1 00:00:11,467 --> 00:00:14,867 She had a great group of friends, like, super close. 2 00:00:15,033 --> 00:00:18,467 We'd go to church together, Bible schools together. 3 00:00:18,467 --> 00:00:22,667 But no matter what religion you are, somebody can turn on 4 00:00:22,667 --> 00:00:23,700 you so easily. 5 00:00:23,700 --> 00:00:27,467 You have the angel on one shoulder, the devil on 6 00:00:27,634 --> 00:00:29,400 the other shoulder, saying, "You don't have to be 7 00:00:29,567 --> 00:00:32,533 the good girl, because the good girl never wins." 8 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:37,667 [Ashleigh] They were almost devil-like. 9 00:00:37,667 --> 00:00:42,066 She was their leader, the queen scorpion. 10 00:00:42,233 --> 00:00:47,367 [Kristin] Girl-on-girl crime can be very, very cruel, but the violence in 11 00:00:47,533 --> 00:00:49,667 this case was absolutely stunning to me. 12 00:00:49,667 --> 00:00:54,133 I think absolutely the devil has a hand in this crime. 13 00:00:56,600 --> 00:00:59,200 [heavy metal guitar playing] 14 00:01:10,567 --> 00:01:13,300 [Man] Gotta have the first burger, huh? The first one off. 15 00:01:13,467 --> 00:01:15,367 [Heather] It was Memorial Day weekend. 16 00:01:15,367 --> 00:01:18,266 Every year, we would always have a party. 17 00:01:18,266 --> 00:01:22,467 That was like a gathering place for people to spend time with 18 00:01:22,634 --> 00:01:24,567 their family and catch up. 19 00:01:26,100 --> 00:01:30,166 I never would have dreamed that that weekend would have ended 20 00:01:30,333 --> 00:01:31,300 the way that it did. 21 00:01:31,467 --> 00:01:33,467 [ominous tones playing] 22 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:36,100 [siren wailing] 23 00:01:36,266 --> 00:01:38,500 When I first got the call from dispatch, it was around 24 00:01:38,667 --> 00:01:40,300 10 o'clock that Sunday night. 25 00:01:41,467 --> 00:01:43,367 [Douglas] A home had been broken into. 26 00:01:44,567 --> 00:01:47,500 The house was ransacked, and we've got two 27 00:01:47,667 --> 00:01:49,400 missing females. 28 00:01:51,867 --> 00:01:54,900 [Richard] When I got to the scene, it was around midnight. 29 00:01:55,066 --> 00:01:56,867 It was pitch dark. 30 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,166 We had the entire area roped off, the home, 31 00:02:02,333 --> 00:02:05,600 the backyard, the woods. 32 00:02:05,767 --> 00:02:07,900 We didn't want anybody coming in or out. 33 00:02:08,066 --> 00:02:09,500 [indistinct radio chatter] 34 00:02:15,300 --> 00:02:16,767 And then we found a body. 35 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,066 There was multiple stab wounds. 36 00:02:22,233 --> 00:02:25,667 I've worked a lot of homicides over my 30-year career, 37 00:02:25,834 --> 00:02:28,767 but I've never seen one quite like this. 38 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,467 You have to be up close and personal and right 39 00:02:32,634 --> 00:02:36,300 in their face. There was a sense of evil. 40 00:02:40,567 --> 00:02:45,066 Maybe the devil just came in and took over and did this. 41 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,367 [upbeat country music playing] 42 00:02:58,367 --> 00:03:01,867 Max Meadows is a really small town of about 500 people. 43 00:03:01,867 --> 00:03:06,767 -It's a rural area. -[Douglas] It's a picturesque hometown. 44 00:03:06,767 --> 00:03:11,066 You don't lock your doors and you just feel safe. 45 00:03:13,500 --> 00:03:16,967 [Richard] Max Meadows is part of what we call the Bible Belt here in 46 00:03:17,133 --> 00:03:18,400 rural southwest Virginia. 47 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:22,066 We have a lot of churches that have a lot of people in them on 48 00:03:22,233 --> 00:03:23,500 Sunday mornings. 49 00:03:23,500 --> 00:03:29,000 There's very few that I would say don't go to church because, 50 00:03:29,166 --> 00:03:30,900 I mean, it was a big deal. 51 00:03:31,066 --> 00:03:34,200 [Kindra] In Max Meadows, if you didn't go to church on the regular, 52 00:03:34,367 --> 00:03:35,867 they're gonna be like, loser. 53 00:03:36,033 --> 00:03:37,800 you were loser number one. 54 00:03:37,967 --> 00:03:39,767 [Bluegrass music playing] 55 00:03:39,767 --> 00:03:43,767 ♪ when the Lord says Jesus's calling ♪ 56 00:03:43,767 --> 00:03:48,166 ♪ I'm 'a wait for him today ♪ 57 00:03:50,100 --> 00:03:53,066 [narrator] Piling into the pews at the Pentecostal Church are 58 00:03:53,233 --> 00:03:57,567 Max Meadows' most faithful teens -- middle school besties, 59 00:03:57,734 --> 00:04:02,000 Kindra, Heather, and Nakisha. 60 00:04:03,367 --> 00:04:06,567 I was the cheerleader, the outspoken one. 61 00:04:06,734 --> 00:04:08,900 Heather was the mom of the group. 62 00:04:09,066 --> 00:04:13,100 She made sure we walked the line, and Nakisha, 63 00:04:13,266 --> 00:04:14,900 she was kind of the follower. 64 00:04:16,367 --> 00:04:19,867 [Heather] Nakisha Waddell grew up in a Pentecostal church. 65 00:04:20,033 --> 00:04:23,867 I mean, it's hard to explain because I grew up in it too. 66 00:04:24,033 --> 00:04:28,000 I think we're more, not necessarily weird, 67 00:04:28,166 --> 00:04:32,567 but on the stricter side. 68 00:04:32,567 --> 00:04:37,600 Drinking, smoking, premarital sex, you just don't do it. 69 00:04:37,767 --> 00:04:40,200 Ask Kindra about Pentecostal. 70 00:04:42,567 --> 00:04:48,266 [Kindra] It was always fun to go to Heather's and Nakisha's church 71 00:04:48,266 --> 00:04:51,767 because it was so different than my church. 72 00:04:51,934 --> 00:04:56,900 -[chanting] -Their church was very loud and rowdy. 73 00:04:57,967 --> 00:05:01,467 Speaking in tongues, hellfire and brimstone. 74 00:05:01,634 --> 00:05:05,266 If you needed to be prayed for, you were brought down front. 75 00:05:06,867 --> 00:05:11,800 People laying out on the floor in the spirit, and Holy Ghost. 76 00:05:13,500 --> 00:05:18,467 So, I mean, I feel like we became such good friends 77 00:05:18,634 --> 00:05:20,767 because we shared the same -- 78 00:05:20,767 --> 00:05:22,300 the same beliefs. 