Who Killed Aileen Seiden in Room 15? | Full Episode + Post Mortem | 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 that 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 Elina called me she had told me it was pretty where she was the last
talk I had with Eileen 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 the call from the Sportsman's Lodge Motel there was a room
that they were in the process of cleaning 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 I 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 yes 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] appleola Florida is a wonderful small place for Franklin County assistant
prosecutor Jared Patterson the Sleepy Gulf Coast Town of appal laola 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 Eileen 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 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 9-year-old
Eileen 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 had 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 long lasting 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 Francesca 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 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 Eileen found Zack fun but I think it changed pretty quickly investigators in Franklin County
would soon learn all about Zack Abel they discovered that Zach eileene and this woman Christina araho had all been
seen in the appalachicola area detectives also learned the three Shar a 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 Zack 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 controll R in and very directing he would follow her lead with
stuff One Day in 2016 Zack 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 Eileen 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 eileene eventually started working at Zach and Christina's used car
dealership it wasn't the independent life that she had always lived Ally says Eileen continued to pressure Zach to
break up with Christina for good but when Zach finally tried to end things withr 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 thropple 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 P vet 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 Franchesca was Furious when she learned
of the abuse I wanted my sister out of the 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 e you have to break up with
this guy someone's going to end up dead when eile 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 Ally 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 Eileen had had enough B was just going to move out she
was really done with the Rel 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 Eileen 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 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 Francesca 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
Franchesca 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 Franchesca hoped Eileen 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 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 thruple 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 eileene 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 allly 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 grand ticket
because she didn't have a wallet the bus would drop eileene 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 you got a
protector 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 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 sir I do he rid 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 Zach 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 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 appalachicola Florida Zack 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 Eileen after studying the mountain of evidence prosec U 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 araho 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 it becomes very aggressive very mean Zack Abel became violently enraged says
araho when eileene 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 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
went 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 open the door he had something white in his hand like if he
was poking on 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 h
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 araho says she watched 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 claims 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 me araho claims it wasn't until
she woke up the next morning that she realized 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 Abel's attorney says Christina araho 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
attacker 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 arrived
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 Zack 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 Sid 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 Zach 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 appalachicola 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 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 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 propose to eileene during this trip I think that is just be asked 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 sentenced 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 H me and the memories keep the judge acknowledged her
cooperation and sentenced Christina araho to 25 years justice has been served they 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 [Music] plus welcome back to postmortem I'm your host anarie green and this week we are
discussing the case of eileene seiden who was brutally murdered at a motel while on a road trip with her two
romantic Partners so what really happened in room 15 well let us talk to people who actually visited the room to
report on this case joining me today our 48 Hours correspondent Peter Van Sant and producers Lauren white and Richie
Fetzer thank you so much it's great to sit down with you guys again hi and Marie hi Amar thank you for having us
hey great to be back anarie and remember if you haven't listened to the 48 Hours
episode yet you can find the full audio just below this episode in your podcast feed so go take a listen and then come
on back here for our conversation in April of 2018 Eileen siden was passing through the small town
of appalachicola with her Partners Zach Abel and Christina araho when they decided to make a pit stop at the
Sportsman's Lodge motel but eileene would never make it back home you visited room 15 where Eileen was killed
what was it like to be there uh I've been in a lot of uh crime scenes right and inside that room it took me back um
you know when I was a kid and watched psycho for the first time at the Bates Motel it was it's disturbing because
there ends up being kind of an energy in these rooms where where you know a battle has taken place blood has been
shed and a life has been lost it's just not like walking into a typical room it's also a place it's a very solemn
