48 Hours - What Happened in Apt. 1601? - Encore

Episode Date: March 27, 2017

Three young friends all walk into a small Washington, D.C., apartment, and only two come out aliveSee 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. Real people. Real crimes. Real life drama.

Real people, real crimes, real life drama. Before all of this, my brother had a beautiful girlfriend, Taylor. He had friends, Mark. And sort of in the blink of an eye, it's completely changed, you know? We can't bring Mark back. If we could, we would. This story is about a very violent, very bloody murder involving three promising young people just outside Washington, DC. It starts with some friends and a birthday dinner.

They're going to go out and celebrate. Montgomery County 911, what is the address of the emergency? What is your name? Taylor Gold. The police get this 911 call. It's a little vague. There's blood everywhere. What do you mean there's blood everywhere?

What happened? I don't know. The police come into this efficiency apartment that's all bloody. The police come into this efficiency apartment that's all bloody. They see a dead guy with a lot of blood on him. They see his friend who's covered with blood. And then they see the friend's girlfriend.

She's got blood on her. Mark Waugh, the victim, was stabbed in the neck, was stabbed in the chest, twice in his left shoulder. His jugular vein was cut. Just brutal. I got a call that two subjects were coming. They were definitely not the usual cast of characters at all. Mark Waugh, he's a first-year law student at Georgetown. Rahul Gupta is Mark's friend from high school.

He's got an engineering degree. And then there's Taylor Gold, Rahul Gupta's girlfriend. She's got a biomedical engineering degree as well. Mark is dead. What? Yes. Taylor Gold. Oh, my God.

You know, clearly she had been drinking. Mr. Gupto had also been drinking. They can both remember up until a certain point, but the crucial 45 minutes, nobody seems to remember anything. I remember what happened. I told you everything I did remember. You're talking about a really small apartment. To say that you don't know what happened when somebody gets killed violently is unbelievable.

Somebody was murdered in your joint. I know. Some people are going to do whatever they have to do in order to try to save themselves. One of them had to do it. I really don't remember. I didn't believe her then, and I still don't believe her now.

And I don't know that we believed either one of them. I know my brother. He didn't do this. One of them did it. Oh my God. I'm Richard Schlesinger. Tonight on 48 Hours, what happened in apartment 1601? 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 Plus. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

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, with a 48-hour plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. on Apple Podcasts.

When you came in the door, how did you approach this place? Well, we're stacked up kind of like how we are now. One guy behind me... Officer Dean Skiba was working the night shift in Montgomery County, Maryland. When he got the kind of call

young police officers sometimes dream about and sometimes lose sleep over. How bloody was this apartment that day? It's like a horror movie. You can see it is up all over the wall, all over the ground. It was about 2 a.m. October 13th, 2013. October 13th, 2013. Three successful 20-somethings arrived at this tiny studio apartment near Washington, D.C. Two of them lived here, a grad student named Rahul Gupta and his girlfriend, Taylor Gold. They'd been bar hopping for Rahul's 24th birthday and came home with a friend, Mark Waugh, who was a promising young law student. But within about an hour, Mark Waugh would be dead, stabbed to death here on the floor. He's here and I need emergency right now. When Taylor Gold called the police, she was drunk, at times incoherent.

What is happening? I don't know. When Officer Skiba and the other first responders got to the scene, Taylor Gold met them at the door and stayed in the hall with police. He says the first responders had no idea what they were walking into. It was just a mess. Mark was laying right here. Mark Waugh was dead. Gupta was laying right here. Gupta was covered in blood and drunk. He kept rambling and talking in circles. But Skiba says he was startled by what Gupta said next.

I do remember him distinctly saying to me, I caught my buddy and my girl cheating. I killed my buddy. As drunk as he was, it was hard to know if Gupta's confession was believable. He was handcuffed on the spot. What did you think about the woman? Was she a suspect? Yeah, definitely.

Because they also suspected Taylor, police handcuffed her as well. Taylor and Gupta arrived at police headquarters at about 5 a.m., where veteran interrogator Detective Paula Hamill met them. I'm Paula Hamill. I'm a detective with the police department. They were both brought to headquarters as suspects. You can close your eyes.

