Sword and Scale - Episode 278

Episode Date: December 1, 2024

The murder of 14-year-old April Millsap in July 2014 sent the village of Armada into a frenzy. They hadn’t seen a murder in years let alone the murder of a child. The police enlisted the help of the Michigan State Police and the FBI to run down over 1000 tips. They followed every path of investigation. Most were dead ends but one led to James VanCallis.

Sword and scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. We're not going to go to that level. We're already at that level. We're already at that level. What the fuck do you understand? Fuck you and your bag. Well, if you like murder, I don't know who likes murder, but you know what I mean.

If you like this sort of thing, the true crime thing, here we are. This is Sword and Scale. Season 11 episode 278. A show that reveals the worst monsters are real. The Criminals are a subset of our society. We often like to think of them as different from ourselves. We classify them as criminals and separate them from the rest of us. It's those people over there. They're the ones that make the bad choices, not us. Sure, it takes a bad decision, or a bad series of decisions, to become a criminal. A lapse in judgment, a bad choice, drugs, things like that. And the thing

is we're all still just human beings. Human beings make mistakes, and you and I are also human beings. Human beings make mistakes and you and I are also human beings. But there is a bit of a distinction even though I would argue it's a lot more fragile than most people want to portray. Especially those people that are teetering on the edge of morality. There are those criminals who just find it nearly impossible not to break the law. It's kind of like who they are, you know, deep down. Psychologically, it stems from a lot of things, but often they have an utter lack of empathy.

They put their desires above everyone else. They rationalize and minimize their actions to justify this behavior. In fact, they see themselves as so superior that they feel outside the societal norms and above all legal constraints. and above all legal constraints. Any challenge to this superiority is met with defensiveness and rage. These criminals relentlessly seek validation and control through the skewed lens of their irrational mind. And this pursuit almost always leads to destructive consequences for themselves, and more importantly, all of those around them. About 45 minutes north of Detroit, Michigan, tucked into the north central part of Macomb County, is the village of Armeida. Surrounded by farmlands and orchards, it's best known for the Armeida Fair at the end

of every summer. On July 24, 2014, it was a cloudy afternoon, but the temperature outside was only 72 degrees. On the west end of town, April Millsap woke up late. Were you already awake when she woke up? She was probably up around 2 this afternoon. 2 this afternoon? Oh my goodness. I mean, it was nice, but yeah.

Why so late? Was she out late last night? Without the cold, she goes to bed late. Okay. She goes to bed like, I mean, one in the morning. Sure. And do you think that she was at home that whole time? Oh yeah. Is there any type of girl that might sneak out for a couple hours?

No. To a Thursday night party? No, because I'm on the couch. Like a typical 14-year-old, April stayed up late and slept most of the day during the summer. School was out after all. The woman speaking is her mother Jennifer. If she's hard to understand it's because she suffers from cerebral ataxia. An affliction that affects her muscle movements.

She has to walk with a cane and has a bit of a speech impediment because of this. She explains that April is a good kid and would never sneak out of the house. And she couldn't even if she wanted to. Her bedroom window was painted shut. And she couldn't leave through the front door because she would have had to get past her mother on the couch. Besides, the family pets served as April's alarm. Soon as she gets up, we have two dogs and a cat. They all plop to her. She's like the pied piper.

They all just, it's like April. Yeah. They clump to her. So I know when she gets up. April woke up bright and early in the afternoon. When she exited her room, she greeted the family pets, two dogs and a cat. What was her demeanor when she woke up this morning? What did she look like?

Was she just typical? Bad-bitten, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay. And in true teenage fashion, April went straight from sleeping to gaming on her computer. She spends most of her time playing on her computer. On that PC? Yeah. Right there in the living room? She plays Sims. She checks her website to find stuff for the Sims characters. She goes online for that. After a while, she got tired of playing games

and decided to take the family dogs for a walk. I'm in the couch with my laptop, and she's getting breath-sick. The dogs are locked. She changed her coat, always about three times to go for this walk with the dog. Why'd she do that? It blows, she does this.

Okay. She's a fast... That was typical for her. Yeah. And she's getting the backpack ready because she takes some water for the dog. She takes a little bowl and she gets the dog water when she walks her.

She changed her clothes three times because she needed the perfect outfit for her walk. She loaded her backpack and water bottle, some dog treats, and a little bowl for the water. She grabbed her cell phone, put her six-year-old border collie lab mix on a leash, and set out for the great outdoors. Did she say where she was going? She didn't say exactly the path that she was going to take, but there's two paths that

she usually takes. She usually goes to the trail over by the granary over there. Yep. And then from our house she goes the other direction toward the church. On the southern border of the village of Armada is the McComb Orchard Trail. Once a railroad, now a paved path through the Michigan countryside. It stretches for miles and is frequented by walkers, joggers, and bicyclists, especially during the summer.

She didn't say which trail she was going on today? No. Okay, how long has she usually gone? Does she always go for walks like that? The dogs overweight and she's been trying to get the dogs slimmed down a little bit. She took the meekest dog that we have. We have a pit bull and she would have taken him. Yeah. But she took Penny and I think she... That's the dog's name is Penny. Yeah. And I think her goal was to walk Penny and come back

and come back and then take the other one. April often took her dogs for a walk, but never took them together. They didn't walk well together. On this day, she took her oldest dog first, Penny. So it's kind of unusual for her to walk this late in the afternoon? In the evening? No, she goes up to Boston, it's a health college, and say I'm at the park to meet me, and she

goes to the park to meet him. So she leaves the house, and you don't know what trail she's going on, but were you fairly confident she was going to go on the trail or you just... Oh yeah, yeah. She only goes to two places like I said. Okay, so she didn't just walk around the village or anything like that? No, not with the dog. She was a creature of habit and only took one of the two paths when walking the dogs. Penny especially was getting on in years

and couldn't handle long walks. How long was April usually gone when she'd go for a walk? Half hour. At the most? Yeah, because like I said, the dog can't handle it. Yeah. So she would bring the dog back. You may be wondering what this interview is all about.

