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money and Insanity money and Insanity okay in True Crime the word unbelievable is thrown around a lot but with today's
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case this word is very fitting I'm Olivia Lavo journalist and creator of the Bakersfield 3 podcast in
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collaboration with case File I'm presenting some of their most memorable cases in a new visual format let's dive
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into case number 10 95 the Costa Mesa murders it was around dinner time on Friday May 21st 2010 when 23-year-old
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Julie kosi received a text message it read can you come over tonight at midnight alone very upset need to talk
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Julie typed a reply asking what was the matter after making a promise that she wouldn't tell anyone the sender
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explained that they were hurting due to some bad family holy crap it was approaching midnight when
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Julie pulled up to the senders apartment complex in Costa Mesa California as she
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approached the sender's front door she sent her brother a message evidently she could hear sobs coming from the other
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side her final text message she sent read Sam is crying it's not good hours earlier Julie had been out to dinner
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with her brother and his fiance it was a special occasion as the couple asked her
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to be a bridesmaid at their upcoming wedding Julie was thrilled and after she accepted they handed her a tiara it was
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both a gift and the finishing touch to her bridesmaid outfit during dinner Julie's cell phone had lit up with text
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messages from a close friend named Sam hair the two had met at Orange Coast Community College where they both took
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anthropology Julie tutored Sam in the subject helping him achieve a in that class according to Sam's texts he was
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having a pretty rough night and after some back and forth Julie told Sam she would leave her brother's house to visit
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him right away the next morning Julie's parents realized she never came home which was incredibly unlike their
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daughter as phone calls to Julie continued to go unanswered her parents contacted police at the same time that
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Julie's family were worrying about her a couple who lived in the Orange County neighbor hood of Anaheim Hills were
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wondering where their son might be the hair family who had been expecting a visit from their only child Samuel
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better known as Sam he had spent many weekends with his parents who were only a 30-minute drive away from his Costa
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Mesa apartment the couple tried calling Sam periodically throughout the day but his cell phone was switched off which
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was very unusual for him by late evening Sam's father showed up to his apartment
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and used a key that Sam had given him to open the door the lights were on but all
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was quiet nothing looked out of place and then as he walked into Sam's bedroom he was met with a horrifying sight
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alongside Sam's bed was a young woman she was kneeling her torso was sprawled over the mattress and her lower legs
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were resting on the floor her jeans had been cut at the waistband down through the seat before being ripped down around
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her knees and a message had been scribbled in black marker across the back of the top she was wearing it read
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quote all yours [ __ ] you the back of her head was bloody and it was clear there
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was a gunshot wound to her scalp sitting on top of her head in her long matted black hair was a tiara Sam's father
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recognized the woman as his son's close friend and anthropology tutor Julie Sam's father had previously asked his
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son if there was a romantic connection between the two of them to which Sam told his dad that Julie was really more
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like a sister to him though when the police arrived on scene it looked to them like Julie's murder was sexually
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motivated based on how her body was posed an autopsy later revealed that Julie had been shot twice in the head
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the message that had been scrawled on her back all yours [ __ ] you seemed pointed as though directed at a
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particular person investigators suspected there was a love triangle upon searching Sam's room they found what
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appeared to be a sex manual as well as a soldier's handbook the latter made sense
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prior to enrolling in college when he was 26 years old Sam hair had served in the Army he had been sent to Afghanistan
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in a particularly dangerous region that was constantly Under Fire when he returned to the US Sam exhibited
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symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder eager to move on with his life he enrolled in college so he could
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obtain a degree now when investigators examined Julie's phone it was revealed how Sam had repeatedly reached out to
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her the previous night in a series of text messages where he was essentially begging her to come over to his place
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while also insisting that she' come alone and tell no one investigators noted how Sam also had reassured Julie
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that his desire to see her wasn't sexual Sam's cell phone wallet and passport were nowhere to be found his car was
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also missing investigators ran a background check on Sam har to find out exactly who they were dealing with and
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in addition to learning that Sam was an Army veteran with extensive combat experience they made a disturbing
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Discovery 8 years earlier in 2002 Sam had been charged with murder at the time Sam was 18 years old and he was accused
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of helping lure a young man with gang ties to a warehouse where a group of asants were lying in weight and
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subsequently killed the man and what appeared to be a gang retaliation hit of sorts the prosecution argued that while
