The Misery Machine - The Case of Amy St. Laurent

Starting point is 00:00:00 Amy St. Laurent was born on March 12, 1976 in Exeter, New Hampshire, to parents Dennis and Diane. She had two sisters, Jody and Julie. When Amy was young, her parents divorced. Her father went on to marry a woman named Kathy Tuttle, and her mother married a man named Don Jenkins. Amy was close with both of her parents. After the divorce, she lived with her dad for a little while, and then lived with her mother. In 1989, Amy moved to South Portland, Maine with her. her mother, stepfather, and sister Julie. Amy had reddish blonde hair and blue eyes. She had

Starting point is 00:00:36 considered modeling and even had professional photos taken. She was spontaneous and liked to have fun, but she wouldn't rush out and do something dangerous. She knew how to take care of herself. She also had a kind heart and didn't like to hurt anyone's feelings. While attending South Portland High School, Amy worked at Dunkin' Donuts with Jason Collias. She secretly had a crush on Jason, but he was dating one of her good friends. He would later go on to marry her friend and have a son. After graduation, Amy decided to work instead of going to college. She began a serious relationship with a man named Richard Sparrow and soon moved in with him.

Starting point is 00:01:14 They lived in several apartments in the Portland area, and eventually they moved to South Berwick to be closer to her job. Amy and Richard cared about each other, but they wanted different things in life. Richard liked things quiet. He liked to stay at home. However, Amy wanted more excitement. When the couple would go out to local bars and clubs, she would often leave Richard at the bar while she went and found someone who wanted to dance. Amy was also ambitious and wanted to focus

Starting point is 00:01:39 on her career. She and Richard talked about getting married and even got engaged, but they decided to end the relationship after about five years. They did, however, stay as close friends. After their relationship ended, Amy processed some of her heartbreak by writing in a journal. She found solace in the beauty of nature. She wrote about the birds and flowers outside in her yard. She watched the sky change with thunderstorms and clouds. She noted a rainbow after a recent storm. She wrote about wanting to have a child someday, and it made her reflect on how she might feel

Starting point is 00:02:10 if Richard had a child with someone else. As we mentioned prior, Amy had initially moved to South Berwick to be closer to her job. Amy works for Pratt and Whitney, which was an aerospace manufacturing company. Amy loved her job and was proud of being promoted off the assembly line to a job in administration. Amy was well liked by her colleagues, as well as her stepmother Kathy who worked alongside her.

Starting point is 00:02:35 Everyone who knew Amy described her as responsible and hardworking. She was optimistic and helpful. At Christmas, she dressed up as Mrs. Claus to entertain the children of her coworkers. She also served as secretary of a non-profit health and recreation club for Pratt and Whitney employees called the Aircraft Club. Amy was generous with her time and money and her personal life as well. Even though she was saving to buy a house, she used her savings to buy presents for a struggling family who couldn't afford any because she wanted their kids to have a good Christmas. When a close friend fell into a coma, she took a leave of absence from work in order to sit for hours at her bedside. Now, even though Amy was focused on her career and helping out in her community, she always made time for her family.

Starting point is 00:03:23 She talked to her sister and her mother almost every day. She adored her great grandmother Sophie, who still lived in New Hampshire. Amy traveled back there often to visit and to bring her a little treat. Whenever she left town, she made sure to arrange for someone to stop by and feed her cat Alex, whom she was crazy about. Co-workers and family members agreed she was not the kind of person who would neglect her responsibilities. If she was going to be late, she would call.

Starting point is 00:03:50 She never wanted to worry anyone. In late September of 2001, only a few words. weeks after 9-11, Amy flew to Fort Myers, Florida. She visited her old crush Jason Colias and his young son. His wife, who was also Amy's friend, had passed away and Jason was left to raise the boy in his own. It is unclear whether she was hoping for something romantic to develop or just wanted to help a friend who was going through a difficult time. During her visit, she met his next-door neighbor, Eric Rubbright. Eric was a big guy. He played rugby in college and recently suffered a severe a concussion during a car accident. He was off work while he was recovering. He liked motorcycles and offered

Starting point is 00:04:31 to take Amy for a ride to show her around Fort Myers, and he also brought her to the beach on Santa Belle Island. He really liked Amy and wanted to see her again. Now, although she had fun and appreciated the attention, Amy did not feel the same way. However, she was scared to hurt his feelings and didn't know how to tell him. Eric told her that he was making a trip to New York to visit his grandmother and asked to visit her in Maine while he was up north, and she agreed. Amy returned home and went back to work, but as the date for Eric's visit approach, she told her mother she thought Eric might want a relationship and she was not interested. She also expressed her concerns about Eric to her ex, Richard. She admitted to her neighbor, Ruth McElaney, that she was worried she would not be able to handle him.

