1 00:00:06,172 --> 00:00:07,896 [phone ringing] 2 00:00:12,482 --> 00:00:15,068 [911 operator] 3 00:00:15,172 --> 00:00:17,034 [Cindy Spencer speaking] 4 00:00:17,137 --> 00:00:18,655 [911 operator] 5 00:00:18,758 --> 00:00:20,275 [Spencer speaking] 6 00:00:22,103 --> 00:00:24,862 BAIRD: Victoria was very, very quiet. 7 00:00:26,586 --> 00:00:27,586 Silent... 8 00:00:29,068 --> 00:00:30,206 but deadly. 9 00:00:31,379 --> 00:00:32,619 She's a monster. 10 00:00:33,827 --> 00:00:36,000 [Mendoza speaking] 11 00:00:37,137 --> 00:00:38,689 [Aaron Murphy speaking] 12 00:00:38,793 --> 00:00:41,068 [Mendoza speaking] 13 00:00:41,172 --> 00:00:42,620 [Murphy speaking] 14 00:00:47,206 --> 00:00:49,103 [Mendoza speaking] 15 00:00:50,413 --> 00:00:52,344 [Murphy speaking] 16 00:00:52,448 --> 00:00:55,413 [officer speaking] 17 00:01:06,068 --> 00:01:07,896 PICKETT: It was a scene out of a horror film. 18 00:01:10,689 --> 00:01:12,275 [Mendoza speaking] 19 00:01:15,482 --> 00:01:18,551 [theme music playing] 20 00:01:28,068 --> 00:01:31,172 [mellow music playing] 21 00:01:35,482 --> 00:01:39,378 [Lana speaking] 22 00:01:49,137 --> 00:01:52,068 NARRATOR: New parents, Dana Anderson and Casey Baird, 23 00:01:52,172 --> 00:01:55,000 celebrate with their six-month-old daughter, Tawnee. 24 00:01:56,310 --> 00:01:59,758 D. GUNN: When Tawnee was born, I was 23, 25 00:01:59,862 --> 00:02:04,068 and I believe Casey was 26. 26 00:02:04,172 --> 00:02:07,551 I worked at Fox 13 television. 27 00:02:07,655 --> 00:02:09,550 Casey was in radio. 28 00:02:09,655 --> 00:02:11,931 [Lana speaking] 29 00:02:16,724 --> 00:02:19,172 BAIRD: I am a radio DJ. 30 00:02:19,275 --> 00:02:22,482 I was on with the morning show that morning when she was born. 31 00:02:22,586 --> 00:02:24,241 [Lana speaking] 32 00:02:24,344 --> 00:02:27,034 NARRATOR: Dana's mom, Lana, films Tawnee 33 00:02:27,137 --> 00:02:28,482 and her show biz parents. 34 00:02:28,586 --> 00:02:30,448 [Lana speaking] 35 00:02:34,586 --> 00:02:37,241 D. GUNN: My mom always had that video camera out. 36 00:02:37,344 --> 00:02:38,620 She was hilarious. 37 00:02:38,724 --> 00:02:40,930 [Lana speaking] 38 00:02:41,034 --> 00:02:43,067 Goober Girl. Yeah, my mom. 39 00:02:43,172 --> 00:02:45,930 [Lana speaking] 40 00:02:46,034 --> 00:02:48,724 D. GUNN: Oh, there she is with the outfit on, 41 00:02:48,827 --> 00:02:54,000 sleeping so peacefully with her little chubby cheeks. 42 00:02:57,103 --> 00:02:58,689 -[Tawnee fussing] -[Lana speaking] 43 00:02:58,793 --> 00:03:02,758 D. GUNN: That's Tawnee and I, my mom filming again. 44 00:03:02,862 --> 00:03:03,931 Here, take this. 45 00:03:04,034 --> 00:03:06,896 Tawnee is like a little go-getter. 46 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,206 You cannot stop her. 47 00:03:08,310 --> 00:03:11,137 -[Dana speaking] -[Lana speaking] 48 00:03:11,241 --> 00:03:13,758 Just trying to grab everything she can. 49 00:03:13,862 --> 00:03:15,965 [Lana speaking] 50 00:03:21,896 --> 00:03:27,379 Tawnee was always very independent, even as a baby. 51 00:03:28,758 --> 00:03:31,034 It's just like she almost just did her own thing. 52 00:03:31,137 --> 00:03:34,620 She's just very strong and had her own 53 00:03:34,724 --> 00:03:38,172 little personality from such a young age. 54 00:03:38,275 --> 00:03:41,241 -[Lana speaking] -[man speaking] 55 00:03:44,379 --> 00:03:46,724 NARRATOR: The pressure of balancing busy work lives 56 00:03:46,827 --> 00:03:48,379 with caring for their new arrival 57 00:03:48,482 --> 00:03:50,517 strains Dana and Casey's relationship. 58 00:03:53,275 --> 00:03:56,344 They split up shortly after Tawnee's first Christmas. 59 00:03:58,034 --> 00:04:01,827 When the split up happened, you know, it was pretty -- 60 00:04:01,931 --> 00:04:03,379 pretty devastating. 61 00:04:03,482 --> 00:04:05,482 [Lana speaking] 62 00:04:05,586 --> 00:04:08,896 But I -- I was very strong at that point 63 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:10,275 and I love Tawnee. 64 00:04:10,379 --> 00:04:11,689 -Whoa! -LANA: Whoa! 65 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:14,758 You know, she was my life. 66 00:04:16,034 --> 00:04:20,447 So I was determined to do good by her 67 00:04:20,551 --> 00:04:23,862 and make a good life for us. 68 00:04:26,275 --> 00:04:29,448 NARRATOR: Two years later, in 1996, 69 00:04:29,551 --> 00:04:31,551 Dana marries Steve Gunn. 70 00:04:34,034 --> 00:04:37,103 D. GUNN: So this is Steve and I's wedding, 71 00:04:37,206 --> 00:04:41,965 and my mom is just carrying Tawnee, trying to get her 72 00:04:42,068 --> 00:04:44,689 to be the flower girl, because she's upset 73 00:04:44,793 --> 00:04:46,413 and throwing a tantrum. 74 00:04:48,068 --> 00:04:50,068 [Lana speaking] 75 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,172 NARRATOR: Dana and Steve have two children together, 76 00:05:02,275 --> 00:05:04,137 Lexi and Kaden. 77 00:05:05,758 --> 00:05:07,586 They divorce in 2003, 78 00:05:08,965 --> 00:05:10,482 and newly single Dana 79 00:05:10,586 --> 00:05:12,896 develops a friendship with Cameron Murray. 80 00:05:14,310 --> 00:05:17,103 Cameron came into our lives with two 81 00:05:17,206 --> 00:05:21,000 sons, Jayden and Cosmo. 82 00:05:21,103 --> 00:05:23,586 D. GUNN: When Cameron and I started to date, 83 00:05:23,689 --> 00:05:26,758 we used to call ourselves the Brady Bunch, 84 00:05:26,862 --> 00:05:30,586 because we had so many children. 85 00:05:30,689 --> 00:05:35,551 And then we had a daughter in 2005, Baylee. 86 00:05:35,655 --> 00:05:37,137 My earliest memories of Tawnee would 87 00:05:37,241 --> 00:05:40,689 be her picking me up from elementary. 88 00:05:40,793 --> 00:05:43,862 She would always give me ice cream. 