1 00:00:10,266 --> 00:00:15,667 ♪♪ 2 00:00:15,767 --> 00:00:21,100 ♪♪ 3 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:26,166 These are pictures of my house. 4 00:00:28,967 --> 00:00:30,000 Where the freezer was. 5 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:30,367 Where the freezer was. 6 00:00:33,066 --> 00:00:37,500 I was afraid to even walk by the freezer. 7 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:41,567 Every time I came downstairs to eat breakfast 8 00:00:41,667 --> 00:00:43,700 or to play a video game, 9 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,000 I have to walk right past the freezer. 10 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,400 There was nowhere else that my mom could hide the bodies. 11 00:00:52,500 --> 00:00:55,500 They were cooped up in a freezer... 12 00:00:56,867 --> 00:00:58,600 like -- like meat. 13 00:01:00,266 --> 00:01:03,900 I'm happy I was able to make it out alive. 14 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:13,266 [detective speaking] 15 00:01:16,266 --> 00:01:17,467 [Mitchelle speaking] 16 00:01:17,567 --> 00:01:18,967 [detective speaking] 17 00:01:20,967 --> 00:01:24,667 I didn't think that there would be anyone to rescue me. 18 00:01:25,900 --> 00:01:27,967 When things got bad, 19 00:01:28,066 --> 00:01:30,000 I would have these fantasies of escaping. 20 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:30,800 I would have these fantasies of escaping. 21 00:01:41,100 --> 00:01:43,867 I just remember being surrounded by fear. 22 00:01:43,967 --> 00:01:47,567 There was definitely not a trace of hope within me. 23 00:01:47,667 --> 00:01:51,900 Um, I thought that I was meant to be next. 24 00:01:54,166 --> 00:01:57,100 [The Paper Chase's "What's So Amazing About Grace?" plays] 25 00:01:57,166 --> 00:01:59,367 [strings continue playing sinister tune] 26 00:01:59,467 --> 00:02:00,000 [static crackling] 27 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:01,000 [static crackling] 28 00:02:04,667 --> 00:02:06,166 [knock at door] [creaking] 29 00:02:06,266 --> 00:02:10,567 -[banging on door] -[creaking] 30 00:02:10,567 --> 00:02:16,567 -[banging on door] -[creaking] 31 00:02:16,667 --> 00:02:19,100 [water dripping] 32 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:21,467 [banging on door] [creaking] 33 00:02:21,567 --> 00:02:24,000 [sinister chord strikes] 34 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,967 GABI: I was born in Detroit, Michigan. 35 00:02:35,066 --> 00:02:37,266 I am the oldest of four. 36 00:02:38,300 --> 00:02:41,467 Stoni, the second oldest, she's two years younger than me, 37 00:02:41,567 --> 00:02:45,000 then Stephen, and then there's the youngest. 38 00:02:45,100 --> 00:02:49,367 Me and Stoni shared one dad, while Stephen and our youngest 39 00:02:49,467 --> 00:02:52,266 brother shared another dad, 40 00:02:52,367 --> 00:02:54,166 and neither of them were really present. 41 00:02:54,166 --> 00:02:56,266 So it was just us five, 42 00:02:56,266 --> 00:02:58,500 me and my siblings and my mom, in the household. 43 00:02:59,667 --> 00:03:00,000 AS GABI'S FATHER: Stop playing with me! 44 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:00,800 AS GABI'S FATHER: Stop playing with me! 45 00:03:00,867 --> 00:03:02,700 AS MITCHELLE: Why don't you make me, you coward? 46 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:04,867 GABI: My mom hated my dad. 47 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:09,667 So after my dad left, we didn't see him as much. 48 00:03:09,767 --> 00:03:11,500 He tried to come around, 49 00:03:11,567 --> 00:03:14,000 but I think that her anger pushed him away. 50 00:03:14,100 --> 00:03:17,767 When he was around, we weren't hit. 51 00:03:17,867 --> 00:03:22,567 She wouldn't lash out at us because she was angry. 52 00:03:22,667 --> 00:03:25,066 My mom made his life a living hell. 53 00:03:26,567 --> 00:03:29,867 But once my father was out of the picture, 54 00:03:29,867 --> 00:03:30,000 we became the target of my mother's abuse. 55 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,467 we became the target of my mother's abuse. 56 00:03:50,300 --> 00:03:53,000 From as early as I can remember, 57 00:03:53,100 --> 00:03:56,100 my mom was never warm or attentive. 58 00:03:56,166 --> 00:04:00,000 The most amount of affection that we would get is a kiss 59 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:00,266 The most amount of affection that we would get is a kiss 60 00:04:00,367 --> 00:04:02,567 goodnight, and that's about it. 61 00:04:06,066 --> 00:04:08,166 One night, I had this terrifying dream, 62 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,567 and I woke up thinking that my mom was dead. 63 00:04:12,667 --> 00:04:16,767 The nightmare was her being run over by a car. 64 00:04:16,767 --> 00:04:19,066 I was scared -- I actually thought that it happened. 65 00:04:19,066 --> 00:04:21,667 So I went downstairs, 66 00:04:21,767 --> 00:04:24,467 and my mom was asleep on the couch at the time. 67 00:04:25,967 --> 00:04:28,100 Mom, wake up. 68 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:30,000 What? What is it? 69 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:30,367 What? What is it? 70 00:04:30,467 --> 00:04:32,967 And she's like, "Why the [bleep] are you crying?" 71 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:36,367 And I said I had a bad dream. 72 00:04:36,467 --> 00:04:37,367 And she looks at me, 73 00:04:37,467 --> 00:04:39,567 and she's like, "Go back to sleep. 74 00:04:39,567 --> 00:04:41,800 I don't care about no damn dream, go back to sleep." 75 00:04:44,567 --> 00:04:48,400 I think at that time, what I needed most from my mom 76 00:04:48,467 --> 00:04:54,266 was comfort and was a hug -- at the very least, a hug. 77 00:04:54,367 --> 00:04:59,367 But she told me to shut up, stop crying, go back to sleep. 78 00:04:59,467 --> 00:05:00,000 That's what I was met with. 79 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,400 That's what I was met with. 80 00:05:01,500 --> 00:05:05,467 And so I just go upstairs, and I go back to sleep. 81 00:05:05,567 --> 00:05:09,166 I knew after that, I couldn't turn to her for comfort. 82 00:05:09,166 --> 00:05:12,800 I found comfort in books, and I would read all the books 83 00:05:12,867 --> 00:05:17,500 we had cover the cover, because that was the only way to 84 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:19,200 cope that I had. 85 00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:28,500 But I thought I had a normal childhood, because I didn't know 86 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:29,867 any other childhoods. 87 00:05:29,967 --> 00:05:30,000 I didn't know 88 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,900 I didn't know 89 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,567 what a normal childhood actually was. 90 00:05:34,667 --> 00:05:36,667 And if I saw a normal childhood, 91 00:05:36,767 --> 00:05:38,767 it was on TV, and I thought it was fantasy. 