Casefile True Crime - Case 240: JasonInHell

Episode Date: March 25, 2023

*** Warning: This case involves a child victim *** By late 2016, Jason and Brandi Worley’s marriage was crumbling. Regardless of what happened between them, they promised to always put their two children, Tyler and Charlee, first.  Meanwhile, a user going by the name of JasonInHell logged onto Reddit and clicked on a forum titled: relationship_advice. --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Milly Raso Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon This episode's sponsors: Hello Fresh – Use code ‘CASEFILE60’ for 60% off and FREE shipping  BetterHelp – Get 10% off your first month of professional counselling with a licensed therapist Zocdoc –  Find a doctor near you For all credits and sources, please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-240-jasoninhell

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. Today's episode involves crimes against children and won't be suitable for all listeners. In late 2016, a user going by the name of JasonInHell logged onto Reddit. Ranked one of the 20 most popular websites in the world, Reddit is a social, news and discussion site that features over 3 million forums dedicated to a wide variety of topics called subreddits. JasonInHell clicked on a subreddit titled Relationship Advice.

Since its creation in June 2009, the subreddit has amassed 6 million members with a community that boasts Whether it's romance, friendship, family, co-workers or basic human interaction, we're here to help. interaction, we're here to help. Redditors use the forum to post about their real-life relationship issues, with other users offering their guidance and support in the comments. Posts vary from small, sometimes comical misunderstandings to more serious situations. One user vents about his partner who thinks she is a cat in a human's body Another questions how they can move past the jealousy they feel towards their successful sibling Others express devastation or relief over a breakup Heavy subjects are sometimes broached

And commenters, emboldened by anonymity, often adopt a tough love approach when providing advice. In some cases, the original poster will return to the subreddit to provide an update as to whether or not the advice they received from the community was successful. Jason in Hell published a post on Relationship Advice titled, I'm having a hard time coping with my wife having cheated on me with our neighbour. He specified that he was 30 years old, but as was standard practice on the forum, he didn't disclose any personal identifiers or the names of anyone else involved. Jason in Hell explained, I caught my wife cheating on me over a year ago. I stayed with her for the sake of our children, but I haven't been able to get it off my

mind since. Jason in hell revealed that his plight had unravelled 476 days prior to posting about it on Reddit. He knew the exact number of days, because every time he caught himself thinking about his wife's infidelity, he would tell himself, It's only been X number of days. Maybe you won't think about it tomorrow. Jason's story began in May 2015. He had just started a new, more demanding project at work that had him putting in upwards of 60 hours a week. During this stressful time, Jason noticed that his 29-year-old wife had added a password to her mobile phone. He questioned her about it and she explained she was planning a Father's Day present for him and didn't want to ruin the surprise. About a week later, Jason's wife said she was feeling

guilty for keeping a secret from him. She revealed that she had hired their neighbour, a 51-year-old contractor, to build Jason a home office. It struck Jason as odd that his wife felt guilty, as they'd been together for six years and she'd never once said she felt guilty about anything. As time went on, things didn't feel right. Jason's wife began using her password-protected phone more often, sometimes smiling to herself while doing so. When Jason asked what she was doing, she'd respond, nothing, then quickly put her phone away. One morning, after Jason's wife got in the shower, he managed to grab her phone before it auto-locked and required the password to access. He scanned her messages and discovered she had sent a text to their contractor neighbour that read,

I am all covered in frosting. You wanna lick it off. There were no other messages between them, which Jason later learned was because his wife had set up her phone to delete messages after a certain amount of time. While the text made Jason uncomfortable, he was convinced she wouldn't actually do anything to hurt him. Their neighbour began spending more and more time at Jason's house, but the construction of the home office was taking longer and longer. Unable to shake his paranoia, Jason began checking his wife's location via her mobile phone's inbuilt GPS that, when active, kept a detailed record of every place the device had gone. He noticed there were large gaps in her GPS history because she kept turning off the function. In July, Jason gained access to his wife's phone under the pretense that he needed to download antivirus software onto it.

