48 Hours - In Too Deep

Episode Date: August 15, 2024

A further examination of the story of Laura Hall, who was convicted and sent to prison for the crime of dismembering the body of Jennifer Cave in 2005. Laura admitted to going to the apartment of her boyfriend Colton Pitonyak, at his request, and was confronted with the body of Cave. Put on trial for this crime, and for helping Pitonyak escape, she was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. However, after 17 months in jail, Laura Hall was released. Her conviction was upheld and she was out on bond while prosecutors fought to put her back in jail. Pitonyak’s new lawyer said that they had new evidence and that Hall was also responsible for the murder, which she denies. “48 Hours" correspondent Maureen Maher reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 7/2/2011. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to this podcast ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app today. Even if you love the thrill of true crime stories as much as I do, there are times when you want to mix it up. And that's where Audible comes in, with all the genres you love and new ones to discover. Explore thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals, with more added all the time. Listening to Audible can lead to positive change in your mood, your habits, and even your overall well-being. And you can enjoy Audible anytime, while doing household chores, exercising, commuting, you name it.

There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free 30-day Audible trial, and your first audiobook is free. Visit audible.ca. It was 1989 in Titusville, Florida. Kim Halleck said she and her ex-boyfriend Chip Flynn were kidnapped and attacked at gunpoint. Kim fled the scene, but Chip didn't make it out alive. Did you kill Chip Flynn? No, ma'am. Crosley Green has lived more than half his life behind bars for a crime he says he didn't commit. I'm Erin Moriarty of 48 Hours, and of all the cases I've covered, this is the one that troubles me most, involving an eyewitness account that doesn't quite make sense. A sister testifying against a brother.

They always say lies. You can't remember lies. A lack of physical evidence and questions about whether Crosley Green was accused, arrested and convicted because he's black. Just because a white female says a black man has committed a crime, we take that as gospel. Listen to Murder in the Orange Grove, the trouble case against Crosley Green, early and ad-free on Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Being locked up, that was an experience beyond my worst nightmare.

I was in jail for 17 months. It was ridiculous. I don't even know how to explain it to you. The guards in the jail are so maddening. The guards are creeps. Those guards need to be fired. They cause problems. The other inmates were fine. It's like being in a cage with a group of people coming by and poking at you. And I would get so mad, man, I would just shake.

I just couldn't get through my head. I couldn't wrap my mind around, why is this happening? Why is this happening? August 17, 2005, a gruesome discovery was made. Police discovered the body of 21-year-old Jennifer Cave. The search is on for her killer. I was accused of some pretty messed up stuff. The suspect's name is Colton Petonyak.

Police found Jennifer Cave's bloody body in his bathtub. A lot of unanswered questions. Who is Laura Hall? A guy that I had been involved with murdered someone, and he cut up the body. Petaniak blamed Cave's mutilation on Hall. And the cops decided that they should charge me with the mutilation. Okay, Colton has murdered somebody. Why would I just all of a sudden come in and like

start mutilating the body? I have nothing to do with that. To me, like he's the obvious suspect. Laura Hall and Colton Petonia crossed into Mexico when Hall's brief- I had a whole life in front of me. I had a plan. I was in college and I was in college for a reason.

It's because I wanted to be a lawyer and I was getting ready to go to law school. This was not part of my plan. I was shocked when people would be like, oh, my God, you're that Laura Hall. People thought that I was some kind of monster. They thought that I wanted to do these things that they're saying that I did.

Oh, you're that Laura Hall. People blamed me for everything, but it was really Colton. Laura Hall is a convicted felon. You're that Laura Hall. I'm out of jail. They wanted to keep me in there for five years? Oh, man, no.

The state is gonna try to send me back to jail. I'm not gonna go. I would rather be shot. I'm never gonna give up. I'll take this all the way to Supreme Court. I'm dead serious. This is not cute. I'm not gonna let these people get away with this. I didn't do it.

And that's the bottom line. As far as murders go, this is a very clean murder. He shot her through the arm, bullet traveled into the chest, through the heart, pretty much killing her instantly. It was the post-murder behavior that made it so grotesque. For prosecutor Bill Bishop, this case is indelible. For Prosecutor Bill Bishop, this case is indelible. In the summer of 2005, police were called to this apartment in Austin, Texas. Inside, a woman's body lay in the bathtub, her hands and head severed.

