WEBVTT

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This podcast contains graphic descriptions, explicit
language, and audio clips that may be

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disturbing to some audiences. Listener discretion
is advised. Life is full of disappointments.

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Sometimes we don't look how we want
to look, feel how we want

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to feel, or get what we
want to have. This can apply to

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so many different facets that there are
just too many to even list. However,

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it can be assumed that every person
has experienced this and have at one

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point in your life desired something and
just having gotten it. Another beautiful part

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of life is moving on from this
desire and realizing, hey, it's okay,

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because that is just how life goes. We have the choice to either

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appreciate what we are given and make
the best of it, or we have

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the choice to not feel that way. At least that's how some of us

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think now. I understand sometimes feelings
are uncontrollable due to a slew of different

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reasons, but for the sake of
generalization, I think you can get what

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I'm trying to allude to here.
For others with less reasoning, compassion,

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or empathy, the notion of not
getting what they want or not being able

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to do something that they believe that
they should be able to do well.

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That is a whole different story and
a whole different thought process. As we

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have talked about time and time again
on this show, it is hard to

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understand what goes through a person's mind
when they cross that line between right and

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wrong. While we speak of this
topic incessantly, we may never truly understand

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why people do the things that they
do. You're listening to the Apex and

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the Abyss, and this is the
story of Lauren Gettings. No one has

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seen her sincerity. I haven't seen
anything. I've always seen her noise outside

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but people walking by pretty much.
And she just recently graduated in the person.

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Yeah, and we were both JD's
students. We graduated back in May.

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Lauren Giddings was born on April eighteenth, nineteen eighty four, to Karen

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and William Giddings. Lauren, along
with her parents and her two younger sisters,

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hailed from Tachhoma Park, Maryland.
In two thousand and two, Lauren

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would graduate from high school in Columbia, Maryland. Lauren was extremely ambitious and

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an excellent student. Those who knew
her best would describe her as someone who

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lived her life to the fullest every
day and was a friend to everyone.

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After high school, Lauren would attend
Agnes Scott College in Georgia. Once she

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graduated from there, she enrolled in
Mercer University Walter F. George School of

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Law. Lauren dreamed of being a
defense lawyer, and in June of twenty

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eleven, she was intensely studying for
her upcoming bar exam. She had completed

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her studies and this was the final
task between her and her ultimate goal.

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Tragically, Lauren would never get to
fulfill her dream of becoming a lawyer.

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In fact, Lauren would not even
get the chance to take her bar exam

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at all because of her classmate and
neighbor, Stephen McDaniel. What kind of

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person was she? I made?
How did you? What did I'm She's

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as nice as can be. I'm
very personable, very much people person Do

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you know anybody d any enemies?
You might have had, somebody that might

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want to hurt her? No,
I'm we don't know where she is.

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I'm the only thing we can think
is that maybe she went out running and

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someone snatched her. Who is Stephen
McDaniel Well? He was born on September

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ninth, nineteen eighty five to Glenda
and Mark McDaniel. The Georgia couple would

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also have a daughter. Stephen's sister
at this time had spent a majority of

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her life battling a drug addiction and
has had numerous stints in jail. Stephen's

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sister would have six children, four
of which would eventually be adopted by his

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parents due to the fact that his
sister could not take care of them.

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This type of situation is difficult on
a family. Glinda and Mark seemed to

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do what they believed was right for
their children, but ultimately they both seemed

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to take a darker path. Stephen
would have interest in things like sci fi

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and fantasy. He was also a
big fan of doing puzzles and singing in

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the local boys choir. In two
thousand and four, he would graduate from

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high school. After he completed his
undergraduate degree, he would receive a scholarship

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to attend Mercer Law. However,
he was put on a wait list at

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first, but eventually he got into
the law program. Stephen would be described

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as quirky, at least by one
of his college professors. He thrived on

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his oddities to get much wanted attention. He would frequently brag about his interest

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and collection of swords and guns.
It is said that Stephen would also obsessively

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discuss the notion behind the perfect murder. One of his former friends had even

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witnessed Stephen picking a locked door under
ten seconds and stating, see, I

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can get to you whenever I want. A creepy joke to say the least,

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but at the time this friend thought
nothing of the comment. Stephen,

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just like his classmate Lauren, had
just completed his studies at Mercer Law and

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was prepping for the bar exam.
Stephen had been at Mercer since two thousand

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and eight, and it is said
that on his application to get into the

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school, he wrote that he considered
himself a deep thinker and highly competitive in

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any given situation. Stephen was unemployed
but would frequently babysit his nieces and nephews,

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and he was allegedly working on writing
a novel. Stephen was hoping to

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be a prosecuting attorney with the end
goal of becoming a federal judge. He

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was far from a dumb individual.
In fact, he was very intelligent,

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even though it had been no good
by some of his teachers that he didn't

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always apply himself as much as he
should have with his studies. Stephen McDaniel

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could have been a great attorney,
but he too would never get the chance

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to take his bar exam. You
see, Stephen McDaniel lived in the apartments

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across the street from Mercer Law,
and so did Lauren Giddings. The pair

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had known each other for about three
or four years. Lauren was always friendly

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to Stephen, even though she didn't
know him that well. They were acquaintances,

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two people with the same goal of
becoming lawyers in some fashion, but

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the friendship was nowhere near close.
Lauren had once asked Stephen to help her

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when she was having computer trouble,
but that seemed to be the extent of

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the friendship, apart from frequent pleasantries
if they saw each other in their shared

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hallway. Despite not knowing her that
well, Stephen was infatuated with Lauren.

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He saw her as every one saw
her, as a beautiful young woman who

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was intelligent, ambitious, and had
an unstoppable drive. When Stephen would eventually

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ask Lauren out on a date,
she respectfully declined. She had been dating

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a young man off and on for
a few years, and at this time

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they had been on. A person
with reason would take this declined offer and

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move on, but Stephen couldn't do
that. What Lauren didn't know was that

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Stephen was obsessed with her since the
moment he saw her. He would watch

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her when she would go out for
a run, he would watch her go

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into her apartment, and he would
watch her while she was in her apartment.

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When Lauren would talk to her family
back home in Maryland, she never

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indicated to them that she felt threatened
down in Georgia. In fact, she

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truly thrived in the South. You
would have thought that she was born and

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raised there. Her friends would frequently
joke that she was never going to come

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home and she was always going to
be a Southern girl. The only thing

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that Lauren would mention was that she
got this weird feeling when she was in

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her apartment, sometimes, as if
someone had been in there and moved things

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around when she wasn't home. Perhaps
this was just simply some paranoia, But

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little did Lauren know that her gut
feeling was right. Stephen McDaniel had somehow

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obtained a master key to the apartment
building he lived in. Now, if

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you don't know anything about master keys, it's very simple. They have the

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ability to open several different locks.
The master key that Stephen McDaniel had was

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able to unlock Lauren's door. It
would later come out that Stephen would go

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into Lauren's apartment from time to time. It is believed that he removed personal

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photos off of her computer onto a
portable drive and uploaded them to his computer.

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Eventually, the police would get a
hold of Stephen's computer and be able

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to see that he looked at violent
pornography and then looked at these photos of

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Lauren. It was a back and
forth ritual of his Towards the end of

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June in twenty eleven, Lauren was
prepping for the bar exam. The bar

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is an intense test. It is
typically broken up over two days and takes

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about twelve hours to take. Those
who truly want to become lawyers study aggressively

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to make sure they pass. In
most states, the pass rate for the

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bar exam sits somewhere around fifty to
seventy percent, so among the people who

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do take it, a decent amount
of people fail. Lauren knew all of

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this, and she knew what was
at stake, so she told her friends

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that she was going on a lockdown
and to basically not bother her because she

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was hunkering down and studying in her
apartment or the law library. Knowing how

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much passing this test meant to her, her friends and family obliged. The

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last time Lauren spoke to her family
was on June twenty fourth, twenty eleven.

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She was having a text conversation with
her sister, who just so happened

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to be on her way home from
her honeymoon. A few days would go

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by before her sister realized that Lauren
had not replied to the last message of

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the conversation, something that was very
odd for Lauren, even if she was

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busy. Eventually, other family members
began to get worried about Lauren's silence.

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They would ask Lauren's friends and Georgia
to go check on her to make sure

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she was all right. With a
spare key, her friend would enter her

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apartment. They would note that it
looked as though everything was normal. Lauren's

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laptop was sitting on her bed,
her purse was in her living room containing

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her idea and keys. If her
friends didn't know any better, Lauren had

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just gone out for a run and
was going to be back shortly. Lauren's

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family and friends would file a missing
person's report, and the police would note

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the same things her friends had that
there seemed to be no sign of a

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struggle or a break in the only
thing odd about this whole situation was that

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Lauren was not there. A few
days would go by and investigators would enter

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Lauren's apartment again to take photos and
attempt to gather evidence. However, when

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they were outside, they would smell
something horrid. The smell would lead them

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to the trash cans that were sitting
in front of the apartment complex they were

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waiting to be picked up. Typically, the trash would have been picked up

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earlier in the morning, but on
this day, the sanitation worker driving the

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truck Noga's police cars blocking his path, so he went about his route and

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decided to make his way back there
to gather the trash when he was able.

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If it wasn't for this twist of
fate, police may never have truly

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known what happened to Lauren Giddings.
Authorities would open the trash can that was

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emitting the stench of decay, and
inside the was fine. The torso of

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a young Caucasian female, though they
could not make an identification right away due

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to the fact that the body was
missing its head and appendages. The police

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had a gut feeling that this was
the dismembered body of Lauren Gettings. While

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all this was going on, Stephen
McDaniel had been helping people search for Lauren.

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He would even do multiple TV interviews. No one had seen her since

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Saturday because we all just there's not
a whole lot of interaction unless we're doing

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classes, right, And she was
doing an online version of it you out

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study together though, I yeah,
we were in there's two different people that

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there's two companies that provided Captain provides
it and Barbie provides it. I signed

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up with Barbarie and I've been doing
the lectures that they have in the mornings.