As a mother of six... Hey, Taylor. Detective Hamill had questioned her share of young people. Taylor, can you hop up for a minute? And she says it was clear in Gupta's and Taylor's answers that the haze of alcohol was obscuring the details. They were the only people still alive, and they were of no help. No help. No help. I'm really not sure what happened between when we got there and when the police got there.

They told strikingly similar stories about what they remembered, which was, I don't know, not much. It's kind of that I don't remember what happened. It's kind of that I don't remember what happened. Hamill suspected they both knew more than they were letting on. That apartment, there's not even like a separate bedroom or anything. Somebody was murdered. I know. You have to have some explanation.

That certainly is something that you would remember for your life. Because he confessed, Rahul was still the prime suspect. But Detective Hamill couldn't possibly have expected what happened when she turned up the heat on Taylor. Listen to how Taylor answers when she's asked if she did it. Did you kill Mark? I don't think so. She doesn't say no. She told police she didn't remember.

In his drunken confession at the scene, Gupta said he did it because he caught Taylor cheating on him with Mark. But Taylor says she and Mark did nothing untoward. You do not have any kind of sexual relationship with Mark? No. I can't imagine doing that. But if you find evidence otherwise, I'm not going to deny it.

Detective Hamill spent hours going back and forth between Taylor and Rahul and getting very little. between Taylor and Rahul and getting very little. As the hours passed, Gupta was sobering up. I found him like that. And starting to back away from his confession. So if you don't remember, then there's a possibility that you did it. There is that possibility, but I know for a fact that I didn't do it. Was he frustrating you?

Yes. I can't say what happened. See how it's hard for me to wrap my head around that? Sure. After several hours of interrogation, Gupta was charged with murder, and his parents hired defense attorneys Phil Armstrong and Jennifer Page. The first statement your client makes to the police was a confession. How do you get around that? People who are under stress do crazy, stupid things.

He says in this case, Gupta tried to cover for Taylor. The bottom line is this. He's innocent. They agree his drunken confession is not as revealing as his character. Rahul Gupta is a kind, mild-mannered man whose life's intent was to marry Taylor Gold, have a family, and help society. The Guptas arrived in the Washington area from India in 1986 and built a successful printing business. They moved to the affluent suburb of McLean, Virginia.

Rahul met Mark Waugh in high school. Waugh was known as a quirky kid who loved to smile and loved to challenge in school and in the great outdoors. Huge personality, always smiling, always joking, huge heart. Before Mark Waugh started Georgetown Law School, he'd been a star debater in high school and college. But Jason Peters met him years before that, in Cub Scouts. I remember sort of a funny, goofy character. A decade of campouts, cookouts, and community service eventually made them both Eagle Scouts. He was a strong leader and someone that you could really look up to. He prided himself on his leadership ability.

Mark was just a really nice kid. He was a really good friend for Rahul. Gupta's older sister, Shireen, says her brother was a loyal friend too because they'd been raised to believe anything worth having was worth working hard to keep. In fact, the Gupta family worked hard for everything, especially education. Rahul was going for his second master's degree. Rahul is a really smart guy. Reporter Dan Morse, covering the murder for The Washington Post, said everything about this crime was interesting,

especially the three people who were there that night. There's Mark Waugh. No one can say a bad thing about the guy. You know, why would anyone want to hurt him? And then there's Taylor Gold. He says Taylor showed immense promise, too. She and Gupta had started dating as seniors at George Washington University and moved in together after graduation.

Do you ever talk to him about her? I think I asked him one time, like, are you serious? You know, do you think this is going somewhere? And his reply was yes. And you approved? Yeah, I mean, I support him. Taylor helped out with some of Gupta's bills while he paid for his studies. She works at the FDA.

Nice government job. The three of them all had these very bright futures ahead of them. And one of them still could have a bright future. But not before police find out what happened in apartment 1601 and who did it. Clearly I, you know, interacted with the body because I had blood on me. I just don't know when it happened. 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 Informants 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. 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. We started figuring out that something was wrong when Rahul didn't respond to any of our birthday wishes. It was the evening after Mark Waugh's murder, and Shereen Gupta-Rappaport says her family still had no idea what had happened. In fact, they planned a dinner out to celebrate Rahul's birthday, but Rahul and Taylor Gold never showed up. How worried were you? I mean, really worried.

