1 00:00:02,266 --> 00:00:04,367 DAVID: No one's ever asked 2 00:00:04,367 --> 00:00:05,800 how did that impact you? 3 00:00:05,867 --> 00:00:08,600 How did you feel? How are you doing now? 4 00:00:10,867 --> 00:00:13,467 I'm only 30 years old, and I'm wearing a heart monitor, 5 00:00:13,567 --> 00:00:17,467 because of chest pains that I've had 6 00:00:17,467 --> 00:00:21,000 for a number of years now due to probably the stress of all 7 00:00:21,100 --> 00:00:23,000 of this more than anything. 8 00:00:23,100 --> 00:00:25,900 I'm supposed to push a button on it whenever I feel stressed, 9 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,800 and I've been pushing it a lot lately. 10 00:00:28,867 --> 00:00:30,000 I've had nightmares ever since I was a little kid. 11 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,367 I've had nightmares ever since I was a little kid. 12 00:00:32,467 --> 00:00:38,567 Usually, the dreams are Scott hunting me or all of us, 13 00:00:38,667 --> 00:00:40,467 me and my mother and my two sisters. 14 00:00:40,467 --> 00:00:43,400 I end up dying, and that's what wakes me up. 15 00:00:44,266 --> 00:00:46,900 I refer to him as Scott. 16 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,867 Sometimes I slip up and say "my father," 17 00:00:49,867 --> 00:00:53,467 but I don't ever see him as that. 18 00:00:53,567 --> 00:00:56,767 He was the worst thing in my life. 19 00:00:56,767 --> 00:00:59,767 JESSICA: I wish that I could take away 20 00:00:59,767 --> 00:01:00,000 things that David has seen. 21 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,000 things that David has seen. 22 00:01:02,100 --> 00:01:03,500 I think as the oldest sibling, 23 00:01:03,567 --> 00:01:07,300 I have a lot of things that I wish that I could bear 24 00:01:07,367 --> 00:01:09,300 the burden instead of them having to. 25 00:01:09,367 --> 00:01:11,300 Just knowing that he was there 26 00:01:11,367 --> 00:01:13,967 and had to deal with that kind of fear. 27 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,000 Um... 28 00:01:18,100 --> 00:01:20,166 I'll never know what that's like, 29 00:01:20,166 --> 00:01:24,266 and I hate knowing that he sees it all the time. 30 00:01:24,367 --> 00:01:25,767 I know I couldn't take it away from him, 31 00:01:25,867 --> 00:01:28,567 but sometimes I wish I could at least share in it, 32 00:01:28,667 --> 00:01:30,000 because I just -- it just breaks my heart. 33 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:31,266 because I just -- it just breaks my heart. 34 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:35,033 [exhales heavily] 35 00:01:41,166 --> 00:01:44,200 DAVID: Every morning, my mom would make me a cup of coffee, 36 00:01:44,266 --> 00:01:46,266 and we'd sit out on the couch, 37 00:01:46,367 --> 00:01:49,667 drinking our coffee together, and just... 38 00:01:51,100 --> 00:01:52,900 just fantasize about the many ways he could die 39 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:54,367 while he was out running an errand. 40 00:01:55,967 --> 00:01:57,133 What if while he was out, 41 00:01:57,166 --> 00:02:00,000 he got into a crazy accident and just never came home? 42 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:01,166 he got into a crazy accident and just never came home? 43 00:02:01,266 --> 00:02:02,967 And every once in a while, you know, 44 00:02:02,967 --> 00:02:05,500 I'll be sitting on my porch having a cup of coffee, 45 00:02:05,567 --> 00:02:08,667 and I'll think about that. 46 00:02:08,667 --> 00:02:11,867 If I was talking to someone in the exact same situation, 47 00:02:13,066 --> 00:02:13,967 I'd say, "Kill him." 48 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,300 Nobody's gonna come and help you. 49 00:02:18,367 --> 00:02:21,900 And if you want to survive, 50 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:26,000 if you want your loved ones to survive, 51 00:02:28,500 --> 00:02:29,700 you can't hesitate. 52 00:02:33,066 --> 00:02:36,066 [The Paper Chase's "What's So Amazing About Grace?" plays] 53 00:02:36,066 --> 00:02:38,467 [strings continue playing sinister tune] 54 00:02:38,467 --> 00:02:40,367 [static crackling] 55 00:02:42,767 --> 00:02:45,266 [knock at door] [creaking] 56 00:02:45,367 --> 00:02:50,667 -[banging on door] -[creaking] 57 00:02:50,767 --> 00:02:54,467 -[banging on door] -[creaking] 58 00:02:54,467 --> 00:02:57,567 [water dripping] 59 00:02:57,667 --> 00:03:00,000 [banging on door] [creaking] 60 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:00,500 [banging on door] [creaking] 61 00:03:00,567 --> 00:03:02,567 [sinister chord strikes] 62 00:03:13,300 --> 00:03:18,400 This is a picture of Scott and my mom on their wedding night. 63 00:03:19,700 --> 00:03:22,567 That was the November after I was born -- at this point, 64 00:03:22,567 --> 00:03:25,967 mom already had Jessica through an earlier marriage 65 00:03:25,967 --> 00:03:27,667 that had fallen apart. 66 00:03:27,667 --> 00:03:30,000 From what I've been told when they met, you know, 67 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:30,166 From what I've been told when they met, you know, 68 00:03:30,166 --> 00:03:34,867 he was a gentleman, the kind of guy who would 69 00:03:34,967 --> 00:03:37,367 give you the shirt off his back, 70 00:03:37,367 --> 00:03:42,166 and you wonder what happened to that fun-sounding guy. 71 00:03:42,166 --> 00:03:43,667 My mom had to have been happy at one point. 72 00:03:43,667 --> 00:03:45,000 She wouldn't have stayed with him, 73 00:03:45,100 --> 00:03:47,467 wouldn't have married him if she wasn't, 74 00:03:47,567 --> 00:03:49,800 but it's hard 75 00:03:49,867 --> 00:03:51,967 to imagine them ever happy. 76 00:03:51,967 --> 00:03:54,100 Maybe there's some decency there, 77 00:03:54,166 --> 00:03:56,367 but I never got to see it in person. 78 00:03:56,367 --> 00:03:57,567 I've only heard stories. 79 00:04:00,667 --> 00:04:05,967 So this is a photo of myself and Scott at their wedding. 80 00:04:07,467 --> 00:04:09,367 I hate looking at pictures of Scott. 81 00:04:09,467 --> 00:04:12,100 I hate looking at his eyes. It makes me uncomfortable. 82 00:04:13,266 --> 00:04:16,200 I do look happy in this photo. 83 00:04:16,266 --> 00:04:19,100 This is before everything just went off the rails. 84 00:04:19,166 --> 00:04:20,867 I had no idea what was to come. 85 00:04:20,967 --> 00:04:22,767 Looking back now, this is a lie. 86 00:04:22,867 --> 00:04:24,166 This is -- this is a sham. 87 00:04:24,266 --> 00:04:26,967 I never felt genuine love from him. 88 00:04:26,967 --> 00:04:30,000 I think that I was a pawn, a means to an end. 89 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:31,367 I think that I was a pawn, a means to an end. 90 00:04:31,467 --> 00:04:33,266 It's weird to look at it and kind of think, like, you know, 91 00:04:33,266 --> 00:04:35,266 like, what could have been -- if things had just turned out 92 00:04:35,367 --> 00:04:36,367 differently, then this photo 93 00:04:36,467 --> 00:04:38,200 would have an entirely different meaning to me. 94 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:56,967 Coercive control is a form of 95 00:04:56,967 --> 00:04:59,166 abuse that does not leave any marks. 96 00:04:59,166 --> 00:05:00,000 It's tactics that include intimidation, 97 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,867 It's tactics that include intimidation, 98 00:05:02,867 --> 00:05:05,600 humiliation, isolation, 99 00:05:05,667 --> 00:05:08,000 financial control. 100 00:05:08,066 --> 00:05:09,667 It changes you as a person. 101 00:05:09,767 --> 00:05:12,100 It makes you doubt yourself. 102 00:05:12,166 --> 00:05:13,667 When we first moved, I was excited, 103 00:05:13,667 --> 00:05:17,300 but there were rules about everything. 104 00:05:17,367 --> 00:05:18,667 I really love this color. 105 00:05:18,767 --> 00:05:19,900 I don't know if it'll be my color. 