Instead, he downloaded anti-theft software, which allowed him to remotely turn on the phone's GPS while also reading all it sent and received text messages from his computer. The next day, Jason monitored his wife's phone from his computer at work. She messaged their neighbour asking to meet up, but he couldn't as he was busy at another job site. That night, Jason, his wife and their two children went out for dinner with the neighbour, his girlfriend and his son. The two women had a good time drinking, laughing and joking around. After dinner, Jason offered to look after the kids so that the two women could go see a movie together. They headed off while Jason, his neighbour and their children went back to Jason's house. The kids gathered around to play video

games as Jason and his neighbour sat on adjacent couches. Jason inconspicuously kept an eye on his wife's mobile phone activity. She began texting the neighbour about the sex acts she wanted to perform with him. She then sent him an explicit photo of herself in a bathroom stall. They continued to message back and forth, trying to figure out when they could meet up to have sex. They settled on Monday morning after Jason went to work. Jason was barely able to keep his composure as he spied on their interactions in real time while his neighbour sat across from him none the wiser. When the pair texted that they

loved each other, Jason was suddenly overcome with the urge to leap off the couch and knock the other man out, but he managed to contain his emotions. the other man out, but he managed to contain his emotions. You're my girl now, his neighbour texted his wife. Always have been, his wife replied. Then she received the final text from him. Always will be. When the two women returned from the movie, Jason asked them politely to sit down.

He then sent the children into his son's room and shut the door. So you two love each other, huh? he asked. His wife went into what Jason described as full-blown denial mode. Jason's wife denied that she had been texting their neighbour. When Jason showed her the text messages from that night, she buckled, admitting that she did send them, but it was the first time their interactions had gone that far. Jason then asked his wife if she had sent the man pictures. She said no, so Jason showed her the explicit picture she took of herself in the bathroom store. Once again, his wife backtracked and accepted responsibility, though insisted it was the first photo she'd ever sent.

Jason outright asked his wife if she was having sex with the neighbour. She said no, and Jason couldn't prove otherwise. To Jason's surprise, his neighbour's girlfriend appeared more forgiving, saying that the fling couldn't have been serious if their partners hadn't had sex. She went on to say that Jason and his wife were too perfect together to let the affair break them up. She and the neighbour soon left. Jason told his wife that he was leaving her, which prompted her to threaten that he would never see their kids again. Jason wrote on Reddit, that he would never see their kids again.

Jason wrote on Reddit, She planned on using the fact that I had attempted suicide in high school to prove me unfit to have the children. His wife then blamed him for her infidelity, saying it was his fault for being so busy and stressed out with work. She had just wanted someone she could talk to. She then gave Jason an ultimatum, decide what he was going to do next or she would decide for him. The couple spent the night arguing and wound up in separate beds with nothing resolved. The fight continued over the weekend until they ultimately

decided to separate temporarily while they figured out what they wanted. Jason was going to stay at the family home while his wife took their kids to her mother's place. That Monday, Jason was in a work meeting when he received a text from his wife saying she had explained the situation to their kids. They were upset and she wanted Jason to talk to them. When he returned home, both of the children were crying. His wife had told them that mummy had to move out because dad was mad at her. them that mummy had to move out because dad was mad at her. Their son wanted to live with Jason, but Jason's wife said that he couldn't. The boy had interpreted this to mean that Jason must have been mad at him too. Jason realised that his wife was going to, quote, drag the kids through hell if he left.

Instead, he bottled up his feelings and begged her to stay. She agreed, but insisted that he apologise to their neighbour for the sake of their sons, who were good friends. Although Jason hated the idea, he did it anyway as they would inevitably continue to cross paths. He would do anything for his kids, even acting civil in such distressing and emotionally crippling circumstances.

