Speaker 1: I didn't just say, Oh, I'm gonna choked and kill her,
Speaker 1: that'll make her stop.
Speaker 2: I didn't.
Speaker 1: I didn't think y'all didn't say that. It just happened.
Speaker 2: Clinton in New Jersey is a small town of aroundy
Speaker 2: eight thousand people, pressed into just over seven square miles.
Speaker 2: The first glance at looks like any other pocket of
Speaker 2: South Jersey. Quiet streets, modest houses, and an atmosphere that
Speaker 2: feels almost untouched by time. But if you linger long enough,
Speaker 2: you can sense the weight of history in its sidewalks,
Speaker 2: the old trees, the very air itself. For more than
Speaker 2: two centuries, this little corner of the state was shaped
Speaker 2: by glass. The story begins before the Revolutionary War, when
Speaker 2: Jacob Fisler purchased a sprawling track of land. By the
Speaker 2: May eighteen hundreds, the settlement was known as Fizzler Town
Speaker 2: and was later renamed Fizzlerville, and thanks to the fine
Speaker 2: South Jersey sand, which is perfect for glass making, the
Speaker 2: bar soon became part of a tradition that defined not
Speaker 2: only the community but the region itself. Generations of artisans
Speaker 2: carried that tradition forward. But then when Clavengers, which was
Speaker 2: the last great glass center, closed, its stores in nineteen
Speaker 2: ninety nine. The silence was deafening. It took with it
Speaker 2: not only jobs, but part of Clayton's identity. For the
Speaker 2: first time in centuries, the town had to look inward
Speaker 2: to redefine itself in the quiet aftermath. Still, in many ways,
Speaker 2: Clayton never really changed. Families remained tethered to the soil
Speaker 2: that their grandparents and great grandparents had walked on. Some
Speaker 2: lived in the very houses that they were raised in.
Speaker 2: Others brought homes just a block or two away from
Speaker 2: childhood bedrooms. Rootrans deep in the ties between people ran
Speaker 2: even deeper. Clayton is the kind of place where the
Speaker 2: straits form a familiar grade of ranchers and cape CODs,
Speaker 2: where neighbors wave at one another from porches, and where
Speaker 2: the details of every day life are quietly observed. People
Speaker 2: know who take their coffee black, whose dog goes wild
Speaker 2: at the side of the mail carrier, and which porch
Speaker 2: lights burn long after ten pm. That intimacy, those small,
Speaker 2: invisible threads of recognition and care, form a web of watchfulness,
Speaker 2: a safety net in a sense or not of suspicion,
Speaker 2: but of genuine community. It was a safety that most
Speaker 2: believed could never fail. But in October of twenty twelve,
Speaker 2: that belief was shaken to its core because in Clayton,
Speaker 2: a child simply vanished, and suddenly, in a time where
Speaker 2: everyone knew everyone, silence carried a weight of its own.
Speaker 2: Autumn Pascali was born on the twenty ninth of October
Speaker 2: ninety ninety nine to parents Anthony Pascali and Jennifer Cornwall.
Speaker 2: She was the middle child, with an older brother, a Jay,
Speaker 2: and a younger sister, Natalie. Her parents' relationship, however, wasn't
Speaker 2: meant to last. When Autumn was just three years old,
Speaker 2: Jennifer moved out of the family home. Custody was shared,
Speaker 2: but for the most part, Autumn and her siblings lived
Speaker 2: with their father. In two thousand and five, Anthony and
Speaker 2: Jennifer finalized their divorce. By twenty twelve, Autumn was a
Speaker 2: twelve year old girl living on West High Street with
Speaker 2: her father, her brother and sister, Anthony's girlfriend, and the
Speaker 2: girlfriend's children. Anthony was a postal worker, and he kept
Speaker 2: busy providing for his blended family while Autumn was in
Speaker 2: that in between stage of life. She was still a
Speaker 2: child in so many ways, but already carrying hints of independence,
Speaker 2: an individuality that set her apart. Autumn was described as fearless,
Speaker 2: especially when it came to her greatest passion, BMX biking.
Speaker 2: While other kids hesitated before trying tricks that looked intimidating
Speaker 2: or dangerous, Autumn was the one who leaned forward and
Speaker 2: gave it a go. Her BMX bike was her most
Speaker 2: prized possession. It was white, with the seat patterned with
Speaker 2: black guns, white hand grips, a silver front rim, and
Speaker 2: a black rear room. On our Facebook page, she had
Speaker 2: written in capital letters BMX for life. Autumn was a
Speaker 2: regular at the Low skate and bike park, where she
Speaker 2: would spend hours practicing and pushing herself, surrounded by other
Speaker 2: kids who shared her love of speed and wheels. When
Speaker 2: she wasn't at the park, Autumn could often be spotted
Speaker 2: weaving through the town streets on her bike or catching
Speaker 2: air off whom he had ramps and friends driveways. One
Speaker 2: friend's mother, Michelle Doherty, remembered how seriously Autumn took her riding.
