Law&Crime Sidebar - 4 Killers Who Tried to Defend Their Crimes on the Stand

Episode Date: January 2, 2025

It’s up to each individual defendant to decide if they want to take the stand in their own defense during trial. In 2024, multiple alleged killers tried to defend their actions, but were unable to sway a jury. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber takes a closer look at some of the most shocking testimony.PLEASE SUPPORT THE SHOW: Download the FREE Upside App at https://upside.app.link/sidebar to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas.HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger and Christina FalconeScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrime/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wondery Plus subscribers can binge all episodes of this Law and Crimes series ad-free right now. Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Agent Nate Russo returns in Oracle 3, Murder at the Grandview, the latest installment of the gripping Audible Original series. When a reunion at an abandoned island hotel turns deadly, Russo must untangle accident from murder. But beware, something sinister lurks in the grand. View Shadows. Joshua Jackson delivers a bone-chilling performance in this supernatural thriller that

will keep you on the edge of your seat. Don't let your fears take hold of you as you dive into this addictive series. Love thrillers with a paranormal twist? The entire Oracle trilogy is available on Audible. Listen now on Audible. I did not kill Mr. German. Somebody frame me for this. Can you tell us how many shots you fired? I have no idea. I was in a panic. I just kind of, I zipped him up. We thought it was funny. You left Araya in the car for over five hours, correct?

Yes, sir. What happens when the accused takes the stand to tell their side of the story? Well, this year has delivered some truly jaw-dropping moments. From Ashley Benefield's emotional breakdown to Sarah Boone's chilling reenactment of a deadly game, and the unforgettable moment when Robert Tellis bizarrely removed his shoe. We're about to revisit the most dramatic, shocking, and unfortunate. testimonies from defendants who dared to take the stand. Welcome to Sidebar.

Presented by Law and Crime, I'm Jesse Weber. Well, in a series of gripping and unpredictable trials, numerous defendants took the stand in 2024, and they shared their versions of what happened, their versions of tragic events that turn their lives upside down. This is raw, often contradictory testimony, reveals moments of vulnerability, anger, regret, and it's captured the attention of juries and the public alike. In a year that sealed the fates of all kinds of defendants, from those accused of cold-blooded murder to those who failed to prove self-defense, we're going to take you through some of the most

gripping moments from the testimony of those who chose to tell their side of the story when they took the stand. Now, our first story begins in Las Vegas, Nevada, where a former elected official stood trial accused of murdering an investigative journalist. The motive? prosecutors say it was due to negative articles, some of which exposed an alleged toward affair. This is the trial of Robert Tellis, the former Clark County Public Administrator, who was arrested for the killing of longtime veteran journalist Jeff Gehrman. Now, at the time of German's killing, Tellis was up for re-election, and he lost, and he eerily admitted in his testimony that he believed, if not for Gorman, he would have won.

The 46-year-old was arrested on September 7, 22, five days after German's lifeless body was discovered outside of his Las Vegas home. 69-year-old German, a journalist with over 40 years of experience, had been stabbed seven times. And this was a death that just rocked the community, where he was known for his in-depth investigative reporting. Hey, so we really wanted to bring you this compilation episode of Defendants Taking the Stand. And for that, I have to thank our sponsor, Upside, because it's with their support that helps make episodes like this possible.

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promo code sidebar because you get an extra 25 cents back on every gallon on your first tank of gas. In the parties, they reviewed key surveillance footage from a nearby home, which revealed some very key clues about the suspect. They could see a person in the video wearing a large straw sun hat, an orange reflective or high visibility safety jacket, walking to and from German's home on the day of the murder. And what stood out to investigators was the man's walk, which eerily matched a videotaken of Robert Tellis when he was previously interviewed by German. Investigators also spotted a maroon Yukondinale near the scene. They were able to link the car to Tellis' wife, and once they searched Tellis' home, they made even more damning discoveries because inside the home, police found a cut-up straw hat

that matched the one seen in the surveillance footage. They also discovered a bloody sneaker that looked like the one that the suspect was wearing, and if that wasn't enough, after taking a sample of Tellus' DNA, investigators were able to match it to DNA from underneath German's finger. fingernails, linking him directly to the crime scene. Now, despite all of this, Tell Us, maybe in a Hail Mary, he chose to take the stand to tell the jury his version of events. And when he took the stand, his testimony shocked the courtroom for two reasons.

