48 Hours - Killer App - Encore

Episode Date: September 1, 2019

Two promising college students stand trial after a teenager is lured to her death with a smartphone app. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant updates the case. 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. 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. Every time I seen her she would be texting or Facebooking and she was constantly on her phone. I'm Nicole Lovell and I've been nominated for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. She's a happy-go-lucky kid.

She smiled and she sang all the time. Tonight, the search intensifies for a missing teen from Blacksburg. Take a good look. This is Nicole Lovell. She's 13 and was last seen in the Lantern Ridge area of Blacksburg between midnight and 7 Wednesday morning. Her father posted this message to Facebook. Nicole, honey, if you see this, if you're out there, you can come to me. I'm not mad at you. I'm worried about you.

Police are looking into whether an app popular with teens was used to lure the girl. That night, I was going to knock on the wall and tell her to come in and sleep with me like she usually does. And I didn't do it. It's with a heavy heart that I have to announce that we've located the remains of 13 year old Nicole Madison Lovell. 100 Seacom in route 89 West Snowbird curve. So where was Nicole Lovell's body? Nicole was from what we understand in the trunk of the car, and they move her right over here, got close to the edge and just... A very preliminary determination of the cause of death is stabbing.

I went to high school with David Eisenhower. Everything he did, he worked hard at, and he wanted to be the best at. Everything he did, he worked hard at, and he wanted to be the best at. Investigators have said the 18-year-old college athlete and engineering student knew the little girl and, quote, used the relationship to his advantage to abduct her. At 1239 a.m., just past midnight, Nicole sends her last electronic message to Dr. Tombstone. David Eisenhower's kid account username. I don't want to go to jail. I didn't do anything wrong.

The second Virginia Tech student, Natalie Keepers, has also been charged. Natalie Keepers was an extremely smart person. She was very academically driven. She had connections to NASA. They stop at the Walmart. They buy cleaning supplies. Gloves, wipes, bleach. The defendant purchases a garden shovel.

I'm so sorry. I wish I could have stopped. I trust the courts will do what they feel is just. This is really scary. I don't think anyone ever expected any of our classmates to become an alleged murderer. It's no longer a situation where you worry about your child meeting a stranger in the park. You really need to worry about the stranger your child's meeting on the phone that you gave them for Christmas. This is the new crime of our time.

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 Marcia Clark, host of the new podcast, Informants Lawyer X. In my long career in criminal justice as a prosecutor and defence 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. Did you know that the movie Candyman

was partly inspired by an actual murder? Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free, with a 48-hours-plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. I love you. Every morning, I come out here, sit with her for an hour. It's just been a nightmare. I still hope that she would come around the corner when she gets off the bus, or she'll come out of her room.

The nightmare for Nicole Lovell's mother, Tammy Weeks, began on the morning of January 27, 2016. I pushed the door open, and the nightstand was up against the door. Sometime in the middle of the nightstand was up against the door. Sometime in the middle of the night, the 13-year-old had climbed out of her bedroom window, taking along her phone and her favorite blue cartoon blanket. Did you call her cell phone? Yeah, a bunch of times. And what would happen?

It'd go straight to voicemail. I'd text message her. Everybody was calling her, texting her. Tammy called police and began scouring the area. Before long, a neighborhood mother gave her some chilly news. Nicole had been playing with her daughters and said that Nicole said she was going out on a date. Nicole said she was going out on a date. Like millions of teens, Nicole spent a lot of her social time online. So Tammy feared she might have left to see someone she'd met on the Internet.

You must be a bit panicked at this point. Yeah. The FBI has now joined regional and state law enforcement in the search. This afternoon, they canvassed her neighbor. Nicole's disappearance also sent shockwaves through her hometown, Blacksburg, Virginia. More than 1,200 searchers are on a mission to find the 13-year-old. Volunteers even brought this infrared drone. even brought this infrared drone. I know she wouldn't go nowhere for that many hours without her medicine.

Nicole was born with a damaged liver and needed a transplant before her first birthday. Now a teenager, she still needed her anti-rejection medication every day to survive. Her illness and surgical treatment had left Nicole with scars on her stomach and neck. Tammy says Nicole had emotional scars as well. So she was being bullied? Yeah, she did. She hated going to school. She would always make me write her a note for gym because they would pick on her about her scar. Nicole's social media posts reveal a sadly typical teenage story. So lonely, she had suicidal thoughts, longing for love, and convinced nobody cared for her. Tammy says Nicole not only had trouble fitting in, she also had a difficult relationship with her father, David Lovell. He did prison time on a drug charge, and he's had other problems with the law.