Really worried because it just wasn't normal. We couldn't get him on the phone. We couldn't reach Taylor on her phone. We knew there was something wrong. Did you touch him? That part I don't remember. At police headquarters, Paula Hamill spent about eight hours talking to Gupta and Taylor, but not getting anywhere. The blood on your hands and your feet, do you have any idea where that came from? assume from mark hamill says gupta was still trying to talk his way out of his confession i want to take this time now to say that i did not attack anybody gupta says he was zoned out on the couch drunk and stoned and

only looked up when he heard taylor screaming when he realized mark was hurt, he says, he tried to stop the bleeding. I came to him, and then I put a lot of pressure here, and then I just sort of, like, hugged him. Gupta acknowledged he never actually saw his best friend and his girlfriend doing anything improper. He only had a hunch. Him and Tay just made it seem like they had a thing going on. And as soon as I found that out, I just started doing my own thing. The brother that I know is very calm, actually a very calm person. But since he had confessed at the scene, Gupta remained the prime suspect.

Prosecutors Timothy Hagan and Patrick Mays would begin looking into his past. He was overly competitive, confrontational. There was some talk about him having a temper. Yeah, not that I've seen. You've never seen him mad? No. We know that he has a temper, and we know that that temper gets worse when he drinks. They say it's a wonder Gupta and Taylor remember anything at all.

You have the mix of alcohol and drugs. I smoked marijuana before I went out. Gupta and his friends went bar hopping for his birthday to three bars, drinking for hours. Gupta, Taylor and Mark were joined by another friend, Josh White. And everyone agrees things started getting strange around midnight at this bar, Buffalo Billiards, but they strongly disagree on crucial details. Along with the drinking there was a little flirting. One of the most important questions in this case is who was flirting with whom? Taylor Gold said Josh White was getting a little too friendly. Josh was texting me and it was really weird and he was kind of hitting on me and um...

Josh was? Yes. But Josh White would later tell them it was the other way around. She has a sense of being a little flirtatious to Rahul's friends. And I just asked her straight up, like, what's the deal? You know, you're a little flirtatious. She said, I couldn't do that to Rahul. You know, I love him very much. He says Mark walked up to them at exactly that moment, overheard her say, I couldn't do that to Rahul and misunderstood.

It sounded like I was hitting on her and so he took that very badly. He was pretty pissed off. Josh White says he tried to explain the misunderstanding to Mark and Rahul at the bar but things had gotten uncomfortable and Taylor wanted to leave. White went back to his place. Mark went home with Gupta and Taylor. This is security video of the three of them walking through the lobby toward the elevator not long before the bloody attack on Mark Wall. Can you tell anything from the body language of Raul Gupta and Taylor Gold? She seems intoxicated. She seem mad?

I don't think so. I didn't see that. Does he seem mad? It's hard to tell. To this day, prosecutors still aren't sure how Mark Wahl became the target of this brutal attack. Was there ever any friction between your brother and Mark?

Not that I know of. But at one point, Mark texted a friend, apparently from the bathroom. My night is becoming historically awkward, and I'm about to gnaw my hand off so I can leave in the ambulance. He's just looking for an escape. So there was some drama going on in that apartment. Absolutely. Because Gupta and Taylor both lived here, DNA and fingerprints wouldn't help.

But there were other bits of evidence that would. And the prosecutors say that's what focused their attention on Gupta and away from Taylor. It's not possible that she physically could have done it. Taylor is only 5'5 and 125 pounds. They were sure she isn't big enough to be the killer. Mark is considerably larger than her, was fighting back. She doesn't have a mark on her consistent with being fought back. They also don't think she was bloody enough. She has no blood on her face, no blood in her hair. Could she have washed up? There are photographs that are taken within several minutes. Her hair is not wet and she has her makeup on. And they say she behaved

as anyone would, who is confused and innocent. How did she get blood on her hands? Contact with Gupta. On the 911 call, it does sound like Taylor could be touching Gupta. Don't touch me. Don't touch me. The prosecutors concede Taylor and Gupta might have been in love once, but they say they were not at the time of the murder. This relationship was not a good relationship. Rahul was just like, I just want to have fun.

It's my birthday. And then Taylor was just like, we should just go. By the time police talked to Josh White, they were already thinking that Rahul's birthday binge was an argument waiting to happen. I'm just trying to find out what the f*** happened. What the heck happened? Yeah, somebody got stabbed.

