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00:08I asked Morgan and Rod what does marriage mean to each of them Morgan started with this we will
00:13be together forever for God has sent Rod to me and he is my guardian angel and Rod concluded
00:20with this my only hope for my life is that I can be the man and husband and father that
00:25Morgan and
00:25my future children deserve she really thought he was the love of her life this prince charming we
00:36were just really excited to start our life but unfortunately at the start of our fairy tales
00:42when our nightmare began Morgan looked at him to be her protector but what you don't know you don't
00:50know a shocking event happens that changes everything he was no longer my husband he was
01:08somebody completely different somebody ugly somebody that I didn't know who it was a stranger to me
01:37I'm Andrea Gunning and this is Betrayal a show about the people we trust the most
01:41and the deceptions that change everything today we meet Morgan who thought she had it all a loving
01:48relationship with her high school sweetheart and the promise of a bright future but after a series
01:54of tragic events that promise turned into peril Morgan what are you hoping people learn from your story
02:03my hope is that women learn to speak up to see if the things that are going on in your
02:09relationship
02:09is healthy or not yeah the guys generally started to believe it was me that I was the problem so
02:16I
02:16didn't say anything I stopped trying to be heard my name is Morgan Metzer I grew up in Canton Georgia
02:28we
02:30have an older brother I'm the middle and then Morgan's the baby sister we have so many wonderful memories
02:36together all girls pretty much dream of finding their prince charming so we always like thought
02:42about you know who our boyfriend would be someday our husband and then when of course you've met Rod
02:48she felt like she found her prince Rod and I met when I was 14 he was 17 and we
02:59were high school sweethearts
03:05my first impression of Rod that he gave off as definitely the big man on campus everywhere he went everyone
03:12knew who he was he was extremely patient funny kind-hearted he had ambition he was pretty much the whole
03:21package
03:22I guess you could say he made me feel like a princess Morgan wanted to be protected and she looked
03:29at him
03:30to be her protector and so he kind of just took on that role Rodney's family came from a lot
03:36of money
03:36they were very well-to-do Rod's parents would take a lot of their kids friends on trips and on
03:44these trips
03:45we were spoiled given a very lavish lifestyle I felt like the luckiest girl in the world after high
03:56school the couple they're stronger than ever Morgan follows Rodney to Wyoming where he's training to be a
04:01mechanic and she goes to cosmetology school and then they decide to move back to Georgia and start
04:09their careers we grew together naturally as a couple everything was still innocent and pure
04:19I don't ever recall them ever arguing they always got along from the very beginning they've always been
04:26very happy Rod proposed to me after about six or seven years being together he asked me in front of
04:36my
04:36family with my grandmother's wedding ring I was a hundred percent sure I wanted to marry Rod Rod and
04:46Morgan the importance of marriage supersedes our daily activities we got married April 18 2009 I asked
04:55Morgan and Rod individually what does marriage mean to each of them and Rod had this to say marriage good
05:01Rod Rod like marriage the wedding was my dream everything I could have ever imagined it was a true fairy
05:12tale the one of the most
05:15beautiful weddings I've ever seen you may kiss to your heart's content the family was so excited his brother Kevin's
05:27speech was
05:27wonderful one day I hope I can share the same love they have with a woman as great as Morgan
05:34and for
05:37the first official time Morgan welcome to the family I cried it felt like royalty becoming Miss Metzer
