48 Hours - Coerced Confessions

Episode Date: January 11, 2026

On January 20, 1998, 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe was found stabbed to death in her California home. Her 14-year-old brother, Michael, and his two friends admitted to killing her, but Defense Attorney Mary Ellen Attridge claimed their confessions were coerced by police. DNA testing revealed Stephanie's blood was on the sweatshirt of a drifter, Richard Tuite, but was he the killer? “48 Hours" correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 6/11/2005. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She was the type of person that no matter where she went she made friends. She was always on the go. I was driving her everywhere. She was caring and loving. She sacrificed herself. She helped others all the time. Stephanie knocked to my bedroom door and said she was going to bed. She said she loved me. I love you too. That's it. Went down the hallway to see why she wasn't up yet.

And I pushed the door the rest of the way open, and I stepped into the room, and her body was there on the floor. Cheryl's mom was yelling that Stephanie was laying on the floor, and she was covered with mud. It wasn't mud. It was blood. And I picked her head up. Nine on one.

My daughter, that's the problem. He laid on the floor, he stopped breathing. How old is she? His painful cries were just almost undefee. almost unbearable to listen to. She was murdered. She was stabbed to death. At this time, we have not been able to discover

signs that would indicate that there was forced entry. The possibility is that it could be a family member, or an acquaintance, or a stranger. I picked the phone up, said that they made an arrest in the case. And I said, who? And I just said, what? That was the biggest shock I ever got my life, was that phone call. Dozens of young people from all over San Diego came out to collect trash and clean up a canyon often used for drug-related activities.

It gets you to not do stuff like watch TV all the time, and it gets you out there. I wonder what Stephanie would it look like. How old would Stephanie be? 19. 19. She would be in college as well. I already graduated high school. It's been more than six years since Stephanie Crow was murdered, but her parents, Stephen and Cheryl finally have hope that justice is. on the horizon.

We're back on the record in the Tewitt case. Today, this man, Richard Tewitt, a drifter, a felon, and a diagnosed schizophrenic, is going on trial for her murder. People will show beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant murdered Stephanie Crow. Just try to get justice for her. And if we could do that, there'll be a little bit off our shoulders, but it's been a long road, very long. So is there any doubt in your mind who killed her daughter?

No. After her funeral, we went back to the cemetery to make sure everything was done right and everything. And who do we see walking a couple blocks away from the cemetery towards the cemetery, but Richard Tewitt. The crows have never had a doubt that Richard Tewitt did it. Stabbed Stephanie nine times in her bed

after sneaking into their house while the rest of the family slept. Do you think about that night? Every day. I wish that we would have heard something. Not give anything to be able to go back. That doesn't happen. Stephanie's big brother, Michael, was 14-year

years old when it happened. He has grown up in the shadow of the murder and despises Richard Tewitt. I can't stand looking at him. The whole reason all this happened is all because of him and his choices and the choices of his family and everyone who's just enabled him to just get by. Michael Crowe may be convinced that Richard Tewitt killed his sister, but the authorities haven't always been so certain. In fact, even today, after all these years, there are still Still those who believe others did it. Others who, remarkably, confess to the crime. Yet, Toot is the one on trial now because there is also dramatic evidence against him.

There is one thing no one disputes. Richard Toot was here in the hills of Escondido on that terrible night in 1998. The night, Stephanie Crowe, was murdered. 911 emergency. We just said like a transient type walking on our... The night of the murder, police received numerous reports about a stranger in the Crow neighborhood. I don't know what he's doing. They say he appeared disoriented, knocking on doors, looking for a girl named Tracy.

He had those Charlie Manson eyes. You know, he looked really crazy. I said, he gave me the creeps. Is this the man who knocked on your door? Yeah, that's him. The Crow's next door neighbor at the time, Reverend Gary West, told us he saw Richard to it that night. You go to the door and he says what? He says, I'm looking for the girl.

And I said, well, there's no girl here. You have no business here. You just need to get out of here. When did you first meet Richard Tewitt? How old were you? I was 15 years old. At the time, Richard Tewitt was obsessed with this girl, Tracy Nelson, who resembled Stephanie.

I could see maybe resemblance, because my hair was different color when I was younger. At that time, I was into drugs, and so we would get high together. After doing the drugs, he would start. He started getting a little paranoid, that's what he did. He would start thinking people were following him. Would you point out the various sort of landmarks in this area here?

