Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence, and is not intended for all
audiences. Listener discretion is advised. He burned Chopolian and held it for several
minutes. He stopped, checked repoles, and there was a one. Welcome
to season ten, episode two fifty two of Sword and Scale, a show
that reveals that the worst monsters you guessed it are real. This month marks
the tenth year of Sword and Scale. I came up with this idea in
October twenty ninth of twenty fourteen, on my birthday. By the way,
thank you, thank you for wishing me a happy birthday. Yeah, and
now ten years later, here we are. It's amazing. Life is really
fucking weird sometimes. On July twenty fifth, twenty ten, a woman named
Tracy Stevens found herself at the Pinckneyville Police Department. She had reported her youngest
daughter, fifteen year old Sydney Stephens, missing over a week ago. Now
things were getting serious. No one had heard from her. When did you
report her missing? Monday morning, the nineteenth, around seven o'clock in the
morning is when I called nine one one? Is that when you found her?
Missy? Yeah? Okay, do you think she crawled out her bedroom
window. Or no, the way that my house is set up, its
flit level, and her room is the entire downstairs because it's actually on a
two bedroom house. And I also have a seventeen year old daughter. Where
do you live at? On Water Street? Right past the Gray School when
it makes that little jig jog right there, Folden has her hairshop and all
that. Right behind there is a white house. Most people, that's where
Jerry and Lois Fulton used to live. Oh Jerry. In case you haven't
figured it out, Pinckneyville is a very small town, the kind of place
where everyone knows each other. In twenty ten had just over five thousand residents.
We're talking tiny. It was unusual for teenagers to disappear in towns like
this. In Tracy's modest split level house, Sydney's bedroom was the entire downstairs
floor. Okay, so she had to basically the run of the downstairs as
split level. Right. We gave my son in the bedroom upstairs because he's
the boy and we couldn't have the all share in the room, and then
the downstairs because it is pretty good size. I'm going to have to put
this on silence. This is her, Sydney's dad. Can I please answer
this one? Sure? Hello? Tracy's phone was ringing off the hook.
Sydney's disappearance was making the rounds through their family as well as the small town.
Sidney had an older half sister, Dakota, who was seventeen, and
an older half brother named Zachary. Dakota and Sydney were raised together by Dakota's
father until Tracy red that Sydney was not actually his biological daughter. Sydney found
this out when she was just a little girl, and it really rocked her
sense of being. So you found her missing on the nineteenth, Yeah,
the morning of the nineteenth. I've told this story so many I'm sorry.
I know. I know it's okay because I I went to bed Sunday night
about eleven thirty quarter till twelve. She was there. She was in a
good mood. She was fine. She had been playing with the dog.
Her and the dog were sharing string cheese, They were sharing popsicles. Me
and her were watching squid Billies together. Let me ask you who lives in
the house with you, Me and Sydney and my daughter Dakota. Okay,
and was Dakota at home. During the Dakota had stayed the night at her
boyfriend's house, Chad Bennett. Though he lives with his grandparents out in Charlotte
Hills, Dakota was out with her boyfriend Chad, so it was just Sydney
and Tracy at the house. Well, Tracy was on the family computer.
Sydney played with her dog, sharing a popsicle in a cup. So her
and the dog are both thrinking out of this cup. Whatever they do.
I know it sounds disgusting, but they those two do it all the time.
She had wrecked her bike on Saturday, because it was like seven thirty
Saturday night before I even ran to even come and pick me up. She
had wrecked her bike on Saturday and had stretched up her legs and hurt the
palm of her hand. I mean, and it was just that palm of
her hand was just really bad. She was mad because she wrecked her bike
and because her friends weren't home that was supposed to be home because they were
supposed to go camping, and the friends of her that was on a Saturday
night, shoes that was that was Saturday evening. Sidney was upset with her
friend. But this wasn't unusual. Sidney was played with emotional problems. She
lived for druma and most people didn't want it. They knew the things that
she had done in the past, you know, they just they didn't want
to deal with this. She was she was, She was a load.
I mean she it was a lot just to be your friend. And she'd
have friends for very short periods of time and then the next thing, you
know, I never see or hear from him again. And she I was
like, so, whatever happened to so and so? Oh, well they
did this and piss me off or blah blah blah. They said this about
me or said that about me. It was always somebody else's cult. She's
a teenager, first of all, and second, well, she's bipolar.
Sidney was a moody, sensitive teenager, and this was exacerbated by her bipolar
disorder. Sydney's mental illness was finally taken seriously after found her in the laundry
room of their house with a rope around her neck. She was trying to
hang herself. Sydney was hospitalized and her whole life changed. Tracy was scared
to leave her alone after that. Things had gotten really bad again, which
resulted in Tracy having to install a lock on her own bedroom door. Sydney
threatened to kill me and was hospitalized for that. About two years ago.
She'd made threats that she had a plan one night that she was going to
slit my throat and then go around herself in the bathtub. Who was going
to help her? She was going to do it all by herself. Apparently.
Sydney also ran away from home often, but she was always found.
She'd be spotted or one of her friends would call Tracy. This time things
were different. It had been a week plus. Sidney left her purse in
her bedroom when she vanished, and none of her shoes were missing. That
didn't make sense. So you're saying she went barefully. Yeah, and I
told the police this. I tried to tell them something was wrong. They
would not listen to me. Yeah. What's her status with her cell phone
during this time frame? Where you letting her use her cell phone at all?
Or she Sidney does not have a se It's all gone. No,
it is all gone. Back in May, she got suspended from school,
and the end of April I had surgery and she got suspended from school.
