[female narrator] violence descends upon
A small midwestern community.
What she gathered was that someone had been shot,
Someone had been stabbed.
[kelly] you got so many people laying around
That are crying out in pain.
[narrator] as detectives attempt to make sense
Of the bloodshed,
They uncover a group devoted to their mystical beliefs.
When I first heard that witchcraft was alleged
In this crime, I was actually in a state of disbelief.
They would have these candlelit ceremonies,
And they would talk about ridding themselves of hexes.
[narrator] investigators learn that the leader of
This small-town coven has led her flock astray.
As the head figure of this cult,
She had exercised her authority over the group.
She tells the other people involved with this
They have to kill a woman and her unborn child.
[kelly] she was the ringleader.
She told them what to do, when to do it,
Where to do it and why to do it.
[theme music]
[music]
[narrator] August 23, 2005.
Deputy robert blythe with
The richland county, illinois sheriff's department
Is on patrol.
Richland county is a county in southeastern illinois.
We have several small communities in the county.
It's mainly farming.
It's a very compact, friendly community.
Everybody knows everybody.
[narrator] it's just after 3:00 am on an otherwise quiet night
When a call from dispatch comes across deputy blythe's radio.
[radio static, chatter]
I was actually preparing to go home, end of shift.
I got the call from my dispatcher.
She said there was a lot of screaming on the line.
[narrator] the dispatcher was only able to discern
A few alarming details.
What she gathered was that someone had been shot,
Someone had been stabbed.
[narrator] deputy blythe rushes to the home in claremont,
Where he finds a chaotic scene.
[robert] when I got there, there was a pregnant woman
That screamed at me that somebody had been shot,
And somebody had been stabbed, and they were in the house.
I did not know the lady.
At that point, my focus was
Get in the house and see what's going on.
[narrator] blythe approaches the home, and once inside,
The full scope of the violence comes sharply into focus.
[robert] when I got in the door, the first thing I saw
Was a man that had been injured, laying on the floor on his back
Trying to scoot himself towards the door.
[narrator] then, deputy blythe spots a familiar face
In the room-- 23-year-old jackie jackson.
[robert] I've known him for a long time.
He knew me, of course.
And he just yelled out my name and said,
"robbie, I've shot him."
[narrator] before he gets the full story from jackie,
Blythe immediately ensures paramedics are en route.
My first impression was, from the amount of blood,
That I did not see how that person was going to survive.
[narrator] nearby, there is another male victim--
Bleeding profusely, but also still alive.
[kelly] they observed someone laying on the kitchen floor
That was bleeding from the chest and abdomen.
I saw the knife that we assumed had been used in this
Laying on the floor beside the one victim.
[narrator] the horrific scene continues to unfold
In the utility room,
Where the deputy finds a third victim--
A woman clinging to life.
[kelly] she had numerous stab wounds to the stomach area.
You walk in and you got so many people laying around,
Crying out in pain.
[narrator] while waiting for emts to arrive,
Blythe asks jackie what happened.
Jackie explains that the man he shot is an intruder,
And the two stabbing victims are mother and son.
He's able to identify two of the victims,
Jacqueline bennett and joshua bennett.
[narrator] as for the intruder, all jackie can say
Is that he was the one who stabbed the others.
We didn't have a clue who he was or why he was there.
[narrator] paramedics arrive.
Both jacqueline and the attacker are still alive.
But by then, 20-year-old joshua has lost too much blood.
[kelly] joshua bennett had been stabbed one time,
Real deep wound in the chest area,
Which, uh, he succumbed to those wounds.
[narrator] as paramedics work to stabilize jacqueline
And the attacker, detectives arrive.
[kelly] when I went to the scene,
I was informed that the officers had secured the residence
And made sure that first aid was being applied
To those that need it,
And the coroner had been contacted for the deceased.
There's very few murders in this area
Where you walk in and you got so many people that are injured,
And trying to figure out who's the bad guys
And, uh, who's the good guys--
'cause nothing can be taken for granted
Or it may cost someone else their life.
