EXPLORE WITH US - When Wannabe Gangsters Get Busted For Murder: The Case of Dakota Wall

Episode Date: February 23, 2023

When wannabe gangsters get BUSTED for MURDER...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.

What is going on? What? What? We know you were there with Chad. They were all in the way. They're telling dogs. And he said if we ever talk, we were dead. I'm just like, hey guys, you know, want to go do this?

And when you said do this, what did you tell him you meant? Want to go kill somebody? They don't know what to do. You what? You what? You call grandma and grandpa and tell him. They need to call them. I don't know.

Marred by a history of mental health struggles and attempts at taking her own life, a young teenage girl's family fears the worst when she goes missing in Pinkneyville, Illinois. But in a textbook example of reality being stranger than fiction, the Stevens family couldn't have dreamed of a worse scenario than the one that was about to unfold, even under those circumstances. 15-year-old Sydney Stevens was a bright girl who enjoyed fishing, four-wheeling, and hanging out with her friends and older sister, 18-year-old Dakota Wall. From the outside looking in, it appeared that Sydney was living a rather normal life, but underneath the surface, things were anything but ordinary. Tracy Stevens and her daughter Sydney had a great relationship, for a long time at least. However, in recent months, they'd been

fighting. Not only that, but Sydney and Dakota had been engaging in fights of their own. Tracy's husband Tim Wall told police that Sydney and Dakota used to be very close, but had recently grown apart. In addition, Tracy's divorce from Tim was not something that Sydney took well. It left another void in her failing support system, especially when she found out that Tim was not her biological father. With the heaviness of everything weighing down on her, Sydney began to engage in behavior that was previously very out of character. There were times she'd run away. Even worse were a series of attempts she'd made to end her own life. When she went missing on July 19, 2010, Tracy filed a missing persons report, just as she had the previous month, an occasion

where Sydney had chosen to disappear. While it seems certain Sydney had run off yet again, hours turned to days, and Sydney still hadn't returned. Then a horrifying development came on July 25th. For a place that proclaims itself the friendly little city, it was anything but that on the fateful day. Two fishermen found the lifeless body of Sydney, face down in the local Buku Creek. Detectives were stumped as there was little information to go on initially.

But as the investigation immediately got underway, details quickly emerged. Law enforcement would eventually unravel a tangled web of lies and uncover a shocking revelation that could only be described as the ultimate betrayal. Let's begin now with an acquaintance of Sydney and our first person of interest, 18-year-old Carl Dane, who authorities have called into question just three days after Sydney's body was recovered. I guess you know what we want to talk to you about the situation with Sydney.

What do you know about, Carl? about air or that whole situation or just in general her I don't know what you know about what happened we said I don't know anything do you remember where you were on Sunday night the 8th 18th I was sitting at home it's a pretty quick answer how do you know where you were that long ago

I just remember you know I remember what I'm doing you know every once in a while Most people who are being honest have a reasonable memory. When suspects have a memory of extremes, detectives will see that as a red flag for deception. For example, if a suspect remembers what they were doing on an ordinary day two months ago, that is unusual. Going for the other extreme, if a suspect can't remember what they did yesterday, that's also unusual. Sydney's older sister Dakota is brought in almost two weeks after Carl's interview to talk about the tragic event. While getting settled, the detective Janice Barber,

informs Dakota that she's from Chester, Illinois, and relays that it isn't unusual for her to help out with major cases from other towns. Can you tell me about your own Sydney's relationship? Well, we got along great till puberty. Then it was the don't touch my stuff. I hate you fall to the east of the earth kind of thing. Typical teenage sister. Yeah.

Thanks. But we got along great unless I was on. my period or she was on her period, then we absolutely did not want to be around each other. Sure. But other than that, we got along great unless she was trying to take my stuff and we were fighting about chores or something. So let's talk about Sydney and her disappearance. Her disappearance is what everybody originally thought it was.

Where were you when you were notified of her disappearance? I was in a boyfriend's house. And who's your boyfriend? Chad didn't. Okay. Last time you saw Sydney. The day before, the day before. The day before.

The day before she went missing, I'd seen her because I came back from camping. Okay, and what time was that? I got home at like a room at 11-11.30 in the morning. And then how long were you and Sydney both there at the house? Yeah. How long? I got there around 11.30 and I came back at about 3 and 3.30 and I left about 3.30, so. Dakota had apparently gone camping on Saturday, July 17th.

Two days before Sydney's disappearance. She promptly returned home the next day on the 18th. Along with Dakota, her 20-year-old boyfriend, Chad Bennett, had spent a couple of hours at the girl's home before the pair departed for Chad's house later that afternoon. According to Dakota, this was the last time she saw her sister. Shortly thereafter, something unexpectedly sinister was carried out, and things would never be the same.

Two days after Dakota's interview, we meet Chad, who may possess salient details regarding Sydney's tragic final moments. The detective begins by shaking Chad's hand, a gesture of respect, likely aimed at building a positive rapport. Chad sits slumped over with his legs spread apart, coming across as unaffected by the circumstances. Then again, this may be a comfortable position. Nonetheless, the detectives have most likely taken note of this nonchalant behavior. and they proceed to question Chad about his whereabouts on Saturday, July 17th. Yeah, what did you do that night?

Saturday, home. Okay. You about being your friends or then? Anything on Friday or Saturday. You know, I have to call his house. Okay. So, don't know which one it was? So when was it the next time you saw the COVID?

Day after. So Sunday? Yeah. And when it was it on Sunday you saw Dakota? I think it was Sunday after. Right, but what time? I didn't die. Morning or afternoon?

One morning until you can sleep. Oh, long when you sleep in? Yeah, so it'd be like. So how long do you think you stayed there? A couple hours. A couple hours. Where did you stay at the house? Cody's room.

Chad tells the detective that following his short stay at Dakota's house, the pair decided to head to Carbondale, Illinois. where they picked up their friends Carl and 17-year-old James Glacier along the way. They apparently stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, but left around 8 o'clock before dropping Carl and James off at another friend's house, 15-year-old Robbie Mueller, who will also hear from soon enough. Following this, Chad drove Dakota back to his house, where she spent the night. Since her phone was supposedly turned off,

Chad had awoken to a panicked call from Tracy the next day on July 19th. Tracy asked that he informed Dakota that Sydney had once again gone missing. But Dakota wasn't too worried, as this seemed to be a regular occurrence. However, when she returned home from Chad's shortly thereafter, it was clear that something was horribly wrong. We pick up where Dakota's detailing what happened on that unexpectedly harrowing day. So then you're at home about noon. Yeah.