Well, after April left to walk Penny that day, she never returned. When she was gone for two hours, that's probably three hours, that's when I started to come on and text. I thought maybe she met up with the last man in town. It was about 8.30 to me. I texted April, where are you? And they get a call back. And it's typical Apple Day for me.

So I started to do the same. And then 8.30, it's getting darker and darker. And then nine o'clock, I call her and there's no answer, it's going to Voightville. April had been gone for hours before her mother realized how late it was. The sun had already set and April wasn't answering her phone. And it would ring the four times they go to Voightville.

So the phone was on Voightville night. It was on her night. It wouldn't go straight to the boys house. Worry was setting in and Jennifer tried repeatedly to call and text April, but never got a response. Started driving all the way to the foot. And she's at the foot so I didn't think she'd get too far. Sure. Then she started to call her friends and her 15-year-old boyfriend, Austin.

When I started getting tired, I'd get to you at the home, and that's when I started getting worried, and I tapped him, and he said that she'd sent him that tap. Austin had been with a friend all day, helping him and his father move and mount a TV. He didn't check his phone until it was nearly 8 o'clock. That's when he saw a message from April received at 628 p.m. that read, I think I almost got kidnapped.

OMFG. I don't know what the conversation was from that. He, I think he asked her what happened, but I don't know what transpired after she sent in that text. I would have, I tried to punch him and he would kind of know, she didn't tell me anything and he kind of stopped there. But yeah, if I get a text like that from my older friend, jumped in the car, I'd be standing there.

The reason Austin didn't give any more information when pushed was that he didn't have anymore. He responded to April's message, but didn't get a reply. After Jennifer's call looking for April, he immediately became concerned and got a friend to take him to April's house. He thought her and I were out shopping and we were gonna joke on it. Then he'd see me drive by and that's when he called me. Austin and his friend joined Jennifer

in looking for April. The village of Armada was only about three quarters of a square mile, so they hoped she couldn't have gotten far. They split up, Austin and his friend went down to McComb Orchard Trail, one of April's possible routes, while Jennifer continued to drive around. The two boys went west on the trail but didn't find her. When they started heading east, they noticed something in the distance. Far down the trail, they could see the lights of emergency vehicles. When they

met up with Jennifer and relayed the information she decided to go to the police and report her missing and to see if there was any connection. Now you haven't noticed anything strange in the last couple months, couple of weeks, couple of days even? No, no, I mean... Did April mention anything about having any odd encounters on her social media stuff? Any, was she talking to anybody? Not, not to me. Okay. The interview took a strange turn.

It started to veer off from the line of questioning about where April could be and changed to questions about any events that could have foretold a tragic end. Did you know her to take drugs ever? You know, experiment, 14, experiment with any drugs? No, she get there when the topic even comes up. The police were asking these questions for a reason. The emergency vehicles on the east side of the Macomb Orchard Trail and her disappearance were not a coincidence. They were connected.

About the same time Austin and his friend joined Jennifer in looking for April, two joggers running on the trail saw Penny alone. At first, they just ran past, thankful that the dog wasn't aggressive. But when they came back by and she was still there, they decided to investigate. The dog came running out of the trail, barking erratically.

My wife looked at me and said that it appeared to be a mannequin or a doll it looked like down there. There was a girl with her skirt down at her knees and her shirt pulled up above her chest. And her head was kicked back. 911. I'm fairly certain we just found a body along the mountain bike trail. Penny alerted the joggers to April, just 30 feet off the trail. We're between Olmo and North Avenue.

It's in our made up. Okay, it looks like GPS is putting you a lot closer to Fulton Street. We're kind of right in the middle. Is it a male or a female? Female. About how old do you think she is? I didn't get that close.

Okay. Is she on the trail? No, she's off of the trail, touched back into the woods. Her clothes are all taken off. Okay. And you don't believe she's breathing? I don't believe so, no. The police had to break the news to Jennifer, that even though they didn't have an official ID yet, it was likely April's body that they found in the woods off the trail with her loyal dog Penny at her side. On July 24, 2014, April, Millsap set off for an evening walk with her dog Penny, but

never returned. After it got dark, her mother got worried. When her calls and texts were ignored, she began to search. She called all over the small village of Armada looking for her. Even April's 15-year-old boyfriend helped to search for her. It wasn't until they knew of the large gathering of emergency vehicles on the Macomb Orchard Trail that they feared the worst and went to police to report her missing. That night the police announced to the media their

progress in the case. There are two missing persons that we're you know investigating trying to find out you know what their situation is to make a determination to see if that's maybe our victim. We don't know that much about it there are no signs you know of gunshots or knife wounds or anything like that. But we are, you know, looking to the medical examiner's office to tell us what the cause of death was. The following morning, with more information, the chief of police gave a press conference addressing the now confirmed homicide. The Armada Police Department and the Michigan State Police are currently investigating a homicide which occurred within the village limits of Armeta. Happened in the area of Fulton Road in Depot, which is at the south end of town.

The body was discovered approximately 820 last night. preliminary investigation reveals that two adults that were on the trail, using the trail, were alerted to a female's body, which was located in a drainage ditch. The victim has been identified as April Don Millsap. She's 14 years of age and she is from the village of Armada. Her official cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and asphyxiation. trauma to the head and asphyxiation. But even this tragic news brought some sense of relief to her family. When they did the autopsies, there are no signs of sexual assault.

And her dog Penny never left her side. April's lifeless body lay in the brush 30 feet from the trail for a couple of hours before she was found. Her backpack and cell phone were missing. Even the dog's leash and collar were missing. This suggested that she was murdered during a robbery, except she was practically naked. This implied sexual assault, but there was no evidence of it occurring. The evidence didn't tell the whole story.

All they knew for sure was that she was beaten and asphyxiated to death in broad daylight, mere feet from a busy trail. The police turned to the public for help. Detectives are currently looking for a large gray box van that was seen in the area of the crime scene. This is described as a painter's type of van. It has dents all over the van and the van was occupied by two white males. It has not been determined the role of the van in this investigation. If you are aware of a similar van in the area or know somebody that has that type of van, the police are asking the citizens to contact

the Michigan State Police. The van was seen late afternoon, early evening last night. And again, we don't know the participation of the van. It could be just the wrong place at the wrong time. And if we can get somebody to come forward and let us know that they were out here, that's what we're looking for. Of course, it's a box van, the go-to vehicle for sick fucks.