After this, things seemingly settled down, but Jason was constantly plagued by thoughts of his wife's infidelity. I worry, how can I keep from making her so unhappy that she cheats on me again, he wrote on Reddit. Then, a year after the original incident, Jason discovered that his wife had sent the neighbour lewd photos of herself again. She claimed it was an accident and that she had intended to send them to Jason. Although he didn't believe her, he moved on. Jason concluded his Reddit post by writing that things had been quiet on that front for about four months, but he continued to think about it all the time. This is going to sound stupid, he wrote, but I feel like I have a part of my brain that can't shut off, that is always thinking.

I used to use that to solve programming problems and it made me very good at my job. But ever since this incident, the only thing it thinks about is her and him and if I did the right thing. My job performance has suffered and I feel like I haven't gotten sleep in months. I'm afraid that after this much time and the fact that I begged her back, that to say that I want a divorce now would only make her more vindictive towards my children and I. I just feel like I have to put myself so deep in a hole that I can never get back out. I haven't really talked to anyone about this. I tried talking to one friend about it, but his advice was to put my trust in God. That was not much solace for me as I am an atheist. So I have no clue what to do with my feelings or how to move on from this.

Jason in Hell's post to the Relationship Advice subreddit received over 200 comments from users all around the world offering their input and support. The top comment had upwards of 500 upvotes, signifying that a large number of users had rated it positively. Written by someone with the username Monsieur Le Dude, it advised the Jason in Hell not to navigate the situation alone and to seek legal counsel as soon as possible. Monsieur Le Dude, it advised the Jason in Hell not to navigate the situation alone and to seek legal counsel as soon as possible. You won't be doing your children any favours by remaining in a marriage that is now founded on lies, infidelity and outright bullying, the user wrote. Other commenters agreed that Jason in hell should obtain a lawyer and divorce his wife. Many were outraged at his willingness to placate her by apologising to the man she had an affair with and begging her to stay.

Smack the shit out of that man, one user demanded. Others were angry that Jason's wife was blackmailing him by threatening to use his suicide attempt 15 years prior to get full custody of their children. One user called her tactics, quote, "...incredibly low and fucked up." Advice was also given on how Jason should navigate the legal system should he wind up having to fight for the custody of his children. The user 2012mustanggt wrote, This dude's kids will someday understand the sacrifices he is making in his own life to keep them ignorantly happy. User porkbellydiet wrote to Jason,

Please know your worth and best of luck to you and your children. Almost a week after his initial post, Jason in Hell reappeared on the subreddit. In a brief update titled, I'm taking your advice, Jason revealed that his wife didn't want to attempt to fix their relationship and refused to undergo counselling. He wrote, I am going to get myself and my kids out. I meet with an attorney next week. Thank you everyone for helping me see how far I had my head up my arse. for helping me see how far I had my head up my arse." Jason's update received only 20 comments, all of which were overwhelmingly positive. Users reassured him that he was doing the right thing. Monsieur Le Dut, who had encouraged Jason to seek legal counsel in the initial post,

wrote, Good for you and good luck. Remember that life on the other side of all this will be far better for both yourself and your children, and let that hope keep you going when things get rough. Jason and Brandy Worley were engaged for two years before tying the knot in 2009. Their first child, a son named Tyler, was born that same year. Then in 2013, the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter they named Charlie. Both Jason and Brandy agreed that they would always put their children first above all else, including their marriage. The family of four lived in the small midwestern town of Darlington, Indiana.

With a population of less than a thousand residents, most knew the Walleys and considered them good people. Wednesday November 16 2016 was a typical day for the family. Jason went to his job as a software engineer, while Brandy took seven-year-old Tyler and three-year-old Charlie to spend their day with their grandmother. That evening, they all attended one of Charlie's dance performances before returning home for dinner. Brandy then ducked out to Walmart to buy some pipe cleaners for a project Tyler was working on for school. When she returned home, she joined Jason in playing with their children in the living room. Jason then bathed and put both Tyler and Charlie to bed before retiring for the night.

