1 00:00:06,896 --> 00:00:09,724 In the summer of 2015, I feel that 2 00:00:09,724 --> 00:00:13,034 Molly and Adam were in a good space. 3 00:00:14,275 --> 00:00:16,965 I felt like they were building toward a future. 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:21,068 BILLY: The cabin was Molly and Adam's retirement home. 5 00:00:21,137 --> 00:00:22,896 We would all get together up there 6 00:00:22,896 --> 00:00:24,862 and target shoot and stuff like that. 7 00:00:24,931 --> 00:00:26,275 [gunshot blasts] 8 00:00:26,344 --> 00:00:29,379 RACHEL: It was typical for Nolen to stay off, 9 00:00:29,379 --> 00:00:30,586 kind of on his own. 10 00:00:30,586 --> 00:00:33,379 He was very distant. 11 00:00:33,379 --> 00:00:36,000 He was kind of, like, a weird dude -- in high school, 12 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:39,241 he would, like, punch walls until his hands were bleeding. 13 00:00:41,172 --> 00:00:42,965 What I see is somebody seething. 14 00:00:43,896 --> 00:00:46,275 Dark -- really, really dark. 15 00:00:46,275 --> 00:00:49,000 DARIAN: You can definitely connect the dots, seeing 16 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,862 every breadcrumb and what it unfortunately led to. 17 00:00:54,793 --> 00:00:57,620 SUSAN: I knew for sure he was lying, 18 00:00:57,620 --> 00:01:01,965 and I knew exactly who he was at that moment. 19 00:01:04,275 --> 00:01:07,379 [theme music playing] 20 00:01:15,103 --> 00:01:17,655 [mellow music playing] 21 00:01:19,310 --> 00:01:23,551 NARRATOR: It's Christmas 2014 in Greenwood, California. 22 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,862 35-year-old Molly McAfee is lighting 23 00:01:27,931 --> 00:01:31,068 a campfire in her own special way. 24 00:01:31,068 --> 00:01:32,482 [woman speaking] 25 00:01:32,482 --> 00:01:34,517 We are cold, we are up at the cabin, 26 00:01:34,517 --> 00:01:36,517 we are trying to light a fire. 27 00:01:36,517 --> 00:01:38,793 [distant gunshot blast] 28 00:01:38,793 --> 00:01:40,723 And, uh, 29 00:01:40,723 --> 00:01:43,482 we put a little bottle of gas in there, and Molly 30 00:01:43,482 --> 00:01:47,689 tried to shoot it out, and she shot it out completely. 31 00:01:47,758 --> 00:01:49,758 It didn't explode like she wanted. 32 00:01:51,896 --> 00:01:54,103 [gunshot blasts] 33 00:01:54,103 --> 00:01:57,068 It was actually hilarious to watch Molly go at it, 34 00:01:57,068 --> 00:01:59,275 back and forth, trying to get this fire going. 35 00:01:59,275 --> 00:02:00,551 [woman speaking] 36 00:02:01,379 --> 00:02:04,344 But boy, when it went, it was -- it was crazy. 37 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,275 NARRATOR: Molly is with her partner, Adam, 38 00:02:11,275 --> 00:02:13,275 her seven-year-old son, Gavin, 39 00:02:13,275 --> 00:02:15,965 and 15-year-old stepson, Nolen. 40 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,241 They're all staying at Adam's cabin. 41 00:02:22,172 --> 00:02:25,068 SUSAN: The cabin was in Greenwood, California. 42 00:02:25,137 --> 00:02:26,758 It's in El Dorado County. 43 00:02:28,275 --> 00:02:31,965 It was pretty deep in the mountains. 44 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,793 BILLY: The cabin was Molly and Adam's retirement home. 45 00:02:37,517 --> 00:02:39,965 The shell of the cabin was there. 46 00:02:40,793 --> 00:02:44,172 But inside the cabin, it was just frame. 47 00:02:44,172 --> 00:02:45,379 There was nothing hooked up. 48 00:02:45,379 --> 00:02:49,724 There was no power to it, no gas to it, no water to it, 49 00:02:49,724 --> 00:02:51,586 anything like that. 50 00:02:51,655 --> 00:02:55,172 Molly and Adam and Gavin and Nolen would probably spend 51 00:02:55,172 --> 00:02:58,067 almost every weekend up at the cabin. 52 00:02:58,137 --> 00:03:01,068 They were working on it, rebuilding it. 53 00:03:04,172 --> 00:03:06,793 NARRATOR: Adam owns a successful construction company 54 00:03:06,793 --> 00:03:09,000 two hours' drive away in Benicia, 55 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,793 where he lives with Molly, Nolen, and Gavin. 56 00:03:13,482 --> 00:03:15,655 SUSAN: Adams, he was a general contractor. 57 00:03:16,793 --> 00:03:19,448 They could build a house from the ground up. 58 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:22,793 Molly was the bookkeeper, 59 00:03:22,862 --> 00:03:26,793 office manager, taking calls, doing receptionist work. 60 00:03:29,068 --> 00:03:31,862 RACHEL: Nolen was always around his dad's business. 61 00:03:33,482 --> 00:03:34,862 When we first met him, 62 00:03:34,930 --> 00:03:37,965 he was at the job site daily with his dad. 63 00:03:40,689 --> 00:03:44,586 Adam was really professional. 64 00:03:44,655 --> 00:03:47,067 His company did fantastic work, 65 00:03:47,137 --> 00:03:51,067 and it seemed like a successful business to me. 66 00:03:57,517 --> 00:03:59,793 NARRATOR: Adam uses the profits from his construction 67 00:03:59,862 --> 00:04:02,793 company to buy the cabin in 2014. 68 00:04:04,689 --> 00:04:06,586 It's a place where all the family go 69 00:04:06,586 --> 00:04:10,482 to enjoy nature and their passion for firearms. 70 00:04:12,896 --> 00:04:16,000 We would all get together up there, and we would shoot guns, 71 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:17,896 you know, target shoot and stuff like that. 72 00:04:17,896 --> 00:04:19,481 Guns was something that you had to 73 00:04:19,481 --> 00:04:22,172 have up there for your own protection. 74 00:04:22,172 --> 00:04:25,551 So there were always guns up there, always. 75 00:04:26,724 --> 00:04:30,275 RACHEL: Adam taught my daughter how to shoot his little pistol. 76 00:04:31,310 --> 00:04:33,034 -[gunshot blasts] -ADAM: Whoa! 77 00:04:34,275 --> 00:04:37,793 He shot rifles with my son. 78 00:04:41,068 --> 00:04:42,862 [gunshot blasts] 79 00:04:47,517 --> 00:04:49,793 [Rachel speaking] 80 00:04:50,896 --> 00:04:53,068 NARRATOR: And Adam teaches his own sons, 81 00:04:53,137 --> 00:04:54,965 Nolen and Gavin, to shoot, too. 82 00:04:57,172 --> 00:04:58,482 I didn't like it. 83 00:04:58,482 --> 00:05:00,482 I didn't like Gavin shooting the guns. 84 00:05:00,551 --> 00:05:03,000 I didn't like Nolen having guns from the very, 85 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,379 very beginning when Molly told me, "It's okay, 86 00:05:05,379 --> 00:05:08,275 "mom, we're sending him to gun safety class. 