48 Hours - Fall from Grace

Episode Date: August 2, 2015

Was an alleged religious cult responsible for a young bride’s death? "48 Hours" correspondent Troy Roberts investigates.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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She was just glowing. Everything that she ever dreamed of had come true for her. In my head, my plan was to live the rest of my life with Bethany, and she was going to be my wife and I was excited about that. To her, Tyler was someone who seemed to be passionately pursuing God and pursuing a meaningful life as much as she was. And that's really what drew her to him. what drew her to him. At the wedding, the way she looked at him, it was more than love. It was almost this worship now.

It really scared me. Fill us with the light of day. My gift, and something that is also a curse is that I'm charismatic. I am charismatic. I've owned that from the beginning. I'll own that to the end. I can be electric and magnetic. It can affect people. God told Tyler that our group was specially chosen to show the rest of the world what it looked like to live in community,

to be really Christian, to be radical. This is the house in which Bethany and Tyler lived right after they were married. This is when I would say it became a full-blown cult and a very dangerous cult. They did as they were told. They didn't make decisions on their own some of the things he was saying were were incoherent and borderline insane but when you're there

it's perfectly normal you've been described as a cult leader okay true i don't think so no you don't think so, no. You don't think the group that you helped form was a cult? No. And nobody has used that language who's actually qualified to use it. This is KCTV 5 News at 10. Sheriff's deputies found Bethany Deaton's body in a car at Longview Lake with a plastic bag over her head. This is a newlywed. What newlywed commits suicide by herself in a lake?

Something wasn't quite right. Did Bethany take her life? I don't believe she did. This was murder. She didn't die of natural causes, so yes. Bethany and I's relationship was definitely strained, but just because it was strained doesn't mean I was murderous. I don't want revenge, and I don't want vengeance.

The foundational facts do not point to a murder. I want justice. I want justice. I want truth. I'm Troy Roberts. Tonight on 48 Hours. Fall from grace. Have you ever wondered who created that bottle of sriracha that's living in your fridge? Or why nearly every house in America has at least one game of Monopoly?

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So follow The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to The Best Idea Yet early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. It's just the best idea yet. As a kid growing up in Chicago, there was one horror movie I was too scared to watch. It was called Candyman. The scary cult classic was set in the Chicago housing project. It was about this supernatural killer who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror.

Candyman. Candyman? Now we all know chanting a name won't make a killer magically appear, but did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder? I was struck by both how spooky it was, but also how outrageous it was. We're going to talk to the people who were there, and we're also going to uncover the larger story. My architect was shocked when he saw how this was created. Literally shocked.

And we'll look at what the story tells us about injustice in America. If you really believed in tough on crime, then you wouldn't make it easy to crawl into medicine cabinets and kill our women. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, wherever you get your podcasts. For Carol Leidlein, the deep blue eyes of her daughter Bethany are a constant reminder of a life lost. I want people to know that apart from her obvious beauty, the lilt in her voice and her little laugh and her little mannerisms that just reflected a quiet but deeply caring, intelligent, very loving person. The Leidleins raised their five children in a devoutly Christian home in

suburban Dallas. They were homeschooled, and Bethany, a gifted writer, won a scholarship to Southwestern University near Austin, Texas. She went to a university that was diverse. We had talked about, you know, the different types of people that she might run into at Southwestern, and as it turned out, she did. That's where Bethany met Tyler Deaton, her future husband, and fell in with a like-minded group of young Christian adults. She just started praying with Tyler and two other people, and they just got together, started out being once a week, and it just took off.

But if this is just a story of a girl going off to college and finding the love of her life, it would end now. Because what began so innocently on this campus with idealistic love and religious devotion ended in a tangled web of secrets, deception, and eventually her mysterious death. I didn't think that my heart could beat one more beat or that I could even take one more breath. We would go to sleep crying and wake up crying. The story began seven years earlier. I get passionate and excited, but when another person sees someone else get passionate, excited, and authentic, they're naturally pulled into that. Tyler's charisma pulled in Bethany and other students as well.