A young girl saw this van around the time of the murder and described the men driving it as staring her down. The police wasted no time. and described the men driving it as staring her down. The police wasted no time. They gave the media what information they had and let them disseminate it. But they didn't just sit around waiting for tips. We're about to start a canvas of the whole village. The van was seen kind of circling in and out of the area.

So that's why somebody took a picture of it. They canvassed the area and interviewed practically everyone in the village. They even performed a roadblock at the village's main crossroads and questioned everyone who drove through. The local police enlisted the help of Michigan State Police and the FBI. They even searched with scent dogs, but came up with nothing. The tips from the public started pouring in though, and quickly the box-van suspicion was put to rest.

The contractor called and admitted to being in the area showing his new employee some of the homes he previously worked on. It was the good people of Armada that would eventually break open the case. People started coming forward that were on the trail on that day. William Buchanan was an avid bicyclist

and was riding the trail when April walked her dog past. on that trail. Do you see a young girl walking a dog when you're heading in that direction on that trail? As he was riding east on the trail shortly before 5 40 p.m. he didn't see anything unusual but just a few minutes later Amy and her mother Gail did see something. Did you go for a bike ride on July 24th of 2014? Yes, I did. Did you go with anybody? Yes. Me and my mom went for a bike ride after she had gotten home from work that day. Did there come a point in time when you ran and came across a young girl and her dog? Yes.

The time was approximately 540 when Amy and Gail first saw April. She was walking west on the west, on the south side of the trail, heading west. I was heading east. She was looking down at her phone or whatever she was looking at. She was looking at. She was looking down and she was walking her dog. And my first thought was, is the dog friendly? And then it was just maybe a minute, not much longer. And she crossed over to the North side.

So she was on the same side of the trail as I was. And I was heading East. And what did you do when she crossed over? Well, I looked at her and I was heading east. What did you do when she crossed over? Um, well, I looked at her and I said hello and I said, nice dog, and she smiled and replied, said yes. Thank you very much. It was after this encounter that the pair witnessed a peculiar sight. Motorized vehicles of any kind were not allowed on the trail. It's illegal. When they saw a motorcycle on the trail, it stood out to Amy and Gail, but also

worried them. We were just riding our bicycles and I was still on the north side of the trail and the motorcycle was just sitting there and I got over to the south side to get out of the way because it was just sitting there not moving at all. Well I was alerted because number one I right away knew there should be a motorcycle on the trail and I also thought it odd that someone was completely covered. And why is this person on the trail completely covered? You couldn't see their face at all. The motorcycle was odd enough, but the rider was also covered from head to toe in July. He was wearing long dark pants, a long sleeved hoodie, and a full-face helmet. Their suspicions were raised, but they peddled on by, minding their own

business. That's how you stay alive, by the way, just minding your own business. You're welcome. Anyway, shortly after Amy and Gayle rode by, Doug and Mary came down the trail. What is it that catches your attention? There were two people ahead on the trail and it was difficult to tell how we would need to move. They were more on my side of the trail but also in the middle of the trail, up ahead and stuff. We saw the two people on the side of the road in the lower in the left side of the trail

that were they were near each other. They looked to be talking and then on the opposite side of the trail, I could see a motorcycle parked. At first they were only concerned with how to pass without causing an accident. They were on bikes traveling more than 10 miles an hour, but as soon as they got close, they noticed an odd interaction. As we started to approach the two people separated ways,

she started walking on the trail toward us with her dog, and we passed her first. They looked like they were together on the trail. Now, while it's not really odd to see two people on the trail together, it is odd to see them part ways. So I said hi and I don't know if I heard her say hi or whether she mouthed hi but she responded like, hi. They saw April on the trail with a man,

but they quickly parted ways. When Mary said hello to April, she replied and smiled. The smile, however, eh, you know, eh, it's one of those smiles where it's like, are you really smiling? What are you trying to convey to me? Yeah, it was one of those kind of smiles. Tight lipped and odd, you know? I just knew that she seemed tense. Um, with the smile,

I don't know. It just seemed unusual. And I'm on, I'm passing her on the south side. And she shifted her eyes to the south side. After passing April, they had to negotiate passing the man with the motorcycle. So Mary's attention was glued to him. I'm just looking at his face. I think I was, I don't know. I was maybe curious, but mostly I wanted to make

sure he wasn't going to move into our lane. And I said hi. Was there a response? No. After you said hi, what did you see him do? When you say hi to someone and you're up close, you expect a response back. He had an angry look on his face and he looked down and I just passed him. How does that I guess strike you? As rude. Rude, indeed. Then again that is how you stay alive. The couple continued to ride but the whole interaction stuck with Mary. She even said something to Doug about it. She didn't understand why such a girl was talking to an older man. She assumed it was her stepfather or secret older boyfriend.

Ooh, how salacious. Shortly after that, William Buchanan rode back through, in the other direction. This time, he did see something. I could see a white down the path three-fourths of a mile away. As I noticed, I could see that it was a young man, tall and slender, probably at least 16. I thought him to be older teens, 20s. He never knew. He had a helmet on. I thought him to be older teens, 20s, whenever. He had a helmet on, so yeah, it was a full face helmet

with a clear visor. I'm looking at the eyes. He has a towel to the... What are you gonna do with your eyes? He, like Mary, was drawn to the man's eyes, finding it odd that he looked angry. What worked out for me, I had an arc yell for having to play on the trail for ages. Just gave him an odd hit. As soon as he passed the man with the angry eyes, he saw April.

Immediately after passing him, I entered the tall treebuckle. It's shaded in there. The fold is darker. It doesn't do as much sun. And on the left side of the trail, Gumbill hanged west on the trail. On the left side of it, on the edge side of the trail. Young girl heading west on the trail on the left side of the edge. After passing, the whole scene just puzzled him. I was trying to understand the scene, the situation. Unusual for the motorcycle to be there. She's on the left side of the road, or the path.

