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00:00:10,344 --> 00:00:12,044
[Mary Allen speaking]
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00:00:12,146 --> 00:00:15,314
[Buddy Allen] Family occasio
were always special,
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00:00:15,316 --> 00:00:17,049
particularly in
the Allen family.
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00:00:17,118 --> 00:00:18,717
[Mary speaking]
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00:00:18,719 --> 00:00:21,553
[Heather speaking]
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[Buddy] We just wanted
our kids to grow up happy.
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00:00:25,226 --> 00:00:29,061
To see the love and the fun
that we were experiencing
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00:00:29,063 --> 00:00:33,298
during these times
is just, uh, priceless.
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00:00:33,300 --> 00:00:35,634
-[Mary speaking]
-[Buddy speaking]
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00:00:35,736 --> 00:00:38,003
[Mike Vickers] Everything
was perfect.
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00:00:38,005 --> 00:00:41,707
Up until that day,
and I just couldn't stop it.
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00:00:43,611 --> 00:00:45,344
[police officer on phone]
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[911 operator on phone]
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That was the night
that our entire lives changed.
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00:00:54,455 --> 00:00:57,056
[911 operator speaking]
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I just couldn't believe that
that was someone's plan.
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-[noisemaker blowing]
-[indistinct chatter]
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[narrator] It's April 20th,
1986 in Snellville, Georgia
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[Mary] Look at buddy so he,
I mean, look at-- yeah.
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[narrator] The Allen family
is celebrating the birthday
of two-year-old Heather.
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[everyone singing]
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[cheering and clapping]
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[Buddy] The family
was all there.
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It was, really, the first
birthday that we knew
she was gonna remember.
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00:02:01,222 --> 00:02:03,122
It was just a big celebration.
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00:02:03,124 --> 00:02:06,058
Just a lot of fun
for everybody.
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-[noisemaker blows]
-[Mary speaking]
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[all cheering]
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00:02:14,401 --> 00:02:18,003
And Heather was just
so excited to be
the center of attention.
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She, she loved it.
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[Mary speaking]
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-[Heather babbling]
-[Mary] Yeah.
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[Buddy] There's Mary,
her mom, behind her.
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She's an excited little girl.
Mommy's excited too.
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Of course she loves
to rip the paper.
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-[Heather babbles]
-[Mary speaking]
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We just, we felt like
birthdays were very special.
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And it was that person's
one day to shine.
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We kind of blew
the budget when it came
to birthday months.
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00:03:00,314 --> 00:03:02,548
[Mary repeats]
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00:03:02,616 --> 00:03:06,151
[woman speaking]
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[narrator] Heather's parents
29-year-old Buddy
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00:03:11,125 --> 00:03:15,761
and 26-year-old Mary have
strong Christian values.
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[Buddy] Our faith was very
important to us.
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00:03:20,901 --> 00:03:25,938
Mary and I meet at a church
camp in middle Georgia.
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Uh, a nice Presbyterian church
camp called Camp Calvin.
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I was working there
on the summer service
staff at the time.
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00:03:37,351 --> 00:03:41,320
Yet, after camp was
over that year, I went
back home to Decatur
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00:03:41,322 --> 00:03:44,456
and Mary went back home
to Woodrow, South Carolina
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00:03:44,491 --> 00:03:46,525
which was where her dad
was a minister.
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So, it was a while before we
saw each other again.
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Uh, but we, we wrote letters.
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Mary and I got married
in 1980.
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That's about, I don't know,
five or six years after
we initially meet.
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00:04:06,947 --> 00:04:11,049
The wedding ceremony
was held in Woodrow
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00:04:11,051 --> 00:04:15,320
because her dad
was the minister of
the Presbyterian church ther
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And, of course, we got married
with her dad in the pulpit.
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00:04:21,595 --> 00:04:23,762
Heather was our firstborn.
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00:04:23,864 --> 00:04:28,700
Born on Friday,
April 20th, 1984.
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It was such a joyful occasion.
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Mary was laying on the gurne
and Heather was laying
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beside her when I first,
first time I saw them and
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she looked at me and she said,
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"It's a girl, Buddy.
It's a girl!"
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You know how things are
with dads and their daughter
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00:04:50,491 --> 00:04:52,624
Especially the
firstborn daughter.
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I wasn't any different
for Heather and I.
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We were, we were really clos
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00:05:03,404 --> 00:05:05,003
[Heather speaking]
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00:05:11,445 --> 00:05:15,947
[Buddy] When Heather
as almost four, Henry was bo
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00:05:17,051 --> 00:05:19,151
and she was excited.
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00:05:19,252 --> 00:05:21,953
She was gonna have
a baby brother.
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00:05:29,830 --> 00:05:33,932
Mary got her up in the bed
with her and let her hold
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00:05:34,935 --> 00:05:37,803
Henry on his first day
on the planet.
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[Mary speaking]
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00:05:43,844 --> 00:05:47,045
[Buddy] And um, it was just...
It was just really neat.
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00:05:47,147 --> 00:05:51,216
Really cool to watch those two
and how she welcomed her
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00:05:51,218 --> 00:05:53,719
baby brother into...
Into the world.
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00:06:05,432 --> 00:06:08,100
After Henry was born,
and of course,
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00:06:08,102 --> 00:06:11,336
Heather was about four
years old at that point,
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00:06:11,438 --> 00:06:16,441
um, we continued to go to
Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
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[singing indistinctly]
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[Buddy] It was about a mile
down the road and we had
lots of support there.
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00:06:27,421 --> 00:06:29,254
[singing continues]
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00:06:32,793 --> 00:06:36,461
[Buddy] And one of the thing
they did, was they would
teach the kids songs
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00:06:36,530 --> 00:06:40,399
and, uh, you know,
work on Bible verses
and things like that.
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00:06:40,401 --> 00:06:45,337
And they had the kids sing
for the Sunday service.
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Heather, being the person
who likes to be a part of
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the energy in the room,
she was part of the singing.
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00:06:55,516 --> 00:07:00,352
And, uh, she enjoyed being
a performer and being out
in front of the crowd.
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00:07:00,421 --> 00:07:02,320
[indistinct singing]
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00:07:05,292 --> 00:07:08,627
I think she just got more joy
out of just performing.
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00:07:08,629 --> 00:07:11,163
She was in the moment
when that was going on.
