- 16 hours ago
Evil Lives Here: My Child the Killer - Season 1 Episode 4 - The Sins of Our Son
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00:07Well, no parent ever looks at their little kid and thinks that he's going to be a mass murderer
00:10someday, or a murderer, period. As a parent, you have all these hopes and dreams for your kids,
00:18and then they just let you down.
00:31Just a photo of me and Timmy back when it was just me and Tim against the world. And we
00:42were kicking its ass.
00:45I look forward every day to coming home to him. I couldn't wait to get home to him.
00:52I just want to make sure that he grew up happy and knew that he was very loved.
01:01I made a promise to myself and to him that I would do everything in my power to give him
01:06a better upbringing than I had.
01:08I was just the average Joe. I wanted him to be special. Somewhere I went wrong.
01:24I used my hands to suffocate my kids.
01:29Who did you use the belt on?
01:34Babies.
01:37Did any of the other children say anything before you killed them?
01:43Babies said, I love you.
01:46Well, I'll tell you right now, if there is a God and they do forgive him, send me to hell.
01:50And I tell you now, send me straight to hell.
01:54Because I don't want to be there with them.
01:58I knew damn well in my heart something wasn't right.
02:03I never did nothing.
02:08Not because of that five children they did.
02:12I can understand why people look at me the way they do.
02:16You know, I raised a monster.
02:23Yeah.
02:29Let's do it, yeah.
02:36Let's do it.
02:38Let's do it.
02:39All of this.
02:40You know what?
02:42Really?
02:44Let's do it.
02:46All of this.
02:47Let's do it.
03:07This is where we used to go to church.
03:09We'd bring my grandchildren, and they loved it here.
03:16Well, ever since my grandchildren were killed, I just can't find myself to come back because
03:22of what my son did, and I struggled to do that, but I came.
03:29Everybody's been wonderful here, so there ain't nothing to do with no folks here whatsoever.
03:33It's me.
03:34I know it's me, and at this point, I know they're staring at me, and they're in the heart.
03:42Well, as a parent of a child who killed his own children, I mean, I find it most difficult
03:50to deal with because I question my faith, I question everything now.
03:55I never requested it before.
04:22I was overwhelmed because now I knew not only the, you know, I have a child, but I don't
04:27have my son.
04:28But now I got to provide him the life that we were trying to do before, but just by myself.
04:35I was like, it's going to be tough.
04:38I didn't want him to feel like he was abandoned from me, but more than anything, just to be
04:44happy.
04:45And I was going to do my ever-loving best to give him everything he needed.
04:50I got on a third shift job to where I would go to work at 10.30, so I would
04:55be with Timmy
04:56every night to put him to bed.
04:58And then I would go to work, and I'd get home at 6, and of course I'd wake him up,
05:02make
05:02him breakfast.
05:05I would be able to spend the whole day with Timmy when he'd get home from school.
05:11So I was with him the whole time, and he didn't know I was gone or, you know, nothing.
05:16And so it worked out real well.
05:20When me and Timmy, it was just us, I thought it would make a stronger bond.
05:26I did.
05:27I mean, at that point, I thought everything was perfect.
05:51One year at Christmas, I got Timmy a BB gun.
05:54And, you know, we'd go out and shoot it in the yard and, you know, had little targets
05:57and stuff.
05:58And, you know, it was all fun.
05:59We went through all the safety, you know, things that you don't aim it at no one.
06:02You don't ever shoot at no one.
06:04You know, I don't even want you shooting at animals.
06:07One day, I came home from work and walked into the apartment, and I seen Timmy.
06:14And he looks at me and says, he shot the neighbor in the leg with the BB gun.
06:23This guy was like 73 years old or something like that.
06:26And, you know, he shot him right in the back of the leg and just, it was real nasty.
06:32And then when I confronted him about it, I was just like, you obviously knew what you
06:37were doing.
06:38And he said, you know, do you want to see what it would do if he shot somebody?
06:45I was just, I was all right, because we had discussed it.
06:49But he didn't, he didn't accept punishment very well, you know, get mad at me and yell
06:54at me.
06:56Well, at the time, I thought Timmy was acting out, you know, because he was a young kid
07:01and he'd already lost his mother.
