1 00:00:05,506 --> 00:00:08,640 [Ashley speaking] 2 00:00:11,112 --> 00:00:13,112 It's really neat to watch it back and be like, 3 00:00:13,114 --> 00:00:15,247 "Oh, my goodness. We were so silly back then." 4 00:00:16,550 --> 00:00:20,085 [Jimmy] There was some fun years for 'em growing up 5 00:00:20,087 --> 00:00:23,422 Yeah, I wish I could go back to them days. 6 00:00:23,424 --> 00:00:25,557 [Lori] We were starting live 7 00:00:25,626 --> 00:00:27,926 you know, in different places. 8 00:00:27,928 --> 00:00:30,429 We were very excited. 9 00:00:30,431 --> 00:00:32,464 I didn't know 10 00:00:32,533 --> 00:00:35,100 that that would have been a warning sign. 11 00:00:35,102 --> 00:00:38,237 This perfect life was all a facade. 12 00:00:40,408 --> 00:00:43,809 [dispatcher speaking] 13 00:00:43,811 --> 00:00:47,813 [detective] I've worked close to 1,300 death investigations 14 00:00:47,815 --> 00:00:50,716 and only two 911 calls 15 00:00:50,718 --> 00:00:53,419 really got my attention. And this was one of them. 16 00:00:53,421 --> 00:00:55,054 [dispatcher speaking] 17 00:00:55,122 --> 00:00:58,057 [man speaking] 18 00:00:58,059 --> 00:00:59,124 [dispatcher speaking] 19 00:00:59,193 --> 00:01:02,661 None of us ever realized what was truly going on. 20 00:01:02,730 --> 00:01:05,431 [dispatcher speaking] 21 00:01:21,415 --> 00:01:25,517 [Ashley speaking] 22 00:01:25,519 --> 00:01:27,453 [narrator] February 1990... 23 00:01:30,257 --> 00:01:32,091 [Ashley speaking] 24 00:01:32,093 --> 00:01:34,093 [narrator] 11-year-old Ashley Pittman 25 00:01:34,095 --> 00:01:39,798 goofs around with best frien Erin Russell at Erin's hous in Bossier City, Louisiana. 26 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:44,103 [Ashley speaking] 27 00:01:44,105 --> 00:01:49,308 My friends and I, we loved to slide down the stairs. 28 00:01:49,310 --> 00:01:52,344 We would use a piece of foam usually 29 00:01:52,413 --> 00:01:54,746 that was covered in cloth, and we would use a beanbag. 30 00:01:54,815 --> 00:01:58,016 We would try different things to lay on top and slide down the stairs. 31 00:01:58,018 --> 00:02:00,018 And it was just really a funny thing 32 00:02:00,020 --> 00:02:02,054 that we used to love to do. 33 00:02:02,122 --> 00:02:04,056 Ashley and I started doing videos. 34 00:02:04,058 --> 00:02:06,425 We were probably about ten years old. 35 00:02:06,427 --> 00:02:12,698 She was a natural in front of a camera. She was just full of life, very entertaining. 36 00:02:12,700 --> 00:02:14,032 [Ashley speaking] 37 00:02:21,208 --> 00:02:23,742 When we had the video camera out, Ashley 38 00:02:23,844 --> 00:02:27,613 would come to life. But Ashley was always kind of on all the time. 39 00:02:27,615 --> 00:02:31,450 So she was the same person even when the camera was off. 40 00:02:31,552 --> 00:02:33,519 -[girl speaking] -[Ashley speaking] 41 00:02:33,521 --> 00:02:36,121 [Erin] But she did love being an entertainer. 42 00:02:36,123 --> 00:02:39,591 And she would easily make friends with others. 43 00:02:39,593 --> 00:02:41,560 She's very bubbly, very outgoing. 44 00:02:41,629 --> 00:02:44,129 So I think that's just her personality. 45 00:02:44,131 --> 00:02:46,064 And so that's what we would always capture 46 00:02:46,133 --> 00:02:48,300 when we were on film togethe 47 00:02:51,105 --> 00:02:54,206 Ashley and I grew up in Bossier City, Louisiana, 48 00:02:54,208 --> 00:02:58,744 and went to the same elementary school at Sun City Elementary. 49 00:02:58,845 --> 00:03:01,914 And we met in kindergarten, 50 00:03:01,916 --> 00:03:05,417 and we met one day on the playground 51 00:03:05,419 --> 00:03:08,720 and just instantly kind of clicked. 52 00:03:08,722 --> 00:03:11,757 [Ashley speaking] 53 00:03:11,792 --> 00:03:13,725 [Erin] We did spontaneous things. 54 00:03:13,727 --> 00:03:17,229 You know, we would make videos, music videos, 55 00:03:17,231 --> 00:03:20,799 or just film ourselves, you know, having a cooking show. 56 00:03:23,837 --> 00:03:26,305 And she would just always make me laugh. 57 00:03:30,544 --> 00:03:32,978 So this was the start of our music video. 58 00:03:34,415 --> 00:03:38,217 We're pretending like we're driving through town. 59 00:03:38,219 --> 00:03:41,253 We're pretending to drive her dad's truck. 60 00:03:41,322 --> 00:03:42,821 And Ashley is... 61 00:03:42,823 --> 00:03:46,058 we're bouncing up and down dressed up like guys. 62 00:03:47,728 --> 00:03:50,128 Oh, gosh, it's funny. 63 00:03:50,130 --> 00:03:52,698 [Jimmy] They got in my old truck. 64 00:03:52,700 --> 00:03:55,000 Oh, man. 65 00:03:55,002 --> 00:03:58,303 That's been so long ago since I had that old truck. 66 00:04:02,142 --> 00:04:03,842 [narrator] Ashley's dad, Jimmy Pittman, 67 00:04:03,944 --> 00:04:08,413 met his wife Donna when she was already pregnant with Ashley. 68 00:04:08,415 --> 00:04:13,051 Jimmy has a five-year-old daughter, Kecia, from a previous relationship. 69 00:04:13,053 --> 00:04:17,489 Ashley was born on November 4, 1978. 70 00:04:17,491 --> 00:04:19,424 She was a tiny little thing 71 00:04:19,426 --> 00:04:22,427 She was only about four pounds when she was born. 72 00:04:24,064 --> 00:04:27,733 Ashley was my sister by adoption, so 73 00:04:27,834 --> 00:04:34,539 she was raised by my biological dad from the time she was born. 74 00:04:34,641 --> 00:04:36,041 [Jimmy] Ashley was my daughter. 75 00:04:36,143 --> 00:04:39,244 Her real dad gave me permission to adopt her, 76 00:04:39,346 --> 00:04:41,313 and that's what I wanted to do, 77 00:04:41,315 --> 00:04:43,048 where we could be a whole family. 78 00:04:45,419 --> 00:04:50,155 [Kecia] Donna was a really strong mom. 79 00:04:50,223 --> 00:04:52,324 You know, it was her way or the highway. 80 00:04:53,627 --> 00:04:56,061 But that strictness, I think, 81 00:04:56,063 --> 00:05:02,601 came out of her wanting the best possible lives for us. 82 00:05:04,638 --> 00:05:09,041 [Jimmy] I worked for the railroad for 37 years. 83 00:05:09,043 --> 00:05:10,709 I worked hard, you know, 84 00:05:10,711 --> 00:05:17,316 Donna didn't have to work, and I wasn't home a lot of times. I would stay busy. 85 00:05:17,318 --> 00:05:19,718 [Kecia] Jimmy was a loving dad. 86 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,988 I think that they were two people that 87 00:05:22,990 --> 00:05:26,458 did the best that they could to, 88 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,361 you know, provide us with 89 00:05:29,430 --> 00:05:30,996 good education, 90 00:05:30,998 --> 00:05:34,700 a Christian environment, you know, with church. 