Going West: True Crime - Melissa Jenkins // 484

Episode Date: March 11, 2025

In March of 2012, a beloved 33-year-old high school science teacher went missing from Vermont after heading out to help someone with apparent car troubles. When her abandoned vehicle was discovered with her two-year-old son still inside, a frantic search began. And when detectives began looking into a local man who used to work for her, a sinister plot unraveled. This is the story of Melissa Jenkins.

What is going on true crime fans? I'm your host T and I'm your host Daphne and you're listening to going West Hello everybody. Thank you so much for tuning in today. Big shout out to Krista for sending in today's case. This one takes place in Vermont in winter. It only happened about 13 years ago, but it does have a ton of resolution and answers to some previously extremely perplexing questions. Oh yeah, and luckily because this one is a doozy and it's definitely going to piss you guys off because it pissed me off just researching it So also just wanted to let you guys know for warning that we're a little congested today because the allergies are

Crazy down here in LA this time of year the pollen is insane right now, so apologies from us But we're gonna do our best. Yeah, there's like a layer of pollen on our car right now So if we sound a little congested, that's why. But without further ado, this is episode 484 of Going West, so let's get into it. In In March of 2012, a beloved 33-year-old high school science teacher went missing from Vermont after heading out to help someone with apparent car troubles. When her abandoned vehicle was discovered with her two-year-old still inside, a frantic search began.

When detectives began looking into a local man who used to work for her, a sinister plot unraveled. This is the story of Melissa Jenkins. Melissa Jenkins was born on November 23rd, 1978 in Berlin, Vermont, which is about 10 minutes south of the capital of Montpelier. Melissa was raised in a loving family consisting of her parents, Philann and Richard, a brother named John and a half-brother named Robbie. She attended Danville High School graduating in 1996, and then went on to attend three different universities,

Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire, Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, and then Vermont State University in Linden, Vermont, where she eventually obtained her bachelor's degree in natural science. Settling back in her home state after where she eventually obtained her bachelor's degree in natural science. Settling back in her home state after a brief stint away from the schools in New Jersey and New Hampshire, Melissa decided to plant some roots in her beloved Vermont.

She was ready to stay there. She knew she didn't want to leave the state again. And this time around, she wound up in St. Johnsbury, which is nestled in what's known as the Northeast Kingdom in the upper right corner of Vermont and that borders Canada. And the Northeast Kingdom is like a very peaceful outdoor oasis. It's known for being quiet, unspoiled, and safe. So a beautiful area to live. To be honest with you, I don't think that there is a bad place in Vermont to live.

It's all beautiful. Yeah, it's gorgeous and they have like the best fall foliage and all that. So this, probably especially in the fall, was like, or and in the summer, of course as well, is like incredible. So she loved living here. And there, Melissa took a job teaching physics in the science department for a prestigious private school in the area called St. Johnsbury Academy, which is like a hybrid boarding and day school, established nearly 200 years ago.

There Melissa was beloved by her students and fellow teachers alike, but she was especially doted upon by the teenage girls that she taught who really saw her as a role model. For the first few years of her tenure there, she even lived saw her as a role model. For the first few years of her tenure there she even lived on campus as a dorm proctor for the girls who were boarding there because you know a lot of kids board at this school and naturally athletic Melissa also coached girls basketball and soccer. And according to her students she was very kind and approachable just one of the few teachers who made her students feel safe and comfortable and let them come to her students, she was very kind and approachable, just one of the few teachers who made her students feel safe and comfortable and let them come to her about anything, which

was especially important for the students who were away from home and, you know, couldn't go to their parents at the end of the day. You know what I mean? It's really giving that movie that you love. What's that movie that you watch all the time? What? With Paul Giamatti? holdover the holdovers. Yes It's kind of giving that sort of vibe except Paul's character is like not like Melissa at all and that was also said in what?