07:04I believed Timmy always had mother issues, there's no doubt.
07:31This is my two boys, my three boys, with me in front of the Christmas tree.
07:39But you could look at Timmy and see that he really wasn't a happy kid at that time.
07:46Not happy about sharing me, the way I always took it.
07:51You know, or being a part of a family, you know, he was very jealous.
07:58I mean, he despised my wife.
08:02He always was just causing trouble for us.
08:08Tim told me that she was treating him badly, that she would make him stay in his room, wouldn't
08:14let him come out.
08:17And you know, he'd say he was hungry, she wouldn't give him nothing to eat.
08:20He's lying to me.
08:22He's just trying to get me to get rid of her, you know, so it's just me and him again.
08:30I always try to reassure him that, you know, I'm always going to be there for him.
08:33And you need a mother figure as well.
08:36You know, he just didn't, he didn't want nothing to do with it.
08:46Timmy was always jealous of his siblings.
08:48Always.
08:49He never, you know, he never wanted nothing to do with them unless I was there.
08:53But I would even notice once in a while that he'd get a little rougher with him than he
08:57should.
08:57And sometimes he would take it a little further than it needed to be.
09:02And I always felt that he was sort of doing that on purpose to maybe get even with me or
09:08with my wife.
09:11Everything he seemed to do at that point was to stick a knife in the middle of it, you
09:17know.
09:17I always wanted to poke it and do it.
09:19He wanted all the attention.
09:21I felt that I was caught between my son and my wife and I just didn't know which way to
09:26turn.
09:26turn.
09:27So I was caught in the middle of a real situation really.
09:41There was an incident once with a dog, a family dog we had.
09:46The sweetest dog.
09:47You couldn't even get this dog to growl at you.
09:49I mean, she was just so sweet.
09:52Well, Timmy's room was in the basement at the time.
09:56And the dog was downstairs with Tim.
09:58And then I see the dog all of a sudden.
10:00It has like a red bloody eye, you know, like somebody had poked in the eye or something.
10:08And I questioned Timmy, did you do something to the dog?
10:13He's like, I didn't do nothing to your dog.
10:16He seemed pissed off.
10:17And I know the other kids didn't do it because like I said, it had been downstairs and it
10:21came up and I had noticed it right away.
10:23And so I knew he was lying.
10:26And to me, it's just unbelievable because this dog was just so kind and sweet.
10:30And to hit this dog, you know, or poke its eye or whatever had happened, to me was just
10:36really cruel.
10:37And it scared the hell out of me.
10:39That scared the hell out of me.
10:46You know, what else has he hurt?
10:48You know, has he hurt any other animals?
10:50Are you going to do this to your brothers?
10:52You know, I'm just like, because he was jealous of his brothers.
10:57And so, now, looking back then, it's like, it's one of those signs of, you know, not good.
11:05That you're abusing animals.
11:07You know, why didn't I raise him right not to do something so, so evil?
11:13I just know he was a good kid, man.
11:15How the hell did that happen?
11:16How this happened?
11:24I don't know.
11:26As a parent, I think, you know, I mean, it's my job to make sure that these kids, you know,
11:32grow up to be good adults, you know, good people.
11:36You know, I thought I was doing a good job at that point.
11:43We used to love fishing.
11:44Timmy loved fishing.
11:45His kids love fishing.
11:47I love fishing.
11:50I mean, we'd go out there and, you know, spend hours and catch a little fish,
11:56and kids' eyes light up like it was the 4th of July, you know?
12:00I mean, they think it's the biggest thing in the world.
12:05I mean, he was really, he was a sweet little boy.
12:08I mean, I didn't think there was ever nothing wrong with my child,
12:10but I could imagine if I did, I still would have thought he'd be okay.
12:15You know, like I said, it all fell apart.
12:17I didn't think it was going to happen, but, you know, it just, it happened.
12:24It's not nothing that I really discuss with anyone.
12:27How do you tell somebody, you know, that your kid has killed five of your grandchildren?
12:33I still struggle with it, and I always will.
12:54This is a picture of Timmy downstairs in the basement that was basically his room.
13:01As you can see, it was a pretty cool room set up for him.
13:06At one point, he started begging me for a computer, but I really couldn't afford it at the time.