Then what proceeds from there? When I were at home? When I ran home, when mom asked me if it was me in that house, it's like, yeah. She's like, have you heard anything from Sydney or heard anyone that noon where Sydney is? I was like, no. She's like, well, she's like, I was told the show, which is one of her friends, that Corbyn had seen her up at that lunch thing, the free lunch to do of one of the churches here. They had seen her up there. And she said, and I went up there.

there and one of the ladies that was working, they'd seen her walking up town about 7 o'clock in the morning by the high school with the lady that looked like she was about her late 20s, early 30s. She's like, do you know anyone that Sidney would know that's that age? I was like, no. I was like, I don't know what the name is that with besides Karley and Jessica. And so he was like, okay. And she's like, do you know, she's like, has anyone been on her Myspace anything?

I was like, no. So you would go and check on Myspace? Yeah. We were checking on Myspace every day to see if she'd gotten on. Okay. because the last time she ran away, she kept getting on my space and making contact. And after a few days of her not making contact,

that's when we got there something weird about this, something not right. When did you think something was weird and not right? Probably about Wednesday. Unfortunately, this gut instinct will prove to be terribly correct, though her family could not have foreseen the unimaginable circumstances of Sydney's last moments. This is me on Monday. A little bit after I came back, we went in her room to look to see if she took anything or if there was anything out of place.

And we noticed the thing was knocked over, that plastic dresser, that there was papers scattered all over the floor. Her money was still there, and all the shoes were still there. She said, well, this is what we're just like, but, you know, maybe she just had the intentions of coming back. Tuesday, I do believe, was the day that we'd noticed the drag marks. Because that's whenever we called the police station and they had Murray come out here, and Murray's like, well, it's just a chair. even drive across the rocks. But then I was just like, well, that really doesn't explain

drag marks in a bedroom. Was there a chair that had been moved? The chair, yeah. There's a green chair that I have to stand on to hang laundry up on the hooks outside. And usually it's on the deck, but it was in the colored rocks. And why was it there?

I don't know. Because my mom had showed it to me. She was like, come here. I was like, look at this chair. I was like, it looked like someone was trying to climb out of the house. I was like, so you think that she snuck out. She's like, yeah, so that things are going downstairs,

she came up here and went off the deck. The disorderly state in which Sydney's room was left could indicate that something far worse may have happened than the teen simply having run away. Dakota follows up by telling the detective that Chad had come over to the house on that same Tuesday, July 20th. The pair supposedly watched a movie

before Chad left around noon for work. Did you guys ever talk about Sydney? He had asked if we had found anything out and I was like, no, I was like, we haven't found her anything. He was like, are you looking for? I was like, yeah, I was like, we were trying to see if anyone's seen her not. I was like, but we haven't, you know, I've seen her. And he was like, oh, he's like, well, I hope you guys find her. He's like, because you're like, your mom's who are taking us heart.

I was like, yeah, it was just a little bit. Was he nervous? Mm-mm. How long have you and Chad been going on? A year and a half. You're new for, I mean, you in love? Yeah. Yeah.

The detective asks Dakota if she's ever gone through Chad's phone, to which she replies that she has only done so as a result of others speculating that he may have been cheating. What would happen if he was messing around on you? I'd be very, very, very upset. Very upset. Now that the detective has glimpsed a preview of Dakota and Chad's romance, she switches gears in an attempt to learn more about another union,

one with a seemingly violent dynamic. So let's talk about Chad. There's Chad and Carl. Well, there's Carl and Robbie. What's your other boy's name? James. James. Chad's pretty good friends with these three boys.

I know he's good friends with Carl. But James, he just met. Apparently I've known James. I don't remember it. He won't ever know in games. My dad moved back here. James was always over at his house and that's how Chad met him. So it had over a year.

He met James. And then Turtle just moved here and he met Turtle a couple months ago. Okay. So what's the deal with this? Explain this gang to me that they're all in. I have no clue. I find it stupid and I told him that it's

stupid because if you're all in the town of 5,000 people where the majority of the people are prison, You don't have a gang. Okay. But they classify themselves as a gang. I'm not quite sure. I think something happened with the cops and the cops started calling it a gang. Someone told the cops that they were spray paint and didn't get any legal weapons and illegal drugs.

In the small rural community of Pinkneyville, a so-called gang had allegedly emerged, known as the Petown Saints, consisting of a few local members, including 17-year-old James Glacier, 18-year-old. old Carl Dane, 20-year-old Chad Bennett, and 15-year-old Robbie Mueller, also known as Turtle. Numerous other young men were reportedly involved in the group, but the four named in particular will remain our focus. We will now meet the youngest member. Could you stage your full name? Robbie, Dawson Mueller. Robbie's formal attire demonstrates a level of respect many might quantify as unusual for an interrogation. If a businessman was brought in for questioning, detectives would expect to see him

dressed up in this manner. However, for a teenager, this outfit choice is quite abnormal. The detectives have been asking him questions relating to his involvement with the so-called gang, where he gives alarming detail on his brutal recruitment into the infamous Petown Saints. Your initiation is what? three people had to beat out of you for 30 to 60 seconds depending on when they want to stop

who beat you in Chad, James, and Carl Okay, and was it been anybody else present? We Dakota might have been present Did they give you a set of rules that you had to follow?

I remember getting a paper whatever that you were supposed to memorize. I can't remember it. That's okay. I'm just saying that you get shared rules. Yeah, you're not supposed to talk about stuff with the phone. Not supposed to associate with Sydney, which I would.

You couldn't talk certain people. And one on was Sydney. Yeah. These types of initiations are often an indication of anti-social behavior. The fact that this group can stomach the beating of someone in such a way isn't just horribly cruel. but also shows that these individuals likely derive pleasure from inflicting pain and suffering on another person. Additionally, the comment Robbie made about Sydney shows that they likely had a grudge against her.

Or maybe it was just a Coda that had an issue with her sister and didn't want her boyfriend and his friends associating with her. These indications of Chad being considered the dictator or commander demonstrate that Chad may possess characteristics, such as grandiosity and narcissism. It's very common among people with antisocial personality disorder to have strong narcissistic traits, as they will often exploit others without hesitation or remorse to ensure that their needs are met no matter the cost. Additionally, Robbie alleges Chad is the dictator who ordered his henchmen to carry out all of his horrible intentions. But could he have gone so far as to plan the ultimate crime?