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Sam hadn't physically harmed the victim he had taken him to the sight of his death with full knowledge of what would
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unfold old but the jury was unconvinced that Sam was guilty of murder and ultimately acquitted him after the trial
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Sam was determined to start a new life and enlisted in the Army and went on to become a decorated veteran despite his
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full exoneration Sam's history was notable to the detectives investigating him now for Julie's murder almost a
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decade later similarities between the two crimes were clear both involved ing a victim somewhere where then that
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victim met a violent end believing Sam was a threat to Public Safety and likely armed investigators had to move quickly
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they interviewed everyone who knew Sam including a number of neighbors most of the residents at Sam's apartment complex
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were college students around the same age and the complex had a thriving social scene one neighbor in his fiance
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said that they had seen Sam the afternoon before Julie was murdered and that Sam had helped him move some heavy
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items and then left the apartment complex with a man that Sam's neighbor and his fiance said they had never seen
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before the man was white and wore a black baseball cap meanwhile Sam hair's father Steve was struggling with the
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sudden disappearance of his son because he just he just couldn't believe that his son would hurt his friend Julie and
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then go on the run so he was deter to track him down himself and therefore began carrying out his own investigation
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starting with accessing Sam's bank account Sam had previously given him access to in case of an emergency right
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away Steve noticed there had been lots of activity over the past few days Sam had repeatedly withdrawn funds from an
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ATM each time it was $400 the maximum amount that Sam's Bank permitted him to withdraw in a day and then suddenly a
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notification came through on Steve's phone from Sam's Bank Sam's card had just been used to order some pizzas
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Steve immediately rushed to the restaurant and parked in front keeping an eye out for Sam's car But as time
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ticked by he never caught a glimpse of his son detectives were also looking at the banking info and upon examining the
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footage recorded at the exact time Sam's card had been used at local ATMs detectives were perplexed as standing
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before the machine was a teenage boy was this the individual in the black hat that Sam's neighbor had seen him with on
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the day of Julie's murder investigators contacted the pizza parlor where Sam's card had been used to make a purchase
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and asked for the delivery address provided for that order once they had it a full SWAT team descended on the
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property if Sam hair was hiding inside the investigators did not want to take any chances when they knocked on the
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door the teenage boy seen at the ATMs came outside he was having a little video game party at the house that he
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shared with his mom a local Drama teacher police searched each room of the house and Sam hair was nowhere in sight
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but his debit card was there eventually the terrified teen told investigators he
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had no clue who Sam was but he admitted he had been withdrawing money from the debit card on behalf of someone else now
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let's go back to the Costa Mesa apartment complex where Sam lived another occupant of the complex was
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26-year-old Daniel wnc he held different jobs here and there but his true passion
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was acting he was heavily involved in Community Theater he and Sam had become friendly after Daniel and his fiance
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Rachel Buffett a fellowing aspiring actor had moved into the complex several months earlier Daniel was the neighbor
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who had mentioned mened seeing Sam leave with a man in a black baseball cap on the day of Julie's murder now initially
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this appeared to be a helpful clue but now investigators viewed Daniel's story far more critically as the teen with
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Sam's debit card told police that Daniel was the one who gave it to him with instructions to drain the account
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investigators now wondered was Daniel helping Sam evade authorities and if so was he aware of exactly what his friend
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was running from detectives called Daniel seeking an explanation and when he picked up the phone he told them it
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wasn't a good time as he was in the middle of his bachelor party Daniel and his fiance Rachel were getting married
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in Just 2 days and that night he and some buddies were celebrating but unfortunately for Daniel detectives did
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not care that it was his bachelor party with Sam hair as an apparent threat to the public they really needed to speak
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with him immediately so soon after as Daniel took saki shots with friends detectives showed up and escorted him to
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the police station for questioning Daniel blurted out I'm going to tell you everything I'm sick of covering for Sam
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he said while he knew nothing about Julie's murder he had been duped into helping Sam escape and admitted to lying
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about seeing Sam leave the apartment complex on the day of the murder with a man in a baseball cap Daniel said that
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several hours before Julie was killed Sam called him and offered him money if he would help him out with something
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Daniel continued that Sam explained he was planning to have his bank account drained by a third party and then file a
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claim that his card had been stolen Daniel explained that the offer was tempting as he and his fiance Rachel did
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not have much money their passion for the theater was not bring in anything and eventually they had found themselves
