It Could Have Been Me | Full "48 Hours" Podcast Series | Forensic Files

[Music] [Music] [Music] 16-year-old Sarah Sarah Yarborough is being remembered as talented, creative,
and kind. >> Sarah was an A student at the high school. >> Whenever you saw Sarah, she always had a
smile. >> This case is about a 16-year-old girl who had the right to grow up. This case is about Sarah and everything
that she should have been allowed to become. It was Friday the 13th in December of
1991. Her parents were out of town for her brother's soccer game. She stayed home.
>> I was reluctant to leave Sarah. She didn't want to come, of course, cuz she had her whole weekend planned out. So,
she had a friend come over and stay with her that weekend. We went to a basketball game, went and
got junk food at the grocery store, a little bit of fast food. You know, we're 16. We were carefree. There was
absolutely nothing that would make any of us think that the next morning everything would change.
>> So, Saturday morning, Sarah woke up kind of in a panic. >> She woke up and said, "I'm late for
practice." She put on her drill team uniform and ran out the door. >> She went to the school and discovered
that she was early, so she parked in her car and waited for the rest of her team
to show up. >> Shortly after the phone call started, where's Sarah? Do you know where she is?
Sarah was found within an hour. >> Where was her body discovered? >> So, her car was still in the parking
lot. Her body was approximately 100 yards away, still on the school property. Part of her clothing was
removed. She had nylon stockings tied in a ligature around her her neck. [Music]
I just remember just saying, "Not Sarah, not Sarah, not Sarah." over and over again.
>> The suspect is a white male, 6 feet tall, with a medium build. >> They had DNA evidence. They had
everything. They had witnesses. >> In that first week or so, it sounded like they had so much evidence for at
least a short while. It felt like he said, "Of course they're going to catch him."
And then when they didn't and they didn't, your expectations change. >> You don't know if it's your next door
neighbor. You don't know if it's some random stranger. There was that constant fear
of is this going to happen again? >> We literally had a monster in the community and we just we didn't know who
it was. [Music] [Music] How often do you think about December 14th, 1991 and what happened on that
day? quite a bit. It's a very traumatic thing to go through. [Music] >> It's been over 30 years, but the details
of that day have never faded for Drew Miller. >> I had my friend spent the night at my
house. We woke up that morning, watched cartoons, ate cereal, left to go skateboarding.
>> Drew, who was just 13 at the time, lived down the street from Federal Way High
School near Seattle, Washington. The school grounds have changed quite a bit, right?
>> Drastically, yes. The tennis court's the only thing that's still here. >> Drew often took shortcuts through the
school to go skateboarding, as he and his friend did that day. >> We used to hop the fence right here and
cut through here. It was freezing cold that day. I mean, there was ice in all of the mug bubbles.
We just, you know, started smashing them cuz it's fun. You know, it sounds like breaking glass.
That's when Drew says they noticed a man in the bushes. >> Right where you see the edge of this
dugout right here. That was all bushes that were probably this tall. So, we couldn't see him until he stood up.
He's just staring at us from the bushes. That was pretty jarring. But then he just walked out of the bushes. So, then
we just assumed he's just smoking weed or something. The mysterious man kept to himself and walked ahead of the boys.
Drew says they didn't think much of it until they came across a horrendous scene.
There in the bushes where the man had just been was the body of a young woman. It was horrible. Absolutely horrible.
The way that he left her body, she clearly fought for her life. Drew says his shock turned to fear when
he realized the man who was still just feet in front of them was now staring directly back at him.
>> Does that look still haunt you? >> Oh yeah. Yeah. It's frozen in my mind. >> The boogeyman then.
>> Legitimate boogeyman. >> The boys raced to Drew's house and police were called to the scene.
[Music] When we approached the victim on one of the pieces of clothing, we saw the name
Sarah. >> Detective Scott Strathy with the King County Sheriff's Office was one of the
first officers on the scene. >> And of course, later we found out that that was Sarah Yarborough.
[Music] Even for experienced investigators, [Music] this scene was really hard to deal with.
Just the innocent nature of this young woman in her school drill team uniform with her hot curlers still in her hair.
This was just pure unadulterated evil. [Music] Investigators believed this was a
sexually motivated murder. >> She was partially clothed. Her jacket, her undergarments, her bra had been
removed and placed next to her body. >> Police discovered that the car Sarah had
driven that morning was parked in the school parking lot about 300 ft from where her body was found. There didn't
really appear to be any sort of a struggle in the car itself. >> Detective John Free with the King County
Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit would later join the investigation. >> She had a container of orange juice that
she had made that morning. It was just sitting in the front seat. Nothing was tipped over. So, the question was, how
did she get from her car to this hill? What led her there? Sarah was one of these people that would
help anyone with anything at any time. And part of our working theory was, was she coaxed into following, you know, the
suspect? Did he say something like, "I'm looking for my lost dog," or, "I can't find my
car keys." Perhaps Sarah in an attempt to assist this person may have followed him to
that area. >> Tell me about this one. >> That was less than a week, I think, before she died. I said, "Could I take
your picture cuz your great grandma really wants a picture of you and your drill team?" And she goes, "Okay."
>> It was just too incredible to believe that it could even happen. Sarah's parents, Laura and Tom
Yarborough. >> I mean, who thinks that your daughter's going to be murdered? >> Tom and Laura had the excruciating task
of having to tell their two sons the tragic news. Sarah's youngest brother, Andrew, was just 11 years old at the
time. >> At that age, you probably never seen or heard your parents cry much, but that
that pain in the voice is very, very vivid. Sarah, who had just started her junior year in high school, had big
plans for her future, starting with college. >> She didn't want to go to a state school.
She wanted to go to a school far away. She loved to travel. >> I actually would hear her say, "I can't
decide if I want to be a museum curator or an engineer like my father." Yep. >> And I was always rooting for the museum
curator. Liberty Barnes, Christy Gutierrez, Amy Pero, and Mary Beth Tommy were some of
Sarah's closest friends. >> So, this was after the last day of 10th grade. And we're just kind of goofing
around afterwards. And that totally I mean, you can see there's Sarah right in the middle of it being goofy.
[Music] The fiery red hair. Was that her personality a lot? >> Yeah. >> She was artistic. She was creative. She
was smart. She was feisty. imaginative, >> all of those things. >> She would be the last one to wait for
someone, >> always be there with a smile. >> She would help with homework. It was her ultimate kindness.
After Sarah was ripped from their lives, they say their sense of safety was gone
forever. You grow up getting all the safety conversations with your parents and bad
things can happen and it's all this sort of like vague possibility out there and
then all of a sudden it was like no no no no it can really happen. It really did just happen.
>> It was all hands on deck. The sheriff's office put everything they had into solving this case as as soon as they
could. >> And the killer left behind important evidence. Sarah had not been raped, but
the killer's DNA was found on pieces of her clothing. >> There was semen found on her underwear
and on her jacket. We had a full male DNA profile. DNA technology was new back in 1991, but
investigators hoped that DNA would someday lead them to Sarah's killer. In the meantime, they had eyewitnesses.
>> I thought for sure somebody would know him. >> Drew and his friend who was with him the
morning they found Sarah's body worked with police and a sketch of the man they saw in the bushes was released to the
public. Police would later release a more elaborate sketch. I very vividly remember going through yearbooks going,
"Okay, who looked like this sketch?" Everyone, it felt like at one point was was a suspect.
>> But as days went by and as leads dried up, police kept coming back to Drew and
his friend. >> They just made me feel like I was the only person that could help them solve
this. I know that wasn't the intent, like, you know, the officers are just doing their
best. How much pressure were you feeling? >> It's unimaginable pressure. >> And despite everyone's best efforts, it
would take years to find Sarah's killer. >> This case was never forgotten. [Music]
[Music] In early June of 1993, one and a half years after Sarah Yarro's murder, local media were there as
students gathered in the courtyard of Federal Way High School to honor her. >> Bill Fuller, a family friend who helped
spearhead the move for a memorial to remember Sarah, unveiled it with help from Sarah's younger brother, Andrew. It
was quite a day. A lot of tears as they looked at it and could could see Sarah in that bench.
>> Bill Fuller has known the Yar Bros for years and his daughter was in Sarah's class.
>> Sarah was fun to be around. That was probably what we missed the most is she was fun to be around.
>> The bench reads Carpedium sees the day. A mantra Sarah lived by. Encased in bronze are some of her favorite
possessions. Ballet shoes, a replica of Sarah's beloved dog, Gibby, and books. >> Nice that people cared about her so
much. >> Andrew Yarro, now an adult, admits that he struggled as a young teenager. It was
especially difficult to see those sketches around town of the man police believed murdered his sister. You know,
there was drawings of the person's face all over in businesses in town. You know, I do recall that quite a bit. Just
having that kind of a constant reminder. >> Looking back, I feel like we didn't do a
very good job with the boys. I think that we were so consumed by our own grief that we didn't take time to help
them. >> I think we didn't really know how to help them. I mean, it wasn't something
we had experience with. We didn't know anything about grieving ourselves or how to help them through it.
>> And they weren't alone in their grief. Shannon Grant, the last friend to see Sarah alive, says she lived with
constant regret. >> I wish we could go back and do it all over again. That I would have asked the
other drill team members what time practice was, you know, maybe dropped her off. I mean,
there's a lot of the whatifs. >> The milestones were especially painful. >> There was survivor guilt.
>> Like, why am I filling out my college applications when Sarah wanted to go to
college? >> This isn't fair. >> Every joyful occasion had this >> Yes. >> sorrow that went with it. That was
There's one missing from the crowd here. Graduation Day, June 12th, 1993, was an
emotional day, but even more so since it fell on what would have been Sarah's 18th birthday. Laura Yarro came to
support her daughter's friends. >> I do not know where she found the strength to do that. She loved that
green dress, right? >> Yeah, she wore green quite a bit with her hair. Lori Yarro says Sarah's friends helped
ease her grief somewhat and she thinks she filled the void for them as well. >> Sometimes they would say, "Well, I'm
going to date this person and I just wanted to let you know cuz I wasn't sure if Sarah would approve of this person."
>> So, they would seek approval through you. You became sort of their surrogate.
>> Yes. >> As life slowly moved forward, investigators kept working the case. I describe it as like a relay race where
the baton was handed off from one detective to the next over the years and decades. I kind of refer to myself as
the fifth beetle in this investigation. >> By the early 2000s, investigators had
received over 3,000 leads, and advances in technology made them hopeful. They entered the DNA from the crime scene
into the recently established KOTUS system, a national DNA database that includes profiles of convicted
offenders. >> The strategy was to continually try to see if there would ever be a match while
also investigating leads. >> But over time, there appeared to be no match. >> For us to have DNA evidence from the
suspect, but not have that linked to anybody, it just didn't make sense. It it seemed hard to believe that the
suspect hadn't committed any other prior crimes where his DNA wouldn't be in the
system. >> That's when he says detectives realized they had to go in a different direction.
>> My name is Colleen Fitzpatrick and I'm one of the pioneers of forensic genetic
genealogy. In 2011, investigators reached out to Fitzpatrick to inquire about using
forensic genetic genealogy, the practice of using software to compare unknown DNA
profiles to information from public DNA databases and searching family trees to identify suspects. Genetic genealogy is
well known now and has been used to solve numerous cold cases, but at that time it was in its infancy. When I
started in this field, it didn't exist. >> Fitzpatrick says most police agencies
had been skeptical of this new investigative tool. >> The police thought I was crazy. You
know, this little old lady with a crazy idea, and I was actually almost laughed out the room,
>> but the King County Sheriff's Office took a chance on Fitzpatrick. >> It was for free. I just wanted to see if
it worked. What are you going to lose if you try something? >> The Yar Bros were encouraged. I think it
wasn't until we met Colleen Fitzpatrick that I really began to think, oh, you know, that they're going to find this
person. >> And it didn't take long before Fitzpatrick came up with the name of a
possible suspect that surprised just about everyone. Everyone went, "No way. From the beginning, it was very
promising and the story took some really bizarre twists. In 2011, 20 years after Sarah's murder,
when forensic genetic genealogologist Colleen Fitzpatrick started working the Yarborough case, she traced Sarah's
killer's family tree back to a man named Robert Fuller, whose family had come to
America on the Mayflower. I found numerous matches to the name Fuller. When Fitzpatrick gave the name Fuller to
the King County Sheriff's Office, they immediately knew of one person with that last name. Bill Fuller, the Yarro's
close family friend who helped get that memorial bench built for Sarah. >> Naturally, that piqu our interest.
>> From the beginning, Sarah's family and friends believed Bill Fuller had nothing
to do with Sarah's murder. He didn't look at all like the suspect. The wrong hair color. He's short. He's not tall.
He just didn't fit the profile at all. Fuller's age didn't match the profile either. He's 79 years old now, but was
48 years old at the time of Sarah's murder, at least two decades older than the man Drew Miller described.
>> There was no way that I could be even remotely connected to the case. He fully cooperated with police and
voluntarily gave them a DNA sample. It didn't match the DNA found at Sarah's crime scene. Yet, Fitzpatrick remained
optimistic. >> The good news is that we came up with a possible last name to investigate, and
this was the first break in the case in 20 years. Fitzpatrick knew that Sarah's killer was
in the Fuller family tree somewhere. So, she and her team went back to work. And
as the years went by, she knew she was only getting closer, especially after 2018 when forensic genetic genealogy was
used to identify the Golden State Killer. Golden State Killer really started the big revolution. Things had
evolved that we had the data to work with. The technology was in place that we could go for it. Then in September of
2019, Fitzpatrick's team made a breakthrough. They came up with two new possible suspects. Brothers Edward and
Patrick Nicholas, who as the DNA showed, were distant cousins of Bill Fuller. You
know, this is 8 years of on and off and looking at it, never giving up. This is it. This is exciting.
>> Edward Nicholas was a registered sex offender. His DNA was in the system. It was in COD.
But Edward's DNA wasn't a match. So they zeroed in on his brother Patrick, who in
2019 was a divorced loner who lived a couple of towns away from Federal Way. >> We learned that he was working at a at a
auto parts store. Lived alone, uh, no children, no friends or acquaintances that would even visit him. Everything
that he did was mostly by bus. He wasn't driving. Detective Re says he discovered that
when Sarah was murdered, the bus route Nicholas often took happened to go past Federal Way High School. Back then,
Nicholas was just 27 years old and around that time looked very much like the description of the sketch.
>> It looked promising at that point, but we still needed to get a DNA sample from
him to match up to the DNA evidence that we had. So, in late September 2019, investigators came up with a plan.
>> We assigned a team of undercover detectives to start doing surveillance on Patrick Nicholas in the hopes of
obtaining a surreptitious DNA sample. >> Eventually, undercover detectives followed Nicholas to a laundromat.
>> They saw him go outside and smoke a cigarette. And Patrick Nicholas was seen throwing the cigarette butt on the
ground that was collected by your detectives. >> That's what you needed right there. That
cigarette butt. >> Yes. Actually, he dropped two cigarette butts and a napkin that fell out of his
pocket and all three items were collected. >> The DNA samples were rushed to the crime
lab and within days, detectives received the call they had been waiting for. >> The DNA matched. This was our suspect.
>> Perfect match. Yes, >> Patrick Nicholas was arrested. >> There were so many suspects over the
years. Was Patrick Leon Nicholas ever named as a suspect? >> Out of 4,000 tips, he was never named.
>> I was I was pretty in shock. >> The news was a relief for Sarah's family and friends who had never given up hope
that they would get answers. One thing the detectives kept telling us was eventually technology is going to solve
this case. I trusted that and they turned out that they were right. And I remember going out to my car and
balling, >> just balling. Finally, finally they got him. When Drew Miller, who had seen Sarah's
killer back in 1991, saw Patrick Nicholas's face, he says he knew they had the right person. What did
he look like? >> The same guy, just older. Just the same evil eyes. Those evil eyes stayed the
same >> all these years later. >> Yeah. >> But it was not over yet. >> Why do you think you're here?
>> I have no clue. During his interrogation, what am I being charged for? >> When detectives specifically asked him
about Sarah's murder, he gave an alarming response. >> What we're investigating is is the death
of a young girl named Sarah. >> Interestingly, he asked what year this was, >> and that really sent up a flag.
>> Why? >> Why would you ask that? He's being told this is a murder case. We're wondering
at this point, are there other victims? >> This is it. I'm not going to say anything.
>> After one and a half hours, Nicholas asked for an attorney and stopped talking. But his criminal record would
speak volumes. >> I am the one that got away. On a quiet morning in June 1983, 8 years before Sarah's murder,
21-year-old Anne Crony was sitting by her car along the Columbia River in Richland, Washington, when a man
approached her. >> He seemed normal, kind of friendly, actually. Just friendly. I had asked him if he'd done
any water skiing yet because he said he had just moved to town and he said he couldn't swim. And he said, "My name is
Pat Nicholas." >> After a few minutes of small talk, she became uncomfortable. >> I noticed his voice was getting shaky
and I told him I had to go. I went to close the door and he put a knife to my throat.
Everything kind of stopped at that moment. He told me to take my clothes off. >> Nicholas stuffed Anne's underwear into
her mouth to prevent her from screaming, forced her out of the car, and led her to the riverbank.