106 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:21,000 -Daddy will tell me. -SCOTT: We'll see. 107 00:05:21,100 --> 00:05:22,266 Put it up to you. 108 00:05:22,367 --> 00:05:24,467 How we did things, how we said things, 109 00:05:24,467 --> 00:05:26,567 where we went, who we spoke to. 110 00:05:28,100 --> 00:05:30,000 Hey, what do you think you're doing? 111 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:30,300 Hey, what do you think you're doing? 112 00:05:30,367 --> 00:05:32,166 JESSICA: On the surface, wiping your feet, 113 00:05:32,166 --> 00:05:33,900 the way we wash our hands, that all sounds normal. 114 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,000 But jewelry couldn't be worn in 115 00:05:36,100 --> 00:05:38,166 the house, because we might scratch a countertop. 116 00:05:38,266 --> 00:05:39,967 You couldn't sit on the floor if you were 117 00:05:39,967 --> 00:05:42,467 wearing jeans, because the rivets might scratch 118 00:05:42,567 --> 00:05:44,000 the hardwood floor. 119 00:05:44,100 --> 00:05:45,867 The rule that we had on Monday 120 00:05:45,967 --> 00:05:47,500 might not be the same rule Wednesday. 121 00:05:47,567 --> 00:05:49,700 Why did we have the rule? We didn't know. 122 00:05:49,767 --> 00:05:51,900 He had complete control over myself, 123 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:54,567 my brother, my sister, my mom. 124 00:05:54,667 --> 00:05:55,667 Take 'em off. 125 00:05:55,767 --> 00:05:59,500 JESSICA: And there were consequences 126 00:05:59,567 --> 00:06:00,000 if you didn't do things his way. 127 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:01,400 if you didn't do things his way. 128 00:06:08,467 --> 00:06:11,300 Scott would not allow my mom to wear makeup. 129 00:06:11,367 --> 00:06:15,266 She wasn't allowed to paint her nails or dye her hair, 130 00:06:15,266 --> 00:06:19,300 but one day, I came home, and my mom was wearing not only makeup 131 00:06:19,367 --> 00:06:20,567 but purple eyeshadow. 132 00:06:20,667 --> 00:06:22,600 Mom? 133 00:06:22,667 --> 00:06:24,800 -JESSICA: I was like, what? -Jessica. 134 00:06:24,867 --> 00:06:27,767 -What is this? -How was school? 135 00:06:27,867 --> 00:06:29,467 What are you wearing? 136 00:06:29,567 --> 00:06:30,000 JESSICA: And I was asking her, like, why -- 137 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:31,166 JESSICA: And I was asking her, like, why -- 138 00:06:31,166 --> 00:06:32,100 why are you wearing this? 139 00:06:32,166 --> 00:06:33,867 I thought you weren't supposed to? 140 00:06:33,867 --> 00:06:36,000 And she wouldn't really give me, like, a straight answer. 141 00:06:36,100 --> 00:06:37,667 Don't you worry about it. 142 00:06:37,767 --> 00:06:39,033 JESSICA: Just trying to push it off 143 00:06:39,100 --> 00:06:42,000 like it wasn't a big deal, and I'm a very persistent person. 144 00:06:42,066 --> 00:06:46,100 And I kept asking her, "Why now? Why this color? 145 00:06:46,166 --> 00:06:48,367 What was special about today?" 146 00:06:48,367 --> 00:06:51,100 And, like, looking closer, it just dawned on me 147 00:06:51,166 --> 00:06:52,300 that it was... 148 00:06:53,667 --> 00:06:54,900 to cover up bruises. 149 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,467 -Can I see? -Jessica, sweetie. 150 00:06:58,467 --> 00:07:00,000 JESSICA: My mom never had to actually tell me that 151 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:00,900 JESSICA: My mom never had to actually tell me that 152 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:03,066 that was why she had the makeup on. 153 00:07:03,066 --> 00:07:05,300 Why don't you go get cleaned up? 154 00:07:05,367 --> 00:07:06,567 JESSICA: But I knew. 155 00:07:06,567 --> 00:07:08,767 There was just, like, a -- like a sadness in her eyes. 156 00:07:08,767 --> 00:07:10,800 Like, she didn't have to tell me. 157 00:07:10,867 --> 00:07:12,667 You know how Scott gets. 158 00:07:16,867 --> 00:07:20,100 JESSICA: I think in that moment was when I realized that things 159 00:07:20,166 --> 00:07:24,000 had escalated beyond just the yelling and the rules. 160 00:07:24,100 --> 00:07:26,166 I realized that there was physical violence 161 00:07:26,266 --> 00:07:27,266 going on, as well. 162 00:07:40,166 --> 00:07:42,367 So one thing that I noticed about Scott was, 163 00:07:42,467 --> 00:07:45,400 he seemed to get more controlling, 164 00:07:45,467 --> 00:07:48,367 a little crazier, as time went on. 165 00:07:48,467 --> 00:07:49,900 David being born. 166 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,000 Emily being born, everything seemed to push him 167 00:07:53,066 --> 00:07:56,100 a little further, and as that took place, 168 00:07:56,166 --> 00:08:00,000 he seemed to feel the need to control more and more things 169 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:00,066 he seemed to feel the need to control more and more things 170 00:08:00,066 --> 00:08:01,900 and more and more people around him. 171 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:03,867 JENNIFER: Come on. Say something! 172 00:08:06,567 --> 00:08:07,700 Shut it off. 173 00:08:11,166 --> 00:08:14,500 JESSICA: There was a lot more slammed doors 174 00:08:14,567 --> 00:08:19,867 and a lot more hearing things were happening. 175 00:08:19,967 --> 00:08:22,567 One time, we were in the playroom, and my mom 176 00:08:22,667 --> 00:08:23,700 was outside, 177 00:08:23,767 --> 00:08:26,000 and we hear him slam the garage door 178 00:08:26,100 --> 00:08:27,600 and scream her name. 179 00:08:27,667 --> 00:08:29,300 AS SCOTT: Are you stupid? 180 00:08:29,367 --> 00:08:30,000 How many times do I have to tell you? 181 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:30,567 How many times do I have to tell you? 182 00:08:30,667 --> 00:08:32,767 JESSICA: And we could just hear yelling, 183 00:08:32,767 --> 00:08:35,066 and then I just heard this banging. 184 00:08:36,367 --> 00:08:38,200 And, of course, we're scared. 185 00:08:38,266 --> 00:08:40,600 We had no idea what it was. 186 00:08:40,667 --> 00:08:42,467 We knew it wasn't good, 187 00:08:42,467 --> 00:08:44,667 but we didn't know exactly what was going on. 188 00:08:44,667 --> 00:08:46,467 AS SCOTT: Use the other shovel! 189 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,900 Eventually, later on, she came into the playroom. 190 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:54,900 Hey, guys. 191 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:59,767 And I just kept asking her what it was. 192 00:08:59,767 --> 00:09:00,000 What was noise before? 193 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:01,867 What was noise before? 194 00:09:01,867 --> 00:09:03,600 JESSICA: And she didn't want to answer me. 195 00:09:03,667 --> 00:09:05,667 She wanted me to just leave it alone, let it go. 196 00:09:05,667 --> 00:09:09,166 And eventually, she told me that the sound that we heard 197 00:09:09,266 --> 00:09:12,667 was him slamming her head against the garage door. 198 00:09:12,767 --> 00:09:14,700 I should have known better. 199 00:09:14,767 --> 00:09:18,600 JESSICA: Scott had rules about which shovels were used where, 200 00:09:18,667 --> 00:09:20,367 and she was using the wrong shovel. 201 00:09:21,667 --> 00:09:23,767 And then, because he did that, 202 00:09:23,867 --> 00:09:27,567 she kind of, like, fell on the floor, and then he beat her 203 00:09:27,567 --> 00:09:30,000 more, because she got dirty from falling on the garage floor. 204 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:30,500 more, because she got dirty from falling on the garage floor. 205 00:09:30,567 --> 00:09:34,767 But Scott was really good at not leaving a lot of marks. 206 00:09:34,867 --> 00:09:37,100 The time that she wore the makeup was, like, 207 00:09:37,166 --> 00:09:38,300 an exception to the rule. 208 00:09:38,367 --> 00:09:41,767 Other injuries were more punching in the ribs, 209 00:09:41,867 --> 00:09:43,100 kicking in the ribs. 210 00:09:43,166 --> 00:09:47,166 Typically, there weren't a lot of marks. 