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in debt and behind on rent so Daniel said he was desperate and agreed to help that's when Daniel enlisted his teenage
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friend that he had met through local theater programs to start making the withdrawals but when detectives circled
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back to Julie's murder Daniel's story changed he now admitted that Sam had in fact confessed his awful act to him on
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the night of Julie's murder Daniel and his fiance had been performing in a musical together the next morning Sam
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came over and begged Daniel for his help in getting him out of Costa Mesa Sam gave Daniel his laptop and told him to
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hide it from police and then told Daniel The Awful Truth he said he had shot a woman in his apartment in a fit of rage
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and added she had it coming Daniel continued that Sam said it started with him getting drunk and high on ecstasy
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and asking Julie to come over where he says he made a move and she turned him down which infuriated him leading him to
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shooting her in the head I said what did you do he's like I got a gun he asked for sex um he was pretty up he said no
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and then he just shot her twice in the head Daniel said he was stunned as he too knew Julie from a group of regulars
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who hung out at the apartment complex Daniel said at this point he was angry that he been unknowingly pulled into a
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murder and when he began to yell at Sam Sam fired back and threatened to kill Daniel and his soon to be wife if Daniel
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ratted him out eventually the two calmed down and reached an agreement Sam would
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give Daniel every penny in his bank account roughly $116,000 if Daniel helped Sam conceal
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the crime and get the hell out of town Daniel said he dropped Sam off at a shopping center outside of town and
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abandoned the car nearby detectives thanked Daniel for the information and then asked him for a DNA swab Daniel
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agreed but added that earlier in the afternoon on the day that Julie was murdered that he had been at Sam's
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apartment so to not be surprised if they found any traces of evidence that showed
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that Daniel had been there with Daniel now admitting to visiting Sam's apartment on the day of Julie's murder
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the detectives began to push him harder had he assisted Sam in cleaning up the crime scene was there a chance he had
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seen Julie's body did Sam tell him what he' done with the murder weapon did you see Julie de in the apartment no I did
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not no I did not Daniel answered no to every question but his tone was growing louder and
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increasingly belligerent and just as Daniel stood up to go home Detectives let him know he was going to be charged
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with being an accessory helping cover up a murder after the fact you rested for murder okay sensory murder that's what
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you're being arrested for you want to talk to us tell us anymore that's that's it we're done hold on we're done who who
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who we're done now Daniel was panicked he blurted out I will talk to you about anything if it gets me to my wedding on
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Friday that's what I will promise Daniel was distraught when he was was taken to
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a holding cell realizing he really might not make it to his wedding meanwhile his
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fiance Rachel was also going through it as it was becoming clear that her big day was falling apart when Daniel called
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her from jail she demanded to know what he did to which Daniel explained how he had helped Sam cover up some stuff he
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said he had also helped Sam acquire some quote hardcore ecstasy which Sam had been high on when he murdered Julie
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Daniel said he knew his actions were wrong but he told Rachel we needed the money why on Earth would you try and
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cover for him cuz we needed the money no we never need money we need to be good people and just
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have each other I'm sorry then Rachel mentioned how she'd seen Daniel's older brother
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Tim that morning and after his brother heard about Daniel's arrest he seemed nervous and blurted out something to the
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effect of him having evidence Rachel told Daniel that she was going to report this to the police to which Daniel
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responded then I am doomed after the phone call with Rachel Daniel told detectives he wanted to speak with them
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again and that's when he said something that's stuned them you said you wanted to talk to me what's going
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on I'm crazy and I did it you did what I killed Julie and I killed Sam okay and tell me how you uh you killed
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Sam two shots using my father's gun that I had and your Motors behind uh uh killing
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Sam was money and Insanity money and insanity okay now let's go back about 2 weeks
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earlier Daniel and Rachel were already struggling with money and then Daniel got a DUI which really pushed things
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over the edge he was desperate to make bail and asked a lot of people including his neighbor Sam hair for money Sam
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ultimately said no and Daniel found the money elsewhere and when he got out of jail Daniel and Sam caught up Daniel
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explained how that one night in jail was the worst night of his life and that's when Sam told him about his dark past
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when he had been implicated in a murder when he was 18 years old and had spent a
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year in jail awaiting to stand trial Sam felt for Daniel and Rachel and ended up
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agreeing them to help them pay their way overdue rent now to the day of Julie's murder that morning Daniel asked his
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friend Sam to come help him move some things at the Liberty Theater where Daniel was an actor the two drove to the
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theater in Sam's car when they got there Daniel lured Sam to an addict and as Sam