>> We got about halfway down the bank, and he told me to stop. I ran and dove in
the river cuz I was thinking he couldn't swim. Swam as hard as I could. >> Swam for your life. I swam for my life.
>> Passers by found Ann at a dock nearby and called police. As it turns out, 19-year-old Patrick Nicholas was no
stranger to law enforcement and had a record. He had raped two women and attempted to rape a third. He'd been
convicted of rape as a juvenile >> and had actually only just been out for a few months when he attacked me.
Days after Anne's attack, he was tracked down, arrested, and plead guilty to attempted rape. He told authorities, "I
realized that I have a problem concerning raping girls." At his sentencing hearing, Anne spoke
out. I was actually very angry and asked the judge for the maximum sentence and the judge did agree and sentenced him to
10 years. So I thought it was over. I thought that justice had been served. >> But Patrick Nicholas did not serve the
full 10 years in prison. He was released after just 3 and 1/2 years and was never
notified. She barely thought of him again until October 2019. >> The police knocked on my door and said
that there were detectives in Seattle that wanted to talk to me about a cold case.
>> They informed Anne that Patrick Nicholas had been arrested again, this time for
the murder of Sarah Yarro. >> They told me that there were similarities in the cases and
I was crushed. It had never occurred to me that what I escaped from was a murder.
>> What's more, if Nicholas had served his full prison sentence, he would have still been behind bars that December
morning in 1991, unable to murder Sarah Yarro. >> How angry are you to hear that he was
released that early? And very, it brought up a lot of the old anger and even more anger because the system
failed. King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Celia Lee and Mary Barbosa describe him
as a serial predator with a clear pattern. All of the women were approached at or near their car. He
would strike up conversation and then pull a knife and tell them that they needed to walk where he would order them
to take off their clothes and then rape them. >> Nicholas had also been convicted of
sexually assaulting a minor in 1994. 3 years after Sarah's murder, five sexual assaults that investigators knew
of, none of which had required him to submit his DNA. So, there was no record of him in the Cotus database. But in
pre-trial hearings, the judge ruled that Nicholas's criminal history could not be
entered in as evidence. >> She found that it would be unfairly prejuditial to the defendant. But the
prosecutors were hopeful their case was strong enough. >> All right for the jury.
>> In early 2023, more than 30 years after Sarah Yarro's murder, her accused killer, now 59 years old, went on trial.
Sarah's childhood friends were there. >> I so clearly remember the morning before
the trial started just going, I don't know if I can do this. It's like, you know, I had so many different emotions
flowing through and it was like, no, we need to be there. >> There was this absolute love for Sarah
and the Yar Bros that was so strong. >> Did you feel like they were a lifeline for you?
>> Yeah. Be seated. >> You weren't in it alone. You were all in it together. As the trial got underway,
the focus was on the DNA. >> What was your strategy then in trying this case? Well, we needed them to trust
the science. >> There was a field that was emerging called forensic genetic genealogy.
>> Patrick Nicholas's public defender, David Montes, challenged how forensic genetic genealogy was used to first
identify Nicholas. >> I want to dig into the science because >> the first time that kind of defense had
been used in Washington state. They used technology that is not only unproven, but just whack. really he's not the
person that killed Sarah. The police needed an answer more than they needed the right answer. And so they turned to
new novel, untested technology. >> Genetic genealogy is a new field. It really hasn't been tested out. Should we
be making important decisions based on something that is not well or deeply understood? But the prosecutors said
that argument was moot because Patrick Nicholas's DNA matched the DNA found at the Yarro crime scene. And Detective
Free says the numbers were astronomical. >> The odds were one in 120 quadrillion
that >> quadrillion. Yeah, >> right. That it was somebody else. If the numbers pointed to Nicholas's
guilt, law enforcement says so did evidence found at his house near the time of his arrest in 2019.
>> It was almost like a layer. There was no working electricity at this house. Stacks of pornography all throughout the
the place. We also found a newspaper from 1994 that had on his front page an article about the Serbo case. And going
through one of the kitchen drawers, we found a torn photograph taken from a magazine. A woman in a cheerleading
outfit. >> When the prosecutors showed that photo in the courtroom, the oxygen left the room.
>> Yeah. >> Montes downplayed their significance. >> I think both of those pieces of evidence
were not especially strange given the general state of his house. There were stacks and stacks of newspapers all over
his house. >> This is evidence tape. >> Patrick Nicholas didn't flinch as the evidence was shown, showing no emotion
throughout the trial. But Sarah Yarro's presence was felt, especially when now retired Captain Scott Strathy carefully
unpackaged and displayed Sarah's clothing that had been in storage for over 30 years. her drill team jacket,
shoes, sweater, even her nylon stockings. >> This was like opening a a time capsule.
>> All of a sudden, they were real things. They weren't even photographs. They were
the things she had on her body when she died. You just you sort of felt yourself
crumble. >> After nine long days of testimony, the case went to the jury. >> All eyes for the jury. It took them just
over a day to reach a verdict. >> I was shaking and like just that like there was so much adrenaline and so much
anticipation. >> We the jury find the defendant Patrick Leon >> everything just dropped and it's like
what? [Music] >> Why do you think it took law enforcement so long to identify Patrick Nicholas as
a suspect? Take a look at a timeline of the case at 48 hours.com. This is the state of Washington versus
Patrick Leon Nicholas. Sarah Yarro's loved ones had waited over 30 years for this moment.
>> We the jury find the defendant shock not guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree premeditated.
>> Patrick Nicholas was found not guilty of the first charge premeditated firstdegree murder. I remember dropping
my head to my hands. I was angry. I was in disbelief >> when that first one came in not guilty.
I closed my eyes. >> But there were other charges and there was still hope of a conviction.
>> Guilty of the crime of murder in the first degree. Guilty in the second degree.
>> Patrick Nicholas was found guilty of firstdegree murder and seconddegree murder. The jury ruled both had been
committed with a sexual motivation. I remember hearing the family behind me cryur
>> and I made eye contact with the jurors and nodded at them. You know, they got
it. They got it right. >> I feel so grateful for those detectives, >> for the boys, for the previous victims,
for every witness who took the stand. So grateful that all these people came together.
Two weeks after Nicholas's conviction, dozens of people who had been involved in every part of Sarah's case gathered
back at the courthouse for his sentencing hearing. Prosecutors asked the judge to impose extra time to take
into account all of Nicholas's crimes. >> The sentencing hearing was exhilarating
in a way that I never expected. M >> it was probably the most raw human courage I
have ever seen in my life. [Music] >> Sarah's death left our family broken and we've never been the same.
>> The pain in my father's voice over the phone telling me Sarah was dead. Person after person took to the
podium to say all that Patrick Nicholas had taken from them. >> Coming face to face with pure evil that
day has deeply impacted my entire life. >> He took her life and what was sure to be
a brilliant future from her. In taking Sarah, he took the innocence of every one of us
>> to face Patrick Nicholas and to say what they had been wanting to say to his face
for 30 years. Patrick Nicholas is pure evil. >> There was so much power in the room. It
was electric. >> And then Anne Crony, who wasn't allowed to testify at Sarah's trial, started
speaking. >> He just did like a double take and shuddered when Anne stood up >> like he saw a ghost.
>> Yes. >> I'm sure he didn't expect to ever see my face or hear my name ever again. We rely
on a system of justice that is designed to protect us from predators like Nicholas. And this system failed me. It
failed Sarah, her family, friends, and countless others. I asked the court to please not make the same mistake.
>> After everyone spoke, Judge Josephine Wigs addressed the court. And when I think about this poor child,
this poor child and what she experienced fighting for her life. >> Judge Wigs put her fist on the thing and
said, "This was a child." She kept saying that and all I could think was, >> "Oh my gosh,
>> that's right. >> We were children." >> Yep. Nicholas received a sentence of almost
46 years. For Sarah's family and friends, the sentence brought mixed emotions. I don't know that this is
justice. It is a verdict and it is putting someone away for something that they did. But he got 30 years that she
didn't get. >> It makes me mad that he was free for so many years. And who knows however many
other people were hurt during that time. I I don't know that we'll ever know and
that could have been avoided. >> Forensic genetic genealogy helped solve Sarah's case, but prosecutors say
similar technology could have identified Patrick Nicholas years earlier if only familial DNA searches were allowed in
Washington state. In a familial DNA search, an unknown DNA sample is compared against profiles already in
Kotus to search for possible family members. Remember, Patrick Nicholas's brother's DNA had been in Cotus for
years. >> The legislation just doesn't exist in this state to allow that search.
>> California uses it. the UK, as I understand, >> York, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Colorado, Florida. >> Do you think it's time to get that law changed? >> We do. We do.
>> The Yarboroughs agree and hope that Sarah's case can make a difference. >> I would like to know that other parents
don't have to wait 30 years. >> What do you hope her legacy is? I think her legacy is she was always someone who
brought people together. She's brought all the people together that attended the trial. That's the kind of person she
was. >> For Drew Miller, who at 13 found Sarah's body, the connections made at trial
finally brought him some peace. Knowing he's in prison is fantastic, but knowing
her family and friends is way more important to me cuz that's what's given me the actual healing that I needed.
>> This is probably the beginning of our junior year. >> Sarah's friends will always remain
bonded by the past and Sarah's stolen future. Not only was she beautiful, her soul was
beautiful. And the grace and the beauty that she carried and left with all of us, we won't forget her. We will never
forget her. [Music] >> New CBS Next. >> He's not breathing. A surgeon's girlfriend found dead.
>> Provided those drugs. >> Was this a case of a controlling doctor's depravity?
>> This was not just some simple accident. This was much more. >> A new 48 hours next on CBS and streaming
on Paramount Plus. [Music] And can you start by telling me your name and and who you are?
>> Sure. I'm Anne Crony and I'm the one that got away from Patrick Nicholas. Um got away alive and safe.
>> That's Anne Crony, a remarkable woman who survived an attempted attack by Patrick Nicholas back in 1983 when she
was just 21 years old. I met Anne while reporting on the story of Sarah Yarro, another young woman attacked by Nicholas
8 years later. Tragically, Sarah died. I'm Natalie Morales of 48 Hours. Now, so much of our work at 48 Hours focuses on
the stories of victims who didn't survive. But what about those like an who lived to tell from 48 hours? This is
It Could Have Been Me. [Music] And today I'm joined by 48 hours field producer Lauren Clark. And Lauren, we're
here to talk about Anne Cron's story. But before we do, I think it's important that people understand the case of Sarah
Yarro. Yeah. So, uh, Sarah had been she was a 16-year-old girl, uh, living in kind of the suburbs of Seattle back in
1991 when she was found strangled on her high school campus. It was a horrible case
for the people of the community. Um, you know, it was a December day. It seems she had missed the time for a drill team
practice. She had thought she had to get there early, but the rest of the team wasn't arriving for another hour or so.
So, she had pulled into the parking lot in her car. Not many people, like no one
was around. And she was found just about 300 ft from her car, strangled. Uh she was still partially clothed in her drill
team uniform, and there was a pile of clothes found nearby her body in the grass. Investigators at the time
believed her murder had been sexually motivated. Uh but they didn't have really a ton to go on. They did like
rounded up the usual suspects and you know really work the case but for almost 30 years Sarah's case went unsolved.
Yes. And it's important to note the clothing that Sarah was wearing and the clothing on the side there was DNA
evidence but again this was 1991 and DNA technology had not evolved yet to the point where we are today. So
investigators did their part. They preserved very carefully that evidence, but they knew, Lauren, that at some
point in time that they would hopefully be able to get clues and to be able to verify and use that DNA to hopefully
find a match down the road. As you said, for a long time, the case went cold for
nearly 30 years until a forensic genetic genealogologist was able to crack the case. She was hired to track some new
leads. Yeah. In 2019, this forensic genetic genealogologist went through and basically reverse engineered finding a
match to the genetic profile that they had at the scene. And she narrowed it down to these two brothers, one of whom
had been incarcerated, so he was in the federal database. He was in Cotus, so it
wasn't him. And that's when they focused on Patrick Leon Nicholas. Uh, and what investigators did with the King County
Sheriff's Department, he still lived in the Seattle area. So, they followed him.
They they found him. They trailed him. They actually went to a laundromat where he was doing laundry and watched as he
smoked a cigarette >> and then watched him discard the cigarette outside the laundromat right
on the sidewalk there. And when he went back inside, they ran, they grabbed that
cigarette, packaged it up securely, and sent it to a lab. And the DNA from that cigarette was a match to the DNA that
had been found on Sarah's clothes all those years ago. So then, Lauren, how did you come to find out and hear about
Anne Cron's story? So, in uh early 2023, Patrick Nicholas went on trial for the murder of Sarah
Yarborough. And right before trial, we had learned through some pre-trial motions that Patrick Nicholas actually
had a prior criminal record. The judge had ruled that that evidence wouldn't be allowed at trial, but we were able to
read through and we knew that there had been some previous attacks. And I heard as we were at trial talking to people,
some there were kind of whispers like, you know, one of the victims is here. And it was kind of this remarkable like,
oh my gosh, how could someone be here to take that on? I didn't know who it was at the time. Uh, but we did learn that
back in the early 1980s, Patrick Nicholas had served time as a juvenile for raping two women and attempting to
rape a third. Reading through the case files, we learned that he had approached multiple women at their cars. He would
kind of casually strike up a conversation with them and then pull a knife and order them to undress. So,
this brings us now to Anne Cron's remarkable story. And let's go back in time to 1983
in Richland, Washington. That's about 200 miles uh from where Sarah Yarborough was found dead. Now, Anne was just 21
years old at the time. She was a server at a restaurant. She was also a lifeguard. She loved the water and
specifically the Colombia River. So, that's an important part of the story because on June 13th, 1983, the day all
of this happened, Ann said she had just tragically lost one of her really good friends and she just wanted to sit
alongside the river to think. Here's her story. So, I pulled into the parking lot and
got out of the car and sat on the bumper of my car. And you're sitting there thinking, having some time to yourself,
how quickly before a man approached you? >> It wasn't long. It was uh maybe a few
minutes. And uh he walked up to me and started a conversation. I don't remember exactly how the conversation started,
but he introduced himself, said his name was Pat, and he was new in town, and he
was working on an old building in town called the Griggs building that was um empty, and
he was working on a remodel. I knew the space well. I knew the story he was talking about. I knew everything about
it. And he didn't he didn't seem to know anything. He seemed to be kind of making
things up >> as you listen to that. I mean, Lauren would struck us. I mean, already her
instinct sort of her Spidey senses are going off. Something is off here with this guy. She knows that space well that
she's talking about the Griggs building. She's like, "Nothing seems to be adding
up. He's acting strange, but you know, he's he's a good-looking guy." She described him as youngish. He's got
blondish hair, glasses, uh a mustache, but she's getting a really uh bad vibe from him, right? Her alarms were going
off in her head at that point. >> So, another fact, as they continued to talk, Nicholas told her he couldn't
swim. And again, that really struck an as being odd because that area along the Columbia River there, like it gets hot
in the summer. It is dry. and swimming and water skiing and just all sorts of activities along the water. It's what
everyone does there in the summer. So, for him to say that, it just it really stuck out to her. And overall, it's just
as he keeps talking, she's kind of placating him, but she's just getting a very weird vibe from him all along. I
noticed his voice was getting shaky. And I told him I had to go. So, I went around and got into my car and my door
was open and I had a a two-seater sports car and he knelt next in between the door and me and like got in your way.
>> I was in the car. So, I got in the car >> and the door was open and he knelt down
between the door and me >> and uh told me his name. Uh, he wanted he gave me his name and phone number and he
asked for my phone number and I gave it to him and I went to close the door and he put a knife to my throat.
