Sword and Scale - Episode 118

Episode Date: July 23, 2018

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Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences Listener discretion is advised Is he saying anything to you as he's barricading you in the spectrum with your son? I don't recall Is he letting you leave? No, just tell you anything about how you're gonna leave He told me the only way I was living the house was in a body bag. Welcome back to season 5 episode 118 of Sword and Scale, a show that reveals that the war monsters are real. Well, we're back and we've got a story to tell you. It's a little different than what we normally do, but I think you will enjoy it.

There's a lot of intrigue and twists and turns. Now if you want just pure go on over to plus at patreon.com slash sword and scale. You can get 31 episodes, the 31th episode, which will be available next week, will fuck you up if that's what you're looking for. That's a promise. For everybody else, strap in, here we go. Why don't you just leave? It's a simple question heard again and again in domestic abuse scenarios, and it lies the implicit notion of victim blaming. There's a duh at the end of that statement. It's not said, but you can hear it if you listen closely. Why don't you just leave?

Duh. Nearly all victims of domestic abuse are asked this question by someone who can't possibly understand their situation. It's not a fair question. There isn't an easy answer. Every case is different, and every abuser utilizes different tools to manipulate his or her victim. With that in mind, after hearing this story, we hope you'll understand why this is such a complicated question. And think twice before you ask it.

Around 2 or 3 in the morning, on March 10, 2017, 48-year-old Valerie McDaniel was abruptly awoken by someone knocking at her door. She got out of bed and walked across the apartment, wondering who could possibly be trying to see her in the middle of the night. She opened the door and was surprised to find a group of Houston police officers standing on the other side. The officers told Valerie that they had some bad news. Confused, Valerie invited them into her apartment.

Sergeant Frank Quinn got straight to the point. Mac McDaniel, Valerie's ex-husband, and the father of their eight-year-old daughter, was dead. Valerie put her head in her hands, and Sergeant Quinn told her the details. He was found on the side of the road with a bullet hole to the back of his head. As far as investigators could tell, it was a result of a robbery gone wrong. It's impossible to know what was going through Valerie's mind as she tried to comprehend what the officers were telling her.

But I can only imagine she was thinking of her daughter. How was she supposed to break the news to her little girl that she would never see her father again? That someone had taken her father's life over nothing more than material possessions. Maybe a little cash. Maybe nothing at all. Valerie's boyfriend 39-year-old Leon Jacob entered the room and put his arm around her. Not knowing what else to say, he asked if she was okay. But how could someone be okay after receiving news like this? Nobody ever expects something like this to happen to someone close to them.

There's really no way to prepare oneself for the news that a loved one has been murdered. But the thing is, this wasn't really news to Valerie and Leon. On March 9th, 2017, just hours before police knocked on the door Valerie and Leon's condo, someone else had paid them a visit. Hey Val, Adam's here. Leon shouted across the apartment. Where are you, sweetie? Leon and Valerie both knew their guest's name wasn't really Adam, but they understood why he needed

to conceal his true identity. While waiting for Valerie to join them, Leon asked Adam if he'd like something to drink. They cracked open a couple of beers and made some small talk. If you didn't know any better, you might think they were a couple of old friends you hadn't seen each other for a while. But in reality, Leon and Valerie had hired Adam to carry out a job. Well, two jobs really. Two problems they wanted taken care of. Two people they wanted to go away.

They were hoping Adam had come to their apartment to bring them some good news. Valerie joined Leon and Adam in the main room, and the three of them stepped out onto the balcony, where Adam gave them an's gone, he's done. He's done. Yeah, he's, uh, he was, he was a little bit of a problem, but not too much. This was the news that Leon and Valerie had been anxiously awaiting. The male subject Adam was referring to was Mac McDaniel. Valerie not interested in hearing any of the grizzly details

went back into the apartment, leaving Adam and Leon alone on the balcony. As promised, Adam had staged the scene to make it look like Adam had been killed during a botched carjacking attempt. Everything was taken, all his procedures was taken, it's gonna look like a robbery, that's it. I'll be surprised if they find the car anytime soon. botched car-jacking attempt. When you had my training and my experience, you know, when you see, you see the acts of violence, I got to see when you become come to dead to it.

You don't think about it. You don't care about it. I don't want to. I don't even care what happens to myself to be honest. Adam was an experienced hitman. He'd done real jobs like this numerous times in the past. He knew what it was like to extinguish a human life. And he had a feel for which targets would try to fight back.

Mac was a big guy, so Adam was surprised that to say that. That's all it was. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on.

You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on.

You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You should put one cap on. You'll say that right now. He was crying like a fucking bitch. He's done, he's dead, he's gone. No more left. Leon interrupts Adam to ask,

what are we doing with the girl? Mac McDaniel wasn't the only person Adam was supposed to take care of. We're working on that. and Adam was supposed to take care of. Leon clarifies the plan with Adam to make sure they're on the same page. Adam's job was to kidnap the girl and convince her to leave town. If that didn't work. Leon was show up to kill her himself by injecting her in the heart with potassium chloride. After ironing out their plan, Leon said cheers, and the two men clinked bottles, and they eventually headed back into the apartment.

Leon pulled a white towel off a pile of cash on the kitchen table and told Adam not to forget the money. Adam counted it. $1800 the rest of the money would come later. Before leaving, Adam offered to show Leon and Valerie photos of Mac. They told Adam that they trusted him, that they didn't need to see any proof.

Had they taken Adam up on his offer, they would have seen two photos. The first shows Mac slumped over the steering wheel of his vehicle with a bullet wound to the back of the head and blood trickling down his face. The second photo, apparently taken after the first, shows him lying face down in a patch of dirt, just as officers would find him that day. His hair is matted with blood, and the bullet wound is clearly visible. Before Adam left the apartment, Leon told him,

if you want to do it tonight, that's fine, in reference to the second job. Hours later, Adam sent a photograph to Leon's phone. This photo was a woman, gagged with duct tape and bound to a chair. Her hands and feet were zipped tied tied and she appeared to be sobbing. After sending the photo over, Adam called Leon to make sure he'd received it. Deleted whatever the fuck you have deleted but Two decades before meeting with a hitman on his balcony Leon Jacob met a young woman named Annie Morrison I met Leon in 1996 at the University of Texas at Austin. Were you both students there? Yes. And did you begin dating right away?

