Unseen - The 2000 San Diego Bank Heist | The Disturbing Case of Michelle Renee | UNSEEN

Episode Date: October 26, 2023

“Rob the bank, or she blows up” November 20th 2000, 7 year old Breea Renee notices something strange: “mom, there’s someone outside the window”. A day later, 3 masked men break into her house and hold them at gunpoint before strapping Breea with dynamite. Michelle is given an unimaginable mission: rob the bank, or your daughter will be blown up - she sets off to Bank of America for the dangerous heist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My daughter took off this way and they put the gun right here in her face right up her nose and said, don't make us fucking use this. This footage was captured by the FBI. On an undisclosed date around 2001, agents are following 35-year-old single mother, Michelle Renee, inside her home, as she describes the terrifying events that took place there a few weeks earlier, when she and her seven-year-old daughter Brea were taken hostage by a group of armed men. I heard my daughter say, are you going to kill my mommy? Are you going to kill me?

And they said, no, not if your mommy does everything that we tell her to do. And they sat me right here and said, now we're going to take your daughter. And then we have a clear with you. So we need to put the dynamite on you now. Helded at gunpoint, Michelle Renee couldn't do anything as Brea was getting rigged with explosives right in front of her eyes. You could tell she was just in absolute shock and terror and shaking. But locked in a life or death situation, her attackers gave her only one chance to save her kidnapped daughter.

They said, you're going to rob the bank for us, or we will kill you, and your daughter will be first. Be brave, mommy. That was the last thing she said. In the beautiful city of Vista California, Michelle Renee and her daughter, Brea, are living a cozy life in their isolated home. I lived in my dream house pretty much. It was up on top of a hill, it was overlooking the ocean. But on November 20th of 2000, something strange. happened to Brea. In the middle of the night, she woke her mother up in a panic.

She said, Mom, I saw somebody's eyes looking through my bedroom window. I saw people outside. She was scared out of her mind. I looked out there. I didn't see anything. I didn't see anybody. So I just brushed it off. Overnight, Michelle convinced herself that Brea, who was only seven years old at the time, must have been dreaming. I felt very, very safe. I felt like we were far away from everything. Little did she know, her daughter was right. Not only was there a man in front of her window that night, Christopher Butler has been stalking Michelle

and her daughter for almost a year with the help of his accomplices, Robert Ortiz, Michael Huggins, and Lisa Ramirez. Worried that Michelle might become suspicious after Brea spotted him near the window, Butler decided to execute his plan the following day. On November 21st, around 8 p.m., they forcefully entered the residence by knocking down the back door. And we just heard this huge sound, just the biggest, no way. from behind us and we I turned to look and just saw three people just rushing in running in the door when they had their guns and they were all in black. Moving around the house in a highly organized manner, Butler and his partners

quickly intercepted Michelle. Brea attempted to flee but was caught by another man who was waiting around the corner past the living room. As the chaos unfolded around her, Michelle started panicking. The thought of her daughter being in harm's way terrified her to her core. I was screaming and crying. I thought for sure we were going to be raped. Probably murdered. I didn't know. Butler, who was right next to Michelle, started shooting orders to the others.

Huggins, the biggest of the three, dropped Brea to the ground and moved toward the front door, while Ortiz took his place. On his radio, Butler seemed to be giving out orders to other people outside of the house. They were in constant contact with six people outside of the house on walkie-talkie. saying money one to money two, money two to money three. And I hear duct tape unraveling that sound of duct tape, but I'll never forget. Before finally revealing his intentions,

Butler explains to Michelle that the bad dream Brea had the night before, wasn't just a nightmare. They said that they had followed me to my daughter's school and that they had been watching me in my house and my job. Shocked by this revelation, Michelle implored Butler to allow her to see Brea. She was relieved when he stood back and started lifting her up, but was devastated when she witnessed the state of her daughter.

