Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Justice for Chase Massner: Suspect is on the run!

Episode Date: August 7, 2017

The last person known to have seen Chase Massner three years ago vanished hours after he learned police were charging him in connection with the Iraqi War vet's disappeared. Nancy Grace gathers Team Chase, the citizen detectives who helped resolve the missing man mystery, to discuss the search for suspect Brad Clement. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. a quicksand in Cobb Town. His family says he was last seen at a friend's house in Kennesaw three years ago. It's like he vanished from that home, not to be seen or heard from again. Despite some intense searching, few clues have been found. We have absolutely no answers at all. Police are trying to determine if remains found in a backyard are those of an Army veteran who has been missing now for three years. This is the home where three years ago, 26-year-old Chase Massner was last seen. The search continues for a man wanted in connection with the disappearance and now death of a young Cobb County father and veteran. Glenn was the last person to see Masner alive, and he is now charged with concealing a death.

You have to question why somebody would make the decision all of a sudden to run. A handsome young man goes missing. His mom has poured her entire life into raising him. He grows up. He is the golden boy. He can do no wrong. Everybody loves him at school. He's the apple of her eye. He marries. They have two beautiful little girls. He becomes a war vet, fighting for our country in Iraq, and he comes home. What he managed to escape in Iraq

meets him here on U.S. soil. Death. I'm talking about Chase Masner. For three years, we have been trying our best at finding Chase Asner. What we know now is that our worst dreams have come true. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories.

Thank you for being with us. In the last hours, a body has been found buried under a patio covered with cement. And the man that Daniel Wilkerson from Channel 46 and I tracked down, pounded on his door, and basically forced him to talk to us is now on the run. I'm talking about Brad Clement. To Daniel Wilkerson from Channel 46 joining me today along with Lee Egan from CrimeOnline.com and several members of Chase's team. Daniel, right now, Brad Clement on the run. I don't understand it. If he had spoken at all with a defense attorney, the attorney, if he was worth his salt or she was worth her salt that goes in her bread, would have said, look, we don't know any cause of death. You can probably get off with disposing of a body,

but instead this guy goes on the run. What do we know right now? Where is Brad Clements? Well, the latest coming from my source close to the investigation says that the fugitive unit here in Cobb County, they have searched Brad's mother's house and they did not find him. Of course, she has a basement in that house. I've been there several times. And so the thought was, the general thought was that he may be there. Of course, her address was listed on his arrest warrant. So they did not need a search warrant to go over there. But I just got that news that they searched that house. I've been told by my source that the fugitive unit, they know the general area where he is. In their words, they said we are one step

behind him right now. But of course, he is not in custody, Nancy. Well, this week answered one question regarding where is Chase Masner? We now know that his body has been found behind a so-called friend's home. But now even more questions have presented. This young guy, Chase Masner, an Iraqi war vet, went missing March 27. After a search which many people found questionable, it seemed as if law enforcement was not taking his disappearance seriously. Telling his mother they think he just dropped off the grid. The people that knew him the best knew that was not true and that somehow he had met foul play. And after I spoke to his mother and his wife, Amanda, I knew for sure Chase didn't just go missing.

He just didn't walk away, deciding never to come back. And joining me right now is Trey Morgan. This is Amanda's mother. Trey, thank you so much for being with us. How is Amanda and the girls? Thank you, Nancy. It's nice to speak with you. They're holding in and they're not doing very well, as you can imagine. But today's Amanda's birthday. So this is not going to be a very good birthday for her. You know, we're all just mourning. Treyy do you believe that all this time she's been

holding out hope that chase was alive we all did i believe i really think we all did but you know after three years when you don't get any teams off the cell phone you get no no um no no um hints at all just to where he is. No one calling in saying, I might have seen him here, I might have seen him there. It's three years, no Social Security run. You have to start thinking that that's probably what happened, because this man would never just walk away. He would never walk away.

He was so precious. You know, when I first found out about Chase's disappearance, I listened to what police had to say. And I thought, well, would this guy have just bagged it? I mean, he was arguing with Amanda. I mean, here's the deal. He had been in Iraq. He came home.