Let's hear from the so-called commander himself. But, I mean, the whole Saints thing, I'm hollered. Let's talk about the Saints for just a minute, okay? Because this is something we've got to talk about. How long have you been a Saints? A couple of months, maybe? Just a couple of months. In recovered texts, Chad, codename Chuckles, had recited the official Saints pledge.

For my fellow Saints, I hereby pledge my life to my brothers, and will do whatever is in my power to help them. If need be, I will die for my fellow saints, just as they would die for me. This sort of unconditional devotion to the wannabe gang is typical among these delinquent groups. Human beings have innate desires to belong and to be accepted, which drive us to be a part of one or more social groups.

We need to get to be out there to protect each other, you know, be with what you're supposed to do, sand, you know, That was a one game really long ago. Ganja Kings just went away. So originally you were Ganja Kings? Yeah. Apparently, before the not-so-well-known P-Saints came to life, a group of young men had previously formed what was known as the Ganja Kings,

although they were supposedly no longer active at this time. We started out with a bunch of us, and we had a setup of how it would go. What's the setup? Like, So I'd explain There'd be us And there'd be three people That were above the rest

And when you say us Who would be The us and the three people Would have loved the rest? Me, Carl and James For the three So is that one, two, and three? Yeah

You're number one because you're the OG Is high start of it, right? And then after me came call And after Carl came James So the order would be one to have three then. Yeah. Top bomb.

Yeah. And does anybody else have a tattoo like you got there with saints on it? Yeah, but that's going to be gone. It's what? It's going to be gone.

Why is that? Because that was nothing but a big of the start. Chad's ominous hand tattoo showcasing a cross and skulls is supposedly part of the gang initiation process, although it's not reported that Carl, James, or Robbie

have the same one. This initiation system can be seen among various gangs across the world is a notable indication of one's allegiance to their group. But along with this, new members may be required to undergo a physical beating, such as the one described by Robbie.

Like you say, it did turn into a gang. Oh, yeah. And you were the weir of the gang, who was in the OG. Yeah, I know. And some of your guys haven't got into it, didn't they? Like, I mean, I hate to say it, but it's kind of like

dogs. It's not any neighbor. Like what? Like dogs? You can tell them to do something to do it. But I never did. But that's the point, don't know. And that's the point of a gang,

you know, leaders, you have your soldiers or people who blow you. And if you tell them to do something, it's just like in the Army. They're supposed to do it, isn't that, right? Oh, gosh, yeah. And Carl was really into that one.

Yeah, I guess you can say that. And James was really into it. Oh, yeah. Yeah, oh God, James is probably the muscular person we had. People who have antisocial personality disorder with narcissistic traits have an excessive need for admiration. They'll often seek out people who will worship them to satisfy their grandiose sense of self-importance and preoccupation with power and control. Having these loyal young boys around him means that Chad was likely able to use them however he saw fit, even if it meant committing a crime or harming other people.

Along with this, Chad's demeaning reference to the other members as dogs may be yet another indication of possible narcissism. People with antisocial personality disorder don't fully trust anyone in their lives. They're very cynical and often anticipate that others want to do them harm or betray them, even those closest to them. I guess I don't know what you would call those guys. Would you trust, uh, Carl and James to be truthful to you? What? I don't know. It's just something. I trust him. They don't trust him. So what kind of what you mean if I did trust him, you mean before all this happened, you would have trust him, but now you don't?

Yeah. Because Chad states that he doesn't trust the others as much, this may present the detectives with an additional tool of manipulation they can use against Chad later on. For example, to foster doubt surrounding his trust in Dakota and their relationship, We went, but so since this deal with Sydney, what has changed where you're concerned that you don't trust him? Just the fact that you'd go out and do something and then try to throw me in the middle of it just because he's up. It's not going to go away until the end. And you've had to be feeling pretty bad last two or three weeks. You've had to have a load of low stress on your shoulders with this whole situation.

And do you realize that that's not going to be feeling pretty bad in last two or three weeks? don't go away until it all comes out and it will come out because a lot of it already has. Unbeknownst to Chad, the detectives are in possession of what the young man has been unable to provide, the truth. And as we come to learn, for more than one person, the unthinkable incident that took place on one fateful night is almost too graphic to tell. Before we get to that, though, let's hear from none other than the gang's second in command, Carl. So you James and Robbie were both at your grandpa's house. Yeah.

And what did you tell them or what did they tell you they wanted to do? I'm really saying nothing. I'm just like, hey, guys, you know, want to go do this? And when you said, do this, what did you tell them you meant? Want to go kill somebody? And did you already tell them who that somebody was? Yeah. Right after I got off from Chad.

And what time do you think that was? Like I said, around 11 or 12. Well before Sydney's disappearance, the P-Town Saints were having a usual get-together when Chad allegedly gave Carl a 22 Ruger semi-automatic pistol. What they had in store was evil beyond measure. And participants in the sick and twisted ploy were not limited to just Chad and Carl, as you'll soon see. For now, we're introduced to James, third in command of the gang, and he is audibly shaken.

It seems he's making no effort to hide anything. So James, when you saw your mother, is that when you decided you want to go ahead and talk to the police? Yes. Okay. I can't do this. I love you. I love you, baby. Come on.

We've got to do this. We need to do this. Okay, James. So you want to talk to us now, right? Is that I mean? Like, I do, but he's scary. You either want to talk to us or you don't want to talk to us, okay? I'll talk.

Talk. Talk. You know, what we want to talk. is 100% of the truth, okay? Well. No matter how difficult it is. That's why I've already tried to protect him once I'm done. Okay.

And when you say try to protect him, what are you talking about? Carl. Okay. You 100% sure he's in jail and can't hold me. When you say Carl, who do you mean? Call it ain't. Did you hear his question? No.

He won't have him since then he's in jail. He's in jail. He's in jail. He can't hurt. Okay. Yeah, easy on isolation. It appears that James has finally grasped the severity of the situation, but only so when his freedom is on the line.

It was Sunday, that 18th, I think, right? Yeah, Sunday the 18th. The whole day I've been drinking wine that I had left at home, and I got a little bit of tequila left, so I've been drinking all day. Who were you with? Me, Carl. That night, Robbie came over. And whose house are you at?