05:58before we got married we did own a house together we resided there after the wedding it was so much
06:06fun
06:06getting to call him my husband they were happy they were always doing things and I felt like I had
06:14a brother
06:14there so it was nice Rod had no expectations from me he really didn't he just wanted me to do
06:24what I
06:24wanted to do and I wanted to go hang out with friends that night he says go out go have
06:29fun I'll see you later
06:30we were just overall really excited to start our life but unfortunately at the start of our fairy tales when
06:40our
06:40nightmare began Morgan and Rodney's marriage is almost picture-perfect and then a tragic event changes
06:58everything Rod's brother passed away of leukemia Kevin's passing was very difficult for all of
07:15us I can only imagine how it made Rod feel it was just him and his brother you know and
07:21to see the pain
07:24of losing a sibling it was difficult it affected both of them but Rod was just very quiet he was
07:34not
07:34sociable he was not fun this death was a test of how the couple would weather dark times together
07:50I was supportive I tried to help guide him in different ways therapy just talking listening
07:56asking what it is that he needs but Rodney started changing into somebody completely different
08:09there's like watching a slow painful death
08:24after we lost Kevin a really good bounce back something exciting that happened in the family
08:29was we got pregnant I feel like I got a glimpse of that old Rod he was elated more excited
08:39that we
08:40were gonna name him Kevin after his brother it was just exciting after so much of the heartache of
08:47losing Kevin that something so wonderful was about to happen at 22 weeks the couple received devastating
08:56news the baby has a congenital heart defect they did say he would need multiple heart surgeries
09:06eventually possibly a heart transplant there was a lot of unknowns nobody wants to hear that
09:14their baby is going to be sick or potentially need all these treatments and surgeries and be in pain after
09:21they're born right after I had Kevin they let me hold him for a second they took him from me
09:28pretty much
09:28immediately he was a week old when he had his first heart surgery
09:38I remember dropping to my knees and I said God either take him home with you or let me bring
09:46him home
09:50and the next day is when God decided to answer my prayer but decided to take him home with him
10:02it wrecked her it wrecked her soul
10:07any mother to lose a child is just unimaginable
10:13from what Morgan had shared with me and how Rod processed the loss of baby Kevin it was more of
10:20he just stayed busy he kept himself away and she grieved by herself
10:32I feel like my sister handled it well but she was devastated and she wasn't herself nor was Rod
10:38so yeah it was awful
10:48as Morgan continues to grieve the loss of her child she gets some amazing news I got pregnant after the
10:57loss of Kevin about three months later it was just a gift that was sent from baby Kevin to them
11:04to be
11:05like don't be sad you know it's gonna be okay you've we've got a baby on the way you know
11:10the first
11:11ultrasound Kevin's doctor was in there and she looked at me she goes of course you would give me
11:17a high-risk pregnancy after Kevin you're having twins I've handed Rod the ultrasound thing and he's like two is
11:28I said yeah and he was so excited almost a year to the day of losing baby Kevin Morgan gives
11:35birth to twins Mason and Amelia
11:42so after the twins were born Morgan was a stay-at-home mom and that's when I could just tell
11:49that Rod wasn't happy or he was going through something but it was something that she kind of kept private
11:55it he struggled with sharing my time anything that took me away from taking care of him he would get
12:04irritated but it wasn't where people would notice it
12:09he was just like honestly just miserable and hating life he was a mechanic Rod was making countless mistakes
12:18certain things went wrong soon Rodney was unemployed but Morgan thought that they would be okay financially
