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Speaker 1: Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence, and is

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not intended for all audiences.

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Speaker 2: Listener discretion is advice.

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Speaker 3: That cool smart, like the devil anside me? Who loves less? Lastest?

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Speaker 1: Who was that weird sounding woman at the intro? You're

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about to find out? This is season twelve, episode two

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ninety two, Sword and Scale, a show that reveals that

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the worst monsters are real and literally all around you.

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It's fucking terrifying. It's enough to make you want to

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crawl in a hole and just listen to podcasts. Just

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a reminder that we don't do this for free. If

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you'd like to show and want to support it, head

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on over to Swordinscale dot com, download the app on

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your Android or Apple device, and become a plus supporter

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or a sashole, as we affectionately like to call our fans,

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because we love people so much. In a relationship, it's

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easy to mix up being needed with being wanted, especially

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when you're in love. The dependency can feel like a

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sign of closeness, but as time goes on, needing someone

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can become more important than wanting them, and that's when

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problems begin. The distinction between being needed and being wanted.

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Might not seem like a big deal at first, but

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it can make all the difference in whether a relationship

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lasts or it falls apart. When someone depends on the

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other for their happiness, their self worth, and even their identity,

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it's no longer about love. It's about something else entirely control.

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The fear of losing that person isn't because of love.

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It's because their whole sense of self is tied to them.

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It's not about wanting a life with them anymore. It's

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about being scared of a life without them. When someone

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feels like they have nothing to lose, they'll do anything

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to hang on and keep their life from falling apart,

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even if it means crossing lines they never would have

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thought to cross. This kind of unhealthy reliance doesn't just

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hurt feelings, It ruins lives and the aftermath. It often

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affects the people who at least deserve it. Outside the

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police department in Plantation, Florida, the parking lot is still

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dotted with a harsh orange glow of street lamps. It's

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a little after four am on June twenty eighth, twenty eighteen.

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The sun won't be up for at least another couple

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of hours. Outside, it's a balmy seventy eight degrees with

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ninety three percent humidity. Oh boy, do I not miss that?

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It's like a sauna every day. The humidity makes it

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feel even hotter. The air is thick and moist, so

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much so that it feels difficult walking through it. Inside,

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though it's almost chilly, the fluorescent bulbs cast a uniform light,

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making the small room feel more impersonal. A little boy

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sits quietly with curious eyes. He can sense there's something

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that the adults aren't telling them.

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Speaker 3: Do you ever get in trouble at home?

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Speaker 4: Sometimes?

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Speaker 3: What happens? What happens when you get in trouble?

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Speaker 5: I don't usually remember, since it was a long time ago.

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Speaker 6: I usually do that.

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Speaker 5: Last six Oh, okay, so you're a pretty good kid.

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Speaker 1: Adrian was seven years old. The detectives are trying to

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gauge his understanding of right and wrong and whether he

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knows how to lie. He just witnessed something horrible, which

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is impossible for his undeveloped mind to understand.

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Speaker 4: Can you tell mister Micaul you live with again?

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Speaker 1: I don't know.

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Speaker 3: I didn't write it down.

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Speaker 6: Mom.

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Speaker 4: Her name's Nastia.

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Speaker 5: I usually call her Nasenka since that's how call hern Russian.

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Speaker 3: And who else you live with?

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Speaker 4: And dad his name is Mark.

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Speaker 1: Adrian lived with his mother Anastasia and his father Mark.

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They all lived in his grand mother's town home. It

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was nice and spacious, about eleven hundred square feet, with

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two bedrooms and two bathrooms. There was plenty of room

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for a Grandma Barb and her three cats, but it

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got a little crowded when her son Mark and his

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family found themselves down on their luck and moved in.

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Speaker 5: We share the sandom insuffa. She sleeps with the cats.

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Speaker 1: Grandma Barb gave up the biggest bedroom so the family

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of three could have a little more space. It wasn't ideal,

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but they were having a bit of a rough patch

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after being recently evicted. Of course, little Adrian didn't understand

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any of this. It was summer and he was living

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a kid's dream, staying up late and watching TV. He

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explains that the night before he had watched cartoons before bed.

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He was mesmerized by the colors and the sounds coming

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from the TV, oblivious to the brooding turmoil in his home.

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Speaker 3: When you go to sleep, do you watch TV to

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go to sleep.

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Speaker 4: Oh yeah, yeah.

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Speaker 7: Do you remember what you were watching last night when

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you were going to sleep?

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Speaker 4: Oh yeah, where were you?

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Speaker 2: Watching?

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Speaker 4: Zada's House? The loud House?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's a cool show I like.

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Speaker 5: And also when I finished chanout House, I watched Spungeblow Swear,

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Pierced smoothe.

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Speaker 3: Oh okay, who put that movie on for you? Oh?

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Speaker 5: It just came up of nandemly when the Talent show

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was over.

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Speaker 7: Okay, so when a Loud House was over, the SpongeBob

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movie came on.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, by itself.

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Speaker 5: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Adrian didn't know it yet, but that would be the

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last care free evening in front of the TV that

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he would experience in a long time.

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Speaker 3: Did you get ready for.

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Speaker 7: Bed all by yourself?

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Speaker 8: Uh?

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Speaker 5: Huh? I usually seek in the big bed?

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Speaker 3: Yeah?

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Speaker 4: Yeah?

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Speaker 3: Did you fall asleep in the big bed?

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Speaker 4: Last three I have today?

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Speaker 1: In the bedroom they shared, there were two beds. Squeezed in.

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Next to the full size bed was a smaller kid

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size bed. It was obviously for Adrian, but recently Anastasia

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had started sleeping in the little kid bed. That night,

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after watching the SpongeBob movie, Adrian took a melowtonin gummy

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and got ready for bed. He fell asleep in the

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big bed next to his dad Mark. Anastasia was already

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sleeping in the little bed next to the door.

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Speaker 8: Was mommy and dad in the bed with you?

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Speaker 7: When?

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Speaker 4: No, just start with me?

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Speaker 5: Oh, sleeping in on the did bed?

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Speaker 7: Do you remember where you were when you woke up today?

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Speaker 4: Oh? I think it was. I think it was for something.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, you know. How do you ever know it was

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for something?

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Speaker 6: No?

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Speaker 4: I just see.

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Speaker 7: Oh you just thought that you didn't see a clock

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or anything. Now did something wake you up?

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Speaker 3: Or did you wake up by yourself?

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Speaker 5: When dad was trying to wake mom up? That wake

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me up?

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Speaker 7: How did that wake you up?

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Speaker 3: Oh?

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Speaker 4: Because he was.

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Speaker 1: Talking at four am? Adrian woke up because you heard

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talking in the room. Mark was trying to wake up Anastasia.

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Adrian thought this was so she could get ready for work.

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He knew she had just gotten a job.

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Speaker 3: Was your mom saying anything?

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Speaker 4: Oh she didn't, she's sleeping. I'm so hard. I'm not

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sure she was sleeping.

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Speaker 5: Oh you said that? Oh, because when dad was trying

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to wake her up, she didn't wake up.

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Speaker 4: That's why she had it and drag her to the couch, and.

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Speaker 5: That's so that's how I saw the blood.

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Speaker 1: Even a seven year old knows what blood is and

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that blood outside your body is bad. But Adrian didn't

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really understand what was happening, so he tried to make

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sense of it. Adrian thought his dad was just trying

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to wake up his mom for work, but she wasn't

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waking up when Mark dragged her to the couch. Adrian

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didn't understand the danger. If any adult had woken up

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to this scene, they would immediately be filled with fear,

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but in Adrian's innocence, he just watched with wonder.

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Speaker 5: Well, I don't know why, but at niece, I know.

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And my mom got the.

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Speaker 4: Big bubble on her head. Then when Dad can't wake.

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Speaker 5: Her, Dad couldn't.

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Speaker 4: Wake her up since she was snoring.

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Speaker 5: Also, she had never slurred before, and Dad, how did

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Dad's going was gonna wake her up? Into the couch

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because she got she also got the dead dirty with

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her blood on her head, That's why she couldn't do it.

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So she was sleeping so hard. So Dad dragged her

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on the floor and I saw blood.

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Speaker 7: Oh and you said mommy was snoring.

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Speaker 4: Oh, yeah, she had never did.

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Speaker 5: That's how that figured out something was wrong with her it.

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Speaker 4: Then she saw that was the blood in her hair.

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Speaker 3: Oh and then you heard your mommy snoring.

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Speaker 7: She never did snoring before.

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Speaker 9: Okay, now might.

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Speaker 4: Think she's going to the hospital. I think.

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Speaker 1: This poor kid had no frame of reference for what

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he witnessed. The plots from cartoons don't really prepare a

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kid for experiencing death, and that's exactly what he saw.

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His mother wasn't snoring, That was her body losing the

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ability to clear the mucus from her throat. He heard

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his mother's death rattle. Seconds after his father dragged his

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mother from the room, Grandma Barb came in and grabbed him.

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She took him to her bathroom and shut the door.

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She left him for a moment to grab her phone

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beside her bed. When she returned, she called nine one one.

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Adrian had to be confused and likely afraid, but he

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knew nine one one was the number to call for help.

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Speaker 5: I stayed in the bathroom with Strama since she didn't

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want me to step in the blood.

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Speaker 4: She called nine one one, and she also.

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Speaker 5: Called on of the amblien. She also caused the amblion

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so mom couldn't go go into hospital.

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Speaker 4: Again.

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Speaker 5: That's like dad did it, orly because mom has to

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go doing her hospital work.

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Speaker 4: And this morning.

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Speaker 1: Adrian explained everything he saw and heard his mother snoring,

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his father dragging her, and the blood on the bed

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and the floor. His grandmother took him to the bathroom

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so he wouldn't step in the blood. It's difficult to

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listen to knowing he didn't fully understand the real reason

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he was in the bathroom, he tried to make sense

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of it with a child's rationale. His mother, Anastasia, was

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a doctor. He knew she had just started a job.

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The only reason they were up so early had to

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be for his mom's work. In Adrian's young mind, mom

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had a booboo, but Grandma called an ambulance so the

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ambulance would take her to the hospital and fix her up,

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just in time for her to start her shift. The

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poor kid didn't get it. He was an innocent in

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the purest sense of the word.

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Speaker 5: Seeing the surgery to people in the hospital, Oh okay.

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Speaker 4: Was anybody else there when you came out of the bathroom?

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Oh yeah, some policces? Yeah yeah, okay, Then what did

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you ever seeing I saw Don went to jail for

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some reason.

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Speaker 3: I don't know why. Oh okay.