>> And And what was he saying as he put the knife to your throat? >> He told me not to scream. He told me to
take my clothes off. Um, so I did take my clothes off. And as I was doing that, I noticed a couple of
people walking to a car that was parked sort of nearby. And I did scream. Um, but he put the knife to my throat a
little harder and pushed me down and laid on top of me so they couldn't see me. It's really hard to hear Ann describing
those moments just to think about the terror that must have been going through her mind. Um, she told us, you know, in
after he put the knife to her throat, he actually took her underwear and put them
in her mouth almost as a sort of gag so that she wouldn't keep screaming, so that she wouldn't be heard. Right. And
and there were people nearby pulling up into the parking lot. So, she was trying
to get people to notice and to to come help her. Um, but talk about that terrifying few minutes for her. Well, we
learned from an then what happens next? >> Um, he told me to get out of the car and
he had a shirt that he put over my head. He actually told me to put it on and I refused. So, he put it over my head and
put my left arm through it and grabbed the back of it and shoved me towards the bank of the river. Um,
and we started walking and we got about halfway down the bank and he told me to stop and I didn't. Instead of stopping,
I pulled the shirt off over my head and ran down the bank and dove into the river and swam
>> because at that time I was thinking he told me he couldn't swim. So I swam out
and swam as hard as I could. >> Swam for your life. >> I swam for my life. All I had on was my
tennis shoes >> and uh I swam to a dock and started screaming for help. >> Wow. I mean to have the presence of mind
to to be thinking in that moment he told me he can't swim >> and to see that that is your
opportunity. >> You know every time I hear that I just get goosebumps because even as she was
reliving that moment you could just see the terror the the terror in her eyes and just feel the emotion of that. Um
truly remarkable. Yeah. And just talk about all the moments of luck here. all the things that happened for her to be
able to put that together that he couldn't swim that he was leading her towards that riverbank. You know, we
went down there to film it and it is it's very steep. It's very hard to just jump right down there. So, once she swam
for her life and made it to the dock, thankfully there were people there and she was able to get help and the police
came to her help as soon as she arrived there. And so, she was able to tell police, "This happened to me and his
name is Pat." and gave them a good description of what who they were looking for. And based off of his name
and his description, the local police pretty soon realized that Pat was likely this man Patrick Nicholas, who had just
recently been released from a halfway house nearby for those previous attacks that he had committed on a juvenile. So,
police went to track him down. Uh they visited his apartment. He wasn't there. They suspected he must have fled, gotten
out of town really quickly, but they did find some key evidence there. They found
the notebook that Anne had remembered writing her number down in. And I think they actually found a piece of the page
torn out where he had tried to give her his number. So after they searched his apartment, we're like, "Okay, this is
probably our guy." They went to the airport and found out that Patrick Nicholas had hopped a flight soon
afterwards and gotten out of town. Uh they tracked him down to the Midwest and within a few weeks they arrested him and
he actually pleaded guilty to firstdegree attempted rape. He was sentenced back then to what was the
maximum sentence that he could receive and that was 10 years in prison. So an assumed rightfully so that he's safely
locked away for those 10 years all of those 10 years in Washington state prison. But it turns out in 1987
Nicholas is let out early on parole. So an was never notified. Police never told her, never sent her a letter or
anything to let her know that the guy who did this to you, he is now out. She told us though, Lauren, that she tried
really hard within those years to kind of put this out of her mind and she didn't want it to have a major impact on
her life. All of that changed though in 2019. Here's Ann again. The police knocked on my door in Portland and said
that there were detectives in Seattle that wanted to talk to me about a cold case and I had no idea what they were
talking about and they wanted to come interview me about it. So that was the first I'd heard of it. And how did you
feel hearing about what happened to Sarah? What did they tell you about her story?
They told me that there were similarities in the cases and uh I was crushed. It's this part in the interview I
remember this is where an just kind of paused and broke down. Um she'd been really kind of strong through that
interview and was just recounting things. But I think, you know, this is describing the realization that Sarah
Yarro's murder was in any way connected to what had happened to her so many years ago. And she, I think, was dealing
with, as she described to us, her own version of survivor's guilt, you know, once she realized how her story and
Sarah's were connected tragically. >> Yeah. Um, it had never occurred to me that what I
escaped from was a murder. I just had always figured I'd escaped from a rapist, >> which you can survive a rapist. You can
get past it. You can't get past murder. Um, and the fact that she was only 16, um,
was really hard to hear. And then when I found out that he had been released early, and this happened when he was
supposed to be in prison >> for what he did to you, >> for what he did to me, um, really
affected me a lot. >> I bet you were angry. A lot of it. I was very angry >> when he um was arrested for for what he
did to you. He confessed and he wrote in his confession, "I realize I have a problem concerning raping girls."
>> You had never heard that? >> No. No. So he says that and he ended up serving.
>> So why was he let out after three and a half years? What a little [ __ ] No, I didn't know that.
You little I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So, that's the part you didn't hear on our 48 hours episode, obviously, because
of the language. Now, you know, we all kind of laughed a little bit at that, but usually humor is a a coping
mechanism, and that was the case here. Um this was truly a very traumatic experience and memory for an and
especially you know learning that he did not complete his full sentence and then
hearing that detail that she only heard now for the very first time that he had told police at the time that he had a
problem raping girls, trying to rape girls and yet he was able to get out early um on parole which she just was
clearly very angry, but at the same time, she had to laugh at the the insanity of it all.
>> I remember in that interview, she had been so strong and then it just kind of
broke through and yeah, you hear us laughing in the background cuz we're all crying and then hearing
>> it just gave us a moment of levity. I think just having her real life reaction. I think it just made us all so
grateful that she was able to speak so freely and to just tell it like it is with us. And I remember like we we
weren't really sure how far she'd want to go. We we'd wanted to be very sensitive with this because we knew it
was a lot for her to come forward, you know, using her name to come on TV to talk about this. We actually were in
this really incredible space because we wanted her to feel very comfortable. Um it was like a horse ranch. It was my
version of paradise and there was horse therapy right outside the door. So after this
interview, we all went out and we were petting the horses because we needed it. I mean, it was just really such a
powerful interview and she just gave us so much. >> Absolutely. I mean, her her strength
just stuck out to us all along and even going back to the trial. I mean, so I was there. We were hearing these
whispers that there was a victim there and it was almost inconceivable. I mean, like, wait, what? How could someone have
the strength to come and do this? uh and learning that it almost brought this back full circle for her that she had
thought she had done her duty back in 1983 that she had put away this bad guy that the justice system had worked for
her and then so learning that it had failed Sarah Yarbor by him being let out early so that he was able to attack
Sarah Yarborough she felt like she had to be there she had to see justice truly be done this time around I mean she was
there for as much of the trial as she could be. You were there, Lauren. I mean, there was so much emotion. It was
a packed courtroom. Her friends, her family, they were all there. They were there to witness this moment nearly 30
years later. That speaks to the kind of woman that Sarah Yarro was. She was a connector. I've actually never seen
anything like this. Um, and it was almost overflowing. Everybody, usually in a in a trial, there's like the
victim's side, the victim's family side, and then the defendant side. And in this
there were just so many people there. So this brings us to how Anne Crony came into the courtroom and where she sat.
You know the courtroom's full. So she goes and chooses to sit right behind Patrick Nicholas because that was the
open spot. >> I was sitting there thinking I could easily jump up and put my hands around
his neck or I could slam his face into the table. That would be great. And I thought no I don't think anybody else
would really appreciate that. So >> order in the court, you know. >> Mhm. >> And so it it's interesting because it
made me think the two of Sarah's friends said they first saw you get behind him.
They're like, "Is she with him?" No. And then they cornered you. They said they got out into the hallway and they were
like, >> "Who are you?" Like wanting to know what you were there for. Yes. >> So they hadn't heard your story yet
about you guys. The judge wouldn't allow that. Yeah. I think they they must have
heard something because uh they did ask my connection and I said >> I believe I told them I was the one that
got away and it took him a second and then >> Yeah. Yeah. >> full embrace. >> Yes. Wonderful people. Oh my gosh.
Wonderful people. >> Sarah's been gone a long time but they could hug an remained friends with Anne Crony which
is remarkable. The thing that I heard in court was that one of his survivors is here and she's a badass. And then I
remember I just gave her my card very tactfully. I don't know if you want to talk. Um but then I remember at your
interview with her, Natalie, we were sitting there and we're just like she's a badass. Like totally I get it. Yep.
And Natalie, in your interview, you asked her what Nicholas looked like when she saw him in court. And here was her
response. >> Can I say him? Yes. Go ahead. He looked like a piece of >> I mean he just looked like an old piece
of >> um you know he was young when I saw him he was young vital comes to mind um
fairly attractive and he's just an old piece of now sorry >> you heard the anger there she was still
you know living in that moment but she even though she was struck by the fact that his appearance had changed um but
she said looking at him and staring at him in the eyes. She saw those same evil eyes staring back at her. They were the
same. So, after the jury found Patrick Nicholas guilty of the murder of Sarah Yarro, Anne was able to finally speak
her truth by giving a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing. Let's listen to some of that.
>> We rely on a system of justice that is designed to protect us from predators like Nicholas. And this system failed
me. It failed Sarah, her family, friends, and countless others. I asked the court to please not make the same m
mistake. >> And I don't know if Nicholas knew that she was there until this moment. And she
stood up and she gave it to him. And she told the judge like, "Hey, don't mess this up again." Uh, I can't imagine the
feeling that she had inside of her to do that. It must have been so scary and so
intimidating at first, but she told you like it was really that community and that love from Sarah's friends and
family that really helped her get up there and put it all out there. >> Yeah. >> And he was, you know, and the judge did
sentence him to 46 years in prison. Um, so he's not going to get out anytime soon. And and I think an important
detail was that an has a daughter as well at the time of the trial who was Sarah Yarro's age, 16 years old, and how
much that probably impacted her as she was saying those words. Yeah. And she talked with you in her interview about
how like they have had talks about how when something happens, what to do when you're attacked that you fight. And if
you're lucky, really like the luck here is so essential. If you can put those pieces together, you can get away. Uh
she was able to really follow her instincts there and again the luck of being near the water and knowing that he
couldn't swim, her gut telling her that something was off. Uh she was able to have the presence of mind to recall all
of this to get away. So I mean just her thinking that all right, I've got to protect my kid here,
>> give her the tools she could use. I it's really really impactful. >> Yeah. I mean truly everything sort of
lined up in order for her to be able to survive. Um there was also a moment what
I love about an is that she told us um she wanted to take back that part of her life. She decided to do a triathlon that
summer after Nicholas's murder trial, diving right back into those very waters of the Columbia River that saved her
life. and she started by parking in the exact same spot that she did in that parking lot in the park where the attack
occurred. Take a listen. The parking lot's the same. The trees have grown up, so it looks different, but the the bank
is a lot steeper than I thought it was. And further up from the river, it's about 10 ft. So, I was surprised. um
pretty proud of myself for what I'd done because it was it was pretty amazing that I was able to do that. There was a
reason that I was meant to do that and I was able to do that. But doing the triathlon was interesting. I didn't have
any I didn't have any odd or bad feelings. Swimming in the river was great. Uh >> do you feel like you reclaimed that
>> though? I I do because the swim took off at the same dock that I was rescued on.
So, um I do I felt like I reclaimed all of that and there's no fear to stop me from doing
what I love to do. >> I just we just loved that moment so much. Even after going through hearing
about Sarah Yarro's death, going through the trial, stepping forward, she was like, you know what? I want to get back
there and I want to show that I can do this and I'm going to reclaim this. It's just incredible. And I think you hear a
lot of survivors who say that. They say, "I wanted to, you know, get myself back,
take my power back." And in doing that triathlon, she did. I think it's so important that we tell these survivors
stories because I think we can all learn so much from them as well. What it takes
to do something when something feels off or doesn't feel right. What it takes to
speak up. What it takes to fight back. to scream as loud as you can possibly scream. She did all of that and then
some. And then at the end of the day, she got her peace with justice. Lauren, I have to thank you so much for joining
me. And of course, I have to say our thanks as well to Anne Crony. And thanks to all of you who have listened. And be
sure to stay tuned for more stories from courageous individuals like an by following and listening to 48 hours it
could have been me on Tuesdays on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like this episode,
please rate and review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. I'm Natalie Morales for 48 hours.
[Music] This wasn't just a crime scene, was it? >> No, it was not. This one was bad.
Two innocent people that were on their first date had their lives destroyed. For what reason?
>> How well did Leslie Reeves know Chris Smith? >> First date. [Music] Chris was in a band and a singer
and they had connected and he asked her out. The night before Thanksgiving, they
decided just to meet up and go to the bar. >> He lived 65 miles away in a really small
farming community. >> The bar that night was very busy. The place was packed wall to-all.
Chris and Leslie were talking a lot, laughing, getting along with everyone around them.
>> She texted me around 10:00 and she said, "Everything's going okay." She did then
text a second text that said, "I feel like something's a little bit off or something. I'm not sure what she meant."
>> Was that text the last time you heard from Leslie Reeves? >> Mhm. Yes, it was.
[Music] >> Did you try texting her in the morning? >> Mhm. >> And did she respond?
>> No. I just started driving towards Farmersville because I had the address and called the police department in that
area. >> Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. This is Jeff. >> Hi. I'm greatly concerned about my
friend. Can someone do a welfare check? >> What are you feeling at this point, Nana?
>> A lot of anxiety because I don't know what I'm going to walk into uh going up
there to this house. that I pulled up in front of the address. >> And then who came while you're sitting
there? >> While I'm sitting there, uh, who's this uh, woman parked? >> I said, "Well, maybe I'll roll my window
down and talk to her." >> I asked her if she was checking on Chris, and she said she was checking on
her friend. And that's when I went up to the door. I saw the back door was broken, and then
I saw Chris laying there. And then I ran back to my car and called 911. >> Nobody's answering the door and and the
back window shattered and there's a body and there's a foot I saw on the floor. I'm only 16. I can't deal with this.
>> I was in shock. I think >> Sheriff's Office. Jeff. >> Jeff, some help. I got one alive and one
dead. >> I just remember them bringing Chris out on the stretcher to the ambulance. I
remember there being a sheet over him, so it made me panic a little bit. >> I got a call from our command center in
Springfield. >> So, you are the lead crime scene investigator? >> Yes. >> Were you really prepared for what you
faced when you walked into that house? >> I was not. >> Why would somebody do this to him? Why
would they try to hurt my baby? That's all I kept thinking. He's my baby. Someone hurt him. Going on a first date
and they both end up getting shot is insane. [Music] [Music] on the afternoon of Thanksgiving. Day
2021. Nanette Styber sat in her car and watched anxiously as EMTs and Montgomery
County Sheriff's deputies descended on a house in the tiny village of Farmersville, Illinois.
>> I was quite upset and kind of going crazy in the car. >> Nette had been unable to reach her good
friend Leslie Reeves. Nanette knew Leslie had gone to that house the night before to go on a first
date with Chris Smith, a man she had met online. She was very excited. She thought, "Oh, this will this might be um
a really good connection." >> But now Nanette was worried. She'd seen Chris get taken away in an ambulance,
but there was no sign of Leslie. I kept hoping, you know, okay, bring Leslie out, please.
>> Finally, a detective approached and asked Nette for a photo of Leslie. She showed him her phone and he gave her the
horrible news. >> I'm so sorry to have to tell you this. Your friend has um been murdered, you know, shot, he
said. He didn't tell me where, but he did say, "I want you to know that she went very
quickly." EMTs had found Chris barely conscious and unable to say anything about the
shooting. They rushed him to the hospital and deputies searched the house. Later that day, crime scene
investigator Josh Eastston of the Illinois State Police was called to the scene and he began cataloging the mayhem
inside. What do you see when you first approached the door? >> I noticed the side door of the house.
The glass in the door has been broken out. The refrigerator was pulled away from the wall. The kitchen table was
pushed. The the chairs were knocked over. No weapon was found, leading investigators to suspect that a third
person was involved. Een took note of every detail, including the burnt pizza in the oven.
>> I assume that maybe they were cooking a pizza for the night and the suspect shows up at the door. They both
tried to fight him off and when Chris was shot, Leslie went to the living room to try to hide.
>> How many times was she shot? She was only shot one time >> in the head. >> In the head.
>> Leslie's body was in the living room while Chris had been found in the kitchen. Een said of the 1,800
crime scenes he had been to, this was one of the most horrific. >> There was blood everywhere. The
cabinets, the refrigerator, the countertop. There was blood from corner to corner in the kitchen.
Eastston spotted two silver colored bullet casings from a 9 mm gun. One in the kitchen and the other near Leslie's
body. As Easton processed the scene, detectives began learning about the victims.
Chris Smith was a 48-year-old divorced father who worked for a pool contractor. >> Chris was a nice guy. He would hang out
here frequently, was friends with most people in town. Everybody knew him. >> Bartender Dena Lrand says Chris was well
known in town as the guy who grew banana trees and giant pumpkins. >> I remember one Halloween he donated
hundreds of pumpkins for decorations for any of the kids to paint. He gave back to his community.
Did either one of you ever worry about Chris? >> No. >> No. >> Sharon Castanza is Chris's mother,
Ashley Hulcom, his sister. >> Chris is a stayhome person that literally would just work in his
backyard. >> Chris lived with a dog named Tiki. And an EMT told the family that Tikki may
have helped Chris make it through the night by huddling with him for the roughly 12 hours that Chris was bleeding
before being rescued. >> I think Tikki protected Chris. I think she probably laid right next to him.
>> Chris's close-knit family could not imagine anyone wanting to kill him. >> It was like no way. How? Why? Like who?
Yeah. Who would have done that? >> Investigators had the same questions about Leslie and learned that she was a
divorced mother of two children who lived in Troy about an hour south of Farmersville.
Although Leslie had a master's degree in engineering, she chose instead to teach
Pilates and to promote self-defense classes for women. Hi, I'm Leslie from All You Studio and I
>> Leslie posted this video to her YouTube channel to advertise one of her classes.
Empower yourself against aggression and assault as we teach you easy to learn self-defense techniques. Power up.
>> Leslie tried to help women in abusive relationships, but friends say she had her own troubles. Nanette told deputies
she was worried about a former boyfriend, a contractor by the name of Robert Tar known as Bobby.
>> She said, "I am going to completely block Bobby from email, texts, phone calls. I I have to go no contact."
>> Later that evening, news of Leslie's murder began circulating and reached another close friend, Amy Steinhower.
She had met Tar, a divorced father of three, and did not have a good impression of him. But
>> you never see someone and think that they can kill my friend. >> Amy called the sheriff's office that
night to give them Tar's name. By then, detectives had already set out to find Bobby Tar. While 85 mi to the
north, surgeons were fighting to try to save the life of Chris Smith. A bullet still lodged in his brain.
