- 18 hours ago
In 2015, Abigail "Abby" Cozad was found dead in a Colorado motel room; years earlier, Abby had suffered a traumatic brain injury in a drunk-driving crash, leaving her vulnerable and overly trusting.
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00:00My boss walked in and he thought it was a mannequin. I moved the sheet a little bit and
00:18I noticed that there was a body. I came out and I responded to the Primrose Motel. I was told
00:25to go to room number one. The room was a mess. It was dirty. The beds were unmade. There was a
00:31trash bag on the floor. There was other empty alcohol bottles. I noticed that she had shrink
00:38wrapped around her legs and it was going up her torso. We had to actually dismantle the couch to
00:45get her out without causing any damage to any of the evidence or anything. It was awful. I've never
00:52seen any human being treated like that. He started smashing her against the dashboard. I thought he
00:59was going to kill us both. I said, I have a bad feeling and I just want you to be safe.
01:06And she got in the car and that was the last time I saw her.
01:22The morning of June 1st, 2015, Adams County Sheriff's Department respond to a body found
01:37in the Primrose Motel in Denver, Colorado.
01:43Being a patrol deputy, it's a blank slate. You imagine you're going to deal with some craziness
01:47throughout your shift, but it's hard to imagine worst case scenarios sometimes.
01:53Preparing yourself and then actually seeing are two completely different things.
01:58Walking in and seeing that type of scene and knowing that that is a human. That is somebody
02:07that we take a vow to protect and sink somebody in that state. It was very, very tragic.
02:15I came out and I responded to the Primrose Motel. We got on scene, got briefed by the deputies
02:22that were there on scene. At that point, I went into room number one.
02:27And I remember the horror of the scene and the gruesome nature of how the body was found.
02:43The room was a mess. It was dirty. The beds were unmade. There was a trash bag on the floor.
02:50There was other empty alcohol bottles. Cushions from inside the couch had been removed.
02:57And one was on the floor and one was on one of the two beds that were in the room.
03:02At first, I was kind of like, where's the body at? Because it was so well concealed.
03:11Investigators finally uncover the young woman's body hidden inside the couch.
03:20The foam part of the cushion had been removed, and that was on the bed. But the covers to those
03:30cushions had been laid on the couch to make it look as if someone were just looking in the window
03:36or looking through the door on first glance, that there was nothing amiss, that the couch was
03:43as it should have been.
03:45You really had to look because they really had concealed her. I think the best way to describe
03:52it would be inhumane. She was just stuffed in there. It was awful. I've never seen any human
03:58being treated like that.
03:59She had a pillowcase over her head that was tied at her neck. And then her hands were bound and her
04:08ankles were bound by a sheet. She had some underwear that were down below her knees. And that was the
04:16only thing she was wearing.
04:21It wasn't a full-size couch, only a love seat. So it only sat two people. You can see that her legs were
04:26curled up most of the way. Her head was kind of bent down a little bit and down inside the couch. We had to
04:32actually dismantle the couch to get her out without causing any damage to any of the evidence or anything.
04:39It's an absolutely gruesome, despicable act.
04:46Investigators speak to the motel manager who had discovered the body.
04:53The manager was doing his usual morning rounds. He came to the room to check and see if they were
05:00going to pay for another night. He said there was a little handwritten note on a piece of paper that
05:07said do not disturb on the door. But he knocked anyway to see if they were going to stay because
05:11check-out time was 10.30. They didn't hear anything. So he then came back again later, knocked, found the
05:21door was unlocked, and he entered inside. The owner came in and was starting to assist
05:28him with cleaning the room. They didn't see the vehicle that they came in any longer. They
05:33didn't see anybody in the room and assumed they just left without checking out.
05:38Boss walked in and he thought it was a mannequin. I moved the sheet a little bit and I noticed
05:46that there was a body. I said it's a female and I told him I was going to call 9-1-1.
05:55Investigators begin to process the scene and collect evidence.
06:01There was a little bit of blood in the bathroom. There was the do not disturb note that was on the
06:06door was taken. There was another one in the room as a matter of fact that said do not disturb.
