48 Hours - The Stranger Beside Me

Episode Date: July 25, 2024

On March 18, 2010, Jamie Laiaddee vanished from her home in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. Her live-in boyfriend Bryan Stewart told everyone she had moved to Denver, Colorado to take a new job. When detectives started searching for Jamie, they discovered Bryan was a con man, and suspected he was also her killer. “48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 12/29/2012. 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. 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. This is a wonderful, bubbly, confident, independent woman, and she's missing. Jamie Laiety disappeared. Doesn't make any sense. She's a college graduate from the University of Michigan, respected within her community.

People of her background and stature don't just come up missing for 10 weeks and nobody hears from them. How can one of my best friends have been missing for 10 weeks? How did it come to this that she could be gone so long and nobody reported it? I couldn't believe that it had been that long,

that nobody had noticed. It was absolute craziness. Phoenix in the metropolitan area is the sixth largest city in the country. It's a big valley, and it's surrounded by desert on all four sides. I believe Jamie Leidy came to Arizona to establish her own identity. Jamie was a very private person. She kept to herself. She wasn't close with her family.

She just kind of had a don't ask me about my parents kind of thing. So the only person that saw her on a daily basis was her live-in boyfriend, Brian Stewart. Jamie and I dated for nearly three years. She's always refused to talk about her past or her family. Every time that Jamie saw her parents, she was terrified. It was a very different case than just about everything else that we work.

There was no blood. There was no body. There was no evidence of a crime scene. There's no smoking gun in this case, but there is a lot of burning matchsticks. Jamie's lost. We don't know where she is, and it's really sad. She was a good person, and she didn't deserve this.

I believe Jamie was murdered because there's no clear explanation as to where she is now, what happened to her, and why. Jamie Liety is alive. She took $100,000 of Daddy's money and she left the state of Arizona. He's a very convincing liar. Bring it on. I know she's alive. I'm Erin Moriarty.

Tonight on 48 Hours, the stranger beside me. When Jamie Laudy disappeared in March of 2010, none of her closest friends noticed for weeks. The truth is, Jamie had been fading from their lives for nearly two years. After your friend stops making an effort, you kind of stop too. But I never thought Jamie would have been the one to stop making an effort. It was completely out of character for the sweet California girl they all met as freshmen at the University of Michigan. She was a good friend. We were a support network for each other. Gwyneth Newman, Sheila Dubes, and Jennifer Langute say they quickly formed a lasting bond with Jamie.

It's kind of like we had this rock. We had this family of friends that we were so connected with. And I remember leaving Michigan. It was just so reassuring that you were just a phone call away from feeling like you belong somewhere again. They call themselves the 516 girls, referring to the address of a house they shared in Ann Arbor their senior year and where they were passionate supporters of Michigan's Big Ten football team. We were obsessed with U of M football. No one was a greater booster than Jamie.

I think just, I always picture her in my mind on football Saturdays, you know, charging out to the stadium. Sheila says that she and Jamie had a special connection. We were both from immigrant families. And both were under heavy pressure to succeed. I think our fathers were kind of the same. They put a lot of pressure on us to do really well in school. But I think our fathers were kind of the same. They put a lot of pressure on us to do really well in school, but I think she just wanted to make it on her own.

Vani and Jimmy Laede came to the US from Thailand in search of a better life. They admit they pushed Jamie to go to medical school. You think that because you were pushing her to go back to school, she might have pulled away a bit? She said, she's a big girl. After graduation, Jamie landed in Phoenix, Arizona. The Big Valley was booming,

the perfect place to blend in and make her own way. She eventually found a high-paying job selling medical supplies. And while it consumed her time, she managed to maintain her now long-distance friendships. We emailed each other a lot. Even though we all ended up in different locations, I think we still looked to each other for support. The weddings were the big thing that kind of kept us together. But far away in Arizona, Jamie was lonely. So she joined a local University of Michigan alum club, where she found friends who shared her deep love of Michigan football.

Marlena Buffa was the group's president. She was enthusiastic, but still she was reserved and quiet. But when she caught the eye of a handsome young fellow Michigan fan, Jamie found romance. She was hot. I mean, how else do you put it? Brian Stewart says the attraction was immediate. She had a really good smile and really got enthusiastic about the football games and would jump up and cheer and would sing with the fight song. They started dating in the fall of 2007. About a year later, Brian moved into the home that Jamie owned

in the trendy Phoenix suburb of Chandler. She was the breadwinner, making well over $100,000 a year. Brian, a personal trainer, made much less. Did she pay most of the bills? Most of the big ones, yeah. But it's not like I was dependent upon her. Did you love Jamie? I still love Jamie.

