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Killer Pastor Thinks He Got Away | The Case Of Kari Bakerplay icon
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Killer Pastor Thinks He Got Away | The Case Of Kari Baker

Unseen .
By Unseen .Jul 14, 2025
Unseen .
Driven by the belief that there’s always more to the story, Unseen delves beyond the headlines to uncover the quiet resilience, courage, and humanity at the heart of real cases. With a focus on the untold and the overlooked, Unseen shines a light on what’s often left in the shadows, creating moments of connection and understanding.
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FAITHFUL IMAGE SHATTERED

This is the voice of Matt Baker — he has just found his wife, Kari, lifeless in their bed with a typed letter beside her. But there’s one problem: Kari didn’t write the letter.
Everybody is shocked. Matt and Kari are pillars of their community — a loving couple with two young daughters. But Matt isn’t just a husband. He is a respected Baptist pastor, a rising star in the church.
After Kari’s death, Matt becomes the face of faith through tragedy — speaking at pulpits, appearing on television, even landing magazine covers. He tells the world how he lost the love of his life… and how God carried him through it.
But Kari’s mother, Linda Dulin, isn't convinced. Something about Matt’s story doesn't sit right — especially after she learns he’d been having an affair.The death of Kari Baker might have remained a mystery — if not for a mother who refused to give up, driven by the fear that her grandchildren were living with a murderer. Eventually, a clue is uncovered — A secret message written by Kari herself, hidden in the pages of her bible. A message that will expose the truth… and help Linda avenge her daughter, before it’s too late.

A SHOCKING DISCOVERY

It’s April 7th, 2006. Matt Baker is driving home in the small Texas suburb of Hewitt. It’s past 11:00 p.m. on a Friday night. His wife, Kari, might still be awake, waiting for him—while their two young daughters, Kensi and Grace, are likely already fast asleep. But, as the 38-year-old father pulls in the driveway, he has no idea that things are about to take a disturbing turn. That night, Matt had only stepped out for a quick errand—renting a movie and filling up the car with gas. Now, just before midnight, he walks in and heads to the bedroom, only to find the door locked. When he finally gets it open, he’s met with a chilling sight: Kari, his wife, is lying motionless and unresponsive.

In Hewitt, everyone knows the young couple: Matt and Kari’s love story has all the magic of a fairy tale. Both college students, they met at camp in the summer of 1994. Working side by side, they quickly fell in love, and within just three months, the pair got married. They later settled on the outskirts of Waco to raise their family, welcoming three daughters: Kensi, Kassidy, and Grace. Matt, the local Baptist minister, is a respected and familiar figure in the deeply religious community, while Kari—after completing her master’s in education—is a devoted mom and beloved third grade teacher. Faith has always been the foundation of their family, and their life appeared picture-perfect… until now.

CASE CLOSED?

The 911 dispatcher coaches Matt through the CPR process, hoping to revive Kari while the ambulance is on its way. Remarkably, he keeps his composure, clearly giving their address so first responders can race to the scene. As they stay on the line, Matt makes another request—his two young daughters are in the house. He can’t risk them walking in and seeing their mother like this. He asks if they can call Kari’s parents, the Dulins, to come care for the girls.

When the ambulance finally pulls up to the Bakers’ home, the paramedics find Kari, still lying motionless on the floor. They check her pulse, and start compressions, but her body isn’t responding. After a few minutes of work, the paramedics know it’s too late. That’s when Kari’s mother, Linda, also arrives at the scene. The family is in shock. Kari— a loving mother, a daughter, a loyal wife and beloved teacher—is gone.

As everyone tries to make sense of the situation, the medical staff briefly consider if she had a potential hidden medical issue no one knew about, or maybe this was all a tragic accident. But as police search the room, they find something unusual. A letter, typed and left on the nightstand. It appears to be from Kari.

In Texas, when someone dies suddenly or unexpectedly, it’s up to a justice of the peace to decide what happens next–there isn’t necessarily a doctor or autopsy involved. So for Kari, instead of a thorough medical examination, police describe the scene over the phone to Justice Billy Martin. They tell him about what was found in the bedroom and the overall circumstances, and Judge Martin makes his ruling: it’s an overdose, therefore, there’s no need for an autopsy.

GRIEF & SUSPICION

It’s April 9th, 2006—the day after Kari’s sudden death. The family is in shock, overwhelmed and barely able to process what’s happened. But despite the grief, Matt insists the memorial and burial must happen immediately. He begins making arrangements at their family’s Baptist church, planning the service for the very next day.

By Monday, April 10th—only 48 hours since Kari’s body was found—she is already laid to rest at Oakwood Cemetery. Her memorial, originally planned at the family’s church, is moved to one of the city’s largest funeral homes to accommodate the overwhelming response from the community. To Linda, it’s all moving too quickly—no time to breathe, let alone grieve. But Matt, the Baptist preacher, tells the family it’s best not to delay the healing process.

Waco, Texas, OakCrest Funeral Home. 3:00PM. Hundreds gather in sorrow. Kari’s family, her children, and the entire community have come together to mourn. Even at the largest funeral home in the city, the space is overflowing—folding chairs fill the aisles, friends and neighbors stand shoulder to shoulder along the back walls, spilling into the foyer and leaning through the open doors.

During the service, Matt sits motionless in the front row, head in his hands, silent through every eulogy and remembrance. And then, at the end, the grieving husband stands at the pulpit with his daughters beside him, promising to everyone he’ll return to Crossroads Baptist in only one week, Easter Sunday. “God has not abandoned me,” he says. “He will give me the strength to carry on.”

It’s Sunday April 16th, less than a week after the funeral, and only 8 days since Kari’s death, Pastor Matt keeps his promise and delivers the Easter sermon at Crossroads Baptist church. He tells the congregants that just as Jesus has risen, so too has Kari— into heaven. Ministers from across the county send emails and letters to the family, and to Matt specifically, praising his unwavering faith and courage in the face of tragedy. One woman even offers to teach him how to do his daughters’ hair: a beautiful gesture for a father, now parenting girls alone. From the outside, it looks like a community supporting a grieving man, as he tries to put his life back together.

A MOTHER’S INSTINCT

In the month following Kari’s death, her family is overwhelmed, trying to come to terms with the tragedy, but Linda, along with her sisters, can’t shake the feeling that there’s something more to Kari’s death, something police have missed. They knew Kari better than anyone: she was vibrant, loving, and full of life; a hands-on mother who adored her daughters. The idea that she would have willingly left them behind is completely out of character.

Linda and her family start examining the evidence themselves: and realize that beneath the surface, there are several small inconsistencies – each one minor on its own, but together, suggesting that something more sinister may have happened.

The first red flag: only 10 pictures were taken of the crime scene by the investigators. For any sudden, unexplained death, this is an unusually low amount of photos – there’s barely any evidence in the records. Next, everything in the room looked a little too perfectly arranged. Alone, it’s possible that the family had simply kept a tidy house – but, upon a closer look, it could seem like the scene might’ve been staged, as if someone carefully planted evidence to have it appear like a tragic death. The letter left beside the bed should have raised immediate suspicion on its own. It was typed – not handwritten – and unsigned. In theory, anyone could have written it. Another unusual detail about the letter is the amount of spelling mistakes; Kari was a third-grade teacher and an educated woman with her Master’s, known for her attention to detail. The typed letter misspelled words, like “too” spelled with a single “o” in the wrong context. It seemed like it didn't quite match her character, or her background.

In spite of the many inconsistencies obvious to anyone looking closely at the crime scene, it seems police are in no rush to question the only person actually at the scene of Kari’s death. Matt is interviewed nearly two months after his wife’s passing – and even then, it’s only a casual discussion, seemingly only to tick a box, not to further any actual investigation into Kari’s death.

Matt is calm, cooperative, and consistent in his account. He’s able to remain rational, eager to help detectives with any questions they have. Matt even willingly takes a polygraph test, and passes – to the police, there’s no reason to think he had anything to do with Kari’s death. According to detectives, there’s simply nothing pointing to him, or to anyone else for that matter, in the death of Kari, and the case is open and shut. After talking to Matt, the police are able to walk away, confident with their initial assessment of Kari’s death. But in spite of the police’s conclusions, Linda Dulin, and her whole family, continue to search for anything, anything at all, that could uncover the truth, and explain what really happened with Kari.

CLUES FROM BEYOND

Then around the beginning of May 2006—a clue appears in an unlikely place. As Linda looks through their family phone plan bill, which includes herself, Matt, and Kari, she stops cold. In the days following her death, Kari’s phone has been used hundreds of times—even calling Matt’s number several times. If her daughter is dead, who could possibly have been using her phone?
Matt’s explanation is that he gave it to a church member who was in need of a phone after a difficult divorce. Being a generous pastor is one thing, but giving away your dead wife’s phone so recently after her passing seems very strange. And something about his tone feels rehearsed. To Linda, there is a shift—not just in his story, but in him.

Matt’s daughters, 5-year-old Grace and 9-year-old Kensi, who have been living with their father ever since their mom’s passing, also notice something strange. All the pictures of Kari have been removed from the family’s house. As weeks go by, Linda and her husband find themselves increasingly pushed out of their granddaughters’ lives as well. There were fewer visits, shorter phone calls, and many excuses from Matt about their busy schedules and hectic routines. It’s starting to feel as though Matt is removing Kari from their lives, in small but significant ways.

Linda and her husband Jim take their growing suspicions to the police, pleading for the case to be reopened. But the response is indifferent. The department refuses to budge and the original ruling stands. Meanwhile, the evidence is sealed away, and out of reach. They know they can’t wait for the system to act. If they want justice for Kari, and make sure her daughters are safe, they’ll need to build the case themselves.

NEW TEAM, NEW FIGHT

That’s when a new ally joins Linda’s team: Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Johnston. After listening to their story, Johnston sees what they see—too many red flags to ignore. He assembles his own team of investigators, including Matt Cawthon, a respected former Texas Ranger.

On July 30th, almost 4 months after Kari’s death, Linda and Attorney Johnston file a wrongful death lawsuit against Matt, giving them the legal authority to gather records, conduct depositions, and reexamine everything piece by piece. Their next move is hiring a digital forensics expert, whose first priority is to go through Matt’s computer—and what he finds, shocks Johnston’s team of investigators. Matt, a respected pastor, had been watching adult content during work hours — literally inside the church. Adult sites are interspersed right next to Matt’s searches for Internet sermons. On top of that: the expert uncovers that on March 9th, exactly one month before Kari’s death, Matt searched “overdose on sleeping pills.”

