WEBVTT 1 00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:49.640 That'sled. At the foot of Pike's Peak lies Colorado Springs, 2 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:51.880 a city where the air is crisp and the skies 3 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:55.240 are wide. Long before any European ever laid sights on 4 00:00:55.280 --> 00:00:58.960 this land, it was home to Native American tribes. They 5 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:02.039 referred the land and spiritual energy pulse through the forests 6 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:06.159 and across the open plains. By the late eighteen hundreds, 7 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:10.159 that pulse had changed. General William Jackson Palmer was a 8 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:12.680 Civil War veteran, and he envisioned the land as a 9 00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:17.000 resort destination. In eighteen seventy one, he founded Colorado Springs, 10 00:01:17.319 --> 00:01:20.519 and it wasn't long before British settlers arrived in droves, 11 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:24.400 earning the city its early nickname of Little London, and 12 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:27.480 its growth didn't stop there. With the expansion of the 13 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:30.560 railroads and the rush of the nearby mining booms, Colorado 14 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:33.799 Springs grew rapidly. By the turn of the century, it 15 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:38.079 was no longer a vacation destination. It was a real city. Today, 16 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:41.959 Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County. 17 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:45.040 Many people who live here are drawn to the lower 18 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:48.560 cost of living on the slower pace. Many come for 19 00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:52.040 the mountain views for the safety and the sense of community. 20 00:01:53.079 --> 00:01:55.920 But even in the most serene of places, darkness confined 21 00:01:55.920 --> 00:02:00.000 its corners. It was a typical June evening in Colorado's 22 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:04.840 Springs in twenty twenty two inside a Walgreens store. Business 23 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:09.240 was moving as usual. Behind the counter, staff organized prescriptions, 24 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:13.560 a few customers browsed the isles. One of the employees 25 00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:17.120 on duty that evening was a teenage girl. It was 26 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:21.599 just another shift. She clocked in, stocked shelves, worked on 27 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:26.439 the till then she went on her break. After some time, 28 00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:45.759 her coworkers realized she hadn't come back. Colorado Springs was 29 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:49.159 home to seventeen year old Riley Whitelaw. She lived at 30 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:51.960 home with her mother, Courtney, and her mother's longtime partner, 31 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:55.639 Chris Johnson. Those who loved Riley said that she had 32 00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:59.039 that rare kind of spirit, wise beyond her years, yet 33 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:02.159 still brimming with tea age wonder. You could talk to 34 00:03:02.199 --> 00:03:05.479 her like she was an adult. Conversations with Riley weren't 35 00:03:05.479 --> 00:03:09.199 filled with eye rolls or one word answers. She listened, 36 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:13.680 she asked questions, and she genuinely cared. But Riley also 37 00:03:13.719 --> 00:03:16.159 had a silly, carefree side and could goof around with 38 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:20.319 people her own age. She was that rare blend of mature, grounded, 39 00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:23.759 and full of joy. At Air Academy High School, Riley 40 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:27.199 was known not just for her intelligence. She was a 41 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:29.319 straight a studing, but she was said to have a 42 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:32.039 warmth about her. She didn't need to be the loudest 43 00:03:32.039 --> 00:03:34.479 person in the room, and yet her presence was still 44 00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:37.960 the loudest in all the best ways. Her classmates called 45 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:41.439 her Smiley Riley. She had a long list of passions 46 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:44.639 and commitments. She was active in her school's Color Guard 47 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:47.319 and Winter Guard programs, and was said to be named 48 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:51.599 Section leader, a role she'd earned through hard work. Riley 49 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:55.400 also loved animals, especially her dog Judy. She worked part 50 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:57.639 time as a pet sitter when she wasn't at her 51 00:03:57.680 --> 00:04:01.919 