Who Killed Aileen Seiden in Room 15? | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] this is where it all began right this is where it all began April 23rd 2018 I received the call that body was
located off of Highway 98 I come over to this area and approximately here was about where the
head of the body was at and stretched out across the ditch with the feet facing in that direction she had bruises
from head to toe covering her entire body she had lacerations on her face stomach legs so this woman suffered
before she died she suffered I've never seen anything like it it was extreme violence extreme violence
Overkill and who would do something like that at the time you don't know and what
you worry about then is are they loosen our community what type of individual am I
dealing with or individuals is there one person is there two you have a million questions that
you can ask but you have no answers at the time the next day they identified the
woman is eileene siden a young 31 one-year-old female in the Miami area I've known Eileen siden for 25
years she was my best friend Alina called me she had told me it was pretty where she was the last
talk I had with eileene was very different she told me just these horrific things you never think you'll
hear from your best friend she said I need your help it was like a movie my sister's
involved and I don't know what's happening I told her to run you use the word run did you say run 100% I said run
get the get out of there go she's like I can't she was scared to death this doesn't happen this doesn't
happen to us this doesn't happen in real life we received a call from the Sportsman's Lodge Motel there was a room
that they were in the process of compling there was blood and what goes through your mind as
you walk through all this beauty this right here would be the last place that you could ever imagine a homicide taking
place especially right here in this piece of paradise I'll take you to room number
15 now when the housekeepers first came through this door what did they see uh they said the furniture was
knocked over onto the floor as they started cleaning the room they found more and more stuff to be wrong they
noticed stuff missing from the beds the sheets anything like that this bed here was completely covered in a blood stain
so that tells you there was a violent scene going on in and what happened in room 15 it's
unn if these walls could talk right oh if they could talk I'd like to hear them [Music]
[Music] appalachicola Florida is a wonderful small place for Franklin County assistant
prosecutor Jared Patterson the Sleepy Gul Coast Town of appal laa Cola and surrounding Countryside are among the
last remnants of a bygone era it's certainly still hearkens back to a time before there was condos on every inch of
the beach and before there were highrises we're referred to here the counties along this area of the coast as
the Forgotten Coast but when a couple heading to a nearby fishing pond discovered eileene sidon's battered body
on April 23rd 2018 Patterson wondered what had brought a killer to Florida's forgotten Coast the horror that it
really was it absolutely shocked people it looked like someone was in a hurry whoever it was dumped the body and
took off lead investigator Lieutenant Ronnie Jones then with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office says documenting
Eileen's unsettling dump site was the first of two ominous events over the next 24 hours he was soon dispatched to
the second crime scene at the Sportsman's la large motel and that Bloody spectacle inside
room [Music] 15 so what's it like for you to be back in here uh brings back some pretty bad
memories Janes memories live in stark contrast to the tree shaded grounds of the otherwise peaceful Motel as soon as
I came in I noticed the bed I it's you couldn't miss it I mean this whole area was covered and had blood stains on it
and when you saw that kind of blood loss what did that tell you I just put two and two together and I automatically put
that back to the um body that was found the day before you did that quickly like
that had to it wasn't just somebody cut theirself and bled a little bit on the bed I mean the amount of blood that was
on this bed tells me that whoever was here was probably deceased Jones recalled there was a smell of vinegar in
the room and what did that tell you that someone attempted to clean the crime scene a luminol test for traces of human
blood revealed what an apparently Hasty cleanup couldn't hide the whole entire bathroom lit up so that was the scene of
perhaps some of her most vicious attacks was inside that bathroom yes and Janes says the shower curtain rod was a
possible weapon on the rod was located a palm print and also uh blood and that's
significant evidence right that's right testing would soon confirm that it was Eileen's blood in the motel room now
came the gut-wrenching duty to notify Eileen's sister Francesca sidon he said my sister was murdered I don't know like
what do you do you look for support that's all I could do I didn't understand why like it was
given to me again like to handle another loss while growing up in Miami then 16-year-old Francesca and 99-year-old
eileene faced their first tragedy when their beloved mother Mera passed away from cancer how did the two of you deal
