- 5 months ago
Best friends take a girl’s trip before applying to grad school. When one of them doesn’t make it home, everyone wonders, what happened in Vegas? As the stakes continue to rise, sharing long-hidden secrets may be the only chance at justice.
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00:00For lifelong friends, a girl's trip to Sin City is the perfect way to blow off steam.
00:12After all, what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas.
00:21But when one girl doesn't make it home, her family's only chance at justice
00:27is for all of her secrets.
00:30To be revealed.
01:00I think I always knew we'd be lifelong friends.
01:02It's very traumatizing.
01:06It's heartbreaking.
01:09You would never expect that this would happen to your friend group, you know?
01:15It's like a little piece of our hearts is gone.
01:18And we'll never get that back.
01:20And we'll never get that back.
01:22And we'll never get that back.
01:26I met Michelle when we were in like fourth grade and I must have done something that upset her.
01:39And she was going to kick my butt one day after school and she's like, I'm going to meet you
01:58outside and I'm going to kick your butt.
02:01And then I told my sister and my sister threatened to kick her butt.
02:05And then the school found out and pulled us into the principal's office.
02:09And they were like, okay, you guys need to either be friends or your sister's going to go to jail.
02:15And I was like, no, for sure, we'll be friends.
02:19It was like best friends from the moment we became friends.
02:23And then Amanda introduced me to Alexis.
02:27And then from there, I introduced Michelle to them and we became very close.
02:35I think if you asked somebody about the four of us, they would tell you, oh, those girls are always just laughing or sitting on the bed with makeup spread out.
02:46We watched MTV back when it really was always music videos.
02:50We always listened to music.
02:51Back then you had big boomboxes in your room and you would listen to different CDs.
02:58Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s, we didn't have social media.
03:02So that was great.
03:05We actually went outside, went to the movies and went to the mall.
03:09We had boyfriends, you know, throughout high school, but nobody could just break our bond.
03:16You could just tell what best friends we were by just looking at us.
03:21Michelle was a strong one, the protector of the group.
03:25Vicky was adventurous yet reserved.
03:29Alexis was smart, also tough.
03:32Amanda is funny and so sweet.
03:35We just all complimented each other so well.
03:39We had no idea that everything was going to change.
03:42Once we graduated college, Michelle and I were just going to take the GMAT, which would allow us to apply to grad school.
03:59I remember feeling pretty sad after I took my test.
04:04I just had this feeling of dread and feeling a little lost in what to do next.
04:12Michelle was like, let's go celebrate.
04:14So Michelle was like, let's go celebrate.
04:16We just took a test.
04:17Like, let's go have fun.
04:18Her idea was to go, like, to Vegas to try to help me feel better.
04:25Vicky and Michelle came to my house before they were leaving to Las Vegas.
04:29I remember walking them out and giving them a hug and telling them, be safe, you know, love you guys, have fun, take care of each other and we'll see you guys when you get back.
04:39Our plan was, we were going to go shopping, we'd go to the pool, just have a good time.
04:47I remember we were blasting Beyonce and Mariah Carey.
04:52We were like singing in the car, going through the desert.
04:57It had just rained and it was beautiful.
05:00It was her mission to just get me out of the space I was in.
05:09It was 7 p.m. and I opened up the door and the West Covina Police Department was at my door and they said that they, not to be alarmed, but they asked, does Michelle Carson live here?
05:35Was she in Las Vegas?
05:36I said, yeah, she was in Las Vegas.
05:39They told me they found her car with the engine running and the doors open and the radio on, but nobody inside the car.
05:48At that point, I started calling Michelle and there was no answer.
05:53I was just extremely worried, I was panicking, to be honest with you.
05:59I remember my dad telling me over the phone that they found my sister's car in a bad area in Las Vegas.
06:06It's not like my sister just to leave her car and just leave, you know.
06:11The next thing I know, the officer said that they were going to send another police officer out and do a missing persons report.
06:19Then it just started escalating.
06:22Immediately I called my ex-wife Esther.
06:25My stomach just turned.