other job while Green's on Centenius Boulevard, and if that 52 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:04.520 wasn't enough, Riley volunteered her spare time in the Humane 53 00:04:04.520 --> 00:04:08.680 Society of the Pike's Peak Region. That was Riley in 54 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:13.520 a nutshell, always doing, always giving, always smiling. She also 55 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:16.040 had a deep love for the arts. She could often 56 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:18.600 be found with a sketch pad in hand, filling it 57 00:04:18.680 --> 00:04:22.199 with pencil drawings and paintings, and then there was the guitar, 58 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:26.439 another creative outlet that she'd fallen in love with. It 59 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:29.920 was like Riley lived in full color. Everything she did 60 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:34.680 was with intention. Her mother, Courtney said to CBS, anything 61 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:39.519 Riley ever has taken on, she's always got both feet. 62 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:47.839 In the eleventh of June twenty twenty two began like 63 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:51.240 any other day for seventeen year old Riley Whitelaw. It 64 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:53.439 was a Sunday, and Riley was scheduled to work her 65 00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:57.079 usual shift at Walgreens. Her mother dropped her off that morning, 66 00:04:57.279 --> 00:04:59.480 just like always, and told her she'd be there to 67 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:02.160 pick her up eight PM. It was part of their 68 00:05:02.199 --> 00:05:07.360 weekend routine. Riley got to work, She stopped shelves, graded customers, 69 00:05:07.399 --> 00:05:11.800 and quietly went about her day. Something about Riley seemed different. 70 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:17.759 Her co worker, Rita Beverly Crider noticed right away. Riley, 71 00:05:17.800 --> 00:05:21.319 who was typically bright and chatty, seemed withdrawn. She was 72 00:05:21.399 --> 00:05:24.360 quieter than normal, like something was weighing heavily on her. 73 00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:28.959 Later that afternoon, Riley approached Rita with an unusual request. 74 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:31.240 She asked if she could work with her in the 75 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:35.439 beauty department. Then, around five thirty PM, a co worker, 76 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:38.079 twenty eight year old Joshua Johnson, came over to Rita. 77 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:42.319 He said that it was time for Riley's break. Rida 78 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:45.480 a grade and Riley walked off, leaving Rida to take 79 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:50.519 over the register. But Riley never came back. This evening 80 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:52.560 war on, the store began to fill with the buzz 81 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:58.279 of post workshoppers. Riley's manager, Crystal Ishmael, noticed the absence. 82 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:01.920 She thought maybe Riley had left early, but that was 83 00:06:01.959 --> 00:06:06.480 unlike her. She rang another manager, Justin's uniow, and mentioned 84 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:10.560 that Riley hadn't returned from her break. Cristel decided to 85 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:13.800 step outside to check for her. She had it towards 86 00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:17.879 the dumpster area, and that's when she noticed something strange. 87 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:21.160 The smell of bleach was thick in the air. She 88 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:23.560 tried the door nearby, but was met with a voice 89 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:27.920 behind it. A man said that he was changing. Crystal 90 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:31.600 glimpsed a pair of feet beneath the door. Thinking little 91 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:33.720 of it, she turned around and went back to work. 92 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:37.839 About half an hour later, Justin arrived to begin his shift. 93 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:41.800 Riley was still missing at this stage, when Cristel told 94 00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:45.360 him about the bleach and the man changing outside Justin's 95 00:06:45.399 --> 00:06:50.519 instincts kicked in. Something wasn't right. He stepped outside to 96 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:53.920 check it out for himself. The man was gone now, 97 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:56.240 but there on the ground was an empty bottle of bleach. 98 00:06:57.639 --> 00:07:00.399 Justin couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. 99 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.240 Riley would never just disappear midshift without saying a word. 100 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:08.680 When the store quieted, he decided to check the security footage. 