91 00:05:34,702 --> 00:05:39,037 It was a good place to be brought up for sure. 92 00:05:42,309 --> 00:05:46,211 [Lori] Ashley and I met in the fifth grade. 93 00:05:46,213 --> 00:05:49,614 We had every class together and we instantly 94 00:05:49,616 --> 00:05:51,216 hit it off as friends. 95 00:05:54,121 --> 00:05:56,621 Ashley and I loved the New Kids on the Block. 96 00:05:56,623 --> 00:05:59,591 They were a very popular band back then. 97 00:05:59,593 --> 00:06:02,260 And we spent many hours 98 00:06:02,362 --> 00:06:07,299 arguing over who was going to marry Jordan Knight. 99 00:06:07,301 --> 00:06:09,835 Every now and then, we would cave into one another 100 00:06:09,936 --> 00:06:11,737 and settle on another member of the band. 101 00:06:11,838 --> 00:06:14,940 But we both had our eyes on Jordan, for sure. 102 00:06:19,513 --> 00:06:22,714 In the summer of 1990, we were 103 00:06:22,716 --> 00:06:27,052 really excited because the New Kids on the Block were coming to town 104 00:06:27,054 --> 00:06:29,454 and tickets were very hard to find. 105 00:06:29,556 --> 00:06:34,860 And so Jim, Ashley's dad, took us to 106 00:06:34,928 --> 00:06:39,564 sleep outside all night long and camp out for these tickets. 107 00:06:41,602 --> 00:06:45,036 Jim just doted on Ashley and thought that 108 00:06:45,072 --> 00:06:48,106 she was the greatest thing. And so naturally, 109 00:06:48,108 --> 00:06:52,444 he accepted us, her friends, and treated us like 110 00:06:52,546 --> 00:06:54,846 we were his children too. 111 00:06:54,948 --> 00:06:57,416 Ashley had a magnetic personality. 112 00:06:57,418 --> 00:06:59,418 She did not meet a stranger 113 00:06:59,420 --> 00:07:03,455 She was just very outgoing and very spunky. 114 00:07:08,061 --> 00:07:09,928 [narrator] In the fall of 1990, 115 00:07:09,930 --> 00:07:13,365 Donna makes a decision that shatters Ashley's world 116 00:07:14,601 --> 00:07:18,036 She came home one day and she said, "Well, I'm leaving." 117 00:07:18,038 --> 00:07:21,673 And I said, "What do you mean you're leaving?" 118 00:07:21,675 --> 00:07:24,342 She said, "I'm gonna leave on Ashley's birthday. 119 00:07:24,444 --> 00:07:26,611 And I said, "Why are you going to do that, Donna?" 120 00:07:26,613 --> 00:07:30,248 I said, "You don't do stuff like that. That's your child." 121 00:07:30,317 --> 00:07:33,752 She loaded up in her car and she left. 122 00:07:33,821 --> 00:07:36,922 I would like to know exactly myself what was going on. 123 00:07:36,924 --> 00:07:41,526 But, you know, I didn't-- There wasn't no way I could find out. 124 00:07:41,528 --> 00:07:44,729 I would never believed she would have done anything like that. 125 00:07:45,933 --> 00:07:49,501 Never in my lifetime I wouldn't have believed that. 126 00:07:49,503 --> 00:07:52,037 [Kecia] I remember having conversations with Donna 127 00:07:52,105 --> 00:07:57,542 where she would talk about n being happy in the marriage 128 00:07:57,644 --> 00:08:00,245 So I think she did that thinking that that was 129 00:08:00,347 --> 00:08:03,114 going to be what was best for us at that point in time. 130 00:08:04,351 --> 00:08:09,054 I think that I knew that that was coming. 131 00:08:09,056 --> 00:08:11,189 But, you know, Ashley was 132 00:08:11,191 --> 00:08:16,728 so much younger that I think it was probably pretty unexpected for her. 133 00:08:18,398 --> 00:08:20,499 [Jimmy] Ashley, she was in tears. 134 00:08:20,501 --> 00:08:24,035 I wouldn't want anybody to go through what Ashley went through. 135 00:08:24,037 --> 00:08:26,304 Her heart was broken, 136 00:08:26,306 --> 00:08:28,340 from her mama leaving. 137 00:08:30,043 --> 00:08:33,512 [narrator] Donna remarries and settles in Kansas. 138 00:08:33,514 --> 00:08:35,814 Ashley stays in contact with her mom 139 00:08:35,816 --> 00:08:38,550 through phone calls and occasional visits. 140 00:08:38,652 --> 00:08:42,120 [Kecia] We still would visit and go shopping 141 00:08:42,122 --> 00:08:45,957 and go out to eat and stuff that we would do with her, 142 00:08:47,060 --> 00:08:50,829 you know, just ordinarily. 143 00:08:54,034 --> 00:08:57,202 [narrator] Ashley adjusts to the new family setup, 144 00:08:57,204 --> 00:09:01,806 and she appears to be her old bubbly self by October 1991. 145 00:09:02,910 --> 00:09:05,143 [Lori] Ashley was the cheer captain 146 00:09:05,212 --> 00:09:09,214 for our eighth grade middle school cheer team. 147 00:09:09,216 --> 00:09:13,318 We cheered for the Eagles at Elm Grove Middle School. 148 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:16,555 We cheered at football games, basketball games. 149 00:09:16,623 --> 00:09:20,392 We did pep rallies. And it was a lot of fun. 150 00:09:20,394 --> 00:09:24,029 Riley. Ashley. Amber. Julie. 151 00:09:24,031 --> 00:09:26,231 [Erin] If I wasn't behind the camera, it was usually 152 00:09:26,233 --> 00:09:31,703 one of my parents. They would come to assemblies or to football games. 153 00:09:31,705 --> 00:09:35,040 [cheerleaders speaking] 154 00:09:37,311 --> 00:09:39,811 Ashley was the perfect cheerleader because 155 00:09:39,813 --> 00:09:42,747 she was so enthusiastic, just naturally 156 00:09:42,849 --> 00:09:45,350 happy, energetic, always smiling, 157 00:09:45,419 --> 00:09:47,619 you know, get the crowd involved. 158 00:09:49,523 --> 00:09:53,792 [Lori] I think Ashley knew that she was a strong person 159 00:09:53,794 --> 00:09:58,229 She would help you find ways to deal with 160 00:09:58,231 --> 00:10:00,098 hard times in your life. 161 00:10:00,100 --> 00:10:03,134 I think that just both of us being together 162 00:10:03,236 --> 00:10:07,939 was probably what kept us both focused on our future. 163 00:10:08,041 --> 00:10:10,942 Things are gonna be great. That was our plan. 164 00:10:18,819 --> 00:10:21,886 [Jimmy] Ashley was a happy, carefree teenager. 165 00:10:21,888 --> 00:10:24,623 Even though they didn't have a mama for a long time, 166 00:10:24,724 --> 00:10:26,257 she still had a happy home. 167 00:10:27,794 --> 00:10:30,795 And I made sure of that. 168 00:10:30,797 --> 00:10:34,132 She always had something going on with some of her little friends. 169 00:10:35,235 --> 00:10:37,802 -[Ashley speaking] -[Erin speaking] 170 00:10:37,871 --> 00:10:40,271 February 1992, 171 00:10:40,273 --> 00:10:43,908 Ashley and I are in the kitchen at my house. 