Anatomy of Murder - The Vacation Home (Telma Boinville)

Episode Date: November 26, 2024

A woman checking on a Hawaii vacation home is brutally attacked and murdered. Her young daughter would be the key in helping find her killers. For episode information and photos, please visit: anatomyofmurder.com/the-vacation-home/ Can’t get enough AoM? Find us on social media!Instagram: @aom_podcast | @audiochuckTwitter: @AOM_podcast | @audiochuckFacebook: /listenAOMpod | /audiochuckllc

I have $100,000 cash right now for anybody who can tell me who just tied up my niece and killed her mother at Kake Beach on the North River Wahoos. I'm Scott Weinberger, investigative journalist and former deputy sheriff. I'm Anna Siga Nicolazzi, former New York City homicide prosecutor and host of Investigation Discovery's True Conviction. And this is Anatomy of Murder. It's no secret that social media has transformed our lives. From how we stay in touch with friends, to how we get our news, our daily distractions, and maybe even our next job.

And of course, social media has also had an enormous impact within criminal investigations. We've showcased plenty of cases in which investigators have used a victim or suspect social media footprint to establish a person's timeline, background, or circle of friends or accomplices. In a criminal investigation, checking Facebook has become standard practice, a kind of digital neighborhood canvas. In other words, it can be an invaluable tool, saving time, people power, and in some cases, even saving lives. Today's story is an extraordinary example of how the interconnectedness of a community and the speed in which information can be shared can radically impact a murder investigation.

But as we will discuss, it also raises important questions about the risks and the evolving relationship between law enforcement and social media. For example, how do you leverage the public's help without inflaming too much fear or anger? How do you guard against misinformation and even vigilantism? And are those risks worth taking if it means getting a killer off the streets?

In 2017, Telma Boyneville was a 51-year-old schoolteacher living a vibrant life with her partner Kevin and their eight-year-old daughter on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii's third largest island. Prosecutor Scott Bell was born and raised in Hawaii and can testify to the timeless appeal of this island paradise, especially the thing it's perhaps best known for, the surfing. Well, the North Shore of Oahu is world famous for its world-renowned surf spots. The stretch of the North Shore encompasses essentially a a seven mile stretch of Oahu. I would say it is sparsely populated with world famous beaches.

And it was that surf culture and the famous aloha lifestyle that drew Telma to Hawaii from her native Brazil more than 20 years earlier. And in her time on this beautiful island, she and her family had become deeply embedded and beloved in the tight beach community. As a native of Brazil, Ms. Boyneville spoke not only Portuguese and English, but also French. And among her responsibilities at the local elementary school was to assist students for whom English was a second language.

Thelma cherished the outdoors and had a strong connection to the ocean. If she wasn't on the beach, she and her huge signature smile could often be seen on her bike or taking her daughter to and from school. On the afternoon of December 7th, 2017, Telma had just picked up her daughter from school in the family's pickup truck before pulling into the driveway of a rental property on Kia Ki Road just a few minutes away. It was a two-story home. It was very nice, perhaps fabulous home that was right on the beach. It was in a very quiet little neighborhood. The backyard of the home gave access to a pristine white beach.

December on Oahu brings a lot of visitors, many coming to town to take in the famous Pipe Master surfing competition. And so in addition to teaching, Telma had taken a side job cleaning and maintaining vacation homes on the island. And that day she was checking on a property that was being prepared for its next group of renters. Two visitors from Australia had rented the home for essentially 10 days in order to take part in and observe the big wave surfing contests

that were going to be held at that time on the North Shore. As Thelma went inside to do a final inspection, she left her daughter in the truck since she only planned to be a few minutes. They lived near the Sunset Beach area, which is not far at all. Just minutes away, Thelma had popped into the home just very briefly to attend to a matter or two.

A short time later, those renters arrived at the house. Their rental agreement called for a check-in at 3 p.m. The visitors from Australia arrived at the appointed time to find a truck parked in the driveway outside of the home. Seeing nobody inside the truck, they proceeded to enter the house, luggage in hand. Upon entry to the home, the visitor began to walk around on the first floor. He heard what sounded like footsteps upstairs, and he called out and announced his presence. But there was no answer.

