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00:10a cryptic phone call leads to an alarming discovery as they pulled away each piece of
00:17the clothing they were shocked to find that there was a person under there the suspected
00:23killer comes forward but the case is far from over this wasn't a whodunit it was a question of why
00:32she did it and whether or not it was justified she said she was trying to protect herself and her
00:39children from this madman he was six foot seven and 230 pounds his body was a weapon but no one
00:49that knows him believes her claims no one and as the investigation unfolds the evidence suggests
00:58nothing is quite what it seems if he passed away in the morning and we didn't get a call till
01:0511
01:05o'clock at night what was going on during all of those hours if she's lying about that what else
01:12is
01:12she lying about on august 7th 2012 police in carlsbad california receive an unusual call the on-duty
01:38watch commander for the carlsbad police department received a call on a back line that's not recorded
01:45that's very rare and that has to have somebody who knows the number to that watch commander
01:53despite the special circumstances what the caller appears to be requesting is a simple welfare check
02:00for a resident named jason harper the person identified himself as the former district attorney
02:08paul finks who had now become a prominent defense attorney in san diego county
02:18the carlsbad police department responded immediately and they were there in the neighborhood within a few
02:24minutes the lights in the home are off and no one answers the door they noticed that the doors
02:32were locked and there was no sign of force entry the officers did check around the perimeter they did
02:39find a door that was open and they entered the home to do the check it was very cluttered but
02:47it
02:48appeared to be just a normal home with nothing out of the ordinary not find anybody on the first floor
02:54they go to the second story and check all the bedrooms bathrooms etc as they entered that primary bedroom
03:03of the home they were immediately confronted with many objects almost to the point of a hoarder
03:09numerous items of clothing and bags on the floor it was hard to navigate around
03:17it was just piled up on the floor like it was junk and as they pulled away each piece
03:23of the clothing they were shocked to find that there was a person under there
03:30he was noticeably deceased he did not have a pulse we were able to based on his height his weight
03:40and
03:40what he looked like determined it was mr harper he was laying face down there was what appeared to
03:49be a bullet hole in jason harper's back on the side and that blood had been coming out onto his
03:55shirt
03:58officers secure the crime scene and homicide detectives arrive there was no weapons found
04:05near the body but they went in the closet and they did find a loaded shotgun
04:10but it was clear based on the entry wound that this was not a shotgun blast obviously the fact that
04:16it
04:16was in a state of disarray and it looked like a hoarder's den made it particularly difficult for
04:21law enforcement to sort and go through the entirety of evidence as we looked through the bedroom we found
04:28multiple bottles of prescription drugs many of them were empty and in bags most of them were prescribed to
04:35julie harper based on the name investigators assume julie harper is jason's wife the police officers looked
04:46at the family pictures all over the house and they were able to see the identity of the family that
04:52was
04:52living there we learned that they had three children the officers wondered where the other members of
05:00the family were where the children and where is the wife not knowing what happened or transpired our
05:08biggest concern were the safety of the children and julie and we were trying to find out ways to
05:15figure out where they were the best way for us to do that is to interview family members and friends
05:21that knew jason to get an understanding of who the person was to help us tell the story of what
05:29occurred
05:34jason harper was born october 30 1972 and grew up in the greater los angeles area jason was soft-spoken
05:44just an easy person to be around i called jason the gentle giant is what my nickname was for him
05:49back then
05:51you couldn't miss him just because of his stature and his height his demeanor was so calm he could be
05:59very intimidating because he was tall but just a sweet sweet sweet person jason went to the university
06:07of california los angeles ucla he was a proud bruin it's my understanding that he was actually a two-time
06:14national champion volleyball player jason remained single throughout college and for many years after
06:24but in his late 20s he met a striking young woman at a party named julie sayak jason harper was
06:32a new
06:32teacher living in la when he met julie they came from very different backgrounds and different
06:38neighborhoods i know she came from money her father is a successful businessman julie i believe studied
06:46at harvard at some point i think she also went to the university of southern california usc
06:56they were immediately smitten with each other and jason proposed around six months after they met
07:03julie and jason got married they moved to carlsbad and they ended up having three children together in
07:11this neighborhood julie really thrived in being a stay-at-home mom and made her happy my fondest memory
07:20of julie is just hanging out and doing wines with the moms at someone's house in the neighborhood just
07:26having the camaraderie of women really just laughing and cracking jokes and enjoying some vino and doing
07:35our thing also jason was a really good neighbor and there was an instance when our family was out of
07:43town and we got a text that our sprinkler had blown and jason he immediately just took care of that