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Speaker 1: Adrian didn't know that his mother was dead. He didn't

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understand his father was arrested for her murder. Maybe it's

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better that he didn't get it. He was too young

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to process the full nature of what happened, which is

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a blessing in his case. But he's not likely to

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forget his mom and dad anytime soon, and the memory

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of them, I imagine, will haunt him for years to come.

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He'll never see his mother again or fall asleep next

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to his father. They won't be there to wake him

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up and take him to school. The events of that night,

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the trauma he experienced, will eventually shape his understanding of death.

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It'll shape him as a person, his whole personality. The

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lasting impact, which only the adults involved understood, will be

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the loss of his innocence. On the morning of June

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twenty eighth, twenty eighteen, seven year old Adrian woke up

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to the sound of his father talking. Even at such

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a young age, he knew something was wrong. He was

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confused by his mother's snoring and the boo boo on

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her head. He rationalized the events in his mind without

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being able to draw the connections between them. His mother

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was hurt, his father was arrested, but he didn't understand why.

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Fourteen years earlier, in two thousand and four, Anastasia first

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traveled to the US from her native country Belaris. She

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used the trip to practice her English, and by two

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thousand and five she moved to Florida permanently, want better

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place to pursue her dreams than the land of opportunity.

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She wasn't alone, though, she had a close friend with

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her who also moved from Belaris.

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Speaker 3: Did you guys go to college together? Not the same college?

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Speaker 10: I went to FIU on a Stasia went to AU

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and it was a little bit than I did. Then

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I pursued legal Korea went to NSU Law School, and

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she went to NSU as well.

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Speaker 3: Well, actually that was the same school, but a different

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college for the university.

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Speaker 1: Right, Okay, this is Hannah Yamorlik, Anastasia's best friend. Anastesia

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sort of followed her to the US. They were so

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close that after Anastasia gave birth to Adrian, she asked

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Hannah to be his godmother. Of course she said yes.

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Speaker 10: And since two thousand and five she stayed and we

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I mean we lived together for some time, but then

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she moved out, but we still stayed close and to

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state friends.

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Speaker 1: The two were both determined women with ambition and goals.

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Anastesia quickly enrolled in college and started pursuing a degree.

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By the time she neared the end of her bachelor's degree,

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she had met a man, Mark Berkowitz.

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Speaker 10: Which she worked at Trump Hotel and he worked there

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as well, and that's how they met each other, and

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that's how they started dating. Okay, we hang out a lot.

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Then they got married, she got pregnant, and I was

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their friend. I mean I wasn't Mark's friend, but I

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was an a stagious friend. And because I communicated.

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Speaker 1: With Mark a lot, a romance sparked between Mark and Anastasia,

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but she didn't let that distract her from her goals.

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Speaker 10: Yeah, she was always at the computer. I mean she

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enjoyed it. It's not like she had to do it.

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And she was a bride student. When like many student

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fieled the exams, she passed them and with good grades.

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Speaker 3: And she was very dedicated. She felt like this is

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what she wanted to do. She wasn't enjoying it, even

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though she wasn't required, like to do some reading.

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Speaker 10: She was just like going through the books or reading

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some stories materials because this is what she liked.

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Speaker 1: Anastasia was an achiever. She set her side on something

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and didn't stop until she got it. She did more

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schoolwork then was required because she actually enjoyed it. This

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was a stark comparison to her husband Mark. Here's Grandma

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Barb describing Mark as a child.

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Speaker 2: No heeded school. He was probably dropped out in ninth grade.

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You know, he was very He was always a difficult

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kid and always getting in trouble. And he was a

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very tough kid. And thank God my Brian, my younger.

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Speaker 3: Son, God bless him.

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Speaker 2: He learned from him what not to do. That's why

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he turned to be such a good son.

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Speaker 1: Between Grandma Barb's two sons, Mark was the black sheep.

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He couldn't seem to stay out of trouble. He dropped

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out of school his freshman year and started working a

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series of jobs and hospitality. He also struggled with his

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mental health.

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Speaker 7: While he's vipoler has he been diagnosed with that. Psychiatristy

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and I had a list of all his medication.

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Speaker 1: Sam Mark suffered from bipolar disorder. He would swing between

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manic episodes and bouts of depression. His uncontrollable swings in

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emotion and his decisions during these swings made him prone

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to getting into trouble. It wasn't long before the troubled

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teenager became a convict.

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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, he hands a record even when he was thirteen.

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Honestly in a trouble, drugs problems. Yeah, I mean he

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drive me through hell right, three.

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Speaker 3: Of my cars.

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Speaker 1: Anastasia didn't care about Mark's troubled past. It didn't matter

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to her. His past was just that the past. She

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was young, in her twenties. By the time she met Mark,

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he was in his early thirties and had a good

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job at a luxury hotel. Mark had become wiser with age.

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He seemed to have calmed his rebellion youth a bit.

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Speaker 2: But it didn't bother her because she was set as

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far as her career. It was from the main goal,

321
00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:11,319
and you know, nothing was not going to stand in

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the rings.

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Speaker 3: She's very intelligent. She knows she could do it.

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Speaker 2: She's one of the top forty and in her graduating class. No, no,

325
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you know nothing was going to get in the way.

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She's going to achieve her goal and make all her

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dreams come true.

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Speaker 1: The romance bloomed and they both had a sharp eye

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on their future together. Mark was going to work and

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support Anastasia as she earned her degree.

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Speaker 3: And as soon as you.

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Speaker 2: Told me, she took when they got married at the

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courthouse here in Fort Liuderdale that she wanted to go

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to school to become a doctor and she wasn't going

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to work.

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Speaker 3: And I guess Mark was fine with that. He worked

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at the Fountain Blue.

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Speaker 7: He was in love with her, I mean, he was

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supporting her.

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Speaker 1: Once Anastasia became a doctor, Mark could chase his dreams,

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dreams a high school drop out with a record could

342
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never seem to afford with a string of dead end jobs.

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Speaker 2: When she graduates. You know, he wanted to open a restaurant.

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He had all these big dreams, you know, like his

345
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dream also was to be like DJ and he liked

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all this, you know, he loves music.

347
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Speaker 1: So their future was set. They had a plan and

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Mark and Anastasia could see the path before them. They

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just had to walk it. But turmoil was just around

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the corner.

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Speaker 10: She was going to be a doctor she was going

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to for several years. She was studying and everything, and

353
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there were people and.

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Speaker 3: He was a loser.

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Speaker 10: I mean, he couldn't keep any job that he could get,

356
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maybe because of his drug abuse. He was suppressed and

357
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he lost every job. As quickly as see got this job.

358
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Speaker 1: Mark found himself trapped in a cycle of self loathing.

359
00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,039
He'd fuck up at work for one reason or another,

360
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get fired, and fall into a deep depression. And these

361
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bouts of depression would last a while, then like a

362
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swing of a pendulum, Mark would rebound, get another job

363
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and always right with the world again, at least in

364
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his eyes. The cycle continued until one day Mark spun

365
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out of control. Adrian was about one year old and

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they were living in Miami Gardens. This incident would change everything.

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Speaker 3: And her parents were here.

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Speaker 10: They were visiting Anastasia, and they were visiting them like

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to see the child.

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Speaker 3: I think he was.

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Speaker 10: High, he was under something. He didn't look like he

372
00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:54,279
was a cypercal Mark. When he's sobered and he started

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yelling at the parents. He studied his mom monastagious. Mom

374
00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:01,839
said something, but he missed into because he doesn't speak English,

375
00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:05,319
and she says something in Russian, but he misinterpreted and

376
00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:06,519
thought that was something in.

377
00:25:06,519 --> 00:25:10,720
Speaker 3: English, right, and it was something like bad about him.

378
00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:15,119
Speaker 10: So he started yelling at her parents and Anastasia trying

379
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to defend the parents, but he got angry with her

380
00:25:19,359 --> 00:25:23,400
and he attacked her. He pushed it on the bed

381
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and tried to strangle her.

382
00:25:25,759 --> 00:25:29,599
Speaker 1: Anastasia was trying to diffuse the misunderstanding between her husband

383
00:25:30,039 --> 00:25:35,240
and parents, but Mark lost it, grabbed Anastasia and threw

384
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her on the bed. He straddled her body and wrapped

385
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both hands around her throat. Her stepfather had to pull

386
00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:46,599
him off. Anastasia and her parents grabbed one year old Adrian,

387
00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:52,559
hid with the neighbors and called the police. Anastasia was frightened.

388
00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:57,680
Mark had never acted so violently before. She didn't know

389
00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:01,119
what to think or what to do. Of course, the

390
00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,359
police didn't either.

391
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Speaker 3: So after this incident, the parents left.

392
00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:09,279
Speaker 10: The husband spoke to her. I mean he was begging

393
00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:11,960
to take him back. He said, it's not going out

394
00:26:12,119 --> 00:26:16,799
happen again. And I mean she did take him back.

395
00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:19,839
I mean, I mean she was a very vulnerable.

396
00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:23,559
Speaker 3: Steed, she was without work, she was a student, she

397
00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:25,400
had a child. I mean, so I don't know.

398
00:26:25,559 --> 00:26:28,880
Speaker 10: She probably believed that he can change, but after some

399
00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:32,480
period of sim it looked like he stopped.

400
00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:33,799
Speaker 3: Or she convinced him to star.

401
00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:39,079
Speaker 1: Anastasia knew she couldn't raise Adrian and go to school

402
00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:42,839
on her own, so she convinced herself that this was

403
00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:47,599
a one time thing and Mark could change. After Anastesia

404
00:26:47,599 --> 00:26:51,200
took him back, Mark seemed to turn his life around.

405
00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:54,000
He really put in the effort to be a better

406
00:26:54,039 --> 00:26:57,720
man for his family. He stopped his illicit drug use,

407
00:26:57,839 --> 00:27:00,319
got another job, and actually seemed happy.

408
00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:05,799
Speaker 2: Mark was doing okays, just controlling his medication, and he

409
00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:10,599
was working at the Renaissance. He was exercising, he was

410
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,160
mentally feeling good about himself.

411
00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:19,079
Speaker 1: And things were okay for a while. All the while

412
00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:22,599
and the stage I kept working towards her degree. By

413
00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:25,839
the time Adrian turned six, they lived in an apartment

414
00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:31,000
across the street from Grandma Barb. Then something happened, something

415
00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,720
that would be the catalyst for change in their relationship.

416
00:27:35,279 --> 00:27:37,559
Speaker 7: The downfalls started after they got evicted.

417
00:27:37,599 --> 00:27:41,720
Speaker 2: It lovest prados I found out after wishing that when

418
00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:45,599
they moved in with me, that the reason they were evicted,

419
00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:49,319
and it lost Paudus Apartments in December.

420
00:27:50,279 --> 00:27:53,279
Speaker 3: Is because she took out some money from this Mark Tony.

