EXPLORE WITH US - When A Killer Doesn't Realize He's Being Filmed

Episode Date: December 1, 2023

When a KILLER doesn't realize he's being FILMED...The following podcast episode is not legal advice. Do not rely on the information in this presentation without speaking to a licensed attorney.No one discussed in these videos has been formally diagnosed by EWU and our psychological analysis is based on the general behaviors and traits of the people discussed.

When two young men suspect a member of their own circle may be their friend's killer, they collaborate with law enforcement and go undercover to capture secret recordings. Why did he say that? Why did he say he just wanted to talk to me? What the f***? What the f***? Oh, my God, my. How old what you got? Leave your hands out at the vehicle. Oh, my, my. Beloved cheerleader Emma Walker was just a few months into her junior, year at Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, when her life met a tragically abrupt end.

Initially, it seemed it was some sort of terrible accident. There was no other way to explain it. However, investigators would soon untangle a twisted web of lies and uncover the horrific reality. Someone had wanted Emma dead. Growing up, Emma's ultimate dream was to become a neonatal ICU nurse someday, and the honors student was putting in the necessary effort to ensure she'd get there. She was making the most of high school, and her innate ability to excel in her endeavors was also exhibited in her role on the cheerleading squad. Her third year had just gotten underway, and she was loving it. Then the morning of Monday, November 21st, arrived. Like she'd done so many times before, Jill went to her daughter's room to wake Emma for school around

six o'clock. Right away, it was apparent that something was terribly wrong. I just had to wake up my daughter for school, and she has no pulse. All this is, non-responsive? Yeah, her tinge out of her mouth. Stay on the line. I'm transferring you to rural Metro. Word of the mysterious tragedy spread quickly. Among those hit particularly hard by the devastating news of Emma's death was her boyfriend of two years, Riley Gaw. The two at first met in the fall of Emma's freshman year at Central High.

She was the only freshman to secure a spot on the cheerleading squad. It was right around then that Emma caught the attention of junior and star-wide receiver Riley Gall. It came as no surprise that the two were soon inseparable. A steady stream of posts with photos saturated their social media feeds, documenting the fun times they shared. There were collages such as the one that read, look how lucky I am, posted by Emma in May of 2016. By the time that fall of 2016 rolled around, Emma and Riley were two years into their relationship.

Emma, now a junior, remained a dedicated member of the cheerleading squad at Central High. Though Riley had graduated that previous spring, he stayed close to his hometown and was attending Maryville College, where he quickly made a name for himself as a wide receiver on the football team. Then, just a few months into the new school year, young Emma was gone. As routine procedure goes, the Knox County Sheriff's Office immediately began speaking with those closest to Emma. Riley was brought in that evening on the outside chance that he might be able to aid in the investigation. Based on a tweet from earlier that day, he was very distraught and understandably so. That's my beautiful Emma. Rest easy now, sweetheart, it read.

And it just so happens, Word has gotten back to law enforcement that Riley has some particularly eerie information to share. Apparently, Emma had been receiving threatening text messages from an unknown source during the course of the previous weekend. The detectives start with brief introductions, then get a technical matter out of the way. The following footage has been analyzed by a qualified team, including a licensed attorney, a licensed clinical psychologist, a former licensed professional counselor and a licensed professional counselor. Before we get started, I understand you're not under arrest right now. You came down on your free and with your granddad and you mom. But because you're in a secure area, I have to read your rights, okay?

Because basically if you're in a position that you can't get up and leave and get out on your home, they technically look at that in court as being in custody. But understand you're not in custody. You have not for the handcuffs on, we have not told you've been charged to make him really. It's just to feel something like it. After Riley has read his rights,

they engage him in a bit of small talk and efforts to build rapport, establish a baseline, and make him feel comfortable. While we're waiting on him, tell me a little bit about yourself. And I will obviously play football at Marrival College. I'm assuming you played football in high school.

It's a point position. I see her cornerback, car car tanger, Must be pretty good. Well, you kicked Hall's blood all over the place last year, so that's been your senior year, right? Yeah, it's always painful with you guys. Do you look, hang in there, and the stakes they had it, work at it. A few minutes later, the detectives dive into the true reason for the meeting.

They ask Riley to provide a timeline of his whereabouts over the previous weekend. Let's start with it. Friday. Do you have classes during the day? Wednesday, Friday, I have an 8 a.m. and a 9 a.m. And Tuesday, Thursday, I have a 6 a.m. and an 11 a.m. And in the other class, my Monday, Wednesday, Friday, is a 1 p.m. Wow. You still pretty busy, don't you? Let's start with Friday. You get out of class at 1 p.m. What happens from there? Riley explains that he headed to his grandparents home that evening. then went to his friend Noah's home shortly after him, where he spent the night. Then, according to Riley, his seemingly normal morning took a chilling turn.

And it all started with a message from Emma. And she was kind of acting frantic over the thumb. And she said that someone was trying to get into her house. Somebody was dressed in all black. They had a face mask on. She said that she's on. She said she thought they were just taking a walk in the neighborhood. And then when she passed it to her driveway, they put on a pair of glasses.

And they started, like, she said they kind of, like, stood up. So she went into the garage and shut the garage, and that's when I dropped all the stuff I was in my step-dust house and drove all the way to her neighborhood. Did you have, did you say she texted you that information? She, or just, she texted me, like, she was asking if it was me at first. And I told her, no, what's going on. And then she FaceTime called me. She was crying and freaking out.

