1 00:00:02,567 --> 00:00:06,266 -[distant applause] -[cheerful music playing] 2 00:00:06,266 --> 00:00:10,066 [vocalizing] 3 00:00:15,100 --> 00:00:17,767 Choir was pretty competitive. 4 00:00:17,834 --> 00:00:19,667 You have to definitely fight for it. 5 00:00:19,667 --> 00:00:21,166 She could have a mean girl streak. 6 00:00:21,166 --> 00:00:22,667 A lot of us could. 7 00:00:22,734 --> 00:00:26,166 It was almost like instant, they really liked each other. 8 00:00:26,166 --> 00:00:29,367 But things were getting extremely obsessive. 9 00:00:29,367 --> 00:00:31,667 You want to be a supportive friend, 10 00:00:31,667 --> 00:00:34,266 but she's doing something wrong. 11 00:00:34,333 --> 00:00:38,166 She had a hatred, like a deep-seated hatred. 12 00:00:38,166 --> 00:00:41,367 She woke up, she heard someone busting in the back door. 13 00:00:41,433 --> 00:00:44,767 She has stab wounds all over her body. 14 00:00:44,767 --> 00:00:47,367 That takes some guts -- at that point, 15 00:00:47,367 --> 00:00:48,967 you just don't care. 16 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:54,066 [theme music playing] 17 00:01:05,367 --> 00:01:09,266 Humble, Texas, is about 20 minutes outside of Houston. 18 00:01:09,266 --> 00:01:12,367 It is your typical suburban neighborhood 19 00:01:12,367 --> 00:01:14,667 just outside of the big city. 20 00:01:14,667 --> 00:01:19,066 I think people live in Humble for more of a simple life. 21 00:01:19,133 --> 00:01:21,967 NARRATOR: Life may be simple for the adults in Humble... 22 00:01:24,667 --> 00:01:26,867 but for the teen girls at Nimitz High, 23 00:01:26,934 --> 00:01:29,467 it's more like survival of the fittest. 24 00:01:29,467 --> 00:01:34,367 Without even knowing, there was this system. 25 00:01:34,433 --> 00:01:37,066 [cheerleaders chanting] Defense! Defense! 26 00:01:37,133 --> 00:01:38,667 There are the cool kids. 27 00:01:38,667 --> 00:01:40,767 There are the not so cool. 28 00:01:40,834 --> 00:01:42,567 NARRATOR: But when the TV show "Glee" 29 00:01:42,567 --> 00:01:44,166 premieres across the country, 30 00:01:44,233 --> 00:01:47,567 the high school pecking order is turned upside down. 31 00:01:47,634 --> 00:01:48,667 [a cappella singing] 32 00:01:48,667 --> 00:01:50,667 OLIVIA: "Glee" was so popular. 33 00:01:50,667 --> 00:01:52,867 Everybody was talking about "Glee." 34 00:01:52,867 --> 00:01:56,567 All those choir kids became the "it" kids. 35 00:01:56,567 --> 00:01:59,567 Choir was pretty competitive. 36 00:01:59,567 --> 00:02:02,367 You have to actually read music and memorize 37 00:02:02,367 --> 00:02:04,934 the songs and the notes and things of that nature. 38 00:02:06,066 --> 00:02:08,166 The freshmen began in JV choir. 39 00:02:08,166 --> 00:02:10,467 Um, and then it was varsity choir, which is typically 40 00:02:10,467 --> 00:02:13,567 sophomores and juniors, some seniors, 41 00:02:13,634 --> 00:02:15,667 and then, um, there was chamber choir, 42 00:02:15,667 --> 00:02:18,166 which is like the top class to be in. 43 00:02:18,233 --> 00:02:21,266 The cooler, more popular kids were in chamber choir. 44 00:02:21,333 --> 00:02:23,166 The ones that you wanted to fit in with. 45 00:02:23,166 --> 00:02:25,166 NARRATOR: Choir culture is cutthroat. 46 00:02:25,166 --> 00:02:28,567 So students will do whatever it takes to be front 47 00:02:28,567 --> 00:02:30,066 and center. 48 00:02:30,066 --> 00:02:34,667 You want to sing and showcase what you have, and sometimes 49 00:02:34,667 --> 00:02:36,467 that opportunity wasn't always given. 50 00:02:36,533 --> 00:02:38,266 So you have to definitely fight for it. 51 00:02:39,900 --> 00:02:42,867 We would have girls who had older siblings in chamber choir 52 00:02:42,934 --> 00:02:44,467 and they would end up in chamber choir, 53 00:02:44,467 --> 00:02:47,467 or girls that were more friendly with teachers, 54 00:02:47,467 --> 00:02:50,767 and they would end up in chamber choir. 55 00:02:50,767 --> 00:02:54,166 There was a lot of favoritism with the choir teacher, and if 56 00:02:54,166 --> 00:02:56,166 she just took a certain liking to you, 57 00:02:56,166 --> 00:02:59,567 I can almost guarantee you, you would be selected for 58 00:02:59,634 --> 00:03:04,000 a solo even if you didn't have that much talent. 59 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:08,467 ♪ Yeah ♪ [vocalizing] 60 00:03:08,467 --> 00:03:10,367 NARRATOR: In the Fall of 2010, 61 00:03:10,367 --> 00:03:12,667 a new batch of freshman girls join 62 00:03:12,667 --> 00:03:15,266 the junior varsity choir at Nimitz High. 63 00:03:15,266 --> 00:03:17,567 COURTNEY: Amber, Heather, 64 00:03:17,567 --> 00:03:21,867 Olivia, Antoinette, and Keri, they all hung out together. 65 00:03:21,867 --> 00:03:25,667 Choir brought in so many different types 66 00:03:25,667 --> 00:03:28,867 of people, and we were a solid group. 67 00:03:28,934 --> 00:03:31,166 I feel like that was 68 00:03:31,166 --> 00:03:34,066 my core group of friends. 69 00:03:34,066 --> 00:03:35,567 AMBER: We were pretty tight. 70 00:03:36,667 --> 00:03:40,367 Heather was semi-quiet, not too quiet. 71 00:03:40,367 --> 00:03:43,634 Um, she's very fun. She's hilarious. 72 00:03:45,166 --> 00:03:48,066 Antoinette was, um, she was quiet. 73 00:03:48,133 --> 00:03:50,266 She had a lot of things going on. 74 00:03:50,266 --> 00:03:52,367 She was nice to talk to. 75 00:03:52,433 --> 00:03:55,166 She was...eccentric. 76 00:03:55,233 --> 00:03:57,567 [short laugh] 77 00:03:57,567 --> 00:03:59,667 Amber sometimes can be rude. 78 00:03:59,667 --> 00:04:02,166 I mean, Amber is very funny. She was my best friend. 79 00:04:02,233 --> 00:04:03,867 But if she was having a bad day, 80 00:04:03,867 --> 00:04:05,734 she would be very rude to you. 81 00:04:08,166 --> 00:04:11,266 I mean, I told it like it was. 82 00:04:11,266 --> 00:04:14,767 NARRATOR: There is no shortage of drama in this choir clique, 83 00:04:14,767 --> 00:04:18,266 especially the kind that buzzes around their Queen Bee. 84 00:04:18,266 --> 00:04:21,567 Keri was outspoken, outgoing, she loved performing, 85 00:04:21,634 --> 00:04:23,567 she loved singing. 86 00:04:23,634 --> 00:04:25,166 ANTOINETTE: A lot of people who were in choir 87 00:04:25,233 --> 00:04:29,266 gravitated towards her and liked being around her. 88 00:04:29,266 --> 00:04:31,767 COURTNEY: Keri was kind of that leader of the pack. 89 00:04:31,767 --> 00:04:34,367 She was the one that those girls looked up to. 90 00:04:34,367 --> 00:04:38,767 NARRATOR: And just like any good diva, Keri knows how to stay in 91 00:04:38,767 --> 00:04:40,767 the spotlight. 92 00:04:40,767 --> 00:04:42,467 Keri could have a mean girl streak if -- 93 00:04:42,533 --> 00:04:44,000 if she was really up to it. 94 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,066 Um, a lot of us could, if we wanted to actually, 95 00:04:47,066 --> 00:04:49,467 you know, go that route. 96 00:04:49,467 --> 00:04:51,367 ANTOINETTE: There were just days that she would come to 97 00:04:51,367 --> 00:04:54,367 school and she would just have it out for everyone. 98 00:04:54,433 --> 00:04:59,066 She could get very snarky and very rude at some times. 99 00:05:00,166 --> 00:05:03,166 There were some secrets that were told behind my back, 100 00:05:03,166 --> 00:05:06,100 um, that Keri had talked about, and there were some times 101 00:05:06,100 --> 00:05:09,867 that she was just mean to me because of somebody I liked, 102 00:05:09,867 --> 00:05:12,367 um, at the time, she was like, "He's not gonna be interested in 103 00:05:12,367 --> 00:05:14,000 you, blah, blah, blah, whatever." 104 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:18,266 NARRATOR: To be in with Keri, you had to follow her rules. 105 00:05:18,266 --> 00:05:21,166 Keri was a possessive, uh, friend, 106 00:05:21,166 --> 00:05:23,867 definitely, um, she was allowed to have other friends. 