- 13/05/2025
In her first TV interview, Rebecca Keller tells Court TV why she helped kill her girlfriend's mom, who disapproved of their teen romance.
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00:00You
00:05What was the plan as it evolved she wanted to get her mom completely out of her life. Let me rephrase the question. What was the plot?
00:15Well, so it's a killer
00:19It was a love story gone mad
00:22And here you are two teenagers with no criminal record to speak of carrying out the most vicious attack anyone could imagine
00:41Can you help me understand that I mean, I can't understand it myself, you know
00:46Rebecca Keller and Carrie Murphy were entangled in a forbidden romance that left a beloved mother dead
00:55The victim of a vicious knife attack in the middle of the night
00:59there were
01:0173 wounds
01:03Yes to her body. I'm aware of that. Have you seen those crime scenes photos? I have
01:09You see what butchery you and Carrie did to that woman. Yes
01:14It's very disturbing
01:18Together the couple conspired to murder Marianne Murphy
01:22Like what y'all are trying to say
01:25Are y'all trying to say I killed my mom?
01:27Believing they would then live happily ever after
01:30She started saying that she was gonna play in different ways and my mom
01:35was there a sense of
01:37relief that
01:39Now you could be together
01:41Yeah
01:44Did you guys have sex the night of the murder we may never know which one of y'all actually stabbed me
01:50But questions remain about what actually happened that fateful night
01:54Which girl lured the other into murder and who wielded the knife?
02:01Who would you say was the leader and who was the follower?
02:04She was the leader and I was the follower
02:07Speaking out for the first time ever
02:09Rebecca Keller claims she was manipulated by her crafty 16 year old lover
02:14Carrie Murphy
02:16Somehow you're able to fool the polygraph test. How'd you do that?
02:21But is Keller hiding a cunning criminal mind of her own?
02:26Looking more like the leader and less like an impressionable follower
02:31Okay, well
02:32I'm done with this interview
02:34This is the story of Rebecca and Carrie's mad love
02:39She is a great artist
02:40She is an intimate player
02:41And I was a Mrs.
03:29Today, deep in the heart of Texas, I'm investigating a case where a tempest of young love turned deadly.
03:46Harris, 10-9-1-1.
03:48Somebody just broke into my house. I call my mom's name and she's not answering.
03:52I heard her scream and everything. I don't know. I don't know what to do.
04:00On July 16, 2012, in Humble, Texas, 16-year-old Carrie Murphy called 911.
04:08Her mother, Mary Ann Murphy, had been stabbed 73 times in the middle of the night.
04:14At first, Carrie claimed it was a shocking home invasion.
04:17There were signs of a break-in and a bizarre note left on the kitchen table.
04:24But as police dug deeper, a more sinister truth emerged.
04:28And at the center of it was a forbidden romance between Carrie and one of her high school classmates, Rebecca Keller.
04:35I kind of had a fear of her mom. Her mom kind of scared me.
04:41Keller and Murphy's obsessive romance erupted in the brutal, stabbing death of Murphy's mother, Mary Ann.
04:47Both pled guilty to murder.
04:52Keller is now serving 60 years in prison.
04:54And Murphy received a 30-year sentence.
05:02Today, speaking for the first time about the crime, Keller says she wants to bear all.
05:06And I want to understand how two teens with no history of violence cross the thin line between love and hate.
05:22Good morning.
05:23Good morning.
05:24How are you, Rebecca?
05:25I am actually good.
05:26Good.
05:27So your birthday's tomorrow?
05:28Yes.
05:29And you're turning how old?
05:3033.
05:3133 years old.
05:32So it's been, what, 13, 14 years?
05:37Actually, this October will be 13 years.
05:4113 years, right?
05:42Since teenage Rebecca Keller's life changed forever.
05:46Yes.
05:47Right?
05:47I'm going to ask you to reflect on that girl, that teenager.
05:51I don't even know who that person is anymore.
05:54I believe this is your first ever interview.
05:57Yes.
05:57Right?
05:58So no one in the public arena has ever heard your account of what happened and why.
06:04So tell me, why are you here breaking your silence with us today?
06:10Because I feel like the truth needs to be set out.
06:14Rebecca Keller's truth begins just outside Houston, in a small town called Umbo.
06:22You grew up with your parents and your brother.
