1 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:04,467 [Dylan Heimbraugh] When she'd come around the group, 2 00:00:04,467 --> 00:00:06,667 she dressed and acted like we did. 3 00:00:06,734 --> 00:00:10,467 But, not a whole lot of pretty girls hang around with the rejects. 4 00:00:10,467 --> 00:00:12,967 [Dain Weiner] Even though there was a significant age difference, 5 00:00:13,033 --> 00:00:14,867 he was in love with her. He wanted to be with her. 6 00:00:14,867 --> 00:00:17,767 [Lisette Suder] She's only 14 years old. Her mother begged him 7 00:00:17,767 --> 00:00:19,967 to just leave them alone. 8 00:00:19,967 --> 00:00:22,000 [Jeff Leikauf] There were a bunch of threats made, and... 9 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:23,467 this enraged him. 10 00:00:23,467 --> 00:00:25,266 [Mike Lensing] The deputies found 11 00:00:25,333 --> 00:00:26,867 a really horrific scene 12 00:00:26,867 --> 00:00:29,166 And the entire bedroom was covered in blood. 13 00:00:29,166 --> 00:00:30,867 Police think he's obsessed, 14 00:00:30,934 --> 00:00:33,667 and that he kidnapped her and she's in danger. 15 00:00:33,667 --> 00:00:35,266 He would speak like a poet. 16 00:00:35,266 --> 00:00:38,066 "If we can't love each other, then we'll just die." 17 00:00:38,066 --> 00:00:40,000 [Lisette] At this point, you're worried that is this 18 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:41,867 going to be a murder-suicide? 19 00:00:41,934 --> 00:00:44,767 [Greg Hanlon] Detectives race against the clock, hoping... 20 00:00:44,767 --> 00:00:46,166 to find the teen. 21 00:00:46,166 --> 00:00:50,166 But what they found, seemed too crazy to be true. 22 00:00:51,900 --> 00:00:54,066 [opening theme music playing] 23 00:01:20,767 --> 00:01:23,967 [Greg] This case starts out as the story of a modern family. 24 00:01:23,967 --> 00:01:27,767 A successful and dedicated single mom, and her brilliant daughter, 25 00:01:27,834 --> 00:01:30,467 living what appears to be the dream. 26 00:01:30,467 --> 00:01:34,967 But when tragedy strikes, investigators must untangle a web of deception 27 00:01:35,033 --> 00:01:37,266 between two star-crossed lovers, 28 00:01:37,266 --> 00:01:39,734 that ends in the ultimate betrayal. 29 00:01:47,567 --> 00:01:50,667 For 47-year-old Joanne Witt, a single parent, 30 00:01:50,667 --> 00:01:54,000 El Dorado Hills, California, is the perfect place, 31 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,033 to raise her 14-year-old daughter, Tylar. 32 00:01:58,367 --> 00:02:02,367 [Jeff] My name is Jeff Leikauf I'm a sheriff of El Dorado County. 33 00:02:02,367 --> 00:02:05,767 Joanne Witt lived in a big, beautiful home, in a beautiful neighborhood, 34 00:02:05,767 --> 00:02:08,166 in one of the nicest areas in El Dorado County. 35 00:02:08,166 --> 00:02:09,834 Very upscale, um... 36 00:02:10,667 --> 00:02:13,567 Lot of professionals, uh, live in the community. 37 00:02:13,634 --> 00:02:16,467 [Christine Pelisek] Joanne Witt was a very, very smart woman. 38 00:02:16,467 --> 00:02:19,667 She was an IBM engineer before she got a job 39 00:02:19,667 --> 00:02:22,867 with the El Dorado Department of Transportation. 40 00:02:22,934 --> 00:02:25,367 And she also had her masters in metallurgy 41 00:02:25,433 --> 00:02:28,767 from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. 42 00:02:28,767 --> 00:02:31,567 [Jeff] Joanne comes from a prominent family. 43 00:02:31,634 --> 00:02:33,567 Her father was pretty successful 44 00:02:33,567 --> 00:02:37,166 in his business dealings, and the family had money. 45 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,266 Joanne wanted to be a mother from very early age, 46 00:02:42,266 --> 00:02:44,767 and she was ecstatic when she found out 47 00:02:44,767 --> 00:02:47,066 she was going to have a baby girl. 48 00:02:47,133 --> 00:02:50,567 Joanne wanted to raise her daughter on her own. 49 00:02:50,567 --> 00:02:54,166 Her father was incredibly supportive, and so was her brother. 50 00:02:54,166 --> 00:02:57,867 [Greg] On November 18th, 1994, Joanne gives birth to her daughter, 51 00:02:57,867 --> 00:02:59,567 Tylar Marie. 52 00:02:59,634 --> 00:03:01,467 With her father and brother nearby, 53 00:03:01,467 --> 00:03:04,266 Joanne is making it work as a single mom. 54 00:03:04,266 --> 00:03:07,533 Her new life with Tylar, is everything she'd hoped for. 55 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,266 My name is Lisette Suder. I'm an assistant district attorney 56 00:03:14,266 --> 00:03:16,367 with El Dorado County. 57 00:03:16,367 --> 00:03:19,634 Joanne was a very caring, a very loving mother. 58 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:22,667 Tylar was her whole world. 59 00:03:22,734 --> 00:03:25,767 Anything that she could do for Tylar, 60 00:03:25,767 --> 00:03:30,967 anything that would make Tylar better, safer, happier, that was... 61 00:03:31,033 --> 00:03:33,767 Joanne's entire existence. 62 00:03:35,367 --> 00:03:37,166 [Christine] Tylar grew up with a life of privilege. 63 00:03:37,233 --> 00:03:41,233 She lived in a five-bedroom home with a pool. 64 00:03:42,100 --> 00:03:44,266 They went to Mexico. They went to Jamaica. 65 00:03:44,266 --> 00:03:49,233 She gave her horseback-riding lessons, music lessons, piano lessons. 66 00:03:50,667 --> 00:03:53,266 [Greg] By her early teens, she's coming into her own, 67 00:03:53,266 --> 00:03:55,667 and is a force to be reckoned with. 68 00:03:55,667 --> 00:04:00,867 Just like her mother, Tylar is a very smart girl with a promising future. 69 00:04:00,867 --> 00:04:02,567 [Lisette] She's a beautiful young woman, 70 00:04:02,567 --> 00:04:04,567 and is someone that could work a room 71 00:04:04,634 --> 00:04:07,834 and her personality was larger than life. 72 00:04:10,667 --> 00:04:12,066 I'm Dylan Heimbraugh. 73 00:04:12,133 --> 00:04:15,367 The first time I met Tylar was at the teen center, 74 00:04:15,433 --> 00:04:17,467 where a bunch of us hung out. 75 00:04:17,467 --> 00:04:21,233 Tylar saw us hanging out everyday. And, she was much younger, 76 00:04:21,700 --> 00:04:23,433 but she'd fit in with us. 77 00:04:24,300 --> 00:04:27,667 She acted more mature for her age. 78 00:04:27,667 --> 00:04:29,867 She was just a pretty girl that came from money. 79 00:04:29,934 --> 00:04:32,767 And, I got to meet her mom, and... 80 00:04:32,767 --> 00:04:35,467 they were just happy-go-lucky ducky. 81 00:04:35,467 --> 00:04:38,367 [Greg] Joanne and Tylar have everything going for them. 82 00:04:38,367 --> 00:04:42,266 And Joanne's job really allows her the flexibility that she needs 83 00:04:42,266 --> 00:04:43,934 to spend time with her daughter. 84 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:51,266 [Lisette] One Friday morning, Joanne didn't show up for work. 85 00:04:51,333 --> 00:04:53,000 That was not like her. 86 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,467 If she ever missed work, she let people know. 87 00:04:55,533 --> 00:04:58,000 Paulie started calling her. 88 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,166 They stopped by the house, knocked on the door. 89 00:05:01,867 --> 00:05:04,667 Nobody was home. And so, 90 00:05:04,667 --> 00:05:07,533 they just thought, "Well, maybe she and Tylar went somewhere." 