87 00:05:08,275 --> 00:05:09,551 It will be fine." 88 00:05:13,172 --> 00:05:16,275 They wanted him to learn how to shoot them properly, because 89 00:05:16,275 --> 00:05:18,965 their feeling was that if you respect the gun, 90 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,103 you're not gonna cause problems with it, 91 00:05:21,103 --> 00:05:22,896 or people aren't going to get hurt. 92 00:05:22,896 --> 00:05:25,000 [gunshot blasts] 93 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:28,172 BILLY: I think Nolen was really responsible around the guns. 94 00:05:28,172 --> 00:05:31,172 He knew how to handle a firearm. 95 00:05:37,172 --> 00:05:40,379 Molly and Adam met in January of 2006. 96 00:05:41,620 --> 00:05:43,482 They met on a dating site, 97 00:05:43,482 --> 00:05:48,586 and she fell head over heels with Adam instantly. 98 00:05:48,586 --> 00:05:51,689 By the end of January, Molly was living with him. 99 00:05:54,275 --> 00:05:55,896 It was so quick, 100 00:05:55,896 --> 00:05:58,965 but she was happy, and that's all that mattered. 101 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,172 When Adam met Molly, he had a son, Nolen Buchanan. 102 00:06:05,172 --> 00:06:07,862 He had full custody of Nolen. 103 00:06:07,931 --> 00:06:10,379 Nolen was about six at the time. 104 00:06:12,275 --> 00:06:14,000 She took care of him. 105 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,275 He was never her stepson -- he was always her son. 106 00:06:18,896 --> 00:06:20,896 RACHEL: Molly had a lot of miscarriages, 107 00:06:20,896 --> 00:06:24,241 and her dream was to always be a mom. 108 00:06:32,482 --> 00:06:36,896 Molly was beyond excited when she became pregnant with Gavin. 109 00:06:36,896 --> 00:06:41,137 It was her dream come true to finally have a baby. 110 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:47,965 Gavin was born on September 5th, 2007. 111 00:06:50,275 --> 00:06:52,551 BILLY: Molly took to being a mom right away. 112 00:06:53,482 --> 00:06:56,965 She was so happy that she finally had 113 00:06:58,379 --> 00:07:00,793 her own child. 114 00:07:04,103 --> 00:07:07,241 I think that's probably the happiest I'd ever seen her. 115 00:07:11,482 --> 00:07:16,241 SUSAN: Gavin was mischievous and playful and funny and fun, 116 00:07:17,103 --> 00:07:20,551 and he liked being the center of attention. 117 00:07:36,896 --> 00:07:38,172 So that's my Gavin. 118 00:07:38,241 --> 00:07:39,586 That's my Spider-Man, 119 00:07:39,655 --> 00:07:41,344 actually, that is Spider-Man. 120 00:07:45,310 --> 00:07:48,275 That's right, get your mask on, Gav -- there you are. 121 00:07:52,413 --> 00:07:55,172 BILLY: He's in the driveway at our house, 122 00:07:55,241 --> 00:07:58,103 and he's doing the Spider-Man web thing. 123 00:07:58,103 --> 00:08:00,965 Psh psh psh psh psh. 124 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:02,862 I laughed so hard. 125 00:08:02,931 --> 00:08:04,793 I had tears rolling down my face, 126 00:08:04,862 --> 00:08:06,793 I was laughing so hard over that. 127 00:08:06,862 --> 00:08:08,793 That was hilarious. 128 00:08:10,275 --> 00:08:12,896 He was a good boy. 129 00:08:12,896 --> 00:08:14,517 NARRATOR: As well as a playful side, 130 00:08:14,517 --> 00:08:18,965 Gavin also has a soft spot for animals, especially dogs. 131 00:08:22,724 --> 00:08:27,586 RACHEL: In 2012, Gavin saw a nonprofit, 132 00:08:27,655 --> 00:08:29,379 and they were collecting money to 133 00:08:29,448 --> 00:08:33,068 provide police protective gear for police canines. 134 00:08:34,586 --> 00:08:36,895 BILLY: Gavin got his piggy bank and said, "I want to 135 00:08:36,895 --> 00:08:41,136 give my money to the doggies so they don't get killed." 136 00:08:43,309 --> 00:08:46,275 NARRATOR: Molly is a devoted mom to Gavin, 137 00:08:46,275 --> 00:08:49,689 but her relationship with Adam is turbulent. 138 00:08:52,620 --> 00:08:55,586 RACHEL: Molly and Adam had 139 00:08:55,586 --> 00:08:58,862 a very up and down relationship. 140 00:08:58,931 --> 00:09:03,172 One minute they were madly in love, and the next, 141 00:09:03,172 --> 00:09:07,034 they were fighting, and she could never do anything right. 142 00:09:07,896 --> 00:09:10,482 She never had things cleaned enough. 143 00:09:10,482 --> 00:09:12,379 She never did enough at the house. 144 00:09:19,586 --> 00:09:22,241 NARRATOR: Adam is hard on his son, Nolen, too. 145 00:09:24,586 --> 00:09:27,586 RACHEL: I noticed Adam was very strict 146 00:09:27,655 --> 00:09:31,586 with Nolen in his teen years. 147 00:09:32,724 --> 00:09:34,620 You know, he expected him to work. 148 00:09:34,620 --> 00:09:38,482 He expected him to have good grades, which he did not have. 149 00:09:38,482 --> 00:09:40,862 He expected him to, you know, 150 00:09:40,931 --> 00:09:44,172 help around the house and take care of Gavin, 151 00:09:44,172 --> 00:09:48,482 kind of grow up more than he should at that age. 152 00:09:48,482 --> 00:09:50,586 [gunshot blasts] 153 00:09:50,586 --> 00:09:55,620 It was typical for Nolen to stay off kind of on his own. 154 00:09:55,620 --> 00:09:59,586 He did join us at times, but he was very distant. 155 00:09:59,655 --> 00:10:00,931 He was quiet. 156 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,689 NARRATOR: Nolen finds an escape through a film class at school. 157 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,724 DARIAN: Me and Nolen, uh, were in a couple of classes together. 158 00:10:13,724 --> 00:10:15,275 The first time I had met him 159 00:10:15,344 --> 00:10:17,965 was in our film class in middle school. 160 00:10:20,275 --> 00:10:24,482 Nolen was weird. 161 00:10:24,551 --> 00:10:26,689 He was -- he was just kind of a weird dude. 162 00:10:31,620 --> 00:10:34,000 So this is the "Black Jacket" video, 163 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:38,000 a vampire film -- I'd written the first scene of that film. 164 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:39,482 We're just kind of, like, watching 165 00:10:39,482 --> 00:10:43,551 this dude be weird, doing weird stuff. 166 00:10:44,517 --> 00:10:46,517 Nolen was doing parkour. 