He could not re-assimilate into civilian life. He fought in war overseas and came home and was killed by a coward. Can you believe the way this whole thing played out? It's just so hard for me to put the pieces together, Trey, because the reality is he came home, he had a hard time assimilating. He couldn't get back into civilian life. He had a wife and two beautiful baby girls that he had to support. He couldn't find the job he wanted.

He finally just took a job at Quick Trip. And, you know, as I was saying the other day, you don't grow up as a kid going, gee, one day i want to work as a cashier at quick trip but this guy was making money for his family he was coming home at night to his wife and his children he was the breadwinner yeah he was and he did well they were just arguing like all couples argue and that night everything went sideways and what's interesting Trey with me is Amanda's mom is that Brad Clement who by his own admission was the last one to be known with Chase actually and Daniel you and I have it on tape tried to point the finger at Amanda and told us what he

really thought happened was that Amanda was quote blowing up Chase's cell phone that night to come back. And he thought the next day while he ran errands that Amanda came and picked him up. And she did not. And did away with him. And he was never seen again. She did not do that. And I'm really kind of angry right now. It's been hard on all of us.

Because the police were told at the same time that they were told about the dumpster, to investigate the dumpster, there's a dumpster out front, they were also told that there's a brand-new concrete padding in the back. They were told this over three years ago. They did nothing. They did nothing. And if you would have been found three years ago, then we would have had closure. There wouldn't have been any of this chaos and turmoil in a circus.

And it just breaks my heart. It's just the saddest case I've ever heard of. When you say turmoil and a circus, what do you mean by that? Just the attacks and the harassment and different things of that nature. I mean, I really... On Amanda. Yes. On Amanda.

And I feel like the police aided in that because they didn't do anything. They didn't listen. Stephanie's over there crying and I mean, every time I think of her right now, my heart just breaks. And we are all asking them

to please help us and nobody did anything. You know, another thing joining me from Crime Online is Lee Egan you know lee trey morgan is right the police were told at the beginning by stephanie who is chase's mom please go search the dumpster please she had to beg and beg and beg we all search the dumpster and then cops come out finally and they search the wrong dumpster and so are you telling me lee is this correct

that at that time the cops were also told about this freshly laid cement in brad clement's backyard yeah they absolutely did um they did tell cop police about that slab and they kept treating this case as he just walked away they wouldn't listen to these ladies and three years went by and just nothing. It wasn't until the cold case unit came on that they actually listened to what these ladies were saying and got something done. With me, Tammy Childs from Team Chase. Tammy, thanks for being with us. Tammy, what was the police answer when you guys told them about this cement?

We had told them several times, and I was told that that area had already been searched along with Brad's house. It had already been done. There was no need to do another search. Out to Mike Swiger. What do you make of the most recent development that Brad Clement is now gone, possibly with a gun? We don't know that yet, possibly. And why? If this was not nefarious, why would he go on the run, Mike? He wouldn't. And what I make of it is that his running is an indicator of, you know, that he bears some kind of guilt that he believes he has, that he's not following the advice of his attorney,

as you said earlier, any attorney worth their salt would say, you know, guilt that he believes he has, that he's not following the advice of his attorney. As you said earlier, any attorney worth their salt would say, you know, turn yourself in, you know, go through the legal process. And he's not doing that. He's chosen to run. And I don't think he's going to get very far. He didn't have anything when he was in one place. He's going to have less on the move.

Mike, I understand you are offering a reward for bringing Brad Clement back to the jurisdiction. That's correct. This man needs to be caught and he needs to answer for what he's done. And I definitely don't think he's the criminal genius that people kind of make him out to be. And I think that he's a scumbag, and he's got a lot of low-life friends around him. And low-lifes, they'll sell each other for a dollar. How much is the reward, Mike? I'm putting a $1,000 reward out for the capture of Brad Clement. A $1,000 reward from Mike Swigert, information that leads to the capture of Brad Clement. A $1,000 reward from Mike Swigert, information that leads to the arrest of Brad Clement.