You know, I just want Jamie to be happy. It's hard because I don't know if Jamie knows what it takes to make her happy. In August 2009, Jamie suffered a crushing setback. When the economy took a big downturn, she lost the thing she valued most, her high-powered job. Her career had been going so well for so long, and I think this was a pretty major blow to her. She searched for months in Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, but Jamie couldn't find another

job. When the real estate crash hit Chandler and her property value plunged. Brian says she became despondent and even more withdrawn. You know, it was like when it rains, it pours. For Jamie, it was pouring. Brian says all of it took a toll on their relationship. So he rented an apartment in Scottsdale and planned to break things off. And on the night of March 17th, he said he was going to tell Jamie he was moving out. Instead, he says, she surprised him.

She came in, asked me to take a week off from work. And she's like, we're going to go to Denver. We're going to get a house. You know, I've got a job offer up there. It's time to go. I want to go. I want to get out of this state. Basically, I told her no. I'm not leaving Arizona. I'm not going to marry you. Brian admits Jamie was upset and that they argued. Still, he says that when they went to bed, things had settled down. At the crack of dawn the next morning, Brian left for work.

She was laying in bed, and I gave her a kiss, told her I loved her, and got in the truck and drove to work. But later that morning, Brian emailed Marlena Buffa and told her a different story. And said, Jamie dumped me. She moved to Colorado. Did that surprise you at all? No. I thought, good for her. Did he seem upset? A little bit. He was more angry that she left him alone. At any point, did it even cross your mind that something could have happened to Jamie?

No. I knew she had means. If she wants to pick up and leave, good for her. means if she wants to pick up and leave, good for her. That day, and for weeks to come, no one realized that Jamie had disappeared. When is the last time you saw Jamie? Physically saw her, 3.15 a.m., March 18, 2010. 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 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 Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify and listen to more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad free right now. There she is.

Jamie Liety had always been fiercely private, but by the summer of 2009, she was practically reclusive, cutting herself off from nearly everyone except her live-in boyfriend, Brian Stewart. We never had anybody over for dinner. We never had any parties. Nobody came over to watch television or to just hang out. Why not? So, one of the great mysteries. I don't know.

Even Jamie's parents say she was more distant than ever. My husband said, well, you know, she's a busy girl. Don't bother her. That's why it took nearly three months for anyone to notice that Jamie was missing. I think people were just respecting her privacy and her space. And that was unfortunate. Then on May 28th, Marlena got a call from Brian.

He said, you know, I'm starting to get worried about Jamie. Marlena was also worried. So she and another member of the Michigan Alum Club called a private investigator, Burke Files. Files did a background check on Brian and found nothing suspicious, although one thing did stand out. About ten years earlier, at two different addresses in Michigan, Brian had lived with

a man named Rick Wayne Valentini. It could be a roommate. It could be a close friend. It could be a relative. And then Burke Files went on to trace Jamie's credit to see where she was now living and working. He came up empty. And nothing. There was no activity at all. Nothing. And nothing. There was no activity at all. Nothing. Jamie had disappeared into thin air. So files sounded the alarm. Marlena urged Brian to call Jamie's parents, who then called the police.

I immediately thought something was wrong. People of her background and stature don't just come up missing for 10 weeks and nobody hears from them. That afternoon, Chandler police got a warrant to search Jamie's home and started calling Brian. But he seemed to be ignoring them. To me, that was alarming. It just showed a lack of concern. Later that same night, when detectives were searching for Jamie's missing Ford Escape,

they found it in Scottsdale, with Brian behind the wheel. The detective said, well, I'm here in regards to your girlfriend. And the first thing he did was say, my ex-girlfriend. The detective felt that Brian was being evasive and seemed nervous. When Brian asked to use the bathroom in his own apartment the answer was no we didn't want to risk losing any evidence if there was some in there his luck would have it he had a warrant for his arrest for driving on a suspended license for a traffic offense so the detective used that warrant to take brian into custody

to take Brian into custody. Brian? Yes. Hey, I'm Nate Moffitt. How are you, man? It's B-R-Y-A-N, right? Yes. Last name is? Stewart.

Detective Moffitt interrogated Brian. How long have you and Jamie been dating? Give or take three years. Okay. When did you guys move in together? Honestly, I don't know. Okay. Were you cheating on move in together? Honestly, I don't know. Okay. Were you cheating on Jamie at all before?

