Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - 'Supermom' Sherri Papini Hubby 'Blindsided' by Kidnapping Hoax

Episode Date: October 4, 2022

New interrogation videos show Keith Papini's shock at finding out his wife's kidnapping was actually a hoax. Keith Papini described himself to investigators as "the idiot husband that stayed around the whole time."  The 39-year-old mom was reported missing on November 2, and told investigators when she was found 22 days later that a pair of Hispanic women kidnapped her at gunpoint.  Papini said her kidnappers abused her and then shoved her out of a car. Papini was emaciated, her hair was cut shorter, and she had cuts and bruises all over her body, but prosecutors said she caused the injuries herself. The case was broken in 2020 when DNA led investigators to Papini’s ex, who told them she had been with him the entire time.  Federal prosecutors charged Papini with 34 counts of mail fraud and one count of making false statements. Papini accepted a plea deal but didn't explain why she created an elaborate kidnapping hoax, although she apologized for her actions. Since her arrest, Papini's husband has started divorce proceedings,  and Sherri Papini soon begins her jail sentence.  Joining Nancy Grace Today: Wendy Patrick - California prosecutor, author “Red Flags” www.wendypatrickphd.com 'Today with Dr. Wendy' on KCBQ in San Diego, Twitter: @WendyPatrickPHD Dr. Angela Arnold - Psychiatrist, Atlanta GA, AngelaArnoldMD.com, Expert in the Treatment of Pregnant/Postpartum Women, Former Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynecology: Emory University, Former Medical Director of The Psychiatric Ob-Gyn Clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital, Voted "My Buckhead's Best Psychiatric Practice of 2022" Joe Scott Morgan - Professor of Forensics: Jacksonville State University, Author, "Blood Beneath My Feet", Host: "Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan" Mona Kay - Private Investigator, "Mona K Investigations" (Omaha, NE), Twitter: @monakay  Dave Mack - Crime Online Investigative Reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Fox Nation is coming to Atlanta Wednesday, October 12th. Join Nancy Grace for America's Crime Crisis Live Summit, 7 p.m. at the Georgia Public Broadcasting Studios. Hear from local law enforcement, victims, and leading experts on whether crime policies are leading to skyrocketing crime rates, what can be done to control the fentanyl crisis, and is there a way to make our streets safer? Be part of the live audience. Go to CrimeOnline.com. Look for the banner at the top of the page. Click to get your free ticket. Seating is limited for America's Crime Crisis Live Summit with Nancy Grace. Get your free ticket now. Again, that's October 12th at the GPB Studios at 7 p.m.

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Sherry Papini. That's a name that will go down in infamy. Remember the 30-something-year-old so-called super mom? She seemingly had it all. You know, all of us working moms slogging through, trying to get up at five in the morning and feed all the pets and the children and the grannies that live with you and the this and the that and make it to carpool and back in time to get to work. She seemingly had it all. Beautiful, no question about that. Slim, svelte, peppy, beautiful home, wonderful children. You never hear about them going to juvie jail or anything like that. Loving, adoring husband.

Uh-uh. Remember when she went missing? And for those of you that can only hear me and can't see me, I put missing in super big air quotas. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us here at Fox Nation and Sirius XM 111.

Sherry Papini faked a whole kidnapping that lasted nearly a month, leaving her husband and her little children wondering, Is Mommy Dead? Come to find out, she was shacked up with her ex-boyfriend, doing God only knows what. But that's not my concern. That's not against the law. Who sleeps with who?

