Law&Crime Sidebar - 'Drug Dealer' Snitches on Man Living with Dead Body

Episode Date: September 21, 2026

A traffic stop in Saginaw Township, Michigan leads officers to make a horrific discovery inside a nearby motel room. That's where the body of Teressa Johnson lay hidden beneath blankets. Investigators began questioning her former partner, Daniel Varnes, to uncover the truth behind her brutal death. Law&Crime's Jesse Weber examines police bodycam footage and interrogation files to break down how this shocking case unfolded.HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger, Christina O'Shea, & Jay CruzScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson, Heather Berzak & 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/lawandcrimeTwitter: 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.

There's a body in there. There's a death. Why don't you step out of the car for me? A horrific discovery inside a Michigan motel room sent shockwaves through a quiet town. We do have something under the bed covers. The body of a woman, dead for days found covered with a blanket. And the man she shared the room with, her accused killer, had been living with her mutilated corpse. We're taking you behind the scenes of this investigation as detectives try to unpack what happened.

inside that room. How do we end up at the roadway end? The worst mistake in my flat. Welcome to Sidebar, presented by law and crime. I'm Jesse Weber. There's a dead body in the room. What's you? I mean, what do you mean? There's a dead body in the room. A traffic stop in Saginaw Township, Michigan went sideways back in 24 when a man said he had just been inside a hotel room and alleged that there was a person lying dead on the bed. The man behind the wheel, Eric, had apparently called 911 to report what he saw, claimed he was on his way to the police station to talk to the officers about it. But when you call in reports of a body, the cops aren't just going to wait around for you to show up and chat.

No, officers pulled Eric over as soon as they spotted his car. Put your hands where you, I can see him. Okay. Are you Eric? Yeah. Why didn't you stop? No, because like I told the lady on the phone, I didn't want to do it there. Is there anybody else in the car with you? No, no, it's just me. I just, I just didn't want to do it there. That's all. I just...

Are you staying at Roadway or Apple Tree or whatever the place is called now? So what's going on? There's a body in there. Why don't you step out of the car for me? Look, I didn't want you to think I was running. Okay, okay. I didn't want to do it. He's going to patch you down and make sure you don't.

I have a head in my pocket. That's all. He's just going to check you for weapons. Hold on. All right, no, I'd have a pocket knife in my pocket. Yeah, don't think I was doing anything crazy. I just, I just didn't want to do with the air. That's all.

But I told the lady on the phone, I was like, I wanted to come in and talk to you guys. I thought you were just visiting up there from Travis City. Well, I am. You know him? Yeah, we talked to enough long ago. So who's in? This guy, country, that's all I know by. There's a dead body in the room.

There's a dead body in the room. What's you? I mean, what do you mean? There's a dead body in the room. Who is it? I don't know. How do you know a country? From the from the motel. Okay. What are you doing at that?

Elfletree still. Just hanging around, but I look, look, look, look, you'll see the thing it's been dead. It's been dead. Can I have a cigarette? No, you can wait a minute. Okay. This is serious.

If you're saying there's a dead body. But I was coming to you guys to do the right thing. I get the, maybe it's a question for you. You've been doing anything? Did you go there for a reason? Look, we all know what goes on. in this hotel motel? We already know you're buying drugs. Right? Right?

Right? No, I really don't care if you're buying drugs there. That's what you were there for, right? No, not necessarily. Okay. He owes me money. He owes me money. Yes. So you're going to confront somebody that owes you money? No, I wasn't going to confront. He asked me, he'd invite me over. He invited me over. He invited me over. And I don't really want to bring this up. I'm not trying to get the guy in trouble. Can you give me your idea out of your wallet for me? I'm not trying to get the guy in trouble. Well, this is a pretty serious. I get that. That's why I wanted to come to you.

I wanted to do it. So were you there tonight doing drugs? No. Okay. No. Was she doing drugs? Was she alive when you got there? No.