91 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:14,567 [Greg] On Monday, June 15th, 2009, 92 00:05:14,567 --> 00:05:16,967 Joanne still hasn't shown up for work. 93 00:05:16,967 --> 00:05:19,867 Her co-workers are sure that something isn't right. 94 00:05:20,700 --> 00:05:22,767 [Lisette] At this point, her supervisor at work 95 00:05:22,767 --> 00:05:25,033 called the police to ask for a welfare check. 96 00:05:28,767 --> 00:05:30,734 Our deputies went to Joanne's house. 97 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:33,266 The doors were secure. 98 00:05:33,967 --> 00:05:35,867 Everything appeared to be normal. 99 00:05:35,867 --> 00:05:39,166 They walked around the house, and there was nothing out of sorts. 100 00:05:39,166 --> 00:05:41,100 There was no evidence of a robbery. 101 00:05:41,100 --> 00:05:43,467 There was no evidence of any forced entry. 102 00:05:44,567 --> 00:05:46,667 [Greg] Deputies look in the garage window, 103 00:05:46,667 --> 00:05:49,867 and see Joanne's white Cadillac and an SUV. 104 00:05:50,900 --> 00:05:52,867 Unless she left with someone else, 105 00:05:52,934 --> 00:05:54,934 it's likely that she hasn't left her home. 106 00:05:56,867 --> 00:06:00,667 [Jeff] Deputies were able to gain entry on the side of the house. 107 00:06:00,734 --> 00:06:03,934 They made their way up the stairs to the, um, master bedroom. 108 00:06:12,467 --> 00:06:13,767 And, immediately, 109 00:06:13,767 --> 00:06:15,967 discovered a female laying partially on her bed. 110 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:19,266 She had been covered with a blanket. 111 00:06:19,333 --> 00:06:22,533 There was no movement, but there was a lot of blood. 112 00:06:24,467 --> 00:06:25,867 So, they backed out of the residence, 113 00:06:25,867 --> 00:06:29,133 locked the residence down, and waited for all of us to arrive. 114 00:06:32,867 --> 00:06:35,567 My name is Lieutenant Mike Lensing. 115 00:06:35,634 --> 00:06:36,867 I was on duty that day, 116 00:06:36,867 --> 00:06:40,333 and responded immediately to the area. 117 00:06:41,467 --> 00:06:43,467 When we arrived on scene, 118 00:06:43,533 --> 00:06:46,166 uh, we had the entire area blocked off. 119 00:06:46,166 --> 00:06:49,734 We entered in the front entrance of the residence. 120 00:06:52,767 --> 00:06:56,433 It was dark, but nothing seemed to be out of place. 121 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,000 I walked into the main master bedroom, 122 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,667 and that's where I saw the body lying on the bed. 123 00:07:05,667 --> 00:07:10,467 And that was the only location that had been disturbed in the entire house. 124 00:07:10,467 --> 00:07:14,266 [Jeff] There was a lot of blood. Any time you walk into a crime scene, 125 00:07:14,266 --> 00:07:18,100 it's kinda... shocking to the conscience. 126 00:07:18,100 --> 00:07:22,667 There was multiple puncture wounds or holes in the shirt that she had on, 127 00:07:22,667 --> 00:07:26,266 stab wounds in her neck and shoulder area. 128 00:07:26,266 --> 00:07:30,667 [Mike] T he wound that had stood out the most, was a gaping neck wound 129 00:07:30,667 --> 00:07:33,967 that was, obviously, appeared to be incised. 130 00:07:33,967 --> 00:07:37,433 Or some sharp instrument was used to cut her throat. 131 00:07:39,166 --> 00:07:42,367 We knew the description of Joanne Witt, 132 00:07:42,367 --> 00:07:44,634 and we had the basic information. 133 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:47,166 She was supposed to be at work. 134 00:07:47,166 --> 00:07:50,934 And, is now found, obviously murdered, in her home. 135 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:55,967 [Jeff] We don't get a lot of homicides in El Dorado Hills. 136 00:07:55,967 --> 00:08:01,967 Out of the half a dozen homicide investigations that I've been involved with, 137 00:08:02,033 --> 00:08:04,433 this was... the most violent. 138 00:08:05,667 --> 00:08:11,266 [Lisette] It was just a very bloody, horrifying scene, 139 00:08:11,333 --> 00:08:14,767 one that, unfortunately, will never get out of my head, for as long as I live. 140 00:08:16,467 --> 00:08:20,567 Detective Lensing was an expert in blood patterns, 141 00:08:20,567 --> 00:08:24,266 and pointed out what looked like a bloody knife imprint, 142 00:08:24,266 --> 00:08:26,166 like someone laid a butcher knife down on the bed, 143 00:08:26,166 --> 00:08:28,767 which led us back downstairs. 144 00:08:28,767 --> 00:08:31,667 [Mike] We began looking for a rather large knife 145 00:08:31,667 --> 00:08:35,066 that could have been used to kill Joanne Witt. 146 00:08:35,066 --> 00:08:38,567 We found a large kitchen knife that was in the sink. 147 00:08:38,634 --> 00:08:40,066 [Jeff] We couldn't see any blood on it, 148 00:08:40,066 --> 00:08:42,667 but we obtained that as evidence. 149 00:08:42,734 --> 00:08:45,467 [Mike] We then found knives in a butcher block. 150 00:08:45,533 --> 00:08:47,567 So, we photographed all of the knives, 151 00:08:47,634 --> 00:08:51,734 and took those as evidence, they could be the possible murder weapon. 152 00:08:53,467 --> 00:08:58,166 Based on the condition of the body and the... the, the crime scene, 153 00:08:58,233 --> 00:09:01,266 I believe it was three or four days ago that Joanne was murdered. 154 00:09:02,567 --> 00:09:06,467 While we were there investigating, a detective came forward 155 00:09:06,467 --> 00:09:10,467 and was telling us, "I was just here this, like, a couple of days ago, 156 00:09:10,467 --> 00:09:12,233 investigating another crime." 157 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:15,567 Joanne had reported statutory rape 158 00:09:15,634 --> 00:09:18,367 of her 14-year-old daughter, Tylar. 159 00:09:18,433 --> 00:09:21,667 So, we knew a young girl should have been at the house. 160 00:09:21,667 --> 00:09:23,066 but wasn't there. 161 00:09:23,066 --> 00:09:26,467 There is a sense of urgency that Tylar is in danger. 162 00:09:26,467 --> 00:09:30,233 We immediately knew that we needed to find Tylar. 163 00:09:39,100 --> 00:09:41,667 [Greg] Detectives have learned that the day before her brutal murder, 164 00:09:41,667 --> 00:09:43,567 47-year-old Joanne Witt, 165 00:09:43,567 --> 00:09:46,767 was trying to file a statutory rape charge 166 00:09:46,767 --> 00:09:49,166 against 19-year-old Steven Colver, 167 00:09:49,166 --> 00:09:52,433 for having sex with her 14-year-old daughter, Tylar. 168 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:55,667 [Christine] They learned Steven had been renting a room 169 00:09:55,667 --> 00:09:57,867 from Joanne for the past six months. 