1
00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:04,240
Speaker 1: Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence, and is not.

2
00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:05,679
Speaker 2: Intended for all audiences.

3
00:00:06,320 --> 00:00:08,519
Speaker 1: Listener discretion is advised.

4
00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:14,320
Speaker 3: He had no regard for him in life.

5
00:00:15,199 --> 00:00:18,480
Speaker 4: If he wanted to watch it being taken from somebody.

6
00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:21,719
He wanted to see what it was like to kill

7
00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,640
someone and see the life taken from their eyes.

8
00:00:27,519 --> 00:00:32,920
Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to Season twelve, episode two hundred and

9
00:00:33,079 --> 00:00:36,759
eighty of Sword and Scale, a show that reveals that

10
00:00:36,799 --> 00:00:57,759
the worst monsters are real. Well, I'm gonna ask you once,

11
00:00:58,479 --> 00:01:01,640
did you see it? You see the latest episode of

12
00:01:01,719 --> 00:01:04,640
Sword and Scale Television, because I'll tell you what I

13
00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,239
got it. Chill, I got it?

14
00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:07,480
Speaker 4: Chill?

15
00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:09,760
Speaker 1: Did you get a chill? If you don't know what

16
00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,040
I'm talking about, that's fine because not everybody can be

17
00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:14,640
part of the cool kids club. Not everybody gets to

18
00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,040
sit at the cool kids table. You know, some of

19
00:01:17,079 --> 00:01:19,519
you are just out of at dorks that are not

20
00:01:19,599 --> 00:02:06,040
going to subscribe to Sword Scale Television at Swordanscale dot Com.

21
00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:10,439
You ever look at someone and think, damn, they must

22
00:02:10,479 --> 00:02:14,479
have all the luck in the world, of course you do.

23
00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:19,439
You have insta in the age of social media, where

24
00:02:19,479 --> 00:02:24,120
celebrities and super successful people can share their daily lifestyles.

25
00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,639
It could seem like some people are just hogging up

26
00:02:27,759 --> 00:02:32,840
all the good luck that exists in the universe. And

27
00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:37,639
maybe it's true, Maybe some people do have all the luck.

28
00:02:38,479 --> 00:02:41,080
Maybe we spend a little too much time and a

29
00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:46,000
little too much energy thinking about and worrying about it

30
00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:52,840
was very fortunate and privileged people. But how much mental energy,

31
00:02:52,879 --> 00:02:56,360
how much thought have you put into those people on

32
00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:00,280
the opposite side of that spectrum? What about the very,

33
00:03:00,439 --> 00:03:03,759
very unlucky. You can tell who they are because they're

34
00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,719
usually buying lottery tickets. Anyway, we're about to delve into

35
00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,840
the unlucky side of the universe and tell you a

36
00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,599
story about a person who seemed to have some serious

37
00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:21,240
bad luck. Follow them everywhere. Roughly seventy five miles south

38
00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,639
of Cleveland and near the edge of the Ohio Pennsylvania border,

39
00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:31,960
there's a large apartment complex named Compass West Apartments. This

40
00:03:32,039 --> 00:03:36,039
Austin Town, Ohio complex offers low income housing for those

41
00:03:36,199 --> 00:03:41,439
that may be struggling financially, and unfortunately, just as many

42
00:03:41,439 --> 00:03:45,360
places like it, it's known for being a haven of

43
00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:49,080
illegal drug use. At least that seemed to be the

44
00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:53,800
case in twenty fourteen that year, a middle aged mother

45
00:03:54,439 --> 00:03:58,400
was living at Compass West Apartments with her two teenage daughters.

46
00:03:59,159 --> 00:04:02,879
That mother was forty six year old Jackie Botcher.

47
00:04:03,919 --> 00:04:06,439
Speaker 5: I had made IC a couple of days around. They

48
00:04:06,479 --> 00:04:09,759
were talking it down like crazy, and she is really

49
00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:11,599
light at the way I made it. She said, I

50
00:04:11,639 --> 00:04:13,879
never had IC like this before. There was a lot

51
00:04:13,879 --> 00:04:16,439
of things that child it Now I would make and

52
00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:16,920
she like.

53
00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,800
Speaker 6: Really loved and I said, we'll go out, ladies.

54
00:04:19,879 --> 00:04:22,199
Speaker 5: She call me teabacks. I'll make another picture.

55
00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:26,639
Speaker 1: On the evening of June twenty third, twenty fourteen, one

56
00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:31,680
of Jackie's daughters complimented Jackie's homemade iced tea. Jackie offered

57
00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,480
to make more, but the family was out of tea bag,

58
00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,959
so Jackie suggested that her daughter should go ask the

59
00:04:37,959 --> 00:04:40,120
neighbor if they had any tea bags that they might

60
00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:41,160
be willing to part with.

61
00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:42,480
Speaker 5: And then when she.

62
00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:44,759
Speaker 7: Had come right back up, I really didn't take it

63
00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:45,439
back by us.

64
00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:47,639
Speaker 5: My life thought it was was that because that was

65
00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,800
not unusual. But even then I was the longer, And

66
00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:52,920
then I started thinking about it.

67
00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:55,959
Speaker 6: Yeah, she always she would have learned for a walk.

68
00:04:56,439 --> 00:04:59,360
Speaker 5: So it came back up as the long lady said, no, Mom,

69
00:04:59,439 --> 00:05:03,079
lady's home. I'm an overwalk. Would the part who who

70
00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:06,800
was out? She had never did. She was a big

71
00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:07,480
ship like that.

72
00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:11,399
Speaker 7: She was a disobediate child that wouldn't come tell you,

73
00:05:11,519 --> 00:05:12,600
So he didn't worry.

74
00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:16,360
Speaker 1: Jackie's daughter left the apartment in search of tea bags,

75
00:05:17,199 --> 00:05:20,240
and Jackie expected that task would only take a few minutes.

76
00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:27,120
But an hour went by and her daughter didn't return.

77
00:05:28,519 --> 00:05:33,759
Then another hour went by and Jackie's daughter still hadn't

78
00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:39,439
come home. Jackie became concerned, and that concern only grew

79
00:05:39,519 --> 00:05:43,120
when she realized it was pouring rain outside and her

80
00:05:43,199 --> 00:05:46,439
daughter had left the apartment with no shoes.

81
00:05:47,399 --> 00:05:50,600
Speaker 5: She wo never realized she didn't have su walk mhm.

82
00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,439
Speaker 7: It took me all that time to realize that she.

83
00:05:53,399 --> 00:05:54,959
Speaker 5: Didn't have it, because the right there store.

84
00:05:55,279 --> 00:05:59,079
Speaker 1: Jackie's daughter was missing, and at around ten pm that night,

85
00:05:59,199 --> 00:06:02,319
she phoned no one one to report the missing teenager.

86
00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,160
The prosecutor who was eventually assigned to the case is

87
00:06:06,199 --> 00:06:09,839
an Ohio attorney named Don Kentalamesa.

88
00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:14,079
Speaker 4: My name is John Camplamesa, and in twenty eighteen, as

89
00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:19,160
Chief Trial Council for the Mahoning County Prosecutor's Office in Ohio.

90
00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:22,959
Speaker 1: In prosecuting this case, Don came to learn about all

91
00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:28,240
the people involved, starting first with Jackie's missing teenager. She

92
00:06:28,360 --> 00:06:30,680
was sixteen year old Gina Berger.

93
00:06:31,319 --> 00:06:35,240
Speaker 4: In twenty fourteen, Gina Berger was sixteen years old and

94
00:06:35,319 --> 00:06:39,519
living with her biological mother after having lived in Texas

95
00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:40,959
with her adoptive mother.

96
00:06:41,639 --> 00:06:43,560
Speaker 3: There was something going on in.

97
00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:46,480
Speaker 4: Texas which caused her to go back to living with

98
00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:52,360
her biological mother in Austin Town, and there was a

99
00:06:52,399 --> 00:06:56,680
civil protection order against the person who had committed some

100
00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:02,279
crime against Tina down in Texas, so she was wanting

101
00:07:02,319 --> 00:07:05,199
to get away and live with her biological mother in

102
00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:05,959
Austin Town.

103
00:07:06,879 --> 00:07:10,480
Speaker 1: Gina Berger was born on June tenth, nineteen ninety eight,

104
00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:15,399
to Kevin and Jackie Boucher, and by age sixteen, she

105
00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:20,160
had endured quite a few hardships As a child. Gina

106
00:07:20,279 --> 00:07:25,079
lived in Florida and her parents had some really bad habits.

107
00:07:25,759 --> 00:07:29,600
Kevin and Jackie Boucher were addicted to heroin, and that

108
00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:33,720
addiction resulted in Gina and her three other siblings not

109
00:07:33,759 --> 00:07:35,399
getting the care that they needed.

110
00:07:36,279 --> 00:07:38,160
Speaker 5: When we used to pick those kids up to take

111
00:07:38,199 --> 00:07:40,160
them the churches that they were so dusty.

112
00:07:39,959 --> 00:07:42,680
Speaker 7: You couldn't even claim her feet were so black. I mean,

113
00:07:42,879 --> 00:07:44,759
this is just probably stuff you don't need to hear.

114
00:07:44,839 --> 00:07:48,600
Speaker 1: But before long people began to notice the constant lack

115
00:07:48,639 --> 00:07:52,759
of care that Gina and her siblings were getting, and

116
00:07:52,839 --> 00:07:55,319
eventually the government stepped in.

117
00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:00,480
Speaker 8: The kids were taken away by the courts. Wife were

118
00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:01,639
terminated by people.

119
00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:03,639
Speaker 5: Do you know what. They were living.

120
00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:06,120
Speaker 8: In an hotel, going out scoring drugs and leading the

121
00:08:06,199 --> 00:08:10,040
kids by themselves all the time, and someone eventually turned

122
00:08:10,079 --> 00:08:15,000
in there and they had an opportunity to rehabilitate themselves

123
00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,839
through the court system. They never shoot up for hearings

124
00:08:18,079 --> 00:08:20,959
things like that, so their crient rights were forced to

125
00:08:20,959 --> 00:08:22,199
attorney by the courts.

