00:00:00
foreign [Music] it's so powerful to see how my mom handled this situation she's amazing you know and she's really
00:00:18
really strong how often do Residential kidnappings happen here very rare yeah not very
00:00:27
often at all Shawna Hanley is at her home with her daughter Isabella a friend came over just to come and
00:00:36
visit with her talk for about five or ten minutes and the doorbell rang and so I went to the
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door and it sees two men these two individuals essentially present themselves to be delivery men of some
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sort Shauna sees them says look I have a friend over now is not a good time she goes to close the door on them they
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force themselves in with guns they started to scream to get the F on the floor and don't move they handcuffed
00:01:05
me in front like this I was just stunned I saw that my mom and her friend were handcuffed I said I have valuables I
00:01:14
have jewelry I have cash I have precious metals I can get you money didn't interest them at all
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I said come with me and she went and they came back and asked me he said no and they just accepted that
00:01:29
and left they put her in the van I'm hooded they hooded me as soon as I went into the van it was a van that
00:01:39
didn't have the windows in the back and it was just a rubber mat without seats back there
00:01:44
and laid me on the floor and then they leave these guys are heading out of town with
00:01:53
Sean Hanley in the back of that van one of the guys sat on top of me you know so he stayed screaming at me he hit
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the gun to my head I was trying to pay attention to where we were I could feel when we picked up
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speed that we had made a turn I was like oh now my heart sung I was like we're on
00:02:12
an interstate or something and the guy stripped me they threatened to assault me sexually he put a pill in my
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mouth and he gave me another I said what are you giving me and he said don't worry about that and so I
00:02:31
guess I started to maybe drift a little and I started praying so this particular day I got out of work
00:02:40
as I was traveling it was a wreck on the interstate I got stopped behind a white
00:02:44
van I could kind of see the the driver of the van was starting to get nervous and the mirror he was looking at me he
00:02:50
decided to get into the shoulder and speed off it didn't sit right with me so I got in
00:02:56
behind him I put my emergency lights sirens on [Music] then I hear sirens and I was like
00:03:04
yeah yeah okay thank you God this is where the vehicle exited it's a dead end for a dirt road which had been
00:03:17
mud because it just rained their van got stuck that's when they exited the vehicle and kept running
00:03:26
the siren stopped and I just sunk again and I was like what happened did I imagine the sirens what's going on and
00:03:35
I'm full of anxiety when you approach the van you've got your gun drawn yes sir I opened the rear
00:03:43
door of the vent and in the van what I thought was a mannequin moved scared me it startled me so I jump back
00:03:49
and I shut the door I said oh my God things aren't always what they seem [Music]
00:04:23
thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] I didn't know what was going on with my mom there was no one really telling me
00:04:50
what was happening police say the woman was forcefully removed from her home in Lafayette with
00:04:56
her childhood home now a crime scene and her mother Shonda Hanley just abducted by armed intruders
00:05:03
Isabella Cumberland found herself confused amidst a crowd of investigators and forensic analysts they wanted to go
00:05:11
over the fingerprints on the doors upstairs my phone and it just kind of felt like I was another piece of
00:05:17
evidence Isabella then just 14 years old was trying to process the site of the violent kidnapping she had just
00:05:24
witnessed at her family's home in Lafayette Louisiana on August 6 2017. as they're driving away with her
00:05:32
did you think that was the last time you'd ever see her I thought there was a chance
00:05:37
Lafayette investigators and Isabella had no idea that about an hour after the kidnapping just across the state near
00:05:45
Baton Rouge Chad Martin and Iberville Parish Sheriff's deputy had just pulled over a suspicious white van after a
00:05:52
brief Pursuit there were two men inside when they pulled into this parking spot they got stuck in the mud so the men
00:06:01
jump out and they take off running and right behind us is the Intercoastal Waterway they jump in and disappear
00:06:11
and when Martin went to clear that vehicle he discovered Shonda Handley handcuffed and naked in the back