167 00:10:46,517 --> 00:10:49,379 Um, he didn't mind hurting himself doing this. 168 00:10:52,172 --> 00:10:54,965 Nolan, he just liked the antagonistic roles. 169 00:10:56,413 --> 00:10:58,241 I think he just liked being badass. 170 00:11:03,793 --> 00:11:05,379 DARIAN: It's a little scary, 171 00:11:05,448 --> 00:11:07,448 because you can definitely connect the dots. 172 00:11:09,310 --> 00:11:12,241 Kind of seeing what it unfortunately led to. 173 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:26,482 [voices overlapping] 174 00:11:26,482 --> 00:11:28,103 [woman laughing] 175 00:11:28,103 --> 00:11:30,896 December 31st, 2014, Billy and I 176 00:11:30,896 --> 00:11:32,862 were throwing a New Year's Eve party. 177 00:11:32,931 --> 00:11:34,655 [voices overlapping] 178 00:11:36,758 --> 00:11:38,379 BILLY: It was just one of those 179 00:11:38,379 --> 00:11:43,000 special holidays where we had everybody together, 180 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,448 and everybody was just having a great time. 181 00:11:47,689 --> 00:11:51,586 RACHEL: I had got a selfie stick for Christmas, because 182 00:11:51,655 --> 00:11:53,965 I'm kind of a selfie queen in my family. 183 00:11:56,758 --> 00:12:02,068 Um, and I was taking videos of everybody, taking pictures, 184 00:12:04,275 --> 00:12:06,689 dancing all night with my sister. 185 00:12:06,689 --> 00:12:09,068 [voices overlapping] 186 00:12:11,931 --> 00:12:14,758 RACHEL: Adam always kept this 187 00:12:14,758 --> 00:12:17,275 persona that he was this 188 00:12:17,275 --> 00:12:19,482 amazing man who took care of 189 00:12:19,551 --> 00:12:22,862 his family and had this amazing company. 190 00:12:24,103 --> 00:12:27,931 But behind those doors, we knew how things really were. 191 00:12:29,689 --> 00:12:32,551 BILLY: Everything with Adam was about the Buchanan name. 192 00:12:34,482 --> 00:12:38,551 So it was not uncommon for him to tell Nolen, 193 00:12:39,379 --> 00:12:41,931 "What goes on in this house, stays in this house. 194 00:12:41,931 --> 00:12:43,655 You don't tell anybody anything." 195 00:12:48,379 --> 00:12:50,275 RACHEL: At that time, Molly had moved 196 00:12:50,275 --> 00:12:52,586 into the bedroom downstairs. 197 00:12:52,655 --> 00:12:55,172 I don't necessarily think they were together-together, 198 00:12:55,241 --> 00:12:56,862 but they were living in the same home 199 00:12:56,931 --> 00:12:59,965 so that the boys could stay together. 200 00:13:02,172 --> 00:13:04,931 She would stay down there at night, 201 00:13:04,931 --> 00:13:07,862 but she was also expected to continue taking care of 202 00:13:07,862 --> 00:13:10,689 the house and the boys and making sure 203 00:13:10,758 --> 00:13:13,862 the cleaning and cooking and laundry was done. 204 00:13:16,586 --> 00:13:20,862 Adam would give Molly a hard time about her weight. 205 00:13:20,931 --> 00:13:24,275 She was even given a treadmill 206 00:13:24,275 --> 00:13:27,275 to help her lose that weight, because, you know, 207 00:13:27,275 --> 00:13:29,241 she was too big for him. 208 00:13:30,689 --> 00:13:34,586 And I know that that really hurt Molly's soul 209 00:13:34,586 --> 00:13:36,931 and made her feel like she wasn't good enough. 210 00:13:39,172 --> 00:13:42,689 I wasn't happy with Molly's situation. 211 00:13:42,758 --> 00:13:45,448 I felt she needed to get away. 212 00:13:46,275 --> 00:13:49,758 I don't think it's fair that she had to stay in 213 00:13:49,758 --> 00:13:53,000 the bedroom downstairs and do everything 214 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,103 and be at his beck and call. 215 00:13:56,103 --> 00:13:59,068 It really hurt, and I know it hurt her. 216 00:14:00,379 --> 00:14:03,655 SUSAN: Molly and Adam's fighting had to affect the boys... 217 00:14:06,413 --> 00:14:09,482 a lot, and that it was a tumultuous 218 00:14:09,482 --> 00:14:13,586 household, and I think that they didn't really know... 219 00:14:14,379 --> 00:14:17,482 how long the good times were going to last. 220 00:14:17,482 --> 00:14:19,172 So I think it put them on edge. 221 00:14:21,620 --> 00:14:23,344 When Molly and Adam were fighting, 222 00:14:23,413 --> 00:14:26,586 Nolen would take Gavin into his room, because he was 223 00:14:26,586 --> 00:14:28,000 protective over Gavin. 224 00:14:29,931 --> 00:14:34,000 NARRATOR: Adam's aggression towards Nolen intensifies, too. 225 00:14:35,793 --> 00:14:39,068 Adam would get really angry if Nolen's grades dropped, 226 00:14:40,172 --> 00:14:41,586 those kind of things, 227 00:14:41,586 --> 00:14:44,172 you know, that a normal parent gets frustrated with 228 00:14:44,241 --> 00:14:47,482 their teenage kid about, Adam would get frustrated, 229 00:14:47,551 --> 00:14:49,931 and he yelled and screamed a lot. 230 00:14:52,379 --> 00:14:55,586 RACHEL: I was pretty concerned about Nolen growing up, 231 00:14:55,586 --> 00:15:00,068 seeing the way that Adam was with him, 232 00:15:00,068 --> 00:15:02,068 especially if he was in trouble. 233 00:15:02,137 --> 00:15:04,551 I didn't necessarily agree with it. 234 00:15:06,482 --> 00:15:09,862 SUSAN: I feel like Nolen was frustrated, because it 235 00:15:09,862 --> 00:15:14,482 was not a super happy-go-lucky home life. 236 00:15:14,551 --> 00:15:17,965 There was a lot of turmoil and imbalance in the home. 237 00:15:22,482 --> 00:15:25,275 RACHEL: I'd never seen Adam yell at Gavin 238 00:15:25,275 --> 00:15:28,862 the way that I had seen him yell at Nolen, you know? 239 00:15:31,862 --> 00:15:33,379 And I think 240 00:15:33,379 --> 00:15:36,862 that probably pissed Nolen off more than anything. 241 00:15:39,172 --> 00:15:42,689 BILLY: I was aware that there was stuff 242 00:15:42,689 --> 00:15:45,000 that might have been thrown at Nolen. 243 00:15:45,034 --> 00:15:48,000 I'm absolutely sure that Adam gave him 244 00:15:48,034 --> 00:15:51,172 the business probably pretty regularly. 245 00:15:54,275 --> 00:15:56,103 NARRATOR: Nolen spends more and more 246 00:15:56,103 --> 00:15:58,758 time making films with his classmates. 247 00:16:00,103 --> 00:16:03,379 DARIAN: For all of us at that age, filmmaking was kind of 248 00:16:03,379 --> 00:16:05,896 an outlet, and specifically in Nolen's case, 249 00:16:05,896 --> 00:16:08,586 I think that was something for him to kind of vent out 250 00:16:08,586 --> 00:16:09,758 his frustrations. 