172 00:10:45,912 --> 00:10:48,113 Please stop it, I'm [indistinct]. 173 00:10:48,115 --> 00:10:50,615 -I can't talk now. -[Ashley speaking] 174 00:10:50,617 --> 00:10:53,218 Of course, we had our eyes on some cute boys, 175 00:10:53,220 --> 00:10:56,321 so we decided to make some cookies to 176 00:10:56,323 --> 00:10:58,790 give to some cute boys for Valentine's Day. 177 00:10:59,926 --> 00:11:02,060 [Ashley speaking] 178 00:11:02,062 --> 00:11:03,261 [Erin speaking] 179 00:11:03,329 --> 00:11:04,596 [Ashley speaking] 180 00:11:04,598 --> 00:11:06,865 [Erin] Oh, the cookies were definitely in hearts. 181 00:11:06,867 --> 00:11:10,669 So we tried to make them Valentine themed cookies. 182 00:11:10,671 --> 00:11:12,404 And after we made them, 183 00:11:12,406 --> 00:11:14,973 Ashley and I put icing, you know, pink icing on them. 184 00:11:14,975 --> 00:11:17,208 I think we added some sprinkles, you know, 185 00:11:17,210 --> 00:11:18,510 to make them look cute. 186 00:11:18,512 --> 00:11:22,681 And that was our gift for our, um, 187 00:11:22,683 --> 00:11:24,549 we were hoping, soon to be Valentine. 188 00:11:29,189 --> 00:11:31,723 I don't think Ashley needed to bake any cookies 189 00:11:31,792 --> 00:11:33,825 to give to a boy to get his attention 190 00:11:33,893 --> 00:11:36,327 'cause she was beautiful. She was gorgeous, 191 00:11:36,329 --> 00:11:39,030 so fun to be around, fun loving. 192 00:11:39,032 --> 00:11:41,499 I mean, who wouldn't want to be around Ashley? 193 00:11:43,336 --> 00:11:45,170 [Jimmy] All of them boys loved Ashley. 194 00:11:45,172 --> 00:11:49,340 And I didn't let her start dating till she got 16 years old. 195 00:11:49,409 --> 00:11:51,509 And I said, "'Cause you're still a baby. 196 00:11:51,511 --> 00:11:53,344 You know, you need to wait till you get grown 197 00:11:53,413 --> 00:11:57,215 to do all these things as there's a certain time in life for everything." 198 00:12:00,620 --> 00:12:04,355 [church minister speaking] 199 00:12:07,828 --> 00:12:11,429 Ashley, Lori, and I were very involved in our church. 200 00:12:11,431 --> 00:12:13,932 We went to First Baptist Bossier. 201 00:12:13,934 --> 00:12:18,603 [church minister speaking] 202 00:12:25,412 --> 00:12:30,048 We had a wonderful student ministry, and he, you know, 203 00:12:30,050 --> 00:12:33,218 preached about that true love should wait. 204 00:12:34,688 --> 00:12:38,590 Ashley and Lori and I, we we all very committed for sure 205 00:12:38,592 --> 00:12:41,526 Ashley was definitely a little boy crazy. 206 00:12:41,528 --> 00:12:45,430 But you all dream about one day finding 207 00:12:45,432 --> 00:12:47,899 that one special person. 208 00:12:47,901 --> 00:12:50,802 We wanted to save ourself for that special person. 209 00:12:54,941 --> 00:12:58,443 [Lori] Our graduation year was '96. 210 00:12:58,512 --> 00:13:01,813 It was a very fancy night in our high school gym. 211 00:13:06,620 --> 00:13:10,054 [Erin] Ashley was actually a part of the committee 212 00:13:10,123 --> 00:13:13,525 that helped to decorate and, you know, 213 00:13:13,527 --> 00:13:15,126 organize the event. 214 00:13:15,128 --> 00:13:19,364 And so she got to present one of the awards. 215 00:13:19,432 --> 00:13:23,535 [Ashley speaking] 216 00:13:23,603 --> 00:13:27,138 [Erin] And here she at Ring Ding the Oscar night, 217 00:13:27,207 --> 00:13:28,706 just gorgeous. 218 00:13:28,808 --> 00:13:30,241 She looks like a movie star 219 00:13:30,310 --> 00:13:34,012 I'd hate taking her lookin' for prom dresses 'cause she... 220 00:13:34,014 --> 00:13:37,682 it had to be... it had to be something else. 221 00:13:37,684 --> 00:13:40,718 [Ashley speaking] 222 00:13:42,622 --> 00:13:45,223 She looked sharp. Sharp as a tack. 223 00:13:45,225 --> 00:13:47,959 Yeah. Yeah. 224 00:13:51,631 --> 00:13:57,035 [narrator] Ashley and Lori choose to attend the same college after they graduate 225 00:13:57,037 --> 00:14:00,772 Ashley said, "I'll go wherever you go, Lori. 226 00:14:00,774 --> 00:14:04,342 So just tell us where we're going to college." 227 00:14:04,410 --> 00:14:09,414 [narrator] Lori selects Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. 228 00:14:09,416 --> 00:14:13,218 She and Ashley start there in the fall of 1996. 229 00:14:15,021 --> 00:14:18,790 It's hard, always hard when your kids leave, 230 00:14:18,792 --> 00:14:22,727 you know, as they start college 'cause you worry about them. 231 00:14:22,729 --> 00:14:25,630 And I thought to myself, "Well, if something happens 232 00:14:25,665 --> 00:14:26,898 she can always call me." 233 00:14:28,401 --> 00:14:31,669 We stayed in touch pretty often. 234 00:14:31,671 --> 00:14:34,305 And I would say at least once a week, 235 00:14:34,307 --> 00:14:37,842 you know, I'd call and see how she was doing. 236 00:14:37,844 --> 00:14:40,712 I missed her. I missed Ashley. 237 00:14:43,149 --> 00:14:46,050 [Lori] Ashley was a good time girl at college 238 00:14:46,119 --> 00:14:49,120 The county that Ouachita Baptist was in 239 00:14:49,122 --> 00:14:51,556 at the time was a dry county 240 00:14:51,658 --> 00:14:55,260 There weren't a whole lot of parties. 241 00:14:55,328 --> 00:14:59,063 She would just find things to do for entertainment. 242 00:14:59,165 --> 00:15:00,832 It was kind of hard to find 243 00:15:00,900 --> 00:15:03,501 good entertainment in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. 244 00:15:06,039 --> 00:15:09,407 I think Ashley knew her strength 245 00:15:09,409 --> 00:15:14,979 and knew her power and even probably knew her beauty. 246 00:15:14,981 --> 00:15:19,350 But deep down, she probably felt a void. 247 00:15:23,323 --> 00:15:24,722 [narrator] In 1998. 248 00:15:24,724 --> 00:15:28,459 Ashley meets 22-year-old business major Jeffrey Scott 249 00:15:30,830 --> 00:15:35,333 [Lori] Ashley met Jeff throu a mutual friend in college. 250 00:15:35,435 --> 00:15:37,902 She really liked Jeff because 251 00:15:37,904 --> 00:15:42,206 I think she saw him as somebody that 252 00:15:42,208 --> 00:15:45,410 was reserved and quiet and maybe... 253 00:15:45,412 --> 00:15:50,114 maybe she felt like she coul bring him out of his shell. 254 00:15:50,116 --> 00:15:52,717 [Jimmy] I wanted Ashley to find somebody nice, 255 00:15:52,719 --> 00:15:55,253 a good Christian man, and a college person 256 00:15:55,355 --> 00:15:59,290 that's going to have an education like her. 257 00:15:59,292 --> 00:16:02,894 Ashley said, "Oh, yeah, Daddy, he's nice. 258 00:16:02,896 --> 00:16:06,331 And he's not going to hurt me or nothing." 