Speaker 2: She was all about her bike. They were always going
Speaker 2: to the skate park. If they wanted to ride, I
Speaker 2: would drive behind them in my car. But Autumn wasn't
Speaker 2: one dimensional. For all her tomboy energy and passion for bikes,
Speaker 2: she had a softer and more traditional side as well.
Speaker 2: She enjoyed roller skating and playing soccer, but she was
Speaker 2: also part of the cheerleading squad. Autumn was a seventh
Speaker 2: grader at Clayton Middle School, and she was excelling. She
Speaker 2: was a straight A student, and she had a sharp
Speaker 2: mind and a determination to do well. She was navigating
Speaker 2: the complicated bridge between childhood and adolescents, figuring out who
Speaker 2: she was while still holding on to the thing that
Speaker 2: made her feel young. Her family and friends described her
Speaker 2: as spirited and independent. Her kindness was remembered fondly by
Speaker 2: our friend Deanna Edwards McMillan, who said she didn't hate people,
Speaker 2: and people didn't hate her. Autumn was, in many ways
Speaker 2: the picture of a child on the cusp of teenagerhood. Curious,
Speaker 2: strong willed, playful and bright. But most of all, she
Speaker 2: was loved by her parents, her siblings, her friends, and
Speaker 2: the small, close knit community of Clayton that seemed to
Speaker 2: know her almost as one of their own. October twentieth,
Speaker 2: twenty twelve, was one of those perfect fall days in Clayton,
Speaker 2: New Jersey. The kind of day where the air is
Speaker 2: crisp but comfortable. For a twelve year old with a
Speaker 2: bike in an afternoon free of obligations, the possibilities felt endless.
Speaker 2: That afternoon, Autam's older brother, a Jay, was getting ready
Speaker 2: for his football game. Their father, Anthony asked if she
Speaker 2: wanted to tackle long, but Audam had different plans. She
Speaker 2: told him she was heading out for a bike ride.
Speaker 2: Before she left, Anthony reminded her of two things, be
Speaker 2: careful and I love you. Autumn replied, I love you too.
Speaker 2: She promised to be home for her curfew at eight pm.
Speaker 2: Then she wailed her prized white Odissey BMX out the
Speaker 2: door and pedaled down the driveway and out of sight.
Speaker 2: But as the sun dipped behind the trees and eight
Speaker 2: pm came and went, Anthony felt on ease settled in
Speaker 2: his chest. Autumn hadn't come home. He called Jennifer, Audam's mother,
Speaker 2: who lived with her new husband, Craig. She hadn't seen
Speaker 2: Autumn either. After calling friends and coming up empt they
Speaker 2: Anthony did what no parent ever wants to do. He
Speaker 2: picked up the phone and called police. Clinton. Police wasted
Speaker 2: no time officers first spoke with Autum's family, then spread
Speaker 2: in the streets to begin their search. Around sixty officers
Speaker 2: come through the neighborhoods that night, flashlights cutting through the
Speaker 2: darkness as they called out Autumn's name into the silence.
Speaker 2: The news spread fast. In a small town like Clayton,
Speaker 2: word of a missing child is enough to draw people
Speaker 2: from their homes without hesitation, and by Sunday the search
Speaker 2: had swelled to more than two thousand people. Neighbors, classmates, parents,
Speaker 2: people who had never spoken to Autumn but felt as
Speaker 2: though they knew her joined police to hand out flyers,
Speaker 2: knock on doors, and scar fields in wooded lots. The
Speaker 2: fliers showed a smiling Autumn with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Speaker 2: She stood about five foot two inches tall and weighed
Speaker 2: about one hundred and twenty pounds. On the day that
Speaker 2: she disappeared, she'd been wearing a yellow Clayton soccer T shirt,
Speaker 2: navy blue shorts layered under sweatpants, and bright blue high
Speaker 2: top sneakers. She was also carrying a silver backpack with
Speaker 2: the word reckless printed across the back. Social media lit
Speaker 2: up with the peals to find her, but also with
Speaker 2: a question that grew louder with each passing r Why
Speaker 2: hadn't an Amber alert been issued? The UMBER Alert system
Speaker 2: is designed for moments just like this, when a child
Speaker 2: is missing and believed to be in imminent danger. It
Speaker 2: pushes emergency notifications out instantly across television, radio, highway signs,
Speaker 2: and the internet, but issuing one is an automatic their
Speaker 2: strict criteria, and Clayton Police said that Autumn's disappearance simply
Speaker 2: didn't meet it. For an UMBER alert to go live,
Speaker 2: there has to be evidence that the child was abducted
Speaker 2: and evidence that the child's life is in danger. In
Speaker 2: Autumn's case, there was no indication yet that either was true.
Speaker 2: To believe she was a missing child not an abducted one,
Speaker 2: but to a time that knew her, that distinction felt
Speaker 2: like little comfort. As the search widened, detectives tried to
Speaker 2: retrace Autumn's movements. They knew she'd left home about twelve
Speaker 2: thirty that afternoon. About nor later, a message was sent
Speaker 2: from her f phone. It was a simple text that read,
Speaker 2: don't be like that. The text went to her friend,
Speaker 2: Diana Edwards McMillan, but Diana was puzzled. The message didn't
Speaker 2: make sense it felt like it wasn't meant for her.