with this we didn't talk about it because it was so fast six years later their father Frank a
successful furniture manufacturer who Francesca says shared a special bond with iile suddenly died from a heart
attack it left eileene then 14 and orphan and 22 year-old Francesca with a decision to make I signed the papers and
I became her legal guardian and what did that mean what were your responsibilities I became a parent I had
to take her to school I to pick her up from school I to finished my own school I was working I didn't have time to
grieve and I don't think that she did either 7 years later Franchesca moved to Los Angeles on her own that's when she
says eileene now in her 20s began grieving their parents she started to think a lot she became more sensitive
something like losing your parents has longlasting effects throughout your life it's obvious that it did this is E's
best friend not wanting her name associated with this case she has asked 48 hours to refer to her as Ally she
remembers a strong and determined eileene making it on her own in Miami she worked as a property manager she
lived in a great apartment you know she paid her own rent she made her bills she
was very independent Franchesca saw that Independence firsthand when eileene made
an extended visit to La in 2016 looking back do you wish she had stayed with you
100% because whatever happened when she went back to Miami is when she reconnected
with Zach Zach was Zachary Abel who eileene had known since they were teenagers I'm not sure if I had the best
reputation in high school at first she wasn't really sure about him but years later she and Zach Abel started dating I
think in the beginning eileene found Zack fun but I think it changed pretty quickly investigators in Franklin County
would soon learn all about Zach Abel they discovered that Zach eileene and this woman Christina araho had all been
seen in the appalachicola area detectives also learned the three sharer room at the Sportsman's Lodge
room number 15 we needed to know what happened inside that hotel room outside of three people
entered and two came out carrying a body off the coast of Lauderdale Florida Captain Mike pette set sail on his
50-foot boat it's kind of weird uh trying to remember any good times they just weren't there was always some issue
back in 2018 Mike would play a central role in Eileen sidon's murder investigation he knew eileene and her
boyfriend Zach Abel well Zach is just um very entertaining he's very extroverted
Mike had met Zach by chance at a bar about 7 years earlier he came up to me at Duffy and said hey I like your shirt
and I'm like okay then uh Christina came up Christina araho Zach's girlfriend at
the time the two had been dating for about 4 years Mike says Christina immediately started boasting about her
powerful father right out of the gate she said oh yeah my dad's a major with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's
department and if we ever get into any trouble with the law he can take care of it I was like what who says
that despite their odd first meeting Mike says he began hanging out with the couple What followed were years of wild
nights wild parties and lots of heavy drinking that was their go-to thing okay we got to do shots of this shots of this
but Mike says there was an interesting power dynamic in the couple's relationship with Christina who is 8
years older than Zach calling the shots she was very controlled in and very directing he would follow her lead with
stuff One Day in 2016 Zach stopped by Mike's boat but not with Christina instead Zach introduced Mike to Eileen
siden Mike could tell Zach now had two women in his life it was the weirdest thing if your
relationship's not working just end it and move on however Mike says that Zach couldn't make a clean break from
Christina who was also his business partner he tried so many times he just didn't know how to and then also all the
threats all the time that she could make him disappear every time she got drunk she'd say some weird
things Eileen's best friend Ally says Zach and eileene began to secretly date she seemed to love him so much that she
was still hoping that he would you know decide to be with her he would lead her on to things he was trying to end with
Christina in 2017 eileene unexpectedly lost her job as a property manager she was really starting to lose control of
her own life Ali says that may explain why Eileen eventually started working at Zach and Christina's used car dealership
it wasn't the independent life that she had always lived Ally says eileene continued to pressure Zach to break up
with Christina for good but when Zach finally tried to end things with Christin Ina she countered with an
unconventional proposal it was not the answer that anyone expected Christina came back and said well why don't we try
and all be in a relationship that it now became this opportunity for this thruple
three-way kind of relationship a thruple is a romantic relationship among three people Ally says eileene was against the
idea Nene said absolutely not there's no way it's never going to work and there was kind of a
crickets for a few weeks but Ally says eileene later changed her mind the trio was now a thruple I was in shock really
but also a little bit happy for them that maybe this could work but it didn't work before long there was trouble this