170 00:09:57,867 --> 00:09:59,166 But, without evidence 171 00:09:59,233 --> 00:10:01,567 that the two of them were having a sexual relationship, 172 00:10:01,567 --> 00:10:04,367 Steven can't get arrested for statutory rape. 173 00:10:04,367 --> 00:10:07,567 [Jeff] At that point, we started focusing on Steven Colver. 174 00:10:07,567 --> 00:10:09,834 And we were very concerned about Tylar, 175 00:10:10,166 --> 00:10:11,767 who was missing. 176 00:10:15,667 --> 00:10:19,567 [Greg] Detectives learn from a police report, that about six months earlier, 177 00:10:19,634 --> 00:10:22,166 Tylar started hanging out with a new group of friends. 178 00:10:22,166 --> 00:10:25,867 It was then, that she met 19-year-old Steven Colver, 179 00:10:25,934 --> 00:10:28,066 who goes by the nickname, "Boston". 180 00:10:30,266 --> 00:10:33,100 [Dylan] We referred to each other with nicknames. 181 00:10:33,100 --> 00:10:34,767 I was always known as "Duck". 182 00:10:34,767 --> 00:10:37,567 And then, there was "Boston", which was Steven Colver. 183 00:10:37,567 --> 00:10:40,467 I have no idea how he got that name. 184 00:10:40,467 --> 00:10:42,634 Steven had [sighs] a little bit of trouble at home. 185 00:10:43,367 --> 00:10:45,967 And, kind of just lived out of his car, 186 00:10:46,033 --> 00:10:49,767 and then... couch-surfed with some friends. 187 00:10:49,767 --> 00:10:53,367 And then, Tylar did talk with Joanne about staying with him. 188 00:10:54,300 --> 00:10:56,767 [Greg] At first, Joanne is uneasy about the idea 189 00:10:56,767 --> 00:10:58,266 of Steven moving in with them. 190 00:10:58,266 --> 00:11:01,166 But, when Tylar tells her mom that Steven is gay 191 00:11:01,166 --> 00:11:05,100 and has no interest in her, Joanne reconsiders. 192 00:11:05,100 --> 00:11:06,967 Joanne also knows he's working hard 193 00:11:06,967 --> 00:11:09,567 as a manager at Rubio's Mexican Restaurant, 194 00:11:09,567 --> 00:11:14,367 while going to college. So ultimately, she wants to help him out. 195 00:11:14,367 --> 00:11:19,367 [Dylan] There was some kind of arrangement where he was helping her out, 196 00:11:19,367 --> 00:11:21,767 for allowing him to rent a room. 197 00:11:21,834 --> 00:11:24,467 [Christine] They end up having, like, a really good report. 198 00:11:24,467 --> 00:11:26,266 They go out for dinner together. 199 00:11:26,266 --> 00:11:31,166 They have breakfast together. And Steven cleans the kitchen and washes the dishes. 200 00:11:31,166 --> 00:11:33,767 They got along famously. 201 00:11:33,834 --> 00:11:37,467 [Mike] According to Joanne, Steven was the perfect house mate. 202 00:11:37,533 --> 00:11:41,100 It wasn't until later, when her suspicions arose 203 00:11:41,100 --> 00:11:43,967 that something was going on with Tylar and Steven. 204 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:46,867 A month prior to this homicide, 205 00:11:46,934 --> 00:11:52,367 she had entered Steven's room, and found Tylar unclothed, in the room. 206 00:11:52,367 --> 00:11:54,467 [Jeff] Her daughter was 14 years old. 207 00:11:54,467 --> 00:11:57,567 She can't give consent, so it is a crime. 208 00:11:57,634 --> 00:12:00,767 She reported it, and our other detective became involved 209 00:12:00,767 --> 00:12:04,266 in the investigation of that statutory rape allegation. 210 00:12:04,266 --> 00:12:07,767 The detective investigating the allegations of statutory rape, 211 00:12:07,834 --> 00:12:11,066 turns over a recording he made while talking to Joanne. 212 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:28,567 [Christine] He opens the door, and she asks where's Tylar. 213 00:12:28,634 --> 00:12:30,767 And he was like, "I don't know." 214 00:12:30,834 --> 00:12:32,266 Joanne kind of looked around the room, 215 00:12:32,266 --> 00:12:35,266 and saw this, uh, closet door was slightly ajar. 216 00:12:43,100 --> 00:12:44,467 [Lisette] Joanne was trying 217 00:12:44,533 --> 00:12:47,767 to do everything she could to protect her daughter from Steven. 218 00:12:47,834 --> 00:12:50,066 He's an adult. He was 19 years old. 219 00:12:51,467 --> 00:12:53,667 [Greg] After Joanne discovered what was going on, 220 00:12:53,667 --> 00:12:55,767 she kicks Steven out of the house, 221 00:12:55,767 --> 00:12:58,767 and tried to press charges of statutory rape. 222 00:12:58,767 --> 00:13:00,867 But when detectives interview Tylar, 223 00:13:00,867 --> 00:13:03,567 she tells them that she's just friends with Steven, 224 00:13:03,634 --> 00:13:05,934 that their relationship is strictly platonic. 225 00:13:35,300 --> 00:13:36,967 [Greg] Despite Tylar's claims, 226 00:13:36,967 --> 00:13:40,166 authorities take Joanne's concerns very seriously. 227 00:13:40,166 --> 00:13:42,767 Maybe, he's been manipulating Tylar, 228 00:13:42,834 --> 00:13:45,567 and coercing her into having sex. 229 00:13:45,567 --> 00:13:47,867 [Christine] Joanne was very worried about her daughter, 230 00:13:47,867 --> 00:13:51,100 and wants Steven charged with statutory rape. 231 00:13:51,100 --> 00:13:52,667 But, there was no proof 232 00:13:52,734 --> 00:13:55,867 that there was, you know, the sexual nature, 233 00:13:55,934 --> 00:13:58,066 in the relationship between the two. 234 00:14:00,967 --> 00:14:04,767 [Lisette] On June 10th, the day before Joanne was murdered, 235 00:14:04,767 --> 00:14:07,367 she found Tylar's diary. 236 00:14:08,266 --> 00:14:10,000 It outlines... 237 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:16,967 very explicit details about the sexual relations between Tylar and Steven. 238 00:14:16,967 --> 00:14:20,166 This was enough proof to actually show that they 239 00:14:20,166 --> 00:14:23,166 in fact, have had sexual relations. 240 00:14:23,166 --> 00:14:25,166 Joanne had threatened Tylar, 241 00:14:25,166 --> 00:14:30,166 stating, "I'm going to turn this diary over to the detective." 242 00:14:30,233 --> 00:14:32,867 And maybe, Steven would get arrested. 243 00:14:32,867 --> 00:14:36,667 I had, literally, just seen Tylar and Steven the day before. 244 00:14:36,667 --> 00:14:40,467 When he said he didn't know what he was going to do, you just knew that... 245 00:14:40,467 --> 00:14:43,233 he needed to get away, so that he didn't go to jail. 246 00:14:44,467 --> 00:14:46,367 [Jeff] Tylar's diary was turned over. 247 00:14:46,433 --> 00:14:49,767 And that investigation was actually taking place 248 00:14:49,834 --> 00:14:51,266 at the time of Joanne's murder. 249 00:14:52,066 --> 00:14:54,367 Almost immediately, the thought was, 250 00:14:54,367 --> 00:14:56,467 there would be a motive for the murder, 251 00:14:56,467 --> 00:14:59,266 and he could be trying to flee the area. 252 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:04,367 They immediately issue an APB for his vehicle. 253 00:15:04,433 --> 00:15:06,266 As a manhunt is underway, 254 00:15:06,266 --> 00:15:07,867 police also worry, 255 00:15:07,867 --> 00:15:10,333 "Did Steven Colver kidnap Tylar?" 256 00:15:14,767 --> 00:15:16,100 [Greg] On June 16th, 257 00:15:16,100 --> 00:15:18,266 the next day, detectives get a call 258 00:15:18,333 --> 00:15:20,967 from the San Francisco Police Department. 