07:49no second thoughts about that he was a well-liked teacher at carlsbad high he was a high school
07:55volleyball coach and he was a math teacher there as well he never yelled he never put them down he
08:01was
08:01just soft-spoken he was even killed jason was just an easy person to be around jillie and jason seemed
08:08like a really nice couple they had these lovely kids they had the supportive families it is the american
08:15dream i know that's cliche but they had what most people want they fit right in they belonged where they
08:22were
08:28the harper's idyllic home life has been shattered by a horrifying discovery jason has been found
08:35murdered and his wife and children appear to be missing the police need to figure out what happened
08:42where's julie where are the children and why is jason harper dead there are a number of possibilities
08:49this could have been a burglary however there was no sign of forced entry and the unusual manner in
08:56which the body had been buried under all this clothing didn't seem like your typical burglary
09:02the first thing i thought was there was some form of domestic violence that occurred potentially a
09:08kidnapping but not having the evidence to know which one it was we were really focused on trying to
09:15find the kids and julie investigators begin their search by speaking with the attorney who requested
09:23the welfare check he said that he was representing miss julie harper
09:31mr finks was very cryptic as to the details and didn't want to give away too much information
09:37he just informed us that she would be turning herself in
09:43so you're obtaining a well-known defense attorney and negotiating when you are going to go in
09:51to turn yourself into the police it was something that made us definitely on high alert
10:00this wasn't a whodunit it was a question of why she did it and whether or not it was justified
10:13coming up julie's attorney goes public the defense attorney was already out painting a picture of a
10:23woman who was abused but in search of the truth detectives turn to their only witnesses who feels bad
10:32does anybody ever get hurt one time the kids hear yelling from the master bedroom and then they hear a
10:41loud thud
10:57that's right and then they hear a loud thud
10:58hours after the august 2012 welfare check on jason harper that led police to discover him shot to
11:05death his wife julie is preparing to surrender herself to investigators her lawyer mr finks informed
11:14the police that julie and the kids were safe and that they were at her father's house in scripps ranch
11:21the day after the shooting at approximately three o'clock she turned herself in to law enforcement
11:27at her father's house in scripps ranch julie came out of the home and voluntarily went with them
11:34julie didn't make any statements to police she invoked her rights under miranda to remain silent
11:43after that the police execute a search warrant of her father's house
11:47they didn't notice anything of importance or evidentiary value
11:54neither julie nor her attorney offer any details to explain the shooting
12:01instead julie's attorney speaks with the media soon after julie's arrest
12:07she wants to be with her children the defense attorney was already out painting a picture of a woman who
12:15was abused and was the victim of domestic violence and he was able to begin controlling the narrative in the
12:23news
12:26based on the timing and circumstances detectives aren't ready to accept julie's version of what happened
12:34there was a big question in my mind of why did she not call 9-1-1 why did she
12:41not try to provide
12:43life-saving efforts if this was self-defense when someone says i have been a victim of abuse in any
12:51way
12:52shape or form we should believe them but in this case we're talking about a murderer it needs to be
12:58proven
13:00to verify julie's claims authorities search for any record of prior domestic abuse we did find one call
13:09for service at the home about a dispute between the two that call was made nine months before the
13:16shooting on november 4th 2011 the caller was the harper's eldest son the police arrived and they
13:25determined that this was just a verbal confrontation and nothing physical had happened and so they left
13:31despite the lack of a history of violence investigators know it's still possible it had been occurring
13:39in domestic violence cases it's very common that abuse occurred for a long period of time before
13:45something's ever said they turn their attention to the only other potential witnesses the harper's
13:54children the children are eight years old and six years old there was also a baby in the house
14:01and the first step was to have the eight-year-old and the six-year-old interviewed
14:06the police took the children to do a forensic interview and a forensic interview is basically
14:13an opportunity for an experienced professional to interview the children by asking non-suggestive
14:20non-leading questions
14:25the children were asked about any violence between the father jason and the mother julie
14:31did you feel like they're yelling out how do you feel when they're yelling?
14:34I feel sad You feel sad?
14:36Yeah
14:38Does anybody ever get hurt?
14:40One time that fixed fisking like daddy grabbed one
14:46But that's the only time she did it was at Thanksgiving
14:49At Thanksgiving that happened?
14:51Daddy grabbed right here?
14:52That was a long time right
14:54Right then
14:55On the list
14:59After establishing a rapport
15:00with the children, the forensic
15:02investigator asks them to describe
15:04what happened earlier that day.
15:09Mr. Day-Morning,
15:10tell me about the last time you saw your dad.
15:13Oh, he was looking for his computer.
15:16Julie and Jason
15:17were arguing over a computer.
15:19Jason was going to
15:21leave the residence and get another
15:23computer. When Julie
15:25told him that she had hidden it
15:27in the bedroom upstairs.