89 00:05:43,965 --> 00:05:48,448 We'd listen to music and just talk and laugh and have fun. 90 00:05:50,137 --> 00:05:54,137 D. GUNN: Tawnee was kind of the leader of the whole pack. 91 00:05:54,241 --> 00:05:55,931 [chuckles] 92 00:05:56,034 --> 00:06:00,344 Tawnee loved being the eldest sibling, 93 00:06:00,448 --> 00:06:03,068 and they loved her. 94 00:06:03,172 --> 00:06:05,896 A. GUNN: Tawnee was always very friendly to all 95 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,379 of us and always included us in everything. 96 00:06:09,482 --> 00:06:12,793 And I think that's why we looked up to her 97 00:06:12,896 --> 00:06:14,655 and wanted to be around her as much, 98 00:06:14,758 --> 00:06:16,655 because she made us feel wanted. 99 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:19,586 D. GUNN: It was so adorable. 100 00:06:19,689 --> 00:06:23,103 Like, she was like the cutest big sister ever. 101 00:06:26,379 --> 00:06:29,344 NARRATOR: Tawnee and her large family settle in Holladay, Utah. 102 00:06:31,793 --> 00:06:36,206 BAIRD: Tawnee always had an entourage of friends behind her. 103 00:06:36,310 --> 00:06:37,827 She was very popular. 104 00:06:37,931 --> 00:06:40,689 She'd walk into a room, and she glowed. 105 00:06:41,827 --> 00:06:43,448 She always liked to be around people 106 00:06:43,551 --> 00:06:46,000 and be the center of the party. 107 00:06:50,137 --> 00:06:52,689 NARRATOR: In June 2010, Tawnee heads out for 108 00:06:52,793 --> 00:06:54,379 a night of fun with her friends. 109 00:06:56,862 --> 00:06:59,724 D. GUNN: I think she'd been with, like, five or six friends, 110 00:06:59,827 --> 00:07:02,344 and they'd all been smoking weed. 111 00:07:03,724 --> 00:07:06,206 I think someone else was driving, and Tawnee was 112 00:07:06,310 --> 00:07:09,413 either in the passenger seat or in the back seat, 113 00:07:11,137 --> 00:07:12,482 and they got pulled over. 114 00:07:14,413 --> 00:07:16,896 BAIRD: It was a pot pipe or marijuana pipe 115 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,137 that wasn't even hers. 116 00:07:19,241 --> 00:07:20,862 She took the fall for one of her other 117 00:07:20,965 --> 00:07:23,931 friends that would have been in a lot of trouble. 118 00:07:24,034 --> 00:07:28,448 They asked whose it was, and Tawnee said it was hers, 119 00:07:28,551 --> 00:07:31,689 and so she got in trouble for it. 120 00:07:34,689 --> 00:07:36,275 NARRATOR: Tawnee is sentenced to 90 days in 121 00:07:36,379 --> 00:07:38,965 Salt Lake City's juvenile detention center. 122 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,034 A. GUNN: I felt completely devastated that 123 00:07:43,137 --> 00:07:46,068 Tawnee was going to juvenile detention. 124 00:07:46,172 --> 00:07:48,448 I thought that I wasn't gonna see her again. 125 00:07:49,758 --> 00:07:52,137 D. GUNN: Tawnee was very scared 126 00:07:52,241 --> 00:07:55,000 and just crying, "Mommy." 127 00:07:58,586 --> 00:08:03,862 When I went and saw her in Juvie, she was, like, relieved 128 00:08:03,965 --> 00:08:06,793 and -- and not afraid and everything and I'm -- 129 00:08:06,896 --> 00:08:08,413 was like, what's going on? 130 00:08:08,517 --> 00:08:13,172 And she goes, "Well, I met this girl in here, and, 131 00:08:13,275 --> 00:08:16,137 you know, she's helping me," and I'm like, what is happening? 132 00:08:16,241 --> 00:08:19,241 And that's when she goes, "Well, look at her over there." 133 00:08:20,344 --> 00:08:22,413 And I'm like, "Who is that?" 134 00:08:23,586 --> 00:08:26,586 And she goes, "Well, that's Victoria." 135 00:08:28,068 --> 00:08:30,241 NARRATOR: Tawnee says that she has fallen 136 00:08:30,344 --> 00:08:32,172 head over heels in love with the girl. 137 00:08:33,620 --> 00:08:36,206 That's when Tawnee told me that she thought 138 00:08:36,309 --> 00:08:39,620 she was gay for the first time. 139 00:08:41,344 --> 00:08:43,758 I just went with it. I said, "Okay, well..." 140 00:08:43,861 --> 00:08:45,896 Whatever. 141 00:08:48,034 --> 00:08:50,965 NARRATOR: Like Tawnee, 17-year-old Victoria 142 00:08:51,068 --> 00:08:53,275 grew up with five siblings. 143 00:08:53,379 --> 00:08:57,172 She lived in Ogden with her mother and her brothers 144 00:08:57,275 --> 00:09:02,103 and sisters, and they lived in a one-bedroom apartment. 145 00:09:02,206 --> 00:09:06,137 Victoria's mom was very religious and would make 146 00:09:06,241 --> 00:09:08,620 Victoria wear these dresses 147 00:09:08,724 --> 00:09:12,344 that would cover her from, like, her neck to her ankles. 148 00:09:13,724 --> 00:09:15,275 Once Victoria turned 18, 149 00:09:15,379 --> 00:09:18,551 she went and just got all tatted up and shaved her head 150 00:09:18,655 --> 00:09:22,655 and did, like, everything against what her mother wanted. 151 00:09:25,379 --> 00:09:29,275 NARRATOR: Tawnee completes her detention in August 2010. 152 00:09:29,379 --> 00:09:32,379 When Tawnee got released and got to come home from Juvie, 153 00:09:32,482 --> 00:09:34,275 it was awesome. 154 00:09:34,379 --> 00:09:36,103 We were very excited. 155 00:09:39,034 --> 00:09:40,965 NARRATOR: Victoria is released a month later 156 00:09:41,068 --> 00:09:42,689 and moves in with her mom in Ogden. 157 00:09:44,724 --> 00:09:47,655 D. GUNN: Victoria came, like, straight to our house 158 00:09:47,758 --> 00:09:49,862 to see Tawnee the minute she got out. 159 00:09:51,137 --> 00:09:52,827 A. GUNN: Tawnee and Victoria would see each other 160 00:09:52,931 --> 00:09:54,068 almost every day. 161 00:09:54,172 --> 00:09:56,034 MENDOZA: Oh, stop! 162 00:09:56,137 --> 00:09:59,517 A. GUNN: All of the siblings did find Victoria sweet, 163 00:09:59,620 --> 00:10:02,103 and we all really did like her 164 00:10:02,206 --> 00:10:03,896 in the beginning. 165 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,344 NARRATOR: Friends think Tawnee and Victoria are a good match. 166 00:10:07,448 --> 00:10:09,517 Both are passionate about music, 167 00:10:09,620 --> 00:10:11,827 and both are obsessed with becoming famous. 168 00:10:24,137 --> 00:10:27,413 A. GUNN: Tawnee was very outgoing compared to Victoria. 