92 00:05:38,867 --> 00:05:39,867 It was just fake. 93 00:05:51,667 --> 00:05:55,500 For a lot of the time that I can remember, 94 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,467 we were hungry. 95 00:05:57,567 --> 00:06:00,000 My mom had a few odd jobs here and there, 96 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:00,266 My mom had a few odd jobs here and there, 97 00:06:00,367 --> 00:06:03,800 but after a certain point, she just never went back. 98 00:06:03,867 --> 00:06:06,500 My mom started using the money that was meant 99 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:10,867 for us to eat, our food, for drugs and alcohol. 100 00:06:10,967 --> 00:06:13,066 Let's go -- food's out. 101 00:06:13,166 --> 00:06:14,400 GABI: We would run out of food. 102 00:06:14,467 --> 00:06:16,266 There was one time in particular where we would 103 00:06:16,266 --> 00:06:19,166 eat canned potatoes for breakfast and then again 104 00:06:19,266 --> 00:06:20,367 for dinner. 105 00:06:21,767 --> 00:06:25,000 That's all we would eat, and they would taste awful. 106 00:06:25,100 --> 00:06:26,166 They were the worst. 107 00:06:26,166 --> 00:06:29,100 To this day, I cannot stand canned potatoes. 108 00:06:31,100 --> 00:06:33,367 I never asked for seconds, 109 00:06:33,467 --> 00:06:37,000 but the youngest one did, and she would get angry at him 110 00:06:37,100 --> 00:06:39,100 and start yelling at him about how 111 00:06:39,166 --> 00:06:43,567 you already ate, and you should be full, and stop being greedy. 112 00:06:45,166 --> 00:06:46,266 I'm going out. 113 00:06:49,300 --> 00:06:52,266 I knew she didn't care, but I would feel bad 114 00:06:52,367 --> 00:06:55,500 to see my siblings as hungry as I was, 115 00:06:55,567 --> 00:06:58,000 especially the youngest one. 116 00:06:58,100 --> 00:07:00,000 So I would share food with -- with them. 117 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:01,867 So I would share food with -- with them. 118 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:03,767 Here. 119 00:07:03,867 --> 00:07:06,066 My stomach was -- it felt so sunken in. 120 00:07:06,066 --> 00:07:10,066 We were severely underweight and malnourished because of it. 121 00:07:10,166 --> 00:07:15,266 So when I was in school, if there was something that was 122 00:07:15,266 --> 00:07:17,266 on a kid's plate that they weren't eating, 123 00:07:17,367 --> 00:07:18,500 after they pushed it away, 124 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:20,266 I would always ask, "Hey, you gonna eat that? 125 00:07:20,367 --> 00:07:21,367 Can I have that?" 126 00:07:21,367 --> 00:07:24,166 But I don't think anyone noticed anything 127 00:07:24,266 --> 00:07:26,700 about how we looked, how we ate. 128 00:07:26,767 --> 00:07:27,900 No one paid attention. 129 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:40,100 My mom was a ticking time bomb. 130 00:07:40,166 --> 00:07:45,166 She always had her fuse lit, so anything, 131 00:07:45,266 --> 00:07:48,266 the slightest tap, would set her off. 132 00:07:49,700 --> 00:07:53,266 One day, we were all sitting around watching a movie, 133 00:07:53,367 --> 00:07:56,867 and I made a remark on one of the characters. 134 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:58,867 Why would she do that? 135 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:00,000 That's so stupid. 136 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:00,767 That's so stupid. 137 00:08:00,867 --> 00:08:04,100 And all of a sudden, my mom just exploded. 138 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:05,967 Keep your mouth shut. 139 00:08:06,066 --> 00:08:07,767 And got angry and started 140 00:08:07,867 --> 00:08:10,667 berating me, calling me stupid, dumb. 141 00:08:10,667 --> 00:08:12,867 I didn't understand why. 142 00:08:12,967 --> 00:08:14,100 Come over here. 143 00:08:14,166 --> 00:08:16,700 GABI: And then told me to 144 00:08:16,767 --> 00:08:21,467 hold these painful positions for extreme amounts of time. 145 00:08:21,567 --> 00:08:22,767 They're called wall sits, 146 00:08:22,767 --> 00:08:25,667 which is where you place your back up against the wall. 147 00:08:25,767 --> 00:08:29,000 It's almost like you're simulating sitting in a chair, 148 00:08:29,100 --> 00:08:30,000 but you're just, 149 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:30,200 but you're just, 150 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:34,367 you're suspended in air, only supported by your legs. 151 00:08:34,367 --> 00:08:37,100 You can stay there until I say. 152 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:43,867 And she had me hold that pose for over an hour 153 00:08:43,867 --> 00:08:46,567 while she sat there and finished the rest of the movie. 154 00:08:49,166 --> 00:08:54,166 My legs would shake, and if we fell, if we shifted our weight, 155 00:08:54,266 --> 00:08:57,467 she would start barking and screaming about how 156 00:08:57,567 --> 00:08:59,166 the punishment will get worse. 157 00:09:00,867 --> 00:09:04,667 But I thought that what we went through 158 00:09:04,767 --> 00:09:08,100 was normal across all households, because the public 159 00:09:08,166 --> 00:09:09,900 saw one thing, but we saw a completely 160 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,567 different thing -- um, to other people, 161 00:09:12,667 --> 00:09:15,700 she was kind, she was nice, she was giving, 162 00:09:15,767 --> 00:09:20,400 but what we saw was irritable, um, angry. 163 00:09:21,967 --> 00:09:25,367 So I thought the world was like my mom, that the people 164 00:09:25,467 --> 00:09:28,000 who were being nice, behind closed doors, 165 00:09:28,100 --> 00:09:30,000 they could be something completely different. 166 00:09:30,100 --> 00:09:32,100 And so I just thought that 167 00:09:32,166 --> 00:09:34,266 everybody's fate was the same as mine. 168 00:09:36,967 --> 00:09:39,767 While my mom was making the threats of, it'll get worse, 169 00:09:39,867 --> 00:09:42,667 at that point, I didn't fear that I would die. 170 00:09:42,767 --> 00:09:45,667 I felt that it would get worse, 171 00:09:46,767 --> 00:09:48,567 but I didn't think that I would actually -- 172 00:09:48,667 --> 00:09:51,100 I didn't start fearing for my life yet. 173 00:09:51,166 --> 00:09:52,700 [sniffles] 174 00:10:00,900 --> 00:10:03,100 GABI: My mom's method of punishment changed 175 00:10:03,166 --> 00:10:04,600 as we got older. 176 00:10:04,700 --> 00:10:07,500 I think that she started to see us as more of a challenge 177 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:09,500 or more of a threat. 178 00:10:09,567 --> 00:10:12,567 So the punishments had to be more severe. 179 00:10:14,467 --> 00:10:16,166 My mom would have different forms 180 00:10:16,266 --> 00:10:18,567 of punishment depending on her mood. 181 00:10:18,667 --> 00:10:22,100 So for a while, there was an extension cord phase. 182 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:24,000 Then there was a belt buckle phase. 