Starting point is 00:05:15 She wrote in her journal, and he's pretty aggressive. Have to keep on my toes when he's around. Keep the defenses up. Although she probably didn't know it, she had some. some reason to be worried. Eric didn't have much of a criminal history, just a few minor drug charges. However, one of his previous girlfriends had filed for a restraining order against him after a domestic incident, and that girlfriend's name had been Amy too. Eric arrived in Portland on Thursday, October 18, 2001. To keep her defenses up and to set a clear boundary, Amy set up the guest room for him. She gave him an extra key to the apartment so he could come and go while she was at work.

Starting point is 00:05:55 She invited Richard over Friday evening. That night, the three of them hung out at Amy's apartment and had a few drinks. Even though their relationship was over and they were only friends, Richard was reportedly jealous of other men who liked Amy. He drank a little too much and ended up staying the night. He slept on Amy's couch. That evening, Amy's neighbor Ruth had a run-in with Eric. As Ruth pulled her car into their shared driveway,

Starting point is 00:06:22 Eric was leaving in his rental car. He seemed angry. He accelerated so quickly that the tires squealed. Amy was outside watching. She told Ruth that Eric thought they were going to sleep together. When Amy refused, he got angry and stormed off. The next day was Saturday. Amy dressed in jeans and her favorite Pratt and Whitney sweatshirt.

Starting point is 00:06:43 She pulled her hair back in a scrunchy. Eric and Amy took a short road trip to Boston roughly 80 miles away. Eric drove the car he had rented. They spent the day at the Museum of Fine Arts and had dinner in Boston. On the way back to Maine, they decided to go out drinking. Between 10 and 10.30 Saturday night, she called her mom. Amy and Eric were headed to the Old Port section of Portland. She invited her mother to join them, but her mother declined.

Starting point is 00:07:09 For those outside of Maine, the Old Port is a neighborhood known for its cobblestone streets, 19th century brick buildings, and fishing piers. It's also known as a nightlife hot spot that was a bit rowdy in the 90s and early odds. Now, as of the date of this recording in 2023, much of downtown Portland has become gentrified. Many of the establishments in our story have since closed down, and many of the residents have been priced out. Portland, as it is today,

Starting point is 00:07:37 wouldn't have been the same Portland that Amy and Eric visited in 2001. They don't even have a Denny's anymore, so there's no post-bar-crawl breakfast in the early morning hours. Upon arriving in Portland, the two left Eric's rental car in a parking garage. Amy took her ID and some money, but in the car she left her purse, coat, back. backpack and the keys to her apartment. Their first stop was four-place sports bar and pool hall located on 4th Street. Amy struck up a game with a few other bar patrons while Eric looked on.

Starting point is 00:08:06 Eric wasn't a pool player, so he had a beer at the bar instead. Amy was soon joined by a young man with heavily jelt hair and his friend who was described by witnesses as chubby. Eric thought he played like a shark. He chatted with Amy and after the game he gave her his phone number. Though he had turned 21 less than a year earlier, Jeffrey Gorman, nicknamed Russ, was well known in the bars and nightclubs of the Old Port. He worked part-time as a card detailer and part-time as a bouncer at the now defunct Aguana Lounge on Wharf Street in Portland. His chubby friend was one of his current roommates, Cush Sharma. Russ moved to the area in 2000 and first lived with his mother in Scarborough. Recently he had been couch surfing. For two weeks,

Starting point is 00:08:44 he had been living with Cush and several other roommates at a place on Brighton Avenue, but he was not paying rent there. It should be noted that moving forward, there are going to be a lot of different people involved in the story connected to Russ, but we'll try to keep it as clear as possible for you so it's less confusing. Now, Russ shared the Brighton Avenue apartment with a total of four other roommates, which included a couple. A few weeks earlier, he had been living with Matt Despins, another bouncer at the iguana lounge. Matt was friends with Russ and his roommate. Matt also knew Amy's sister, Julie, more than likely through the Portland nightlife scene. When Amy finished playing pool, she and Eric left the pool hall to find something to eat.