Right. So, again, I don't know. I didn't do it. Rahul still insists he didn't do it. But now, for the first time, he says he knows who did. If you didn't stab him, then who did? Yeah. Okay?

Yeah. He said you had to have done it because he didn't do it. Oh, my God. I did not attack Mark. I did not attack Mark. I did not attack anybody. I think he felt like maybe he could talk himself out of whatever trouble he might be in. I didn't stab anyone. Detective Paula Hamill, who spent hours interrogating Rahul Gupta, says when he changed his story, she didn't change her mind. I believe that his initial statement was as truthful as he could have been,

and then I think he spent the rest of the time trying to get away from that. There's no question that Raul made false statements. Defense attorney Jennifer Page says Gupta was drunk and disoriented, and that's why he confessed to protect Taylor from being charged with the murder. I think it's very difficult for people to believe that an innocent person would implicate themselves for any reason at any time to any degree. I think that he would definitely try to protect Taylor. I mean, when you heard what he said to that first police officer who came in, what did you make of that? Honestly, I didn't believe it. You didn't believe he said those words? Correct. Co-counsel Phil Armstrong says as Gupta sobered up, he quickly realized

going to prison for Taylor Gold wasn't a good idea. So he started telling the truth. When they questioned him about what happened, he was adamant that he had not done it. And Armstrong says the evidence backs up his client, starting with that surveillance tape from shortly before the murder. Mark was laughing. He and Raul appeared to be interacting favorably. And they think if anyone was acting suspiciously that night, it was Taylor Gold. Gupta's lawyers say Taylor only called 911 when Gupta ordered her to and she wouldn't tell the operator much of anything. Okay, Taylor, are you there? Taylor, hello? Taylor? Hello? Taylor? Yeah. Yes, hello. I need you to talk to me.

The defense says that tape reveals a lot about Taylor and Gupta. You can hear him screaming, call 911. What is the address of the emergency? He is bereft. He is sobbing. He is begging. This is inconsistent with somebody who hated this man so much that he had to stab him 11 times. Page and Armstrong say Gupta did everything he could to keep his friend alive. We know for a fact that he gave him CPR. And they say that's why he's covered in Mark's blood. They argue much of the other forensic evidence at the crime scene is meaningless as well because police were careless.

Horrible mistakes were made. And the lawyers think Taylor acted too deliberately that night, considering she claimed not to remember what happened. There is evidence that before the first responders could get there, she changed her clothes. Not once, but twice. How did she get blood all over her legs, her hands, her dress? How did the blood get on the dress? I mean maybe maybe I was by Mars before Raul but I mean I have no idea. You had the

wherewithal to change your clothes yet you can't remember how you got the blood on you. I'm telling you the truth. Gupta's lawyers say these photos show Taylor could have been responsible. There were two very peculiar marks on her hand located just below the knuckle of the little finger. If you stab someone with the knife with any reasonable degree of force, it's possible that your hand will slide down the knife and it will hit the bottom of the handle. Page and Armstrong say Taylor was strong enough to stab Mark to death despite her size. We asked the medical examiner who could do this. She said, quote, any healthy adult.

Police believe Mark Waugh fought his attacker and the lawyers say there is evidence that POLICE BELIEVE MARK WAUGH FOUGHT HIS ATTACKER, AND THE LAWYERS SAY THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT TAYLOR GOLD WAS IN A FIGHT. HER FINGERNAILS WERE BLOODY AND ONE WAS BROKEN. ONE OF HER CONTACT LENSES WAS STUCK TO THE BACK OF MARK'S JEANS, AND THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE. LONG BLONDE HAIR, JUST LIKE TAYLOR'S, WAS FOUND ON THE MURDER the murder weapon. Found, wrapped around the knife, never tested. And it wasn't just on the knife. More long blonde hair was stuck in a blood stain on the wall and even in Mark Waugh's hand. Clutched in his hand as he lies dead on the floor. The hair was never tested, but it was

assumed to belong to Taylor Gold. But the prosecutors say it doesn't matter because she lived there. There were strands of hair of hers throughout the apartment, in every room. There is a mountain of reasonable doubt Rahul Gupta did not do it. Mark Wahl was stabbed by Rahul Gupta. What she did was most likely nothing. The prosecutors say they became convinced Taylor Gold is innocent largely because she admitted she could be guilty. I can't myself imagine doing that, right? So I'm just confused because like I'm not trying to put the blame on the wrong person. She's trying to be truthful in describing the fact that she does not have a memory of what happened in that apartment. That gives her credibility in your book.

