What Angelina Saw | Full Episode | Forensic Files

foreign [Music] we would go every weekend in the summer she's fun she was spunky young mom my
name is Angelina Fernandes and Stephanie Fernandez is my mother Angelina is my everything I really can't
imagine anything without her just remember feeling the joy when she would tuck me in at night and give me
the nighttime kiss I feel like I've done a pretty good job with raising her she wanted to have like that picture
perfect an All-American dream family with a nice house and kids who are these two people
the lady is my mom and the man is Andrew Wagner my mom met him when I was six years old
it's been said that you would call him your stepdad is that true yes he had really nice eyes he was very
handsome he liked to work out so he was really big I was with him for five years
there was a lot of signs in the beginning Sevilla jealousy a lot of control he would say I trust you it's the other
people I don't trust I don't trust other men I would hear them arguing I heard her
like screaming and crying I had a talk with my mom I know what's going on between you two and I don't like it you
guys need to stop it can't happen anymore I walked down and I saw my mom and the Neighbors in the house
I'm like what is going on like I knew Andy was hurt I knew my mom was in distress and just
she was crying you could see blood yeah blood footprints just blood everywhere it was shocked like I didn't even know
what to think I just remember wanting to make sure my mom was okay because I didn't know where she went she was
just taken please please um I I need someone please oh no what are you doing I'm gonna freak oh my God
no house and we can only talk to one of them where did all the blood come from this is Andrew's one
all right we're gonna go okay please get in the hospital bed [Music] foreign [Music]
in the pre-dawn hours of May 8 2014. this is like a nightmare I'll walk at night Stephanie Fernandez was desperate
to learn from police what had happened to her fiancee Andrew Andy Wagner I know this is a traumatic night okay
okay at around 10 30 the night before after a sudden bloody encounter with Andy at
their home in Worcester Massachusetts Stephanie says she couldn't find her cell phone so she rushed to a neighbor's
house to get help foreign it's coming up on the left which house right here on the left
Stephanie's daughter Angelina Fernandez now 20 was just 11 years old that night where was your bedroom
well no upstairs but can you still remember yeah it's like pictures so I was sleeping and I heard
the door slam shut and it woke me up and then I just heard my mom from outside help me someone help me
and then I just hear my mom screaming and crying when you looked from that balcony down and
could see your mother and Andy there's blood everywhere and then I saw them giving CPR on him
I just remember my mom and then she spotted me upstairs and she pointed at me and she was like someone
get her someone get my daughter police took Angelina to a relative's house Andy was rushed by paramedics to
the hospital police took Stephanie to the station where she was led into an interrogation room and interviewed for
almost three hours [Music] I can't even talk like he's my life it doesn't even matter like I love him
so much in there I don't no no I don't know what to do like I'm gonna freak out again
I don't want to hear nothing I don't want to hear nothing and if anything bad happened to my family so please don't
tell me I know I look psycho please just for right now I just want to get some basic
information okay detective William perrow led the questioning before we talk about the incident that
occurred tonight I have to read you your rights okay you have the right to use a
telephone and contact an attorney do you understand this right Stephanie right now we can't talk to Andrew I can talk
to you okay well I can't even talk to him the officers press on telling Stephanie
that Wagner is in the hospital Stephanie appears to settle down a bit well something happened in blood
no oh yeah you have a lot of blood on you and that's I would assume that's Andrew's blood yes this is Andrew's
blood no Stephanie changes into a white coverall and two hours into her interview finally learns and Dees fate
Andrew is no longer with us oh and there's a reason why that happened but we don't know that reason yet
oh Stephanie is told Andy is dead she begins to reveal details of what happened that night what happened was we
got into an altercation and he was hitting me and that's what happened and he pulled out a knife and God he started
like choking me and hitting me and stuff and autopsy would later reveal Wagner had bled to death after being stabbed in
the neck Stephanie was later charged with first degree murder I never never and never would
kill someone harm someone in that way on purpose Stephanie Fernandez is talking publicly