06:28We talked all the time.
06:29We talked all the time.
06:30And that week I had not talked to her.
06:32So I had text her and I told her, I haven't heard from you.
06:38I said, how are you doing?
06:39What's going on?
06:40And then the next thing I know, John was calling me that they found her car.
06:45I didn't know what to feel.
06:47I was more in shock than anything.
06:49My sister told me that she was planning on going to Las Vegas with Vicky and she was going to be over there for a little bit.
06:56So that's when I began to question what's going on.
07:00I knew that she left with Vicky.
07:03So I called Vicky and she didn't answer.
07:06So then Kevin drove over to Vicky's house.
07:09When Kevin came to my house, he just had a look of concern on his face.
07:16He also looked mad.
07:18You know, where's my sister?
07:20And I was like, what do you mean?
07:21I don't know.
07:22Like, is she not home?
07:25He's like, weren't you with her?
07:27And I was like, we went.
07:28But I was like, then she stayed.
07:30I had to come back, but she wanted to stay.
07:33And then he's like, she's missing.
07:36They found her car.
07:37I was really surprised.
07:39That's when we found out that Vicky flew back early.
07:44She was no longer with Michelle.
07:50They asked me why I had to leave.
07:53And I remember wanting to explain what I had just experienced.
07:57But it was very dark.
08:01Had I been able to, like, think straight,
08:03I would have been able to tell her, come back with me.
08:10I regret not doing that.
08:20Hi.
08:21Hi.
08:22Good to see you.
08:23You too.
08:24How are you?
08:25I'm good.
08:26How are you?
08:27Good.
08:28Feels like it was just yesterday that we were here walking the halls.
08:31It looks so different now, though.
08:33Not the same high school we went to.
08:35Being here just reminds me of just how important our friend group was.
08:39You know, you, Michelle, and Vicky.
08:41Yeah, after high school, our lives just got more serious.
08:45We went to different colleges.
08:48I had my daughter at 22.
08:51And, you know, after my daughter was born,
08:54Michelle and Vicky would come over and Alexis,
08:57and they would just help me out.
09:00I always think about that Vegas trip that Vicky and Michelle took.
09:04I had seen them right before they left,
09:07and I hadn't heard from either one of them after that,
09:09so I just assumed that they were together still over there in Vegas.
09:12She was with her, but she came back early.
09:15Yeah, see, I didn't know that.
09:17That's why when I found out that she was missing, I just...
09:21I thought, was Vicky with her? Is Vicky missing too?
09:24Mm-hmm.
09:25So I had no clue what was going on during that time.
09:35I was in Vegas with her,
09:36so I'm sure they wanted to know why I left and why she remained.
09:40When Michelle asked me to go, there wasn't really a set plan.
09:46We were just going to do all the things that, like,
09:49normally would help us just not think of anything
09:52and just have a good time.
09:57Once we got there, we went to gamble a little bit.
10:02I saw Chandler from Friends, and I was like,
10:07oh my gosh, I'm going to go up to him and, like, say hello.
10:10And then she was like, no, don't,
10:12because it looks like he's losing, like, a lot of money.
10:17The next night, we met up with Michelle's friend, Daniel.
10:21We saw a Cirque du Soleil show,
10:24and then we went to dinner.
10:30Yeah, we have a good time.
10:33Michelle's friend, Anil, didn't live in Vegas,
10:36but he would always come down for business,
10:39and so whenever he was in town, he would reach out.
10:41I'm sure he had a crush on Michelle.
10:43It was not reciprocated, but she cared about him,
10:48like a friend.
10:52We probably stayed out till, like, maybe 11 p.m.
10:58We were in a hotel room that had a living room
11:01and two bedrooms, and so that night,
11:04I was in my room, and I remember hearing something,
11:10and I came out of my room,
11:13and I saw Michelle's ex-boyfriend, Justin.
11:19I knew that he was living in Las Vegas,
11:21but she gave me no heads up
11:23that she was going to invite him to come over.
11:28I was definitely surprised that she let him, like,
11:30be in the hotel room.
