The Misery Machine - 2+ Hours Of Some Of The Worst Stories Netflix Hasn't Told You About...

Episode Date: June 24, 2026

In today's bonus compilation episode, we'll be discussing the horrible cases of Jennifer Daugherty, Cassidy Rainwater, Elyse Pahler, Abby Choi, and Shad Thyrion.Support Our Patreon: ⁠⁠��⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PayPal: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.paypal.me/themiserymachine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join Our Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: miserymachinepodcastTwitter: misery_podcastDiscord: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#themiserymachine #podcast #truecrimeSource Material Available Upon Request.

Hey guys, this is our official compilations channel. If you want to check out our newest videos as soon as they're uploaded, then check out our main channel, The Misery Machine. Jennifer Lee Docherty was born on November 8th, 1979 in La Trobe, Pennsylvania to parents Denise and Richard. Jennifer's parents ultimately divorce, with Denise remarrying a man named Bobby Murphy of Mount Pleasant. Jennifer grew up just an hour southeast of Pittsburgh, where her father ultimately relocated. She had two sisters, Joy and Jamie, and a stepbrother named Dave.

Although she never received a specific diagnosis, Jennifer had a developmental disability of some kind. She struggled with social cues, judgment, and was a frequent target by bullies as a child. This same bullying would follow her into adulthood. While at school, she was pushed around by the other girls and would have gum mashed into her hair. Jennifer would often come home from school in tears.

She once told her mother that sometimes she wished that she could be what she referred to as a normal girl. Jennifer aspired to do all the kinds of things that able-bodied people usually take for granted. To live on her own, to belong to a community, to have a job, get married, and have children. By all accounts, Jennifer was sweet-natured and trusting, sometimes to a fault. When others were cruel, Jennifer would reason that they might be having a bad day. and would try even harder to be kind to them. She would see the good in people above all else. Even though she was the target of some pretty nasty bullying,

Jennifer was also quick to make friends due to her warm demeanor. According to her mother Denise, quote, Jennifer was very easygoing. She liked to have fun. She was trusting. She made friends easily. She loved to dance and she loved to sing, end quote. She enjoyed helping to care for her niece.

as a nephew and loved working on vehicles with her uncle. She hoped that she might be a mechanic like him one day. Jennifer's favorite foods included lasagna and cheesecake. She was also a big fan of scary movies, college football, and wrestling. In 2010 at the age of 30, Jennifer was on her way to achieving some of her aspirations. She very much wanted to live her life independently. Now for her, this meant moving out of her mother's house. In order to facilitate this, Jennifer partook in living skills classes at a local community center called the West Place Clubhouse in Greensburg. Jennifer would often take the 20-minute bus ride from Mount Pleasant to Greensburg, where she was training to become a mechanic, just like her uncle. She'd also make the trip

with some regularity for dentists and counseling appointments. According to their website, clubhouses provide comprehensive and dynamic opportunities for persons living with severe mental illness to participate in housing, employment, education, health, and wellness initiatives that renews and reconnects them with mainstream society. Members play an active role in their own recovery and that of their peers by working alongside staff to organize and run programs. Although a grown woman, she still functioned at the emotional level of a 14-year-old girl. Her eyes still sparkled with a childlike wonder, unlike those of her peers who had become hardened by the burdens of adulthood. And although Jennifer's whimsical nature made her a beloved figure in her community,

it also made her vulnerable to those who would wish to take advantage of her good-natured spark. Due to this, Jennifer's mother and sister were particularly protective of her. They wanted to shield her from the outside influences that would seek to do her harm, but they also recognized that she was a grown woman who deserved all that adulthood had to offer. Jennifer had recently told her family that she made a group of new friends at the West Place Clubhouse. Thrilled about the prospect of Jennifer expanding her network and building confidence, she had her family's full support. However, these were exactly the types of people that they were trying to shield her from. The group consisted of Angela Maranucci, Ricky Smyrne, Amber Midinger, Melvin Knight, Peggy Miller, and Robert

Masters Jr. Born on January 12, 1990, Amber Christine Midinger met Melvin Knight at a homeless shelter in Washington State in January of 2010. Melvin was born on October 27, 1989, to a drug-addicted father who was imprisoned during the early years of his life. Melvin desperately wanted to be different from his father. Sadly, he developed lifelong learning and social problems after he fell out a moving vehicle and hit his head at the age of five. Amber and Melvin soon became a couple and decided to lead the state of Washington for a shot at a better life.

The two moved to several different locations before settling in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Amber and Melvin met up with Ricky on February 8th, 2010. At the time, Amber was pregnant with Melvin's child and the couple had been staying at a Greensburg area hotel. Melvin and Ricky were already familiar with one another from a stint in jail.

Now, it should be noted that some publication claim that Amber and Ricky were the ones who met in jail, but there are no sources confirming this. Now, even though the three didn't really know each other that well, Ricky offered Amber and Melvin a place to stay at his apartment located at 428 North Pennsylvania Avenue in Greensburg. On March 6, 1986, Ricky Venn Edwards Smyrnes was born to a drug-addicted Philadelphia sex worker in a Pittsburgh gang member. It's also been stated in other publications that Ricky was actually the sex work. worker and gang member, but there are no sources confirming this either. Abandoned at birth, he was moved in and out of foster homes and was treated for mental health disorders as early as age four. He suffered harm and neglect until he was eventually taken

in by the Smyrne's family of North Huntingdon at age 10. Ricky suffered essay and physical harm from his adoptive father and his uncle. He had tried alcohol and a whole array of drugs by the age of six. He had also been diagnosed with PTSD at the age of eight and had undergone 103 therapy sessions by age 10. In addition, he was diagnosed as having as many as seven different personalities and 15 total psychiatric issues. Ricky's criminal history started off pretty early. In 1997 at the age of 11, he burglarized his neighbor's home and stole knives, guitars, coins, bullets, and cash. That same year, Here, he essayed a woman in her own basement.

Also staying at Ricky's North Pennsylvania Avenue apartment was 17-year-old Angela Lynn Maranucci. Born July 14, 1992, Angela was Ricky's teenage girlfriend who had some challenges of her own. Angela suffered a head injury when she was hit by a truck in 2008 at the age of 15. This injury substantially altered her behavior

and pushed her into a downward spiral. Now, people who've experienced brain injuries may have changes in their behavior and their emotional state. These may include, among others, difficulty with self-control, risky behavior, verbal or physical outbursts, lack of empathy for others, and anger.

For Angela, being a teenager with a traumatic brain injury proved to be an explosive combination. Angela was the first member of the group to befriend Jennifer. The two met at the West Place Clubhouse and became fast friends. Despite their difference in age and polar opposite personalities, Jennifer and Angela would talk on the phone for hours. Through Angela, she met the rest of the friend group.

Jennifer increasingly spent more time in Greensburg with her new friends, and it felt like she had found kindred spirits. They were all struggling with her own hardships, and in Jennifer's opinion, were still able to make their way in the world. Also living in Ricky's apartment were Peggy Darling Miller, born on February 2, 1983, and Robert Lauren Masters Jr., born on December 22, 1973.

However, Angela began to notice that her boyfriend was taking a special interest in Jennifer, talking to her in a flirtatious manner. She also allegedly overheard Ricky talking to Jennifer on the phone, proclaiming his undying love for her. Ricky would later confess that he had loved Jennifer and that she loved him too. Allegedly, Jennifer rode the bus to his apartment to meet with him in secret and carry on an intimate affair while Angela was out. However, Angela had some idea what was going on and hatched a plan to get back at her friend. After conspiring with others in the group, she invited Jennifer to a sleepover, and Jennifer excitedly agreed.

However, funning games was not what Angela had in mind. On February 10, 2010, Jennifer told her parents that she planned on going to her friend's apartment in Greensburg for a sleepover. As everyone lived with Ricky, she wasn't about to tell her parents that she was staying at a guy's place, so she claimed it was her friend Peggy's apartment. This also worked out, as she'd be traveling in that direction anyway for a scheduled appointment. Seeing this is another opportunity to assert her independence, her family was all for it. By the time Jennifer was getting ready to leave, her mother was already at work, so she left a handwritten note with Peggy's contact information in case of an emergency,

and a thoughtful message that read, I hope that you will have a good day at work, and I also love you very much. Her stepfather Bobby dropped her off at the bus stop. Jennifer kissed him on the cheek before saying her final goodbye. The last message she posted to her MySpace and Twitter accounts was, This is my time to make a new start for myself and making new friends and not being afraid of anything. Upon arriving in Greensburg, she was met by Amber, Melvin, and Ricky, who took her back to their green two-story apartment building just a half a mile away.

There, she was greeted by the remaining members of the group, Angela, Peggy, and Robert. Almost as soon as Jennifer entered the apartment, things took a horrific turn. It should be noted that many publications have covered Jennifer's story in great detail with slightly different accounts of what happened over the next 36 hours. With that being said, I don't know if anyone can correctly convey the level of depravity that took place next. Upon entering the apartment, the group began taunting Jennifer, which would have been terribly confusing as these were supposed to be her friends.

They rummaged through her purse and took her money, gift cards, and cell phone, after which they ruined it by pouring water all over the remaining contents. Then things turned physical. Amber and Angela took turns beating Jennifer with the towel bar, preaches, a two-liter bottle full of lemonade, and a vacuum cleaner hose. All the while, the helpless woman had no idea why this was happening to her. To add insult to injury, the group held her down and repeatedly stomped on her chest and stomach. They also forced Jennifer to consume an array of liquids such as vegetable oil,

laundry detergent, urine, and nail polish. She was also made to eat feces, which they forced down her throat. These same substances were poured over her head along with porridge, oats, and spices. She had begged her friends to stop because she was in such pain and her eyes were burning, but the group refused to stop. stop. Jennifer tried hard to fight back and managed to punch Amber in the stomach. Amber, as we mentioned earlier, was pregnant at the time. Her earnest attempt at defending herself against her attackers only escalated matters. Jennifer was bound with strings of Christmas light so she could no

longer fight back. Unable to move, the group humiliated Jennifer further by shaving her head bald and painting her face with nail polish. If this wasn't already enough, Melvin decided that he needed to take things up a notch by stripping Jennifer of all of her clothes, gagging her, and then essaying her, while the others watched and taunted her further. After going through unimaginable suffering, she was told to take a shower because she smelled bad. When the group grew bored of tormenting Jennifer the following morning, they decided that the only option was to kill her. They couldn't let her go home and run the risk of her reporting what had transatlantic.

inspired in Ricky's apartment. The group took a vote on the matter, and all six agreed that Jennifer had to die. As such, they forced the scared woman to write a page-long note that implied that she had decided to take her own life. The note, written in cursive, read, I haven't been happy for a while, and I also feel like everybody would be better without me on this earth. I will always love my mom and stepdad, no matter what, and I will always love the rest of my family also. My nieces and nephew would be lucky, to have her better on than me. I am done with life. Goodbye. Jennifer. Jennifer was given sleeping pills and antibiotics and she begged to be allowed to go home, but it was all for not. Jennifer was stabbed

in the chest and lungs by Melvin. According to Melvin, quote, Ricky got a knife and told me to stab her, and then I stabbed her in the chest three times, end quote. However, Jennifer managed to survive this attack. Upon noticing this, Ricky allegedly exclaimed, Dang, this bitch is still alive. Ricky then grabbed the knife and slit Jennifer's wrists. Still clinging to life, the men then choked Jennifer with the Christmas lights that she had been bound by. In a final act of depravity, the group decorated Jennifer's dead body to look like a Christmas tree. Allegedly, Angela became enraged because the lights weren't flashing.

As such, she decided that they needed to dump her body. Now, let that sink in for a second. What if the lights had worked? What were they going to do? Were they going to keep Jennifer on display in their home for a time? Although that might seem macabre. After all that Jennifer endured, nothing would surprise me anymore. After removing the lights and stuffing the note in Jennifer's back pocket,

the group who would soon become known as the Greensburg Six stuffed her body inside of a trash can. It was left under a truck in the snow-covered parking lot of Greensburg-Salem Middle School located just a block away. A truck driver noticed the trash can in the parking lot while driving and decided to investigate further. Doing so, he discovered Jennifer's body inside. Although it is a tragedy for anyone to come across such a horrific

scene. The silver lining here is that an adult managed to find Jennifer rather than a child on their way to school. It was not long before police realized who had committed such heinous acts upon Jennifer. All six were arrested and they quickly began to talk. At the start of the trial on November 3, 2010, the prosecution sought the death penalty for Ricky, Melvin, and Amber. As Angela was 17 years old at the time. She was ineligible. At trial, forensic pathologist and former Allegheny County coroner Cyril H. Wecht, who conducted and reviewed thousands of autopsies on homicide victims, stated, quote, this is one of the most horrific cases I have seen. You have one young, defenseless woman, six people who are keeping her captive in doing all of these things,

knowing that she is mentally challenged. Put it all together. It is bizarre. It is a extreme barbarism, end quote. On April 12th, 2012, Melvin Knight pled guilty to first and second degree homicide, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit homicide and kidnapping. It was also reported that upon hearing his confession tape played in the courtroom, he laughed out loud in response. On August 30th of the same year, a jury deliberated for several hours before voting to put Melvin to death. In September of 2014, Melvin appealed his sentence. His trial was delayed several times,

and his sentence was upheld in March of 2019. In November of 2020, he attempted to appeal his sentence via the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. The appeal included statements and claims that jurors acted with passion and prejudice and arbitrarily imposed the death penalty. However, it was unanimously rejected by the judges. According to Chief Justice Deborah Todd, quote, following our thorough review of the record, in this case, we conclude that the appellant sentence of death was not the product of passion, prejudice, or any other arbitrary factor, but rather it was fully supported by the evidence that Knight and his co-defendants held the intellectually disabled victim against her

will for several days, during which they continuously subjected her to myriad forms of physical and emotional torture, eventually stabbing her in the chest, slicing her throat, and strangling her. End quote. On February 28, 2013, Ricky Smyrns was sentenced to death. He appealed his sentence, but in February of 2017, it was upheld.