She wanted his attention. She wanted his love. I have regrets that I wasn't there. I feel, you know, what did I do wrong? Why wasn't I there for her more often? He'd left Tammy before Nicole was born. The two were never married. When you would go to work, was there anyone supervising her? Yeah, my parents. Your parents, did they live at the house? Yes. So she never went unsupervised?

No, no. But Nicole was leading an unsupervised life online through the social media apps on her smartphone. It's like a loaded gun. Good morning, Blount County. It's your district attorney, Pamela Casey. Alabama D.A. Pamela Casey is on a national crusade, warning people about the dangers of social media. If you pick up your child's phone and you don't know the password, people about the dangers of social media. If you pick up your child's phone and you don't know the password, that's a problem. She began speaking out long before Nicole Lovell disappeared in Virginia and her online safety videos have been seen by millions across the country. I could actually go live on Periscope to post updates to you guys. If I can do that live sitting in my office, then your child can do that live in their bedroom.

Years ago, you had to worry about your kid getting snatched. Parents don't realize that essentially your kid can get snatched, their life taken by somebody they meet in their own bedroom. By late on the day Nicole Lovell vanished, her parents' hope was fading with the winter light. We love you, Nicole. We miss you. We want you home. I didn't sleep at all that night. I waited. But it would be three days before Nicole's parents had to face the horrifying news that her body had been found.

had to face the horrifying news that her body had been found. Your whole world just comes tumbling down. Because she was my everything. Koli had a passion for pandas. Music, dancing. Nicole touched many people throughout her short life. Shock and sadness were everywhere, but investigators had gotten a big break, and it came from Nicole Lovell herself.

She'd left behind virtual evidence of a real-life murder. Want to know what's really on your kid's phone? Our tips for safety are on our website at 48hours.com. 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 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. 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 bolder 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. best idea yet. Nicole's dad, David Lovell, says even before her body was found, investigators had found a solid lead, something she had handwritten on her bedroom wall. She wrote all her usernames and passwords to all her accounts. FBI computer forensics experts traced Nicole's account information and quickly established that she'd regularly

used Kik, a popular chat app attractive to teens in part because they can communicate anonymously, without their parents knowing. When you had her phone, did you ever click on the Kik app just to see what was inside? No, I just made her delete it, uninstall it. Do you believe she reinstalled it? Yeah. So the FBI puts in what they call an emergency disclosure request to Kik. They want to see Nicole's personal account and they make a startling discovery.

It turns out that in the last two days of her life, she'd been messaging with a person who had a chilling username, Dr. Tombstone. Using an IP address provided by Kik, investigators traced the Dr. Tombstone screen name to this young man, David Eisenhower, 18, a freshman engineering student at Virginia Tech. I will personally not stop until I reach my peak performance. David Eisenhower seemed the last person in the world capable of killing a 13-year-old girl. He'd been a high school track star. Former classmate Dorothy Callahan says his brains and charisma were as strong as his strides. He was a very celebrated student. He always had straight A's, and he was sort of cocky, and he was like,

yeah, I'm David Eisenhower. I was just on the local news. I'm a big deal. Three days after Nicole went missing, Eisenhower was picked up by police at his dorm and taken in for questioning. His roommate, Jeremy Bazdeo, walked in on the startling aftermath.

I went to my room and I saw the door open. I got turned around by the Virginia State Police and the FBI. What did they say? They said, don't worry, it's not about you. It's about your roommate. Fazdeo told 48 Hours that Eisenhower's behavior the night Nicole Lovell vanished was really odd. He put on boots, but it wasn't raining that hard for boots.

But, you know, I just let it go. And then he came back at two in the morning. And did you ever see a knife in the room? Yes. He usually leave it on his desk. Was it on his desk when the cops showed up? No, they couldn't find it. Eisenhower soon admitted to police he talked to Nicole outside her house that night. He was arrested and charged with abduction. Eisenhower's statements led them to another young woman, Natalie Keepers. She was brought in for questioning, too. Finding a job in this economy has gotten to be extremely important.

What did 19-year-old Natalie Keepers know about what happened to Nicole? Keepers, another Virginia Tech freshman and another unlikely person of interest. Mark Jenkins used to be her boyfriend. She wanted to study engineering and be like her father who worked for NASA. Investigators strongly suspected Natalie was involved.