15:30When your dad was looking
15:31for his computer, did he, how did he
15:33seem to be? Did he seem
15:35He was pretty pissed.
15:37Mom and dad go upstairs
15:39and then the kids
15:41hear the yelling from the master bedroom.
15:44And then all of a sudden
15:45they hear a loud thud.
15:49Both kids
15:50ran upstairs to the master bedroom
15:52to see what that sound was.
15:55They tried to open the door.
15:57The door appeared to be blocked
15:59by something.
16:00Julie answered the door
16:01and she basically said,
16:03your father just fell off a chair.
16:05He's fine.
16:06Go downstairs.
16:08Eventually, their mom
16:10came out and said that
16:12daddy was sleeping
16:13and that they needed to go.
16:15The kids described
16:17going to a coffee shop.
16:19The son said that they ended up
16:21at their grandfather's house.
16:26Although the children
16:27didn't witness the shooting,
16:29their story provides detectives
16:31with a timeline of events.
16:33They were watching a specific cartoon
16:35that they were able to describe.
16:37We were able to determine
16:38what time that cartoon was airing
16:41in our region
16:42and we determined that
16:43between 8 and 9 a.m.
16:45is when Jason was killed.
16:49The children said that
16:50they went to a coffee shop
16:51and they ended up finding
16:53a receipt in Julie's car
16:55for La Costa Coffee
16:56for 941.
16:58If he passed away in the morning
17:00and we didn't get a call
17:02until 11 o'clock at night
17:04that night,
17:05what was going on
17:06during all of those hours?
17:10We took all of this information
17:12as well as the coffee shop receipt
17:14and we were able to go
17:16and retrace her day.
17:19The barista said that
17:20Julie was acting relatively normal
17:23and didn't seem frazzled
17:25or concerned
17:26or worried about anything.
17:28It almost seemed psychopathic
17:30that she was able
17:31to go about her day
17:33in such a nonchalant manner
17:35while planning her next steps.
17:38The real question I had
17:39is what took place
17:40during the actual shooting?
17:43What precipitated the shooting?
17:46Was there a conversation
17:47or was this a planned
17:49first-degree murder?
17:51And we needed to do
17:52some real forensic work
17:54to get more information
17:55so we could figure out
17:56what to do next
17:57and figure out
17:58exactly how this happened.
18:16California authorities
18:18have arrested Julie Harper
18:20for the shooting death
18:21of her husband,
18:22Jason Harper.
18:23And investigators are skeptical
18:26of Julie's claims
18:27of self-defense.
18:29When they first processed Julie,
18:32I remember looking through
18:33all those photographs
18:34and there isn't a single speck
18:37of a bruise
18:38or a scratch
18:39or any sort of mark
18:40to indicate that
18:41Julie had just recently been
18:43in some sort of
18:44a physical confrontation at all.
18:48Detectives hope
18:49an autopsy
18:50will provide
18:50more definitive answers.
18:53There was a .38 caliber bullet
18:55that was recovered
18:56from Jason's body.
18:58What we wanted to determine
18:59was the bullet entrance
19:02and its trajectory
19:03to help us determine
19:04what Jason's movement was
19:07at the time of the incident.
19:09Was he going towards her?
19:11Was he going away from her?
19:13Generally, you would see
19:14evidence of stippling
19:16or soot
19:17if he was within three feet
19:18and there was no evidence of that.
19:21Jason was shot
19:22in the left rib cage
19:24kind of more towards
19:26the back of the rib cage
19:27and the bullet
19:28traveled at an upward trajectory
19:30from the left rib cage
19:32and rested right here
19:34in the right pectoral
19:35and it ended up
19:36piercing his heart.
19:38To me,
19:39what that entry wound
19:40indicated was that
19:42Jason was actually
19:42probably turning his body
19:44away from Julie
19:45at the moment
19:46that she pulled the trigger.
19:50The day after the shooting,
19:52investigators still
19:53aren't convinced
19:54by Julie's version of events
19:56so they turned
19:57to the Harper's
19:58closest friends and family.
20:00I wanted to know
20:01whether there was anything
20:03to corroborate her claim,
20:04whether witnesses
20:05had seen her being abused.
20:08After a thorough investigation,
20:11we weren't able
20:11to find a single friend
20:13or family member
20:14who was able to give
20:16any indication
20:17of past abuse.
20:22Neighbors say
20:23it was Julie's behavior,
20:25not Jason's,
20:26that concerned them.
20:28There was a lot
20:28of speculation
20:29because her demeanor,
20:31her persona,
20:32her personality
20:33has started to change
20:34in different ways.
20:36After the second child
20:38was born,
20:38there was a shift
20:39in Julie's
20:40warm, attentive nature
20:42as a mother.