[Music] I just wanted to get there. I just wanted to get there as fast as I could.
After learning that Chris had been shot in the head, his family rushed to the hospital in Springfield, Illinois, 2
hours from their home. >> I was on the phone to everyone I could think of cuz I just needed prayers from
everybody. Doctors removed part of Chris's skull and some bullet fragments in his brain
before putting him in a medically induced coma. His family, struggling to piece together what had happened,
learned that he had been out with a woman named Leslie Reeves. Had you ever heard the name Leslie Reeves before?
>> No. I looked her up and then I tried to reach out to her friends and then I found my best friend, Nanette. Nanette
told them the same thing she had told investigators. She suspected Leslie's ex-boyfriend,
Bobby Tar. That night, sheriff's deputies went to Tar's home in Collinsville, an hour
south of the crime scene. Authorities say he never asked why they wanted to talk to him, and he agreed to go to the
police station without a lawyer. >> TR Margaret. >> Mhm. Although her friend said the couple
had broken up, Tar told investigators that he and Leslie were still together. >> You and Leslie have a lot of problems. I
would say no worse than any average couple. >> It was Leslie that detectives wanted to
talk about. >> I want you to to dig down deep here and be as honest with me as you can. Okay.
Um Leslie is dead. What? Can you help me shed some light on this? How did she die?
She was murdered. What happened? >> That's why we're here with you. You help me believe that you're not involved in
this. I'm not involved in anything. >> Investigators asked Tar about Farmersville, the scene of the crime.
>> You know where Farmersville is? Farmersville. No, I can't say that I do. I've never
been there. I've never heard of it. >> And they asked Tar where he had been the night before Thanksgiving.
>> I went to a buddy of mine's house. He left and left me some money out of his shop and I had to go pick it up.
>> The friend lived a short distance from Tar's home. >> Remember what time you came back?
>> Yeah, it wasn't that long. um maybe 6:30ish, something like that. >> Investigators believe the shooting took
place sometime early on Thanksgiving morning after 1:00 a.m. Tar said after he got back, he was home all night.
>> You can talk to my daughter about me being home. >> That's exactly what they did. Detectives
brought Tar's 17-year-old daughter, Shelby, to a different room at the police station, and she told them that
her father actually left home twice that night. >> So, first time he left was roughly 6:30,
right? >> And then he he came home about a half hour later and they said he had to go
back, right? >> And then it was 9:15ish when he got back home. Shelby said he had been gone for more
than 2 hours and when he got home he was upset. >> He gets home, he was crying. He was
sobbing. He said he missed Leslie. >> Shelby said she went to sleep around 9:30 and was awakened by her father
around 2:45 a.m. >> He started laundry. He was pacing, walking around and he was like, "I can't
sleep." Detectives went back to Tar and told him Shelby's story did not match his. Tar
then changed his story and said he had gone to his friend's house twice, but still insisted he was home by 8. As Tar
sat at the police station, detectives searched his house and found his phone and a Glock pistol. Shelby had told them
her father had a different gun, but they didn't find it. >> It's little. It's like this big. Like a
light green like the army green. >> Shelby told investigators she had seen it the day before Thanksgiving in her
father's sock drawer >> yesterday morning. Actually, I went to his socks and it was there and now it's
not there. >> Was there yesterday and gone today? Okay. Bobby Tar sat at the police
station overnight while authorities continued to investigate. They had already learned that his car had been
captured by license plate reader cameras just after midnight the night of the shooting. The cameras were near a gas
station and investigators discovered that Tar had bought gas there just after midnight. Back at the police station,
they confronted him with a gas station receipt. to your life. >> Cuz I don't remember doing that.
>> You don't remember being out after midnight when you have told us? You are 100% positive.
>> The gas station is here in Troy. >> Yes. >> And the murder occurred here in Farmersville.
>> Correct. >> The gas station was near Tar's home, an hour from the crime scene. Andrew
Affronty is the Montgomery County States attorney. He has donia, a condition that
causes muscle ticks and tremors. So why is it significant? Cuz it So he went out
and got some gas. >> It was significant to us cuz why would he lie about it? >> Just wanted to get fuel. What does that
prove? >> Investigators believed it was proof Tar was lying about his whereabouts that
night. They placed him under arrest. >> You're under arrest for murder. A fronty says they arrested Tar im
immediately because they feared Chris's life was in danger and they hadn't found the murder weapon.
>> If he was out of custody, could he take further steps to dispose of the evidence?
Just one day after Leslie Reeves was killed and Chris Smith was left fighting for his life, investigators believe they
had the man responsible in custody. I'm Aaron Morardi. >> Bobby T. >> But in his only media interview, Bobby
[ __ ] tells 48 hours they got the wrong guy. >> There is so many things untold that will
prove my innocence. Bobby Tar charged with the murder of Leslie Reeves and the attempted murder
of Chris Smith is nothing if not unflapable. >> Did you kill Leslie Reeves? >> No.
>> Did you shoot Chris Smith? >> No. He kept his cool even when confronted with a litany of lies he told
investigators. You told the police you only left the house once. >> That wasn't true.
>> Correct. >> You told the police you had no idea where Farmersville is. >> Mhm.
>> That was a lie. >> Mhm. >> You lied about getting gas in your car that night.
>> Mhm. When he spoke with us, Tar admitted he was at Christmas house the night before Thanksgiving, placing himself at
the scene of the crime. He says the night began when he met Leslie at her part-time job at this loft store.
>> She had said she was going to go meet some friends because one of their friends was playing in a band. and she
asked me if I wanted to go and I said, "Well, you know, I would go, but I have my youngest daughter staying with me for
a week." >> Tar says that when he declined the invitation, Leslie asked if he would
follow her to Farmersville because her van was unreliable. And so he did. That makes no sense to Leslie's friend Amy
Steinhower. >> She was terrified of him, rightfully so. Just a few weeks earlier, Amy says
Leslie told her that Tar had shown up while she was on a first date with a different guy. After that incident,
Leslie told Amy she was frightened by Tar and texted Amy. I could be killed by him someday if I don't cut all contact.
So, you're telling me now that this woman who was scared of you, who had actually texted a friend that she
thought you might kill her, asked you to follow her to another man's house? >> Mhm.
>> Does that make any sense? >> No, I understand. Um, so I don't understand that text in general.
>> Why did she think you might kill her? >> I don't know. I've got no clue. Tar says Leslie lied to her friends
about their relationship. He insists she asked him to follow her north to Farmersville.
>> So I went with her up there. I think we arrived there around 7:30. I parked in front of her van in front of
his house. That's as far as I went. I left. I never went back to Farmersville again.
If he had an innocent explanation for why he was in Farmersville, why did he lie to detectives?
>> My daughter, her and Leslie, there was a little bit of tension between both them.
I did not want her to know that I was going to meet Leslie that night. >> Tar claims that after he lied to his
daughter Shelby about seeing Leslie, he stuck to that lie at the police station because he was afraid they would tell
her. And he never corrected those lies, even when detectives arrested him. Why not just say, "Look, between you and me,
I lied to my daughter, so let me tell you the truth, but let's just not share that with her." Why wouldn't you do
that? >> I should have done that. >> He's quick to point out the lack of physical evidence connecting him to the
bloody crime scene. Investigators searched his white Jetta, but did not find any shards of glass or blood
stains. >> Two tests by the state police were done on my car. Zero blood found in my car.
There's zero DNA of mine at the crime scene. Anything from the crime scene in my car or on me or any of my clothing or
my shoes. Zero. Prosecutor affronty has to concede that point. >> Was any of Ty's DNA found inside the
house? >> No. >> Were any of his fingerprints found inside the house? >> No. >> And authorities still had not found the
murder weapon. But a week after the shooting, they got a phone call from Tar's friend, Billy Adams. Adams said
Tar called him from jail. That call was recorded. What's your day look like today? Cuz I need 10 minutes of your
time. >> Tar asked Adams to go to his house and look for some deck brackets. >> I got some special aluminum brackets and
that I need you to get because they're for another job that I didn't tell dad about yet. So, don't say
nothing to him. >> Instead, Adams contacted the sheriff's office. Deputies suspected Tar knew the
phone call was being recorded and was speaking to his friend in code about something other than deck brackets.
>> Yeah, get them and get rid of them. >> They thought that was suspicious, which
was why they went over and searched. >> Investigators were on their hands and knees in Tar's yard looking for a gun.
Dan Folultz is Tar's defense attorney. >> They searched that area thoroughly. No
gun. You know what? They did find deck brackets. >> A few days later, they got another phone
call, this time from Tar's brother, asking them to come back to the house. Tar's family gave deputies a Ziploc bag
they said they had found in the same yard that had been searched just days earlier. Inside a Springfield Hellcat 9
mm pistol and silvercoled ammunition. The Illinois State Police determined the gun was the murder weapon and the
ammunition matched the casings found at the crime scene. >> We still to this day don't know how that
ended up there specifically in the spot that they searched. >> Are you saying you were set up? Someone
was framing you? Yes. >> But if someone was framing Tar, he or she would have to be pretty
detailoriented, the state police say Tar's fingerprint was on the Ziploc bag. >> He is adamant that he would not have
been dumb enough that he would have carried it all the way back to his home and said, "Hm, where would I put this
gun on my 1 acre lot? I think I'll put it next to the front door." And Tar points out neither his prints nor DNA
were found on the gun itself. >> Nothing on the firearm. No DNA, no prints of mine on the firearm.
>> What I think what happened is is that the gun was clicked and then Mr. Tar just missed a spot.
>> That spot was Leslie's DNA, say police found on the guide rod of the gun. Tar's
explanation, the gun wasn't his. It belonged to Leslie. I purchased the Hellcat and Leslie purchased it from me.
>> As investigators continued to build a case against Bobby Tar, they say he was
hatching a plan to silence the only eyewitness. >> Did you ask a inmate to shoot Chris
Smith? [Music] Leslie accompanied me here on several occasions. >> If there's anyone who knew what guns
Leslie Reeves owned, it's Howard Bolton, her close friend and firearm instructor.
>> When I would hold classes, she would actually shoot with us. Leslie was becoming a very good shot.
>> Bolton says Leslie had organized a class called Girls with Guns not long before
she was murdered. >> We put the girls through their paces. They would move and fire. They would go
forward and fire. They would come back and fire. And Leslie did very, very well at that. Bobby Tar insisted to us that
Leslie owned the Hellcat that was used to kill her, but Howard says he never saw her use it.
>> Leslie never brought a Springfield, let alone a Hellcat, to class. >> So then, how did Leslie's DNA get on the
guide rod of the murder weapon? Howard believes that Leslie's DNA could only be on that guide rod if the gun was fired
at her at close range. So when he shot her, wherever it was he shot her would have contaminated that part of the gun.
>> In fact, Howard says Leslie owned a different gun. Her friends say they wish she had taken it with her the night she
was killed. >> Had Leslie taken the gun with her, I assure you the outcome would have been
different. Tar declared his innocence, but the case against him could hinge on what Chris
Smith, the only survivor, remembers. Would he be able to identify him? That was the question. As Chris remained in a
coma, >> we were talking to him, singing to him, and I was always holding this hand.
Hallelu. >> While Chris Smith lay helpless, authorities say Tar was plotting to silence him forever.
A grand jury indicted Tar on two counts of solicitation of murder. Those charges
are based on allegations by an inmate who says Tar paid him $10,000 to shoot and kill the lead detective.
And Chris, >> did you ask a inmate to shoot Chris Smith? >> No, ma'am. >> And to kill Detective Roach?
>> No, ma'am. >> Tar says the alleged plot was a lie concocted by a former cellmate. Tar says
he loaned that cellmate $10,000 for his bond and that it had nothing to do with Chris Smith. Were you worried he was
going to testify and point to you as a shooter? >> No, I was not worried one iota.
>> The truth was that no one knew what Chris Smith remembered. The first time he regained consciousness was in early
January 2022, about 2 months after the shooting. >> Like eggs. >> Chris's voice was so weak in those early
days. It's already done over there. >> That is old friend Mark Rearen, a talk show host in St. Louis.
>> 522 971 FM talk >> barely recognized Chris on the phone. >> I could not believe that I was hearing
from this guy and I cried. He cried. Just talking about that moment really brings me chills because I just thought
he was never going to be someone that was in my life ever again. >> What did Chris tell you? Well, when
Chris came on of this, I was pretty sensitive to ask him about what had happened that night because I think I
was a little afraid of even having those conversations. So, most of the conversations that we had were really
focused on, hey, how are you? Are you going to be okay? >> After intense physical therapy, he's
made incredible strides. He's much stronger than when he awoke from a coma, but he discovered there are gaps in his
memory. What does he remember from that terrible night? >> I wish to God I could remember
something. I mean, even just a a smidgen of something, but I remember nothing. >> He remembers nothing of the shooting or
Leslie Reeves. >> I said, "Who the heck's Leslie? I don't know Leslie." >> You had no idea.
>> No, nothing. >> Nothing. >> Nothing. >> Is Chris the same person who used to come on your show before he was shot?
>> Yeah. I think at the core, he's still the same guy that I knew. He's still the
smartass. He's still the guy that's going to talk about how good he is and how good he was and how much he could
lift weights. >> Chris works out at the gym most mornings trying to regain muscle so that someday
he'll be able to walk without assistance. >> Straight curve. >> He's even back to being the lead singer
in his rock and roll band. I don't know how he did make it. I don't understand how he did. He's a miracle.
>> But Chris is aware his life is very different from what it once was. So I'm half the man I used to be, but I'm
trying to get it back as hard as I can. And then my left leg is uh partially paralyzed from my hip to my knee, then
from my knee to my toes completely paralyzed. So if there's any neuros out there, any researchers out there, please
get a hold of me. I'll be your guinea pig. Just make me normal and give me my life back, please.
>> It's tough, isn't it, Chris? >> It tough. Doesn't even describe it. Doesn't even describe it.
>> Chris is resigned to living with part of that hollow point bullet in his brain.
Doctors say it's in a spot that makes it too dangerous to remove. >> So, that's where you got shot?
>> Yep. Right here. There's a Yep. You still feel it in my skull? Right there. After decades on his own, Chris had to
move back into his mother's house. >> I thank my blessings daily that he's here with us. I just wish that this guy
didn't take everything away from him. >> Chris visits with his loyal dog, Tikki,
but no longer lives with her. And he'd love to see his 12-year-old daughter more often, but he can't drive, and he's
living in St. Louis, almost 2 hours away from his daughter and ex-wife. I miss her. She was my little pee in the pot. I
mean, we did everything together. >> The trial of Robert Tar was set for April 2024, but Chris would not be
there. He told the prosecutor he was too angry to attend. >> You didn't think you'd be able to just
sit there. >> Oh, no. No way. I I know myself. I There's no way. No. >> But Chris's alleged shooter, Bobby Tar,
will be there. and he said he was eager to tell the jury that he's not a violent
man. But on this one night early morning, did you snap? >> No, that's not my nature. I don't lose it.
Snap. [Music] When Bobby Tar went on trial in April 2024, prosecutors told the jury that he killed
Leslie Reeves rather than allow her to live the life she wanted, a life without him.
>> Mr. Tar couldn't deal with the fact that Leslie was seeing somebody else and he
had to go and take care of it. >> Andrew Ephronty says Tar secretly followed Leslie to Farmersville early
that evening and shortly afterwards his phone began showing some interesting activity.
>> He had actually searched Chris Smith on his phone and tried to find his Facebook
profile. Tar headed home and texted his friend Billy Adams. I don't feel like she would
drive that far for a party or go out with a girlfriend. I think it's for a dude. He also searched whether police
could track his phone if he was using a VPN, a virtual private network. >> He was researching to determine whether
or not that would mask where his location was while he was using the phone. Authorities say around midnight tar left
home stopping at that gas station and then according to a fronti surveillance videos and cell tower records show that
tar drove back to farmersville. You believe he intended to kill both Chris and Leslie?
>> I 100% believe that he went up there with the intent to do serious harm to both of them. With one victim dead and
the other with no memory, it's difficult to say with certainty what happened, but
the prosecution argued that sometime after 1:00 a.m., Bobby Tar tried to enter through the back door of Christmas
house. Leslie and Chris tried to keep him out. >> There was some kind of altercation or
struggle, and that's when the glass was broken. Crime scene investigator Josh Eastston
told the jury what he had observed inside the kitchen. >> The refrigerator was pulled away from
the wall where it appeared it normally was. >> Prosecutors believe Leslie was trying to
use the refrigerator to block the door. And based on where Chris was shot in his
head, they think he was crouching down to help Leslie. I think that while Chris was crouched
down trying to hold the door shut, Bobby shot through the door and struck Chris.
>> With Chris incapacitated, Aphrante says Leslie hid in the living room. Tar tracked her down, shot, and killed her.
>> I strongly believe that he walked in and executed her. >> Defense attorney Dan Folultz disputes
all of that. There is simply no evidence that that's what happened. There's no evidence that Leslie pushed the
refrigerator. There's no fingerprints and blood on the refrigerator of Leslie's.
