Secrets and Lies Vol. II | "48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] state of idah Hope plaintiff versus Lori Narin ballow AKA Lori Narin deel
defendant count one conspiracy to commit first-degree murder first degree murder count three
conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and count four first degree murder count
five conspiracy to commit first-degree murder the crimes are UNAM imagable Lori valel stood trial for the murder of her
own children 16-year-old Tye and 7-year-old JJ she was also accused of killing Tammy debel the wife of her
current husband Chad the judge in the case did not allow cameras in the Idaho courtroom during testimony but we have
audio and transcripts of the proceedings here was prosecutor Lindsay Blake money
power and sex that's what this case is about it didn't matter what obstacle she had to
remove to get what she wanted and if it was a person it didn't matter who Lori was a beauty contestant anybody
you spoke to who knew Lori back then said that she was like the mother of the year the problem really seems to have
started when Lor started following Chad debel Chad was a podcaster and author of
Doomsday novels then in late 2019 Lorie's two children mysteriously disappeared meantime Lori and Chad are
on the beach in Hawaii having the time of their lives they get married and they wouldn't talk to police at all and they
wouldn't tell anybody where the kids were even after Lori was arrested she still refused to say anything about
where the kids were how come you're not telling anybody where your kids are people looked all over the country for
these kids months after Vanishing Into Thin Air the remains of JJ Val and Tyle Ryan were found buried here in Chad de
Bell's backyard what we have gathered was that Chad had this belief that some people who were on this Earth weren't
really the people they were supposed to be they were zombies and the only way to
release their Spirits was To Kill the bodies and if that's not disturbing enough Lori started referring to her
children as zombies she had this um grading system where she could read people's auras and
they were either dark or light and she had described Tyle as having a dark spirit I feel like she's kind of a
monster but defense attorney Jim arjal claimed there was no way for Lori to have committed the crimes Lori valow was
in her own apartment in Rexx for Idaho when JJ valow and Tyler Ryan died and Lori was in Hawaii when Tammy Dell died
I've thought a lot about why this story hits such a chord with a wide variety of
people and I think it's because these kids and then when you throw in the cult aspect of this we've certainly seen
movies with all of this but I'm not sure we've ever seen anything like this in real life in true crime in regards to
count one of the amended indictment answer guilty count two guilty count three guilty count four guilty count
five guilty count seven guilty [Music] [Music] can you tell me where your kids are did
you do something to your children where are your children welcome back Lori where are your kids anything you want to
say Lori Lori beginning in 2019 Lori valel spent months denying her missing children were in
danger many including her sister summer shifflet believed her at the time something's not adding up here where are
they where is JJ and tyly it's a great question we would love to know the answer to that we don't know but we know
we are very confident that Lor would never harm her children ever but during 4 weeks of testimony the
prosecution chipped away at the facade of the former Beauty contestant until it exposed Lori valel for the person it
claimed she really was prosecutors have painted a picture of somebody who was ruthless Morgan low is an investigative
reporter and CBS News consultant somebody who would do anything to get what she wants according to the prosecution Lori
was a master Puppeteer pulling the strings in a heinous murder plot that left three innocent people dead her
16-year-old daughter Tyle Ryan her 7-year-old son JJ valow and Tammy debel Chad Bell's wife of almost 30 years it
didn't matter what obstacle she had to remove to get what she wanted 48 Hours has been following the
Twisted Saga of the so-called cult mom and her Paramore Chad debel since the story broke in
2019 months before the remains of her two children were discovered in Shallow graves in Chad Dell's backyard when we
started it was almost inconceivable to friends like a Raymond that she would harm her children she did everything for
JJ everything for Ty they were the center of her world and so I'm not sure what hijacked
that priority April met Lori in 2015 in Hawaii at the time Lori was married to businessman Charles valow the couple
were raising two children Tye Lor's teenage daughter from her former marriage and their adopted son JJ who
was diagnosed with autism JJ was very difficult to take care of so I really admired how patient she
was with him and how much care she took of him his big sister was just as devoted to him says Ty's best friend via
itao I loved being around JJ and Tyle Ty was really protective over JJ and she was kind of like another another Mama to
him are you taking a video of my child your child my child I just kind of loved how she would just play with him and
just always have like a really good time with him and I really love JJ he's the sweetest Soul I've ever met but around
2017 friends say Lorie's relationships with her kids began to shift about the time she started reading
the books of Chad debel I've recently released my autobiography dbel was a former
Gravedigger turned doomsday novelist and podcaster from Rexburg Idaho he tapped into this prepper
element out there people who wanted to prepare for Armageddon Lori met Chad for the first
time in 2018 at a conference in St George Utah the first time Chad met Lori he told her that they had been married
in a past life he said he was James and she was Elena and that they had lived this biblical life in the past and
instead of scaring her off that seems to have attracted her even though Lorie was
still married to Charles valow and Chad was married to the mother of his five children Tammy debel Lor's friend
Melanie Gibb testified the two soon began an affair did Lori ever tell you directly that she and Chad would meet at
hotels or motels yes did Lori ever indicate to you whether or not she and Chad were engaged in an affair she would
just share that they were intimate Witnesses testified that Lori took on Chad's extreme religious beliefs
says Morgan low Lori believed that she was chosen to lead the 144,000 after the apocalypse to lead the
survivors of the human race to an eternal life while the rest of society burned she also believed she had been
appointed another more ominous role says April part of her mission on Earth was to eliminate the darkness the Demonic uh
the evil April says one of those evil spirits according to Lori was her then husband Charles valow the way she had
explained it to me about Charles was that Charles was already dead and that there was a demon living inside of him
for the first time we heard at trial that Lori held what she called casting ceremonies it involved getting into a
circle with other like-minded followers and casting out dark Spirits from people
getting rid of demons Lor's friend zulma pastenes attended several of these castings there are certain spirits that
can only be cast out by prayer and fasting here she is on the stand talking about one of the Demons Lori claimed was
living inside Charles and what was that that Spirit or Demon's name I believe they called him Ned Ned
Schneider to be precise don't you come over here in January of 2019 Charles was so spooked
by Lor's ramblings about the demon named Ned he called police what did she say yesterday she said you're not Charles I
don't know who you are what you did with Charles their conversation was recorded
on the officer's body count okay so what makes her a danger to herself and to others she threatened me murder me kill
me she threatened to murder you yes in the winter of 2019 Charles changed the beneficiary of his $1 million life
insurance policy from Lori to his sister K Woodcock JJ's biological grandmother after almost 13 years of marriage
Charles filed for divorce she scared the crap out Charles valow had good reason to be
scared on the morning of July 11 2019 Charles valow went to the Chandler Arizona home of his estrange wife Lorie
valow to pick up JJ and take him to school he goes into the house Lori and Tye and JJ are there and so is Alex Cox
Alex Cox Lor's brother at trial Lor's friend zulma pennis who would later marry Alex testified that Chad had
assigned him a mission ordained by God dad had told him that he was going to be a warrior a Defender and the sole
purpose for him coming to this Earth was so that he could be Lor's protector and
Defender did Alex believe this absolutely shortly after Charles entered Lor's home that summer morning in
2019 Alex Cox the defender shot him dead 911 where is your emergency at 8:36 a.m. Alex calmly
called 911 is he breathing I can't tell he said I need to report a shooting I shot my brother-in-law in self-defense
and is he hurt or is he alive or yeah there's whaty he's he's not moving the police arrived and shot this
video of Alex on the curb outside the home Alex told them Charles and Lori got into a fight so you both so you get an
argument what is it over I was over my sister he was he was uh getting physical with her so my niece came out Alex told
them he got between Charles and Lorie and shot Charles in the chest when Charles charged at him at some point
Lori Tyle and JJ got into the car and left Lori takes JJ to school and she comes back later with Ty police body cam
caught the moment Ty's face was blurred because she was a minor how long have you lived here like 3 weeks oh jeez yeah
okay that's why the neighbor last gotcha like Hi Neighbor sorry what was striking
about the footage that we saw was that there's no remorse there's no oh my gosh my husband's dead Lori Alex and Tyle
were questioned at the police headquarters all told similar stories of self-defense and were sent home 3 Days
Later Chad and Lori were exchanging steamy Tex here's FBI agent Doug Hart reading one
on the stand I need so badly to just gently kiss you for hours it would likely lead to other activities likely
or luckily it would luckily lead to nakedness but prosecutors say the lovers were in for a big surprise they were
about to find out that Charles had changed the beneficiary of that $1 million life insurance policy here's
Detective Nathan Duncan reading Lor's text to Chad after she found out I just got the letter from the insurance
company saying that I am not the beneficiary it's a spear through my heart this is one of the strongest
points that prosecutors have made is that Lori was motivated by money she wanted Charles's
money according to prosecutors Lori started drawing the Social Security death benefits JJ received from his