101 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:13.800 What he saw left him uneasy. Just before Riley's break, 102 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:18.519 the footage showed Joshua Johnson, her co worker, stacking bins 103 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:22.040 in front of the surveillance camera. It looked as though 104 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:25.800 he was deliberately blocking its view. Justin made his way 105 00:07:25.839 --> 00:07:29.279 towards the shared breakroom. As he approached, he noticed that 106 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:32.839 paper had been taped over the windows. Somebody had also 107 00:07:32.879 --> 00:07:36.560 placed a restroom clothes signed near by, something usually only 108 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:40.160 done at closing time, not during the rush. He opened 109 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:45.480 the breakroom door and froze inside. The scene was unimaginable. 110 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:50.439 Blood was everywhere. It was splattered on cabinets, streaked across 111 00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:53.639 the counters, but most of it had pulled across the 112 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:57.360 floor and in the center of it lay Riley. She 113 00:07:57.439 --> 00:08:01.000 had been stabbed forty two times. The wounds were all 114 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:04.639 over her face, neck, and chest. Her arms and hands 115 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:07.600 had been slashed. It was clear she had fought with 116 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:11.040 everything she had. Blunt force trauma was also found on 117 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:14.600 her head, torso and limbs. Her employee badge and radio 118 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:18.120 earpiece lay near her feet. Beside them lay a gerb 119 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:21.879 or Milty tool with its knife extension extended and slick 120 00:08:21.879 --> 00:08:25.560 with blood. Justin stood frozen for a moment, then quickly 121 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:29.160 pulled out his phone and called nine one one. Officers 122 00:08:29.199 --> 00:08:32.159 arrived within minutes. He led them to the break room. 123 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:36.559 There was nothing anybody could do. Riley Whitelaw was dead. 124 00:08:43.240 --> 00:08:46.360 As the crime scene was being uncovered, Riley's mother, Courtney, 125 00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:48.919 was on her way to pick her up. She was 126 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:52.519 completely unaware that her world was about to shatter. But 127 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:55.360 before she could even pull into the parking lot, Courtney 128 00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:58.720 was met with the nightmare. Flashing red and blue lights 129 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:02.559 slid up the front of Walgreens. Police vehicles lined the curb. 130 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:06.440 She immediately tried calling her daughter, but the phone just 131 00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:10.799 rang and rang. Panic said In. Courtney threw her car 132 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:13.799 into park and rushed towards one of the officers outside. 133 00:09:14.519 --> 00:09:17.120 Her voice trembled as she asked if her daughter was okay. 134 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:20.960 The officer looked at her solemnly and then delivered the 135 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:24.480 words that no parent should ever hear her daughter, Riley 136 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:29.000 was dead. Inside the store, manager justin's Niew was speaking 137 00:09:29.000 --> 00:09:31.759 with the detectives. He told them what he'd seen on 138 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:35.960 the surveillance footage, how Joshua Johnson had deliberately stacked bins 139 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:40.720 to block the camera's view shortly before Riley disappeared. Johnson 140 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:44.000 had also been working that evening, but now he was missing. 141 00:09:44.840 --> 00:09:49.039 Riley was dead, and suspicion was quickly narrowing in on him. 142 00:09:49.159 --> 00:09:51.559 In a nearby storage area just off the break room, 143 00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:55.759 detective spotted something lang discarded on the floor. It was 144 00:09:55.879 --> 00:09:59.320 Joshua Johnson's name tag, his radio in a face mask 145 00:10:00.360 --> 00:10:02.120 ol of it seemed to have been left behind in 146 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:05.879 a hurry. Justin and Crystel told detectives about the smell 147 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:08.679 of bleach near the dumpsters and the man who said 148 00:10:08.679 --> 00:10:12.399 that he was changing. They wondered could it have been 149 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:16.919 Johnson attempting to clean up after killing Riley. While detectives 150 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:19.639 gathered statements from its staff, they were approached by a customer, 151 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:23.320 Elisa Schwink she had been shopping in the store earlier 152 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:26.120 that evening and what she heard had been bothering her. 153 00:10:27.399 --> 00:10:29.919 She explained that around five forty five p m. She 154 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:32.960 was in the deodorant aisle when she suddenly heard screaming. 