My thought was there was something going on there between the two of them. My thought was that she's still on there between the two of them. My thought was that she's still on the same side of the path. They just had a rendezvous. I thought this is a girl walking the trail and meeting with her boyfriend that she's not supposed to or he has a motorcycle, but he just dropped her off. I mean, just thoughts going through my head. I was trying to process why these two figures were there, and in the position they were, and what they were doing. He was curious about what those two had been up to, but he kept peddling. Moments later, Eric Reschke and his two daughters

rode down the trail heading east. At some point in time on the path did you see April Millsett? Yeah. At approximately what time did you see April Millsett? It would have been about 625. When you saw April Millsett did she have a dog with her? Yes. Was she with anybody? Yeah. There was a motorcycle passing along next door. Was the motorcycle moving or was the motorcycle still when you first came upon it? It was moving. How close is the motorcycle to April?

It was right next door. It was in the middle of the trail. He saw April and the man on the motorcycle slowly riding alongside her. From their body language, it seemed like they had been talking. Do you or any of your kids acknowledge April? slowly riding alongside her. Other than the motorcycle on the trail, nothing seemed wrong when they saw April. He and his daughters, just like the others, kept riding.

Three minutes later, April sent the text message, I think I almost got kidnapped. OMFG. Minutes after that, Amy and Gail rode back in the other direction. Yes, I rode up on a motorcycle that was parked on the left side of the trail. My guard went up. I was cautious that somebody was going to jump out at me. Why I thought that, I do not know. I just kind of even slowed down because I was just, um,

I was honestly thought somebody was going to jump out or I wanted to know where they were at, you know, what were they doing, you know. Little did Amy know that her fear in that moment was completely warranted. I heard like stepping on the bushes and on the side. And when I looked over there, it appeared to be the dog with his paws. For just a second, her fear dissipated. Then she saw the rider of the motorcycle. Then I made eye contact with the person that was out there. Right after she noticed Penny in the bushes she looked up and locked eyes with the man just standing there in the brush. His hands were at his sides and he just stared back. His eyes were very piercing, very like he had done something wrong.

After this frightening encounter, Amy caught up with her mom. Gail wanted to go back and investigate the riderless bike. She hadn't seen the man. She wanted to turn around and go back. What did you say to her? I said, absolutely not. We're going home. And I said it very sternly. The police would later surmise that Amy interrupted the man on the motorcycle. If the brush weren't so thick, she

would have seen April at the man's feet as he stared back at her. Minutes after Amy saw the man, Terrell Land rode east on the trail. Do you encounter at any time a motorcycle on that path? No, I did not. As you're passing the greater and heading into the tunnel of trees, is there anything unusual that you see?

Yes. Okay. What's that? Well, I've probably ridden this trail maybe 100 times over the past couple of years. And never do I see a dog free. Saw it and wondered, what the heck? And I thought someone was probably walking it, and they'd stepped into the trees to leave themselves,

is what I had thought. So I kept writing. He rode the trail a little further, then turned around and came back. Do you see the dog again when you pass that area? No. Are you then consciously looking for the dog now? Yes. Do you see the dog?

No. Do you hear something? Yes. What is it that you hear? Repeated arguing. It was all over when Eric Reschke, Doug, and Mary came back down that trail. It was only later that the two joggers were alerted by Penny and decided to investigate finding April's body. If not for the presence of the motorcycle and the rider with the rude behavior, who knows if the witnesses that day would have noticed or even remembered April walking her dog. Perhaps they wouldn't have had to, because it was shaping up that the man on the motorcycle was the last person to see April alive, and was most likely her killer. to see April alive and was most likely her killer.

From the witness statements, the police were able to build a timeline of April's last moments. She was attacked sometime between 625, when Eric Rischke first saw her, and 640, when Amy saw the man standing in the brush. This was the 15-minute span of time in which April was attacked, her clothes nearly ripped off, and her head bashed and neck stumped. The police got a search warrant for her cell phone and began to compare her GPS data to what they already knew.

They were working the case 24-7 in shifts. They performed several more searches with and without the aid of dogs. They began interviewing all registered sex offenders in the area. And once again, they asked the public to help locate the owner of an enduro-style off-road motorcycle,

possibly colored in blue and white. But this time, they released a composite sketch provided by Amy. Police released this sketch of a man they want to talk to. He's a white male with sandy brown or reddish hair. Police aren't certain about his height, but say he's not excessively short. We're just telling the public if you see this person and you might see if they're exhibiting some type of behavior too and that's what we're really looking at. A lot of times when these people

commit these type of crimes, they'll either change their work habits or they'll do some different things in order to make it a little. They're not themselves. We're pretty sure that somebody that this person may have talked to somebody. If somebody has talked to you or something that you think is suspicious, give us a call

and let us look at it. We'll determine if it's a good tip or not. And the tips came flooding in. In a matter of days, the police had over 400 tips. One officer the day after April's death was following up on the sighting of a motorcycle. And it fit the description when he spotted another motorcycle. I seen as I'm driving by, I turned my car around, pulled into the driveway, took a little

better look at it from inside my car, snapped a couple photos of it with my cell phone, snapped a photo of the address of the house, and then I proceeded back to the command center. I wanted to see if this was in fact the type of bike that the tip was speaking about, the on-road off-road style bike possibly. It was and so at that point we made a determination to go back out there make contact with the homeowner and gather some more information about the bike. When he returned to the house, the motorcycle was gone. They questioned the homeowner, who told them that the bike belonged to a friend of his, James Van Callis. They found his address through motor vehicle records and went to go pay him a visit, say hello.

Hi, James! Went to the front door a visit, say hello. Hi, James. Went to the front door, knocked on the door. An older gentleman answered. I asked to speak to James Van Callis. He said he was James Van Callis. I asked him if there was another James Van Callis, maybe a son. He said there was.