His execution was delayed in July of 2017. It is unlikely that neither Melvin nor Ricky will ever meet the gurney and needle. An execution has not been carried out in Pennsylvania since 1999, and that's of serial killer Gary Hydenick. As we shared with you in our Derisabelle-Bias case, only three executions have been carried out since 1976 due to a moratorium put in place in 2015. As we also noted previously, this does not stop death sentences from being issued even today. Both men are currently being held in the state correctional institution Phoenix. On December 4, 2013, Amber Christine Midinger was sentenced to 40 to 80 years in prison after pleading guilty to third-degree homicide, kidnapping, and conspiracy.

While awaiting trial, she gave birth to her baby who was placed in foster care. She almost received the death penalty until she agreed to testify against the others. In November of 2019, Amber filed paperwork with the state's board of pardons seeking early termination of her prison sentence. She is currently being held in the state correctional institution Muncie. The police did not accuse Robert Masters and Peggy Miller of participating in the entire act of torture and killing of Jennifer. However, the evidence from confessional tape suggests that they were part of the meetings in which the whole ordeal was planned. They had also voted for Jennifer to be killed. In addition, it was alleged that Robert and Peggy had been left alone with Jennifer while the other four left the apart.

for a while. Robert claimed that he helped retrieve her clothes that Melvin and Ricky had stripped from her and tossed out of the window in the first day of the beatings. During this time, Jennifer begged for them to let her go or to call for help, but they didn't, and their inaction directly led to her death. Their lawyers attempted to argue that they were scared of the others and feared that they too would be killed if they did not go along with the plan. The couple made tearful pleas for leniency, with Robert stating, quote, I was scared for my life. I should have done something, but I didn't because I was scared. Can the family forgive me?

End quote. And Peggy stating, quote, I am sorry and I am guilty. She was my friend and I should not have voted for her to die, end quote. Jennifer's family blamed Peggy heavily, claiming that Jennifer told them she was going to spend the night with her and her friends in Greensburg. Jennifer's family requested that both Peggy and Robert receive lengthy sentences. Jennifer's stepfather Bobby Murphy made an emotional request, quote, the same way they chose not to show compassion to Jennifer,

I ask you not to show compassion to them, end quote. Jennifer's sister, Joy Burkholder, had pointed words directed at Peggy, quote, you had my sister as a friend. She loved Miller and valued her. You didn't value her. You probably value a hairbrush more than you value her. end quote. Robert Lauren Masters Jr., the eldest of the group, pled guilty to third-degree homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide, and conspiracy to commit kidnapping on December 19, 2013.

He was sentenced to 30 to 70 years in prison. His attorney, William Galishin, helped him reach a plea bargain against the other five. After he agreed, Robert was moved to another jail for protection. He did not publicly share any information related to the plea bargain. He is currently being held in the state correctional institution Green. Peggy Darlene Miller was sentenced to 35 to 74 years in prison. She is currently being held at the state correctional institution Muncie. Several neighbors and follow inmates testified against Angela, claiming that she had planned to kill Jennifer several days before her body was discovered.

neighbor Anthony Zepone heard Angela say, I'm going to kill that bitch. Tina Warwick testified that Angela told her that she was disappointed with the types of Christmas decorations that Peggy had purchased to tie Jennifer up with. Gloria Heiden heard body slamming and screaming. Felicia Hardison, who was a cellmate and friend to Angela, testified that she was jumping on her bed,

excited to be on the news. On August 3, 2011, Angela Maranucci, the youngest of the group, was formally given a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole after being found guilty in May of first-degree homicide. She later had her life without possibility of parole sentence revoked. However, on July 1, 2015, a jury decided to resentence her to her previous sentence. Finally, in May of 2022, Angela was resentenced to 60 years to life with parole eligibility.

in 2070. She is currently being held in the state correctional institution, Cambridge Springs. Jennifer's sister, Joy Burkholder, said after sentencing, quote, my biggest regret was forcing Jennifer to act as an adult.

I would go back and do many things differently, end quote. She also noted that, quote, Jennifer was exploited and her kindness and her handicap made her very vulnerable, end quote. Outside of the court,

Bobby, Jennifer's stepfather said, quote, closure is Jennifer coming back to us, and Jennifer won't come back, so there is no closure, end quote. According to Jennifer's parents, whatever happened to her could not be justified in any way. She did not have a single mean bone in her body. Jennifer's memorial services were held at Keppel Graf Funeral Home located at 524 North Main Street in Greensburg. Sadly, the funeral home was located just around the block from where Jennifer met her on timely fate. Jennifer's family requested no flowers, but instead memorial contributions could be made to one's favorite charity. On April 23rd, 2012, at a conference, Pennsylvania State Senator Kim

Ward proposed a legislation named Jennifer's law. The legislation would require the reporting of a violent crime to law enforcement officials immediately. Failure to report the crime would be a misdemeanor in the third degree. The individual would not be required. required to report it immediately if it would place the person in immediate physical harm. Jennifer's family was on hand as the legislation was announced. Her sister Joy shared this emotional statement, quote, over the course of 30 plus hours, six people had the opportunity to help my sister, and nobody did.

Legally, they didn't have to. It seems wrong to me that you can be a spectator, during a murder and not be responsible to intervene in any way. I know my sister is not coming back and we accept this. However, this law could and will save lives, end quote. According to Senator Ward, quote, it is heartbreaking to think of what Jennifer went through and the fact that one phone call to police

might have put an end to these cruel crimes. Sometimes society has to compel people to do the right thing. This legislation is aimed at preventing further tragedies, end quote. She went on to state, quote, since 1973, 11 states have enacted statutes requiring some form of aid or assistance when witnessing a violent crime. By making Pennsylvania the 12th state, we can make a statement in Jennifer's memory. We can say the world may be cold, but we do not live in a heartless society. We do not look on while evil is perpetrated. We are better than that, end quote.

Cassidy Ray Rainwater was born on June 9th, 1988 to Mother Tracy Denise Rainwater-Wawasaki. At the time of our story, Cassidy lived in rural Missouri in the town of Lebanon, about an hour northeast of the city of Springfields. You might be somewhat familiar with this area of Missouri from the Netflix TV show, Ozark, which takes place just an hour north of Lebanon in the region known as the lake of the Ozarks. Rural Missouri is a great place to raise a family, go hunting and fishing, set up camp, and participate in water sports. But like many rural communities, it's not the greatest place to live if you go missing. Cassidy attended Harrisonville High School where she met

a man by the name of Ben and had a son. As Ben didn't want his last name printed in the paper with regards to the story, we're not going to share it here either. According to a court document from June of 2006, Cassidy took Ben to court for child support where he was required to pay $224 a month. According to new sources, that child was later put up for adoption. Cassidy went on to have six children in total, two of which were with a man named Stephen Lee Keeney. She also had to send Parker with her estranged husband, Zachary Paul. The two were no longer together, but could not afford to get divorced.

Parker, who many say was a priority in Cassidy's life, lived with her aunt by marriage, Terry. Both of these fathers have had their fair share of run-ins with the law, which we'll discuss later in our story. On April 13th, 2007, when Cassidy was just 19 years old, her mother Tracy went missing. Her then-boyfriend Leonard Len Couch was the first to report her disappearance to the police. He told authorities that Tracy might have gone out to look for arrowheads. On May 8th of 2008, a farmer was spreading fertilizer in his fields when he came across what appeared to be a shoe and human bone. The remains had been scattered about the field by animals and rising water from a nearby river. Some of the bones were missing altogether. These bones were later

identified as belonging to 43-year-old Tracy, who was finally laid to rest on May 17, 2008, at Shadal's colonial chapel in Lebanon. The more curious was the fact that the area had previously been searched, and also that the field was just across the street from Lenn's property. For An forensic anthropologists who examined Tracy's remains before burial could not find any trauma, which conflicted with the findings of the investigators. Still, no charges were ever filed in connection with Tracy's death. Despite this shroud of mystery that plagued her disappearance, boyfriend Len went on to pass away on February 19th, 2021.

If he was responsible for Tracy's disappearance, he took that secret to his grave. At 11.03 p.m. on August 25th, 2021, Cassidy's aunt Cora contacted the Dallas County Sheriff's Department to report that Cassidy, now 33 years old, was missing. In fact, nobody had seen the young mother in over six weeks. The sad part, despite having family in the area, no one questioned her whereabouts or reported her missing prior to this. Upon speaking with Cora, Chief Deputy Darren Sheik learned the last person that was known to be in contact with Cassidy was a man by the name of James Rainwater, no relation. The 56-year-old's legal name was actually James Phelps, and Cora claimed that the two had left in a silver GMC pickup truck together. It should also be noted that some sources claim that Cassidy was last seen at a DFS meeting in early July.

Now, James resided in a cabin located at 386 Moon Valley Road in Lebanon. Although the cabin has a Lebanon address, the property sits in Windyville, also known by locals as Spookyville, due to the fact that it's reported to be haunted. It's not hard to see why. Windyville is home to many cemeteries and a metaphysical school. After speaking with Cora, Deputy Chris Clark took a trip out to James's cabin to perform a wellness check on Cassidy. She was nowhere to be found. On September 1st, 2021, Sergeant Robbie Simmons responded to James' Moon Valley Road address and actually was able to speak with the man.

According to James, Cassidy, who had previously struggled with homelessness, had been staying in the loft area of his cabin for a couple of weeks until she could get back on her feet. He shared that on July 25th, Cassidy had left in the middle of the night. According to James, she had met a vehicle at the end of his driveway, and he hadn't heard from her sense. James did not know who she left with and could not identify the maker model of the vehicle, but he didn't seem very concerned.

The only possible lead he had for Sergeant Simmons was that she had talked about going to Colorado. Without much information to go on, the Dallas County Sheriff's Department treated Cassidy's disappearances, just another missing person's case. There wasn't a ton of urgency. After all, she wasn't adults

and was free to go missing if she so chose. However, things took a grim turn on September 16th, 2021. The Kansas City FBI headquarters received an anonymous cybertip into the disappearance of Cassidy Rainwater. The whistleblower who had an IP address in Germany, which was likely due to a VPN, provided the FBI with a series of photos titled Cassidy

that had been circulating around the dark web. The series of photos depicted a partially clothed woman in a cage who was immediately recognizable as being Cassidy. It was clear that she was being. being held against her will, and her location was obvious based on the background in the photos. It was James Phelps cabin. The same day, law enforcement descended upon 386 Moon Valley Road, where James Phelps was placed under arrest.

While executing the search warrant on the property, police recovered seven similar photos of Cassidy on James' cell phone that were akin to the photos that were sent to the FBI by the anonymous tipster. The cell phone also led police to another man. 58-year-old Timothy Leroy Norton, who was brought in for questioning on September 19th and 20th. He'd actually been detained while leaving a local Walmart. Timothy, who was an over-the-road truck driver, lived in a vehicle that was parked at 386 Moon Valley Road and had done so since the early 90s.

He and James had a very long history together that dated back to their high school years. Apparently, the two remained close, as did their families, with many of them referring to each other as siblings, uncles, aunts, or cousins. James David Phelps was born in 1963 to Mary and Charles Phelps. He grew up in Preston, Missouri and attended Skyline High School in Urbana, Missouri. James was an honor roll student and graduated in 1981. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in South Carolina for a period of time. He went on to Mary in 2009 and later moved to St. Louis, Missouri, followed by a subsequent move to Nemo.

He then went on to live in Preston and Camdenton. Although some reports indicate that James rented the property located at 386 Moon Valley Road, others claimed that he purchased it in 2011 from his parents. In February of 2019, James became an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church. James' Facebook page lists him as separated with a daughter, a granddaughter, and two grandsons. Timothy Leroy Norton, he was born in 1965 to parents Betty Norton and Vernon Hanson in Cromwell, Minnesota. He attended Hermitage High School, where he was an honorer. role student his senior year. After graduated, he joined the Marines and became a helicopter pilot.