for the first time about the death of her fiance Andrew Wagner I will always love him
but how did it come to this just five years earlier Stephanie was smitten with Andrew Wagner blue eyes really nice
smile nice hair just really handsome and really fun personality very talkative and did you feel an
attraction to him right away yes I did we had chemistry a lot at the time Andy worked at the tire shop
of a Costco he dreamed of working in law enforcement in the beginning Angelina got along with him what kind of things
did you guys do together we used to watch Criminal Minds together did your mom ever tell you Angelina I'm
I love Andrew I I'd like to I'd like to marry Andrews someday yes and her she just she wanted that
foreign but what Angelina didn't know at the time was that her mother's life with
Andy Wagner also had a violent side recalled Stephanie's friend Danielle Lord she constantly had like grab marks on
her arms she had marks on her inside of her legs like I have never seen in my life
[Music] um the little girl is me and my mom is next to me Stephanie Fernandez [Music]
so tender and loving and she was high energy and I was like her little sidekick [Music]
Angelina was just six years old when Andrew Wagner came into her life he remembers good times at the beach
family gatherings and vacations we would actually go to Cape Cod every summer to his parents
Cape house which was fun she loved him she wanted a house with him she wanted to get
married to him she wanted babies in those Early Times Angelina says her mom never said how she met Andy Wagner never
revealed what she did for a living that kept her away at night she was beautiful she just had these
piercing eyes first that you notice and her hair was just beautiful Danielle Lord worked with Stephanie in a
Massachusetts nightclub we both were very intimidating a lot of men would say that we were intimidating
especially together that's attractive to men we just became this kind of Duo what did you do at the
nightclub I was a topless dancer exotic dancer exotic dancer a stripper yeah and
had you been trained in dancing at all I took dance classes when I was younger not in that way but
[Music] Stephanie was a single mom she says after she split up with Angelina's father she needed to earn a paycheck I
would go in there make a lot of money and then I would get out and and be there for my mom and my daughter one
night back in 2009 a new guy at the club caught her eye I was on stage and he was
there we just started talking and talked for like an hour she was instantly attracted to him she
wanted to be with him she didn't look at him like a customer she was like oh this is a cute guy I
like him at first Stephanie loved the attention I thought oh he's just into me he just
really likes me I think she just had stars in her eyes Danielle says Stephanie and Andy's relationship
quickly became a little obsessive a lot of alarms went off whenever Steph met Andy
the alarms that she couldn't hear he was completely possessive right from the beginning Andy was calling her
non-stop messaging her and showing up at the club right from the beginning Stephanie and Andy moved in together
almost immediately in Worcester Massachusetts Danielle says their relationship moved from obsessive to
dangerous I've never in my life seen bruises like that ever and I don't I don't even want
to think of what she went through to get those bruises we were covering it with makeup when she
had the bruising down there there was nothing he could do to cover it soon after moving in together Stephanie says
Andrew demanded some changes did he demand that you stopped dancing oh yeah yes his girl was not gonna dance at a
club and I said jokingly nervously jokingly well who's going to pay my bills and why
did he want you to quit because of the attention the men taking off my top in front of men
Stephanie says she stopped dancing but the violence continued he's hit me in my head and my face he's
choked me Stephanie says she took this photo in 2010. body shots all over the place my mouth my eyes everywhere
why didn't you ever call the police and report this violence I was told that bullets can go through
paper it would mean nothing with a restraining order he would get to me way quicker than the
cops would and just I would die if I left him I can't explain it it's very hard to
leave a domestic violence situation you don't have your own money you don't have
anywhere to go you know you're broken down completely your brain is like scrambled eggs and
you can't think for yourself and you just walk around every day like you're in you're like shock you just want to
end the day and when you wake up the next day it's just another day doing the same thing so I think she was just stuck
in a situation that she didn't know how to get out of in spite of their volatile
relationship in 2012 Stephanie and Andy were engaged a short time later Andy became a corrections officer
you and Andy had bought a condo together you were planning a wedding correct yes