421
00:27:53,519 --> 00:27:56,039
Speaker 7: She took out some money from the student loan.

422
00:27:55,960 --> 00:28:00,359
Speaker 2: And gambled it so they didn't have enough money for rent.

423
00:28:00,759 --> 00:28:03,960
Speaker 1: Anastasia liked to gamble. It was the only thing she

424
00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:06,680
did for fun. She spent the rest of her time

425
00:28:06,759 --> 00:28:10,160
studying and being a mom. So every once in a

426
00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:12,920
while she would blow off some steam at the casino.

427
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,200
It's just that she rarely won, so things.

428
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,200
Speaker 2: Started going down hill. I cours I lived across the street.

429
00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:25,440
He was really upset that she did that. He was

430
00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:30,640
ready upset having to move in with me and and.

431
00:28:30,519 --> 00:28:31,240
Speaker 3: He blamed her.

432
00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:36,160
Speaker 1: Mark resented Anastasia for what she did. He turned his

433
00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:40,039
life around for her. Now he was forty two years old,

434
00:28:40,039 --> 00:28:42,559
and he relied on his mother for a place to live.

435
00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:47,160
Makes you feel like a real loser when you get

436
00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:50,119
divorced and have to move back in with mom. As

437
00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:53,039
an adult male, it can really do a number on

438
00:28:53,079 --> 00:28:57,160
your self confidence if you're not careful. Mark felt that

439
00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,359
he should have more to show for his life life.

440
00:29:01,039 --> 00:29:04,319
Being where he was in life, he felt like he

441
00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,920
was right back where he had started Anastasia's life was

442
00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:12,440
moving forward with lightning speed, while his life was standing still,

443
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:16,599
and it was all her fault, but he tried his

444
00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:21,599
best to move past it. In March twenty eighteen, Anastasia

445
00:29:21,599 --> 00:29:25,440
became a naturalized citizen, a milestone she had been waiting

446
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:28,960
on for years. She was now a full fledged citizen

447
00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:31,680
of the United States and only a month away from

448
00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:37,279
becoming a doctor. Anastasia could not have been happier. She

449
00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:40,200
was so close to the goal she'd worked so hard

450
00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:42,960
to achieve, and she wanted to celebrate.

451
00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:46,440
Speaker 2: He was working in for Advice, okay, and he got

452
00:29:46,519 --> 00:29:49,039
offered management job there and I said, that's.

453
00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:49,640
Speaker 3: Great, Mark.

454
00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:54,359
Speaker 7: I mean they must really like you and have confidence.

455
00:29:54,279 --> 00:29:54,920
Speaker 3: And manage it.

456
00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:59,000
Speaker 2: So that month was okay, and she was supposed to

457
00:29:59,039 --> 00:30:02,720
have her gradual party at the Vice.

458
00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:06,720
Speaker 3: And he was going to get a discount.

459
00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:12,079
Speaker 1: Dude, okay, Well the discount fell through. If you ask

460
00:30:12,119 --> 00:30:16,039
Grandma Barb, she'll say Mark quit. But the truth is

461
00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:21,160
he was fired. Mark was caught skimming. Skimming is a

462
00:30:21,279 --> 00:30:25,440
childish scam of patting the check so the customer pays more,

463
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:30,960
essentially giving the scammer a larger tip. In Mark's case,

464
00:30:31,039 --> 00:30:35,200
he was pocketing vouchers for espresso. He would apply the

465
00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:40,119
coupon to the customer's bill after they paid. He'd make

466
00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:44,400
like ten bucks each time. He got caught when upper

467
00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:48,240
management noticed the vouchers being used, when they knew that

468
00:30:48,279 --> 00:30:54,400
the espresso machine was broken. Oops. Mark was busted and

469
00:30:54,640 --> 00:31:01,000
it ruined Anastasia's graduation party plans, all for again ten dollars.

470
00:31:01,079 --> 00:31:05,119
At a time, the tension between the two was higher

471
00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:08,000
than ever. I mean, what a fucking loser.

472
00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:12,880
Speaker 2: So anyway, so that was a disappointment, you know, that

473
00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:16,160
was that was a big argument. She was very upset

474
00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:19,319
with him with that fact that that didn't work out.

475
00:31:20,119 --> 00:31:23,839
So now it hasn't been working since. So the friction

476
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,319
i mean got worse then because she didn't want to

477
00:31:26,359 --> 00:31:27,039
talk to him.

478
00:31:27,119 --> 00:31:29,039
Speaker 3: She was upset he wasn't going to talk to her.

479
00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:33,799
Speaker 1: Anastasia was pissed. She didn't ask Mark for much, but

480
00:31:34,119 --> 00:31:38,599
when she did, she was routinely disappointed. Mounting tensions at

481
00:31:38,599 --> 00:31:42,720
home couldn't have come at a worse time. Anastasia was

482
00:31:42,799 --> 00:31:46,920
days away from graduation and tried to remain focused. Mark

483
00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:49,880
two tried to play the role of dutiful husband, but

484
00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:54,400
the rift between them was already too great. As her

485
00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:58,759
graduation day approached, she couldn't have been more excited. But

486
00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:01,400
when the day came, she didn't seem to want to

487
00:32:01,519 --> 00:32:05,519
share it with Mark or Grandma barp I.

488
00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:08,599
Speaker 10: Saw that the husband was very angry with her because

489
00:32:08,599 --> 00:32:10,359
she didn't want to hold his hand.

490
00:32:10,559 --> 00:32:11,079
Speaker 6: She was.

491
00:32:12,559 --> 00:32:14,839
Speaker 10: Like, shouldn't want him to be there, but he wanted

492
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:18,319
to be there. He felt like he's being rejected. He

493
00:32:18,359 --> 00:32:20,880
wanted her attention, and he was giving her like a

494
00:32:21,039 --> 00:32:21,759
very hard time.

495
00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:23,400
Speaker 3: He was insulting her.

496
00:32:25,119 --> 00:32:27,799
Speaker 10: Basically. I mean, he brought her to tears. And that

497
00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:29,000
was a special day.

498
00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:34,599
Speaker 1: It was Anastasia's special day. She spent the better part

499
00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:39,119
of a decade working towards that day. But Mark couldn't

500
00:32:39,119 --> 00:32:43,119
help but want to share in his wife's success. After all,

501
00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:46,559
they were partners. He'd helped her get to where she was.

502
00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:53,000
Her success was their success. Yeah, yeah, that's it. In fact,

503
00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:56,680
it was his his success. It was it was Mark Mark.

504
00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,200
Mark had done it all. I mean, he'd you know,

505
00:32:59,599 --> 00:33:03,279
kept the going. Anastesia couldn't have done anything if it

506
00:33:03,319 --> 00:33:04,279
hadn't been for Mark.

507
00:33:05,079 --> 00:33:05,279
Speaker 2: Right.

508
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,880
Speaker 1: Needless to say, Anastasia didn't see it that way Anastasia

509
00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:13,519
her success was despite Mark.

510
00:33:14,119 --> 00:33:16,279
Speaker 2: He would want to come up and kiss her huger

511
00:33:16,319 --> 00:33:20,039
and she would shove him away. Her girlfriends were there,

512
00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:22,640
and she completely ignored Mark.

513
00:33:23,359 --> 00:33:24,480
Speaker 3: She said she didn't like him.

514
00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:28,680
Speaker 2: They would touch her and she was disappointed in him.

515
00:33:29,079 --> 00:33:32,000
And you know, Mark felt rejected. I mean, I could

516
00:33:32,079 --> 00:33:34,160
see that she didn't want them.

517
00:33:35,440 --> 00:33:40,519
Speaker 1: That day, surrounded by all their graduating doctors, Anastasia was

518
00:33:40,559 --> 00:33:45,160
embarrassed by her unaccomplished husband. She had a vision for

519
00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:49,279
the rest of her life that didn't include Mark. Mark

520
00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:53,359
was confused and angry. This wasn't part of their plan.

521
00:33:54,359 --> 00:33:57,759
Anastasia's graduation was supposed to be the start of the

522
00:33:57,799 --> 00:34:01,359
rest of their lives together, but it wasn't shaping up

523
00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:06,000
that way. Anastasia shunned Mark in front of her friends

524
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:10,639
and his mother. Of course, Mark pitched a fit. He

525
00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:14,920
disappeared with the car, leaving Anastasia crying. When he returned

526
00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:18,320
an hour later, he gave Anastasia the keys and told

527
00:34:18,320 --> 00:34:22,960
her he was walking home. His manipulative attempt at guilting

528
00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,880
her worked. She and her friends picked him up and

529
00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:28,760
took him with them to celebrate.

530
00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:31,840
Speaker 10: Was going to Harroka mean to have like some lunch

531
00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:34,679
and maybe like celebrate. She got afraid, and she said

532
00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:36,280
that if you're not going to pick him up and

533
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:38,639
take him with us, I don't know what.

534
00:34:38,559 --> 00:34:39,960
Speaker 3: He's going to do to me in the house when

535
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:40,840
I'm going to be back.

536
00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:46,159
Speaker 1: But Mark couldn't let go of Anastasia's disrespect towards him,

537
00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:47,639
and she was very aggressive.

538
00:34:47,679 --> 00:34:51,599
Speaker 10: He was screaming on hey, yelling, and he was very agitated,

539
00:34:51,639 --> 00:34:52,920
and he was very angry.

540
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:55,199
Speaker 3: I mean even I was scared of him.

541
00:34:56,320 --> 00:35:02,239
Speaker 1: The argument continued and grew until Mark finally saw only

542
00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:04,239
one path forward.

543
00:35:05,039 --> 00:35:07,159
Speaker 10: He was the one who started the conversation. Maybe we

544
00:35:07,519 --> 00:35:12,199
should get divorced, he started, He started, and she was

545
00:35:12,199 --> 00:35:14,599
happy that he was the one who started the conversation.

546
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:17,800
Speaker 3: But again from what I heard from the parents, he

547
00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:18,880
took his words back.

548
00:35:19,079 --> 00:35:22,440
Speaker 10: Several days later, he changed his mind, but she didn't

549
00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:24,639
want to like change, I mean, she was determined to

550
00:35:24,639 --> 00:35:25,320
get divorced.

551
00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:30,800
Speaker 1: Anastagia was secretly thrilled Mark brought up divorce first, and

552
00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,800
she intended the file. Even that he changed his mind.

553
00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:38,119
There was just one little issue, Adrian.

554
00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:41,559
Speaker 10: Her main concern was that she had a child she

555
00:35:41,599 --> 00:35:43,440
was supposed to start working at the hospital.

556
00:35:43,719 --> 00:35:45,960
Speaker 3: The schedule at the hospital is very specific.