169 00:10:27,517 --> 00:10:30,655 A lot of the times like when I would see them socializing, 170 00:10:30,758 --> 00:10:32,862 Victoria would just be 171 00:10:32,965 --> 00:10:35,724 quiet and observant in the back. 172 00:10:40,103 --> 00:10:42,034 Tawnee and Vicky are always teasing each 173 00:10:42,137 --> 00:10:45,068 other about who's gonna get famous first. 174 00:10:45,172 --> 00:10:48,275 That was always some big joke with them. 175 00:10:54,448 --> 00:10:58,379 Victoria was jealous of my daughter's outgoing personality. 176 00:11:01,551 --> 00:11:03,482 [Victoria speaking] 177 00:11:03,586 --> 00:11:06,724 BAIRD: Victoria was always behind my daughter, 178 00:11:06,827 --> 00:11:10,137 Tawnee, very -- very quiet. 179 00:11:10,241 --> 00:11:12,793 Silent, but deadly. 180 00:11:25,344 --> 00:11:26,448 NARRATOR: In Holladay, Utah... 181 00:11:28,896 --> 00:11:30,620 ...teenager Tawnee Baird films 182 00:11:30,724 --> 00:11:34,241 her girlfriend, Victoria, and her younger half-sister Baylee. 183 00:11:34,344 --> 00:11:36,724 [Baylee singing] She said she love me. 184 00:11:36,827 --> 00:11:38,310 That's their little studio 185 00:11:38,413 --> 00:11:40,448 they had set up in the basement. 186 00:11:44,241 --> 00:11:49,034 They're teaching Baylee to become a famous person, as well. 187 00:11:49,137 --> 00:11:50,517 [laughs] 188 00:11:50,620 --> 00:11:52,965 [singing indistinctly] 189 00:11:53,068 --> 00:11:56,793 I'm singing on Tawnee and Victoria's mic. 190 00:11:56,896 --> 00:12:00,172 I'm singing one of their songs, and Tawnee is recording me. 191 00:12:02,103 --> 00:12:04,413 NARRATOR: Tawnee's siblings treat Victoria like family. 192 00:12:07,965 --> 00:12:09,137 TAWNEE: Yes. 193 00:12:09,241 --> 00:12:10,172 NARRATOR: But Victoria now receives 194 00:12:10,275 --> 00:12:12,586 a cooler reception from Tawnee's friends. 195 00:12:12,689 --> 00:12:16,137 [Tawnee speaking] 196 00:12:19,931 --> 00:12:21,965 D. GUNN: I think she grew on everybody, 197 00:12:23,413 --> 00:12:26,862 but then maybe started to not grow on everybody, you know? 198 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:30,000 I think a lot of her friends were intimidated 199 00:12:30,103 --> 00:12:32,965 by Victoria, because Victoria just wanted 200 00:12:33,068 --> 00:12:34,379 Tawnee all to herself. 201 00:12:36,241 --> 00:12:40,034 I think she wanted certain people out of the way. 202 00:12:45,172 --> 00:12:47,965 Victoria was very insecure about Tawnee 203 00:12:48,068 --> 00:12:50,034 talking to other people. 204 00:12:50,137 --> 00:12:53,586 I remember one occasion where Tawnee 205 00:12:53,689 --> 00:12:56,034 was somewhere and talking to a guy, 206 00:12:56,137 --> 00:13:00,034 and it made Victoria just screaming mad. 207 00:13:01,137 --> 00:13:04,103 You know, and then they'd drive home in a fight or, 208 00:13:04,206 --> 00:13:06,551 you know, and she'd be screaming at her all night. 209 00:13:07,724 --> 00:13:10,413 She was so jealous, 210 00:13:10,517 --> 00:13:12,551 and it was ridiculous. 211 00:13:14,448 --> 00:13:16,413 NARRATOR: Dana encourages Tawnee to get 212 00:13:16,517 --> 00:13:19,137 a job to gain independence from Victoria. 213 00:13:20,344 --> 00:13:23,689 Victoria was always like, "We can get a job," 214 00:13:23,793 --> 00:13:25,827 and I'm like, what? 215 00:13:25,931 --> 00:13:28,724 How do you get jobs together? 216 00:13:28,827 --> 00:13:31,068 That just doesn't happen, Victoria. 217 00:13:31,172 --> 00:13:34,586 Like, just let Tawnee go get a job, and you go get 218 00:13:34,689 --> 00:13:37,517 a job, how about, and Victoria was like, "No, 219 00:13:37,620 --> 00:13:39,482 we need to get jobs together." 220 00:13:40,517 --> 00:13:42,793 And so Tawnee would be like, "Well, I can't leave her. 221 00:13:42,896 --> 00:13:44,000 What do I do?" 222 00:13:44,103 --> 00:13:47,827 And I'm like, "Tawnee, it's not your problem to sit 223 00:13:47,931 --> 00:13:49,551 "and baby her, like, 224 00:13:49,655 --> 00:13:54,068 "watch her every second, you know, just let her grow up. 225 00:13:54,172 --> 00:13:57,310 You've got to let her go, you know." 226 00:13:59,482 --> 00:14:02,275 NARRATOR: Less than one year into their relationship, 227 00:14:02,379 --> 00:14:05,551 Tawnee discovers that Victoria has been unfaithful. 228 00:14:07,620 --> 00:14:10,448 Tawnee introduced Victoria and this friend, 229 00:14:10,551 --> 00:14:11,965 and they would all hang out. 230 00:14:13,482 --> 00:14:16,172 And then I think Victoria, behind Tawnee's back, 231 00:14:16,275 --> 00:14:19,103 would go and hang out with this friend, 232 00:14:19,206 --> 00:14:21,551 and then they ended up getting together. 233 00:14:22,724 --> 00:14:26,172 Victoria had slept with one of Tawnee's very, 234 00:14:26,275 --> 00:14:29,517 very good friends that -- that she had grown up with. 235 00:14:31,241 --> 00:14:34,827 One of Tawnee's other friends told Tawnee. 236 00:14:36,862 --> 00:14:41,000 When Tawnee heard the news, she was very upset. 237 00:14:43,344 --> 00:14:45,068 A. GUNN: When Tawnee confronted Victoria, 238 00:14:45,172 --> 00:14:48,896 I think Victoria just played victim and just kind of 239 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,793 tried to make Tawnee feel bad for her. 240 00:14:53,310 --> 00:14:56,551 It was very ironic that Victoria was so jealous, 241 00:14:56,655 --> 00:14:58,310 and she was the only one cheating. 242 00:15:03,379 --> 00:15:05,482 NARRATOR: A few days later, Victoria posts 243 00:15:05,586 --> 00:15:07,793 a full-throated apology on YouTube. 244 00:15:14,965 --> 00:15:18,379 Victoria tried to win her back by saying she would never 245 00:15:18,482 --> 00:15:20,862 do it again and that she would treat her like a queen. 246 00:15:25,793 --> 00:15:27,482 I think when Tawnee saw the video, 247 00:15:27,586 --> 00:15:30,344 Tawnee felt special and loved. 248 00:15:43,586 --> 00:15:48,517 I was like, "Wow, that's -- that's the ultimate apology." 249 00:15:49,758 --> 00:15:51,586 And then they got back together. 