12:27we had an amazing home that was paid for outright he did have inheritance from a great aunt but he
12:35eventually told me the money was gone I realized that Rod was waiting for his grandmother to die but when
12:45his
12:45grandmother passed away he did not receive anything then they get the notice that they're going to
12:53potentially be losing the house it put a strain in our relationship because that's when he ran out of
13:01any options to be able to provide for the house at all she was going to have to be the
13:07one to step up
13:08because he obviously couldn't so I started my own interior design business shiplap and sugar it took
13:18off after the first year I was voted the number one interior designer in Canton and I was still able
13:24to
13:24rock it being a mom we got to work together and run this business it was so much fun they
13:33didn't lose their
13:33house we had more business than we knew what to do with eventually I think he started working for my
13:40company as a handyman he would do built-in bunk beds he'd make me floating shelves he'd hang everything but
13:48he didn't like being the worker in my opinion I felt like to me Rodney would find ways to sabotage
13:56the
13:57projects and I would see something like the stupid curtain rods not having the right measurements even
14:03though that was your one job I would tell him to do something and he would do it incorrectly but
14:15he
14:16would convince me that I told him to do it that way and it would be my fault she had
14:22a hard time
14:23deciphering if what he was saying was true or not looking back on it now he definitely was gaslighting
14:30me once Rod saw that I was able to become successful for our family and I had the drive he
14:37still wanted
14:38the control the way he spoke to me did change he wanted to degrade me he wanted to make sure
14:45I knew who
14:46was in charge he would antagonize me and as soon as I would lose my cool is when he would
14:59go quiet and
15:00he'd start recording me and say look at how crazy you're being gaslighting was Rodney's AMO they can
15:09beat you down I felt like a horrible mom I felt like a horrible provider overall I I didn't look
15:14forward
15:14to getting up every morning a lot was on her plate but she wanted to protect her kids make sure
15:22that they
15:23didn't know that something was going on with mom one day Rod and I were having a disagreement we were
15:32going up the stairs the kids were listening and all of a sudden he's falling down the stairs
15:42and then as soon as when he hit the bottom stairs the kids were down there and he's like mom
15:46push me
15:47down the stairs I felt as though Rod faked falling down the stairs to show the kids mommy did hurt
15:57daddy to paint me ugly in their eyes Morgan could endure anything that Rodney was throwing at her
16:06but then he started manipulating the kids against her and she realized she had to face the reality of
16:12her relationship I just it's like all right that's it I'm done
16:2911 years into their marriage Morgan files for divorce when he found out I filed for divorce
16:35Rod wasn't accepting of it he would sit outside my parents house calling me like crazy I mean he
16:42really thought he was gonna get me back but I wasn't going I wasn't budging this is the only man
16:51that she's been with and no matter how the relationship was going it was still hard but I think she
16:56knew that
16:57she deserved to be treated better you know what I mean so I was proud of her for sticking up
17:00for her
17:01and her kids in December of 2020 the divorce was finalized he moved out got an apartment and they
17:09shared custody of the two kids I knew in my heart I had done the right thing but I loved
17:17my husband
17:25he was my best friend that year the day after Christmas I took the kids to see my sister in
17:42Orlando for them to stay for a few weeks the kids wanted to come see me and stay at my
17:48home outside of
17:49Disney World when I got back I was over at Nicole's house and Rod had sent me an email something