What do we know right now, Daniel Wilkerson from Channel 46, about a cause of death? Because, see, the only one that knows right now what happened to Chase Masner is Brad Clement. He knows. So if it were an innocent cause of death, just let's pretend, Daniel Wilkerson, let's just pretend for a moment that Chase Masner had a heart attack, which of course he did not.

But let's pretend. Why didn't he call 911? I mean, if when you and I are together working this case, remember that day we were driving around the car, and let's just say you had a head-on collision, why would I take your body out and bury it in a shallow grave and go on the run? Could somebody answer that for me, Daniel? Well, this is the thing. You know, Brad, even after the body was found, when I talked to Brad over the phone, he said, hey, he said the same thing he told us before. My mother's a nurse. I know that you don't get in trouble if you call the paramedics after a person has overdosed. But this is the thing. Ruffer told both of us, Nancy, that Brad's behavior that day was erratic. And so I'm going to go hypothetically here.

You know probably from your work that when a person if a person is on some kind of substance, they don't reason the same way that they do when they have a clear mind. And so, yeah, logic may tell you, hey, say if this was an overdose, call the police. You may not do that if you're under some kind of substance. Daniel Wilkerson, Channel 46. When are they going to give us the cause of death? Well, this is the thing I would think. And you probably know this, too, Nancy. First of all, they haven't. Police have told us that because of physical evidence they found in the makeshift grave,

they believe this is Chase. And they are pretty, you know, they have told Stephanie that. Well, if they were listening to Sirius XM, they would know it was Chase because I told them so the minute we found the body, okay? It's Chase Masner. But this is the thing.

What do you believe they've got, Daniel? What, his cell phone? What, a flashlight? A quick trip ID? What do What do you believe they've got, Daniel? What is cell phone? What a flashlight? A quick trip ID? What do you think it is they've got that they know it's him with no DNA and no dental records that match? What? Well, first of all, Detective Tweaks, when I arrived there before they pull Chase out of the makeshift grave, I asked a couple of questions. Some he would answer, some he wouldn't.

I asked, was Chase clothed? He said, yes. I said, was his body intact he said yes i said well what is there they what is there that makes you you know know that this is chase he would not comment on that now we all have the picture we've seen a picture of chase hours uh before that at the quick trip where he had has the red hoodie on i don't know maybe if he's clothed maybe in that red hoodie uh he also i believe in that picture had his wedding ring on did he have the wet you know the wedding ring there was talk early on that um when they did the sonar before they did

to dig that there uh there was a cell phone showed up but the cold case unit tells me that you can't tell that from sonar. A sonar just tells irregular irregulars in the soil. It does. It's not like an X-ray. So it's anybody's guess, but I can tell you from the way twigs looked at me, detective twigs looked at me. He is almost, you know, when somebody wants you to guess something, but you won't guess there is something else. We just don't know what it is at this point. And the other thing is this. Say if it was an overdose, I would think, and Nancy, you would know better than me,

I would think whether they're going to get a cause of death on an overdose would depend on the condition of the body, wouldn't it? Yes, absolutely. If they can get any soft tissue at all. But maybe there's a way that, you know, you as a reporter and I as a lawyer, don't know how they're going to do it. But there's a way all many ways they can determine if it was, for instance, a stabbing or a gunshot wound. This is the other thing, Nancy. Okay, so we were waiting, as you know, on the record, Stephanie had taken his mother, Chase's mother had taken dental records from when he was 11 years old to the medical examiner. Well, they came back and said he was too young at the time. They're going to have to go ahead and order those from the DOD,

the Department of Defense. Since Chase was an Army veteran, they can get those. They said it would take three days. They're going to put a rush on them. Those still have not come back. But Friday went ahead and made the decision to arrest Brad Clement at five o'clock. I get off of the air at noon. I got home and around 445. I got a text from my source close to the investigation saying that Brad Clement has agreed to turn himself in and he is in the process of turning himself in. He is being charged with concealing a death. So I, from home, opened up the newscast, CBS 46, saying just that. OK, but in 30 more minutes, I got a text from my same source saying that he's on the run and I could not believe it.