you seem happy in that picture what went wrong Savannah jealousy but Stephanie admits it wasn't just Andy
sometimes she antagonized him teasing and tormenting him with texts they're pretty vicious
yeah you admit that right I do it's it's embarrassing I asked Stephanie to read a
few I'm gonna ask your best friend you should kill yourself hope a car falls on you
I admit I'm flawed yeah I can get upset she says Andrew would get upset too especially when she
wore outfits that might make her attractive to other men he's freaked out over the tank top that I was wearing
grabbed me and then threw me on my bed in the room and tore it off took out his gun
made sure I knew there was bullets in it and um jammed it down my throat did he threaten to kill you
did he threaten to pull during that time it was if I didn't listen to him yes that he he was going
to kill me when he was mad he'd turn into a different person his whole face would
get red his pupils would dilate it was like possession of demonic entity Angelina
recalls seeing Andrew trying to headbutt her mother he'd go like like that would
he bump her when a head belt will literally make contact I know but it would go right up
in her face yeah and yeah and she called that a headbutt right yeah and did that
bother her by early 2013 Stephanie decided she and Angelina needed to change she left
Andrew and began a new relationship with an old boyfriend Mike Laramie I left Andy to get away from the abuse in a
number of things Stephanie says both men knew about each other what I did with Andy and Mike knew about
what I did what Mike Andy knew about she says mike treated her very well he spoiled me in every way he would
carry me into bed if I fell asleep on the couch and just months after they got back
together Mike proposed and Stephanie accepted Mike brought me to Niagara Falls need to take out the ring and asked if I
would marry him and I did wear the ring both men knew that you were engaged to the other man yes
about a month later Laramie says he broke off the engagement Stephanie got back together with Andy but she says it
was more out of fear than love if I didn't go back with Andy he would have killed Mike or definitely myself if I
didn't go back with him he never would have let me live once Stephanie was back she says the
cycle of abuse resumed just three days before his death Andy texted her he said I'm going to effing kill you
do you remember him texting that to you I remember him texting that saying that all the time
then on the night of May 7 2014 everything exploded Angelina was upstairs in bed Stephanie
says she was in the kitchen preparing dinner when Andy started an argument about what she'd been doing that week
while he was away at work that's what started the questions what have I been doing all week
things like that just escalated she says Andy wanted to have sex Stephanie didn't
he was punching me in the head um trying to pin me down trying to remove my pants
then she says he pulled out a gun and tried to pin her against the couch I was in fear of my life
I was trying to get away Stephanie says she grabbed this knife to scare him what unfolded would soon end
one life and Destroy another it just was so quick he just charged at me once ahead bought me as he always
would do how are you holding the knife like this show me so you have it up and he's coming at you
right yeah and what happens that's when I'm like stay away from me stay away from me as he screaming I'm gonna kill
you he's on the other side and he goes to grab my hand and it must have nicked his neck the one and a half or two and a
half inch whatever it was you held the knife that cut your fiancee's artery and he
bled to death people would think well you murdered him my actions led to him dying they did
but I didn't make a decision to take his life I did not want that to happen but if it wasn't him that would have been me
in the ground [Music] hear more from Angelina and learn more about the case at 48hours.com
foreign [Music] Fernandez trial finally approached her legal team prepared her defense domestic
violence or intimate partner violence was Central to the entire case Mara tansley was one of Fernandes attorneys
it set up the nature of the relationship between these two people and I think raised questions about what happened
that night that Mr Wagner died the trial had been delayed by procedural arguments and then the covid pandemic
Stephanie had spent those years in home custody wearing an ankle bracelet in June of 2022 eight years after Andrew
Wagner was killed the murder trial of Stephanie Fernandez finally began Andrew Wagner's family was there his
mother Melissa his father Tom and his sister Jillian cristaldi they declined our request for an interview surrounded
by supporters they were hoping that by the end of this trial Fernandes would be behind bars
in his opening statement prosecutor Terry McLaughlin said that Stephanie Fernandez stabbed her fiancee Andrew