11:32Like, why? Why is he here?
11:34Like, is this why we came?
11:37It made me sad.
11:38I was already, like, everything's sad,
11:42but it definitely added to what I was, like, feeling.
11:47So Michelle's still asleep in her room,
11:50so I started talking to him,
11:53and I remember him saying, like,
11:55oh, Michelle told me that you're feeling sad,
11:57and I was like, yeah.
11:58I was like, I'm not sure why.
12:03Even though he was being friendly,
12:05I was a bit creeped out.
12:07He was asking me questions,
12:09trying to preach to me about, like, life,
12:14and it was weird, like...
12:16And then he was like, you know,
12:19I'm going to go to the vending machine.
12:22And so he leaves,
12:24and the second he closes the door,
12:26I run to her room,
12:29not to go check if she's okay
12:31or go check if she's still asleep,
12:32but, like, go check if she's alive.
12:35So I lean over her to make sure she's breathing.
12:43But then I see her chest is moving,
12:45and I was like, okay, I'm losing it.
12:47I was like, now I'm thinking, like,
12:49you know, she's dead.
12:51Like, what is wrong with me?
12:55And then I tiptoe out of her room.
12:59He comes back,
13:00and then he asked me,
13:02do you think Michelle's a good person?
13:05And I was like, yeah,
13:06of course I think she's a good person.
13:10I thought it was an odd question,
13:12and then Michelle comes in,
13:14and she's like, what are you doing?
13:15Like, leave her alone.
13:19He was like, okay, fine.
13:20Like, okay, okay.
13:21And then he just, like, gets up
13:22and, like, leaves the hotel.
13:25I didn't call anyone or text anyone.
13:27I was pretty private with her
13:29and her and Justin's stuff.
13:34I don't remember asking her anything in the morning
13:36just because I was like, okay, she's...
13:40she's probably getting back with him.
13:42They were off and on so much.
13:45When Michelle went to Cal State Fullerton,
13:47she told us about this guy that she met, Justin,
13:48and she told us about how he played basketball.
13:50This was a thing with her.
13:51She always dated the tallest guy,
13:52so I can only imagine in college she saw Justin
13:54and how tall he was, and she fell in love.
13:55Pretty early on, she was living with Justin.
13:58But over time, you kind of knew they were off and on,
14:00and breaking up and getting back together.
14:02Eventually, they were living in Las Vegas,
14:08and she moved back to California,
14:09to West Covina, and it was the thing with her.
14:11She always dated the tallest guy,
14:12so I can only imagine in college she saw Justin
14:13and how tall he was, and she fell in love.
14:15Pretty early on, she was living with Justin.
14:17But over time, you kind of knew they were off and on,
14:20and breaking up and getting back together.
14:26Eventually, they were living in Las Vegas,
14:28and she moved back to California, to West Covina.
14:32So I feel like that was definitely a big step
14:35of knowing that it was over.
14:38I had no idea that Michelle and Justin were even talking.
14:41I didn't know he was living in Las Vegas at that time,
14:44but I thought they were done, so I was very surprised.
14:47When we went to Vegas shortly before that,
14:51they hadn't talked.
14:52No, I don't even think we really even talked about him.
14:55Never thought that he would be an issue.
14:58We had a great time.
14:59She never mentioned any friends,
15:01never anything like that.
15:03So it really was a shock.
15:05After Justin left, we just moved on.
15:09We were just like,
15:10okay, what are we going to do today?
15:14But that day, I just was, like, not feeling good.
15:17Like, I just felt not happy.
15:24Like, I remember going to the mall
15:27and walking around and just, like, crying,
15:30and being like, what the heck is wrong with me?
15:33Like, why can't I stop?
15:34But we kept trying to push on to try to have a good time.
15:42We went to dinner.
15:43We went to a show.
15:45Anil, our friend that was there that weekend,
15:48was there as well.
15:51But I just couldn't stop crying.
15:53The only word I can think of is dread.
15:57And as the weekend went by, it just got stronger and stronger.
