The Misery Machine - The Case of Mackenzie Lueck

Starting point is 00:00:03 McKenzie Speth Lewick, known as Kenzie, to her friends, was born on March 8th, 1996 to parents Gregory and Diana Lewick. Her mother remembered her daughter is a kind, loving, and caring. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot Machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. The biggest prize in Yamava's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot.

Starting point is 00:00:33 in the finale May 29. Don't pass go and own it all. Only at Yamava, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You win? Details at Yamava.com must be 21-20. Please gamble responsibly. Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. Whatever your thing, it could be anything. Canva helps you make that thing a thing. Canva is a simple online tool thing. It's a way to design with our magic AI tool things. You can social media your thing, generate images or videos of your things. thing. Make decks for presentations to show your thing. Whatever needs to be done for your thing, Canva can make it an even better and bigger thing. Canva, the thing that makes anything a thing.

Starting point is 00:01:16 I knew about investing, but I really didn't know how to go about it. Meet Corey, a Walthfront client. With Welfront, it could put money in, and it would automatically distribute it into a diversified portfolio. Then it starts to compound. The compounding compounds on the compounding. Just let it wrong, and it's great. Over 1 million clients trust Welfront. Get started. At Wealthfront.com, client was paid $1,000 for their testimonial, creating a conflict of interest. Outcomes vary. Investment management and advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisors, LLC, and SEC-registered investment advisor. Investing involves risk to principle regardless of the strategy used. Task performance does not guarantee future results.

Starting point is 00:01:46 A young woman who was a real spitfire. She had one older and two younger brothers. Kenzie was raised in El Segundo, California, located near the Manhattan Beach Pier, where she loved to ride her bike. She also had a great love for animals and kept hedgehogs, guinea pigs, and a cat before the events of today's story. She attended the local high school where she participated in swimming in water polo. According to her friend Kara Barbie, Kenzie was a well-loved member of the student body, she said. Everybody gravitated toward her. Honestly, I didn't know anyone who didn't like her.

Starting point is 00:02:20 While still in high school, Kenzie and her friends started a club based solely on breast cancer awareness. This activism was just one early example of Kenzie's appreciation for women's issues. After graduating in 2014, Kenzie first lived in Northern California for a time before going on to attend the University of Utah where she majored in Kinesiology and pre-nursing. She was due to graduate in May of 2020. She was also a member of the Alpha Chai Omega Sorority House where she met her friend and fellow sorority sister, Kennedy Stoner. Kennedy shared of Kenzie, she's like a nurturer. She's almost a mother to me.

Starting point is 00:02:54 She's one of those people who is always cooking for you. She wants to make sure you're getting fed. She wants to make sure if you need a drink, that you have a drink. During her time in the sorority, Kenzie focused on charity works surrounding DV awareness and prevention, which called back to her early activism. In one of her final Facebook posts, Kenzie celebrated the anniversary of women's suffrage. According to Friends, she also posted Free the Nips on her Instagram page, but we cannot confirm this as it's been made private.

Starting point is 00:03:26 According to Kennedy, this was to promote the idea that, women shouldn't be ashamed of their bodies. Kenzie also worked for a biological testing lab in Salt Lake City. According to Kennedy, Kenzie sometimes reduced her class loads in order to keep her job. While in college, it was reported that Kenzie had two serious relationships and had been casually dating. But once college years can also be a time for change as well

Starting point is 00:03:51 and a time to figure oneself out. Although Kenzie was raised within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was attending school in Salt Lake City, the Faith's global headquarters, she was not a practicing Mormon. In fact, Kenzie and Kennedy would enjoy wine, cocktails, and going to bars, which is something that the church is very much against. Drugs, alcohol, and even coffee or no-noes, with folks often seeking out fun-flavored soft drinks known as dirty soda

Starting point is 00:04:19 as a church-approved vice. Not hating because Swig actually looks awesome. But unfortunately, we cannot tell Kenzie. story in full without first discussing Ayula Ajaie, who was a Nigerian immigrant born on April 22nd, 1988. Then 31-year-old Ayula held a green card which allowed him to live and work within the United States. It was formerly a student at Kenzie School, the University of Utah, but he was kicked out due to problems with his visa and theft of an iPad. There he studied computer science, but never graduated due to his dismissal.