So he walked to the main living room to settle in and that is where he made a terrible discovery. A woman's body. It was Telma. Her arms and legs tied behind her and there was a lot of blood. It was clear that Telma had sustained massive and horrific injuries, including what looked like multiple large stab and slash wounds to her head, neck and her body. Understandably panicked, he began to retreat from the home,

and then he heard what sounded like two sets of footsteps upstairs. He and his traveling companion immediately drove away from the home and drove several hundred yards down what's called known as Kamehameha Highway, at which time he called the police. The emergency call landed with District 2 of the Honolulu Police Department, and immediately officers of the North Shores Beach Patrol were dispatched to the scene. When the first officer arrived, he made a note that Telma's truck was no longer parked outside the home.

He was without a partner upon his arrival when he entered the home and found the body. She was bound face down, her hands were tied behind her back. The length of cord descended to her ankles and then her ankles were bound as well. A white garbage bag or plastic bag had been stitched around her head. The level of violence inflicted upon Telma was extreme, and the scene was described by homicide investigators as one of the worst in the island's history. Now, we do want to warn you that the description of how Telma was found

is graphic and upsetting, but we are giving you just a bit of it to understand how excessive her injuries were. She suffered extensive sharp force injuries to her head and neck. There was brain injuries, there were incised wounds of her neck and right temple. There was a stab wound to her throat. She had defensive wounds to her hands and arms, which speak to the fact that she attempted to defend herself against sharp force injuries. It was clear that Telma was the victim of an incredibly vicious attack, and next to her lifeless body were the likely instruments of this violence. It was clear that Telma was the victim of an incredibly vicious attack,

and next to her lifeless body were the likely instruments of this violence. They saw knives, there was a bat, a hammer, and later crime scene investigators documented a meat tenderizer as well. Her autopsy would later reveal that among her many injuries, the fatal blow likely came from a large machete to the top of the head. That weapon was also found at the scene, but that was not the last of their shocking discoveries. They went through the house to clear the house, understandably, given the circumstances. When the two officers went upstairs, that's where they found the minor victim, who was eight years old at the time.

She was bound with nylon rope and had a piece of clear packing tape stretched across her mouth. Miraculously, Telma's daughter was alive and unhurt, physically, that is, but she was badly shaken. Once she was untied by the officers, she was able to utter four tragic words. So what she told the officers was that they killed my mom?

They killed my mom. Even repeating that is difficult. And with those four words, Thelma's eight-year-old daughter made it clear that she was not only a victim, she might have been a witness to her own mother's murder. According to her, there was more than one person involved. Within a few minutes, dozens of local police descended on the normally quiet beachfront neighborhood.

They start fanning out, which is understandable, because they don't know who's responsible. They don't know in what direction the responsible party or parties may have went. And there's a good chance they hadn't gone far. There was a neighbor two doors down from this rental. According to a statement that she gave to law enforcement, she heard a woman scream between approximately 2.30 p.m. and 2.55 p.m. And remember, the Australian renters had arrived and discovered Telma's body just after 3 p.m. And not only was Telma's truck still out front, but footsteps were heard upstairs,

which leads to a truly terrifying conclusion. The Australian visitor entered while the two intruders slash assailants were upstairs in the room with the little girl. And Scott, it really is just the short span of time that is just incredible and the worst aways here, right? Like she gets there right after she picks up her daughter from school, right? So that's what, 2.45 ish. And then by three o'clock, the renters have arrived and the killers likely are still inside, based on the footsteps that were heard. Yeah, that's correct. I mean, this is critical information in developing a timeline to this horrific murder. I mean, in that space of only 15 minutes, there's only one conclusion anyone can really come up with based on the complexity of this crime scene is that Telma likely walked in on the killers. And you also have to think

about the quick response by officers, which not only brought immediate care to Telma's daughter who was found tied to a chair, but it also led to an immediate manhunt. And also just think about the truck, right? Tel me his truck is there without the eight-year-old in the truck when the renters arrived, but then by the time police get there, the truck is already gone, which also goes towards that reality, that terrible reality that the killers were still inside when the renters first entered. Yeah. So with that vehicle description, investigators put out an APB, which is an all-points bulletin,

with a description of the gold truck, which is an unusual color even to begin with. Considering the short time that had elapsed since the murder, not to mention that they were on an island, they were confident that the suspects could not have gotten, as I mentioned before, really too far. They knew that the assailants had to have left in the truck because when the initial patrol officer got there, the truck was gone. And the child told them that they had arrived in the truck.

