro and Erica were both interviewed separately. Pedro said that the previous day he and Christian had left campus in Pedro's car. Christian got his flu shot and then they had driven to a Best Buy store to buy

a CD and grab some lunch. Well, let's go back and visit a couple things that you told me. One, you got a CD from Best Buy when y'all went there. Did he listen to the CD? Did he play it? Did he open it? Yes, he did open it. Did he have a backpack or anything? Yeah, he had a backpack. Yeah. Anything else that you remember that I need to know about where y'all went? What you did? All that kind of stuff. We ate at Zachby's Chicken. We went to Best Buy. Lunch. You ate at Zachby's

Chicken. I ate. He didn't eat. I got dressed for it. He didn't eat anything. Then we went to Best Buy. And after that, I don't know. We spent a few minutes fidgeting because my car, it takes music CDs and it eats them, too. Did he take his CD with him? Yeah, he took his CD. Oh, no. Out of the car. Yeah, it was all in his backpack. The boys got into a verbal argument in Pedro's car. So, Pedro dropped Christian off on a street and drove home by himself. Feeling guilty about the argument, he attempted

to ring him, but to no avail, and he hadn't heard from him since he wasn't answering his phone. We didn't know where he was. Um, yeah. What happened? Did you get up at 4 in the morning or did you go back to sleep? I got up and tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't because I felt kind of guilty because I dropped off my brother and I was afraid like what if something happened to him? What if he's lost right now? What if he's trying to get back to his dorm and went the

wrong way because he doesn't have any good sense of direction? As well as Erica Carlos, Christian's father rang Pedro too to get the story. She called his parents to let them know what's going on so they know what's happening. And his father calls me and he tells me like, "What happened? were you last with him and what happened all like that? And I'm like, I was last with him, but I got in an argument with him and he wanted to get out of the car and I'm so sorry. I said, I understand. He was just

trying to help me because I've been going for a rough time and I don't know what I'm going to do to myself if I can't get him back. Pedro didn't know Gainesville very well, having only just enrolled in college there, and he couldn't remember the name of the street. So, he tried describing the location as best he could. The area that Pedro appeared to be talking about was quite notorious, known for crime and drugs, and police began to worry that something had happened to him there. Police checked the CCTV cameras from Best Buy and quickly

picked the pair up. Just as Pedro had said, on September 20th, at around 300 p.m., Best Buy showed them both drinking coffee, browsing the aisles, and chatting to each other. But after this, there was nothing. Hundreds of cameras from all over the neighborhood that Pedro said he dropped him off and were still being checked. Days worth of footage from local businesses and homes were being gone through with a fine tooth comb, and Christian wasn't on a single one of them. Christian's family, volunteers, and multiple police departments in Florida were now searching for the missing freshman.

One camera from a local car wash did pick up someone of interest, but it wasn't Christian as they had hoped. It was Pedro. Pedro had told police that he left Christian on the side of the road and driven straight home, but a camera from outside a car wash picked him up, powerwashing his car at 2:00 a.m., police were drawing a blank and needed Pedro to explain. Pedro suddenly added more to his story. Despite Erica and Christian thinking they had kept their relationship a secret, Pedro told the police that he had recently found out that the

pair were dating, and this had resulted in a fight that had become physical. After finding out that his ex-girlfriend and good friend were now dating, it had upset him. Pedro said that he hit Christian in the face, causing his nose to bleed all over the car. He said that after they had fought for a while, he kicked him out of the car and left him on the side of the road almost unconscious and drove away. Following this version of events, on the 24th of September, Pedro was placed under arrest for depriving a crime victim of

medical care. This also gave officers more time to look into Pedro's claims because his story just wasn't adding up. CCTV cameras were still drawing a blank about Christian's location after Pedro had left him. But one thing remained clear. The last person known to have seen him was Pedro. Alongside the blood in his car and the footage of him washing his vehicle at 2:00 a.m., police were looking at Pedro for more answers. Officers obtained a warrant to search his apartment. What they found truly shocked them. A receipt dated just a few days before Christian was last

seen was retrieved. Following up on the date and time on the receipt, CCTV cameras had picked Pedro up. He was seen buying a shovel, duct tape, and sleeping pills. This marks day eight in the search for missing University of Florida student Christian Aguilar. A missing University of Florida student is growing more intense. At least 100 people have joined the search party. Here is Christian Aguilar. Authorities say the missing 18-year-old University of Florida student was last spotted at a Best Buy in Gainesville. Also found in Pedro's apartment was Christian's backpack. Although they had yet to find

Christian, they knew that he was no longer alive and this was now a murder investigation. We have to start thinking the worst. The evidence was irrefutable. Pedro Bravo was subsequently arrested for Christian's murder. Well, what we found out, we've gotten the latest information now from the authorities in Gainesville, and we now know Pedro Bravo, who had been picked up as a person of interest in the case of missing freshman Christian Aguilar, while Bravo has now been charged with murder. There is no body, though, that has been found so far. After 3 weeks of searching in

an area around 60 mi from Gainesville, local hunters found human remains buried in a shallow grave. Using dental records, it was confirmed that the body was Christian Aguilar. An autopsy confirmed that he had been strangled and his ankles and wrists were both bound with duct tape. Pedro Bravo was still being investigated for the murder. But how and why had things possibly come to this? It all started years prior when Pedro Bravo developed a dangerous obsession with his now ex-girlfriend, Erica Freeman. Pedro was fixated with Erica, and when she broke up with him, he spent the

next few months campaigning to win her back. When he found out that she had moved on, he set a plan in motion to remove Christian from the picture. Erica and Pedro had began dating as sophomores. Although initially things seemed to be going well, Erica became unhappy and decided she needed to end the relationship. She tried to break up with him several times, but Pedro warned her that things would never be the same if she left him. Out of fear, Erica agreed to stay. However, as Erica and Pedro made plans to go to different colleges, Erica

felt that this was now the right time to end the relationship and go their separate ways. Erica enrolled at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville. She and Christian bumped into each other and a romance quickly blossomed, but just a few months into their time in Gainesville, Pedro turned up there, too. He was originally set to attend Florida International University, hundreds of miles away, but quickly decided to transfer to Santa Fe Community College to try and win Erica back. But Erica and Christian were now dating and very happy together. Pedro asked Erica several times if her

and Christian were together, but Erica said they were just friends. The pair were conscious of Pedro's state of mind as he was clearly still mentally in a bad place. Pedro had frequently spoken about committing suicide after the breakup. So Erica and Christian decided to keep the relationship a secret until they felt Pedro was ready to accept it and in a better headsp space. Little did they know, Pedro was already well aware of the relationship and was completely consumed and enraged by it. Another item was recovered from the search of Pedro's apartment. It was a journal.

It showed the extent of his obsessive thoughts and feelings and the lengths he was willing to go to. Endless pages of drawings, poems, quotes, and lyrics. Love letters to Erica and threats to Christian filled the book. Paragraphs and paragraphs of speeches saying things such as, "I can do this. I believe in myself. I will do it. I can win her back. I will win her back. No one will stop me. I will get into Gainesville and get her back. I will get out of Miami and into University of Florida." One entry from July read, "I'm

scared she might end up with Chris." He then wrote underneath, "You are overreacting again. Remember that Chris goes to University of Florida and Erica goes to Santa Fe, so limited conversation in contact. Plus, they don't talk much and he lives on campus. They got separate classes and schools. Plus, you have time. His obsession with the pair of them was growing and completely consuming his life. On September 20th, Pedro had contacted Christian asking if he wanted to meet with him and go shopping. Pedro told Christian he wanted to confide in him about his depression and suicidal

thoughts and get his advice. Worrying that he may have been trying to meet him to talk about his relationship with Erica, Christian was hesitant about going, but eventually he decided he would go as the pair would be out in a public place and it felt safe. In the parking lot of Walmart, as they sat in Pedro's car, Pedro subdued Christian using sleeping pills and a bottle of Gatorade and strangled him with a belt. Pedro's phone showed that he was in the Walmart car park for 2 hours that afternoon. He then put his phone in airplane

mode for 5 hours and drove to a swampy area where he attempted to bury him. Logs from his iPhone 4 showed that the torch had been used nine times for a total of 48 minutes that night. On the way home, Pedro stopped to get food at McDonald's and then went to wash the dirt off his car. But experts managed to find soil in the undercarriage of the vehicle. The shovel Pedro was seen buying also matched the soil that surrounded Christian's remains. In August 2014, almost two years since Christian's body was found, the trial of Pedro

Bravo began. He entered a not-uilty plea. Pedro's former cellmate, Michelangelo, took the stand and testified that Pedro had told him it had taken him 13 minutes to kill Christian and he had originally had several plans for how he was going to carry out the violent attack. Michael also led officers to where Pedro had told him he had hidden the shovel under a wooden walkway at his apartment complex. I think originally he said that he was going to try to poison him with a mixture of sleeping pills and pesticide and mixed with soda or something like

that. I guess soda and his backup plan was to have a knife, you know, to cut his throat, you know, after he had got back in the driver's seat and he was, you know, I guess riding around to dispose of the body that it was making a sound like and that's the reason that he held on to the driving strap while he was riding around because it freaked him out. He said at one point Pedro panicked as he almost got caught by a security guard driving past the vehicle as he was strangling Christian. He drove

a little bit more, but at that point him and Christian got into a verbal argument and Christian requested that he be dropped off, at which time Pedro dropped him off and then Pedro went home. With regard to the comment that he made to you that there was an argument, was there any indication from at this point in his conversation with you that this argument had been in any way physical? No. He told me that he had kept the roll of duct tape in his car because he had a crack in the windshield of his car

and he was putting the duct tape over the crack to keep it from getting bigger. You have this conversation at this point. Is he telling you he believes you and Christian are dating? Well, he asked me and I told him that we're not. So, I lied to him saying that we were not dating. I didn't think he was ready to hear that at that time. A very sensitive point in his life, I suppose. I didn't want to, you know, throw him over the edge or anything and tell him, you know, by the way, I'm dating

a mutual friend of ours. I didn't think it was the appropriate time, especially how he was acting and what he was claiming that he was going to do. Pedro took the stand in his own defense, and he was the only witness the defense team called to the stand during the twoe trial. The discussion is getting very heated now. I'm arguing with him, and he's arguing with me. I turn around and I hit him in the nose with my left fist. While you're driving? While I'm driving? Yes. Did he sustain any injury when you hit him

in the nose? His nose started bleeding. Yes. At this point, I pull over to the left and I pull into a small driveway with a building and some skinny trees. What happened next? I went to sleep. I believe I got a call around 4:00 in the morning. Erica was calling me. She said, "Have I heard from Chris that I know what was going on with Chris? He hasn't been back in his dorm room. He hasn't been anywhere in his room." She said, "I asked her why was she trying to ask about Chris? Why is her

concern?" And she said, "Because his roommate said he didn't come back. I thought nothing of it. I thought he probably just decided not to go home or probably went somewhere else or probably got lost along the way." I'd tell her I don't know. A big moment in the courtroom was the showing of a screenshot of the iPhone feature, Hey Siri. Although it was initially reported that Pedro had asked Siri questions relating to the awful act he would go on to commit, Gainesville police and experts disputed that the screenshot in question had been viewed using the

phone, but it had been viewed via Facebook. Pedro had an iPhone 4 which did not have Siri compatibility. The footage was eventually pulled from the courtroom. The defense team argued that although Pedro had a physical altercation with Christian and was wrong to leave him at the side of the road, he most definitely didn't kill him. Pedro had said that the duct tape was being used to seal a crack in the window of his car and the shovel was bought with the intention of him killing himself and digging his own grave. Pedro claimed he tried to

kill himself after his fight with Christian by drinking a concoction of painkillers and pesticide. He quickly threw up and said he took it as a sign from God that it wasn't his time to go. But the case against Pedro was too strong. DNA and forensic evidence, CCTV footage, his journal, and a pattern of very disturbing and obsessive behavior meant that the jury took just 3 hours to deliberate. The jury finds as follows as the defendant Pedro Andreas Bravo in this case. As to count one, the defendant is guilty of felony murder first degree. Pedro Bravo

was convicted of firstdegree murder, poisoning, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, giving false information to authorities, and improper transportation of human remains. The judge sentenced Pedro Bravo to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Although he didn't take his own life, Pedro did write a suicide note in prison that was found by a prison guard. An extract of the note read, "I'm a monster for hurting Chris." Despite this and the confession he gave to his former cellmate, Pedro still denied killing Christian upon his sentencing. He said, "God knows the truth about what happened. I did

not kill Christian Aguilar. I know that I will face my sentence. I will do my time, but I know in my heart that I did not do anything to hurt my friend." Throughout the trial, Pedro continuously attempted to contact the Aguilar family and Erica. And upon his sentencing, Carlos Aguilar begged the judge to help prevent him from ever contacting his family or Erica again. The Aguilar family were relieved and satisfied with the verdict. Carlos said, "The reality is the verdict will not bring my son back, but Pedro was held accountable. I promised Christian at his