I took her cell phone away from her because she got suspended from school.
Sydney had been in some trouble lately. Dakota and Sydney weren't getting along.
Tracy was chalking it all up to the fact that she had two teenage girls
under one roof. After finishing up on the computer, Tracy decided to go
to bed. I shall watch a long one have been. I said,
you know, I'll see you later. She says, do you have to
work in the morning, And I said yeah, and she said okay,
And I said good night, love you and she said good night, love
you too. No time you think. That was about eleven thirty courter till
somewhere right in there. The reasons I can remember that she said love you
too is because nine times out of ten she hates me because I'm mom.
She don't like my rules, she don't like anything. So when she says
love you, you know I can say it, and there's like she will
not answer me. So these times she answered me. So that's how I
know she was in a decent mood. Sydney was happy the night before she
vanished. That's what was so odd. Whenever Sidney disappeared in the past,
she had been building up to a manic episode. Everyone could tell something was
about to implode. This time, Sydney was calm. The next morning,
she was gone, you know something, something's wrong, and I've been telling
the police all week long. Something with all of this is not right.
I haven't I haven't stayed at my I stayed at my house Monday night and
Tuesday night, but since then there I feel like I'm being watched, and
Dakota gets the same feeling. I feel like I'm being watched. There's something
creepy about my house, and neither one of us will go in there without
each other or somebody else. Why do you think there's something? I just
it's just something I don't know. It's just a gut feeling that something's wrong.
Another thing Dakota found on her vanity, which is by her bed on
the other side of the room. She found the stuff on her vanity had
been knocked over. Dakota just picked all that up and just kind of sat
it back up because it's not a very sturvy vanity and it wouldn't take a
whole lot to bump it. It's just that real. Then when did she
find that that was Monday evening when me and her word woking through Sydney's room
trying to figure out if something was missing her and is there anything that you
could think of who her, if somebody body in particular. I just said,
I know she doesn't have a lot of friends. I know she's made
a lot of people mad. I know she was into drugs. Who would
she have made really mad or or been involved with drug wise it would have
I would want to do something to her. I don't really know. But
the reason Tracy was at the police station was because that morning they had found
a body. Two men had been fishing in the local river and spotted something
floating in the creek. When the police arrived, they pulled up the body
of a young woman. She was water logged and banged up. She was
unrecognizable. The body had ratchet straps tied around her waist at one end,
and it was tied to a cinder block on the other. Whoever this was
had suffered multiple bullet wounds to the head. The only identifying factor on the
body was a piece of jewelry. The dead girl wore a silver necklace with
a little musical note charm h you're going to try to identify this person who
found we host not your dollar. I the detectives pushed a photograph toward Tracy
of the silver music note necklace. We got something you were seeing that before
Weber machine. That was That's why I forgot all about that. That's something
she just recent and I think you know which crown? L Oh No,
what was that on? I had seen her wear that, but I hadn't.
I hadn't really paid attention whether or not she has been wearing it light.
I don't work it was it on a necklace? What kind of necklace?
Apply? Then the girl was Sydney. The fifteen year old had been
shot in the head, then tied to a cinder block and thrown in the
river. But who on earth, in this tiny, close knit town would
want to kill Sydney. Fifteen year old Sydney Stevens had been found shot dead
in a creek and tied down in the water. The teenager had a history
of mental illness and running away. Sydney's mom, Tracy, had reported the
troubled teen missing a week prior and told police that Sydney had a long history
of running away in suicide attempts and that she was also bipolar. Sydney had
lost a lot of friends over the years and had dated some boys in town,
but her mother couldn't think of anyone who would want to kill her.
Starting from the inside and working their way out, the detectives soon brought in
Sydney her seventeen year old Dakota for questioning. They were only two years apart
and hung out in the same social circles. Though they didn't always get along,
Dakota knew her sister, maybe she could shine a light on her social
life. Can you tell me about your on Sydney's relationship. Well, we
got along great till puberty. Then it was the don't touch my stuff,
I hate you fall of this year's kind of thing, typical teenage sister.
Yeah, things, but like, we got along great unless I was on
my period she was on her period. Then we absolutely did not want to
be around each other. Sure, but other than that we got along great,
unless she was trying to take my stuff when we were providing about chores
or something. Though the sisters both loved emo music, punk bands and dressed
like your typical small town teenage goth chicks, Dakota and Sydney were very different
people. Dakota, is you see her room? There's yeah, there's dust
bunnies all over the place, but everything is lined up, everything is organized.
Dakota is OCD and she knows you could go in and move something to
a quarter of an inch and she's gonna walk in immediately know that there's something
wrong in that room. So let's talk about Sydney and her disappearing. Her
disappearance is what everybody originally thought it was. Where were you when you were
notified of her disappearance? Boyfriend's house? And who's your boyfriend? Chad Bennett?
Okay, does he live here in town? Where's he live at?
I don't know it's address, but it's the same little subdivision that plum one
lives. Okay, who called you? Text to Chad and said, how
did you go to call him? When she makes upthing? He looked up
and said, follow your morman a nuts And she asked by her sidneys or
anything wrong? But no, she said, Okay. I was like why
she's like, Sydney's missing again. I can't find her. And I texted
all my friends and said, Sydney's missing again. If you see her or
know anyone that gets contact with her. Just call me in my mom.
That's why Dakota said she wasn't super concerned. Sydney had gone missing many times.