13:13But eventually, I saved enough money to buy Timmy a computer for Christmas.
13:18He was just so happy.
13:19I mean, he just cried.
13:21I mean, he was so happy he cried.
13:24I talked to a few of his teachers, and they would explain to me that they thought Timmy was a
13:29prodigy child.
13:30Timmy would come home with his report card with just straight A's and, you know, just make you proud as
13:35hell.
13:37And again, you know, the world's his oyster, and I mean, I couldn't brag enough.
13:45To me, it seemed like I was just, you know, that I was doing something right.
13:53But he, uh, I'd definitely seen that there was something missing, and I couldn't tell what it was.
14:12He just decided that, you know, he just didn't give a damn no more.
14:15I wasn't happy about it.
14:18I was just really concerned about it, and that's why I said to you, you know, what's your backup plan?
14:24And he's like, I ain't got no backup plan.
14:28Timmy didn't, didn't care what I said.
14:31He just really didn't, didn't care.
14:33I mean, he was going to go his way, and that was all there was to it.
14:36He seemed pissed off.
14:37I mean, not just at, not just at me, but at the world.
14:43The next few weeks, he's just become unbearable to live with.
14:47Cussing at everybody, and just being mean to everybody, being mean to his brothers, my wife.
14:51You know, I tried talking to him, but he just, he really didn't want to talk about it.
14:55He just sort of shunned me.
14:58At that point, that's when me and my other boy's mother, we, we, we separated.
15:03So I destroyed that too.
15:05That was the final, you know, break.
15:11A lot of the things that Timmy did contributed to the end of the relationship.
15:16And I was like, look, what the hell is wrong with you, son?
15:19I mean, there's nothing wrong with me.
15:20What the hell is wrong with you?
15:21And this and that.
15:22And he bumps up on my chest, you know, and I push him back.
15:29He's like, you know what, you can just kiss my ass.
15:30I'm out of here.
15:36You know, he decides he's going to go on his own, you know.
15:41And I'm just feeling like , you know, because like, damn, I, maybe I should handle that a little differently
15:46or something, you know.
15:46But that's all there is to it.
15:53Uh, this makes me feel like a, a failure beyond failure.
15:58You know, that I didn't, that I didn't raise a kid, you know, good enough.
16:06I don't know why I didn't blame Timmy, but I blame myself.
16:08I mean, what did I do wrong?
16:21And so it's like one o'clock in the morning.
16:23And all of a sudden I hear something in the, you know, in the kitchen.
16:26Like somebody's breaking in or something.
16:28And I go running in there and this person goes running out the door.
16:32Well, now at this point I realize it's Timmy.
16:35And so I'm running out screaming, Timmy, come back.
16:37You don't have to leave, come back, come back.
16:39You know, what's wrong? Is everything okay, you know?
16:42And then I find out he was there to get something to eat.
16:44And because he's living in the streets.
16:52The dad just killed me.
16:57Now at this point I'm worried like hell, you know.
16:59And so I think, well, you know, what the hell am I going to do?
17:08And again, as a parent, I felt like I'd let him down so bad.
17:14And, you know, a couple days go by and I don't see or hear from him.
17:20And then I find out, I get called from the police that they've arrested him.
17:38And when I talked to him, they were like, well, you know, unless I paid it, you know, I would
17:44go to jail or him.
17:46I was devastated. I couldn't, I couldn't believe he had done that to me.
17:52I mean, I just, it was demoralizing, not just to me but to my whole family because, you know, now
18:00everybody knows that all of a sudden this kid that I bragged on for all these years,
18:04and now I'm having to put him in jail.
18:09All those years of giving up my life basically to make sure his life was right, you know, he just
18:16threw it away.
18:19Well, just, I blame myself a lot, and I can't seem to get over it.
18:25Just when I started thinking back, the thing that kept coming into me is that he was always jealous of
18:30the children.
18:32But he was changing, and it changed for the worse, not the better.
18:38I mean, he was a good, you know, good, clean kid.
18:46A heartbreaking development for you now.
18:48Five missing children from South Carolina have been found dead in rural Alabama.
18:52The suspected killer is their father, 32-year-old Timothy Jones.
19:02I can't believe it's been 10 years.
19:05You know, thank God for my wife, Julie.
