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00:00:06,043 --> 00:00:09,043
[somber melodic music plays]
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[birds chirping]
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[bell ringing]
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[woman] The first moment
that I tried to pull away from him,
5
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he just grabbed me by my throat
6
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and squeezed so hard,
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and I was terrified.
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I knew that there was only one way
for it to end.
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00:00:39,363 --> 00:00:40,403
And, uh…
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I wasn't willing to let it
end with me dead.
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[tense instrumental music plays]
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I just knew, like, I had to…
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I had to fight back.
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[cryptic music plays]
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[somber melodic music plays]
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[birds chirping]
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I always saw my parents being very loving.
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I can remember, you know, my dad kissing
my mom good morning in the kitchen, and…
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I always wanted that.
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My name is Jema Donahue.
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I was sentenced to ten years
in the Department of Corrections.
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[upbeat music plays]
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I was born in Berlin, Germany.
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My father was in the military.
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I was the baby of the family.
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You know, everybody says
the baby is spoiled,
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but that wasn't the case in,
in, uh, my household.
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I didn't get away with anything.
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Like, I was almost punished
before it ever even happened.
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We didn't really have friends
because we moved every, like, five years.
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So, we just really loved
and embraced each other as a family.
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[somber instrumental music plays]
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I was homeschooled
from second grade until sixth grade.
34
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And then my mother decided to enroll
my brother and I in public school.
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The children were
a lot more advanced than I was.
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They just knew more
about the world around them,
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whereas I feel
that we were kind of kept in a bubble.
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My last year in middle school
was really hard.
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After the assault,
I had begged my mom not to call the police
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because I just wanted to act like
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nothing had ever happened.
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And she promised me that she wouldn't,
and then she did.
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[birds chirp]
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I do remember law enforcement
was trying to deter my mom
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as far as pressing charges,
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which, of course, my mother,
she's a mama bear,
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so she was like, "No,
she's gonna continue this."
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I experienced a lot of bullying.
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I had to leave the school district.
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I blame my mother, um…
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for a lot that happened, um,
when I was a teenager.
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[car horn blares]
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She became so protective. [sharp inhale]
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I really wasn't allowed to have friends.
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[birds chirp]
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My mom would do background checks
on everybody.
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So I stayed at home a lot.
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[sirens wailing]
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[somber melodic music plays]
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Everybody around me was telling me that,
you know, that I ruined my life.
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And the day that I gave birth to my son
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and looked in his eyes…
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[gasps]
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…I knew
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there was nothing I wouldn't do…
[chokes up]
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…for my children.
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There's nothing in the world
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like coming home
from a hard day at work and…
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walking through that door
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and your children just running up to you
and wrapping their arms around you.
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[gasps]
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[sighs]
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[gasps] I need a moment.
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[moody instrumental music plays]
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We were introduced from a mutual friend.
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Javon had went to prison,
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so he was being released from prison.
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And the same mutual friend had asked me
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if I would let him use my address
as a home plan.
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And I said yes.
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[bell ringing]
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[metal squeals]
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I remember, um, just being so curious
about his childhood
84
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because it was so different from mine, um…
85
00:07:43,843 --> 00:07:46,483
He bounced around a lot and, um…
86
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that was new to me,
87
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and it was almost tragic.
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He was previously, um, incarcerated
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for manufacturing
and distribution of drugs.
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But I believed
that he had been rehabilitated
91
00:08:02,323 --> 00:08:04,163
and changed his life around.
92
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So, from the very beginning,
I just had this…
93
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longing, like I needed to protect him.
94
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We never really established
that we were going to be together.
95
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It just kind of sort of happened.
96
00:08:28,883 --> 00:08:32,163
I was going
to University of Central Missouri.
97
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And he would stay at home with the kids.
98
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And that spoke volumes to me
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that he could be trusted with my children.
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[cryptic music plays]
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[birds chirping]
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The officer at the time said to me
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Javon was a well-known
crack cocaine dealer in that county.
104
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And I was just floored
105
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because I had never
heard or seen anything like that.
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And that was like the first
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instance I ever realized
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that maybe there were things
going on behind my back
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that I wasn't exactly aware of.
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I was angry with Javon.
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And I was like,
"You just need to go. Leave us alone."
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And he just grabbed me by my throat
and squeezed so hard
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and was, like, choking me.
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I remember to the point that
I couldn't breathe and I was terrified.
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And he was telling me, like,
"You're never gonna leave me."
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"The only way that you'll ever leave me
is if I kill you, bitch."
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[ominous music plays]
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I remember saying to him,
like, "I love you."
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"Why are you doing this to me?"
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And he would tell me,
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"Fear lasts longer than love."
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Like he never wanted to hear…
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[deep inhale]
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…um, that I loved him.
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[grim instrumental music plays]
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I would tell myself
that if I could just help him
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or get him away from the drug scene
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that our marriage would be better.
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[birds chirping]
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00:10:41,163 --> 00:10:45,723
But the abuse with Javon
continued throughout our marriage.
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I learned really early on
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that the less that I struggled
during a strangulation,
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the quicker I would pass out.
134
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And that made things easier.
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00:11:00,563 --> 00:11:02,003
I do believe
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00:11:03,563 --> 00:11:06,283
that Javon loved me.
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00:11:08,083 --> 00:11:12,043
But the only way he knew how to show me
was through violence.
138
00:11:12,123 --> 00:11:13,403
[birds chirping]
139
00:11:13,883 --> 00:11:14,883
It was just…
140
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a nightmare,
141
00:11:17,163 --> 00:11:19,483
but I think that also is what made
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the good times so good,
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because they were
so far and few in between… [chokes up]
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00:11:24,963 --> 00:11:26,243
…and we cherished them.
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00:11:26,323 --> 00:11:27,643
[sniffles]
146
00:11:27,723 --> 00:11:29,283
[birds chirping]
147
00:11:36,963 --> 00:11:40,083
[somber melodic music plays]
148
00:11:52,523 --> 00:11:54,163
[birds chirping]
149
00:12:06,243 --> 00:12:07,643
[birds chirping]
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00:12:07,723 --> 00:12:11,243
I didn't really want anyone to know
how bad it was,
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00:12:11,723 --> 00:12:15,883
so I just tried to keep it under wraps
and appease him.