06:11That one was taken as well. Detectives do not yet know the victim's identity but they catch a break
06:19when they locate her car in the parking lot. It was her vehicle that was there. The registration
06:27was provided to the office and they made a copy of it. That was one piece of the puzzle. One of our
06:33detectives actually took her fingerprints and was able to get a positive hit when he compared the
06:40index finger from her driver's license. Was able to make a positive match for Abigail Cozad.
06:48We were later notified that her father was at his local PD trying to report her as a missing person.
06:54We brought him to the interview room and unfortunately was the one who had to tell him what had happened.
07:00We definitely found Abby and we positively identified her. At that point he was able to provide us with
07:06some information.
07:08This is Claudia.
07:10I'm sorry.
07:11Sarah.
07:12This is Sarah. They're both with the MAP County too with the Sheriff's Office.
07:15And they're here for you.
07:19Okay.
07:20Okay.
07:21Whatever you need.
07:23We would like to ask you some things.
07:26Sure.
07:28And when you're ready to.
07:30Do you know where Abigail was living?
07:32With me.
07:33She was living at home.
07:34When was the last time that you saw her?
07:36Saturday afternoon.
07:37Saturday afternoon.
07:38About what time?
07:42Between 6 and 6.30.
07:43Actually it was Saturday evening.
07:44I had to think about it.
07:45Because I went to Sam's club.
07:46I got home right at 6 and she left just early after that.
07:47Okay.
07:48Did she say where she was going or anything?
07:49Or?
07:50She said she was coming down to Denver.
07:51Was she planning on meeting anybody?
07:52Or?
07:53Yeah.
07:54These guys right here.
07:55She called him Emilio, but he also gave her the name Daniel.
08:13Memorial Weekend, she disappeared also.
08:16For several days.
08:18She disappeared.
08:20I was watching her bank accounts.
08:24And these people had her, they had her debit card.
08:30They were withdrawing money.
08:31They withdrew over $1,000 cash out of her debit, out of her bank account.
08:36You know, I started asking more questions when I started seeing all the money and tried
08:40to advise her that these people probably aren't good.
08:42She told me they were gangbangers.
08:45Told her she probably shouldn't be hanging out with them.
08:48This Danny's girlfriend, or Emilio, she called him Emilio,
08:53apparently grabbed her by the throat and tried to beat her up.
08:57She had bruises on her shoulder.
08:59She had bruises and scrapes all over her knees.
09:01After she told me that, I started, I went through her cell phone.
09:05That's when I wrote these notes this Saturday morning.
09:08I wrote all the phone numbers down and the names.
09:14The screenshots taken by Abigail's father reveal that she had been seeing this man called Emilio for about a month.
09:24What was really important was the identification of this man that she had met a mere 30 days before and in the span of that time had started a relationship with Abby.
09:43As the last person seen with Abigail when she was alive, Emilio becomes a prime suspect in her murder.
09:58Police need to ring him in for questioning as soon as possible.
10:04On June 1st, 2015, the body of 31-year-old Abigail Kozad was found at the Primrose Motel in Denver, Colorado.
10:19Police officers take the statement of the Primrose Motel's maintenance staff.
10:25He claims he saw Abigail arrive at the motel the day before with Theresa Dean and two other people.
10:34I did see Theresa come out of the room and go to the, I call it the trunk, but it's more like a hatchback of the Honda.
10:42Open it up and I looked and I seen a female inside getting out of the trunk.
10:50Okay.
10:51And what was up with this female?
10:55Was anything strange or unusual?
10:57Yeah, it was kind of strange.
10:59First thing I noticed was why was she in the trunk, coming out of the trunk, you know?
11:02And then as she got out of the trunk, I noticed that she had some, I call it saran wrap, but it's more like shrink wrap on her.
11:11And it was like wrapped around her legs and each leg individually and it was going up her torso.
11:19It was like mid-range of her stomach, but it wasn't wrapped real tight.
11:24Okay.