19:10I mean, she at least tries to understand me.
19:16Julie is a wonderful person. She's got a heart of gold.
19:22I'm not the person I used to be by no means.
19:25I can't sleep.
19:28I don't like to be around people so much.
19:31I stay in my house more than I ever did before.
19:35I feel like people look at me as the father of a murderer.
19:38Isn't that who I am? Yeah.
19:40I would probably look at me the same way.
19:58Well, when Tim got out of prison, the biggest change was the religion.
20:02He came out with a whole new outlook on life that he was going to live by the Bible.
20:08He was like, it'll be okay, Dad. Trust me, just watch. I'm going to show you.
20:14You know, I paid my price, and I'm going to go forward now with my life,
20:18and God has shown me the way.
20:21I mean, he was just so happy, you know, and I was happy for him.
20:25I thought for sure, you know, this should send him on the right track again.
20:44The first time I held Mary Gracie was, it was like holding Timmy all over again.
20:49I mean, it was just, it was a great feeling.
20:54And the way that baby smiled at me, I mean, I just, all I could do is just hold her
21:01and cry.
21:02I mean, she was just a little angel.
21:07And, you know, looking at my son and realizing that, you know, he's a man now.
21:12I was just proud of him.
21:14And thought, my God, you know, that boy's come a long way.
21:19You know, it was just, it was a good day.
21:25And I'll never forget it.
21:26It was, it was, I mean, one of the happiest days of my life.
21:31I lived in my children being born.
21:50Well, we were at my house one weekend and, you know, seemed to be having a good time.
21:54Jim got a good job with a big tech company.
21:57It made good money.
21:58So everything seemed good.
22:00Amber and Julia in the back, you know, with the children.
22:04And I would try to talk to him about what was going on with him, about his life.
22:08And he didn't really want to talk to me about anything, you know, but the religion thing he wanted to
22:13always talk about.
22:14We clashed a little bit over it.
22:16Because he says, Amber, she can not wear nothing but skirts and this and that.
22:21And I was like, man, dude, this is the 20th century.
22:23What the hell is wrong with you?
22:25I mean, my God, son.
22:27And of course, I was upset.
22:30And then he would get mad at me.
22:34One thing led to another.
22:35And he looks at me and tells me, you know, I had to just beat your ass.
22:39And I looked right back at him and said, okay, now look.
22:42Son, I love you, but you're my child.
22:44As long as I live, I'll never let you hit me.
22:48And then he looked at me and told me, you know, I could just kill you right now.
22:55The stare he gave me was something I'd never seen before.
22:58It was just, it was an evil look.
23:01To think that my son would say that to me just devastated me.
23:04I mean, I was mad, but I was hurt.
23:10And I was hurt more than I was mad.
23:14So I tried to be calm in the beginning, like, you know, okay, you know, look, you know, come on,
23:18you know, just be cool.
23:19But it actually scared me a little bit.
23:22And he looked at me real hard and snatched my necklace off my neck.
23:31And threw it to the ground.
23:35Tim goes and gets Amber and the kids and left.
23:40And that day is when I seen the side of Timmy that I never knew was there.
23:46That was when I had actually seen the evil come out of Tim.
23:49I mean, I truly felt like he was unpredictable.
23:51I mean, I really, like I said, it scared me.
24:06I knew he was having a little trouble with his marriage.
24:09After I saw how angry he got with me, it scared me.
24:12I was questioning to make sure that, you know, Timmy was not hurting no one or abusing no one.
24:18I'm having Julie looking at the kids and making sure they were good, you know.
24:21That they got no bruises or nothing like that.
24:24There was nothing unusual, I mean.
24:32After all this came to head, what happened, everything just, like, just hit me.
24:38You know, I was like, holy , why didn't I do something?
24:46Because I knew.
24:48In my heart I knew.
24:53And I didn't do nothing.
24:57And I'll never forgive myself for that.
25:03I mean, I knew, I knew.
25:16When Tim shows up for holidays, literally the minute he shows up, he's got an attitude.
25:21And I could see it.
25:23He was looking to pick on someone that night.
25:25I don't know what it was.
25:27But, man, it just seemed to go south quick.
25:30And I mean quick.
25:31And, man, he flips.