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00:12:15,963 --> 00:12:17,123
[inhales deeply]
153
00:12:17,603 --> 00:12:23,003
But then he was closer to his old friends
and started using drugs again,
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00:12:24,643 --> 00:12:25,803
and it just got ugly.
155
00:12:26,363 --> 00:12:28,243
[birds chirping]
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He locked me in the room.
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[sighs]
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Beat me with a belt.
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00:12:34,763 --> 00:12:35,723
Um…
160
00:12:36,563 --> 00:12:42,083
Held knives and screwdrivers to my neck
as he would sexually assault me.
161
00:12:44,283 --> 00:12:46,163
And he would be just telling me,
162
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"I will kill everybody.
I have nothing to lose."
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And I believed him.
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00:12:53,003 --> 00:12:54,963
I knew, at this point…
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00:12:57,523 --> 00:12:58,883
something had to change
166
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because now it wasn't about me.
167
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He wasn't just hurting me.
He was threatening to hurt everybody.
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00:13:12,243 --> 00:13:15,803
[eerie instrumental music plays]
169
00:13:21,243 --> 00:13:23,763
[music intensifies]
170
00:13:28,163 --> 00:13:29,763
[music crescendos]
171
00:13:30,723 --> 00:13:32,643
Which brought us to Good Friday,
172
00:13:33,283 --> 00:13:36,483
which would have been April 14th of 2017.
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[birds chirping]
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00:13:39,283 --> 00:13:41,683
I just remember being really anxious
175
00:13:42,843 --> 00:13:47,683
because it was gonna be the first time
since obtaining the order of protection
176
00:13:47,763 --> 00:13:51,443
that I was going to be alone in the house.
177
00:13:51,523 --> 00:13:55,003
[tense instrumental music plays]
178
00:13:57,323 --> 00:13:59,003
I went downstairs.
179
00:14:00,963 --> 00:14:03,443
And when I opened up the family room door…
180
00:14:03,523 --> 00:14:04,923
[music intensifies]
181
00:14:06,203 --> 00:14:08,003
…Javon was standing there.
182
00:14:10,083 --> 00:14:14,763
He flew forward at me,
grabbed me by my throat.
183
00:14:14,843 --> 00:14:18,243
He started dragging me up the stairs, um…
184
00:14:19,603 --> 00:14:20,443
[gasps]
185
00:14:20,523 --> 00:14:21,603
…um, by my neck.
186
00:14:22,363 --> 00:14:25,203
The scariest thing in the world
is to know that somebody else…
187
00:14:25,283 --> 00:14:26,323
[inhales sharply]
188
00:14:26,403 --> 00:14:28,563
…is holding your life in their hands.
189
00:14:31,403 --> 00:14:34,163
He started checking
the windows and the doors,
190
00:14:34,243 --> 00:14:35,923
making sure they were all locked.
191
00:14:37,963 --> 00:14:40,803
He went back downstairs.
192
00:14:42,723 --> 00:14:43,603
And then,
193
00:14:44,523 --> 00:14:46,043
I heard him call my name.
194
00:14:47,483 --> 00:14:51,083
And… I went downstairs. [chokes up]
195
00:14:51,163 --> 00:14:52,643
[music intensifies]
196
00:14:54,043 --> 00:14:57,123
[quavers] And when I stepped into
the bedroom…
197
00:14:58,923 --> 00:15:00,243
he was holding a gun.
198
00:15:01,363 --> 00:15:03,003
And he pulled the trigger.
199
00:15:05,363 --> 00:15:07,243
And the gun jammed. It didn't go off.
200
00:15:07,323 --> 00:15:08,723
[ragged breath]
201
00:15:08,803 --> 00:15:12,603
So he became angry
that the gun was, like, not working
202
00:15:12,683 --> 00:15:14,763
and he hit me over the head with it.
203
00:15:15,243 --> 00:15:17,643
And whenever he did, um,
204
00:15:17,723 --> 00:15:19,043
it fell to the ground.
205
00:15:19,923 --> 00:15:23,083
So I picked it up,
and I just remember, like…
206
00:15:24,963 --> 00:15:27,723
aiming it at him, and, um…
207
00:15:28,563 --> 00:15:32,203
I told him, "I want-- Just leave.
Just get out."
208
00:15:33,523 --> 00:15:35,683
And he didn't want to.
209
00:15:35,763 --> 00:15:37,403
So he stepped forward,
210
00:15:37,483 --> 00:15:40,523
and whenever he made that forward motion,
I just pulled the trigger.
211
00:15:41,203 --> 00:15:42,523
[gunshot echoes]
212
00:15:44,963 --> 00:15:47,523
I hit him about right here
in his left shoulder.
213
00:15:48,843 --> 00:15:51,523
And, um, he screamed,
214
00:15:51,603 --> 00:15:53,083
like, "Ah! You hit me!"
215
00:15:53,923 --> 00:15:56,483
And then lunged forward at me again, um,
216
00:15:56,563 --> 00:15:57,883
grabbed me by my wrists.
217
00:15:57,963 --> 00:15:58,923
[swallows]
218
00:15:59,003 --> 00:16:01,203
So my hands were kind of up like this,
219
00:16:01,283 --> 00:16:03,003
and he had both my wrists,
220
00:16:03,083 --> 00:16:04,763
and I pulled the trigger again.
221
00:16:05,243 --> 00:16:08,843
And he was flinging me around
and slamming me to the ground.
222
00:16:08,923 --> 00:16:11,243
And in that motion,
I pulled the trigger again.
223
00:16:11,323 --> 00:16:12,283
[inhales sharply]
224
00:16:12,363 --> 00:16:13,283
Um…
225
00:16:13,763 --> 00:16:16,883
When he landed on top of me,
226
00:16:17,603 --> 00:16:20,203
like as we were coming down on the ground,
227
00:16:20,283 --> 00:16:23,723
he said, "Fuck it.
