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The Killer Among Us - Season 1 - Episode 02: Fatal Friend Group
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00:10Nothing compares to the ties of teenage friendship in the small town of Slapout, Alabama.
00:16Unbreakable bonds are formed while riding four-wheelers,
00:20taking the truck on dirt country roads,
00:22and bonfires in the middle of the woods.
00:25As friends, we were all close-knit, practically family.
00:30They loved each other so much, and they would do anything for each other.
00:35But when the heart of that close-knit friend group,
00:38Anna Catherine Cardwell, is found murdered in her own home the day after Valentine's Day,
00:44loyalty turns to suspicion.
00:47It was somebody that she knew, somebody that she invited into the home.
00:52When we found out that Anna Catherine had let her killer in,
00:56we immediately start thinking, well, who could have been?
00:59We didn't know who to trust.
01:01I couldn't imagine anybody in her circle being capable of doing something like that.
01:07That is an absolute betrayal.
01:10Because here, in the Slapout inner circle,
01:14whoever's riding shotgun might just be wielding the gun.
01:41In Slapout, Alabama, we have one blinking light.
01:45In a small town, everyone knows everyone.
01:50The most important things to Anna Catherine were her family, her friends.
01:56When Anna Catherine graduated from high school,
01:59she wanted to follow her friends and go to Southern Union.
02:03But when she entered her second year of college,
02:06she had moved back home.
02:16That day, I was off from work.
02:20Anna Catherine was sleeping in.
02:21She didn't have classes that day,
02:23so I stuck my head in her bedroom just to check on her.
02:27And she was still sleeping, so I shut the door.
02:31Went about to do my errands.
02:34I was gone maybe an hour.
02:40When I came back home,
02:43the first thing I noticed was her car was missing.
02:51And when I walked in the back door,
02:57I saw blood everywhere.
03:03And bloody footprints headed to the kitchen.
03:10And then it wasn't far into the kitchen
03:13that she was laying there on the floor.
03:20And I grabbed the phone.
03:22Hello!
03:23Hello, hello, hello.
03:24My name is Paula Cardwell.
03:26And I just came home, and my daughter's dead in the floor.
03:30How old is she?
03:31She's 20.
03:33She's 20.
03:33Oh, my God, she's dead.
03:36Oh, my God.
03:38Please send someone.
03:40Somebody has shot her in the head or something.
03:45Oh, my God.
03:46Oh, my God.
03:48Honey, we've got people on the way to you, okay?
03:50My heart is dead.
03:54What is her name, hon?
03:56Her name is Anna Catherine Carswell.
04:05I remember the ambulance showing up.
04:07They went in and came straight back out.
04:10And I just remember several sheriff's deputies showing up.
04:16We arrived on the scene,
04:18and the 911 caller, Ms. Cardwell,
04:21was outside of the residence, very distraught.
04:25We did speak to her and just get an overview
04:28of what she saw before we went into the house.
04:34There didn't appear to be any type of forced entry
04:36into the residence.
04:41We walked into the garage,
04:44made sure that there's no one else in the garage,
04:49and opened up the back door.
04:56There was a blood trail leading to the kitchen area.
05:03Anna was there on the floor in the kitchen.
05:07It just looked like just a horrendous scene.
05:14It was obvious to us that there was one fatal gunshot wound
05:17to the back of the head.
05:18That's like an execution-style killing.
05:23We spoke to Ms. Cardwell, who said that she left the residence around 9-15,
05:28and the 911 call was placed around 10-15.
05:32So we knew there was about an hour window there for the crime to have taken place.
05:39My son was working in Clanton, which was about a 30, 45-minute drive.
05:44My husband was up north on a business trip.
05:48So I kept trying to call him, and finally he answered,
05:52and I told him what had happened.
05:54And one of his co-workers got him on a plane and got him home.
05:58The father and the brother, who also lived there,
06:02they were both out of town working at the time,
06:04so they were not involved in this.
06:09Although the immediate family is ruled out,
06:11in the kitchen, investigators noticed a telling detail within the crime scene.
06:16So based upon the clothing she was wearing,
06:19which is kind of something you would go to bed in,
06:23and the fact that there were no busted windows or doors kicked in,
06:28it did indicate to us that she most likely knew her killer.
06:32She must have gotten up from bed and answered the door.
06:38The overall condition of the house was immaculate, really.
06:41There was not anything obvious that appeared to be missing.
06:47If their hunch is right, and Anna did let her own murderer in through the front door,
06:53there must have been familiarity.
