I had nightmares last night.
My husband told me this morning that I was tossing
and turning.
I actually...
had a nightmare that Cedric was after us again,
and I jumped so hard that I woke myself up.
I just feel like he's watching me right now.
It's nerve-racking.
It's really hard.
WOMAN: It's a scene that even veteran cops say
is one of the saddest they've ever seen.
It was sickening,
and I couldn't escape the thoughts of that could have
been me, that could have been my children.
It could have been us.
WOMAN: And now we know
the suspect, according to police, is Cedric Ricks.
He is in custody in Oklahoma.
If I hadn't let Cedric back in, into my life, into my heart,
I wouldn't be sitting here today.
Why'd I do it?
I try not to beat myself up, because I did,
but I feel so helpless.
I just feel helpless.
♪♪
I'm sorry.
[The Paper Chase's "What's So Amazing About Grace?" plays]
[strings continue playing sinister tune]
[static crackling]
[knock at door] [creaking]
[banging on door]
[creaking]
[water dripping]
[banging on door] [creaking]
[sinister chord strikes]
This is a picture of me
when I was 15.
[exhales]
This is when...
I really started to notice
Cedric and take interest in him.
Boy, if I could only go back in time.
♪♪
So the Book of Acts provides the bridge...
The church played a very big role in my life growing up,
and the initial encounter I had with Cedric
was Bible study night.
MAN: To whom also he shewed himself alive
after his passion...
Cedric was my first love.
He was cute. I had this huge crush on him.
He was very charming. He always listened.
But my parents didn't like him.
...and speaking of the things pertaining to
the kingdom of God -- Ced -- Cedric,
are you paying attention? - Yes, sir.
Okay. Thanks.
Cedric ran with a crowd that tend to get
into trouble.
My mom didn't want me to get caught up in that.
MAN: Being assembled together with them,
commanded them that they should not depart...
TESHANA: But Cedric was older
and there was just something --
Something cool about having an older boyfriend.
I wanted to see what he was all about.
Boy, was I about to find out.
[sighs heavily]
Cedric and I started talking, and we started hanging out,
which was nice.
Prom is approaching.
Every girl wants to go to prom.
Well, my parents don't approve of Cedric,
so since I knew I couldn't go to prom with Cedric,
I asked a friend from church that I knew my parents
would not disapprove of.
Then I tell Cedric -- At first, he was
okay with me taking someone else to prom,
because he knew there was no way my parents were gonna let
me go, uh, with him.
But then Cedric found out I kissed my prom date.
Teshana!
[pounding noises]
Teshana!
TESHANA: Cedric got so upset.
He was really, really angry.
He accused me of cheating.
I guess you got a new boyfriend now, huh?
TESHANA: I had never seen that side.
What do you mean?
TESHANA: It really took me off guard.
In his anger, Cedric tells me that
he picked a fight with my date.
Don't worry.
I made sure he got the message.
What message?
That you're mine.
It was surprising to see Cedric react like that.
I really didn't understand why he was
making such a big deal about it.
Now I can say that was a form of control.
He couldn't control what I was doing at my prom
without him being present.
Cedric, I think you should leave.
I don't want to see you anymore.
After the incident with prom,
I didn't want to see Cedric anymore.
We just stopped speaking.
No wasn't in Cedric's vocabulary.
He saw me as something to conquer.
That whole, if I can't have you, nobody else can type thing.
I graduated high school, and I went to live with my dad.
After being there for, you know, a little while,
I met someone, formed a relationship
and, um, ended up getting pregnant.
I felt a sense of joy
and this new endeavor of starting my own family,
and I was happy.
[phone ringing]
One day, the phone rang, and I answered, and...
it was Cedric.
Cedric?
I hadn't told him.
Of course, nobody in my family is
gonna say anything, but it's like he knew.
Yeah, it's true.
He was like, "I want to see you," and I'm like...
Why? You know, did you not just hear
that I have a family that's starting?
I've met someone else.
He was very adamant.
I don't think that's a good idea.
I didn't want to see him, and I told him not --
Not to come, but he said
he wanted to see me, and he was going to be
on his way down.