Speaker 2: And then nothing, No more messages, no more calls. Autumn's
Speaker 2: phone fell silent. The search for Autumn pressed on, but
Speaker 2: answers remained painfully out of reach. Detectives began knocking on doors,
Speaker 2: hoping that somebody, anybody, had seen something that could point
Speaker 2: them in the right direction, but no one could offer
Speaker 2: any useful insight. By Monday, the search had grown larger.
Speaker 2: The FBI was now involved, bringing with them officers on
Speaker 2: horseback and police dogs to sweep the area. Overhead, the
Speaker 2: steady drone of a helicopter circled, scanning the ground below.
Speaker 2: Volunteers gathered to the municipal building, where organ seizers handed out
Speaker 2: highlighted maps. Teams of twelve were sent out, moving in
Speaker 2: careful grids, determined not to overlook a single patch of ground.
Speaker 2: The search radias stretched outward, reaching as far as the
Speaker 2: Holly Green Campground near the Salem County border. With each
Speaker 2: ar that passed, the urgency grew heavier. Gloucester County Prosecutor
Speaker 2: Sean Dalton announced a ten thousand dollars reward for information
Speaker 2: that would bring Autumn home. That evening, as the Sun
Speaker 2: said Over Clayton, hundreds of people gathered the municipal building
Speaker 2: for a candle light vigil. Flames flickered against the October darkness.
Speaker 2: Each lied a small active hope. Autumn's uncle, Paul, spoke
Speaker 2: to the crowd. His voice broke as he said they
Speaker 2: wanted Autumn home for her thirteenth birthday, just stays away
Speaker 2: on the twenty ninth. He said, say your prayers for
Speaker 2: Autumn and all the children who are lost and can't
Speaker 2: find their way home. But Autumn would never make it
Speaker 2: home for that birthday. Fact Aumn wouldn't make it home
Speaker 2: at all. While the community searched for Autumn with desperation
Speaker 2: and hope, something unsettling was happening in a house just
Speaker 2: a block away. Inside her home, local mother Anita Saunders
Speaker 2: logged into her Facebook. Scrolling through her fifteen year old
Speaker 2: son Justin's page. A post caught her attention. It was
Speaker 2: just one word Autumn. Another post from the seventeenth of October,
Speaker 2: just a few days before Autumn disappeared, made her pause
Speaker 2: even longer. It was a photograph of a BMX bike.
Speaker 2: In the comments, Autumn had asked, is that your bike?
Speaker 2: Justin had replied yep. Autumn responded that's sexy. Justin then replied, lol, thanks,
Speaker 2: come to my house. Anita kept scrolling, uneased in her chest,
Speaker 2: she saw more messages between the two of them. Autumn
Speaker 2: had posted that she needed somebody to install new rims
Speaker 2: on her bike. Justin had offered to help. The day
Speaker 2: before she vanished. They had been messaging back and forth.
Speaker 2: Autumn asked if Justin could install the rims the next day.
Speaker 2: Justin then replied, okay, can you meet me somewhere close
Speaker 2: because I can't really walk that well. Justin had a
Speaker 2: lingering ankle injury from childhood, making it hard for him
Speaker 2: to get around. Then the conversation took a different turn.
Speaker 2: Justin asked if Autumn was single. When she said yes,
Speaker 2: he told her he thought she was attractive. Then, on
Speaker 2: the afternoon of the twentieth of October, the day that
Speaker 2: Autumn vanished, she had messaged him again asking for his address.
Speaker 2: When he sent that, she replied, Okay, I'll be there,
Speaker 2: Just stay there. Anita Saunders had five sons in total,
Speaker 2: including fifteen year old Justin and seventeen year old Dante Robinson.
Speaker 2: They lived together with Anita's husband, just a block away
Speaker 2: from the Passcali home. To the outside world, the Robinson
Speaker 2: brothers were polite, even responsible. They helped with chores and
Speaker 2: were often dropped off at the local laundromat to wash
Speaker 2: the family's clothing. To their mother, they were respectful boys
Speaker 2: to the community, they seemed like ordinary teenagers. In fact,
Speaker 2: both Justin and Dante had been out searching for Autumn.
Speaker 2: Justin had even liked the Fine Autumn Facebook page. When
Speaker 2: Autum's brother aj posted online about the search dogs being
Speaker 2: brought in, Justin commented, that's good, just a new Autumn.
Speaker 2: They shared a love of BMX biking. Autumn had liked
Speaker 2: photos of his bike before, and the two had talked
Speaker 2: about parts and tricks. But not everybody saw the Robinson's
Speaker 2: the same way. Someone Clayton were called another side to
Speaker 2: the brothers, one that Anita either didn't see or didn't
Speaker 2: want to see. They apparently had a reputation for stealing bikes,
Speaker 2: and there were neighbors who had clashed with them over it.