06:58Investigators must track this bloody trail
07:01and figure out how Anna ended up dead on the floor in the kitchen.
07:06The blood trail was telling us that as she's running, she's bleeding.
07:10The blood is striking the ground,
07:12and you can tell her movements from just being able to look at the blood patterns
07:17and see where she had gone.
07:19Three spent shell casings recovered from this area of the hallway.
07:24The blood began where the hallway pretty much meets the den.
07:28It appeared that Anna had been shot there in the hallway,
07:32and she began to run through the residence.
07:37There was a bloody handprint, kind of on the wall, on the door,
07:43as if she was trying to escape, and almost did.
07:49The shell casings in the residence were from a 9mm handgun.
07:55It would appear that the murder weapon was going to be a 9mm handgun.
08:00Once they have assessed the scene,
08:02investigators want to turn back to Paula Cardwell immediately for more information.
08:07She is still in shock.
08:10You don't ever want to see a mother whose child has been murdered.
08:17It's like you're just frozen.
08:18You don't know what to do, and you just do something.
08:24The detective just asked me,
08:26was there anything that I noticed that was missing?
08:28And I said, well, her car's gone.
08:31When we realized the vehicle was missing,
08:34we put out a BOA,
08:36which basically means be on the lookout.
08:40Meanwhile, Paula begins the near-impossible task
08:43of calling close family and friends with the news,
08:46and word quickly spreads.
08:49My phone kept ding, ding, ding,
08:51and seeing, like, everyone texting me, like,
08:54did you hear, like, something's wrong?
08:57And then friends started showing up, and family,
09:01and there were a lot of people from her friend group.
09:03It was just a yard full of people,
09:06just everybody, you know, confused,
09:08and can't believe what has happened to her.
09:12Law enforcement takes this opportunity
09:15to ask friends and family about the victim.
09:19Anna Catherine was who she was,
09:21and she was proud of it,
09:23and I loved that confidence about her
09:25and that ability to have such good self-image.
09:30When Anna Catherine graduated from high school,
09:32she wanted to be a schoolteacher.
09:35She started taking classes,
09:37so I would love to think that's what she would have been,
09:41because she was very good with children.
09:43I don't think she knew a stranger.
09:45If you were a stranger,
09:46she would make you into a friend.
09:48You could not ignore her.
09:49That's how her personality was.
09:51I mean, she was the little princess,
09:54and then she was also the little tomboy.
09:58She was so silly that I could just picture it in my head right now,
10:02her hair just slinging around in her mouth,
10:04wide open, like being crazy.
10:09People go to a couple different high schools,
10:12even private schools in the area,
10:14but Slapout's a small community,
10:16and so it's pretty common for all of them
10:19to be friends with each other.
10:21We always had somewhere to go
10:22and something to do.
10:26Anna Catherine had different friends from this group,
10:28and that group,
10:29she was just the person that hung out with everybody.
10:31That just goes back to how kind she was.
10:36She loved her friends deeply,
10:37and they were very important to her,
10:40and she loved being part of a group
10:42and doing things.
10:48I think the closest friend
10:50that was always at her house every single day,
10:51no matter what, was Lacey.
10:54They both confided in each other.
10:56She would tell Lacey everything,
10:58and Lacey would tell her everything.
11:02Detectives want to speak to this best friend
11:04who is grieving at the scene.
11:06Then our conversation with Lacey,
11:09she was upset, she was emotional,
11:11but she really couldn't tell us anybody
11:14who she suspected of committing this crime.
11:18She did not indicate
11:20that Anna had a problem with anyone.
11:22I mean, everybody seemed to love Anna.
11:24Everybody got along with Anna.
11:28As friends,
11:29we have always been, like, close-knit
11:31and knew everyone.
11:33We knew everyone's business.
11:35There was no one that had that type of anger
11:38that I could think of
11:40but that anyone could think of
11:41that could possibly even have the capacity
11:43to even think to do that.
11:46But I know the whole community felt scared.
11:50For those closest to Anna on her front lawn,
11:53it's unsettling to think someone in their circle
11:55cannot be trusted.
11:59Everyone's crying, everyone's hugging,
12:01but you're glancing at the faces,
12:03and you just wonder if anyone there
12:06could have known something.
12:10Here, you clearly have
12:12a beautiful young girl
12:14that is murdered in her own home.
12:16So one of the first things
12:17that we start thinking about
12:18is, is there a boyfriend?
12:20Is there an ex-boyfriend?