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00:07:11,231 --> 00:07:12,964
[applause]
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00:07:19,606 --> 00:07:23,308
[Buddy] In 1990 when Heathe
was six years old,
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00:07:23,310 --> 00:07:26,144
we went up to see
Mary's brother, John
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at the lake he was living on
It was Lake Bowen
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00:07:29,016 --> 00:07:31,950
outside Spartanburg,
South Carolina.
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00:07:31,952 --> 00:07:36,221
And, uh, he had a boat,
you know, um,
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and he also had skis.
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So we went out there,
got on the boat
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and I skied for a minute.
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John, or Uncle John,
as they all called him,
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said, "Heather?
You want to try and ski?"
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[indistinct conversation]
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And her eyes just got really
big and she said, "Can I?"
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And she looked at me, "Can I?"
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And she looked
at Mary, "Can I?"
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We got her in the water
and we got the skis on her.
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Uh, and he said, "Okay."
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And he gave her
a couple of instructions
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and he pulled off.
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And dog gone if she didn't
pop up on top of the water.
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[cheering]
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00:08:26,039 --> 00:08:27,205
"Good job."
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We were laughing that
she got up so quickly.
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And we were, I mean,
I'd say we were amazed.
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Yeah, Heather wasn't one
that liked to sit around
and watch TV.
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00:08:50,030 --> 00:08:52,831
She always wanted
to be doing something.
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And she really enjoyed all
the little activities
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that they had for kids
out in that Snellville area.
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00:09:03,377 --> 00:09:09,014
There was a gymnastics
studio and we got her
involved in that.
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00:09:09,016 --> 00:09:14,119
And then there was
a ballet studio and we got h
involved in that.
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00:09:17,724 --> 00:09:20,559
And then there was
cheerleading that came abou
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00:09:20,627 --> 00:09:23,128
because there was a big
athletic community
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00:09:23,130 --> 00:09:25,463
in the Snellville area.
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00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:28,500
Hey.
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[Buddy] It just was non-stop
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The great thing about Heathe
is that you are never sure
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00:09:37,744 --> 00:09:40,812
100% of what
you are gonna get.
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00:09:40,814 --> 00:09:46,451
But you knew you
were gonna get 100%
of whatever it was.
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I do remember it was just
a good family time.
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We saw such great things
in her future
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00:09:56,063 --> 00:09:59,731
if she continued on the path
that she seemed to be on.
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00:10:05,105 --> 00:10:07,038
[Buddy speaking]
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00:10:07,975 --> 00:10:11,209
From the age of nine
to about 13,
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00:10:11,211 --> 00:10:14,112
Heather was moving.
She was transitioning,
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00:10:14,114 --> 00:10:17,716
uh, from a girl
into a young lady.
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00:10:18,919 --> 00:10:20,986
Uh, Heather had her own styl
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00:10:27,327 --> 00:10:30,795
And so when she got
a little makeup case
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00:10:30,797 --> 00:10:34,399
for Christmas,
she was very excited.
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00:10:34,401 --> 00:10:38,870
Then she could further her own
style and her own personality
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00:10:38,872 --> 00:10:40,305
through what she wore.
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00:10:47,681 --> 00:10:49,914
[Buddy] When Heather
was 16, she was attending
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00:10:49,916 --> 00:10:52,717
Shiloh High School
in the Snellville area.
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00:10:54,254 --> 00:10:57,188
At that point, Mary and I
decided that we needed to
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00:10:57,190 --> 00:11:00,525
change the church
we were going to.
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00:11:00,527 --> 00:11:04,362
And so we found a church
called Calvary Chapel
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00:11:04,431 --> 00:11:07,499
in Stone Mountain,
which wasn't far
from where we lived.
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00:11:07,501 --> 00:11:11,403
Heather started going to
the teenage youth program
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00:11:11,405 --> 00:11:13,772
and that's where
she meet Steven.
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00:11:15,542 --> 00:11:18,410
[narrator] Sixteen-year-old
Steven Strube is a student
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00:11:18,412 --> 00:11:21,012
at a different school
in nearby Stone Mountain.
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00:11:21,915 --> 00:11:24,382
He and Heather
share mutual friends.
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00:11:24,384 --> 00:11:30,555
I believe he brought her home
after the church get together
one evening.
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00:11:30,657 --> 00:11:35,226
That was our first encounte
and, uh, he seemed to be
a very decent young man.
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00:11:36,229 --> 00:11:39,931
He spoke kindly to us
and with respect.
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00:11:39,933 --> 00:11:44,335
And, uh, Heather was smiling
which was a good thing,
you know.
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00:11:44,437 --> 00:11:45,503
They were a cute couple.
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00:11:45,505 --> 00:11:49,007
Of course, she was
the tiny thing at 5 foot 5,
161
00:11:49,009 --> 00:11:51,943
and he was
the tall thing at 6 foot 1.
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00:11:51,945 --> 00:11:54,312
But, you know,
they were cute together.
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00:11:58,585 --> 00:12:02,620
By 2001, Heather was
17 years old.
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00:12:02,689 --> 00:12:05,824
And we had some
really nice neighbors.
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00:12:05,826 --> 00:12:08,526
And she babysat
for them sometimes and
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00:12:08,528 --> 00:12:10,895
their children loved Heather,
you know.
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00:12:16,103 --> 00:12:18,703
[Buddy] At that point in tim
Heather was progressing
168
00:12:18,772 --> 00:12:21,039
in high school very well.
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00:12:21,041 --> 00:12:24,309
Taking, uh, as many credits
as she could each year.
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00:12:25,512 --> 00:12:29,514
She got to her senior year
and she truthfully
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00:12:29,516 --> 00:12:33,918
only needed
one credit to graduate.
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00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:37,122
So, what she was gonna do
was she was gonna
go work half a day at schoo
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00:12:37,124 --> 00:12:39,724
and work the other half the
day at the local flower shop
174
00:12:39,793 --> 00:12:43,161
It enabled her to work aroun
flowers, which she loved,
175
00:12:43,263 --> 00:12:46,231
and to be creative
and to make people happy.
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00:12:52,105 --> 00:12:56,875
Mary and I kind of
got the feeling that
we wanted to move.
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00:12:57,911 --> 00:13:01,513
And so we looked
further outside of Atlanta.
