1 00:00:14,793 --> 00:00:17,378 Elena experienced a lot of heartbreak. 2 00:00:17,379 --> 00:00:19,723 She wanted a family unit, 3 00:00:19,724 --> 00:00:23,448 and she wanted a husband or a partner. 4 00:00:24,275 --> 00:00:27,965 Brandon definitely appeared to have fallen for Elena. 5 00:00:31,379 --> 00:00:34,516 I noticed my mom becoming 6 00:00:34,517 --> 00:00:38,964 increasingly isolated from everybody else. 7 00:00:38,965 --> 00:00:41,172 He was very good at putting up an act. 8 00:00:41,482 --> 00:00:44,723 Elena was walking on eggshells. 9 00:00:44,724 --> 00:00:47,447 Anything ticked him off. 10 00:00:47,448 --> 00:00:50,585 Brandon made that decision with her kids in the next room. 11 00:00:52,655 --> 00:00:58,103 The interviewer asked him to draw pictures of what he saw. 12 00:01:38,620 --> 00:01:44,861 It's 2018, and 32-year-old Elena Wysong 13 00:01:44,862 --> 00:01:47,724 and her husband, Brandon, spend the day at Virginia Beach. 14 00:01:49,275 --> 00:01:54,205 My mom was very kind and loving. 15 00:01:54,206 --> 00:01:57,412 She had had her fair share of bad relationships. 16 00:01:57,413 --> 00:02:00,102 So I think that when she did find Brandon, 17 00:02:00,103 --> 00:02:02,447 she definitely thought that, you know, this was the guy 18 00:02:02,448 --> 00:02:05,034 that she was going to be with for the rest of her life. 19 00:02:12,379 --> 00:02:17,999 Elena was born October 22, 1985. 20 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,275 She was a very, very, very healthy, happy baby. 21 00:02:28,931 --> 00:02:32,827 Elena had two older brothers. 22 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:39,930 My oldest son was Robert, and my youngest son was Darren. 23 00:02:39,931 --> 00:02:43,551 They were kind of thrilled when she joined the family. 24 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,206 She was like a doll to them. 25 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,448 Two years later, the family get another addition. 26 00:03:00,793 --> 00:03:04,861 We lived in Staten Island, New York. 27 00:03:04,862 --> 00:03:07,999 Elena was actually somebody I considered, like, 28 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,792 a hero at the time, somebody I could look up to, 29 00:03:10,793 --> 00:03:12,758 and I admired her greatly. 30 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:29,412 In August 2000, when Elena is 14, 31 00:03:29,413 --> 00:03:32,723 the Arena family moved to Chesapeake, Virginia. 32 00:03:32,724 --> 00:03:35,516 When Elena's hormones kicked in, 33 00:03:35,517 --> 00:03:37,586 I think they kicked in full blast. 34 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,999 Elena fell in love, 35 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:48,309 and she got pregnant when she was 17. 36 00:03:48,310 --> 00:03:54,654 On October 9th, 2003, just 13 days before her 18th birthday, 37 00:03:54,655 --> 00:03:57,723 Elena gives birth to a baby girl she names Natalie. 38 00:03:57,724 --> 00:04:01,412 It meant the world to Elena, just being a mom 39 00:04:01,413 --> 00:04:04,999 and just trying to be the best mom that she could be. 40 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,826 But the relationship with Natalie's father doesn't last. 41 00:04:08,827 --> 00:04:11,896 They were just too young. Elena was upset. 42 00:04:12,172 --> 00:04:14,585 She wanted a family unit. 43 00:04:14,586 --> 00:04:19,447 She wanted a husband or a partner. 44 00:04:19,448 --> 00:04:24,102 In 2005, Elena starts dating someone new. 45 00:04:24,103 --> 00:04:28,309 A year after they started dating, Elena got pregnant. 46 00:04:28,310 --> 00:04:33,964 And Angel was born on August 22nd, 2007. 47 00:04:33,965 --> 00:04:36,240 But when Angel is just two years old, 48 00:04:36,241 --> 00:04:38,481 Elena and her father split. 49 00:04:38,482 --> 00:04:40,895 It affected Elena pretty badly. 50 00:04:40,896 --> 00:04:42,688 She really wanted to end up 51 00:04:42,689 --> 00:04:44,930 keeping the whole family unit together. 52 00:04:44,931 --> 00:04:48,205 And I know she tried her hardest to make it work. 53 00:04:48,206 --> 00:04:52,412 In 2013, Elena and her daughters, now ten and six, 54 00:04:52,413 --> 00:04:55,067 moved to an apartment in Virginia Beach. 55 00:04:55,068 --> 00:04:57,654 Things started looking up for my mom. 56 00:04:57,655 --> 00:05:00,619 She became vegan, she became very spiritual. 57 00:05:00,620 --> 00:05:02,861 It was a very happy time. 58 00:05:02,862 --> 00:05:07,033 In August that year, 27-year-old Elena meets 59 00:05:07,034 --> 00:05:10,965 24-year-old Brandon Wysong through mutual friends. 60 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:18,793 At the time, Brandon was a construction worker. 61 00:05:20,689 --> 00:05:24,619 My mom definitely seemed to fall very quickly 62 00:05:24,620 --> 00:05:27,033 in love with him. 63 00:05:27,034 --> 00:05:30,481 He was extremely attentive with her and very loving. 64 00:05:30,482 --> 00:05:32,688 Within three months of meeting, 65 00:05:32,689 --> 00:05:36,343 Elena and Brandon are engaged and living together. 66 00:05:36,344 --> 00:05:40,412 Brandon had a son around the same age as Angel. 67 00:05:40,413 --> 00:05:42,481 I was pretty excited. 68 00:05:42,482 --> 00:05:46,102 He had a kid of his own, and my mom had two kids. 69 00:05:46,103 --> 00:05:49,448 And we were very excited to just be one big family. 70 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:55,240 I don't think I had seen my mom this happy in a while. 71 00:05:55,241 --> 00:05:57,378 He seemed to be very good for her. 72 00:05:57,379 --> 00:06:00,274 My sister liked him a lot. 73 00:06:00,275 --> 00:06:02,999 My mom's friends seemed to like him a lot. 74 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,896 My grandma liked him a lot. So I was hopeful for it. 75 00:06:14,068 --> 00:06:17,378 In the fall of 2013, 76 00:06:17,379 --> 00:06:19,895 Elena attends a Buddhist ceremony. 