126
00:08:23,639 --> 00:08:28,759
Speaker 1: Gina's parents lost their parental rights, and Gina was eventually

127
00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:32,720
adopted by a young married couple, the Burgers.

128
00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:35,320
Speaker 8: We were looking to half children's time.

129
00:08:35,399 --> 00:08:36,399
Speaker 5: It is that he was going.

130
00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:41,600
Speaker 8: To happen naturally, Russo we got involved, began fostering them.

131
00:08:42,159 --> 00:08:44,320
That was ready before nine to eleven, and then he

132
00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:48,360
thought she was probably final sometime in two thousand and two.

133
00:08:48,919 --> 00:08:53,960
Speaker 1: Interestingly, Gina's adoptive mom knew Gina's biological mom before she

134
00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:59,399
fostered Gina. In other words, this wasn't a closed adoption,

135
00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:03,559
and the line of communication between Gina and her biological

136
00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,399
parents was open should anyone choose to use it.

137
00:09:07,919 --> 00:09:13,399
Speaker 4: Gina Berger's adopted mother she was actually Jackie Launcher's sister

138
00:09:13,519 --> 00:09:15,960
in law at some point, but I think that she

139
00:09:16,159 --> 00:09:20,759
had divorced the relation to Jackie at some point, but

140
00:09:20,919 --> 00:09:24,000
she still had adopted Gina.

141
00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:27,159
Speaker 1: A few years after Gina was adopted, the marriage between

142
00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:31,080
her adoptive parents began to fall apart and they decided

143
00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:35,679
to divorce. Gina's adoptive mom later moved to Texas and

144
00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:37,399
she took Gina with her.

145
00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,720
Speaker 8: She had her own place, moved the kids out, and

146
00:09:41,879 --> 00:09:43,960
I was trying to think when she knew.

147
00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:46,960
Speaker 5: Probably four she knew.

148
00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:50,639
Speaker 8: She told me she was moving to Carrollton, Texas. I

149
00:09:50,639 --> 00:09:52,279
said had around two thousand and four.

150
00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:56,159
Speaker 1: And I heard before his final By twenty ten, Gina

151
00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:59,080
was living in Texas with her adoptive mom and her

152
00:09:59,279 --> 00:10:03,879
adoptive mom his new husband. Around this time, Gina, who

153
00:10:03,919 --> 00:10:08,720
was now a teenager, began acting up. She was having

154
00:10:08,879 --> 00:10:13,759
difficulty with school and began skipping her classes. This created

155
00:10:13,879 --> 00:10:19,039
some tension between her and her adoptive mom. So Gina

156
00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:21,799
began looking for an escape.

157
00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:25,200
Speaker 8: I know this that and Ten came out and wanted

158
00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,879
to stay with me. She said that's wanted to stay

159
00:10:27,879 --> 00:10:29,559
to day on her visit.

160
00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:30,879
Speaker 5: I had tried to do that.

161
00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:38,279
Speaker 8: It was a violation of the cororder. So I sucided

162
00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:40,759
that effort, and that only kind of became a bit

163
00:10:40,799 --> 00:10:44,360
of strange because she was I'm going to stay, and

164
00:10:44,399 --> 00:10:47,000
her mom turned her fane off on her handy things

165
00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:50,840
on her new phone, and after that, you know, some

166
00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:53,279
threats from a lawyer down there that she hired. I

167
00:10:53,279 --> 00:10:56,080
think it was December the same year.

168
00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:58,440
Speaker 5: I just couldn't do it anymore.

169
00:10:58,879 --> 00:11:02,080
Speaker 1: Gina hoped to leaves and move in with her adoptive father,

170
00:11:02,799 --> 00:11:06,720
who was willing to take her in, but her plan

171
00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,840
never came to fruition. So Gina continued looking for other

172
00:11:11,919 --> 00:11:13,879
ways to leave Texas.

173
00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,960
Speaker 8: And she was raised, and I knew she was cutting result,

174
00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:22,000
I guess at that point because she was raised, and

175
00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,120
I was very concerned about taking custody of her at

176
00:11:25,159 --> 00:11:28,000
that point, and I'm actually never really offered it.

177
00:11:28,639 --> 00:11:31,120
Speaker 1: You going to claim that her adoptive mom's new husband

178
00:11:31,799 --> 00:11:36,840
sexually assaulted her, which has never been proven and remains

179
00:11:36,879 --> 00:11:42,080
a point of contention between Gina's adoptive parents and they.

180
00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,240
Speaker 8: Sat he the er and had it is in some

181
00:11:45,399 --> 00:11:48,639
sort of antal intrusion and its further corrob raced the

182
00:11:48,799 --> 00:11:50,919
story about.

183
00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:52,559
Speaker 5: Nis and the rape and death.

184
00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:53,679
Speaker 6: Has been arrested and.

185
00:11:53,799 --> 00:11:57,799
Speaker 8: Charged for that crime and bailed out, but I never

186
00:11:57,840 --> 00:11:59,840
heard from them again.

187
00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:04,120
Speaker 1: At this point, the communication between Gina and her adoptive

188
00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:08,279
dad began to die off, and Gina began reaching out

189
00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:14,279
to her biological mother, Jackie Boucher. It was twenty thirteen

190
00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:18,600
and Jackie was now a widow, as Gina's biological father

191
00:12:18,759 --> 00:12:21,799
had died from a drug overdose in two thousand and seven.

192
00:12:22,799 --> 00:12:27,240
When Gina and Jackie spoke, the alleged sexual assault came up.

193
00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:32,720
So Jackie told Gina to visit her in Austin Town, Ohio,

194
00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:34,080
and then.

195
00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:38,360
Speaker 8: Because of the assault, she wanted to come up here.

196
00:12:39,639 --> 00:12:41,200
Speaker 5: Now when did she come up here again?

197
00:12:42,519 --> 00:12:46,960
Speaker 1: Christ Is say After years of being passed around from

198
00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:50,720
parent to parent, Gina ended up in Austin Town, Ohio

199
00:12:50,799 --> 00:12:55,480
with her biological mother, Jackie Boucher. During the months that

200
00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:58,720
Gina stayed with Jackie, it was a lot of friction

201
00:12:59,039 --> 00:13:02,639
between the families, a lot of uncertainty as to where

202
00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:04,399
Gina would ultimately end up.

203
00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:07,080
Speaker 9: I've been trying to get a hold of her, and

204
00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:09,600
they wouldn't let me talk to her, they said.

205
00:13:09,519 --> 00:13:12,440
Speaker 5: Dude to the investigation. I was not allowed to talk

206
00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:15,720
to her. And she actually let me talk to her, like.

207
00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:18,919
Speaker 10: Three weeks ago, four weeks ago, and you could tell

208
00:13:19,039 --> 00:13:21,639
somebody stand right there beside if she would not.

209
00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:26,879
Speaker 5: Conversation was really really short, and I said, are you

210
00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:30,240
happy over there? And she just said real quietly, yeah,

211
00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:32,960
it was yes and no answers.

212
00:13:33,279 --> 00:13:37,080
Speaker 9: I said to her, I'm concerned for your well being

213
00:13:37,159 --> 00:13:37,639
over there.

214
00:13:38,159 --> 00:13:42,080
Speaker 5: If she needed to tell me anything, please do concern

215
00:13:42,159 --> 00:13:47,240
for your well being. When she first went up to younger.

216
00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:49,240
Speaker 6: Son, there's a thing on Facebook, I wrote.

217
00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:52,240
Speaker 5: You or in danger. You were taken away from your

218
00:13:52,279 --> 00:13:53,480
real mother for a reason.

219
00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:58,399
Speaker 1: Needless to say, the adoptive side of Gina's family was concerned,

220
00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,200
and they doubted that live being in a low income,

221
00:14:01,279 --> 00:14:07,159
bad reputation apartment complex with Jackie Boucher was Gina's best option.

222
00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:12,000
But you know, what are you gonna do? Gina claimed

223
00:14:12,039 --> 00:14:14,360
she was happy there and now she didn't want to

224
00:14:14,399 --> 00:14:19,519
return to Texas. Eventually, Gina also reconnected with her adoptive father,

225
00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:25,320
who was living only a few towns away from Austin Town.

226
00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:30,320
Speaker 5: Went over there to how well where they were living there?

227
00:14:30,399 --> 00:14:32,799
Speaker 8: Yeah, I've seen what the same A partner?

228
00:14:33,759 --> 00:14:36,840
Speaker 5: Nay, we're lucky, hey or not? Was the last time

229
00:14:37,279 --> 00:14:39,960
he had a name. We were there, but she'd happy.

230
00:14:39,799 --> 00:14:41,320
Speaker 8: Seen the Shenacs scream.

231
00:14:49,559 --> 00:14:49,960
Speaker 5: Give me a.

232
00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:55,919
Speaker 8: Sorry, sorry any one Citians and their state house.

233
00:14:57,519 --> 00:15:00,480
Speaker 1: Gina's adoptive dad claimed that the last last time he

234
00:15:00,519 --> 00:15:04,240
saw Gina was when he visited her at Jackie's apartment,

235
00:15:05,159 --> 00:15:07,919
and the reason that he was questioned by police was

236
00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:13,559
because Gina was missing. On the evening of June twenty third,

237
00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:17,559
twenty fourteen, Gina left her mom's apartment in hopes of

238
00:15:17,639 --> 00:15:22,480
getting some tea bags from a neighbor, but Gina never

239
00:15:22,519 --> 00:15:23,120
came back.

240
00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:27,240
Speaker 4: Jackie realized her daughter was missing pretty soon on when

241
00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:31,320
she was late to come home that night by two hours.

242
00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:33,360
She started calling the police and.

243
00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:35,279
Speaker 3: I need the auction com police department.

244
00:15:35,879 --> 00:15:38,080
Speaker 4: What's the problem my.

245
00:15:38,159 --> 00:15:39,360
Speaker 3: Sixteen year old daughter.

246
00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:41,840
Speaker 4: She went down to my neighbor.

247
00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:44,120
Speaker 3: After teabags.

248
00:15:45,039 --> 00:15:45,840
Speaker 6: I went down there.

249
00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:46,840
Speaker 8: The neighbor wasn't home.

250
00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:48,879
Speaker 7: They made the answer the doors.