Starting point is 00:04:53 Instead, he briefly enlisted in the Army National Guard and held jobs as an IT. T-worker. According to reports, Ayula had a darker side to him. It was investigated as a suspect in an SA case out of North Logan, Utah back in 2014, but according to the police, the victim never pressed charges. He also had been married, and his ex-wife, Tanisha Jenkins, claimed that he was real aggressive when she didn't listen to his demands and alleged that he threatened to kidnap and kill her if she didn't move to Utah. The couple ended their eight-year marriage in January of 2019. When I first met him, he was a sweet person, he was a good person.

Starting point is 00:05:32 I just stopped talking to him because he, I was for my life. If I want to do what he tell me to do, he'd get real aggressive. He was like, I'll have somebody to come and kidnap you and kill you. Really what's scary. Ayula also wrote a book called Forge Identity, which was later removed from Amazon. In it, the protagonist named Ezekiel must decide if he will join the ranks of a criminal mastermind or fight to escape the tyranny that has surrounded his young life. It should be noted that in the book, two characters are killed and burned.

Starting point is 00:06:06 This will become important later in the story. On March 10th, 2018, a Yula met a woman on a dating app and invited her back to his home. After sitting down on the couch and watching some TV together, the Yula then began, and I quote, intensely kissing the victim and trying to inappropriately and forcefully touch her. When the woman attempted to flee the scene, Ayula reportedly pinned her down and bit her at least three times causing significant pain. The poor woman was bruised and littered in bite marks.

Starting point is 00:06:38 In addition, Ayula attempted to build a secret soundproof room in his home in April of 2019. According to the contractor that met with Ayula, he wanted to build the room beneath his porch to hide alcohol from his Mormon girlfriend. He asked for hooks to be installed head high on the walls, and wanted a fingerprint scanner at the door. The contractor who was understandably disturbed by this request turned down the job. A housekeeper later reported seeing surveillance cameras throughout Ayula's home, specifically in the master bedroom.

Starting point is 00:07:11 So you might be asking yourself why we're bringing up Ayula and what his connection to Kenzie's story is. Even though they both attended the University of Utah, they didn't meet at school. They met in 2018 on a website called Seeking. arrangement. The website, which is now simply called Seeking.com, is an online dating service that matches sugar daddies with sugar babies. The website offers free premium memberships to students who register using their university email addresses. If you're still unsure about what any of this is,

Starting point is 00:07:46 a sugar baby is typically a younger person in a transactional relationship, receiving financial support, gifts, or mentorship from an older, wealthier partner, aka, a sugar daddy or a sugar mommy, in exchange for companionship, intimacy, or other benefits, forming what's known as sugar dating, which exists on a spectrum from purely transactional arrangements to more emotionally complex relationships. We'll be back in just one minute. Please stick around for the following ad. It not only supports the channel, but it also supports charities in our area. This week's episode is sponsored by Raycon.

Starting point is 00:08:23 Now that the holidays are over, it is the perfect time to upgrade your gear for the year. Whether you're just getting back into a routine or want better everyday audio, I've been using Raycon's essential open earbuds and they are amazing. Regular earbuds block out everything. You can't hear someone calling your name, a car honking, anything. These Raycon ones just sit outside your ear canal so you get a really clear sound, but you can actually hear what's happening around you as well. That awareness is perfect for tackling your fitness resolution safely. They're really light and the ear hook part rotates so they actually stay in. I've worn them at the gym, on walks and doing stuff around the house. They don't fall out or get uncomfortable. Raycon has over three million customers in the

Starting point is 00:08:56 The sound quality is just as good as the way more expensive brands. They're half the price because they're not paying for celebrity endorsements and all that retail markup stuff. And if you don't like them, they have a 30-day guarantee. If you want to start 2026 off right with a comfortable fit and excellent sound quality, then the essential open earbuds have you covered. Join me in getting rid of your old crappy earbuds. Click the link in the description or go to buy raycon.com slash TMM open to get 20% off sitewide. Thanks and back to the episode.