burial there would be justice. The funeral for Christian Aguilar was held in Miami. It was open to the public and packed out. A kind and loving young man with a life full of such promise was cut so dreadfully short. Erica Freeman said of Christian, "He was such a good person, so kind and so compassionate. I always feel like when I describe him, I'm never describing him enough. You had to meet him." Story two. He's described as a white man in his 20s or 30s between about 5'9 and 6 foot. He's a proportionate build with short

dark hair. He is a detached, arrogant monster who is a danger to the public. He's probably one of the most frightening individuals that I've had the opportunity to deal with in my police career. Sally and Bowman was born to parents Linda and Paul on September 11th, 1987, and enjoyed a close and tight-knit relationship with her family. She was happy golucky, incredibly friendly, and had a huge heart. She was also very mature for her age and wanted to work hard to support herself. So, she made the big step to move out of the family home and

live by herself in a rented room. Although she had moved out in her late teens, she still made sure to see her family as often as she could, and she would never go too long without meeting up with them. Bright and bubbly, performing was a huge passion for Sally, and she was accepted into the Brit School for Performing Arts. The prestigious school boasts among its alumni actor Tom Holland and singers Adele and Amy Winehouse. For Sally Anne, getting into the selective and distinguished school was an incredible achievement and one more step towards her dreams. She

also had a successful modeling career and took every opportunity that came her way. On the 24th of September 2005, 18-year-old Sally and was staying at her mother's house. She spent the day relaxing and then her sister Nicole rang and asked if she wanted to go out in the evening to celebrate the birthday of Nicole's best friend. At around 6:00 p.m., Sally and got ready and headed off. As she left, her mother told her she loved her and Sally and said she loved her back and walked off down the driveway. She met up with her sister

and friends and headed to one of their favorite spots in the center of town. She was caught on CCTV in the bar laughing, dancing, and enjoying her girl's night out. As the night started to wind down, she left with sister Nicole and walked out into Cuddon Town Center. Not long after, she began talking to her ex-boyfriend Lewis Brostston on the phone. They had ended their relationship only a few weeks before, and Sally and desperately wanted to see him. She got a taxi from her sister's back into Cuddon, where Lewis met her in his car. He

picked her up at around 2:20 a.m. and drove her to her house in Benham Crescent where she was renting a room. With the breakup being only a matter of weeks ago, emotions were still very raw and soon into their journey. The pair started arguing in the car. The argument went on until around 4:15 a.m. and Sally and then got out of the car and Lewis drove off. A witness said they were woken by the sound of a garbled noise ending with a scream. The witness then got out of bed and looked out of their window

but couldn't see anything. The air was still and there was no other noise coming from the street. They returned to the window about 5 minutes later and kept their lights off. They saw a man walking down the street, but with no other noise and no one else around. They left the window and went back to bed. At around 6:30 a.m. that morning, a neighbor went outside and saw what they assumed were the legs of a mannequin protruding from behind a builder's skip. After going over to investigate, they were met with a truly horrific sight. It

was the body of Sally and Bowman. She was partially clothed and it was clear that she was deceased. Police quickly arrived on scene and sealed off the area. The murder squad was called in and an investigation swiftly got underway. This would become the largest investigation London had ever seen. Linda Bowman heard knocking at her front door. She said she assumed it was Sally and she had been locked out. As she opened the door, she was met with three police officers who asked her if she was Linda Bowman and if she knew Sally and she explained

that Sally and was her youngest daughter. The officer then told her the devastating news. Her beloved child had been found stabbed to death. She said, "I just remember screaming, absolutely screaming. I just couldn't believe it. My whole world fell apart." Police then had to break the news to her sister, Michelle. Michelle said, "I remember something leaving me that day, and it's never ever come back." Within a few hours of the investigation being launched, her sister and mother were faced with a terrible ordeal of formally identifying her body. Michelle said, "I remember going into the and

for a split second, I thought it wasn't her because her hair was dark and I just moved forward and saw her little button nose and her freckles and that was it." Her devastated mother said she fell apart upon seeing Salian's body and Michelle was crying. Please wake her up, Mom. Please wake her up. Two days after Sally and had been found, her family made the incredibly difficult decision to find out more from the police. Stuart Kundy went to Linda's house with other officers to talk the family through it. What happened in the few minutes following

Sally and getting out of Louiswis's vehicle remains unclear, but what investigators were able to piece together was that Sally and was standing alone in the driveway of her house, less than 10 meters from the safety of her front door when she was caught off guard in a frenzied and violent attack. During the attack, Sally and Bowman was stabbed at least seven times, with three of the stab wounds being so strong they passed through her body. There was also evidence to suggest that she had been sexually assaulted postmortem. She had also been bitten several times which

had left DNA evidence. The peace and tranquility of this quiet suburban street had been shattered and a sadistic violent killer was now on the run. Her ex-boyfriend Lewis was quickly identified as a suspect as he and Sally and had fought the night she was killed and he had been one of the last people to see her alive. This was soon made a focus of the investigation. Officers quickly mobilized and the hunt was now on to find Lewis Brostston. He was soon located with his brother and a friend. He identified himself and was subsequently arrested and

brought in for questioning. Over the next 4 days, the murder squad questioned Lewis and took samples of his DNA. He maintained he knew nothing about Salian's murder until the police arrived to talk to him. His DNA sample was sent to be examined to try and ascertain whether or not it matched the DNA found on Salian's body. It appeared to be an open andsh shut case, a lover's tiff that had ended in tragedy. But when the call came from the forensic science service, it was the news that nobody was anticipating. The DNA was a match, but

not to Lewis Brostston. It matched a disturbing sexual assault cold case from 4 years ago, just a mile and a half away from where Sally and had been brutally murdered. Lewis was released from custody following this evidence. The police were now in a race against time to find a killer whose crimes were not only seemingly escalating, but was capable of striking again at any time. The cold case in question was extremely disturbing. Back in 2001, a woman was making a call in a telephone box by the car park of a Tesco store when a man

approached her. He proceeded to expose himself and perform a sex act upon himself before leaving his DNA on the floor of the phone box. He then casually walked away across the car park, leaving his terrified victim extremely shaken. Although police had a DNA profile of the attacker, the case soon went cold. Officers who were now working on Salianne's case were faced with a horrifying question. If this person had attacked someone in 2001 and then murdered a young woman four years later, what had he done in the years in between? And how many more victims were

there? And since he had now committed a brutal and frenzied murder, where and when would he strike next? It wasn't long before the worst fears of officers were realized. Less than an hour before Sally and Bowman was murdered on her doorstep, another woman had been attacked in nearby Sandstead Road. The woman in question had been standing on the street on her mobile phone when a man came up behind her. All he said was, "I'm sorry." before proceeding to hit her. Officers were convinced that had the offender not been disturbed by a taxi coming down Sandstead

Road, the attack would have escalated. Before running away, he grabbed the victim's mobile phone. The call was still connected, and the person on the other end of the line had heard everything. What is most disturbing is that the screams of the victim did not get quieter, meaning the man who had attacked her and grabbed her phone was hiding nearby, watching what was happening. Thankfully, the taxi driver quickly got her into the car and drove her to hospital. The victim was able to provide a detailed description of the man who had assaulted her. And from this,

the police were able to issue an efit of the man they were looking for. Police believe this was the same man who less than 60 minutes later would go on to murder Sally and Bowman. He's described as a white man in his 20s or 30s, between about 5'9 and 6 foot. He's a proportionate build with short dark hair. The EIT was widely circulated which led to many calls from the public. Despite the publicity of the EIT and many desperate to help the break officers desperately needed in the case didn't come, the murder squad regrouped and

returned to the DNA sample that had been found on Sally and Bowman's body. They knew this profile held the key to unlocking the case and catching the man responsible for this disturbing crime spree. Investigators strongly suspected that the killer was local to the area and knew it well. Based on this, police decided to conduct a DNA screening of the area. The task before them was huge. They had 6,000 addresses to go through, and every single one would need to disclose how many men lived at the property or were staying there the night Sally and Bowman

was murdered. There were 4,000 men in the South Cordon area that fit the description. They knew the chance of the killer coming forward and offering his DNA was next to none, but they hoped that maybe a relative such as a brother or father might come forward, thus providing that crucial link. Despite the initial promise of the DNA testing center, 6 months after the murder, the investigation was slowing down and officers were running out of options. The people of South Cudon were living in fear. Not knowing where the killer would strike next left them terrified. As

the investigation was starting to stall, in March 2006, officers decided to change strategy and go back to the ephit of the man who had attacked a woman less than an hour before Sally and was killed. The police were sure that this was the same man who had savagely murdered Sally and Bowman. They decided to release another eit of the man who had attacked the woman in the phone box for years earlier, the man with the same DNA as Sally's killer. The victim from the phone box didn't complete an e fit in the initial investigation from

2001 and officers were hopeful she would be able to add more to their investigation. Along with the release of the new eit after consulting with Sally's family, officers decided it was important for the public to understand the horrific nature of the murder and the level of violence that had been used. And so they held a press conference. People needed to know just how dangerous this man was. over new leads would come in following this press conference. They two would go nowhere. However, it wasn't long before the police finally got the break they were looking for.

20 miles away in Cwley. A man was in a pub watching the World Cup final between England and Trinidad and Tobago. He had had a significant amount of alcohol and began arguing with another man there. The argument spilled out onto the street and CCTV caught the scuffle on camera. After the man shoved the other to the floor, a nearby police officer intervened, broke up the fight, and the man was arrested. He was soon identified as 35-year-old Mark Dixie, and was taken in for questioning. His demeanor during the interview was strange. He was described as very

tearful and incredibly emotional, despite the relatively minor nature of the offense. As is custom, his fingerprints and DNA were taken, and he was released on police bail. 12 days later, the news that everyone on the murder squad had been hoping for finally arrived. They had had a hit with the DNA from Salianne's body. It was a confirmed match for Mark Dixie. The police now had to find Dixie before another woman was attacked. Worryingly, he wasn't in the country. He had fled to the capital city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, to avoid the manhunt. After 3 months

there, he had an argument with his landlord, and so returned to the United Kingdom. He went back to his job as a pub chef. When he was arrested for the fight in the streets, he had told the police that the address of the pub was where he was staying. Knowing how dangerous he was and with the environment he worked and giving him access to knives, officers needed to get him out of the pub kitchen. As they were scouting the building to try and find a side entrance, Mark Dixie was coming out. Officers quickly apprehended him

and brought him into custody. The arresting officer described putting his hand across Dixie's chest to stop him from running away. He said he could feel his heartbeat. His heartbeat never changed and Dixie remained unusually calm considering the nature of the offense he was being arrested for. The only comment he made when he was being booked into the custody suite was, "I must have been mad to have done that." The following day, Mark Dixie was charged with the murder of Sally and Bowman. He remained silent as the charge sheet was read out. The family liaison officer,

Graham Banitine, called Linda at around 9:00 p.m. and asked if he could come to the family home. He was finally able to give the devastated Bowman family the news they had waited so long to hear. The man who had viciously taken Salian's life was finally in custody. But who exactly was Mark Dixie and how had he evaded capture for so long? Born in Strereum in 1970, he had a troubled childhood. His parents divorced when he was 18 months old. His mother remarried and Dixie took the name Mark James Macdonald using his stepfather's surname. But throughout

his life, he would use five known aliases, including Mark Philip Dixie, Mark James Down, Steven Macdonald, and Shane Turner. During his childhood, he was also moved to a children's home. He soon developed a long wrap sheet with his crimes taking place before it was mandatory to take a DNA sample upon arrest. In 1986, he robbed a woman at Knife Point in Stockwell, and he was sentenced to 6 weeks in prison. A year later, he was convicted of robbery, and in 1988, he received a 2-year sentence for indecent assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. In

1989, he was convicted again of indecent exposure and received a sentence of 80 hours community service. Another conviction came in 1990 after he assaulted a police officer. To the horror of investigators, this criminal activity was not limited to the UK. In 1993, Dixie moved to Australia, but soon ran into trouble there. He overstayed his visa and the crime spree started again. In 1998, a 19-year-old Thai student was alone in her house in Perth when she heard noises coming from her kitchen. After going to investigate, she came face tof face with Mark Dixie, who was wearing

a stocking pulled over his head. He was also armed with a knife. She was stabbed seven times and subsequently lost consciousness. He then proceeded to sexually assault her before stealing items from her house and fleeing. Thankfully, she survived the horrifying ordeal. The crimes didn't stop there. On New Year's Day in 1999, Dixie had spotted a young woman running along the road near Bunberry, a few hours south of Perth. He stopped his car ahead in the road before taking off his clothes and hiding in a bush. He then jumped out at the woman and asked her

to perform a sex act. He received a fine of $750 3 days later. And in April of 1999, he was deported from Australia. Following the formal charge for Salianne's murder, the work for investigators was just beginning. Over the next 18 months, the police painstakingly pieced together Dixie's movements to try and explain how and why he had murdered 18-year-old Sally Anne. They needed the case to be watertight. They spoke to friends and those who knew him and learned that he had been out on the 24th of September celebrating his birthday. The same night he had killed