79 00:05:22,467 --> 00:05:27,567 Not stealing, not lying, not treating people bad. 80 00:05:28,867 --> 00:05:32,467 Some people believe you can do whatever you want to on 81 00:05:32,634 --> 00:05:35,467 Saturday night, as long as you go to church on Sunday, 82 00:05:35,634 --> 00:05:39,400 you're good, and that's not me. 83 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:43,000 My goal was to please God. 84 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,266 I never thought I was better than anybody, 85 00:05:45,266 --> 00:05:47,000 but... 86 00:05:49,166 --> 00:05:52,767 [narrator] It's a well-known secret that many of the local teenage 87 00:05:52,934 --> 00:05:56,600 girls are not exactly practicing what they preach. 88 00:05:57,967 --> 00:06:02,800 But in this pious town, image is everything. 89 00:06:02,967 --> 00:06:06,767 And the title for most perfect parishioner goes to... 90 00:06:07,867 --> 00:06:11,166 13-year-old Nakisha Waddell. 91 00:06:11,166 --> 00:06:15,867 Nakisha was very obviously standing out from other teenage 92 00:06:16,033 --> 00:06:17,600 members of her church. 93 00:06:17,767 --> 00:06:22,500 Nakisha was still pure and god-like. 94 00:06:22,667 --> 00:06:24,600 [Heather] Nakisha and her mom, Vaughne Thomas, 95 00:06:24,767 --> 00:06:29,867 they definitely were like a staple in the church. 96 00:06:29,867 --> 00:06:33,467 [Ashleigh] Vaughne was always helping with dinners, 97 00:06:33,634 --> 00:06:37,867 extra events, Bible schools, and of course Nakisha would be 98 00:06:38,033 --> 00:06:39,467 there to help as well. 99 00:06:39,634 --> 00:06:43,700 I feel like Vaughne was wanting her to live up to 100 00:06:43,867 --> 00:06:45,066 a certain expectation. 101 00:06:46,767 --> 00:06:51,400 [Heather] I think the motive behind it was acceptance. 102 00:06:51,567 --> 00:06:54,500 That was the motive behind all of it. 103 00:06:54,667 --> 00:06:57,600 [narrator] While Vaughne and Nakisha sit atop the church's 104 00:06:57,767 --> 00:06:58,867 holy hierarchy, 105 00:06:59,867 --> 00:07:01,400 their ascent wasn't easy. 106 00:07:02,667 --> 00:07:05,667 [Heather] Nakisha was born in 1990. 107 00:07:05,834 --> 00:07:09,100 Her family was different from the rest of us. 108 00:07:09,100 --> 00:07:13,066 Her dad was never in the picture that I knew of, 109 00:07:13,233 --> 00:07:16,600 and that isn't really something that you would expect in 110 00:07:16,767 --> 00:07:17,967 a Pentecostal church. 111 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:23,700 Unfortunately, members of the Pentecostal faith can be 112 00:07:23,867 --> 00:07:26,066 casting judgment upon you, which can sometimes be 113 00:07:26,233 --> 00:07:27,500 quite harsh. 114 00:07:27,500 --> 00:07:32,367 But Nakisha and her mother were a family unit unto themselves. 115 00:07:33,367 --> 00:07:38,000 [Heather] Nakisha was a mama's girl. She was always with her mom. 116 00:07:38,166 --> 00:07:42,166 When Nakisha was three, Vaughne met Bobby Thomas 117 00:07:43,266 --> 00:07:47,533 and they got married and moved to Max Meadows. 118 00:07:49,967 --> 00:07:52,767 [Douglas] Bobby did not attend church with Vaughne and Nakisha. 119 00:07:52,767 --> 00:07:55,900 He went to another church, but Bobby helped raise 120 00:07:56,066 --> 00:07:57,500 Nakisha with Vaughne. 121 00:07:58,567 --> 00:08:02,400 They were a perfect, close-knit family. 122 00:08:02,567 --> 00:08:06,066 [narrator] While mother and daughter take pride in their well-earned gold 123 00:08:06,233 --> 00:08:09,000 status at their church, others at the church are 124 00:08:09,166 --> 00:08:10,600 green with envy. 125 00:08:10,767 --> 00:08:14,600 In Nakisha's church, there is a focus on family and faith, 126 00:08:14,767 --> 00:08:17,700 but you also have an enormous amount of focus 127 00:08:17,867 --> 00:08:19,100 on material possessions. 128 00:08:19,100 --> 00:08:21,967 The more that you have, the more well-loved 129 00:08:22,133 --> 00:08:24,467 and well-respected member of the community you became. 130 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:31,100 I wouldn't say that Nakisha was spoiled, but she definitely 131 00:08:31,100 --> 00:08:33,700 didn't want for a whole lot. 132 00:08:33,867 --> 00:08:37,000 She had pretty much whatever she wanted. 133 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,166 Clothes, cosmetics. 134 00:08:39,333 --> 00:08:41,400 If she wanted a new computer, 135 00:08:41,567 --> 00:08:43,166 she was gonna get the computer. 136 00:08:43,333 --> 00:08:47,233 We all didn't have as much as Nakisha did. 137 00:08:49,700 --> 00:08:54,367 [Ashleigh] People that live in Max Meadows can be insanely jealous. 138 00:08:54,367 --> 00:08:58,100 And I know that I couldn't afford, and my parents couldn't 139 00:08:58,100 --> 00:09:01,567 afford to buy everything they did for her. 140 00:09:03,100 --> 00:09:04,867 That's -- that's crazy. 141 00:09:06,166 --> 00:09:07,700 [crickets chirping] 142 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:13,800 [narrator] But as this godly girl enters her teen years, Nakisha faces 143 00:09:13,967 --> 00:09:18,567 a hard truth -- money doesn't buy happiness. 144 00:09:18,734 --> 00:09:22,166 [Heather] At that time, Nakisha was about six foot tall. 145 00:09:22,333 --> 00:09:25,367 So she was quite a bit taller than 146 00:09:25,533 --> 00:09:27,367 everybody, boys and girls. 147 00:09:28,567 --> 00:09:29,700 She was bigger, 148 00:09:29,867 --> 00:09:35,867 and I think it really held her back from a lot, 149 00:09:35,867 --> 00:09:37,567 her size did. 150 00:09:39,467 --> 00:09:44,367 In the summer, Nakisha and Kindra and I, 151 00:09:44,533 --> 00:09:46,166 we would always have a sleepover. 152 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:52,166 We would do makeup and talk about boys, and watch movies. 153 00:09:53,867 --> 00:09:57,266 If we were doing cheers, she kind of just sat 154 00:09:57,266 --> 00:09:59,166 back and watched. 155 00:10:00,567 --> 00:10:05,367 She was very shy, and I feel like maybe she felt 156 00:10:05,367 --> 00:10:07,367 a little left out. 157 00:10:07,533 --> 00:10:08,867 In eighth grade, 158 00:10:09,033 --> 00:10:12,567 that's when boys kind of start noticing you. 159 00:10:12,734 --> 00:10:16,767 Heather and I were getting attention from boys, 160 00:10:16,767 --> 00:10:20,200 and being called pretty, and Nakisha really wasn't 161 00:10:20,367 --> 00:10:21,867 getting the same attention. 162 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:29,967 [distant indistinct chatter] 163 00:10:31,467 --> 00:10:34,800 Starting our freshman year at Fort Chiswell High School, 164 00:10:34,967 --> 00:10:36,200 it's a whole new world. 165 00:10:38,100 --> 00:10:42,266 Heather and I were a grade younger than Nakisha. 