Massachusetts is not the same, but it's the same in the sense that there is boarding All right, I guess I'm an idiot. idiot. So this is exactly like the Holdover. It's the girls version. Right. So, a few years into her tenure there, Melissa began dating BJ Robertson, a professional basketball player for the Vermont Frost Heaves. But when the relationship didn't work out and Melissa became pregnant with BJ's baby, she decided that she would raise the child on her own, giving birth to a son named Ty

months later. Now BJ did still visit, he was very much a part of Ty's life, but Melissa held primary custody and Ty lived with her in St. Johnsbury. Her family remembers proudly that her greatest joy in life came from being Ty's mom. In addition to being a full-time teacher and mother, she decided to go back to school to obtain her master's degree from St. Michael's College.

In order to make extra money on the weekends and over the summer when she wasn't teaching, Melissa also waited tables at the Creamery, which was a restaurant in Danville where she worked since she was a teenager. Now on the evening of Sunday, March 25th, 2012 around 830 p.m., Melissa received a phone call from an acquaintance who was having car trouble, and this person wound up stranded on the side of the road. Never one to turn away from someone in need, Melissa offered to come pick them up despite the fact that it was a school night and she was home alone with her

son Ty. But before she headed out, as a precaution, she called a good friend of hers named Randy to tell him that she was going to help someone out who had been having some car trouble and that she would be back shortly tell him that she was going to help someone out, who had been having some car trouble, and that she would be back shortly. But, that she wanted someone to know, you know, where she was going and what she was doing. So smart. So, Randy kept an eye on the clock, and as the night grew later with no word from Melissa, he began to grow anxious that something had happened. So, naturally, he stopped by her house, but he found it dark and empty. With panic starting to set in, he drove around looking for her

car, worried that something may have happened to Melissa. And it was around 11 p.m. that night when he came upon Melissa's Suzuki SUV, parked on a shoulder, still idling with its lights on. But there were no other cars in sight. Now, cautiously, Randy approached the vehicle and he found no sign of Melissa. But he was horrified to see that Ty had been left alone and was asleep in the car seat in the back of the car.

And he now knows that something happened to Melissa because no way would she leave her baby in the car unattended. Absolutely, she would never do that. And of course, she's absent from the scene, so panicking, Randy called police to the scene fearing the worst. And honestly, instantly convinced that Melissa had been met with foul play. When police arrived to survey the scene, Randy explained that Melissa told him that she had gotten what she described as a weird call

from the couple who used to plow her driveway on snowy days, telling her that their car happened to break down near her house. And such a random connection, like these aren't her friends who say, Hey, Liz, can you come help me? Someone who she hired to do a job in the past. Yeah, and you can imagine that they probably weren't there all the time. It's not like they're plowing her place every week.

It's probably once or twice a year, if that. Yeah, and it's an outside job. So it's not like they're hanging out the whole time fixing something in her kitchen or something. This is a very strange request for them to be making absolutely and you know again this really just speaks to the character of Melissa the fact that she hardly knows these people but she's offering to go give them help on the side of the road so true well unfortunately Randy couldn't remember the names of this couple, but detectives had a head start.

Because in the dirt and brush alongside the road, investigators found a black shoe believed to belong to Melissa, as well as a Polaris brand men's baseball hat, which they believed belonged to her abductor. When investigators checked her phone records, Melissa's last outgoing call had been to Randy, as he said it would be, at 8.39 p.m. So it is very much dark at this time of night. The incoming call that summoned her from her house was made at 8.34 p.m., so five minutes earlier, and lasted a minute and a half, which means that right after getting this call,

she almost right away called Randy and then left to go help them. And again, very, very smart of her to do. Yes, very, but unfortunately, this call had been made from a burner phone, which was confirmed to be a track phone brand flip phone, and it was gonna require some digging to determine

the origin of the call. And this is, I mean, this is even more suspicious that the caller was clearly trying to hide their identity for when an investigation began. The fact that they're even calling from a burner phone to begin with, it's like they know that someone's going to see this call. Absolutely. Well, naturally, Randy was questioned as a potential suspect and he admitted that he and Melissa had shared a sexual relationship in the past despite how suspicious

that may have appeared to law enforcement given the circumstances you know he's telling the truth here he's laying all his cards on the table. However Randy explained that his and Melissa's romantic and physical relationship hadn't worked out and that they settled on being just friends. He claimed that he had no idea who hurt her or who would have wanted to since everyone adored her, but maintained that he had nothing to do with her disappearance. Knowing that there was one person in their custody who was actually there when Melissa was taken, state troopers brought in an expert in child

psychology to speak with Melissa's two-year-old son Ty, hoping they could coax some information out of him despite his very young age. When Ty was questioned about what had happened to Melissa, he gestured with his hands around his neck, saying that someone had done that to his mom. He then told them that his mommy left in a car. Detectives briefly considered the involvement of Ty's father, BJ, but he had been out of the state with an airtight alibi at the time and also he would have no motive for this They they co-parented just fine. Yeah, it seemed like they didn't have any problems