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She was doing the Kaplan online.
So I ever saw her. I

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would see her like go out running, But I mean what time might she

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go out running? I mean,
I don't even know when, I at

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night or morning? I saw her
like mid day a couple of weeks ago.

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I mean that was the last time
I saw her. Was come back

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from the bar prep on the main
camp because we got moved over there for

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a week. Or two, but
she normally would run. Ye, she

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she ran all the time. I
mean she she had a group that she

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would go running with. I I
don't know anyone that would want to hurt

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her. She was I was nice
person as there is. But she moved.

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Did you know anything about her?
Yeah? Yeah, she she was

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going to be moving out today.
She was supposed to move out today because

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someone else was going to be moving
into her apartment Boston. Do you know

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if she was sorry? Where is
she from? Marly? Yeah, she's

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from up in Mary's all right,
Okay, I'm so sorry and you can

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just hold on me. I thank
you. Yeah, she's from Maryland.

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Yeah, I mean she she was
from up in Maryland and all her family

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was there as far as I know, I mean she what's going on in

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your mind right now? Like,
what are you thinking? Why would anyone

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would do this? Anything? No? I just heard something. Maybe I

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gotta help? Okay, don do
you wanted to adoper A seven? During

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one particular interview, the reporter wouldn'
formed Stephen that a body was found,

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and this information seemed to shock him
greatly. One of her friends had a

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key. We went inside and tried
to see if there was anything amiss,

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but I mean she had a door
jam that was sitting right by it,

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so there was no sign that anyone
broke in. I think the door was

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locked when everyone got here. We
just don't know where she is. What

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about in the like the parking lot
area, I know they've been doing a

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lot of I think that's where they
had recovered the body or whatever they recovered

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from there. Had you heard any
had just seen anything there, had just

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get anything there? I mean,
we don't know if this was the same

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person, you know what I mean, Like they did out a body there

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earlier. We don't know if it's
the same person or That's how we're trying

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to ask people they know who lived
there. Are you okay through? I

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think I need to sit down,
okay. Steven's behavior struck the authorities as

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odd. His emotion undulated from calm
to worried to hysterical. It appeared as

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though he was acting. Police would
ask to look into Stephen's apartment, which

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he allowed because an innocent person would
let the police search his apartment. Right

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While they were asking Stephen questions and
looking around, the police noted that Stephen

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seemed extremely nervous and was sweating profusely. During this odd interaction, Stephen would

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somehow admit to committing a burglary within
the apartment complex. Authorities had a bad

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feeling about Stephen, and they believed
he was involved in the abduction and murder

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of Lauren Giddings. However, all
the information they have regarding that was circumstantial.

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But burglary is a crime, and
Stephen admitted to it, so they

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were able to detain him at the
local police station and interrogate him. What

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you're about to hear are snippets from
Stephen mcdane knows interrogation. I just gotta

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ask you a few questions. Oh, you came down earlier tonight. I

206
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mean you talked all right, you
don't have any weapons all you do?

207
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That's just she want what's wrong?
You know, Detective Patterson? Right?

208
00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:21.759
Yes, do you remember good chance
up here? You remember us talking earlier

209
00:17:21.799 --> 00:17:26.400
tonight? Right? You remember me
earlier today? Yes, we came down

210
00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:30.640
here and talked a little bit and
then we left. Yes, Okay,

211
00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:36.319
I need to know about this girl
right here. You know her? Yes?

212
00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:41.119
Who is that Lauren Gettings? Does
she live next door to you?

213
00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:47.759
Yes? What's the last time you've
seen her two or three weeks ago.

214
00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:52.839
Okay? Was your friends with Lauren? Yes? Look at me and we

215
00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:56.279
talked to me. So, okay, was your friends with her? Yes?

216
00:17:56.599 --> 00:18:02.319
Close friends? I mean y'all were
friends, right, both of y'all

217
00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:04.680
law students. You're starting to be
an attorney? Right? What kind of

218
00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:07.839
law do you want to go into? Criminal law? Silky? Is that

219
00:18:07.880 --> 00:18:11.559
what you want to do for a
living? Yes? Okay? Are you

220
00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:15.119
almost finished? Yes? Okay,
So you don't have too much more to

221
00:18:15.160 --> 00:18:21.720
do? Right? All right?
Are you gonna stay here and making I

222
00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:25.559
don't know. Did you used to
work at the District Attorney's office and making

223
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Yes? Was you on the prosecutor
side or the defense side? So you

224
00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:36.359
on our side? Right? You
never worked on the other side. Did

225
00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:41.759
you like it when you were down
there? Yes? Got along with everybody?

226
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Yes? Okay? And you live
next to Lauren for a long time.

227
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Yes? Do you know where she's
at tonight? No authorities wanted to

228
00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:59.319
know what happened to Lauren, But
from the moment this interview started, Stephen

229
00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:07.000
was acting extremely odd and was speaking
very unusually. Look, just tell me

230
00:19:07.039 --> 00:19:11.480
what happened, brother, I don't
know. Well, worse yet I need

231
00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:17.319
you. I'm asking you for your
help. I'm a detective and I'm asking

232
00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:22.160
you for your help. Okay,
I'm asking you for help. I need

233
00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:27.960
your help. Can you help me? I don't know. You don't know

234
00:19:29.000 --> 00:19:33.279
if you can help me? Yes, I need your help. Help me

235
00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:37.319
out, tell me what to do? Has anybody asked you for help today?

236
00:19:38.119 --> 00:19:45.119
I need your I'm asking you as
a friend for help. Can you

237
00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:51.039
help me? I don't know.
What do you mean? You don't know?

238
00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:55.079
You can't help a friend out.
I don't know what you need.

239
00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:57.599
I need to know where Laurence,
saying, I don't know. What's the

240
00:19:57.640 --> 00:20:03.839
last time you've seen her? Two
or three weeks ago? Has anybody Have

241
00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:06.920
you ever seen anybody over her house
the last couple of lines? No?

242
00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:11.640
Okay, if you knew where she
was, would you tell me? Yes,

243
00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:25.680
what do you think happened to her? I don't know. Do you

244
00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:32.160
even care that no one came out? Yes? I mean I don't know.

245
00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:45.039
Do you yes? Do you have
a girlfriend now? Did you think

246
00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:52.720
Lauren was your girlfriend? No?
The detective would bring up the fact that

247
00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:57.279
Stephen owned more than one car,
something he would keep denying despite it being

248
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confirmed by multiple sources. During the
interview, they kept pushing Stephen and keep

249
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bringing up the fact that they found
underwear in his apartment, women's underwear.

250
00:21:11.079 --> 00:21:15.039
He said, you didn't have any
other cars, right right? Why would

251
00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:19.839
you? Everybody you want to school
with the last three and four years said

252
00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:26.799
that you own another car other than
that geo prism. Everybody I talked to,

253
00:21:26.720 --> 00:21:30.440
all your friends you were in school
with, people that you worked at

254
00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:33.920
the District Attorney's office with, said
you have other cars other than that car.

255
00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:38.319
And you're gonna sit here today and
tell me you don't have another car.

256
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:45.279
I don't where's that? I don't
have one? You never had another

257
00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:48.240
car besides that geo prism. So
if I call your granddaddy, he's gonna

258
00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:53.799
tell me that you only have one
car. Yes. What's his phone?

259
00:21:53.839 --> 00:22:00.319
Mother? Yeah? Because I already
have him. You don't know the phone

260
00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:15.160
over? No? M hmm.
I mean you seriously can't help us out

261
00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:19.519
the numbers in myself? Where's about
to start? Where's your cell phone?

262
00:22:21.000 --> 00:22:25.200
The apartment? In your apartment?
I mean, it's kind of like to

263
00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:30.400
be calling him. Does he stay
up late? I don't know. Do

264
00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:36.519
you have a grandmother or just him? My grandmother passed away a while by.

265
00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:42.279
Yes, but you're close to your
grandfather, right, yes? I

266
00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:45.599
mean don't he owns some property or
something? He said, A couple of

267
00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:53.200
acres? My granddaddy or my grandfather
who lives in Pike County? My granddaddy

268
00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:57.920
does he own any land down there? Yes? And do sometimes you go

269
00:22:57.960 --> 00:23:03.759
down to visit him or some open
Last time we met, I went down

270
00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:08.279
to business edge with my hands and
uncle. What did he do for a

271
00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:12.279
livel Was he an attorney like you're
he worked for the Southern rail of the

272
00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:17.799
company. Is he in buying your
family an attorney? Now you're the only

273
00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:22.240
one that went through law school?
Yes, that's an accomplishment, don't you

274
00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:26.839
know? Yes? I mean it
took a long time, right, yes,

275
00:23:29.079 --> 00:23:36.480
a lot of a lot of studying. They then asked Stephen, who

276
00:23:36.519 --> 00:24:03.200
do you think to Lauren? Who
do you think took Lauren away? I

277
00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:08.079
don't know. Well, I need
your help, give me some What what

278
00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:17.000
is your observation of this? I
know you're smarter, Okay, I know

279
00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:22.359
you have an observation. You can
tell me what's what do you think happened

280
00:24:22.359 --> 00:24:33.960
to her? I think someone took
her? You think I mean you watch

281
00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:38.839
TV shows, right, what's your
observation? How do you think somebody would

282
00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:45.559
take her? If somebody did take
her when she was running? Did she

283
00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:51.640
normally run all the time? She
runs? I don't know. You mean

284
00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:53.480
you think somebody might have took her
when she was running, like down the

285
00:24:53.519 --> 00:25:02.480
street somewhere. Yes, you don't
think somebody got her when you've got back

286
00:25:02.480 --> 00:25:08.200
to her apartment, I don't know. Well, you know there was a

287
00:25:08.240 --> 00:25:12.079
body found in the trash can next
to the armors. Yes, you do

288
00:25:12.200 --> 00:25:19.519
know that. And it's a female, white female's body right now, right

289
00:25:19.599 --> 00:25:33.359
next to your department, feet within
from her apartment. I mean, we

290
00:25:33.400 --> 00:25:37.720
don't know one hundred percent sure it's
lard, but we're pretty confident it is.