251
00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:49,840
Speaker 5: There was nobody there.

252
00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,919
Speaker 7: So from a stay when she went, there was nobody there.

253
00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:55,600
And she's been gone for several.

254
00:15:55,279 --> 00:15:58,279
Speaker 3: Hours or riding around looking for her, and I can't

255
00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:03,519
find her. She's gone. Daughter's name Gina Berger. He said,

256
00:16:03,559 --> 00:16:07,639
how old did she sixty? She's not like her. She

257
00:16:07,679 --> 00:16:09,200
would have come back up and told me she went

258
00:16:09,279 --> 00:16:11,279
for a long I don't know what's going on. I

259
00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:12,039
can't find her.

260
00:16:12,679 --> 00:16:15,879
Speaker 1: When Jackie made this nine one one call, Gina had

261
00:16:15,879 --> 00:16:21,120
only been missing for two hours. Tragically, two whole days

262
00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:25,240
would go by before Gina would be located, and when

263
00:16:25,279 --> 00:16:28,440
she was found, it was not in a good place.

264
00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:34,759
Sixteen year old Gina Berger was found fifteen miles away

265
00:16:34,799 --> 00:16:40,519
from her mother's apartment in another state. Her lifeless body

266
00:16:41,600 --> 00:17:13,839
was discovered among trash in a landfill on the evening

267
00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:17,839
of June twenty third, twenty fourteen. Sixteen year old Gina

268
00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:22,039
Burger went missing after leaving her mom's apartment in Austin Town, Ohio.

269
00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,559
Two days later, Gina's dead body was found fifty miles

270
00:17:26,599 --> 00:17:34,440
away from home at a waste management dump in Pine Township, Pennsylvania.

271
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:37,599
Speaker 11: The mother of a young woman whose body was found

272
00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:41,599
in a western Pennsylvania landfill is speaking out tonight, desperate

273
00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:43,680
for answers about her daughter's death.

274
00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:47,839
Speaker 7: How many days did she lay in a landfill with garbage?

275
00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:48,359
Speaker 2: She says.

276
00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:50,839
Speaker 11: Gina left their apartment to borrow tea bags from a

277
00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:54,000
neighbor and never came home. Burger's body was found at

278
00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:58,160
Tri County Industries Wednesday. Investigators used markings on the body

279
00:17:58,200 --> 00:17:59,720
to identify her Friday.

280
00:18:00,039 --> 00:18:04,079
Speaker 2: She wasn't the piece of trust. Just to disregard, Jacqueline says.

281
00:18:04,279 --> 00:18:06,359
Speaker 11: She just wants Gina's killer found.

282
00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:11,160
Speaker 2: There are consequences for this. You'll just disregard somebody's life.

283
00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:13,400
Speaker 4: And throw them in a trash bin and that's it.

284
00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,799
Speaker 1: After Gina's body was found, one of the first things

285
00:18:16,799 --> 00:18:20,039
that investigators set out to do was to figure out

286
00:18:20,039 --> 00:18:23,599
how Gina ended up at a garbage dump site that

287
00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,079
was considerably far from her home.

288
00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:29,920
Speaker 4: A couple of days later, Gina's body was found at

289
00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:34,039
a dumb site across the state line in Pennsylvania and

290
00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:39,319
not too far from Austintown. But we learned when they

291
00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:45,160
found the body hit the driver's route had included that complex.

292
00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:47,200
That apartment complex from Austin Town.

293
00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:52,079
Speaker 1: Investigators concluded that Gina was likely murdered at the Compass

294
00:18:52,079 --> 00:18:56,559
West apartment complex where she lived, and that her body

295
00:18:56,640 --> 00:19:00,000
must have been placed into a dumpster at that location

296
00:19:00,039 --> 00:19:04,240
and before garbage truck unknowingly carried her to a landfill

297
00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:10,839
in Pennsylvania. Investigators eventually spoke with Gina's mother, Jackie Botcher,

298
00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:13,519
and explained all this to her.

299
00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:17,920
Speaker 5: Why am I here to hear me? Guys?

300
00:19:18,279 --> 00:19:20,480
Speaker 10: We wanted to talk to you about everything that is

301
00:19:20,519 --> 00:19:26,759
going on and get up to speaking new information, maybe

302
00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:27,839
new questions.

303
00:19:28,279 --> 00:19:32,720
Speaker 5: You want to ask what I don't know? She died,

304
00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:36,880
okay when new station said it was a stablom when

305
00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:38,640
new station said was multiple.

306
00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,960
Speaker 1: When she was interviewed, Jackie asked how her daughter was killed.

307
00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,440
A corner later determined the answer to this question.

308
00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:52,599
Speaker 4: So the autopsy was done on Gina's body a few

309
00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:57,920
days later in the Erie County Corner's office, and she

310
00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:02,839
died from a stablom to her chest cavity. So they

311
00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:06,880
had some superficial marks on her face where maybe some

312
00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:11,079
of the trash had, you know, kind of injured her

313
00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:15,559
face and other parts of her body, but they could

314
00:20:15,559 --> 00:20:19,359
tell that was post mortemar after death that her official

315
00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:21,799
cause of death was from.

316
00:20:21,559 --> 00:20:22,839
Speaker 3: A stabbling to the chest.

317
00:20:23,599 --> 00:20:27,319
Speaker 1: Investigators determined that Gina Berger had been stabbed to death

318
00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:31,160
and her killer or someone else through her body in

319
00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:35,759
a dumpster at the Compass West apartment complex. The next

320
00:20:36,079 --> 00:20:39,119
obvious question was who did this.

321
00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:41,960
Speaker 10: Kansas department complex?

322
00:20:42,039 --> 00:20:43,400
Speaker 2: No one really saw anything.

323
00:20:44,079 --> 00:20:44,799
Speaker 5: Have you over there?

324
00:20:44,839 --> 00:20:48,319
Speaker 10: I can carry that death in the bag and we yeah,

325
00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:51,640
Kaan was the part of the complex. So right now

326
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:56,839
we're just trying to get background or she'd been. Who

327
00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:02,519
she's with, Uh, trying any friends if we can of hers,

328
00:21:03,319 --> 00:21:05,480
But since she recently moved in the area, she didn't

329
00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:07,960
seem to have too many friends that she.

330
00:21:08,039 --> 00:21:12,279
Speaker 1: Got on the school and Gina moved into her mom's

331
00:21:12,279 --> 00:21:16,279
apartment about six months before she was killed, and she

332
00:21:16,279 --> 00:21:20,519
had not yet been enrolled in school. Gina didn't have

333
00:21:20,559 --> 00:21:24,920
many local friends, or really any friends at all. Everyone

334
00:21:25,039 --> 00:21:30,039
in the area who knew her was only an acquaintance. Also,

335
00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,039
Gina didn't have any money or valuables on her when

336
00:21:33,079 --> 00:21:36,160
she was killed, and the autopsy came back negative for

337
00:21:36,279 --> 00:21:40,599
signs of sexual assault. In other words, it was a

338
00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:46,160
struggle for investigators to determine a motive in this case,

339
00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:49,799
Why would someone stab a sixteen year old girl to

340
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,319
death for no reason?

341
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,200
Speaker 10: Kell's West is a big part of complex she had.

342
00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:58,559
Speaker 6: Did she associate with anyone?

343
00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,920
Speaker 5: She even absolutely that he knew of you. Yes, the

344
00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:06,359
day before I was talking to one neighbor. I wasnaking

345
00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:07,519
for a ride.

346
00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:10,240
Speaker 7: And she said, she's on the step and every time

347
00:22:10,319 --> 00:22:12,160
she would see her, or what her head phone as

348
00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:14,880
she always would say, or she said she was such

349
00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:15,599
a slight girl.

350
00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:20,359
Speaker 1: Unfortunately, Gina's mom couldn't provide much in the way of information,

351
00:22:20,599 --> 00:22:25,440
so investigators turned their attention to other tenants at Compass

352
00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:28,680
West apartments, and they started with the neighbor that Gina

353
00:22:28,799 --> 00:22:31,480
was supposedly going to go pay a visit to to

354
00:22:31,519 --> 00:22:35,039
ask for tea bags. That neighbor was a young mother

355
00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:37,119
named Rhonesia Johnson.

356
00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:42,759
Speaker 4: Rhonesia Johnson was a neighbor of Gina and her family,

357
00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:48,319
and she knew her from the being around the apartment complex.

358
00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:51,400
She would go over to her house. Ronisha Johnson had

359
00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:54,839
a young child, and so Gina would go over and

360
00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,480
visit Ronesia and play with the baby. When they first

361
00:22:59,079 --> 00:23:02,839
attempted to go to Ronesha's apartment to find out what

362
00:23:03,599 --> 00:23:06,279
happened at her apartment where Gena ever showed us to

363
00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:10,039
her apartment when Jackie reported her, they didn't find her there.

364
00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:14,480
Speaker 1: When the police attempted to interview Rnesha, they ran into

365
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:18,319
a little problem if she never seemed to be home

366
00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:23,519
and nobody knew where to find her, Runesha and her

367
00:23:23,599 --> 00:23:29,359
baby seemed to be missing. After several attempts to make contact,

368
00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:33,680
the police eventually decided to force their way into Ronesha's apartment.

369
00:23:34,319 --> 00:23:37,039
Speaker 4: I believe it's a couple of days later. They get

370
00:23:37,079 --> 00:23:41,279
into Roniesha Johnson's apartment and they start looking around and

371
00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:45,920
they need one of those lights that you can see blood,

372
00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:49,799
and they find an area on the carpet and on

373
00:23:49,839 --> 00:23:52,680
the floor that looks like it's been clean, that has

374
00:23:52,799 --> 00:23:53,440
evidence of.

375
00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:54,160
Speaker 3: Blood on it.

376
00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:59,160
Speaker 1: Investigators found that a large amount of blood may have

377
00:23:59,319 --> 00:24:04,920
recently been cleaned up from Ronesha's living room, and they

378
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:11,440
quickly determined that Gina's murder likely occurred inside of Ronesha's apartment.