[narrator] joshua bennett was born in 1985
In the small town of mattoon, illinois.
After his parents, jacqueline and jerry,
Divorced in the early 90's,
Josh spent most of his childhood with his father.
[patti] after they got divorced,
Josh wanted to stay with his dad,
Where he had a little more stability.
Josh and his mom grew farther apart as time went on.
He lived with jerry here in mattoon and went to school.
They were two single guys living together in an apartment
And doing what two single guys wanted to do.
[narrator] in 2004, after graduating from high school,
Josh knew exactly what his next step would be.
[patti] when josh was in high school and joined the rotc,
We already knew then what his future was going to be.
We had no doubt that when he graduated high school,
That he was going to be going into the service.
I believe josh just wanted to
Kind of get out of the mattoon area and travel,
And just see-see the world.
Everybody was rooting for him, you know.
We were all proud of him.
[narrator] in July 2005, 20-year-old josh
Was stationed in louisiana.
Joshua had just finished basic training of, uh, six weeks
And he was, uh, getting ready to go overseas to iraq.
[narrator] just before joshua's deployed,
He received devastating news--
His father suddenly passed away
When jerry passed away, josh was in the field.
There was no means of communication.
So, josh didn't get to hear it from loved ones
That his dad had passed away.
[narrator] by the next day, josh was on leave
And back in his hometown of mattoon.
Of course it was difficult for josh, and he was devastated.
Him and his father were really close.
[narrator] while he was back in town,
Josh's friends encouraged the grieving soldier to reconnect
With his mother, jacqueline, but josh was reluctant.
To be honest, he didn't want to go.
[narrator] but his father's death gave josh
A new perspective and a change of heart.
The loss of his father made him think
Maybe he needed to reconnect
And try to work on that relationship with his mother.
We had went to his mom's a couple times before
For, like, cookouts and stuff like that.
That day in particular, I decided not to go.
And I had talked to josh on the phone,
And they were getting ready to eat dinner.
And I was under the impression I would talk to him tomorrow.
I never thought that, that would be the last time
That I spoke to him.
[narrator] w ithin hours of the call,
Josh bennett is lying dead on the floor of his mother's home
From a single, fatal stab wound.
Jacqueline and an unidentified assailant
Are being loaded into separate ambulances
For transport to a local hospital.
Still at the scene,
Jackie and lindsey are physically unscathed--
Although it's clear lindsey is in distress.
[stephanie] police tried to interview lindsey,
But she was hysterical at the time.
And, uh, in her condition, they decided
It wasn't an issue to be pushed.
[narrator] jackie, however, is eager to talk.
He explains that on August 22nd,
Josh came to stay with his mother,
Who lives with her boyfriend, lee, jackie's father.
Jackie and his pregnant girlfriend, lindsey,
Were also living there at the time.
[robert] jackie was just beside himself, almost in a panic.
He offered up a lot of information there
In a short period of time.
[narrator] jackie reveals that while he managed to shoot
One of the attackers with a single-load shotgun...
The second man was stabbed in the leg during the fight,
Sending him fleeing.
The intruder that got away had been wearing a mask,
So jackie wasn't able to describe what he looked like.
[narrator] with one suspect on the loose
And another on his way to the hospital,
Investigators have a lot of ground to cover.
Knowing that the severe gunshot wound to the abdomen
Could end the assailant's life,
Sergeant kelly henby follows the ambulance,
Hoping to secure information before it's too late.
Coming up, a bedside interrogation
Yields an alarming clue.
He said, "the lady put a hex on us, so we had to kill her."
[narrator] and the manhunt for the second attacker
Reveals a coven of dark magic.
[lee] they shared a common interest in the occult.
That's what drew them all together.
[kelly] I worked so many murder cases,
I never had anyone come up with witchcraft or hex.
[theme music]
[narrator] a brutal stabbing in mattoon, illinois
Leaves 20-year-old joshua bennett dead
And his mother, jacqueline, clinging to life.
A sheriff's deputy waits at a local er
With the hope of interviewing one of the intruders
Who stabbed them.