Yeah, if anything we would probably statistically see this happen before Ty was even born, you know what I mean? So now two years later Everything's fine They know that it's not BJ and for anybody, Melissa's parents did assume temporary custody of Ty until they and BJ could work out an arrangement for his long-term care. Now alarmed at the development that Melissa had likely been strangled and then abducted in front of her son, Vermont State Police Troopers issued a statewide Be on the Lookout or BOLO.

So state troopers and local police alike combed the area for any sign of her. Sadly, it seemed that Melissa's kind and generous nature and her tendency to help anybody in need had landed her in a little bit of trouble here. Her cousin Eric Berry, who named Melissa the godmother to his young daughter, said sadly quote, She left her house with the idea, I think, to try and help somebody. A family friend named Ron Craig, who, along with his wife, Lauren, would occasionally watch Ty when Melissa needed childcare, agreed to this sentiment, saying quote, She would do anything for anybody.

She definitely will be greatly missed. And then his wife, Lauren, added, quote, she was an awesome mom. He was her world. On Monday, March 26, 2012, the day after Melissa vanished, word had spread around the campus of St. Johnsbury. That same evening, more than 100 students and faculty members gathered,

despite the bitter winter cold outside, for a candlelight vigil, hoping for the safe homecoming of Melissa. Headmaster Tom Lovett said fondly, quote, She's got a real gift with students who either haven't liked science before or learning science doesn't come easy to them. She's got a real gift with them." But it was at that very gathering meant to bring hope and awareness that word began to spread that Melissa's body had been recovered. Because that afternoon around 3 p.m. her remains were pulled from the Connecticut River near the small town of Barnet, which is about 15 minutes south

of St. Johnsbury in Vermont. Though they were ultimately successful, her killers did their best to ensure that her body was never recovered. Melissa's body was found naked, wrapped in a tarp, doused with bleach, and weighed down with cinder blocks until they sunk to the bottom of the Connecticut River. On top of this, there were also branches which had been severed from nearby trees, surrounding her in the water to help her blend in with the nature around her. As the news erupted in the town of just 6,000 people, Melissa was brought in for an autopsy.

And just like Ty had alleged, she had been strangled, and she had also sustained multiple bruises and lacerations from fighting back. Now, as detectives continued to pursue the few tangible leads that they did have at this point, the track phone would prove to be invaluable to the investigation. Because with it, law enforcement was able to track down the burner phone number to a phone sold in nearby Littleton, New Hampshire, 20 miles or 32 kilometers south of St. Johnsbury. And actually, Melissa's murderers purchased that track phone on February 28, 2012, so nearly a month earlier, at the Littleton Electronic Center. And the only call that was made from that phone was made to Melissa.

Now after speaking with the store, detectives were able to pull security footage from the day of the purchase and came upon video of a blonde woman purchasing this phone, which honestly, it's kind of surprising that they still even had this footage, since so many places wipe footage, you know, after a short period of time. Yeah, I am shocked by this. But the store really came through here, and they sent the picture to the FBI for assistance in identifying this blonde woman. Meanwhile, police combed Melissa's house and found another essential piece of evidence.