One, he testified in a kind of narrative style. This is when an attorney doesn't ask the defendant any questions. Instead, the defendant just tells their story. So Tell us essentially was just able to ramble on and on. It was never revealed by his defense attorney why he chose to do this. But the second shocking part of this testimony came after he took the stand when he made this claim. Somebody frame me for this, and I believe it is Compost Realty. And I believe that it's for the work that I've done against them.

Okay, so Compass Realty is a real estate firm that Tell Us Believe was involved in a bribery scheme. And while he was in office, he was working with the detective to try and expose this. Well, ultimately, nothing really came of that investigation. but Tellis was convinced that this is what led to his murder charge. He stood by it, even in the face of what I mentioned is compelling evidence. Now, as Tellus told his story, there was one bizarre moment that came when he showed the jury pictures of his home after the police had raided it. Now, other than the state of disarray inside the home as a result of the raid, there was nothing really particularly odd about the images. Nevertheless, it made Tellis quite emotional.

I walked into the house and it what I saw hit me even harder. So I found my wife sitting on the floor in our bedroom and blew of this mess. So this for me was, you know, the thing that just broke me. I I'm sorry I knew I didn't do this thing and yet the police claim to have this evidence did what they did to me and I have a million dollar life insurance policy I didn't want my family to have to go through more more torture and so I I don't know what I was thinking but I thought you know what if I can avoid the pain they're going to suffer during this whole circus and and put some money in into their

hands to make up for you not being there than maybe this thing did you but it was me never I'm not guilty I didn't kill Mr. so but as you can see I attempted suicide and SWAT came in and pulled me out and put me into that ambulance the detective Jappy came into the ambulance and you know when he came to the ambulance he came in to extract the confession from him um it was conveyed that if I would just be guilty that. And honestly, as far as I recall, that was the only time Tellis showed that kind of emotion

during his testimony. He didn't shed, from what I saw, single tear over German's death, even on cross-examination. We're going to get to that. But I want to take you to another part of Tellus' testimony, which was also really odd, because he spent a lot of time attempting to write off any evidence.

And this included the Nike brand shoes that the suspect was seen wearing in the suit. surveillance footage. So in an attempt to convince the jury that it was not his Nike shoes, TELUS actually removed his own shoe on the stand and gave this bizarre explanation. Your Honor, may I just stand up for one moment to show the jury why I didn't wear name brand shoes at the office? Just for a moment and right where I'm at. um so um i don't know if you notice the height difference um i i wear lifts in my shoes uh i'm about six foot five and a half and uh call it a vanity thing right i just wanted to feel a little

taller and so if i may just just demonstrate why this is important so These shoes that have built in lifts, they're designed a certain way where they don't slip off a person's foot when you're wearing them. You can see how this is so elongated because there's a lift in here. So you can't put, it's not, from when I've tried, I could not put a lift in an A brand shoe

because that shoe would slip right off. There's not enough of the back of this once that lifts in there in order to grab a hold of your foot. So essentially, I'd be kicking my shoes off every time I walk. So, you know, I never wore, again, any type of name brand shoe at the office. And I think that that's something that will likely be discussed at closing and how that's relevant. Well, during cross-examination, as you can imagine, the prosecutor did. didn't go easy on Tellus and really focused specifically on how Tellus's DNA could have ended up under German's fingernails that the two of them had no reason to ever be in physical proximity to each other. Tellus didn't really seem to have an answer for this.

There's one thing I didn't hear you mention, the DNA. I'd like to talk about that with you. You're not disputing that your DNA is underneath Mr. German's fingernails, are you? Yes, I am. Okay. But you've heard the testimony. It's there, correct? I don't know if it was there or at what point it might have gotten there, sir. Okay.

I'm not asking you how it got there. Are you really denying that your DNA is underneath the fingernails? Without knowing the truth, yes, I am. Okay. Well, you've heard witnesses testify. Right. So you, oh, let the DNA labs in on it too? I don't know.

At what point, I don't know what point this sample is collected? Sir, please tell this jury how in the world Does your DNA get underneath Mr. German's fingernails? I don't know because I did not kill Mr. German. You have no idea how it could have gotten underneath your fingernails, correct? Under my fingers? I'm sorry, under his fingernails, correct? I don't know that it ever was, sir.

All right. Let's do it another way. You and Mr. German are not friends, are you? No. Okay, you don't hang out with him ever? Sir, I did not ever hang out with Mr. Herman when he was alive. My question is yes. You didn't hang out with him ever, correct?