>> Folult says evidence of a fight in the kitchen tells a different story. >> The amount of blood in that kitchen was
astonishing. >> From looking at that crime scene, do you believe that Christopher Smith had to
fight his his asalent in the kitchen? It would appear to me that there was some significant struggle in that
kitchen between him and someone else. >> And he says the asalent could not have been Bobby Tar because he would have
been covered in blood. >> They did not identify a single piece of DNA in his car. They didn't identify a
bloody fingerprint. They did not identify anything tying him to that crime scene. But prosecutors argued the
house wasn't bloody when Tar left. They said Chris bled heavily in the 12 hours it took for help to arrive. And while
the prosecution did not have a lot of forensic evidence linking Tar to the crime scene, a fronti says his phone
activity, his lies to investigators and the evidence found on the Hellcat all prove his guilt. When you put all of
that together, that's when you get the clear picture of what happened. >> When it was the defense's turn, Tar says
he wanted to tell his story to the jury, but he chose not to testify. Why didn't you just decide you were
going to talk to the jury and tell this story if in fact you have a story to tell?
>> I should have. I very well should have. We made a strategic decision because it
may have opened the door for a whole lot of other more damaging evidence to be used uh to cross-examine him.
>> The defense didn't put on any witnesses and counted on the jury to find reasonable doubt in the lack of physical
evidence. After 3 hours, the jury found Bobby Tar guilty of first-degree murder and
attempted murder. Everyone clapped and Bobby just sat there shaking his head. >> Two months later, Tar was back in court
for sentencing and this time so was Chris to tell the judge how the shooting impacted him and his family. Cameras
were not allowed in the courtroom. >> Lost my house, lost my truck. I've literally lost my life without being
killed. Tar also spoke and denied shooting Leslie and Chris. The judge sentenced
him to 85 years. >> I hope the rest of his time on this earth is hell. [Music] >> Leslie Reeves friends are focused on
keeping her memory alive. >> She was a light of a lot of people's lives. She was always smiling. She was a
very good mother. lived for her kids and was an advocate and champion of women, women's rights, and especially women
that were abused. >> If it can happen to her, it could happen to anyone. So, we all need to be
careful. >> Chris Smith says he never expected he'd be a victim of domestic violence and
cautions other men to take a hard look at their behavior. If guys, you feel like that you want you want to hurt a
woman, get help. >> While Chris mourns his old life, he's writing a book about his experiences and
says he's working to make what he calls poor man's margaritas out of the lemons and limes he's been handed.
>> I've got a doover. Good Lord, give me a doover. Not many people get a second chance in life.
Chris has found love with Michelle Alrech. >> She's an angel. Loving me and accepting
me the way that I am. >> He proposed to her on stage. >> I just asked her if she buried me. Guys,
>> what's the most important lesson out of all of this? >> Don't ever give up on anything. Ever. No
matter how bad things are, don't ever give up. [Music] The search for her killer went cold.
>> Investigators took DNA evidence. They could not find who it belonged to. >> Can a clue from the past
>> I can see a footprint in blood >> solve the crime? >> These belong to the killer. The
footprints defined the path of this case. >> 48 hours is all new. CBS next in streaming on Paramount Plus.
If I can come back from a deathbed and survive this and defy medical odds and create medical
history or rewrite medical history, [Music] anybody can come back and achieve anything in life. No matter how bleak
things look in life, there's always a sun rising on the other side. [Music] If you are seeking inspiration, look no
further than Chris Smith. His is a story of resilience and recovery. Back in November of 2021, Chris was on a first
date with a woman named Leslie Reeves. Now, they had gone back to his house when Leslie's ex-boyfriend, Bobby Tar,
forced his way inside and shot them both. Leslie died, but Chris miraculously survived a bullet wound to
his head. He lay comeomaosse in the hospital for several weeks before waking up. And when he did, he had no memory of
what happened that night. So, how did Chris defy the medical odds and survive the unthinkable? I'm Natalie Morales of
48 Hours and this is It Could Have Been Me. [Music] You're going to be hearing from Chris in
just a few minutes, but first I would like to introduce producer Paul Rosa. He knows this case well. He worked on this
story uh for an episode of 48 hours with correspondent Aaron Morardi. Paul, so good to have you join us today on what
is such an incredible story of survival and real grit. >> Great to be here because Chris is one of
the most um interesting and resilient people I've ever met. I know he really touched you and had an impact on our
entire 48 hours team. Walk me through Paul what happened on that night, November 24th, 2021.
>> Right. So, um it was the day before Thanksgiving, the evening before Thanksgiving, and Chris and Lesie had
met on Facebook as people do these days. Um they never met in person before this
night, but they had texted with each other. They had spoken on the phone to each other and there was sympotico in a
number of ways mostly because they were really into physical fitness and um Leslie ran a Pilates studio, yoga
studio. She taught women self-defense and Chris was in the best shape of his life when this shooting happened. But
anyway, the night before Thanksgiving is traditionally a night when people go out
drinking and that's exactly what they did. Um Chris said, "Why don't you come up to Farmersville, which was about an
hour from where Leslie lived and um she was in Troy, Illinois. They both had kids and uh Leslie's kids were with her
ex that evening. And the same with Chris. So they were without their children. And Chris had a big house and
he told Leslie, "You can sleep in one of the bedrooms if we got drinking too much, whatever." And that was the plan.
She told her girlfriends where she was going to be. She gave them the address because after all she never met this
guy. But they went out drinking to a place called the Uptown Saloon. And then they went to a second bar. Everything
was hunky dory. Then they went to Chris's nearby house. >> Yeah, Paul. Because I understand at some
point Leslie's ex-boyfriend, Bobby Tar. He started to follow them and and showed
up at Chris's house. Right. >> Right. No one knows what really happened except Bobby Tar who was convicted of
the crime because Leslie is dead and Chris remembers nothing from that night. So, it's
difficult for investigators to know exactly what happened. But what they what the evidence reveals happened is
Bobby Tar tried to push his way in. He Leslie spotted him through the glass side door. She moved her refrigerator,
police believe, in front of the door to try to block him. He was able to maneuver the door part of the way open.
Chris was crouched down trying to push the door with his shoulder and his weight and um Bobby Tar shot him in the
head. According to police, Chris went down. Tar walked in. Leslie ran into the living room, hid behind a Christmas
tree, and according to the prosecutors, Bobby Tar walked in, shot Leslie one time right in the top of the head.
>> I mean, it's so horrific. Um, the timeline, I understand, is a little unclear as well, but we know it was
sometime in the very early morning hours, though. >> It was around 1:00 a.m. when this all
this mayhem occurred, according to investigators. And uh Leslie and Chris's friends and family were concerned when
they didn't hear from them the next morning. Now it's Thanksgiving morning. Both of them had plans to go to
Thanksgiving dinner at, you know, separate locations. And when the friends didn't hear from Leslie in particular,
um you know, she had a bunch of girlfriends who she who knew she was dating, knew Bobby Tar, knew that Bobby
Tar had stalked her before. Just a month before Tar had shown up at another first
date that Leslie was having. They were concerned. They knew the address. In particular, a friend named Nanet Styber
decided, "I can't raise her on the phone. I'm driving there." So, she drove an hour up to Farmersville. On the way,
she called the local sheriff's office. At the same time, a 16-year-old girl who knew Chris
showed up at the scene. So this young girl named Bjon Smith, she walked over to the side door. She saw blood
everywhere. She saw Chris on the floor. She immediately called 911. And we have a recording of that phone call.
>> Nobody's answering the door and and the back window shattered and there's a body
and there's blood on the stove and there's a foot I saw on the floor. Chris, however, was still alive, which I
mean, barely alive, which is truly miraculous. >> Yes. And um Farmersville being the small
town it is, the first two medics who appeared were friends of Chris and he knew them well. And you know, of course,
they were, you know, horrified themselves. Here's their buddy. And uh with Chris was his faithful dog, Tikki.
Tikki is a female dog. um very loyal to Chris and Tikki huddled with Chris according to people at the scene and
probably saved his life because the glass door was broken so a lot of cold air was coming in and um this medic
decided um that he didn't want to wait for a helicopter to get there. He put Chris in the ambulance with another
medic and he drove like a bat out of hell to the hospital. Again, timing is everything. Probably helped to save
Chris's life. >> Mhm. And let's take a listen now to what investigator Josh Eastston said when he
described the scene to you and to correspondent Aaron Morardi. >> I was overwhelmed when I saw the
kitchen. >> What do you mean? >> There was just so much blood and it was it was everywhere. There was not a spot
on the kitchen floor that didn't have blood on it. >> And what does that say to you?
>> That I don't know what went on on there, but it was it was horrible. For Chris,
it was unescribable. Without you being there, I I can't even make you understand how bad it was. Josh
Eastston, who is with the Illinois State Police, it's his job to catalog all the
evidence. um go in and sure enough, I mean, we talked about the blood, but in the middle of that, there were also two
shell casings, one in the kitchen, one in the living room. There was no murder weapon. So, that of course told them
that someone else had to have been involved, a third person. And we know um you know investigators were quickly able
to identify an a person of interest, Bobby Tar, because the friends had already told them that Leslie had a
stalker and it was her ex-boyfriend Bobby Tar. How soon after then was he arrested, Paul?
>> Well, this investigation unfolded rapidly. They find his license, a registration where he lives, and they
put that license into the license plate readers up and down the highway. Um, one
of the hits was near a gas station. They went there, they found a receipt where he had paid for gas at a certain time
that night. So, they began sort of creating a timeline of his movements before they even spoke to him. um they
were able to um later on get his cell phone records as well. Remember this happened, the shooting at 1:00 a.m. By
8:00 p.m. that evening, just hours later, um they were going to Bobby Tar's house and asking him if he would agree
to be questioned and he submitted to the uh interrogation. They put him under arrest at about it was the it was the
next day. It was the morning after Thanksgiving >> and he was arraigned on those murder
charges and attempted murder charges. Um to this day though he maintains his innocence.
>> That's right. He um Bobby Ar likes to pretend to be the like what what h me me. He likes to pretend that you know he
never did anything wrong. Well, this episode of course is not about Bobby Tar, but it is about the survivor
himself, Chris Smith, and his remarkable recovery. You'll hear from Chris when we
come back. [Music] >> So, let's hear from Chris Smith himself. Chris, welcome. It is such an honor to
meet you. >> Thank you. And likewise. Now, Chris and Paul, I understand you guys text each
other weekly, right? >> Yeah, I kind of know him. Yeah, I uh I ask a lot of advice from him, actually.
>> Yeah. And he's he you know, Chris is a terrific guy, as you'll see. >> And and Chris, I know that you actually
wrote a book about your survival and the incredible odds in your recovery. Yes. Um it's called My Fatal First Date is
now available for purchase. and you explained to the readers that your story really is a journey of blood, sweat, and
tears. You've had to work really hard to get where you are today. Tell us about the injuries you sustained and where
exactly the injury was. If you can point to it. >> Well, actually, it's kind of hard with
the earphones on, but the bolt went in about 5 in above my ear, straight the top of my head. And as you know, Paul
said, I'm sure you all have talked about I don't remember anything of that night.
I don't remember Lesie. I was told that we met on Facebook, >> which I find really interesting because
they spoke on the phone and texted 2 weeks before the incident. But it's interesting how the brain works. It just
excised Leslie out of his brain. Now, see, I do remember some stuff, you know, like I remember past my neighbor's house
on the drive home that afternoon. I remember some stuff from October and then like basically I want to say from
like the beginning beginning of November on to the shooting I don't remember much
if that makes any sense. So it's like my brain cut out the whole month. Go figure. I don't know. It's very odd.
>> I mean when you talk about where you were shot and and how long you were in your kitchen and on the kitchen floor
and were able to survive with blood and everything all around you. Um, I know they had to remove part of your skull,
but they weren't able to get the entire bullet out, right? >> No, it's still 9 mm hollow point is
actually still right behind my right eye. And they say it's a fragment, but it's actually the whole thing. What what
what they say fragment, what fragmented was my actual skull fragmented. That's what they're picking out of my brain was
my skull, not the actual bolt. The bolt never moved and it's lodged right here in my frontal lobe. And I mean, I should
still be in a coma, still be b I should be bedridden on a ventilator with severe
cognitive deficits. And the doctors are perplexed by that. I want to play some of the sound from your doctor, Dr.
Victor Williams. Aaron Moriardi asked him about your chances of survival after the shooting.
>> So, all the odds kind of were against him when he arrived at the hospital. >> It would appear so.
>> But he managed to survive. >> It's a blessing and a miracle that he did. They don't have an explanation,
right, Chris? >> No, they don't. No, they don't. >> What's your explanation? >> Well, um I call it divine intervention.
And two of my worst traits before I was shot, stubbornness and impatience are not my best attributes
>> cuz and then I'll never forget the day I woke up from the coma, I met Dr. Williams. He came in and he said,
"Chris, I know your family. I know your sister. My sister's a neuro telemetry nurse and she actually worked for him on
the floor that I was at." And he said, "But I hate to tell you, I'm not going to BS you. You're never going to walk
again." And I sat there, started tearing up and I mean, just had a lump in my throat and felt like someone punched me
in my gut. And I sat there and I thought about it for a second and I looked at him and I said, "Victor, you just told
the wrong person he can't do something because I'm going to do it out of spite to prove you wrong."
>> And now you're walking again. >> Yes, I'll be with a cane. I can walk without one now. But I kind of look like
a zombie. But um I will get back there. I am. I'm determined to. I have to, as I
told Paul before, hey, life gives us lemon and limes. You've got to dig down deep with that tequila and that sugar
water, make poor man's margaritas, and just suck it up, pull your bootstraps up, work your tail off, and you can
accomplish anything, overcome anything, exceeded anything, and be unstoppable, too.
>> Yeah. And I know we were talking uh about what you do and don't remember uh about that that night and what happened
when you were asked then about Leslie. Do you remember what you said? Well, when I woke up from my coma, I
mean, I look up. I'm like, I have tubes on me, oxygen. I look on the wall and it
says to Paul Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri. And I'm like, wait, what the? And I started yelling and screaming. The
nurses came rushing in. Chris, calm down. Calm down. I'm like, what am I doing here? What happened? And the one
nurse says, Leslie's ex-boyfriend shot you. And I said, who the f is a Lesie? I don't know Lesie. Because I didn't know
I didn't know her. I really didn't. Um, I want to go back to, you know, what what perhaps allowed you to get through
this in the best possible way. Not just, of course, the incredible acts of your friends, the medics who transported you
to the hospital. They knew they didn't have the time to spare, but then also, you know, the fact that your family,
your sister, as you said, worked with the doctor, was there along your side. I know your family had to help pull you
through as well. Can you talk about them? My sister saw some fight in me and I started in the ICU when they started
coming out of the coma. They tried to medically put me in a coma, medically induced coma, which they did succeed to
do that, but there she saw life in me. I mean, I was saying this craziest things.
I wanted my truck keys in my jacket and I thought I was going to walk out of there. Now you if it's on my YouTube,
but you can barely understand what I'm saying, but I mean it's like a comedian was born. I wanted vitamin D, red cap,
whole milk. I swear it was under my bed in rumchada. I've never drank rum chada in my entire life. Why? The only thing I
could think of was maybe that night it was on a bar or something like that. I mean, our brains are so mysterious. They
don't know enough about them. They really need to do more brain research. >> I know you call it your ICU comedy
special because the way you were reacting when you came out of that coma. >> Yes, it was crazy. But I mean, I didn't
like to fully become conscious until they transferred me to St. Louis, you know, January 12th. I I've seen and I
know I mean I've seen glimpses of that sense of humor and I know that uh you actually have a funny nickname that you
went by with Paul on a on a text, right? What did you call yourself? >> Bullet boy.
>> Hey, it's me Bullet Boy. At that point, I had talked to him like once on the phone and you know I'm conditioned to
treat victims very seriously and like you know I know he was shot in the head and you know I want to give him due
respect and all that and I wasn't going to joke around with him but he was joking around on his own. Yeah, I mean
my sense of humor has been one of the best healing mechanisms I've had and I've never lost that.
>> That's a good thing because I think it's a survival and a coping mechanism that
everybody needs when they go through such horrific trauma and tragedy. Um, going back to when you were able to get
out of the hospital though, Chris, that was February of 2022. M. So, I know you had to move in uh with
your mom and and your stepdad because you really couldn't take care of yourself the way you wanted to and that
you lost your home at the time. >> Yeah. I mean, it it sucked, but it is what it is. You know, I had to do what I
had to do. And, you know, luckily enough that my parents are my mom's cool still.
She'll be 70 in July, you know, so we're like only 17 years apart, but uh 17 and
a half. >> Got to add that half on there. So, you know, I'm I'm very fortunate and I love
my stepdad to death, you know. So, I mean, I'm very lucky. >> Paul, I know you've met them as well.
>> Yeah, he has a great family. I've met his uh mother, his stepfather, and his sister. And, you know, his sister is
very intelligent and she's a nurse and um beautiful person. And the stepfather's very friendly and has two
big dogs that run around the house. And that's one reason, by the way, that Tikki uh was no long is no longer living
with Chris. Tikki the dog that helped Yes. >> protect his life. Tikki is with a neighbor.
