00:00:00
[Music] this is where it all began right this is where it all began April 23rd 2018 I received the call that body was
00:00:23
located off of Highway 98 I come over to this area and approximately here was about where the
00:00:34
head of the body was at and stretched out across the ditch with the feet facing in that direction she had bruises
00:00:41
from head to toe covering her entire body she had lacerations on her face stomach legs so this woman suffered
00:00:49
before she died she suffered I've never seen anything like it it was extreme violence extreme violence
00:01:01
Overkill and who would do something like that at the time you don't know and what
00:01:07
you worry about then is are they loosen our community what type of individual am I
00:01:13
dealing with or individuals is there one person is there two you have a million questions that
00:01:20
you can ask but you have no answers at the time the next day they identified the
00:01:26
woman that is eileene siden a young 31 one-year-old female in the Miami area I've known Eileen siden for 25
00:01:35
years she was my best friend Elina called me she had told me it was pretty where she was the last
00:01:44
talk I had with Eileen was very different she told me just these horrific things you never think you'll
00:01:50
hear from your best friend she said I need your help it was like a movie my sister's
00:01:59
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
00:02:05
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
00:02:15
happen to us this doesn't happen in real life we received the call from the Sportsman's Lodge Motel there was a room
00:02:28
that they were in the process of cleaning there was blood and what goes through your mind as
00:02:34
you walk through all this beauty this right here would be the last place that you could ever imagine a homicide taking
00:02:41
place especially right here in this piece of paradise I'll take you to room number
00:02:49
15 now when the housekeepers first came through this door what did they see uh they said the furniture was
00:02:57
knocked over onto the floor as I started cleaning the room they found more and more stuff to be wrong they noticed
00:03:04
stuff missing from the beds the sheets anything like that this bed here was completely covered in a blood stain so
00:03:12
that tells you there was a violent scene going on yes and what happened in room 15 it's
00:03:24
unn if these walls could talk right oh if they could talk I'd like to hear them [Music]
00:04:07
[Music] appleola floridaa is a wonderful small place for Franklin County assistant
00:04:25
prosecutor Jared Patterson the Sleepy Gulf Coast Town of appal laola and surrounding Countryside are among the
00:04:33
last remnants of a bygone era it's certainly still hearkens back to a time before there was condos on every inch of
00:04:40
the beach and before there were highrises we're referred to here the counties along this area of the coast as
00:04:45
the Forgotten Coast but when a couple heading to a nearby fishing pond discovered Eileen sidon's battered body
00:04:53
on April 23rd 2018 Patterson wondered what had brought a killer to Florida's forgotten Coast the horror that it
00:05:02
really was it absolutely shocked people it looked like someone was in a hurry whoever it was dumped the body and
00:05:09
took off lead investigator Lieutenant Ronnie Jones then with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office says documenting
00:05:17
Eileen's unsettling dump site was the first of two ominous events over the next 24 hours he was soon dispatched to
00:05:26
the second crime scene at the Sportsman's large motel and that Bloody spectacle inside
00:05:36
room [Music] 15 so what's it like for you to be back in here uh brings back some pretty bad
00:05:45
memories Jan memories live in stark contrast to the tree shaded grounds of the otherwise peaceful Motel as soon as
00:05:55
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
00:06:04
and when you saw that kind of blood loss what did that tell you I just put two on
00:06:09
two together and I automatically put that back to the um body that was found the day before you did that quickly like
00:06:15
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
00:06:21
on this bed tells me that whoever was here was probably deceased Jones recalled there was a smell of vinegar in
00:06:27
the room and what did that tell you that someone attempted to clean the crime scene a luminol test for traces of human
00:06:35
blood revealed what an apparently Hasty cleanup couldn't hide the whole entire bathroom lit up so that was the scene of
00:06:45
perhaps some of her most vicious attacks was inside that bathroom yes and Jones says the shower curtain rod was a
00:06:53
possible weapon on the rod was located a palm print and also uh blood and that's
00:07:00
significant evidence right that's right testing would soon confirm that it was Eileen's blood in the motel room now
00:07:09
came the gut-wrenching duty to notify Eileen's sister Francesca sidon he said my sister was murdered I don't know like
00:07:18
what do you do you look for support that's all I could do I didn't understand why like it was
00:07:31
given to me again like to handle another loss while growing up in Miami then 16-year-old Francesca and 9-year-old
00:07:42
Eileen faced their first tragedy when their beloved mother Mera passed away from cancer how did the two of you deal
00:07:50
with this we didn't talk about it because it was so fast six years later their father Frank a
00:08:02
successful furniture manufacturer who Francesca says shared a special bond with iile suddenly died from a heart
00:08:10
attack it left eileene then 14 and orphan and 22 year-old Franchesca with a decision to make I signed the papers and
00:08:20
I became her legal guardian and what did that mean what were your responsibilities I became a parent I had
00:08:28
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
00:08:34
to grieve and I don't think that she did either 7 years later Franchesca moved to
00:08:40
Los Angeles on her own that's when she says eileene now in her 20s began grieving their parents she started to
00:08:48
think a lot she became more sensitive something like losing your parents has long lasting effects throughout your
00:08:55
life it's obvious that it did this is E's best friend not wanting her name associated with this case she has asked
00:09:04
48 hours to refer to her as Ally she remembers a strong and determined eileene making it on her own in Miami
00:09:13
she worked as a property manager she lived in a great apartment you know she paid her own rent she made her bills she
00:09:21
was very independent Francesca saw that Independence firsthand when eileene made
00:09:27
an extended visit to La in 2016 looking back do you wish she had stayed with you
00:09:34
100% because whatever happened when she went back to Miami is when she reconnected
00:09:42
with Zach Zach was Zachary Abel who eileene had known since they were teenagers I'm not sure I had the best
00:09:52
reputation in high school at first she wasn't really sure about him but years later she and Zach Abel started dating I
00:10:01
think in the beginning Eileen found Zack fun but I think it changed pretty quickly investigators in Franklin County
00:10:09
would soon learn all about Zack Abel they discovered that Zach eileene and this woman Christina araho had all been
00:10:18
seen in the appalachicola area detectives also learned the three Shar a room at the Sportsman's Lodge
00:10:27
room number 15 we needed to know what happened inside that hotel room outside of three people
00:10:35
entered and two came out carrying a body off the coast of Lauderdale Florida Captain Mike pette set sail on his
00:11:03
50-foot boat it's kind of weird uh trying to remember any good times they just weren't there was always some issue
00:11:11
back in 2018 Mike would play a central role in Eileen sidon's murder investigation he knew eileene and her
00:11:19
boyfriend Zach Abel well Zach is just um very entertaining he's very extroverted
00:11:27
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
00:11:33
and I'm like okay then uh Christina came up Christina araho Zach's girlfriend at
00:11:40
the time the two had been dating for about 4 years Mike says Christina immediately started boasting about her
00:11:49
powerful father right out of the gate she said oh yeah my dad's a major with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's
00:11:54
department and if we ever get into any trouble with the law he can take care of it I was like what who says
00:12:01
that despite their odd first meeting Mike says he began hanging out with the couple What followed were years of wild
00:12:09
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
00:12:17
but Mike says there was an interesting power dynamic in the couple's relationship with Christina who is 8
00:12:24
years older than Zach calling the shots she was very controll R in and very directing he would follow her lead with
00:12:34
stuff One Day in 2016 Zack stopped by Mike's boat but not with Christina instead Zack introduced Mike to Eileen
00:12:45
siden Mike could tell Zach now had two women in his life it was the weirdest thing if your
00:12:53
relationship's not working just end it and move on however Mike says that Zach couldn't make a clean break from
00:13:00
Christina who was also his business partner he tried so many times he just didn't know how to and then also all the
00:13:07
threats all the time that she could make him disappear every time she got drunk she'd say some weird
00:13:13
things Eileen's best friend Ally says Zach and eileene began to secretly date she seemed to love him so much that she
00:13:21
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
00:13:29
Christina in 2017 Eileen unexpectedly lost her job as a property manager she was really starting to lose control of
00:13:38
her own life Ali says that may explain why eileene eventually started working at Zach and Christina's used car
00:13:45
dealership it wasn't the independent life that she had always lived Ally says eileene continued to pressure Zach to
00:13:53
break up with Christina for good but when Zach finally tried to end things withr Ina she countered with an
00:14:01
unconventional proposal it was not the answer that anyone expected Christina came back and said well why don't we try
00:14:09
and all be in a relationship that it now became this opportunity for this thruple
00:14:15
three-way kind of relationship a thruple is a romantic relationship among three people Ally says Eileen was against the
00:14:23
idea Nene said absolutely not there's no way it's never going to work and there was kind of a
00:14:29
crickets for a few weeks but Ally says eileene later changed her mind the trio was now a thropple I was in shock really
00:14:40
but also a little bit happy for them that maybe this could work but it didn't work before long there was trouble this
00:14:48
whole dynamic started to change where one of them always seemed to be the odd man out or was jealous at that point it
00:14:54
just started to spiral out of control according to Mike pck vet things escalated leading to irrational behavior
00:15:03
and fights fueled by alcohol he says Eileen and Christina traded punches often usually resulting in black eyes on
00:15:12
one or both of the women that they'd sometimes hide behind big sunglasses it was a everyday thing pry
00:15:20
every second day thing I could say Ali remembers things differently she says Zach was the main aggressor in the
00:15:28
relationship eileene would call me and say you have to come over here like he hurt me again
00:15:34
and I'd rush over there and photograph her and beg her to go to the police but Ally says Eileen refused fearing
00:15:41
Christina's law enforcement connections would work against her Eileen's sister Franchesca was Furious when she learned
00:15:49
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
00:15:56
this feeling that Christina was more violent of the two it was really difficult to see her going through a