He frequently led intense prayer sessions where they tried to heal the sick and ward off evil spirits. Eric and I were aware that they were doing that and we were in favor of it. We thought that was wonderful that she had friends that she could share with in that way, share that faith with. Tyler found an immediate friend in Micah Moore, an intense undergrad from Houston. We were both musicians and both really loved learning about who God is. Another student, Bose Harrington, was brought into the group by Bethany and was also captivated by Tyler. I met Tyler his first week of freshman year in 2005. He seemed really humble, really kind, selfless, giving person,

someone that you could trust. And that trust was shared by others. Very quickly, Tyler became the de facto leader of the group. Tyler felt that revival was going to come to Southwestern because we were praying. What does that mean? That the more we prayed, miracles would happen and people would flock to our group. Did Tyler think he was a prophet? He thought he was an apostle. What did you think? At the time, it seemed reasonable. He was able to explain it in a way that made sense to us. I want to give all that's inside of my heart.

And Tyler definitely made sense to Bethany, who believed she had found the man she had always dreamed of. She confided in her lifelong friend, Taryn O'Brien. She told me that she had met a really amazing, brilliant man who loved God and loved others and who wanted to be involved in missions and prayer and just all of the things that she was so passionate about. Kind of over the moon. Yeah, I mean, she was very much over the moon for him. But at the same time, Tyler was going through a personal struggle. He believed he was gay. And for a long time, he tried to repress and even tried to change his sexuality.

In the very conservative Christian circles that we were raised in, there was the belief that homosexuality is a choice, and that it can be changed and it can be healed, and she wanted to help heal him. To me, being gay meant you were this, like, messed up, even, like, villainous person. You couldn't love God. It was, it was, so I didn't identify as gay. In 2007, Tyler's religious life took a major turn. He decided to focus on mission work,

and he went to Kansas City to attend a national convention put on by a church called the International House of Prayer, known by the acronym IHOP. In this urgent time, bring forth a generation who will lift up your name, Jesus. I wanted to go to IHOP. I loved the 24-7 prayer and worship. I loved that. And so I wanted to go there. After graduation, they did. Tyler, Bethany, and more than 20 members of the group packed up and moved from Southwestern University to Kansas City to study and pray at IHOP. Eventually settling in these two houses, separated by gender,

they called themselves The Community. They lived together and ate together. They had odd jobs and pulled their money. Bethany went back to school and became a nurse. And so what was the routine? Who established the rules? Tyler did. And that wasn't all. Bo says Tyler told members what to wear, when to eat, and even controlled the romantic relationships among their group. If you didn't abide by the rules, there was trouble. What kind of punishment would you receive if you broke these rules? It varied depending on the person. Can you give an example? There was a girl who was

shutting herself off and being antisocial, so they took her bedroom door away. And Bose says when he questioned Tyler's authority, he was shunned. They didn't speak to you at all? No, sometimes they'd leave notes under the door, maybe once, twice a month. So how long did this go on for? Eight months. Eight months. Why did you stay? I really thought that we had some kind of purpose together. They were my friends.

In 2010, after the community moved to Kansas City, Tyler had a change of heart about his sexuality, and he started to have feelings for Bethany. She called me up one night, and she told me, me and Tyler had this conversation, and he sees how much I love him. he had some kind of epiphany, some kind of moment where he at least thought that he was truly healed and felt some kind of attraction for her. Were you in love with Bethany? That is a great question. I love Bethany.

But were you in love? I really genuinely thought that I was in love with her. After a brief engagement, Bethany and Tyler tied the knot in August 2012. On our wedding day, there was this, like, camaraderie, fun, playful, happy tone. Like, my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. But on Bethany's special day, her friends and family felt left out. We weren't even participants. We were observers to this whole almost, you know, messianic type union taking place. I remember thinking, she's still beautiful, but it's almost this faded, wilted kind of beauty.