11:25So it was just wrapped around her, each leg individually.
11:27Yeah.
11:28Her legs weren't bound together?
11:29No, no.
11:30Okay.
11:31And then up, and you said it probably up her stomach?
11:33Yeah.
11:34Like mid, middle of her torso.
11:35Yeah.
11:36Did she have clothing on underneath?
11:37Yeah.
11:38She had a pair of jeans on and the shrink wrap was really, it wasn't tight.
11:43It was kind of loose and her pants were unzipped and unbuttoned.
11:47Then, you know, upon her getting out of the trunk, she stood up and, you know, and I asked, she looked like she was either intoxicated or high.
11:57And I asked her if she was okay.
11:58And she did speak to me and she said she was fine.
12:02Okay.
12:03Did she look like she was scared?
12:06Looked like she-
12:07Yeah, she looked like she was scared and, but it was like, she was scared, but it looked like she was also under the influence.
12:14So, you know, that's why I asked her if she was okay.
12:17Cause I noticed the shrink wrap was on her and I didn't want, you know, I didn't know what was going on.
12:23But she did walk inside the room.
12:30Did she seem like she was being pushed in the room or?
12:34No, she walked under her own power right beside Teresa.
12:37They walked together in the room.
12:39So, seeing someone like that really didn't surprise you?
12:42It really didn't.
12:43It didn't surprise me because I've known Teresa to do weird stuff with people, you know.
12:48What do you mean by weird stuff?
12:50Either, you know, come dressed up in a costume or something or, or have, you know, guys over and do role playing and stuff with them and stuff like that.
13:01You know, I, I just know that she does weird stuff, you know.
13:07He just kind of wrote it off as another day at the Primrose.
13:10It's very typical of that area.
13:12So, is this just not something else you thought was just not a weird thing?
13:16Yeah, that she was just doing, you know.
13:18Cause I didn't know that she would go that far with somebody, you know.
13:24Detectives now have the difficult task of notifying the rest of Abigail's family.
13:30I had a knock on my door and I was met by, um, a Tualatin police officer and a minister letting me know that my daughter had been murdered.
13:45They couldn't share much.
13:48All they told me was that they had found her body in a hotel and it was most definitely a homicide.
13:57They actually stayed with me at that house for a couple hours, which I really appreciated at that time.
14:05That was a lot of information to take in.
14:10Abby was a bright, intelligent, fun-loving young lady, beautiful young lady with a great future ahead of her.
14:26It's hard to imagine that somebody would want to take her life.
14:32And you're trying to process that.
14:40Oh my God! That is so exciting!
14:49Abby was my older sister. She was four years older than I am.
14:53Abby was very protective of me.
14:55Being my older sister, she liked to pick on me, but nobody else could pick on me.
15:00She was just a very loving, caring older sister.
15:05Abigail's life changed dramatically at 16 years old.
15:10She was a junior in high school and this was the Christmas break.
15:14She had gone out with some friends and they were hanging out.
15:18And when they were on their way back home, there was a car accident.
15:24They hit a drunk driver.
15:26We got that call in the middle of the night that every parent doesn't want to get.
15:30And that is that we have a young female in our hospital.
15:35We have reason to believe it's your daughter and you need to come quick.
15:39They told us that she had had a brain injury.
15:42She was in a coma for about four weeks.
15:49Abby defied expectations daily.
15:52I remember visiting her in the rehabilitation hospital and seeing her sit up on her own for the first time.
16:01I remember hearing her speak by name for the first time.
16:05She learned to walk again.
16:08She had a long journey, but she never gave up.
16:11She fought hard.
16:14She was part of that vulnerable population because no matter how much progress she made,
16:19you could tell she still had a brain injury, but she was determined to become as normal as possible.
16:25After a breakup with her boyfriend, Abigail is brought to counseling where she meets the man who goes by Emilio.
16:35We had gotten Abby into counseling through her primary care provider.
16:42That agency also specializes in individuals who are court ordered for treatment.