Sally Anne. He went out with friends to a pub on Brighton Road only a few hundred yards from where Sally and had lived on Blennham Crescent. Birthdays were very important to Dixie and previous partners said he always expected something significant on his birthday. That night his partner hadn't gone out with him while in the pub. He called her and when he returned to the table, his friends said he was like a completely different person. He was withdrawn, subdued, and clearly angry and spent the rest of the evening drinking in excess and taking more drugs. When

the pub closed, he and two female friends left for Aendale Road where he was going to stay with them. This two was only a few hundred yards from Blenhan Crescent. The two women headed to bed in the early morning hours, but Mark Dixie didn't. Police believe that he left the property sometime between 2.30 and 3:30 a.m. Police also believe he took a knife with him as he left with the intent on finding a woman and attacking her. Investigators strongly suspect he was the person that attacked the woman on Sandistad Road and was frustrated when he

failed to carry out his fantasy. After he ran away to nearby Blenham Crescent, it appeared that Sally and Bowman was tragically in the wrong place at the wrong time. Officers theorized that after murdering Sally and he didn't leave the area immediately, but instead hid to see if any neighbors would come out to investigate. No neighbor appeared and no lights in the houses went on. He didn't know, however, that a witness had heard Sally and scream and was looking out of her bedroom window while keeping her bedroom light off. Police believe the man she saw walking

back in the direction where Sally and was found was Mark Dixie. Assuming nobody was watching him, he returned to the body and sexually assaulted her. He then went back to the property he was staying at with his two female friends and fell asleep on the sofa. The next morning, he acted as if nothing had happened. During their inquiries, officers reached out to Australian police, saying he was in custody and to check if his DNA matched any of the crimes they had on record. It came back with a match to the attack on the Thai student

in Perth in the 1990s. On the 5th of February 2008, Mark Dixie arrived at the Old Bailey courthouse in London, and his detached and cold demeanor left the courtroom in shock. During the trial, the Thai woman from Perth gave evidence that Dixie had stabbed and raped her in 1998. He has yet to be formally charged with this attack, though a DNA sample from her underwear has been matched to him. Dixie's defense was staggering. He admitted to being the rapist and leaving his DNA on Salian's body. He said he had stumbled across what he thought was

a drunk girl lying unconscious and took the opportunity to sexually assault her. He said he was not the man who had taken Salian's life, but that the real killer was still out there. He never once offered an explanation for his appalling crimes. Before long, it was time for the jury to deliver their verdict. Mark Dixie was found guilty in a unanimous decision. He received a mandatory life sentence with a minimum term of 34 years. This is among one of the longest minimum terms to ever be given to a single murderer. This also means that before

he can even be considered for parole, he will be at least 70 years old. He began his sentence at Belmarsh, a category A prison. A category A prison is reserved for highly dangerous offenders that pose great risk to the public. He was then moved to Long Lin Prison after other inmates threatened to attack him at Bell Marsh. In 2014, it was revealed that he had been moved again to another prison, HMP Franklin. This too was for his own protection. DCI Chrysler pair who was part of the murder squad described him as one of the most

frightening people he had ever encountered during his entire career. Due to the importance of DNA solving her daughter's case, Linda Bowman is a vocal advocate for a compulsory DNA database. She believes that had DNA not been found, Lewis Brostston may have been wrongfully convicted. Stuart Kundi, who led the investigation into Sally and Bowman's murder, agreed, saying, "It is my opinion that a national DNA register with all its appropriate safeguards could have identified Sally's murderer within 24 hours. Instead, it took nearly 9 months before Mark Dixie was identified and almost 2 and 1/2 years for justice

to be done. Their calls for a DNA database were rejected by ministers and other politicians who argued it would be impractical as well as have negative implications for civil liberties. After years of denial, in January 2015, Mark Dixie finally confessed to murdering Sally and Bowman. In 2017, Mark Dixie was charged with yet more offenses, and it was revealed that someone had been wrongfully convicted for some of his depraved crimes. In 2003, a Dutch national named Romano Vander Dusen was convicted of raping three women in the Costadel Soul. He served 12 years in a Spanish prison

and was routinely attacked by fellow inmates. Horrifyingly, the real rapist Mark Dixie was a free man. In June 2015, a Dutch newspaper reported that Dixie had confessed to one of the sexual assaults, but not the other two. Romano Vander Dusen was eventually acquitted in 2016 and was present at Southern Crown Court on November 24th, 2017 as Mark Dixie was given two more life sentences for attacks on two other women in Cuddon. His crimes went back to when he was just 16 years old. He admitted to raping a woman in the deserted Wandle Road car park

in 1987, leaving her bound and gagged as he set her car on fire. According to the judge, he was delighting in her evident fear. He ran away with her credit card details, and later that night, he called her home phone to taunt and terrify her. He called again the following evening. The victim was so traumatized, she moved to the country to be as isolated as possible. He also confessed to hitting a woman over the head with a chef's iron and then dragging her to an isolated spot on Seldon Road in 2002 where he indeently assaulted

her. The victim had been leaving messages on her boyfriend's phone as she walked home, but on the last message, she could be heard screaming and dropping the phone. Dixie was only stopped when a concerned neighbor scared him off. He later used the victim's mobile phone that he had taken from the scene to call her boyfriend and brag about what he had done to her. The victim was left with multiple skull fractures. Mark Dixie's cold-hearted and detached manner was evident. He said it could have been worse. When Mark Dixie was convicted of these attacks in 2017,

Chris Le Pere, who had been on the team investigating Salianne's murder, said, "I hope today's sentence will bring a small measure of closure to these two women. With the advancement in forensic technology, we were able to link Dixie to these offenses and bring him to justice. Although the sentence will never bring their beloved daughter and sister back, the Bowman family were full of admiration for the police, especially their family liaison, Officer Graham Banitine, who gave them invaluable support during the investigation. The damage caused by Mark Dixie is immeasurable. Lives have been shattered. Women have lived

in fear. An innocent man was wrongfully convicted. And a family are left without their beloved daughter and sister. Michelle, the sister of Sally and Bowman, said, "You get that split second in the morning when you wake up and your life is perfect. Everything's how you want it to be, and then bang, it's there and it hits you. Worrying to close your eyes, not knowing what you're going to see, not knowing if you're going to see that Sally you remember or that Sally you see from the pictures. And that fear goes through me every night when

I go to sleep. The nightmares don't ever stop. There's not anything in this world that will ever make it better because she will never come back. Story three. I really would like my old life back where I could walk the streets like a normal person. They're saying that I took a gun, put it up, and killed another human being. No, I'm not the one that shot him. I wouldn't hurt him. Then who did DD? Tell us. Abraham Lee Shakespeare was born in 1966 in Florida. He had a difficult start to his life, dropping out of

school after the seventh grade and unable to read or write. He spent time in juvenile prisons for various burglaries, but soon started working odd laboring jobs to support himself. His mother, Elizabeth, whom he was very close to, said he was a hard worker and always made sure he was employed in some way. Abraham had his first child with his on-again, off-again partner, Antwinette, and his baby boy was named Moses. Abraham adored Moses, and although he and Antwanette would eventually part ways, Abraham made sure he saw Moses as much as he possibly could. In November 2006,

Abraham was working as a truck driver's assistant for a food delivery company. On November 15th, during an overnight delivery trip, he and his colleague, Michael Ford, were making their way to Miami. They made a stop at a local Townstar convenience store in Frost Proof. Michael wanted cigarettes and drinks and asked Abraham if he wanted anything. Abraham asked Michael to buy him two lottery tickets. He only had $5 on him and bought two for $2 each. Little did he know, he had just purchased the Florida Lotto winning ticket worth $30 million. And his life had just

changed forever. He had gone from scraping by on odd jobs to being a multi-millionaire, never having to work a day in his life again. But less than three years later, the money would be gone and Abraham Shakespeare would be a missing man. When it comes to accepting lottery winnings, you can either choose to get the money paid to you in annual installments, or you can take a one-time lumpsum payment. Abraham Shakespeare chose to take the lump cash some of $17 million before tax. In January 2007, he purchased a beautiful home in a gated community in

Florida for $1.1 million. He also put $1 million into a trust fund for his son. But after this, he wouldn't really make any other large purchases for himself, instead choosing to gift or loan the money to other people. Later, in April 2007, Abraham was approached by his old truck driving colleague, Michael Ford. Michael demanded a share of the money on the basis that he had been the one to purchase the tickets for him. He refused to pay, resulting in Michael suing Abraham. Michael then alleged it was in fact him who had bought the ticket for

himself and then kept them in his wallet and Abraham had stolen them. However, the jury did not believe the story and in October 2007 after just an hour of deliberation, they ruled that Abraham had not stolen the tickets and Michael Ford received nothing. Abraham had become somewhat of a local celebrity off of the back of his lottery win. And it wasn't long before people wanted a piece of his new lifestyle. Abraham was described as someone who thought with his heart rather than his head, and as a result was incredibly generous with his substantial fortune. He

paid off people's mortgages, gave people huge loans and gifts, and paid for medical bills and funerals. Abraham was kind in giving, not just with those close to him, but with strangers, too. He also returned the favor to people that had helped him when he was struggling for money. But people said he soon grew tired and frustrated with the appeals for money from everyone. really would like my old life back where I could walk the streets like a normal person, but got people coming up asking for money. Friends and family, hangers on and total strangers would

all call and write to him, constantly asking for all manner of financial help. The mother of Abraham's second son, Jeremiah, was a lady named Centuria. She said that even prison inmates sent him letters asking for money. Her brother said that he had spent the morning with Abraham and that his phone had rang eight times during the half an hour. All of these calls were from people asking for something. In November 2009, Cedric Edom, Abraham's cousin, phoned the Poke County Sheriff's Office to report him as missing. Abraham's friends and family said they hadn't heard anything from

him since April 7 months ago. They wondered if he had perhaps taken his winnings and moved somewhere to start a new life. Others believed he had grown tired of people entering his life purely for the purpose of getting money, and he had stepped away from the public eye to protect himself. The spotlight he had suddenly been thrust into had ultimately taken a toll on him. And this theory didn't seem impossible. But Abraham's mother, Elizabeth, said he would never have left without telling her. 7 months was a long time to go with no contact. And the

police immediately began an investigation. One of the people that had come into his life after his big win was a woman named Dice Donigan Moore, known to everyone as DD Moore. A lot of people in Abraham's life had mentioned DD's name as someone that might be able to offer more information. DD had previously worked as a nursing assistant before moving into the offices of a health care company. As well as this, she had other side businesses she was pursuing. She alleged that she was making around $10,000 a month from selling Nexal prepaid phones and was

also making an extra $30,000 a year by selling Mary Kay products. But DD was spending the money faster than she was getting it. and she was in debt with credit cards and on car and house leases, too. DD Moore's relationship with Abraham Shakespeare began when she started talking to Abraham's real estate agent, Barbara, about a new book she was working on. It was a story about rags to riches, and Barbara suggested she meet and talk to Abraham. However, when she met him, DD said it was clear that he didn't need a book writing on him.

He needed someone to help him organize his finances. Although Abraham had been a multi-millionaire just several months prior, he actually had little left as most of it had been given away. DD wanted to act as a financial adviser to Abraham and help him start a business to his money. The pair set one up in Abraham's name with DD in control of the funds. DD began her new business venture by giving herself a cool $1 million, buying several cars, expensive jewelry, and going on a lavish holiday. She said this money was a gift from Abraham as

a thank you for helping him. But over the next few months, Abraham's money began to dwindle even more. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were now being shifted around into various accounts, including DD's business account for her own company, American Medical Professionals. At the end of February 2009, the balance of Abraham Shakespeare LLC Bank of America account stood at just over $44,000. DD seemed more than happy to help the authorities and told them, as well as Abraham's friends and family, that Abraham had grown so tired of people asking for money, he just wanted to disappear. And

at his request, she helped him do just that. But while Abraham was missing, DD moved into his house. She said she had purchased the home from him for $655,000, which was all part of an elaborate scheme that she and Abraham had. She also told authorities that he had transferred most of his money and assets over to her before he left town, but no receipts were found to back this up, and police immediately became even more suspicious of her. They asked DD if she could get in touch with him. She said although she had been messaging

him frequently, she couldn't reveal where he was hiding. Police decided to look into DD Moore's background along with her computer and both hers and Abraham's bank accounts. This began the start of a lengthy and complex investigation. DD had a very checkered past, having been convicted of multiple crimes, including insurance fraud, falsely reporting a crime, shoplifting, and writing bad checks. She had once taken out a loan to buy a new Lincoln Navigator, a loan which she soon realized she couldn't make the repayments on. When the vehicle became close to being repossessed to get out of making

payments, she staged a particularly shocking scene. She hid the car in a garage and reported that she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted before the perpetrators stole her car. Investigators claimed she had taped her own wrists and threw herself out of a moving vehicle to embellish the story. She even went as far as to take a rape test kit. She eventually pled no contest and received probation. Further down the line, she was accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from people with the intention of helping them set businesses up, only to leave with the

money and never contact them again. During the months Abraham had been missing, his friends and family had been receiving text messages from him. Although this would normally be a positive sign, it was actually a massive red flag as Abraham never texted. He was illiterate and texting was just not something he was able to do. Instead, he spent all of his time calling people. Analysis of Abraham's phone records showed he was taking and making calls consistently throughout each day. But on April 6th, all of these calls stopped and they were replaced by the odd text here

and there. It was becoming more and more obvious that something had happened to him in early April. In late December 2009, Deei took Abraham's mother, Elizabeth, out to dinner. Dee had recently bought Elizabeth a prepaid phone, and while at the restaurant, Elizabeth received a phone call from a private number. On the end of the line was someone claiming to be her son. She immediately contacted the police who took less than 24 hours to work out the phone's number and GPS location. When the police tracked it down, it appeared to be set stationary in Lakeland Mall.