77 00:06:19,896 --> 00:06:23,205 My mom was very involved in Buddhism, 78 00:06:23,206 --> 00:06:25,586 and she practiced it daily. 79 00:06:26,172 --> 00:06:29,895 Brandon definitely did seem 80 00:06:29,896 --> 00:06:33,619 like this very supportive man for my mom. 81 00:06:33,620 --> 00:06:38,481 He was very invested in her religion 82 00:06:38,482 --> 00:06:40,931 and her spiritual journey. 83 00:06:41,482 --> 00:06:47,067 It seems like he was gonna be this super awesome, 84 00:06:47,068 --> 00:06:48,034 great stepdad. 85 00:06:51,689 --> 00:06:54,999 Brandon would take us to the beach a lot. 86 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:57,688 He'd buy us, you know, ice cream on the boardwalk 87 00:06:57,689 --> 00:07:00,103 and pizza for dinner while my mom was at work. 88 00:07:04,482 --> 00:07:09,240 Brandon was a really big part of Angel's life, 89 00:07:09,241 --> 00:07:11,896 a very big father figure for her. 90 00:07:12,103 --> 00:07:15,379 He'd do just about anything for her. 91 00:07:16,413 --> 00:07:19,102 At the end of 2013, 92 00:07:19,103 --> 00:07:21,274 just four months into their relationship, 93 00:07:21,275 --> 00:07:24,757 Elena discovers she is pregnant. 94 00:07:24,758 --> 00:07:26,758 Elena was extremely excited. 95 00:07:27,172 --> 00:07:30,171 She was all ready to have another little one 96 00:07:30,172 --> 00:07:32,274 back in the house. 97 00:07:32,275 --> 00:07:35,205 My mom was very much a family person. 98 00:07:35,206 --> 00:07:37,895 And I think that them having a baby together 99 00:07:37,896 --> 00:07:40,275 kind of just brought the families together. 100 00:07:41,103 --> 00:07:43,240 Elena and Brandon tie the knot 101 00:07:43,241 --> 00:07:46,482 in a courthouse in Virginia Beach. 102 00:07:46,655 --> 00:07:50,171 A few months after my mom and Brandon got married, 103 00:07:50,172 --> 00:07:53,136 Brandon had a accident at work 104 00:07:53,137 --> 00:07:55,655 that completely crushed his leg. 105 00:07:56,172 --> 00:07:59,241 He was not able to work anymore. 106 00:08:01,413 --> 00:08:06,136 My mom was very stressed out. 107 00:08:06,137 --> 00:08:08,550 She was freaking out trying to figure out how they were gonna 108 00:08:08,551 --> 00:08:11,274 get money now, how they're gonna make rent and, you know, 109 00:08:11,275 --> 00:08:13,205 how they're gonna put food on the table. 110 00:08:13,206 --> 00:08:17,930 The family are forced to move into a cheaper home, 111 00:08:17,931 --> 00:08:21,551 and in August 2014, Elena gives birth to a son named Bobby. 112 00:08:31,896 --> 00:08:34,895 When Bobby was born, 113 00:08:34,896 --> 00:08:38,826 me, Angel, Brandon's son, Brandon, and my mom 114 00:08:38,827 --> 00:08:40,723 were all living in the house. 115 00:08:40,724 --> 00:08:42,447 Everything was pretty good, 116 00:08:42,448 --> 00:08:45,930 when we brought Bobby back home from the hospital. 117 00:08:45,931 --> 00:08:47,965 Everybody seemed to be in good spirits. 118 00:08:57,172 --> 00:09:03,103 Brandon was really excited, especially to have another son. 119 00:09:04,482 --> 00:09:08,689 Bobby was three months old when Elena fell pregnant again. 120 00:09:10,172 --> 00:09:12,654 I think she was in shock. 121 00:09:12,655 --> 00:09:15,964 It was going to be a lot of work to have, like, 122 00:09:15,965 --> 00:09:18,654 a one-year-old and then a newborn. 123 00:09:18,655 --> 00:09:24,447 Shortly after, Natalie shares some news with her mom. 124 00:09:24,448 --> 00:09:29,343 When I was about 12 or 13, I came out to my mom as trans. 125 00:09:29,344 --> 00:09:31,688 My mom was very supportive, 126 00:09:31,689 --> 00:09:36,171 and she had picked out the name Nathan Andrew Nagle, 127 00:09:36,172 --> 00:09:38,620 and that's just kind of what stuck. 128 00:09:40,172 --> 00:09:44,274 I noticed that Brandon had started to change 129 00:09:44,275 --> 00:09:46,344 a few weeks after Bobby was born. 130 00:09:46,517 --> 00:09:49,723 Brandon had had surgery on his leg, 131 00:09:49,724 --> 00:09:54,102 and he was kind of a little more mad than usual. 132 00:09:54,103 --> 00:09:57,689 He just seemed very irritated, even at the smallest things. 133 00:09:58,172 --> 00:10:02,585 Laura was born on September 28th, 2015. 134 00:10:06,103 --> 00:10:10,757 At this point Elena and Brandon had just been together 135 00:10:10,758 --> 00:10:12,826 for about two years, 136 00:10:12,827 --> 00:10:15,343 and now they had two children who were very close in age. 137 00:10:26,896 --> 00:10:33,103 Brandon seemed to be a lot more agitated, more on edge. 138 00:10:33,896 --> 00:10:37,067 A lot of the smaller things 139 00:10:37,068 --> 00:10:40,620 seemed to bother him a lot more than they usually did. 140 00:10:41,172 --> 00:10:44,205 When Alura was about a month old, 141 00:10:44,206 --> 00:10:45,964 my mom and Brandon had 142 00:10:45,965 --> 00:10:48,274 gotten into an argument in front of all of us, 143 00:10:48,275 --> 00:10:50,103 and he had thrown a chair. 144 00:10:51,172 --> 00:10:55,067 That chair had hit Alura's bassinet. 145 00:10:55,068 --> 00:11:00,620 That was the first time I had seen him get aggressive. 146 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:03,862 That was the start. 147 00:11:25,896 --> 00:11:30,723 Brandon was under the impression that because of the accident, 148 00:11:30,724 --> 00:11:34,310 he was gonna make a huge amount of a settlement. 149 00:11:35,275 --> 00:11:37,482 That did not happen. 150 00:11:45,482 --> 00:11:49,067 OK, Dada. 151 00:11:49,068 --> 00:11:53,412 He would sell business classes to people on how to make 152 00:11:53,413 --> 00:11:55,517 a bunch of money through Bitcoin. 