1 00:00:05,206 --> 00:00:07,448 [pleasant instrumental music] 2 00:00:08,586 --> 00:00:12,862 Christina was an absolutely wonderful mom. 3 00:00:12,931 --> 00:00:15,344 [boy speaking] 4 00:00:15,413 --> 00:00:20,034 One word to describe her is charismatic. Goofy. 5 00:00:20,103 --> 00:00:22,862 [Carol Free] Kevin was very charming. 6 00:00:22,931 --> 00:00:26,448 When he was sober, he was the funniest, happiest guy. 7 00:00:26,517 --> 00:00:28,206 [ominous instrumental music] 8 00:00:28,206 --> 00:00:32,275 But that other side of the coin, that was either very good or very bad. 9 00:00:32,275 --> 00:00:35,827 Behind closed doors, he was a different person. 10 00:00:36,793 --> 00:00:40,413 For most kids, their monsters were imaginary. 11 00:00:41,620 --> 00:00:43,896 Mine just lived in the other room. 12 00:00:43,896 --> 00:00:46,413 [opening theme music playing] 13 00:00:58,172 --> 00:01:00,517 -[pleasant instrumental music] -[baby crying] 14 00:01:09,379 --> 00:01:11,793 [narrator] It's June 2nd, 2000. 15 00:01:11,793 --> 00:01:16,482 28-year-old Christy Lott, and her partner, 31-year-old Kevin Blankenship, 16 00:01:16,482 --> 00:01:19,241 welcomed their baby daughter, Brianna, into the world. 17 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:21,827 [Christina speaking] 18 00:01:25,379 --> 00:01:28,275 [Eric Sheridan] Seeing Brianna and holding her in the hospital, 19 00:01:28,275 --> 00:01:31,137 it sticks out to me all the time. It's crazy. 20 00:01:31,206 --> 00:01:33,482 [Christina speaking] 21 00:01:33,482 --> 00:01:36,413 It's me, Kevin, and Aaron... 22 00:01:38,378 --> 00:01:40,862 standing right next to my mom. 23 00:01:40,931 --> 00:01:45,655 She was exhausted, but she's always trying to poke a smile out, you know? 24 00:01:45,723 --> 00:01:46,965 That was always her. 25 00:01:46,965 --> 00:01:50,896 [Carol] Christina was an absolutely wonderful mom. 26 00:01:50,896 --> 00:01:53,965 There isn't nothing that she wouldn't do for her children. 27 00:01:55,103 --> 00:01:57,758 Kevin was very charming. 28 00:01:57,827 --> 00:02:01,172 He did the flowers, the take-you-out-for-dinner. 29 00:02:01,172 --> 00:02:05,793 He could make her feel like she was the best thing on the planet, 30 00:02:05,793 --> 00:02:07,896 and would build her up. 31 00:02:07,896 --> 00:02:09,896 [Christina speaking] 32 00:02:09,896 --> 00:02:15,000 There were many occasions where Kevin and my mom and us kids were out, 33 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:16,793 and we would have a ball. 34 00:02:16,793 --> 00:02:20,517 I thought it was all good and dandy, like she was happy. 35 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:23,724 [pleasant instrumental music] 36 00:02:23,724 --> 00:02:29,586 [narrator] Christina Lott is born October 18th, 1971, in Florence, Oregon. 37 00:02:29,586 --> 00:02:32,689 I came to Christy's birth, and we were all excited. 38 00:02:32,689 --> 00:02:35,965 She's the first niece or nephew to be born. 39 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,448 I was 15 years old. 40 00:02:39,517 --> 00:02:43,551 We did everything together, and we were like sisters. 41 00:02:44,620 --> 00:02:47,551 [narrator] Life growing up is not easy for Christy. 42 00:02:47,620 --> 00:02:50,172 [Carol] Christy's father was an alcoholic. 43 00:02:50,172 --> 00:02:52,551 There was a lot of drinking going on, 44 00:02:52,620 --> 00:02:54,344 and a lot of fighting. 45 00:02:54,413 --> 00:02:56,275 And they struggled. 46 00:02:56,275 --> 00:02:59,275 [narrator] Age 17, Christy drops out of high school 47 00:02:59,275 --> 00:03:01,413 when she discovers she's pregnant. 48 00:03:01,586 --> 00:03:03,586 Mmm-mmm-mmm. 49 00:03:03,586 --> 00:03:06,000 [Carol] Christina meets Glen. 50 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,586 He knows she's pregnant, but falls in love with her, 51 00:03:08,586 --> 00:03:11,034 and they end up being a couple. 52 00:03:15,482 --> 00:03:17,275 [narrator] Christy gives birth to Aaron, 53 00:03:17,275 --> 00:03:20,344 and two years later, she and Glen have Eric. 54 00:03:20,413 --> 00:03:21,655 [man speaking] 55 00:03:24,379 --> 00:03:26,793 I think this is my first Christmas. 56 00:03:26,793 --> 00:03:28,655 And, now, my dad's holding me. 57 00:03:28,931 --> 00:03:30,827 [man speaking] 58 00:03:35,724 --> 00:03:38,689 It's kind of a typical Christmas, from what I remember. 59 00:03:38,689 --> 00:03:42,448 My mom always made a big deal about family coming together. 60 00:03:44,586 --> 00:03:47,241 My mom was a very outgoing person. 61 00:03:47,310 --> 00:03:49,586 Very much the life of the party. 62 00:03:49,586 --> 00:03:53,034 Really went out of her way to make everybody else smile, 63 00:03:53,103 --> 00:03:55,137 even if she was having a bad day. 64 00:03:55,206 --> 00:03:57,241 [pleasant instrumental music] 65 00:04:00,103 --> 00:04:03,793 [narrator] Christy and Glen take the boys on a trip to Lookout Point Lake. 66 00:04:03,793 --> 00:04:05,793 [Eric] We spent a lot of time camping, 67 00:04:05,793 --> 00:04:10,758 and those were some of, probably, the best times I ever had growing up. 68 00:04:10,827 --> 00:04:12,344 [Christina speaking] 69 00:04:12,413 --> 00:04:14,137 [Eric] It was a lot of fun. 70 00:04:14,206 --> 00:04:16,586 Two brothers causing havoc. 71 00:04:16,586 --> 00:04:20,862 We really gave my mom a run for her money, I would say. [laughs] 72 00:04:20,930 --> 00:04:22,034 [Christina speaking] 73 00:04:22,034 --> 00:04:24,862 They were the happiest times, with her and Glen. 74 00:04:24,931 --> 00:04:26,862 She went to beauty school 75 00:04:26,931 --> 00:04:29,172 and got her beautician license. 76 00:04:29,172 --> 00:04:33,000 She had her two boys, a husband, a home, 77 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,655 and everything was going perfect. 78 00:04:35,724 --> 00:04:38,724 [narrator] Christy and Glen have six happy years together. 79 00:04:39,793 --> 00:04:43,137 But, by 1996, their marriage is failing, 80 00:04:43,206 --> 00:04:44,965 and they decide to divorce. 81 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:47,689 [Carol] When Christina and Glen divorced, 82 00:04:47,689 --> 00:04:50,758 I think it took just a huge hole out of her heart. 