250 00:15:53,034 --> 00:15:55,586 A. GUNN: Victoria just kind of manipulated her way 251 00:15:55,689 --> 00:15:57,551 back into Tawnee's life 252 00:15:57,655 --> 00:15:59,758 and kind of made it seem like it was more of 253 00:15:59,862 --> 00:16:03,000 the friend's fault, even though it wasn't. 254 00:16:06,344 --> 00:16:09,379 NARRATOR: In June 2012, tragedy strikes. 255 00:16:10,965 --> 00:16:14,482 D. GUNN: Victoria's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, 256 00:16:14,586 --> 00:16:17,413 and Tawnee was, like, sleeping over there with 257 00:16:17,517 --> 00:16:19,448 Victoria, because Victoria was just 258 00:16:19,551 --> 00:16:22,620 a wreck that her mother was dying. 259 00:16:23,586 --> 00:16:27,689 [Tawnee speaking] 260 00:16:27,793 --> 00:16:32,310 Her mother passed away when Victoria was about I think 19. 261 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,551 A. GUNN: Victoria was heartbroken. 262 00:16:36,655 --> 00:16:40,655 She would spend a lot of her time laying there crying. 263 00:16:41,689 --> 00:16:43,137 I did see a change in 264 00:16:43,241 --> 00:16:46,620 Victoria's behavior after her mom passed away. 265 00:16:46,724 --> 00:16:49,275 It seemed more dark. 266 00:16:49,379 --> 00:16:53,000 It kind of made her more angry at the world. 267 00:16:56,620 --> 00:17:00,000 NARRATOR: 19-year-old Victoria needs a new place to call home. 268 00:17:02,206 --> 00:17:06,000 D. GUNN: That's when Tawnee started really begging me 269 00:17:06,103 --> 00:17:09,068 for Victoria to come stay with us. 270 00:17:10,448 --> 00:17:12,655 And I was like, 271 00:17:12,758 --> 00:17:15,310 "No, she's not gonna come live with us," 272 00:17:15,413 --> 00:17:18,413 and Tawnee was like, "Mom, she's got nowhere to go. 273 00:17:18,517 --> 00:17:19,517 Come on." 274 00:17:21,689 --> 00:17:26,827 Then I agreed to letting Victoria come stay with us. 275 00:17:28,275 --> 00:17:30,172 Then she started becoming close with 276 00:17:30,275 --> 00:17:33,620 everybody, and she started calling me mom. 277 00:17:35,034 --> 00:17:37,413 It it was like having another kid, 278 00:17:37,517 --> 00:17:40,137 and we treated her like that. 279 00:17:42,034 --> 00:17:44,827 NARRATOR: Tawnee and Victoria are inseparable -- together, 280 00:17:44,931 --> 00:17:46,689 they plot their paths to stardom. 281 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:50,965 [Victoria speaks indistinctly] 282 00:17:54,034 --> 00:17:57,000 A. GUNN: She wanted to go to California and write music. 283 00:17:58,241 --> 00:17:59,896 That's all she ever talked about. 284 00:18:01,379 --> 00:18:03,344 MURRAY: She would always talk about going on tour 285 00:18:03,448 --> 00:18:06,448 with the famous people and being famous. 286 00:18:06,551 --> 00:18:09,448 [indistinct singing] 287 00:18:09,551 --> 00:18:13,620 She's singing, probably trying to freak people out. 288 00:18:16,206 --> 00:18:19,034 Tawnee enrolled at Salt Lake Community, 289 00:18:19,137 --> 00:18:22,724 and she was so excited to study in music. 290 00:18:25,206 --> 00:18:29,000 One thing that just bothered me -- every class 291 00:18:29,103 --> 00:18:33,241 Tawnee went to, there was Vicky just, like, waiting. 292 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:37,206 It's like Victoria couldn't find her own thing 293 00:18:37,310 --> 00:18:38,655 without Tawnee. 294 00:18:39,965 --> 00:18:43,034 She just had to have my daughter 24 hours a day. 295 00:18:43,137 --> 00:18:44,862 She couldn't let her out of her sight. 296 00:18:46,655 --> 00:18:50,310 NARRATOR: In the summer of 2013, Victoria comes up with 297 00:18:50,413 --> 00:18:53,310 a plan for her and Tawnee to earn money together. 298 00:18:55,827 --> 00:18:59,413 MURPHY: I was throwing events, concerts, dance parties. 299 00:19:00,586 --> 00:19:04,586 One day, they came up to me on one of our rooftop parties. 300 00:19:05,655 --> 00:19:08,000 Victoria was like, "Yo, what can I do? 301 00:19:08,103 --> 00:19:10,482 Like, I wanna be a part of this, I'll do anything." 302 00:19:11,965 --> 00:19:15,068 And from there, it's like, if I needed something like, hey, 303 00:19:15,172 --> 00:19:17,206 well, I'll go hand out 5,000 flyers, like boom, 304 00:19:17,310 --> 00:19:20,689 like I'll do it, and you know, it worked, like, they became 305 00:19:20,793 --> 00:19:23,724 a part of our crew -- two of my promoters. 306 00:19:25,793 --> 00:19:28,241 It really became like a friendship. 307 00:19:28,344 --> 00:19:32,103 Victoria, she's always writing, like, raps and poems. 308 00:19:32,206 --> 00:19:33,862 She wanted to be famous, 309 00:19:33,965 --> 00:19:36,034 and as a singer, and this was, like, her opportunity. 310 00:19:39,034 --> 00:19:41,103 They just had, like, super cool style, 311 00:19:41,206 --> 00:19:43,793 really friendly with everyone, 312 00:19:43,896 --> 00:19:47,448 which was surprising, because, like, I'm hearing stories of, 313 00:19:47,551 --> 00:19:48,931 like, while they're at bars and stuff, you know, 314 00:19:49,034 --> 00:19:52,000 Victoria is like, "Don't flirt with my girl," and fighting 315 00:19:52,103 --> 00:19:55,965 and screaming, like, violently fighting in front of people. 316 00:19:57,862 --> 00:20:00,344 NARRATOR: On one night in 2014, 317 00:20:00,448 --> 00:20:02,758 Aaron witnesses an explosive argument. 318 00:20:04,034 --> 00:20:06,034 MURPHY: Victoria was, like, screaming at her, 319 00:20:07,827 --> 00:20:10,275 and I'm like, yo, like, I don't wanna hear this no more. 320 00:20:11,655 --> 00:20:14,000 It was really toxic, really unhealthy, 321 00:20:14,103 --> 00:20:17,137 like, seeing them, like, fight so much. 322 00:20:17,241 --> 00:20:19,034 And I'm chatting with Victoria, and I'm like, "Come on, 323 00:20:19,137 --> 00:20:21,103 "you guys are just, like, screaming and fighting, like, 324 00:20:21,206 --> 00:20:23,965 "you just got to take a break, you gotta take a break. 325 00:20:24,068 --> 00:20:25,724 You guys are freaking gonna kill each other." 