No, dude. She's running. She's running. She's been there. Oh, she's been there, bro. Now, that's interesting, right? Because while it seems Eric wants to be forthcoming with officers, he's also kind of hesitant that what he has to say might get him

or potentially others in trouble. So he claims he went into a room at the Roadway Inn, formerly known as the Appletree Inn, where Daniel Varnes lived. Now, Eric knows him by the nickname, Country. I see his figure on the bed. Immediately, I'm like, that's weird. You know, it looks like a body.

It's under a blanket. It's under a blue blanket. Okay. Um, he says that this evening, someone was there with a gun, demanding that, you know, country pay him, so country in the heat of the moment or under pressure had to find someone to rip off, basically.

So he apologized to it. And he tells me that, you know, he's been dealing with some stuff, blah, blah, blah, blah. He says, do you see that? He's like, don't look under it. Don't look under the blanket. And, uh, I was like, you know, look at a book. And, okay, in conversation, eventually he goes to lift the blanket. I only seen him for a split second, but it was her face.

And that shit was wrong. So what did the room smell like? It didn't smell bad. It didn't smell bad. That's what's weird. And I've spoken to people about that, and that's what's weird. Do you have any reason to believe that he assault, that country assaults? He's a nice.

No, no, and that's the thing. That's the thing. Yeah, yeah, no, and that's the thing. When he told me this, no, he's a nice guy, nice this guy in the world. That's when you rigged me off, I said, I said, man, I really wasn't. I don't care for me. But here's the thing. If he ripped you off, that doesn't sound much good guy.

Well, you know, he says he's on the other. I mean, here's my question. Do you think he killed her? Well, no. That's the thing. No. And when he can show me all this, I was like, man, I don't even care about the money. Keep it. I was like, man, you got a whole lot of going on. While Eric's talking to the officers, investigators are checking out the motel room. Police. You can see.

See, but. Country. Anybody? in here? 256. Doors partially open. MMR said that they saw somebody poked their head out. They're not coming out. We're going to

be making entry. We do have something under the bed covers. Police coming in. Sheldon said he saw that poke their head out. I haven't cleared the bathroom yet. What's this? We haven't checked. We just came in right now. My back. Poth. Bathroom's clear? There was somebody. A male.

walking when I... No. It wasn't him? There was a dude walking like throwing his hands up in the air when... Oh, there is a guy who's head out the door and then close it right up and I could it's warm. It was this room because he pulled out of the... Blood on the wall.

Varnes is nowhere to be seen, but the police find the body of Teresa Johnson. There's reportedly blood on the walls and ceiling as well as in the bathroom. And when they pulled the blanket off of her, Teresa was naked from the waist down. She was also covered in gruesome injuries. And I'm going to read right now from the Saginaw Township Police Report. Quote, Johnson's face was covered in blood, and it appeared her upper lip was split in half. There was bruising her marks of an unknown nature on her neck and the sides of her face. Johnson's ears appeared to have blood on them and disfigured.

The arms of Johnson had marks all over them, and her fingers appeared to be disfigured. Fingered. Johnson was extremely thin and appeared to me to have not been taking care of herself very well. Johnson looked to be much older than her date of birth suggested. And I will just tell you, there is a lot of conjecture from the other motel residence about what might have happened to her. This home guy over there said. He says, he's a drug user. He comes here for a grown up here, about 10, 20. Talk was country. They're talking. In the apartment.

In the apartment. Okay. I won't go into, like, details of what they're talking. It doesn't matter. They're in there talking. Long story short, he shows our collar, the girl's face. Under the blankets. It was under the blankets.

He moved the blankets and showed him his face. Mm-hmm. Show them her face. He says, okay, all right. You said he left around 10 for you. Mm-hmm. He leaves. He comes back here to talk with a guy that lives somewhere over here.