They let me turn around and see my daughter laying face down on the floor, right here by the door, with her hands tied and her feet tied, right there on the ground. Appealed by her mother's tears, Brea tried to plead with the men. At only seven years old, the child was as concerned for her, own safety as she was for her distressed mother. I heard my daughter say, are you going to kill my mommy?

Are you going to kill me? And they said, no, not if your mommy does everything that we tell her to do. They said, you're going to rob the bank for us, or we will kill you. And your daughter will be first. Around that time, late in the evening, headlights appeared in front of the house's driveway. Michelle knew this was the car of her friend, Kimbra Oliver, who lived with her and Brea at the time. But Butler wasn't lying when he said he knew every

about Michelle's life. On his CB, he received a call from money too, warning him that Kimbra was approaching. This is why he positioned Huggins by the main entrance earlier. When Kimbra passed the door, the massive man immediately knocked her down and tied her with duct tape. Afterward, many hours passed while the burglars made themselves at home, eating Michelle's food and trashing around her house, until Butler declared he wanted Michelle to get prepared. While doing so, made sure his request was as uncomfortable as possible. They were really vulgar. They were really sexually explicit in their language.

He says, take a shower, and my daughter doesn't want to leave me. Forced into the shower under duress, Michelle and Brea did as they were told. Just looking at my girl and wiping her face, and he tapped the gun on the door and said, time to go. Once out of the shower, Huggins came into the bathroom with a large duffel bag. He dropped it on the floor before leaving the room with Brea. Butler started pulling firearms, bladed weapons, and ammunition out of the bag, until he reached a red object, covered in electrical tape and colorful wires. There were no mistakes to be made, and the center of the apparatus were two, clearly discernible, sticks of dynamite.

The ringleader said, we're going to put these on your body, we're going to put these on your daughter's body, and showed us a detonation device, and said, if you do not do every single thing, we tell you to do, you will disintegrate. Butler forced Michelle to follow him back into the living room before pushing her to the ground next to Brea. He then ordered her to pull up her shirt and turn her back to him. Actually put them on me first.

Really, really tight into my ribs to where you couldn't hardly breathe. It was really painful. Then they had my daughter lean over the bathroom toilet and duct tape them to her as well. Right then, the ringleader took my arm and said, you have ten. minutes to say everything you need to say to your daughter. Michelle carefully sat the terrified child on the couch and tried as best she could to soothe her. They may never see each other again and Michelle needed to make sure her young daughter knew how much she loved her. And you could tell she was just in absolute shock and terror and

shaking. We were on the couch together and I was just telling her that she was perfect for me, that she was exactly everything I'd ever hoped for when I planned to be a mom. As Brea and Michelle were embracing each other, Butler stepped in and separated them. The other strapped some more dynamite onto Kimbra's chest and then isolated them. Brea was thrown into a closet while Kimbra was locked up in the bathroom. I just couldn't imagine her in the closet. You know what I mean? Just sitting there sort of waiting to explode. The only way I got through that moment is knowing that I had to save her life and get back to her. As the sun rose, Butler pushed Michelle and

outside and told her to get into her Jeep. While she drove, he held his gun at her flank and started giving her directions on where to go. When she approached the Bank of America branch located on Santa Fe Avenue, goosebumps spread across Michelle's skin. This wasn't just any bank. It was her bank, the place she worked at. And in an absolute blank, I thought, oh my gosh. Butler told Michelle that after the bank opened, he would wait for only five minutes, then detonate the bomb. Without missing a beat. She came out and ran to the entrance. Once inside, she was greeted by one of her colleagues, Loretta Myers.

But from the get-go, the teller noticed something was off. She came into the branch and she was very stoic, just off-center. It just wasn't like her. She's a vivacious, bubbly, outgoing kind of a person. As she waited for the bank to open, Michelle sat at her desk in an attempt to look busy, before getting on with the heist. As she looked at the picture of Bria she had laid on the corner of her desk, desk, Michelle noticed something. A business card, a strange customer gave her the day prior.