Carl's grandpas. Out in the country. Yes. Okay. And Carl was driving, he asked me if I wanted to go somewhere. I said yes, and Robbie came to him. And he told us on the way what he was doing. And he said, if we ever talk, we were dead. Okay. Then what did he say he told you what we were going to do? What did he say? He told us that we were going on to take the need to. He told us we were going to. And he had the gun down his pants, a 22 pistol. Although James is emotional and sounds very distressed as he's describing the series of events that transpired that night, it's unknown if he was really forced to go with Carl to commit this crime, or if he's just saying this now because they've all been caught.

By telling the truth, he may even believe that this will lessen his responsibility for what happened. He sounds very emotional, but it's important to remember that while his tears could be due to feelings of remorse, they could also be a result of him being afraid for himself, and what is going to have to have? happened to him now. We went to the house, checked the doors, they were both locked. So who all went to the house? Me and all the people, me and me and Robbie. Robbie was to look at Carl.

No, Robbie and Carl lifted me up and made me unlock the doors, and wake up said. So lifted you up to where? The patio. And where'd you go once you got on the patio? I unlocked the door, the front door. How did you unlock the front door? The patio was unlocked. Oh, so it's unlocked.

Are you talking about a regular door or a sliding door? The sliding door was the patio. So it was unlocked. Yes, and then I went downstairs and unlocked the downstairs basement door to Sydney's room. It's rather suspicious that the patio door to Sydney's room had already been unlocked. And given that this intrusion happened in the middle of the night, it might not be a coincidence. I grabbed us some Tracy that wake up because of Tracy woke up, Carl was going to shoot her. I wanted him and killed Tracy.

How did you know that Carl was going to shoot Tracy? He told us before we walked in. And he said, no, leave no witnesses. So you're in the house, and you go down and let them in. Uh-huh. And what happens next? Call points the gun head up and makes me wake her up. At first she asked me what I was doing, and she knew who me and called her both,

because she goes James and called her. She said her names, and she's trying to yell for Tracy. I didn't want Tracy to wake up, because if Tracy woke up and came down and said, call her we're going to shoot up. So what happened to stop that from happening? I jumped on it so she'll be quiet and put my mouth and then Robbie came over and helped me. Is she on the bed or where? Yes. She's on the couch thing.

Okay. I have to be quiet. She started walking and I taped her hands up until she told me to. And I started taking her mouth when she read it and started to her mom. I had a stop like that when Tracy died. It seems odd that James was apparently so concerned about Tracy, an adult he either didn't even know or barely knew, but didn't appear to show much concern for harming Sydney, who was a peer. The little regard he showed for Sydney's life makes it all the more likely that he felt the same toward her mom.

As the grizzly plan is underway, it seems that Carl is the ringleader in this twisted event. I was by the door. James went to put some tape right her mouth and she took it off and stood up. And I guess thought it was a joke because she just stood up and not normal and didn't act like anything was going on. And then Carl had the gunpointed at her. And that's when she kind of flipped out. And James grabbed her and they wrestled to the ground and everything. And Carl walked over towards me and stood by me. She was kind of out wrestling and everything.

And Carl told me, help him. And I went over and I put her in a chokehold. Shorn. So on. Like. And. She went unconscious. Carl said get her outside.

Me and James, I don't remember which, who had to go to the end or whatever, but started bringing her outside right after she got out of the door. She woke up again. And he said put her in it again. James ended up putting her a truck hold and kept it on her for quite a long time. What happens next?

He put her in and chockhole again and held it for several minutes. And he stopped, checked reports, and there wasn't one. They, uh, James said he'll get the car. Okay. Now this is the important part we're talking about. What happened while he was going to get the car? Carl sat there and smoked a cigarette. So she's unconscious now, right?

Or maybe even dead, right? So how did you guys get her to the car? Somebody took an arm or leg and, just lift your rope and drug her. Somebody. Yeah, one of those took one arm, you know, you know, you got to take another arm, somebody took the legs.

So then why were pants down? Well, I wasn't, you know. I was walking behind them, why they were dragged, you know, until we got to the creek. And that's how the pants got down here. So you still say that the pants were pulled down because you were being drugged?

Yeah. And so nobody tested your... considered a qualification phrase, which can sometimes be an indicator of deception. It gives the suspect an escape in the event that they later need to retract what they said. The response is rather vague and leaves open the possibility that someone did assault her. She woke up halfway down in the creek, and so I just walked two feet, you know, away, smoke cigarette. What do you mean she woke up? I came too.

Okay, so she woke up halfway down in the creek, and why did you walk away from that? Because they had to be with her? No, I had somebody, you know, choking her, so I just walked. I didn't think I went to me, you know, so she'd regret. So who choked her? Robbie was at that time. Choking is commonly a crime of passion linked to jealousy and personal rivalry, but it's odd that Carl isn't the one to actually strengthen.

single Sydney, given the fact that the two had allegedly engaged in a short-term romance earlier that year. Supposedly, the relationship lasted for only a week, ending over another boy. In the past, Carl had allegedly vowed to take revenge upon all of the women that had scorned him, but no one would have thought he would take it this far. And did anybody shoot her out there? No. Okay, and when broke her this time, did she stay? They choked. Never woke up again? Nope.

And how do you know it was wrong? If it was choking or not James. Because it was dark, wasn't it? Because I could tell the trench coat from home clothes. Who had the trench coat on? James. Just sat up and I'm like, hey guys. Get back to it.

This comment is especially indicative of Carl's total indifference to the fact that this is a human life. and not just any human life, but a girl he knew and even had a brief romance with. Carl's behavior is very typical of individuals with antisocial personality disorder. As he sits there with a slouched posture, practically motionless, it's very evident that he is completely void of any empathy or remorse. Okay, so you guys are down there, you finish your cigarette, she's being choked by robbery, what happens next?

I say, hey, no, I have James and Oprah in car. You know, when you get a card and parks, you know, kills the lights, we tape here over there, put her in the trunk. Who carried her to the trunk or dragged her to the trunk? All three of us. Okay. So then what happened? Well, we put her in the trunk, you know, it turned around right there, went out, shot across the road by man's, you know, right across there. Mm-hmm.