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00:13:01,515 --> 00:13:04,115
And we found a little
community called Covington.
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00:13:05,418 --> 00:13:08,486
An idea that we came up with
was to maybe do
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00:13:08,488 --> 00:13:11,890
a flower business
of some kind.
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00:13:11,892 --> 00:13:15,426
[Elysee Lewandowski]
The first flower shop was
Blooms Flowers and Gifts.
182
00:13:15,428 --> 00:13:18,730
And then they eventually
bought another one
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00:13:18,732 --> 00:13:20,665
in Conyers called
Flowers of Olde Town.
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00:13:23,603 --> 00:13:26,204
[Buddy] We had
Mary and Heather.
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00:13:26,206 --> 00:13:30,208
Mary as owner,
Heather as designer.
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00:13:30,210 --> 00:13:35,146
Heather also did
consultations on weddings
and things like that.
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00:13:35,215 --> 00:13:38,683
[Elysee] The flower shop wa
definitely like a big family
188
00:13:38,685 --> 00:13:42,453
Um, anyone that was
a part of it was so supporti
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00:13:42,555 --> 00:13:45,924
because it takes a lot
to run a shop
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00:13:45,926 --> 00:13:48,827
smoothly and to Heather
and Mary's standards.
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00:13:50,730 --> 00:13:53,398
Steven was in
the flower shop a lot.
192
00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:56,501
He helped us out when
we really needed the help
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00:13:56,503 --> 00:14:00,438
and Heather and Steven
worked very well as a team.
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00:14:00,540 --> 00:14:02,807
[Buddy] They were very much
in love with each other and
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00:14:02,876 --> 00:14:08,246
they spent as much time
together as their jobs
would allow them to.
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00:14:11,318 --> 00:14:15,253
Heather and Steven
married in May of 2004.
197
00:14:17,224 --> 00:14:19,557
All of Steven's side
were beaming.
198
00:14:19,659 --> 00:14:22,994
I believe they all had
fallen in love with Heather
199
00:14:22,996 --> 00:14:24,729
Which was no big surprise
to me, of course.
200
00:14:25,732 --> 00:14:30,201
His mom, Joanna,
and her husband, Gerald.
201
00:14:30,203 --> 00:14:36,341
Everybody there was very hap
that these two young people
were coming together.
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00:14:39,045 --> 00:14:41,546
In the springtime of '07,
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00:14:41,648 --> 00:14:44,816
there was a little bit of
a surprise that came about.
204
00:14:44,818 --> 00:14:49,721
And that surprise was
that Heather found out
that she was pregnant.
205
00:14:49,789 --> 00:14:54,292
We were really excited
because we knew what kind
of mom Heather would be,
206
00:14:54,294 --> 00:14:58,363
having been so good with
children all along the way.
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00:14:58,464 --> 00:15:04,702
We knew how loving, and cari
and how she would be able
to raise this child.
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00:15:06,306 --> 00:15:12,110
The magic happened
on September 20th of 2007.
209
00:15:12,112 --> 00:15:16,614
Carson came into the world
a very healthy child.
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00:15:17,717 --> 00:15:19,450
Everybody wanted to be there.
211
00:15:19,519 --> 00:15:21,119
Especially all
the grandparents.
212
00:15:21,121 --> 00:15:23,821
Mary was there. I was there
213
00:15:23,890 --> 00:15:26,758
Joanna, Steven's mom
was there.
214
00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:29,961
Everybody was just ecstatic
215
00:15:29,963 --> 00:15:33,164
Carson was healthy
and Heather was healthy.
216
00:15:33,199 --> 00:15:37,335
You couldn't have asked
for a better outcome.
217
00:15:44,511 --> 00:15:48,246
Both Heather and Steven wer
just so loving with Carson.
218
00:15:48,348 --> 00:15:51,516
You know, you just felt like
they were both very intent
219
00:15:51,518 --> 00:15:54,786
on raising this child
the best way possible.
220
00:15:58,458 --> 00:16:01,059
[Steven speaking]
221
00:16:01,127 --> 00:16:06,431
[Elysee] Heather incorporate
being a mother and running
a business seamlessly.
222
00:16:06,433 --> 00:16:08,333
[Heather speaking]
223
00:16:12,305 --> 00:16:15,707
[giggles] Very busy with th
flower shop and with Carson
224
00:16:15,775 --> 00:16:20,211
Um, but she enjoyed it.
She loved it.
She loved being a mom.
225
00:16:20,213 --> 00:16:22,513
And he was a good baby,
you know?
226
00:16:22,515 --> 00:16:26,050
Didn't cry very much and,
of course, you know,
he would be at the shop
227
00:16:26,052 --> 00:16:28,252
um, so Heather could,
could watch him.
228
00:16:28,321 --> 00:16:30,321
[Heather speaking]
229
00:16:33,193 --> 00:16:37,061
[Buddy] Joanna, Steven's
mom would volunteer,
230
00:16:37,130 --> 00:16:40,832
uh, to help out if she had
a few days here or there.
231
00:16:40,867 --> 00:16:42,500
Or on the busy times.
232
00:16:42,502 --> 00:16:46,304
And so she'd come in.
She'd run the desk or
233
00:16:46,306 --> 00:16:50,608
take orders or run deliveries
or whatever needed to be done.
234
00:16:50,710 --> 00:16:55,780
So, it became, you know,
all hands on deck
family business.
235
00:16:57,617 --> 00:16:58,849
[Jennifer Bagby] You know,
Joanna would come in
236
00:16:58,885 --> 00:17:01,919
and she would, you know,
snatch Carson up like
237
00:17:01,921 --> 00:17:03,688
pretty much any
grandma would do.
238
00:17:03,690 --> 00:17:06,457
And would hang out
with him as well.
239
00:17:07,694 --> 00:17:10,094
Heather would talk about how
she would come in
240
00:17:10,096 --> 00:17:12,230
and she would pick him up
and she would put him
in the stroller
241
00:17:12,232 --> 00:17:13,898
and she would take off
out the door.
242
00:17:15,802 --> 00:17:18,803
Heather began to, kind of,
put her foot down and,
243
00:17:18,905 --> 00:17:22,673
"No, you may not come in an
take my son and disappear."