I did not. He's never invited you over to his house. No, sir. You've never hung out, had drinks at a bar, correct? Yes. There would be really no opportunity for him ever to put his hands on you in any sort of social situation, correct? Correct, sir. And yet, these two people who are not friends, your DNA just happens to be underneath the fingernails.

Correct? No, sir. Okay. You just don't think it was legitimately placed there, correct? Or are you just ignoring the testimony of all of the witnesses that talked about how your DNA was underneath the fingernails? Again, at some point in another, I believe it was planted because I did not kill Mr. German. And by that logic, if you believe it was planted, you were at least admitting, yes, my DNA is underneath his fingernails, correct? Can you at least agree with me on that?

Whether it came from a sample of the fingernails or a different sample altogether, I don't know, I couldn't tell you, sir. The answer to my question is yes. You're at least acknowledging my physical DNA is underneath the fingernails. No, sir. Okay, great. So you're just going to disregard what every, what all the other DNA witnesses said about this, correct? And, you know, that's fair. That's fine. Totally fine. Now, another major blow to tell us his defense is that when investigators searched his cell phone, they found numerous pictures of German's house from all different angles. The garage from the top of the roof to the mailbox. The list goes on. Now, why were all of these pictures on his phone? Take a listen for yourself. There's over a hundred images of Bronze Circle neighborhood in your house, correct? In your phone. Isn't that right?

I don't know that they are, sir. Okay. Well, then let's start clicking. Plus two, again, I wouldn't use my card. It's not my question. My question is, this is contained in your phone, right, sir? I don't believe so. Okay, you don't believe so.

If it is in there, I didn't put it there, sir. Okay, so the answer is it's there, but you didn't put it there, correct? Again, I do not know that it's there, and I certainly did not put it there. Okay, so we're just... Okay, sir. You're asking you to testify something that I can't tell you is true. Right, but you did hear the testimony of someone coming into it and looked in his phone and that stuff is there, correct? That's what they said.

It's the same phone that your expert looked at, correct? To extract celebrate data from, right? It's exact same phone, correct? Sure. Did you ever hear Mr. Arborro ever say that your phone was compromised in any way? Did you ever hear that from him? We never asked him that question. Okay, but he didn't say it, did he? The question was never asked. Right. He looked at your data, he prepared a report, and alerted no one to any problems with your phone, correct? I don't know. I would object you. He was not called upon him to review the phone. You reviewed the celebrate extractions from the house. I object to just find the question. We can move on.

You heard from Matt Hobatics from the VATL department. He testified that there weren't any issues with this fellow, correct? When he looked at data that came from it, correct? He said that, you know, I guess they try not to modify contents of things, but he didn't say that it was impossible. Here, well, we can do this too. You got up on direct examination, and you went through message by message by message, and you didn't complain about any of the messages that were.

were on a September 2nd, correct? I disputed. Sure. You offered testimony to this jury about the timeline, correct? Yes. You went text by text and phone call by phone call and you explained things, right? Right. At no point did you say, oh, there's a problem here, correct? Correct.

You had no problem with that information, did you? Right. Okay. Sir, do you find it a little bit? strange that when you find information that's helpful for you in your phone, you don't think there's a problem with it, but when there's damaging evidence in your phone, you believe maybe it's been hacked or compromised? I do think that if someone was trying to frame you, that obviously they would leave

the content that I made on the phone as well as whatever they decided to put on there. So after all of this, can you guess what conclusions the jury came to? Take a listen. We did a jury in the above entitled case by the defendant, Robert, tell us as follows. with use of a deadly weapon, victim 60 years of age or older. Guilty, a first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon, victim 60 years of age or older. Special verdict. The jury unanimously finds the murder willful, deliberate, and premeditated. The jury unanimously finds a murder was committed by means of lying in wait. The jury unanimously finds a murder was committed

by means of elder abuse. Guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon, special verdict the jury unanimously finds the murder willful deliberate premeditated and robert tellus was later sentenced to life in prison but with the possibility of parole after 26 years all right now let's head down to florida for our next case where a ballerina stood trial accused of gunning down her husband during a supposed violent altercation this is the trial of 33-year-old ashley benefield who was charged with killing her husband douglas benefield who was 25 years older than she was now after knowing each other for just 13 days. They got married in 2016 after meeting in South Carolina. Benefield eventually became pregnant with the couple's child, moved to Florida,

entering into a contentious custody battle with Douglas that stemmed from accusations of abuse. But despite several hearings, a judge determined that Benefield's allegations came up short in credibility, and Douglas was awarded visitation shortly before his death. The two were able to reconcile briefly in the time leading up to his death, but it all came to a head in September of 2020 when Douglas was helping Benefield move belongings out of her Florida home to Maryland, where she planned to live with him, and Benefield shot Douglas in her bedroom in what she claimed was self-defense after he allegedly assaulted her in a confrontation that had escalated. That confrontation, she says, began when