251 00:16:14,758 --> 00:16:17,896 So this was Nolen's music video project, 252 00:16:17,896 --> 00:16:20,344 I believe -- this is right before they have 253 00:16:20,413 --> 00:16:23,344 to rescue some, like, damsel in distress. 254 00:16:25,586 --> 00:16:27,586 Yeah, there's a lot of moments here where you can kind of 255 00:16:27,655 --> 00:16:32,344 see Nolen being a little more aggressive than he should be. 256 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,689 Yeah, like, that throw is kind of...intense. 257 00:16:44,931 --> 00:16:47,068 I think all the over-the-top-stuff 258 00:16:47,137 --> 00:16:49,172 that he's doing was definitely all him. 259 00:16:49,241 --> 00:16:50,344 It was all his idea. 260 00:16:52,689 --> 00:16:55,931 What I see is somebody seething, and... 261 00:16:57,172 --> 00:16:59,172 what I thought was just aggressive play 262 00:16:59,172 --> 00:17:00,344 and being a jerk... 263 00:17:02,103 --> 00:17:05,068 I now look at it being much more sinister 264 00:17:06,413 --> 00:17:08,344 and... 265 00:17:08,413 --> 00:17:11,000 dark -- really, really dark 266 00:17:22,689 --> 00:17:24,172 In the summer of 2015, 267 00:17:24,241 --> 00:17:29,379 I feel that Molly and Adam were in a good space. 268 00:17:29,379 --> 00:17:32,275 I felt like they were building toward a future. 269 00:17:32,275 --> 00:17:36,758 The fighting was still going on, but I didn't think 270 00:17:36,758 --> 00:17:39,172 it was as bad as it had been in the past. 271 00:17:40,586 --> 00:17:42,758 BILLY: We were all up at the cabin. 272 00:17:42,827 --> 00:17:44,482 God, it was hot. 273 00:17:44,551 --> 00:17:47,482 So Adam goes, "I think we ought to 274 00:17:47,482 --> 00:17:49,275 go and get that pump." 275 00:17:49,275 --> 00:17:50,655 [indistinct shouting] 276 00:17:52,931 --> 00:17:54,482 BILLY: And Adam's got all the kids 277 00:17:54,482 --> 00:17:57,758 and Gavin and everybody, and they're going... 278 00:17:58,793 --> 00:18:01,172 donuts and donuts and donuts, around and around 279 00:18:01,241 --> 00:18:03,068 and around on these quads in this mud. 280 00:18:05,931 --> 00:18:08,689 And as the mud would dry up and it'd get sticky, 281 00:18:08,689 --> 00:18:10,862 we'd go and fire up that pump, we'd go and make it all 282 00:18:10,862 --> 00:18:12,482 wet again, I mean, they were -- 283 00:18:12,551 --> 00:18:14,931 they were covered in mud from head to toe. 284 00:18:16,172 --> 00:18:17,344 All of them. 285 00:18:18,413 --> 00:18:19,758 SUSAN: Blech. [laughs] 286 00:18:19,827 --> 00:18:23,000 That dirt up there is not -- it's not normal dirt, 287 00:18:23,034 --> 00:18:26,862 and it is red, and when it gets in your clothes, 288 00:18:26,931 --> 00:18:28,551 it doesn't come out, either. 289 00:18:30,379 --> 00:18:32,000 That mud is awfully hardy. 290 00:18:32,034 --> 00:18:33,758 [chuckles] 291 00:18:33,758 --> 00:18:36,172 NARRATOR: But the fun comes to a grinding halt 292 00:18:36,172 --> 00:18:38,241 when Nolen has an accident. 293 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,172 We were all riding the four-wheelers, and Nolen 294 00:18:43,172 --> 00:18:46,000 was on his dirt bike, and he took off. 295 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:50,000 And uh, he ended up 296 00:18:51,586 --> 00:18:52,862 biting it. 297 00:18:54,172 --> 00:18:56,862 SUSAN: I saw that he was hurt, and he was yelling, you know, 298 00:18:56,862 --> 00:18:58,758 "My ankles, my ankles!" 299 00:18:58,827 --> 00:19:02,241 And both of his ankles were terribly swollen. 300 00:19:03,103 --> 00:19:04,758 I thought they were broken. 301 00:19:06,896 --> 00:19:11,241 Initially, Adam was concerned about Nolen, 302 00:19:11,310 --> 00:19:14,862 and then he went straight to berating him. 303 00:19:15,862 --> 00:19:18,482 NARRATOR: Adam scolds Nolen for asking questions 304 00:19:18,551 --> 00:19:21,103 about how to prepare the campfire. 305 00:19:21,103 --> 00:19:23,000 Nolen was asking his dad what he was doing, 306 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:24,827 and he kind of just, you know... 307 00:19:26,103 --> 00:19:27,931 made him feel like he was dumb. 308 00:19:31,103 --> 00:19:33,275 And telling him, "This is why we do this, Nolen. 309 00:19:33,275 --> 00:19:34,965 That's why we do that, Nolen." 310 00:19:38,103 --> 00:19:40,586 Because he, you know, 311 00:19:40,586 --> 00:19:43,931 got hurt doing something stupid, in his opinion. 312 00:19:45,379 --> 00:19:47,482 BILLY: Adam kept telling him he was a sissy. 313 00:19:47,482 --> 00:19:50,931 He didn't need to go to the hospital, you know, 314 00:19:50,931 --> 00:19:53,482 walk it off, that kind of stuff, and... 315 00:19:54,758 --> 00:19:57,862 Nolen really wanted to go to the ER. 316 00:19:57,862 --> 00:20:01,758 Molly and my mom drove him to one of the local ERs to 317 00:20:01,758 --> 00:20:05,758 get looked at, and thankfully it was just a bad sprain on 318 00:20:05,758 --> 00:20:07,586 both ankles. 319 00:20:07,586 --> 00:20:10,965 I could tell that it really bothered Nolen. 320 00:20:13,172 --> 00:20:15,586 It hurts when you're pretty much being told that you're 321 00:20:15,586 --> 00:20:18,586 stupid and that you're fine and there's nothing wrong with you 322 00:20:18,586 --> 00:20:23,000 when really, you are hurt, and you could just see it 323 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,241 in his eyes how upset and how hurt he really was. 324 00:20:33,103 --> 00:20:35,000 BILLY: The wildfires in California were horrible. 325 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:36,448 They were all over the place. 326 00:20:37,413 --> 00:20:39,827 You smelled smoke almost everywhere you went. 327 00:20:40,931 --> 00:20:43,172 SUSAN: Molly, Adam, and Gavin and Nolen, 328 00:20:43,241 --> 00:20:44,931 they were going to the cabin that weekend. 329 00:20:45,758 --> 00:20:47,551 Billy and I were going out of town. 330 00:20:48,896 --> 00:20:50,000 I texted Molly, 331 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,000 I said, "Did you see where your friends in Calaveras 332 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,275 lost their homes?" 333 00:20:55,275 --> 00:20:58,482 And Adam assured me that if there was a fire, 334 00:20:58,482 --> 00:21:00,862 they were smart enough to get out of there. 