He just wouldn't take no for an answer.
Cedric came to the house wanting to talk,
and reluctantly, I went.
Hopefully, he would say what he had to say and just leave
me be,
but we get in the car,
and he seemed more interested in sex.
Cedric. Stop.
He was, like, real adamant about it.
I missed you.
I felt a little pressure to
the point where eventually Cedric would wear me down.
I can't stop thinking about you.
And just gave in.
♪♪
Cedric and I slept together that day.
I thought if I did, hopefully he would
just leave me be
and go on about his life, and I could go on about mine.
If I step back and look at it
and be truly honest about what happened that day,
he set out to do that, to find my moment of weakness.
It's actually making me sick to think about it.
Um, having to talk about it,
it -- it hurts all over again.
Um...
♪♪
I just feel like if I hadn't answered the phone,
what would life have been like?
Looking at it now, no matter what I said
or did, he was never gonna go away.
It was a Sunday at church,
I was down in the church nursery,
changing my daughter, and noticed that Cedric
was coming in the door.
Cedric.
And my first response is, "What are you doing in here?"
I was just in town, and I, uh --
I wanted to see how you've been.
It was a shock for him to just come in there like that,
and...
he proceeds to tell me, he's like, "Oh, she's so pretty."
Thanks.
Cedric was very persistent.
You know, we should really catch up.
TESHANA: And said he wanted me to call him sometime.
I don't think that's a good idea.
TESHANA: It was very uncomfortable.
I mean, there's no reason we can't stay in touch.
It's like, hey, I have a baby.
I'm moving on.
You would
think a person would be like,
okay, we're done.
Let me leave her alone and let her do what she's gonna do.
I have a family now.
We both have to move on.
But he wanted me to call him, he wanted me to talk to him.
I was just trying to let him know, hey, you know,
I'm going on with my life, go on with yours.
I have to get her home.
It was getting uncomfortable, and so
I grabbed her, and I got upstairs.
You take care of yourself.
I thought that would be the last time I saw Cedric,
but he never -- Just never went away.
At this point, I wasn't afraid of Cedric.
Knowing what I know now, I really should have been.
Cedric was acting crazy,
and he wasn't gonna stop until he got
what he wanted, to get me back at all costs.
If he couldn't have me, nobody could,
and he would kill me.
TESHANA: I tried to focus on the baby and my fiance.
We were supposed to get married and do all that,
but he decided to go enlist in the Navy, and he has
orders to go to Japan.
I couldn't see myself in Japan,
and we ended up going our separate ways
at that point.
Once I was on my own, Cedric and I reconnected.
He was constantly sending messages to my cousin.
I was able to see a more softer side of him.
We moved in together,
and things were okay at first.
But one day, a woman called
while Cedric was away at work.
[phone ringing]
After constantly asking
who this lady was and her evading the question,
I wanted to find out who she was, so...
my next step is to question Cedric.
Some woman keeps calling for you and won't say who it is.
TESHANA: When Cedric got home,
I asked him about it.
How is that any of your business?
He got really angry and said he didn't like being interrogated.
He did not like it one bit.
What do you care who's calling me anyway?
I got to the point where I just was gonna leave,
and I told him I was just gonna go to my mom's
and proceeded to
head to the door, and he grabbed me.
And he choked me.
[gasping]
He was squeezing my neck.
You're trying to fight to breathe.
You're trying to fight to stay awake,
but it goes dark.
In those moments, it...
it felt like the end.
Oh, my God, Teshana. Are you all right?
- I'm so sorry. - TESHANA: When I came to,
Cedric was apologizing,
saying that he was sorry, he was sorry.
He didn't mean it.
I don't -- I don't know what I was thinking.
I don't -- you know
I would never, ever hurt you.
And that was the first incident
of him putting his hands on me.
♪♪
[sighs]
Please, just don't go.
TESHANA: I still decided to go to my mom's.
Teshana, wait!
Cedric being Cedric
continued his apologies
until he got his way,
wearing me down to get me to come back.
I went back, because I believed
that he was truly sorry,
and he promised and promised that it would not happen again.
And I just -- I believed him.
I said yes, because as time passed,
um, things seemed to be
going pretty good.