291
00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:44.960
I wait for some tests to be
done to be a hundred percent sure.

292
00:25:45.559 --> 00:25:48.839
I mean, who would who would
do something to somebody throw in a

293
00:25:48.920 --> 00:25:56.559
trash can? I'm asking for your
advice or your observation. Who in your

294
00:25:56.599 --> 00:26:03.920
complex would do something like that?
You live over there for three years.

295
00:26:03.960 --> 00:26:07.799
Tonight's the first night I think I've
ever been over there. In your expert

296
00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:14.839
opinion of all your knowledge, are
going through law school and all that,

297
00:26:15.279 --> 00:26:21.279
Who in that complex do I need
to talk to? I don't know.

298
00:26:22.359 --> 00:26:25.240
No names come to mind. You
can't help me out a little bit.

299
00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:33.440
M. You can't help me out. I don't know. You don't know

300
00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:45.119
anybody at all that lives in that
complex. You know, earlier you told

301
00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:49.200
me about a guy who lives in
apartment fifteen. I mean he's a decent

302
00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:55.559
guy, I think. So.
Don't y'all have a launder room there or

303
00:26:55.599 --> 00:27:03.079
something that everybody has access to the
launder room? Yes, anybody been working

304
00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:07.880
over the apartments below you in the
last couple of weeks that you've noticed.

305
00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:14.920
I haven't seen anyone, but you
don't. You don't know if they've been

306
00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:25.160
doing work on the department number one? Now, I mean earlier today,

307
00:27:25.160 --> 00:27:26.880
I mean you sit here and talk
normal. What's going on with you?

308
00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:32.920
Now? Why are you acting like
this? I need to know. Well,

309
00:27:32.920 --> 00:27:37.559
all of a sudden, you're acting
like this. H. I don't

310
00:27:37.720 --> 00:27:44.680
understand. Okay, earlier today we
sit here and talked, But now you're

311
00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:53.880
acting like you don't know what's going
on. HM. I mean there's something

312
00:27:53.920 --> 00:28:00.559
happened or something. Tell you,
why are you not why are you shutting

313
00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:04.880
down? Why are you not talking
to me? I don't know. You

314
00:28:04.920 --> 00:28:12.240
don't know. Are you scared now? I mean you're not scared? Are

315
00:28:12.279 --> 00:28:18.759
you now? Are you sad?
That's something happened? Alarm if that's her

316
00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:30.559
in that trash can? Yes?
Once? Last time you said you can't

317
00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:34.119
remember the last time earlier today that
you took the trash out to the trash

318
00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:40.079
can? Right? Am I wrong? Right? I mean because you said

319
00:28:40.119 --> 00:28:45.079
you liked stayed inside the whole the
whole weekend. I think because you had

320
00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:48.400
all your food and all that.
You never went to Crowber over the weekend

321
00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:55.799
or walm Ward or anything. I
don't remember, but you could have.

322
00:28:56.440 --> 00:29:00.160
I don't know when you go to
Kroeger. When you do go to the

323
00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:03.400
store to get your food, do
you use a credit card or you pay

324
00:29:03.440 --> 00:29:10.240
cash cash? Do you have a
Crocer card? Yes? Okay, so

325
00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:14.160
the Crower cards should be able to
tell if you were hey Croker this weekend?

326
00:29:14.200 --> 00:29:25.039
Ryan? Yes? Do you swipe
your card and just into your cell

327
00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:30.759
phone number? Because I ain't on
my phone up because I can't never remember

328
00:29:30.759 --> 00:29:36.759
a brand of card. But you
don't remember if you went over to Bay

329
00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:41.759
you drive your car or you walk
over there. Do you ever go to

330
00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:45.359
Walmart? On the East Time Great
Highway? Or which Walmart do you go

331
00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:48.680
to? When you go to Walmart
Great Highway? You don't ever go out

332
00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:53.200
to Zepplin Row. I don't think
so. You've never been out there.

333
00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:59.720
You know where Zeblin wrote the new
Walmart? Now you know? So you

334
00:29:59.839 --> 00:30:06.359
just basically go to Long Railway.
Yes. Do you know where you're at

335
00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:14.960
the night? Yes? Where are
you at? Detective you? And you

336
00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:18.880
know why we've been working all day
trying to find Lauren Ryan. Yes,

337
00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:22.640
because her family wants to know where
she's at. Yes, And I don't

338
00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:27.160
know what to tell her family.
So I'm asking you what do I need

339
00:30:27.160 --> 00:30:33.160
to tell her family? I don't
know. What do you want me to

340
00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:38.480
tell him? I don't know.
Huh, You're gonna have to tell me

341
00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:45.039
what to tell her family. It's
aw along you brother? What do you

342
00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:49.680
want to be to tell her family? H I don't know. Well,

343
00:30:49.680 --> 00:31:00.799
I need to know. I need
to know. Okay, there's something happened

344
00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:07.680
to Lauren. And you know you
need to tell me if you know something,

345
00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:14.400
because I need to know because her
family's down here. I want to

346
00:31:14.440 --> 00:31:25.039
know what happened to her. I
don't know. You don't know, now,

347
00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:27.920
that's what you want me to tell
her mother and her father that you

348
00:31:27.960 --> 00:31:33.200
don't know God, that you're sorry
that she's missing. And I thought you've

349
00:31:33.200 --> 00:31:37.319
been trying to help me all day
find her, but you just want me

350
00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:41.880
to tell her I don't know.
Are you a sorry piece of shit that

351
00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:48.960
you want me to tell her that
you got your ass on that fucking news

352
00:31:49.799 --> 00:31:57.960
and stood out there and gave a
media report that her mother saw about her

353
00:31:57.960 --> 00:32:04.000
missing daughter, And you want me
to sit there and tell him that you

354
00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:09.480
don't know. Is that what you
want me to tell him? Because you're

355
00:32:09.480 --> 00:32:15.279
all over the news. You sure
stood out there and ran your mouth to

356
00:32:15.319 --> 00:32:19.000
the news media, But now you're
gonna get out of here, and you

357
00:32:19.079 --> 00:32:24.799
don't fucking know. You know,
you're just a sorry piece of shit that

358
00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:31.440
don't give a fuck? Right,
Yeah, Well, why would you tell

359
00:32:31.480 --> 00:32:36.720
the media everybody? Do you need
to see what you told the media today?

360
00:32:37.480 --> 00:32:40.720
It was on the eleven o'clock news. Well, I'm asking you tell

361
00:32:40.839 --> 00:32:46.000
me. I want to know.
I don't know where she is. That

362
00:32:46.039 --> 00:32:53.000
ain't what you told the media.
You didn't stand in front of that camera

363
00:32:53.039 --> 00:33:04.960
and say I don't know, I
don't know, I don't know At this

364
00:33:05.079 --> 00:33:08.880
point in the interview, the detective
is getting frustrated. Stephen is sitting oddly

365
00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:14.960
still. He refuses to see anything
beyond I don't know when I asked questions

366
00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:23.440
when they know that he has more
information. You don't know, now,

367
00:33:23.759 --> 00:33:28.599
that's what you want me to tell
her mother and her father that you don't

368
00:33:28.599 --> 00:33:34.000
know, Not that you're sorry that
she's missing. I thought you've been trying

369
00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:37.119
to help me all day find her, but you just want me to tell

370
00:33:37.160 --> 00:33:42.720
her I don't know. Are you
a sorry piece of shit that you want

371
00:33:42.759 --> 00:33:50.799
me to tell her that you got
your ass on that fucking news and stood

372
00:33:50.799 --> 00:33:59.039
out there and gave a media report
that her mother saw about her missing daughter,

373
00:34:00.680 --> 00:34:02.880
And you want me to sit there
and tell him that you don't know?

374
00:34:07.079 --> 00:34:09.280
Is that what you want me to
tell him? Because you're all over

375
00:34:09.320 --> 00:34:15.119
the news. You sure stood out
there and ran your mouth to the news

376
00:34:15.199 --> 00:34:19.280
media. But now you're gonna get
out here and you don't fucking know.

377
00:34:21.079 --> 00:34:25.280
You know, you're just a sorry
piece of shit that don't give a fuck?

378
00:34:28.559 --> 00:34:34.159
Right, Yeah, well, why'd
you tell the media everybody? Do

379
00:34:34.239 --> 00:34:37.679
you need to see what you told
the media today? It was on eleven

380
00:34:37.679 --> 00:34:42.760
o'clock news. Well, I'm asking
you tell me. I want to know.

381
00:34:44.360 --> 00:34:50.719
I don't know where she is.
That ain't what you told the media.

382
00:34:51.920 --> 00:34:53.599
You didn't stand in front of that
camera and say I don't know,

383
00:34:54.840 --> 00:35:12.920
I don't know, I don't know
right about all these weapons? Was you

384
00:35:12.920 --> 00:35:17.559
ever in a military? No?
What do you need all these weapons for?

385
00:35:19.079 --> 00:35:22.760
Are you scared somebody's gonna hurt you? Yeah? What do you need

386
00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:30.960
all these weapons for? Why there's
a reason. Why were you molested as

387
00:35:30.960 --> 00:35:37.000
a child? No? Then why
do you need all these weapons? Why

388
00:35:37.639 --> 00:35:45.400
give me one good reason? Just
give me one reason. Why does it

389
00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:51.199
make you feel important? Yeah?
M hmm. Are you a big guy

390
00:35:51.199 --> 00:35:53.880
because you got a weapon? No? Do you even know how to use

391
00:35:53.920 --> 00:36:00.000
it? Yes? I need you
to tell me what you want me to

392
00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:05.360
tell her mother, and then I
won't ask you another thing. I'm not

393
00:36:05.400 --> 00:36:07.920
gonna tell her mother that you don't
know because her mother saw you on the

394
00:36:07.960 --> 00:36:14.920
news tonight and she cried all the
way down to making because you had the

395
00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:21.760
balls to get on the news and
tell everybody everything. You don't have no

396
00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:27.800
problem talking to the news. I
want to ask you questions. I'm asking

397
00:36:27.840 --> 00:36:35.519
you questions. Where's Lauren, Yes, you do know, you do,

398
00:36:35.519 --> 00:36:45.719
don't you do know? You know? You know, you do know,

399
00:36:49.920 --> 00:36:52.440
And everybody Making knows you knows because
you got your sorry ass on the news

400
00:36:52.440 --> 00:37:00.280
and told everybody. So every friend
you have in Making knows you know.