06:24I did.
06:24And what some people have described as, quote, the wrong side of town.
06:30I'm sure you've heard that, right?
06:31Yes.
06:32You had your share of challenges in school.
06:35I did, yes.
06:37You were in special education because of learning issues, learning disabilities.
06:41Yes.
06:42Your lawyer cited them in court as proof that you could not have been the mastermind behind this crime.
06:49That's correct.
06:50One of your teachers described you as a follower, as insecure in a way.
06:55She described what she called the Becca face when you didn't understand something.
07:00Yes.
07:01It's obvious to her.
07:02I didn't really understand a lot of things growing up as I do now.
07:06But there was one place in school where she could hold her own as a singer in the high school choir.
07:17How important was that choir?
07:20It was very, very important.
07:21Yeah.
07:22Because I could feel like I could be free.
07:23You climbed the ranks to varsity.
07:27I did.
07:28And you got your jacket.
07:29I did.
07:30What did that jacket mean to you?
07:32It symbolizes the accomplishments that I had in choir.
07:36That I pushed myself to the limits to achieve what I wanted to achieve.
07:42That jacket is important to you.
07:43It's very important to me.
07:44Even still?
07:45Even still.
07:46It sounds like you found your place in that choir.
07:49I did.
07:51You also found love.
07:52Do you remember the first time you set eyes on Keri Murphy?
08:00It's like words cannot describe how that feeling is when you set eyes on somebody that you feel so connected with.
08:12I felt I was lifted in the sky.
08:16I felt like that I could be free and feel like that I could be just me.
08:21And not be having a mask on my face around other people.
08:27I could be myself.
08:28Unlike you at the time, Keri was reputed to be very much a leader.
08:33Yes.
08:34Self-assured.
08:36Confident.
08:37Right?
08:38People say she had a big personality.
08:40She had a huge personality.
08:41And she had a formidable physical stature to match.
08:46Yes.
08:47Is that fair?
08:47She did not look like she was no 15-year-old.
08:49Mm-hmm.
08:50Right.
08:51And people say your connection with her, your connection together was like magic.
08:56Yes.
08:57Instant and exclusive bond.
08:59We were best friends.
09:01Hmm.
09:03Yeah.
09:03Now you say friend, but you mean...
09:05At that time, we were friends.
09:07Uh-huh.
09:08And then we established a relationship.
09:10It sounds almost like the two of you created a world of your own.
09:15We did.
09:16A bubble?
09:17A bubble, in a way.
09:18We would actually be, like, in a room to where we were locked from things that could hurt us.
09:25And we just felt like we could just be as one.
09:29But not everyone is happy about you.
09:32No.
09:32You found love, right?
09:33The record suggests your mom wasn't so thrilled about it.
09:37But Marianne Murphy was a dead set against it.
09:41Yes.
09:42Is that fair?
09:43That's fair.
09:44And why do you think?
09:45Was it the age difference?
09:46Um, I don't think it was because of the age difference.
09:50I think it's because of me being a woman.
09:54The sexuality.
09:55Yes.
09:56Um, her mom was very against that.
09:58Like, I remember hearing her mom tell her that I'd rather you be pregnant by a black man than me with a woman.
10:05Because that's the worst thing she could have thought of at that point.
10:07That's the worst thing she could have ever thought of.
10:09The age difference was an issue for her.
10:11It was.
10:12Carrie was a 15-year-old freshman.
10:14Yes.
10:15Right?
10:15And you were a 19-year-old senior.
10:18Yes.
10:18And that's understandable.
10:19I mean, you know, I'm a parent.
10:22And at that age, like, when you're in your 20s and 30s, four years isn't such a big age difference.
10:28But when you're a teenager and separated by a legal bright line, that's a big deal.
10:36I can understand why she would object to the age difference.
10:40Can you?
10:41I mean, looking back now, yes.
10:44Mm-hmm.
10:45There was a lot of sneaking around going on back then, right?
10:48There was, you know, you know, teenagers, they sneak around.
10:51Right.
10:51Mary Ann was the one trying to burst the bubble that you and Carrie created, right?
10:59Yes.
10:59Is that fair?
11:00That's fair.
11:01It sounds like because of that, both you and Carrie came to hate her.
11:06I didn't really come to hate her.
11:08I just came to dislike her.
