1
00:00:06,043 --> 00:00:08,043
[birdsong]
2
00:00:15,163 --> 00:00:17,243
[man] I don't consider myself a stalker.
3
00:00:20,683 --> 00:00:26,163
I thought stalking was more
watching somebody, like a Peeping Tom.
4
00:00:28,923 --> 00:00:31,283
Ashley and I,
we were like brother and sister.
5
00:00:31,803 --> 00:00:33,603
Just a great friendship.
6
00:00:50,963 --> 00:00:53,083
[woman] I thought,
"Anything could happen now."
7
00:00:53,643 --> 00:00:55,403
"I don't know what to expect."
8
00:00:56,843 --> 00:00:59,363
"This person that
I clearly don't know at all,
9
00:01:01,363 --> 00:01:05,643
the damage he caused,
I will carry it my entire life."
10
00:01:15,443 --> 00:01:17,763
[man] I didn't think
there was any harm in it.
11
00:01:20,763 --> 00:01:22,723
I didn't want to cause no harm to her.
12
00:01:25,603 --> 00:01:26,563
I would never even…
13
00:01:27,603 --> 00:01:29,123
even touch a hair on her.
14
00:01:38,803 --> 00:01:41,363
[man] I'd rather be considered
a murderer than a stalker,
15
00:01:41,443 --> 00:01:42,523
you know what I mean?
16
00:01:46,603 --> 00:01:52,003
[woman] I wanted the intensity
of, like, of her feeling watched.
17
00:01:53,483 --> 00:01:56,123
[man 2] Anybody can be a stalker.
18
00:01:56,683 --> 00:01:58,603
[man 3] It's all boogeyman talk.
19
00:02:00,443 --> 00:02:02,563
[man 4] I'm not still that crazy. Like--
[chuckles]
20
00:02:13,643 --> 00:02:15,643
[birdsong]
21
00:02:46,363 --> 00:02:47,843
[man] You look straight into the lens.
22
00:02:47,923 --> 00:02:48,923
-Just there.
-There.
23
00:02:49,003 --> 00:02:51,603
-Okay. Right there.
-If you look through, can you see me?
24
00:02:51,683 --> 00:02:53,163
[Corpus] I'm looking straight at you.
25
00:02:53,243 --> 00:02:54,803
-[man] Looking at me.
-[Corpus] Okay.
26
00:02:58,003 --> 00:02:59,563
-Try it again?
-[man] Yes, please.
27
00:02:59,643 --> 00:03:02,963
My name is James Corpus.
I'm in prison for stalking.
28
00:03:09,203 --> 00:03:10,763
[birdsong]
29
00:03:19,963 --> 00:03:23,243
[Corpus] I grew up in St. John, Indiana.
30
00:03:24,923 --> 00:03:28,203
I had a great childhood.
I had parents that never broke up.
31
00:03:30,123 --> 00:03:34,243
But I grew up basically kind of a nerd,
32
00:03:35,043 --> 00:03:38,763
and I have always been…
pretty much on my own.
33
00:03:39,283 --> 00:03:45,763
I never depended on anyone,
or never had a kind of a backbone to…
34
00:03:45,843 --> 00:03:47,283
or someone to lean on.
35
00:03:57,003 --> 00:03:58,523
[Corpus] It was pretty bad.
36
00:03:59,043 --> 00:04:01,763
I didn't wake up in the hospital
for a few days.
37
00:04:03,803 --> 00:04:06,243
My jaw was broken
in three different areas.
38
00:04:06,323 --> 00:04:11,523
My nose was pushed in,
which crushed my nose cavities in.
39
00:04:11,603 --> 00:04:14,803
My eye sockets were crushed.
40
00:04:17,443 --> 00:04:20,523
The accident did have an effect on
not just my looks.
41
00:04:20,603 --> 00:04:24,203
I mean, just…
people treated me differently.
42
00:04:25,283 --> 00:04:27,203
They just felt pity on me.
43
00:04:46,923 --> 00:04:50,403
[Corpus] I was working for
a friend of mine that owned a restaurant.
44
00:04:51,323 --> 00:04:55,843
She came in to help him out,
to manage it.
45
00:04:59,043 --> 00:05:02,363
In the beginning, Ashley and I did not
exactly get along,
46
00:05:02,443 --> 00:05:06,403
because we were both managers,
we were both leaders.
47
00:05:06,483 --> 00:05:10,603
But then I sat back and realized
that she knew what she was talking about.
48
00:05:12,323 --> 00:05:13,483
And I listened to her.
49
00:05:16,323 --> 00:05:18,243
Ashley was very good to me.
50
00:05:18,323 --> 00:05:22,803
We got really close, as I--
extreme, like, best friends.
51
00:05:32,723 --> 00:05:35,563
[birds calling]
52
00:05:46,363 --> 00:05:47,963
My name is Ashley Manfre…
53
00:05:50,403 --> 00:05:52,083
and I'm a stalking survivor.
54
00:05:57,563 --> 00:06:00,203
I met James at a restaurant
where we worked together.
55
00:06:03,123 --> 00:06:05,723
He was my line cook,
56
00:06:07,043 --> 00:06:09,843
and we became very good friends
very quickly.
57
00:06:11,803 --> 00:06:15,483
We spent a lot of time in the kitchen,
just being silly and having fun.
58
00:06:18,683 --> 00:06:23,923
James was in an accident
when he was a teenager, I believe.
59
00:06:24,003 --> 00:06:29,243
And he was not initially liked
60
00:06:29,843 --> 00:06:31,283
by many people.
61
00:06:31,363 --> 00:06:35,243
I took that very personally,
when somebody was set back by him,
62
00:06:35,323 --> 00:06:37,963
because the way he looks
or talks or walks.
63
00:06:39,523 --> 00:06:41,283
That made me uncomfortable.
64
00:06:42,163 --> 00:06:46,083
And if that was me, I would want
somebody next to me to stand up for me.