father Charles valow she moved with her two kids to Rexburg Idaho not far from where Chad deel lived
with his wife Tammy Lorie's brother Alex Cox her designated Defender moved into the same complex he was there to take
care of the problems prosecutors alleged Lor's first problem was her 16-year-old
daughter Tyler Ryan according to zemma Lori told her that a demon named Hillary had taken over Ty's body now if somebody
is possessed by a demon are those people dangerous they're considered to be dark
and to bring only bad things to happen yeah so yes would be dangerous these are the last known
pictures of Tyler Ryan on September 8th 2019 she was with Lori JJ and Alex at Yellowstone National Park the
16-year-old was never seen again Tye was JJ's protector once she was gone JJ had nobody he had nobody to
protect him or watch out for him just two weeks later JJ Val went missing this photo of JJ wearing red pajamas was
taken on September 22nd 2019 it is the last known photo of him Melanie Gibb who was staying at Lor's
house that evening says she saw Alex take JJ upstairs she believes to Lor's room but the little boy was nowhere to
be seen the next morning is that when she told you JJ was a zombie yes Melanie Gibb told
prosecutors Alex Cox believed JJ was a zombie as well he said he 100% believed it according to their religious
teachings a zombie had to be killed the body had to die and the body count was climbing
according to prosecutors Lori and Chad had identified another evil spirit in the way what we learned from witness
after witness is that Chad told some people that his wife was not going to be around much longer and that he was going
to have a life before Tammi and a life after Tammi [Music] [Music] the week after JJ was last seen and 2
months before the world would learn that the children were missing Lori was planning her fifth
wedding at trial prosecutors called an FBI specialist to the stand did you learn whether or not uh there was ever a
successful purchase of wedding rings there were on October 2019 there was just one problem Chad was
still married to Tammy debel but that was about to change G deel is one of five deel children if I
was asleep and I heard a thump and heard my dad yell G G come quick gu found his mother 49-year-old
Tammy deel lying half on the bed half on the floor I just ran over and picked her up
and put her back on the bed I said to my dad I said I think she's dead the coroner initially determined
Tammy died of natural causes and the family declined an autopsy Chad's neighbor Alice Gilbert
testified that a week later he had already moved on we asked him how he was doing and he
said actually I'm doing really good and that he'd met the woman he was going to marry did you find did it
surprise you that he seemed to be doing so well yes we were shocked Alice and her husband Todd
Gilbert met Lori shortly after they came to the house and his arm was around her
and she was giggling and laughing and they look like teenagers Alice says the conversation
turned to Children then Chad said and she recently just lost a daughter so I told her oh I'm sorry and
she said thank you this is significant because at that time Lori is still telling her sister
and everybody else that the kids were okay this is like a slip up an early slip up and
admission against interest here it did not seem to worry Chad and Lori on their big day 17 days after Tammy Dell's death
there was Lori dancing on the beach in Hawaii as her new husband strummed his ukulele exchanging those Rings according
to investigators the cost of the wedding trip was courtesy of the groom's dead wife's life insurance little do they
know that the clock is now ticking soon after the newlyweds returned to Idaho the Rexburg police
came knocking on Lorie's door Looking for JJ his grandmother K Woodcock had asked authorities to do a welfare check
the conversation was recorded on the officer's body cam here's Lori talking about JJ he's with one of my friends in
Arizona who's the friend he's with my friend Melanie Chad called that friend Melanie
Gibb who testified he asked her not to pick up the phone when the police called later she says Lori asked her to lie and
tell the police that JJ was staying with her in Arizona and I felt in a very weird and
uncomfortable position and I really did not know what to do at first Melanie Gibb wasn't forthcoming to the police
but 12 days later she made a call to Lori and Chad and secretly recorded it is JJ
safe She is safe and happy Chad said they couldn't tell her where JJ was for her own security if you knew that put
you in a danger Melanie handed that secret recording to authorities and investigators launched a nationwide
search but not just for JJ they would soon learn that his big sister Tyle was also missing a search for two children
from Idaho listen up you may know something the children mysteriously disappeared it was huge news especially
to Lor's new stepchildren when did you know that she had two kids I first heard of her children when a detective came to
my work and asked me about them I had never heard of them before that point so even after your father Weds Lori you
didn't know that there were two kids in the picture at that point I did not as the hunt for the children intensified
Lori and Chad again headed to Hawaii but the honeymoon was over sir Kawai authorities caught up
with Lori by the pool she would be arrested on child abandonment charges and extradited to
Idaho please be seated Chad the loyal Husband by her side but now Chad himself was Under Suspicion
with the children missing that's when the police took a closer look at the death of
Tammy her body had been exhumed on December 11th 2019 the Utah State medical examiner
immediately saw bruising on her body and he determined that Tammy died of asphixiation the medical examiner
testified that that bruising was consistent with somebody being restrained meaning she was held down and
suffocated Alex's wife zulma pastenes says that when she heard about Tammy she started pressing Alex for Answers by
then she says Lori and Chad had cut Alex off here she is on the stand talking about when she asked Alex what was
happening what did he say he was very quiet and un responsive and then he said um I think I'm being their Fall Guy I
said Fall Guy for what what is it that that you have done what what have you done that you would be the Fall Guy for
and then he said either I am a man of God or I am not here's the prosecutor addressing
that mysterious statement what exactly Alex meant by this or what he knew we may never know
because Alex Cox died the next day on December 12th of 2019 and a truth is Stranger Than
Fiction plat twist the man Lori and Chad designated her Defender her brother Alex
Cox suddenly dropped dead an autopsy determined of natural causes that was a jaw-dropping moment right before his
death it does look like Alex was second guessing what he had done and why Chad and Lori had asked him to do what he
[Music] did they say dead men don't talk but this one did Alex Cox's cell phone harbored a tale of Horrors waiting to be
discovered in Chad Dell's backyard and it would give prosecutors the evidence they had been waiting for
on June 9th 2020 law enforcement descended on Chad Dell's backyard according to the
prosecution Alex Cox's cell phone data placed him here for 2 hours the day after Tyler Ryan was last seen
authorities later discovered her remains in this same spot it was an area the debel family
once used as a pet cemetery it now contained Ty's badly burned remains she had been dismembered detective Ray herio
took the stand and described finding what was left of Tyle there was a partial human skull
underneath the melted bucket Alex's cell phone led them to a another section of the yard about 5050 yard away under a
shade tree investigators started digging they removed a layer of rocks beneath the Rocks they found wooden planks below
that a layer of black plastic one of the crime scene investigators cut a hole in the top of
this plastic and beneath the black plastic was some white plastic like plastic bag and they cut through that
that's when we were able to see what appeared to be brown human hair uh sticking out from the white
plastic it was JJ he was still dressed in his red pajamas and covered head to toe in duct tape several layers of duct
tape from his chin to his forehead area uh his arms were duct tape with several layers of duct tape his feet
were were also duct taped and bound forensic pathologist G Warren testified how JJ had died I determin the cause of
death to be asfixia by plastic bag over the head and duct take C in the mouth it's
unimaginable what his last minutes of Life were like experts couldn't determine Ty's cause of death because of
the condition of her remains but prosecutors alleged the way in which both children were killed aligned with
Chad and Lor's teachings about demons and zombies zulma testifies that if they're trying to cast a demon or a
zombie out of somebody there's two minutes after the casting where another demon can enter that person and the only
way to prevent that is to burn the person or bind them Ty was burned JJ was bound despite all the talk of zombies
and demons prosecutors argued that Lor's true motive to murder her kids was much
more mundane Kylie had already lost her father and she received Social Security benefits because of that Ty had money
Lori wanted it Ty's gone JJ also was entitled to Social Security benefits the defendant didn't want to have to take
care of JJ anymore she wanted the money JJ's gone while the prosecution's case was mostly circumstantial DNA matching
Ty's profile was found on a shovel and pickaxe in a garage on the debel property a forensic specialist testified
they also found a finger and palm print belonging to Alex Cox on one of the black plastic bags that cover
JJ investigators also found one strand of hair that was stuck in the tape that was around the
bag DNA showed that that hair belonged to Lorie valow that's significant because that's really the only physical
evidence they have that ties Lori to JJ at the time of his death some of the most powerful testimony in the
prosecution's case came from Lor's own family they played an emotional jailhouse phone call between Lori and
her only surviving child son Kobe Ryan you ripped my heart out and you ripped out everyone in this family's heart out
then Lorie's sister summer shifflet took the stand she told prosecutors that she
believed Lori when she told her the children were safe did that change yes why I felt lied to and my trust in
my sister was broken prosecutors played a jailhouse phone call between summer and Lori after the children's bodies
were found you went up to Hawaii were dancing on the beach while your are in the ground this phone call is painful to
listen to Summer is screaming at Lori we were just little KS I don't understand you that's what I thought you still
if you let that happened to them and didn't tell us if be the ground like a piece of trash that I don't know