00:16:04
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
00:16:12
the emergency room they took her to the hospital because they have to report things but she wouldn't say where the
00:16:17
bruises came from Eileen's best friend had to deliver a hard truth e you have to break up with
00:16:26
this guy someone's going to end up dead when eile was in real trouble it was hard to get anyone to come rescue
00:16:46
her the path that led to Eileen sidon's murder may have begun weeks earlier in 2018 Ally was surprised that despite the
00:16:56
physical violence in their relationship I had decided to move in with sack Abel and Christina araho the thruple was now
00:17:05
working together sleeping together and living together eileene was trapped in the relationship because she was trapped
00:17:12
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
00:17:20
within a few weeks Ally says Eileen had had enough B was just going to move out she
00:17:27
was really done with the Rel ship but Eileen's plans to leave were halted on April 7th 2018 after Zack and
00:17:36
Christina had gotten into a violent fight Ally says she got a call from eileene on Zach's phone she was going to
00:17:44
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
00:17:52
angry and Furious Ally says Christina threatened to report the car Eileen and Zach were driving in as stolen in an
00:18:00
apparent attempt to keep them from leaving her behind Ali immediately warned eileene and
00:18:08
Zach instead of coming around and coming back like I thought they would they hit
00:18:13
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
00:18:18
crazy she said we're going on a road trip this is a good thing but the road trip wasn't a good
00:18:25
thing to Christina araho she began her harassing Zach and eileene sending a storm of angry texts you two deserve
00:18:34
each other Christina sent more than 150 texts in roughly 24 hours all went unanswered including this one my dad
00:18:44
will be calling you later Christina issued this threat you effed me over and now I'm effing you over I was just
00:18:53
trying to tell her Christina why don't you worry about your own life about 48 hours into the road trip
00:19:00
Zach and eileene were heading to Texas and Christina seemed to have a change of heart texting if you want to come back
00:19:08
home come back you never have to question my love for reasons that are unknown instead of coming home Zach
00:19:18
invited Christina to join them and she flew to Dallas but with a thruple United the old problems
00:19:27
returned I started to call me from Zach's phone at night saying you know this is getting
00:19:32
bad and I don't know what to do it was until Christina arrived that that started to happen I was really worried
00:19:38
someone would get hurt by day 10 of the road trip Eileen's older sister Franchesca was also worried
00:19:48
she hadn't heard from Eileen in a while when the trio stopped in New Orleans eileene finally called Francesca and
00:19:56
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
00:20:06
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
00:20:14
Franchesca desperate to help tried to get more details from Eileen if I had where the address was I would have
00:20:22
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
00:20:29
and and I was scared with no way to help her sister Franchesca hoped eileene would stay safe
00:20:37
the road trip continued into its second week the trio then headed to Panama City
00:20:42
Florida but a missed exit LED them to the Forgotten Coast the road trip is difficult to
00:20:52
understand partying one day and murdering the next David adlerstein is is a reporter for the appalachicola
00:21:00
times one of the oldest newspapers in Florida I've been covering the Eileen siden case since the week it
00:21:10
happened on the evening of April 21st the trio seen here in this screenshot from surveillance footage stumbled into
00:21:18
the quiet peace of Franklin County they went to a popular restaurant the red pirate played miniature golf
00:21:29
partied at the recommendation of a local the thruple headed to the nearby Sportsman's Lodge Motel they reserved
00:21:37
the last vacancy of the night room 15 the next morning on April 22nd 2018 the thruple made a plan they decided they'd
00:21:49
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
00:21:57
liquor store here they are in these screenshots from the store's surveillance footage while
00:22:04
there the trio purchased large bottles of vodka and Fireball whiskey when I went to investigate their path that day
00:22:13
and went to the liquor store the clerk she pointed out that the fireball that they bought was the largest bottle you
00:22:20
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
00:22:28
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
00:22:37
said I need to leave him I'm telling you I'm like a sex slave he has this really
00:22:41
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
00:22:49
crafted an Escape Plan eileene would get on a bus from Tampa the Trio's next destination I bought her a gr ticket
00:22:58
because she didn't have a wallet the bus would drop eileene off near Miami and Ally would take her home eileene just
00:23:06
needed to get on that bus and she'd be safe and then you know I never heard back I never heard anything after
00:23:16
that the next night hundreds of miles away in Fort Lauderdale Mike pikovit was home and alone there was a knock at the
00:23:25
door it was Christina araho and back able I was like okay where's Eileen and right away Christina says oh she ran
00:23:35
away and I said bull I said where is she and Zach right away it started to choke
00:23:40
up and he said she's dead the news was shocking enough but Mike says once Christina was out of
00:23:48
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
00:23:57
give her CPR then uh wanted to call 911 Christina said no and told him you can't call 911
00:24:03
for some reason he kept on saying he had to protect Christina like what you got a
00:24:07
protector for Mike says he wanted to protect both of his friends he feared a violent outcome if he called 911 I
00:24:16
didn't want them to get killed just wanted to make sure that they were brought in in a safe way and the only
00:24:20
thing that I could think about is go talk to her father Christina's father Colonel Tony
00:24:28
araho the one Mike says Christina had always bragged could make her problems go away when Zach and Christina fell asleep
00:24:39
Mike took this photo and says he went online to search for Christina's father a man he had never met so I was
00:24:47
panicking trying to find his phone number when Mike finally got a hold of Colonel Aro he didn't immediately reveal
00:24:55
the deadly news I said I got to talk to you it's about Christina it's very important Mike says Christina's father
00:25:02
directed Mike to meet him at an odd place a gas station so I went up there I said Christina killed somebody and he
00:25:11
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
00:25:19
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
00:25:27
other people to ask me all the questions later that day Mike was shown a photo and he was the one to identify
00:25:36
the battered body of eileene siden with that confirmation police descended on Mike's home as Zach and Christina were
00:25:44
about to leave they were arrested and brought back to Franklin County the pair were
00:25:53
later charged with first-degree murder it would take almost 6 years before Zack Abel and Christina araho
00:26:02
would face a jury and by then only one of them would stand [Music] trial you're healing you're doing the
00:26:25
things that you need to heal and then stopped for almost 6 years Franchesca siden lived in agonizing limbo as her
00:26:37
sister Eileen's case Complicated by having two defendants face delay after delay after frustrating delay and now
00:26:46
you're going to get ready for this big moment and it stops again finally in January of 2024 at the
00:26:54
Franklin County Courthouse in appalachicola Florida Zack Abel was about to face trial he had pleaded not
00:27:02
guilty to first-degree murder and would stand before the jury alone 8 months earlier Christina araho took a plea deal
00:27:11
for a lesser charge of second degree murder so she admitted taking part in this yes she implicated herself in the
00:27:19
actual beating of Eileen after studying the mountain of evidence prosec U Jared Patterson
00:27:29
believes Zack Abel was more responsible in Eileen's murder and the state is relying on the jury believing Christina
00:27:37
aro's version of what happened inside room 15 the only one who has told us anything
00:27:46
about what happened in that room is Christina araho once Christina made her plea deal she would become the
00:27:55
prosecution star witness print reporter David adlerstein camera in hand was there as Christina araho transported the
00:28:03
courtroom back to the evening of April 22nd 2018 araho testified that she Zack Abel
00:28:12
and eileene were relaxing in the room at the Sportsman's Lodge after a day of heavy drinking when Zach drinks does he
00:28:21
act differently it becomes very aggressive very mean Zack Abel became violently enraged says
00:28:31
araho when eileene posed a seemingly innocent question she said Christina guess what and she looks over at
00:28:40
Christina and says hey Christina guess what how would that sentence be finished I have no idea cuz she never got to
00:28:48
finish it Zachary got up immediately and went over to her and was in her face hitting her just
00:28:58
yelling at her telling her you always start problems araho admits to also hitting eileene as she demanded to know
00:29:06
what she was about to say she never got an answer and I got so frustrated I just
00:29:12
went I left the room after stepping outside room 15 for a few minutes araho claims she returned
00:29:21
to find Abel and eileene in the bathroom when I open the door he had something white in his hand like if he
00:29:30
was poking on her the medical examiner was able to identify small circular bruising to the body of Eileen that
00:29:39
could be consistent with a shower curtain rod like the shower curtain rod investigators recovered that had palm
00:29:49
print impressions in Eileen's blood whose Palm was it the palm print belonged to Zachary
00:29:56
Abel the assault continued near the bed says araho where she says Abel reached for his wooden walking stick hey h
00:30:06
several times with it when he hit her in the the back though the stick broke we had actually found pieces of that wooden
00:30:15
staff in the hotel room we didn't realize the significance of it until we found the other piece in the vehicle
00:30:22
that contained our victim's DNA araho says she watched in Terror as Abel began using that stick to sexually assault
00:30:33
eileene Christina's description of the crime was horrifying to listen to Eileen clearly suffered terrible death
00:30:42
adlerstein recalls the medical examiner saying Eileen's injuries reminded him of
00:30:48
those he had seen in motor vehicle crashes as a reporter I try very hard to not be emotional
00:30:58
I distinctly remember fighting back tears araho claims she eventually put herself between Abel and eileene and the
00:31:09
attack finally stopped eileene was badly beaten but still alive she says and the
00:31:16
exhausted Trio just fell asleep I didn't make she me araho claims it wasn't until
00:31:24
she woke up the next morning that she realized Eileen was dead she says she only participated in the coverup out of
00:31:33
fear of what Abel might do to her she seemed to me genuinely remorseful others had different opinions who is Christina
00:31:42
araho in your book manipulative cunning uh chameleon I think that there's evil in
00:31:53
her Alex Morris is Zack Abel's attorney says Christina araho acted alone I believe that she is the murderer let's
00:32:04
