1275 Days | FULL MOVIE | True Crime Documentary (2019) | Forensic Files

911 DISPATCHER: Elkhart 9-1-1. What is your emergency? RODNEY SCOTT (ON PHONE): I--
I just shot two guys. 911 DISPATCHER: Shot two people? RODNEY SCOTT (ON PHONE): Yes.
They broke into my house. I'm holding a gun on the people right now. 911 DISPATCHER: Are they in the house?
RODNEY SCOTT (ON PHONE): Yes. They're in the house right now. They're in the closet.
Hurry up. Please. 911 DISPATCHER: OK, don't hang up. What's your name? RODNEY SCOTT (ON PHONE): Rodney Scott.
911 DISPATCHER: Rodney? RODNEY SCOTT (ON PHONE): Yeah. 911 DISPATCHER: Rodney, put the gun down, OK?
RODNEY SCOTT (ON PHONE): Get back. 911 DISPATCHER: R-- Rodney. RODNEY SCOTT (ON PHONE): Get back.
Brother, ain't you from across the street? [dial tone] ANGIE: Elkhart, Indiana. It's, um, very small.
Really small. You don't realize it's as small as what it is, but it is small. Sometimes the only thing here to do is maybe go to the bar.
And you don't want to get in trouble here. We have quotes about Elkhart, like you come here on vacation,
and you can't leave because you end up on probation. Yeah, it's just a small town that seems
like everybody knows everybody. I've lived a big chunk of my life on Frances Avenue in Elkhart.
I lived with my parents growing up on the other end of Frances. We did move out of the area, but then I came back.
As a young teenager, a younger age, I would be at the roller rink. We all did the roller rink thing.
We did have a small mall not too far from here that we would hang out at. But there still wasn't a lot to do.
So of course we had our parties and underage drinking issues and things like that.
At 16, I was hanging out with a good friend of mine. And her brother was also close to our age.
And things led to things, and we end up getting pregnant with Blake. And, of course, either one of us were quite ready.
So I stepped up to be the single mother that I had to be. Went to school-- high school.
After high school, went to a part-time job every day. And Blake did everything with me.
Blake was at my graduation. Blake was in my senior pictures. I remember I didn't go to my junior prom
because I was practically a labor at the time. It was real close to the same time that the prom was.
I did make it to my senior prom, so that was nice. But yeah, it was-- it wasn't easy being
a single young mother. But I grew up with Blake. Blake was my everything. I've never lived without Blake.
He was my sidekick. No matter where I was, Blake was there. I think that's the hardest part.
It's like we've kind of grown up together. And he's always been a big help, helping with his brother
and sister, too. That day, I got a phone call that there was an incident that happened a few blocks from our house
on Frances Avenue stating there was a lot of police. So I called my son, Blake, just to see what was
going on in the neighborhood. But I couldn't get in touch with him. KATHERINE: I was at school, and I got a call from Blake's
mom, Angie, freaking out. Like, there's cops down the road. I have a feeling it's about Blake.
Blake's not answering his phone. ANGIE: I was flipping out. I know my son. And I know my son will pick up my phone
call at every phone call. So I felt in my gut something was wrong. KATHERINE: I got to Blake's house.
There was a whole bunch cops and ambulances down the street. ANGIE: I talked to an officer, but I
was denied any information, or if it had anything to do with my son. Somebody said five of teenagers had broke into a home,
and that my son was involved. The next thing I find out is pretty much that two of the kids had been shot.
One was alive, and one was dead. I didn't know if it was my son that w-- was gone.
Which passed. KATHERINE: Angie left to the hospital to see if Blake was there. And an officer showed up and said
that we had to talked to Officer Price, which was the homicide detective. So at that point, we were all, oh my gosh.
Like, something really bad has happened to Blake. ANGIE: On the way to the hospital,
the police station called me. They had Blake. He had been shot in somebody else's home.
And so I went to the Elkhart Police station. I got questioned quite a bit. I just kept asking to see my son.
And at the time, he's 16. I should've been able to see him. They wanted me to sign the paper to have him questioned.
And they told me that they were charging him with murder. KATHERINE: The first person that Blake called was me.
He called me, and he was bawling, talking about how he messed up. And he wishes that he had never done anything.
He was just sobbing. [somber music] MALE REPORTER 1: Prosecutors announce four men are facing murder charges.
And Judy, why are these men being charged with murder when they didn't pull the trigger
that killed their friend? FEMALE REPORTER 1: Well, Brian, the prosecutor made it very clear today.
Under Indiana law, when you're in the midst of engaging in criminal behavior and someone is killed,
murder is an available charge. It sends a strong message to criminals here that crime
will not be tolerated. [bell chimes] We live day to day. We live day to day, you know?
You-- you fill your time out the right way. You occupy your time with the right things
and avoid the wrong. You know, it's prison. You're surrounded by negative all the time.
Be a light in the dark, you know? Be the one that's different. It's hard. It's been nine months already, and I'm
still waiting on my trial. I mean, you don't get to physically see your family, you know?
You're talking to the only people that are there for you over a phone. Over a screen.
And it's tough. You're in this big place all by yourself, and you can't even give your mom a hug, or your girl,
or-- nothing. I wasn't a bad kid. I made mistakes. Every kid does. Tried to play sports when I was younger.