Pretty much right away, yes. While you were at the University of Texas and you're dating the defendant, talk to us about your relationship early on. Sure. Our relationship was fun. The arm was very spontaneous. We had a good time together. It was also volatile. When we fought, they were big fights, lots of screaming. There were incidents where he threw my clothes off the balcony of his apartment complex,

like I said, lots of screaming. So it was up and down. This was the beginning of a lengthy, abusive relationship. Did you date all through college? Yes. And after college did you all eventually get married? Yes, we did. When did you get married?

December of 2001. After they got married, Annie went off to law school in New York, and Leon went to medical school at St. George University on the Caribbean Island of Grenada, which I would venture to say was probably not his first choice. At some point, he had an opportunity to work hospital rotations in New York City, so he moved in with his wife.

While they were living together in the city, Leon's temper and controlling behavior intensified. Did there come a time when you all were living in New York where the fight escalated and where you became more fearful of the defendant? Yes, there was a time that we got into a fight and he pulled a knife on me. Okay, tell us about that. I don't recall what the fight was about. I recall we were in our apartment

and he pulled out a pocket knife is how I would describe it, where the blade flipped out and he held it up. I don't recall what he said, but I recall feeling threatened by it and that he was threatening me with the knife. What were you thinking when he pulled that knife on you? I was scared.

I was scared that he would come at me with the knife. Did he eventually put the knife down? He did, yes. Did you tell anyone about what had happened or let the police know or anything like that? No, I did not. Why not? It was it was surreal if that makes sense. It felt like it couldn't really have happened and I thought it was something that would never happen again. I wanted to believe it was something that would never happen again. Victims of believe it was something that would never happen again

Victims of abuse are constantly being asked why don't you just leave? But abuse is a trap an insidious form of violence that creeps up on victims in ways that make it difficult to find a way out both physically and psychologically When someone you love begins to demonstrate abusive behavior It's only natural to try to convince yourself that things aren't as bad as they seem. That the man who threatened you at knife point couldn't possibly be the man you fell in love with. Many victims of abuse will attempt to normalize or downplay abusive behavior as a coping

mechanism. And abusers will shame, gaslight, and manipulate their victims into believing that it won't happen again. That is why victims of abuse don't just leave. Why didn't you leave? I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed that this was happening to me. I consider myself a pretty strong person and I didn't want anyone to know what this was happening.

After Leon graduated from medical school in 2005, the couple moved down to Houston, Texas, so that Leon could take a residency position there. We lived in Houston from 2006 to 2010. During that time we had one child in 2009 and subsequently after after having our first son the arguments and the fights began to escalate again. So prior to moving to Houston and him pulling the knife on you in you on you excuse me in New York had anything physical happen. No. And then you mentioned that you had a son with this. Yes. What changed once you had your son?

I think it was difficult for Leon to focus on something other than what he wanted to do, the responsibility, obviously having a child is very great. And I think that was very difficult for him. He had a hard time giving up his freedom and his free time to do things that we needed to do for our family. So during that time period, who's paying the bills? I was.

And who's taking care of your son? I was. Who would do grocery shopping and home errands and things like that? I did. You mentioned while you were in college that he threw your clothes off the balcony. Did he do something similar to that when you were living here in Houston? Yes, we got in an argument. We lived on the third floor of our apartment building and he threw my clothes down the stairs. We lived close to the stairway. We were the underpartment and he threw my clothes down the stairwell. Were you concerned for your safety at this time? Yes. Not only was Annie worried about herself, but she

was also concerned for the safety of her newborn son James. And the abuse was becoming more and more physical. Did he continue while you were in Houston to get more and more physical with you? Yes. Yes. Describe that for me. He would push me, grab my arms, or my shoulders, kick me, push me against the wall. What do you leave bruises?

Yes. Would people ask you about those? Sometimes, yes. And what would you tell them? I lied. I would make something up and say that I had bumped my arm or bumped my leg against a table or a wall or something like that. We talked about some of the psychological reasons for which people will stay in abusive relationships,

but there are physical reasons as well. Many victims of abuse come to the conclusion that trying to leave would just put them or their children in more danger than just staying. He threatened you? Yes. Can you tell me about that? He threatened me if I ever left, that he would kill me, he said that nobody would ever find my body,

because he was a doctor, and he had access to chemicals that would dissolve my body. He said if I ever left,, he would find me and the children and take my children. And I would never see them again. Did you believe in when he made his threats to you? Yes. Were you concerned about the safety of your son? I was concerned that he would take my son and I would never see him again.

Leon wasn't just a bad husband and father. He was also a terrible doctor. In January of 2009, the University of Texas decided against renewing his residency for the following reasons, having a false overconfidence that jeopardizes decision-making, lying on mourning rounds, a lack of insight into his own abilities. A below-average rating for professionalism, lying about participating in procedures, argumentative with staff, asking a chief resident to make out in the hall, removed from working with students due to inappropriate behavior, disorganization and tardiness, inappropriate contact with students, including telling a student

about the size of his penis, visits to prostitutes in Mexico, and various sexual positions. Annie and Leon moved out to Pittsburgh after Annie gave birth to their second son, Cash. At this point, Annie was supporting the family on her own. Leon spent the days drinking and gambling using Annie's money, of course. When you say he was spending a lot of money, was it on alcohol and gambling? Yes. Do you call about how much he spent gambling at the time? I don't recall, but it was in the tens of thousands.

Was it that frustrating to you? Yes. Why was it frustrating? Because Was that frustrating to you? Yes. Why was it frustrating? Because kids are expensive. Life is expensive. That was money that I wanted to save. Some of it to save. Some of it was for daycare and food and clothing and rent.