Police would soon learn the butchered victim was 21-year-old Jennifer Cave. The mutilation was anger. It wasn't any effort to hide the body or get rid of the body. It was just playing with it like it was a toy. The apartment belonged to Colton Putoniak, a University of Texas business student. But Colton was nowhere to be found. The kitchen, I think, was the oddest room to me because it was sparkling clean. It even looked like the floors had been mopped. They found a machete that was in the dishwasher. Police urgently needed to know everything about Colton and Jennifer.

I have never heard anyone say anything but that she was one of the nicest people they knew. But as the investigation grew, the most intriguing player would be Laura Hall. In your mind, you're 100% convinced that Laura Hall was absolutely a part of the dismemberment and the mutilation. I believe she was. We've been following Laura Hall's case since 2005, and yet it is still difficult to know just exactly who Laura is or what role she played that awful night here in Austin.

The events of that night are so hard to believe, and many say so is Laura. And many say so is Laura. I can't believe it. It doesn't seem real. It's just like, this is not, when am I going to wake up? This is not my life. This is not happening.

As Laura tells it, she had nothing to do with the horrific crime. But she is guilty, she admits, of falling in love with the wrong man. Oh, I loved the guy. I loved Colton Petaniak. They met at a party in the spring of 2005. Laura was also a student at UT, a government major with hopes of becoming a lawyer. I was really attracted to Colton from the beginning. I thought he was a very sexy guy. He was hot. We immediately just got together right away. It was great. We would spend days together at a time. We'd just stay in the house all day. Yeah. I felt like I was on top of the world when I was with Colton. Until you get to know Colton, you can't see on the surface that there's something wrong underneath.

So without knowing anything was wrong, Laura says she showed up at Colton's apartment just before dawn on August 17, 2005. He'd called her saying he needed to talk. He answered the door really kind of paranoid and fearful. And I'm kind of like sitting up, you know, Colton, what's the deal? What's going on? I'm kind of starting to freak out a little bit. And he says, come here, come here. There was a dead woman curled up in his bathtub. And I said, that's a mannequin.

I mean, that's how much I did not believe or want to believe. And I was like, man, oh, my God, you know, what happened? Laura says Colton had been drinking. He told her he didn't remember what had happened. I remember him goading me out of the bathroom with a knife that had blood on it up to the hilt. with a knife that had blood on it up to the hilt. The last thing you want to think is,

this person that I've had sex with has, you know, killed somebody. So you kind of want to know who came in here and did this. And the other thing you kind of think is, well, there's one. Am I next? But then, surprisingly, Laura says Colton just let her go. And where did you go? Home. And what did you do?

I mean, I was in denial, okay? It never occurred to you to call the cops? Or your folks or your friends or anyone? It didn't seem like a good move. I mean, look, I didn't know what was going to happen if I called the police, okay? There was nothing I could have done to save her life at that point. Did you have any concern for the girl who was dead? Really?

I wasn't able to even process, and even today I have not processed the emotions. I didn't know who she was. Anytime you see the most beautiful color of blue, that's Jennifer's eyes. Jennifer Cave grew up in Corpus Christi and a family of five girls. She had spent time in Austin as a student but was about to start work at a law firm. Jennifer's mother, Sharon. At about 3 o'clock, the law firm called me and they said, Jennifer has gone to work for us.

And I'm like, oh, yes, I know. I said, she's so excited. I said, thank you so much for giving her this opportunity. And it kind of got quiet and he said, well, there, I know. I said, she's so excited. I said, thank you so much for giving her this opportunity. And it kind of got quiet, and he said, well, there's a problem. And he said, and we're concerned. He said, Jennifer didn't come to work today. And I said, what? I knew something was wrong. That's just not who Jennifer was. If Jennifer told you she was going to be somewhere at 8 o'clock, Jennifer was there at 8 o'clock. Sharon began frantically calling around to find her daughter. She discovered Jennifer had been out with Colton, but when Sharon finally got Colton on the phone, he told her nothing. Colton's going, no, man, I don't know. I haven't seen her. I don't know

what you're talking about. And I'm like, were you with Jennifer? Oh, man, no, I wasn't with her. Well, yeah, I saw her for a few minutes man, no, I wasn't with her. Well, yeah, I saw her for a few minutes, but no, I wasn't with her. And he hung up. Jennifer's stepfather, Jim, also spoke with Colton. Hey dude, I'm eating pizza. Don't bother me anymore. Quit calling me. Sharon and Jim decided to head to Austin, hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. I remember that night when we were trying to figure out what we were going to do and getting some clothes packed. We stood right here in this hallway and I looked at Jim and I said, this is going to be really bad, isn't it?