whole dynamic started to change where one of them always seemed to be the odd man out or was jealous at that point it
just started to spiral out of control according to Mike pikov V things escalated leading to irrational behavior
and fights fueled by alcohol he says Eileen and Christina traded punches often usually resulting in black eyes on
one or both of the women that they'd sometimes hide behind big sunglasses it was a everyday thing
pretty every second day thing I could say Ali remembers things differently she says Zach was the main aggressor in the
relationship eileene would call me and say you have to come over here like he hurt me again
and I'd rush over there and photograph her and beg her to go to the police but Ally says Eileen refused fearing
Christina's law enforcement connections would work against her Eileen's sister Francesca was Furious when she learned
of the abuse I wanted my sister out of this situation I wanted her out it's hard to leave it's hard to leave and I
had this feeling that Christina was more violent of the two it was really difficult to see her going through a
time like this it was just so hard and she was scared to death once Ally says the abuse got so bad she took eileene to
the emergency room they took her to the hospital because they have to report things but she wouldn't say where the
bruises came from Eileen's best friend had to deliver a hard truth iile you have to break up
with this guy someone's going to end up dead when eileene was in real trouble it was
hard to get anyone to come rescue her the path that led to Eileen sidon's murder may have begun weeks earlier in
2018 Ali was surprised that despite the physical violence in their relationship I had decided to move in with sack Abel
and Christina araho the thruple was now working together sleeping together and living together eileene was trapped in
the relationship because she was trapped financially but she felt that that was one last chance to make it work it was
like a one month or two month trial but within a few weeks Ally says eileene had
had enough B was just going to move out she was really done with the relation ship but Eileen's plans to leave were
halted on April 7th 2018 after Zack and Christina had gotten into a violent fight Ally says she got a call from
eileene on Zach's phone she was going to leave and get Zach out of the house but
like to go to a coffee shop the next call I got was from Christina she was angry and Furious Ally says Christina
threatened to report the car eileene and Zach were driving in as stolen in an apparent attempt to keep them from
leaving her behind Ali immediately warned eileene and Zach instead of coming around and coming
back like I thought they would they hit the gas and went to Georgia I said what are you doing iene you don't have your
phone you don't have a wallet this is crazy she said we're going on a road trip this is a good
thing but the road trip wasn't a good thing to Christina araho she began her harassing Zach and eileene sending a
storm of angry texts you two deserve each other Christina sent more than 150 texts in roughly 24 hours all went
unanswered including this one my dad will be calling you later Christina issued this threat you effed me over and
now I'm effing you over I was just trying to tell her Christina why don't you worry about your own
life about 48 hours into the road trip Zach and eileene were heading to Texas and Christina seemed to have a change of
heart texting if you want to come back home come back you never have to question my love for reasons that are
unknown instead of coming home Zach invited Christina to join them and she flew to Dallas but with a thruple United
the old problems returned I Le started to call me from Zach's phone at night saying you know
this is getting bad and I I don't know what to do it was until Christina arrived that that started to happen I
was really worried someone would get hurt by day 10 of the road trip Eileen's older sister Franchesca was also worried
she hadn't heard from Eileen in a while when the trio stopped in New Orleans Eileen finally called Franchesca and
shared an alarming SST suspicion she's like I think they're going to kill me no joke so's like Eileen run to the nearest
gas station go tell the person all 911 yeah run to like I said run get the get out of there go she's like I can't
Francesa desperate to help tried to get more details from Eileen if I had where the address was I would have called the
police then and there but she had to go she had to get off and she hung up I was
extremely frustrated but I and and I was scared with no way to help her sister Francesca hoped eileene would stay safe
the road trip continued into its second week the trio then headed to Panama City
Florida but a missed exit LED them to the Forgotten Coast the road trip is difficult to
understand partying one day and murdering the next David adlerstein is a reporter for the appalachicola times one
of the oldest newspapers in Florida I've been covering the Eileen siden case since the week it
happened on the evening of April 21st the trio seen here in this screenshot from surveillance footage stumbled into
the quiet peace of Franklin County they went to a popular restaurant the red pirate played miniature golf