In the meantime, Telma's young daughter, and now the investigation's most important witness, was taken into protective care. You know, as an experienced homicide prosecutor, we don't want patrol officers interviewing child victims. We want to wait for trained investigators, such as detectives. But the child did disclose to the initial officers

that it was a boy with green hair and a girl with pink hair, which turned out to be very significant physical descriptors. According to Telma's daughter, she had been waiting outside in the family's truck just as her mom had instructed her to do, when suddenly a man exited the house and approached the vehicle. This quote, boy with green hair, had then forcibly removed her from the truck, said to her the unthinkable, we killed your mom, and then brought her inside the house where he and a girl with pink hair dragged her to the upstairs bedroom,

bound her hands and feet, and covered her mouth with duct tape. So for investigators, this is firsthand physical description of the suspects, which was incredibly valuable. But given the traumatic ordeal she had just experienced, the priority at that moment was for law enforcement to certainly make sure that she was safe. An ambulance understandably was called and while the little girl waited in the

ambulance, her father was notified and met her at the ambulance. They talked. The little girl shared with her father the description of the two individuals who had bound her. And this is where this story takes a unique and dramatic turn. Through the shock and terror and anger over finding his wife brutally murdered, Telma's partner listened to his daughter's description

of Telma's killers and to his daughter's description of Telma's killers and decided to take immediate action. Her father Kevin then relayed that information to his twin brother Brian, whereupon he put out the information on social media. News of Telma's murder spread like wildfire on social media as the shocked and enraged North Shore community went to work trying to ID the suspects. And sometime later that afternoon or early evening, Brian receives on his social media a picture of Stephen Brown and Hailey Dandaran. And sure enough, Stephen Brown has green hair, Hailey Danduran has reddish or pinkish hair. The emirates then show the picture to the minor child whereupon she says, that's them.

Within hours of her mother's murder, the eight-year-old girl had positively identified her killers. And so now armed with their names, their photos, and a description of Telma's stolen truck, police launched into action. The only question was whether they would track down Telma's killer or would someone else get to them first? In December of 2017, inside a vacation home on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, 51-year-old Telma Boyneville had been found viciously murdered. Their most probable and likely working scenario is that Telma had been surprised by

or happened upon intruders to the home. This being a large, well-appointed house on the beach, it would stand to reason that Telma may have interrupted a burglary. But there was also evidence that this was not your typical botched robbery. Thelma and her cleaning companion had been at that home two days prior. And the evidence established through the cleaning

companion is that that home was completely neat. Everything was in place. However, when the police arrived at the home, among the things that stood out was that there was evidence that cooking and eating had occurred in the kitchen. Also, there were bags containing personal belongings that were at the foot of a stackable washer dryer on the first floor. Furthermore, a cabinet that the homeowner used

to lock his liquor in had been broken into. And Scott, very different from drawers being turned over areas that you expect someone to be rifling for personal possessions. Like this feels like people were staying put, right? The fridge, the laundry being done by the washing machine. I mean, that to me is just much more like squatters. Yeah, over the last decade or so, it's become somewhat a problem for people who rent out their homes by listing them online.

Now, even though most NSEGA, most sites never post a physical address, it's possible. Pictures can help ID a property. And sometimes those owners don't even live in the same state of where the house is. Somebody with bad intentions could determine that property is not being rented at the moment, and squatters can move in and make themselves at home. And it seems like that's a real possibility here. But you know, that level of violence

doesn't really even seem to square with the initial crime. You know, you take advantage of here, a rental property, you know people are in or out. You don't see the car. So hey, we're gonna go and do our laundry. We're gonna make ourselves at home at this nice home on the beach. To go from that to the most brutal of murder, there's just something else going on.