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bent down to pick up a piece of furniture Daniel pulled out a gun and shot him in the back of the head and
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this next detail is gut-wrenching Sam fell to the ground facing Daniel and began crying out for help saying
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something hit me and then while looking him dead in the eye Daniel Reloaded his pistol and shot Sam in the head once
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more then Daniel grabbed Sam's phone wallet and keys and left Sam's body in the atct of the Liberty Theater that
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evening Daniel went to a different theater where he performed in a show alongside his fiance Rachel in between
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his scenes Daniel texted Julie from Sam's phone pretending to be him begging for her to come over and sent those two
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texts clarifying that he Sam wasn't going to ask her for sex to which Julie responded LOL Sam we are like brother
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and sis after his performance Daniel went to Sam's apartment where he waited for Julie after he had tucked in his
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fiance Rachel who had fallen asleep while watching TV when Julie showed up to Sam's apartment Daniel was outside
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the front door and told her he'd also gotten texts that were worrisome from Sam and the two entered the apartment
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together Daniel told Julie to go check the bedroom and walked behind her when he then pulled out a gun and shot her in
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the head Daniel admitted to posing Julie's body and trying to make it appear as though Julie had been sexually
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assaulted including writing that message on her back the next morning Daniel went
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back to the Liberty Theater addict where he had left Sam's body using a saw and Hatchet he removed Sam's head this is
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very graphic one of Sam's hands and one of his arms that had tattoos on them in hopes that getting rid of any body parts
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that could easily be linked back to Sam he would be harder to identify smiling laughing
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Wasing the motive for Julie's murder was unimaginable she had been killed solely
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to try to cover up Daniel's true Target Sam Daniel's plan was for Sam to be framed for the murder and for it to look
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like he had gone on the run but Daniel realized his plan that he had thought was so well thought out was quickly
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crumbling after his fiance Rachel told him that she was telling police that Daniel's brother Tim mentioned having
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evidence see Daniel had given his brother a box and told him not to open it inside was money the gun used to kill
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Sam and Julie shell casings Sam's passport bloody clothing and the tools that Daniel had used to dismember Sam so
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pretty much as bad as it can get Daniel knew that once police had that box it was over for him when investigators
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asked Daniel what his motivation for the grizzly double homicide side had been this is what he told them money and
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Insanity money and Insanity okay and explained he was a pathological liar who couldn't bear to tell his
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fiance Rachel that he was broke and they were about to be evicted he had also wanted to give her the honeymoon of her
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dreams detectives found samir's body in the addict of the Liberty Theater as Daniel had described he was missing his
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head and portions of both arms but he was identifiable by a large tattoo on his chest that Daniel had apparently
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missed I don't know it was a large heart surrounded by roses with the words mom and dad ined across the center which is
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just so heartbreaking knowing that Sam was their only child and very close with his parents Daniel told investigators
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that he had buried Sam's various body parts in Scattered Graves that he had dug in a local park on what would have
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been Sam hair's 27th birthday his parents went to the park with Searchers praying that their son's head would be
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found safely on the day of Daniel and Rachel's wedding an event that Sam hair was planning to attend Daniel was
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charged with two counts of murder prosecutors decided decided to seek the death penalty and 5 years after
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the murder the case finally went to trial where the jury convicted Daniel and sentenced him to death this is
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really significant because death penalty cases were very rare in Orange County to
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put it in context for eligible cases prosecutors only chose to pursue the death penalty 4% of the time now it
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might seem that this is where our story ends but it's not even though Daniel was the
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only one charged and convicted of Sam and Julie's murders those close to the case had long suspected that Daniel did
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not act alone suspicions swirled around Daniel's brother Tim and his fiance Rachel Buffett like Daniel Rachel had
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Big Dreams of acting in addition to lots of Community Theater she also played Ariel from The Little Mermaid at
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Disneyland when investigators spoke to those who knew the couple they were told that Daniel changed quite a bit after
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meeting Rachel and not in a good way he dropped out of college and became distant from his family he seemed
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utterly obsessed with making Rachel happy now back in 2010 when the murders occurred detectives had taken Rachel in
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for questioning immediately after arresting Daniel as they were suspicious of how r Rachel had backed up Daniel's
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fake story of seeing Sam leave the apartment complex with a man wearing a baseball cap Rachel told investigators
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she had misspoke and she didn't see the man she was just repeating what Daniel had told her Rachel also adamantly
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denied being aware that she and Daniel had any Financial issues claiming that he had hidden that from her but that
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didn't quite add up because they learned that Rachel and Daniel had been evicted