153 00:11:55,896 --> 00:11:58,999 He'd find, like, images off of Google of, like, 154 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:00,274 money spreads on the table, 155 00:12:00,275 --> 00:12:01,861 and he'd post it and be like, 156 00:12:01,862 --> 00:12:03,481 "Look how much money I'm making." 157 00:12:03,482 --> 00:12:06,067 Like, "You can make this money too." 158 00:12:06,068 --> 00:12:08,447 When Brandon's new business venture isn't delivering, 159 00:12:08,448 --> 00:12:11,550 Elena steps in to try and help. 160 00:12:11,551 --> 00:12:14,757 My mom and Brandon were arguing frequently 161 00:12:14,758 --> 00:12:18,861 about sales and how much money they were making. 162 00:12:18,862 --> 00:12:21,517 He was very irritable at times. 163 00:12:28,620 --> 00:12:31,757 There was a lot of things going on 164 00:12:31,758 --> 00:12:35,378 that he just kind of dumped on Elena. 165 00:12:35,379 --> 00:12:40,343 And I think things started to unravel even faster between 166 00:12:40,344 --> 00:12:42,861 the two of them. 167 00:12:42,862 --> 00:12:47,136 Brandon's temper escalates, and by the summer of 2017, 168 00:12:47,137 --> 00:12:49,033 Elena becomes deeply depressed. 169 00:12:49,034 --> 00:12:52,723 When I was about 14, 170 00:12:52,724 --> 00:12:55,999 I noticed my mom becoming increasingly isolated 171 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,689 from everybody else. 172 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,964 It was kind of hard for her 173 00:13:01,965 --> 00:13:04,757 to do a lot of stuff around the house. 174 00:13:04,758 --> 00:13:07,655 We didn't really go out anywhere. 175 00:13:08,172 --> 00:13:10,861 Elena was walking on eggshells, 176 00:13:10,862 --> 00:13:14,136 because anything ticked him off. 177 00:13:14,137 --> 00:13:17,240 She would do anything just to keep him, you know, happy, 178 00:13:17,241 --> 00:13:20,310 so he would not start with her. 179 00:13:20,793 --> 00:13:25,205 Elena was desperately trying to keep the family together, 180 00:13:25,206 --> 00:13:28,206 even though Brandon was really making it fall apart. 181 00:13:31,758 --> 00:13:34,585 On social media, Elena portrays Brandon 182 00:13:34,586 --> 00:13:36,034 to be a perfect husband and father. 183 00:13:52,689 --> 00:13:57,792 I do think that she just did ignore a lot of the abuse 184 00:13:57,793 --> 00:13:59,378 because, you know, for the most part he was very good 185 00:13:59,379 --> 00:14:01,240 at putting up an act. 186 00:14:01,241 --> 00:14:04,378 I think she was ashamed to let anybody know 187 00:14:04,379 --> 00:14:07,240 what was really going on and how hard she was struggling 188 00:14:07,241 --> 00:14:09,585 just to keep her family together. 189 00:14:09,586 --> 00:14:12,309 Despite the issues in her marriage, 190 00:14:12,310 --> 00:14:16,378 Elena makes time for her children whenever she can. 191 00:14:16,379 --> 00:14:19,862 This is when my mom took me to my first Pride. 192 00:14:22,275 --> 00:14:25,654 We had walked around for a bit, 193 00:14:25,655 --> 00:14:28,688 and my mom had bought me my first Pride flag. 194 00:14:28,689 --> 00:14:32,275 She had danced around with me and Alura. 195 00:14:32,448 --> 00:14:35,999 And I remember that at the end of the day, 196 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:40,240 me, her, and Alura had all sat down on the grass, 197 00:14:40,241 --> 00:14:42,586 and it was just happy. 198 00:14:43,068 --> 00:14:45,102 There was no stress. 199 00:14:45,103 --> 00:14:48,792 There was no Brandon ruining the moment. 200 00:14:48,793 --> 00:14:53,344 It was just me, my mom, and Alura, and it felt great. 201 00:14:57,655 --> 00:15:00,723 In the summer of 2018, 202 00:15:00,724 --> 00:15:04,619 Linda invites Elena and her family to Florida. 203 00:15:04,620 --> 00:15:07,274 When they arrived, the kids got ready 204 00:15:07,275 --> 00:15:08,172 and they went to the pool. 205 00:15:12,103 --> 00:15:16,033 And some type of an incident happened at the pool, 206 00:15:16,034 --> 00:15:18,172 where Brandon struck Bobby. 207 00:15:18,758 --> 00:15:22,792 And the children were very upset. 208 00:15:22,793 --> 00:15:25,826 The kids came back and they told their mother, 209 00:15:25,827 --> 00:15:28,723 and of course, she was very upset. 210 00:15:28,724 --> 00:15:30,481 She was telling him off, you know, 211 00:15:30,482 --> 00:15:31,999 "Why are you hitting him? 212 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:33,931 Why are you putting your hands on him?" 213 00:15:34,586 --> 00:15:37,585 Brandon was angry. 214 00:15:37,586 --> 00:15:39,826 He went outside. 215 00:15:39,827 --> 00:15:42,999 He called someone on the phone, screaming and yelling. 216 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,309 I was extremely concerned. 217 00:15:46,310 --> 00:15:49,550 I said, "Elena, this is a bad situation. 218 00:15:49,551 --> 00:15:52,310 You need to get out of this situation." 219 00:15:53,172 --> 00:15:58,619 I told her that I would get her an apartment. 220 00:15:58,620 --> 00:16:00,792 She just couldn't tell him where she lived. 221 00:16:00,793 --> 00:16:02,619 If he wanted to see the children, 222 00:16:02,620 --> 00:16:04,481 it would have to be at my house. 223 00:16:04,482 --> 00:16:07,999 And she wanted to do it, and then she was afraid. 224 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:10,688 She said, you know, 225 00:16:10,689 --> 00:16:12,723 "I don't want the kids to grow up without a father." 226 00:16:12,724 --> 00:16:14,723 She wanted them to be together. 227 00:16:14,724 --> 00:16:17,240 She was trying to make it better, 228 00:16:17,241 --> 00:16:18,481 even as it was falling apart. 