155 00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:36.320 She said it was a female voice, followed by what 156 00:10:36.440 --> 00:10:40.879 sounded like a metal stall door slamming shut. At the time, 157 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:43.399 she thought she might have been imagining it, so she 158 00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:46.919 finished her shopping and left, But when she drove past 159 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:50.559 later and saw the store swarming with police, her heart sank. 160 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:53.000 She knew she had to go back and report what 161 00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:57.279 she had heard. As the investigation progressed, detectives learned that 162 00:10:57.279 --> 00:11:00.679 employees kept their belongings in a secure staff area, one 163 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:07.879 that customers couldn't reach, they decided to search Joshua Johnson's locker. Inside, 164 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:11.399 they found something chilling. There on a single sheet of 165 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:16.240 paper were Riley's personal details, including her address, her phone number, 166 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:20.480 her social Security number, and her locker combination. But it 167 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:24.519 didn't end there. He had the same details for Riley's boyfriend, 168 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:28.600 and then tucked into the locker, they found something else, 169 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:32.720 a sheath for a Gerber multitool, the very same kind 170 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:37.159 of tool found blood covered beside Riley's body. The evidence 171 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:41.360 was stacking up. Joshua Johnson wasn't just missing, he was 172 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:50.600 now the prime suspect in a brutal targeted killing. Once 173 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:54.039 detectives had colected witness statements and processed the crime scene, 174 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:57.720 they issued it beyond the lookout for Joshua Johnson. It 175 00:11:57.759 --> 00:12:01.519 didn't take long. Just ours later, an officer patrolling Interstate 176 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:05.720 twenty five near Trinidad, over one hundred miles from Colorado Springs, 177 00:12:06.039 --> 00:12:09.080 spotted a man walking alone along the side of the highway. 178 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:14.200 Something about him looked familiar. The man resembled Joshua Johnson, 179 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:17.519 but something was off. His hair had been crudely and 180 00:12:17.559 --> 00:12:22.399 incompetently shaved. The sides were buzzed short, while tufts of 181 00:12:22.440 --> 00:12:25.000 longer hair remained clinging to the top of his scalp. 182 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:27.679 It looked as though he had tried to alter his 183 00:12:27.720 --> 00:12:32.840 appearance and then stopped halfway. Even more ominous were the scratches. 184 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:36.759 There were several visible marks across his face and scalp, 185 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:41.159 especially noticeable where the hair had been removed. It looked 186 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:43.639 like he either started shaving and realized the wounds were 187 00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:46.679 now exposed, or somebody had torn out chunks of his 188 00:12:46.759 --> 00:12:50.960 hair in a struggle. The officer pulled over and approached him. 189 00:12:51.879 --> 00:12:53.679 When he got closer, there was no doubt that it 190 00:12:53.720 --> 00:12:58.840 was indeed Joshua Johnson. He was placed under arrest. As 191 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:01.279 the officer slipped the handcut on to his wrists, he 192 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:06.799 noticed more scratches, this time across Johnson's hands. When asked 193 00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:08.679 where they had come from, Johnson claimed that he had 194 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:13.960 been attacked at Walgreens. Johnson was transported back to Colorado 195 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:18.080 Springs and brought into custody. His clothing was seized for evidence. 