Mm-hmm. About for advice, about what to do. about this situation. Allegedly. That's when he calls. He says that this girl is from Flynn. That she went down there. Recently,

then she came back up here, and that's why she's all bruised and everything. It's because her brother's beat her up. Okay. She, apparently she's blind. I don't know. He says that she overdosed.

That's what country's saying. but who knows. So back at the traffic stop, Eric is getting antsy. And eventually reveals that Varnaz might have wanted him to be involved in some kind of cover-up. Do you think they forgot about me? No. They haven't forgot about us. I just checked to see if they contacted me and all.

They haven't. If I had more answers for you, I would tell you. I've been straight with you. I've been straight with you this whole time. No, that's cool. I mean... I'll not be out on the wind, so... I thought.

I mean, to be straight, I'm kind of curious what's going on over there, you know? So, but I was told to staying here with you until my supervisor gets hold of me. Who's to say country doesn't call and say, well, you were the one that did it? I'm just saying. But that's what my friends brought up. That's what my friends brought up. Is that, you know, for one, when your body is discovered, there's the video camera that will show me entry in that room. And I said, who's to say that, you know, they won't come after me as if I brought him a saw, or I bought him to see any supplies or whatever, you know.

And then who's, and then there's some, you know, him saying I did something. Then there's, uh, just be knowing about the body. Um, all sorts of stuff. Right. And I was like, and I was like, and, and I've seen it. I've seen it, you know, where people are charged with accessory after the fact and all that. I was like, you know, damn, you know, just, just my life. look, I will go to prison for somebody that, you know, I've really had nothing to do with.

I was going to mention this earlier, and I didn't. Again, I don't want him to get in trouble. You know, he mentioned moving her. Just getting rid of. Country did. Yeah. And you wanted you to help him? It didn't, not necessarily that far, but that's the impression I got.

Because then he started to say to do that, he would need a car. And you have a car. I have a car. And, you know. Um, um, yeah. Did he say what he wanted to do with her? Just, just, just, just, just, just move her. Yeah.

Okay. Not in a bad way, not a sadistic way, not a very, I don't even think Barry her type of way. Just, just get her out of there. Mm-hmm. You know. I think so. No. Um, we got.

And that's why I fit me in great enough because I don't want to make me a question that he was like trying to cover it up. Yeah. Just just get in a way that, you know, again, it has nothing to do with me. I don't want to be involved. Is that what you told him? Well, is that what I told? Yeah, you don't want to be involved? No, no, no.

Because it really, he didn't, he didn't come at me in a helping sort of way. basically basically there was mostly him talking and then it got to be I looked at my flag there was like 10 308 and I was like you know what bro

I'm sorry to do this to you but I actually have to go pick up my girlfriend and I kind of just bit it was no so he kind of had like an excuse to get out of there yeah

yeah as far as him asking me to help him no I don't I can't recall that he did I think it was hinting towards it but nothing direct

And 220, can we check that? No. And again, again, it... Maybe he was kind of hoping you to offer? Maybe, maybe. By this point, multiple investigators have arrived at the roadway in, including a canine officer and a drone operator to help search the wooded area next to the motel.

And then, Varnaz actually calls dispatchers on his cell phone, but refuses to turn himself in. Units, he advised Daniel is now calling for Apple Tree. He's advising he is in the woods near the on-round 1.8.4. What's wrong? I don't have a glove on me. Here. Now he's claiming that he's going to be.

He will not advise if he has any weapons or not. Thank you. So there's some type of like encampment back here or something? Oh, yeah. Yeah. And for Units reference, he's trying to claim that his roommate Bruce Johnson was beat by a drug dealer named Bigby, that a gun was put to his head.

Just all this happened. this half and at 3 o'clock with death now. Unfortunately, the problem is this tree cover is too dense to seem really much of anything, even with heat sensors. But the officers, they do find a hat and cell phone believed to belong to Varnes, as well as a key card, then it locked his room. So the next morning, officers are back out searching when they get a call that Varnes was just seen at the convenience store directly in front of the motel, so they swoop in and arrest him.