We're gonna die together, bitch."
228
00:16:23,803 --> 00:16:24,843
[sharp inhale]
229
00:16:24,923 --> 00:16:28,443
And he laid his head right next to my head
230
00:16:28,523 --> 00:16:33,323
and he grabbed the back… handle,
like the butt of the gun,
231
00:16:33,403 --> 00:16:35,683
and aimed it towards his left ear.
232
00:16:35,763 --> 00:16:40,003
And I just wrapped my finger around
to grab control of the handle
233
00:16:40,643 --> 00:16:41,843
and pulled the trigger.
234
00:16:42,323 --> 00:16:43,803
And, um…
235
00:16:45,443 --> 00:16:48,443
I just remember that last final shot.
236
00:16:48,523 --> 00:16:52,203
Just feeling the weight of him
on top of me.
237
00:16:52,843 --> 00:16:54,403
Everything was black.
238
00:16:54,483 --> 00:16:55,643
[music crescendos]
239
00:16:59,443 --> 00:17:01,763
I never realized my eyes were closed.
240
00:17:02,603 --> 00:17:05,563
[quavers] Like, I thought it was black
because I was, like, dead.
241
00:17:05,643 --> 00:17:06,683
I thought it was…
242
00:17:08,203 --> 00:17:09,043
[gasps]
243
00:17:09,563 --> 00:17:10,803
[hoarsely] And then, um…
244
00:17:11,483 --> 00:17:16,203
I just kind of crawled out from under him
when I realized,
245
00:17:16,283 --> 00:17:19,603
like, "Okay, it's over. I'm not--
I'm not dead."
246
00:17:22,243 --> 00:17:23,643
[birds chirping]
247
00:17:23,723 --> 00:17:25,523
[somber music plays]
248
00:17:25,603 --> 00:17:27,563
My mom pulled up from work…
249
00:17:27,643 --> 00:17:29,603
[phone ringing]
250
00:17:29,683 --> 00:17:31,283
…and the phone was ringing.
251
00:17:32,283 --> 00:17:33,283
[ringing continues]
252
00:17:33,363 --> 00:17:36,563
And it's saying, like, Johnson County
on the caller ID.
253
00:17:37,123 --> 00:17:38,603
[ringing continues]
254
00:17:39,443 --> 00:17:43,803
I have no recollection of calling 911,
but I remember that I did call 911.
255
00:17:45,163 --> 00:17:46,763
And I handed her the phone.
256
00:17:46,843 --> 00:17:48,043
[ringing]
257
00:17:48,123 --> 00:17:50,283
And I was, like, shaking my head no.
258
00:17:50,363 --> 00:17:51,723
I was like, "Please."
259
00:17:52,403 --> 00:17:56,003
I just felt like, in that moment,
260
00:17:56,083 --> 00:17:59,883
my best decision
of protecting my family and my children
261
00:18:00,363 --> 00:18:01,803
was to not…
262
00:18:04,203 --> 00:18:05,363
let anybody know.
263
00:18:08,083 --> 00:18:09,643
My mom answered the phone.
264
00:18:10,443 --> 00:18:11,563
[muffled clicking]
265
00:18:12,723 --> 00:18:17,083
And, um, she said it was a mistake.
"We didn't mean to call."
266
00:18:18,643 --> 00:18:21,283
The dispatch then said to her, um…
267
00:18:22,803 --> 00:18:25,643
[inhales] "We're gonna send somebody out
there anyways."
268
00:18:25,723 --> 00:18:27,123
So I went and sat outside…
269
00:18:27,203 --> 00:18:28,203
[birds chirping]
270
00:18:28,283 --> 00:18:30,523
…and waited for the police.
271
00:18:32,883 --> 00:18:38,123
[inhales] I remember my mom coming out
to the front step
272
00:18:38,203 --> 00:18:41,283
and kind of tapped me on my shoulder,
rubbed me, and said,
273
00:18:41,843 --> 00:18:44,523
"Come inside, Jem. No one's coming."
274
00:19:10,723 --> 00:19:13,723
[cryptic music plays]
275
00:19:13,803 --> 00:19:16,163
[traffic passes]
276
00:19:18,443 --> 00:19:20,203
[indistinct chatter]
277
00:19:20,283 --> 00:19:22,883
[steam hissing]
278
00:19:24,443 --> 00:19:26,243
My name is Margaret Heffernan,
279
00:19:26,803 --> 00:19:29,243
and I'm the mother of Jema Donahue.
280
00:19:37,843 --> 00:19:41,203
[Margaret] Jema is the youngest
of three of my children.
281
00:19:44,003 --> 00:19:48,443
I can remember her
as, um, an infant sitting on my lap,
282
00:19:48,523 --> 00:19:50,443
and I said, "You'll never be too old."
283
00:19:53,643 --> 00:19:55,683
She excelled in school.
284
00:19:55,763 --> 00:19:59,243
[somber melodic music plays]
285
00:19:59,323 --> 00:20:01,843
Things were going in the right direction
286
00:20:01,923 --> 00:20:07,003
until she was sexually assaulted
at the age of 13 by a 21-year-old man.
287
00:20:12,883 --> 00:20:15,883
[tense discordant music plays]
288
00:20:21,683 --> 00:20:24,803
I was given the excuse
that they couldn't locate him.
289
00:20:27,003 --> 00:20:28,763
I was very surprised.
290
00:20:38,723 --> 00:20:41,523
So I told my son to go to school.
291
00:20:42,563 --> 00:20:45,003
First one that could tell me where he is,
292
00:20:45,963 --> 00:20:47,963
I would give them a hundred dollars.
293
00:20:48,483 --> 00:20:51,403
And in 15 minutes, that phone rang
294
00:20:51,483 --> 00:20:53,603
and I was told where he was.