talk about her story Morris says it was Christina araho who beat eileene and that photo taken by Mike pavet at his
00:32:13
home after the murder shows she had injuries to her hands and feet which tells you Christina must have been the
00:32:21
attacker that's right Christina araho was the one with homicidal intent says Morris triggered
00:32:30
when Abel and eileene took off with her in the rearview mirror and he says those
00:32:35
threatening text that she sent to Abel's phone before joining them on the road trip read like a
00:32:43
confession there are threats of bodily harm to both eileene and Zach in the messages you come near me ho I will kill
00:32:53
you I think it speaks for itself and that's exactly what happened after Eileen's murder Morris says araho
00:33:02
wiped down the motel room using the vinegar that Ronnie Jones would later smell he says Abel's palm prints on the
00:33:11
curtain rod got there when he moved it during the cleanup he was instructed to pick the curtain rod up over there and
00:33:18
put it over there bye Christina this toll booth surveillance photo from after the murder shows that Christina arrived
00:33:28
and not Zack Abel was the one driving the car and therefore Morris says she was the one in control the evidence
00:33:38
indicates Christina to be the one giving the directions and had everything to be able to manipulate the
00:33:45
situation manipulating Zack Abel says Morris because of those threats she had been making for years about her father's
00:33:53
influence in solving her problems bottom line is Zach was fearful of Christina's
00:34:00
father Abel chose not to testify when Morris made his final arguments to the jury he concluded the evidence showed
00:34:09
there was only one person who wanted Eileen siden dead they haven't proven any motive as to why Mr Abel would be
00:34:17
interested in murdering Miss siden but I'll tell you where motive lies and it's clear as day and that's with Maho the
00:34:26
motive being I I want rid of the person who's taken my man so jealousy yes in his closing Patterson said Christina
00:34:35
araho already accepted her role in this crime he asked the jury to hold Zack Abel accountable for his part by finding
00:34:45
him guilty of murder they live together they work together they own a business together they went to the Sportsman's
00:34:52
Lodge together they emptied out the room together they ran away together they got
00:34:57
arrested together the only thing they didn't do together was kill Eileen Sid no way but who would the jury
00:35:12
believe what do you make of Christina aro's testimony chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and X
00:35:26
[Music] she wasn't born here and she didn't live here but she was left here and she'll
00:35:34
always be remembered by Franklin County residents of Florida's forgotten Coast will now long remember Eileen
00:35:43
siden says Ronnie Jones almost 6 years after her death the community waited for justice for the stranger they now had
00:35:51
come to embrace as one of their own what was going through your mind as the jury
00:35:56
begins its deliberation make it quick I was told by the jury Foreman that when they first went in
00:36:05
there was 10 in favor of first-degree premeditated murder with two holdouts all right everyone please be seated
00:36:14
after about 5 hours of deliberations the jury reached a consensus in the case of
00:36:21
the State of Florida versus Zachary Ray AEL the defendant is guilty of the Lesser included offense of second
00:36:26
deegree murder second deegree murder just like Christina araho adlerstein says the jury
00:36:34
Foreman told him they just couldn't decide if Zach Abel had actually intended to kill eileene they knew that
00:36:43
Christina had pled guilty to Second and I think they eventually said we're going
00:36:49
to give him the same it doesn't tell me that they're equally responsible Mike pikovit says even with the verdict he is
00:36:57
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
00:37:05
just as guilty as the other now retired from law enforcement Ronnie Jones spends his days tending his
00:37:12
bar in appalachicola he says he still left wondering what really happened inside room 15 is this case a mystery to
00:37:22
you it's not a mystery on exactly what happened but exactly why it happened that is what still bothers me to this
00:37:29
day why like what eileene might have been about to say that sparked the attack it was my understanding and the
00:37:37
rumors that she was fixing to disclose the fact that she was pregnant pregnant and was she pregnant did you learn that
00:37:44
at autopsy I was at the autopsy and she was not pregnant I don't know if she thought she was or not
00:37:52
right when it was time for sentencing Zach Abel finally spoke and told the courtroom another twist in this tortured
00:38:02
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
00:38:09
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
00:38:20
that he'd actually propose to eileene during this trip I think that is just be asked I
00:38:27
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
00:38:39
the sort of injuries that I saw on E siden the judge told Abel he wished he could impose a harsher punishment before
00:38:49
sentencing him to the maximum life in prison in the State of Florida life means life we don't have parole at at
00:38:57
her sentencing Christina aro's father Colonel Tony araho set the record straight he said he never used his
00:39:05
influence to benefit his daughter and he recalled the conversation he had with her after the murder you will own up to
00:39:13
the truth you will accept responsibility you will be the voice of the victim and you will testify under oath
00:39:22
and a court of law and then whatever is sentence to you that's fine there was no
00:39:27
agreement with her as to the link of sentence she gave her statement with the knowledge that she could still receive
00:39:34
life in prison I think about that day every day of my life the details ha me and the memories
00:39:43
keep the judge acknowledged her cooperation and sentenced Christina araho to 25 years justice has been
00:39:53
served they won't beat up any more females neither will she I think that every woman kind of thinks
00:40:02
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
00:40:08
Ally hopes there will be more compassion for those trapped in abusive relationships it's always that I'm sorry
00:40:16
it's never going to happen again and you believe it cuz you're in love and things
00:40:19
are good 90 5% of the time but the 5% that are bad are so bad with your sister gone how do you
00:40:29
want her to be remembered I want her to be remembered as a sweet loving human being who unfortunately had lost her
00:40:40
parents at such a young age but she was still so sweet like she was such a sweetheart her soul was so kind
00:40:51
[Music] [Music] CBS next Saturday a young woman found dead I children but are the clues adding
00:41:17
up the piece of the bathroom door lock under Alex's head meant the door was forced open before she was shot it just
00:41:24
didn't look right a new 48 Hours next Saturday at 109 Central on CBS and streaming on Paramount
00:41:32
[Music] [Music] plus I hate seeing people get away with stuff and I like figuring stuff out my name is
00:42:02
Ian iavo and I was the lead detective in the Sarah Harris case Sarah Harris she was
00:42:11
incredibly bright um one should always pursue knowledge no matter the topic very energetic very fun did Sarah have
00:42:19
any idea how beautiful she was honestly I don't think she did Sarah Jane Harris Sarah hopes to become an
00:42:29
anesthesiologist she was shocked that she won the Miss Marilyn petite pageant she had thought from a very young age
00:42:36
that she would want to be a doctor she wanted to help people in 20120 Sarah needed wisdom teeth pulled
00:42:47
she initially met James Ryan as a patient at the his oral surgery practice I'm James Ryan I mean it's not just that
00:42:55
we say that we care but we really do we take pride Dr James Ryan was a well-respected oral surgeon a lot of
00:43:02
people knew him and thought very highly of him so she gets the teeth done she starts getting all these text messages
00:43:12
and they're from Dr Ryan and he says by the way I'm looking to hire someone as a
00:43:17
surgical assistant do you know anyone she says something like well what about me Mom and he offered her the job
00:43:27
she then became an employee and then his girlfriend and his living girlfriend Sarah's life appeared
00:43:34
glamorous on the outside but buying closed doors I mean that wasn't necessarily the
00:43:39
case I would have never ever thought that her life would end the way it did Montgomery
00:43:48
911 my girlfriend I think overdosed I'm trying to resuscitator right now and what is your first and last name James
00:43:56
ran I'm doing so compression and is she responsive is she breathing she's not breathing when the two responding
00:44:04
officers um got to the house they saw Sarah she's laying on the floor what did authorities think had
00:44:12
happened to Sarah that day she overdosed and we don't know if it's an accident if
00:44:19
it's suicide or if it's a homicide the decision was made to charge him with depraved heart murder I think most of
00:44:26
our audience will have never heard of depraved heart murder I have never seen it before you have to show an extreme
00:44:33
indifference to human life James Ryan provided those drugs that caused her death that doesn't mean he's guilty of
00:44:42
murder another way of presenting this case would be you never intended to hurt her I knew this was not just some simple
00:44:50
accidental overdose this was much more [Music] [Music] well she sleeping on the couch last
00:45:44
night yeah she would do that sometimes it's the morning of January 26 2022 Sarah Harris lies unresponsive on
00:45:54
the floor of the room in disarray her boyfriend Dr James Ryan tearfully talks with police at the scene the
00:46:02
conversation is recorded on a body camera as they ask him about the night before we're watching TV and then she
00:46:10
said you should probably go to bed because you're tired and you have to work tomorrow so I did uhhuh what time
00:46:15
did you go to bed probably about 10 or 11: Ryan has already told authorities he's a doctor and that he thinks it's an
00:46:23
overdose and he says it's happened before and I did CPR and brought her back this
00:46:30
time Sarah doesn't survive Dr Ryan has suggested where she got at least one of her drugs of choice
00:46:37
a powerful anesthetic she used to take Pro fall to she used to steal that from my office how they got into her body
00:46:46
I've caught her before with um like injecting herself with things and why she was bipolar also so she could be
00:46:55
really angry or could be really happy Ryan had called Sarah's family with the awful news that morning but her
00:47:03
mother Tina just didn't believe anything he said she immediately suspected James
00:47:10
Ryan was responsible for Sarah's death she arrived at the scene about 20 minutes
00:47:23
later my baby oh God I started kicking and hitting him screaming at what did he say
00:47:43
happened he said he went to bed and left her alone and came down and she was unresponsive in the morning authorities
00:47:51
say they found wrappers from syringes tourniquet and saline bags next to the kitchen sink and Drug vials in Sarah's
00:47:59
purse Tina thinks Ryan arranged it that way he wanted to look like it was a suicide Tina had long held suspicions
00:48:08
about Dr Ryan he had encountered Sarah Harris more than a year earlier not as a girlfriend but as a patient to get her
00:48:15
wisdom teeth out Dr Ryan is somebody who's practiced for over 20 years he has incredible credentials Mary fulan is a
00:48:23
former prosecutor and defense attorney and a CBS News consultant we asked her to use her Decades of courtroom
00:48:30
experience to help analyze this case he's esteemed and regarded in his community as one of the best at what he
00:48:37