20:44According to the neighbors,
20:47Julie's decline worsened
20:48after the arrival
20:49of the Harper's
20:50third child.
20:52Police are talking
20:53to a lot of people
20:54that know Julie Harper
20:55personally.
20:56And what many of them
20:58said collectively is,
20:59I don't know
21:00who this person is anymore.
21:02She used to be present
21:03and now we don't see her.
21:05There was concern
21:06about her well-being.
21:09There was some suspicion
21:11that she was going
21:12through postpartum depression
21:13and that certainly
21:15increased the deterioration
21:17that she was going through.
21:20Your house can't be
21:21100% clean all the time,
21:22especially with little kids.
21:24But Julie's house
21:25was normally
21:26more well-appointed
21:28and it was kind of
21:29just kind of a disaster
21:31over there.
21:36When they offered
21:37Julie support,
21:39she explained
21:39she'd been suffering
21:40from various
21:41medical issues.
21:44Julie was suffering
21:45from rheumatoid arthritis,
21:47which is very debilitating
21:48and painful.
21:49She was prescribed
21:51by a legitimate physician
21:53medicine to manage
21:55that pain.
21:56She was seeking
21:57doctors that would prescribe
21:59her opioids and narcotics
22:00to help remedy
22:02that problem.
22:03It appeared that she
22:05had been abusing
22:06these medications
22:07because she was taking
22:08a whole lot of pills.
22:11Police were stunned
22:12by the amount
22:14of prescription drugs
22:16that were in that home.
22:1852 bottles is a lot.
22:20And when you look
22:21and see when these
22:22prescriptions were written,
22:23within a year,
22:25there were thousands
22:26upon thousands
22:27of pills that were taken.
22:31Between September 2011
22:33and August 2012,
22:35Julie's drug dependence
22:37deepened and began
22:38to take a toll
22:39on her marriage.
22:41Some of the themes
22:42that we were getting
22:43from the friends
22:43and family is that
22:44it was clear
22:45that this relationship
22:46was kind of at the end
22:47of its rope.
22:49And my theory
22:50is that I think
22:52he said,
22:52I want to get a divorce.
22:54We should get a divorce.
22:57I think that really upset her
22:59because she was trying
23:00to save the marriage.
23:05When investigators
23:07check court records,
23:08they learned the Harpers
23:09were in the process
23:10of getting a divorce.
23:12but Jason wasn't the one
23:15who initiated it.
23:18We learned that Julie
23:19had filed for divorce
23:21from Jason
23:21five days
23:22prior to the shooting.
23:25She listed that
23:26there had been
23:26verbal abuse.
23:29We think
23:30she wanted to be
23:31the first
23:31to kind of set this,
23:32set the tone
23:33about what was going on
23:34in the relationship.
23:35I do think
23:36she wanted to have
23:37custody of the kids
23:38and so that's why
23:38she initiated
23:39the divorce herself.
23:41She's a clever,
23:42savvy person
23:43and she's
23:44always thinking
23:45about the next step.
23:49Coming up,
23:50a second search warrant
23:52uncovers
23:53a damning piece
23:54of evidence.
23:55This appeared to me
23:57to be a getaway bag.
23:58And Julie
23:59finally breaks
24:00her silence.
24:02He was
24:03coming towards me
24:04with his arms raised
24:06and he said,
24:07I'm going to
24:07kill you, you b******.
24:23Investigators
24:24have spent
24:24just over a week
24:26examining Julie
24:27and Jason Harper's
24:28personal lives
24:29and while evidence
24:30of domestic violence
24:32is thin,
24:33they have found
24:34a motive for murder.
24:38The divorce filing,
24:39it really just
24:40set the stage
24:41for her state of mind
24:43on the morning
24:44of the shooting.
24:45She files for divorce
24:47and cites abuse
24:48and she cites,
24:50I don't feel safe,
24:52he's abusing me,
24:53I'm afraid.
24:54Those are things
24:55she wanted to make sure
24:56were on record
24:58before she did this.
25:03And when detectives
25:04speak with Jason's
25:06mother,
25:06they discover
25:07Julie's escape plan
25:09didn't end
25:10with the divorce.
25:12Jason's mother,
25:13Lina,
25:14saw Jason
25:15the night before
25:16and they conversed
25:17about Jason
25:19seeing what he believed
25:21was fraud
25:21on his credit cards.
25:23Julie wrote
25:25two $4,500 checks
25:27against Jason's
25:28credit cards
25:29and cashed those.
25:33Bank records
25:34confirm
25:34Julie cashed
25:35the checks
25:36one week
25:37before the shooting.
25:39Julie was able
25:40to withdraw the cash
25:41by forging
25:42Jason's signature.