295
00:20:53,683 --> 00:20:54,843
And I went out
296
00:20:55,803 --> 00:20:57,883
and sat in the car
297
00:20:57,963 --> 00:21:00,363
and waited for him to come out to his
298
00:21:00,443 --> 00:21:01,523
and followed him.
299
00:21:04,683 --> 00:21:08,523
He started coming towards me
and swearing at me.
300
00:21:09,963 --> 00:21:12,003
It's like a switch went off on me.
301
00:21:13,563 --> 00:21:16,043
And I drove straight for him.
302
00:21:17,203 --> 00:21:19,523
I was going to hit him.
303
00:21:20,563 --> 00:21:22,443
[music intensifies]
304
00:21:22,523 --> 00:21:25,163
And the individual jumped over hedges.
305
00:21:30,203 --> 00:21:32,723
I lost common sense,
I guess you could say.
306
00:21:32,803 --> 00:21:34,683
[birds chirping]
307
00:21:35,163 --> 00:21:38,523
I had the sheriff's department
come out to my house.
308
00:21:38,603 --> 00:21:40,443
[somber melodic music plays]
309
00:21:40,523 --> 00:21:41,883
[Margaret sighs]
310
00:21:41,963 --> 00:21:43,403
They said, um…
311
00:21:43,483 --> 00:21:46,963
well, possibly,
if I don't press charges against him,
312
00:21:47,443 --> 00:21:49,643
they won't press charges against me.
313
00:21:50,163 --> 00:21:52,283
And I said I would not drop the charges.
314
00:21:52,363 --> 00:21:54,283
[birds singing]
315
00:21:54,843 --> 00:21:56,803
Jema was very angry with me
316
00:21:57,443 --> 00:22:01,683
for contacting, um, the police.
317
00:22:02,283 --> 00:22:04,363
She felt that I betrayed her,
318
00:22:04,443 --> 00:22:07,763
and, um, our relationship, I would say,
319
00:22:07,843 --> 00:22:11,723
was damaged through her teenage years
because of that.
320
00:22:14,803 --> 00:22:17,283
[quavers] You want to protect your child.
321
00:22:19,203 --> 00:22:22,643
And you want to be able
to handle a situation.
322
00:22:22,723 --> 00:22:23,883
[inhales sharply]
323
00:22:23,963 --> 00:22:25,563
And it was out of my hands.
324
00:22:35,603 --> 00:22:39,123
[grim instrumental music plays]
325
00:22:44,363 --> 00:22:46,363
[music intensifies]
326
00:22:53,563 --> 00:22:54,843
I questioned him,
327
00:22:55,803 --> 00:22:58,803
and I said, "Did you put your hands
on my daughter?"
328
00:22:59,403 --> 00:23:00,763
And he didn't answer me.
329
00:23:01,243 --> 00:23:04,963
And I told him, "You just answered me
by saying nothing."
330
00:23:05,043 --> 00:23:08,883
I says, "Promise me you will never
lay your hands on her again,"
331
00:23:09,643 --> 00:23:11,203
and he wouldn't say the words.
332
00:23:14,883 --> 00:23:18,483
I'm angry that
he hurt my daughter repeatedly.
333
00:23:21,603 --> 00:23:25,843
Especially, you know, when I asked him,
"Please don't."
334
00:23:31,083 --> 00:23:33,483
She's a survivor of domestic violence.
335
00:23:34,923 --> 00:23:36,283
It was self-defense.
336
00:23:38,843 --> 00:23:43,363
Nobody knows what they're going to do
until they're in the situation,
337
00:23:44,323 --> 00:23:45,443
and…
338
00:23:47,723 --> 00:23:48,763
and it's done.
339
00:23:50,083 --> 00:23:53,843
[moody instrumental music plays]
340
00:23:53,923 --> 00:23:55,643
[birds chirping]
341
00:23:57,643 --> 00:23:58,883
[music crescendos]
342
00:24:19,843 --> 00:24:21,403
[birds chirping]
343
00:24:23,123 --> 00:24:25,123
My name's Aaron Brown,
and I'm a major here
344
00:24:25,203 --> 00:24:27,603
with the Johnson County, Missouri
Sheriff's Office.
345
00:24:30,163 --> 00:24:31,923
I got a call from a-- a source.
346
00:24:35,563 --> 00:24:36,963
[indistinct radio chatter]
347
00:24:37,043 --> 00:24:39,803
They advised that, um, Javon Donahue
348
00:24:40,563 --> 00:24:44,203
was, in fact, shot and killed
by his wife Jema.
349
00:24:44,723 --> 00:24:47,963
Um… And during the process of that,
350
00:24:48,043 --> 00:24:51,563
um, the body was taken to the farm
and buried on the farm.
351
00:24:52,123 --> 00:24:54,043
[music intensifies]
352
00:24:57,763 --> 00:25:01,403
[eerie discordant music plays]
353
00:25:01,483 --> 00:25:03,963
We went out to the residence,
uh, the farm.
354
00:25:04,923 --> 00:25:07,203
But Johnson County is, is a rural county.
355
00:25:08,163 --> 00:25:11,443
It's a cattle-grazing, uh, farms area.
356
00:25:11,523 --> 00:25:13,723
Um, so just merely driving down a road,
357
00:25:13,803 --> 00:25:16,883
uh, you're not able to see terribly much,
just the house.
358
00:25:23,963 --> 00:25:27,643
We needed a helicopter or a plane
to go overhead to look at this property.
359
00:25:38,083 --> 00:25:40,483
[cryptic melodic music plays]
360
00:25:44,083 --> 00:25:46,003
At this point, it is a crime scene.
361
00:25:46,923 --> 00:25:47,883
So we tape it off,
362
00:25:47,963 --> 00:25:51,723
uh, we begin coordinated interviews
with everybody that was on the property
363
00:25:51,803 --> 00:25:52,643
or in the house.
364
00:25:54,403 --> 00:25:57,683
And during a conversation
with one of the individuals at the farm,
365
00:25:58,203 --> 00:26:01,843
they advised that they knew
where Javon was buried at on the property.