you toward the end of its case the prosecution put on Lor's former friend Audrey
barito she delivered some of the most damning testimony of the trial she threatened to kill me okay did she say
how yes she said that she would cut me up and something about that she wasn't in the mental place to do that but she
would get herself in that place to do it but that she didn't want to have to cuz it' be so messy and there' be so so
much blood and the bleach and something about trash bags and that she would buing me
worse she where no one would ever find me Audrey Barro's testimony is critical because this is a firsthand description
of Lori being ruthless with the threat to kill her this is the first time anyone in Lor's group of
friends really described her as being capable of killing on cross the defense of
aggressively tried to discredit Barro's testimony so you now want the jury to believe that even though you previously
testified under oath and nothing of this sort was talked about that you come here
today and say you are so scared that's why you didn't previously testify about it objection your honor argumentative
so what was your question you want the jury to believe that you did just didn't make this L crap
up I did not make it up after 60 Witnesses and four weeks of testimony the prosecution rested its
case the defense declined to call any Witnesses your honor after consultation with my client we don't believe the
state has proven its case so the defense rests each side would get a last chance
to persuade the jury in closing arguments on May 11th 2023 defense attorney Jim archol stood
before the jury and argued for his client's in inocence who is Lorie bow what happened where did it happen when did it
happen why did it happen that's what you've been asked to figure out archal painted a picture of Lori as
a devoted mother someone not capable of murder he pointed to this early testimony from Lorie's sister summer
shifflet I think Lor was a loving mother and tyly adored her mother were you ever concerned about the
safety of Tye around Lori no would you ever imagine your sister wanting to kill her kids
no he also directed The Jury to this testimony from Lorie's son kobby Ryan you said my mom has spent her whole life
protecting us kids yes after she met Chad de Bell she changed I don't remember but yes you never once thought
your mom would hurt someone is that fair to say yes archal argued that there is no evidence tying Lori to the murders of
Tyle or JJ and he said that hair stuck on the duct tape used to wrap JJ's body means nothing Lori was Raising JJ JJ was
living at Lor's house the defense can easily argue that that hair could have gotten on JJ for a hundred reasons none
of them having anything to do with murder instead archal shifted the blame towards Lorie's husband Chad deel and
her brother Alex Cox remember all the GPS data Lor's not in the backyard when Chad and Alex are she's not there
there's not one Smoking Gun that ties Lori to any of these murders and in order to explain Lorie's lies to the
police while the children were missing archal suggested that Lori was manipulated by Chad how can someone have
that much control over you reason and common sense just go out the window sometimes when religious principles are
involved Lori sees Chad as if Chad is Jesus Chad sold his Spiel to Lori and she bought it and about Tammy Dell's
death the defense question whether that was even a crime was she even murdered is it a natural death all they need to
do is raise a couple of questions in a couple of the jurors but prosecutor Rob wood would get the last word Lor's lies
tell us she's guilty the innocent don't need to lie the guilty lion don't let Lori pin this
all on one other person she was 100% involved in this you must convict her when the case went to the jury they
deliberated for 7 hours over the course of 2 days before returning with a verdict the Corp shared video of Lorie
Val deel as she learned her fate the defendant would please rise in regards to count two of the amended
indictment is Lori naren bow not guilty or guilty of first degree murder of Tye Ryan answer guilty in regards to count
for the amended indictment is Lori naren valow not guilty or guilty of first murder of Joshua Jackson bow answer
guilty in regards to count five of the amended indictment is Lori nen valow not guilty or guilty of conspiracy to commit
firsty murder of Tamara Tammy D answer guilty guilty on all counts Lori appeared emotionless she will be
sentenced at a later [Music] date as JJ's grandparents Larry and K Woodcock exited the courthouse the crowd
outside greeted them by singing JJ's favorite song We Will Rock You we [Music] will Larry Woodcock had been playing the
song while awaiting the verdict love always wins JJ I love you Pap Papa wish you were here Ty Papa
loves you Tammy you are a part of our life my heart hurts for these three this is what this has been all
about why Lori why Lori why power sex and greed for what for what it's been nearly 4 years since the
world Lo Tye a freckled-faced teenager her baby brother JJ and Tammy a mother of five we'll never know the lives they
would have gone on to live but we do know what they left behind happy family their
smiles their laughter their Grace [Music] [Music] 48 Hours don't miss an episode
[Music] I don't want her to be a Cold Case please get some water hydrate are you ever overwhelmed as you
look around at this wide open space no they're we going to find her got to keep searching this one and this one right
this one yeah I want her to be [Music] found I want to bring her home to her kids to our families how often do you
think about your sister all the time I still can't believe it's like she just vanish my impression of Maya was that
she had a beautiful home life she was an accomplished career woman she was a super
mom what was she like as a friend kind funny witty her voice oh my God she could
sing she could play the guitar she's very talented she could do martial arts Jeeping off-roading there's my
adventurous little girl it's so pretty she Lov the outdoors when did you notice something
was wrong she's planning for her daughter's birthday and we haven't heard anything from her this is not her at
all when we walked in the house was a mess boxes everywhere i r away knew there was something really really wrong
here did you ever think in that moment in that house that Larry did something to Maya
yeah Larry was the last person that saw her what was his demeanor when you showed up and started asking questions
calm he hadn't slept much it didn't look like he was unconcerned about his wife being gone he
said this wasn't all that unusual for her I didn't have the answers at that point but I was very suspicious so I
needed to gather more evidence the family was well aware this marriage was not working out he went on the internet
found a website that does witchcraft cast spells he bought one of the Spells I don't even know how to make
this out so I I I need your help this is the spell that he cast on Maya and that's blood that's on there he created
the Witchcraft Altar and he puts down the picture of himself and my uh he wrote can you hex to have her hurt
enough that she will have to depend on me maybe an accident or broken bone this really hard to hear what kind of person
do you believe Larry is very damaged person do you think Maya left that house on her own no
no sorry it's been it is our family we're still asking the public please help us bring my sister home
[Music] [Music] more than a year has gone by since 39-year-old Maya May milete mother of
three young children vanished in Chula Vista California I still have hope I still had that hope that we'll
find her alive Maya's Sister Mary Chris and her husband Richard julier have fought hard
so Maya's dis appearance doesn't become a cold case it's been a really really tough year with the whole
family we still don't have answers yet Maya was 13 years old when she immigrated to the United States from the
Philippines with her parents and five siblings in 1995 Mary Chris says her sister thrived
in Honolulu Hawaii where the family settled to build a new life she's always been you know the smart one and uh she's
very active about school education is very important to the family I always been so proud of her Maya met her future
husband Larry milete when they were both working at a fast food restaurant in Honolulu Larry's family had also
immigrated from the Philippines when Larry turned 18 and joined the Navy the couple decided to get married they were
so young yeah teenagers yeah she the first one to get married so it was a shock for everyone but we respected her
decision Maya and Larry moved to Southern California and built their careers working for the Navy Larry was
an optician at the Naval Medical Center and Maya worked as a supervisor contract
specialist at this Naval Station in San Diego she was my mentor from day one she
was like this little tiny person but she was a big personality Claudia hola and Alice and
Alexander worked with Maya at the base and became friends we actually negotiate contracts for the US Navy and she was
very good at it I used to you know joke around with her and you know because she
had a photographic memory I had a lot of respect for her she was a very strong and confident
leader a lot of the women in the office really looked up to her there was no glass ceiling we could get wherever we
wanted didn't matter where we came from Maya and Larry decided to wait 10 years before starting a family the couple
eventually welcomed two daughters and a son it's a joy to see them you know that
they have their own family too we're always out camping we're always Outdoors it's so
pretty lry was a good dad always attened to the kids a great parents what kind of mother was she very caring
loving mother she hands on she's um always teaching them something especially you
know music she has some videos with her son singing with her word by word yeah word
by word brings us to tears every time we watch it her kids were everything she enjoyed her
kids in early January 2021 Maya was focused on planning a ski trip to Big Bear for her daughter's
birthday but her family grew concerned when she suddenly stopped communicating on January
7th what her not to tell us what's going to happen for her daughter's birthday you know that was a big deal
Mary Chris says when their brother Jr drove over to check on Maya the next day her husband Larry told him Maya had been
in the bedroom for several hours Jr knocked on the door but got no response he kind of just thinks okay maybe she
just maybe she's sleeping Larry did say that they had an argument he left it at that we believed Larry they had an
argument and she just she just want to be left alone the following day when there was still no news from Maya Mary
Chris and Richard drove over to the milete house when we walked in the house was a mess which I've never seen their
house Messi and it was cold it was January and he had the AC running which was really