25:44We were able
25:45to get bank video
25:46of her going
25:47into the bank
25:47and the signature
25:49didn't match
25:49Jason's signature.
25:52This was a possible sign
25:53that she had been
25:54planning the killing.
25:55We believed
25:57it was related
25:58to her premeditation
25:59and deliberation.
26:01We also wondered
26:03whether he had
26:03confronted her
26:04about the divorce
26:05filing
26:06and the money
26:07that was stolen
26:08on the morning
26:08of the shooting.
26:15As a theory
26:16of murder
26:17takes shape
26:17investigators
26:18want more evidence
26:20to ensure
26:20a conviction.
26:23We felt like
26:24we missed something
26:25in her dad's home
26:26and we wanted
26:28to have an opportunity
26:30to search it again
26:31to gather
26:32more evidence.
26:33Police did a search
26:35warrant on August 16th
26:36about nine days
26:38after the shooting.
26:40I would say
26:41a dozen detectives
26:42and myself
26:43went out
26:44to really thoroughly
26:45search the residence.
26:50We went to
26:51the garage area
26:52that has been
26:54searched before
26:55and we went
26:56into an attic space.
26:59While I was
27:00photographing
27:00the attic
27:01I noticed
27:02that there was
27:03right as you get
27:04to the top
27:04there was
27:04a blue
27:05Jansport backpack.
27:07I went back
27:08down the stairs
27:09and I was like
27:10hey detectives
27:10make sure
27:11that you look
27:11at that backpack
27:12up there
27:12because it seems
27:13out of place.
27:15It appeared
27:16that it had been
27:16hidden there
27:17and it was
27:18hidden for a reason
27:19so the police
27:20opened it up.
27:22Inside that backpack
27:23was Jason's
27:25cell phone
27:26Julie's cell phone
27:28jewelry
27:30Jason's
27:31last will
27:31and testament
27:33some passports
27:35and interestingly
27:37enough
27:37a naked photo
27:38of Jason.
27:40He was laying
27:41on what appeared
27:42to be like
27:43a hotel bed
27:44in the nude.
27:46That in itself
27:47is bizarre
27:49and disturbing.
27:50I don't know
27:51why she would
27:52need that.
27:54There was also
27:55a .32 caliber pistol
27:56and that belonged
27:57to Julie
27:58that was registered
27:59in her name.
28:04The caliber
28:05is not a match
28:06for the weapon
28:06that killed Jason
28:08but to detectives
28:09the contents
28:11of the backpack
28:11are telling.
28:13This appeared
28:14to me
28:14to be a getaway bag.
28:16It's something
28:17that a killer
28:17would use
28:18in order
28:19to flee
28:19the jurisdiction.
28:21I think
28:22the purpose
28:23of having
28:23the passports
28:24is for her
28:25and the oldest
28:25two kids
28:26to get out
28:27of the country.
28:28I think
28:29the jewelry
28:29is pricey
28:30so she needed
28:31to sell it
28:31but the last
28:33will and testament
28:33kind of stumps me
28:35because if you're
28:37found guilty
28:38the money you're
28:39going to get
28:39is not going
28:40to be from
28:40his last
28:40will and testament.
28:45The backpack
28:46was important.
28:47I think it kind
28:47of telltale sign.
28:49This was pre-planned.
28:50She knew
28:51and then she did
28:52a really good job
28:53of retaining
28:54her attorney
28:55and making
28:56making it
28:56difficult for us.
28:58I would say
28:58the level
28:59of planning
29:00that she was
29:00able to go
29:01through after
29:02the fact
29:02and the steps
29:03that she took
29:04to cover it up
29:05showed me
29:05that she wasn't
29:06really abused
29:07and as long
29:08as a person
29:09thought about
29:10their actions
29:11and planned
29:12to take the actions
29:13before the killing
29:15that constitutes
29:16first degree murder.
29:18We were ready
29:19to prove to a jury
29:20that this woman
29:21intentionally
29:22killed her husband.
29:39In September 2014,
29:42two years after
29:43Jason Harper
29:44was shot to death,
29:45his wife Julie Harper
29:47stands trial
29:48for premeditated
29:49murder.
29:50As expected,
29:52Julie claims
29:53self-defense.
29:55But her attorney
29:56surprises everyone
29:58by putting
29:58Julie on the stand.
30:02Most defendants
30:03choose not
30:04to take the witness stand,
30:06but this was not
30:07your typical defendant.
30:08She was extremely smart
30:10and she was ready
30:12to tell her story.
30:14Julie claimed
30:15that Jason was loud,
30:16he was verbally abusive,
30:18and that she was scared
30:19of him.
30:21She said she was
30:22trying to protect herself
30:23and her children
30:24from this madman.
30:29As evidence,
30:31Julie provides
30:32video recordings
30:33of Jason's behavior.