We're just unconscious taking off here and just like him up there. Yeah, I don't have a little problem with y'all. I ain't going to do that in the aisle. Y'all got nothing to me, so I ain't got the problem with y'all. So I'm sorry, I could tell people put you through. That's all right, Dan. I was trying to wake him to show up. Sure.

Let's go hold that. I don't know if I was a kid. That's what we're here today is trying to figure out what's going on. Detectives took Varnaz to the police station and they put him in an interview room. They read him his rights. He agreed to speak with them. And over the next few hours, the detective slowly pulled bits of truth out of him. So according to Varnes, he had known Teresa for years. They had been romantically involved at one point. But that had ended. This is again, according to Varnes. Teresa's health had reportedly been deteriorating. She was diagnosed with an eye disorder that left her blind.

So Varnes kind of served as a caretaker. And he claimed that Teresa was fine by herself in the Miltel room that she could get to the bathroom on her own, that he would help prep meals before he left for work. But it seems she rarely ever left that room. In fact, some neighbors told police that they didn't even realize a woman was living there. And at times, during the interrogation, Varna's got emotional.

When you say her condition may have deteriorated a little bit because you weren't paying more attention, but something happened with your relationship with her? No, no, not that part. She had political times, but nothing, nothing that would you know I've asked her several times several times and one of the real big reasons is that I tried it was just there's just too much yeah but for patient that I was sorry y'all I'm not trying all right thank you can't go if there's no schemes they go

48 I've seen it I love this show watching almost every night I'm not trying to I'm really trying to all the way back I'm sure I've never seen her basically see her bottle-up so she has had you know breezes all her arms and like I said I've been asked her a bunch of times can you you only get you I'll call not really call 911 but I'll get you to the hospital because it was never nothing life threatening that before you know that time okay because she had warrants okay and I tried to get my I was trying to get my straight now you and he is you had warrants currently no sure okay I just went to court what

did you have warrants for her barrier to register okay so you're a probation parole wearing no which one probation probation now you said you've been clean from sense you got this job well 2005 I hadn't touched nothing I mean besides smoking we I would not because you'd probably probably three one year I'd be twice none of that after my first divorce so it was in yeah yeah just in 2000s you know two thousand 2001 in a well time okay so if you if you were to take a drug test day we could pass it No, what would be in your system today?

Cocaine. Okay. He just told me he didn't have cocaine done. Should I have been clean? I had been clean. Okay, I may have missed him, like a three weeks ago. Okay. What?

God. What, what, uh, what started that again? So you said you've been clean for cocaine for, for cocaine for the early two pounds and what brought that back. I've got triggered. Varnas seemingly admitted to using crack cocaine and to allegedly being high over the last few days when it's believed Teresa was killed. And despite the fact that Varnaz had allegedly indicated before that Teresa might have overdosed,

he seemingly tells the detectives that she didn't use hard drugs and only smoke marijuana. So as the interview continued, he told the detectives about an incident that he claimed happened at the motel a couple days earlier. What kind of problem is you talking about that you're having with people there? Okay. Last week I went to someone's room, got, she didn't have no crack, but she had power. It was already bagged up, you know. So I gave her $50, took the bag, went back to my room, opened the bag,

top of the round every minute. I was ever went, that kind of looks weird. I didn't smell nothing, but it does. I'm 47 years old. I'm short enough that don't look right. I, you know, done the taste test. I'm like, that's a pretty salt, isn't it? So I tasted it again.

I'm like, that ain't salt. So I got a taste tester in the room, and he tasted himself, awesome powder. And I lost it. So I bagged it back up. to get back there. I said, you could have killed me. Or my money back there I have ever money.

I wasn't going to. But it worked. She gave me my money back. I gave her back. I left. Who is her? See, this is where it's going to start getting difficult because, see, y'all get to go home.

