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Terra.Anatolia
  • 8 hours ago
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00:00In the arms of a much older man.
00:02I felt like he was the love of my life.
00:04I like that.
00:05But when playing house gets to be too much for her,
00:08this young bride goes off the deep end.
00:11I told her, I'm tired of you messing up.
00:15I didn't want to hear his mouth anymore.
00:17You think you are ever going to leave me?
00:20Till death do us part takes on a whole new meaning.
00:24She sees no alternatives, no options.
00:27It was either me wound up taking my life or taking his.
00:34Not all fairy tales have happy endings.
00:40When love goes wrong, a woman can do the unthinkable.
00:50It's a chilly December night in 2003 in Farmville, North Carolina.
00:56Nineteen-year-old single mom, Sarah Saunders,
00:59is out partying with her pals.
01:02Sarah and her four-year-old daughter, Kayla,
01:04live with Sarah's mother in a tiny apartment.
01:07One more, because you're loving it so much.
01:09A night of clubbing helps Sarah shake off the demands
01:12of teenage motherhood.
01:15I was one of those stubborn teenagers
01:17at one point where I didn't want to listen to mama.
01:19I wanted to make my own mistakes and live from them.
01:25Sarah?
01:28Sarah?
01:29Kayla needs her breakfast.
01:30I've got to go to work.
01:32Sarah?
01:33Now.
01:35The next morning, hungover and tired,
01:37Sarah takes a hard look at her life.
01:41She knows she can't keep partying while raising a child.
01:45She makes a pledge to herself to become a responsible parent.
01:50And what better way to achieve that than to snag a husband?
01:54I thought about all the past relationships,
01:56and I was like, you know, well, I've been going after looks.
01:59People around my age, well, maybe I
02:01need to look for something different.
02:05Sarah wastes no time hunting down Mr. Right.
02:09They're like, no babes here tonight.
02:14What about the bouncer?
02:16Have a good night.
02:17One night at a local pool hall,
02:19she lays eyes on 33-year-old Tommy Shackleford
02:23and turns on the flirt.
02:26Hi.
02:27Hey.
02:27I'm Sarah.
02:28Tommy.
02:29Tommy, nice to meet you.
02:31Yeah, she was the one that approached me.
02:33She said, if I like you, can we go out, can we date?
02:37And I agreed, and that's how it started.
02:41He wasn't the best looking man in the world,
02:43but he was by catching.
02:44Oh, I like that.
02:48Get a smile on me.
02:51Every time he walked around and saw me, he would smile.
02:55I would smile back.
02:57She seemed so sweet, innocent.
02:59She was beautiful to me.
03:02I can't believe I've never seen you around.
03:04For the past 11 years, Tommy's had a steady job
03:07as a corrections officer at a nearby prison.
03:11He also works as a bouncer on the weekends for extra cash.
03:15To Sarah, he looks like prime husband material.
03:19The way he talked, it was like he had it all there.
03:23You know, his ducks in a row.
03:25Morning, rings?
03:26You know it.
03:27Me too.
03:28But to Sarah's mom, Tommy's age is an issue.
03:31He's 13 years older than Sarah.
03:34I didn't like it that he was so much older,
03:37but maybe it'll be good for her, you know,
03:39to have somebody that's at least decent.
03:42Should we get out of here?
03:43Yeah.
03:43Let's get out of here.
03:44Got a good job.
03:45And maybe she can be happy with somebody older.
03:50Dr. Casey Jordan studies criminal behavior.
03:52By the time she's 19, Sarah is at a crossroads.
03:57She's a high school dropout without a real job
03:59and basically no impending future to look forward to.
04:03So when she meets Tommy, he's a real adult.
04:06This gives her a newfound hope.
04:10Over the next few months, their romance blooms.
04:13Hi.
04:14Tommy fawns over Sarah.
04:17He fills a void that's been missing all her life.
04:22Did you have any relationship with your father
04:25in your early childhood years?
04:26I did.
04:28It was kind of when he picked and choose them.
04:30I actually even called myself a daddy's girl
04:34because I just, I don't know, I loved his attention.
04:39And then it just started backing off.
04:43As a young teen, Sarah replaces her father
04:46with any guy she can attract.
