The Sneak Attack on Katlyn Lyon | Full Episode + Post Mortem | Forensic Files

[music] >> I wanted to say [music] that I know everybody doesn't agree on sharing this.
>> [sighs] >> I feel like I'm lost. I'm just hoping that one day Caitlin's story will help someone.
I definitely [music] needed somebody to be held accountable. I needed to tell Caitlin's story, you
know? I needed people to know about her. She was beautiful, she was smart, and she loved to shop and dance, and she had
so many friends. I always described her as glitter. She expressed her individuality through
her hair. She always had [music] different colors, and it was always so cute on her. I
loved the purple on her. She used to travel [music] for those music festivals. I mean, she's been all
around the world. Yeah, the shuffling queen. That's what we always say. She had the best sense of humor. She
loved Melanie. She loved her daughter. She was single. She, you know, she was getting a new apartment, and she was
starting over. I mean, did you worry at all about her safety there? No. I thought, "Man, she's near me, you know?"
And I never thought this would happen. Never crossed my mind. Okay, tell me exactly what happened. My
roommate's daughter just came and woke me up in my bedroom. She told me that something was wrong with Mommy, and uh
that Mommy wouldn't wake up. Is she breathing? Um yes. No, uh but I I don't know. We need
to get someone here. Sheriff's office. I was woken up to a phone call. Do you know what time it was? 5:35
[music] a.m. It was Jacob on the phone saying that Caitlyn is unresponsive, they're doing
CPR, and the EMS is there. My sister called. She's like, "Sherry, get to Caitlyn's right now, something's
wrong." And my only thought was, "Let me get to that baby." Who's up there with Milani? Where's the
baby at? I grabbed her, and she just like melted it into me. Yeah, it was it was
pretty bad. The way the code of Virginia is, nobody can get in trouble for overdoses.
They asked me, "Did she do drugs? Do I do drugs? Did you give her something? Did she take something?" I was like, "I
don't do drugs." >> All the signs are looking for like an overdose? The police were adamant that
it was a drug overdose, and I'm like, "She doesn't do drugs." Here, we're taking off at this point. Um, I think
she's obviously being transported. I genuinely believed she's going to be okay. She had CPR, she was alive, she
had a heartbeat. She was going to be okay. In the hospital, they even wanted to bring bring a chaplain in, and
I was like, "No. My child's not going to die. I don't need a chaplain in right now."
A tech came to me and walked me outside. [music] She said, "It wasn't drugs, someone hurt your
baby." Who would want to hurt her? And she loved everybody, and everybody loved her, you know?
She didn't have enemies. That you were aware of. Yeah. I will never stop saying my daughter's
name, and I will never stop seeking justice for her. >> [music] [music] [music] [music]
>> I walk into the hospital, saw my daughter there, and I watched them do CPR and
I'll never forget that. On October 7th, 2022, as Crystal [music] Sale arrived at the hospital bedside of
her daughter, Caitlin Lyon Montgomery, she knew the two people she needed most. And would you say your sisters have
really stepped up for you? Absolutely. I don't know what I'd done without my sisters.
The oldest of the sisters, Sherry Cox, was taking care of Caitlin's then 4-year-old daughter, Milani,
while periodically checking in on Caitlin in the hospital. I knew it was bad. What did you think had happened to
Caitlin? I didn't know. I called Sherry. The first thing she said is something was wrong with Caitlin, but they didn't
know what. Sherry told their youngest sister, Tina Hopkins, nearly 5,000 mi away in Hawaii, the 28-year-old Caitlin
was unconscious and in grave condition. You know, Sherry told me like, you have to come home. Uh it's not it's not good.
I was just shocked that this was even happening and just confused. Especially when doctors
told her that Kaitlin sustained injuries to her neck and head. Any medical history? While first
responders had initially thought Kaitlin had suffered a drug overdose. She's OD'ing.
She's OD'ing. Her physical injuries and the lack of drugs found at the scene indicated Kaitlin was actually the
victim of a violent assault. That she had been strangled. We were all we were speechless. We were
baffled. Who did Who would have done this? I got a phone call to take a strangulation report.
Lead investigator Robbie Burnett with the Bedford County, Virginia Sheriff's Office
focused on documenting Kaitlin's injuries. I saw two distinctive marks parallel to each other on her neck.
Since those marks weren't visible until after Kaitlin had arrived at the hospital, Burnett says it helped
timestamp the attack. It was very recent. Like when you say very recent >> Within an hour or so, most likely, of
when the call came in. So, her apartment's on the second floor, right on the end of the building.
>> Yes. Shortly after learning about Kaitlin's injuries, investigator Michelle [music] Alderson was sent to
secure and process Kaitlin's apartment, now a crime scene. One that had been disturbed by first responders,
>> [music] >> EMTs, and Kaitlin and her roommate Jacob Pearcy's dogs. >> these people out of here best you can.
So, my scene was not as exact as I would like my crime scenes to be. Investigator Alderson set out to find
what could have caused the injuries on Kaitlin's [music] neck. She found a huge clue wrapped up in
Kaitlin's [music] comforter. It was a multiple charging cord adapter. >> [music]
>> Did they look like they match what had been described on her neck? >> I would call them consistent. Yes.
With the cords found on the bed, Alderson suspected that Caitlyn was attacked there, but she soon learned
that first responders, >> [music] >> not suspecting foul play at that time, had given the family permission to wash
Caitlyn's sheets and clean up. Doesn't that make it difficult to obtain DNA? Yes. Fingerprints.