229 00:16:21,482 --> 00:16:26,136 Six months later, Elena calls her mom. 230 00:16:26,137 --> 00:16:29,102 Brandon had actually smashed the window of the family car 231 00:16:29,103 --> 00:16:30,689 and slashed the tires. 232 00:16:31,172 --> 00:16:35,861 So I volunteered to go over there. 233 00:16:35,862 --> 00:16:39,550 And the police were already there when we arrived. 234 00:16:39,551 --> 00:16:40,999 The officers were telling her that they couldn't remove 235 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:42,585 Brandon out of the house. 236 00:16:42,586 --> 00:16:44,826 The only way they would be able to do that 237 00:16:44,827 --> 00:16:46,551 is if she got a restraining order against him. 238 00:16:47,482 --> 00:16:49,655 Elena was devastated. 239 00:16:49,827 --> 00:16:52,964 I was going to keep an eye on the kids, 240 00:16:52,965 --> 00:16:54,654 and my sister was going to take the car 241 00:16:54,655 --> 00:16:57,343 to go get the restraining order. 242 00:16:57,344 --> 00:17:01,205 So my sister left shortly after the police. 243 00:17:01,206 --> 00:17:04,205 Brandon continued to get more irate, started grabbing 244 00:17:04,206 --> 00:17:06,792 the toys and smashing them into pieces on the ground. 245 00:17:06,793 --> 00:17:10,102 And then he went to the back porch area 246 00:17:10,103 --> 00:17:11,793 and grabbed the machete. 247 00:17:12,896 --> 00:17:16,964 I went downstairs and stood in the hallway, 248 00:17:16,965 --> 00:17:20,240 so he couldn't get upstairs where the children were. 249 00:17:20,241 --> 00:17:22,930 He held the machete in his hand. 250 00:17:22,931 --> 00:17:26,241 I put him in a bear hug, and he head-butted me. 251 00:17:27,586 --> 00:17:30,171 I hear... 252 00:17:30,172 --> 00:17:34,516 yelling and screaming coming from downstairs. 253 00:17:34,517 --> 00:17:38,067 My siblings are now crying because this is happening, 254 00:17:38,068 --> 00:17:41,930 literally on the other side of the door. 255 00:17:41,931 --> 00:17:44,343 I'm freaking out, because I don't know what to do. 256 00:17:44,344 --> 00:17:46,205 I don't know what's happening downstairs, 257 00:17:46,206 --> 00:17:48,723 and I'm scared if I don't call 911, 258 00:17:48,724 --> 00:17:50,551 it'll be too late. 259 00:17:50,793 --> 00:17:53,447 So Nathan called the police. 260 00:17:53,448 --> 00:17:55,792 And then I had said to Brandon, 261 00:17:55,793 --> 00:17:58,136 "This is assault with a deadly weapon." 262 00:17:58,137 --> 00:18:00,309 Just something to get him to snap out of it, 263 00:18:00,310 --> 00:18:01,895 because I was terrified. 264 00:18:01,896 --> 00:18:03,861 I was completely terrified, 265 00:18:03,862 --> 00:18:05,792 but I couldn't afford to be terrified, 266 00:18:05,793 --> 00:18:07,758 because there were children involved. 267 00:18:07,931 --> 00:18:11,930 Something, I must have said, must have snapped in his brain, 268 00:18:11,931 --> 00:18:14,964 because he took off with the machete and fled. 269 00:18:14,965 --> 00:18:15,827 So I call 911, 270 00:18:16,413 --> 00:18:18,000 and I... 271 00:18:18,896 --> 00:18:21,275 am crying 272 00:18:21,689 --> 00:18:24,447 through the phone call, 273 00:18:24,448 --> 00:18:27,688 telling them that my stepfather 274 00:18:27,689 --> 00:18:29,895 is hurting my aunt. 275 00:18:29,896 --> 00:18:32,033 And I tell them my address. 276 00:18:37,103 --> 00:18:40,861 And my mom came back into the house, 277 00:18:40,862 --> 00:18:42,378 and she said, "They're gonna take Brandon away, 278 00:18:42,379 --> 00:18:43,378 "and he's going to go to jail. 279 00:18:43,379 --> 00:18:44,895 You need to hang up right now." 280 00:18:46,724 --> 00:18:49,482 And then the police arrived. 281 00:18:51,482 --> 00:18:55,585 Elena had asked if I would just not say anything, 282 00:18:55,586 --> 00:18:58,309 because she didn't want the kids to lose their father, 283 00:18:58,310 --> 00:19:00,930 and she didn't want to lose her kids to CPS, 284 00:19:00,931 --> 00:19:03,724 because she wasn't there for the incident. 285 00:19:03,896 --> 00:19:06,930 No matter how many times I'd try to tell her, I'm like, 286 00:19:06,931 --> 00:19:09,688 "No, this is a good thing. We can get him away." 287 00:19:09,689 --> 00:19:12,343 She didn't wanna hear it. 288 00:19:12,344 --> 00:19:15,343 She just thought that CPS was gonna take her kids away. 289 00:19:15,344 --> 00:19:18,965 So I chose to remain silent to try to protect my sister. 290 00:19:20,862 --> 00:19:25,654 I hated him. I absolutely hated him. 291 00:19:25,655 --> 00:19:28,723 And I saw how dangerous and how violent he could end up being. 292 00:19:28,724 --> 00:19:31,688 And I tried to warn my family, 293 00:19:31,689 --> 00:19:33,688 "If we don't let me press charges, 294 00:19:33,689 --> 00:19:35,378 "he's gonna kill her. 295 00:19:35,379 --> 00:19:36,758 He is going to kill her." 296 00:19:45,758 --> 00:19:50,517 Elena is granted a 72-hour emergency protective order. 297 00:19:51,896 --> 00:19:54,861 I hated Brandon. 298 00:19:54,862 --> 00:19:58,412 I was just hoping that he just wouldn't come back. 299 00:19:58,413 --> 00:20:01,793 But just three days later, Brandon is back in the home. 300 00:20:02,275 --> 00:20:05,723 I was very concerned for Elena. 301 00:20:05,724 --> 00:20:08,309 I begged her to move in with me, 302 00:20:08,310 --> 00:20:10,688 and she would say yes. 303 00:20:10,689 --> 00:20:13,309 And then I guess he would talk to her, 304 00:20:13,310 --> 00:20:14,792 tell her things were gonna get better. 305 00:20:14,793 --> 00:20:16,205 And then she would say, 306 00:20:16,206 --> 00:20:17,723 "No, things are working out. 307 00:20:17,724 --> 00:20:19,343 I'm gonna stay here." 308 00:20:19,344 --> 00:20:21,551 It was like a cycle. 