Hidden True Crime - Truth, Lies, & Cyanide: Sugar Baby REVEALS ALL | After the James Craig Verdict

Episode Date: July 31, 2025

Carrie Hageseth was one of James Craig’s secret sugar babies—but now, she’s telling her story on the record. In this exclusive Hidden True Crime interview, Carrie opens up about the messages, the manipulation, and the moment she realized the man she was dating was accused of poisoning his wife. What was it like testifying at his murder trial? And what does she want the world to know now? Get this new customer offer and your 3 month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month at Mintmobile.com/HIDDEN About Hidden True Crime: What started as a simple conversation at their dinner table became a captivating podcast. Join the dynamic duo of Dr. John Matthias, a criminal psychologist, and Lauren Matthias, an investigative journalist, as they delve into the psychological facets of unthinkable crimes every week. Their unique perspectives and in-depth analysis offer a fresh take on true crime storytelling. Thank you for your support through sponsorships, subscribing, listening, and becoming a Patreon member at Patreon.com/HiddenTrueCrime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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wealthfront.com. Clients were paid $1,000 for their testimonials, creating a conflict of interest. Howcomes vary. 3.3%. 3.5% base API Y, as of January 30th, 2026, is representative, variable and earned on funds swept to program banks. 0.65% new client boost for three months on up to $150,000. Direct deposit $1,000 a month and fund an investing account for a 0.25% increase. Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC member FINRA SIPC, not a bank. Hello, hidden gems. I am with someone you will all want to meet, which is why I'm going to introduce you. This is Carrie Hagaseth. Carrie Hagaseth was a witness. You testified in the James Craig trial.

It was a powerful testimony. It was a lot. Carrie was what the court called a sugar baby. You met James Craig in the fall of 2022 on the website seeking. The website is formerly known as Seekingarrangement.com. They've rebranded. They're now called Seeking. you met him and there was, I guess you could say, a sort of arrangement. Is that right? Carrie? Yes, that's correct.

Before we begin this interview, I want to talk about something near and dear to my heart. And Carrie, thank you for reaching out to me. You actually noted that I said this during my recap of your testimony. And it meant a lot to you too. And I want to say that here again. So often, when we cover true crime, women in your situation, whether that means a sugar baby, that I'll still be using air quotes for, because that was the court's term,

Sugar Baby, or just any woman that might be a sex worker. I'm not saying that's what you were at all. But let's just talk in general terms. Women that are in situations that they don't want to be in can often be targeted as victims of crime or they can be targeted as someone that a criminal like James Craig can shame into silence.

And there is nothing wrong with being in the situation that you are in, meeting James Craig on the website seeking, formerly known as seeking arrangement.com. And I want everyone to not judge you, Carrie, for that situation that you're in. You're going to talk to us a little bit about why you're in that situation because, again, you're coming forward and your testimony help this case. And I am so grateful that no one shamed you into silence and in hiding the truth. I just want to first thank you for your testimony because justice was served Angela today. So that's where I want to start.

Thank you. Thank you, Carrie. Yeah, I agree on that. And, you know, my mission statement over the last year has been silence is what allows abusers to continue to control and abuse. That's why I will not stay silent. I want to shed light on these issues because they have affected my life greatly as well. I am a survivor of domestic violence and it took several tries to leave. It was really, really hard financially.

I had to leave with nothing because I knew that it was the most important thing to him was the monetary, you know, belongings and money and everything. And I had left him once before and moved into a safe house with my kids. and that was really, really hard. And then I finally got a two-bedroom apartment for the four of us and was sharing a room with my daughter. And it was like 700 square feet. It was tiny. And I got bare necessities, like literally a saucepan and a frying pan, like two pans, a couple silverware. And then I had a fire and lost it all again.

So it was really, really hard. And basically he was going to get custody of the children because he had stability and I did not. So I went back to him for another seven years. And it got really violent again. And my 10-year-old son had to go in and stop him from beating me. And that was kind of my turning point during COVID in 2021. And I just started planning, how am I going to get out of this? So another thing that I want to know is that the numbers are actually pretty staggering. 48% of women that are forced into the sex industry is because of family violence. 48%. That is huge. So I know that I'm not alone, if that's what you want to call it, you know.