16:48And so now you have a vulnerable person who is obviously vulnerable just by looking at her,
16:54talking to her is now put in with individuals that capitalize on others that are vulnerable.
17:02She became a prime target for them.
17:05A month after they meet, Emilio invites Abigail on a double date.
17:10Her father is concerned for her well-being.
17:14There just was things that she was talking about where they were living and what they were doing
17:19and why they were, you know, kind of just hearing their stories.
17:22It was about six o'clock that evening, that Saturday evening.
17:26And I walked with her out to her car and I gave her a big hug in the driveway.
17:30And I told her, I said, Abby, I said, I really wish you weren't going on this, but I'm not going to stop you.
17:36But I said, I have a bad feeling and I just want you to be safe.
17:41And if anything feels wrong about this at all, please just leave and come home.
17:46And she said, don't worry, Dad, I will. I promise you I will.
17:52And she got in the car and that was the last time I saw her.
17:56Detectives continue their investigation by retrieving the details of the motel booking.
18:10The one who rented the room was Theresa Dean.
18:13She actually rented the room in her name, had her home address on it.
18:17The owner of the motel knew her there.
18:20The male that was with them, they did not know him.
18:23They didn't recognize him at all.
18:25There's another woman that was there with them.
18:28They identified her as at first Lori or Star.
18:32We later found out what her real name was.
18:36The staff at the Primrose Motel identified the other woman as Laura Ortega.
18:43Police need to figure out a way to compel Ortega to talk about what happened inside motel room one.
18:53Well, you were in the car when they pulled into the Primrose, correct?
18:56Mm-hmm.
18:57Okay.
18:58So she gets out of the back trunk.
19:00You had no, you did not see her get out of that trunk area.
19:03No.
19:04Okay.
19:05You guys are drinking, doing your thing.
19:08And at one point, things obviously went bad.
19:12Mm-hmm.
19:13So how did things, how did it escalate into the attack onto this girl?
19:20The love part and the talking sh**.
19:23I want you to go into detail on that, please.
19:25Okay.
19:26Um, don't you love me, babe.
19:29Who said that?
19:30The girl was on the couch.
19:32And, uh, you f**king dumb b**ch came out of his mouth.
19:37And then Teresa looked behind and she slammed the thing on the table.
19:44And the girl had got up and that Teresa pushed her into the bathroom and then he came behind.
19:52And I heard boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
19:55Well, first he socked her.
19:56Yeah.
19:57Once there, once there.
19:58In the eyes?
19:59Yeah.
20:00Like right in this area.
20:03And then I seen the hair get pulled and I go, oh no, I am watching nobody get beat up.
20:08This is not for me.
20:09I go, I'm leaving guys.
20:10I don't know if they're both beating her up or what.
20:12I'm pretty sure because Teresa, she's, she's a little tired.
20:16And that's why I told you exactly what I remember.
20:19Okay.
20:20She pushed her first and then he took it over.
20:23But they stayed in there together.
20:25They didn't come out.
20:26Okay.
20:27And once they went into the bathroom, what, what assaults did you see take place in the bathroom?
20:33They shut the door.
20:34I just heard the screaming and don't hurt me.
20:37Don't hit me.
20:38I used to go through that.
20:39I go, I can't watch this though.
20:41I'm going, Teresa.
20:43They didn't come out.
20:44They didn't say goodbye.
20:45Nothing.
20:46They kept in there doing, beating her up.
20:48So what would you say your main reason for not calling the police for help?
20:52None of my business.
20:54You don't think a woman being beaten and assaulted in a bathroom is any of your business?
20:58No, it's not.
20:59It wasn't me, thank God.
21:01I used to get beat up in a bathroom.
21:03No one called help for me.
21:05I know better now.
21:07Anytime I hear something like that, I'll just call the cops.
21:12According to the police, Laura Ortega was initially charged with first degree murder.
21:17However, since she was not present during Abigail's murder, the charges against her have been dropped and she is free to leave.
21:26Now, investigators must track down Teresa Dean.
21:30We tried whatever phone number we had for her.