Went to the park. We went by the park, you know, went out of town that way to out by pyramid. You know, on the way out, on the way out, the plan was to take her to Coach Town, but since, you know, we didn't think she was going to wake up. We just decided, hey, you know, let's take her the bridge. James continues the account as he describes the absolute horror that ensued at the bridge. When law enforcement recovered Sydney's body on July 25, 2010,

She was unrecognizable and needed to be identified. In a meeting with detectives, Sidney's mother was asked if her daughter wore a specific type of necklace with a dangling music charm. Tracy confirmed it was Sidney's, and with the heartbreaking revelation, Tracy came to the terrible realization that her daughter was dead. 10 o'clock that night, you called Chad the next day. Is that right? Yeah.

And why did you call Chad? What did you tell him? just say what's up no come on girl you know were all doing the mission's accomplished

told him the job's done told him the job's done and how do you know what job do you have because of the phone call you made ahead of time want to kill somebody and you're already telling him

who that somebody was yeah right after I got off phone chat so when you call him before you went to Sydney's you told him what you were going to do and you wanted to make sure that he had got Dakota out of there? Yeah.

Is that right? Yeah, is that the plan? Yeah, I just wanted to make sure Dakota's up the house. And he understood why Dakota was going to be out of the house. So you and him had talked about this planning to do this. Yeah. To Sydney. Carl's voice has become weaker and his words are short and prematurely cut off.

He sounds to feed him. and for good reason, as we'll soon learn. It was late at night and it was dark, whatever, and he made them two show up, and we was outside on my porch. They said, when you talk, whatever, and I had Chase stay on a porch, and we went around the house, and talked about it, said, we're going back tonight, you're going to go, and I told him, I'm not going. I should have been involved.

I didn't want to be involved. She was a close friend of mine, and I said I didn't want to be involved. Robbie's show of remorse is too little too late. Although the shocking truth behind the gruesome murder has been revealed, there's still much more to the story. The detectives are well aware of the truth, however, and they want Chad to reveal his ultimate role. You explained it in a way that's going to make it really easy for us in Grand Juror, Chad.

You understand that? You're the number one. Those guys are as well as you as dogs. So what you're telling me, what you're laying out is there's no possible way they would have done this without your permission. If there's no possible way that would have done that without you telling them to, you'd just lay that out, gross. You know, I did not. Yes, you did. Chad is remaining unusually calm for someone who's being accused of giving permission for someone else's murder.

He may believe that his reaction is in line with an honest person. But in actuality, someone. who's being truthful is more likely to have a strong, adamant denial to a false accusation. A truthful individual may even become hostile if their denial is not accepted. On the other hand, someone who's being deceptive is more likely to offer vague denials or use a weak tone of voice as Chad is doing now. I have a hard time believing that you would order to murder of your girlfriend's sister. I have a hard time believing that.

But you know what? You're making me believe it. The detective is trying to shake Chad's confidence so that he'll slip up and admit to something. Once they can get him to confess to having knowledge of the attack, it will be easier to later prove that he was much more involved. In an exclusive never-before-seen interview with Dakota's childhood best friend and Chad's ex-girlfriend, Jerica Coppling,

she reveals exactly who Chad really was. Whatever Chad wanted, Chad got. I do feel, and I do think, he is capable of being that person to be in charge. He's done it before. I didn't know anything except what I was being told from the television. That's all I know. Let me ask you this. Carl has 22 murder.

You've seen it. You shot, right? He claims came for you. No way. How did you get it? Carl has to have any money. I can't even be around guns. You know, that won't get...

But you have been around guns. You're not supposed to be around guns, so that's not really good excuse me. I mean, it's just fine. As we already know, Chad allegedly supplied the gun to Carl. Him potentially lying about it takes away any credibility that he may have previously had,

although that might have been slimmed to none. You don't tell what's going on? Say, if I was in their position and say someone did something, right? Yeah, and they got off in that and I'd be pretty fast. We've got at least five very important things about what took place, and they're all asked bunches of questions, and they all match up, and they all make sense. It's just not going to be good in the end. Chad likely feels torn here.

If he believes that the others have turned on him as the detective is claiming, he may be worried that he will face a worse punishment for lying, not appearing remorseful in being seen as uncooperative. However, if it's all a lie and his friends haven't mentioned his involvement, there may not be enough evidence to convict him. Without being able to communicate with them, he's faced with a decision dilemma. Rather than admit to anything, Chad maintains his innocence,

but the question is still lingering in the air. Why was Sydney murdered? There's one other person who has yet to give answers, someone unexpected but undoubtedly close to Sydney, though not by choice. Again, we're met with the lively Dakota, who up until this point hasn't been a person of interest. When we pick up, the detective leaves no room for small talk and jumps right into the most critical of information. Is there a reason, Carl, James? and Robbie did not like Sidney. Robbie, I do believe, never knew Sydney.

James, from what I, from what I have heard him say, he was getting mad because Sidney was apparently going around spray painting stuff and blaming it on him and Carl. And Carl, her, him and Sydney dated during spring break, which... This year? Yeah, which I think would have been... the first week in the table. As you'll see, the next question that the detective asks will come as a total shock.

Which one of these warrants murder? It's right, baby? See, no, no, no, let's answer my question. We've got to stay on track here. Notice how Dakota begins to touch her nose here, possibly indicating that she feels uncomfortable and is trying to soothe her nervous energy. Why would these three, I dated her for two weeks. She accused me of spray painting and I don't know her at all.

Why does that warrant someone being murdered? I don't know. I think they're dumb, probably. Because I think, honestly, I think Carl threatened Robbie. Does Chad had any issues with Sydney? Not that I know of. Dakota is using a qualification phrase here. possibly to cover herself if it's later revealed that Chad did have an issue with Sydney.

The detective has now changed her position, moving closer in proximity to Dakota to assert a pressure-building tactic, specifically promoted in the Reed interrogation technique. This has got to stop right here and right now, Dakota. Let's switch this around. Sydney is sitting in this chair. And you are the one that your mother just buried. What would you want Sidney to do to you? do for you.

As we have previously heard, there had been a rift between Dakota and Sydney well before her death, but it was never clear on how tumultuous their relationship was until now. Dakota did not like her sister. She would always talk about how she did not

like Sydney hanging out with us. She hated Sydney bothering us when she had us over. She would always yell at her and tell her to go the way and all this other stuff. And I'm just like, dude, like, you need to relax. Stop being me into your sister.