107 00:05:23,934 --> 00:05:26,667 Um, but if I had a boyfriend specifically, um, 108 00:05:26,667 --> 00:05:28,266 she would want me to break up with him, like, 109 00:05:28,333 --> 00:05:29,867 we would have sleepovers, and she would try to 110 00:05:29,934 --> 00:05:32,667 convince me that I'd be better off alone and that I didn't 111 00:05:32,667 --> 00:05:35,166 need a boyfriend and that he was bad for me. 112 00:05:35,166 --> 00:05:37,467 So she definitely kind of wanted me to herself. 113 00:05:39,066 --> 00:05:42,266 Someone might be friends with Keri and think 114 00:05:42,266 --> 00:05:43,634 she's possessive, 115 00:05:44,767 --> 00:05:48,166 where I see her and think about our friendship 116 00:05:48,166 --> 00:05:50,567 and I see loyalty, 117 00:05:50,634 --> 00:05:52,667 very loyal. 118 00:05:52,667 --> 00:05:55,967 If she loved you, she loved you, 119 00:05:56,033 --> 00:05:58,934 and she would show it, in any way, would fight for you. 120 00:06:00,100 --> 00:06:04,667 I think Keri, to the public, to her friends carried herself 121 00:06:04,734 --> 00:06:07,066 in a way that she looked confident, 122 00:06:07,133 --> 00:06:10,166 but on the inside, her self-confidence was really 123 00:06:10,166 --> 00:06:12,066 kind of rattled during this time. 124 00:06:12,133 --> 00:06:14,367 Keri was very tall, 125 00:06:14,367 --> 00:06:17,166 taller even than the boys. 126 00:06:17,233 --> 00:06:19,567 She towered over everyone. 127 00:06:19,634 --> 00:06:22,066 She carried a little bit more weight. 128 00:06:22,066 --> 00:06:23,367 AMBER: She had freckles on her face. 129 00:06:23,367 --> 00:06:25,934 She was very pale. She was, um... 130 00:06:27,266 --> 00:06:31,166 not super impressive to look at. 131 00:06:31,166 --> 00:06:35,000 Um, I don't know if that's kind of rude to say, but... 132 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,333 so that's just -- she just wasn't a -- a looker. 133 00:06:39,500 --> 00:06:41,367 HEATHER: She was never as thick as she thought she was, 134 00:06:41,367 --> 00:06:43,266 but of course, if you're not stick thin, 135 00:06:43,333 --> 00:06:45,567 especially back when we were kids, 136 00:06:45,634 --> 00:06:49,166 you might as well be a house. 137 00:06:49,166 --> 00:06:51,967 NARRATOR: But Keri's looks aren't the only 138 00:06:52,033 --> 00:06:54,467 reason for her mean girl ways. 139 00:06:54,467 --> 00:06:57,567 There's also her home life. 140 00:06:57,567 --> 00:07:02,066 She had two loving parents, hard-working parents. 141 00:07:02,133 --> 00:07:04,166 She had an older brother. 142 00:07:04,166 --> 00:07:06,166 AMBER: Keri and her brother were super close. 143 00:07:06,233 --> 00:07:09,100 They did a lot together, they hung out a lot together. 144 00:07:09,100 --> 00:07:12,567 BRANDY: Keri's dad, Don, worked nights as a machinist. 145 00:07:12,567 --> 00:07:14,667 You're gonna find dirt under his nails 146 00:07:14,667 --> 00:07:16,967 is the way we like to say it here in Texas. 147 00:07:17,033 --> 00:07:20,433 From the outside, Keri's family looked great. 148 00:07:21,900 --> 00:07:25,433 There was a lot of love between Keri and her mother. 149 00:07:27,867 --> 00:07:32,934 But Keri's parents' dynamic, from what I heard, 150 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:36,467 wasn't the best. 151 00:07:36,467 --> 00:07:37,667 COURTNEY: Unfortunately, at this time, 152 00:07:37,667 --> 00:07:40,867 Mary Ann and Don's relationship is rocky. 153 00:07:40,867 --> 00:07:42,467 They're not sleeping in the same room. 154 00:07:42,533 --> 00:07:44,266 He's sleeping on the couch. 155 00:07:44,266 --> 00:07:47,233 They're arguing, if they're even speaking, 156 00:07:49,667 --> 00:07:52,000 ANTOINETTE: Seeing that aggression on a daily 157 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:53,767 possibly made her seem 158 00:07:53,834 --> 00:07:56,100 like it was normal to treat people the way 159 00:07:56,100 --> 00:07:59,166 that her parents would treat each other, and she just wanted 160 00:07:59,166 --> 00:08:02,367 to make everyone feel what she was feeling inside. 161 00:08:02,367 --> 00:08:05,467 NARRATOR: And Keri's casual cruelty isn't limited to 162 00:08:05,533 --> 00:08:06,867 her girlfriends. 163 00:08:06,867 --> 00:08:11,066 Zein was a upperclassman at school. 164 00:08:11,066 --> 00:08:13,066 [vocalizing] 165 00:08:13,066 --> 00:08:16,767 I'm not sure how Keri and Zein came to be involved. 166 00:08:16,767 --> 00:08:20,000 He had a crush on her, but she didn't feel that way about him. 167 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,967 [vocalizing] 168 00:08:22,967 --> 00:08:26,000 HEATHER: I believe that Zein had a slight obsession with Keri. 169 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:28,567 But Keri looked at Zein as just a friend. 170 00:08:28,567 --> 00:08:32,367 She was never interested in him, never found him attractive. 171 00:08:32,367 --> 00:08:35,467 It was just Zein for her. 172 00:08:35,467 --> 00:08:37,467 AMBER: Zein was a loner. 173 00:08:37,467 --> 00:08:38,967 Um, I didn't really see him hang out 174 00:08:38,967 --> 00:08:41,166 with a whole lot of people in high school. 175 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:45,467 HEATHER: He had a long ponytail and kind of a soul patch. 176 00:08:45,467 --> 00:08:47,367 He was on the shorter side. 177 00:08:47,433 --> 00:08:50,066 Um, and I remember him having like a -- 178 00:08:50,066 --> 00:08:51,867 kind of like a emo attire. 179 00:08:51,934 --> 00:08:54,166 He would wear baggy jeans and chains, 180 00:08:54,166 --> 00:08:57,834 and imagine somebody coming out of Hot Topic. 181 00:09:03,500 --> 00:09:09,100 [choir vocalizing "Carol of the Bells"] 182 00:09:09,100 --> 00:09:13,166 Every December, the choir puts on a holiday performance. 183 00:09:13,233 --> 00:09:15,166 This is a big deal for choir. 184 00:09:15,166 --> 00:09:18,667 We all would come together and sing, and sometimes all of 185 00:09:18,734 --> 00:09:20,767 the choir would be up singing at the same time. 186 00:09:20,834 --> 00:09:23,467 AMBER: As a freshman in junior varsity choir, 187 00:09:23,467 --> 00:09:25,467 it was a blast to get 188 00:09:25,467 --> 00:09:27,967 together with the varsity and the chambers 189 00:09:28,033 --> 00:09:30,033 as one big choir family. 190 00:09:31,100 --> 00:09:34,967 NARRATOR: And that's the night Keri's life changes forever. 191 00:09:34,967 --> 00:09:36,767 AMBER: If I could go back in time and change something, 192 00:09:36,767 --> 00:09:41,166 I would probably change Keri meeting Rebecca. 193 00:09:41,166 --> 00:09:43,066 Unfortunately, it took a turn for 194 00:09:43,066 --> 00:09:45,433 the worst, and somebody had to lose their life. 195 00:09:54,066 --> 00:09:57,667 [vocalizing] 196 00:09:57,734 --> 00:10:00,467 BRANDY: Keri met Rebecca at choir rehearsal when 197 00:10:00,533 --> 00:10:03,967 they were rehearsing for the Christmas concert. 198 00:10:04,033 --> 00:10:08,567 Rebecca was in varsity choir as a senior. 199 00:10:08,634 --> 00:10:11,367 AMBER: Rebecca was skinny, she wore glasses. 200 00:10:11,367 --> 00:10:16,000 Um, she had blonde hair, always wore jacket and jeans. 201 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:17,166 She was bisexual. 202 00:10:17,233 --> 00:10:18,867 It wasn't like a big thing in 203 00:10:18,867 --> 00:10:20,567 our high school that there was gay kids. 204 00:10:20,567 --> 00:10:21,967 Everybody called her Bunny. 205 00:10:22,033 --> 00:10:24,367 I have no idea how she received the nickname Bunny. 206 00:10:24,433 --> 00:10:26,367 We just all called her Bunny. 207 00:10:26,367 --> 00:10:28,567 ANTOINETTE: I believe she did cross country, 208 00:10:28,567 --> 00:10:31,967 and she was a loner and very quiet. 