That's Reverend West's house, and our house is over here to the right. You can see houses are spotted in all through here, all these trees. He was in a bunch of them over here. It wasn't like just some guy knocking on the doors. I mean, every great place where this guy went, they actually called 911.

But if Tewitt was the killer, he was either very careful or very lucky. The crime scene was bloody. There were no fingerprints or DNA, and the murder weapon was never found. The morning after the murder, Toot was picked up and his clothes were confiscated. But he was let go because authorities said

they had no incriminating evidence, and didn't think he was capable of sneaking into the house undetected. He's been interviewed. He's not in custody at this point. There is nothing to indicate that he went to the Crow residence that night. The evidence we're going to present to show you

that Mr. Toot, this gentleman, has a weapon choice and his weapon of choice is a knife. But today, authorities have done a 180. Prosecutors Dave Drewliner and Jim Dutton are confident he is the right man. He does a what we call a blitz attack on Stephanie. It only takes a matter of seconds, literally. And then he exits.

There's not a lot of planning. It's essentially a straight shot. And yet, he leaves not a single fingerprint. No hair, no fibers, no footprints. Luck plays a big part in a lot of murder investigations. Record reflect the presence of the jurors, the attorneys, and Mr. Toot. What's it like being in the same room with Richard Toot? It's kind of fighting the urge to run away and the urge to just climb over a table and hit him over the head

with something. With the trial of Richard Toot finally underway, it is Michael Crowe who is perhaps the most anxious about the outcome. Back in 1998, authorities were convinced that this 14-year-old planned and carried out the brutal crime. All I know is I'm positive I killed him, but all I know is he killed it. Back then, Michael Crow, Stephanie's big brother, confessed to police. I got sure how I did it, all I know they did it. Back then in this courtroom, it was Michael Crow and his two friends who were preparing to go on trial for Stephanie's murder. Everybody that came in contact with her loved her.

She was just a very, very special young lady. terrible tragedy. Stephanie Crowe's funeral was on a Tuesday. Her parents and friends were all there. In our hearts, you will... She was like an angel. I can't believe that somebody would want to kill her. But someone was missing.

Her big brother, Michael. Michael, you have the right to remain silent. Not only had the crows lost a daughter. Anything you do say, canon will be used against you in court. in court. They were now being told their son was her killer. I just asked him, did you do this? Did you have anything to do with this?

Michael was crying and just said he didn't know. That's all he said was he didn't know. When we first talked to Cheryl and Stephen Crow back then, they said Michael was a bit shy, but otherwise a typical 14-year-old. I tend to be quiet, have just a few friends. I like to read, play around with video games, computers. But authorities saw Michael differently, a bright kid with a dark side.

The morning Stephanie's body was discovered, they say. Michael seemed distant, quiet, even preoccupied. The behavior of the brother seemed to be in contrast to the behavior of the rest of the family. Former prosecutor, Summer Steffen. He was playing with some handheld game while the rest of the family was grieving. But it was Michael's alibi that really made investigators suspicious.

I woke up at 4.30 in the morning, the headache. I went and had some tie on all, glass of milk, drank it. And then he walked back from the kitchen, walked back into his room. But according to the police, even in the dark, Michael should have seen something. His room is directly across from Stephanie's. The evidence shows her door was open because her body blocked the doorway.

You say you didn't see anything that night. No, I didn't. Just because a person does something bad. Oh, God. Police began interrogating Michael. At first, he denied killing his sister. Why are you doing this to me? I didn't do this to her.

I couldn't. God, God. What's here it, Mike. So it's either Shannon or it's your grandma. But after two days of questioning, or it's your dad, or it's you. Michael finally told the police what they had suspected all along. All I know is, I'm positive I killed him.

And she was like a threat to me. Everything I did, she could match. It wasn't right. Every time I was going to be in the spotlight, she grabbed it right away from me. A few times I was going to win something, she had to go ahead and win something even bigger. She made me feel worthless. Sibling rivalry was Michael Crow's motive for murdering his sister, according to police. They say Michael deeply resented Stephanie because she was more popular and got better grades.