Starting point is 00:09:25 They bought two slices of pizza at a nearby pizza shop. After eating, they went to the pavilion, a dance club located in a former bank building on Middle Street. Similar to her ex-boyfriend Richard, Eric didn't dance. Amy told him the same thing she always told Richard, that she was going to find someone who would, and headed to the dance floor. Russ and his friends soon showed up at the club. Amy danced and chatted with them. Eric leaned against the wall and drank his beer.

Starting point is 00:09:52 He watched Amy with her new friends. According to Eric, this was the last time he saw Amy. Just after the last call for drinks, between 1245 and 1 in the morning on Sunday, Eric went to the men's room. Due to the line being long, he didn't get back for a little while. He returned, he couldn't find Amy or her new friends. He checked inside the club and went outside. The bars in the old port had a policy of dispersing the crowds outside to prevent trouble,

Starting point is 00:10:18 and the bars closed at 1 a.m. in Maine. Eric stood by the door until he was asked to leave by staff at 120 a.m. Eric assumed Amy had left with the two men. He went back to the parking garage and got his car. He drove around the block once looking for her. Frustrated and likely annoyed, he decided he had no choice but to let Amy find her own way home 40 miles away. Eric stopped for gas in South Portland.

Starting point is 00:10:46 Unfamiliar with the area, he used his compass and kept heading south until he reached the turnpike at Wells. Now remember, this is a time before GPS was widely used for driving. When he went to pay the toll, he realized he only had 15 cents on him. He begged the woman collecting tolls to let him take the road since he was from out of town, and it was the only route he was familiar with. She let him. He drove back to Amy's apartment without any other incidents.

Starting point is 00:11:11 Russ Gorman had a slightly different recollection of the events that transpired that evening. According to Russ, he hadn't been dancing with Amy at the club. He didn't see her until almost closing time. He said Amy approached him around 1245 a.m. She got his attention by walking up behind him and pinching the side of his stomach. She told him she couldn't find her friend Eric, so he invited her to an after party at the Brighton Avenue apartment where he was staying. Amy had not yet met his roommate Jason Cook, but Russ told her that it was his birthday. He said they were having a party back at their apartment to celebrate.

Starting point is 00:11:49 Although it was closed, they stopped by the iguana lounge before heading home. Matt was on duty as a bouncer that evening. Although he was annoyed by their late arrival, he let them in anyway. According to state liquor laws, no one was supposed to come into the bar after 1 a.m. Matt could have gotten in trouble if the wrong person noticed. Inside, Cush and Amy both used the restroom while Russ went upstairs to talk to Jason. After he came back downstairs, the trio headed off to the Brighton Avenue apartment. After they left, Matt invited Jason out for breakfast.

Starting point is 00:12:23 Jason declined. He said he didn't feel well and wanted to go home. A strange statement from someone who was having a birthday party. Leaving the club with two men she just met was completely out of character for Amy. But as we'll find out later in our story, this more than likely wasn't on her own accord. The trio hopped into Russ's red Pontiac Grandam. Despite working part-time as a car detailer, his car was always a pig sty. According to his friend Matt, he kept it dirty and full of trash.

Starting point is 00:12:57 Russ himself called it a piece of junk and said it was a waste of his time to clean it. This is an important tidbit, so remember this for later in our story. A few minutes later, they arrived at the apartment. There was no party. Russ and Cush had a drink. they claimed to not remember if Amy had anything to drink. Jason Cook had a dog at the apartment and Amy went outside to walk the dog with Cush who smoked a cigarette.

Starting point is 00:13:22 When Amy came back in, she asked Russ to take her back to the pavilion so she could look for Eric. If she didn't find him, she said she was going to call her mom. Jason said he got off a work sometime around 1.45 that morning and he was home before two. Russ and Amy were headed out when he got home. Russ introduced him to Amy and she said happy birthday as they were leaving. Russ claimed he drove her back to the old port. He said he dropped her off at the entrance of the pavilion at about 2 a.m.