30:36You, bitch!
30:38Carpool bitch.
30:40Figure it out.
30:41Can't help it
30:42if you're too dumb
30:42to do it.
30:43Too lazy.
30:44Seems like
30:45the B-I-T-T-H
30:47is the only word
30:48that you can use.
30:49That is darn right
30:50if that's what you are.
30:53He was 6'7
30:55and 230 pounds
30:56and very athletic
30:59and very strong.
31:00His body
31:01was a weapon.
31:02It can paint
31:03the picture
31:04that he could be
31:05this kind of guy
31:06that could become
31:07unhinged.
31:09Once again,
31:10bull,
31:11I'm not paying
31:11for anything.
31:13I'm paying for
31:14the vacation.
31:15That's bull!
31:16I am!
31:16That isn't true.
31:19When we saw
31:20these videos in court,
31:21I knew that
31:22they didn't make
31:22Jason look good
31:23because he was
31:24being angry
31:25and he was yelling
31:27at Julie.
31:27But just because
31:29someone's angry
31:30and yelling
31:30at their spouse,
31:32there's a huge
31:32step from that
31:33to physically
31:35abusing them.
31:36And Julie
31:37swears under oath
31:38that Jason
31:39didn't stop
31:40with verbal abuse.
31:42She claimed
31:43that she was
31:44repeatedly raped
31:45by him
31:46every single day.
31:48I said,
31:49stop, stop.
31:51What are you doing?
31:52Stop.
31:54The defense
31:55enters Julie's
31:57personal journal
31:58as further evidence.
32:00The journal
32:01apparently
32:01was the evidence
32:03that would,
32:04according to Julie,
32:05corroborate
32:05her testimony
32:06that she was
32:07being raped
32:08by Jason.
32:10In her journal,
32:11she would write
32:12sex next to the
32:13date that this
32:14happened.
32:15And she said
32:16that the word
32:16sex was code
32:18for rape.
32:21But aside
32:22from Julie's
32:23private journal,
32:25the defense
32:25cannot present
32:26any evidence
32:27to corroborate
32:28her claims.
32:30It's hard to refute
32:31if he's not here.
32:32But no one
32:33that knows Jason
32:33believes her claims.
32:35No one.
32:37Nobody had
32:38any indication
32:39that she was
32:39going to claim
32:40this until
32:41we went to trial.
32:42There was no
32:43physical evidence
32:44or videos
32:45or audio
32:46that would
32:46tend to show
32:47that Jason Harper
32:48had raped
32:49his wife.
32:52Instead,
32:53the defense
32:53relies on
32:54Julie's emotional
32:56recounting
32:56of the events
32:57that unfolded
32:58on August 7,
32:592012.
33:02What Julie
33:03said was
33:04they were
33:04arguing with
33:05one another.
33:06He got this
33:07crazy look
33:08in his eye.
33:09She said
33:10he ran up
33:11to her screaming
33:12and began
33:13taking off
33:14her clothes.
33:15She believed
33:16she was going
33:17to be raped again.
33:21He was
33:22coming towards
33:23me with
33:25his arms
33:25raised
33:26and
33:27he said
33:28I'm going
33:28to kill you
33:29you
33:31That was
33:33the first
33:33time we
33:34had ever
33:34heard
33:34Julie Harper
33:35say anything
33:36about Jason
33:38Harper
33:38threatening
33:39to kill
33:39her.
33:40Knowing what
33:41I know
33:41of Jason
33:42and the
33:43gentle giant
33:44that he was
33:45I don't believe
33:46he was ever
33:46like that.
33:47I grabbed
33:49my gun
33:50from under
33:51my pillow
33:51I turned
33:53around
33:53I told
33:54him
33:55stop
33:55Will you
33:56stop?
33:57No
33:58I said
33:58stay back
33:59felt my
34:00hand jerk
34:01and heard
34:02the loud
34:03noise
34:05and he
34:06was still
34:07like coming
34:08forward at
34:09me
34:09and
34:11then all
34:12of a sudden
34:12he froze
34:14completely
34:16and that
34:16he fell
34:17with a
34:18thud
34:18on the
34:18ground.
34:23She
34:24claims
34:24she could
34:25tell
34:25within
34:26seconds
34:27that he
34:27was gone.
34:29The biggest
34:30surprise
34:31during her
34:31testimony
34:32was what
34:33she had
34:33done
34:33with the
34:34gun.
34:35She
34:35claims
34:36that she
34:36buried it
34:37in somebody's
34:38yard or
34:39something like
34:40that to
34:40preserve it
34:41for evidence
34:42but it's
34:43our belief
34:44that she
34:44disposed
34:45of it
34:45because it
34:46showed her
34:47guilt.