Douglas grew angry over her telling him what to do with the boxes before ramming things into her and body-checking her, and it just continued to get uglier from there. So when Benefield took the stand, she was shown a picture of her face with apparent bruising from the day of the altercation where she emotionally described a frightening picture of a man she says she couldn't recognize. It's a picture of my face. Is it an accurate picture of what your face looked like on that night? Yes, sir. Who took that photograph?

Um, I don't remember her name. She was at the sheriff's office. sheriff's office okay now what is it about that photograph that shows or reflects the slap or the hit that you got to the side of your head on that day by Doug um that side of my face is like swollen and buffy and discolored around my eye and is your eyelid drooping yes on the side where you are Yes. Your Honor, I move Fence Exhibit Number 7 into evidence.

Received? Received. What was different at that moment, Ashley, than at any time in your prior relationship with Doug? He had never actually hit me before. What did you do? I ran. Where?

To my room. Why? Because I was scared. Ashley, did you have anything in your room that could protect you? I had my gun. Did you grab the gun? Yes. As you're grabbing the gun, what, if anything, did you hear?

I heard the door hitting the doorstop. As if it is flung open? Yes. And what do you see, Ashley, when you look up? Doug was standing in the doorway. His face was red. Like the veins were bulging in his neck. his neck. The way he was looking at me, it didn't even look like Doug. His eyes were black.

Does he yell anything at you? He said you're done. And then she just described this harrowing moment when she says she had no other choice but to shoot him. What does he do at that point? I just held the gun like in front of me and I said stop and he like turned and you got into this like it was like a fighting stance you know like I got low and he started like moving his arms and his hands around you were making these like jerking motions what were you expecting when you were holding the gun out in front of you and you told them to stop I thought when you saw it he would leave Did he?

No. At that point, Ashley, what are you thinking? I thought he was going to kill me. Tell us what happens next. He started coming towards me, and then he lunged at me, and I started pulling the trigger. And he just kept coming. I don't remember trying to move to get away from him, but he kept coming at me. Ashley, would you tell us why if you're holding the loaded firearm, you were attempting to move away.

I was taken away from him. I was terrified. All right. So you're firing. He keeps advancing. What happens next? It was like his feet slipped out from under him and his legs went up in the air. When Doug hits the floor, what's your immediate reaction? I ran to get home. Can you tell us how many shots you fired? I have no idea. I was in a panic. Do you remember anything about the shooting beyond what you've told us here?

It was a blur. Now, on cross-examination, the prosecutor questioned Benefield, if she truly did believe Douglas was going to kill her, focusing on a few key moments in her testimony that, you know, maybe seemed odd. For one, she questioned why Benefield's mother, who was initially with her, left the house and left her behind with a man she said she was afraid of. And also, she focused on whether or not the violence that Benefield described was actually enough cause for her to be afraid. You invited him over? Yes. to help you move stuff in the house well specifically stuff in the garage

but yes stuff in the garage to the truck and he came to your house a couple of times he came and then left and then came back again yeah I believe he came twice that day and there is a gate to your community and when he's at the gate

you had to let him in Um, sometimes, uh, because he was frequent in and out, um, sometimes the gate remembers license plates and sometimes it opens and sometimes it doesn't, um, sometimes he would just follow people in. Um, the gate kind of stays open for a while, um, but, yeah, sorry. But on this day, you weren't concerned about him coming over. No, I knew he was coming. Okay. And when he came over, your mother and Emerson went to the park? I believe they were headed there. I'm not sure. I think they were down the driveway or on the sidewalks,

something like that. They were on their way there. You weren't so afraid that you wanted your mother to stay there and watch. No, we were just packing to move. Okay. So you weren't afraid? I definitely didn't expect this stuff. So it was okay with you.

that your mother left? Yeah, that time. OK. So if I heard you right during your direct, you said he bumped your shoulder twice, body check. I don't know if that's what you called it. He walked into you with a box, right?

Yes. And then at the end, you say he slapped you? He hit me. I don't. I wouldn't know how to classify it. He struck me. He hit me. Was his hand open or closed?

I don't remember. Okay. And because of those things, you claimed that you thought he was going to kill you. He had never hit me before. Okay. And you thought he was going to kill you? He wouldn't let me leave. I tried to leave.