401
00:37:04.800 --> 00:37:10.400
Everybody go to school with, every
one of your professors, everybody he knows

402
00:37:10.480 --> 00:37:15.360
that you know because you got on
the news to mine and told everybody that

403
00:37:15.440 --> 00:37:25.639
you know. How do you think, hmm, think you're gonna be walking

404
00:37:25.679 --> 00:37:32.239
down the street tomorrow and nobody bother
you? Hm? Think nobody's gonna come

405
00:37:32.280 --> 00:37:37.320
over and knock on your door to
see if you want to talk to the

406
00:37:37.400 --> 00:37:40.679
media again. I don't know.
Oh, they're gonna be over there,

407
00:37:40.719 --> 00:37:49.039
brother, So this little act that
you're doing right now, I ain't working

408
00:37:49.079 --> 00:37:54.920
with me, okay, because you
didn't have no problem talking to the media,

409
00:37:58.800 --> 00:38:04.039
no problem. So you can just
snap out of and tell me what

410
00:38:04.119 --> 00:38:12.400
they'll happen so we can move on. I don't know, well how many

411
00:38:12.440 --> 00:38:17.400
times you're gonna say I don't know, hm, how many times you're gonna

412
00:38:17.440 --> 00:38:24.480
say it? What are you gonna
say? I remember? I don't want

413
00:38:24.519 --> 00:38:32.400
to remember what happened to her?
How many times you're gonna say that if

414
00:38:32.400 --> 00:38:43.599
you did something that you regret,
you let me know. I didn't.

415
00:38:44.920 --> 00:38:49.960
Who did? I don't know?
Well, a lot of was found over

416
00:38:50.039 --> 00:38:53.559
here, right next to where you
live. And what do you have in

417
00:38:53.599 --> 00:39:04.440
your apartments? A lot of nis
my guns. A new detective would walk

418
00:39:04.440 --> 00:39:08.199
into the interview room to give the
first one a break. This detective is

419
00:39:08.239 --> 00:39:19.280
more abrasive and begins to question Stephen
about the guns. Hunes. So you

420
00:39:19.280 --> 00:39:22.480
talked to him about his guns?
Yeah, when's the last time you shot

421
00:39:22.480 --> 00:39:27.440
those guns? You've never shot a
gun? Have you ever shot any gun

422
00:39:27.440 --> 00:39:34.400
in your whole life? Now?
Never? No? So you bought three

423
00:39:34.480 --> 00:39:43.239
guns as you never shot? Yes? Why for? What? For?

424
00:39:43.480 --> 00:39:46.480
What? I'm asking for? What? Why do you want to have them?

425
00:39:46.559 --> 00:39:49.760
What makes did they give you?
I mean, tell me why it's

426
00:39:49.800 --> 00:40:00.400
important for you to have three guns? That's an easy question. Come on,

427
00:40:00.559 --> 00:40:01.960
talk to me, buddy. I
mean, you've talked all day today.

428
00:40:02.280 --> 00:40:06.960
We ain't had a problem communicating.
Why is it important for you to

429
00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:16.400
have three guns? Do you not
know? No? Okay, Um,

430
00:40:16.559 --> 00:40:22.400
you got a girlfriend? No?
Who's your best friend? Michael quin?

431
00:40:22.960 --> 00:40:28.559
Michael? Who who is he?
He was a law student with me,

432
00:40:29.280 --> 00:40:34.159
is he does he still a law
student? He graduated? When was the

433
00:40:34.199 --> 00:40:37.320
last time you talked to him before
he moved up to Boston? How long

434
00:40:37.360 --> 00:40:42.320
ago was that? A few weeks? A few weeks, like a month?

435
00:40:42.440 --> 00:40:46.079
Two months, two weeks, three
weeks? What the beginning of June?

436
00:40:46.320 --> 00:40:57.000
Beginning of June? Yeah? Uh? June? Okay, So let

437
00:40:57.079 --> 00:40:59.840
me ask you a question. How
you say you don't know? What?

438
00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:04.679
Are his? Right? Right?
You said you told me earlier you and

439
00:41:04.760 --> 00:41:08.920
long we're friends? Right? Yes? How would you describe y'all's relationship?

440
00:41:10.119 --> 00:41:15.400
She was my friend, she was
your friend. What did you ever do

441
00:41:15.519 --> 00:41:17.719
things for it? She ever do
things for you? What did she ever

442
00:41:17.760 --> 00:41:24.840
do for you? We talked?
What y'all talk about? News? The

443
00:41:24.960 --> 00:41:31.719
news? Okay? Um? Earlier
you was telling me something about you fixed

444
00:41:31.719 --> 00:41:37.440
her computer before. I couldn't fix
it. You couldn't fix it? What

445
00:41:37.639 --> 00:41:40.079
was wrong with it? I don't
remember. How long ago was that?

446
00:41:44.920 --> 00:41:51.639
Around graduation? How long ago was
that? Middle liddle of May? So

447
00:41:51.719 --> 00:41:53.800
you were over in her apartment in
the middle of May. Yes? Have

448
00:41:53.920 --> 00:41:58.320
you been over this since then?
Yes? When was the last time you

449
00:41:58.400 --> 00:42:02.400
rover there? Last night? Before
last night? Have you ever been over

450
00:42:02.440 --> 00:42:07.119
there? With Lauren since the time
you've worked during her computer in the middle

451
00:42:07.159 --> 00:42:09.880
of bay. No, how many
times have you been in her problem with

452
00:42:09.920 --> 00:42:24.400
her hand out? I know you
don't know if you had to guess,

453
00:42:25.960 --> 00:42:30.199
what was just? I mean one
time, two times? Three times?

454
00:42:30.239 --> 00:42:37.360
What? Two? Maybe? Two? See? If I had only been

455
00:42:37.400 --> 00:42:43.519
somewhere twice, I could remember that
if I had been there over fifty times,

456
00:42:43.519 --> 00:42:45.239
and you asked me how many times
I've been, like, I don't

457
00:42:45.239 --> 00:42:47.360
know a lot. But the fact
that you've only been there twice? When

458
00:42:47.400 --> 00:42:51.679
I say how many times been you
say you don't know. That's just odd

459
00:42:51.719 --> 00:42:55.960
to me. Does that make sense
to you? Yes? That does make

460
00:42:57.000 --> 00:43:04.079
sense. What so what I'm saying
right now makes sense? No? The

461
00:43:04.119 --> 00:43:07.000
detective calls Stephen out. He knows, he knows more than he is letting

462
00:43:07.079 --> 00:43:15.159
on. When was the last time
you saw Lauren? Two or three weeks

463
00:43:15.159 --> 00:43:17.559
ago? And you have you been
on vacation for the last couple of weeks?

464
00:43:19.559 --> 00:43:22.920
You've been home every night? Yes? Has she been at home every

465
00:43:22.000 --> 00:43:27.679
night? I don't know. Has
she been on vacation? I think she

466
00:43:27.920 --> 00:43:31.599
was away for a while. How
long? I don't know? Were you

467
00:43:31.679 --> 00:43:37.239
looking for? Now? Let me
tell you even if I didn't talk to

468
00:43:37.280 --> 00:43:42.639
my neighbors. I know if my
neighbors have been in and out. I

469
00:43:42.679 --> 00:43:45.239
hear them come in, I hear
them go out. I see him when

470
00:43:45.239 --> 00:43:46.920
they walked by my window. I've
lived in a parkas most of my life.

471
00:43:49.039 --> 00:43:51.760
So the fact that you haven't seen
her in two or three weeks,

472
00:43:52.159 --> 00:43:54.880
that's just odd. Demand I'm gonna
be It makes me feel like you're not

473
00:43:54.920 --> 00:44:01.199
being honest with me, Stephen.
Why would you not be honest with me,

474
00:44:02.880 --> 00:44:07.000
Stephen? It just doesn't feel like
it, buddy. You know,

475
00:44:07.480 --> 00:44:13.840
I get the sense that there's something
weighing heavy on your heart right now,

476
00:44:15.199 --> 00:44:21.559
and it's breaking you down, and
you feel bad about it. I can

477
00:44:21.639 --> 00:44:24.639
tell you you haven't slept much,
have you in the last few days?

478
00:44:24.639 --> 00:44:30.039
Have you no like something's weighing on
your mind? Named we were looking for

479
00:44:30.280 --> 00:44:36.119
Lauren. You started looking for Lauren
yesterday. But you haven't slept in several

480
00:44:36.199 --> 00:44:40.119
days, have you? Yes?
You have. Earlier when I talked to

481
00:44:40.159 --> 00:44:44.039
you, you said you hadn't slept
in days, that this morning was the

482
00:44:44.079 --> 00:44:45.639
first time you was able to get
into sleep. Was this morning for a

483
00:44:45.639 --> 00:44:53.360
little bit? No, Yes,
that's what you said. That's what you

484
00:44:53.440 --> 00:45:00.800
told me. So I if you
have been able to sleep and several days,

485
00:45:00.800 --> 00:45:02.519
what have you been doing? Study? And you said, yeah,

486
00:45:02.599 --> 00:45:17.039
studying. You don't remember that.
No, what I want you to do

487
00:45:17.760 --> 00:45:22.840
and I'm gonna ask you this question. I want you to describe to me

488
00:45:22.920 --> 00:45:34.840
how you feel right now. You
don't know how to answer that with it

489
00:45:34.960 --> 00:45:43.440
yes or no? Dude, I
don't know what's going on. Lawn's missing.