326 00:20:32,724 --> 00:20:35,034 NARRATOR: 21-year-old Victoria Mendoza 327 00:20:35,137 --> 00:20:36,551 is living with her girlfriend, 328 00:20:36,655 --> 00:20:39,655 Tawnee Baird in the basement of Tawnee's mom's house. 329 00:20:42,206 --> 00:20:45,896 Tawnee's siblings worry about Victoria's increasingly 330 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:47,344 erratic behavior. 331 00:20:52,172 --> 00:20:54,586 Tawnee would come to me sometimes about Victoria's mood 332 00:20:54,689 --> 00:20:56,517 swings, and she didn't know how to handle it 333 00:20:58,551 --> 00:21:02,068 Over time, Victoria's mood got worse and worse, 334 00:21:02,172 --> 00:21:04,655 and I think Tawnee got the worst of that. 335 00:21:06,413 --> 00:21:07,689 [whistling noise] 336 00:21:07,793 --> 00:21:10,344 NARRATOR: Tawnee's stepbrother. Jayden, witnesses 337 00:21:10,448 --> 00:21:11,827 a dramatic mood reversal. 338 00:21:13,448 --> 00:21:18,689 Tawnee's recording Jayden and Victoria 339 00:21:18,793 --> 00:21:22,655 talking, and I'm in the background. 340 00:21:26,586 --> 00:21:28,000 JAYDEN: Yes. 341 00:21:35,586 --> 00:21:38,413 NARRATOR: Victoria sees Tawnee with the camera. 342 00:21:38,517 --> 00:21:39,689 JAYDEN: Don't yell like that. 343 00:21:44,724 --> 00:21:45,793 JAYDEN: Look at this picture. 344 00:21:50,862 --> 00:21:53,551 MURRAY: It just, like, switched so fast. 345 00:21:53,655 --> 00:21:57,310 Every little thing would just be making her so mad, 346 00:21:57,413 --> 00:22:01,034 and then she'd go right back to being happy. 347 00:22:01,137 --> 00:22:03,000 It would just kind of flip on and off. 348 00:22:04,758 --> 00:22:09,275 Makes me kind of sad and mad to see her 349 00:22:09,379 --> 00:22:10,448 get annoyed with Tawnee. 350 00:22:11,551 --> 00:22:13,241 Tawnee was just trying to be funny. 351 00:22:15,206 --> 00:22:19,793 D. GUNN: Tawnee confided in me that she was becoming 352 00:22:19,896 --> 00:22:22,206 a little bit afraid of Victoria, 353 00:22:22,310 --> 00:22:26,862 that Victoria was becoming controlling. 354 00:22:29,793 --> 00:22:33,482 Victoria insisted on having passwords to everything. 355 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:38,482 She had to have control of Tawnee's Facebook 356 00:22:38,586 --> 00:22:40,241 and everything. 357 00:22:40,344 --> 00:22:43,034 A. GUNN: There are moments where Victoria would, like, demand to 358 00:22:43,137 --> 00:22:44,896 look through her messages 359 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,482 and then would find something so small 360 00:22:47,586 --> 00:22:49,724 and, like, make it into this huge fight. 361 00:22:52,310 --> 00:22:55,068 NARRATOR: Victoria's anger boils over into violence 362 00:22:55,172 --> 00:22:57,586 one night in September 2014. 363 00:23:04,482 --> 00:23:07,724 D. GUNN: Tawnee came to me and woke me up 364 00:23:07,827 --> 00:23:09,931 and said that Victoria had hit her, 365 00:23:10,034 --> 00:23:12,793 and I'd never heard her sound like that. 366 00:23:12,896 --> 00:23:15,379 She sounded like a little child, 367 00:23:15,482 --> 00:23:18,034 crawled up to me and was sobbing. 368 00:23:19,310 --> 00:23:21,310 I remember walking into my mom's room, 369 00:23:22,586 --> 00:23:24,862 and I was like, "Did I see that right? 370 00:23:24,965 --> 00:23:26,344 Is she missing a tooth?" 371 00:23:27,724 --> 00:23:31,655 She said, "V hit me, and my tooth got knocked out." 372 00:23:33,310 --> 00:23:36,241 D. GUNN: It makes me so sick to say her tooth 373 00:23:36,344 --> 00:23:41,241 was knocked out, because I feel like such a failure. 374 00:23:46,034 --> 00:23:48,517 Victoria had put her hands on Tawnee. 375 00:23:49,620 --> 00:23:52,241 I just said, "Get out of here, get out of here." 376 00:23:52,344 --> 00:23:54,586 I threw her out. 377 00:23:54,689 --> 00:23:56,758 And I was about to call the police, 378 00:23:56,862 --> 00:24:01,068 and Tawnee begged me not to call the cops. 379 00:24:01,172 --> 00:24:02,896 And I said, "I am dead serious. 380 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,310 You guys are staying away from each other." 381 00:24:09,413 --> 00:24:12,482 The next day, she came back. 382 00:24:13,655 --> 00:24:16,827 "Well, mom, we're made up now," and I'm like, "No, 383 00:24:16,931 --> 00:24:19,793 you guys cannot just make up." 384 00:24:21,379 --> 00:24:23,620 I did everything in my power to get that girl 385 00:24:23,724 --> 00:24:24,862 out of my house. 386 00:24:24,965 --> 00:24:28,172 And it is so hard, because I don't want Tawnee 387 00:24:28,275 --> 00:24:29,793 to leave with her. 388 00:24:29,896 --> 00:24:33,137 You know, I don't want to lose my daughter. 389 00:24:33,241 --> 00:24:36,068 My grandma and my mom were doing everything they could to 390 00:24:36,172 --> 00:24:38,068 get Victoria on her feet so that 391 00:24:38,172 --> 00:24:41,413 we could get Victoria away from Tawnee without sending 392 00:24:41,517 --> 00:24:43,103 her to a homeless shelter. 393 00:24:44,241 --> 00:24:46,620 I think the reason why Tawnee 394 00:24:46,724 --> 00:24:48,758 forgave her was because she was scared. 395 00:24:50,172 --> 00:24:54,172 The state of their relationship seemed really toxic. 396 00:24:55,724 --> 00:24:57,758 Everybody wanted them to break up. 397 00:24:57,862 --> 00:24:59,068 And I think Tawnee did, too. 398 00:25:01,931 --> 00:25:03,586 NARRATOR: One month after Victoria 399 00:25:03,689 --> 00:25:05,000 punches Tawnee in the mouth, 400 00:25:06,413 --> 00:25:10,137 Tawnee's best friend, Lacy, joins the couple on a night out. 401 00:25:12,206 --> 00:25:15,896 October 17th, 2014, Lacy, 402 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:19,827 Tawnee, and Victoria were driving up to Ogden 403 00:25:19,931 --> 00:25:20,896 to meet some friends. 