211 00:09:47,166 --> 00:09:50,400 I just remember being very afraid, 212 00:09:50,467 --> 00:09:52,867 not understanding why something like that would 213 00:09:52,967 --> 00:09:56,367 happen, feeling like I wish that I could protect her, 214 00:09:56,467 --> 00:09:57,767 but I knew that I couldn't. 215 00:09:57,767 --> 00:09:59,967 We're gonna figure everything out. 216 00:09:59,967 --> 00:10:00,000 JESSICA: So many people, after everything happened, 217 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,500 JESSICA: So many people, after everything happened, 218 00:10:02,567 --> 00:10:04,100 were like, "Why didn't you just tell us?" 219 00:10:04,166 --> 00:10:06,600 We didn't feel like we could tell anyone. 220 00:10:06,667 --> 00:10:10,800 That felt more dangerous, because he told my mom 221 00:10:10,867 --> 00:10:12,700 that if she ever tried to leave him, that he would 222 00:10:12,767 --> 00:10:13,867 find her, and he would kill her. 223 00:10:13,867 --> 00:10:16,900 But he would kill me first and make her watch. 224 00:10:18,567 --> 00:10:22,467 Her overall appearance was just defeated. 225 00:10:22,467 --> 00:10:25,600 You could see the stress, you could see the anxiety, 226 00:10:25,667 --> 00:10:27,000 you could see the fear. 227 00:10:27,100 --> 00:10:28,467 She was never at ease. 228 00:10:28,467 --> 00:10:30,000 She just always seemed... 229 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:31,767 She just always seemed... 230 00:10:31,767 --> 00:10:32,934 scared. 231 00:10:40,667 --> 00:10:43,266 DAVID: The frequency grew over time to the point where 232 00:10:43,266 --> 00:10:47,500 if we tracked a grain of sand into the house, 233 00:10:47,567 --> 00:10:50,066 he'd beat our mom. 234 00:10:50,066 --> 00:10:54,567 If he thought we turned the light switch on 235 00:10:54,567 --> 00:10:57,100 too forcefully, he'd beat our mom. 236 00:10:57,166 --> 00:10:59,467 Emily, Jessica, and I would all cower 237 00:10:59,467 --> 00:11:00,000 in the playroom and know that 238 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,166 in the playroom and know that 239 00:11:03,266 --> 00:11:05,266 we couldn't do anything. 240 00:11:08,100 --> 00:11:09,667 There was one time in particular, 241 00:11:09,767 --> 00:11:11,300 Jessica was away for the weekend, 242 00:11:11,367 --> 00:11:13,266 so it was just me and Emily in the playroom. 243 00:11:13,367 --> 00:11:16,100 He comes stomping down the hall, 244 00:11:16,166 --> 00:11:18,567 tells us he'll cave our heads in with baseball bats 245 00:11:18,567 --> 00:11:19,700 if we make a noise. 246 00:11:19,767 --> 00:11:21,467 He doesn't want to hear a [bleep] sound out of 247 00:11:21,567 --> 00:11:23,500 this [bleep] room, slams the door, 248 00:11:23,567 --> 00:11:25,667 stomps back down the hall, 249 00:11:25,667 --> 00:11:26,967 and starts beating our mother. 250 00:11:26,967 --> 00:11:28,867 AS SCOTT: How many times do I have to tell you, 251 00:11:28,967 --> 00:11:30,000 shut the hell up? 252 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:30,400 shut the hell up? 253 00:11:30,467 --> 00:11:32,767 [As Jennifer sobbing] 254 00:11:32,867 --> 00:11:34,867 And we can hear the screaming, 255 00:11:34,867 --> 00:11:38,467 we can hear the hitting -- the impacts reverberated through 256 00:11:38,567 --> 00:11:40,100 the house, but... 257 00:11:40,166 --> 00:11:42,667 you know, the next thing I knew... 258 00:11:43,867 --> 00:11:45,367 she was calling out for me, 259 00:11:45,467 --> 00:11:46,867 AS JENNIFER: David! 260 00:11:46,867 --> 00:11:48,567 and she had never done that before. 261 00:11:48,667 --> 00:11:51,266 She must have been thinking that 262 00:11:51,367 --> 00:11:53,367 that was the moment that she was gonna die. 263 00:11:53,467 --> 00:11:55,967 [As Jennifer screaming] 264 00:11:55,967 --> 00:11:58,200 When I heard her call out for me, 265 00:11:58,266 --> 00:12:00,000 it was almost like instinct took over, you know, 266 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:01,567 it was almost like instinct took over, you know, 267 00:12:01,567 --> 00:12:03,166 I didn't even think about the ramifications 268 00:12:03,166 --> 00:12:05,166 of pissing him off by going down there and defying him. 269 00:12:05,266 --> 00:12:07,066 I ran down the hall to 270 00:12:07,066 --> 00:12:10,166 the kitchen, and as I came around the corner, 271 00:12:10,166 --> 00:12:14,667 she was on the floor in the fetal position, 272 00:12:14,667 --> 00:12:19,400 and he had clearly been kicking her in the rib. 273 00:12:19,467 --> 00:12:21,700 He looked over and saw me, and he 274 00:12:21,767 --> 00:12:23,867 had that look of the beast in his eye. 275 00:12:24,867 --> 00:12:28,500 When he was in that kind of a mindset, 276 00:12:28,567 --> 00:12:30,000 there was a look in his eye that was just this primal rage. 277 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:32,767 there was a look in his eye that was just this primal rage. 278 00:12:32,867 --> 00:12:35,667 I don't believe in demonic possession, 279 00:12:35,667 --> 00:12:38,667 but if I did, that would be it. 280 00:12:38,767 --> 00:12:41,367 When you saw that look, you just knew 281 00:12:41,367 --> 00:12:43,800 he is just out for blood. 282 00:12:45,667 --> 00:12:48,100 I ran back down the hallway towards the playroom, 283 00:12:48,166 --> 00:12:51,367 and he caught up with me by the time I got to the door 284 00:12:51,367 --> 00:12:55,400 and picked me up by the collar of my shirt 285 00:12:55,467 --> 00:12:59,066 and threw me into the playroom. 286 00:12:59,066 --> 00:13:00,000 He closed the door, went back 287 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:00,667 He closed the door, went back 288 00:13:00,767 --> 00:13:05,367 down the hall, and the beating stopped. 289 00:13:08,300 --> 00:13:11,467 I started thinking about how I could kill him 290 00:13:11,467 --> 00:13:13,266 to save us all, 291 00:13:13,266 --> 00:13:17,567 even if it meant I spent the rest of my life in jail. 292 00:13:18,667 --> 00:13:21,200 I thought of sneaking into his room 293 00:13:21,266 --> 00:13:22,400 and hiding under the bed until 294 00:13:22,467 --> 00:13:25,467 he fell asleep and coming out with a kitchen knife 295 00:13:25,567 --> 00:13:27,066 and stabbing him. 296 00:13:27,066 --> 00:13:30,000 I remember very distinctly that night looking 297 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:30,467 I remember very distinctly that night looking 298 00:13:30,467 --> 00:13:32,867 at myself in the mirror and seeing 299 00:13:32,867 --> 00:13:35,600 this scrawny 10-year-old 300 00:13:35,667 --> 00:13:38,667 who couldn't protect his mom 301 00:13:38,767 --> 00:13:42,867 and realizing that I needed to start preparing for when 302 00:13:42,967 --> 00:13:45,567 the day came that I needed to fight him. 303 00:13:45,567 --> 00:13:47,467 Every night before bed, 304 00:13:47,467 --> 00:13:50,066 I would do a couple hundred pushups, 305 00:13:50,066 --> 00:13:52,600 a couple hundred situps, 306 00:13:52,667 --> 00:13:56,367 but I didn't realize that the last fight 307 00:13:56,467 --> 00:13:59,300 wasn't going to be a fistfight and that he would bring a gun. 308 00:14:04,967 --> 00:14:06,700 DAVID: Hi, daddy. Hi, Jess. 309 00:14:06,767 --> 00:14:09,066 Scott was my stepfather, 310 00:14:09,066 --> 00:14:13,767 and I felt like he used that to his benefit. 311 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:18,066 When I was supposed to be listening to what he said, 312 00:14:18,066 --> 00:14:19,700 he was my father. 313 00:14:19,767 --> 00:14:22,967 When it came to him trying to explain why it would be okay to 314 00:14:22,967 --> 00:14:24,800 have a sexual relationship with me, 315 00:14:24,867 --> 00:14:26,667 he was my stepfather. 316 00:14:35,500 --> 00:14:37,700 It kind of started innocently enough. 