557
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:48,280
Speaker 10: You have to be there early and I mean you're

558
00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:51,519
finished very late. So she was very concerned. Who is

559
00:35:51,559 --> 00:35:53,920
going to be taking the kids to school and pick

560
00:35:54,039 --> 00:35:56,119
the kid back from school.

561
00:35:56,400 --> 00:35:59,639
Speaker 3: So she was trying to maintain the friendly relationship with

562
00:35:59,719 --> 00:36:03,679
the in law and maybe with the husband so that they.

563
00:36:03,559 --> 00:36:05,960
Speaker 10: In the future, even though she's going to divorce him

564
00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:08,760
and moral they still can try and help her, like

565
00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:09,119
in some.

566
00:36:09,159 --> 00:36:13,840
Speaker 1: Way, maybe Anastasia was about to embark on a successful

567
00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:17,639
career as a doctor. She wanted to ditch the dead

568
00:36:17,679 --> 00:36:22,159
weight of an unaccomplished husband, but she needed his help

569
00:36:22,239 --> 00:36:25,880
for the sake of their son. The long hours that

570
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:30,880
the job demanded conflicted with Adrian's school schedule, So Anastasia

571
00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:34,840
tried to maintain a good relationship with Mark and his mom.

572
00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:36,320
It just wasn't easy.

573
00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:43,920
Speaker 2: After graduation, she was like, Okay, I don't need you anymore.

574
00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,360
Speaker 3: Attitude my friends.

575
00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:48,800
Speaker 2: I talked to it and said she's going to dub

576
00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:53,679
him after she she doesn't need him anymore. I mean

577
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:56,719
that's and that was the way his thinking was. But

578
00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:00,280
I could tell that they were going for them further apart.

579
00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:04,840
Speaker 1: Mark knew that Anastasia was preparing to move out. She

580
00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:09,559
told him as much, but he refused to accept it. Instead,

581
00:37:09,559 --> 00:37:13,920
he would pick fights, usually about money, and often very petty.

582
00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:17,480
Living in a place he didn't want to be with

583
00:37:17,599 --> 00:37:20,639
a wife who clearly didn't love him was wearing on him,

584
00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:23,440
and his mental state was starting to deteriorate.

585
00:37:24,119 --> 00:37:27,559
Speaker 2: They would fight a lot, and because you know, she

586
00:37:27,719 --> 00:37:31,119
was a real screamer, she could be a drama queen

587
00:37:31,199 --> 00:37:34,480
and she would provoke him and then they you know,

588
00:37:34,519 --> 00:37:36,800
get into like a war zone. They were toxic for

589
00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:39,599
each other, and Mark said he was feeling like he

590
00:37:39,679 --> 00:37:40,599
was being used.

591
00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:45,079
Speaker 1: Mark felt like he was being used because after nine

592
00:37:45,119 --> 00:37:47,840
years of marriage, he was about to have jack shit

593
00:37:48,159 --> 00:37:51,920
to show for it. He was a broke, forty two

594
00:37:52,039 --> 00:37:56,760
year old, bipolar, unemployed man living with his elderly mother.

595
00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:00,679
He had no career prospects in his life was about

596
00:38:00,719 --> 00:38:03,679
to divorce him. So definitely the kind of guy that

597
00:38:03,679 --> 00:38:08,880
they give out popularity trophies too. After everything he did

598
00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:13,519
for her, this is the things that he got. He

599
00:38:13,559 --> 00:38:18,159
felt like he was owed something, you know, because like.

600
00:38:18,079 --> 00:38:20,440
Speaker 10: In the recent months there was police called to her

601
00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:23,320
house many times, and she told me a lot about

602
00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:26,639
all the situations. During one of the situations, she was

603
00:38:26,679 --> 00:38:29,440
hiding in the closet because he was pursuing her in

604
00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:32,159
the house. There was one point in time, the recent time,

605
00:38:32,199 --> 00:38:35,000
when Aastasia had so I stand on her knees.

606
00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:36,639
Speaker 3: And beg him not to touch her because I mean

607
00:38:36,679 --> 00:38:37,519
he was raising her.

608
00:38:37,519 --> 00:38:41,119
Speaker 7: Arm and I was so embarrassed. But they hadn't such

609
00:38:41,119 --> 00:38:41,599
a flight.

610
00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:46,440
Speaker 2: I mean, she would prove all camp because they hated

611
00:38:46,480 --> 00:38:49,440
each other and they knew they were getting a divorce.

612
00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:52,599
Speaker 3: I can tell they both wanted out.

613
00:38:53,079 --> 00:38:55,559
Speaker 1: Three times the police had to respond to that home.

614
00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:00,280
One time Mark was put on psychiatric hold. The most

615
00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:04,199
recent time, Mark was arrested on an unrelated outstanding warrant.

616
00:39:05,159 --> 00:39:07,400
Anastasia couldn't have been more thrilled.

617
00:39:08,079 --> 00:39:13,519
Speaker 3: Ash Station was relieved. Yeah, and she thought.

618
00:39:13,639 --> 00:39:18,440
Speaker 2: She asked her friend who's a lawyer, and it said

619
00:39:18,679 --> 00:39:21,599
because Mike has a bad track record, and that he

620
00:39:21,719 --> 00:39:24,159
was going to be until December thirteenth.

621
00:39:24,239 --> 00:39:25,519
Speaker 3: Then she was like relieved.

622
00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:29,360
Speaker 2: She said, well, maybe six months in jail, we'll give him.

623
00:39:30,559 --> 00:39:34,400
He'll get straightened down and get his head together. So

624
00:39:34,559 --> 00:39:37,039
she was relieved, and I was like, oh God.

625
00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:40,159
Speaker 1: No, we're fighting, and I had read the release date

626
00:39:40,239 --> 00:39:44,960
on the Sheriff's office website, but it was inaccurate. The

627
00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:49,559
outstanding warrant was for unpaid child support. Oh yeah, Mark

628
00:39:49,639 --> 00:39:53,519
had another son many years earlier. By this time, the

629
00:39:53,599 --> 00:39:57,079
kid was a full grown eighteen year old man. Anyway,

630
00:39:57,480 --> 00:39:59,960
all Mark had to do was sign a promisory note

631
00:40:00,039 --> 00:40:03,400
saying he would pay back the child support, and he

632
00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:04,039
was released.

633
00:40:04,719 --> 00:40:05,639
Speaker 7: Anyway, he comes out.

634
00:40:05,679 --> 00:40:07,199
Speaker 3: On course, he's.

635
00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:13,119
Speaker 2: Even more furious because you know, he's thinking, you know,

636
00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:15,199
she's ruined my life.

637
00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:18,000
Speaker 7: I had my track lead it, I'll ever get another job.

638
00:40:18,639 --> 00:40:20,239
Speaker 3: You know, he's really really depressed.

639
00:40:20,280 --> 00:40:21,840
Speaker 7: You didn't care about anything.

640
00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:28,519
Speaker 1: With Mark's return, Anastasia's fear grew. His erratic behavior and

641
00:40:28,559 --> 00:40:33,360
outbursts of anger were getting more frequent and more unpredictable.

642
00:40:34,360 --> 00:40:35,880
She was frankly afraid of him.

643
00:40:36,599 --> 00:40:38,320
Speaker 2: A couple of days ago, I said, well, of my

644
00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:41,880
own knives, and she says, I have him hidden under

645
00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:42,239
the bed.

646
00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:45,599
Speaker 7: Didn't she just say I'm afraid of him, or she's

647
00:40:45,719 --> 00:40:51,480
afraid of him because he you can tell that he

648
00:40:52,039 --> 00:40:52,679
hated her.

649
00:40:53,960 --> 00:40:56,639
Speaker 1: And just when Anastasia thought it couldn't get any worse,

650
00:40:57,559 --> 00:41:01,559
Mark found text messages between her and another man.

651
00:41:02,239 --> 00:41:04,159
Speaker 3: So you're saying Mark saw the text messages.

652
00:41:04,239 --> 00:41:06,000
Speaker 10: Yeah, he saw some of the text messages, but they

653
00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:10,119
were very neutral. There was nothing romantic or nothing. One

654
00:41:10,159 --> 00:41:13,320
of the text messages said that my husband was arrested again.

655
00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:17,800
Speaker 3: Online. It says that the release date is December something

656
00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:19,760
like that. Well, it's good.

657
00:41:19,679 --> 00:41:21,559
Speaker 10: Because I'm going to have like enough time to move

658
00:41:21,599 --> 00:41:24,079
out and she's not going to like prevent me from

659
00:41:24,119 --> 00:41:26,079
doing it. Well, I don't think he thought that there

660
00:41:26,119 --> 00:41:28,480
was an affair, but the fact that maybe she was

661
00:41:28,480 --> 00:41:31,000
communicating with another man and they were talking.

662
00:41:30,679 --> 00:41:34,519
Speaker 3: About their relationship living. I mean, he kind of knew

663
00:41:34,519 --> 00:41:36,840
that she was living. In fact, it's going to happen.

664
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:41,840
Speaker 1: The text messages, of course, infuriated Mark. There was no

665
00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:45,480
way he could be in denial. Now the proof of

666
00:41:45,519 --> 00:41:50,480
Anastasia's betrayal was in writing right before his eyes. He

667
00:41:50,519 --> 00:41:55,119
accused her of having an affair, the ultimate betrayal. She

668
00:41:55,239 --> 00:41:58,039
tried to explain it was just a work colleague, but

669
00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:02,559
Mark wasn't buying it. Needless to say, Mark's anger sent

670
00:42:02,639 --> 00:42:06,199
Anastasia's fear and anxiety through the roof.

671
00:42:06,840 --> 00:42:09,159
Speaker 10: So yeah, she would normally lock herself in the room,

672
00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:12,400
especially like during the night the last couple of weeks,

673
00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:16,719
so maybe a week that he asked her not mark.

674
00:42:16,960 --> 00:42:20,360
Mark asked to not to lock the door. That he

675
00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:23,039
convinced her that he would sleep on the kid's back.

676
00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:26,519
He was like he was pressing. He was trying to

677
00:42:26,599 --> 00:42:29,760
convince her that he's not going to give any trouble

678
00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:32,480
to her. And I don't know why watch she locked

679
00:42:32,519 --> 00:42:32,880
the door.

680
00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:37,639
Speaker 1: Despite her fear, Anastasia unlocked the door and allowed Mark

681
00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:41,760
to sleep in the room. She was just tired of

682
00:42:41,920 --> 00:42:46,440
arguing and gave in. She would be gone soon anyway,

683
00:42:46,679 --> 00:42:49,880
after her first paycheck. She would have a place of

684
00:42:49,920 --> 00:42:54,679
her own. Besides, she never thought he was capable of

685
00:42:55,199 --> 00:43:00,159
well anything really, but certainly not hurting her while she

686
00:43:00,239 --> 00:43:01,360
slept next to their son.