In fact, she'd run away just last summer, but was found hiding
in the woods when she rated herself out to a boy she had a crush
on. Dakota said that on the night Sidney disappeared, she came home briefly
with her boyfriend Chad. She only saw Sydney for a minute in the kitchen.
Oh, in the kitchen one time to make food. All she said
was why are you putting that in a microwave? Okay? And other than
that, she was just Sydney. And when you were there from eleven eleven
thirty to three three thirty, did you stay there at the house the entire
time? Yeah? Did you ever go outside in the yard anything like that?
Do you smoke? No? Okay? Does Chad smoke? Yeah?
Oh? Did you go outside for him to have a cigarette? Anything like
that? Smoked in because we didn't smoke in the house. Now they going
home, didn't care anymore, So Dakota and Chad left and went to meet
some of their friends at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Then they went out
and did whatever dumb things teenagers do. Dakota slept over at Chad's house.
The next morning, Sydney and Dakota's mom, Tracy, called her daughter to
tell her that Sidney was missing. And you call your mom and like you
said, you know, Sydney's gone. M So what time do you go
back to your house? I think his grandma dropped me off about noon.
Chad leash worked about one. Takes them a little over an hour to get
ready. And I think she took me and hand in my house at noon
because he went with us, dropped me off. Where's Chad work? Giltstairs
and Chester? Chad and Dakota had been dating for a while now, and
things were as serious as serious guts and teenage land. Dakota was obsessed with
Chad. He was her entire world. Tracy was not happy about any of
this. Chad wasn't exactly the kind of guy you wanted your daughter to be
dating. A guy named Chad never is right here. He was thuggish,
moody, he was a troublemaker, and if that wasn't bad enough, he
ran his own gang called the Pee Town Saints. So what's the deal with
this? Explain this gang to me that they're all in I have no clue.
I find it stupid. And I told him that it's stupid because if
you're gonna live in the down the five thousand people where the majority of the
people a prisoners, you don't have a gang. Right. We forgot to
mention that about Pinckneyville. Even though the town has about five thousand people,
twenty two hundred of those residents are actually inmates at a prison, but they
by themselves as a gang. I'm not quite sure. I think something happened
with the cops and the cops started calling it a game. I don't remember
really, Well, what uh, why would you think the cops would classify
it as a gang? Because at first one I understood of it, it
was just a whole bunch of friends that had each other's back, and it
was just how any other friends that are. And then someone told the cops
they were spray painting and getting illegal weapons and illegal drugs. And then the
cops started saying that they were a gang after they talked to them, and
now it's they thought, okay, well, who's the original gangsters? The
only ones I knew them were had Carl James, Nathan, and Billy.
Dakota was playing it down, but the Petown Saints took themselves very seriously.
Dakota had become the queen bee of their little crew right after she and Chad
became official. What an honor. See, every one of them know that
if me and Chat are together and they call, and then if I say
no, that's how it goes until it goes, including because I'm Chad's girlfriend
and I don't want him hanging out with someone, or if it's just supposed
to be me and him, if they have a problem with that, they
can take it up with me and then they So you know what that's telling
me? You're the head girl in the gang. Dakota had become instantly cool
when she started dating Chad. That's what happens when you start dating at Chad,
you become instantly cool. Didn't you, ladies know that she was someone
now to be feared and revered. You can be too, ladies. Just
go find yourself a Chad. Check the phone book. If y'all still know
what that is, I guess. But Dakota wasn't always a cool girl.
When she was little, Dakota was extremely strange Tracy reported that for an entire
year when she was in grade school, Dakota was convinced that she was a
dog and insisted that everyone treat her like a pet. She didn't speak,
She just barked, what is it dog kin or canine kin? Animal kin?
These degenerate furries will stop at nothing. I'll tell you. After about
a year of this nonsense, she stopped and went back to being herself again.
As Dakota grew into a teenager, she became moody and gravitated towards emo
and punk. She was obsessed with Kurt Cobain and Twilight Brooks whatever that is.
Sydney really looked up to her big sister. She wanted to be just
like her. About Chad, how was his relationship with Sydney? Where did
you always pick up? He didn't like Sydney a whole lot kind of.
I mean, he tolerated her because it was his girlfriend, Dakota's little sister.
You know, she never really there was just one or two times that
I can remember that they ever even like went together somewhere, like if Dakota
was going. I don't think Sydney ever went alone with Chad anywhere for she
liked him, but as far as him liking, I mean her that he
didn't really care for. Sydney was different because of her being bipolar, and
she would Sidney was all about drama, and Chad seemed that he didn't want
a lot to do with the drama. And I think I think more than
anything, she just kind of got on his nerves. Tracy admitted that Chad
and Dakota would be annoyed if she asked them to keep an eye on Sydney.
But the only thing that I think, what I was going to say
earlier is the only thing that I could think of that Chad why he wouldn't
like her, Because with Sydney being bipolar, there were times like whenever I'd
go to work, or if I had plans to go and do something or
whatever, Dakota wasn't able to go and do what she wanted to do because
I would have to have her stay with Sydney. Not all the time.
There was dependent on how Sydney's mood was and how she'd acted days before as
to whether or not I would leave her by herself or if I would make
sure that Dakota was with her. Then the police got a hold of Chad,
So I understand her Dakoe's voice, und was it right? Yeah?