As it neared 5am, Jason woke to the sound of screaming. He rushed upstairs to find his mother-in-law crying hysterically in the kitchen. Brandy was sitting in the nearby living room, bleeding profusely from a wound in her neck. Now you can't take my children from me, she told Jason. Minutes earlier, at 4.35am, a phone call was placed to 911. The dispatcher was left speechless by what he heard and was convinced the caller must have been delusional and lying. In what town? Darlington. Hey, what's going on there? I just stabbed myself and I killed my two children. You stabbed yourself and killed your two children?

Mm-hmm. Okay, and what's your name? Randy Orley. And where are the children at? In my daughter's room on the floor. In your daughter's room on the floor. In your daughter's room on the floor? Okay. And what caused you to do this today? My husband wanted a divorce. I wanted to take my kids. I don't want him on my kids. Okay. And how old are your children? 7 and 3 10 and 3

7 7 and 3 mhm ok and where did you stab yourself at in the neck Where did you stab yourself at? In the neck.

Okay, are you bleeding? Yeah, I've been bleeding everywhere. Okay, and where are you at? In the living room. You're in your living room? Mm-hmm. Okay. Okay.

Are you armed now with a knife still? No, it's in my children's room. Okay. Where's your husband at? Downstairs somewhere. Okay, where's your husband at? Downstairs somewhere. Okay, what's his condition? I don't know. I don what's his name? Jason. Jason? Jason Worley?

Yeah. When police arrived at the Worley house, they found Tyler and Charlie deceased in Charlie's bedroom. Brandy Worley was sitting on a couch in the living room. She was rushed to hospital where she remained for over a week, during which her neck wound was successfully treated. When police were finally able to speak to Brandy, it was the first time the lifelong Darlington resident had come to the attention of authorities. She had no prior criminal history and there was no evidence that her children were in any danger prior to November 17. To the contrary, the Worley family was widely described as happy and loving. Yet, Brandy told investigators that after seven years together on Wednesday November 16, Jason had filed for divorce. Citing irretrievable breakdown of their marriage following Brandy's infidelity a year prior,

he was no longer able to stay together for the sake of their children. As part of the divorce agreement, he had requested custody and child support benefits with equitable division of the family assets. That evening, instead of buying pipe cleaners from Walmart, Brandy purchased a K-bar style combat knife which she hid in her son's room. Once everyone was in bed, she consumed large quantities of the antihistamine Benadryl in order to make herself drowsy. She then entered Tyler's bedroom and stirred him awake, saying they were going to have a sleepover in his little sister's room. She retrieved the combat knife and followed Tyler out.

Once inside Charlie's bedroom, Brandy straddled her son and began stabbing him in the neck. Charlie woke up to the commotion and asked her mother what she was doing. Through the darkness, Brandy responded, nothing, go back to sleep. Brandy then approached Charlie and stabbed her in the neck multiple times before inserting the knife into her own neck. Leaving the knife in her daughter's room, a bleeding Brandy then made her way to the living room, where she picked up the phone and called her mother to tell her what she'd done. Brandy's mother ordered her to call 911. Brandy's mother ordered her to call 911. Brandy did as she was told and was still speaking with the 911 dispatcher when her mother arrived and entered Charlie's room to find the two children deceased.