He stopped me. The question is, you thought who was going to kill you? Yeah. Okay. And the prosecutor even asked Benefield to demonstrate exactly what Douglas was doing at the moment she decided to shoot him. And apparently, this was just too much for Benefield to handle. And you claim that Doug does what? He came and slammed the door open.

He was standing in the doorway. He said, you're fucking done. He said you're a gun. And that made you fear for your life. Yeah. Can we turn the lights up, please? Thank you. So he says you're a gun and you point the gun and you shoot.

I held it out in front of me first so he could see it. And I said stop. Judge, if I could have her step down so she can demonstrate. So Doug opens the door. And does what? Standing in the doorway like this.

You put your f*** done. And I hope it got out and worry me to stop. He started to this, like, fighting forward. He was, like, turning sideways. And he was, like, moving around with his, like, arms and his hands. And he started, like, inching forward towards me. So he's... Why do you call it a fighting situation?

He looks like a fighter. Like, a... I don't know, like a ninja or something, I don't know. Okay, so he's standing there. he turns to like this and starts moving his arms around. Well, show me. What was he doing? I kind of like, I don't know.

He was like making like fighting motions. I don't know. I'm not a fighter. I don't know. Okay. It was scary. Did he have his hands and fists? Not at that point.

They were like, I don't know. Was he coming at you like this? And he lunged at me. He came right quickly. Okay. Okay, so he lunged, was his fist up when he lunged? I don't remember. So you start shooting.

And he does what? I think I'm coming at me. Okay, so then you keep shooting again. And he falls down on his back? His legs went up in the air. Okay, where his legs go? In the air. How high in the end?

I don't know. Do they go over his head? I don't know. It's like his feet slip. out and he was beaten his legs one up in the air and were you still shooting at the time i don't remember you can have a seat and proceedings actually came to a halt for about 15 minutes after her emotional breakdown but unfortunately for miss benefield her tears were not enough to convince the jury to acquit The state of Florida versus Ashley Benefield. Case number 2020 CF 3014. Verdict.

The jury finds as follows as to the defendant in this case. The defendant is guilty of manslaughter or lesser included offense. Did Ashley Benefield actually carry a firearm? Yes. Did Ashley Benefield discharge a firearm? Yes. Did Ashley Benefield, as a result of discharging the firearm, caused death to Douglas Benfield, yes. Yep, so Ashley Benefield was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the killing of Douglas Benefield. Okay, so we're going to stay in Florida for this next case, and you might recognize this one for this bizarre and disturbing video that went viral prior to the trial. For everything you've done to me. Sarah. For everything you've done to me.

Sarah. Fuck you. Sarah. Sack you. Sarah. Stupid. Sarah. That's my name.

Don't wear it up. Sarah. I can't . Yeah, that's when you do when you took me. Sarah. Sarah, I can't breathe, babe. That's on you can breathe, babe. That's on you.

Sarah, I can breathe. It's on you Carol Riggleronsum I want to get video for it extra Because I got this Serra

Riggle Aroussin Rack I I can I can't breathe baby Oh, that's what I feel like when he ching on me. Sarah. Please, Sarah.

Yeah. You should probably shut the fuck up. Yep, we're talking about Sarah Boone. The woman who stood trial accused of zipping her boyfriend George Torres inside of a suitcase, leaving him there to die overnight. That horrifying ordeal took place on February 24, 20, 20, when Boone said she discovered Torres dead after a night of drinking in the couple's shared apartment. Boone insisted that the two were just playing hide and seek, that George willingly climbed in the suitcase. However, the troubling videos that surfaced told a very different story, one where Boone appeared to be laughing and taunting George while he was trapped inside of that luggage, begging for help.

Now, by the time Boone had stood trial, she had burned through, what, eight attorneys? At one point, she was representing herself after a judge ruled she had forfeited her right to legal representation. But a ninth attorney, James Owen, stepped in to take her case on. Now, when Boone took the stand, she argued this kind of battered spouse syndrome defense, citing years of alleged domestic abuse that she had suffered at the hands of George. But it seems maybe the most chilling part of her testimony was her description of this deadly game that started out just as some sort of funny joke of some sort. I mean, I just kind of, I zipped him up, we thought it was funny, and we're joking about how he was, I guess, small enough to fit inside of the suitcase. All right, so what happened then? From there, it was just, we were laughing about it, and it was just, it was just strange that he was small enough to fit in there, and then,

I kind of moved it around a little bit with him in the suitcase still. It was still funny that he was still in the suitcase. Just I think he and I were just kind of couldn't believe that he could fit in the suitcase. Did you eventually close the top? Yes, in order for, well, the top was already closed. As he was settling himself in there, that's how I knew he was in there, was because the top was kind of flopping a little bit. So he had got in there to hide, and he pulled the top.