>> Yes. Yes. Investigators were unable to recover [music] any DNA or fingerprints at the
scene, including any on those charging cords. As they searched for evidence identifying Caitlyn's attacker, doctors
struggled to revive her. After 29 [music] hours, Caitlyn was officially declared
brain dead the next morning, October 8th. I remember going to her and one of the only things I remember is
telling her I'm sorry that I couldn't protect her. I can say that there are no words that
have been invented to describe how this feels. It's excruciating. I just can't comprehend that she's gone forever. Like
I can't I can't go there. Tina arrived just in time to help say goodbye. My instinct [music] is just to
take charge and fix whatever's wrong. That affects me greatly that I couldn't fix it for my sister and our family.
Tina documented the moment Caitlyn was escorted to fulfill her final wishes to be an organ donor.
Tina shared the video on TikTok. My family and I have been through a tragedy. She and the rest of her family
started posting [music] photos and videos I'm going to talk about my niece. memorializing Kaitlin.
She liked music, right? I loved music, specifically electronic dance music. Music that Kaitlin had discovered with
her older brother, Jake Lyon. There was this like dance party type thing. I know at the end of the night she ran
up and like bear hugged me. She's like, "I want to do this all the time." Why? What is it? Tell me. What is it
that she took to? I think just the the energy and the social element. How she would draw a crowd.
She loved [music] life. She absolutely loved life. A life that had [music] changed
unexpectedly when Kaitlin learned she was pregnant with Milani. >> [music] >> I mean, we were very supportive and was
like, you know, we'll help any way we can. But the always independent Kaitlin [music]
didn't need much help, says Crystal. Even with Milani's father out of the picture and while [music] working
full-time as a restaurant manager. Kaitlin was rocking it. She was rocking it. What do you mean
rocking it? She was providing for her child. Kaitlin's family now had to grapple with
the reality that someone had intentionally taken her from her beloved child. I still can't believe my daughter was
murdered. She said, "You're going to find whoever did this to my daughter." I said, "There
will be no stone left unturned." So, who's the first person you're looking at? We definitely looked to Jacob
Pearcy, the roommate. With no sign of forced entry and being the only other adult in the apartment,
Kaitlin's new roommate, Jacob Pearcy, [music] who had called 911 reporting her injured, was an obvious suspect.
Investigators told us that was 99% sure he did it. But Tina says she suspected this man, Caitlyn's ex-boyfriend Trenton
Fry, whom she had broken up with 10 days earlier. That was my first gut instinct.
>> You first saw Trenton? I did. Trenton lived 3 hours away in North Carolina. So
investigators gave him a call. He said that he was in North Carolina working the entire time. He agreed to come up
for an interview. Uh appeared to be cooperative. So focus intensified on Jacob Pearcy,
especially when investigators learned what Melani said she witnessed that night. [music]
"My brother killed my mom." Brother was the nickname she used for Jacob Pearcy. Did you have anything to do with hurting
Caitlyn? Absolutely not. Outfit of the day. Again, these videos are just for my sister. So I'm not going
anywhere today. Tina, you're not going anywhere today because your husband has stopped giving you lunch money. For
Tina, Crystal, and Sherry, making Tik Tok videos started as a fun way to connect their family.
That changed after Caitlyn's death. My niece was murdered. We don't have hardly any information.
We felt wronged. >> [music] >> And we weren't going to stop fighting. In those agonizing early days, Crystal
was too deep in her grief to speak publicly. So Tina stepped [music] up to post updates on the case. There is an
ongoing investigation. When did you last see her? We were hanging out south. We were out here watching TV. That
investigation centered on Caitlyn's roommate, Jacob Pearcy. We were looking at him pretty pretty heavy at first.
What do you mean? Meaning he was our number one suspect at that point. In my mind, I'm just here to tell them what I
can tell them, help them figure out what could have happened, what couldn't have
happened. I was in full denial. But after being interviewed several times, having his
body photographed for possible defensive wounds, >> [music] >> and his cell phone confiscated,
Jacob Pearcy knew he was in serious trouble. Were you scared you'd be blamed for whatever happened to her?
Absolutely. You know, I'm the main suspect of something so terrible. We're still at a loss at that point cuz he's
fully cooperating and we haven't caught him in a lie yet. What troubled investigators was
4-year-old Malani's statement. [music] She said she had seen Jacob killing her mother. But Burnett soon discovered that
she had actually witnessed Jacob performing CPR. She actually did the motions of her with her hands of what
Jacob was doing to her. >> Going like this. >> that's the motion she made. To be sure,
Burnett reviewed the 911 call. You can hear Jacob doing CPR. 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 You could tell he was definitely
[music] putting effort in. I thought I'd done enough. But I think that's what tears me up the
most is just I wasn't able to save her, you know. At that point, investigators began to
look closer at Caitlyn's ex-boyfriend, Trenton Fry. They tried calling him in North Carolina a couple of days after
their initial conversation, but learned he was unable to talk to them. He checked himself into a mental
health facility. And what did that say to you? He had some kind of break. Something happened to him apparently. So
investigators turned to Caitlyn's friends to learn more about the relationship. Do you think he was the person he
presented himself to Caitlyn? Absolutely not. Hannah McDowell met Caitlyn 2 years
earlier when she landed a job at the restaurant Caitlyn managed. Sharing a love [music] for music and
dancing, they became fast friends and eventually roommates. They also shared their frustrations about the local
dating scene in Bedford County, Virginia, which prompted them to look for love online. What was she looking
for? Well, she wanted someone that was supportive and be a father to Melanie as well and possibly get married. In
January of 2022, when Caitlyn connected with Trenton on a dating app, the tall, fitness-obsessed,
and apparently successful North Carolina native seemed to be marriage material. How did she describe him to you? Well,
he had his stuff together. She was excited to have a relationship with him. When Caitlyn's aunt Sherry met Trenton,
she admits she was impressed. He told me that he owned a security company and he owned his own
construction company. We had talked about him doing my floors because he had me thinking he was
you know, this awesome builder. Then eventually he was at the apartment all the time.