259 00:15:20,967 --> 00:15:22,367 [Christine] Steven Colver's car 260 00:15:22,433 --> 00:15:25,367 is found in an impound lot in San Francisco. 261 00:15:25,367 --> 00:15:31,066 His car had been towed from a loading zone area. 262 00:15:31,133 --> 00:15:33,867 [Jeff] Myself and Detective Lensing were headed down to San Francisco 263 00:15:33,867 --> 00:15:37,166 to work with, uh, our other detectives involved in the investigation 264 00:15:37,233 --> 00:15:39,467 of getting that vehicle secured and locked down, 265 00:15:39,467 --> 00:15:41,734 so we could process that as well. 266 00:15:42,467 --> 00:15:45,467 [Christine] They search Steven's car, 267 00:15:45,533 --> 00:15:47,634 and they find a journal. 268 00:15:49,266 --> 00:15:51,467 Detectives are flipping through the pages, 269 00:15:51,533 --> 00:15:55,367 and they are alarmed at what they're reading. 270 00:15:55,433 --> 00:16:00,166 [Lisette] There was a journal entry found, that was Steven's writing. 271 00:16:00,233 --> 00:16:03,767 He talked about Joanne being his demise, 272 00:16:03,834 --> 00:16:07,567 and that she was the problem in his life. 273 00:16:07,634 --> 00:16:12,667 One entry says, "I love Tylar Goddess Marie Witt with all my heart." 274 00:16:12,667 --> 00:16:17,667 And another entry says, "I will bear eternal damnation just to be with her." 275 00:16:17,667 --> 00:16:20,100 From reading in the journals, they think that Steven 276 00:16:20,100 --> 00:16:23,367 is obsessed with this 14-year-old girl, 277 00:16:23,367 --> 00:16:25,867 to the point where she's in danger. 278 00:16:25,934 --> 00:16:28,634 We wondered, "Where is Tylar Witt?" 279 00:16:29,667 --> 00:16:31,467 [Greg] The police turn to Steven's friends 280 00:16:31,533 --> 00:16:33,266 and try to get more intel on them. 281 00:16:33,333 --> 00:16:35,367 And what they learn, leads them to believe 282 00:16:35,367 --> 00:16:38,166 that Steven could be armed and dangerous. 283 00:16:41,066 --> 00:16:43,266 [Dylan] We had, uh, mass collections 284 00:16:43,333 --> 00:16:46,367 of different kinds of weaponry from around the world. 285 00:16:46,367 --> 00:16:51,166 Brass knuckles, nunchucks, swords. 286 00:16:51,166 --> 00:16:58,266 Steven most definitely have the largest collection of weaponry. 287 00:16:58,333 --> 00:17:01,667 You open his trunk and... there's a lot. 288 00:17:01,734 --> 00:17:04,767 Detectives go talk to one of Steven's other friends, 289 00:17:04,767 --> 00:17:06,834 who might have more information. 290 00:17:07,467 --> 00:17:09,066 [Jeff] We tracked down Matthew. 291 00:17:09,066 --> 00:17:10,266 one of Steven's friends that worked 292 00:17:10,333 --> 00:17:12,867 with him at Rubio's, Mexican Restaurant. 293 00:17:12,867 --> 00:17:14,767 [Greg] What Steven shared with him, 294 00:17:14,834 --> 00:17:16,767 seemed too crazy to be true. 295 00:17:16,834 --> 00:17:19,867 [Mike] Matthew told our detectives that Steven claimed 296 00:17:19,867 --> 00:17:21,667 he had killed Joanne Witt. 297 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,367 [Mike] When we spoke to Matthew, he stated that 298 00:17:34,367 --> 00:17:36,767 Steven Colver had confessed to him 299 00:17:36,767 --> 00:17:39,266 that he had stabbed Joanne in the stomach. 300 00:17:39,266 --> 00:17:41,166 The friend was like, "I don't believe it. 301 00:17:41,233 --> 00:17:43,467 There's no way that he would do that." 302 00:17:43,467 --> 00:17:45,266 And he was like, "Yes, I did." 303 00:17:45,333 --> 00:17:49,233 And, to show proof, he pulls out the knife, which was in a bag. 304 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:53,100 [Mike] It's a rather large knife that he had claimed 305 00:17:53,100 --> 00:17:55,567 he had taken from Rubio's Restaurant. 306 00:17:55,567 --> 00:17:57,166 It was covered in blood. 307 00:17:58,867 --> 00:18:01,767 [Greg] Steven had also dyed his blonde hair black, 308 00:18:01,834 --> 00:18:04,667 which seemed a little odd to his friend, Matthew. 309 00:18:04,734 --> 00:18:08,166 Almost like he was trying to disguise himself. 310 00:18:08,166 --> 00:18:12,767 [Mike] Initially, I believe that he wanted to keep the secret for Steven. 311 00:18:12,834 --> 00:18:16,467 He didn't want to be the one that got Steven in trouble. 312 00:18:16,467 --> 00:18:21,467 What Matthew also told us, was that Steven was with Tylar. 313 00:18:21,467 --> 00:18:25,233 And they were going to go to San Francisco to commit suicide. 314 00:18:26,266 --> 00:18:28,367 After this information from Matthew, 315 00:18:28,367 --> 00:18:32,533 we immediately saw Tylar as a suspect... 316 00:18:33,166 --> 00:18:35,567 in the murder of her mother. 317 00:18:35,567 --> 00:18:39,367 [Jeff] I did think that Steven did it, but there was a possibility 318 00:18:39,367 --> 00:18:42,367 that Steven and Tylar were both involved. 319 00:18:42,367 --> 00:18:43,467 [Christine] Based on what we know, 320 00:18:43,467 --> 00:18:45,667 of Steven and what his friends said about him, 321 00:18:45,667 --> 00:18:48,066 law enforcement's greatest fear is that they're too late, 322 00:18:48,066 --> 00:18:50,767 and they're gonna find the two of them dead. 323 00:18:50,767 --> 00:18:54,567 And then, they find out that Tylar and Steven are staying at the Holiday Inn 324 00:18:54,567 --> 00:18:55,934 through his credit card. 325 00:19:00,266 --> 00:19:02,266 [Greg] Detectives race to the hotel, 326 00:19:02,333 --> 00:19:04,233 hoping to the find the teens. 327 00:19:05,066 --> 00:19:07,100 [Jeff] When we made entry into the hotel room, 328 00:19:07,100 --> 00:19:08,767 there was stuff all over the room. 329 00:19:08,767 --> 00:19:13,367 Bowls of Top Ramen, cereal, red velvet cake. 330 00:19:13,367 --> 00:19:15,867 But, there wasn't anybody dead in the room. 331 00:19:15,934 --> 00:19:19,867 [Mike] We searched the room, looking for any evidence of... that could have been 332 00:19:19,934 --> 00:19:21,200 at the crime scene. 333 00:19:21,266 --> 00:19:24,867 But, we were not able to find a knife, or anything like that. 334 00:19:24,934 --> 00:19:29,867 Instead, we found marijuana and cocaine, and Ecstasy. 335 00:19:29,867 --> 00:19:33,000 [Christine] The hotel room has been, like, absolutely trashed. 336 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:35,734 And there was blood. There was vomit. 337 00:19:36,467 --> 00:19:39,734 They also find many bags of rat poison. 338 00:19:40,700 --> 00:19:43,166 [Jeff] There was a note taped to the side of the TV. 339 00:19:43,166 --> 00:19:45,667 It said that they were going some place 340 00:19:45,667 --> 00:19:49,667 to find a beautiful view, and die together. 341 00:19:49,667 --> 00:19:52,767 This was, essentially, a suicide note. 342 00:19:52,767 --> 00:19:55,767 Maybe they had ingested the rat poison. 343 00:19:55,767 --> 00:19:59,767 Our greatest worry is that they had actually committed suicide. 344 00:19:59,767 --> 00:20:03,166 [Lisette] There were bulletins put out all over 345 00:20:03,166 --> 00:20:07,166 Northern California. It was all over the news, trying to find them. 346 00:20:07,166 --> 00:20:10,667 [reporter] At this time, they are two prime suspects. 