No. While Detective Spielman searched Jamie's home for clues. Walk me through what happened around March. It was simple, really. She hated everything about the state. She wanted out. Now, she'd been up there for interviews.

I suspected that she would get the Denver offer. So, you know, he's saying she went to Colorado, yet all of her suitcases are there, her passport's there, all these things that she would need to travel are there at the house. But Jamie's wallet and driver's license were missing. I was concerned, but the possibility did exist,

that she just left and she doesn't want to be found. But at Chandler PD, Moffitt smelled a rat and started pressing Brian. Did you hurt Jamie? No. Okay. Did you hurt Jamie? No. Okay. Did you have anything to do with her disappearance? No.

You have nothing to hide? No. But things just didn't add up for Moffitt. There were just too many inconsistencies. Brian gave a birthdate to the arresting officer, which didn't match the date on his Arizona ID. I have no freaking clue who's sitting in front of me. And it's extremely uneasy for me as I'm investigating a case of this magnitude.

Moffitt had no idea how right he was until the next day, when Brian was in a jail cell and detectives were searching his apartment. Well, we were searching his new residence. We located a manila envelope with a Michigan driver's license in the name of Rick Wayne Valentini, and that picture was Brian Stewart. You're not really Brian Stewart at all, are you? On the night of May 29, 2010, as he interrogated Brian Stewart about his missing girlfriend, Jamie Laidie, Detective Moffat knew that Brian wasn't telling the truth. I mean, you're talking about a woman who's been gone for two months now. And I have a person in front of me that has different Social Security numbers,

a couple of different dates of birth. You're not really Brian Stewart at all, are you? To me, I am. But not legally, are you? Well, legally, I'm not anything. Actually, legally, Brian is Rick Wayne Valentini. Remember the roommate that private investigator Burke Files noticed in Brian Stewart's credit history? Well, there was no roommate, just this guy, Rick Valentini, who was preparing to change

his identity. In our modern world with the databases, you just can't turn on a new name, a new taxpayer ID number, a social security number. You have to age it. You have to season it. In October 2001, when the name Brian Stewart had enough of a credit history, Rick Valentini disappeared from Michigan. Days later, a man named Brian became a resident of Phoenix. Driving from Michigan to Arizona, that's all I did.

Brian Stewart, Brian Stewart, Brian Stewart, Brian Stewart. I was always saying, listening for Brian Stewart, Brian Stewart, because it's a new name. A new name and a new man, according to Rick. The kind of man he always wanted to be. And he insists that whether legal or not, he is now Brian Stewart and would only agree to an interview if we would use that name. And if you don't want to accept that, I don't want you around, I don't want you in my life. Why not change your name legally?

Why go to the trouble of forging a birth certificate? Well, it was my understanding that to change your name legally would take years. Brian claims he wasn't running from the law, just leaving behind what he describes as a tragic childhood. Everybody takes their name for granted. Your name is the very core essence of who you are, of what you are, and you find out that it's all a lie. And then you find out that your own father doesn't even know you exist because your own mother didn't bother to tell him.

His mother was 18 when he was born. His real father reportedly walked away. He just wasn't loved, just didn't have love. That's why he loved us, because we loved him. His aunt Donna says she believes he was physically and emotionally abused. I think the other children were too, but not like him. He always knew there was something different about him and he didn't know what.

Do you think that he created this different name, different persona because he just didn't want to be who he was? Exactly. Exactly. Didn't want to be who he was? Exactly. Exactly. But when detectives started looking into Rick Valentini's background, this is what else they found. Three ex-wives and two daughters. Hello?

Hi, is this Cynthia? This is. Hi, Cynthia. Detective Dave Selvidge from Chandler Police Department. This is Cynthia. This is. Hi, Cynthia. Detective Dave Selvidge from Chandler Police Department. One of his exes told Chandler Police she thinks Rick is just a deadbeat dad on the run. He owed, from what I understand, quite a bit of back child support from Wendy, his first wife.

His oldest daughter, Amy, was a baby when he left. He never called, never talked to me, never contacted me. When your mom finally told you about your dad, what did she say about him? What kind of guy was he? A really bad guy, a liar. She told me that he always lied, all the time. He lied about lots of things. In Phoenix, his whole life was a lie.