Don't care. But when you pull a hoax like this on law enforcement, you got another thought coming. Let me just jog your memory because guess what we have today for your viewing and listening pleasure? Videotapes of Papini sticking to her lies. She is in interrogation after interrogation after interrogation, trying to convince authorities that two Hispanic women kidnapped her for sex purposes, beat her, shackled her, branded her with a hot brand like on Yellowstone. Yes, that's what I'm talking about. I just can't stop looking at the lies

this woman just comes from her mouth and she fully expects everybody to believe her. But this is where it all started. Take a listen to our friends K-R-C-R. Keith Papini came home last Wednesday and his wife Sherry Papini was nowhere to be found. In normal days, I would open the door and my family comes and runs and gives me a hug. But there were no welcoming hugs so he searched

in the house and their property but learned the children were still at daycare. He found Sherry's phone down the street. That's when I knew she had been in opinion, taken or abducted. Now, days later, family, friends, the community and law enforcement are still looking for Sherry. It's the worst thing in the world. It's the worst thing ever. Time going by slowly, and their children don't know their mother is missing. It's hard waiting. You know, you're waiting, you're waiting for a phone call, you're waiting for something to tell us, you know, this is the direction, or this is the house, or this is the car and that is that is very difficult right now but Keith is determined to find her if she was listening I wanted to say

that we're trying the best we can and I'm so sorry that I'm not there the family believes she was abducted and has this message. Bring her home. Bring her home. Just bring her home. Okay, I almost made a smart aleck crack about waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for what? Your lying wife to call him and say, oh honey, I effed up. But then I heard his voice crack and it reminded me of all the suffering that he and his children and all Papini's family went through during her hoax. Hey, I'm going to introduce the whole panel, but let me go first to Joseph Scott Morgan, Professor of Forensics, Jacksonville State University, and author of Blood Beneath My Feet. He's the star of a brand new hit series called Body Bags with Joseph Scott Morgan on iHeart and elsewhere. It's great.

Joe Scott, I remember at the beginning, the very beginning when Papini went missing, you and I talked. And I said, you know something that's really bothering me about this whole thing, about the kidnap thing, is that her phone was placed carefully on the ground. It was placed somewhere where it would be found. It wasn't just thrown into the brush. It wasn't smashed at the bottom of a ravine like it is with Debbie Collier that we're trying to figure that case out right now. And not only that, the earbuds were attached with a wire, and they were wrapped very neatly around the phone and then placed there. I'm like, you know what? That one detail, that doesn't fit.

And I'm telling you, one detail can break a case joe scott can and a neat little feature that was involved with this were a few strands for hair that were caught up in that and i look at this now retrospectively and i wonder you know what i wonder if this was planned as well you rip some hair out of there yeah you're pulling your own hair out and you're going to wad it up in there too neatly place it by the side of the road because they use that. Where's my iPhone? I didn't even think of that, Jack. Pulling her hair out in addition to branding herself and breaking her own nose.

OK, I'd love to gab with you, but let's move forward. Take a listen to Alison Sutton. This is the woman that sees Papini by the side of the road. I saw her very, very quickly. Her face looked, I thought her face was dirty, but based on what I know now, I'm guessing that what I thought was dirt on her face was the bruises. But it was very restrained. It just, it was so dark.

I barely, barely saw her. And like I said, it was a flash because that area is so dark. 4.30 in the morning, Papini is out wandering the streets covered in bruises and still in restraint. So just add that to the list. She's restrained herself. Now, it keeps going. Listen to our friends at GMA. Papini seemingly disappeared in November of 2016,

reappearing three weeks later, badly injured, claiming she was abducted by two Hispanic women and physically and emotionally tortured, beaten, and drugged. Her husband Keith speaking exclusively to ABC News just days after they were reunited at the hospital. One of the officers kind of like braced me and kind of put his arm around me and he said, you know, prepare yourself. She's alive and you just got to be happy. They branded her. And her poor face. I got like nauseated just looking at her.

It was so hard for me to see her like that. Bruises were just intense. The bumps from, you know, being hit and kicked and whatever else. You know, to Dr. Angela Arnold, we're making light of it because we know Sherry Papini's a big liar and she caused hundreds of thousands of dollars to law enforcement. But did you hear the husband? And what about the children? They're going to remember the rest of their lives when mommy went missing and she faked the whole thing.