And how long have you had Dakota been together? On the twentieth of this
month, it'll be year and a half. Okay, So you've been around
Sydney for a little while during that time frame. Yes, sir, I
didn't really talk to her too much. I mean that's just every now and
then we'd have little conversations like saying, my old lady was in the shower,
you know, something like that. So did you and Dakota ever hang
out with her and her boyfriends or anything? You guys never went to places
together or anything like that. No, she was really jealous of me and
Dakota like what we had because we've lasted for so long, and her boyfriends
the last for maybe a week if that. Chad claimed that Sidney would go
through boyfriends quickly and that he didn't really know any of them except that time
she dated his good friend Carl Daneus, who was her boyfriend that she'd been
seeing over the last four or five or six months. Anybody in particular,
Well, I know she was with my body Carl for maybe two weeks.
Carl, Carl dan yeah, because they were together for a little bit,
like I said, maybe two two and a half weeks, you know.
But I know as soon as her and Carl broke up, she got real
mad at him because he's the one that lent Turkish she did whatever? And
at what time frame they had been in without happened with Carl where their own
before Sharan went the first time, The police decided they should get in touch
with Carl Dane see if he knew anything about what happened to Sydney. But
before they reached him, they got a call from Sydney's older brother, who
said that when he ran into Carl a day prior, Carl had told him
that he witnessed Sydney's murder. Carl Dane was a greasy teenager with a shaggy
mushroom cut and a red goat tee. The cops were familiar with Carl Dane.
He had been arrested for minor charges over the year or is, mostly
drugs and stealing, so they brought him in for you know, a little
chat. We don't know what you know about what I happened to see.
I don't know did you talk to anybody last night? I said? Did
you talk to anybody about Sydney's family recently? I turned to her brother yesterday
of the Donald's. Okay, And what did you tell her brother yesterday?
Mc donalds? Nothing? Really? He was asking if I knew anything,
and I said I didn't. So you didn't tell her brother that you witnessed
the whole thing? You're sure about that? Yeah, I didn't tell him
that. I didn't tell him that. What did you tell him? I
told them I didn't know anything about it? Well, I mean, I
don't think that's pretty far off from I mean, go see. Statements are
just complete opposite, aren't they. So how can anybody make a mistake about
what what you said? I don't know. So did he get mad at
you after you talked to him? You seem pretty pissed while I was talking.
Why did you seem so pissed? It's it's his sister that all this
shit happened too. I'll be pasted if something having my sister too. Cross
story was suspicious and he was acting sweaty and strange. She seemed pretty nervous.
Is there any particular reason when you're nervous? I'm not really no,
I don't really like being in caup stations. Did you use today, Sydney?
Yeah, when late March, early Airpril? How long about week?
One week? Why did it in so quick? Well, she got mad
one day because I didn't take her fishing and she just left, you know.
So I went up to school next day and I'm like, if Wena
act like, hey, you know, we're done. So you broke up
with her and she didn't break up a youth, Yeah, basically, So
if you ever make any says somebody, anybody about being mad at Sydney,
I was mad at her for a little bit, but I got over it.
Why were you mad at her? Since you broke up with her?
Just the way she acted when we already had which was how she didn't get
it where she got mad. Carl said that he and Sydney only dated for
a week or so and that they did normal couple stuff. The relationship wasn't
that big of a deal. Where did you and Sydney go? Since you
were dating at the time? Set up at the park? You know,
when I city Lake, No, I'm out at her house. The longer
the detectives talked to Carl, the more they realized he was just a nervous,
lying teenager, You remember where you were on Sunday ninety was a hay
teeth. I was sitting at home. It's a pretty quick cancer. How
do you know where you were that long ago? I just remembered, you
know, I remember what I'm doing, you know everyone once in a while.
Carl claimed he was home with his friend James Glazier. Nothing happened,
they just hung out. Carl wove a story as he nervously tapped his toe
and stuttered, what did you hear about what happened to her? About her
missing Monday afternoon, this last Monday or money before before. I had to
find that out, Chad. And he's like, you know, Sidney missing,
and what did you find out that Sidney was? Sydney was dead just
a couple of days ago. You know it was on news. Nobody told
you. You just saw it on the news. Nobody's talking about it since
then. Really. After the interview, detectives took Karl back to his grandfather's
house, where he'd been living for a while. When they walked onto the
property, the police were taken through the garage and spotted something jarring. A
pile of cinder blocks and the same orange ratchet straps, the exact same two
things that had been tied to Sydney's dead body in the creek. They immediately
arrested Carl and took him back to the station before they even read him his
rights again. Carl said this all right, they were just tell me in
there, man, Okay, man, you can tell me how years of
people looking at a fause guy? What's that? Wait to tell you?
Hears other looking at a fause guy if he was a guy? Well,
you're the guy, you mean. We'll talk about that. Let him come
in. We'll talk about it all together. Okay, show me how you
confess to a murder without actually confessing to a murder. That's how. What
is it you need to tell us I personally killed her? You were the
person that killed Sidney Steve Sidney Stevens. And how did you do that?
Oh? Well, neither of the doors were unlocked, so I climbed up
on the porch. That door was unlost, So I walked down there.
Uh you're talking about Sidney Town, Okay, walked downstairs where she really was
at. Yeah, she was there that night, so I woke her up,
told her, hey, let's go. She didn't want to, So
I choked her out and in the car? Who's car? My car?
Carl spoke quietly as he confessed to kidnapping Sydney out of her bedroom that Saturday
night and stuffing her into his car. When you say you choked her out,
what do you mean by that? So passed out with your hands,
and she didn't try to struggle or anything. She tried, didn't scratch,
you didn't do nothing like that. You're shaking your head. No, no,
she didn't. So who else was in the car? Nobody? Okay?