335 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,275 So with them going up there, 336 00:21:05,275 --> 00:21:07,344 I felt pretty good about it, 337 00:21:07,413 --> 00:21:09,000 because I felt that Adam was prepared, 338 00:21:10,103 --> 00:21:12,344 and I said, "Okay, I love you." 339 00:21:15,103 --> 00:21:16,586 And she said, "I love you." 340 00:21:16,655 --> 00:21:18,965 And that was the last communication I had with her. 341 00:21:36,655 --> 00:21:41,103 NARRATOR: On Sunday, September 13, 2015, 342 00:21:41,103 --> 00:21:43,758 the Garden Valley Fire Department responds 343 00:21:43,827 --> 00:21:45,241 to a report of a blaze 344 00:21:46,344 --> 00:21:49,137 at a cabin in Greenwood, California. 345 00:22:00,172 --> 00:22:03,758 PAULA: There was nothing left of the cabin or its contents. 346 00:22:05,862 --> 00:22:08,068 Complete devastation. 347 00:22:08,137 --> 00:22:09,551 There was no sign of life. 348 00:22:12,965 --> 00:22:16,000 Detectives find a Dodge truck 349 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,344 and a trailer on property at the cabin. 350 00:22:22,896 --> 00:22:24,965 The vehicles that were found on 351 00:22:24,965 --> 00:22:27,862 the property were registered to Adam Buchanan. 352 00:22:29,379 --> 00:22:31,758 The sheriff's deputies traced the owners 353 00:22:31,758 --> 00:22:34,068 back to their home in Benicia. 354 00:22:35,379 --> 00:22:39,344 Two police officers from the Benicia Police Department 355 00:22:39,413 --> 00:22:42,448 show up at the Buchanan home to find out more. 356 00:22:46,172 --> 00:22:47,758 BILLY: According to investigators, 357 00:22:47,758 --> 00:22:50,172 when they showed up, Nolen answered the door. 358 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,551 They asked for Adam. 359 00:22:53,551 --> 00:22:55,448 Nolen told them Molly, 360 00:22:55,517 --> 00:22:57,931 Adam, and Gavin weren't here. 361 00:22:59,103 --> 00:23:01,758 They were up at their cabin in Greenwood, California. 362 00:23:03,103 --> 00:23:04,758 He still is expecting them home, 363 00:23:04,758 --> 00:23:07,068 he tells them, that evening on Sunday. 364 00:23:11,103 --> 00:23:12,344 [phone ringing] 365 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:15,413 [phone ringing] 366 00:23:20,103 --> 00:23:22,551 RACHEL: My mom called me in a panic. 367 00:23:22,620 --> 00:23:25,344 She said she needed my help. 368 00:23:25,344 --> 00:23:27,931 Molly and Adam weren't answering their phones, 369 00:23:29,793 --> 00:23:31,862 and there was a fire up at the cabin. 370 00:23:33,689 --> 00:23:35,068 I knew something was wrong. 371 00:23:38,586 --> 00:23:40,344 When I got up to the cabin, 372 00:23:41,758 --> 00:23:44,068 I got out of the car, and I started walking down, 373 00:23:44,068 --> 00:23:46,379 and as I was walking down, 374 00:23:46,379 --> 00:23:49,413 I was stopped by an investigator, 375 00:23:50,862 --> 00:23:53,241 and he told me I couldn't go down there. 376 00:23:54,482 --> 00:23:56,862 He said, "You need to rally the troops 377 00:23:56,931 --> 00:24:01,000 "and prepare them for a tragedy of epic proportions, 378 00:24:03,965 --> 00:24:05,931 because bodies had been found." 379 00:24:08,275 --> 00:24:10,931 NARRATOR: The remains are those of two adults 380 00:24:12,482 --> 00:24:13,655 and a child. 381 00:24:18,862 --> 00:24:21,482 As the coroner examines the bodies, 382 00:24:21,482 --> 00:24:23,068 they found that there was a metal plate 383 00:24:23,068 --> 00:24:25,344 in the shoulder of one of them. 384 00:24:25,344 --> 00:24:28,862 And Molly had had an accident when she was in her twenties 385 00:24:28,931 --> 00:24:30,655 that required a metal plate 386 00:24:30,724 --> 00:24:33,241 being put into the same exact shoulder, 387 00:24:33,310 --> 00:24:34,724 the same exact place. 388 00:24:36,862 --> 00:24:39,965 The coroner was able to do a swab and test for 389 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,448 the DNA, and that was the ultimate 390 00:24:42,448 --> 00:24:44,517 determination of who the victims were. 391 00:24:45,586 --> 00:24:48,827 Adam, Molly, and Gavin. 392 00:24:53,379 --> 00:24:56,275 I wanted to believe that the fire started, 393 00:24:56,275 --> 00:24:59,758 and Molly was able to grab Gavin and go. 394 00:25:00,758 --> 00:25:02,965 It wasn't the case. 395 00:25:02,965 --> 00:25:05,172 NARRATOR: But it was not the wildfires 396 00:25:05,172 --> 00:25:06,551 that torched the house. 397 00:25:06,620 --> 00:25:09,827 Investigators conclude it was gasoline, 398 00:25:11,172 --> 00:25:14,000 which leads to another discovery. 399 00:25:15,068 --> 00:25:19,344 BILLY: The investigators told us that 400 00:25:19,344 --> 00:25:21,862 one of the firemen 401 00:25:21,931 --> 00:25:24,241 saw a piece of skull 402 00:25:25,793 --> 00:25:27,172 with a bullet hole in it. 403 00:25:29,103 --> 00:25:33,172 NARRATOR: The fragment of skull belongs to eight-year-old Gavin. 404 00:25:36,551 --> 00:25:38,551 It was really confusing for me. 405 00:25:38,551 --> 00:25:40,448 I knew the detective told me that it was 406 00:25:40,517 --> 00:25:44,000 a crime scene, and murder-suicide 407 00:25:44,068 --> 00:25:47,172 had come to mind, 408 00:25:47,172 --> 00:25:48,724 but there was Gavin. 409 00:25:49,965 --> 00:25:53,172 I knew that neither Molly nor Adam 410 00:25:53,172 --> 00:25:56,965 would ever hurt that little boy, ever. 411 00:25:56,965 --> 00:25:58,241 I knew that. 412 00:26:00,586 --> 00:26:03,344 PAULA: So at the time, they were looking for a weapon. 413 00:26:03,344 --> 00:26:04,862 Was it murder-suicide? 414 00:26:04,931 --> 00:26:08,965 If it was, there had to be a shotgun nearby or a rifle, 415 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:10,241 and there was not, 416 00:26:11,344 --> 00:26:14,655 so immediately, they know somebody else was the cause 417 00:26:14,655 --> 00:26:17,000 of the three people being killed in the cabin. 418 00:26:32,379 --> 00:26:35,655 NARRATOR: Investigators visit Nolen at home in Benicia to 419 00:26:35,655 --> 00:26:38,068 break the news that his family is dead. 420 00:26:39,689 --> 00:26:43,724 When they showed up at Molly and Adam's house in Benicia, 421 00:26:44,689 --> 00:26:46,965 Nolen told them 422 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,068 he expected them home Sunday. 