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CAUTION MOST DISTURBING CASE YOU'VE EVER HEARD! MURDER OF JESSICA LUNSFORD TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
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00:00In the early morning hours of February 24, 2005, the silence of the small Florida town
00:11of Homosassa was shattered by a phone call. An urgent message came in about a missing child.
00:18The caller was Mark Lunsford, the father of nine-year-old Jessica. In a desperate voice,
00:24he reported that his daughter had disappeared in the middle of the night right from her own bedroom.
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00:50new investigations on my channel. Without further ado, let's dive into the details of this criminal
00:56story. Nine-year-old Jessica Marie Lunsford was an ordinary child from the small town of
01:02Homosassa in Florida. She was born to Mark and Angela Lunsford in North Carolina on the 6th
01:08of October, 1995. Jessica's birth was a true miracle, as she came into the world after several
01:16unsuccessful pregnancies for Angela. The parents' marriage began to crack when the little girl
01:21was still very young. Lack of financial stability and other problems destroyed the family. At the age
01:28of one, Jessica was left without a mother. The court granted custody of the girl to her father.
01:34So she was separated from her older brothers, who stayed with Angela. Mark took his daughter and
01:40moved in with his elderly parents in the small town of Homosassa in Florida. The father and daughter
01:46began living there in a trailer with the grandmother and grandfather. Despite the loss of her mother and
01:52separation from her brothers, Jessica grew up to be a cheerful and curious child. From an early age,
01:59she loved music and was constantly putting on home concerts for her new family. Singing and dancing
02:05were her passion. Jessica dreamed of becoming a star, performing on stage in beautiful dresses.
02:11More than anything in the world, Jessica loved riding motorcycles with her dad. She dreamed that when
02:18she grew up, the two of them would travel the country together. Another passion of the girl was
02:24dolls and stuffed animals. Her room was literally bursting with teddy bears, bunnies and other critters.
02:31Jessica's favorite was a big purple dolphin that she took everywhere with her. The girl had won this
02:37toy together with her father at a fair a few months before her disappearance. Since then, they had been
02:43inseparable. Mark worked as a dump truck driver and was away at construction sites for long periods of
02:50time. When there was no one to leave his daughter with, he would take her with him. The workers were
02:56touched by the playful little girl who would spend whole days playing in the sandbox, singing songs to
03:01her dolls. Every Sunday her father took Jessica to church. The girl was happy to get up at the crack
03:08of dawn to be on time for the service. Once she even memorized a Bible verse for a youth competition.
03:15Faith was very important to her family. At school, teachers called Jessica a diligent student and a
03:22good friend. Her classmates adored her. The little girl was friends with everyone, never fought, and was
03:28always happy to share treats, even though she herself lived quite modestly. Even though her parents had
03:35divorced and she had to deal with the challenges of everyday life. Jessica was a ray of sunshine for
03:41her loved ones. She was very close to her dad and grandparents. They thought she was the best thing
03:47that had ever happened to them and tried their best to give their granddaughter everything she needed.
03:53Mark and his parents knew that Jessica was growing up to be a lovely, honest, and kind girl.