00:06:19
she looked at me and I'll never forget this she said are you the real police are you the one that's going to kill me
00:06:24
and he was like you're safe you're safe just minutes before Martin was rushing home for Sunday dinner in his squad car
00:06:33
after clocking out unaware of shonda's kidnapping nearly 60 miles away his biggest worry at that time was his
00:06:41
wife's Wrath I heard you were habitually late for dinners I had a tendency to be
00:06:47
late for everything now he had unwittingly made the rescue of a lifetime what's going through your head I mean
00:06:56
you were just trying to pull over a couple of guys who looked a little suspicious I can't really tell you it
00:07:01
was going through my head almost like I went into like robot mode and I was just
00:07:04
trying to get this woman help Shonda told him a harrowing story that the kidnappers had drugged her and
00:07:12
threatened to rape her and kill her if not for Chad Martin oh I would be dead I can't even imagine
00:07:20
but I know it wasn't going to be quick and Swift [Music] Martin relayed the news of shonda's
00:07:27
rescue to dispatch and it soon reached Isabella whenever they told me that she was safe I
00:07:33
felt this relief law enforcement began to ask questions who were shonda's kidnappers
00:07:41
and why did they abduct her but for Shonda there was no mystery who was behind it
00:07:47
she had said that she believed that her husband is the one that had paid them to
00:07:51
kill her her estranged husband Michael Handley Shonda says that before the difficult
00:08:00
months leading up to the kidnapping Michael would have been the last person she could have imagined would harm her
00:08:06
they had met in 2005 through friends in Lafayette at a time when both were single parents and emerging from failed
00:08:13
marriages he was really catering and just sweet and compassionate another thing they had in common both were in
00:08:23
recovery for addiction at that time I had been sober for about 18 years oh wow Michael was newly clean
00:08:34
and sober he had about a year the new couple hit it off and a year later they were married in Hawaii
00:08:42
Isabella took an immediate liking to Michael he well was my dad from when I was two years old and so that's
00:08:52
how I saw him was really as my dad in 2007 Michael and Shonda found success channeling their experience in recovery
00:09:01
into a new business we're going to provide care and we're going to meet you where you are partnering with a doctor
00:09:06
to start a chain of addiction treatment centers so we wound up opening at one point I think there were 14 centers
00:09:14
throughout the South eight years later they made a decision we sold the company how much did y'all make on the sale the
00:09:22
two of them Michael and his partner we sold the company for 21.5 million dollars
00:09:29
wow yeah but their life is Happy millionaires didn't last long say prosecutors Donald
00:09:37
connect and Kenny a bear you know money and free time with someone with an addictive personality isn't a great
00:09:42
combination Shonda was seeing that firsthand with Michael in 2017 less than two years
00:09:48
after the sale of their company when she found a bottle of Adderall with Michael handley's name on it
00:09:54
so what we believed at our Treatment Center was that use of something like that amphetamine
00:10:03
could open the doors to a world of trouble so when I found the bottle it terrified me
00:10:10
and I can remember telling him this could lead to death this could lead to something devastating
00:10:17
and soon things got even worse when Shonda discovered that Michael was seeing another woman he was having an
00:10:24
affair and all I could think was like I don't even know who this man is Shonda issued an ultimatum Michael had
00:10:33
to go into treatment but when he refused to get help she made a difficult decision I changed
00:10:40
the locks and Michael was locked out of the house and he started to lose his mind at that point
00:10:48
and so after a couple of weeks he said you're going to regret this and then that turned into
00:10:56
I'm telling you it's going to get bad the hanley's life together was falling apart fast Michael accused Shonda of
00:11:04
assaulting him she was charged but later acquitted by a judge all while Shonda was begging the
00:11:11
authorities to see that she was the one in danger if Michael wasn't apprehended he was going to kill me
00:11:17
[Music] as Shonda Hanley was recovering in the hospital investigators were learning the
00:11:40
details of her tumultuous past with Michael Handley they knew they had to find him and the
00:11:46
kidnappers fast they started scouring the last place her abductors had been seen this canal there's a fisherman and
00:11:54
he reported these these two individuals Waiting by him in the water and one of them pointed a gun at him and said be
00:12:01