259 00:16:06,333 --> 00:16:10,501 [Lori] Jeff's family was upper middle class. 260 00:16:10,503 --> 00:16:12,904 Mom and Dad are still married. 261 00:16:14,507 --> 00:16:17,775 Jeff's mom would take care of things in the home. 262 00:16:17,777 --> 00:16:21,312 Jeff's dad was the owner of a company. 263 00:16:21,314 --> 00:16:25,416 It was quite different from Ashley's upbringing. 264 00:16:25,418 --> 00:16:31,889 And I think just that whole just family dynamic was very intriguing to her. 265 00:16:36,997 --> 00:16:40,031 [narrator] Ashley returns home for the wedding of her friend Erin 266 00:16:40,033 --> 00:16:43,101 a few months after she meets Jeffrey. 267 00:16:43,103 --> 00:16:47,338 [Erin] Neil and I got married on March 21, 1998, 268 00:16:47,407 --> 00:16:50,908 and we got married at our home church, 269 00:16:50,910 --> 00:16:54,812 First Baptist Bossier where Ashley and Lori and I went to church together. 270 00:16:54,881 --> 00:16:57,348 So Ashley and I did not get to marry 271 00:16:57,417 --> 00:16:59,417 our New Kids on the Block crushes. 272 00:16:59,419 --> 00:17:01,419 So we missed out. 273 00:17:01,421 --> 00:17:03,354 I didn't... I didn't marry Joey. 274 00:17:03,423 --> 00:17:06,691 And she... she didn't marry Jordan. 275 00:17:06,693 --> 00:17:08,459 I knew she had met Jeffrey, 276 00:17:08,528 --> 00:17:12,430 but it wasn't a serious relationship or anything at that point. 277 00:17:12,432 --> 00:17:16,100 But, you know, she did mention who he was and everything 278 00:17:16,102 --> 00:17:17,668 and talked about him. 279 00:17:19,606 --> 00:17:22,940 Ashley thought Jeffrey's family was the ideal family, 280 00:17:22,942 --> 00:17:25,043 you know, that they had it all 281 00:17:25,111 --> 00:17:27,412 and they wanted her to be a part of their lives as wel 282 00:17:27,414 --> 00:17:30,548 And so on the outside looking in, it looked like everything was great. 283 00:17:39,959 --> 00:17:44,495 [Kecia] In 1999, Ashley had gone back to spend Christma 284 00:17:44,497 --> 00:17:47,298 with Jeffrey and the Scotts 285 00:17:47,300 --> 00:17:51,369 and she had been unreachable, 286 00:17:51,371 --> 00:17:53,404 couldn't get in touch with her. 287 00:17:53,473 --> 00:17:56,707 And it just seemed unusual. 288 00:17:56,809 --> 00:18:03,214 And then that whole last semester of her senior year of college, same thing. 289 00:18:05,485 --> 00:18:08,719 [Jimmy] A couple of times, I called up there and asked Ashley 290 00:18:08,788 --> 00:18:10,955 and they told me she wasn't there. 291 00:18:12,892 --> 00:18:15,960 So I told them, I said, "When she gets in, how about having her call me?" 292 00:18:17,530 --> 00:18:19,831 I called up there two or three more times, 293 00:18:22,502 --> 00:18:24,802 and then Ashley called me one day and she said, 294 00:18:24,804 --> 00:18:27,805 "They don't want you calling here no more, Daddy." 295 00:18:27,807 --> 00:18:28,906 And I said, "Why"? 296 00:18:28,908 --> 00:18:31,609 She said, "Well, I can't... 297 00:18:31,611 --> 00:18:35,213 I can't have anything to do with you anymore" 298 00:18:37,617 --> 00:18:38,950 I'm gonna send you a letter." 299 00:18:44,624 --> 00:18:46,424 [Kecia] About a week or two later, 300 00:18:46,426 --> 00:18:50,728 I get a letter in the mail from Ashley and 301 00:18:50,730 --> 00:18:55,399 she says that I don't know her and that she's... 302 00:18:55,501 --> 00:18:58,302 You know, it's time for her to start a new life 303 00:18:58,304 --> 00:19:02,773 and that she has the opportunity to do that with Jeffrey 304 00:19:02,775 --> 00:19:06,511 and please respect her wishe 305 00:19:06,612 --> 00:19:09,313 and please don't try to contact her. 306 00:19:09,415 --> 00:19:11,816 It didn't make sense. 307 00:19:11,918 --> 00:19:18,523 It wasn't like there was a clear explanation of why. 308 00:19:20,126 --> 00:19:22,093 There were things that went through my head, like, 309 00:19:22,095 --> 00:19:25,496 maybe she thinks that we're not high society enoug 310 00:19:25,498 --> 00:19:28,699 to be around his family or 311 00:19:28,768 --> 00:19:30,501 maybe Ashley was embarrassed, 312 00:19:30,603 --> 00:19:33,504 you know, of the family of origin she came from. 313 00:19:41,214 --> 00:19:45,683 Christmas of 2000, Ashley finally got what she wanted 314 00:19:45,685 --> 00:19:47,718 and Jeff proposed. 315 00:19:48,955 --> 00:19:52,523 Ashley thought that she had hit the jackpot. 316 00:19:52,525 --> 00:19:54,959 She was ecstatic. 317 00:19:54,961 --> 00:19:59,730 She was so happy and thrilled 318 00:19:59,832 --> 00:20:01,566 to be engaged to Jeff. 319 00:20:05,672 --> 00:20:10,174 Jeff and Ashley were married June 9, 2001, 320 00:20:10,176 --> 00:20:14,679 at Forest Hill Baptist Churc in Germantown, Tennessee. 321 00:20:14,681 --> 00:20:17,315 And after the ceremony, 322 00:20:17,383 --> 00:20:20,518 they held their reception at the Germantown Country Club. 323 00:20:21,888 --> 00:20:24,121 Ashley was beautiful at the wedding, 324 00:20:24,157 --> 00:20:26,724 and she was just... she was so happy. 325 00:20:31,397 --> 00:20:34,599 The wedding was already a little bit different becau 326 00:20:34,601 --> 00:20:36,901 she had moved to Tennessee, 327 00:20:36,903 --> 00:20:39,370 and she had a completely different life. 328 00:20:40,807 --> 00:20:45,977 There were more people that I didn't know than that I did know. 329 00:20:47,013 --> 00:20:48,913 It wasn't necessarily alarming. 330 00:20:48,915 --> 00:20:54,418 It was more a feeling of we were in Jeff's world. 331 00:20:57,523 --> 00:21:00,891 [Kecia] Ashley didn't invite us to the wedding. 332 00:21:00,893 --> 00:21:02,526 At that point, 333 00:21:02,595 --> 00:21:08,065 we hadn't heard from her since, you know, I had gotten my letter. 334 00:21:09,569 --> 00:21:11,102 [Jimmy] And I couldn't walk her down the aisle. 335 00:21:12,605 --> 00:21:16,507 You know, I'm her father. That shouldn't... that shouldn't happen. 336 00:21:22,315 --> 00:21:24,181 [narrator] Ashley and Jeffrey buy a house 337 00:21:24,183 --> 00:21:27,385 in the exclusive Memphis suburb of Cordova. 338 00:21:29,222 --> 00:21:32,423 Jeffrey works for his father's IT company. 339 00:21:32,492 --> 00:21:36,794 Ashley embarks on a career as a high school teacher. 340 00:21:36,796 --> 00:21:38,963 [Lori] In January of 2004, 341 00:21:38,965 --> 00:21:42,900 she was teaching English at Bolton High School. 