But when they discover a message, handwritten by Kari just 5 days before her death, it puts the final nail in the coffin. Hidden in the margins of her Bible, Kari’s voice speaks from beyond the grave, pointing the finger at her own husband:
“Lord, I have so much worry and I cannot get a hold on it. I'm asking for you to protect me from harm; I'm not sure what is going on with Matt, but Lord, help me find peace with him.”
Kari had written down her suspicions about Matt, only days before she was found dead. It seems her intuition was telling her that she was in danger. But, frustratingly, despite all the circumstantial evidence, there’s still no clear-cut link tying Matt directly to Kari’s death that Linda can bring to prosecutors to have him convicted of murder.

PASTOR OF THE PEOPLE?

It’s now October 2007. More than a year and a half has gone by since Kari’s death. In spite of growing suspicion, Matt continues to deny any wrongdoing and begins to take even more drastic measures—moving himself and Linda’s grandkids 200 miles away to a different city. He takes a new job preaching at a local church, far from Kari’s family. From the outside, he has completely moved on. In fact, as Linda and her family keep fighting to gather evidence that proves that Kari was murdered by her husband, Matt now seems eager to tell his side of the story. In an unbelievably arrogant move, the case even goes national, as Matt sits down with ABC News for a televised interview.

Kari’s parents are stunned when they see their former son-in-law on national television. To them, not only does he have the nerve to keep denying what happened, but he also doesn’t hesitate to include his young daughters, Linda’s granddaughters, in his publicity tour, using them—and his pastor image—to garner sympathy. To many viewers, Matt's media presence is persuasive. He appears to be a grieving husband—a pastor leaning on his faith in the face of unimaginable loss. But for Kari’s family, every public interview feels like another setback. While they are fighting just to be heard, Matt is controlling the narrative, using another unspeakable family tragedy to garner sympathy: the death of their second daughter, Kassidy, at only fourteen months old. In 1999, seven years before Kari’s passing, Kassidy, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, lost her fight. Kari was destroyed by this awful loss, but decided to honor her little girl by taking care of her surviving family, including Matt. She had to stay strong and went to see a grief counselor to navigate this devastating time. But according to him, this overwhelming loss is the exact reason why Kari was so depressed.

Public opinion, however, remains divided. Some believe his story, convinced of his innocence. But Kari’s family never wavers. They are certain Matt is involved in Kari’s death. And their fears run deeper: Linda is concerned that her two young granddaughters might be living with a murderer.

A WITNESS STEPS FORWARD

At this point in the investigation, Linda and her team need something solid—something, or someone, who can tie the whole case together. Someone who knows the full story of what really happened to Kari. And that someone is the very person Matt had given Kari’s old phone to just days after her death: a young woman named Vanessa Bulls.

Newly single, 23-year-old churchgoer Vanessa had recently started attending Crossroads Baptist—where Matt was the pastor. Just weeks after Kari’s death, Vanessa was seen attending Matt’s daughter’s 10th birthday party. Friends also reported seeing the two together often, looking unusually affectionate. And when Linda had looked at the family’s phone records back in May of 2006, the call logs were damning: Matt and Vanessa had been in close contact both before and after Kari’s death, with Vanessa using Kari’s old phone.

Matt and Vanessa had continually insisted that their relationship was only a friendship—Matt as a pastor counselling Vanessa through her divorce. But with so much contact—and such a quick emotional connection—it raises serious questions. What had really gone on between them before Kari died? Could Vanessa hold the key to the entire case? And will she come forward to help bring Matt to justice?

THE COURTROOM RECKONING

It’s January of 2010, four years after Kari’s murder, and Vanessa is subpoenaed; she's legally forced to show up and testify at trial, on what she knows about Matt Baker. And because prosecutors believe she knows something critical, they offer her a deal: tell the truth, and you won’t be charged with anything yourself.

The courtroom is packed. Linda and her family are sitting on the wooden bench, ready to fight for justice. When Vanessa enters the courtroom, all eyes are on her as she takes the stand in front of Kari’s whole family and Matt himself. When she starts to speak, the courtroom is silent, everyone hangs onto her every word, as she describes exactly what happened, and Matt Baker's true face is finally revealed.

Matt, who was at first, counseling Vanessa about her recent divorce, quickly changed his behavior from attentive, caring pastor to a predator. In front of the entire courtroom, Vanessa finally reveals what Matt had always denied. In March of 2006, just one month before Kari’s death, she and Matt were having an affair. Then, Vanessa drops another bombshell: she says she knows what really happened to Kari Baker. Under oath, she testifies that Matt had been openly planning her death.

TRUTH & CONSEQUENCES

The courtroom is stunned. The truth is finally coming out—and it’s devastating. Kari was betrayed by the man she trusted and loved the most. But despite the heartbreak, Vanessa’s testimony aligns with the evidence that Linda and her family have spent years tirelessly collecting. And Vanessa isn’t the only one to break the silence and expose the man Matt truly is. Dozens of other women step forward too, women from Matt’s past, who, one by one, bravely share their stories of Matt’s behavior over the years.

In total, 12 different women come forward. Their testimonies, back to back, corroborate Vanessa’s version of Matt Baker. The pastor has always been a dangerous predator who thought he was untouchable, and would walk away unscathed, never being held accountable. But today, he is forced to face the consequences for his actions.

JUSTICE DELIVERED

At the sentencing, Linda can finally confront the man who took her daughter almost 4 years ago, during her impact statement. Matt was her son-in-law. She used to see him through Kari’s loving eyes and now he can’t even look at hers. Kensi and Grace were thrust into a chaotic situation after their mom’s death, but thankfully, Linda and Jim gained full custody and now provide a loving supportive home for the two girls to grow up in. Kari’s legacy is living through her daughters, and Linda can still see Kari in them, her light shining through, and despite being gone, she will never be forgotten.

On January 21, 2010, Matt Baker is sentenced to 65 years in prison with the possibility of parole in Anderson County, Texas. He won’t be able to hurt any other women or destroy Kari’s reputation. Without her family’s persistence, Matt would have more than likely gotten away with the murder but Kari, through her loved ones, got justice after all. In the end, it was their perseverance —and the real strength of a family—that brought the truth forward.

Related Content:

After this mom was found murdered, her young son helped find the killer—based on the clues she left behind: The Case of the Tokars Family

Credits

Written, directed & edited by Matthew Rice

Researched by Manon Lafosse

Voiceover by William Akana

Produced by Alexandra Salois & Salim Sader

For more stories like this, subscribe to our YouTube here

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Sources

“Dirty Little Secret.” 20/20:ABC, 2025 (Disney Media Distribution)

“The Preacher’s Hidden Life.” 20/20 on ID: ABC, 2011. (Discovery Studio, Tom Jennings Productions & Peacock Productions / Investigation Discovery)

“Twist of Faith.” True Crime with Aphrodite Jones: Discovery Communications LLC, 2011. (Discovery Studios / Investigation Discovery).

“The Mask of God.” Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler: Magical Elves LP, Wolf Reality LLC., Top Alternative Studio LLC, 2023. (Magical Elves Productions, Green Lake Productions, Wolf Films, Universal Television Alternative/ Oxygen True Crime)

“The Preacher, His Mistress & Murder.” It Takes A Killer: Bellum Entertainment, 2016. (Bellum South LLC / Sky Vision, Oxygen).

“The Preacher’s Wife.” 48 Hours Mystery: CBS News, 2010. (CBS News Productions / CBS ).

“Dirty Little Secrets.” 48 Hours Mystery: CBS News, 2010. (CBS News Productions/ CBS).

“TX. v. Baker.” Court TV, 2010.

Skip Hollingsworth, “The Valley of the Shadow of Death.” Texas Monthly, March 2008.

Kathryn Casey, “Deadly Little Secrets: The Minister, His Mistress, and a Heartless Texas Murder,” HarperCollins, 2012.

Matt Baker v. State of Texas, 10th Court of Appeals in 19th District Court McLennan County, Texas, June 11 2008.

Susan Shafer & Crawford Long, “The Murdering Minister.” The Texas Prosecutor Journal, March-April 2010.

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Taking Down The Beauty Queen Killer | Tina, Dawn & Linda's Caseplay icon
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Taking Down The Beauty Queen Killer | Tina, Dawn & Linda's Case

Unseen .
By Unseen .Nov 26, 2025
Unseen .
Driven by the belief that there’s always more to the story, Unseen delves beyond the headlines to uncover the quiet resilience, courage, and humanity at the heart of real cases. With a focus on the untold and the overlooked, Unseen shines a light on what’s often left in the shadows, creating moments of connection and understanding.
See Full Bio

THE BEAUTY QUEEN KILLER’S SECRET LIFE

Pay attention to the man in this video, as he’s hiding the most disturbing secret.
In the 1980’s Tapes like these were used as a dating service. And yet no one knew that this man was, in reality, a serial killer.
It's 1984, in Miami at the Miss Florida beauty pageant. The woman on screen is one of the finalists in the competition. But shortly after, she mysteriously disappears.

EMERGING PATTERN OF MISSING WOMEN

When police began their investigation, they spotted a photographer who was always lurking around the girls, snapping photos of them. Not long before that event, at the Miami Grand Prix, another woman had disappeared. Detectives are baffled because the same man was seen there too. But this time not as a photographer, but as a race car driver. When the police try to find him, he's already left town. But, by that point it’s already too late to catch him. Young women all around the country are going missing. What follows is one of the biggest manhunts America has ever seen, but everything will change when one of his victims miraculously survives. This 16-year-old will be the only one who can take him down, and end the reign of the Beauty Queen Killer.

LINDA’S ABDUCTION AND BRAVE ESCAPE

It’s 1984, in Tallahassee, Florida. 19 year-old Linda, a sophomore at Florida State University, is living the college dream: she has a long-time boyfriend, a passion for her studies, and an unshakable love for the ocean waves along the Gulf Coast. Life, for Linda, feels like one long, beautiful summer. But on March 20th, just days before her five-year anniversary with her boyfriend, Linda goes out for a quick trip to Governor's Square Mall, blissfully unaware that this errand, will soon take a dark turn. This department store will end up being her last known whereabouts before she vanishes.Twelve hours later, when Linda reappears on March 21st, she’s 40 miles away from the mall, barefoot and shaken; she runs up to the front desk of a roadside motel in Bainbridge, Georgia. Seeing her, the night manager freezes. Her voice shakes: she needs help. Moments later, a sheriff’s deputy rushes into the motel. The only words Linda can get out are chilling: “a man kidnapped me and tortured me”.