And it was all being given to the casinos and online poker. He was buying online poker chips and using the money for online poker as well. Leon began a short-lived residency at North Side Medical Center in Youngstown, Ohio. But he was dismissed in March of 2011. A performance evaluation stated that Leon repeatedly showed disrespect to his peers,

supervisors, and subordinates, and that profanities were used openly at nursing stations. The evaluation also stated that his basic scientific background was poor, and that Leon's in-training examinations were in the 7th percentile. Court records showed that a couple of weeks later he was cited with criminal trespassing on the North Side Medical property and that he threatened one of the doctors at the hospital. Before he was fired from the hospital though, he started having an affair with one of his co-workers, Patricia Gooden. Patricia's husband, Darren, learned of the affair when he took his son to the emergency room and noticed someone following him

on the way home. Could you tell us how you found out about that? Yes, I took my son to the hospital one night. He was having a hard time breathing. And she didn't want to go to the hospital with us. And when we ended up leaving the hospital, I got followed by Leon all the way to my house and then he sped off.

Darren's wife had introduced him to Leon in the past and Darren recognized the vehicle. This encounter made him suspicious, so he checked his wife's phone records and discovered evidence of the affair. Darren and Patricia filed for divorce, while Patricia and Leon continued to see each other. But before long, Leon started to treat her the same way he treated his wife. I just remember being scared in a sense because when he would get angry, he would get very angry,

excuse me, and it wasn't just like a normal fight between like a couple, it would be like a normal fight between like a couple. It would be like a screaming match. And I just remember like faces like being red and angry. Leon also started to harass Darren. My head and some extra any worse. The head I had to put in place, follow us around,

just sitting in front of the house. They'd deal with a couple threats he threatened us, threatening to blow up the house. They do a couple threats. He threatened us Threatening blow of my house. They're gonna kill me Right to blow up your house and this is the house now. You're you're now living in a separate house correct when you're separated from your wife. Yes How about when you went to pick up the children at any time? Did you ever encounter him on those occasions? Yes, and what was that like? I Did standing outside y him on those occasions? Yes. And what was that like? He'd stand outside, yell on the screen and, you know, making threats towards me. What sort of things would he say to you? He said he wanted to kill me. He said he wanted to fight

me. Just bad mouth and swear and, you know, call me all kinds of names and stuff like that. Did you ever engage him back in those discussions? No According to Darren Leon was hell bent on keeping Darren's kids away from him He allegedly offered to take them the dinner or buy them things if they would run away from Darren's home on his visitation days But I was my mom. It was a lot different when I went to my dad's I Wouldn't stay there very often because they would always tell me certain things to come back to them or run away in a sense. If I would, they would take me out to dinner or certain instances like that.

Okay, when you say they told me to come back, they told me to run away from my dad's, who are you referring to as day? Leonna, my mother. On one of these occasions, the kids ran away from Darren's home. A short time later, the police showed up at his house. About half-hour later, the police showed up on my doorstep. And I said, he got hit in the chest. Leon punched my son in the chest.

Twice, I think he said. And they tried to blame it on me to get the child and the engagement on me. So I would not be able to see my kids. Do you remember an incident involving your brother and the defendant? Yes, I do. Could you tell us about what happened?

It was one of the day of my dad's visitations. And we, there was a conversation I came downstairs, I didn't wanna go to my dad's because of all the things of my dad's visitations. There was a conversation I came downstairs. I didn't want to go to my dad's because of all the things that they told me about him, like lies and stuff and made me really not like my dad at the time, which all were not true. And I went downstairs. They were talking, my Leon and my mother were talking about like a dinner that they were going to and like kind of rub me into my face, me being a 12 year old wanting to go to a nice fancy restaurant and So we went to my dad's for visitation and then my brother and I decided to run back to my mother's house

When we did so we got there and they kind of like needed a reason as to why we ran away So they needed to in a way. So they needed to, um, like, what, what happened? Yeah. Hi. Okay. They needed to like stage something like us. It's like my dad did something. So they decided to, um, punch my brother in the chest. You said they decided to punch your brother. Who actually punched your brother? Leon. Did, did you see that happen? Yes, I did. Could you describe for us how he did that? Well, we were in my, my back room and he had one shoulder on my brother and he just like went right into his chest.

And your brother was how old at the time? About 14, 15. And you said he, you saw him strike your brother in the chest. Do you remember how many times he did it? I Remember at least once or twice And did your brother react to that of all that he say out or did he? Topped over like when you get hit in the stomach The police didn't believe Leon's story and Darren was granted full custody of the kids

Meanwhile at home Leon was continuing to abuse Annie both emotionally and physically. Did there come a time where, once again, the violence kicked back up while you were in Pittsburgh? Yes, very shortly after we moved there, the violence continued. I want to talk to you about a particular instance when James was a baby.

And I believe it was your birthday. Talk to me about what happened on your birthday. Cash was a baby. James was about three. The boys came in early in the morning on my birthday and climbed into bed. They wanted us to get up, I wanted to sleep in, but we got up and I was not very happy with Leon about it

and I remember saying to him something about, you know, it's my birthday and I don't ever get to sleep in, it would be nice if I could sleep in one morning and he got really angry, he pushed me into our guest room, which was across the hall from our bedroom, and he pushed me onto the bed and was screaming at me about wanting to go back to sleep. And he lifted the mattress while I was on the bed and essentially I rolled off the bed onto the floor and he sort of pushed the mattress on top of me and then he threw a blanket and a pillow and said, you can sleep

there essentially on the floor. Leon proceeded to spend the rest of his day in bed just to spite Annie on her own birthday. About a week later on December 6, 2012, there was another incident. That was about a week after my birthday, a little less than a week after my birthday. We got in a fight in the morning as I was getting ready and getting the kids ready to go to daycare. He took my keys and my cell phone and he took the blankets and pillows off our bed and he laid in front of the front door.

I'm sorry. I need to stop you there. So he takes your keys. Yes. And he takes the sheets and pillows off your bed. I believe it was a blanket and the comforter. He was where he wrapped himself in the comforter and had a pillow. And would he let you leave the house?

No. So what did you do? I called the police. Did the police come? Yes, they did. And? I called the police. Did the police come? Yes, they did. And what happened once the police arrived? They told them to give me my keys and my cell phone, which he did, and then they left.

So what did you do at that point? I was able to get my younger son out of the house, and we went and drove around. I became concerned that my older son was still at the house and I wanted to go back and try to get him. Yes, you know, right? I just wanted to say, so strange. Did you go back to the house to get James?