place to go into knowing all of that has happened uh and a very sad place and you
feel that Vibe yes and especially it's strange in contrast to the beauty of the property you know you've got these
peacock roaming around we're right next to the water it's really just a lovely lovely place um but that room definitely
you know you you went in knowing it was going to be a somber experience and it was yeah I always feel going to places
it's always great for us as reporters to actually be where things happened but especially when it's a crime scene or we
also went to where E's body was found it always feels like hollowed ground you know you're there to do a job but it's
also you know eerie but also solemn because you know remind you of why we're doing it I was surprised that they
actually let you into the room because you know it's a it's a business and sometimes people don't like that
Association they want people to forget that anything bad ever happened there and Mar I was shocked you know always
want to go to the crime scene um a lot of times it's you know a house or maybe a public area out in the open this was
an operational motel room we thought the chances of actually getting into the room were going to be slim to none I
called the motel owner um Miss Eda but you know you can't say oh is room 15 available because then she'll know right
what I'm trying to do so I said you know my favorite number is 14 and I would love you know how about room 15 as well
um you know and 14 really is my favorite number so I didn't lie um and I said you
know are those rooms available she said well 14's available but 15 isn't I said oh well you know 15 actually I really
need I work for 48 hours and she said oh why do you want to do a story on this it's such a sad case I said it is a
truly sad case um but you know we have found that in the work that we do going to the crime scenes really helps the
audience understand the case better and we would be there for a large part of it
with the lead detective Ronnie Jones and to my amazement she said okay I'm G to move some things around and she made
that room available to us I tried to book it as an actual room she wouldn't let me I tried to give her a location
fee she wouldn't let me so she gave us that room for two whole days for free but that room actually is being book
booked oh yeah oh yeah wow so this area of Florida's Gulf Coast it's referred to
as the Forgotten Coast but what we learned in this hour is this community has not forgotten eileene at all they
didn't know her in life but they've really worked hard to preserve her memory in Death In your
experience just how unusual is this it's very unusual generally when Outsiders come into a community and bring some
sense of of Ruin and and shame and shock locals want to forget those people as quick as possible but the folks out
there on the Forgotten Coast are gentle Souls they live in this part of Florida that is so underdeveloped it's like what
Florida must have been like a hundred years ago where you have much more of the tropical feel to it and and instead
of shunning her they they embraced her as one of their own and it was really special and you guys felt the same way
didn't you oh definitely and they put up a memorial to eileene near where her body was found and what struck me is
it's it's not like metal or stone or something that would be permanent it's basically a poster and of Eileen's face
yeah exactly it says Franklin County will never forget Eileen and you had artificial flowers but Sun Flowers which
are were Eileen's favorite flower and her sister Franchesca actually put me in touch with the person who started the
memorial woman named Debbie Jordan she said that when she heard the case she was just so moved by what happened to
eileene that she felt compelled to do something so in addition to making this really beautiful Memorial she also um
got about a dozen CS cards and went around the whole County and had everyone sign the cards and she sent them to
Franchesca and to Eileen's friends and the thing I think of is This is six years later this crime happened in 2018
and here's this poster that someone is actually going back and maintaining and making sure it's still there cuz it's
there was there when we filmed yep it really is a testament to this area because in addition to this U Memorial
near where Eileen was uh found uh Miss Eda from the motel also made a little Memorial morial for eile where every
night they put up a light they they they shine a light in honor of eile that is so they've been doing that every night
you know since for the past six years it's like she developed this sort of whole family that she really didn't have
in in life it was her and her sister basically against it all you know absolutely so so speaking of kind of
creating your own family this is this is perhaps one of the more interesting components of this hour right eileene
was in a th rle relationship with Zach Abel and Christina araho I've had to delete my search history thanks to you
Peter on my work computer because you know I had to do some research um and so of course this all means that they were
all three in a romantic relationship it's a type of polyamorous relationship which has gained some popularity over
the last few decades um but I think a lot of people can look at this situation and make an assumption about the
relationship that Abel was indiv ibly dating both eile and Aro by all accounts um from the friends that we spoke to
Christina and eile were in a romantic relationship themselves like really truly these three people were dating
each other and I think something that was interesting that David adlerstein the reporter we spoke to talked about
was that when this crime first happened people in the community automatically assumed without hearing anything else oh
Christina must be the killer right and then once we've dove into this story a little bit more and you're learning more
about about the evidence pointing towards Zack as an active participant in E's death there's DNA evidence his palm
prints were on one of the the murder weapons so people's expectations don't always match the reality of what
happened M I know aaho is basically saying this beating was started she participated later on right but she
wasn't sort of the primary person she didn't start this thing but I wondered about the forensic evidence did it back
up her story that she participated minimally in the beating of eileene it did and I think that's part of what the
prosecutor said to us when he interviewed is that she's testifying and she's telling a story but a lot of what
she was saying lined up with the forensic evidence they found later so they had this curtain rod that had
Eileen's blood on it and it had Zack ael's um pal prints on it didn't have Christina Ros then there's this walking
stick that testified was used in the crime it's broken into multiple pieces it has Eileen's DNA on it and it has
Zack ael's DNA on it didn't have Christina raho on it the defense attorney would argue she had bruises on
her hands and feet so that to him he made the argument meant that she participated and to her own story she