209 00:10:31,967 --> 00:10:34,867 NARRATOR: But senior Bunny finds a kindred spirit in 210 00:10:34,867 --> 00:10:36,100 freshman Keri. 211 00:10:36,100 --> 00:10:38,467 OLIVIA: It was almost like instant that 212 00:10:38,467 --> 00:10:40,066 they really liked each other. 213 00:10:40,066 --> 00:10:43,467 I think there was something magnetic there. 214 00:10:43,533 --> 00:10:46,066 NARRATOR: Their fast friendship snowballs. 215 00:10:46,066 --> 00:10:49,000 And after a few weeks, Rebecca tells Keri 216 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,767 she wants to be more than just friends. 217 00:10:51,834 --> 00:10:56,367 And previously heterosexual Keri is all in. 218 00:10:56,433 --> 00:10:57,667 HEATHER: I never knew Keri was gay. 219 00:10:57,734 --> 00:11:00,066 I always thought she was kind of going 220 00:11:00,066 --> 00:11:02,867 to follow what her mother wanted for her, 221 00:11:02,867 --> 00:11:05,467 but we all welcomed Keri with open arms. 222 00:11:05,467 --> 00:11:07,367 Um, we weren't worried about her sexuality. 223 00:11:07,367 --> 00:11:09,367 Her parents were another story, 224 00:11:09,367 --> 00:11:11,667 definitely, because they are Southern. 225 00:11:11,734 --> 00:11:13,033 They are Christians. 226 00:11:15,066 --> 00:11:16,567 COURTNEY: A few months into their relationship, 227 00:11:16,634 --> 00:11:18,567 Rebecca urged Keri to talk to 228 00:11:18,567 --> 00:11:20,734 her family and come out to them. 229 00:11:22,767 --> 00:11:25,567 Keri was really nervous about talking to her parents, 230 00:11:25,634 --> 00:11:27,367 especially her mom, Mary Ann. 231 00:11:27,367 --> 00:11:28,467 Mary Ann was strict. 232 00:11:28,467 --> 00:11:31,367 She had her Christian upbringing. 233 00:11:31,433 --> 00:11:34,166 OLIVIA: I think she was extremely nervous, 234 00:11:34,233 --> 00:11:38,634 terrified, unsure of how her mother would respond. 235 00:11:40,767 --> 00:11:43,000 COURTNEY: One day at dinner, Keri essentially ripped 236 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:44,567 the band-aid off, and she came 237 00:11:44,567 --> 00:11:48,467 out to her mom and told her mom that she was in 238 00:11:48,467 --> 00:11:50,066 a lesbian relationship. 239 00:11:50,066 --> 00:11:54,467 Clearly, Mary Ann was shocked at this news, had no idea. 240 00:11:54,467 --> 00:11:57,066 But after discussing with Keri, I mean, 241 00:11:57,133 --> 00:11:58,667 really wanted her daughter to be happy 242 00:11:58,667 --> 00:12:02,967 and was giving her her blessing. 243 00:12:07,700 --> 00:12:10,767 NARRATOR: Before long, Keri and Rebecca's Juliet 244 00:12:10,834 --> 00:12:15,667 and Juliet romance becomes a full-on love affair. 245 00:12:15,734 --> 00:12:17,367 AMBER: Keri was excited. 246 00:12:17,367 --> 00:12:19,266 She always wanted to hang out with Rebecca. 247 00:12:19,333 --> 00:12:23,066 Um, and I felt like Rebecca made Keri feel seen. 248 00:12:23,133 --> 00:12:25,567 They were very lovey dovey with each other, holding 249 00:12:25,567 --> 00:12:27,667 hands, hugging, 250 00:12:27,734 --> 00:12:30,367 kissing each other all of the time. 251 00:12:30,367 --> 00:12:31,967 It didn't bother me at all. 252 00:12:31,967 --> 00:12:35,567 But Keri was a freshman. 253 00:12:35,567 --> 00:12:38,467 Rebecca was a senior. 254 00:12:38,467 --> 00:12:42,867 So the age gap was definitely pretty huge. 255 00:12:45,667 --> 00:12:47,567 NARRATOR: Keri and Rebecca spend every 256 00:12:47,634 --> 00:12:50,767 waking moment together, and mean girl Keri 257 00:12:50,834 --> 00:12:53,100 starts to sing a different tune. 258 00:12:53,100 --> 00:12:55,567 ANTOINETTE: Whenever she did interact with the group, 259 00:12:55,567 --> 00:12:59,166 um, she became more mellow, more level-headed. 260 00:12:59,166 --> 00:13:02,467 She didn't really get into that many arguments. 261 00:13:02,533 --> 00:13:04,867 She wasn't quite that mean girl anymore. 262 00:13:04,867 --> 00:13:07,233 She was a little bit more happy. 263 00:13:09,100 --> 00:13:10,667 NARRATOR: Although her friends are glad 264 00:13:10,734 --> 00:13:14,467 that Rebecca has softened Keri's sharp edges, 265 00:13:14,467 --> 00:13:18,000 not everyone is thrilled with the happy couple. 266 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,767 At this point, Zein is observing this relationship. 267 00:13:21,834 --> 00:13:23,667 He feels sort of left out. 268 00:13:23,734 --> 00:13:26,166 I think he misses the friendship with Keri. 269 00:13:26,166 --> 00:13:28,166 NARRATOR: But as far as Keri is concerned, 270 00:13:28,166 --> 00:13:31,166 Zein is yesterday's news. 271 00:13:31,166 --> 00:13:32,967 HEATHER: I heard nothing of Zein. 272 00:13:32,967 --> 00:13:34,767 He might as well have been on the back burner. 273 00:13:34,834 --> 00:13:36,367 He might as well have moved to another state. 274 00:13:36,367 --> 00:13:39,567 Keri never brought him up. Um, he was a non-issue. 275 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:49,667 COURTNEY: Close to the end of the school year, 276 00:13:49,667 --> 00:13:52,767 Keri's mom, Mary Ann, finds out Rebecca's age. 277 00:13:52,834 --> 00:13:55,867 She was 19, about to graduate from high school. 278 00:13:55,934 --> 00:13:58,934 Remember, her daughter is 15 and a freshman. 279 00:14:02,367 --> 00:14:04,266 At this point, Mary Ann tells 280 00:14:04,333 --> 00:14:06,734 Keri that the relationship needs to end. 281 00:14:08,266 --> 00:14:11,266 HEATHER: By the time that Mary Ann found out, 282 00:14:11,333 --> 00:14:12,967 the cement had already set. 283 00:14:12,967 --> 00:14:15,166 There was no undoing that bond. 284 00:14:15,233 --> 00:14:16,867 She was going to do whatever it 285 00:14:16,934 --> 00:14:18,767 took to stay by Bunny's side. 286 00:14:21,066 --> 00:14:26,867 When Bunny graduated, all she did was focus on Keri. 287 00:14:26,867 --> 00:14:29,266 I didn't hear much about jobs from her. 288 00:14:29,266 --> 00:14:30,467 I didn't hear much about plans 289 00:14:30,467 --> 00:14:33,467 for the future that didn't involve Keri. 290 00:14:33,467 --> 00:14:36,066 She was just living at home and thinking 291 00:14:36,133 --> 00:14:37,767 about the next time she could see Keri. 292 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:42,767 AMBER: Keri, um, would sneak out of her house. 293 00:14:42,767 --> 00:14:46,567 They would go to Jesse Jones Park, uh, her and Rebecca. 294 00:14:46,567 --> 00:14:49,367 They would hang out there at the park talking, um, 295 00:14:49,367 --> 00:14:50,867 like all night long. 296 00:14:50,867 --> 00:14:52,667 Um, and then there were some times where she would say 297 00:14:52,734 --> 00:14:54,667 she was going to Heather's house, and, um, 298 00:14:54,667 --> 00:14:57,667 she would just meet up with Rebecca and, you know, lie to 299 00:14:57,667 --> 00:15:00,266 her mom and, you know, um, 300 00:15:00,266 --> 00:15:02,066 they would just hang out all night. 301 00:15:03,500 --> 00:15:05,166 I didn't think too much of it, that 302 00:15:05,166 --> 00:15:06,967 they were sneaking out and hanging out together. 303 00:15:06,967 --> 00:15:10,367 I thought, okay, you know, you're just -- 304 00:15:10,433 --> 00:15:12,367 you're trying to see each other, fine. 305 00:15:12,367 --> 00:15:14,133 You're rebelling, fine. 306 00:15:21,900 --> 00:15:25,567 NARRATOR: But it isn't long before Keri's mom catches on. 307 00:15:25,634 --> 00:15:27,667 Mary Ann was a hard ass, 308 00:15:27,667 --> 00:15:29,867 and she was serious about her rules. 309 00:15:29,934 --> 00:15:34,166 So when she found out that Keri was sneaking out, 310 00:15:34,233 --> 00:15:36,867 she was pissed. 311 00:15:36,934 --> 00:15:38,667 AMBER: She had, like, grounded her, took away 312 00:15:38,667 --> 00:15:41,367 the phone, said that she wasn't allowed to go anywhere. 