And I'm not, I'm not shamed. I am actually really proud that I did whatever I had to survive. And I went through the unthinkable. and protect your children. According to testimony in court, James Craig ended up paying for a lot of your custody battle. Is that correct? And for your daughter who needed help? Is that accurate?

Just the beginning of my custody battle. I wasn't able to keep the attorney very long because shortly after that, I stopped talking to him. And then shortly after that, he was arrested on allegations of murder. So, yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, you came forward. you're honest and we're going to hear about that story too about how you met James Craig. But first of all, how are you feeling, you know, justice has been served today. I know that when you first reached out, you said all you want is justice for Angela. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, I felt really sick when I heard there was a verdict because I have seen a lot of injustice in the court system on my end. And I wasn't sure what was going to happen.

It could have gone anyway. But I did think there was a lot of evidence. and I think majority of the facts were correct. Yeah. So I think justice was served to the right person. Yes, absolutely. So take me back to the fall of 2022, or even before if you need,

how you found yourself on seeking arrangement or excuse me, seeking.com now and how you then met James Craig. Well, when the abuse started to get to be a little bit a lot of it more violent in my own relationship. And I just realized that it was not better for my kids and it wasn't safe for me. And, you know, I probably wasn't naive in the fact of thinking that I could never get, you know, really hurt by this man because I'm sure I could have. But I just decided that I was going to try to plan to leave. I didn't know how because he was so financially abusive and

controlled everything. And so I remember. lying up crying one night when my kids were sleeping, everybody was sleeping and I was just thinking to myself, how am I going to get out of this? It felt impossible. And so I was on Pinterest and I saw an ad for selling your panties. And I was like, oh my gosh, I could do that. And he wouldn't necessarily know that I was working because I wouldn't have to leave the house and it could give me some financial freedom. So that's where I started. And then from there, I kind of learned about the sugar dating and the seeking website. So I got on there and Jim had reached out to me.

And I thought he was a little goofy. You know, his name was Jim and Waffles. And I asked him what that was about. And he said, those are two of the best things to wake up to every day. So why not put them together? Interesting. Yeah. He had a lot of humor that was.

just different, you know. Okay. So what did he, what did he propose? You know, it was kind of more of let's try to have a date and see what happens. I'll give you a gift. I'll pay dinner. I'll, you know, pay for a hotel room, whatever. It just kind of was up in the air more, I guess, with him. But first we just planned to eat at Bonefish Grill. Is it just buying you dinner at first or did he offer you some cash? Yeah, it was just buying dinner and then he offered to, you know, buy me, take me shopping, buy me something, you know, that I needed or wanted or pay a bill. So, yeah, he showed up in a big truck and a nice suit and he seemed like a great guy.

Did he say at that time he was currently getting divorced? He wasn't able to get divorced because of the financial situation. Did he say he was worth a lot of money? What did he tell you about himself? Yeah. He said that he was separated, that they were, you know, moving towards a divorce, but he was still married. They were just separated. And I remember on his profile, like the highest amount that you can say your net worth is is $10 million.

And he had selected $10 million. So he was expressing that he was worth a lot of money, you know, whether that was true or not. I mean, we all know now, probably not. that's not always the most important thing to me, you know, it's, it all has to work. And certainly I wasn't looking for more abuse. Right. Right. And so where did things progress after that? So he separated. He has money to spend on you. He's going to, I know in testimony you meant, you know, he said, I will help you with your children a little bit or where you need some money. How did it keep progressing? Was that sort of the arrangement or was there ever a set arrangement there was never like a set um but he so he was going to pay a

couple bills for me um that didn't end up happening he also did uh volunteer to do veneers on my teeth because i have a tooth that had chipped and it's not very bad and so i was like i don't know if i want to go as far as getting veneers but um he was like bragging about how great it would be and he's the best dentist and you know nobody would be able to tell it never ended up happening but you know he would offer perks like that so he didn't ever do the dental work but he offered it yeah yeah he also offered to do dental work on my daughter because she she ended up breaking her tooth on something when we were going to lunch with him so how how long did this relationship last um i want to say like four or five months.