As soon as the officers pulled into the parking lot, they spotted DD Moore's car. She was pulled up alongside another car and handed something to the man in the driver's seat. As soon as she drove off, officers surrounded the vehicle. They saw that it wasn't Abraham Shakespeare at all. It was a man named Greg Smith. Greg was an old friend of Abrahams. He owned a barber shop and Abraham used to do odd jobs for him. After winning the lottery, Abraham had given Greg a loan of just over $60,000 to help Greg's mother pay for her

house when it went into default. Greg was paying this back in monthly installments. When the police asked Greg what was going on, he said Dee had handed him $300 in exchange for phoning Elizabeth, posing as Abraham. But Greg, along with many of the people that Dee had spoken to, believed that Abraham was in hiding and didn't want to be found. He felt he was helping Abraham stay safe and under the radar and wanted to stop Elizabeth from worrying. When police told Greg that they believed Abraham was not safe and well and they suspected Dee knew

more than she was letting on, Greg was shocked. He agreed to help the police and pass information on to them. Greg fit a hidden wire into a Red Bull Canon took it along to every encounter he had with Dee. Although Greg's actions were initially suspicious, police knew that he too had been a victim of Dee Moore's manipulation. While under surveillance, Dee asked Greg to deliver a handwritten letter to Elizabeth. This was going to be a fake letter from Abraham and would be another attempt to stop people looking for him. But Abraham couldn't read and couldn't

write. And this would have ultimately drawn more attention to DeeI if Elizabeth ever got hold of the letter. Fortunately, it was intercepted by the police via Greg before Elizabeth could read it. As well as Greg Smith, Dee had offered Centuria Butler a $200,000 house if she agreed to lie and say that Abraham had visited her one night. She also paid Abraham's cousin $5,000 to deliver a card to his mother, saying that too was from Abraham. Police knew the answer to what had happened to Abraham lay with Dee Moore, and the evidence against her was rapidly

starting to mount. Dee was now panicking and decided to show the media a video that she had filmed of Abraham, which allegedly added weight to her story that he had run away and left his old life behind. A lady named Judith was a longtime friend of Abraham and someone that had become a business associate of Dee. She revealed that Abraham had raised concerns with her about his finances and he wanted to look into them at the bank. When she told Dei about these concerns, Dee told her to stop him getting into the bank as a

lot of the money was no longer in the account. This allegedly happened in March of 2009, just one month before Abraham disappeared. On the 13th of January 2010, Grady Jud told the public that the police believed Abraham had been the victim of a crime. And just a day before the conference, Grady Jud named Dee Moore as a person of interest. It appears, and I'm very cautious, that Abraham Shakespeare is broke. We certainly hope that the confidence act that Dee Moore is involved in to make it appear that Abraham Shakespeare has disappeared with money is correct

and he's alive and well. But our investigation doesn't lead us to believe that at this time. Several days after this announcement, Dee responded just as they'd hoped. She contacted Greg Smith again and asked him if he knew anyone that would be willing to take the rap and say they killed Abraham Shakespeare. When Greg told the police about this conversation, they instructed him to call her straight back with a fake story about a relative who was about to undertake a 20-year sentence for drug charges and that he might be someone to talk to. Dee hastily agreed

to talk to him and the meeting was set for January 21st, 2010. But of course, there was no relative and the man Dee was actually meeting was an undercover police officer called Mike. Dee told Mike that she did in fact feel Abraham was dead, but if he was, she had nothing to do with it. Mike said he needed more details if he was going to take the rap for a crime he didn't commit. He wanted to know where Abraham was, what the murder weapon had been, and where this had all happened. Dee said she would

see what she could find out and offered him $50,000 to falsely admit to the crime. Dee met with Greg Smith again. She handed him a 38 caliber pistol. It was registered in her name and was the gun that was allegedly used in the murder. She then drove Greg out to a house in Plant City. It was a house that she had purchased with Abraham's money and Dei's boyfriend Chucker's Nikki was living in it. She walked over to a concrete slab outside and indicated this was where Abraham's body had been buried. She had bought a cattle

trough with her and said they needed to pour kerosene into it to burn Abraham's remains. She joked that Greg should bring marshmallows along for when he did this. Greg went straight to the police and less than a day later, a team of officers were at the property digging it up. Our deputies gathered information recently that led us to believe that Abraham Shakespeare may very well be buried on this property. After 48 hours of excavation, police finally found the remains of Abraham Shakespeare. He had been buried almost 9 foot deep under a 30 foot by 30

foot concrete slab. It was determined that he had been shot twice in the chest. He was missing his shoes and any bits of metal from his jacket and jeans had been cut out or removed. Following this discovery, Dee phoned investigators herself and said she wanted to come in and talk to them. Still denying any wrongdoing, Deei said she was finally ready to tell them exactly what had happened. She claimed that the killer's name was Ronald and he told her where Abraham was buried. No, I'm not the one that shot him. I wouldn't hurt him. Then

who did? Dee, tell us. You were able to contact Ronald and Ronald told you right where that body was at. Really? But you can't get a hold of Ronald. But you got a hold of Ronald then. Come on, it's over. I told him I had to meet him back later to make sure. Dee, there's no wrong. She said that Abraham had been involved in a big drug deal gone wrong and that she had watched him get shot while drug dealers cleared out a safe of money. She claimed they decided to leave her alive so that

she could continue to give them money down the line. I guarantee Ronald has killed him. I just know it because the man threatened to kill my son. I don't even know Ronald's last name, but Ronald was a character that she had fabricated while talking to Greg Smith while she was unknowingly under surveillance and being recorded. She had seemingly forgotten her own lies. Investigators didn't believe a word and asked Dei to leave the station. Over the next few hours, the Poke and Hillsboro County authorities worked hard to secure an arrest warrant. Alongside all the witnesses that

could attest to being bribed and lied to by Dee. Analysis of phone records added further weight to their case. When police had looked into Dei's phone data, it confirmed what they were already suspicious of. Whenever she and Abraham would text each other, both phones would ping off of the same cell phone tower, indicating that she had his phone. On January 28th, 2010, James Moore, Dei's ex-husband, was interviewed. He said that Dee had called him in the first two weeks of April 2009, asking him if he could dig a hole in her yard. She said she

needed the hole to bury trash in. He claimed he dug the hole and left the property, only to return two hours later when Dee said she needed him to fill the hole back up. He said it was too dark by this point to see anything that was inside, but he covered it up at her request. From this, the cell phone record analysis and the fact that no one had seen or heard from him since April, it is believed that Dee Moore killed Abraham Shakespeare on the 6th or 7th of April, 2009. While the police were

working hard on the case, Dee was working hard on clearing her name and telling anyone that would listen she had nothing to do with the murder of Abraham Shakespeare. Dee changed her story so many times she couldn't keep up with her own lies and lost track of the countless versions of events she had told. She said everything from he ran away with a fake passport to start a new life and avoid paying child support to he was dying of AIDS to there was a video of him with an underage girl circulating and he had to

lay low to avoid being arrested. Dee even went as far to say that her own 14-year-old son killed Abraham, but police never believed a word of any story she told. And the more Dee talked, the more far-fetched her stories became. These impassioned interviews and pleas of innocence did nothing to help with the now overwhelming amount of evidence against her. On February 19th, 2010, Deemore was formally charged with murder, and she plead not guilty. 3 years after Abraham had last been seen, Dee appeared in Hillsboro County Court to stand trial. She claimed she wanted to take

to the stand and tell her side of the story, but her lawyers felt it was not a wise decision. Her lawyers said that it was entirely her decision to not take the stand. Throughout the trial, Dee was very animated, often sobbing hysterically, laughing or making outbursts at her lawyers. Although court officials turned off the microphones, Judge Emtt Battles frequently had to stop the court proceedings to address Dee directly and tell her to be quiet. On multiple occasions, Dee was caught pulling faces or blurting out statements at the jury, for which she was reprimanded. I had

an anaphylactic shock because they gave me a medicine called Bactrum for a kidney infection and I was allergic to it. So, I had an allergic reaction to it. My tongue swelled up really bad. The bottom line is that you've received the medical care you need. And in fact, Dr. Weaver is going out of her way, which is appropriate to come here and make sure that you, she's going to spend a few minutes with you, make sure everything's okay. One other option has to do with a type of leg restraint that is essentially a bar on

the leg. Ms. more. I've cautioned you throughout these proceedings that any gestures, facial expressions, audible comments showing approval or disapproval are not acceptable. I think I'm guilty by sitting there looking down at you. Ma'am, I'm going to explain for the last time. We are not going to bandandy about these things. I'm telling you not to do it. Witness after witness came forward. Dee Moore arriving for court in a yellow blouse and armed with a pad and pen. She took copious notes as prosecutor Jay Pruner took over an hour detailing the case against her, including a

string of stories she told investigators in both Poke and Hillsboro counties as they tried to figure out what happened to lotto winner Abraham Shakespeare. Within 60 days of having been devested of everything he owns to Dee Moore, all that's left of Abraham Shakespeare is his decaying body in a grave under a concrete slab behind a house that she bought on Highway 60 near Plant City. And all of a sudden she said, "And when he died." So I looked over at her. I said, "Well, what you mean when he died?" Because she wanted to know about

all of his assets. And she was like, "I can help you clean him out." "Yes, your client used a lot of coercion to make up a big fat fib." This was a sketch that she made, a digging down three foot and in, and I would see a white substance that was in the ground. And once I get to the white substance in the ground, I would see his body. And the plan was she wanted me to burn the body. Do you recall ever seeing this firearm, sir? Yes. And where was it that you saw this

firearm? In the safe. I received a phone call from Dee Moore. She woke up and she woke me up. She said, "Hey, I need to tell you something." And I said, "Okay, what?" She said, "I really need to tell you Abraham is dead. Did you pay attention to what was in the hole before you filled it?" No, sir. Okay. Did you see any debris in there? Do you recall? As far as I remember, there was, but I'm not positive. Okay. Did you see recall seeing a body in there? No, sir. She wanted me to call