I asked him if I could talk to him. He yelled in the house for a James Van Call Callis or James, however he called him. At that time, the defendant came to the door. He ended up coming out on the porch. The original James Van Callis to answer the door. It was determined later that's his father. He also came out on the porch as well as a female came out on the porch. 32 year old James Donald Van Callis lived with his father. 66 year old James Bernard Van Callis. Everyone called him Jim. His mother

Brenda Poopy also lived there and yes that's really her name. His girlfriend Crystal Stabler also lived there too along with their three-year-old. James kind of fits the description too. He has a slender build and other than the hair he looks like the composite sketch. I asked the defendant some questions. What did you ask? I told him we were doing an investigation in Armada. I asked the defendant some questions. What did you ask him? I told him we were doing an investigation in Armada. I asked him if he was in Armada the day before. What did he say? He said he was.

He cooperated with the officers and answered their questions, albeit vaguely. He gave approximate times for his whereabouts that day. He said he left home on his bike at around 5 p.m. and he ran by his friend's house but he wasn't home. He continued to Armada and stopped at the Marathon gas station to rest a bit. The seat on the bike was a bit uncomfortable. Then he went to his brother's house.

It was casual. It was just us asking about his whereabouts and everything in our data. It was very casual, very friendly. And what about the next morning, about 12 hours later, when you asked for the record statement? It was still friendly. He indicated he was busy, but it was still friendly. Did you have contact with him then later in the day? I think part of Wade and there was supposed to be a phone call. Did you have additional contact? Yes, I'll leave the phone. Who called who? I initially called him later in the afternoon. There was no answer. I left a message and then received a phone call back from him.

And did that phone call contact you? Yes. You speak to him? Yes, I did. And what was that? He was very upset to the point where he was irate on the phone. He was yelling at me on the phone telling me that it was a witch hunt, that we are trying to call and talk to all kinds of people and take people to cell phones. It was just more of an out of control type phone call. James Van Callis didn't like the police because he had a record. In 2005 he was

convicted of breaking and entering for which he got probation. Then in 2007 he was convicted of failure to pay child support and sentenced to five years probation. He quickly violated that probation by continuing not to pay child support and was put in prison for about a year. When April was murdered, he hadn't been out of prison that long. The elder Van Callis also had a record. But is that really a surprise? In 1995, he pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal sexual conduct. One victim was between 13 and 15 years of age. And the other, well, the other was younger than 13. He is a registered sex offender. James was in our MEDA that day and at that time he owned an Enduro style motorcycle and he fit the description well enough. When the

police conduct an investigation they follow a lead until it bears fruit or fizzles out. They started to investigate him and tried to verify his story. Either he did it or they would have to rule him out. But James didn't like being investigated and quickly went from cooperative to combative. So they took their suspicions to the judge. We didn't have a good search warrant. A judge wouldn't sign it.

We wouldn't be there. He is a person of interest in our investigation and our made up. We are looking at him. After trying to contact James several times to get a written statement and ask a few more questions, they were only met with hostility. So they filed for a search warrant for his residence. The FBI, Michigan State Police, the Macomb County Sheriff's Office, and the Armada police descended on the Van Callis property, some 15 miles northeast of Armada.

James immediately protested. What would you do if somebody touched your parents? What would I do if somebody touched my parents? Well, not being in the position you're in, and they're coming to my house and doing a search warrant. So it's hard for me to say arbitrarily if somebody touched my parents. When you see right out the window, you guys are here, and we are walking right up. Here we are, here we are, here we are.

Don't shoot, here's our hands, here's our hands. And they're dragging us. Yeah, that wasn't us, right? I don't know. He's just talking. He's nervous. I know. I'm nervous?

You are too, Don't start. Nervous about what? Nervous about what? Because you got FBI, State Police and sheriffs here. I'm nervous. They piss and shit the same way I do. That is true. Oh Jimmy watch your mouth. That is true. You can't go anywhere without getting your neck stepped on apparently. You can't ride your motorcycle before you're on because somebody's gonna say something and you're gonna get your neck stepped on. The team that first served the warrant was apparently a little rough with the Van Callis's. James was complaining about how his parents were treated and that his neck was stepped on.

He didn't want to answer any questions about April's murder and outright refused to provide a written statement for what he already said. I'm not writing nothing or anything, but that's a form of a mission and I'm not gonna sit there and have some variance in my story I gave you and my written one and have, oh, aha, fuck that shit. I gave you two statements, other than that I don't recall anything of that matter."

These questions seemed to trigger his anger. He began fluctuating between two extreme emotions. One moment he was calm and collected and the next he flew into a blind rage. James, stop making it worse. We're already at that level, sir. We're already at that level. It's not good we're at that level. What the fuck do you understand? Fuck you and your badge. I gotta get the guy down.

Hey, fuck you and your badge. James, can you settle down right now? Okay, because if you're going to raise your voice like that, we'll call you out of here. I got no problem with that no problem boy James got quite a bit of a temper when he gets going huh he don't like it when he's cornered well he sounds like you don't like it when he's when he when he's not in charge yeah sounds like why you gotta be so rude to us can you be nice for two seconds The officer was right. James didn't like it when he wasn't in charge.

In fact, that was evident every time he opened his loud mouth. When he wasn't berating them at the top of his lungs, he was threatening the officers with a lawsuit. So you guys blew through my door with a warrant just for material. Oh, that's not gonna look good. That's not gonna look good on the suit or something? There was, well there were some allegations that you know you were hot-headed and there were some weapons in the house. Who had allegations of that? Who's the accuser?

Well, I can't tell you. Oh, alright. They're turning my hand out. You sound like a smart guy, man. Did you ever think about going to college or was that not on the radar for you? People that go to college are the ones that can't learn from the book. Yeah? Yeah. That's a hard stance to take when you're an uneducated, unemployed 32-year-old who

spent time in prison for not paying child support. But it didn't stop James from trying to sound smart and make things personal. What's your name? Neil. Neil? Don't make me sue you as an individual. I'll put a personal meaning on your house. Sounds smart and makes things personal. Get in the car. I'll wait. Oh, God. So anyway. I'm done. I got to tell you, ma'am, I'm sorry, but I'm done putting up with him. I'm done. I only have patience so long that I try to get people an understanding, you know, but

then when he starts making it a little more personal, I'm not going to sit here listening to him. Shut the door! You better arrest the doctor. God damn it, I'm taking care of this. I think your mother's going to arrest you. I hope that's a threat. Ma'am, ma'am, don't get in the way.