And you know, it's just incredible to think about what that might be. And obviously what the results may have been, especially with Thomas's daughter there as well. And that really is the small miracle in this case was that Telma's eight-year-old daughter was spared the physical violence and did not actually witness the attack on her mother or see her body as it lay on the ground as the two attackers brought this child into

the home. But now it was this same child that also held the key to catching her mother's killers. Given her age and her gender, the homicide detectives requested the assistance of a female detective who was specifically trained to interview children. Jurisdictions across the United States have especially designated areas for such interviews

to take place to help a child who's been traumatized feel safe and comfortable. And all of this took time. So in the meantime, the Emory's were proactive and developed this information. Within hours of Telma's murder, her partner Kevin and his family made additional public pleas for more information, offering a substantial reward to anyone who could help track down the truck or the killers.

And an emotional video was posted by Kevin's brother and then shared by many high-profile surfers in the North Shore community. And that video, it soon went viral. I have $100,000 cash right now for anybody who can tell me who just tied up my niece and killed her mother at Kakee Beach on the North Shore of Oahu. After news of Telma's murder was shared on Facebook, a video surfaced of a couple matching the description of her killers.

Just listen to their own haunting words posted just two weeks before the murder. Dying video. Thank you, Satan, for all you've done. This is us checking out. And I eat. The user who posted the video was someone calling himself and I quote, Axel Hayes Hendrix. But he was quickly identified by his real name, 23 year old Stephen Brown. And the girl giggling to him was 20 year old Haley Dandarand. And by the time police had seen the video, the comment section was already

filled with accusations of murder and demands for justice. Brown's identity was quickly confirmed with evidence recovered from the crime scene. In the threshold of this doorway, the police found the black backpack. And in searching that backpack, they found the wallet. Inside the wallet was Stephen Brown's identification. So that was a very significant find as well. From what police could gather, neither Brown nor Dandoran had criminal records.

They're kind of like nobodies, so to speak. Nobodies in the sense that they're not known to law enforcement. Which meant that even with physical descriptions and fingerprints lifted from the crime scene, it might have taken weeks to ID possible suspects. Instead, with the help of social media, it had only taken a matter of hours. You know, honestly, there are so many stories, positive ones, that come out with the availability of social media helping identify missing persons, potential suspects. So, wow, what a great tool. But let me just take the other side for a moment because there are cases where armchair detectives may post a

photo of someone they believe may be involved in a case, in a murder case, potentially putting an innocent person in danger. And adding to that fact, it also may deflect resources for law enforcement unnecessarily. I mean, the speed of which this social media, these posts like spread around the island, it was like wildfire, which is amazing, Scott, right? But then on the flip side, like you're saying, there can be misinformation there and what people are reading or hearing they're going to take as fact and you just don't know how that's going to factor into the investigation. And also you don't want vigilante justice for the primary reason, you don't want additional people to be hurt in all this. So this

really is a lot of back and forth when you're thinking about these cases. But on the positive note here, luckily in this case, the lead generated by the public was a strong one. So the bodies found at about 3.15 p.m. by police officers, but the officer documented that he became aware of the social media picture at 7.07 p.m. and whereupon he distributed it throughout the police department.

The search also continued for Telma's gold-colored truck, which was almost as distinctive as the suspects with the dyed hair. It was an older truck. It was beaten up. It was a well-used truck. But they had the big model license plate and police officers were looking throughout the North Shore for that truck. Even Kelly Slater, perhaps the most famous surfer in the world and longtime resident of the North Shore,

took to social media to amplify the family's plea and beg the community to assist in the manhunt. Within hours of the murder, tips began pouring in. The first was from two teenagers who had spotted the couple at a local shopping center just a few minutes' drive from the crime scene. These two young women who were hanging out at the movie theaters, which is what teenagers do, right? Whereupon they came into contact with Stephen Brown

and Haley Dandaran. After this interaction, both of them went to their social media and for whatever reason on their social media feeds, they saw this picture. And upon seeing this picture, they both realized that the people depicted in this picture were the exact same people that they had just interacted with at the movie theaters.