317 00:14:37,767 --> 00:14:41,667 I was about 18, and one morning, Emily was in 318 00:14:41,667 --> 00:14:46,166 bed with Scott, cuddling, and he wanted me to join. 319 00:14:46,166 --> 00:14:48,467 But then it turned into just me, 320 00:14:48,567 --> 00:14:50,767 and then just me with the door closed, 321 00:14:51,967 --> 00:14:54,667 and then wanting me to wear less clothes 322 00:14:54,667 --> 00:14:57,600 and him to wear less clothes. 323 00:14:57,667 --> 00:15:02,266 Then it became Scott sending my mom to come get me. 324 00:15:02,266 --> 00:15:03,242 I feel like that's probably one 325 00:15:03,242 --> 00:15:03,867 I feel like that's probably one 326 00:15:03,967 --> 00:15:06,000 of the cruelest things that he did. 327 00:15:08,367 --> 00:15:09,867 I remember her coming in in the morning 328 00:15:09,967 --> 00:15:11,100 to get me -- she's like, you know, 329 00:15:11,166 --> 00:15:13,166 "Daddy wants you to come snuggle," and I would be like, 330 00:15:13,166 --> 00:15:16,767 "I don't want to go in there, I don't want to." 331 00:15:16,767 --> 00:15:18,400 And she'd say, "I know." 332 00:15:18,467 --> 00:15:24,066 Her face was one of sadness, 333 00:15:24,066 --> 00:15:26,400 but I still had to go. 334 00:15:26,467 --> 00:15:28,266 And am I mad at her about it? 335 00:15:28,266 --> 00:15:31,000 Of course. Do I blame her a little bit? 336 00:15:31,100 --> 00:15:33,242 Yes, but I understand, 337 00:15:33,242 --> 00:15:34,266 Yes, but I understand, 338 00:15:34,266 --> 00:15:35,967 and a lot of people don't. 339 00:15:35,967 --> 00:15:40,467 They say that she was complicit, that she didn't care, 340 00:15:40,567 --> 00:15:44,166 and she was serving me up to him on a platter. 341 00:15:44,266 --> 00:15:46,667 That's not what happened 342 00:15:46,767 --> 00:15:50,567 At that time, compliance was our only option. 343 00:15:50,567 --> 00:15:54,367 No one liked it, but there wasn't a choice. 344 00:16:01,266 --> 00:16:03,242 If I said no, he'd be upset, 345 00:16:03,242 --> 00:16:04,100 If I said no, he'd be upset, 346 00:16:04,166 --> 00:16:05,900 and I didn't want anything to happen to my mom. 347 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,667 So I said yes. 348 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:13,200 Even though I was in college when this was going on, 349 00:16:13,266 --> 00:16:16,967 and I had a car, and I had the means to leave, 350 00:16:16,967 --> 00:16:19,000 I couldn't -- I couldn't leave my mother behind. 351 00:16:19,100 --> 00:16:21,200 I couldn't leave my siblings behind. 352 00:16:21,266 --> 00:16:23,500 I would try to make excuses. I have to go to the bathroom. 353 00:16:23,567 --> 00:16:26,567 My stomach hurts. I'm hungry. I think I hear David. 354 00:16:26,567 --> 00:16:29,100 David knew what was going on, and he 355 00:16:29,166 --> 00:16:32,367 knew I didn't want to go in there. 356 00:16:34,667 --> 00:16:36,300 DAVID: I don't remember Jessica ever telling me 357 00:16:36,367 --> 00:16:37,600 what Scott was doing to her. 358 00:16:37,667 --> 00:16:41,500 It was apparent to me that 359 00:16:41,567 --> 00:16:45,967 something was happening behind closed doors, and it 360 00:16:45,967 --> 00:16:51,266 was less common if I was actively around Jessica. 361 00:16:52,266 --> 00:16:55,600 I think he was afraid of me figuring it out. 362 00:16:55,667 --> 00:16:59,667 So if I stayed awake and didn't go to bed, 363 00:16:59,667 --> 00:17:03,242 it was less likely that he would call her into his room. 364 00:17:03,242 --> 00:17:03,300 it was less likely that he would call her into his room. 365 00:17:05,367 --> 00:17:08,867 I realized I needed to stay awake, 366 00:17:08,867 --> 00:17:13,000 until sometimes up to one at night, 367 00:17:13,100 --> 00:17:15,367 just to listen. 368 00:17:15,467 --> 00:17:18,166 You know, it's something that sticks with me to this day. 369 00:17:18,266 --> 00:17:21,166 Takes me a couple hours to fall asleep at night, 370 00:17:21,166 --> 00:17:25,000 and I wake up throughout the night most nights. 371 00:17:35,867 --> 00:17:39,000 When I was in college, I would just come home on weekends. 372 00:17:39,100 --> 00:17:41,400 Every time I was leaving to go back to school, I had to leave 373 00:17:41,467 --> 00:17:43,667 him a note, basically, 374 00:17:43,767 --> 00:17:47,667 just thanking him for being such a wonderful stepfather, 375 00:17:47,667 --> 00:17:50,100 for all the things that he does for me. 376 00:17:50,166 --> 00:17:51,233 I'll miss you. 377 00:17:51,266 --> 00:17:54,000 Um, you know, see you next weekend kind of a thing. 378 00:17:54,066 --> 00:17:55,667 [sighs] 379 00:17:55,767 --> 00:17:58,667 And I remember standing at the island in the kitchen, 380 00:17:58,667 --> 00:18:00,300 just, like, not even knowing what to write anymore, 381 00:18:00,367 --> 00:18:02,867 because I'm like, what else can I say? 382 00:18:02,867 --> 00:18:03,242 I hated him. 383 00:18:03,242 --> 00:18:03,967 I hated him. 384 00:18:03,967 --> 00:18:07,367 He was a terrible person that made our lives hell. 385 00:18:07,367 --> 00:18:09,500 And I still had to write him this, like, sicky sweet note 386 00:18:09,567 --> 00:18:10,900 like we were the Waltons. 387 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:14,667 But I did it, because I knew if he woke up and it wasn't there, 388 00:18:14,667 --> 00:18:16,467 what kind of day was that gonna be for my mom? 389 00:18:16,567 --> 00:18:19,400 It was like another thing I felt like I needed to do to try 390 00:18:19,467 --> 00:18:21,867 to ensure things would go smoothly for my -- 391 00:18:21,967 --> 00:18:24,100 my family in my absence. 392 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:30,200 I had no idea that Scott was saving them, dating them. 393 00:18:30,266 --> 00:18:33,242 After everything happened, Scott actually used them, um, in 394 00:18:33,242 --> 00:18:33,700 After everything happened, Scott actually used them, um, in 395 00:18:33,767 --> 00:18:36,000 court as a tactic, like, "Oh, 396 00:18:36,066 --> 00:18:37,400 "if I had done all these things to her, 397 00:18:37,467 --> 00:18:40,000 "if I treated her this way, if she was so afraid of me, 398 00:18:40,100 --> 00:18:42,567 why would she leave me all these nice notes?" 399 00:18:47,266 --> 00:18:49,066 These are 400 00:18:49,066 --> 00:18:52,467 the notes that Scott made me write for him. 401 00:18:52,467 --> 00:18:54,066 This one is particularly upsetting. 402 00:18:54,066 --> 00:18:55,767 It says, "Good morning, daddio. 403 00:18:55,767 --> 00:18:56,867 "I hope you slept well. 404 00:18:56,867 --> 00:18:59,000 "It was nice spending time with you last night. 405 00:19:00,066 --> 00:19:01,567 "I hope you have a good week. I love you. 406 00:19:01,667 --> 00:19:03,242 See you Friday. Love, Buddha." 407 00:19:03,242 --> 00:19:03,567 See you Friday. Love, Buddha." 408 00:19:03,567 --> 00:19:06,000 And that was because I was self-conscious about my weight. 409 00:19:06,100 --> 00:19:07,900 So "Buddha belly," you know? 410 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,800 He was just -- all of this was humorous to him. 411 00:19:12,166 --> 00:19:14,900 I didn't mean a word of it, 412 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:16,400 but I did it for my mom. 413 00:19:17,467 --> 00:19:20,800 I was honestly embarrassed when this was 414 00:19:20,867 --> 00:19:23,867 something that he used in court to say, 415 00:19:23,867 --> 00:19:25,867 you know, how could these things be true 416 00:19:25,867 --> 00:19:29,467 when she wrote me these notes? I felt foolish. 417 00:19:29,467 --> 00:19:31,867 I felt, like, how can I back up what 418 00:19:31,967 --> 00:19:33,242 I'm saying when he has this thing in my handwriting. 419 00:19:33,242 --> 00:19:36,100 I'm saying when he has this thing in my handwriting. 