Starting point is 00:13:51 He didn't even put the car in park, just slowed down enough for Amy to hop out. He claimed the last time he saw Amy, she was walking towards the bar's entrance. The whole trip, including dropping her off, took about 20 minutes. Once he was home, no later than 210, he stayed in for the rest of the night. Back at Amy's apartment, Eric had hoped to find Amy, but there was still no sight of her. He checked her phone and her cell phone for messages, but there were none. Without her there, he felt uncomfortable staying in her space. He said he spent the night in his car.

Starting point is 00:14:24 When Eric woke up Sunday morning, he used the key Amy gave him to enter her apartment. She still was not there, so he took a shower. He left her purse and backpack in her apartment. After leaving her coat on her car and her key on her car's tire, he wrote a note thanking her for the visit. The note read, in part, where the F did you go? He then headed back to Portland to enjoy the last two days of his vacation. Amy's mother and sister thought it was unusual they didn't hear from her on Sunday. But when she didn't show up for work Monday, they knew something was very wrong. She had not asked anyone to feed her cat,

Starting point is 00:15:00 and she also had a big presentation due on Tuesday and needed to prepare for it. She would not have missed work without a very good reason. If she had to miss one, she had to miss her, work, she would have let somebody know. Nobody who worked with her at Pratt and Whitney had ever heard from her. On Monday, Ruth found Amy's coat on the ground beside her car, rumpled and dirty like he'd been on the ground for a while. Ruth asked their landlady to let her into Amy's apartment. Amy's backpack was there, but Amy was not. Concerned, she called the South Berwick Police. She made sure to tell them about Amy's visitor Eric and how angry he had been. Amy's family also made a report to the South Burwick Police. Her family was so concerned they started to look

Starting point is 00:15:42 for Amy on their own. They distributed missing persons flyers with Amy's picture and description. The headline on the flyer read, missing since Saturday night, 1020, 2001. Anyone with information was instructed to call Amy's stepfather's phone number. Her family posted them all over the city. Around 7.30 p.m. Monday night, a good Samaritan acquainted with the St. Laurent family contacted Portland Police Detective Daniel Young at his home. Detective Young had his own 25-year-old daughter named Amy. When the caller advised the officer that something was wrong, he believed them. He and his supervisor convinced Lieutenant Joseph Loughlin of the Portland Police Department to open a missing person's case. Using the OnStar system in Eric's rental car, Detective Young located it parked in downtown

Starting point is 00:16:30 Portland. When Eric arrived back at the car, he told the waiting police he had seen the flyer and agreed to an interview. Eric told them his account of what happened at the pavilion. He also told them about the evening with Amy's ex-boyfriend Richard. The police found some of his statements concerning. They wondered if it was a guilty conscience that made him sleep in his car. They thought some of his details were a little too specific and odd, like not having toll money. Remember this was 2001. All the details about leaving Amy's belongings around her apartment and her car might have sounded like they were made up. While Detective Young was conducting Eric's interview, Amy's stepfather called. He'd gotten another tip. Three young men had seen a copy of Amy's flyer at Digger's Bar and

Starting point is 00:17:17 recognized her as the young woman they met Saturday night. Russ, Cush, and Jason were the three young men. When Jason recognized her, he urged Russ to call. Russ spoke with Amy's stepfather, who told him to contact the Portland police. The three then flagged down a Portland police sergeant who gave them a ride to the station. The officer split the trio up and began interviewing them as well. Russ and Cush told very similar stories.

Starting point is 00:17:43 They mentioned visiting Foreplay, the pavilion, the iguana lounge, and then the party back at their apartment that never materialized. Russ said Jason was sending an email to his grandmother when Russ got home. He also said he asked Jason if he could make a phone call. Jason told officers these same two details. All three young men mentioned two other roommates who had been home for part of the night,

Starting point is 00:18:05 Dave Grazier and his fiancé Don Shimrick. Given the timeline, police wondered if Amy and Eric reconnected after Russ dropped her off. By the time the interviews were finished, it was the early hours of Tuesday morning. Before detectives left to get a few hours of sleep, they shared Amy's picture and details with the National Crime Information Center. There were three men squarely on Detective Young's radar. Richard, who, for all Detective Young knew, was a jealous ex-boyfriend, Eric, who gave the police a very complicated story that was difficult to immediately substantiate.