It does. But the defense lawyers believe whatever Taylor and Gupta said to police should not overshadow what they said to each other about five hours after they arrived at police headquarters. In an unusual move, their interrogators brought them together and left them alone to see what happened. That was probably the second time in 10 years that I've done it. Maybe one of them would say something that would make us go, oh, did you hear that? What happened? What happened to Mark? This conversation could make the difference between who goes home and who goes on trial for murder.

Did you stab Mark or no? Rahul Gupta and Taylor Gold had been talking to police for about five hours when Detective Detective Paula Hamill made that unusual strategic decision. Hmm? To let them talk to each other. You okay? Yeah. No. If Gupta was acting for the detectives, he was staying in character in a performance with Taylor.

Did you use that Mark or no? I don't think, like, I wouldn't do that. Why would I attack someone? Gupta kept trying to blame Taylor. What happened between you two? And she kept not quite denying that she did it. Did they have some conversation before the police got there to say, I'll say I don't know, you say you don't know, and maybe they'll never find out? But the conversation between Taylor and Rahul

at times sure sounded unscripted. I wanna poop, I wanna eat, I'm hungry. Go out there and tell them that I want my lawyer and I wanna get the out of here. I just need to get the out of here, dude. And after that meeting, Taylor made what sounds like another ambiguous remark to Detective Hamill. You know, if I did it, I don't want him to get hurt in this process.

But after more than five hours at police headquarters, Taylor was released. And Gupta was soon charged with murdering Mark Waugh. Why did you believe her and not him? I don't know that we believed either one of them, but at the end of that day, there was more evidence to support his being responsible for the murder than her. Is there any chance that Rahul and Taylor did this together?

No. I don't believe knowingly that they did this together. A year and a half after Mark Wahl was killed, Dan Morse of the Washington Post was in court to cover Rahul Gupta's murder trial. Cameras weren't allowed. Right away, you're sort of wondering how this defense is going to play out. I want you to have the opportunity to answer this as directly as possible. Did your brother, Rahul Gupta, kill Mark Waugh?

No, he did not. And you're certain of that? I'm 100% certain of that. But Gupta did confess to murder, even though he later changed his mind. So in opening arguments, his lawyers made some bold promises. They promised he would take the stand and they promised to show not only is he not the murderer, but Taylor Gold is. She isn't on trial, but she will be a witness. And Gupta's lawyers will get to cross-examine Taylor. So while prosecutors Timothy Hagan and Patrick Mays officially prosecute Gupta,

they also have to unofficially defend Taylor. Somebody who murders someone in this fashion, you would expect to be covered in blood. One person in that apartment was covered in blood, Rahul Gupta. The defense maintains Gupta got the blood on him when he gave Mark CPR. And they say Taylor had more than enough blood on her to be guilty, including spots inside her dress and on her bra. And Gupta's lawyers want the jury to focus on those blonde hairs on the knife and in Mark's hand. What are the chances that there's gonna be hair

on the knife, hair in the hands, hair on the wall, and she says she has no involvement in this case. How would Taylor Gold's blonde hair end up in Mark Waugh's hand? Any number of possibilities. We're talking about a dirty apartment. We aren't talking about a clump of hair. We're talking about a strand. Taylor wasn't much help in clearing anything up on the stand. Even in front of a jury, she said she just didn't remember because she blacked out from all the drinking. By the time she said it over and over again,

it's somewhat credible. If she had done it, the easiest thing in the world for her to do now was to point the finger at him. But she never does that. Except on the stand, she finally says she did not kill Mark. She says she's not capable of it. But from the beginning, there was a sense that if there was a bombshell in this trial, it would come from Rahul Gupta when he took the stand. People were just hanging on this guy's words,

and it's a cliche, but you could have heard a pin drop. Gupta was calm and composed. He testified that after arriving home, he'd argued with Taylor about whether she'd been flirting with Josh White at the bar. And he told the jury something he hadn't told police. He said he tripped and hit his head right before Mark was killed. When Rahul Gupta sat back up from falling,

this entire event had gone on all around him and that he hadn't noticed it. On cross-examination, Pat Mays confronts Gupta about how such a brutal attack could have happened in such a small space without him noticing. And then Mays launches an attack of his own, offering texts suggesting Taylor and Gupta's relationship was in trouble and that he would never have confessed just to protect her. And then he hits him with these texts about Taylor complaining about their sex life. And he's saying, well, you were willing to spend the rest of your life in prison for this young lady that is complaining to you about your performance in bed?