16:04To the point where I was getting scared myself of,
16:07I didn't understand why I was even experiencing this.
16:11And I had to leave.
16:14I was hoping that she would want to go home, too.
16:20But she wanted to stay.
16:22I was disappointed with her.
16:26I really was just hoping to not see her getting back with them.
16:31And when I got home, I was also trying to send her the message that I was disappointed.
16:39But also, I was, like, giving her her space, letting her figure it out with Justin,
16:48if they were going to start again, and if she was going to move back and stay there.
16:53She finally called me on November 6th.
16:58And I believe it was around, like, 11 p.m.
17:02And I saw her call come through.
17:05And I was like, now she calls me?
17:07I'm like, it's 11 p.m.
17:09Like, what the heck?
17:10She's going to have to wait.
17:11Like, I'm going to have to, I'll call her back.
17:14And I regret not ever answering her phone call.
17:18I wish I would have.
17:23Vicky called asking when the last time I had spoken to Michelle.
17:33So I said that maybe a week after Vicky got back from Vegas,
17:38Michelle and I were talking through text message,
17:40and we made plans to hang out when she got back.
17:45But then Vicky said that they had found Michelle's car,
17:50but Michelle was missing.
17:52My stomach, it was in knots.
17:57Did she get carjacked?
17:58Did she get kidnapped?
18:00Like, all these things were going through my mind.
18:04Kevin told me that the police were at John's.
18:08And so I remember racing down to John's house,
18:13and I just kept calling Michelle's phone.
18:16She wasn't answering.
18:17And then I kept calling Justin, and he wasn't answering.
18:21All of us tried calling.
18:23It might have rang a couple of times,
18:24and then they went to the voice message.
18:27And I just remember just crying.
18:29I remember calling her cell phone carrier and begging them to tell me who was the last person that she called.
18:39I was like, please.
18:40I was like, it's my best friend.
18:42She's missing.
18:43I was like, please, just tell me.
18:46And the guy, like, he felt so sorry.
18:50And he ends up giving me the number.
18:54Ends up being Justin's brother.
18:57And I called Justin's brother.
19:00And I was like, Michelle's missing.
19:03Do you know where Justin is?
19:04And he's like, I have no idea.
19:06We're just like, we didn't have no answers.
19:10Like, what's going on?
19:11So I think just for me, it was immediately just get on my face and pray and say, you know, God, what's going on?
19:18Seems like a nightmare you just want to wake up from.
19:2125-year-old Michelle Carson has always been the strong one in her group of friends.
19:33But finding her abandoned car makes everyone worried.
19:40Especially when there are secrets about her life that only you know.
19:45We were calling her friends, trying to get a hold of her, and trying to get it out there that Michelle was missing.
19:54That if anybody had seen her, heard from her, to please let us know to get in contact with us.
20:02In the meantime, John had mentioned that I should contact her dentist to see if I can get her dental records.
20:11The next day, we all drove, including Vicki, we drove to Las Vegas.
20:24We're all in the car together, and John's driving us, and you could feel the stress and the worry.
20:33We were all very quiet.
20:36No one was really saying much.
20:39But I knew the least they wanted to know was what happened the last time that I saw her.
20:46And I told them about Vegas, and how I was feeling, and that the last time I saw her, when I left her, she was sleeping, and she was fine.
20:58Vicki had stated that Michelle's ex-boyfriend, Justin, was there, and he was acting very odd.
21:07Something was going on with him.
21:08She thought, just like I did, Michelle was moving on with her life, and she was going backwards again, and I completely understand that.
21:17As a parent, I was trying to keep positive and just pray that it's just some misunderstanding or that something went wrong.
21:28She got angry and maybe just was hiding somewhere.
21:31They hadn't gotten a hold of Justin, but I think that was already a normal pattern with Justin because he would just flee all the time.
21:43Like he was trying to push her away.
21:45So I was like, what if Justin left and left her alone at some hotel room, and some bad man saw that she was by herself and took advantage and did something to her?
21:56I was thinking all sorts of scenarios, and I was like, what if she's kidnapped right now?