cool but as apppers had been swimming towards freedom the Canal's unforgiving current had
00:12:09
other plans they found them floating in ventricles to Canal drowned dead dead they were later identified as Sylvester
00:12:22
Bracey and Arsenio Haynes what did you think when you found out they were dead I thought I'm not going to have to worry
00:12:30
about them hurting me as sad as that is while investigators suspected Michael Hanley was responsible for the abduction
00:12:39
proving it might have been difficult with their main Witnesses the kidnappers dead
00:12:44
but handily it seemed had made it kind of easy for them detectives were running the VIN number
00:12:50
on the white van that VIN number leads them to an Enterprise dealership in Baton Rouge said well a few days ago an
00:12:58
individual named Lawrence Michael Hanley came in and rented the van and then a couple days before that he went to
00:13:04
Barney's police Depot which is a store that carries specifically Police Issue merchandise
00:13:11
Handley was seen on store surveillance cameras as he pulls up and purchases handcuffs
00:13:18
finding evidence allegedly connecting handly to the kidnapping wasn't difficult but finding him turned out to
00:13:25
be the challenge I'm asking if Michael's been apprehended and they said no and so they said we need to like lay low
00:13:33
for a little while with a fortune at his fingertips investigators feared he could be
00:13:39
anywhere and a danger to Shonda once she was released from the hospital so they came up with a plan of action
00:13:46
we decided on a safe house outside of Lafayette Sid a bear a former Louisiana Sheriff
00:13:53
was part of the security detail watching Shonda 24 7. we had a Lafayette sheriff's deputy and
00:14:00
a marked unit on premises no visitors no package deliveries nothing until further notice
00:14:08
even in hiding Shonda was feeling relief that Michael was finally being recognized as a threat after living in
00:14:17
constant fear prior to the kidnapping the terror that I was in for those three months the kidnapping was
00:14:24
nothing in comparison kidnapping was a blessing what the kidnapping is what allowed me to get
00:14:35
to a place where people were willing to support me in the beginning how many people
00:14:41
believed Shonda not many but Shonda had found a fierce Ally in Christine mear her divorce attorney
00:14:52
Christine knew all too well what Shawna had experienced the most dangerous case I have ever
00:14:58
heard about let alone been a part of what made it so dangerous Michael Hanley he was constantly stalking her telling
00:15:08
her that he knew where she was threatening her threatening her daughter with harm
00:15:15
Shonda called the police several times but felt she wasn't taken seriously Christine helped Shonda secure a
00:15:22
restraining order but says Michael found creative ways to make it effectively worthless he disguised his voice he also
00:15:31
used an app that picked up dummy numbers that he used to contact her so there was
00:15:36
no proof that it was him that was actually violating the protective order and he seemed to be tracking shonda's
00:15:42
every move he was able to spy on her through her own laptop computers her alarm system he
00:15:49
compromised all of that nothing was out of balance Michael's Behavior was growing
00:15:55
increasingly erratic even though he was the one to initially file for divorce in
00:16:00
the spring of 2017. he soon changed his mind and Shonda says now he was demanding they reconcile or
00:16:08
she'd pay a humiliating price he says some of our private videos are going to go out
00:16:18
to people in the community intimate intimate videos Shonda struggled over this knew she couldn't take him back
00:16:28
so videos went out to hundreds of people in the community my cousins uncles administration at the school political
00:16:36
friends Neighbors I sat and cried and was sick to my stomach I almost didn't stand up
00:16:47
just when Shonda thought she couldn't take any more on June 8 2017 almost two months to the day before the kidnapping
00:16:55
Michael Hanley slipped into her house through the garage he was enraged he reeked of alcohol he
00:17:04
was he was Furious and he had me pinned up against the wall and I screamed Isabella
00:17:15
well he put his hand over my mouth and he pulled out a gun a nine millimeter a gun he pulls out a handgun and he said
00:17:24
if you scream or anybody comes to interfere I will shoot you both I will kill you both do you understand me
00:17:33
Shonda says that after hours saying anything she could think of to calm him down she finally convinced Michael to
00:17:41
leave as soon as he walked out of that gate I ran in the house bolted the door and I started screaming and crying when
00:17:51
Michael left that day after he had attacked me I was a hundred percent positive he was going to kill me
00:17:57
police were called once again but they didn't arrest Michael Hanley I can see in your eyes that you're getting