244
00:17:22,675 --> 00:17:25,910
You know, "You're his
grandmother and you're
welcome to be with him,
245
00:17:25,912 --> 00:17:29,013
but you're going to
do that on my terms."
246
00:17:30,750 --> 00:17:34,552
Joanna might have had
a little more involvement
then desired.
247
00:17:38,224 --> 00:17:41,225
Around Valentine's Day
of 2008,
248
00:17:41,227 --> 00:17:43,928
Joanna presented Heather
with a receipt for
249
00:17:43,930 --> 00:17:46,697
a piece of jewelry
that Steven had purchased.
250
00:17:48,435 --> 00:17:51,436
And, um, Heather looked at
the receipt and she goes,
251
00:17:51,504 --> 00:17:55,106
"He didn't give me this.
You know, this, this,
252
00:17:55,108 --> 00:17:58,109
I don't have this
piece of Jewelry."
253
00:17:58,111 --> 00:18:02,313
Heather did have
suspicions that Steven
was being unfaithful.
254
00:18:02,315 --> 00:18:04,916
And when the receipt
was presented to her,
255
00:18:04,918 --> 00:18:07,618
it was just her confirmation
She knew.
256
00:18:09,689 --> 00:18:14,692
This was serious to her.
Marriage was not negotiable
257
00:18:14,694 --> 00:18:17,528
Divorce was not an option.
258
00:18:17,530 --> 00:18:19,964
So it took her a very long
time before she finally
259
00:18:19,966 --> 00:18:23,868
just reached the place of,
"Okay, I'm done. I'm done."
260
00:18:28,208 --> 00:18:29,941
[Steven speaking]
261
00:18:31,511 --> 00:18:34,979
[Elysee] The news of the
divorce was a shock to me.
262
00:18:34,981 --> 00:18:39,350
I had always pictured
Heather and Steven
263
00:18:39,419 --> 00:18:42,053
to be a very solid couple.
264
00:18:42,055 --> 00:18:44,889
And I really
didn't expect this.
265
00:18:46,626 --> 00:18:49,627
Heather and Steven's custod
arrangements with Carson
266
00:18:49,629 --> 00:18:52,697
was that Heather was
the main custodian
267
00:18:52,699 --> 00:18:56,334
but Steven got Carson
every other weekend.
268
00:18:56,435 --> 00:18:59,403
[Heather speaking]
269
00:18:59,405 --> 00:19:02,940
[Jennifer] It all become abo
Carson first and foremost.
270
00:19:02,942 --> 00:19:04,609
And what was best for him.
271
00:19:04,611 --> 00:19:09,881
And Heather decided
to focus on the future
for her and her son.
272
00:19:12,986 --> 00:19:16,654
[narrator] In March, 2008,
Jennifer introduces Heather
273
00:19:16,656 --> 00:19:19,157
to restaurant manager
Mike Vickers.
274
00:19:19,258 --> 00:19:24,262
I was going through a divorce
myself, um, at the time.
275
00:19:24,363 --> 00:19:29,767
I had gotten married in 2007
and by the time
276
00:19:29,769 --> 00:19:33,404
I had met Heather,
we had already separated.
277
00:19:33,406 --> 00:19:38,209
After I met Heather
is when I really kind of knew
what love was like
278
00:19:38,211 --> 00:19:40,411
and, you know,
what it was about.
279
00:19:41,447 --> 00:19:43,814
[Heather speaking]
280
00:19:47,954 --> 00:19:54,725
Mary and I were both so happy
that she had found somebody
that she could trust again.
281
00:19:54,727 --> 00:19:57,228
And, of course,
then Mike met Carson
282
00:19:57,230 --> 00:20:01,966
and they got along
like two peas in a pod.
283
00:20:04,103 --> 00:20:05,903
[Heather speaking]
284
00:20:05,905 --> 00:20:07,905
[Mike speaking]
285
00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:16,981
[Mike] He called me by "Mike
when we were together.
286
00:20:16,983 --> 00:20:18,883
He's a great kid.
287
00:20:18,885 --> 00:20:21,786
When I met Carson,
all you got to do is smile.
288
00:20:21,788 --> 00:20:23,721
He has the same
smile as Heather.
289
00:20:23,790 --> 00:20:26,257
So, it's like,
you melt right away.
290
00:20:32,699 --> 00:20:34,398
In April we were
talking marriage,
291
00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,068
we were talking kids
and, you know, everything.
292
00:20:39,505 --> 00:20:44,775
[Buddy] They were waiting
for the divorces to be final
293
00:20:44,777 --> 00:20:48,346
um, before any changes
occurred in Heather's life.
294
00:20:49,515 --> 00:20:52,950
Heather would have
primary custody of Carson.
295
00:20:52,952 --> 00:20:55,720
And Steven had
visitation rights.
296
00:20:59,092 --> 00:21:02,226
[Elysee] As the divorce
progressed and, you know,
297
00:21:02,228 --> 00:21:06,230
things were getting tied
up and severed
and emotions were high.
298
00:21:06,232 --> 00:21:11,402
And Heather really wanted
to do custody swaps
in a public place.
299
00:21:12,972 --> 00:21:14,705
She couldn't wait
for all this to be over,
300
00:21:14,774 --> 00:21:19,510
so that she wouldn't have
to deal with this conflict
all the time.
301
00:21:24,417 --> 00:21:30,454
That Friday night,
Heather dropped Carson
off for the weekend at Target.
302
00:21:30,523 --> 00:21:34,258
And then Saturday night,
we would do game night
with my family.
303
00:21:35,695 --> 00:21:39,130
And then that next day,
we spent the morning together.
304
00:21:39,132 --> 00:21:42,500
I went to work,
she said she was
maybe going to church
305
00:21:42,502 --> 00:21:44,935
and that she would
come and pick Carson up,
306
00:21:44,937 --> 00:21:47,805
then she'd come
to my restaurant.
307
00:21:49,242 --> 00:21:51,609
I said, "Okay, goodbye.
Love you."
308
00:21:54,981 --> 00:21:57,114
[phone ringing]
309
00:21:57,116 --> 00:21:58,115
[woman 1 over phone]
310
00:21:59,252 --> 00:22:00,951
[woman 2 over phone]
311
00:22:06,726 --> 00:22:10,528
[Roy Whitehead] On April
the 26th, 2009,
shortly after 6:00 p.m.,
312
00:22:10,530 --> 00:22:14,165
I received a call
from the Snellville
Police Department dispatch.