25:35He jumps up, he says, you know what, I know you always loved him more than me and you kissed
25:38my ass.
25:39I'm out of here.
25:42I'm like, what's going on?
25:43What are you, what?
25:45The thing that kept coming into me is that he was always jealous of the children.
25:50I ain't staying here no more, you son of a bitch.
25:52And, you know, grabs the kids.
25:56I mean, they were, they were all crying.
25:58And I want to try to show these kids the best Christmas I can.
26:04Because they're just kids.
26:07And then we do all this and then the attempt to do that, man, was just, I was just devastating.
26:14This is what Timmy's thing was when he'd get mad.
26:16He would use these kids against me.
26:19Just realize that he's not the person that I knew.
26:23This was someone else.
26:26a f***ing coward.
26:29A piece of a f***ing coward.
26:31That would, that would use a kid as a pawn in your scheme of life.
26:36That's just low.
26:37Why would you hurt the people that care for these babies?
26:41That you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that'd give their life for them.
26:45You didn't give a f***.
27:13I'm looking at my three grandbabies.
27:18Natan, Eli, and Mayor Gracie.
27:24It's just an Easter photo.
27:27You look at Natan and see that, man,
27:31he's like a split-emission to me.
27:35The mirror got...
27:38God, I remember so much.
27:43Right now, she'd be a young lady.
27:52And Mayor, I used to tell her all the time
27:55that she was going to be a ballerina.
27:59Because you'd walk around her tiptoes for hours.
28:02It's like, baby, don't that hurt your feet?
28:04Nope.
28:05I'm going to be a ballerina.
28:10And Eli, he was such an emotional little boy.
28:15He was just so, always so worried
28:17that he had to make everybody happy.
28:21Oh, my God.
28:26These three little kids were so sweet.
28:29So innocent.
28:49One weekend, my parents had met Tim and the kids in Atlanta.
28:52And my dad comes back to me and says,
28:55you need to fix what's going on with Tim and something's wrong.
29:02And so I say, what?
29:03And he says, well...
29:06The kids seem really hungry.
29:08He shaved all their heads.
29:12And, uh...
29:13Son, I slept with my eyes open.
29:16He scared me.
29:20So, literally, that evening, I call.
29:24Because, again, he's not going to ever do nothing with me again
29:26until I call and apologize.
29:31And I swore to God I was never going to do it, you know?
29:35And after my dad told me this,
29:38I call up and I say,
29:40Tim, it's, you know, it's your dad, you know?
29:43And he wasn't rude or crude.
29:46And he's like, how you doing?
29:47I was like, good.
29:48I'm calling to apologize.
29:50I'm sorry.
29:52I didn't mean for whatever happened or whatever I've done
29:56to upset you.
29:57I apologize for it.
29:59So, please, just bury this and let's go forward, okay?
30:04And he's like, yeah, great, great, you know?
30:07And he's coming up on Labor Day weekend.
30:09And he said, maybe you can come and see us.
30:12He's like, you know how I'd like that.
30:14That would be nice.
30:15I told Julie and she's just...
30:20Happy.
30:23I mean, of course, you know,
30:26everybody knows what happened after that.
30:45Well, the next couple days, we don't hear from Timmy at all.
30:50Now, of course, the worry, you know, alarms go off.
30:54Like, holy , you know, what has he done?
30:56And then I told Julie, he killed him.
31:04I'm telling you right now, man, I know it.
31:06I mean, I know it.
31:07I just feel it with every part of my body.
31:14The police had called me and told me that Timmy had been picked up at a roadblock.
31:18And, of course, the first thing I asked is, where are the children?
31:23And...
31:26There's no children with them.
31:28There come.