83 00:04:50,827 --> 00:04:55,068 I think she struggled for a while, just getting back on her feet. 84 00:04:55,068 --> 00:04:56,655 But she did it. 85 00:04:57,689 --> 00:04:59,275 [narrator] Two years later, 86 00:04:59,275 --> 00:05:02,379 Christy reconnects with her high school crush, Kevin Blankenship, 87 00:05:02,379 --> 00:05:04,344 and they begin dating. 88 00:05:04,413 --> 00:05:07,034 He was very charismatic. 89 00:05:07,103 --> 00:05:10,034 He was charming. He could dance. 90 00:05:10,103 --> 00:05:11,034 [man speaking] 91 00:05:11,034 --> 00:05:13,344 He loved singing country music with her. 92 00:05:13,413 --> 00:05:15,586 They did karaoke with the kids. 93 00:05:15,586 --> 00:05:17,379 And he was good-looking. 94 00:05:17,379 --> 00:05:19,379 He was a good-looking man. 95 00:05:19,379 --> 00:05:21,793 And they hit it off. 96 00:05:21,793 --> 00:05:23,034 [Christina speaking] 97 00:05:24,896 --> 00:05:27,689 [narrator] One year later, baby Brianna is born. 98 00:05:27,689 --> 00:05:31,724 And soon after, baby Skylar joins the growing family, too. 99 00:05:33,724 --> 00:05:35,620 [woman speaking] 100 00:05:37,172 --> 00:05:41,586 If I were to to describe my mom's personality, I would just say "goofy." 101 00:05:41,586 --> 00:05:45,000 From what I remember, she was just very goofy. [laughs] 102 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:51,172 Just the best. The best mom. So funny and so caring. 103 00:05:51,172 --> 00:05:54,862 And the stereotypical girl mom, you know? 104 00:05:54,931 --> 00:05:58,000 Makeup and nail polish and all those kinds of things. 105 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:01,000 And I just I loved it. She was the best. 106 00:06:04,586 --> 00:06:07,689 [Christina speaking and laughing] 107 00:06:07,689 --> 00:06:11,896 If somebody met my dad, they would probably think he was a, 108 00:06:11,896 --> 00:06:14,034 you know, good guy, fun person. 109 00:06:14,103 --> 00:06:18,862 But behind closed doors, he was a different person. 110 00:06:18,931 --> 00:06:23,068 [Carol] When he was sober, he was the funniest, happiest guy. 111 00:06:23,068 --> 00:06:24,655 Very engaging. 112 00:06:25,275 --> 00:06:26,586 Brought you in. 113 00:06:26,586 --> 00:06:28,586 But that other side of the coin, 114 00:06:28,586 --> 00:06:31,310 that was either very good or very bad. 115 00:06:32,068 --> 00:06:35,000 I'd pick her up for lunch, and we'd look out, 116 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,862 and he'd be going by the restaurant, slow. 117 00:06:38,931 --> 00:06:40,275 And, then, he'd park. 118 00:06:40,275 --> 00:06:42,586 He'd come in and look in the window. 119 00:06:42,586 --> 00:06:45,482 Or come in, sit on the other side of the restaurant. 120 00:06:45,482 --> 00:06:51,758 Because Kevin's whole goal of every minute of the day is to have her in his vision. 121 00:06:51,827 --> 00:06:53,689 It was just mind-boggling. 122 00:06:53,689 --> 00:06:55,689 It made no sense to me. 123 00:06:55,689 --> 00:06:57,931 [ominous instrumental music] 124 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:04,000 By the time Brianna was three weeks old, 125 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:08,551 Kevin started showing physical beatings on Christy. 126 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:10,310 [Christina speaking] 127 00:07:13,586 --> 00:07:16,137 Every time I ever met the guy, he was drunk. 128 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,551 That, to me, is a personality flaw. 129 00:07:20,620 --> 00:07:25,586 [Skylar] I feel like I was just scared of him a lot of the time, honestly. 130 00:07:25,586 --> 00:07:27,344 Just, mood-wise, 131 00:07:27,413 --> 00:07:29,931 you never knew what you were gonna get that day. 132 00:07:30,689 --> 00:07:32,344 I think, even at a young age, 133 00:07:32,413 --> 00:07:36,965 I realized that all the fighting was not normal. 134 00:07:38,896 --> 00:07:41,586 [narrator] The children noticed Christy and Kevin's relationship 135 00:07:41,586 --> 00:07:44,241 becoming increasingly turbulent, 136 00:07:44,310 --> 00:07:47,586 particularly Christy's 13-year-old son, Eric. 137 00:07:47,586 --> 00:07:49,551 [Eric] He was aggressive. 138 00:07:49,620 --> 00:07:54,310 I remember this one night, I was about, I would say, 12 or 13. 139 00:07:55,275 --> 00:07:57,000 It was like every normal day, 140 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:01,172 just ate dinner and was just kind of hanging out. 141 00:08:01,172 --> 00:08:03,931 And, then, Kevin started getting drunk... 142 00:08:05,172 --> 00:08:08,172 and starting to push my mom around a little bit. 143 00:08:08,172 --> 00:08:11,000 And I got in between him and pushed him back. 144 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:14,000 I threatened him to not touch my mom again, 145 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:17,482 and that's when he started to get really aggressive towards me. 146 00:08:17,482 --> 00:08:21,448 My mom called my dad and said, "You need to come get Eric. 147 00:08:21,517 --> 00:08:24,275 He's gonna get himself hurt." 148 00:08:24,275 --> 00:08:28,379 [narrator] Eric goes to stay with his father, Glen, Christy's ex-husband, 149 00:08:28,379 --> 00:08:30,034 for two weeks. 150 00:08:31,172 --> 00:08:35,136 [Carol] She thought that, maybe, she could just continue to hope 151 00:08:35,206 --> 00:08:38,241 that he would not drink and not hurt her anymore. 152 00:08:38,309 --> 00:08:40,448 She always had that hope. 153 00:08:40,517 --> 00:08:44,689 She didn't want to feel like the marriage was a failure again. 154 00:08:44,689 --> 00:08:46,586 I remember Christy called and she said, 155 00:08:46,586 --> 00:08:48,862 "Will you come and get me and take me to Mom's?" 156 00:08:48,931 --> 00:08:50,793 So, I went and got Christina, 157 00:08:50,793 --> 00:08:54,655 and she divulged that he'd been beating her. 158 00:08:54,724 --> 00:08:56,344 She went and got in the shower and came out, 159 00:08:56,413 --> 00:09:00,793 and her whole back side was black and blue, and her ribs. 160 00:09:00,793 --> 00:09:04,586 And I said, "We're not lettin' you go back. You're done. 161 00:09:04,586 --> 00:09:07,172 I'm gonna call the police, and we're gonna make a police report, 162 00:09:07,172 --> 00:09:10,172 and we're gonna take pictures of these bruises." 