Didn't really like it. Didn't do it. MAN: Come on, Blakey. Come on, Blakey-bloo.
[chuckles] When I got older, started-- tried getting high, stuff like that. Just kind of started hanging out with, you know,
guys that were doing I was doing. So that's all we did, you know? Kicked it and got high.
That day, I was with Anthony, Jose, Levi, and Danzele. I had known most for a long time.
All good friends. I don't know why we decided we were going to break into somebody's house.
I think it was money. Probably to get higher. I don't know. We knocked on people's houses, see if anybody was home.
One house had dogs or something. I don't remember. And then pretty sure it was Jose that said something
about the house across the street, not being there a lot, and at work. So we knocked on that door.
Nobody picked up. And, you know, in our heads, that meant no one was there. At that point, Levi decided to stay back
and kind of became the lookout. And kind of want to say Danzele kicked the door in.
We went inside. And we weren't in there probably a minute. Not very long at all.
There was a wallet and a watch. I just grabbed it. And that's when the homeowner had come downstairs
and began shooting. We're all in a bedroom. And we turned around and run back in a closet.
I didn't know I'd got shot until I grabbed my leg and it started hurting. And I realized, oh, yeah.
I was shot. And then I noticed that Danzele was kind of falling. And I kind of looked over, and I seen on his chest
that his sweater was all red. And then it kind of clicked in my hand, like, oh, you know,
he got shot. I tried to pull him in the closet, and I felt the blood on my hand.
And that's when he had died. CURTIS HILL: The law is quite clear that if one engages in a felony--
and particular felony, burglary-- and, during the commission of that burglary, someone
dies as a result, that we can charge felony murder. To the future criminals, that message is, gee,
if you go breaking into somebody's house and somebody dies as a result, Elkhart County is going
to hold you up for murder. And I think that's an important standard to have. ANGIE: They're going to be raised
with criminals for years. If they're gonna put them with that kind of time, they're going to go to the worst of the worst.
[inaudible] Because they're max security, because they're murderers. That just makes me so sick to my stomach.
TAMMY: That's too much. I get myself-- ANGIE: That's why we've got to keep things going.
It helps. But we need to do a recent summary of the case and what has happened to put on--
Update the flyers, I was thinking. That's what I was thinking, too. I was like, I need to go through there and--
We don't want to draw it all out either, because they did commit a crime, and they
deserve to be punished. Oh, definitely. It's not like we're just trying to get out of it.
We know Blake did wrong, and we know that he broke into that man's house. But charge him with what he did.
Charge him for the breaking and entering, even burglary. It's a six- to 20-year sentence for these kids.
Felony murder is stretching. It's cruel punishment to these teenagers. The felony murder rule, it's just-- it's very outdated.
You don't have to prove an intent to kill any-- I mean, you don't even actually have to do the murder
to be charged with it. I just think that's ridiculous. All they have to do is prove that you were in the commission
of the alleged crime. That blew me away, and I've been dealing with the legal system
for years. They caught me completely off guard. [guitar music] ANGIE: The day before our trial was beginning,
I had myself prepared for the worst. Prepared for a guilty verdict of felony murder.
But as I went through the trial, and the week, and I-- I thought, if anything, them 12 jurors--
somebody was going to decide not to send these boys away for the rest of their lives.
It seemed like we had a nice juror. It would've been fair and decent. There was like eight females, four males.
Some of them a couple schoolteachers. I just-- I just had big hope that these people
would not charge these boys with something they didn't do. KATHERINE: I got Blake's hopes up because
of how good trial was looking. We were talking on the phone those days like, man, we got this case.
Like, we're going to win. You're going to come home. You're going to get charged with burglary.
As we sit here today, we have the death of Danzele Johnson, which is absolutely unvindicated.
Not one of them truly did accept responsibility. You know, our laws do not come close to addressing
what a violent attack-- a burglary-- is on your home. I mean, where do our children feel safe?
They feel safe in their beds. And they don't think that people are going to violate that,
and yet that's exactly what happened here. CURTIS HILL: Everybody is entitled to their opinion.
That's what this American system is all about. I'm not here to address concerns.
Certainly anyone who's involved in the case from a family standpoint, this is a tough day.
But whatever the jury decides, we live with. ANGIE: At about 10 till midnight, they came back with a verdict.
And as soon as I sat down and they brought the jurors in, I felt it in my stomach.
I just remember, basically, when they read the verdict, them saying Anthony's name.
Hearing all three guilties. And Blake stood up. He looked back, and his face was just full of tears.
Like, his face was all droopy. And I don't remember seeing anything else. [somber music]
[sobbing] I wish that there would have been a different outcome because they did not commit a murder.
They did not pull that trigger. CURTIS HILL: That's a tough message. But it's the right message, because we
have to take a position that when you break into someone's home, you have to be held accountable.
It's certainly a verdict that I think is appropriate. MALE REPORTER 2: Now an update on a deadly Elkhart county home
invasion that took place last-- FEMALE REPORTER 2: --weekend. And Kelly, those boys will likely end up serving
half their sentences, if that. FEMALE REPORTER 3: --because of day-for-day credit in Indiana.
The judge also recommended drug counseling for the three of them since they were high on marijuana the day
the home invasion happened. But their fight isn't over. FEMALE REPORTER 4: Now, this whole case has been
going on for about 10 months. Is there any word the families will appeal? FEMALE REPORTER 5: They plan to fight this until the end.