And when he wasn't threatening a lawsuit, he was letting the officers know how he really feels about them. Every time, man, every time the cops show up, it's always nothing but bad news. It's never good. That's why I mean, I probably told you sometimes I don't even want to pull over when they're pulling me over. You know what? I'm the kind of guy who wants to slam on his brakes and make you ass in me and hope that

I hurt you. And not, no offense, because that's the way they make me feel. Thanks. No offense. But you know what I mean? Like you freaked me out and I slammed on the brakes. I'm sorry that you went through the windshield kind of shit. You know, I mean, they fuck with me too much.

I want to give them a piece of my mind. Like when it comes to my homecoming, anytime I can give them a piece of my mind. Fuck you people. Hey, when you leave leave I hope you wrap your cruiser around a fucking telephone pole. James seems to have a cruel disregard for the police. Perhaps everyone as well. Well everyone except maybe this one FBI agent. I wouldn't normally say this, but you're pretty. I was telling him in the house, and I see him, and I was like, oh wow. He told me I was an ass.

Amid the multi-agency search of his home, he decided to hit on the blonde FBI agent. Hubba hubba, you know? Yeah, I was wondering if you'd work for the FBI, but I'm too much of a criminal. So by chance, can I have your card? Oh! Is it because I got all the cops in my backyard? Maybe. How about you take my number and...

That's probably when calling. Oh! Mom, I was hitting on her and she told me to leave her alone. I was hitting on her and she told me to leave her alone. Oh! I asked her for her phone number and she says it. And I well if you don't want to take mine can I give you mine? And she's like I won't call. I'm like that with every girl I meet.

Hey you know what it is? You're an idiot. Can't help myself. She blushed. He couldn't help himself. He was like that with every woman he met. In fact, he was so preoccupied by this woman that the officers had to ask her to leave. Once they had his whole attention, they let him know why they were there. What's that? He's saying that he's got me in our Mado.

He says he's got me in our Mado 40 minutes that's unaccountable for. Bullshit if it is. And that's just to inform you why we're here. What brought us here this third time. So I'm not a suspect but yet there's 40 minutes that ain't accounted for but yet I was in the brothers home. That's right. Well think about it.

Because we wanted to talk to you about it. If you're on a bike in town and we're looking for somebody right now to talk to you on a bike. I told you everything I know. Okay hold on. The 40 minutes is unaccountable. Well, well, think about it. Because we wanted to talk to you about it. If you're on a bike in town and we're looking for somebody right now to talk to you on a bike. I told you everything I know.

Okay, hold on. The 40 minutes is exactly how I said it. If you're trying to make me remember time now, I don't recall. I really don't. And that's all we have to do. I know it's been so much time now. Okay, okay. I couldn't even have it.

That's why I tried to do it the other day. I wish you would have. Why didn't you have me write it down when you were here? I don't remember anything now. Do you recall the second time I came here, it was very day. I wish you would have. Why didn't you have me write it down when you were here? Yeah. I don't remember anything now. Do you recall the second time I came here, it was very late at night, you're in your boxers. First time you were here. First time?

No, I know. I had to back up myself in the middle of my sentence. The first time we come, it's late at night. We know we pull people out of bed. So the next day when I come here, what was the first thing I said? Can we go write all this down? Nope, I'm busy.

He claimed that he didn't remember specifics now it had been a long time just to clarify this was July 30th only six days after April's murder going through a town if someone gets murdering does not make you a suspect and we never have you heard yeah well, you know what? Good. That's a good point. You made a you made a good book at the time. This happens. Absolutely. You're right. Anybody and everybody could be a suspect. Anybody and everybody could be a suspect. But not everyone owned a motorcycle and helmet just like the ones described by witnesses. Not everyone was wearing clothes that matched the description.

Just James Van Callis was, but they weren't there just to ask questions. They were there to prove it. So where's my bike going? You're using my bike? I don't know bike over a ride on my fucking bike today. What are you going to tell me? You're picking me up on her? Jimmy, you're going to get arrested. No he's not, no he's not. Your whole big mouth is going to get you arrested.

And when it does, don't look at mama. His mother just wanted to let them do their job. Honestly, he was protesting way too much. It made it seem like he had something to hide. And he was hiding something. You see, the Van Callis family had a large marijuana grow operation. This isn't necessarily illegal as Michigan allows marijuana

medically and allows people to grow their own. You can even grow plants for other people who have their medical cards. The problem is you're only allowed to have 12 plants maximum for each cardholder. That's 36 plants. The Van Callis family had 52. And I guess the stress of the situation was getting to them because all they wanted to do was to take their medicine. We're not breaking the law. We're not breaking the law. So we want you to hold whoever's in charge. If I had a joint right here right now.

We'd light it up right now. There's not a damn thing you can say about it. We're on private property. If I lit a joint up right now and started scoring here, there's nothing you can say. We have a federal one. An agency here with this guy. That don't make any difference. I don't give a shit. It doesn't make any difference.

We have a license. Tell them to suck on my left hand knot. I'm gonna drop the tail. Even if your state allows medical or recreational marijuana, it's still illegal federally. The Van Callis men weren't getting out of this one unscathed. Both father and son were arrested on drug charges. The authorities seized his bike and helmet along with the clothes he said he was wearing the day of the murder.

They took his pants, his shirt, and his shoes. The one thing they couldn't find was his hoodie, which had been accidentally thrown away. The pants had what might be blood on the cuff, but the real reason they were there were for his shoes. The imprints on the victim's neck were so significant and vivid that we felt that if we could find those shoes that we could match it up. Whoever killed April stomped on her neck so hard it left an imprint of the bottom of the shoe. It was also so hard that it collapsed her airway ultimately

leading to her death. But when they checked the shoes that James said he wore that day, they didn't match. The Van Callis men would remain under police custody under federal drug charges while the authorities tried to find

more evidence connecting him to April's murder. After After the murder of April Millsap on the Macomb Orchard Trail one evening in July 2014, the police were looking for a person on a motorcycle. That person, the one with the motorcycle, was the last one to see April alive, according to statements by many witnesses. When they discovered James Van Callis owned a motorcycle like the one described, they asked him a few more questions. When he became evasive and hostile, the authorities got a search warrant for his house.