Wagner in the neck cutting an artery and killing him McLaughlin says that Stephanie told different stories about
what exactly happened that night she said quote he was waving a gun around so I stabbed him and to a neighbor she said
quote he hit me so I hit him and McLaughlin said Stephanie had fits of rage and that she was the aggressor
lead defense attorney Peter ettenberg told jurors that Andrew Wagner was quote 189 pounds of Fury and frustration who
violently came at Stephanie and said quote I'm going to kill you Edinburgh says Stephanie thought she would be
killed so she acted to protect herself we believe that when he grabbed her hands and went to go in headbutter he
pulled and that pulled the knife into his neck but prosecutors presented Witnesses who testified Stephanie has a
long history of violent outbursts assistant D.A Julianne carcassinas how many times did you see Miss Fernandez
strike Mr Wagner multiple times man this is Daniel DeStefano he was a friend of Wagner's and a former police officer he
says he saw Fernandez hit Andy at a wedding reception back in 2010. and can you please tell the court where Miss
Fernandes hit Mr Wagner she very precisely struck him in the face and the head with the closed fist
do you admit that at times you have hit men in your life with a closed fist hit hit them no I hit well
yeah I hit Andy once he punched me in the head I punched him back and Stephanie's former fiancee Mike
Laramie testified he told the court that Stephanie pulled a knife on him at his home
this is audio of laramie's testimony all of a sudden I heard A ching of a knife coming out of the Butcher Block and I
came inside and I couldn't die of her hand and there was another knife incident she went to my dining room
table and she was going to carve it up and I was afraid for my life I grabbed the chair and I wasn't going to let her
come near me with it and she stabbed the chair with it like three or four times after this happened what if anything did
you do I grabbed all the knives and I got rid of them the things that like Mike Laramie said not true you
never came after Michael Laramie with a knife in your hand I never did you never
damaged his furniture with a knife no I did not Tiffany's defense began they called an
unusual witness my name is William perrow I'm a Worcester police Sergeant the detective who interviewed her the
night Andrew died the defense showed the jury that police video a video that prosecutors had decided not to show in
that interview detective perro points out Stephanie's bruises and they're not old bruises I mean
they're fresh the fact that there are fresh bruises on her that's consistent with how she described Andrew Wagner
grabbing her and coming towards her I don't know what else would be better to lay the foundation that she was acting
in self-defense you have bruises on your face on your arm on your body I can see
them stuff prosecutors show pero photos taken that night he says he sees a bruise on her arm but not on Stephanie's
face and you see any injuries to the defendant's face in this Photograph objection judge overruled
I do not and do you see any injuries to the face of the defendant in this photograph
I do not the prosecutors suggest that during that interview he may have been playing Stephanie some of your questions
or comments are designed to get the person you're interviewing to drop their guard and or talk to you correct to show
empathy and to relate to me you want them to start talking correct I do two people fought that night back in
2014 and only one survived the defense decided they had no choice but to put Stephanie on the stand the whole truth
and nothing but the truth hope you got to do so her defense attorneys walked her through the hours leading up to
Andy's death we tried being in cement that morning yes okay and did it happen no
she says Andy became angry when she made fun of him I made the comment as I got out of bed walking into my bathroom
and he came in there and smacked me a few times later that evening with Angelina
upstairs in bed Stephanie says Andy with a gun in hand attacked her hit me in the
head with a gun choked me and he wanted sex somehow we were on the floor and I was crying and I ended up getting away
and I ran screaming in a way like don't come near me don't come near me and he was
screaming I'm gonna kill you you when I ran and I kept on saying don't come near me don't come near me
did I did he listen to you when you said that or did he keep coming near you it happens so quick where I ran to the
kitchen I picked up a knife and held it and said don't like screaming anyways the whole time don't come near me don't
come near me Andy um ran wreath to me and said give me the knife and put his hand on my throat and grab
my hand and once I had won me and he went stuff I think I got stabbed I just was