Timothy married his first wife in August of 1988, where he was 23 and she was a 17-year-old senior in high school. This marriage ultimately ended in divorce. Timothy had a criminal history beginning in the early 90s, including petty crimes such as writing bad checks and not wearing a seatbelt. He had also been sued by landlords for non-payment. In July of 1993, Timothy was injured when he threw gasoline on a brush fire which ignited the gas container he was holding, who was treated for second and third-degree burns at a Springfield hospital. Timothy went on to marry his second wife in March of 1994 in Preston, Missouri. Although there are no records indicating this,

I think it's safe to say that Timothy's second marriage also ended in divorce due to the fact that he was living in a vehicle on James's property. Whereas James refused to answer the FBI's questions and quickly chose a lawyer up, Timothy was extremely loose lips. At the end of the day, both men were arrested and charged with kidnapping, facilitating a felony, inflicting injury, and terrorizing. But on the lips of every resident of Lebanon were the words, where is Cassidy? It was obvious that Dallas Sheriff's Department knew something, and it was clearly a big deal

because the FBI was involved. As we see in many cases where the details are kept from the public, rumors began circulating like wildfire on social media. The craziest of them all was that James and Timothy were butchering people in their home and selling human meat on the dark web and cannibal forums. And they've been at this for over 15 years. One neighbor even claimed that she had found skin hanging from a tree. Of course, none of this could actually be true, right?

With no word on Cassidy's whereabouts, rumors coming from the tight-knit community are now spreading across county lines. I feel like they're kind of taking the story and running with it. and maybe making it hyped up to more than what it really is. But I also feel like if they were law enforcement and others would give us more information, then maybe they wouldn't have to resort to that kind of filling in. Savannah Williams lives in Urbana. She says she moved to Dallas County to get away from violence in Kansas City.

Everything was quiet and I thought moving to the country was going to be the best pit. Now I don't want to go back to the city, but I feel like I might have made a bad choice. William says a lack of information coming from authorities still investigating leads an entire community to speculate. And then all of a sudden, like I'm hearing about a guy who's got women locked up and possible torture. And I don't understand what makes people get like that. But this is where things start to get even more scary. On October 4th, 2021, while James and Timothy were locked up in jail, a fire broke out at 386 Moon Valley Road. The cabin and almost everything on the property burned to the ground.

ground. While the blaze was being extinguished, a Dallas County Sheriff's deputy discovered a tripwire attached to a mortar tube with a balloon cover. Due to the suspicious nature of the fire in what appeared to be a booby trap, the Springfield Bomb Squad was called to the scene, where they detonated the device at 1.30 a.m. Investigators with the state's fire marshal's office later ruled the fire to be undetermined and criminal. A case of Cassidy, Rainwater's disappearance The burns became even more perplexing when the cabin belonging to one of the men in charge with kidnapping her burned to the ground last night. Color 10's Ashley Eddy shows you what's left of that burned cabin. This is what remains after the fire from Monday night.

The sunlight now showing us what the Dallas County Sheriff's Office tells us is a total loss. Officials say this home of alleged kidnapper James Phelps burned to the ground and a bomb squad was called in. Now let's show you the scene from late Monday night. the Missouri Department of Public Safety say help from the division of fire safety was requested by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office for a cause and origin investigation. But that's not all. Springfield City officials confirmed the city's bomb squad was called in to investigate after a Dallas County deputy found something that resembled a trip wire. Officials say the bomb squad arrived around 1.30 in the morning and detonated an explosive device near the area of the fire.

Springfield City officials say they don't have any further information, only that they responded at the request of the sheriff's office. We've reached out to the sheriff's office to try to get some more information behind this fire. We've yet to hear back. We'll be sure to keep you updated with all the latest information. Reporting from Dallas County, Ashley Eddy, Ozarks first. According to neighbor Rachel Wilson, who witnessed the fire, quote, all of a sudden, the house collapsed and the flames got bigger.

We could feel the heat. Everything was on fire, and we sat there and watched it collapse. I called 911 because I was worried about it. catching the woods on fire and spreading to the other houses, end quote. The fire at 386 Moon Valley Road left investigators and the community with a ton of unanswered questions. As the address was an active crime scene, and both James and Timothy were not only locked up, but in different facilities to avoid possible collusion, who was responsible for this, and who set up them the bomb? Was it possible there was an entire network of people involved in this

rumored human meat ring that were now trying to cover their tracks. The Dallas County Sheriff's Department took to the internet in an attempt to dispel rumors and call out trolls. However, some locals claim the authorities were the first ones themselves to leak information and start these rumors. On October 5th, 2021, both James and Timothy appeared in court via a video conference that only lasted a few minutes. One of the accused joined the broadcast from the Dallas County Jail, while the other joined

from the Green County Jail. Judge Lisa Henderson set a date for a preliminary hearing on November 5th at 930 a.m. James Phelps and Timothy Norton, the two men accused of kidnapping Cassidy Rainwater, were seen for the first time in a courtroom this afternoon. Bailey Stroll was in the courtroom today. She's live at the Dallas County Courthouse to detail what happened in front of the judge. Heather and Steve, both James Phelps and Timothy Norton were here today. They were seen through video conference from the jails that they are at,

and we'll show you that footage in just a few seconds, but the hearing itself here at the Dallas County courthouse was pretty quick. Only lasted a few minutes. The judge quickly setting a date for a preliminary hearing for both of them next month. Mr. Norton, are you able to hear us? Criminal hearings in Dallas County today bring new video of James Phelps and Timothy Norton from jail. More than two weeks since the two were arrested, accused of kidnapping Cassidy Rainwater. Judge Lisa Henderson spoke with each of their public defenders this afternoon,

with all agreeing to meet here again next month. Mr. Norton, we're setting your case for preliminary hearing on November 5th, and that will be at 9.30 a.m. We'll see you here in the courtroom on that date. That's all I have for you today, sir. Thank you. All right. Thank you. However, on November 17th, 2021, things started to ramp up. Both James Phelps and Timothy Norton's charges were upgraded to first-degree homicide and abandonment of a corpse. You see, the authorities have been waiting on DNA tests to come back with regard to some pretty chilling evidence that they,

found in James' cabin. One of Cassidy's ex-boyfriends and the children they shared had provided samples for the FBI. It was then that much of the evidence that was found started to become public. Let's start with the photographs that were sent to the FBI by the anonymous tipster, as well as the additional seven that were found on James' cell phone. It had been shared previously that some of the pictures depicted a partially clothed woman thought to be Cassidy in a cage. It was actually far worse than that.

Some of the pictures depicted Cassidy strapped to a gantry crane. We're going to put up a picture for reference because I'm sure a lot of you are unfamiliar, but a gantry crane is a type of overhead crane that straddles its load. They come in many different sizes. Smaller gantry cranes are generally used in machine shops, but some folks use them to process livestock and wild game. I'm sure you can see where this is unfortunately going. In addition to these photographs, there were others depicting Cassidy's subsequent events.

evisceration and dismemberment. Come to find out, quite a bit of evidence had been seized from 386 Moon Valley Road during the execution of the search warrant on September 16th, as well as subsequent searches that were conducted the same week. The gantry crane was located behind the cabin. Blood evidence was found inside of the cabin, but what was found in the freezer was by far the most damning. Per the DNA results, human flesh that was proven to belong to Cassidy Rainwater was found

packaged up like beef and was dated July 24th. This date in particular will become important in a moment, and will tie into how Timothy had become loose-lipped with the FBI. Skeletal remains that belonged to Cassidy were located on an adjacent property, which coincidentally belonged to Cassidy's late grandfather Bill Rainwater. So maybe, just maybe. These rumors of a human meat ring were not too far off. In addition, investigators were able to locate digital.

evidence on seized electronic devices, which led them to Timothy Norton. What they recovered was the nail in the coffin for both of them, even before the DNA test came back. In a series of messages dated July 24, 2021, James and Timothy were texting back and forth discussing their plans to kill Cassidy. Timothy actually admitted to all of this during his September 20th interview. During that interview, Timothy told investigators that James asked him to come over while Cassidy was sleeping.

Allegedly, she had been sleeping on the floor near the front door of the cabin, so she was an easy target. According to Timothy, he held the woman's legs down and James strangled her and placed a bag over her head. After they knew she was dead, the two took a short break before carrying her body outside. He stated it was then that James bound Cassidy to the gantry crane and began to eviscerate and dismember her body. Afterwards, the pair carried her remains inside of the cabin and placed her dismembered body parts into the bowels. One of the strangest bits of information that we've read about this case was an article written about what actually happened when the police initially descended upon James' cabin on September 16th. According to this article, police became suspicious of James when they interviewed him because he was acting weird. Allegedly, they walked to the back of the cabin and saw meat hooks in the bathroom through a window.

It was then that the police sought a warrant for the property. According to the article, when they kicked in James's door the following morning, following morning, they allegedly found him eating a sandwich that contained human remains. Allegedly, he laughed and told investigators that he had served human ribs to an unsuspecting neighbor a few days prior. As the rumor mill in the town of Lebanon was rife with crazy stories, please take this one with a grain of salt, as it was not listed in the official affidavit. At their court appearance on November 19th, 2021, chilling details surface regarding James and Timothy's disgusting process of hunting for potential victims.

According to Timothy, James would search for his prey online and at their local Walmart. On July of 2022, James entered a plea of not guilty. A few months later, prosecutors filed an intent to seek the death penalty against him. James' public defender, Tom Jackwinow, filed several motions, including dismissing the charge of abandonment of a corpse, recording all court proceedings, and that his client would appear in person to all of his future hearings. He has also filed a notice of intent to interview the laboratory examiners before the pretrial hearing.

Attorney Jack Winnow argued that charging James with abandonment of a corpse violated his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, stating it essentially requires him to report himself. However, the prosecutor, Jonathan Barker, stated that James could have called in a tip anonymously about the location of Cassidy's remains. On November 23, 2022, Timothy pled not guilty to charge as a first-degree homicide and abandonment of a corpse. However, court documents revealed that CSA material, as well as other similar material of a violent nature, had been found in Timothy's home, which was James' home as well.

Due to the nature of the material, Judge Lisa Henderson ruled that this explicit material, as well as the photo and videos of Cassidy, would only be shown to those dealing with the and even then, they would only be shown to those essential for trial preparation. In addition, the judge ruled that Timothy himself may not possess or view this material without one of his attorneys or one of their staff present. On April 28, 23, James Phelps entered an Alford plea for the charge of first-degree homicide in an attempt to avoid the death penalty. An Alford plea is made when a defendant pleads guilty but does not admit to the crime,

only that there is enough evidence that they would be found guilty. in a jury trial. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole and is currently doing time at the Fulton reception and diagnostic center. On June 27, 2023, Timothy Norton followed suit and was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty.

As he was just recently sentenced, his jail assignment has not been made public as of the date of this recording. We normally share funeral and burial information for the victims in our stories, but sadly, it doesn't appear that Cassidy had an obituary. What we can do is take the time to share a few words about her. According to friends, Cassidy was known for her amazing singing ability.

Family members posted online that she was a wild soul. When interviewed, Ben, the father of Cassidy's first son, said that the mother did struggle at times, and during their final conversation back in May of 2019, he offered to help her. He believed that Cassidy was homeless with another child in tow. He said, quote, I always worried about her. just because of her past. She was in a bad way. She and I talked and I was like, you know,

come to Kansas City. We'll get things figured out. She was hoping to get her life back together, end quote. It's devastating. It's shocking. It's not something you deal with on a daily basis or hear about or somebody who's even close to you. It's just a crazy world we live in.

And I don't, I can't even. process the feelings right now, to be honest with you. As we mentioned previously, Cassidy and Ben put their son up for adoption. As of the date of this recording, he is now a teenager. Ben actually received a word of Cassidy's disappearance from his son's adoptive family. According to Ben, the family was attempting to shield their son from the news surrounding Cassidy's case. We also mentioned the fathers of some of Cassidy's other children, Stephen Lee Keeney and Zachary Paul. Stephen was arrested in 2022 and was charged with multiple accounts of essay involving an underage relative. Apparently, the lewd acts have been going on for at least a year. The young

victim confessed what had been taking place to a relative, and that relative confronted Stephen. Afterwards, he proceeded to harass the victim via text and attempt to get her to keep quiet. He is currently serving 15 years in the Farmington Correctional Center. It should be noted that Stephen was born in 1964, and it's clear he has a proclivity for younger girls. As Cassidy was born in 1988, Stephen is old enough to be her father rather than the father of her children. Zachary Paul, Cassidy's estranged husband, was arrested and faced felony drug charges after being stopped by the Missouri Highway Patrol on February 22nd, 2023. The 33-year-old was found in possession of Suboxone and Methamphetamine. He also faced misdemeanor charges for possessing drug paraphernalia

and driving with a revoked license. As of the date of this recording, Zachary Paul is sitting in the Tipton Correctional Center on a totally unrelated charge, third-degree domestic assault. According to prison records, he'll be in that facility for the next three years. Some publications have noted

that Zachary was trying to obtain custody of Parker, who is the son he shared with Cassidy. It looks like that might be unlikely now. This story leaves us with more questions than we have answers for. Yes, James and Timothy will be spending the rest of their lives behind bars. But a beautiful young woman lost her life, and her body was treated in the most horrific ways possible.