So did you try to restrain her anyway? Put her in the trunk
to the bridge, shot her a couple of times, pushed her off?
What car were you in? The Pontiac? Is your grandpa's plan at?
Did you shoot her while she was in the car? Where did you shoot
her atten? I'm not really pretty sure. I didn't see where bulls And
where was she at the bridge? Was she passed out there or was she
awake? She was passed out? Was she still breathing? I did see
it didn't sting like it. Carl said that after he shot Sydney and threw
her off the bridge, he went back a few days later with that ratchet
strap and the cinder block so he could tie it to her and keep her
under the water. And how many times did you shoot? I shot four
times. I don't know how many times I hit? Shot four times?
With what twenty two pistol? Where's that pistol at bottom of the lake?
What? Like? I'm I'm too sure it's somewhere apparent it? Could you
show it? Show us? I really can't remember where it's at. I
went on and got it, frum my player, Okay, where did you
get the twenty two pistol? Found it? Well? I know you didn't
find any. But what did that pistol look like? It looks like a
old time luker? What is it? Ruy Ruger? Twenty two? While
a Sundays you decided to do this at this point? What what triggered it?
Did you say you're somewhere or something? Or I don't really know.
I just heard she was a snitch? Okay? And is there something she
snitch on you about? Nothing I can think about friends. Who's your friend
James? James, the one that we talked about being a pot dealer earlier?
What was his last name? Pleaser Carl's story wasn't adding up. It
would have been very tough for him to handle this operation all on his own.
Not impossible, but it's unlikely. Plus, by his own admission,
Carl dated Sydney for a week before they broke up. That's not much of
a motive to murder someone, even for teenagers. The cops knew Karl was
a part of the pe Town Saints when they brought in James Glazier, they
found out he was also in the gang. James, I know at one
time he was part of a gang. Right, what's the name of that
gang? Petown states? Are you still part of that gang? Yes,
you are still part of that gang? And what's your affiliation with the gang?
I am the head of the DoD and demand. With his childlike speech
impediment, James seemed years younger than he actually was. I mean he sounded
like about twelve and not seventeen. But in the grand scheme of things,
these boys were all still kids. Their brains were not fully developed yet,
and here they were at the police station being questioned about a murder. That's
some great parenting, guys. James took his duty as heads of the p
Town Saints very seriously, and told the cops the basic rules of the gang.
We don't hit women, we don't lie to each other, we don't
steal from each other, and we'll always by each other's side, no matter
what you said, your third in command. Here's the two ahead of you,
Colin Jed Carl, who dang? See, how do you mean he's
ahead of you? He's second in command? Okay? And what's his title?
Second command? What's his duties? He's one high of me, so
he makes sure I do my duties. I'm keeping everybody else. And here's
this other guy you're talking about, Jad Benner, and what's the O G.
And he's top original gamest. James said he was at Carl's house the
night that Sidney disappeared. In fact, James had been living at Carl's grandpa's
house for weeks. Now that the cops had Carl's confession, they knew that
James was wrapped up in this too. To my knowledge, your name has
been brought up, and now you're gonna be charging. You're not going to
leave here. That's not the time to play games. The game, so
else the time for the truth. If you want to talk to us,
we're more than happy to talk to you to get to the bottom of it,
because that little girl did not deserve what happened to her. I know
what you're talking about. I didn't want to know. One the people that
was there with you said you was there and used in on it. I
didn't do anything. I wasn't Nowell, I was at Carl's. He was
with Carl. You know where Carl is. No, I think he does,
moms. No, he's sitting back here. He is in jail for
what you think he is charged with? First he said he did with first
degree murder. Would he do it when you was with it? When you
was with him? He said you was, and he said here, said
he was with him the whole time. Yeah, for the last three weeks
you've been with me. He left his sight. Everything he's done, you've
done. That's when James asked to stop and have an attorney present. The
cops agreed and left the room. After a while, they came back and
James changed his mind. He didn't want a lawyer. He was willing to
talk. He just wanted his mom there with him, so they brought her
into the room. Oh you don't want to you need to? I think
No, matter what. You know what, she didn't need to talk with
the cops. And I think that's the only say to keep Carl from hurting
you. Okay, okay, James, So you want to talk to us
now, right? Is the any like I do? But he's scary,
James, there's no you can't. You know what the word to equivocate means.
No, Well, there's no, there's no compromise, okay. In
other words, you either want to talk to us or you don't want to
talk to us. Okay, I'll talk talk. He's in jail. He
can't help me. He's in jail. Okay, he's on his lation.
James confessed everything. Carl hadn't done this alone, and there was another boy
there from the gang, Robbie Mueller. They all drove to Sydney's house in
Carl's grandpa's car. Literal children murdering other children. He told us on the
way what he is doing, and he said, if we have a talk,
we were dead. Okay. What did he say? He told you
what we were going to do. What did he say? He told us
that we were this takes in the kill. He told us we will go
in to you, and he had his pants a twenty two pistol and if
we didn't cooperate, he would shoot us on the spot. When they got
to Sydney's house, James and Carl snuck in together while Robbie waited outside as
the lookout. Do you know what I mean? He told me to wake
her up and the table RUPs. I tried, tried to run and scream.
What kind of tape do you have? I had very little, like
white tape, yes, okay? And then what happened? You have those
some Tracy that wake up together? Tracy woke up cold and shot. I
wanted he killed Tracy? How did you know that that Carl was gonna shoot
Tracy? And she told us before we walked in, and he said,
no, leave, no witnesses. James tried to get Sidney to come with
them, but she fought this would be quiet. She started walking and I
taped her hands up so told me to and I started taking my mouth.