Abraham's mother and tell Abraham's mother that I was him. Investigating officer David Clark told the courtroom that Dee Moore had even made sexual advances towards him. He said my son R.J. shot Abraham twice. Abraham was trying to choke me. R.J. walked in the room, grabbed my gun, and shot him. He was only protecting me like any son would do. She actually came toward me and she said that I wasn't going to get angry that I was going to have sex with her. She said she was very attracted to me and hoped once her name was

clear that I would pursue a relationship with her. It was also revealed that Dee had phoned her ailing father hoping he would take the rap for her. Donigan told investigators Dee asked for his help. Quote, she said, "Well, you're old. You're getting old and all this stuff." The investigator asked, "Okay, so basically she was just asking if you would take her place in all this." Donigan replied, "Basically, the prosecution showed a Walmart surveillance video that said further linked Dee to the crime." The footage showed Dee making a $14 cash purchase of gloves, duct tape, plastic

sheeting, and other items found close to where Abraham's body was buried. On December 10th, 2012, after just 3 hours of deliberation, the jury had reached their verdict. State of Florida versus Doris Donigan Moore. The defendant is guilty of firstdegree murder. Dee Moore simply shook her head no while her victim's family nodded yes. She had everything she wanted and she still didn't have enough and she took his life. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. She also received an additional minimum sentence of 25 years for possessing a firearm. Judge EMTT Battle

said cold, calculated, cruel. They all apply. He said she was probably the most manipulative person that this courtroom has seen. Abraham Shakespeare was your prey and your victim. Money was the root of all evil you brought to Abraham. Dee was absolutely furious with her attorneys and said that if they had allowed her to take the stand to explain her side of the story, she would have been a free woman. Again, her defense team argued the decision to refrain from speaking at the trial was all her own. Dee currently resides at Lel Correctional Institution and continues

to file for appeals, change her stories, and maintain her innocence. In 2019, she changed her story once more. In a handwritten letter to the judge, begging for a new trial. She apologized to Abraham's mother and the prosecution for not being honest. But she took no responsibility herself, instead blaming someone else. She said it wasn't drug dealers that killed Abraham, but in fact, Greg Smith was the real killer. She claimed Abraham was having an affair with Greg's wife, and this was the motive for the murder. For months, Dee had staged events and tried to convince everyone

that Abraham was alive and hiding. But ultimately, she reached a point where she couldn't keep track of her own stories. Detective Greg Thomas of the Hillsboro County Sheriff's Office said that in the almost two decades he's been in law enforcement. He has never met another person like Dee Moore. Since being in prison, she has spoken out in many interviews, all the while protesting her innocence and giving different stories. I think people are complete idiots that think I had anything to do with it. She claims that there are witnesses who support her version that a mysterious

drug dealer killed Shakespeare. This is stuff that's not in my discovery. These are witness statements. You understand? These witnesses don't exist. And that certainly looks like your handwriting. What do you mean? That looks like your handwriting. What you said were witnesses notes. Looks like your handwriting. As she exited stage left, she threw out a name. Abraham Shakespeare's estate won several lawsuits filed against Dee Moore on behalf of Abraham's two sons, Moses and Jeremiah. The home Dee claimed she bought from him was returned to his estate. And Abraham's estate also sued the Bank of America for

negligently enabling Dei to steal money from Abraham. Abraham's mother Elizabeth said despite everything she has founded in her heart to forgive Dei for what she did. Abraham Shakespeare was a generous and giving man. He wanted for nothing and gave almost every penny he had away. He helped the community he lived in, those he loved and those he didn't even know. He met an awful end at the hands of someone he trusted and someone he believed was helping him, but his kind-hearted and generous spirit will never be forgotten. Story four. I've always known that he was

the one who did it, and that's one reason why I've been at every motions trial hearing, every time he's in court. I want my face there because I want him to see me. Because I want him to know that I know. 20-year-old Morgan Dana Harrington was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. Bright and intelligent, loving art and music, she had dreams of becoming a teacher. She completed high school early at the top of her class and was given early admission into Virginia Tech to major in education. Morgan was described as a homeird and although she was now

a university, she made sure to see her family once a week and talk to her parents every day on the phone. On October 17th, 2009, 20-year-old Morgan and three of her friends drove to the John Paul Jones Arena at the University of Virginia to watch one of her favorite bands in concert Metallica. Morgan couldn't wait for the concert, having had the tickets pinned to her refrigerator for the last 6 months. One of her friends drove the group there in Morgan's car, and during the warm-up act, Morgan told her friend she was going to the bathroom.

20 minutes later and with Metallica about to start, her friends called her at 8:48 p.m. to see where she was. Morgan said she had been locked out of the arena due to its no re-entry policy. It remains unknown how or why Morgan ended up outside of the arena, but she told her friends that she would find her own way home, and they didn't need to worry. Morgan had no cash on her, having left it all with her friends, and her car keys were also with the group inside. Just after 9:00 p.m., she was spotted in

the University Hall West parking lot and then again in the Lanigan Track parking lot. Several of the witnesses saw her at around 9:30 p.m. walking on CPPley Street Bridge with her thumb sticking out, seemingly trying to seek a lift. People that saw her noted she seemed disorientated and freezing cold with an abrasion on her chin. After this, there were no other reported sightings of her. The following day, Morgan was supposed to be having her weekly visit with her parents, Dan and Jill. Dan was going to be helping her revise for an upcoming maths exam, but

Morgan didn't show up and wasn't responding to messages or calls. Dan and Jill contacted the friends that Morgan had been with the night before. To their horror and anguish, they discovered they had been separated, and none of them knew where she was. Earlier that morning, at around 7:00 a.m., a big discovery had been made by a lacrosse player. Morgan's purse was found. It contained her student ID, driver's license, debit card, and hip flask. The area the purse was found in was typically used by taxi drivers waiting to pick up fairs during large events. Soon after

this, her cell phone, with the battery removed, was also discovered a short walk away. Morgan's friends from the concert started receiving some backlash for what had happened that night. But Morgan's parents spoke out. Dan said, "They are not to blame. Everyone wants to make them out to be the bad guy, but they are not the bad guy. I wish they had, but I don't know that it would have changed anything. She's not a seven-year-old. They wouldn't have put out an Amber Alert. Morgan's mother, Jill, added, "This is not about let's find who's to blame. Let's

find her." Searches were conducted by over 1600 people, and the community was desperate to help find Morgan. 3 weeks after Morgan was last seen on the bridge, a student was returning from class when he found a bloodied t-shirt. It had been discarded in some bushes at the front of his apartment. The apartment was a short walk away from the arena, and the student, knowing that Morgan was missing, reported this finding to the police. Jill and Dan Harrington are sleepless as they search for their daughter, Morgan. Before she left here, she said, "Dad, you're going to

be home tomorrow afternoon because when I get back, I need some help preparing for a math exam." I have had many goodbyes. I don't take goodbyes lightly. I always walk her to the car and she gets in the car and as she's pulling out, she's always flashing those fingers at me, too, for one. In fact, that was the last thing she said. It was the last thing she said to me when she left because that's just our little, you know, your little code. I love you too much forever and once more than forever. The fears

of everyone were realized on January 26th, 2010. A farmer was passing through his 700 acres of land when he saw some remains that he assumed were those of an animal. As he drew closer, he realized what it was. There was a human skull on the ground. There were no clothes, shoes, or jewelry near the remains, and the farmer stated he felt in his gut that those were the bones of the missing 20-year-old. He said, "I looked down and saw what looked like a human skull, and my first thought was that it was Morgan Harrington." The

farm was around 10 miles away from the arena and was over a mile away from a main road. With no public access point, the farmer's gut instinct was tragically proven right when it was officially confirmed that after three months of searching, they had found the remains of Morgan Harrington. Morgan's father, Dan, would find out about the discovery via a reporter that had phoned him asking for a statement. Due to decomposition, an exact time and cause of death were unable to be determined. The autopsy listed her cause of death as homicidal violence of undetermined origin. Her

bones were shattered and her parents said they believed she had suffered immensely in her last moments. She endured a fracture on her upper left arm, two rib fractures, and a skull fracture. Morgan's mother, Jill, also confirmed that her daughter had been raped. A few months later, the shirt that was found outside of the apartment block was confirmed to be the shirt that Morgan had been wearing on the night she had last been seen. It wasn't long before the police announced they had made a big break in the case. DNA evidence had been recovered from her

shirt and it matched a cold case from 2005. 5 years before Morgan was murdered, a lady identified only as RG had reported to police that she had been horrifically beaten and sexually assaulted. RG was 26 at the time and living in Fairfax. On September 24th, 2005, she was walking back from a local grocery store at around 8:30 p.m. When she reached the stairs of her home, someone grabbed her from behind and carried her to a patch of grass at the end of her neighborhood. Her head was then slammed off the ground and she was punched

in the face. The attacker then started to choke and sexually assault her. She cried out for help, but her attacker told her that he would kill her if she screamed again. He said she needed to let him do what he wanted and then he would let her go. At some point, she lost consciousness and when she regained it, she saw a car's headlights. The attacker ran away, leaving RG on the ground. The man that got out of the car ran to help RG and then attempted to find the attacker, but to no avail. After the

assault, she completed a rape test kit. RG also had DNA under her fingernails, but this did not match anyone in their database. Terrified and fearing for her life, RG returned to her home country of India and sadly the case went cold. RG said of the attack, "You're thinking this is a bad dream and this is not happening to you. I was black and blue. My nose was bleeding. I had trouble walking. Everything was hurting." Over the coming year, RG said she spent days unable to get out of bed. You're suffering, so you don't want to

get up. You find yourself in this vicious cycle of self-hatred. Following the link between the DNA found on Morgan's t-shirt and under RG's fingernails, police were now able to release a composite sketch of the man behind both attacks. James Hetfield of the band Metallica released a video appealing for any more information. Hi, I'm James of Metallica. Back in 2010, our band offered $50,000 to help catch the person responsible for murdering Morgan Harrington. Since that time, authorities uncovered new evidence linking her killer to a similar assault on a woman in Virginia. If you've seen the person

in this sketch or have any information about this case or any others, please contact your local police or submit your information online. Up to $150,000 was offered as a reward with the band Metallica putting in $50,000 themselves. But it would be a further 5 years until the 2005 and 2009 cases of RG and Morgan Harrington were finally solved. And tragically, another life would be taken. 18-year-old Hannah Elizabeth Graham was a British American second-year college student studying at the University of Virginia. Born in Reading, England in 1996, she moved with her family to Virginia at the

age of 5. She was a talented athlete and high achieving student. On the night of September 12th, 2014, Hannah attended two parties. She and some friends headed off at around 11 p.m. to go to the first party of the night. After bumping into another friend at this party, Hannah and this friend left together to head to another gathering. However, Hannah was not at this party long before she told people she wanted to leave, saying she felt unwell. According to some sources, Hannah was very intoxicated by this point. A friend offered her a lift home, but

she declined and headed off herself on foot. At around 1:20 a.m., Hannah sent a text message to a friend saying she was lost and trying to find her way to another party. But after this, no one heard from her. The next day was Saturday and Hannah was set to meet up with some friends, but she never turned up. The following day, and with still no word from her, concern amongst her friends began to mount. They contacted Hannah's parents, who reported her missing just after 4 p.m., links to Morgan's case were immediately made, and concern within

the community began to grow. And we begin with breaking news this hour from Charlottesville. Police there are heading up the search for a missing University of Virginia student. Hannah Elizabeth Graham, seen here, was last heard from on Saturday when she texted friends around 1:00 in the morning. She is 18 years old, 5' 11 inches tall, with a slim build, blue eyes, light brown hair, and freckles. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Hannah Graham is asked to call Crimestoppers at 434-977400. Fortunately for the police, there was a lot of CCTV, and they quickly managed to

piece together Hannah's last steps during the early morning hours. At 12:45 a.m., she was seen walking alone past a pub called McGradies. 10 minutes later, Hannah was spotted again running past a Shell gas station. At 10:06 a.m., Hannah was captured at Sal's Pizza on East Main Street. At some point, a man was spotted following behind Hannah. During the investigation, he told police he was following her because she seemed distressed and he wanted to make sure she was safe. Further analysis of the same CCTV picked up something else of interest. Hannah was now being closely followed

by another man. This man was originally on the opposite side of the mall. He then crossed over and started walking behind Hannah. A witness said this man, who in their words did not look friendly, put his arm around Hannah. He then took her to the bar tempo and bought her a drink. Later, the same man was seen standing by an orange car with Hannah, and she could be overheard saying, "I am not getting into that car with you." And then at 1:20 a.m., she sent the text to a friend saying she was lost. The man

spotted in the surveillance footage was officially declared a person of interest on September 20th. Morgan Harrington's mother, Jill, knew the pain the Graham family were going through all too well and offered her support. For Hannah, bringing back painful memories for Morgan Harrington's family. The 20-year-old college student was abducted and murdered in Charlottesville in October 2009. Joining us now, Morgan's mother, Jill Harrington, founder of Helped Save the Next Girl. Jill, good morning. Good morning. You know, you live this nightmare yourself and you've been living it for so long. You had to be heartbroken to hear that.