>> Yeah, I was wondering about that, Chris. I mean, do you feel that Tiki might have
helped save your life that night? >> Definitely. They don't understand how I live. There's so much blood I lost, but
she was laying right there cuddled up next to me the whole time. So, she's a great dog.
>> And I think there was some evidence as well. Was it on your chest that she had
tried to get on you? >> Yes. Her little little pile marks are right there. Yeah.
>> Just >> We didn't I guess no one knew what that was at the beginning and then he figured
it out or his family figured out. >> She was just trying to wake her daddy up. >> By the way, I don't know if we ever
mentioned it, but he was there for about 12 hours laying on the kitchen floor before anyone found him.
>> Yes. In April of 2024 though, um we know that that's when Bobby Tar's trial happened.
>> You were you there? >> No, I did not go. >> His family was there. Um and they told
him every day what was happening and he another reason Chris didn't go, he could
tell you himself, is that he said his anger would not let him go. He was afraid of what he might do if he was in
the courtroom. You could tell them yourself, Chris. >> Yeah. What I I mean I said I'd take him
out one, you know, one hand, one arm. I mean it's like what he did is the most cowardly act anybody can do.
>> But we should say that you were there for the sentencing and you got a chance
to give an impact statement. >> Yes, I did. >> And um how did it feel to be in the same
courtroom with Bobby Tar? >> It I mean the guy's a piece of dirt, you know? I mean he's a a sorry excuse for a
human being. >> You talked about the fact that Tar killed you without killing you. What did
you mean by that? >> He took he took my life from me. He affected so many other people. My
family, my little girl, my son. I mean, my friends, I mean, they've had to suffer with me through my recovery.
>> We cannot forget the victim here as well, Leslie Reeves, and what her family has had to go through and endure as
well. Just horrific the tragedy. >> I mean, it makes you grateful for what everything you have, you know.
>> Absolutely. Absolutely. You are the living testament of that. Now, um Chris though, we when when Bobby Tar was found
guilty on four counts, including first-degree murder and attempted murder, what was your reaction to the
verdict? >> I was happy, but I wish they had a death penalty and only, but I mean, he he
won't be he won't get out till he's 104 years old, and he's not going to live that long,
>> right? Sentenced to 85 years in prison. Um what was truly shocking though is even after Bobby Tar is convicted, he's
in prison. Then you come to find out that he there was a solicitation of murder on you.
>> The story goes, according to prosecutors and his defense attorney, that Bobby Tar
had solicited an inmate to go to the hospital room where Chris was recovering and shoot him. We are told by
prosecutors that some money did change hands. So he tar was indicted, but the charges were ultimately dropped for
various reasons. The biggest reason being that Tar is in jail or prison for 85 years and it seems to be no point in
having another trial and maybe another sentence. 85 years is a lifetime sentence for Tar.
>> Correct. Yes. >> You still have um some recovery ahead of you, right? >> Yes, I do. Yes. Um I have been doing
it's called menusal stem cell transplants, MSC's. They harvest stem cells from either my pelvic bone right
and left side now. But um and then they shoot them up your into your your nose up to the vessel supplying your brain.
So I mean it's not FDA approved yet, but it should be here shortly because it has
restored a lot of my function to my left hand side. I'm not running yet, but Paul
knows it will be someday. Hopefully sooner than later. >> Physically, I've seen changes. when he
first started. By the way, Chris is still the lead singer in his rock and roll band. That's true. He used to play
guitar. He can't play guitar anymore, but when I s first saw him performing, he has he always had a great voice. He's
a good singer, but he his left arm would shake like crazy like this. And we would
joke that he would joke that he should put a tambourine in it and try to keep beat so it wouldn't look so odd when he
was singing because it would just never stop moving. Now, of course, it's pretty
steady, and I've seen recent video of him performing, and he looks better than ever. His arm doesn't shake. He's
standing more. He occasionally he would sit in his wheelchair and sing, but the last clip I saw, he was standing the
whole time and arm was steady. >> Well, it's great to see you singing again and still performing with your
band. I hear though there is another woman in your life who has >> really become your angel. You have
fallen in love again. Tell me about her. >> We uh Michelle and I met. It'll be two
years this June and we've got a house together and Yeah, I'm starting over again. You know, starting over.
>> You're engaged to be married now? Yes, we are. >> When are you going to get married?
>> We're looking at this fall. >> Mhm. >> Oh, amazing. What led you to write the
book? >> Well, I told Paul I had no intention of writing a book. Everybody from day one's
like, "You've got to write a book. You got to write a book. You got to write a book." Well, throughout my recovery,
people have been reaching out to me, you know, from all over the world through Facebook, I mean, through other social
media outlets and whatnot. And I was like, you know what? I can do it. I can do it. I'll I basically wrote it like I
was sitting down having a conversation with somebody like I'm talking to you right now, you know, just telling my
story, all the intimate details that 48 hours couldn't cover, you know, in the first run. And that's what I've done. I
was like, I put my thumb to my iPhone because I can't I can't type. I hate saying the word can't. I'm unable to
type. So, I literally wrote my whole book on my iPhone 14. All typing with my thumb. And just my message is to inspire
people, motivate people, and show everybody no matter how bleak things look in life, there's always silver
lining. And you can always dig yourself out of the hole. you can accomplish and achieve anything that you want as long
as you put your mind to it and work your tail off. >> For those who are struggling in their
lives, do you have some advice you'll share? What's your perspective that you tell them?
>> Life is too precious to ever give up on anything. We don't know how many grains
we have left in our hourglass. Don't ever give up on anything. Love your family. Love your kids. Love your
friends because you don't know when your last you know the last grain will fall.
But just live life to the fullest. Have fun, laugh, don't take things too serious.
I mean, I'm not the wisest person in the world, but I have learned a lot of wisdom throughout this whole situation.
>> Chris, you are truly one of the most remarkable people I've spoken with. So, you know, well done on on all that
you've done to not only thrive and survive, but you are out there spreading your message and giving inspiration to
so many. So, we thank you so much for that. Thank you so much. >> And Paul, thank you also for joining us,
>> of course. >> And thanks to you all for listening and watching. And you can find and follow It
Could Have Been Me in the 48 hours podcast feed. It is on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.
And if you liked this episode, please rate and review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
[Music] It is farm country, horse country, [Music] bucolic, upwardly global wealthy type of community. We uh flew
in. It's a quiet place. >> Tiny unassuming house. Just a a simple farmhouse. >> Colts Neck has a lot of these.
>> Yes. this beautiful little farmhouse with this beautiful farm star, you know, in
the middle of it. In July of 2013, I was an assistant prosecutor in Mammoth County, New
Jersey. Donna and Shako was alone. She had just gone to bed for the evening. An intruder came into her house and
attacked her, stabbing her repeatedly. >> 911. Where's emergency? >> Oh, my name is Don Chuck. I just got
stabbed. >> Where are you? >> Really bad. >> Kid just came in and stabbed me. >> My heart.
>> I'm pouring gushing blood. >> Okay, I'm losing consciousness. Keep your eyes open.
>> Donna, Donna, >> I was driving home. It was maybe like 3:00 in the morning, 3:30.
As I pulled up closer, I saw big SUVs, cop cars, lights flashing everywhere. I was like, "Where is my mom?"
And they were like, "Well, she has been attacked and she's on her way to the hospital."
They couldn't tell me whether she was alive or she wasn't. I was new into major crimes. I didn't
have the experience at some of the older detectives. So, I had never seen that much blood in before.
>> Why would somebody do this? Who did this? What did she ever do to anybody? You
know, >> on that night in the early morning hours, we got a 911 call from a worker
from this restaurant. >> About how far from Donna's house are we standing right here? This is about an
8minute drive. They called because they saw a subject walking through their drive-thru.
>> I have any detention, please. >> One of my customers were in drive-thru were approached by a man with no shirt
but had a knife in his hand >> knocking on windows carrying a knife. One of the witnesses who saw the young
man, she agreed to come in and give us a sketch. >> Everybody was asking about the police
sketch. It was in every store. People were frightened. >> Can you tell me about the tip?
>> I get a call. The woman on the other end says that she's calling about the stabbing in Colts neck. She said, "I
think my cousin may have something to do with that. [Music] [Music] Tiny Colts Neck, New Jersey sits just 50
miles from New York City, but it might as well be a world away. So, in July 2013, this quiet community
was rocked by news of a violent home invasion where the victim was stabbed repeatedly.
The only thing more shocking, >> my name is Donna Angaco. >> The victim survived.
>> I lost in in total close to 3/4 of the blood in my body. [Music] There's no earthly reason why I'm alive.
None. If I had asked you at the time to give me a list of a hundred things you're worried about, where would a home
invasion been? >> Oh, no. Never. >> Donna worked for a company that brokered fuel for ships on the nearby Jersey
Shore. She and her daughter Kirsten lived in this farmhouse on the edge of flower
fields. >> She was 20 when she had me, so we're only 20 years and one day apart. friend
Sharon Sharp hired Donna decades ago. >> Kirsten had just been born. >> Yeah, Kirsten was a baby. I thought she
was really brave being a single mom, very young. [Music] >> I was by her side all the time.
>> Kirsten, who now works as a welder, recalls what life was like just prior to her mother's attack. We were going to
the gym multiple times a week. Not only was she like mentally strong, but she was physically strong.
>> She was so fit. She did tough mutters with uh Kirsten. >> I like that competition. I like to show
strength, uh physical strength. Things couldn't have been any better at that time.
>> That's when Saturday of July 4th weekend rolled around. Mammoth County Detective
Andrea Tazzy says they were having a heat wave. >> It was humid, but we had no rain or
anything like that. I mean, it was a dry night. >> So, Donna >> had her windows open. Yes, she had her
windows open just to cir obviously to circulate air. >> Kirsten was out at a party.
So, I was home doing laundry. I'd say about 11, 11:30. Um, I decide I'm going to get
ready for bed. Um, I let the cat out. I went brushed my teeth. >> But just as she was drifting off to
sleep, >> I heard what I thought was the cat. I heard something. And I remembered, oh, I
forgot to let the cat in. >> Without turning on any lights, Donna headed downstairs to open the front door
for her cat. But instead, when I opened the door, I saw someone standing there. In the split second after seeing this
person on my porch, I saw the knife. He was trying to cut into the screen of the window that was right next to the
front door. >> She says she didn't recognize the young white male standing right in front of
her holding a large knife. >> I tried to slam and shut the door. my fingers were protruding out. He stuck
the knife through the opening and cut my finger. Um, so that I immediately let go
of the door and then he pushed his way in. I'm backing into my kitchen. We're face
to face. It didn't register to me that he was actually going to stab me. >> But without a word, that's exactly what
the stranger did. He slashed my cheek and you can see that here and actually it starts back here.
There was no way to process that that happened. Donna's attacker came at her with the
knife again. >> He then slashed three times on the side of my neck. >> She tried grabbing the knife but only
cut her own hand in the process. Did you feel like you were dealing with somebody
who was really strong? No, but I felt like he was very sure, like he was very in control of himself.
>> Donna was starting to weaken from the injuries. >> I felt like my legs were going to give
out, so I braced myself against the corner of um my bathroom right next to the front door.
>> Sure enough, she slid down to the floor. I was in fetal position and I'm bleeding
and he came over and it was kind of like he was playing, you know, with the knife
and just started jabbing at me. So that's when he caught me here. Um, and he got me in the back of my neck here.
>> Finally, Donna's attacker spoke to her. >> This was when he decided to ask me for
my car keys and if I had a lighter. >> A lighter? >> Mhm. I just answered him. Um, there's a
lighter in my purse and my purse was on the table back in the kitchen. So, he went
over and was rumaging through my purse and got the keys, got the lighter. >> Donna's asalent ended up taking her
entire purse with him, but not before returning one last time to Donna, still bleeding on the floor.
>> He said, "You dead bitch." and plunged the knife into my chest. Once he plunges the knife in and then
removes it, what does he do then? >> He just walked out the door. >> With no neighbors in earshot, Donna knew
she must get help somehow. >> Your phone isn't in reach. >> No, my phone was upstairs in my bedroom
charging. >> Donna had no landline in the house. But even as the blood was draining rapidly
from her body, she had one pressing concern. above her own survival. >> Kirstston could come home and find me. I
just didn't want her to have to experience any level of the horror that I had just gone through or any other
levels in finding me there dead. >> So, this is a mother's instinct as pure as it gets.
>> Yes. Absolutely. Yeah. >> You know, you have to get upstairs if you're going to be able to make a call
for help, >> right? How do you get up those stairs? >> That I don't know. There was divine intervention that
helped me up those stairs. No doubt. No doubt in my mind. A mother disappears. Evidence points to
homicide. The suspect is gone, too. Leading US marshals on a relentless manhunt. The chase is on.
>> Justice is coming. >> 48 hours tonight on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus.
>> Being an FBI agent is not just a job. >> The city's under attack. >> It's a life. We're hunting a serial
killer. The life we chose. People are in danger. >> That only works if we're doing it
together. >> Team work. >> Cover me. Let's rock and roll. >> Yeah, you're my whole team. Every member
clutch. Watch the whole team. Yeah, you're my whole team with it. Ain't no way to stop us when we be out on a
mission. The FBI's new episodes Tuesday on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus. >> We know how his story ended. Now see how
it all began. NCIS Origins coming CBS fall. [Music] She's a tiny little woman. You have to imagine that many stab
wounds and she just willed it. She was not going to die there. >> Former Mammoth County Assistant
prosecutor Lorie Ghart says Donna Anakaco was determined her daughter Kristen would not come home to find her
dead. She knew she had to get to her cell phone upstairs. >> I don't remember my feet or my hands
actually touching the stairs. The energy that it took for me to get up off the ground and up those stairs. I
was definitely guided. The amount of strength that goes into that is just unimaginable.
>> But the motivation was you. >> Yeah. Yep. Maybe I was there guiding her in spirit.
>> Once Donna made it upstairs, she faced a new challenge after peering out her bedroom window.
>> She had a car sitting right here, >> right? She had a car sitting right in this area.
>> I could still see the car was there and I could see he the car was on and he was
in it. If I take my phone off the charger, it's going to light up. He's going to see the light. Afraid her
attacker would come back for her, Donna did her best to hide the light of the phone. Then just getting it to work
became the next hurdle. >> My hands are covered in blood, my touchcreen. I was trying to swipe and
swipe. So I ended up having to wipe my hands off, wipe the phone off, wipe it down on the bed, and then I was able to
do the touchcreen and get through to 911. >> My name is Dang Chuck. I just got stabbed really bad. Kid just came in and
stabbed me. He stole my car. >> Okay. Okay. Okay. Just stand up on me. Okay. Where did you get stabbed?
>> In the neck. Glenn is clutching out and in the chest. >> Detective Andrea Tazzy says Donna's
ability to place that call despite her injuries was amazing. But then Donna did something even more extraordinary. She
gave a detailed description of her attacker. >> Okay. Do you know what he looked like?
>> Yeah. He was probably about 17. white, real skinny, curly hair, blonde, dirty blonde hair, backpack.
>> It was pretty chilling to listen to Donna and be able to hear her accurately talk about this is what happened. This
is what he looks like. >> I'm losing consciousness. >> And then hear her fade out.
>> Donna. >> Donna. >> Hello, Donna. >> Donna. Yes, ma'am. >> I think I just sat down for a minute.
>> Police and paramedics arrived less than eight minutes after Donna dialed 911,
but her attacker had already fled. Donna was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center and into trauma surgery.
It would be a few more hours before Kirstston arrived home from her party to a house surrounded by flashing lights. I
saw the caution tape and that her car was gone. >> Police told Kirsten what happened to her
mother. You were deeply shaken. >> Oh yeah. I remember at one point my knees buckled. They had the SUV, the
undercover cop car. The trunk was open. So I was like, can I sit here because I feel like I'm going to pass out.
>> As Kristen was processing the news, an allout manhunt had already begun for Donna's asalent. Detective Tazzy says
another 911 call had come in shortly before Donna's attack. >> I was going to pick up my daughter and
there was a kid hitchhiking >> from a driver who saw someone walking along the road near Donna's house.
>> They saw a young man with a backpack and khaki pants. He was walking close to the
fog line and kind of stepping into traffic and she felt that he was kind of a hitchhiker. He was on the northbound
side walking southbound and I'm afraid he's going to get hit by a car. >> How old about?
>> I'm going to say like 18, 19, 20, some something like that. >> She was concerned because she just
thought that maybe he needed help in some way. >> And was a car dispatched? >> Yes. Yes. They didn't find him, though.
>> Still, the good Samaritan driver had inadvertently given the investigation its first lead. I felt that the the
hitchhiker was my person. It was too coincidental for that time of the night in that area for somebody to be walking.
And then 15 minutes later, Donna is calling say that she was stabbed. >> And there was about to be another tip.
Not long after Donna's 911 call from a fast food restaurant 5 miles from her house. They saw a subject walking
through their drive-thru, knocking on windows, carrying a knife, and it looked like it had blood on it.
>> Employees from the Taco Bell quickly called police. >> You have any description of him?
>> Yeah, he was wearing um you know, like those army pants and he had no shirt. He
was white with like really like bushy hair, but it was like long like the skater type hair.