Speaker 2: Justin was a sophomore at Clayton High School, and he
Speaker 2: wrestled on the school team. Dante, however, attended bank Bridge
Speaker 2: Developmental Center, a school designed for students with social, behavioral
Speaker 2: and academic struggles. Both boys lived with their mother and stepfather,
Speaker 2: but had no relationship with their biological father, Alonso, who
Speaker 2: hadn't seen them in years. To some, they were good kids,
Speaker 2: To others, they were troubled. And as Anida stared at
Speaker 2: her son's Facebook messages with Autumn, dread coiled in her stomach.
Speaker 2: It seemed clear that Autumn had gone to her house
Speaker 2: the day she disappeared, but Justin hadn't mentioned that he
Speaker 2: had been out searching. He had even commented about the
Speaker 2: investigation online. And now Anita was left with a terrifying thought.
Speaker 2: What if her son had something to do with Autumn's
Speaker 2: dissipy appearance. After scrolling through the Facebook posts about Audham's disappearance,
Speaker 2: Anita Robinson felt the heavy weight of unease. Something told
Speaker 2: her she couldn't ignore what was gnawing at the back
Speaker 2: of her mind. Her son, Justin, had been acting strangely.
Speaker 2: She would never forgive herself if he was somehow involved
Speaker 2: in Audham's disappearance. Maybe he wasn't, Maybe this was her
Speaker 2: imagination running away with her. But what if he was,
Speaker 2: And even if he wasn't, maybe Justin could offer detective
Speaker 2: some insight into what had happened. Anita contacted the police.
Speaker 2: She explained that on the day that Autumn disappeared, Justin
Speaker 2: had been at home with his older brother Dante. Detectives
Speaker 2: asked if they could search the house. Anita agreed and
Speaker 2: handed them over a key. Officers moved carefully from room
Speaker 2: to room, scanning ordinate signs of family life on made beds,
Speaker 2: discarded clothes, the clutter of teenage boys. At first, nothing
Speaker 2: really stood out, but then they descended into the basement.
Speaker 2: Scattered across the concrete floor were bike parts, frames, wheels, handlebars.
Speaker 2: Among the piles of metal, one bike called the detective's attention.
Speaker 2: It wasn't just any bike, it was distinctive. It was
Speaker 2: Autumn Surprised BMX. The side of it turned the entire
Speaker 2: search on its head. Both Justin and Dante were immediately arrested.
Speaker 2: They were the only ones that were home that day,
Speaker 2: and now police had Autumn's bike his evidence. At the station,
Speaker 2: detective separated the brothers into different rooms. In one interrogation room,
Speaker 2: Dante sat stiffly across from detectives. He denied everything. He
Speaker 2: said he had no knowledge of what had happened to
Speaker 2: Autumn or where she was afternoon. He insisted he'd been
Speaker 2: upstairs in his bedroom, sleeping and listening to music. If
Speaker 2: Justin had done something, Dante said he didn't know anything
Speaker 2: about it, but in the other room, Justin was far
Speaker 2: less guarded. He leaned forward and admitted in a flat tone,
Speaker 2: Audun was dead. He'd strangled her. Justin explained that he
Speaker 2: had invited Autumn over to work on her BMX and
Speaker 2: maybe trade some parts. Around two forty five pm on
Speaker 2: the day she vanished, Audumn had come to the house.
Speaker 2: She wheeled her BMX up to the front door. Justin
Speaker 2: invited her in, leading her down into the basement where
Speaker 2: he kept his bikes and the parts. Once she was
Speaker 2: down there, away from the street and the sound of
Speaker 2: passing cars, Justin wrapped his hands around her throat and
Speaker 2: strangled her. Detectives believed that Justin's motive was to steal
Speaker 2: at Audum's BMX. After she was dead, he said he
Speaker 2: stuffed her body into a blue recycling bin and wielded
Speaker 2: to the yard of a nearby abandoned the house, But
Speaker 2: detectives weren't convinced that Justin had acted alone. They believed
Speaker 2: that Dante may have helped moved Audam's body, although he
Speaker 2: denied it. Back at the Robinson home, police began a second,
Speaker 2: more focused search in the yard of the vacant building nearby.
Speaker 2: They found the recycling bin that Justin had described. Inside
Speaker 2: was Autumn Pascali. Her body was carefully transported to the
Speaker 2: medical Examiner's office. An autopsy determined that she had died
Speaker 2: from blunt force trauma, consistent with strangulation. There was no
Speaker 2: evidence of sexual assault. The discovery shook the community. Both
Speaker 2: Justin and Dante Robinson were charged with first degree murder,
Speaker 2: conspiracy to commit murder, disposal of a body, tampering with evidence,
Speaker 2: and theft. Justin was additionally charged with luring. That night,
Speaker 2: Prosecutor Dalton released a statement which read, this is a
Speaker 2: very sad day for the Pascali family. Our hearts go
Speaker 2: out to the family and to all the residents of
Speaker 2: Clayton who stood together in support of this young girl.