They wanted to see if the shoes he wore that day matched the tread pattern found on April's neck. Little did they know, they would discover a large marijuana grow operation. Both James and his father, Jim, were arrested on federal drug charges. They sat in jail while the authorities tried to build their case against James.

Months would go by and the police would redo interviews and try to find out as much as they could, gathering all of the circumstantial evidence. After serving the search warrant and seizing all of his stuff, they didn't find anything. They didn't find DNA, fingerprints, hair, nothing. And the shoes he said he wore didn't match the pattern. So they talked to his father, who seemed a little too comfortable in his orange jumpsuit. Did Jimmy do this? Did he murder that girl? No.

Did he kill that girl? No. Even by accident? No. How do you know? I don't. I don't want my son. I don't want all my kids.

He's been running out of the straight and narrow for the last, well, for the last year anyway. Because a year before that he's been prisoned. Yeah. He didn't think his son was capable of doing such a thing. You know, because he turned a few new leaves over or some shit in prison. So the officer tried to paint a scenario to see if it changed his mind. It's not like he doesn't know the consequences of what would happen. One of the most things I really am not, you know, is people's personalities. I'm on a lifetime registry.

He knows this. He's lived with this for the last 20 years with me, so he knows. His son wouldn't have lost his temper because he would have never talked to an underage girl. He knew better. Messing around with little girls leads to trouble. It was a lesson he learned from his father, a registered sex offender. Another lesson he learned from his father, the self-proclaimed asshole, was not to beat

women. Because for the whole time that we've been with her I beat her up all the time. You know? That's why I'm still with her. Still making it up. Do you think you'd ever picked up some of your bad habits from that? No, I would. You'd beat up all the girlfriends you had.

But you've never seen me with this girlfriend, have you? No, even the girlfriends never said anything. I don't know whether you ever said anything about it. Okay. He knew his son and just didn't think he was capable of murder. He'd been on the straight and narrow for nearly a year. He went on to support his claim by saying his son is a thief, not a murderer. But that's not really a very strong argument. It would take until October 2014 for the county to finally press charges. In cooperation with the Armeida Police Department, Michigan State Police, McComb County Sheriff's Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today

we announced charges against James Donald Van Callis for the murder of April Dawn Millsap in the city of Armeda. He was charged with first degree premeditated murder for the amount of time it takes to asphyxiate a person. Surely he had time to change his mind or call for help. They also charged him with assault with intent to commit sexual penetration because it was clear what his intention was before he got interrupted, killed her, and then ran away. Of course, in all his worldly knowledge from all the books he read instead of going to college, James pleaded not guilty and proceeded to trial.

In the trial, the prosecution paraded around witness after witness that placed him on the trail that day. They all saw a different little piece of the picture. One noticed his clothes, a couple others noticed his eyes, and one woman saw his face. All these pieces put together described James. They went over April's GPS data and created a map of her last movements. They pointed out that all of a sudden her phone was moving at 22 miles an hour. When they cross-referenced the time stamps with local surveillance systems, they saw a picture of a man on an Enduro motorcycle that was blue and white. They talked about the shoes they seized and how they didn't match the pattern on April's neck.

They theorized he destroyed the real shoes he was wearing that day. He said he was wearing a pair of K-Swiss tennis shoes, but the one witness specifically remembered high tops. Pictures from social media showed he owned a pair of high-top Nike Air Jordans, Flight the Power edition. The point is that these particular shoes match the tread pattern on the victim's neck. I guess that's the power they were referring to. The power of the state, but something to arrest a criminal. They also talked about the lack of DNA found on the helmet, the theorized weapon he used to incapacitate her.

It wasn't that they didn't find April's DNA, it was that they didn't find any DNA at all. The helmet had obviously been cleaned inside and out, but their star witness was James's ex-girlfriend, Crystal Stapler. She described him as controlling and abusive. What about if you wanted to use the computer during the day? I couldn't. Was there a home phone in there, in your portion of the house?

No. If James was out, how would you communicate with him? Through his mom or dad. Did James have a phone? Yes. Did James have a driver's license? Yes. Did James have a computer?

Yes. Did James have a car? Yes. Did you have a car? No. Why not? It wasn't allowed. But that's the same with the driver's license? Yeah. Was he controlling these aspects of your life? Yes. He controlled her to the point that she feared him. Because of this, she wasn't immediately truthful with police. It seemed like he did, in fact, pick up dad's bad habit. She went on to recall the night April died.

Would you describe how he is dressed when he leaves the house? A white t-shirt with football logos on it and gray camel pants and his black and white shoes. What type of shoes was he wearing? Black and white shoes. What type of shoes was he wearing? His black and white shoes. Her testimony contradicted James' statement that he wore the K-Swiss shoes. But this wasn't the only damning evidence.

She recalled that when he returned that night, he was acting normal until he thought she was sleeping. I wake up and see him cleaning his shoes. Okay. And what part of the shoe is he cleaning? The outside. And you ever see him clean his shoes before? No. When she asked why he was cleaning his shoes, he said,

because he got oil on them. She didn't question him further, even though the middle of the night seemed like a really weird time to be cleaning your shoes. After that, she never saw those shoes again. And demeanor toward you changed? Yeah. How is his demeanor now? Lovey-dovey. Was it that way when the two of you went to bed several hours earlier? No. When his mood like that changes, what does that mean to you? He did something wrong.

While he didn't admit to anything specifically, the timing of this statement to Crystal was suspicious. But the following day, she found something even more suspicious. Are you asked to wash any of his clothes? Yeah, he wanted me to do a load of laundry. Okay. Is that unusual? Yeah. Why? Because he never really wanted me to wash his clothes. He wore the same clothes all the time.

What were you asked to wash on the morning of the 25th? The Carhartt Herding and his pants and that shirt. Did you find something unusual in the Carhartt jacket after you washed? Yeah. What was it that you found? Like wadded up hair and like shavings of grass or like hay. She didn't recognize the hay as anything from the yard and the hair certainly wasn't hers. All of this odd behavior she kept to herself, like when James gave his family instructions. What was he telling to everybody in the house?