03:58She was so caring and had an amazing zest for life. She truly believed in the best in people and had
04:05not yet learned how cruel and unfair the world could be. February 23, 2005, was no different from a
04:13string of other dates on nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford's calendar. She got up in the morning,
04:19ate oatmeal for breakfast, packed her backpack, and set off for school in the company of her beloved
04:25stuffed dolphin. The lessons and breaks flew by. When she got home, Jessica changed her clothes as
04:32usual, had a snack, did her homework and lay on the sofa in front of the television. At half past five,
04:39her father picked her up and took her to church for a youth group session. There she had the best time
04:45learning Bible verses and song lyrics. That day, they were preparing a play with the group based on the
04:52story of David and Goliath. Jessica was cast in the role of a guardian angel. She tried very hard and
04:59was proud of her costume, sewn from a sheet and cardboard. Around eight o'clock in the evening,
05:05Mark Lunsford picked up his daughter from the church and brought her home. They had dinner with a whole
05:11family and settled down in front of the TV to watch American Idol Jessica's favorite show. At 9.30,
05:18Grandma Ruth sent her granddaughter to bed. Already in bed, the girl hugged her father and kissed him
05:24goodnight. If I don't catch you at home tomorrow morning, I want you to know that I love you very much,
05:31daddy, Jessica said with a smile. She didn't know that these words would be her last. Mark brushed away
05:38an unbidden tear, tucked in the blanket, and turned around in the doorway as he was leaving. Jessica was
05:45lying curled up, clutching her tattered dolphin. The nightlight illuminated her serene little face,
05:51which bore a tranquil smile. This image Mark Lunsford would remember for the rest of his life,
05:57every night, closing his eyes. After Jessica's father said goodbye to his daughter, he went to visit
06:04a friend and didn't return until morning. Passing by his daughter's room, he didn't look inside so as not to
06:10wake the child. Who knew that the girl was no longer there at that moment? Early in the morning, around
06:17five o'clock, Mark was awakened by the sound of his alarm clock, getting ready for work. He suddenly noticed
06:24that the second alarm coming from his daughter's bedroom would not stop. Usually Jessica would jump up
06:30quickly and turn it off so as not to be late for school. But today something was wrong. The father
06:37decided that his daughter was just fast asleep and didn't hear the signal. He headed to Jessica's room
06:43to wake her up. A homemade sign hung on the door. Written in a child's handwriting, please knock before
06:50entering. Mark smiled, remembering how he and his grandmother had made that sign. The man turned the handle and
06:58stepped across the threshold, expecting to see a sleeping Jessica hugging her favorite stuffed tiger.
07:04However, Mark's eyes were met with an empty bed. The tiger was in its place, but the girl was nowhere
07:11to be seen. The father began feverishly searching the trailer, shouting his daughter's name, but Jessica
07:17was nowhere to be found. Finally, noticing the front door, Mark froze in horror it was ajar. Could it be
07:25that someone had broken into the house and kidnapped his daughter? With trembling hands, Mark grabbed the
07:31phone and dialed 911. Barely holding back tears and agitation, he informed the operator about the
07:38disappearance of the child. Within minutes, police cars were already rushing to the Lunsford's trailer.
07:45Thus began one of the most extensive and dramatic search operations in the history of Citrus County.
07:51Police officers arrived at the Lunsford's trailer within minutes of the frightened father's call.
07:58They cordoned off the area, conducted an inspection of the crime scene, and questioned household members
08:03and neighbors. A frightening picture emerged, Jessica had disappeared without a trace in the night,
08:10leaving not a single clue. The trailer was locked from the inside, with no signs of a break-in.
08:16In the girl's bedroom, everything was in its place—clothes, school backpack, textbooks and notebooks.
08:24Only her favorite stuffed dolphin was missing. Neither the grandmother nor the grandfather had
08:29heard anything suspicious during the night. The detectives immediately ruled out the possibility
08:35of the child running away from home. Jessica was too young to take such a step. Besides,
08:41all her things were left untouched. And why would a happy, beloved daughter run away from her family
08:47in the middle of the night? It took less than a day for the whole county to learn about Jessica's
08:52disappearance. Volunteers combed the surrounding woods and swamps. Divers examined the bottom of
08:59nearby bodies of water. Police officers and journalists attacked the Lunsford's trailer in the hope of
09:05finding even one clue. On the second day, the first suspects appeared in the case. The police
09:12questioned both of Jessica's parents and her aunt, who lived nearby. Investigators did not rule out that
09:18the girl could have been taken by relatives against the backdrop of family problems. They were particularly
09:24interested in Jessica's mother Angela, who had been deprived of parental rights. The detectives visited the
09:31house of Angela and her new husband, whom she had married after the divorce. The search was fruitless.
09:38Angela sobbed on her husband's shoulder when she found out that her daughter was missing.