partied at the recommendation of a local the thruple headed to the nearby Sportsman's Lodge Motel they reserved
the last vacancy of the night room 15 the next morning on April 22nd 2018 the thrubble made a plan they decided they'd
spend another day there not get back on the road and make it a a party so they got up in the morning and went to the
liquor store here they are in these screenshots from the store's surveillance footage while
there the trio purchased large bottles of vodka and Fireball whiskey when I went to investigate their path that day
and went to the liquor store the clerk she pointed out that the fireball that they bought was the largest bottle you
could buy and this is just the three of them the thruple then returned to the Sportsman's Lodge Motel I don't think I
know was having fun I think she was just trying to maybe get by and stay alive Ali says she spoke to Eileen that day I
said I need to leave him I'm telling you I'm like a sex slave he has this really
scary look in his eye it's very scary it's different and she said I need your help Ally says the two friends had
crafted an Escape Plan eileene would get on a bus from Tampa the Trio's next destination I bought her a Grayhound
ticket because she didn't have a wallet the bus would drop Eileen off near Miami
and Ally would take her home eileene just needed to get on that bus and she'd be safe and then you know I never heard
back I never heard anything after that the next night hundreds of miles away in Fort Lauderdale Mike pikovit was
home and alone there was a knock at the door it was Christina araho and back able I was like okay where's Eileen and
right away Christina says oh she ran away and I said bull I said where is she and Zach right away it started to choke
up and he said she's dead the news was shocking enough but Mike says once Christina was out of
earshot Zach told him what happened he said Christina killed her he woke up She Was Dead next to him and uh he tried to
give her CPR then uh wanted to call 911 Christina said no and told him you can't call 911
for some reason he kept on saying he had to protect Christina like what do you got a protect her for Mike says he
wanted to protect both of his friends he feared a violent outcome if he called 911 I didn't want them to get killed
just wanted to make sure that they were brought in a safe way and the only thing
that I could think about is go talk to her father Christina's father Colonel Tony
araho the one Mike says Christina had always bragged could make her problems go away when Zach and Christina fell asleep
Mike took this photo and says he went online to search for Christina's father a man he had never met so I was
panicking trying to find his phone number when Mike finally got a hold of Colonel Aro he didn't immediately reveal
the deadly news I said I got to talk to you it's about Christina it's very important Mike says Christina's father
directed Mike to meet him at an odd place a gas station so I went up there I said Christina killed somebody and he
says you know I'm a cop right I'm like yes sure I do he raid away and said wait right there Mike says Christina's father
then brought him to the Sheriff's Office to make a formal statement he did what was the right thing to do he got two
other people to ask me all the questions later that day Mike was shown a photo and he was the one to identify
the battered body of eileene siden with that confirmation police descended on Mike's home as Zack and Christina were
about to leave they were arrested and brought back to Franklin County the pair were
later charged with first-degree murder it would take almost 6 years before Zack Abel and Christina araho
would face a jury and by then only one of them would stand [Music] trial you're healing you're doing the
things that you need to heal and then you're stopped for almost 6 years Franchesca siden lived in agonizing
limbo as her sister Eileen's case Complicated by having two defendants face delay after delay after frustrating
delay and now you're going to get ready for this big moment and it stops again finally in January of 2024 at the
Franklin County Courthouse in Appalachia Cola Florida Zach Abel was about to face
trial he had pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and would stand before the jury alone 8 months earlier
Christina araho took a plea deal for a lesser charge of second degree murder so she admitted taking part in this yes she
implicated herself in the actual beating of eileene after studying the mountain of
evidence prosecut Jared Patterson believes Zack Abel was more responsible in Eileen's murder and the state is
relying on the jury believing Christina aro's version of what happened inside room
15 the only one who has told us anything about what happened in that room is Christina arahu once Christina made her
plea deal she would become the prosecution star witness print reporter David adlerstein camera in hand was
there as Christina araho transported the courtroom back to the evening of April 22nd
2018 araho testified that she Zack Abel and eileene were relaxing in the room at
the Sportsman's Lodge after a day of heavy drinking when Zach drinks does he act differently
yes it becomes very aggressive very mean Zack Abel became violently enraged says
araho when Eileen posed a seemingly innocent question she said Christina guess what and she looks over at