The officer quickly calls for an ambulance, then heads directly to the room she pointed him to. The door creaks open to reveal a grim scene: blood on the carpet, the walls, and torn pieces of duct tape on the floor. He immediately radios for backup and calls in a forensic team. Something violent and disturbing happened here. Meanwhile, Linda is rushed to Memorial Hospital in Georgia, where, despite her severe injuries, she refuses to stay silent. Word of her remarkable survival spreads quickly through police stations across the state, eventually reaching 2 officers in Miami – almost 500 miles away. When Detective Hanlon and his colleague hear about the perpetrator’s features from the police reports, a chill runs down their spine: he was allegedly tall, well dressed, with a slight accent, and a neat beard and mustache. It's way too familiar. Both men immediately jump on a plane to meet Linda in person, in Georgia– if their hunch is right, this could change everything.

At the Georgia hospital, the officers listen intently to Linda’s account– this is still in the early days of forensic evidence, and her first hand account may be the only thing they have to spark a new lead, but Detective Hanlon is horrified by the details Linda tells them. However, her quick thinking impresses the officers. If their hunch is correct, the man who kidnapped her is exceedingly violent and dangerous, and has a long list of victims before her. Carefully, they take out a series of pictures and show them to Linda. Without hesitation, she identifies one man: she doesn't know his full name, but the detectives, somehow do: Christopher Wilder. He’s the man they’ve been tracking for several weeks, and now that he’s crossed state lines with Linda, Detective Hanlon knows it’s time to bring in the FBI.

EARLIER BEAUTY QUEEN VICTIMS

It all started back on March 5th, when 23 year-old Elizabeth Kenyon, a Miss Florida finalist, vanished without a trace. Wilder had been dating the young woman at the time of her disappearance, and was conveniently nowhere to be found when detectives wanted to question him. But, Elizabeth wasn’t the first: a week before her disappearance, 20 year-old Rosario Gonzalez, had also been reported missing from the Miami Grand Prix – a race Christopher Wilder participated in. Back at the hospital, investigators gather more information from Linda. New reports also start coming in concerning missing young women: different towns, different states – but all with the same disturbing pattern.

TINA’S ABDUCTION AND CROSS-COUNTRY CAPTIVITY

It’s now April 4th, 1984. Two weeks after Linda’s abduction – and a month since Wilder has been on police’s radar following the Miami Grand Prix. Across the country, a 16 year-old girl named Tina, is walking through a mall in Torrance, California, determined to find a summer job. Later that same day, a man comes up to her and starts a conversation. Passersby notice that they don’t seem to know each other, but the interaction seems formal and friendly. They’re then spotted walking in the parking lot, and seconds later, she’s in his car, and the pair disappears. Unbeknownst to her, Christopher Wilder has just found his next victim.

April 5th, the next day. Carol, Tina’s mom, contacts the police and reports her daughter missing. She tells them that Tina hasn't come home from school, and hasn’t been in touch all night. The worried mom also lets them know that Tina has been having boyfriend troubles later, and police in California don't immediately take her disappearance seriously, assuming this might be a petty teenage fight. But Tina’s situation is, in fact, extremely serious. Two hundred miles from her mom, in a motel room heavy with what’s just taken place, the teenager stares at the ceiling, unable to move. The man from the mall sleeps beside her, his threats echoing in her head: “I’ve killed before, and I won’t hesitate to kill you if you don’t obey me.”

When the sun finally comes up, Wilder then leads her back into his car, blindfolding her. Even without seeing anything, she knows his gun and knife are within arm’s reach. After terrifying hours of silence, and uncertainty on the road, Tina feels the car slow down and park. He’s chosen a new motel to spend the night in.

The day Tina disappeared, she had very long hair, but that night, at the motel, Wilder stands beside her with a pair of scissors. Without any warning, he cuts a first lock of hair off to her chin. Tina realizes something. With dread, but also, an uncomfortable relief, she realizes that he’s changing her appearance, because he doesn’t want her to be recognized. Most likely, this man wants to keep her alive. A strange routine starts for Tina. The pair drive all day long, until there’s no more sunlight, only stopping occasionally for gas and food. At small drive-in restaurants, Tina looks for any opportunity — a bathroom window, a scrap of paper to leave a note… but Wilder is always watching. Her hope for escape slowly disappears to nothing. She’s now been missing for 6 terrifying days.

On day seven, April 10th, the pair arrive in Gary, Indiana: thousands of miles away from Tina’s home in California. Wilder turns to her, and forces her to do the unthinkable: if she doesn’t help him find a new victim, she won’t live to see another day. Tina fearfully walks through the local mall, keeping Wilder in the corner of her eye. She can’t help but think about what she could possibly do to help the next girl. Tina notices Wilder is fixated on one person, seemingly around the same age as herself. He then looks at Tina, nodding to her as an order: Tina complies, and goes up to introduce herself. The girl reciprocates: her name is Dawn. Tina pretends to talk about a local beauty competition with Wilder as a photographer. Dawn seems excited, and follows them outside. Suddenly, Wilder violently pushes Dawn into his car and they quickly speed away. As they drive, Wilder completely drops his charismatic sweet talker persona, and immediately threatens Dawn, warning her, just like Tina, that he’s killed before, and if she doesn’t behave he’ll kill her, too.

As night falls, Wilder stops the car at a motel in Ohio. When the group enters the room, he immediately breaks the bathroom lock to prevent the girls from escaping. He then tells Tina to go take a bath, leaving Dawn, alone in the bedroom with him. From under the bathroom door, Tina can see lights flickering erratically: she immediately knows what the man is doing to Dawn – the same torment he’s inflicted on her, over the last seven days.The next morning, the three get back in the car and drive eastward. At some point, Wilder gets out, and Tina finds herself alone with Dawn. Tina lowers her head. If only she could help Dawn.

MEDIA PRESSURE AND A NATIONWIDE MANHUNT

It’s now April 12th, the group is at a motel in Victor, New York. Tina is shocked to see her own mom on TV: The teenager watches as her mother threatens the man who’s sitting next to her. These words have a powerful effect: Tina not only knows people are looking for her, but her mom’s strength and courage change everything. She isn’t alone after all. However, her mom’s TV appearance has a completely opposite effect on Wilder. He frantically gathers his stuff, hurrying Tina and Dawn. He knows the cops and families of his victims are closing in on him, and he won’t go down without a fight.

Back at the station, law enforcement are scrambling to piece together the mounting evidence before time runs out. Tracking Christopher Wilder has felt like ghost-hunting: he’s never in one place long enough to pin him down, crossing state lines faster than they can follow, leading to administrative slow-downs and miscommunications. At this point, it has been well over a month of failed efforts, but now, the FBI makes a bold move: they decide to broadcast a video of Wilder, himself. Now the public can learn his voice, his mannerisms, and understand the danger lurking behind the charm.

Wilder’s tape shocks the public: it’s a chilling portrait of a man hiding in plain sight. Turns out, the photographer also is a suspect in multiple violent crimes committed all the way in Australia. His glamorous race car driver experience and job as a fashion photographer have been the perfect cover to lure teens into his clutches. Now with Tina’s mom and the public on their side, the cops close in on Wilder.

DAWN’S ATTACK AND SURVIVAL

Meanwhile, Wilder speeds down the road with Tina, and Dawn trapped in the back seat. After less than an hour, he stops the car near “The Finger Lakes”, a secluded area in upstate New York. Wilder turns to Dawn and orders her out of the car. Wilder forces Dawn deep into the woods when suddenly, the man jumps on her, putting his hands around her throat. Dawn’s vision begins to blur, but she fights with everything she has. The two fall to the ground. Dawn can’t give up but then, she sees Wilder's hand. A flash of metal. He has a knife. On the ground, and bleeding out, Dawn can only watch as he quietly gets up, and walks away. [pause] Barely holding on to life, Dawn knows he could come back at any moment to finish the job. She needs to move if she wants to live. Once he’s out of sight, she pulls herself upright, and attempts to run for her life.

Later that day the hospital, the staff treat her injuries. Somehow, Wilder miraculously missed her heart. Police gather as much information from Dawn as they can about her kidnapper. Despite her severe injuries and blood loss, she tells them her captor’s name, where she had been taken from, and the other kidnapped girl’s name. The police are getting closer.

TINA UNDER SUSPICION AS WILDER ESCALATES

When Wilder returns without Dawn, Tina can only assume Dawn has been killed. However, hours later, the pair hear on the car’s radio that a teenager had been found alive, in that same forest – now fighting for her life in the hospital. She fearfully turns her head towards him. What will he do with her?

Tina has no idea that public opinion has turned completely against her. In the first days of her kidnapping, she was seen for what she was: a victim. But now, after Dawn’s survival and retelling, the media has twisted the narrative, and labeled her an accomplice. However, that testimony had also been a game changer for the FBI as they now know which direction Wilder is heading, and what car he’s driving. Finally, they’re one step ahead of him. Wilder [pause] is panicking, speeding into the parking lot of the Eastview Mall, still in New York. Usually, this is his favorite hunting ground, but now he's in a rush. From a distance, he spots 33 year old mother Beth Dodge, in her car: a golden Pontiac Firebird. At gunpoint, Wilder forces Beth into his car, while forcing Tina to follow them in the Firebird. After a short ride, they stop in a secluded area.

At this point, Tina has been captive for 9 days. Sadly, it hasn’t been the first time she’s dealt with violent men. Her childhood was difficult, as her mom struggled with addiction, before the young girl went to live with her grandmother. Tina learned about survival a long time ago. However, she could never have predicted Wilder’s next move: after enduring his violence, torture, and kidnappings, he now announces to her that he’ll drop her off at the Boston airport. Tina can’t believe it. After witnessing so many things, why would he simply let her go?

In spite of road blocks on every major highway, Wilder tactfully avoids them and the pair arrive at the airport where he buys a one way ticket to LA. Shockingly, no one recognizes them. Tina keeps her head down. Wilder is clearly panicked, and reckless. The killer might change his mind – Tina could be one wrong move away from staying his captive forever, or his next murder victim. Fear is in the air. But then, just like that, he turns away, and simply walks, leaving her to get on the flight alone.