So I said, okay, give me a minute. I'll come down and check it out. Riley raced to Emma's home and approximately 10 minutes later, he arrived. I went to her backyard, made sure, you know, if I was back there, checked under the porch and everything, looked up and down the street. But by that time, the would-be intruder was gone. Still, a residential surveillance camera captured a few seconds of footage as the man walked down the street. Riley returned to Noah's house somewhere around 8 p.m. and stayed the night once again. How do you leave and where do you go Sunday morning?

I don't know what time I woke up, but when I woke up I went back to my grandparent and then went back over to Noah's house. And I got back to campus around 1130, 1145. Naturally, the college freshman had left his homework until somewhere around midnight Monday morning. I got back up to my dorm and I tried to live. I was logging in onto my Marrival College email, but I realized I couldn't because I was logged in on my grandparents, my grandmother's laptop,

back in Knoxville. And it was late almost 12.30, at 12.15, or 1230 around there. So I didn't think they were away until I drove back to Knoxville because I needed to do my homework. And I walked myself at my grandparents' house. My grandfather was awake though. He saw me log out of a laptop, and from there I left.

It's intriguing that Riley felt the need to emphasize how his grandfather saw him log out of the laptop, almost as if he's expecting that the detectives will think he's lying about why he went home. He saw me log out of the laptop. When someone who's being questioned acts defensive before they have even been accused of something, it can be seen by law enforcement as a possible sign of deception. I ended up not doing any of my homework and said I got back to campus around one. a.m. and just sat in my car for about two hours, two and a half hours and just went four 30. I fell asleep. I fell asleep around then, and that's when I woke up to people calling me about what

had happened. Well, first, he had texted me and he was like, hey man, I'm sorry about what happened. So I was like, what are you talking about? And he called me after that, and he said, did you not hear what happened? I said, no, what are you talking about? And he said, they found him Dad didn't have bed this morning, or unresponsive is what he told me. And that's when I started freaking out, I have a breakdown. So my parents, or my mom and my grandmother, were coming out to campus together. They probably got there around 9-inch, 9.30 somewhere around there. As soon as he starts talking about being told about Emma's death, Riley starts stroking his face.

This is a self-soothing behavior indicative of heightened anxiety. This could be because the topic is distressing for him, which would be understandable, or a hint that maybe something else about the topic makes him nervous. Although some dismiss nonverbal analysis is pseudoscience, and whether or not the viewer agrees with it, it is used by the FBI, CIA, and police during interrogations, which is why we include it. When the CIA is interrogating an individual,

they look for clusters of three or more indicators that occur in either quick-success, session or all at once. These indicators can be signs of discomfort or uncertainty in what the individual is stating rather than indicators of deception. It's extremely important to note that you cannot detect deception through nonverbal analysis alone. Okay. So then once your grandparents got you and you went back to their house? My mom and my grandmother did. Yeah. Is that the king got you and that's where you went? Back to my parents. I spent all, I spent all day in my grandparents' house today.

until now. Gotcha. After a comprehensive run-through of Riley's previous weekend, the detectives transitioned to the sensitive subject of his longtime girlfriend's unexpected death. Perhaps Riley can provide something for law enforcement to go on. A detail that may seem insignificant to him may be the very information needed to crack the case.

Tell me what you know about him is passing. I've always been all kinds of your records. or have you heard? I've tried to, but in tune all of the doubt. I've heard seven different things. I've heard she just passed in her sleep. I heard she tried to commit. I heard a stray bullet came to the wall,

but that made no sense to me because it's her room. If a stray bullet hit the wall is from, so it has to be from the backyard, because that's where her window is. I don't know. That one didn't make sense to me, but those are the main three. Who have you talked to? Where have you heard these rumors about passing their sleep and all that stuff? I've had a bunch of my friends. They did me today, my grandparents, Alex. And they would just tell me different stuff. They've heard from different people.

Riley has been fidgeting and spinning his seat throughout the interview so far. But as soon as the detective start asking about Emma's death and the rumors surrounding me, He also begins picking at his fingers, which is typically an anxiety response. Okay. Do you remember who told you the stray bullet? Yeah, it was actually about an hour ago when he showed up. His name's Jacob. How do you know, Jacob?

We've been friends in second grade. Did he say where he heard the stray bullet theory? No, he said it was the same thing like hearsay. He said he probably said that didn't sound right. him either, but horrifyingly so, it seems that the detectives are beginning to consider that the killer could be hiding and play in sight, disguised as a grieving friend. Perhaps they even paid Riley a visit in an attempt to avoid suspicion,

simply playing the part of another young mourner expressing condolences to the longtime boyfriend of the deceased. Detectives have collected potential leads in Riley's visitors from earlier that day, And with this, the entire trajectory of the investigation has drastically changed. Can you think of anyone that would want to hurt Emma? Not atop in my head, no. Because, I mean, she was, she had any enemies? No. She had, no enemies that would want to hurt her.

I mean, she had high school drama enemies, but, like, just girls she didn't like, but none that would do that. She kind of got along with everybody I mean I don't know Yeah she was She was very likable She didn't I mean she was friends with most anybody that she talked to

The last time you talked to You said it was Sunday Sunday night Did she make any comments about anybody Mad at her, upset at her Or anyone would hurt her No But the only thing that I thought of

Was whoever the person was At her house Saturday morning. That's the first thing I thought of it would have been. I heard that she had passed this morning. Then, a completely unexpected revelation is brought to light, and it changes everything. Do you got people that are mad at you that are telling her to you or anything?

I don't know about it. And then nobody's talking out to you. You're kidding out of me. Repeating the question can be a red flag to detectives. It could mean that the person being interviewed needs time to think. about their response. A deceptive individual likely wants to prevent awkward silences after a question, as that could seem suspicious. However, if they need a moment to consider what they should say, they might repeat the question to fill that conversation gap.