Starting point is 00:09:22 In the early morning hours of June 17th, 2019, Henzi arrived at the Salt Lake City International Airport after returning from California after attending her grandmother's funeral. Allegedly, she agreed to meet up with the Yula after her trip. She was dropped off at Hatch Park in North Salt Lake around 3 a.m. where she told her lift driver she was meeting a friend. For reference, this is an athletic field. You thought this was your run club era.

Starting point is 00:09:49 Turns out, it was more of a thinking about run club era. The good news? Someone's marathon training is about to start. Sell your workout gear on Deepop. Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest. They get their race day fit and you get a payout for trying. Someone on Deepop wants what you've got. Start selling now.

Starting point is 00:10:12 Deepop where Taste recognizes Taste. Zootopia 2 has come home to Disney Plus. Let's go! Get ready for a new case. We're going to crack this case and prove for our decorinous partners of all time. New friends. You are. the snake. And your last name? The snake. Dream team.

Starting point is 00:10:32 Good new habitats. Zootopia has a secret reptile population. You can watch the record-breaking phenomenon at home. You're clearly working at. Zootopia, too. Now available on Disney Plus rated PG. However, Ayula had very different plans for Kenzie, and he turned off all of the surveillance cameras in his home to avoid documenting her presence there. That morning, he also purchased a gas can full of gasoline. After picking her up at Hatch Park and returning to his home in the Fair Park neighborhood, Ayula bound Kenzie's hands behind her back with zip ties and a length of rope as she screamed in protest. According to Ayula, he placed her on her stomach and strangled her with a belt until she went still.

Starting point is 00:11:18 She was just 23 years old. After murdering her, Ayula buried Kenzie's body in his backyard along with some of her possessions. Others were tossed into the nearby Jordan River. Following day, much like the victims in his self-published book, he dug up Kenzie's remains and burned them. In fact, neighbors reported that Ayula had bonfires behind his garage on June 17th and 18th that resulted in what they described as a horrible smell. He later reburied them in a shallow grave in a wooded area within Logan Canyon,

Starting point is 00:11:51 nearly 100 miles north. After no one had heard from Kenzie since her arrival back in the United States, Utah, her family quickly grew worried about her well-being. As such, her father Greg contacted the Salt Lake City Police Department to file a missing person's report. Meanwhile, Kennedy granted Fox News the following interview. We come in with this Fox News alert. The disappearance of University of Utah student McKenzie Lueck has taken a strange turn. Police now say she had a lift driver drop her off at a park around three o'clock in the morning where another car was waiting for her. Investigators are looking into the 23-year-old's dating life as well and whether she may have willingly gone off the grid.

Starting point is 00:12:34 Joining me now is one of McKinsey's best friends and a sorority sister. Kennedy Stoner is with me. Kennedy, thank you very much for talking with me. First of all, what do you make of these new details that she met somebody at Hatch Park in your area and then potentially left with that person? I honestly am just as confused as everyone else. I don't know why she would be meeting someone that late, especially at a park, just to, I don't know where she would go. I don't know anyone that lives in North Salt Lake. So I'm just as confused.