The suspect that had been shot, nobody had any idea who he was.
[narrator] with a massive manhunt underway
For a second suspect,
Investigators back at the crime scene
Continue to their interview
With 23-year-old witness jackie jackson.
Jackie says that he and his pregnant girlfriend,
Lindsey kasinger, were asleep when,
Just after 3:00 am, he was awakened.
He was down in the basement, and he heard a commotion
And heard joshua bennett calling for help.
[narrator] jackie explains that he woke lindsey
And told her to run to the neighbor's house.
He loaded the .12-gauge shotgun and ran up the stairs.
He saw two men in black clothing and ski mask
Stabbing mr. Bennett in the chest and abdomen.
He moved in and struck the one individual
With the butt of the shotgun
And knocked him away from mr. Bennett.
And the second man grabbed the barrel of the gun,
And as he pulled the gun toward him,
Uh, mr. Jackson pulled the trigger,
Hitting the suspect in the stomach.
[narrator] after jackie dropped the gun in a panic,
The second assailant attacked with a knife .
[robert] the other person had made a move towards him,
And he had grabbed a knife and stabbed the suspect's right leg.
[narrator] wounded, the second assailant ran off.
As the chaos unfolded,
Lindsey summoned help from a neighbor's home.
[lee] lindsey, fearing for her own life
And for the life of her unborn child,
Manages somehow to get out of the house.
And she runs to a neighbor's house to ask for help.
And that's when 911 is called.
[narrator] to investigators,
The seemingly random and vicious attack
Is unlike anything they'd seen before.
Catching the second suspect becomes their top priority.
[kelly] the individuals in charge of the manhunt
Notified the residents through the local radio station,
You know, lock their doors,
That there's an armed suspect in the area.
And k9's were brought in.
I was concerned mostly about where's the other guy.
We were just in search mode.
We were trying to find that other suspect.
[narrator] as the manhunt continues,
At nearby richland memorial hospital,
With physicians' permission,
Authorities speak with the injured suspect.
Because of the severity of his injuries,
We knew that he wasn't going anywhere.
He was technically under arrest,
So we had police there at the hospital guarding him.
I knew right then that if he didn't survive,
These statements he would make to me would be very important.
So, I went over and removed the oxygen mask from his face.
[stephanie] he was in pretty bad shape.
He was pretty weak.
But he was able to tell them that his name was david lindner.
[narrator] as far as his accomplice goes,
29-year-old david can only give
A first name--ricky.
Sergeant henby continues to press david for information.
I asked him why this happened, what's going on?
And he said, the lady put a hex on us, so we had to kill her.
I said, who put a hex on you?
He said, the lady did that lives there,
She put a hex on us.
That's very unusual.
Seems I worked so many death investigations and murder cases,
I never had anyone come up with witchcraft or hex.
When I first heard that witchcraft was alleged
In this crime,
I was actually in a state of disbelief.
The thought of it being involved in, uh, this community
Is shocking, to say the least.
[narrator] while the interview raises a lot of questions,
It does yield important clues.
[stephanie] police knew they were looking for
Someone named ricky,
And they knew that they were looking for someone
With a stab wound in their leg.
They were able to put out an apb
To be on the lookout at all local hospitals
And the surrounding area.
[narrator] eager to ask jacqueline bennett
About david's bizarre hex claims,
Investigators find her in serious but stable condition.
When they inform her of josh's death, she is devastated.
When she shares her version of the attack,
It's all too clear her son josh died trying to save her.
[shambre] she woke up and went into the kitchen.
She was approached by two intruders
Who just started stabbing her.
Jacqueline bennett received three substantial knife wounds
To the abdomen.
When joshua hears his mother in distress,
He charges up to come to her protection.
[narrator] josh managed to come in between
His mother and the attackers,
But he paid the price when he was fatally stabbed
Once in the chest.
He heard his mother need help,
And he went, no questions.
He was a hero.
[narrator] detectives ask jacqueline
If she has ever met david lindner.
She didn't know who this person was either.