11:11Really?
11:12Yes.
11:12Not stronger than dislike?
11:14No.
11:14She was standing in the way of what was, according to you, the most important thing in the world
11:22at that point, that relationship.
11:25So far, Rebecca Keller's responses to my questions were straightforward, her demeanor almost calm.
11:32But I knew it was a facade, one that hid a primal fear.
11:36At one point, you referred to yourselves in writing as Romeo and Juliet.
11:41Mm-hmm.
11:42You remember that?
11:43Yes, I remember that.
11:44It was based off of the Shakespeare story.
11:49Her father keeping her away from this boy, and it's basically similar.
11:57Star-crossed lovers.
11:59Yes.
12:00Right.
12:04Do you remember how it ends?
12:06That they both drink poison to kill each other.
12:09They both martyr themselves or are martyred to love.
12:14They're the ones that die.
12:17Yes.
12:18It's not the same as your story.
12:20No.
12:20There's Don and Mary Ann.
12:31These pictures were taken of our wedding, so I dug them out.
12:36Mary Ann was very goofy.
12:39She was funny.
12:40She really had the best personality ever.
12:44This is Carrie, our flower girl.
12:48Bobby Stevens was Mary Ann Murphy's best friend.
12:53Mary Ann was concerned about her teenage daughter Carrie's relationship with an older high school girl, Rebecca Keller.
13:03I talked to her every morning on her way to work, and Mary Ann did not like the idea of Carrie and Rebecca being friends.
13:15There was an age gap there.
13:17By May 2011, Keller had graduated high school, while teenage Carrie Murphy was continuing to see her against the wishes of her parents, Mary Ann and Don Murphy.
13:30Don Murphy catches you in the family home a couple of times.
13:37Twice, from what I can remember.
13:39Including once in the shower.
13:41Yes.
13:42Mary Ann catches you a couple other times, including once in bed with Carrie.
13:48How many times were you in the room?
13:49Multiple times.
13:51How many?
13:51Dozens of times?
13:52At least every night.
13:54Every night?
13:55Every night.
13:56Were you just blatantly ignoring the limits that they were setting for their 16-year-old daughter?
14:03It wasn't that I was ignoring it, but I was going based off of what she wanted to do.
14:08What Carrie wanted?
14:09Yes.
14:09Why wouldn't you tell Carrie, Carrie, this is not a good idea.
14:12I'm a little older, I'm a little wiser.
14:15Your parents are setting these limits.
14:17We should respect them.
14:18I've actually had multiple conversations with her about that, and she just refused.
14:23But you also refused if you were going to be over there every night.
14:26I did.
14:28After almost a year of her daughter sneaking around with Rebecca Keller, Mary Ann decides
14:33enough is enough, and calls the police.
14:39There's an arrest for trespassing.
14:41Yes.
14:42Mary Ann is now escalating the obstacles.
14:45Yes.
14:47And to boot, technically, you were an adult, and Carrie was a child.
14:52Yes.
14:54But in my mind frame, I wasn't.
14:57My mind didn't really develop as well as everybody else's mind did.
15:02So that's why I was more hanging around younger people, because my mindset, not because of my age.
15:09Mm-hmm.
15:10So that's why me and Carrie became very close friends.
15:15You know, I may have been 19 physically, but mentally I was like 14, 15.
15:23Did you understand at 19 what a bright line that is in the law?
15:29Uh, no, I didn't.
15:32But you knew that you could get in big trouble.
15:35I knew, yes.
15:36Right?
15:36Statutory rape.
15:38Yes.
15:38Right?
15:39Child sexual abuse.
15:40Yes.
15:41You were committing those crimes.
15:44Right.
15:44Then, Mary Ann Murphy confiscated her daughter's phone.
15:51And that was a big deal for you.
15:54Tell me why.
15:55Because I felt like it was cutting off my communication with her.
15:59You were also worried about material that you had sent or exchanged with Carrie.
16:03I was.
16:04What kind of material?
16:05Uh, like sexual text messages, uh, pictures.
16:09So, under the law, that could be considered child pornography?
16:14Yes.
16:15I freaked out, you know, because that's basically throwing all my life away.
16:22So, in order to avert child sexual abuse charge, you turned to murder?
16:30Yes.
16:31It turns out the two teenagers had already been plotting to murder Carrie's mother for
16:38three months.