65
00:06:46,683 --> 00:06:50,003
I had developed
this sense of protection,
66
00:06:50,083 --> 00:06:54,043
that I needed to protect him
from the people that…
67
00:06:54,963 --> 00:06:56,003
could hurt him.
68
00:07:09,763 --> 00:07:11,763
[birdsong]
69
00:07:26,323 --> 00:07:29,643
[Ashley] Years had passed.
I had my party rental company,
70
00:07:29,723 --> 00:07:35,043
and he reached out to me
asking if I had any work for him.
71
00:07:35,963 --> 00:07:40,243
Apparently he had just got out of jail
from some DUIs.
72
00:07:42,523 --> 00:07:47,043
So I brought him into this new company,
and he would do odd jobs for me.
73
00:07:47,123 --> 00:07:51,723
He would set up equipment
and help me in the office.
74
00:07:54,083 --> 00:07:55,563
He was here all the time.
75
00:07:56,323 --> 00:08:00,483
He saw wherever I was stressed
and just picked those stressors out,
76
00:08:00,643 --> 00:08:02,603
and took some of that on.
77
00:08:03,323 --> 00:08:06,643
That just always made me feel
that I could trust him.
78
00:08:08,323 --> 00:08:13,083
So James had become very integrated
into my life, into my family life,
79
00:08:13,163 --> 00:08:14,003
into my business.
80
00:08:14,083 --> 00:08:18,643
My family accepted him
as part of our family.
81
00:08:19,803 --> 00:08:22,083
[Ashley] So, buddy,
what do you wanna be when you grow up?
82
00:08:22,163 --> 00:08:24,203
-James.
-[Ashley] You want to be James?
83
00:08:24,283 --> 00:08:25,803
-Yep.
-[Ashley] Why?
84
00:08:26,323 --> 00:08:28,003
I can play video games.
85
00:08:28,083 --> 00:08:30,123
[laughter]
86
00:08:33,083 --> 00:08:35,083
[birdsong]
87
00:08:40,603 --> 00:08:43,883
[Corpus] Being close to her family
was extremely, like…
88
00:08:43,963 --> 00:08:45,363
To me, it was awesome.
89
00:08:45,443 --> 00:08:48,083
It was like being accepted
by someone else's family.
90
00:08:48,163 --> 00:08:49,723
Just be social with them…
91
00:08:49,803 --> 00:08:53,603
It was like-- I've never really did that
with anyone else's family.
92
00:08:53,683 --> 00:08:55,803
It was always--
I've always been on my own.
93
00:08:55,883 --> 00:08:57,243
I've never…
94
00:08:59,723 --> 00:09:02,203
been actually accepted with anyone.
95
00:09:02,763 --> 00:09:04,363
This was actually my first time.
96
00:09:06,363 --> 00:09:09,003
And… and it was actually pretty cool.
97
00:09:32,563 --> 00:09:34,203
[Corpus] I had started drinking more.
98
00:09:35,323 --> 00:09:38,403
I just felt stuck in this small town.
99
00:09:41,323 --> 00:09:44,163
During one night,
I was drinkin' a little too much,
100
00:09:44,243 --> 00:09:48,603
and I just wanted to go up to Chicago.
101
00:09:53,203 --> 00:09:56,163
I knew she had a van she wasn't using
in her backyard.
102
00:09:56,243 --> 00:10:00,243
So I decided to go in it
and start it up and take off.
103
00:10:02,843 --> 00:10:05,923
I was so intoxicated, I got the van stuck
on the side of the road.
104
00:10:09,363 --> 00:10:11,283
My aim was never to steal the van.
105
00:10:12,363 --> 00:10:13,803
It just popped in my head.
106
00:10:17,163 --> 00:10:21,163
After the issue with the van,
the trust started fallin' apart.
107
00:10:21,243 --> 00:10:22,963
That was-- that was the issue.
108
00:10:23,043 --> 00:10:25,043
[cicadas chirping]
109
00:10:35,843 --> 00:10:40,163
[Ashley] The police informed me that night
that the van was stolen,
110
00:10:40,243 --> 00:10:42,883
and that James's phone was in the car.
111
00:10:44,963 --> 00:10:47,323
The police told me,
"Well, obviously he did it."
112
00:10:48,683 --> 00:10:51,603
I didn't think that
this could be possible.
113
00:10:51,683 --> 00:10:55,083
I didn't think that
he would steal from me, ever.
114
00:10:55,603 --> 00:10:59,283
I just felt that there could be
another… option,
115
00:10:59,363 --> 00:11:02,683
or another-- another reason,
or another way…
116
00:11:03,723 --> 00:11:05,603
than "James did this."
117
00:11:14,523 --> 00:11:17,043
[Ashley] We were with the police
for hours that night,
118
00:11:17,123 --> 00:11:20,003
and when we got back to the home…
119
00:11:20,923 --> 00:11:22,563
[sighs] …my door was open.
120
00:11:23,523 --> 00:11:25,323
I-- I just kind of brushed it off.
121
00:11:25,403 --> 00:11:27,483
Things just didn't make sense
at that point.
122
00:11:28,003 --> 00:11:29,483
So we decided we were gonna go to bed.
123
00:11:29,563 --> 00:11:33,283
I went upstairs to tuck my son in
and make sure he was okay.
124
00:11:36,323 --> 00:11:41,323
And there James was in my son's room,
on his couch in his bedroom.
125
00:11:44,243 --> 00:11:46,283
I shook him. He had fallen asleep.
126
00:11:46,803 --> 00:11:48,363
I think he was on something.
127
00:11:48,443 --> 00:11:51,483
I don't know if it was…
if he was drunk or it was drugs.
128
00:11:51,563 --> 00:11:55,603
I have no idea. Um… He just wasn't right.
I'd never seen him in this way.