And he said, yeah, I'm afraid it could be. In 2014, Laura Heavlin was in her home in Tennessee when she received a call from California. Her daughter, Erin Corwin, was missing. The young wife of a Marine had moved to the California desert to a remote base near Joshua Tree National Park. They have to alert the military, and when they do, the NCIS gets involved. From CBS Studios and CBS News, this is 48 Hours NCIS. Listen to 48 Hours NCIS ad-free starting October 29th on Amazon Music. 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? Introducing The Best Idea Yet, a brand new podcast from Wondery and T-Boy about the surprising origin stories of the products you're obsessed with and the bold risk-takers who brought them to life. Like, did you know that Super Mario, the best-selling video game character of all time, only exists

because Nintendo couldn't get the rights to Popeye? Or Jack, that the idea for the McDonald's Happy Meal first came from a mom in Guatemala? From Pez dispensers to Levi's 501s to Air Jordans, discover the surprising stories of the most viral products. Plus, we guarantee that after listening, you're going to dominate your next dinner party. 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. The next day, August 18, 2005, Sharon and Jim hit the highway and raced four hours from

Corpus Christi to Austin and straight to Colton's apartment. He was the last person to be seen with Jennifer. It was early evening by the time they arrived. They found Jennifer's car nearby. We start knocking on the door, and we knock on the windows, and we walk around the apartment seeing if there's a back door. on the windows and we walk around the apartment seeing if there's a back door. We're really getting scared that there's something bad has happened inside that apartment. At around 8 p.m. Jim called 911 but when the cops arrived they wouldn't break in without a search warrant. So after they left Jim muscled

his way in through a window. Completely dark. All I had was a flashlight. So I just started crawling through the window trying to push the drapes out of my way. And I was yelling. I said, please don't hurt me. I'm here to help you. I'm not here to hurt anybody. This is Jim, and the place is a wreck. I mean, it's just, it looked like there'd been a struggle. Jim told Sharon to wait on the porch. So I kept going down this hallway, and then there was another door on my left which was closed, and I opened that door.

It had light in there. It appeared to be a bathtub, and I was seeing something, so I flipped the light switch on, which was right here, and there she was. Please, where are you? Please, where are you? Our address of the emergency. It's at Orange Street Department, 26th Street. I'm sorry, it's funny. You can't give me an address. Ma'am, hello?

Jim had found Jennifer, or what was left of her. Sir, this is 911. We have a lot of help on the way. I just need to be able to confirm if she is conscious and breathing. No. Police raced back to the apartment and began the search for Colton. They quickly found out something they didn't expect. Colton was not your typical clean-cut business student. He had a serious problem with drugs, especially cocaine.

He was also a small-time dealer. What was his persona? He held himself out as a gangster. I mean, he had all the Scarface posters. Investigators began piling up clues. Colton's car was in its regular parking place. Inside was the gun believed to have been used to kill Jennifer Cave. And before long, something else became clear.

Colton's sometime girlfriend, Laura Hall, had also disappeared. This guy that's apparently you want that's killed Jennifer Cave and mutilated her body, he's got my daughter. He's got my daughter. Lauren and Carol Hall desperately tried to reach their daughter. Finally, they got through to Laura's cell phone.

Laura told them she had crossed the border into Mexico with Colton. She told me, Dad, Colton's killed someone and they found the body. I heard a ruffling, like someone's grabbing the phone from you. and they found the body. I heard a ruffling, like someone's grabbing the phone from you. Right? And that's when I said,

man, you need to turn yourself in. And he goes, you know, your daughter had nothing to do with this. You need to get her out of here. Did you think that he was going to kill her? Yes. We thought we'd never see her again. But it was like...

I felt, help me, Daddy. Colton flipped out. He wanted to get out of town. He ended up saying, take me to Mexico. So I did. Were you afraid for your life? Of course I did. Were you afraid for your life? Of course I was. And that's why you drove him to Mexico? I was afraid for my life.