does Tina Harris says the first time her daughter met Dr Ryan for her teeth in the summer of 2020 the doctor was
00:48:45
professional but she does remember at the time feeling it was curious when his interest in Sarah seemed to change she
00:48:52
starts getting all these text messages he asks her how are you doing and she says I'm fine and he starts sending
00:49:00
little emojis what are you thinking as her mom I thought it was a little bizarre that he added a little happy
00:49:06
face and I thought well maybe he just likes using emojis she says that's when Ryan had
00:49:11
mentioned he was looking to hire someone as a surgical assistant I thought well you know maybe he just thinks that she'd
00:49:17
really be a good addition Dr Ryan hardly seemed like a threat he was divorced with three grown children and was
00:49:25
involved with a woman with with whom he already had a baby at 47 he was more than twice Sarah's age he says no I
00:49:33
don't need your resume just come on in for a working interview I said well I'm proud of you honey that's pretty
00:49:40
incredible he's going to teach you all this stuff at the beginning Sarah seemed to
00:49:45
love the job but Tina says as the holidays approached an extravagant gift R triggered her suspicion that Dr Ryan's
00:49:53
interest in Sarah was more than professional what was it a diamond necklace that's
00:50:00
quite a gift I said okay he's after you I said you got to put your foot down instead in early 2021 she says Sarah
00:50:09
announced she had agreed to go out for a meal with Ryan who was ending his other
00:50:13
relationship he seemed to win over Sarah and Tina admits in their early days as a
00:50:19
couple even she found him impressive as a mother was a part of you excited she was dating a doctor well I was excited
00:50:26
was excited because he had a wonderful reputation and she says Ryan was generous he would leave Sarah a new car
00:50:35
and take her and her family on trips all expenses paid Tina says in a way he spent time courting her too you know he
00:50:44
would say I would love to have you as my mom Sarah's so blessed to have you Tina
00:50:49
says she and Sarah always had a special bond we were very very close she says Sarah was close to her three siblings
00:50:59
too especially older sister Rachel Rachel took it upon herself that she was going to be the
00:51:06
protector but there had been a rough period during Sarah's youth in Suburban Maryland like many young people she
00:51:13
experimented with drugs and had problems moderating her mood she suffered from anxiety when did she first struggle with
00:51:22
depression I noticed depression coming about when she was about 14 15 years old she would start feeling down but Tina
00:51:32
says Sarah still excelled in high school craving knowledge and the skills that came with it um it's currently hanging
00:51:38
in the L in Paris she learned German Spanish Russian and sign [Music] language she put a lot of pressure on
00:51:49
herself especially with her grades before long Sarah got her social bearings she fell into a great group of
00:51:57
kids they would sit out in the living room play the guitar play the piano sing she was at a music festival in
00:52:07
2018 when 21-year-old Sarah caught the eye of Henry Peterson 7 years older I feel like it was like stars colliding
00:52:16
and uh meeting someone like you're supposed to meet they lived 7 hours apart but he says they quickly became
00:52:23
emotionally Inseparable we talked about everything thing you could think of in terms of a future marriage and children
00:52:30
and family he says the distance eventually made them drift Peterson broke it off though he says he still
00:52:38
imagined they would end up together she and I never stop talking the love was always
00:52:44
there by her mid 20s Sarah had gotten into modeling and competing in beauty pageants and in 2020 she'd won that Miss
00:52:53
Marilyn petite pageant the next year is when she started started quietly seeing Dr Ryan and by that summer they had
00:53:00
decided to live together and that's when everything goes [Music] [Applause] downhill by the end of the summer of
00:53:25
2021 Tina Harris says James Ryan was dominating Sarah's life boss boyfriend even letting her live rentree in his
00:53:35
house but instead of flourishing Sarah seemed anxious and depressed she saw a psychiatrist who gave her that bipolar
00:53:45
diagnosis her complexion starts to change she starts to lose weight on a family trip to Key West that
00:53:54
September Tina says Sarah had been a sleep when a drunk Dr Ryan revealed something
00:54:00
unsettling he had first noticed Sarah in the park when she was just 14 I used to
00:54:06
see Sarah walking the neighborhood and playing at the park with her friends and he says then I found out she
00:54:15
worked in the toy store so I would take my kids there so I could see her and I remember when she dressed up as Elsa
00:54:20
from Frozen and she looked just like Elsa and then he said yeah and then I found out she worked at one of these
00:54:29
restaurants and so I would go in there for dinner so I could get her as my server it sounds like Dr Ryan was
00:54:38
obsessed with Sarah he was he was very much so by their next trip to Florida a month
00:54:45
later she says Sarah was acting strangely she wore a bulky long sleeve sweatshirt despite the Heat and it
00:54:53
seemed like she and Ryan were always fighting and she goes I hate him I don't want to be here I want to go home and
00:55:01
when they returned to Maryland Tina saw the full horrifying picture of what Sarah's life had
00:55:09
become she says she called Sarah on October 28th 2021 phone rang rang rang she finally
00:55:16
picked up she could barely talk her words were extremely slurred so I said Sarah what's going on what's wrong with
00:55:25
you she goes oh I'm just really tired mom you knew something was wrong yeah well I knew she was slurring Tina says
00:55:31
she and Rachel left for Sarah's house minutes later and we walked into hell what did you see well Sarah
00:55:40
answers the door she smells it looks like she hadn't bathed in a week or more she looked horrible she'd weighed 120
00:55:48
when she'd had oral surgery with Ryan Tina says but Sarah was Skin and Bones now and Tina says there was more The Ivy
00:55:58
bags needles laying all over the floor syringes tourniquets bloody Footprints bloody paper towels and there were drugs
00:56:08
bottles and vials everywhere Rachel gathered them up and photograph them I never looked at the
00:56:15
drugs and I wish I had I do think some people watching would think how did you not look at what the drugs were of
00:56:21
course I just wanted to get her out she says Sarah had offered an innocent if unconvincing explanation she goes I've
00:56:29
just been dehydrated mom he's just hydrating me I said I'm turning him in and Sarah starts crying mom you can't do
00:56:37
that please don't do that she's begging me I grabbed her arms and I pulled her sleeves up and she had needle marks from
00:56:43
here to here all over her arms bruises I became hysterical against her better judgment Tina agreed to hold off on
00:56:51
calling authorities but she says she insisted Sarah move back home just Days Later Tina says Ryan convinced
00:57:00
Sarah to come back to him in the following weeks Tina says Sarah seemed to be getting better she
00:57:07
started cooking eating even going to church but on December 3rd 2021 Tina says her daughter answered the phone
00:57:19
slurring again Rachel Harris jumped into action said I'm going to go and check on
00:57:29
her when Rachel got there it was worse than the first time poking around the ground floor
00:57:37
Rachel once again pulled out her camera finding drug bottles and vials as well as a saine bag an IV pole
00:57:46
Ivy needles and bloody footprints on a kitchen she was so distraught she left without talking to her
00:57:57
sister a few days later Tina confronted Dr James Ryan she was in no mood for another explanation I just reach across
00:58:05
and smack the living crap out of him you hit him yeah oh I hit him and I said what are you
00:58:11
doing are you trying to kill my daughter Tina says Ryan still insisted he'd only
00:58:18
been hydrating her and you still believed it I believed he was giving her something I didn't know what it was I
00:58:24
did not look at the vases all all I could see was my daughter and what kind of trouble she was in but the next day
00:58:31
she says Ryan admitted he'd been doing more than hting her he'd been giving Sarah drugs though only to keep her from
00:58:38
getting them someplace else so I told him I said look you can break it off with my daughter or I'm calling the
00:58:45
police and he said well I'll break it off with her but days turned into weeks and Dr Ryan never did after months of
00:58:55
tension Tina says she couldn't keep arguing with her daughter anymore what was I going to
00:59:00
do lock her up you probably wanted to I threatened it and she said if you do that
00:59:07
Mom when I get out you'll never hear from me again and that scared me to [Music]
00:59:18
death within weeks there was a new tragedy for the Harris family Sarah's brother Christopher just 38 died after
00:59:26
heart attack in Montana I had to sign the papers to take him off life support which
00:59:40
um no mother should have to do his death was devastating to the whole family Sarah posted this tribute
00:59:50
message to her brother never goodbye I'll see you soon big bro and only 18 days after Christopher's
01:00:04
death at about 8:30 a.m. on January 26 2022 Tina says she and Rachel were together when Rachel got James Ryan's
01:00:19
call Rachel started screaming she's holding the phone and James has it on FaceTime and he's got the camera pointed
01:00:31
at my [Music] baby had Sarah on the ground saying she's gone she's [Music] gone at the time of her death Sarah
01:00:48
Harris weighed just 83 lb authorities would list her manner of death as undetermined
01:00:56
Dr Ryan was not arrested they seemed to accept his story that Sarah struggling with mental health issues had
01:01:05
overdosed but there would be help from a most unlikely investigator Rachel started trying to
01:01:12
get into Sarah's iCloud [Music] I just hope that you're happy that I'm with someone who truly truly loves me 3
01:01:37
months before she died Sarah left a voicemail for her ex-boyfriend Henry Peterson I've
01:01:45
never trusted anybody as much as I've trusted the man that I'm with right now professionally
01:01:54
emotionally you never let me in that way they'd stayed in touch after breaking up so when she didn't answer
01:02:03
her phone after January of 2022 Peterson says he had a strange feeling and decided to go online I Googled her name
01:02:12
and uh uh there's an obituary yeah he says when Tina gave him details he joined her in the belief that James
01:02:22
Ryan the man Sarah said she had trusted more than any anybody else was responsible for her
01:02:29
death but First Responders didn't think so they didn't shut it down as a crime scene police seized some drug vials but
01:02:39
left the house unguarded Tina says that's because they believed what Dr Ryan had told them about where she'd
01:02:45
gotten the drugs and how she'd taken them it was an overdose but she says she knew there was
01:02:53
more to it than that though she didn't know how to to prove it turns out there was someone very close to her who
01:03:00
did Rachel told me she would find the evidence Rachel Harris decided to examine Sarah's laptop to see if it
01:03:10
might contain Clues authorities hadn't seen she didn't know the password but she knew her sister well it took her
01:03:19
about a couple of days to figure out Sarah's password combing through Sarah's computer iCloud Rachel hit P dirt a
01:03:28
trove of texts between her sister and James Ryan the messages were full of references to drugs including a
01:03:36
tranquilizer named diazapam and two fast acting surgical anesthetics the type Rachel had seen in the home Dr Ryan and