313
00:22:14,233 --> 00:22:16,200
There'd been a shooting
at a local shopping center.
314
00:22:18,504 --> 00:22:22,506
When officers arrived,
they saw a maroon
Cadillac Escalade
315
00:22:22,508 --> 00:22:28,112
parked in the parking lot
with a woman lying
on the parking lot,
316
00:22:28,114 --> 00:22:30,781
clearly suffering
from a gunshot wound
to the head.
317
00:22:32,785 --> 00:22:37,088
They looked into the vehicle
and saw that there
was a child,
318
00:22:37,090 --> 00:22:41,559
approximately 18 months old,
in a car seat located
within the vehicle.
319
00:22:43,429 --> 00:22:46,831
[Trey Downs]
When the officers located
the victim's wallet,
320
00:22:46,932 --> 00:22:50,601
uh, they located
her driver's license
321
00:22:50,703 --> 00:22:53,504
and we were able
to identify the victim
as Heather Strube.
322
00:23:01,414 --> 00:23:05,883
[Buddy] We were driving
through South Alabama,
when Mary's phone rang.
323
00:23:06,953 --> 00:23:12,523
And, um, she answered
and it was her dad, Bill.
324
00:23:13,292 --> 00:23:16,527
He said, "Heather's dead."
325
00:23:19,565 --> 00:23:25,136
And she just...
She didn't quite get
hysterical, but pretty close
326
00:23:29,142 --> 00:23:32,777
And about three
or four minutes later,
327
00:23:32,779 --> 00:23:37,114
I just pulled the car over
and we just cried
on each other.
328
00:23:41,220 --> 00:23:44,121
[Mike] I'll never forget
the frantic phone calls
329
00:23:44,123 --> 00:23:47,958
that I made to her
to try to find out what
was going on.
330
00:23:51,063 --> 00:23:52,963
I was the boyfriend, you kno
331
00:23:55,435 --> 00:23:57,902
I told her I'd make sure
everything was okay.
332
00:23:59,071 --> 00:24:00,704
And I couldn't that day.
333
00:24:08,781 --> 00:24:11,415
[Roy] Once we had begun
to secure the area,
334
00:24:11,417 --> 00:24:13,317
we went into the store
to view video cameras,
335
00:24:13,319 --> 00:24:14,785
'cause you could tell
there were some
336
00:24:14,787 --> 00:24:16,520
on the exterior
of the building.
337
00:24:18,057 --> 00:24:21,459
The witnesses, they had
seen Heather parked
in the parking lot,
338
00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:24,962
saw a green minivan
and a man took the child
339
00:24:24,964 --> 00:24:30,401
out of his car and handed him
to Heather, who was securing
him in her vehicle.
340
00:24:30,403 --> 00:24:33,237
And while she was doing that
the green van drove away.
341
00:24:37,143 --> 00:24:39,410
And soon as she got
the child in the car
342
00:24:39,412 --> 00:24:42,213
and started around back
to the driver's side
of the car,
343
00:24:42,215 --> 00:24:45,983
this person who'd
been laying in wait
just came directly up to her.
344
00:24:48,221 --> 00:24:51,121
The witnesses described
the interaction,
345
00:24:51,123 --> 00:24:54,225
prior to the shooting,
of the suspect and the victi
346
00:24:54,227 --> 00:24:56,093
as they were having
an argument.
347
00:24:57,363 --> 00:25:01,799
And that would lead us
to believe that the victim
348
00:25:01,801 --> 00:25:03,801
and the suspect
knew each other.
349
00:25:07,006 --> 00:25:09,807
[Roy] The witnesses describe
the person as a male,
350
00:25:09,809 --> 00:25:13,043
very slender with what
they believed to be was a wi
351
00:25:13,045 --> 00:25:15,112
sort of a wild wig
and a mustache,
352
00:25:15,114 --> 00:25:19,049
carrying a shoulder bag,
wearing a button-down,
uh, shirt
353
00:25:19,051 --> 00:25:21,218
and what appeared
to be, I believe, khaki pants.
354
00:25:22,922 --> 00:25:28,726
[Trey] The suspect entered
the parking lot
and approached the victim
355
00:25:28,728 --> 00:25:35,132
and then we see the suspect
leave in the same direction
that the suspect came in.
356
00:25:36,402 --> 00:25:38,602
What stood out
to us in the video
357
00:25:38,704 --> 00:25:44,909
was how calm the suspect was
and how slowly they walked
away, they didn't run.
358
00:25:44,911 --> 00:25:47,144
What we were also able
to observe from the video
359
00:25:47,246 --> 00:25:50,047
was the suspect had
kind of a hitch in their gai
360
00:25:50,049 --> 00:25:52,216
in the way they walked,
it was distinctive.
361
00:25:54,420 --> 00:25:57,955
We knew from witnesses'
statements that the suspect
362
00:25:57,957 --> 00:26:01,225
had walked around the left
side of the shopping center.
363
00:26:01,227 --> 00:26:04,128
So we called in
our canine unit
and had them attempt
364
00:26:04,130 --> 00:26:06,230
to track where
the suspect went.
365
00:26:08,100 --> 00:26:10,067
They went around
behind the shopping center
366
00:26:10,069 --> 00:26:14,672
into a parking lot behind it
it was adjacent
to a local hotel.
367
00:26:16,976 --> 00:26:18,709
The dog lost interest
in the track
368
00:26:18,778 --> 00:26:20,544
and it was clear to us
that that person got in
369
00:26:20,646 --> 00:26:22,513
a vehicle and drove away
at that point.
370
00:26:29,622 --> 00:26:35,459
[Trey] We knew that Heather
went to the shopping center
to do a custody exchange
371
00:26:35,561 --> 00:26:38,729
with her soon to be
ex-husband, Steven Strube.
372
00:26:40,266 --> 00:26:43,067
When we were able
to identify Steven Strube,
373
00:26:43,069 --> 00:26:45,803
we obviously know now
that he was the last person
374
00:26:45,805 --> 00:26:49,173
to have had contact
with Heather.
375
00:26:52,111 --> 00:26:54,511
[Roy] When we made
the notification to Steven
376
00:26:54,513 --> 00:26:57,414
that Heather was dead
and what had transpired,
377
00:26:57,416 --> 00:27:01,819
he clearly broke down,
he was very upset by it.