12:21Is there some type of personal connection
12:24to this young girl?
12:27Anna Catherine had recently
12:29started dating Nick.
12:32They seemed to really get along well
12:34and enjoy each other's company.
12:38Anna Catherine liked the guys that were fun,
12:41that were polite and good to her,
12:43and that were good to her family
12:45and her friends.
12:46And if they were not,
12:48she just wouldn't stay with them.
12:52Detectives learned that one of those ex-boyfriends,
12:55Todd, is among the group grieving at the crime scene.
13:00Todd was a previous boyfriend,
13:03and they dated for a while,
13:06I mean, a year or longer,
13:08and just had recently broke up
13:11before Anna Catherine started dating Nick.
13:15All of Anna's friends were there.
13:17Lacey was there.
13:19Todd was there.
13:22I didn't see Nick.
13:24The night before was Valentine's Day,
13:27and according to Miss Cardwell,
13:30Nick had come to the house
13:32just to spend time with Anna.
13:34He was there until approximately
13:362 o'clock in the morning.
13:39Everyone was very confused
13:41trying to figure out
13:43who could have possibly done that.
13:45And it just kind of made you think.
13:50Coming up.
13:51With Nick being the new guy in the group,
13:54he definitely was questionable.
13:56Todd had text.
13:57I met her the night before she was killed,
14:00and I think there were
14:01maybe still some feelings there.
14:03They called me on the radio and said,
14:07you're not going to believe this.
14:26The tight circle of friends of Anna Catherine Cardwell
14:29are gathered on her front lawn
14:31to grapple with her mysterious murder.
14:34conspicuously missing among them
15:02conspicuously missing among them
15:03and, I mean, she thought he was really good-looking.
15:06I had met him.
15:07He was a very nice young man.
15:08He was good to Anna Catherine,
15:10and he told me one day,
15:12he said, that's just the sweetest girl I've ever met.
15:15So they were really happy together.
15:18Anna was definitely head over heels for him.
15:22But with Nick being the new guy in the group,
15:25he definitely was questionable.
15:27He was the last one to see her.
15:30Nick was the last person really with Anna
15:33besides her mother.
15:36We were given his name and number
15:38from some of the friend group.
15:41Finally, that afternoon, Nick surfaces
15:43and agrees to meet with investigators at the station.
15:50When we interviewed Nick,
15:52he did look distraught.
15:54It didn't look like he was hiding anything.
15:57He was immediately very forthcoming
15:59with where he was, what he had been doing,
16:01and he appeared to be very shaken up
16:04about the situation.
16:06But is there things about him we don't know?
16:08Is there a part of him
16:10that leads us to believe
16:12that he has a violent past?
16:17The first thing that we notice
16:18is there's no what we would call a rap sheet,
16:21but we got to look further.
16:26During our conversation with Nick,
16:28he did say that the night before she was killed,
16:31they had decided they would officially be a couple.
16:38So he had come to the house
16:40just to spend time with her on Valentine's Day.
16:46He was there until approximately
16:472 o'clock in the morning.
16:50I knew he had to work the next day,
16:52so I said, Anna Catherine, it's getting late.
16:55You need to go to bed.
16:56And she said, OK, Mama.
16:59And in a little bit, I heard her door close,
17:02and that was it.
17:06Once we got Anna's cell phone,
17:08there were some text messages
17:10after 2 o'clock in the morning
17:12to Nick, you know, things like,
17:15I miss you already, that sort of thing.
17:17So they did leave on good terms.
17:19So what he was telling us was accurate.
17:24We asked Nick, obviously,
17:27where he was the morning of the 15th.
17:30His response was that he was at home,
17:33asleep, alone,
17:35which could be troubling
17:37if you're trying to prove an alibi.
17:40Nick said he was woken up
17:43by a cop telling him what had happened to Anna.
17:47From the way he answered our questions
17:49and his demeanor,
17:51it appeared that he was being truthful.
17:56So Nick's, you know,
17:58still under consideration,
17:59but not heavily.
18:02Detectives aren't ruling Nick out as a suspect,
18:04and they also can't help but think
18:06that Anna's murder the day after Valentine's Day
18:08is no coincidence.
18:10So they turned their attention to Anna's ex,
18:13the one who'd been present
18:15at the crime scene, Todd.
18:18His father is a well-respected businessman
18:21in Elmore County.
18:23Their family is fairly well-known,
18:26nothing out of the ordinary
18:28that would raise suspicion towards him.