342 00:21:42,902 --> 00:21:45,803 And she could not wait 343 00:21:45,805 --> 00:21:48,973 to impact the lives of students 344 00:21:48,975 --> 00:21:54,478 and to teach them all of the things that she loved to read. 345 00:21:55,815 --> 00:21:59,083 [Erin] I was so excited for Ashley to become a teacher 346 00:21:59,085 --> 00:22:03,954 because I know her love of reading and books. 347 00:22:03,956 --> 00:22:06,824 Her favorite subject was English. 348 00:22:06,926 --> 00:22:08,959 -[man speaking] -[Ashley speaking] 349 00:22:08,961 --> 00:22:10,961 -[man speaking] -[Jodie speaking] 350 00:22:10,963 --> 00:22:16,167 Ashley was in charge of the prom in 2006, 351 00:22:16,169 --> 00:22:19,603 which was the perfect job for her because, 352 00:22:19,705 --> 00:22:21,772 number one, she loved a party. 353 00:22:21,774 --> 00:22:25,209 [man speaking] 354 00:22:25,311 --> 00:22:28,813 [Ashley speaking] 355 00:22:51,604 --> 00:22:55,206 [Lori] I remember distinctl talking to her after prom 356 00:22:55,208 --> 00:22:59,176 and she would walk through the crowd of the dancing high school students 357 00:22:59,178 --> 00:23:02,079 at prom with a pool noodle 358 00:23:02,081 --> 00:23:06,117 trying to separate them because she said they were dancing too close. 359 00:23:06,185 --> 00:23:08,319 Really, she didn't think they were dancing too close. 360 00:23:08,321 --> 00:23:13,224 But she just she loved the role of having some authority 361 00:23:13,292 --> 00:23:16,227 to tell someone not to do something 362 00:23:16,295 --> 00:23:19,397 that she certainly would have been doing if she was in high school. 363 00:23:23,569 --> 00:23:26,203 [Erin] September 2006 364 00:23:26,305 --> 00:23:28,406 was such an exciting time 365 00:23:28,474 --> 00:23:32,943 because it was our ten-year reunion from graduating from high school 366 00:23:32,945 --> 00:23:35,713 and Ashley came to town. 367 00:23:35,815 --> 00:23:39,383 We were so excited because we hadn't seen her in so long. 368 00:23:41,521 --> 00:23:46,424 [Lori] At the reunion, Ashley was just as fun 369 00:23:46,492 --> 00:23:49,427 and happy as she always was 370 00:23:49,528 --> 00:23:53,397 We ate. There was dancing. 371 00:23:53,399 --> 00:23:56,267 We hadn't seen these people for years and years, 372 00:23:56,269 --> 00:23:58,969 and it was really fun to be back together. 373 00:23:58,971 --> 00:24:01,405 And she was just happy. 374 00:24:05,511 --> 00:24:08,979 [Erin] The only thing that I noticed when she was in to 375 00:24:08,981 --> 00:24:11,515 is that Jeffrey called her on the phone 376 00:24:11,584 --> 00:24:14,618 and you could hear him talking to her, 377 00:24:14,620 --> 00:24:17,621 "What are you wearing? What are you doing? 378 00:24:17,623 --> 00:24:20,691 Who are you talking to? Have you been drinking?" 379 00:24:20,693 --> 00:24:24,328 You know, just questioning her, 380 00:24:24,397 --> 00:24:27,431 the tone of his voice, you could tell that he was very aggravated 381 00:24:27,467 --> 00:24:31,936 or agitated with her because she was here. 382 00:24:31,938 --> 00:24:36,040 I never sensed that from him when I met him or from what Ashley had told me. 383 00:24:40,613 --> 00:24:42,279 [phone ringing] 384 00:24:46,319 --> 00:24:49,487 [Lori] After the reunion, there were a few weeks when 385 00:24:49,489 --> 00:24:51,822 Ashley would not return my calls. 386 00:24:51,824 --> 00:24:54,925 So Jeff started calling me 387 00:24:54,927 --> 00:25:01,632 and telling me that Ashley was drinking a lot 388 00:25:01,700 --> 00:25:05,202 and that he was really concerned that she was 389 00:25:05,204 --> 00:25:08,906 often drinking so much that she was falling down, 390 00:25:08,908 --> 00:25:11,675 waking up with bruises, 391 00:25:11,677 --> 00:25:17,214 and that he was just worried about the path 392 00:25:17,283 --> 00:25:19,083 that she was headed down. 393 00:25:20,887 --> 00:25:23,888 [narrator] Jeffrey reveals that police had charged Ashl 394 00:25:23,890 --> 00:25:27,091 with drunk driving in August 2005. 395 00:25:27,093 --> 00:25:29,793 [Lori] He indicated that he was concerned that, 396 00:25:29,795 --> 00:25:32,696 you know, she was in a self-destructive state. 397 00:25:32,698 --> 00:25:34,665 Which I found strange. 398 00:25:34,667 --> 00:25:39,703 I knew that Ashley drank but not to the extent 399 00:25:39,805 --> 00:25:42,006 that he was making it out to be. 400 00:25:42,008 --> 00:25:45,309 And so it did not sound like Ashley at all. 401 00:25:45,411 --> 00:25:47,645 You know, I had not talked to Ashley, and so 402 00:25:47,647 --> 00:25:51,115 I only knew his side of the story. 403 00:25:51,183 --> 00:25:54,118 During this time, I would try to call her 404 00:25:54,219 --> 00:25:58,422 and tell her what he was saying, but she wouldn't answer my calls. 405 00:26:02,295 --> 00:26:04,194 [phone buzzing] 406 00:26:04,196 --> 00:26:07,565 She tried to call me that Thanksgiving. 407 00:26:07,567 --> 00:26:10,034 I woke up to a missed call. 408 00:26:10,036 --> 00:26:11,902 She did not leave a voicemail. 409 00:26:13,205 --> 00:26:15,406 So I went to Thanksgiving dinner, 410 00:26:15,474 --> 00:26:17,942 called her on the way and left a message. 411 00:26:17,944 --> 00:26:20,578 She didn't call back, but 412 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:22,680 I wish I could have gotten that call. 413 00:26:24,584 --> 00:26:28,118 I had no idea of what was to come next. 414 00:26:39,699 --> 00:26:42,399 [dispatcher speaking] 415 00:26:42,401 --> 00:26:45,603 [Jeffrey speaking] 416 00:26:48,474 --> 00:26:50,207 On Thanksgiving afternoon, 417 00:26:50,209 --> 00:26:56,914 a male calls 911 to report that his wife was unconscious and that he needed help. 418 00:26:56,916 --> 00:26:58,582 [dispatcher speaking] 419 00:26:58,584 --> 00:27:00,117 [Jeffrey speaking] 420 00:27:00,186 --> 00:27:01,485 [dispatcher speaking] 421 00:27:01,487 --> 00:27:02,586 [Jeffrey speaking] 422 00:27:02,588 --> 00:27:04,388 [dispatcher speaking] 423 00:27:04,390 --> 00:27:06,123 [Jeffrey speaking] 424 00:27:06,158 --> 00:27:07,791 [dispatcher speaking] 425 00:27:07,793 --> 00:27:09,727 [Jeffrey speaking] 426 00:27:09,729 --> 00:27:11,795 [dispatcher speaking] 427 00:27:11,797 --> 00:27:14,298 [Jeffrey speaking] 428 00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:15,766 [dispatcher speaking] 429 00:27:15,768 --> 00:27:17,101 [Jeffrey speaking] 430 00:27:17,103 --> 00:27:18,636 [dispatcher speaking] 431 00:27:18,638 --> 00:27:20,204 [Jeffrey speaking] 432 00:27:20,206 --> 00:27:22,506 [Dr. McGee speaking] 433 00:27:22,575 --> 00:27:24,575 [Jeffrey speaking] 434 00:27:28,514 --> 00:27:30,547 [Tim] Jeffrey called his friend Roger McGee, 435 00:27:30,549 --> 00:27:34,485 who is a doctor, to come over and check on her. 436 00:27:34,487 --> 00:27:36,587 [narrator] Dr. McGee arrived at the Scotts' home 437 00:27:36,589 --> 00:27:42,626 at 3:45 that afternoon. He told Jeffrey to call 911 immediately. 