You know, that's your sister. I got back a hold of her. I was like, dude, what's going on? Where's your sister? Have you heard anything? This and that. She was just so nonchalant. And was just like, oh, she probably just ran away again, da-da-da.

And I was just like, okay, well, when Sidney died. I went to the funeral service because Tracy talked to me about it. So I showed up. And what bothered me and made me question about everything was the fact that Dakota was acting her normal self. Smiling, bouncing around, just casually talking to everybody. Like, it was no big deal. What would you want Sydney to do for you? You know what?

I've got two sisters. Grown up in a household, let me talk. There's going to be a lot of arguments, okay? I argued with my sisters. I still do. We love each other very much. Sidney loved you very much. Don't you think she was scared that night?

Yeah. You've got to tell us what happened. You know a lot more to this. Dakota is backed into a corner, both literally and figuratively, and the detective has easily gotten her to break. I can tell you some things that I heard in and out of. Okay, what did you hear in and out of, huh? There was one day it was me, Chad, Carl and James on the car.

Me and Chad were in the back scene. What day was this? Wednesday, 9. Okay. 21st. Okay. Me and Chad, we were in the vaccine. We and him were talking.

because the 31st would have been here ago that my dog back. Okay. So I was talking, I was like, yeah, I was like, do you want to go with me to put flowers on something? It's great. And he's like, yeah, sure, I can do that. I don't know.

And then I could hear Carl Tawby. You heard him talking, James and Carl in the front seat because I don't think chatters, and giving you chabbers down the conversation I was listening in theirs. And I heard Carl say, what did you do to her? And at first I thought they were talking about

someone that James had been with, and I was like, I could only hear bits and pieces. What bits and pieces were you hearing? I heard James say tied around the only thing of feet. Okay. And then I heard Carl say, not good, because he said something before that, and he was like, not good. And James is like, if someone finds her, they can call the cups, and then we get caught.

And this was Wednesday. Yeah, and I had no clue what they were talking about because it was from the thing. I was like, what if they talk about? about. On Wednesday, July 21st, the group was heading to Nashville, Illinois, to pick up some K2, a synthetic cannabinoid, when Dakota allegedly overheard the chilling conversation. But did she really just hear these things, or did she actually take part in the discussion? I want you to ask me. I said to me, very honestly, why did Chad order the murder of your sister, Sidney? He ordered it? Why did he order that?

Why did he want her killed? He ordered... Why did he want her killed? I don't know that he killed. Why did he want her killed? I didn't even know that he wanted her killed. Answer my question, Dakota. I don't... I really don't know.

Repeating the question can be a possible indication of deception. There are two purposes to this. One, the suspect doesn't want there to be an uncomfortable silence after a loaded question is it may look suspicious. And two, they need time to... think is they're likely unprepared and don't know how to answer. It's also a red flag that Dakota does not adamantly deny that Chad was capable of doing this, but instead offers vague answers like, I don't know. It should be pretty upsetting to find out that your boyfriend

ordered the murder of your little sister, but Dakota doesn't show any strong reaction to the news. And despite her persistent claims that she was unaware, Dakota says that Friday, July 23rd, the Petown Saints had gathered at Carl's Grandpa's house, where she states another exchange of words had occurred. What was discussed about Sydney out there? Nothing was that about Sydney. Really? Not that I know of.

Again, Dakota's using a qualification phrase to cover her tracks. Although this doesn't really help her case. Nobody said anything about Sydney. I think Cardo kept asking if we were looking for and if we had found her yet. Because he was like,

Have you found Sydney yet? Have you found Sydney yet? Where are you looking at? Where are you looking at? What if I told you that the people, who named off, were out there that we have interviewed. And you guys all discussed Sydney. I do not remember.

Let's don't go there, Dakota. Let's don't go there. Okay? It's time you start being honest. I'm tired of this. It's warm in here. You've got to start being honest with me. You guys discussed Sydney that night.

Dakota likely feels very stressed, which may explain her sudden increase in fidgeting with her hands. Her mind is likely racing as she tries to decide on what to say. The conversation between you guys. I'm trying to think if somebody else remember, what was there? The only thing I can remember was Carl saying something about him running. and he's shot someone. Okay.

It's the only thing I can remember. And what did Chad say? I can't. No, you do remember what Chad said, and that's what we need to discuss. What did Chad say about Sydney and the police? I can't remember what Chad said. Yes, you can. I know it's hard for you.

I know it's hard. Because all I remember was Carl told me that he said, if you tell anybody, anything we talk about, I'll kill you or make you. it looked like Chad did it. Okay. But Chad said something about the police, not looking at any of you. What did he say? I think he said that the police weren't helping.

Okay. Because he had asked me if the police were being any help, and I was like, no, that the police aren't much help. They're just saying he's around. And I think that's what he told. And what else did he say about the police? I can't remember what I see that. that he said the police were not looking at them.

I don't remember that. You have to, you got to think. I'm trying to think, but. You think right now. You've got to do this for Sydney. And your mom. They talked about like blocked up after Carl told me that you'd kill me and boy in on chat. If what Dakota is saying is true, most would find it disturbing that she didn't notify the local authorities.

But then again, she may have been genuinely terrified that Carl would follow through with his alleged intensifying threat. no matter, the detective wants more. Do you realize that Sydney will never have some of the opportunities that you had? Yeah, I know. Was Sydney still in school? I do. I don't be a sophomore. I think.

Possibly don't know. Sidney's not going to get to graduate. She said she was never going to graduate. She's got a lot of milestones. She had a lot of milestones left in her life. She's right of life. Sidney's never going to get married. I know.

Me and my mom talked about it. Sydney is never going to have babies. You will never have any nieces or nephew. You have to do the right thing for your sister. She had a lot taken away from her. Your mom had a lot taken away from her. And you had a lot taken away from you. And now it's time that you stand up for Sydney.

And nobody else. You've got to start protecting Chad. Chad's not protecting you. Chad Hayden said me and Robbie just didn't know her I didn't even know Chad Hayden said me he never said anything about it but he wouldn't tell you wouldn't

no but you know and that's what I don't understand you guys are wrong and he's not telling him anything this is not an equal 50-50 relationship I know the cries that you're seeing from Dakota might almost seem believable

however what she will soon expose about herself will bring this investigation into a whole new light. As of now, she tells the detective of the chilling confession that Carl supposedly made to her on Friday the 23rd. I want to hear the whole story Carl told you the night out of his grandpa's on Friday night. He said, he'd said that he had broken into my house and then he'd done something to Sidney and I said, what did you do? He's like, all if I can say is that she was shot. And I was like, okay. And he was like, yeah, he's like, I can't do anything else.