Something that Melissa had left out for herself, as if it were a clue from the grave. It was a business card that was placed on her counter, and it read, Prue Snowplowing, Alan and Patricia Prue, Plowing Experts. And this was the couple that she told Randy she was meeting on the night that she was murdered. 33 year old Patricia and 30 year old Alan Prue met online about four years prior to Melissa's murder. Alan was born and raised in the area and lived a simple life he drove a snow plow in the winters and delivered papers in the summer. His mom Donna Prew described him as hardworking, gregarious, and kind, and said that he stayed out

of trouble. But remember, I don't know if we can trust this Donna, so just hold on to that. But Donna said that all of that changed when he met Patricia Osborne. Finding it difficult to date in his small hometown, Alan made an online dating profile and began chatting with Patricia, who hailed from nearby New York State. The pair connected quickly, and he had a soft spot for her admission

that she had just been in an abusive relationship and was out of contact with her family. So he kind of saw her as a little bit down on her luck. He wanted to help her out, right? Somewhat of a charity case, I guess you could say. Sure, right. She was also open about her struggles with her health, both physical and mental, as she suffered from diabetes as well as depression and occasional panic attacks. Now, after about a month of talking online and over the phone, Patricia came to Vermont

for a visit, staying with Alan and his mother Donna, whose house he shared. After just two weeks, they decided that they were ready to move forward with their relationship, so Patricia moved in permanently and right then and there. And with what little money they had, they held a modest wedding ceremony. Now, Patricia, Allen, Allen's mother, Donna, and Donna's boyfriend, as well as Allen's sister, husband, and kids all live together under one roof

in a moderately sized trailer. So you basically have like essentially three families living under one roof in a moderately sized trailer. So you basically have like essentially three families living under one roof. That's a lot of people to be living in a moderately sized trailer. Yeah and I mean especially when it was at this time that the couple chose to explore their sexualities after they moved in together and started this relationship. And they were trying to do it on their own property with all of these people there. Which is very sick and very fucked up. Well, I mean, they're not trying to like show the family.

It's just that they were doing that on the property with all these people living there. And here's the situation. Patricia was bisexual and she confided in Alan that she wanted to have a threesome with him and another woman. So he agreed and the two actually invested in a camper that they would park on his mom's property to use specifically for these sexual affairs, right?

Knowing that Donna did not approve of what they were doing and this is her property. Well, I guess at least they had some sort of consideration to not be, you know, having weird sexual affairs in his mom's house. Yeah, in the trailer that he they live with so many other people. So they are they have this special camper that they're doing this on. Fine, no problem. But they were still kind of scouting online websites for women to invite into their

camper and additionally they were also starting to try for a child. But after struggling to conceive, they consulted a fertility clinic only to find out that Patricia would be unable to bear children. So as we mentioned, in the winter, Alan would plow dozens of driveways for area families, sometimes on a near daily basis, and when Patricia came into the picture, she took over the business side of his operation, which allowed him to kind of take on more houses and make more money at this venture. One fateful winter day, Alan and Patricia were dropping off business cards in order to attract new clients,

which is a practice that Patricia had set into motion. And that's when they met Melissa Jenkins. Both members of the couple, both Alan and Patricia, were instantly attracted to her. And Melissa's friendly nature likely made them feel as if they were comfortable with her from the jump. It also seems like they were both kind of envious of the as if they were comfortable with her from the jump. It also seems like they were both kind of envious of the family unit that she had with her son and hoping to start up a sexual relationship with her. Now Melissa, none the wiser to how they thought of her, started hiring Alan on an occasional

basis to plow her driveway. And strangely, before police even had a chance to track down the Prue's in order to speak with them The couple actually showed up to the station hoping to lodge a complaint of their own Now the Prue's were alleging identity theft and hoped to speak to a detective regarding this issue After their complaint was filed detectives questioned them about their relationship with Melissa, you know, they're already there at the station Why not take this opportunity? Alan did mention casually that he had plowed snow for her in winters prior, but said that he had followed up with her this winter and that she had politely declined his services.

They, like everyone else in the town of St. Johnsbury, claimed to be devastated at the loss of Melissa and were just shocked to hear the news. But detectives were not so convinced, and when asked their whereabouts for the evening of Sunday, March 25th, they said that they had been in bed by 7 p.m. So around an hour and a half before that phone call was made.