When she read it and saw your mom, I had to stop, but
glad anyone, Tracy died. That's when James and Robbie tackled Sidney and choked
her until she passed out. Then Robbie and Carl dragged her out the door
while James pulled the car around. They shoved Sydney's limp body inside and Carl
took over in the driver's seat. And then we got back in the call
and Carl told us that if we would talk he made this clip, he
would kill us on the spot. He did. Where'd you guys go?
We went down to almost a cutch town down by the bridge. I closed
my eyes. Robbie toned around and called put like full shots. I hold.
Carl shot Sidney and then gave his instructions. He pointed to you know
what, me and Robbie told us to put your rig and we did.
He told me to kick right here and told Robbie push right here, and
when I did, the whole body went with the head. James and Robbie
kicked Sidney's lifeless body through the rails and she tumbled down into the water with
a splash. The boys got in the car and left. So then when
you get it went back buried the gun and the clothes, or does that
you buried again? We buried it behind the ship. One the ship calls
Draffles house. Do you know we've got the gun? Yeah, listen to
James's reaction here. He's truly shocked that the cops found the gun they buried.
Teenagers can be so fucking shortsighted, literally stupid, yet they think they're
so much smarter than everyone else. Have you noticed after burying the gun,
they buried all the clothes they were wearing, along with their latex gloves,
and nobody will find those. Just like Carl had confessed, they came back
a few days later and attached the cinder block and ratchet straps to Sydney's body.
I did not really feel like touch on the body, I was saying
anything, so I dis drapped, like right here or yeah, and throw
it in. Well, how did you get to her? She was in
the water, She was underneath the bridge, and she flowed back up towards
to the land. The detectives wanted to know if Chad knew about this,
after all, he was their gang leader, the original gangsta. Since Chad's
the leader, one te you know about this, I think I'm pretty sure
he probably knows you knew. I don't know if he was the one who
told Carla to do it. Oh, Carl told Chad he was doing it,
But I think Chad might have knew. I mean, I don't know
though, because Coda is Chad's girlfriend, right was there was there ever a
time that you go, You and Carl and Chad talked about this in front
of Dakota. She was sleeping one time, and me and Cole will talk
about it. I don't know if Chad was paying attention. She was in
the back on shadwell, I think they were sleeping. Menaul were talking about
it in the front now, me and Cole talking and Chad and Coda fact
and they both had eyes posed on so it was and Dakota, ah well,
Dakota had claimed she knew nothing about any of this, even though she
was the Queen of the Pe Town Saints. But then Tracy said something in
passing that stopped the detectives dead in their tracks. Sydney wrote a lot of
things down, thoughts, feelings, things that were kind of weird in my
opinion. There had been rumors a while back, and somewhere written down in
a notebook that Dakota come across. It said something about at one point in
time Sydney had slept with Chad. The Dakota played it off like she was
the most confident girl in the world. She was always a little skeptical of
Chad when it came to other girls. Do you ever look at social No,
Okay, yes, I was gonna say, it's only to see we
text, but most of the time it's just text messages for me. Okay,
did you look at his phone that night? No? When was the
When did you look at it last time? I looked at an over of
months since I looked at it, cause there's been I've heard sometimes that he
was cheating on me. So I was looking there was going to see anything,
and I never seen anything. Mm. But it was just people during
the start stuff. Sometimes people aren't starting stuff some people. Sometimes they just
don't know how to go about. Yeah, telling somebody that they know that
they like, that they care about that. This guy could be a cree
bow and he's messing around on you. M I hope he was somewhat.
What would happen if he was messing around on me, I'd be very very
very upset. Yeah. If Dakota admitted she would be very very very upset
if Chad cheated on her with another girl. How much rage would fill her
if she thought that girl was her own little sister? Sydney Stephens was a
troubled teen with bipolar disorder and a history of running away from home, but
this time she'd really gone missing. She was found dead in a creek,
and her ex boyfriend Carl Dane, along with his friends James Glazier and Robbie
Mueller, had admitted to kidnapping and murdering Sydney. The boys all belonged to
a gang named the pe Town Saints, and the head of the gang,
Chad Bennett, also happened to be Sidney's older sister's boyfriend. Carl, James,
and Robbie were all arrested for Sydney's murder, but it was still unclear
as to who truly killed Sydney. James confess to choking Sidney until she passed
out, while Carl admitted to shooting her. However, if she was already
dead when Carl shot her, then James was the one who actually caused her
initial death, not Carl. The police needed to figure this out, if
only for the benefit of the family. Sydney's sister, Dakota, and Chad
basically walked free. Dakota was arrested briefly for obstructing an investigation. But was
released. There was nothing concrete tying them to the murder other than the suspected
motive and their affiliation. Carl, James and Robbie didn't have any real motive
to murder Sydney either, other than the fact that they didn't like her.