313 00:15:41,367 --> 00:15:44,000 But everything that Miss Mary Ann tried, 314 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:46,567 it just didn't work. 315 00:15:46,567 --> 00:15:48,000 HEATHER: She would sneak out the back door. 316 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:49,266 She would sneak out the front door. 317 00:15:49,266 --> 00:15:51,066 She was going to find her way to Bunny. 318 00:15:51,066 --> 00:15:52,567 That was not going to stop her. 319 00:15:55,066 --> 00:16:00,166 So after a while, I do remember Rebecca giving Keri a phone 320 00:16:00,166 --> 00:16:02,867 so she was able to still have that line of communication 321 00:16:02,867 --> 00:16:04,567 through Rebecca. 322 00:16:04,567 --> 00:16:06,166 HEATHER: It had a name, the Bunny Phone. 323 00:16:06,166 --> 00:16:07,166 We all knew about the Bunny Phone. 324 00:16:07,166 --> 00:16:08,467 It was a... 325 00:16:08,467 --> 00:16:11,567 out and open secret between her friends. 326 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,667 ANTOINETTE: It just became very unhealthy. 327 00:16:17,667 --> 00:16:19,667 At one point, 328 00:16:19,667 --> 00:16:23,066 they couldn't talk to anyone without the other one knowing. 329 00:16:23,066 --> 00:16:25,367 And if they did, it would cause 330 00:16:25,367 --> 00:16:27,867 a lot of tension between the two. 331 00:16:27,867 --> 00:16:29,967 AMBER: They would have like, you know, 332 00:16:30,033 --> 00:16:31,567 secrets with each other, 333 00:16:31,567 --> 00:16:34,467 like talking in low tones. 334 00:16:34,467 --> 00:16:37,166 It was very secretive, very, like... 335 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:40,867 spy-like? Yeah. 336 00:16:40,867 --> 00:16:43,667 NARRATOR: After a year of dating, Keri and Rebecca 337 00:16:43,667 --> 00:16:46,767 decide to take a dramatic step in their relationship. 338 00:16:46,767 --> 00:16:49,767 HEATHER: Keri told me that Bunny had proposed to her, 339 00:16:49,767 --> 00:16:51,467 which took me by surprise. 340 00:16:51,533 --> 00:16:53,000 We were 16. 341 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,266 ANTOINETTE: There was a plan to just hop in the car with 342 00:16:55,333 --> 00:16:57,967 nothing and just run to California 343 00:16:58,033 --> 00:16:59,567 and build a life there. 344 00:16:59,567 --> 00:17:02,166 You want to be a supportive friend. 345 00:17:02,166 --> 00:17:04,467 At the same time, you know 346 00:17:04,467 --> 00:17:07,667 that she's doing something wrong. 347 00:17:07,667 --> 00:17:11,166 And so it -- it was uncomfortable. 348 00:17:11,233 --> 00:17:13,367 AMBER: Whether it had been Keri or it had been Rebecca, 349 00:17:13,367 --> 00:17:15,133 somebody was gonna get hurt. 350 00:17:22,667 --> 00:17:24,767 HEATHER: Things were extremely obsessive 351 00:17:24,767 --> 00:17:26,467 with Keri and Bunny. 352 00:17:26,533 --> 00:17:29,266 There was the Bunny Phone, there was the sneaking out. 353 00:17:29,266 --> 00:17:32,367 Um, there was seeing each other by any means necessary, 354 00:17:32,433 --> 00:17:34,734 continuous lying, continuous hiding. 355 00:17:38,500 --> 00:17:42,467 The absolute final straw for Mary Ann was when 356 00:17:42,467 --> 00:17:44,166 Keri's father, Don, came home 357 00:17:44,233 --> 00:17:48,066 and found Keri and Bunny in the shower together. 358 00:17:48,066 --> 00:17:49,667 One, she's not supposed to be in the house at all. 359 00:17:49,667 --> 00:17:53,767 Two, you are doing sexual things in the shower at home. 360 00:17:54,867 --> 00:17:57,567 That takes some guts like, I mean, 361 00:17:57,567 --> 00:18:00,367 at that point, you -- you just don't care. 362 00:18:00,433 --> 00:18:02,767 NARRATOR: Mary Ann lays down the law. 363 00:18:02,834 --> 00:18:05,166 The next time she catches them together, 364 00:18:05,166 --> 00:18:06,834 she's calling the police. 365 00:18:14,867 --> 00:18:17,467 Mary Ann had gotten up in the middle of the night to go 366 00:18:17,467 --> 00:18:20,266 check on Keri and make sure that she was still in the house. 367 00:18:20,266 --> 00:18:21,567 And when she had walked in there, 368 00:18:21,567 --> 00:18:24,767 she had found Rebecca in bed with Keri. 369 00:18:24,834 --> 00:18:27,667 I think Keri was pushing her mom, um, past her limit just to 370 00:18:27,734 --> 00:18:29,567 see how far she could push her, 371 00:18:29,567 --> 00:18:32,367 just push and push and push until, you know, 372 00:18:32,367 --> 00:18:33,467 her mom finally snapped. 373 00:18:33,467 --> 00:18:35,467 [siren wailing distantly] 374 00:18:35,467 --> 00:18:39,166 Mary Ann is furious, and she is going to hold her promise. 375 00:18:39,166 --> 00:18:41,100 She doesn't let Rebecca leave the room. 376 00:18:41,100 --> 00:18:42,667 She calls the authorities. 377 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:47,667 HEATHER: She called the police, and Bunny was 378 00:18:47,734 --> 00:18:50,433 arrested for trespassing, as she should have been. 379 00:18:53,767 --> 00:18:55,867 COURTNEY: And also, she gets a restraining order. 380 00:18:55,867 --> 00:19:00,166 There is no contact to be made between Keri and Rebecca. 381 00:19:00,166 --> 00:19:05,333 I think that was the breaking point for Keri, truly. 382 00:19:08,300 --> 00:19:11,867 ANTOINETTE: I think that there was now too much trouble 383 00:19:11,934 --> 00:19:14,967 and toxicity in the relationship with Rebecca 384 00:19:15,033 --> 00:19:18,834 to even remotely think about keeping it going. 385 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:21,266 I knew it was done. 386 00:19:23,467 --> 00:19:27,100 [choir vocalizing] 387 00:19:27,100 --> 00:19:28,667 So, at the end of the sophomore year, 388 00:19:28,734 --> 00:19:33,567 we had our final performance and, um, Keri did participate. 389 00:19:33,567 --> 00:19:35,266 HEATHER: And we had a really good one that year. 390 00:19:35,266 --> 00:19:36,867 Keri loved it, Mary Ann was there, 391 00:19:36,867 --> 00:19:38,066 my mother was there. 392 00:19:38,133 --> 00:19:42,166 Um, it was a really good time. 393 00:19:42,166 --> 00:19:44,367 NARRATOR: Keri's choir friends aren't the only 394 00:19:44,433 --> 00:19:47,166 ones happy to have her back. 395 00:19:47,166 --> 00:19:48,367 There is now more time for 396 00:19:48,367 --> 00:19:51,467 Zein and that friendship with Keri. 397 00:19:51,467 --> 00:19:54,166 HEATHER: I'm sure that Zein probably thought, "This is 398 00:19:54,233 --> 00:19:57,166 "my chance, Bunny's become a thing of the past. 399 00:19:57,166 --> 00:19:58,467 It's -- it's my turn." 400 00:20:00,166 --> 00:20:02,767 At this point, Keri's laying low. 401 00:20:02,834 --> 00:20:07,066 She's trying to abide by her mom's rules. 402 00:20:07,066 --> 00:20:10,367 So it really felt like things were 403 00:20:10,367 --> 00:20:12,467 going to get better from the outside 404 00:20:12,467 --> 00:20:14,066 at that point. 405 00:20:21,166 --> 00:20:24,166 NARRATOR: Keri and her mother are alone in the house. 406 00:20:24,166 --> 00:20:27,467 Her brother and father are working overnight shifts. 407 00:20:28,166 --> 00:20:31,467 -[numbers dialing] -[phone ringing] 408 00:20:31,467 --> 00:20:33,066 [operator speaking] 911 emergency. 409 00:20:34,967 --> 00:20:37,000 COURTNEY: A phone call comes in to 911, 410 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:39,066 and it's Keri Murphy. 411 00:20:39,133 --> 00:20:41,266 Keri tells 911 that she woke up. 412 00:20:41,266 --> 00:20:43,433 She heard someone busting in the back door, 413 00:20:44,900 --> 00:20:49,767 and then her mom screaming, "Stop, stop, stop." 414 00:20:53,367 --> 00:20:55,467 The first responders enter through the back door, 415 00:20:55,467 --> 00:20:57,333 and they start making their way through the home. 416 00:21:02,100 --> 00:21:03,266 COURTNEY: They're not seeing anything 417 00:21:03,266 --> 00:21:05,166 until they get to a back bedroom. 