And they say he didn't act alone. Instead, he recruited two of his friends, both of them also in the ninth grade. I'm trying to feed him a little cricket, seeing if he's going to actually eat it on my hand. Oh, and he actually is. This was Josh Treadway back then, a shy, artsy kid. Tell me a little bit about yourself. What kind of guy are you? I don't know.

A normal guy, I would hope would be a good description. And this was Aaron Hauser, more bookish, analytical. Up to this point, the worst trouble I've ever gotten in is being late to class. Aaron also had an impressive collection of knives. The knives were given to me as a present for my grandpa. I'm not particularly fond of knives. Michael, Josh, and Aaron loved fantasy, especially video games.

I made up my own fantasy roles. What is your favorite game? Final fantasy 7th? For most kids, it's harmless fun. But investigators believe these boys decided to bring their dark fantasies into the real world and find a real victim. Michael's little sister. The motive started out as this hate, but then it turned into a sort of a game of, let's plan this out. Let's see if it can be pulled off.

When authorities went to see Josh, the suspicions grew. What they find? They found two knives under my bed. Under this bed. Mm-hmm. Police thought one of those knives looked like the one used to kill Stephanie. So they brought Josh in for questioning. You gave you the knife?

Oh, what were you told? To get rid of it, to hide it. No one, I know, find out of him. Police questioned Josh for 12 hours. He didn't say much. much more, but when he came back for another interview two weeks later, he told the police how the murder was planned. And I was going to sort of make sure he's going to kind of look out, you don't know, make sure everything's okay and disposed of the life when it was done. Josh told police Michael had the motive, but Aaron was the mastermind.

What were they going to do? They were going to feel something. Okay. Michael was supposed to go in there and sort of take care of keeping Stephanie quiet, holding your mouth and whatnot. And Aaron was supposed to go with him and take care of the business. Police brought Aaron Hauser in for questioning. He never confessed. Instead, he gave a chilling, hypothetical scenario of how someone would inflict knife wounds on someone like Stephanie. If Michael were to staffer, what area would he utilize, what targets? I'd say probably the testing them. Maybe it's something.

She has to make sure that she can't scream. He has to make sure that she can't make any noise. Why would you hypothesize about a situation like that, especially to a seasoned homicide investigator? Okay, why would you do that? This is the hearing where Josh... Chris McDonough was one of the detectives who interviewed Josh. and Aaron.

Aaron is a very methodical young man. He knows what he says and why he says it, and he's very, very specific. Aaron tells you that Michael had said he really wants to kill his sister, and Aaron says, I'll help you do it. And then they plan it. That's what they told me. And that is another thing that really, really, really scared me about Aaron. That's why I don't ever want to be alone in a room with Aaron.

When Josh told you he was afraid of Aaron, did you believe him? Yes. Definitely. Once they had their confessions, detectives believed they had made their case. But shortly after the boys had given those detailed statements, they recanted, took it all back. Now Michael and his friends were saying they had made it all up under intense pressure from the police. You didn't conspire with your friends to kill your sister. No.

take part in it in any way. In any way. Why wouldn't you just stick to your guns and say, I didn't do this, I didn't do this, there's no way in the world I'm going to confess to something I didn't do. It's eventually they wear you down to where you don't even trust yourself. You can't trust your memory anymore. Why in the world an innocent person would ever confess to a crime as serious as murder? I had a lot of pressure on me at the time and again you'd have to just be there.

Did you stab Stephanie Crow? No. Come all the way back to this. And Michael's family believed them. Number one is kind of ridiculous. Why did they have to gain, too? I mean, whether they board or something? Let's go kill someone.

It doesn't make sense. But the district attorney's office was convinced they were guilty. So, six years ago, it wasn't the drifter Richard Tewitt on trial, but the three boys. Their lives were on the line. Tonight, new evidence is pointing toward another suspect in the murder. Until... It is a sealed bag.