He told everyone, including Jamie, that his parents were killed by a drunk driver. He pretended to be eight years younger than he is and boasted a hero's military record that was complete fiction. When you talked to Detective Moffat, when he sat you down, he asked you about your military record. sat you down. He asked you about your military record. And you said you'd been to Iraq and Afghanistan. You hadn't had you. No, you lied. I was. You lied. Yeah. Rick Valentini, a.k.a. Brian Stewart, was an enlisted man, but he was dishonorably discharged after going AWOL and stabbing two military officers in the hand and leg. He served two years in a military prison.

He never mentioned that to anyone either. Present! Present! You tell a lot of stories, though, don't you? I have a lot of stories to tell. But you tell a lot of stories, though, don't you? I have a lot of stories to tell. But you tell a lot of lies. Um, lies mixed in with the truth. Like the lie that ultimately made Jamie Laide trust Brian with her life. You never actually went to the University of Michigan, did you?

No. But you let people think you did. Sure. Why? You never actually went to the University of Michigan, did you? No. Mm-mm. But you let people think you did. Sure. Why? It was just a tie-in to my home state, and it was just part of the pride that I had. I've been a Michigan fan since I was a little boy. He was right in there, and boy, he was a Michigan man.

And it wasn't just that fanaticism that conned the alumni group in Phoenix for four years. Brian also had a fake diploma. He's fooled all of us. We're talking hundreds of people here and 20 or so board members, many of them attorneys and judges. and 20 or so board members, many of them attorneys and judges. News of Jamie's boyfriend's double life went viral and made her disappearance even more alarming. This doesn't happen to your family. No.

This does not happen to people you went to college with that you call your sister. This doesn't happen to your family. You don't have friends who meet people who have double identities. if you call your sister. This doesn't happen to your family. You don't have friends who meet people who have double identities. Did you begin to think that maybe Jamie was dead? Yes.

And did you think he might have killed her? Mm-hmm. Did you kill Jamie? No. I've never killed anybody in my life. Not ever. Did you two fight that night? No. Were you angry with her?

No. She told me with her? No. She told me that she was going to be leaving the next day. And where was she going? It was, my impression, Denver. But detectives who had already discovered several suitcases in Jamie's home couldn't find any evidence of Jamie ever leaving for or arriving in Denver. Brian says that's because Jamie didn't want to be found. I taught Jamie how to create a whole new life for herself.

That included a new identification, a whole new persona, a whole new way of looking at things. Are you saying that you helped Jamie change her identity? Yeah. I showed her how to do it. The only thing that she ever lived for was to be free of her family. She wanted to be on her own. He's too smart. Why would he have stayed there for 10 weeks if he killed her? Why wouldn't he have just left?

He'd done it before, why wouldn't he do it again? Isn't it possible that Jamie's doing the same thing that Brian did, just vanished the same way and no one's been able to track her down? Are you asking me today if I believe that's possible? Absolutely not. I wholeheartedly believe Brian Stewart, Rick Valentini, whoever you want to call him, murdered Jamie Liety on the night of March 17th. But a year and a half after Jamie

disappeared, there is still no body, no blood, no sign of a struggle, no physical evidence of a murder. We just didn't have what you would consider a traditional crime scene. So we went with more of a virtual crime scene. They started investigating the digital record of Jamie's life. And this little white envelope contained several pieces of the puzzle. Prosecutor Juan Martinez says it was enough to convince him that Brian Stewart should be charged with murder. This is a really telling piece of evidence. Oh my gosh.

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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. It was about this supernatural killer

who would attack his victims if they said his name five times into a bathroom mirror. 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. Listen to Candyman, the true story behind the bathroom mirror murder, early and ad-free on Wondery Plus

and the Wondery app. In June 2010, Brian Stewart was charged with fraud for forging a new birth certificate and changing his name illegally. If you think using the name Brian Stewart is fraudulent, hey, we're going to fight it out in court. But while detectives suspected he was responsible for the disappearance and death of his girlfriend, Jamie Laidey, they couldn't charge him with her murder. What did the two of you think happened that night? I think they had a fight. But wouldn't there be some sign of that in her home? Not necessarily. I mean, strangulation or suffocation or anything like that, there's

going to be virtually no blood. With no physical evidence, they would have to build a strong circumstantial case to prove that Jamie was dead and Brian was the one who killed her. We literally dissected all of Jamie's financial affairs, all of her accounts, all of the transactions, his email, her email. What they saw was a very responsible woman.

She was a person that stayed up on her emails, she returned phone calls, she paid all of her bills on time until March 17th, and she didn't do any of those things. For the next three months, detectives realized that the only person who appeared to be using Jamie's credit cards was Brian Stewart. The only transactions on one of Jamie's accounts were Internet purchases and dating websites. He used her cards to meet other women? That's right. Basically, he said the same thing. He was a graduate of the University of Michigan, never been married, didn't know if he wanted kids or not. That's nervy, isn't it?