347 00:20:10,734 --> 00:20:12,367 [Jeff] Within a very short time, 348 00:20:12,367 --> 00:20:15,567 someone had reported seeing them in San Bruno. 349 00:20:16,367 --> 00:20:18,867 They were in a parking lot of a strip mall. 350 00:20:18,867 --> 00:20:21,667 [Christine] Our patrol officer was driving around the streets, 351 00:20:21,667 --> 00:20:25,166 and he sees two people, changing clothes, 352 00:20:25,166 --> 00:20:27,467 and kissing behind this dumpster. 353 00:20:27,533 --> 00:20:31,066 [Mike] The police officer recognized Tylar's face, 354 00:20:31,133 --> 00:20:35,166 based off the bulletins that we had sent to agencies around the state, 355 00:20:35,166 --> 00:20:39,266 and noticed that she had dyed dark hair, also. 356 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:45,166 San Bruno Police Department took them into custody, took them to their office. 357 00:20:45,166 --> 00:20:48,467 And, myself and Detective Leikauf 358 00:20:48,467 --> 00:20:52,367 responded down to San Bruno to conduct the interviews. 359 00:20:52,367 --> 00:20:57,367 After analyzing the scene, and all of the rat poison and the food that was there, 360 00:20:57,433 --> 00:20:58,700 it did not appear 361 00:20:58,767 --> 00:21:01,767 that anybody had attempted to commit suicide with the rat poison. 362 00:21:01,767 --> 00:21:03,867 It was just staged. 363 00:21:03,867 --> 00:21:05,867 [Greg] After doing a standard medical check 364 00:21:05,934 --> 00:21:08,066 and confirming Tylar and Steven are okay, 365 00:21:08,066 --> 00:21:11,867 the two are taken into separate rooms to be questioned. 366 00:21:11,867 --> 00:21:13,567 [Mike] When we entered into the interview rooms, 367 00:21:13,634 --> 00:21:15,333 Tylar was the first one that we spoke to. 368 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:58,634 Tylar makes no mention about her mother's murder. 369 00:22:26,300 --> 00:22:27,667 [Jeff] I was in the interview room, 370 00:22:27,667 --> 00:22:30,667 sitting there, looking at her across the table. She's crying. 371 00:22:30,734 --> 00:22:31,934 "No, this can't be." 372 00:22:32,367 --> 00:22:33,867 [Tylar blubbering] 373 00:22:33,867 --> 00:22:38,533 There was no tears. It appeared to be more of an act than anything else. 374 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:43,567 [Tylar shrieking] 375 00:22:43,634 --> 00:22:46,367 Is Tylar a victim? Or is she a villain? 376 00:22:54,367 --> 00:22:55,433 [Tylar sniffles] 377 00:22:56,867 --> 00:22:59,433 [Tylar sobs] 378 00:23:00,967 --> 00:23:02,066 [sniffles] 379 00:23:06,100 --> 00:23:07,367 Tylar stopped the interview, 380 00:23:07,433 --> 00:23:10,834 and we met with Steven in the adjoining interview room. 381 00:23:24,367 --> 00:23:27,166 The conversation lasts less than six minutes. 382 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:33,367 [Lisette] After they stopped their interviews, 383 00:23:33,367 --> 00:23:36,367 Steven and Tylar were sent to jail. 384 00:23:36,367 --> 00:23:38,734 What needed to be determined was who actually did it. 385 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:40,233 Was it Tylar? 386 00:23:40,467 --> 00:23:41,634 Was it Steven? 387 00:23:42,266 --> 00:23:43,634 Or was it both? 388 00:23:49,266 --> 00:23:52,567 As detectives worked to determine who stabbed Joanne to death, 389 00:23:52,567 --> 00:23:55,266 they find that the evidence against Steven 390 00:23:55,266 --> 00:23:57,467 is enough to charge him with first-degree murder. 391 00:23:57,533 --> 00:23:58,767 But the question is, 392 00:23:58,767 --> 00:24:03,266 will 14-year-old Tylar be charged as a juvenile or an adult? 393 00:24:03,266 --> 00:24:05,367 [reporter on TV] Tylar Witt, face covered by a jacket, 394 00:24:05,367 --> 00:24:07,567 was escorted out the back door of a court house 395 00:24:07,567 --> 00:24:10,767 after her juvenile detention hearing, this morning. 396 00:24:10,767 --> 00:24:13,667 Cases like this are incredibly sensitive. 397 00:24:13,667 --> 00:24:16,266 There is a family out there. 398 00:24:16,333 --> 00:24:21,066 Specifically, there is a man who has just lost his daughter. And... 399 00:24:21,133 --> 00:24:22,767 law enforcement is telling him 400 00:24:22,767 --> 00:24:25,867 that his granddaughter is the one that did it. 401 00:24:25,934 --> 00:24:28,767 That entire family is just distraught, 402 00:24:28,767 --> 00:24:30,367 and baffled. 403 00:24:30,367 --> 00:24:33,567 [male news reporter] A 14-year-old daughter and her 19-year-old boyfriend, 404 00:24:33,634 --> 00:24:35,767 accused of killing her mother. 405 00:24:35,767 --> 00:24:37,567 [female news reporter] Classmates from Oakridge High School 406 00:24:37,634 --> 00:24:39,100 called her self-centered. 407 00:24:39,100 --> 00:24:40,367 [high school student] Everything that her mom did, 408 00:24:40,433 --> 00:24:42,533 was just to make her life better. 409 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,467 And, uh, Tylar just... 410 00:24:45,467 --> 00:24:48,467 did not appreciate anything that her mom did. 411 00:24:48,467 --> 00:24:51,066 [Lisette] Being mindful of Tylar's age, 412 00:24:51,133 --> 00:24:53,467 we spent a lot of time talking to the family, 413 00:24:53,533 --> 00:24:58,567 and making a group decision as to what was the right way to go about this case. 414 00:24:58,567 --> 00:25:02,567 And ultimately, Joanne's family and the prosecution team 415 00:25:02,567 --> 00:25:06,934 decided to try Tylar Witt as an adult. 416 00:25:11,367 --> 00:25:15,100 A few months later, the autopsy results come in. 417 00:25:15,100 --> 00:25:17,667 [Jeff] The autopsy indicated that Joanne 418 00:25:17,667 --> 00:25:21,233 was stabbed so violently that it hit bones. 419 00:25:22,100 --> 00:25:23,934 [Lisette] There were 20 different wounds. 420 00:25:24,567 --> 00:25:26,967 it was clearly a crime of passion. 421 00:25:27,033 --> 00:25:29,867 [Mike] And there were also indications that Joanne fought 422 00:25:29,934 --> 00:25:31,367 because of some of the wounds 423 00:25:31,367 --> 00:25:34,166 that she had on her hands, which were called defensive wounds. 424 00:25:34,867 --> 00:25:36,367 We took DNA samples 425 00:25:36,433 --> 00:25:39,467 from Joanne Witt's body and scrapings underneath 426 00:25:39,467 --> 00:25:42,266 her finger nails, to try to figure out 427 00:25:42,266 --> 00:25:43,967 who had done this? 428 00:25:44,033 --> 00:25:46,000 [Greg] Detectives are shocked to learn 429 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,634 that there is no DNA found on Joanne's body. 430 00:25:49,867 --> 00:25:51,467 [Lisette] As trial was nearing, 431 00:25:51,467 --> 00:25:57,066 we are planning to go forward, and try the two of them together in one trial. 432 00:25:58,000 --> 00:25:59,166 [news reporter on TV] Tylar Witt walked in 433 00:25:59,166 --> 00:26:01,367 to this El Dorado County courtroom. 