A stunning piece of evidence came to light. Out of nowhere. The most shocking news of all is that police may have had this evidence all along. Do you have a dark curiosity? Heart starts pounding, horrors, hauntings, and mysteries is a weekly podcast hosted by me and Kailan Moore. Each week, I'll take you on a dark journey through terrifying true urban legends, bizarre, true crime cases. bizarre true crime cases, chilling tales of backwoods horror and more. So if you're looking to join a passionate community of The Darkly Curious,

check out Heart Starts pounding on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And remember, stay curious. So who do you think stabbed, Stephanie? I believe I heard this. Just because that's, you know what, how they just planned it and that's what, you know, he said after the fact. He said things weren't according to time, you know. The confession of Josh Treadway gave the most details about the murder of Stephanie Crow. The confession tells us that two people went into the room and one stayed out,

and two people cooperated to commit this murder. And then Aaron came out, told Michael, you know, okay, everything's taken care of. Joshua has always been the pivotal defendant in this case. Oh, he's the kid. He really doesn't understand a lot that's going on. No one believed more in Josh's innocence than his public defender, Mary Ellen Atridge, Joshua is not Mr. Sociopathic. That kid is an open buck. She was relentless in her belief that the police set the boys up. There is absolutely no physical evidence in this case that shows any of these three kids had anything to do with this at all.

The main thing the prosecution has are the two confessions. They're not confessions. They're false. They're lies. And they were manufactured out of whole and coercive cloth by the police department. Mary Ellen Atrich's plan was to dispute the boys' so-called confessions. But she was also planning to revisit the questions about Richard Toewitt and paint him as the likely killer. One thing she had always wondered about was the clothing police took from Toot the morning Stephanie's body was discovered. Clothing the police said contained no incriminating evidence. She wanted to have a closer look. I was given the impression that all of the clothes were sent to their DNA lab.

She discovered that only T. T.T.'s white T-shirt had been tested for DNA evidence. When we went to see the evidence, I looked at Richard Tew, its clothing, and I thought this stuff is a cesspool of biological material. And then she saw something on the red sweatshirt. I didn't know what it was. I suspected there had to be some sort of DNA on there somewhere. Richard Tewitt, a known paranoid schizophrenic. Atridge demanded that prosecutors sent all of Tewitt's clothing for DNA testing. Five months later, on the first day of Josh's trial, there was still no word from the lab. And then...

The phone call came in and I hung up and I just started to cry. The DNA lab had found three spots of Stephanie Crow's blood on Richard Tewitt's red sweatshirt. We got a phone call from Mary Ellen. It's over. After all this time, it's almost one year. I don't know what the district attorney's going to say at this point, you know, how they're going to react to all of this. I like the way that looks, not you? I thought this is it.

Bombshell. This is the slam dunk. Lock him away, Richard Tewitt killed Stephanie Crow, absolutely positively, no doubt about it. Summer? The prosecution was stunned. How come no one spotted this blood before? The shirt is heavily stained. It's a transient shirt.

It has stains everywhere. These are small stains of blood. Forgive me for saying this, but this is a prosecutor's nightmare, isn't it? It is a nightmare. You really need to figure out how that blood goes. got onto its shirt before you can go anywhere, right? That's excellent. That's exactly, I think that is the primary thing

that we have to do. It's about time that these kids got their names back, their lives back, and the Crow family was allowed to grieve for their daughter, because they were deprived that opportunity by an unjust system. The judge put a freeze on the trial. Six weeks later,

We're in the hallway. Charges against the three boys who had been incarcerated for six months. months were dropped. With the provision, they could be filed again. They could not go in front of a jury with a straight face and ask that they find these kids guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. This is a true mystery right now, and I want to look at it that way, and I don't want to make up my mind. I don't want to say they did it, he did it.

I want to find out what the truth is. The DA was reluctant to charge to it, who was in jail for a burglary. There were just too many unanswered questions. questions. Mostly about the confessions and how the Escondido police handled the evidence. Something's vastly wrong somewhere. When the police arrest somebody you think they must have the goods on them. I had a lot of trust and faith in police and it's getting very difficult to retain that. A year went by still no arrest. Summer Steffen and the Escondido authorities were off the case when the state attorney general's office took it over. Every

once in a while in a detective's career you get a case that stays with you all your life and for me it would be this case. Vic Koloka, a senior investigator with the San Diego Sheriff's Department, was in charge of the new investigation. Either the boys did or Mr. Tuah did it. It wasn't who'd done it. It's, you know, which one done it? Coloka started fresh, quickly focusing in on the interrogation tapes. I only know I did it down because she did. I did try to be objective, but something that we were told never to ever do in interviews was being done in front of the in front of me and it was very upsetting, very shocking. Tell me, please talk to my mom before we continue any conversation.