21:33We went, we had detectives go to her, to her house that she had on the registration card for the motel, which was actually her mom's house.
21:41Wasn't there.
21:42She didn't live there.
21:43She was, mom really didn't know where she was living.
21:46If not, she was homeless, just bouncing around.
21:49We were really trying to find her in as many locations as we could, whatever contacts we had.
21:58While detectives attempt to locate Teresa Dean, they also investigate the full identity of the man known as Emilio.
22:05She had met this guy that Mr. Kozad only knew as either Emilio or Danny or something like that was in her phone.
22:17With Mr. Kozad's help, we were able to get access to the bank account that she had because he was on that bank account.
22:24And it showed several transactions that were also that we were able to follow up on.
22:29One of the things that really stuck out was a storage rental unit.
22:35Mr. Kozad brought that to our attention.
22:37And so that was looked into a name and phone number we got from there.
22:42The phone number matched what Mr. Kozad had given us.
22:45The name we got was Emiliano Uriasti.
22:48Through statements from Laura Ortega and other witnesses, detectives learned more about the relationship between Abigail and Emiliano.
23:00And how Teresa became involved with them both.
23:03Abby was very trusting.
23:06One of the things with her brain injury is she was just very, very trusting.
23:10To a fault.
23:11The desire for friends and friendship and companionship.
23:15Abby really wanted to have a normal life.
23:20In the time period from Memorial Day, May 26th until May 31st,
23:27she had withdrawn and spent, or it had been withdrawn and spent from her account, over $4,000.
23:34From what we knew, that was not Abby's pattern of spending.
23:39Emiliano and Teresa used Abby's credit cards
23:44credit cards and money and bank cards right away.
23:54They were taking advantage of Abby from moment one.
23:58They were using her car.
24:00They traveled with her car to the motel.
24:03They had put Abby in the trunk of her own car.
24:07Wrapped in plastic.
24:09These two suspects were depraved individuals who preyed on a vulnerable young woman.
24:19As we were going through all the financial records and everything, we found the transaction that was done on the 31st.
24:29And it was done at the Walmart up in Thornton.
24:33We had detectives go out there and get security footage of the parking lot and the register and throughout the store of that time.
24:40And we were able to show both Teresa Dean and Emiliano Uriasti in the store at that time in making the purchases.
24:52They bought cleaning supplies and lighter fluid.
25:04And it's always been kind of a creepy thing to think about that we were standing right at that hotel in Emiliano.
25:10And Teresa Dean drove right by us, saw all the police there and said, OK, obviously, our plan's up.
25:17Detectives investigating the murder of Abigail Cozad at the Primrose Motel still have no leads as to the whereabouts of their two prime suspects, Emiliano Uriasti and Teresa Dean.
25:37When they suddenly get an unexpected call on June 12th.
25:42We had gotten the phone call that Emiliano was going to turn himself in and his father was going to pick him up and bring him to us.
25:50His father on the limousine service.
25:52He got into his limo that morning.
25:55We had undercover officers follow him, drove around, picked up another male and then went to his grandmother's house where Emiliano came out, got into the limo.
26:06And they drove up to the jail.
26:09He was wearing a suit.
26:11Kind of had a look on his face of arrogance at the time as well.
26:17It was disturbing.
26:19That was a first in my career at that point.
26:22I still haven't seen it since.
26:23He gets out and never forget him putting on his sport coat like he's a celebrity at the Oscars or something.
26:29And just that arrogant walk.
26:32He wasn't turning himself in for murder.
26:35Worst human being I had ever met.
26:38The gentleman that actually was with him said that he was his lawyer and that Emiliano would not be making any statements and that we were not to talk to him.
26:46There's a lot of times people will tell us they don't want to talk to us, especially when turning themselves in with a lawyer.
26:52Teresa Dean is located the very next day on June 13th.
26:59Her stepmother actually had contacted us and said that she had just spoken with her on the phone.
27:06She was down at a rehab center in Denver.
27:09And so one of our sergeants took her into custody.