490
00:45:45.039 --> 00:45:54.679
This pretty little girl right here,
your neighbor, she's missing. I

491
00:45:54.840 --> 00:46:02.760
know you weren't looking for last night. Yeah, did you heard la Now,

492
00:46:05.159 --> 00:46:08.599
Stephen, did you heard Laing?
No? I know this is hard

493
00:46:08.960 --> 00:46:13.880
if you to tell it, but
it's weighing on you right now. And

494
00:46:14.000 --> 00:46:19.440
it's Steven. I didn't do it, But I know you can probably help

495
00:46:19.519 --> 00:46:29.960
me with who did? Can't you? Buddy? I don't know? Stephen?

496
00:46:30.039 --> 00:46:34.719
You know, and I mean you
both know. It's no different than

497
00:46:34.719 --> 00:46:38.360
when you was a little kid,
right and you reached in that cookie jar

498
00:46:38.480 --> 00:46:42.320
and you got called after your mama
told you not to get that cookie.

499
00:46:42.760 --> 00:46:45.679
And when she was did you get
a cookie? No? And whenever you

500
00:46:45.760 --> 00:46:51.079
tell a lie, you feel bad
about it? Right then, one with

501
00:46:51.280 --> 00:46:57.199
every line is a chance you're gonna
get caught, and that weighs on you

502
00:46:58.639 --> 00:47:06.039
because you know you did something bad. All right, I didn't do it.

503
00:47:06.480 --> 00:47:13.719
You didn't take the cookie. Now, the detective that brings up the

504
00:47:13.760 --> 00:47:17.320
fact that, despite Stephen looking like
an unkempt person, his apartment had been

505
00:47:17.360 --> 00:47:28.440
recently cleaned. What did you do, buddy, I didn't do anything.

506
00:47:29.440 --> 00:47:34.159
What did you do the lord?
I didn't do anything. You saw lord

507
00:47:34.320 --> 00:47:39.239
last night though, yesterday? No, what time was it that she went

508
00:47:39.239 --> 00:47:45.840
out to do it? Long?
I don't know where were you at yesterday?

509
00:47:45.079 --> 00:47:50.199
At home? What did you do
at home? Tell me everything you

510
00:47:50.239 --> 00:47:53.840
did yesterday, from the time you
woke up to the time you went to

511
00:47:53.880 --> 00:48:05.599
slip check the news at what time? I don't remember. Was it yesterday

512
00:48:05.599 --> 00:48:08.639
morning? I don't remember. What
did you do when you woke up?

513
00:48:12.000 --> 00:48:15.039
I think I checked the news?
All right? You checked the news,

514
00:48:15.039 --> 00:48:31.159
okay, But you do after that? I watched some videos online to clean

515
00:48:31.280 --> 00:48:38.360
up. No, you didn't.
No, you smell like you've been cleaning

516
00:48:38.480 --> 00:48:43.360
up, Like you've been using cleaner
to clean up. I know that smells

517
00:48:43.400 --> 00:48:45.119
like my wife smells like that all
the time when she cleans the house.

518
00:48:46.280 --> 00:48:50.639
You've been using some kind of cleaner
to clean up your apartment, hadn't you

519
00:48:50.639 --> 00:48:53.119
No, Stephen? Did you tell
me you live it like I mad?

520
00:48:53.480 --> 00:49:00.400
How does your apartment get cleaned?
I cleaned it, okay? The last

521
00:49:00.400 --> 00:49:05.360
time you claimed this, Stephen,
I don't remember. Was it this week?

522
00:49:06.079 --> 00:49:08.480
No? You mean you go a
whole week without claning? Yes?

523
00:49:08.719 --> 00:49:15.360
Why that's horrible, Steven. Was
it possibly with the weekend last weekend?

524
00:49:16.159 --> 00:49:22.039
No, it wasn't. If you
can't remember, then how is it that

525
00:49:22.159 --> 00:49:28.159
you can tell me that you didn't
clean up your apartment last weekend? Minute

526
00:49:28.159 --> 00:49:37.000
ago? You couldn't remember. I
don't remember cleaning last weekend. So it

527
00:49:37.039 --> 00:49:45.039
isn't that you didn't. It's that
you just don't remember. All right,

528
00:49:51.239 --> 00:49:58.639
help me out, buddy, right, I don't understand. You don't understand.

529
00:50:01.000 --> 00:50:06.559
Eventually, the detective expresses his opinion
on what he thinks happened to Lauren.

530
00:50:07.239 --> 00:50:10.000
I don't know how else to say, at Stephen, let me tell

531
00:50:10.039 --> 00:50:15.599
you what I think. I think
that she was a friend of yours.

532
00:50:15.639 --> 00:50:20.920
Look at her right here. I
think that she was a friend of yours,

533
00:50:22.719 --> 00:50:30.840
and I think something happened, Steven. She used to watch her come

534
00:50:30.920 --> 00:50:37.159
in and out of her apartment,
didn't you? Now, I mean,

535
00:50:37.239 --> 00:50:38.960
then, how were y'all friends?
If y'all were, if me and you

536
00:50:39.199 --> 00:50:43.480
friends, we live next door to
each other. Every time I see you,

537
00:50:43.559 --> 00:50:47.079
look at what I see all my
buddy going in because we're friends,

538
00:50:47.320 --> 00:50:51.440
I'm gonna pay attention to when you
come in and out. Didn't you just

539
00:50:51.480 --> 00:50:54.719
tell me that y'all were friends?
Yes, but you don't get don't pay

540
00:50:54.719 --> 00:51:00.599
attention to when she came in and
out? No, Steve your line.

541
00:51:00.480 --> 00:51:07.920
Now you're lying. You're just lying. That's a lie. You ever see

542
00:51:07.960 --> 00:51:12.400
her committing out of her apartment?
Yes? You did? When was the

543
00:51:12.480 --> 00:51:21.119
last time? You don't remember?
Like last week? Maybe you don't think

544
00:51:21.159 --> 00:51:27.199
so. Stephen, you understand that
everything that you're saying, he doesn't make

545
00:51:27.239 --> 00:51:36.559
any sense at all. No,
No, you totally contradict everything that relates

546
00:51:36.599 --> 00:51:40.000
to human behavior. We have skills
to be able to observe things, to

547
00:51:40.159 --> 00:51:44.719
hear things, to see things.
There are natural things out there to draw

548
00:51:44.760 --> 00:51:46.880
our attention every day. That's just
when you're driving down a court road.

549
00:51:46.880 --> 00:51:51.480
Is somebody hits the horn, you
look around. You know what I'm saying.

550
00:51:52.159 --> 00:51:54.800
That's the natural reaction. If you're
sitting in your living room, you

551
00:51:54.880 --> 00:51:59.119
hear the door standing next to you, you automatically think, my neighbor's home,

552
00:52:00.679 --> 00:52:04.639
right, You're you're telling me that
those kind of things don't happen in

553
00:52:04.679 --> 00:52:10.639
your life. You asked if I
watched, I didn't watch. Had you

554
00:52:10.760 --> 00:52:15.239
noticed that she's came in and out
of our house in the last week or

555
00:52:15.239 --> 00:52:30.079
two? I don't remember. What
do you remember, Steven? Last time

556
00:52:30.159 --> 00:52:35.280
I saw it was two or three
weeks ago, dude? Where she was

557
00:52:35.320 --> 00:52:37.920
going out running? When I was
coming in? What were you coming in

558
00:52:38.000 --> 00:52:45.119
from? Preparation? Bar preparation?
What's the bar preparation? Oh, you're

559
00:52:45.159 --> 00:52:52.320
preparing for the bar? Then?
Yes, okay? The first detective would

560
00:52:52.360 --> 00:52:55.800
return at this point, he's playing
the good cop in this scenario. It

561
00:52:55.880 --> 00:53:05.679
seems he pleads for Stephen to help
them find Lauren. Where hell y'all doing?

562
00:53:06.519 --> 00:53:14.840
We're just talking. You never seemed
to remember a whole lot. Everything's

563
00:53:14.920 --> 00:53:20.039
yes or no. I don't remember
a lot of things. Don't making anything.

564
00:53:20.039 --> 00:53:23.519
I gotta be honest with you,
Stephen, me personally, I don't

565
00:53:23.559 --> 00:53:30.159
feel like you're being honest. Okay, Well, Steven, you say she's

566
00:53:30.159 --> 00:53:34.400
gonna help me out right? Well, this investigation because we needed your help.

567
00:53:34.400 --> 00:53:37.559
We're asking you for help, right, that's what we remember. I

568
00:53:37.639 --> 00:53:40.760
told you that, yes, and
you told me you're gonna help man,

569
00:53:42.599 --> 00:53:46.519
right, You're gonna help me find
Lauren? Right? Yes? And I

570
00:53:46.519 --> 00:53:52.360
asked for your opinion, your observation, and what happened to her? Right?

571
00:53:52.679 --> 00:53:58.840
What did you tell me? I
thought someone snatched her? All right?

572
00:54:00.760 --> 00:54:05.039
Where do you think someone might have
snatched her from? If you're the

573
00:54:05.119 --> 00:54:10.400
detective, if you're the police detective, it's your investigation. Where would you

574
00:54:10.440 --> 00:54:19.800
start your investigation? I come on, now, you watch TV? Right?

575
00:54:20.800 --> 00:54:23.800
Yes? Okay, you made it
through college, right, yes,

576
00:54:23.960 --> 00:54:29.599
you made it just about through law
school? Yes, so you should know

577
00:54:30.239 --> 00:54:37.639
where would you start your investigation?
Where she was last seen? Okay?

578
00:54:38.639 --> 00:54:45.280
So in this case, where was
she last seen at Garen's house? Garen

579
00:54:45.400 --> 00:54:50.400
that's the guy that lives up on
street, right, a friend of hers?

580
00:54:50.800 --> 00:54:57.440
Yes, okay, all right,
and that was on I think she

581
00:54:57.559 --> 00:55:00.480
left there on Saturday morning? Yeah, am I? Right? Okay?