The relationships seemed to be stable,
but what I thought was
normal turned to be not so good.
One evening, I went to bed, and Cedric came home.
He was intoxicated.
And I thought I was just gonna go back to sleep.
Cedric then wants to engage in sexual activity.
I didn't want to, and I told him no.
You're drunk. Leave me alone.
He's forcing himself up on me.
My strength is no match for his.
I mean it, stop it!
I just couldn't fight him off, and he raped me.
- No! - At the time, I didn't know
that even though you're married,
if you say no, and they force themselves upon you,
that it is still considered rape.
[breathing heavily]
Another reason I didn't tell anyone
because I felt like nobody would
believe me.
The next day, it was like any other day,
as if nothing happened.
Shortly after, Cedric and I were expecting a baby.
It was just gonna be tough to do it on my own,
so I elected to stay -- The way I was
raised and brought up is okay,
you're married, and you're -- You know, this is
till death do you part.
There was some hope that
maybe he could settle down and be a father.
This particular day, I had been trying
to reach Cedric several times at work
and couldn't get through.
He hadn't called back or anything,
and I was sitting at the table looking
over some books I had, and he came in,
and he wanted to talk to me, and I wasn't receptive.
You know, in my mind, I'm like,
I've been trying to call you all day.
AS CEDRIC: What's wrong with you?
AS TESHANA: Oh, now you want to talk to me?
So I just didn't -- Didn't want to talk to him,
and he got upset.
He knocked me out of the chair.
He grabs me,
he's yelling, and he has my throat.
I am picked up.
My head is smashed into -- into the wall.
I remember biting his arm as hard as I could,
and he let me go.
I remember running in our room, grabbing the phone,
and -- and dialing 911.
And he comes in the room
with a...
the biggest knife we had.
OPERATOR: 911. What's your emergency?
OPERATOR: Ma'am. Ma'am, are you still there?
Phone is still on.
They're -- they're talking.
If you can hear me, stay on the line, we're sending help.
At this point, I'm not saying anything,
and he has this knife pointed at me.
I was scared.
If I don't find the strength to get this knife
out of my face, it's gonna be it.
I'm gonna get stabbed.
[loud banging] Police officers! Open up!
I just remember banging on the door,
the police announcing who they are.
OFFICER: Could you open up this door, now?!
The police had arrived, and...
they, um, convinced him to open the door,
and [sighs heavily]
um, they, uh, took him away.
I remember seeing blood.
I was... bleeding.
Um,
think it was here.
Ended up having to get stitches since I was cut,
and, um,
all because I didn't
want to talk to him after
he hadn't responded to me
all day.
The next day, Cedric, um,
was to appear in court.
No one told me, and so I missed the opportunity
to testify against him.
By me not being there,
the charges, um,
were dropped.
People asked, why didn't she leave?
Why didn't she leave?
You know, it's not just easy to pick up and leave.
I'm pregnant. I got another daughter.
I stayed, because I felt like I had to.
Cedric, I, and the two children,
we're in the car on the way to
the accountant's office to get our taxes done.
Cedric was making more money than
I was, and, um, he wasn't contributing.
And when we're in the car, I asked
if he could -- he could contribute and do more.
Can we talk about sharing the bills?
What is there to talk about, Teshana?
Pointing out the fact that I needed him to do more
than -- than he was doing.
All I'm saying is I don't see why
we can't split the expenses -TESHANA: It upset him.
He started driving crazy.
Crossing into oncoming traffic.
He said that he would -- He would kill all of us.
- Slow down. - Go ahead, keep talking.
I'll run us right off the road.
TESHANA: I was terrified, because I believed
he could, or he would, do it.
There was nothing that I could do.
We make it there, we get our taxes done,
and I was trying to get the accountant's attention to
make him aware of the danger that we were in.
But with Cedric being in the room, I was unable to do so.
I felt completely trapped.
I remember being in the kitchen.
Cedric's helpin' my daughter with something school-wise.
No, no, you do it the way I told you!
Don't shout at her!
TESHANA: He seems frustrated.
I gave him my suggestion on how to help.
He's set off by it.