379
00:24:12,599 --> 00:24:15,960
Of course, an important question remained, you may be asking

380
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:21,160
yourself that question right now, where the hell is Ronesha

381
00:24:21,559 --> 00:24:27,480
and her baby. Eventually, and pretty much out of the blue,

382
00:24:27,759 --> 00:24:31,680
Rnesha made contact with the police.

383
00:24:32,559 --> 00:24:37,079
Speaker 4: There's a point in the investigation where they Austin Town

384
00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:42,640
Township police departments finally talked to Ronesha Johnson, who lived

385
00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:46,559
in the apartment where Gina was last suspected to go,

386
00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:52,559
and after speaking with her, the suspect became a Ricky Williams.

387
00:24:52,599 --> 00:24:57,519
Speaker 1: Before when Ronesha finally spoke with investigators, she told them

388
00:24:57,839 --> 00:25:03,440
a harrowing story. She named Gina Berger's killer Rnsia claimed

389
00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,680
that she witnessed Gina being stabbed to death by a

390
00:25:06,839 --> 00:25:11,160
nineteen year old man named Ricky Williams.

391
00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:16,119
Speaker 4: Ricky Williams had been in and out of the justice system.

392
00:25:16,799 --> 00:25:21,359
He has a long juvenile record. Some of his siblings,

393
00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,079
which are all named Ricky Williams as.

394
00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:28,680
Speaker 3: Well, also have records both adult and juvenile records.

395
00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:33,559
Speaker 4: I'm not sure about what his family life was, but

396
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,920
the police were very familiar.

397
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,880
Speaker 3: With Ricky Williams at the time for having so many

398
00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:40,839
different police contacts with him.

399
00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:44,839
Speaker 1: There doesn't seem to be much information available about the

400
00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:49,720
upbringing that Ricky Williams had, but given the fact that

401
00:25:49,759 --> 00:25:53,200
his siblings were also named Ricky Williams, as if their

402
00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,000
mother couldn't be bothered to come up with a different name.

403
00:25:56,799 --> 00:26:01,759
All of these Ricky's had criminal records. It's probably safe

404
00:26:01,799 --> 00:26:05,519
to assume that this particular Ricky Williams didn't get the

405
00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:10,359
very best guidance when he was growing up. Nonetheless, the

406
00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:14,400
local police knew who Ricky was, and so did the

407
00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:19,680
tenants and management staff at Compass West Apartments. You see,

408
00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:24,920
Ricky didn't live at the complex, but he was there

409
00:26:25,039 --> 00:26:29,039
quite often and known for causing a lot of trouble.

410
00:26:30,039 --> 00:26:34,599
In fact, Ricky was eventually barred from being on the property.

411
00:26:35,240 --> 00:26:38,720
Speaker 4: But it is known that he had been dating another person,

412
00:26:39,279 --> 00:26:44,319
another woman inside Compass West Apartments, but they had been

413
00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:47,960
on the out and she had actually got evicted because

414
00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,240
of what happened between her and Ricky Williams at the time,

415
00:26:51,319 --> 00:26:56,400
so he was trespassed from the apartment complex and he

416
00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:57,400
wasn't supposed.

417
00:26:57,039 --> 00:26:57,799
Speaker 3: To be on the ground.

418
00:26:58,759 --> 00:27:02,799
Speaker 1: As for Gina Berger and her mom, they also knew

419
00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:07,000
Ricky Williams. They frequently saw him around their apartment complex

420
00:27:07,039 --> 00:27:10,240
and assumed he lived there. They thought of him as

421
00:27:10,279 --> 00:27:15,720
a neighbor, although he technically wasn't. Ricky had even been

422
00:27:15,759 --> 00:27:20,160
invited inside Jackie and Gina's apartment on at least one occasion,

423
00:27:21,759 --> 00:27:22,039
how do.

424
00:27:22,079 --> 00:27:22,359
Speaker 4: You know.

425
00:27:24,039 --> 00:27:27,119
Speaker 5: Orha does she know? Ricky? She now him from him?

426
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:30,039
Hang now on the back set. He was locked out.

427
00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:34,200
Speaker 6: Of his apartment, I affirmed, see the one he was

428
00:27:34,279 --> 00:27:37,240
down there as the vacant when out He said he

429
00:27:37,279 --> 00:27:39,680
lived there with his sister and then she was.

430
00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:44,480
Speaker 7: At work and he walked out and locked himself out,

431
00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:47,440
and she asked if he could sit in the apartment

432
00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:49,480
because she got help. And they sat at the table

433
00:27:49,519 --> 00:27:50,200
and playing cards.

434
00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:53,559
Speaker 5: Family were all sitting in the living room. I mean

435
00:27:53,559 --> 00:27:55,119
there were no harm I.

436
00:27:55,119 --> 00:27:59,880
Speaker 7: Thought her sitting there playing cards, laughing jokay played cards,

437
00:28:00,079 --> 00:28:02,000
and that his sister.

438
00:28:01,759 --> 00:28:05,880
Speaker 5: Came home and.

439
00:28:04,119 --> 00:28:07,279
Speaker 3: Where was that?

440
00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:12,480
Speaker 1: After Rhonesia named Ricky as Gina's killer, Ricky was quickly

441
00:28:12,799 --> 00:28:17,359
picked up by police. When questioned, Ricky freely admitted that

442
00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:21,759
he was currently dealing with several other criminal charges. What

443
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:26,559
a surprise must be that systemic racism or something.

444
00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:35,880
Speaker 6: I don't know.

445
00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:37,319
Speaker 5: That I had you beat.

446
00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:44,240
Speaker 1: When police began questioning Ricky, the pending criminal charges he

447
00:28:44,319 --> 00:28:46,759
was facing were pretty much the only admission they could

448
00:28:46,799 --> 00:28:49,480
get out of him. When the topic of Gina Burger

449
00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:52,920
came up, Ricky claimed that he had nothing to do

450
00:28:53,240 --> 00:28:54,000
with her murder.

451
00:28:54,759 --> 00:28:56,640
Speaker 5: I was how.

452
00:28:58,119 --> 00:29:02,119
Speaker 9: Go on what happened on twenty third in Compass West

453
00:29:02,119 --> 00:29:04,759
and apartment out of ninety said, I went to Compass

454
00:29:04,799 --> 00:29:05,480
West to get.

455
00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:10,000
Speaker 6: My clothes and I'm not an out out there held

456
00:29:10,119 --> 00:29:13,119
up start time Rushie though, I'm tyger Rushy and go

457
00:29:13,279 --> 00:29:14,519
and I know out out there?

458
00:29:14,759 --> 00:29:16,000
Speaker 9: After he said, I was kicking out.

459
00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:18,400
Speaker 5: I've been here one time? Did he all my dead

460
00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:19,000
and outdated?

461
00:29:19,359 --> 00:29:23,240
Speaker 1: Again? Ricky had been trespassing yet Compass West apartments, but

462
00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:27,400
as coincidence would have it, Ricky was on the property

463
00:29:27,799 --> 00:29:32,319
on the day that Gina was reported missing. Ricky claimed

464
00:29:32,319 --> 00:29:34,400
that the only reason he was there was to pick

465
00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,759
up the remainder of the belongings that he left behind.

466
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,279
Ricky admitted that he knew Gina and her mom, and,

467
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:44,559
perhaps in an attempt to direct the police elsewhere, Ricky

468
00:29:45,119 --> 00:29:47,880
claimed that he had introduced Gina to some random guy

469
00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:49,720
that Gina began dating.

470
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:53,440
Speaker 10: Did you ever see a new friends and that after

471
00:29:53,559 --> 00:29:56,079
that day and real close a wood girl.

472
00:29:57,079 --> 00:29:58,359
Speaker 6: That's how I thought of the work.

473
00:29:58,519 --> 00:30:01,839
Speaker 5: That's only think I know where a no, I don't

474
00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:02,839
know person.

475
00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:04,400
Speaker 6: But I introduced her there.

476
00:30:04,759 --> 00:30:08,440
Speaker 1: Ricky couldn't recall the name of Gina's supposed boyfriend, you know,

477
00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:11,279
the one he just made up, which seemed a bit

478
00:30:11,319 --> 00:30:15,519
odd given the fact that Ricky supposedly introduced Gina to him.

479
00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:21,000
I mean, he's supposed to know him, right right. Nonetheless,

480
00:30:21,799 --> 00:30:26,039
the main takeaway was that Ricky denied any involvement with

481
00:30:26,119 --> 00:30:29,319
Gina's murder. He played stupid, which is, you know, not

482
00:30:29,559 --> 00:30:36,839
hard of an acting feat. But slowly and surely, detectives

483
00:30:37,559 --> 00:30:42,799
did what detectives do. They began poking holes in the

484
00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:48,079
claims that Ricky was making, and boy were they big ones.

485
00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:49,480
Speaker 5: He acted me.

486
00:30:49,599 --> 00:30:52,480
Speaker 9: He questions on like, I don't know why that I

487
00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,279
know him all to him in law, but I don't

488
00:30:55,359 --> 00:30:58,839
know her Pissippi, he told me, said that he asked

489
00:30:58,880 --> 00:30:59,599
about his goods.

490
00:31:00,119 --> 00:31:01,759
Speaker 5: Well that I him when I know that.

491
00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:04,319
Speaker 6: I told him everything I know, and I have to say.

492
00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:06,880
Speaker 5: The same thing I told them all. Tell me.

493
00:31:07,079 --> 00:31:09,559
Speaker 6: He asked me whether that times.

494
00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:10,839
Speaker 5: Are quote was the answer?

495
00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:13,920
Speaker 6: Oh well I am, I said, twenty.

496
00:31:13,759 --> 00:31:16,119
Speaker 9: Six, turns up twenty eight one of summer around that,

497
00:31:16,799 --> 00:31:18,839
so you kind of cheet around twenty twenty six or

498
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:19,559
twenty seven.

499
00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:20,720
Speaker 5: Because you did.

500
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:23,200
Speaker 6: I gotta say, I don't know lego bitch, and I

501
00:31:23,279 --> 00:31:23,880
can't tell.

502
00:31:23,799 --> 00:31:24,640
Speaker 5: You all what I know.

503
00:31:25,359 --> 00:31:27,880
Speaker 1: Here's a small tip for anyone who might be interested.