378
00:27:03,923 --> 00:27:06,824
[Trey] After watching
the initial surveillance
footage,
379
00:27:06,826 --> 00:27:12,096
we were able to determine
that Steven Strube had came
in a green minivan
380
00:27:12,098 --> 00:27:15,299
to exchange custody
with Heather Strube.
381
00:27:17,303 --> 00:27:23,707
We asked Steven Strube
where he went
after he exchanged custody.
382
00:27:23,709 --> 00:27:26,510
And he said he left from the
and went straight home.
383
00:27:28,681 --> 00:27:33,951
We knew from the video
surveillance that he was seen
leaving the parking lot,
384
00:27:33,953 --> 00:27:38,622
but we couldn't rule out,
at this point, that he played
some role in her murder.
385
00:27:41,794 --> 00:27:43,427
Approximately two days
after the murder,
386
00:27:43,429 --> 00:27:46,096
we received a call
from a person who was stayin
387
00:27:46,098 --> 00:27:49,500
in the Extended Stay hotel
behind the shopping center.
388
00:27:52,204 --> 00:27:55,305
He saw a white
Ford pickup truck
389
00:27:55,307 --> 00:27:58,075
sitting in a motel parking l
where he was staying
390
00:27:58,077 --> 00:28:03,213
and it stood out to him,
because he saw a person
inside the truck
391
00:28:03,215 --> 00:28:05,149
that appeared to be
wearing a disguise,
392
00:28:05,151 --> 00:28:08,852
he described what he thought
was a fake wig and a mustache.
393
00:28:08,854 --> 00:28:11,922
And they were either
looking at the back
394
00:28:11,924 --> 00:28:15,726
of the shopping center
with binoculars or they wer
395
00:28:15,828 --> 00:28:18,062
taking photographs of the back
of the shopping center.
396
00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:23,333
[Dan Mayfield] After
the homicide occurred,
397
00:28:23,435 --> 00:28:27,705
the police asked
the eye witnesses
to meet with a artist
398
00:28:27,806 --> 00:28:31,975
to try to produce a renderin
of the appearance
of the shooter.
399
00:28:31,977 --> 00:28:34,611
Several of them
contributed to this effort.
400
00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,581
And, in fact, the artist
produced a rendering
401
00:28:37,583 --> 00:28:43,053
of a small stature man
with a crazy hairdo
402
00:28:43,055 --> 00:28:46,190
and a sort of a funky
mustache.
403
00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:51,361
[Roy] As a result of that
sketch being seen,
404
00:28:51,463 --> 00:28:54,264
we had a gentleman
who was staying at the hotel,
405
00:28:54,333 --> 00:28:57,201
uh, who was an over-the-road
truck driver, who said he saw
406
00:28:57,203 --> 00:29:01,205
the person in that sketch
get in that vehicle
and drive off.
407
00:29:02,708 --> 00:29:06,910
He described it as the olde
model white F-150 extended c
408
00:29:06,912 --> 00:29:09,980
with a very unique,
uh, body side molding.
409
00:29:13,686 --> 00:29:17,721
[Dan] The detectives went
to Steven Strube's
parents' house,
410
00:29:17,790 --> 00:29:20,991
in order to continue
their investigation.
411
00:29:20,993 --> 00:29:22,793
They were talking
to all the family members
412
00:29:22,795 --> 00:29:26,130
that might have information
about who the shooter
might be.
413
00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:32,402
While the investigators
were there, they noticed
a white pickup truck.
414
00:29:35,007 --> 00:29:36,807
We asked the witness
if he would be willing
415
00:29:36,876 --> 00:29:41,178
to take a ride with us,
so we could drive him
416
00:29:41,180 --> 00:29:45,449
by a house and see
if he recognized any
417
00:29:45,518 --> 00:29:48,118
of the vehicles
at this residence.
418
00:29:50,089 --> 00:29:53,056
He immediately said,
"That's the truck.
419
00:29:53,058 --> 00:29:55,893
That's the truck I saw
at the motel parking lot."
420
00:29:57,530 --> 00:30:00,364
We were able to identify
that truck as being registered
421
00:30:00,465 --> 00:30:02,800
to Steven's mother,
Joanna Hayes.
422
00:30:06,105 --> 00:30:08,806
On April the 29th,
we went back to the house
423
00:30:08,808 --> 00:30:10,707
to serve the search warrant
on that truck.
424
00:30:12,344 --> 00:30:16,814
The truck was pristine,
it had been cleaned
unbelievably well
425
00:30:18,818 --> 00:30:21,084
The only thing we found
was this receipt
426
00:30:21,086 --> 00:30:24,955
from this fast food restaura
on the night of the murder.
427
00:30:26,725 --> 00:30:31,328
And one strand of something
that appeared to be consiste
with the hair of a wig.
428
00:30:33,966 --> 00:30:35,799
[Dan] The investigators talk
to Joanna Hayes
429
00:30:35,801 --> 00:30:38,502
about her whereabouts
on the day of the murder.
430
00:30:39,672 --> 00:30:42,606
She insisted that she had
driven to Luthersville
431
00:30:42,608 --> 00:30:45,442
before the murder occurred
and was there working
432
00:30:45,544 --> 00:30:49,012
on her parents' house,
doing some maintenance.
433
00:30:49,014 --> 00:30:52,349
And that this was miles
away from the murder.
434
00:30:52,384 --> 00:30:56,486
Joanna Hayes insisted
that she had no reason
to kill Heather.
435
00:30:56,488 --> 00:30:58,889
That she loved Heather
as a family member
436
00:30:58,891 --> 00:31:02,459
and that the divorce
wasn't personal to her
437
00:31:02,528 --> 00:31:07,231
and that she would
never kill Carson's mother.
438
00:31:09,702 --> 00:31:11,501
She said that she
had an alibi,
439
00:31:11,503 --> 00:31:14,538
because she had
a receipt in her truck
440
00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:17,107
that showed she had gone
to a fast food restaurant
441
00:31:17,109 --> 00:31:21,178
down near Luthersville
at the time of the murder.