434 00:26:01,367 --> 00:26:04,567 Twenty seconds later, her alleged boyfriend, Steven Colver, 435 00:26:04,634 --> 00:26:06,667 appeared and sat down behind her. 436 00:26:06,667 --> 00:26:09,367 My name is Dain Weiner. I am a criminal defense attorney. 437 00:26:09,433 --> 00:26:11,767 I represented Steven Colver. 438 00:26:11,834 --> 00:26:16,667 He was adamant that he was not guilty, that he had not killed Joanne. 439 00:26:16,667 --> 00:26:20,066 But... we had to overcome the statements 440 00:26:20,066 --> 00:26:24,333 that Steven had made to his friends about killing Joanne Witt. 441 00:26:25,767 --> 00:26:29,467 Steven and Tylar maintain their dying love . 442 00:26:29,467 --> 00:26:33,533 And then, just before the trial, Tylar has a change of heart. 443 00:26:35,867 --> 00:26:37,867 She said she wanted to tell the truth, 444 00:26:37,934 --> 00:26:39,266 as to what really happened. 445 00:26:42,266 --> 00:26:45,567 And she would like to potentially plead guilty 446 00:26:45,567 --> 00:26:49,266 to second-degree murder, which carries a much lesser sentence 447 00:26:49,333 --> 00:26:51,166 than a first-degree murder. 448 00:26:51,166 --> 00:26:53,567 [Christine] She tells the district attorney's office 449 00:26:53,567 --> 00:26:55,767 that she was involved, 450 00:26:55,767 --> 00:26:59,333 but the person who killed her mother, was Steven. 451 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,867 [Lisette] He maintained that she stayed right outside the room, 452 00:27:04,867 --> 00:27:09,133 and did not go in and participate in stabbing Joanne. 453 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:12,467 Steven had done the whole thing. 454 00:27:12,467 --> 00:27:16,967 Part of the plea deal with Tylar, was locating that knife. 455 00:27:17,033 --> 00:27:21,166 And Tylar had stated they had placed it into a storm drain, 456 00:27:21,166 --> 00:27:23,867 not too far from their home. 457 00:27:24,467 --> 00:27:26,266 We searched the area, but... 458 00:27:26,266 --> 00:27:28,433 we were not able to find the knife. 459 00:27:30,066 --> 00:27:31,567 [Lisette] After much discussion, 460 00:27:31,567 --> 00:27:34,166 Tylar plead guilty to second-degree murder, 461 00:27:34,166 --> 00:27:36,867 which holds a sentence of 15 years to life. 462 00:27:36,867 --> 00:27:42,967 And she would, in fact, testify at the jury trial against Steven Colver. 463 00:27:42,967 --> 00:27:46,767 [Dain] When Steven learned that Tylar was going to testify against him, 464 00:27:46,767 --> 00:27:48,467 he did feel betrayed. 465 00:27:48,467 --> 00:27:51,867 I think, in his mind, they were still in love. 466 00:27:51,934 --> 00:27:55,066 [Dylan] When Tylar decided she was going to say that he did it, 467 00:27:55,066 --> 00:27:57,467 he was like, "Oh, okay. So, you don't love me. 468 00:27:57,467 --> 00:28:00,133 You were just trying to use me as your scapegoat." 469 00:28:07,367 --> 00:28:10,467 [Greg] Nearly two years after Joanne Witt is murdered, 470 00:28:10,467 --> 00:28:12,567 Steven Colver's trial begins. 471 00:28:12,567 --> 00:28:16,266 [female news reporter] Former high school classmates describe Colver as odd. 472 00:28:16,266 --> 00:28:17,567 He'd come to school and talk about his, like, 473 00:28:17,634 --> 00:28:20,567 knife collection, and sword collection. 474 00:28:20,567 --> 00:28:24,667 Steven, to me, never came off as never the violent person. 475 00:28:24,667 --> 00:28:27,433 I know he didn't do this. I know he's trying to protect her. 476 00:28:28,066 --> 00:28:29,567 [Greg] In her opening statement, 477 00:28:29,634 --> 00:28:33,667 the assistant district attorney points the finger squarely at Steven. 478 00:28:33,667 --> 00:28:36,166 [Lisette] The purpose of my opening statement and trial, 479 00:28:36,166 --> 00:28:37,367 was to give the jury 480 00:28:37,367 --> 00:28:39,967 an understanding of the relationship 481 00:28:40,033 --> 00:28:42,867 between Joanne, Tylar, and Steven. 482 00:28:42,934 --> 00:28:44,367 Joanne was, 100 percent, 483 00:28:44,367 --> 00:28:49,367 wanting Steven prosecuted for statutory rape of her daughter. 484 00:28:49,367 --> 00:28:53,667 [Mike] In their minds, Joanne was the only thing that was stopping them 485 00:28:53,667 --> 00:28:55,266 from having a relationship. 486 00:28:55,266 --> 00:28:57,567 This, essentially, was a case of... 487 00:28:57,567 --> 00:29:00,867 Romeo and Juliet. They saw the romance 488 00:29:00,934 --> 00:29:02,867 in the homicide. 489 00:29:02,934 --> 00:29:06,834 Our position was that Joanne's murderer was Tylar, not Steven. 490 00:29:07,767 --> 00:29:10,166 [Dain] Twenty separate wounds suggest that somebody 491 00:29:10,166 --> 00:29:11,867 is angry and bitter, 492 00:29:11,867 --> 00:29:14,066 which is consistent with Tylar Witt 493 00:29:14,066 --> 00:29:17,367 being the one that committed this act rather than Steven. 494 00:29:17,367 --> 00:29:19,166 His state of mind at that time 495 00:29:19,166 --> 00:29:21,567 was focused on protecting Tylar, 496 00:29:21,567 --> 00:29:23,867 and doing whatever he could to take care of the woman that, that... 497 00:29:24,367 --> 00:29:25,667 he was in love with. 498 00:29:27,500 --> 00:29:29,367 [Greg] Tylar is set to testify. 499 00:29:29,367 --> 00:29:32,166 But moments before she's about to take the stand, 500 00:29:32,233 --> 00:29:35,667 the prosecution gets word about a piece of forensic evidence 501 00:29:35,667 --> 00:29:38,967 that would surely influence the outcome. 502 00:29:38,967 --> 00:29:41,367 [news reporter] We have incoming information, a mysterious halt 503 00:29:41,367 --> 00:29:44,066 to the forbidden love trial in El Dorado County. 504 00:29:44,133 --> 00:29:48,667 His last-minute DNA evidence just obtained by prosecutors. 505 00:29:48,734 --> 00:29:50,867 [Lisette] DNA testing ultimately came back, 506 00:29:50,934 --> 00:29:53,166 that there was male DNA 507 00:29:53,233 --> 00:29:56,867 underneath her fingernails, as well as on her knee. 508 00:29:56,934 --> 00:29:59,567 But, it's a miniscule amount of DNA, 509 00:29:59,567 --> 00:30:02,767 and not enough for a full profile. 510 00:30:02,767 --> 00:30:05,266 Ultimately, I believe it became very apparent 511 00:30:05,266 --> 00:30:10,767 that that was DNA from her attacker... Steven Colver. 512 00:30:10,767 --> 00:30:13,066 And that was important for the jury to understand. 513 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:17,066 The prosecution is feeling pretty confident. 514 00:30:17,133 --> 00:30:22,567 But the defense hits back, arguing that the DNA evidence is hardly a slam dunk. 515 00:30:22,567 --> 00:30:24,367 [Dain] We had an expert testify, 516 00:30:24,433 --> 00:30:27,367 and he said low levels of male DNA 517 00:30:27,367 --> 00:30:29,066 under several of her fingernails 518 00:30:29,066 --> 00:30:31,767 could have come from multiple other sources. 519 00:30:31,767 --> 00:30:34,867 It could have been picked up by someone she shook hands with, 520 00:30:34,934 --> 00:30:37,967 and there's no proof that it's Steven's. 521 00:30:37,967 --> 00:30:41,266 [Christine] After learning about the DNA, Tylar Witt takes a stand. 