18:00along
18:00the lines of I think you should know this and he attached the document from the doctor's diagnosis
18:08I think I dropped my phone and I was like oh my gosh the father of my children has pancreatic
18:16cancer
18:18I mean he was telling me it was stage four and he was gonna die
18:24she was distraught it was oh my god my children's father my emotions were all over the place I remember
18:32just dropping everything and left Nicole's house and went to his apartment he said he was extremely
18:39scared well he didn't want to tell his parents he wasn't comfortable being alone and I said okay you
18:44can come and stay at the house even though they were divorced Morgan still loved Rodney and she
18:52wanted to be supportive so she let him stay with her for a few days on the day of New
18:59Year's Eve my
18:59parents came over and approached Rod and said that we do need to call your parents and tell them about
19:07your diagnosis he left very angry New Year's Eve I mean we talked for a little bit I was telling
19:16her
19:16about what the kids and and I were gonna be doing I just knew that she was joined in Nicole's
19:20house so
19:21it was nothing unusual I did get text messages from Rod he wanted to hang out but I told him
19:34I'm gonna be
19:35staying at my parents house tonight but that was never my intention I didn't want to see him it was
19:41my
19:41hopes that he would leave me alone knowing that I was with my parents when Morgan came over to my
19:48house
19:49she was a lot more quiet than usual but then I realized that at the time it was my husband
19:55and
19:55I and then it was our other friends so I understood it and then she went home
20:10that night all I wanted to do was just curl up next to my dog and go to sleep and
20:15wake up the next
20:16morning ready to start my fresh new year as a newly single divorcee
20:24the next time Morgan opens her eyes she sees an image no one wants to see
20:30I saw a male figure standing in a lit-up doorway dressed in black when I went to go like
20:39really
20:40like adjust my eyes is when he attacked I screamed the loudest I have ever screamed
20:54I thought it was over for me
21:07when the attacker attacked me I was hit in the face countless times with the butt of a gun
21:17I was strangled I was sexually assaulted I had a gun pointed at my at my forehead I was fighting
21:24for my life
21:26he had a voice disguiser it sounded like Batman I still hear his voice in my head
21:32he said you've messed with the wrong people
21:37I couldn't help but think okay this is it I'm done still to this day I get disappointed in myself
21:45when I say that I finally just let go
21:50and I stopped the fight
21:55all of a sudden I had a sense of peace that just went all over and at that moment
22:02he stopped strangling me
22:07that's when he proceeded to zip tie my hands behind my back
22:11he put a pillowcase over my head
22:14and I was bleeding I could feel the blood going down my face
22:20he started asking where's my phone and I said I don't know it's somewhere in the bed
22:24and he found it and he's like what's the passcode and I told him the passcode
22:30and then all of a sudden Morgan's attacker takes her to the back porch and says don't move until
22:37you hear a car honk its horn two or three times that never happens
22:42Morgan is struggling to stay awake and finally she hears footsteps she doesn't know who it is
22:52and then she hears Rodney's voice
23:00and I was like hello and he goes what happened what happened what happened
23:05and I told him what happened he took me inside he called the cops
23:11I'm right here okay
23:14I'm right here
23:19Jerry can come in and I won't
23:20somebody broke in over here
23:25okay the person broke in are they still there
23:27did you just come over to it
23:29we don't know
23:30I showed up and I don't know
23:32he said did someone broke into your house
23:35yes not my house my ex-wife's house
23:36she was on the back porch
23:38uh and the back door was wide open
23:40she was tied up with the hood over her head