I was like, well, who else told me about this? He's like, I'm not telling you, no, who else knew? That was why. He's like, because if you tell anybody, he's like, I'll kill you and learn it on chat. Why didn't you tell us to the police when they interviewed you? Dakota's story here is highly questionable. When individuals are giving a truthful account of a traumatic event, such as finding out that one of your friends shot your sister,

they're more likely to have both facts and their feelings intertwined in their account. Instead of describing her shock or grief when hearing about Sidney's murder, the next thing she mentions is to protect herself, claiming she kept quiet out of fear for her own life. How did Carl say he got in your house? He never said how he got in my house. How do you think he got in your house? I mean, now after I'd seen the chair in the way that it is and all that I think they went through the deck.

Well, then you went through the deck. Why did you unlock the door? I didn't unlock the door. Okay, your mom says the day before she's doing laundry. She's washing blankets. She hangs them out on the deck. She goes out later on. She gets the blankets, carries them in,

and she specifically remembers locking the door. What door? The deck doors. I have not been near the deck door in a long time. I was hardly ever anywhere near the deck door. The detective is hoping Dakota will implicate Chad as the mastermind behind the crime. It remains unclear as to how the patio door was unlocked, especially since Tracy was certain that she'd locked each and every door in the house.

It seems someone else had intentionally unfastened the bolt. We know you were with Chad Sunday night at his house. There's no question about that. We know Chad gets a phone call from Carl. to see if it's still a go. There's no question about that either. We know you were there with Chad when he received the phone call from Carl Sunday night.

We also know you were there with Chad Monday morning when Carl called and said it's handled. It's done. You got to tell me some. You got to tell me right here, right now. And you're right there. You want to step over.

You want to step over that line. I know you do. You've got to tell me why Chad moment her death. No, you know what I think I mean we had. I'm a certain sort of saying that they've said. He actually got over. Okay, so let's put that in the equation. Dakota unveils another shocking piece of information,

one that could possibly indicate a motive, and it seems that Chad was not the only person to hold a grudge. According to some sources, at one point during the pair's relationship, Dakota apparently had found her sister's diary and couldn't help but read the entries. She never could have anticipated the shocking information waiting to be discovered. As Dakota turned each page one by one, she was frozen in place as she stumbled across a detailed passage,

describing an alleged romantic encounter between Sydney and none other than Chad. Dakota, in an instant, grew furious, even though the alleged event had taken place before she started dating her new boyfriend. This event has never been publicly confirmed, and there's no evidence of it occurring. Nonetheless, it is something that Dakota would likely never forget. Why did he have his friends kill her? She didn't like the fact that I had to watch her and help her care. As Sydney was facing ongoing mental health issues, her mother became increasingly worried

and asked Dakota to watch her while Tracy was at work. Of course, Dakota wasn't at all thrilled to be spending the majority. of her time with Sydney and apparently voiced her concerns to Chad. On top of that, the gang leader felt that Dakota's so-called babysitting duties had taken precious time away from him. And with or without knowing, the 18-year-old has just provided two reasons to the detective as to why Chad may have ordered the murder. Dakota has officially implicated her boyfriend, and when Chad becomes aware of this, he is clearly surprised, as would be expected. The story she told about What happened to Sydney was the truth.

The only way she could have known is to hear it directly from Carl or James or Robbie or from you. That's the only options there are. She could not have hurt from anywhere else. I'm telling you she here for me. So, Nicole was lying about it? I guess. Why would your great love lie about you?

You know, I have her own love to me. You know, it's going to put this on now. You're going to put it on to cover. I'm not putting anything on anyone. Sure you are. You're just calling her a liar. You just call her a liar. No, that's what it sounds like.

So you put it on her now that she's lying about you. Well, put yourself in our position. Who are we going to believe? And we know she didn't hear it from us. Because we haven't told anybody. I'm positive. She didn't hear it from me. to me.

Well, I'm pretty positive if she didn't hear from James or Carl or Robbie that only leaves you. But it didn't tell him something like. She's positive to her.

But, you know, what I don't understand is this. You want to get clear to all this stuff. You want to back out with the gang. Yet you're not going to tell the truth

about something like this. You're not going to tell the truth about the fact that Carl or James or both told you what happened that night. You're not going to support your supposed lover. You know, here you are.

You're so worried about yourself. You won't even tell the truth when it comes down to something as serious as murder. What kind of standing up is that for anything? The detectives of cleverly pitted Dakota and chat against one another, but the P-town leader holds steady on his position that he did not have any involvement in the murder. although he did showcase some unusual behavior following Sidney's death, especially at her funeral. Chad's behavior, he was crying.

Chad doesn't cry. When all this other information came out and like the speculations and the theories behind it all, nobody really knows except them. When we return to Dakota, the detective is in pursuit of details surrounding the planning. But it won't be until the next day when Dakota is brought in for additional questioning that we hear the specifics, and they are quite alarming. If you think you've heard just about everything, wait until the shocking pieces of the puzzle are finally put together. Why are you crying? Because of Nikki.

Your dog? Yeah. Because she is dead, so. So is your sister. I know. I know. And I cry. But you cry more for your dog than you do your sister.

That's kind of disturbing to me, you know. Dakota is hiding a dark secret, one that not even her closest friend saw coming. She was very bubbly, and she was always pretty much full of energy and bright, and she was clumsy, and she was funny. Her normal everyday behaviors never indicated any one. What would you call it, say, cuttickness? When and where were you, Chad, Carl, James, and Robbie at when Chad, whoever said we're going to murder Sidney? Robbie wasn't even in the picture. Okay.

So who was all there? It was just Carl, James, Chad. When was it? About May. Okay, and what? Who brought the conversation up? Carl did. And what was the conversation?