Starting point is 00:18:41 Finally, Russ, who was the last person who claimed to see Amy alive. Once the sun had come up, the police held a press conference with Amy's family where they officially declared Amy missing. her family had a request for anyone who had seen her on Saturday night. Please come forward and share their information with the police. On Thursday, the department held another press conference. Amy's family offered a reward of $35,000 for any information leading to her safe return. The police chief said that circumstances indicated she just didn't voluntarily walk away from her life. On Friday, her family and friends joined members of the community.

Starting point is 00:19:22 at a vigil in Portland's Monument Square. They prayed for Amy to come home. Back at the station, the investigation continued. Having heard that Richard was jealous of any new men in Amy's life, the police wanted to talk with him. He had been out with friends the night Amy went missing, but he had gone home early. His friends who were the parents of a young child

Starting point is 00:19:43 wanted to get home by bedtime, so Richard drove back to the apartment he shared in Newmarket, New Hampshire. Police talked to both his roommates, And based on the information gathered, detectives felt confident in Richard's alibi and eliminated him as a suspect. Officers interviewed Eric and Russ once more. They asked them both to take a polygraph test. Eric did not want to, but he eventually agreed. Eric also agreed to extend his trip so he could be around for further questioning.

Starting point is 00:20:11 Although he initially did not want to, he allowed police to collect blood and hair samples to test for DNA. He had to return his rental car and the rental agency handed it over the. the police. They towed it to the station and examined it for forensic evidence, but nothing incriminating was found. As the investigation progressed, police uncovered new information. Though his story seemed quite suspicious at first, police were able to verify many of the details Eric had mentioned. Amy's neighbor saw Eric's car parked outside where he said he had been on Sunday. The neighbor also found Amy's coat lying on the ground near where Eric said that he had left it. Police also recovered the note that Eric had left on her door.

Starting point is 00:20:55 Eric gave them his receipt from the gas station in South Portland. It had a location in a timestamp of Sunday, October 22nd, 2001 at 136 a.m. Police obtained video footage of Eric entering the store. He went inside, paid for his gas, and bought food in a soda. The timeline matched the story he had told. They also were able to locate the female toll taker. She remembered the heavyset man who served. searched his car and only found 15 cents. She remembered he asked her to let him take the road

Starting point is 00:21:26 because it was the only way that he knew. He'd arrived just as she was having her nightly snack, which she did always around 2 a.m. She was certain of that time. Detectives timed the drive from the pavilion to the gas station and then to the turnpike. There wasn't enough time for Eric to head back to the pavilion and meet up with Amy. Still, they checked the woods, parking lots, and roadsides. Any place along his route where he could have left Amy's Unlike Eric, Russ was not cooperative. When police asked Russ to take a polygraph, he refused and said he wanted to consult with a lawyer first. Now, let's be clear, he was well within his rights to refuse a polygraph and seek counsel.

Starting point is 00:22:05 But the opinion of the police was that this was a big red flag. In their mind, he had come involuntarily to help and was free to leave at any time, but now he was threatening to lawyer up. Since it was the last place Amy had been seen, they asked if they could search Russ's car. Russ's car. He said he was too busy. He also refused to submit any hair or blood samples. The more police investigated Russ, the more suspicious they became of him. Now, Russ did have a criminal history. He had been convicted of theft and was currently on probation for that charge. He had not mentioned that to the police. This probation was violated by not letting his parole officer know that he had changed addresses. He violated again when he didn't tell his parole officer.

Starting point is 00:22:50 officer that he had been interviewed by authorities. Russ had a juvenile conviction that was sealed, but it was known that he had been using drugs since he was 12 years old and had gotten in trouble for it several times. He also had not been paying child support for his two children. Russ's roommates Kush and Jason had told stories that matched Russ's, but detectives wanted to talk to the other roommates, Dave and Don. Don was at work at the Aguana Lounge and saw Amy come in after clothes around 1A, Dave was home taking a shower when his roommates brought Amy home, but he saw her before they left at around 1.30 a.m.