23:43you're saying she was tied up with the hood over her head
23:45yes
23:48when he got off the phone with them
23:50he's like you know it's fine
23:53I you know walked the house
23:54nobody's here or anything like that
23:56but I was still scared
24:01I'm Dakota Livers
24:02the time of this case I was a detective
24:04in the criminal investigations division
24:06specifically assigned in the special victims unit
24:12when I initially arrived
24:13Rodney Metzer was sitting in the driveway
24:15as I walked past him he said
24:16are you the guy that we've been waiting on
24:18I said yes sir I am
24:19and he looked me dead in the eyes
24:21and he said do your job
24:24I was like okay
24:34first investigative step that I wanted to do
24:37was get a scene size up
24:38we were able to find out that their children
24:40were actually in Florida
24:41which was a relief
24:44Morgan was in a shocked state
24:46she was obviously beaten
24:49she had bruising around her eye
24:51she looked disheveled
24:53as would somebody
24:54that had just went through an incident like this
24:57there were no signs of forced entry into the house
25:03when Morgan detailed
25:04how the attacker had used her phone
25:06we began looking at the alarm system
25:08we were able to look through the records
25:11it showed Rodney arriving
25:14which is about the time the 911 call was made
25:16when Morgan was found
25:17but videos prior to that
25:20had been deleted or weren't there
25:24the last video was Morgan going inside
25:30Morgan detailed how the attacker made claims of
25:32your ex-husband is going to miss you
25:35or you know he's next
25:37the attacker had to know Morgan had an ex-husband
25:43it's leading us to believe
25:45this is somebody close to Morgan
25:46that did this
25:49I set up two chairs on the front porch
25:51for Rodney and I to have a discussion
25:53they asked him
25:58how he came to be at Morgan's house
26:00and his explanation was incredible
26:09while brushing his teeth
26:11some mysterious person
26:12tapped on his window three times
26:14and all that he could make out
26:16that they said was Morgan
26:26he believed that Morgan was in danger
26:29he took it upon himself
26:30to drive from his apartment
26:32to her house
26:33his story
26:34began to unfold
26:36as he was telling it
26:38because it did not line up with things
26:39that Morgan had already told us
26:41such as there was no reason for him to come
26:43to that house
26:45looking for Morgan
26:46because Morgan told him
26:48she was going to stay the night
26:49at her parents house
26:50which is not that house
26:54you knew she was here
26:55which is why you came straight here
26:56and left there
26:56her parents house
26:59the entire time
27:00we were all open-minded
27:01that there might be
27:03another potential suspect
27:04he said maybe a new love interest
27:20had done this to Morgan
27:21however all the evidence
27:22at this point
27:23was pointing
27:24towards Rodney Metzer
27:27Rodney actually
27:28ended up giving us consent
27:30to look through his phone
27:31during that time
27:32we found pictures
27:33of text messages
27:35on another phone
27:36and the other phone
27:38happened to be Morgan's phone
27:40he also had pictures
27:41of her sleeping
27:43Detective Livers
27:44pulled me aside
27:45and he asked me
27:46if I had given
27:47Rodney permission
27:48to take a picture
27:49of my phone
27:50and I told him no
28:00he had
28:02unlawfully
28:02gotten into Morgan's phone
28:04that's a crime
28:05here in Georgia
28:06and they were able
28:08to arrest him
28:08that night
28:09for that crime
28:18but we still had
28:20our work ahead of us
28:21to confirm
28:22or dispel
28:23if Rodney
28:24was our lead suspect
28:25or if there was
28:26some rando
28:27that did this
28:39arresting Rodney
28:39gave us time
28:41to do further
28:42investigating
28:43into him
28:43into his story
28:47starting the next day
28:48I was tasked
28:49with obtaining
28:50search warrants
28:50for Rodney's vehicle
28:52he had a Volkswagen
28:53for his cell phone
28:54and for Rodney's apartment
28:58and the Volkswagen