687
00:43:02,079 --> 00:43:04,239
Speaker 10: She always thought that he's a coward. He's not capable

688
00:43:04,280 --> 00:43:07,199
of like doing it in cold blood. She never thought

689
00:43:07,239 --> 00:43:10,239
that she would. I mean, he would do it when

690
00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:14,840
she's asleep, or like the child is actually next to her.

691
00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:17,079
Speaker 3: I mean she was like she was mistaken.

692
00:43:17,119 --> 00:43:22,480
Speaker 1: I mean she was mistaken. You know how they say

693
00:43:22,599 --> 00:43:29,480
hindsight is twenty twenty, well after Anastasia's untimely death, the

694
00:43:29,559 --> 00:43:33,159
events of the days proceeding took on a whole new

695
00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:35,599
ominous overtone.

696
00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:38,639
Speaker 2: The night where Mark was pacing in the room and

697
00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:42,519
staring at her while she was sleeping, and she said

698
00:43:42,559 --> 00:43:43,920
that was kind of freaky.

699
00:43:44,079 --> 00:43:45,119
Speaker 3: She just turned over.

700
00:43:46,559 --> 00:43:48,079
Speaker 10: She woke up in the middle of the night and

701
00:43:48,119 --> 00:43:51,480
she saw him standing by her bad looking at her

702
00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:55,800
so ada, and she asked him, why are you here

703
00:43:56,000 --> 00:43:59,320
looking at me? And he said that I cannot.

704
00:43:59,519 --> 00:44:03,360
Speaker 2: I can sleeping, you know, because he hasn't been sleeping.

705
00:44:04,159 --> 00:44:08,119
And she said, that's kind of strange. He's been staring there,

706
00:44:08,159 --> 00:44:12,320
watching him sleep, and now I think he must have

707
00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:13,320
been planning it.

708
00:44:14,519 --> 00:44:18,440
Speaker 1: Two nights earlier, Mark was pacing and watching Anastasia's sleep.

709
00:44:19,440 --> 00:44:23,840
At the time it was weird, but now it's downright scary.

710
00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:28,760
The next night, Grandma Barb also noticed some strange behavior

711
00:44:29,159 --> 00:44:29,679
from Mark.

712
00:44:30,440 --> 00:44:34,000
Speaker 2: So I didn't notice something strange, and she mentioned that too.

713
00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:37,320
He's making me nervous and pacing, walking back and forth

714
00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:39,679
them like something's going through.

715
00:44:39,559 --> 00:44:43,159
Speaker 1: His mind, and I was like, uh, well, Adrian was

716
00:44:43,199 --> 00:44:48,880
sitting on the couch watching SpongeBob. Mark was in the background, pacing,

717
00:44:49,639 --> 00:44:54,559
contemplating the murder of his wife. When the movie was over,

718
00:44:54,719 --> 00:44:58,239
Adrian took his sleep gummy and crawled into bed with

719
00:44:58,320 --> 00:45:02,880
his father. My Barb went to sleep. Around midnight, Mark

720
00:45:02,960 --> 00:45:06,119
Herder shut the bedroom door. He lay there in the

721
00:45:06,199 --> 00:45:10,800
room with his family, but he didn't sleep. His mind

722
00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:15,079
was racing through every little wrong Anastasia had ever committed

723
00:45:15,599 --> 00:45:20,880
against him. He played out his future without her, no house,

724
00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:28,519
no wife, no kid, no family, no life. With everything gone,

725
00:45:29,239 --> 00:45:35,079
he had nothing to lose. His mind was unraveling.

726
00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:38,639
Speaker 2: And then all of a sudden, Mark opens the door

727
00:45:39,960 --> 00:45:44,880
and he says, I killed Anastasia, like look what I did?

728
00:45:45,159 --> 00:45:49,159
And Isa, oh my god, and he says, come here,

729
00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:52,159
look look I killed her, and he grabbed her arms

730
00:45:52,199 --> 00:45:57,039
at see like that. Well no, no, no, she was

731
00:45:57,079 --> 00:45:59,960
already on the floor, but I mean he just wanted

732
00:46:00,159 --> 00:46:02,840
kind of turn her hand this way to see.

733
00:46:02,639 --> 00:46:03,559
Speaker 3: That she was dead.

734
00:46:04,719 --> 00:46:08,280
Speaker 1: At four a m. Mark burst into his mother's room

735
00:46:08,559 --> 00:46:14,239
and told her what he'd done. He'd killed Anastasia. By

736
00:46:14,280 --> 00:46:17,880
this time, Adrian was awake, probably rubbing the sleep from

737
00:46:17,880 --> 00:46:21,599
his eyes as he witnessed his father dragging his mother's

738
00:46:21,679 --> 00:46:24,880
limp body out of bed and down the hall.

739
00:46:25,519 --> 00:46:27,480
Speaker 7: He says, I want to call the police. I'm going

740
00:46:27,519 --> 00:46:28,000
to jail.

741
00:46:31,280 --> 00:46:31,360
Speaker 8: You.

742
00:46:32,440 --> 00:46:34,719
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's like he had a plant.

743
00:46:35,280 --> 00:46:39,079
Speaker 2: And it said like he has no life, yeah, his

744
00:46:39,239 --> 00:46:43,559
problems remember, And he was like, I'm proud to look

745
00:46:43,599 --> 00:46:44,239
what I did.

746
00:46:45,599 --> 00:46:49,039
Speaker 1: After Mark told his mother what he did, he dragged

747
00:46:49,039 --> 00:46:52,360
Anastasia further down the hall and into the living room.

748
00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:55,440
Barb didn't hesitate for a moment.

749
00:46:56,599 --> 00:47:01,880
Speaker 2: Aden is in the room and I.

750
00:47:00,800 --> 00:47:04,280
Speaker 7: The first thing I thought about was say Adrian, and I.

751
00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:10,679
Speaker 2: Read the room and I got at Amrien, let's just

752
00:47:10,719 --> 00:47:14,159
go in the bathroom, and Abrim likes his I saw

753
00:47:14,280 --> 00:47:16,280
blood and oh god.

754
00:47:17,960 --> 00:47:20,840
Speaker 1: Grandma Barb took Adrian to the bathroom and locked the door.

755
00:47:21,639 --> 00:47:24,440
She wasn't sure what he had already seen, but she

756
00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:27,440
didn't want him to see anything else. She was also

757
00:47:27,519 --> 00:47:31,199
afraid of Mark. She clearly didn't know what he was

758
00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:31,880
capable of.

759
00:47:33,360 --> 00:47:39,119
Speaker 6: Please one side just kills his life. Please frame sim yes,

760
00:47:41,719 --> 00:47:47,840
I don't know with the nine yes right now, I am.

761
00:47:49,039 --> 00:47:51,039
Speaker 1: If you missed it. In the background, you can hear

762
00:47:51,119 --> 00:47:55,239
Mark asking for the phone, that cordial and calm voice

763
00:47:55,239 --> 00:48:00,239
at the end saying hi, Yes, that was Mark. His

764
00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:03,800
voice sounds so much like his mother's that the operator

765
00:48:03,840 --> 00:48:05,400
didn't even realize he was on the call.

766
00:48:05,960 --> 00:48:10,639
Speaker 6: But I don't want my son killed my wife.

767
00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:14,920
Speaker 3: Okay, where is he right now?

768
00:48:16,679 --> 00:48:18,360
Speaker 9: A grown a floor from the blanket over?

769
00:48:18,840 --> 00:48:21,159
Speaker 7: My son is in the bathroom for my mother.

770
00:48:23,199 --> 00:48:24,880
Speaker 3: Do you know how long it has happened?

771
00:48:26,960 --> 00:48:27,599
Speaker 11: I just killed her?

772
00:48:27,639 --> 00:48:27,800
Speaker 2: Play?

773
00:48:27,880 --> 00:48:32,119
Speaker 3: But does he still have the knife right now?

774
00:48:33,840 --> 00:48:34,000
Speaker 7: No?

775
00:48:34,320 --> 00:48:35,480
Speaker 1: I hit it with a hammer.

776
00:48:36,760 --> 00:48:38,079
Speaker 7: I'm sorry, you're the one who did this?

777
00:48:38,280 --> 00:48:40,440
Speaker 3: Or yes, I killed her.

778
00:48:41,719 --> 00:48:45,719
Speaker 1: Mark was calm and matter of fact. His demeanor wasn't

779
00:48:45,719 --> 00:48:48,639
what you'd expect from a man who just murdered his wife.

780
00:48:49,800 --> 00:48:51,719
He almost sounded relieved.

781
00:48:52,400 --> 00:48:53,440
Speaker 3: And you don't have the knife?

782
00:48:53,440 --> 00:48:54,400
Speaker 7: Were on you anymore?

783
00:48:56,599 --> 00:48:57,800
Speaker 12: I did not have a knife.

784
00:48:57,800 --> 00:49:03,400
Speaker 6: I killed her with an okay, sorry, okay, right.

785
00:49:05,599 --> 00:49:08,920
Speaker 3: You're dead, up the blood and everything.

786
00:49:08,960 --> 00:49:11,719
Speaker 9: I don't want my son to see you hold your son?

787
00:49:13,480 --> 00:49:15,440
Speaker 3: Seven? I go bad.

788
00:49:15,960 --> 00:49:18,280
Speaker 9: But is there a reason that you did this?

789
00:49:20,760 --> 00:49:21,760
Speaker 6: If you're going to leave me?

790
00:49:22,800 --> 00:49:26,599
Speaker 2: Okay, are you feeling any thoughts yourself of hurting yourself

791
00:49:26,639 --> 00:49:26,920
at all?

792
00:49:27,440 --> 00:49:30,119
Speaker 3: Now?

793
00:49:30,320 --> 00:49:32,400
Speaker 12: If some arrest me, the rest of my life and

794
00:49:32,519 --> 00:49:38,159
jail so I'll never see him again.

795
00:49:38,840 --> 00:49:41,960
Speaker 6: Let me say by the Adrian st Let me say,

796
00:49:42,039 --> 00:49:45,360
by the Adrian, what are you talking to my mom?

797
00:49:45,639 --> 00:49:46,280
Speaker 1: You're anything?

798
00:49:46,400 --> 00:49:50,239
Speaker 6: I love you, okay, I love you. Okay.

799
00:49:49,360 --> 00:49:53,000
Speaker 3: Where is he? Huh?

800
00:49:53,639 --> 00:49:54,440
Speaker 7: Why are you going?

801
00:49:54,880 --> 00:49:55,159
Speaker 4: Dad?