27:16And I guess we can just, you know, get to it.
27:19The reason here that we're here tonight is because we're investigating a homicide that occurred in Adams County.
27:28Okay.
27:29Okay.
27:30Um, and...
27:32So, hold on.
27:33Before we go any further, am I under arrest?
27:37We are going to be talking about some things.
27:41Okay.
27:42And, but I want to make sure that...
27:44Well, that sounds like an extremely big issue.
27:48Okay.
27:49So, well, I mean, when you hear homicide, you're...
27:53Like, I don't know anything, honestly, about anybody getting murdered or anything to do with that.
28:02So, with all due respect, sir, I want a lawyer.
28:09She was denying everything, but too much.
28:13The stories would change a little bit here and there.
28:16And then she was always very, very adamant that she didn't do anything wrong.
28:21So, Theresa, when you were in the hallway, you...
28:24Oh, sorry.
28:25When you were in the hallway, you mentioned that you...
28:28You now want to speak with us.
28:30Well, I'd like to know exactly what's going on, if I'm going to be accused of things like that.
28:34Because I have nothing to do with no murder.
28:39And why would I honestly be arrested for first-degree murder if I didn't have nothing to do with it?
28:47Or even know anything about a murder?
28:51I didn't have nothing to do with nobody getting hurt, man.
29:01I understand.
29:02Yeah, I never put a hand on that little girl.
29:04I didn't.
29:05Okay.
29:06What happened with Emiliano and Happy?
29:09What you said...
29:10He f***ing wigged out.
29:12He wigged out.
29:13He started f***ing smashing her against the f***ing...
29:16Against the dashboard.
29:17He started f***ing...
29:18He was going to throw her out of the f***ing car.
29:21You know, he was telling her to jump, jump, jump, jump, jump.
29:24You know?
29:25Like, he f***ed.
29:29I thought he was going to f***ing kill his boat.
29:32And, you know, like, I wasn't in a complex.
29:36You've got to understand that.
29:37Like, I didn't even...
29:38I've never met this chick in my life.
29:41Where were you in the car?
29:42I was in the back of the car.
29:43The back seat?
29:44Yes.
29:45Okay.
29:46Were you behind the driver's seat or the passenger seat?
29:49I was behind the passenger seat.
29:52Okay.
29:53And who was driving?
29:54Emiliano Woods.
29:55Emiliano Woods?
29:56Okay.
29:57Honestly, if I had an involvement with somebody honestly getting f***ing hurt,
30:01would I put my name on a f***ing hotel and grab the registration?
30:07I know he pulled out some money.
30:09I don't know if it was her money or his money or where,
30:12but I know he pulled out some money.
30:14That's what we used to get the hotel room.
30:18You know?
30:20Yeah, I did help her out of the trunk.
30:22Why?
30:23Because I didn't want to f***ing hurt, man.
30:26You know?
30:27I did.
30:29And then, you know, she was supposed to take a shower or take a bath.
30:35I went in there and checked on her real quick.
30:38Came out.
30:39Emiliano went in there and was alone with her.
30:44You know?
30:45Me and Laura left.
30:48Came back and she wasn't there anymore.
30:50During part of the interviews that we did,
30:55Laura, again, was interviewed.
30:59Of course.
31:00Okay.
31:01And she said that, again, she saw things happen.
31:04She saw what Emilio, some things Emilio did.
31:07She also claims that she saw you doing things as well.
31:11Like what?
31:12That you also assaulted her.
31:14That you grabbed onto her hair and you pulled her.
31:20That I didn't grab on there.
31:21I didn't.
31:22Why would she say that?
31:23Grab onto her hair and pulled her.
31:26Why would she say that?
31:29I don't know.
31:30I don't know.
31:33And Theresa, I'm going to tell you, okay?
31:35Yes?
31:36If you had to do something, you were there with him.
31:39I understand that he's a very intimidating person.
31:42You were very, very scared.
31:45But that's something that we're going to know.
31:47Okay?
31:49So, we need to know exactly what went on
31:52because we're going to see it forensically when we look into this.