28:59was a handwritten letter
29:01without a signature
29:02but it was outlining
29:04the person having cancer
29:06and begging
29:08the recipient of that letter
29:10to come back to him
29:11after we
29:12finished our search
29:14of Rodney's vehicle
29:15myself
29:16and a number
29:17of other detectives
29:18went to that apartment
29:19did a very thorough search
29:21and recovered
29:21quite a few things
29:22of interest
29:25we seized his
29:26laptop computer
29:27we seized his
29:29wireless router
29:29and probably the
29:32strongest piece of evidence
29:33that we seized
29:34was a collection
29:35of new
29:36and one cut
29:38large industrial size
29:40zip tie
29:45there was
29:46a stem
29:48from a zip tie
29:50that was missing
29:51the head
29:51so we examined
29:53the zip ties
29:55that were used
29:55to bind
29:56Morgan's hands together
29:57and there happened
29:59to be an extra head
30:01on one of the stems
30:04one of our
30:05evidence technicians
30:06did what's called
30:08a fracture match
30:09examination
30:10you look under
30:11magnification
30:12and you're able to see
30:13all the jagged cuts
30:15and you can actually
30:16move those together
30:17and you can confirm
30:19or conclude
30:20whether they were
30:21once one piece
30:22or they're not even related
30:26it was a perfect match
30:31we scanned the barcode
30:33of those zip ties
30:34and we were able
30:35to see that
30:36this was a brand
30:37sold exclusively
30:38by Lowe's
30:39Home Improvement
30:43Sergeant Harris
30:44found surveillance footage
30:46of Rodney
30:51buying just those zip ties
30:55and walking out of Lowe's
30:57and this is in the height
30:58of COVID
30:59he was the only one
31:01in there
31:01not wearing a mask
31:03so you could clearly
31:04identify that it was Rodney
31:09as the evidence
31:10against Rodney
31:11is piling up
31:12detectives uncover
31:13something chilling
31:14inside Rodney's
31:15search history
31:19in the search
31:20of his laptop
31:21I found
31:22numerous
31:23search
31:24phrases
31:25and
31:26topics
31:27that he had been
31:28looking up
31:29in the days
31:30and weeks
31:30before this home invasion
31:34among those
31:35search phrases
31:37were things like
31:38how to disguise
31:39your voice
31:39various entries
31:41on cancer
31:42pancreatic cancer
31:44treatment for cancer
31:47but also
31:49he was researching
31:50letters
31:51that would be
31:53mailed out
31:53that have to do
31:55with cancer care
32:00he had made
32:01searches for
32:02how long
32:03to strangle someone
32:04before they go
32:04unconscious
32:08there was
32:09a book
32:10of seven ways
32:11to be her hero
32:12found at his apartment
32:14that gave us
32:15the motive
32:15of why this attack
32:17was done
32:17and why Rodney
32:19did this
32:19it was all
32:20to win her back
32:22to show her
32:23you need me
32:24at that house
32:26we
32:27without a doubt
32:28believed
32:28Rodney was
32:30the one that
32:30conducted the
32:39this attack
32:39after we gathered
32:40all this evidence
32:41we brought
32:42Rodney back
32:42to the
32:43criminal investigations
32:44division headquarters
32:45to conduct a
32:45follow-up interview
32:52Sergeant Harris
32:54actually second
32:54chaired with me
32:55in that interview
32:56I let Rodney
32:57know
32:57hey listen
32:58we're still
32:58investigating
32:59this incident
33:00involving Morgan
33:00we had yet
33:01to tell him
33:02anything about
33:02what we have
33:03done
33:03what we have
33:04found
33:04we asked
33:06Rodney about
33:06any particular
33:07diagnoses
33:08he might have
33:09specifically cancer
33:10what other kind of
33:11how did you tell her
33:16how did you tell her
33:17this cancer
33:33what's that angle
33:55his pancreatic cancer
33:58his pancreatic cancer diagnosis
34:04that helped him
34:05that helped him achieve
34:05that helped him achieve
34:06some sympathy
34:07from Morgan
34:08and in the days following
34:10he was able to
34:12manipulate his way
34:13into her house
34:14where he eventually
34:15would spend the night
34:16and sleep on the sofa
34:19I asked Rodney
34:20about some of his