It's like this isn't Bethany anymore. Taryn said she had a premonition that it would be the last time she would see her good friend alive. It was almost like I felt like I had completely lost her. And that now that she was married to Tyler, she was completely gone. she was married to Tyler, she was completely gone. Hot shot Australian attorney Nicola Gaba was born into legal royalty. Her specialty? Representing some of the city's most infamous gangland criminals. However, while Nicola held the underworld's darkest secrets,

the most dangerous secret was her own. She's going to all the major groups within Melbourne's underworld, and she's informing on them all. I'm Marsha Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defense attorney, I've seen some crazy cases, and this one belongs right at the top of the list. She was addicted to the game she had created. She just didn't know how to stop. Now, through dramatic interviews and access, I'll reveal the truth behind one of the world's most shocking legal scandals.

Listen to Informant's Lawyer X exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. In the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Peru and New Zealand, lies a tiny volcanic island. It's a little-known British territory

called Pitcairn and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pit Can once they reach the age of 10 that would still a virgin. It just happens to all of us. I'm journalist Luke Jones, and for almost two years, I've been investigating a shocking story that has left deep scars on generations of women and girls from Pit Can. When there's nobody watching, nobody going to report it,

people will get away with what they can get away with. In the Pitcairn Trials, I'll be uncovering a story of abuse and the fight for justice that has brought a unique, lonely, Pacific island to the brink of extinction. Listen to the Pitcairn Trials exclusively on Wondery+. Join Wondery in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It's a wedding photo to melt a mother's heart. The newlywed Bethany Deaton about

to embark on the journey of a lifetime. She was radiantly happy. That was her waving goodbye to everybody. Bethany and her new husband Tyler Deaton were heading off on a two-week honeymoon in August of 2012. And despite all of her mixed emotions about Tyler, Carol Lideline was still hopeful for her daughter's new union. I was happy for her, even if I didn't maybe see it. I still thought, she's a smart girl. She never made a bad decision ever in her life.

So we trusted that she knew what the right thing was. And the right thing for Bethany was starting a family with Tyler right away. But when the couple landed, she was in for a rude surprise. She went on a honeymoon, right? Yeah, you're correct. You went to Costa Rica. Yeah. And you did not consummate your marriage.

That's correct. Bethany and I never had sex. Though the couple believed Tyler was cured of his homosexual feelings by prayer, the reality was much different. And yet, I know you're looking at me, and you're warranted. I'm not trying to discredit the fact that you're looking at me like, are you crazy? Yeah, it's part of what I was. The delusion was so strong.

The avoidance was so strong. And the rationalization was so strong. Group member Bose Harrington saw signs that something peculiar was going on between Tyler and other male group members, even before the wedding. He told us that he had been practicing for his honeymoon with another guy, but not in a sexual, just a physical way. And when he explained that in some of the house meetings, it seemed very normal. In fact, Tyler continued to be physically intimate with several of the male group members, including Micah Moore, after the wedding. Was he your lover?

No, no, that would not be, it would not be accurate. You didn't have a sexual relationship? Oh no, yeah, yes, yes, that's happened. And you had a relationship with him while you were married? To Bethany? Yes. Yeah. Was Bethany aware of this? Not to my knowledge. While Bethany may have been in the dark about Tyler's adulterous behavior, their troubled marriage just weeks into it began to take a toll on her.

How did the lack of intimacy affect her self-esteem? Very negatively. Did she threaten divorce? No. No, she didn't. What she did was way worse. What do you mean way worse? Bethany's personality blames herself. That's the way she works. She internalizes things, and she internalized it, and I was too freaking stupid and ignorant to recognize what was going on. At the same time, Bethany was speaking less and less with her family and friends, something that was common in the community. We were often encouraged not to talk to family members who were holding us back from our full pursuit of the faith. It started to become very obvious that we were being cut off.

Taryn O'Brien recalls how Bethany spoke critically about problems with Tyler and the group. And she said something like, Taryn, if something doesn't change, I don't know what's going to happen. You know, and it was never about Tyler, the group. It was always about her, and she just had this deep, almost kind of self-hatred at that point. About six weeks into the marriage, Tyler says, Bethany appeared suicidal. She got more and more depressed and upset.