Shortly after, another witness called the police to report seeing a couple matching the description of the suspects getting out of Telma's gold-colored pickup. The patron was just sitting in her car with her mother and she recalls that the truck pulled up right next to them and the music was being played very loudly. And then she recalled this rather petite young woman with the reddish pink hair get out of the driver's side of the truck. A little before 8 p.m., approximately five hours after Telma's murder,

police descended on the shopping center in Mililani. They didn't immediately see the two individuals. What happened was when the truck was found, the plainclothes officers then descended on this commercial slash mall area and they were driving about and walking the mall. A few minutes later, an officer spotted a couple standing outside of a coffee shop. Stephen Brown at the time was a little over six feet tall, somewhat thin, about maybe 170 pounds. He had an unruly mop of thick curly hair, which was green. The officers saw the social media picture, saw him, and it's the same guy.

There was no question it was the same guy. As the first plainclothes officer approached, he identified himself as a police officer and ordered the couple to stop. Stephen Brown has a knife on him and then Stephen Brown takes off running. And then there's a short foot chase through this open mall and he's tackled right out by the theaters where he had been earlier in the evening. Hailey Dandaran, meanwhile, did not run. She just stayed right there in front of Starbucks. As the crowd of onlookers gathered, both Brown and Danduran were taken into custody.

And right from the time of their arrest, it was clear that not only were they a match to the photos that had been shared online, they both bore incriminating evidence right on their clothes and their bodies. He wore a gray hoodie and surf shorts. He wore green Adidas shoes that were red stained. His shorts were dirty, but it turns out that it wasn't dirt.

It was blood stains from Telma. His hands were dirty, but his hands were stained with dirt, but rather dry blood. As for Dandorant, she too had done little to cover up her involvement in the crime. but his hands weren't stained with dirt, but rather dry blood. As for Dandoran, she too had done little to cover up her involvement in the crime. She also had visible blood stains on her clothes, hands, and even the tops of her feet. And while Brown was intent on resisting arrest, Dandoran seemed resigned to her fate.

Defendant Dandoran turned to the officer who was standing next to her and said, unsolicited, just pull out your gun and shoot me in the head. My life is over. But despite her incriminating and fatalistic statement, there were still so many questions about Telma's murder that remained unanswered. And the public outcry for justice was getting louder by the second. The family found a picture of Dandarand and Brown

through social media that matched the McCunna's description of them. That there was a guy and a girl, and that the girl's hair was pinkish and the guy's was greenish looking like Halloween. These are the two people that my daughter mentioned killed her mother. Ali Iduklo, KITV4 Island News. Thanks to tips from multiple people who had learned of Telma Boyneville's murder on social

media, police on Oahu closed in on two people suspected of her brutal slaying. 23-year-old Stephen Brown and his girlfriend, 20-year-old Hailey Dandarund, were apprehended outside a nearby shopping center. Both suspects showed visible blood stains on clothes, hands, and feet. A relatively large crowd, almost a mob, had gathered where he was arrested and there was a lot of back and forth between the crowd and Stephen Brown cursing going both ways. You know, Anasiga, the community anger over her murder was palpable. Remember, this was a community that all came together in droves and had been active participants in the search for her killers. And the demand for swift justice was reaching a fever pitch.

And you know, I'm sure police were thankful that the public was out there feeding them those tips so quickly so they had made at least a quick apprehension. But you know, this type of mob mentality can go sideways very quickly. And so the police, while they are happy to have the tips and the support, the first thing they want to do is just disperse that scene before somebody else or even one of themselves gets hurt. And that really is the risk even when motivated by the best intentions. There are situations where you need to preserve evidence when you're arresting a suspect. And if the crowd is grabbing at them or is trying to get a hold of them themselves,

sometimes they could be ripping their clothes, they could be grabbing them, they could be exchanging potentially DNA evidence. And if your suspects are in police custody and they're trying to get them secured in a vehicle and there's a crowd that develops and there's pulling, pushing and shoving, there could be some transfer of DNA, transfer of blood from the crowd onto the suspect's clothing.

And then down the road, that could really throw a wrench into your testing. Police were able to de-escalate the situation and get Brown safely into the squad car. However, Brown was still intent on putting up a fight of his own. He was very unruly at the arrest scene. He tried to kick out the window of the patrol car as he was being transported from the arrest scene. He had to be taken to the local hospital first because during the initial transport,

he was very unruly and he had to be pepper sprayed. And so when they was taken to the local hospital, which was right next to the police station, instructions were given to the patrol officers to bag his hands because it was evident that there was blood on his hands. And it was quick thinking on the part of local police officers to bag his hands in order to preserve any possible evidence. And in this case, Stephen Brown literally had blood on his hands. But even though it seems he had done literally nothing to cover up his recent crime,

not even washing his hands, Brown wasn't exactly surrendering. And so they bagged his hands, but he was handcuffed, but he ripped the bags off with his teeth and then began licking his hands. And he said that, I know what you guys are trying to do. And if you're not gonna help me, I'm gonna help myself.