>> How old was he? >> I don't know. He looked like he was like 18. Police rushed to the Taco Bell and
started canvasing the nearby shopping center. They didn't find their suspect, but they did find something else.
>> So, there had been a bolo put out on on Donna's vehicle. >> Be on the lookout,
>> right? And in the process of looking for this person here, they found the car.
>> Donna's stolen car. This BMW had been ditched behind a movie theater. It was lights on and and it was running. So, it
clearly was an abandoned vehicle. >> Tazzy says the car would become crucial. >> There was blood all over it and so we
were hoping that we would get some kind of DNA evidence of our suspect. >> Did you?
>> We did. Sharon Sharp will never forget the dread she felt when she arrived at the
hospital to see her friend Donna Anako, only to be told she wasn't there. I'm picturing the color draining from your
face and the air leaving your lungs like >> totally no. This cannot be. There's no
way she has to be here. >> Did you think maybe she had died? >> Yes. Yes. >> It turned out with her attacker still on
the loose, the hospital had admitted Donna under an alias to protect her. Sharon was allowed to see Donna the next
day. >> An intensive care room I've never seen before. It looked like an enlarged, massively
enlarged cockpit wall because there were tons of machines behind her and she looked almost like a puppet.
>> Surgery was 7 hours, I believe. >> Despite losing 3/4 of the blood in her body, trauma surgeons had saved Donna's
life, but at a tremendous cost. You may find the pictures you're about to see disturbing. I pretty much looked like a
living cadaavver. >> I had 37 stitches on my face and neck, 38 staples in my chest, seven stitches
in my hand, and now internally my sternum is wired shut. >> And as for that final stab to Donna's
chest, just before her asalent left, >> it missed my heart by the edge of a dime
is what I remember them telling me. the edge of a dime. >> When she talks about the margin that the knife missed her
heart by. >> Yeah. If she was any slouched over anymore, that would have been it.
>> Kirsten says as soon as her mother was able to talk, she had one simple request.
>> I remember her saying, "All I smell is this blood in my hair. Can somebody please wash my hair?
>> Sharon says they got permission and then she and two of Donna's family members
did their best to wash Donna's hair as she lay in her hospital bed. >> We were determined to see if we can make
her smile. So, we turned it into a ridiculous idiot session with three of us like a factory line. We laughed
through our tears and anytime anybody would get too serious, we'd make it funny.
>> But her hair was far from Donna's biggest concern. She was sure her attacker would find her and finish the
job. >> She was convinced that he was in the hospital. And we kept telling her, "No,
you're here under an alias." I survived. I stood face to face with him. I could 100% positively identify him. He's
coming back for me. Detective Tazzy says they were pretty sure the young man knocking on windows at the Taco Bell
drive-thru shortly after Donna's attack was their suspect. Within two days, a customer who saw him met with a police
sketch artist >> and was able to provide pretty great details on the person she saw that
night. >> Investigators then took the sketch to the hospital. >> What did Donna say when she saw that
sketch? She said, "Yeah, that's was incredibly accurate." She tweaked it a little bit. She said that yes, that
looks like the person who stabbed me. >> His curly blonde hair, he was like a surfer kid or a skateboarder or
something like that. >> Former assistant prosecutor Lorie Ghart says the sketch of the suspect was soon
plastered all over Mammoth County and on law enforcement social media. So, people
are obviously talking and trying to figure out, do we know him? Where is he from? Who is this kid? And it's scary
because you like to have a sense of security in your community. >> Investigators reviewed the cameras of
stores in the shopping center near the Taco Bell to see if they'd get lucky and spot their suspect, hoping the more
images they had, the more likely the chance of identifying him. We were trying to go back and look at video from
various businesses to see the description and really to put out the bolo like this is who we're looking for.
>> Security cameras had captured the suspect once again. >> The surveillance we got from the store
over there was from the inside the store but it was pointing outwards. >> I see. And it definitely caught him.
>> Oh yeah, you could see him walking. >> Wow. As police kept looking for the suspect,
Donna was turning a corner, at least physically. Amazingly, after just 4 days, Donna Angakaco was released from
the hospital. Sharon says that was all due to the training Donna had done prior to the attack.
>> Clearly, she's very physically fit. She couldn't have survived this if she wasn't.
>> It's an amazing thing. You were out in four days. But as you leave the hospital, you are also
walking back into a world where whoever did this to you is still out there. >> Right. But also, I wasn't going back to
the farm. I wasn't going back to my house. No, there was no way. >> In fact, Donna would never step foot in
her house again. She and Kirsten moved in with family living in New Jersey. Then just eight days after the attack,
not long after the police sketch began circulating, Detective Tazzy's phone rang.
>> I take the call and the woman on the other end says that she's calling about the stabbing in Colts neck.
>> I said, "Okay." I said, "How can I help you?" And she said, "I I think my cousin
Brennan Doyle may have something to do with that." It was the first time Tazzy had heard
the name Brennan Doyle. He was just 16 years old. His cousin told Tazzy word was going around her family that Brennan
was involved in the Colts neck stabbing. The cousin had seen Brennan just days prior to Donna's attack
>> between July 3rd and 6th because he was up in Connecticut for her wedding with
his family. >> He had attended her wedding. He attended her wedding and she was able to provide
us a picture of what he looked like during the time he was up there for the wedding.
>> The photo she sends is Brennan with long curly hair wearing camouflage shorts
looking very much like the kid in the sketch and more importantly on the videotapes.
Brennan's resemblance to this sketch all around town was about to become even more important because of what the
cousin told Detective Tazy happened a few days later. >> She was staying at Brennan's family's
lakehouse in New Hampshire as a wedding gift. And Brennan, his brother, and the mother showed up there unexpected.
>> Hang on. This woman is in Lake Winnipegasi. She's on her honeymoon. >> Yes. And all of a sudden, there's Brennan,
Brennan's mother, Brennan's brother, crashing her honeymoon. >> Yes. And the dog.
>> But what was even more surprising was Brennan's appearance. >> Brennan's hair was cut.
>> The next time she sees him, he's cut his hair. >> Yes. >> So, that's a big red flag.
>> Yes. Brennan Doyle's cousin told investigators that Brennan showed up just days after Donna's attack, hundreds
of miles from home with his hair suddenly cut short, similar to this. Like Donna, the Doyle family resided in
Colt's neck. Former assistant prosecutor Lorie Ghart. We lived in a very nice house. Two sons, a mom and a dad. The
life of a typical Colts next teenager. It's a life of wealth. It's a life of privilege.
>> Doyle was a student athlete on wrestling and hockey teams. Detective Tazzy started digging into his background.
>> He had never been arrested. There was never any charges filed against him prior to our investigation. According to
the prosecutor's records, police had been called to the Doyle House for what they refer to as family conflicts. The
location of the home would turn out to be very important. >> Where did Brennan live?
>> So, if you make a right up here and you go up maybe a quarter of a mile on the
left. >> So, that's close. >> Yeah. >> The teen and his family lived within walking distance of Donna's house up the
very road that driver had reported seeing someone. she described as a young hitchhiker just prior to Donna's attack.
>> I'm afraid he's going to get hit by a car. >> When does the Doyle family return to
Colt's neck >> later in July? >> With Brennan and his family back in town, Tazzy reached out to the family
saying investigators were canvasing the neighborhood. >> What happened when you went to the
house? >> We spoke with Mrs. Joy. She was nervous. Her voice was cracking. And >> did this raise an eyebrow for you?
>> It did. We asked if Brennan and his brother could come and look at the composite sketch and if they had any
idea who that person might be on the sketch. >> Did Brennan come out? >> He did.
>> Tazzy says she wanted to see Brennan's hair to confirm what his cousin had told
her, that it had been cut much shorter. It seemed the teen tried to stay a step ahead when he came out to greet the
detective. >> He was wearing a hat. He was wearing a baseball hat. I think wearing a baseball
cap was a calculated move. >> It might have been, but it didn't work. >> You could tell his hair was cut short.
>> Next, Tazy showed Brennan the police sketch of the suspect, the same one Donna helped tweak to look just like her
attacker. How did he react? >> He looked away. He looked at it, looked away, and said, "I don't know. I don't
know." He was nervous and he was scared and he got very quiet. >> There is a reaction. Eyes are down. No
eye contact. People are nervous. Mom starts redirecting the conversation. >> Doyle's family and his attorney denied
our request for an interview. We asked CBS News consultant, defense attorney Matt Troyano, to study the case file.
>> And I think that that probably confirms what they believe going in. Brennan's
odd behavior and resemblance to the sketch and video evidence may have been striking, but with nothing else to go on
yet, Tazzy thanked the Doyles for their time and left. >> Did you know that was your guy?
>> I was pretty confident that we were on the right track with him, but we also have a duty. We had other leads that
were coming in, so we were doing a lot of follow-ups. >> As investigators worked the case, Donna
was struggling. Weeks after the attack, the reality of what had happened to her had taken hold.
>> I lost everything that night. I lost my home. Had nowhere to go. I lost my car.
They took it into evidence. >> Donna, you lost more than half your blood. >> I Exactly. I lost I lost a lot.
>> Donna says that's when in addition to her physical recovery, she faced a new challenge. symptoms um of PTSD started
to show up. I'm not eating. I'm not sleeping. I don't care about anything. I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm happy. I'm you
know, every emotion under the sun at any minute. I felt like I was going crazy. I
was always thinking, I don't know who this kid is, but he climbed through the window in that second that I fell asleep
and now he's hiding in the closet. You know, kind of crazy thoughts. Sharon Sharp says Donna's fear meant even
friendly visits required a new protocol, including announcing her arrival every step of the way so as not to trigger
Donna. >> I'm going to come around the hedges now and I'm going to enter the backyard. I'm
going to be touching the gate in 3 2 1. I would shake my keys first, which had bells on them. Say, "It's me, Sharon.
I'm coming." >> The investigation lasted through the summer of 2013. Brennan Doyle remained
the only likely suspect. Detective Tazzy says investigators took the next step in
September. We got a warrant to obtain his DNA, his fingerprints, photographs of him, just things that are personal to
him. >> When the results came back, >> there's a fingerprint match. Then ultimately there's a DNA match. Brennan
Doyle's DNA was a spot-on match to unknown DNA found in Donna's car in a number of places.
11 different DNA samples and pieces of evidence found in that vehicle. And really, there's no reason why Brennan
Doyle's DNA should be in this woman's vehicle. He's a stranger to her. One more crucial piece of evidence was
found in early October in the most unexpected spot. >> Repairmen were servicing an air
conditioning unit that was on the top of the strip mall. They found the knife on
the the roof right near the air conditioning unit. A knife looking weathered as though it had been there
for months, found on a bowling alley roof in the very same shopping center where the Taco Bell was located and
where Donna's car had been abandoned. How important was the knife? >> It ended up being very important because
the knife was from a set. We determined that that knife matched another knife that we knew came from the Doyle
household that had been taken months earlier. >> Through a twist of timing and fate, the
Colts Neck police already had another knife from the Doyle home taken after police were called to the house a few
weeks prior to Donna's attack following an altercation between Brennan and his brother. There's a knife that's
apparently used by the younger brother in in a threatening manner. Police are called. Police take the knife and the
situation ends. >> There was no charges or anything that came of it, but they secured the knife
in their evidence vault. It was the same brand name, the same look. It was a silver knife.
>> It was from the same collection. >> Correct. That was kind of the icing on the cake to get a search warrant. They
had moved during the course of this investigation. So, we got a search warrant for their new home.
The search of the new Doyle residence, also in Colts Neck, turned up the rest of the knife set matching the one found
at top the shopping center. In late October 2013, Brennan Doyle was arrested. >> What kinds of charges was he facing?
>> Serious ones. Attempted murder, carjacking, weapons possession. These are the most serious of crimes that we
have. [Music] What do you make of the evidence against Brennan Doyle? Take a look at the
complete investigation at 48 hours.com. Months after Donna's brush with death, her alleged attacker, Brennan Doyle, was
in custody, facing six counts, including attempted murder and carjacking. He pleaded not guilty.
>> You have to look at the seriousness of the offense. >> The prosecution felt the crime warranted
trying Doyle as an adult, even though he was 16 at the time. And in juvenile court, Brennan is looking at four years
maximum in a youth detention facility. In adult court, he's looking at up to 30 years.
A judge would rule in assistant prosecutor Ghart's favor. But there was a catch. Doyle would now be entitled to
post bail set at $760,000, which he did. When you heard he was out, did all of the fear come rushing back?
It wasn't so much fear as it was anger that he was even allowed to be bailed out.
>> The thought of running into Doyle terrified Kirsten. She says he even haunted her dreams.
>> I didn't realize how much it was affecting me. I had no idea until I was like falling asleep and all I see is his
face. >> As prosecutors developed their case, the details of what happened that horrific
night began to emerge. What does Brennan Doyle say happened the night of July 6th
heading into the morning of July 7th, 2013? >> Mushrooms. He says he was under the influence of a
hallucinogenic mushrooms. >> According to investigative reports he examined, Matt Troano says that on the
night of Donna's attack, Doyo claimed he was losing touch with reality and had gotten into a fight with his father. He
has a knife in his hand. Dad kicks him out and he kind of loses his mind, makes bad decisions.
>> Police thought it was likely that Doyle, who lived a short distance away, approached Donna's home looking to steal
her car. >> I don't know if his intent was to kill Donna. Certainly, when he started
stabbing her, that became his intent. >> To me, what he's doing is he's getting rid of the witness.
Ghart believes Doyle did not act like someone incapacitated by drugs. Doyle drove 5 miles to that shopping center
after leaving Donna's house. >> This kid manages to ditch a knife. He abandons the car. And that's not a kid
who's so high on mushrooms he doesn't know what he's doing. Triano says while a lot of the evidence
against Brennan Doyle was strong, the knife, the security camera videos, one thing put this case over the top.
>> What is going to seal the fate of of this boy, this kid, is that there's DNA in her vehicle that links to him. It's
indefensible. >> But as it turned out, there would be no need for a defense. In August of 2015,
Brennan Doyle agreed to a plea deal. In return, the prosecution dropped all but the two most serious charges: carjacking
and attempted murder. >> It was very important for me that he admit his guilt. If he took the plea, he
would have to confess his guilt to the court. In October 2015, Brennan Doyle, now 18 years old, appeared in Mammoth
County Superior Court for sentencing. Donna, who'd attended every court appearance, was there to face him one
last time. >> Even though I felt overpowered by fear, I wanted him to see me as strong
and as a survivor. It was an emotional day for Kirstston there to support her mother.
>> When you would look at him in court, what do you remember feeling? >> Uh anger.
Just very angry. Sorry. >> The drugs turned me into the monster that night. >> Doyle was permitted to address the
court. I pray and hope her wounds will lessen and she will recover eventually. I am asking you to forgive me. Going to
prison will be the hardest thing I will ever have to face in my life. I'm afraid.
>> Brennan Doyle was sentenced to 15 years in state prison. The law requires him to
serve at least 85% of that time. Justice has to be done on both sides and we we have to be sensitive to that. We have a
16-year-old kid who for the most part had absolutely no prior history. The court has a balancing act to do.
>> Did it feel like justice? >> It did not. >> What would have felt like justice to
you? >> More like 30 years, 40 years, 50 years, if not longer. Even with Doyle off the streets, Donna
was still struggling. She had found PTSD and domestic violence support groups, but says there were none for victims of
random attacks. So, in 2015, she decided to create her own survivors of violent crimes.
>> Reason we took to the support group was to help each other cope. Donna connected
with fellow survivors Tiffany and Dana Richards. Together, they held meetings and felt gratified they could help when
more survivors joined. >> They're finding relief and knowing that they're not alone.
>> But Donna says her work isn't done. Her future plans include helping victims connect with trauma therapists and
offering self-defense classes. As she grows her support group, she's also educating others. She travels to
prisons, meeting with inmates, and addresses police cadets so they can understand the victim's point of view.
>> I got up. I made it up the stairs to my bedroom where my cell phone was, but I
got through to 911. >> She survives and she's building a life. How could anyone not applaud that?
>> Donna says the physical scars that remain are a reminder of the surgeons who saved her life.
>> This is artwork. They're beautiful artwork. You could either get sucked into the
darkness or you just keep going. I did what I had to do to to be here today and go another day.
[Music] A mother disappears. Evidence points to homicide. >> And she's nowhere to be found.
>> The suspect is gone, too. Leading US marshals on a relentless manhunt. >> He was using the railways to move
around, hopping trains. >> The chase is on. >> Justice is coming. >> 48 hours next on CBS and streaming on
Paramount Plus. [Music] Before we begin, just a trigger warning. The following episode does include
mentions of graphic physical violence. >> I survived a violent home invasion after
everything was said and done. Um, it was I lost in in total close to 3/4 of the blood in my body. There's no earthly
reason why I'm alive. None. There is none. As you heard, that is Donna Anakaco, who
miraculously survived a random attack in her Coltsneck, New Jersey home back in the early morning hours of July 7th,
2013. Donna lived with her 21-year-old daughter, but she was home alone that night. And after opening her front door
to let her cat back in the house, Donna then encountered an intruder attempting to cut through the screen of the window
by her front door. He proceeded to stab her multiple times on her face and in her chest before leaving with her purse
and her car keys. As Donna lay on the floor bleeding, she somehow found the strength to crawl upstairs where her
cell phone was and she called 911 while her attacker then escaped in her car. >> Okay. Okay. Okay. Just stand up on me.