odd this time Larry told them Maya was out so Larry says Maya's been where hiking she went hiking suspicious that
something wasn't right Mary Chris reported her sister missing to the Chula Vista Police Department that night how
did the police react they sent uh three officers went through the house and they
questioned us Mary Chris and Richard were upset with what they say was a lack of concern from the police it seemed
like there was no urgency for the police department to investigate it properly by
January 10th Maya had now been missing for 3 Days her family gathered at her home to celebrate her daughter's
birthday hoping against hope we're all like looking at the door hoping she'll walk in on her
daughter's birthday she never did I feel so bad after that she said Mommy didn't show up for my
birthday I didn't know how to comfort [Music] her as Maya's family tried to keep some
normaly for the sake of the children Richard was watching Larry during the party just laid back wearing his Navy
sweats on a Sunday no shoes and Larry had no concern whatsoever on his face for his missing wife
not even for his daughter's birthday that night Claudia got the distressing news that Maya was missing
and drove over to the milete house by now the birthday party had turned into a search party so they were outside with
babies and blankets trying to look for their sister their daughter her parents are elderly the
brothers and the brother-in-law were out knocking on doors giving out flyers and
he had no interest in helping as words spread that Maya was nowhere to be found more friends stepped
in trying to help my wife Lou was working at the 32nd Street Naval Base said that a friend of hers went missing
the family is concerned would you help them somebody ask for help you just do it right so if she was still alive I
needed to get to her quickly that's why I went straight to where the last place she was seen which was that house I had
no idea that it would turn into what it [Music] was on January 11th 202 21 4 days after
Maya milete was last heard from I knew what had to be done uh and I did it attorney Billy little a former criminal
defense investigator for the US Navy decided to step into the missing person's case I went straight to where
the last place she was seen which was that house little wanted to talk to Larry milete amongst other things he had
found it odd that Maya's husband wasn't the one who initially called the Chula Vista Police Department in fact when the
family wanted to call 911 he discouraged it were there police around also investigating at this point no no
according to the family the police had come he had given them I guess the same story in news reports at the time a
Trula Vista Police spokesperson stated that Larry was being cooperative they were treating it as a missing person's
case and had found no indication of foul little says after he showed Larry his Naval civilian ID he let him in I
started looking for things that I thought might be suspicious in the house just like Mary Chris and Richard he
noticed something strange most of the windows in the house were open it was clear he was trying to air the house out
little knew from Maya's family that the couple had had a fight on the day she was last heard from I was looking to see
if there's any damage in the house it would indicate some domestic violence I'm also looking for
defensive wounds on his hands which I don't see but little says he did see something outside the miletti bedroom we
went upstairs where her bedroom was the first thing I noticed was the hole in the door right next to the handle cuz
it's right in the area where if you need access to a locked room you're going to
punch right through there and I touched the patch and it felt new it felt wet I made a comment to Larry about hey was
this and he says oh yeah uh Maya punched a hole in the door there inside the bedroom little says he noticed another
hole on the wall that also appeared to have been recently repaired that would have been too high for Maya to punch cuz
she was small right and I said Larry what about this hole and he said oh yeah she uh got man punched that
too Larry's creating a picture here of a woman who is violent is this adding up to you no none of his story is adding
up when you left the house that day after collecting those puzzle pieces what were you thinking I thought Larry
killed her and we need to find out what he did and what he did with the body but
I wasn't ready to tell Mary Chris yet cuz I didn't know right I could be wrong little began canvasing the
neighborhood and knocking on doors to track down home security footage to see if anything suspicious was caught on
camera around the mil day house so I knew we had to get that uh quickly and preserve it quickly time was of the
essence oh God yes what little found was a treasure Trove of Clues he says a camera from a neighboring house recorded
the voices of the milet children playing in the yard at 10:30 p.m. on the night their mother
was last heard from on a school night and it's cold outside and the weather I believe it was
in the high 40s that night another camera recorded Larry backing their Lexus into the garage at 5:58 a.m. the
next morning so you can't see what's going on but you can see it going in the garage Larry then leaves the house at
6:45 a.m. and doesn't return home for almost 11 and 1/2 hours you could have moved on why did
you stay on this case and take matters into your own hands in my mind my job wasn't nearly complete it was just
beginning it was just beginning when I see Mary Chris and I see her crying I'm just like I got to figure
this out as Billy little continued investigating it's just not in me to quit so I don't
Mary Chris and Richard turned to local media and organized the first search for Maya on the hiking trails behind her
house we were desperate for answers wanted action we wanted to do something staying at home sitting down
wasn't going to bring us answers bring her home her sister goes on television and
is begging the public for help help me find my missing sister and that really moved people Ela V an attorney and true
crime author saw Maya's case on the news and started following it closely you realized that this was somebody that was
very vibrant that was really out there living her life and that is part of why it's all so shocking that she's missing
it shocks her conscious as the case gathered steam in the media on January 23rd 2021 2 weeks
weeks after Maya's disappearance the Chula Vista Police Department searched the milete house and what they did find
was that Larry had a lot of firearms They seized two Glock handguns a rifle and a shotgun and they found that he was
in possession of an illegal assault weapon investigators also downloaded images from Larry's phone 3 days later
the police were back on January 26th they served another search warrant and the police take the navigation system
the GPS from Larry's Lexus meanwhile Maya's friends had been revealing details about the couple's
relationship I would say March or so of 2020 the obsession became obvious Larry's Behavior had grown alarming
before his wife went missing he would do subliminal messages for her to be that perfect spouse house and it was
everywhere she walked at different times they would turn on that is insane it sounds like from a
[Music] movie she didn't just walk out that's something she would never do about a
month after Maya's disappearance her husband Larry milete hired a lawyer and stopped cooperating with
investigators I believe that he did something to her Billy little was told by Maya's
friends and family that troubling signs in the marriage began emerging the year before and it started back in January of
2020 when they started have marital problems Larry will call every single one of us trying
to ask for help to intervene you know into the marriage Larry was complaining that Mya was having a midlife crisis he
said well she's been going out with her friends more often and she has a lot of single friends but my sister is saying
you know it's not me it's it's Larry Maya's friend Claudia spent time with the couple socially his relationship was
very kind of to the side and just very watchful from what my observation of him he always had to be in control Claudia
recalls an instance when Larry couldn't get a hold of Maya at work you know when
somebody might be agitated or you overhear their voice I did hear where are you it takes you this long to get
from your car to your office who were you talking to he wants her to be submissive for her to comply to him to
be the same person as you know she used to but Maya's loved ones say that Maya was changing she was was growing into
someone new a strong woman for sure as the months passed in 2020 Larry's grip on Maya tightened he's now tracking her
spending habits he's gotten into all of her social media accounts she doesn't have any privacy and he suspected that
she was straying Larry accused her of having affairs with several Men at Work wrote emails to her boss at work he
knows that if he tells the boss that she's having an affair with somebody at work that she will get fired he tells
all of Maya's family she's cheating she's sinful help me get her back on the Christian religious way and starts
forcing her to go to church these are texts that Larry sent to Maya's family and he's quoting the Bible and it says
for the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey her feet go down to death her steps lead straight to the Grave he
talking about Maya in his own words he said that he was getting desperate and he felt that the devil was tempting
him at some point Maya's family says they told her they were concerned about what was unfolding at that time we knew
that my sister is ready to move on we told her whatever your decision is we're here to support you by the fall of 2020
Billy little says Larry was growing increasingly desperate to hold on to Maya and so what does he do he goes to
uh witchcraft there are people on the internet that will sell you for five bucks you know how to make a spell that
will get her to be attracted to you to bind your marriage in Blood and that's what he tried to do
does little witchcraft blood alter that is the picture that he took of the altar
an old photo of them with blood thrown on it little says Larry contacted numerous spellcasters and even wrote a
review for one and he writes of this spellcaster she is kind professional and courteous my
casting has not yet manifested but I'm really hoping and counting on it leaving a review like one would leave on Yelp
for a food order like it's an Uber ride like ah five stars good job spellcaster so he's not quite as smart as he thinks
he is he doesn't realize that all of that stuff is point the finger di by December of 2020 Maya and Larry were
sleeping in separate rooms little says Maya found speakers in her room and confronted Larry he admitted he had been
playing subliminal messages while she slept Maya messaged a friend and said her marriage was definitely over what