Next thing I know, I'm just on the floor.
Cedric was
on top of me, holding me down on the floor.
[sobbing] Cedric, please don't do it!
Cedric had a knife and started stabbing the floor
with the knife and telling me that he would kill me.
I should just get rid of you!
[sobbing]
It's overwhelming right now.
I feel like I'm right here.
Hoo.
This is tough.
I need a moment.
I just kind of need to calm down a little bit.
[breathing heavily]
I am
on the floor with a knife at the side of my head,
and it was as if some magical wand was flicked,
and he left.
It was like -- no apology.
Not knowing what Cedric would do,
I just wanted to get out, ended up moving
to my parents' house, the kids and I,
got the courage
and the strength
to file for divorce.
I ended up filing for a protection order,
and every time
I went to court for anything,
my dad was with me.
So we go, and Cedric was there.
The judge explained what Cedric could do,
what he couldn't do.
You have to be so many feet away.
You can't be in the same store type thing.
No calling or texting,
and Cedric looks at us...
and, um...
he does this motion.
TESHANA: When Cedric made that gesture in court...
I definitely feel it was a way to get inside of our heads,
to scare us to drop charges.
I got scared. Hey, he just threatened us.
Did you -- did you see that?
Cedric does it again.
Does that, and my dad, you know,
tries to draw attention, like, hey, did you see that?
He just threatened us again.
Excuse me, your honor.
The judge granted me the protective order.
Cedric had to leave the home.
But even though I had a protective order,
I still didn't feel safe.
I felt he was capable of killing me.
Soon after I got my protection order against Cedric,
he started violating it by texting me,
saying that he was going to end it all.
There were times he would call me, saying, "I've seen you"
and your new boyfriend," and I'm like,
"What are you talking about?"
Sometimes me and one of the guys
in my department would go and have lunch,
and how else would he know that
unless he was stalking me at my job?
It causes you to constantly
feel like he's there
in your presence even though he's not there.
♪♪
One day, I was at work, working,
and my dad, um, called me.
He was like, "I think Cedric tried to break in."
The door jamb was messed up.
My dad said it looked like he used
a crowbar or something to try to pry the door open.
Finding out Cedric tried to break in,
it was unnerving.
Like there's no escape.
I started staying up night after night,
wondering if he's gonna try to break in.
The times that Cedric
did disobey the protective order
and the police were called,
they pretty much just told him to stop.
Did Cedric stop?
No, he did not.
He continued to do what he wanted to do.
It's like being in a bad dream
that you just can't wake up from.
I felt like there was nothing that I could do.
One night, I was on the phone
talking to a friend and I heard a vehicle.
So I went to kind of go see, because it was pretty late.
Hold on a second.
When I peeked through the blinds,
I recognized the vehicle.
It was Cedric's cousin's truck.
I'm like, what the heck is he doing here?
Or is he here?
Or is Cedric driving his truck?
I get off the phone...
Sabina, I have to call you back.
...in case I have to call 911.
There was someone approaching the house.
[footsteps crunching]
It's late at night.
What is your purpose for being here
this late at night?
[knocking noises]
There is a knock at the door.
I back away from the door.
I had the phone in my hand
and was ready to dial 911 if need be.
[knocking continues]
And he knocked, and I didn't answer, and eventually, he left.
It made me feel very unsafe,
very uncomfortable in my own home.
Initial arrangements for Cedric's visitation with
our son was every other weekend at his parents' house.
But he was always angry.
During one of the drop-offs,
Cedric even threatened that he would --
He would kill us, and we had to end up getting them moved to
the police station.
Once we got visitation moved to the police station,
my feelings were, it's gonna be safe now.
I won't have to deal with outbursts and fits of rage
and the craziness.
Law enforcement is here.
I'm safe.
Come here.
One day, I was picking my son up
from Cedric at the police station.
Next thing I know, he's got me by the throat.
Cedric grabbed me by the throat,
and he was choking me.
I couldn't break free.
Never
would I ever have thought for a second
that I would have been attacked at the police station.
A place of safety, a place of refuge
that you could run to when you're in trouble.
But yet, he did what he wanted, when he wanted.