Starting point is 00:23:29 He and Don went out for breakfast and didn't get home till little after 3 a.m. Neither of them saw any sign of Russ in the living area, although they didn't go outside to the porch where Russ sometimes smoked. Dave was tired and went to bed. Don stayed up chatting with Jason and Cush for about 20 minutes. Russ never joined them. Dave got up for a few hours later and went downstairs to use the bathroom. He found Russ in the bathroom washing up. He was still fully dressed and Dave got the impression he had just gotten home. It didn't look like he slept at all and it was almost 5 a.m.

Starting point is 00:24:02 A day or two after Amy disappeared, Russ gave Matt Despins a ride in his grandam. Remember when we said that Matt thought Russ's car was a dump before? Well, Matt was amazed at the transformation, so amazed that he caught. called the police to report this to them as suspicious. The car was perfectly clean. The radio knobs were shiny. The dashboard was free of dust and grime, and the seats were so clean, Matt said they were slippery.

Starting point is 00:24:31 Concerned, police check Matt's story, and it was true. After the police asked to look at his car, Russ took it to the car dealership where his mother's boyfriend worked about 15 minutes before closing time. He thoroughly cleaned his car. He then told several stories to explain. this unusual action. He told one person that he had a date coming up, told someone else that a friend was borrowing the car the next day. He also told two different people at the dealership that he may be

Starting point is 00:25:00 implicated in Amy's disappearance, but he claimed he had nothing to do with it. He told one person, and I quote, they're not going to find her body. They don't have any evidence. People who knew Russ kept revealing worrying details about him. He was friends with a part-time police officer named Ryan. Now, Ryan had reported his 9mm handgun to be stolen the weekend prior to Amy's disappearance and thought Russ might have taken it. Another witness said they recently saw Russ with a gun. Still, another said he told her he always carried a gun. The day after Amy disappeared, Russ told his ex-girlfriend that her disappearance was just a weird coincidence. In a second phone call, he told her a new story. In this version, his friends took Amy and left the

Starting point is 00:25:46 apartment. When they returned three hours later, she was not with them, and their hands were bloody. He told her his friends forced him to lie to the police. However, the police discovered they had already had the most damning bit of evidence in a law enforcement database. They ran the plates of Russ's car to see if he had gotten any recent tickets. At 3.14 a.m. on Sunday morning, an officer with the Westbrook Police Department pulled Russ over for driving with his high beams on. Russ was alone in the car. The traffic stop lasted until 3.22 a.m. After the stop, the officer saw him back on the road still heading toward Portland. He had lied to the officers about where he was that night. Cush and Jason were lying too. In order to move forward with a case, they needed to find Amy. The Portland

Starting point is 00:26:35 police even reached out to psychics for help. With no established crime scene, she could be anywhere, so officers had to search everywhere. Agencies from around the state, helped search. The National Guard used their helicopters. Railroad officers searched along the train tracks. The Coast Guard searched Casco Bay, checking the docks, piers, and beaches. Other officers searched through abandoned buildings, wooded areas, cemeteries, and parks. They looked in industrial parks, dumpsters, and junkyards. They brought in dogs. They used grids. Many officers even searched on their time off. They searched the woods near Amy's house and secluded areas along the Turnpike. For 50, five days. They searched any place big enough to hold the body. In early December, the Portland

Starting point is 00:27:23 Police Department, the main state police and the main warden service banded together to plan a massive search. In the days leading up to it, Russ fled the Portland area for Alabama. On December 8th, 2001, they began searching. It was cold and snow was expected. By mid-afternoon, nothing had been found. One of the many places searched was an old tote road near Russ's mother's home located at 68 County Road in Scarborough, Maine. It was near a pond where Russ was known to have gone fishing. A searcher with a keen eye noticed a live tree branch partly buried in the ground. When he looked closer, he saw the grass had been disturbed.