Yes, but what they didn't share was that Melissa had been afraid of Alan in the past and had even accused him of stalking her. A friend of Melissa's recalled that when she was paying Alan to plow for her, Alan had actually asked her out multiple times, and that she felt so uncomfortable around him that she had declined his offer to come back and plow for her. So this is why she stopped using his services during that winter, 2011-2012. Yeah, because he was a fucking creep. Well months earlier, in the fall of 2011, 32-year year old Melissa relayed to a friend that he had

even shown up drunk to her home asking to come back to work for her. Yeah, and this is very, very not normal, you know? It's so inappropriate. She said she's done with your services because you're weirding her out. That should have been the end of it right there. And again, they hardly knew each other. He just plowed her driveway a number of times and now he's coming over drunk asking if he can continue to do it.

It's just, she's like, what are you doing here enough to tell her friend that this weird thing happened and this guy honestly freaks her out. Yeah, and that was probably the moment that she realized that she was unsafe being around Alan because you think about this any normal person would just say you know what that's totally fine you know have a great day I'm gonna go find other clients but he's showing up drunk as if like he feels like he's scorned like she did something to him truly and it gets creepier because a few days before Melissa disappeared a

neighbor of hers named Diane told police that she had seen a man she believed to be Alan Prew lurking at the bottom of Melissa's driveway, peering out his car window looking for her. And when he spotted Diane watching him, he sped away from Melissa's house. On the day of Melissa's murder, the Prus alleged that they were out and about in town running a few errands and that they stopped to have fast food for lunch before heading home and getting into bed, where they remained for the rest of the night. Well, at least that's what they said. At least that's what they said.

But this was an easily verifiable lie, based on the fact that the couple had called Melissa from the track phone that Patricia, who had been the blonde woman on the surveillance footage, could be seen purchasing. So unless they gave this phone to somebody else to do this, you know, then it's them. She's the one who bought the phone. But still, police set out to verify their other claims, including stopping by the restaurant where they picked up lunch

to check their surveillance footage. And when detectives viewed the footage from this restaurant, they spotted Alan pulling through the drive-through in the exact hat that they've discovered on the road next to Melissa's car. Yeah, that Polaris hat. Right. So this proved that they had been at the scene of Melissa's abduction. And then of course, like I said, yeah, technically,

Patricia could have bought that phone and given it to somebody else, but now we have a couple pieces of evidence going against their little story. Well, as far as the state police were concerned, this was the last piece of evidence to fall into place. The Prue's were asked to come in again to discuss their fraud case, you know, the case that they were complaining about, but this time, they were separated, in hopes that the couple would turn on each other. When the detective interviewing Allen skewed his line of questioning towards Melissa, Allen

started to get kind of cagey and defensive, demanding to know why they were interrogating him on this matter. And then when the detective revealed that he was actually a suspect tipping Allen off about the track phone, the hat, and also the surveillance footage, Allen finally broke down, expressing both guilt at what had unfolded and fear about getting caught. So at this point, he admitted what investigators had already surmised, that Melissa Jenkins was the object of their sexual desires, and that he and his wife had killed her. Both Alan and Patricia had been fixated on Melissa and wanted to kidnap her to have a

threesome, which is honestly just so stupid like Just find a willing woman. There's many out there. I'm sure there are people out there that would probably willingly Consentually have a threesome with you although You should have seen Heath's face when he said that oh god They're just you know they're just trash people in general But I'm sure that somebody out there probably would have done that. Somebody would have. And in Alan's own words, quote,

We went out there to get a girl. According to Alan, their original plan was to casually propose a sexual encounter to Melissa while she was rescuing them from the side of the road which I don't know what in his mind made him think that Melissa was ever gonna agree to do this But when Melissa arrived he said that he panicked and started strangling her this doesn't make any sense They came up with this whole plan to try to kidnap her and Convince her to have a threesome with them, but they're saying that, hey, we broke down on the side of the road, can you come help us? Which I'm so surprised she did anyway, like, that seems like such a dumb plan on their

part and then you panic and strangle her? What? Yeah, I just don't believe that it went down that way. I think that that's complete bullshit. I think that probably Alan made a pass at her or something and then she, you know, was not interested. And then he started strangling her because, again, like, what makes you think that after you kidnap somebody that they're gonna want to have a sexual situation with you? Well, I think your theory is 100% correct,