34:51To
34:52prosecutors
34:52the story
34:53is an
34:54obvious
34:54fabrication.
34:57As good
34:58as she
34:58was at
34:59testifying
35:00I knew
35:01that her
35:01story was
35:02simply
35:03contradicted
35:04by the
35:04physical
35:05forensic
35:05evidence
35:06from the
35:06autopsy.
35:09What she
35:10basically said
35:10was that
35:11he was
35:12approaching
35:12her and
35:13he did
35:13not turn
35:14away
35:14and that
35:14at the
35:15moment
35:15that she
35:15pulled
35:16the trigger
35:16he was
35:17standing
35:17directly
35:18in front
35:18of her
35:18and so
35:19the
35:20physical
35:20evidence
35:21directly
35:21disputed
35:22what she
35:23said
35:23actually
35:24happened.
35:26The
35:26medical
35:27examiner
35:27determined
35:28there was
35:29a single
35:29gunshot wound
35:30to Jason
35:31Harper's
35:32back on
35:33the side
35:34near his
35:35ribcage.
35:36The bullet
35:37entered
35:37from behind
35:39and traveled
35:40to the
35:40front.
35:45After
35:45closing
35:46arguments
35:46the jury
35:47retires
35:48to
35:48deliberate.
35:50The jury
35:51after hearing
35:52the evidence
35:53determined
35:53that we
35:54did not
35:54prove the
35:55case
35:55beyond a
35:55reasonable
35:55doubt
35:56as it
35:56relates
35:56to
35:56first
35:57degree
35:57murder
35:57and
35:58elected
35:58to
35:58acquit
35:59Julie.
36:02The jury
36:02was hung
36:039-3
36:04for not
36:04guilty
36:05on
36:05second
36:05degree
36:05murder
36:06and so
36:07the court
36:07declared
36:08a mistrial.
36:09I was
36:10shocked
36:11and disappointed
36:11at the
36:12outcome
36:12and the
36:14prospect
36:14of having
36:15to do
36:15this trial
36:16all over
36:16again
36:17was a
36:17daunting
36:17one.
36:21A trial
36:23date is
36:23set for
36:23the following
36:24year
36:24and Julie
36:25is released
36:26on bond.
36:28After the
36:28first trial
36:29she just
36:30wanted to
36:30come back
36:30in like
36:31life is
36:32normal.
36:33So she
36:34was going
36:34to concerts
36:35when she
36:36was out
36:36living in
36:37the house
36:37that she
36:37murdered
36:38her husband
36:39in having
36:39a good
36:39time.
36:41The kids
36:42were I
36:44believe under
36:45the care and
36:46custody of
36:47Jason's
36:47parents.
36:52As we
36:53approached
36:53that second
36:54trial date
36:55Julie
36:55informed the
36:56judge that
36:57she needed
36:57to delay
36:58the trial
36:59again.
37:00We learned
37:01that Julie
37:02had intentionally
37:03become pregnant
37:07through an
37:08artificial
37:09insemination.
37:11I absolutely
37:12think it was a
37:13tactic to try
37:14to be found
37:15not guilty
37:16by either
37:17being pregnant
37:18during trial
37:19and or having
37:20a baby
37:21right before
37:22going to
37:23trial.
37:39A year after
37:40her first
37:41trial for the
37:42suspected murder
37:43of her husband
37:44Jason Harper
37:45ended with a
37:46hung jury.
37:47Julie Harper's
37:48second trial
37:49begins in
37:50September 2015
37:51following an
37:53unexpected
37:53pregnancy delay.
37:56Whether the
37:57recent birth of
37:58her fourth
37:58child will
37:59result in
38:00sympathy from
38:00the jury
38:01remains to
38:02be seen.
38:04Once again
38:05Julie took the
38:06witness stand
38:07and she stuck
38:07to her story.
38:08It was a story
38:09about being a
38:10battered woman
38:11who was
38:12physically,
38:12verbally,
38:13and sexually
38:14abused.
38:18Now that
38:19they are
38:20familiar with
38:20her defense
38:21strategy,
38:22prosecutors
38:23have a new
38:24approach.
38:25What we
38:26were going
38:26to do is
38:27we were
38:27going to
38:27ask her
38:28about all
38:28the times
38:29that she's
38:29lied about
38:30this case.
38:31And there
38:32was literally
38:33hundreds of
38:34questions.
38:38They
38:38carefully
38:39dissect each
38:40piece of
38:40evidence
38:41pointing out
38:42inconsistency.
38:44They begin
38:45with the
38:46videos the
38:46defense used
38:47to establish
38:48Jason's
38:49abuse.
38:50F*** you,
38:52bitch.