was that message that was coming out of those speakers under the bed it's right there no more no more men no more
men on New Year's weekend Maya told her family her decision she's ready for the course she's fin finally made up her
mind I just told her just be careful just be careful on January 7th the last day she was heard from Maya
filled out this form and made an appointment with a divorce attorney I think she told him that she was going to
file for divorce he snapped when he found out that he was finally losing her what had happened in the house that
night little thinks he knows after a neighbor reached out with some information the neighbors do they say oh
yeah we heard gunshots yeah not only did they tell me that they've got gunshots but they've got the audio a home
surveillance system from the neighbor captured these loud bangs around 10 p.m. that
night little also believes they are gunshots it's coming from Larry and Maya's house remember Billy little had
track down that other home security footage that police agreed captured audio of the milete kids playing in the
backyard at 10:30 p.m. the picture is becoming more and more clear he's got to clean up and he's
got to move the body so he needs to send those kids outside in the school night at 10:30 do you try to speak to law
enforcement I did and I told them what I found and time and time again there was just
no followup by the police the Chula Vista Police Department declined our request for an interview but in April
2021 they told local media that it had been an active investigation since mid January and they were keeping their
cards close to the vest it's tough there was very minimal details and that was part of our frustration working with the
police department the family now is having various rallies in front of the Chula Vista Police Department basically
demanding answers but the police are not going to release a lot of information to
the family this is potentially a murder investigation in May of 2021 the police served Larry milete with a gun violence
restraining order among the reasons investigators had found this image on Larry's phone another photo which had
been redacted featured the couple's 4 4-year-old son surrounded by weapons authorities retrieved more
firearms from the Milad house and I think that was a smart move by the police it protects the children while
they try to buy a little bit of time but it also protects them if they have to go
in and arrest him in the summer of 2021 investigators named Larry milete a person of interest in his wife's case
she keep wondering is this going to be the time that they're going to arrest Larry
on October 19th 9 months after The Disappearance of Maya investigators did just that today at 11:42 a.m. the Chula
Vista Police Department SWAT team arrested Larry m for the murder of his wife and with that even more evidence
came to light Maya's family and friends anticipated the news of an arrest for months I
understand that there is a case that needs to be built there's only one shot but it just seemed like it was too
long yet when Maya's husband Larry m was arrested for her murder in October 2021 it was still a mixed range of
emotions Claudia what was your reaction relieved yet at the same time sad and so
although you keep that hope up now it became real I think we had different reactions I said
finally she started crying he's been with us for 20 years my sister did Lov him she gave him three
kids just can't let go in a press conference San Diego County district attorney summer Stefan
laid out some of the details of the monthlong law enforcement investigation in homicide cases there's often a
triggering event in this case the last call Rec Ed that may made was to a divorce attorney that call was at 3:48
p.m. home security cameras captured her arriving at her house at 4:42 p.m. there
were no images of her leaving investigators had also turned up more evidence of Larry trying to keep Maya in
the marriage through the supernal before she went missing I've never had a case where that was involved
but the Spells they discovered went beyond more than asking Maya to be attracted to him according to the arrest
warrant Larry now wanted Maya to be harmed before Maya went missing Larry sent this message to a website that
claims to cast spells please punish May and incapacitate her enough so she can't
leave the house it's time to take the gloves off it was evidence they say of his unbalanced mind mindset and
homicidal ideation the day Maya went missing Larry sent countless emails to spellcasters I think she wants me to
snap I'm shaking inside ready to snap what's more according to the arrest warrant Larry had allegedly snapped
before one of Maya's friends said that Maya told her Larry choked her to the point where she was unconscious I just
heard that oh I was mad could he do that Maya had never shared that with Mary Chris she didn't share what she's going
through cuz she didn't want the family to worry about her she was also protecting Larry and she was protecting
the children were you aware of any physical abuse no no she would say little things here and
there but not always to the same person there were already incidents that were huge red
flags that if we all knew it at the same time it would have been a bigger picture
I feel guilty at the you know after the fact once she went missing it was a very harsh reality for me I wasn't able
to help her and I will forever live with [Music] that nobody had the full picture right
besides the two of them Evelyn Rodriguez is an associate professor of Sociology who teaches on topics of race and
identity at the University of San Francisco she reviewed the case for 48 hours the signs of domestic abuse can be
so hard to identify because we as a society are unable to distinguish the line that divides that kind of like
zealous passionate love from controlling Behavior Larry m checks all the boxes for domestic partner abuse he knew what
Maya's pressure points were and so he weaponized her work he weaponized her children her family her religion before
he got desperate enough to try these other means of controlling her and keeping her in that
marriage Rodriguez suggests when Larry turned to spellcaster as another method to control Maya he may have been
inspired by an oldw World form of folk magic in the Philippines and this is stuff of like the old world to our
parents even somehow that has evolved into what I think Larry was able to find but Rodriguez points out that it is
important not to lose sight of what the issue is here really the story here is that this was an abusive partner
regardless of his culture Who was exhibiting every single sign of domestic abuse this one and this one right one
this is where we're going to be stay in with Maya's alleged killer Behind Bars her family knew their work was not done
don't go too far they were more determined than ever to find her energized with new information that had
come out after Larry's arrest el v was part of that search the thing that this case really needed was to be able to
know where to search that was the problem here you can't just search the entire world where are we right now it's a hot
spot that Larry could have brought miles's body out here like Billy little investigators obtained footage that
showed Larry leaving the house in the couple's Lexus for almost 11 11 and 1/2 hours the day after his wife was last
heard from they analyzed the car's navigation system according to the information that we have now he was
about 2 and a half hours out from his house when he put his address in somewhere 2 and 1/2 hours away from his
house Larry had entered his address to find his way back home that information was enough to Center the searches on
places Larry was familiar with like this desert area where where he and Maya had
gone hiking what are you specifically looking for as you comb this area at this point un fortunately I H
you say but we're probably just looking for clothing or [Music] bones over the months droves of
volunteers have responded to her family's calls to the community and have joined team Maya we're just so thankful
and blessed to have everybody here three together I'm San Diego City re tired firefighter I got a team and we go out
and we systematically cover areas where someone could possibly hide a body and it's you know it's very sad to even talk
about but you have to do it and it's the the proverbial needle and a Hast tack why are you here today uh really just to
support the family hopefully we can bring peace to the family always make sure you've got eyes on somebody what
drives you to do this for a total stranger somebody you didn't even know I I felt that it should be a community
effort you just want closure for this family so much and that's why we're out here it's why we keep coming they
deserve it Maya deserves it as the search for Maya continues in the vast lands of Eastern San Diego The Quest For
Justice is just beginning in the halls of the San Diego court system the problem with this case is you don't have
a body what would inspire you to join a search for a missing person go inside The mayam Disappearance at 48
hours.com Mr M you have the right to have a preliminary examination hearing within 10 C Court days
of his ego was so damaged by the fact his wife didn't want to be with him anymore and he couldn't handle it so he
killed her Larry milete has been behind bars since his arrest in October 2021 awaiting trial and at this time would
like to enter a plea of not guilty he pled not guilty to charges of murder and illegal possession of an assault weapon
if convicted Larry could face up to 25 years to life in prison so we're just going to do 14 then although there is
still hope Maya could be found any day a victim's body is not required to convict
someone of murder and this is one of the strongest circumstan cases I've ever seen you don't have a body so what you
don't get to get away with murder because you're good at disposing of bodies but Larry maintains Maya left on
her own his defense attorney Bonita Martinez turned down our request for an interview but spoke with reporters after
a hearing where Larry was denied bail his wife was used to leaving the house in the past and you cannot rule out that
she's alive Larry maintains that Maya voluntarily left him left the children to start her own New Life do you believe
that no nope not at all never believe that never Maya love her kids there's no way she would have up and left the best
argument for the defense here is Maya is not dead they don't have a body she's alive and well attorney alavon says a
nobody defense has worked before in other cases she says without a body the prosecution
may be at a disadvantage they need strong evidence and the question is what do they have do they have something that
they're going to bring out in a courtroom that definitely ties Larry to murder those loud bangs recorded on the
neighboring security camera may not be proof of anything an FBI analysis was inconclusive they couldn't defin ly say