Speaker 2: Clayton's mayor, Thomas Bianco, stood outside the crime scene, visibly shaken.
Speaker 2: He hugged a police officer before speaking briefly to reporters.
Speaker 2: You hear about it in other places, but never think
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Speaker 2: News of the arrests spread quickly. The fact that two
Speaker 2: teenage boys were behind the Autumns death stunned everyone. Local
Speaker 2: residents voiced their belief. We all thought it was some
Speaker 2: creep luring children, said Joyce Fisher. Another man, Philip Walliams, admitted,
Speaker 2: it's almost like a relief that it's not some creepo.
Speaker 2: But what truly shocked people was that Justin had known
Speaker 2: Autumn and her family. During the search, Audam's brother had
Speaker 2: posted on Facebook about police bringing in snifferdogs. Justin had replied, doghounts,
Speaker 2: that's good. He'd even like to find the Autumn Facebook page,
Speaker 2: and he attended the vigil for Audum's parents. The loss
Speaker 2: was unbearable. Her mother, Jennifer, broke down as she spoke
Speaker 2: with reporters. She was a tough girl, a tough cookie.
Speaker 2: She didn't deserve to be treated like a piece of trash.
Speaker 2: Her father, Anthony, noted how close the families were. He said,
Speaker 2: everyone knows everyone, whether their friends or acquaintances. The family
Speaker 2: also criticized how the search had been handled. Audam's uncle
Speaker 2: Paul publicly questioned why an amburellert was never issued. An
Speaker 2: accused police of mishandling the investigation. He said, they botched it.
Speaker 2: These are the professionals we trust and pay. On the
Speaker 2: twenty sixth of October, just days after Autumn was found,
Speaker 2: hundreds of mourners filled Our Lady of Lord's Church for
Speaker 2: her wake. People wore buttons with their face and t
Speaker 2: shirts that read Autumn Pascali Forever in our Hearts. They
Speaker 2: filed past a photocolash showing Autumn happier times, laughing on
Speaker 2: a roller coaster, smiling with friends, posing with pig, lit
Speaker 2: at the theme park. At our funeral mass, Monsignor Michael
Speaker 2: Mannion tried to offer comfort and said so often when
Speaker 2: someone dies, especially at this age, were haunted by the
Speaker 2: question why did she die? We struggle with it, we're
Speaker 2: hurt by it, we're broken by it. But I hope
Speaker 2: in the midst of all that graving, we can ask ourselves,
Speaker 2: why did she live? He encouraged mourners to honor Autumn's
Speaker 2: generous spirit by doing good work. He said, talk to
Speaker 2: a classmate sitting alone at a lunch table, organize a
Speaker 2: charity bike ride in her memory, let her life changers.
Speaker 2: In the days after Autumn's funeral, the grief and Clayton
Speaker 2: remained raw. The community had come together in sorrow, united
Speaker 2: by the loss of a child, but now that focus
Speaker 2: shifted to justice. Prosecutor Dalton announced that he would be
Speaker 2: seeking to have Justin and Dan Day charged as adults.
Speaker 2: He firmly said it is the state's position, based upon
Speaker 2: the gravity of the juvenile's actions in causing the death
Speaker 2: of Autumn, that these cases should be heard in adult court.
Speaker 2: If the courts agreed, both brothers would be facing a
Speaker 2: minimum of thirty years in state prison without the possibility
Speaker 2: of parole. While the legal proceedings moved forward, the town
Speaker 2: searched for ways to remember Autumn. A bike trail in
Speaker 2: Clayton was named in her honor, a poignant tribute to
Speaker 2: the girl who loved nothing more than riding her bike.
Speaker 2: The trail began at Scotland Run Park wound through the
Speaker 2: borough's high school and stretched out to Delsi drive. Gloucester
Speaker 2: County Freeholder Director Robert Daminger explained she loved her bag
Speaker 2: more than anything and she wanted to ride. I couldn't
Speaker 2: think of a better thing to name after a girl
Speaker 2: who loved to ride. It was a gesture meant to
Speaker 2: bring comfort, but in the shadows of grave tensions began
Speaker 2: to surface. Donations had poured in after Audham's murder, money
Speaker 2: that was raised for her funeral, legal expenses, and to
Speaker 2: support her two surviving siblings. By the new year, the
Speaker 2: fund had reached at least one hundred thousand dollars, but
Speaker 2: instead of unity, the money sparked bitter conflict between Audham's parents,
Speaker 2: Jennifer and Anthony. Jennifer filed a lawsuit against Anthony, claiming
Speaker 2: that he had removed her name from the memorial funds
Speaker 2: bank account. She said that they had agreed to manage
Speaker 2: the money together and that the funds were meant not
Speaker 2: only for Audum's funeral and legal phase, but also to
Speaker 2: help with their children's future college expanses. She also accused
Speaker 2: Anthony of refusing to consult her on the wording for
Speaker 2: Audum's gravestone. Jennifer asked the court to intervene to split
Speaker 2: the memorial fund so that each parent had partial control
Speaker 2: and to prevent Anthony from completing the headstone without her input.