129
00:11:59,923 --> 00:12:03,123
I was just so confused,
and still trying so hard
130
00:12:03,203 --> 00:12:04,963
to give him the benefit of the doubt.
131
00:12:06,803 --> 00:12:09,203
But he couldn't answer me
why he was there.
132
00:12:09,283 --> 00:12:12,923
I questioned him about… about the car,
and why his phone was in there,
133
00:12:13,003 --> 00:12:16,243
and he… he just gave me
all kinds of excuses
134
00:12:16,323 --> 00:12:18,283
that made me feel uncomfortable.
135
00:12:19,643 --> 00:12:23,243
And I didn't want him, in the state
that he was in, in my house at all.
136
00:12:37,763 --> 00:12:41,163
[Ashley] James was arrested
after he admitted to stealing the van.
137
00:12:41,243 --> 00:12:42,763
[water running]
138
00:12:44,123 --> 00:12:45,483
I felt guilty.
139
00:12:47,683 --> 00:12:50,523
I didn't mean for that.
I didn't want for him to be in trouble.
140
00:12:53,283 --> 00:12:55,403
But I felt very betrayed by him,
141
00:12:55,483 --> 00:13:00,163
and I was very confused
of why he did what he did,
142
00:13:00,243 --> 00:13:01,323
and what just happened,
143
00:13:01,403 --> 00:13:03,763
and still trying to put the pieces
back together.
144
00:13:17,003 --> 00:13:20,883
I can't explain how suddenly
our friendship started separating,
145
00:13:20,963 --> 00:13:23,083
but I think it mostly had to do with, uh…
146
00:13:24,043 --> 00:13:26,483
just me taking things
that doesn't belong to me.
147
00:13:27,203 --> 00:13:29,363
Well, I mean, for instance, the van.
148
00:13:30,643 --> 00:13:32,083
For taking that.
149
00:13:32,163 --> 00:13:34,083
She trusted me, she knew…
150
00:13:35,843 --> 00:13:39,163
she knew that I knew
where all the stuff, everything was.
151
00:13:39,763 --> 00:13:41,603
[man] Did you take any other things?
152
00:13:42,483 --> 00:13:44,243
From her? Um…
153
00:13:44,763 --> 00:13:46,483
I took some money from her,
154
00:13:46,563 --> 00:13:49,243
out of the business account,
to pay off a phone bill.
155
00:13:50,603 --> 00:13:54,363
And due to that transaction,
I kind of emptied out her account,
156
00:13:55,203 --> 00:13:57,723
because I didn't know how that--
how that worked.
157
00:13:58,603 --> 00:14:01,163
So I hurried up and put it back
into her account.
158
00:14:03,643 --> 00:14:05,163
And she…
159
00:14:07,003 --> 00:14:12,323
that really stopped all the trust,
between her and I.
160
00:14:23,683 --> 00:14:27,563
Um… I think it's the second one.
No, it's the brand-new one. In the pink.
161
00:14:29,563 --> 00:14:34,563
Whatever had happened with James,
I just was continuing to… to live my life.
162
00:14:37,443 --> 00:14:41,003
But soon after James was released,
163
00:14:41,523 --> 00:14:45,643
I had a phone call from my school,
'cause I was still in college,
164
00:14:45,723 --> 00:14:50,363
and my school needed a payment,
and my card was declined.
165
00:14:50,443 --> 00:14:51,963
[notification chime]
166
00:14:54,443 --> 00:14:56,523
I thought that was very strange.
167
00:14:57,163 --> 00:14:59,883
And I had to give them another card.
Declined.
168
00:14:59,963 --> 00:15:01,483
[notifications chime]
169
00:15:01,563 --> 00:15:04,283
I've never had any of my cards
ever declined for anything,
170
00:15:04,363 --> 00:15:07,323
so I was very… confused.
171
00:15:09,443 --> 00:15:11,163
I logged into my bank account,
172
00:15:12,163 --> 00:15:13,523
and everything said zero.
173
00:15:14,123 --> 00:15:15,443
[notification chimes]
174
00:15:16,123 --> 00:15:17,563
And my heart just dropped.
175
00:15:19,883 --> 00:15:22,883
I was so overwhelmed
and in a panic,
176
00:15:23,483 --> 00:15:25,643
and in that moment, I just flashed that,
177
00:15:25,723 --> 00:15:29,363
"Oh my gosh, my whole business
can be stolen from me right now,
178
00:15:29,443 --> 00:15:30,763
and how will I pay my bills?"
179
00:15:45,883 --> 00:15:50,883
[Ashley] James had transferred money
from my account directly into his.
180
00:15:51,923 --> 00:15:55,643
All the money that I had worked
so hard for,
181
00:15:56,403 --> 00:15:59,563
all of those sacrifices we made
were just gone, just like that.
182
00:15:59,643 --> 00:16:02,883
And the more I uncovered,
I found more and more things
183
00:16:02,963 --> 00:16:05,323
that I didn't know I needed to look for.
184
00:16:08,403 --> 00:16:10,963
He had found the credit cards
185
00:16:11,483 --> 00:16:15,523
that I had thought were locked
in my office in a drawer.
186
00:16:16,443 --> 00:16:19,083
He was using those credit cards
and charging them up.
187
00:16:19,603 --> 00:16:20,923
The statements were coming in.
188
00:16:21,003 --> 00:16:23,843
He would get the mail,
he would throw them in the garbage,
189
00:16:23,923 --> 00:16:25,003
and I never saw them.
190
00:16:27,443 --> 00:16:32,203
Altogether, I lost over $120,000
191
00:16:32,723 --> 00:16:35,963
from the fraud that James did.
192
00:16:36,043 --> 00:16:38,043
[birds calling]
193
00:16:44,883 --> 00:16:46,563
I felt very betrayed by him.
194
00:16:49,603 --> 00:16:51,563
I thought, "Anything could happen now."