those were gunshots because the sound quality was not good enough in November 2021 Larry's attorney filed documents
with the San Diego Superior Court with more allegations about Maya they believe that she had this wild lifestyle that
she was out there having Affair she's dating different men off the internet that she's drinking excessively that
she's become this completely different person and so they're pointing to third party cability if she's harmed it was
somebody [Music] else Larry and his parents claim in court documents that Maya was
essentially a party girl definitely not the Maya that I know he was a devoted mother not long after Maya's
disappearance Mary Chris and Richard say Larry cut off contact between the children and Maya's side of the family
we're just trying to see him going from hanging out hugging them jumping on my back seeing them at least once or twice
a month at least to not seeing them at all for 9 months the milete children are still
living at home in the care of Larry's parents but after months of not seeing them Maya's family was granted
visitation rights in November 2021 but the fight is not over Mary Chris has filed a petition for
guardianship of her sister's children just show them that the whole entire family are waiting for them and you know
are eager to be with them again glory be to the father and to the son but those children will go through
all those moments in life when they need their mom and she's not going to be there it breaks my heart in January
2022 Maya's family and friends held a vigil to Mark the oneyear anniversary of her
disappearance there's somebody out there that knows something that seen something
they should come forward have it in your heart to help us bring it home you say tomorrow I'll be
G tomorrow I'll be gone away from she will forever be my hero that's what I'm going to take with me it's that
bright shining star of a woman that gave Every Other Woman regardless of what she
was going through an inspiration to be whoever they wanted that's who Maya is [Music]
[Music] these trees that are all around us here played a role in solving a murder
absolutely a young mother dead will DNA from a tree found on a suspect's boots help catch your killer 48 hours Saturday
on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus [Music] I have lived 44 years with his face
etched in my brain it was everything that you pray to God never happens to anyone for me it's really tough I'm I'm
I'm struggling I'm struggling to do the interview at all we were at our grandparents house
and Keith our first cousin came over asked us if we would come to his house to help him clean so we went to his
house and when we were done he needed gas so we stopped at 7-Eleven and as we pulled
up there was a um a man standing there he said well can you give me a ride instantly we knew something wasn't right
but Keith tell him he would give him a ride I think we just cut off circulation in each other's hands we were squeezing
our hands so tight because you just have a gut feeling that this is not [Music] good he was telling us the directions on
where to go which took us to the little California road he told us to get out of the car he
opens the trunk and he puts Keith in the trunk at that point he tell us to take off our clothes
did you plan to tell anybody what happened no why because we were afraid he would come back and kill
us when did the Twins actually go to the police I think it was about 2 weeks later a little bit more than 2 weeks you
said the man was black yes did they ever give you a ride no did you ever meet them at a gas station no
never I didn't rape Karen and Sharon sadness I don't know these people when I saw him in that lineup I
didn't have to think twice when I looked at him I knew him he got convicted and received two
50-year consecutive sentences that's insane it's horrible it disgusted me there's no hairs no fibers
no blood no sweat no semen there's nothing Vincent Simmons is an innocent man who is railroaded by a racist system
is it possible that you picked the wrong man no no when I close my eyes there's no other face that I see
stop it stop it when are we going to talk about the facts why did we pick him why it was Mr Simmons because it was Mr
Simmons s [Music] [Music] every time I talk about it makes me feel like I'm 14 again for identical twins
Karen and Sharon Sanders life is broken into two parts before May 197 7 and after they say what Happened One Night
that may changed everything the limitations it put on our life like with anxiety depression panic attacks
crippling really is taken a lot from us back in 1977 the 14-year-old Twins were living with their grandparents in
the quiet small town of Marksville Louisiana and for the most part they say they were happy there staying busy and
enjoying the little things in life I was all about makeup and perfume and being prissy and Karen was more uh outside
playing in the dirt this is true life was simple until it wasn't what makes it so
difficult for you Karen 44 years later to even talk about well it's a lot happened that
night the twins say it All Began May 9th 1977 when their cousin Keith lebard picked them up so that they could help
him clean his house by the time they finished cleaning it was just beginning to get dark Keith was driving them home
and that's when they say he stopped at that gas station and encountered a black man he walked up to the
car and to Keith that he almost h him and Keith you know did not and Keith was tell him he didn't want to fight and
he said I don't fight I shoot the man said this the man said it instantly Karen went inside to pay for the
gas and me and Keith were talking to this man and we exchanged names and he said his name was
Simmons the twins say any tension between Keith and the man soon lifted and that's why
they say Keith agreed to give the man a ride we were like Keith you know don't and he's like it'll be okay it'll be
okay but they say they knew it wasn't okay when the man directed them to that desolate area of little California road
and threatened them he told us that before we could get a gun he would shoot shoot us mhm which we
did not have a gun so we knew he had a gun they say the man ordered them out of the vehicle and forced Keith into the
trunk Keith's how old 18 so he got in the trunk yes he did he tell us to take off our
clothes Karen started to run at that point and I yelled and she stopped he said this
one's going to give me trouble and so he opened the trunk and he put me in the trunk with
Keith and he had Sharon I took off my clothes told me to get in the back seat and I
did and he told me how to lay and I did I can hear Sharon crying and of course I can't take it so I'm
back banging on the trunk and I'm banging and I'm screaming take me take me leave her alone take me take me Karen
was back there making all kinds of commotion and things didn't work out for him with
me sorry and he was very frustrated you could see it and feel it and he got very
aggravated and told me to put my clothes back on and when you say things didn't work out
for him what do you mean he tried to penetrate and was unsuccessful but at the time I was 14 I did not know
he was unsuccessful I really thought you had lost your virginity I had lost my virginity I had no
clue afterwards Sharon says she was put in the trunk with Karen and Keith and then the man started driving we just
found each other's hands and began to pray and then the car stopped and he said you out and pointed at you Karen
yes he told me to lay in the back seat he uh he write me then with Sharon and Keith still in
the trunk Karen says the man just wanted to talk it's like nothing had happened that we were like
best friends that we were just hanging out and you went along with it just talking absolutely to keep him calm and
how long did this go on for to me a lifetime he told me he came from a large family about where he had lived and all
this and he had just gotten back from Texas she says when they stopped talking the man raped her again
multiple times I remember like laying in that back seat in his chest I mean the heavy his
heaviness on my chest and the sweat and it was just disgusting she says he then drove them
to a local Cemetery where he got out of the car he opens the trunk and he lets them out he's going to let us go and he
told us if you tell anyone I know where y'all live I've Got Friends he said and I will come back and we all
swore to each other that we would not tell a soul and I know they say just the fear of what might happen if they told
kept them silent for 2 weeks until Karen says she couldn't keep it in anymore she
says she can fight it in Keith's sister and I said but please please don't tell anyone please don't tell anyone she said
I'm not going to tell anymore and it just unraveled from there the next day Keith's parents found
out and soon Karen Sharon and Keith all ended up at the Sheriff's Office Karen and Sharon each gave statements
reporting that they had been raped and less than 24 hours later on the morning of May 23rd
1977 25-year-old Vincent Simmons was was taken into custody as he was walking down the street did you know Karen and
Sharon Sanders never seen him before in my life [Music] [Music] it was May 23rd 1977 when Vincent Simmons was brought to
the Sheriff's Office which used to be here on the second floor of the avy's Parish courthouse in Marksville and they
took me and put me in a lineup Karen Sharon and Keith were all there to see if they could identify a
suspect we're all three in the room but we're not all walking up to the window at the same
time Keith goes first Keith writes the number down on a pad I walk up I look at him and I go to
the pad I write his number down and then Sharon goes up to the window looks out and wres number down what number did
you all right four four and then they said you remember that oh my gosh yeah then they said to us y'all have all
picked the same man that man they identified was 25-year-old Vincent Simmons he was from a big family in the
next town over from Marksville and this wasn't the first time he found himself in the sheriff's
office I didn't have a daddy you know so basically I grew up on my own looking out for my little
sisters I was doing wrong I was going in the stores just to get food to feed them
Vincent was convicted of a home burglary at the age of 18 while incarcerated he escaped from the jail in Marksville he
lived on the run in Texas for nearly 6 years until he came back to town shortly before that lineup and when I walked up
to the window and I looked I had no second doubt I know exactly who raped me that night
after Sharon Karen and Keith ided Vincent he says he was brought upstairs to the jail where he waited while an
officer was writing something down I'm sitting on the chair and a handcuff when he gets to he say I want you to sign I
said what is that he said this is a confession saying that you uh committed this crime I said what crime you know he
said rap for those two white girls said I don't even know these white girls Vincent says when he refused to sign the