420 00:19:49,266 --> 00:19:50,867 I didn't think that my mom had it in her 421 00:19:50,967 --> 00:19:53,367 for us to escape the way that we did, 422 00:19:53,467 --> 00:19:56,567 and I certainly don't think that Scott thought that 423 00:19:56,567 --> 00:19:58,367 my mom had it in her to do that. 424 00:19:59,967 --> 00:20:03,242 So, on the morning of April 14, 2007, 425 00:20:03,242 --> 00:20:03,800 So, on the morning of April 14, 2007, 426 00:20:03,867 --> 00:20:05,400 our microwave stopped working. 427 00:20:05,467 --> 00:20:07,266 AS SCOTT: Damn it! 428 00:20:07,266 --> 00:20:09,000 JESSICA: This set him off. 429 00:20:09,066 --> 00:20:11,300 Are you kidding me? Again! 430 00:20:11,367 --> 00:20:12,433 I'm sure I was making 431 00:20:12,467 --> 00:20:14,900 a facial expression that he didn't find compliant. 432 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:16,900 What the hell was that? 433 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,800 And he just came over and, like, 434 00:20:20,867 --> 00:20:23,867 open hand just slapped me across the face. 435 00:20:25,767 --> 00:20:27,767 And that had never really happened before. 436 00:20:29,266 --> 00:20:32,767 And as he was, like, kind of yelling at us, yelling at me, 437 00:20:32,767 --> 00:20:33,242 my mom was mouthing to us, like, over his shoulder 438 00:20:33,242 --> 00:20:35,500 my mom was mouthing to us, like, over his shoulder 439 00:20:35,567 --> 00:20:36,767 that we were gonna leave. 440 00:20:37,967 --> 00:20:40,100 We could see her saying, like... 441 00:20:40,166 --> 00:20:42,667 [mouthing words] 442 00:20:42,667 --> 00:20:45,600 DAVID: According to my mom, that was the breaking moment. 443 00:20:45,667 --> 00:20:47,467 [breathing shakily] 444 00:20:47,467 --> 00:20:49,100 Are you okay? 445 00:20:49,166 --> 00:20:52,266 The level of physical violence directed 446 00:20:52,367 --> 00:20:54,100 at one of the kids. 447 00:20:54,166 --> 00:20:56,800 We're leaving...tonight. 448 00:20:56,867 --> 00:21:00,100 DAVID: Most days, Scott had this ritual that he took 449 00:21:00,166 --> 00:21:03,242 these very weirdly long showers that lasted 450 00:21:03,242 --> 00:21:04,367 these very weirdly long showers that lasted 451 00:21:04,467 --> 00:21:05,900 around two hours. 452 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:08,967 Our mom said, "Tonight, when he takes a shower, 453 00:21:08,967 --> 00:21:10,567 we're gonna leave." 454 00:21:13,100 --> 00:21:14,500 There was a lot of disbelief, 455 00:21:14,567 --> 00:21:17,266 but there was definitely a cautious optimism 456 00:21:17,266 --> 00:21:19,867 of we could actually do this. 457 00:21:19,967 --> 00:21:21,567 It started to get pretty late. 458 00:21:21,567 --> 00:21:23,367 We thought it wasn't gonna happen. 459 00:21:23,367 --> 00:21:25,100 And then a little bit later than 460 00:21:25,166 --> 00:21:27,867 he normally would take his nightly shower, 461 00:21:27,967 --> 00:21:31,500 we heard the water go on, and it was go-time. 462 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:33,242 Everything from that moment on was just... 463 00:21:33,242 --> 00:21:35,100 Everything from that moment on was just... 464 00:21:36,100 --> 00:21:37,967 on the seat of our pants -- we're gonna need 465 00:21:37,967 --> 00:21:40,066 toothbrushes, pillows, 466 00:21:40,066 --> 00:21:42,266 a couple days worth of clothes, 467 00:21:42,266 --> 00:21:44,900 and we don't have suitcases, what do we do? 468 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,367 And we were just like, garbage bags. 469 00:21:47,467 --> 00:21:49,200 Me and Jessica started going 470 00:21:49,266 --> 00:21:51,367 through the house, opening drawers, not even 471 00:21:51,467 --> 00:21:53,100 looking, dumping stuff in. 472 00:21:53,166 --> 00:21:54,367 I think mom was looking for 473 00:21:54,467 --> 00:21:56,867 things like our Social Security cards, 474 00:21:56,867 --> 00:21:59,900 you know, um, birth certificates, like things like 475 00:22:00,066 --> 00:22:01,166 that, important things that she would need. 476 00:22:01,166 --> 00:22:03,242 It felt surreal. 477 00:22:03,242 --> 00:22:03,266 It felt surreal. 478 00:22:03,266 --> 00:22:06,000 I wasn't quite sure we were gonna be able to pull it off. 479 00:22:06,066 --> 00:22:07,000 Was he gonna catch us? 480 00:22:07,066 --> 00:22:08,567 And then what? What's gonna happen? 481 00:22:08,667 --> 00:22:11,567 Is this when he's gonna finally actually kill all of us? 482 00:22:11,567 --> 00:22:14,200 -[water stops] -[breathing shakily] 483 00:22:15,867 --> 00:22:19,000 All of this was a big risk, because his bathroom had 484 00:22:19,066 --> 00:22:20,200 a window on the driveway, 485 00:22:20,266 --> 00:22:24,100 so we had to make sure we were as quiet as possible. 486 00:22:24,166 --> 00:22:28,467 We piled everybody in the van, put it in neutral, and rolled 487 00:22:28,567 --> 00:22:29,800 down the driveway as far as 488 00:22:29,867 --> 00:22:33,367 possible away from the house before turning the engine on, 489 00:22:33,467 --> 00:22:38,200 drove a few towns over to a random, dinky little motel, 490 00:22:38,266 --> 00:22:44,000 which was both exhilarating and absolutely terrifying. 491 00:22:44,567 --> 00:22:47,367 Every time we heard somebody walking down the hall or heard 492 00:22:47,367 --> 00:22:49,867 the ice machine or heard the wind blow, 493 00:22:49,867 --> 00:22:51,667 we thought it was him. 494 00:23:01,166 --> 00:23:03,700 JESSICA: We were too afraid to be separated. 495 00:23:03,767 --> 00:23:06,667 We had to stay together as a unit, and no one 496 00:23:06,767 --> 00:23:10,400 would take us except for a shelter in California. 497 00:23:10,467 --> 00:23:14,466 While we were gone in California, unbeknownst to us, 498 00:23:14,466 --> 00:23:15,100 While we were gone in California, unbeknownst to us, 499 00:23:15,166 --> 00:23:18,967 he started to put some plans 500 00:23:18,967 --> 00:23:21,600 that we weren't even aware of, um, 501 00:23:21,667 --> 00:23:22,667 into action. 502 00:23:22,767 --> 00:23:24,300 No, of course not. 503 00:23:25,500 --> 00:23:27,567 No, I would never do anything like that. 504 00:23:27,567 --> 00:23:31,166 DAVID: We attempted to check our bank accounts, 505 00:23:31,166 --> 00:23:34,667 and he had drained everything from our mother's account. 506 00:23:34,667 --> 00:23:37,367 No, no, we're not going back. We can't. 507 00:23:37,367 --> 00:23:41,100 We found out around that time that he had put out 508 00:23:41,166 --> 00:23:42,767 an Amber Alert for us, that we were missing, 509 00:23:42,867 --> 00:23:44,466 and then he hired a lawyer and filed for custody 510 00:23:44,466 --> 00:23:47,667 and then he hired a lawyer and filed for custody 511 00:23:47,767 --> 00:23:51,400 of us saying that our mother had kidnapped us. 512 00:23:51,467 --> 00:23:53,567 The court date came and went, and my mom didn't know 513 00:23:53,667 --> 00:23:55,867 about it -- Scott won. 514 00:23:55,967 --> 00:23:57,700 I understand. 515 00:23:57,767 --> 00:23:59,266 Mom, is everything all right? 516 00:24:00,700 --> 00:24:02,600 We were going to have to return to the state 517 00:24:02,667 --> 00:24:05,667 of Connecticut for her to hand the kids over to Scott. 518 00:24:07,100 --> 00:24:10,000 I think she was terrified, not only to go back, but at 519 00:24:10,066 --> 00:24:13,300 the thought of having to hand David and Emily over to him. 520 00:24:13,367 --> 00:24:14,466 We had no idea what we were gonna be facing. 521 00:24:14,466 --> 00:24:15,567 We had no idea what we were gonna be facing. 522 00:24:15,667 --> 00:24:17,100 What if we just kept going? 523 00:24:17,166 --> 00:24:20,100 DAVID: We floated the idea of running away and kind of going 524 00:24:20,166 --> 00:24:23,500 off grid, but we ended up deciding against that, 525 00:24:23,567 --> 00:24:25,667 because not only would we have 526 00:24:25,667 --> 00:24:27,667 to live in fear of him, looking over our 527 00:24:27,767 --> 00:24:29,800 shoulders for the rest of our lives, 528 00:24:29,867 --> 00:24:33,667 but that would also mean that anytime we saw a police officer, 529 00:24:33,767 --> 00:24:35,667 we would be worried that they were there 530 00:24:35,767 --> 00:24:38,667 to arrest our mom and take us all back by force. 