participated so it would back that up but in other words she was punching and kicking right and the defense also say
that the reason why Zach's palm print is is on the bloody shower curtain is because Christina said pick that up uh
and that of course his DNA would be on the walking stick it was his walking stick now you know it's a shame that
this is our representation of thres because most thres I'm sure don't end this way and you know or or have such
toxic elements seems like there was no transparency no communication no no real consideration of each other um and so it
was really kind of doomed from the start in many ways look Human Nature has to play a role in this
three people together sexually socially there's bound to be some Envy some jealousy and it seemed to explode in
that room and you know thle aside this is a classic you know domestic violence case this is a case where in many ways
she was isolated uh because she worked with them because she lived with them uh you know she was financially dependent
on them on making this work so she had a lot writing on this what kind of struck
me with this one specifically is we do domestic violence cases all the time so we've seen this story a lot of times
before and what struck us from the beginning was eileene was really facing it with two perpetrators she had two
romantic partners and therefore she really had two abusers that she was trying to navigate and deal with which
must have been overwhelming exactly welcome back you have a very powerful interview with Eileen's sister
Franchesca who even six years later seemed very emotional very raw um what was it like to speak to her Franchesca
um was so good to agree to talk to us about something as deeply personal and painful as this uh she's heartbroken uh
and so I approach this obviously with as much sympathy uh as possible and respect
for her I thanked her many times for participating in this think of what she's gone through along with what
eileene went through lost their mother lost their father then she ends up losing her sister and she carries a
sense of guilt and we all try to assure her she's not responsible for what happened to her sister but she um has
dealt with so much but she maintains her dignity and we were just blessed to have
her in this story why did she want to participate in this she really wanted to be a voice for eileene and represent not
only eileene but represent their their parents as well and we all told her she she represented her whole family
beautifully she showed a lot of strength um but this was very difficult for her uh to not only uh speak about the
brutality of what happened to eileene but to speak on camera and we we learned during the course of the interview too
cuz some of the questions I had yeah that I was asking gently involv details of what what had happened to her sister
she didn't want to hear any of it and uh she still doesn't want to know these details it's just too painful for her
but I felt like we got her trust and um she opened up to give us details that are fascinating on our end it was really
watching also Peter's Humanity yeah and how to deal with someone that's experienced trauma and was very clearly
visibly upset and I think as you're going through an interview and we're kind of checking off questions I think
we all kind of experienced and we're really watching Peter firsthand make a decision of like we got enough right
Peter was able to tell what her boundaries were and we weren't pushing that yeah yeah we no one's trying to do
more damage here you know exactly it was masterful to watch because it was you know it's emotions as opposed to
thinking well I mean one thing that everyone at 48 hours does to a very very high level but I know that Peter's
always cognizant of is delivering these stories with compassion understanding that these are
human beings beings who are willing to relive some of the worst things in their lives in the hopes of improving someone
else's life right right exactly and that's what she wanted to do and uh you know these interviews are important that
you're listening to them and reacting to them is far more important than the initial question and I think she it was
almost like a therapy session you know as we talk you don't have these conversations with family members you
know when I lost uh my mother and I'm with my sisters I didn't interview them right we don't have those kind of
conversations so it it becomes a bit cathartic for them as well to finally talk about things that they've always
wanted to talk to someone about but have not sometimes it's easier to talk to strangers I think we've all been
situations like that you also interviewed alen's best friend uh she did not want her name her real name used
right so she's referred to as Ally um in the show given her privacy concerns was it
difficult to convince her to go in front of the camera right first of all she has
a very unique name and she was also concerned about her family she didn't want her family to be kind of tied to
this and when I first spoke with her she said I do not want to be on camera I don't want to be involved I will give
you information on background I thought oh okay that's great let's do that and then as I kept talking to other people
who knew uh Eileen um I realized that they didn't know the story they didn't know this case they didn't know what was
going through in the same way that Ally did um and you know we've all kind of experienced that the people who want to
speak don't necessarily have the things that you need and so um you know I went back to Ally and I and I asked her again
and she said you know I not really interested and then shockingly she called me uh the Sunday before we left
for Appalachia Cola and she said Lauren how are you and I said I'm great I'm actually heading to Florida we need a
voice for Eileen uh no one knows knows the story the way that you do and she said okay I'll do it and I was shocked
uh but I was so excited because I knew that it would really help the story and that she would provide Eileen's
perspective in a way that no one else could have I think it was an example of Lauren's soft persistence with someone
that were trying to interview because it was an ongoing back and forth and I mean
to Lauren's Point she knew everything and she was really Central to trying to help Eileen in her moment of need so
it's like that whole part of that story and even giving eile the grace that she was trying to get out of this situation
Ally was the voice to tell that story yeah I can't imagine what the hour would be like without her because she really
gave some insight into how eileene wound up there and why it would be so challenging for her to pull herself out
of it correct Zach Abel did not take the stand at trial but someone very close to
him was actually supposed to testify on his behalf his own mother Kimberly Clark
Park but that never happened so to explain why I want to play parts of your interview with defense attorney Alex
Morris that actually did not make it into the hour so what happened why didn't she
testify in 25 coming on 26 years I've never experienced this she was here in appalachicola prepared to testify under