I was trying to stay alive. Colton and Laura fled Austin some 16 hours after the murder. They drove Laura's dark green Cadillac some 200 miles to the Mexican town of Piedras Negras, a quiet border town just on the other side of Eagle Pass, Texas. They weren't in Mexico for long. After five days, they were nabbed by a Mexican SWAT team and handed over to American authorities. Back in Austin, Colton Petoniak was charged with murder on August 23, 2005.

Laura was not arrested. But when police questioned her, she was less than cooperative. It was just too soon. I had just gotten away from him. I mean, I wasn't ready to be rational yet. And what did you tell the police? Just that I thought we were on vacation. I don't know anything about it. Colton's a great guy and he didn't do it. And that was a lie? Of course.

Great guy, and he didn't do it. And that was a lie? Of course. If you're saying I might be in some kind of trouble... Three days later, though, Laura was questioned again. Just don't worry about Colton today. Let's worry about you today. I know what's coming. Like, I already know.

They're going to do something, and you're not going to like it. Laura Ashley Hall, you are under arrest. Arrested, and later charged with hindering apprehension for her role in Colton's escape. Police didn't believe Laura's story that Colton had forced her to drive him to Mexico. Oh my God. What's going to happen? You're going to go to jail. Who did I? You got to tell the truth.

I didn't know anything about it. That's a lie and we can prove that's a lie. Who did I? You got to tell the truth, okay? I didn't know anything about it. That's a lie, and we can prove that's a lie. Laura agrees to talk, but initially holds back. I feel real bad not protecting Colton. I feel like a dentist. You're still in protection mode. I'm trying, I'm getting out of it, though.

The interrogation lasts nine grueling hours. It's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay. I did not want to go to jail. I can't go to jail. Didn't do anything. That's just a whole new set of nightmares coming at me that I'm not ready to deal with. But in the end, Detective Mark Gilchrist finally gets Laura to give up the gruesome details. Laura admits that she saw the body in the bathtub, but claimed it was Colton's idea to dismember it. Did he say what he planned to do with that body? He said he was going to cut up the body.

Cut up the body and get rid of it. Did he ask you to help him? No. He told me to get out of there. I think that people are going to look at this and they're going to see how articulate you are, how bright you are. And they're going to say, OK, either this girl is really stupid or she's a sociopath. Right. So with all due respect, which one is it?

Well, it's neither. I'm definitely not a sociopath. But Laura does admit to a problem with men. I'm stupid with men. I am absolutely stupid with them. I didn't want to hurt him, which sounds kind of sick. Looking back, it seems to me like everything

that came out of that man's mouth was a lie, or a game, or a trick. He was only out to get what was best for him, and he didn't care who got hurt in the process. When you hit the water, it feels safe. Because it's my element there and I can control it. It's almost like a shield. It's like a shield against all the bad things. Because when you're in it, they can't touch you. I definitely feel like my life is closing in on me right now. I feel this huge weight of pressure, like a dark cloud around me that is like the police

and the district attorney's office that could snatch away what I have at any second. So, like, I have at any second. So, like, I definitely feel shackled. From September 2005, when she was arrested, until Colton's trial in January 2007, Laura Hall stood by Colton. I loved Colton Petaniak.

Yes, I did. Mr. Petaniak, to the indictment, as read by the state's attorney, how do you plead? I'm not guilty. How strong was the evidence against Colton? I felt it was very strong. Prosecutor Bill Bishop. You'll hear that Ms. Cave died as a result of a gunshot through the arm and the torso of her body. You'll hear that after her death, she was dismembered.

Her hands removed, her head removed. We knew him to be the only person in our company that evening. Once they left 6th Street, the location, obviously, of her body being in his apartment. obviously, of her body being in his apartment. He went to a hardware store and bought cleaning supplies such as ammonia and Febreze, masks, gloves, and a hacksaw. The clerk asked him what he needed a hacksaw for, and he said he was frying a turkey and needed a hacksaw to cut it up because it was frozen.

State your name for the court and the jury, please. Colton Aaron Petoniac. When he took the stand, Colton Petoniac said he couldn't remember what happened that night. He claimed he was strung out on drugs and alcohol. You know how you got back to your apartment? I assume Jennifer took me. Nor could he explain the shooting. Do you have any recollection of the circumstances surrounding Jennifer's death?