I got to go back to them. Well, we're trying to figure out the sequence of events that led up to why we're. here today. That's kind of where we're trying to get to here is he said you got, he said you're having some problems with some people, right? And last week, he went and bought, you went and bought $50 of the song, right? And ended up, did not mean what do you bought?

Well, that person told another person to out her $50. Okay. So she said, hey, he comes knocked on my door. He better have a better pay her money. He didn't want to hear that it was washing powder. He didn't want to hear that it was, I gave it back. He didn't hear that. Does that person live?

The one that threatened you, does that person live with that person? No. He does not live on the premises, no. Comes and goes? All right. I'm just going to tell you right now, the room and so many good bathrooms. And he stuck the fucking gun on my face and told me if I would have said anything done anything.

And he snatched up on in my hand. Which room? Oh, I'd say you'll stay there. No, which, which room did this happen in? My room, you know. Okay. When did he come in? I don't hear you.

I don't hear you. They are the first of a Friday. So today's Sunday. I heard you a Friday. Do you know what time? It was late. There's just one guy. I didn't see the other guy.

Okay. As far as I know, I said, live was going towards the bathroom. He was right behind me, so he had to go to the inside. So this happened there was a Friday evening? Night. Okay. So according to Varnaz, it was this man, Big D, who beat up Teresa while he stayed in the bathroom.

Okay. So I want to go back real quick when they were in your room. He goes to the bathroom. He holds a gun to you. Tells you, you're going to pay $100. That's it. Now he leaves, or how'd that work? I don't know what happened after he walked out of the door.

He shut the bathroom door. You were still in there? Yes. I'm going to try to open the door. He said, you just wait a minute. Okay. And then he was gone. How long did he?

What? How long did you wait? It felt like an attorney. I heard the door shut. Could you hear what was going on? Okay. What was going on? Could you hear?

You could describe it. I think they thought she'd seen them or she said something. Or they've seen them. I'm still at fault because I should have just caught down one more soon as I come by the door. Before they came outside? Then they moved after they left. Okay. What?

Okay. When you came out of the bathroom, what happened? Were they gone? They shut the door or they were gone. Yes, sir. What happened took the right side? I can look, and what I could stomach, what it smelled like is, they beat her and tried to burn her face off.

I don't know if that was imagined to me, or they were scared. whatever. I don't know. Oh, she kept up. Was she alive at that point? Just trying to make the clitters. She's the toughest. She was the toughest. She's the toughest I've ever been by life. That person threatened you at gunpoint, took liberties with Teresa,

beat her, and lit her face on fire, and didn't take her wallet. A wallet. There was your wallet? Under the mattress. Under the mattress. Okay, so that's Friday night. She was met in my room before.

She's alive, though, at this point, correct? When they leave, she's alive? Yes. Okay. What, I guess what to the extent of her injuries, do you believe that happened? What I've seen was from her arms that, because she had a shirt on. I think was her arms and her shirt was ripped. But I did not take all of her clothes off and inspect her now.

Was she talking? Yes. What was she saying? I'm all right. She said what they did to her? She didn't really say what they did. No, I just kept telling her I was sorry that it's my fault. And she kept telling me it's all right, it's all right.

Was she in bed the whole time? Was she able to get up after that? Was she, did she just stay in bed the whole time? I think she went to the bathroom. Okay. What did she do? What did she do back? Went to the back.

I don't, I'm not 100% sure if she flushed. She plugged. I don't, I don't know exactly what she did when she went in there. She did go to the bathroom. No. Did she shower? Nope. Did you shower?

How would blood have gotten in the shower then? Blood in the shower. Blood in the shower. Don't have no idea. They went up and I've not took a shower since. Thursday morning. 13. Montgomery dirty.

Hey, I think it was. How long? You said you were in the bathroom while this was going on, and he told you to wait in there? I did. Wait in there. I better stay in there. About how long were they out there?