195
00:16:53,603 --> 00:16:57,563
"This person that I clearly
don't know at all, somebody who, uh…"
196
00:16:58,243 --> 00:17:00,483
What, 12-plus years of friendship?
197
00:17:00,563 --> 00:17:05,003
And knowing them, I didn't think
that this could be possible.
198
00:17:29,843 --> 00:17:32,763
[Corpus] I spoke to Ashley
right after I got out of jail,
199
00:17:32,843 --> 00:17:37,083
because I wanted
to reconcile our friendship.
200
00:17:39,523 --> 00:17:42,843
I didn't know how to get back
to be friends with her again.
201
00:17:42,923 --> 00:17:46,603
How did I do this?
Why did I screw this friendship up?
202
00:17:46,683 --> 00:17:48,323
Someone that actually wanted to…
203
00:17:50,163 --> 00:17:53,123
uh… help me out and make me-- make my--
204
00:17:53,923 --> 00:17:55,163
have me achieve my goal.
205
00:17:57,603 --> 00:18:00,603
I wanted to resolve the issue,
206
00:18:01,163 --> 00:18:03,363
pay off whatever dues I owed them,
207
00:18:04,243 --> 00:18:07,443
and see if they could--
we could resolve it outside of court.
208
00:18:08,083 --> 00:18:10,003
I was not threatening.
209
00:18:10,083 --> 00:18:12,803
I was just more apologetic than anything.
210
00:18:19,723 --> 00:18:21,683
[Ashley] So, I had asked him for space,
211
00:18:21,763 --> 00:18:24,443
and I had asked him
to please just leave me alone.
212
00:18:31,003 --> 00:18:34,163
But he didn't respect that wish of mine.
213
00:18:36,523 --> 00:18:42,363
And he kept calling on different platforms
and calling and texting,
214
00:18:43,323 --> 00:18:46,723
calling from his cell phone,
his home number,
215
00:18:46,803 --> 00:18:49,723
Messenger calls, Snapchat.
216
00:18:49,803 --> 00:18:52,523
There was all these different ways
he was communicating with me.
217
00:18:53,323 --> 00:18:56,083
He said he wanted to talk about
what happened,
218
00:18:56,163 --> 00:18:59,003
and that he loves me,
219
00:18:59,083 --> 00:19:03,963
and he doesn't want
to do anything to hurt me.
220
00:19:06,923 --> 00:19:09,363
I just was feeling overwhelmed.
221
00:19:10,363 --> 00:19:12,403
So the police said that they thought
222
00:19:12,483 --> 00:19:16,563
it was in my best interest
to issue a restraining order
223
00:19:17,363 --> 00:19:22,323
to just get him to stop.
224
00:19:35,563 --> 00:19:39,123
[Ashley] He was served the papers for
the order of protection, and afterwards,
225
00:19:39,203 --> 00:19:42,003
I think a day or so later,
he was contacting me again.
226
00:19:42,083 --> 00:19:44,083
[notifications bleeping]
227
00:19:46,043 --> 00:19:48,923
He texted me and called me
from his cell phone,
228
00:19:49,003 --> 00:19:52,043
his mom's cell phone,
his sister's cell phone, Facebook.
229
00:19:52,843 --> 00:19:55,523
I needed to feel safe again,
230
00:19:56,803 --> 00:19:59,563
because I was starting to feel scared
at that point.
231
00:20:22,803 --> 00:20:26,363
[man] What we see when we deal
with stalking behavior,
232
00:20:26,843 --> 00:20:29,963
we see that
that stalking behavior escalates.
233
00:20:31,363 --> 00:20:33,963
It could start off as text messages,
234
00:20:35,203 --> 00:20:37,643
then it goes to repeated phone calls,
235
00:20:38,883 --> 00:20:41,163
then it's social media postings,
236
00:20:41,243 --> 00:20:43,603
and then come specific threats.
237
00:20:46,843 --> 00:20:48,443
My name's Mark Kurkowski.
238
00:20:48,523 --> 00:20:51,123
I'm a former law enforcement officer.
239
00:20:52,083 --> 00:20:58,163
And one of my focus areas is training
law enforcement prosecutors
240
00:20:58,243 --> 00:21:00,483
and other practitioners in the field,
241
00:21:00,563 --> 00:21:04,843
looking at how stalking can co-occur
with other crimes.
242
00:21:17,163 --> 00:21:21,083
[Kurkowski] So, I think with James,
and the behaviors he was showing,
243
00:21:21,163 --> 00:21:24,603
we see that it's about possession,
244
00:21:25,123 --> 00:21:28,323
and it's about a relationship
that he did not want to end.
245
00:21:31,483 --> 00:21:34,283
He started off by texting Ashley,
246
00:21:34,363 --> 00:21:35,763
and then calling her,
247
00:21:35,843 --> 00:21:37,883
and then calling her repeatedly.
248
00:21:37,963 --> 00:21:43,483
When she tried to stop that behavior,
he resorted to other means,
249
00:21:44,363 --> 00:21:47,883
contacting her sister
and other family members,
250
00:21:47,963 --> 00:21:53,483
trying to persistently get to Ashley,
whatever means possible.
251
00:21:56,363 --> 00:21:59,723
It continued even after
getting orders of protection,
252
00:21:59,803 --> 00:22:06,043
even after multiple arrests and judges
telling James not to contact Ashley,
253
00:22:06,123 --> 00:22:07,763
he continued to do so.
254
00:22:10,363 --> 00:22:13,483
When we look at escalation
in stalking cases,
255
00:22:13,563 --> 00:22:16,643
we want to look
at what is called DIF patterns,
256
00:22:16,723 --> 00:22:21,843
duration, intensity, and frequency
of that stalking behavior.
257
00:22:21,923 --> 00:22:26,683
That's a big concern,
when we see both the DIF patterns
258
00:22:26,763 --> 00:22:28,803
and those threats escalate.