166 00:10:42,433 --> 00:10:44,800 So when she went to high school, 167 00:10:44,967 --> 00:10:46,800 we were in middle school. 168 00:10:46,967 --> 00:10:50,667 So it was scary for both of us, really, because we were 169 00:10:50,834 --> 00:10:52,066 being separated. 170 00:10:53,867 --> 00:10:58,500 This is the Bible Belt but you always have some kids that 171 00:10:58,667 --> 00:11:04,367 aren't raised in church so Nakisha tried to avoid people 172 00:11:04,367 --> 00:11:05,367 who don't believe. 173 00:11:05,533 --> 00:11:06,767 [thunder cracking] 174 00:11:06,767 --> 00:11:11,867 [Ashleigh] Nakisha started out in the religious group being 175 00:11:11,867 --> 00:11:15,600 the nice wholesome girl because people accepted 176 00:11:15,767 --> 00:11:16,967 her in the church, 177 00:11:18,300 --> 00:11:22,166 but somebody can turn on you so easily. 178 00:11:22,333 --> 00:11:25,800 Girls can be very, very cruel to each other. 179 00:11:28,266 --> 00:11:30,767 [Heather] Nakisha just wanted to be included, 180 00:11:32,667 --> 00:11:36,266 but she didn't realize how dangerous that it actually was. 181 00:11:43,767 --> 00:11:46,367 Fort Chiswell High School was very small. 182 00:11:46,533 --> 00:11:50,900 It was maybe a hundred people in the freshman class, 183 00:11:51,066 --> 00:11:55,367 and cliques were already kind of formed before you ever 184 00:11:55,533 --> 00:11:56,800 even got there. 185 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:00,200 [Ashleigh] Nakisha just assumed that she'd be hanging out with 186 00:12:00,367 --> 00:12:03,667 the religious group because church played a big part 187 00:12:03,834 --> 00:12:05,367 in their lives. 188 00:12:06,467 --> 00:12:09,400 But Nakisha wasn't very popular. 189 00:12:09,567 --> 00:12:11,367 In her gym class, 190 00:12:11,533 --> 00:12:14,166 she was always one of the last people picked, 191 00:12:14,333 --> 00:12:17,266 or not picked at all. 192 00:12:17,433 --> 00:12:20,767 [Kristin] There were girls who were members of Nakisha's church 193 00:12:20,934 --> 00:12:24,667 who needed to feel better about themselves by tearing down 194 00:12:24,667 --> 00:12:28,200 a girl like Nakisha with a lot of what I call 195 00:12:28,367 --> 00:12:29,900 girl-on-girl crime. 196 00:12:30,066 --> 00:12:33,367 They could be judgmental and you do one wrong move 197 00:12:33,367 --> 00:12:37,767 or say one wrong thing, they don't forget it. 198 00:12:37,934 --> 00:12:41,500 [Ashleigh] I remember there was an instance when Nakisha was 199 00:12:41,667 --> 00:12:43,900 being bullied by another classmate. 200 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:48,266 The church group were silent, 201 00:12:48,433 --> 00:12:52,767 they just let whatever happened happen 202 00:12:52,767 --> 00:12:55,000 without raising their voice or anything. 203 00:12:55,166 --> 00:12:57,567 So she was pretty much on her own. 204 00:12:58,867 --> 00:13:02,300 And then suddenly, somebody came to 205 00:13:02,467 --> 00:13:03,767 Nakisha's defense. 206 00:13:08,266 --> 00:13:11,700 [narrator] Nakisha's protector is an unlikely ally, 207 00:13:13,166 --> 00:13:16,767 fellow freshman, Annie Belcher. 208 00:13:16,934 --> 00:13:20,467 [Kindra] Annie was bigger than all of the other girls. 209 00:13:20,634 --> 00:13:23,600 She got made fun of for her weight as well. 210 00:13:23,767 --> 00:13:27,467 However, she stuck up for herself. 211 00:13:27,634 --> 00:13:30,767 [Kristin] When she saw Nakisha being bullied by other people, 212 00:13:30,934 --> 00:13:34,266 Annie would refer to it as the Big Girl Code. 213 00:13:35,367 --> 00:13:39,700 Big Girl Code is, if you mess with one of us, 214 00:13:39,867 --> 00:13:41,567 you mess with all of us. 215 00:13:41,567 --> 00:13:43,667 The big girls, we stick together. 216 00:13:44,767 --> 00:13:48,000 And they began to bond with each other. 217 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:52,600 [Heather] They connected on the fact of they weren't the most 218 00:13:52,767 --> 00:13:54,166 popular in the class. 219 00:13:54,333 --> 00:13:56,500 They weren't gonna be homecoming queen. 220 00:13:56,667 --> 00:13:59,600 And when I found out that, you know, Nakisha and Annie had 221 00:13:59,767 --> 00:14:03,767 struck up such a good friendship, I was shocked. 222 00:14:03,767 --> 00:14:07,367 [narrator] That's because Annie has a reputation. 223 00:14:07,533 --> 00:14:09,767 [distant group cheer] 224 00:14:09,767 --> 00:14:12,100 [Heather] Growing up, I was on the cheerleading team 225 00:14:12,266 --> 00:14:13,233 with Annie. 226 00:14:13,233 --> 00:14:16,600 Annie didn't have the foundation that we had 227 00:14:16,767 --> 00:14:18,300 going to church. 228 00:14:18,467 --> 00:14:22,266 She was the type that I was like, I am just not, -- 229 00:14:22,433 --> 00:14:24,567 I'm not even going there. 230 00:14:26,166 --> 00:14:28,867 [Ashleigh] I met Annie in eighth grade. 231 00:14:28,867 --> 00:14:31,667 She wasn't part of my friend group. 232 00:14:33,500 --> 00:14:35,967 Annie's family was low class. 233 00:14:37,367 --> 00:14:40,100 They lived in a trailer. 234 00:14:41,266 --> 00:14:46,266 There were times when her mom was in prison. 235 00:14:46,266 --> 00:14:49,367 It's...sad. 236 00:14:49,533 --> 00:14:53,000 I think Annie's upbringing started to shape 237 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:55,166 her as a person. 238 00:14:55,333 --> 00:14:58,066 Annie was very delinquent in school. 239 00:14:58,233 --> 00:15:01,400 One year, she didn't even have her picture taken for 240 00:15:01,567 --> 00:15:04,700 the yearbook because she was suspended. 241 00:15:07,166 --> 00:15:10,700 She wore black a lot. She was just different. 242 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,767 [Kindra] So no one really messed with her. 243 00:15:16,767 --> 00:15:19,567 I don't know... I don't want to say that. 244 00:15:19,567 --> 00:15:21,600 Her mom come after me and... 245 00:15:26,166 --> 00:15:28,300 [Ashleigh] In high school, Annie's group, 246 00:15:28,467 --> 00:15:32,500 they were the outcast. They were against the church. 247 00:15:32,667 --> 00:15:37,867 They would draw pentagrams everywhere, the number six 248 00:15:38,033 --> 00:15:42,467 three times. And Annie was their leader. 249 00:15:42,634 --> 00:15:44,467 [electric guitar playing] 250 00:15:45,467 --> 00:15:47,467 The queen scorpion. 251 00:15:47,634 --> 00:15:51,367 She had some type of power over those individuals. 