I did. What happened once you got back to the house? I went upstairs and both James and Leon came into the bedroom, excuse me, and Leon pushed me onto the bed. And he pinned my arms up and put his knees on my elbows so that I couldn't get up. And he held a... I call it a knife, I think it's more of a razor, like a switch razor. We push a button and the razor comes up. He held that to my throat. While Leon held Annie at knife point, their youngest son James was just a few feet away. Was James able to see what was going on?

Yes. And was the defendant saying anything to you as he put that razor to your throat? He was screaming at me, but I don't remember what he was saying. You're scared? Yeah. Did he eventually get off of you? Yes, he did. Did you call the police? I didn't.

He had told me that that was essentially. What did the defendant tell you? Essentially that if I ever called the police again he would kill me. That was my punishment for calling the police. It was being held in the bed with a knife to my throat. So him putting that that knife to your throat with James for three year old right there, that was retaliation for calling the police just a few hours earlier. Yes.

Any managed to get away and went down to the baby's room to change his diaper. What happened once you went inside your baby's room? Leon came and closed the door and barricaded the baby and I in the room. Where was he? Where was the defendant? Was he on the other side of the door? He was on the other side of the door. And how did he barricade the door? We still had moving boxes upstairs.

We had only been in the house less than two months, I believe at that point. He took, so he put those in front of the door. He also took James' mattress, office bed, and put those in front of the door. He also took James' mattress, off his bed, and put that in front of the door. Is he saying anything to you as he's barricading you in this bedroom with your son? I don't recall.

Is he letting you leave? No. Is he telling you anything about how you're going to leave? He told me the only way I was leaving the house was in a body bag. Leon kept Annie barricaded in the room for half an hour before letting her out. Increasingly worried about her kids, Annie started to make arrangements to leave Pittsburgh.

In August of 2013, she had her paychecks rerouted to a new bank account that Leon could not access. The morning after she told him about the new bank account, he approached her holding a bath towel. Tell me what he does exactly with the towel. He wrapped it around my arms and my chest, not over my head, but around my arms and my chest. And when he does that, where are your boys?

They were in the living room. At least one of them was in the living room. I believe they were both in the living room. Downstairs in the living room. You mentioned he pushed you up the stairs. What happened when you got to the top of the stairs? He pushed me into our laundry room. And what happened once you got into the laundry room?

He began screaming at me. He had his fists raised and he was picking up laundry and whipping the laundry at me. One of the, I believe it was the dryer door was open and he slammed the dryer door. Is he saying anything to you during this time? He was screaming at me, but I don't recall exactly what he was saying. And was this because you had rerouted your paycheck?

Yes. Imagine he was throwing laundry at you and he threw anything else at you? He threw a toolbox at me. And how close did that toolbox come to hitting you? Maybe a foot, I was able to duck, and it hit the wall sort of next to me in a little bit of near my head, but did not hit me. And he went to the courthouse and took out a protection order against Leon. She later agreed to drop the protection order if Leon would let her leave Pittsburgh with the kids.

Annie brought the kids to Chicago where her parents lived. In Chicago, she took out another protection order. In the fall of 2013, after 11 years of marriage, Annie filed for divorce, citing extreme and repeated mental cruelty without cause or provocation, among other reasons. Even after their divorce went through, Leon continued trying to contact her. When Annie would ignore his attempts to contact her, There were days that it was hundreds, hundreds of times a day. When Annie would ignore his attempts to contact her, he would threaten her and her family. He told me that he wouldn't just come after me,

that he would go after my parents and that he would torture them in front of me. Did he begin showing up where you were in Chicago? Yes. Did you get a protective order against him in Cook County in Chicago where you were? Yes, I did. Why did you do that?

Because he wouldn't leave me alone. Where were you living at the time? At my parents' house. Would he go by your parents' house? Yes, he would drive by. And if my car wasn't in a driveway, he would start calling me and texting me to find out where I was. Was he supposed to be around you during that time? No. Any started to record some of the things that Leon was saying on the phone so that she could take the recordings to the police. In 2014, Leon was arrested in Illinois and charged with stalking and cyber stalking. Additionally, according to court documents, quote,

on hour about February 4, 2014, Leon Jacob committed the offense of terroristic threat in North Brook, Illinois by placing Annie Morrison and Deborah Morrison in fear of serious bodily injury or death. In addition, Leon Jacob threatened Annie Morrison by stating that he was going to cut off her father's cock and put it in her dead mother's mouth. The next time you hear someone ask a victim of domestic abuse, why they don't just leave, think about what Leon threatened to do to Annie and her family after she left him. I'll take your name to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury. Leon Jacob.

After he and Annie divorced, Leon met a woman named Megan Veritas. We met during my divorce proceedings. I lived in a couple of hotels in Pittsburgh. I lived in the Wyndham Grand for quite some time and I decided to move hotels and I was given a referral to a place called the Cambridge of Suites which is right next to the console center where the penguins play and I checked in there I think in the beginning of 2014 sometimes in early January and I met Megan there. Leon and Megan started dating, and at some point in 2014 they moved down to Houston where

they lived together for a couple of years. Leon briefly worked at Methodist Hospital in Harris County, Texas, but was fired for an anger management problem, and for mislabeling a donor organ. Megan, who worked at a hotel, became the breadwinner in their relationship, paying for their bills and groceries. And would you agree with me that you all had many fights about the fact that she was frustrated that you didn't have a job? You can characterize it as that, yes.

That she was frustrated? Yes. And that she was frustrated that she felt like she was the one that was paying for everything correct. Those were her opinions yes. Okay and she was frustrated because she felt like you were sitting home at the apartment all day and she was the one at work bringing home. Correct? If she wants to characterize it is that yes. She expressed that to you correct? A couple of times yes. And that's one of the reasons why you guys would fight, right?

Because she felt like the division of what you all were responsible for wasn't fair. That was her opinion. And she expressed that opinion to you. Sure. Just as he had done in his relationship with a sex-wife, Leon started to become abusive towards Megan. Surprise, surprise. At first, it was verbal, but by 2016 he was making physical threats. According to court documents, honor about October 1, 2016, Leon Jacob committed the offense of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, namely a glass against Megan. Just over two months later, in December of 2016, he allegedly committed the offense of

terrorist threat against Megan. On January 11, 2017, Leon sent Megan the following text message, apparently regarding a stressful situation at Megan's workplace. Fuck you. Just because you are stressed about all the shit I told you was going to happen. At the hotel before the Super Bowl was going to be here, and you did nothing about it. And now it's last minute and everyone's freaking out. Does not mean you are going to take it out on me, you ungrateful little bitch.