196 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:22.600 Officers noted burizing across his arms and torso as if 197 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:25.919 he had recently been in a physical fight. He was 198 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:29.039 led into the interrogation room, where he immediately admitted that 199 00:13:29.080 --> 00:13:32.200 he knew that Riley was dead, but the story he 200 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:36.120 told was one that nobody could quite believe. Johnson then 201 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:39.559 claimed that he had witnessed Riley's murder, not committed it. 202 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:42.440 According to him, he had been working that day when 203 00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:45.399 he heard a scream coming from the break room. He 204 00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:47.279 said he rushed in and found a man in a 205 00:13:47.320 --> 00:13:51.159 black mask stabbing Riley. He described the attacker as having 206 00:13:51.159 --> 00:13:54.240 blue eyes with a gray tint. He said that the 207 00:13:54.279 --> 00:13:56.919 man turned on him, scratched him, and that he slipped 208 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:00.840 in Riley's blood while trying to defend himself. But instead 209 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:04.080 of calling for help or learning anybody, Johnson said that 210 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:07.559 he ran. He explained he had run away because the 211 00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.120 man had told him his name and address, and he 212 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:13.159 was scared that the man would come after him. It 213 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:16.600 was a strange and elaborate story, one with no evidence 214 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:20.960 to support it. Detectives listened quietly and then began presenting 215 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:23.600 what they had. They told him that they had seen 216 00:14:23.639 --> 00:14:27.000 the surveillance footage the way he had deliberately obscured the 217 00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:29.440 camera by stacking bins in front of it before Riley 218 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:34.399 went missing. They asked him about it directly. Johnson denied it. 219 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:37.759 He said he wasn't trying to hide anything. He then 220 00:14:37.799 --> 00:14:40.759 admitted that, yes, he was the man outside by the dumpster, 221 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:44.600 the one who told Cristel he was changing. He said 222 00:14:44.600 --> 00:14:46.799 he was trying to leave the store because he was afraid, 223 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:51.559 but his story continued to unravel. Detectives obtained a search 224 00:14:51.600 --> 00:14:55.360 warrant for Johnson's home. Inside the bathroom, on the floor, 225 00:14:55.799 --> 00:14:58.720 they found a pile of crumpled clothing, all of it 226 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:13.159 soaked with blood. With Riley dead and the lead suspect 227 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:17.000 behind bars, detectives turned their focus to understanding why this 228 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:20.320 had happened. What could have led a seemingly ordinary shift 229 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:24.559 at Walgreens to end in such a gruesome way. They 230 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:28.559 began interviewing Riley's co workers, and soon enough a motive 231 00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:32.879 started to come to focus. Nearly a year before the murder, 232 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:36.720 Riley had approached her manager Justin with a concern. She 233 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:39.960 said that Joshua Johnson had been making her uncomfortable with 234 00:15:40.039 --> 00:15:44.600 repeated and unwanted advances. There was one comment that especially 235 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:48.799 unsettled her. Johnson had said something to Riley, a seventeen 236 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:51.720 year old girl, about how she wanted to be dominated 237 00:15:52.039 --> 00:15:56.559 in a sexual context. Justin warred Johnson to remain professional. 238 00:15:57.279 --> 00:15:59.440 He said that kind of talk had no place at work, 239 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:02.360 and for a while it seemed like the issue had 240 00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:05.279 been dealt with. Justin did his best to make sure 241 00:16:05.320 --> 00:16:08.879 Johnson and Riley weren't scheduled on the shame shifts. But 242 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:12.679 a few months later Riley asked for more ours. Justin 243 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:16.639 told her that would mean working with Johnson. She hesitated, 244 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:20.600 but eventually she said it was fine. Only it wasn't fine. 245 00:16:21.399 --> 00:16:24.639 Just a week before Riley was killed, she made another complaint. 246 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:28.159 She said Johnson was still making her feel uncomfortable and 247 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:31.720 asked to be scheduled on different shifts. Again, she didn't 248 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:35.840 want to work with him any more. Riley's boyfriend, Jacob Leacock, 249 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:40.039 had recently started working at the store. Their other manager, Crystal, 250 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:44.399 noticed that Johnson seemed visibly unhappy about this. In fact, 251 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:48.919 he seemed jealous. His behavior changed. He became cold, short, 252 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:53.200 and snappy, especially when Riley and Jacob were together. It 253 00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:56.039 wasn't just the managers who are aware of Johnson's behavior. 