438 00:27:42,728 --> 00:27:44,428 [dispatcher speaking] 439 00:27:44,497 --> 00:27:46,230 [Jeffrey speaking] 440 00:27:46,331 --> 00:27:48,666 [dispatcher speaking] 441 00:27:51,103 --> 00:27:53,103 [Jeffrey speaking] 442 00:27:53,105 --> 00:27:54,605 [Dr. McGee speaking] 443 00:27:54,707 --> 00:27:57,307 [dispatcher speaking] 444 00:27:57,409 --> 00:28:00,010 [Jeffrey speaking] 445 00:28:00,012 --> 00:28:01,378 [dispatcher speaking] 446 00:28:01,380 --> 00:28:03,781 [Jeffrey speaking] 447 00:28:05,217 --> 00:28:09,119 [Tim] I've worked close to 1,300 death investigations 448 00:28:09,121 --> 00:28:13,490 and only two 911 calls really got my attention. 449 00:28:13,492 --> 00:28:15,626 And this was one of them. 450 00:28:15,695 --> 00:28:20,197 The callousness, the fact th she had been unconscious sin 451 00:28:20,199 --> 00:28:22,766 11:00 and this is in the afternoon, 452 00:28:22,768 --> 00:28:26,804 the dispatchers, they were just they were really upset with this. 453 00:28:26,905 --> 00:28:28,005 [dispatcher 1 speaking] 454 00:28:28,007 --> 00:28:29,073 [dispatcher 2 speaking] 455 00:28:29,075 --> 00:28:31,408 [dispatcher 1 speaking] 456 00:28:31,477 --> 00:28:32,576 [dispatcher 2 speaking] 457 00:28:32,578 --> 00:28:34,178 [dispatcher 1 speaking] 458 00:28:34,180 --> 00:28:36,714 [dispatcher 2 speaking] 459 00:28:36,716 --> 00:28:38,882 [dispatcher 1 speaking] 460 00:28:41,587 --> 00:28:43,186 [dispatcher 2 speaking] 461 00:28:45,491 --> 00:28:49,727 They hear all this bad stuff every day, and this really shook them up. 462 00:28:52,832 --> 00:28:56,700 [narrator] EMS arrives 5 minutes after Jeffrey calls 911. 463 00:28:59,038 --> 00:29:03,907 They find Jeffrey's wife, Ashley Scott, in an upstairs bedroom. 464 00:29:03,909 --> 00:29:07,311 [Tim] Roger McGee was performing some CPR on her. 465 00:29:07,379 --> 00:29:10,714 She's got blood coming out her ear, her nose, 466 00:29:10,816 --> 00:29:12,816 vomiting blood out of her mouth. 467 00:29:12,885 --> 00:29:14,118 She's bruised. 468 00:29:14,186 --> 00:29:17,521 Her lips are swollen and split open. 469 00:29:17,623 --> 00:29:19,923 And she had a very faint pulse. 470 00:29:19,925 --> 00:29:22,726 She's in really bad shape. 471 00:29:22,728 --> 00:29:26,230 The paramedics took over and then they rushed her to the hospital. 472 00:29:28,100 --> 00:29:31,502 But there was nothing anybody could do for her at this point. 473 00:29:33,405 --> 00:29:38,609 Ashley Scott was pronounced dead at 7:52 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day 2006. 474 00:29:44,383 --> 00:29:49,319 Jeff's dad told me that Ashley had died the night before, 475 00:29:49,388 --> 00:29:54,158 and I was in complete shock. 476 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:59,429 And I was asking him, like, "What happened? 477 00:29:59,531 --> 00:30:01,632 Was she in an accident? Was she sick?" 478 00:30:03,302 --> 00:30:05,602 He said he did not really know. 479 00:30:05,604 --> 00:30:08,472 And I said, "You have to know something." 480 00:30:09,608 --> 00:30:13,944 And it was like, in that instant, I knew. 481 00:30:18,584 --> 00:30:20,317 [Erin] It was just so shocking. 482 00:30:20,386 --> 00:30:23,887 It was a nightmare. And you feel like you're gonna wake up, but 483 00:30:23,889 --> 00:30:25,823 you don't because it really happened. 484 00:30:26,926 --> 00:30:28,992 And it happened to your close friend. 485 00:30:32,798 --> 00:30:35,432 [Jimmy] All I want her to do is come back and tell me she loved me. 486 00:30:37,403 --> 00:30:41,004 That's all I care about. Just come back, just come back home. 487 00:30:44,810 --> 00:30:47,978 [Tim] The initial officers got on the scene and they 488 00:30:47,980 --> 00:30:50,047 naturally asked Jeffrey what happened. 489 00:30:51,617 --> 00:30:54,418 Jeffrey said that he struck his wife 490 00:30:54,486 --> 00:30:58,322 and she tripped and fell due to the alcohol that she had consumed. 491 00:30:58,390 --> 00:31:02,893 And he said it was just a one time hit and she fell 492 00:31:02,895 --> 00:31:04,895 [Karen] Somebody who is unconscious 493 00:31:04,897 --> 00:31:08,498 and they're bleeding and vomiting is a very, 494 00:31:08,500 --> 00:31:11,768 very bad sign of some very serious head trauma. 495 00:31:13,205 --> 00:31:16,406 Jeffrey Scott did not have a kind of criminal background 496 00:31:16,508 --> 00:31:19,943 so there was nothing to indicate that there was going to be 497 00:31:19,945 --> 00:31:23,413 any kind of escalation that would result in Ashley Scott's death. 498 00:31:25,718 --> 00:31:28,819 [Tim] Jeffrey claimed that he got into an argument with Ashle 499 00:31:28,821 --> 00:31:33,390 over a phone call or text message that Ashley had received. 500 00:31:33,392 --> 00:31:36,593 Because they had both been drinking, things got out of hand quickly 501 00:31:36,595 --> 00:31:38,695 and it actually got physical at that point. 502 00:31:40,733 --> 00:31:43,600 He threw her out and put her in the garage. 503 00:31:43,669 --> 00:31:45,168 He left her there all night 504 00:31:45,170 --> 00:31:49,773 and in the morning, he found that she was still unconscious. 505 00:31:49,775 --> 00:31:53,377 He eventually dragged her back in in front of the fireplace. 506 00:31:53,379 --> 00:31:56,613 And after a time frame, 507 00:31:56,615 --> 00:31:59,216 eventually, he picked her up and put her in the bed 508 00:31:59,218 --> 00:32:01,919 and she was still unconscious, bleeding. 509 00:32:01,921 --> 00:32:04,221 And that's when he called his friend Dr. McGee. 510 00:32:06,725 --> 00:32:08,992 [narrator] But the extent of Ashley's injuries sugges 511 00:32:08,994 --> 00:32:11,428 that Jeffrey's account is not the whole story. 512 00:32:12,965 --> 00:32:15,699 [Tim] The autopsy showed that she had bruises from 513 00:32:15,701 --> 00:32:19,469 literally the tops of her feet to the top of her head 514 00:32:19,471 --> 00:32:23,941 She had a fractured skull, subdural hematoma. 