418 00:21:08,166 --> 00:21:09,667 BRANDY: As they enter the room, 419 00:21:09,667 --> 00:21:13,333 they find Mary Ann Murphy lying face up on her bed. 420 00:21:19,300 --> 00:21:21,100 She is covered in dry blood. 421 00:21:21,100 --> 00:21:24,567 She has stab wounds extensively all over her body, 422 00:21:24,567 --> 00:21:27,367 her arms, her chest, her legs. 423 00:21:31,567 --> 00:21:34,867 COURTNEY: Mary Ann was stabbed 73 times. 424 00:21:34,867 --> 00:21:36,367 It was brutal. 425 00:21:40,567 --> 00:21:42,367 NARRATOR: First responders break the news to 426 00:21:42,433 --> 00:21:45,166 Keri that her mother is gone. 427 00:21:45,166 --> 00:21:47,567 Keri calls her brother and her father, 428 00:21:47,634 --> 00:21:50,367 and they return home immediately. 429 00:21:50,433 --> 00:21:51,767 At this point, detectives are really 430 00:21:51,767 --> 00:21:54,066 trying to figure out what happened. 431 00:21:54,133 --> 00:21:57,867 And so Keri, Scott, and Don make their way 432 00:21:57,867 --> 00:21:59,734 to the police station to give their statements. 433 00:22:01,266 --> 00:22:04,367 Keri tells investigators that, at 11:15 p.m., 434 00:22:04,367 --> 00:22:05,834 she was scrapbooking 435 00:22:07,567 --> 00:22:10,767 and noticed some suspicious lights, 436 00:22:10,767 --> 00:22:12,734 headlights, around the house. 437 00:22:15,567 --> 00:22:16,867 Didn't think anything of it. 438 00:22:16,867 --> 00:22:19,266 At about 12:15, she went to bed, 439 00:22:23,166 --> 00:22:28,066 and shortly after that is when she awoke to her mom's screams. 440 00:22:28,133 --> 00:22:31,166 She heard footsteps, somebody running in the house. 441 00:22:31,233 --> 00:22:32,667 She gets up, opens the door, 442 00:22:32,667 --> 00:22:35,967 calls for her mom, and gets no response. 443 00:22:35,967 --> 00:22:39,266 And as she did that, she saw two men leaving 444 00:22:39,266 --> 00:22:41,667 out the back door, didn't know what direction. 445 00:22:45,467 --> 00:22:49,567 She then ran to a neighbor's house to call 911 because she 446 00:22:49,567 --> 00:22:52,266 didn't have a phone because her mom had taken hers away 447 00:22:52,266 --> 00:22:53,567 as punishment. 448 00:22:53,567 --> 00:22:55,367 REPORTER: Mary Ann Murphy has lived here with 449 00:22:55,433 --> 00:22:58,166 her two children and husband for years. 450 00:22:58,166 --> 00:23:01,367 Murphy died as a result of multiple stab wounds. 451 00:23:04,567 --> 00:23:07,266 My mother sits us down in the living room, and she 452 00:23:07,333 --> 00:23:11,667 just told us, "Mary Ann was stabbed to death this morning," 453 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:16,667 and I heard the word "to death," and I was like, 454 00:23:16,667 --> 00:23:17,867 "Seriously? To death? 455 00:23:17,867 --> 00:23:20,066 She's dead? Mary Ann's dead?" 456 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:24,967 My choir director calls me, and I was like, what? 457 00:23:25,033 --> 00:23:28,066 And she's like, "Yeah, she died last night." 458 00:23:28,133 --> 00:23:29,567 And I was like, what? 459 00:23:29,567 --> 00:23:31,967 So after my mother broke the news, 460 00:23:31,967 --> 00:23:34,266 she drove us over to a family friend's house, 461 00:23:34,266 --> 00:23:36,166 which is where Keri was at the time. 462 00:23:36,233 --> 00:23:38,667 I saw her, and I ran to her. 463 00:23:38,734 --> 00:23:41,066 I hugged her, she hugged me, and we cried. 464 00:23:41,133 --> 00:23:42,867 We sat there for maybe 10 minutes 465 00:23:42,867 --> 00:23:45,367 in the middle of the road just crying. 466 00:23:45,433 --> 00:23:48,367 It was surreal. 467 00:23:48,367 --> 00:23:51,000 AMBER: Seeing Keri lose her mom was very sad, 468 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:52,767 especially at a young age like that 469 00:23:52,767 --> 00:23:55,867 and in the manner that Mary Ann had passed away, 470 00:23:55,867 --> 00:23:57,266 you know, it was traumatizing. 471 00:23:57,333 --> 00:23:59,367 I couldn't think of a single soul 472 00:23:59,433 --> 00:24:01,367 that would want to hurt Mary Ann. 473 00:24:01,433 --> 00:24:03,967 It felt so random. 474 00:24:04,033 --> 00:24:05,767 NARRATOR: Something else that seems random are 475 00:24:05,834 --> 00:24:08,467 the details of the crime scene. 476 00:24:08,467 --> 00:24:10,867 The investigators notice a busted window 477 00:24:10,934 --> 00:24:12,266 by the back door, 478 00:24:12,333 --> 00:24:14,266 but it was too small for anyone to fit through, 479 00:24:14,333 --> 00:24:15,867 and you couldn't actually physically 480 00:24:15,867 --> 00:24:19,867 open the back door if you stuck your hand through this window. 481 00:24:19,934 --> 00:24:21,567 COURTNEY: And for the most part, the inside 482 00:24:21,567 --> 00:24:24,266 of the house does not look ransacked. 483 00:24:24,333 --> 00:24:26,967 It is kind of put together as you would expect to see 484 00:24:26,967 --> 00:24:28,166 a house. 485 00:24:28,166 --> 00:24:31,667 And detectives find a 22-caliber pistol 486 00:24:31,667 --> 00:24:33,667 under Mary Ann's pillow. 487 00:24:33,667 --> 00:24:35,266 Mary Ann slept with this gun 488 00:24:35,266 --> 00:24:37,066 under her pillow for protection. 489 00:24:37,066 --> 00:24:39,467 She knew how to use one, and it was there 490 00:24:39,467 --> 00:24:41,967 if she needed it, which means she had no time 491 00:24:41,967 --> 00:24:44,100 to react to what was happening to her. 492 00:24:44,100 --> 00:24:46,867 She was completely and 100 percent ambushed 493 00:24:46,867 --> 00:24:48,967 while she was sleeping in her bed. 494 00:24:48,967 --> 00:24:50,367 NARRATOR: The clues suggest the scene 495 00:24:50,433 --> 00:24:52,266 was staged to look like a break-in, 496 00:24:52,266 --> 00:24:55,166 leading investigators to wonder if this was actually 497 00:24:55,233 --> 00:24:56,867 an inside job. 498 00:24:56,867 --> 00:24:59,166 The husband is always first to be looked at. 499 00:24:59,166 --> 00:25:01,567 So they had to verify where Don was. 500 00:25:01,567 --> 00:25:03,166 COURTNEY: Detectives now talk to Don, 501 00:25:03,166 --> 00:25:06,266 and what detectives notice is that his reaction, 502 00:25:06,333 --> 00:25:10,266 his demeanor, is slightly different, is a little kind of 503 00:25:10,266 --> 00:25:13,867 like red flags are flying up, because he's not super 504 00:25:13,934 --> 00:25:17,166 emotional about his wife's murder. 505 00:25:17,166 --> 00:25:20,066 And Don admits that their marriage had some rocks. 506 00:25:20,066 --> 00:25:25,066 Keri would confide in me about her parents arguing all 507 00:25:25,066 --> 00:25:28,000 the time, how sometimes, like, 508 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:31,667 it was physical and that she, 509 00:25:31,734 --> 00:25:34,166 you know, felt like she had to step in. 510 00:25:34,233 --> 00:25:36,467 NARRATOR: But Don's alibi checks out. 511 00:25:36,467 --> 00:25:39,266 He was at work when Mary Ann was murdered. 512 00:25:39,266 --> 00:25:41,667 So was their son, Scott. 513 00:25:41,734 --> 00:25:44,767 While investigating, detectives find Mary Ann's phone, 514 00:25:44,834 --> 00:25:46,967 and they look through it for any evidence at all, 515 00:25:47,033 --> 00:25:51,066 and they discover the last person that she spoke to was 516 00:25:51,066 --> 00:25:53,767 actually a coworker of hers. 517 00:25:53,834 --> 00:25:56,266 Investigators track down the coworker. 518 00:25:56,266 --> 00:25:57,567 His name is Mike. 519 00:25:57,567 --> 00:26:00,266 They go to him, and he's visibly 520 00:26:00,333 --> 00:26:03,266 upset to hear this news about Mary Ann. 521 00:26:03,266 --> 00:26:06,100 He tells investigators they were having an affair. 522 00:26:06,100 --> 00:26:07,967 Now detectives have to look 523 00:26:08,033 --> 00:26:10,066 at another possible suspect here. 524 00:26:10,066 --> 00:26:12,667 Was this a crime of passion? 