What's it about? I didn't want to. I'm sorry, I just didn't want to talk about it because it was traumatizing. I didn't know what to make of it. And that's pretty important for us. I would know, it's my time getting it, that I don't know, like, I don't know anything about it. Notice the weak movement Riley makes here. It's a half-hearted shrug and his hands barely raise. Throughout, his illustrators have been minimal. We don't have anything of him before the interview to really compare to,

but it's an atypical behavior for people in general to have such weak non-verbals. Illustrators help people make points while they speak. In contrast, restrained gesturing is believed to be a tell-tale sign of deception. When did this alleged kidnapping type blood? Friday. This past Friday? When did that happen?

Some don't know. I just don't remember much about it. I remember two guys. Literally, I was Friday night before I got to know. That's most of my dad's house. And I pulled in the driveway and this van pulled it over across in the semicircle and These two guys were like walking across the street. I was Didn't think anything of it because they weren't like in a rush

And I tired around on about to get my car next to know one of them grabs my back and the other ones around the corner And they just like put their hands over my face and just took me to their van or whatever Finally, we see Riley use larger nonverbal indicators. His palms are up in a position usually indicating that he's asking to be believed or trying to be convincing. But they don't fit with his words. His hands just sit there for quite a long time with no words to go along with it. I don't remember much. They just had me.

I couldn't see anything that had something over my eyes. I haven't told my mom or anybody about this Oh really? Well, terrified. So, I mean, do you have any money? No. You can gamble in this? Do you gamble?

So these guys just randomly picked you out for no reason? I guess. Riley's account sounds a bit questionable, especially because he doesn't give a clear reason as to why he can't remember much of it. He's also left out any mention of his feelings during the event, and only mentions being terrified to justify why he hasn't told his mom about it. Most people who were telling the truth about something major, such as being kidnapped,

will express what their emotions were at the time. This is because their emotions are tied to the memory of the traumatic event. When someone leaves these details out, it can be a red flag for possible deception. But the question is, what could he be leaving out? That same night, Emma had attended a gathering at a friend's home after the football game. It was somewhere around 11.30 p.m. when she began receiving alarming text messages from an unfamiliar phone number. They did ask me, they were like, who would you want to talk to for the last time? And so I started freaking out, and I said, Emma.

Text messages instructed Emma to go outside. They stated that they had her loved one in their possession, And if she didn't comply with their demands, he'd be hurt. And they made me call Emma. She wouldn't answer my phone, multiple phones, so they used their phone. And I was just crowing and screaming. She thought it was a joke. She thought it was playing a crime for her.

Riley has been fidgeting with his hands and moving in his seat this entire time. This indicates that he's been letting off his excess energy, which is going to be a red flag to the officers that he may be hiding something. The fact that Emma thought Riley was playing a joke on her could suggest that he had done something in the past to make her doubt his sincerity. A friend accompanied Emma outside, and that was when they located Riley, lying face down in a nearby ditch. According to her friend, Riley appeared to be disoriented. I woke up where Emma was. In your friend's yard.

I don't, it's right of Paso Paisal Pike. I literally remember them my head ate for the rest of the night when I got back 10. It was after that. You still know that one there on that? Yeah. They thought it was, they thought it was messing with them. That's why I haven't talked to anyone about it because no one would take me seriously. It's interesting that Riley still hasn't asked exactly what happened to Emma.

Most people would ask at some point, while maybe not early on, since they don't want to interrupt investigators. They wouldn't want to sit through the entire interview without asking for some kind of information about what happened. This is likely a red flag to detectives. After acquiring the information they need for the time being, the detectives conclude their interview with Riley. I do want to thank you for coming in and talking to us, Riley.

I do appreciate it. It's clear that investigators know Emma didn't take her own life, but instead believe something far more sinister occurred. Though the information hasn't yet been made public, they're aware that Emma died as a result of a single gunshot, the bullet having traveled through the exterior of her house before striking Emma in the head. Somewhere around this time, law enforcement is approached by friends of Emma who strongly suspect they know the identity of the killer. They want to assist in the investigation. In fact, they believe they can get their hands on the very weapon that might have been used to murder Emma earlier that same morning if the rumors that she died of a gunshot wound

are accurate. You see, the person they suspect is also a close friend of theirs. In addition, one of the teens has recently witnessed something quite coincidental. The suspect had recently acquired a firearm. In fact, he'd gone so far as to show it to one of them. With the friends, having come forward, the idea that the killer is among them has gained even more credibility, disturbing as it is. Despite the potential dangers of which they're warned, the amateur detectives opt to go through with the sting operation on November 22nd,

just one day after Emma had died. A plan is constructed, and the friends are wired and equipped with a hidden camera. All of you. All of you. There's nobody else would rather be going into this shit with. Nobody else I could go into this shit with.

All shit is. This is an insect. Go do you think, guys. All right. Everyday life, man. Everyday life. Go do you think. Let's go play some model warfare.

There you go. This is another day, ma'am. Yeah, look at that fault. That light's still on. Yeah. You're going to shut it. You know, guys. Thank you, thanks, guys.

And with the short briefing from detectives, the precarious mission headed by a brave couple of teens is underway. The friends return to one of their homes and prepare for the suspect to arrive. So, dude. That's the meeting of the way back in the good. Yeah, yeah, it's fine. Okay, yeah, I'll walk out there. All right, I'll see you.

Why did he say that? Why did he say he just wanted to talk to me? No. Holy fuck. Why does he want me to talk to him? Oh, no, man. All I can think about is that he would trust you anyway. Which, I mean, yeah, because I was been bull-h-h-h-hundred.

