Victims of kidnapping forgive attacker 20 years later | Forensic Files

I heard my daughter say are you gonna kill my mommy and are you gonna kill me and they said no not if your mommy does
everything that we tell her to do it was November 21st 2000 when the lives of Michelle Renee and her daughter Bria
changed forever it had been such a long day and I was just excited to be home with Bria we were on the couch it was
just the two of us I was sitting here she was right beside me and we were playing Game Boy
and we just heard this huge the sound just the biggest noise from behind us and we I turned to look and just saw
three people they're all lined up one right after the other just rushing in running in the door that like SWAT style
and they had their guns and they were all in black the men forced Michelle and Bria who was only seven years old at the
time to the ground and told them that if they didn't cooperate they would be killed a group of individuals put
Michelle into surveillance knowing she was a bank manager and they devised a plan
they said you're gonna rob the bank for us or we will kill you and your daughter
will be first the masked men held Michelle and her daughter at gunpoint throughout the
night the ringleader gave Michelle specific instructions on how to rob her own bank the next morning he said get up
it's time to get ready for work I got dressed and started doing my hair when he came in and stopped me
and said we need to put Michelle Bria and their roommate were strapped with dynamite the ringleader
showed Michelle what looked like a doorbell this is a detonation device one false
move I push this button you will disintegrate your daughter will go first and they sat me right here and said now
we're going to take your daughter the gunman put Bria in the bedroom closet Michelle then drove to work with
dynamite strapped to her back the ringleader crouched in the back of the car as she drove after she arrived at
the bank she headed to the Vault with a briefcase stuffed with a duffel bag and then you just opened up the duffel bag
and started shoveling in money I did my heart was racing my am I fast enough Michelle exited the bank with 360
thousand dollars and got back in the car with the ringleader the gunman told Michelle to get out of the car and then
told her where she'd be able to find it Michelle then raced home to find Bria still in the closet the other two gunmen
were gone and so was the dynamite strapped to bria's back and their roommates but the ringleader had
forgotten to remove it from Michelle after removing the dynamite from Michelle's back they ran to a neighbor
I called 9-1-1 right away [Music] some neighbors of ours were held hostage I need somebody out here right away
investigators in the bomb squad arrived and discovered the dynamite was fake investigators questioned Michelle for
several hours during the 14-hour hostage ordeal Michelle had held on to details that might help identify the suspects
when I turned the light on to go to the bathroom and I saw his eyes in there I said those eyes were at my desk I those
eyes were at my desk today oh my God Michelle says she recognized the ringleader's eyes he had come to the
bank earlier that day and posed as a customer and he sat at my desk for a really long time asking sort of the same
questions over and over and then a woman walked in and said Chris we need to get
going and they got up and left the man handed Michelle a business card with the name Christopher Butler on it it didn't
take long for investigators to arrest Butler and his accomplices they found physical evidence tying them to the
crime including the ingredients to make the fake Dynamite they were broom handles which were cut up into small
dowels which actually were used in making the fake Dynamite they also recovered the the actual
spray cans it was crazy I've never seen that much physical evidence left at a crime scene they thought they'd gotten
away with it yeah by June of 2002 Butler went on trial during his testimony he claimed that he had an affair with
Michelle and that she masterminded the bank robbery plot I was shocked it's almost laughable what was his story
about how the two of you met from what I understand we met in a grocery store and that I recruited him
Butler claimed he'd gone to Michelle's house that night with two accomplices he said that in the early morning hours
while smoking pot Michelle brought up the bank robbery idea again and decided they should do it that morning evidence
of this his proof of this zero the jury ultimately found Butler guilty of the bank robbery and also found him guilty
of Bria and their roommates kidnapping but they hung 9-3 on the charges of kidnapping Michelle
nearly 20 years later Christopher Butler was up for parole he's the one who lied about me
prosecutor Tom Manning made sure he was at the parole hearing Manning saw a chance to set the record straight by
asking Butler about the story he told when he was on the stand that Michelle was The Mastermind shell if I felt it
was right I was going to go for it what'd you think about that go for it ask away even though that's
risky it's a little risky this guy could go to the Grave with these lies the risk
paid off Butler recanted his whole story admitting he and Michelle never had a relationship how did that feel to hear
that hmm about time I wanted everybody who ever doubted me to read this parole transcript I want to
blast it all over the Internet that there was never ever a chance that I would ever ever have been involved in
anything like this ever finally 20 years after the crime Butler apologized to his victims in the
kidnapping do you accept Christopher Butler's apology I do yeah a thousand percent
I appreciate him finally being honest after all this time I hope he keeps digging deeper
yeah I forgave him a long time ago and I accept his apology in a very weird way I could breathe I could exhale finally
after all this time [Music]

On Nov. 21, 2000, three men broke into Michelle and Breea Renee's home, threatened them with dynamite and forced Michelle to rob her own bank. More than two decades later, they explain why they are able to forgive.

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.

For video licensing inquiries, contact: licensing@veritone.com

Brief Summary

Michelle Renee recounts her terrifying bank robbery ordeal and Christopher Butler's eventual recantation of false claims against her.

Key points

A Mother's Nightmare. Michelle and her daughter Bria are taken hostage by armed men demanding a bank robbery.
The Fake Dynamite. Michelle is forced to wear fake dynamite during the robbery, heightening the stakes.
The Trial and Accusations. Butler claims Michelle masterminded the robbery, shocking everyone involved.
Butler's Recantation. After 20 years, Butler admits he lied about Michelle's involvement in the crime.
Forgiveness After Two Decades. Michelle accepts Butler's apology, finding closure after years of doubt.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It's almost laughable what was his story about how the two of you met.

Michelle reacts to Butler's absurd claims during the trial.

4:30WatchFeb 15, 2023

Tension

85/ 100High tension

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.