How can you do that to your children? Well, and I think the sad thing, too, is, Nancy, what are they ever going to believe? What are they ever going to be able to believe in their lives again? She has left them all with this hole inside of them that they're not going to be able to believe. She has cried wolf. They're not going

to be able to believe if someone is telling the truth. Hey, Dr. Angie, Dr. Angie, you've got to hear her words from the horse's mouth. Dr. Angela Arnold with me. We're now in Psychiatrist Out of Atlanta at AngelaArnoldMD.com. Guys, take a listen to Sherry Papini, so-called Supermom, describing the chain, the two Hispanic women.

Remember, guys, they didn't exist. She nearly got women arrested. They kind of fit her fake composite. The imaginary Hispanic women placed imaginary chains around her waist, and she says this with a straight face. Listen, these are our friends at ABC. Reappearing just over three weeks later on the side of a highway on Thanksgiving morning, claiming she had been taken and held against her will by

two fictitious women there was a chain around my waist do you know what what you were affixed to was it the tether was it like a rope a metal cable about the bathroom it just was a standard there was a crack in the tile it was a light colored tile that was speckled there was a crack in the tile her seemingly miraculous story of survival a complete fabrication wow Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. You know, Wendy Patrick joining me, veteran California prosecutor, author of Red Flags on Amazon. She's at WendyPatrickPhD.com. She's the host of Today with Dr. Wendy, KCBQ. Wendy, thanks for making time to be with us.

I always look for stories if I'm deciding about credibility of a witness and I have directed and cross-examined over 10,000 witnesses in one way or another. Whether it's a motion to suppress, whether it's some other sort of preliminary motion, whether it's a witness trial. It goes on and on. You know, they really rack up, Wendy, when you're trying cases. But long story short, I look for richness in detail. Like if some, if Jackie were to tell me, oh, I'm going to be late to the studio today. I'm like, why? Long pause. Car problems. What kind of problem? Uh, flat. Where are you? Big long pause. I'm like, wait, weren't you taking an Uber this week? Big, bigger pause. So if you question and you're looking for detail, it's not that hard to crack a story.

And this woman is full of details right down to the crack in the tile. And you know, Nancy, that really was what broke the story for investigators is there was so much detail. There was an overabundance of dramatic detail that actually ended up being suspicious. It wasn't an issue of pausing. It was almost an issue of having pre-created this hoax, this story, that was just a little too fantastic. And as you mentioned, investigators know not only what to look for, what to ask about, but then how to compare the way a story changes.

And all of those details made her recitation suspicious right from the beginning. And I never have a problem with a witness adding to the story because under the correct questioning, they may say, well, yeah, she gave me a Diet Coke or she this or she that. Under the right questioning. But to actually change the story is a whole other can of worms. And you hit the nail on the head when you said drama. This is a nickname we had for my daughter when she was little. Drama Tragique.

Because there was always a tragedy, like a Greek tragedy going on when she was like two years old. She was always having drama. Sounds like Sherry Papini. Let's hear more from Sherry Papini. But what about this rope, this chain? And what about the so-called boyfriend, the ex-boyfriend she somehow convinced to join her in her crazy scheme? Take a listen to our buddy Matt Gutman. And over the next six years, investigators would piece together how Papini had lied about everything

from her fictional abduction to injuries which were largely self-inflicted. DNA from her clothing eventually leading them to her ex-boyfriend, James Reyes. I didn't kidnap her. You know, I just friend in need asked me for help. And that was that. What did she say? She was trying to get away from her husband. Her husband beats you. her husband rapes you. I don't know what her deal was.

Is it okay if I go look in that room, the closet? I'm curious if it's the same as she described it. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. This apartment, this closet, and this bathroom look just like the place that Sherry says she was held captive. Wow. Where the two Hispanic women held her captive and starved her and beat her looks just like the inside of her ex-boyfriend's apartment where she hid out.

Take a listen to more. Authorities say Papini's allegations of abuse against her husband were unfounded and that James Reyes had no knowledge of her plan. And with Reyes's cooperation, investigators now believed they had solid proof Sheriff Papini's kidnapping was a hoax. The DNA that was on you belongs to James Reyes. We talked to him. He's been on the polygraph. We talked to everybody around him.