582
00:55:01.639 --> 00:55:09.079
Now where do you think she went
from their house? All right? You're

583
00:55:09.119 --> 00:55:15.599
the detective, now, all right, it's your case. What would you

584
00:55:15.639 --> 00:55:22.000
do? Check at her home?
Kay? We did that, but you

585
00:55:22.039 --> 00:55:27.800
know that's what we did today right
check, you saw us out there when

586
00:55:27.800 --> 00:55:36.880
we knocked on your door. She's
not there. You know I need your

587
00:55:36.880 --> 00:55:43.679
help in finding her. What do
we need to do? What do we

588
00:55:43.719 --> 00:55:47.079
need to do that we haven't done? You know, you don't know.

589
00:55:51.039 --> 00:55:52.440
So if you had this case,
you wouldn't be able to solve as that

590
00:55:52.559 --> 00:55:58.199
that you're saying because you're not smart
enough to solve it. I don't know,

591
00:55:58.559 --> 00:56:01.639
or you think you're smart enough to
be take us, I don't know.

592
00:56:01.960 --> 00:56:08.679
No, you gotta be killing me, Steven, as you Steven,

593
00:56:09.800 --> 00:56:15.440
So, Steven, listen to me. We're real people and we're here to

594
00:56:15.519 --> 00:56:20.480
talk to you. We're trying to
We're I like to think that we're friends,

595
00:56:20.920 --> 00:56:24.880
okay, friends communicate back and forth. The only thing you said is

596
00:56:24.960 --> 00:56:30.360
yes and no one. I don't
know, okay. It makes me feel

597
00:56:30.400 --> 00:56:32.840
like you're treating me like you don't
like me. And I feel like I've

598
00:56:32.840 --> 00:56:37.280
looked out for you today. Everything
you said you wanted, I'm giving you.

599
00:56:37.360 --> 00:56:40.559
I'll try to give you food several
times. You know. I feel

600
00:56:40.559 --> 00:56:44.480
like we've talked. You told me
about how you like to look at point

601
00:56:44.519 --> 00:56:49.199
on the internet. Um, you
expressed me that you're virgin. Correct.

602
00:56:49.639 --> 00:56:52.280
Yes, I mean that's the kind
of stuff you tell friends. You know

603
00:56:52.320 --> 00:56:59.599
what I'm saying. Right, Stephen
won't budge. His broken record of I

604
00:56:59.639 --> 00:57:04.320
don't know, Oh, I don't
know is not working. Little does he

605
00:57:04.400 --> 00:57:09.039
know the detectives have been gathering evidence
this whole time. They know that he

606
00:57:09.159 --> 00:57:16.079
knows more what happened alone. Yeah, you like Kurt, don't you?

607
00:57:17.800 --> 00:57:22.199
Did you ever think about having sex
with her? No, you never tried

608
00:57:22.239 --> 00:57:27.480
to talk to her on a dating
level. Let me go talk. They

609
00:57:27.519 --> 00:57:31.960
got his grandfather. Let me go
talk. Make sure that he owns another

610
00:57:32.039 --> 00:57:42.840
car, because he's telling us he
doesn't. You're right by it. So

611
00:57:42.960 --> 00:57:46.679
you're telling me she had a pretty
girl, right, Yes, you're telling

612
00:57:46.719 --> 00:57:50.400
me you look that a pretty girl
like that, and you never once thought

613
00:57:50.719 --> 00:58:02.320
ever, man, she looks good. You never thought that. I don't

614
00:58:02.440 --> 00:58:09.159
understand. What do you mean you
don't understand? Did you know when you

615
00:58:09.159 --> 00:58:14.000
sitting here, you see a girl
walking down the road, and he said,

616
00:58:14.039 --> 00:58:15.280
man, that girl looks good.
You see a good looking girl?

617
00:58:15.360 --> 00:58:20.039
Where you think yourself? Man,
a girl looks good? Yes, you

618
00:58:20.119 --> 00:58:24.199
never thought that about her? Yes, So you mean to tell me you

619
00:58:24.239 --> 00:58:30.440
look at pawn on the Internet and
get off to that. But you never

620
00:58:30.480 --> 00:58:32.280
looked to her and said, man, I wonder what it'd be LIKEO to

621
00:58:32.320 --> 00:58:40.519
have sex with her? Yes,
you have. No. Have you ever

622
00:58:40.559 --> 00:58:44.119
thought about what it would be like
to have sex for long? No?

623
00:58:45.119 --> 00:58:49.000
You never imagined having sex fu long? No? Have you ever had sex

624
00:58:49.000 --> 00:58:54.800
ful long? No? What do
you know about that body we found today?

625
00:58:55.639 --> 00:59:14.840
I don't know. You don't know. What if I told you that

626
00:59:14.960 --> 00:59:19.360
I believe that you do know,
I don't What if I told you that

627
00:59:19.400 --> 00:59:24.800
I could prove it. I don't
know. You don't know. Is there

628
00:59:24.840 --> 00:59:31.119
a chance? But you do admit
that there's a chance that I possibly have

629
00:59:31.320 --> 00:59:36.119
evidence to show that you don't have
something to do with that body? Correct?

630
00:59:37.360 --> 00:59:42.960
I don't know. You don't know
because if I hadn't done anything,

631
00:59:43.639 --> 00:59:47.000
I say, no, there's no
way. But you say you don't know.

632
00:59:47.119 --> 00:59:51.000
Why is that? Why do you
say you don't know? Is there

633
00:59:51.000 --> 00:59:54.280
a chance that maybe something's there?
Now? Why did you say you don't

634
00:59:54.320 --> 00:59:59.440
know? Because I don't know?
Because you're worried about something. Maybe something

635
00:59:59.519 --> 01:00:02.719
happened, that maybe something got mixed
up with something, and you're worried about

636
01:00:02.719 --> 01:00:07.400
that. No, the why you
say I don't know because I don't know.

637
01:00:09.679 --> 01:00:17.079
How would you not know? If
I was asking you, did you

638
01:00:17.119 --> 01:00:20.880
just rob a bank? If you
didn't, you'd say no, not.

639
01:00:21.159 --> 01:00:24.320
I don't know, right right?
So why do you say I don't know

640
01:00:25.360 --> 01:00:29.119
because I don't know. You don't
know if you had anything to do with

641
01:00:29.199 --> 01:00:36.800
that body? I didn't You didn't. Are you sure? Yes? What

642
01:00:36.920 --> 01:00:44.400
if I said I could prove that
you did? I don't know. Could

643
01:00:44.400 --> 01:00:52.960
you explain it? I don't know. Today you told an investigator that you

644
01:00:52.000 --> 01:01:00.360
were worried about is possibly finding blood
in your apartment? Didn't it? I

645
01:01:00.440 --> 01:01:05.800
don't remember you did. Now,
why would you be worried about that?

646
01:01:08.000 --> 01:01:13.760
We all looked in the lawren's apartment. Did you see blood that? What

647
01:01:13.960 --> 01:01:17.519
would make you think that that there
was blood taken over there? Nothing would

648
01:01:17.559 --> 01:01:22.559
make you think that unless you saw
it, because see, I didn't see

649
01:01:22.559 --> 01:01:29.039
no blood. None of the other
Lawd's friends saw blood. But I know

650
01:01:29.199 --> 01:01:36.440
now that blood was there, and
now I believe you saw it. You

651
01:01:36.480 --> 01:01:40.559
saw that blood. You know that
blood was there, and that's why you're

652
01:01:40.559 --> 01:01:46.639
worried about it. No, did
you know? Why do you have blood

653
01:01:46.719 --> 01:01:58.559
up in the inside of your nose? I don't know. You don't know,

654
01:02:00.800 --> 01:02:04.079
but you saw that blood. That's
the only way that you would be

655
01:02:04.119 --> 01:02:13.559
worried about it, because that's like
saying, I'm worried about red roses being

656
01:02:13.639 --> 01:02:16.440
under my pillow, but yet I
never put on there. That doesn't make

657
01:02:16.440 --> 01:02:22.239
any sense. You know, your
brain doesn't even think to operate like that

658
01:02:22.480 --> 01:02:30.239
unless you knew something was there.
Does that make sense? That made sense

659
01:02:30.280 --> 01:02:39.079
that you're a smart guy, right, I don't understand you knew that there

660
01:02:39.159 --> 01:02:46.519
was blood in that apartment. No, yes you did, Stephen, Yes

661
01:02:46.559 --> 01:03:00.239
you did. There's blood in your
apartment, Stephen. That's right, there's

662
01:03:00.239 --> 01:03:05.679
blood in your apartment. Stephen.
This is hard, buddy. I know

663
01:03:05.840 --> 01:03:09.119
this is hard, and I can
tell it's only you want to let it

664
01:03:09.159 --> 01:03:14.599
go. There's blood in your apartment, Stephen. You didn't get it all

665
01:03:14.719 --> 01:03:20.400
up, It didn't all come off. You scrubbed and you wiped. But

666
01:03:20.519 --> 01:03:28.159
we can tell that, don't you, white CSI, yeah, we know

667
01:03:28.360 --> 01:03:39.199
it, Stephen. Why is there
blood in your bathroom? Yes? You

668
01:03:39.280 --> 01:03:45.360
do know why? Stephen? Has
anybody else been in your bathroom? The

669
01:03:45.400 --> 01:03:51.800
police were there. Other than the
police, who else has been in there?

670
01:03:52.960 --> 01:04:00.159
No one? And you recently cleaned
your bathroom. Didn't you know how

671
01:04:00.199 --> 01:04:05.440
long ago? A couple of days
ago, over the weekend. No,

672
01:04:06.480 --> 01:04:12.159
No, you don't know. I
don't remember cleaning it. Do you use

673
01:04:12.239 --> 01:04:16.920
drugs? You ever use ascid?
No? Are you you're on medication?

674
01:04:29.039 --> 01:04:35.239
Your line still. I wanted to
give you an opportunity to telling I wanted

675
01:04:35.280 --> 01:04:40.400
to be here with you to go
through that process because I know you're not

676
01:04:40.440 --> 01:04:45.360
a monster. Man. I know
you're not a bad guy. You're just

677
01:04:45.440 --> 01:04:49.239
a hard working student trying to pass
the bar exam. Mansion. You ain't

678
01:04:49.239 --> 01:04:53.440
got a lot of support from your
family, dud, Yes, you do.