To tell them that he was wearing K-Swiss shoes. Was he wearing K-Swiss shoes that night? No. Out of fear for James, she wouldn't tell police any of this until the third interview, when she knew he was already in jail. All of this information really cast James in a bad light, but it did fit the theory that James hit on young April that day on the trail. When she rebuffed his advance, he hit her over the head with his helmet.

He dragged her into the bushes. He started to assault her. When Amy rode by on her bike he got nervous, abandoned his plan, stomped her to death, and fled. And just in case any of the jurors were on the fence about this theory, they read off some of James's Google search history. Here are just a few excerpts. Do young girls like older men? Why would this girl say I'm too old for her and still hit on me? What does it mean when a girl tells you that she has a boyfriend?

How to have sex with a girl? How to make a girl who does not want you want you? Notice the key phrases and all of those searches? He wants to know how to get a girl, not a woman. Needless to say, the jurors weren't on the fence at all. The biggest line of garbage I've ever heard. The evidence is just overwhelming. Circumstantial as it may be, it's still overwhelming evidence. Count one. First degree premeditated murder.

We find the defendant guilty. Count two. Count two. First degree felony murder. We find the defendant guilty. Three. Kidnapping. We find the defendant guilty. Count four. Assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, we find defendant guilty.

James was found guilty on all counts. He tried to remain stoic when the verdict was read, but he had a little eye twitch when he heard the decision. April's family erupted into celebration as he was led from the court. At his sentencing, April's mom, Jennifer, gave her statement. I hope the rain pierces you like bullets. I hope the sun burns you like fire burns skin. I hope the four walls close in on you and choke you.

I hope those steel bars are your only friends. I hope when you close your eyes you see only April, over and over and over again. You will die behind those bars alone. I hope that the inmates know exactly what you did, because I hear their punishment can be very ugly. I hope they save all their rage and anger just for you. You James R. damn thief. you stole my beautiful daughter's life. I pity you and I hate you and I can never forgive you.

Her pain was palpable. She thanked the judge and sat down sniffling into a tissue. Next, James addressed the court, once again demonstrating his intelligence or lack thereof. Well, first off is that there is no evidence that shows that I've done anything wrong. There is nobody that can say they see me commit any crime. There is nobody that can ID or has IDed my motorcycle as being on that trail that day. None of the witnesses could positively, positively identify me. They said that they seen eyes, which is, if that's the case, how many people have eyes

that are that shape. This is a sad chain of events that somehow I'm wrapped up in. I don't know how to have the Nilsat family understand that I don't know her, I've never met her. I never seen her before. He goes on like this for a while before he starts complaining about inconsistencies in discovery files. There is a fraud that's been perpetuated in this case by whoever put the case

together to put it down that hard drive. My attorney has witnessed it. I have brought it up to my attorney several times. He can testify right here right now if you were to ask him if what I'm saying is the truth. The reality is we're here to send you to the... I understand that your honor but... Please, I didn't interrupt you. Go here to sentence you. I understand that, Your Honor, but... Please, I didn't interrupt you. Go ahead. Thank you.

The reality is we're here to sentence you. Anything you want to say regarding an appeal, you can do that as soon as you're done with me. I'm just asking for a motion for trial to be noble on the grounds that... Please stop the appropriate time. This idiot was arguing appellate issues and trying to call for a mistrial at the sentencing. Does nobody watch Law and Order anymore? As to the charge for first degree murder, it is the sense of the court that you serve life in prison with no chance of parole.

Shortly after his tirade, he was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder. Another life term for felony murder. 18 years and nine months for kidnapping and six years and eight months for assault with intent to commit sexual penetration. I don't think I have to add that up for you but it's more than necessary really. Not sure there's much more you need after life. Immediately following the sentencing, his mother claimed her son was framed because the authorities needed to pin it on someone. Yeah, that's how idiots think the system works.

Cops don't work on a quota, people. Maybe prosecutors, but not cops. Later in a phone interview from prison, James claimed his ex-girlfriend was told what to say on the stand and forced to testify, or else her kids would be taken away. I'm not sure that CPS does that either. But okay, James, whatever. A couple of years after his incarceration, he would file for appeal, citing a bunch of reasons he probably thought would work.

It was denied. James Donald Van Callis remains in prison to this day. Meanwhile, the village of Armeda started to heal. They built a memorial park for April at the Fulton Street entrance to the trail. And four years after her death, the high school presented her mother with an honorary diploma. James Van Callis thought he was above the law. He saw himself as superior. He thought that the law didn't apply to him. The truth, however, was far from that.

He still wasn't paying child support. He controlled many aspects of his girlfriend's life and manipulated her constantly. He was growing more than the legally allowed amount of marijuana and speeding through town on his bike without a motorcycle license. He was riding on a trail where it wasn't allowed. And all of that could have been forgiven if he hadn't hit on a 14-year-old girl on a remote walking trail and then flew into a rage when she denied him. And in fact, while we're on it, why hit on a young girl? Why hit on a girl at all?

If you have a girlfriend at home? Well, James, that's because you don't give a shit about anyone else's feelings except her own. give a shit about anyone else's feelings, except her own. You put your desire above and ahead of anyone and everyone. This pursuit for validation in the eyes of a young girl who was just minding her own business led to your downfall. Amy interrupted this baby man, which is the only reason April Milsap wasn't sexually assaulted in addition to being murdered. James Van Callis was callous, utterly indifferent to the law and to the rules we've agreed upon in society. These rules that we have because at the end of the day

we're all human. We all make mistakes. We all do things we shouldn't at times. We sometimes even break the law. But there is a distinction. There is a differentiation between us and them. Because some of us will get up day after day after day. And even though we know at the end of the day we will fail, we will be imperfect, we will make mistakes, we may even occasionally hurt someone. At least we tried to put in the effort to be a better person. At least we're the kind of people that try. Thank you so much for joining us once again. If you like our show, please go check out our website.

And if you could join plus starts at only $10 a month. And it really goes towards helping us produce these. You can find it along with our merch store with dozens of items that you can find with the sword and Scale branding over at swordandscale.com. Until next time, stay safe. I'm going to go to the bathroom. Music you