531 00:24:38,667 --> 00:24:40,367 AS DAVID: So what do we do? 532 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:43,166 What if we just tell the police? 533 00:24:43,266 --> 00:24:44,466 So we decided that the only option that 534 00:24:44,466 --> 00:24:46,700 So we decided that the only option that 535 00:24:46,767 --> 00:24:48,767 we had was to fight it in court. 536 00:24:53,700 --> 00:24:55,066 JESSICA: One of the first things that we did was 537 00:24:55,066 --> 00:24:56,700 go to the Plymouth Police Department, 538 00:24:56,767 --> 00:24:58,100 file official reports there. 539 00:24:58,166 --> 00:25:01,567 we reported the physical violence, the sexual abuse, 540 00:25:01,667 --> 00:25:02,767 all of that. 541 00:25:02,767 --> 00:25:04,667 DAVID: We did get the restraining order, 542 00:25:04,667 --> 00:25:07,100 and in the end, he was forced to move out. 543 00:25:07,166 --> 00:25:09,266 Our plan in coming back to Connecticut was 544 00:25:09,266 --> 00:25:12,000 always for it to be a temporary situation. 545 00:25:12,100 --> 00:25:14,300 As soon as we were not required to be there, 546 00:25:14,367 --> 00:25:14,466 we intended to leave. 547 00:25:14,466 --> 00:25:15,567 we intended to leave. 548 00:25:15,567 --> 00:25:19,266 We felt that we would send Jessica out early to 549 00:25:19,367 --> 00:25:22,700 get a job, to start setting up a life for us. 550 00:25:22,767 --> 00:25:25,200 We would follow as soon as we could. 551 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,300 And it was sad, you know, but I was like, 552 00:25:28,367 --> 00:25:29,567 oh, you know, I'm gonna see them soon. 553 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:31,567 There's just, like, a little bit more to do and, you know, 554 00:25:31,567 --> 00:25:32,800 then we'll all be together again. 555 00:25:32,867 --> 00:25:36,066 So I headed back, 556 00:25:36,066 --> 00:25:37,967 and my mom and my brother 557 00:25:37,967 --> 00:25:39,800 and sister were staying at a friend's house. 558 00:25:40,967 --> 00:25:44,066 It was emotional to be separated from them, 559 00:25:45,266 --> 00:25:48,600 but I didn't anticipate what happened next. 560 00:25:58,100 --> 00:26:02,400 DAVID: On August 22nd, we decided that we would go take 561 00:26:02,467 --> 00:26:05,767 a few of our belongings back to our friend's house. 562 00:26:07,166 --> 00:26:09,767 It appeared that Scott had moved out of the house. 563 00:26:09,867 --> 00:26:12,467 That night, we left, 564 00:26:12,467 --> 00:26:14,466 and when we left, we left all the lights on 565 00:26:14,466 --> 00:26:16,166 and when we left, we left all the lights on 566 00:26:16,166 --> 00:26:18,166 and all of the windows open. 567 00:26:19,867 --> 00:26:22,100 On August 23rd, we went back to 568 00:26:22,166 --> 00:26:25,166 the house to pick up a few more things. 569 00:26:25,166 --> 00:26:27,066 When we arrived, all of the blinds 570 00:26:27,066 --> 00:26:28,867 were shut, and all the lights were off. 571 00:26:28,967 --> 00:26:32,000 So clearly somebody had been up there. 572 00:26:32,066 --> 00:26:35,767 We called the local police, and they searched 573 00:26:35,867 --> 00:26:36,867 all of our rooms upstairs, 574 00:26:36,967 --> 00:26:39,400 the attic, the loft, the garage. 575 00:26:39,467 --> 00:26:42,767 But our grandmother, Mary Lou, lived on 576 00:26:42,867 --> 00:26:44,466 the ground floor of a separate in-law apartment. 577 00:26:44,466 --> 00:26:46,867 the ground floor of a separate in-law apartment. 578 00:26:46,967 --> 00:26:49,667 After they searched our portion of the house, 579 00:26:49,667 --> 00:26:54,000 they went to the in-law apartment, and she opened it 580 00:26:54,100 --> 00:26:57,600 a crack, and they asked if they 581 00:26:57,667 --> 00:27:01,400 could search the unit, and she said that it was her private 582 00:27:01,467 --> 00:27:04,266 property and that they would need a warrant. 583 00:27:06,367 --> 00:27:09,100 They decided not to pursue it. 584 00:27:12,700 --> 00:27:14,466 We didn't know at that point that Scott was hidden somewhere 585 00:27:14,466 --> 00:27:16,166 We didn't know at that point that Scott was hidden somewhere 586 00:27:16,166 --> 00:27:18,800 within Mary Lou's apartment, 587 00:27:18,867 --> 00:27:21,000 but at one point during the search, 588 00:27:21,066 --> 00:27:26,200 they missed two key items that 589 00:27:26,266 --> 00:27:28,600 should have been a major red flag 590 00:27:28,667 --> 00:27:30,467 that there was somebody in the building. 591 00:27:30,567 --> 00:27:33,667 In one of the kitchen cabinets 592 00:27:33,667 --> 00:27:35,867 was a baby monitor. 593 00:27:36,867 --> 00:27:39,767 While the police were searching the house, 594 00:27:39,767 --> 00:27:44,466 Scott was hidden somewhere within Mary Lou's apartment, 595 00:27:44,466 --> 00:27:44,867 Scott was hidden somewhere within Mary Lou's apartment, 596 00:27:44,867 --> 00:27:46,667 listening to our conversations. 597 00:27:46,667 --> 00:27:50,367 And also, there was a note next to the telephone 598 00:27:50,367 --> 00:27:52,000 that had not been there on the first day 599 00:27:52,100 --> 00:27:56,166 that said that the telephone line was no longer in service. 600 00:28:04,467 --> 00:28:07,567 We had kind of gathered the supplies that we wanted, 601 00:28:07,667 --> 00:28:11,467 and my mom just wanted to do some more cleaning. 602 00:28:11,567 --> 00:28:14,466 So I went next door to play video games 603 00:28:14,466 --> 00:28:14,700 So I went next door to play video games 604 00:28:14,767 --> 00:28:18,367 with my old friend, and around 10 p.m., 605 00:28:18,467 --> 00:28:20,367 we got a call at my neighbor's house. 606 00:28:20,367 --> 00:28:22,867 It was my mom telling me that it was 607 00:28:22,867 --> 00:28:25,867 getting late, and it was time to come home. 608 00:28:25,967 --> 00:28:28,500 My friend walked me back to the front door, 609 00:28:30,900 --> 00:28:34,467 and I distinctly remember locking the front door 610 00:28:34,467 --> 00:28:36,066 behind me, 611 00:28:36,066 --> 00:28:40,066 and I turned around, and I remember seeing just 612 00:28:40,066 --> 00:28:43,100 a gun come past the door of the kitchen, 613 00:28:44,367 --> 00:28:44,466 and at first, I thought it's a sick joke, until 614 00:28:44,466 --> 00:28:47,867 and at first, I thought it's a sick joke, until 615 00:28:47,967 --> 00:28:51,467 I saw Scott follow the gun. 616 00:28:56,367 --> 00:28:58,367 I saw that look in his eye that he 617 00:28:58,367 --> 00:29:00,367 always got when he was about to be violent. 618 00:29:01,500 --> 00:29:04,467 Right on his heels was his mother, saying, 619 00:29:04,567 --> 00:29:05,800 "Scott, don't do it. 620 00:29:05,867 --> 00:29:09,567 Don't do it now, we're gonna settle in court, don't do this." 621 00:29:09,567 --> 00:29:14,166 And he went over and grabbed my mom by the hair and said, 622 00:29:14,266 --> 00:29:17,000 "If anybody calls the cops, I'll [bleep] shoot you," 623 00:29:17,100 --> 00:29:19,000 and slammed her head onto the counter, 624 00:29:21,166 --> 00:29:23,800 and she just kept saying, "Scott, don't do this. 625 00:29:23,867 --> 00:29:24,967 Not in front of the children." 626 00:29:26,867 --> 00:29:28,266 Ever since the day we ran away, 627 00:29:28,266 --> 00:29:31,300 I started to carry a pocket knife on me. 628 00:29:32,467 --> 00:29:36,600 I unfurled the pocket and tried to brace myself 629 00:29:36,667 --> 00:29:37,667 to stab him. 630 00:29:37,767 --> 00:29:40,066 If I could go back and talk to myself, 631 00:29:40,066 --> 00:29:43,400 August 23rd at 9 p.m., 632 00:29:45,100 --> 00:29:47,467 I would tell myself, you know, 633 00:29:47,467 --> 00:29:50,000 "In an hour, you have to kill Scott. 634 00:29:51,567 --> 00:29:52,700 You can't hesitate." 