Six children will never get to see their mommy again. I think there's more to this story. They never solved the mystery of the fire in the homemade bombs at 386 Moon Valley Road. They've never confirmed whether or not there was an actual crime ring killing people like livestock and selling their meat on the dark web. I don't know about you,

but the fact that they feel dressed Cassidy in their backyard and butchered her up like a lamp speaks volumes. So what do you think? Do you think there are more victims? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below. Elise Marie Paler was born on April 24th, 1980 in Templeton, California to parents Lizanne and David. She was the eldest of the couple's four children. Her sister, Jenny Lee, was just a year younger, followed by brother Ryan, who was three years younger, and Christina, who was eight years younger. Elise grew up in the city of Arroyo Grande, located 195 miles north of Los Angeles.

The city is part of a geographical group known as the five cities, which are located in southern San Luis Obispo County. The five cities are known for their sandy beaches, rolling hills, and rich soil for agriculture. They include Grover Beach, Oceano, Fair Oaks, Halcyon, and, of course, Arroyo Grande. Elise grew up to be a vibrant teenager with blonde hair and blue eyes. She liked to sew her own dresses and was quite talented at it. Like many girls in California, Elise dreamt of participating in beauty pageants and being an actress. Her family was very religious, so she spent a lot of time going to church with them. Now, like many teens, Elise also had a curious and rebellious streak.

She began experimenting with pot and got caught several times by her parents. Some sources even say that they took her to a drug rehab center where she met 15-year-old Jacob Delashmutt. However, other sources say they actually met on a school bus. By the time Elise was 15, she had developed a friendship with Jacob and two other boys, 16-year-old Royce Casey and 14-year-old Joseph Fiorella. It seemed that their common interest was getting high together. There is no evidence that Elise ever used anything stronger than weed, however, the other boys admitted to using meth and LSD. On the night of July 22nd, 1995, Elise was home with her family watching a movie. She received a phone call and then promptly

excused herself to go to bed early. However, the very next morning, police was not in her room, and her family reported her missing to the police. The family began searching for her, but the police seemed uninterested. It is unclear if this was just the general stance of this police department on teens at the time, or if Elise's history of minor infractions had anything to do with their response. Either way, They insisted that she was just a runaway, so they did not immediately launch a search, as you might expect for a missing person. Elisa's family insisted that she was a good girl and would never run away.

To support their claim, it was noted that she had disappeared without taking anything with her. Her backpack, clothes, toothbrush, and even her shoes were still at home. However, without any sign of their house being broken into, police still assumed she had run away. David and Lazzan talked to everyone they could to try to get information, including the trio of boys. And they questioned Royce, Joseph, and Jacob. The boys told the Paler family they agreed with police and they believed that she had run away. As the weeks passed, the police and family both received several unconfirmed tips saying that Elise had been seen. However, months went by without any contact from Elise or any solid clues that she was absent of her own volition.

On December 25, 1995, her parents prepared for Christmas with the hope that they would see, or at least hear from their daughter. One of the tips had claimed that Elise had run away with a carnival that was traveling through Colorado. The tips said that she would likely reach out on Christmas. Full of hope, the family waited, but Elise did not call. It seemed that Elise had disappeared without a trace. Elise's case remained cold as the months passed, with no evidence to lead her to her. family or police to uncover what had happened to her. But everything changed on March 14th in 1996 when Royce Casey came to the police with a confession. The three boys formed a death metal band together

that they called hatred. For those unfamiliar, death metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music. The big difference tends to be faster tempos with abrupt changes, distort guitars that are tuned to lower, drums with blast beats, and vocals featuring guttural growls or shrieks. It is not uncommon to see lyrics, including themes involving serial killers, torture, occultism, and religion. Notable bands in the subgenre include death, which the genre is named after, suffocation, deacide, morbid angel, obituary, cannibal corpse, and mortician. However, the band they were most obsessed with was not a death metal band. It was a popular thrash metal band called Slayer. This will play an important part in the story.

Always listen to Slayer often, and they'd be. cited them as a huge inspiration. As the boys continued to try to improve as musicians, they continued to listen to death metal and thrash metal and used drugs, and they began to hatch a plan. The boys identified themselves as worshippers of Satan, thought if they made the perfect sacrifice to the devil, it would grant them the powers to play guitar better, would launch them into fame and fortune. They decided they needed to find the perfect sacrifice. Whatever, or whoever, they killed needed to be so pure and perfect, it would be an ultimate sin against God, in their words. Royce told police that they had chosen Elise as their perfect sacrifice. They believed that due to

her blonde hair, blue eyes, and reputation as a virgin, that she was the perfect canvas. it. They had concocted a plan to murder and essay her as a sacrifice to Satan. They took their time. In fact, it was over a month of planning, before they even took any little bit of action. On the night of Elisa's disappearance, they had lured her out of her home with the promise of hanging out and sharing some weed. They took her to a eucalyptus grove on the Napomo Mesa less than a mile from her home. After smoking together, Jacob made the first move. He remembered, removed his belt and snuck up behind her, looping the belt around her neck in an attempt to strangle her.

Royce then pounced and held her down, while Joseph removed a hunting knife from a sheath. Joseph proceeded to stab Elise repeatedly in the neck. The boys then took turns stabbing her, first Joseph, then Jacob stabbed her, and then finally Royce. None of the knife wounds were deep enough to kill her, and the strangulation hadn't worked either.

Elise lay on the ground praying and calling out to her mother as the boys continue to stab her, kick her, and stomp on her neck. Eventually, after an unknown amount of time, she bled to death. After Elise was dead, the boys took turns violating her body. There are also some accounts where the boys claimed to return to the eucalyptus grove for weeks after her death to continue the violation. Royce's original confession had actually been made to a priest. Then taking the encouragement of his priest, he decided to also confess to the police.

After his confession, Royce led police to Elisa's remains. Some sources describe her body as being partially clothed when found. Her body, having been out in the elements for eight months, was in an advanced state of decomposition, and she was partially mummified. Her body was identified on March 20th by dental records and by a red-beated bracelet that her family verified belonged to Elise. Due to the advanced decomposition, the coroner was unable to confirm with physical evidence that the boys had participated in the violation of Elise's body post-mortem. Some sources say there were signs which perhaps they were referring to the fact that

Elise's pants were missing. Despite the uncertain proof of the essay that she may have endured, they were able to corroborate Royce's other claims by identifying the 12th stab wounds. Elise had indeed bled to death, and her death was ruled a homicide and all three boys were arrested and charged with her killing. At this point, Royce was 17. Jacob 16 and Joseph 15 years old. After eight months of laying cold and alone in the elements, Elise was finally laid to rest at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Ballard, California. Upon initially finding Elise's body,

the general consensus was grief at her loss, but also relief that there were finally answers. The paler family no longer had to live in limbo waiting for clues about their daughter. When the community learned of the arrest of the three boys, the reaction was mixed. No one seemed surprised to see that Joseph and Jacob were involved, but Royce, however, was viewed as a good kid, and his involvement came as more of a shock.

Of course, after Elisa's death, Royce had converted to Christianity, which ultimately led to his confession. Royce not only felt guilty for what he had done, it was also worried that the other two boys were going to target him for his change of faith. He quoted a slayer lyric, which is, if you're not with us, you may no longer exist,

as one of the reasons he came forward to confess. He was beginning to worry that his own accomplices would turn on him now that he was no longer identifying as a worshiper of Satan, especially since they were now talking of killing again. As details continued to emerge, the shock of the public and the Paler family grew. Royce confessed that July 22nd was not the first time the boys had attempted to kill Elise.

About a month prior, Elise had been out with Jacob Joseph and another boy named Travis Williams. On that occasion, Travis pretended to slip down a ravine. He convinced Elise to follow him down to assist him in getting him out. However, once Elise was in the ravine, Joseph threw Travis the same hunting knife that would later be used to murder. Travis grabbed the knife and the other boys chanted, do it, do it, but Travis froze up and just couldn't bring himself to stab her. The boys played it off as a joke and apparently, the police believe them because she never reported it to anybody. When it was finally released to the public that the boys claimed her murder was part of an alleged satanic ritual, it unleashed a whole other reaction. Now, keep in mind, 1995 was also right in the middle of the satanic panic craze.

The term satanic panic is used to describe a cultural phenomenon said to have started in the early, early 1980s, and the book Michelle remembers was released. This was a book co-written by Canadian psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and his patient, future wife, Michelle Smith. This book started the now discredited movement of recovered memory therapy to implant or fabricate memories of children being abused as a form of a satanic ritual. This triggered approximately 12,000 unsubstantiated claims of satanic ritual abuse. People in Christian communities, people in Christian communities, in particular were especially susceptible to additional fear associated with a murder in the name of Satan. The claims that Elisa's murder was in the name of the devil added a new level of horror to the reaction of her family and the community.

In addition, the boys spent a good deal of time talking about their adoration of the band Slayer and their lyrics. Slayer had several songs that the boys seemed to take inspiration from. In the hours they spent using drugs and listening to this music, the boy was. seem to take the lyrics seriously. There are several songs that come up over and over in connection to this case, including altar of sacrifice, kill again, post-mortem, and dead skin mask. To me, the premise is extremely stupid. I've seen Slayer twice and I haven't killed anyone. This connection to the band Slayer led the paler family to the scapegoat that every family understandably would want when face was such unimaginable grief. The eyes of the palers,

This evil music was to blame for their daughter's death. Over the years, they filed several lawsuits against Slayer and the musical companies that helped to record, publish, and distribute their music. One such lawsuit stated the following. None of the vicious crimes committed against Elise Marie Paler would have occurred without the intentional marketing strategy of the Death Metal Band Slayer. This seems like a major stretch to us. Music does not kill people, people kill people. The responsible parties in this murder are the three boys that ended up behind bars. The band came out on several occasions to speak out against these lawsuits.

You also find that much of the metal community also does not buy into these accusations. Slayer has defended their music and also stated, We're part-time evil. If we were really evil, we would be doing everything we're writing about. They also supported the sentences against the boys, adding that if you do these types of crimes, you deserve to get in trouble. When interviewed about whether or not they felt metal was satanic, Carrie King and Tom Mariah shared their thoughts. I like to take pot shots of religion because I think it's the biggest brainwashing thing that is totally acceptable in America and probably most ever place else in the world. I just, I think it's a load.

Tom, another well-tread path with you. is your Christian background and the juxtaposition with your music. Catholic. What place do your personal beliefs have in Slayer? I consider what we do art, right? And art can be a reflection of society. You know, I mean, and we're picking up the dark reflections. You know, and that's what we're reflecting.

But evil's everywhere, man. Everybody's got it. It sits really deep in everybody. Some people can't control it as much as others, but I think it's there. Regardless of whatever religion you believe in, whatever it is you feel is right, everybody knows what's wrong. Everybody knows that there's wrong things. They're just things you do not do. And the people that don't understand that or don't believe that, then they're not really

connected with themselves spiritually. It doesn't matter what the fuck you believe. Ultimately, none of the cases against Slayer amounted to anything. Eventually, they were all thrown out. Though people can agree that the lyrics are violent, none of them give instructions or encourage people to actually harm anybody. In fact, many self-proclaimed metalheads, Yergi and I included, would argue that music like this can actually be a good way to release anger.

Now, 18 years after Elisa's death, their lyrics are still protected under their First Amendment rights. Elise's tragic death wasn't the last time that Slayer would be thrust into the spotlight either. In 2014, Leroy Smith III killed and dismembered his father in Gardner in our home state of Maine. He disposed of his remains in trash bags which he first put in a dumpster and then later dumped in the woods in nearby Richmond. He too blamed his actions on Slayer. Back in the matter of 2011, I had a gun put against my head and was sweet. warned to keep secret of what I am and they refuse investigating any person that are responsible

with this. The entire music group Slayer was there. I'm the Lord in the kingdom of heaven. The father of life. What happened, Leroy? They're holding my life as a lie. Beroy was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was initially held at the Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta. As of the date of this recording, Leroy now lives in a supervised group home and is allowed up to six hours a day with a one to three supervision ratio. At the time of our story in 1995, the quaint city of Arroyo Grande was starting to change. In many places, it's listed having a low crime rate, whereas other sources say that there was a rise of gang activity and violent crime in the area. Now, what we do know is that there were several cases of

of extreme violence from teens. The same year that Elise was killed, Travis Williams, who was the other boy who almost killed Elise and his friend Tommy Trauber, broke into the house of a woman and shot her in the head. In addition, Joseph's older brother Anthony was charged with killing a 15-year-old. He had run from police and was missing

at the time of Elise's murder. In another instance, two other teens broke into a woman's home and beat her with a bat. Thankfully, she survived. Even with all of these extremely violent crimes by teens, the sheriff's state of the killings were an anomaly, more typical for the children of that area. However, it is also noted that things in the area had gotten increasingly weird as heavier drugs came to the area. Now, regardless of the opinions about whether crime was getting worse in the area, there were lots of warning signs of trouble with these boys leading up to Elisa's death. All of the boys struggled with behavior in school. Royce had been kicked out of high school and was enrolled in an alternative school.