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from another apartment complex for not paying rent there and they had been served an eviction notice for their
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current apartment and then there was a local jazz singer who had met Daniel and Rachel shortly before the murders Daniel
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asked this jazz singer to borrow money and the singer loaned him $2,000 and said he needed to be paid
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back by May 21st on that day the Jazz Singer showed up to Rachel and Daniel's apartment
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where the two of them were there hanging out with Sam hair the singer told police
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that Daniel and Sam left the apartment together with Daniel saying he'd soon be back with the money The Jazz Singer
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waited at the apartment with Rachel for several hours and when Daniel finally returned he had $400 with him and
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promised to have the remaining ,600 soon the singer wasn't thrilled but was eager
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to leave because he said apparently Rachel was clearly glaring at Daniel and it was just uncomfortable this story to
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detectives about May 21st the day Sam and Julie were murdered gave them several new tidbits of information that
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neither Daniel or Rachel had ever bothered to share others came forward to tell police that they noticed the couple
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acting strangely the day of the murders as detailed in the book Killing for you one of their co-stars in the musical
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Rachel and Daniel performed in the night of the murders noticed how in a scene that required Rachel to seem upset she
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actually cried real tears which she had never done before and the following night her co-star asked if she was all
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right and she allegedly told the co-star my friend is missing I think she's missing
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I think she's dead and I think my friend did it this conversation happened at least 6 hours before Julie's body was
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discovered and anyone knew that Sam was missing now let's go back to when Daniel
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called Rachel from jail shortly after he was arrested I don't know what you're talking about other evidence I don't
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know what Tim has besides that didn't said he had a murder weapon yeah he does so that's the exact what him told
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me so I'm going to go tell the detective now so what do you want me to do then I
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don't want you to tell the detective anything and I don't want him involved like that Daniel tried to convince her
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to stay quiet to which Rachel responded you realize we're recording this phone conversation
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[Music] anyways you're being an absolute ass to try and lie again at this point detectives believed Rachel could be a CO
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conspirator but they only had evidence to charge her with being an accessory after the fact they charged Daniel's
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brother Tim with the same offense you might remember when Sam was missing his father Steve traced his ATM card to a
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pizza parlor where he waited for an hour hoping to get a glimpse of his son he never did see Sam but when Steve saw a
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photo of Daniel's brother Tim he had immediately recognized him from being at the pizza place the night his son's card
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was used there to purchase a few pies now prosecutors decided to try Daniel's case first before bringing Rachel or
00:29:37
Daniel's brother Tim to court and so two years before Daniel's trial as Rachel is
00:29:42
out living her life she accepted an invitation to be on Dr Phil Rachel claimed on the show that she knew
00:29:50
nothing about any crimes until after Daniel was arrested she said the only thing that she was guilty of
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was trusting her fiance who she now believed to be a pathological liar discussing the impact of the double
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murder Rachel stated it's absolutely horrific but I think I I know that I'm not the main victim Sam and Julie are
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the main victims and then I think even secondary would be their families I'm after all that I realize that now after
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Daniel was convicted of the double murder prosecutors finally proceeded with taking Rachel bu to court on two
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felony charges of accessory to murder after the fact they accused her of lying and trying to mislead investigators
00:30:37
about what Daniel had done and what exactly she knew Rachel contested the charges but in November 2018 a jury
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found her guilty she was sentenced to 2 years and 8 months in Orange County jail
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for credit for time she had already served while awaiting her trial the final 6 months of her s sentence would
00:30:58
be served on probation meanwhile both Sam and Julie's families never stopped believing that Rachel's involvement in
00:31:06
the murders went much deeper than what she had been convicted of Daniel's brother Tim had also been charged as an
00:31:13
accessory after the fact he struck a deal with prosecutors pleading guilty in exchange for a sentence of 10 days in
00:31:20
jail that had already been served and while Daniel was given the death penalty an inmate has not been executed in
00:31:28
California since 2006 furthermore in 2019 California governor Gavin Nome issued an indefinite death penalty
00:31:39
moratorium during which for the foreseeable future no executions are allowed to be carried out and Daniel is
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one of many death row inmates that got to leave death row at San Quinton prison and be transferred to a much lower
00:31:56
security prison my understanding of why this is significant is because prior to the moratorium even though inmates were
00:32:04
not being executed they still had to live on death row where they had very few privileges now these same inmates
00:32:13
have a very different situation now that they're in lower security prisons living
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by totally different set of rules just an absolutely baffling and horrifying case with quite a bit unresolved as it
00:32:29
pertains to Rachel and how Sam and Julie's families feel it's an example of a case that yes is technically solved
00:32:38
but what did Justice do for the victim's families really what Justice do they really feel they got let me know your
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thoughts in the comments until next time thank you for watching I mean now I'm now I'm dead now I'm really
00:32:54
dead baby you're already dead