She, too, was arrested. 18-year-old Eisenhower, a Virginia Tech freshman engineering major. And his friend Natalie Keepers. With two people in custody, police made a grisly discovery. Nicole's nude body was located 90 miles away in North Carolina, says Surrey County Sheriff Graham Atkinson. What kind of wounds were on her body? She was stabbed and her throat was cut and then the thoughts turned to who were the animals that could have done something like this

to her. Sometimes it's usually the people we least expect. D.A. Pamela Casey says David Eisenhower may represent a new kind of predator. They could be your next-door neighbor. They can stay behind their phone and hide behind their phone, just like your child is doing. Casey says criminals often use apps like Kik. Why? Because it's where kids hang out online. In fact, Kik, a Canadian company, claims that millions of American teens use their app every month. With David Eisenhower behind bars, it wasn't Kik, but an online gaming site that led investigators to this man's door, Bryce Dustin. I almost felt like he was like a little brother.

It was on this gaming site that Bryce first chatted with Eisenhower. And though they never met in person, they began a six-year-long internet friendship. David kept coming back to me for advice on everything. What kind of problems would he ask you advice about? Girls was a big one. Dustin told us he remembers Eisenhower talking about a problem he had with one girl in particular,

a girl Dustin now believes was Nicole. He told me that he found out she was underage and that she wanted to be with him and that she was going to expose him if he wasn't with her. He says Eisenhower was worried about being outed in a relationship with an underage girl. So he offered some big brother kind of advice. If she wants to be your girlfriend, you know, let her. But don't be the greatest boyfriend, you know. Just like, just don't text her. Just ignore her. She'll go away.

This family was about to have one of their daughters go away as well in the car of an online predator in Spokane, Washington. This guy wants to kidnap my daughter tonight. He's wants to kidnap my daughter tonight. He's planning to kidnap my daughter tonight. Her last moments is what flashes through my mind. That's my nightmare. David Lovell wishes he had done better in protecting Nicole. If it can happen to my family, it can happen to anybody.

I mean, flat out, anybody. It can happen to any family, including one here in Spokane, Washington, about 2,500 miles from Virginia. The parents here got a tip that their 15-year-old daughter was being targeted by a 30-year-old man. And what's worse, the two were planning to run away that very night. she's going to leave her ipad hop in the car with a man she doesn't really even know it was june 7th 2013 when detective elise robertson of the spokane police department's special victims unit got the kind of call cops all over the country have come to expect. A father was saying that his daughter was having an internet relationship

with a 30-year-old man, and he had just found out. And then that's when everything broke loose. Until that moment, Brandi Sarachan and her husband Brandon seemed to have the quintessential American family. She, teaching at a local church. He, studying for a Ph.D. in psychology. They'd been hands-on parents, raising their two sons, Joshua and Josiah, and two daughters, Ariel and Elizabeth. We believe in the crucifixion.

Ariel and Elizabeth. We believe in the crucifixion. They shared a love of God, country, sports, and each other. My parents were pretty strict. Sometimes too strict, said Elizabeth, 18, at the time of our interview. I felt like my parents were holding me back from what the average kid gets to experience. And how much did your parents monitor your life? I would say that they thought that they were monitoring me. They didn't understand that they actually weren't monitoring me.

They probably had no clue about Kik and those dating sites. But her parents did become suspicious when Elizabeth, then 15, suddenly started acting strangely. She would be going to bed earlier than normal. Elizabeth seemed distracted, less interested in family activities, in church, even in friends. Her parents took her smartphone away and asked to see her social media accounts. She refused. And at that point, you're like, okay, something's really wrong here. They were stunned to learn just how wrong.

It all started with a phone call from Elizabeth's best friend's mother, a call that turned their world upside down. Elizabeth is dating a 30-year-old, and he plans on coming down and getting her at 3 o'clock in the morning. That very day? Yeah, and we're like, what? Elizabeth was angry and evasive, but her parents finally got her passwords and soon discovered the truth. She had been communicating with a stranger,

a 30-year-old Seattle-area man named Jason. Jason Richards says, When I see you, baby, I'm grabbing you, pulling you close to me, and holding you tightly. And what does Elizabeth say? No kiss. And Jason says, baby, I'm going to kiss you deeply. This guy's evil. She's fooled.