And the name on the business card was Christopher Butler. And in the blink of an eye, it all came together. When she and Brea were in the shower, Michelle looked at her assailant right in the eyes for a quick moment and knew she had already seen him before. Not only was he a customer at the bank, she literally saw him at her desk the day before. He sat at my desk for a really long time asking sort of the same questions over and over. And then a woman walked in and said, Chris, we need to get going. And her voice on the walkie-talkie,

I remember that voice sounding very familiar. And I was just like, oh my gosh, it's her. Michelle knew that if she and Brea could survive this, she would be able to bring Butler and Ramirez to justice. But as the bank was about to open, she had to push these thoughts to the back of her mind. For the time being, she needed to stay focused. I knew what I had to do.

and that's all I could think about. I have to rob the bank. At exactly 9 o'clock, the filling of the vault concluded, and the bank opened. At the same time, Michelle's internal timer kicked off. Five minutes. That's the cue. Every step I took with that dynamite was like a tick. Every second.

I grabbed my briefcase. I went to the vault. The bank rule stated that vault operation always required two people to be present, so Michelle strong-arms the bank teller and dragged her. inside with her. But Loretta Myers wasn't duped. She knew they weren't supposed to bring anything with them into the vault. Never. Have I ever seen anybody take anything other than a pen and keys into the vault? Never. The clock was ticking and Michelle had no time to deal with her colleague's suspicion. She closed the vault door behind her, grabbed the bank teller's shoulders,

looked her dead in the ice and directly told her about the heist. She started panicking and going, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, she couldn't speak. And I lifted up my shirt and I said, look what's on my back. I'm going to blow up if I'm not out of here in five minutes. You need to help me. In tandem, Michelle and the bank teller pulled a duffel bag out of the briefcase and started filling it up with the money. Within the allowed time, they were able to gather $360,000. Before leaving the vault, she gave her more instructions.

And I said, get ready to shut the bank down. Do not call the police. if you call the police, we're dead. In front of the dubious eyes of other employees, Michelle walked out of the bank with a duffel bag and found her way back to her Jeep, where Butler was waiting. He drove to a dead end past the bank and dropped her off.

He let me out of the Jeep. I was to walk back to where my Jeep would be waiting, and then I was to go straight home. While driving home with the pedal to the metal, Michelle was inhabited by the worst thought a mother could ever bear. Why would Butler let any of them live? After all, he had absolutely no incentive to keep any of them alive.

That's all. Is this going to be the step that's going to end my daughter's life? Is this going to be the second that I'm going to blow up? To get back to her home, Michelle had to pass in front of the bank once again. The sight of the police cars arriving at the branch sent a shiver down her spine. As she spent through the few miles still separating her from her daughter, another worrisome sight waited for her in the driveway of her home. My roommate's car was gone.

They had barricaded the front door, and I just had to struggle my way in. and my adrenaline was so high. I had just got done forcing my way in the door. And I was just screaming, and hello, hello? It was eerily silent. I was just, you just die inside. You just die inside. Crushed by the weight of the silence, Michelle was about to collapse.

But all of a sudden, she heard a noise coming from the bedroom, the fainted cheers of Brea and Kimbra. I was so excited. I was like, someone's coming back. It's my mom. I think it's my mom. And I was like, okay, it's over. Oh my gosh.

She was alive. I did it. We did it. I gave her a hug and it was really, really happy. I just wanted to grab her and never, never, ever let go of her. I just wanted to hold her. But then I could still see the panic on her face. As much as happiness overwhelmed her, Michelle couldn't help but notice that Brea,

although still covered in ducting, tape had no more explosives tied to her back. As she turned around to look at Kimbra, she saw that she too had her explosives removed. And I told them, the dynamite's still on me. You guys need to go for help. I'll stay here. I don't know if this thing's going to detonate. I don't know what's going to happen. And my daughter was going, no, mommy, no, I'm not leaving you. My roommate said, Michelle, I know I can do this. Let me just cut it off of you. And she ran and got scissors and cut it off of me. In a heartbeat, the three left the bomb behind and sprinted to the closest neighbor.