especially with the Google searches that we're gonna get into here in a minute. So after Alan started strangling Melissa, she fought back and hard based on the injuries that she received, but she was no match for going against two people. Alan claimed that they hadn't realized that Ty had been with them

until Melissa lay unconscious on the ground. In a snap decision, they decided that it would be best to leave Ty there, crying in his car seat, rather than risk the implication of kidnapping charges. Which I mean, you're already kidnapping another person. Seriously. So Patricia climbed into the backseat with Melissa while Alan drove and Patricia continued to struggle with Melissa

trying to quote, ensure she wasn't breathing until she finally told Alan she's gone. Which makes even less sense for this whole ordeal that they wanted to allegedly find a woman to sleep with but then they immediately strangle her and kill her in the back of their vehicle. Yeah, I mean it's it's really stupid. This whole plan was for nothing and it ended this wonderful person's life just because you know they couldn't find someone consensually to have a threesome with. And it's horrible that they left Ty in the back of the car because if it hadn't been

for Melissa calling Randy, Ty could have died there. Absolutely, he's a two-year-old kid and the temperatures in Vermont and March, I mean it's freezing, it's obviously snowing. Well this really shows the true character of the Prue's. Absolutely, piece of shit squared. Well they then took 33-year-old Melissa's body back home and without any of the other residents noticing, they

dragged Melissa's remains onto the lawn and undressed her. Disposing of her clothing, dousing her in bleach to get rid of any evidence they may have left on her, then wrapping her in a tarp, they placed her in their car and drove across

state lines to dispose of her body. Allen and Patricia then stripped themselves of anything that could be used as evidence, including Melissa's clothes and the clothing and shoes that they had been wearing, and they burned it all in a rural area of New Hampshire. After Allen admitted to all of this, detectives asked if he'd be willing to take them to the scene of where they burned the evidence, and he agreed. There in the brush was a patch of charred grass where the evidence had been torched, and also in that vicinity was where he dumped the track phone in the water.

Surprisingly, the forensics team was actually able to get it working again and verified the outgoing call made to summon Melissa. 30-year-old Alan also brought them to where they had placed her body in the water and finally he broke down in sobs about what he and his wife had done and told Melissa that he was sorry and that she hadn't deserved what they had put her through. When police circled back to 33 year old Patricia she feigned ignorance and claimed that she didn't have anything to do with Melissa's death but the evidence was sufficient enough to put both of

them behind bars so she was arrested alongside her husband on March 28th, 2012, just two days after Melissa's murder. And I hope you guys are ready to be extremely pissed off because initially after their arrest, Donna Prusso, Allen's mother, stood by her son and daughter-in-law. At their arraignment for the heinous crime of which they were being accused, Donna even announced to the press, quote, "...I want people out there to realize he is not the monster they're making him out to be."

Yes, he is. Uh, Donna's sister Sharon Tinder added, quote, "...neither one of them are. I wish I could do something to prove that they really didn't do it. And I hope that the cops aren't willing to give up and try to find more evidence that they really didn't do it, instead of wrongly accusing somebody. Oh, quiet. Your brother confessed to the murder, you idiot.

And there's evidence. Well Donna then said, quote, I think there are a lot of holes in this case, and I think they really need to keep looking. They're good people, and I want them to have a fair deal in this case and I think they really need to keep looking. They're good people and I want them to have a fair deal in this. They're being set up by somebody, I just don't know who." It's like, no they're not. They're not being set up. This is so classic though, we see this in so many different cases where a mother always has to come to the defense of a murderer and say, oh not my son, he could never do that.

Yeah, just like she said, oh, my son was perfect until she came along. Yeah, it's always somebody else and it's never your son, right? Exactly. Well, they staunchly claimed that the couple had barely known Melissa, that they had only plowed for her a few times a few seasons ago, and that they didn't even know her last name because she had paid them in cash. Both Patricia and Alan pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and unauthorized burial or removal of a dead body. But the more digging the investigators did, the more incriminating evidence they found. On a laptop belonging to Patricia, which was seized from Donna's property,