366
00:26:03,603 --> 00:26:05,083
And they led us to Javon.
367
00:26:09,323 --> 00:26:11,283
We dug up the body,
368
00:26:12,363 --> 00:26:16,043
wrapped in a white tarp
with rope around, uh, the tarp.
369
00:26:18,283 --> 00:26:20,283
[passing traffic]
370
00:26:24,243 --> 00:26:27,243
[grim melodic music plays]
371
00:26:32,203 --> 00:26:33,963
We needed to locate those individuals
372
00:26:34,043 --> 00:26:36,163
and conduct interviews with them
immediately.
373
00:26:38,563 --> 00:26:41,043
And, uh, one of those
happened to be Jema's mom.
374
00:26:54,843 --> 00:26:55,963
Just shut it off.
375
00:26:57,003 --> 00:26:59,523
Just shut it off and I'll talk to you.
376
00:27:04,243 --> 00:27:05,563
[birds chirping]
377
00:27:06,723 --> 00:27:08,683
[dog barking]
378
00:27:22,483 --> 00:27:24,763
[birds singing]
379
00:27:25,243 --> 00:27:30,643
[Margaret] I told them
I saw Jema standing outside, dazed.
380
00:27:32,483 --> 00:27:34,243
She said, "Javon is in the house."
381
00:27:34,323 --> 00:27:37,523
I says, "We need to call the police."
382
00:27:37,603 --> 00:27:39,563
"No, he's dead."
383
00:27:40,203 --> 00:27:42,123
I said, "Are you sure he's dead?"
384
00:27:42,603 --> 00:27:44,163
And she says, "He's dead."
385
00:27:44,243 --> 00:27:46,403
[eerie music plays]
386
00:27:46,483 --> 00:27:48,123
[phone ringing]
387
00:27:51,363 --> 00:27:52,443
[ringing continues]
388
00:27:52,523 --> 00:27:56,923
She had dialed 911 and hung up.
389
00:27:57,003 --> 00:27:58,003
[ringing continues]
390
00:27:59,483 --> 00:28:01,163
911 called back.
391
00:28:01,763 --> 00:28:02,963
[ringing]
392
00:28:03,043 --> 00:28:06,083
She's throwing the phone at me.
She's shaking her head no,
393
00:28:06,563 --> 00:28:08,403
back and forth, but no words.
394
00:28:08,483 --> 00:28:09,683
[receiver clicking]
395
00:28:10,163 --> 00:28:13,043
And I told them,
"I'm sorry to bother you,"
396
00:28:13,123 --> 00:28:14,563
that I made a mistake.
397
00:28:16,523 --> 00:28:20,323
And he said, "Unfortunately,
we still have to send somebody out."
398
00:28:20,803 --> 00:28:22,523
And I said, "I understand."
399
00:28:26,243 --> 00:28:28,003
[quavers] I remember saying to her,
400
00:28:28,723 --> 00:28:30,283
"When the cops come, Jema,
401
00:28:31,243 --> 00:28:33,323
please let me tell them I did this."
402
00:28:33,963 --> 00:28:34,803
[smacks lips]
403
00:28:35,883 --> 00:28:37,243
"I lived my life."
404
00:28:38,723 --> 00:28:40,443
"You have children to raise."
405
00:28:44,843 --> 00:28:48,043
She said, "No, Mom. I will not."
406
00:28:52,043 --> 00:28:53,763
But it's what I wanted to do.
407
00:28:55,803 --> 00:28:58,443
[somber melodic music plays]
408
00:28:58,523 --> 00:29:00,883
I let Jema down when she was 13,
409
00:29:01,563 --> 00:29:02,603
and I felt
410
00:29:03,963 --> 00:29:05,763
I can't do that again to her.
411
00:29:06,603 --> 00:29:12,243
I remember our relationship
just being undone
412
00:29:13,323 --> 00:29:14,643
overnight.
413
00:29:14,723 --> 00:29:16,683
I didn't want to go through that again.
414
00:29:24,403 --> 00:29:26,563
[birds chirping]
415
00:29:26,643 --> 00:29:30,283
We were probably out there
a good 45 minutes, and they never came.
416
00:29:32,083 --> 00:29:36,603
And I told myself maybe this is
the way it's supposed to be.
417
00:29:41,443 --> 00:29:44,763
When the police didn't show up
at the house was the turning point
418
00:29:44,843 --> 00:29:47,843
that we'll take matters
into our own hands.
419
00:29:48,803 --> 00:29:52,203
I thought, "Okay, we can do this."
420
00:29:52,963 --> 00:29:54,763
"We can get away with this."
421
00:30:03,003 --> 00:30:06,003
[eerie discordant music plays]
422
00:30:09,683 --> 00:30:11,523
We placed Javon's body
423
00:30:12,083 --> 00:30:14,203
in an area that he dug.
424
00:30:14,283 --> 00:30:17,283
And he says, "I don't want you to know
where I'm gonna bury him."
425
00:30:17,363 --> 00:30:19,323
"I have two other holes dug."
426
00:30:20,283 --> 00:30:23,483
And I thought,
"Well, that's good that I-- I won't know."
427
00:30:31,523 --> 00:30:35,723
I-- I prayed that Jema
was gonna be strong enough
428
00:30:35,803 --> 00:30:38,603
to keep her mouth shut
429
00:30:39,363 --> 00:30:41,683
and not share this with anybody.
430
00:30:41,763 --> 00:30:44,923
That we would have to go to our grave
431
00:30:45,843 --> 00:30:47,363
knowing what we did.
432
00:31:00,083 --> 00:31:03,083
[somber melodic music plays]
433
00:31:46,243 --> 00:31:48,243
[sirens wailing]
434
00:31:53,763 --> 00:31:57,763
[downbeat instrumental music plays]
435
00:32:04,443 --> 00:32:06,203
My name is Dr. Lisa Witcher.
436
00:32:09,483 --> 00:32:15,123
And I was a state-appointed
forensic examiner, um, for Jema's case.