[narrator] she is just as puzzled when detectives ask her
If she has any knowledge of a hex or witchcraft
In connection to the case.
Upon being given the news from the investigators
About this hex, jacqueline actually had no clue
What they were talking about.
[stephanie] she said that her boyfriend,
Lee jackson, was at work.
He was there all night and that early morning,
When the attack occurred.
So he was never looked at as a suspect.
[narrator] just hours after the brutal scene unfolded
At the rural illinois home,
Investigators have few answers.
They arrive back at the station to research possible leads.
While there, they learn their apbs at area hospitals
Might pay off.
[stephanie] sometime after 8:00 am that morning,
Police received a call from
The lawrence county memorial hospital,
Letting them know that they have a patient with a stab wound.
He wouldn't tell the hospital how he received the stab wound.
[narrator] the hospital says the man's name is oscar eck.
I was advised by my dispatch
To go to the lawrence county hospital,
And that I was to interview him.
[narrator] sergeant john waggle arrives
And is surprised to see a man limping out of the hospital.
When asked for id, the man complies.
He is 38-year-old oscar r. Eck--
R for richard.
He said everybody called him "ricky".
[narrator] sergeant waggle asks why he's there,
And oscar explains he wanted some fresh air,
But plans to go back inside to get treatment
For his leg injury.
[john] he raised up his right pant leg,
And there was a fresh blood-soaked wound,
With blood running down onto his sock
On that right leg.
It appeared to be a stab wound.
I asked him how he had received that.
He explained those injuries away as being drywall work related.
I knew what oscar was telling me was not the truth.
[narrator] coming up, detectives uncover
The self-appointed leader of a small-town coven.
She liked being looked up to
By the people she surrounded herself with.
[narrator] and the investigation reveals
A twisted plot driven by jealousy.
[lee] they were going to have a baby.
That may have very well been the moment when she snapped.
[theme music]
Me music] [narrator] just hours after
20-year-old soldier joshua bennett
Dies defending his mother,
Police believe they found one of the suspects, oscar eck.
But they are soon joined by oscar's friends.
While oscar was being questioned by police in the parking lot,
Two women walked up, jenny wolfe and irenia cotner.
[narrator] the two had apparently been waiting
To pick up oscar eck,
And their behavior immediately gets
The attention of investigators--
Especially irenia's.
[john] irenia was very, very nervous.
To me, she was visibly shaking, eyes downcast.
[narrator] oscar reenters the hospital under police watch
And receives treatment for his leg wound.
Investigators ask 34-year-old irenia
And 20-year-old jenny to come to the station for questioning.
They agree.
[john] irenia cotner asked no questions--
Why the police were there, what was going on--
Which, to me, a normal person, would ask those questions.
[narrator] neither jenny nor irenia
Claim to know anything about the murder,
Although irenia's behavior continues to raise red flags.
[kelly] when I entered the interview room,
I saw a very disheveled young woman.
She had her head down, very nervous,
And would not cooperate, and she was just stonewalling.
[narrator] with nothing more than a hunch,
Investigators have no choice but to let irenia and jenny go.
With oscar still at the hospital,
Detectives run a background check.
While no prior offenses come up,
They obtain oscar's last known address and pay a visit.
A woman identified herself as oscar eck's roommate,
Misty gangloff.
She allowed officers to come in.
[narrator] investigators ask 23-year-old misty
If she knows anything about the bloodshed
That took place earlier that day.
She told them that she didn't know
What was going on with oscar or why they were there.
[narrator] but as misty talks,
Investigators spot something unusual.
[shambre] they did notice that
There was a book about witchcraft.
It actually took the investigators back to
What david had told them at the hospital in regards to a hex.
Upon seeing witchcraft literature in the residence,
It would confirm suspicions I had
That this was witchcraft related.
[narrator] police ask misty to come to the station.
Once there, she readily admits that she knows
Both jenny and irenia.
Misty had been friends with irenia and-and jenny
For at least four years.
They were employed by the same retail outlet store.