34:21internet search history
34:23specifically about
34:24disguising his voice
34:25because Morgan
34:26described the attacker
34:27as how Christian Bale
34:28sounded in the movie
34:30The Dark Knight
34:30I have one more
34:32has there been a time
34:33recently where you
34:34were interested in how
34:35you can change
34:36the sound of your voice
34:38maybe
34:39talk about that
34:41I feel like I wasn't
34:42the voice was
34:43mainly enough
34:45it was funny to hear him
34:46say that he feels like
34:47he doesn't have a
34:48masculine enough voice
34:49I thought that was
34:50amazing
34:52well probably the
34:54most significant
34:55thing that we found
34:57in your apartment
34:58was a collection
34:59of zip ties
35:02black zip ties
35:06I know you don't
35:07we have them now
35:08you're joking
35:09right
35:09oh man
35:10I wouldn't lie to you
35:11these are
35:13identical to the ones
35:14that were
35:15binding Morgan's wrists
35:16did somebody break in
35:20and put them there
35:21I didn't have
35:22some big ass
35:23zip ties in my apartment
35:26by the time
35:27we revealed
35:28that we
35:28had his zip ties
35:30his whole demeanor
35:31changed
35:31partially because
35:32he was surprised
35:33that he had
35:34forgotten to get rid
35:35of the zip ties
35:36but also because
35:37the zip ties
35:38were such a
35:40critical piece
35:41of evidence
35:41and he knew
35:42that he was in trouble
35:48by January the 3rd
35:50we had conducted
35:52enough investigation
35:53that I was able
35:55to take additional
35:55charges on Rodney
35:56for what happened
35:58to Morgan
35:58and among those
36:00charges were
36:01home invasion
36:01in the first degree
36:02aggravated assault
36:03by strangulation
36:04kidnapping
36:05armed robbery
36:06and burglary
36:14my name is
36:15Rachel Ashe
36:16I'm the deputy
36:16chief assistant
36:17district attorney
36:18for the Blue Ridge
36:19judicial circuit
36:20during our initial
36:22interactions with
36:22Morgan
36:23she was struggling
36:24with the idea
36:25that this could be
36:26this person
36:27who she had loved
36:29since they were
36:29teenagers
36:30he was no longer
36:32my husband
36:32he was somebody
36:33completely different
36:34somebody ugly
36:36somebody that
36:37I didn't know
36:38who it was
36:39a stranger to me
36:42what she had gone
36:43through was so
36:44violent
36:44she was afraid
36:45he was going to
36:45come back
36:46and he was going
36:46to kill her
36:53when I found out
36:54that Rod was
36:54the one that did
36:55this
36:55I was in a state
36:57of shock
36:57all I know
36:58is I'm looking
36:58at her kids
36:59and I'm like
36:59oh my gosh
37:00like
37:01thank God
37:02they were with me
37:05once I got the
37:06kids home
37:06I sat them down
37:08and I said
37:09guys
37:09daddy did
37:10something very
37:11bad
37:11and he's going
37:13to be
37:13in trouble
37:14for a large
37:16portion of your
37:16life
37:21Rodney Metzer
37:22was indicted
37:23on 14 separate
37:24charges
37:26the sheriff's
37:27office investigation
37:28was so strong
37:29that this was a
37:30case that was
37:31leading to a
37:32plea
37:32he would not
37:33have had
37:34any chance
37:35at trial
37:39ultimately
37:40Rodney Metzer
37:41pled guilty
37:41to all of the
37:42counts in the
37:42indictment
37:43he was sentenced
37:44for a total
37:45period of 70
37:45years with the
37:46first 25 years
37:47of those being
37:47in custody
37:49as part of
37:50his sentence
37:51he's ordered
37:52to have no
37:52contact of any
37:53kind with
37:53Morgan or his
37:54children
37:56I don't know
37:57if what he
37:58got was fair
37:59or not
38:00sometimes
38:01I think
38:0225 years
38:03okay that's
38:04more than
38:05enough time
38:05but the day
38:06is going to
38:06come where
38:07he's going
38:07to get out
38:08I feel like
38:08that's why
38:09I sometimes
38:09wish the
38:10sentencing
38:10was longer
38:11because I
38:11don't want
38:11to come
38:12to that
38:12day
38:13but I
38:14know
38:14it's going
38:14to happen
38:16at the
38:16sentencing
38:17hearing
38:17you were
38:18able to
38:19give a
38:19victim impact
38:19statement