423 00:26:49,137 --> 00:26:50,862 This was on Monday. 424 00:26:50,862 --> 00:26:54,586 PAULA: Nolen shows no emotion, no worry, no concern. 425 00:26:54,586 --> 00:26:59,551 There's no crying, no hysteria, just straight-faced. 426 00:27:02,448 --> 00:27:04,965 When officers arrived at the Buchanan house, 427 00:27:04,965 --> 00:27:08,758 the F-150 truck was there, parked in front. 428 00:27:09,655 --> 00:27:12,862 Nolen tells officers that he helped load 429 00:27:12,862 --> 00:27:16,241 the Dodge truck full of supplies for the cabin, 430 00:27:18,758 --> 00:27:20,172 and that he just stayed at 431 00:27:20,241 --> 00:27:23,655 home in Benicia all Friday night, Saturday. 432 00:27:23,724 --> 00:27:24,862 And then on Sunday morning, 433 00:27:24,862 --> 00:27:27,862 he went to church with his girlfriend and her mother, 434 00:27:27,862 --> 00:27:29,758 and then after that, met up with friends 435 00:27:29,827 --> 00:27:31,241 at the nearby mall. 436 00:27:32,655 --> 00:27:35,758 Nolen tells detectives his own ideas about 437 00:27:35,827 --> 00:27:37,758 who could have done harm to his dad. 438 00:27:40,482 --> 00:27:44,172 NARRATOR: Nolen tells investigators that his father's business 439 00:27:44,172 --> 00:27:47,241 is tens of thousands of dollars in debt. 440 00:27:48,896 --> 00:27:50,862 PAULA: He says that his dad's gonna 441 00:27:50,862 --> 00:27:52,758 probably have to lay off some employees, 442 00:27:52,758 --> 00:27:54,586 so he thinks that people are gonna be mad 443 00:27:54,586 --> 00:27:57,862 at his dad for the way the business is in trouble. 444 00:27:57,862 --> 00:28:00,965 So no one tells deputies, "Hey, 445 00:28:00,965 --> 00:28:04,655 "look at them, because they have something to gain 446 00:28:04,655 --> 00:28:06,068 if they get rid of my dad." 447 00:28:08,482 --> 00:28:10,655 The detectives go talk to everybody at 448 00:28:10,655 --> 00:28:15,448 the office and confirm things aren't always in black. 449 00:28:15,517 --> 00:28:16,862 Adam is in the red. 450 00:28:17,965 --> 00:28:20,586 The employees all say the same thing, 451 00:28:20,586 --> 00:28:23,379 that Adam was a tough boss. 452 00:28:23,379 --> 00:28:25,379 He wasn't a mild-mannered boss. 453 00:28:25,379 --> 00:28:30,241 He used words, and he didn't keep it inside. 454 00:28:32,275 --> 00:28:36,758 On September 19th, there is a coastal cleanup job. 455 00:28:36,758 --> 00:28:39,758 Volunteers are out combing the neighborhood. 456 00:28:39,758 --> 00:28:42,862 One team of volunteers is in a field that's nearby 457 00:28:42,862 --> 00:28:45,448 the Buchanan Construction Company. 458 00:28:47,172 --> 00:28:49,758 SUSAN: They had, in fact, found Molly's purse 459 00:28:49,758 --> 00:28:53,172 with her identification and a rifle. 460 00:28:53,172 --> 00:28:54,551 [police siren wailing] 461 00:28:54,551 --> 00:28:57,448 NARRATOR: Forensic tests prove that the rifle is the weapon 462 00:28:57,517 --> 00:28:59,068 that shot Adam, 463 00:28:59,137 --> 00:29:01,241 Molly, and Gavin. 464 00:29:05,379 --> 00:29:07,344 PAULA: It could be possible that one of 465 00:29:07,413 --> 00:29:09,344 the employees did stash it there, 466 00:29:09,413 --> 00:29:12,172 because it was so close to the yard 467 00:29:12,241 --> 00:29:15,448 where the construction company had its offices. 468 00:29:16,689 --> 00:29:18,620 Was somebody else at the cabin? 469 00:29:21,379 --> 00:29:23,931 They're still not sure of who was involved. 470 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,241 SUSAN: Nolen was staying with Adam's dad 471 00:29:36,310 --> 00:29:40,275 and stepmom, and Adam's stepmother called me 472 00:29:40,275 --> 00:29:42,103 and asked if we could all meet for lunch, 473 00:29:42,103 --> 00:29:45,551 that Nolen wanted to meet up with everybody. 474 00:29:48,862 --> 00:29:51,379 When Nolen got there, I went and hugged him, 475 00:29:51,379 --> 00:29:55,310 and he just seemed cold. 476 00:29:58,241 --> 00:30:01,448 And then we started asking him about the business, 477 00:30:02,482 --> 00:30:04,448 and he says, "Well, 478 00:30:04,448 --> 00:30:06,448 "I don't know what I'm gonna do with 479 00:30:06,517 --> 00:30:10,655 the business, because it was Buchanan & Sons Construction." 480 00:30:10,655 --> 00:30:12,655 He goes, "But... 481 00:30:12,655 --> 00:30:15,862 "I'm the only one left. So it's... 482 00:30:15,862 --> 00:30:18,241 you know, mine." 483 00:30:21,379 --> 00:30:23,862 SUSAN: During that lunch, Nolen was stoic. 484 00:30:23,862 --> 00:30:25,448 He didn't shed a tear. 485 00:30:26,448 --> 00:30:28,551 He was matter-of-fact. 486 00:30:28,551 --> 00:30:32,448 He said, "I am no longer an heir, I am an owner." 487 00:30:37,689 --> 00:30:39,241 RACHEL: As soon as we left, 488 00:30:40,379 --> 00:30:41,862 we all immediately contacted 489 00:30:41,862 --> 00:30:46,000 the investigators saying, "Something's not right. 490 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:48,758 "He's talking about being emancipated. 491 00:30:48,758 --> 00:30:51,241 He's talking about taking care of the company." 492 00:30:52,551 --> 00:30:54,758 SUSAN: The detective responded to me that this was all 493 00:30:54,758 --> 00:30:56,172 good information to have, 494 00:30:56,172 --> 00:30:59,448 and please keep all of my notes on the luncheon. 495 00:31:00,896 --> 00:31:03,344 NARRATOR: After the discovery of the rifle, 496 00:31:03,413 --> 00:31:08,103 investigators take a closer look at the security footage at 497 00:31:08,103 --> 00:31:10,551 Buchanan & Sons Construction. 498 00:31:10,620 --> 00:31:14,655 PAULA: Investigators started looking at the CCTV, 499 00:31:14,724 --> 00:31:18,482 and they saw that Nolen and his dad were 500 00:31:18,482 --> 00:31:21,448 loading up rock on the back of the trailer 501 00:31:21,448 --> 00:31:24,724 to take up to the cabin for work. 502 00:31:26,068 --> 00:31:28,758 NARRATOR: The surveillance footage reveals that Adam 503 00:31:28,827 --> 00:31:32,827 and Nolen hitch the trailer to Adam's F-150 truck. 504 00:31:33,793 --> 00:31:35,862 In his first statement to police, 505 00:31:35,862 --> 00:31:38,655 Nolen said his family traveled from Benicia 506 00:31:38,655 --> 00:31:40,344 to Greenwood in the Dodge. 