Starting point is 00:13:16 I don't understand it. You guys have been friends for a long time, about four years or so. you tell me about McKenzie in terms of her travel, her habit. She's flying in at 1.35 in the morning to Salt Lake City Airport. Great. Kenzie, she doesn't travel often, but whenever she travels, it's usually to go back home to El Segundo. But recently, since it was during such a tragic time over that last weekend with her grandma, funeral, I'm just worried and concerned about her well-being. But Kenzie is usually just a very vibrant, fun, outgoing person. She loves to just be social and she has so many friends. So we are all

Starting point is 00:14:11 very concerned for her. Kennedy, you're giving some new detail there, her grandmother's funeral. Was she, did you notice a change in her? I know this was very traumatic event for her. She was close with her grandma. She's close with all of her family. And so I had texted with her over that weekend, just letting her know that I was there for her and if there was anything that I could do.

Starting point is 00:14:41 But after that, I haven't heard. She didn't text back, but that's just because I was assuming she was getting a lot of the same messages. but she was still on social media the entire time that she was there. So I didn't have reason to worry at that time. Kennedy, police in a news conference were asking, does McKenzie have an alternate phone that she used as backup or is using? Do you know if she did?

Starting point is 00:15:10 As far as I know, I have never even heard of that before. I don't know anything about another phone. Do you know if she was using a dating app at all? I mean, as 23-year-old, she's casually dating, but I cannot confirm that she was on dating apps. All right, and I know one other thing that they're looking at was whether or not she would have had any social media accounts that maybe people weren't so necessarily aware of. As far as I know, the detectives are doing everything that they can, but I have no. comment on that as of right now. Maybe one last sweet word about your friend. I know you told me previously when we talked briefly that you really miss her. Oh, I miss her to death. I worry about her

Starting point is 00:16:02 every night. I'm still not sleeping. I woke up feeling sick today. So it's taking a very big emotional toll on me and everyone. Well, I hope all of this can work out in the best of ways. You take care of yourself as well, Kennedy. Thank you very much. Thank you. I appreciate it. A big break in this case came after private investigator and ex-police officer Robert Joseph came forward to the police.

Starting point is 00:16:32 Allegedly, he had been on a date with Kenzie three weeks earlier and she had confessed to him that she had a profile in seeking arrangement. After discovering that she was missing, he sent a screenshot of her profile, the law enforcement. Now, while reviewing Kenzie's cell phone records, detectives discovered several text messages exchange between her and Ayula in the early morning hours of June 17th. Final one being sent at 2.29 a.m. Records placed both Kenzie and Ayula at Hatch Park at 259 a.m. He was arrested on June 28th and charged with aggravated murder,

Starting point is 00:17:05 kidnapping and desecration of a body. According to reports, when police came to question Ayula about Kenzie's disappearance days later, he confessed and released the location of her makeshift grave on July 3rd. It was announced on July 5th that the charred remains, located within Logan Canyon belong to Kenzie. Her hands were still bound behind her back when they found her. Coring to Salt Lake County District Attorney Simgill, the Eulis phone records placed him in Logan Canyon on June 25th between 2.30 and 4.30 p.m. charred muscle tissue and bone were also recovered from

Starting point is 00:17:38 a Ula's backyard, along with charred fabric and other items found in a nearby alleyway and a red gas can that was located in his vehicle. At autopsy, it was discovered that Kenzie suffered a blow to the left side of her head, was missing part of her scalp, and had a two-inch hole in her skull. The blow caused hemorrhaging that ultimately killed her, not the strangulation. Or in a DA Gill, the evidence suggested that Ayula murdered Kenzie to see what it felt like to kill. On June 28th, the same day that Ayula was arrested, the Salt Lake City Police Department held a press conference to give an update on his arrest.

Starting point is 00:18:14 Thank you all for being here today. It's with heavy heart that I address you today. After an exhaustive week of investigation, we are filing charges of aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice, and desecration of a body in the homicide of McKinsey-Lewick. The man charged with these horrific and tragic crimes is the person of interest.