[narrator] the three had become fast friends
After discovering they had a lot in common,
Including a shared fascination with the occult.
Their involvement or interest in witchcraft at the beginning
Was pretty light--uh, some good luck charms,
Some, you know, cleansing their house with sage.
They would have these candlelit ceremonies,
And they would talk about ridding themselves of hexes.
[narrator] misty says irenia made herself
The leader of their little coven.
Irenia was just kind of known for getting involved with people
That were younger than her.
It seemed like she went for people
That could be easily manipulated.
[narrator] irenia was particularly close to
Jenny wolfe, a woman 14 years younger than her.
[lee] irenia cotner unofficially adopted jenny wolfe
To remove her from a bad home situation.
And the two of them lived together.
Jenny looked up to her as a mother figure
And would have followed her off a cliff.
She was jenny's hero.
[narrator] but after a couple of years of innocent séances,
Misty says their ceremonies took on a more ominous tone.
[stephanie] misty said sometime in spring of 2005,
Irenia first started just constantly complaining about
A hex that had been put on her.
[lee] part of the reason she began to believe irenia
When she said that a hex had been placed on them
Was the fact that a number of, um, irenia's dogs began to die,
As if someone was poisoning them.
[narrator] misty recalls how other dark omens
Started to befall irenia's coven.
[lee] another way that irenia cotner convinces misty
That a hex has been placed on her
Is by drawing a connection between the hex
And, uh, the bouts of depression and migraine headaches,
Uh, that misty has suffered from.
[narrator] while there was no proof
The ailments were caused by a hex,
Irenia was very convincing.
Irenia cotner just had a very controlling personality,
And the group was somewhat passive.
[narrator] irenia told misty
That the hex had been placed on them by a woman irenia claimed
Was a witch--lindsey kasinger,
Who police know as the pregnant woman from the crime scene.
Misty shares another detail
That connects lindsey and irenia--
Jackie jackson, the father of lindsey's unborn child.
[stephanie] in 2000, irenia met jackie jackson,
And they fell head over heels
And were in a passionate relationship
For the next four years,
Until it ended in November 2004.
Irenia was understandably heartbroken and devastated.
When irenia met jackie jackson,
She was actually ten years his senior.
So he was in his early 20's and she was in her early 30's.
[narrator] misty says that when jackie broke up with irenia
To be with a younger woman, irenia couldn't handle it.
Irenia knew that jackie was with lindsey,
And they were going to have a baby.
That may have very well been the moment when she snapped.
[narrator] irenia also brought misty's roommate,
Oscar, into the group.
She soon convinced him that lindsey had also hexed him.
Irenia cotner, as the head figure of this cult,
Had exercised her authority over the group,
And she was basically the leader of the group.
[lee] they all shared a common interest in the occult.
That's what drew them all together.
She was an influential woman in the respect that
She could convince all these people that lindsey kasinger
Had placed a hex on them.
[narrator] misty claims irenia told them
There was only one solution to free the coven
Of lindsey's dark influence.
Irenia cotner tells the other people involved with this
That they have to kill lindsey and her unborn child.
[narrator] from that point on,
Misty says she had nothing to do with oscar, jenny or irenia.
While misty's story answers many of investigators' questions,
It does leave one unanswered.
If all of this was about irenia's beef with lindsey,
Then why would lindsey be the one to walk away unharmed
In this case?
And why would jacqueline and joshua
Be the victims in this attack?
[narrator] coming up, oscar eck comes clean.
She was looking for people that she could rely upon.
He became a gun for hire.
[narrator] and irenia's plan goes off the rails.
They reached a point where everything has gone so wrong,
They don't quite know what to do.
[theme music]
Music] [narrator] on August 23, 2005,
Illinois investigators interrogate
38-year-old oscar "ricky" eck,
One of two suspected killers in the murder of
20-year-old soldier joshua bennett.
Oscar was very willing to talk
And answer any questions asked of him.
[narrator] oscar admits that, as crazy as it sounds,
Irenia also made him believe lindsey had hexed him.