Which made Hannah wonder how Trenton, who lived 3 hours away, could spend weeks on end at their apartment while
also running two businesses. And when I would leave in the morning, when I would come home from lunch, when
I would get home from work, he would always just be on the couch. And she says over time it seemed Caitlyn
wasn't leaving the apartment much, either. She's quiet, she didn't hang out with friends. She was just very
isolated. >> Did you get the feeling that it was because of him that she wasn't going out as much,
dancing as much? Yes. And he would track her location on her phone. I feel like she was
chained to him, almost. >> [music] >> I can't say that I liked him, but I can't say that I didn't like him. While
Crystal had her concerns about the relationship with Trenton, Caitlyn never confided that anything was wrong. She's
always been so strong, so I knew my daughter could handle herself. But Caitlyn did express some frustration
with the relationship to her aunt Sherry. She said, "I'm so tired of paying for everything." She said, "If
he's got all this money, I mean, these businesses, why does he have money?" And I said, "Well, Caitlyn, that's a red
flag right there." More red flags appeared when he tried to convince her to move with him to North
Carolina, where he said he would find them an apartment. In reality, he was not reliable and
wasn't fulfilling what she thought he was going to do. In early September 2022, Trenton admitted the truth. He couldn't
find an apartment because he lacked the credit [music] and source of income to qualify.
Caitlyn called me from work, and she was screaming and crying, I mean, just like bawling,
crying. And she was like, "He's a liar. He lied about everything. He doesn't have a job." Days later, Caitlyn
announced she was breaking up with him. She was done? She was done. So she cut him off. She did.
She blocked him? Oh, she actually blocked him, too. She blocked him? Yeah. And that's when Caitlyn learned her
friend Jacob Piercy was also looking for a place. And as if he wanted to find an
apartment with her and Melani. I finally found this one apartment and we were so
excited um that they were going to be so close to us. While Caitlyn was making a fresh start,
it seemed Trent Fry did not want to let her go. He was actually sitting in the parking
lot of her apartment watching everything Caitlyn was doing. Have you seen a big change in your
sister? Mhm. She just sad all the time. She has bags under her eyes now where she didn't have them before because she
don't sleep. She's not sleeping. I woke up this morning and she would panic. In the days following Caitlyn's [music]
death, Crystal began sharing her grief with others on TikTok. I'll get a text message and
for an instant I'll think that it's Caitlyn. I end up seeing some of her TikToks by
accident. She was completely innocent. She didn't do anything wrong. Investigator Burnett was convinced that
Trent Fry had somehow gotten into Caitlyn's apartment and strangled her. Why did Trent Fry kill the woman
he said he loved? I think it's cuz she told him no and he couldn't he couldn't take the rejection from her.
Investigator Burnett now needed to prove it. We start looking at the obviously more
of his cell phone records tracking that history. We found that his phone pings were in the area of Forest, Virginia.
Commonwealth Attorney W. Nance was assigned the case. He says investigators were able to obtain Trenton Fry's cell
phone after he checked himself into that mental health facility in North Carolina.
And that's how they learned that the device had started pinging off a cell tower in Virginia on October 4th, 3 days
[music] before Kaitlin's attack. He wasn't just in Virginia. He was in at least the area of Kaitlin's new
apartment complex. Investigators canvassed the apartment complex and found two of Kaitlin's
neighbors who remembered seeing an unfamiliar man sitting at a picnic table for hours. One snapped a photo of the
stranger on the afternoon of October 6th, the day before Kaitlin's attack. Who do you believe that is?
>> Well, we later determined it to be Trenton Fry. How close to Kaitlin's apartment is
that? Why there? >> So, this is an elevated vantage point. It looks directly down on her building.
Did Kaitlin Montgomery have any idea that somebody had been watching her for days?
>> No, no, ma'am. [music] And does it appear that she wasn't just being watched, she was being followed
and stalked? >> Yeah. Investigators learned 2 hours after that photo was taken, [music]
Trenton Fry's SUV was recorded by a surveillance camera pulling into a gas station near the apartment complex. He
was seen inside the store now wearing all black. It was around that time that Fry texted Aunt Sherry. He wanted to
know if I still wanted my floors finished and I didn't respond back to him. I immediately called Caitlyn. Well,
she unblocks the number and tells him do not call my aunt anymore. The text between Caitlyn and Trenton Fry, says
prosecutor Nance, became heated. Fry made it clear he knew she was living with Jacob Pearcy and he didn't like it.
So, there's an anger and jealousy underlying those text messages. Um, he starts to call her a piece of
and tell her that karma is a Jacob Pearcy says that Caitlyn called him sounding frightened. At one point
she told me that she wanted to go to her mom's house and pick up her self-defense
weapon that she has, her pistol. Caitlyn didn't go through with that plan. Later, Jacob, Caitlyn, and Milani
had dinner together and watched TV. Around midnight, Jacob says he heard a noise near their second floor balcony.
Spread open the curtains real quick to look. I didn't see anything. Did you lock or unlock the sliding door?