163 00:09:10,172 --> 00:09:13,379 The next morning, Kevin showed up. 164 00:09:13,379 --> 00:09:14,965 We weren't gonna let him in the house. 165 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,034 Christy said, "Let me talk to him." 166 00:09:18,103 --> 00:09:23,068 And he said, "It's all gonna be okay. I'm never drinking again." 167 00:09:23,068 --> 00:09:25,551 Christy said, "Things are gonna be better." 168 00:09:25,620 --> 00:09:28,517 And the next thing you know, she goes back with him. 169 00:09:29,172 --> 00:09:31,068 I'm just heartbroken. 170 00:09:31,068 --> 00:09:33,586 It was like a tornado in there. 171 00:09:33,586 --> 00:09:36,379 You could not pull her out of it. 172 00:09:36,379 --> 00:09:41,068 And it was, "What is it going to take to get you out of this?" 173 00:09:41,068 --> 00:09:43,310 [ominous instrumental music] 174 00:09:49,275 --> 00:09:51,172 [pleasant instrumental music] 175 00:09:51,172 --> 00:09:53,896 [Kevin speaking] 176 00:09:53,896 --> 00:09:56,344 -[baby babbling] -[laughing] 177 00:10:00,862 --> 00:10:02,793 [Kevin speaking] 178 00:10:02,793 --> 00:10:04,172 [narrator] Kevin promises Christy 179 00:10:04,172 --> 00:10:07,103 that his drinking and abusive behavior will stop. 180 00:10:07,275 --> 00:10:09,137 [Kevin speaking] 181 00:10:09,206 --> 00:10:12,448 [narrator] Christy takes his word and agrees to marry him. 182 00:10:12,517 --> 00:10:14,758 [Eric] I believe my mom was very optimistic. 183 00:10:16,172 --> 00:10:19,482 I know that I have personally heard 184 00:10:19,482 --> 00:10:23,172 Kevin say he was sorry 185 00:10:23,172 --> 00:10:26,517 and it won't happen again. 186 00:10:27,620 --> 00:10:30,482 I think she just held onto that little bit of hope 187 00:10:30,482 --> 00:10:33,241 that something would change someday. 188 00:10:34,862 --> 00:10:37,034 [woman speaking] 189 00:10:42,413 --> 00:10:46,068 [woman speaking] 190 00:10:46,068 --> 00:10:51,275 Being a hairdresser, my mom worked really hard, and a lot, 191 00:10:51,275 --> 00:10:53,689 to support the family. 192 00:10:53,689 --> 00:10:55,482 [Carol] We were so proud of her. 193 00:10:55,482 --> 00:10:58,482 I mean, she was our family hairdresser. 194 00:10:58,482 --> 00:10:59,827 [woman speaking] 195 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,586 [Carol] She was very successful. 196 00:11:05,586 --> 00:11:07,206 [laughing] 197 00:11:07,206 --> 00:11:10,793 She worked seven days a week. She had to, because she had so many clients. 198 00:11:10,793 --> 00:11:13,827 She was an amazing hairdresser. 199 00:11:13,896 --> 00:11:15,793 [woman speaking] 200 00:11:15,793 --> 00:11:21,689 She was the pretty constant breadwinner for our family, and she worked hard. 201 00:11:21,689 --> 00:11:25,241 [narrator] While Christy works to provide for the family, 202 00:11:25,310 --> 00:11:27,793 Kevin's contributions fall short. 203 00:11:27,793 --> 00:11:30,758 [Brianna] Most of my memories of my dad are of him not working. 204 00:11:30,758 --> 00:11:35,137 I think he was pretty content with letting my mom do a lot of the hard work. 205 00:11:35,206 --> 00:11:37,310 [somber instrumental music] 206 00:11:39,068 --> 00:11:43,827 She earned money to pay rent, bills, her car. 207 00:11:46,689 --> 00:11:50,241 Well, one day, Christy came home, 208 00:11:50,310 --> 00:11:52,758 and went to buy groceries. 209 00:11:52,758 --> 00:11:56,689 And all the money was gone out of the drawer. 210 00:11:56,689 --> 00:12:01,655 And she came over and cried and cried, "Aunty, he's took all the money." 211 00:12:02,379 --> 00:12:04,379 And he would just go on these trips. 212 00:12:04,379 --> 00:12:07,689 He'd come back and spent all her money. 213 00:12:07,689 --> 00:12:10,931 [narrator] Christy and Kevin failed to keep up with rent payments 214 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:14,551 and, in 2001, they receive an eviction notice. 215 00:12:16,379 --> 00:12:19,000 [Brianna] For the early years of my life, 216 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,517 we were moving around constantly. 217 00:12:22,172 --> 00:12:24,620 Just a lot of back and forth. 218 00:12:25,310 --> 00:12:27,379 [Carol] I was working for child welfare, 219 00:12:27,379 --> 00:12:31,103 and one of my jobs was to help people get housing. 220 00:12:31,103 --> 00:12:34,448 Well, I knew of a four-bedroom that was gonna be empty. 221 00:12:34,517 --> 00:12:36,586 I went and got Christy, and I said, 222 00:12:36,586 --> 00:12:40,655 "I can move you into this four-bedroom with no money." 223 00:12:40,724 --> 00:12:43,931 She was so excited. We decorated it. 224 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:47,758 We all went in and just helped get her stuff ready. 225 00:12:47,827 --> 00:12:51,310 I did anything I could to try to help her. 226 00:12:52,379 --> 00:12:55,034 [indistinct commotion] 227 00:12:56,379 --> 00:13:00,758 These are happy times. Really happy times. 228 00:13:00,827 --> 00:13:04,758 Christina loved country music, and she would lip sync, 229 00:13:04,758 --> 00:13:07,896 and they'd all line up and she'd get all the kids, 230 00:13:07,896 --> 00:13:10,827 line 'em all up, and they'd all dance. 231 00:13:10,896 --> 00:13:15,068 Line dance and sing to country music. 232 00:13:15,068 --> 00:13:18,275 I loved watching them. They were hilarious. 233 00:13:18,275 --> 00:13:23,931 She was always goofy, and singing and dancing, and that was just who she was. 234 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,379 It's nice to see that she's just, you know, having a good time. 235 00:13:28,379 --> 00:13:30,137 She's adorable. [laughs] 236 00:13:31,172 --> 00:13:32,931 [ominous instrumental music] 237 00:13:34,793 --> 00:13:39,551 [narrator] Kevin breaks his promise and starts to drink again. 238 00:13:39,620 --> 00:13:43,103 She calls me up. He's drunk and rampaging. 