01:03:44
Sarah shared propop fall and ketamine which is sometimes also used for depression Rachel created a binder
01:03:51
adding the photos she'd taken there Rachel compiled 200 pages of evidence the medical examiner would release
01:04:00
Sarah's autopsy report which showed those same three drugs in Sarah's system research suggests they can all be habit
01:04:08
forming and they can suppress breathing taking them in combination can be lethal
01:04:14
all the while Rachel's building a case yes yes in February 2022 Rachel gave her binder to Montgomery County Police it
01:04:25
eventually landed on the desk of detective Ian iello an expert in pharmaceutical investigations after more
01:04:32
than 33 years as a cop iello was nearing retirement he decided to come in alone on a Sunday it was my birthday and
01:04:42
nothing was going on you don't get parties when you're this age like I'm just going to go in the office and look
01:04:47
through this binder and just see what I cavello sa in Rachel's binder suggested cops at the scene had been
01:04:54
wrong about Sarah death he says reading the text between Sarah and James Ryan was like watching a murder in slow
01:05:02
motion you could see Sarah die Sarah is suffering within the first month of their
01:05:09
relationship she had anxiety she was having trouble sleeping Ryan offers a quick fix I can give you an injection
01:05:17
the anxiety will be completely gone in 6 seconds he writes it will work let's try
01:05:23
it he had already made thec ision I cavello says the text suggests that over the months Sarah developed a
01:05:31
drug habit and a habit of asking her boyfriend the doctor to feed it in October 2021 do we have ketamine here in
01:05:40
November we need syringes I feel like in December I just really need sleep she writes can you bring
01:05:49
propol she's actively asking for drugs at no point does he say no no iavo says the text suggests Dr Ryan
01:05:59
often brought Sarah the dangerous drugs and that he actually administered at least one about a month before her death
01:06:07
it was December 20th 2021 if you wake up I just went to change after I gave you ketamine just
01:06:14
now he writes he's injecting her while she's asleep no monitoring know anything an iello points to this exchange from
01:06:24
the day before Sarah died is it possible to bring home ketamine when you come she
01:06:29
asks yes I will bring some home I love you Baby Ryan replies the texts tell a story they
01:06:37
do so do Rachel's photos from Sarah's house says I cavello though his colleagues lacking experience in
01:06:44
pharmaceutical investigations might not have understood that they had no idea what they were really looking at he says
01:06:53
Patrol cops and paramedics often deal with overdoses of street drugs like heroin and Fentanyl but the deadly drugs
01:07:00
in Sarah Harris's house were masquerading as something else there's a difference
01:07:07
between drugs and medication iello says to the untrained eye the drugs at Sarah's look like
01:07:14
medication the paraphernalia around the house might have been confusing too usually what we see is burnt spoons tin
01:07:23
foil U some hypodermic needles maybe a shoelace or some other string that kind of drug paraphernalia but to I cavello
01:07:32
the syringes and the saline the professional tourniquets and the plastic wrappers at Sarah's made it resemble an
01:07:38
operating room that's what a lot of it looked like whatever questions responding authorities may have had he
01:07:46
says Dr Ryan offered answers and you've got James saying she did all of this without any other information okay
01:07:57
well we're just kind of going to go with what he says he's a doctor he's a doctor
01:08:02
but I cavello says after reading through the family's binder any credibility Dr Ryan may have had that day
01:08:09
vanished and on March 22nd 2022 nearly 2 months after Sarah's death James Ryan was arrested for the
01:08:19
murder of Sarah Harris but prosecutors would have to make the case to a jury sometimes it's hard to convince them
01:08:27
maybe especially so in this case because James Ryan's defense is suggesting he was only trying to save Sarah's life and
01:08:35
that she had other [Music] ideas what do you make of those text messages between Sarah and Dr Ryan chat
01:08:47
now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and X [Music] [Music] I knew the case was
01:09:12
solid detective Ian I cavello was sure Dr James Ryan was responsible for Sarah Harris's death and he had no problem
01:09:21
convincing prosecutors on Montgomery County's overdose task force Jennifer Harrison it's his fault James
01:09:29
Dietrich he was the one who was providing those drugs and Kimberly sisle he knew how dangerous these drugs
01:09:36
were Ryan was a doctor after all but as certain as prosecutors were that he knew
01:09:43
he was risking Sarah's life they had no conclusive evidence he intended to kill her we never suggested that you can
01:09:51
accept that James Ryan loved Sarah Harris but it does not excuse all the other actions that he took that led to
01:09:59
Sarah's Sarah's death so they charge Ryan with a subcategory of second deegree murder unfamiliar to many people
01:10:07
it's known as depraved heart murder prosecutors say the charge doesn't require proving the killer actually
01:10:13
wanted anyone dead only that they knew their actions would likely kill someone and didn't care we have to prove that he
01:10:21
did it with Reckless disregard for the value of her life Di gave an example for instance if I take a gun and just
01:10:28
randomly shoot it into a crowd I may not necessarily want or care that anybody dies but that is such a grossly Reckless
01:10:37
act that someone's likely to die prosecutors also charge Ryan with a slightly lesser charge involuntary
01:10:44
manslaughter plus two counts of drug distribution and one count of possession with intent to
01:10:52
distribute ladies and gentlemen me Dr James Ryan opening statements begin on August 16th
01:11:02
2023 there are no cameras in court but there is an audio recording but behind closed do he was conducting a deadly
01:11:11
medical experiment on a 25-year-old patient turned employee turned living girlfriend the prosecution
01:11:21
portrays Ryan as a controlling older man who got glamorous young girlfriend hooked on drugs he was stealing
01:11:31
dangerous sedation drugs from his business and administering them to his girlfriend Sarah
01:11:39
Harris prosecutors say the proof of Ryan's guilt is largely in those text messages Ryan offering to get rid of
01:11:47
Sarah's anxiety in six seconds telling her he gave her camine while she was sleeping and on the night before her
01:11:56
body was found apparently agreeing to bring ketamine home to her can you tell us not
01:12:07
fa I don't know where to start I was the first to testify she was my baby Tina Harris is emotional as she relives
01:12:17
Sarah's downward spiral just months before dying I asked to see her arms and she said no
01:12:26
Mama but I grabbed her arms and I pulled up the sleeves and her little arms were
01:12:32
covered in Needle marks and bruises and the medical examiner tells the jury about the Dangerous Drug
01:12:41
cocktail that brought her life to a tragic end when people use all three together that was just cause profound
01:12:50
strong sedation the drugs can be so dangerous in F fact the prosecution tells jurors that doctors who use these
01:12:58
drugs have equipment and protocols in place to revive patients if needed even though Dr Ryan would follow all of those
01:13:07
safety protocols in his own office he would never follow those at home she was chemically dependent on she was
01:13:14
chemically dependent on him prosecutors also call social worker Janice Miller who says that kind of power imbalance is
01:13:21
a Hallmark of abusive relationships the drugs were the way that he controlled her and really ensured that she wouldn't
01:13:28
leave the relationship he's created an addict Dr Ryan and his attorneys did not agree to be interviewed by 48 hours but
01:13:36
at trial they argue Sarah Harris may have played an important role in her own demise suggesting that after wrestling
01:13:44
with mental illness she was now losing her battle with anxiety depression and drugs their focus on Sarah Harris is
01:13:51
obviously her mental illness the defense suggests Sarah May have begun stealing the drugs herself they want the jury to
01:13:58
know about her Facebook post about seeing her deceased brother soon but the judge won't allow
01:14:05
it but they are allowed to tell jurors about a text Sarah sent Ryan months before her
01:14:13
death she says I've lost my will to live I've lost my will to live do you think there's any chance
01:14:25
Sarah was suicidal absolutely not absolutely not where is the indication of a suicide on the scene there is none
01:14:35
detective iello says the drug bottles found in Sarah's purse were too far from her body for her to have given them to
01:14:42
herself these drugs are fast acting she's going to be out in seconds how she can put all the medication in her purse
01:14:50
then went and laid down not possible she wouldn't have cleaned up somebody else had to have done
01:15:00
it but according to CBS News consultant Mary fulan the defense argues that detectives mishandled the scene that
01:15:08
there's no way to know exactly what happened including who administered the Fatal dose they didn't test to see if
01:15:16
his DNA or fingerprints were on those syringes Dr Ryan chooses not to testify the defense argues he was a loving
01:15:24
partner who was just trying to help Sarah this is a case about caring for somebody and possibly loving them to
01:15:30
death his lawyers call a friend who saw Sarah using drugs before she began dating Ryan and a relative who saw them
01:15:38
as a happy couple in closings prosecutors remind the jury that to convict Ryan of
01:15:45
depraved heart murder it doesn't matter whether or not he actually put the drugs
01:15:50
in Sarah's body or even whether or not he wanted her to Die the act of giving her the drugs is him handing her a
01:15:59
loaded gun but would the jury agree if you were a juror in this case what would be your verdict and why learn
01:16:09
more about the case at 48 hours.com [Music] I try to believe the best in people and
01:16:29
my for as long as Kyle Stevens can remember his friend Dr James Ryan has done right by people he was pretty
01:16:37
straight Lac cleancut guy when he talked about Sarah how did he sound in the beginning he seemed enthusiastic and
01:16:45
excited but Steven says at a certain point Ryan did reach out with a concern he had asked about how to best be
01:16:55
helpful and supportive to someone in that place of depression and possibly addiction did it make you wonder if he
01:17:03
was actually asking about Sarah yeah but I didn't press so Steven says he had no
01:17:09
idea what was really going on between the two then he discovered his friend was arrested and headed to trial when
01:17:16
you heard the verdict what did you think I was taken back after a nearly two trial it takes
01:17:25
jurors Less Than 3 hours to reach their decision have to count one murder in second
01:17:36
degree on August 25th 2023 they find James Ryan guilty of the second deegree depraved heart murder of Sarah
01:17:46
Harris releas yeah relief they also convict Ryan on the manslaughter and Drug charges my heart
01:17:58
just felt satisfied Sarah's voice was heard through this Tina and Rachel speak at a press conference after the verdict
01:18:08
she was this beautiful beauty queen and she wasted away at the hands of Dr James
01:18:13
Ryan and again at sentencing months later he's a predator he a wol and she floating who
01:18:27
my bar until his life is done but James Ryan's lawyers had submitted supportive letters from his
01:18:37
friends and a legal filing which detailed that James Ryan had his own struggles with drugs and mental health
01:18:44