802
00:49:55,840 --> 00:49:56,039
Speaker 6: Dad?

803
00:49:56,079 --> 00:49:56,840
Speaker 7: He's going to jail?

804
00:49:56,880 --> 00:49:57,360
Speaker 12: I love you?

805
00:49:57,400 --> 00:49:58,159
Speaker 9: Are you?

806
00:49:58,199 --> 00:49:59,360
Speaker 6: And the arri.

807
00:50:00,800 --> 00:50:05,440
Speaker 1: Mark said goodbye to his son and walked outside. Officers

808
00:50:05,519 --> 00:50:08,840
arrived for the fourth time in as many months and

809
00:50:09,079 --> 00:50:10,639
arrested Mark without incident.

810
00:50:12,199 --> 00:50:17,360
Speaker 6: I'm here, I'm here, no reason for why, yes, sir.

811
00:50:18,800 --> 00:50:21,400
Speaker 1: When detectives got around to interviewing Mark, it was around

812
00:50:21,400 --> 00:50:24,679
eight am. The orange glow from the street lights in

813
00:50:24,719 --> 00:50:28,000
the parking lot had since been replaced by the early

814
00:50:28,039 --> 00:50:33,519
morning sun picking over trees in the east. Inside. Mark's

815
00:50:33,559 --> 00:50:36,400
at calmly as he didn't have a care in the world,

816
00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:42,800
but his deep set eyes stared forward with a terrifying intensity.

817
00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:45,320
Speaker 13: I was looking at her, and I was just thinking,

818
00:50:45,360 --> 00:50:46,280
she's so evil.

819
00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:49,320
Speaker 3: Why do you think she's evil? Mark?

820
00:50:49,360 --> 00:50:56,519
Speaker 9: Because she turned, she lied to me. She proved heart, what.

821
00:50:58,599 --> 00:51:02,239
Speaker 12: You were supposed to be with each other forever, you

822
00:51:02,320 --> 00:51:08,360
were supposed to move in the apartment. She's backstet me,

823
00:51:09,400 --> 00:51:13,679
betrayed me. I seemed like she guessed she had to

824
00:51:13,719 --> 00:51:15,119
plan the whole time, and she.

825
00:51:16,280 --> 00:51:19,880
Speaker 9: Ended up using me. I guess you know, you know

826
00:51:20,239 --> 00:51:22,000
it was hurtful.

827
00:51:21,599 --> 00:51:24,679
Speaker 12: How could she do that to me on the day

828
00:51:24,719 --> 00:51:30,960
she graduates. I'm just a very unstable person. I just

829
00:51:31,119 --> 00:51:34,320
flipped from one place to another, you know, I just

830
00:51:34,679 --> 00:51:41,079
I can't control my emotions. It's hard being bipolar because

831
00:51:41,599 --> 00:51:43,079
your emotions go this.

832
00:51:42,920 --> 00:51:45,880
Speaker 9: Way and it goes that way. And like, you know,

833
00:51:46,880 --> 00:51:49,599
I'm good, I'm good, I'm bad, I'm bad. I'm good,

834
00:51:49,639 --> 00:51:52,599
I'm good, I'm bad, I'm bad. But I know I'm

835
00:51:52,639 --> 00:51:56,760
absolutely freaking out. It's because as I am, What did

836
00:51:56,800 --> 00:52:04,079
you use? I used to hammer. I didn't want to

837
00:52:04,119 --> 00:52:06,119
do it when I freely didn't.

838
00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:07,400
Speaker 3: That's just.

839
00:52:09,280 --> 00:52:09,559
Speaker 2: Said.

840
00:52:09,760 --> 00:52:14,000
Speaker 9: It's the voices. I do it, do it, do it,

841
00:52:14,360 --> 00:52:14,840
do it?

842
00:52:15,199 --> 00:52:18,119
Speaker 12: And I'd walk up, put the hammer and closs your

843
00:52:18,199 --> 00:52:23,880
head and I'd walk away and close my eyes, and

844
00:52:23,920 --> 00:52:25,000
I just did it.

845
00:52:25,840 --> 00:52:26,920
Speaker 3: Why the hammer though.

846
00:52:28,440 --> 00:52:32,360
Speaker 9: I didn't. I hate knife. I don't do it with

847
00:52:32,360 --> 00:52:32,880
a knife.

848
00:52:34,079 --> 00:52:37,159
Speaker 7: Okay, was there anything special about it or anyan?

849
00:52:38,320 --> 00:52:42,800
Speaker 9: No, dang, it was spontaneous. I hate knife. I don't

850
00:52:42,800 --> 00:52:44,320
want her to scream in front of my kid.

851
00:52:44,559 --> 00:52:46,239
Speaker 3: I don't want to see her at meaning my kid

852
00:52:46,400 --> 00:52:47,480
back to death.

853
00:52:47,760 --> 00:52:50,320
Speaker 14: You hit somebody in the head with the fucking hammer,

854
00:52:50,440 --> 00:52:51,960
they're out that's it.

855
00:52:52,039 --> 00:52:54,599
Speaker 9: You're out. You get somebody in the head with the

856
00:52:54,639 --> 00:52:55,719
baseball bat, They're out.

857
00:52:57,119 --> 00:53:01,480
Speaker 1: That night, as Anastasia and Adrian slap it, Mark got

858
00:53:01,480 --> 00:53:04,920
a hammer from his mother's toolkit. It was old and

859
00:53:04,960 --> 00:53:08,880
missing one of its claws in the back. Mark held

860
00:53:08,920 --> 00:53:13,840
the hammer inches from Anastasia's head, his mind in conflict

861
00:53:13,880 --> 00:53:17,039
with itself. Do it, don't do it?

862
00:53:17,679 --> 00:53:18,119
Speaker 4: Do it?

863
00:53:18,480 --> 00:53:21,840
Speaker 8: Don't do it? Do it, don't do it, don't do it,

864
00:53:21,920 --> 00:53:24,119
do it, do it, don't do it, don't do it,

865
00:53:24,199 --> 00:53:28,320
do it, don't don't do it, don't do it. Don't

866
00:53:28,480 --> 00:53:29,679
do it.

867
00:53:29,760 --> 00:53:31,440
Speaker 1: Don't do it. Don't don't do it.

868
00:53:31,480 --> 00:53:33,400
Speaker 8: Do it, don't do it, don't do it, do it,

869
00:53:33,559 --> 00:53:34,199
don't do it?

870
00:53:34,360 --> 00:53:34,719
Speaker 6: Do it?

871
00:53:34,960 --> 00:53:35,559
Speaker 8: Do it.

872
00:53:36,639 --> 00:53:39,199
Speaker 1: He tried to work up the courage to kill her,

873
00:53:40,079 --> 00:53:44,280
but his mind kept backing him out of it each time.

874
00:53:45,519 --> 00:53:53,599
Then suddenly he swung. Anastasia's skull cracked open like the

875
00:53:53,639 --> 00:53:54,400
shell of an egg.

876
00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:58,519
Speaker 11: I know she's gonna die because I see the gashes

877
00:53:58,559 --> 00:53:59,800
in the blood in her head.

878
00:54:00,280 --> 00:54:02,639
Speaker 12: I can see like a piece of brain sticking out

879
00:54:02,719 --> 00:54:03,480
and shit.

880
00:54:03,679 --> 00:54:07,639
Speaker 9: So you know, she made noise, and like Adrians, she snoring,

881
00:54:07,639 --> 00:54:11,639
turn around and go back to sleep and I pulled

882
00:54:11,679 --> 00:54:12,800
her out very quickly.

883
00:54:12,920 --> 00:54:15,920
Speaker 12: I remember pulling her out very quickly, and then I

884
00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:17,840
had to shrinkly or to put her out.

885
00:54:17,679 --> 00:54:18,360
Speaker 9: Of her misery.

886
00:54:19,639 --> 00:54:21,920
Speaker 1: When Mark grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her

887
00:54:21,960 --> 00:54:25,119
from bed, a trail of blood was left behind from

888
00:54:25,159 --> 00:54:29,079
the gaping hole in her head. He stopped for a

889
00:54:29,119 --> 00:54:31,920
moment to show his mother what he did, and then

890
00:54:31,960 --> 00:54:35,519
continued to the living room. Then he wrapped an electrical

891
00:54:35,599 --> 00:54:38,840
cord around her neck and finished her off.

892
00:54:39,440 --> 00:54:41,840
Speaker 9: And I did it very quick. I did it very quick,

893
00:54:41,840 --> 00:54:45,360
and I was very slick. And I said something to her,

894
00:54:45,400 --> 00:54:46,800
but I'd rather not say it.

895
00:54:47,599 --> 00:54:50,639
Speaker 12: Okay, I'll say it because I'm the fuck I'm going

896
00:54:50,679 --> 00:54:55,039
to lecterature it was, I said, you tore my heart up,

897
00:54:55,360 --> 00:54:57,000
you de tried our family.

898
00:55:00,480 --> 00:55:02,800
Speaker 5: So was this sole media?

899
00:55:04,480 --> 00:55:09,159
Speaker 1: Mark was ricocheting between manic explanation and crippling sadness, to

900
00:55:09,239 --> 00:55:13,039
the point where he could barely talk. Even though he

901
00:55:13,119 --> 00:55:17,440
was crying, his words showed no remorse. He didn't feel

902
00:55:17,559 --> 00:55:22,960
guilty about killing Anastasia or traumatizing Adrian for life. He

903
00:55:23,039 --> 00:55:26,800
confessed to what he did, but his explanation of why

904
00:55:27,360 --> 00:56:03,800
would show just how twisted his mind had become a

905
00:56:03,920 --> 00:56:07,639
nightmarish scene unfolded in the early morning hours of June

906
00:56:07,719 --> 00:56:13,000
twenty eighth, twenty eighteen. Seven year old Adrian's innocent mind

907
00:56:13,039 --> 00:56:16,840
tried to rationalize the horror, believing his mother simply had

908
00:56:16,880 --> 00:56:19,840
a booboo and that his father was just trying to

909
00:56:19,840 --> 00:56:24,280
help her. Anastasia was an immigrant who moved to this country,

910
00:56:24,920 --> 00:56:27,719
learned English, and pursued her dream of becoming a doctor.

911
00:56:28,880 --> 00:56:32,679
Mark troubled since youth, struggled with his mental health and

912
00:56:32,760 --> 00:56:38,199
addiction into adulthood, but tried to provide for Anastasia an Adrian.

913
00:56:39,039 --> 00:56:44,039
But after Anastasia's graduation, everything changed. She acted as if

914
00:56:44,079 --> 00:56:47,679
she didn't need him anymore, but she was just really

915
00:56:47,719 --> 00:56:51,000
fed up with all of his failures. Mark saw this

916
00:56:51,039 --> 00:56:54,880
as a betrayal. In the following weeks, his mental health

917
00:56:54,960 --> 00:56:59,159
started to unravel. The paranoia took over.