Starting point is 00:28:05 A cadaver dog indicated that it smelled human remains. Detective Daniel Young came over with a trowel. He was the detective who had taken the detective who had taken the... the phone call at home so many days ago. He was the one who believed Amy's family and pushed to start an investigation. Detective Young dug into the cold earth with a trowel. At the depth of about 20 inches, he found the remnants of the gray sweatshirt Amy had been wearing. The medical examiner with a forensic anthropologist were summoned to the scene. Bright lights were set up so the experts could carefully unearth her body. Though it wasn't official until the medical examiner,

Starting point is 00:28:43 could do a comparison to dental records, they knew that they had found Amy. As her body was being taken away from the scene, snow began to fall. After Amy's body was found, Russ made a final phone call to his ex-girlfriend. He told her his friends had asked for a place to hide Amy's body. He said he suggested the spot near his mother's house where he used to go fishing. A friend of Russ's mother told police that Russ had confessed to his mother. Russ's mother named Tammy Westbrook was subpoenaed by the grand jury and compelled to testify under oath. She detailed a 22-minute phone conversation she had with Russ in December 9, 2001 while he was in Alabama.

Starting point is 00:29:27 During her testimony, she said she remembered their conversation almost word for word. First, Russ told his mother a story similar to the one he had told an ex-girlfriend. His friends had killed Amy. This version, they did not ask him to suggest a place to bury her. Instead, they buried her near his mother's house in order to make him look guilty. In the same phone call, he told her that he had shot Amy in the head and buried her at the pond. Amy had been shot in the head. There was only one problem.

Starting point is 00:29:58 Police had been withholding Amy's cause of death. Only the killer would have known about the gunshot to the head. Some publications give differing accounts of Russ's confession. But according to the official court affidavit, Tammy told the court that Russie told the court that Russ said he had taken four hits of acid that night, and that while he and Amy were walking by the pond, he had seen his mother's face instead of Amy's. He said when he pulled the trigger, he wanted to kill his mother. He also told her he had left Amy's body in the woods for three days. When he returned to bury her body, he used a shovel he borrowed from her house. Tammy

Starting point is 00:30:37 She said she always wanted to tell the truth. She just never wanted to talk. Twice while testifying, she said she would never forget what Russ said to her. She knew her son had done a terrible thing, but she didn't want her testimony to convict him. She said, and I quote, I just wanted the justice system to do their job and let justice be served and leave me out of it, because I certainly don't want to testify at any trial. While his mother was testifying to the grand jury, Russ was still on the run. Maine police told officers in Florida and Alabama to be on the lookout for Russ. They figured he would run to one of the places he had previously lived and he wasn't hard to find.

Starting point is 00:31:21 On December 11th, he pointed a handgun at a man outside a Troy Alabama establishment and screamed, What are you looking at? After that incident, police got a tip that he had been staying with relatives in the area. They went to a home off Louverne Highway to apprehend him. Russ brandished two handguns and threatened to self-cancel. After a four-hour standoff, he was taken into custody. Two days later, he was returned to Maine and placed in their custody. Russ's trial began on January 13, 2003.

Starting point is 00:31:54 That day, his mother filed a motion to exclude her grand jury testimony, claiming she didn't remember the phone call with Russ whatsoever. She also claimed she had no memory of what she said in court. She remembered everything that happened the day before the phone call. She remembered conversations she had with Russ during the two days after the phone call. She claimed to remember nothing about her son telling her he shot Amy. She said she had a history of delusional behavior and was suffering paranoia and psychosis on the day of the call. She said she was overmedicated and been taking several psychiatric medications at the time.

Starting point is 00:32:30 She also claimed that she and Russ had a history of saying untrue and hurt. things to each other. However, the judge allowed prosecutors to play a recording of her grand jury testimony during the trial. It was a compelling piece of circumstantial evidence. There wasn't much physical evidence, but the medical examiner's testimony was disturbing. Amy had been beaten and shot. Her body had been found naked from the waist down. Her underwear were twisted around her ankles. The drug GHB, known for incapacitating women so men can take advantage of them, was found in her blood. This is more than likely why Amy left the club with Russ and Kush when it would have been out of character for her to do so. The state of her body indicated

Starting point is 00:33:16 it had been left exposed in the woods for at least 12 to 24 hours before it was buried. Perhaps because of this exposure, no DNA, fluids, or other evidence was found. After a five-day trial, the jury found Russ guilty of intentionally or knowingly causing Amy's death. Justice Nancy Mills sentenced Jeffrey Russ Gorman to 60 years in prison, but with time served and other factors such as good behavior, he'll be eligible for release in 51 years. She said he was dangerous and defiant and showed no remorse for any of his actions. As of the date of this recording in 2003, Russ is being held at the main state prison in Warren. His earliest possible release date is December 10, 2054.