But Dakota had a motive. She thought Sydney had slept with Chad, and
she was sick of the fact that she had to babysit her sister's mental illness
all of the fucking time. While Carl, James and Robbie sat in jail,
Dakota and Chad went on living their lives. They even talked about getting
married. Tracy was beside herself because Chad got Dakota something for her birthday that
costs over eight hundred dollars and she thinks it's an engagement room. Dakota was
about to turn eighteen, and Tracy knew that her daughter would no longer be
under her legal guardianship. I'm here to death that she's going to take off
and go Mary Chad in twelve thirteen more days. Like the police, Tracy
also had a feeling that he was behind Sydney's murder plot, so Tracy asked
her boyfriend's daughter to try to talk with Dakota, and I had text Laura
and a couple other family members asking them to please talk to some senten to
her to not marry this jerk, basically because I've talked to her until I'm
purple in the face and it gets me nowhere. Well, Laura, instead
of calling to talk to her, actually came out to mine in Randy's house
this evening inside outside for a couple of hours, actually, at least outside
with nobody else around. And she more opened up to Laura than she has
with me or anything else. She would say things about Chad and how much
his involvement was, and Dakota would either agree or disagree with what she was
saying. The cops got Laura on the phone and she relayed what Dakota had
confessed. I said, but if Chad is so innocent, then let the
evidence proves that he's innocent and you have nothing to worry about. I said,
but you're sitting here worried right now, so correct me if I'm wrong.
As she has kind of looked at and she started bawling, and I
said, you know more than people know. You know, and I know
that, I said, and I have known that, and she just all
she do is kind of shake her head yeah, shake her head yeah,
shake her head yeah. And I said, now you tell me, is
it fair You want to keep your boyfriend but your mom didn't get to keep
her daughter. And I just kind of and it sounds horrible because I was
crying too. Honest to god, I do care about the girl, but
I just kind of kept and it sounds mean, but I just kept kind
of breaking her down and breaking her down and breaking her down. And I
said, now, look, let me help you. I can help you.
I can help you have a future. You can go to college,
you can you know all the reality of things I said. Or you can
keep things the way they are and either end up in prison because you look
like a liar because you're not talking, or end up in a mental institution
because it'll fester at you and that you'll lose your mind. Dakota was a
scared little girl pretending to be tough, so she told Laura she would talk
to the cops on her terms. She's like anti authority, seventeen year old
kid. She doesn't want it to be an investor or an interrogation on her,
and I told her it wouldn't it'd be polite questions being asked, Okay,
you know what about this? You know? And she it really needs
to be anonymous as possible because she's scared. I think there's more than she
let on to me, because she didn't say a whole lot, but she
would agree or disagree. There was a lot more than Dakota led on,
and everyone was about to find out. In the fall of twenty twelve,
Robbie Mueller decided to give a profer statement to police, clarifying who actually killed
Sidney that night and why they all plotted her murder. Maybe Robbie was trying
to save his own butt, but maybe he was telling the truth. The
state needed to charge these kids. Sydney needed justice, and this would get
them one step closer. I was by the door and they walked up to
her. James went to was to tape on her mouth, and she took
it off and stood up, and I guess thought it was a joke because
she just like normal, and then actuating was going on, and then Carl
had to get a point at her, and that's when she kind of flipped
out and James grabbed her and they wrestled to the ground and everything, and
Carl walked over towards me and stood by me, and uh, she was
kind of out wrestling and everything, and Carl told me help them, and
I went over and I put her in a chokehold. Sure, and she
went unconscious. This is just so sick and vicious. These boys had a
rule in their gang no hitting women, yet kidnapping and choking a woman until
she passed out was somehow acceptable. Sorry to bring her outside, right,
I forgot the door. She woke up again, she said, put her
in it again. I did, and we ended up stumbling over. I
guess where the fire was at or something like that, because I know I
tripped and fell on my back and James ended up putting her choke hold and
kept it on her for quite a long time. He put her in chropuli
in and held it for several minutes, and uh he stopped checked her poles
and there wasn't one. It must be three four minutes. I'm guessing.
According to Robbie, it was James who killed Sidney with his chokehold. If
Sidney was dead when they put her in the car, then Carl's gunshots were
not murdered. Robbie also told the cops that the Pe Town Saints had some
rules everyone had to follow. Yeah, you're not supposed to talk to myself
with the phone. Uh, I'm not supposed to stay with Sidney, which
I would. It was part of the game's rules. Or excuse me,
the Pe Town Saints rules. You couldn't talk to certain people, and one
of them was Sydney. Yeah, it was unclear as to who made this
rule, Dakota, Chad, or Carl, but it was a rule that
the gang had written down on paper and told every member to memorize and follow.
Robbie then said that he heard Chad, James and Carl planning Sydney's kidnapping
and murder. It was Carl, James and Chad as my Chad's truck,
and I went in and use the bathroom. When I came out, it
was staying by his truck and I The only words I ever heard was tell
me when you want to do it, and I'll make sure Dakota leaves the
door locked. Did you hear that I'll make sure Dakota leaves the door unlocked.
James, Carl, and Robbie were all looking at life sentences. If
they could prove their involvement, Chad and Dakota could face the same. The
town was disgusted with this savage murder, and the state wanted these bullies to
pay. About a week after Robbie's proffer statement, the cops had to Coda
back in to talk. Now, she had dyed pink hair and it was
cut short. She looked skinny and sickly as she sat down. Here's the
thing. Jessica tells us that you made a statement about you knew that they
were going to try to scare city and I murder. Jessica tells us that,
okay. Jessica also tells us that you unlocked the door for Cad,
the sliding glass door, remember on the balcony. She said, you guys
talked about that. Now you remember when I talked to you about that.
You never would admit to me that you unlocked the door for cat. Okay,
why would Jessica tell you did? Tell us she has nothing to the
game. She has nothing the game. She didn't because saying what is the
reason she's saying that is she's saying that you believed that this is supposed to
what you told her, is that you believe that they were going to come
and scare scared as of the sleeping deal with Chad, with Sydney and Jed
possibly sleeping together. I hold, let me finish and then you can go.