252 00:15:52,567 --> 00:15:56,200 And they were almost devil-like. 253 00:15:56,367 --> 00:16:01,367 Annie found her own way to be popular in a sense of 254 00:16:01,533 --> 00:16:05,100 it's popular to stay away from her. 255 00:16:07,567 --> 00:16:11,500 Her scare tactic was, you know, to be the bully. 256 00:16:11,667 --> 00:16:13,934 And it worked. 257 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:19,767 [narrator] While Annie instills fear in others, 258 00:16:19,934 --> 00:16:22,667 she has a soft spot for Nakisha. 259 00:16:22,834 --> 00:16:27,100 [Ashleigh] Nakisha found somebody who was going to protect her, 260 00:16:27,266 --> 00:16:31,367 and she's suddenly feeling that she belongs somewhere. 261 00:16:31,367 --> 00:16:38,000 She was starting to wear black clothing and dark eyeliner, 262 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:40,967 completely different than how she used to be. 263 00:16:47,567 --> 00:16:51,200 [Heather] We'd still hang out after school, on the weekends. 264 00:16:52,700 --> 00:16:54,500 I could see that Nakisha, 265 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,467 to a certain degree, was slowly changing. 266 00:16:58,467 --> 00:17:02,066 I remember one day, all of a sudden, Nakisha takes 267 00:17:02,233 --> 00:17:03,367 something from her pocket. 268 00:17:05,567 --> 00:17:08,266 She said, "I stole this makeup from Walmart." 269 00:17:08,433 --> 00:17:13,667 And I'm just like, I know she did not just do that. 270 00:17:14,667 --> 00:17:16,100 That was my first 271 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:19,667 realization that Nakisha maybe wasn't the person 272 00:17:19,834 --> 00:17:21,700 that I thought she was. 273 00:17:21,867 --> 00:17:26,166 Nakisha went from being a straight-A student to making 274 00:17:26,166 --> 00:17:30,967 D's and F's, skipping school and drinking alcohol, 275 00:17:31,133 --> 00:17:34,266 which that's a big sin in the church. 276 00:17:34,433 --> 00:17:36,867 So that was a big 277 00:17:36,867 --> 00:17:38,734 "Wow." 278 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,900 Nakisha lived a double life. 279 00:17:44,066 --> 00:17:47,867 You know, she would be friends with Annie at school and, 280 00:17:48,033 --> 00:17:50,367 you know, get to be the bully. 281 00:17:52,367 --> 00:17:56,100 And then she would go home to her mom and live 282 00:17:56,266 --> 00:17:57,767 the church life again. 283 00:17:57,767 --> 00:18:01,200 She was a good church girl on Sunday. 284 00:18:01,367 --> 00:18:03,266 And I'm like, why is she there? 285 00:18:03,433 --> 00:18:05,467 You know, why was she there at all? 286 00:18:10,100 --> 00:18:12,867 [narrator] In a small town like Max Meadows, 287 00:18:13,033 --> 00:18:15,066 secrets don't keep long. 288 00:18:15,233 --> 00:18:18,567 So it's only a matter of time before Nakisha's double life 289 00:18:18,567 --> 00:18:19,867 is exposed. 290 00:18:20,867 --> 00:18:24,200 Everybody talks. Everybody knows their business. 291 00:18:26,066 --> 00:18:29,367 Nakisha's mom, Vaughne, would get calls from the school 292 00:18:29,367 --> 00:18:31,867 saying that Nakisha did not show up. 293 00:18:33,100 --> 00:18:37,367 [Richard] The people that knew Vaughne Thomas told her that they had 294 00:18:37,367 --> 00:18:40,200 suspected that Nakisha was using some alcohol and possibly 295 00:18:40,367 --> 00:18:41,767 even some illegal drugs. 296 00:18:43,567 --> 00:18:47,567 [Ashleigh] Vaughne made Nakisha get out a notebook and write 297 00:18:47,567 --> 00:18:50,000 the Lord's Prayer over and over again, 298 00:18:50,166 --> 00:18:53,467 thinking that it would help her. 299 00:18:54,767 --> 00:19:01,567 She used the religion as a form of discipline to try to heal 300 00:19:01,567 --> 00:19:05,567 her from the evil that she was now part of. 301 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:11,767 [narrator] Vaughne believes the devil has a vice grip on her daughter's 302 00:19:11,934 --> 00:19:15,634 heart and she knows exactly who's to blame. 303 00:19:18,100 --> 00:19:21,667 She saw this change in her kid from the time that 304 00:19:21,667 --> 00:19:22,834 she met Annie, 305 00:19:23,700 --> 00:19:28,767 and she knew that it was only progressively gonna get 306 00:19:28,767 --> 00:19:35,667 worse if something didn't change, and Vaughne's only hope 307 00:19:35,834 --> 00:19:38,967 was for God to remove Annie from Nakisha's life. 308 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,600 [narrator] And if not God, then someone else. 309 00:19:43,767 --> 00:19:47,200 [Ashleigh] Vaughne told Nakisha to get rid of Annie. 310 00:19:47,367 --> 00:19:51,567 Annie is not good for you. There was no stopping Vaughne. 311 00:19:51,567 --> 00:19:54,166 She wanted that friendship to end. 312 00:19:59,066 --> 00:20:02,367 In 2004, there's a pressure cooker atmosphere happening 313 00:20:02,367 --> 00:20:04,567 in Nakisha's house. 314 00:20:04,567 --> 00:20:08,767 Nakisha was still engaging in risky behavior, which was 315 00:20:08,934 --> 00:20:11,266 causing more fights and arguments with her mother 316 00:20:11,433 --> 00:20:15,667 because according to Vaughne, Nakisha was sinning. 317 00:20:15,834 --> 00:20:21,000 [Heather] Her relationship with Annie was definitely pushing her further 318 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:25,066 and further from church, from her mom, from me. 319 00:20:26,166 --> 00:20:29,900 I think the devil was motivating her life. 320 00:20:34,567 --> 00:20:41,166 I know that Vaughne could feel the grip she was losing on 321 00:20:41,333 --> 00:20:43,967 Nakisha because she actually told my mom. 322 00:20:44,133 --> 00:20:49,367 She said, "I went in Nakisha's room and anointed her room 323 00:20:49,367 --> 00:20:50,667 and prayed over it." 324 00:20:50,667 --> 00:20:53,433 She said, "Because you just never know." 325 00:20:55,900 --> 00:20:59,200 The more that Nakisha acted out, the more intense 326 00:20:59,367 --> 00:21:00,900 Vaughne became. 327 00:21:01,066 --> 00:21:07,200 In our faith, anytime something happens, you go to God, 328 00:21:07,367 --> 00:21:09,166 that's where you find help. 329 00:21:09,166 --> 00:21:14,767 But she was starting down a path that was not gonna end well. 330 00:21:22,567 --> 00:21:26,767 [narrator] But the power of prayer isn't enough to stop Nakisha from 331 00:21:26,934 --> 00:21:30,100 straying into even more dangerous territory. 