She started saying things like, my soul is ruined, I'm just going to go to hell now, I'm just going to go to hell. And I remember the very first time she said this stuff, I was like, what are you talking about? We knew absolutely nothing of all this suicidal stuff. We didn't know about this deep, dark depression, supposedly, that was going on. We had no idea.

They also had no idea that Bethany had been briefly admitted to a hospital psychiatric ward. She had expressed thoughts of suicide, and Tyler says she threatened to drink windshield washer fluid. Did you share that with her family? No. Why not? She didn't want them to know. That's one of many things I regret. But she didn't want her parents to know.

They should have. They should have. At the time, even though the marriage was a sham, Tyler admits he didn't believe Bethany was really suicidal. He thought it was all just an act. Why? It was my messed up worldview. I thought there was no way someone could really just start believing this stuff and have like a snap like that.

I thought that Bethany was doing what she was doing on purpose. I really did. On October 29th, 2012, Tyler held an intense prayer session in which he told members that they had to make a choice between the community

or their own personal selfishness. Bethany appeared to be shaken by the sermon. And Bethany was sitting with her back up against the wall, curled up into a ball with this, like, mortified facial expression. Literally, like, like that. Tyler was fed up with Bethany's behavior. And so there was a part of me that was like, I just, I don't have anything else to do.

I don't have anything else to say. What am I going to do? Because normally, you know, maybe you would have gone and tried to talk to her. If I was a good husband, that's what I would have done. The next day, Bethany went off to her job as a nurse. About 12 hours later, Detective Penny Cole of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department

was called out to Longview Lake. There was a female body in a van. So when you arrived, where was the van? The van was actually parked right here. It was pulled in and facing towards the tree line there. What did you see when you approached the van? She was sitting in the back of the van on the right-hand side, kind of leaned up against the window. It was Bethany Deaton.

Her head was covered by a loose plastic bag, and there was an empty bottle of over-the-counter sleeping medication near her body. Also in the car was a goodbye note. It appeared to be a suicide, but something was off. goodbye note. It appeared to be a suicide, but something was off. When I spoke with Tyler, I did not see the reaction that I expected from a newlywed at all. And it kind of made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I felt like I was going to fall apart. I was trying to stabilize myself as much as possible. Tyler tried to tell Bethany's parents, but couldn't reach them. Down in Dallas, friends sat down with Carol and Eric Leidlein to break the news.

And they said, Bethany's no longer with us. The next thing we said was, how? And they said, well, she took her own life. And we were just crushed. Just crushed. The medical examiner ruled Bethany's death a suicide, but Carol was unconvinced. And I said, I think y'all need to go back and look at this.

You know, I don't think y'all are done. Bethany's body was transported to Dallas for a funeral. And as hundreds of people packed the family church to mourn her loss, Carol received a shocking phone call from investigators. They called us to say that they needed her body back. And they didn't want us to bury her that day. That's because Micah Moore, one of Tyler's sexual partners and Bethany's close friend, had just walked into this police station

and said Bethany's death wasn't a suicide. He had killed her. What do you want to say to her family? When we found out about Micah's confession, it felt like her dying all over again. As if it couldn't have hurt more. Still grieving from the sudden loss of her daughter, Carol Lodline was shocked to hear that Bethany's good friend, Micah Moore, had voluntarily confessed to her murder.

When Micah came in and told his story, that was the missing piece. His confession confirmed Detective Penny Cole and Ben Kenney's suspicions that this was murder, not suicide. What were you struck by with the interrogation? When talking to Micah, he was very reluctant to speak. It was like he was trying to think of what to say or getting approval to say from someone. He told me that he had killed Bethany. He told us that he had put the bag over her head and held it there until her body shook.