Ryan addresses the court and insists he didn't administer the lethal dose but takes responsibility for not preventing
01:18:51
Sarah's access to the drugs that killed her the words do not exist to convey and
01:19:00
express the level of remorse I feel though the guidelines suggest a sentence of 15 to 25 years for this case
01:19:07
of depraved heart murder the judge has something else in mind it is the sentence of this court that you be
01:19:14
committed to the Maryland Division of Corrections for a period of 40 years with more time for the other
01:19:22
counts it's a total of 45 years years in prison a 45e sentence puts James Ryan in
01:19:29
a category with some violent murderers you know 45 years for James Ryan is basically life patients rely on doctors
01:19:37
and their expertise and their advice and I think she's sending a very loud message to the medical
01:19:45
community and State's Attorney John McCarthy wants to send a message to lawmakers the depraved heart murder
01:19:52
charge may have worked in this trial but it's a difficult crime to prove in other
01:19:57
overdose cases we need tougher laws as early as 2015 McCarthy began pushing to streamline Maryland law so State
01:20:06
prosecutors can more easily convict dealers and Distributors who Supply the drugs that lead to overdose deaths but
01:20:14
it hasn't been easy we're not at a place in Maryland right now that the legislature seems very interested in
01:20:21
creating new crimes and new penalties Ian iello who read murder between the lines of this case and retired after the
01:20:32
trial says he still thinks of Sarah often I did everything I could um for her so does her ex-boyfriend Henry
01:20:43
Peterson who looks back at their breakup with regret I guess I always thought she was
01:20:49
going to be there a regret Sarah seemed to share he showed us a letter she wrote
01:20:55
him years earlier when their relationship ended you made me feel alive now that you're gone I feel so
01:21:03
many pieces and parts have died with you as if to preserve his connection to Sarah Peterson still practices a kerto
01:21:12
he played at her [Music] grave where today a mother who faced great loss with even greater courage
01:21:23
struggles to face the future without Sarah and her brother so close in life and death that she actually buried their
01:21:32
ashes in the same casket I hear Sarah tell me Mama it's okay what do you want your daughter's
01:21:46
legacy to be I want people to remember my Sarah as a light a brilliant young woman who cared about
01:22:00
others and loved life loved [Music] [Music] it as a kid growing up in Chicago there
01:22:21
was one horror movie I was too scared to watch it was called called Candyman but
01:22:25
did you know that the movie Candyman was partly inspired by an actual murder listen to Candyman the true story behind
01:22:32
the bathroom mirror murder wherever you get your podcasts I'm eron morard of 48 hours and of all the cases I've covered
01:22:40
this is the one that troubles me most listen to murder in the Orange Grove the trouble case against Crosley green
01:22:47
wherever you get your podcast [Music] 911 what is the address of your it's a day I don't think I'll ever
01:23:09
forget is she still Al is she alive is she she breathing no no a sheriff's vehicle pulled up and she
01:23:24
informed us that Alex was Dad I don't remember what I did other than fall to my KN what's her name
01:23:35
Alex Alex loved people she was very caring she loved animals she'd bring home a story she'd bring home all kinds
01:23:44
of things but she worked a lot of years to get her degree in nursing cuz she truly wanted to become a nurse thank you
01:23:51
to my family for never once giving up on me when many times I'm sure You' wanted
01:23:57
to I talked to her at 6:00 that evening via text she was doing great and that was that was kind of the last thing is
01:24:06
this your apartment or her apartment first mat is it Matthew and what's your last
01:24:16
name Matthew eer was a nurse practitioner he was well educated good-looking guy we have a lot of nurses
01:24:24
in my family and he is one of the best nurses I know he was a friend that she had met through this part-time job she
01:24:32
had she called me she had called him that she needed his help that she was in trouble she had been in a domestic
01:24:40
dispute with her then boyfriend and Matthew eer thought she was being assaulted and so he came down he was on
01:24:46
his way to work and detoured and came right to her apartment he had brought a gun he brought it with him everywhere he
01:24:53
went he had a permit to carry we were briefed by the responding officers as we're entering the apartment and they
01:25:01
were telling us their observations and what Matthew Ecker had told them were you guys arguing or something
01:25:09
no no she just sced it put it to her head Alex is laying on her back she has a gunshot wound to her head the handgun
01:25:20
was facing this way it was on her left shoulder like this it just didn't look right the scene didn't look right how
01:25:29
did she get in that position but just didn't make sense they're thinking they're not getting the whole story from
01:25:38
Mr eer he's the only one that can tell us what happened he was the only one that was there the only evidence is that
01:25:44
she touched the gun there was gunshot residue on her left hand just as a mom and knowing your kid I didn't it didn't
01:25:52
fit he didn't have any motive to kill her I mean he was coming down to protect her there's no way he did this I would
01:25:59
bet my entire life on the fact that he is innocent the first thing he said to me is Mom I did not do this what
01:26:09
happened [Music] [Music] the overnight hours it's December 16th 2022 what time do you get that call on
01:27:11
that night the call came in around 250 it was a week before Christmas in 20122 when St Paul police officer Ching
01:27:21
bang and his partner officer Justina ser set off on their regular patrol of the city dispatcher stated that a female was
01:27:30
shot in the head my part and I we went LIC and Sirens heading towards that call and is it all units in the vicinity
01:27:42
called in at that time yes pretty much every unit hop on that call to come in assist within minutes bang sir and
01:27:52
several other officers body cameras rolling arrived at the location a residential apartment
01:27:59
building Matthew eer the man who had placed the 911 call let them in and directed them to an apartment on
01:28:06
the second floor officer bang was the first to enter the apartment I remember walking
01:28:14
in the bathroom was to the right the very first door 32-year-old Alex penig was lying
01:28:24
face up with a single gunshot wound to her left temple I noticed a lot of blood around her
01:28:31
head officer Vang had immediately spotted the gun laying on Alex's left shoulder her hand resting on top a team
01:28:40
of officers looked around the small studio apartment and questioned neighbors no one had heard anything
01:28:47
that's F in the hallway officer sir was talking to Matthew eer you got to keep breathing
01:28:56
you got to keep breathing he was on the floor by himself so I went and approached him just start talking to him
01:29:02
oh God were you concerned about him I was because that at the time we didn't know what was going on and I was shocked
01:29:10
I know it's hard I just told him to just slow down take your time we're not in a
01:29:14
rush whenever you're ready I'm I'm ready to listen Matthew did eventually calm down and he started talking were you
01:29:21
guys argu or something telling officer he lived almost 3 hours away but drove to Alex after she placed a frantic call
01:29:29
to him earlier so I came feel safe Matthew told police Alex had gotten into a fight with her current
01:29:38
boyfriend his name was Shane Anderson that things had gone physical and she was scared of what he might do so
01:29:45
Matthew took his gun and brought it with him to Alex's apartment because I was worried that her boyfriend would come so
01:29:52
he was going there he said to protect her yes Matthew arrived at Alex's around 2:00 p.m. Shane wasn't
01:30:02
there that evening he said they went out to local bars when they walked into a place called Camp bar Shane was inside
01:30:11
he came to her they were arguing and I came across and I stood in between him and then he punched me Shane hit him he
01:30:18
says and then was kicked out of the bar and heard I sat there and talked with other people for another 45 minutes we
01:30:26
came back here and I thought everything was fine and then she just grab the gun did she make any of the threat
01:30:38
before that that she was going to kill she just crammed it and put it into her head and with a gun in her hand she
01:30:48
backed into the bathroom he says and locked the door moments later a single shot rang
01:30:59
out Matthew says he quickly broke the door open and saw Alex on the floor he told the officers he tried using his
01:31:06
nursing skills to stop the bleeding by putting pressure on the wound I tried to do what I could okay
01:31:14
and then I washed my hands and then you wash your hands correct that's why I don't have anything my and then you then
01:31:20
you call the police the news that Alex had fired a gun taking her own life was unfathomable to
01:31:33
Alex's parents Mary Joe and Jim that just was completely out of character for Alex she had never shot a gun she didn't
01:31:41
like guns so it didn't make any sense and Alex's mom Mary Joe had just texted with her daughter a few hours earlier
01:31:49
and she didn't seem depressed at all she's doing well you know that's what's yeah did you see this see that part
01:31:59
detectives Abby DeSanto and Jennifer odonnal were called to the scene you get a call in the middle of the night so you
01:32:05
know it's not good inside the apartment there was alcohol and six bottles of prescription medications including
01:32:12
anti-depressants and amphetamines all prescribed to Alex but if that suggested maybe Alex had been depressed and took
01:32:20
her own life there were other things that didn't seem to add up in Matthew's account the first was the position of
01:32:28
Alex's body says the investigators shown here in the CBS News animation the door
01:32:35
to the bathroom was a jar and you immediately see Alex's feet on either side of the door if Matthew had broken
01:32:42
down the bathroom door after hearing The Gunshot as he told officers he had we think that if that had been the case her
01:32:51
legs would have been swept behind the door and even though though Matthew had said he washed his hands before calling
01:32:58
911 when responding officers arrived the sink was dry and if he had said you know
01:33:04
he called the police right away and that sink probably would have been still wet
01:33:09
the detectives decided to take a deeper look at Matthew's story he had told police his only mission that day was to
01:33:16
protect Alex from Shane Anderson the boyfriend he claimed was violent and in fact there were these
01:33:24
holes in the closet door across from the bathroom kind of like punch marks holes
01:33:29
Matthew said Shane was responsible for St Paul police the detectives were now eager to speak with shame
01:33:54
[Music] it's the most devastating knock on my door I've ever had in my life hey it's
01:34:00
St Paul police hours after Alex penig was found dead police were at her boyfriend Shane Anderson's front door
01:34:08
did you hear what happened two police officers they asked me who Alex was and I said that's my girlfriend is she
01:34:19
okay she passed away no Alex ping you're kidding me and I I don't know blacked out after that pretty
01:34:33
much my God Shane says he was desperate for answers and willingly went to the police
01:34:41
station to speak with detectives Abby DeSanto and Dan zebro I want to know what happened to her okay that's what
01:34:47
I'm trying to figure out okay so Shane told the detectives he' been dating Alex for around 4 months and painted a Rosy
01:34:56