259
00:22:28,883 --> 00:22:31,883
That's when we really need
to step in and make sure
260
00:22:31,963 --> 00:22:33,963
that there's a safety plan enacted.
261
00:22:35,923 --> 00:22:37,923
[birdsong]
262
00:22:44,963 --> 00:22:46,603
[Ashley] I think
once he reached out again,
263
00:22:46,683 --> 00:22:48,723
after the order of protection
was in place,
264
00:22:49,403 --> 00:22:50,563
I got scared.
265
00:22:53,243 --> 00:22:56,043
James had known the code
to get into my front door,
266
00:22:56,843 --> 00:22:58,843
the key code inside of my car.
267
00:22:59,643 --> 00:23:02,523
And I just felt increasingly nervous.
268
00:23:07,363 --> 00:23:11,203
I needed to take action and precautions
to make sure my family was safe.
269
00:23:14,323 --> 00:23:16,843
We had to change all the locks
on my house.
270
00:23:16,923 --> 00:23:19,043
I didn't drive anywhere by myself.
271
00:23:20,203 --> 00:23:24,363
Every single place and thing I did,
I did with somebody else.
272
00:23:24,443 --> 00:23:26,683
I was terrified to be alone.
273
00:23:28,883 --> 00:23:32,883
I went through and just adjusted my life
very dramatically,
274
00:23:32,963 --> 00:23:36,083
because "If this has happened,
what could be in front of me?"
275
00:23:36,163 --> 00:23:37,283
"Anything is possible."
276
00:23:38,323 --> 00:23:39,843
And that was terrifying to me.
277
00:23:40,363 --> 00:23:44,563
There was no line that he wasn't
going to cross at this point.
278
00:24:28,923 --> 00:24:31,203
[man] The term "stalking" means
279
00:24:31,283 --> 00:24:33,803
"a knowing or intentional
course of conduct
280
00:24:33,883 --> 00:24:38,403
involving repeated or continuing
harassment of another person,
281
00:24:38,483 --> 00:24:41,883
that would cause a reasonable person
to feel terrorized,
282
00:24:41,963 --> 00:24:44,203
frightened, intimidated, or threatened."
283
00:24:47,523 --> 00:24:49,963
My name's Tim Brown.
I'm a supervising attorney
284
00:24:50,043 --> 00:24:52,523
with the Lake County, Indiana
Prosecutor's Office.
285
00:24:53,283 --> 00:24:58,403
And I was assigned Mr. Corpus's case
after he was charged with stalking.
286
00:25:08,443 --> 00:25:11,083
[Corpus] What I thought stalking was,
was more…
287
00:25:11,163 --> 00:25:12,203
more, um…
288
00:25:12,283 --> 00:25:15,643
watching somebody,
like a Peeping Tom.
289
00:25:16,563 --> 00:25:19,163
Uh, someone that-- that's into voyeurism.
290
00:25:20,803 --> 00:25:25,003
But I didn't believe "stalking"
meant more of like, uh…
291
00:25:26,123 --> 00:25:28,923
"Okay, you broke a no-contact order."
292
00:25:30,003 --> 00:25:31,603
That's-- that's a stalking?
293
00:25:31,683 --> 00:25:33,443
I didn't realize that would--
294
00:25:33,523 --> 00:25:36,523
How is that? It-- it's confusing to me.
295
00:25:37,363 --> 00:25:40,003
If someone's out there
to apologize to someone,
296
00:25:41,003 --> 00:25:44,203
to make amends,
does that make me a stalker?
297
00:25:45,603 --> 00:25:46,723
It just--
298
00:25:46,803 --> 00:25:48,323
It's crazy.
299
00:25:48,883 --> 00:25:53,803
I-- I didn't see myself as a stalker
just because I'm--
300
00:25:54,403 --> 00:25:59,083
I want to persist, uh…
being friends with this person.
301
00:26:04,283 --> 00:26:06,603
[Brown] So it's apparent that Mr. Corpus
302
00:26:06,683 --> 00:26:09,363
doesn't personally feel
that he's a stalker.
303
00:26:09,883 --> 00:26:13,643
We don't go off how someone
personally feels in the state of Indiana.
304
00:26:13,723 --> 00:26:17,323
We go off the definition
of what stalking means.
305
00:26:18,403 --> 00:26:23,763
So, if you look at the stalking charge
that was filed against Mr. Corpus,
306
00:26:24,683 --> 00:26:28,643
that case involved repeated phone calls
to Miss Manfre.
307
00:26:30,243 --> 00:26:33,603
Repeatedly attempting
to apologize to someone
308
00:26:34,323 --> 00:26:36,763
in violation of a no-contact order
309
00:26:36,843 --> 00:26:39,603
can be considered a form of stalking
310
00:26:39,683 --> 00:26:42,483
if it intimidates
or places fear in the victim.
311
00:26:42,563 --> 00:26:47,283
And we believe that Ashley had
every reason to be scared of Mr. Corpus.
312
00:26:48,603 --> 00:26:52,643
So his claim, he merely wanted
to apologize to her?
313
00:26:52,723 --> 00:26:53,723
Okay, that's fine.
314
00:26:53,803 --> 00:26:56,963
But that does not mean that that behavior
does not amount to stalking.
315
00:26:57,043 --> 00:26:59,323
And, in fact, it did.
316
00:27:17,523 --> 00:27:18,923
[birdsong]
317
00:27:19,843 --> 00:27:22,123
[Ashley] There was a--
a huge sense of relief.
318
00:27:23,763 --> 00:27:28,043
I remember just a huge…
[exhales] …breath come out of me
319
00:27:28,643 --> 00:27:31,643
that I didn't realize I was holding back
for so long.
320
00:27:34,123 --> 00:27:37,963
I think I was more relieved that…
321
00:27:39,883 --> 00:27:42,163
he couldn't keep hurting me
322
00:27:42,243 --> 00:27:43,923
or finding ways to…
323
00:27:45,723 --> 00:27:48,763
disrupt my life if he was put behind bars.