It’s now April 13th. Soon after landing in LA, Tina, in shock, rushes to the police station – finally free. It’s now up to her to expose Wilder, to force him to face justice for what he’s done. Wilder’s spree of violence needs to stop. He can’t hurt any more victims.

WILDER’S FINAL FINAL MOMENTS

With the Firebird on everyone’s radar, and Tina cooperating in custody, cops are on high alert all over the country. That’s when, in the quiet town of Colebrook, New Hampshire, a report comes through about a flashy car, spotted by two state troopers. The car is confirmed to be the golden Pontiac Firebird – Beth Dodge’s car. The two patrol officers approach with extreme caution. If they’re right, the driver is a serial killer, armed and dangerous. As the officers close in, they see the man inside reach for something. Gunfire erupts. One trooper is hit. Then, amidst the chaos, Wilder makes his final move: choosing to escape justice [pause] on his own terms. When the smoke clears, he’s found dead behind the wheel.

Forty-seven days has passed since the first reported disappearance. But now, his time on the run has finally ended. Throughout his spree, twelve young women were abducted and eight were murdered. Countless families were shattered.

SURVIVORS’ STRUGGLES AND JUSTICE FOR TINA

While Linda and Dawn are celebrated, Tina’s story is met with doubt. The public doesn’t rally behind her, like the others. Instead, they question her, choosing suspicion over compassion, despite surviving the same serial killer. That’s when the Torrance Police Captain, Jim Popp steps up and gathers the press to set the record straight.

LONG-TERM HEALING AND THE END OF HIS REIGN

With Jim Popp rightfully clearing her name, Tina can move forward, even if it will take time to heal from the public’s initial judgement. She still has 2 regrets: getting into Wilder’s car that day – and helping lure Dawn. Yet she has still found the strength to go on. Today, she has found love, and with it, the freedom to be herself.

Meanwhile Linda, knows how lucky she was. She was the first to break free from Wilder’s terrifying grip — and because of her courage, the police finally grasped how dangerous he truly was. Her twelve-hour ordeal changed her life forever, but it did not define her. She still carries with her the memory of those whose lives were stolen by the man she escaped.

Now a mother, Dawn knows that time truly does help you heal. Her strength and determination saw her through a horrific ordeal — and continue to shape the woman she’s become.

All of the women’s survival started the chain reaction that finally brought an end to the Beauty Queen Killer’s reign of terror. In the end, it wasn’t luck that stopped him, it was the women who refused to let him win. They refused to be broken, and through that, justice prevailed.

Texas Cop Wrongfully Convicts 3YO's Dad For Murder | The Case of The Morton Familyplay icon
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Texas Cop Wrongfully Convicts 3YO's Dad For Murder | The Case of The Morton Family

Unseen .
By Unseen .Nov 26, 2025
Unseen .
Driven by the belief that there’s always more to the story, Unseen delves beyond the headlines to uncover the quiet resilience, courage, and humanity at the heart of real cases. With a focus on the untold and the overlooked, Unseen shines a light on what’s often left in the shadows, creating moments of connection and understanding.
See Full Bio

THE TODDLER IN THE ROAD
After a disturbing birthday party, this 3 year old boy is found walking alone in the street, with a soiled diaper. (same sentence twice without the first segment, for SC and Youtube difference)
This 3 year old boy is found walking alone in the street, with a soiled diaper. His parents are known to be good people, and would never let him out of their sight. Cops quickly discovered that his mom was brutally murdered. They think the husband did it, after he left a note with a motive. He’s sentenced to life in prison. The problem is, the husband is innocent. And worse yet, the cops know about it, and have been hiding it for 25 years. But no one could have imagined that the truth would finally come from the only person who saw the real killer. The 3 year old boy, who lost both his parents. He will come back, to take down his mother’s killer, and to save his own father.

THE HORROR INSIDE THE MASTER BEDROOM
North Austin, Texas. August 13th 1986. Early that morning, a man finds a 3 year old boy wandering alone, outside the Morton residence, at 9114 Hazelhurst Drive. When the man walks the boy back inside, he calls out for his mother Christine, but gets no answer. After searching through the house, the neighbor heads to the master bedroom and stumbles upon a horrific scene.
When Sheriff Jim Boutwell from Williamson County is called to the location, he finds Christine’s body hidden under a blanket, covered with a blue suitcase and a wicker basket. Upon removing the items, he sees Christine is no longer recognisable. She has been killed, with a large blunt object. After searching the rest of the house, he can see no sign of forced entry, no sign that anything has been stolen. It’s determined that Christine was not sexually assaulted, which has investigators puzzled. Until they find a note left on the dresser. It’s written by Christine’s husband Michael.
Later that day, Michael leaves work to go pick up his son at the daycare, but finds little Eric was never brought in. He calls home, to ask his wife what happened. To his surprise, it’s Sheriff Boutwell who answers the phone. He says nothing to Michael about what happened, and asks him to come home at once.

THE ARREST OF MICHAEL MORTON
September 25th, not long after Christine’s funeral, Michael is at home with his son, when the doorbell rings. He takes Eric in his arms and goes to answer. When he opens the door, it’s Sheriff Jim Boutwell, with several deputies. They’re here to arrest Michael.
One of the deputies grabs 3 year old Eric, and pulls him out of his father’s arms, while Sheriff Boutwell handcuffs Michael. All the while, Eric is screaming for his father, with his arms outstretched as he’s being taken away.

THE TRIAL BUILT ON A LIE
February 9th 1987, less than six months after the murder, Michael Morton’s trial begins. The prosecutor is district attorney Ken Anderson, who is known for being aggressive, sarcastic, and smart. For him, Christine’s murder trial is his biggest case yet. If he wins, it will propel his career. And he’s ready to do anything to put Michael in prison, even breaking the rules.
He begins his attack on Michael by focusing on the note found at the scene. It spoke of an argument the couple had the night before… about sex.
The story Anderson sells to the jury, is that Michael wasn’t happy with Christine, and he wanted out of the marriage. And when she refused to have sex with him on his birthday, he killed Christine in a fit of rage.

THE DAMNING TESTIMONY
When Michael takes the stand, the jury hears his side of the story, how Christine was alive when he left for work, where he clocked in at around 6am. According to his testimony, Christine must have been killed after he’d left.
He tells the court he wasn’t angry when he left the note, that it was meant as a playful banter with his wife. But the jury no longer believes him, after prosecutor Anderson brings his last witness to the stand.
Doctor Roberto Bayardo testifies under oath, that after examining Christine’s stomach contents, he estimates the time of death to be at around 1am. 4 hours before Michael says he saw Christine alive, when he left for work. The defense is devastated. With scientific proof against him, Michael’s alibi falls apart. And the jury is now sure to see him as guilty.
But what no one knows, is that in reality, Doctor Bayardo was unable to determine the time of death accurately, but Ken Anderson still used him as an expert witness, to give his damning testimony.

A FAMILY SAVED BY THE TRUTH
February 17th, the trial comes to an end. During the closing arguments, prosecutor Ken Anderson puts the final nail in the coffin. He fabricates a claim that Michael sexually assaulted Christine after the fact, while having no proof her real killer did anything of the sort. But it no longer matters, no one will contradict him now. As he describes the scene to the jury, Anderson has tears coming from his eyes. The performance is effective. It doesn’t take long for the jury to deliberate.
After the sentencing, Anderson tells the media a life sentence is too good for Michael Morton, and that he should’ve been given the death penalty.
As he’s escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs, Michael continues to claim his innocence. But no one believes him.
Ken Anderson has just put an innocent man in jail, for life. All the while, the real killer is still out there. Free to kill again.

LAPD Detective Gets Exposed For Murder | The Case Of Sherri Ramussenplay icon
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LAPD Detective Gets Exposed For Murder | The Case Of Sherri Ramussen

Unseen .
By Unseen .Nov 26, 2025
Unseen .
Driven by the belief that there’s always more to the story, Unseen delves beyond the headlines to uncover the quiet resilience, courage, and humanity at the heart of real cases. With a focus on the untold and the overlooked, Unseen shines a light on what’s often left in the shadows, creating moments of connection and understanding.
See Full Bio


THE LAPD DETECTIVE UNDER SUSPICION

This is LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus. She is being interviewed concerning a murder that occurred over 23 years ago.

This is 29-year-old Sherri Rasmussen celebrating Christmas with her family. She is married to John Ruetten, a devoted husband who adores her. But on the night of February 24th, 1986, things would take a turn for the worse.

After John claims he found his wife, Sherri, dead on the floor, investigators turn to a polygraph to see if he’s telling the truth.

After the interrogation, the results show John failed the polygraph, and investigators are convinced he did it. But with no concrete evidence, he’s set free.

For over 20 years, it remains a cold case — no arrests, no answers. Nobody knows what really happened to Sherri.

But after all this time, Sherri’s father becomes obsessed with discovering what happened to his daughter. As the last person to have spoken with her, he knows that their final conversation may hold the key to solving the case. According to Sherri's father, John's ex-girlfriend Stephanie, an LAPD detective, matches the description Sherri had given. Investigators are stunned because Stephanie is one of their own, but they decide to question her anyway.

DISCOVERY OF THE CRIME SCENE AND EARLY DOUBTS

Los Angeles. February 24, 1986. 6:00 p.m. — John Ruetten returns home from work. As he approaches the townhouse, the garage door is open, and his wife’s car is missing. Odd, but Sherri runs the nursing wing at Glendale Adventist, and emergencies are common. John climbs the steps. The front door is ajar. He pushes it open. Inside, on the living room floor, lies Sherri, in a pool of blood. He picks up the phone and calls 911.

The scene suggests a break-in, with stereo equipment scattered all across the floor. Without doing a complete examination, the officer notices that someone has tied up Sherri, bitten her deep on the left forearm, brutally struck her on the head with various objects, and shot her three times in the abdomen. She has also left deep claw marks on the front door in some sort of desperate struggle. As he outlines all of the gruesome details to his colleagues, the officer can’t help but hear quiet sobbing coming from the adjacent dining room.

When asked about his security system, John admits he forgot to set the alarm that morning and isn’t sure if he locked the door. He explains that Sherri was still in bed and that the neighborhood felt safe. As suspicious elements begin to add up, the police can’t help but question: why would the burglar pick a townhouse right in the middle of the street instead of a corner unit?