So that could mean appeals. FEMALE REPORTER 4: All right. Tricia Harte, live from the newsroom.
Thank you. We'll never get this puzzle done. [chuckle] Curtis Hill can't catch a real murderer in Elkhart.
So he's got to go and make stats for himself. I've always loved the United States.
I've always had pride in the United States. But this is not just. That makes you wonder, is this the right place
to raise my family? You break into a home that you think is empty. You don't have any weapons.
You retreat the entire time when somebody comes in. How can the United States put some--
a child, no less-- not an adult, but a child-- in prison for that amount of time?
To completely destroy their life, their family life? And I understand that this child should be punished.
There's no doubt in my mind that that child should be punished. But-- People that actually kill someone--
Yes. --are getting less time than-- Are getting less time than-- than this child that made a bad choice.
And he needs to learn from that. But-- It wasn't murder. It was not murder. I mean, I can't even get on the internet sites
where there's a story about this because people make me sick with the way they're "lock these thugs up.
They deserve everything they get." You don't know these kids. They're not gang members that have been running the street.
This is his first offense. ANGIE: This case has already cost us a lot of money. Paid our first lawyer 15,000.
And now we're starting all over for the appeal. We have to find a new lawyer, which is probably going
to cost more than that one did. So we're having prayer rally-slash-cookout. We're supplying the meat.
Everybody's [inaudible] inside. We'll have a jar out there. We're gonna try to raise more money for the appeal.
It's going to be a long, expensive process. RICK: I want to thank each and every one of you
for your support. We appreciate everything you've done. Appreciate you coming out here today
to enjoy this beautiful Labor Day with us. And we would like to give something back now
and give some thanks to the Good Lord. I ask, Father, that You look over these young men
and give them the strength and courage they need to lead others in hopes that they can be a light
in a dark place, Father, and that they can lead others to You. In Jesus precious name we pray.
Amen. [phone rings] You guys ready for some kickball or what? [laughter] Hello? What's up, son?
We got a lot of people out here that showed up, man. A lot of people showed up here to support
you now and the cause. It's going to seem worse, but it'll get better. You know?
[inaudible] I'm-- I'm gonna put you on with Katherine, OK? She's-- she's mugging me.
KATHERINE: No, I am not. She hasn't took her eyeballs off me. All right, son. I love you, Blake.
Keep your head up. Hello? RICK: I missed a big part of Blake's life that I've spent in prison.
They call it the Department of Corrections, but there's not much-- it's not really set up to correct anybody.
Most of the people I know that have spent time-- long, long prison terms-- don't come out much better than what
they were when they went in. There's no preparing yourself for that. But I try to talk to him and prepare
him to be ready to deal with what he's going to experience. He's a strong kid. And I know he has the right intentions,
and I know he'll do the right thing. But I'm scared for him. I-- I just can't-- I can't even find the words.
I don't-- I don't want him to experience the things I experienced and make the choices I made.
I wish I could, you know, push a button and make all this go away. Or go with him and protect him every step of it.
I'm home, and our family's reunited, and we're all together. It's what we've all always wanted,
and he's been taken away. A long time ago, all I remember is watching "Cops" on TV and, like,
seeing them help their community and all other things that come along with being a cop.
I wanted to be a part of that, you know? I wanted to be helping people and putting the bad ones away
and, you know, all that. I was actually getting law enforcement credits at the career center.
And then, in the middle of all that, Blake got arrested. At first, I didn't really talk about it with a lot of people
because most of it was, you know, you're stupid for staying with him. And so I didn't really talk about it law enforcement class.
But when I did, it just made me want to cry. Like, it was bad. They were just thugs, and they deserve to be where they are.
And if they get life, well then, so be it. That was just a lot for me, especially
since I've been dating this kid for, like, a year. And everybody knows, and they just
still decide to talk about it. It was hard. I just don't feel like I could ever be a part of law enforcement.
I know I should have pursued it and made a change. But there was just something about it
that I just cut everybody off ANGIE: Destiny, what are you studying? Triangles. Oh, I seen that you were looking
triangles up on the iPad. Oh, yeah. You must've been having trouble with your homework.
This is confusing. 90 plus 26. That's two angles. This whole situation was really, really hard for Destiny.
When she was born, she was diagnosed with an astrocytomas brain tumor. They say that it was not operable.
It spread out. It's not like a one-spot tumor. It's different spots all over the brain.
The doctors were saying she was going to be blind. You know, they thought she probably wouldn't even
make it till five. She started chemo right away. She's been through a few rounds of chemo through the years.
What time is it? [inaudible] I don't know, but we can go. Yeah, 8:24. But she pretty much quit when this all happened with Blake.
That was her rock. Blake did a lot. He went to chemo. Did the medicine with her in the middle of night.
Very involved with Destiny. So when this situation happened, she refused to take chemo pills.
She just stopped. So we had to have a meeting at the hospital with the nurse, the doctor.
We all discussed what to do in the situation, and we chose to let her take a break.
So she has been totally off everything. But she still has the brain tumor. Every three months, we go to the hospital.
Get an MRI check on it, make sure it's not growing any. Unfortunately, we kind of got a little rough news
that there was a little bit of color difference, which means that it could be active.