404 00:25:22,689 --> 00:25:26,137 BAIRD: They stopped in Bountiful at a party, 405 00:25:26,241 --> 00:25:29,758 and then there was a little bickering between 406 00:25:29,862 --> 00:25:33,758 Tawnee and Victoria at the party over some guy. 407 00:25:35,103 --> 00:25:39,448 A: GUNN: And Victoria got really jealous, and I think Victoria 408 00:25:39,551 --> 00:25:42,793 kind of had a hunch that Tawnee was moving on. 409 00:25:44,517 --> 00:25:47,241 And so Victoria was throwing a fit all night 410 00:25:47,344 --> 00:25:49,862 and just being rude and passive-aggressive, 411 00:25:49,965 --> 00:25:51,172 so they ended up leaving. 412 00:25:55,241 --> 00:25:58,275 Lacy I think said that the atmosphere in the car 413 00:25:58,379 --> 00:25:59,655 was tense. 414 00:26:02,068 --> 00:26:04,827 You know, I think she knew that Victoria was irritated 415 00:26:04,931 --> 00:26:06,551 and jealous, and it was 416 00:26:06,655 --> 00:26:11,137 such a normal thing that it didn't really occur to Lacy 417 00:26:11,241 --> 00:26:12,896 about what could happen. 418 00:26:15,448 --> 00:26:17,172 D. GUNN: They dropped Lacy off, 419 00:26:19,034 --> 00:26:22,379 and then that's when things went downhill. 420 00:26:24,413 --> 00:26:25,379 [distant phone ringing] 421 00:26:25,482 --> 00:26:27,482 NARRATOR: At 12:31 a.m., 422 00:26:27,586 --> 00:26:30,103 Aaron Murphy receives a call from Victoria. 423 00:26:30,206 --> 00:26:31,551 [phone ringing] 424 00:26:31,655 --> 00:26:34,379 [Mendoza speaking] 425 00:26:35,482 --> 00:26:37,896 I remember her saying, like, I did something bad. 426 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:41,689 [Mendoza speaking] 427 00:26:43,172 --> 00:26:45,310 I didn't know how to react, you know, or what to do. 428 00:26:45,413 --> 00:26:47,620 And that was the reason why I went and woke up 429 00:26:47,724 --> 00:26:50,068 my friend, I'm like, you know, this is like some 430 00:26:50,172 --> 00:26:52,241 crazy things that she's telling me right now. 431 00:26:52,344 --> 00:26:55,206 [Mendoza speaking] 432 00:26:55,310 --> 00:26:58,931 [Murphy speaking] 433 00:26:59,034 --> 00:27:04,206 [Mendoza speaking] 434 00:27:04,310 --> 00:27:08,000 [Murphy speaking] 435 00:27:12,275 --> 00:27:14,931 [Mendoza speaking] 436 00:27:15,034 --> 00:27:16,310 [Murphy speaking] 437 00:27:17,931 --> 00:27:19,241 [Mendoza speaking] 438 00:27:26,931 --> 00:27:27,896 [Mendoza speaking] 439 00:27:29,551 --> 00:27:32,241 My friend yells out, "Yo, where's Tawnee?" 440 00:27:32,344 --> 00:27:34,137 [Murphy speaking] 441 00:27:34,241 --> 00:27:36,310 You know, and she responds... 442 00:27:36,413 --> 00:27:39,034 [Mendoza speaking] 443 00:27:39,137 --> 00:27:42,793 [Murphy speaking] 444 00:27:42,896 --> 00:27:47,137 This nauseous disbelief, you know, 445 00:27:47,241 --> 00:27:49,172 like, going into a panic attack. 446 00:27:49,275 --> 00:27:51,655 Like, am I in a dream? Like, is this real? 447 00:27:52,862 --> 00:27:56,206 [Mendoza speaking] 448 00:27:58,103 --> 00:28:01,517 [Murphy speaking] 449 00:28:01,620 --> 00:28:03,827 [Mendoza speaking] 450 00:28:03,931 --> 00:28:05,793 [Murphy speaking] 451 00:28:05,896 --> 00:28:07,827 [Mendoza speaking] 452 00:28:07,931 --> 00:28:09,931 [Murphy speaking] 453 00:28:10,034 --> 00:28:11,586 [Mendoza speaking] 454 00:28:11,689 --> 00:28:13,551 [Murphy speaking] 455 00:28:13,655 --> 00:28:19,000 [Mendoza speaking] 456 00:28:22,103 --> 00:28:24,310 [Murphy speaking] 457 00:28:32,965 --> 00:28:35,206 [phone ringing] 458 00:28:35,310 --> 00:28:38,310 [911 operator speaking] 459 00:28:49,758 --> 00:28:52,379 [911 operator speaking] 460 00:28:52,482 --> 00:28:55,689 [Murphy speaking] 461 00:28:58,931 --> 00:29:01,275 NARRATOR: Minutes later, Ogden City P.D. 462 00:29:01,379 --> 00:29:03,586 receives a second 911 call. 463 00:29:03,689 --> 00:29:04,793 [phone ringing] 464 00:29:04,896 --> 00:29:08,241 [911 operator speaking] 465 00:29:08,344 --> 00:29:10,000 PETERSON: Shortly before 1 a.m. 466 00:29:10,103 --> 00:29:14,275 on 18th of October, dispatch received a 911 call 467 00:29:14,379 --> 00:29:17,000 from an individual reporting a homicide in 468 00:29:17,103 --> 00:29:19,275 the area of 25th Indie Avenue. 469 00:29:20,965 --> 00:29:24,379 NARRATOR: The caller is Victoria Mendoza's older sister, Cindy. 470 00:29:25,689 --> 00:29:27,689 Victoria called Cindy and asked her to 471 00:29:27,793 --> 00:29:30,241 meet her at a church in Ogden. 472 00:29:30,344 --> 00:29:33,000 [Spencer speaking] 473 00:29:37,620 --> 00:29:39,517 [911 operator speaking] 474 00:29:39,620 --> 00:29:42,206 [Spencer speaking] 475 00:29:42,310 --> 00:29:45,413 [911 operator speaking] 476 00:29:45,517 --> 00:29:47,310 [Spencer speaking] 477 00:29:54,482 --> 00:29:56,034 Officers located the scene at 478 00:29:56,137 --> 00:29:59,379 the Gospel Tabernacle Family Worship center. 479 00:29:59,482 --> 00:30:01,000 When officers arrived at the scene, 480 00:30:01,103 --> 00:30:04,379 Cindy Spencer was on scene kind of waiting for them 481 00:30:04,482 --> 00:30:05,620 and waving them down. 482 00:30:07,862 --> 00:30:10,137 PICKETT: As I got out of my vehicle, 483 00:30:10,241 --> 00:30:14,689 I saw Victoria laying on the ground in a prone position. 484 00:30:14,793 --> 00:30:17,689 There was a large amount of blood on her clothing. 485 00:30:17,793 --> 00:30:20,448 And so I asked her if she was injured. 486 00:30:20,551 --> 00:30:23,137 Um, and she said she wasn't, 487 00:30:23,241 --> 00:30:26,103 and I said, "If this isn't your blood, then whose is it?" 488 00:30:26,206 --> 00:30:30,103 And she said, "There's a dead person in the vehicle." 489 00:30:30,206 --> 00:30:31,275 At that point, 490 00:30:31,379 --> 00:30:33,620 I kind of figured out she was probably my suspect. 491 00:30:35,482 --> 00:30:39,448 She remained on the ground and was completely compliant. 