On January 12th, the abuse reached a boiling point. During a fight Leon grabbed Megan by her face forcing his hand down her mouth. When he finally let go, Megan no longer willing to let this man have any control over her left him right then and there. Of course, Leon would later tell a different story. So when she broke up with you that night, she left you after you put your hand on her face, didn't you? I never put my hand on her face. So when you took... Do you remember having a conversation with Officer Jack with the Houston Police Department?

I had a conversation with someone from the Houston Police Department. I don't remember the exact name. And when you talked with that police officer with the Houston Police Department Did he actually call you to get a statement from you about what it occurred with the assault between you and Megan? I Guess you can characterize it as a statement. Yes, and did you give him a statement? I did and you were called telling him that the only thing that you did was put your hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming. I did say that but I didn't say put my hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming? I did say that, but I didn't say I put my hand on her mouth.

You never said that you put your hand on her mouth. I didn't say I put it on her mouth. OK, what did you say? I said I put my hand over her mouth. In front of, I meant in front of like this. I never put my hand on a visibly on her face. OK. So you disagree with when she says you put her hand,

you put hands on her, you disagree with that. Absolutely. But you agree with me that after that night, just like you said, just like that she was gone, right? Yes. And she didn't want anything to do with you after that, did she? I'm not particularly sure if you characterizes that. Well, she ran to my mother's house to spend a night.

And then she went to my family's house to stay with them. Megan, whose family lived in Pittsburgh, went to stay with Leslie Jacob, Leon's sister. And did you talk to Megan about what had happened earlier in the evening? When she came to my house? Yes. Okay. And what was her demeanor like when you saw her that night? She was shaken, very upset.

She came in the house and I just, I didn't know what had happened and she proceeded to tell me and Adam exactly what had happened. Did you see any sort of injuries on her body? I did. What did you say? I saw a ham print. It looked like a thumb and an inch and then some finger print on her face. Eventually, Leon found out where Megan was staying and sent his sister hundreds of text messages

telling her that she needed to get him and Megan back together. One day, Leon left Flowers on the doorstep of Leslie's home. As we've discussed in previous episodes involving domestic abuse, gifts such as Flowers are just another tool used by abusers to manipulate their victims. In this case, Flowers were Leon's way of telling Megan that he knew where she was hiding. Later that same day while Leslie and Megan were having a girl's night, there was a knock on the door. Leslie went to open it thinking it was a food delivery and Leon stormed into the house. He came in the house and screaming, I know Megan's here, where is that bitch? And I was like, Leon, she's not here. Please don't like the baby.

Please just leave. And I just kept saying she's not here, she's not here. But she truly was there, correct? She was, and yes. Did you know where she was at that time that you're confronting the defendant? I didn't know at that time where she had hidden. I found out after I got him out of the house.

And where was he of the house. And where was he in the house looking for Megan if you remember? Well, he came in our front door and he saw the flowers that he had brought. And I think her purse or some bag in our kitchen bar area, not bar area, our island area with some bar schools. And he went upstairs where our extra bedroom is, came back down, and I kept saying she's not here, she's not here.

And did he ultimately believe you? He did after I called my husband on the phone, and I told him that Liam wouldn't leave the house, and I wanted him to leave immediately. He was waking the baby up. Okay. What were you going through at that time? What were you feeling about? What was happening?

I was scared. I was really scared. I was scared for Megan. I was scared he was going to find her. I was really upset. He burst into my house and woke the baby up. And did you ever consider calling the police? I did.

My husband said if he wouldn't leave to call the police. And did he ultimately leave? He did. Megan who had been hiding in a closet while Leon searched the house for her, packed up her things and left that night to find somewhere else to stay. On January 17, five days after the initial incident, Megan went to the police to report the assault. Leon began stalking Megan, following her around her workplace

and sending her hundreds of text messages and emails. One of these emails, which was sent from the address, Leon loves Megan V at gmail.com, contains the following excerpt. I believe we can recover from this, but it's up to you. I sent you a list of things I can do to make this right, but got no response. Instead, you tried to have me charged with crimes. How can you tell someone you love them so much and so often and then do that? We literally had sex the night before this incident, and you slept on my chest and told me how happy

you were. That does not make sense. This email reveals what was Atlion's core, the sense of entitlement. He felt entitled to Megan, as though she were his property. And in his warped mind, because she had slept with him, he should be able to get away with assault. He convinced himself that he was a victim in all of this. Is there a particular reason why you would not leave her alone? I think it was a multitude of reasons. I can't put it into one reason. Would you categorize your position as being desperate for her?

I could categorize it that way. I think to answer your previous question, I thought that she really loved me the way that she said she did. I couldn't imagine ever walking away from her the way she walked away from me just like that. The relationship had nothing to do with love. For Leon, it was all about control. Mr. Jacob, you like to be in control, don't you?

That's not my opinion. Somebody else is. Well, do you? Who doesn't like to be in control of their life? When Megan left Leon, she took that control away from him. You were upset that Megan had filed a Salt Family member charges against you, aren't you? Anybody would be upset about having a false police report filed against them. So is that a yes, Mr. Jacob? Were you upset?

Of course I was. And were you a little bit frustrated that if that a Salt Family member case stopped against you, that you weren't going to be able to try and reinvent your medical career, correct? Yes, it was certainly a hindrance to that, wasn't it? Yep. And if you're convict, you have a salt family member and stalking a felony, you're not going to be able to practice medicine anymore. Are you most likely not and? Medicine's pretty important to you, isn't it? It is and so the fact that you might not be able to try and reinvent your medical career was upsetting to you, wasn't it? Yes, it was.