22:02What if she's, you know, just gone?
22:10Sitting in that car for three or four hours not knowing anything was torture.
22:18My thoughts would go from like fear, panic, to worry.
22:23When we arrived in Las Vegas, I met with a couple of detectives.
22:33And I'll never forget that.
22:38Michelle's parents were already inside.
22:41And so I just was like, right when I walk into the room, I'm going to look at their faces, like, and their face will tell me.
22:48And so then I like walk in and they're just like looking down, so I can't see their faces.
22:57And I'm like, tell me, tell me, tell me.
23:00And then I think Esther looks up and she's like, she's gone.
23:05And you like fall to the ground.
23:07They told us that they had found her body out in the desert.
23:26Two people that were doing target shooting found her and reported it.
23:31She was set on fire and buried about a mile and a half into the desert.
23:41They could see the smoke coming from the rocks and they found my daughter's hand sticking out of the rocks.
23:47You know, her heart's just broke.
24:00There's something you don't expect.
24:04That this tragedy would happen to your family.
24:09Kevin helps pick me up and Alexis calls at that very moment.
24:14I went onto Facebook and I had a message from a friend from high school telling me, you know,
24:23hey Alexis, I seen this post about Michelle missing.
24:26Like, is everything okay?
24:29I knew nothing about this.
24:32I feel like everything just was a blur.
24:37I was very upset about it.
24:39And as soon as I called Vicki, she was crying and I said, Vicki, what's going on? Where's Michelle?
24:48And I answer and I was like, she's gone. She's gone.
24:55It was like it was a bad dream.
24:57You know, a bad dream that, you know, we weren't going to wake up from.
25:00I just couldn't believe it. I just, I, I couldn't process it.
25:09I went to Alexis' house and we were just crying and consoling each other and just going crazy thinking of what could have happened.
25:19What we knew was that her car was found with her belongings still in it.
25:27So, of course, automatically we think maybe somebody tried to carjack her.
25:37Made me fearful.
25:38Of course, me too.
25:40Then you start having all these things in your mind.
25:43Vicki was quiet when she got back from Vegas.
25:46You really didn't know who to trust.
25:49We just needed Vicki to tell us what happened.
26:09Michelle and I planted this tree when we were in Girl Scouts.
26:12It was supposed to signify friendship.
26:18I never discussed Michelle's private life.
26:22Those were secrets between her and I.
26:25And I was like her secret diary.
26:29And I never shared those secrets with anyone.
26:32But after I found out what happened to Michelle, I felt like I knew something.
26:41And this was something that could help figure this out.
26:45And it was time for me to disclose those secrets.
26:49The woman has been identified as 25-year-old Michelle Carson.
27:06Hearing the news that Michelle was gone.
27:09It was like an out-of-body experience.
27:13I remember, like, looking at it from above.
27:16And I just remember God telling me, like, she's with me, she's home.
27:20But at the same time, the detectives start questioning me about that weekend and about the last day that I saw her.
27:33At the end of October, I didn't want to hold back.
27:38I told them that when I got home, I remember Michelle and I sent each other a message.
27:53I think I asked her if, like, Anil was still there.
27:57And, um, I don't even remember what she said.
28:01I still wasn't thinking it was Justin.
28:05But I noticed where the detectives were going with the questioning.
28:10They were asking me about Justin and if they had ever been violent, you know, in their relationship.
28:17I never saw anything, you know, red flags.
28:21I remember she'd cry or say that they were arguing.
28:25But, you know, it was like, it was nothing alarming because we've all been there, you know.
28:31I used to cry all the time in my relationship.
28:34When I heard that Michelle had met up with Justin, I didn't think negatively about it.
28:41Anytime I was around them, everything seemed fine.
28:44He seemed very caring towards her.
28:47I was having conversations in my head with her, what she would think.
28:51And I know she loved him so much, but in my head I was like, I'm sorry, Michelle.
28:55Like, I have to, I have to say this.
29:00Michelle told me one day that her and Justin got into an altercation.
29:07And it got pretty heated.