309 00:20:22,965 --> 00:20:26,171 One night I was spending a night at home, 310 00:20:26,172 --> 00:20:28,274 and my mom and Brandon 311 00:20:28,275 --> 00:20:30,517 had gotten into a pretty big argument. 312 00:20:30,896 --> 00:20:32,757 My mom said, "I'm gonna take the kids 313 00:20:32,758 --> 00:20:34,586 to a hotel for a night." 314 00:20:35,034 --> 00:20:38,481 So we all get into our car, 315 00:20:38,482 --> 00:20:41,034 and she drives us out to the ocean front. 316 00:20:47,896 --> 00:20:51,619 And I remember it was like, 317 00:20:51,620 --> 00:20:53,550 one of the first times in a long time 318 00:20:53,551 --> 00:20:57,034 that I had even seen my mom take a deep breath. 319 00:21:00,068 --> 00:21:03,481 So the following day, 320 00:21:03,482 --> 00:21:05,034 she gets a phone call, and it's from Brandon. 321 00:21:05,896 --> 00:21:08,309 He's just basically saying, 322 00:21:08,310 --> 00:21:10,688 "You can't take my kids away from me. 323 00:21:10,689 --> 00:21:12,412 "I'm gonna get you arrested. 324 00:21:12,413 --> 00:21:14,724 You need to come back home." 325 00:21:14,896 --> 00:21:18,310 She went back to him the very next day. 326 00:21:18,862 --> 00:21:22,205 And I remember talking to her, just you know, 327 00:21:22,206 --> 00:21:24,205 "It's OK to start new, 328 00:21:24,206 --> 00:21:26,171 "and, you know, Mom will help you. 329 00:21:26,172 --> 00:21:27,412 "You know, we'll do anything to end up helping you 330 00:21:27,413 --> 00:21:29,861 to get away from this." 331 00:21:29,862 --> 00:21:32,826 But she didn't want to take the kids away from their dad. 332 00:21:32,827 --> 00:21:36,619 Unable to cope with Brandon's violent temper, 333 00:21:36,620 --> 00:21:40,275 Nathan spends most of his time at a friend's home. 334 00:21:40,793 --> 00:21:45,171 I went to the magistrate and pressed charges against him, 335 00:21:45,172 --> 00:21:47,551 but my sister had second thoughts. 336 00:21:48,793 --> 00:21:52,895 I was torn because I had 337 00:21:52,896 --> 00:21:55,585 one daughter screaming and carrying on. 338 00:21:55,586 --> 00:21:58,136 She did not want her husband in jail. 339 00:21:58,137 --> 00:22:00,999 And then I had another daughter, who said, 340 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,517 "He needs to go to jail. He's dangerous." 341 00:22:04,482 --> 00:22:08,172 It caused a lot of family issues. 342 00:22:09,068 --> 00:22:13,102 My sister was by his side, 343 00:22:13,103 --> 00:22:17,274 and I remember outside of the courtroom, 344 00:22:17,275 --> 00:22:20,310 Elena tried to come up to me to try to talk to me. 345 00:22:25,793 --> 00:22:28,862 I actually walked away from them. 346 00:22:30,689 --> 00:22:34,171 You're willing to go ahead and back him, 347 00:22:34,172 --> 00:22:36,481 and not your sister, 348 00:22:36,482 --> 00:22:39,585 who has been there with you through everything. 349 00:22:39,586 --> 00:22:42,655 I was completely devastated. 350 00:22:44,068 --> 00:22:48,964 Once everything was going to the second trial date, 351 00:22:48,965 --> 00:22:51,309 I tried to stick it out, but in the end, 352 00:22:51,310 --> 00:22:55,723 it cost me so much mentally and emotionally, 353 00:22:55,724 --> 00:22:57,551 I couldn't do it, and I dropped the charges. 354 00:22:59,793 --> 00:23:02,274 Six months later, 355 00:23:02,275 --> 00:23:05,482 Linda receives a Facebook message from Elena. 356 00:23:06,586 --> 00:23:10,619 She told me first that she tripped, 357 00:23:10,620 --> 00:23:12,412 and then I told her, 358 00:23:12,413 --> 00:23:14,068 "Elena, I don't believe you." 359 00:23:14,793 --> 00:23:18,171 I said, "He must be hitting you. 360 00:23:18,172 --> 00:23:21,171 And then, you know, she finally told me, 361 00:23:21,172 --> 00:23:23,412 "Oh, well, he got mad, but he didn't mean it. 362 00:23:23,413 --> 00:23:25,689 He was sorry." 363 00:23:25,862 --> 00:23:29,275 But she always had an excuse for him. 364 00:23:31,344 --> 00:23:35,655 On November 4th, 2019, 365 00:23:35,827 --> 00:23:40,516 I got home to my mom and Brandon's house. 366 00:23:40,517 --> 00:23:45,172 And I walk in, and the entire place is trashed. 367 00:23:47,034 --> 00:23:49,792 10, 15 minutes after, 368 00:23:49,793 --> 00:23:52,378 my mom pulled up in front of the house. 369 00:23:52,379 --> 00:23:56,309 It was her, Brandon, all of my siblings. 370 00:23:56,310 --> 00:23:59,171 And it looked like my mom and Brandon were arguing 371 00:23:59,172 --> 00:24:00,585 outside of their car. 372 00:24:03,379 --> 00:24:06,792 And she said, "Just get in the car. 373 00:24:06,793 --> 00:24:08,793 I'll take you to your friend's house." 374 00:24:15,275 --> 00:24:17,964 We pulled into the parking garage 375 00:24:17,965 --> 00:24:22,136 of my friend's apartment complex. 376 00:24:22,137 --> 00:24:23,964 And she had told me that she'd see me tomorrow 377 00:24:23,965 --> 00:24:25,343 and that she loves me. 378 00:24:25,344 --> 00:24:26,655 And I told her I love her too. 379 00:24:30,482 --> 00:24:33,171 Two hours later, 380 00:24:33,172 --> 00:24:36,550 Nathan receives news about a disturbance at home. 381 00:24:36,551 --> 00:24:39,137 So, I called my sister. 382 00:24:40,344 --> 00:24:44,068 And as soon as I answer the phone, 383 00:24:44,586 --> 00:24:46,655 all I hear is screaming. 384 00:24:54,172 --> 00:24:58,826 On November 4th, 2019, 385 00:24:58,827 --> 00:25:01,309 around 6:34 p.m., 386 00:25:01,310 --> 00:25:04,274 we got a call from dispatch, 387 00:25:04,275 --> 00:25:06,964 letting us know that we had a gunshot wound. 388 00:25:09,172 --> 00:25:10,896 The victim was a female, 389 00:25:11,034 --> 00:25:13,655 and the suspect was not on scene. 390 00:25:23,172 --> 00:25:26,481 So immediately as I arrived on scene, 391 00:25:26,482 --> 00:25:31,619 I saw three younger children running towards me, screaming, 392 00:25:31,620 --> 00:25:32,999 "She's back there, she's back there. 