324
00:28:06,603 --> 00:28:09,363
[Ashley] I was doing something at home,
and the doorbell rang.
325
00:28:10,483 --> 00:28:12,723
It was the sheriff's department
for Lake County
326
00:28:13,243 --> 00:28:19,523
telling me that they needed me to come
in to the courthouse for questioning.
327
00:28:25,003 --> 00:28:29,883
I remember driving there not knowing why
we were going there, what it was about.
328
00:28:31,323 --> 00:28:32,843
I was kind of confused.
329
00:28:33,723 --> 00:28:38,203
"Why? Because I feel like I've already
said everything multiple times."
330
00:28:43,763 --> 00:28:48,083
I remember sitting there
in the detectives' conference room.
331
00:28:51,123 --> 00:28:55,603
And they asked me to sit down
and draw a map of my house.
332
00:28:56,603 --> 00:28:59,843
And I thought that was so bizarre,
because they gave me no context.
333
00:28:59,923 --> 00:29:03,123
Why would I possibly need to draw a map?
I just did not understand.
334
00:29:03,643 --> 00:29:06,923
So I drew the map for them
and I handed it over to them.
335
00:29:07,003 --> 00:29:10,563
And I remember watching their eyes
just get very large,
336
00:29:11,083 --> 00:29:14,963
and they both looked at each other,
completely in awe.
337
00:29:25,923 --> 00:29:28,043
[man 1] Okay, now you said his name
was James Corpus?
338
00:29:28,123 --> 00:29:29,443
-[man 2] Yeah.
-[man 1] Okay.
339
00:29:29,523 --> 00:29:31,763
Uh… what did he contact you for?
340
00:29:31,843 --> 00:29:34,203
-[man 2] Um… I mean I got the plan.
-[man 1] What--
341
00:29:34,283 --> 00:29:36,523
[man 2] He drew the plans,
everything out in my pocket.
342
00:29:36,603 --> 00:29:38,003
[man 1] He-- he drew the plans out?
343
00:29:38,083 --> 00:29:39,843
[man 2] He drew the whole layout
of the house,
344
00:29:39,923 --> 00:29:42,523
camera systems, alarm systems,
codes for everything…
345
00:29:43,243 --> 00:29:45,203
[man 1] Codes for the systems. Okay.
346
00:29:49,563 --> 00:29:52,803
[man] It was November 30th of 2018.
347
00:29:52,883 --> 00:29:57,763
I was alerted to a jail tip
that we received on our Telmate system.
348
00:29:58,403 --> 00:30:02,603
After reviewing the jail tip,
we were able to pull up a, uh, individual
349
00:30:02,683 --> 00:30:06,043
who had, uh,
information against Mr. Corpus.
350
00:30:12,923 --> 00:30:14,163
My name is Christopher Adams.
351
00:30:14,243 --> 00:30:17,283
I'm a sergeant with the Lake County Metro
Homicide Task Force.
352
00:30:23,923 --> 00:30:27,323
This inmate was provided a map
by James Corpus.
353
00:30:28,003 --> 00:30:31,043
Also included with the map
was an additional piece of paper
354
00:30:31,123 --> 00:30:33,043
with the potential victim's name,
355
00:30:33,123 --> 00:30:36,083
and passwords to various items
within her residence,
356
00:30:36,163 --> 00:30:38,843
such as her, uh… security system,
357
00:30:38,923 --> 00:30:42,763
uh, passcodes to a vehicle
that was located in her residence.
358
00:30:43,763 --> 00:30:47,203
The drawing also had areas
where there may be cameras.
359
00:30:47,683 --> 00:30:52,443
So all these things added up,
uh… to, you know, a conspiracy.
360
00:30:53,163 --> 00:30:56,363
And he said, "If I could-- if this bitch
either shut up or disappear."
361
00:30:56,883 --> 00:30:57,963
"You know what I mean?"
362
00:30:58,043 --> 00:31:00,163
"Man, the house is loaded with stuff,"
and everything.
363
00:31:00,243 --> 00:31:02,723
Like, "You could pay me."
He's like, "And I get money to you."
364
00:31:03,803 --> 00:31:05,763
"If I can get you a gun,
you go do the job."
365
00:31:05,843 --> 00:31:11,563
[man 1] He asked you
to either shut her up or make her go away?
366
00:31:11,643 --> 00:31:14,363
[man 2] He said, "I want her silenced,
I don't care how it happens."
367
00:31:14,443 --> 00:31:16,683
[man 1] "I want her silenced,
I don't care how it happens."
368
00:31:16,763 --> 00:31:18,763
[keys jingling]
369
00:31:21,323 --> 00:31:25,763
The inmate stated that James Corpus
wanted him to, uh… silence a witness.
370
00:31:27,123 --> 00:31:29,163
James said
that he didn't want this witness
371
00:31:29,243 --> 00:31:31,323
to come forward against him
in his trials.
372
00:31:32,683 --> 00:31:34,883
That inmate understood that "silenced"
373
00:31:34,963 --> 00:31:37,843
uh, meant that
he had to kill someone for James.
374
00:31:37,923 --> 00:31:41,243
Uh… He-- he explained that to James,
375
00:31:41,323 --> 00:31:43,283
and James just said
he wanted her silenced.
376
00:31:44,683 --> 00:31:46,683
[man 1] What's, uh…
what's the lady's name?
377
00:31:47,203 --> 00:31:49,043
[man 2] Ashley Manfre.
378
00:31:51,363 --> 00:31:54,723
[Adams] An individual
who commits these types of actions,
379
00:31:55,523 --> 00:31:59,403
and who is determined
to commit these types of actions
380
00:31:59,483 --> 00:32:01,603
to the point where you don't end
your criminality
381
00:32:01,683 --> 00:32:04,883
even after you've been,
uh… taken into custody,
382
00:32:06,323 --> 00:32:08,603
that type of person
is willing to do anything.