picture she was sweet like she was fun everything that you'd want in a [Music] woman according to Shane they spent
01:35:05
nearly every day together and loved to lounge around with her two cats I'm not a cat person I'm more of a
01:35:12
dog person to be honest but uh she kind of made me a cat person he told the detectives that although it was early in
01:35:19
their relationship they were planning a future together literally yesterday we were talking about like me breaking my
01:35:28
lease and moving into her place we both wanted families do you imagined yourself with her
01:35:38
100% Shane's description was in stark contrast to what Matthew eer had told police Matthew said Alex told him she
01:35:46
was fighting with Shane and scared of him but when the detectives asked Shane denied it so did the argument that you
01:35:54
guys had in that morning did they get physical no no not at all God no it was about basically why I haven't moved in
01:36:02
yet and like why that was taking so long but what about those punch marks in Alex's apartment that was from a few
01:36:10
weeks back that was me yes I was drunk I didn't put my hands on her though you argued like a married couple like it
01:36:17
wasn't anything like crazy or like violent or like weird but remember m told detectives Shane was arguing with
01:36:26
Alex just hours before her death at campar and Shane even punched Matthew and I came across and I stood in between
01:36:34
him and then he punched me Shane didn't deny hitting Matthew he says seeing Alex
01:36:39
with another man upset him Alex showed up with like a guy he doesn't look familiar I have no idea who this guy is
01:36:48
I was wondering why this guy is hanging out with my girlfriend and I decided to throw a punch which I is not
01:36:57
in my character but it just felt like the thing to do at the time so Camp bar is the last bar that Alex and Matthew
01:37:08
went to detectives D Santo and odonnell reviewed security footage from inside Camp bar so as Alex and Matt walked in
01:37:16
Shane was sitting right across from the bar they took us through the altercation
01:37:20
and we zoomed in for a closer look Matt was was sitting here when they walked in
01:37:25
and then really oddly Alex walked around the bar and sat across the bar over there Shane walked over to her first and
01:37:33
then she is talking to Shane and then Matt comes over and it appears that he's introducing himself because he holds out
01:37:40
his hand to shake hands with Shane then there's a confrontation Shane ended up assaulting Matt
01:37:50
[Applause] no we're not doing that not do Shane then is asked to leave yes I had no idea that that was going to
01:38:04
be the last time that I ever saw her after Shane left the footage showed Alex hanging at the bar with Matthew for
01:38:16
about another hour drinking and chatting Detectives no closer to understanding why just a little while
01:38:26
later she would as Matthew told them take her own life and the medical examiner ruled that
01:38:35
Alex's manner of death could not be determined so detectives dug into her past looking for anything that could
01:38:44
explain what happened she's been every here color brunette and then blonde and then black hair put a little red in
01:38:52
there and it was like she would just be every color Jillian kubich and Sarah Hansen have known Alex since grade
01:38:58
school tell me about Alex as you knew her back then spunky a little child full of energy always up to something Jillian
01:39:07
played ice hockey with Alex and together they won a state championship what was she like Fire on Ice luckily I was
01:39:14
always on her team so I never had to play against her but she was feisty she was so fun I don't really
01:39:25
remember anything other than happiness really in the especially in the younger years but detectives learned that as a
01:39:36
young adult Alex struggled her parents Mary Joe and Jim said that in college Alex would get depressed and she got
01:39:43
hooked on prescription pills it was very difficult one day in 2016 she went up to her room and took a
01:39:52
handful of mess and then had told her mom that she was attempting suicide by meds and then prly
01:40:01
threw it up stuck her finger in her throat and threw it up I felt like it was a cry for
01:40:07
help and they got Alex that help inspired by the nurses who helped her recover in 2019 she got her license
01:40:17
practical nursing degree and was chosen to speak at graduation I have claimed of
01:40:23
the darkness with permanent scars but a heart of gold and the promise that as a nurse I will try my best for people like
01:40:31
me to not be alone and help them like those nurses had helped me Alex didn't make that choice to get well and she did
01:40:40
her life was back on track her life was on track right and we watched the campire video
01:40:47
right that's detectives also learned all about Alex's history with Matthew eer she met him in 20 when she got a job at
01:40:54
a walk-in clinic her parents say their daughter described Matthew as someone she worked with but according to
01:41:01
Matthew's parents bla Ecker and Terry Randall there was a lot more than just friendship Alex and Matthew they say
01:41:08
were having an affair back then even though Matthew was married with four kids she knew he was married she knew he
01:41:16
had four children Terry says the romance didn't last in the summer of 2022 they had ended the physical part of
01:41:25
their relationship and were just friends still she says her son was a source of support for Alex she says Matthew told
01:41:33
her Alex was drinking heavily and as a result lost several jobs she wouldn't show up she'd go on a binge without a
01:41:42
job Matthew's family says Alex struggled to pay her bills so unbeknown to her parents Matthew stepped in he gave Alex
01:41:51
money and helped her pay her rent Matthew's sisters Molly and Amy aren't surprised their brother wanted to help
01:41:59
he cared for her and he has a big heart and he didn't want to just walk away he he couldn't walk
01:42:07
away and just 3 days before Alex died Alex sent Matthew these text messages I shut myself out to the world
01:42:17
I needed a mental health break and I'm not very hopeful at the moment about life
01:42:24
even with those texts though and Alex's past attempt years earlier detectives still weren't convinced she took her own
01:42:33
life just because you say I need a mental health day or it's not a good day doesn't mean you're
01:42:43
suicidal detective suspected Matthew was lying to them and here's why remember the gun was found on Alex's chest with
01:42:52
her left hand on it turns out Alex was right-handed when detectives Abby DeSanto and Jennifer O'Donnell reviewed
01:43:21
security footage from Alex's apartment building and watch she opens the door they were able to see what happened
01:43:28
after Matthew and Alex left Camp bar so that's Alex and Matt and they're just in
01:43:34
the vesu of Alex's apartment walking in about 2:00 in the morning or so yes time
01:43:40
frame mhm you can see Matthew and Alex walk out of view as they go up to her apartment but a short while later they
01:43:49
walk back through the lobby and out the door mat you would say was to get his headphones from his
01:43:56
car Alex returns to the lobby and waits for the detectives what happens next is key she seems impatient just looking at
01:44:06
her body language they note how when Matthew returns Alex doesn't hold the door for
01:44:14
him and how he shrugs his shoulders as he follows behind her the detectives wonder if Matthew and Alex had gotten
01:44:22
into a fight something was going on with them that's huge cuz that's the last time we see
01:44:28
Alex alive 20 minutes later at 2:50 a.m. Matthew placed that call to 911 a girl who shot the
01:44:41
head the lobby security footage had no audio so there was no way to know for sure if the two had gotten into a fight
01:44:49
but when Alex's family and friends saw it you could tell us she was mad you could tell the way she ripped open that
01:44:55
door you could tell Alex stomping stomping in whenever she was mad she'd like stop and she I was visible in this
01:45:04
video so they were definitely in a fight but when detectives questioned Matthew he denied any
01:45:13
problems we were laughing on the way home everything was fine you guys weren't arguing or anything there's a
01:45:20
little fight with you two no between us you guys and Matthew's family believes there could be a different reason for
01:45:26
the change in Alex's demeanor in the footage Alex is on her phone they wonder if she was messaging Shane and arguing
01:45:34
with him about the altercation that had just happened at Camp bar I truly believe there's a lot of information a
01:45:43
lot of texting and we think having gotten those interactions would have given us a lot more insight into her
01:45:52
state of mind but the detectives couldn't get into Alex's phone because no one knew the passcode and Shane said
01:45:59
he had lost his phone the night before so they couldn't search his either it seemed there was some kind of exchange
01:46:06
happening was she talking to you at all I didn't have a phone so Facebook message or anything like that uh no
01:46:15
unable to know for sure what was really happening in the lobby when detective Danto and her colleague Dan zebro
01:46:21
interviewed Matthew they focused on what he said happened in the apartment how was she holding the G
01:46:28
when she was backing up to the bathroom she was she had it down here first and then she cocked
01:46:37
it left hand cocked it but she ended up holding it to her left T what I remember
01:46:44
okay she left she's not that's what it was weird he said she did all this with her
01:46:52
left hand but then he told us she was right-handed you don't use a weapon with your non-dominant hand it just another
01:47:01
inconsistency or another part of the puzzle that doesn't match there was also the nagging question about the sink
01:47:09
being dry Matthew had told First Responders he washed his hands after trying to help Alex which is why his
01:47:16
hands were clean but the sink was dry when police arrived Danto asked if he did in fact call police right away okay
01:47:25
and then you call the police right away yeah I'm going call the police so you know when you get blood all of your
01:47:31
hands and then you go into the sink and you yeah or the handle to the sink right
01:47:36
there should be blood on there's no there's no blood in the hand on the sink and there's no nothing in the sink and
01:47:42
the sink is sink rinse my hand the sink's dry there's no water or anything no I washed my hands in the
01:47:51
sink but Danto thought Matthew was lying either he hadn't helped Alex and didn't
01:47:59
wash his hands or he had not called 911 right away right now all this evidence is not add up I can't I just want you to
01:48:09
just think I just want you to think about this and what what you're you're asking me to confess to something I
01:48:15
didn't do no I'm not I'm asking you just to think I mean we're just going to give
01:48:18
you some time here just to think we got to grab that stuff anyway think about everything that we discussed with
01:48:31
you but soon Matthew called them back in it was more than 2 hours into his interview and he wanted to change his
01:48:40
story so the change that I have I did take the gun and I put it in my suitcase I put it in the suitcase run
01:48:51
back look just her and said yep went back to the suitcase grabbed a gun and put it back
01:49:02
there my plan was there why would you move that gun did he explain why he moved the gun
01:49:10
he was scared when Matthew put the gun back he said he put it on Alex the way First Responders founded with her hand
01:49:18
on top I mean why would you lay her hand back there I was moving I was moving her
01:49:24
I was looking at her that's all I know at that point we're like What innocent person would s do this yet Matthew
01:49:31