They cherry picked a half a dozen texts over two years. And we gave them back very similar texts that indicated they had a very loving relationship. We know that this was a rocky relationship at best. Change your a**, Mark. Gupta's lawyers think it's critical for jurors to know that he maintained his innocence in that taped discussion with Taylor.

But it won't work, because in a potentially crucial decision... I don't know what happened. The judge rules that the jury cannot see it. The guy who's on trial says, I didn't do this to his girlfriend, did you? And she says, I don't know, And the jury never got to hear it. But the jury did get an earful of another recording. I have a free call from Rahul Gupta. And that one could decide this case. Yeah, can you hear me? Yeah, I can. What happened? After nearly 15 hours in custody, Rahul Gupta made a phone call. He called his father.

Where are you? I'm in jail. Like most calls from most jails, this one was recorded. Gupta told his father what happened in the apartment. It's hard to hear, but it sounded to lawyers on both sides like gupta admitted holding the knife the jury will decide for itself he's still traumatized by what happened it doesn't make any rational sense it doesn't unless he's telling his father the truth and he might be telling his father the truth if it weren't for the fact that all of the scientific evidence points in the opposite direction. In their closing argument, prosecutors say the jury doesn't have to take their word

about Gupta being guilty. Who, who, who did you get him to fight with? They can take Gupta's. Mark. It's the first and the last statements that he makes. And in between there, he tries a number of different lies. The state has made a strong case against Gupta. But Dan Moore says on the witness stand, Gupta made a pretty strong case of his own.

I thought he might pull this off. How did he present himself? I thought he did really good. I mean, he was Rahul, you know, he was him. As the jury begins to deliberate, the stakes for the prosecution could not be higher. If Rahul Gupta is not convicted of murdering Mark Waugh, chances are nobody ever will be, because the state has already argued Taylor Gold is not the killer. The jury takes less than a day to decide. A Montgomery County jury today found Rahul Gupta

guilty of killing his best friend. The verdict, guilty. Our son Mark, all all I can say is a gift from God. And the sentence, life in prison, is what Mark Waugh's family was hoping for. His murder was a sin, not just on his family, but on the community as a whole. I mean, it was devastating. How do you deal with that? How do you absorb that? When you don't have a choice, you just do it. We feel very strongly he didn't get a fair trial. Gupta's lawyers believe the judge should have allowed the jury to see that tape

of Gupta talking to Taylor at police headquarters. I don't know. I'm freaking out, okay? This is important stuff that goes right to the issue of guilt or innocence. Is Taylor Gold an innocent bystander in all of this? Yes. Purely innocent? We believe so, yes. I feel comfortable that she wasn't held

criminally responsible in the murder. Detective Paula Hamill maintains Taylor Gold is legally not guilty, but she believes Taylor may have played some role in what happened that night. Ms. Gold could have set up an environment that caused Mr. Gupta to become upset. I also still do believe that she was possibly involved in a relationship with the victim behind Mr. Gupta's back. Taylor Gold did not want to discuss that night or anything else with 48 Hours. She's getting an MBA and moving on with her life. This gold has something that she has to carry for the rest of her life. Shereen Gupta-Rappaport says Rahul does too. The family is doing what they can to help him transition

from life in this kind of institution to life in this kind. Rahul and us, you know, we're determined to make the best of this, however that might be. I don't think we have a choice. But Rahul is still in their lives. At the end of the day, I'm grateful that I have my brother. You know, he's still somebody I can go and talk to, I can visit, I can write to him. She says all the Guptas know, that's more than Mark Waugh's parents have. While I can talk to my brother, you know, they can't talk to Mark.

His death is a tragedy that we must carry for the rest of our lives. Just yesterday, Rahul Gupta's latest appeal was denied. Nancy and William Waugh have filed a wrongful death suit against Rahul Gupta. If you like this podcast, you can listen ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery app. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a quick survey at wondery.com slash survey.