Speaker 2: Anthony fired back with his own accusations. He claimed that
Speaker 2: Jennifer had collected items that were left for him at
Speaker 2: the funeral home without permission. Jennifer said he had told
Speaker 2: her it was fine, but Anthony said he didn't. He
Speaker 2: also accused her of holding onto money that was raised
Speaker 2: at a December benefit concert. Jennifer admitted she had placed
Speaker 2: the fifteen thousand dollars check, along with other cash donations,
Speaker 2: into a safe deposit box after she discovered her name
Speaker 2: had been removed from the account. Anthony's attorney, Doug Long,
Speaker 2: responded with a statement, my client will continue to pursue
Speaker 2: justice for his daughter Autumn, and justice does not revolve
Speaker 2: a run money. That are different motivations by different parties.
Speaker 2: Anthony's motivation is not money. Long insisted that Anthony had
Speaker 2: opened the memorial account himself and that Jennifer had only
Speaker 2: later been added when Jennifer removed belongings addressed to him
Speaker 2: from the funeral home. Long said that Anthony made the
Speaker 2: decision to take her name off the account entirely on
Speaker 2: the issue of the headstone. Long said, like most aspects
Speaker 2: of the rearing of the three children, this very difficult
Speaker 2: matter was left to miss her Pascali to deal with
Speaker 2: the loan. As if the family turmoil wasn't enough, Criticism
Speaker 2: of law enforcement also deepened. Around the same time, the
Speaker 2: Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office made the unusual decision to hand
Speaker 2: the case over to Camden County. The shift came after
Speaker 2: it was revealed that Anthony was preparing a civil lawsuit
Speaker 2: against the prosecutor's office, accusing them of mishandling the search
Speaker 2: for Autumn. In response, the prosecutor's office issued a statement
Speaker 2: defending its actions. During the investigation, over two hundred law
Speaker 2: enforcement officers from in and around Gloucester County worked tirelessly
Speaker 2: to find Autumn Piscali. By the end of the month,
Speaker 2: Jennifer and Anthony quietly settled their lawsuit. The terms of
Speaker 2: their agreement weren't made public, but the dispute had led
Speaker 2: bare just how fractured the family had become. On the
Speaker 2: seventh of August twenty thirteen, the case against Justin Robinson
Speaker 2: reached a pivotal moment. By then, Justin was sixteen years old.
Speaker 2: That morning, he had agreed to have his case moved
Speaker 2: to adult court, a crucial step for prosecutors who believed
Speaker 2: the severity of the crime demanded adult charges. But when
Speaker 2: Justin appeared in the court room later that afternoon, there
Speaker 2: was a twist. He stunned those present by pleading guilty
Speaker 2: to aggravated manslaughter. The plea came after negotiations. Prosecutors had
Speaker 2: feared that a judge might not allow the case to
Speaker 2: remain in adele court. Justin's age, coupled with what had
Speaker 2: been described as his diminished capacity, meant that there was
Speaker 2: no guarantee. Without that assurance, the risk of a lighter
Speaker 2: juvenile sentence or even an acquittal was too high. Prosecutor
Speaker 2: warned Fulk explained what investigators believed had happened. He said
Speaker 2: that Justin had lured Autumn to his home under the
Speaker 2: guise of trading bike parts. Forensic evidence confirmed that Autumn
Speaker 2: had been killed inside the Robinson Famili's home, Yet beyond
Speaker 2: Justin's own confession, there was no physical evidence to prove
Speaker 2: who had placed their hands around Autumn's neck. Justin or
Speaker 2: his older brother Dandee. Justin then spoke, and with quiet words,
Speaker 2: he took responsibility. He said, I lured a girl I
Speaker 2: knew was Autumn to the house with Facebook messages. I
Speaker 2: put my hands around her neck to choker. I realized
Speaker 2: it could have caused her death, and I understand it did.
Speaker 2: He said that Dan Day had known nothing about what
Speaker 2: happened in the basement that day. He said he had
Speaker 2: acted entirely alone. Under the play deal, Justin faced seventeen
Speaker 2: years in state prison with no chance of parole for
Speaker 2: fourteen years. The decision was left to Judge Walter Marshall,
Speaker 2: who would passed senthence in September. If the case had
Speaker 2: have remained in juvenile court, the maximum that Justin could
Speaker 2: have received was twenty years and parole eligibility in less
Speaker 2: than seven. For Audum's family, the play was difficult, but
Speaker 2: it was necessary. Both parents attorneys told reporters that given
Speaker 2: the challenges of the case, prosecutors had done the best
Speaker 2: they could. Anthony's attorney, Doug Long, put it plainly when
Speaker 2: he said, mister packscally knows that no amount of years
Speaker 2: on a sentence is going to bring his daughter back.