183 00:10:25,367 --> 00:10:28,264 She would have us touch our toes, and she 184 00:10:28,264 --> 00:10:28,800 She would have us touch our toes, and she 185 00:10:28,867 --> 00:10:32,467 would just slam the belt buckle down on our back. 186 00:10:34,767 --> 00:10:38,166 And she would make sure to hit our backs 187 00:10:38,266 --> 00:10:43,467 and miss our legs and our arms, and that was so 188 00:10:43,567 --> 00:10:46,000 we could wear short sleeves and shorts. 189 00:10:46,100 --> 00:10:47,700 She would say she was 190 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,467 really paranoid about child protection services. 191 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,000 If one of us were being beaten, 192 00:10:55,166 --> 00:10:58,264 my mom would make the rest of us watch TV, and we had to 193 00:10:58,264 --> 00:11:00,200 my mom would make the rest of us watch TV, and we had to 194 00:11:00,300 --> 00:11:02,700 pretend like nothing was even happening. 195 00:11:02,767 --> 00:11:04,300 AS MITCHELLE: Mind your business! 196 00:11:05,700 --> 00:11:09,667 It was hard to focus on a TV show 197 00:11:09,767 --> 00:11:15,400 when you can hear your sibling being hurt behind you. 198 00:11:15,500 --> 00:11:18,000 I don't know if she enjoyed it. 199 00:11:18,100 --> 00:11:23,400 Um, when I look back on it now, sometimes I think she did, 200 00:11:23,500 --> 00:11:26,567 but in the moment, I just saw rage. 201 00:11:37,100 --> 00:11:41,000 As far as I feel I've come emotionally, 202 00:11:41,100 --> 00:11:45,967 I still see in the mirror those scars. 203 00:11:45,967 --> 00:11:51,567 This is from one of the toys that she threw at me, and it 204 00:11:51,667 --> 00:11:54,800 hit me, and it split my lip open a little bit, 205 00:11:54,900 --> 00:11:57,000 like right there. 206 00:11:57,100 --> 00:11:58,264 There's also this scar. 207 00:11:58,264 --> 00:12:00,166 There's also this scar. 208 00:12:00,166 --> 00:12:03,367 This was from a 2x4. 209 00:12:03,467 --> 00:12:07,000 Uh, some are a lot easier to hide. 210 00:12:07,100 --> 00:12:10,867 Um, have one on my arm. 211 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:13,867 My mom would stand me in 212 00:12:13,867 --> 00:12:17,967 the bathtub and throw hot water on me repeatedly. 213 00:12:20,667 --> 00:12:25,367 My back also is 75 percent covered in iron burns, 214 00:12:25,467 --> 00:12:28,264 but they've healed tremendously over the years, 215 00:12:28,264 --> 00:12:29,000 but they've healed tremendously over the years, 216 00:12:29,100 --> 00:12:32,000 and they're barely noticeable. 217 00:12:32,100 --> 00:12:34,467 I thought the scars were ugly, the one on my lip, 218 00:12:34,567 --> 00:12:37,467 the one above my eyebrow, I thought those were ugly. 219 00:12:37,567 --> 00:12:42,400 Um, but over time, I actually stopped noticing 220 00:12:42,500 --> 00:12:43,967 that these scars are here, 221 00:12:44,066 --> 00:12:47,266 and I just see my face now, me. 222 00:12:56,367 --> 00:12:58,264 One day, my mom was yelling at me in the bathroom. 223 00:12:58,264 --> 00:13:01,367 One day, my mom was yelling at me in the bathroom. 224 00:13:01,367 --> 00:13:02,867 Sit still! 225 00:13:04,700 --> 00:13:07,266 GABI: And the next thing I knew, 226 00:13:07,367 --> 00:13:12,166 she had grabbed a gold-plated curling iron, 227 00:13:12,266 --> 00:13:15,000 and she'd smacked me in the mouth with it. 228 00:13:17,100 --> 00:13:21,100 I was stunned, and I felt what felt like crumbs, 229 00:13:21,166 --> 00:13:23,967 food crumbs, on my tongue. 230 00:13:24,066 --> 00:13:27,066 I turned to the mirror, and I stuck my tongue 231 00:13:27,066 --> 00:13:28,264 out of my mouth and saw a shard of my tooth. 232 00:13:28,264 --> 00:13:31,600 out of my mouth and saw a shard of my tooth. 233 00:13:31,700 --> 00:13:32,867 What's the matter now? 234 00:13:32,867 --> 00:13:34,867 GABI: Her whole demeanor changed. 235 00:13:34,967 --> 00:13:38,066 She just went into damage control, because she had 236 00:13:38,166 --> 00:13:40,667 realized that she had done something permanent, 237 00:13:40,767 --> 00:13:43,667 and she grew concerned and worried. 238 00:13:43,767 --> 00:13:45,066 [doorbell rings] 239 00:13:45,166 --> 00:13:46,166 [knocking on door] 240 00:13:46,266 --> 00:13:48,000 Soon after, someone rang the doorbell, and she 241 00:13:48,100 --> 00:13:49,767 had already come up with the cover story. 242 00:13:49,867 --> 00:13:51,266 You say your brother did that. 243 00:13:53,066 --> 00:13:56,500 GABI: The cover story was that my youngest brother 244 00:13:56,567 --> 00:13:58,264 had a toy car, and he smashed the toy down on to me. 245 00:13:58,264 --> 00:14:02,667 had a toy car, and he smashed the toy down on to me. 246 00:14:05,367 --> 00:14:08,767 My aunt comes over, and she sees my tooth, and she says, 247 00:14:08,867 --> 00:14:10,867 "What happened to Gabi?" 248 00:14:10,967 --> 00:14:13,600 My mom tells her the same cover story. 249 00:14:13,700 --> 00:14:15,767 She was playing rough again and chipped it. 250 00:14:15,867 --> 00:14:21,300 And my aunt is trying to offer to take me to the dentist. 251 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:23,266 She's like, "Don't you want your tooth back? 252 00:14:23,367 --> 00:14:27,100 Don't you want to feel pretty again?" 253 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:28,264 But my mom didn't take us to any dentist, any doctors, 254 00:14:28,264 --> 00:14:31,700 But my mom didn't take us to any dentist, any doctors, 255 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:34,600 not even for checkups, because she was afraid 256 00:14:34,700 --> 00:14:37,467 that they would see the bruises. 257 00:14:37,567 --> 00:14:42,200 So my mom told my aunt that I thought 258 00:14:42,266 --> 00:14:45,166 that I looked unique, and that I didn't want 259 00:14:45,266 --> 00:14:48,367 to have my tooth fixed, and my aunt looks at me, 260 00:14:48,367 --> 00:14:50,667 and she's like, "Really? Is that what you really think?" 261 00:14:50,767 --> 00:14:52,467 And I said yes. 262 00:14:52,567 --> 00:14:54,600 I like it. 263 00:14:54,667 --> 00:14:58,166 I was going to cry, because I desperately wanted 264 00:14:58,266 --> 00:15:00,166 my tooth to be fixed, 265 00:15:00,266 --> 00:15:03,800 but I just accepted what happened 266 00:15:03,867 --> 00:15:05,667 and did what she said. 267 00:15:14,867 --> 00:15:16,467 I... 268 00:15:16,567 --> 00:15:20,100 walked into the living room one day 269 00:15:20,166 --> 00:15:25,500 and saw my youngest brother, and he had two toys. 270 00:15:25,567 --> 00:15:28,264 They were army wrestlers or something like that, 271 00:15:28,264 --> 00:15:29,467 They were army wrestlers or something like that, 272 00:15:29,567 --> 00:15:35,166 and he had them in a position that was... 273 00:15:35,266 --> 00:15:39,200 suggestive, kind of rubbing against each other. 274 00:15:39,266 --> 00:15:40,767 What are you doing? 