But we're going to just watch it, and hopefully we'll just stay on break, and we won't have to [inaudible]
Oh, I'm late. I'm getting out of the car. ANGIE: All right. I love you. DESTINY: I'll probably never see you again.
ANGIE: Destiny! All right, I'll be here at what time, um, to pick you up? Oh my gosh.
I love you! DESTINY: No, you don't. ANGIE: [chuckling] Bye, Destiny! Son? Come on, baby.
WOMAN: Do you want to try and [inaudible] or no? BOY: No, I'm good. WOMAN: Do you want to light his?
BOY: No, I'm good! It may go out of the way, but we'll relight it if it does. ANGIE: We just want to remember the day there was a life lost
here, and a young man too soon. Way too soon. Danzele's mom will never be able to hug him again.
BOY: Amen. WOMAN: Amen. Amen. BOY: If we could all just bow our heads for a minute.
Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you on this holy day just to ask for Danzele's family.
Let their grief be short, and just let them know that he's in a better place. We come here not only for the Elkhart four,
but know that there's another angel up there in Your heaven. And just help us push every day to fight for what we know
is right. And we thank you. Son Jesus Christ precious, holy name, we pray. Amen.
CROWD: Amen. Danzele's mother had come to visit me. I didn't know how the family felt about what had happened.
You know, I didn't know if she was going to come up here and yell at me. But she told me, thank you for staying with Danzele
while everything was happening. You know, he's 21 years old. That's-- That's young.
He had so much life. And now-- you know what I mean? And I told his mom, when I get out, I will not mess up.
I will do right. Because I feel like I'm doing it not only for myself, but for Danzele as well.
Because he's not going to get the chance, you know? I mean, I feel bad every day.
I feel bad for the homeowner. And I feel like a lot of people don't-- really don't look at him.
He had all the right to do what he did. We were in the wrong 100%. And I don't want him to think anything different.
He did what he had to do. That was our mistake. I'm sorry he has to live with that for the rest of his life.
[clank] ANGIE: Destiny! Destiny [inaudible]! You excited to see your brother? Mm-hmm.
ANGIE: Yeah? - I get really anxious. - Yeah. KATHERINE: My stomach starts to hurt,
like, right before we go in. If I look good, or if I look weird, or-- everything's gotta be right.
[phone rings] Oh, this is one of the boys now. It's Anthony. FEMALE VOICE (ON PHONE): Your current balance is $10.17.
Hi, Ant! Hey, Anthony. DESTINY: Hi, Ant. That was Katherine and Destiny. You're on speakerphone.
So how's it going? You OK? Watch your mouth! [snickering] All you guys have-- your mouth has gotten bad.
Yeah, Katherine's being a butthole because she thinks that we're lost. KATHERINE: What do you mean, a "butthole"?
She's just driving straight. We can be in freaking California by now, for all she knows, but no.
I'm kind of glad that I had Blake first because now, having a girl, because I have Katherine now instead of Blake right now.
Whew! So, what is wrong with you? You're having chest pains? Well, you need to worry about it,
because that could be serious. You probably should tell the nurse or something. No, you need to do that.
I'll-- I'll pay for it. ANTHONY (ON PHONE) Aw, man. ANGIE: I'm gonna pay for it!
You need to get it checked out. It could be serious. Much love, Anthony. Bye! You keep your head up you.
And you study for that test. All right, love you. Yeah, you too. [music playing]
This is mine and Blake's song. Oh, gosh. [inaudible] on the way? [chuckle] [music continues]
KATHERINE: Blake told me that you never put me through him going to jail for 55 years.
But I have never resigned about breaking up because you've gotta stay strong for each other.
ANGIE: Destiny. Destiny, honey! We're here. We've gotta see your brother. Come on.
Sweating? You hot? You nervous? [laughs] You're OK. [chuckles] You don't get to see him every day, so I gotta look good.
It's like a date. Yeah. Every 14 days, huh? With his mom. [groaning] Come on! I can't feel my feet!
MALE REPORTER 3: The Elkhart Four is now obviously a big story in our area. Very high profile.
FEMALE REPORTER 6: It's been a controversial case from the beginning. ANGIE: I get aggravated when people call them thugs,
because they're not thugs. They made a bad choice at 16. MAN: I think they did the crime, they do the time.
JENNIFER: To be in jail for that many years-- there was no murder. People who murder people get out in less
time than with these boys. This sounds like the courts approved some briefs from the forensic court.
Sounds good. TAMMY: Change. You're clicking the wrong one. The wrong button. Thank you.
[awkward laugh] TAMMY: "Appeals court approved two supported briefs. Several groups not directly associated
with the Elkhart Four have asked to file briefs in the appeals." ANGIE: So these are people that just
asked if they could put their two cents in and the judge approved it? TAMMY: "Each of these amicus are being filed
in support of Blake and Levi. It is easy to guess that they will be relying on recent scientific evidence differentiating the adolescent
from the adult brain to support their submission to the court." Huh. So I'm assuming the judge could say, no, they don't
have nothing to do with it? But they're accepting it. So I guess that's really good news, yeah.
And I like this-- KATHERINE: Hold on, he's calling. Tell him I said hi. BLAKE (ON PHONE) Blake.
OPERATOR: To accept charges, press 4. [beep] Hello? Hi. Good morning. ANGIE: Maybe we should call the lawyer
and ask her these questions about these updates. TAMMY: All right. She's usually really good about letting us
know everything anyways, but-- We're bothering her on a Saturday. I know. Probably if she doesn't want to be bothered, she won't answer.