254 00:16:57.039 --> 00:16:59.519 Riley had confided in several of her friends that Johnson 255 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:02.879 had made for sexual advances, the kind that made her 256 00:17:02.919 --> 00:17:06.440 dread going to work. It wasn't just lude comments either. 257 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:09.920 Riley told her mother, Courtney, that Johnson had once touched 258 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:13.640 her bottom. To her friend Jordan Swayne, she said, bluntly, 259 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:16.640 he made gross comments and did gross things to me. 260 00:17:17.880 --> 00:17:20.680 The picture that emerged was clear. Riley had tried to 261 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:23.640 speak up. She had gone to her managers, She had 262 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:26.880 voiced her discomfort more than once, and still she was 263 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:30.240 scheduled to work with the man She feared. When these 264 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:35.519 facts became public, outrage followed online. The hashtag justice for 265 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:39.599 Riley Whitelaw began trending. People across the country were appalled 266 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:43.720 by Walgren's handling of the situation. One person waited directly 267 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:46.559 at the company. Sheame on you for allowing a culture 268 00:17:46.559 --> 00:17:50.039 of harassment, for ignoring an employee's mental health, for not 269 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:53.799 taking a minor employee safety seriously, for grossly mishandling and 270 00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:57.039 hr situation, and telling the world women are not safe 271 00:17:57.039 --> 00:18:00.920 in your store. Many others echoed the same sentiment that 272 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:03.799 Riley had been let down, not just by her killer, 273 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:06.359 but by the very people who were supposed to protect her. 274 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:10.279 She had done everything right, she had reported Johnson's behavior, 275 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:12.839 she'd asked for help, she made it known that she 276 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:17.519 felt unsafe, and yet nothing meaningful was done. Johnson was 277 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:21.279 told to keep a professional and that was that. Even Crystal, 278 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:25.160 the manager who had noticed Johnson's jealous behavior, didn't intervene 279 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:29.240 beyond noting the change in attitude. But workplace harassment isn't 280 00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:33.319 just about uncomfortable conversations or off call, it remarks, It's 281 00:18:33.319 --> 00:18:36.279 about poor and fear. It's about young women like Riley 282 00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:39.440 being forced to endure inappropriate and threatening behavior just to 283 00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:42.839 keep a job, and when employers failed to take decisive action, 284 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:46.920 when they downplay reports or avoid confrontation, it sounds a 285 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:50.680 very dangerous message that safety can be compromised in the 286 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:58.440 name of convenience. For Riley, that failure cost her life. 287 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:09.720 As Joshua Johnson was charged with the murder of Riley Whitelaw, 288 00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:12.240 the community she left behind tried to make sense of 289 00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:15.960 the loss that her high school students, teachers, and parents 290 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:19.920 gathered to celebrate her life. One by one, her classmates 291 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:22.759 stepped up to speak. There were those who had known 292 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:25.079 her for years and those who had only met her recently, 293 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:29.359 but all of them spoke of the same girl, somebody warm, creative, 294 00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:32.640 and kind. She wasn't just part of one social group. 