investigators found searches for the months before Melissa's murder that included, quote, how to rape a girl and not get caught, and, quote, how to kidnap a girl and not get caught. exactly what helps prove that they weren't just using this as a meet-cute to say, oh hey, now that you're here, Melissa, would you like to have a threesome? They wanted this to be non-consensual. They wanted to take her against her will and rape her. Well, Patricia had also left behind journals where she had detailed sexual fantasies, as well as plans for revenge, writing that she sought to get even with those who had wronged her, and that quote, people will be surprised of what she is capable of. In addition to the track phone, the couple had also acquired a stun gun, so obviously

they were planning on using that on somebody, so it became clear to investigators that this was all a premeditated act. On Friday, March 30th, 2012, St. Johnsbury Academy held a memorial in celebration of Melissa's life, requesting that attendees show up in pink, which was Melissa's favorite color. Joe Healy, the spokesman for St. John'sbury Academy, announced that he hoped the arrests would bring peace and closure to those who were mourning her life, saying, quote, We can now turn our full attention to healing from this tragic loss, celebrating Melissa's life and mourning her death.

Allen's trial commenced in October of 2014 and in a bombshell revelation, his defense blamed Patricia alone for being the mastermind behind the crime. His defense attorney, a guy named Robert Caddums, basically alleged that Allen's dysfunctional childhood and his low IQ combined made him extremely vulnerable to being conned into the plot of a criminal mastermind like his wife. And I could honestly kind of see this because it does kind of feel like she was the one who you know put out this idea of having a threesome with another woman because she was bisexual. It seems to me

like he's just kind of like a big dummy but also you know obviously he's a piece of shit as well but it does feel like she was kind of the the ringleader she made leader and she may have been for sure it's I totally agree with you but it sucks when defense attorneys say this to try to get him off but he admitted to strangling her and it's great that you admitted to Gil it's great that you feel bad about what you did but you were still a part of this horrible plot, and you stalked her months earlier. Like, you're not innocent in this. You're not a good guy that got conned. You're a creep.

Oh, not at all. Not at all. He is definitely responsible, but I think when you look at the situation, there's two different scenarios. There's Alan over here who's saying, you know, I'm so sorry I did this. Obviously, don't care about your sorry. you still did it, but then you have Patricia on the other side going well. I didn't do this this was this was all Alan Yeah, she has no remorse. She doesn't give a shit totally she she doesn't want to admit to guilt yeah for sure Well Donna who again is Alan's mom of course agreed with this conclusion You know that Alan was conned who didn't see that coming, right? Yeah, and of course

She's saying that Patricia was envious of Alan's desire for Melissa and she accused Patricia of being mentally unstable And being behind this entire thing Donna explained later in an interview quote. She she was very, very jealous of Melissa. She thought Alan was having an affair with her and he wasn't. Like that would ever happen, I'm sorry. Yeah, she was just one of his plow customers. But again, just looking back at the fact

that he showed up drunk at her house, that her neighbor caught him stalking and watching her. This wasn't just an innocent little crush he had, he was taking it to this uncomfortable level. Stupidly, Allen's defense relied heavily on testimony from Donna, but with Allen's verbal confession, this wasn't enough to sway a jury into believing

that Patricia was solely responsible for the crime. So on October 22nd, 2014, Alan was found guilty of first degree murder as well as kidnapping with the intent to commit sexual assault and conspiracy to commit murder. He was sentenced to 50 years to life for the murder charge, life in prison for the kidnapping charge, and five years in prison for the conspiracy charge. At his sentencing on Wednesday, December 17th, 2014, Allen proclaimed, quote, The one thing I'm guilty of is bringing the person who committed this crime to Vermont, and for that, I'm truly sorry.

But the judge, Robert Bent, dismissed his account of events saying, quote, This was a hunt, and they were acting as a pair. Mr. Prue's role was not minor. Similarly, Patricia tried to point the finger back at Alan, alleging that she was severely mentally ill, and that he had been obsessed with Melissa and coerced Patricia into going along with his perverse plan Something that apparently she was unable to talk him out of due to her severe mental instability Throughout her legal proceedings Patricia used Alan as the scapegoat and proclaimed herself as the innocent victim in his sinister plot But when that wasn't working and she felt like she was going to be held accountable for her role in this senseless murder, she and her defense team pivoted to an insanity plea.