So I had to open up the next newscast from home saying that he was on the run. And what they told me, what that source told me was that Brad's attorney was on the way to his family's house to pick him up, to take him to the Cobb County jail. And the family, Brad's family called the attorney and said that he has decided to run. And that's what happened right now we believe that brad clement is in a blue honda civic georgia tag p peanut h happy b brother 5724 to all you truckers on the interstate georgia tag p peanut h happy b, 5724, Blue Honda Civic. Still no answer from the medical examiner's office as to cause of death. They're not even telling us it is Chase, but we know that it is.

Nancy, I have more new information. Okay, hit me. As you know, we all have Brad's number. You have it. I have it. Some members on Team Chase have it. I have called Brad, and there's sometimes when his phone goes straight to voicemail. There's other times when it just rings. I have left text messages for him. And so I would think and I've heard that police or the fugitive unit, they're tracking that phone.

That's what I've heard from my source. But as I told you, Nancy, Brad is a wizard. And I know this from my own experience. He is a wizard with a cell phone. He can he can likely make your phone ping in China somewhere with you sitting, you know, in Georgia. So I don't think they're taking much stock in that phone because who knows, a friend could have that phone. called Brad's mother after Brad took a run for it. And I have spent time over his mother's house. Our relationship right away wasn't the best because, of course, I'm a reporter and, you know, I'm over there. And she basically said early on that, Brad, every time you try to help with this thing, you know, it backfires on you. Brad said at that time, no, Daniel, I'm going to I want to talk to you because I want to clear my name. So the weeks following that, Brad's mother warmed up to me. When I called her the other day after Brad went missing or he was on the run, she told me that she believes that Brad is innocent.

And she said the reason that she believes that he's innocent is because he cooperated with police for three years. I asked him whether she thought he was suicidal. She says, I don't know. She says, please pray for my family. And she rushed me off the phone. She was very nice, but she kind of ended the call and she has not answered since. Let me give the 770-499-4630. Repeat, 770-499-4630. I want to pause and thank our sponsor, our partner in today's podcast. It's Zip Recruiter. You have an idea for a business, you can try and make it happen. Are you hiring?

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I'm Chase Massner's mother. As many of you know, we've been dealing with heartbreak and trying to get closure. But it's been taken from us by a man who fled and continues to evade arrest. A concerned citizen has offered a $1,000 reward for anyone who provides information that will lead to the capture of Brad Clement. Please take a moment to look at the flyer, and if you spot him or know any information on his whereabouts, please call 911 immediately. Thank you. 2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Sam. To mark the occasion, Pocketbooks is proud to release a special anniversary edition e-book of Son of Sam by Lawrence D. Klausner.

This is an incredible story of how a single man, David Berkowitz, dubbed Son of Sam, the demon-haunted.44 caliber killer, killed six, wounded several others, and terrorized millions of New Yorkers over eight known attacks from July 1976 through August 1977. It's also the story of the greatest manhunt in the history of the New York Police Department, the intimate narrative of the men assigned to tracking down a lone killer. The police task force investigated more than 3,000 suspects, some of them cops, before finally making an arrest. In the meantime, politicians watched a city writhe in panic, newspapers played upon the fears of their readers, and the criminal justice system showed itself incapable of coping with the man who committed such horrendous crimes. Download Summer of Sam by Lawrence D. Klausner today. Royalties earned

from the sale of this book will be shared between the victims or their families and the author. What started with our search, finding Chase Masner, has now sadly turned to justice for Chase. Only one person knows what happened to Chase Masner, and that person is Brad Clement. Take a listen. Why do you think everybody's pointing a finger at you? Because I'm the person that nobody knows, and I'm just like that odd piece of the plan. The last one to see him and all that.

And his disappearance doesn't make sense, but in a way, it does. If he kept telling people he was going to leave and go live in the woods. Are you sure about that? Yeah, that was, I mean, that's well known, too. I'm pretty sure. I mean, that he said that. I think his mom knows that. With me is Chase Masner, his wife Amanda's mom.

Trey Morgan, you were telling us about a specific conversation you had, Trey. Yes, I organized a search in June of 2014. It was actually one of the first major searches done. And I contacted Piedmont Search and Rescue, and I got to dab our dogs out there. We covered a very, very, very wide range. And actually, Bill Hilsman is the person at contact with the dogs. Bill and I went out the day before the search. I believe it was June 14th.