504
00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:33,119
If you ever find yourself being questioned by a homicide

505
00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:38,000
detective about a murder that they clearly suspect you committed,

506
00:31:38,759 --> 00:31:42,079
probably not a great look, you know, to call the

507
00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:47,359
murder victim a quote little bitch. It's just you know,

508
00:31:47,559 --> 00:31:52,839
it's tacked, you know. Ricky Williams was questioned by police

509
00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:56,440
for several hours, and throughout that time he made a

510
00:31:56,759 --> 00:32:03,160
lot of really really dumb state for detectives, though perhaps

511
00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:06,240
the most important thing Ricky gave them was a confession.

512
00:32:07,359 --> 00:32:14,240
After hours of breaking down his denials, his lies, his bullshit,

513
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:20,920
detectives finally got Ricky to admit that he had plunged

514
00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:43,279
a knife into Gina's chest and killed her. In June

515
00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:46,680
of twenty fourteen, the dead body of sixteen year old

516
00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:50,640
Gina Burger was found amongst the trash at a waste

517
00:32:50,839 --> 00:32:57,279
management station in Pine Township, Pennsylvania. An exhaustive investigation led

518
00:32:57,359 --> 00:33:01,559
police to conclude that Gina had been murdered inside her

519
00:33:01,599 --> 00:33:06,240
neighbor's apartment in Austin Town, Ohio. Gina's killer had thrown

520
00:33:06,319 --> 00:33:11,640
Gina's body into a dumpster, and Garbageman unknowingly transported Gina

521
00:33:12,359 --> 00:33:16,680
fifty miles away from home to the dump site. As

522
00:33:16,759 --> 00:33:20,319
for suspects, the police narrowed their list of potential killers

523
00:33:20,359 --> 00:33:25,519
to just one person, nineteen year old Ricky Williams. According

524
00:33:25,559 --> 00:33:30,359
to Gina's neighbor Rhnesha Johnson, she had witnessed Ricky stabbed

525
00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:34,920
Gina in the chest inside her apartment, Yet when Ricky

526
00:33:35,359 --> 00:33:40,720
was questioned, he denied this accusation. In fact, Ricky denied

527
00:33:40,759 --> 00:33:44,960
that he was ever inside Ronesia's apartment at all.

528
00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:47,440
Speaker 6: I had had that what happened when you were in

529
00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:48,240
the apartment with her?

530
00:33:49,079 --> 00:33:56,440
Speaker 5: Or never apartment? This talking about? Okay, I was in

531
00:33:56,559 --> 00:33:57,000
a partner.

532
00:33:57,799 --> 00:34:00,640
Speaker 6: Everything you say some com later gonna come out.

533
00:34:01,319 --> 00:34:02,519
Speaker 2: You know, this is what he pulled me.

534
00:34:02,559 --> 00:34:04,039
Speaker 5: It's already been proven. What happened?

535
00:34:05,359 --> 00:34:07,279
Speaker 4: You have you want to share?

536
00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:10,320
Speaker 5: What kind of happened? You said? We have ship? You

537
00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:11,440
are a sham. Okay.

538
00:34:11,719 --> 00:34:13,400
Speaker 6: The that thing you need to do right now is

539
00:34:13,679 --> 00:34:16,920
just help yourself. I just do this ship promise you

540
00:34:17,079 --> 00:34:17,719
want our soul?

541
00:34:18,639 --> 00:34:19,639
Speaker 8: Hop up your poms.

542
00:34:21,039 --> 00:34:23,079
Speaker 9: I'm trying to get me a bout this exerance to

543
00:34:23,199 --> 00:34:23,639
the truth.

544
00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:25,599
Speaker 6: And I told you the TECHNI dagged.

545
00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:25,880
Speaker 5: On the fall.

546
00:34:26,159 --> 00:34:29,840
Speaker 6: Everything got built every day we had we had a.

547
00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:31,880
Speaker 2: Poor villain ereything continue on.

548
00:34:32,199 --> 00:34:33,400
Speaker 5: I don't buy it for a little bit.

549
00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:36,880
Speaker 6: Okay, you want, you want to be truthful.

550
00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:39,920
Speaker 5: And talk, We'll talk about what happened. The truth not

551
00:34:40,079 --> 00:34:42,920
so whole ship made us up another truth.

552
00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:47,840
Speaker 1: After several hours of interrogation, Ricky finally admitted that he

553
00:34:48,039 --> 00:34:51,880
was inside Rhonesia Johnson's apartment on the day of the murder,

554
00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:54,079
and that he spent the night there.

555
00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:59,840
Speaker 5: This is techn I know that he's uh, but I think.

556
00:35:14,679 --> 00:35:18,519
Speaker 1: Ronesia told police that Ricky Williams had brought Gina into

557
00:35:18,639 --> 00:35:23,559
Ronese's apartment and held both her and Gina hostage. Ricky

558
00:35:23,679 --> 00:35:26,519
threatened them with a knife, and Gina pleaded with Ricky,

559
00:35:27,239 --> 00:35:31,599
begging him to let her go home. Tragically, Ricky did

560
00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:36,519
not let that happen. Instead, he stabbed Gina in the

561
00:35:36,679 --> 00:35:42,639
chest and she died in Ronesha's apartment. Then Ricky forced

562
00:35:42,679 --> 00:35:45,920
Ronesia to help him clean up the murder scene. It

563
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:48,880
took days for police to get this information because after

564
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:53,480
the murder, Ronesha fled and feared that Ricky Williams was

565
00:35:53,599 --> 00:35:57,119
going to murder her and her child if she said

566
00:35:57,159 --> 00:35:58,159
anything and.

567
00:35:59,159 --> 00:36:01,760
Speaker 4: Told the police that she took her son and when

568
00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:04,800
she got away from Ricky and went to either her

569
00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:08,119
mom's house or some relative house to kind of hide

570
00:36:08,159 --> 00:36:11,440
out because she was afraid that Ricky Williams.

571
00:36:11,159 --> 00:36:12,719
Speaker 3: Was going to come back to her apartment.

572
00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:18,320
Speaker 1: During his interrogation, Ricky eventually corroborated portions of the story

573
00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:22,840
that Rhonesia told the police. He admitted that he was

574
00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:26,079
inside the apartment with Rhonesia and that he had forced

575
00:36:26,119 --> 00:36:28,079
Gina into the apartment with him.

576
00:36:29,159 --> 00:36:30,280
Speaker 5: Where did you meet her at.

577
00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:33,920
Speaker 6: In all of What on the third floor, on the

578
00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:34,760
first floor or what?

579
00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:38,360
Speaker 5: Yes, you met her on all day in the first floor.

580
00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:41,400
Speaker 6: You just had a walk in the same.

581
00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:46,079
Speaker 5: The same looking a walk in. She was down here,

582
00:36:46,159 --> 00:36:50,239
she'd come up, So you met her on the first

583
00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:51,599
morn he meught her up to the department.

584
00:36:52,239 --> 00:36:54,760
Speaker 1: As for what happened when they were in the apartment,

585
00:36:55,679 --> 00:36:58,760
Ricky put his own spin on things. He claimed that

586
00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:02,480
Rhneshia committed the and that he was just an unwilling

587
00:37:02,679 --> 00:37:08,639
participant in Runesha's insane plot to murder Gina for absolutely

588
00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:09,960
no reason.

589
00:37:11,079 --> 00:37:16,239
Speaker 6: They should praise Bichous you know all crazy john omar, my,

590
00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:17,599
I'm over she's me.

591
00:37:18,199 --> 00:37:19,239
Speaker 3: She might sit.

592
00:37:21,239 --> 00:37:26,440
Speaker 5: That night, don't. I don't kill her. She's pretty, Road,

593
00:37:27,039 --> 00:37:27,800
She's pretty.

594
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,800
Speaker 6: She's pretty Rod. That's that's the way she had. That's

595
00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:33,519
the way she's need to fuck now Ida.

596
00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:34,440
Speaker 5: I helped her.

597
00:37:36,679 --> 00:37:40,760
Speaker 4: And Ricky Williams told the police that it was actually

598
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:47,840
Ronesia Johnson who killed Gina, and he simply held Runesha's

599
00:37:48,679 --> 00:37:54,719
hands around the knight whole Rhnesia stabbed Gina.

600
00:37:55,480 --> 00:37:56,599
Speaker 6: Did you really want to do this?

601
00:37:56,679 --> 00:37:56,880
Speaker 7: Ship?

602
00:37:57,400 --> 00:38:04,880
Speaker 5: She is this and that and that, so remember for it?

603
00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:07,719
So she she pushed it for. I didn't have a

604
00:38:07,840 --> 00:38:08,239
nice man.

605
00:38:08,679 --> 00:38:11,519
Speaker 6: I didn't have no person in that, but.

606
00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:16,559
Speaker 5: I participated. I hold her head.

607
00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:18,800
Speaker 6: She's pushing bad.

608
00:38:20,599 --> 00:38:23,000
Speaker 1: Ricky also claimed that the murder of Gina Burger was

609
00:38:23,079 --> 00:38:27,039
something that Rhneshia had been planning to do for some time,

610
00:38:28,039 --> 00:38:32,119
so Ricky couldn't specify why Rhnesha wanted to commit this

611
00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:36,280
crime beyond the suggestion that Runesha simply didn't like Gina.

612
00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:42,320
Speaker 4: He made a statement that says Rnesha essentially had it

613
00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:46,840
out for Gina and that he was simply helping Rnesha

614
00:38:47,519 --> 00:38:48,400
complete the job.

615
00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:52,559
Speaker 3: He wouldn't really take any of the blame himself. He

616
00:38:52,679 --> 00:38:53,119
wanted to.

617
00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:58,159
Speaker 4: It just seemed like rhnesia was had planned this and

618
00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:02,320
laid out this plan and and rope in him into

619
00:39:02,599 --> 00:39:03,280
helping her.

620
00:39:04,239 --> 00:39:07,079
Speaker 6: And why did she wanted to stroll man? Well, personally

621
00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:09,599
they had mobi g about what.

622
00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:17,199
Speaker 5: Is she or would she be with all him? You know?

623
00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:21,239
Speaker 6: And she didn't watch she want stop stop, She.