Joseph and Jacob were both being homeschooled after being expelled. Records show that Jacob was expelled for possessing drugs and swearing at a teacher. In addition, Joseph's mother, Betsy Leo, blamed the city for letting her down. She went to the police saying that she couldn't control her children anymore. She had gone to the police when Anthony allegedly tried to kill Joseph in their home before Elisa's death. Betsy called the police to have him arrested. After she refused to pick him up from jail, the police threatened her with a child abandonment charge if she didn't come get him. The police ultimately referred Anthony to the probation department and that did not help, as we know he went on to murder another teen. In addition, Betsy said that the other boys in Joseph's band had bragged about him.

violating Elisa's body after she was dead. All boys had told at least two people and no one reported it to the police as they thought the boys were just making stuff up. Despite being the youngest, it also seemed that Joseph seemed to be the most unhinged of the group and seemed to be calling the shots. According to Royce, Joseph had several books on Satanism. The boys also claimed later that targeting Elise was Joseph's idea as he was obsessed with her, in their own words. On May 3rd, 1996, the judge issued a gag order to all attorneys in the case. All three boys were originally charged with first-degree homicide. Later that month, the charges were amended to include essay, torture, and conspiracy to commit

homicide. In February of 1997, all boys confessed and pled no contest to the charges. Since there was no testimony in the trial, most information. has remained sealed. All boys were minors at the time, though they were being tried as adults. And without their public testimony, all we can work off are the quotes that have been released to the press. One investigator said, one of my specific questions was why.

Casey answered it was to receive power from the devil to help them play guitar better. By making this perfect sacrifice to the devil, they would gain more craziness or nuts, as he said. That would make them play harder. play faster, and by making this perfect sacrifice to the devil, it might help them go, quote, professional. In March of 1997, Joseph received his sentence. As part of his agreement, Joseph pled guilty to homicide in the first degree in exchange for the other charges being dropped.

It was ultimately sentenced to 26 years to life in prison. He was later quoted as saying, I wish it never happened. Since it's happened, I always wish that God can bring her back to life. I can imagine how her family must feel. Another time he said, it was a stupid mistake. When Royce was sentenced in September of 1997, he pled no contest to the charge of first-degree homicide. This plea was to avoid a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Instead, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with a mandatory 21 years before parole would become available. In October of 1997, Jacob's sentencing went six. similarly to his co-defendants. He was sentenced to 26 years to life, of which he would have to serve 85% of the term before he became eligible for parole. Luckily, all the boys were tried as adults, and Joseph, who was only 14 at the time of Alisa's death. Had they been tried as juveniles, they likely would have only received seven years in prison and been walking among us today. It has now been 28 years since Elisa's death. Though several of the boys have become eligible for parole. So far, the parole has been denied every time.

In the case of Royce, his parole has even made it past the initial approval stage, but was denied at a later stage in the process. As of the date of this recording in 2023, all three men remain behind bars in California. After the death of their beloved daughter, the paler family suffered greatly. Some sources say that the paler's moved as soon as they realized their daughter's body had been lying less than a mile away from their home for all of that time. In other accounts, the parents became so depressed that they really left the house. This caused a huge loss of income and ultimately they lost their house and ended up on state benefits. Before Elisa's death, David had been a very successful general contractor, making between $75,000 and $100,000 per year

in the early 90s. The paler spent several years in and out of lawsuit, against Slayer, which ultimately did not amount to anything. The Palers blamed three things for the behavior of the boys, lack of supervision, drugs, and the music they were listening to. Lizanne advised parents to give their adolescents no privacy to prevent these situations. The Palers formed the Elise Marie Paler Foundation after the death of their daughter. However, it appears that the foundation was dissolved in 2014, and there was little evidence to show what the goal of the foundation was,

or if it ever achieved anything. The disillusionment of the foundation also came in the same year that David was involved in a road rage incident. According to the police report, after being cut off by another vehicle, David followed the driver to a nearby right aid parking lot before getting out of his car to yell at them. The driver, a 37-year-old woman, refused to get out of the car as David yelled and pounded on the windshield. He also slammed his knee into the door, leading dents in the panel. David then reached through the driver's side window and pulled the woman from her car by her shirt. This incident was video recorded by a bystander. David was arrested on a charge of battery.

He ultimately said he was suffering from PTSD after the death of his daughter. He was never convicted and the charges were later dropped. In 2017, the Paler family received a total of $34,871 for the cost of counseling and funeral expenses. A request was also made for restitution for the loss of wages that David Pailor suffered. As far as we know, this has never been paid. Given that it's been nearly three decades since Elise's tragic and senseless death, her story has been covered by many sources. Some folks even claim that the 2009 film Jennifer's Body was inspired by Elise's death,

but if you've ever seen that movie, you'd know that's totally ridiculous. Anyway, some sources spend a great deal of time. talking about the satanic connections, while others give a great deal of focus to the lyrics of Slayer's music. However, after all of our research, there is one glaring area that seems to be most concerning, yet we did not see it focused on anywhere else. What about the police? How is it that Lisa's body could be less than a mile from her home and not be discovered? She wasn't buried, dismembered, burned, sunk to the bottom of a river, or otherwise massed.

We would assume that a search with cadaver dogs or search and rescue dogs would have easily discovered her body. With so many bizarrely violent crimes by teens, some of which were performed by teens with direct connections to Elise, how were the police not more diligent? Granted, good police work would have not changed the outcome for Elise's life. However, it might have brought peace to her family sooner. a family that waited night and day for eight months, hoping that their daughter might walk back through the door. They waited for a chance that she might call.

However, it seems though the police made no effort to find her. If Royce had never come forward, how long would it have been before her body was found? And if it was ever found, would the killers have been brought to justice? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below. Hong Kong is a city and a special administrative region in China. Located on the mainland southern coast with a Shamchun river serving as a natural border, the city is a veritable melting pot with 7.4 million residents of various cultures and nationalities. Hong Kong is known for being a center of business, culture, and trade.

Due to its food culture, vibrant nightlife, beautiful temples, and spell-binding natural beauty, Hong Kong attracts more than 65 million tourists each year. Hong Kong has the world's largest number of skyscrapers, with many towering as high as 490 feet. It was once home to the infamous Kowloon-walled city, which was demolished over the course of 13 months, starting in March of 1993. Hong Kong is also well known for its extremely low crime rate.

The city boasts a safety index of 78.5%. Serious crimes are rare, and people generally feel comfortable walking alone at night. However, when major crimes do occur, they can be downright shocking, such as the case of Fanman Yee, who was dismembered and stuffed inside a large Hello Kitty stuffed mermaid doll, or, like the case we're about to share with you today. Abby Choi Tin Feng was born on July 15, 1994 in Hong Kong. Some sources state that she was the youngest of three daughters, while other states that she was the youngest of three daughters, while others state that she was the youngest of four.

In fact, much of the information about her early life seems to vary depending on where you look. Abby was born into a seemingly normal family. When she was young, her mother, Chung Yin Fa and her biological father divorced. She was later remarried to a man named Soy Cho San. This was the beginning of when Abby's life started to become less ordinary. Her mother and stepfather went on to make a fortune operating construction, and mining businesses in mainland China. This afforded Abby and her sisters a life of luxury where they wanted for nothing.

When she was just 18 years old, Abby married a man by the name of Alex Kwon Kong Chi. A couple had two children during their three-year marriage, which ultimately ended in divorce. But despite this, Abby remained close with her ex-husband and his family, in particular with Alex's brother, Anthony Kwonkong Kitt. During her marriage to Alex, Anthony struggled with unemployment, so Abby hired him as her personal chauffeur. When Anthony wanted to open up a street food stall selling pancakes, Abby gave him the money to do so. On his Instagram page, Abby and Anthony frequently posed for pictures together. Anthony made it clear that he considered Abby a sister.

Now, Abby wasn't just generous with Anthony, but she was generous towards the entire Kwong family as well. After her divorce from Alex, she purchased a 37 million Hong Kong dollar apartment for his entire family. U.S. dollars, this amounts to just over 4.7 million. The apartment was located in Cadori Hill, which is an upper class residential area in Hong Kong's Calhoun City District and was part of a luxury complex called Cordoria. This place was gorgeous with plenty of amenities like a pool, bamboo garden, spa, and even a play space for Abby's children to enjoy. Now, even though Abby purchased the apartment,

she placed the property in her ex-father-in-law, Kwongkow's name. It has never been stated as to why she did this. As taxes on properties in Hong Kong are astronomical, a theory I've seen is that she did this to reduce her tax burden as this was not her first property and she would be taxed on every subsequent property that she owned. But others have suggested something more nefarious.

And based on the details later in this case, you can let me know what you think it probably was. Either way, Quang Kow was merely a trustee of the property, and if she needed to, Abby would have been able to dispute her ownership. After her divorce from Alex, Abby didn't give up on finding love and eventually moved on with a man named Chris Tam Fong Chung. Much like Abby's own family, Chris's parents were pretty well off. His father, Tom Chuck Kwan, made his fortune as one of the founders of Tom Jai Noodle, a fast casual restaurant chain based in Hong Kong specializing in noodles. Abby and Chris had two children of their own, and although they were never legally married, they held a wedding ceremony in 2016. The couple lived in a multi-million dollar home with their two, sometimes four children. It took regular trips to Disneyland and spent time on their luxury yacht.

At the time of our story, Abby was 28 years old and becoming successful in her own right. Her net worth was in the ballpark of $300 million Hong Kong dollars. She was living a life that most of us could only dream of, and according to her social media, she embraced every moment of it. In 2012, at the age of 20, she started her career as a social media influencer on Instagram. She made her first post on July 11th. It was a picture of a Lady Dior crocodile bag, which retails her. for over 8,000 USD as of the date of this recording.

Abby shared photographs of her travels to the world's most exotic locations, posing on a balcony against the Paris skyline, enjoying lavish designer brands, and having lunch with friends in hip art deco restaurants. She had nearly 200,000 followers that interacted with her posts. Abby regularly attended Paris Fashion Week and was a model herself. She was praised as a fashion icon who could mix and match pieces in a way that made her a trendsetter. She had been featured in publications such as Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Bogue, and most recently, La Fisielle Monaco.

Abby's newfound fame as a model and social media influencer opened the doors to luxury events and parties where she would frequently rub shoulders with famous celebrities. Abby didn't just have outer beauty, but inner beauty as well. She engaged in philanthropy by co-founding the Palmas Charitable Organization, which is a group dedicated to helping stray animals. In fact, some reports have indicated that Abby saved a kitty that got hit by a car. On February 15, 2023, Abby made her final post to Instagram. Posing on the cover of Laficie L. Monaco, Abby posed in a pink gown by Sohir El Gabzi, and jewelry by Anna Hu. She proudly wrote the following caption. From Hong Kong to the cover of Lafisiel Monaco, my journey as a style icon continues.

grateful for this recognition and the continued support along the way. Little did Abby know, her journey through the world of fashion and Hote Couture would soon be coming to an end. And Danger was waiting for her back in Hong Kong. At this point in our story, the Kwong family had been living in Kedoria completely rent-free for six years. You know anything about Hong Kong, then you know that real estate and apartment rentals in general are extremely expensive. Abby was also starting to feel taken advantage of by her former in-laws, feeling it unfair to be on the hook to take care of them, understandably. It's been speculated that early on, Abby might have been bullied into purchasing the apartment for the Kwong family. Keep in mind, Alex and Abby married when she was only 18 years old and divorced three years later.

Perhaps she was young and naive, or perhaps it was due to something more abusive from Alex's family. But unbeknownst to Abby, her forefeworthy, her foreforkman. former in-laws were running out of money very quickly. But wait, let's make this part clear. The Kwong family hadn't been paying a rent or a mortgage for six whole years. You might ask yourself, where did the money go? Now, to answer that, we'll need to travel back in time to the year 2005. 65-year-old Kwong Kao was a disgraced former police sergeant for the Hong Kong police force.

despite being respected and good at his job, that all changed when a woman accused him of assault. Now, this woman had actually come to the station to report a completely different assault, only to be re-victimized by the person who was supposed to help her. When Kwongkow resigned rather than fight the accusations made against him, the Hong Kong police force turned a blind eye, essentially making the whole situation go away. He was never held accountable for his actions in any way, and it's unknown if he ever got a new job after that. Due to the fact that money was now an issue, my guess is no. But the former police sergeant wasn't the only member of the Kwong family that was engaging in sketchy behavior.