Yes. On top of him. But you could tell, he was in there. Yes. You saw him right away. Yes. All right. So at some point, did you zip him up?

Yes. And what was he saying or doing when you were zipping him up? I just thought it was funny. Well, you both laughed? Yes. And so you zipped him up, were y'all still laughing once you zipped him up? once you zipped him up? Yes.

And Boone testified that things began to escalate from just fun and games to sheer terror on her part. She said that when she saw George trying to escape the suitcase with his hand, she forced it back inside. And she revealed in her own words why she decided to tape or record George struggling inside of the suitcase, which she explained had to do with wanting him to feel the way that she said he made her feel during periods of alleged abuse. That's when I went over and decided to videotape to just see the, I guess, the jest in it for him to understand that right now I feel safe and right now I have the ability to actually speak to you in a manner that normally I would not have the ability to do.

And you were intoxicated. Yes. And you would agree that you set some things you should not. Yes. But you realized he could not get out and get at you. Is that fair? At that moment, yes. So it goes on for about 10 minutes.

Yes. You heard it here today. Did you not? Yes. You heard his voice as he was speaking from the suitcase. Yes. That was his voice on the video and audio. Yes.

And you heard your voice on the video and audio? Yes. That was your voice. Yes. All those things said by the man were said by George in that two-minute video. Correct. All the words said by the female were said by you in that two-minute video. Correct.

Were you intending on showing him the video the next day? Yes. At the time, or the next day, is it fair to say you don't even remember a video thing? I do not. So, from what you can tell, from watching it, did that refresh your memory about that event? It did.

Why did you say all that? I want you all to know that I, the majority of the time, I'm always afraid and always scared. All right, well, I understand that. Okay, I understand that. But would it be fair to say that you had some anger at that point? I did. Would it be fair to say that you wanted to tell him off to some degree?

I just wanted, yes, for him to have a better understanding. You know, even as George could be heard begging for her to help, Boone admitted she did nothing to let him out of the suitcase. Now, at some point after this, Boone said she went up to bed, leaving George inside, and the next day she made a discovery that left her in her words, aghast. How did you feel when you saw the suitcase? I don't think I've ever experienced anything like that before. Describe it for the jury.

I guess it was... I was aghast, and... I just can't describe the feeling... Bless you. degree. I'm sorry. Say that again now? It was terror to a certain degree.

I just can't describe it in words, the feeling of remembering. And then he was still in there. So what did you do? I immediately unzipped the... I immediately unzipped the suitcase and I... was screaming George George George and I was shaking him I was shaking him and I pulled him out and I stretched him out flat and then I began instantly trying to do CPR and then was trying to look for a pulse or a breath or just anything and I was just screaming his name over and over and over and over and come on George come on George and And I continued CPR, continued CPR, and I continued CPR, and he was gurgling and...

What color was he? Yes. He was purple. Well, on cross-examination, the prosecutor attempted to poke holes in Boone's testimony by suggesting that on the day of the incident, there was nothing violent that happened. This was just one big Sunday, fun day for the two of them. He had been angry on and off about the entire day. Okay.

You didn't tell us that earlier. You said it was a wonderful, fun day all day, correct? That's because I learned. Okay. But you did not tell us earlier today that he had been angry throughout the day. When would I say that? You described your entire day of doing puzzles, arts and crafts, and outside by the dartboard, and you said it was a wonderful day and everything was fun until he was in the suitcase.

Did you not testify to that earlier today? I did. Okay. My specific question between these two movies is this is when he begins to get angry and trying to push his way out and to get out of the suitcase, correct? Angry again, yes. And he was expressing his anger in what manner. How did he say this?

At which point throughout the day? Ma'am, you know very well that I'm talking about between these movies. Please answer my question. Between these two movies, how did he express his anger with you? Told me that I was going to die. Okay. Now, this is happening after he's already told you several times he cannot breathe in the suitcase, correct? Correct.

And he's been in there for whatever brief amount of time it took you to zip him up, and the laughter stops, and then you go over and begin to film, correct? Correct? Yes. And your filming, your purpose of filming is to kind of teach him a lesson. This is your chance to say something to him when he can't say anything back. Do you, correct? No.