275 00:15:40,867 --> 00:15:46,200 GABI: My mom became obsessed with this crazy notion that 276 00:15:46,300 --> 00:15:51,000 my siblings had sexually assaulted our youngest brother. 277 00:15:51,066 --> 00:15:52,767 Did someone teach you that? 278 00:15:52,867 --> 00:15:56,667 GABI: And she started basically interrogating the youngest. 279 00:15:56,767 --> 00:15:58,264 Stephen had been bullying our youngest brother, and she asked 280 00:15:58,264 --> 00:16:03,066 Stephen had been bullying our youngest brother, and she asked 281 00:16:03,066 --> 00:16:05,367 the youngest, "Did Stephen do this to you?" 282 00:16:05,367 --> 00:16:07,367 [voice echoing] Did your brother do that to you? 283 00:16:07,467 --> 00:16:08,567 Tell me the truth. 284 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:11,900 GABI: She kept asking and just repeating it over 285 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:13,266 and over again 286 00:16:13,266 --> 00:16:16,800 until the youngest finally said yes. 287 00:16:20,266 --> 00:16:22,200 There's no concrete evidence to prove 288 00:16:22,300 --> 00:16:25,467 that Stephen sexually assaulted the youngest. 289 00:16:25,467 --> 00:16:28,264 I think he only said yes to such -- such a terrible 290 00:16:28,264 --> 00:16:29,867 I think he only said yes to such -- such a terrible 291 00:16:29,967 --> 00:16:32,367 accusation, because he didn't know any better. 292 00:16:33,667 --> 00:16:36,867 My mom left the room 293 00:16:36,867 --> 00:16:39,166 and came back with an extension cord. 294 00:16:40,367 --> 00:16:43,800 She wrapped it around Stephen's neck 295 00:16:44,767 --> 00:16:49,266 and flung it over her back, like kind of how you're 296 00:16:49,367 --> 00:16:55,066 carrying a sack over your shoulder, and she lifted him off 297 00:16:55,166 --> 00:16:58,264 the ground that way, and then she took him to the ma -- 298 00:16:58,264 --> 00:17:00,100 the ground that way, and then she took him to the ma -- 299 00:17:00,166 --> 00:17:02,567 the master bedroom and closed the door. 300 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,600 I'm just terrified. I'm in shock. 301 00:17:07,700 --> 00:17:09,667 I didn't know what was going to happen. 302 00:17:09,767 --> 00:17:11,000 I was just afraid. 303 00:17:12,867 --> 00:17:17,900 Throughout most of that week or two, he was alone. 304 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:19,367 She had him isolated. 305 00:17:19,467 --> 00:17:23,900 She used trash bags to asphyxiate him. 306 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:25,867 She denied him food. 307 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,264 She would switch between strangling, between blunt force, 308 00:17:28,264 --> 00:17:30,500 She would switch between strangling, between blunt force, 309 00:17:30,567 --> 00:17:33,166 to where his head was severely misshapen. 310 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:37,166 My mom thought she was teaching Stephen a lesson. 311 00:17:37,266 --> 00:17:42,700 She thought that this was an appropriate punishment. 312 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:45,166 AS MITCHELLE: You little brat! Get up! 313 00:17:45,266 --> 00:17:50,000 GABI: I thought many, many times about telling people, 314 00:17:50,066 --> 00:17:52,166 but I didn't think no one would believe me. 315 00:17:52,166 --> 00:17:56,700 I thought about running away, but I also felt like I would be 316 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:58,264 deserting Stoni and our brothers, 317 00:17:58,264 --> 00:18:00,200 deserting Stoni and our brothers, 318 00:18:00,266 --> 00:18:04,200 so I just never really acted on that, because I didn't want 319 00:18:04,300 --> 00:18:05,900 to leave them behind. 320 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:09,166 What are you looking at, girl? Go downstairs! 321 00:18:09,266 --> 00:18:13,800 GABI: The following day, and days, weeks, 322 00:18:13,867 --> 00:18:17,000 they somewhat run all together into one. 323 00:18:17,100 --> 00:18:20,467 But the only thing that remained constant 324 00:18:20,567 --> 00:18:24,166 was his abuse and how severe it got. 325 00:18:24,266 --> 00:18:28,264 ♪♪ 326 00:18:28,264 --> 00:18:32,266 ♪♪ 327 00:18:32,367 --> 00:18:36,367 This is a picture of my little brother, Stephen. 328 00:18:37,700 --> 00:18:41,700 It hurts seeing this picture. 329 00:18:41,767 --> 00:18:44,967 He was a child. He didn't deserve this. 330 00:18:46,467 --> 00:18:49,300 Stephen was a 9-year-old that had 331 00:18:49,367 --> 00:18:52,567 been abused since he was 5 or 6. 332 00:18:52,667 --> 00:18:56,000 How anyone can torture a child is beyond me. 333 00:18:56,100 --> 00:18:58,066 I don't understand 334 00:18:59,266 --> 00:19:01,567 where my mom's mind was. 335 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:04,600 What hurts the most to me 336 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,700 is that I thought that Stephen would be okay when my mom 337 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,266 decided to stop. 338 00:19:11,266 --> 00:19:17,166 I thought that he could heal, and everything would be fine. 339 00:19:23,867 --> 00:19:27,467 GABI: After torturing Stephen for so many days, 340 00:19:27,567 --> 00:19:29,000 one night... 341 00:19:30,767 --> 00:19:36,367 my mom called me into the kitchen, and she said, 342 00:19:36,467 --> 00:19:38,967 "I think he's had enough. I'm gonna stop. 343 00:19:38,967 --> 00:19:41,800 I feel like he learned his lesson by now." 344 00:19:41,900 --> 00:19:45,667 But the next day, he was feeling weak. 345 00:19:45,767 --> 00:19:49,567 My mom took him into the room, she laid him down, 346 00:19:50,567 --> 00:19:51,894 and then she said, "Say goodbye to your brother. 347 00:19:51,894 --> 00:19:55,800 and then she said, "Say goodbye to your brother. 348 00:19:55,900 --> 00:19:57,567 He's leaving." 349 00:19:57,667 --> 00:19:58,800 Sorry. 350 00:20:00,266 --> 00:20:03,767 GABI: I saw Stephen laying on the floor in a blanket. 351 00:20:05,867 --> 00:20:10,967 My mom was leaning over Stephen and telling him that 352 00:20:10,967 --> 00:20:15,467 she was sorry and that she loved him, and he weakly said, 353 00:20:15,567 --> 00:20:17,266 "I love you, too." He said it back. 354 00:20:18,867 --> 00:20:21,667 My mom told me to give him a kiss, 355 00:20:21,767 --> 00:20:21,894 but a kiss goodbye. 356 00:20:21,894 --> 00:20:22,900 but a kiss goodbye. 357 00:20:24,066 --> 00:20:28,300 I told Stephen that I loved him, and then I got down on 358 00:20:28,367 --> 00:20:32,300 the floor where he was and gave him a kiss on his forehead. 359 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:39,166 ♪♪ 360 00:20:39,266 --> 00:20:43,066 Then I heard a sound, and it sounded like a breath, 361 00:20:43,166 --> 00:20:47,567 and so I gasped, like, "Oh, he's fine," 362 00:20:47,667 --> 00:20:49,667 and she said, "No, that was his last." 363 00:20:52,700 --> 00:20:56,667 I won't forget that sound, and that will always -- 364 00:20:56,767 --> 00:20:59,667 will always stick with me, and it always has. 365 00:20:59,767 --> 00:21:04,367 And I just sank to the floor right there. 