09:43The very thought that she could have harmed her own child was unacceptable to her. After a thorough check,
09:49the woman's alibi confirmed her innocence in the girl's disappearance. Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford,
09:56was also beyond suspicion. On the night of his daughter's disappearance, he had gone on a date and only
10:02returned in the morning. The man cursed himself for leaving the child unattended and not checking the
10:08locks. He sincerely wanted to find Jessica alive. The version that the child had been abducted by a family
10:16member was not confirmed. Police returned to work on other possibilities, from a runaway to a possible
10:22abduction by unknown perpetrators. Investigators realized that the more time passed, the more
10:28illusory the hope of finding Jessica alive and unharmed. On the fifth day, a special FBI agent arrived
10:36in Homosassa. He brought in additional forces and resources to the search for the girl. The district
10:43police department switched to an enhanced mode of operation. There was not a single pole or tree left in
10:49the city that was not plastered with flyers featuring Jessica's photograph. A week into the fruitless
10:55search, the investigation got a new lead. Upon re-examining the crime scene, experts discovered
11:02a tiny bloodstain on the floor of Jessica's bedroom. The sample was sent for DNA analysis and the result
11:09was soon obtained. The blood belonged to an unknown man. The search circle narrowed. The police began
11:17working out all the men who had come into contact with Jessica in any way on the eve of her disappearance.
11:23Among them were teachers, classmates, and the girl's relatives, including her own father. They were all
11:30called in for questioning and had DNA samples taken. Alas, the genetic examination did not reveal any
11:37matches with the clue. The unknown man seemed to have vanished into thin air. The investigators reached a
11:44dead end. Questioning potential witnesses, requests to schools and hospitals, appeals to the public
11:51nothing helped shed light on the fate of Jessica Lunsford. The girl seemed to have evaporated,
11:57leaving no trace. Her stuffed dolphin had also disappeared, although before, its owner had never
12:03parted with it for a moment. It soon became apparent that the kidnapper was most likely a stranger.
12:09Someone had skillfully picked the lock on the door, snuck inside without waking the household members,
12:15and just as quietly disappeared with Jessica. Investigators began working out the theory that
12:21a pedophile maniac was operating in the city. The police questioned all known criminals of this
12:27profile living in the county. Particular attention was drawn to 46-year-old John Evander Cowie.
12:33In the past, he had already been prosecuted for sexual violence against a child and had repeatedly
12:39been in conflict with the law. It turned out that at the time of Jessica's disappearance,
12:45Cowie was living in a trailer belonging to his half-sister Dorothy Dixon, just 500 feet from the
12:51Lunsford's home. Unfortunately, when detectives showed up with a search warrant, the suspect had
12:57already vanished without a trace. Dorothy claimed she didn't know where her brother had gone.
13:02During the inspection of the trailer, the police found a mattress with bloodstains. Samples were
13:09sent to the laboratory, and confirmation soon came back. The DNA belonged to Jessica Lunsford.
13:15In Cowie's room, they also found his hair, mixed with strands of the girl's hair.
13:21John Cowie was put on the wanted list across the country. Wanted posters with his photograph were
13:27sent to every police station, hospital, and homeless shelter. The maniac was searched for wherever
13:33possible, and Luck finally smiled upon the investigation. A few days later, it turned out
13:40that Cowie had fled to the neighboring state of Georgia. There he had already managed to light up
13:46in a new place violating the rules for storing drugs. Fortunately, the Savannah police received the
13:52alert from Florida in time and detained the suspect. At first, Cowie denied everything. He claimed that he
14:00had no idea where the neighbor girl had disappeared to, and that he had left Homosassa on his own
14:05business. However, when investigators presented him with charges of kidnapping a child and showed him the
14:12evidence found in the trailer, John faltered and revealed the monstrous details of his crime.
14:18The maniac recounted how he had snuck into the house at night, woken the girl, covered her mouth,
14:24and dragged her to his trailer at Dorothy Dixon's place. The criminal made a deal with justice and
14:30agreed to show where Jessica's body was hidden in exchange for the death sentence being dropped.
14:36The prosecutors reluctantly agreed, because otherwise they risked never finding the missing girl
14:42at all. Early in the morning on March 19, 2005, John Cowie, accompanied by a convoy,
14:49led investigators to a wooded area a mile from his sister's trailer. There, in a small clearing,
14:56under a pile of branches and leaves in the ground, a large black garbage bag was buried. Inside it,
15:02Jessica Lunsford's body was found. The girl was wearing the same pajamas she had last been seen in.