16:40You know, Carrie's the one that came to me, asking me about everything and how to do everything.
16:46And I was like, I really don't know, but...
16:48Everything meaning?
16:49Like, getting rid of her mom.
16:51Killing her mom.
16:53Yes.
16:55And who started hatching the plot to kill her?
16:59Was it you, or was it Carrie, or was it both of you?
17:02Well, it was mainly Carrie.
17:05Mainly Carrie?
17:05Yes.
17:06But you were involved.
17:07I was involved, yes.
17:08You don't deny that, right?
17:09You don't deny that?
17:10I don't deny that at all.
17:11Mm-hmm.
17:11And who would you say was the leader and who was the follower?
17:15She was the leader and I was the follower.
17:17No doubt about it?
17:18No doubt about it.
17:20When Mary Ann Murphy threatened to hack open Carrie's phone, the young lover's premeditation
17:25turned into panic, and the murder plot thickened.
17:28Hmm.
17:30What was the plan as it evolved?
17:32She wanted to get her mom completely out of her life.
17:36Let me rephrase the question.
17:38What was the plot?
17:39Um, well, to kill her.
17:43To kill her?
17:44To kill her how?
17:46Any type of way.
17:47And I know there were a lot of different stories later told to police by both of you, but let
17:55me ask you this.
17:56In as much detail as you can recall, Rebecca, tell me what really happened that night.
18:02They were, to me, what a fairytale family looked like.
18:19Christina and Kevin Sullivan were like family to Mary Ann Murphy.
18:23My home was a little bit broken, but that family welcomed not only myself, but my now wife and
18:30daughter into theirs.
18:32And I referred to Mary Ann as Ma.
18:36They were the old school type.
18:38And that's just, that's the name that stuck.
18:42Mary Ann was a wonderful mother.
18:45She moved mountains to make sure those kids had a good life.
18:50And she taught me how to be a good mom.
18:54How does this happen to, like, the world's greatest mom?
18:57In July 2012, Mary Ann Murphy was fed up with her 16-year-old daughter's obsessive relationship
19:05with 20-year-old Rebecca Keller.
19:08And the young lovers were fed up with her getting in their way.
19:12The plot to murder the doting mother began with, of all things, Mexican food and margaritas.
19:19Mary Ann was going to go out to dinner for what you and Carrie described as a last supper
19:28at a Mexican restaurant.
19:31I gather you weren't invited to that.
19:34Uh, no, I didn't even know they went to a Mexican restaurant.
19:39That was a typical July 15th to go get 55-cent margaritas with Ma.
19:45Mary Ann would joke that she could have two margaritas for cheaper than a Dr. Pepper.
19:48It was just a normal evening, a normal summer night, you know, hanging out and talking and chatting.
19:56Carrie actually was getting ready for back to school.
19:59She and I were shoe shopping while we sat at the table that night.
20:02At the time, it didn't seem like Carrie was acting strange.
20:06After dinner, the Sullivans stopped by the Murphys' house before calling it a night.
20:11And Mary Ann eased into a deep sleep.
20:13That's when the young couple sprang into action.
20:19And Rebecca Keller arrived at the Murphy home where Carrie was waiting.
20:25To this day, only the killers know exactly what really happened next.
20:31And both have a reason to lie.
20:33And I know there were a lot of different stories later told to police by both of you.
20:39But let me ask you this.
20:40In as much detail as you can recall, Rebecca, tell me what really happened that night.
20:48Um, well, you know, I get there.
20:50You know, I'm waiting for her to open the door.
20:53Uh, it takes her a couple of while, you know, a little while.
20:58Uh, once she's opened the door, you know, we get everything set up.
21:02Our mom's in there asleep.
21:04You get everything set up meaning?
21:05I get, uh, like the knives and the clothes and everything like that and the bags and everything.
21:10So I can, whenever I leave, I can take the clothes after the attack.
21:14Mary Ann is in bed in a deep sleep?
21:16In a deep sleep, yes.
21:17Having been drugged?
21:19Yes.
21:19With Benadryl. Anything else?
21:21Uh, as far as I know, it was just Benadryl.
21:24I get there into the room, in the living room, and she's got everything set up on the table.
21:32The gloves and everything, and all I did was give her the knife.