Yeah, I believe I locked it. But investigators later learned the lock on the sliding glass door was broken and
they suspected that's how Trenton Fry gained entry. His Google searches revealed that he had looked up the
layout of the unit which they believed helped him find Caitlyn's bedroom. I think it was absolute, brutal, sudden,
sneak attack on a then sleeping Caitlyn. Fry strangled Caitlyn, investigators say, with those charging cords while her
daughter, Malani, slept nearby. With her child laying beside her, I don't think it gets much worse.
After Fry left, says Nance, Malani alerted Jacob Pearcy that something was wrong with her mother.
Trenton Fry's digital footprint from that morning, says Nance, [music] gives him away.
Mr. Fry started to Google breaking news and [music] specifically, he looked to see if he had any arrest warrants out
for himself. There weren't any warrants for him at the time. But 13 days later, investigators have
one in hand as they travel to the mental health facility in North Carolina. I'm not stupid. I know you guys are here to
take me in. Trenton Fry agreed to talk to investigators and denied any involvement in Caitlyn's death. He said
he had checked himself into the hospital because the only person he had ever considered harming
>> [music] >> was himself. Knowing who I am, I can never hurt her on how much I care about her.
He did finally admit he had been in Virginia, >> [music] >> but claimed he was only looking for a
job and apartment, hoping that he [music] could eventually convince Caitlyn to get back together.
I was trying to give her space um while I figured everything out. But when challenged with evidence that he was at
her apartment complex, >> I'm missing pieces of time for like the last month. Trenton Fry claimed he had
no memory of it, that he sometimes blacked out for long periods of time, including the hours around Caitlyn's
attack. Is there anything else that could contribute to your memory loss? Drugs? No, no. I'm alcohol. No, you guys
can test me. Investigators had heard enough. And took Trenton Fry into custody. And how did you feel that he had been
arrested? Relieved that somebody was going to be, you know, held accountable. Trenton Fry was charged with
first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty. There's no evidence, no hard evidence,
nothing you can point to to prove that Trenton was ever in that apartment. Trenton Fry's defense
attorney, Joseph Sanzalone, insists his client didn't kill Caitlyn. He prepared to argue [music] at trial that there
wasn't a murder at all. I don't think anybody tried to kill Caitlyn. I think it was a purely an accident.
Today marks 2 months. 2 months from the last time that I told my daughter I loved her.
Tomorrow marks 3 months. Today is 16 months. It's been 25 months since my 28-year-old daughter was murdered.
As the months [music] dragged on awaiting trial, Crystal and her family demanded justice for Caitlyn on
billboards purchased around town. We now have a new court [music] date. This one should be it and I pray to God
that it is. Trenton Fry entered the courtroom [music] in March of 2025, 2 and 1/2 years after Caitlyn's death.
Her family was there, her brothers were there, her aunts were there. CBS Roanoke reporter Layla Mitchell
covered the trial. Prosecutors argue that Trenton Fry stalked, obsessed over, and ultimately strangled Caitlyn Lyons.
Layla Mitchell reported on TV. Caitlyn's family updated their growing community of supporters on TikTok. While
prosecutor Wes Nance made his case to the most important audience of all, the jury. Law enforcement called him later
that same afternoon. Mr. Fry told them I wasn't in Virginia. I was working in North Carolina. I
didn't even know where Caitlyn lived. Mr. Fry had given a number of inconsistent statements. What I would
absolutely characterize as lies because they were all in conflict with one another. And so they approached him
again. And this time he relied on an excuse out of a bad soap opera. Claimed he had amnesia. I don't remember
any of it. My whole head has been messed up. But prosecutor Wes Nance didn't have to
rely on Fry's memory. Not only did he have the digital data from Fry's phone placing him in the area, investigators
had also discovered that his device made one very important connection after Caitlyn and her daughter went to bed. At
4:15, right after they go to bed, Trenton Fry's cell phone connects to the iPad. And the iPad shows
the connection. Fry's phone had [music] automatically connected to Caitlyn's iPad via
Bluetooth, providing the only evidence, says Nance, that placed [music] Fry inside Kaitlin's apartment. Now, we have
the two of them within feet of each other during the window of the injuries. And what about that sound that Jacob
Pearcy heard earlier that evening? Nance believes that it was [music] Trenton Fry
positioning this metal bench that belonged to their downstairs neighbor [music] on the brick wall under their balcony.
Perfect extra circumstantiality. And if Mr. Fry would need to get to that side of Florida.
Trent Fry's defense attorney, Joseph Sanzone, concedes [music] that Fry, devastated after the breakup,
was in the area and admits that Fry [music] was at Kaitlin's apartment complex, but says
>> [music] >> he was only outside. I agree with the billboards in this case. Justice for Kaitlin, but it should
happen after a review of all the evidence. He points to the lack of DNA evidence at
the scene and disputes the prosecution's iPad Bluetooth connection theory. We don't know where the iPad was.
And that's because the iPad was recovered [music] by investigators at Aunt Sherry's house. She told them she
grabbed it from Kaitlin's apartment when she picked up Milani after the attack. But it was in the apartment, right?
>> we don't know that. We just know it connected. Would you admit, though, that he's a pretty unlucky guy that he
happens to be >> [music] >> outside the apartment when someone else kills his ex-girlfriend? Yeah, and
whoever did it in that circumstance is the luckiest guy. Jacob Pearcy, the man who found Kaitlin
Lyon unresponsive, took the stand to testify today. Jacob Pearcy, Sand Zone argued, was the
more likely killer. What would be Jacob Pearcy's motive for killing Caitlyn? I don't think anybody tried to kill
Caitlyn. I think it was a purely an accident. Sand Zone suggests that Jacob Pearcy strangled Caitlyn in a consensual
sex act, one that went too far. I was furious. He degraded He humiliated my daughter.