624
00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:25,000
Speaker 1: Did not nutted naturally. The police didn't believe Ricky's version

625
00:39:25,159 --> 00:39:29,000
of events because it didn't make any sense whatsoever. But

626
00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:35,000
for the remainder of his interrogation, Ricky maintained that Rhodesia

627
00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:38,840
was the killers advantage.

628
00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:41,639
Speaker 5: It was part of that was part of the play.

629
00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:44,920
Speaker 6: But that was part of that, part of just saying

630
00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:46,599
you wanted to do this.

631
00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:48,480
Speaker 5: She wanted to do this for a long time.

632
00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:51,280
Speaker 6: She wanted to do that, well a long time back.

633
00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:55,360
Speaker 5: If you want, I don't know, but I told you

634
00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:58,000
I wanted to do ship you do.

635
00:39:58,239 --> 00:39:59,880
Speaker 6: She did on her own other buck.

636
00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:08,239
Speaker 1: Much like the police, the prosecutor who oversaw this case

637
00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:12,199
didn't believe Ricky's story, and they had plenty of reasons

638
00:40:12,239 --> 00:40:14,079
to doubt what he claimed happened.

639
00:40:14,639 --> 00:40:19,119
Speaker 4: We talked to Ronesha and Ronesha's version of the events

640
00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:23,519
and Ricky's history led us to believe Rahnesha and that

641
00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:28,440
he was very violent and manipulative, and that she was

642
00:40:28,519 --> 00:40:32,039
afraid not only for herself but for her child who

643
00:40:32,199 --> 00:40:36,639
was in the apartment, and the way the physical evidence

644
00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:40,800
was laid out where they had been sitting prior to

645
00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:47,639
this happening, the photos Ricky was taking, I believe they

646
00:40:47,679 --> 00:40:52,840
were on Romisha's phone of her and Gina sitting there

647
00:40:53,199 --> 00:40:58,079
against the wall of the couch crying. It looked and

648
00:40:58,559 --> 00:41:03,679
followed Romish's version of events that they were both being

649
00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:07,840
held against their will by Ricky in that apartment and

650
00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:08,519
that they were.

651
00:41:08,440 --> 00:41:12,639
Speaker 3: Both afraid during this time. So all of the physical

652
00:41:12,719 --> 00:41:17,760
evidence and that those photographs corroborated Ronesia's version.

653
00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:23,199
Speaker 1: Based on Rhonesia's statements and the physical evidence, which included

654
00:41:23,239 --> 00:41:26,599
photographs that Ricky himself had taken while the crime was

655
00:41:26,679 --> 00:41:31,360
being committed, the police and prosecutors had a pretty good

656
00:41:31,599 --> 00:41:36,639
understanding of exactly what happened to Gina Berger and who

657
00:41:37,599 --> 00:41:39,840
was responsible for her death.

658
00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:48,159
Speaker 4: Ricky Williams followed Gina into Rhnesia Johnson's apartment and it

659
00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:52,400
started this long drawn out process of Ricky kind of

660
00:41:52,519 --> 00:41:58,360
tormenting both Ronesia and Gina and eventually leading to the

661
00:41:58,480 --> 00:42:03,280
stabbing death that Gina Berger. That day, he was saying

662
00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:07,239
things to them and talking about hurting them and threatening

663
00:42:07,360 --> 00:42:13,199
to hurt Rhonesia, threatening to kill Gina Berger's mother if

664
00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:16,280
he didn't if they didn't do what he wanted. He

665
00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:24,360
used a knife and stabbed Gina. Berger then engaged Rhnesha

666
00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:28,639
Johnson to help him wrap up the body, put it

667
00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:32,920
in this pack and pray and had Rohmeesha Johnson help

668
00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:35,079
him carry it out to the dumpster and put it.

669
00:42:35,119 --> 00:42:35,760
Speaker 7: In the dumpster.

670
00:42:36,639 --> 00:42:40,079
Speaker 1: After Gina was dead, her body was placed into a

671
00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:44,760
large baby crate and carried outside to a nearby dumpster.

672
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:50,239
At this point, Gina's mom, Jackie Potcher, had already called

673
00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:52,679
nine one one and was sitting in a car outside

674
00:42:52,760 --> 00:42:57,519
her apartment in hopes of finding Gina. Instead, she found

675
00:42:58,239 --> 00:42:59,079
Ricky Williams.

676
00:43:00,079 --> 00:43:00,679
Speaker 5: On Monday night.

677
00:43:00,760 --> 00:43:02,719
Speaker 6: When you were waiting for the police to come to

678
00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:05,679
follow that initial report, and you saw Ricky, you said,

679
00:43:05,719 --> 00:43:06,880
you're sitting in your aunt's cart.

680
00:43:07,599 --> 00:43:10,639
Speaker 5: Did she see Ricky? Yes, So he walked up.

681
00:43:10,599 --> 00:43:11,119
Speaker 6: Through her car.

682
00:43:11,519 --> 00:43:13,719
Speaker 5: Yes, he was coming out of the building. Out of

683
00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:16,119
that fact words. We've seen him coming out and he

684
00:43:16,159 --> 00:43:18,039
could tell somebody was struggling with domb and and that

685
00:43:18,159 --> 00:43:21,440
thing was kind of bad. They can't whatever it was

686
00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:23,599
and a way he would call it. And did he

687
00:43:23,719 --> 00:43:26,159
come out to the car the part way over like

688
00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:27,960
we had the cart was home made or he put

689
00:43:28,039 --> 00:43:30,639
it down and he had put it down on the sidewalk.

690
00:43:31,199 --> 00:43:34,519
We look like Ricky had. I didn't pay attention to

691
00:43:34,639 --> 00:43:36,800
what he actually had. He said it was a baby,

692
00:43:37,599 --> 00:43:39,440
a baby statement, that's what he called it.

693
00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:43,320
Speaker 7: But then the next morning I seen a baby thing

694
00:43:43,599 --> 00:43:44,800
upside down to the dumpster.

695
00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:49,960
Speaker 5: I never really thought anything about that, and the dumpster

696
00:43:50,199 --> 00:43:51,280
was totally full.

697
00:43:51,840 --> 00:43:55,480
Speaker 4: Jackie Walcher actually described to the police that she had

698
00:43:55,599 --> 00:44:01,440
seen Ricky Williams when she had made the missing person report.

699
00:44:02,079 --> 00:44:05,280
She had seen Ricky Williams putting something in the dumpster

700
00:44:06,719 --> 00:44:10,360
during the time frame, and he actually came up to

701
00:44:10,440 --> 00:44:13,599
her car with her sister in it and said, do

702
00:44:13,639 --> 00:44:17,119
you want to buy a plate, a pack and play

703
00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:20,320
or a playpen for any of your kids? Because I

704
00:44:20,480 --> 00:44:23,840
have one more time to get rid of And Jackie

705
00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:24,360
said she had.

706
00:44:24,320 --> 00:44:24,880
Speaker 3: Told him no.

707
00:44:25,840 --> 00:44:30,400
Speaker 1: After Ricky brazenly and heartlessly offered to sell Jackie the

708
00:44:30,559 --> 00:44:35,880
baby crate that contained Jackie's missing and murdered daughter. He

709
00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:41,159
threw the baby crate and Gina into a dumpster, then

710
00:44:41,199 --> 00:44:43,440
he headed back to Ronesia's apartment.

711
00:44:44,039 --> 00:44:48,960
Speaker 4: He then made Rhonesia go back into the apartment and

712
00:44:49,159 --> 00:44:55,840
clean the blood up while he watched and essentially cleaned

713
00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:59,000
up every portion of the apartment that he could think

714
00:44:59,079 --> 00:45:03,440
of that they either touched or had Tina touched, and

715
00:45:03,840 --> 00:45:06,760
got rid of any evidence that Gina was there at all.

716
00:45:07,480 --> 00:45:10,719
Speaker 1: By now, you're probably thinking that Ricky Williams is a

717
00:45:10,800 --> 00:45:15,800
complete psychopath. And if you do think that, you're right.

718
00:45:16,719 --> 00:45:20,039
The murder of Gina Berger wasn't a crime of passion.

719
00:45:20,239 --> 00:45:24,400
There was no passion whatsoever. There was no anger, there

720
00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:28,079
was no greed, there was no emotion associated with her

721
00:45:28,159 --> 00:45:35,159
death whatsoever. This was a completely senseless thrill killing.

722
00:45:35,880 --> 00:45:39,000
Speaker 4: I think Ricky committed this crime just because he wanted to.

723
00:45:39,320 --> 00:45:42,960
He wanted to see what it was like to kill

724
00:45:43,039 --> 00:45:46,559
someone and see the life taken from there, you know,

725
00:45:47,079 --> 00:45:48,639
just taken from their eyes.

726
00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:51,559
Speaker 3: I think he was he's just kind of.

727
00:45:53,039 --> 00:45:55,519
Speaker 4: I don't want to be mental, but I think he

728
00:45:56,000 --> 00:45:59,239
just he has no regard for him in life, and

729
00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:01,679
he wanted to watch it being taken from somebody.

730
00:46:02,559 --> 00:46:10,480
Speaker 1: Ricky Williams is a heartless monster, a true sociopath. He

731
00:46:10,840 --> 00:46:16,559
just wanted to kill someone. In fact, one day before

732
00:46:16,639 --> 00:46:20,760
he stabbed Gina, Ricky assaulted two other women and likely

733
00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:23,920
would have killed them as well had they not been

734
00:46:23,920 --> 00:46:25,400
able to escape his attack.

735
00:46:26,039 --> 00:46:28,039
Speaker 5: When I opened the door, when I went over there,

736
00:46:28,719 --> 00:46:31,519
it was like chairs and stuff on the floor, and

737
00:46:32,119 --> 00:46:36,000
Ricky was walking. There was a tussle and okay, and

738
00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:38,679
at that point it was on the like on the ground.

739
00:46:38,679 --> 00:46:41,000
I guess he had gotten done beaten her beating owner.

740
00:46:41,280 --> 00:46:44,719
And he comes out of nowhere and then starts choking me.