Mm-hmm. All right, FYI, guys, my roommate is not home. He's going to be aware to tell about like one or two a night. One of the friends updates law enforcement who's listening in. The suspect is due to arrive in just a few minutes. The hidden camera is strategically placed just before the suspect enters with his friend and both take a seat on the couch. Apparently the two had a short conversation outside

and the suspect would like for his friends to accompany him on an errand of sorts. But before they get to that, they speculate on him as potential. manner of death. We know that very little information has been made public, and they only have rumors to go on. Well, two of them at least. We suspect that the third knows everything. They would have automatically ruled out any kind of suicide, or I mean, not ruled it out, but like, if she got shot through the wall, you don't just get shot and die instantly,

unless you get hit in the throat or in the head. Yeah. Unless you got shot directly in the heart, but still even that, like, you're going to be shot. I feel that wake up and be able to try and, like, crawl out of your bed. Yeah, it doesn't make sense like I still don't understand how she died. It's likely that no part of this discussion is medically accurate. But the undercover friends play along in an attempt to get more information from the suspect. And the speculation continues.

I don't either, but if she, like, truly got shocked at the wall and she would, like, say it hits her in stomach. Say somebody shot her on wall hit her in stomach. She's going to wake up. You don't just get shot and wait there. I don't see how she wouldn't scream or something, like in the things. And she just late. Unless it was just like a ridiculous shot. If it hit her in the head, then they would have saw that.

They didn't know. They could have walked in and seen her just. It was a murder investigation from that morning. As far as I know, like, they never thought. They always don't know anything about how she was found or when she was Because whatever you hear, yeah, exactly. They always knew it was always from. Could not be true.

They knew it was all of the same thing because they put in protective custody. You serious? Yeah. The suspect is clearly alarmed by this information. The thought of a friend having been murdered would be quite devastating to hear. However, it's much more probable that the shock is from knowing that if her death was, in fact, a homicide, then law enforcement's main focus will be to locate the killer, which brings the, us to our next important topic of conversation.

But I'm trusting you guys, like, with my life, because, I mean, this is 70 years in jail. If I be convicted of something I did do, then are you guys, are you busy right now? Can you have to do anything? I will come get a bluff. Because I need to get rid of the gun. I'm going to have to throw it into water.

They will never, they'll never find you. I'll try to get the water with, like, rocks and shit. I can't do it with your blood. We can go on that. The smaller ledge that really looks out of the water. I mean, I got your back, man. I just need to cry, dude. I guess that.

If it goes, if it's in the Tennessee River, they will never park it. So that's why I just want to eliminate that from the equation as a whole. I see, cover your basis. I mean, I see, that's your decision. Well, you guys want to go right now. I'm fine, let me go with some, let me go with that shit. I started being, I still fucking, I mean, I'd love a hot pocket. After preparing a couple of hot pockets, the teens depart, en route to an area that overlooks the Tennessee River,

not far from the University of Tennessee campus, known as the Bluffs. It's possible that the suspect isn't just looking for moral support here. By involving his friends in the disposal of the gun, he's likely trying to protect himself. If he gets them to help, they'll be more likely to follow his plan of lying to the police about what they know of the gun, and he'll be able to hold their involvement over them. They won't want legal consequences for their part in getting rid of potential evidence, so they'll feel more motivated to lie for the suspect. snatch you.

What you do you? Go around to the church. Oh, right, I'll be back. You're not back in two minutes. We'll come after you. Less than four nerve-wracking minutes later, the suspect returns to the vehicle. I just want to throw it and be done.

Oh, God, I can feel it. Like, I just don't have. I think there's gloves that you're too. So I can put those all in this. I want to say, I'm like, I think there are clothes. I think we can use them. And I'll just put the bull's going to take it out. Brayette.

I'll fucking call. I'll carry it up with the gloves on. Get to the top. Throwing them bullets individually. If you're done the clip, throw me up. Judging by the fact that the suspect keeps repeating how he wants to get rid of the gun, it seems that he's assuming that getting rid of the gun will mean that police will not have any evidence that points to him. They make one more detour and stop for some gas and fast food.

The suspect, seated in the front passenger seat, hasn't allowed Emma's death to affect his appetite. About 15 minutes later, they arrive at the Bluffs, and the horrifying moment of truth has almost arrived. Dude, let me see this. Oh, I don't have to touch you. That she had photos on, not a start. They don't have my fingerprints in any database. That's good, bro. They don't rest it.

Yeah, but they didn't print me. Oh, my God. Or, this is a real God. The utter magnitude of the reality has to be overwhelming as they lay their eyes on the very weapon that they believed was used to end Emma's life. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the teens are rudely awakened to find that they're not alone. What the fuck? What the fuck? Oh, my God.

What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck. What the fuck? Everybody put your hand out of the vehicle down. Oh, I think we do. Yep. Hold what you got.

Leave your hands out at the vehicle. Oh, my God. Amid the chaos in just seconds, the suspect will be ordered to exit the vehicle, and all those present are aware that he's in the possession of the suspected murder weapon. If the suspect feels like he has nothing left to lose and senses that his friends betrayed him,

he may choose to take revenge. Oh, my dude. Front passenger, can you hear me? Yes. My hand, open the door from the outside. Open the door all the way. Action the vehicle. Keep your hands up.

Hands up. Thankfully, he's apprehended without incident. We're a passenger. Do not move. Do you understand me? Yes. Do you understand? Yes.

Do not move your hands. You know. Out. You got gloves. Well gloves. Right there. Right there. Move the bag back toward your seat.

Yep. Okay. Hey, Mary. Yep. Just pull that bag enough and let's, just to see the serial number. Just to see the serial number. How good if you want to look at this,

you want me to start and see her bluff or hold and see if we can take care of no one. I'll call. She'll look. How damn right, boys. And with that, the serial number was confirmed to belong to a gun that has, very recently, landed itself on law enforcement's radar. It had been kept under the driver's seat of the owner's vehicle until, on November 18th, when he realized it was missing. And here's where it all begins to come crashing down.