subpoena in a motel room had been here for 3 Days 4 days she's going to testify the next day the woman who came up with
her get a phone call from her it's frantic says Alex you need to come to the motel why Kim's
dead I said you got to be kidding me so my first thought was don't call me we need to call
911 but I went to the motel and oh my gosh I mean she's deceased of course my brains did she
have a heart attack did she she didn't take her own life no um so we know now natural causes the medical examiners
report um heart problems and and things of that nature if Zach's mother had lived and testified might there have
been a different outcome yes really well I mean what was she going to say that made the defense
attorney so confident Abel had to be humanized and his mother was the person who was going to be able to do that um I
lived in England for a while where the accused very often testify in America it's just the opposite they rarely do he
chose not to take the stand and so when you do that you're defined by your enemies unless you have someone like
your mom who will take the stand and humanize this guy Alex Morris said it hurt the case because they lost that
element M Alex had mentioned to us too that um Kimberly Clark was potentially going to kind of back up the story of
Christina as being more of an aggressor in this relationship and really paint that picture a little bit clearer and
she wasn't just uh you know Zach's mom she was also their roommate she lived with the thruffle around the time I know
she I know she lived with the thruffle around the time of April 2018 right before this road trip and she was there
for that big fight that kind of started the road trip so she could have really G
given some ins View and you know we wrestled with including this detail in the hour but ultimately why didn't that
detail make it in just time or it's time you know we have an hour to tell a story
and you know to Zach ael's credit Alex Morris offered him the opportunity you know should we see about delaying or
maybe seeking a mistrial because of this this was a big uh you know character witness for us and Zach said no let's
keep going Alex brought up to us that might be a reason that he could appeal cuz a judge might look at that and say
well he made that decision but he wasn't in the right head space exactly he was grieving his mother in that moment so
that's fascinating as we mentioned Abel didn't testify trial but he did make a statement uh during his sentencing more
than two months later 48 Hours was there that day what was the reaction in the courtroom like to hearing Abel speak we
were very excited to hear what he was going to say and his statement was that he loved eileene and that actually this
road trip was kind of a little bit of a a love trip for him and eileene and he claimed he proposed to her on the trip
with a ring pop and you know it's the specificity of it you know it wasn't just I propose I propose with a Ring Pop
um but we were kind of very shocked by that because by the um prosecution standpoint you killed her maybe what a
week or two after that but he said that they loved each other they were going to
start a family together and they were going to get away from Christina that was his whole thing they were their
whole plan was to get away from Christina yeah and we're hearing this I mean we're processing this and then the
judge is also hearing the statement and then sentences able and gives him the maximum and actually says that he wishes
I'm paraphrasing but effectively he was saying that he wished he could give him a harsher sentence and he' sentenced him
to life so what does that mean I mean I don't know that I've heard a judge like that before cuz remember the
details were explained in court with photographs and everything else of her body yes what was done to that woman is
as shocking a killing as I've ever seen on any 48 hours and I've been doing this
for a couple of decades it was a shocking killing and that that was the undercurrent for all of this so that as
the judge is listening to him Express regret he has the the memory of those photographs knows what was done so then
what about Christina aro's sentencing cuz I mean between the two of them she made out much much better Christina raho
in the end the her judge was a different judge than Abel's judge um sentenced her
to 25 years so she could have gotten life in prison like him but she got a lesser sentence of 25 years and he
acknowledged her uh cooperation with testifying for the prosecution a lot of Eileen's friends and loved ones were
really nervous that because of the connections that Christina had bragged about for all of these years according
to them that she might just get a slap on the wrist but clearly she did not I mean it's not life it's not life but
it's not a walk absolutely so araho always bragging about her dad and I thought to
myself I like why she keep saying this like was she a problem child before had her dad helped her out before but now
we've you know elevated to a level where you're like sorry kid I can't help you I
mean do we find out any sort of more back on her I mean there's a lot of rumors there's a lot of things that
friends and other people have speculated as far as evidence I mean we haven't seen any right and he spoke at her
sentencing it was pretty clear that he had never used his influence to help her and I mean I think was pretty eloquent
in saying that so for sure I think she just tried to use it to intimidate it was a power play I've got this dad who
can make things happen and will protect me nothing more than that he turns out to be based on all of our reporting a
very straight arrow guy and he told his daughter you're going to admit what you've done and you're going to pay the
price for what you've done so just the opposite he he did his job as a as a Lawman uh and and um he was in a way
kind of a hero in this case yeah for all of her bragging uh and all of the alleged threats she made to eileene
about her father about her powerful connections when push came to shove he turned her in the father turned her in
to his story was influential in her pleading guilty wow but I'm sure absolutely devastating when you dedicate
your life to law and order to have a child that you then have to have to turn in So at the end of the episode Eileen's
best friend Ally expressed her hope for more compassion towards those trapped in
abusive relationships and I think that you're helping to fulfill her hope for sure by sharing Eileen's story this is a
great hour um you know and I hope that ultimately people also learn from this hour Peter Lauren Richie
I want to thank you guys so much thank you thank you for having us if you or someone you know is a
victim of domestic violence contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline that number is 1
8007997233 if you like this series postmortem please rate and review 48 Hours on Apple
podcast and follow 48 Hours wherever you get your podcast and you can also listen
at free on Amazon music wry Plus in the wry app or with a 48 Hours Plus subscription on Apple podcast thanks
again for listening