Carl was like, one day I'd love to kill all the wars who'd fucking over. And James was like, he was like, mainly Sydney and Bobby. Bobby's a girl? Yeah. But just a few minutes ago, you said, Chad told them. Chad told him that he didn't want Sydney dead. Carl, a deceivingly reserved person, has had a most turbulent past, and one of his ex-girlfriends, Bobby Elder, was able to see his darkest sides. While dating, Bobby recalled that at one time, Carl allegedly pointed a gun and threatened to shoot her,

while simultaneously attempting to take his own life with the deadly weapon. The traumatized girl would remember what he said during the terrifying incident for the rest of her life. The voices won't stop telling me to kill you, Bobby. Soon after that, the pair decided to split up, but that wouldn't stop the score index from enacting the most violent behavior that Bobby had ever witnessed from Carl. In that disturbingly memorable instance, Carl allegedly threatened to shoot Bobby along with everyone in her house

and vowed to burn the residents down. Along with this, he allegedly stalked Bobby and her new boyfriend, Joseph Whaley, who had previously been married, married to Carl's sister. The gang member would supposedly insinuate the use of a gun with his hand and give out a warning to his ex-brother-in-law. You're next. In addition to the threats, Chad and Carl had allegedly committed a callous act. It said that they shot Bobby's pet cat 15 times and left it for dead. Animal abuse is associated with additional violent crime like domestic violence, assault, and homicide.

So it's unsurprising that they could do something so sinister. But as we've already found out, this is only a sliver of what they were truly capable of. But just a few minutes ago, you said Chad told them. Tad told him that he didn't want Sydney dead. But okay. For reasons, I don't know why. We're just going to go in circles, aren't we, Dakota? No, I'm trying to tell you what like...

You're trying to tell me anything you can tell me that's going to put everything on James, Carl, and Robbie. Robbie wasn't in the picture of... Or the death of your sister. And there's more to it than just those three. This interrogation is mostly a replication of the day before.

And because Dakota is unwilling to give any further information, she's a... arrested and charged with obstruction of justice. She's eventually released to home confinement, but in the future, we hear from Sydney's sister yet again, and this time nothing will be left on the table. Hey, look for a second. Go and turn around for general back, okay? You're being under arrest and murder, all right? Why?

She won't even have her mom. Are there? Is she a tissue? Yeah, pretend to run back. What? They don't know what to do. You saw Grandma and Grandpa and Calvin. They need to hold them.

Can't help us put on her shoes, okay? After the trauma of Sydney's murder, it's no surprise that Dakota's mother is hysterical and seemingly not reacting to what's happening. She's already lost one daughter, and she doesn't want to lose another. Although there's been an ongoing. going investigation into her sister's death, Dakota may have thought that her name had been cleared in the process. It would be two years before she's brought back in for questioning. And in that time, the evidence against her has drastically mounted. It's October 5th, 2012. Now the entirety of the

sick and twisted truth will finally be revealed. Let's get over to hump. And let's talk about this door. Let's get this door out once and for all. You hear me? Once and for all. What did you do to that door? Tell me. Huh? What did you do?

Don't want it to say. Okay. Look at me. Take your hands away from your mouth and look at me. What did he do? You help me to lock the door, but he never set off. and you unlocked a door. So you're telling us, what are you telling us as far as what your knowledge is

about the door being left unlocked when you were asked to do that and you did it? What did you think was going to take place? They were just going to scare her. Okay, so that's what you're saying. It's not that you knew for sure they were going to go in and do it and kill her that night. In a gut-wrenching confession, Dakota has now admitted that she did, in fact, leave the patio door unlocked.

And although she provides a justification, it's clear that the detectives aren't buying it. Now, you're at different meetings, plotting. You know, we knew that they were conspiring to kill your mom. What was talked about if your mom woke up? What were they going to do to your mom if she woke up when they were doing this to Sydney. I need you to tell me what they said

they were going to do to your mom. Tell me that they were just going to shoot her if she had woke up. As the layers of this terrifying story are continually peeled back, a slip of the tongue on the part of Dakota reveals another piece of information that she has been so desperately trying to hide.

Which meeting was this? I don't know what days we had. What days did they have? Was it before? No, no, no, no. Before or after? Wait, wait. Was it before or after?

She said, they, we, you said, we had meetings. No, no, no, let's not go there, okay? No, no. But you said we, you said we had meetings, and you've been at these meetings, correct? Yeah. Dakota knew exactly what was going to take place. She knew that her sister was going to be murdered,

and she did nothing to stop it. And when it was done, she apparently shared in the appalling triumph. And you said to celebrate, what was it celebrated about? That it was done. That's what Chris Day was referring to. And Carl, Chad, Carl's the one that, celebrating said it several times, and put up toast and stuff.

What did you toast to? That it's done. So the whole time was the golden new all, about this. He had what you're saying. She was going to go for Tolson. She was smiling and everything and toasted with it. The group seemed to be quite happy with their organized murder, to the point that James was supposedly laughing when he viewed the tragic news segment on TV. Although, as we heard in his previous confession, his laughter had been replaced by hysterical cries. These would not be for Sydney, but rather for himself. James knew that he'd been caught, and his

freedom was about to be stripped away. Nevertheless, it couldn't possibly compare to the way in which he brutally took hers. Following the crime on August 18, 2010, one of the group had written a note to Sidney's mother, apologizing for their unthinkable actions. Part of it read, I just wanted to say how sorry I am. I'm not a bad person in my life is getting taken away because of what happened. It seems like no one will believe me. I hope you do, and forgive me. I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart and wish you the best. The writer's reference to their life being taken away is extremely self-centered, considering their punishment is the result of them choosing to end another person's life.

Although they may in fact feel guilty, the penman is most likely seeking sympathy for themselves, rather than truly understanding the ramifications of their actions. It has not been reported as to who the letter is from, nor if Tracy ever responded. Although Carl James and Robbie had already been arrested not too long after Sidney's body was found, it would be another two years on the same day as Dakota that Chad would also be taken in. Chad was brought in for questioning, but quickly requested his attorney, ending the conversation before it could even begin, although thankfully he would not be getting off Scott Free.

Carl, one of the Peatown Saints' most loyal members, pleaded guilty to first-degree, murder and was sentenced to 60 years in prison. But before he could be transferred to a federal prison, he was found deceased in his jail cell, a successful attempt at taking his own life. James was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to 60 years in prison, while Robbie was convicted of home invasion and sentenced to 26 years in prison. Chad, the notorious gang leader, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for home invasion, the result of a plea agreement that dropped the charge of first-degree murder. And finally, Dakota, who some would say was the actual mastermind behind her sister's murder, pleaded guilty to home invasion as part of a plea agreement.

As a result, prosecutors dropped murder, kidnapping, and burglary charges. She was sentenced to 26 years, but could be released from prison as early as 2003.