239 00:13:43,896 --> 00:13:47,241 -[dramatic instrumental music] -[shattering] 240 00:13:47,310 --> 00:13:50,517 And I was just up the street, so I walked over. 241 00:13:52,172 --> 00:13:55,896 He had put a chair through the window, a lawn chair. 242 00:13:55,896 --> 00:13:59,620 And he had busted up the futon in the living room. 243 00:14:00,275 --> 00:14:02,827 A lamp was all broke. 244 00:14:03,793 --> 00:14:06,103 And the manager showed up. 245 00:14:06,103 --> 00:14:10,275 They came in the housing and had to take pictures of the house. 246 00:14:10,275 --> 00:14:12,517 And they lost their housing. 247 00:14:13,758 --> 00:14:18,034 He just sabotaged every single thing that we put in place 248 00:14:18,103 --> 00:14:20,551 for her and those kids to have a better life. 249 00:14:22,793 --> 00:14:24,068 [narrator] In 2005, 250 00:14:24,068 --> 00:14:27,034 Christy inherits her mother's house in Baker City, 251 00:14:27,103 --> 00:14:29,103 giving the family some security. 252 00:14:29,103 --> 00:14:31,379 [Eric] After my mom moved to Baker, 253 00:14:31,379 --> 00:14:34,137 I continued living with my dad in Eugene. 254 00:14:34,206 --> 00:14:37,758 I just wasn't comfortable at my mom's house a lot. 255 00:14:37,758 --> 00:14:41,758 I would try and pop over just for a weekend, 256 00:14:41,758 --> 00:14:44,241 but I didn't really see my mom a lot. 257 00:14:49,172 --> 00:14:51,000 [woman speaking] 258 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:53,344 [narrator] The family visit Christy's aunt. 259 00:14:53,413 --> 00:14:55,931 Brianna and Skylar play with their cousin. 260 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:01,000 Whenever they would argue, I would be more so worried for my mom at the time. 261 00:15:01,689 --> 00:15:03,482 I think as I got a little bit older, 262 00:15:03,482 --> 00:15:05,482 I would be a little more scared 263 00:15:05,482 --> 00:15:07,931 that he would do something to us, too. 264 00:15:08,896 --> 00:15:13,000 I remember, we were at our apartment, 265 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:17,034 and my dad was trying to get me to say the word "Hell." 266 00:15:17,103 --> 00:15:19,000 And I wouldn't, 'cause I was little. 267 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,827 I'm like, "That's a bad word. I'm not gonna say it." 268 00:15:23,275 --> 00:15:28,689 Well, he held me down and put a knife to my arm. 269 00:15:28,689 --> 00:15:33,172 Like, if I wouldn't say it, then he was gonna do something to me. 270 00:15:33,172 --> 00:15:36,344 And I think, at that point, that's what I do, 271 00:15:36,413 --> 00:15:41,482 that I was definitely more scared for my sister and I. 272 00:15:41,482 --> 00:15:45,827 And I couldn't say anything 'cause he's gonna do something. 273 00:15:45,896 --> 00:15:48,000 [ominous instrumental music] 274 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:54,793 [Brianna] There was a time when, I think it had to be my 10th birthday, 275 00:15:54,793 --> 00:15:59,862 I didn't ask for anything for my birthday, like materialistic-wise. 276 00:15:59,862 --> 00:16:02,000 I didn't ask for toys or... 277 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:05,275 I literally just begged my dad to stay sober all day, 278 00:16:05,275 --> 00:16:07,827 like, on my birthday. [sobs] 279 00:16:07,896 --> 00:16:10,000 And that didn't happen, and it broke my heart. 280 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:13,137 He got extremely intoxicated. 281 00:16:13,206 --> 00:16:15,068 I see eight and nine-year-old kids now, 282 00:16:15,068 --> 00:16:18,000 and I'm like, "Oh, my gosh, they're, like, little babies." 283 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:21,689 And I just can't believe I had the wherewithal, and I had to grow up so fast. 284 00:16:21,689 --> 00:16:24,241 So, it's just devastating. 285 00:16:25,172 --> 00:16:28,000 [Skylar] My mom was a very strong person. 286 00:16:28,896 --> 00:16:31,000 But, at the same time, yeah, you look back 287 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:35,827 and you wonder how she could have stayed with him for so long 288 00:16:35,896 --> 00:16:38,551 with all the stuff that he was doing. 289 00:16:38,620 --> 00:16:42,482 And, yeah, I'll never understand that, either. 290 00:16:42,482 --> 00:16:48,103 [Eric] I wanted him gone, and I spoke that to my mom a lot. 291 00:16:48,103 --> 00:16:49,931 And that's where me and my mom, 292 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,586 if we ever butted heads, It was about that. 293 00:16:52,586 --> 00:16:56,034 I argued with her. I guess I pleaded with her. 294 00:16:56,103 --> 00:17:01,827 I just don't know if she thought she could actually get away from him. 295 00:17:05,586 --> 00:17:07,172 [tense instrumental music] 296 00:17:07,172 --> 00:17:11,827 I was afraid for Christina every day of her life with him. 297 00:17:13,205 --> 00:17:15,586 One of the times he beat her bad, 298 00:17:15,586 --> 00:17:20,586 I went over to get Christina and take her to a place called MayDay. 299 00:17:20,586 --> 00:17:23,172 It's where you go for domestic violence. 300 00:17:23,172 --> 00:17:27,000 I said, "We're gonna go file a restraining order today!" 301 00:17:28,310 --> 00:17:30,931 As we drove away, 302 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:34,517 he got in a vehicle and followed us. 303 00:17:38,310 --> 00:17:44,275 And I drove around the corner and I said, "Get us in quick. I think he's following us. 304 00:17:44,275 --> 00:17:48,172 She's been beaten really bad. She needs pictures taken. 305 00:17:48,172 --> 00:17:51,000 And we might need law enforcement here." 306 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:55,758 He walked up to the building and looked through like this, looking in. 307 00:17:56,068 --> 00:17:57,758 He was pursuing her. 308 00:17:58,379 --> 00:18:00,413 She was not gonna get away from him. 309 00:18:02,586 --> 00:18:07,758 It was horrible to love my dad so much, but, like, want him away. 310 00:18:07,758 --> 00:18:11,482 Like, I wanted my mom to be safe. 311 00:18:11,482 --> 00:18:13,862 [911 operator talking indistinctly] 312 00:18:13,862 --> 00:18:17,172 [Carol] Kevin was arrested and charged with assault. 