507 00:31:42,448 --> 00:31:44,758 PAULA: No one tells investigators that, 508 00:31:44,827 --> 00:31:45,965 "Oh, yeah, that happened. 509 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:47,862 "We did load it on the back of the 150. 510 00:31:47,931 --> 00:31:51,448 "But when we got home, my dad and I switched it to the back 511 00:31:51,517 --> 00:31:54,379 "of the Dodge, because the F-150 512 00:31:54,379 --> 00:31:56,344 was at the house on Sunday morning." 513 00:31:58,103 --> 00:32:02,758 The story about the Dodge work truck going down to Benicia, 514 00:32:02,758 --> 00:32:03,965 I knew that was... 515 00:32:05,103 --> 00:32:06,724 a lie as soon as I heard it. 516 00:32:07,862 --> 00:32:09,827 It never left the property. 517 00:32:11,655 --> 00:32:13,172 It would have never made it from Greenwood, 518 00:32:13,241 --> 00:32:16,241 California, to Benicia, California, 519 00:32:16,241 --> 00:32:18,034 much less make it back. 520 00:32:19,482 --> 00:32:20,931 It was a piece of junk. 521 00:32:23,241 --> 00:32:25,344 NARRATOR: Investigators secure a warrant 522 00:32:25,344 --> 00:32:28,172 to search the Buchanan home in Benicia. 523 00:32:31,172 --> 00:32:35,068 Detectives look at the F-150 as part of that search warrant 524 00:32:35,068 --> 00:32:37,344 and find on it a red dirt, 525 00:32:37,344 --> 00:32:41,448 and it's very common dirt for where the cabin is up in 526 00:32:41,517 --> 00:32:43,827 the mountains of El Dorado County. 527 00:32:44,862 --> 00:32:47,103 Red dirt isn't anywhere in the Bay area. 528 00:32:47,103 --> 00:32:49,758 So that truck has been recently at 529 00:32:49,758 --> 00:32:53,172 the cabin in that area, because it had rained previously, 530 00:32:53,241 --> 00:32:54,724 so it's fresh. 531 00:32:56,896 --> 00:32:59,448 NARRATOR: Police search the cab of the truck. 532 00:33:03,344 --> 00:33:06,482 So investigators had found a receipt from Taco Bell in 533 00:33:06,482 --> 00:33:07,965 Fairfield, California. 534 00:33:09,103 --> 00:33:12,655 And that showed that there was four drinks, 535 00:33:12,724 --> 00:33:15,724 there was enough food for four people. 536 00:33:19,379 --> 00:33:23,379 The Taco Bell is key to the investigators' story, 537 00:33:23,379 --> 00:33:25,103 because now they're proving that 538 00:33:25,103 --> 00:33:28,344 there were four people that made the trip to the cabin. 539 00:33:29,655 --> 00:33:32,931 But Nolen says he wasn't in the car with them at that time. 540 00:33:34,172 --> 00:33:36,758 And another key part about that meal at 541 00:33:36,758 --> 00:33:40,862 Taco Bell is that it's caught on CCTV. 542 00:33:40,931 --> 00:33:44,241 The camera at Taco Bell sees the F-150 543 00:33:44,241 --> 00:33:46,965 going through with the trailer hooked up at the back. 544 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:49,000 You couldn't really see who's inside, 545 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:53,620 but now the story that the F-150 stayed at home is not true. 546 00:34:01,172 --> 00:34:03,862 NARRATOR: Investigators recover Adam's bank card 547 00:34:03,862 --> 00:34:05,620 from his home in Benicia. 548 00:34:08,103 --> 00:34:11,551 Adam's banking activity reveals that he bought drinks at 549 00:34:11,551 --> 00:34:16,034 a bar in Penryn several hours before the cabin fire started. 550 00:34:18,757 --> 00:34:20,551 PAULA: On Saturday night, 551 00:34:20,551 --> 00:34:25,172 the CCTV picks up the F-150 at the Valencia Club in Penryn, 552 00:34:25,241 --> 00:34:30,344 which is right about a 20- or 30-minute drive from the cabin. 553 00:34:30,413 --> 00:34:32,275 It shows that Adam and Molly, 554 00:34:32,275 --> 00:34:35,379 they had been there for a couple of hours and left 555 00:34:35,379 --> 00:34:38,137 at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. 556 00:34:40,103 --> 00:34:42,757 BILLY: You can see the white F-150 557 00:34:43,688 --> 00:34:47,551 come up to that stoplight and make the left and go towards 558 00:34:47,551 --> 00:34:48,827 Greenwood, California. 559 00:34:50,275 --> 00:34:55,103 And then later on that evening, around 3:30 a.m., 560 00:34:55,103 --> 00:34:56,965 you see 561 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:00,068 the white F-150 headed westbound that'll 562 00:35:00,068 --> 00:35:02,344 take you back to Benicia, California. 563 00:35:05,482 --> 00:35:09,137 At this point in time, Adam, Molly, and Gavin are dead. 564 00:35:12,551 --> 00:35:14,724 The fire has already been started. 565 00:35:17,379 --> 00:35:20,758 And here is their truck being driven and then found in 566 00:35:20,827 --> 00:35:22,551 the driveway the next morning 567 00:35:22,620 --> 00:35:25,551 at the house in Benicia when the police officers 568 00:35:25,620 --> 00:35:27,344 show up to talk to Nolen. 569 00:35:28,379 --> 00:35:30,862 So immediately, they know somebody else 570 00:35:30,862 --> 00:35:32,241 was driving that truck. 571 00:35:41,551 --> 00:35:44,379 Detectives signed find Adam's ATM card was 572 00:35:44,379 --> 00:35:48,448 used on Sunday morning at 9:21 a.m. 573 00:35:48,448 --> 00:35:50,103 at Starbucks. 574 00:35:50,103 --> 00:35:55,103 Then, at 9:51, that same card was used at the McDonald's 575 00:35:55,103 --> 00:35:58,448 drive-through, and in the drive-through camera, 576 00:35:58,517 --> 00:36:01,655 we see Nolen driving the family's Excursion, 577 00:36:01,655 --> 00:36:03,344 using that debit card. 578 00:36:04,793 --> 00:36:07,000 Nolen had been lying the whole time, because 579 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:10,241 the ATM card that was used in the Valencia Club 580 00:36:11,344 --> 00:36:13,413 and used at McDonald's 581 00:36:14,551 --> 00:36:16,551 and used at Starbucks, 582 00:36:16,551 --> 00:36:17,965 it's the same card. 583 00:36:19,379 --> 00:36:20,896 There was no duplicate card. 584 00:36:20,896 --> 00:36:24,206 There was only one ATM card that Adam had. 585 00:36:26,448 --> 00:36:29,344 The ATM card really was the game-changer, 586 00:36:29,344 --> 00:36:30,758 because the ATM card 587 00:36:30,758 --> 00:36:32,896 couldn't have traveled if it had been at the cabin 588 00:36:32,896 --> 00:36:33,965 with Adam 589 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,172 and if Nolen hadn't been with the card. 590 00:36:38,172 --> 00:36:42,034 NARRATOR: Detectives visit Nolen at his school in Benicia. 