Kind of like [inaudible]. CARA (ON PHONE): Cara. - Yeah. Hi, Cara. All right, fine.
I'll just buy myself a ring. I'm just kidding. Calm down. I wish you were here. TAMMY: We had some questions on the appeals.
We've told you about the blog for the Elkhart Four? Let me just read you a little bit of it.
"The Indiana Court of Appeals approved the inclusion of two amicus briefs submitted by friends of the court,
supporting the appeals filed by Blake Layman and Levi Sparks for their 2013 felony murder conviction."
So I guess we're asking exactly what does that mean? That's a good, good thing, right?
That's good. CARA (ON PHONE): Yeah. Are you hopeful at this point? Hey, what time are you gonna call me later?
10:00? OK. (ANGRILY) 10:30? Oh. Like, 4:00 and then 10:00. [barking noises] [chuckle]
Oh, because he wasn't a juvenile. Right, right. I'm just worried about [inaudible]..
I feel like he's getting left behind. CARA (ON PHONE): Yeah. I miss you, too. Be good.
And keep your head up. And call me at 4:00 or I'll punch you in the nose, and OK.
OPERATOR: You have one minute left. I love you. I miss you, too. K, bye. Love you.
I really-- I have a lot of faith in her. I do too. And she does sound pretty confident.
I like that. This is my first visit right here. It was the first time I actually got to give Katherine
a hug in, like, a year. Or a little over a year. She's always been there for me.
And it helps so much to look forward to that, to have someone to call, to have someone to talk to.
To even just, you know, complain about your day, or hear them complain about their day.
And I want to show her that, you know, I really do mean when I say, I really do mean
I want to be with you forever. You know, I'm not-- not leading you on. I'm not doing anything like that, you know?
I proposed to her. You know, I-- I kind of can't do it, you know, the normal way in here.
But I called my grandma and told her, you know, hey, tell her you got a T-shirt or something,
you know. Have her come over to the house, and you give her this ring for me. And I called her later on that night.
Or I called her earlier that day and told her, you know, like, will you marry me?
And obviously she said, yeah. Rick moved out. It's just a lot of stress on the relationship.
It was overwhelming for him. You're locked up for this many years, and you get out to your child locked up.
And now you're on the other side, and-- where before, it was always Blake visiting him.
We argued sometimes about money because he didn't understand. He didn't even know how to control the lights
because he's never had to. So, like, I would come home, and every light in the house
would be on. And I wouldn't complain about it because I knew-- in the back of my head, I'm like, gosh, that's because he's
been locked up for so long. He didn't understand finances. I think it was easier for him to walk away and just leave
the situation and not focus on what I have to focus on every day. How do you feel about your MRI?
Crappy. Crappy? Because I don't want to go in there and sit there for an hour, and then
have to go to an eye appointment. You just don't wanna do it? No. I'm tired. Me too.
I feel real nauseous. Do you? MAN: All right, sweetie. I want you to just look at the green line, OK?
Cool. Now put your arm back under this blanket here. [inaudible] or anything, OK?
Thanks for doing such a good job. [inaudible] Oh? Awesome. Thank you. WOMAN: You're welcome.
So close. ANGIE: I wonder if that's Blake. It is. Uh. DESTINY: Did he remember? I don't know, maybe.
Hi, Son. What's up? How are you? Yeah. That's awesome. Right, because Destiny was like, did he remember?
Hello? WOMAN: Hi, is Destiny in here? ANGIE: Yeah, she's in here. All right, I love you too.
All right, bye. Let's check you out. [inhales sharply] Have you been feeling well? - Yeah.
ANGIE: I'm sorry, Son. I need to talk to the doctor. I love you too, Son. I miss you a lot.
MALE REPORTER 4: Now, There's a battle in Indiana for the job as the state's attorney general.
FEMALE REPORTER 7: That's right. Curtis Hill has prosecuted cases in Elkhart County
since the early 2000s. But he's looking to start a new chapter in his political career.
Hill argues the skills for an Attorney General are very similar to that of a prosecutor.
There's fact finding in that. There's investigation review. There's a determination of wrong conduct and right conduct.
And then you expand that to an entire state. And the idea is to create a tenor of safety
for as many people as possible. [gentle music] WOMAN: Welcome, everybody. This morning, normal visitation rules don't apply.
So you can give your welcoming hug and kiss, and we'll get started. I love you. I love you.
All right, I want you to look at your partner. Look them square in the eye, and just say, honey.
Honey. MAN: Let's talk. Honey, let's talk. What does good communication look, like?
Just brainstorm that for a minute. What's that say? Listening and understanding.
WOMAN: How much do you care-- truly care-- about that individual that you have to put somebody down like that.
When we talk about putting down, how do you think it affects your physical state?
[mellow music] It's hard not to get discouraged. I don't want to forever be labeled a murderer because when
I got out to get a job, they look up my background, and it's going to say murder.
It's not going to say felony murder and tell them all about my case. It's going to say murder.
Not a lot of people will look over that. My earliest possible release date is April 3, 2040.
That's my earliest possible release date. I don't think it takes 27 year-- 27 and 1/2 years to figure out, OK, I fucked up.
OK, I need to change my mindset to be better to change and succeed in society. Become something.