313 00:18:17,172 --> 00:18:22,241 And, then, he had to enroll in domestic violence classes. 314 00:18:22,310 --> 00:18:24,793 [narrator] Kevin pleads guilty to assaulting Christy. 315 00:18:24,793 --> 00:18:29,586 In May, 2010, he is given a 180-day suspended sentence 316 00:18:29,586 --> 00:18:31,827 and 18-month probation. 317 00:18:31,896 --> 00:18:34,689 He is ordered to have no contact with Christy. 318 00:18:34,689 --> 00:18:37,758 I went over there and he showed back up again. 319 00:18:37,758 --> 00:18:40,137 He did not care there was restraining order. 320 00:18:40,206 --> 00:18:42,172 He did not care about the rules. 321 00:18:42,172 --> 00:18:45,758 He drank anyway, and he showed up anyway. 322 00:18:45,827 --> 00:18:48,586 None of it made a difference. 323 00:18:48,586 --> 00:18:51,034 That was about the end of it. She had had it. 324 00:18:51,103 --> 00:18:55,241 The love was gone and she was wanting out. 325 00:18:55,310 --> 00:18:59,275 But she told me, "If I divorce him, he will find me. 326 00:18:59,275 --> 00:19:00,034 He will kill me." 327 00:19:00,034 --> 00:19:02,241 [dramatic instrumental music] 328 00:19:09,275 --> 00:19:10,724 [Christina laughing] 329 00:19:17,793 --> 00:19:19,620 [Christina speaking] 330 00:19:20,586 --> 00:19:24,413 [narrator] It's three months since Kevin is convicted of assaulting Christy. 331 00:19:24,482 --> 00:19:26,137 He shows up at Christy's house, 332 00:19:26,137 --> 00:19:28,379 breaking the terms of his probation. 333 00:19:28,379 --> 00:19:31,000 [Carol] He was supposed to stay away from her, 334 00:19:31,068 --> 00:19:33,137 but he showed back up again. 335 00:19:35,448 --> 00:19:36,931 [man speaking] 336 00:19:36,931 --> 00:19:40,482 And Christy was trying so hard that day to try to keep it together. 337 00:19:40,482 --> 00:19:44,517 You know, she wanted her baby to have this beautiful birthday. 338 00:19:47,172 --> 00:19:48,896 [man speaking] 339 00:19:48,896 --> 00:19:51,068 Everything was, you know, going swell, 340 00:19:51,068 --> 00:19:54,241 having, you know, a nine-year-old birthday party. [laughs] 341 00:19:54,241 --> 00:19:55,586 [man speaking] 342 00:19:57,482 --> 00:20:00,034 [man speaking] 343 00:20:00,034 --> 00:20:01,896 -[Brianna speaking] -[man speaking] 344 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:04,862 [all laughing] 345 00:20:04,862 --> 00:20:08,310 We look happy, for the most part, it seems like. [laughs] 346 00:20:10,275 --> 00:20:11,586 [woman speaking] 347 00:20:12,655 --> 00:20:15,068 It is nice to see my birthday like that. 348 00:20:15,068 --> 00:20:17,827 I just wish that's how I can remember it. 349 00:20:18,275 --> 00:20:20,586 [tense instrumental music] 350 00:20:20,586 --> 00:20:22,517 [shattering] 351 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,000 At the end of the night, 352 00:20:25,068 --> 00:20:28,172 yeah, I'm not sure what they even started fighting about. 353 00:20:28,172 --> 00:20:33,344 But it got aggressive real quick. 354 00:20:33,344 --> 00:20:36,586 I know that he started putting his hands on her. 355 00:20:36,586 --> 00:20:42,827 So, my sister and I, we went into my room like we usually did. 356 00:20:43,482 --> 00:20:45,517 [Carol] That house they lived in 357 00:20:45,586 --> 00:20:48,827 was an old, old trailer, very thin walls. 358 00:20:49,448 --> 00:20:51,827 And they could hear their mom be beat. 359 00:20:52,551 --> 00:20:55,172 And scream. And holler. 360 00:20:55,172 --> 00:21:00,310 [Brianna] I think we just tried to ignore the fact that it was always happening, 361 00:21:00,379 --> 00:21:04,000 and we just tried to, you know, stay out of it. 362 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,068 [Carol] Those incidences were getting worse and worse and worse and worse, 363 00:21:07,068 --> 00:21:10,448 where he didn't care how bad he hurt her, 364 00:21:10,448 --> 00:21:12,620 and how physically he hurt her. 365 00:21:12,689 --> 00:21:15,275 There was nobody gonna stop him. 366 00:21:15,275 --> 00:21:16,896 Period. 367 00:21:16,896 --> 00:21:19,137 [dramatic instrumental music] 368 00:21:20,275 --> 00:21:23,000 [Skylar] I remember going to school one day. 369 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:25,206 [somber instrumental music] 370 00:21:25,689 --> 00:21:27,275 We were in class, 371 00:21:27,275 --> 00:21:30,793 and our assignment was to write what we're scared of. 372 00:21:30,793 --> 00:21:33,724 And, you know, I wrote down spiders as one thing. 373 00:21:33,793 --> 00:21:35,896 And, then, I wrote down my dad. 374 00:21:35,896 --> 00:21:39,965 And I remember the teachers, like, coming to talk to me. 375 00:21:39,965 --> 00:21:43,103 And I was freaked out 'cause I'm like, "No, don't say anything," 376 00:21:43,103 --> 00:21:45,724 'cause it freaked me out that he was gonna find out. 377 00:21:46,586 --> 00:21:50,758 I think, for most kids, their monsters were imaginary. 378 00:21:50,758 --> 00:21:52,896 And, at least for me, 379 00:21:52,896 --> 00:21:56,137 yeah, mine just lived in the other room, 380 00:21:56,137 --> 00:21:58,172 and we couldn't escape it. 381 00:22:00,793 --> 00:22:03,000 [woman speaking] 382 00:22:07,482 --> 00:22:09,413 [woman speaking] 383 00:22:09,482 --> 00:22:12,379 [Eric] My mom had plenty of people to tell her, 384 00:22:12,379 --> 00:22:15,620 you know, "I think you should leave. You have support." 385 00:22:15,689 --> 00:22:18,896 But my mom's reasoning behind staying with Kevin 386 00:22:18,896 --> 00:22:24,034 does stem from my sisters and in trying to have 387 00:22:24,034 --> 00:22:29,379 some kind of stability in their life with both of their parents. 388 00:22:29,379 --> 00:22:33,344 But I think a lot of it stems back to her parents, 389 00:22:33,344 --> 00:22:35,448 my mom's parents, to my grandparents. 