On November 20th, James Walker reported his Glock 9mm pistol stolen. Though James and Emma's family share a surname, they are of no relation. James, however, is related to someone else who's very close to the case. His grandson happens to be none other than the grieving boyfriend, Riley Gall. That's right. The suspect was actually Riley all along. In addition to the firearm, other damning evidence was recovered, including the gloves we heard mention of and black clothing that would later confirm that Riley was likely the suspicious man dressed in black.

As it turns out, there's much more to this convoluting. story than initially meets the eye. Let's take a closer look into the events that transpired over those two years. What you're about to see will paint a picture of a tumultuous rollercoaster of a relationship, remarkably different than what you've seen so far. It all started when that freshman cheerleader caught the eye of that star wide receiver. We dated all around for about two years until about two weeks ago is when she really cut it off. I had cut it off in the past before.

She had cut it off before. It just kind of went back and forth. It would be month at a time, and then we'd have a small fallout, and then we'd get back together. It wasn't far into the relationship before Emma's friends and family began to see concerning signs.

Emma's friends observed Riley exhibit behavior that they could only describe as controlling, possessive, and clingy. Riley wanted Emma to himself, and according to Emma's mind, Mom Jill, Riley even attempted to control what Emma wore. This sort of jealousy and possessiveness is typical of abusive relationships. The perpetrator essentially treats the victim like a possession rather than a human being.

It is common for perpetrators of abusive relationships to have anti-social personality disorder. Individuals with this personality disorder often have a need to dominate others and use others to fulfill their own emotional needs. Along with this, Riley quickly became obsessed with Emma and their relationship. Their relationship seems to have followed the three stages of obsession. The first is the absorbed stage. The initial attachment is extreme, and everything becomes serious very early on. The obsessive partner places the other partner in a specific role,

which is consistent with Riley's attempt to dictate what Emma wore. Next comes the agitated stage. As the relationship progresses, the obsessive partner increasingly attempts to control the other. They text, call, or email numerous times a day. They're jealous of anyone or anything that takes time away from the relationship and attempt to isolate their partner from friends and family. The third and final stage is the aggressive stage, which typically starts when either previously successful attempts at controlling the partner have failed,

or the partner has ended the relationship. At this point, the obsessive partner ups the ante. They may suddenly show up to places uninvited. They may alternate between pleas to reunite and vows of vengeance. For some desperate or disturbed individuals, the behavior can escalate to stalking, threats, or physical violence. As it turns out, in the midst of those breakups Riley referenced, he'd send Emma the most vile of messages through social media. Among them, I hate you, I hate everything about. about you. And, you're the biggest I've ever come in contact with. The message is eventually

escalated to a whole new menacing level, with one in particular reading, You're dead to me. I'll check the obituary. Fuck you. When Emma's parents caught wind of this, Riley was understandably no longer allowed in their home. They confiscated Emma's cell phone in an attempt to end communication between her and Riley, but the attempt failed. They advised Emma to break up with Riley, and her friends did the same. However, Emma wasn't ready to cut ties, and she was one to make her own decisions. It can be incredibly difficult for someone to leave an abusive relationship. Those on the outside often question why someone would stay,

but abusers are not abusive all the time, and often have a seemingly loving side to them. By turning the charm on, abusers are able to manipulate their partner into staying, or giving the abuser another chance. However, the cycle of abuse will likely continue, and the level of abuse can escalate over time. And, of course, Riley's behavior became increasingly alarming. He began stalking Emma. He'd wait for hours on end outside the supermarket where she worked

and continued attempting to speak with her, even after Emma's parents had forbidden contact between the two. Finally, somewhere around early November of 2016, Emma ended things with Riley. In fact, she informed a close friend that they were done for good. And for a matter of about two weeks, friends and family had their Emma back. It's important to note that when someone leaves an abusive relationship, this is considered to be the most dangerous time.

Once the abuser realizes that none of their usual tactics are working to get their partner back, their violent behavior may escalate because they feel so out of control. Shortly after Emma ended the relationship, Riley allegedly attempted to take his own life. Campus friends took him to the local hospital for treatment, effectively saving his life. Maybe it was then that he made the ultimate decision. If he couldn't have Emma, he'd see to it that no one would. Then a crime of convenience presented itself. Back in Riley's previous interrogation, the questioning turned to the missing firearm.

Investigators are starting to look at the means and access to the aspects of the crime, which is, in a sense, Riley's ability to commit the crime. Now, I understand that your grandfather has had a gun stolen or missing or something to that. Yeah. Can you tell me about that? Do it during the week last week because he came and switched out my car with his car to get the oil change. back in Knoxville. So he left his car on campus, but he took his keys with him. And he said, when he got back, we switched out cars again, and he took off, and he called me

maybe 10 minutes later, or 5 or 10 minutes later, and said, you don't know my gun at that. I said, no, I haven't been in your car. Do you remember what time last week that was? It might have been Friday then. It was, I'm sorry, it was Thursday or Friday. He came to do that. but he left his car on campus, but he took his keys with him. Okay. So I didn't even go to the car because it only took an hour. He brought my car back. We switched out again, and that's when he got on the road

and called me about five minutes later and asked if I message was gone. All right. So did you have a way to use his car? I mean, did he give you a set of keys? No, he took the keys with it. Well, I mean, I didn't know if you had any extra set or, like, I've got keys to my brother's vehicle.