04:49She doesn't have to try too hard.
04:51When all eyes were on her, she felt a sense of satisfaction.
04:56She didn't feel in any other area of her life.
04:58And it would lead to a chronic behavior
05:01that was always looking for attention.
05:04I even liked if they told me what to do
05:07because it made me feel like I had some sort of man figure in my life.
05:11I haven't been feeling too good.
05:16And?
05:18At 15, Sarah winds up pregnant by a guy who has no interest in being a dad.
05:24I'm not getting an abortion.
05:25Then you're on your own.
05:27I really want ready to have a child.
05:32And I don't believe in abortions.
05:37Sarah struggles with the burden of being a teen mom.
05:41Where the hell have you been?
05:42Sarah had a child very young and decided she wanted to be a teenager and not a mom.
05:48So I told her it's not a part-time position.
05:53Sarah's mom takes custody of baby Kayla.
05:56Two years later, Sarah gets pregnant again by a different guy.
06:03This time, she asks her sister to adopt the baby.
06:08After having the second child and making the very wise decision
06:12to give that boy up for adoption to her sister,
06:15she seemed to be on the right path.
06:18Now at 19, Sarah's found a real man in Tommy
06:22who showers her with gifts and affection.
06:26We were going to go out to a lake.
06:28And we were just going to relax and drink some champagne and listen to the radio.
06:34And a rainstorm come up.
06:37And my favorite song is The Dance by Garth Brooks.
06:40Well, I had that CD in my truck, so it was raining.
06:43And I put in a song, stopped at a stop sign.
06:45And I walked around, got her out of the truck.
06:47And we danced in the middle of the road.
06:55And she just thought that was the best thing.
06:57He's a man and he has a job and an income.
07:00And she is a girl with no future.
07:03He likes the idea that he can rescue her.
07:05And it actually makes him extremely proud to do things for her,
07:09which elevate her to his standards.
07:12Eight months into the relationship, Sarah discovers she's pregnant yet again.
07:18But this time, it's different.
07:21Tommy is fired up by the news of the baby.
07:25The couple move in together and create their dream home.
07:29They complete their family portrait by having Sarah's daughter, Kayla,
07:32and Tommy's nine-year-old daughter, Amy, stay with them on weekends.
07:36What do you think?
07:37I love it.
07:38Feeling like her life is finally coming together,
07:42Sarah's in heaven.
07:43I want to put plants all on me.
07:45I ate it up.
07:46I loved it.
07:47I did.
07:48And in a way, I was actually scared, you know, because I weren't used to it.
07:53And I didn't know how to take it, but I didn't want it to go nowhere.
07:57Almost too good to be true.
07:59Very much so.
08:00I even said that quite a few times.
08:02I said that.
08:02You're so nice.
08:05Sure enough, it doesn't take long for Sarah's bubble to burst.
08:09Coming up, Sarah discovers something sinister about Tommy's past
08:16that could destroy her perfect new family.
08:19What is he doing in that photo with her?
08:2820-year-old single mom, Sarah Saunders, thinks 33-year-old Tommy Shackelford is the man of her dreams.
08:44Eight months after meeting, she's pregnant and moving in.
08:49It's the start of what she thinks is her happily ever after.
08:55But just two weeks later, while visiting family in Virginia, Sarah makes a shocking discovery.
09:02Tommy has been hiding some disturbing details about his past.
09:06Mama, that's Tommy.
09:07I was at a family member's house going through pictures, and I came across a picture of Tommy
09:15and one of my aunts.
09:17Sarah's mom, Amelia, hasn't met Tommy yet, but she recognizes the man in the photo.
09:23What is he doing in that photo with her?
09:25The picture we were looking at was her daddy's sister.
09:30But I'm like, oh my gosh, Sarah, that is your aunt's ex-husband.
09:37Well, that's your aunt Kathleen, her ex.
09:40Sarah's stunned to find out that Tommy was married to her aunt.
09:45Even worse, Amelia tells her that Tommy has been married three times
09:49and is known for being a womanizer.
09:52They warned me, trying to tell me that he was a very controlling man.
09:57Her? She's so gross.
10:02When she gets back to North Carolina, Sarah calls Tommy out on his secrets.
10:07When I was back there, I found this.
10:13That's my ex-wife.
10:14That's my aunt Kathleen.
10:16After I confronted him, he said, I thought I recognized you.
10:20Like, I don't know if he really didn't know or if he just tried to play it off.
10:26But it was kind of crazy.
10:27Now, with Tommy's past out in the open, Sarah wants him out of her life.
10:33Like this, I'm going to be at my mother's.
10:36Tommy is heartbroken, but he's determined to win her back.
10:40The more we talked and the more he convinced me that it shouldn't matter.
10:54I actually thought for some reason I would be the one to kind of straighten up Tommy.
11:13To Sarah, it was her naivete blinding her from the signs that this man is being covert and secretive
11:26and keeping very important information that other girls would like to know before they
11:31go whole hog into a relationship.
11:34Sarah moves back in and the couple return to setting up house, eagerly awaiting the arrival of their baby.
11:41Do you want some hell?
11:44Sarah fantasizes that it'll be the happiest time of her life.
11:48Were you thinking he could be a good dad?
11:50It seems a little wobbly.
11:52I did.
11:53I really did.
11:54Okay.
11:55Thank you, baby.
11:58Oh, you can feel it.
11:59Is it kicking?
12:00Yes.
12:01For the first time in her life, Sarah feels ready to be a mom.
12:06And in April 2005, she gives birth to a healthy baby boy they named Mason.
12:13But instead of the joy she expected,
12:18she feels drained and depressed.
12:20She can barely get out of bed, let alone care for the baby.
12:28After I had my son, I had the postpartum depression.
12:33Yeah.
12:33A psychiatrist prescribes medication to help her cope with her symptoms.
12:38I was on anxiety medicine.
12:42When I was sad, it would put me in a little bit of a better mood.
12:46But when Sarah starts popping pills several times a day, she quickly gets addicted.
12:51I found out that it helped numb emotional pain also.
12:56I got addicted really bad.
13:00Sarah tries to hide her addiction from Tommy, but pretty soon he catches on.
13:05She couldn't function properly.
13:09There was just things that she did, like she stumbled, almost fell with our son.
13:16And that's when I drew the line.
13:20Tommy confides in Sarah's mom, and together they stage an intervention.
13:25Hi, Mama.
13:27What are you doing here?
13:29There should be about 40 pills in here.
13:33And there ain't.
13:33I had dropped a lot of them, and I had to throw them out so I couldn't.
13:40Then we know what's going on.
13:41He gave them to me to help me help the baby.
13:45We need to get some help before Mason's coming to stay with me.
13:49What?
13:49Yeah.
13:50Yeah.
13:51It's a tough ultimatum.
13:52What do you want me to do?
13:54We want you to get some help.
13:56When Sarah finds herself dependent on drugs following the birth of her son, it's Tommy who orchestrates
14:03an intervention and tells her she needs to clean up her act.
14:07And she understands that he has her best interests in mind, but this leaves her feeling disempowered
14:12and perhaps in his debt.
14:14Let go of this crap.
14:16You don't need it.
14:17I wanted me and her to make it.
14:19And for us to make it, she couldn't be addicted to pills.
14:24She had to be able to be a good mother and a wife.
14:26Finally, Sarah relents and agrees to get help.
14:37For the next three years, she manages to stay clean and focused on being a good mom.
14:45It seems like Sarah and Tommy are back on track.
14:48And in November 2008, after five years together, Tommy decides he wants to make their relationship legit.
14:56Will you marry me, Sarah?
14:57Yes, yes, yes.
15:11Just three months after Tommy proposes, the couple ties the knot.
15:16They seemed very happy and content and ready to make a life together.
15:23I was okay with welcoming him as a son-in-law, you know, and being married to her.
15:30At first, the newlyweds seem happy and in love.
15:34But what Tommy doesn't know is that his new wife is harboring a secret that could crush their marriage.
15:42Sarah's drug habit is back.
15:44She's secretly seeing psychiatrists and getting multiple prescriptions for depression, anxiety,
15:51and attention deficit disorder.
15:54Before long, she lapses back into hardcore addiction.
15:57She was addicted to pills, and I didn't see it the second go around because I wouldn't tolerate it, and she knew that.
16:09Sarah's addiction consumes her, and she begins to unravel.
16:14To make matters worse, money is tight, even with Tommy working full-time.
16:19It went downhill. Our bills started getting behind.
16:24Tommy tells Sarah she needs to get a job to make ends meet.
16:28But the drugs make it impossible to hold on to steady work.
16:32Tommy reaches his breaking point.
16:35Seriously?
16:36What the hell, Sarah?
16:38You're just sitting around watching TV all day, huh?
16:41Kick your feet up.
16:43She wouldn't keep a job long, and it got frustrating. We still made it, but it got frustrating.
16:50You need to get out and get a job. A real job. Or you're just going to walk away from me, huh?
16:58Sarah, come back here. Sarah, come back here.
17:02The financial strain takes yet another toll on the couple's fragile relationship.
17:07Sarah, open the door.
17:09According to Sarah, each fight with Tommy leaves another emotional scar.
17:15He would say things to tear you down.
17:17Yeah. And then actually, he acted like he got off on it.
17:23At this stage in their marriage, Tommy and Sarah had racked up quite a bit of debt.
17:27And so he started to actually displace the blame onto Sarah. After all, if she had a full-time job,
17:34they wouldn't be in this terrible conundrum.
17:36Sarah accepts all of this blame and tries to figure out a way that she can, again,
17:42elevate herself to a position where Tommy will love her and stop berating her for being a failure.
17:48With her mother's help, Sarah gets odd jobs cleaning houses.
17:52I just wanted a little peace.
17:54No worrying about bills. No worrying about having to ask my mama for money.
17:58But her meager pay can't make a dent in their debt.
18:03She's now so desperate, she's about to cross a line she's never crossed before.
18:10Coming up, to what lengths is this young wife willing to go to end her nightmare?
18:15I was like, if he would just sleep, I wouldn't have to hear his mouth.
18:19Tommy and Sarah Shackelford's two-year marriage is suffering, thanks to a mountain of debt and Sarah's secret drug addiction.
18:41Sarah's habit makes it impossible to hold down a good-paying job.
18:46The best she can manage is bringing in a few dollars cleaning houses.
18:53One day, Sarah decides to take the easy way out and pockets a $50,000 ring from one of her wealthy clients.
19:01Did you truly think, Sarah, that you could get away with it?
19:04Deep down, I knew I wasn't going to get away with it, but I was desperate, ashamed, but desperate.
19:12She looks at the ring, impulsively takes it, more as an implosion, more as just kind of,
19:18I have nothing to lose here. Things are so bad at home that I'm going to take this ring,
19:22and it's going to either solve things or push us over the edge in a different direction.
19:26But something's got to break.
19:28Later that day, Sarah takes the ring to a local pawn shop.
19:34She's got no idea how valuable it is, and accepts just $300.
19:41Sarah hopes the extra cash will get Tommy off her back.
19:44I didn't want to hear his mouth anymore, just for one day.
19:49There you go.
19:50Great. Thanks.
19:52But a couple of days later, the wealthy client calls Sarah to ask if she's seen the missing ring.
19:58Oh, no, ma'am. I haven't seen a ring.
20:00Sarah denies knowing anything about it, but guilt eats away at her.
20:06I had actually got off the phone with her, and I called her back, and I just knew I couldn't do it
20:11anymore because it's not me. So I confessed to her.
20:16Hi, it's Megan. I do know where that ring is.
20:20She wanted to press charges.
20:22I understand.
20:23There was really nothing I can do but tell her I understand.
20:27The client reports her to the police,
20:29and Sarah has no choice but to call Tommy.
20:34Hello.
20:34Hi.
20:35I'm going to need you to pick me up from the police station.
20:39She was my house cleaner.
20:41You have to be missing some jewelry.
20:42What are you talking about?
20:43The news does not go over well.
20:46What?
20:46$50,000? Are you out of your damn mind?
20:49And I told her, I'm tired of you messing up. Every time we get our life going good,
20:56you do something so stupid to screw it up.
21:00This is not happening.
21:02He just kept yelling at me. What have you done? I can't believe you. You're so sorry.
21:10You would screw up.
21:11What are you doing to us?
21:15After she spends a night in jail, Tommy bails Sarah out.
21:20She's ordered to appear in court in two months.
21:23If convicted, she could face four to six months behind bars.
21:27You stole a damn ring. A $50,000 ring.
21:31You have to get us a lawyer.
21:33Find yourself a way out of this.
21:35I thought that if she went to jail,
21:38maybe that would make her see that she can't keep doing things and getting away with it.
21:42Sarah was stealing a ring to pawn it to bring enough money home to buy peace in the household.
21:47The inference of this was more than he could handle.
21:50He wasn't a good provider or a good husband. That was his Achilles heel.
21:54You are going to learn your damn lesson.
21:57Take me home.
22:00Sarah is devastated by Tommy's lack of support.
22:05All right, little man, lay it on me.
22:06School starts to add.
22:08He rubs it in her face by openly talking about how he and Mason will get by without her when she's in prison.
22:14Why can't mom just pick me up?
22:19Your mom's going to go away for a little while.
22:22We'll make it work out.
22:24We got football. When is that?
22:26He attacked Sarah at her point of weakness, which was, of course, their son.
22:31Sarah's life was so void that her love for her son, her status as a mother was all she had.
22:37She loved her son more than life itself.
22:40Hearing Tommy planning for life without her is more than Sarah can take.
22:45What she really wants is to run away with her son.
22:48I tried to leave. I would try to get me and my son out of there, and he would find where I was.
22:55And the first thing he would threaten is taking you to court for our son.
22:59So no matter what, he was going to get you back?
23:01He always made me think so.
23:05Between the thought of prison, her drug habit, and Tommy's threats, she fears losing her son forever.
23:14Don't. No, you don't.
23:16Do you see this?
23:18No more drugs, Sarah.
23:22You better hear me, and you better hear me good.
23:25You think you are ever going to leave me, you junkie?
23:30You don't get my son.
23:32You are never taking him away from me. Never.
23:36It was worth putting up with Tommy just to make sure you didn't lose your son.
23:39Yeah.
23:40My kid, my son, and you are not taking him from me.
23:44My son, he's my son. He's not going to live with a dope addict.
23:48It became a daily thing.
23:51You just go ahead and try and see what happens.
23:54Sarah feels more trapped than ever.
23:57Never forget that Sarah really had no life, no identity outside of her motherhood.
24:03And when Tommy threatens her and says you will never see your child again, this destroys her, hits her at her very core, because it's all she has to live for.
24:14To her, there's only one path to freedom.
24:17She will do anything to make sure she doesn't lose that child.
24:23And she's desperate enough to take it.
24:26I made up my mind what I was going to do.
24:30On the evening of Friday, May 13th, 2011, Sarah fixes dinner for Tommy as usual, but this time with a dash of something deadly.
24:42She crushes up sedatives and slips them in his food.
24:45I was like, if he would just sleep, you know, I wouldn't have to worry about if I said something wrong,
24:51or if he had a bad phone call, anything, I wouldn't have to hear his mouth.
24:56He would be asleep, and maybe I would get a little bit of that peace.
25:00Then, she adds an even more lethal ingredient.
25:07I also added the little tablets of rat poison.
25:11That's different. One thing to make your husband sleep so you could have some peace.
25:16I think I wanted more, but I was sitting there, I think, telling myself that I just wanted him to sleep,
25:22but deep down, I felt like I wanted more, too.
25:26When you say you wanted more, you wanted...
25:28Him dead.
25:31When Tommy comes home from work, Sarah's ready to serve up her delicious revenge.
25:41You are never leaving me!
25:53After eight turbulent years with Tommy Shackelford, Sarah wants out of her marriage,
25:58and she'll do anything it takes to break free.
26:01Her husband Tommy comes home to a special dinner waiting for him.
26:09It's a meal lethal enough to send him to his grave.
26:13Good day? You all right?
26:15That little jerk is still picking on you?
26:17She had made me a couple of sandwiches.
26:20Sausage, egg, and cheese, and brought me some orange juice.
26:23I ain't beat.
26:25Here you go.
26:25Give me breakfast for dinner.
26:28Mm-hmm.
26:29All right.
26:32I started drinking the orange juice, and it tasted really bitter.
26:37This orange juice tastes funny.
26:41Oh.
26:41What?
26:42I don't know.
26:42It just tastes weird.
26:45You got something else back there?
26:46Uh, yeah, I got some cola.
26:48Want that?
26:49Yeah, give me soda.
26:50All right.
26:51When I got to the first sandwich, I noticed something green on it.
26:57There's something green in here.
26:59Oh, it looks like mold.
27:01Those are pepper flakes.
27:03I've never seen a pepper flake to look like that.
27:05Well, then eat the other one.
27:06Ours was just fine.
27:07She brought me a glass of drink, and it tasted the same way.
27:11That tastes bad, too.
27:13Give me the bottle.
27:16It's the same one I always get, see?
27:18Yeah, you're buying this cheap crap.
27:21It's not.
27:22I took the bottle and turned it upside down, and you could see a thick, dark green substance
27:28running down the sides of the bottle.
27:31Take it back.
27:32Sarah agrees to take the soda back, and tells Tommy she's taking Mason to see his grandmother.
27:39She can only hope he ate enough of the poison to kill him.
27:42All right, and none of that diet stuff, either.
27:45I thought you might appreciate it.
27:46Oh, yeah.
27:47We talking about that now?
27:52A few hours later, it looks like she may get her wish.
27:56Tommy becomes violently ill.
28:01In desperation, he calls Sarah.
28:03Sarah, can you come home?
28:06Yeah, I don't feel so good.
28:07I didn't know at that time that it was rat poison. I was assuming that it was just bad food.
28:16As waves of guilt wash over her, Sarah rushes home to find Tommy doubled over on the floor.
28:22Are you all right?
28:22Oh, my God.
28:24Oh, my God.
28:25Oh, God.
28:25Oh, my God.
28:26She immediately takes him to the hospital.
28:28I couldn't do it. It was like, I don't know. My brain was so wishy-washy, and he was scaring me,
28:35just seeing him like that.
28:37Tell me what all you had to eat.
28:41Sausage.
28:42At the hospital, Tommy's treated for what appears to be a bad case of food poisoning.
28:48Doctor, could I speak to you for just a moment?
28:50Sure.
28:52Sarah's not ready for Tommy to come home, so she comes up with a lie to buy some time.
28:59He was screaming and crying about how he wanted to kill himself.
29:03She hopes it will be enough to get Tommy sent to the psych ward.
29:08We may need to keep him over the weekend.
29:12Well, Tommy, we've decided we like you so much, we're going to let you stay a few extra days.
29:16When they tell Tommy they're admitting him for observation, he's outraged.
29:21You're going to transfer me where?
29:23What the hell's wrong with you people? There's nothing wrong with my head.
29:27I looked at the doctor. I was like, are you kidding me? Really?
29:31I said, because I'm not crazy. I'm not trying to kill myself.
29:35But the doctors ignore Tommy's protests.
29:37Nurse!
29:38And insist on committing him to the psych ward for the weekend.
29:41Meanwhile, Sarah finally resolves to leave Tommy for good.
29:49She calls him to break the news.
29:51I need to tell you that when you get home,
29:56Mason and I will not be here.
29:58No, not like this.
30:00His reaction isn't at all what she expected.
30:02I'll get better. I will.
30:06He told me that we could go to marriage counseling and that he couldn't do it by himself.
30:13I need you.
30:15And I even asked him, how can I believe you?
30:18How do I know that you're really going to do this?
30:21And he was just like, I will, I will, I promise.
30:23All right.
30:29But as soon as Tommy gets home, Sarah realizes he's turned the tables on her.
30:33She's home.
30:34We got home and his daughter was there waiting.
30:38And of course, he had to make a big scene explaining to her, you know,
30:42can you believe she had me admitted?
30:45Trying to get rid of me.
30:46She's trying to leave me.
30:48She's trying to leave us.
30:49Do you believe that?
30:50Sitting there telling his 15-year-old daughter this.
30:52That's what happened.
30:53Hey, let me take that.
30:56I'm glad you're back.
30:56Yeah, me too.
30:58Tommy's comments just reinforced Sarah's desire to get rid of him once and for all.
31:04That very evening, she serves him a heaping plate of his favorite food, creamed potatoes.
31:11Only this recipe has enough sedatives to put him to sleep forever.
31:16How were your days?
31:17Fine.
31:18Fine, fine.
31:20It's always fine for me too.
31:22Come on.
31:22She never thinks through her life choices very carefully before she makes them.
31:27And this is just another snap decision.
31:30She just doesn't care anymore.
31:32Whether she sedates him, whether he sleeps, whether she kills him, she just wants the merry-go-round
31:38of emotions and drama to stop.
31:40Tommy immediately notices an unusual aftertaste.
31:45These taters, they taste funny.
31:49Why do my creamed potatoes taste like what I ate Friday?
31:53They shouldn't.
31:54There's no connection.
31:56I said, are you trying to kill me?
31:58And then we just played it off.
32:00It tastes like potatoes.
32:06Yeah, it's probably on my head.
32:10All right, so back to this boy, Keith.
32:13My name is Keith anyway.
32:14I laid on the couch and I got really tired and I couldn't explain it.
32:26I just got really drowsy, really sleepy.
32:29All right, guys, get in the car.
32:31Let's go.
32:32Hey, baby, I'm going to go drop her off, okay?
32:37Bye.
32:37Sarah's devious plot is in motion.
32:45But as she drives her stepdaughter home, Sarah starts to worry that the drugs aren't
32:50potent enough to kill Tommy.
32:52Did the thoughts start to flood her brain?
32:55Well, a sedative, it's only going to wear off after a few hours.
32:59I may have peace now, but what I really want is to have peace in my household always,
33:04so that I can just be a proper mother to my child and not have Tommy always telling me what a failure
33:10I am.
33:10If he never woke up, wouldn't that be the best solution?
33:14So Sarah comes up with a plan to finish the job.
33:18After dropping Tommy's daughter off, she races back to the house.
33:23You get this idea in your head that you could get rid of Tommy.
33:27I feel like there won't no other way.
33:30I couldn't get away.
33:33And it was either me wound up taking my life or...
33:38Taking his.
33:39Taking his.
33:40Stay right here.
33:43I'll be back, okay?
33:45The thought of being free of Tommy for good supercharges Sarah's focus.
33:51Nothing can stop her.
33:52I went into the back door, the door we always use.
33:57And Tommy's asleep on our couch, and I could see him from the back door as I walk in.
34:04We have a little junk drawer that's in our kitchen.
34:08So I go to the junk drawer, and he has gloves.
34:14I put on the gloves, and he also has a very sharp pocket knife that he uses a lot for fishing.
34:22And I grab the knife, and I open the knife, and I walk, and I stand right by his head.
34:47But as she hovers over her sleeping husband, Sarah has second thoughts.
34:57I start feeling myself breaking down, and I keep telling myself that I gotta stay strong,
35:05because this is the only way.
35:06She's too close to freedom to back down now.
35:15For the last three days, Sarah Saunders has been trying desperately to kill her husband.
35:40Bye.
35:41After two failed attempts to poison him, she decides only brute force can finish him off.
35:54So I grabbed the knife,
35:59and I stabbed him in his temple.
36:01And as soon as I felt it hit, I panicked.
36:12Sarah bolts out of the house.
36:19I forgot something.
36:25She speeds to her neighbor's house.
36:26You mind if I use your phone for a minute, please?
36:36Here it is.
36:37When she calls 911, she's armed with an elaborate lie.
36:41I'd like to report a possible homicide.
36:43He was a tall black man, he was standing over my husband with a knife.
36:46You couldn't have seen this coming.
36:48She's not a cold-blooded killer.
36:49She didn't even snap so much as she collapsed.
36:53She couldn't take it anymore.
36:56Little does Sarah know, Tommy Shackelford is not dead.
37:02In fact, he woke up seconds after she drove the knife into his temple.
37:07I could hear it.
37:10It was like a loud pop, and it felt like somebody had thrown a brick and hit me in the head.
37:16I knew something was wrong with my head.
37:21I could feel it.
37:22It was a lot of pressure, so I touched it, and there was a knife there.
37:29It was the weirdest feeling.
37:32I don't know how to explain it, but at that point, I realized that, you know, somebody's trying to kill me.
37:40Sarah?
37:41I remember standing up and thinking, what's going on?
37:45Sarah?
37:46I didn't see anybody in the house.
37:49Tommy's phone is missing, and the house doesn't have a landline.
37:52Sarah?
37:54So, I walked out the back door, and I see Sarah.
37:57Sarah?
37:59Sarah?
38:00And I hollered for her.
38:02Tommy stumbles over to the neighbor's house to get help.
38:05It's only 200 yards, but it feels like miles.
38:09I don't know if I'm going to make it there.
38:11I take off across the field, and I told God, I said, God, what about my children?
38:17My daughter has a mother who she stays with.
38:20I said, but what's going to happen to my son?
38:23And that's all I could think about was my son.
38:26Sarah is still on the 911 call, describing the imaginary intruder.
38:32My husband walks around the corner with the knife still in his head, and blood is straightened, and I freeze.
38:45Dad, what happened?
38:47In spite of the blade sticking out of his head, Tommy takes control.
38:53You get him in the house!
38:54Get him in the house!
38:55Now, don't let him see me like this!
38:57I just looked at her like, I can't believe you did this to me.
39:24Sarah is hysterical, trapped in her own lie.
39:32When paramedics arrive at the scene, they're amazed to find Tommy still alive.
39:39They carefully load him into the ambulance and rush to the hospital.
39:45We got to the emergency room, and we went through a couple little doors.
39:48They put me in this room right inside the door, and everybody was taking pictures.
39:55And I'm just laying there.
40:00Coming down.
40:01Hold still, Tommy.
40:05Then they snatched the knife out.
40:11They showed me the knife, and I told them, yes, that's mine.
40:14Well, that's my knife.
40:15Tommy is sent for emergency surgery.
40:22Meanwhile, officers question Sarah about the attack.
40:25At this point, you're still saying it was an intruder.
40:28Yeah, I did lie, and I did say that there was a man in our house.
40:32Sarah sticks to her story that an intruder stabbed Tommy.
40:38But detectives at the Pitt County Sheriff's Office aren't buying it.
40:42I may have a few more questions for you in the morning.
40:45They let her go home for the night, but ask her to come back the next day for further questioning.
40:50We did not have prior history with her ever doing anything like this before.
40:54And so, of course, we wanted to do a thorough investigation.
40:59This was a male victim who did not see who did it, but who did know who he saw immediately afterwards.
41:06That night, detectives also questioned six-year-old Mason, the only witness.
41:13This child says that when they got home...
41:16She said to wait in the car.
41:18He stayed in the vehicle.
41:20When mom went in the house, she had nothing in her hand.
41:23A little while later, she came out with a brown glove on.
41:28Okay, a brown glove.
41:29A brown glove in her hand, and she ran to the vehicle, jumped in, and then mom took off.
41:36Do you mind if I talk to the patient for a second?
41:40How about this item?
41:41Have you seen this before?
41:42Tommy confirms that both the gloves and the knife came from the same drawer in the house.
41:50The next day at the police station, Sarah finally cracks.
41:54She admits to stabbing her husband and is immediately arrested.
41:59When she was confronted with the fact that her son told an entirely different story,
42:03she pretty much knew at that point that it was over.
42:06The game was over.
42:07In a way, I actually had some kind of relief.
42:12I actually made the comment after I confessed that I was finally free.
42:24Tommy is not surprised to hear that his wife confessed, but it's still a huge blow.
42:29She wanted me dead.
42:32She tried with everything she had, and it didn't work.
42:36Sarah takes a plea, and in November 2011, she's sentenced to 12 years in prison for attempted first-degree murder and for the theft of her client's ring.
42:48Tommy is awarded full custody of Mason.
42:55By going to prison for stabbing Tommy, she did lose the son that she was so desperately trying to save.
43:01The son that she thought she was about to lose forever, and ironically did.
43:08You're free from Tommy, but you lost your son.
43:13Was it worth it?
43:14No.
43:16I wish I could take it back every day, and it's something I have to live with.
43:22Every day.
43:23It was not worth it.
43:25Not even a little bit.
43:27All right.
43:41No.
43:41Yes.
43:41Yes.
43:45Hello.
43:46Yes.
43:50Yes.
43:52This one.
43:54We can take everybody.
43:54Yes.
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