And that assault family member case was what stood between, in your mind, what stood between you and your medical license. It was a hindrance. It was a hindrance, right? And if that assault family member case went away, then you were all good, right? I don't know if I was all good, but it would certainly be

better than having it. It certainly wouldn't be in the way of you being a doctor, right? If it wasn't didn't exist, it's not going to be in a way of anything. Leon reached the decision that the only way to get the assault case to go away would be to get Megan to go away. This is where Leon came in the contact with a woman named Laura Thurlow, who was working as a paralegal inter-uncle's law office. Leon went to her office one day for some legal assistance.

Laura offered to go with him to the courthouse, after which he brought her to Megan's workplace. He asked Laura to go inside and look for Megan, and then they drove over to the parking lot to search for her car. Leon told Laura some versions of what had taken place, and he explained to her that he needed the assault charges to go away. According to Laura, who had previously worked in criminal defense, Leon wanted her to introduce him to someone who could help him take care of Megan. And then he would eventually revert to you got to know somebody that can get her put her

in the vehicle. I can give him a syringe. They can use the syringe on her, bring her to me and I'll take care of the rest. You have the impression during this time that this was just a lovesick guy who was missing his girlfriend or did you feel like it was more serious than that? At the time, I thought he was an extremely lovesick guy that was very bound and determined to try to get his girlfriend back, but it was progressing

to a much worse place. Did your opinion of just him being a lovesick guy change? Yes. Okay. And what caused that change in you? Well, just the fact that we're using the word syringe and kidnapping and bringing her to him to be to be taken care of or finding someone to take care of or brought me to that point. Leon began stalking Laura, calling her constantly and showing up at her office unannounced.

After this had gone on for a while, Lara reached out to a friend of her's named Kenneth to see if he would talk to Leon about leaving her alone. But even after that occurred, Leon continued to contact her. Lara reached out to Kenneth again, but someone named Zach answered the phone instead. Zach informed Laura that Kenneth had passed away, but offered to take care of the problem. This is how Leon first came into contact with Zach, whose full name was Moataz Aza. How did you get into a relationship with Moataz Aza. Moataz didn't just reach out to Leon to tell him to leave Laura alone. Instead, he offered to take care of Megan for him.

My name is Motes Aza, I'm still there as M.O.A.T.A.Z. That's his A.Z.Z.E.H. And how old are you, sir? I'm 32. And where are you from originally? I was born in Chicago, but I lived in Jordan when I was young, and that is what the accident was from. So you grew up enjoying it?

Yes. Did you go to high school here in the tech industry area? Yes I did. And you have clear broke high school. And what did you do after high school? I joined the military. Moataz was former military, and he told Leon that he had experienced carrying out jobs like this. Laura had unwittingly set up Leon with the hitman he was looking for.

While he was dating Megan, Leon had also been involved with a woman named Valerie McDaniel. We lived together for about two and a half months, but we had been romantically involved for quite some time more than that. How much time? Probably a couple of years. Publicly Valerie was a loving mother and highly regarded veterinarian, but in private, at least in her relationship with Leon, she was a very different person.

And just like Leon, Valerie wanted to make someone disappear. Her ex-husband, Mac McDaniel. So together, Leon and Valerie hired a hitman to take care of Megan Verikus and Mack McDaniel. Moataz outsourced the job to a friend of his named Javier. On March 8th, 2017, Leon and Valerie met Javier at the Olive Garden to discuss some of the details of their arrangement. Javier, in an effort to conceal his identity, told the couple to call him A or Adam. Just an a-lis, something that he can call me by. identity told the couple to call him A or Adam. For the sake of clarity we will continue

to refer to him as Havier. Having already paid Moataz around $10,000, Leon and Valerie agreed to pay Havier another $10,000 to finish the job. Although Leon tried to tiptoe around stating directly that he wanted Javier to kill Megan, it was nonetheless clear to Javier what Leon wanted him to do. To murder his ex-girlfriend. And would that be like a hitman? Correct. It was also clear what they wanted done to Mac McDaniel. So he's agreeing to give you money in order that you kill Mac McDaniel, right?

Correct. On March 9th, the following day, Javier showed up at Leon in Valorys' apartment to inform them that he had taken care of Mac McDaniel, shooting him in the head and staging the scene to make it look like a robbery. This was the meeting on the balcony that you heard at the top of the episode. After leaving the apartment Javier, sent Leon photos of Megan, Bound, and Gagged. His ex-girlfriend, who's father's soul-charges and stalking charges against him, is sitting by herself in a warehouse somewhere in this city, zip tied with duct tape around her mouth

With a person he knows is a paid killer. He knows it and Then there's no disputing this. This is this is visual evidence, right? That is what he's thinking and he never tries to stop He never once says let her go. He never once said this has gone too far. Because that was never his intention to stop it. He was going to let it go as far as it needed to go. Minutes later, Javier called to tell know that there's no reason in with her. There's no reason for her.

Same thing. She said the same thing over and over again. You know, put too much risk on us and she doesn't care about believing. That's pretty much it. And she's dead. She's gone. So we'll change it. She's just like half.

And so, when you were, yeah. She's dead. You want to care? Yeah. So we'll get a, I know you have concerns about the body, and everything we'll take care of the body. Okay? Okay, just, okay, I guess so, hand you my phone over tomorrow or something or lead us somewhere for you. Yeah, you got your way over here. Yeah, just not quite yet.

This is the only way I have to communicate with you. Okay. Absolutely nothing. I'm taking care of everything as we speak right now. Okay. You okay, my friend? can care of everything as we speak right now. You okay, my friend? When officers showed up at Leon and Valorys apartment that night to notify them of the death of Mac McDaniel, the couple played along, fanning surprise and offering an alibi.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan until they were placed in handcuffs. Leon, Jacob, and Valorium Mcial were placed under arrest for solicitation to commit capital murder. I want to take you back in time to the first time that you met an individual by the name of Leon Jacob. Do you know Leon Jacob? Yes. How do you know Leon? He was my boyfriend.

This is Megan Veritas, testifying at the trial of Leon Jacob in March of 2018. You see nervous, nervous, a little bit. And this is Mac McDaniel, testifying at the same trial. Who were you married to? Valerie McDaniel. You're probably more than a little confused right now. A couple of minutes ago, both of them were dead, both killed at the hands of a hitman named Javier.