Okay. Okay. And would you get together? Was it mostly texting or? Yeah, it was kind of hard. He seemed very, very busy. He was constantly just bragging about how he's running all these different dental offices.

And then he was also a dental, like, professor, basically. And he would travel around the world and teach courses on how to do these different procedures because he was the best. and, you know, he had asked me to travel with him several times and started right away, like, planning travel plans with him. And with me being a single mom to my kids at the time, because I had, I believe I had them full time then, it was just really hard for me to get out of town. And so

I think that we wanted to meet more, but it just didn't work with his schedule and my schedule. and then with the stuff that you heard in the court with Angela finding out about things and him having to, you know, hold things down. Right. Right. And so, you know, and then there was a trip you two took. Is that right? No, we didn't end up taking a trip.

We were supposed to, actually, I was supposed to go to Las Vegas with him when he went. and he had also mentioned New York in March, I think, and then Paris at some point as well. And during all of this, would he continue to mention his wife or Angela or his kids? Yeah, I mean, he talked about his family a lot. Eventually, he admitted that he wasn't living in a separate place than his wife. He was living with her. and I believe it was like the second or third time that I met with him. He had asked me to go stay in her bed at his house when she was gone.

And I was like, absolutely not. That's not okay. Like I don't feel comfortable with that, you know. He asked that. He asked that. He did. He did. Yeah.

And so that's when I was like, sorry, you know, I'm going to go home if you don't want to get a hotel room or whatever and hang out more. but I'm not going to your home. And that's when he got a room. And, you know, the fallout from that was supposedly Angela finding out. So. Right. Angela, finding out. And your relationship was sexual. You testified in court.

Yeah. I mean, the arrangement was like, it's always kind of known that it's for your time. You know, it's for your time to give them the girlfriend experience or, you know, fulfill their loneliness or whatever. because we would be in public doing things. But of course, when there's two consenting adults, then it can lead to that. And I did find him attractive.

So it did lead to that. Yeah. Yeah. And the arrangement was and that he would provide you with some financial help. Yeah. I mean, it was just basically the understanding that, like, I needed so much. And not just in financial,

but I needed like moral support, emotional support, financial support, like just really anything that he could give me because I was just grounding with three kids and didn't know how I was going to make it. And it was really important for me that I helped my daughter out because she is, she's the biggest angel to me. She's the most amazing kid. I just feel so lucky to be her mom. And, you know, she works really hard and she work really hard in school and she's the best big sister by her brothers could ask for and, you know, she was on the cheer squad and she'd come home and do all the family laundry and just she's a superstar, like really, truly. And so I wanted to bless her because she had really

been through so much and her having transportation would help me, you know, so that I could be more independent and she could help with her brothers and all of that. And so I just had asked him if he would help get her car for her 17th birthday. Because she was pretty let down on her 16th birthday when her stepdad had told her to go outside to see what he got her. And there was a little tiny toy car like this big with a bow on it. And that was pretty cruel, you know. So it was just important to make that up to her and to have, I guess, influence in her life

that made her feel like she's worthy. Yeah, absolutely. Makes sense. So at what point did things sort of end? And I know he reached out again after it sort of ended, but I'll get to that in a little bit. But where did you guys sort of stop seeing each other for the most part? Well, so I feel like it, the, like the courts had said, his, his misery was building, it seemed. and his need to get out of this situation seemed to become more and more diabolical according to his words

and just his demeanor and stuff to me. And, you know, I never wanted to believe that he was even being serious when he was saying stuff and joking and everything. But then at one point when he started offering money or saying, you know, who can help me, it just like hit me. I was like, oh, my gosh, like this, he's maybe being serious. greatest, you know. And so I think it was the very next day I just stopped talking to him. I was supposed to go meet him in the mountains because we hadn't seen each other for Valentine's Day and then my birthday is the 18th. And so I was supposed to drive up and see him. I remember that the roads were pretty bad and I was kind of debating that like a week prior. But once he said that, I was just like, oh boy, like this is this is too much, you know. So and I just didn't, want to be in that situation. It felt so yucky. Yeah, absolutely. And so it's sort of fizzled,