Speaker 2: The only justice would be to bring Autumn back, but
Speaker 2: that will never happen. The fear was that without Justin's
Speaker 2: guilty play, there was a chance he could have walked free. Then,
Speaker 2: on the twelfth of September, Justin Robinson was brought back
Speaker 2: into the courtroom for sentencing. Audam's family gathered to speak
Speaker 2: of her life, their grief echoing through the chamber. They
Speaker 2: described Autumn as a loving tomboy, a girl who adored
Speaker 2: her BMX bike and who always wore mismatched socks. Her
Speaker 2: old soccer team, the Clayton Comments had since renamed themselves
Speaker 2: Audam's Angels, and they retired her number fourteen jersey in
Speaker 2: her honor. But the memories were painful. Her grandmother, Mary,
Speaker 2: who had been a teacher for twenty two years and
Speaker 2: had even taught Justin, described how her life had been shattered.
Speaker 2: She said she could no longer build report with her
Speaker 2: students and had retired after the murder. Each time she
Speaker 2: saw the blue recycling bins left out on the curb,
Speaker 2: she cried, knowing that her granddaughter's body had been discarded
Speaker 2: in one. She recalled how Aum would pick her head had
Speaker 2: into her class room and sign I love you as
Speaker 2: she passed the PA and I feel is unfathomable. She said.
Speaker 2: Autumn's presence was palpable. In the court room, her portrait
Speaker 2: was projected on to a large screen, a reminder of
Speaker 2: who was lost. Her mother. Jennifer stood before the judge
Speaker 2: and said, I hope the defendant this haunted by her
Speaker 2: memory for the rest of his life. I am living
Speaker 2: every parent's worst nightmare. Anthony then approached the podium and said,
Speaker 2: I believe the defendant deserves more than seventeen years. I
Speaker 2: believe his fate should be nothing but death. But Justin's
Speaker 2: defense painted a different picture. His defense attorney, Jane Faulkner
Speaker 2: told the court that Justin wasn't a monster, but a
Speaker 2: boy that was shaped by trauma. She said he had
Speaker 2: suffered post traumatic stress from being physically abused as a
Speaker 2: young child and from witnessing his father strangle his mother
Speaker 2: on multiple occasions. This is a learned behavior, she said.
Speaker 2: She argued that Justin had a Leewaiq intellectual disabilities and
Speaker 2: a d h day. She said with his disabilities in
Speaker 2: his age, adding to his sentence would not add to
Speaker 2: any special deterrence. His mother, a Nita, also spoke. She
Speaker 2: said that Justin was remorseful and not the person that
Speaker 2: was portrayed in the headlines. She remembered him as a
Speaker 2: happy child, somebody who took pride in being independent, mowing
Speaker 2: lawns and helping neighbors. When Justin was asked if he
Speaker 2: had anything to say, he turned to Judge Marshall and said,
Speaker 2: I am sorry. I never meant for this to happen.
Speaker 2: This was all a big mistake. Judge Marshall then delivered
Speaker 2: his sentence seventeen years in state prison. Outside the court house,
Speaker 2: emotions spilled over. Dozens of people had gathered, many believing
Speaker 2: the punishment was far too lenient. Among them was Rick Fernaco,
Speaker 2: who held a sign that read had just the time
Speaker 2: to fit the crime Justice for Autumn. He then said
Speaker 2: to reporters, it sucks. What does that say. You can
Speaker 2: kill someone and live life and the person who's killed
Speaker 2: doesn't have a life any more. It sucks big time.
Speaker 2: That's the same week, just days after Justin Robinson had been
Speaker 2: sentenced to seventeen years in prison, his brother Dante walked free.
Speaker 2: The decision came after Justin's court room statement when he
Speaker 2: said that he had acted alone in Autumn's murder. Dante
Speaker 2: had already pleaded guilty to a far lesser charge, fourth
Speaker 2: to grae obstruction, which carried a sixth month jail sentence,
Speaker 2: but with time served, he was released immediately. His defense attorney,
Speaker 2: Chris Hoffner, told reporters that the outcome proved what the
Speaker 2: family had always claimed. He admitted no crime. This confirms
Speaker 2: what we always knew. Dante didn't hurt the victim and
Speaker 2: was not involved in her death or the moving of
Speaker 2: her body. People may not want to believe it, but
Speaker 2: the truth prevailed to Day and Dante's home. But not
Speaker 2: everybody was convinced. Conversations exploded online and in the community.
Speaker 2: Many simply couldn't believe that Dante had played no part.