366 00:21:04,467 --> 00:21:07,767 And I had never done anything like that in front of my mom. 367 00:21:07,767 --> 00:21:10,500 Never sank, never cried in front of my mom, 368 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,000 but at that point, I didn't care. 369 00:21:13,100 --> 00:21:16,967 She could hit me all she want -- my brother just died in my face. 370 00:21:30,667 --> 00:21:32,800 After Stephen passed, 371 00:21:32,900 --> 00:21:37,867 she had a bed cover, and she wrapped him in it, 372 00:21:37,967 --> 00:21:43,400 and then had me help her take him down the stairs. 373 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,367 I didn't know that we would be 374 00:21:47,367 --> 00:21:51,100 putting Stephen in the freezer... 375 00:21:55,367 --> 00:21:58,667 until my mom told me to open it for her. 376 00:22:03,166 --> 00:22:05,467 She cradled him in her arms, 377 00:22:06,867 --> 00:22:09,367 and she 378 00:22:09,467 --> 00:22:11,066 set Stephen down in it. 379 00:22:11,166 --> 00:22:16,200 ♪♪ 380 00:22:16,300 --> 00:22:18,900 At first, I didn't think it was real. 381 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:21,894 I thought it was a bad dream, and I thought tomorrow, he would 382 00:22:21,894 --> 00:22:22,000 I thought it was a bad dream, and I thought tomorrow, he would 383 00:22:22,100 --> 00:22:26,100 wake up or that he will open the freezer and be like, 384 00:22:26,166 --> 00:22:28,367 "I'm okay. I'm perfectly fine." 385 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,867 [crying quietly] 386 00:22:42,900 --> 00:22:45,266 I think after 387 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,467 the first few days is when it set in 388 00:22:51,567 --> 00:22:51,894 that this isn't reversible. 389 00:22:51,894 --> 00:22:53,700 that this isn't reversible. 390 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:55,567 This isn't something that... 391 00:22:55,667 --> 00:23:01,467 ♪♪ 392 00:23:01,567 --> 00:23:02,767 [sniffles] 393 00:23:02,767 --> 00:23:07,767 This isn't something that will just heal, like my burns. 394 00:23:07,867 --> 00:23:09,400 Like, he's actually gone. 395 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:21,894 Trying to live, 396 00:23:21,894 --> 00:23:24,166 Trying to live, 397 00:23:24,166 --> 00:23:29,300 knowing that my brother is in the freezer, was terrifying. 398 00:23:30,567 --> 00:23:34,800 I made sure to watch what I said around her. 399 00:23:34,900 --> 00:23:37,400 I already knew that one misstep, 400 00:23:37,500 --> 00:23:39,867 and this is where I'll end up. 401 00:23:39,867 --> 00:23:42,000 After Stephen's death, 402 00:23:42,066 --> 00:23:44,400 my mom grew more and more paranoid 403 00:23:44,467 --> 00:23:47,867 about it, and her threats became more severe. 404 00:23:51,467 --> 00:23:51,894 In the morning after we were all dressed and ready 405 00:23:51,894 --> 00:23:54,266 In the morning after we were all dressed and ready 406 00:23:54,367 --> 00:23:56,700 for school, we would be by the front door, 407 00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:00,166 and what she would do is 408 00:24:00,266 --> 00:24:02,166 drill us over our cover story. 409 00:24:02,266 --> 00:24:04,166 What do you say 410 00:24:04,266 --> 00:24:06,567 if someone asks about Stephen? 411 00:24:06,667 --> 00:24:11,166 We would have to say that he was at our aunt's house 412 00:24:11,166 --> 00:24:13,667 or he was at his dad's house, 413 00:24:13,767 --> 00:24:17,000 and I would have to deliver my line with -- 414 00:24:17,100 --> 00:24:20,100 without hesitation, without looking like 415 00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:21,567 it was rehearsed. 416 00:24:21,667 --> 00:24:21,894 No. 417 00:24:21,894 --> 00:24:23,400 No. 418 00:24:23,467 --> 00:24:27,166 If we didn't rehearse our stories correctly, 419 00:24:27,266 --> 00:24:30,000 she would just get more agitated with her tone, 420 00:24:31,767 --> 00:24:34,266 and that let us know that something bad 421 00:24:34,367 --> 00:24:35,600 was about to happen. 422 00:24:35,667 --> 00:24:37,500 Do you want to go to the freezer, too? 423 00:24:40,066 --> 00:24:43,100 Once she was sure that we had our stories straight, 424 00:24:43,166 --> 00:24:44,900 then she would let us go to school. 425 00:24:47,767 --> 00:24:51,166 There was a creative writing teacher, 426 00:24:51,266 --> 00:24:51,894 and she was always the nicest teacher to me, 427 00:24:51,894 --> 00:24:53,567 and she was always the nicest teacher to me, 428 00:24:53,567 --> 00:24:56,767 and I wanted to tell her so bad -- I did. 429 00:24:57,767 --> 00:25:02,166 But then I had the thought that she wouldn't believe me 430 00:25:02,266 --> 00:25:05,266 or fear that maybe my mom would try something. 431 00:25:05,266 --> 00:25:09,000 Our youngest brother is still there, 432 00:25:09,066 --> 00:25:12,867 and what if they show up, and I'm not there to help 433 00:25:12,867 --> 00:25:14,667 or protect him -- what is she gonna do? 434 00:25:26,567 --> 00:25:28,300 After Stephen died, 435 00:25:28,367 --> 00:25:32,166 my mom calmed down a bit, and it seemed like the worst was 436 00:25:32,266 --> 00:25:35,400 behind us, but nine months later, 437 00:25:35,500 --> 00:25:37,567 something set my mom off again. 438 00:25:37,667 --> 00:25:38,667 AS MITCHELLE: Don't you lie to me. 439 00:25:38,667 --> 00:25:40,266 You know what happens when you lie! 440 00:25:41,567 --> 00:25:44,500 GABI: And she started asking my youngest brother 441 00:25:44,567 --> 00:25:48,467 if Stoni had ever sexually assaulted him. 442 00:25:48,567 --> 00:25:50,467 Did she do that to you? 443 00:25:50,467 --> 00:25:51,894 And just like last time, my youngest brother said no. 444 00:25:51,894 --> 00:25:55,266 And just like last time, my youngest brother said no. 445 00:25:56,600 --> 00:26:00,867 My mom started to get aggressive, and she threatened 446 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:02,667 to beat him 447 00:26:02,767 --> 00:26:05,166 if he didn't tell her the truth. 448 00:26:10,066 --> 00:26:11,400 He said yes. 449 00:26:14,967 --> 00:26:16,800 Stoni obviously said no, 450 00:26:16,900 --> 00:26:19,867 but my mom, she was not having it. 451 00:26:20,867 --> 00:26:21,894 My mom just went full feral, basically. 452 00:26:21,894 --> 00:26:24,500 My mom just went full feral, basically. 453 00:26:25,900 --> 00:26:27,667 She just started wailing on her, 454 00:26:31,066 --> 00:26:34,000 beating her, slamming her against the wall, 455 00:26:34,100 --> 00:26:36,567 and as the days went on, 456 00:26:36,667 --> 00:26:39,166 she started to do a lot of the same things 457 00:26:39,266 --> 00:26:41,667 that she did to Stephen. 458 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,767 Though with Stoni, it was worse, because she wouldn't feed 459 00:26:45,767 --> 00:26:50,266 her at all, and she just became skin and bone, basically. 