Oh, I was I was so mad. The medical examiner found no evidence of any sexual assault or even
recent sexual activity. This is not sex gone wrong. This is a murder. A murder, Sand Zone says, Trenton Fry
couldn't have committed, saying it was impossible for Fry to get into Caitlyn's apartment, kill her, and get away
without waking anyone, especially the dogs. >> Isn't it possible that someone slipped
into the apartment quietly, strangled her, and left, and not alarm the dogs? >> Only Tom Cruise can do that as far as I
know. I just can't imagine in in real life. Sand Zone has a witness whom he believes
can help make [music] his case, Trenton Fry himself. Did you expect Trent to take the stand?
I didn't. I was shocked. When Trenton Fry took the stand to tell the jury his story, [music] he appeared
to have regained his memory of his actions that night. Did you do anything except the walk?
No, I that's that's all I did was watch. And walk around. If they don't hear from your client,
they're not going to believe what you say. They need to hear from the person. I don't ever remember
being in the apartment because I never was. Prosecutor Wes Nance challenged Fry's
story. You were spying on her. Yes. You were gathering intel Yes. But Fry remained adamant that he could
not have killed Caitlyn. [music] And I could not have climbed that balcony without making a sound. I would
have to be a ninja of some sort. >> [music] >> But Nance says that gas station surveillance photo of Fry, taken hours
before the murder, proves that he dressed [music] the part. A ninja is known for being in stealth mode, and I
think changing his outfit to black is him going into stealth mode. Don't let any
excuses. Don't let the word play. Don't let the memory past confuse you. Trenton Fry is guilty
of first-degree But would that add up to reasonable doubt for the jury? Until they have some proof
that my client was inside that apartment, nothing in this case can be proven. Not
one thing. >> [music] >> Today, the jury will be told that they can either find Trenton Fry guilty of
first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or they can find him not guilty at all.
All of our nerves are on edge. So, wish us all luck today. >> [sighs and gasps] >> It's going to be rough.
We weren't going to leave, whether it was an hour or 20 hours. But you didn't have to wait very long, did you? No.
The jury wasted no time today, deliberating for just about an hour. Because it came back so quick, I was
very concerned that it didn't go the way that we wanted. Moments later, Crystal heard the three
words she had been praying [music] for. Guilty, first degree. Trenton Fry was found guilty of
first-degree murder in Caitlyn's death. I was staring at his face the entire time, and he had no reaction when the
verdict was read. Caitlyn's family burst into tears. Having Trenton Fry be accountable for his actions does bring
our family a little bit of peace. Tina, flanked by her sisters and Caitlyn's brothers, announced the verdict to their
supporters. >> This entire process has been brutal for our family. 4 months later, they returned to court
for Trenton Fry's sentencing. [music] This man didn't just take a life, he destroyed a family.
Caitlyn's brother spoke about the impact on Milani. He left my niece to wake up next to her
mother's lifeless body. She now lives in fear of the dark and the monsters that come in your home
while you're sleeping. I've begged God too many times to count to please please take me.
Let me die because the pain is unbearable. Crystal was clear what she hoped for her
daughter's killer. I was sentenced to a lifetime without my daughter. Milani was sentenced to a lifetime
without her mama, so he needs life. Mr. Fry, would you stand, please? Sir, is there anything you wish to say? Yes,
um Trenton Fry turned to Caitlyn's family. I probably have not felt it on the level
that you all have, but I have felt it for her loss, and I truly am sorry for the loss that
you have experienced. But he never took responsibility for Caitlyn's murder. The amount of terror, the amount of
horror inflicted upon this young innocent woman is unimaginable. Responsibility that Judge James Updyke
reminded him was his alone. Unimaginable to anyone to everybody except you. Cuz you were there.
You saw it. You caused it. I hereby sentence you to imprisonment for life. Life in prison.
Even though we got the verdict we wanted my daughter's still not here. If I could walk out of that courtroom
and hugged her then I would have won. Nobody won. I think that everyone that has lost
their lives to domestic violence their names need to [music] be said. Crystal's TikTok videos are now focused
on sharing Caitlyn's experience and hoping her story could help save someone else. I don't want another mother,
another family to go through what we're going through. I have to be my daughter's voice and I
have to help save other women. She and her family have embraced the man who did all he could [music] to save
Caitlyn, Jacob Pearcy. He's a hero. She needed him and he was doing everything he could to help her.
They opened up and welcomed me to Christmases and Thanksgivings and hangouts and birthdays and cookouts and
they really made me feel like part of the family. >> [laughter] >> A family's still adapting in Caitlyn's
absence. >> In my head, it's up. Crystal enjoys a familiar role as Melanie's grandmother.
While Ann Sherry, who always shared a special bond with Caitlin and her little girl, has become Melanie's guardian.
What does she call you? She calls me Mama now, Mommy. Was that hard for you at first? Yes, because
I didn't want my sister to be upset because I didn't want her to think I was taking Melanie from Caitlin. Erasing
Caitlin, I was like, absolutely not, you know. You are her mommy [music] now. And she
knows she's got Mommy number one that had her, Caitlin. But you're her mommy now.
Melanie will get to know her first mom through the journals she left. Your younger self would be so envious of
where you are now. You're such a hard worker and such an amazing mother. Caitlin, as she saw herself.