522 00:30:41,266 --> 00:30:42,867 And, everyone was wanting 523 00:30:42,934 --> 00:30:46,667 to know what she was going to say. And she'd lied so much, 524 00:30:46,667 --> 00:30:50,367 the question was, what lie is going to come out this time? 525 00:30:50,367 --> 00:30:55,166 [Lisette] On the stand, she acknowledged that she's a pathological liar. And... 526 00:30:55,233 --> 00:30:59,867 Now, she was gonna come forth and tell the truth. I... I actually was shocked 527 00:30:59,867 --> 00:31:02,767 She admitted she's the mastermind behind the planning. 528 00:31:08,300 --> 00:31:09,767 [Dain] She testified that... 529 00:31:09,767 --> 00:31:11,767 you know, at some point in time, she made up her mind 530 00:31:11,767 --> 00:31:14,333 that her mother had to die. 531 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:16,166 [keypad buttons dialing] 532 00:31:16,233 --> 00:31:18,100 [Lisette] Steven was communicating with Tylar, 533 00:31:18,100 --> 00:31:19,567 "That is the plan." 534 00:31:19,567 --> 00:31:23,066 [Mike] Tylar claimed the original agreement, was that Tylar was going 535 00:31:23,066 --> 00:31:27,767 to drug her mother, and then Steven was going to sneak into the house. 536 00:31:27,767 --> 00:31:29,934 And, they were both going to commit the murder. 537 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:35,567 [Lisette] Tylar testified that when Steven came over, 538 00:31:35,567 --> 00:31:38,567 he had a... a big long knife with him. 539 00:31:38,567 --> 00:31:41,467 She acknowledged she did have a knife as well. 540 00:31:43,166 --> 00:31:46,367 [Christine] She said she saw Steven sort of slashing around, 541 00:31:46,367 --> 00:31:48,166 practicing slashes... 542 00:31:48,166 --> 00:31:51,567 of the knife. And she said that that really got her scared. 543 00:31:54,100 --> 00:31:58,467 [Mike] Tylar stated that... at the last moment, she wasn't able to do it. 544 00:31:58,533 --> 00:32:01,567 Tylar said that she could hear her mother pleading, 545 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:07,166 and she could hear the struggles and the sounds. And, 546 00:32:07,166 --> 00:32:10,166 she knew exactly what was going on inside that room... 547 00:32:10,767 --> 00:32:12,533 but did nothing to prevent it. 548 00:32:18,367 --> 00:32:20,066 [Christine] And she said when Steven came out, 549 00:32:20,133 --> 00:32:24,166 one of his pant legs was completely soaked with blood, 550 00:32:24,233 --> 00:32:28,467 and that he had a little teardrop of blood on his cheek. 551 00:32:28,467 --> 00:32:31,767 And then, she got busy cleaning up the crime scene. 552 00:32:31,767 --> 00:32:33,667 [Dain] The jury's gonna be looking 553 00:32:33,667 --> 00:32:36,467 at a witness' demeanor while on the stand. 554 00:32:36,533 --> 00:32:39,767 In her testimony, she talked about how... 555 00:32:39,834 --> 00:32:41,567 her mom needed to die. 556 00:32:41,567 --> 00:32:44,567 She made that statement, with as much emotion... 557 00:32:44,567 --> 00:32:48,934 as if you were brushing a fly off your arm, that complete lack of emotion. 558 00:32:54,700 --> 00:32:57,000 [Dylan] When I had heard Tylar testifying, I'd thought 559 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,867 there's no way that it was... Steven. 560 00:32:59,934 --> 00:33:04,533 This was a... a caring guy that... he's not going out for vengeance. 561 00:33:05,467 --> 00:33:07,767 It's important to point out 562 00:33:07,834 --> 00:33:10,467 that prior to her ever meeting Steven, 563 00:33:10,467 --> 00:33:14,367 Tylar had fantasized and... and talked with people 564 00:33:14,433 --> 00:33:16,967 about killing her mom. 565 00:33:17,033 --> 00:33:19,867 She had approached, uh, a friend of hers, and asked 566 00:33:19,934 --> 00:33:22,767 where she might be able to obtain arsenic. 567 00:33:22,834 --> 00:33:27,867 She had previously, uh, threatened her mother with a knife. 568 00:33:27,867 --> 00:33:30,066 She specifically told her friend, 569 00:33:30,133 --> 00:33:33,667 "If my mom doesn't let me continue to see Steven, 570 00:33:33,667 --> 00:33:36,266 I swear to God, I will her." 571 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:43,467 [Dylan] During the court proceeding, the only time I got to speak 572 00:33:43,467 --> 00:33:44,967 with Steven, I was sitting 573 00:33:45,033 --> 00:33:48,066 in the foyer area of the court house. 574 00:33:48,133 --> 00:33:51,000 And, they brought him in through the elevator. 575 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:54,433 And I said, I'm here for you." He smiled, gave me a thumbs up. 576 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:56,467 Steven was like, "Now it's time 577 00:33:56,467 --> 00:33:59,834 that I need to defend myself, and tell exactly what happened." 578 00:34:11,367 --> 00:34:15,867 On June 8th, 2011, Steven Colver takes the stand in his own defense. 579 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,867 [Dain] Steven was adamant that he was 580 00:34:19,934 --> 00:34:22,867 not guilty, that he had not killed Joanne. 581 00:34:23,367 --> 00:34:24,467 [Christine] On the stand, 582 00:34:24,533 --> 00:34:28,367 Steven said that, you know, Tylar contacted him. 583 00:34:38,467 --> 00:34:40,767 [Christine] He went over there, and Tylar tells him 584 00:34:40,767 --> 00:34:43,133 that she had killed her mother. 585 00:34:50,367 --> 00:34:51,767 Steven was shocked, 586 00:34:51,834 --> 00:34:53,533 and so he goes into the bedroom. 587 00:35:06,900 --> 00:35:09,133 He actually pulled the sheets back... 588 00:35:11,867 --> 00:35:16,567 and saw that Joanne had a major gash in her neck... 589 00:35:16,634 --> 00:35:18,367 and blood all over her. 590 00:35:20,300 --> 00:35:23,767 [Greg] Steven admits that he confessed to his friend, Matthew, 591 00:35:23,834 --> 00:35:26,934 but now he claims his confession wasn't true. 592 00:35:28,100 --> 00:35:30,367 [Mike] We knew that Steven told Matthew 593 00:35:30,367 --> 00:35:32,967 that he had stabbed Joanne in the stomach. 594 00:35:33,033 --> 00:35:34,934 That turned out not to be true. 595 00:35:40,867 --> 00:35:42,367 [Dain] If he was the one that had done this, 596 00:35:42,367 --> 00:35:46,166 he would certainly know that there was no stab to her stomach, which... 597 00:35:46,166 --> 00:35:49,767 suggested to me that... that he was making this up. 598 00:35:49,767 --> 00:35:53,367 [Christine] Steven says he took the blame, because... 599 00:35:53,367 --> 00:35:56,567 they had every intention of killing themselves, 600 00:35:56,567 --> 00:35:59,667 as like a heroic thing to save her reputation. 601 00:35:59,667 --> 00:36:03,467 He wanted Tylar to die, without people thinking 602 00:36:03,533 --> 00:36:06,066 that she actually killed her mother. 