00:18:04
emotional oh I felt as though I was being told that that I was lying and that I was making it up
00:18:13
this is why women don't report abuse because they fear they will not be believed how many times had Shonda filed
00:18:23
a report against Michael I believe that the actual reports filed were a couple dozen if not more
00:18:32
as far as how many times was there an arrest made there wasn't why a lot of times he was out of state sometimes the
00:18:39
investigators felt like they didn't have enough evidence to actually go forward and get a warrant for the arrest
00:18:45
after the kidnapping investigators were confident that this time they had more than enough evidence to make an arrest
00:18:52
but could they find him in time so somehow Michael is able to track Shonda down to the place that she's
00:19:00
seeking Refuge thank you does Michael Hanley know that the cops are on to him yes because at some point
00:19:27
he tried to Charter a private plane and so the pilot Century said I am not going
00:19:31
to be taking you anywhere because you're a wanted man the pilot reported it to police but
00:19:37
Michael was long gone and as he continued to evade authorities Shonda got a text message from a strange
00:19:44
number claiming that Michael had also been kidnapped saying in part pay the ransom for your
00:19:52
husband and pay us 500 large or we will send him home in pieces a day later friends received a shocking
00:20:00
photo of Michael he was nude handcuffed and seemingly injured and he's got blood on it right
00:20:07
it appeared to be from shaundice kidnappers but investigators knew that couldn't be true we know that obviously
00:20:14
wasn't from them because they're dead at this point so Michael is behind these messages
00:20:20
on August 11 2017 after a four-day Manhunt detectives finally cornered the multi-millionaire once accustomed to
00:20:29
private jets and five-star hotels he was in this off-ramp motel in Slidell Louisiana
00:20:35
we begin with new information on the arrest of a Lafayette kidnapping sauce as they took an oddly smiling Michael
00:20:43
Handley into custody investigators began sifting through the nearly ten thousand dollars in cash
00:20:48
pizza boxes and illicit drugs finding this to-do list on it where things like burner phone
00:20:56
hair dye cash but its final task was even more ominous says prosecutor Kenny a bear sent shonda's safe house was just
00:21:05
35 miles away but on the bottom of that list were the words finish the job and finish the job would mean
00:21:14
in our opinion he was going to kill her with Michael Hanley now in jail Shonda and her security team decided it was
00:21:22
finally safe for her to come out of hiding it was time to go home and that's what she said I just want to go home and
00:21:29
rebuild my life but with his track record of evading Justice Isabella was skeptical that the
00:21:36
worst was behind them I remember thinking that it was almost pointless that he was being arrested it felt like
00:21:43
he had all the power and he was going to keep all the power Michael Handley pleaded not guilty to a
00:21:49
Litany of charges he including conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and prosecutors got to work building
00:21:57
their case against him anytime you're on our side of the table you start thinking what's the defense
00:22:02
going to be we could not figure out what his defense was going to be there was no question
00:22:08
that she was a victim of a kidnapping but says Kevin stockstill the man who Michael Hanley hired to defend him the
00:22:15
physical evidence doesn't prove his client played a part in any of it where the van and the handcuffs enough to
00:22:22
convict him I don't think so that is because stock still says there is an explanation for everything it
00:22:31
started when Michael hired Sylvester Bracey not to kidnap his wife but instead he claims to move some furniture
00:22:38
that was the reason Michael rented the van he says and made no effort to hide it
00:22:45
Mr Hanley you know goes into the Enterprise Rent-A-Car location with his credit card
00:22:51
one hand and driver's license in the other so you thought you could explain to the jury Hey listen nobody who's
00:22:56
actually going to commit this crime is going to go in with their license and ID and buy it themselves correct it was all
00:23:03
innocent enough stock still says until the would-be Mover went rogue stock still theorizes Sylvester Bracey
00:23:10
saw Michael's desperation to get his wife back and decided to use it to his advantage that's when he enlisted
00:23:17
Arsenio Haynes to help him kidnap Shonda and hold her for ransom so you're thinking the kidnappers
00:23:26
could have wanted to extort Michael to get money from him so they would have kidnapped his wife potentially
00:23:33
of course he did buy the handcuffs but stock still says he only used them to Stage that fake kidnapping photo so
00:23:42