437
00:32:29,523 --> 00:32:32,563
When we're looking
at battered spouse syndrome,
438
00:32:33,763 --> 00:32:36,323
we're looking for the cycle of violence.
439
00:32:40,523 --> 00:32:43,203
Part one is this tension-building phase.
440
00:32:43,963 --> 00:32:45,483
[grim music plays]
441
00:32:45,563 --> 00:32:50,403
So where you start seeing
the perpetrator of the abuse
442
00:32:50,483 --> 00:32:55,123
becoming triggered by either you
or the environment around them.
443
00:32:58,443 --> 00:33:02,403
The second phase
is the acute or crisis phase.
444
00:33:03,803 --> 00:33:06,083
That is when violence occurs.
445
00:33:08,883 --> 00:33:11,803
After that, the honeymoon phase,
446
00:33:12,883 --> 00:33:16,243
when the batterer promises
447
00:33:16,323 --> 00:33:18,163
to never let that happen again.
448
00:33:20,123 --> 00:33:22,163
And then the cycle starts over again.
449
00:33:28,923 --> 00:33:30,443
[Jema] There was an incident.
450
00:33:30,523 --> 00:33:32,083
We were in a motel room.
451
00:33:34,083 --> 00:33:37,203
And Javon raped me, sodomized me,
452
00:33:37,283 --> 00:33:39,803
and afterwards, he called his friend
453
00:33:40,563 --> 00:33:43,283
and was kind of laughing and making jokes,
454
00:33:43,363 --> 00:33:48,843
saying, "How long is it gonna take her
to stop, like, bleeding?"
455
00:33:48,923 --> 00:33:50,963
Like, from my rectum. And…
456
00:33:52,243 --> 00:33:55,323
Just anything to humiliate me
or degrade me.
457
00:33:58,043 --> 00:34:01,523
[Lisa] You know, calling and bragging
about beating a woman…
458
00:34:04,083 --> 00:34:09,243
It's either a twisted call
for somebody to come intervene
459
00:34:09,803 --> 00:34:13,443
or it's truly despicable.
460
00:34:14,643 --> 00:34:18,763
It's truly someone
who believes that they have
461
00:34:19,803 --> 00:34:21,003
done what's right
462
00:34:21,643 --> 00:34:25,323
and taken what's theirs.
463
00:34:28,923 --> 00:34:32,043
I am surprised that Jema made it
as long as she did.
464
00:34:33,843 --> 00:34:36,763
And that she is alive
at the end of this story.
465
00:34:39,123 --> 00:34:41,363
Had he not come to the house that day,
466
00:34:42,043 --> 00:34:45,083
I don't think
he would have stopped pursuing her.
467
00:34:47,843 --> 00:34:50,883
She meets all of the factors
468
00:34:50,963 --> 00:34:52,963
that we look for, um,
469
00:34:53,043 --> 00:34:56,923
and that research has shown
is tied to women who become
470
00:34:57,883 --> 00:34:59,243
battered spouses.
471
00:35:01,283 --> 00:35:04,963
[tense discordant music plays]
472
00:35:11,883 --> 00:35:14,603
[sirens wailing]
473
00:35:19,643 --> 00:35:20,763
[man] To my knowledge,
474
00:35:22,403 --> 00:35:25,723
battered spouse as a self-defense
475
00:35:25,803 --> 00:35:28,163
has not been successful yet in Missouri.
476
00:35:28,683 --> 00:35:32,643
It's been here a while, but it has not
really ever been a successful defense.
477
00:35:35,043 --> 00:35:35,883
Okay, come on.
478
00:35:37,003 --> 00:35:39,523
But the question wasn't whether or not
479
00:35:39,603 --> 00:35:42,003
she suffered
from battered spouse syndrome.
480
00:35:42,483 --> 00:35:46,363
It was whether or not
she used deadly force
481
00:35:46,443 --> 00:35:48,763
justifiably under the circumstances.
482
00:35:50,363 --> 00:35:55,643
A slap to the face
doesn't justify someone shooting someone.
483
00:35:57,923 --> 00:36:00,083
My name is Rob Russell,
484
00:36:00,763 --> 00:36:04,723
and I was the attorney
who prosecuted Ms. Jema Donahue
485
00:36:04,803 --> 00:36:06,843
for the homicide of Javon Donahue.
486
00:36:09,523 --> 00:36:12,723
[Jema] As we were coming down
on the ground, he said,
487
00:36:13,203 --> 00:36:15,563
"Fuck it.
We're gonna die together, bitch."
488
00:36:15,643 --> 00:36:19,163
And he laid his head
right next to my head
489
00:36:19,243 --> 00:36:21,203
and he grabbed the butt of the gun
490
00:36:21,283 --> 00:36:23,843
and aimed it towards his left ear.
491
00:36:23,923 --> 00:36:25,883
And I just wrapped my finger around
492
00:36:26,523 --> 00:36:27,883
and pulled the trigger.
493
00:36:28,603 --> 00:36:33,843
And, um, I just remember
that last final shot. Just…
494
00:36:34,323 --> 00:36:37,123
feeling the weight of him on top of me.
495
00:36:38,683 --> 00:36:39,523
Well,
496
00:36:40,483 --> 00:36:45,523
her story doesn't match up
with the injuries suffered by Mr. Donahue.
497
00:36:49,123 --> 00:36:50,883
There are four bullets in his body.
498
00:36:53,083 --> 00:36:55,483
One is in the shoulder.
499
00:36:56,363 --> 00:37:00,323
One is through his jaw.
500
00:37:00,403 --> 00:37:02,483
One is in the back of his head.
501
00:37:02,963 --> 00:37:05,563
And one is underneath his chin,
straight up.
502
00:37:07,203 --> 00:37:10,283
The shot to the back of the head
would have been a fatal shot.
503
00:37:10,763 --> 00:37:14,243
The shot underneath his chin
was a fatal shot.