He's got an extra to my car that he used. I kept my keys on me because I need the key in my door. Gotcha. The detective has a few important questions. But have you ever taken your grandfather's gun? Right. Okay. And they might take it in show, buddy, or anything, bring it back or not a lot of him.

See, I mean, I didn't where your grandfather's call, his one. Yeah. Riley maintains constant eye contact here. While many mistakenly believe that eye contact indicates honesty, the opposite is true. Sustained eye contact typically indicates dishonesty as the individual is carefully watching to see if their story is being believed. I understand you told you about the gun. I had that gun because I was scared about what happened. I know you don't believe me.

You probably don't either. Whatever. I'm telling you... I mean, I don't believe that, but I believe me more that you didn't shoot him because that's a big step. Though we can't be sure which scary occurrence Riley was referring to, we know that the gun went missing before the weekend, and all the events that came with it even arrived. This simply cannot be explained away.

Apparently, before Riley actually put the stolen gun to use, he made a couple of last-ditch efforts to reel Emma back in. There was the staged kidnapping. But Emma was wise to his scheming ways and told him to leave her alone. Riley retreated to his friend Noah's home where he stayed the night and you probably recall that Noah didn't even buy Riley's story of having been abducted.

I mean, I don't believe that, but I believe me more that you didn't shoot him because that's a big step. You just tell him I'm allowed? Yeah. They thought it was... They thought it was nice on a good. This could be an indication

that Riley's friends know that he tends to lie or make up stories. Lying is another key trade of individuals with antisocial personality disorder. These individuals lie in order to manipulate others and get their needs met. Since people with antisocial personality disorder lack empathy, they're often indifferent to the fact that their lies and manipulation can harm others. After the staged kidnapping failed to win Emma back,

Riley conjured up a new plan and put it into action the following morning. Saturday, November 19th, the infamous Masked Man, dressed in all black. Emma was so terrified, she'd later tell her friend she thought she was going to die. So you went to the backyard, chicks, if you saw anything? How do you get in the backyard? A good question here, seeing as how detectives know that a shot was fired into the house from the backyard. There's a gate that has no lock and just open up the latches and no good.

Detectives are effectively establishing Riley's feet. familiarity with Emma's house and yard layout, which supports the establishment of ability, knowledge, and opportunity to commit the crime. Riley's knowledge of where to shoot in order to strike or frighten Emma is an important piece of evidence related to his ability to carry out the crime. Of course, by the time Riley arrived, the masked man was conveniently nowhere to be found. Around that very time, Emma's mother returned home. Mom saw me there. And her parents aren't fond of me, so she just saw me and told me to leave.

And I was coming up to the car, I was like, I'm not here to harass her. I was just here because she called for help. Here are some more authentic displays of Riley's nonverbals. We can be fairly certain this happened just as he said it, and his gestures are less restrained and more spontaneous. As well, they easily match up with what he's saying. parents didn't care for me at all. What was that?

Because of the first time we broke up, and I had cheated on her. And her parents never forgave me for that, even when she did. And they never let us have an actual relationship for the remainder of the time we were together. After that, I finally went back over to Noah's house. Do you have your phone with you? I did not. Oh, man. I'd like to say that text message from me.

Just so I don't get it. I don't. After that, we get everything. Okay. Because I don't want me. I just don't want to think about it. But clearly, there was a motive behind the act. It wasn't just a case of attempting to spare himself the painful memories of the love he'd once had and lost.

The inspiration behind it was something much more calculated. He wanted to hide the contents of his conversations with Emma, and didn't want to leave behind any information related to his whereabouts on the night she was killed. Or maybe the text messages never even happened, and Riley is claiming to have deleted them to explain the absence of messages. It would later be found that another one of Emma's friends had witnessed Riley roaming the neighborhood that morning, dressed in all black. After these most recent failed attempts to lure Emma back into his clutches,

Riley had come to a crossroads. Emma had drawn the line in the sand. She was done once and for all. Riley, it seems, was faced with two choices. For one, he could choose to move on with his own life, just as Emma planned to do. Then there was the other option. Just two days later, his decision would be reflected in an utterly horrendous act. You probably recall Riley's story of how Sunday night played out. Well, there was more to it than he'd originally led the detectives to believe. In fact, he'd failed to include the most crucial details about Monday's earliest hours. But he said Sunday night that you left Noah's round 11. Yeah. He went back to campus. He said you got to around 1145. Called Emma.

From Max phone. From Max phone. Riley had borrowed a phone from his friend Max Siegel, also a football player at Maryville College, because Emma had either blocked his number or refused to answer his calls. coincidentally, Mack was one of the friends who took Riley to the hospital for treatment a week or two earlier after his attempt to take his own life. Oftentimes, people who are highly manipulative and controlling in relationships will make or fake an attempt to take their life as a means of trying to manipulate and control their partner. This is truly the ultimate form of emotional manipulation. This was the point where Riley realized he'd have to log out of his grandmother's computer

in order to access his college email, or so he said. Then Riley's story took a peculiar detour, a poor attempt to explain away an account of a very suspicious alleged conversation that had made its way back to detectives. You're back to the door, you said around 1215. Yeah, my door. Walker's there. Yes.

So how do you have a conversation when you come in at 12, 15, about how to get fingerprints on? No, it wasn't a conversation with him. I walked in there, and I was about to get on my laptop, so I was in there for maybe five minutes, and then realized that I had to go back to walk myself out at my Marable College email address. And he was like, hey, I have this article or whatever. He was like, do you know how to get smudges and stuff off, like the barrel, the handle, the butt, all that? And I was like, what do you mean smudges? and he was like, like your fingerprints, like the oil and dirt and all that.