332 00:21:32,467 --> 00:21:38,100 [Heather] In 2004, that's really when chat rooms started becoming 333 00:21:38,266 --> 00:21:40,867 a thing, and we all did it. 334 00:21:42,066 --> 00:21:45,200 Nakisha's on-screen name was Sassy_N_Sweet. 335 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:51,600 She used that as almost like a fantasy life. 336 00:21:52,700 --> 00:21:57,667 She was talking to older men, not anybody we knew. 337 00:21:59,100 --> 00:22:02,867 [narrator] One of these older men seems to stand out as 338 00:22:02,867 --> 00:22:04,266 Nakisha's soul mate. 339 00:22:05,100 --> 00:22:09,400 Nakisha never had a boyfriend that I ever remember, 340 00:22:09,567 --> 00:22:13,900 but she wasn't really, you know, the type that all 341 00:22:14,066 --> 00:22:15,166 the boys were after. 342 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:21,066 Nakisha was talking to a 20-year-old sailor named 343 00:22:21,233 --> 00:22:22,567 Victor from Portsmouth. 344 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,266 In our upbringing, you're taught, 345 00:22:27,266 --> 00:22:29,166 you know, you save yourself for marriage. 346 00:22:29,333 --> 00:22:32,567 It's hammered in your head from day one. 347 00:22:32,734 --> 00:22:37,567 Her relationship with this guy, it was online, but there was 348 00:22:37,734 --> 00:22:41,000 talk of, you know, physical things. 349 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:45,600 That in itself was not pleasing to God. 350 00:22:45,767 --> 00:22:47,400 And she knew I wouldn't approve. 351 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:50,300 Those were just the rules. 352 00:22:50,467 --> 00:22:53,867 But Nakisha was thinking that she did not have to follow 353 00:22:53,867 --> 00:22:56,200 rules, and it's not fair. 354 00:22:56,367 --> 00:23:00,467 For Nakisha, this was probably a sense of, look at this 355 00:23:00,634 --> 00:23:04,467 forbidden fruit, and now let me go try to taste it. 356 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,667 [Heather] The attention she was getting from Victor, 357 00:23:11,166 --> 00:23:13,667 you know, she loved it. 358 00:23:13,667 --> 00:23:19,266 I was hurt because Nakisha was willingly sinning over and over 359 00:23:19,433 --> 00:23:23,400 again, and I didn't really want anything to do with it, 360 00:23:24,367 --> 00:23:27,467 because maybe now, she's not worthy of God's love, 361 00:23:27,467 --> 00:23:30,166 so I just steered clear. 362 00:23:31,700 --> 00:23:35,000 Annie was not a voice of reason at all. 363 00:23:36,066 --> 00:23:40,100 Annie encouraged Nakisha to continue to talk to Victor. 364 00:23:40,100 --> 00:23:43,800 The Pentecostal church population wanted her to be 365 00:23:43,967 --> 00:23:45,367 good and pure. 366 00:23:45,367 --> 00:23:48,800 [Heather] A lot of people were praying that God remove anything from 367 00:23:48,967 --> 00:23:51,767 her life that's not good for her. 368 00:23:51,934 --> 00:23:53,266 Basically protection. 369 00:23:53,266 --> 00:23:58,200 She was going down a bad path and it was something that none 370 00:23:58,367 --> 00:23:59,367 of us could stop. 371 00:24:13,567 --> 00:24:16,767 [Heather] It was Sunday night, Memorial Day weekend. 372 00:24:16,934 --> 00:24:19,100 It was probably 8:30. 373 00:24:20,100 --> 00:24:24,900 My stepdad gets a call from Bobby, Nakisha's stepdad, 374 00:24:25,066 --> 00:24:29,500 and he says, "Have you seen Vaughne or Nakisha?" 375 00:24:31,867 --> 00:24:33,166 He said, "Well, I just got home." 376 00:24:33,333 --> 00:24:36,100 And he said, "Nakisha and Vaughne aren't here." 377 00:24:36,266 --> 00:24:39,667 He said, "And the house is trashed." 378 00:24:40,967 --> 00:24:43,667 You can literally throw a rock to my house from hers. 379 00:24:43,834 --> 00:24:46,266 And I'm thinking, is there somebody, you know, 380 00:24:46,266 --> 00:24:48,166 in the neighborhood breaking into houses? 381 00:24:50,166 --> 00:24:54,266 I was terrified, because, I mean, where are they? 382 00:24:54,266 --> 00:24:56,467 [Douglas] That Sunday, it was a holiday weekend. 383 00:24:56,634 --> 00:24:59,767 I get a call that we had a missing daughter 384 00:24:59,767 --> 00:25:01,266 and a missing mother, 385 00:25:01,266 --> 00:25:04,300 Nakisha Waddell and Vaughne Thomas. 386 00:25:04,467 --> 00:25:07,667 And I know Bobby Thomas, because it's a small community. 387 00:25:07,834 --> 00:25:12,166 I said, "I'll be there as quick as I can." 388 00:25:12,166 --> 00:25:17,500 When I got to the Thomas home, walked inside, and the house 389 00:25:17,667 --> 00:25:19,166 was totally ransacked. 390 00:25:19,166 --> 00:25:22,367 Bobby said that Vaughne's jewelry was missing, 391 00:25:22,367 --> 00:25:27,266 and he could not find Nakisha or Vaughne anywhere. 392 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:30,300 From the beginning, I said, "Something's not right." 393 00:25:31,867 --> 00:25:34,567 [Richard] Most burglars are not going to go in and just ransack 394 00:25:34,734 --> 00:25:35,600 the entire place. 395 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:37,200 They're gonna take what they're after, 396 00:25:37,367 --> 00:25:38,467 and they're going to get out of there. 397 00:25:38,634 --> 00:25:42,533 I told Mr. Thomas, "This looks staged." 398 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,266 [Richard] When I first arrived on scene, of course, we met with 399 00:25:48,266 --> 00:25:50,500 Lieutenant Tuck and Bobby Thomas. 400 00:25:52,166 --> 00:25:55,400 [Douglas] Bobby Thomas said that he had gone out to Texas visit one of 401 00:25:55,567 --> 00:25:58,700 his sons in the middle of the week prior to this. 402 00:25:58,867 --> 00:26:01,500 [Richard] He said the last time he had spoke with Vaughne was 403 00:26:01,667 --> 00:26:03,266 actually Thursday night. 404 00:26:04,767 --> 00:26:07,700 He tried to call her again on Friday night and could not get 405 00:26:07,867 --> 00:26:09,166 a hold of her. 406 00:26:10,367 --> 00:26:13,200 [narrator] It's been three days since anyone has spoken to 407 00:26:13,367 --> 00:26:15,000 Vaughne or Nakisha. 408 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:18,900 With every passing hour, concerns grow, and the chances 409 00:26:19,066 --> 00:26:21,767 of finding them safe dwindle. 410 00:26:21,767 --> 00:26:25,800 And that's when additional staff began to respond to 411 00:26:25,967 --> 00:26:27,400 process the crime scene. 