Here we go again. It looks like, yeah, there are so many young women from our part of the country, our part of Virginia, missing and are murdered just since Morgan was killed. And it is gut-wrenching to think that another family is going through that anguish. We just are sick about it. It's unfathomable. Dan and I keep looking at each other and thinking, "How did we get through it?" And then we realized we're not through it. You never get through it. It never goes away. I hate to think that Hannah's family has that path ahead of

them for the rest of their lives. We really are hoping the community can band together, give more information, and we can have a good resolution for the Graham family. We're praying for that. The man in the CCTV turned out to be a 32-year-old nursing assistant and occasional taxi driver, Jesse Matthew Jr. the same night Hannah went missing, Jesse had been seen lurking in different bars, approaching various women, and behaving inappropriately. Police conducted a search of Jesse's home and took several items to be examined. On September 21st, Jesse visited a Charlottesville police station and spoke briefly

with officers before asking for a lawyer. When he was released, he drove away from the police station at such a high speed that it prompted officers to charge him with reckless driving and obtain a warrant for his arrest. Hundreds of volunteers were helping Hannah's family and the police search for her. Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Lango said he believed that Hannah was either in Charlottesville or in one of the nine surrounding counties. He asked property owners to search for her on their land. On September 22nd, Jesse Matthews apartment was searched again. Several items and some clothing

were taken away for examination. A day later, police had gathered enough evidence to charge Jesse Matthew Jr. with abduction with intent to defile, a charge in Virginia that means kidnapping with the motive of sexual assault. But by this point, Jesse had withdrawn all the money from his bank account and fled. He was found a few days later camping out on a Texas beach 1,300 m away and was arrested that afternoon. Are you Jesse Matthew Jr.? Yeah, Mr. Matthew, my name is Judge Henry. You have two charges this morning. You have got a fugitive from justice

warrant out of Virginia for abduction of a person with intent to defile. You have got a Galveastston County charge of false information to a peace officer. Your bond is denied on the fugitive from justice warrant. Okay. You're not entitled to a courtappointed attorney on the fugitive from justice warrant except defied extradition. And sir, I got a question for you. Okay. like they took all my clothes and they got me sleeping on a hard thing. I don't feel like I should be able to have some kind of clothes. You appear to me to be dressed in

a jumpsuit. Well, once I get back, they're going to take my jumpsuit off and tell me I can take my jumpsuit off. Medical has to clear you out of medical. That's a requirement of medical. So, once medical sees you and clears you and they move you to another cell, then they'll give you the jumpsuit back. Is this for Virginia? Yes. So, what is the Virginia warrant again? The Virginia warrant is a fugitive from justice warrant. The underlying charge is abduction of a person with intent to defile. Now, it's going to have you sign two times

saying that you're not requesting a court-appointed attorney this morning. What? I'm sorry. If I sign it, I'm going to ask you to sign either way. Either requesting a court-appointed attorney or declining consideration for a court-appointed attorney. If you request one, the only thing that attorney can do for you is challenge the validity of the warrant and fight your extradition back to Virginia. On September 29th, a forensic link was made. Evidence taken from the investigation into Morgan Harrington had been linked to Jesse Matthew. The results from the items taken from Jesse's apartment also revealed Hannah's DNA

on a pair of his shorts. Her DNA was also found in his car. Jesse's DNA matched the cold case of RG from back in 2005. Police had finally found the man responsible for almost a decade's worth of horrific crimes. As a student, Jesse had been twice accused of sexual assault at two separate colleges he attended. Each occurred within an 11-month period. He left each school immediately after each allegation. And although police did investigate these reports, no criminal case was ever brought against him. I'm Chief Longo, the Charlottesville Police Department. It was some 35 days ago,

some 5 weeks, since the 18-year-old University of Virginia student, Hannah Graham, disappeared from our downtown pedestrian mall. Thousands of hours have been spent by literally hundreds of law enforcement and civilian volunteers in an effort to find Hannah. We think perhaps today proved their worth. Sometime before noon today, a search team from the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Department was searching an abandoned property along Old Lynchberg Road in southern Alamarl County when they discovered what appears to be human remains. Tragically, 6 days after this conference, these remains were positively identified as Hannah Graham. It was confirmed that Hannah

had died of homicide by an undetermined ideology. Hannah's remains were found just 5 miles from where Morgan Harrington had been discovered. Two days after Hannah's remains were found, Jesse was indicted on charges of attempted murder, object sexual penetration, and abduction with intent to defile in the Fairfax case of RG from 2005. He pled not guilty. Shortly before the trial in RG's case began, Jesse was also indicted on a first-degree murder charge in Hannah Graham's case. The charge was then increased to a capital murder charge, meaning the death penalty was potentially now on the table. On

June 10th, 2015, Jesse entered the Alfred plea in regards to the 2005 case of RG and was subsequently convicted of all charges. An Alfred plea means that the defendant still denies any guilt, but they acknowledge that the evidence presented may be strong enough to convict them. 3 months later, Jesse was also formally charged with firstdegree murder and abduction with intent to defile in the case of Morgan Harrington. Police believe that the night Morgan was abducted, Jesse may have lured her into his taxi as she was looking for a lift home. During one of the pre-trial

hearings, Morgan's mother, Jill Harrington, walked over to Jesse's mother and held her hand. She said, "It was the right thing to do. I hold no animosity towards his family. They did nothing wrong." In October 2015, at the end of the trial in RG's case, Jesse was sentenced to three life terms. This afternoon, prosecutors say that Jesse Matthew Jr. will plead guilty to the murders of Graham and Harrington to avoid the death penalty. Prosecutors said they plan to seek the death penalty if Matthew was convicted in the Grahams case. The trials of Jesse in the cases

of Morgan and Hannah would never take place. In March 2016, Jesse struck a plea deal. He plead guilty to two counts of firstdegree murder and two counts of abduction with the intent to defile in both cases. This meant he avoided the death penalty, but received four life sentences without the chance of parole. Both families said they supported the deal and were grateful they wouldn't have to endure a painful trial. Jesse Matthew Jr. received seven life sentences in total. It is thought that there are many other victims linked to Jesse Matthew Jr. and that his crime

spree was never fully determined and will likely never be known. In May 2019, it was reported that Jesse had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. He transferred prisons to begin treatment and both the Harrington and Graham families were notified of the transfer. Help Save the Next Girl is a national nonprofit organization set up by Jill and Dan Harrington. It is committed to being a presence on campuses, in clubs, and in violence prevention forums across the country. It develops relationships with the media and law enforcement to help spread awareness and information about cases. They also

provide outreach support to victims families. John Graham, Hannah's father, said, "Hannah's enduring gift to all of us is that she enabled this wicked man to be apprehended and convicted. She did change the world, but at a terrible price." Story five. On behalf of New Zealand, I want to apologize to Grace's family. Your daughter should have been safe here, and she wasn't, and I'm sorry for that. Grace Emmy Rose Mullain was born in Essex, England in 1996. Born to parents David and Jillian, she was the youngest of three siblings and had two older brothers, Michael and

Declan. She was sociable, lively, family orientated, and loved all things creative and artistic. Grace attended the University of Lincoln and graduated with a degree in advertising and marketing. She was excited for a new adventure before she started the next phase of her life. She had saved up for a year-long backpacking tour after her graduation. Grace was described as compassionate and caring, and before she left for her trip, she cut her long hair off and donated it to the Little Princess Trust so it could be turned into wigs for children with cancer. In October 2018, Grace

left her family home and set off on her travels. The adventurous and outgoing graduate traveled to Peru before spending six weeks in South America. She met up with other travelers along the way and was keen to share her journey with everyone back home. On November 19th, 21-year-old Grace arrived in New Zealand alone. 11 days later, she reached Auckland. She checked into a hostel called The Base Backpackers on Queen Street, sharing a room with some other travelers. Saturday evening, December 1st, 2018, Grace left the hostel just before 6:00 p.m. and headed out into the city center.

Dressed in a kneelength black dress, white shoes, and carrying a small handbag, she had made plans to meet someone she had matched with on Tinder. Initially, Grace didn't seem too sure on meeting up, but after some more talking, her and her date eventually made a plan to get some drinks. Grace met her date at a place called Sky City, an entertainment complex with bars, restaurants, and a casino. Grace had been sending messages to her friend Amina back home, saying, "I click with him so well. He's an oil manager. He lives in a hotel. By all

accounts, the evening appeared to be going well. About an hour later, they visited a place called the Bluestone Room. At one point, Grace got up from the table, and the mystery man, for some reason, picked up her handbag and started searching it. But just after 9:30 p.m., they both left the bar arm in-armm and headed down the street. The next day was Sunday, December 2nd, and it was Grace's 22nd birthday. Her family and friends at home were sending messages and reaching out to her over social media. But Grace unusually wasn't responding to anyone, and her

two phones were going straight to voicemail. Her brother Declan said she had been bombarding them with details and pictures of her trip so far, and no response from her on her birthday was immediately alarming. Grace was a homebird, and this was a red flag. Her parents contacted the Auckland police and reported her as missing. on December 5th. Police reached out to the hostel Grace was staying at and they confirmed that she had not checked back in on the night of December 1st. Initially, the police didn't suspect any foul play. The majority of her belongings were

still at her hostel. Maybe she had just stayed with some new friends and forgotten to contact people. Fortunately for detectives, it didn't take long to track down where Grace had been on that Saturday evening due to the vast amounts of CCTV from around the city. The mystery man she was spotted with that night was quickly identified. The very night Grace was last seen, she had changed her profile picture on Facebook. A comment was posted underneath the picture saying, "Beautiful, very radiant." The person that commented was also the Tinder date seen drinking with Grace. This man

was Jesse Kempson, who was currently residing at the City Life Hotel in Auckland. Jesse had written a post prior to the comment, which caught more attention. Extracts of the post stated he was sorry for his mistakes, his arrogance, and his selfishness. But who is Jesse Kempson? 26-year-old Jesse was born in Wellington and had moved several times as a child after his parents split up. He had been partially raised by his grandparents and was virtually estranged from a lot of his family. Jesse was described by everyone who knew him as a pathological liar. He claimed everything

from being the cousin of a famous All Blacks rugby player to telling people he was dying of cancer. He lied to employers, landlords, partners, and his family and friends. Time and again, Jesse's fake world caught up with him, and he was frequently evicted from his flats and lost jobs due to his compulsive lying. A former landlord of Jesse said he had claimed to be a professional softball player who had been signed up by New Zealand's national softball team, the Black Socks. He'd lie and say he was waiting on contract money. But after eight weeks of

excuses, the landlord contacted the Black Socks management. And again, Jesse's lies were exposed. He told his landlord at the City Life Hotel that he was a top manager for Woolworths. In reality, his rent was being paid by state benefits. Jesse's last job was in telephone sales. This also ended in a dismissal due to his lies. And this all happened on the very day he met Grace Mullain on December 1st. Jesse was the last known person seen with Grace that night, and police knew he was the man they needed to help fill in the gaps. The

same day Grace was reported missing on December 5th, Jesse was asked to come into the station to answer some routine questions. And so, I was talking to Grace on Tinder. We'd matched on Friday. I saw that we'd matched the next day on the Saturday, and then we met at Sky City. And then we decided that we're going up to Andy's Burger Bar, which is on the first floor. Whose idea was it to go to that particular burger place? Me. Because I didn't initially know that she was real. What do you mean? Well, there's a lot

of So, have you heard of catfish? No. So, catfishing is where someone uses your profile or uses your photos and pretends to be you in the midst, and you're a completely different person. How does meeting in a public place sort of protect you from meeting someone who's not as good-looking as? Well, there's security there. So, if she wasn't who she said, she was at least in my mind I'd feel safe. Yeah, that's us down there. Yep. So, she's going that way and I'm going across the street. I go down Queen Street. No, I go down

Victoria Street straight down to the bottom and then hang a left and I head towards the vioaduct. You've kind of walked in a bit of a funny direction if you were planning to go to the vioaduct. Is there a particular reason you were going to do that? I feel safer down that way and we're very, very concerned for her safety. Obviously, it's entirely possible that she's been the victim of foul play. Okay. You understand what that means? Yep. What would your feelings be about providing us with a voluntary DNA sample in the event that we

can compare that against something? Would you be happy with that? Yeah, 100%. I mean, I know I haven't done anything wrong, so I'm happy to do it. Okay. At this stage, we don't know what's happened to this girl. Okay. It's possible that somebody has killed her. Okay. You understand that? Yep. She might, when I say foul play, I mean that someone might have murdered her. We don't know if she's been murdered or not yet. She may be alive and well. Okay. But she might also be dead. Okay. And it could be that you've died. Hey,