You're beautiful, powerful, [music] and so strong. Her final entry focused on one subject,
love. I am loved. I deserve to be loved. I am worthy of love. She knew that she was loved.
She still is. Very much so. >> [music] [music] >> Welcome to Postmortem. I'm your host
Anne Marie Green, and today we are discussing the case of 28-year-old Kaitlin Lyon Montgomery, who was found
unresponsive by her roommate in October of 2022. When she later died of her injuries to
her head and her neck at the hospital, the case evolved into a homicide investigation, and it sparked a social
media fight for justice from her family. So, joining me today is 48 Hours correspondent Erin Moriarty to talk
about this case. Thank you, Erin. It's another tough one, Anne Marie, because Kaitlin's mother
described her as glitter. She was such a loss. So, it's a tough case to discuss.
All right, so let's get into this case. In the early morning hours of October 7th, 2022, Kaitlin Montgomery was rushed
to the hospital after her roommate Jacob Pearcy called 911. Now, and this is a heartbreaking part of
this, it was her 4-year-old daughter who first alerted Jacob that her mom would not wake up. But Kaitlin's home wasn't
initially treated as a crime scene, and that's because first responders thought that Kaitlin
probably overdosed on drugs. At the hospital, doctors discovered the bruises around her neck.
So, my question to you is, how did first responders miss this? How did they miss
that there was a a possible strangulation here? Anne Marie, this was a new one for me because as it turns
out, she had been so recently attacked that those bruises didn't come out, and they didn't see anything. And because
she was unresponsive, and because she was young, they assumed she must have taken something. It must
have been an overdose. And this case really serves as a reminder, and I hear this all the time, of why every
uh scene, death scene, has to be treated like a homicide. But, the other side of
this is, of course, that the first responders, you know, she was still alive. Their priority was not that
scene. They wanted to save her life. Yeah, and now that I'm talking it out with you, I can count the number of
times that I've maybe hit my thigh on a a table and said to myself, "Boy, that's
going to bruise." And I know the bruise isn't going to pop up probably for another hour or so. And so, when I think
about that, it makes sense that the bruises would not have been visible by the time um the first responders were
there. >> You're absolutely right. In fact, in many strangulation cases, I mean, there
may be no bruises at all or they may be internal and not show up on the outside.
Um and this was an attack that was very quick. Uh she was probably asleep, so there
were no uh defensive uh wounds. But, those bruises did become visible um at the hospital. And I
thought it was really interesting that actually those bruises helped a lot in terms of creating like a timestamp for
the attack. The fact that the bruises didn't immediately appear actually, in a weird way, helped the investigation
because it helped the lead investigator to determine approximately what time the
attack happened. And what they believe is that it happened about an hour before Jacob Pearcy called 911, which would
make it somewhere between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. And that becomes very important during the trial. Mhm.
Do investigators know where Caitlyn's daughter, Milani, was when the attack happened. Oh, this is so sad. Yes, she
was in bed with her mother. Um hopefully she won't have any memories if she saw any of it. She
was just 4 years of age when this happened. Um but because she was there, she was either awakened by it or awoke
on her own right afterwards and thank God that she ran to get Jacob because to be honest, if she had not gotten Jacob
right away, um those certainly the bruises would have appeared, but they might not have been able to figure out
exactly when she had been murdered. So, after Caitlyn dies of her injuries, investigators almost immediately zero in
on Jacob Pearcy, her roommate. At one point they actually tell Caitlyn's family that they're 99% sure
that it's Jacob. So, what made them sort of pivot from being 99% sure that it's the roommate to
looking at Well, what could that 1% be? Well, I mean there's a a reason why investigators first looked at Jacob
Pearcy for one reason, he was the only other adult in the apartment. It was Caitlyn, her
daughter, and Jacob Pearcy. There is no sign of forced entry. This was actually Jacob Pearcy's first night living in the
apartment. Um he had just moved in the evening before she was attacked. And they learned that he had tried to ask
Caitlyn out. Um and so they're thinking, you know, maybe she spurned him. But on
the other side of that, you know, he was so cooperative and handed over his phone
right away and wanted to do whatever he could to help out the investigation. And
that just didn't fit with someone who was trying to hide what he had done. And I should point out, they're also hearing
from the family that there was somebody else that the family suspected. But I have to tell you, they were looking hard
at Jacob Pearcy, and he knew it. He was scared. He was. Yeah, you know, I felt I
felt for him, but he he looks a little suspicious. The investigator, which I thought really helped him,
before they really moved off of Jacob, he went back and listened to the 911 call,
and you could hear that Jacob was trying to do what he could to save her life. Right.
>> So, it did make investigators finally look at somebody else. Right, and you mentioned that her family was
mentioning, "Hey, there is someone else you should look at." Investigators start looking at
Caitlyn's ex-boyfriend. His name is Trenton Fry, and he's got a motive, because 10 days before the attack, she
dumped him. She had discovered that he was really kind of overplaying this idea that he was a successful businessman,
and he spun this whole story about who he was and what he did for a living. And so, she wastes no time. She breaks up
with him. She blocks him. Um you know, Aaron, the investigators and the prosecutor, they're really kind
of characterizing this as a case of domestic violence. I know you've covered many domestic violence cases. When women
leave their partners, they are particularly vulnerable. Uh you know, I've covered too many of
these stories, Anne Marie, and if there's anything that viewers and listeners take away from this story,
I want it to be that. And that certainly seems to be the case in Caitlyn's case.