383
00:32:25,083 --> 00:32:28,083
I believe I was wrongfully accused of…
384
00:32:29,763 --> 00:32:31,563
being a part of conspiracy and murder.
385
00:32:31,643 --> 00:32:34,603
I've had no intentions
to hurt her or hurt her family.
386
00:32:36,883 --> 00:32:39,563
I was socializing
with someone that I shouldn't have.
387
00:32:40,323 --> 00:32:42,323
He took advantage of my kindness
388
00:32:43,563 --> 00:32:45,563
and he…
389
00:32:46,843 --> 00:32:49,243
said I hired him to kill Ashley.
390
00:32:51,363 --> 00:32:52,403
Which I never did.
391
00:32:53,243 --> 00:32:56,963
I had some personal stuff
I'd written down from Ashley's home,
392
00:32:58,203 --> 00:33:02,003
like her house plans and her--
393
00:33:02,883 --> 00:33:06,643
Just, I jotted certain things down, uh…
394
00:33:08,003 --> 00:33:11,603
like… like what her house looked like
and stuff,
395
00:33:12,323 --> 00:33:16,163
and I put it in my room,
and put it in my cell.
396
00:33:17,323 --> 00:33:19,963
What this guy did, he came in and…
397
00:33:20,883 --> 00:33:23,523
he went into my cell
and grabbed all my paperwork
398
00:33:24,283 --> 00:33:26,523
and took it straight
to the sheriff's office.
399
00:33:26,603 --> 00:33:28,843
Said I hired him to kill her.
400
00:33:34,843 --> 00:33:39,163
His words were to "take her out."
401
00:33:40,563 --> 00:33:43,443
I don't even know
if I heard anything after that. [sighs]
402
00:33:44,323 --> 00:33:47,483
I just-- The world just kind of stopped
in that moment, and…
403
00:33:50,723 --> 00:33:54,923
someone who says that they love me
and they would never hurt me
404
00:33:55,603 --> 00:33:56,683
now wants me dead.
405
00:33:57,763 --> 00:34:01,243
And it was just this nightmare
that I was living.
406
00:34:03,563 --> 00:34:05,563
[birdsong]
407
00:34:26,683 --> 00:34:28,683
[birdsong]
408
00:34:30,963 --> 00:34:35,683
[Ashley] The police made me feel that…
they had everything under control,
409
00:34:35,763 --> 00:34:38,723
and they caught the gentleman,
and that I shouldn't have to worry.
410
00:34:42,203 --> 00:34:45,963
But… I feel like James is very smart.
411
00:34:46,603 --> 00:34:49,163
So when they tell me
I'm safe and I shouldn't worry,
412
00:34:49,243 --> 00:34:51,043
I literally did the opposite.
413
00:35:07,683 --> 00:35:09,643
[Ashley] The day after he was released,
414
00:35:09,723 --> 00:35:13,083
I started feeling
like I was being watched.
415
00:35:15,923 --> 00:35:19,763
Maybe it was just weird coincidence,
or timing was strange,
416
00:35:19,843 --> 00:35:21,763
but different places I went, I felt--
417
00:35:21,843 --> 00:35:23,283
Even the grocery store, I just…
418
00:35:23,363 --> 00:35:25,843
I felt like I was being watched
everywhere I went.
419
00:35:27,563 --> 00:35:29,203
[cicadas chirping]
420
00:35:30,123 --> 00:35:32,843
About two days after
this gentleman was released,
421
00:35:33,363 --> 00:35:34,843
I was standing in my kitchen.
422
00:35:37,363 --> 00:35:40,363
It was, I don't know,
maybe 11 p.m. or something.
423
00:35:43,483 --> 00:35:47,363
I saw two flashlights
kind of walking towards me,
424
00:35:47,443 --> 00:35:50,883
and they were moving…
as if someone was walking.
425
00:35:56,563 --> 00:35:59,603
My motion detector light went on,
426
00:36:00,123 --> 00:36:04,443
and I could see that there were
two people walking up to me.
427
00:36:07,003 --> 00:36:12,523
They were wearing all black,
with black hoods over their heads.
428
00:36:13,843 --> 00:36:19,723
Behind me,
there's 56 acres of fields and forest,
429
00:36:20,243 --> 00:36:22,123
so there shouldn't be anyone there.
430
00:36:23,683 --> 00:36:26,083
I'm just watching
these people get closer and closer.
431
00:36:26,603 --> 00:36:30,203
I ran and grabbed my phone,
and then I went and grabbed my gun.
432
00:36:31,523 --> 00:36:34,963
And I made sure
every single door and window was locked.
433
00:36:36,323 --> 00:36:37,483
I had called 9-1-1.
434
00:36:38,883 --> 00:36:44,203
I was standing there shaking and crying,
and just so scared.
435
00:36:45,483 --> 00:36:47,483
[cicadas chirping]
436
00:36:51,203 --> 00:36:55,603
Never in my wildest nightmares
would I have imagined
437
00:36:55,683 --> 00:36:59,283
sitting in the position I was sitting in,
fearing for my life.
438
00:36:59,363 --> 00:37:01,363
[siren approaching]
439
00:37:10,883 --> 00:37:14,363
[Ashley] They arrived,
but the police did not find anything.
440
00:37:16,323 --> 00:37:22,883
I spent, I don't know, six hours or so
watching, all night, in different windows,
441
00:37:23,603 --> 00:37:26,563
trying to see if someone
was gonna come back up to my house.
442
00:37:28,323 --> 00:37:29,523
That was terrifying.
443
00:37:38,763 --> 00:37:40,763
[birdsong]
444
00:38:18,443 --> 00:38:19,963
[Ashley] Now, no one will know…
445
00:38:20,043 --> 00:38:22,683
[scoffs] …that he hired
someone to kill me.
446
00:38:23,363 --> 00:38:24,363
No one will know.