would you say, or was there an official ending or just sort of? There was absolutely no official ending. I just literally stopped talking to him and did not answer his messages. And then, yeah, it seems like he moved on pretty quick. All right, real talk. Why are sky high wireless bill still a thing? I looked at ours a few months ago and thought, why are we paying this much just to call and text. And if that's you, too, there is another option. Mint gives you the same premium coverage and speed you're used to on the nation's largest 5G network, but for way less. And right now, they're offering three months of unlimited premium wireless for just 15 bucks a month. All plans come with unlimited talk and text, high speed data, and you can keep your phone and number everything,

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But you do a lot of love bombing too, love bombing. And for those that don't know what love bombing is, meaning just for, of extravagant words and texts and I love you and falling in love with you sort of. Yeah. Well, I mean, as a survivor of domestic violence, I think when you're in it, especially when I was in it for, you know, like 16 years in my marriage, you kind of get so clouded by the abuse that you don't recognize who you are anymore, let alone, like, what the signs are of an unhealthy relationship.

And so I was pretty clouded still at that time. And I will say when I met him, I was like, oh, this is what a great guy looks like. You know, he's really involved in his church. He's very successful. Seems to be a good dad. But I would say now I've done a lot of therapy. And looking back, there was so many red flags. And he is absolutely narcissistic, love bomber that needs a lot of attention.

Yeah. So it fizzled out. Yeah. And then he reached out to you again. And I'm bringing this up because he wrote you some kind of shocking text that we talked about. You talked about on the witness stand and some responses. Your texts, your texts were evidence, right? You handed over your text. Tell us about what he reached out to you about. And we'll go from there. Are you referring to like towards the end? Yeah. So I'm referring to. towards the end. Maybe I, and maybe I have the timeline wrong. Maybe, um, I thought maybe it was fizzling out and then he reached out again. But you tell me, um, about where things took sort of, I think, it was a bit of a shocking turn. Yes. I'll say. When he reached out about something, you responded, look, maybe you should get a homeless man. That's kind of where I'm, that's what I thought. Yeah, that was right. Yeah. Um, yeah. Can I just say that looking, listening to the testimony of the other girls that he was involved with,

I think every time he said he was fixing things at home with Angela, he was actually with another girl is what it sounds like. So that kind of was interesting to me. It just dawned on me, you know. So in other words, he's telling all of these different women that he's with that were testifying on the stand. I'm fixing things with Angela. Things are bad.

Now you look at that and you're like, I don't think that was going on. You think that he was with each of you, like all these different women. He's just lying to everybody and juggling so many things and so many women. And I don't understand why. I mean, it's interesting to me. But yes, so he reaches out after I hadn't really heard from him for a while because he was

cleaning things up at home supposedly with Angela. And he says, look, I'm trapped. Do you know anybody that can help me with my problem down here? And then he goes on to say that he made $66,000 that month and he will pay handsomely for help. And did you understand what he meant by that? I mean, I can't read his mind, but to me, it sounded like the thing that he had been complaining about the entire time I had known him. Which was what? His wife and his marriage.

Are we talking about murdering Angela? I believe so, yes, absolutely. That's what he was talking about. When you wrote back and people do have a question about this. When you wrote back and you stated maybe get a homeless man to do that or maybe reach out to homeless man. Did you think what were you thinking when he said that? Did you really think that he was going to do this? No, it was like a joke. And I just want to say for the record, I was just homeless for eight months fighting for my children over the last two years. So I have no judgment against anybody in that situation. I, actually have a lot of respect for them because it is it's really hard to pull yourself out of that and it's it's it was the lowest place that I've been in my life ever so um and it's given me a lot of passion to help you know to give back so I don't judge and I did not mean it in that way in anyway it was it was like a joke you know like find somebody that doesn't have anything to lose like you know right um it was just kind of the way that we kind of communicated in general was that way with dark humor.