918
00:57:00,000 --> 00:57:05,239
Speaker 11: I mean, basically, I supported her for ten years.

919
00:57:05,639 --> 00:57:07,639
Speaker 9: Once she went to medical school, and.

920
00:57:08,159 --> 00:57:11,679
Speaker 11: You know, and you know, paid all the bills and everything,

921
00:57:11,800 --> 00:57:13,719
you know, and then you know, once the last of

922
00:57:13,760 --> 00:57:16,960
my job or anything, things started to get very sour.

923
00:57:17,719 --> 00:57:21,159
And then she ended up graduating school. She was, you know,

924
00:57:21,239 --> 00:57:22,239
she became a doctor.

925
00:57:23,519 --> 00:57:27,039
Speaker 1: Mark is sitting across from the detective, looking tired and

926
00:57:27,239 --> 00:57:32,239
speaking softly. His life with Anastasia had fallen apart, and

927
00:57:32,280 --> 00:57:36,039
he feels like she destroyed it completely. He's trying to

928
00:57:36,079 --> 00:57:39,880
explain how everything unraveled, and his voice shakes as he does.

929
00:57:40,599 --> 00:57:43,880
Speaker 12: The day that she graduated, she didn't come up hug

930
00:57:43,960 --> 00:57:46,400
or kiss me or anything. She went directly to her friend.

931
00:57:46,559 --> 00:57:48,559
She completely ignored me and blew me off.

932
00:57:48,599 --> 00:57:52,039
Speaker 11: And I was just heartbroken by that because we were so close,

933
00:57:52,880 --> 00:57:56,400
Like she's like, I don't want you anymore, You're stupid,

934
00:57:56,440 --> 00:57:59,760
You're idiot, Like she would always undermine me and everything

935
00:57:59,800 --> 00:58:03,679
I just don't want. I was like completely blindsided by

936
00:58:03,840 --> 00:58:05,000
you know, I was destroyed.

937
00:58:05,079 --> 00:58:06,119
Speaker 9: It was hurt, you know.

938
00:58:07,559 --> 00:58:12,199
Speaker 1: Mark expected gratitude on Anastasia's graduation day, a sign that

939
00:58:12,280 --> 00:58:17,400
all of his sacrifices were appreciated. Instead, in his eyes,

940
00:58:18,159 --> 00:58:22,119
she betrayed him when she walked past him with her

941
00:58:22,119 --> 00:58:27,039
success in hand. That moment was the final straw. The

942
00:58:27,119 --> 00:58:31,599
deep love they once shared had curdled into jealousy and resentment.

943
00:58:32,639 --> 00:58:37,559
Mark admits that something inside him was breaking slowly steadily.

944
00:58:38,440 --> 00:58:42,000
He couldn't control it. He paced in the dark dwelling

945
00:58:42,239 --> 00:58:46,760
on her perceived betrayal. His mental state, already fragile from

946
00:58:46,880 --> 00:58:52,159
years of bipolar swings, was unraveling faster than he could grasp.

947
00:58:52,840 --> 00:58:55,079
Speaker 12: I just the last few days of been pacing, I

948
00:58:55,199 --> 00:58:56,159
came concentrate.

949
00:58:57,480 --> 00:59:01,639
Speaker 9: I have the devil inside my head, you know, like

950
00:59:02,079 --> 00:59:08,199
I'm just just like killer, killer, Killer.

951
00:59:08,880 --> 00:59:10,039
Speaker 3: She's gonna leave you.

952
00:59:10,199 --> 00:59:13,039
Speaker 9: I don't want her to leave me. I love her.

953
00:59:13,280 --> 00:59:18,280
I'd rather have her dead than than her leave me.

954
00:59:19,519 --> 00:59:22,760
Speaker 1: The admission comes out slowly, the weight of his words

955
00:59:22,800 --> 00:59:26,840
heavy in the room. Mark's mental state shifts between love

956
00:59:27,440 --> 00:59:33,039
and violence, need and control. In his fractured mind, killing

957
00:59:33,079 --> 00:59:36,760
her was the only way to keep her. If he

958
00:59:36,800 --> 00:59:40,719
couldn't have her, no one would. We all know how

959
00:59:40,760 --> 00:59:41,159
it goes.

960
00:59:41,960 --> 00:59:42,159
Speaker 4: You know.

961
00:59:42,760 --> 00:59:45,239
Speaker 15: She I looked at her phone and she's talking to

962
00:59:45,320 --> 00:59:51,440
another guy and she's cheating on me. Gosh, she's like sweetie,

963
00:59:51,480 --> 00:59:54,280
and you know all that, you know all I'm blushing,

964
00:59:54,280 --> 00:59:54,960
you know what I mean.

965
00:59:55,559 --> 00:59:59,159
Speaker 1: So then when you write the text messages and I

966
00:59:59,199 --> 00:59:59,639
just want.

967
00:59:59,480 --> 01:00:00,599
Speaker 3: To understand, and you.

968
01:00:02,119 --> 01:00:04,599
Speaker 11: Felt sad, But what else did you feel when you

969
01:00:04,639 --> 01:00:06,639
saw her saying sweetie?

970
01:00:06,800 --> 01:00:11,480
Speaker 12: Oh? I felt angry, okay, and just voices in my head,

971
01:00:12,559 --> 01:00:18,079
it's son and son, so and so.

972
01:00:18,199 --> 01:00:22,599
Speaker 1: Mark's jealousy boiled over. In reality, there was no affair,

973
01:00:22,679 --> 01:00:27,519
but Mark's mind twisted the truth, turning innocent texts into

974
01:00:27,719 --> 01:00:32,320
evidence of infidelity. Or maybe it's because he can't read

975
01:00:32,360 --> 01:00:36,760
that well. Either way, he couldn't control his emotions anymore.

976
01:00:37,679 --> 01:00:40,840
The voices in his head grew louder, more relentless, until

977
01:00:40,840 --> 01:00:42,800
they drowned out everything else.

978
01:00:43,559 --> 01:00:45,360
Speaker 12: I see a lot of black I see a lot

979
01:00:45,400 --> 01:00:46,840
of shadows that I see.

980
01:00:47,280 --> 01:00:52,639
Speaker 9: It's coming towards me. I see black cruise. That is

981
01:00:52,920 --> 01:00:56,159
all I wanted. It was just a family. That's all

982
01:00:56,199 --> 01:01:00,400
I wanted, Like forts old, I don't know in set

983
01:01:00,440 --> 01:01:10,679
a family, that's all I wanted. So mean to me,

984
01:01:10,760 --> 01:01:12,199
it's just so mean to me.

985
01:01:13,880 --> 01:01:16,519
Speaker 12: She can't have a family with me, She cannot have

986
01:01:16,559 --> 01:01:18,000
a family with anybody else.

987
01:01:18,039 --> 01:01:20,239
Speaker 9: And now it's it.

988
01:01:20,320 --> 01:01:25,079
Speaker 1: Mark's confession teeters between self pity and delusion. He blames

989
01:01:25,079 --> 01:01:28,920
his mental illness, claiming to see shadows and black crows,

990
01:01:29,960 --> 01:01:34,199
Yet he can't admit that his possessiveness and fear destroyed

991
01:01:34,239 --> 01:01:39,639
everything he wanted, a family, stability, love, everything.

992
01:01:40,239 --> 01:01:41,239
Speaker 3: She betrayed me.

993
01:01:43,320 --> 01:01:47,440
Speaker 13: You don't sit there with somebody for eleven years, married

994
01:01:47,519 --> 01:01:53,400
for nine years, have a child and a family, only

995
01:01:53,519 --> 01:01:54,960
support her.

996
01:01:55,920 --> 01:01:58,800
Speaker 12: I supported her so proud of her every time. That's

997
01:01:58,800 --> 01:02:03,039
take to everyone. Was going to be a doctor. She

998
01:02:03,119 --> 01:02:07,159
had a beautiful future. But that beautiful future was supposed

999
01:02:07,199 --> 01:02:07,800
to be with me.

1000
01:02:09,360 --> 01:02:13,400
Speaker 1: The pain in his voice is real, but twisted by possessiveness.

1001
01:02:14,440 --> 01:02:20,480
Mark didn't see Anastasia as an independent woman, as an equal. Instead,

1002
01:02:20,519 --> 01:02:24,840
he saw her as a part of himself, a token,

1003
01:02:25,000 --> 01:02:30,800
a status symbol, and now that part was leaving him.

1004
01:02:30,960 --> 01:02:33,960
Her betrayal wasn't just personal, it was the destruction of

1005
01:02:34,000 --> 01:02:38,639
his identity. Without her, he was nothing.

1006
01:02:39,320 --> 01:02:39,519
Speaker 6: You know.

1007
01:02:39,840 --> 01:02:41,119
Speaker 3: The Prinsan did warn her.

1008
01:02:41,199 --> 01:02:43,639
Speaker 2: I mean she she was very afraid of him, and

1009
01:02:44,480 --> 01:02:48,320
you know, she should have left him a long time ago.

1010
01:02:49,840 --> 01:02:52,199
Speaker 10: We tried to persuade her to move out of the house,

1011
01:02:52,880 --> 01:02:54,760
and we said, why don't you divorce him.

1012
01:02:54,960 --> 01:02:58,559
Speaker 3: I mean, we're gonna help you. We're gonna, like people

1013
01:02:58,559 --> 01:02:59,920
work together, We're going to help you.

1014
01:03:00,320 --> 01:03:04,000
Speaker 10: And she would say that I'm scared because I brought

1015
01:03:04,079 --> 01:03:07,159
this issue up several times, and he always told me,

1016
01:03:07,360 --> 01:03:09,039
if you want to divorce me, you'll see what's going

1017
01:03:09,079 --> 01:03:09,440
to happen.

1018
01:03:10,280 --> 01:03:13,079
Speaker 7: You know, if somebody helping you pay through college is

1019
01:03:13,119 --> 01:03:16,880
not worth the trauma or the hell you go through.

1020
01:03:18,079 --> 01:03:21,039
I don't know why she was so desperate.

1021
01:03:23,559 --> 01:03:30,159
Speaker 1: It sounds like he's.

1022
01:03:30,480 --> 01:03:32,920
Speaker 3: She lives and she.

1023
01:03:32,880 --> 01:03:36,000
Speaker 7: So that's that was and then and then she didn't

1024
01:03:36,039 --> 01:03:36,880
need him anymore.

1025
01:03:37,280 --> 01:03:38,440
Speaker 3: Well, she got her citizenship.