635 00:29:53,700 --> 00:29:55,133 And knowing what I know, 636 00:29:55,133 --> 00:29:56,367 And knowing what I know, 637 00:29:56,467 --> 00:30:01,767 I don't think I would have let that moment pass. 638 00:30:02,767 --> 00:30:06,500 But I thought, I can't kill someone. 639 00:30:07,467 --> 00:30:09,266 And in that moment, he turned around, 640 00:30:09,266 --> 00:30:12,200 and I lost the opportunity. 641 00:30:12,266 --> 00:30:14,467 He turned the gun on me and said, 642 00:30:14,467 --> 00:30:18,667 "Don't think about it," and dragged her out 643 00:30:18,667 --> 00:30:20,367 and down the stairs by her hair. 644 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:25,133 I ran to the phone in the kitchen 645 00:30:25,133 --> 00:30:26,867 I ran to the phone in the kitchen 646 00:30:26,967 --> 00:30:29,467 and tried dialing 911, 647 00:30:29,567 --> 00:30:31,767 I think three times, before I realized that 648 00:30:31,767 --> 00:30:34,400 there was just no sound on the phone, 649 00:30:34,467 --> 00:30:36,867 and that's when I noticed the new note that 650 00:30:36,967 --> 00:30:40,367 hadn't been there the day before in his handwriting 651 00:30:40,467 --> 00:30:42,400 that said that the phone had been disconnected. 652 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:47,000 As soon as I noticed that, I just dropped it 653 00:30:47,066 --> 00:30:49,300 and ran for the stairs, and I heard a gunshot, 654 00:30:50,367 --> 00:30:51,567 and everything went black. 655 00:30:55,166 --> 00:30:59,867 I was told he shot the gun I think five times, 656 00:30:59,867 --> 00:31:01,367 but I only remember one. 657 00:31:02,967 --> 00:31:04,567 Everything after that was a blur. 658 00:31:07,500 --> 00:31:08,900 When he shot her, 659 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,166 she had fallen down the stairs, 660 00:31:11,266 --> 00:31:13,200 and her head was close to the bottom. 661 00:31:13,266 --> 00:31:14,767 Her feet were halfway up the stairs, 662 00:31:14,867 --> 00:31:16,767 and... 663 00:31:19,567 --> 00:31:21,000 there was blood everywhere. 664 00:31:21,066 --> 00:31:23,200 There was brain matter everywhere. 665 00:31:23,266 --> 00:31:25,133 I listened for a heartbeat, and there was none. 666 00:31:25,133 --> 00:31:26,867 I listened for a heartbeat, and there was none. 667 00:31:32,500 --> 00:31:34,266 Half of her face was gone, 668 00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:36,667 and just... 669 00:31:39,467 --> 00:31:40,700 ground up. 670 00:31:45,066 --> 00:31:48,300 Scott jumped in one of the vehicles 671 00:31:48,367 --> 00:31:51,700 and peeled out of the driveway, and the police arrived. 672 00:31:52,767 --> 00:31:55,133 They started taking statements. 673 00:31:55,133 --> 00:31:55,467 They started taking statements. 674 00:31:55,567 --> 00:31:58,400 I covered Emily's eyes as quickly as I could. 675 00:31:58,467 --> 00:32:01,266 She screamed that she wanted to see our mom, 676 00:32:04,467 --> 00:32:07,100 and I told her that it was bad enough 677 00:32:07,166 --> 00:32:09,567 that I had to live the rest of my life 678 00:32:09,567 --> 00:32:12,500 with that image of mom, that I wasn't gonna let her 679 00:32:12,567 --> 00:32:14,100 grow up with 680 00:32:14,166 --> 00:32:16,967 that image seared into her mind. 681 00:32:26,367 --> 00:32:29,667 Um, I got my hands, I think, on -- 682 00:32:29,767 --> 00:32:32,967 on somebody's cellphone, and I just started calling family. 683 00:32:32,967 --> 00:32:34,467 I called Jessica first. 684 00:32:35,467 --> 00:32:36,767 So I was watching TV. 685 00:32:36,867 --> 00:32:40,367 It was probably about 7:30 or so in the -- 686 00:32:40,467 --> 00:32:43,166 in California, and my phone rang, and I missed it. 687 00:32:44,667 --> 00:32:45,967 Didn't think much of it. 688 00:32:45,967 --> 00:32:47,367 [phone notification alert] 689 00:32:47,367 --> 00:32:49,000 But then I saw that I had 690 00:32:49,066 --> 00:32:51,900 a voicemail, and it was from my brother David, 691 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:55,133 and when I listened to it, he said, "Dad just shot mom." 692 00:32:55,133 --> 00:32:56,567 and when I listened to it, he said, "Dad just shot mom." 693 00:32:58,700 --> 00:33:02,867 I remember I was so distraught, 694 00:33:02,967 --> 00:33:05,066 I couldn't even figure out how to make my phone work. 695 00:33:05,066 --> 00:33:08,400 I was holding it, staring at it, and I 696 00:33:08,467 --> 00:33:12,567 just couldn't put together how to call him back, 697 00:33:12,567 --> 00:33:15,200 because I was so out of my mind. 698 00:33:16,900 --> 00:33:18,266 The rest of that day, 699 00:33:18,367 --> 00:33:21,200 the rest of that week, was a fog. 700 00:33:21,266 --> 00:33:23,767 I remember telling my brother it was gonna be okay, 701 00:33:23,767 --> 00:33:25,133 that it was gonna be okay, we were gonna figure it out, 702 00:33:25,133 --> 00:33:26,066 that it was gonna be okay, we were gonna figure it out, 703 00:33:26,066 --> 00:33:28,066 and I was gonna get there as soon as I could. 704 00:33:28,066 --> 00:33:31,467 I remember laying at the top of the stairs just crying. 705 00:33:31,467 --> 00:33:33,867 I remember thinking, like, I can't go on. 706 00:33:33,967 --> 00:33:35,667 I don't want to go on, like, what am I supposed to do 707 00:33:35,667 --> 00:33:38,066 without my mom, without my best friend. 708 00:33:39,467 --> 00:33:42,100 But before we could even, like, process any of that, 709 00:33:42,166 --> 00:33:45,100 the main concern became where was Scott? 710 00:33:52,700 --> 00:33:56,667 DAVID: Eventually, someone took us to a hospital 711 00:33:56,667 --> 00:33:58,700 that had a secure wing. 712 00:33:58,767 --> 00:34:02,467 Jessica wasn't gonna be out here for three more days, 713 00:34:02,567 --> 00:34:04,667 because that's the soonest flight she could get. 714 00:34:05,767 --> 00:34:08,600 I still remember that first shower, 715 00:34:08,667 --> 00:34:12,567 just watching the drain turn red, 716 00:34:12,667 --> 00:34:14,166 um... 717 00:34:16,100 --> 00:34:19,100 That moment has haunted me a lot, too. 718 00:34:19,166 --> 00:34:20,261 I refused to let anyone take my glasses and clean them. 719 00:34:20,261 --> 00:34:25,000 I refused to let anyone take my glasses and clean them. 720 00:34:25,100 --> 00:34:26,767 That was something that my mom always did. 721 00:34:26,867 --> 00:34:28,266 She would say, "Dave, your glasses are filthy," 722 00:34:28,266 --> 00:34:31,600 and she would take them and run them under the sink, 723 00:34:31,667 --> 00:34:36,166 and my glasses were, 724 00:34:36,166 --> 00:34:38,967 for a few days, just 725 00:34:38,967 --> 00:34:43,667 covered in her blood and brain matter. 726 00:34:44,767 --> 00:34:46,900 And I ended up getting new glasses, 727 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:48,800 because I refused to let anybody touch them. 728 00:34:49,900 --> 00:34:50,261 They brought us to a room with 729 00:34:50,261 --> 00:34:51,967 They brought us to a room with 730 00:34:51,967 --> 00:34:57,100 two gurney tables and brought some blankets in, 731 00:34:57,166 --> 00:35:01,467 and Emily fell asleep, but I couldn't sleep, 732 00:35:01,567 --> 00:35:04,767 and I sat up awake, watching over her, 733 00:35:04,767 --> 00:35:07,500 when two of the nurses came outside 734 00:35:07,567 --> 00:35:13,300 the door and started discussing what had happened. 735 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:16,700 They said, "They found the father, 736 00:35:16,767 --> 00:35:18,266 "and he's already dead. 737 00:35:19,767 --> 00:35:20,261 Do you think we should go in and tell them?" 738 00:35:20,261 --> 00:35:22,967 Do you think we should go in and tell them?" 739 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:25,800 So I got up, and I poked my head 740 00:35:25,867 --> 00:35:29,367 out the door and let them know that I knew. 741 00:35:31,266 --> 00:35:34,600 And then I just went back in and watched over Emily 742 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:37,467 until the morning came. 743 00:35:51,266 --> 00:35:53,900 It was important for me to confirm for -- 744 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,367 for my own sanity that he was gone. 745 00:35:57,467 --> 00:36:03,066 I definitely wouldn't have put it past him to have 746 00:36:03,066 --> 00:36:06,500 found someone who looked enough like him and done enough 747 00:36:06,567 --> 00:36:08,767 damage to the body that they found 748 00:36:08,867 --> 00:36:11,800 a corpse that conveniently looks similar and called it 749 00:36:11,867 --> 00:36:16,567 a day, and in the meantime, he was still out there. 