But he had dark humor. I had puns, you know. And that was kind of my sarcastic pun to him. Like, yeah, I'm not going to help you, you know. Right. Did you think he was serious, though? No, of course not. Of course not.

I mean, my ex, he threatened suicide pretty much every year, the whole time I was with him, you know. it really affected me at first because I lost my brother that way. And it just would, it would send me spinning and jumping to help and, you know, he got what he wanted out of it. But after a while, I realized, this is not my burden to bear and it's not fair to me. You know, but so, and I never thought he was going to do it. And so I just, I kind of was used to that behavior in a narcissist, but then also James was so over the top, like in everything that he did. He just had a lot of fantasies. You know, he talked about us taking the whole family on trips to Paris and how great it would be.

And I remember at one point, I stopped him and I said, what about their mom? And he said, you know, sometimes I think that they'd be better off without her. He said that. He said that to me. Yes. Yeah. And he had sent me, I said that to him after he had. had sent me a recording of him putting his kids to sleep. And by the way, he also sent me the song that he sent to everybody else. That was my Christmas present that he, I guess he wrote for Angela or he, you know, made for Angela.

I'm still not even sure if it's his voice or not. But apparently we all forgot it. So this, this alleged song that he got Karen Kane got it to that he allegedly written for her. You received it. Yes. Angela received it. Yeah.

Yeah. So I'm not sure if he was, you know, giving out these recordings of him putting his children to sleep as well, but they were precious. It struck me a little bit weird because he was saying things that I think are inappropriate for a child that age, like talking about crack to them and stuff. But I just remember his precious youngest daughter. I don't remember her name, but he had asked them, what was your favorite part of your day today, guys? and she said my favorite part of my day was going to Starbucks with Mommy, you know, and I just remember like the sincerity in her voice. I remember thinking she must be an incredible mom, you know, and like this guy. Right. I had just a guy just like that, you know, and it just was kind of heartbreaking. Karen Kane and mentioned that she had heard him praying with his kids one night. Was this a different thing? Was he praying or just sort of tucking them in? He wasn't praying

with them. He was talking about crack. How was he talking about crack with them? I think he asked, it might have been like he asked what she got or something and she couldn't tell him or he kept interrupting and he was joking with her and was like, did you get crack? And she was like, no, dad, you know, so. But I just thought that was a weird, like, do you guys talk about that all the time? You know, like, why do you, why do you bring that up? It's just not, it doesn't seem appropriate. So, and I'm not sure why he wanted me to hear the whole thing that was, you know, it was almost like he wanted so much praise for everything that he did. Right. Yeah, he clearly wanted you to see what a good father, right, the father he was. And so I don't know if you remember me saying on the stand that, you know,

when the, when his attorney had asked me, you were getting lots of compliments, didn't that feel good? And I had answered, I'm not sure that that always felt good, actually. And that's why I felt like it was love bombing. It was manipulation a lot of times. And it was fake. So in my gut, it didn't always feel good. You know, I didn't like it. And it made me think in my head, like, am I supposed to be giving him more praise? Is that why he's like just overwhelmingly complimenting me? So you questioned it. Yeah. I did. I did. I did. I questioned everything. As the, you know, relationship went on further and farther. I kept questioning everything, including the gift for my daughter, including, you know, all his kind words, just everything. I think that I was ultimately a pawn in his game.

Well, and like you pointed out, you even questioned that moment when he was putting his children to bed and his daughter shared about Angela. And you thought, what a wonderful mother. She actually probably. Well, I know so now after hearing everything, you know, I haven't listened to all the testimony, but from what I've heard and I know personally how hard it is to be a mom in an abusive relationship because you have to work 10 times harder to protect your kids and, give them the love and security that they need and to make up for the abuse, you know, and just to protect them. It's exhausting. It is. It is. It really, really is. And she gave it her all to protect them. And six. I mean, wow. It's a lot. Yeah. Before I switched to wealth front, my APY was probably 0.1. Like, it was a joke. I was literally getting pennies. Once I switched With a Wealthfront cash account, earn up to 4.2% APY on your cash. The high APY with Wealthfront was a clear winner.