29:10And he was so upset, he pushed her against the wall.
29:16And put his hands on her neck.
29:19Just hearing that alone, that image, was something that stayed with me throughout the years.
29:30And I kept it in the back of my mind.
29:33I never even imagined breaking her trust.
29:37I never thought of it.
29:38But I remember telling her like, Michelle, if something ever happens to you,
29:41do you understand what I'm going to have to tell your parents?
29:49I was shocked that Michelle would stay in a relationship where there was violence.
29:55That's the first time we were ever aware of that.
30:00At the beginning, to be honest with you, I thought maybe he was murdered too.
30:02And maybe he was in a different location.
30:05That was my first thought.
30:07But once police knew that there was domestic violence, he was a person of interest.
30:13When we found out that she was murdered, I don't think we had any thought in our head that it was Justin.
30:21Maybe if we would have known that Michelle was being mistreated, we could have helped her.
30:27Being in our early 20s, when you love somebody, you might not think it's a big deal or understand, you know, the gravity of the situation.
30:39Even if Michelle did tell Vicky, you know, that one time with her other times.
30:45I think if Vicky knew what was going to happen, I think, I know for 100% sure she would have spoke out and mentioned something.
30:53In that particular moment, Vicky was the one that she trusted and that could have ruined her friendship.
31:00And I think it took a huge toll on her.
31:04I think she had a lot of remorse, a lot of hurt, a lot of, I did it, I could have saved her, I could have did this.
31:10I mean, it runs through all of our life.
31:12Well, if she didn't go to Vegas, this would have never happened.
31:16I corresponded back and forth with the detectives.
31:19They were looking at all leads, but it was their priority to find Justin.
31:26I learned that our friend that was also there that weekend, he had already left.
31:31So I knew that, yeah, she had to have either been with Justin or by herself.
31:37The detectives got subpoenas to get the cell records.
31:42There was text messaging between Justin and Michelle that night that she was murdered.
31:49There was some type of argument and I think she had locked him out wherever she was staying.
31:55So at one point he made access.
32:04And then there was a ping with Justin's phone close to where she was found.
32:10And I think that's when the murder, I think it happened around one in the morning.
32:13Then after that, his phone's turned off, no one can get a hold of him.
32:18It just throws up a lot of red flags like, if you did nothing wrong, why hide?
32:23We had reached out to the father of Justin, no answer.
32:29We kept calling Justin, the brother.
32:32Nobody was getting back to us.
32:33And they were not cooperating with law enforcement.
32:37So we knew at that point he was, he was on the run.
32:44During this time, we had to go back to go and pick up her car.
32:50And then when we got our car out, the keys were missing.
32:56My daughter's keys were missing.
32:59Justin had keys to my place.
33:00So I had to change the locks.
33:03And I was really, really scared.
33:05I felt betrayed by Justin.
33:08I took him into my home.
33:10We welcomed him like a son.
33:12I didn't know where he was.
33:14I didn't know I'm sleeping at night and somebody comes in.
33:17And I felt that he's not right to take my daughter's life.
33:20He's capable of doing anything.
33:22I was scared, you know.
33:25When Vicki came back from Las Vegas, I knew she felt it.
33:28She had to come back because if she would have stayed, he could have killed her too.
33:34And at that time, with Justin, being able to lose.
33:37That came to my mind.
33:39You don't know what people are capable of.
33:43Michelle's ex-boyfriend Justin is the prime suspect in her murder.
33:46And with his whereabouts unknown, Michelle's friends and family all worry.
33:53Will he find his way to their front door?
33:55We have Michelle's urn and I'm glad that we decided not to bury you and to cremate you because this is my only way of hugging you and holding you still because you're forever in my heart.
34:18We kind of shared it and we still do and it's like whoever needs her can take the urn.
34:29I'm still able to keep her close and hold on to that until I see her again.
34:44The day of the funeral, it was raining that day.
34:47It's almost like somebody else was in my body and I, what am I doing here burying a child?
34:57And I just look back during the ceremony and I've seen the church completely packed.