He said she was able to convince them
That not only they were in danger by the hex,
But their-their loved ones, their family and friends,
Were in danger.
And the only way to break the hex
Would be to kill lindsey and her unborn baby.
[narrator] it seems irenia had a strange hold
Over the younger lost souls she surrounded herself with.
The people involved in this, they needed a place to belong.
I believe that they were all followers,
And irenia was the person that was the leader.
And she set down the rules, and this is what we do,
And she made all the decisions.
[narrator] when misty bowed out,
Oscar says he agreed to work with irenia and jenny
To kill lindsey.
[stephanie] they go to lindsey's house
With a gun and a knife,
But jenny can't get even to the front door
Because she's, she's too scared.
[narrator] irenia decided they needed to bring in
Another person for backup,
So oscar offered to reach out to
An associate from the occult community named david lindner.
David had just newly arrived in olney, illinois,
And he proclaims himself to be a warlock.
Irenia cotner decides to involve him in this, uh, murder plot.
She was looking for people that she could rely upon
To commit the crime, uh, that she wanted to commit.
David became a gun for hire.
[narrator] on the night of August 22nd,
Irenia conferred with david and oscar.
Oscar and david went to irenia's house and they--
The three of them had one final séance.
They would ask yes or no questions.
And she told them that she could interpret
The flickering of the flame as a yes or no answer.
[narrator] after a few minutes,
Irenia announced that the message was clear.
During the séance, the candle told irenia
That tonight was the night.
That was the night that they had to go and kill lindsey.
[narrator] according to oscar,
Irenia presented them with a carefully laid-out plan.
They were to stab lindsey and her unborn child
In a ritual sacrifice.
And the plan had to be carried out
Within a finite window of time.
[shambre] irenia also told them that if they didn't complete
The task by the time that candle burnt out,
That their entire family would be at jeopardy and die.
[narrator] while irenia herself would not go with them,
She assured them they wouldn't be alone.
Irenia told them that they would be accompanied by
Five sub-demons to help protect them
And make sure that nothing went wrong with the plan.
It gave david and oscar the courage that they needed.
[narrator] oscar tells investigators
That irenia's hold on them was so strong,
He and david quickly jumped into action.
[kelly] this was a tight group.
They were just, you know, amateurs.
But they were dangerous.
[narrator] just after 3:00 am, they arrived at the home
Where lindsey was living with irenia's ex, jackie jackson.
[robert] we were told later
That they actually crawled in through a kitchen window.
It's not unusual for windows and doors to be unlocked,
Especially in this small community.
[narrator] oscar tells them
That the plan went awry almost immediately.
As they stood in the hallway, jacqueline bennett woke up,
Came down the hall
And encountered oscar eck and david lindner.
They stabbed jacqueline thinking she was lindsey,
Because it was dark in there.
[narrator] moments later, 20-year-old josh appeared.
Joshua bennett came to his mother's aid,
And he was subsequently stabbed and killed.
[narrator] the plan continued to go sideways when jackie
Came upstairs, leaving david and oscar wounded.
[john] oscar was stabbed,
And then he'd subsequently escaped the house
And went back to irenia's house.
At the point that they decide to take oscar to the hospital,
They've really reached a point
Where everything has gone so wrong with this crime
That now they don't know quite what to do.
[narrator] following his stunning confession,
Oscar is placed under arrest
And charged with first-degree murder.
Josh and his mother weren't the target.
They had nothing to do with it. They were innocent bystanders.
[narrator] later that same day,
Investigators secure warrants to bring jenny and irenia
Back in for questioning.
It's clear that jenny is struggling
With her current predicament.
Jenny wolfe never gave me any indication
That there was an evil bone in her body.
She was very polite, she was chatty.
[narrator] jenny confirms oscar and misty's accounts,
And admits that while none of them besides irenia
Knew lindsey, irenia was so persuasive,
She basically brainwashed them.
Irenia was able to convince them
That all of the bad things that happened to them in their life
Were not their fault,
They were this one person's fault.
And if they could just get rid of this one person,
All of their problems would go away.