For me, I know it didn't take that long. Hell, I feel like I'm ready now. I've been down here two years.
I'll do some more time on top of it, though. I committed a crime. I'll sit here, you know?
That's part of the consequences. But 20-something years? You know, I feel like that takes away from the things
that you decided you were going to change. And you're surrounded by negative. You're surrounded by fighting.
But you have to continue to keep a good mentality, like, OK, I can do better. I can still become something in life.
I imagine myself in an apartment, you know? Hell, probably with a kid, you know?
This is where I am. It's sad and it sucks. Over time, they just kind of wear you down
and wear you down. Your visit's here. OK. Thank you. That's one of my biggest fears, is it's going to like--
it messing up my mindset, and I have less regard for getting in trouble from now on.
And then letting my family down. And that's not what I want to do. We're good? Yep, you're good.
They're there for me, and I need to-- I need to continue to prove to them that I'm doing right.
Baby bird. Baby bird! Aww. Yup. You know, you had many a boyfriends before Blake
that I did not like, did not care for. They were completely unrespectful. And Blake came in here day one, and I told you
the first day that I liked him. And he's got a really good heart, and he made a bad mistake.
And the last thing he needed was for people to walk away from him. He deserves a second chance, just like everybody
deserves a second chance. And we're very proud for sticking with Blake, because, you know, he's a good kid that does not deserve this.
JENNIFER: Yes, he was a good kid. And we are going to fight. We are going national.
We are going to get all the research that we can on all the other cases. And I'll always be Blake's friend.
And I'll always have a place in my heart for Blake. But do I think that I want you to spend 45 years
holding your life for Blake? RICK: No. No. That's not what I want. Take his phone calls.
Be his friend. Hold his hand. Never stop being that boy's friend. But you're going to have to move on with your life.
You can't wait 40 years. You know that. Obviously, Katherine is very passionate about Blake
and loves Blake with her entire heart. So it was an extremely difficult conversation.
But I felt that, as a mother, I need to make sure that she's OK, because she's obviously my number one.
Also, I wrote a letter to Blake and asked him to let her go because it's not fair to her
for him to expect her to stay with him. But he had no intentions of letting her go either.
MALE REPORTER 5: The Indiana Supreme Court is pushing back an appeals hearing for three
of the so-called Elkhart Four. The court was scheduled to hear arguments this Wednesday
in the appeal of Blake Layman, Levi Sparks, and Anthony Sharp. It will now take place in late February.
Defense attorneys will have 20 minutes to explain why the court should toss out their felony murder convictions, or at least
lessen their sentences. Hearing that appeal didn't go through was extremely hard.
Times are hard right now. There's a lot of money going out. We actually had to get a loan.
It's been a long process. And Blake still does need to be taken care of. I know some people say, well, he's fine.
They don't need money. Well, they don't-- yeah, they get their three meals a day.
Do they have enough hygiene to last? No. Do they get paper for free? No. You know, they need all that too.
So I still have to take care of Blake also. Unfortunately, we can see him every two weeks,
but I've had to postpone every two weeks. I can't afford to do every two weeks, unfortunately.
I have a used vehicle that's older. And we did have the incident of going to see Blake,
and the vehicle breaking down. And we're, you know-- I mean, to get stranded in Indianapolis.
There's a lot of risk, too, of driving 4 and 1/2 hours. It's really hard, because I'd be there every two weeks.
And if we lived close, we'd be there every two weeks. And so that's kind of upsetting sometimes, to know--
I mean, there's been times where I didn't even have money on my phone. And when he calls, that's heartbreaking,
knowing I can't answer the phone because I don't have money on the phone. It's very heartbreaking.
And same with other boys. It's like, you know, Anthony calls a lot. And it's hard for me all the time to answer his phone call.
Sometimes I just don't have the money to answer it, you know? How much was that bag of candy?
Um, $3, because it was-- So doing this for another year or so to see if we can get in front of the Indiana Supreme Court
is not going to be easy. Take care. CLERK: You too. [slow guitar music] [cheering]
My parents struggle a lot with the fact that I was going to stick with Blake no matter what.
I mean, they want me happy. But Blake's not my friend. I want him to be my husband.
And I would never give that up. JENNIFER: Letting her stick by him was really hard.
But the two of them are going to get married, whether we want it or not. So you just decide that you're going to do what you want,
and we're going to be right here beside you, whether we agree with it or not. And I do feel, someday, he'll be my son-in-law.
And I'm OK with that. Blake won me this at the Indiana Beach. JENNIFER: This found some stuff up there.
Alcohol stashed up there. Busted! I guess that's what happens when you move. You find things that you forgot where there.
Moving out of my parents' house is a big step. Blake, I suppose, would be doing this too.
A step I wish I didn't have to be taking alone. But maybe he'll be there when I graduate college, and--
you know. So there's always something else to look forward to that he can be there for.
That's my motivation, basically. Get through this just to get him home and start my life.
The greatest equation. All of love in the world plus compassion and trust times infinity divided by you and me minus where I'm at now
equals Blake and Katherine Layman forever and always. That's cute. I got that back when he was in County.
Got a lot of stuff. MALE REPORTER 6: Tonight, major new developments. MALE REPORTER 7: The Indiana Supreme Court will hear
arguments this Wednesday in the appeal of three of the so-called Elkhart Four-- Blake Layman, Levi Sparks, and Anthony Sharp.