15:09Her hands were tied behind her back, and her mouth was taped shut. She was clutching her beloved
15:15stuffed dolphin to her chest, as if trying to take her last reminder of home into eternity.
15:22Jessica looked serene, almost asleep. But the autopsy revealed a terrible truth. The girl had died an
15:29agonizing death from suffocation. Having been buried alive, she had fought for her life until her last
15:35breath, as evidenced by the wounds on her body and broken fingernails. Forensic experts also
15:42established that Jessica had been repeatedly raped before her death. Cowie himself admitted that he
15:48had kidnapped the girl in the middle of the night, waking her up and intimidating her with a knife.
15:54For the next three days, he had kept the child locked in a closet, subjecting her to sexual torture.
15:59Cowie said that he would turn on the TV for Jessica and lift her up so she could watch through the
16:06window as police and volunteers combed the surrounding area in search of her. The sadist
16:11reveled in the fear and helplessness of his little victim, reveling in his own impunity.
16:17When John Cowie realized that the noose was tightening around him, he decided to get rid of the kidnapped
16:22girl. Under the pretext of a trip home to daddy, the criminal made Jessica climb into a garbage bag,
16:30supposedly so as not to get the car dirty. The child obediently followed the order,
16:35taking her favorite toy with her. Cowie took Jessica to the woods, threw the bag into a pre-dug
16:41hole, and covered it with dirt. The girl died an agonizing death over the course of several hours,
16:48believing that she was being taken to her family. Even in the last minutes of her life,
16:53she continued to hope for rescue, but it never came. John Cowie's confession shocked even seasoned
17:00police officers and prosecutors. At the trial, other horrific details came to light. It turned out
17:06that the maniac had begun stalking Jessica several months before the abduction. He would track her down
17:12near the school and church, taking photographs on the sly. Cowie also admitted that he had long been
17:19plotting to kidnap a child, but had not dared to put his plans into action. Jessica became his random
17:26victim in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although what difference did it make to her loved ones,
17:32who had lost the most precious thing in their lives? At the burial site, the police found numerous
17:37clues that irrefutably proved John Cowie's guilt. Samples of hair, fingerprints, and traces of
17:44biological fluids were taken. Under Jessica's fingernails, they found the skin and blood of
17:50the killer. The girl had fought for her life to the end. It would seem that the case could safely be
17:56handed over to the court. However, the investigation encountered an unexpected problem. Cowie's lawyers
18:02stated that their client's initial testimony had been obtained in violation of procedural norms
18:08and therefore could not be considered admissible evidence. Indeed, when John Cowie was detained,
18:15he was not immediately provided with a lawyer, and the interrogation under duress lasted more than 12
18:21hours. During this time, the suspect repeatedly complained of feeling unwell and asked for a defense
18:27attorney to be called. But the investigators ignored his demands, seeking a confession at any cost.
18:34The judge agreed with the defense's arguments and ruled to exclude Cowie's first testimony from the
18:40case file. The prosecution was outraged because the maniac had described his actions in detail,
18:47shown the place where the body was hidden, and even confirmed his words on camera.
18:51But the law is the law. Fortunately for the prosecution, John Cowie's guilt was confirmed
18:58by other irrefutable evidence. These included the results of DNA examinations, the conclusions of
19:05pathologists, and the testimony of witnesses, including the killer's sister and his own mother,
19:11who recognized Jessica's dolphin. The jury did not need much time to reach a verdict.
19:16On March 7, 2007, two years after the tragedy, John Evander Cowie was found guilty on all counts,
19:25including kidnapping, sexual violence, and murder of a child. He was sentenced to the highest measure
19:31of punishment, the death penalty.
19:33In the circuit court of the 11th Judicial Circuit of the State of Florida, N and 4, Miami-Dade County,
19:40change of venue from 5th Circuit, Citrus County, the State of Florida v. John Evander Cowie,
19:46case number 2005, CF-298A, verdict count one. We, the jury, find as follows as to the defendant in this case.
19:56The defendant is guilty of murder in the first degree of as charged in the indictment.
20:02So say we all the 7th day of March, A.D., 2007, at Miami-Dade County, Florida, Pedro Yaguna, four-person.