I just need to hear words for her, please. He noted that the boys had no lawyers with them and were isolated from their parents for extended periods of time. They were interrogated for hours on end. You're going to tell them the truth. You've got unsophisticated boys 14, 15 years of age, no criminal sophistication, that have faith in the system. He keeps telling me all this stuff. And I don't know if it's true or not. It was clear to Koloka that police lied to their suspects, which is legal.

The question he had was, did they promise leniency, which is illegal? I think we have ways of helping this situation. You know what? I'm not really sure that locking you up to the answer. The amount of stress they were under, I mean, this was brainwashing as far as I was concerned. Tell us the story. But it was a lie. I'll have to admit it up. That's the story.

Koloca was becoming convinced the boys were innocent because their stories did not fit the facts of the crime. It's going to wear it now. It's a complete lie. Apparently the police believed that Stephanie Crow had been moved from her bed. Is she heavy? They had been pressuring Michael asking him, why did you move her? Can you feel the weight of her body in your arms? I don't remember anything. But then Michael admitted to the police that he had moved her body.

That to me was critical because Michael admitted to something that we could prove factually never happened. Did Michael Crow actually confess to the crime in this interrogation? No, Michael never confessed. He just gave the police what he thought they wanted to hear. I think Escondedo Police Department acted within the scope of their responsibilities, absolutely. Though he wasn't there for the most grueling part of the interrogations, Chris McDonough sees things differently. Do you think those detectives crossed the line in those moments? What's your definition of crossing the line?

Doing what you're not supposed to in an interrogation. I think not being there, so I don't know what they were thinking, so I'm not going to guess. I don't think it was an intentional thing on their part, but something happened that they went too far, and I think they did cross the line. I did, this, I don't be so constantly blocking your powers. Knowing what you know now, do you think the boys killed Stephanie Crow? I think there's reasonable doubt on Richard Toot and the three boys. I think the pendulum can swing either way.

The only thing works as a truth. Koloka spent two and a half years investigating the case, and he interrogated Richard Tuitt. Tuitt admitted he went into the Crow house, but denied killing Stephanie. What do I tell the day? But in the end, for Detective Koloka, it was the DNA blood evidence that was irrefutable. And in the other case, would have been more than enough to get a conviction, just that alone. During the evening...

Coloka went to his boss, the sheriff, who made the dramatic announcement on live TV. This morning, Sheriff's homicide detectives arrested Richard Raymond Toot for the murder of Stephanie Crow. Four and a half years after police first questioned Richard Toewitt, he was finally arrested. for the murder of Stephanie Crow. I was happy that they'd finally taken the next step in the process and that we might finally actually get some justice here. Here's a plea of not guilty and denies all allegations. But just when Toitt's trial was about to begin,

there was another bizarre twist. A massive search is underway downtown right now for 34-year-old Richard Toewitt. He escaped during the lunch hour, just as jury selection began in his murder trial. A massive search is underway for 33rd. four-year-old Richard Tewitt. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, gray pants,

and he's now clean-shaven. He escaped during the lunch hour, just as jury selection began in his murder trial. And the next thing they know, the lunch and Richard Tewitt were gone, and the handcuffs were still there. He walked out a door and probably into the hallway of the courthouse and out. Our number one priority right now is finding Richard Tewitt.

Just three hours after slipping away from the San Diego courthouse, Richard Toewitt was finally captured. Accused murderer Richard Toewitt is caught a few hours after escaping from the county courthouse this afternoon. For prosecutors, his escape on the first day of trial is just more proof that he killed 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe. This guy's got to be brought to justice. We've got to fix things that were broken. Prosecutors are in an unusual position. They must also play. defense attorneys because to convict Tuitt of murder, they must exonerate the boys. Pointing towards this idea of innocence are these ten main points. There's no way that these kids could have done it at the time. Are there two reasonable interpretations? Brad Patton is one of Richard

Tuitt's defense attorneys. The evidence that is being proffered against Richard Tuitt is not reliable and does not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Is this going to be more about defending Richard Tewitt or proving that the boys did it. This is a trial within a trial in the classic sense. We're back on the record in the Tewitt case that the record reflect the presence of the ladies and gentlemen jury, the attorneys, and Mr. Tewitt. It's hard to believe the man in the mugshot

is the same man the jury would see, a subdued, clean-shaven, handsome man who has the support of his family. Did Richard murder Stephanie Crone? Absolutely not. No, never. Never would he have done anything like that. This picture was taken on his first birthday.