there I was in shock I we I think we both were in shop [Applause] after Stephanie Fernandez took the stand
and told her version of events good afternoon the prosecutors got their turn to challenge her as assistant D.A
Julianne carcassinas zeroed in on Stephanie's history with man you claim that you were a loyal woman isn't that
correct correct yeah were you loyal to Andy when you cheated on him with Mike yes or no I didn't cheat on him Mike was
Mike Laramie now July 26 2013 you were in Niagara Falls it's a Democrat correct if you accept a forty four
thousand dollar engagement ring from Mr Laramie while on that trailer isn't it correct that is correct I put it on my
finger yes do you get engaged to all your guy friends no on Stephanie's second day on the stand
may proceed the prosecutor tried to pick apart her account of the day Andy died Miss Fernandez how many times did Andy
choke you that day on May 7 2014 that day yes in the in the morning and at the night
time of the event and then how long did he choke you for that morning I'm not sure I didn't count I'm not sure
it was quick and you had no marks on your neck I don't remember Stephanie had described a struggle
around the couch in the house that night but the assistant D.A says the crime scene pictures don't show any sign of
that the coffee table is in front of the couch and then yes at our house yes yes and it's not
pushed out of the way correct I can't tell with that couch and how close the couch and coffee table is
but it does not look crooked correct it's not suicide or anything like that how was he choking you on the couch
at one it all happened so quick and carcassinus tries to cast doubt on Fernandes recollection of the night
so you do not have a memory of certain parts of that evening isn't that correct I would say that's
correct like the time and stuff like that and finally carcassinus questioned Stephanie's credibility especially her
claims that she had lived her life in fear of Andy Wagner were you afraid of Andy Wagner when you told him he was
stupid yes were you in fear of Mr Wagner when you said to him I hope a car falls on
you no it were you in fear of Mr Wagner when you sent him a photograph of yourself of yourself performing sex on
Michael Laramie yes or no ma'am no no further questions wrong thank you all right
both sides called in domestic violence experts who interviewed Stephanie good morning members of the jury
Carol ball testified for the defense saying that Andrew Wagner's escalating verbal threats and physical violence
left Stephanie with post-traumatic stress disorder my opinion is that she experiences the symptoms of battered
woman's syndrome also known as intimate partner violence that cycle repeats itself over and over
and prosecutors called up their expert David Adams who concluded that Andrew not Stephanie was the victim of abuse
well I I actually didn't see any evidence that she was fearful of him I think I think case raises some
interesting questions about what it means to be a victim Stephanie is not a sympathetic victim right she's a flawed
person and yet she is still a victim and still has a right to act in self-defense
it's much easier for us to understand someone as a victim of domestic violence where they have a perfect pass where
there's no other anger issues or anything else but that's not what we have the defense believes that this case will
ultimately come down to whether jurors believe Stephanie intentionally murdered Andrew Wagner
a medical examiner who testified couldn't say for sure couldn't rule out the fact that this was
an accident and after 10 days of witnesses the defense presented their closing arguments
she picked up a knife and said Andy stay away stay away he didn't this time for whatever reason it was too
much and the prosecution hasn't proved that this wasn't an accident and they have
not proved that it wasn't in self-defense but the prosecution hasn't proved is that Stephanie Fernandez is a murderer
prosecutor Terry McLaughlin disagreed she is the aggressor she's the one with the temper she's the one with the mouth
ladies and gentlemen I was suggesting you that this is first degree murder premeditated and planned
she got up from the side or she got it from the back from behind she grabs a knife and she stabs him when
he's not looking or he's not ready for it with that argument the case would go to the germs
Stephanie's decision to take the stand chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and Twitter
[Music] if convicted of first-degree murder Stephanie Fernandes could face life in
prison but the question is did you murder him no it makes me nauseous just to even think of that
all right after about nine hours of deliberation jurors reach their verdict guilty of a lesser charge voluntary
manslaughter which carries the possibility of up to 20 years in prison Shane Bernard and Gala bjeksha sat on
the jury I think that both that both of them are equally controlling and abusive to each