21:36I said, well, okay, let's get this done.
21:40You said, let's get this done.
21:42Yes, because I was scared.
21:44I was scared out of my mind.
21:45But also determined?
21:47Uh, yes.
21:48Because I wanted to get it done and over with.
21:50At this point, is the idea of eliminating Mary Ann more of a reality in your mind?
21:57Yes.
21:58At that time, yes.
21:59Like I said, I was scared out of my mind.
22:01You have the knife in your hand.
22:03I get, I have the knife in my hand, and I hand it to her.
22:06Then, you know, she goes into the room.
22:13Comes back out.
22:14But wait a minute.
22:15She goes into the room.
22:16Where are you?
22:17In the living room.
22:18You're in the living room.
22:19Are you able to see into the room?
22:21Uh, it's dark at the time, but I can see.
22:24Down the hallway?
22:25Down the hallway, yes.
22:26The door's open.
22:27The door's open.
22:29You can see both figures?
22:32Uh, I can see her, but I can't see her mother.
22:34Mm-hmm.
22:35You can hear, though?
22:37I can hear.
22:38What do you hear?
22:39I hear her mom snoring.
22:41Mm-hmm.
22:42Uh, you know, two minutes pass, she comes back out.
22:45Two minutes?
22:46Yes.
22:46So wait, what happens between the snoring and her coming back out?
22:51She just walks back out.
22:53Did she say anything when she came out?
22:55Uh, she was in tears.
22:57Carrie was?
22:57Yes.
22:58Had she struck her mother at that point?
23:01No.
23:01There was no blood on her at all.
23:03Marianne was still alive?
23:05Still alive.
23:06What's the conversation between the two of you at that point?
23:09I asked her what's wrong.
23:11Why she's crying?
23:13She says she's scared.
23:16So I guess I calm her down, you know, and tell her, you know, this is what she wanted to do.
23:22Did you give her a little pep talk?
23:24A little bit of a pep talk, yes.
23:26Do you remember what you told her?
23:27Uh, not really.
23:29This is what you wanted?
23:32Well, yeah, this is what she wanted, you know.
23:36This is really what you both wanted?
23:38Yes, at that time, yes, I, I, we both wanted it.
23:42We both wanted her out of our lives.
23:44So now you're saying that you're, you're encouraging her to go through with it?
23:48Yes.
23:48Even though she's clearly having second thoughts?
23:51Yes.
23:53This pause in the attack is news.
23:56It's nowhere in the police or court record.
23:58And if true might indicate that Kerry Murphy could not or would not go through with the stabbing and that Keller stepped up.
24:06Okay.
24:07What happens next?
24:08Uh, I guess like the first couple stabs, I start hearing screaming and then more screaming and it gets louder and louder.
24:22And I hear her say, stop, stop.
24:25And then, what are you, what are you doing at that point?
24:30Just watching?
24:32No.
24:32I'm in the kitchen area.
24:34Just carried out of my mind.
24:36Listening?
24:37Listening.
24:38Mm-hmm.
24:38And Marianne is screaming for her life?
24:41Is screaming for her life.
24:42Mm-hmm.
24:45How long does that go on?
24:47For about a couple minutes and then silence.
24:50Just a couple minutes?
24:51A couple minutes.
24:53Mm-hmm.
24:53Now, there were 73 wounds to her body.
25:02I'm aware of that.
25:03Yeah.
25:04Have you seen those crime scene photos?
25:06I have.
25:07Yeah.
25:07You see what butchery you and Kerry did to that woman?
25:11Yes.
25:12Yeah.
25:12It's very disturbing.
25:15That's an understatement, right?
25:18Yes.
25:18And you're saying that all of that happened within a two-minute period while you were in the kitchen,
25:23listening to Kerry murder her mother?
25:28Yes.
25:30You never went into the bedroom?
25:33No.
25:33And took part in that attack?
25:35No.
25:36Never?
25:37Never.
25:38You didn't ever stab Marianne Murphy?
25:42No.
25:43All carry?
25:46All carry.
25:48And you're just the accomplice?
25:51Accomplice, yes.
25:52But authorities didn't buy this version of the attack that killed Marianne Murphy.
26:07Harris, tell me more.
26:08One-one.
26:08Somebody just broke into my house.
26:10I call my mom's name and she's not answering.