31:55Okay?
31:56If you had to do something at the beginning,
31:59and then get out of there as quick as you can,
32:01I understand that.
32:05Well, he went ahead and, you know, he .
32:08I got to grab her and make her go to the bathroom.
32:11You know?
32:12Take a shower.
32:13Take a bath.
32:14But I don't, you know, like, he was .
32:19He said, I've never dealt with nobody like that in my life.
32:23Why did you have to grab her before you left her?
32:26Because she wouldn't move.
32:29You know?
32:30She needed to be cleaned up.
32:31She was .
32:32She was .
32:35He was going to sit there and hurt her even more.
32:39Abigail Cozad had gone out for a double date with Emiliano Uriaste, Teresa Dean, and another man.
32:58Detectives were able to piece together what occurred in the car by interviewing the second man that attended the double date.
33:05He had talked about that double date, and they were just treating her horribly.
33:11And then at another point, he had described Teresa Dean pulling her hair, pulling Abby's hair and smacking her repeatedly.
33:17They were trying to pressure her to get a motel room.
33:20They were trying to pressure her to get a motel room.
33:23Abby didn't feel comfortable with that.
33:24She just wanted to go home.
33:26Teresa started hitting Abby saying, hey, don't disrespect your man like that.
33:30You know, don't talk back to him.
33:31You know, you should do what he says.
33:33The male that went with him said he didn't feel comfortable, and so he just wanted to go home.
33:40And so he asked them to drop him off at home, so they drove him home and dropped him off.
33:45The only people remaining in the car are Abigail, Teresa Dean, and Emiliano Uriaste.
33:55At this point, that's when Emiliano starts yelling and screaming at Abby.
34:01They're driving around. He's speeding around.
34:04He, at one point, grabs her, hits her head into the dashboard of the vehicle,
34:08and is trying to get her to jump out of the car and tries pushing her out,
34:13but she's thankfully wearing her seatbelt, and he can't get her out.
34:17Then they got off at one of the exits, pulled off the road.
34:21Emiliano told Teresa and Abby to get out of the car.
34:24Teresa got out. Emiliano was already out.
34:28They had both closed the doors.
34:29Abby locked the doors.
34:31They couldn't get in the car.
34:32She managed to be able to get over to the driver's seat.
34:35Emiliano had then punched and broken the driver's side window,
34:39and he was able to get the door open and get Abby out of the car,
34:43at which time he was wrestling around with her,
34:46put her into a chokehold, and knocked her unconscious.
34:48So when they were, when you guys were in the car,
34:51and he's hitting her head against the...
34:53He stopped off, and he dragged her outside,
34:54and he started wrapping her up in plastic,
34:56and he put her in the trunk, and then...
34:58Understood.
34:59And then he was, you know, like he broke out of, you know,
35:11I was like, no, you know, we gotta get a, you know,
35:14let her go, man.
35:15And I was like, come on, dude.
35:17It had taken a long time for her to finally tell the truth
35:20about what she had seen.
35:22And she had information that matched the autopsy.
35:25She talked about Emiliano punching Abby in the face,
35:30right in the eyes, and described in detail
35:33how he was hitting her in the eyes.
35:35And during that autopsy, that matched her story very much,
35:38because Abby's eyes were just destroyed.
35:45She was bruised from the top of her head,
35:48literally the top of her head,
35:50all the way down to her feet.
35:54I'm gonna pause for just a second, okay?
35:58Hey.
36:01Take it tight.
36:02Be right back.
36:03Hey, sir.
36:18You just stand up for me and turn around.
36:23You're actually being placed under arrest.
36:27Okay.
36:28The first degree murder.
36:30What?
36:31Are you serious?
36:33I would never lie about something like that.
36:35That's a very serious charge.
36:38That's what you're being arrested for.
36:40That's absolutely ridiculous.
36:42For I've never had nothing to do with no murder.
36:46Teresa Dean is charged with first degree murder and robbery.