We have the rental agreements, phone rental, car rental agreements. The reason why you lost so much weight is because you stopped eating. The reason why the brand is because he went to the store, bought the branding tools and branded you. The reason why your nose was broke is because of a hockey stick. Whoa. So she branded herself and broke her own nose with me. CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter Dave Mack. Dave, where do you get a brand? I mean, I've been in plenty of hardware stores, but a brand? Actually, Nancy, it was a wood-burning kit.

Remember the little kits we buy for our children where they can make their own little designs with the little heating element and little. Yes, kind of. That's what they used. And actually, they picked out, it was a wood burning kit. And in that kit, it has certain symbols. And in this particular case, letters and numbers. And that's what they used. Look, I know she's caused a lot of pain, but a kid's wood burning kit. Jack, did you hear that?

I did. Do we know what symbols she used used it was always kind of held tight to the vest there was a photo okay you pull it up guys i want to skip forward to our cut 65 i've got to hear more of sherry pepini and you let me know when you find out what the brand was anybody that finds out what it is jump in and remember guests this is not tea at high grove okay jump in the bible verse was exodus 21 16 exodus 21 16 i'm no bible scholar what what's exodus 21 16 what does that mean it's actually it's actually about kidnapping the oh dear lord in heaven she dragged the bible into it yes and it's the exodus 21 16 is anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper's possession.

Okay. Thank you for that tidbit. Let's go forward with Sherry Papini under interrogation by Shasta County Sheriff's detectives. This is our Cut 65. She's the reason. What do you mean by that? She means the younger one. Let her go.

Right. That's what we're referring to it. We're not going to find her. And we can just skip to the rock into the water and ruffle up the pond if we want to now. Again, this is the last time if you want to do this alone or with Keith. Keith's been through this also on a different level. So I'm ready to move on and throw the dart and throw the rock and see what happens to the water. But Sherry, look at me. What do you want? I don't want her to get in trouble. She's not going to get in trouble.

So the DNA came back to James Reyes. Okay, so she's sticking to her story. DNA is found connected to Sherry Papini that no doubt about it is her ex-boyfriend's James Reyes. But she is sticking to her story. What is she saying? Dave Max, she's saying, I don't want her to get in trouble. And she says it so calmly. Is she still, she's going down with a ship about the two Hispanic women? Absolutely. And what she had told them previously was that the younger of the two Hispanic women held a gun and told her to leave and saying that it was the younger of the two kidnappers that actually let her go.

And as she says, you know, giving me the chance to see my children. Quote, I don't want to get her in trouble. OK, as much as I'd love to talk to everybody on the panel, let's hear some more Sherry Papini. OK, it's just like the SNL quote, more cowbell. I got to have more Sherry Papini. Take a listen. The reason why you can describe the room is because you stayed in the room in the dark for Howard for days on end the reason why you lost so much weight is because you stopped eating

the reason why you got a rash on your arm is because you cleaned his house the reason why the brand is because he went to the store bought the brand new tools and branded you the reason why your nose was broke is because of a hockey stick. I know all of those things, and I know there was no sex. I know all of that because he passed a polygraph test. That said, it's not an abduction. She asked me to come get her. No.

I rented a car. No. I drove up and picked her up. He passed the polygraph test. No. I rented a car. No. I drove up and picked her up. He passed the polygraph test. Okay. It goes on and on and on talking about drama. So let me understand this. What kind of a mindset would she be in? What kind of a mindset would she be dr angie arnold to literally starve herself i recall she lost i think 40 pounds i can't remember how much weight she lost to break your own nose with a hockey stick and to jackie has very kindly thank you jackie for saying this is something i can't get out of my head where she literally burned letters into her skin.

Well, Nancy, she was telling a lie, and she has gotten so caught up in this lie, and I imagine it became harder and harder and harder, and she felt like she needed to do more things for people to believe this lie. And you know what, Nancy? We don't know. Maybe she got into it, too.

I mean, there are people who self-harm. How do we know she's not a self-harming person? Okay. There's self-harm for reasons that you as a shrink understand. And then there is self-harm to further your big fat lie. We have no evidence she suffered from self-harming before she had to convince her husband and law enforcement that she truly had been kidnapped by two women. And she says it with a straight face. Take a listen to our Cut 67.