679
01:04:54.840 --> 01:04:58.360
A lot of people can't say that. And the fact that you do

680
01:04:58.480 --> 01:05:01.960
have support from your family should make
the things easier to do. Your family

681
01:05:02.079 --> 01:05:05.199
wants to feel like they've raised somebody
that tells the truth and is honest.

682
01:05:05.280 --> 01:05:12.719
Right, Yes, did you heard
that girl? Stephen? Now? Had

683
01:05:12.719 --> 01:05:20.159
you ever heard anyone? Stephen?
Now? The remainder of the interview,

684
01:05:20.360 --> 01:05:27.280
Stephen remains almost catatonic. They tell
him they have discovered a body, but

685
01:05:27.360 --> 01:05:30.199
they have yet too ideas. They
speak to him about his work at the

686
01:05:30.280 --> 01:05:35.400
DA's office and how people spoke of
how personable and kind he was, but

687
01:05:35.480 --> 01:05:42.679
they still keep grilling him, trying
to break him. We have to go

688
01:05:42.760 --> 01:05:46.039
to our best resources when we're trying
to do anything. You know, It's

689
01:05:46.079 --> 01:05:48.079
kind of like the guy who wants
to get his old chain. He goes

690
01:05:48.159 --> 01:05:53.760
ugulu. You know what I'm saying. We're looking for long and you said

691
01:05:53.800 --> 01:05:59.480
you were her friend? Aren't to
her friend? Yes? All good friends?

692
01:05:59.559 --> 01:06:02.760
Yes? How good of friends are
y'all? Friends? Like? How

693
01:06:02.800 --> 01:06:11.920
good a friends? I don't understand. You don't understand. You don't understand

694
01:06:11.920 --> 01:06:15.920
how good a friends y'all are?
You don't understand what you ask? How

695
01:06:15.960 --> 01:06:23.440
good of friends are y'all? Friends? Are y'all close friends? Are y'all

696
01:06:23.519 --> 01:06:29.119
just acquaintances? Um? Y'all?
Study? I mean, how good a

697
01:06:29.199 --> 01:06:34.719
friends? Y'all? We're friends?
Are y'all really good friends? I don't

698
01:06:34.760 --> 01:06:38.920
know? You don't know. How
do you not know? If you're not

699
01:06:38.960 --> 01:06:43.039
a really good friend? Let me
ask you this. Maybe you're saying that

700
01:06:43.119 --> 01:06:47.320
because you don't know how she feels
about you. How do you feel about

701
01:06:47.360 --> 01:06:54.000
her? Do you consider her a
really good friend? She's a friend,

702
01:06:54.760 --> 01:06:59.119
but not a really good friend.
I don't know. You don't know.

703
01:06:59.159 --> 01:07:01.880
How do you not know? I
don't know what you mean. I really

704
01:07:01.920 --> 01:07:09.599
could. Oh, y'all really close? No, No, you're not.

705
01:07:10.440 --> 01:07:14.280
No, so y'all you never told
her any of your personal business? No,

706
01:07:14.800 --> 01:07:18.440
she ever tell you any of hers
No? Do you ever see her

707
01:07:18.559 --> 01:07:24.440
upset? No? She was always
a happy person, wouldn't you? Yes?

708
01:07:32.440 --> 01:07:39.519
Why are you acting like this?
Stephen? You see how I'm able

709
01:07:39.519 --> 01:07:45.039
to talk in complete sentences. We're
having a conversation, but the only thing

710
01:07:45.079 --> 01:07:47.679
you're bringing to the table is that
yes, no, or I don't know?

711
01:07:53.719 --> 01:08:01.000
Why is that? Stephen? I
don't don't understand. What don't you

712
01:08:01.079 --> 01:08:06.360
understand? I want to be able
to help you, Tom, to be

713
01:08:06.360 --> 01:08:11.199
able to communicate with me better than
that, Stephen. I feel like we

714
01:08:11.239 --> 01:08:20.760
can help each other. Stephen,
did you heard that girl? No?

715
01:08:26.199 --> 01:08:30.760
Do you know where she's at?
No? Would you tell me if you

716
01:08:30.840 --> 01:08:45.920
did? Yes? Have you lied
to me at all in this interview?

717
01:08:45.720 --> 01:08:55.079
No? Yes, she has,
Stephen, she says she have. When

718
01:08:55.119 --> 01:09:01.359
you say you don't know when the
last time you clean your bathroom is that's

719
01:09:01.359 --> 01:09:08.640
a lie. When you say you
don't know the last time you saw her

720
01:09:08.680 --> 01:09:11.479
coming in out of her apartment and
you don't notice whether or not she comes

721
01:09:11.479 --> 01:09:16.119
in and out. That's another lie. Your doors only a few feet from

722
01:09:16.119 --> 01:09:29.720
hers. You've told some lies in
this interview, Stephen, without a doubt.

723
01:09:30.399 --> 01:09:35.119
What was the last time you did
laundry a few weeks ago? You

724
01:09:35.159 --> 01:09:41.640
ain't washed clothes in a few weeks? Yeah, why, I have a

725
01:09:41.680 --> 01:09:50.840
lot of clothes. No, you
don't. That's another lie. That's right,

726
01:09:51.039 --> 01:09:54.960
that's three lives, Stephen. You
don't have a lot of clothes.

727
01:09:55.840 --> 01:10:06.520
Yes, you got enough underwear to
last you three weeks. Yes? Do

728
01:10:06.600 --> 01:10:12.840
you wear the same pair of underwear
the mother one day? Yes? Why?

729
01:10:14.760 --> 01:10:25.640
Because it's still clean enough to awe
Steven. I appreciate you coming down

730
01:10:25.680 --> 01:10:30.800
here today, I'm talking to us, Okay. I appreciate you cooperating with

731
01:10:30.880 --> 01:10:36.520
us and and helping us along.
But you've lied to me about at least

732
01:10:36.520 --> 01:10:42.399
three things in the same view.
And people don't lie as they got something

733
01:10:42.399 --> 01:10:46.279
to hide. Why would you lie
to me, Stephen? I didn't lie,

734
01:10:47.239 --> 01:10:51.119
Sure you did. You said you
don't even notice when she comes in

735
01:10:51.159 --> 01:10:56.880
and out of her apartment. That's
a lie, Stephen, I said,

736
01:10:56.920 --> 01:11:00.039
I didn't remember the last time.
Have you ever watched her going on her

737
01:11:00.039 --> 01:11:04.960
apartment? No, you've never How
long you have been neighbors three years?

738
01:11:05.159 --> 01:11:10.640
Three years? You've never watched her
walk through her front door? Yes?

739
01:11:13.399 --> 01:11:15.800
Five sets? And I said you
ever watched her walk into the apartment?

740
01:11:15.840 --> 01:11:23.680
You said no, So I'm gonna
ask you again if you ever watched her

741
01:11:23.680 --> 01:11:30.119
walk into her apartment? Yes?
When was the last time? How long

742
01:11:30.159 --> 01:11:36.159
time ago? How long for graduation? It's been that long? And you

743
01:11:36.279 --> 01:11:48.800
graduated when man beginning to may in
the main middle and you hadn't said her

744
01:11:48.880 --> 01:11:54.439
walk in her apartment since? Now? Did you ever helpercare at groceries and

745
01:11:54.439 --> 01:12:00.159
stuff like that? No? Never, No, you have a helpercare air

746
01:12:00.239 --> 01:12:08.920
laundry. Now. She never needed
your help with anything. She asked for

747
01:12:09.039 --> 01:12:13.520
help with the computer. You ever
all for help with her for anythink cave

748
01:12:13.560 --> 01:12:17.640
and stuff or anything like that.
Yes, that was Stephen. When she

749
01:12:17.840 --> 01:12:25.680
was moving out during the first summer. What did you do? She needed

750
01:12:25.760 --> 01:12:30.000
help moving stuff to her car and
you helped her. Yes, so you

751
01:12:30.079 --> 01:12:35.920
went in out of her apartment moving
stuff? Yes? How long did you

752
01:12:36.000 --> 01:12:42.800
help her? A few minutes?
That's it? Yes. Do you realize

753
01:12:42.800 --> 01:12:47.159
how you're talking right now? Does
it not feel weird you now? Would

754
01:12:47.159 --> 01:12:51.960
you say that this is how you
talk? All the time. I don't

755
01:12:53.039 --> 01:13:01.319
understand. You're just not expressing yourself. All everything is with you is yes,

756
01:13:01.800 --> 01:13:11.960
No, I don't remember. I
don't understand. You can't help me

757
01:13:11.960 --> 01:13:14.920
out with anything. You there's nothing
you can tell me to help me about

758
01:13:14.960 --> 01:13:21.039
this beautiful girl right here, Stephen, that was your friend. Nothing.

759
01:13:21.359 --> 01:13:29.800
You're gonna let things go down like
this. I don't know what you want.

760
01:13:30.359 --> 01:13:33.199
I want the truth, Stephen.
I don't know where she is.

761
01:13:34.399 --> 01:13:39.439
Let me ask you this. I
actually believe you don't know where she is

762
01:13:39.560 --> 01:14:00.159
right now? Where was she yesterday? Liar? That's right, you're lie.

763
01:14:00.119 --> 01:14:03.560
At this point, the detectives have
given up on Stephen breaking. They

764
01:14:03.640 --> 01:14:06.920
turned the conversation about how no one
is going to come see him. They

765
01:14:08.000 --> 01:14:12.760
know that he killed Lauren and the
game that he is playing is now over.