In the years following their divorce, Alex, who was now 28 years old, found himself in the middle of an underground gold investment scam. After winning the trust of a number of wealthy businessmen, they each invested $5 million Hong Kong dollars, not knowing that they would never see that money again. Rather than invest these funds, Alex simply took the money and ran. But this wasn't even his first foray into a life of crime. Alex had been ripping people off for a while. According to the South China Morning Post, he'd stolen a fortune in jewelry and precious metals, including 39 necklaces, 32 bracelets, 13 golden bars, 102 gold casting grains,

six pendants, and 10 tails of gold. The incidents occurred at locations such as Monkok, Yao Me Tai, and the Harbor Plaza Metropolis Hotel in Hung Hum. 31-year-old Anthony was given every opportunity in the world by his former sister-in-law was now drowning in debt. It was so bad that he was sued by a local bank. He was so bad that he was sued by a local bank in 2019. Rather than live a modest and respectable life with his earnings, which were very generous, Anthony blew his money on a lavish lifestyle on designer goods and even a Rolls Royce. Even Abby's goodwill wasn't enough to stop the bleeding that Anthony's reckless spending had caused. To top it all off, Alex and Anthony's mother, 63-year-old Jenny Lee Sui Hume, had filed for bankruptcy just three

years prior. So as Abby's wealth grew and she began to become known on a global scale, the Kwong family began to resent her. As the saying goes, we hate it when our friends become successful. Well, apparently to the Kwong's, it's even more egregious when it's your former in-law. Either way, Abby was fed up with being everyone's meal ticket and wanted the Kedoria apartment back. And this went over horribly with the Kwong family. They felt absolutely entitled to Abby's money and practically expected her to take care of them for the rest of their lives. Their entitlement took a very, very dark turn. In fact, Abby's former father-in-law, Kwong Kao, threatened to kill her. Despite all of this, it was reported that Abby still felt for them. Even if she was seeking legal

counsel against her former in-laws, she began looking for a new home for them. She was even willing to pay for it. It is hard to imagine anyone that I know with this capacity for generosity, even in the face of receiving death threats. Sadly, Abby's heart of gold would soon be her undoing. Before she could proceed with the eviction of the Kwong family, on Tuesday, February 21st, 2023, Abby seemingly vanished out of thin air. She was supposed to pick her daughter up from school, but she never made it there. All efforts to contact Abby proved to be unsuccessful.

As a social media influencer who would have been glued to her phone at all times, it would have been highly unusual for Abby to miss a call or not answer a text message. All activity across her social media accounts came to a grinding halt. What was even more alarming was the fact that Abby did not pick her daughter up from school. Those that knew Abby, that nothing would have stood in the way of her picking up her daughter, she was never late in doing so. Approximately two hours after she failed to pick her daughter up from school, Abby was officially reported missing,

an investigation into her disappearance was launched. Over 150 officers with the Hong Kong police force were tasked with finding the mother of four. It was not long before officers had their first clue. The following information is based on surveillance camera footage from her Kedori Hill apartment building. At 2.15, around the time she would have left to pick her daughter, her up from Harrow International School. Abby can be seen dressed in white, towing a purple handbag exiting the complex. Next, she was seen entering a white vehicle that was already known to those who knew her. It was the car that Anthony used to chauffeur her around the city. This was part of

their normal routine, but sadly questioning her former brother-in-law and the rest of the Kuang family didn't turn up any leads. They claimed they hadn't seen Abby since the day prior. But as we will quickly learn, this was a completely an utter lie. None of their stories matched up. Acting on a hunch, the police decided to investigate the GPS records for the white car in question. What they found next was shocking. The car had been driven approximately 30 miles north to Long May, a rural village in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong. This would have taken 35 to 40 minutes and Anthony didn't have any business there. Rightfully concerned, officers descended upon the village

conducting door-to-door searches, reviewing surveillance footage, and looking for any clue as to where the 28-year-old socialite could be. 72 hours after Abby was reported missing, they had a lead. They began canvassing the ground floor of a three-story apartment building. However, even the most seasoned of officers weren't prepared for what they were going to discover next. The inside of the unit was devoid of any furniture, and the windows, floors, and walls were covered in plastic tarps. There were some items left behind in the kitchen.

It contained a stove, a small refrigerator, a meat cleaver, an electric saw, and other implements that could be used for meat cutting and tenderizing, or in this case, dismembering a human body. There were even face shields in raincoats. Now, if you've ever seen an episode of Dexter, you might know where this is going. Inside of the refrigerator, police officers discovered two disembodied human legs. In the freezer, they found human feet. Atop the stove, two soup pots were boiling away.

Inside of these pots, police found green radishes, carrots, and meat believed to be human flesh, swimming in a liquid top with a thick layer of fat. In addition, they found a human skull in several bones that appeared to be human ribs. It is unclear if they were planning on eating this soup or planning on disposing of it in some way. But it's very troubling to read that Abby's remains were prepared in such a way. DNA tests in a review of dental records later confirmed that they had found Abby Choi, but not all of her. After days of investigation, sources said police have finally found the head of model Abby Choi, whose corpse was dismembered, with some parts of her body still missing.

According to understanding, forensic examples taken from one of the soup pots from the village house in Lomaychun contained remains of her skull in tissue form. The soup pot was first discovered in the same village house, where some other body parts were also found earlier. The house has remained sealed off as of today. Officers from the drainage services departs. arrived at the scene this afternoon to inspect the house and the surrounding areas. They checked if the sewage system was blocked by any body parts and took samples to check for human tissue, according to sources. Earlier, police continued their search effort at Tranquino-Chinese permanent cemetery for the second consecutive day.

The site is believed to be one of the disposal sites for the 28-year-old's other body parts after her former husband Alex Kwong, who is the key suspect in the case, was previously seen there. Officers deployed drones and abselled down the hillside to inspect suspicious spots, including rubbish bags. Divers had calmed through three pools inside the cemetery yesterday, but have not discovered anything so far. As it turns out, after an in-depth analysis a video taken from surveillance cameras and dash cameras, several members of the Kwong family were caught on film acting suspiciously in the rural village. They had no business being there.

Allegedly they felt that area of town was beneath them. So what exactly were they up to? Well, unbeknownst to Abby, her ex-father-in-law had planned to make good on his threat to kill her and had rented out the first floor apartment in Lung Mai for 10,000 Hong Kong dollars just weeks before. Knowing that Anthony would be picking up Abby anyway, they used this part of her routine to abduct her in plain sight. On the way to the village, they were met by Alex at Lion Rock Tunnel, which is a twin-board toll tunnel that connects Calhoun Peninsula to the new territories. From there, the three-headed north where they met up with Kwongkow at this apartment,

the apartment that was rented for the sole purpose of killing, dismembering, and disposing of Abby. there was an additional piece of information that was shared with us now please keep in mind we're not familiar with how the estate or legal system works in hong kong so please take this with a grain of salt it was mentioned that since abby was not married to her partner chris if she were to pass away her estate would be inherited by her surviving children since her children are minors their inheritance would be controlled by their legal guardians in this case since abby had two children with alex alex's family would essentially be getting half of Abby's money. The levels of greed and resentment from those who wish to see Abby murdered is vile beyond the sense of the word. On February 25, 2023, Anthony, Huang Kow and Jenny were arrested. Alex, however, was nowhere to be found. As he was now Hong Kong's most wanted, the police offered a 200 million Hong Kong dollar reward for his capture.

Obviously, this was big news in the city. Remember when we told you that Hong Kong is safe when violent crime happens as extreme, while Abby's death, the ensuing manhunt for her ex-husband was the talk of the town. Everybody was out looking for him. Even the special duties unit, which is an elite tactical unit of the Hong Kong police force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, were called in. Normally, they're only called in for things such as hostage rescues and counter-terrorism. But thankfully, he was apprehended the following day at the Tung Chung Development Pier while attempting to flee the country aboard a yacht. Some reports say it was a speedboat. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying 500,000 Hong Kong dollars and 4 million Hong Kong dollars worth of luxury watches

and jewelry. This converts to roughly 576,000 USD. In my opinion, it would be a safe assumption that none of these items actually belong to Alex, given his history. In addition, 41-year-old Henry Lam Shun, a yacht company employee and Alex's friend, as well as 29-year-old Irene Pan-Hau-Yin, an unemployed food blogger, were arrested in connection with Alex's failed escape attempt. Allegedly, Alex had bribed Henry with 300,000 Hong Kong dollars to let him escape the country as a stowaway. The pair were charged with conspiring to obstruct the arrest

in prosecution of Alex Kwong and were later released on a 50,000 Hong Kong dollar bail. Alex, Anthony, and their father, Kwong Kau were formerly charged with homicide in relation to Abby's death in subsequent dismemberment. If convicted, they face life in prison because Hong Kong doesn't have the death penalty. Their mother, Jenny, was charged with perverting the course of justice for destroying evidence. Now, to top this all off, Kwong Kau apparently had a mistress because, of course he did. This guy sucks. Eng-she-wang, a masseuse known in the media by the pseudonym, Young, was later arrested on suspicion of aiding Alex in his escape attempt,

and hiding him out in her condo. Now, as this case is still developing, we'll keep an eye out for updates regarding the trial as they become available. As mentioned prior, only a portion of Abby's remains had been recovered from the Lung May apartments. Police searched high and low for the rest of her body, scouring landfills with drones, cadaver dogs, divers, and a team of officers. As at the date of this recording in November of 2023, the rest of Abby's remains, have never been recovered, and it's likely that they never will be. She was laid to rest without her torso, her arms, or her hands. Due to privacy laws in China and the fact that the Kwong family isn't about to spill the

beans on how she died, we may never know Abby's actual cause of death. However, it's been suggested that she might have died from blunt force trauma to the back of the head as her skull had been fractured. In the wake of Abby's tragic and senseless death, her partner and father of her two youngest children, Chris Tam, vowed to adopt and care for her two older children fathered by Alex. Abby's mother, Chung Yin Fa, filed an injunction against Kwong Kao to halt the sale of the Kedori Hill luxury apartment. Outside of the apartment where Abby was discovered, residents held a Taoist ceremony where they burned incense and held rituals to pacify Abby's soul and bring comfort to her loved ones. In fact, when in the in the community

in the community, where did you know, you know, that's what's that's because that that was the time,

the day, the police, just the there, got to a person this fact,

that's a can, that's we're doing this time, we're all the people, and the people can't

Now some people really are some some of the problem. I'm this social footy and this Hong Shipsy they're

there's a place to help us need to the samely the Instagram account where

Abby first started her journey as an influencer now serves as a memorial where thousands of strangers affected by her

story have gone to pay their respects. On June 18th 2023 hundreds of mourners attended Abby's

funeral service and a departure from traditional Chinese funerals where black and white are normally used for mourning, Memorial Hall for the Service, was extensively decorated in pink, said to be Abby's favorite color. I think that we can all agree that this case is beyond tragic. A beautiful young woman who gave so generously to those who didn't even deserve her kindness lost her life in most heinous of fashions. Abby had her whole life ahead of her, life that she worked so hard building for,

not only for herself but others as well. It was a life that most of us, myself included, will never achieve, much less comprehend. But it was destroyed, all in the name of greed, jealousy, and spite. Her four children don't have their mother, and they'll have to grow up knowing what their father, uncle, and grandparents did to her. They did not just destroy Abby's life. They destroyed the lives of all of those who loved her.

Shad Rock Therian was born on September 7th, 1997 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to parents Tara Pachanick and Michael Therian. When he was young, his parents separated and both entered new relationships. He had three siblings, Ava, Sylvia, and Bo. Shad went to Bayport High School in Green Bay. After leaving school, those close to him said he worked with his father and grandfather in their family business. Now, Shad loved music. He often posted songs from his favorite artists on social media. He liked a mix of music.

He liked rap and electronic tunes from the video game Kingdom Hearts. According to his family, he had an artistic talent and liked carving wood. At the time of our story, he was 24 years old. He had light brown hair and brown eyes, a light mustache, and a thin curly beard. He liked to wear chunky, beaded necklaces and bracelets. Shad's hobbies included camping and gaming. He enjoyed spending time with his hair. his family who described him as a kind and compassionate person. He was often selfless, putting the

needs of other people before his own. When Shad met Taylor Shibisnes, they were both kids, and her name was Taylor Coronado. Taylor had a difficult childhood. She was born in Chicago in November 23, 1997, and lived there with her parents Maria and Arturo and her brother Arturo Jr. When she was 11 years old, her family moved to Wisconsin. The next year, her mother died from cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism. Taylor met Shad in middle school, but by then she was already a troubled child. She struggled to pay attention and had behavior issues in class. In seventh grade, she began mental health treatment. She was diagnosed with a tension deficit disorder and put on medication. Over the next few years, she was diagnosed with severe depression and prescribed additional

medications, including a mood stabilizer, an antidepressant, and an antipsychotic. At Bayport High School, Taylor and Shad became a couple, dating for two years. After they broke up, the two remained friends. During her senior year, Taylor got into a physical fight with another student and was expelled, after which she subsequently moved to Texas to live with her paternal grandparents. There, she was able to finish high school. For the time she turned 18, she claimed she had weaned herself off of all of her medication. But Taylor wasn't the only person in the Coronado household who had gotten themselves into trouble.