Yeah, it's pretty nervy. And pretty insensitive, too, isn't it? Um, yeah. You know, a little, because, well, let me explain. You used her credit cards to go on dating sites to meet other women. Well, you know what? Look, Jamie was leaving. But nothing alarmed Prosecutor Martinez more than what detectives found when they searched

Brian's apartment in Scottsdale. Her wallet was lying on his desk. There was a number of her credit cards there on the desk. And then on the back filing cabinet was her personal telephone that he said she had with her. So was this small white envelope. And when police got a warrant to open it, they found pieces of cut up ID and credit cards.

When they put them together, they had Jamie Laiddy's driver's license, her Michigan University alum card, and several credit cards. Why did you cut off her driver's license? I didn't cut them up. Brian claims it was Jamie who cut up the cards after she changed her identity and ran away.

But when Chandler police tested the envelope to see who sealed it, the DNA belonged to Brian. Even when you had that envelope, it still took a year before you brought murder charges against him. We were tying up all the loose ends. When you don't have a body, you have to be very careful because you only get one chance. That chance came when an inmate at the jail

where Brian was being held agreed to testify that Brian had confessed to killing Jamie. He went to this particular individual and said, do you think that they can charge me if they can't find the body? On March 24, 2011, a grand jury indicted Brian on charges of second-degree murder of his girlfriend, Jamie Laide. He was also charged with fraud for using Jamie's credit cards without her permission. Who is technically, legally on trial here? An individual by the name of Rick Valentini, also known as Brian Stewart.

But isn't this a little odd, because even through the trial, you're calling him Brian Stewart. That's the name that he preferred. I'll use whatever name he wants to convict him. In October of 2011, Rick Wayne Valentini, a.k.a. Brian Stewart, went on trial. State's first witness. The first witness. The first witness to testify for the state was Andrea Ardsma.

What does your husband do for a living? He is a professional baseball player. Back in 2010, she and her husband David, then ace pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, were in Scottsdale during the offseason. Andrea worked out at Gold's Gym five days a week, and her personal trainer was Brian. And did he tell you whether or not he had a girlfriend? Yes, he had a girlfriend.

And did he tell you her name? Jamie. Andrea testified that for months before Jamie disappeared, Brian had complained about his souring relationship and what he really thought of his girlfriend. Whiny, naggy, bitch, sugar mama, nothing positive at all. I don't know if he just thought I was a good listener or if he really did think that I was stupid

and that he could tell me all these things and nothing would come of it. In one of the trial's most disturbing moments, Andrea stood up and reenacted Brian sharing his nickname for Jamie. Jamie the gut. Jamie the gut. I'm like, man, like, if you hate her so much, just break up with her. The jury also heard from Jamie's parents. Have you received any emails from her? No. Has she shown up at your house?

No. Have you been hiding her just so that Mr. Stewart won't find her? No. But some of the most significant testimony revealed that Jamie had found a new job. And not in Denver, but right here in Phoenix. She's very excited about her new job, and we're looking forward to working together on March 18th. David Beauchamp, a lawyer and friend, testified that he helped Jamie negotiate the contract for that job.

What's more, he saw Jamie two days before she disappeared and testified that he saw bruises. She was exhibiting many, many of the characteristics of a battered woman. And she absolutely broke down on day seven of the state's case thank you please be seated the jailhouse snitch took the stand the whole truth and nothing about the truth so help you god i do thank you at his request the judge ordered us not to reveal his identity he also got a deal for testifying a two-year sentence for fraud was reduced to one. He was very agitated talking about how the police know that I killed her,

that he needed to get it off his chest. By the time the state rested, Prosecutor Martinez and Detective Nate Moffitt were sure they would get a conviction on the fraudulent schemes charge. But had they convinced the jury that Brian had committed murder? I think a lot of people would have a hard time convicting with nobody. We really had to be careful and listen to both sides. Knowing his life was on the line, Brian was about to do something that would shock the entire courtroom.

Were you expecting the defendant to take the stand? No. I wasn't. Absolutely not. But I was glad that he did. 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 them. 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 Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Pieces of a driver's license and credit cards.

A closet filled with shoes and purses. The evidence at trial is a daily reminder of what Jamie Laiddy's parents have lost. It's so hard every time they mention her name. It's hurt me so much. I'm thinking that I'm not going to see her anymore then. And as the defense begins, Jamie's mother has one wish. The whole time I've been praying that I hope he takes the stand. Why? Because then they can see through him.