Sheriff, remember, can I happen? Yes, some neighbors of ours were held hostage. I need somebody out here right away. Once the police arrived, their bomb squad quickly realized that the three explosive devices found on the scene were fake. Then, Michelle and Brea were sent to the station for questioning. Michelle showed them Butler's business card and told them the whole story. After an entire week passed without any progress on the police's end, Michelle decided to take matters into her own hands and contacted America's Most Wanted.

The Deputy DA advised her not to do it because it was a pending case. Yeah, they didn't want me to do it. But this proved to be one of the only reasons why the entire group ended up being arrested. Butler and Ramirez were caught during a routine traffic stop, where the police found weapons and official Bank of America money straps inside of their car. Huggins and Ortiz, now on the run, were respectively found in California and Wisconsin in the following days, thanks to America's most most money. wanted tip line.

If you know where Ortiz is hiding, please call our hotline right now. This wasn't the end for Michelle. On the contrary, since she was the only one present at both the kidnapping and the heist, she was selected as the prime witness for the upcoming trial of Butler and Ramirez. But Michelle was angry, and her attitude in court would end up causing her more harm than good. Angry witnesses don't come across as credible. I was treated like I was the criminal. At the trial, Butler gave an aggravating false state.

and the defense attorney representing Ramirez attempted to redirect the blame put on her client toward Michelle. My strategy was to beat the hell out of the victim. The defense attorneys were saying that I was having an affair with one of the criminals, that I strapped my own child with dynamite, that I was the mastermind behind the crime. After five days of deliberation, the jury came up with a verdict that pierced through the defense's lies. Liz. Chris Butler was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences plus 64 years. But sadly, Ramirez received no sentence at all.

During the kidnapping in the heist, she stayed outside and acted as a lookout. So, in the end, the jury estimated that she didn't really commit any punishable offense, even though she confessed to being the mastermind behind the entire operation during her initial interrogation. Her videotaped confession was deemed inadmissible in court. I got mad to sleep on his idea that was about eight months ago. Jokingly, mine. There was a female voice that came all the long time. That was scary.

Mind-boggling. The fact that it was her idea to do this to a mother and a child. Huggins and Ortiz didn't get off as easily. In an accelerated trial, both were found guilty of kidnapping and robbery before being sentenced to three consecutive life sentences. Looking back on the now 23 years old event is still pain. for Michelle and Brea, but Thomas Manning is right to call her a hero. The strength and courage that she showed that night saved her life, saved Brea's life.

It could have had a different ending. After everything settled down, Michelle and Brea left Vista and moved to San Diego. Michelle was determined to move forward with her life, but overcoming what had happened proved to be easier said than done. For years, both she and her daughter sought professional help to process their traumas, especially Brea, who was only seven years old at the time. There's aspects of that night that are going to be with me for the rest of my life. Briah eventually recovered and thrived through high school, but during her senior year, disaster struck once more. On December 8th, 2011, she fell to the ground, paralyzed.

At the hospital, Michelle learned that her young daughter had multiple sclerosis, a rare neurological disease. The prognostic was that Brea would never be able to see, talk, or walk, ever again. But Michelle refused to let her down. She instead put a pause on her endeavors and became a full-time caretaker to her daughter, and eventually, Brea's condition improved. With her mother by her side, she graduated high school and college from her hospital bed. Then, after nine years of constant struggle, Brea finally fully recovered. After she could talk again, she turned to me and said,

kidnapping was a piece of cake compared to this. Brea and Michelle chose to face life head on. Together, they lead Verb Media, a thriving production company founded by Michelle in 2009. On top of that, Michelle published two books, held hostage, a retelling of the November 21st event from her point of view that has been adopted into the movie of the same name, and nine days, a memoir about the power of healing and forgiveness. It was two choices. Call them monsters and stay angry and blame everything of my life on them. Or I can take this other road. The best thing I could do for Brea is to be an example. It's not always the end-all be-all when something bad happens to. you. You can come out of it stronger.