I just want to ask a question. I've been arrested for something I didn't do. You haven't been arrested? Oh, no. Oh, sorry. Holy [ __ ] He said nothing out of the ordinary had happened that night. The date had ended nicely with a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and a plan for the following day before the pair eventually parted ways at around 10 p.m. He said he had tried to message her the next day on Tinder, but noticed that Grace had unmatched him, and that was where his encounters with her abruptly ended. But the

officers hadn't yet finished looking through the CCTV from the City Life Hotel, and they were about to start gaining more answers to the remaining questions they had. A sinister and disturbing picture was slowly being put together and almost 6 terabytes of CCTV data were being analyzed. Despite Jesse saying they parted ways on the street, they were both seen arriving at the City Life Hotel arm in arm. They exited the lift together on Jesse's floor, but Grace was never seen leaving the building. The morning after, on what was Grace's birthday, cameras did pick up Jesse leaving

the hotel. They followed him over the coming hours, tracking his every move. He left the hotel in the morning and went shopping to buy a suitcase. He then went to buy some cleaning supplies and just before noon, he headed over in a taxi to a car rental company and rented a red Toyota Corolla. Several hours later, Jesse met with another woman he had engaged with on Tinder. She later reported that he had some disturbing conversations with her, speaking about burying bodies and his friends that were police officers. His date said he made her feel so

uneasy she declined Jesse's offered to get in his car and made her own way home, never talking to him again. After this, Jesse went out into the city center again. This time to hire a rug doctor carpet cleaning machine, explaining to staff that he had some red wine stains that needed cleaning up. Later on, at half 9 in the evening, Jesse loaded two suitcases onto a hotel trolley and offloaded these into the Toyota he had rented earlier. At around 7:00 a.m. the next day, he was picked up on camera again, this time buying a shovel,

and two hours later, he was spotted power washing the car. He then returned the car to the rental company, and it was subsequently rented out by someone else. On the 5th of December, the day Grace was reported missing, Jesse was seen visiting various locations and dumping things in bins. Police arrived at the City Life Hotel looking to talk to him. Just as they reached the front desk, Jesse returned to the hotel himself. The minute he saw the police, he quickly turned around and began walking away with his head firmly facing the opposite direction. The police

clocked him, chased after him, and brought him in for questioning. Despite Jesse denying anything had happened, police still began a thorough search of his hotel room. We begin tonight with a public appeal for missing British backpacker Grace Molain. A short time ago, police held a press conference to appeal for sightings of the 22-year-old, who has not been seen since 7:15 p.m. on Saturday night. On December 7th, David, Grace's father, was now in Auckland. He made an emotional plea for help. I'm David Malain, Grace's dad. Thank you for coming today. As you know, Grace has been

missing for several days. We lasted contact with her on Saturday, December 1st. And as a family, we've been extremely concerned for her welfare. Grace is a lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, family orientated daughter. Grace has never been out of contact for this amount of time. She's usually in daily contact with either her mother and myself, her two brothers, members of the family on social media. She arrived here on the November 20th and has been bombarding us with numerous photographs and messages of her adventures. We're all extremely upset and it's very difficult at this time to fully describe

the range of emotions we are going through. The investigation was moving quickly and although police didn't name him, they revealed they had spoken to Jesse and that he was a person of interest. The more time ticked by, the more fearful people became, and the police stated that they had grave concerns for Grace. On December 8th, as more and more evidence was coming to light, Jesse was eventually taken into custody and interviewed again. His story had now drastically changed. That you're willing to speak to us about the events of last Saturday. Is that correct? Yes. Tell

me what happened last Saturday. She started talking to me about 50 Shades of Gray. We started having sex. At first, it was just normal and then she asked me if we could get into bondage, having, I guess, more violent sex. We ended up on the floor and then she told me to hold her throat. So, I went into the shower and then all I remember is falling asleep in the shower. I need to stop. I need to go. Jesse said that when he had awoken the next morning and realized Grace was dead, he went into

shock. He panicked and put her body in a suitcase and drove out to bury her. He still denied any guilt, however. I didn't know what to do. I went downstairs and I was just I don't know. I was all over the place. You've come out of the shower, the lights been on in the shower, you've put a towel around you, you've turned the light off, and then you've returned to your bed and you've gone to sleep in your bed. And at that point when you exit the shower, you don't look around, but your assumption from

the silence. I thought that she'd gone. I thought she had left. We're going to head out of here very, very soon. And you're going to take us to where you buried her. She will likely be exumed tomorrow at some point. And after that, a pathologist, a specialist doctor, will perform a postmortem. They're very skilled at establishing people's causes of death. Do you understand that? Did you kill Grace Molain? Jesse Kempson? You're under arrest for the murder of Grace Malain. The forensic search of Jesse's room added more to the already disturbing story. Despite Jesse's attempts to

clean up, Grace's blood covered the floor of the hotel room. Given what Jesse had told them, it didn't take long for police to start searching an area on Scenic Drive near the Whitaker Reservoir. Shortly after 400 p.m. that day, officers found a body around 10 yards from the road. The area was identified late last night as a location of interest as a result of our investigative work. I can now advise that a short time ago, we located a body which we believe to be Grace. The formal identification process will now take place. However, based on

the evidence we have gathered over the past few days, we expect that this is Grace. The focus now is to piece together exactly what happened to a young girl who came to New Zealand on her OE. Obviously, this brings a search for Grace to an end. It was an unbearable time for the Mallay family and our hearts go out to them. Any father, any parent in this situation will struggle. Yeah, I feel for them. I have a daughter in her 20s. So, yeah, we're putting a lot of support around him. It's difficult because he's here

with a brother from England and the rest of the family are back home. The icecot beard had been heading the investigation and was working closely with the Malayan family. For him and his team that had been hoping to find Grace safe and well and bring good news to the family, it was clear how much of a painful moment this was for everyone involved in the search. The grief was shared throughout the nation. Thousands of people paid tribute to Grace and held vigils. The New Zealand Prime Minister, Justinda Ardurn, publicly apologized to Grace's parents and offered

hers and her country's full support. I cannot imagine the grief of her family and what they will be experiencing and feeling right now. My thoughts and prayers are with her father, David, who is in the country, her mother, Jillian, who cannot be here, and her wider family, friends, and loved ones. On behalf of New Zealand, I want to apologize to Grace's family. Your daughter should have been safe here, and she wasn't, and I'm sorry for that. I've advised the family through the police that if there is anything we can do to assist, we are here

to help with it. Following this, Jesse Kempson was formally charged with the murder of Grace Molain. On December 10th, just 5 days after Grace was reported missing, Jesse appeared in court in Auckland. He was granted an interim name suppression to ensure a fair trial, which is why so much of his interview footage was blurred out for a long time. Following an autopsy, a pathologist confirmed that Grace had been strangled and had bruises on her arms and chest, consistent with being pinned down. Considerable force would have been required, and the pressure on her neck must have

lasted between 4 and 5 minutes to be enough to kill her. At around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, as Grace lay dead in his room, Jesse carried out a number of internet searches. Using his phone, he looked up hottest fire, flesh-eating birds, and whiteure ranges, the location where he would later try to bury Grace's body. After this, he trolled through a pornography site. He then took several intimate photos of Grace's dead body. Just over a month after Grace was found, hundreds of people turned out for her funeral at Brentwood Cathedral in Essex. Detective Inspector Scott Beard,

who had been looking after the case, flew to England to pay his respects and support the Molain family. 6 days after Grace was laid to rest, Jesse appeared in the high court, and he plead not guilty. His trial began in November later that year. The trial would last just 3 weeks, and for much of it, Jesse remained stonyfaced, showing no emotion. He occasionally glanced down at court papers or held his head in his hands. Jesse's defense team argued that although tragic, Grace's death was caused by nothing more than consensual rough sex that had gone horribly

wrong. They claimed that Grace had engaged in sexual encounters like this before meeting Jesse. And this time, it had been a tragic case of sexual misadventure. They said that Jesse had simply panicked and attempted to hide Grace's body after he realized the sexual encounter had accidentally taken her life. The defense case is that this is not a murder and that's still what I say to you now. Nothing has changed. It was an accidental death that took place in the context of sexual activities that if done incorrectly by inexperienced and or intoxicated people can go wrong.

But the prosecution were already armed with a mountain of strong evidence and witnesses. They argued that Jesse did not panic and this was not simply something that went wrong. It was very clearly deliberate and intentional. They said that he had calmly and callously said about covering his tracks, creating what they called a labyrinth of storytelling and lies as he went. In this case, to have killed Grace Milain, the defendant, the gentleman over here at the back behind me, had to have had her under his grip, suffocating her, strangling her is probably the correct term for

a total of 5 to 10 minutes. At some point, of which she lost consciousness and would have become under his handhold, unconscious and limp and lifeless, and he had to carry on. And if that's not reckless murder in this country, ladies and gentlemen, somebody will have to explain to me what is. Do you find the defendant, Jesse Shane Kempson, guilty or not guilty? Guilty. Despite his protests of innocence, on the 22nd of December, 2019, after just 5 hours of deliberations, Jesse Kempson was found guilty of the murder of Grace Milane. Jesse was sentenced to life

in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. You are a large and powerful man. She was dimminionative. In those circumstances, Ms. Milain was particularly vulnerable. You are in a position of total physical dominance. On a daily basis, I torment myself over what you did to my grace. The terror and pain she must have experienced at your hands. As a mother, I would have done anything to change places with her. I'd sit full of guilt knowing I couldn't help her. But I should have been there. She died terrified and alone in a room with

you. The verdict of murder today will be welcomed by every member of the Milain family and friends of Grace. It will not reduce the pain, the suffering that we've had to endure over the past year. Grace was taken away from us in the most brutal fashion a year ago and our lives have been and family have been ripped apart. This will be with us for the rest of our lives. We would like to thank several people, Auckland Police Force, being professional, diligent, and thorough all through this investigation. Last but not least, we would love to

thank the people of New Zealand. They've opened their hearts to Grace and her family. I cannot express our gratitude enough for all the offers and gifts of kindness that we have received over the last year. I've always thought that if it wasn't Grace, it was going to be someone. Now, I'm not a psychologist, so I can't talk about psychological profile, but what we do know is he's a liar. You know, a number of times we've proved he lied to the police. He lied to others. The case prompted many people to express their anger at how

Grace's life had been presented during the trial and how her death had been explained away by her killer. Many feeling it was shameful and grotesque victim blaming rather than placing the blame on the murderer himself. Jesse's family branded him a pathetic fantasist. His stepbrother said he lied over pointless things all the time and continued to lie until the point where he's got no out. And then he breaks down, cries, and runs away. After he was found guilty of murdering Grace in the highly publicized trial, Jesse faced a further two trials the following year. These were

judge alone trials and no jury was present. Two women had gone to the police when they had seen the blurred images of Jesse after he was arrested for Grace's murder. They knew instantly it was him and they both had horrific stories to tell the officers about Jesse. In the first of these two trials in October 2020, an exartner spoke of the physical, sexual, emotional, and financial abuse she had suffered while with him. Jesse would hold knives to her throat, choke her, force her to perform sex acts, and drain her account of $10,000. Jesse was found

guilty of eight charges, and jailed for seven and a half years. In November 2020, he was put on trial again. This time for raping a young British tourist he had met on Tinder 8 months before he had murdered Grace Mullain. He forced himself on her and said, "If you don't do this, I will kill you and I will kill your family and you know I will." He was then found guilty and given another three and a half years in jail for this crime. This brought the total to an additional 11 years, which will run concurrently

alongside the sentence he received for the murder of Grace. When Justice Jeffrey Venning found him guilty of rape, it prompted an aggressive outburst from Jesse. You're so full of s asterisk asterisk asterisk. You have no reason to convict me. You're full of s asterisk asterisk asterisk. Tragically, in November 2020, Grace's dad, David Mullain, passed away after a battle with cancer. In December 2020, the name suppression concealing Jesse's identity finally lapsed when the Supreme Court denied his last ditch appeal against his sentence in Grace's murder. It is alleged that Jesse is working on appeals in both

of the sentences for the 2020 trials as well. To honor Grace's memory, her family and friends raised a record amount of money for the White Ribbon Campaign. The White Ribbon Campaign is a charity looking to end male violence against women by engaging with men and boys to make a stand against violence and challenge behaviors. Grace's family and friends raised over £11,000 in her name. The Love Grace campaign was also set up in Grace's honor. The campaign asks for donations of handbags filled with essential items to help provide support for women seeking refuge from harmful and

abusive relationships. Story six. Mother's Day, May 9th, 2021, St. John's County, Florida. 13-year-old Tristan Bailey was reported missing by her parents at 10:00 a.m. They had last seen her around midnight. Tristan Bailey was described as a sweet and enthusiastic seventh grader. She was a budding young cheerleader, and her coach said she was cheerful, spirited, and friendly, often uniting the team together and pushing them forward. She attended Patriot Oaks Academy, which teaches around 1,500 students. At around 2 p.m., the St. John's County Sheriff's Office made an official announcement that they were looking for the missing Tristan.

And just several hours later, a Florida missing child alert was issued. This alert is issued when a child is missing and believed to be in life-threatening danger, but with no indication that the child has been abducted. Police were issued via various media outlets and the community and police began an extensive search to find her. Tragically, after just 16 hours of searching, the body of Tristan Bailey was found by a resident that had been out looking for her that day. After this press conference, during this press conference, I asked you to give respect to this community

and give respect to the family. This morning, at approximately 10:00 this morning, the St. John's County was notified by the family of Tristan Bailey that she was reported missing this morning at 10:00 this morning. A 13-year-old white female, they gave a clothing description. The family last saw her last night at approximately midnight. And at that time, the St. John's County Sheriff's Office and this community went to work this morning. This was an exhausting search by the neighborhood by the St. John's County Sheriff's Office. We have located a body that is preliminarily identified as Tristan Bailey.

Again, it's in the early stages, but we will verify that through the process. I will tell you this again. We've notified the St. John's County School District. This is a grieving community, and we're going to respect that grieving community, and I ask you that you put this out there, and you help us stand behind this community and let them grieve together. She was located on the south end of a retention pond just east to the culde-sac of Saddlestown Drive. She had been stabbed to death with 114 wounds on her body, 49 of which were defensive.