SHERRI’S BRILLIANT LIFE AND PROMISING FUTURE

Sherri Rasmussen. A young woman with a bright future ahead of her. Gifted in school, she entered college at sixteen, skipping two grades. Her father had hoped she would pursue a career in medicine, but Sherri became a nurse instead, convinced it would allow her to balance her career with the family life she longed for. By the age of twenty-three, she had already obtained her master’s degree and was teaching at UCLA.

Everywhere, people complimented Sherri for her intelligence, calming presence, and natural leadership. By her late twenties, she had already become the director of nursing at Glendale Adventist, and in the spring of 1984, she met her future husband, John Ruetten.

THE RASMUSSENS’ GROWING SUSPICIONS

However, Sherri’s dad, Nels, pushes aside these feelings when he receives the phone call announcing Sherri’s passing, as it wasn’t from John himself but from his father.

When the Rasmussens arrive at the police station, they finally reunite with John. But to their surprise, he still refuses to talk, insisting that the police won’t allow him. For them, the exchange is unsettling, and John’s secretive attitude is difficult to read. The Rasmussens wonder if this is the reaction of a man in shock, or if he’s holding back to protect himself—or someone else.

STALKING, HARASSMENT, AND IGNORED RED FLAGS

As John is escorted into an interrogation room by a detective, Nels ponders their exchange — or lack thereof. The 51-year-old is sure his son-in-law is lying, because Sherri’s family, friends, and colleagues all know that in the year leading up to her murder, something disturbing was happening: a strange figure in disguise was constantly stalking her.

On top of that, John’s ex-girlfriend also began harassing Sherri after their wedding. A colleague of hers witnessed one of the encounters.

As detectives question John, another officer speaks with the Rasmussens. Nels struggles to process what he’s hearing. According to the authorities, thieves killed his daughter in a failed robbery where they stole nothing but her purse and car.

Nels immediately starts talking about the stalking and harassment his daughter suffered during the months leading up to her murder. Still, the officer in front of him retorts that, without a name, there’s nothing they can do.

Nonetheless, Nels follows up with one alarming incident where John’s ex-girlfriend broke into Sherri’s townhouse and started fighting with his daughter in her own living room before running away.

YEARS OF STONEWALLING AND A COLD CASE

This is the last time John ever speaks publicly about Sherri. In the audience, Nels Rasmussen sits filled with grief and anger. A month has passed, and the police haven’t moved an inch. Nels doesn’t know what John has told them, but they never consider his son-in-law a suspect. On the contrary, the police stick to their burglary theory, even stating that the Rasmussens had been watching too much TV when Nels and his family tried to convince them to investigate Sherri’s stalker and John’s ex-girlfriend.

The next month, less than a mile from Sherri’s townhouse, an actual burglary takes place. A woman coming home is surprised by two men inside. One runs for the door, while the other points a revolver at her.

Same neighborhood, same time, same weapon. However, this time, no one is hurt. Either the police are actually onto something, or fate is playing a cruel trick on the Rasmussens. Convinced the burglary and Sherri’s murder are linked, detectives plaster the city with the suspects' faces. Weeks go by with no leads, then months. The police eventually find the two items the thieves stole from Sherri’s property — her car and purse — both cleaned free of prints. And then, silence. For almost 15 years, the Rasmussens remain entirely in the dark.

By 1991, Nels Rasmussen is back home in Arizona, still carrying the weight of Sherri’s unsolved murder. Determined to get justice for his daughter, he follows every development in forensic science, watching closely as DNA testing begins to revolutionize the field. Around the same time, the case’s lead detective retires, handing over his stalled investigation to someone else. For Nels, it feels like an opening. He wastes no time and contacts the new man in charge, with a plan he believes could break the case.

Before Nels can convince anyone at the LAPD to give his idea a shot, something very strange happens: various pieces of evidence related to the case mysteriously disappear. Not only that, but someone trims the murder book — containing the entire investigation — of half its content on the premise that it has grown too large for the cold case office storage room. The mishandling of the case is becoming increasingly difficult for the Rasmussens to bear, who continue to try to get in touch with the police or speak with someone, anyone, who’ll take them seriously.

For the next 10 years, every time the case changes hands, the family flies from Tucson to Los Angeles to meet the new detectives. And each time, Nels and his two remaining daughters return home heartbroken by their lack of progress.

DNA BREAKTHROUGH AND EVIDENCE OF A COVER-UP

It’s now November 2001. The LAPD can no longer ignore advances in forensic science and establishes a Cold Case Unit dedicated to DNA profiling. Sherri’s file, now fifteen years old, lands on the desk of an overextended detective with no time to treat it properly. Instead of letting it gather dust, the case is handed off to a criminalist, Jennifer Francis. She begins combing through the boxes of evidence herself and eventually stumbles across a detailed entry about a bite mark Sherri received during the struggle with her killer.

Strangely, the file claims investigators sampled only one blood type, but bite marks should always yield two profiles, one from the victim and one from the perpetrator. The entry seems to suggest Sherri might have bitten herself — a theory Francis finds baffling. She knows the original detective failed to recover prints and other key evidence from the scene, but surely someone from his forensic team had swabbed the wound. With her boss’s help, she digs through boxes upon boxes of paperwork until she uncovers an old property log from 1986, listing the crucial swab she has been searching for.

But Francis refuses to give up. She calls every coroner in the city until she finally gets a lead. After spending six hours combing through the morgue’s freezers, an LA County coroner informs her he has found a torn envelope with its fading label damaged. Against all odds, the glass tube containing the swab is still inside, and in one piece. She immediately runs a battery of tests, and the result points towards an unknown female, directly contradicting the theory of a male duo. Further down the file, Francis also learns about Nels Rasmussen and his numerous attempts to inform the police about Sherri’s stalker and John’s ex-girlfriend. Francis’s own theory begins to take shape: what if the two were one and the same, and she was the one who bit and killed Sherri? But when Francis brings this to the detective, he dismisses it outright. He insists that everything else still points to a burglary — and adds one detail Francis has yet to learn: John’s ex-girlfriend is not just any woman. She is an LAPD detective.

RETALIATION AGAINST FRANCIS AND A SECRET ALLIANCE

Unbeknownst to Nels, his only ally at this time is within the LAPD. Jennifer Francis relentlessly pushes the case — first to the Cold Case Unit, then to the Scientific Division, later to Robbery-Homicide, and even to Internal Affairs. Yet everywhere she goes, supervisors turn their attention not to the evidence, but to her. They question her mental state, claiming she is too emotional, paranoid, and obsessed with Sherri’s case. By May 2010, Francis is ordered into mandatory counseling with an LAPD-sanctioned therapist — a move that, inside the department, brands her as unstable and potentially unfit for duty. Even worse, the sessions aren’t at all concerned with her well-being, but rather with what she knows about the case and who she has talked to. For Francis, this is no longer a matter of paranoia or conspiracy. This feels like retaliation.

A Deputy DA calls her crazy, colleagues treat her as a liability, and systematically push her off major cases. Around the lab, people belittle her, telling her to get a hobby or joking that she watches too much TV. What she doesn’t realize is that she is retracing the same path as Nels Rasmussen, who, decades earlier, had also been ridiculed by the authorities, despite being the only one able to see through the conspiracy at the time.

Then, in November 2009, everything changes. Francis receives a call from Robbery-Homicide. A detective named James Nuttall is asking about her findings. She has been waiting more than five years for this moment — the Rasmussens, twenty-three. But fear holds her back. She feels like she can’t trust anyone anymore. She tells the detective that she doesn’t believe it was a burglary and that the evidence may have been tampered with, but doesn’t share her theory with him.

Yet Nuttall has her results right in front of him and quickly puts two and two together. He knows the case has been closed four times, that the only DNA not matching Sherri's belongs to another female, and has already read the dozens of letters Nels sent over the years, urging police to investigate John’s ex-girlfriend. From this point on, the detective decides to form a secret circle within the homicide department. With Jennifer, who comes to trust him over the first few months of the investigation, himself, and three other detectives, Nuttall sets out to prove once and for all that someone from within their ranks violently attacked and killed the innocent Sherri Rasmussen inside her own home back in 1986.

REOPENING THE CASE AND JOHN’S CRUCIAL REVELATIONS

Nuttall and Francis don’t waste a minute. Digging deep within the case files, they find John's original 1986 interview with the first detective in charge of the case, who, to say the least, was quick to jump to conclusions and not very insistent toward the man who should have been his first suspect.

To Nuttall, something's off with the interview. Why did the detective jump to conclusions so fast? Why did John Ruetten lie? According to Nels and Sherri’s colleague, his ex-girlfriend was quite problematic, and Sherri wasn’t afraid to bring it up in conversation. But what really throws Nuttall off is that there’s nothing else to listen to. In 23 years of investigations, three other detectives reopened the case, but none of them ever considered conducting a second interview with John to ask about Nels's claims. Nuttall doesn’t know what might have caused the investigation to go astray, but he knows he won’t be the fourth to pass on the idea. He contacts John, who has relocated to the Bay Area, remarried, and had children since then, and sets up an interview. From the get-go, he adopts a very different tone, wasting no time bringing up his ex, the story at the hospital, the home invasion, the stalking; he doesn’t miss a beat and even recalls information that had never been recorded in their files until recently.

THE TRAP AND ARREST OF STEPHANIE LAZARUS

Not only does John give their suspect a name, he also explains that while he and Sherri were engaged, he had been cheating on her with Lazarus, even though he knew she was obsessed with him. In college, when the two were dating, she used to steal his underwear and sneak into his dorm to take pictures of him as he slept.

By that point, Lazarus is no longer a police officer but a full-fledged detective. She’s armed, and her office is just down the hall from Nuttall. To make sure nobody intervenes with their investigation as they had with Francis, the detective decides to send men to follow her around and recover anything she throws into the trash. From this endeavor, they recover a used soda cup and send it to Francis, who then confirms that Lazarus' DNA matches the one found on the bite mark. Nuttall then prompts his team to lure her into the LAPD suspect treatment unit, the only place in the building where no guns are allowed, and to falsely claim that they need her help for an interrogation with a difficult suspect. But little does she know, she is the suspect.

BITTERSWEET JUSTICE AND SHERRI’S LEGACY

For the first time since Sherri’s murder, everyone is on the same side, facing the same culprit. Jennifer Francis presents her DNA test results and recounts the retaliation she endured within the LAPD. Nels Rasmussen steps forward with the warnings he tried to give from the start, and how he was ignored for decades. And John Ruetten, whose testimony had been tempered with and whose contact with Sherri’s family was restricted by police, finally speaks openly. Together, along with dozens of other witnesses, they testify.