A few years later in 2017, her father, Arturo was convicted of DV and had to serve 30 days in jail within an additional 12 months of probation. In 2018, he was arrested for the essay of a child. He fled no contest and was sentenced to 12 years in prison and an additional 18 years of supervision. He was also prohibited from contacting his female victim and her family. Though Taylor was not one of the victims of her father's crimes, it seems likely that her father was a difficult and a dangerous man to live with. Taylor lived several cities in Texas, first Kotula with her grandparents as well as San Antonio, Houston, and Temple. Eventually, she returned to Wisconsin. She started dating Warren Shabot, who goes by the name

Shibizness on social media. In 2018, she officially changed her name to Taylor Denise Shibisness, and Warren got Taylor's name tattooed on his neck. The couple got married on February 14th, 2020. Warren had a pretty extensive criminal history. The years between 2010, in 2020, he managed to rack up a laundry list of charges. This included resisting an officer and disorderly conduct related to a DV situation. For this, he pled no contest and had to serve 30 days in jail. Later, he was charged with driving while intoxicated. For that, he lost his driver's license and had to pay fines. Warren was also caught selling weed and took a plea deal for one year in prison and several years probation. Now, keep in mind, although it is currently decriminalized,

the sale of weed in Wisconsin is still not legal in 2024. Additionally, Warren was charged with armed burglary and theft. For this crime, his lawyer negotiated another plea deal for two years in prison and three years probation. In the spring of 2020, Taylor also got into criminal trouble. She had been behaving strangely, walking in the middle of the street and knocking on people's doors. Police were called and tried to help her. They asked her what she was doing. She told them she wasn't sure.

She said she was on a different planet right now. She also showed them track marks on her arms and told them she had just shot up. When police tried to keep her from walking into oncoming traffic, she kicked them. Taylor was arrested and charged with battery of a law enforcement officer in resisting arrest. Eventually, the resisting arrest charge was dropped and she was found guilty of battery or threat to a judge, prosecutor, or law enforcement officer, which is a felony in Wisconsin. On November 13th of 2020, Warren was arrested in charge with conspiracy to distribute a large amount of crystal to which he claimed he had been framed. While awaiting trial, he remained in jail.

In early 2021, Taylor and Warren had a son together whom they named Mateo. At the time, Warren was still in prison. In April and again in May of 2021, Taylor became a danger to herself and was hospitalized. During her time in treatment, she was diagnosed with PT. PTSD and bipolar disorder. As we mentioned prior, Taylor had remained friends with Shad even after their breakup in high school. After she moved back to Wisconsin, they managed to reconnect. Now, despite her marriage to Warren, she admitted they were sometimes intimate. One of those intimate times happens in August of 2021, while her husband was still locked up. At Thanksgiving that year, she posted pictures and

video of her baby boy dressed up in a turkey costume. In December, as she was still posting positive things about Warren on social media. She posted a cartoon of a couple when wearing an orange prison jumpsuit promising to stay together forever. On December 13th, she posted a picture of her baby wearing a blanket secured with a beadwork dream catcher that she made. She was hoping to earn some money and asked people to order handmade dream catchers or dog tags.

By January of 2022, her relationship with Warren was in trouble and she was angry. In the 10th, she posted, and I quote, Double-crossed my loyalty. That's one thing you'll never get back, let's play. Now, mind you, Taylor was the one being unfaithful while her husband was incarcerated. Three days later, she wrote, I got hitched to show them my commitment, loyalty, and dedication to them,

that I was never going to be how I used to be. Then they turn around an F on me. There's no way I'll ever go into another relationship. Hashtag can't trust no one. Later that month, she was sentenced to three months in jail for the crime she committed in 2020. She was released with a GPS tracker on her ankle. In February, she was in a dark place. Using her cell phone, she searched for information on cadavers and Satan.

She also did a number of searches for Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer from Wisconsin known for dismembering and eating parts of his victims. She searched for the phrases, Jeffrey Dahmer walking into court all sexy and Jeffrey Dahmer's butt. On February 12th, she opened a picture of Jeffrey Dahmer's face on her cell phone. She used another phone to snap a selfie with her face posed next to the serial killer's face. Though it was not her official address, Taylor was staying at the Eastman Avenue apartments with a friend named Scott. At this point in our story, she no longer had custody of her son.

Chad had been staying with his father, but on February, 21st, his mother picked him up at his dad's house. She brought him to her home on Stony Brook Lane on the west side of Green Bay. He's planning to stay for a few days. At his mother's house, Shad had the partially finished basement to himself. There was no bathroom down there, but there was a laundry room and a shower. There was also a large open room that functioned as a guest room of sorts. The stack of three mattresses and a dresser sat at the far end. At the bottom of the stairs, a TV was set up on a desk with shelving above it. The room was also used for store. storage. A pile of toys and boxes, a cat tree with books and papers stacked on it, and old

cocktail table Pac-Man machine were scattered throughout the space. That evening, Taylor removed the GPS tracker from her ankle. She was hanging out with another friend named AJ Gannon at the Eastman Avenue apartments. AJ also knew Shad from middle school, and they decided to ask him to join them. Taylor borrowed her roommate Scott's van and drove to Stony Brook Lane. There, she and AJ picked Shad up around 9.30 p.m. and went back to Eastman Avenue. At the apartment, the three smoked pot while AJ drank. After some time there, they got back in the van and visited several places. They stopped by Shad's father's house for a few minutes. Then they went out looking to buy some crystal. Taylor didn't remember everywhere they went looking to score, but she said she gave

Shad $100 to buy it. Eventually, they went back to the apartment complex on Eastman Avenue. Taylor and Shad smoked some crystal and Taylor gave Shad a haircut. After A.J. left, Taylor said she and Shad injected crushed up trazadone, an antidepressant medication which can give short feelings of euphoria. Taylor again borrowed her roommate's van and drove Shad back to his mother's house where they arrived in the dark hours of Tuesday morning. Taylor parked the minivan on the road in front of the house. His mother's boyfriend, Steve, let them in.

The pair went downstairs to the basement room where Shad was staying. According to Taylor, about five minutes later, Shad pulled out two silver chains, one for each of them. He told her they could use them for breathplay while they were being intimate later. Taylor spent the rest of the night and all of the next day there. When Shad's mom, Tara, got up the next morning, she thought they had been up late and were sleeping through the day. At one point, she heard Taylor downstairs talking, but couldn't hear what she said. Tara thought it was odd that neither of them came upstairs to use the bathroom while she was home, but she didn't think too much of it.

She and Steve left the house for part of the day, and she figured the pair could have woken up and come upstairs while she was gone. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Shad's mother, Tara, woke up to the sound of the storm door slamming shut. She then heard a vehicle start up and pull away. Tara got out of bed, she noticed the basement lights were still on. She went downstairs to see if Shad was in the basement and to turn off the lights if he had left. On the way, Tara looked out the window and noticed the minivan was gone. Kara did not see Shat in the basement, and as she turned to walk back upstairs, she noticed a five-gallon bucket with a large beach towel on top of it.

Her first thought was they'd been using the bucket as a toilet, which would explain why she hadn't seen either of them upstairs. However, when she moved the towel, she saw something she never could have expected. She saw her son's head in the bucket, unable to understand what she was seeing. She ran upstairs to wake up her boyfriend, Steve. Kara brought him downstairs and had him look inside of the bucket.

Steve, who had bad eyesight, was not sure what he was seen either. So soon, Steve placed a call to 911 to report this gruesome discovery. Yes, I'd look at an officer 829, Stormbrook. I just woke me up and swears that she found her severed head of her son in the basement. She's severed head of her son in the basement. I can't tell what the put is here. And she came up to use the restaurant across times. She's saying that she hears the phone down there too.

Yes, she's upstairs. She's a little freaked out and I don't know what to do. I can't see very well and I can't know what the hell is. So there's something in the bucket? After Steve confirmed his address and asked to speak directly to her. After Steve confirmed his address and explained what his girlfriend saw, the 911 operator asked to speak directly to Tara. She answered his questions in a calm, numb voice. When asked what she saw, Tara said, I'm pretty positive my son's head is in a bucket in my basement.

The operator asked, what makes you think that? She replied, because I looked in the box. When he asked what she saw in the bucket, she said, exactly what I told you. She told him she had no idea where the rest of Shad's body was. At the end of the call, the 911 operator asked if it could be a fake Halloween head. She told him, I'm not touching it. I'm not looking at it again. She also asked if the officers could be quiet when they arrived. Her 16-year-old daughter was still asleep upstairs. Police from the Green Bay Police Department arrived at around 325 in the morning. Officer Alex Wainish talked to Steve and Tara at the door. Steve told the officer

multiple times that he looked in the bucket and didn't effing know what he was looking at. Two officers descended the stairs into the basement. After Officer Wainish looked in the bucket and realized it was, in fact, indeed, a severed human head, he called for backup. He also conducted a sweep of the area to make sure no one was hiding in the basement. He found no one, but he did find a dream. He did find a ride blood stain on the top of the stack of mattresses. Beyond that stack of mattresses, he found blood and chunks of human flesh on the floor. Meanwhile, a detective met with Tara. She told him she last saw Shad alive at 9.30 Monday evening when he rode off in the van with Taylor.

Armed with this information, another group of Green Bay officers went to the Eastman Avenue apartments where Taylor was staying with her friend Scott. As officers approached the apartment building, they passed the van she had been driving. A large crock pot box was visible through the back window. Officers noticed what appeared to be bloody footprints near the front of the van. While they were looking at the footprints, the lights came on in the van and Taylor exited the apartment building. Officers saw dried blood on her black hoodie and on her black sweatpants. When they placed her in handcuffs, they saw her hands were stained with blood.

In the patrol car, she told officers she thought they were there because of a warrant for her arrest. However, she did not mention Shad. Is this blood? Does this look like blood to you? How am I just tripping? A bloody footprint? You see this right here? Could possibly be gone.

Who did that? How's it going? Officer Russell with the Green Bay Police Department. He got none on here. Once in custody at the Green Bay Police Department, Taylor's hands and clothes were photographed. She had a deep cut on her left thumb and several scratches on her arms and hands. Her clothes were taken into evidence and officers gave her a yellow prison jumpsuit. After Taylor was read her Miranda rights, they let her know that they found Shad's head in a bucket.

She responded, that's pretty effed up. When Detective Graff asked her what happens, at first she told him, that's a good question. She said that she had blacked out and couldn't remember what happened. She remembered that no one else came into the basement. She remembered smoking ice, as she put it. She remembered setting a baggie full of the drug on a dresser. She remembered the chains Shad had gotten. As they continued to talk about the chains,

Taylor said she had a brief flashback of the chains around his neck. In the flashback, she said that she was riding him like a donkey. Meanwhile, officers obtained search warrant so they could search Shad's mother's house, the Eastman Avenue apartments, and Scott's minivan. They processed each site and collected forensic evidence. At Terrace House, medical examiner Dr. Vincent Trancheetah compared a photo of Shad to the remains located within the home.

He was able to confirm it was indeed Shad's head inside of the bucket. He also noted visual evidence of strangulation. In the same bucket, Dr. Trancheetah found Shad's private parts, which had been severed from his body, along with a large quantity of blood and other bodily fluids. At the bottom of the bucket, he found two knives. Investigators found a glass pipe and the baggy of powder on the dresser, right where Taylor told Detective Graff he would find them.

They found numerous blood droplets on the concrete floor in front of the shower in the basements. Some had been partially washed away. Officers at the crime scene stayed in contact with Detective Graff, who was still interviewing Taylor. As the interview went on, Taylor remembered more of the evening. She told Detective Graff that she and Shad were preparing to be intimate. She said they had choked each other in intimate situations before

and that she enjoyed choking her partners. She said Shad laid face down on the bed and she got on top of him. She said Shad put the chain around his neck. She put one of the chains around her own neck as well. The chain had a loop like a dog's choke collar. She pulled it through the loop and tight around his neck. As she pulled tighter, she said she could feel his heart beating. She told Detective Graff that she went crazy and kept pulling harder and harder on the chain.

Detective Graff asked her several times why she didn't stop. Taylor offered several different answers. She said she didn't mean to do it. She said she wanted to see what happened. She said she just went crazy. She said she was already this far, so just. kept going. At one point she said she blacked out while choking him, woke up to find him already purple, and kept pulling on the chain. She also said she liked it. Although we will try to describe

what happened with as much care intact as possible, Taylor's actions were appalling. There's no way around that. After he died, Taylor said she played with his body for two to three hours with both her mouth and with toys. She said she cuddled his body. She stayed. She stayed in the in the basement all of Tuesday through Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. At one point, Shad's mother came down the basement stairs and went into the unfinished area where the cat's litter box was located. She brought the cat downstairs with her but didn't look or enter the rest of the basement. While Tara thought her son was sleeping in, Taylor was laying next to his partially dismembered body. At some point early Tuesday morning before anyone else in the house was awake, Taylor had gone up

stairs to the kitchen. She took several knives, including a long bread knife down to the basement. She told Detective Graff that the first thing she removed was his head. Taylor positioned the five-gallon bucket on the floor next to the bed. Next, she pulled Shad's lifeless body to the edge of the bed near the bucket. She said the bread knife worked best because of the serrated blade. She told Detective Graff that she found the experience very arousing. At some points, she said she was, and I quote, sucking and cutting at the same time. When Detective Graff asked where the rest of the body was, Taylor told them the police were going to have fun trying to find it. She had placed the parts in several areas of the basement. She had also taken Summashad's body with her, hidden in the large

crockpot box in the van. She said she had originally planned to take all of the his body with her, but she said she got lazy and paranoid because of the drugs she was on. At several points, she repeated that she couldn't believe she forgot to take his head. She said she nodded off several times while dismembering him. She also thought she might have continued cutting while she was asleep. She used the bucket in another large tote she found in the basement to catch the blood in other bodily fluids. She dumped some of the blood down the drain in the basement's shower. the same shower where investigators had already found drops of blood.