She's lured in. Initially, Elizabeth told Jason she was 18, but later admitted her real age, 15. The Syracians were stunned to learn that the pair had already met in person and been intimate. They were even discussing leaving the country. The two had used apps, including Facebook and Kik. This is playing out in some ways like your own personal family horror film yeah yeah the horror continued as the Syracuse realized that within hours Jason would be driving the 280 miles

from Seattle to Spokane to pick up their daughter they locked Elizabeth in her room with no phone or internet access and called police this guy wants to kidnap my daughter tonight. He's planning to kidnap my daughter tonight. Were your hands kind of tied? What do you do at that moment? You have a 15-year-old girl who's your only witness who's denying everything. Detective Robertson says that without hard evidence of an actual crime, police had to stay on the sidelines. So there's nothing they can do for you? There's absolutely nothing they can do for me. When you hear that, you feel totally helpless,

and it's like, okay, well, what are you going to do now? What they did was hatch their own plan to turn the tables on the man who was about to lure their daughter away. This is my daughter, and nobody's going to mess with her, and nobody's going to get her, and I'm going to do what it takes. Jason had already messaged from the car. I needed to communicate with him to get him to our house.

Gritting her teeth, Brandy went online, impersonating her own daughter. For seven hours I sat there and listened to him. Oh, baby, I can't wait to see you. I can't wait to get you in my arms. Lay in the same bed together, wake up in the morning. And for seven hours, I communicated back, oh, baby, I love you too. I can't wait.

You had the pit of your stomach. That must have been... It made me sick. Jason is getting ever closer to your house. Ever closer to your daughter. My wife was up there, and she was on the iPad. She's communicating with him. Yes. Posing as your daughter. Exactly, yes.

While Brandy kept the conversation with Jason going, in the alley behind the Syracin's house, Brandon and his friends had set up a sting operation, like something out of an action movie. I am over here with my car and my friend phil we're getting updates from my wife on the phone my friend damon is on this side of the street so the idea is like a pincer right you're gonna you're gonna trap it's like a bear trap that's gonna close yes brandon's friend phil brought his 12-gauge shotgun.

He'd been trained in Special Forces and had no idea how Jason would react. Are you ready to use this? If I have to, yes. He pulls right in this drive right here. It was 3 a.m. in Spokane, Washington, but could just as easily been high noon. He comes all the way in here and about. As Brandon Syrochen and his team laid in wait, headlights appeared at one end of the alley. A 30-year-old man's sexual road trip to take a 15-year-old girl from her family was about to come to a shocking end. He pulls in. At this time, we go ahead and we call Damon down

here and Damon just books it. And I'm pulling in here, Jason pulls in right there. Brendan's friend Phil quickly approached the vehicle, shotgun raised. I said, driver, put your hands on the steering wheel, do not move or I will shoot you. A couple of times he moved his hands and I said, what part of do not move do you not understand? If Jason makes some sort of move, are you prepared to pull that trigger? If he exited the car abruptly, I would have shot him. They called the police, who arrived minutes later and arrested Jason.

In his SUV, they found cell phones and a pair of hunting knives. He was caught, but it wasn't over. and a pair of hunting knives. He was caught, but it wasn't over. Ninety minutes later, Jason comes face-to-face with Spokane detective Elise Robertson. So, Jason, tell me a little bit about your house. I work for Royal Cup Coffee. Detective Robertson learned Jason was actually Jason Richards,

a 30-year-old divorced coffee distributor from the Seattle area. Like David Eisenhower and Natalie Keepers in the Lovell case, Jason Richard seemed nice and successful on the surface. Who is this guy? Jason is the guy next door. He tried to turn his crime into a love story. Pretty much fell for her very quickly. We said I love you pretty quickly, about a week and a half, into really talking with each other. At first, Richards insisted he had no idea Elizabeth was only 15

until a policeman told him at the time of his arrest. He told me that she wasn't 18. Okay. I responded, come again. And like, she's now, she's 18. He was lying the whole time. He was lying the whole time over and over, over, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie. To see if her instincts were right. Would you give me a permission to look at your account? Detective Robertson asked to see Richard's Facebook page. There were literally hundreds of exchanges between him and Elizabeth.

And I start looking at it, and I realize, oh, he knew. He knew before he ever came over here she was 15. Want to tell me the truth now? Well, I looked right at him, and I said, so you're going to tell me the truth now? I fell in love with her, and I didn't know what to do. She told you that she was 15 and still in school? Eventually. Right.

This is our first meeting spot. Elizabeth told her parents she was going jogging, but instead came to this parking lot. When you actually saw him face to face, what did you think? Holy crap. Like, I think it became a reality to me that it's not just somebody that I'm talking to over the Internet. Elizabeth says Jason took her to a hotel, got down on one knee, and proposed marriage. And then they got in bed. In the following weeks, he came to town again.