460 00:26:50,367 --> 00:26:51,894 I didn't know what to do -- I was just afraid. 461 00:26:51,894 --> 00:26:54,266 I didn't know what to do -- I was just afraid. 462 00:26:54,367 --> 00:26:57,100 I know the gravity of the situation, and this is 463 00:26:57,166 --> 00:27:00,700 the second time it's happening, but I felt helpless, like there 464 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:02,767 was nothing I could do to change or stop it. 465 00:27:04,166 --> 00:27:06,967 At one point, I did think that one day, we'll go 466 00:27:07,066 --> 00:27:09,667 in the room, and she'll be laying there and won't wake up. 467 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:12,200 But that's not what happened. 468 00:27:17,467 --> 00:27:19,767 GABI: One day, my mom told me there would 469 00:27:19,867 --> 00:27:23,266 be an inspection coming up in the house. 470 00:27:23,367 --> 00:27:27,166 When my mom found out that we were having an inspection, 471 00:27:27,266 --> 00:27:28,900 she started to get agitated, 472 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,667 she started to scramble around, because in the master bedroom, 473 00:27:32,767 --> 00:27:36,967 mainly, there were streaks of blood along the walls. 474 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:41,500 And she basically told me to clean the house top to bottom, 475 00:27:41,567 --> 00:27:43,667 and that's what I did. 476 00:27:43,667 --> 00:27:46,101 There was a mattress that had -- that was just bloodied. 477 00:27:46,101 --> 00:27:47,600 There was a mattress that had -- that was just bloodied. 478 00:27:47,667 --> 00:27:53,000 It was -- it was just terrible, and she had me put a regular 479 00:27:53,100 --> 00:27:54,200 blanket over it. 480 00:27:54,266 --> 00:27:57,700 Hurry up! And I better not hear a sound. 481 00:27:58,700 --> 00:28:03,100 She told Stoni to lay under the bed, and my mom draped 482 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:05,166 the blanket over the sides to where it looked 483 00:28:05,266 --> 00:28:06,400 like a bed skirt. 484 00:28:07,767 --> 00:28:11,867 And she told Stoni to stay completely quiet. 485 00:28:11,967 --> 00:28:13,700 Make sure you get the wall. 486 00:28:13,767 --> 00:28:16,101 GABI: She had to hide, because she had bruises 487 00:28:16,101 --> 00:28:16,867 GABI: She had to hide, because she had bruises 488 00:28:16,967 --> 00:28:19,266 and burns and everything all over her. 489 00:28:23,500 --> 00:28:26,667 There were three inspectors, I believe, 490 00:28:26,767 --> 00:28:30,166 and when they came in, it just felt 491 00:28:30,266 --> 00:28:33,367 like I couldn't say anything, because my mom was always 492 00:28:33,467 --> 00:28:35,500 right there, right behind them. 493 00:28:36,967 --> 00:28:42,100 My mom said something to kind of spark up a conversation, 494 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:46,101 but I believe it was to let Stoni know that 495 00:28:46,101 --> 00:28:46,467 but I believe it was to let Stoni know that 496 00:28:46,567 --> 00:28:49,767 I am in here, and if you do anything, I am right here. 497 00:28:49,867 --> 00:28:52,000 Then as quickly as they came, they left. 498 00:28:53,767 --> 00:28:55,800 All they had to do was open 499 00:28:55,900 --> 00:28:58,367 the freezer, and this whole thing would have been over. 500 00:29:04,667 --> 00:29:09,667 My mom started abusing her worse, torturing her. 501 00:29:11,867 --> 00:29:14,000 Then my mom grabs a 2x4, 502 00:29:14,100 --> 00:29:16,101 and she hit Stoni right here on her temple, 503 00:29:16,101 --> 00:29:18,066 and she hit Stoni right here on her temple, 504 00:29:18,166 --> 00:29:22,266 and it opened, it split, and I saw 505 00:29:22,367 --> 00:29:27,000 a stream of blood spurt out of her head, 506 00:29:28,066 --> 00:29:30,467 and my mom 507 00:29:30,467 --> 00:29:34,200 cheered, she cheered, she said, as it happened, 508 00:29:34,266 --> 00:29:37,300 she said, "Ooh, look at that!" 509 00:29:37,367 --> 00:29:43,000 And she grabs a black pajama shirt, and she wraps it around 510 00:29:43,100 --> 00:29:45,200 Stoni's neck. She strangled her. 511 00:29:46,867 --> 00:29:50,000 At this point, Stoni is barely conscious. 512 00:29:50,066 --> 00:29:51,233 She picks her up 513 00:29:53,166 --> 00:29:57,467 and tells me to grab Stoni's legs -- I didn't want to. 514 00:29:58,900 --> 00:30:01,367 But I had to -- I couldn't say no. 515 00:30:02,667 --> 00:30:04,667 My mom and I 516 00:30:04,767 --> 00:30:09,900 put Stoni in the freezer on top of Stephen. 517 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:16,101 After putting her in the freezer, 518 00:30:16,101 --> 00:30:17,200 After putting her in the freezer, 519 00:30:17,300 --> 00:30:21,100 my mom saw that Stoni was still trying to breathe, 520 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:24,266 and my mom grabbed the plastic bag and then 521 00:30:24,367 --> 00:30:27,200 put it over her face and held her nose 522 00:30:27,300 --> 00:30:30,567 while she was still in the freezer to speed it up, 523 00:30:30,667 --> 00:30:34,700 and then my mom let it go, and she said, "You know what? 524 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:36,667 [Bleep] it -- you're as good as gone anyway." 525 00:30:38,367 --> 00:30:39,767 My mom closed the freezer, 526 00:30:41,367 --> 00:30:43,100 and then told me, 527 00:30:44,367 --> 00:30:46,101 "Don't cry over that bitch." 528 00:30:46,101 --> 00:30:46,600 "Don't cry over that bitch." 529 00:30:46,700 --> 00:30:49,166 She said, 530 00:30:49,266 --> 00:30:50,367 "That bitch... 531 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:53,667 "hurt your little brother, 532 00:30:54,967 --> 00:30:57,266 and she caused all of this [bleep] to happen." 533 00:30:58,567 --> 00:31:02,367 Stoni I've always felt the most guilty for, because 534 00:31:02,467 --> 00:31:05,066 she was still somewhat conscious. 535 00:31:05,066 --> 00:31:06,266 She didn't just die. 536 00:31:06,367 --> 00:31:08,867 She was still there -- she knew 537 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:12,200 that I had helped put her there. 538 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:16,101 Whereas, you know, Stephen was -- Stephen was already gone 539 00:31:16,101 --> 00:31:16,867 Whereas, you know, Stephen was -- Stephen was already gone 540 00:31:16,867 --> 00:31:20,367 by the time we put him in the freezer. 541 00:31:20,467 --> 00:31:23,900 So the last thing he knew was me giving him a kiss 542 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:28,100 on the forehead and telling him bye and that I loved him, 543 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:32,667 and the last thing Stoni knew was me helping my mom 544 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:36,500 put her in her coffin. 545 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:45,400 ♪♪ 546 00:31:45,500 --> 00:31:46,101 I am on the left, 547 00:31:46,101 --> 00:31:48,700 I am on the left, 548 00:31:48,767 --> 00:31:50,967 and Stoni is on the right. 