447
00:38:26,083 --> 00:38:27,283
It's not on his record.
448
00:38:28,003 --> 00:38:30,643
So anywhere he goes,
anyone he becomes friends with,
449
00:38:30,723 --> 00:38:31,803
anywhere he works
450
00:38:31,883 --> 00:38:34,243
has no idea what he's capable of.
451
00:38:34,803 --> 00:38:35,803
They have no idea.
452
00:38:39,883 --> 00:38:42,243
James took a lot from me.
453
00:38:46,603 --> 00:38:50,243
The thing that he took
that I can never get back
454
00:38:51,043 --> 00:38:53,363
is my sense of security.
455
00:38:55,243 --> 00:38:57,523
That hole will always be in my life.
456
00:39:20,723 --> 00:39:23,123
[Corpus] I am very remorseful
for what I've done.
457
00:39:24,403 --> 00:39:26,763
I feel extremely terrible.
458
00:39:30,883 --> 00:39:36,043
I didn't realize
that I was such a bad person.
459
00:39:42,363 --> 00:39:48,123
Today, I probably consider myself
as harming her emotionally.
460
00:39:49,363 --> 00:39:51,283
But back then, I didn't think that.
461
00:39:51,363 --> 00:39:53,363
I was not thinking that at all.
462
00:40:09,283 --> 00:40:12,523
[Corpus] Did I conspire to…
to murder Ashley? No.
463
00:40:15,163 --> 00:40:17,083
I didn't want to cause no harm to her.
464
00:40:18,923 --> 00:40:19,803
It was…
465
00:40:20,843 --> 00:40:23,043
It was all false. It was all made up.
466
00:40:24,283 --> 00:40:25,923
[man] So why did you draw the map?
467
00:40:29,763 --> 00:40:32,883
I was probably just bored,
and I just drew it up-- drew it out.
468
00:40:32,963 --> 00:40:37,323
I just… I take notes
and I draw a lot of times.
469
00:40:38,643 --> 00:40:40,603
But it was nothin' to…
470
00:40:43,003 --> 00:40:48,283
nothin' to go with, uh…
any kind of conspiracy or any of that.
471
00:40:48,363 --> 00:40:50,723
It was not even supposed
to be seen by anybody.
472
00:41:03,123 --> 00:41:06,123
Did I know about any intruders
appear on Ashley's property?
473
00:41:06,203 --> 00:41:07,203
No, I have not.
474
00:41:08,043 --> 00:41:09,083
I never knew.
475
00:41:10,603 --> 00:41:12,083
[man] When did you find out?
476
00:41:12,163 --> 00:41:13,403
I never found out.
477
00:41:15,083 --> 00:41:16,043
I don't know.
478
00:41:16,923 --> 00:41:18,723
That's the first time I'm hearing that.
479
00:41:24,643 --> 00:41:28,963
I never, never, ever
would ever hire him to do a…
480
00:41:29,483 --> 00:41:31,283
uh, have another person hurt her.
481
00:41:31,843 --> 00:41:32,763
I would…
482
00:41:33,483 --> 00:41:35,243
That's just ridiculous.
483
00:41:45,043 --> 00:41:46,803
Do I believe I'm a stalker?
484
00:41:49,683 --> 00:41:51,563
Actually, I don't. I mean…
485
00:41:53,843 --> 00:41:56,763
the way I behaved with Ashley,
I have never done that before.
486
00:41:58,243 --> 00:41:59,083
I…
487
00:42:00,203 --> 00:42:01,283
It's not like me.
488
00:42:03,123 --> 00:42:06,043
It's just… I wanted to be like her.
489
00:42:06,923 --> 00:42:09,883
I… wanted to be…
490
00:42:10,763 --> 00:42:11,843
what she had.
491
00:42:12,643 --> 00:42:15,763
She had a great home, great family,
492
00:42:17,243 --> 00:42:20,123
and I just felt like I…
493
00:42:25,723 --> 00:42:29,083
I felt like I had sort of the rights to…
494
00:42:31,323 --> 00:42:32,923
I don't know, get, uh…
495
00:42:34,723 --> 00:42:35,723
Uh…
496
00:42:36,843 --> 00:42:38,083
I… [murmurs]
497
00:42:40,043 --> 00:42:44,683
I wanna resolve it,
I wanna fix it, but it's too late.
498
00:42:45,203 --> 00:42:47,523
I've-- It might be too late.
It might not be.
499
00:42:57,483 --> 00:42:59,483
[birdsong]
500
00:43:12,123 --> 00:43:13,363
[bleeping]
501
00:43:17,483 --> 00:43:20,363
-I like that she's got face paint on.
-Mm-hm.
502
00:43:20,883 --> 00:43:21,923
I don't like--
503
00:43:22,003 --> 00:43:24,243
[Ashley] After all this
happened with James,
504
00:43:24,323 --> 00:43:26,163
it completely tore my world apart.
505
00:43:26,243 --> 00:43:28,643
…thing, you can enter
another one up there…
506
00:43:28,723 --> 00:43:30,923
[Ashley] But I realized one day…
507
00:43:32,963 --> 00:43:38,603
that I had been giving him so much control
over my life for far too long…
508
00:43:40,163 --> 00:43:42,883
that in some weird way,
he was still winning.
509
00:43:42,963 --> 00:43:46,363
He still had some sort of handle on me,
or he had some sort of…
510
00:43:51,003 --> 00:43:52,643
hand around my neck.
511
00:43:52,723 --> 00:43:54,723
[birdsong]
512
00:43:58,603 --> 00:44:02,083
Getting over what James has done
has been a decision to just…
513
00:44:03,203 --> 00:44:05,883
put him in my past and move forward,
and not let him…
514
00:44:08,443 --> 00:44:10,603
take over any more of my life.
515
00:44:14,083 --> 00:44:16,443
I decided not to be the victim anymore.