I have no idea what happened that night. But Colton's mental fog apparently began to lift a few hours after the shooting. Coincidentally, right around the time Laura Hall showed up at his door. I can't remember exactly what I told her, but I showed her Jennifer's body. What did she say? She just said, what are we gonna do? And for the first time, Colton started shifting the blame. Except for the murder itself,

Colton blamed Laura for almost everything. Did you take that knife and cut on Jennifer's body with it? No, I did not. How can you be sure? There's no way I would have done what was done. Of course, he remembers all that that incriminates me and nothing about his own actions. Somebody cut up the body, either you or Laura, both of you.

Who cut it up? I did not. Is he lying? Of course he's lying. You may step down. But the jury never heard Laura's side of the story. On the advice of her attorney, Laura never took the stand at Colton's trial. Do you regret not testifying at his trial? Yes, I do. I had no idea he was going to do what he did. Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict? Yes, sir, we have. The query jury finally defended Colton Toniac guilty. Guilty and sentenced to 55 years in prison.

But Toniac's guilty verdict is our big story tonight. The jury took just over an hour to find... Then it was Laura's turn. I am accused of some unspeakable things. I'm facing 10 years in prison for mutilating a body. Colton did that. I want people to look at me for what I am. They just have created a fictional character and put my name on it.

Everyone has pointed their finger at me. Prosecutors say Laura Hall did everything wrong the day of the murder. She left Colton's apartment and never told anyone what she had seen. Not the cops, not even her mother, whom she spoke with several times that afternoon. In fact, she spent most of the day running errands before she went back to pick up Colton and drive him to Mexico. She had every opportunity in the world to call the police, send them to Colton's apartment, and certainly she would have been safe from Colton for a long time had she done that.

she would have been safe from Colton for a long time had she done that. At trial, this time with no cameras allowed, Prosecutor Bill Bishop outlines Laura's ever-changing account of events. She had previously made a statement that she had no idea what had happened. She'd never seen the body. Her statement then became she'd seen the body, but didn't know what had happened. Here's the deal, man. I was scared of Colton. And it eventually grew into, I was a victim, I was kidnapped, I had nothing to do with it. Prosecutors produced witnesses who claim Laura told them about her involvement in the mutilation.

And Bishop says Laura's DNA was found on a key piece of evidence. Her DNA was on the gun, the murder weapon itself, that was found in Colton's car. Bishop does not accuse Laura of murdering Jennifer Cave, but the autopsy showed Jennifer was shot through the head after death.

In addition to the gun, Laura's DNA was also found in Colton's apartment. It was on a flip-flop in the bathroom. There was a shop towel out in the living room of the apartment that had both her DNA and Colton Petoniak's DNA. And that is enough physical evidence to you to place her not only there, but to say that she participated in the dismemberment. When put with her statements to co-workers and things such as that, I'd absolutely. But Laura was in Colton's apartment dozens of times before the murder, and she says the DNA, even the DNA on the gun, means nothing. He had had the gun before. He'd had that gun for weeks.

And you'd picked it up? Sure. And put your hand on the trigger? I can imagine. And the DA had more. This photo taken when Laura and Colton were on the run in Mexico. She does not appear to be there against her will. That photograph to me means nothing.

How hard is it to go like this? This is the thing I'm worried about. I'm going to tell you the truth, and I don't know if you're going to like it. The defense had wanted the jury to see the tape of Laura's police interrogation. I don't want to believe anything he did. Where for nine emotional hours she firmly maintained she had nothing to do with the dismemberment. I didn't try and help him cover it up at all.

But the judge refused to allow it, calling it inadmissible hearsay. The ruling, in effect, tossed attorney Joe James Sawyer's defense out the window. The net result is I have to advise my client, even though we planned on you testifying, you can't do it. Even though we planned on you testifying, you can't do it. So, just as in Colton's trial, Laura never takes the stand. Sawyer can only hope the jury sees it his way. There's no question the most volatile component in this case is that people are going to be repulsed by what happened to Jennifer Cave.

The great challenge is to say to them, feel any way you want. Remember the difference between feeling and proof. As the jury deliberates, Laura tries to remain optimistic. I'm ready to be acquitted. I will have a heart attack and die, probably on the courtroom floor if they come back with a guilty. But I can't allow myself to think that way. Laura Hall is a convicted felon. Two hours ago, a Travis County jury convicted her. The jury found Laura guilty of tampering with evidence for cutting up Jennifer Cave's body and helping Colton to escape to Mexico. She was sentenced to five years. All of a sudden, I'm in a courtroom, and then they're just taking me away into jail. escape to Mexico. She was sentenced to five years.