Okay. Where did you get stabbed? >> In the neck. Blood is gushing out and in the chest.
>> Okay. my heart. I'm pouring gushing blood. >> Then before briefly losing consciousness, she was able to describe
her attacker in great detail. >> He was probably about 17, white, real skinny, curly hair,
blonde, dirty blonde hair, a little bit long in the backpack. I'm losing consciousness. Okay, so stay with
me. Okay. >> Yeah, I could feel the water's just the blood is just w it's like water. After
paramedics arrived, Donna then was rushed to the hospital. And as you heard her say, she lost close to three
quarters of the blood in her body. But thanks to Donna's detailed description of her attacker and additional tips and
DNA evidence, police identified 16-year-old Brennan Doyle as a suspect. He was arrested nearly 4 months after
stabbing Donna. And Doyle claimed he was under the influence at the time of magic
mushrooms. In 2015, Doyle pleaded guilty to attempted murder and carjacking, and
he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. And while Doyle is in prison, Donna is still struggling to recover from the
trauma of her attack. I'm Natalie Morales of 48 hours, and this is It Could Have Been Me.
[Music] Welcome, Donna. It is so good to have you here with us and thank you so much
for being willing to share your story with us. Thank you for having me. I know what you went through was so traumatic
physically, emotionally. How are you doing today? >> Um, physically all of my injuries have
healed. I have some, you know, nerve damage, uh, pins and needles in my left arm. Um, but other than that, physically
I'm okay. you know, psychologically, um, it's I'm still working on that. Um, I can go places by myself now,
>> but do I like being in the dark, in the night, by myself? No. Still, it um is it
it is difficult for me. Your your physical scars have healed so beautifully as well. You don't see them
as much anymore, but um, as you said, the emotional trauma is still something that you live with. And um I know that
has to be so difficult to go through as you said the nighttime and the darkness because that's when the attack happened.
Um you've moved out of that house though and um I know that area of New Jersey. I
lived in New Jersey for many many years. It's a beautiful peaceful area, horse country. Something like this though, you
never expect something like this to happen in Coltsneck, New Jersey, right? >> No, never. I felt very safe there. Never
in my wildest nightmares would I would think this would happen there. >> Take me back to that night. Your
daughter Kirstston, she was out at a party. You nodded off, but then you went to open the door to let your cat back
in. What happened then? Right. So, when I opened the door, I saw a kid standing on the porch. That's what I zoned in on.
Um, and then like a millisecond later, I saw the knife that he had and he was cutting into the screen and the window
and my response kicked into, "Oh, I got to shut this door, you know." So, as I was shutting the door, he charged out
the door and the knife, it stuck through just a a tiny little opening um before I
could actually shut the door and it cut my finger, the tip of my finger, and I pulled my hand off the door. You know,
that was like that was the most painful moment u was that knife cutting the tip of my finger
>> because my body hadn't shut down yet at that point. It was just sliced into my
hand. Um so when I pulled my hand off the door, he pushed the door in and was face to face with me in my kitchen. I
could not think far enough ahead to say he's going to cut me with that knife. Um but sure
enough, he was standing just straight in front of me and he just started slashing
me. Uh my face, you could see this part um here, but it actually goes all the way back here. So, he just took the
knife and, you know, slash that way. And I could not process again that he would actually cut
me. So, I'm holding my my face like this and he's slashing my neck. um you know and then so now I'm like oh
you know like what's h you know what's happening and he stabbed me straight into my chest
um and still even with the sl you know the slashes and the stabs I couldn't process that he was actually like
another stab was going to come another slash was going to come like I couldn't process that um gosh it is unreal
hearing you describe all of this and it's still so clear as day to you in your memory I can see that. I'm sure
that's so hard to relive >> that moment, the pain you were feeling in that moment.
>> And as I understand, this is this is a young man that you'd never seen him before. It's not somebody you
recognized, right? >> Right. Totally random. >> You saw though, he seemed to be young.
You got a good feel for what he looked like. I mean, you were staring at him as he was doing this to you. You wouldn't
take your eyes off him. >> Absolutely correct. Yep. Without a doubt. >> So, he's attacking you multiple times.
He stabbed you at this point. >> In that time, what's going through your head? Are your survival instincts
kicking in? >> Yes. I s well I started to think um you know, I have to get that knife like I
have to get it out of his hands. Um so, as I was backing away from him, um I tried to grab the knife from him. You
don't think I you know, in my head, I'm going to grab that knife and I'm going to get it away from him. But um it
literally just cut my hand open. I ended up on the floor um you know when he came
over to me on the floor. He asked me um for my car keys and for a lighter. So I directed him to that to my purse and uh
he went through my purse and got what he needed. And and I know that you were wanting to figure out get get to your
cell phone, right? That was part of the whole thinking at that moment. Yeah, my cell phone was upstairs once he left
with the car keys, the lighter. That was your opportunity. You had to get upstairs.
How'd you do that? I mean, in the condition you were in. I have no idea. I have no idea. I always say that there
was definitely divine intervention that helped me get up and get up the stairs. And I feel like I floated up those
stairs um and to my phone. >> Almost like an out-of- body experience really. >> Yes. Yes, absolutely.
>> And I know part of your motivation was your daughter. She was out, but you knew
she would come back. You knew she would find you. >> I could just imagine Kirsten coming in,
you know, walking in through that door and finding me laying there. Um, >> and that couldn't happen. That just um
wasn't something I was prepared to let happen. You got to your phone yet incredibly you were still with it enough
to look outside and notice that your attacker was still there in the car. So you had to be really careful once you
got your phone, right? What did you do? >> Yes. I I picked up my phone and it was
still on the um attached to the cord and I you know I knew that if I unplugged the cord from it, you know, it was going
to light up and he would see like that light um in the dark. And I was so terrified that he was going to see that
and he was going to come back in. And so I kind of just, you know, slunk down to
the floor with it and tried to be as careful as I could. Um, and it was hard just trying to swipe on
the phone just to unlock it. Um, cuz I had so much blood on my hands. Finally, I just wiped it off, wiped it off on the
side of the bed and, uh, was able to dial 911. >> Do you remember that call at all now?
>> I remember feeling so panicked, just just desperate, and trying to get all of the right information out, all
the right words out. After the criminal trial was done, I went back to uh the prosecutor's office and I asked them if
I could hear my 911 call um because I wanted to make sure like did I actually speak clearly? Did I actually give them
all this information like they said I did? And um that was really empowering for me to go back years later and and
hear that recording. >> You you give me goosebumps, you know, just imagining you hearing that for the
first time after having gone through what she went through. Um you made it out of that house. Incredible. And then
you had to undergo 7 hours of surgery um when you're in the hospital. Is it true
that you were worried that your attacker might come back for you? >> Oh yeah, without a doubt. Um, you know,
in every scary movie that you see or every, you know, type of slasher movie like that you see, the killer comes back
dressed as a doctor, dressed as a nurse, or they slip in and um, you know, as an
orderly or something like that. >> But they I kept telling them, you know, like like, is there a guard out, you
know, asking them, is there a guard outside my door? Um, you know, and they kept trying to assure me that it was a
secure floor. Um, I was under an alias. Nobody was getting on on this floor into
my room unless uh they knew my alias. Yeah, absolutely terrified. >> Your alias was Sarah Reese. Yeah, it was
shocking actually to see that on my wristband. I I know you describe feeling like you almost lost your identity
because the attack it's like it took so much away from you. I completely do not identify with who I was pre-attack
there. I feel like there is not a stitch of me left from, you know, before the attack. You're a different person now.
>> Totally different person. And I'm uh still trying to figure out uh who that is.
>> It's obviously a work in progress, but you're so strong and and you see you're
such a survivor. Um I know your friend Sharon Sharp was was really important to helping you go through your recovery.
She described seeing you in the hospital. those those very first few days and the stab wounds and you know
how much blood even was in your hair at that moment and and she talked about that. Let's take a listen here. Her
beautiful long hair was just caked. I mean caked. It was almost like it was almost like a thing you could pick up in
blood and all she'd say was, "I want my hair washed. I want my hair washed." Everybody could smell it. You couldn't
not smell it. It was horrible. It was horrible. >> And I love that in that moment, your
friends saw what you needed and they took action. They washed your hair. They tried to be strong for you when you
needed that. Um the washing of the blood out of my hair. Uh that for me was so it
was almost ceremonial. Um that was a lingering ick factor for me was that smell, that
smell of blood. I just couldn't shake it. >> Well, it it was it was just 4 days later
that you were able to leave the hospital and I mean I think you had something like 37 stitches, am I right? And 38
staples throughout your body. >> Yeah. I think they would have kept me there longer, but every day I was like,
I'm ready to go. I have to leave. I did not feel safe there at all. >> And of course, you didn't feel safe
going back to the house, so you didn't go back there. Where did you end up going?
>> Yeah. Yeah. So, I ended up going back to my parents house. So, it was my mother
and my father um and a brother that lived there and my sister lived there at the time with her three children. So,
there was no room at at the end for me. >> Um so, they ended up just uh kind of putting me in my niece's room. It was
chaos. Well, and and I know you were concerned because your attacker was still out there and it would take four
months before 16-year-old Brennan Doyle was then arrested and you know your attacker, we said he was young. What was
your reaction though when you heard I mean he was just 16 years old. I mean I stood face to face with him so I saw him
and I knew he was young. I didn't realize he was that young. Um, and kind of shocked because I was in
really good shape physically. And if you said a 16-year-old was going to, you know, force away into your house and
attack you, I would have said absolutely not. That is not going to happen. I was
in the best shape of my life. Um, there was no way >> that that was going to happen. But, uh,
fight, flight, or freeze. And I froze. >> Yeah. And he was then charged as an adult. Mhm.
>> When you heard what Brennan Doyle was alleging, he said it was magic mushrooms
that possessed him to do what he did to you. What did you make of that? >> Yeah, I thought that was just um a cop
out. He seemed very present and very sure of what he was doing. So, I don't buy the whole um hallucinogenic
story. Did you see him in court? >> Yes, I went to every single court appearance there were throughout the um
the two years between the time the attack and then the actual trial in 2015. I went to every single appearance
even if it was just like a 10-minute like this is what's happening thing because I wanted him to see me. I wanted
him to know that I was alive and um and and I was showing up, you know. >> And he pleaded guilty to attempted
murder and carjacking. That was in 2015, then sentenced to 15 years in prison. What was your reaction when you heard
that sentence? >> If we were to go to trial, I was told that he can maintain his innocence and
there would be no guarantee of him of the amount of time that he would get. um if we went to trial, he could get
four years, he could get, you know, 7 years, what have you. But if he takes a plea deal, they told me he has to admit
his guilt to the court. So when they said he's going to take a plea deal for uh 15 years,
I I wanted that as opposed to taking a chance that he could get four years and maintain his innocence.
>> Mhm. So, the there was a a civil award after the criminal trial uh where I was
awarded $5 million. I have not seen any money from that. >> He could be coming out soon, you know,
in a couple of years. Have you come to the terms with the fact that he might be released?
>> I have not come to terms with that. I am I have to work on that. I feel like he's
not going to come out and come after me, but you know, you never know. There's there's that little part of me
that you're not going to convince that he he doesn't want to hurt or harm me. [Music]
You know, I it's it's hard to even ask the question, but what does closure look like for you? I mean, especially when
you talk about this was such a random act of violence. >> Yeah. you know, um, hindsight is 2020, so looking back on
how I came out of the hospital and everything was so chaotic and everybody was so traumatized, nobody knew what to
do. Looking back now, um, had I been received into an environment that had created a safe environment for
me, that is what I needed. Like I needed that foundation. I still need it. the foundation of safety. I have to figure
out, can I live in a standalone house by myself >> or do I have to always live in a an
apartment with other people around or a condo or, you know, something with other
people around, >> you know? And I think what what you're doing now is so remarkable because
you're trying to help people understand >> what it means to be a victim of a random
attack and and the emotions, you know, the the post-traumatic stress that goes along with all of that when it comes to
healing. Yeah. Uh well when well first of all I didn't think maybe the first couple days when I was
out of the hospital I didn't think that I had post-traumatic stress like I didn't I was just like you know this was
a hor you know a violent horrible thing and um I'm going to calm down and things
will be okay. I followed the steps of like what I was supposed to do followed doctor's orders and things like that. It
wasn't until things started happening to me that um it really set in like the nightmares and the not sleeping and um I
couldn't be around people and the isolating and the >> um the emotions up and down like I could
be sitting here um just like this and all of a sudden I wouldn't be crying but tears would be pouring out of me.
>> I had all this tra trauma inside me and it had to be released somehow. Right.
And Donna, what what are you doing now to help you know get through this? I mean, it's still it seems like it's very
emotionally traumatic still to this day. >> Yes. So, I still am in therapy. Um, I
was on anti-anxiety medications. I was on medication. Whatever the the doctors thought that I
should be on, I I followed their protocol. Um I also uh started to do yoga and meditation and aroma therapy.
Anything calming, mind, body, soul type calming things >> to help you heal though. I know that you
created a support group specifically focused on victims of random attacks. Why was that important to you?
>> You know, nobody could put together the the that random act. nobody could put
together that I was alone in the night, in the dark and barely escaped death. I knew I needed to talk to somebody else
and um hear their experience, I guess, more for hope, right? Let me I want to hear from somebody who who got to the
other side of this, who survived it and is doing well and is thriving and, you know, has all these ways of coping. So,
I just wanted with the support group, I wanted to be able to be a safe place for
somebody else to tell their story. >> Um, you know, hold space for somebody else.
>> I I heard you saying that you have the same job and that you had before the attack that they've been very supportive
and helpful. >> Yes. Yeah. Thank you so much for pointing that out because um having my
job to go back to and having a purpose to get up and get out of bed and um go to work every day that was so important.
It's the one thing that has not changed since the attack. It's the one constant.
And what do you want people to know about victims of random attacks? How do we talk to people who've gone through
what you've gone through in a way that doesn't also, you know, become triggering? I think you really have to
meet people where they are and in hearing somebody talk about whatever they're experiencing or whatever they're
going through. You don't have to fix it. You you don't have to offer advice. Just
listen, you know, just just let let them release that. um without judgment. >> Um I know before the attack you competed
in tough mutters and you know you as you said you were in the best shape of your
life back then. Um I think though what got you through this is you're the toughest mother.
I'm amazed again how you got up those stairs. You called 911. You gave that description. And it really all came from
a place of love knowing that you needed to protect your daughter. Um, how are you and and Kirsten doing today?
>> Yeah, she's doing well. Um, she's building a life um of her own with her husband. There's still that uh there's
like a wedge there from the attack. I feel like I'm there's always something in my everyday life that relates to the
attack or something from the attack and I feel like I I don't want to put that on her because that then causes her to
>> think about it and then you know so there's a wedge there where I kind of try to protect her from my stuff and she
kind of tries to protect me from any of her stuff and it's not the healthiest thing but um we're going to get through
it. I know you will and and I know it has to be so hard. I mean, you both have been through so much. So, it's it's
understandable how, you know, in trying to protect one another, you end up sometimes putting, you know, blocks in
the way in the path of allowing you to have, you know, a really open and honest conversation.
>> But you'll get there. You'll get there because the work you're doing is amazing
and >> sharing your story, helping others is helping you. And I can see that. So,
Donna, you're you're incredible and it's such a privilege to get to know you and
I know it wasn't easy having a conversation again about what happened to you, but we so appreciate you sharing
it because perhaps in in helping us understand how best to talk to victims of random attacks, you're creating an
opportunity as well to let us just understand people going through traumatic experiences as a whole. Thank
you so much. We want to thank you for listening to It Could Have Been Me. I'm Natalie Morales
and you can always find your latest podcast in the 48 hours podcast feed. It's free on the Odyssey app or wherever
you get your podcasts. [Music]

Hear from those who managed to escape their potential killers. Join "48 Hours" correspondent Natalie Morales on the latest "48 Hours" podcast series.

00:00 It Could Have Been Me: Anne Croney 1:08:15 It Could Have Been Me: Chris Smith 2:15:07 It Could Have Been Me: Donna Ongsiako

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Donna Anakaco survived a brutal stabbing by Brennan Doyle, who was later arrested and sentenced for the attack, as she fights to recover from PTSD.

Key points

The Community's Fear. The murder left the community in fear, unsure if the killer was among them.
The Arrest. Drew Miller identifies Patrick Nicholas as Sarah's killer, confirming long-held suspicions.
Legacy of Sarah Yarro. Sarah's case inspires hope for change in DNA legislation to prevent future tragedies.
The Connection to Sarah Yarborough. Ann learns that her attacker's actions are linked to the murder of Sarah Yarborough.
Desperate Rush to the Hospital. Chris's family rushes to the hospital after hearing he was shot.
Fear of an Ex. Leslie expressed her fears about her ex-boyfriend to a friend.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I wish we could go back and do it all over again.

15:08WatchJul 30, 2025

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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