492 00:30:41,965 --> 00:30:43,413 As I approached the vehicle, 493 00:30:43,517 --> 00:30:45,655 I saw the driver's side door was open. 494 00:30:48,413 --> 00:30:52,034 I walked over to the open passenger door 495 00:30:52,137 --> 00:30:54,068 and looked inside, 496 00:30:54,172 --> 00:30:56,172 and that's where I saw the victim 497 00:30:56,275 --> 00:30:57,758 in the passenger front seat. 498 00:30:59,931 --> 00:31:02,827 It was really confusing as to what it was I was looking at. 499 00:31:04,241 --> 00:31:07,896 The victim was kneeling on the front seat 500 00:31:09,137 --> 00:31:11,482 with her face down in the seat. 501 00:31:11,586 --> 00:31:15,793 Her rear end was up in the air towards the dashboard. 502 00:31:15,896 --> 00:31:17,793 There was a large amount of blood on 503 00:31:17,896 --> 00:31:21,103 the seats, on the door, on the dash. 504 00:31:21,206 --> 00:31:22,896 [sirens wailing] 505 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:26,103 NARRATOR: Victoria is taken to Ogden City Police Department. 506 00:31:28,310 --> 00:31:31,862 WALKER: Victoria was adamant that she wanted to be honest 507 00:31:31,965 --> 00:31:33,655 and that she wanted to cooperate with 508 00:31:33,758 --> 00:31:35,172 the investigation. 509 00:31:36,379 --> 00:31:37,517 And then... 510 00:31:37,620 --> 00:31:39,827 WALKER: Victoria said during her interview that she was 511 00:31:39,931 --> 00:31:43,068 driving and that Tawnee was sitting in the passenger seat. 512 00:31:45,310 --> 00:31:47,172 WALKER: She said that she was arguing with 513 00:31:47,275 --> 00:31:50,965 Tawnee throughout the night about infidelity issues. 514 00:31:51,068 --> 00:31:54,137 She had accused Tawnee of wanting to be intimate 515 00:31:54,241 --> 00:31:55,344 with men. 516 00:31:55,448 --> 00:31:59,379 She said that they began slapping each other in the car. 517 00:32:02,586 --> 00:32:04,620 WALKER: Victoria said that her only defense 518 00:32:04,724 --> 00:32:06,620 to not crash was to protect herself 519 00:32:06,724 --> 00:32:07,793 against Tawnee's assault. 520 00:32:09,034 --> 00:32:10,758 [Mendoza speaking] 521 00:32:15,862 --> 00:32:17,758 She said that's a trigger for her. 522 00:32:34,482 --> 00:32:35,586 [phone ringing] 523 00:32:35,689 --> 00:32:38,310 NARRATOR: Dana gets a call from Lacy, the friend that 524 00:32:38,413 --> 00:32:41,379 Tawnee and Victoria dropped home the night before. 525 00:32:41,482 --> 00:32:42,655 [phone ringing] 526 00:32:42,758 --> 00:32:47,620 D. GUNN: I was sleeping, and Lacy called me, 527 00:32:49,172 --> 00:32:52,379 and she said, "I think Victoria killed Tawnee last night." 528 00:32:53,965 --> 00:32:56,862 I said, "What are you talking about? 529 00:32:56,965 --> 00:33:00,068 How can that even be possible?" 530 00:33:03,275 --> 00:33:06,758 When the police pulled up to my house, 531 00:33:06,862 --> 00:33:09,000 they told me that my daughter was dead 532 00:33:11,172 --> 00:33:14,793 and that Victoria was in custody and that she'd stabbed her. 533 00:33:16,931 --> 00:33:20,586 Yeah, I just... passed out, I just... 534 00:33:20,689 --> 00:33:22,482 lost it. 535 00:33:25,379 --> 00:33:27,586 WALKER: The knife that was used in the crime 536 00:33:27,689 --> 00:33:30,931 was located in the back seat on the floor. 537 00:33:31,034 --> 00:33:35,379 It was a about 5- to 6-inch foldable knife. 538 00:33:35,482 --> 00:33:39,206 Tawnee had a significant amount of stab wounds on her face, 539 00:33:39,310 --> 00:33:41,206 her head, her chest. 540 00:33:43,379 --> 00:33:45,448 CSI noticed that there was blood spatter 541 00:33:45,551 --> 00:33:47,655 on the driver's side interior window 542 00:33:49,103 --> 00:33:51,379 and that there was blood in the driver's seat. 543 00:33:52,517 --> 00:33:54,275 There was also a blood swipe 544 00:33:54,379 --> 00:33:56,724 that was across the center console. 545 00:33:58,379 --> 00:34:01,482 And once Victoria's jacket was zipped up, there was a clear 546 00:34:01,586 --> 00:34:04,689 void, which showed the passenger side 547 00:34:04,793 --> 00:34:07,310 seat belt had been across her jacket, 548 00:34:07,413 --> 00:34:09,965 which also confirmed Victoria was in the passenger seat when 549 00:34:10,068 --> 00:34:11,793 the assault occurred, with Tawnee 550 00:34:11,896 --> 00:34:13,757 the victim in the driver's seat at the time. 551 00:34:15,103 --> 00:34:19,724 [officer speaking] 552 00:34:22,172 --> 00:34:26,551 [officer speaking] 553 00:34:26,655 --> 00:34:29,103 WALKER: I believe Victoria said she was 554 00:34:29,206 --> 00:34:32,862 driving to help her self-defense claim. 555 00:34:32,965 --> 00:34:34,206 But that wasn't something 556 00:34:34,310 --> 00:34:37,275 that investigators thought was possible. 557 00:34:37,379 --> 00:34:40,757 [officer speaking] 558 00:34:53,620 --> 00:34:55,482 NARRATOR: The medical examiner's assessment of 559 00:34:55,585 --> 00:34:57,206 Tawnee's body at the crime scene 560 00:34:58,517 --> 00:35:02,827 counts two dozen wounds across her arms, head, and torso. 561 00:35:05,965 --> 00:35:08,620 [officer speaking] 562 00:35:10,931 --> 00:35:12,379 [officer speaking] 563 00:35:14,068 --> 00:35:15,448 [officer speaking] 564 00:35:20,448 --> 00:35:22,000 [officer speaking] 565 00:35:41,137 --> 00:35:44,724 [officer speaking] 566 00:35:50,758 --> 00:35:54,724 Throughout the interview, Victoria was incredibly stoic. 567 00:35:54,827 --> 00:35:58,137 I think she was in denial that Tawnee was actually dead. 568 00:36:00,241 --> 00:36:04,000 NARRATOR: The initial assessment of Tawnee's wounds was too low. 569 00:36:05,931 --> 00:36:08,827 WALKER: Tawnee was transported to the Utah Medical 570 00:36:08,931 --> 00:36:12,275 Examiner's Office, where an autopsy was conducted. 571 00:36:12,379 --> 00:36:16,793 And they determined that she had been stabbed 46 times. 572 00:36:16,896 --> 00:36:20,379 NARRATOR: The stab wounds and the blood spatter 573 00:36:20,482 --> 00:36:21,448 leave no doubt. 574 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:25,482 Victoria stabbed her girlfriend deliberately 575 00:36:25,586 --> 00:36:27,862 while Tawnee was driving home. 576 00:36:32,206 --> 00:36:35,310 BAIRD: My daughter, Tawnee, had been stabbed 46 times. 