20:13Verdict count two. We, the jury, find as follows as to the defendant in this case.
20:19The defendant is guilty of burglary of a dwelling with a battery as charged in the indictment.
20:24Verdict count three. We, the jury, find as follows as to the defendant in this case.
20:31The defendant is guilty of kidnapping as charged in the indictment.
20:34So say we all the 7th day of March, A.D., 2007, at Miami-Dade County, the court is guilty of sexual battery
20:43on a child under 12 years of age as charged in the indictment.
20:47So say we all the 7th day of March, A.D., 2007, at Miami-Dade County, the court is guilty of sexual battery on a child under 12 years of age.
20:49And for the murder of Jessica Marie Lunsford, this court sentences you,
20:53John Evander Cooey, to death.
20:55The state of Florida never got the chance to execute Cooey.
20:58He died Wednesday of natural causes at a hospital.
21:02However, even the harshest sentence could not bring Jessica back or heal the wounds of her loved ones.
21:08The Lunsford's divorced, unable to cope with their grief.
21:12Each of them wanted to start a new life as far away from the scene of the tragedy as possible.
21:17But Jessica's father, Mark, channeled all his pain and anger in a different direction.
21:23He began to push for tougher laws aimed at protecting children from sexual violence.
21:28I hope you hear our cries as you try to sleep at night.
21:37I hope you see the tears run down her face when she asked you to go home.
21:43I hope you spend the rest of your life in fear of death.
21:47You will never hurt another child again.
21:49Judge Howard, speaking for myself, for my community, and the nation,
21:56I plead with you to accept the recommendation of the jury for death as presented to you by the jury 10 to 2
22:06In memory of his daughter, Lunsford founded a special fund and established a motorcycle squad called
22:29Jessica's Riders, who travel the country promoting child safety ideas.
22:34Largely thanks to Mark's efforts, in May 2005, a new law was passed in Florida, named after his daughter.
22:42The Jessica Lunsford Act significantly increased the punishment for sexual crimes against children
22:48and expanded the procedure for registering and monitoring convicted p******s after their release from prison.
22:54Subsequently, similar laws were passed in 44 states across America, under the influence of Jessica's tragic story.
23:03The U.S. Congress also approved the Adam Walsh Act, the toughest package of measures in the country's history
23:09to combat violence against children.
23:12Today, any criminal convicted of molesting minors must wear a GPS bracelet for life.
23:18On September 30, 2009, John Cowie died in hospital without having lived to see his death sentence carried out.
23:27According to the official version, the cause was a progressive brain disease.
23:32Many called it belated retribution.
23:34In February 2016, a memorial was solemnly opened in Homosassa in memory of Jessica Lunsford.
23:41Every year, on her birthday, October 6th, hundreds of people gather here to remember the girl and support her family.
23:49Mark Lunsford, who has never taken off his morning clothes for his daughter, also comes.
23:55He still lives in the past, mentally returning to that fateful night.
24:00As a father and a man, Mark considers what happened to be his main failure in life.
24:05I didn't protect Jessica, I didn't safeguard the most precious thing I had.
24:10And this is a cross I will have to bear until the end of my days, he admits.
24:16At the same time, Lunsford continues to fight for the safety of other children,
24:20so that his tragedy will never be repeated.
24:23The death of Jessica Lunsford became one of the most egregious and senseless losses of the 21st century.
24:29An innocent 9-year-old girl paid with her life just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
24:36But Jessica's short life was not in vain.
24:40Her story helped change laws, prevent hundreds of similar tragedies,
24:44and bring the problem of child sexual abuse out of the shadows.
24:48Today, the name of Jessica Lunsford is known throughout America.
24:52And as long as the memory of her life's on, evil has less chance of going unpunished.
24:57Rest in peace, sweet Jessica.
25:01Your smile and your beloved stuffed dolphin will forever remain in our hearts
25:05as a symbol of a stolen childhood and a shattered dream.
25:09And your father's life's work will continue to save other girls and boys from a similar fate.
25:14And perhaps someday we will build a world where there will no longer be a place for monsters with human faces.
25:21I appreciate you making it to the end of my video.
25:24I want to hear your thoughts on this horrific case in the comments.
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