JENNIFER: Hi. Scared? Nervous? KATHERINE: Yeah. See what happens. So, in the morning--
I mean, I figure we should be up by at least 5:00 and on the road no later than 6:30.
KATHERINE: Tomorrow, I'm going into the Supreme Court. Not really sure what to feel.
I mean, the worst scenario could be them sticking with a felony murder law and him doing 45 years.
Or he could be coming home. They could just dismiss the case, and-- so I don't know what to feel.
I'm trying not to get too excited. [guitar music] ANGIE: We are going in front of the judge.
And our lawyers are going to argue our point of why felony murder should not have been
applied to the Elkhart Four. The felony murder rule is very controversial. From state to state, it changes the wording.
It's not very clear on who should be charged, who shouldn't be. Should we charge juveniles, should we not.
And in the Elkhart case, I think a big part would be there was no intent for harm.
There was no weapons involved. KATHERINE: I don't know whether to be excited or scared or nervous or throw up.
It can go anywhere. They might not drop everything and be like, OK, you can go. But I have faith that my years will get dropped
to something a lot less. Can you explain to me, like, exactly what this court can do?
They're going to grant or deny transfer. And then if they take it and say, this is not felony murder,
then it goes back to juvenile court, in Blake's case. We're hoping that the Supreme Court will
drop to felony murder ruling against them and charge them with the crime that they actually did commit.
LORETTA RUSH: I'm looking forward to hearing the argument. The appellants are Blake Layman, Levi
Sparks, and Anthony Sharp Jr. Indiana's felony murder statute uses the action verb "kills," and it
refers back to the felon. So it's the felon who must do the killing. Not the victim of the original crime.
Not the victim, Your Honor, yes. And then we have the question of whether this is even felony
murder as a matter of law. You can kill by causing death. You don't have to pull the trigger.
You have to cause death. And if you cause death by plunging a knife in someone's
breast, yes, you've murdered. If you cause death by not warning someone the bridge is
out, you've killed. They did try to target a house that they thought was empty. They went in unarmed.
They were trying to limit the harm. PROSECUTOR: They weren't trying to avoid it.
If they were trying to avoid it, they would've stayed home. 16-year-olds are old enough, at least, to know this much--
that if you burglarize someone's home in a way that makes them fear for their life, then you are guilty of felony murder
if a death results. FEMALE REPORTER 8: The Indiana Supreme Court did not decide if it will hear Blake Layman's case.
Just simply heard arguments. No timetable for a decision has been released. We'll continue to watch for developments.
[television chatter] I don't like being alone. It's boring. Sad. I work a full-time job, [inaudible] doors.
And they'll come off the machine, and I catch them and place them on the skid, and take the skids over to shipping.
But even though I'm working a full-time job, I can't really go out and do things
like I used to be able to because I don't have the money. I pay rent. Truck payment.
And then, on top of that, I have Blake, which is about $500 a month. I mean I spend commissary, gas to get there, phone calls.
It costs $3 a phone call, and he calls me three times a day. So it's a lot of money.
And then I get on Facebook and I'll see my friends start families and go off to college,
move to California, and me being kind of stuck. This is definitely not the life that I expected I
would have when I was littler. [slow guitar music] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[sigh] Go ahead. Oh my god. Oh my goodness. They're going to be so happy. Them boys are going to be so hysterical.
[inaudible] known that graduation day, though. Right? I know. The same day. Same day.
How-- yeah. So exciting. Don't think he's here yet. I don't see Levi or him. The Supreme Court overruled.
The Supreme Court has overruled our case. And he doesn't know he doesn't know yet.
ANGIE: He doesn't know. Shh. Oh my god, I'm gonna pass out. So excited. So excited.
I almost feel sick to my stomach, even. This is not real. Do you know what this means?
Oh my gosh. KATHERINE: We get to have a real wedding. ANGIE: Oh my god. KATHERINE: We get have a real wedding.
Oh my god, I see him. [gasp] Shh! Hi, guys. Hug. Oh my god, I love you. So we gotta talk to you guys.
The Supreme Court decision came back. All right. You guys are no longer convicted felony murderers.
We won! You're not a murderer. ANGIE: I've been waiting for this so long. I don't wanna cry.
Cry, babe. Cry. Cry, man. You're not a murderer, man. [sobs] Man. Congratulations.
Thank you, man. Thank you. [inaudible] get that shit back. Man. Congratulations.
Thank you, thank you. [music playing] (SINGING) Just make it through the rain. Even though we don't ever show our pain,
we try, we try, to make it through the rain. Even though we don't ever show our pain, we try, we try--
WOMAN: Blake Layman. [applause] I love you, Son. [shutter clicks] Congratulations, honey.
I love you. It's a damn good day. [music playing] (SINGING) My mother always said,
Son, just make it through the rain. Even though we don't ever show-- FEMALE REPORTER 9: The Indiana Supreme Court
says Blake Layman, Levi Sparks, and Anthony Sharp did not engage in any dangerous, violent, threatening behavior,
and nothing about their behavior was the cause of their friend's death. FEMALE REPORTER 10: A judge will resentence,
Layman, Sharp, and Sparks for the burglary conviction. The maximum for that is 20 years.