Starting point is 00:18:44 Iola, Odise, Achia. I will not be saying the killer's name again, but we'll go through what has transpired in the last 12 days. Next, former police chief Mike Brown shared with the reporters a bit of background on the case. On June 20, 2019, the Salt Lake City Police Department was notified of a missing person investigation for McKinsey-Lewak. Investigations confirmed that on June 6th,000. 17th, McKinsey departed a plane at the Salt Lake City Airport at approximately 2 a.m. McKinsey obtained a ride via transport services to the destination of Hatch Park, located in North Salt Lake City.

Starting point is 00:19:30 McKinsey was dropped off by the transport services at the Hatch Park where another individual met with her. McKinsey left the park with this individual at approximately 3 a.m. on June 17th. Investigations were conducted on McKenzie's phone records, social media, and other communications, which showed that all communications ceased from McKenzie at 3 a.m. on June 17th. Investigations in the McKenzie's phone showed that the communications and data ceased at the time of June 17th at approximately 3 a.m. Investigation of McKenzie's phone records show that her last communication were with, the arrested person. And when interviewed, this is what the arrested person had to say. In an interview with him, he admitted to having text conversations with McKinsey on June 16th at approximately 6 p.m. but nothing after that time. The arrested person stated that he did not

Starting point is 00:20:33 know what McKinsey looked like and denied having seen a photo or online profile of McKinsey despite having several photos of her and the profile photo. I'll never understand what. why people try to lie about this stuff when the receipts are literally just sitting on your device. It doesn't make any sense, but then again, neither does killing people. The arrested person denied any personal contact with McKinsey or meeting with her at any time. Of course he did. Investigations of both the arrested persons and McKenzie's phone records show the location of their phones to be at Hatch Park within less than a minute of each other. This was the same time as McKinsey's phone stopped receiving any further data or location services on June 17th at approximately 3 a.m.

Starting point is 00:21:21 The police obviously interviewed Kenzie's loved ones who reported that simply going no contact was completely out of character for her. In speaking with McKenzie's family, members of her family and close friends, it is highly unusual and suspect that McKinsey would not have any communications or social media. activity despite multiple attempts to contact her by them and by law enforcement. Next, Chief Brown discusses the warrant served on the suspect's home. His neighbors were more than happy to indulge the police with what they observed happening on the property. During a search warrant on the arrested person's residence and property on June 26th, the arrested person's neighbors informed detectives that they observed observed him burning something in his backyard with the use of gasoline on the dates.

Starting point is 00:22:11 of June 17th and June 18th. The search warrant resulted in the findings of a fresh dig area on his property, which is the same area that the arrested person was reported burning something. A forensic excavation of the burn area was conducted, which resulted in the finding of several charred items that were consistent with personal items of McKinsey-Lewke. Other charred material was located, which has now been a very large item, which has now been forensically, has been determined to be female human tissue.

Starting point is 00:22:46 A DNA profile of that human tissue was obtained during forensic testing by the Utah State Lab. That DNA profile was compared and is consistent with the DNA profile obtained through further forensic testing of personal items of McKenzie Lueck. With all of that horrific evidence in mind, the police were finally able to make the arrest. Please note that in this next clip, the audio does go silent for a brief moment a few times, and my guess is to protect somebody's identity. Chief Brown becomes incredibly emotional, and I don't blame him one bit. At 920 this morning, we were able to take the suspect into custody. After the arrest, I saw him of the developments in this investigation.

Starting point is 00:23:41 This is one of the most difficult phone calls I've ever made, as both Greg, and his wife Diana were devastated and heartbroken by this news. They are so thankful to the officers and staff of the police department and those across the nation that have shown compassion and tried to help in the search of McKenzie. And I would like to echo his sentiments. I am personally grateful. We will continue to look into this to determine if he acted alone or if he had help. Salt Lake City is a tight-knit-carrying-oriented community, and I hope that we can all work together to help prevent this from ever happening again.