26:12I heard her scream and everything.
26:14I don't know.
26:14I don't know what to do.
26:15Or the cover story afterwards.
26:21Neither of you had any record of violent crime before this?
26:27No.
26:27That I'm aware of.
26:28Is there something we're missing?
26:30Uh, no.
26:31I mean, did you know that you and or Kerry were capable of such brutality?
26:37No.
26:38How do you explain it?
26:40How do you explain two kids, two teenagers, they go from zero to the worst crime anyone
26:47can imagine?
26:48I mean, I can't understand it myself, you know?
26:51French psychiatrists call it foley ado, or madness of two.
26:56It's a kind of shared psychosis.
26:58In this case, a tightly bonded couple perceived a threat to their relationship and violently
27:04lashed out.
27:05When you and Kerry saw what you had done to Mary Ann, do you remember what you were thinking
27:13or feeling in that moment?
27:15Shocked.
27:18Shocked.
27:19Scared.
27:20Was there a sense of relief that it was over?
27:25Yeah.
27:26Did you guys have sex the night of the murder?
27:35Seventy-three stab wounds, two young lovers, and one beloved mother left dead in cold blood.
27:45Was there a sense of relief that it was over?
27:49Yeah.
27:50Was there a sense of relief that now you could be together?
27:55Yeah.
27:56Prosecutors charge both girls with murder and Keller with child sexual abuse for having
28:03sexual contact with her 16-year-old accomplice on or around the night of the murder, July 16,
28:102012.
28:13Did you guys have sex the night of the murder?
28:15No.
28:16That night we didn't have sex.
28:18You weren't celebrating the crime?
28:20No.
28:20After that, I left.
28:23So then, the cover-up starts, right?
28:26It begins immediately?
28:28Yes.
28:29What happens?
28:30You tell me.
28:31Well, I get all the clothes, I get all the knives and everything.
28:34We get everything, put it in a bag.
28:37I leave.
28:38And that was around what time?
28:43Around one o'clock?
28:44A little after?
28:45A little bit before one, because that's when I went and I got rid of the clothes.
28:49Under intense police scrutiny, the dynamic in their relationship shifts.
28:55Once believed to be the smarter and more confident of the pair,
28:59Carrie Murphy can't keep her story straight.
29:02At first, she blames a home invasion.
29:04I woke up to my mom screaming, stop, stop, help me, help me, help me, stop.
29:09I just kept hearing her scream over and over again, and I didn't know what to do.
29:14And I got really scared.
29:16I heard two men in the kitchen.
29:19I just heard, like, a man's voice go, shut up, shut up.
29:26She tried to put it on blame on two guys in the beginning.
29:29Two black guys?
29:31One was supposed to be Mexican, and one was supposed to be black.
29:34I see.
29:34Okay, well, I have to say that the number of times that both of you try and point the finger
29:40are at unnamed black guys is amazing.
29:43Like, I explained to him in the car the only suspicious thing, because he asked me about
29:47suspicious movements or anything.
29:49And I had noticed this African-American man, like, staring at my table.
29:54She started telling me, yeah, man, let's tell my brother that these two guys, these two black
29:58guys, they were gotten by the house.
30:00Are you guys racist, or was that just a way, a tactic to embellish your cover story?
30:07Uh, well, no, I'm not racist.
30:09Neither one of us are.
30:10So why are you pointing the fingers at unnamed black men?
30:14Uh, I wasn't.
30:17When police tell Carrie Murphy her version of events doesn't make sense.
30:21There seems to be, uh, something that doesn't add up.
30:25Okay?
30:26But you are not being truthful.
30:29Yes, I am.
30:30Her story changes, and she claims that she conspired with a high school classmate, Zayn
30:37Ahmed, to scare her mother.
30:39But instead, he stabbed her.
30:42I met him through an ex-boyfriend at the mall.
30:44What's his name?
30:45Zayn.
30:47Zayn Ahmed had nothing to do with the crime.
30:50It took police only 48 hours to arrest Carrie Murphy.
30:56I'm so scared.
31:00But Rebecca Keller, who is perceived to be unintelligent and insecure, proves clever and
31:07cool under police interrogation.
31:09Skillful in lying and pointing the blame elsewhere.
31:13No, I didn't have any knowledge about that.