confession the officer knocked him down and as they struggled another officer shot him
boom I was burning it through my chest you know and I fell on the floor when I woke up I'm in the
hospital now the two officers involved tell a very different story they say Vincent grabbed one officer's gun and
was pointing it at both of them when the second officer shot Vincent in the shoulder in
self-defense whatever the truth Vincent was never prosecuted for that incident instead less than two months after he
was shot he was brought to court to face Karen and Sharon less than 60 days after
he was arrested Vincent went on trial is that a pretty rapid time in 1977 I would say for major cases they
went to court quickly Charles Riddle was not the district attorney back then but he is
now now and he's very familiar with the details of the case what was the evidence against him the testimony of
the witnesses the victims Karen Sharon and Keith all took the stand walk into a courtroom your
parents everybody that loves you is sitting there and seeing him for the very first
time we have not seen him since the lineup and then seeing him face to face was really hard of course I had to put
my hand on the Bible and swear to tell the truth nothing but the truth which is all I had
anyway they all testified that on the night of the rape Vincent had told them his last name believe it or not all
night long we called him Simmons he told us to call him Simmons at trial they all
say Simmons Simmons the man told us is name was Simmons what' you think then I thought they were
crazy I actually thought they were crazy you mean to tell me I'm going to do something to y'all and let y'all know
my name I'm going tell you who I am no that don't make sense man the jury got to see Keith's car and
a photo that police had taken of Karen Sharon and Keith reenacting how they fit in the trunk when it was the defense's
turn Vincent took the stand I told the jury that I was innocent I didn't rape nobody Vincent's lawyers also called
three Alibi Witnesses who claimed that Vincent was at a bar on the night of the alleged crime the bar owner said Vincent
was there all night he got into a fight and police were called but the prosecution called a police officer who
said the bar fight was on another night after a two-day trial I don't think they had much of a
defense the jury three sided with Karen Sharon and Keith Vincent Simmons was found guilty of two counts of attempted
aggravated rape I was shot guilty I ain't did none when the verdict came back guilty
unanimously how did that feel s relief we knew we were free Vincent was sentenced to two
consecutive 50-year terms 100 years behind bars we thought we'd never have to face him
again but Vincent refused to give up hope I wanted to prove that I'm innocent man I never know these people more than
four decades later Justin bonis a newly mened lawyer from Brooklyn New York would become involved in Vincent's
defense and was immediately skeptical of the prosecution's case I looked at the discovery I was like well everything
they said at trial is a lie it's all a lie there's nothing that supports what they
[Music] say generations of men have have labored in the fields at Louisiana State
Penitentiary it is the country's largest Maximum Security Prison built on the site of a former slave plantation called
Angola you know we had to work seven days a week till it get dark that's our Ang Goa
was since the day that cell door closed behind him Vincent Simmons has been working to overturn his conviction
in 1993 16 years after that guilty verdict he finally succeeded in getting a copy of the prosecution's case File
mail man came and he gave me this big old envelope when I opened it up I man I was
in shock inside that envelope were items that Vincent had never seen before including copies of the initial
statements that Karen Keith and Sharon gave to police remember all three testified at trial that they knew their
attacker's name he told us to call him Simmons but as it turns out when they first spoke to the investigators they
didn't say that defense attorney Justin bonus has since reviewed those statements when the girls initially went
to police they didn't say the name Simmons No what name did they say they didn't give a name and bonus noticed
something else in those statements Sharon used the nword to refer refer to her attacker and said quote All Blacks
look alike to me which she does not deny saying so what did you say when they asked you to identify the man I said all
blacks look alike but still Karen Keith and Sharon all picked vinent out of that
lineup and bonus says he may know why this photo that was in the file appears to show the lineup look at Vincent he's
the only one in handcuffs when you saw that lineup photo what' you think what I said this is crazy nuts highly suggested
when you put the cuffs on them you're telling them that's who we want you to pick but Charles Riddle the current
district attorney says that photo was taken after the twins ID Vincent they call it the lineup it was a photo of the
lineup after he was identified and placed in cuffs but how do you know it was after because the girls told me that
so when you picked him out of the lineup was he wearing handcuffs no he was not not at all and Karen says they initially
didn't tell police the name Simmons out of fear I mean we were scared of him and
see I don't know why I didn't I mean I think fear we we're afraid of him and there's another item in that file that
bonus says is critical and was never seen at the trial it's this report from a doctor who also happened to be the
local coroner he examined the Girls 2 weeks after the reported rape and he did not document any signs of sexual assault
how big a deal do you think the coroner's report plays in this story massive and bonus says that report
suggests Sharon was still a virgin the doctor wrote that her Heyman was intact but Charles Riddle says the report does
not prove that the twins were not raped because the definition of rape is slightest penetration and the rep about
no sign of sexual assault after 2 weeks it's very probable that there would be no sign of sexual
assault bonus thinks the jury should have had the chance to consider all of that at trial his attorneys they had
nothing they went in there Flying Blind with their arms tied behind their back in a boxing match that's that's
literally what it was so you're telling me the original statements that the girls and Keith gave to police where
they could not identify this individual right that was never heard by the jury absolutely not and the medical report
from the coroner was never heard by the jury right and the lineup photo not seen
by the jury no if the statements from the girls had been presented at trial right if the
coroner's report had been known and presented at trial do you think Vincent still would have been found guilty no
absolutely not back in 1993 when Vincent first got his hands on that evidence he made it
his mission to get his case in front of a judge he filed numerous pleadings over
multiple years but no court ever ruled in his favor and not a single judge felt like there was enough evidence not the
appell courts federal courts state courts Supreme Court Vincent was hoping that the parole board at the prison
might have more sympathy so in 1997 20 years into his 100-year sentence he had his first
hearing with him and it was all filmed as part of a documentary called the farm which profiled inmates at Angola
showed them the evidence that his defense did not have at trial we didn't have none of this evidence none of this
evidence was presented before the jury you the only one handcuffed in the lineup I'm the only
one okay uh yall step out we discuss the case Vincent hoped the board would rule
in his favor years I come up with something oh yeah did but they would not Mr Simmons after uh listening to
testimony going over the reports the board has voted at this time to deny your request
Pro I was hopeless but I know the truth and no matter how many times they knock you down keep getting
up almost 20 years later Justin bonis watched the farm documentary with his wife and we were shopped and she told me
you know you should take this case she basically said you need to write him and it wasn't really uh a
suggestion it was right and that's what I did what do you think would have happened if the jury had heard all of
the evidence see more of the case against Vincent Simmons at 48 hours.com [Music]
you're a Brooklyn guy you go down to Marksville I felt like my cousin Vinnie I mean it was like country
okay by early 2020 Justin bonus had become Vincent Simmons lawyer he had just a year of experience under his belt
and was warned that the odds were against him it's over like he doesn't have any more peels I was like nah
that's not true it's never true absolutely not Vincent had been fighting unsuccessfully for decades to overturn
his conviction all the while Karen and Sharon remained firm about his guilt we have no reason to lie why would we lie
why would we let someone spend their life in prison if we even had the slightest doubt that it wasn't him not
long after Vincent's ill- fated parole hearing documentary cameras were rolling again in the late 90s when he and the
twins agreed to a Reconciliation meeting it's where victims and offenders come together to try and heal we came today
not to free you from your prison but to free us from our prison today I am closing the door to my
pain I'm Letting Go when the time came for Vincent to speak he had questions my questions going to be
directly based on your state no we're not going there and that's when the meeting unraveled what are you doing
here then since you're innocent what are you doing here y'all put him here we did
no a choice that you chose to make put you here okay I think we're I think we've had enough I think think it's kind
of going sour Pon maybe one day you can get out of your pain if you're mising they didn't let him speak because
they don't view him as a human being bonus wanted to put a spotlight on the case and really dig deeper but he needed
some help so he turned to Jason flam a recording industry executive known for launching the careers of Katy Perry
Matchbox 20 and Lord among others flam is also a criminal justice Advocate and he hosts a podcast called wrongful
conviction which has featured bigname guests like Kim Kardashian when I heard about Vincent's case I was just like
this is another level I had to do something about it flam featured Vincent's case on his podcast how could
anyone get convicted on the basis of this this is a man whose life was stolen away from
him and he gave Justin bonus money to go out and hire a private investigator in Louisiana named Brian Andrews Justin
actually asked me to be the boots on the ground take statements gather information Andrews Tracked Down Diane
prer the lone surviving juror from Vincent's trial and the only African-American on the jury turns out