On those visits, did you have sex with him each time? Yeah, we did. For you, Jason is what? He's a sexual predator. I completely just f***ed up my life. My life was destroyed. This hits you right now like a punch across the face, right? It's just absolutely unbelievable.

Richards pleaded guilty to child rape and communication with a minor for immoral purposes. His lawyer argued Richards has autism, which can be a mitigating factor for several crimes in Washington state. He got a light sentence, three years. which can be a mitigating factor for several crimes in Washington state. He got a light sentence, three years. These apps are apps that children are using. DA Pamela Casey says far too many internet predators are turning to apps like Kik, and their alleged crimes are making headlines across the U.S. A lot of stuff's happening without parents knowing. I don't think people would let a, you know, a 50-year-old felon into their house to hang out with their daughter,

but that's exactly what they're doing online sometimes, and they don't know. Jason Richards served his sentence and was released in 2017 with restrictions, including a restraining order to keep him away from Elizabeth. The Syracians say they wish the judge had given him as much as life in prison. It's just hard knowing he only got three years for everything, the pain that he caused me. It's way more deserving than three years for everything, the pain that he caused me. It's way more deserving than three years. And it's a danger. It's not right.

In Virginia, Nicole Lovell's mother says there is no punishment severe enough for David Eisenhower and Natalie Keepers. I want both of them to suffer. And she says they aren't the only ones who should have to answer for her daughter's murder. She blames Kik, too. They need to shut Kik down. It's just disgusting. Kik is reported to be a billion-dollar company. Please welcome to the stage Ted Livingston from Kik.

We caught up with the CEO at a tech conference in Brooklyn. That's your mic there? Mr. Livingston, Peter Van Sant, how are you? I'm good, how are you? With CBS News. So I want to ask a quick question. Sure. What personal responsibility do you have to make sure that children are safe who use the Kik app?

Yeah, I think I have a huge responsibility. I'm sure you're familiar with Nicole Lovell, a 13-year-old girl in Virginia. What would you say to Nicole's parents? Like, when we heard about that case, like, that hit the office and hit me super hard. Like many social media companies, Kik posts an online guide for parents. And in a statement, told 48 Hours, the company cooperates with law enforcement. Ted Livingston claims his app is as safe as the competition. I think it's no different than Facebook or Snapchat or Instagram.

You have bad people going. As a parent, I disagree. I can check my child's Facebook account and Twitter account. I friend them, but with Kik, I can't. I think that's no different than Instagram. You have a private mode. You can have private messaging. All that exists there.

That's true, but Kik's design is attracting millions of teens, in part because many believe it's parent-proof, the best app to keep their social lives secret. Kids are going to use a messenger. If we were to shut down Kik tomorrow, there will be 10 right behind it. And she's like, hey, do you want to message me on some app called Kik? And I was like, sure.

Kik isn't on trial, but two once promising college students would soon be in the murder of Nicole Lovell's digital footprint that led police to Virginia Tech freshman David Eisenhower. Virginia Tech freshman David Eisenhower. When they brought him in for questioning, he said he'd recently encountered the young girl on an anonymous chat app, and they moved over to Kik. Eisenhower said he met Nicole in person just once, the night she died,

that he went to meet her, quickly saw how young she was, and left her alive. He told me that she was 11 years old, climbed out of the window, and I was like, uh-uh, uh-uh, not for me. And I'm sitting here just like thinking to myself, you gotta get out of here. You gotta get out of here. You gotta get out of here. But Nicole's kick account told another story altogether, that they had been on Kik for months. They had met in person at least once before, and most likely been intimate. With reason to worry, Eisenhower volunteered. He just purchased a new snow shovel and offered up his friend.

Would it help to mention I had someone else with me when I bought the shovel for snow purposes? Her name is Natalie Keepers. And so police rounded up that second Virginia Tech student, Natalie Keepers. They recorded her telling a stunning tale beginning the day before the murder. On Monday, there was a general idea that, okay, he has to get her into the car somehow. Keepers said Eisenhower feared Nicole was about to expose their relationship and asked for help brainstorming ways to kill her. On Tuesday, that's when the official plan started coming together.

They bought the shovel, went out to dinner, and then Eisenhower dropped Keepers at her dorm. He had a prearranged date with Nicole. Then Keepers told the officers Eisenhower picked Nicole up, drove her into the woods, and stabbed her to death. The next day, he and Keepers went back to Walmart for cleaning supplies and disposed of the body together. Armed with this news, officers raced to find Nicole's body.