Why did only two walk out alive from room 15 at the motel where three people checked in?

Watch "Who Killed Aileen Seiden in Room 15?" and then catch up with "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant and producers Lauren White and Richie Fetzer on "Post Mortem" as they share their experiences visiting room 15, where Aileen Seiden was brutally murdered by her two partners, Zach Abell and Christina Araujo. They discuss a never-before-heard interview that reveals Abell’s mother was going to testify on his behalf but she never made it to the courtroom. They also dig into the forensic evidence found at the scene and the nature of the “throuple” relationship between Aileen and her killers.

00:00 Who Killed Aileen Seiden in Room 15? 41:16 Listen to a post-mortem on the episode

Listen to "Post Mortem" wherever you get your podcasts: https://apple.co/4dWbBcs

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

Eileen Siden was murdered by her partners Zach Abel and Christina Araho during a violent road trip, leading to a complex trial and emotional fallout.

Key points

A Friend's Desperate Plea. Eileen reached out to her best friend, fearing for her life.
The Thruple's Dangerous Dynamic. Eileen's relationship with Zach and Christina spiraled into violence and jealousy.
Eileen's Alarming Suspicion. During a road trip, Eileen expressed fear for her life to her sister.
The Shocking Revelation. Zach confided to Mike that Christina killed Eileen after she was found dead.
Trial Delays and Agonizing Limbo. Franchesca Siden lived in limbo for almost 6 years waiting for justice for her sister Eileen.
Christina Aro's Testimony. Christina Aro becomes the star witness, revealing horrifying details of Eileen's murder.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

If these walls could talk...

Reflecting on the violent scene in the motel room.

3:27WatchJan 24, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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