Shortly before her trial was slated to begin, her defense team approached the prosecution requesting to have her ruled unfit to stand trial because they believed that she suffered from PTSD and Dissociative Identity Disorder. But she was evaluated by a psychiatrist and she was found fit to stand trial. Patricia then changed her plea to guilty, accepting a plea deal for responsibility on all three charges. She claimed that she did this to spare Melissa's family from having to undergo another trial. But Donna said with distaste, quote,

I don't believe that for a minute. She has no sympathy. She just didn't want her history being dug up and her history being put on the front page of the newspaper. She didn't want that. She did it for her sake. Which honestly is like the only thing that Donna has said correctly thus far. Patricia was sentenced to life without parole for the murder charge, life in prison for the kidnapping charge, and about four to five years for the charge of conspiracy to commit murder. Patricia pleaded guilty on Thursday, February 12, 2015, and was sentenced the next day.

Patricia's defense lawyer, Brian, addressed the court at her sentencing, labeling his client as, quote, severely mentally ill, and adding, quote, as horrible as Ms. Jenkins' death was, it should stand for something. I suggest that it stands for a moment in time where people actually take a moment to take a serious look at how we allocate our resources to social services. I think we need to realize that each dollar we spend

or don't spend could have a serious impact on our society and our safety. I do understand the need to put money into social services to help people with mental health, but him using Melissa's death and what she did, what Patricia did as an excuse, it's just it's just wrong. It's totally wrong. Well, Patricia actually made a similar statement as well. She took a little responsibility, I guess, if you want to even say that. But this is what she told the court, quote, There is nothing I or anyone can say to make what

you've been put through any easier. I'm not sorry we were caught. I'm sorry it ever happened at all. I want to apologize personally for the fact that my husband wasn't a strong enough human being to admit his wrongs and be able to take his rightful punishment willingly. Oh my god, she is so insufferable. She's just deflecting like hell. Well, Judge Bent dismissed her excuses, telling her, quote, You knew how the abduction would end.

This was not a sudden or impetuous act on your part. In your future life in prison, I trust that not a day goes by in which you won't revisit your crime." Melissa's family wrote a victim impact statement for the court that read, "...we will never again know the joy and love we knew for 33 years. Please do the right thing for Melissa." Though nothing can bring her back, they were relieved at the outcome of the trials. Alan Prew did attempt to appeal his sentence in 2016,

but it was rejected by the Vermont Supreme Court. His attorney alleged that his confession was coerced and that he had not been read his Miranda rights, but the court disagreed and his sentence was upheld. Though she was never able to complete her studies, Melissa's master's degree was awarded to her posthumously the year after her death. To this day, both Patricia and Alan remain behind bars, though they're divorced, where they will remain for the rest of their lives, after what they did to the wonderful and beloved Melissa Jenkins.

Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. If you want to see photos from this case and all the other cases that we've covered, head on over to our socials. We're on Instagram at Going West Podcast. We're also on Facebook and we have a discussion group where you can talk all the shit that you want about Alan and Patricia Prue. Truly, what a...

God, I mean, it is... it was so senseless. It was so senseless. Like, I know we said this twice in the episode, but the fact that they didn't just go find a woman to have consensual sex with, but it didn't even seem like that's what they wanted to do, or at least Patricia, or at least Alan. One of them, I mean, we'll say Patricia because it was on her computer, how to rape a girl and not get caught, how to kidnap a woman and not get caught. Like, that is so clear.

Like you never wanted to do this consensually. You wanted to hurt somebody. Absolutely. I think that was the plan from the get-go. And you know, even though they tried to play it down, that just wasn't the case. They were out to hurt someone. It's so disgusting.

So thank you guys so much for listening to that frustrating case. And a big shout out once again to the person who recommended it, which was Krista. If you guys have a case that you want us to cover on the show, please send us an email and we will do our best to cover it as soon as possible. Our email is goingwestpodcast.gmail.com and we will see you guys back here on a Friday. All right, guys. So for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. I'm a man of my own I'm a man of my own I'm a man of my own

I'm a man of my own I'm a man of my own I'm a man of my own Thanks for watching!