All of a sudden, I'm in a courtroom and then they're just taking me away into jail. I just could not believe it. But as is usually the case with Laura Hall, that was not the end of this story. If you don't think that Colton shot Jennifer Cave, who do you think shot her? Well, I don't know who shot her. But if not Colton, in your mind, who's the other possible suspect? Well, there's other suspects and Laurel Hall is as good as any. 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, early and ad-free on Wondery Plus and the Wondery app. 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. More Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad-free right now. February 2009.

In a surprising twist, Laura Hall is released from jail because a court ruled her sentencing hearing wasn't fair. She's out on bond while prosecutors fight to put her back in jail. I made it. I made it. They called my name. They're like, oh, pack your stuff. I was like, how does it feel to be out now? It feels great. I'm so glad you're here. Yeah, me too. Yeah. Considering the alternative. For her parents, it is the moment they have prayed for and dreamed of and a chance to introduce their child to her new neighbors. For her parents, it is the moment they have prayed for and dreamed of. And a chance to introduce their child to her new neighbors. She's been recently released from jail.

It was an appeals court in Austin that set Laura loose. It upheld her conviction but threw out her five-year sentence. She will get a new sentencing hearing. It all has to do with the testimony of a taxi driver in Laura's original sentencing hearing, who swore Laura was a passenger in his cab. And in making the small talk people do, he found out her boyfriend was accused of murder. And he inquired, oh, who is he accused of killing, miss? The answer in the presence of that jury, quote, some bitch, end quote, some bitch. I watched my jury and I saw women and men flinch at that answer. Joe James Sawyer, Laura Hall's lawyer, knew that Cabby's description of such callous and cold behavior was deadly.

And then they asked him, can you identify that woman in court today? Why, yes, he said. She's sitting right there by Mr. Sawyer. That would be Laura Hall. Is the cab driver lying? Yes. I never said that to him. He's certainly mistaken. If not flat out lying, yes. As it turns out, the cab driver actually failed to identify Laura when investigators showed him a photo lineup. And then it got worse when the district attorney failed to tell Laura's attorney about that, which was a significant legal mistake. Prosecutor Bill Bishop was held accountable. held accountable. Mistakes were made, but it certainly wasn't a pattern of misconduct or an attempt to railroad or conspire against Ms. Hall as Mr. Sawyer would have you believe.

Because of the DA's mistake, Laura will be sentenced again. She could get more time or be let go permanently. This is like a roller coaster. All along, Laura would continue to fight a current of public rage that she believed was sweeping away her very life. I'm coming. Laura Hall did not say much more than that. I think my life has been destroyed. Laura Hall has remained tight-lipped.

I think if people set out to kill me, done. Laura Hall is a convicted felon. I can't live in Austin. I can't live in Texas. And it is about to get much worse. I'm Joe Turner and I represent Colton Petoniak. We have new evidence that we've developed that establishes that Colton was not responsible even for the killing. You don't believe that Colton Petoniak shot Jennifer Cave? You know, I never did.

Turner suggests Laura Hall murdered Jennifer Cave. The motive? Jealousy. It's impossible for me to have been jealous of Jennifer Cave because I not only didn't know her, but I didn't know she existed. I'm innocent of all this. This was Colton's mess. But according to Petoniak's lawyer, once in jail during a group therapy session, Laura told other inmates she is, in fact, the killer. They stated that during the group that inmate Hall confessed to the murder of Jennifer Cave. But Laura has a strong alibi. At the time of the murder, she said she was staying with a friend,

a friend who backed up her story in court. The state itself says she didn't get there until in the morning. Do you think for one moment that if the state could plausibly have put her at the scene, it would not have done so? Did you have anything to do with the dismemberment of Jennifer's body? I had absolutely nothing to do with it. Did you have anything to do with the murder? No. God, no.

But Jim and Sharon, Jennifer's parents, weren't surprised by these latest accusations because Laura Hall had frightened them since the first minute they saw her. The thing that I'm most fearful about is that she will choose my family. Because Laura Hall had frightened them since the first minute they saw her. The thing that I'm most fearful about is that she will choose my family to yet again hurt. She's a psychopath. I mean, when you look at Laura, there is nothing there at all. Nothing. There is no soul.