515 00:32:23,943 --> 00:32:27,377 The brain swelling was so ba it was forcing the brainste 516 00:32:27,379 --> 00:32:29,513 down in the spinal column. 517 00:32:29,581 --> 00:32:33,450 These were devastating injuries. 518 00:32:33,452 --> 00:32:38,488 [Karen] She had what appeared to be a shoe print on her torso. 519 00:32:38,490 --> 00:32:42,392 This isn't something that somebody would get by just falling over 520 00:32:42,394 --> 00:32:44,194 or falling down drunk. 521 00:32:44,196 --> 00:32:49,199 There's just too many blows to the head for that to happen. 522 00:32:51,103 --> 00:32:52,502 [Tim] There were pattern injuries 523 00:32:52,604 --> 00:32:54,104 There were old injuries. 524 00:32:54,106 --> 00:32:58,008 It's obvious that this is an abusive relationship. 525 00:33:01,580 --> 00:33:03,513 Jeffrey was arrested on the scene, 526 00:33:03,582 --> 00:33:06,416 so he was taken into custody at that point, 527 00:33:07,987 --> 00:33:09,720 and he was advised of his rights, 528 00:33:09,788 --> 00:33:12,222 and he declined to give a statement at that time. 529 00:33:14,193 --> 00:33:17,427 We took pictures of Jeffrey's hands, and his hands were clean. 530 00:33:17,429 --> 00:33:20,097 They weren't bruised, they weren't swollen. 531 00:33:20,099 --> 00:33:22,332 So he had to beat her with something, 532 00:33:22,401 --> 00:33:24,301 some kind of object 533 00:33:24,403 --> 00:33:29,006 to create this 'cause he would have been injured some way himself. 534 00:33:31,010 --> 00:33:33,510 Jeffrey Scott was charged with aggravated assault 535 00:33:33,612 --> 00:33:37,314 as a result of the investigation on 536 00:33:37,316 --> 00:33:39,049 Thanksgiving eve. 537 00:33:39,051 --> 00:33:42,285 That was later upgraded to first degree murder 538 00:33:42,287 --> 00:33:44,321 after the death of Ashley 539 00:33:44,323 --> 00:33:47,791 and as a result of all the information that we were able to obtain. 540 00:33:50,496 --> 00:33:52,596 After we got to Ashley's phone records, 541 00:33:52,598 --> 00:33:55,465 we learned that about a week before 542 00:33:55,467 --> 00:34:00,203 Ashley's murder, she called Lori from a closet in her house. 543 00:34:02,674 --> 00:34:08,478 Ashley had called me, and she was whispering. 544 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:10,113 She told me she was afraid. 545 00:34:10,182 --> 00:34:13,116 She and Jeff had gotten in a big fight. 546 00:34:13,118 --> 00:34:16,520 He was just really, really mad at her. 547 00:34:16,522 --> 00:34:19,322 I was just kind of in disbelief. 548 00:34:19,391 --> 00:34:23,193 She had found out that he had prostitutes over 549 00:34:23,195 --> 00:34:25,195 when she was in town for the reunion, 550 00:34:25,197 --> 00:34:29,933 but also that Jeff had had an affair with Blair Brown. 551 00:34:33,806 --> 00:34:36,473 [Karen] Blair Brown was a coworker of Jeffrey Scott 552 00:34:36,475 --> 00:34:39,509 She worked at the IT company with Jeffrey 553 00:34:39,511 --> 00:34:45,782 and met Ashley Scott as a result of working with her husband. 554 00:34:45,784 --> 00:34:49,619 [Tim] Quite naturally, after the affair became known to Ashley, 555 00:34:49,688 --> 00:34:52,823 Blair and Ashley's friendshi you know, kind of waned. 556 00:34:52,891 --> 00:34:56,626 After about a year or so, Ashley reached out to Blair 557 00:34:56,695 --> 00:34:59,796 and they rekindled their friendship. 558 00:35:01,767 --> 00:35:03,800 Blair was an incredible witness 559 00:35:03,802 --> 00:35:08,205 that she was able to give a lot of background between Ashley and Jeffrey. 560 00:35:08,207 --> 00:35:11,174 Blair had seen Jeffrey around Ashley 561 00:35:11,176 --> 00:35:13,777 and had seen how he would treat her 562 00:35:13,779 --> 00:35:18,281 and talk down to her and had even seen him 563 00:35:18,283 --> 00:35:21,151 actually push her and assault her, 564 00:35:21,153 --> 00:35:23,120 you know, during the course of their friendship. 565 00:35:25,390 --> 00:35:28,525 [Tim] Ashley had gone over to Blair's house 566 00:35:28,527 --> 00:35:32,429 to get away from Jeffrey after an argument. 567 00:35:32,431 --> 00:35:35,065 And Jeffrey busted in the do 568 00:35:35,067 --> 00:35:37,901 and went in and started assaulting Ashley. 569 00:35:37,903 --> 00:35:40,904 And Blair had to jump in between them and separate them. 570 00:35:43,041 --> 00:35:45,408 She knew a side of Jeffrey that 571 00:35:45,410 --> 00:35:48,278 we would not have known had she not talked with us, 572 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:51,715 and we've now got an actual eyewitness to an assault on her. 573 00:36:01,293 --> 00:36:04,494 [Karen] By November 22nd, the day before she died, 574 00:36:04,496 --> 00:36:07,497 Ashley had already decided that she was going to leave, 575 00:36:07,499 --> 00:36:09,466 and she had gotten in contact with the attorney 576 00:36:09,468 --> 00:36:15,472 and said she had the filing fee and wanted to divorce Jeffrey. 577 00:36:17,376 --> 00:36:20,177 [Tim] Ashley's divorce attorney, she had seen 578 00:36:20,179 --> 00:36:23,146 evidence of injuries, bruises, black eyes, 579 00:36:23,148 --> 00:36:24,881 and that Ashley had told her that Jeffrey 580 00:36:24,883 --> 00:36:27,784 dragged her by the hair through the house. 581 00:36:27,786 --> 00:36:31,388 This had obviously been going on for a long time, 582 00:36:31,390 --> 00:36:34,057 long before the night that she was killed. 583 00:36:35,527 --> 00:36:37,961 [Karen] The lawyer said, "Do not go home. 584 00:36:37,963 --> 00:36:39,429 Pack your stuff and leave." 585 00:36:40,966 --> 00:36:43,600 But Ashley felt some sense of obligation 586 00:36:43,602 --> 00:36:46,203 to the Scott family to explain to them 587 00:36:46,205 --> 00:36:47,871 why she was leaving the family. 588 00:36:49,141 --> 00:36:52,275 Ashley felt compelled to tell 589 00:36:52,277 --> 00:36:53,810 Jeffrey Scott that that's what's happening, 590 00:36:53,912 --> 00:36:55,312 which is the most dangerous time 591 00:36:55,314 --> 00:36:58,381 for any woman in a domestic violence relationship. 592 00:37:00,252 --> 00:37:02,819 She had already started putting clothes in the trunk of her car. 593 00:37:04,289 --> 00:37:08,058 In all likelihood her tellin him that she was gonna leave 594 00:37:08,060 --> 00:37:09,926 that he was losing control over her, 595 00:37:09,928 --> 00:37:12,829 that he could no longer control her life, 596 00:37:12,898 --> 00:37:14,631 that would tip him over the edge. 597 00:37:19,605 --> 00:37:22,405 [narrator] At trial, prosecutors present the even 598 00:37:22,407 --> 00:37:25,242 that led to Ashley's death. 