Starting point is 00:34:01 Prosecutors had asked for a life sentence, but Justice Mills disagreed. They had argued that Rush shot Amy to cover up the crime of SA, and Justice Mills said there wasn't enough evidence, specifically fluids and DNA evidence, to prove an assault had occurred. The eyes of the judge, without a cover-up, the murder was not premeditated. Without premeditation, the maximum sentence did not apply under the laws of the state of Maine. Amy's family did not agree, and we don't agree either. As we showed in our episode on the Albert Flick case, and we'll be mentioning a couple of cases coming up on this channel, our home state of Maine can be far too lenient when it comes to murder.

Starting point is 00:34:43 Russ appealed his conviction calling the inclusion of his mother's grand jury testimony to be illegal. He lost his appeal. After her death, Amy's family was understandably upset. Her mother, Diane, said, sometimes I'm angry. I think I'm more angry that there's been so many things we've all been really. robbed of, things we had planned, that she and her sister had planned, that aren't going to happen. At the sentencing hearing, Amy's father told Russ he was a damned man. He looked at Russ and told him to burn in hell. He said if Russ ever got out of prison that he was going to send him to hell.

Starting point is 00:35:19 He also asked the judge to impose the death penalty, which is a symbolic request as it is outlawed in Maine. Amy's sister Julie was angry and disgusted. She said Russ harassed her during the trial, repeatedly leering at her and winking. She said, Amy doesn't get a second chance, and I don't think you should either. Amy's mother, Diane said, do not dare say you are sorry to me, because I don't believe you understand the meaning of the word. Diane hugged a large photograph of Amy. She turned so that the entire court could see Amy's face trapped inside the frame. She said, this is my daughter, and this is now how I get to hold my daughter. A memorial service for Amy was held on December 16, 2001.

Starting point is 00:36:05 A framed picture of her sat in the front of the room surrounded by evergreens, pink roses, and 25 white candles for her 25 years of life. The small chapel was full and overflowing. Friends, family, and many people from her community attended. Her family tried to focus on the positive. Her father, Dennis, asked people to keep her memory alive by sharing stories about her. Her mother Diane said, she would much rather we celebrate her life than dwell on how it ended. To get beyond the anger and indignance, Amy's mother wanted to do something meaningful.

Starting point is 00:36:43 She wanted to protect other daughters and other mothers. She launched the Amy St. Laurent Foundation to help other women avoid Amy's fate. She spoke at high schools and other places about the importance of personal safety. In 2001, it was probably not possible. or even socially acceptable to stand up in the middle of the pavilion dance club and announce, I am nervous about the man I came here with, and he has my keys and cell phone back in his car. On the Foundation's website, Diane made the following plea to all women. When we lost Amy, it was by the hands of another and was brutal, cruel, and senseless.

Starting point is 00:37:24 If you are a woman and have loved ones important to you, please for your sake and theirs learn how to protect yourself. Diane worked with the Portland police officers to hold self-defense courses developed specifically to teach women how to handle dangerous situations and violent attackers. Lieutenant Joseph Lachlan, who searched for Amy's body, became the director of the program. He served as director for over 20 years. Over those years, the courses empowered thousands of women, teens, and children. When Amy's father passed away in 2014, he asked for donations to be made in his name. name to her foundation. Her mother considers the courses that the foundation teaches to be Amy's legacy.

Starting point is 00:38:07 She said, when you are young, you don't think anything bad can happen to you. That we lost Amy and how we lost her. I don't want people to lose sight that it happened in Portland. I just want people to remember. It happened to Amy. It could happen to anyone. A memorial bench engraved with Amy's name was placed in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, near the iconic Portland headlight. Beneath her name, it says, in light on angel wings. The bench faces the ocean. Beyond the rocky shore, the Rams Island Ledge Lighthouse emerges from the blue water in the distance. One of Amy's favorite songs was named Dante's Prayer by Lorena McKinnett. The chorus is simple, but was full of meaning to Amy and seems symbolic to the bench's placement. One can imagine Amy sitting on her bench

Starting point is 00:38:55 watching the waves and listening to Lorena's single lyrics. Cast your eyes on the ocean. Cast your soul to the sea. When the dark of the night seems endless, please remember me.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Amy St. Laurent

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