She is absolutely not giving up with this, even when confronted with polygraphs and DNA. Listen. That's not what happened. What did happen, Shane? I don't know. No, there's no way it's James. There's no way.

There's no way. The DNA doesn't lie. His DNA. His DNA was on you. There's no way. Robert saw you in the house while you were down there. While everything spun out of control. His cousin. way robert saw you in the house while you were down there while everything is spot on his cousin why everything ran out of control on the initial there's no way it's it's 100 robert's or james's

dna even collected blonde hairs from the room there's no way it's james there's no way why are I swear she sounds like Lucy my little girl when she was about three years old going no I didn't I swear I didn't hit John David in the head with a wooden block and it's so believable for one if I had not seen it on the nanny cam myself, I would have believed my hysterical little girl. Just so you know, she no longer hits him with a wooden block. Guys, I'm not a shrink. I'm just a JD. Okay, Joe Scott Morgan, do you hear this woman just screaming? There's no way.'s not James James is the

ex-boyfriend and they're like Miss Papini we have his DNA yeah we have your hair in his home and she's like who's Robert and they're like the guy that kept coming into the apartment while you were there and you talked to him. That's James's cousin. And she will not give up. Yeah, she's staring straight down the barrel of mathematical probability at this moment, Nancy. Everybody, you see all those memes that float around and say math is hard. Well, this is the reality of why you need

to understand statistical analysis. The odds that her hair would be there and that her boyfriend's DNA would be on her are absolutely astronomical. And she understands enough to know that she's staring down this from an evidentiary standpoint. But Nancy, I'll shut up after this.

I got to tell you, I see a lot, a lot of parallels between this person and that scumbag in South Carolina, Susan Smith, all those years ago and what she perpetrated. Remember, she called out African-Americans in that particular case and said that they had kidnapped those babies and they had disappeared. She's pleading, asking, and she gets wrapped up in this over and over again. And, you know, to go to Dr. Angie's point, she keeps playing along with it. And deeper and deeper, the math reveals and numbers reveal she was there. She knows what happened. Okay. Joe Scott, did I ever tell you that I was in the middle of trying a case solo? And of course I got got into trouble in court like I always did with the judge. And I called the guy that we were running the court together. I called him Herman Sloan and

asked him to come to court. I said, bring the law quick. I need help. I'm going to get evidence ruled out. So he races to court to help me. And successfully, I might add, he's a brainiac. And I looked at him. I went, Herman, oh, my stars. You look exactly like the composite Susan Smith gave the guy that took her children. Yeah, all it takes is to paint that little sheet. I've got an alibi because I think somebody had already told him that. Exactly like Herman Sloan, who, by the way, went on to become a judge.

Not connected to Susan Smith so yes I mean you're you know another one that would just went down with the story is Jody Arias Jody Arias stuck to her story until she was absolutely cornered then she came up with another lie first I wasn't there then okay I was there but they were two guys dressed as ninjas and all black, and they killed him, and I got away. Then it turned into self-defense. Yes, I did it, but it was self-defense. Remember that? Remember that, Joe Scott Morgan?

Yeah, I sure do. And this idea that, you know, look, again, not shrink. That's Dr. Angie's round, but it's almost like this delusional thing they wrap themselves in. But it's not a delusion. They're playing a part at this moment in time. This woman was playing a part. You know, running off to the boyfriend's apartment like this and dragging him down this road with her. It baffles my mind.

I mean, apparently she tells the boyfriend, my husband beats me. My husband rapes me. When in reality, the husband practically worshipped her. Guys, I want to hear more Papini. Joe Scott, as much as I love to hear you go on and on and on, but let's go back. Okay, Joe Scott, I take that back because, you know, I actually do love to hear you go on and on and on about forensics. And remember, panel, let me just urge you again. This is not high tea at high growth. Hey, take a circle back to cut 64. Sherry Papini.