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These and eligibility requirements may apply to certain checking features of the cash account. How did you all of a sudden get involved? I mean, clearly, did police reach out to you? Did you come forward? How did this happen? Take me back to the moment you were talking to police. Yeah. So I was going through so much when this case happened.

I had stopped talking to him. I shortly after that lost my attorney. And then shortly after that had false allegations made against me. and had my kids taken from me. And I was representing myself. And I went homeless and was just in the fight of my life, you know. And so I had stopped talking to him. And then I was really leaning on one of my really good friends.

And he was really, he was the only one that I talked to about being in arrangements. So he knew about it. And he would ask me like, hey, how's your sugar daddy? doing, you know, and I'd be like, not good. I got to stop talking to the guy, you know. It's just, he's saying some really scary stuff. So I had confided into him and he was on and off again battling cancer. And his cancer had come back. And so we were, we had planned a trip to Europe to just celebrate his life because he was like, I'm not going to do chemo again. I can't take all my money with me. I don't want to do chemo. I want to live. You know, I want to live. And so we had

planned to go. And then he actually died of a massive heart attack the day that we were supposed to leave. And so I was grieving him. And then I opened my Google feed and I saw James's face. And that's how I found out that he murdered her. And I just started bawling. Yeah. I just started bawling. And I remember she was like, what's wrong, mom? And I was like, oh my God, He did it. He did it. He did it. Did you see then that he had been arrested at that? Yes. I knew if his face was on, you know, national news on my Google feed that it wasn't for no reason. So did you reach out to law enforcement or did they reject you? So I did not.

Okay. They did. I would have to tell you my whole story to help you understand how diabolical my interactions with law enforcement have been throughout my entire life. I trust you. I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't judge you for not reaching out to them. I think people do and they, you know, they might without knowing my story. And so it's just, it's really been heartbreaking. And I remember against my best judgment teaching my children, you know, you can trust the police. If you need help, you can go to them. And then they were as well let down because when they went with their dad, they were still being beat by him and eventually they would go into foster care the last two years. So they had called the

police six times and ran away three times with no help. And he's been charged with abuse against them before. So it was just really, I don't trust them because they've never been there for me. And I even in this case, honestly. So I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I was scared, but I knew that eventually they'd be coming to talk to me. I, because my ex got a caseworker to help him lie and make allegations and get my kids taken from me, that was my number one priority. And I did end up working with the Colorado Embudsman for Child Protection Services and helping them with an investigation.

And the caseworker was eventually arrested on 99 charges. So I fought really hard, but that was my mind. main focus and I left town because I didn't feel safe. And I just continued my fight and tried to survive the best that I could, which was, it was not easy. Yeah. Yeah. And so when did police reach out to you then finally? So they finally reached out to me in February of 2024. So like a year ago. Is that right? I believe so. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Because she died in 20, It was a year later, 24. Yep.

And was it a call? Did they come to where you were living? I actually, I was flying back and forth from where I was living out of state to Colorado to see my kids at supervised visits eventually. And then also for my court hearings. So I was back. I had flown back to go to my court hearing for they had opened a dependency and neglect case on my ex when he hurt my son again. but we had that hearing and then as I was walking out, they kind of grabbed me by my arm and pulled me into a room. And I didn't know who they were.

Okay. Wow. Yeah, that's intense. It was intense. Yeah. That's really intense. Yeah. And I'm sure once they shared, you knew what it was about.

Yeah. I mean, I had a feeling they were coming, you know. it seemed like they already kind of had a narrative that I had seen, you know, within the news about Karen and how that was his motive and everything else. And so I was just waiting to tell my truth. But it was scary, you know, and it was right in front of my abuser. And I was just really, really worried how that was going to affect my custody case. that I'd worked so hard for.