35:05It was very touching just to see how many people I think cared for Michelle and cared for us just knowing what a great loss it was in our friend group to lose a friend, especially to lose a friend in such a tragic way.
35:18The detectives in Las Vegas kept me informed and they, uh, and then there was newspaper articles.
35:30Anybody with information, you know, they called the number.
35:34And then, uh, finally a friend of, uh, Justin's brother came forward.
35:41The brother had said that Justin had murdered his girlfriend.
35:44So she went to the police department and we were so grateful.
35:50Justin was missing for about a month, month and a half.
35:55But the detective says, don't worry, we're gonna get him.
35:59It's just a matter of us arresting him at that particular time where it's safe and we have enough evidence to not overturn anything.
36:06I was scared he was gonna do something to somebody else.
36:10And I was just hoping he would get caught or turn himself in.
36:16This shows you his true character because you ran away from the situation.
36:23You begin to see the patterns.
36:25He didn't finish school, just quit basketball.
36:28Things weren't panning out the way he hoped.
36:32The flunking of school and no longer having basketball in his life.
36:37Michelle was, like, being very supportive and he was just always leaving.
36:41But then he would come back.
36:43So I feel like he was having this internal struggle.
36:46Now looking back on it, I feel like it was all connected to what he was maybe experiencing mentally.
36:51Finally, the detectives called us and let us know that he's in Mississippi, hiding out at his mother's house.
37:04And the FBI U.S. Marshals were going to go into the house at 5 in the morning.
37:09Justin was finally caught and arrested.
37:21I was relieved that Michelle was going to get the justice she deserved.
37:26He deserved to sit in that jail cell and just think about her and what he did every single day.
37:40But everything was delayed and he tried to claim insanity and I think that's what he was hoping for.
37:46That he would, you know, be released and get away with it.
37:49One day, I get this weird phone call from a correctional facility.
38:02And I don't remember why, but I answered it.
38:06It was Justin.
38:09I was shocked to hear his voice.
38:12And I just couldn't believe, like, I'm speaking to the person who took my best friend's life.
38:23He was trying to get me to remember that day that I saw him.
38:30And to confirm that he was out of his mind that day.
38:34And I was like, I'm sorry, like, I don't know, like, I can't talk to you.
38:39And I hung up on him.
38:43I wanted to know why he did it, but of course he can't really say that over the phone.
38:54I feel like losing her just made me realize, like, even more the value of friendship.
39:01And how, like, what a treasure it is.
39:04I'm glad we're talking about her, though.
39:06We don't get a lot of the opportunity to talk about her.
39:11At least not about her story.
39:14I love how I have this bracelet.
39:16Actually, we all have this bracelet.
39:17We got it, uh, when Michelle was still here.
39:20Michelle will always be a part of our beautiful friendship.
39:24Yeah.
39:262017, they came to me with a plea deal.
39:29He would have pleaded, uh, guilty to second degree murder.
39:34And the sentence was 15 to 25 years.
39:38And then, uh, assault with a deadly weapon.
39:41And that was eight to 20 years.
39:44And it was consecutive.
39:46We, uh, we were okay with that.
39:48We, uh, we agreed with it, so.
39:50But I made a life goal to keep him behind bars as long as possible.
39:55My immediate thought was what a coward he was, you know?
40:09I think about how, if he was going to take his life, he should have just taken his life that night instead of hers.
40:16I truly believe that Michelle did not think that he would kill her.
40:21I wish he would have spoken up, and I wish we could have done more for her and saved her from that night.
40:31I've definitely just moved differently now when I encounter a friend in a unhealthy situation.
40:39So, she didn't die in vain.
40:44I no longer just, you know, stay quiet.
40:49And if I lose a friend over my actions, I don't care.
40:53You know, as long as they're safe and alive and well.
41:10On the next, a killer among friends.
41:13LA kids find community in fantasy worlds.
41:17But when one of them turns up dead.
41:19How could you do that?
41:21Somebody is not who they say they are.
41:23Friends start to question everything and everyone they thought they knew.
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