How do you have five minutes? Well, you weren't no longer in about 10, 15 minutes. 10 15 minutes. Did you hear her screaming? She didn't really scream, but I heard to make some noises yes. And I did add a couple times telling that she had nothing to do with this. So she had quite a bit of, um, probably not to her face there. She said that they beat her.

Do you have any idea what they may have beat her with? Was there anything in the room that was still laying? there would have been around when they left and said that they may have used a weapon, anything, a blunt object. She was able to talk. Did she tell you that they used anything? No. She ain't tell much about it at all.

Another investigator interjects getting right to the heart of the matter. I'm going to let him answer his questions, but I'm going to ask some blunt questions real quick, okay? If I was the call right now and get you a polygraph, would you take a polygraph right? Yes. And what would the result of that polygraph said? I asked it. Saying what?

I did not do that to her. Okay. But no, I want nothing to happen her like that. I'm going to ask you some blunt questions. That's funny. Did you kill her? No, I did not. Okay.

So Varda has attempted to explain all the blood in the room by saying it came from nosebleeds. But as you can imagine, investigators aren't buying it. I need you to tell me the truth, Daniel. I need to just be honest with me. what happened to her? A total. I can understand if it went too far this time. I don't think you're a bad guy.

I think maybe you put your hands on her and it went a little too far. And now she's died of her injuries. Is that possible? Do you know how she passed? I don't yet, no. We're going to find out, though. And we're just looking for the truth. The truth's in there, Daniel, and I know you know what the truth is.

And you're not, you're not being truthful to the full extent. After a couple hours of questioning, the detectives offer Varna is to take a lie detector test. Told me you're going to pass file of your up, right? Sure. You willing to do one? Sure. Okay. Got one scheduled for tonight.

Are you willing to go to it right now? I can. You're willing to do it? Oh, yeah. Okay. When's the last time you did any drugs? Pass that a night. I'll give them the thumbs up then.

Okay. The officers leave them alone for a while, but when they come back, Varnaz has changed his mind. Listen to me. I can pass the polygraph test even if I am guilty. Okay. And that's fair. There's a while to waste no time. Do you want compassion or not?

What do you have to say? Do you want to talk to me? Is that what you're saying? I can talk yoga. Okay. Give me one second. Is there any possible way that we get something to eat? Give me one second, okay? Okay, there's a hands sandwich out.

One of the detectives sits with Varnaz as he goes over this complicated relationship that he had with Teresa and the ways that she sometimes kind of set him off. It's been going on for years. Okay. There are certain things that she knows or she knows she could say that would trigger me regardless of what I was drinking or doing drugs or anything. anything. And it's almost like I've even said something to her a thousand times or more about it. It's like, almost like she warned me to, she warned me to, you know, be mean to or be, you know, aggressive towards her. It's almost like, you know, that's where daddy and brother did or whatever. So that's what, that's what, that's what she wanted me to do. I mean, she didn't really come.

not say that. Our brother used to make her do stuff and she would just go in detail about it and I tell her to stop she wouldn't. And Varnaz claims that Teresa made this vulgar comment about his young niece and he just lost it. And when she said it, I just went ballistic. Okay. Yeah, I used the channel a lot and the needle nose and I used three quarter inch ratchet. The one in the toolbox? I didn't. They was already out of toolbox. That was already... I put with a couple of tires. You know, earlier that week at where I had the motel.

Okay. Helping people with bikes and stuff and tires. So they was already out of the toolbox. I didn't go into toolbox and get them out, but they was already out. And the reason I did put them back in, yep, is just not thinking I was going to take the tools with me. Okay. Because I was going to leave. Yes, no.

I didn't clean none over to, ain't nobody. Pretty much a week ago. It started off like a week ago, maybe two weeks. I'm gonna say two weeks ago. I'm about two weeks. She made a comment about my niece, and I remember grabbing her, not really grabbing her, but I was laying on the bed on this side,

and she was laying on the bed on the bed on this side, and she's facing me on her side. I didn't really, I didn't grab her, but I just, and I pulled her to my face, I pulled her to my face and I said, you might not be able to let you know. Don't say anything else by my niece of my sister. At right's mouth. Not in that dog rogatory way.