It was her scream that woke up Jason Worley, who had been sleeping soundly in the basement. Brandy told the police that she had intended to kill herself but had somehow, quote, screwed that up. Matter-of-factly, she explained that she didn't want her divorcing husband to take their kids from her, so she stabbed them. I just wanted to die with them, she revealed. I didn't want them to live without me. The outpouring of grief from the local community was immense. Councillors were called in to speak to devastated students at Tyler's elementary school, while neighbours of the Worleys were left in disbelief. They couldn't fathom that such a horrific crime could happen

to a seemingly normal family, one that often hosted get-togethers and bonfires on holidays. Brandy appeared to be a doting mother. She was often seen walking her two children around the neighbourhood and photos of them featured throughout her personal Facebook page, on which she wrote, In the end, I am the only one that can give my children a happy mother that loves life. Some who knew Brandy regarded her as a great person. They couldn't comprehend a sight of her that would compel her to kill her own children. couldn't comprehend a sight of her that would compel her to kill her own children.

An online fundraiser was launched to support Jason Worley and help pay for his children's funeral. Tyler and Charlie were laid to rest under a shared tombstone that read, Rest well sweet babies. Dad loves you. Etched next to Tyler's name was a Rowlet, an owl-like creature from the series Pokemon. Charlie's name was accompanied by the snowman Olaf from the Disney film Frozen. Despite a cleaning crew having since been through the Worley home, Jason noticed his daughter's room still raked of blood. Unable to stay there any longer, he gathered some of his possessions and threw them into the back of a van. For the murders of her two children, Brandy Worley initially entered a not guilty plea with the intention of claiming the insanity defence. However, she ultimately accepted a plea deal and altered her plea to guilty to avoid facing a trial. Brandy's defence attorney claimed there was no definitive reason why the murders

took place. As others had described, Brandy was a wonderful, caring mother, but her lawyer said she simply snapped. He wanted to give the court an explanation, but conceded, I can't do that. He said that Brandy had been emotional during their first few meetings, but as time wore on, she became more stoic, as that's the only way she can deal with it at this point. Her lawyer also revealed that since the murders, Brandy had been diagnosed with depression. In 2018, Jason Worley took the stand during Brandy's sentencing hearing, telling the court that his children were his life. He described seven-year-old Tyler as a loving, energetic first grader who

loved sports. The type of child who could walk into a room of strangers and walk out with 20 new friends. He wanted to work on computers one day like his dad. Three-year-old Charlie was a big ball of attitude who loved getting dressed up and wouldn't leave the house without braids or a bow in her hair. Jason's divorce to Brandy had been finalised in March 2017 and they hadn't spoken since the night of the murders. In regards to his ex-wife's guilty plea, Jason said, She appeared to be just as unremorseful as she did in the 911 call. When asked what sentence he would like to see Brandy receive, Jason responded, When asked what sentence he would like to see Brandy receive, Jason responded,

All I want and have ever wanted was prison for the murders of Tyler and Charlie. Brandy remained silent upon hearing the outcome. She was twice asked if she had anything to say, but she opted not to make a statement. not to make a statement. The judge acknowledged that people wanted an explanation as to how a loving mother could kill her own children, but told the court, Sometimes there is no explanation. Darkness is in this world, and it penetrates minds and our hearts. In the week after Tyler and Charlie Worley were murdered, a post was made on the

subreddit dedicated to American news commenter and YouTube personality Philip DeFranco. Titled, A Message for Phil, the author was a Redditor going by the username JasonInHell. He wrote, username JasonInHell. He wrote, My name is Jason Worley. I have watched Phil for several years now and his words have always brought me comfort in times of great loss. Last Thursday I lost my children, Tyler age 7 and Charlie age 3, in horrific tragedy. Jason didn't elaborate any further and instead went on to write of his children's love of Phil's work. Any kind words you can offer would be greatly appreciated, Jason requested, before encouraging Phil to hold his own baby son close.