390 00:22:35,448 --> 00:22:39,448 There was abuse in my mum's household when she was a kid. 391 00:22:39,448 --> 00:22:44,344 So, I know that she, unfortunately, had to grow up seeing that. 392 00:22:44,344 --> 00:22:50,000 My grandparents were together until my grandfather passed away. 393 00:22:50,965 --> 00:22:55,172 And, so, I think that kind of stuck in my mom's head that, 394 00:22:55,172 --> 00:23:00,206 almost like, it was okay to stay in a situation like that. 395 00:23:01,482 --> 00:23:03,000 [pleasant instrumental music] 396 00:23:03,068 --> 00:23:06,344 [Carol] We went camping on August 20th on my birthday. 397 00:23:06,344 --> 00:23:08,793 We got all our tents together and we headed to the camp. 398 00:23:08,793 --> 00:23:11,862 And I had already went up and paid for all our campsites. 399 00:23:11,862 --> 00:23:15,068 And it's hotter than the dickens out, but we didn't care. 400 00:23:15,655 --> 00:23:17,758 And we had an absolute blast. 401 00:23:17,758 --> 00:23:23,137 We'd been fishing all day, cooking, hiking. 402 00:23:23,137 --> 00:23:25,896 And, of course, there was always drinking. 403 00:23:26,586 --> 00:23:30,620 And Kevin got into it, got too drunk. 404 00:23:30,689 --> 00:23:32,862 [ominous instrumental music] 405 00:23:32,862 --> 00:23:37,793 Kids yelled, "Dad's choking mom to death in the outhouse." 406 00:23:39,689 --> 00:23:41,517 So, I went over. 407 00:23:41,586 --> 00:23:44,965 I had to drag him out of the outhouse, out of the bathroom, 408 00:23:44,965 --> 00:23:46,758 get Christy. 409 00:23:46,758 --> 00:23:49,310 Big marks across her neck. 410 00:23:50,482 --> 00:23:55,137 And she says, "I can't do it no more. I'm getting out." 411 00:23:55,137 --> 00:23:57,758 The divorce needed to start. 412 00:23:57,758 --> 00:24:01,137 You know, we're gonna go through this, and we're gonna get it done. 413 00:24:01,137 --> 00:24:04,586 I said, "You know what? Uncle and I will help you financially. 414 00:24:04,586 --> 00:24:08,517 We'll get you somewhere to go to hide." 415 00:24:08,586 --> 00:24:11,931 That week, we started the ball rolling. 416 00:24:14,241 --> 00:24:16,620 [judge speaking] 417 00:24:24,482 --> 00:24:27,344 [narrator] Christy starts the paperwork to divorce Kevin, 418 00:24:27,344 --> 00:24:31,068 but she isn't going to tell him until after her son's wedding. 419 00:24:31,068 --> 00:24:33,827 [judge speaking] 420 00:24:36,482 --> 00:24:41,068 I remember the day, like, almost perfectly. 421 00:24:41,068 --> 00:24:44,344 My mom looked so cute. She had her permed, curly hair and her big bangs. 422 00:24:44,344 --> 00:24:46,586 And, like, she's all dressed up. 423 00:24:46,586 --> 00:24:48,620 [Christina speaking] 424 00:24:49,275 --> 00:24:50,724 [laughing] 425 00:24:50,724 --> 00:24:55,413 Mom's, like, videoing on her camcorder and she's, like, beaming. 426 00:24:55,482 --> 00:24:58,310 I was, like, "This feels like it's gonna be a good day." 427 00:24:58,379 --> 00:25:00,517 [judge speaking] 428 00:25:03,482 --> 00:25:06,000 [cheering] 429 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:10,620 She was so happy for him at the wedding. He was so in love with Codi. 430 00:25:11,379 --> 00:25:13,000 [Christina speaking] 431 00:25:15,551 --> 00:25:19,310 [Carol] In the background, you could see Kevin had showed up. 432 00:25:19,379 --> 00:25:21,758 And I saw Christina, in a running fashion, 433 00:25:21,758 --> 00:25:24,896 going towards the restroom, and Kevin chasing her. 434 00:25:24,896 --> 00:25:27,000 [ominous instrumental music] 435 00:25:27,068 --> 00:25:30,724 And he goes, "It's until death do us part. 436 00:25:30,793 --> 00:25:33,551 If I can't have her, no one will. 437 00:25:33,551 --> 00:25:35,827 And I'm gonna end up killing her." 438 00:25:36,655 --> 00:25:40,379 She started crying, went into the restroom area. 439 00:25:40,379 --> 00:25:43,620 I went in with her, washed her face off. 440 00:25:43,689 --> 00:25:48,586 I, then, took my baby home 'cause it was a hot day... 441 00:25:49,482 --> 00:25:51,137 [voice breaking] and told her goodbye. 442 00:25:52,344 --> 00:25:55,724 [phone line connecting] 443 00:25:55,793 --> 00:25:57,413 [911 operator speaking] 444 00:25:57,482 --> 00:25:59,517 [Darren Blankenship speaking] 445 00:26:08,655 --> 00:26:10,448 [911 operator speaking] 446 00:26:10,448 --> 00:26:13,931 [Darren speaking] 447 00:26:21,172 --> 00:26:23,000 [ominous instrumental music] 448 00:26:23,068 --> 00:26:24,482 [911 operator speaking] 449 00:26:28,965 --> 00:26:30,931 [Darren speaking] 450 00:26:37,793 --> 00:26:40,000 [911 operator speaking] 451 00:26:40,068 --> 00:26:41,517 [Darren speaking] 452 00:26:41,517 --> 00:26:46,413 After dispatch received the initial call from Darren Blankenship, 453 00:26:46,482 --> 00:26:51,103 they radioed in to the two city officers that were on duty that night. 454 00:26:51,379 --> 00:26:52,517 [officer speaking] 455 00:26:52,965 --> 00:26:55,413 [911 operator speaking] 456 00:26:59,793 --> 00:27:02,000 [dramatic instrumental music] 457 00:27:03,344 --> 00:27:05,551 -[tense instrumental music] -[indistinct radio chatter] 458 00:27:05,551 --> 00:27:07,310 [Lohner] They arrived, 459 00:27:07,379 --> 00:27:12,068 took up defensive positions, and waited. 460 00:27:14,655 --> 00:27:19,689 [Sharon Bass] As the officers were trying to make a plan to get Kevin to come outside, 461 00:27:19,689 --> 00:27:23,000 Kevin actually walked out on the front porch. 462 00:27:25,896 --> 00:27:30,413 And, then, we were able to take him into custody without any incident. 463 00:27:30,482 --> 00:27:33,413 The officers asked where his wife was. 464 00:27:33,482 --> 00:27:35,689 Kevin said that Christy was in the house. 465 00:27:35,689 --> 00:27:38,862 When the officers entered the house, 466 00:27:38,862 --> 00:27:41,689 they found Christy deceased. 467 00:27:41,689 --> 00:27:43,931 [tense instrumental music] 468 00:27:46,482 --> 00:27:48,344 [somber instrumental music] 469 00:27:48,344 --> 00:27:50,482 [Carol] I got that phone call. 470 00:27:50,482 --> 00:27:52,931 And it's my son on the phone, 471 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:57,344 and he goes, "Mom, the police are here and you need to come now." 472 00:27:57,344 --> 00:27:59,517 I don't even remember getting dressed. 473 00:27:59,586 --> 00:28:04,172 We got in the car, went around the corner. It's a half a block. 