And very strange, but he was essentially destroying evidence right in front of the police. Both Brown and Dandaran were eventually transported to the PD. Both refused to cooperate with the investigation. Neither made a formal statement. After being advised of their rights, they invoked those rights and no further questioning. rights and no further questioning. But even with the homicide investigation that was just a few hours old, there was already sufficient evidence to obtain an indictment. Evidence that included a bloody washcloth found in Telma's stolen truck, Brown's own backpack with his ID left at the murder scene, and the fact that Dandren was actually wearing Telma's daughter's backpack when she was arrested.

So each of the defendants were indicted for murder in the second degree, two counts of kidnapping, one count for Telma, one count for the minor, and one count of burglary in the first degree. So it seems like an open and shut case, but here comes the painful part. Thanks to the pandemic and a series of other excruciating pretrial delays,

prosecution of Telma's accused killers was put on hold. So to the dismay of Telma's family and her North Shore community, the trial of Stephen Brown did not begin until 2023, nearly six years after the murder. This was a, in my opinion, overwhelmingly strong circumstantial evidence case. And the hurdles really were coordinating and procuring the presence of all the witnesses that I needed. Because so much time had elapsed, people move on in life. They either leave the police department or they move away from Hawaii or they

change and on and on and just getting everybody lined up and having all the evidence organized. On trial first was Stephen Brown who at the time of the murder was 23 years old with no fixed address, no job and no criminal record. What we do know about Brown is that he's originally from Ohio, later moved to Florida, and then in or around 2015 or 16 he came to Hawaii to live with his biological father. Brown's family was conspicuously absent from the courtroom, although his foster parents did testify remotely via video and said that Brown had what they described quote as a rough childhood and had been the victim of physical abuse as a child.

Stephen Brown is accused of brutally killing Thelma Boyneville on the North Shore in 2017, but his defensive trial has been to blame the murder on his former girlfriend, Haley Dandaran. He testified on Tuesday that Boyneville was unharmed when he left her with Dandaran after they tied her up. When he took the witness stand, Brown admitted to breaking into the vacation home, but he maintained that he was not responsible for Telma Boyneville's murder, claiming it was his then girlfriend, Haley Dandaran, who was the aggressor.

That Haley Dandaran was the more dominant one in the relationship that she called the shots. She loved the sight of blood and was a knife carrier. According to Brown, Telma had indeed surprised them while they were ransacking the vacation home. He then claimed it was Danderent who was carrying the machete and ordered Boyneville to lie down so they could tie her up. We asked her to lay down. She was cooperative. So Telma peacefully laid down for you. Yeah.

She did not resist. No. She didn't scream. No. And it was his theory of the case that he was elsewhere in the house rummaging when Hailey Dandaran killed Telma and that he only assisted in tying her up. Brown claimed that when he returned to the living room, Telma was already dead and Dandaran was covered in blood. But that version of this just, you know, it just doesn't hold up.

And he just testified to things that were factually impossible or improbable. Among the things he testified that completely eviscerated his credibility, he said that when he tied up Thelma, she had no injuries to her hands and arms, which doesn't make sense, right? Because the medical examiner had already testified

that she had defensive wounds. And it makes no sense that she's gonna have these defensive wounds after she's bound with her hands behind her back. And remember, there were also five different weapons that had been used in this vicious attack. So if Brown had not participated in the attack, was it realistic at all that Dandrine would have used all five different weapons herself in this assault on Telma?

It is factually improbable, if not impossible, for Telma to have sustained defensive wounds while her hands were tied behind her back. It is factually improbable that one person would need a folding pocket knife, a kitchen knife, a hammer, a machete, and the meat tenderizer. Highly improbable. The number of implements used speak to two participants. And let's also not forget Brown's own words on the day of Telma's murder. Prosecutors say Brown also made a critical admission to Boyneville's then eight-year-old daughter. The defendant admitted that he and Haley Dandaran killed her mother. Testified last week that when the boy with the green hair scooped her out of the back of the car, he told her, we killed your mom. And remember, Brown and Dandoran were tried separately.