as he's bound and gagged he's bound with handcuffs it was just the latest example
00:23:47
according to stockstill of photos and videos that Michael had been sending to Shonda for months
00:23:54
showing him an emotional distress and in one case apparently beaten up in a misguided attempt to try and win her
00:24:03
back I love you I love you because Michael had he had a proclivity to try and Stage these things to to get
00:24:13
you know sympathy from Shonda argue that the kidnappers acted on their own Shonda Hanley made a damning discovery
00:24:23
while cleaning out a remote Mississippi property they owned Shauna starts getting some of her
00:24:29
personal belongings well one of the things that they found was this camera it was a type of camera called Arlo
00:24:36
Michael Handley used it for security when Arlo detects sound and video Arlo starts recording that's right
00:24:44
that's right well it turns out he accidentally turned the camera on himself all put together what did the
00:24:52
camera record I mean hundreds of hours hundreds of hours one of the First videos is from two
00:25:03
months before the kidnapping Michael is by himself in a hotel room and is apparently talking to himself you see
00:25:10
him moving around and at some point he picks the camera up and he puts it in the back
00:25:15
and you hear him say the words I'm going to kill her I'm a killer killer kill her
00:25:25
prosecutors believe the her he intended to kill was Shonda and that Michael was even more explicit just days later in a
00:25:34
conversation with a friend in the living room of the Mississippi house they're having beers and they're discussing the
00:25:41
issues that he's having with Shonda is going on right yeah she's not going to and you're not going to do that the
00:25:52
friend later said he didn't recall hearing what Michael said next Michael says that's why she's gonna have
00:26:00
to die just so matter of fact and yet another clip from just two weeks before the kidnapping Michael Hanley is
00:26:08
caught with Sylvester Bracey at that property planning how it was the perfect place prosecutors say to bring Shonda to
00:26:16
torture her and possibly worse he specifically says it's almost impossible for anyone to get in here
00:26:24
so which Bracy responds and it'll be impossible for her to get out I mean did you think you had a rock solid case
00:26:41
before that yes what would you think after it uh I thought I must have done something right
00:26:46
in the world [Applause] then in a move no one saw coming to use the truth the whole truth nothing but
00:26:54
the true stuff you got I do Michael Hanley agreed to tell his side of things what is the strongest piece of evidence
00:27:02
against Michael Handley chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and Twitter while awaiting trial for the kidnapping
00:27:19
of his estranged wife Shonda Michael Hanley was held in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center
00:27:25
but Shonda says even though Michael was behind bars he continued to harass her I've received a lot of mail letters
00:27:35
while he's been incarcerated at numerous calls can't they stop him from calling you
00:27:42
I guess not on top of that Shonda lived in fear that Michael just might get out that's because at one point the defense
00:27:51
argued that Michael was suffering from mental illness and was not guilty by reason of insanity
00:28:01
when Michael was sober it was a fantastic individual you know very talented willing to help people
00:28:09
when he was found at the hotel in Slidell I mean there were drugs there you know there's no question that he was
00:28:14
using again I don't know the level of his responsibility but I think it's a combination of
00:28:23
substance abuse and some mental illness for prosecutor Kenny a bear however it was a desperate attempt to get Michael
00:28:32
released they did it so that they could get some psychological professionals on the stand
00:28:38
to say he needs to be out of jail and he needs to go to these mental health facilities
00:28:44
well we're talking about mental health facilities that don't have nearly the security that a jail has
00:28:50
Michael's defense team submitted mental health records showing that he suffered from bipolar disorder Complicated by
00:28:57
drug addiction which they say rendered him legally insane during the time leading up to the kidnapping
00:29:05
two court-appointed doctors agreed but the judge ruled that Michael was competent to stay in trial and must
00:29:11
remain Behind Bars once they initially failed to get him out they withdrew that plea and why'd
00:29:18
they change it to they just changed it to regular not guilty while Michael hanley's criminal battle
00:29:23
was heating up in March 2018 his divorce from Shonda became finalized Shonda was
00:29:30
awarded all of the assets there was only one problem there is no money there's no money
00:29:37