750 00:36:16,667 --> 00:36:18,867 They walked me down the hall. 751 00:36:18,867 --> 00:36:20,261 They pulled back the curtain, and there he was. 752 00:36:20,261 --> 00:36:21,800 They pulled back the curtain, and there he was. 753 00:36:23,367 --> 00:36:24,767 I... 754 00:36:24,867 --> 00:36:27,900 looked at his body, and his eyes 755 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:29,867 finally didn't have that rage in them. 756 00:36:29,867 --> 00:36:34,100 They were kind of yellowed and glossed over. 757 00:36:34,166 --> 00:36:35,767 He looked a lot cleaner 758 00:36:37,100 --> 00:36:39,066 than my mom, I remember that. 759 00:36:39,066 --> 00:36:41,200 I remember being angry about that, 760 00:36:41,266 --> 00:36:44,800 that the last image that I had with my mom 761 00:36:44,867 --> 00:36:47,000 was this bloody, ground-up mess. 762 00:36:47,100 --> 00:36:50,261 The last image that I had of him was kind of cleaned up. 763 00:36:50,261 --> 00:36:51,400 The last image that I had of him was kind of cleaned up. 764 00:36:52,767 --> 00:36:56,667 Then I asked what had happened, and one of the morticians 765 00:36:56,667 --> 00:36:59,667 did... 766 00:36:59,767 --> 00:37:02,266 like, mimed how he had killed himself. 767 00:37:02,266 --> 00:37:03,600 He had fled in the van, 768 00:37:03,667 --> 00:37:06,367 he drove two or three streets over 769 00:37:06,467 --> 00:37:10,567 into an abandoned lot, and... 770 00:37:10,667 --> 00:37:13,667 shot himself through the roof of the mouth. 771 00:37:14,767 --> 00:37:18,000 When I saw Scott laying there, 772 00:37:18,100 --> 00:37:20,261 I was mad that I hadn't been the one to do it. 773 00:37:20,261 --> 00:37:20,266 I was mad that I hadn't been the one to do it. 774 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:24,567 I wanted to 775 00:37:24,667 --> 00:37:26,800 have him in a room, tied to a chair, 776 00:37:27,967 --> 00:37:29,667 just take my anger out on him. 777 00:37:31,667 --> 00:37:34,066 It took every... 778 00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:39,000 fiber my being, every ounce of self-restraint 779 00:37:39,100 --> 00:37:41,100 that I had, not to just beat him. 780 00:37:42,767 --> 00:37:44,767 They took me 781 00:37:44,767 --> 00:37:48,467 back up, and Emily woke up, 782 00:37:48,567 --> 00:37:50,261 and I told her that the bad man would never hurt her again. 783 00:37:50,261 --> 00:37:52,867 and I told her that the bad man would never hurt her again. 784 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,400 JESSICA: After mom passed, we all kind 785 00:38:06,467 --> 00:38:08,400 of ended up going in different directions. 786 00:38:08,467 --> 00:38:11,867 Emily went to California, lived with an aunt and uncle. 787 00:38:11,967 --> 00:38:13,200 I got into a relationship, 788 00:38:13,266 --> 00:38:15,100 and I went and lived with that person. 789 00:38:15,166 --> 00:38:16,467 David went off to school. 790 00:38:16,567 --> 00:38:18,900 So then we were in three separate states, and it was -- 791 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:20,261 it was hard, and we went a lot of years like that, 792 00:38:20,261 --> 00:38:20,567 it was hard, and we went a lot of years like that, 793 00:38:20,667 --> 00:38:23,667 where we became more distant. 794 00:38:23,767 --> 00:38:26,867 DAVID: It was the first time that the three of us hadn't 795 00:38:26,867 --> 00:38:28,100 been together, 796 00:38:28,166 --> 00:38:32,367 but I was lucky enough to buy a house right before 797 00:38:32,467 --> 00:38:35,000 the pandemic hit, and I had two spare bedrooms. 798 00:38:35,066 --> 00:38:39,000 Emily moved into one of my spare bedrooms. 799 00:38:39,100 --> 00:38:42,100 And then Jessica came up to visit 800 00:38:42,166 --> 00:38:45,800 for a weekend and stayed for nine months. 801 00:38:45,867 --> 00:38:48,000 JESSICA: We got to spend a lot of time together 802 00:38:48,100 --> 00:38:50,100 and really get to know each other as adults. 803 00:38:50,166 --> 00:38:50,261 I think that we have definitely 804 00:38:50,261 --> 00:38:52,467 I think that we have definitely 805 00:38:53,500 --> 00:38:56,400 strengthened our relationship recently, and we get to see each 806 00:38:56,467 --> 00:38:59,400 other more, and we talk more, and it's been really good. 807 00:39:11,667 --> 00:39:13,066 One thing that my mom always said was 808 00:39:13,066 --> 00:39:15,300 that she didn't want to be just another statistic, 809 00:39:17,266 --> 00:39:20,261 and after my mom passed, we had the opportunity to 810 00:39:20,261 --> 00:39:21,200 and after my mom passed, we had the opportunity to 811 00:39:21,266 --> 00:39:24,600 advocate for a law on her behalf called Jennifer's Law, 812 00:39:24,667 --> 00:39:28,367 which was, um, firstly, named for Jennifer Dulos, 813 00:39:28,367 --> 00:39:31,667 another victim of domestic violence, as well as our mother. 814 00:39:31,667 --> 00:39:34,767 And it makes it so coercive control is 815 00:39:34,767 --> 00:39:38,567 now recognized in family court and is a punishable offense. 816 00:39:41,100 --> 00:39:43,100 It helps me 817 00:39:43,166 --> 00:39:46,000 see a silver lining in what happened. 818 00:39:46,100 --> 00:39:48,667 There's nothing anyone can do to bring mom back, 819 00:39:48,667 --> 00:39:50,261 but I know that she'd be proud of us 820 00:39:50,261 --> 00:39:50,500 but I know that she'd be proud of us 821 00:39:50,567 --> 00:39:54,367 helping another child not lose their mom, 822 00:39:54,467 --> 00:39:58,367 maybe help another woman get out of a situation. 823 00:39:58,367 --> 00:40:01,967 It's very helpful to 824 00:40:01,967 --> 00:40:04,867 feel like we're doing positive things in her name. 825 00:40:06,066 --> 00:40:07,667 I feel like she would be proud of us. 826 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:12,667 It's... 827 00:40:12,667 --> 00:40:15,667 not this taboo thing that we can't talk about anymore. 828 00:40:16,667 --> 00:40:20,261 Obviously, my life was indescribably difficult 829 00:40:20,261 --> 00:40:20,967 Obviously, my life was indescribably difficult 830 00:40:20,967 --> 00:40:23,000 and full of tragedy 831 00:40:23,100 --> 00:40:26,066 that most people will never experience in their lives. 832 00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:29,166 In spite of all of that, 833 00:40:29,900 --> 00:40:31,867 I'm still very privileged. 834 00:40:34,266 --> 00:40:37,000 I'm not the only kid who grew up in a broken home, 835 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:41,667 and I think that 836 00:40:41,667 --> 00:40:44,867 the world would be a lot better of a place if we all 837 00:40:44,867 --> 00:40:47,266 acknowledge that, even if I have pain, 838 00:40:47,266 --> 00:40:49,266 that doesn't mean that you don't have pain and that I 839 00:40:49,367 --> 00:40:50,261 shouldn't be able to see it, 840 00:40:50,261 --> 00:40:50,667 shouldn't be able to see it, 841 00:40:50,667 --> 00:40:52,367 I shouldn't be able to recognize it. 842 00:40:55,367 --> 00:40:58,400 I think we're all suffering, and if we don't 843 00:40:58,467 --> 00:41:00,667 take the time to acknowledge other people's sufferings, 844 00:41:00,667 --> 00:41:02,400 we're all just gonna be suffering alone. 845 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:13,300 ♪♪ 846 00:41:27,367 --> 00:41:28,900 ♪♪