That matched up with the crime scene. The plastic bag over Bethany's head had been inhaled into her mouth, and she was found with her eyes open, which they thought was unusual, for someone who had apparently overdosed. She wasn't asleep, and most people, when they overdose with some type of sleeping medication, their body just starts to slow down and shuts down. But when I heard what she took, Tylenol PM, immediately I said, no. She was a nurse. She had worked two days before she died.

And so why an over-the-counter drug? There's so many things that don't add up. Also surprising, Bethany was found with thank you notes from her wedding. They weren't completed. They weren't in envelopes addressed to people. They were in the process of being written. It was like she was sitting in the van writing them, but hadn't finished them. The other note in the van, allegedly written by Bethany, said,

I chose this evil thing. I did it because I wouldn't be a real person. And what is the point of living if it is too late for that? The suicide note sounded nothing like her. Of course, if she had been as broken as she seems to have been at that point, it would make sense that it didn't sound like her if she had written it. But there's no way normal her would have written that. Micah's confession offered an explanation to some of the questions raised by the scene.

But what had led him to come forward? Following Bethany's death, church leaders from the International House of Prayer were outraged with what they learned about Tyler's ministry and brought the rest of the group together. My understanding is that IHOP told Tyler's group, you have two choices. You can either follow Tyler, or you can stay part of IHOP, but Tyler's not part of IHOP. And from there, Micah's confession came out in that meeting. IHOP leaders say Micah asked them to take him to the police station where he confessed, putting the pieces together for investigators. There were things that Micah asked them to take him to the police station where he confessed, putting the pieces together for investigators. There were things that Micah was able to tell us about in his confession that had not been released, information that someone would not have had unless they had been here to see it. With what he had confessed to fell back into place with the bag, the condition of Bethany's eyes, the grasping for air, either restricted or

strangled around her throat. And Micah had another stunning admission. The reason he killed Bethany, her husband Tyler Deaton had told him to. And the police came and took me in for questioning. My thought was, there must be a law in Missouri that says that you can be responsible for someone's suicide. And then they were bringing Micah through, and he was in handcuffs. Handcuffs! And they said, these two aren't to be in communication with each other. And I'm going, why in the world is Micah in handcuffs? I had no idea. Tyler was unaware that Micah had confessed.

My response was no, that does not make sense. But the confession provided investigators with the motive. Micah told police that for months, he and other male roommates had been drugging Bethany with the antipsychotic Seroquel and sexually assaulting her. And there was a fear that she was going to tell a therapist. Micah said that before Bethany could report the abuse, Tyler told him to kill her because he knew he had it in him to do it. Tyler says that members of this community could exercise free will.

We didn't see a lot of that in the people that we spoke with. Yes, there was influence that was excessive in control, but the image that the media makes of this grossly sociopathic, narcissistic, control freak, cult leader personality is just, it's just like, it's dumb. And it drives me crazy. It's like, could we talk about what actually happened? So what does Tyler think actually happened? He says Micah has mental health issues and the confession was one in a series of psychotic episodes spurred on by pressure from church leaders. There's some pretty fundamental controlling

things at IHOP that are just really unhealthy. I think they sold Micah to the police, practically for their own reputation, in my opinion. IHOP refused to talk to us about the case, but they severed all connections with Tyler. And in a statement, they publicly denounced his, quote, alleged secretive, perverse cultic practices. Everybody left me in a day, except for one friend. Everybody left me in a day. If I'm a cult leader, I'm a really bad cult leader. left me in a day. If I'm a cult leader, I'm a really bad cult leader. In the course of 10 days, I lost Bethany. And then I lost all my friends.

I lost the church that I was a part of. They were gone. But he did still have his freedom. Despite the allegations against Tyler, only Micah was arrested. Micah, what do you have to say? Because he had confessed. Tell us what you think of Tyler. Jackson County prosecutors charged Micah with first-degree murder for the death of his friend, Bethany Deaton. We felt we had a good case.

Any good investigation of the confession is 99% of it. And up to that point, we thought that we'd got that brass ring on the merry-go-round, so to speak. Why did you come forward? But the case would take another unexpected turn. What do you want to say to her family? Micah Moore, the man who put everything together for police, was about to tear it all apart.