393 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:34,551 You need to help her." 394 00:25:38,931 --> 00:25:39,895 Started going towards the house. 395 00:25:39,896 --> 00:25:42,378 My partner, Officer Wadsworth, 396 00:25:42,379 --> 00:25:45,723 was in the back laundry room of the house 397 00:25:45,724 --> 00:25:48,827 with the victim and was attempting CPR. 398 00:25:53,068 --> 00:25:58,309 It looked like somebody had purposefully upturned, 399 00:25:58,310 --> 00:26:01,792 uprooted everything in the house onto the floor. 400 00:26:01,793 --> 00:26:06,550 And when I got to the door of the laundry room, 401 00:26:06,551 --> 00:26:10,447 I could see the victim laying down in a pool of blood, 402 00:26:10,448 --> 00:26:12,620 with my partner conducting the CPR. 403 00:26:18,896 --> 00:26:22,033 So when I went back outside, 404 00:26:22,034 --> 00:26:26,447 that's when I made contact with the eldest child, Angel. 405 00:26:26,448 --> 00:26:30,344 And I learned that the victim was their mother, Elena Wysong. 406 00:26:36,551 --> 00:26:40,827 various voices overlapping] 407 00:27:10,758 --> 00:27:14,033 He's armed and dangerous, 408 00:27:14,034 --> 00:27:18,034 so it was important for us to locate and apprehend him. 409 00:27:19,275 --> 00:27:21,550 My friend and his mom, 410 00:27:21,551 --> 00:27:23,172 we pull up to the house. 411 00:27:25,137 --> 00:27:29,102 There's, like, four cop cars. 412 00:27:29,103 --> 00:27:32,274 And my siblings are, all three of them are, 413 00:27:32,275 --> 00:27:34,136 in the back of a cop car. 414 00:27:34,137 --> 00:27:38,067 And Angel is covered in blood. 415 00:27:38,068 --> 00:27:40,136 She's freaking out, and she's crying, 416 00:27:40,137 --> 00:27:41,619 And Alura and Bobby are crying. 417 00:27:41,620 --> 00:27:43,724 They don't have any clothes on. 418 00:27:46,103 --> 00:27:52,344 I could still not grasp what was going on. 419 00:27:53,172 --> 00:27:56,827 And it all... 420 00:27:57,344 --> 00:27:59,861 felt like a dream. 421 00:27:59,862 --> 00:28:04,793 Elena Wysong is pronounced dead at 6:48 p.m. 422 00:28:05,137 --> 00:28:08,309 When we have a possibly armed and dangerous suspect 423 00:28:08,310 --> 00:28:09,757 who's fled the scene, 424 00:28:09,758 --> 00:28:11,619 it's imperative for us to-- 425 00:28:11,620 --> 00:28:13,310 to start tracking that guy down. 426 00:28:15,793 --> 00:28:19,619 If they were just able to commit this horrendous act, 427 00:28:19,620 --> 00:28:20,723 who knows what they'll do. 428 00:28:20,724 --> 00:28:22,205 At 6:52 p.m., 429 00:28:22,206 --> 00:28:24,378 Officer Butler arrives on scene, 430 00:28:24,379 --> 00:28:26,723 with his canine, Nemo. 431 00:28:26,724 --> 00:28:29,274 Most of the search occurred in the residential area. 432 00:28:29,275 --> 00:28:32,412 Just after 7 p.m., a man arrives on scene 433 00:28:32,413 --> 00:28:36,171 and identifies himself as Brandon's stepfather. 434 00:28:36,172 --> 00:28:38,550 So Brandon's stepfather tells the officer 435 00:28:38,551 --> 00:28:40,861 that Brandon wants to turn himself in, 436 00:28:40,862 --> 00:28:44,930 and he wants to lead the officers to Brandon himself. 437 00:28:44,931 --> 00:28:47,447 So K-9 immediately heads to the area, 438 00:28:47,448 --> 00:28:50,481 and the dog picks up a scent. 439 00:28:58,482 --> 00:29:02,516 Brandon pops up out of the wood line with his hands up. 440 00:29:02,517 --> 00:29:05,343 He's in custody on the scene of the accident. 441 00:29:17,137 --> 00:29:18,965 All right, cool. 442 00:29:28,275 --> 00:29:31,723 Whenever we arrest someone, we do an immediate search 443 00:29:31,724 --> 00:29:33,861 of that person in the waist area, 444 00:29:33,862 --> 00:29:35,895 and Brandon didn't have a weapon on him. 445 00:29:35,896 --> 00:29:38,964 Now, the first thing that goes in my head is, 446 00:29:38,965 --> 00:29:41,310 "Where's this weapon at?" 447 00:29:41,793 --> 00:29:46,550 The forensic team arrive on scene at 8:35 p.m. 448 00:29:46,551 --> 00:29:48,586 and start collecting evidence. 449 00:29:49,689 --> 00:29:51,723 In the laundry room, 450 00:29:51,724 --> 00:29:54,481 they find a box of ammunition, 451 00:29:54,482 --> 00:29:58,102 a.380 pistol magazine, 452 00:29:58,103 --> 00:30:01,378 two deformed bullets, which I believe were found 453 00:30:01,379 --> 00:30:04,412 behind the dryer, by the dryer duct. 454 00:30:04,413 --> 00:30:06,619 and then three shell casings, 455 00:30:06,620 --> 00:30:09,447 which indicate that three shots had been fired. 456 00:30:09,448 --> 00:30:13,137 In the home, there was also three cellphones recovered. 457 00:30:13,310 --> 00:30:17,309 The evidence that the police have at that time 458 00:30:17,310 --> 00:30:21,206 all point to Brandon having a firearm, a.380 pistol. 459 00:30:22,793 --> 00:30:25,895 I had gotten off of work, 460 00:30:25,896 --> 00:30:30,482 and I got a phone call from one of my family members. 461 00:30:30,965 --> 00:30:34,033 And they told me that, 462 00:30:34,034 --> 00:30:36,172 "You were right, he killed her." 463 00:30:36,586 --> 00:30:40,206 I was completely devastated. 464 00:30:40,379 --> 00:30:45,136 Got a phone call from Angel's other grandmother, 465 00:30:45,137 --> 00:30:48,413 and she said to me, "Elena's been shot." 466 00:30:48,689 --> 00:30:51,447 And I knew. I knew she was gone. 467 00:30:51,448 --> 00:30:53,137 I knew it. 468 00:30:54,172 --> 00:30:56,550 Yeah, they wouldn't let me in the house. 469 00:30:56,551 --> 00:30:57,896 They wouldn't let me see her. 470 00:30:58,793 --> 00:31:01,482 The kids were in the police car, 471 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,688 and Angel was screaming, 472 00:31:05,689 --> 00:31:08,723 and the little ones were crying, 473 00:31:08,724 --> 00:31:13,965 and the police took us all to the station house. 