Eisenhower and keepers were arrested. For Nicole's family, a long wait was just beginning. Is there any doubt who is responsible for the death of your daughter? No. death of your daughter? No. It took two years, but in February of 2018,

Eisenhower went on trial for her murder. Prosecutors described Nicole's final hours as she waited for her secret date. She gives her mom a kiss and she tells her she's going to bed. Cole pushes her dresser in front of the door. She climbs out of the window into the snowy night.

And into Eisenhower's waiting car. Nicole's mother described the horror of finding her daughter gone. When was the next time that you saw Cole? In her coffin. Security footage showed Eisenhower and keepers buying the shovel. Photos revealed bloodstains and the bloody shovel found in Eisenhower's's car that is a receipt and a walmart

employee read a list of items they purchased before discarding nicole's body top job basic bleach cleaner great value disinfectant wipes and two pairs of cleaning gloves eisenhower's lawyer said natalie Keepers killed Nicole and he said a bloody handprint on the shovel proves it the palm print that made that bloody palm print on the shovel

was not David Eisenhower it was ruled out as being David Eisenhower it was Natalie Keepers but on the fourth day of It was not of the keepers. But on the fourth day of testimony came a bombshell announcement. Guilty or not guilty? No contest.

Facing a mountain of incriminating evidence, Eisenhower suddenly changed his plea from not guilty to no contest. Prosecutors read one of his last kick messages with Nicole into the court record. From the defendant, but I can't stress enough that you don't tell anyone about me because they will find a way to hurt you. From Nicole Lowell, who will hurt me? Who's they? Why are you scaring me? Who will hurt me? Who's they? Why are you scaring me? Mr. Eisenhower, if you'll please stand. The judge accepted his revised plea and ruled Eisenhower guilty. I'm guilty of a weapon that's charged in the indictment.

But Nicole's family still had one more ordeal to sit through. In September 2018, Natalie Keepers went on trial as an accessory to murder. She had already pleaded guilty to helping Eisenhower conceal Nicole's body. Prosecutors told new jurors the same story, that David Eisenhower killed Nicole Lovell. But he had help from Natalie Keepers. Over several weeks, they planned out the murder. They considered shooting her, poisoning her, making it look like it was a suicide. Prosecutors played audio recordings of Keepers describing Eisenhower's messages to her on kick. He would say, off her, kill the bitch, kill her.

Keeper said she knew it was wrong. I had no emotion. I had no emotion. He became a sociopath, and he thought of me as a sociopath in training, I guess. Keeper's attorney called a neuropsychologist who examined Keeper's and diagnosed her with seven mental disorders, including borderline personality disorder and a disorder like schizophrenia. These people may look odd. Their sense of reality is off.

Their ability to relate to others is off. Their interpersonal skills are off. The doctor said Keeper's mental state could have made her interview with the officers unreliable. Such a person would be highly easily influenced and gullible and would be easily led. And Keeper's lawyers say she was playing along with Eisenhower to keep his friendship and had no idea he would really kill Nicole.

You will hear her actually describe that she thought it was a fantasy, something that wasn't real. But the prosecutors disputed that notion and read Keeper's kick messages to Eisenhower after the murder, telling him he deserved a good night's sleep. She's proud. She's proud. She's proud of what she and David Eisenhower did. It's almost like congratulating someone for getting through five finals in a week. You deserve it. Get some sleep.

The jury took just over one hour to reach a verdict. We, the jury, unanimously found the defendant, Natalie Marie Keepers, guilty of being an accessory before the fact. Natalie Keepers was sentenced to 40 years in prison, and David Eisenhower was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Neither is eligible for parole. They both apologized to Nicole's family. I wish I could have stopped. I never intended for this to happen. Nothing can ever undo what has been done, and for that, I am deeply, sincerely, and forever sorry.

Even with guilty verdicts, the question of why may never be answered. The shell-shocked community of Blacksburg still doesn't understand how two intelligent college kids with their lives in front of them would take the life of a 13-year-old girl. I wish he would have done it to me instead of her. I wish she would have done it to me instead of her. I would trade places with her in a heartbeat. Because she deserved to live.

And nothing's the same. Nicole Lovell's death is a dark reminder of how social media have profoundly changed society. For the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. I hope everybody learns from this. Hold their kids tight because it can happen to you. Today, our children have a host of new ways to live and new ways to die as well. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app.

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