Nuttall's investigation takes four months. The trial lasts three weeks. The jury comes to a conclusion in less than a day. After 26 years of struggle, Sherri and her family finally receive justice.

In 2023, Lazarus admits — 37 years too late — that she killed Sherri. In exchange for her confession, she’s offered a shot at parole. By then, Nels has already passed away, but before his death, he recorded a statement to be used at hearings. The board saw it in 2023, and it will be shown again whenever Lazarus attempts to get released in the future.

Today, Sherri’s legacy continues — not only through her family’s long-lasting fight for justice, but also in the lives of the Rasmussens’ next generation.

13 Year Old Thinks He Got Away With Sister’s Murder | The Case of Ella Bennettplay icon
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13 Year Old Thinks He Got Away With Sister’s Murder | The Case of Ella Bennett

“I bet you didn’t think it was gonna turn out like this”

Unseen .
By Unseen .Nov 13, 2025
Unseen .
Driven by the belief that there’s always more to the story, Unseen delves beyond the headlines to uncover the quiet resilience, courage, and humanity at the heart of real cases. With a focus on the untold and the overlooked, Unseen shines a light on what’s often left in the shadows, creating moments of connection and understanding.
See Full Bio

911 CALL DISTURBS TEXAS TOWN

This is 13-year old- Paris Bennett… he is refusing to perform CPR on his 4-year-old sister, Ella. The 911 operator pleads with him to try and save his sister’s life, but the real reason the older brother is not cooperating is because he is hiding the most disturbing secret.
5 hours before the 13-Year old called 911, Ella was living a peaceful happy life, with her older brother, and their single mother, Charity Bennett.
The two siblings were each other’s best friends, the big brother was always looking out for his little sister, often watching her while she slept, and protecting her with all of his love.
The little girl looked up to her big brother, and trusted him with all her heart. But on the night of February 4th, 2007, everything changed. That evening, the children’s babysitter left early while their mother was still at work, leaving the 4-year-old and the 13 year-old home alone. And, at 11:42 pm, 911 received the most disturbing call from the big brother.
As police and medical personnel rushed to the scene, the 911 Operator was able to convince the older brother to perform CPR on his sister.
But the problem is, Paris is lying to the operator, he is only pretending to give his little sister CPR.

A PERFECT FAMILY—OR SO IT SEEMED

The year is 1999. In the quiet town of Abilene, Texas, Charity Lee Bennett is raising her son, six-year-old Paris Bennett.From an early age, Paris shows signs of being gifted and highly intelligent–with an IQ of 141. He excels in school and is adored by his teachers and classmates. To Charity, he is the perfect child, and they are the perfect family.But life hasn’t always been easy. Before Paris was even born in 1993, his father suffered a severe psychological breakdown, leaving a young, pregnant Charity to raise a child on her own.Left without a partner by her side, and with little support from her own mother, Kyla, Charity stood alone. But instead of breaking, she found courage. She poured everything she had into raising her baby boy, determined to give him the love and stability she never had.In spite of their challenges, things were looking up. Charity and Paris developed a strong, beautiful bond, as a family of two.4 years go by, and now, an unexpected new chapter is about to begin: the family is about to grow, and this time, with a new baby sister for Paris. April 12th, 2002. Ella Bennett is born.

As her kids grow older, Charity can’t help but notice the stark differences between her two children. Ella is lively, spunky, social – the kind of child who can light up an entire room.Paris, on the other hand, is more quiet and introverted. He often keeps to himself, and enjoys his alone time, with reading and drawing as his hobbies. But beneath his calm and independent nature, Paris beautifully embraces his role as an older brother; he loves his little sister with his whole heart, and the 2 become inseparable. However, Charity, now being a single mom of two kids, has even more on her plate. She works 2 jobs waiting tables just to make ends meet. The pressure is high, but her one goal is to do everything she can to give Paris and Ella the best life they deserve. Even with her busy work schedule, she dedicates all of her free time to her kids… life is good for the small family.

THE NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED

But things take a disturbing turn on February 4th, 2007.
It’s Super Bowl Sunday, an exciting, and extremely busy night for sports fans. Charity, who works at a local sports bar, is scheduled to work a double shift to keep up with the large number of customers, so she hires a babysitter to look after the now 13-year-old Paris, and 4-year-old Ella.
The bar is completely packed, and Charity works hard throughout the evening – with just a few hours left until she can clock out and go back home to her kids. But, suddenly, cops walk into the bar, and start asking the staff about Charity.
Charity is in a state of shock. They quickly leave the bar, and police escort her home. Her mind is racing. She attempts to stay calm, still not knowing what happened to her children – and specifically Ella. Charity tries her best to not imagine the worst, but the cops’ serious looks, combined with their unsettling quietness, send a chill down her spine. As they finally arrive, Charity sees her house is blocked off with caution tape, and surrounded by dozens of people.
At that moment, Charity knows something terrible has happened. Unable to be left in the dark for any longer, she pleads with the cops, begging them to just tell her what they seem so afraid to reveal. And that’s when her entire world flips upside down. Ella is dead.
Charity is at a complete loss, as she watches Ella’s body being carried out of their family home. The sight is too much to bear.
After seeing Ella’s lifeless body, she finally musters up the courage to turn to the detectives, and ask: “Where is my son? What happened to Paris?” They tell her Paris is already at the police station, waiting for her. She lets out a sigh of relief hearing that Paris is alive and well, but as she gets into the police car to go and reunite with her son, something feels off. There’s a coldness in the air. Anxiously waiting to arrive, Charity’s mind is racing with questions.
And what’s even more disturbing is that deep down, something about this moment feels oddly familiar to Charity. An unnerving feeling history is repeating itself. And that’s because 30 years ago, when Charity was only a child, her family was torn apart by murder.

A COMPLICATED FAMILY LEGACY

Cobb County, Georgia, 1980. Charity was just 6 years old, when her father and mother, James and Kyla, ran a booming trucking empire. They dealt with national shipping and cargo, an industry bringing in billions per year.
But behind their seemingly perfect life and success, their marriage was deteriorating. After years of chaos, their volatile relationship ended in divorce, leaving their only child, Charity, caught in the middle of their battles.
However, Charity’s parents surprisingly reconnected on March 9th 1980 and decided to fly to Las Vegas, remarrying in a whirlwind ceremony. For a second, Charity hoped their life would find stability once again, but on March 11, 1980, less than 3 days after they exchanged their vows, her father, James was found dead in their family home. When authorities arrived on the scene, they noted 3 gunshot wounds to his head, heart, and back.
James’ murder was clearly a targeted attack and suspicions immediately fell on the newly wed: Charity’s own mother, Kyla. Speculation grew when Kyla's name was put back in James’ will after their sudden remarriage – because this meant that if anything happened to him, Kyla would inherit control of the entire company, along with his fortune.
Investigators also considered whether his murder was maybe a professional hit tied to organized crime, and from there, the whispers grew louder—rumours swirled that Kyla had allegedly paid $50,000 to have him executed.
Detectives were quick to question her about the murder contract, and Kyla admitted she had asked about it… but claimed it was only “out of curiosity.”
Without any other leads, Kyla quickly became their main suspect–and prosecution spent the next four months building a case against her, before finally taking her to trial.
For 11 days, jurors listened to all the allegations and the evidence – or lack thereof – and the verdict came back as… not guilty. Kyla walked out of court a free woman. In the eyes of many… she had beaten the odds. The killer was never officially found, and the weapon, never recovered.
Kyla returned to her life of luxury—now in complete control of their business empire, she began raising Charity on her own.
After her mother’s acquittal, Charity grew up haunted by the loss of her father. Everyone around her believed that her own mother was her father’s killer, and as much as everyone tried to shield Charity from that possibility, it followed her. Her classmates would taunt her over and over again.
Meanwhile, at home, Charity felt neglected by her mother. With her father’s absence, her mother, Kyla, fell into a lavish and reckless lifestyle – drinking and doing drugs, all while running the family business – leaving no time for little Charity.
Kyla continues insisting that she did not murder her husband, Charity’s father, and that she had been framed–but it didn’t matter what the truth was, because the relationship between mother and daughter remained strained.
As the years went by, Charity focused on her education, eventually graduating from high school with honors, but in spite of her achievements, the love she craved from her mother was still missing.
Beneath her calm exterior, she was hiding a secret. The pressure, the loss of her father, and years of loneliness finally caught up to her– and she desperately looked for a way to silence the noise around her.
For the next 4 years, Charity would struggle with an addiction to drugs– but, at age 18, she decided to start fighting back, and got clean.
With a new lease on life, Charity got back on her feet and obtained a university degree in family development psychology. Her quest for purpose grew even stronger when she found out she was pregnant with a baby boy. Then and there, a new chapter had begun. Paris was born–and later, her baby girl, Ella.
Even though motherhood gave Charity a second chance, she was never able to fully move on and heal from the trauma she went through as a young girl. The relationship between Charity and her own mom, Kyla, remained complicated, and the pain caused by her fathers death echoed throughout the years.
Now, the same pain is back and stronger than ever, decades later, on the night of February 4th 2007, as she kisses Ella’s forehead for the last time, before the little girl gets taken away in a body bag.

THE SON WHO RETURNED AS A STRANGER

Hours after Ella’s body is taken away for examination, Charity sits in the back of the cop car, and waits anxiously as they pull up to the police station. The tension is palpable-and she doesn’t know what to expect. Once they arrive– she is led into an interrogation room. And now, the first time since Ella’s death, she sees her son, Paris, standing at the far end of the room.
Paris’ coldness towards his own mother and his sister’s death, feels deeply unnerving to Charity. Something is not right at all. As detectives take over and begin investigating the tragic murder, they have no idea how disturbing the crime – and Paris – really are.
That night, at around 10:30pm, about 2 hours before the 911 call, the children were at home, when Paris suddenly pulled the babysitter aside, and convinced her to go home early – claiming that their mom was coming home sooner than what was planned, and that at 13 years old, he was responsible enough to take care of Ella until she arrived.
Both of these things (pause) were untrue.
A few minutes later, the 2 children were left alone in the house. Things quickly escalated.
Seemingly frantic and in between tears, Paris appeared helpless to the operator. On the other end of the line, she urged the teen boy to perform CPR, a suggestion he initially resisted, insisting it was too late. The operator is forced to plead with him, as she believed time was running out for the little girl. But unbeknownst to her, it was already too late.
The operator continued to guide him through the procedure while waiting for the officers to arrive, but once they did, they found Ella lying face down: meaning, there were no signs that anyone performed CPR on her. The entire time Paris had been on the phone… he had only been pretending. He never actually tried to save his sister’s life.
Growing up, Paris always seemed like a gifted, quiet boy, and good mannered child–caring for and looking out for his sister.
But now, Charity looks back in horror, and wonders if there was more than met the eye with Paris–hints of strange behavior or clues that he could have been capable of something like this.
But despite any issues she had with Paris, she never thought that he could ever harm his little sister, let alone carry out a brutal murder.