She said, okay. Can you explain to me what happened? I beg her to stop. Understand. Times is hard to control ourselves. Hard to control our feelings. I'm not going to sit here and blame it on the dope though. I'm not going to sit here to do that.

I'm not going to say to do that. I'm a drug. Something dead over. The consequence has been the same as not. More, it's going to be more worse. Okay. But you got my word as a human being. If I knew anything that was going to kill,

was she was going to pass away, I would have done something. I would have done something. So is that? It went too far. I did not hold her to die. I believe. Okay.

It got nothing to do with the consequences. that's got nothing to do with it. I didn't want to take her life. I understand that. I did not intentionally take it. It was not like, oh, I'm going to kill you tonight. It's not what, you know, people say it all the time and, you know, in the argument or whatever, but when you really have to, you know,

you really have it over your conscience, it's different. What else happened, Daniel, after she said you back, fiss her a couple of times, or hit her with the back of your hand? What happened after that? I tried to shut them with their scripts for chal locks. About chel locks, though. From the blith scripts? No, the needle nose.

Okay. Now what happened? That's right. And I think I might have been used to handle the ratchet on top of the head. Still on the bed? What's that? Was she still on the bed at that time? Yeah, she never got up.

She never got on the bed. She never. How many times do you think you put her in the head with the ration? Just fine. What's right? I mean, it wasn't, it wasn't no, I wasn't trying to, you know, knock her skull. I'm just, hey, aye, aye, aye, I quit. Okay.

Wasn't it? But then she, she stuck her. He took one of her legs of herself or something like that. there and I caught her and he would do that back your part of it. Yeah, then what happened? I don't know. To the bathroom to call her down for a really hard. Had you hit her with your boot yet at that point?

When you went to the bathroom? It hit me out. You hit me some, uh, some dope. That's what I was going to wait out and she need just the roll over over shut up and make me alone. And don't say that that does to me. But she's still conscious at this point? Yeah, she never, yeah, she never lost consciousness or nothing.

Okay. Trust me, she never lost consciousness. And then what happened? She just, before I got to the bed, she said something in my boots was right there by the TV stand is. Either in the corner or not, how much you had her in the place with it? You got her much food?

The left one? How many times do you think you hit her? Just started what the boots have? Did I just turn by step up of them? Not just one and then the other? Yeah, just all shut up or leave me alone. They want to talk. I didn't want to talk to her no more or not.

Varnaz told the detective that at one point he took the metal pipe that he was allegedly using to smoke drugs and pressed it against Teressa's face, burning her. I have to from there. Oh, deep in time. Did you think you hear her. If I had you guess, about 10, you'll take a couple. Just with your hand? Or with something else?

These hours. But I haven't to bother your hands. Where did you hit her? A couple times in the midsection. What happened after you hit her? If I'm 100% sure about anything I said and I know I am 100% sure when I went to the store. and it's on my phone. That night?

We're going to expect. No. All right. It was about 2.30 and night ago. And she was alive when I left. Yeah. I noticed for a fat. She told me to get a pound cake and the bread

and that's what we got. Where did you get that from? I believe it's feeway. She didn't get the idiot. So my time I've done that and met Big D. I came back. She roused back because she was laying by her head was forward to the head force. Okay.

I figured she was where she was at. I couldn't remember she had that, so I could remember that. I didn't pay, I wasn't paying attention to that part of it when I was out trying to get her CPR. Okay. Okay. How did she get her head on the other side of the back? I snatched her around and turned her that way. When you came back, how did you know she wasn't breathing?

I walked over it. She had stopped. What that's not the blanket she was covered up with? Okay. The blue blanket she's covered up as it was in the core. Okay. The blue blanket was mine or she used that. She would use hers and I would take mine.