474 00:31:14,482 --> 00:31:20,136 Angel tells Detective Hosang that earlier in that evening, 475 00:31:20,137 --> 00:31:23,620 that there was a fight between her mother and Brandon. 476 00:31:24,551 --> 00:31:27,447 And that because of that argument, 477 00:31:27,448 --> 00:31:30,309 Elena packed up her and her children 478 00:31:30,310 --> 00:31:32,482 and left to go to her mother's house. 479 00:31:32,965 --> 00:31:35,067 They ultimately ended up 480 00:31:35,068 --> 00:31:37,412 turning around and going back home 481 00:31:37,413 --> 00:31:40,379 because Angel wanted to get her pregnant cat. 482 00:31:42,172 --> 00:31:44,861 That is when Elena discovers 483 00:31:44,862 --> 00:31:47,757 that Brandon had destroyed the house. 484 00:31:47,758 --> 00:31:50,343 Elena is then headbutted in the face, 485 00:31:50,344 --> 00:31:53,033 in front of the children by Brandon. 486 00:31:53,034 --> 00:31:56,205 At that point she walks into the laundry room. 487 00:31:56,206 --> 00:31:58,343 Brandon Wysong follows her into the laundry room, 488 00:31:58,344 --> 00:31:59,654 slams the door. 489 00:32:02,241 --> 00:32:05,343 The children hear three gunshots 490 00:32:05,344 --> 00:32:09,103 and see Brandon run out of the back of the house. 491 00:32:09,965 --> 00:32:15,378 Angel was able to break through the laundry room 492 00:32:15,379 --> 00:32:17,482 and crawl through the hole in the door. 493 00:32:17,793 --> 00:32:22,619 She then grabs some towels and tries to use them 494 00:32:22,620 --> 00:32:24,067 to put pressure on her mom's head 495 00:32:24,068 --> 00:32:27,136 to stop the bleeding. 496 00:32:27,137 --> 00:32:29,448 It was at that point she used her mother's phone to call 911. 497 00:32:32,862 --> 00:32:36,447 Bobby was five years old at the time, 498 00:32:36,448 --> 00:32:39,930 and the interviewer asked him 499 00:32:39,931 --> 00:32:42,688 to draw pictures of what he saw. 500 00:32:42,689 --> 00:32:45,827 And what he drew was very disturbing. 501 00:32:46,275 --> 00:32:49,000 Bobby drew several photos. 502 00:32:49,448 --> 00:32:53,171 One of them was his mother... 503 00:32:53,172 --> 00:32:55,137 lying in a pool of blood, 504 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:58,516 Brandon with a firearm. 505 00:32:58,517 --> 00:33:01,619 There was also another photo 506 00:33:01,620 --> 00:33:03,309 that he described as his mother, 507 00:33:03,310 --> 00:33:05,550 which was a photo of someone 508 00:33:05,551 --> 00:33:06,862 with a gunshot wound to the head. 509 00:33:12,034 --> 00:33:15,102 At 10:28 p.m., 510 00:33:15,103 --> 00:33:17,861 Detective Andre Jerry and Detective Jachimiak 511 00:33:17,862 --> 00:33:19,034 interview Brandon Wysong. 512 00:33:28,482 --> 00:33:31,999 I had no doubt in my mind that he'd done it, 513 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:33,827 just from the totality of all the circumstances. 514 00:33:38,586 --> 00:33:40,826 So during the interview, 515 00:33:40,827 --> 00:33:42,724 Brandon was just hot and cold. 516 00:33:47,172 --> 00:33:50,067 But then a lot of the times in the interview, 517 00:33:50,068 --> 00:33:51,792 he would put the blame on her. 518 00:33:51,793 --> 00:33:54,654 He would say things like, "She made me do it," 519 00:33:54,655 --> 00:33:56,758 and "I told her this was coming, it's her fault." 520 00:34:05,344 --> 00:34:07,723 At one point in time, he said, 521 00:34:07,724 --> 00:34:08,758 "I did it, there's no question." 522 00:34:31,172 --> 00:34:33,481 Going into this interview, 523 00:34:33,482 --> 00:34:35,447 it was two major goals. 524 00:34:35,448 --> 00:34:38,999 It was, one was to find out why he did what he did, 525 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:40,481 and the second one was to find out where 526 00:34:40,482 --> 00:34:41,551 the murder weapon was. 527 00:35:11,689 --> 00:35:14,205 You could tell he was just thinking about himself. 528 00:35:14,206 --> 00:35:17,033 He was trying to cut a deal. 529 00:35:17,034 --> 00:35:19,309 I told him that if you show us where the weapon is, 530 00:35:19,310 --> 00:35:20,344 they're willing to work with you. 531 00:35:35,275 --> 00:35:40,412 Brandon believes that he is making this deal. 532 00:35:40,413 --> 00:35:42,999 And in exchange, 533 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,447 he says he will lead them to the murder weapon. 534 00:35:45,448 --> 00:35:48,516 So on the way to find the murder weapon, 535 00:35:48,517 --> 00:35:50,757 he just acted like he didn't have a care in the world. 536 00:35:50,758 --> 00:35:53,309 There was no remorse. 537 00:35:53,310 --> 00:35:55,895 You could tell he was just thinking about himself. 538 00:35:55,896 --> 00:35:59,447 I mean, to be able to shoot and kill your wife, 539 00:35:59,448 --> 00:36:01,447 and then not have a care in the world, 540 00:36:01,448 --> 00:36:03,688 especially when you got kids with that person, 541 00:36:03,689 --> 00:36:05,930 it just, I mean, he had no soul, 542 00:36:05,931 --> 00:36:07,758 no-- no conscience. 543 00:36:09,586 --> 00:36:12,688 So Brandon leads us to the wooded area, 544 00:36:12,689 --> 00:36:14,931 maybe 20 feet from where he surrendered. 545 00:36:15,793 --> 00:36:21,067 We find a black Ruger.380, 546 00:36:21,068 --> 00:36:24,379 which matched the cell casings that we found on scene 547 00:36:24,551 --> 00:36:26,655 and the box of ammo that was in the house. 548 00:36:30,379 --> 00:36:33,516 Once the gun is found, we turn it over forensics. 549 00:36:33,517 --> 00:36:36,033 They'll dust it for prints, 550 00:36:36,034 --> 00:36:38,033 and then it gets run through our NIBIN, 551 00:36:38,034 --> 00:36:39,447 where they'll do a test fire, 552 00:36:39,448 --> 00:36:41,274 and they'll match the casing, 553 00:36:41,275 --> 00:36:42,723 and that's where they're able to tell 554 00:36:42,724 --> 00:36:45,206 it's a direct match. 