But with day-for-day credit and time they've already served in the last three years,
they might only have to do another six years. The one name left out of the Supreme Court opinion
is Jose Quiroz. He pleaded guilty before the trial and, because of that, was not able to appeal.
He's currently serving a 45-year sentence. But I am told a public defender is trying to get him less
time since he was 16 when it happened. KATHERINE: I'm so scared, I ain't playing.
You're scared, or just anxious and-- I'm scared. --nervous about what's going to happen?
Yeah, I'm scared. Like, really bad. Just don't go and ask him stupid questions. Do you imagine how he's feeling and how we feel?
I bet he is, like, a mess. At least he got himself in that situation. That's true.
I gotta go up there, and I'm like, aah! Please don't kill me. Oh, you're more scared about all that.
The whole court-- Yeah, like, what if I-- what if I'm the one that gives him 20 years in prison
because of something I say? There's not much you can say that's going to influence
the judge's decision. You know that. Yeah? While I'm up there as a character witness,
the prosecutor's job is to lower my character. Make it look like I am a bad person.
But how can they? You work every day. I mean, you have been there for Blake for three years.
You've done everything. [sigh] You'll be fine. [music playing] It's gonna be good.
It's what we've been waiting on. She's shaking regardless. Yeah, I haven't ate, slept, nothing.
All right, everyone. We're about to pray. So everybody gather. Father God, we come here again today for one purpose,
and that's for justice for these boys. Let them be charged for what they did. Lord, be with us all today.
Give us strength. Give these boys guidance when they come home. Amen. Amen. I hope he comes home.
Time served. But even if he has to do a couple more years, we've won. This is what we needed.
We've got him to the burglary charge that he deserves. So even if the worse comes to worse,
it's just a couple more years. And we're ready for that. [upbeat music] What were you feeling going into this?
Nervous. Um, I didn't know what to expect. I was expecting the worst. I was hoping there was no way the judge would max him out.
But we got justice today, and that's what we wanted, and that's the way we've been.
10-year sentence? Can't ask for nothing better. He's got a year and a half time cut after he
finishes the PLUS program. So we're looking at it maybe three months, he'll be free.
Yeah. - Three months? Yes. [laughs] Yes. Thank you. Oh, Son! Did you schedule a visit for today?
[mellow music] Oh my goodness. I'm just-- I'm, like, sweating. I'm just so anxious.
Been waiting on this day for a long time. All right. I think we're good. Trying to make sure everything's ready.
OK. I know, boy. You anxious, too? Are you gonna see Blakey? Baby bird. He's flying free now.
It's finally ending. It's almost over. [guitar music] BLAKE: I'm out of here, JP.
Stay out of trouble, man. All right, hillbilly. Be good. What'd you say, [inaudible]? What'd you say?
You need a hug? [laughter] All right, [inaudible] All right, guys. Be cool, y'all.
You'll hear from me soon. All right, Blake. All right, [inaudible] - Thank you, brother. - Yup.
Be cool. Yeah, I know. I ain't coming back. It's been 3 and 1/2 years, you know?
I just don't know what to expect. Kind of nervous, you know? When I walk out those gates today,
the entire Elkhart Four-- I want to put that behind me. I want to be Blake. I don't wanna be the Elkhart Four kid.
ANGIE: Blake! Blake! It's an overwhelming sense of love, you know, just to see everyone tie together like that,
and just come together for that cause. For me. I think the only real way to say thank you for all that support
and love is to do right now. Is to get out and do the right thing and not disappoint.
I can stand up and say thank you, but actions speak louder than words. And for them to see me do good, that would be the ultimate
thank you to all of them. Here you go. Thank you. [cheering] [cheering continues]
- Name? - Layman. DOC? 242576. Awesome. Thank you, sir. - Thank you. - Good luck to you.
Thank you. You're going places. Thank you, man. ANGIE: Justice for Blake! [cheering]
Look at that good-looking boy, wow! MAN: Hey, open them gates for that guy. ANGIE: You're free, Blake!
Yes! You're free! Yeah! [cheering] [mellow music] Oh my god, you're out! Good to see you, baby.
ANGIE: Your grandma wants a hug. [inaudible]. He looks so good. You look so good.
[sobs] WOMAN: I want in. I want in! I want some! [mellow music]

After a botched home invasion, 15-year-old Blake finds himself facing a virtual life prison sentence for felony murder. With the unwavering support of his single mother and teenage girlfriend, a David-and-Goliath uphill battle ensues in Elkhart, Indiana. They take on the system in hopes of a second chance.

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Brief Summary

The Elkhart Four case reveals the harsh realities of felony murder charges after a tragic home invasion incident in Indiana.

Key points

911 Call of a Shooting. Rodney Scott calls 911 after shooting two intruders in his home.
A Mother's Despair. Angie fears for her son Blake's safety after a home invasion incident.
Felony Murder Charges. Prosecutors charge four teenagers with murder under Indiana's felony murder rule.
Trial Verdict. The jury delivers a guilty verdict for the teenagers involved in the home invasion.
The Impact of the Case. Families discuss the emotional and financial toll of the ongoing legal battle.
A Life Lost Too Soon. Angie reflects on the tragic loss of Danzele, emphasizing the impact on his family.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It’s hard. It’s been nine months already, and I’m still waiting on my trial.

A young man reflecting on his time in prison.

8:18WatchFeb 16, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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