I was like, I don't know. Riley has made a poor attempt to establish an alternate set of facts in order to cover up the conversation about removing fingerprints on a firearm. However, detectives likely believe they have established Riley's knowledge of guilt. Despite the fact that Riley was in a state of despair, after the phone call with Emma hadn't gone well, he took the time to research the question further. And when I called Noah upset about that, I told no on the phone.

I said, when I asked him that question, he was like, it's a really sketchy question asked. And I was like, I know, but you're the first person on the phone. So I figured I would just ask you. Detectives had to have detected deception in that far-fetched tale. Of course, they let that one go for the time being and continued with Riley's account of that fateful Monday morning. And then you went back to your grandparents? Yes. to walk out of there a lot of talk.

He hides his hands in his pocket here. A gesture intended to give someone a sense of comfort and safety in a situation that is clearly becoming increasingly more stressful. Got back to campus round one and you said you sat in the car and wet for two, three hours. Yeah, just cried. And why was that? I just kept it because I knew she wasn't going to come back. And I've always gotten her to come back in the past.

And I was just, she'd walk me in everything. so I couldn't send her anything. The only thing I could send her messages on was Twitter. And that's when I told you I sent that message her on one. I just told her how much I loved her and they're all sorry that she didn't want what we had anymore. I hope that she was going to do great things in the future. It appears that Riley is picking at his nails here,

which is a grooming gesture. Grooming behaviors alone are not a definite sign of deception, but they do indicate that the person may be feeling uncomfortable and is trying to release some anxiety, possibly because they're lying. Despite Riley saying how much he loved Emma, there's no emotion in his voice to support this, and he hasn't expressed any interest in finding out what happened to her.

And I told her I was going to leave her alone. But there was one more thing he had to do before he'd leave her alone. You're in your car? But I know I was looking at my phone and I'll call him, looking at pictures of us. For three hours? Two and a half, maybe. I mean, I just sat in there and cried. I've done that before.

This window of time supposedly spent in his car is a convenient explanation of his whereabouts for those three hours, which we know was precisely the time that Emma was killed in her room. Also convenient is the fact that no one saw him because he was alone in his car. so a roommate, for instance, can't be questioned later and asked when Riley returned to the dorm that night. Riley, the master manipulator, is using his go-to tactic, his supposed emotional distress. The detective then deferred to his partner and asked if he had any questions. However, Riley was wise to the tactic. They were playing the good cop back, chipper.

I didn't know cops actually did that shit and they do. because the one that was being decent was asking me all the questions and then when he was done he'd be like do you have any questions and then the guy would just be like yeah I was just wondering why you're a little foggy on who you're with and it seemed like you're kind of lying to

and I was like I'm not lying yet it didn't quite unfold like Riley had described you were at Ingalls did you know? Yes have you ever had any disturbance or anything with her at Ingalls disturbances

have y'all ever got the five partner lot or anything like that. Yeah, I don't remember what day, but it was a maybe a week, maybe a week I had to go. I met her when she was going to work because she had done the same thing she'd did then. She'd been blocking me telling me that she was done, and I went there, and I told her I was trying to just get her to reason with me. Then the bad cop has a few more pertinent questions for Riley. And every time, every time I talk to somebody, the gun has come up, the Eagles in the Ingalls, in the English department. You're taking her with a gun,

they're saying that I may have a gun, and I don't want a way else to have you or anything like that? Not in English Park. Not there, but have you done that before then? No, I've never done that. Why does people say that you may have a gun?

I don't know. I mean, they're your friends. I mean, they're your boys, they're your Pete. Why would they keep telling me that you have a gun? I mean, help me understand that. So, there's nothing.

Does Alex, Isaac, Noah is your three, is that your three best friends? Three of them, yes. I mean, you spent a weekend with Noah. We're right. Okay. Are they liars? Are they dishonest?

Everybody's a liar. No, no, necessarily. Everybody lies. I don't know why they would lie or why they got that common misconception that I. Would one of them have it? The gun? Yeah. No.

You don't take one of them have? No. Was somebody in your circle have it? Nobody can get to. My grandfather always kept it under his car, under the bed. Naturally, Riley wasn't pleased that his friends had disclosed information about the gun they knew he had in his possession. His displeasure is clearly reflected in a text message thread between him and his friend Alex, shortly after Riley's only interview took place. Why did you tell him about the gun, Riley asks Alex? They think I shot her because of it. Please text me back. Among Alex's replies.

If you didn't do anything, you have nothing to hide. Why did you tell me you were trying to get rid of the gun? You lied and said you already gave it back to your grandpa. Then that evening, Riley followed up with some questionable legal counsel for both Alex and Noah. What I'm saying is, is if I have to go to court in front of a grand jury or anything and you have to testify or if the cops come and talk to you again, whenever you talk to them just be like you were too afraid to tell them that you're, you were on acid because you thought you were going to get in trouble. That's true.

I would never mention that, you know? Yeah. And if anything about that gun, just say, I must have misunderstood or something because I was tricking balls. I really don't know what was going on. He was just, like, Riley was just complaining to me about some stuff. I guess I thought I heard something about a gun and his grandfather thinking that he took it, you know, if you tell them you're on LSD, you were drunk and you were high, your

mind was altered. Whatever statement you give them wasn't a straight. forward answer. If you just tell him that you were on acid, high, and drunk, and just you didn't really understand what I was saying. You just kind of went along with this. I'm just telling I was the only sober person here. And I guess I'll talk to Isaac, because Isaac's going to be sketchy about that too, with telling the cops that he was on a drug. But I'll talk to him another time. The detectives decide it's time to confront Riley. It's obvious he isn't being forthcoming with them, and they definitely aren't convinced by his elaborate lies.