He and I went out the day before the search by ourselves so that the dogs would not be interrupted by people petting them and so forth. We searched all that area, and then the next day we went to Brad's neighborhood. And we went on his property. Brad was out front and we talked to him and we asked his permission if we could take the dogs on his property. And Brad is a very charismatic liar. That's my identity for him. He said, oh, sure, sure. You know, be my guest. You can take them all over the front yard if you want to. And you can take them all along the fence of the backyard. And I asked him why, what was the

problem? And he said he would not let us into the backyard and not let us around the concrete at all. And he told us the reason he blamed it on was because he had just had a litter of small puppies. He kept the puppies back there on the concrete padding, and he didn't want any other dogs around that area. It breaks my heart now to think that we were out there that soon and that he stopped us from doing that. Well, that is the kind of evidence that's going to come in at trial. I can guarantee you that if it goes that far,

because that shows such, such a nefarious intent for you not to find. He's very good at speaking. And he's so likable and he's so sweet. And he was so appealing to us until we mentioned the backyard. Very, just very, oh, I want to help. And he even said, if there's anything I can do. And what kills me right now is to think that, you know what, you say you'd do anything to help find Chase. Why weren't you a part of the search?

Why weren't you there? Because you already knew it was a waste of time. He already knew. Trey, it hurts me so much to hear you crying. And I know, I know that in your mind, you and Amanda had said, okay, he's got to be gone. He's got to be passed on. But still, there's always, always that flicker of hope that somehow, some way, he'd find his way back home to his wife and his two little girls. I'm just sick about it.

Right. I work with a homeless a lot and that's kind of my heart the homeless and the elderly and I was just really in the back of my mind I was praying like I heard someone else say that maybe he would end up homeless on veteran in the streets

in the city somewhere and we would find him someday but then again I know that he would never leave his family. We are now joining the search for the man that does have the answers, and that man is Brad Clement now on the run. There's a Bolo B on the lookout for Brad Clement, believed to be driving a blue Honda now. One thing, let me go to Lee Egan with CrimeOnline.com, who's been on the search as well.

Lee, why did dogs finally end up in Brad Clement's backyard? How did that happen? Who orchestrated that? What happened was some of the ladies from Team Chase, and I believe Daniel with CBS, they organized it with Tracy Sargent. She's the one with the dogs, but they had to get permission first from the cold case unit who had the case. Cold case gave them permission. They went out there and they got the hit. Okay. Go through that very slowly. Tell me that one more time, Lee Egan. Okay. So the team chase ladies, they've been pressing to search Brad's

backyard for a long time. When the case was transferred over to the Cobb County Cold Case Unit, that's when they got their break. That's when they finally got permission because Tracy Sargent wasn't going to let her dog search without permission from law enforcement. They gave her permission and it was at that point that they finally got in that backyard. And then right away, there was two different dogs on two separate occasions hit on the exact same spot by that concrete slab. And then with that, they were able to

obtain a warrant and then search and dig. You know, that is amazing to me, Lee Egan from Crime Online, because if it hadn't been for this group banded together to help find Chase Mather, we wouldn't know his location even now. It would be another three years or it may be never.

Exactly. And I don't understand why cops didn't do this to start with. You know, joining me is Kim Harris. Kim, what do you make of the fact that every step of the way was like pulling teeth to get cops interested? Do they really believe Chase just walked out on his whole life? It was very difficult in the beginning. We did a lot. I know that Cobb County had some other very high profile cases around the same time. Justin Ross Harris case happened right at the same time, which is a very high profile case in Cobb County. And it was unfortunate that it happened at the same time, Justin Ross Harris' case happened right at the same time, which is a very high-profile case in Cobb County. And it was unfortunate that it happened at the same time.

And then there were other circumstances that all of us believe kind of came into play. But it's unfortunate. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Are you talking about Baby Cooper, that case? Yeah. That case was huge. That's true. But every person in the DA's office and the police office, police department, was not working on that case.