Correct me. There was no lesson to be learned. It was just I wanted him to try to understand how I felt so maybe he could progress and being a better person the next day. So you wanted him to understand how you felt in the past and that's not teaching a lesson? I just wanted him to understand. And at the very end of cross-examination, Boone stepped off the stand to show the jury just how she managed to zip George inside the suitcase. Can we see how it was that the two zipper parts were positioned when you say that Mr. Torres was able to his suitcase?

was able to get his hand out. If you want me to do it, I'm fine and take your direction. From what I remember, this is how the suitcase for us. So this was like here. Okay. Right there. Right there, ma'am? About right there, ma'am? Sure.

Okay. I assume this one was much closer. It's not over there? Where did you leave? You asked me where I zipped it. When you say that it was zipped shut, show us. What are you talking about how I zipped it or? When you're done zipping it shut and he's inside of it, where are the zipper components?

Just tell me what's that up. I mean, it was the corner. It was right here. I mean, it's not. Yes, this one was on you pretty much. Yes. from what I can remember. That's how he was coming with his hand out.

It was like this from the corner part. Okay. Thank you. Did you do anything to help him escape from the predicament that you zipped him up in? No. So what did the jury think of her testimony? Take a listen.

Will the jury find the defendant guilty of murder guilty of murder in the second degree as charged in the information. Sarah Boone was officially sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of George Torres. And now over to our last case, and this is a truly heartbreaking one. It also takes place in Florida, and this is where a babysitter stood trial accused of leaving a baby inside of a hot car to die. 46-year-old Rhonda Jewel faced aggravated manslaughter and murder charges after a 10-month-old infant, Aria Page, died. under her care, trapped inside of a hot car for hours. Authority said the scorching temperatures inside of that car killed this little girl.

Jewel was apparently babysitting Araya on and off for about a month prior to what happened. And that day, she was supposed to be looking after four children, including Araya. And deputies say Jewel picked up the infant from her mother's home at around 8 a.m. on July 19, 2023. Jewel then drove to another residence that morning where she was going to be babysitting other children. and this is where she apparently left the victim inside the vehicle. And what's even more disturbing is that she was accused of never even realizing the baby was in the car until Araya's mother arrived to pick her up.

According to the arrest affidavit that was obtained by law and crime, the car's internal temperatures reached more than 133 degrees Fahrenheit. Authority's estimated Araya was in that car for at least five hours. This little girl was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead shortly after she arrived. Now, unlike our previous cases, when Rhonda Jewell took the stand, she made no attempt to explain away her actions. Instead, through tears, she admitted that she made a tragic mistake when this little girl's mother came to pick her up her child. She said, hey, and I said, hey, and she said, she said, I'm here, and I said, here, I said, where are you at? and she said I'm at the door and I said oh and did you go to the door at that time I did but I didn't

I didn't know why she was there so I was like what are you doing and she said I'm here and so I asked her what where was she was at she said I'm at the door did you go to the front door I did what happened when you opened the front door um she opened or opened up the door and I seen her and I was still and shot while she was there and so she had money in her hand and her keys and and that's when I realized I realized I didn't get the baby at the core I forgot I forgot the And so I pushed her out the way, and I was screaming, oh, my God, Brooke, oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God. And she's, I could hear her saying, what, what, what? And I ran to, ran to the car, and I opened up the door, and she was still there.

Her right was on in the back stage. What happened after you opened the door, Rhonda? I opened up the back door and she was left, I accidentally left her in the car, I was like, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, brook. And she said call 911 and saw her head. I remember back inside. I couldn't find my phone. And I couldn't. When I found it, I have a code to get in.

And I couldn't remember my code to get in my phone. At that point, after you had found your phone and you're trying to get into it, have you come back outside to the car? Oh, ma'am. At that point, after you had found your phone, but you couldn't remember the code to use it, did you come back out to the car? I did.

Was Brooke on the phone at that time? I think she was, yes, ma'am. What did you do at that point? Oh. I got the baby out of the car in the car seat. What did you do with a right? after you got her out of the car seat. I just

I helped her. And I pray God was taking me as a chance. I beg God to give her breath and to take me

instead of her. And Jule also testified that she was so overcome with emotion that she felt physically ill. Did you get physically ill at that time, Rhonda? Yes, ma'am. And what actually happened? I remember going to the car, getting the baby at the car seat, or opened up the door, and I had peed all over. Meade all over myself and going to the car. And then I threw up.