295 00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:35.759 Riley fit in everywhere. She was the type of person 296 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:37.440 who would spot the new kid to make sure they 297 00:19:37.519 --> 00:19:40.680 never meat lunch alone. She shared her art, her music, 298 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:44.640 her laughter. There were recurring memories about her gentle smile, 299 00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:48.279 her drawings, and her love of music. Once students said 300 00:19:48.319 --> 00:19:51.559 she made them feel sane when nobody else did. Another 301 00:19:51.640 --> 00:19:54.079 remembered her helping them study even when she had her 302 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:58.240 own deadlines to meet john her memory, Riley's family announced 303 00:19:58.279 --> 00:20:01.359 the creation of a scholarship fund and her name. A 304 00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:04.359 GoFundMe page was launched, and within ours it surpassed its 305 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:08.200 goal of ten thousand dollars. The fundraiser read, in part, 306 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:11.359 all funds will go towards the long term scholarship fund 307 00:20:11.400 --> 00:20:14.200 in Riley's name and genetic research projects we think she 308 00:20:14.200 --> 00:20:18.200 would appreciate. Then, on the twenty third of June twenty 309 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:21.359 twenty two, Riley was led to rest during a funeral 310 00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:26.200 service at Woodman Valley Chapel. Hundreds of mourners filled the chapel, 311 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:31.240 wearing lilac and soft blue, Riley's favorite colors. But while 312 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:34.000 Riley's loved ones tried to grieve, the criminal proceedings against 313 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:38.160 her alleged killer were just getting underway. A preliminary hearing 314 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:40.400 was held to determine whether there was enough evidence for 315 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:44.759 Joshua Johnson to stand trial. Detective Stephen Olino was called 316 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:49.599 to testify. He was asked directly by Prosecutor gioa, who 317 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:52.880 do you believe was responsible for the death of Riley whitelaw. 318 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:59.079 He didn't hesitate and said Joshua Johnson. Prosecutors outlined the 319 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:02.920 evidence they had collect from the surveillance footage Johnson tried 320 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:06.000 to block to the bloody multi toll to the suspicious 321 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:08.920 items found in his locker, including a shade of paper 322 00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:13.720 with Riley's personal details. Several people also testified about Johnson's 323 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:16.440 bizarre claim that a masked man had entered the break 324 00:21:16.519 --> 00:21:22.200 room and killed Riley. Detective Onlino revealed something chilling. He 325 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:25.000 believed that Johnson had already been planning to blame somebody 326 00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:29.359 else before Riley was even killed. Earlier that day, Johnson 327 00:21:29.400 --> 00:21:31.680 had commented to co workers about a man that was 328 00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:34.400 in the store, someone who happened to be friends with 329 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:39.039 the Walgreens manager. Johnson had said that the man looked suspicious. 330 00:21:40.160 --> 00:21:42.680 That same man would later become the one Johnson seemed 331 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:45.720 to be describing when he told police his story about 332 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:49.279 the masked killer. But there was one major problem with 333 00:21:49.319 --> 00:21:54.359 that narrative. That man had an airtight alibi. Surveillance footage 334 00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:55.720 showed that he was at work at the time of 335 00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:58.119 the murder. There was no way he could have been 336 00:21:58.160 --> 00:22:01.960 at Walgreens. Had never directly named the man, but it 337 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:03.720 was clear he had tried to plant the seed of 338 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:09.000 suspicion in advance. It was premeditation, a cover story waiting 339 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:12.559 in the wings. Judge Eric Bentley listened carefully to the 340 00:22:12.599 --> 00:22:17.759 prosecution's case. In his ruling, he stated, the evidence presented 341 00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:21.000 in this case is sufficient to very easily clear the bar. 342 00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:25.960 The case would proceed to trial. That November, Johnson returned 343 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:29.039 to court. He stood before the judge, looked up and 344 00:22:29.079 --> 00:22:33.319 pleaded not guilty. As the prosecution and defense prepared for 345 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:37.680 Joshua Johnson's upcoming murder trial, charges were simultaneously unfolding in 346 00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:41.440 the state's legal system. These changes were driven in part 347 00:22:41.880 --> 00:22:46.359 by Riley Whitelaw's case. In February of twenty twenty three, 348 00:22:46.519 --> 00:22:50.359 Colorado lawmakers introduced Senate Bill seventy five, a piece of 349 00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:53.559 legislation that aimed to protect the identities of minor victims 350 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:58.440 and witnesses in public criminal justice records. If passed, the 351 00:22:58.519 --> 00:23:00.880 law would require the names of minor