continued to insist he was innocent that gun went off behind the closet I did not
01:49:36
shoot her I didn't killed her and he kept saying the door to the bathroom was shut I don't know what happened but you
01:49:43
didn't buy it no and neither did detective zebro nope but the detectives didn't know how they could prove it and
01:49:52
and then they discovered a new piece of evidence this is a big piece of the puzzle for you
01:50:01
yes what do you think of Alex and Matthew's body language in the lobby see a timeline of the case at 48
01:50:18
hours.com okay I didn't K I didn't shot I just want for hours Matthew eer insisted he did
01:50:26
not kill Alex that she locked herself in the bathroom and fired the shot he said he
01:50:34
had broken open the door only after the gun went off I I heard the gun go off and that's when I opened it up but then
01:50:41
detective odonnell got a call from the forensic unit processing the scene once Alex was moved they found underneath
01:50:49
where Alex had been laying was a round metal piece which is this piece right here yes odonnell says it's a piece of
01:50:59
the bathroom door lock and because it was discovered on the floor under Alex's head as seen in the CBS News animation
01:51:08
it had to have gotten there while Alex was still alive for us it meant that the door was forced open before she was shot
01:51:16
the detective suspected Alex had locked the door to get away from Matthew I believe that Alex and Matthew got in an
01:51:24
argument I believe that she went into the bathroom to be alone not wanting to be with them but when he broke open the
01:51:32
door they say that small piece of metal from the lock landed on the bathroom floor he forced his way in and shot her
01:51:40
shot they say Alex fell on top of the metal piece to the detectives it was the only way the piece could have ended up
01:51:48
under her Matthew was charged with second deegree murder his family was stunned it's like no there there's got
01:52:00
to be a mistake it's just not his character he's not going to harm somebody on purpose they hired criminal defense
01:52:13
attorney Bruce Rivers there's Reasonable Doubt all over the place that this was a
01:52:19
homicide River says there's another explanation for how that metal piece got under Alex he said it could have ended
01:52:26
up under her head when Matthew eer attempted to help her cuz he did lift her head up but detectives point to the
01:52:33
way Alex was found with her legs straddling the door if Matthew Ecker had broken open the door after hearing The
01:52:41
Gunshot detectives say Alex's legs would have been pushed to the side but ecker's
01:52:46
defense attorney says there was enough space in the bathroom that when the door was broken open
01:52:53
it went in between her legs that is consistent in my opinion with uh her laying there and having shot herself and
01:53:00
importantly claims Rivers if his client had shot Alex there would have been blood splatter on him and that's not the
01:53:07
case there was not one Speck of blood on his shirt on his pants on his face anywhere whatsoever the detectives say
01:53:19
that's because eer most likely had reached around the door while he was trying to force his way in and fired the
01:53:26
shot I believe the door shielded him from the initial blood splatter but River says it makes much more sense that
01:53:34
Alex took her own life and he says forensic testing proves eer wasn't the one who fired the gun it was Alex there
01:53:43
was gunshot residue on her left hand and was her DNA found on the gun it was there was also no gunshot residue on
01:53:53
echer and his DNA was not found on the gun detectives suspect that's because he wiped it clean before putting it on Alex
01:54:03
there should be his DNA it's your gun you told us in an interview that you grabbed the gun your hands are all over
01:54:10
that gun but it was very clean he admitted to having held the gun and moving the gun after
01:54:17
the fact yet none of his DNA was found on the gun how do you explain that that's not uncommon just because you
01:54:24
touch something doesn't mean that DNA is going to be there at the time of her death Alex had
01:54:30
almost three times the legal limit of alcohol and four different prescription medications in her system including
01:54:37
proac and Valium although it wasn't the cause of her death to Rivers it showed she was struggling as did those text she
01:54:47
had sent Ecker just a few days before her death she was depressed because of her
01:54:54
financial conditions depressed because of her job situation all these things compounded themselves but detectives
01:55:00
would discover something unusual about those prescription medications found in Alex's body it turns out Matthew eer had
01:55:09
prescribed them he didn't tell us that he was prescribing your medication during the investigation you found that
01:55:14
out yeah as a licens nurse practitioner eer had the authority to write prescriptions though normally that
01:55:22
author Authority is used for a patient Alex was not you would think you would send her to a doctor and have her see
01:55:28
someone else was his prescribing medication considered illegal though no it's unethical but it was not illegal
01:55:37
according to ecker's family Matthew had good reason she was prescribed those medications originally by a medical
01:55:44
doctor so she had asked Matt if he could refill them she would Badger him and they point to multiple text Alex
01:55:52
sent him days before her death asking him to refill medications including I need you to send in my immediate release
01:56:00
Aderall script make sure I have refills for my Trazodone and metap too please I have like three bottles of proac so I'm
01:56:09
good with that still Alex's family and friends say there is no excuse I can't get over that as a nurse practitioner he
01:56:18
should have known him better so his feeling sorry for your daughter or feeling like he was doing this in the
01:56:24
best way to try to help her you don't believe I don't that's the case I don't believe it at all especially for someone
01:56:31
that has a history of addiction you don't prescribe it as a nurse practitioner you say
01:56:39
no in February 2024 Matthew ecker's trial began the detectives were confident they had an idea of why
01:56:49
Matthew eer would have wanted Alex dead and it centered around their past romance maybe she said that she was
01:56:56
going to call his wife and tell his wife everything and as far as a motive what what would be the motive keep her quiet
01:57:02
so the wife doesn't find out sure it would be nice if there was some evidence of that I mean it was just sheer
01:57:08
speculation there's nothing not one cintilla of evidence that they were in any kind of dispute whatsoever instead
01:57:17
River says he's sure that night everything came to a head for Alex and she couldn't take it anymore so when it
01:57:24
boils down to it this is a case about what the jury's going to believe whether it's suicide or homicide and because the
01:57:30
medical examiner had ruled Alex's manner of death could not be determined Rivers
01:57:36
brought in a second one who came to the same conclusion undetermined if they can't determine it
01:57:43
was a homicide neither can you but what would the jury think when it was time for deliberations everyone was nervous
01:57:53
it was obvious to me Matt was concerned selfishly as a parent of Alex we wanted to believe that he was guilty
01:58:02
but believing it and proving it are two different things [Music] we got a call that there had been a a
01:58:26
verdict you just take this huge deep breath and like oh gosh in February 2024 after 9 hours of
01:58:36
deliberation the jury came to a decision about Matthew eer Matthew was guilty guilty of second
01:58:45
deegree murder once we heard that we were we were very we were very happy we were sad
01:58:52
didn't bring Alex back but at least there was some justice served but for Matthew ecker's family it
01:59:00
was like a knife in the heart I I couldn't even function what did you see in your
01:59:07
brother in that moment when the jury read the verdict just absolute tragedy it was awful
01:59:17
yeah two months later on April 3rd 2024 Matthew eer was back in court for sentencing All Rise now session The
01:59:28
Honorable D is presiding no calling I understand there are people who wish to make statements
01:59:37
today so this will Alex's friend Jillian addresses the court countless times I picked up the
01:59:44
phone to call Al only to realize I won't ever hear her voice again Sarah Echoes their loss Alex
01:59:51
really was a once in a-lifetime kind of friend and I remember Sarah you were giving your statement and unfortunately
01:59:59
that meant I was at the level of where Matt was he was sitting and I was standing and I just kept looking over at
02:00:04
him just trying to feel something you know try to figure out what you're feeling
02:00:10
and there was just nothing nothing Alex's parents Mary Joe and Jim implored the judge to impose a stiff
02:00:20
sentence our hearts have been broken Beyond repair and the future trajectory of Our Lives has been changed
02:00:31
forever and the world lost a special soul and we lost our baby come on but Matthew ecker's family
02:00:41
appealed for leniency Matt is one of the kindest and most compassionate people we
02:00:48
know he has spent most of his adult life helping people and caring for people I truly believe that Matt has so
02:00:58
much more to offer to this world in the end it is the sentence of the law in the Judgment of the court
02:01:06
that you serve 360 months with the Department of Corrections the judge sentenced Matthew eer to 30 years for
02:01:14
killing Alex you are remanded to the custody of the Department of Corrections I mean him sitting in prison for 30 years
02:01:26
is just it's just not acceptable he's not a murderer he didn't do this we will fight until it's made
02:01:38
right and we will not give up on him eer and his wife are now divorced and she has full custody of their four
02:01:48
children his family says they have not been allowed any contact with the kids that has to be very hard as
02:01:56
Grandparents not having that connection yeah absolutely terrible and I miss them
02:02:02
so much is there something you you would want them to know about their dad he loves them and cares for them and
02:02:14
misses them and we love them as for Alex's family there are questions they'd still like echer to
02:02:23
answer why' you do it why questions with answers that may never come what they do know is how they
02:02:32
choose to honor Alex one way is through her love for animals including a serendipitous
02:02:39
encounter somebody had dumped off a little baby rooster and somehow it just migrated to our
02:02:46
house so we built the chicken Coupe and we now have 12 chickens at what do you want at home it's properly named Alex's
02:02:55
Co yes I have a feeling Alex maybe had a hand in bringing that Roost that's good and every month the
02:03:03
penig get together with Sarah and Jillian then we just sit there and talk and cry and tell stories that oh Al
02:03:11
would not want us to be telling Mary Joe but we tell them because we're like we have to relive some of these
02:03:17
stories get to yourself some we Alex's boyfriend Shane also struggles it's heartbreaking cuz I I love that
02:03:29
girl and she deserves to be here she absolutely deserves to be here the cemetery where Alex is buried
02:03:42
is a short drive from where her parents live and they visit her as often as they
02:03:48
can hey miss you kid yeah this is tough love you honey andly at peace we miss you
02:04:08
[Music] sweetheart CBS next Saturday two innocent people on their first date had
02:04:24
their lives destroyed a fatal first date Sheriff's Office I got one Al and one dead and the only I witness is fighting
02:04:30
for his life what did you think who who would have done that 48 hours is all new
02:04:35
CBS next Saturday 109 Central and streaming on Paramount Plus [Music]