There were cases being tried and cases being investigated every day of the week, 24-7, 365, during the Baby Cooper case. I can promise you that. So I don't understand. Well, that was brought up to us. That was her excuse it was brought up to us that that case was was going on at that time and it took a lot of the investigators away from the office okay the other thing the other thing though this is daniel wilkerson cbs 46 atlanta the other thing was and you know stephanie this has been one of her concerns that at first they said that

you know chase was grown he could he could leave out if he wanted to and get lost if he wanted to. And so there were hours and days and weeks that were lost where critical evidence, because of my investigation, a lot of evidence was not pulled. Oh, Daniel Wilkerson, tell it, man. I mean, nobody luminol the place. Nobody looked for blood spatter. Nobody looked for DNA on pillows like saliva.

Nothing, nothing. Nobody searched the bathroom drains. Nothing where you would have expected to have found blood. Even the ceilings for throwback. Nothing was done, and now it's too late to recreate that. They could tear the house down now and probably not find anything and if they could find anything the time period has all but ruined any potential dna evidence um you're right what do police have to say about that daniel wilkerson they will not

say anything unless and i want to make the you know make sure that listeners know the cobb county police department had this for three years uh christopher twiggs who i've heard is a very good um detective he came into it late in the game and he was the most help probably out of all of them uh but he was not on it during those initial hours and then three years later just recently the cobb county uh da's cold case unit got it and they solved helped solve the case, I would say, along with Team Chase. They solved it in a matter of, I don't know, probably less than four months.

But it was Team Chase who pushed bringing the dogs out, right? Yes. Not the cops? Yes. Okay, let's talk about Brad Clement's on the run. Take a listen to Brad Clement and what he had to say. I remember this like it was yesterday when Daniel and I arranged a meeting between Brad Clement, the man now suspected in the homicide of Chase Masner, met Chase's mother. Listen.

Stephanie, what you've been waiting for. Brad, the last person that as of of right now, we know saw Chase alive. And I know you've got a lot of questions. Hit it. What was the last thing Chase said to you? When was the last time you talked to him? Oh, last time I talked to him, I mean, we were just talking about him and Amanda pretty much. And, you know, it was the exact words I can't, you know, can't remember.

Because, I mean, we were pretty much just having a good time. Like that was, you know, he'd come over and we were just, you know, again, I pretty much reiterated the fact that he was a lucky guy to have a wife and two little girls that loved him. And that's all I would ever really tell him about that. We never got really into depth of how they were fighting or what they were fighting over. I think he mainly just wanted a break from her. What do you think they were fighting about i mean i think it was about him working and then her not working and you know basically you know her you know

wanting more money or something and then you know he was mad at her because she wasn't working and you know he was working his butt off like a quick a quick trip all the time. And I think she was about to get a job. She had just gotten a job. Right. And, you know, that's really, I mean, the extent of, like, kind of what we talked about with him. I mean, it seemed that, you know, that wasn't, that really wasn't, wasn't why he wanted to come hang out with me. I think it was more or less just to get away from her, just to kind of have a break from her. But, I mean, whatever he said about going to sleep in the woods and stuff like that, I never really believed him. Did he actually say that to you?

Yeah, he actually said that, but it was more like he told her that, you know, rather than wasn't like telling me that, you know, I'm going to go sleep in the woods. He's like, I told her I was going to go sleep in the woods, you know, as, you know, just to kind of. Had he ever actually done that before? No. Okay. And, I mean, that I think he was just telling her that just to kind of get her to, you know. Shut up?

To scare her, you know, or, you know, try to get her to you know just scare her you know or you know try to get her to listen more and you know I never all the PTSD stuff or the bipolar nests I never saw that him like he was always really happy around me and you know really cheerful guy like he was fun to be around like I mean he was a nice guy like that's why I was you know all about helping him out the best I could like I mean he never never seemed like the suicidal type or anything like that. Like, I never saw that part of him at all. And, I mean.