766
01:14:15.199 --> 01:14:19.880
You heard that girl, now sure
you did. You know it and

767
01:14:20.000 --> 01:14:26.239
I know it. You just don't
want to tell us to you and that's

768
01:14:26.279 --> 01:14:29.960
okay, I know it. I
just want to give you an opportunity to

769
01:14:29.960 --> 01:14:38.920
tell it so people didn't think you
were a monster. You're not a monster,

770
01:14:38.960 --> 01:14:46.000
all you, Steve. Now,
I know, buddy, I know

771
01:14:46.079 --> 01:14:54.159
you're not a monster. Tell me
what happened. I don't know. You

772
01:14:54.239 --> 01:14:57.520
try to have sex with it.
No, she didn't want to have sex

773
01:14:57.560 --> 01:15:00.119
with you. I didn't do it. She didn't want to have sex with

774
01:15:00.159 --> 01:15:03.920
you, Stephen. I don't know. You don't know if she wanted to

775
01:15:04.000 --> 01:15:10.079
have sex with you. I didn't
do anything that she did, Steven.

776
01:15:15.239 --> 01:15:21.840
You went into her apartment, Steve, and you hurt that girl. No,

777
01:15:23.000 --> 01:15:32.640
I didn't. You did, buddy, You heard her, Steven,

778
01:15:33.479 --> 01:15:42.000
No, I did that. He
did. Why won't you tell me,

779
01:15:42.079 --> 01:15:56.479
Stephen, I didn't do It'll take
this with me. You don't deserve and

780
01:15:56.560 --> 01:16:03.119
look at it. Just stay right
here, okay, Okay, I appreciate

781
01:16:03.159 --> 01:16:14.560
all your cooperation tonight. Okay.
Police would later find many things in Stephen's

782
01:16:14.560 --> 01:16:18.319
apartment that fingered him as the perpetrator
in Lauren Gidding's murder. They would find

783
01:16:18.359 --> 01:16:23.600
a hacksall with blood and human remains
on it in the supply closet of the

784
01:16:23.640 --> 01:16:27.760
apartment complex Stephen and Lauren lived at. They would find the packaging for that

785
01:16:27.840 --> 01:16:32.600
hacksall in Stephen's apartment. They would
also find female underwear, but probably the

786
01:16:32.680 --> 01:16:38.760
most damaging was the video footage found
on Stephen McDaniel's computer. Of Lauren's apartment.

787
01:16:39.119 --> 01:16:43.600
The footage was taken outside of Lauren's
window and recorded the happenings that was

788
01:16:43.640 --> 01:16:48.960
going on inside. They would also
find on Stephen McDaniel's computer child pornography.

789
01:16:49.720 --> 01:16:54.840
Stephen would later confess that he broke
into Lauren's apartment with the master key he

790
01:16:54.920 --> 01:16:58.720
had. He was dressed in all
black and warm mask. He would enter

791
01:16:58.760 --> 01:17:01.359
her bed room while she slept,
and at some point Lauren would wake up

792
01:17:01.399 --> 01:17:06.960
and see the silhouette of someone in
her room. Stephen would state that Lauren

793
01:17:08.039 --> 01:17:12.439
told him to get the fuck out. At this Stephen lunged towards Lauren and

794
01:17:12.520 --> 01:17:15.600
grabbed her throat. Lauren, fighting
for her life, would fight back,

795
01:17:16.039 --> 01:17:21.520
causing her and Stephen to fall off
the bed and onto the floor. Unfortunately,

796
01:17:21.800 --> 01:17:27.000
Lauren's legs would somehow get trapped under
her bed and she was unable to

797
01:17:27.079 --> 01:17:31.079
move or kick Stephen. During the
struggle, Lauren would rip off his mask

798
01:17:31.199 --> 01:17:38.079
and she would beg him to stop, but Stephen would not. He held

799
01:17:38.079 --> 01:17:41.920
her throat until she stopped moving,
and then he would drag Lauren into the

800
01:17:41.960 --> 01:17:46.239
bathroom and put her in the bathtub. At this point, Stephen would state

801
01:17:46.279 --> 01:17:50.479
in his confession that he left Lauren
there and would return later with his newly

802
01:17:50.560 --> 01:17:57.680
purchased haxaw. He would then begin
the process of dismembering her body, placing

803
01:17:57.720 --> 01:18:00.960
her in trash bags and throwing them
into the dumbs. He would also cut

804
01:18:01.039 --> 01:18:04.840
up the mask, glove, and
shirt he wore throughout the crime and flushed

805
01:18:04.880 --> 01:18:11.199
them down the toilet. Stephen never
expected the police to find Lauren. He

806
01:18:11.319 --> 01:18:15.000
thought her body would be long gone
before they started poking around her apartment complex.

807
01:18:16.159 --> 01:18:20.840
He was wrong, because Stephen mc
daniel is not as smart as he

808
01:18:20.920 --> 01:18:27.039
thinks he is. Stephen mc daniel
would be charged with the murder of Lauren

809
01:18:27.119 --> 01:18:30.800
Giddings in July of two thousand and
eleven. Over the course of a few

810
01:18:30.920 --> 01:18:35.560
years, Stephen's trial would be pushed
back and moved a handful of times in

811
01:18:35.640 --> 01:18:41.720
an attempt to find an unbiased jury, which would prove to be very difficult.

812
01:18:43.000 --> 01:18:46.279
Finally, in April of two thousand
and fourteen, Stephen McDaniel's trial would

813
01:18:46.319 --> 01:18:51.199
be set to begin. However,
he would eventually plead guilty to the crime

814
01:18:51.199 --> 01:18:56.720
and accept a plead deal. In
a statement, Stephen would fully confess to

815
01:18:56.760 --> 01:19:00.920
the crime of killing and dismembering Lauren
Giddings. In exchange, he would receive

816
01:19:01.039 --> 01:19:05.680
life in prison with the possibility of
parole in lieu of the death penalty,

817
01:19:06.239 --> 01:19:12.600
which is still legal in Georgia.
Stephen mc daniel will be eligible for parole

818
01:19:12.880 --> 01:19:16.800
in two thousand forty one. However, the d A believes that Stephen will

819
01:19:16.840 --> 01:19:21.960
most likely spend the rest of his
life in prison. Stephen would say in

820
01:19:23.000 --> 01:19:27.439
a written statement that it is difficult
for him to explain why he killed Lauren

821
01:19:27.680 --> 01:19:30.680
and attempted to conceal his deeds the
way that he did, and that if

822
01:19:30.680 --> 01:19:36.479
he could take back what happened,
he would empty words from an empty man.

823
01:19:38.640 --> 01:19:42.600
In two thousand eighteen, Stephen's father, Mark, would attempt to set

824
01:19:42.680 --> 01:19:46.479
up a gofundmi site for his son's
legal fees. Stephen, after spending seven

825
01:19:46.600 --> 01:19:50.039
years in prison, would attempt to
get a new trial, believing that his

826
01:19:50.119 --> 01:19:56.039
attorneys did not represent him well enough. This feeble attempt to free himself was

827
01:19:56.079 --> 01:20:00.680
rejected by the judge and the gofundmi
site that was set up for him that

828
01:20:00.760 --> 01:20:06.199
was almost immediately shut down for violating
the site's rules. Despite all of this,

829
01:20:06.960 --> 01:20:14.199
Lauren Giddings's memory still burns as bright
as ever, from memorials to scholarships,

830
01:20:14.279 --> 01:20:19.079
to tournaments and runs in her honor. Whatever Stephen McDaniels intended when he

831
01:20:19.199 --> 01:20:25.000
committed this crime, one thing is
for certain. Lauren Gidding's light will never

832
01:20:25.039 --> 01:20:28.960
be sussed out. Her memory lives
on and is pushed out into the world

833
01:20:29.159 --> 01:20:40.119
by those who knew and loved her. Thank you for listening to this episode

834
01:20:40.119 --> 01:20:42.880
of The Apex and the Abyss.
If you would like to reach out to

835
01:20:42.920 --> 01:20:45.640
the show, please feel free to
write an email to Apex and Abyss at

836
01:20:45.760 --> 01:20:49.359
gmail dot com. You can also
find the show on Twitter, Instagram,

837
01:20:49.399 --> 01:20:54.960
and Facebook if you prefer to communicate
that way. You can also submit episode

838
01:20:55.000 --> 01:20:59.199
suggestions, as well as fine links
to everything mentioned above in the show notes

839
01:20:59.279 --> 01:21:01.960
and at ape xabis dot com,
as well as a link to another show

840
01:21:01.960 --> 01:21:05.800
a co host called Monster Madness.
If you'd like to support the show,

841
01:21:05.840 --> 01:21:09.800
you can do that in many ways. You can head on over to Apple

842
01:21:09.840 --> 01:21:13.479
podcast and submit a rating and review. This costs you nothing but a few

843
01:21:13.479 --> 01:21:16.720
moments of your time and it is
greatly appreciated. Again, thank you so

844
01:21:16.800 --> 01:21:20.560
much for listening to the show and
for your support in telling these stories.

845
01:21:23.319 --> 01:21:32.239
Until next time, certain justice,
finality, and the answers they deserve.

846
01:21:34.039 --> 01:21:41.439
These are the reasons Lawrence family support
my decision to accept Steven McDaniel's guild rather

847
01:21:41.520 --> 01:21:45.680
than py sing to trial. I
do not expect Steven McDaniel to ever be

848
01:21:45.800 --> 01:21:50.359
released from prison, even though he
has been sentenced to life with the possibility

849
01:21:50.359 --> 01:21:58.840
of role. The terms of this
guilty play require that Stephen McDaniels serve thirty

850
01:21:58.920 --> 01:22:02.920
years in prison before he can be
first considered for parole in the year two

851
01:22:02.960 --> 01:22:12.720
thousand and forty one. The heinous
nature of this crime, confirmed today in

852
01:22:12.880 --> 01:22:19.720
Stephen McDaniel's own words, will follow
him into any potential parole hearing. Because

853
01:22:19.800 --> 01:22:26.680
of the detailed admission of guilt,
I do not expect any parole board will

854
01:22:26.720 --> 01:22:31.960
ever agree to his release. I
fully expect Stephen McDaniel to spend the rest

855
01:22:32.000 --> 01:22:41.560
of his life behind bars. It
is my belief that today's sentence and the

856
01:22:41.640 --> 01:22:47.920
specific admission of guilt that accompanied him
will allow Laurence family and friends to move

857
01:22:47.960 --> 01:22:53.840
forward with the healing process. My
prayers will always