Now, listen, this is what she's talking about. She, quote, I don't want you to find the person who helped me escape. You know, the one that held a gun to my head. Listen, we're not to a point where anybody's my head. Listen. We're not to a point where anybody's going to jail yet. We're not to a point of anything like that. We're just still at the talking stage. We're at the control stage. You seem scared, Sherry. No, I'm not scared. What is it? When you don't answer, Sherry, it makes me concerned because i want to hear what she answers are and i want to be able to understand a little bit of control things you're trying to know i i don't

want you to find her we're not going to find her she's the reason why i get to see my children every day i agree but we're not going to find her. Okay, several things. She goes, they say, Sherry, you seem scared. I guess she is scared because she's looking at a cot and three hots behind bars. I'd be scared, too. I don't want to go to jail. And then she says, I don't.

And then, remember, she's hysterical. And then suddenly she suddenly she's very calm says i don't want you to find her she's playing them like a fiddle a strativarius fiddle let me add that in and then she drags her children into it the reason i don't want you to find her the woman that stood by while i was branded and beaten and my nose broken. I was starved. I don't want her to go to jail because she's the reason I get to see my children every day. Hey, let's hear 64 one more time. Listen to the tonal quality and the dichotomy in her first answers versus suddenly she gets calm and answers. We're not to a point where anybody's going to jail yet. We're not to a point of anything like that to jail yet. We're not to a point of any,

anything like that. We're, we're just still at the talking stage. We're at the control stage. You seem scared, Sherry. No, I'm not scared.

What is it? When you don't answer, Sherry, it makes me concerned because I want to hear what your answers are. And I want to hear what your answers are and I want to be able to understand. The only way to control things is for us to know.

I don't want you to find her. We're not going to find her. She's the reason why I get to see my children every day. I agree, but we're not going to find her. Yeah, we're not going to find her because she's not real. Joining me right now, a private investigator renowned throughout her area, Mona Kay Investigations, joining us out of Omaha.

You can find her on Twitter, at Mona Kay. Mona Kay, how many times have you questioned someone and you just keep asking them questions because you know they're lying? Did you see the tonal quality of her answer shift? At first she's saying, I'm scared. And then immediately sucking up a lot of snot and tears. Then she goes very calmly, I don't want you to find her. About 20 seconds later.

But, yeah, she, you know, her body language tells us a lot. Her voice inflections tell us a lot. And another way she's, she's so calm and collected at some point. She's hysterical at other points. She doesn't look the police officers, the detectives in the eye. Um, other thing, getting back a little bit to the information she's giving, she thinks that she's in control and she gives so much detail, so much detail that you'd think that they would be able to,

you know, crack the case, follow up, have, have leads to go on. I've worked so many cases over the years, over 30 some years, I've never received this much detail from any witness. But yet the little bit of information I have gotten has led somewhere in most cases. But she gives, you know, volumes of very detailed information and it goes nowhere. You know, they don't. Yeah, you're right. And what's amazing is they tell her straight up, we've got DNA, we have your boyfriend, we've got your boyfriend's cousin who will state, they're all stating you were there and you lied to them and she still is not giving it up. Okay, guys, listen to this.

Now we see a little crack. Take a listen to our cut 68. At the end of everything, once we've, you had to have known that this was going to come at some point. I was talking to my mom. What's that? This is all my fault.

I was talking to so many guys. Such a stupid thing to do. Yeah, but then how did we get to Costa Rica? Or sorry, Costa Mesa. Or wherever. How did we get to LA? There's a big jump and a leap from talking to men to getting in a car with somebody. But that getting in a car with somebody but that getting in a car with somebody because

somebody you had a relationship with he told us about the abortion fox nation is coming to atlanta wednesday october 12th join nancy grace for america's crime crisis live summit 7 p.m. at the Georgia Public Broadcasting Studios. Hear from local law enforcement, victims, and leading experts on whether crime policies are leading to skyrocketing crime rates, what can be done to control the fentanyl crisis, and is there a way to make our streets safer? Be part of the live audience. Go to crimeonline.com, look for the banner at the top of the page, click to get your free ticket. Seating is limited for America's Crime Crisis Live Summit with Nancy Grace. Get your free ticket now.