38:20can you
38:20tell me a
38:21little bit
38:21about that
38:22experience
38:22and why
38:22you decided
38:23to do that
38:24I wanted
38:25to have
38:25the last
38:25word
38:26I didn't
38:27want him
38:27to think
38:28he broke
38:28me
38:28because I
38:29hadn't been
38:29heard for
38:30so many
38:30years
38:31and finally
38:32he had to
38:32sit there
38:32and listen
38:33to me
38:33so I
38:34felt like
38:34I finally
38:34found my
38:35voice again
38:36by walking
38:36up there
38:37and speaking
38:41Rod I
38:43hope you
38:43make your
38:44mental life
38:44a priority
38:45during this
38:45time of
38:46isolation
38:47thank you
38:48for the
38:48gift of
38:49my children
38:49and my
38:50heart aches
38:51for the
38:51fact you'll
38:52be missing
38:52out on
38:53first dates
38:54homecomings
38:55proms
38:56the hormonal
38:57changes into
38:58adults
38:58graduations
38:59Christmas
39:00mornings
39:01driver's
39:02licenses
39:02college
39:04acceptance
39:04letters
39:04first
39:05apartments
39:06first jobs
39:07proposals
39:07weddings
39:08and the
39:09potential
39:09birth
39:10of our
39:10grandkids
39:11and so
39:11many
39:11others
39:13but what
39:13disheartens
39:14me more
39:15is not
39:15only you
39:16were missing
39:16these
39:16milestones
39:17but I'll
39:18have to
39:18look into
39:19Amelia
39:19and Mason's
39:20eyes as
39:20each of
39:20these
39:21milestones
39:21take
39:21place
39:22and see
39:23the want
39:24and the
39:24desire
39:24for their
39:25father
39:25to have
39:25been
39:25there
39:28our
39:28kids
39:29know
39:29what
39:29happened
39:30that
39:30night
39:30you
39:30attacked
39:31me
39:31we
39:32didn't
39:32ask
39:32for
39:32this
39:32Rod
39:34why
39:34didn't
39:34you
39:34let me
39:35help
39:35you
39:35when I
39:36begged
39:36and pleaded
39:36to be
39:37better
39:37for
39:37our
39:37family
39:38it's
39:38time
39:39to let
39:39you
39:39go
39:39and lay
39:40you
39:40down
39:40to
39:40rest
39:41goodbye
39:42Rod
39:44once I
39:45stepped
39:45off the
39:46podium
39:46I felt
39:48empowered
39:48as some
39:49weight
39:49was lifted
39:50off my
39:50shoulders
39:51I get
39:52it
39:52I really
39:53do
39:57all the way
39:57up until
39:57a few years
39:58after the
39:58incident
39:59I still
39:59believed
40:00some of
40:00the things
40:00that Rod
40:01had told
40:01me
40:01the kind
40:02of
40:02person
40:02I was
40:03I had
40:04to reprogram
40:05my brain
40:07she grew
40:08up with
40:09him
40:09and I
40:09think it's
40:10hard because
40:10what she
40:11had known
40:12of was
40:12normal
40:13for 20
40:14years of
40:15her life
40:15was really
40:16manipulation
40:17and gaslighting
40:18at its finest
40:18it's a lot
40:19of trauma
40:21I feel
40:22with trauma
40:23there's stages
40:24you have to
40:25go through
40:25it took me
40:26a few years
40:27to get
40:29to the point
40:29that I
40:31realized
40:31I needed
40:31a little
40:32bit extra
40:32help
40:33to cope
40:34with the
40:34situation
40:40Morgan
40:40went to
40:41counseling
40:42she went
40:42to therapy
40:43she went
40:44to a
40:44PTSD
40:44rehab
40:45facility
40:46for six
40:47weeks
40:47or so
40:47and
40:48she did
40:49everything
40:50and continues
40:51to do
40:51everything
40:52she can
40:52to be
40:54the most
40:54healthiest
40:54version
40:55of herself
40:57Morgan
40:58has grown
40:59and involved
41:00by being
41:01more
41:01self-aware
41:02and not
41:03having to
41:04find a
41:04protector
41:04and realizing
41:05that she
41:06can be
41:06her own
41:06protector
41:07and that
41:08she doesn't
41:08need
41:09anybody
41:14there's so
41:14many different
41:15aspects
41:15and what
41:16I hope
41:17people can
41:17learn from
41:18my story
41:20mental health
41:21awareness
41:23narcissistic
41:23abuse
41:24and signs
41:25and my
41:26biggest one
41:27is
41:27as women
41:28we need
41:29to
41:29learn
41:29to
41:29speak
41:29to
41:30each
41:30other
41:30and not
41:31sugarcoat
41:31everything
41:32because
41:33had maybe
41:34I spoke
41:34up a little
41:34bit more
41:35I may have
41:36gotten the
41:36help
41:36earlier
41:37you
41:38and I
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