599 00:37:25,244 --> 00:37:28,912 [Karen] Ashley Scott finally was able to get the courage up 600 00:37:28,914 --> 00:37:30,580 to leave Jeffrey Scott. 601 00:37:31,817 --> 00:37:35,185 In Jeffrey's mind, she wasn't going to walk out of that marriage. 602 00:37:35,187 --> 00:37:36,286 She was going to die. 603 00:37:39,691 --> 00:37:42,058 The altercation or the fight started 604 00:37:42,060 --> 00:37:44,060 probably in the living room around the fireplace 605 00:37:44,062 --> 00:37:46,429 where one vase was broken. 606 00:37:46,531 --> 00:37:48,665 He's hitting her in her face in her head. 607 00:37:48,667 --> 00:37:50,800 He's yanking on her. 608 00:37:50,902 --> 00:37:53,503 He was beating her throughout the house. 609 00:37:53,505 --> 00:37:55,772 We have evidence that something happened in the garage, 610 00:37:55,774 --> 00:37:59,142 we have evidence that something happened in front of the fireplace. 611 00:37:59,144 --> 00:38:00,277 She's got bruises. 612 00:38:00,279 --> 00:38:03,513 And if she falls down, when he punches her, 613 00:38:03,615 --> 00:38:06,616 that's when he's going to be able to be able to put that... Kick her, 614 00:38:06,618 --> 00:38:09,085 where the shoe print would come into play. 615 00:38:09,087 --> 00:38:11,988 He was kicking her just like a rag doll. 616 00:38:11,990 --> 00:38:13,790 He didn't really care. She was... 617 00:38:13,792 --> 00:38:15,558 she was just nothing to him. 618 00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:16,993 And so he was just 619 00:38:18,797 --> 00:38:20,797 beating her and kicking her to death. 620 00:38:23,802 --> 00:38:26,169 When Jeffrey Scott called 91 621 00:38:26,171 --> 00:38:30,807 it was about 3:46 in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Da 622 00:38:30,809 --> 00:38:36,413 But she had actually been unconscious for 12 to 15 hours at this point 623 00:38:36,415 --> 00:38:40,016 and he had done nothing to get her any assistance. 624 00:38:43,221 --> 00:38:46,323 Jeffrey Scott could have called 911 immediately himself. 625 00:38:46,391 --> 00:38:47,590 He called his friend. 626 00:38:47,592 --> 00:38:49,926 It took him over an hour to get to the house, 627 00:38:49,928 --> 00:38:54,931 and he waited for his friend to get there, who then told him to call 911. 628 00:38:54,933 --> 00:38:58,768 [narrator] Dr. Roger McGee was unaware of Jeffrey's attack on Ashle 629 00:38:58,770 --> 00:39:01,071 He told Jeffrey to call 911 630 00:39:01,073 --> 00:39:04,140 as soon as he saw the extent of Ashley's injuries 631 00:39:04,142 --> 00:39:06,076 [dispatcher speaking] 632 00:39:06,078 --> 00:39:08,111 [Jeffrey speaking] 633 00:39:08,113 --> 00:39:09,279 [Dr. McGee speaking] 634 00:39:09,281 --> 00:39:12,482 [dispatcher speaking] 635 00:39:12,484 --> 00:39:14,217 [Jeffrey speaking] 636 00:39:20,592 --> 00:39:22,092 [judge speaking] 637 00:39:25,097 --> 00:39:28,765 [Karen] On January 19, 2009, 638 00:39:28,767 --> 00:39:32,936 three years after Ashley's death, the jury came back with a verdict. 639 00:39:34,573 --> 00:39:37,407 [judge speaking] 640 00:39:42,981 --> 00:39:45,548 [Tim] In Tennessee, for a first degree murder verdic 641 00:39:45,550 --> 00:39:48,318 you have to have all 12 jurors agree. 642 00:39:48,320 --> 00:39:50,787 And in this case, one did not. 643 00:39:50,789 --> 00:39:53,523 So it came back to a second degree murder. 644 00:39:56,395 --> 00:40:00,797 [Karen] The judge sentenced Jeffrey Scott to 25 years without parole. 645 00:40:07,773 --> 00:40:11,207 Once we started to learn abo Ashley Scott and her family 646 00:40:11,209 --> 00:40:14,210 it was very clear that Jeffrey Scott had done everything 647 00:40:14,212 --> 00:40:17,814 in order to make Ashley ashamed 648 00:40:17,882 --> 00:40:19,783 of her background 649 00:40:19,785 --> 00:40:23,286 to the point that it seemed like brainwashing, 650 00:40:23,288 --> 00:40:26,623 that she didn't have a family at all. 651 00:40:26,691 --> 00:40:29,793 That's one of the major trai of a domestic violence abuse 652 00:40:29,795 --> 00:40:33,329 is that they try to isolate you from your family and your friends 653 00:40:33,331 --> 00:40:35,832 so that ultimately you have no place to go. 654 00:40:37,602 --> 00:40:41,004 [Kecia] All these years late I can look back at the lette 655 00:40:41,006 --> 00:40:45,575 and I just have to wonder how early on 656 00:40:45,577 --> 00:40:49,679 did Jeffrey have this control over Ashley 657 00:40:49,681 --> 00:40:52,882 where she altered her decisions 658 00:40:52,884 --> 00:40:57,220 and behaviors because of him. 659 00:41:00,425 --> 00:41:03,960 [Lori] No, justice was not served. 660 00:41:03,962 --> 00:41:08,631 Jeff took a life that was loved by so many, 661 00:41:09,768 --> 00:41:14,604 and she did not deserve to die in that way. 662 00:41:16,374 --> 00:41:19,409 [Kecia] Ashley's legacy is that she made a real impact 663 00:41:19,511 --> 00:41:24,113 on the students that she di have the opportunity to teac 664 00:41:25,517 --> 00:41:27,317 And they won't ever forget her. 665 00:41:29,688 --> 00:41:33,022 I will never forget Ashley as long as I live. 666 00:41:35,026 --> 00:41:36,259 She was my sister. 667 00:41:39,331 --> 00:41:40,463 [Ashley speaking] 668 00:41:40,465 --> 00:41:41,531 [Erin speaking] 669 00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:44,200 I'm so thankful that we did videos 670 00:41:44,202 --> 00:41:49,072 just to hear her voice and to see her face 671 00:41:49,074 --> 00:41:51,407 and her just laugh and her mannerisms. 672 00:41:51,476 --> 00:41:55,512 [Ashley speaking] 673 00:41:55,514 --> 00:41:58,781 I definitely cherish them. For sure. 674 00:42:00,385 --> 00:42:02,418 [Jimmy] What would I say to her? 675 00:42:02,420 --> 00:42:05,421 I would say, baby, Daddy loves you. 676 00:42:05,423 --> 00:42:07,323 I don't hold any grudges. 677 00:42:07,325 --> 00:42:09,626 All I want you to do is just... 678 00:42:09,727 --> 00:42:11,528 just tell me you love me. That's all. 679 00:42:13,031 --> 00:42:14,163 That's all. 680 00:42:17,235 --> 00:42:19,602 Just let me know, "I love you 681 00:42:19,704 --> 00:42:21,905 and I'm your daughter," and that's it. 682 00:42:23,408 --> 00:42:25,041 What more could I ask for?