474 00:28:04,172 --> 00:28:07,724 I could see police as far as I could see in lights. 475 00:28:08,379 --> 00:28:10,689 And they had already had ribbon up. 476 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,068 [crying] And I said, "She's dead in that house." 477 00:28:14,068 --> 00:28:16,172 And they said, "Yeah." 478 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:19,862 I said, "Please let me come and be by her." 479 00:28:19,862 --> 00:28:22,620 They said, "You can't come in. It's a crime scene." 480 00:28:22,689 --> 00:28:24,620 I mean, it was horrific. 481 00:28:25,068 --> 00:28:27,172 None of us knew what to do, 482 00:28:27,172 --> 00:28:28,793 or what to say. 483 00:28:29,275 --> 00:28:31,586 [somber instrumental music] 484 00:28:31,586 --> 00:28:36,965 I got a very loud knock on my front door 485 00:28:36,965 --> 00:28:38,620 from my cousin. 486 00:28:38,689 --> 00:28:40,758 And he said, "Hey, man, I need you to call your brother." 487 00:28:40,758 --> 00:28:44,827 So, I went out and called Aaron and... 488 00:28:46,275 --> 00:28:50,241 He just said, "Mom's dead. Kevin killed her." 489 00:28:50,241 --> 00:28:54,413 I don't know, the next 30 minutes to an hour, I kind of blacked out. 490 00:28:55,068 --> 00:28:56,793 Yeah, it was... 491 00:28:56,793 --> 00:28:58,310 [breath trembling] 492 00:28:58,965 --> 00:29:01,275 real surreal. 493 00:29:01,275 --> 00:29:06,379 As soon as I collected myself enough, I called my dad. 494 00:29:06,379 --> 00:29:10,344 He didn't let me out of his sight for, like, three days. 495 00:29:10,344 --> 00:29:17,000 I wish I would have drove over to be here for my sisters and my brother. 496 00:29:17,068 --> 00:29:19,137 At the time, I couldn't come over here. 497 00:29:20,655 --> 00:29:22,517 I mean, the last time I talked to my mom, 498 00:29:22,586 --> 00:29:24,655 I had got in an argument with her 499 00:29:24,655 --> 00:29:27,275 about leaving Kevin, and... 500 00:29:27,275 --> 00:29:30,862 [inhales] and she got mad. She got frustrated with me. 501 00:29:30,862 --> 00:29:34,793 And I remember her telling me that I needed to be bigger than that. 502 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:39,482 I think that was the... [voice breaking] 503 00:29:41,896 --> 00:29:45,931 That was the first time I got off the phone 504 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:48,793 and didn't tell my mom I loved her. [sobbing] 505 00:29:53,068 --> 00:29:54,275 -[Lohner speaking] -[Kevin speaking] 506 00:29:54,275 --> 00:29:55,827 [Lohner speaking] 507 00:29:55,827 --> 00:29:58,793 [narrator] Detective Lohner arrives at Baker City Police station 508 00:29:58,793 --> 00:30:00,034 to interview Kevin. 509 00:30:00,034 --> 00:30:00,931 [Lohner speaking] 510 00:30:02,482 --> 00:30:04,206 [Lohner speaking] 511 00:30:15,896 --> 00:30:17,206 [Lohner speaking] 512 00:30:20,655 --> 00:30:21,517 [Lohner speaking] 513 00:30:21,517 --> 00:30:23,068 You start off with an interview 514 00:30:23,068 --> 00:30:26,000 where you try to make a connection with the person. 515 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:30,517 You don't immediately confront them via interrogation. 516 00:30:36,965 --> 00:30:38,931 [Lohner speaking] 517 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:42,103 Kevin appeared to be very open to me, 518 00:30:42,103 --> 00:30:46,482 and it allows me to elicit information better 519 00:30:46,482 --> 00:30:49,793 than being in a straight, confrontational role. 520 00:31:00,793 --> 00:31:02,103 [Lohner speaking] 521 00:31:20,172 --> 00:31:21,586 [Lohner laughing] 522 00:31:27,482 --> 00:31:28,793 [Lohner laughing] 523 00:31:32,448 --> 00:31:34,931 Kevin appeared fairly jovial. 524 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:36,310 There was no tears. 525 00:31:36,310 --> 00:31:42,413 He didn't seem very nervous at all, which was surprising. 526 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,344 It's not normal behavior. 527 00:31:45,344 --> 00:31:47,827 I'm not a psychologist, but you can tell 528 00:31:47,896 --> 00:31:49,896 that there is something wrong with a person 529 00:31:49,896 --> 00:31:54,827 that they show no emotion about their wife's death. 530 00:32:00,068 --> 00:32:00,931 [Kevin speaking] 531 00:32:01,172 --> 00:32:03,000 [Lohner speaking] 532 00:32:03,551 --> 00:32:04,724 [Kevin speaking] 533 00:32:04,793 --> 00:32:05,689 [Lohner speaking] 534 00:32:10,862 --> 00:32:12,310 [Lohner speaking] 535 00:32:14,103 --> 00:32:16,275 [Lohner speaking] 536 00:32:23,241 --> 00:32:24,206 [Lohner speaking] 537 00:32:30,379 --> 00:32:33,000 [Lohner speaking] 538 00:32:40,655 --> 00:32:42,827 [Lohner speaking] 539 00:32:45,586 --> 00:32:48,931 [Lohner speaking] 540 00:32:52,896 --> 00:32:54,172 [Lohner speaking] 541 00:32:54,689 --> 00:32:59,068 After speaking with Kevin for maybe half an hour, 542 00:33:00,379 --> 00:33:02,620 I knew he wasn't telling me the truth. 543 00:33:03,758 --> 00:33:09,068 For one, nobody cleans a rifle at ten o'clock at night. 544 00:33:09,068 --> 00:33:12,000 And, then, if an accident does happen, 545 00:33:12,068 --> 00:33:16,724 they do not take the cleaning rod apart, put it away. 546 00:33:16,793 --> 00:33:23,344 A normal reaction would be to immediately call 911 and get help. 547 00:33:23,344 --> 00:33:28,344 Nothing made sense, but he stuck with his story. 548 00:33:28,344 --> 00:33:29,931 I was running out of options. 549 00:33:29,931 --> 00:33:35,241 I did not have any more information that I could use against him. 550 00:33:35,689 --> 00:33:37,965 We had to uncover the truth. 551 00:33:37,965 --> 00:33:40,206 [dramatic instrumental music] 552 00:33:46,344 --> 00:33:48,620 [tense instrumental music] 553 00:33:50,655 --> 00:33:53,620 [Lohner speaking] 554 00:33:55,896 --> 00:33:58,620 Detective Bass and I went to the property 555 00:33:58,689 --> 00:34:01,931 to serve a search warrant at approximately 8:30 in the morning. 556 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:03,551 [camera clicking] 557 00:34:05,655 --> 00:34:11,379 I stood at the front door, and he went in and checked the scene, 558 00:34:11,379 --> 00:34:13,310 photographed the scene. 