There wasn't that side of you. Yeah. I mean, he seemed like, I mean, I just remember, like, his ringtone from being over at my house that day was the Pharrell song where it's like, I'm happy, you know, his ringtone and everything. And, like, you know, he would, he would like you know dance to it and he was really happy guy like I always funny yeah and like I never saw this you know bipolar you know crazy mean that Amanda would kind of paint to me about it you know from the couple times I talked to her the 20, the 20 years before, that I raised him,

before he joined the Army, I never saw it either. Yeah, I mean, and like I said, I didn't really know him that long, but I never, never saw that, you know, that dark side of him that people say, or, you know, just from the talk on Facebook and all that. Like, and that's another thing that, you know, just bothered me about this whole thing was that it was you know I never saw any of the the stuff that that you know of him you know being you know crazy to Amanda or whatnot or the stuff that she says you know about them fighting

what does she say that you did I mean it was just what it's I mean What does she say that he did? I mean, it was just, what it's, I mean, what does she say? Just, you know, about screaming in front of the kids and stuff like that. That's pretty much, you know, what she said. Didn't she say she'd put him out of the car? Yeah, but they would start arguing about something and then he would start screaming in front of the kids and then she would make him get out of the car to stop yelling in front of the girls pretty much and i mean i guess that's that night she dropped him off at that quick trip that um they were screaming and yelling in front of the kids but when i picked him up he was inside the quick trip you know already kind of you know being chased funny guy like you know the picture that it looks like he's like really messed up on drugs that you see on Facebook.

Like, he was just, what were the two drinks he was holding? Energy drinks. Yeah, and he was just messing around, like, just being a funny guy. You know, that was Chase. You know, he was, you know, if anything, just, you know, laid-back guy that was, you know, a smoker. You know, just chill. And that's, that was kind of just some of the you know i enjoyed being around him i thought he was a cool guy you know and that's happened that day so you pick him up that night at quick

trip because you got a call to come get him and where did you guys go just my house and that wasn't very far away i mean you could walk there from the quick trip and when you got home to your place that was like a four bedroom something something home and you sit up all night putting a computer together and what was he doing just you know talking like he loved i mean he was sitting there talking to me about stuff and like we were just you know he wanted to um he asked me about getting some of the um uh those pills, the things or whatnot. And I guess him and Amanda had gotten from Alan before. What are they, the Roxy contents?

Yeah, that's what I was telling you earlier. But I told him from my experience with that stuff that stuff's the devil. Our focus has turned now, and this is a day we hoped would never come from finding Chase Masner to justice for Chase Masner. And part of that is bringing in the man we now think responsible for Chase's death. Was it an accidental death? Was it something else?

Only one person knows, and that person is Chase Masner's so-called friend, Brad Clement. Joining me right now from Team Chase is Sherry. Hi, Sherry. Weigh in. I just really think that he needs to do the right thing. Come give this mom what she needs, her answers. And if you're not guilty, why run?

Well, it's going to come into evidence. And there's no doubt about that, Daniel Wilkerson, if this ever does go to trial, that he fled. Now, under the law, flight in some jurisdictions can be regarded as indicia of guilt. Because, I mean, I don't know about you, Daniel, but when I see a cop come up behind me on the interstate, I might tap the brakes a little bit, but I don't take off at 110 mph to try to get away. I'm not fleeing anything.

So the fact that he went on the run will be noted by a jury. You say that police have told you, or your sources have told you, that they have an idea where Brad Clement is and where would that be Daniel they do not want that release just yet um they did tell me off the record uh but they don't know what he's listening to uh what sources he has they did tell me that they believe that he is moving alone what What do we know about him? What do we really know? With me is Amanda's mother, Trey Morgan.

Trey, what does Amanda really know about Brad Clement? Amanda didn't really even know him before all of this started. I mean, this was just someone that Chase had met a quick trip. And I'm sure that Brad had come in there several times because, of course, that's the last door on the way once you turn on his road to go to his neighborhood. This was very, very, there was no friendship here like with Amanda and Brad. And they just got thrown in together when all of this happened. And for him to just blatantly lie to Amandaanda and to stephanie is just reprehensible it's just insane how someone can do that if that's a psychopath and you know they said