And when it was Dandoran's turn to be tried in her defense, Dandoran claimed that it was she who had been under Brown's control and that Brown had forced her to participate in the crime. So her defense at trial was that she was in an abusive relationship and that defendant Brown had essentially cast a spell over her from which she couldn't escape. And we've seen this before when an accused accomplice in a crime claims to have been a victim of domestic violence and had only participated in that crime under a threat of violence to themselves. So Dandurand asserted what is called in Hawaii a choice of evil defense.

Choice of evils is the person essentially concedes that they engage in the conduct, but the argument is that they engaged in the conduct only to avoid a greater evil being visited upon them. And her argument was essentially that if I didn't do it, he was going to beat me up or kill me. And so I participated in this only because I had no other choice. Even on the day of the incident, defendant Dad Durant claimed in here a petition. And even on on the witness stand that on the date of the murder that Brown had violently assaulted her, puncturing their face a number of times. But as the prosecutor was quick to point out, there were multiple reasons to doubt her story.

I had pictures of her that day and she was completely unscathed. And so those pictures just completely torpedoed any contention that she had been punched or abused that day. There was also her behavior as documented in surveillance footage from the shopping center that suggested that she was not just complicit, but lacking any remorse for her participation in the murder. At the time of her arrest, she had Telma's Bank of Hawaii debit card on her person. Furthermore, Walmart surveillance footage depicts her using that bank card to make purchases at Walmart. And there was also a receipt found in their belongings where that debit card was used to make a purchase at Taco Bell. So think about what these two people did, right? They fled the crime scene, went up to this mall, ate at Taco Bell, and went shopping in Walmart.

and went shopping in Walmart. And if any of the jurors were still questioning Dandaran's role in the cold-blooded murder of Telma Boyneville, this detail removed all doubt. I think the most chilling detail about Haley Dandaran is that at the time of her arrest, she was wearing the victim's earrings. She was wearing the victim's earrings. Telma Boyneville had surprised Brown and Dandron as they were burglarizing a house, which means really just entering with the intent to commit a crime inside and squatting or setting up camp in another's home without permission. Well, that is, of course, a crime. So that was when they were surprised by Telma. And of course, they could have just run. They could have tied Telma up before making their escape and let her live.

Instead, they chose to inflict an almost unthinkable amount of violence using a knife, a machete, a baseball bat, and a kitchen mallet to stab, slash, and beat this defenseless woman at this point. Because remember, she's bound to death. And for what? A minor burglary. A thrill. I didn't push too much the motive because even that, when you hear yourself saying out loud, that doesn't even make sense. They killed the woman because she interrupted the burglary. But why precisely they chose to do it, there was really no answer to that. And neither defendant provided an

answer on direct or cross-examination. Both separate trials also included heartbreaking testimony from Telma's then 13-year-old daughter, whose memory of that traumatic night was still burned in her memory. She needed to do this twice. So early in my career I had done child sex assault cases, many of them, and so I have had experience with child victims. Prep time was extensive. You know, I came in years after the fact. So first is to develop a rapport or that relationship of trust with the child victim. And that took a while. And after that was established, then we practiced

to share in her own voice what she saw, heard, and otherwise experienced. Thelma's daughter testified to being taken from the truck and brought into the house. She did not see her mother's body, thankfully. According to her, Stephen Brown told the little girl as he took her out of the family truck, we killed your mom. Her testimony was met with total silence as the jury members bowed their heads.