you know millions of dollars vanished Michael was a very eccentric person he was obsessed with the collapse of the
00:29:46
American dollar so much of their money was in gold bars Shonda said she had seen gold before and
00:29:53
knew that there was gold somewhere on that property I believe people actually went out with metal detectors to try to
00:29:59
figure out if he stashed it somewhere no gold was ever recovered so there's all of this money that's unaccounted for but
00:30:06
we know it's got to be out there somewhere on top of being left with nothing Shonda says she suddenly found
00:30:13
herself responsible for repaying her now ex-husband's massive debts how much of a hole did he leave you in
00:30:21
750 000. I can't comprehend how I'm now in a position where I owe this sort of money
00:30:30
Shonda felt like it was a slap in the face after enduring so much but it wasn't all for naught during the
00:30:38
settlement negotiations shonda's divorce attorney Christine Mir had subpoenaed Michael for a deposition and
00:30:45
surprisingly he agreed I mean that's wild it is I can imagine that someone with the arrogance that Michael Henley
00:30:54
had insisted that he was going to be testifying it was going to be fine because he is the smartest person in the
00:30:59
world shonda's divorce attorney and the prosecutors had agreed to cooperate with
00:31:05
each other and everyone was interested in hearing what Michael Hanley had to say
00:31:12
it was a risk because he might go into that deposition and say stuff that really jeopardizes his criminal case
00:31:16
I've never been more nervous in the deposition than that one dressed in a striped prison uniform
00:31:26
Michael answered questions for 10 hours over three days I was hanging on every question I bet you were yeah it was a
00:31:35
chaotic and hectic time I was living out of hotels I've been moving from hotel to
00:31:38
hotel for several months Michael was asked about his relationship with Sylvester Bracey and the reason he
00:31:45
rented that van I had hired him to move furniture I rented the van to make a move to move the furniture
00:31:53
he stuck with his original story he said that he had hired movers in order to move furniture
00:32:00
and they went rogue because they thought he had money I got a phone call as soon
00:32:05
as I answered the phone I said hello they screamed um they screamed we've got your wife
00:32:13
and um I just remember because it was like I got punched it's like one of those moments when you
00:32:20
go into uh top Regal but when pressed about the details of how he first met Bracy I don't recall
00:32:30
Michael claimed he couldn't remember much about the weeks leading up to the kidnapping I don't remember I don't know
00:32:37
I don't recall that's why I'm hesitating I don't remember I don't recall I don't
00:32:42
recall I don't recall there are big gaps in my memory I don't know I don't know the reason that I don't recall is
00:32:49
because I was high I was living like a rock star I was on and off medications during this period of time and I was
00:32:54
under the influence of substances mental illness is tough you know but he insisted despite the gaps in
00:33:02
memory there was one thing he knew for certain I would not kidnap my wife he would cry
00:33:09
and say that he loved her so much I don't remember that he was so sorry it was that type of manipulation I have a
00:33:18
tremendous regret during the deposition Christine pulled that Arlo camera recording in which
00:33:26
prosecutors believe Bracy and Handley were caught talking about the plot to kidnap Shonda
00:33:32
the wife Hanley claimed he loved so much I queued up where One of the kidnappers
00:33:39
was telling Michael and you know if she gets out of line I won't hesitate to kill her
00:33:48
and I said what kind of Movers tell that to you and his fear was palpable and he said oh
00:33:57
I don't know Christine people tell me all sorts of things Michael Hanley withered under
00:34:02
questioning poking holes in his own defense with his own words the civil attorneys provided us with those
00:34:10
deposition transcripts shortly after receiving them and with the trial date fast approaching Michael's defense
00:34:16
attorney feared the worst we were of the opinion that he ran a significant risk of a conviction
00:34:25
with the walls closing in and hours before the trial was set to start Michael Hanley indicated
00:34:31
he was open to a deal he would plead you know the second degree kidnapping the minimum sentence
00:34:38
would be 15 years the maximum sentence would be 35 years Shooters Donnie connect and Kenny a bear
00:34:45
say there was a lot to take into consideration the problem with a jury trial is you you almost never know but
00:34:52
also knew that there's Shonda Hanley there's Isabella you've got victims that have to relive that moment if you go to
00:34:58
trial ultimately the decision to take the deal or go to trial was shaundice I was so scared that if we went to trial