A MOTHER’S WORST NIGHTMARE

February 10th, 2007. Ella’s funeral is being held at a local church, family, friends, and members of the community gather to say goodbye – to remember a beautiful little girl, gone far too soon.
The small town of Abilene, Texas is in complete shock. 4-year-old Ella Bennett’s horrific murder made no sense. Charity doesn’t know what to do– not only did she lose her daughter, but her son is the one incarcerated for the murder. While struggling with her grief, all eyes are on her. To the community, it was Charity’s fault anything like this had ever happened. It was her fault for creating a monster.
In the midst of the community’s criticism, Charity was broken. Her first love, Paris, just took the life of her second love, Ella. She feels as though she’s lost both her children, but the reality is, Paris is still alive, and she is still his mother, despite the cruel betrayal. But just like everyone in the town, Charity never saw this coming. Charity needs answers–she needs to know what’s wrong with her son– to ensure she gets justice for her daughter.
But everything only gets harder once Charity starts preparing for the trial. With her 4-year-old Ella dead and her only living child being the one to take her life, she has to face the fact that by being there for each of her children, she risks failing the other.
The trial begins nearly a month after the tragic event. The messiness only worsens once she finds herself standing in the middle of the court room.
Deep inside, Charity faces the reality that there’s nothing she can do to bring Ella back. She realizes that she must make one of the most difficult choices she could as a mother–and in that moment, she chooses to stand by Paris’ side, refusing to abandon him. But now, she doesn’t see him as the innocent boy she once raised, but as the murderer he has become. He needs to be accountable for his actions, & she decides to love him in a new way – not trying to save him from justice, but making sure he faces it, and gets psychiatric help.
On August 15th, 2007, After months of trial, Paris pleads guilty to capital murder in juvenile court. He’s given the maximum sentence for a juvenile: 40 years.

A NEW BEGINNING

With Paris now spending most of his adult life in prison, Charity makes a promise.
For as long as Charity could remember, her life had been marked by tragedy but now, she chooses a different path–she chooses to heal by facing the truth.

Now, Charity is determined to support other families going through trauma.
Charity is an advocate for children’s mental illness rehabilitation, speaking loudly about getting proper help and support for kids that might be heading down the wrong path due to an unmanaged mental illness.
She does everything in her power to make sure that what happened to her family never happens to anyone ever again.
Ella’s memory continues to heal the wounds of tragedy that defined the Bennetts for nearly half a century, and through Charity’s voice, Ella continues to offer a second chance to families who have lost hope in healing.



Related Content :

An Illinois mom is found dead—and, concerningly, her husband's comment on Family Feud a year earlier holds the key to solving her murder: The Case of Becky Bliefnick

Credits

Written, directed & edited by Matthew Rice

Researched by Bianca Yzabelle Tan

Voiceover by William Akana

Produced by Alexandra Salois & Salim Sader

For more stories like this, subscribe to our YouTube here

********************

Sources:

Getty Images

The Family I Had, Motto Pictures, 2017

Inside Evil with Chris Cuomo: Murder in the Family, CNN, 2019

Charity Lee Interview, Solminod, 2012


Denver Cop Takes Down Serial Killer At Mall | The Case of Ashley Ferrisplay icon
survivor

Denver Cop Takes Down Serial Killer At Mall | The Case of Ashley Ferris

"I wasn't gonna let him win"

Unseen .
By Unseen .Oct 03, 2025
Unseen .
Driven by the belief that there’s always more to the story, Unseen delves beyond the headlines to uncover the quiet resilience, courage, and humanity at the heart of real cases. With a focus on the untold and the overlooked, Unseen shines a light on what’s often left in the shadows, creating moments of connection and understanding.
See Full Bio

THE BLACK PILL

The Black Pill cult, a worldview built on hopelessness, rage, and a deep hatred toward women, starts to spread online.

But one influencer doesn’t just join the cult; he becomes its face.

He isn’t just gaining followers; he is raising an army.

And on December 27th, 2021, he attacks the cities of Denver and Lakewood in Colorado.

But one woman stands in his way. She’s the only one who can stop this cult, and put an end to his reign of terror, before he hurts anyone else ever again.

THE ORIGINS OF THE RED PILL

Incel—short for involuntary celibate—became a buzzword around 2015. It describes men who resent women and blame them for their own romantic and social frustrations. Over time, incel turned into more of a meme or an insult. But alongside that, a new idea started gaining traction — “the red pill”. Going even further than incels, the red pill proposes that society is literally rigged against men.

This worldview sets itself up in contrast to “the blue pill”, the mainstream belief that relationships are built on love, equality, romance, and mutual respect. This concept originated from the movie The Matrix, where taking the red pill meant awakening to a harsh reality. But online, the metaphor mutated into something darker.

Those who have “taken the red pill” claim relationships are actually driven by social status, power, and dominance, and the ideology has contaminated the minds of countless young men since its inception.

Andrew Tate, a central figure in the movement and once the most Googled person in the world, continues to promote red pill content daily—even after facing serious criminal charges in Romania.

FROM RED TO BLACK: A DARKER IDEOLOGY

But even something as disturbing as the red pill can go further. In the shadows of the movement, a far bleaker worldview was quietly evolving. According to it, society is broken beyond repair, men are doomed to loneliness, women are nothing but cruel gatekeepers, power trumps morality, and violence is the only form of expression men have left. These are all ideas promoted by the fatalistic, nihilistic, and radically misogynistic philosophy known as — “the black pill”.

For the blackpilled, hope is an illusion. You, just like the world around you, are broken. And that resentment can only lead to one thing.

But something happened in 2021. The black pill community emerged from the shadows, taking its message to the masses in an attempt to replicate the Andrew Tate phenomenon. Enter self-proclaimed sigma-male, and self-published novelist extraordinaire…

THE MAN BEHIND THE MANIFESTO

Roman quickly became famous—before anyone could realize what he truly stood for. Podcast hosts treated him like a modern philosopher, but few noticed the violent undertone behind his words.

The book Roman is referring to is called Sanction, an over 1.2 million-word science fiction novel, nearly twice as long as the Bible. He writes himself in as the macho self-insert protagonist named Lyndon McLeod, which is Roman’s real name from before his influencer rebrand. He describes his protagonist, Lyndon, killing people he knew in and around Denver, using the real names of people from his own past. When Sanction was released, it received praise from the manosphere community, but disturbed almost everyone else who read it. One Amazon review reads: “This book is packed full of rants on diversity, women, and globalization. There are fantasies of killing people. This book fetishizes violence.” Support and condemnation of the book created an online debate, where Lyndon himself threatened to kill his detractors and their families. For those who agreed with Lyndon and his disturbing outlook on the world, this was gospel. His book was the longest right-wing manifesto ever written. A rallying cry for the disheartened incels—a Black Pill Bible.

ALICIA CARDENAS: BUILDER OF SOL TRIBE

Members of Lyndon's new “black pilled tribe” knew that his so-called "first tribe" were people from his past, and that they were all on the hit list hidden in the pages of Sanction. But one person seemingly held more importance to him than the others: the Indigenous painter, muralist, body piercer, tattoo artist, and Lyndon's ex-girlfriend, Alicia Cardenas.

Ometeotl mitakuye oyasin, Alicia’s motto. A Lakota-Nahuatl mantra meaning—“We’re all connected as one through the universe.” And the 44-year-old lived by it, even though connection wasn’t what she found when she first entered the tattoo world in the early 90s. Back then, the industry was still ruled by biker gangs and ex-convicts. For a young woman of color, it wasn’t just hostile, it was truly dangerous.

Alicia had no interest in joining that scene, so she set out to build something of her own. After delivering pizza and cleaning houses for years, she opened Sol Tribe on Broadway Street in downtown Denver. Her shop wasn’t just about tattoos; she wanted it to become a home for people like her. She hired artists whom other shops had rejected. She mentored teenagers, ran food drives for people experiencing homelessness, and painted murals with messages about healing and tolerance. Her employee and best friend, Jimmy Maldonado, was by her side from the beginning. Together, they built a powerful community and made inclusion their mission. But their message didn’t sit well with everyone.

Jimmy and Alicia poured everything into Sol Tribe, building it into one of Colorado’s most respected tattoo shops. Before long, Broadway Street became a hub for the counterculture, with open-minded tattoo parlors popping up all around. Along the way, Alicia became something of a matriarch to her people, a legend in downtown Denver. She truly had changed the game and was finally living her dream. But in the shadows, someone from her past was watching, waiting for the right moment to destroy it all.

LYNDON'S RETURN

It’s December 27th, 2021, just three days after Christmas. Jimmy’s wife, Alyssa — not to be confused with Alicia — is helping close up Sol Tribe for the night with her husband and Alicia. The couple shares with their boss that they've been trying for a baby recently, heartwarming news to Alicia, who officiated their wedding two years prior. The three are cleaning up and chatting—when someone none of them has seen in nearly 20 years walks through the door.

Back in 1999, Lyndon found his way to Denver after fleeing a cult-like hippie commune known as Zendik Farm. Once in the city, he soon got acquainted with Denver’s up-and-coming tattoo industry and, eventually, walked into Sol Tribe.

Alicia believed in second chances. When she met Lyndon, she saw someone spiritually broken, searching for meaning and belonging. What began as friendship quickly turned romantic, and just as quickly, started to fall apart. Lyndon's charm gave way to cynicism. He started saying things that made her uneasy—offhand jokes that were almost insults and opinions that felt more like warnings. Before things got out of hand, she broke up with him. In 2018, Alicia was interviewed by a fellow feminist influencer. She was asked about a time she felt unsafe in a relationship. She didn’t mention anyone in particular, but the similarities to Lyndon were uncanny.