412 00:26:29,900 --> 00:26:31,600 Inside the kitchen area, 413 00:26:33,166 --> 00:26:36,567 we spotted a small amount of blood. 414 00:26:40,700 --> 00:26:42,567 [Richard] This was very shocking. 415 00:26:42,734 --> 00:26:45,900 At this point, it was really clear that the crime 416 00:26:46,066 --> 00:26:49,200 we're investigating is much more severe than a break-in 417 00:26:49,367 --> 00:26:50,467 that looks staged. 418 00:26:50,467 --> 00:26:52,266 [Douglas] A lot of things were going through my mind. 419 00:26:52,433 --> 00:26:56,400 We had to figure out what happened and I was open to 420 00:26:56,567 --> 00:26:58,767 every option from abduction... 421 00:26:58,767 --> 00:27:00,266 to murder. 422 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:07,300 [indistinct radio chatter] 423 00:27:09,767 --> 00:27:13,967 We've got two missing people, Nakisha Waddell and her mother, 424 00:27:14,133 --> 00:27:15,400 Vaughne Thomas. 425 00:27:15,967 --> 00:27:19,700 Looking at how the house had been ransacked, we're thinking 426 00:27:19,867 --> 00:27:23,100 maybe there was some sort of violence within the home. 427 00:27:23,100 --> 00:27:25,867 So we've got to look into Mr. Thomas. 428 00:27:27,166 --> 00:27:31,300 We asked if there had been any arguments between them two. 429 00:27:31,467 --> 00:27:34,166 He told us they had been a good home, they had a really 430 00:27:34,333 --> 00:27:35,634 good foundation. 431 00:27:35,634 --> 00:27:39,500 [narrator] While the Thomas' marriage is solid, Bobby explains 432 00:27:39,667 --> 00:27:42,467 the relationship between Vaughne and her daughter, Nakisha, 433 00:27:42,467 --> 00:27:45,567 has been on thin ice for months. 434 00:27:45,734 --> 00:27:50,100 In spring of 2004, Vaughne learned about Nakisha's 435 00:27:50,266 --> 00:27:52,567 relationships with a lot of adult men online. 436 00:27:52,567 --> 00:27:56,700 And she was really appalled and horrified because Nakisha 437 00:27:56,867 --> 00:27:58,867 was talking about sex. 438 00:27:58,867 --> 00:28:02,667 This was not the behavior that she expected of her 14-year-old 439 00:28:02,834 --> 00:28:04,367 daughter, who she had raised in the church. 440 00:28:04,533 --> 00:28:08,367 As a result, Nakisha and Vaughne are fighting almost 441 00:28:08,533 --> 00:28:09,634 all of the time. 442 00:28:09,634 --> 00:28:13,667 Vaughne felt that the whole situation was pure evil. 443 00:28:15,867 --> 00:28:19,667 Nakisha was on the computer a lot with these men at 444 00:28:19,667 --> 00:28:22,567 an early age, and that's very dangerous. 445 00:28:22,734 --> 00:28:26,667 We see cases all the time where these young 13- and 14-year-old 446 00:28:26,667 --> 00:28:30,567 girls build these relationships online with men, and they end 447 00:28:30,734 --> 00:28:33,000 up getting abducted, end up getting raped, 448 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,100 end up getting killed. 449 00:28:35,100 --> 00:28:37,000 [Douglas] I said, "I got to look at the big picture." 450 00:28:37,166 --> 00:28:39,667 Bobby turned over Nakisha's computer to 451 00:28:39,667 --> 00:28:41,500 our investigative team. 452 00:28:41,667 --> 00:28:44,467 [narrator] On Nakisha's computer, investigators discover 453 00:28:44,634 --> 00:28:46,867 her virtual life as Sassy_N_Sweet. 454 00:28:48,767 --> 00:28:52,367 [Richard] We had developed additional information that Nakisha had 455 00:28:52,533 --> 00:28:55,567 started an online relationship with a guy named Victor. 456 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:02,066 He was 20. She's 14 years old. 457 00:29:02,233 --> 00:29:06,266 The math just does not math like it should. 458 00:29:06,266 --> 00:29:11,000 Nakisha was lying to Victor about her age and appearance. 459 00:29:11,166 --> 00:29:13,300 She was telling him she was older. 460 00:29:13,467 --> 00:29:17,767 She was acting older, and Victor believed it. 461 00:29:17,767 --> 00:29:20,900 Nakisha knew that lying was a sin. 462 00:29:21,066 --> 00:29:23,367 She knew it was wrong. 463 00:29:23,367 --> 00:29:27,900 On top of that, she told him where she was living. 464 00:29:30,367 --> 00:29:32,667 Victor may have actually showed up and done something 465 00:29:32,667 --> 00:29:34,900 with Nakisha and her mother. 466 00:29:35,066 --> 00:29:36,400 I had his last name, 467 00:29:36,567 --> 00:29:40,367 and I did eventually make contact with Victor. 468 00:29:40,533 --> 00:29:43,767 [narrator] Victor tells investigators he was just enjoying a little 469 00:29:43,934 --> 00:29:46,667 online banter, but Nakisha convinced herself 470 00:29:46,834 --> 00:29:48,967 they were planning a future together. 471 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:55,367 [Heather] She was living a fantasy life 472 00:29:55,533 --> 00:29:58,900 online with this guy, but I didn't know that 473 00:29:59,066 --> 00:30:00,367 she thought it was real. 474 00:30:01,667 --> 00:30:07,400 In her mind, he was the one, and she was gonna quit 475 00:30:07,567 --> 00:30:11,867 school and move up there to Portsmouth, and they were 476 00:30:12,033 --> 00:30:13,300 gonna live happily ever after. 477 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,967 According to what was told to me by Victor, 478 00:30:20,266 --> 00:30:24,266 on Friday, a friend drove Nakisha six hours down there to 479 00:30:24,266 --> 00:30:28,467 Portsmouth, and she finally met Victor. 480 00:30:28,634 --> 00:30:31,166 And it did not go her way. 481 00:30:31,166 --> 00:30:34,400 He said that they got in a big argument. 482 00:30:34,567 --> 00:30:36,567 And she hollered at Victor. 483 00:30:36,734 --> 00:30:39,300 He said he made her leave when he found out her age. 484 00:30:40,467 --> 00:30:44,300 The whole house of cards for Nakisha ultimately fell 485 00:30:44,467 --> 00:30:49,266 because Victor is not expecting a 14-year-old girl. 486 00:30:52,867 --> 00:30:54,200 [indistinct radio chatter] 487 00:30:54,367 --> 00:30:56,000 [narrator] In this one-horse town, 488 00:30:56,166 --> 00:30:58,467 police lights don't go unnoticed. 489 00:30:58,634 --> 00:31:01,600 And while detectives continue speaking with Victor, 490 00:31:01,767 --> 00:31:04,567 a neighbor calls the Thomas home. 491 00:31:04,567 --> 00:31:08,700 Turns out to be a neighbor that Nakisha goes to high school 492 00:31:08,867 --> 00:31:10,266 with by the name of Stephanie. 493 00:31:12,700 --> 00:31:14,667 I said, "I'm looking for Nakisha." 