And as Scott describes it, you could hear a pin drop in that courtroom. You could just feel the pain in that courtroom, not only from the little girl, but her family was sitting in the gallery. It was just emotionally painful. There was significant evidence to prove that Brown and Dandoran were responsible for killing Telma Boyneville, even without her daughter's testimony. But with the young girl's description of the boy with green hair and the girl with pink hair in the immediate aftermath of the murder,

it proved crucial to catching her mother's killers. In each of the cases, the jury deliberated, but it wasn't for very long, before returning their verdict. Both Brown and Dandaran were judged guilty on all charges. You know, interestingly, they were actually sentenced together. And I had requested that because it would just be far too painful to have the Emerys have to make two victim impact statements in court. They've already had to testify twice, but then to come to separate sentencing proceedings and share that powerfully emotional statement

would have been too much. Brown was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, along with an additional 20 years for kidnapping and burglary. Dan Duran received two consecutive life sentences, one for the murder and another for the kidnapping, also with the possibility of parole. During sentencing, the judge emphasized

the cruelty of the crime, noting the defendants had several opportunities to flee without violence but instead chose to escalate the situation. With their sentences being served consecutively, it's unlikely that either Brown or Dandaran will ever be released from prison. But even the possibility, as well as the long delay in getting the case to trial, caused understandable frustration on the part of Telma's family. Kevin Emery spoke very powerfully and emotionally about the impact that these crimes have had on him, his daughter, and the community. It's just been incredibly devastating for the Emerys. Thankfully, Telma's family continued to have an

enormous amount of support from their friends and the entire North Shore community as they coped with the trauma of a truly senseless and horrific crime. Among the things that stay with me are, first, what you touched upon, just the callousness and barbarity of the violence that was perpetrated. These are complete strangers to each other. Unlike other cases where perhaps the victim is known

to the assailant or there's a revenge motive, or a domestic violence angle, it was none of those things. It just is without any explanation. So to this day, it just speaks to the capacity of inhumanity towards others. In the end, Thelma Boyne-Phil was just trying to do her job, and instead, she fell victim to two young killers with no motive, no mercy, and no remorse. And I don't know why they did it other than it speaks to something within them, something latent within them that they're not only capable,

but willing to perpetuate this violence on a complete stranger for no reason at all. Tellma's loss is still felt to this day. In the years following her murder, Tellma's family and friends have worked to keep her memory alive. They also continue to advocate for stricter penalties for violent crimes in Hawaii

and have established a memorial in Telma's honor. We know her smile, her love for the ocean, her students, and her North Shore family will all never be forgotten. The family of Stephen Brown's co-defendant, 20-year-old Haley Dandoran, made their plea to the court at sentencing. Both her mother and grandmother placed all of the blame on Brown, claiming he manipulated Dandoran during a cycle of abuse.

The jury was not swayed. Dandoran decided not to address the court or tell him his family. We often talk about victim impact statements, and you may be asking, do they really make a difference? And it's a good question. For many of these families, speaking in court directly to the judge and even the accused is both incredibly difficult and deeply personal.

It's a chance to convey who their loved one truly was behind the headlines and the pain that they carry each day and the void that will never be filled. Some families have said it's their only opportunity to tell the court on the record about the devastating ripple effects of the crime. Yet does it impact the outcome? Families may feel their words carry weight, while others might question if the judicial system truly hears their voice. Some have found solace in expressing their feelings

publicly, hoping to honor their loved one and bring a sense of closure. Others, however, feel their statements fell on deaf ears, leaving them with a sense of frustration and cynicism with the process. Ultimately, the question of whether these statements really make a difference depends not only on the legal outcome, but also on the personal impact on each family. For some, it's about justice and for others, it's about healing. And for many, it's a combination of both, each carrying a different weight. This is one of those crimes that is as puzzling as it is brutal. But rather than focus on the why, because there is nothing to learn from what these two did to Telma and her daughter,

let's confine our thoughts to the memory of a woman who was vibrant, loving, hardworking, and wanted to be the very best mom she could be. And to her daughter, who will never again see her mom smile or have Telma hold her in her arms. To Telma's daughter, we hope you are being held tight by the many people who love you and that you have all the support that you need to heal as you, your dad, and your family forever grieve the loss of Telma Boyneville, your mom. Tune in next week for another new episode of Anatomy of Murder. Anatomy of Murder is an AudioChuck original.

Produced and created by Weinberger Media and Frasetti Media. Ashley Flowers is executive producer. original produced and created by Wine Burger Media and Fresetti Media Ashley Flowers is executive producer this episode was written and produced by Walker Lamond researched by Kate Cooper edited by Ali Sirwa Megan Hayward and Philjohn Grande so what do you think Chuck do you approve