525 00:26:12,667 --> 00:26:15,367 He says that it only happened at his house. 526 00:26:15,367 --> 00:26:18,467 He had never been to her house and shared 527 00:26:18,467 --> 00:26:21,667 his phone records with detectives 528 00:26:21,734 --> 00:26:24,066 and also gave them an alibi. 529 00:26:24,133 --> 00:26:26,667 And it checks out -- he was not involved. 530 00:26:26,734 --> 00:26:28,233 So they were able to clear him. 531 00:26:29,500 --> 00:26:31,667 NARRATOR: Police now turn their attention back to 532 00:26:31,734 --> 00:26:34,667 the last person to see Mary Ann alive. 533 00:26:34,667 --> 00:26:35,867 BRANDY: You know, Keri is the only 534 00:26:35,867 --> 00:26:37,867 one at the house when this happens. 535 00:26:37,934 --> 00:26:40,767 COURTNEY: And so they want to do a polygraph test. 536 00:26:40,767 --> 00:26:44,100 Keri does the polygraph test and does not do well. 537 00:26:44,100 --> 00:26:46,266 Detectives tell Keri, 538 00:26:46,333 --> 00:26:49,867 and she completely breaks down, 539 00:26:49,934 --> 00:26:51,867 and she tells detectives 540 00:26:51,867 --> 00:26:53,133 she knows who did it. 541 00:26:57,567 --> 00:26:59,000 HEATHER: I forgot who got the call. 542 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:00,667 But somebody got the call that police were going 543 00:27:00,667 --> 00:27:03,367 to Zein's house, and that he was getting arrested. 544 00:27:03,433 --> 00:27:05,567 Keri told investigators that the person responsible 545 00:27:05,567 --> 00:27:08,233 for killing Mary Ann is Zein Ahmed. 546 00:27:09,767 --> 00:27:11,266 I thought that it was, you know, 547 00:27:11,266 --> 00:27:14,166 impossible, because I didn't think that Zein had ever even 548 00:27:14,166 --> 00:27:15,266 met Mary Ann. 549 00:27:15,266 --> 00:27:16,767 So it was kind of like, you know, 550 00:27:16,767 --> 00:27:19,166 it doesn't make any sense, it wasn't adding up, 551 00:27:19,233 --> 00:27:23,567 um, why Zein would, you know, murder Mary Ann. 552 00:27:23,567 --> 00:27:27,467 Keri tells detectives this all stems from a few days ago. 553 00:27:27,467 --> 00:27:29,867 Mary Ann caught Keri sneaking back into 554 00:27:29,867 --> 00:27:32,333 the house and accuses her of seeing Rebecca. 555 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,967 [rustling noises] 556 00:27:40,033 --> 00:27:42,567 BRANDY: Keri says that she heard something suspicious outside, 557 00:27:42,634 --> 00:27:44,967 saw two men by her window, 558 00:27:45,033 --> 00:27:46,967 and that she went outside to check it out. 559 00:27:46,967 --> 00:27:48,967 NARRATOR: Mary Ann didn't believe a word 560 00:27:49,033 --> 00:27:51,567 of her daughter's story -- as punishment, 561 00:27:51,567 --> 00:27:54,667 she took Keri's phone, totally unaware 562 00:27:54,734 --> 00:27:57,734 Keri still had the Bunny Phone that Rebecca had given her. 563 00:28:03,667 --> 00:28:05,767 Two days later, the Bunny Phone comes in 564 00:28:05,767 --> 00:28:08,967 handy when Keri needs to call in a favor. 565 00:28:09,033 --> 00:28:12,567 Keri asked Zein to come over to the house to knock on 566 00:28:12,567 --> 00:28:14,667 the walls and really just to scare her mother. 567 00:28:14,734 --> 00:28:16,767 She wanted her mother to believe the story 568 00:28:16,767 --> 00:28:19,567 about the two strange men. 569 00:28:19,567 --> 00:28:21,266 He loved her so much that 570 00:28:21,333 --> 00:28:25,066 he would do absolutely anything for her. 571 00:28:25,133 --> 00:28:27,934 NARRATOR: That's when her plan goes off the rails. 572 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:31,967 Keri tells investigators when Zein showed up, 573 00:28:31,967 --> 00:28:34,066 he had a knife with him. 574 00:28:34,133 --> 00:28:35,367 He comes into the house, and he 575 00:28:35,367 --> 00:28:38,467 goes directly back to the mother's bedroom. 576 00:28:38,533 --> 00:28:40,467 Keri says she hears her mom screaming, 577 00:28:40,467 --> 00:28:43,467 [distant scream] 578 00:28:43,533 --> 00:28:44,767 and she goes to her room, 579 00:28:44,834 --> 00:28:48,133 and that's where she sees Zein stabbing Mary Ann. 580 00:28:50,867 --> 00:28:53,266 BRANDY: He comes out of the room, throws a brick through 581 00:28:53,266 --> 00:28:57,233 the window, and tells her to say it's a robbery. 582 00:28:58,900 --> 00:29:01,567 COURTNEY: Keri said he thought he was proving his love to her, 583 00:29:01,567 --> 00:29:05,166 and she lied to detectives in the beginning, because she knew 584 00:29:05,166 --> 00:29:06,967 Zein was coming over. 585 00:29:06,967 --> 00:29:09,867 So she had to lie. 586 00:29:09,934 --> 00:29:13,467 NARRATOR: At first, Zein denies any involvement, 587 00:29:13,467 --> 00:29:15,567 but he changes his tune when detectives 588 00:29:15,567 --> 00:29:17,734 hook him up to a polygraph machine. 589 00:29:18,867 --> 00:29:20,266 About halfway through, 590 00:29:20,266 --> 00:29:22,667 the polygraph examiner comes out of the room 591 00:29:22,734 --> 00:29:25,433 and tells police, "He's ready to confess." 592 00:29:26,700 --> 00:29:29,166 Zein says that he didn't mean to kill her, 593 00:29:29,166 --> 00:29:31,233 that he just wanted to scare Mary Ann. 594 00:29:34,667 --> 00:29:38,266 BRANDY: He tells police that he went upstairs to her bedroom. 595 00:29:38,266 --> 00:29:42,266 He holds a knife over to her neck, and he says, "Boo," 596 00:29:44,567 --> 00:29:46,567 and then he doesn't know what happened next. 597 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:50,867 He just starts stabbing her. 598 00:29:50,867 --> 00:29:55,166 He freaked out, he panicked, and stabbed Mary Ann 599 00:29:55,166 --> 00:29:56,266 four times. 600 00:29:56,266 --> 00:29:58,367 Zein even tells police where they can 601 00:29:58,433 --> 00:30:00,767 find the knife that killed Mary Ann. 602 00:30:00,767 --> 00:30:03,367 It's in his bedroom. It has a red handle. 603 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:06,767 NARRATOR: The knife is right where Zein 604 00:30:06,834 --> 00:30:08,233 told them it would be. 605 00:30:09,300 --> 00:30:11,367 Doesn't look like any residue is on it, 606 00:30:11,433 --> 00:30:14,166 but they do take it to the crime lab to be processed. 607 00:30:14,166 --> 00:30:17,266 Zein is arrested for the murder of Mary Ann. 608 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:22,367 I think he wanted to gain Keri's love and trust and say, 609 00:30:22,433 --> 00:30:24,767 "Hey, you know, I took care of your problem, 610 00:30:24,767 --> 00:30:27,066 "and, you know, now you can be 611 00:30:27,133 --> 00:30:29,634 with me, and, you know, you owe me." 612 00:30:31,467 --> 00:30:32,867 HEATHER: At the funeral, 613 00:30:32,867 --> 00:30:35,467 when we went to go see the body, 614 00:30:35,467 --> 00:30:38,367 she was dressed up. 615 00:30:38,367 --> 00:30:40,266 The neck had to be covered, and I found 616 00:30:40,266 --> 00:30:45,066 out it was because of such deep lacerations to the neck. 617 00:30:45,066 --> 00:30:47,367 That's not a good time, at a funeral, 618 00:30:47,433 --> 00:30:50,567 to hear the brutality I had heard. 619 00:30:50,567 --> 00:30:53,166 NARRATOR: While Mary Ann's family and friends mourn, 620 00:30:53,166 --> 00:30:55,367 detectives continue to work the case, 621 00:30:55,367 --> 00:30:59,667 and they realize Zein's story has several false notes. 622 00:30:59,667 --> 00:31:03,166 He told police he stabbed Mary Ann four times, and she was 623 00:31:03,233 --> 00:31:05,066 stabbed well over 70 times. 624 00:31:05,133 --> 00:31:07,967 He also told police that he went upstairs to get to 625 00:31:08,033 --> 00:31:10,967 her bedroom, but this is a one-story home. 626 00:31:10,967 --> 00:31:13,000 NARRATOR: Could Keri's wanna-be boyfriend 627 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,767 have given a false confession? 