Next thing I know,
I'm -- I'm out, it's black.
TESHANA: I felt myself being moved.
OFFICER: Ma'am are you okay?
I feel -- I feel warmth in my head,
um, over here.
I didn't even know I was bleeding.
Can you tell me what happened?
And I see, um...
cops.
At that point,
everything happened like a whirlwind.
I was swooped into the ambulance,
had to go to the hospital and...
get stitches.
I just remember constantly crying out for my dad.
After the attack, um, Cedric was not allowed to
see our son for a period of two years.
There was absolutely no contact.
But Cedric only got a few weeks in jail.
When the police let him go,
I got a strange phone call.
[phone ringing]
It was an officer on the other end.
Hello?
He seemed concerned, and he proceeded to tell me
that Cedric was bragging
that he was gonna do something and that I better move.
What did he say?
The police officer was trying to warn me
that Cedric
was getting
out of hand.
Isn't there anything you can do to keep him from
getting out?
TESHANA: I knew the officer was serious,
and I ended up deciding to move away.
I was now living in a constant state of pins and needles,
looking over my shoulder.
Months turns to a year,
and year to two years,
and Cedric doesn't resurface.
More time passes, and at some point,
I felt like he might leave me alone.
I got a phone call from my sister.
I answer, and...
she's asking me, "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm okay."
"Are the kids okay?"
"Yes, the kids are fine."
You know, what -- What's going on?
WOMAN: When neighbors at this Bedford apartment complex
heard screams late Wednesday night,
they never imagined two murders were taking place.
Cedric killed someone, and they weren't sure
if it was me and -- And the kids.
MAN: It all started at around 8:45,
when police found the woman
and child dead inside of a home on Park Place Boulevard.
And then as
details came in, I learned that Cedric...
[sighs heavily]
Stabbed his girlfriend.
WOMAN: Officers say they walked into what they say
was one of the worst and saddest scenes ever.
WOMAN: They found 30-year-old Roxann Sanchez
and her eight-year-old son, Anthony Reyes Figueroa,
dead with multiple stab wounds.
Her other son, a 12-year-old boy, was found
with multiple wounds but survived the attack and even
called 911.
[sighs]
I've never heard this before, um...
I feel really sick. [sighs]
Cedric had stabbed him, um,
and he survived by
making the same noise that, uh, his brother Anthony made.
WOMAN: Only an eight-month-old infant was left unharmed,
and that baby's father, 38-year-old Cedric Ricks,
is in custody tonight, charged with the murders.
TESHANA: All I could do at first was cry.
It was sickening.
And I couldn't escape the thoughts of,
that could have been me,
that could have been my children.
That could have been us.
[sighs heavily]
This is a picture of Roxann.
♪♪
Beautiful girl.
[voice breaking] This makes me sad.
♪♪
I'm sorry, I just...
This makes me sad.
I wish I could have told her.
Roxann and Anthony...
...their voices were taken from them.
They're no longer here with us.
They can't speak, and they can't tell their story,
but I can be their voice for them.
That's why I testified. I did it for them.
[sighs]
[groans]
[sighs]
[quietly] God.
This is a picture of Cedric at the time of his arrest.
I don't like to look at him,
and it's not feelings of --
Of hate or of bitterness.
It's just...
pain, it brings back so much pain.
[sighs]
Cedric
continues
to haunt me at times.
I'm left with scars.
Physical scars I can see, um...
I'm left with emotional, mental scars.
Those are things that have affected me,
even up until this day.
He has left a mark.
When I learned that Cedric was given the death penalty,
my thoughts and feelings were,
that's too easy.
It's just too easy.
Not so much wanted him to suffer, but just
be responsible.
Cedric needs to take responsibility
for his actions -- To this day, he has not.
When the day finally arrives for Cedric's sentence to be
carried out,
I don't think I will be upset.
I'm affected by the things that I've gone through
and dealt with,
but that's not the end.
I'm gonna keep pushing forward.
You fall down, get back up, and try it again.
I am a person that believes there is evil in the world.
My message is to know the signs, um, see 'em,
be honest with yourself, and take action, because it could be
the last chance you get.