549 00:31:51,066 --> 00:31:54,300 When I look at this, 550 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:56,266 I can see how much we do look alike. 551 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:03,867 Stoni was really friendly, um, always had a big smile, 552 00:32:03,967 --> 00:32:07,567 always -- she was always eager to meet other people, 553 00:32:07,667 --> 00:32:08,867 to meet new people. 554 00:32:08,867 --> 00:32:11,567 She wasn't shy and timid like me. 555 00:32:11,667 --> 00:32:16,101 She was inviting and warm, and everybody loved her. 556 00:32:16,101 --> 00:32:16,166 She was inviting and warm, and everybody loved her. 557 00:32:16,266 --> 00:32:18,266 Just looking at this picture, it just... 558 00:32:19,467 --> 00:32:23,166 it just reminds me of, again, what I lost. 559 00:32:23,266 --> 00:32:28,367 ♪♪ 560 00:32:28,467 --> 00:32:29,467 [sniffles] 561 00:32:32,500 --> 00:32:35,166 I'm thankful that I have this picture, though, 562 00:32:35,266 --> 00:32:38,500 so I can remember her as she should be remembered. 563 00:32:47,767 --> 00:32:51,100 A few days afterwards, my mom was already threatening 564 00:32:51,166 --> 00:32:54,867 for me to be next if I were to step out of line. 565 00:32:54,967 --> 00:32:56,066 AS MITCHELLE: Wait a minute. 566 00:32:58,166 --> 00:33:00,700 GABI: Any time my mom wanted to send me out 567 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:02,667 to the grocery store, 568 00:33:02,767 --> 00:33:05,500 she would stop me at the door, 569 00:33:05,567 --> 00:33:07,600 and she would tell me, 570 00:33:08,967 --> 00:33:12,100 "You can go out there, and you can be free, 571 00:33:12,166 --> 00:33:16,101 "and you can be whatever kind of hoe you wanna be. 572 00:33:16,101 --> 00:33:16,367 "and you can be whatever kind of hoe you wanna be. 573 00:33:16,467 --> 00:33:20,100 "But if you bring the police back to this house, 574 00:33:20,166 --> 00:33:24,000 "you're gonna be responsible for what happens. 575 00:33:24,066 --> 00:33:28,400 I will take your brother, kill him, and then kill myself." 576 00:33:30,300 --> 00:33:32,900 The very first time my mom threatened that to me, 577 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:35,100 I felt a pit in my stomach. 578 00:33:35,166 --> 00:33:36,767 It felt like my heart just dropped 579 00:33:36,867 --> 00:33:41,166 to my stomach, because I believed it wholeheartedly. 580 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:46,101 Every day, I'm on my tiptoes, tiptoeing around her, 581 00:33:46,101 --> 00:33:46,567 Every day, I'm on my tiptoes, tiptoeing around her, 582 00:33:46,667 --> 00:33:50,967 unable to do anything for fear that it'll set her off. 583 00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:00,567 In March of 2015, 584 00:34:00,667 --> 00:34:03,600 my mom got an eviction notice in the mail. 585 00:34:03,667 --> 00:34:06,100 My mom hadn't paid rent, and she owed a certain 586 00:34:06,166 --> 00:34:08,767 amount of money, so we were being evicted. 587 00:34:08,867 --> 00:34:11,066 AS MITCHELLE: I don't understand! 588 00:34:11,066 --> 00:34:12,667 GABI: When she read it, she started panicking. 589 00:34:12,767 --> 00:34:15,100 The eviction letter meant to her 590 00:34:15,166 --> 00:34:16,101 that this whole thing was -- was over. 591 00:34:16,101 --> 00:34:17,500 that this whole thing was -- was over. 592 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:23,467 There was nowhere else that my mom could hide the bodies. 593 00:34:23,567 --> 00:34:24,800 This was it. This was the end. 594 00:34:24,867 --> 00:34:26,900 She couldn't run. She couldn't hide anymore. 595 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:28,900 You can't do this! 596 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:31,567 GABI: She talked about often 597 00:34:32,667 --> 00:34:36,667 killing us and then killing herself, and so I thought that 598 00:34:36,667 --> 00:34:37,867 that's what... 599 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:40,800 that's what was about to happen was that she was just 600 00:34:40,900 --> 00:34:42,600 gonna end it all. 601 00:34:42,667 --> 00:34:45,467 I immediately thought we were going to die. 602 00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:49,367 And I just sat there and waited. 603 00:34:55,867 --> 00:34:58,300 I just sat and waited to die. 604 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:00,767 Come with me. We're leaving. 605 00:35:00,867 --> 00:35:02,166 GABI: But then she told me we're going 606 00:35:02,266 --> 00:35:06,567 to the neighbor's house, and it confused me. 607 00:35:06,667 --> 00:35:08,867 [knocking noises] 608 00:35:08,967 --> 00:35:12,500 I was afraid, because things were changing, 609 00:35:12,567 --> 00:35:14,367 but I was excited. 610 00:35:14,367 --> 00:35:16,900 I was -- I was happy that I wasn't dying. 611 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:19,367 AS MITCHELLE: I need to see if you can watch my kids for me. 612 00:35:19,467 --> 00:35:22,557 The neighbor let us in, and my mom explained 613 00:35:22,557 --> 00:35:24,000 The neighbor let us in, and my mom explained 614 00:35:24,100 --> 00:35:27,467 to the neighbor that Stephen and Stoni are dead 615 00:35:27,567 --> 00:35:30,300 and they have been for two years, 616 00:35:30,367 --> 00:35:32,800 and she's been hiding them. 617 00:35:34,266 --> 00:35:38,200 I don't know why she -- my mom decided to confess. 618 00:35:38,266 --> 00:35:40,100 My mom asked if it was okay 619 00:35:40,166 --> 00:35:42,867 if me and my youngest brother went upstairs. 620 00:35:43,867 --> 00:35:46,667 We went upstairs, and we turned on the news, 621 00:35:46,767 --> 00:35:51,600 and I saw our front door on the news. 622 00:35:51,667 --> 00:35:52,557 And breaking news come across that they found what appears to 623 00:35:52,557 --> 00:35:57,200 And breaking news come across that they found what appears to 624 00:35:57,300 --> 00:36:01,166 be an old woman -- they called Stoni an old woman. 625 00:36:01,266 --> 00:36:04,266 She was frozen, so they couldn't accurately make out 626 00:36:04,367 --> 00:36:06,567 that it was a 13-year-old girl. 627 00:36:07,667 --> 00:36:13,300 Maybe 10 minutes passed, I believe, and... 628 00:36:14,900 --> 00:36:18,166 we hear voices, um, 629 00:36:18,266 --> 00:36:19,500 call our names. 630 00:36:25,567 --> 00:36:28,767 I didn't recognize the voice as my neighbor's or my mom's, 631 00:36:28,867 --> 00:36:30,600 so I didn't know until I got 632 00:36:30,700 --> 00:36:34,000 downstairs and saw that there were the police. 633 00:36:35,767 --> 00:36:41,166 My mom was in handcuffs at this point, and she called me 634 00:36:41,166 --> 00:36:46,066 over and started to apologize profusely and tell me 635 00:36:46,166 --> 00:36:49,800 that she loved me, and my mom asked me for a hug, 636 00:36:49,867 --> 00:36:52,557 but by this point, her hands were already cuffed, so she 637 00:36:52,557 --> 00:36:52,567 but by this point, her hands were already cuffed, so she 638 00:36:52,667 --> 00:36:55,467 couldn't wrap her arms around me, 639 00:36:55,567 --> 00:36:58,166 so she leaned her chest against mine. 640 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:01,867 I didn't hug her back, though -- that was 641 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:05,166 probably the first time I genuinely felt anger. 