442
00:31:21,180 --> 00:31:24,615
[Trey] We know the murder's
at 6:00, we see
that she had stopped
443
00:31:24,617 --> 00:31:26,984
and purchased this
ice cream at 7:19.
444
00:31:27,887 --> 00:31:30,954
So we decided,
well, let's drive it.
445
00:31:33,592 --> 00:31:36,894
Let's drive it from her hous
we'll do the speed limit.
446
00:31:38,964 --> 00:31:44,034
We were able to determine
that you could commit
the murder at 6:00 p.m.
447
00:31:44,036 --> 00:31:50,340
and easily make it
to this fast food restaurant
an hour and 19 minutes later.
448
00:31:53,879 --> 00:31:57,247
[Dan] Nine days
after the homicide,
the investigators brought i
449
00:31:57,349 --> 00:32:00,684
Steven Strube again
to talk to him
at the police department.
450
00:32:01,754 --> 00:32:04,721
But this time,
they had the sketch
451
00:32:04,723 --> 00:32:07,524
that was produced
by the eye witnesses
and the artist.
452
00:32:12,998 --> 00:32:15,265
They showed that sketch
and they showed
453
00:32:15,334 --> 00:32:19,603
the video recordings
from the parking lot
to Steven Strube.
454
00:32:39,291 --> 00:32:40,324
[Steven speaking]
455
00:32:42,027 --> 00:32:42,893
[investigator speaking]
456
00:32:44,263 --> 00:32:45,696
[investigator speaking]
457
00:32:50,502 --> 00:32:54,037
[Dan] You can see
Steven Strube go
through the process.
458
00:32:54,039 --> 00:32:58,976
His mind doesn't want
to go there, but the evidenc
leads him there.
459
00:32:58,978 --> 00:33:03,347
And he slowly comes
to an opinion
460
00:33:03,448 --> 00:33:07,351
that that was his mother
that committed the murder.
461
00:33:08,554 --> 00:33:09,720
[investigator speaking]
462
00:33:20,499 --> 00:33:22,599
[investigator speaking]
463
00:33:33,445 --> 00:33:37,047
[Trey] His reaction,
the receipt, you know,
464
00:33:37,049 --> 00:33:40,450
we've got the eye witness,
uh, in the truck, you know,
465
00:33:40,552 --> 00:33:42,552
we're really putting
this case together now.
466
00:33:45,057 --> 00:33:46,623
[investigator speaking]
467
00:33:46,692 --> 00:33:50,093
We decided that, you know,
we were gonna take him outside
468
00:33:50,095 --> 00:33:53,964
and get him in one of our cars
and have him call his mother,
so we could record it.
469
00:33:54,466 --> 00:33:56,233
[phone ringing]
470
00:33:56,869 --> 00:33:57,968
[Joanna over phone]
471
00:33:57,970 --> 00:33:58,935
[Steven over phone]
472
00:33:58,937 --> 00:34:00,070
[Joanna over phone]
473
00:34:00,072 --> 00:34:02,806
[Steven over phone]
474
00:34:02,875 --> 00:34:03,707
[Joanna over phone]
475
00:34:03,709 --> 00:34:05,976
[Steven over phone]
476
00:34:05,978 --> 00:34:06,943
[Joanna over phone]
477
00:34:07,613 --> 00:34:09,046
[Steven over phone]
478
00:34:09,782 --> 00:34:11,314
[Joanna over phone]
479
00:34:11,316 --> 00:34:14,117
[Steven over phone]
480
00:34:17,122 --> 00:34:18,455
[Joanna over phone]
481
00:34:19,425 --> 00:34:22,225
[Steven over phone]
482
00:34:25,431 --> 00:34:30,400
[Roy] The way she responded
her tone of voice,
her attitude, the delays,
483
00:34:30,402 --> 00:34:35,105
all of that came together
to let us know that we knew
we had the right person.
484
00:34:36,041 --> 00:34:38,108
[Joanna over phone]
485
00:34:38,110 --> 00:34:38,809
[Steven over phone]
486
00:34:40,212 --> 00:34:43,246
[Joanna over phone]
487
00:34:51,924 --> 00:34:54,791
[Trey] On May 7, 2009,
we interviewed Joanna Hayes
488
00:35:12,111 --> 00:35:13,310
[Joanna speaking]
489
00:35:14,313 --> 00:35:15,812
[investigator speaking]
490
00:35:31,363 --> 00:35:32,595
[investigator] Mmm-hmm.
491
00:35:34,466 --> 00:35:36,600
[Trey] When we very first
starting talking to her,
492
00:35:36,602 --> 00:35:40,403
she was calm, um,
as the interview progressed
493
00:35:40,405 --> 00:35:44,407
and we started asking
her direct questions
494
00:35:44,409 --> 00:35:49,346
about the murder,
she was confident
in her answers
495
00:35:49,447 --> 00:35:50,814
almost to a point
of arrogance.
496
00:35:51,817 --> 00:35:53,316
[investigator speaking]
497
00:36:05,731 --> 00:36:06,530
[investigator speaking]
498
00:36:10,035 --> 00:36:11,501
[investigator speaking]
499
00:36:14,206 --> 00:36:16,306
[investigator speaking]
500
00:36:16,308 --> 00:36:19,075
[Trey] What we learned,
during the course
of this investigation,
501
00:36:19,077 --> 00:36:25,248
from speaking with people
that had known Joanna Hayes
virtually her whole life
502
00:36:25,350 --> 00:36:28,418
is that Joanna Hayes was
a very controlling person,
503
00:36:28,420 --> 00:36:31,521
especially when it came
to her grandson, Carson.
504
00:36:34,092 --> 00:36:38,461
She wanted to control
everything that the child di
505
00:36:38,530 --> 00:36:44,868
Uh, she wanted to control
Heather and what she did
with Carson.
506
00:36:46,705 --> 00:36:51,174
She knew that once Heather
and Steven divorced,
507
00:36:51,176 --> 00:36:54,444
that she was not gonna
have the same access
to Carson that she had.
508
00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:58,615
And this didn't
sit well with her.
509
00:36:58,717 --> 00:37:02,986
And we believe
that was her motivation
to commit the murder.
510
00:37:03,989 --> 00:37:04,888
[investigator speaking]
511
00:37:17,703 --> 00:37:18,768
[investigator speaking]
512
00:37:23,175 --> 00:37:26,109
[Dan] After the interview
with Joanna Hayes,
513
00:37:26,211 --> 00:37:30,947
most of us were convinced
that she committed
this murder.