628 00:31:15,834 --> 00:31:17,567 COURTNEY: Zein's parents tell investigators that 629 00:31:17,634 --> 00:31:19,467 he was home all night playing video games. 630 00:31:19,533 --> 00:31:22,367 They actually have photographic evidence that 631 00:31:22,433 --> 00:31:24,567 timestamp that he was at home. 632 00:31:24,567 --> 00:31:28,066 Also, that knife came back from the crime lab as 633 00:31:28,066 --> 00:31:29,967 totally clean. 634 00:31:29,967 --> 00:31:33,667 Zein then tells police, "Look, I didn't do it." 635 00:31:33,667 --> 00:31:37,166 He said he gave a false confession because he was 636 00:31:37,233 --> 00:31:39,767 scared and nervous, and he felt 637 00:31:39,767 --> 00:31:43,266 that perhaps if he said that he committed this crime, 638 00:31:43,266 --> 00:31:44,433 they'll let him go home. 639 00:31:45,900 --> 00:31:47,266 BRANDY: Based on this evidence, 640 00:31:47,266 --> 00:31:50,467 police dismissed the charges against Zein 641 00:31:50,467 --> 00:31:53,266 for the murder of Mary Ann Murphy. 642 00:31:53,266 --> 00:31:56,367 OLIVIA: I didn't really know what to believe, 643 00:31:56,367 --> 00:31:58,467 because everything was so misleading. 644 00:31:58,467 --> 00:32:01,066 Everything was so 645 00:32:01,133 --> 00:32:03,166 like a feather in the wind. 646 00:32:03,233 --> 00:32:08,567 You couldn't grab any truth. 647 00:32:08,634 --> 00:32:10,967 NARRATOR: Investigators call their star witness in for 648 00:32:11,033 --> 00:32:12,266 more questioning. 649 00:32:12,266 --> 00:32:15,000 Keri told me about the police investigation. 650 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,667 She said that they were giving her details about the murder. 651 00:32:18,667 --> 00:32:21,266 She thought they were trying to break her down with all of 652 00:32:21,333 --> 00:32:22,867 this information, and they were 653 00:32:22,867 --> 00:32:24,767 trying to get her to confess to something that 654 00:32:24,767 --> 00:32:27,867 she didn't do, and she seemed horrified 655 00:32:27,867 --> 00:32:31,166 by all of these details, and she stopped talking. 656 00:32:31,233 --> 00:32:32,567 NARRATOR: But a background check on 657 00:32:32,567 --> 00:32:36,166 Keri shed some new light on the investigation. 658 00:32:37,266 --> 00:32:39,867 COURTNEY: And they learn about this restraining order against 659 00:32:39,867 --> 00:32:43,667 Rebecca, and a little light goes off, 660 00:32:43,667 --> 00:32:44,967 and they think, "We need to look into this 661 00:32:45,033 --> 00:32:47,467 a little bit more." 662 00:32:47,467 --> 00:32:50,567 They bring her in for questioning, and she comes in 663 00:32:50,634 --> 00:32:52,066 and tells them that yes, 664 00:32:52,133 --> 00:32:56,100 there was a relationship, and it didn't continue. 665 00:32:56,100 --> 00:32:58,567 It didn't work out. And, as a matter of fact, 666 00:32:58,567 --> 00:33:01,000 they haven't even seen each other or spoken to each other 667 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:02,767 in months because there was 668 00:33:02,767 --> 00:33:04,567 a restraining order against Rebecca. 669 00:33:05,767 --> 00:33:07,333 But Rebecca's lying. 670 00:33:09,266 --> 00:33:12,767 Detectives bring in Scott, Keri's brother, again to try 671 00:33:12,834 --> 00:33:14,266 to get to the bottom of Rebecca 672 00:33:14,266 --> 00:33:16,467 and Keri's relationship. 673 00:33:16,467 --> 00:33:18,767 Scott tells them that they had 674 00:33:18,767 --> 00:33:20,533 this secret way of communicating. 675 00:33:21,967 --> 00:33:24,166 They called it the Bunny Phone. 676 00:33:24,166 --> 00:33:27,767 So the phone records to the Bunny Phone were subpoenaed. 677 00:33:27,767 --> 00:33:29,667 There's multiple phone calls, 678 00:33:29,734 --> 00:33:31,166 multiple text messages, 679 00:33:31,166 --> 00:33:34,567 including the night of the murder. 680 00:33:34,634 --> 00:33:37,467 So police want to talk to Rebecca again about 681 00:33:37,467 --> 00:33:39,367 the phone records, and they confront her 682 00:33:39,433 --> 00:33:42,066 with the fact that they know they were talking even up to 683 00:33:42,066 --> 00:33:43,467 the day of the murder. 684 00:33:43,467 --> 00:33:47,467 NARRATOR: Rebecca knows it's finally time to come clean. 685 00:33:47,533 --> 00:33:49,467 Rebecca says, "Keri's been talking 686 00:33:49,467 --> 00:33:51,634 about killing her mom for months." 687 00:33:56,166 --> 00:33:58,367 Rebecca tells investigators that Keri has been talking 688 00:33:58,433 --> 00:34:00,100 about killing her mom for months, 689 00:34:00,100 --> 00:34:04,266 but everything started to unravel when Mary Ann takes 690 00:34:04,333 --> 00:34:08,967 Keri's phone away and threatened to unlock it. 691 00:34:09,033 --> 00:34:12,066 NARRATOR: Keri still has the Bunny Phone to make calls. 692 00:34:12,133 --> 00:34:14,367 That's not why she wants her phone back. 693 00:34:14,433 --> 00:34:18,567 Keri knew what Mary Ann would discover would be 694 00:34:18,634 --> 00:34:23,967 nude photos of her minor daughter, sexting with an adult. 695 00:34:24,033 --> 00:34:27,667 All of this was going to land Rebecca in jail. 696 00:34:27,734 --> 00:34:30,100 Keri refused to give the code to her mother 697 00:34:30,100 --> 00:34:31,667 to get into the phone, 698 00:34:31,734 --> 00:34:34,567 but Mary Ann said, "I'll bring the phone with me to work on 699 00:34:34,567 --> 00:34:36,066 "Monday, and I will have someone 700 00:34:36,066 --> 00:34:38,667 at the office get in this phone." 701 00:34:38,667 --> 00:34:41,266 NARRATOR: Keri couldn't bear to lose Rebecca. 702 00:34:41,266 --> 00:34:44,967 So the couple puts a murderous plan into action, 703 00:34:44,967 --> 00:34:48,000 and the Bunny Phone comes in handy. 704 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:49,767 Rebecca and Keri were texting back 705 00:34:49,834 --> 00:34:52,166 and forth, waiting for Mary Ann to go to bed. 706 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:55,367 Once Mary Ann goes to sleep, 707 00:34:55,367 --> 00:34:57,066 Rebecca comes over to the house. 708 00:34:57,066 --> 00:35:01,166 Keri enters her mother's bedroom, stabs her to death. 709 00:35:01,166 --> 00:35:04,166 Rebecca watched from the hallway, then together, 710 00:35:04,166 --> 00:35:07,467 they staged the scene to make it look like a home invasion. 711 00:35:07,467 --> 00:35:10,367 Rebecca made Keri strip down all of her bloody clothes. 712 00:35:10,367 --> 00:35:13,567 They put them in a garbage bag, including the knife. 713 00:35:13,567 --> 00:35:16,266 BRANDY: Rebecca then leaves the home with the garbage bag. 714 00:35:16,266 --> 00:35:18,367 She jumps the fence behind Keri's home, 715 00:35:18,433 --> 00:35:20,166 goes into the school parking lot, 716 00:35:20,233 --> 00:35:22,233 and puts that bag into a trash can. 717 00:35:23,500 --> 00:35:24,867 NARRATOR: The confession is enough to 718 00:35:24,867 --> 00:35:27,934 arrest both Keri and Rebecca. 719 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:31,467 OLIVIA: I would have never thought 720 00:35:31,467 --> 00:35:33,233 Keri was capable of murder. 721 00:35:35,166 --> 00:35:37,467 I would have never thought that. 722 00:35:37,533 --> 00:35:42,967 I was not completely convinced that Keri was guilty of this. 723 00:35:43,033 --> 00:35:45,567 I felt like, you know, maybe the cops were 724 00:35:45,634 --> 00:35:47,567 just trying to find somebody to pin it on and, you know, 725 00:35:47,567 --> 00:35:49,166 the daughter's, the, 726 00:35:49,233 --> 00:35:50,767 you know, easy target because, you know, 727 00:35:50,767 --> 00:35:53,333 mom and daughter were -- were having problems. 