741
00:46:45,320 --> 00:46:47,159
So there from there on he finds me on my

742
00:46:47,280 --> 00:46:52,320
face about five times. Because at that point I couldn't

743
00:46:52,320 --> 00:46:53,760
even you know what I'm saying. I was just pretty

744
00:46:53,840 --> 00:46:55,320
much like shot because I come to believe that he

745
00:46:55,440 --> 00:46:55,920
was kidding.

746
00:46:56,000 --> 00:46:57,920
Speaker 10: Okay, the first that would fight I've ever been in

747
00:46:58,519 --> 00:47:03,239
so Jojia, and Sir punished me about they had his

748
00:47:03,320 --> 00:47:04,920
body my final six times.

749
00:47:05,159 --> 00:47:07,760
Speaker 5: Okay, then he pulled a knife out on this. When

750
00:47:07,760 --> 00:47:08,719
you end up getting.

751
00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:10,039
Speaker 12: Out of here, yeah, I end up getting out to

752
00:47:10,159 --> 00:47:10,880
go get help.

753
00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:14,079
Speaker 5: How did you get away from him? Like brave free

754
00:47:14,119 --> 00:47:16,559
and run out? Yeah, help pretty much going out because

755
00:47:16,559 --> 00:47:17,920
it seemed like he was like trying to chase after

756
00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:18,119
from me.

757
00:47:18,159 --> 00:47:21,519
Speaker 1: After that, this assault victim was able to flee, and

758
00:47:21,840 --> 00:47:25,559
after she did, Ricky turned his attention and as violent

759
00:47:25,639 --> 00:47:27,519
intentions towards another woman.

760
00:47:28,199 --> 00:47:29,000
Speaker 5: And I grabbed my.

761
00:47:29,000 --> 00:47:30,960
Speaker 6: Phone because I was ready to call my daughter's dad

762
00:47:31,000 --> 00:47:33,199
and the cops, like my friends. Mind said I'm trying

763
00:47:33,199 --> 00:47:34,280
to call somebody.

764
00:47:34,719 --> 00:47:36,440
Speaker 4: So he was like, he was like, oh, we're calling

765
00:47:36,480 --> 00:47:37,280
the cost bitch.

766
00:47:37,119 --> 00:47:37,639
Speaker 5: I'll kill you.

767
00:47:37,880 --> 00:47:39,280
Speaker 6: So then after I was like no, and I just

768
00:47:39,719 --> 00:47:41,320
just jumped down the whole bunch of steps.

769
00:47:41,320 --> 00:47:42,960
Speaker 7: I didn't missed all the steps because at that point

770
00:47:42,960 --> 00:47:44,159
he coming at me with a knife.

771
00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:45,880
Speaker 6: But I just jumped down on the steps.

772
00:47:46,280 --> 00:47:47,440
Speaker 12: And then we ended up.

773
00:47:47,440 --> 00:47:51,480
Speaker 5: Going to i knowe, to my apartment because my daughter's dad.

774
00:47:51,519 --> 00:47:53,400
He was there with my daughter, and I told him

775
00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:55,360
him like this boy, just try to dad, and and

776
00:47:55,440 --> 00:47:56,920
he like, ooh, like who's going around.

777
00:47:56,920 --> 00:47:59,079
Speaker 8: I'm like, listen, I didn't even know who's going over there.

778
00:47:59,159 --> 00:48:02,199
Speaker 5: This boy he's trying to stab He's like woodie, I'm

779
00:48:02,239 --> 00:48:02,800
like Ricky.

780
00:48:02,679 --> 00:48:07,320
Speaker 1: William notably when Ricky attacked these women. It wasn't out

781
00:48:07,360 --> 00:48:13,119
of anger. Ricky was calm and calculating. Again, he just

782
00:48:13,679 --> 00:48:19,159
wanted to kill someone for the hell of it. That's

783
00:48:19,960 --> 00:48:24,480
the kind of criminal we're dealing with in twenty twenty four.

784
00:48:25,239 --> 00:48:27,400
Speaker 12: And when he started coming at us with the knights,

785
00:48:27,440 --> 00:48:30,440
he started laughing like he wasn't even like it wasn't

786
00:48:30,480 --> 00:48:32,079
even like he was mad.

787
00:48:32,159 --> 00:48:34,440
Speaker 5: He was laughing by her. How did you want something too?

788
00:48:34,440 --> 00:48:37,599
And I'm like, crazy, wait, movie, we're here, That's why

789
00:48:37,599 --> 00:48:37,920
I'm like you.

790
00:48:38,000 --> 00:48:41,239
Speaker 12: But I was smiling, So I gave her because at

791
00:48:41,280 --> 00:48:43,199
that point I'm thinking he really am trying.

792
00:48:43,079 --> 00:48:44,199
Speaker 1: To stab but either we.

793
00:48:44,239 --> 00:48:47,079
Speaker 5: Got a chance that jump in him, maybe he'd come

794
00:48:47,119 --> 00:48:49,679
at us with a knife or run. My herdsmim was

795
00:48:49,719 --> 00:48:50,039
to run.

796
00:48:50,960 --> 00:48:55,760
Speaker 1: Thankfully, these women were able to flee and they survived

797
00:48:55,800 --> 00:49:00,559
their encounter with Ricky. Unfortunately, though, they didn't go to

798
00:49:00,639 --> 00:49:06,119
police and tell their story until after Gina Burger was dead.

799
00:49:06,840 --> 00:49:08,119
Speaker 6: I kept saying it.

800
00:49:08,280 --> 00:49:11,079
Speaker 12: I kept telling them it would be all called because

801
00:49:11,119 --> 00:49:12,480
if he is not out, he's.

802
00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:13,719
Speaker 5: Not allowed he or he'll get.

803
00:49:13,679 --> 00:49:15,719
Speaker 6: Charged with dress back and he'll get.

804
00:49:15,639 --> 00:49:18,239
Speaker 5: Charged with assaulting her trying to stab us.

805
00:49:18,280 --> 00:49:20,840
Speaker 12: He'll get into trouble. I kept telling everybody, I kept

806
00:49:20,920 --> 00:49:23,760
saying it. Sheara wonders, She'll oh, I don't want to

807
00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:25,519
call the cop, and I'm like, okay, we'll.

808
00:49:25,440 --> 00:49:26,440
Speaker 1: Just tell her to call on cops.

809
00:49:26,559 --> 00:49:26,760
Speaker 4: Wow.

810
00:49:26,880 --> 00:49:29,320
Speaker 5: Hause he had her car, so she's at work, so

811
00:49:29,440 --> 00:49:30,440
he's not gonna.

812
00:49:30,360 --> 00:49:33,039
Speaker 7: He's not there to tell her, know that that, you know,

813
00:49:33,239 --> 00:49:34,639
to stop her from calling him.

814
00:49:34,639 --> 00:49:38,320
Speaker 1: Hop out of fear that Ricky would seek violent revenge

815
00:49:38,400 --> 00:49:42,400
on them, these women decided not to report Ricky to

816
00:49:42,559 --> 00:49:46,599
the police. Less than twenty four hours later, Gina Berger

817
00:49:47,679 --> 00:49:51,440
was dead. Ricky stabbed Gina to death and threw her

818
00:49:51,519 --> 00:49:56,519
body into a dumpster. After the police pieced this all together,

819
00:49:56,639 --> 00:50:01,360
Ricky was charged with murder and arrested, but this case

820
00:50:01,519 --> 00:50:04,800
was not scheduled for trial for nearly four years.

821
00:50:05,800 --> 00:50:08,159
Speaker 4: It takes four years for this to get to the

822
00:50:08,239 --> 00:50:11,519
trial stage because it's a capital case or a death

823
00:50:11,800 --> 00:50:16,760
penalty case, because he's been appointed two lawyers who then

824
00:50:17,079 --> 00:50:23,519
file all these motions to essentially start doing their investigation

825
00:50:23,840 --> 00:50:24,960
of Ricky Williams.

826
00:50:25,599 --> 00:50:28,159
Speaker 3: So a lot of time has spent on death penalty

827
00:50:28,280 --> 00:50:30,039
cases doing what's called.

828
00:50:29,960 --> 00:50:33,039
Speaker 4: Mitigation because they're trying to come up with reasons to

829
00:50:33,199 --> 00:50:36,960
tell the jury why the death penalty should not be imposed.

830
00:50:37,800 --> 00:50:41,519
Speaker 3: So they do psychological tests on the defendant.

831
00:50:42,840 --> 00:50:47,840
Speaker 4: They look into any prior psychological tests that he's already had,

832
00:50:47,960 --> 00:50:51,880
maybe in juvenile court, any counseling he's ever done.

833
00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:52,760
Speaker 3: They look into his.

834
00:50:52,880 --> 00:50:56,599
Speaker 4: Schooling records or prison They want to see what he's

835
00:50:56,719 --> 00:50:59,840
done in those places. So they want to see those records,

836
00:51:00,519 --> 00:51:05,079
and they're trying to present put together their best case

837
00:51:05,360 --> 00:51:09,760
to present to a jury why the death penalty should

838
00:51:09,800 --> 00:51:10,760
not be imposed.

839
00:51:11,440 --> 00:51:14,960
Speaker 1: The state sought the death penalty, and throughout the many

840
00:51:15,079 --> 00:51:18,920
court hearings that were held for this case, Ricky Williams

841
00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:25,159
maintained a heartless and just all around disgusting demeanor.

842
00:51:25,440 --> 00:51:28,880
Speaker 3: During the pre draw hearings. Whenever we would have a

843
00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:30,199
hearing emotion.

844
00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:34,039
Speaker 4: To suppress, whether we would have witnesses, we would present evidence,

845
00:51:34,679 --> 00:51:38,880
Ricky would be smiling and staring at the victim's family,

846
00:51:39,119 --> 00:51:44,199
kind of smirking during the evidence, like he enjoyed listening

847
00:51:44,360 --> 00:51:45,320
to all the evidence.

848
00:51:45,760 --> 00:51:50,159
Speaker 1: Eventually, in twenty eighteen, Ricky and his defense team accepted

849
00:51:50,159 --> 00:51:55,320
a plea from prosecutors. Ricky pled guilty to killing Gina Berger,

850
00:51:56,320 --> 00:52:00,400
and in exchange the death penalty was taken off the table.