603 00:36:06,066 --> 00:36:09,266 [Dain] As far as the plan to commit suicide, 604 00:36:09,266 --> 00:36:11,367 Steven said that the rat poison, 605 00:36:11,367 --> 00:36:15,467 it didn't taste good, and... and so, they... they ended up not eating it. 606 00:36:15,467 --> 00:36:19,166 I think Steven Colver presented very well to the jury, 607 00:36:19,166 --> 00:36:22,266 but I believe that there is plenty of evidence 608 00:36:22,266 --> 00:36:24,266 to convict him. 609 00:36:24,266 --> 00:36:26,567 [Greg] In her closing statement, the state argues 610 00:36:26,567 --> 00:36:29,867 Tylar was an accessory to the murder of her mother. 611 00:36:29,867 --> 00:36:32,567 But the person who actually killed Joanne 612 00:36:32,567 --> 00:36:34,567 was Steven Colver. 613 00:36:34,567 --> 00:36:37,867 [Lisette] It was important for the jury to hear he was angry, 614 00:36:37,867 --> 00:36:42,734 because this evil mother was stopping him from having this relationship. 615 00:36:43,500 --> 00:36:45,133 And he didn't like that. 616 00:36:46,567 --> 00:36:49,467 [Greg] In his closing statement, Defense Attorney Weiner argues 617 00:36:49,533 --> 00:36:52,567 that while his client may be guilty of statutory rape, 618 00:36:52,567 --> 00:36:55,166 he didn't murder Joanne Witt. 619 00:36:55,233 --> 00:36:57,066 [Dain] The important things to focus on 620 00:36:57,066 --> 00:37:01,066 were the inconsistencies in Tylar's testimony, 621 00:37:01,066 --> 00:37:04,867 Steven's lack of aggression or violence in the past. 622 00:37:04,867 --> 00:37:09,266 And, that level of DNA could have been picked up from a number of sources. 623 00:37:09,266 --> 00:37:13,567 It's not an indication that it was Steven Colver's. 624 00:37:13,567 --> 00:37:15,266 [Christine] This defense attorney had said 625 00:37:15,266 --> 00:37:17,767 she is a deeply disturbed young girl, 626 00:37:17,834 --> 00:37:22,367 who didn't seem to have any remorse whatsoever about the death of her mother. 627 00:37:22,367 --> 00:37:26,367 [Dain] But I think, in her mind, mom had to die 628 00:37:26,433 --> 00:37:28,533 if she and Steven were going to be together. 629 00:37:31,767 --> 00:37:34,066 [Greg] On June 15th, 2011, 630 00:37:34,133 --> 00:37:37,266 two years to the day since Joanne Witt was murdered, 631 00:37:37,266 --> 00:37:41,767 the jury reaches a decision after deliberating for less than a day. 632 00:37:41,767 --> 00:37:44,467 [jury member] We, the jury, empaneled in the above entitled action, 633 00:37:44,467 --> 00:37:48,734 find the defendant, Steven Paul Colver, guilty of the crime of murder. 634 00:37:49,867 --> 00:37:51,767 [Greg] Twenty-one-year-old Steven Colver 635 00:37:51,767 --> 00:37:54,734 is found guilty of first-degree murder. 636 00:37:55,867 --> 00:37:57,767 When the jury came back "guilty", 637 00:37:59,100 --> 00:38:00,367 it was very emotional. 638 00:38:02,467 --> 00:38:05,467 [Dylan] Just kind of blew my mind, that the prosecution 639 00:38:05,533 --> 00:38:07,567 turned Steven into some monster... 640 00:38:07,567 --> 00:38:09,867 and that just wasn't who he was. 641 00:38:11,967 --> 00:38:13,266 [Lisette] Because of the plea deal, 642 00:38:13,333 --> 00:38:15,567 Tylar was sentenced to second-degree murder, 643 00:38:15,567 --> 00:38:19,767 which carries a sentence of 15 years to life. 644 00:38:19,767 --> 00:38:23,567 Which is a much lesser sentence than first-degree murder. 645 00:38:23,567 --> 00:38:25,166 [Mike] This case was so egregious, 646 00:38:25,166 --> 00:38:30,567 and there was such planning and intent. 647 00:38:30,634 --> 00:38:34,533 Uh, I believe that Tylar Witt should have gotten more than 15 to life. 648 00:38:35,367 --> 00:38:38,667 And Steven Colver was sentenced to life. 649 00:38:38,734 --> 00:38:43,734 However, I would have preferred a death sentence for a case like this. 650 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:47,166 [news reporter] Today, during sentencing, 651 00:38:47,166 --> 00:38:50,266 a string of comments from the victim's family, 652 00:38:50,266 --> 00:38:53,100 directed squarely at Steven Colver. 653 00:38:53,100 --> 00:38:54,767 Steven Colver had a dark side. 654 00:38:54,767 --> 00:38:58,166 He took a 14-year-old girl, turned her into a heavy drug user, 655 00:38:58,166 --> 00:39:00,066 sex addict, and murderer. 656 00:39:00,066 --> 00:39:03,567 May he rot in the hell he wrote so often about in his journals. 657 00:39:03,567 --> 00:39:06,867 Tylar, you never appreciated what your mother did for you. 658 00:39:07,567 --> 00:39:09,567 You were her whole world. 659 00:39:09,634 --> 00:39:13,266 Everything your mother did, was for you to have the best possible life. 660 00:39:13,266 --> 00:39:14,634 You are a murderer. 661 00:39:17,500 --> 00:39:19,100 [Lisette] I watched the pain 662 00:39:19,100 --> 00:39:22,567 in Joanne's father and, and in Joanne's sibling's eyes. 663 00:39:22,634 --> 00:39:25,266 And it was just heartbreaking. 664 00:39:26,967 --> 00:39:30,266 [Mike] I believe Tylar killed her mother. 665 00:39:30,333 --> 00:39:34,266 The person that brought her into this world, the person that cared for her, 666 00:39:34,266 --> 00:39:37,667 the person that gave her everything in her life... 667 00:39:37,734 --> 00:39:39,834 And she just took her mother's life, 668 00:39:40,266 --> 00:39:41,934 as if it was nothing. 669 00:39:44,867 --> 00:39:48,867 [Dain] What makes this even more of a tragedy is that, even if he had been, 670 00:39:48,867 --> 00:39:53,767 uh, arrested and charged with having a relationship with Tylar, 671 00:39:53,767 --> 00:39:56,166 the consequences would have paled in comparison 672 00:39:56,166 --> 00:39:58,066 to what both of them are going through now. 673 00:39:59,100 --> 00:40:02,967 Tylar Witt is eligible for parole in 2023, 674 00:40:03,033 --> 00:40:07,066 one year before she's even served the minimum 15-year sentence. 675 00:40:13,567 --> 00:40:16,634 I'm uncomfortable speaking on that, at this time. 676 00:40:21,266 --> 00:40:24,767 [Lisette] I anticipate Tylar will be released shortly from state prison. 677 00:40:24,767 --> 00:40:26,567 She has served her time. 678 00:40:26,567 --> 00:40:30,166 And I am hopeful that she will use her intelligence 679 00:40:30,166 --> 00:40:31,667 and her ability 680 00:40:31,734 --> 00:40:34,734 to persuade people of things for good, not for evil. 681 00:40:36,467 --> 00:40:38,634 [Christine] It's just such a tragic story. 682 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:43,166 Joanne lived for that girl. 683 00:40:43,233 --> 00:40:46,233 She gave her everything she possibly could want. 684 00:40:47,266 --> 00:40:48,867 It was just never enough 685 00:40:48,934 --> 00:40:51,567 for her daughter, and it's so tragic... 686 00:40:51,567 --> 00:40:55,834 that Joanne was killed by that one person she loved the most. 687 00:41:11,567 --> 00:41:14,266 13 years and multiple serial killers... 688 00:41:14,333 --> 00:41:15,567 what's going on? 689 00:41:15,567 --> 00:41:17,066 The Times Square Killer. 690 00:41:17,133 --> 00:41:18,567 The Virdin County Strangler. 691 00:41:18,567 --> 00:41:19,867 The Torso Killer. 692 00:41:19,934 --> 00:41:24,066 It never occured to me that this was just one person. 693 00:41:28,567 --> 00:41:29,700 ♪♪