Well. She was briefly locked up. Dakota confessed to her cellmate that
she had left the door unlocked so the boys could scare Sydney, and she
did it because her sister had slept with Chad. She's saying, you did
it, something could come in and scare not to kill her. And you
know she's she's not adding to this, she's saying, you know if she
even says in her statement she told me that if she knew that they were
going to kill her sister, that she wouldn't have done it. I mean,
that's too detail. This doesn't make sense with what you're saying. I
see. I don't remember telling her that though. And this one here,
she says that you come in and told how much you hated your sister and
was glad that she was gone. She asked me why I was in jail,
and I told her what it was for, and I said, well,
I think it's so I have a lot to do with my mom and
she was like, well why, I was like, well, I was
like, my mom thinks that I wanted my sister did because she was apparently
sleeping with my boyfriend. But I never knew if it was true or not.
It's what I told her, And then she asked me if I believed
it. I told her I really didn't know, because I knew that she
had taught me too poor, But I didn't think that Sydney would want to
do that to hurt me. Well, Dakota was whimpering to the officers.
Chad was down the hall and they were about to arrest them. You think
Chad is going to protect anymore? Is it doing it to begin with?
Well, you know, I think Chad was protecting itself at the beginning on
those interviews that we conducted with him, and I also think he was protecting
you. But what you have to understand is Chad isn't ready to be arrested
right now too. One of these days, was Chad gonna tell us that's
gonna hurt you down the road, And that's what she said then too.
But he may say something like that, but you know what, you're the
one that's here first, right now with us, and you're the one that
can make it right. First. You're the one that's you know, you're
the one that's been hurting this entire to You're the one is living with this
your entire So what is it? What is it? What do I need
to? What did he ask you? The police pressed Dakota for hours until
she finally cracked. It took two years, but she admitted to the truth.
What did you do to that door? Tell me, huh, what
did you do it? Okay, look at you. Take your hands away
in your mouth and look at me. What you do and you unlocked the
door? I don't want to be post to clear on something about this door.
Okay, you're telling the truth when you say that you have left it
unlocked, which I had asked you to. Is that right? And that's
the only reason you're telling, says because it's the truth. I don't want
it to be because that's what we've been talking about the whole time. Is
it the truth or not? The p town Saints had planned Sydney's kidnapping and
murder together. Dakota was aware. Even though she didn't know everything, She
unlocked the door so they could execute their plan. James strangled Sidney until she
was dead. Carl drove the car and shot Sydney. Robbie was forced to
go along at gunpoint. All the boys together rolled Sydney into the creek and
tied her down with a cinder block and Chad. Chad allegedly provided the guns.
Chad organized the plan, Chad motivated his crew, but Chad kept his
hands clean. He was the og after all, he didn't have to get
his hands dirty. He just had to point his finger and say go.
Fifteen year old Robbie Mueller took a reduced sentence for his proffer statement. He
was originally given twenty six years, but after some complications with his lawyer,
the appeal, and a heartfelt court date where he received Tracy Stevens forgiveness,
he was given a lighter sentence. He will be out this year. James
Glazier got sixty years. Carl Dane pleaded guilty to murder and was given sixty
years as well, but the day before he was supposed to be transported to
the prison, he hung himself in a cell. Chad Bennett was initially arrested
for kidnapping, home invasion and first degree murder, but in twenty thirteen,
all the charges were dropped. The DA filed a nole prosequi, which means
he did not wish to prosecute the case at the time. The reason there
weren't any witnesses to testify. All the living Petown Saints as well as Dakota
refused to testify against their precious leader, even though they were offered immunity.
Dakoto Wall was given twenty six years on the home invasion charge. She is
now out of prison and living her life. Judging by her Facebook page,
she seems to be doing just great and by the looks of it, she's
even got a new boyfriend. Sidney Stevens may have been a pain in the
butt little sister who required as much attention as the next needy teenager, But
that was Sidney. She was fifteen. What fifteen year old is in a
bit annoying, moody and headstrong. She had an unstable upbringing and a lot
of severe mental issues. What Sydney needed was love from her family so she
would know that there was more to life than this sad little cycle she was
stuck in. Instead, she got a neglected, rejected by her big sister
and left downstairs in the basement. Sydney would likely have grown up and matured
into a decent young woman. Maybe she would have found therapy and tackled her
demons had on maybe not. We're all imperfect, may all have our own
problems. The point isn't what Sydney could have become. The point is but
she never got the chance to try to become because of her own sister and
four displaced, dysfunctional boys who decided to try to prove to each other just
how tough they all really were by killing a defenseless teenage girl. The p
Town Saints were a bunch of children playing gangster. Now one of them is
and the other will be in jail until he dies, and Chad Well,
Chad finally got his in twenty eighteen. He pleaded guilty to the home invasion
charge in order to avoid the first degree murder. He was sentenced to twenty
years in prison. Speaking of years, it took eight of them, but
justice was finally served. Rest in peace, Sydney. He didn't find love
in this world, but maybe you'll find peace in the next. Well,
that's gonna wrap it up here. Thank you for joining us once again.
If you haven't heard it yet, check out Certain Scale Nightmares. It's available
now for free on Spotify, Apple, all the things, and you might
like it. And there's like thirty episodes now, so go check it out
and stay safe. Hey, great show. Calling to Wayne on the figure
figure debate. So, I mean give a little background. I watched a
lot of Formula one, Moto Jook and The Space Out of Europe and all
the commentators are English and they say figure, So I'm pretty sure they invented
the English language. So I think you went on the format time time,