While Alicia was focused on building a safe space to bring people together, Lyndon vanished into the woods and built a container house in which he could live in complete isolation. There, he spiraled deeper into radicalization. In the echo chamber he created for himself online, he convinced himself that Alicia and everyone who offended him were to blame for everything that had gone wrong in his life. During this time, he wrote his revenge fantasy book, Sanction, in which he explicitly names Alicia and has his self-insert protagonist murder her. However, when Lyndon hinted online that his novel might not stay fictional for much longer, many of his followers backed away. A few even reported him to the FBI for terrorist intent, but no concrete action was taken. So, on that cold December night in 2021, Lyndon walks into Sol Tribe dressed in black leather and body armor. He’s bringing his twisted fantasy to life. He pulls an AR-15 from a bag and, without saying a word, fires on Alicia, Jimmy, and Alyssa.

ASHLEY FERRIS: A RELUCTANT HERO

In the early morning of December 27th, Police Officer Ashley Ferris arrives at her station in Lakewood, seven miles from Denver. She’s running on coffee and very little sleep. She’s been struggling with an ongoing divorce, and the holidays hit hard.

It’s the first Christmas she’s spent alone, and the silence at home has been brutal. Still, she shows up. With half the department out sick, she doesn’t have much of a choice.

Ashley used to crack jokes in the locker room. Always in good spirits, she was the kind of cop who noticed when someone was having a bad day, and honestly asked about it. But nowadays, the only thing that keeps her going seems to be her pets at home.

By lunchtime, Ashley is sitting alone in her cruiser in an empty parking lot, trying to keep it together. Lakewood officers patrol alone, and the isolation doesn’t help. Her thoughts quickly spiral out of control. She’s been in a dark place for months, and today feels worse than usual. She starts crying, but is interrupted by her phone. It’s a text from a friend on the force, asking if he should walk her dog during her shift. She knows this is her last chance to ask for help, but here in her car, all alone and at the end of her rope, she just doesn’t take it.

The rest of the shift goes by. Routine calls, patrols, nothing out of the ordinary. Ashley goes through the motions and agrees to do a double for the sake of the team. It's her last day on earth after all; she may as well make herself useful. Then, just after 5 PM, her radio crackles…

THE RAMPAGE

Ashley does what she can to piece together the events as they happen in real time on her radio. At 5:25, her Denver colleagues find the bodies of Alicia and Alyssa at Sol Tribe and manage to rescue Jimmy before he bleeds out. But unfortunately, Lyndon is already long gone. At 5:31, he bursts into the apartment of his ex-business partner, tattoo artist Jeremy Costilow.

Thankfully, Jeremy, his wife, and their 8-month-old daughter escape in time. But the other people listed throughout the pages of Sanction aren’t as lucky. At 5:45, Lyndon kills a contractor he used to work with, named Michael Swinyard, at his residence. At 5:49, police engage Lyndon’s black van. They don’t know that the attack has been planned. The pursuit ends in a shootout, and the suspect wrecks two police cruisers before fleeing towards Lakewood. Once there, Lyndon continues his vendetta by heading straight to the Lucky 13 tattoo parlor, and, at 5:58, kills another of his past partners out of jealousy, tattoo artist Danny Scofield, right in front of two of his clients.

Lyndon then walks into a restaurant, where he forces his way behind the counter and pours himself a drink.

At 6:04, another gunfight erupts between him and the police. He escapes into a Hyatt Hotel and kills 28-year-old front desk worker Sara Steck, who isn’t listed in Sanction; she simply happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

THE FINAL SHOOTOUT

It’s now 6:10. Ashley finally reaches the area where the last attack happened. Nobody can guess exactly where Lyndon is headed next, but she has her own idea.

Ashley knows that calling out to him is useless at this point; she can see it in his eyes. Instead, she steps back and pulls out her service weapon. Without taking her eyes off of Lyndon, she notices a crowd moving in right behind him. She hesitates for a second, not wanting to hit innocent bystanders, but Lyndon doesn’t care—and opens fire.

Severely concussed and bleeding profusely, Ashley knows her body is about to give out. She has only a few seconds to act. With ringing ears and blurry vision, she can barely make out Lyndon’s shape in the distance, but notices the crowd has dispersed. She steadies herself as best she can and pulls the trigger with the last of her strength.

A FIGHTING CHANCE: SURVIVAL & LEGACY

One of Ashley’s colleagues pulls her over his shoulder and carries her to his vehicle. With no time to wait for an ambulance, he rushes to the nearest hospital with Ashley in the backseat. Meanwhile, Lyndon McLeod is declared dead at the scene. Unbelievably, Ashley managed to shoot right through his heart: the bullet entered Lyndon’s upper left side, the only area of his chest unprotected by his body armor.

In the following weeks, Ashley undergoes a series of surgeries as doctors fight to save her left leg. In another hospital, Jimmy is also recovering. Slowly regaining his strength, it’s not until he is finally released one week later that the reality of what has happened truly sinks in.

Eventually, it’s also time for Ashley to be discharged. She is immediately celebrated as a hero by her community.

But the title doesn’t sit easily with her. She can’t just accept the praise without being honest about what really happened that day. So she starts speaking up, sharing her story openly, with anyone who will listen. And for the first time, people begin to understand what she really went through to survive and stop Lyndon.

Today, Ashley runs A Fighting Chance, a non-profit organization aiming to help police, first responders, and the general public identify and treat signs of depression while developing resiliency through a focus on purpose. Meanwhile, with the tremendous help of his family and his community, Jimmy also gets better. His purpose remains to honor Alicia and Alyssa’s legacies. On the third anniversary of the tragedy, he shares a poignant message on social media:

It’s true what they say: the pain doesn’t go away, but you learn how to live with it. Tonight, I spent my evening alone. I made dinner and shared it with them. Past 5 PM, which is when I think the shootings began, I lit Alyssa’s Popoxcomitl and prayed. It was nice to be alone with them. I miss them, but I’m grateful for the time and love we shared. Thank you all so much for keeping the memory of these two amazing mujeres alive and continuing to honor them. Prayers up to all the families affected by the events of this tragic day. Prayers up to the lives lost. I hope all of your spirits are at peace.

—Jimmy Maldonado. December 27th, 2024.

Ashley’s non-profit, A Fighting Chance: https://www.afightingchanceltd.com/
To support the survivors, victims, and their families, please see the following pages:
Alicia Cardenas’s child: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-Cardenas-fa...
Jimmy Maldonado: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-soltribe-shooti...
Sarah Steck: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sarahs-family-with...
Danny Scofield and his family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/danny-dano-blair-scofie...
Ashley Ferris: https://www.gofundme.com/f/qfugzz-help-our-friends...

Alyssa’s fund: https://www.groundingdown.com/alyssa-gunn-maldonad...

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After a Florida family is mysteriously poisoned by an unknown killer, a brave detective will go undercover to expose the true killer: The Case of the Carr Family

Credits

Ashley’s non-profit, A Fighting Chance:https://www.afightingchanceltd.com/
To support the survivors, victims, and their families, please see the following pages:
Alicia Cardenas’s child: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-Cardenas-fa...
Jimmy Maldonado: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-soltribe-shooti...
Sarah Steck: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sarahs-family-with...
Danny Scofield and his family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/danny-dano-blair-scofie...
Ashley Ferris: https://www.gofundme.com/f/qfugzz-help-our-friends...

Alyssa’s fund:https://www.groundingdown.com/alyssa-gunn-maldonad...

Written, directed & edited by Alexandre Gendron

Research by Manon Lafosse

Voiceover by William Akana

Produced by Alexandra Salois & Salim Sader

For more stories like this, subscribe to our YouTube here

********************

Sources

Documentary:

“Control, Alt, Delete”. Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders: Warner Bros Discovery Inc. 2023. (Talos Films / Investigation Discovery)

Podcasts:

“Behind the Badge: A Story of Hope with Ashley Ferris”. From Survivor to Thriver: Erik Da Rosa and Marc Fernandes, 2023.

“Stay in the fight”. The muster room: Eric Potts and Austin Glickman / Joseph Ryder, 2023.

“Courage, Hope and Resilience” The Danny and Park Novels Good News Podcast, 2024.

“Denver's Tumultuous Tattoo History, In Alicia Cardenas's Own Words”. City Cast Denver, 2025.

“Alicia Cardenas, Denver, CO Full Length” The Nature Of Refuge. 2018.

News

Denver 7 - ABC

Fox 31

9News

CBS Colorado

KCAL News

CBS News

DW News

CBS Miami

NBC News

BBC

ABC News

HLN

Inside Edition

ABC 7

BBC 3

Scripps News

CNN

Sky News

ABC News in depth

NBC New-York

KGTV

Others (YouTube. Podcasts, TV & Articles)

The Glitch Global

The M Pod

The LiverKing

How To Beast talks

Real Talk with Zuby - boogiebutters

Logocentrifugal 74

Thiccoq Productions

Alpha Intellect

Warhorse, Lyndon McLeod, 2021

Andrew Tate's Best Quotes, KingTok, 2022

Masculinity Motivational Advice, The Glitch Global, 2024

The Disturbing Downfall Of The Liver King, Kavos, 2025

FreshAndFit's Double Standards For Women, Annamarie Forcino, 2021

Andrew Tate vs Piers Morgan, Piers Morgan Uncensored, 2022

He Murdered 5 People. But Before Then, He Made a Movie About It., VICE, 2022

Andrew Tate Inspired Him to ‘Come Out of His Shell’, Dr. Phil, 2023

FITXFEARLESS

Coffeehouse Crime

The 'Incel' Movement: How It May Have Motivated Toronto Van Attack, Inside Edition, 2018

Woman shares footage of assault by street harasser at Paris cafe, The Guardian, 2018

This Is What The Life Of An Incel Looks Like, VICE, 2018

What Is Toxic Masculinity?, Pop Culture Detective, 2016

Fight Club, 20th Century Fox, 1999

Joker, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2019

The Red Pill, Gravitas Ventures, 2016

Adolescence, Netflix, 2025

The Matrix, Warner Bros., 1999

Jimmy Maldonado, Wolf and Goat Tattoo

lyslas, Instagram

corazon_de_tecpatl, Instagram

afightingchanceltd, Instagram

Alicia Cardenas, Facebook

Sanction I, Roman McClay, 2019

Sanction II, Roman McClay, 2019

Sanction III, Roman McClay, 2020

Getty Images

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