Speaker 2: The disbelief came down to one simple fact. Audam's body
Speaker 2: had been carried from the basement up a flight of
Speaker 2: stairs outside the house and stuffed into a recycling bin
Speaker 2: next door. Could a fifteen year old with an ankle
Speaker 2: injury manage that entirely on his own? For many, the
Speaker 2: thought seemed impossible. As the debate played out in public,
Speaker 2: Autumn's father, Anthony turned to the court. The next month,
Speaker 2: he filed a civil lawsuit against Justin and Dante's parents,
Speaker 2: Anita and Alonzo, and it Anthony accused them of negligence,
Speaker 2: arguing that they had failed to supervise Justin despite knowing
Speaker 2: he was a troubled teenager, prone to theft and deeply
Speaker 2: affected by years of domestic violence. His attorney was blunt
Speaker 2: and said, if you're going to raise a murderer, you're
Speaker 2: going to take responsibility for it. Anthony explained that the
Speaker 2: lawsuit wasn't about the money. What he wanted was accountability
Speaker 2: and awareness. He even created a petition calling for a
Speaker 2: new piece of legislation, Autumn's Law, that would hold parents
Speaker 2: responsible for the violent crimes of their children. Anita pushed
Speaker 2: back in March. She argued that she shouldn't be held
Speaker 2: liable for what her son had done. Instead, she filed
Speaker 2: her own civil complaint, attempting to shift responsibility on to
Speaker 2: her ex husband and Justin himself. Later that year, Anthony
Speaker 2: also filed lawsuits against several law enforcement agencies, alleging they
Speaker 2: had mishandled Autumn's disappearance and suggesting she might have been
Speaker 2: saved if officers had acted differently, but the truth was
Speaker 2: that Autumn had already been killed long before Anthony reported
Speaker 2: her missing. The lawsuit was dismissed. Life, however, had more
Speaker 2: in store for the Robinson family. In May of twenty seventeen,
Speaker 2: Dante Robinson was back in the headlines, this time facing
Speaker 2: serious adult charges. He had been arrested after a home
Speaker 2: invasion went violently wrong. Dante was discovered bleeding and pounding
Speaker 2: on doors for help after being shot during the crime.
Speaker 2: His mother and Ada rushed to his defense. Once again,
Speaker 2: she claimed her son had been manipulated, claiming he was
Speaker 2: only driving the other suspects to the scene and had
Speaker 2: no intention of harming anyone. She said, He's very naive
Speaker 2: and easily manipulated. I know for a fact he did
Speaker 2: not intentionally go anywhere to cause anyone harm that Anthony
Speaker 2: Pascali was not sympathetic. On Facebook, he posted, is anybody
Speaker 2: surprised by this recent event? Most likely not the infamous brothers?
Speaker 2: Once again in the spotlight. He got away the first time.
Speaker 2: Let's see what the justice system will do now. This time,
Speaker 2: the justice system wasn't lenient. Dante Robinson was convicted on
Speaker 2: charges ranging from robbery to aggravated assault. He was sentenced
Speaker 2: to thirty five and a half years in prison. Meanwhile,
Speaker 2: his brother, Justin had remained largely silent about Autumn's murder
Speaker 2: other than what he had confessed in court. That was
Speaker 2: until twenty eighteen, when both he and his mother sat
Speaker 2: down separately for interviews with NJ Advance Media. For the
Speaker 2: first time. Justin pushed back against the version of events
Speaker 2: that was presented in court and in the press. He
Speaker 2: denied luring Autumn to his home to steal her bike.
Speaker 2: He claimed their deadly encounter started with something as trivial
Speaker 2: as ten dollars.
Speaker 1: I didn't just say, oh, I'm going with children. Didn't
Speaker 1: kill her that make a style. I didn't think. I
Speaker 1: didn't see that. It just happened.
Speaker 2: Justin said that Autumn had offered to pay him ten
Speaker 2: dollars to install new rims on her bike. When he
Speaker 2: asked for the money afterwards, she told him she didn't
Speaker 2: have it. He claimed. He refused to let her take
Speaker 2: her bike until she paid up. That's when he said
Speaker 2: she began to hit him. He insisted the killing had
Speaker 2: never been planned. I didn't kill her for no bike,
Speaker 2: he said. He also maintained his brother had nothing to
Speaker 2: do with it. His mother echoed that defense starting. Something
Speaker 2: went wrong between two kids. It was a genuine accident
Speaker 2: that wasn't planned. She was not leaving her bike. You
Speaker 2: had two young kids, and they're both trying to stand
Speaker 2: their ground. Before Justin was led back to his cell,
Speaker 2: he made one final statement that was directed at Autumn's family.
Speaker 2: His voice, according to the reporter, was quiet, almost pleading.
Speaker 2: It was an honest mistake. I'm being punished for it.
Speaker 2: I hope they can just forgive me. It's hard to
Speaker 2: forgive a person when they take one of your loved
Speaker 2: one's life. I want them to know that I really
Speaker 2: am sorry. Well, that is it for this episode of Morbidology.
Speaker 2: As always, thank you so much for listening, and I'd
Speaker 2: like to say a massive thank you to my new
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Speaker 2: saraus sarahs It goes such a long way, and I
Speaker 2: am eternally grateful. On Patreon, I upload adfree and early
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Speaker 2: on Patreon and Apple subscriptions. I also have bonus episodes
Speaker 2: of Morbidology Plus that aren't on the regular podcast platforms,
Speaker 2: so please do feel free to check that out of
Speaker 2: your interest. Remember to check us out at morbidology dot
Speaker 2: com for more information about this episode and to read
Speaker 2: some true crime articles. Until next time, take care of yourselves,
Speaker 2: stay seefe, and have an amazing week.