Two scenarios were in play now, and both were nightmares for Jim and Sharon. Colton Petoniak was fighting for a new trial, and Laura Hall was now fighting to clear her name. It's going to be bloody. We're going to war. 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 Pitcairn once and it harboured a deep, dark scandal. There wouldn't be a girl on Pitcairn 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 Pitcairn. 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. Laura Hall waits as the nights pass by. The next legal chapter in her life is about to be written. Life is about to be written. As for Colton Petoniak, his appeal for a new trial was denied. The court rejected his claim that it was Laura, not him, who committed the murder.

I am innocent of the murder. I'm innocent of the mutilation. I'm innocent of all that. Did I drive him across the border? Yes. Am I guilty of being in love with him stupidly? Yes. It is that bad love that forever binds Laura to Colton and brands her right down to the tattoo of his name on her ankle, which she got after that trip to Mexico. When I got the tattoo, I was still in love with him. I felt he was innocent. I felt bad for him. I felt that he really didn't do this, you know, and I was on his side. I'm sorry to say. On Colton's side. The troubled young man seemed to somehow draw people in.

Sharon Sedwick says her daughter Jennifer was on Colton's side too. Part of Jennifer's nature is she had a real problem with stray dogs, and I'm not talking the four-legged kind. But Sharon sensed Colton was nothing but bad news and had begged her daughter not to get involved with him. I'm like, Jennifer, please, just don't. Just stay away from that. And she's like, Mom, he's my friend and he needs my help. So that is how Jennifer Cave ended up going out with Colton Petoniak on that last night of her life.

Colton had reached out to her, and as usual, Jennifer responded. Colton called her. He said, you know, I really need a friend. Will you please help me? I just want to see you for a little bit. I'll take you to dinner to celebrate your new job. And Jennifer would fall for that line every time. I need a friend. And Jennifer paid for that friendship with her life June 2010 four and a half years after Jennifer's murder Laura Hall is back in

court to be sentenced again for her crimes for helping Colton escape and tampering with evidence the the body of Jennifer Cave. I spent 21 months in jail for things I didn't do. What more do you want? Now it's up to a new jury to determine whether Laura is put back behind bars or if she walks free. She is a convicted felon, and it's no longer about whether or not she's guilty. It is a convicted felon, and it's no longer about whether or not she's guilty.

It is now about the appropriate sentence. The best thing they can do is let me go and get on with my life. But the prosecution sees it differently. We are asking for 10 years. We are asking for 10 years because that's all we can ask for. That's the maximum we can ask for. That's the maximum we can ask for. Make no mistake, we've won it all. Once again, Jennifer Cave's parents must sit through the gruesome details of her murder and dismemberment.

And to add to their pain, Jennifer's mother now finds herself threatened by Laura Hall. I'm a sociopath. What, because I don't feel sorry for Sharon? I'm a sociopath. What? Because I don't feel sorry for Sharon? What Laura didn't count on was that while she was in jail, the authorities were recording her every phone call. I don't know how and I don't know when, but she's going down. She's f***ing with the wrong girl.

Conversations that would come back to haunt her. I'm pretty mad. There are a lot of people that are going to pay for this, and I know everyone who's responsible. But Laura's attorney implores the jurors to make their decision based on reason, not emotion. But you may dislike her. Is that the reason that we punish? We punish people for what they really have done, not because of what we think of them, not because we dislike them, not because they say despicable things. They answer for their actions. It takes the jury five and a half hours to make its decision.

The defendant, Laura Hall, having been found guilty, we assess her punishment at confinement in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for a period of 10 years. Ten years, the absolute maximum the law will allow for her crimes and twice as long as her original sentence. In the end, it may have been Laura's own callous words that did the most damage. Do I feel like justice has been done? Do I feel like the system has worked? Yes. Satisfied? You know, how can you be satisfied when your child is gone, when your child is dead, that there is no satisfaction. Laura Hall is back in the lockup she despises. While Jennifer Cave's parents remain focused on their daughter, who is gone forever.

We still feel Jennifer in our lives. She's still part of us. She had a heart as big as Texas. and that's what got her in trouble. In 2018, Laura Hall was released from prison.