Richard Tewitt's mother, Linda, and Sister Carrie say he is harmless. A sad case of a young man, once full of promise. He was just very outgoing and just fit right in wherever you took him. It's a people person, animal person. He always liked to wear a Santa hat and help with the gifts. In his 20s, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The family says they took Richard to the hospital at least 30 times. They'd help him short term and that was it.

They released them. And so, Tewitt wandered the streets of Escondido. He used to tell me, I know it's not your fault, Mom, I'm like this. And he felt bad and he felt like he was a burden. His right hand, his best we can. He was no stranger to police. His criminal record included, includes arrests for drug use, attempted burglary,

and assault with a deadly weapon. That it was an organized crime. And yet, says his other attorney, William Fletcher. There is not any trace evidence that connects Mr. Toot with the Crowe residence. Richard Toot did not go into that house, and Richard Toot did not kill Stephanie Crowe. There may have been no evidence left by Toot

in the Crow home, but there was evidence on Tewitt evidence onto it. In fact, after Stephanie's blood was found on his red sweatshirt, a crime lab eventually found her blood onto its white t-shirt too. How significant to your case are those blood stains on those two shirts? Part of the case. Right right at the center of the case. Because according to prosecutors, there's only one way blood could have gotten on his clothes. He killed Stephanie. The most likely means of delivery was from blood which was wet at the time that it was applied. But the defense was about to present its theory.

Showing you the red shirt. That Stephanie's blood was transferred to its clothes by the police. There was blood on your knee, wasn't it? It wasn't, well, I couldn't tell if it was red or not, but yes, there was moisture on my knee, and I assumed that it probably came from blood. Who got blood on themselves at the crime scene. I tried to avoid stepping into the blood. Based on photographs that you've seen, saw what she called was transfer?

Yes. The defense claims that Stephanie's blood got on T.S. White T-shirt after investigators tracked it into a holding cell where T-Witt was being questioned. When T-It sat on the floor of the cell, blood tracked in on the shoes of the policeman, got smeared onto its shirt, which was soaking wet from the rain. showing you a sleeve with areas where they found blood. But what about the red sweatshirt? In the past, I have placed my camera tripod in a blood stain. In this particular case, I don't believe that I did.

I would have tried everything possible to not do so. But that's exactly what the defense claimed happened, that a police investigator photographing the crime scene using a tripod like this, set it down in Stephanie's blood. Later, back at the lab, the police used that same contaminated tripod to photograph to its red shirt. According to this theory, some of Stephanie's blood now dried, somehow flaked off the tripod and onto the shirt. And when that shirt was later tested using wet chemicals, the dried blood turned into a blood stain. Do you think the jury will buy that?

Honestly, no. I don't. I really don't. And then the defense presents its strongest argument to exonerate Richard Toewitt, the boys' own words. All I know is. I'm positive. I killed it. Most of the confession tapes had been ruled coerced and inadmissible back when the boys were facing trial. But now those tapes can be used as evidence to defend Richard Toot. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I do. Michael Crow, Stephanie's older brother, would now take the stand to defend himself.

Maybe I need to be a little more specific here. Or maybe if I change the question, do you know who killed Stephanie? I don't know. It is the first time, Michael, now 20. Has seen what he told police when he was 14. Michael, why this is going on? What's going through your mind? Just don't like remember.

that. I just wish I wouldn't have done that to me. You were quite emotional on the stand. What was it that sort of pushed you past the brink? I think a lot of that came just from me wanting to know, you know, what the hell were those cops doing? Why were they doing that to me? And just every time they'd ask a question, I'd just be thinking to myself, why didn't one of them step in and say, you know, maybe this is wrong. What were you supposed to do? Disposed to you, I guess. Then it's Joshua Treadway's turn to testify.