38:53It was
38:54clear that
38:55obviously Jason
38:56was frustrated,
38:57but what was
38:59also clear to
38:59me is that
39:00Jason wasn't
39:01doing anything
39:02physically
39:02violent.
39:03This was
39:04strictly a
39:05verbal
39:06argument.
39:07And then
39:08when you
39:08looked at
39:08her journal,
39:09things just
39:10didn't add
39:10up.
39:10She says
39:11that this
39:12man had
39:12raped her
39:13over and
39:13over and
39:14over again.
39:15Spousal rape
39:1630 plus
39:17times is
39:17what she's
39:18accusing
39:18this man
39:19of.
39:20But she
39:20also was
39:21writing in
39:21her journal
39:22at the
39:22same time
39:23that she
39:23says she's
39:23being raped
39:24that she
39:24wants more
39:25sex with
39:26him.
39:26She was
39:27actually
39:27frustrated
39:28with his
39:28sexual prowess
39:30and wanted
39:30and wanted
39:31to last
39:31longer.
39:32That doesn't
39:34compute with
39:34someone who
39:35is violating
39:36you in
39:37one of the
39:37worst ways
39:38possible,
39:39continuously.
39:44Jason's
39:45search history
39:46from the
39:46morning he
39:47was shot
39:48also contradicts
39:49Julie's
39:50claims.
39:51Julie had
39:52said that
39:53basically that
39:54from around
39:55830 to
39:55approximately
39:569 a.m.
39:57Jason was
39:57trying to
39:58rape her
39:58essentially.
39:59And what we
40:00found was
40:00that he was
40:01actually on
40:02his own
40:02computer looking
40:04up resources
40:05to help him
40:06with his
40:06soon to be
40:07pending
40:07divorce.
40:09He could
40:09not have
40:10been
40:10simultaneously
40:11browsing and
40:12searching the
40:12internet at
40:13836 in the
40:13morning and
40:14raping Julie
40:15Harper.
40:16If she's
40:17lying about
40:18that, what
40:19else is she
40:19lying about?
40:23The
40:24prosecution
40:24argues that
40:26Julie's
40:26desperation
40:26didn't stem
40:28from any
40:28alleged abuse
40:30but her
40:30own
40:31dissatisfaction
40:32with her
40:32life.
40:34Her
40:35relationship
40:35was crumbling
40:36mostly because
40:37of her own
40:38actions.
40:39She just
40:39snapped,
40:40completely
40:41just snapped.
40:44This time,
40:45the jury is
40:46less sympathetic
40:47to Julie's
40:48claims.
40:49Julie was
40:50ultimately
40:50convicted of
40:51second-degree
40:51murder and
40:52using a
40:53firearm in
40:53the commission
40:54of that
40:54murder.
40:54she is
40:56sentenced to
40:5640 years
40:57to life,
40:5815 was
40:59for the
40:59murder,
41:00and 25
41:01was for the
41:02gun charge.
41:05I mean,
41:05normal people
41:06don't run
41:07killing their
41:07husbands or
41:08spouses and
41:08go have
41:09coffee or
41:09whatever.
41:11I do believe
41:11that Julie got
41:12exactly what
41:12she deserved.
41:13That's a long
41:14time.
41:15That's a long
41:15time.
41:18I think one
41:20of the worst
41:21parts about
41:21this, other
41:22than Jason
41:22losing his
41:23life, is
41:24that Julie
41:24took real
41:26stories from
41:28real people
41:29that sometimes
41:31don't make it
41:31out alive, and
41:33she took
41:34these stories,
41:35she concocted
41:36this plan for
41:37her own benefit
41:38and didn't think
41:39about how
41:40anybody else
41:41would feel
41:42about it other
41:43than herself.
41:45Julie Harper
41:46ruined Jason's
41:47life.
41:48She shot and
41:49killed him, and
41:50then she tried to
41:51destroy his
41:51legacy by dragging
41:53his name through
41:53the mud.
41:55It was all very
41:56shocking and sad.
41:58I think Jason's
41:59death could have
41:59been easily
42:00prevented.
42:01I think something
42:02within that
42:02combination of
42:03whatever medications
42:05she was taking
42:06or misusing
42:07and whatever was
42:08going on in her
42:09head caused
42:10her to snap.
42:12The biggest
42:13tragedy.
42:14is the children.
42:15It's hard enough
42:15for a child to lose
42:17any parent, much
42:17less two.
42:19They respect
42:20Jason, and I
42:21remember Jason.
42:21She killed a
42:22great, great man.
42:24Jason was such
42:25a good person.
42:26He was such a
42:26value, such an
42:28asset, and just
42:29his loss was
42:30immense, and it
42:31was felt, and it
42:32still felt.
42:46He was such a
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