They apply more pressure as they lay it all out for him. We have a gun that lost your grandfather that is missing. Okay? We have all your friends saying that you've been talking about this gun. We have one of your friends saying that he saw you with the gun, that you showed him the gun, and that you told him you got it from your grandfather. Okay? Okay.

I find it hard believe that these guys are just making me up. I don't have anything else to say. I've told you the job told you the truth from me. I think it's going to be the same question. That's the same accent. Riley is clearly frustrated at this point,

but he sticks with his original story and remains consistent. In a last ditch effort to get more from Riley, the detectives divulge a bit of what they found so far. We recovered some rounds. and those rounds happen to match

the same type of ammunition that your grandfather uses in his gun. So you do know how you thought. I didn't say that. I said that we have recovered some rounds and those rounds are the same type of rounds that your grandfather uses in his gun. Look at his hand movement,

even while in his pocket, his hands shift up to cover his stomach when he's told the bullets match his grandfather's gun. When someone finds themselves in a vulnerable situation, they may put their hands over their stomach to comfort themselves and feel more protected. When a suspect doesn't show a level of concern that is appropriate for the situation, detectives will see this as a red flag. While it's true that people may handle grief and difficult news differently,

having a complete lack of reaction to finding out the cause of your loved one's unexpected death would be unusual for someone who is innocent. Riley's focus throughout the interrogation has remained on himself, and he hasn't expressed any interest in finding out what happened to the girl he supposedly loved. Of course, we're now aware that he knows exactly what happened to Emma. If I am able to find your grandfather's gun, then I can match that to these rounds that I found and determine whether or not that gun and these rounds are actually from the same blood. So help me.

I'm helping you. Okay. I don't know. I understand that. But Riley sticks to his story. Your timeline while it's somewhat consistent, still has holes in it. There's one major hole in his story. You say you sat in a car for three hours and left?

Yeah. Let me ask you, did you call anybody during that time? Any friends or family or anything like that? Of course, Riley can't recall for sure. He'd have to take a look at his cell phone, which conveniently is not on him at this time. But with the help of local cell towers, Riley's path during those three hours is traced. And the findings completely destroy his story. Riley left campus slightly before 12.15 a.m., just as he'd stated.

However, he didn't return until approximately 4.20 a.m. At the time Emma's death was estimated to have occurred, roughly around 3 a.m., Riley was clearly in the vicinity of Emma's home, nowhere near the college campus. This evidence is difficult to refute, to say the least. As the interview is coming to a close, the bad cop drops one more bombshell on Riley. Outside the house did the house was shot up, a couple rounds. All right. The rounds that were found out there, hold on.

Okay. The rounds that were found out there came from your grandfather's gun. I don't know where it comes back. Who would want to shoot that? Who would want to take your grandfather's gun and take it to that house and shoot at that house? I do not know where the gun is. Do you know anybody that want to do that? I don't know anyone that would ever want to hurt that girl.

Riley's detachment and lack of feeling for Emma is evidenced in the way he repeatedly refers to her as that girl rather than using her name. This also allows him to distance himself from her. Riley remains unaffected by the pressure and is very confident, so much so that it almost seems as if this is something he's familiar with. Though Riley may appear unaffected by the pressure, he's rubbing his face, which is generally considered to be a self-soothing behavior. Then the detective proposes a potential explanation. I'm not saying that all that's saying that's trying to hurt her. I'm not saying that somebody's trying to scare herself. I'm not saying that that's what's happened over there.

I'm saying that the house was shot. No, I don't know anyone that we want to do that. The detective seems to be trying to provide Riley with a way out, a possible explanation that he can use, because it's likely easier for Riley to confess that he was trying to scare Emma, rather than confessing to intentionally trying to shoot her. The detective is probably hoping that Riley will find himself cornered, and then ultimately confess to this less severe explanation of Emma's death.

Make a mental note of the detective's explanation. I'm waiting to see why it's kind of scared or something. I'm not saying that that's what's happened over there. You'll see that it will surface again shortly. At this point, the detectives have found themselves between a rock and a hard place. They're not gaining any ground. The interview is concluded. Riley seems confident that he's outmaneuvered the detectives, as if he already has this one in the bag.

They interrogate me for two and a half hours. If they could, they would have arrested me already. Riley is likely feeling confident that as long as he gets rid of the gun, the detectives won't have enough evidence to convict him. He may have an inflated sense of self-esteem and believe he can outsmart the police and even get away with murder. However, as he sits on this very sofa before two of his closest friends and feeds them false information to relate to law enforcement, there's much more going on behind the scenes than he could ever imagine. The sting operation was carried out Tuesday night, just one day after Emma was murdered, and Riley was questioned. As you heard, everything went down as planned, and the operation proved to be a success.

When the trial rolled around in May of 2018, Riley and his attorneys adopted a creative defense. You probably recall this. I'm not saying that all that's saying is trying to hurt her. I'm waiting somebody who's kind of scared or something. I'm not saying that that's what I'm not saying. what's happened over there. I'm saying that the house was shot. No, I don't know anyone that we want to do that. Well, according to his attorney, Riley had never intended to harm Emma. The two gunshots that pierced the exterior walls of her home were simply another attempt to scare Emma, in hopes she'd reach out

to him for help once again. He never intended to shoot her, they claimed. In the end, though, the jury found no credibility in the defense. Riley was found guilty of stalking, theft, reckless endangerment, possession of a firearm during a dangerous felony, and, of course, first-degree murder. And in Tennessee, a first-degree murder conviction is accompanied by an automatic life sentence. In keeping with her thoughtful nature, March 24th will remain Emma Walker Day in Knoxville. It will remain a time to recall the happy memories and perform random acts. of kindness and memory of a kind soul whose life was cut far too short.