Christina and says hey Christina guess what how would that sentence be finished I have no idea cuz she never got to
finish it Zachary got up immediately and went over to her and was in her face hitting her he
just yelling at her telling her you always start problems araho admits to also hitting eileene as she demanded to
know what she was about to say she never got an answer and I got so frustrated I
just what to go I left the room after stepping outside room 15 for a few minutes araho claims she returned
to find Abel and eileene in the bathroom when I opened the door he had something white in his hand like if he
was poking H her the medical examiner was able to identify small circular bruising to the body of Eileen that
could be consistent with a shower curtain rod like the shower curtain rod investigators recovered that had palm
print impressions in Eileen's blood whose Palm was it the palm print belonged to Zachary
Abel the assault continued near the bed says araho where she says Abel reached for his wooden walking stick hey hit
several times with it when he hit her in the the back though the stick broke we had actually found pieces of that wooden
staff in the hotel room we didn't realize the significance of it until we found the other piece in the vehicle
that contained our victim's DNA Aro says she watched in in Terror as Abel began using that stick to sexually assault
eileene Christina's description of the crime was horrifying to listen to Eileen clearly suffered terrible death
adlerstein recalls the medical examiner saying Eileen's injuries reminded him of
those he had seen in motor vehicle crashes as a reporter I try very hard to not be emotional
I distinctly remember fighting back tears araho claimed she eventually put herself between Abel and eileene and the
attack finally stopped eileene was badly beaten but still alive she says and the
exhausted Trio just fell asleep I didn't make she leave and araho claims it wasn't until she
woke up the next morning that she realized I Eileen was dead she says she only participated in the coverup out of
fear of what Abel might do to her she seemed to me genuinely remorseful others had different opinions who is Christina
araho in your book manipulative cunning uh chameleon I think that there's evil in
her Alex Morris is Zack ael's attorney he says Christina Aro acted alone I believe that she is the murderer let's
talk about her story Morris says it was Christina araho who beat eileene and that photo taken by Mike pavet at his
home after the murder shows she had injuries to her hands and feet which tells you Christina must have been the
attack that's right Christina araho was the one with homicidal intent says Morris triggered
when Abel and eileene took off with her in the rearview mirror and he says those
threatening text that she sent to Abel's phone before joining them on the road trip read like a
confession there are threats of bodily harm to both eileene and Zach in the messages you come near me ho I will kill
you I think it speaks for itself and that's exactly what happened after Eileen's murder Morris says araho
wiped down the motel room using the vinegar that Ronnie Jones would later smell he says Abel's palm prints on the
curtain rod got there when he moved it during the cleanup he was instructed to pick the curtain rod up over there and
put it over there bye Christina this toll booth surveillance photo from after the murder shows that Christina ared
and not Zack Abel was the one driving the car and therefore Morris says she was the one in control the evidence
indicates Christina to be the one giving the directions and had everything to be able to manipulate the
situation manipulating Zach Abel says Morris because of those threats she had been making for years about her father's
influence in solving her problems bottom line is Zach was fearful of Christina's
father Abel chose not to testify when Morris made his final arguments to the jury he concluded the evidence showed
there was only one person who wanted Eileen siden dead they haven't proven any motive as to why Mr Abel would be
interested in murdering Miss siden but I'll tell you where motive lies in it's clear as day and that's with Maho the
motive being I I want rid of the person who's taken my man so jealousy yes in his closing Patterson said Christina
araho already accepted her role in this crime he asked the jury to hold Zack Abel accountable for his part by finding
him guilty of murder they live together they work together they own a business together they went to the Sportsman's
Lodge together they emptied out the room together they ran away together they got
arrested together the only thing they didn't do together was kill Eileen siden no
way but who would the jury believe what do you make of Christina aro's testimony chat now with the 48
Hours team on Facebook and X [Music] she wasn't born here and she didn't live here but she was left here and she'll
always be remembered by Franklin County residents of Florida's forgotten Coast will now long remember Eileen
siden says Ronnie Jones almost 6 years after her death the community waited for justice for the stranger they now had
come to embrace as one of their own what was going through your mind as the jury