555 00:36:45,586 --> 00:36:49,274 Brandon is charged with the second-degree murder 556 00:36:49,275 --> 00:36:53,309 of Elena Wysong and transported to Virginia Beach City Jail. 557 00:36:53,310 --> 00:36:57,033 The next day, an autopsy of Elena was performed 558 00:36:57,034 --> 00:37:00,447 at the office of the chief medical examiner in Norfolk. 559 00:37:00,448 --> 00:37:02,792 And the medical examiner determined 560 00:37:02,793 --> 00:37:06,931 that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. 561 00:37:07,896 --> 00:37:11,171 When we receive our case file, 562 00:37:11,172 --> 00:37:16,102 we received a cellphone dump of Brandon's phone. 563 00:37:16,103 --> 00:37:20,551 And what I found on the phone was disturbing. 564 00:37:21,586 --> 00:37:25,931 There were text messages that showed 565 00:37:26,103 --> 00:37:29,000 the abuse that was occurring. 566 00:37:29,379 --> 00:37:36,620 He had photos saved of Elena's black eyes and bruises. 567 00:37:36,793 --> 00:37:43,343 There was some very, very disturbing things in that phone. 568 00:37:43,344 --> 00:37:45,964 When determining whether we should take something to trial, 569 00:37:45,965 --> 00:37:47,826 there are so many different considerations 570 00:37:47,827 --> 00:37:49,757 that go into play. 571 00:37:49,758 --> 00:37:52,102 And one of the main ones in this case 572 00:37:52,103 --> 00:37:55,655 was saving Angel from having to testify, 573 00:37:55,827 --> 00:38:00,723 because I truly believe I would have been re-victimizing Angel, 574 00:38:00,724 --> 00:38:02,792 to put her on a stand, 575 00:38:02,793 --> 00:38:04,654 in front of 14 strangers she doesn't know, 576 00:38:04,655 --> 00:38:08,688 to explain in excruciating detail 577 00:38:08,689 --> 00:38:10,758 the worst day of her life. 578 00:38:11,275 --> 00:38:13,757 After speaking with Elena's family, 579 00:38:13,758 --> 00:38:16,102 we ultimately came to the decision 580 00:38:16,103 --> 00:38:18,827 to offer the-- the defendant a plea agreement. 581 00:38:19,448 --> 00:38:21,309 Under the plea agreement, 582 00:38:21,310 --> 00:38:24,274 the maximum active time 583 00:38:24,275 --> 00:38:26,827 Brandon could get to serve was 30 years. 584 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:33,862 After Brandon accepts the plea for 30 years, 585 00:38:34,344 --> 00:38:37,585 I start pulling up jail calls. 586 00:38:37,586 --> 00:38:41,447 And I do that because, a lot of times, 587 00:38:41,448 --> 00:38:43,481 people are more willing to talk 588 00:38:43,482 --> 00:38:46,102 after they know that they have a plea agreement 589 00:38:46,103 --> 00:38:47,275 and their case is not going to trial. 590 00:39:11,448 --> 00:39:13,861 I can't say that I've ever heard anything like that. 591 00:39:13,862 --> 00:39:16,619 And he made that decision at that moment, 592 00:39:16,620 --> 00:39:19,343 to shoot her execution-style, 593 00:39:19,344 --> 00:39:21,343 with her kids in the next room, 594 00:39:21,344 --> 00:39:23,517 was shocking. 595 00:39:25,275 --> 00:39:28,274 Four years after Elena's murder, 596 00:39:28,275 --> 00:39:31,378 her family attend Brandon's sentencing hearing. 597 00:39:31,379 --> 00:39:36,067 I remember me and Angel were holding on to each other. 598 00:39:36,068 --> 00:39:38,619 I don't think I've ever had held her hand 599 00:39:38,620 --> 00:39:41,378 that tightly before. 600 00:39:41,379 --> 00:39:44,619 And I remember both of us were shaking. 601 00:39:44,620 --> 00:39:48,723 We were waiting for him to step out from behind that door 602 00:39:48,724 --> 00:39:50,827 and look at us both in the face. 603 00:39:52,758 --> 00:39:55,481 At the sentencing hearing, 604 00:39:55,482 --> 00:39:57,999 we put on a lot of evidence, 605 00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:00,826 because we wanted to convince the judge 606 00:40:00,827 --> 00:40:03,309 that he should sentence Brandon 607 00:40:03,310 --> 00:40:06,516 to the maximum amount of time allowable under 608 00:40:06,517 --> 00:40:08,895 the plea agreement and sentence him to 30 years. 609 00:40:08,896 --> 00:40:11,861 I also offered into evidence the jail calls, 610 00:40:11,862 --> 00:40:15,792 where he describes in excruciating detail 611 00:40:15,793 --> 00:40:19,723 how he execution-style shot Elena in the back of her head 612 00:40:19,724 --> 00:40:21,344 as she's cowering in the corner. 613 00:40:22,172 --> 00:40:25,516 The judge sentences Brandon Wysong 614 00:40:25,517 --> 00:40:29,136 to serve the full 30 years under the plea agreement 615 00:40:29,137 --> 00:40:32,964 for the second-degree murder of Elena Wysong. 616 00:40:32,965 --> 00:40:35,757 I would have loved it if he had gotten a life sentence, 617 00:40:35,758 --> 00:40:38,137 because that's what I think he deserves. 618 00:40:38,310 --> 00:40:42,964 I miss her laugh. I miss her phone calls. 619 00:40:42,965 --> 00:40:47,585 I miss her coming over, and we just laugh and talk. 620 00:40:47,586 --> 00:40:51,448 I miss going out with her to do things with the kids. 621 00:40:52,482 --> 00:40:57,412 She wasn't there for a lot of the big things in my life. 622 00:40:57,413 --> 00:41:00,516 When I first got my license, when I got my name legally changed, 623 00:41:00,517 --> 00:41:02,550 when I graduated high school, 624 00:41:02,551 --> 00:41:05,517 when I took my first testosterone shot. 625 00:41:05,793 --> 00:41:08,792 So how are you doing today? 626 00:41:08,793 --> 00:41:13,274 There's no substitution for that loss. 627 00:41:13,275 --> 00:41:15,413 The hole is always there. 628 00:41:16,034 --> 00:41:19,343 Sometimes you just have to say, 629 00:41:19,344 --> 00:41:21,482 "Screw it all, let's just go do something fun."