31:15That's why I said that Zayn, the last time, you know, I was here, Zayn wasn't home.
31:21He wasn't home.
31:22Well, my question is, did you feel bad about framing an innocent boy?
31:27I did.
31:28But I felt guilty.
31:29But you were prepared to do it anyway.
31:32Because I was following her lead.
31:36You're a follower?
31:38Yeah.
31:38You're not looking like a follower here.
31:40You're looking like a leader.
31:42You're looking like somebody who can hold her own, even under intense pressure, even under
31:47intense investigation.
31:49At one point, you even swear on the Holy Bible, as you're twisting them around in lies.
31:55And you're being completely honest with you.
31:57Yes, I'm being completely honest with you on the Holy Bible.
32:00Remember that?
32:01I don't remember that.
32:02And my personal favorite, you play the shrinking violent.
32:06Do I look like a bad girl?
32:08I'm a good girl.
32:10Do I look like a bad kid?
32:11No.
32:12I'm a good kid.
32:13Remember that one?
32:15I don't.
32:16Okay.
32:17You're bobbing and weaving and throwing curveballs, all the while knowing exactly what you and
32:21Carrie did to Marianne Murphy.
32:24Were you the one with the power in that relationship?
32:30Controlling Carrie?
32:31After all, this whole plot was in service to sparing you from a potential child sexual abuse
32:42and prison term.
32:46Well, I mean, I guess.
32:51There's an interesting shift taking place as I press Keller about instigating the crime.
32:57Her denials seem to weaken and lead to stunning admissions that reveal a shrewd criminal mind.
33:03Were you the one manipulating Carrie into murdering her mother to spare you a possible prison sentence?
33:11No, she was manipulating me.
33:14Because it's starting to look like the opposite here.
33:17She goes down in two days.
33:20You're several months in, spinning the detectives around.
33:24And then, somehow, despite all your alleged deficiencies, you're able to fool the polygraph test.
33:34How'd you do that?
33:36Well, from what the questions they asked me, I answered them honestly.
33:40Okay, here's the first question.
33:43Were you present when Carrie's mother was stabbed?
33:46You said no.
33:47That's a lie.
33:49Well, I mean, at that time, when they asked me that question, I was thinking that I was in the house.
33:55Yes, but I wasn't in the room.
33:56I see.
33:57I see.
33:58So you interpreted the question so narrowly that you were able to appear to be answering honestly.
34:09Yes.
34:10That's like a mic drop moment for any criminal.
34:13You beat the polygraph.
34:16Starts to look like you're the leader, Rebecca.
34:18Starts to look like you are a shrewd operator under intense pressure that Carrie couldn't endure.
34:34It takes investigators four long months and five different interrogations to break through Keller's deflections and defenses.
34:44Finally, we get to that fifth interrogation, sitting in that room with your varsity jacket on.
34:52I feel like the walls are caving in.
34:55We may never know which one of y'all actually stabbed her.
34:59At that moment, are you worried that Carrie is cooperating with the authorities against you?
35:06No.
35:07You're not?
35:08Finally, Rebecca Keller, sporting her varsity choir jacket, is about to sing.
35:14And serve up her teenage lover.
35:16She started saying that she could have planned different ways to kill her mom.
35:21The walls are closing in on you.
35:23By October, now you're straight up throwing Carrie under the bus at every turn.
35:29And when the questions intensify, Keller can't stand the heat.
35:34Okay, well, I'm done with this interview.
35:37Oh, you're done?
35:39Why?
35:39Why?
35:44Why?
35:49How did they go down?
35:51She wanted you to do something?
35:52She asked me, she said that, she asked if I could do her a favor and I asked her what kind of favor.