That would be hard. Yeah. Yeah. You're, you know, you were on that stand. How do you feel that went on the stand during trial? I think it went good. I feel like I was clear and I was focused and I was, you know, just honest and to the point. I was trying really hard to not get emotional.

and I knew that that was going to be hard, but that was one of my main goals, is just not to get emotional or intimidated by him. And I think I did pretty good. There was definitely stuff that I could have said if the, you know, defense or either party asked me, but I think that I just gave them the facts that they wanted. I want to go back a step to something else you brought up

because I can't imagine what you were feeling. to you're not necessarily looking for his story, but it comes across your Google news feed that someone you dated and hung out with was arrested for killing his wife and you said, you know, he did it. He did it. Oh my gosh. Did you think ever that he was actually capable?

Absolutely not. I never would have slept next to him at night, you know, which I did in the hotel. But I remember thinking my spirit didn't feel right because when I woke up, he said, you're a crazy sleeper. And I was like, that's not normal. I've never heard that. And I was like, what do you mean?

And he said, you were kicking and hitting me all night. And I said, oh, that doesn't seem right. So I think he was either messing with me all night or my spirit was just trying to warn me, you know. But at the same time, he, he was. looked so normal. He seemed like a normal guy, very well regarded, very religious, and of course, I never thought he would do it. I still am in shock that he was capable of that. But when you saw it in the Google feed, you believed it. You said, you get it. I knew exactly. Yeah. Yeah, because that's what, that's the reason why I stopped talking to him. Because he just, he seemed,

fixated and he just didn't seem safe. There's something off maybe, as you say, your spirit sort of telling you something. Yeah. I mean, I didn't really see the red flags because I was so, I was just going through so much and I was still so clouded from the abuse that I went through, which I'm still, it's going to take a long time to rewire my brain from that abuse. And I'm not sure if you can relate, but it's just. It's hard to explain.

It really does a number on people. Yeah. Yeah, it's manipulation. It's confusion. It's you can't see left from right, right? And it's so much harder to get out than people realize. Yeah, it's what you. How are you doing today?

I'm okay. I've had to be so strong throughout all of this, juggling all these different cases at the same time. and there was actually another one that I narrowly escaped because of this case. I was extorted because this man thought that he was going to make a lot of money off this case. And I had to escape him. And then he actually punished me by going to my ex, who I was in a custody battle with, and telling him that I had hired a hitman to kill him.

So then they started a whole investigation here. And eventually they were like, there is no evidence. We think he's trying to set her up. So it didn't work. But yeah, it's been a lot. It's been a lot. I ended up, you know, having to get an abortion by that man because he held me hostage and assaulted me.

And he was charged. I finally had the courage to go, you know, get help. But I'm still scared. I'm still scared. You've been through a lot. I have, yeah, yeah. But I have my kids, I have my kids full time. I just got them back.

Today I was, you know, in court, everybody's recommending full decision making and full custody for me. And we're just really happy. We're such a team, the four of us. My youngest is starting high school this year. And we're just trying to move forward. We're just ready to heal, you know, and start making some happy memories instead of just battling constantly and just trying to make it

one day to the next, which is still hard because I'm doing it 100% on my own financially. He doesn't want to help and, you know, hides all his assets. So that kind of thing. But it's freedom and freedom is priceless. And if I can continue to have freedom this way, it's empowering. I think that that's one thing that I never really learned in my life and why I kept ending up in these situations is that I am capable of doing it on my own and I don't need a man. And if I am solid and independent on my own, then that's when I'm going to finally be able to find healthy relationships because both parties are there for the right reason. And so I'm hopeful that maybe one day I can find that.

I hope so too for you. But until then, it doesn't matter because you're on your own, you're your children, and I'm happy that you're in a better place. Yeah, and we've gained so much perspective. You know, it's like the money and the assets are so important to him as they were with James. But in the end, the most important thing is the people and the relationships and the time that you get with them and the memories. Those are priceless. In perspective, you can't even.

buy that if you have a gazillion dollars, you know, you have to earn it. And that's what we have. And so we hope to just move forward and help others that have, you know, that are walking through the same path that we did or have pain and suffering. And I really hope to be part of the change in the system because it's really heartbreaking how it's letting women down. And by the grace of God, I'm not, I'm not in Angela's position. know, but narrowly. And when I was brave enough to finally leave, I thought that the court system was going to protect me, but they didn't at all. And so I just think that our system is broken and that we can all do better. And there's not enough support out there for women and it should not be this hard to leave

violence. Thank you for sharing that. Thank you. I hope that things are better for you moving forward. Thank you. And thank you for sharing compassion, though, for those that are in abusive situations, how difficult it is to leave. It's not so simple. It's not so easy to walk away. And there are dangers in doing that as well. Yeah, that's hard.