504
00:37:14,323 --> 00:37:17,203
His jaw would have been broken
505
00:37:17,283 --> 00:37:21,603
in such a way that he would not
have been able to talk to her
506
00:37:21,683 --> 00:37:23,363
and tell her that he loved her
507
00:37:23,443 --> 00:37:26,803
in this Romeo and Juliet moment,
they were both going to die together.
508
00:37:26,883 --> 00:37:29,803
That didn't happen
because he couldn't talk.
509
00:37:31,803 --> 00:37:34,883
So, I don't think the jury really
510
00:37:35,803 --> 00:37:39,803
bought into
that she was acting in self-defense.
511
00:37:43,123 --> 00:37:45,883
Certainly, when people try to…
512
00:37:46,523 --> 00:37:49,043
hide evidence of homicide,
513
00:37:49,123 --> 00:37:50,843
and certainly hiding the body
514
00:37:52,123 --> 00:37:54,123
tends to give you the impression
515
00:37:54,203 --> 00:37:57,603
that the person who's doing that
has a guilty conscience.
516
00:38:09,043 --> 00:38:14,163
If they had accepted the self-defense
argument from Ms. Donahue,
517
00:38:14,643 --> 00:38:16,803
she would have been found
completely not guilty.
518
00:38:17,923 --> 00:38:22,123
But instead,
they found her guilty of manslaughter.
519
00:38:37,163 --> 00:38:39,363
[car horn honking]
520
00:38:42,203 --> 00:38:44,963
[somber melodic music plays]
521
00:38:45,043 --> 00:38:49,923
[Lisa] I think that the decisions
that were made after Javon was killed
522
00:38:50,403 --> 00:38:52,043
did put her in prison.
523
00:38:54,763 --> 00:38:57,683
The dedication to burying the body
524
00:38:58,323 --> 00:39:03,203
really stuck in the craw
of a lot of the jury members.
525
00:39:05,443 --> 00:39:07,163
[traffic noise]
526
00:39:09,563 --> 00:39:12,563
Her mom certainly
could have acted differently.
527
00:39:14,363 --> 00:39:18,123
I don't know if in her mother's mind
528
00:39:18,203 --> 00:39:20,123
that that was really a choice,
529
00:39:23,283 --> 00:39:26,203
but the concealment of Javon's body
530
00:39:26,283 --> 00:39:28,683
made things a lot worse for Jema.
531
00:39:33,203 --> 00:39:35,243
[Jema] I blame my mother, um…
532
00:39:36,643 --> 00:39:40,843
for a lot that happened,
um, when I was a teenager.
533
00:39:42,043 --> 00:39:44,923
I really wasn't allowed to have friends.
534
00:39:45,443 --> 00:39:48,243
My mom would do background checks
on everybody.
535
00:39:48,803 --> 00:39:50,923
So I stayed at home a lot.
536
00:39:53,323 --> 00:39:56,843
[Lisa] You know, becoming a social pariah
537
00:39:57,443 --> 00:40:01,003
at a very young age
for a sexual assault she could not help.
538
00:40:02,323 --> 00:40:03,323
Then the…
539
00:40:04,003 --> 00:40:08,643
the withholding
of any type of social relationship.
540
00:40:09,163 --> 00:40:13,443
Essentially, what her mom was doing
was holding her hostage.
541
00:40:14,363 --> 00:40:19,523
Holding her in such a safe place,
542
00:40:20,563 --> 00:40:26,123
um, that it went overboard.
It went overboard into, quite honestly,
543
00:40:26,203 --> 00:40:28,123
emotional abuse.
544
00:40:28,203 --> 00:40:30,923
Um, not letting your child
out of the house ever.
545
00:40:31,003 --> 00:40:36,003
Not letting her socialize
in any normal type of way
546
00:40:36,083 --> 00:40:40,203
certainly sets up
a sense of learned helplessness.
547
00:40:41,723 --> 00:40:44,643
I don't think
there's anything malicious about it.
548
00:40:45,603 --> 00:40:49,683
I just do not believe
their relationship has ever been healthy.
549
00:40:49,763 --> 00:40:51,523
[eerie music plays]
550
00:41:00,163 --> 00:41:01,963
[grim music plays]
551
00:41:02,043 --> 00:41:07,003
Jema describes her mother
as "an evil, wicked woman
552
00:41:07,083 --> 00:41:09,763
who is controlling and vengeful."
553
00:41:09,843 --> 00:41:13,723
"If she has the chance, she will kill me.
I'm sure of it."
554
00:41:14,723 --> 00:41:18,123
"She will bury me
like she did my husband."
555
00:41:18,203 --> 00:41:19,763
[music crescendos]
556
00:41:20,243 --> 00:41:23,323
It's very possible that the line,
557
00:41:23,403 --> 00:41:26,363
"She will bury me
like she buried my husband,"
558
00:41:26,923 --> 00:41:30,483
was Jema's acknowledgement of
559
00:41:30,563 --> 00:41:34,443
"I'm into this even further now
because of her involvement."
560
00:41:39,203 --> 00:41:41,563
[birds chirping]
561
00:41:41,643 --> 00:41:43,803
[Jema] During my trial, um…
562
00:41:44,443 --> 00:41:47,163
I had a strained relationship
with my parents.
563
00:41:49,163 --> 00:41:50,843
I was drinking.
564
00:41:50,923 --> 00:41:55,203
I was abusing drugs. Um…
565
00:41:56,603 --> 00:42:01,243
Do I think today that my mother
would kill me or bury me in a field?
566
00:42:02,003 --> 00:42:02,843
No.
567
00:42:05,123 --> 00:42:07,363
We've come so far.
568
00:42:08,843 --> 00:42:10,483
It's not even the same relationship.
569
00:42:10,563 --> 00:42:12,523
Like, we're not even the same people.
570
00:42:13,523 --> 00:42:16,883
I've made great strides,
and she's made great strides.
571
00:42:16,963 --> 00:42:19,683
[somber melodic music plays]
572
00:42:21,923 --> 00:42:24,123
[Margaret] I've changed as a parent
573
00:42:24,203 --> 00:42:26,643
realizing that
574
00:42:28,403 --> 00:42:32,363
my ways of being a helicopter mom
over an adult was wrong.