577 00:36:36,620 --> 00:36:39,448 There was 22 stab wounds in my daughter's 578 00:36:39,551 --> 00:36:41,758 right arm, because my daughter was driving the car. 579 00:36:41,862 --> 00:36:44,275 I think she was trying to fight herself off of Victoria. 580 00:36:46,482 --> 00:36:49,034 NARRATOR: Victoria finally admits that she was sitting 581 00:36:49,137 --> 00:36:51,827 in the passenger seat when she stabbed Tawnee. 582 00:37:00,655 --> 00:37:02,862 [officer speaking] 583 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,551 Victoria said that once Tawnee was deceased, 584 00:37:12,655 --> 00:37:16,034 that she took control of the steering wheel and pulled 585 00:37:16,137 --> 00:37:17,896 the car over to the side of the road, 586 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:20,724 where she pulled Tawnee into the passenger seat 587 00:37:20,827 --> 00:37:23,068 and climbed over her and continued driving. 588 00:37:25,103 --> 00:37:29,172 Stabbing Tawnee and Tawnee dying immediately and the vehicle 589 00:37:29,275 --> 00:37:32,896 not crashing does seem like a far-fetched theory. 590 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:35,586 But that was the one that Victoria stuck to. 591 00:37:37,655 --> 00:37:40,379 [Mendoza speaking] 592 00:37:48,586 --> 00:37:50,206 [officer speaking] 593 00:38:18,655 --> 00:38:20,068 In this case, the defendant 594 00:38:20,172 --> 00:38:22,241 and Miss Baird had gotten into an argument 595 00:38:22,344 --> 00:38:23,413 while they were traveling. 596 00:38:23,517 --> 00:38:26,137 Uh, it looks like, uh on I-15, 597 00:38:27,206 --> 00:38:30,689 The defendant stated that Baird had, quote, smacked her 598 00:38:30,793 --> 00:38:32,172 and pulled her hair, 599 00:38:32,275 --> 00:38:37,172 which caused the defendant to become enraged and to snap. 600 00:38:37,275 --> 00:38:39,517 The defendant then proceeded to draw her knife 601 00:38:39,620 --> 00:38:43,586 and stab Miss Baird in excess of 40 times. 602 00:38:44,896 --> 00:38:46,310 NARRATOR: But there's a shock in store. 603 00:38:47,931 --> 00:38:49,310 At a preliminary hearing, 604 00:38:50,965 --> 00:38:52,827 Victoria pleads not guilty. 605 00:38:54,551 --> 00:38:57,965 I was like, how could you possibly say not guilty? 606 00:38:58,068 --> 00:39:00,586 Like, what are you talking about? 607 00:39:03,689 --> 00:39:06,068 BAIRD: That night, they went to a party. 608 00:39:07,172 --> 00:39:11,241 There was a fight between Tawnee and Victoria over some guy. 609 00:39:12,965 --> 00:39:15,034 They left the party. 610 00:39:15,137 --> 00:39:18,172 They were driving on the freeway after they dropped off Lacy, 611 00:39:18,275 --> 00:39:21,379 and I think Tawnee was just like, you know what? We're done. 612 00:39:22,586 --> 00:39:25,758 I think Tawnee was maybe sick of it and told her that she wanted 613 00:39:25,862 --> 00:39:28,379 to break up, because I know she was close to breaking up 614 00:39:28,482 --> 00:39:30,344 with her anyway. 615 00:39:30,448 --> 00:39:31,793 And for some reason, a lot 616 00:39:31,896 --> 00:39:34,241 of Victoria's stuff was in the trunk. 617 00:39:34,344 --> 00:39:37,103 I don't know if that was planned by my daughter, Tawnee, 618 00:39:37,206 --> 00:39:40,275 but I think Tawnee was dropping her off at her sister's, 619 00:39:40,379 --> 00:39:41,965 and she was done with the relationship. 620 00:39:43,310 --> 00:39:46,482 I think Tawnee had said something in the car, 621 00:39:46,586 --> 00:39:48,448 and Victoria snapped. 622 00:39:50,448 --> 00:39:51,689 That's when the stabbing started. 623 00:39:53,862 --> 00:39:55,931 It's like a light switch flipped that night. 624 00:39:57,448 --> 00:40:00,793 NARRATOR: Victoria later changes her plea to guilty. 625 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:07,344 She addresses the court at her sentencing in November 2015. 626 00:40:08,413 --> 00:40:12,620 [Mendoza speaking] 627 00:40:20,379 --> 00:40:24,413 A. GUNN: The way Victoria was in court was kind of unsettling. 628 00:40:24,517 --> 00:40:27,724 There were moments where she was laughing and smiling 629 00:40:27,827 --> 00:40:30,551 with her lawyer, which we all found really disturbing. 630 00:40:31,620 --> 00:40:33,862 You know, she didn't look at us at all. 631 00:40:33,965 --> 00:40:35,206 After everything, 632 00:40:35,310 --> 00:40:38,655 she still wants people to feel bad for her. 633 00:40:38,758 --> 00:40:40,620 No one is going to feel bad for you now. 634 00:40:41,724 --> 00:40:43,827 You are a monster, and it is your fault. 635 00:40:46,448 --> 00:40:49,241 NARRATOR: Victoria Mendoza is sentenced to 16 years 636 00:40:49,344 --> 00:40:51,758 to life for the murder of Tawnee Baird. 637 00:40:53,517 --> 00:40:57,000 She will be eligible for parole in 2039. 638 00:41:01,310 --> 00:41:02,413 [Dana speaking] 639 00:41:09,344 --> 00:41:12,551 A. GUNN: Life without Tawnee is lonely. 640 00:41:14,241 --> 00:41:17,068 It's hard not having her around, because 641 00:41:17,172 --> 00:41:19,655 I want to tell her so many things. 642 00:41:19,758 --> 00:41:22,068 We learned to live through it, 643 00:41:22,172 --> 00:41:24,068 but we never accept it. 644 00:41:25,862 --> 00:41:27,310 BAIRD: If my daughter was alive, 645 00:41:27,413 --> 00:41:31,000 and I was to dream of Tawnee's future, 646 00:41:32,275 --> 00:41:35,724 I think that Tawnee was on her way to California. 647 00:41:35,827 --> 00:41:38,862 I think she was going to end up being a movie star, 648 00:41:38,965 --> 00:41:40,137 somehow, some way. 649 00:41:42,344 --> 00:41:46,206 I want Tawnee to be remembered as -- as that fun-loving, 650 00:41:46,310 --> 00:41:51,482 big-hearted little girl that wouldn't hurt a fly. 651 00:41:53,103 --> 00:41:56,724 D. GUNN: Tawnee had so much to give and such a beautiful 652 00:41:56,827 --> 00:42:00,206 life ahead of her, and we loved her so much. 653 00:42:01,379 --> 00:42:04,758 We still do, and we just think about her every day. 654 00:42:05,862 --> 00:42:08,241 It just makes my heart hurt so much.