851
00:52:01,159 --> 00:52:04,559
Speaker 4: Yeah, despite all of that behavior by our defendant, the

852
00:52:04,639 --> 00:52:07,719
family was still okay with accepting a plea. I think

853
00:52:07,800 --> 00:52:11,400
everyone got the feeling that because he seemed to be

854
00:52:11,639 --> 00:52:15,840
enjoying listening to all the evidence, that if we didn't

855
00:52:15,920 --> 00:52:19,440
let him listen again during the trial, it was going

856
00:52:19,519 --> 00:52:22,079
to be more punishment for him. So if we got

857
00:52:22,199 --> 00:52:24,559
him to admit and take a life with our pole

858
00:52:25,519 --> 00:52:27,559
and not be able to have to sit through him

859
00:52:27,639 --> 00:52:32,639
smirking during all the trial, that you know, that would

860
00:52:32,679 --> 00:52:34,119
benefit the victims.

861
00:52:33,800 --> 00:52:35,480
Speaker 3: More than having to watch him.

862
00:52:36,119 --> 00:52:39,400
Speaker 1: In twenty eighteen, Ricky Williams was scheduled to be sentenced

863
00:52:39,639 --> 00:52:45,039
for the killing of Gina Berger. Tragically, Gina's mom, Jackie Boucher,

864
00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:49,280
was not able to attend the sentencing. Just four months

865
00:52:49,320 --> 00:52:55,039
after Gina was killed, Jackie also died. While the cause

866
00:52:55,079 --> 00:53:01,000
of death was never officially confirmed. Jackie liked began using

867
00:53:01,079 --> 00:53:07,559
heroin again after Gina died and overdosed. Still, many of

868
00:53:07,679 --> 00:53:12,159
Gina's other family members did attend the sentencing for Ricky Williams,

869
00:53:12,239 --> 00:53:14,679
including Gina's adoptive mom.

870
00:53:15,880 --> 00:53:16,559
Speaker 4: You do not win.

871
00:53:17,440 --> 00:53:19,840
Speaker 12: We accepted you a pathetic plead because we wanted you

872
00:53:19,920 --> 00:53:21,559
to live in hell for the rest of your life.

873
00:53:22,239 --> 00:53:24,360
We love the fact that you'll never see the outside

874
00:53:24,440 --> 00:53:26,719
world again. You will never be able to hurt another

875
00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:29,880
person again. Ever, I don't want to hear your lawyers

876
00:53:29,920 --> 00:53:32,239
stand up and speak to this jury or the judge

877
00:53:32,239 --> 00:53:34,039
about how hard you had it as a child.

878
00:53:34,519 --> 00:53:35,960
Speaker 8: You look at these people sitting.

879
00:53:35,719 --> 00:53:38,159
Speaker 12: On January's side of the poor room, and you'll find

880
00:53:38,199 --> 00:53:42,719
people who were in much dier situations than you. Cancer, teenage, pregnancy,

881
00:53:42,840 --> 00:53:48,239
death and the father, divorced, single parents, foster homes, drug addition, suicide.

882
00:53:48,760 --> 00:53:49,199
Speaker 5: You name it.

883
00:53:49,280 --> 00:53:51,880
Speaker 12: These people with sacrifice. So don't give us your sad,

884
00:53:51,960 --> 00:53:54,960
pathetic story, because we've seen done at all more than

885
00:53:54,960 --> 00:53:57,840
you could ever imagine. We don't care what you did

886
00:53:57,920 --> 00:53:59,800
is an excuse them. No matter what type of life

887
00:53:59,800 --> 00:54:02,519
you you've lived, no one else's term has ever come

888
00:54:02,599 --> 00:54:05,719
in a murder except for you, a goof mother of

889
00:54:05,800 --> 00:54:08,000
a murdered child, and you had no right to take

890
00:54:08,039 --> 00:54:11,239
away from me, her father, and our family. You are

891
00:54:11,360 --> 00:54:14,719
evil masquerrated as a human being. Words cannot express the

892
00:54:14,800 --> 00:54:17,719
pain and anguish our family and friends of Endurance's for murder.

893
00:54:18,519 --> 00:54:20,519
Your decision to take the life of my daughter, with

894
00:54:20,639 --> 00:54:23,239
no regard for the effect it may have on others

895
00:54:23,320 --> 00:54:27,159
as unimaginable. I think of my daughter Jena every single day.

896
00:54:28,039 --> 00:54:30,239
I wonder how many people actually think of you every day,

897
00:54:31,039 --> 00:54:32,760
and as the years go by, I hope they forget

898
00:54:32,760 --> 00:54:34,559
about your pisthetic life.

899
00:54:35,440 --> 00:54:39,960
Speaker 1: After Gina's surviving family members gave their impact statements, it

900
00:54:40,079 --> 00:54:43,360
was time for Ricky to make a statement as well,

901
00:54:43,639 --> 00:54:47,519
and for a judge to impose a sentence.

902
00:54:48,119 --> 00:54:50,400
Speaker 2: When it was his turn to speak, Williams told the

903
00:54:50,519 --> 00:54:53,519
judge he only agreed to the plea bargain to avoid

904
00:54:53,639 --> 00:54:56,760
risking the possible death sentence if he'd gone to trial.

905
00:54:57,079 --> 00:54:59,119
Speaker 1: I didn't feel that errors.

906
00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:01,719
Speaker 5: I want to put that in a record.

907
00:55:02,440 --> 00:55:04,920
Speaker 2: I didn't do it. No, I'm sticking with it. But

908
00:55:05,000 --> 00:55:08,400
the judge said the evidence proves Williams committed the crimes,

909
00:55:08,679 --> 00:55:11,679
sentencing him to sixty two years to life in prison.

910
00:55:12,360 --> 00:55:18,119
Speaker 1: Thankfully, and to the benefit of society, Ricky Williams will

911
00:55:18,280 --> 00:55:23,440
never see the outside of a prison facility. Admittedly, there

912
00:55:23,559 --> 00:55:27,119
really isn't much to learn from this case. I know,

913
00:55:27,199 --> 00:55:30,039
we do this little thing where we sum it up

914
00:55:30,320 --> 00:55:33,880
with a little bow and send you on your way

915
00:55:34,840 --> 00:55:37,119
with a little bit of a positive spin in terms

916
00:55:37,159 --> 00:55:39,760
of at least we can learn something from this story.

917
00:55:39,800 --> 00:55:44,599
But we can't really learn anything from this story, a

918
00:55:44,679 --> 00:55:49,079
story with a murder, which has a motive that is

919
00:55:49,199 --> 00:55:56,480
so absurd, so unnecessary. I'm left with no words after

920
00:55:56,840 --> 00:56:01,679
eleven years of doing this. Gina was just a young

921
00:56:01,880 --> 00:56:05,679
girl who wanted some iced tea. She went looking for

922
00:56:05,880 --> 00:56:08,400
tea bags. She went to go ask a neighbor, someone

923
00:56:08,480 --> 00:56:12,320
she knew, someone she saw every day, and she had

924
00:56:12,360 --> 00:56:18,159
the horrible misfortune of crossing paths with a monster, a

925
00:56:18,320 --> 00:56:22,840
monster that killed her just for the sake of doing it.

926
00:56:23,679 --> 00:56:29,039
Gina's short life was riddled with misfortune. Gina's biological parents

927
00:56:29,039 --> 00:56:32,559
were heroin addicts, and as a result, she was placed

928
00:56:32,599 --> 00:56:37,519
into foster care. After being adopted, her new parents got divorced,

929
00:56:38,119 --> 00:56:42,719
and then Gina was allegedly raped by her adoptive mom's

930
00:56:42,800 --> 00:56:47,000
new husband. At least that's what she claimed. If that

931
00:56:47,159 --> 00:56:51,960
allegation is true, obviously it's horrible. But if it isn't,

932
00:56:52,639 --> 00:56:56,360
for Gina to make such a serious accusation, she must

933
00:56:56,400 --> 00:57:01,719
have been dealing with some overwhelming issues or a teenager. Then,

934
00:57:02,400 --> 00:57:05,119
on a rainy night in June of twenty fourteen, Gina

935
00:57:05,239 --> 00:57:10,000
was abducted from her apartment complex. She was terrorized, threatened

936
00:57:10,159 --> 00:57:15,800
at knife point, and stabbed at death. Then Gina was

937
00:57:15,960 --> 00:57:22,880
just thrown away like garbage. But Gina wasn't garbage. She

938
00:57:23,039 --> 00:57:27,440
was a young girl who wanted to overcome and rise

939
00:57:27,519 --> 00:57:32,119
above all of the bullshit, all the past hardships, all

940
00:57:32,199 --> 00:57:38,480
the disappointments in life, so many in just sixteen years

941
00:57:38,599 --> 00:57:44,039
on this planet. Sadly she never got the chance. Maybe

942
00:57:44,480 --> 00:57:48,639
it is true, maybe some people have all the luck.

943
00:57:49,840 --> 00:57:54,239
So as you look around the room see the faces

944
00:57:54,320 --> 00:57:59,119
of your family, your kids, your parents, As you look

945
00:57:59,199 --> 00:58:03,880
at their faces and their smiles and feel their love

946
00:58:04,639 --> 00:58:09,760
coming back to you, take a moment to realize that

947
00:58:09,960 --> 00:58:14,320
you are one of those lucky ones. Although it's true

948
00:58:14,360 --> 00:58:18,039
that sometimes it feels like some people have all the luck,

949
00:58:19,320 --> 00:58:23,119
it certainly seems like some people have none of it.

950
00:59:45,039 --> 00:59:48,440
If you enjoyed the show, please consider joining Plus. It

951
00:59:48,679 --> 00:59:52,119
starts at only ten bucks a month and you can

952
00:59:52,159 --> 00:59:55,880
find it at sword and Scale dot com. That's how

953
00:59:55,960 --> 00:59:59,159
we pay the bills around here. I know y'all pours

954
00:59:59,239 --> 01:00:02,760
hate capitalists them and all that, but you do enjoy

955
01:00:02,840 --> 01:00:08,039
the show, seemingly so, that's how it's made. Also check

956
01:00:08,079 --> 01:00:10,760
out our store store dot swords gail dot com and

957
01:00:10,880 --> 01:00:13,920
until next time, trying not to get killed, stay safe,