to be replaced 352 00:23:00.880 --> 00:23:05.240 with designations such as child victim or child witness, shielding 353 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:08.759 them from public exposure, especially through media coverage or open 354 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:14.319 court documents. Riley's mother, Courtney, supported the billholeheartedly in the 355 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:16.880 wake of Riley's murder, Many of her friends, even some 356 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:20.160 family members, learned about what had happened from the news 357 00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:23.079 or social media before Courtney had the chance to tell 358 00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:27.279 them herself. It was a trauma compounded by public exposure. 359 00:23:28.119 --> 00:23:31.160 Courtney later said, my family and I had no time 360 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:34.160 to grieve in private. The children didn't deserve to find 361 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:38.240 out such horrors from news or social media. Under Colorado's 362 00:23:38.279 --> 00:23:40.680 existing law at the time, the names of minor victims 363 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:44.960 were only automatically redacted in certain cases, usually sexual assault, 364 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:50.400 but for crimes I comicide there were no protections in place. Ironically, 365 00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:53.720 perpetrators who were miners often did have their names shielded 366 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:58.960 unless charged as adults. Senator Tony ExHAM, a sponsor of 367 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:03.559 the bill, said perpetrators are protected more than victims. That's 368 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:07.480 not right, that's not fair. Whilst Senate Bill seventy five, 369 00:24:07.519 --> 00:24:10.440 which was later renamed Riley's Law, made its way through 370 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:14.559 the legislative process, Johnson's murder trial was facing its own delays. 371 00:24:15.480 --> 00:24:19.599 Judge Eric Bentley ordered a competency evaluation to determine whether 372 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:24.160 Johnson was mentally fit to stand trial. Prosecutors argued that 373 00:24:24.200 --> 00:24:26.920 the request was nothing more than a stralling tactic by 374 00:24:26.960 --> 00:24:31.640 the defense. Still, the evaluation moved forward. In May of 375 00:24:31.640 --> 00:24:35.359 two thousand and twenty three, Riley's Law passed unanimously. It 376 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:38.200 was a landmark moment not only for Riley's family, but 377 00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:42.920 for future victims and witnesses across the state. Representative Brianna 378 00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:47.559 Tittone announced that it would officially carry Riley's name. She stated, 379 00:24:48.200 --> 00:24:50.079 this bill is about a mom who is fighting for 380 00:24:50.119 --> 00:24:52.640 her daughter and her friends. We thought it would be 381 00:24:52.680 --> 00:24:55.319 fitting that she's worked so hard for this bill that 382 00:24:55.400 --> 00:24:59.160 we name it after her daughter. Just days after Riley's 383 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:04.000 Law passed, Johnson was declared competent to stand trial, and 384 00:25:04.039 --> 00:25:07.000 with that, Judge Bentley said an official date the twenty 385 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:10.880 fifth of September twenty twenty three. That would be the 386 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:14.000 day that Joshua Johnson faced a jury and the day 387 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:28.680 that Riley's family would take one more step towards justice. 388 00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:31.720 After two days of jury selection, twelve jurors were chosen 389 00:25:32.079 --> 00:25:34.680 and the murder trial of Joshua Johnson was ready to begin. 390 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:37.839 On the morning of the trial, Johnson was escorted into 391 00:25:37.880 --> 00:25:41.519 the courtroom dressed in an ill fitting black suit. He 392 00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:45.440 sat alongside as defense team at the front largely expressionless. 393 00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:51.440 The courtroom gradually filled with Riley's family, friends, teachers, and classmates, 394 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:55.319 their presence forming a visible wall of support behind the prosecution. 395 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:59.200 The other side of the gallery behind Johnson was sparse. 396 00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:02.319 Most if the seats were occupied by members of the 397 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:07.079 media and a few representatives from the Public Defender's office. 398 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:10.079 During opening statements, the prosecution and defense laid out two 399 00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:13.160 very different versions of what happened to seventeen year old 400 00:26:13.240 --> 00:26:18.599 Riley Whitelaw prosecutor Anthony Gioa kept his remarks brief but pointed. 401 00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:21.160