1026
01:03:38,559 --> 01:03:39,639
Speaker 4: She's pretty much good to go.

1027
01:03:39,760 --> 01:03:45,599
Speaker 1: Yeah, from the outside, it was clear to everyone Anastasia

1028
01:03:45,760 --> 01:03:50,239
could have left Mark long ago, but she stayed. She

1029
01:03:50,360 --> 01:03:54,719
needed Mark, but she didn't realize how much he needed her.

1030
01:03:55,559 --> 01:03:58,199
Speaker 10: I think that he just couldn't accept the fact that

1031
01:03:58,320 --> 01:04:01,199
she's going to be a successful ball to she's gonna

1032
01:04:01,199 --> 01:04:03,639
move out of that house, and she's gonna leave him

1033
01:04:03,840 --> 01:04:06,119
to live his miserable life with his mom. Because he

1034
01:04:06,199 --> 01:04:08,400
knew he's gonna have no future, he has no job,

1035
01:04:08,599 --> 01:04:14,000
he had criminal history, and he just couldn't let it happen.

1036
01:04:14,440 --> 01:04:16,320
Speaker 3: I killed her. I killed her.

1037
01:04:16,360 --> 01:04:20,400
Speaker 14: That's it, that's it. There's nothing afterwards. I deserve to

1038
01:04:20,400 --> 01:04:24,840
go to the penitentiary. You know, the hardest motherfuckers on earth,

1039
01:04:24,920 --> 01:04:26,559
a bright bitch of shit out of me rate me,

1040
01:04:26,880 --> 01:04:29,920
but I deserve that. I don't give a fuck. You know,

1041
01:04:31,639 --> 01:04:32,840
you read what you sold.

1042
01:04:33,000 --> 01:04:37,800
Speaker 1: You know there's a strange acceptance. In Mark's words, he's

1043
01:04:37,840 --> 01:04:41,480
resigned to his fate, knowing the only thing left for

1044
01:04:41,599 --> 01:04:46,199
him is punishment. Yet even now he feels justified, as

1045
01:04:46,199 --> 01:04:52,480
if Anastasia's betrayal warranted the murder. The conversation shifts to Adrian,

1046
01:04:53,119 --> 01:04:58,559
the other victim of his actions. Mark, despite his confessions,

1047
01:04:58,599 --> 01:05:02,760
doesn't fully comprehend and what he's done to his Son's

1048
01:05:02,800 --> 01:05:04,880
a bathroom.

1049
01:05:05,519 --> 01:05:08,199
Speaker 3: I want to say to my Sonny, Adrian, I love you.

1050
01:05:08,679 --> 01:05:12,199
Speaker 9: I gotta go, And he said, Daddy, where are you going?

1051
01:05:13,079 --> 01:05:16,079
Speaker 12: Like, you know, he doesn't know what he doesn't know

1052
01:05:16,159 --> 01:05:17,920
it being you know, he didn't.

1053
01:05:17,599 --> 01:05:18,480
Speaker 3: Know what happened.

1054
01:05:18,599 --> 01:05:22,840
Speaker 9: You know you? Yeah, I'm like, I love you. I

1055
01:05:22,920 --> 01:05:25,960
love you too, Daddy, Bye bye. That's the last timer

1056
01:05:25,960 --> 01:05:26,559
I've see.

1057
01:05:28,880 --> 01:05:34,239
Speaker 1: He's convinced that Adrian doesn't understand and that he didn't see,

1058
01:05:34,480 --> 01:05:39,119
But he did. He saw everything. The house they all

1059
01:05:39,159 --> 01:05:44,280
shared wasn't that big. When Mark dragged Anastasia's body from

1060
01:05:44,480 --> 01:05:48,039
the bedroom to the living room, he was only five

1061
01:05:48,079 --> 01:05:52,320
feet away. Adrian had to step over his dead mother

1062
01:05:53,079 --> 01:05:56,840
to get to Grandma Barb's bathroom. How could he not

1063
01:05:57,199 --> 01:06:03,519
see everything? Anastasia's body lay right there I's vacant with

1064
01:06:03,559 --> 01:06:06,440
an extension chord wrapped around her neck.

1065
01:06:07,599 --> 01:06:12,039
Speaker 3: You don't think your son didn't see this? You honestly

1066
01:06:12,079 --> 01:06:12,440
think that.

1067
01:06:13,280 --> 01:06:13,800
Speaker 6: I know so.

1068
01:06:14,039 --> 01:06:16,599
Speaker 11: Oh you don't know so because your son's blocking stuff

1069
01:06:16,599 --> 01:06:19,239
out and what the trauma that's gonna he's going to

1070
01:06:19,320 --> 01:06:20,880
go through the rest of his life.

1071
01:06:21,719 --> 01:06:22,800
Speaker 3: I know, I understand.

1072
01:06:22,800 --> 01:06:25,039
Speaker 9: I don't think very guilty about that. I don't think

1073
01:06:25,079 --> 01:06:26,239
you feel guilty about that.

1074
01:06:26,519 --> 01:06:26,920
Speaker 3: I did.

1075
01:06:27,360 --> 01:06:31,760
Speaker 12: I think right now you're kind of you can cooperative

1076
01:06:31,840 --> 01:06:35,079
up to this point, which is very good because you're

1077
01:06:35,239 --> 01:06:35,800
being honest.

1078
01:06:35,840 --> 01:06:38,519
Speaker 3: I'm here about the facts, but my main thing is

1079
01:06:38,519 --> 01:06:42,159
is the respect for your son. I love my son

1080
01:06:42,320 --> 01:06:45,320
very much. If you love your son that much, then

1081
01:06:45,880 --> 01:06:47,159
I'm trying to understand that.

1082
01:06:47,960 --> 01:06:51,000
Speaker 1: How do you equate of love versus what you just

1083
01:06:51,039 --> 01:06:52,000
put your son through?

1084
01:06:52,400 --> 01:06:54,239
Speaker 3: He didn't see that much.

1085
01:06:54,920 --> 01:06:58,920
Speaker 1: Mark can't face the truth. The trauma will stay with

1086
01:06:59,000 --> 01:07:02,639
Adrian forever, but Mark is too far gone to accept it.

1087
01:07:03,559 --> 01:07:07,119
He loves his son, but his actions have destroyed any

1088
01:07:07,199 --> 01:07:08,599
chance at normalcy.

1089
01:07:09,920 --> 01:07:18,760
Speaker 9: Oh, I want to tell you that. Oh God, that

1090
01:07:18,840 --> 01:07:28,320
feels so so bad for my son. I feel horrible

1091
01:07:28,760 --> 01:07:30,239
that I committed this crime.

1092
01:07:33,920 --> 01:07:37,079
Speaker 3: I did not.

1093
01:07:37,559 --> 01:07:41,199
Speaker 9: Want her to destroy my family. She rips apart my heart,

1094
01:07:42,679 --> 01:07:46,400
but I'm the one that destroyed it. Kill me.

1095
01:07:49,760 --> 01:08:10,360
Speaker 1: Sir Mark's greatest fear that his family would fall apart

1096
01:08:10,599 --> 01:08:16,319
became a reality, but not because of Anastasia. He destroyed

1097
01:08:16,319 --> 01:08:20,520
it himself. He did a good job ensuring that Adrian

1098
01:08:20,560 --> 01:08:25,359
would grow up without either parent present. Mark didn't get

1099
01:08:25,399 --> 01:08:28,159
the death penalty, he was sentenced to life in prison

1100
01:08:28,439 --> 01:08:31,640
her first degree premeditated murder for the death of his wife.

1101
01:08:32,640 --> 01:08:35,560
Adrian was left in the custody of Grandma Barb until

1102
01:08:35,720 --> 01:08:40,399
twenty nineteen, when Anastasia's parents adopted him and took him

1103
01:08:40,439 --> 01:08:45,399
back to Belarus. Grandma Barb passed away from natural causes

1104
01:08:45,439 --> 01:08:49,079
on February ninth, twenty twenty four, at the age of ninety.

1105
01:08:50,439 --> 01:08:54,560
Mark and Anastasia's relationship was built on a strong foundation.

1106
01:08:55,560 --> 01:09:00,840
As Anastasia became more independent and needed Mark less, he

1107
01:09:00,880 --> 01:09:04,720
felt like he was losing his purpose when he lost

1108
01:09:04,760 --> 01:09:08,399
his job and saw Anastasia succeed. He couldn't see a

1109
01:09:08,439 --> 01:09:12,479
future with her and made a drastic decision, driven by

1110
01:09:12,560 --> 01:09:17,600
fear and resentment. He felt that losing her meant losing

1111
01:09:17,720 --> 01:09:22,119
everything that defined him, leaving him with nothing to lose.

1112
01:09:23,239 --> 01:09:27,319
It wasn't love, It was toxic dependency that led to

1113
01:09:27,319 --> 01:09:32,720
Anastasia's death. It blurred the lines between love, control, and possession.

1114
01:09:33,840 --> 01:09:38,119
Mark believed it would hold them together, but it ultimately

1115
01:09:38,159 --> 01:09:43,119
tore them apart, leaving devastation that even Adrian couldn't escape.

1116
01:09:44,119 --> 01:09:47,479
Adrian witnessed his mother's murder and was caught in the

1117
01:09:47,520 --> 01:09:52,840
crossfire of his parent's toxic relationship, leaving invisible scars that

1118
01:09:53,159 --> 01:09:57,199
may never heal. He may never fully understand why his

1119
01:09:57,279 --> 01:10:01,119
father did what he did. Carry the weight of that

1120
01:10:01,279 --> 01:10:06,439
night with him forever. Every memory of his parents, once

1121
01:10:06,560 --> 01:10:11,199
tied to love and safety, will be shadowed by violence

1122
01:10:12,000 --> 01:10:16,880
and loss. The childhood innocence that allowed him to rationalize

1123
01:10:16,920 --> 01:10:23,039
his mother's booboo is gone, replaced by a reality far

1124
01:10:23,239 --> 01:10:28,039
too heavy for a child to bear. As he grows older,

1125
01:10:28,119 --> 01:10:32,239
the ripple effects of that night will likely shape his relationships,

1126
01:10:32,960 --> 01:10:37,720
his sense of trust, and his understanding of love, forcing

1127
01:10:37,800 --> 01:10:41,239
him to navigate life haunted by the actions of those

1128
01:10:42,159 --> 01:11:07,520
who were supposed to protect him the most. That story

1129
01:11:07,560 --> 01:11:10,479
was written by our senior producer, Evan Ziegelman. If you

1130
01:11:10,600 --> 01:11:12,920
like it, you'll find a whole lot more like it

1131
01:11:13,000 --> 01:12:31,279
at swordanscale dot com.