Did you throw up after Stacey got there and you were having the conversation with her? Yes, ma'am. At that point when Stacey came, do you know where Brooke was, where Brooke Page was? No, ma'am. Did you ever have an opportunity to speak with Brooke after the EMTs arrived? I did not. At some point, the sheriff's office deputies asked you to go to the sheriff's office, correct? Yes, ma'am.

And they actually took you there, I guess, is the better way to put that. Is that right? Yes, ma'am. You've seen your statement that was played today. Was that the entire statement that you gave them? Yes, ma'am. Going back to this day on September 19th of last year, did you get a riot out of the car?

when you got to Stacey's. I'm sorry, so that you arrived at Stacey's that morning. Did you get her out of the car? No, ma'am, I forgot she was, I had her. Did you realize that Araya was there and think that she was sleeping and left her there and intended to come back and get her? No, ma'am, I totally forgot.

I had her. On cross-examination, the prosecutor questioned how Jule could seemingly so quickly forget she had the little girl in her car after just picking her up when you got to brook and justice's house didn't brook have a riot in the baby car seat yes sir and isn't it true that brook put araya inside of your vehicle yes sir you were there you were present and you saw her put the baby in your vehicle yes sir you don't you didn't forget that you remember that yes sir you saw Brooke put the baby bag with all of the items inside of it inside of your vehicle.

Yes, sir. You don't, you didn't forget that, correct? Correct. You then drove off in your vehicle with Araya and the vehicle with you, correct? Yes, sir. There was no one else in a vehicle but you and Araya. Yes, sir. you go to Burger King

how far would you say it is from Burger King to Brooks House I didn't go through Burger King I stopped at the red light the red light how far approximately is it I'm not really sure not good with distance so I don't know three four minutes

yes sir did you forget about a right in three or four minutes you just picked her up Yes, sir. I did pick her up. Yes, sir. When you got to the intersection of where Burger King is, did you forget that quickly that you had just picked up a baby? It wasn't, it was not that quickly.

I went from... So you remembered she was in a car at that moment? No, sir, I didn't. And the prosecution also honed in on communications that she was having with the baby's own mother. All while this little baby girl, Aria, was still inside the car. This Jewel, you are having contact with Aria's mom at 817. Aria is still in the car. And you're saying today that never rang a bell.

No, sir, it did not. No, sir. Even though you're communicating with the baby's mom. No, sir, because that was normal for us to talk. every day okay so let's go to 832 832 you have another text communication with Brooke Araya's mom once again you're having communication with Araya's mom and you're saying today that still at that moment even though you're talking to the baby's mom it never dawned on you

oh geez the baby is still in the car no sir I did not I forgot that I had her I I forgot she was with me. Let's go to 1125. Yes, sir. At 1125, you have a communication with Nevea Carter. This is Ariya's aunt. Yes. The 18-year-old girl that took the stand yesterday.

And you respond in some Snapchat responding to some picture she posted where you say, I think it was, hey, cuties, Rhonda loves you. Yes, sir. Once again, you're having communication with Araya, the baby, with her aunt, Navaya. And you're testifying today that now for the third time, you're having communication with someone related to Araya, and it never dawned on you that Araya is in the car. No, sir, it never did.

On July 19th, 2023, you left Araya in the car for over five hours, correct? Yes, sir. You never, ever fed her on that day, correct? Yes, sir. You never made a bottle for her, correct? Right. Never changed her diaper, correct? Correct? Never changed her clothes? Correct?

Yes, sir. Isn't it true that you never used baby wipes or baby lotion or anything like that for her at all? Would that be accurate? Yes, sir. You never did anything that would be necessary for a babysitter or a caregiver to make sure that a 10-month-old baby would be safe. Isn't that accurate? Yes, sir. So you failed in your duty of care towards Araya, this 10-month-old child, correct?

Yes, sir. You admit that? Because I forgot I had her. Yes, sir. But you failed in your duty. Yes, sir. Now, despite what she says was her honesty, she had consequences to face. As to count two of the information, the defendant is guilty of third-degree felony murder as charged in the information.

We, the jury find as follows as to count three of the information. The defendant is guilty of leaving a child unattended or unsupervised in a motor vehicle causing great bodily injury as charged in the information. So Rhonda Jewell was sentenced to 17 years in prison for the horrific death of ARIA page. You can stream more gavel-to-gavel trial coverage on our long crime YouTube page, but for right now, that's all we have for you right here on Sidebar. Thank you so much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll speak to you next time.