31:54and this I started I was working on my bathroom and I just started beating hell out of the tile
32:07in a room in the bathroom I was because I knew what he did
32:14I mean god almighty I had them poor kids man oh god it's just so so evil I can't even
32:27begin to tell you
32:28I mean you gotta be able to do something like that you can't and it just destroyed me and it
32:38still
32:38destroys me all right can can you walk us through what happened I questioned a ton about four outlets
32:58that he blew I tried to use more harsh measures to just try to get out of what was going
33:03on I just PT'd
33:09like an hour I come back and find out that he's deceased and when I find out he's deceased then
33:21how did you get the fan Tim I followed suit with the other four how did you feel that was
33:27with my
33:27hands I use my hands to suck at my kids did any of the other children say anything before you
33:35killed
33:49you know if you believe in God so much why'd you kill your kids I don't believe a damn word
33:55he's saying
33:56because you're gonna tell me you're crying because you killed your five kids you didn't cry when you
34:01killed the first one how about the second one at what point do you not say that oh my god
34:09what have
34:09I done you just continue to go on and and and these children are crying and telling you daddy I
34:16love
34:17you please don't do this I mean that just just rips my heart on my chest you know and it's
34:26it's times
34:26like this for if I heard something like this and had Timmy in front of me I would definitely I
34:30would
34:30kill him you don't get forgiven for killing five babies by strangling your own children and watching
34:38them looking in their little eyes well I'll tell you right now if there is a God and they do
34:42forgive
34:43him send me to hell and I tell you now send me straight to hell because I don't want to
34:51be there with
34:51him I remember this photo just wondering how time was so fast I mean he couldn't have been more than
35:06four or five he could do no wrong you know I mean he was just a sweet innocent little boy
35:15love me crazy and this is about the same time when he would reach into my pocket to see what
35:21I'd
35:21brought from him matter of fact that's probably what he's eaten but he was just so innocent
35:36can't believe we went from this to what he is now
35:52the police told me I needed to come to the police station and they're like you know you won't tell
35:58us where the children are and so he's like you can go in there and try and see if he'll
36:04tell you
36:07they take me upstairs where they got him in this room and you know when he sees me he's just
36:15looking
36:15wild as hell I've never seen this boy you know ever I mean I want it so bad to reach
36:22over just punch him
36:23out you know and scream and yell and go crazy on him but I knew at the same time that
36:29wasn't gonna get
36:30the kids so I started asking you know just the easy son just you know where the children at son
36:37he looks at me and out of the clear blue he's like you know I could kill you right now
36:41he grabs
36:42him by the throat and says I could kill you and I said go ahead you can't kill me son
36:50and I love you
36:51and he just you know started crying real hard and let go it's like I seen Timmy the little baby
37:02when he
37:03was little just scared inside I'm just I'm being torn apart telling me look I still love you son but
37:14please tell us where kids are so we can go and get them and you know and get them home
37:19please and he
37:22looks at me he's like I'll tell you dad I'll take you I'll take you there he had to go
37:39to prison for
37:40killing one of his children he wasn't gonna leave the rest of them for anyone else he is so greedy
37:45that
37:45he would rather kill him and see him with me and that's how I I've always looked at this and
37:52I don't
37:52think I'll ever look at any differently well I do feel ashamed because you know it's my son and you
38:07know and I'm the one to raise them so you know you always feel like part of it's my fault
38:12you know as
38:14I've followed away since day one I just never thought I'd release a beast like that on society
38:40I really haven't talked to my son or you know I don't write you know I just don't my son
38:47will be
38:50executed just a matter of when so I figure about four or five more years and I have to start
38:55this
38:55all over again now by burying my son and that's why I try to tell people like you don't understand
39:00you
39:00know I mean this kid wasn't this way you know he just lost it you know I can't tell you
39:08why I mean I
39:09wish I could I would but now I'm gonna have to go through the process of killing him you know
39:17nothing
39:17I can do so you know that day when I get there then it's that point maybe maybe I can
39:26move forward
39:26but I don't think until he's gone I don't think I'll be able to because me and be alone those
39:46kids
39:46are dead because I could have stopped I might have had to kill him but I mean I knew it
39:56and to know
39:59that your child took their lives like he did it's just so unsettling and so unforgiving and just so
40:09atrocious you know that I raised a monster that's the bottom line you know all the work I did all
40:23the
40:23time and effort I put in work my fingers at bone form this is gonna be my legacy that I'm
40:31a murder
40:32raised a piece and I have to accept that I don't think I'll ever be able to get over it
40:47I just don't
40:52I just learned to accept it live with it and you know go day by day because it's something it's
41:00hard to
41:06live with that's just it parenthood is painful there are no promises your children may not turn out the
41:20way you want them to nobody prepares you for when it's the two people you love most in the world
41:27and
41:27one kills the other what do you do then
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