What do you think about the fact that Tyler hasn't been arrested? With Michael Moore's confession in hand... Why did you come forward? Investigators were confident a crime had been committed, but needed details of why and how. Micah is very intelligent, but just didn't seem to have the drive to want to take someone's life. Who might have been with Micah at the time?

With all eyes on him as an alleged accomplice, Tyler categorically denies any involvement. I have to ask you the question directly. Did you order Micah to kill your wife? No. No. Of course not. I mean, I've read the media, so I know the image.

Micah is easily manipulatable. What's the implication? Tyler manipulated him. I'm asking you if he's i mean if if he wanted to please you is the reason you're asking me if he wanted to please me because you think his desire to please me somehow led to foul play my sense listening and definitely the way i think anybody watching would interpret is did michael want to please you if the answer is yes then he could have done this thing that the media's painted him as doing,

and I don't think that's fair to Micah or to myself. But investigators are piecing together Tyler's powerful hold over the group, and some of it appeared to be sexual. The way it's been explained to us, Tyler was very close with the men in the community. Our understanding is that Micah, as well as with the men in the community. Our understanding is that Micah, as well as the other men in the community, spent a considerable amount of time alone with Tyler, more than just guys out going and playing football. At least four other members came forward to investigators in the days after Bethany's death with accounts of how Tyler

used his authority to initiate secret sexual relationships with the men and referred to that activity as a religious experience. You manipulated several men into having sex with you. Is that right? No, that's not correct. Well, correct me. I've never had sex with anybody. Okay, let me just be clear. You did not manipulate men into having sex with you? No.

No, that would not be accurate. Like, there was never sexual intercourse. There was, I don't know what I'm allowed to say on television. There was hands in places, and there was being horizontal, so like being on a bed at the same time. And there was oral sex happened twice. Twice. So that's it.

Police may have had their suspicions about Tyler's influence over the group, especially with Micah. But their case wasn't coming together the way they hoped. The forensic evidence simply wasn't matching his confession. Forensic evidence simply wasn't matching his confession. Micah indicated that prior to her death that she had been given a drug in a water bottle. And then when she became incapacitated, she had been sexually assaulted by a number of the men that were in the household. But blood tests showed no Seroquel in Bethany's system. And police don't have a lot of evidence from the scene. There was nothing as far as fingerprints or DNA inside the vehicle. We just weren't able to focus

anything beyond his confession. Is it possible that this was not a homicide? If we find further evidence that would lead us that direction, but right now it's in the balance. This was on a weighing scale. It's still teetering to that homicide. We've got a confession. What do you want to say to her family? He chose upon himself to come in and confess to a murder. We take that for what it's worth. The question I would throw back is,

how dare you accuse someone of being involved in a murder without that forensic evidence. How dare you? But prosecutors pushed ahead, charging Micah with Bethany's murder. Then, just when it seemed like there couldn't be another possible twist or turn in the case, Micah's attorney, Melanie Morgan,

held a press conference on the courthouse steps to say flat out her client did not do it. Driven to the police station by representatives of his church community, Micah told a fictional account that was bizarre, nonsensical, and most importantly, untrue. She said Micah is recanting his entire confession. The confession, she said, was the result of an exorcism performed by the leaders of the International House of Prayer. There was very intense yelling, scream praying, talking in tongues,

telling these kids that they were to blame for Bethany's death. All of that, Tyler says, points towards something other than murder. I'm pretty sure that the stuff Micah said was stemming from a psychotic episode. And you maintain that this was a tragic suicide and not a murder conspiracy? I think that makes a whole lot more sense. In a statement, IHOP says, it was not in the slightest way for the purpose of exercising demons out of people. IHOP continued to refuse to answer our questions about the incident.

For Tyler, he is now ready to admit that he did play a role in Bethany's death. I genuinely having spent tons of time trying to come to grips with what happened. Do you think you drove her to suicide? I think that's probably a little too strong, just because I think a lot of things come together to produce that. But do I feel like I have really real responsibility for what happened? Yeah. Yeah, I do. Bethany deserved a straight husband, and she got a gay one. And she shouldn't have ever had to experience that. And now the prosecutor has a hard decision to make.