514
00:37:30,949 --> 00:37:35,118
The problem was,
we had to be able
to convince a jury.
515
00:37:37,823 --> 00:37:42,192
On June 25th,
investigators talked
to Steven Strube Senior.
516
00:37:44,196 --> 00:37:49,099
He indicated that he was
married to Joanna Hayes
517
00:37:49,101 --> 00:37:53,236
and before the divorce,
things were really bad.
518
00:37:54,906 --> 00:37:58,341
He described that she took
a gun, in the course
of an argument
519
00:37:58,410 --> 00:38:04,247
and put it on his forehead,
which is exactly how
Heather Strube was killed.
520
00:38:05,284 --> 00:38:08,385
The handgun described
by Steven Strube Senior
521
00:38:08,387 --> 00:38:12,088
was a Rossi .38 caliber
handgun,
522
00:38:12,090 --> 00:38:17,694
that had belonged
to Joanna Hayes
years before.
523
00:38:17,696 --> 00:38:21,564
Forensic analysis
of the bullet that killed
Heather Strube
524
00:38:21,633 --> 00:38:24,434
showed that the bullet
was a .38 caliber
525
00:38:24,536 --> 00:38:27,237
and it had been fired
from either a Rossi
526
00:38:27,339 --> 00:38:30,774
or a Taurus manufactured
handgun.
527
00:38:32,878 --> 00:38:37,147
We couldn't prove
that the bullet
matched the gun
528
00:38:37,149 --> 00:38:42,052
that Joanna Hayes owned
years and years and years ag
529
00:38:42,054 --> 00:38:46,189
But it was one more
circumstance that pointed
530
00:38:46,191 --> 00:38:49,225
to Joanna Hayes
as possibly being the shooter.
531
00:38:53,965 --> 00:38:56,766
We charged Joanna Hayes
with murder.
532
00:38:56,768 --> 00:39:00,603
And she was taken into custody
without much of a fight.
533
00:39:02,908 --> 00:39:06,209
[Buddy] When we found out
it was Steven's mother,
534
00:39:06,211 --> 00:39:10,513
it was shocking, I mean,
to say the least,
it was shocking.
535
00:39:12,117 --> 00:39:16,086
To me, it was just
an extremely selfish act
when you boil it down.
536
00:39:17,989 --> 00:39:19,689
She didn't care
about the consequences.
537
00:39:23,195 --> 00:39:27,997
We started trial
on May 2nd, 2011.
538
00:39:27,999 --> 00:39:32,602
There was a tremendous
amount of evidence
and a lot of witnesses.
539
00:39:32,604 --> 00:39:34,604
There were a lot
of little circumstances
540
00:39:34,673 --> 00:39:37,207
that need to be proven
beyond a reasonable doubt.
541
00:39:40,178 --> 00:39:42,345
It was apparent to me
that Joanna Hayes
542
00:39:42,414 --> 00:39:45,215
had carefully planned
this murder.
543
00:39:46,251 --> 00:39:48,184
She had arranged everything.
544
00:39:50,322 --> 00:39:53,423
She had the wig,
she had the clothing,
545
00:39:53,425 --> 00:39:57,327
she had everything she neede
placed where she needed
it to be.
546
00:40:00,465 --> 00:40:05,001
When she walked up
to Heather's car and starte
that conversation,
547
00:40:07,205 --> 00:40:08,405
she was committed.
548
00:40:10,709 --> 00:40:13,810
Heather was placing Carson
into a car seat.
549
00:40:14,813 --> 00:40:18,448
Obviously Heather knew
that was Joanna Hayes.
550
00:40:21,453 --> 00:40:24,521
Obviously she knew
she was gonna be murdered.
551
00:40:25,924 --> 00:40:27,056
Heather was trapped.
552
00:40:28,126 --> 00:40:30,193
I think she knew
it was inevitable.
553
00:40:35,066 --> 00:40:38,902
Joanna Hayes was convicted
of murder of Heather Strube
554
00:40:38,904 --> 00:40:40,904
and sentenced
to life in prison.
555
00:40:44,409 --> 00:40:47,076
[narrator] Investigators
accept that Steven Strube
556
00:40:47,078 --> 00:40:52,115
was unaware of his mother's
plan and that he played
no role in Heather's murder
557
00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:59,222
[Jennifer] Heather's legacy
is compassion.
558
00:40:59,224 --> 00:41:02,892
And when I think of her,
that's one of the biggest
things that I think of.
559
00:41:05,063 --> 00:41:06,329
Heather was one of a kind.
560
00:41:10,669 --> 00:41:13,203
[Mike] Anybody that came
in contact with Heather
561
00:41:13,205 --> 00:41:15,805
would be ever grateful
that they got to meet her.
562
00:41:16,675 --> 00:41:18,408
You know, she was
a good person.
563
00:41:19,911 --> 00:41:21,177
She was a wonderful person.
564
00:41:23,515 --> 00:41:25,615
I would switch places
with her in a heartbeat.
565
00:41:32,524 --> 00:41:35,925
[Buddy] Carson is now
13 years old.
566
00:41:35,927 --> 00:41:41,231
He is about six feet tall,
he would have dwarfed
Heather by now.
567
00:41:43,668 --> 00:41:45,034
He's an amazing young man.
568
00:41:47,439 --> 00:41:50,406
[Elysee] Heather would want
Carson to be whatever
569
00:41:50,408 --> 00:41:53,977
he wanted to be,
the very best version of it
570
00:41:53,979 --> 00:41:56,312
And there's no doubt
in my mind that, you know,
571
00:41:56,314 --> 00:42:00,517
he's got the best angel
looking down on him
572
00:42:00,519 --> 00:42:04,320
and ensuring that he has
every opportunity to do that.
573
00:42:06,091 --> 00:42:09,526
[Heather] When I grow up,
I wanna seeds on it.
574
00:42:09,528 --> 00:42:13,263
[Buddy] The thing that I mis
the most about Heather
575
00:42:15,500 --> 00:42:17,166
is how she loved you.
576
00:42:20,972 --> 00:42:23,172
It radiated from her.
577
00:42:24,809 --> 00:42:26,509
And she sparkled
like a diamond.