642 00:37:06,467 --> 00:37:10,300 She just kept saying how sorry she was, how much she loved me. 643 00:37:20,266 --> 00:37:22,367 I moved in with my great-aunt, 644 00:37:22,467 --> 00:37:22,557 and my aunt adopted my youngest brother. 645 00:37:22,557 --> 00:37:27,166 and my aunt adopted my youngest brother. 646 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:31,600 I was elated, because my aunt adopting 647 00:37:31,700 --> 00:37:34,967 him meant that we could stay together. 648 00:37:34,967 --> 00:37:39,166 My aunt is the kind of person to turn on the news 649 00:37:39,266 --> 00:37:41,100 at 7 in the morning, 650 00:37:41,166 --> 00:37:44,600 and I would see pictures and videos of my mom, 651 00:37:44,700 --> 00:37:48,767 lashing out and practically 652 00:37:48,867 --> 00:37:51,066 acting like a rabid dog. 653 00:37:51,166 --> 00:37:52,557 I am the only one throughout both these cases, 654 00:37:52,557 --> 00:37:53,200 I am the only one throughout both these cases, 655 00:37:53,300 --> 00:37:55,667 I haven't lied about anything -- as horrendous 656 00:37:55,667 --> 00:37:58,166 as everybody think I am, that's fine, but I'm the only 657 00:37:58,266 --> 00:38:00,367 one that's not lying about anything. 658 00:38:00,467 --> 00:38:01,600 I felt disgusted. 659 00:38:01,667 --> 00:38:04,767 I felt embarrassed that I came from that. 660 00:38:04,867 --> 00:38:05,867 That's my mom. 661 00:38:05,967 --> 00:38:07,066 I did what I did, 662 00:38:07,166 --> 00:38:09,467 and I did what I did for my baby, period. 663 00:38:09,567 --> 00:38:13,567 She justified my brother and sister's murders. 664 00:38:13,667 --> 00:38:16,767 There was no remorse, because I believe at one point, 665 00:38:16,867 --> 00:38:19,500 she clearly said, "If I had the chance, I'd do it again." 666 00:38:19,567 --> 00:38:21,000 [speaking indistinctly] 667 00:38:21,100 --> 00:38:22,557 -It wasn't an accident? -MITCHELLE: No, not at all. 668 00:38:22,557 --> 00:38:24,100 -It wasn't an accident? -MITCHELLE: No, not at all. 669 00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:26,100 If I had a chance to do it again, I would. 670 00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:30,266 GABI: Over time, 671 00:38:30,367 --> 00:38:34,767 my stance on my mom's sentence has shifted. 672 00:38:34,867 --> 00:38:39,367 My stance started off as she deserves death. 673 00:38:41,100 --> 00:38:47,100 Now I realize that death is mercy. 674 00:38:47,166 --> 00:38:49,166 She has to live, and she has to 675 00:38:49,266 --> 00:38:52,200 remember and think about everything she's ever done 676 00:38:53,367 --> 00:38:55,867 and not be able to atone for it. 677 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:58,200 And I think that if there's anything that 678 00:38:58,300 --> 00:39:01,266 she deserves, it's to live with that pain. 679 00:39:01,367 --> 00:39:02,667 MITCHELLE: I'm sick of this [bleep]. 680 00:39:14,100 --> 00:39:16,700 GABI: For maybe the first 681 00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:18,667 few years, 682 00:39:18,767 --> 00:39:22,557 I was severely depressed, angry all the time. 683 00:39:22,557 --> 00:39:23,000 I was severely depressed, angry all the time. 684 00:39:23,066 --> 00:39:26,467 I didn't know how to just be happy or live. 685 00:39:26,567 --> 00:39:29,166 I didn't think that I should have lived through it. 686 00:39:29,266 --> 00:39:33,800 I thought I should have died with Stephen and Stoni. 687 00:39:33,900 --> 00:39:37,166 I really have no idea why I'm still here, 688 00:39:37,266 --> 00:39:40,367 because I 100 percent thought 689 00:39:40,367 --> 00:39:42,400 that before I turned 18, 690 00:39:42,467 --> 00:39:45,667 I would be in that freezer, as well. 691 00:39:45,767 --> 00:39:48,266 I'm still angry at my mom, 692 00:39:48,266 --> 00:39:52,000 but I don't have the unbridled rage 693 00:39:52,100 --> 00:39:52,557 that I used to have. 694 00:39:52,557 --> 00:39:53,800 that I used to have. 695 00:39:53,867 --> 00:39:55,667 Knowing that my mom is behind 696 00:39:55,767 --> 00:39:58,200 bars forever, never getting out, 697 00:39:58,266 --> 00:40:00,967 that's a type of closure for me now. 698 00:40:01,066 --> 00:40:04,400 She won't ever have the same freedom and ever have 699 00:40:04,467 --> 00:40:09,467 the same life that I'm able to discover for myself now. 700 00:40:09,467 --> 00:40:14,567 I haven't spoken to her about us and what happened to us, 701 00:40:14,667 --> 00:40:17,967 but last year, um, on my 24th birthday, 702 00:40:18,066 --> 00:40:19,767 my mom reached out from prison. 703 00:40:19,767 --> 00:40:22,557 She was bawling her eyes out, saying how sorry she was 704 00:40:22,557 --> 00:40:24,100 She was bawling her eyes out, saying how sorry she was 705 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:26,000 and that she wished she could take it all back 706 00:40:26,100 --> 00:40:30,200 and then she does love Stoni and she does love Stephen. 707 00:40:30,300 --> 00:40:32,767 She was just so remorseful. 708 00:40:32,867 --> 00:40:34,900 Almost -- she was like a baby. 709 00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:39,000 I want to say it's okay as my first natural response, 710 00:40:39,066 --> 00:40:40,567 but I stopped, because no, 711 00:40:40,667 --> 00:40:44,600 it's not okay, it's not okay at all, there's nothing okay. 712 00:40:44,700 --> 00:40:48,166 And so I just say, I know -- I know you are. 713 00:40:49,400 --> 00:40:52,557 I will never forgive her, because in my eyes, that means 714 00:40:52,557 --> 00:40:53,000 I will never forgive her, because in my eyes, that means 715 00:40:53,100 --> 00:40:55,166 I'm accepting it, and I don't want to, 716 00:40:55,266 --> 00:40:57,300 but after the phone call, 717 00:40:57,367 --> 00:41:01,300 I kind of felt relieved, because I knew now that my mom 718 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:04,967 was remorseful, and then I got a little bit happy, 719 00:41:05,066 --> 00:41:08,066 because I know what remorse will do to you. 720 00:41:08,166 --> 00:41:10,100 I know what guilt will do to you. 721 00:41:10,166 --> 00:41:12,200 If you let guilt run rampant, 722 00:41:12,300 --> 00:41:17,100 it would tear you down from the inside, and that's exactly 723 00:41:17,166 --> 00:41:20,700 what I believe now is still happening to my mom. 724 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:22,557 Um, and to me, that's kind of like 725 00:41:22,557 --> 00:41:23,266 Um, and to me, that's kind of like 726 00:41:23,367 --> 00:41:25,400 a revenge all of its own, 727 00:41:25,500 --> 00:41:27,000 and I don't have to lift a finger.