Is there enough evidence to take this case to trial, or should the young man who confessed to murder walk free? For two years, Detectives Penny Cole and Ben Kenney have been trying to crack this case. It's become personal. We have one of the photographs of Bethany taken, obviously at a happier time in her life. And I keep that just to

remind myself that this was somebody's daughter. Her picture there reminds me that Bethany's still waiting. Despite all of their efforts, the investigators were not able to substantiate Micah Moore's confession. Just two weeks before his trial was to begin, prosecutors quietly issued a statement. They were dropping the murder charges against Micah Moore. They told us that they did not have enough evidence to ensure a conviction,

and they chose to drop the charges because if they had tried it and lost it, then, of course, they would not have tried it again. So what was your reaction to the charges being dropped? Sorrow. Deep sorrow. Sorrow. Deep sorrow. For Tyler, the news was overwhelming. There was a whole bunch of different reactions. Like, I would have thought it would have just been this, like, it's this, like, pure relief.

But I cried myself to sleep that night and the next night. But I was also angry that it was so clear and that it had gone on so long. Micah Moore declined to speak with 48 Hours but has posted online that he blames the International House of Prayer, stating they are not prophets, they are manipulators. He also expresses regret for blindly following Tyler Deaton.

What are you most angry about, or with whom? I would have to say Tyler. The betrayal and the fraud that he demonstrated towards Bethany is very hurtful. For the last two years, Tyler's been in therapy to work on what he refers to as control issues. Several counselors he asked us to talk to say he's made progress and can now see the repercussions of his behavior. I really think my failure to deal with being gay effectively, the ignorance, the fear, the shame, the self-hatred, the denial, all of it plays a real part in why people were even able to have a reason to think that Micah could have done something. If I had really been able to get through that somehow, then I think Bethany would

be alive. Tyler is trying to rebuild his life, but he's already lost a teaching job when students Googled him and learned about his past. You've asked us not to mention your current job or where you live. Why is that? This thing chases my family and I. It's been really difficult. Do you fear for your safety?

Yeah. My favorite thing, honestly, would be if y'all didn't do this show and you just let us go on and live our lives. For Bethany's friend, Taryn O'Brien, there is one nagging question about the whole tragic situation that keeps coming back to her. Why didn't we all make the connections until after it happened? Why couldn't we see, you know, the unhealthiness of the situation before, you know, the unhealthiness of the situation before, you know, before she died.

What would you say to other parents who are concerned that their child may be involved in a dangerous call? I would say don't let anybody get between you and your child. Don't let anybody cut your child off from their family. And the things that I started to see in her were identity changes. And I think that that's what Tyler did. He took her identity. He took all of their identities and said, no, this is who you really are. This is what you're supposed to be. Not what you think you're supposed to be.

For two years, it was Carol Lideline who spoke for the family. Bethany's father, Eric, attended all of our interviews, but never said a word. Until now. And what he had to say was one final bombshell in this story. I think we share some thoughts, but I think the conclusion is different. In my particular understanding of the facts as we've come to know them at this point,

I believe Bethany was severely depressed to the point of being suicidal and I believe that she wasn't properly cared for protected in a very fragile state and I think she took her own life that's a conclusion the police don't accept. Our case is still open, and we will continue to investigate it. Why is this still an active investigation? Homicides are... there's no statute of limitations. We're just going to keep looking at it, keep talking to people that we can find that we haven't already had an opportunity to speak with yet. So is it possible there may be arrests in the future? We would hope so. We're working toward that.

Is Tyler a suspect? At this point in time, we have nothing to indicate that Tyler was directly involved in the death of his wife. What about indirectly? I would rather say that for another time. Bethany's parents are suing the DA for access to the evidence in her case. Tyler has said he planned to pay back the line lines for the wedding. He has not done so.