Uh so, Trenton Fry, on paper, looked like the perfect guy. He had done a lot to promote this image of himself as the
owner of a security business and construction business. And he apparently, according to the
prosecution, um, was very upset when Caitlyn held him accountable for the lies. You know, when it turned out that
he may have had those businesses, but he wasn't making any real money. He didn't
have good credit. And she was upending that image that he had created. Mhm. And there's one other, I think, important
point. We find out later that that Caitlyn wasn't the only woman in his life. He had other girlfriends. You're
kidding me. Yeah, no, it's true. And apparently, um, this fact that Caitlyn could walk away
so easily, according to the prosecutor, was enough to make him angry. See, to me, that's
you know, those one of those red flags. Like, this is not about love. This is about ownership.
>> That's certainly what the prosecution believes was the motive. So, you know, Fry, of course, tells investigators he
wasn't anywhere close, uh, to Caitlyn, uh, when this attack happened. That he was hours away. He was working in North
Carolina. Um, except they find some pretty solid evidence that he wasn't. For one thing,
they noticed that there were cell phone tower pings that occurred in Virginia when he had told investigators he was in
North Carolina. And those pings started 3 days before the attack. And then another interesting thing is that two of
Caitlyn's neighbors saw an unfamiliar man sitting outside the apartments. And one neighbor was so scared of this
guy that she actually went home to her parents. So, he must have been sending off
really creepy vibes. And the other person actually took a picture and it's timestamped on October 6th, which is a
day before she was attacked. Then we get to what investigators uncover with the the browser history. They figure out
that he's been actually looking at the layout of her apartment. >> And that is very helpful because this is
a case um where you have to wonder how did he get into the apartment? Her apartment was on the second floor.
Um there isn't like a fire escape or anything. So, you're wondering that and how was someone able to find her room so
quickly? Kill her, get out, and get away um in a very short period of time. So, that
layout really mattered because it showed that he was trying to figure out where everybody was in the apartment. And he
had, as you point out, Amari, those 3 days sitting out there. So, I think the prosecution's theory was that he was
outside looking where the lights were and could figure out where was her bedroom as opposed to Jacob Pearces. I
do find kind of that part of the case challenging that he was able to slip in and slip out
without anyone noticing, without making noise. And there were dogs in the apartment.
>> Amari, that was I had the biggest problem with that because dogs bark at everything. Now, I understand why
Caitlyn's dog might not have barked because Caitlyn's dog knew Trenton Fry. But what troubled me was that there were
also two dogs in the in Jacob Pearces' room. But the prosecutor says those dogs were in a closed room with Jacob. Jacob
wasn't being threatened. And so there wasn't a reason for the dogs to bark. >> And the other thing is, you know,
often it's very difficult to disturb a scene without leaving something behind. And investigators found nothing that
really placed Fry inside Caitlyn's apartment. That is true, and that was the strongest
argument that the defense leaned on at trial. Um but that scene was so contaminated by dogs and people and
first responders and made it more difficult for investigators later on. Now, the only real evidence that pointed
to uh Trenton Fry being in the apartment is this time when Trenton Fry's phone connects to Caitlyn's iPad, which is
very damaging, and the prosecution uses that to say, "He had to be in the apartment to make that connection." But
what the defense argued was, "How do you know that iPad was actually in the apartment at that time?" Because when
Caitlyn's aunt came to the scene, when they first thought it was an overdose, uh Aunt Sherry took the iPad home with
her, and that's where investigators got it. When investigators sort of confront Fry with the evidence that they have
about allegedly being in Caitlyn's apartment, he claims he has no memory of it. Then he starts to talk about, you
know, he has periods of of blacking out. We've heard this before, Aaron. >> And Em Marie, [music] if we've heard it
a lot, think how often the investigators have heard that. October 20th, 2022, Trenton Fry
>> [music] >> is charged with Caitlyn's murder, and he pleads not guilty. Now, before Trenton Fry's trial even
began, Kaitlin's mother, Crystal, her two aunts, Sherry and Tina, they took to social media. They started posting
videos on Tik Tok to talk about the case, and it's definitely something that we've been seeing, whether it's the
families of victims wanting more attention on a case that hasn't been solved, or wanting more attention on a
suspect who has been charged. I just did a a case involving Molly Bish, and her sister used Tik Tok to try
to get new tips and new evidence. So, yes, it's happening all the time. In this case, though, as reporters, you
really get a sense of what this family went through in a way you couldn't any other way.