36:51She pleads guilty and is offered a plea deal of 32 years in prison
36:56in exchange for her testimony against Emiliano Uriaste.
37:01Does Teresa Dean deserve anything other than life without parole?
37:05Absolutely not.
37:07Do the families deserve more? Sure.
37:10I think it was a necessary thing we had to do strategically to ensure that Emiliano Uriaste,
37:18who was a very violent, evil sociopath, went away.
37:23And I'm not in any way saying that any of us feel great about that,
37:28but I certainly support the decision.
37:30It just had to be done that way.
37:32I felt she was just as guilty and I wanted her to have the same fate.
37:38I wanted her to face a jury, but I also understood how the system works.
37:47And, you know, I agreed to the plea deal.
37:53Abigail's family must wait a year for Emiliano Uriaste's trial to start,
38:00to see if there will be any justice for her murder.
38:07The trial of Emiliano Uriaste takes place in June 2016,
38:12one year after Abigail Kozad's murder.
38:16It was just as if it was another day for him.
38:20It was just another day.
38:21I'll be out of here, was the look on his face.
38:25I remember a very distinct moment.
38:28I don't know why this sticks out with me,
38:30where he asked the court deputy for more water
38:33and he just kind of tapped on his glass like,
38:37service please.
38:38It was just that arrogance he always had.
38:41When I saw Emiliano, I was angry.
38:48I wanted to beat him up.
38:51How can you have the entitlement to take somebody else's life?
38:58It just made me really mad to see him.
39:02There was no remorse from Emiliano.
39:05He smiled through the entire trial.
39:11I didn't see him take any accountability whatsoever.
39:16Teresa Dean testifies against Emiliano Uriaste.
39:22I saw a person that was basically self-preservation.
39:26You know, she was very manipulative.
39:28It was obvious.
39:30I think she was saving her own skin.
39:33She knew what she did.
39:35I don't think you can ever adequately prepare a family for what they're going to see and what they are going to hear.
39:45I had talked to the family and I said, I'm going to show pictures of Abby.
39:50And I don't want you to see those pictures.
39:52Because once you see them, you will never get them out of your head.
39:55And I wanted them to remember the beautiful Abby that they knew.
40:05And so I told them I would turn to them and I would put my hand down.
40:09And I just wanted them to not look at the pictures and then scream.
40:15And I remember during my closing argument, I turned to them.
40:19And I slowly put my hand down and they were all staring directly at me.
40:24They were with rapt attention.
40:25And in unison, they all bowed their heads almost as if in prayer.
40:31It was just such a solemn and intense moment.
40:39The jury is sent out for deliberation.
40:42I'm always nervous when it goes back to a jury.
40:45There's always that, what if I missed something?
40:47What if they missed something?
40:49What if they see it differently than we do as far as how we put the case together and how we presented it?
40:53It doesn't take long for the jury to reach a verdict.
40:58Emiliano was convicted of first-degree murder.
41:01He was sentenced to life in prison.
41:04Guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of felony murder, guilty of robbery, guilty of motor vehicle theft.
41:11I felt that we had done a good job for Abby and done a good job for her family.
41:15I anticipated that maybe I would feel like some kind of a closure or justice had been served.
41:26And I think in the lies of the law, justice had been served.
41:30I don't know that the justice will ever be enough for me as a mother.
41:43Because you can never put closure to what happened to your child and the brutality.
41:48I would like the world to know that my sister was an amazing, smart, beautiful person that cared a lot about the people in the world.
42:06And I think we could all learn something from that.
42:12Just her giggle.
42:14Her presence.
42:16She was beautiful.
42:18She was just an awesome young woman.
42:21We recently created an endowment in Abby's name.
42:25There's all kinds of help for people with mental health disorders, chemical imbalances, things like that.
42:30But brain injuries are completely different.
42:32And finding help for that, we found just was so hard.
42:36So we created Abby Cozad Memorial Endowment to help people with brain injuries, to help them find services, provide funds if they needed just medical equipment or whatever.
42:51And, you know, Abby can help people that were in her situation from here on out.
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