Starting point is 00:24:38 Thank you. After the Chief left the podium, acting FBI Special Agent Bob Meacham of the Salt Lake City Field Office shared a few words with the media. Thanks to the Chief first off. Again, I'm the acting assistant special agent in charge for the FBI Salt Lake Division, the criminal branch. I'll be very brief. First and foremost, the FBI family wants to send his condolences and serious condolences to the family and friends of McKenzie. We've been assisting in this investigation and we will continue to assist in this investigation until we're done. So it's completed. Our partnerships are very local law enforcement. Here what we did with Salt Lake City. You'll see the value in it.

Starting point is 00:25:21 continue to do that with all of our local partners. It's extremely valuable to us to maintain those relationships, and it's in tragedies like this, where you see how important it is for us to come together as a community and continue to support one another. Thank you. Afterwards, DA Simgill offered condolences to Kenzie's loved ones and to commend the cooperating law enforcement agencies on their efforts in bringing her case to a close so quickly.

Starting point is 00:25:46 I just want to take a second. I won't repeat the cases that by Chief Brown that's part of her call statement I just want to take first foremost a second both at the Sal Lake County DA's office to give her sympathies and condolences to McKenzie's family her friends who kept after to get engaged and and bring this to a conclusion I also want to acknowledge some of the things that you may not know that the great effort from Chief Brown Chief Brown and I spoke about this last week personally. The effort from the law enforcement community, their effort, there's a lot of speculation out there,

Starting point is 00:26:27 they were working very hard. Our partnership with the FBI, the state crime lab, all of them coming together in a concerted effort to try to bring some answer to this very tragic and unfortunate incident. The process now goes forward. The person is moving forward in our criminal justice process. and we will let that process unfold as it goes forward. But I just want to just take a second for all the great effort and a long hours that were put in by Salt Lake City PD, all of our partners.

Starting point is 00:27:01 And also just wanted to personally thank you, Chief, because I know that you and I talked about this at length and what this is meant to do our community and to the family. So thank you. Finally, a member of the Look family took to the podium to share his thoughts with reporters. This is very important because this is something that we very rarely see in our coverage, as we discussed in the case of Alexis Schuller recently. Kenzie's uncle shared the statement on the family's behalf, discussing their need for privacy and their time of grief.

Starting point is 00:27:33 At this time, we will have a statement from the Lueck family read by McKenzie's uncle. The Lueck family would like to express their gratitude for the effort put forth by the Salt Lake City Police Department and all partnering agencies that assisted as well as all of the people that provided tips on this case they are also grateful to her community her friends and others around the nation who have supported this investigation the family will not be taking any questions and new interviews will be held inquiries should be directed to the Salt Lake City Police Department again We ask that everybody respect the privacy of McKenzie's family and friends at this time.

Starting point is 00:28:36 Media requests and statements for the family will be taken by the Salt Lake City Police Department. Thank you. The arrested person is currently on his way to be booked in the Salt Lake County Jail. We will not be releasing any further information, but there is still a considerable amount of investigative follow-up that needs to be conducted. This case will then be presented to the district attorney's office and move into the prosecution phase. We would like to close this press briefing with special thanks to all the dedicated effort that was given by the women and men of the Salt Lake City Police Department and the community. Thanks to the media for helping us get this word out. And we appreciate everybody's diligence on this.

Starting point is 00:29:29 Thank you. A Euler's trial was set for March 12th, 2020, but was later postponed to October 28th. However, on October 7th, Eula pled guilty to first-degree aggravated murder and third-degree desecration of a human body. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped charges of aggravated kidnapping and obstructing justice and removed the possibility of the death penalty. The plea also spared the Lewick family the trauma of dealing with a lengthy trial, allowing them some measure of closure and the ability to start the healing process. On October 23rd, Judge Vernice Triace sentenced to Eula to life in prison with,

Starting point is 00:30:06 out the possibility of parole plus five years for desecrating Kenzie's body. According to prosecutor Mark Mathis, this was murder for murder's sake. When given the chance to speak, Ayula told Kenzie's family, Mr. and Mrs. Lewick, I'm sorry for what I did. I deserve what I'm going to get. I know this won't bring her back. However, they did not accept his apology.