Could you please state your name for the record? Javier Durand. And I see you have a badge around your neck. What do you do for a living? I am a police officer for the Houston Police Department. Javier Durand was not a hitman. He was an undercover police officer and Moatez or Zach, the first person Leon hired, had been cooperating with the Houston Police Department as a confidential informant.

When you do undercover cases, you have to take on certain personas. You have to have a back story. You have to be able to know what you're talking about and you have to be able to sound like you know what you're talking about. So I needed SAC to talk to the defendant and tell him that I am a certain person that I've done certain things in the past. Give him a little backstory about myself. Javier didn't kill anyone, but the photos he showed Leon and Valerie were actual photos of Mac and Megan. And did you have both Megan and Mac stage their own death?

We had Mac stage's own death and Megan's kidnapping. Do you know why they wanted to take photos of you? Because somebody had been paid to kill me and they needed that as backup. So did they ask you to stage those photographs, making it look like you had actually been kidnapped? Yes. Megan was brought to a warehouse on police property where her hands and feet were bound with zip ties

and duct tape was wrapped around her entire head. What's going through your mind when they're putting duct tape around your face and zip tying your wrists and your ankles? What if this really happened? I mean, I was just, I mean, at one point, I don't think I could even, I just can't believe I was there. It was while she was at this location that Megan met Mac McDaniel for the first time. Where were you when the officers came to talk to you?

I was at my parents' home. And without saying what was said, did you in fact have a conversation with Sergeant Quinn and officers to Snarris? I did. And as a result of that conversation, did you become upset? Beyond. Okay. What was your reaction?

I told Sergeant Cran that if they would have been successful, Natalie would have not had any parents. And that thought it'd save you. Unimaginable. Did they make you concerned for your safety. Of course, but my first thought was my daughter. After you have the meeting with Sergeant Quinn and officer

Cisneres, where do you go? I went to a location behind the police station, the impound yard, or I can't remember the name, but it was a good dark lot I believe it was directly north of the police station. And did the officers ask you to do something for them? They did. What did you do for them? Stage my own death. Was that hard to do? Beyond. I. Not imagine. In order to convince Leon and Valerie that Mac was actually dead, the photos had to be realistic. Every detail had to be visually consistent with an actual murder, including the gunshot

wounds. Can you describe for the members of the jury what you're doing here? Staging my own death. Did they pour blood on you? Pigs blood. And did they ask you, or do you recall why you got into your vehicle to take this picture? I was staging a cardjacking or murder,

a cardjacking. So they had you get inside your vehicle to take this photograph? Correct. Did officers also take a picture or photograph of you outside of your vehicle? They did, on the ground next to my vehicle. I'm going to show you what's now been in this space exhibit.

Number 27, is that you in that photograph? Yes, ma'am. And is that you laying face down in the grass with that takes blood all over you? Yes, ma'am. Is that you laying face down in the grass with that pig's blood all over you? Yes, ma'am. Take a moment to place yourself in Mac or Megan's position. Imagine what it would be like to fake your own death, being bound with zip ties, gagged with duct tape, and splattered with pig's blood, knowing just how close this came to being

a reality, knowing that someone out there, someone you used to care about paid $10,000 to make sure you were dead. The entire time asking yourself, what if they had been successful? What if their plan had worked. On March 13, 2017, Valerie was released on Bond. She began recording audio diaries explaining what led her to the point of taking out a hit under ex-husband. Okay, March 25, it's been a few days.

I hope it won't repeat me. So, told me later that he was going to try to help me, that he would try to get back to leave me alone. And the same time he was working to try to get made and to go back to Pittsburgh. It's weird things, it wasn't like bam, bam, bam, progression. Things just gradually happened. There was talk all the time about this and it just normalized things. It's so strange, it's hard to explain, but talking about I talk all the time about this and I just normalize things.

It's so strange. It's hard to explain, but talking about somebody trying to take quite a Mac and make them leave me alone just became like, oh, okay, that's normal. I'm just not so normal. On March 27th, Valerie decided that she didn't want to take her chances in court. Valerie McDaniel jumped to her death yesterday from her 7th floor apartment in a building on Willowick near piping rock that's in the River Oaks area. Police have now confirmed she left behind a suicide note about her farewell wishes,

as well as sealed letters addressed to family members. Leon Jacobs, McDaniel's boyfriend, asked to be released from jail to attend her funeral that request has been denied. While awaiting his trial behind bars, Leon participated in an interview with a local news station. First of all, tell me how you are. How you doing? I'm good. I'm okay. I've been here 95 days, I think today. It's been a long haul. So far, I'm awaiting bonds to...

You've been here much time to see me, so it's... I'm okay as best as I could be expected. And there's no sunlight. We talked about that. No, there's no sunlight here. I have not seen the sun since... The sun went down on a March 9th of this year. I have not seen the sun in it. Leon is asked what life is like in jail. It's a dichotic world here. Most of the inmates are fairly cordial to each other and even friendly and some of them know each other from the outside world

So it's calm a lot of the time people playing cards and dominoes and having discussions and watching TV, but there's a current of violence that can erupt at any instant and for someone like me who's been in the intellectual world for a long time as a doctor and then in the insurance business, it's something that I had to become accustomed to. You know, when I get in the screen with somebody at the hospital or at work, we have a discussion about it. Here, fists and other weapons come out very quickly and people get hurt and it's not just like a little bruise here and there sometimes they get very hurt.

Apparently Leon who is in prison for allegedly attempting to solve problems with violence looks down on other prisoners for resorting to violence to solve their own problems. But Leon is too busy playing victim to notice the astounding amount of irony in what he's saying. My family has been disrupted immensely by the situation that I have found myself in. And I'm others' business that's suffering. My sister and brother are getting hounded by the media as well as extended family all with a country. And I figured that if I gave a little bit of information to myself, talked to myself, the public got to meet me, maybe that would die down for them. Notice how Leon shrinks responsibility, shifting any potential blame away from himself by using phrases like

the situation I have found myself in, as opposed to the situation I caused. This is not my shining moment in the spotlight. It's very embarrassing what's happening to me. And the situation I find myself in. However, innocent, I tell people I am, I can't disclose why I'm innocent because I have a trial to go through. But at least this might alleviate some of the media pressure of getting to know me.