The post flew under Philip DeFranco's radar, but his audience took notice and looked into Jason's Reddit profile, where they came across his previous posts seeking advice about his cheating wife. Jason initially said he was staying with his wife for the sake of his children, but users unanimously told him to divorce her. He expressed gratitude for the advice which he intended to follow. In searching Jason Worley, DeFranco's audience came across the outcome of that advice and informed the YouTuber, who filmed a video offering his support. In the ensuing publicity, the JasonInHell Reddit profile was deleted. One day, a post appeared on the RelationshipAdvice subreddit by a user going by the name

JasonInCode, titled, An Update From JasonInHell, that was Jason Worley, who explained, titled An Update from Jason in Hell, it was Jason Worley who explained, I deleted the Jason in Hell account in a knee-jerk reaction to seeing my Reddit posts in the news. I guess the first question to answer is how am I doing, and to that I would say I am doing well. He went on to describe the defeating bad days in which he had used alcohol to avoid nightmares of his children's final moments The support given by friends and family had been fundamental, enabling Jason to drop the habit before it caused too much damage He had also received treatment in hospital for suicidal thoughts that emerged following his children's murders. Jason wrote, From that, I learned that you should never be ashamed of your mental health, and not seeking treatment will only make it worse, not better.

It hadn't been easy. Jason hadn't sought help initially, which led to him losing his job and becoming a recluse. He assured readers not to worry, he had since returned to work and had nearly regained his former position and salary. However, his in-laws were an ongoing problem. They owned the house that Jason and Brandy lived in and had changed the locks shortly after the murders, with Jason's belongings still inside. He tried to negotiate the return of his property, but was accused of theft and told he had to pay to retrieve his belongings. Jason had to get law enforcement involved, but Brandy's family continued to make his life difficult. When Jason visited his children's grave on the one-year anniversary of their murders, his ex-wife's family sat in their truck and watched him the whole time.

Jason wrote, Because of that, I don't visit the grave as often as I would like to. Because of that, I don't visit the grave as often as I would like to. In regards to how he felt about Brandy's sentencing, Jason explained, That is harder to answer because no matter what the sentence, nothing will bring back my beloved children. Do I think she should have gotten the death penalty, which Indiana has? No, I do not. She wanted to die, and after nine years of giving her what she wanted when she wanted it,

I was not going to give her another thing. Do I think the life sentence will have any appreciable effect on her? I don't know. One thing she always stressed for the entire time that I knew her was that she lived her life without any regrets. Even after I caught her cheating on me, she continued to say she had no regrets. Jason Inhell's Reddit history has been archived on RelationshipAdvice, where it remains locked in time. The posts and original comment threads can be viewed, but nothing else can be changed or added. The subreddit has since reflected on the lessons learned through Jason Worley's ordeal. Users who seek out his original posts are greeted with a message explaining that those who contributed to discussions at the time

failed to consider the reality of the situation as best as they could have known. Hindsight is 20-20 and encourages users to realise the potential for complications which might make any advice difficult to follow. It ends with the remark, Something which seems obvious to any one of us is rarely ever obvious to someone in the weeds of the relationship itself. Redditors have rallied behind Jason in the aftermath of the murders, with his update post filled with comments expressing support and sympathy. Despite his loss, Jason expressed gratitude to the Relationship Advice community and the service they provide to those in need, adding,

No one could have foreseen the tragedy that resulted from me filing for divorce. No one could have foreseen the tragedy that resulted from me filing for divorce. There is one thing in particular that continues to haunt Jason. On the night of the murders, Brandy suggested that he sleep in the living room. In an online post, Jason lamented, I just can't help but wonder that if I had slept on the couch like she had suggested, instead of an air mattress in the basement, then maybe I could have saved my children, or at the very least, died with them.

A father has one job in this world, to protect his children, and I failed to do that. In his final Reddit post to Relationship Advice, Jason Worley wrote, If I can impart on you something I have learned through all of this, it is that you should always take the time to be with the ones you love. It doesn't matter if they are asking you to read The Pokey Little Puppy for the millionth time or asking you to play Smash Brothers, even though you both know they will wipe the floor with you every time. Just do it, because you never know what time will be the last time. Always make sure they know how much you love them.

I had the fortune that the last thing my children ever heard me say was, I love you, good night. I will see you in the morning. Thank you.