00:35:10
that it could work out beautifully for him because Michael always lands on his feet
00:35:17
once Michael's out I'm no longer free more of the evidence photos at 48hours.com
00:35:32
[Music] in July 2021 all Shonda Hanley wanted was for her ex-husband Michael Hanley to
00:35:46
stay behind bars so she agreed to accept his plea of guilty to second-degree kidnapping
00:35:53
I didn't want to take any risks I would rather the plea deal than to take the chance and go to trial
00:36:01
less than a year later on March 24 2022 Shonda was in the courtroom to find out what Michael's sentence would be
00:36:09
Isabella was there too as was Michael what was it like to come face to face with him in court it was so surreal you
00:36:20
know and I think honestly for both of us it was this really strong powerful emotion that we both felt but mine was
00:36:30
hatred hoping to help convince the judge to give Michael the maximum sentence Isabella chose to give a victim impact
00:36:38
statement what did you say at the hearing I really kind of told a story about how
00:36:46
difficult it really made my life and how difficult it still makes my life because
00:36:49
I didn't think he knew that it affected me as well as it affected her Shonda also had something she wanted to say to
00:36:58
Michael I told him that he wrecked everything and that he destroyed everything and how
00:37:03
could you like we had like a really we had a good life we had a good family and we we adored each other
00:37:14
he was the person I most admired in this world until then do you think Michael understands his
00:37:23
actions have had an effect on his former wife and stepchild I think that he does
00:37:28
you get the sense the guy's sorry I think so I think he's capable of remorse yet when it was Michael's turn to speak
00:37:36
instead of a tearful apology he gave yet another new story this time he admitted he did in fact
00:37:44
hire the two men to kidnap Shonda but claimed it was all fake and staged so that he could swoop in save her and be
00:37:54
the hero what he really wanted to do was emerge as the White Knight who came in and
00:38:00
rescued her it was a way for him to try to win her back but he never really intended to hurt her it was all a big
00:38:07
game in the end the judge sided with the prosecution and gave Michael Hanley the
00:38:14
maximum penalty a Lafayette man was sentenced today in the 2017 kidnapping case of his
00:38:21
estranged wife Lawrence Michael Handley received 35 years in prison for the crime 35 years
00:38:29
minus five for time served puts him out when he's 79. 79. are you okay with that
00:38:38
I'd rather he never get out are you still afraid even with him behind bars oh yeah
00:38:45
that concern is something Isabella shares do you fear for your safety from Michael
00:38:52
Hanley yeah I do nothing could stop him I just see him as a villain not a good person and I'm not sad about it in my
00:39:03
mind he's changed to a completely different person so it doesn't feel like I've lost my dad it feels like
00:39:10
I've lost a stranger the now 20 year old college junior chooses to focus on the valuable lesson
00:39:17
that she learned from her mother it's so powerful to see how my mom handled this situation she showed me how she can
00:39:28
overcome something so horrible and turn it into something great and become an even better person
00:39:34
out of it welcome welcome to our house I'm glad that you're here Shonda has found
00:39:41
renewed purpose working with others like her she sold property took out a loan and opened two Sober Living homes
00:39:48
dedicated to helping women get back on their feet we want you to feel comfortable I want you to feel like this
00:39:53
is a safe place where you can start a new it's been really really rewarding and you know from my experiences that
00:40:01
I've had the challenges that I've had I'm able to show them firsthand that we get up we keep going we put one foot in
00:40:10
front of the other and we will persevere an important part of moving forward for
00:40:17
Shonda has been recognizing those who stood by her and while she did speak on the phone with Chad Martin that officer
00:40:26
Hussein Chad she never got the chance to thank him in person until now when we arranged for
00:40:33
them to meet so good to meet you good to see you again yeah I'm looking at you to
00:40:39
see if I can remember I remember I'm really glad that uh I was in the right place at the right time to
00:40:46
help you really glad thank you I feel like I owe you everything I guess my greatest gratitude
00:40:54
in you saving my life is that my daughter gets to have her mom and have a good life
00:41:01
thank you give me another hug wow [Music] foreign Spanish you know cars go off the road
00:41:33
things happen what happened to the holder seats not making any sense and it's taking weirder and weirder turns
00:41:39
nobody saw this coming 48 hours two weeks two weeks from tonight on CBS