Authorities also later found a book knife, which is a folding knife often used in hunting. This is believed to be the murder weapon, and it was discovered in a pond nearby. The knife was missing the tip, which was found snapped off inside Tristan's head. The community have been an incredible source of ongoing support since the news of Tristan's disappearance and later tragic death broke. The family said they have felt such encouragement and love from so many. Smith's son, Aiden Austin Smith, is a sixth grader at Swiss Point Middle School. Smith came up with the idea

to honor Bailey for their Saturday Jamberee game. For the Jamberee game, we decided that since it was so close to her death, we decided to wrap the fleets with the Nike logo having a wing on it or Fly High Tristan. And then we put her initials right here or Tristan Bailey. Many people in the community turned over home CCTV footage to the police in a bid to help. And some of this footage had in fact picked Tristan up early that morning. In the early hours of Sunday morning, Tristan was spotted at 1:15 a.m. at the

North Amenity Center in Durban Crossing. And half an hour later, she was seen again on Saddleston Drive, just over a mile away. On both pieces of footage, she was seen walking with someone. At this point, the case was now moving rapidly. And on May 10th, just before noon, it was announced that the police had made an arrest and actually called 911, called the sheriff's office. We went out there and actually processed the body, recovered the body. Since then, we actually have arrested a suspect by the name of Aiden Fucci, FUCCI, 14year-old. He's currently in custody

with the Department of Juvenile Justice, charged with seconddegree murder. 14-year-old Aiden Fucci was also a student of Patriot Oaks Academy, and he had grown up in the same neighborhood as Tristan. The teen was then charged with seconddegree murder. According to the arrest report, a neighbor's CCTV camera showed the pair walking together along Saddleston Drive at 1:45 a.m. The drive is surrounded by a wooded area. And as you reach the end of the drive, there is a dead end which leads directly into the wooded area. This location is very close to where Tristan's body was found.

The report says one subject was wearing what appeared to be shorts, a light colored hooded sweatshirt, and white shoes with a black Nike logo. This description matches Aiden Fucci. The second subject, known to be Tristan, was wearing black pants and a black shirt, although it was initially reported that she had been wearing her cheerleading outfit. The arrest report said that the person matching Aiden's description was then seen walking away from the wooded area at around 3:27 a.m. heading back down Saddleton Drive. He was carrying a pair of white shoes, which we now know to be

his, in his hand. He later said he took them off because his feet were hurting when he was spotted walking back down Saddleston Drive. This was almost 2 hours after he had been seen with Tristan on the same road. Following this sighting, police went to Aiden's house to question him on May 9th, just a day before he was arrested. His house is located approximately 0.3 miles from the location Tristan's body was found in. Police put him in the back of the car, and while he was in the back, he posted a disturbing picture to Snapchat.

He captioned the photo. A search warrant for Aiden's house led to the finding of multiple items of evidentiary value. A forensics team worked around the clock examining these items to try and obtain any DNA. This process can sometimes take months, but the teams at the lab tested everything rapidly, and subsequently Tristan's DNA was found on a pair of shoes and a t-shirt that were both located in Aiden's bedroom. In my 20 years of investigating homicides, this is probably one of the most tragic and difficult cases that we have faced. I can just tell you that

the man is a cold-blooded killer. And I hate to say a man, he's a child, but he committed a man's crime. And with that being said, of course, I just feel like he's being held responsible for the crime he committed. So again, we'll build that case with school records. A lot of this stuff, of course, will come through court orders, search warrants, and talking to people that know our suspect well. According to an affidavit, the defendant, Aiden, said he had been at a mutual friend's house that night with Tristan before leaving. They had then engaged

in an argument at around 1:10 a.m. before he pushed her to the ground where she hit her head. But the details of this alleged argument are unconfirmed, and it remains unclear as to how the pair came to be walking together down the street. On May 11th, Aiden appeared via Zoom in Valuchia County Regional Detention Center in front of Circuit Judge Michael Orfinger for a detention hearing. His parents, Kristen and Jason, were present, as was his lawyer, Anoir Snowba. Can I have the parties raise their right hand, please? All three of you, if you could raise

your right hand, please. Do each of you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony you're going to give in this cause is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So, help you God. Yes. Can you answer out loud, please? Yes. Thank you. All right. Thank you, Mr. Fucci. As I said, my name is Judge Orfinger. I'm going to conduct your detention hearing this morning, which is sometimes known as a first appearance. The purpose of your detention hearing is to determine whether there is probable cause for me to believe that an act of

delinquency occurred and that you are the person who committed it. If I find that there is probable cause, we will then discuss the terms by which the law allows you to be either released or detained. All right. Thank you. Yes, sir. All right, Mr. Fui, you're charged with seconddegree murder. Murder committed with a depraved mind, but without permeditation. That is murder in the second degree, although it is a first-degree felony. Judge Orfinger ordered his stay in juvenile detention for 21 days until the state attorney made their decision on whether he would be tried as an

adult or not. A week later, Jacksonville attorney Anoir Snoba, who had been retained to represent Aiden, filed a motion to withdraw from council. This was granted. Aiden's parents both asked for a judge to declare them indigent. Indigency means someone doesn't have sufficient income to afford a lawyer for defense in a criminal case. Aiden's mother's application was accepted, but his father's was initially denied. After explaining that he was self-employed, and since everything had happened, he was unable to find work, his request was also granted. This means that the 14-year-old will now be represented by the public

defender's office. Hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition asking the state attorney's office and Governor Ronda Santis to charge Aiden Fucci as an adult rather than a juvenile and also to charge him with firstdegree murder as opposed to secondderee. On May 18th, a celebration of life was held to honor Tristan Bailey. People attended the memorial at Celebration Church in Jacksonville wearing aqua and white, which were Tristan's favorite colors. It was extremely emotional and moving and the family and friends of Tristan shared beautiful memories and positive and hopeful thoughts and feelings. Everyone showed such

tremendous strength, resilience, and grace and it was clear to see what a close bond they all had. You guys amaze us and the outpour of love from our community is breathtaking and we cannot thank you enough for that. But I made a promise to her today that I was going to keep her memory alive. I was going to make her name shine above all the evil that has happened. And from the goodness that has poured out from her friends, our families, our community, and across the world, I make that promise that I will do something

good in her name. One, two, three. I've left a link in the description box to the video should anyone wish to watch it. On May 27th, it was announced that Aiden Fucci would in fact be tried as an adult, and his charge was also upgraded from seconddegree murder to firstdegree premeditated murder. He was indicted unanimously by a grand jury on firstdegree murder charges. The indictment against Aiden Fucci for firstdegree murder involving our victim, Tristan Bailey. Once the grand jury had done the indictment, we did a transfer order, which I believe some of the folks in

the media had already gotten a hold of, transferring the case from juvenile court to adult court. The indictment is the triggering document which signals and executes the move into the adult court system. So, Aiden Fucci will be tried as an adult in St. John's County for firstdegree murder. First off, I want to tell you it brings me no pleasure to be charging a 14-year-old as an adult with firstdegree murder. But I can tell you also that the executive team and I reviewed all the facts, all the circumstances, the applicable law, and it was not a

difficult decision to make that he should be charged as an adult. It's a sad decision and a sad state of affairs, but it was clear to us after we looked at what happened that it was not only appropriate to charge the defendant as an adult, but it was really the only choice that we could make. The defendant made statements to several people that he intended to kill someone. He didn't say who that was, but he indicated to witnesses that he was going to kill someone by taking them in the woods and stabbing them. And there's

additional items that we are looking at now that have been sent to the FDLE lab for confirmation of blood and DNA analysis. Here is what we know about what it means for Aiden to be tried as an adult as opposed to a juvenile. If he was charged as a juvenile, it means he cannot legally be held in jail beyond the age of 21. Adult charges automatically attach to a firstderee murder indictment. So, when the grand jury indicted Aiden of first-degree murder charges on May 27th, his case automatically moved out of the juvenile court and into

adult felony court. In his first court appearance since it was announced he would be tried as an adult, Judge Howard M. Mounts laid out the charges he is facing. It is May 28th, 2021. I'm Judge Meltz. This is the first appearance in the state of Florida versus Aiden Fucci, which is case number 21-825 CF. Are you Aiden Fucci? Yes, sir. Okay. Very well. State is here represented by Mr. Lewis. Mr. Fucci is here represented by Miss Peoples. Good morning, everybody. All right, Mr. Fucci, if you'll raise your right hand for me, please. Do you solemnly

swear or affirm that any testimony you give today will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to help God? Yes, sir. All right. So, let me tell you what you are charged with. You have been indicted by the St. John's County Grand Jury on the charge of firstdegree premeditated murder. That is a capital felony that is normally punishable by up to death or life imprisonment. In your case, because you are not yet 18 years old, death is not a possible sentence pursuant to the Florida and United States Supreme Courts. But this

charge does carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Do you understand the charge against you? Yes, sir. The indictment and capas that followed set your bond at none. Is the state still asking that he be held without bond, Mr. Lewis? That is correct, Judge. The state's request is no bond. Judge Mount said his firstdegree premeditated murder charge is a capital felony that is punishable by life in prison or the death penalty. But because Aiden is under the age of 18, the death penalty is automatically off the table. In 2005, the US Supreme Court found the

death penalty unconstitutional for defendants who were under the age of 18 at the time of their crime. If convicted of firstdegree murder, Aiden could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison. Florida technically has parole, but courts haven't granted it for some time. The Florida legislature abolished it for most crimes in 1983, and it was phased out for the remaining crimes by 1995. However, Florida law does require a judge to review the life sentence of a juvenile 25 years after their arrest. At the point of the review, the judge can consider a number of factors

in deciding whether to change a life sentence or not. These factors can include whether the victim's family objects or if the defendant still poses a risk to society. Regardless of what happens at that 25-year review, a juvenile convicted of murder in Florida must serve a statutory minimum sentence of 40 years behind bars. The state attorney R.J. Larissitza indicated that his office will be seeking life in prison, but said Aiden will likely be able to appeal it as part of a wider ongoing effort to reduce sentences for juveniles in Florida. If he were to receive a

life in prison sentence, he will be eligible for a review of his sentence at age 25 because he is currently a minor at this time. All of these outcomes completely depend on whether or not Aiden changes his plea and what happens in the coming weeks and months. Police said there is no evidence at this time to suggest that Aiden suffers from any psychological conditions or issues and he has no previous criminal history. The motive for this senseless and horrific attack at this point remains unknown. However, authorities alleged that Aiden told people in the days before

Tristan's murder that he was planning to kill someone within the month. He didn't say who, but he spoke of plans to take someone into the woods and stab them. So far, authorities have refused to disclose whether the murder was sexually motivated, and according to records so far, there is no indication of sexual assault. What they can confirm, however, is that they found Aiden's DNA on Tristan's body. But what that DNA is again is unconfirmed. There are also some people on social media who have published posts suggesting they were part of the crime too or have

said they knew other people may have been involved. These accounts and statements have been investigated by officers and will most likely continue to be investigated. But the St. John's County Sheriff's Office said the accounts and people they had looked into had nothing to do with the murder. The sheriff's office says at this time there are no other suspects in the crime apart from Aiden, but they are investigating the possibility that someone could have been involved as an accessory after the fact. A felony arraignment date was set for June 10th. This is where Aiden would plead

guilty or not guilty. But on June 3rd, Aiden Fucci's attorney entered a written plea on Aiden's behalf. This was a plea of not guilty. I want to turn to a developing story on our first coast. Aiden Fucci pleading not guilty to killing his classmate Tristan Bailey in St. John's County. The eighth grader is charged with firstdegree murder premeditated in the May 10th stabbing of a seventh grade girl. It has also been reported that since he is now being tried as an adult, he is being held without bond at Duval County Jail in Jacksonville. Although there

is space for juveniles there, he is being separated from the adult inmates inside. On June 5th, it was reported that Aiden's mother, Crystal, is now facing a charge of tampering with evidence after she turned herself into authorities. Three-year-old Crystal Lane Smith was arrested and booked in the St. John's County Jail Saturday morning at 11.50. Smith was charged with tampering with evidence, which is a thirdderee felony in Florida. The arrest warrant says after Fucci went with investigators on May 9th for questioning in Bailey'seye killing, Smith was seen on surveillance video inside her home washing Fucci's blue

jeans, which later tested positive for blood. The drain in the sink where Smith was seen washing the jeans also tested positive for blood. According to the warrant, Gene Nichols, a local attorney, says the mother's arrest took so long because investigators were most likely questioning her. Nichols says although the mother was charged with a thirdderee felony, he doubts anything will be done until Fucci's case is done. She will present to felony court the same way her son did in front of a judge. Nichols says he doubts the St. John's County Sheriff's Office will give the mother

prison time. I am sure that Mr. Louise's office recognizes that this was a mother trying to protect her child and made some very bad decisions in order to try to protect her child. As the rain gently falls and the night grows deeper, thank you for joining me here at Mr. Nightcared. True crime stories remind us of life's mysteries and the importance of staying aware, even as we seek comfort in the quiet of the night. Let the rain carry you to a peaceful sleep. And until we meet again, stay safe, stay curious, and let the night

watch over you.