[narrator] eager to hear irenia's story,
Investigators confront her in the next interrogation room.
[lee] even at the point that the authorities
Have sufficient evidence to suspect irenia cotner
As the mastermind of this crime,
She continues to proclaim her innocence.
[kelly] that's when I went at it real hard,
Saying that we were very tired,
Everybody knows that you're involved,
Other people are cooperating.
And I was being very firm with her.
[narrator] irenia finally breaks.
[kelly] within ten, twelve minutes, she had confessed.
She actually wanted to kill
The young lady that was pregnant.
The interviews were enough to contact the state's attorney
And, uh, show that they were a danger to the community.
We placed the three women under arrest
After the state's attorney okayed it,
And they were put into custody.
[narrator] coming up, as her once-loyal followers
Turn on her, irenia's true colors are fully exposed.
She jazzed up this whole hex devil worship thing to try to
Get the rest of these people involved.
She was jealous.
[john] irenia threw a tantrum in the courtroom
And told the judge to kiss her ass.
[theme music]
Ic] [narrator] prosecutors in richland county, illinois
Are preparing to hold 34-year-old irenia cotner
Responsible for masterminding the bloody attack
That left 20-year-soldier josh bennett dead
And his mother, jacqueline , severely wounded.
Jacqueline survived her injuries
And was released from the hospital
Two weeks after the incident.
[narrator] in February 2006,
Over six months after the murder,
David lindner, irenia's co-conspirator,
Dies from the gunshot wound he received during the attack.
He never left the hospital.
He went into a coma and succumbed to his injuries.
[narrator] irenia's trial begins in October of 2006.
In their opening statements,
Prosecutors allege irenia's true desire to kill lindsey
Had nothing to do with a hex.
Irenia was upset because
Jackson had moved on to a new girlfriend.
And irenia was plotting on how to kill this girl
To get jackie jackson back in her life.
She jazzed up this whole hex devil worship thing
To try to get the rest of these people involved.
She was jealous.
[narrator] after finally seeing the writing on the wall,
Misty, jenny, and oscar all take the stand against irenia.
[kelly] when it came time for them to cooperate, they did,
And even testified against her in court,
That she was the ringleader.
She was the person responsible for this entire event.
No one acted on their own.
She told them what to do, when to do it,
Where to do it and why to do it.
[lee] jenny wolfe and misty gangloff
And oscar eck and david lindner
Wanted to believe that they mattered.
And this little community they formed
In their worship of the occult
Gave them that sense of belonging.
[narrator] on October 25, 2006,
The jury announces their decision.
The jury returns a guilty verdict against irenia cotner
On three counts--
Conspiracy of first-degree murder,
First degree attempted murder and home invasion.
After the guilty verdict was rendered,
Irenia cotner threw a tantrum in the courtroom
And told the judge to kiss her ass.
[kelly] that's what she said, her last words to the judge
As she left the courtroom.
No remorse.
[narrator] at her sentencing hearing,
Irenia receives 57 years in prison--
What is essentially a life sentence.
He told her that with her age and adding those fifty years,
She would probably never get out,
Um, she would probably die in prison.
And I was kind of happy about that
'cause she shouldn't be out.
Irenia is a pure sociopath
That should not ever be able to contact people.
She should have been in a padded room years ago,
And maybe josh would still be alive.
In 2006, misty gangloff accepted a plea deal
For conspiracy of first-degree murder.
[narrator] in 2007, oscar eck pleads guilty
To first-degree murder and receives a 20-year sentence.
Jenny takes a gamble and goes to trial .
In 2008, she is found guilty of murder
And sentenced to 32 years.
My personal opinion is on some of the sentencings,
They were a little bit light because
People lost their life here.
Any one of those individuals
Could have stopped this at any time,
But nobody stepped forward.
[narrator] as for those who loved josh bennett,
His loss is a wound that endures.
[patti] god tells me I have to forgive 'em,
And I have forgiven 'em for what they did.
But I'll never forget
The loss that they put in my heart.
I'll never forget.
[music]