Kaitlin's mother, Crystal, happens to have two sisters, and these women all are very supportive of each other. And
so, when Crystal was having difficulty grappling with her pain and her loss, her sisters come through, and the way
they support her is on Tik Tok in telling people what's happening and how we have to have justice for
Kaitlin. You know, they really were pushing for that. A lot of these videos really brought Kaitlin to life. Like,
she pops off the screen. Oh, she does. Um I often feel this, but I felt this in particular in this case that I wish I'd
known Kaitlin Montgomery. As I mentioned, her mom called her glitter, and she does remind you of
glitter. She was very adept at a dance called shuffling. I was not familiar with that
before I start on this story. It's this very, very quick step dance that Kaitlin had learned from her
brother. And remember, Kaitlin Montgomery was this tiny little thing. And so really what you see when you see
videos of her are just her little feet moving moving moving. And so she does pop. Yeah. Um Trenton Fry also had
support from his family. Trenton Fry he has a sister who clearly loves him and I think she felt she had to defend
him if there were all these Tik Toks pointing the finger at him. And so when the trial started there were a lot of
Tik Tok videos that she produced to say wait a minute. You know, maybe he didn't
do it. Here's why he didn't do it. Why are we looking at him? He actually takes the stand in his own defense which is as
we've said every time it happens it's unusual despite the fact that it seems to happen more often than not on 48
hours. It's not it's not normal. It is not. You know, the general view of defense attorneys is you do not put your
client who's standing trial for murder on the stand. But what I've heard in this case is that this particular
attorney often puts clients on the stand and he said to me that he felt in this case
Trenton had to take the stand. That the jury needed to hear from him. And Trenton Fry had to make that decision as
well. But he was the one who would take the stand and he wanted to. The defense tried to raise doubt during the trial by
suggesting that Jacob Pearcy had had been the one who strangled Kaitlin because of some sort of consensual sex
act that that went too far. I understand the role of the defense. Um but I just kind of personally it felt a little icky
to kind of throw this out there. I have I have with you Anne Um, the defense often and has certainly
has the right to raise reasonable doubt where the defense attorney feels it's best. What's wrong with that is the
defense knew that there was evidence that contradicted it. Um, the medical examiner actually
testified that there was no evidence that she had had recent sexual activity. So, I was troubled that that would be
raised because it probably wasn't going to be enough to sway the jurors when there was no evidence of it and they
heard that, but it did hurt the family. Mhm. Um, particularly Caitlyn's mother was so upset. And so,
I that one oh, I struggled with. The defense has the right to do it, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the right
thing to do. Mhm. So, it doesn't take the jury long to come to a conclusion here. They only
deliberated for about an hour before delivering the verdict. Trenton Fry was found guilty of first-degree murder in
in Caitlyn's death. Four months later, they returned to court for Trenton Fry's sentencing. Aaron, you were there for
the sentencing. What was it like in the courtroom? Well, of course, I really wanted to go because the defendant might
say something, um, uh, accepting responsibility or at least apologizing or something that might give
some peace to family members, but in this case, he accepted no responsibility for it. So,
it upset, I think, people belonging to Caitlyn's family, but it really upset the judge. And I think you need to hear
it for yourself because, um, it really shows and explains why the judge ended up sentencing him
the way he did. This murder was as cold-blooded, premeditated, and calculated as any I've seen.
The manner of death was strangulation. Death was not instantaneous. The amount of terror, the amount of
horror inflicted upon this young, innocent woman is unimaginable. Unimaginable to anyone,
to everybody, except to you. Cuz you were there. You saw it. You caused it. I hereby sentence you to imprisonment
for life. Because in my opinion, a sentence for anything less would be less than what you justly
deserve. Uh you can hear people responding in the courtroom. Um I think it was from both sides. Um cuz I
know that Caitlyn's family, there were like tears, but there were tears on the part of Trenton Fry's family, too, who
um from all appearances, and certainly they testified on his behalf, supported him.
But this was a judge who had been both a prosecutor and then a judge for 47 years, and you would think had seen
everything, and this case really set him off, as you can tell. I that gave me chills hearing it again. Mhm.
Um Milani, she is with Caitlyn's aunt now. But she's not Why is she not living with
her grandmother, Caitlyn's mom? Aunt Sherry has always been the mother hen of the family. She's the oldest of the
three sisters. And she had a a close relationship with uh Caitlyn and Milani. And so, at this
point, she is raising uh Milani, but Crystal is all good with that because she can see her granddaughter anytime
she wants. And um and I think from the family's perspective, they all have said this is definitely the right way to do
it. And um and you could just see she is blossoming as a child. And I think We have a little bit more sound about how
she's doing. There were moments in the beginning that, you know, it was heartbreaking,
but we do everything we can to keep her busy, and she's just a happy little girl.
What does she call you? She calls me Mama now, Mommy. Was that hard for you at first? Yes, because I didn't want my
sister to be upset because I didn't want her to think I was taking Milani from Caitlyn and erasing Caitlyn, and I'm not
trying to do that, but how can I tell Milani not to call me Mama when I'm doing everything, you know? She's used
to being with me. I was the first one to be at the apartment to get her, and from
that day on, it was like I've been her person. Um I rescue It's like I rescued her, and
she has clung to me. She she feels safe with me. Um and the way we have it works for us.
This is a story of a wonderful wonderful, warm family that lost a very important member, and they are trying to
get through it and make it the best they can for her daughter. It's It's inspiring and heartbreaking at the same
time. Um [music] Erin, it's always great talking to you. Thank you so much. Thanks, Amarie.

Watch "The Sneak Attack on Katlyn Lyon" and then catch up with 48 Hours correspondents Anne-Marie Green and Erin Moriarty on "Post Mortem" as they discuss the case that went viral on TikTok.

00:00 The Sneak Attack on Katlyn Lyon 42:19 Watch the Post Mortem podcast

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

Caitlin Lyon Montgomery was murdered, leading to a trial that revealed stalking and domestic violence issues involving her ex-boyfriend Trenton Fry.

Key points

The Tragic Incident. Caitlin was found unresponsive, leading to a shocking revelation about her fate.
The Investigation Begins. Initial thoughts of overdose shift as investigators uncover signs of foul play.
The Search for Justice. Caitlin's family vows to seek justice and uncover the truth behind her death.
Unraveling Relationships. Caitlin's relationships come under scrutiny as investigators look for suspects.
Caitlyn's Murder. Caitlyn was brutally attacked in her sleep, leaving her daughter nearby.
Trenton Fry's Arrest. Fry was taken into custody after denying involvement in Caitlyn's death.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

She was beautiful, she was smart, and she loved to shop and dance.

0:46WatchMar 1, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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The Sneak Attack on Katlyn Lyon | Full Episode + Post Mortem | Forensic Files