Starting point is 00:30:27 Greg fired back. I'm not sure you even have anything to look forward to in the afterlife, if you believe in that. My daughter, Mackenzie Lewick, was a sweet, amazing young lady with the world ahead of her. She was a kind, hard person that cared about others. Now, I will not have the opportunity to see her blossom in life. Her cousin, Carly Stevens, wasn't having it either. She told the Yula, through tears, this is a nightmare you can't wake up from. I will never be able to forgive what happened to her. I will never forgive the monster who took her life.

Starting point is 00:30:58 Never in my life have I felt anger the way I have the last 16 months. Never have I been so fearful for my life because I know how real evil is in this world. But Ayula's legal troubles did not end there. After hearing about Kenzie's murder, the woman that he attacked in 2018 came forward, the one we mentioned earlier that was covered in bruises and bite marks. On October 7th, he was sentenced to one to 15 years for second degree forcible essay. In addition, he was charged with 19 counts of exploitation of a minor in August of 2019 after police found numerous CSAM images of children between the ages of four and eight on Ayula's computer. He pled not guilty on October 1st, 2020,

Starting point is 00:31:37 and these charges were later dismissed, though it's unclear why the prosecution wouldn't want those charges to appear on his record as well. In addition, it seems that Eula can't stay off dating apps, even when doing life in prison. He currently has a profile on meetenimmate.com, which reads as follows. Hello, world.

Starting point is 00:31:56 Someone dear to me used to tell me, you know you are living when things are not going your way. When I was free, I usually would do anything to get alone time. I loved staying at home alone. But it was hard for me to be alone with two jobs and friends who cared about me knocking on the door and wanting to hang out. Then I was arrested. Too much alone time. All I wanted was to go out there and do everything I should have done.

Starting point is 00:32:19 I was reminded of this when at least 10 pieces of mail every day, from people who saw me online or in the news, looking to get to know me. Mail was coming in from around the USA and the world, the UK, Australia, Sweden and even South Africa, but I didn't read the mail. I was worried that opening the envelopes and reading the letters would make me even more depressed. I was in the cage and worried that people would write and ask me what I wanted to do when I got out and where I wanted to go upon release without them knowing I would never be released. I worried that just hearing their stories about the free world would be unbearable at that time in my life. Prison was new to me. Everything was overwhelming,

Starting point is 00:32:57 and I just couldn't open the letters. All the inmates thought I was crazy for not reading all the mail. They told me how lucky I was to have mail. I shouldn't have taken it for granted, how I should have written everyone back. A couple of years passed, and then one day it hit me. I hadn't received any mail in the long time. It had stopped coming, and I regretted not opening those letters. Asked myself, why do I always miss out on opportunities or appreciate things only after they are gone? Now, I fully adjusted to prison, and I had time to process my situation and my fate here.

Starting point is 00:33:27 I'm finally ready to receive mail and share my world with you, and have you share yours with me. In my world, inmates microwave eggs and blow up the microwaves. In my world, inmates get hungry and decide to chase down the goose, pluck the feathers, and try to cook it in the microwave. In my world, inmates think it's a good idea to try to escape while wearing flip-flops. My world is unique, to put it mildly. If you are interested in knowing more about me and my world now

Starting point is 00:33:53 or about the world I lived in before my arrest, I would like to hear from you. I promise to open all letters and respond to you, even though my past is in my rear view. And I don't know about you, but I'm not sensing a man who feels very remorseful about what he did in this little ad that he put out. So women, please, do not write to him and do not put money on his J-pay. On July 1st, 2019, the University of Utah held a vigil for Kenzie on the union lawn and invited all to attend. At the vigil, she was remembered as an animal lover and the first person to lend a helping hand. According to Kennedy, she had a way of making you feel special. She loved helping people and always had a smile on her face.