591 00:36:43,758 --> 00:36:46,344 PAULA: On October 1st, when the detectives are talking 592 00:36:46,413 --> 00:36:50,758 to Nolen and present all the evidence they have, 593 00:36:50,758 --> 00:36:54,551 and they ask him point blankly if he was responsible, 594 00:36:54,551 --> 00:36:56,241 they ask him questions, 595 00:36:57,551 --> 00:36:58,862 and at this point in time, 596 00:36:58,931 --> 00:37:00,724 they know that they have their person. 597 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:03,620 He's arrested in the hallway. 598 00:37:04,689 --> 00:37:08,379 He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder 599 00:37:08,379 --> 00:37:11,068 for the murder of his dad, Adam, 600 00:37:11,137 --> 00:37:15,620 his dad's fiancee, Molly, and his half-brother, Gavin. 601 00:37:30,448 --> 00:37:33,000 Nolen tells the court that he was 602 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:35,344 in the cabin with his brother. 603 00:37:35,413 --> 00:37:37,896 They fell asleep, and he woke up 604 00:37:37,896 --> 00:37:40,448 to hear him screaming and shouting and shooting. 605 00:37:40,517 --> 00:37:42,655 [gunshot blasts] 606 00:37:42,655 --> 00:37:45,758 He saw a person coming into the cabin, 607 00:37:47,275 --> 00:37:50,965 and the person that shot his brother, shot Molly. 608 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:52,758 [gunshot blasts] 609 00:37:52,827 --> 00:37:56,137 And Nolen, he's laying down, just waking up, and grabs 610 00:37:56,137 --> 00:38:00,827 the rifle from the person that just intruded into the cabin. 611 00:38:04,655 --> 00:38:06,758 And Nolen starts shooting the intruder 612 00:38:06,758 --> 00:38:09,724 that he later found out was his dad. 613 00:38:13,103 --> 00:38:16,655 So in the 16-year-old mind of Nolen Buchanan, 614 00:38:16,724 --> 00:38:18,448 he sets fire to the cabin. 615 00:38:18,517 --> 00:38:21,655 He pours gasoline over the bodies in the cabin 616 00:38:21,655 --> 00:38:24,448 and sets it afire, and he thought he had 617 00:38:24,448 --> 00:38:26,724 tricked everybody, and he was gonna get away with it. 618 00:38:43,068 --> 00:38:45,448 BILLY: According to what the prosecution believes 619 00:38:45,517 --> 00:38:46,965 happened is that 620 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:49,241 Molly and Adam left to go to Valencia Club, 621 00:38:51,758 --> 00:38:53,655 and while they were gone, 622 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:57,655 Nolen got the gun 623 00:38:57,655 --> 00:39:00,448 and executed his little brother, Gavin. 624 00:39:00,517 --> 00:39:02,379 [gunshot blasts] 625 00:39:02,379 --> 00:39:04,655 Then laid in wait 626 00:39:04,724 --> 00:39:06,620 for Molly and Adam to come home. 627 00:39:09,896 --> 00:39:12,448 Molly and Adam got home 628 00:39:12,517 --> 00:39:15,000 somewhere around 2:30 in the morning, 629 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:17,758 Nolen got up and... 630 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:20,758 shot his dad. 631 00:39:20,758 --> 00:39:24,448 He would have not even had to move his feet 632 00:39:24,517 --> 00:39:28,448 from where he shot Adam to turn and fire on Molly. 633 00:39:28,448 --> 00:39:30,241 [gunshot blasts] 634 00:39:34,137 --> 00:39:37,344 RACHEL: Nolen's motive for killing Molly 635 00:39:37,344 --> 00:39:42,448 and Adam and Gavin was to live his best life. 636 00:39:42,517 --> 00:39:45,275 He thought if he could get rid of all of them, 637 00:39:45,275 --> 00:39:47,827 then he could do anything he wanted to do. 638 00:39:50,379 --> 00:39:51,344 I think he thought he was 639 00:39:51,344 --> 00:39:53,068 gonna get away with the perfect murder. 640 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:57,344 BILLY: I think he thought he was gonna be big daddy 641 00:39:57,413 --> 00:39:58,448 on the block. 642 00:39:58,448 --> 00:40:01,758 "I'm gonna have a house in Benicia on the hill. 643 00:40:02,586 --> 00:40:05,655 I'm gonna have Buchanan & Sons Construction." 644 00:40:06,758 --> 00:40:11,172 RACHEL: I think he thought Gavin would be in his way, 645 00:40:12,379 --> 00:40:14,068 and just 646 00:40:14,137 --> 00:40:18,241 getting rid of him helped him out, in a sense. 647 00:40:36,655 --> 00:40:40,655 It is a relief that he's probably never going to see, 648 00:40:40,655 --> 00:40:41,862 you know, the real world. 649 00:40:41,931 --> 00:40:44,379 He's never gonna get to grow up and live 650 00:40:44,379 --> 00:40:48,379 the best life that he thought he was gonna have, um... 651 00:40:48,379 --> 00:40:50,448 It's sad at the same time, 652 00:40:50,448 --> 00:40:54,172 because four lives are taken completely now. 653 00:40:57,241 --> 00:41:00,137 I miss the smiles. 654 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:05,068 I miss the dinners around the bonfire. 655 00:41:09,793 --> 00:41:11,448 I want to remember the laughter. 656 00:41:11,517 --> 00:41:14,344 [indistinct talking, laughing] 657 00:41:14,344 --> 00:41:16,206 I want to remember all the good. 658 00:41:19,793 --> 00:41:22,241 SUSAN: And in the wake of this tragedy, 659 00:41:22,241 --> 00:41:26,896 my family knew that we had to do something to, uh, 660 00:41:26,896 --> 00:41:28,241 remember this little boy. 661 00:41:30,586 --> 00:41:32,655 So Gavin Buchanan Memorial Foundation 662 00:41:32,655 --> 00:41:37,551 was founded in October of 2015. 663 00:41:37,551 --> 00:41:41,000 Gavin just always loved police dogs. 664 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:43,344 We've raised, 665 00:41:43,413 --> 00:41:44,448 gah, 666 00:41:44,448 --> 00:41:46,758 well over $100,000. 667 00:41:47,758 --> 00:41:52,172 We've donated all over the country to K9 officers. 668 00:41:55,137 --> 00:41:59,344 This is the best way we know how to keep this little boy's 669 00:41:59,344 --> 00:42:01,896 memory alive and to carry on his legacy of wanting to 670 00:42:01,896 --> 00:42:03,000 protect these dogs. 671 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:05,758 He was proud of himself for what he did, and we are 672 00:42:05,758 --> 00:42:10,000 proud of him, and we want him to be proud of us for 673 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:11,103 keeping this going.