begins its deliberation make it quick I was told by the jury Foreman that when they first went in
there was 10 in favor of first-degree premeditated murder with two holdouts all right everyone please be seated
after about 5 hours of deliberations the jury reached a consensus in the case of
the State of Florida versus Zachary Ray AEL the defendant is guilty of the Lesser included offense of second
deegree murder second deegree murder just like Christina araho adlerstein says the jury
Foreman told him they just couldn't decide if Zack Abel had actually intended to kill eileene they knew that
Christina had pled guilty to Second and I think they eventually said we're going
to give him the same it doesn't tell me that they're equally responsible Mike pikovit says even with the verdict he is
convinced his friend played no part in Eileen's death to me there's an innocent man sitting in jail I think they're both
just as guilty as the other now retired from law enforcement Ronnie Jones spends his days tending his
bar in Appalachia Cola he says he still left wondering what really happened inside room 15 is this case a mystery to
you it's not a mystery on exactly what happened but exactly why it happened that is is what still bothers me to this
day why like what eileene might have been about to say that sparked the attack it was my understanding and the
rumors that she was fixing to disclose the fact that she was pregnant pregnant and was she pregnant did you learn that
at autopsy I was at the autopsy and she was not pregnant I don't know if she thought she was or not all
right when it was time for sentencing Zack Abel finally spoke and told the courtroom another twist in this tortured
story I had stopped and I grabbed a ring pop and I proposed to her with a ring pop and asked her to marry me and she
said yes and me and E were going to go our way and leave Christina out of it Zach spoke at his sentencing and said
that he'd actually propos to eileene during this trip I think that is just BS I it's a
great story but no I have been in the justice system in one form or another for 40 years rarely have I seen the sort
of injuries that I saw on een siden the judge told Abel he wished he could impose a harsher punishment before
sentencing him to the maximum life in prison in the State of Florida life means life we don't have parole at at
her sentencing Christina aro's father Colonel Tony araho set the record straight he said he never used his
influence to benefit his daughter and he recalled the conversation he had with her after the murder you will own up to
the truth you will accept responsibility you will be the voice of the victim and you will testify under oath
and a court of law and then whatever is sentence to you that's fine there was no
agreement with her as to the link of sentence she gave her statement with the knowledge that she could still receive
life in prison I think about that day every day of my life the details ha me and the memories
keep the judge acknowledged her cooperation and sentenced Christina araho to 25 years justice has been
served he won't beat up any more females neither will she I think that every woman kind of thinks
I would leave if I was in that situation I would just get up and leave I would never tolerate that Eileen's best friend
Ally hopes there will be more compassion for those trapped in abusive relationships it's always that I'm sorry
it's never going to happen again and you believe it cuz you're in love and things
are good 90 5% of the time but the 5% that are bad are so bad with your sister gone how do you
want her to be remembered I want her to be remembered as a sweet loving human being who unfortunately had lost her
parents at such a young age but she was still so sweet like she was such a sweetheart her soul was so kind
[Music] [Music] CBS next Saturday a young woman found dead I children but are the clues adding
up the piece of the bathroom door lock under Alex's head meant the door was forced open before she was shot it just
didn't look right a new 48 Hours next Saturday at 109 Central on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus
[Music]

Three people check into a Florida motel room. Only two walk out alive. "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV. (Aired Oct. 19, 2024)

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

Eileen Siden's murder reveals a violent love triangle, leading to a trial that exposes dark truths about relationships and abuse.

Key points

The Discovery of Eileen's Body. Eileen's body was found in a ditch, revealing extreme violence and suffering.
A Troubling Relationship. Eileen's relationship with Zach and Christina spiraled into violence and chaos.
The Road Trip to Danger. Eileen and her friends embarked on a road trip that led to alarming suspicions.
The Shocking Revelation. Zach reveals to Mike that Christina killed Eileen after a night of chaos.
Zack Abel's Proposal. Zack Abel claims he proposed to Eileen during their trip, adding a shocking twist.
Christina Aro's Sentencing. Christina Aro is sentenced to 25 years for her role in Eileen's murder.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I need your help.

Eileen's desperate plea to her best friend.

1:50WatchOct 24, 2024

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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