494 00:31:17,066 --> 00:31:21,266 She said, "I did see Nakisha Friday afternoon after school." 495 00:31:21,266 --> 00:31:24,667 She gave me directions to a mobile home where Annie 496 00:31:24,834 --> 00:31:27,667 lived, approximately three or four miles down the road. 497 00:31:27,834 --> 00:31:30,967 I didn't know what I was getting myself into. 498 00:31:31,133 --> 00:31:33,367 I knocked on the door of the mobile home, 499 00:31:33,533 --> 00:31:37,567 identified myself, and a man came to the door. 500 00:31:37,734 --> 00:31:40,600 He told me he was Annie's father. 501 00:31:40,767 --> 00:31:42,400 I said, "I'm looking for Nakisha. 502 00:31:42,567 --> 00:31:43,867 '"I'm looking for her mother. 503 00:31:43,867 --> 00:31:45,900 Do you have any idea where they could be?" 504 00:31:50,567 --> 00:31:55,266 He invited me in and led me to the back bedroom. 505 00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:02,000 And Annie was there. I didn't see Vaughne anywhere. 506 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:05,400 I saw Nakisha on the bed. 507 00:32:05,567 --> 00:32:08,600 The lights were very, very dim, and I could barely 508 00:32:08,767 --> 00:32:10,166 see her face. 509 00:32:10,333 --> 00:32:13,100 I didn't know if she was still breathing. 510 00:32:14,667 --> 00:32:16,567 We know that evil exists. 511 00:32:16,567 --> 00:32:19,266 We see it in the cases that we work. 512 00:32:19,433 --> 00:32:23,467 I think absolutely the devil had a hand in this crime. 513 00:32:28,767 --> 00:32:31,367 [Douglas] I was at Annie Belcher's mobile home. 514 00:32:32,467 --> 00:32:35,300 And I walked back to the bedroom, 515 00:32:35,467 --> 00:32:37,367 and I found Nakisha on the bed, 516 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:42,300 and she got up. 517 00:32:44,100 --> 00:32:45,900 I identified myself to her, 518 00:32:46,900 --> 00:32:48,266 and Vaughne wasn't there. 519 00:32:48,266 --> 00:32:50,867 I said, "I found you, but I'm looking for 520 00:32:51,033 --> 00:32:52,166 your mother. Where is she at?" 521 00:32:54,066 --> 00:32:57,367 And she looked at me and said, "She's dead... 522 00:32:58,900 --> 00:33:00,367 I killed her." 523 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:05,767 And that floored me. 524 00:33:05,934 --> 00:33:07,700 And I said, "Can you say that again, please?" 525 00:33:07,867 --> 00:33:12,166 And she said it again. I said, she's serious. 526 00:33:22,166 --> 00:33:25,066 [Richard] Annie and Nakisha were taken back to the sheriff's office 527 00:33:25,233 --> 00:33:28,867 where we can get a statement from both of them. 528 00:33:28,867 --> 00:33:32,900 [Douglas] When I interviewed Annie, she said Nakisha called her on 529 00:33:33,066 --> 00:33:36,100 the phone that Friday morning and told her she had gotten 530 00:33:36,266 --> 00:33:38,066 into an argument with her mother. 531 00:33:38,233 --> 00:33:43,266 [Richard] She said that Nakisha had gone to her house because 532 00:33:43,433 --> 00:33:44,667 she needed a friend. 533 00:33:44,667 --> 00:33:46,767 Naturally, you're going to go to your best friend and you're 534 00:33:46,767 --> 00:33:49,266 going to talk about these situations. 535 00:33:49,266 --> 00:33:53,266 When Nakisha said that her mom was dead, Annie was really 536 00:33:53,433 --> 00:33:55,400 taken back, was really shocked. 537 00:33:55,567 --> 00:33:58,300 She says she had no prior knowledge of 538 00:33:58,467 --> 00:34:00,300 the murder whatsoever. 539 00:34:00,467 --> 00:34:04,000 [narrator] In a separate room at the Wythe County Sheriff's Office, 540 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:07,066 a stoic Nakisha pens her confession. 541 00:34:08,100 --> 00:34:12,300 Vaughne figured out that Nakisha was talking to 542 00:34:12,467 --> 00:34:13,767 older men online. 543 00:34:15,467 --> 00:34:18,100 [Douglas] Nakisha told me they'd argued all week, 544 00:34:20,467 --> 00:34:24,000 and they started arguing again. Vaughne left to go to work. 545 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:27,100 Nakisha decided, I'm gonna skip school. 546 00:34:27,266 --> 00:34:31,300 Vaughne came home around 12 o'clock. 547 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:34,634 An argument ensued. 548 00:34:37,100 --> 00:34:40,667 According to Nakisha, something in her snapped, 549 00:34:40,834 --> 00:34:45,467 and she took the knife, which was on the kitchen 550 00:34:45,634 --> 00:34:47,567 counter, and stabbed Vaughne in the shoulder. 551 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:53,567 Vaughne then retreated out the back door. 552 00:34:58,166 --> 00:34:59,900 I said, "What did you do then?" 553 00:35:00,133 --> 00:35:03,367 She said, "I stabbed her several times to make sure 554 00:35:03,367 --> 00:35:04,900 she was dead." 555 00:35:05,066 --> 00:35:08,200 She looked at me with straight eyes and told me that. 556 00:35:08,367 --> 00:35:09,967 She didn't show any emotion. 557 00:35:11,266 --> 00:35:14,700 Being an investigator for 38 years, I see evil. 558 00:35:14,867 --> 00:35:16,000 I do. 559 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:21,066 But I never had a 14-year-old girl killing her mother. 560 00:35:21,233 --> 00:35:24,500 [narrator] But sometimes the devil is in the details. 561 00:35:26,066 --> 00:35:29,100 And detectives notice an inconsistency in 562 00:35:29,100 --> 00:35:30,300 Nakisha's statement. 563 00:35:31,667 --> 00:35:35,000 [Richard] Nakisha's statement was all about her. 564 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:38,166 And then there was this transition of pronouns. 565 00:35:38,166 --> 00:35:41,967 She transitions from saying "I" to saying "we." 566 00:35:42,967 --> 00:35:45,467 I knew someone had to help Nakisha, 567 00:35:45,467 --> 00:35:47,266 and the only one left was Annie. 568 00:35:49,066 --> 00:35:52,367 So the second interview with Annie, I said, "I just want to 569 00:35:52,533 --> 00:35:54,667 get to the truth." 570 00:35:54,667 --> 00:35:59,567 Eventually, she admitted that she was at Vaughne Thomas's home 571 00:35:59,567 --> 00:36:02,000 the day she was killed. 572 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:06,967 Annie watched Nakisha make the final blows to take 573 00:36:07,133 --> 00:36:08,767 her breath away. 574 00:36:08,934 --> 00:36:10,400 She just stood back and watched. 