other you know I agree I think they were both in this vicious cycle that just they couldn't stop themselves he was a
more physical abuser where she was more psychological abuse I do believe she didn't want to kill him but she did
as for Fernandez claims of self-defense juror Gala bjeksha believes Wagner made contact with the knife when Stephanie
says he attempted to headbutt her the head butt was a huge piece for us right we went off the medical examiner's
report saying that the knife went in from the front the angle was in from the front and
downward and that she had actually had a stabbing motion so that innocent that in
a sense was what ruled out self-defense before sentencing Andrew Wagner's family
finally got to speak directly to the woman they believe murdered their son and brother
name is Jillian cristalde I'm the sister of Andrew my parents and I have waited to speak to
have a voice to give my brother a voice and to get him the justice that he deserves
to clear his name from the blatant lies that have been spewed from Stephanie Fernandes and her attorney's Mouse
for over eight years when you look at Stephanie Fernandez you are looking at a face of evil
of someone who gives no consideration for her actions who is incapable of love and has shown no remorse or guilt for
killing my brother Andrew's mother Melissa Wagner she took away Andrew's joy and love of life
he took away all of Andrew's family and friends she took away Andrew's dreams of a
family of his own she took away all of Andrew's money she took away Andrew's dignity and
self-respect and when there was nothing nothing left for her to take she took away Andrew's life
I beg your judgment and I beg you I beg you I beg you take away the one thing that matters most to her take away her
freedom for as long as possible please please please thank you I realized that no sentence I impose in
this case can do perfect Justice Judge James Reardon reminds everyone that Stephanie Fernandez was found guilty not
of murder but of voluntary manslaughter Miss Fernandez is being sentenced for that conviction not for her relationship
with Andrew Wagner or any other individuals or for her past life I sentenced Stephanie Fernandez to a term
of not more than 10 years and not the less than eight years in State Prison [Music]
after all this according to what you have said Andrew struck you choked you threatened you with a pistol do you
still have some sort of emotion for this man some sort of love for this man I do
I know a bob there's a lot of people I will always love him Stephanie says the night Andy died could
have been avoided maybe the night wouldn't have happened if I got him help if I got us counseling if I got him
therapy Angelina why did this happen because he was abusive and my mom was his victim
but his family blames your mother for that they're going to believe what they want to believe I can't imagine the pain
they're going through I don't think they want to see their deceased son that way so they're trying
to blame my mom for all of the wrong he did towards her Angelina is now studying to become a
forensic psychologist and she hopes to work with victims in court and with children
Angelina says she looks forward to the day she'll be able to reunite with her mom
when she's out of jail she'll be able to see all of my successes and she'll be able to see
everything that I've accomplished I want to accomplish all of my dreams so my mom can experience the happiness
afterwards [Music] foreign [Music] Moriarty and this is my life of crime listen to My Life Of Crime from 48 Hours
wherever you get your podcasts understand what are the right choices to make for you and your family
[Music]

A young girl peeks out of her bedroom to see blood on the floor and her mother in distress. As an adult she looks back on a night that changed her life. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

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Brief Summary

Stephanie Fernandez is convicted of voluntary manslaughter after a violent altercation with her fiancé Andrew Wagner, highlighting domestic abuse issues.

Key points

A Mother's Love. Stephanie recalls the joy of her mother tucking her in at night.
The Shocking Discovery. Angelina witnesses the aftermath of the violent incident.
The Night of the Incident. Stephanie desperately seeks help after a violent encounter with Andrew.
A Violent Relationship. Stephanie's friend reveals the abusive nature of her relationship with Andrew.
Trial Begins. Eight years after Andrew's death, Stephanie's trial finally begins.
Stephanie's Testimony. Stephanie describes the violent events leading to Andy's death, detailing her fear and struggle.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I never never and never would kill someone.

Stephanie's denial of intent to kill

8:35WatchMar 17, 2023

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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