The Houston Chronicle seems to have an in journalistic integrity of about a kindergartener. They can't even get my age right. So they parted in an article. It's his past Sunday, it says I'm 39 years old. I turned 40 on the 26th of May. And they have said a lot of disparaging things about me. And I think that it's unfair.

I'm not this greatest personal role, but I certainly am not a villain. It's that they've made me out to be." In March of 2018, Leon went on trial, facing two counts of solicitation of capital murder. The evidence against Leon was substantial. All of his phone calls and meetings with officer Javier Durand had been recorded and were played for the jury. On top of that, any Morrison and Megan Verkis both testified to the years and years of abuse that Leon had put them through. But even as his defense collapsed in on itself, Leon's arrogance never wavered.

He got up on the stand and denied plotting to kill anyone. Did you ever pay money to another cover-off, sir, for the purpose of harming or hurting either Megan or Baden? No. Did you ever discuss that issue with the undercover officer. We had... Yes, we had multiple discussions or multiple conversations about not wanting to harm or hurt anybody. And that was something that you had expressed, correct? Repeatedly. Leon wanted the jury to believe that he didn't want anyone to get hurt. And it's clear on the surveillance tapes that he tried to avoid saying directly that he

wanted Mac or Meghan harmed. He thought he was being clever, that if he never explicitly said the words kill them, that he couldn't be held criminally responsible for plotting to kill anyone. But Leon was about as bad as being a criminal as he was at being a doctor, and his story was ripped to shreds on cross-examination. You kept saying on direct examination that you never used the words hurt or asked for anybody to be killed, correct? Yes. Okay, and you didn't want anyone to be killed, correct? Yes. Okay, and you didn't want anyone to be kidnapped either, did you? No.

You said that on direct examination. You said, I don't want anybody to be hurt. I don't, I never ask for anybody to be hurt or kidnapped, correct? True. But that's not true, right? Because you told Havier, snatch her, put her in a room, and tell her if she doesn't fucking leave, I'm gonna kill her true, right? Because you told Hobby Air, Snatcher put her in a room and tell her if she doesn't fucking leave, I'm gonna kill her parents, right?

If that's what you say, I say. Did you say it, Mr. Jacob? Sure. Did you say it? Yes, I guess that's what the tape's saying. And when you say Snatcher, that's kidnapping, right? If that's what you wanted's saying. And when you say snatcher, that's kidnapping, right? If that's what you wanted to find it as.

Well, how would you define snatch? I don't know. I left it up to him how to do that stuff. That's certainly not her willing to go with you, right? We were just talking about stuff at the time. I left the discretion up to him how he wanted to handle the situation. I think that if you asked him, my mindset was I was just having a conversation about possible scenarios. I wasn't giving him any directions. So when you're telling him snatch her and put her in a hotel room

you're not giving him any directions. I think I put it is so what are you going to do? It was a question actually that I asked him. No actually the statement he made was snatcher put her in a room and if she doesn't fucking leave tell her you're going to kill her parents. I think I posed it as a question to him. Does that sound like directions to you? If it's posed in a question I don't think it's directions. What kind of question is that?

I don't know. So you want to know if this private investigator fits nature? I think we were just having a conversation. Did you not want anybody hurt when you said inject her with potassium chloride, stop her heart, untraceable? I said that was something you could do. I didn't say that for him to do that.

You'd agree to me that if you injected someone with the task to implore I'd and stopped their heart that it would hurt them. Yes. It would kill them. Yes. You need that as a doctor. Yes. Did you recall telling the undercover officer,

if those options don't work, I don't give a fuck, then you gotta do what you gotta do because my survival is more important. Yes. You said that, right? I did. And you meant that, didn't you? At the time, I don't know what I meant.

Did you offer to help Officer Durand inject Megan with a syringe? I think I did. Did you offer to help officer Durand inject Megan with potassium chloride? I think I did. Did you? I, yes. And do you know as a doctor that potassium chloride will kill someone?

Yes. And so by helping him inject Megan with the tasking chloride, it will result in her death. That would be the logical conclusion. It would be the conclusion. Yes. Isn't at the end of the day what this is all about is your survival. I mean, if you were called telling officer to ran,

my survival is more important than anything. I think I might have said that. You said that right? Yes. I guess I did, yeah. On March 23rd, 2018, the jury reached a verdict. Would the defendant please stand? As to calls number 154-318. I mean, so 154-3813, state of Texas versus Leon Philip Jacob.

We the jury find the defendant Leon Philip Jacob guilty of solicitation of Capitol Immersed Charging the indictment signed by the form of the jury. Cause number 154-3812. We the jury find the defendant Leon Philip Jacob guilty of solicitation of Capitol murder as charged in the indictment. Leon Jacob was found guilty on both charges of solicitation of Capitol murder and sentenced to life in prison. He will be eligible for parole in 30 years.

While you sit in jail, I hope you think of me, a girl that you called porn uneducated, because it's because of me, you will be in prison for life. You will never see your children grow up. You will not be a part of their lives, and they will be better for it. I think some part of me always knew that you would try to hurt me

and that you were always lying. The real estate can get your family. Also knew you were lying, made it even harder to face this. You destroyed me financially and took away my sense of security but you can get that no more. Enjoy life in prison. And of course, that does it for another episode of Sword and Scale. The first episode I believe that doesn't contain any murder in it. Actually, if you like the show, please head on over to our social media. We're on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and it's the best place to keep up with the world

of Sword and Scale and everything that we're up to. If you really, really like the show, head on over to our Patreon, throw us a few bucks a month, and get plus. SourinSkale's Premium Show, available only to supporters. It's available at the $5 level, and you also get tons of bonus content. There's all sorts of stuff up there. From throughout the years, uncensored interviews, video evidence, all kinds of stuff, you also get discounts on our store at store.sortonscale.com,

a great place to find shirts and mugs and water bottles and whatever you need with our logo on it. Thanks again for listening, thanks for supporting, thanks for sticking with us through the break. For all our Patreon supporters, we'll see you there next week with Plus 31, which is bound to be a doozy. For everyone else, we'll see you right back here in two weeks for episode 119. Until then, don't hire a hitman and stay safe. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,