Her prayer is granted, despite his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, and very much against his lawyer and most any lawyer's advice. Brian Stewart boldly and defiantly takes the stand. I am the only human being who knows what happened. I'm the only human being who knows why things happened, when they happened. What was your relationship like? It was, I would say, 95% great. Did you argue? No, not really.

He appears confident and relaxed, but after all, it is his lawyer asking the questions. Did you kill Jamie to use her credit cards? Absolutely not. Did you have general permission to use her credit cards? Yes. Brian insists he didn't need to steal from Jamie. Why do you feel that you had permission to use the cards? Even from our first date, it was literally an instruction to use them.

And then he drops a bombshell, claiming that long after Jamie disappeared, drops a bombshell, claiming that long after Jamie disappeared, she was still in Phoenix and would visit the house they shared and his new condo when Brian wasn't around. Because I would get back to my condo and things would be moved around or things would be left behind. Okay. Now, how did she get into your apartment? She had a key. But that's not all. He also claims he continued to communicate with Jamie

long after that morning in March 2010, when she vanished. How did she communicate with you? Email and telephone. Okay. You have told people that if you had a computer, you could find her. I've got a computer here. You want to try? I've got my iPad here. You want to try? I've got my iPad here. How would you find her?

I would have to look on mine. I mean, if I got this whole thing set up, could you? I mean, if you could find her... No, because I need to get into my computer because there's a special e-mail site that we were working through. You must know, Brian, that that sounds a little crazy that you would have given this information to your attorneys

and they wouldn't go looking for the one person who could save you from going to prison for life. You know, I told them that, and I never heard anything. Did you murder Jamie Laidie? No. Jamie Laidie is alive. She would just let you go on trial for murder, go to prison for the rest of your life? I don't know. I don't think that, I don't think either one of us ever expected it to get this far. Would you be at all surprised if I told you that she was about to walk through that door? No.

But prosecutor Juan Martinez wasn't buying any of it. You didn't actually talk to her in that condo, did you? No. You have not seen her at any time, and she hasn't walked in now, right? Right. And she won't walk in because you killed her, right? Wrong. I don't have anything else. Thank you.

I don't have anything else. Thank you. One day before Thanksgiving 2011, more than a year and a half after Jamie Laidey disappeared, the prosecution and defense rested after presenting two very different stories. It was now up to the jury to decide, and foreman Leon Leed was worried. As we were moving to deliberation, I wondered how difficult of a decision this is going to be for the 12 of us, knowing that there's no body. But just four hours later, the jury returned with a verdict. Did any of you look at him when you walked in?

No, I did not. No. Thank you, please be seated. Brian Stewart was reassured by deputy sheriffs guarding him. Oh yeah, they're like, yeah, you're good. Anytime a jury comes back that quick, and I was like, okay, well, wow, like, yeah, you're good. Anytime a jury comes back that quick. And I was like, okay, well wow, alright, that's pretty good.

We the jury, duly impaneled and sworn in the above entitled action upon our oaths as to count one second degree murder do find the defendant guilty. Guilty. Jamie's parents were overcome. Are these your true verdicts? Guilty that's all I heard and I just I lost it. I was so happy. And then there was more. As to count two fraudulent schemes and artifices do find the defendant guilty. Brian Stewart couldn't believe his ears. I just sat there.

Like, to me, my life was over with. I just couldn't understand. You know? I mean, if I would have killed her, I would have admitted to it. Do you think Brian Stewart slash Rick Valentini is a dangerous man? Yes. Yes. Absolutely.

No question in your mind? None. None at all. The first ten minutes of his testimony, any doubt I had that he was solely responsible for the murder of Jamie had been sealed at that moment in time. You've told so many stories, it's hard to believe you. Let's look at the Army, okay? No, let's look at what happened to Jamie.

That's what really matters. Jamie took $100,000, and she left the state of Arizona. I've said it for 18 months, I say it now, and I'm going to say it for the next 18 years. But investigators say there was no money, and his story is just another lie. And for her friends and family... I just feel so bad that we weren't there. The one remaining question may never be answered. Is it hard because you don't really know where she is?

You've never been able to bury her? That's right. That's right. I still have what they call the silk receiving blankets of Jamie from the hospital. And I carry it with me all the time. And I intend to use that blanket to carry her home. It'll be fine, too. You'll be fine too. In 2011, Rick Valentini, a.k.a. tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey.