- 5 months ago
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00:00i pulled into the driveway of our vancouver home just as the february rain turned to sleet the kind of
00:06evening that makes you grateful for heated seats and a warm house waiting but something was off
00:10my daughter olivia's beat-up honda civic was parked at an odd angle near the garage and through the fogging
00:16windows i could see movement inside my heart dropped i killed the engine and walked over rain soaking through my
00:24jacket when i got close enough i saw her
00:27my 14 year old daughter curled up in the back seat under what looked like her winter coat and a
00:32beach towel her breath was fogging up the windows from the inside i knocked on the glass she jumped then
00:39relaxed when she saw it was me she unlocked the door and i slid into the driver's seat turning back
00:45to look at her olivia what are you doing out here how long have you been in this car
00:50she sat up slowly wrapping the coat tighter around herself her lips had a slight blue tinge dad you're home
00:58early i finished the job site inspection ahead of schedule answer my question how long she looked down at her
01:05hands since monday it was thursday my mind raced monday three days where's angela where's your grandmother angela was my
01:16wife was i still
01:18wasn't used to thinking of her in past tense even though we'd been separated for six months her mother patricia
01:24had moved in with them after angela and i agreed i'd stay in our old place while things got sorted
01:29out
01:29olivia was supposed to be living with them in patricia's house in burnaby
01:33they left olivia said quietly they went on a trip what do you mean they left they left you here
01:40in my driveway why didn't you come inside you have a key
01:44i she hesitated i wasn't sure if i was allowed and there was a note a note she reached into
01:51her backpack and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper i took it smoothing it out on the steering wheel
01:57even in the dim light from the street lamp i could read angela's handwriting glenn we've gone to palm springs
02:04for two weeks
02:05olivia is your responsibility now you wanted her so badly during the separation well here's your chance
02:12she's been nothing but difficult lately and frankly we need a break don't bother calling we'll be back when we're
02:19back
02:19figure it out i read it three times my hands shaking not from the cold sweetheart why didn't you call
02:26me
02:27mom said you were busy with work she said you'd probably be angry if i bothered you i felt something
02:33break inside my chest olivia look at me she raised her eyes and they were glassy with unshed tears
02:40you could never bother me you are my daughter you will always be my first priority always she started
02:47crying then really crying and i climbed into the back seat and pulled her into a hug she was freezing
02:53her whole body was shaking have you eaten mrs chen next door brought me sandwiches yesterday and today
02:59she saw me out here she wanted to call someone but i begged her not to i didn't want to
03:06cause problems
03:06mrs chen thank god for mrs chen but why hadn't she called me then i remembered angela had my number
03:14blocked on olivia's phone months ago claiming i was being intrusive during her custody time come on
03:20i said let's get you inside hot shower hot food warm bed then we're going to figure this out as
03:27we
03:27walked to the house olivia suddenly stopped dad wait there's something you need to see she ran back
03:34to the car and grabbed her backpack pulling out a large leather handbag i recognized it immediately
03:41patricia's designer purse the one she carried everywhere the one that probably cost more than my truck
03:47payment grandma left this in the car when they drove away she had so many suitcases she didn't
03:53notice i looked inside yesterday because i was hungry and thought maybe there was gum or something
03:58she unzipped it and pulled out a folder a legal folder with the logo of harrison and associates
04:04the same law firm that had handled our separation agreement you should read what's in here olivia said
04:10her voice barely above a whisper it's about you and me i took the folder inside got olivia settled in
04:18a hot shower with clean towels and then sat down at my kitchen table the folder was thick i opened
04:24it
04:24and started reading the first document was a petition for full custody filed three weeks ago angela was
04:31requesting sole legal and physical custody of olivia with supervised visitation only for me the grounds
04:37fathers documented mental instability aggressive behavior and inability to maintain stable employment
04:44mental instability aggressive behavior i was a site manager for a construction company i'd had the same
04:52job for 12 years i'd never raised my voice to anyone in anger during our separation i'd bent over
04:58backwards to be accommodating to keep things civil for olivia's sake i kept reading there were printed
05:05emails supposedly from me sent to angela over the past three months threatening emails emails accusing
05:12her of infidelity promising to make her life hell using language i'd never used in my life the email
05:19address looked like mine but i'd never sent them then i found the affidavit signed by patricia she swore
05:26under oath that she'd witnessed me screaming at olivia that i'd shown up at their house drunk multiple times
05:32that i'd once grabbed angela's arm hard enough to leave bruises none of it was true not one word
05:38but the dates lined up incidents from september october november january specific dates with specific
05:46details and at the bottom of the affidavit was a photo a photo of a bruise on angela's upper arm
05:52dated november 12th i'd been in calgary that week for a training course my company could verify it
05:59my hotel receipts were still in my filing cabinet my hands were shaking again but not from cold this time
06:05this was rage pure crystallized rage i kept digging bank statements my bank statements or at least they
06:14looked like mine but they showed large withdrawals i'd never made five thousand dollars on december
06:193rd 3500 on december 18th 8 000 on january 8th all labeled as cash withdrawals i pulled out my phone
06:28and opened my banking app none of those transactions appeared these statements were fabricated then i found
06:35the insurance documents angela had been the beneficiary on my life insurance policy through work
06:41the one that paid out 500 000 if something happened to me these documents showed she'd called the insurance
06:47company in november asking about the payout process what would trigger a claim how long until funds were
06:54dispersed underneath those was something that made my blood run cold printouts of search history my
07:00search history supposedly from my laptop searches for how much ambien is lethal carbon monoxide poisoning
07:07symptoms life insurance payout suicide clause i'd never searched for any of that i didn't even take
07:13ambient but someone had gone to great lengths to make it look like i had at the very bottom of
07:18the
07:19folder was a handwritten note on patricia's personal stationery the writing was rushed almost manic it was
07:25addressed to angela angela everything is in place the petition will be heard march 15th judge morrison
07:33is sympathetic to mothers especially with documented abuse once you have full custody we proceed with phase
07:39two the insurance policy won't pay out for suicide but an accident is different make it look like he
07:46was drinking lost control of his truck rural road no witnesses you'll be a widow a single mother and
07:53financially secure the life insurance plus his pension plus the house glenn signed the quit claim
07:59deed when he moved out remember he doesn't even realize he signed his house over to you my lawyer friend
08:05said everything's airtight by summer this will all be behind us and you and olivia can finally live
08:11the life you deserve we just need him declared unstable first so when the accident happens no one
08:17asks too many questions a man with mental health issues struggling with the separation drinking alone
08:23tragic accident perfect i read it five times then i took photos of every single document in that folder
08:30with my phone then i called my brother trevor i need you to come over right now and i need
08:35you to
08:35bring your lawyer friend the one who does criminal defense i don't care if it's nine at night this is
08:41an emergency while i waited for trevor to arrive i checked on olivia she was out of the shower wearing
08:47my old canucks hoodie that hung down to her knees sitting on the couch with a bowl of soup missus
08:53chen
08:53had apparently also brought over a thermos of homemade chicken noodle soup yesterday bless her did you read it
09:00olivia asked quietly i did i didn't understand all of it but i understood enough they were planning
09:06something bad weren't they something bad to happen to you i sat down next to her careful not to spill
09:12her
09:12soup yeah sweetheart they were but they're not going to succeed i promise you that are you going to call
09:20the police yes but first i need to talk to a lawyer i need to make sure i do this
09:25right trevor arrived
09:2720 minutes later with his friend marcus a criminal defense attorney who looked annoyed to be dragged
09:31out on a thursday night until i showed him the folder his expression changed real quick we spread
09:37everything out on my dining room table marcus photographed each document made notes asked me
09:43detailed questions about my relationship with angela the separation terms my financial situation
09:48my work schedule this is attempted fraud conspiracy to commit murder and about six other charges i can
09:55think of off the top of my head marcus said the fabricated evidence alone is enough for charges
10:01the note from patricia outlining the plan that's conspiracy the life insurance inquiry that's
10:08premeditation what do i do i asked first we call the police tonight i have a contact at the vpd
10:16who specializes in domestic situations second you file an emergency custody petition first thing
10:22tomorrow morning third we get a restraining order fourth we preserve all of this evidence properly so
10:30it's admissible in court they're in palm springs i said angela and patricia they left on monday marcus
10:37pulled out his phone what airline i don't know we'll find out they'll be arrested when they land back in
10:44canada trust me they won't know what hit them the detective arrived around 11 her name was detective
10:50sarah kowalski and she took her time going through every document asking questions taking official
10:56photographs filling out forms she was thorough professional and clearly angry on my behalf mr hartley
11:04i'm going to be straight with you this is one of the most premeditated cases i've seen in a while
11:09the good news is they documented everything the bad news is they were planning to kill you i know
11:15we'll need your daughter to give a statement not tonight but soon about finding the bag about being
11:21abandoned all of it she's 14 she's been through enough i understand we'll have a child services
11:28advocate present she'll be treated with care i promise but her testimony is important especially
11:35about how she came into possession of the evidence detective kowalski left around one in the morning
11:40with the folder and a promise to update me within 48 hours marcus stayed behind drafting emergency
11:46motions on his laptop at my kitchen table get some sleep he told me tomorrow's going to be a long
11:52day
11:52we'll file the emergency custody petition when the courthouse opens at 8 30 i'm also filing a
11:58motion to freeze all joint accounts and to prevent angela from taking any action regarding your life
12:03insurance or the house the house that note said i signed a quick claim deed marcus looked up you
12:10signed away your ownership rights i never signed anything like that i moved out but we agreed
12:16everything was temporary until we figured out the divorce terms the house is still jointly owned
12:21then that's forgery too we'll need to pull the records verify the signature if they forged your
12:28signature on a deed transfer that's real estate fraud more charges i barely slept that night kept
12:35checking on olivia who was passed out in my spare bedroom finally warm and safe kept thinking about
12:41that note the casual way patricia had laid out a plan to murder me like she was planning a vacation
12:47make
12:48it look like an accident by summer this will all be behind us they were going to kill me my
12:54wife my
12:55mother-in-law the woman i'd loved for 16 years the woman i'd stood beside when she lost her job
13:01when her father died through two miscarriages before olivia she was going to murder me for
13:06insurance money friday morning marcus and i were at the courthouse before it opened by 10 a.m we'd filed
13:13emergency motions by noon a judge had granted temporary full custody to me and issued bench warrants for
13:20angela and patricia's arrest by 3 p.m detective kowalski called to say they'd contacted u.s
13:27authorities and that angela and patricia would be detained when they tried to return to canada
13:32they're scheduled to fly back on sunday she told me we'll have officers waiting at the airport they'll
13:37be arrested the moment they clear customs what about the charges multiple counts fraud forgery conspiracy
13:45to commit murder identity theft child abandonment and we're still adding to the list the crown
13:51prosecutor is very interested in this case these are serious charges with serious prison time sunday
13:56evening i got the call angela and patricia had been arrested at vancouver international airport
14:04they'd been shocked apparently kept insisting there was some mistake patricia had actually tried
14:10to run when she saw the officers approaching angela had fainted they were denied bail the judge
14:16considered them both flight risks given they'd just returned from out of country and were facing
14:22murder conspiracy charges the legal process took months the preliminary hearing the disclosure of
14:28evidence the motions and counter motions angela's lawyer tried everything claimed the note was taken out
14:35of context claimed patricia was having a mental health crisis and angela knew nothing about it claimed
14:41i'd planted the evidence but the evidence was overwhelming the forensic analysis of my supposed emails
14:47showed they'd been sent from patricia's ip address the bank statements were expertly forged but they
14:53were still forged the insurance company confirmed angela had called multiple times asking detailed
14:59questions about beneficiary payouts they found the real quit claim deed with my forged signature
15:04and a handwriting expert confirmed it wasn't my signature and then there was olivia's testimony in a
15:10closed courtroom with a victim services worker beside her she told the judge everything how angela and
15:16patricia had been treating her in the months since the separation how they'd kept her isolated from me
15:21monitored her phone told her i didn't want to see her how patricia had been pressuring angela to handle
15:27the glenn situation since november how she'd heard them arguing one night with angela crying and saying
15:33she couldn't go through with it and patricia telling her not to be weak my grandmother is mean olivia had
15:39said quietly she's always been mean but she got meaner after my parents separated she kept saying my
15:45dad didn't deserve anything that he was worthless that we'd be better off without him she said it so
15:51many times that i think my mom started to believe it the trial lasted three weeks the crown prosecutor was
15:58methodical laying out every piece of evidence every forged document every lie marcus sat beside me every
16:05day taking notes occasionally squeezing my shoulder when the testimony got particularly rough angela's
16:11defense was that she'd been manipulated by patricia that she'd never actually intended to hurt me that
16:17she was in an abusive relationship with her own mother there was some truth to that patricia had always
16:23been controlling always been the one pulling strings in angela's life but angela was a grown woman she'd
16:30gone along with it she'd made choices the jury deliberated for two days when they came back the
16:36verdict was unanimous on all counts patricia got 15 years conspiracy to commit murder fraud forgery child
16:44endangerment the judge called her actions calculated cruel and indicative of a complete absence of moral
16:51character angela got eight years the judge acknowledged the manipulation by patricia but
16:57noted that angela had been an active participant and had failed to protect her own daughter you
17:02abandoned your child in winter weather in a car to pursue a plot to murder her father that alone
17:08speaks to your character when the sentence was read angela looked back at me our eyes met across the
17:14courtroom she mouthed something i think it was i'm sorry i looked away olivia and i rebuilt our lives
17:21slowly she started therapy twice a week she struggled with nightmares with trust issues with wondering if
17:28she could have prevented everything if she'd just been a better daughter her therapist worked with her on
17:33that helped her understand that none of it was her fault i sold the house too many memories too much
17:39pain we bought a smaller place in north vancouver closer to her school with a view of the mountains
17:45started fresh mrs chen came over for dinner once a week she'd been racked with guilt for not calling
17:52the police when she first saw olivia in the car but i never blamed her she'd fed my daughter kept
17:57her safe that was enough i took olivia to visit angela once about a year after the sentencing olivia had
18:05asked her therapist thought it might help with closure we drove to the fraser valley institution for women
18:11on a gray saturday morning sat across from angela in a visiting room that smelled like industrial
18:17cleaner and regret angela had aged gray streaks in her hair lines around her eyes that hadn't been
18:23there before she cried when she saw olivia apologized over and over olivia sat there stone-faced and then
18:31said i don't forgive you maybe someday but not now i just needed to see that you're actually here
18:37actually facing consequences that helps we never went back olivia said she'd said what she needed to
18:45say three years later olivia's 17 now she's thriving captain of her school's debate team volunteering at
18:52a youth shelter on weekends talking about studying social work in university she wants to help kids
18:58who've been through family trauma says her experience gave her purpose i'm proud of her so damn proud
19:04last month we started a foundation the olivia hartley foundation for at-risk youth we fund programs for
19:12kids dealing with domestic instability homelessness family legal battles it's small now but it's growing
19:19olivia helped design the logo helped write the mission statement maybe some good can come from all
19:25the bad she said when we filed the paperwork maybe we can help other kids who feel alone and scared
19:31like i did i look at my daughter now and i see strength i see resilience i see someone who
19:38survived the
19:38worst betrayal possible and came out the other side with empathy intact with hope intact patricia will be
19:45eligible for parole in 2037 she's 72 now so she'll be 84 if she serves her full sentence i don't
19:53think
19:53about her much she's a cautionary tale nothing more angela will be eligible for parole in 2031 she writes to
20:01olivia sometimes the letters go into a box unopened olivia says maybe she'll read them someday
20:07when she's ready or maybe she won't it's her choice as for me i've learned some hard lessons i learned
20:15that people you trust can become strangers i learned that love doesn't always conquer all i learned that
20:20evil doesn't always announce itself with a villain's laugh sometimes it comes in the form of someone who
20:25promised to love you forever but i also learned that darkness doesn't get the final word that a
20:3014 year old girl freezing in a car can find evidence that saves her father's life that
20:36neighbors who bring sandwiches matter that justice when it works really does work that healing is
20:42possible even when the wounds go bone deep every time i pull into my driveway now i glance at where
20:49olivia's car used to be parked that february night i remember the fear the cold the moment i saw her
20:56curled up under that coat but i also remember what came after the fight the victory the slow steady
21:03rebuilding of a life that almost ended before its time if you're reading this and you're going
21:08through something similar if someone you trusted has betrayed you if you found evidence of something
21:14terrible i want you to know something document everything tell someone you trust don't confront the
21:20person alone get a lawyer before you get the police protect yourself and your kids first ask questions
21:27later and if you're the kid in the car cold and scared and alone you are not a burden you
21:33are not the
21:34problem you deserve safety and love and warmth call someone tell someone the adults in your life have
21:40failed you but there are other adults who won't keep searching until you find them three years ago i thought
21:47my life was over now i know it was just beginning the real version the true version the one where
21:53i get
21:54to raise my daughter without fear without lies without looking over my shoulder waiting for an accident
21:59that never comes that's the life we're living now and it's pretty damn good
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