575
00:42:34,123 --> 00:42:37,443
It's-- It's their life, their choice,
their decisions,
576
00:42:37,523 --> 00:42:39,603
and their consequences.
577
00:42:42,563 --> 00:42:46,443
This part of me that always had
to be in control and fix problems.
578
00:42:47,403 --> 00:42:50,603
Why give myself more problems
than I already have, you know?
579
00:42:50,683 --> 00:42:51,603
It's just, um…
580
00:42:51,683 --> 00:42:54,403
It's not my problem.
I don't need to fix it.
581
00:42:57,603 --> 00:43:00,083
Of course, I would do things differently.
582
00:43:02,163 --> 00:43:04,243
I blame the police not showing up.
583
00:43:04,963 --> 00:43:08,843
But ultimately, I, I told them,
like, "You don't have to come."
584
00:43:09,763 --> 00:43:10,963
"It was a mistake."
585
00:43:12,803 --> 00:43:15,563
So I started that.
586
00:43:16,523 --> 00:43:19,603
I started that with a lie.
587
00:43:22,323 --> 00:43:25,163
And the day had to come
where I had to acknowledge it.
588
00:43:29,643 --> 00:43:31,043
I have learned a lot,
589
00:43:31,123 --> 00:43:34,323
you know, about accountability
590
00:43:35,243 --> 00:43:36,363
and the importance of it
591
00:43:36,443 --> 00:43:39,123
in order for a person
to learn by their mistakes.
592
00:43:42,243 --> 00:43:44,683
I have seen such improvement in Jema
593
00:43:46,283 --> 00:43:48,243
since she's been incarcerated.
594
00:43:50,723 --> 00:43:53,843
She lights up when I see her,
when I visit her.
595
00:43:54,883 --> 00:43:58,243
And always a big hug, a kiss on the cheek.
596
00:44:00,923 --> 00:44:04,643
That's my daughter.
That's the baby that I had.
597
00:44:12,803 --> 00:44:14,603
[birds chirping]
598
00:44:31,243 --> 00:44:33,403
[Jema] When I first came to prison, um…
599
00:44:34,363 --> 00:44:37,083
life was in an uproar.
600
00:44:38,243 --> 00:44:42,003
But once I started to take advantage
of the different programs…
601
00:44:42,083 --> 00:44:44,003
I enrolled in, like, women's empowerment.
602
00:44:45,003 --> 00:44:49,523
I was able to kind of see my prison life
in a different light.
603
00:44:49,603 --> 00:44:50,803
[birds chirping]
604
00:44:50,883 --> 00:44:53,603
It wasn't so much condemnation
605
00:44:53,683 --> 00:44:56,043
as much as rehabilitation.
606
00:44:58,443 --> 00:45:00,843
Also, in here,
607
00:45:01,523 --> 00:45:03,043
I've learned accountability
608
00:45:03,523 --> 00:45:07,603
because the fact is I still made
the choices that I made.
609
00:45:10,723 --> 00:45:14,003
[Rob] The shot to the back of the head
would have been a fatal shot.
610
00:45:14,083 --> 00:45:17,403
The shot underneath his chin
was a fatal shot.
611
00:45:18,763 --> 00:45:23,843
He would not have been able to talk to her
and tell her that he loved her
612
00:45:23,923 --> 00:45:27,443
in this Romeo and Juliet moment,
they were both going to die together.
613
00:45:27,523 --> 00:45:29,043
That didn't happen.
614
00:45:30,803 --> 00:45:35,083
There was no Romeo and Juliet moment,
where Javon said, "Do you love me?"
615
00:45:35,163 --> 00:45:39,363
He said, "We're gonna die together, bitch.
Till death do us part."
616
00:45:39,443 --> 00:45:40,403
Those were his words
617
00:45:40,483 --> 00:45:43,483
as he was flinging me around
and slamming me to the ground.
618
00:45:44,923 --> 00:45:47,363
It's a really hard situation to decide,
619
00:45:47,443 --> 00:45:50,683
um… whose life is more important.
620
00:45:50,763 --> 00:45:53,763
Or do you take the chance
of fighting for your life?
621
00:45:55,083 --> 00:45:55,923
[sighs]
622
00:45:56,003 --> 00:45:59,083
I hate the fact
623
00:45:59,163 --> 00:46:01,643
that I have to wake up every day…
[chokes up]
624
00:46:02,643 --> 00:46:04,923
…and know that I took somebody's life.
625
00:46:05,003 --> 00:46:09,683
And on top of that,
it was someone's life whom I loved.
626
00:46:12,443 --> 00:46:14,203
[Margaret] I remember saying to her,
627
00:46:14,963 --> 00:46:16,563
"When the cops come, Jema,
628
00:46:17,083 --> 00:46:19,523
please, let me tell them I did this."
629
00:46:22,763 --> 00:46:24,243
And she said, "No, Mom."
630
00:46:25,083 --> 00:46:26,203
"I will not."
631
00:46:28,963 --> 00:46:31,563
I admire…
632
00:46:32,723 --> 00:46:33,883
[inhales]
633
00:46:34,363 --> 00:46:38,883
…what my mother risked in helping me
634
00:46:38,963 --> 00:46:40,403
and trying to save me.
635
00:46:41,723 --> 00:46:44,843
She threw everything away.
636
00:46:45,883 --> 00:46:47,883
And honestly,
637
00:46:48,843 --> 00:46:51,483
I probably would do it
for my children as well.
638
00:46:54,123 --> 00:46:57,003
I mean, not go about it like that, but…
639
00:46:57,803 --> 00:47:02,163
we do what we need to
to protect and save our-- our babies.
640
00:47:12,123 --> 00:47:14,883
This time in our life is almost over, and…
641
00:47:17,123 --> 00:47:19,243
I see all good days ahead for us.
642
00:47:25,003 --> 00:47:28,523
[somber discordant music plays]