she says she never wanted to convict Vincent Prader was in her 20s at the time of trial and says she still
remembers her reaction to the twins testimony when they told a story I'm like Ain't No Way in the world that
happened like that put a black man in your car that time you didn't believe it because at that period in history you
just couldn't see white people giving a ride to black people correct was there a
lot of racism in Marksville yes it was it was in Marksville it was everywhere and she says the jury Foreman told her
her vote wouldn't matter in 1977 Louisiana juries could convict a defendant with only 10 out of 12 voting
guilty just so say myself well it ain't going to do me no good to say nothing but I never never never believed vinon
was guilted the private investigator also tried to talk to relatives of Karen Sharon and Keith with me right now that
I'm speaking with he ended up conducting a videotaped interview with Keith's cousin Dana bruette and she told him a
shocking story Dana said that Keith told her in a bar long after the trial that Vincent Simmons was never with them on
little California road that night he came out and told me there was never a black
man instead in a sworn affidavit Dana says that Keith told her he had consensual sex with one of the girls and
locked the other in the trunk he had gone down little California road and he locked Sharon in
Trump and he said the sex between him and Karen was consensual he said but the other one was
a little Hellcat that's the one that put scratches on his neck in the affidavit Dana said that
Keith had scratches on his neck she told the private investigator that she believes Keith and the twins made up the
story about a black man to explain away those scratches blew my mind the things that
she said had Dana ever told anyone that to my knowledge I I don't think she had should have come forward a long time ago
I really did think the man got released and Dana's allegations didn't stopped there she also gave the private
investigator a copy of a Facebook message exchange that she says she had with Karen in October 2020 Karen and
Dana were talking about how Keith had allegedly made sexual advances toward female relatives we asked Karen about
that you said I didn't realize how sick he was I thought it was only me I don't remember saying that yeah cuz that's the
message from you so what did you mean by that okay we need to cut right now cut this
can we cut for a second yeah yeah right then Karen said she was not ready to talk about that exchange with
Dana but 2 weeks later in a follow-up interview with both her and Sharon she admitted that years before she says they
were attacked when she was a child and Keith was a teenager something happened did you have consensual sex with Keith
laort okay let's put it like this we were kids yes ma'am we experimented so yes how old were you
when it happened I have I can not honestly I don't know 9 10 maybe and is this the first time you're saying this
publicly yes it is but that has nothing to do with what Vincent did that's two separate incidents David think about it
if me and Keith had had consensual sex way way before now why is he locking Us in the TR trunk of a car why is he
taking us down a dirt road but bonus believes they wanted to cover up what happened that night it gives motive for
why they would lie it shows that Karen always was hiding something from day one Keith was 18 Karen was 14 so what do
they do they blame a black man to be clear was Keith the perpetrator that night no he was a
victim also Keith was a victim he was not he was a victim mhm he stayed in that trunk the whole
time I went to Keith lebo's house to speak with him about all of this no one answered the door so later I
called him hello keyth hello Keith this is David begno with CBS News when reached by phone Keith now 63
years old denied ever having sex with his cousin Karen he said they had just quote played around like children end
quote and he also insisted that whatever had happened between him and Karen had nothing to do with what Vincent Simmons
did that night that godamn is guilty I don't give and yeah he's a goddamn and you could put that on TV I
ain't scared of him despite the allegations concerning Karen and Keith District Attorney
Charles Riddle says he believes the right man was convicted I'm firmly convinced that he's guilty I don't
believe that the cousin was the one but bonus was more determin than ever to see
Vincent walk free and in April 2021 the district attorney made an office offer that would allow for just that riddle
said he felt like Vincent had done enough time Vincent could have walked right out the door but there was a catch
Vincent would have had to been a sex offender though Vincent turned that down and said I'm not a sex offender I didn't
do this I am innocent I'm not a sex offender what you think when you hung up the phone I mean that's it we're going
to war bonus kept fighting and in February 2022 he finally got a hearing where a
judge would decide Vincent's fate once and for all the day of the hearing as Karen and
Sharon made their way into the courthouse they paus to pray when Vincent Simmons arrived in a
prison van he was carrying a Bible a group of supporters greeted him they were [Music]
cheering how are you feeling today POS of you love you good [Music] cameras were not allowed in the
courtroom as judge William Bennett delivered his decision what did the judge decide he
decided to give Vincent a new trial because of the Constitutional violation that he didn't receive a fair trial
Vincent's conviction was thrown out due to the evidence that he himself had obtained almost 30 years earlier and the
fact that his defense team didn't even have it back in 1977 judge Bennett made it clear though that
he did not Place fault on anyone for that instead he found that the speediness with which the case went to
trial made it likely that the original district attorney on the case Eddie null didn't even have all the evidence
himself at the time so just to be clear you believe that in 1977 the police didn't turn over key
evidence to the district attorney that's the only explanation feasible and logical after studying everything that I
did that's it are you blaming the police no I don't believe anybody intentionally
hid anything it's just the way it happened because it was fast in a court affidavit the original da Eddie null
said he did not hide or deny Simmons any evidence nor did he prosecute him because of bias and he continues to
believe that Vincent is guilty and he's not the only one that feels that way current District Attorney Charles Riddle
do you believe a man who was convicted at a trial that was not fair should have ever served a day in
prison illegally legally okay legally no but he did yes the judge decided that okay let me tell you he deserved to
serve the 44 years why because he's guilty judge Bennett was careful to say he has no opinion on the guilt or
innocence of Vincent Simmons with his decision it was now up to district attorney riddle to decide whether he
wanted to retry the case you stood up and said what I said that he served enough time and that we're not going to
prosecute him again in the eyes of the people and the constitu he is presumed innocent and when Charles Riddle
dismissed that case that presumption of innocence carries you free brother you free you
done so happy to see you I'm so happy to see you God is good to you let me get a
[Music] picture Vincent is a free man but for Karen and Sharon nothing has changed he
went in guilty he's guilty now and guess what he will die guilty so I'm I'm happy I got 44 years
all right that's good the twins say they accept the judge's decision but they are
still hurt by it the legal system didn't just fail him it failed us in many ways
also while Vincent has his freedom they say they still don't have theirs it's frustrating because no one sees our bars
they don't see our prison we still have our anxiety we still have our depressions we still have our fears our
bars are real and if you look deep enough you can see them judge Bennett is sympathetic toward
the women but he is confident in his decision the case holds extra meaning for him because his father now deceased
was one of the many judges who denied motions filed by Vincent over the past years but that was before Vincent had
gained access to the prosecutions file he and I had talked about the Vincent Simmons case years ago and uh I know if
he would be here he today would have done what I did what's on your heart because I can see
the emotion I did the right thing to Freedom just hours after the judge delivered his decision and right before
the sunet Vincent Simmons walked out of Angola he went in when he was just 25 years old
and was released 3 days before his 70th birthday love you man man later that night he shared a
celebratory meal with his family and friends let go to Freedom what's it like being out of
prison oh man this it's a Jo that is unexplainable really but with that Joy comes challenge it's
going to take me a while got a phone adjusting to life outside Prison Walls has proven to be difficult so much has
changed since 1977 man new technology I'm just like a little bab you got to learn what are the simple things that
you enjoy now breeding a free air walking outside basically it's freedom to just
enjoy the moment [Music] [Music] a popular college professor found dead in a hot tub accident or murder
suspected her boyfriend there then a stunning act from their host a sudden shotgun blast there's something he's
hiding 48 Hours next on CBS [Music]

"48 Hours" reports on cases involving mysterious secrets for a second installment of this mini-marathon. Binge-watch the full episodes, which include "Lori Vallow Daybell: Guilty," "Searching for Maya Millete" and "Please Don’t Tell."

00:00 Lori Vallow Daybell: Guilty 41:22 Searching for Maya Millete 1:22:52 "Please Don't Tell"

True crime. Real justice. "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

Lori Vallow is found guilty of murdering her children and conspiracy to murder her husband's first wife, with chilling details revealed during the trial.

Key points

The Disappearance of the Children. Lori's two children mysteriously disappeared, leading to a nationwide search.
A Fatal Encounter. Lori's brother Alex shot her estranged husband Charles in self-defense.
The Discovery of Remains. Authorities found the remains of Lori's children buried in Chad's backyard.
Lori's Guilt Confirmed. Lori is found guilty of first-degree murder for the deaths of her children.
The Search for Maya Begins. Maya's family organizes a search for her, desperate for answers.
Larry's Alarming Behavior. Friends reveal troubling signs in Larry's behavior before Maya's disappearance.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

If that's not disturbing enough, Lori started referring to her children as zombies.

2:32WatchJul 6, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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