575 00:36:11,667 --> 00:36:14,467 She said, "I was just trying to help a friend out." 576 00:36:15,467 --> 00:36:17,166 I said, "You're under arrest." 577 00:36:19,367 --> 00:36:22,467 [Richard] Nakisha tried to make it sound like that this was just 578 00:36:22,467 --> 00:36:24,700 a spur-of-the-moment impulse crime. 579 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:31,100 But when we executed a search warrant, we located a large 580 00:36:31,100 --> 00:36:33,867 hunting knife that had apparent blood. 581 00:36:33,867 --> 00:36:38,000 We found notes, and we found a diagram sketch 582 00:36:38,166 --> 00:36:40,100 of Vaughne Thomas's residence. 583 00:36:40,266 --> 00:36:44,600 And the door that she normally comes in from work was marked. 584 00:36:44,767 --> 00:36:47,867 They actually put a lot of thought into how they were 585 00:36:48,033 --> 00:36:49,767 gonna carry out this crime. 586 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:54,367 [Douglas] Nakisha, she wanted to live free of her mother, 587 00:36:54,533 --> 00:36:58,500 and she wanted to make her life with this guy named Vic. 588 00:36:58,667 --> 00:37:01,667 [Ashleigh] Vaughne was on the ground, still warm. 589 00:37:01,667 --> 00:37:05,266 And the first thing that Nakisha thinks is to get in 590 00:37:05,433 --> 00:37:10,000 a car and to go see her boyfriend across the state. 591 00:37:10,166 --> 00:37:12,166 And Annie was there to assist. 592 00:37:12,166 --> 00:37:15,100 We were able to follow up with Victor. 593 00:37:15,266 --> 00:37:19,166 We learned that he had nothing to do with this crime. 594 00:37:19,333 --> 00:37:22,300 [Kristin] Nakisha now has a long ride home from Portsmouth if 595 00:37:22,467 --> 00:37:25,500 you consider the fact that her fantasy relationship has 596 00:37:25,667 --> 00:37:30,100 now broken up, and she has a dead parent waiting 597 00:37:30,266 --> 00:37:31,767 for her at home. 598 00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:35,166 [narrator] Annie and Nakisha tell police about their attempt to wash 599 00:37:35,333 --> 00:37:38,166 away this mortal sin with their own Holy Trinity -- 600 00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:44,066 a shovel, a mop, and bleach, before staging 601 00:37:44,233 --> 00:37:46,967 the scene to look like a break-in. 602 00:37:47,133 --> 00:37:50,100 We're processing the crime scene when Lieutenant Tuck 603 00:37:50,266 --> 00:37:54,300 calls one of our cell phones and tells us to walk to 604 00:37:54,467 --> 00:37:56,700 the back right-hand corner of the yard, 605 00:37:59,100 --> 00:38:01,800 we could see that they had buried Vaughne in 606 00:38:01,967 --> 00:38:05,634 a shallow grave. Nakisha was telling the truth. 607 00:38:08,100 --> 00:38:11,900 There was 43 stab wounds in Vaughne Thomas, 43. 608 00:38:13,567 --> 00:38:14,800 [Ashleigh] 43 times. 609 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:18,300 There was at least 610 00:38:18,467 --> 00:38:20,667 42 times that you could have stopped. 611 00:38:21,700 --> 00:38:25,166 Nakisha decided that her mom was the enemy. 612 00:38:25,166 --> 00:38:30,567 She was once considered to be a perfect person, but she could 613 00:38:30,734 --> 00:38:33,400 no longer live up to that standard. 614 00:38:34,500 --> 00:38:39,300 She wants to get away from the church and Vaughne's 615 00:38:39,467 --> 00:38:42,567 upbringings, and do what she wants to do. 616 00:38:42,734 --> 00:38:46,500 And it got to the point that Nakisha couldn't take anymore. 617 00:38:47,767 --> 00:38:52,467 Nakisha was full of rage, but I do not feel that Nakisha 618 00:38:52,634 --> 00:38:55,467 would have ever done something like this had she not 619 00:38:55,634 --> 00:38:57,166 met Annie. 620 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:02,100 [Richard] You could just tell that Annie had more of a deviant mentality 621 00:39:02,266 --> 00:39:03,467 than what Nakisha had. 622 00:39:03,467 --> 00:39:07,266 I think Annie made her think that all this could go away if 623 00:39:07,433 --> 00:39:08,967 she would just listen to her. 624 00:39:10,300 --> 00:39:14,700 [Heather] Annie had a major influence on Nakisha, and Annie was jealous 625 00:39:14,867 --> 00:39:16,767 of Nakisha's home life. 626 00:39:16,767 --> 00:39:19,200 Nakisha had, you know, whatever she wanted 627 00:39:19,367 --> 00:39:24,100 and everything she needed, and I think Annie was jealous 628 00:39:24,266 --> 00:39:26,667 of that, and maybe... 629 00:39:28,467 --> 00:39:31,467 thought, well, if I can't have it, I don't want her to either. 630 00:39:32,900 --> 00:39:36,900 Because of the severity of the crime, both of these 631 00:39:37,066 --> 00:39:39,700 juveniles would be tried as adults. 632 00:39:39,867 --> 00:39:44,000 But in the end, plea deals were reached where Nakisha was 633 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:45,467 charged with first-degree murder. 634 00:39:45,634 --> 00:39:50,000 She was sentenced to 70 years with 35 years suspended. 635 00:39:50,166 --> 00:39:52,900 Annie was charged with second-degree murder, 636 00:39:53,066 --> 00:39:55,467 and she was sentenced to 15 years. 637 00:39:56,467 --> 00:39:59,567 And neither one of them showed any remorse. 638 00:40:03,166 --> 00:40:04,767 [Heather] I thought we were close. 639 00:40:04,767 --> 00:40:08,300 I thought, you know, if something 640 00:40:09,467 --> 00:40:13,900 between her and her mom was so bad, why would I have not known 641 00:40:14,066 --> 00:40:16,967 about it? I loved Vaughne. 642 00:40:17,133 --> 00:40:20,467 Her mom was so sweet and so good to her. 643 00:40:21,900 --> 00:40:23,767 She committed the ultimate sin. 644 00:40:25,300 --> 00:40:30,066 [Ashleigh] Thou shall not kill, honor thy father and mother. 645 00:40:30,233 --> 00:40:32,400 Both those commandments were broken. 646 00:40:32,567 --> 00:40:36,867 [Douglas] To this day, I still think the devil got into her soul 647 00:40:36,867 --> 00:40:39,767 and in the minutes that it took to kill Vaughne, 648 00:40:39,934 --> 00:40:42,000 something inside her possessed her. 649 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:47,700 [Heather] If I was to speak to Nakisha, I would tell her I forgive 650 00:40:47,867 --> 00:40:54,667 her and that God forgives her as long as she asks him to. 651 00:40:55,967 --> 00:40:59,400 And that I hope and pray 652 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:05,166 that she lives a life that her mom would be proud of.