Investigators also found a significant amount of blood soaked into the mattress and evidence of more blood under the bed. They found evidence of a puddle of blood that had been cleaned up near where Taylor said she had placed the bucket. In addition to the bucket and tote, said she used other containers she found in the basement to hold parts of Shad's body. She's a backpack and a duffel bag as well. She also used several Walmart grocery bags.

Detective Graff asked her if she thought her actions were the right thing to do. She said she did it anyway. She went on to elaborate that when she loves something so much, she kills it. Taylor's initial interview was paused so she could get medical attention for the cut on her thumb as it was deep enough to require stitches. When she returned to the interview room, she was wearing a blue jumpsuit. At the end of the interview, Detective Graf told her, you do realize you are probably going to jail after this when we're done.

She responded quietly, I didn't know that. When asked if someone who takes a life and dismember someone should go to jail, she responded with, oh, fuck yeah. Back at the crime scene, investigators found his upper torso in a storage tote. Another knife and several internal organs were found in the same tote. additional organs were found in several grocery bags. The medical examiner found the crock pot box on top of a basket of laundry in the van. Inside the box, he found additional body parts, including a leg.

The forensic report concluded that the details Taylor mentioned in her confession were consistent with the evidence found during their search. Taylor was charged with homicide, mutilating a corpse, and third-degree essay. She pled not guilty by reason of insanity. After the police interview, she was taken to the Brown County Jail and held on a $2 million bond. Brown County Jail was the facility her father was serving his time at, and both of them would remain in the same prison until after Taylor's trial. On February 14, 2023, Taylor was in a Brown County Circuit Court at a hearing to discuss her trial date and mental competency.

She was represented by Attorney Quinn Jolly, who had also represented, her father during his trial. Attorney Jolly asked to move her trial date in order to give a defense expert time to review Taylor's file. Judge Thomas Walsh wasn't happy about the delay, but he agreed. Apparently, Taylor was not happy either, as she attacked her attorney repeatedly trying to elbow him in the face. She was tackled by a deputy but continued to struggle. She wrapped her foot around something on his belt. The deputy cleared the courtroom and called for backup. After wrestling her for about a minute, another deputy arrived. A few seconds later, they were joined by a third deputy. Together, they were able to untangle her foot and prop her up against the wall. Once calm, she asked what

happened. The deputy responded, you went off on your attorney, Taylor. You went crazy on your attorney. Because they bring the seven in. Yeah, let's just go to seconds. When court resumed, Taylor's attorney filed a motion to withdraw from the case. He no longer wanted to represent her, which is understandable. After a few more delays, Taylor's trial started on July 24, 2023. It was held in two parts. In the first part, jurors decided whether she was guilty. In the second part, jurors determined whether her plea of insanity was invalid. Judge Thomas Walsh presided.

During the first part of the trial, there were several disturbing moments. AJ, the friend who had been with Taylor and Shad on the night of the murder, testified about what he observed. His testimony was bizarre and disjointed. Several times he forgot what he was saying mid-sentence. When he described how they hung out and talked that night, he twice used the phrase, chopping it up. His word choice caused Taylor to smile and laugh. She tried to hide her expression behind her hand or by taking a sip of water from a styrofoam cup. But she was clearly amused.

About a minute later, he said it again. Her eyes were looking down, but she smiled. Basically, I went over to the apartments, and when, specifically, when I got there, I was we were just chilling, chopping it up, like how we always do. And basically, I was, like, Taylor was thinking, asking, like, do you want to, you want to hang out with Shad? She was asking me, like, for consent to hang out with Shad to, like, to bring him over. And I was like, yeah, that's fine. It's cool. The medical examiner's testimony was also very disturbing.

Dr. Tranchita said that Shad's body was pale and essentially bloodless, meaning all of the blood had been drained out of his body. This alone would have taken hours to accomplish. He was concerned about the blood samples he was able to retrieve from the bucket because there were other bodily fluids, such as spinal cord fluid inside of it. There also could have been blood from another person mixed in. He tested Shad's body for the presence of drugs. He found nicotine, THC, Coke, Coke metabolites, and Crystal, but he did not believe any of these substances contributed to his death. Bruising and pattern marks on the tongue indicated that Shad fought back.

He tried to get the chain off his neck by lowering his chin. Taylor was pulling with so much force, the chain slid into his mouth and bruised him. It left indentations consistent with the shape of the links on his tongue. Dr. Trancheetah said the official cause of death was strangulation, in the form of a significant amount of force applied to the neck. There were so many injuries on Shad's body, he needed multiple pages to record them all. He described the injury to the neck as a complete decapitation. He pointed out many cuts on the neck, cuts both above and below the side of decapitation.

He explained this meant it took multiple attempts in order to cut completely through the neck. There were marks that showed Taylor attempted to remove his right arm at the shoulder and also at his right elbow. but both of these attempts were unsuccessful. There were also numerous cuts and stab wounds on both arms and legs. On his right leg, all of the soft tissue on the thigh had been removed. Shad's femur bone was exposed and the right hip socket was open. From the knee down, the rest of his right leg was intact. Flaps of skin were removed from his left leg.

His left leg had been amputated from his knee down. His kneecap was found separate from the rest of his leg, which had been cut again. the ankle. His left foot had been completely removed and stuffed inside of his chest cavity. Now, doctor, does the screen show what is page four of Exhibit 79? Yes, it does. I don't think I will ask you to describe every injury that's noted on this particular diagram as we would be here a while, but could you describe generally what is depicted in this, uh, uh, diagram. Of course. This is a front and back view of the decedent's body where I'm

attempting to show the points of dismemberment as well as points of sharp-horse injury that are present. The contusions I've also included here to try to show where they are or bruises and abrasions, but for the most part I want to focus on the sharp force trauma. In particular in this case we have the head has been decapitated at the level of the lower neck. The back has been largely flayed and defleshed. In other words, the skin of the back has been removed, also the muscles of the back have been removed

so that we have exposed rib cage and spine. The torso, so extending from about the neck to the groin, has been bisected or cut in half at the level of the lumbar vertebra, or the vertebra of the lower spine. lower spine so that we have access to the inside of the torso both the pelvis and the upper aspect of the chest and abdomen we have attempted amputations at the level of the right shoulder and right elbow we have numerous cuts and stab wounds of the

extremities when we get to the abdomen and thighs, we have areas of skin removal where flaps of skin have been removed. Where we get to the right thigh, all the soft tissue has been removed, so we're down to the bone. In other words, all we have is exposed to femur for the length of the femur. When we get the lower extremities, the left lower extremity has been amputated to the level of the knee. The kneecap or patella was recovered separately.

We have another amputation from the knee to the level of the ankle, and the left foot was recovered from within the left chest cavity, placed within there. At the right lower extremity, we have, again, the femur, which has been largely defleshed, but I was able to re-approximate the pieces of muscle and pieces of skin to recreate what was there. And then we had the right knee to the right foot still intact. based on your training and experience, what kind of amount of time would be necessary

in order to create this sort of disruption to a body? Objection, speculation. Overruled. Foundation. Overruled. It is my medical opinion that this would be quite a few hours. We have decapitation, we have dismemberment, we have transsection of the torso.

Subsequently, internally, the body has been eviscerated. In other words, we have entered inside the body through various cuts, both at the abdomen and between the ribs, where the victim's organs have been removed largely one by one. We have castration of the decedent. The decedent has been castrated as well.

We have cutting or sawing through chopmark injuries of the bones. It is my medical opinion that this would have taken quite a great deal time. Taylor's trial lasted for three days and the jury deliberated for less than an hour. On July 27, 2023, they found Taylor guilty of first-degree intentional homicide, mutilation of a corpse with intent to conceal a crime, as well as third-degree essay. The next day, they heard arguments for her insanity plea.

The expert witness hired by the defense psychologist Diane Linton said she didn't think that Taylor was of sound mind. She said Taylor was psychotic and claimed that she threw a chair at her during her evaluation. Taylor also told her that she was in a relationship with Jeffrey Dahmer a year before. Dahmer was killed in prison by another inmate 29 years ago, long before Taylor was even born. Taylor's father Arturo also testified about Taylor's mental health issues. Still serving time for his child essay conviction, he appeared before the court wearing shackles in an orange prison jumpsuit. He talked about the trauma Taylor suffered from losing her mother so young.

He also told the jury that Taylor's brother passed away in a motorcycle accident, causing her additional grief. Her brother died in July of 2022, months after she was already in prison. Arturo also blamed her husband Warren for supplying her with crystal and heroin. He said she'd spent time in a psychiatric center in 2021 because she wasn't in her right minds. At the end of his testimony, he looked at Taylor and mouthed, I love you and go bears. She melt the same words back to him. Now, Taylor's brother was a Bears fan.

His love for the team was mentioned in his obituary, which was the most likely explanation for the somewhat odd phrase, that and they were from Chicago. However, the jury was not moved by any of this testimony. They unanimously rejected her insanity plea. On September 26th, the sentencing hearings started about a half an hour late. When Taylor finally entered the courtroom, she was wearing a spit hood, which is a special hood designed so she couldn't easily spit on anyone or try to bite them. Officials said she was placed in the hood due to recent behavior issues, such as spitting on the people at the jail.

Taylor's grandmother Esther Coronado testified at the hearing. She and her husband Juan Coronado are raising Taylor's two-year-old son Mateo. She said she didn't think her granddaughter was a monster. She said she knew her granddaughter had to pay for her crime, but she believed Taylor should be allowed to, come back to society someday and spend time with her son. Now surprisingly, Chad's father Michael said he forgave Taylor. He said he was going to miss Chad, but he asked Judge Walsh to give her the possibility of parole, he said, and I quote, I believe everybody makes bad choices, maybe not to this scale, but I think there is a lot of hope for you. I think you can make use of your time and be

a better person and do great things. It does no good to hate you. I know you've got a heart, got a mind, I wish you no harm, and I hope things go well for you, end quote. Shad's death was not the last tragedy to touch the Therian family. The time after his murder and before the trial, Shad's sister, Sylvia Therian, died while being held at the Milwaukee County Jail. She'd been imprisoned since February 2022 on strangulation and battery charges. The 20-year-old was found in distress in her cell in December 16th of 2022. Sylvia had a history of what her. her mother called extreme mental health issues. As part of her struggle, she often ate foreign objects. She had been to the hospital many times as a result of this behavior. On this occasion,

she'd eaten part of a diaper she had been given to wear in her cell. First responders were called and treated her, but she passed away 45 minutes later. This might have been why Michael chose to forgive Taylor. Shad's uncle Kelly was not forgiving. He said he thought there was no excuse for what she's done. care if its drugs are upbringing. We all go through hard times growing up. He said making other people suffer because you are hurting was cowardly. He said, after Judge Walsh sentences you here today, I will pray that you meet the same fate as your idealistic Jeffrey Dahmer. Now, Jeffrey Dahmer was killed by another prisoner while serving 15 life sentences. The audience in the courtroom applauded Kelly's statement. Taylor's attorney said she planned to address the court. When the judge

asked if she had anything to say, she replied, no, there isn't. Before he announced Taylor's sentence, Judge Walsh said he didn't have the words to adequately express the offense in this case. It said Taylor's actions were so foreign. They shocked the community. That, he said, is the gravity of this case. He sentenced Taylor to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Shad's family and friends left the courtroom quickly after the sentence was announced. In October of 2023, Taylor was moved to from the Brown County Jail, the Te-Chita Correctional Institution. Shad's family, especially his mother Tara, were traumatized by his murder.

In the wake of his death, Tara's cousin Michelle set up a go-fund me to help raise money to move the family out of the house he was killed in. Later, they asked for funds so Tara could take off work and attend the trial. In addition to money, the family asked for prayers for justice, closure, and healing. When his remains were released, Shad's family had him cremated. For them, it was a way to make him whole again. Understandably, they wanted to grieve in private. They didn't have a public funeral or memorial, though as likely they had some sort of private ceremony just for the family. The location of his ashes is known only to those closest to him. In the months before his death, Shad's Facebook post showed

that he was sad and struggling. Between music videos, he posted about difficult relationships and strong emotions. Even in his darkest times, though, he was still searching for beauty and purpose. Some of the entries, it almost feels like he was saying goodbye to the world. On January 15th, he wrote, When I leave this place, know that I loved every last bit, every drop of the rainstorm clouds I see, every person I touched and whoever didn't doubt me, I'm here still. Did you forget about me?

On February 16th, he reposted a short poem called Be a Good Memory to Someone. It read, Someday, all of these will be just memories. We don't know what will happen tomorrow. Every second is a gift, so cherish it and be thankful. Have great memories of today, and as long as you have the opportunity, be a good memory to someone. After everything he went through, Shad deserves to be a good memory. He deserves to be remembered in happier times wearing a ball cap glasses and a broad smile.