Starting point is 00:34:43 She always put others before herself. She later said to the crowd of mourners, Kenzie would light up with joy knowing there are so many people here to support her. In the wake of Kenzie's death, Kennedy launched a go-fund meet on behalf of, of her family. As of the date of this recording in 2025, the fundraiser managed to raise $27,430 of its $10,000 goal. Another friend named Ashley Fine highlighted that while Kenzie's story is tragic, and I quote, it is also a story. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task, unless you have a partner like Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business, from designing a website to

Starting point is 00:35:27 marketing, to selling and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need. There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz, and all birds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into, sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. A friendship in the strong bonds of women. This person took away our friend, but he will not take away our strength. We will continue to advocate for victims of violence in our community and will continue to use McKenzie's voice for good. In the future, she shared that she hopes to give a voice to victims and offer help to families through a nonprofit foundation called McKenzie's voice. Mackenzie Lewick sorority sisters who initially launched the search for her last

Starting point is 00:36:14 month have started a nonprofit to share the information they've learned and hopes that it will help other missing persons cases. When McKenzie went missing, the first thing we said is what do we do? What is there to do. Helping other families and friends figure out what to do when their loved one goes missing is the motivation behind McKenzie's voice. We learned that there's not really a handbook or manual or a toolkit for friends or family members when their friend goes missing. The non-profit organization started by the same friends who launched the initial search for McKenzie last month, wants to provide that toolkit with resources such as media lists and guidelines for statements. It's helping families with grief and trauma counseling or, you know, advocating for victims.

Starting point is 00:37:00 McKenzie's voice also wants to provide educational opportunities for young men and women about safe online dating practices. It's not the outcome that we wanted, but at least we have answers. Less than a month after McKenzie went missing, police located her body and arrested a man for her murder. Something these girls have learned is rare. We were fortunate in a way where this, her case has gotten a lot of attention. and I don't know if we would have found her or this person if it didn't. So they're paying it forward for McKenzie. She wanted to be a nurse, very service-oriented,

Starting point is 00:37:33 and that's why we really want to pursue this nonprofit because we know it's something that she would have wanted us to do. But also for themselves. It gives us an outlet to kind of help the community and use our grief towards a positive way. We'd like to leave you with a quote from Kenzie's cousin, Chloe Stevens. She shared with reporters that one of the people, of her fondest memories of her cousin were the summers they spent together in California, playing

Starting point is 00:37:59 in their grandmother's backyard pool. Chloe shared that that's where they last hugged before Kenzie returned to Utah, where she was ultimately murdered. Through tears, Chloe shared, I replayed those final moments together in my head over and over, stricken with grief that I cannot somehow keep her with us just a little bit longer. The pain of Kenzie's loss and the permanent fracture it has left in our family is indescribable. It haunts me daily that I was not able to protect her. There's no excuse for DV in any form whatsoever. This was something that Kenzie was very passionate about in life.

Starting point is 00:38:39 If you ever find yourself in that situation, please know there is help out there for you. We're going to put the contact information for the National DV hotline up on screen as well as in the pin comment and video description. Listen, online dating is really scary in the state. and age, mainly because folks are meeting through apps first rather than person, or not even telling anybody where they're going or who they're going to be with. Gone are the days of blind dates. Although meeting people through apps can make things less awkward, it can lull you

Starting point is 00:39:09 into a false sense of security. How well do you really know the person that you're talking to? We've been talking a lot about dating apps and online dating on this show. If Kenzie's story resonated with you, then please click here to check out the story of Kevin Bacon, who was murdered on Christmas Eve of 2019 by his date that he met on Grindr.

The Misery Machine - The Case of Mackenzie Lueck

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.