And it's also confusing. It's confusing when there is emotional abuse and manipulation going on. Yeah. And when there's children involved. And when there's children involved. But thank you in this case for testifying and for standing up for truth because ultimately it helped lead to justice for Angela. Yeah.

I mean, I wish I would have known that he was going to do this and done more. I really do. I hold that guilt. And a lot of people say that I shouldn't. But that's kind of a battle that I have to work through. I just, all I can do is help others moving forward and give back and be the best need that I can be. and be honest and shed light on the truth. Yeah.

And you were honest. And doing this interview is also something that's really honest and helpful. So thank you. Yeah. Thank you. And I hope that my story gives others hope because, you know, women can do it. They can do it even if they don't believe they can. Thank you.

Is there anything else you want to say anything I haven't asked you today? I don't think so. It's just there's no winners here. You know, it's so sad. I don't know how you feel today after going through weeks of that, but... Sad. Yeah, it's really hard. It's really hard.

Me too. And ironically, I had both in my cases end on the same day, which is today, after just years of battling. And, I mean, I think that it's molded me for a bigger problem. purpose and I hope to make, you know, change with that purpose and help others. But at the same time, it's just so heavy. There's no winners. Yeah, there aren't. Yeah.

Justice has been served and yet it's a sad day. It is. It is. All right. Carrie, thank you so much. We so appreciate you. Well, can I ask you this? Can I ask you why you were willing.

I'm grateful you were to come forward today and talk to me today. Absolutely. I mean, I've watched a lot of your work and your news stories, and I feel like you do a really thorough job and stick to the facts and the truth. And I like that about you. I respect that. And then you were very gracious with me in the comments that you made. Not everybody has been. But also, I just think it's really important to get the truth out there and to shed light on, you know, violence and family violence. and things that people aren't talking about, you know, like the 48% of women that are forced into the sex trade because of family violence. It's real. It's really happening. And I'm not the only one. So I think that we should talk about it. And, you know, just if you're silent, it allows abusers to keep abusing. So I don't want to be, I don't want to be silent. And I don't want to be silenced by my abusers. So that's why. That's a remarkable reason to come forward, and I commend you for that.

So thank you. Thank you so much. We'll see you. Thanks. At my bank, I was literally getting pennies using wealthfront. Chiching, there's this much that I'm getting an interest, and I didn't have to do anything. Clients like Angela earn up to 4.2% APY on their cash with the Wealthfront cash account. Get started at Wealthfront.com.

Client was paid $1,000 for their testimonial, creating a conflict of interest. Outcomes vary. 3.3%. Base API as of January 30 at 20. 20206 is representative variable and earned on funds swept to program banks. 0.65% new client boost for three months on up to $150,000. Direct deposit $1,000 a month and fund an investing account for a 0.25% increase. Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, member FINRA SIPC, not a bank. Before I switched to Wealthfront, my APY was probably 0.1.

Once I switched to chiching. With the Wealthfront cash account, earn up to 4.2% APY on your cash. I can trust. Wealthfront is taking care of me. Make your money earn more. Get started at Wealthfront.com. Clients were paid $1,000 for their testimonials, creating a conflict of interest. How Comes Very 3.3%.

Base API Y as of January 30th, 20206 is representative variable and earned on funds swept to program banks. 0.65% new client boost for three months on up to $150,000. Direct deposit $1,000 a month and fund an investing account for a 0.25% increase. Cash account offered by Wealthfront Brogeridge LLC member FINRA SIPC, not a bank.