You were talking to the detectives about the fact that you were in the kitchen and Michael had come out alone, not with Aaron, but alone, with the knife. You recall that? It's all subjective to whatever they wanted to hear. I didn't want to say any of it. But you clearly did, right? You did say all of that? Yes. Mr. Hauser, did you use the call up Michael Crow on the phone and asked if he had killed his son?

history yet? Not that I remember. Aaron Hauser is the last of the boys to take the stand. So as you sit here today, you have no recollection of having called Michael Crowe and made that statement. Correct. Even though it's Richard Tuitt on trial for murder, in the two weeks of the boys' testimony, the defendant's name is hardly mentioned.

No further questions. No further. Nothing further. Thank you. Finally, after listening to three months of testimony, the jury must decide. Is Richard Toot the killer? That's Stephanie's blood on this shirt. No question about it.

Or as the defense claims, are these boys getting away with murder? Who had the motive to kill in this case? Was it Richard Tewitt in this theory that the prosecution is woven together? Or is it Michael Crow? This is Stephanie? I think about Stephanie every day, no fail. Just imagine everything that you love in your life, everything that you get your strength and your stability from, and just imagine that being torn away from you.

After six years of living under suspicion for the murder of his little sister, the moment of truth is about to come for Michael Crow. It just kind of feels like you've been running a marathon and it might be over, but you never know. A jury is finally deliberating the fate of the man who is on trial now for her murder. There are only two possibilities on the planet Earth for the cause of Stephanie Crow's death. One would be the three boys, the other is Richard Tewitt. In the end, would the jury believe a mentally ill transient could kill a young girl in her own home without making a sound or leaving a trace?

All I know is, I'm positive I killed him. Would they believe a brother and his friends could confess to a murder they didn't commit? Some people just don't want to believe that, you know, 14 or 15-year-old kids are capable of killing. And what about the blood? Could police mistakes have contaminated key evidence? It's the only case I've ever known of where TNA wasn't enough. It would take eight long days of deliberating. But finally... Any thoughts today?

Not right now, thank you. All right. Mr. Crow, what are your thoughts? I don't know right now. Madam Clerk, please read the verdict. A verdict is reached. We, the jury, in the above entitled cause, find the defendant Richard Raymond, Guilty of the crime of voluntary manslaughter.

The jury has found Richard Tewitt guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, concluding that he killed Stephanie Crow, but without malice or premeditation. What did you say about Ms. Crow? What's the first thought that went through your mind when the verdict was read? Disbelief. Absolute disbelief. I'm just thinking of the prosecutors that they did such a wonderful job. They took a lot of time to do what was almost impossible, and they did it.

and they did it, found justice for Stephanie. Finally, the community has seen this case, understands this case, realize that Mr. Tewitt is the guilty person, and the boys had no involvement at all. And they're finally, the cloud is finally lifted from them. Michael Crowe chose not to be there for the news. Three months after the conviction, the judge is ready to sentence to it. At issue, whether his mental illness will affect his punishment.

The state just does not have the privilege. does not have the proper facilities to take care of those people who are mentally ill and who present a danger to the community. Should we feel sorry for Richard Toowett? Yes. He's a victim. I think he's a victim. He is a victim.

However, the judge rules that Toot's extensive criminal record cannot be ignored and he sentences him to the maximum term. For these reasons and others, probation is denied. The defendant shall be committed to the Department of Corrections. for the total term of 13 years. For the Two-It family, it's a bitter disappointment. For the crows, it's the end of a recurrent nightmare. For Detective Vic Koloka, the cop who turned this case around,

it's justice, plain and simple. Colokka is the hero of this case. It's the best way of saying it. He's just what a cop should be. I know that I can hold my head high that I did the best I could for this little girl. Stephanie is the reason. Stephanie was the motive.

the motivation behind this. So I feel good about that. We'll always be grieving. Unless they can find a way to bring her back, she's going to be a part of our lives from now on in. I'm moving on with a different life. Whatever life I had then is completely gone at this point. Michael Crowe is now married.

He hopes to finish college and is desperate to leave behind the whispers of Escondido. Justice for me would be admissions and apologies from the people who just tortured me and broke my life because they could. I think Stephanie got what justice this world has to give her. We can only hope that if there is something in the next world that justice will be given to her then. This world doesn't have any justice for either of us. In 2012, Richard Tuitt's conviction was overturned,

and he was acquitted in a 2013. routine retrial. Stephanie Crow's murder remains unsolved.