559 00:34:14,172 --> 00:34:16,931 [Lohner] As soon as I walked in the door, 560 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:20,516 I knew even more so that Kevin was lying to me 561 00:34:20,585 --> 00:34:24,068 because of the position of Christy's body. 562 00:34:28,793 --> 00:34:34,551 Kevin told me that he and Christy were sitting on a futon bed. 563 00:34:34,551 --> 00:34:37,585 The gun accidentally went off, she slumped forward. 564 00:34:37,585 --> 00:34:41,482 However, she was turned completely away from him. 565 00:34:41,482 --> 00:34:43,688 [ominous instrumental music] 566 00:34:43,688 --> 00:34:46,896 After examining Christy's body, 567 00:34:46,896 --> 00:34:50,241 it looked like a cold-blooded execution. 568 00:35:02,344 --> 00:35:07,620 During the forensic laboratory's examination of the residence, 569 00:35:08,586 --> 00:35:13,482 they found a gun-cleaning kit underneath the bed. 570 00:35:13,482 --> 00:35:18,068 Further examination showed that it had not been used. 571 00:35:24,275 --> 00:35:25,758 [Bass speaking] 572 00:35:25,758 --> 00:35:29,034 [narrator] The detectives begin a search of Kevin's vehicle. 573 00:35:29,034 --> 00:35:31,827 [Lohner] I could see a rifle that was in there. 574 00:35:31,896 --> 00:35:35,379 There was several different changes of clothing packed in there. 575 00:35:35,379 --> 00:35:40,000 Made it very apparent to me that he was gonna hide it, 576 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:42,655 or use it to commit suicide. 577 00:35:42,655 --> 00:35:46,000 There was absolutely no reason, if it was an accident, 578 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:50,000 for him to take that particular firearm and put it in the vehicle. 579 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:56,482 We found notes that Kevin had wrote to Christina 580 00:35:56,482 --> 00:36:00,655 stating that he was sorry and he would make it up to her. 581 00:36:00,655 --> 00:36:06,758 We found divorce papers in the burning barrel outside of the house. 582 00:36:06,758 --> 00:36:11,206 So, it kind of proved that they were, you know, having issues. 583 00:36:22,586 --> 00:36:25,758 [narrator] It's eight hours since Kevin's initial interview. 584 00:36:25,758 --> 00:36:28,931 He's kept in police custody for further questioning. 585 00:36:29,482 --> 00:36:31,310 [Lohner speaking] 586 00:36:42,551 --> 00:36:46,034 [Lohner] After clearing the initial search of the residence, 587 00:36:46,034 --> 00:36:51,482 seeing Christy's body gave me a lot of information to go back to Kevin, 588 00:36:51,482 --> 00:36:56,137 and resume the interview in a slightly different tone. 589 00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:09,241 I knew that his story was completely bogus. 590 00:37:09,241 --> 00:37:11,275 I just flat said, 591 00:37:11,275 --> 00:37:14,310 "Kevin, what you told me does not make sense." 592 00:37:34,344 --> 00:37:36,827 I asked him if there was any issues with their marriage. 593 00:37:36,896 --> 00:37:42,310 He kept saying that, "No, she was my best friend. We loved each other." 594 00:37:54,793 --> 00:37:56,413 [Lohner speaking] 595 00:38:17,689 --> 00:38:18,689 [Lohner speaking] 596 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:27,896 At that point, 597 00:38:27,896 --> 00:38:31,241 I was beyond reasonable doubt that he murdered her. 598 00:38:31,241 --> 00:38:33,482 [tense instrumental music] 599 00:38:34,586 --> 00:38:38,103 I believe, after Kevin and Christina went home, 600 00:38:38,103 --> 00:38:41,172 there was some type of confrontation 601 00:38:41,172 --> 00:38:43,724 because she was gonna divorce him. 602 00:38:45,137 --> 00:38:50,862 At one point, he positioned her parallel to the futon, 603 00:38:50,862 --> 00:38:55,724 placed the gun between 18 and 36 inches away from her head... 604 00:38:55,793 --> 00:38:57,206 [gunshot] 605 00:38:59,172 --> 00:39:00,931 ...pulled the trigger and killed her. 606 00:39:04,034 --> 00:39:06,827 [judicial assistant speaking] 607 00:39:08,965 --> 00:39:11,758 [judge speaking] 608 00:39:11,758 --> 00:39:13,275 [attorney speaking] 609 00:39:19,896 --> 00:39:22,517 [Carol] They brought him in in shackles, 610 00:39:22,586 --> 00:39:27,620 and I thought, "What a hollow human being this is." 611 00:39:27,689 --> 00:39:29,827 He chose not to say anything, 612 00:39:30,689 --> 00:39:33,000 other than he was guilty. 613 00:39:33,068 --> 00:39:35,620 [attorney speaking] 614 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:45,793 The man's a cold-hearted monster. 615 00:39:45,793 --> 00:39:48,586 He is an absolute monster. 616 00:39:48,586 --> 00:39:51,896 And I hope they never let him out of prison, ever. 617 00:39:52,379 --> 00:39:54,586 [tense instrumental music] 618 00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:00,620 [narrator] At sentencing, Carol reads a victim impact statement. 619 00:40:01,344 --> 00:40:05,000 [Carol speaking] 620 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:39,896 My mom was just the light in everybody's day, 621 00:40:39,896 --> 00:40:43,793 and I think she touched a lot of people's hearts in that way. 622 00:40:43,793 --> 00:40:48,724 I absolutely miss my mom to pieces, and... 623 00:40:48,793 --> 00:40:52,172 I think my mom would be very proud of how we all grew up. 624 00:40:52,172 --> 00:40:55,758 I do believe I definitely got my strength from her. 625 00:40:55,758 --> 00:41:01,724 She did what she could to keep us safe the best that she could. 626 00:41:01,793 --> 00:41:05,793 But even trying to leave it backfired on her. But... 627 00:41:07,068 --> 00:41:11,275 yes, she will be one of the strongest people I know. 628 00:41:11,275 --> 00:41:13,310 [somber instrumental music] 629 00:41:18,379 --> 00:41:20,275 ♪♪ 630 00:41:22,482 --> 00:41:23,689 Matt is a good soul. 631 00:41:23,689 --> 00:41:25,137 He loved Freida but... 632 00:41:25,137 --> 00:41:27,827 He was a puppet under her control. 633 00:41:27,896 --> 00:41:29,551 [shot shots] 634 00:41:29,551 --> 00:41:31,310 She really knew how to work a gun. 635 00:41:34,137 --> 00:41:35,379 ♪♪