35:59she asked me if i could murder her mom in her fifth and final police interrogation 20-year-old
36:10murder suspect rebecca keller pointed the blame at her teenage girlfriend carrie murphy i heard
36:17her mom was saying stop stop and she was screaming she's like okay you can stop stabbing me now
36:24and then i started hearing like a horrible noise like she was choking on her blood and then
36:33nothing and then five minutes later carrie comes out with the bloody knife and bloody gloves and
36:42i got the trash bag ready there are only three credible scenarios
36:49she did stabbing you did the stabbing or you both did the stabbing which one is true
36:59she did the stabbing she and only she yes
37:05but there's a final act in this juliet and juliet tale
37:11and a surprising last twist in our interview
37:14this is a call from an inmate at harris county jail
37:20while facing murder charges keller and murphy spoke often
37:24baby that's great i love you i love you too
37:30on a recorded line
37:32and it would be in one of these calls that the truth about who stabbed marianne murphy
37:38finally slipped out for the prosecution the smoking gun came in a recorded call from jail
37:46to carrie where you basically according to the state acknowledge doing the stabbing
37:53and you learn that carrie was the one watching you say you didn't see what i saw that night
38:01carrie says actually i did you say in person
38:05what do you mean you did what do you mean you did i wasn't in my room the whole time
38:09what do you mean you did i wasn't in my room the whole time
38:13where were you the entire time where were you the entire time the doorway carrie says
38:18doorway is what
38:20the palm tree
38:22oh my god i thought i told you to stay in your room
38:28how do you explain that
38:30well
38:31i don't know
38:35i don't know how to interpret that except that you did the stabbing while she watched
38:43and that you were surprised that she actually witnessed it
38:46well
38:48i mean
38:54i really don't know
38:59you can't explain that
39:00no
39:01do you remember that phone call
39:03uh i don't
39:05it was a key piece of evidence in the case
39:08oh i remember it being the key evidence but i don't remember that conversation at all
39:13you don't remember that
39:14because there's hundreds and hundreds of phone calls
39:17if keller hoped to change the narrative of the murder
39:21she seems about defeated
39:23but 13 years later
39:24she's still unwilling to take responsibility
39:27you later told someone
39:29that
39:30you began stabbing marianne and blacked out
39:33and when you emerged
39:36carrie told you
39:38you had gone
39:39quote
39:39overboard
39:40is that what really happened
39:41not from what i remember
39:45everything that was going on
39:47is it possible that you
39:50did the stabbing
39:51in a state of
39:52blackout
39:53uh no
39:55not really
39:56this whole idea
39:58of blacking out
40:00going into a kind of frenzy
40:02going overboard
40:03that would explain those crime scene photos
40:06right
40:06right
40:0773 stab wounds all over her body
40:10her throat cut
40:11defensive wounds all over her body
40:14wounds to the torso
40:16wounds to the back
40:17wounds everywhere
40:18absolute butchery
40:20rebecca
40:20looks like someone in a violent frenzy
40:24so let me ask you again
40:28is it possible
40:30that you and some
40:32quote unquote blackout state
40:34went in there
40:36started stabbing her
40:38and went into a frenzy
40:40that it's hard for you to recall
40:43well
40:43i guess
40:49i mean
40:49i don't
40:49i don't really know
40:50looking more like the leader
40:55and less like an impressionable follower
40:57okay well
41:00i'm done with this interview
41:02oh
41:04you're done why
41:05i'm done because you're trying to make me seem like i'm a monster and i'm not
41:08miss crumpton
41:10let me out
41:13ultimately authorities concluded that keller was in fact the stabber
41:23and she pled guilty and accepted a 60-year sentence
41:26her accomplice kerry murphy also pled
41:30and was sentenced to 30 years
41:32for the people who loved marianne murphy
41:36neither sentence was enough
41:37when the plea agreements came out
41:41i was
41:42i wasn't happy with them
41:43i don't think that's near enough for
41:45what they did to
41:47such a wonderful person
41:50i feel like
41:52there's no
41:53amount of time
41:55you can put someone in jail
41:57or prison
41:58to
41:59justify
42:01the beautiful life that was lost
42:05kerry and rebecca thought
42:07that by removing marianne
42:08they could be together and live happily ever after
42:10morons
42:11and you think
42:13how on earth
42:14did you idiots think this was gonna work
42:17did you think you were gonna ride off into the sunset
42:19and pin it on somebody else
42:22and no one was gonna figure it out
42:24this is your mother
42:26today as they sit in separate texas prisons
42:31the mad love between rebecca keller and kerry murphy is long gone
42:36but their victim is dearly missed and forever remembered
42:40if i could say something to marianne
42:43i'd just tell her i love her and i miss her
42:48a lot
42:55everybody should have a friend like that
42:59and i lost mine
43:03there's not too many days i don't think of her
43:09still
43:12you
43:16you
43:18you
43:20you
43:22you
43:24you
43:26you
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