Again, that's October 12th at the GPB Studios at 7 p.m. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. What's up? This is all my fault I was talking to so many guys Such a stupid thing to do Yeah, but then How did we get to Costa Rica? Or sorry, Costa Mesa

Or wherever How did we get to LA? There's a big jump and a leap from talking to men to getting in a car with somebody. But that getting in a car with somebody is somebody you had a relationship with. He told us about the abortion. Wait a minute. Abortion? What abortion?

Dave Mack, how did I miss abortion? What abortion? They don't go into detail on it, Nancy, but what they were trying to do is to push her to letting her know they've talked to this guy. They've already gone over what he's told them, and they're telling her that we know that you guys were so close that he knows you had an abortion. That's what they were trying to set up, that you're acting like this is two women and that James Reyes is just kind of out here in the periphery but we we know who he is to you and we're telling you right off you guys are so close that he knows about your abortion okay I okay now I get it now remember she saying, it's my fault because I talked to guys.

What is that supposed to mean? I talked to guys. I talk to guys every single day of the week. My husband talks to women every single day of the week. How is that supposed to get you in trouble? But here we hear more of that. She's still sticking to her lie. Don't get me wrong.

Our cut 69. My fault that I was talking to you. It's my fault that I was flirting with other men. It was such a stupid thing to do. I love my husband. I love my children. It's just stupid for me to do that. Flirting with other men?

Not a crime. Lying to me today, yes, a crime. Big difference. Telling your story of what happened to you isn't a crime. And I know you're scared of what Keith is going to say and do, what's going to happen with you and your family. Those are real concerns. But we also need to understand the truth. What about her body language were you noticing, Mona Kay?

Well, you know, she looks down a lot. She's kind of curled up. She's not confident in what she's saying. She's giving so many different detailed and so many stories that she can't keep some of her stories straight. So they're conflicting. And, you know, that's a dead giveaway. And when she can't remember something, she said she sleeps a lot. I mean, she said she slept when they picked her up.

She couldn't give some details about the direction the car may have gone because she was sleeping, yet she was just supposedly abducted. You know, Nancy, another thing, this is Wendy Patrick, another part of her body language which I found striking was she was closed. You know, you talk about open and closed and who's approachable and she couldn't be more defensive and closed. It was almost like the way

she curled herself into a ball and her legs were crossed. There was everything about her body language that just transmitted, I'm stuck, I'm cornered. She was everything about her body language that just transmitted, I'm stuck, I'm cornered. She was like an animal in the corner of a cage. And that is one of the huge tells that really was leading these detectives to agree that, you know, they had all the evidence they needed.

This was a staging act. This was not something, any part of it that was credible. Right. I agree. I agree. I thought her body language said a lot. What about the husband? Keith Papini,

who has stood by her from the get-go. Take a listen to Our Cut 70. Why is that? Why am I always getting held out of things? Why can't you just hit me with it? I did, but I told you. I know, yeah. Because this happened Monday. No, you're saying you can't tell me all this stuff. It's still an ongoing investigation, so you're not going to find out answers. I mean, there's just... that's the way it is. Obviously, can you help me and didn't throw me a bone and then go,

I mean, she made it up, is that where we're going, right? Or is she trying to come up with a whole another... We're not going to give you any additional details. Obviously, you've heard the questions, so you can read through some of those and understand. You've seen some of the photos, so you know some of the investigation. Obviously, you saw me, I was like, yeah, we found him. And we did. Yeah. But you can also notice your reaction compared to her reaction. So, Dave Mack, where does it stand with her husband now? Are they divorced and does she get to see the children?

Well, you know, she's going to prison in a couple of weeks. But right now they are. I don't know the process in California. He filed for divorce several months ago. He wants the children and everything and wants her totally out. So as things sit now, he did walk away. You heard him right there. This cut and dry he walked into that last interview

nancy as the doting husband who believed everything she said and we're talking an hour and a half later he's he is gobsmacked you know he doesn't he didn't know this was going to happen and boom that's why he says you know my whole world has flipped upside down again and then he says you know you just heard he said, can you help me? Throw me a bone. You know, she made it up. Is that where we're going? Is she trying to come up with a whole other story now?