728 00:35:59,667 --> 00:36:01,667 A few months after Keri was arrested, 729 00:36:01,667 --> 00:36:05,066 her grandmother was able to come up with the bail, 730 00:36:05,066 --> 00:36:06,767 and she got out. 731 00:36:06,767 --> 00:36:08,734 Um, Bunny stayed in jail. 732 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:16,567 I visited Keri, I saw her often, she was fine. 733 00:36:16,634 --> 00:36:19,066 She gave me a picture of me 734 00:36:19,066 --> 00:36:21,967 and Mary Ann together at Chuck E. Cheese 735 00:36:22,033 --> 00:36:24,066 when we were still kids. 736 00:36:24,066 --> 00:36:25,367 She talked about Mary Ann, how much 737 00:36:25,433 --> 00:36:26,967 she loved her and missed her. 738 00:36:26,967 --> 00:36:28,000 She was normal. 739 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:31,166 Keri told me that she missed me, 740 00:36:31,166 --> 00:36:34,367 and she said that she wanted to see me. 741 00:36:34,367 --> 00:36:36,266 We ate at the food court. 742 00:36:36,266 --> 00:36:40,367 She could tell that I was uncomfortable. 743 00:36:40,367 --> 00:36:43,433 She seemed like normal Keri. 744 00:36:44,900 --> 00:36:48,166 I had asked her, like, "You know I wanna ask you," 745 00:36:48,233 --> 00:36:50,867 and she said, "Ask me what?" 746 00:36:50,867 --> 00:36:53,967 And I was like, "Well, did you kill your mom?" 747 00:36:55,567 --> 00:36:57,967 And she looked me dead in my eyes, and she's like, "No, 748 00:36:57,967 --> 00:36:59,467 I didn't." 749 00:36:59,467 --> 00:37:01,767 NARRATOR: Keri may seem like she's moving on, 750 00:37:01,834 --> 00:37:05,667 but she just can't quit Rebecca. 751 00:37:05,734 --> 00:37:07,767 BRANDY: Both Rebecca and Keri still communicated 752 00:37:07,767 --> 00:37:09,367 when Keri was out on bail. 753 00:37:09,433 --> 00:37:11,066 Rebecca and Keri would have 754 00:37:11,133 --> 00:37:14,567 phone conversations, um, from the jail. 755 00:37:14,634 --> 00:37:18,667 Police start listening to these jailhouse conversations. 756 00:37:18,734 --> 00:37:20,066 COURTNEY: While the police are listening in 757 00:37:20,066 --> 00:37:22,066 to one of those jailhouse phone calls, 758 00:37:22,133 --> 00:37:24,667 Rebecca tells Keri, "I'm just glad 759 00:37:24,667 --> 00:37:26,467 you didn't see what happened in there." 760 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:32,333 Keri said, "I did, I was in the hallway, and I looked." 761 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:38,367 Rebecca says, "You weren't supposed to see. 762 00:37:38,367 --> 00:37:40,967 I told you to stay in your room." 763 00:37:41,033 --> 00:37:43,266 NARRATOR: Rebecca has simultaneously confessed to 764 00:37:43,333 --> 00:37:45,867 premeditated murder 765 00:37:45,934 --> 00:37:48,333 and admitted Keri was an accessory. 766 00:37:50,867 --> 00:37:53,166 [vocalizing] 767 00:37:53,166 --> 00:37:55,667 I would have never thought in a million years that, you know, 768 00:37:55,667 --> 00:37:57,467 two -- two girls in -- 769 00:37:57,467 --> 00:38:00,867 in high school, in choir, you know, living life, 770 00:38:00,867 --> 00:38:03,567 16, 19 years old 771 00:38:03,567 --> 00:38:06,066 would have turned what was puppy love, 772 00:38:06,133 --> 00:38:08,266 super cute, super fun, 773 00:38:08,333 --> 00:38:12,266 into super crazy, 774 00:38:12,266 --> 00:38:13,934 massive murder. 775 00:38:17,166 --> 00:38:19,467 Keri did what she did, 776 00:38:19,467 --> 00:38:20,967 but... 777 00:38:21,033 --> 00:38:23,467 I think if she didn't have the influence of Bunny, 778 00:38:23,467 --> 00:38:26,266 it wouldn't have turned out like this. 779 00:38:26,333 --> 00:38:29,567 But it broke my heart that Keri was involved. 780 00:38:29,634 --> 00:38:32,467 Just there's one thing thinking and having that 781 00:38:32,533 --> 00:38:34,867 question but to have the answer for sure -- 782 00:38:34,934 --> 00:38:38,367 it destroyed me and my mom. 783 00:38:41,367 --> 00:38:43,233 OLIVIA: I didn't want it to be true. 784 00:38:45,667 --> 00:38:46,867 I don't know. 785 00:38:47,900 --> 00:38:50,567 I was so hopeful. I was so hopeful. 786 00:38:50,634 --> 00:38:52,367 I feel like 787 00:38:52,367 --> 00:38:57,467 I was played in a way, like I was 788 00:38:57,533 --> 00:38:59,233 just another person that 789 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:04,634 she could manipulate or -- or, uh, I don't know, lie to. 790 00:39:10,100 --> 00:39:12,767 Yeah, I definitely feel betrayed. 791 00:39:14,166 --> 00:39:16,767 I feel disappointed, 792 00:39:16,767 --> 00:39:18,433 honestly in myself. 793 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:25,066 Oh God. [crying quietly] 794 00:39:25,066 --> 00:39:28,567 NARRATOR: With the phone call confession as evidence, 795 00:39:28,567 --> 00:39:31,667 the investigation comes to a quick end. 796 00:39:31,667 --> 00:39:34,967 Both Keri and Rebecca ended up pleading guilty. 797 00:39:35,033 --> 00:39:37,266 Keri is sentenced to 30 years in prison. 798 00:39:37,266 --> 00:39:39,233 Rebecca is sentenced to 60. 799 00:39:41,367 --> 00:39:43,767 HEATHER: I felt like 30 years was about right. 800 00:39:43,834 --> 00:39:45,100 She might not have murdered her mom, 801 00:39:45,100 --> 00:39:46,767 but her actions led to it, 802 00:39:46,834 --> 00:39:48,967 and 30 years is a long time to sit 803 00:39:49,033 --> 00:39:51,433 and think about it, long time. 804 00:39:52,700 --> 00:39:55,066 I think they both should have gotten life. 805 00:39:55,066 --> 00:39:57,066 30 years? 806 00:39:57,133 --> 00:39:58,967 You get 30 years because you sat 807 00:39:59,033 --> 00:40:01,266 there and you watched your mom get killed? 808 00:40:03,467 --> 00:40:04,867 It's not enough time. 809 00:40:08,567 --> 00:40:12,634 If I could go back to the day that Keri met Rebecca, 810 00:40:13,867 --> 00:40:15,567 I would say, "Turn away. 811 00:40:17,266 --> 00:40:21,000 Don't do this. Just -- just listen to your mom." 812 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:22,767 AMBER: Your life could have been totally different 813 00:40:22,767 --> 00:40:23,967 had you not met Rebecca, 814 00:40:23,967 --> 00:40:28,066 had this not unfolded to what it did. 815 00:40:28,066 --> 00:40:29,667 It could have led Keri on 816 00:40:29,667 --> 00:40:33,767 a whole other path to being something great. 817 00:40:33,767 --> 00:40:35,667 ANTOINETTE: It starts making you think, 818 00:40:35,667 --> 00:40:38,367 how well do you know a person? 819 00:40:38,367 --> 00:40:40,867 And you may think you know someone, but 820 00:40:40,867 --> 00:40:43,467 you never know if they're gonna betray you, 821 00:40:43,467 --> 00:40:46,467 or if they're gonna portray somebody that they love, 822 00:40:46,467 --> 00:40:50,066 and just knowing that I knew her and she was 823 00:40:50,133 --> 00:40:51,233 able to do something like that just blows my mind. 824 00:41:11,100 --> 00:41:12,767 ♪ 825 00:41:12,767 --> 00:41:14,867 On season 2 of Mean Girl Murders... 826 00:41:14,867 --> 00:41:20,967 Nine more mysteries that are bigger, 827 00:41:21,033 --> 00:41:23,834 badder and meaner. 828 00:41:25,700 --> 00:41:27,467 She was pretty, and I think that gave her 829 00:41:27,467 --> 00:41:29,967 confidence which then turned into power. 830 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:33,266 She was nummber one in everything she did... 831 00:41:33,266 --> 00:41:34,634 even murder. 832 00:41:39,166 --> 00:41:42,066 She wasnted to be part of the "it" crowd. 833 00:41:42,066 --> 00:41:43,634 But she didn't fit in. 834 00:41:44,667 --> 00:41:46,934 These girls grew up on the other side of the tracks. 835 00:41:48,166 --> 00:41:56,567 Nobody messed with them. 836 00:41:56,567 --> 00:41:58,166 She wanted that girl to suffer. 837 00:41:58,233 --> 00:42:00,467 I think she did it with full joy in her heart. 838 00:42:03,100 --> 00:42:04,967 She said, "If you tell anybody I'll kill you." 839 00:42:05,033 --> 00:42:07,000 "Love you. Bye."