jeffrey donner was sweet as well well this guy's really nice and good you know i i'm so angry right well you know what you're right about that trey morgan you're right because when Daniel and I um found him in that flop house he was in we went in there and he was completely different Daniel than what I had expected Daniel Wilkerson joining me from channel 46 and he was likable and laid back he he tried to get us to leave so he could take a share I'm like oh no're fine. I'll sit right here. No, no problem. But the demeanor he had belied the possibility he was a killer because he let us in. He would talk as long as we wanted to talk. And but did you notice, Daniel, right after that, he quit his job and left town. Remember that? And don't forget, Nancy, we took Brad with us

to meet Stephanie. What really breaks my heart, Trey Morgan, is if you had seen Stephanie, and I've kind of, when I'm looking back on it, it's so apparent. There was just this real, you guys remember this, this real weird feeling, this awkwardness, this something's not right, you know, that you get when something's just wrong. When she, Stephanie, Chase's mom, wanted to ask Brad, like, what happened? Oh, oh, no, I'm remembering. Guys, do you remember what she asked Brad? She said, did he say anything about me? Did he mention me? Oh, man. I just remember that.

Because it just wasn't making sense in her mind that her baby boy would just leave her. That loved her so much. That texted her all the time. That came over and spent the night. She was. And Brad kind of like remember brad kind of clammed up when she went to hug him to just try to find anything there was something like oil and water it just was not the the empathy on brad's part that you would go up to this woman i mean when we i met her for the first time i just wanted to hug her and try to console her.

But he was very, very awkward. Do you guys remember that? Or is it just me? Yes. No, I remember. Do you guys remember we played the video of Chase talking to his little girls? And everybody in the room was tearing up and crying listening to this. And I look over at Brad, and he's in his own little world.

Like, he didn't care. You know, just twiddling his thumbs, looking away, just absolutely no emotion whatsoever. Daniel Wilkerson, Channel 46. You have a statement from Stephanie. I wanted to know if she had given any thought to how she would keep Chase's memory alive. And she responded that she said it will be Chase's humor and how he viewed life. She says he was the most amazing person that made everyone smile always, and he will continue to do so forever, is what she said.

Guys, it just seems that everything is a hurdle to be crossed in this case. But I've got to tell you something, and Daniel, you probably know this too. It's like this in every criminal investigation. Nothing is ever easy. That's why you pay cops and pay investigators to beat the streets and find the answers. And I just cannot commend Team Chase, Daniel, Trey, everyone that has worked this case and put so much time and energy into it. I'm going to tell you something. It just breaks my heart because you know what? I'm going to be with my children.

I'm going to be with my husband. And I'm going to be with my mom. They will never have that again. They will never have it. You'll see, Daniel. You'll see when you have a baby. You think you know about love? You think you know about happiness?

That's just what I thought. I was just dumb and happy. Everything changes when you have those children. It's a love like nothing I have ever known on this earth. And to think what has been done to not just Stephanie, his mother, but to his children who will never have their dad.

I'm just, Trey Morgan, do his girls even understand what's happening? I'm sorry, I was crying over what you said. That's one of the reasons I'm really angry as well, is because he took their daddy away from them. And how do you handle

a situation where your little four-year-old granddaughter is laying in your lap crying because she missed their daddy, and she doesn't know where he is? And we've had a long road and the girls they have no idea what they're going to miss out on because of brad clement and this jason he loved being their daddy absolutely loved it he was a wonderful father and they were very close and poor little

addy she looks just like him and she never, ever going to know who he is. And it really breaks my heart. He took something very precious away from all of us. You know, Trey, I was just talking to my little girl, Lucy, today, and she says, Mommy, you seem sad today. And I said, You know what, little girl? I'm just missing my dad so much today. I cannot even imagine.

You know, at least I had him. At least I had him for many, many years. I can't even imagine what my life would be like if I never got to be with my dad. We lost Amanda's father when she was 10 years old to cancer. And now she has got to go through the same thing I did. Well, if this is any consolation, please tell Amanda we have prayed and prayed and prayed. I know this is not the answer she wanted. I know it's not.

It's not the answer any of us wanted. But I can tell you this, we're staying on it until we bring Brad Clement back. Nancy Grace, Crime Stories, signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.