I mean, this guy was rocked to his core. Well, he's going for sole custody, and there's a very good chance he may get it. Based on everything that's happened with Sherry Papini, the so-called supermom. It's not the first time a perp has led law enforcement down the garden path. Take a listen to our cut 47. Does the name Jesse Smollett ring a bell? This is Adriana Diaz at CBS. They eventually reached this conclusion. Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack and drag Chicago's reputation through the mud in the process. Police say Smollett paid brothers Abel and Ola Osunday

wrote to stage the attack because he was angry over his salary. The brothers told police Smollett paid them to conduct the attack. Smollett, who's maintained his innocence, was arrested and later charged with 16 felony counts for lying to police. Here's the guy that had so much to lose. He's a star on hit series Empire, beloved by so many viewers. Got it all, a high-rise apartment, beautiful clothes, a great car, a loving family. His extended family loved him so much, but he blew it all because he wanted more money and thought this would be a great PR stunt

to bring attention to himself, to have himself attacked. It didn't turn out that way when cops found out the truth. Take a listen to our Cut 49, Jesse Kirsch, Today Show. Judge James Lynn sentencing Smollett to 30 months felony probation, including that jail time, ordering he pay more than $120,000 in restitution to the city of Chicago and pay the maximum fine, $25,000. You've turned your life upside down by your misconduct and shenanigans. You've destroyed your life as you knew it. As a defiant, Smollett was taken into custody last night, his family blasting the judge's decision.

He's the reason why folks aren't going to report hate crimes. They're the reason why folks aren't going to report hate crimes. Well, Jesse Smollett is the reason that many people may not believe a real hate crime victim when they emerge because of his lies. So you see Smollett ordered to pay all this restitution back to law enforcement. Well, he's not the first one. Does anybody remember the name Jennifer Wilbanks, the real life runaway bride. Take a listen to our Cut 52. Did they drop you off right now?

No. I don't even know how long ago it was. They didn't drop me off here, away from here, back on some other street. I mean, I could show them. I don't know where I am. Okay. And the person that did this to you, was he a Healy? It was an Hispanic man and a South Asian woman.

And the man... It happened in Duluth. So again, we're dragging some pretend non-existent Hispanics into this, just like Papini did. Same thing with Wilbanks. Take a listen to Tom Regan, WSB, in our Cut 54. And it turns out that entire story was fabricated. Wilbanks told investigators she didn't realize her disappearance had caused such a nationwide furor. This afternoon, she issued a statement that was read by an officer. I respect the fact that the public deserves a statement.

She's requesting that she would like to speak to her family first. I appreciate the outpouring of prayers and concern and that she has recently become aware of. And more from our friends at NBC. The court has determined Jennifer should make amends for all the grief she's caused. She's been put on two years probation and will do 120 hours of some kind of community service. Sixty-six thousand dollars worth of law enforcement resources were dedicated to her search over four days. She has paid the city of Duluth more than $13,000 for their share of overtime and extra expenses and will pay $2,500 more to the sheriff's office.

As far as Sherry Papini goes, will a jury in the future say, ooh, I don't believe her, or remember what Sherry Papini did? So, Dave Mack, CrimeOnline.com, what is the sentence for Sherry Papini and how much restitution is she set to pay? She's sentenced to 18 months in jail, in prison, and restitution of $307,000.

But the judge mentioned at sentencing, who's going to hire her? How is she going to pay this money back? I mean, he put it out there that, yeah, she's accountable. But I was going to ask you, how does that work out with a convict like Papini? How is she going to get a job to pay back the money she got? She may get a job. She'll never pay back the restitution. And I'm sure she'll be on to her next lie,

probably still saying it never happened, that she was, in fact, kidnapped and tortured. Another chapter closed. Nancy Grace, Crime Story, signing off. Goodbye, friend.