And if she said she called somebody, you know, like, because I was having my blanket all over on her. But I kind of like, I said, I got your stuff and she didn't respond. So I walked over there. I pulled the blanket off over in her eyes, eyes was open and her mouth was open. I'm like dresser. So I felt warped, could pull up holes. It's like a nightmare.

I kept screaming you better not die on me. It's like where I sprang around on the bed. And then I started doing, you know, compression and started trying to give her CPR. And I've done it for just, you know, a few minutes. And that's where I built. That's why I built. That's where I'm going to my knees. I just, boy, I told her, I'm sorry.

Too late fat. That's why I pulled my plank over. I kept, I get a fan of that. This is not real. This ain't the same. She's faking. After I hit the pipe, I went back in there and pulled the blanket out of her, or just her, you know, or just her face for it. Once again, I touched her, touched her naked and see if she had it pulled.

She was already really, really, really, really, really, really, really cold. All the same. Stip. And Varnas also admitted that while he had a confrontation with Big D inside his room before, it didn't happen that night. And while it seems Varnas is finally willing to talk about his involvement in Teressa's injuries, he doesn't want to admit that he might be at fault for her death. What do you think the cause, like of her death was? Like I said, I was the first 48.

You know, y'all need to work on your tactics. Yeah. I mean, you never heard the sweeter to bears. I mean, you get more, you can give more, you can get more be able honey. You can shit. Mm-hmm. Yeah. but you know

brought forth trauma to the head I don't believe that would be it because that would be almost instantaneous so for it to have something to do with nothing happens Saturday nothing happened you know

between you know 8 or not Friday I did too Saturday nothing happened. I don't know. You know, I'm not going to try to be a

guesser man, but if it, you know, if her, if one of her rib maybe will crack or something, hit one of her lungs or something, she could have maybe slowly died that way. But her breathing didn't sound, you know, no different.

Yeah. She always would feel the blanket for a river her face. Sure. You know, I said, I'm known her. So it's always like a you hear, you know, that did change. I really could not tell you.

Do you think it's possible the prolonged trauma to her body may have? I don't understand. You said that this had been going on for about a week. And the thing that you described, that do you think it's possible that the prolonged where it hit her multiple times, may have contributed to her death. Tell them no. Do you think you caused her death? Don't want to think that, no.

Did you cause her death? I don't. How am I supposed to answer that? I don't know that. Do you believe that your actions caused her death? That's a simple yes or no question. Yes. And I'm not trying to get you to answer. It's just, I'm serious.

Y'all are trying to keep me to ask you. I don't know. I knew what happened to get. I feel guilty about the whole fucking thing. A whole You don't want to relive it but I'm not trying to relive it

You want me to say for that recorder right there that I'm a record of her death in my fault in my fault only that's what you want me to sit here to say you and I can't sit here to say that

the stuff that happened me are done is wrong as and I wish never happened but I don't know why she died okay

I didn't help the situation. No, you're right. I didn't. But I did not deliver to live, mentally and mutely fucking killed a girl. I did not. No. I'm not going to answer that.

No. Called her death, yes. It might have been my fault 100%. Yes, but I don't know what to cause her death was. I'm not a doctor. After hours in the interrogation room, Farnas is taken into custody. All right, Daniel. Let's stand up for me, all right?

We're going to get out of here. Go ahead and face that way for me, okay? Go ahead and turn around that way. Yes. Okay. Anybody for me? According to Saginaw County court records in March of 2020, he entered a no contest plea to three charges, second degree murder, torture, concealment of a body.

No contest plea doesn't involve admitting guilt per se. It's instead an acknowledgement, let the prosecution likely has enough evidence against you to get a conviction of trials. You're not going to fight it. sentenced to spend decades in prison with his first shot at parole in 32 years, and by that time, Varnaz will be approaching 80 years old. All right, everybody, that's all we have for you right now here on Sidebar. Thank you so much for joining us. Like and subscribe, and I'll see you next time.