18:31So Todd and Anna,
18:33I know they dated for a long time.
18:37Police learned that the two stayed in touch
18:39and that Todd had texted her on Valentine's Day.
18:44Todd had texted her the night before she was killed.
18:48Anna Catherine was excited that Todd had reached out to her,
18:53and I think there were maybe still some feelings there.
18:57Was Todd's text meant to rekindle a lost love,
19:01or could it have been something more sinister?
19:06We brought him in and talked to him.
19:09We read him as Miranda writes,
19:11and we got a statement from Todd.
19:14According to Todd,
19:15they broke up very amicably,
19:17but there's always a possibility
19:19that we're just getting the story
19:21that they want us to hear.
19:23We did ask Todd where he was that morning.
19:29He advised us that he was in school,
19:32out of town,
19:33at college,
19:35about an hour away.
19:39We were able to verify that that was true.
19:41Pretty much alleviated him as a suspect at that point.
19:47Just as they wrap up Todd's statement
19:50on the afternoon of the murder,
19:51police get their strongest lead yet.
19:54A hit on the bolo for Anna's car.
19:58About five o'clock that afternoon,
20:00one of our deputy sheriffs
20:03located the vehicle.
20:06The car was in the parking lot
20:08of a local grocery store.
20:10He was able to see the tag
20:13on the front that said Anna.
20:16The car is located about 10 miles away
20:18from the house.
20:20Finding her car was huge
20:22for the investigation.
20:23That car is basically
20:25a rolling crime scene.
20:43Mere hours after the murder
20:45of 20-year-old Anna Cardwell,
20:48a hit comes in on her car
20:50just miles away
20:51from where it was stolen
20:52from the crime scene.
20:57I remember them saying,
20:59hey, they have located the vehicle.
21:01It was downtown
21:02in the Winn-Dixie parking lot.
21:05All right, we've got crime scene A,
21:07the residence,
21:09and now we've got
21:10a secondary crime scene
21:11that we've got to start
21:13processing also.
21:16That unit dusted for fingerprints,
21:19collected bottles from the vehicle,
21:23items that they thought
21:24we may be able to get DNA off of.
21:29While investigators await results,
21:32Anna's friends take the search
21:34into their own hands.
21:37So then we knew where her car was,
21:39but still, where's this person?
21:42I hopped in the car with Lacey,
21:44and I just remember driving around,
21:47just trying to figure out
21:48what's going on.
21:51We even drove to the Winn-Dixie
21:54after the cops got the car
21:56and just drove around the parking lot.
21:59Looking around,
22:02we were so determined to find out
22:04what's going on.
22:07With the car dumped
22:08just miles from the crime scene,
22:11investigators followed the hunch
22:12that the killer was close to Anna.
22:14With several of her more recent
22:16romantic interests ruled out,
22:19please continue to question
22:20Anna's friends.
22:21Who knows Anna best?
22:23Who is she closest to?
22:25Who does she spend the most time with?
22:28Who would know the most details
22:30about Anna's life?
22:33Lacey was one of the first friends
22:35investigators spoke with
22:36at the crime scene.
22:37But now they know
22:38they need to dig deeper
22:40with Anna's best friend.
22:42Is she holding back information
22:44that could possibly be helpful?
22:47So we call her back in
22:49and get a written statement from her.
22:52At the station,
22:53they pressed Lacey further
22:54about who Anna was hanging out
22:56with most lately.
22:58So at the time,
23:00Lacey was dating a guy
23:01named Josh Kaspari.
23:04Lacey introduced Anna to Josh
23:06and they became friends.
23:10Anna was always hanging out
23:12with Lacey and Josh,
23:13whether it was just the three of them
23:15or whether it was Josh and Lacey
23:17and Josh's roommate, Cody,
23:19or anybody else in the group.
23:24Cody was more of a subtle,
23:27type of person.
23:29He was outgoing.
23:30He was always with the crowd,
23:31but he wasn't that loudmouthed
23:34like Josh.
23:36We all clicked
23:37because we were all goopy.
23:38And it didn't matter
23:39what you said
23:40because everybody's going
23:42to be laughing at somebody.
23:46Detectives ask
23:46if Lacey had spoken with Anna
23:48in the morning
23:49or night before her murder.
23:54That morning,
23:55Lacey tried to text her.
23:57Couldn't get a hold of her.
23:59Well, she didn't really think
24:00anything right away
24:01because Anna always was sleeping in
24:04if she didn't have something to do.
24:07Lacey stated that another friend
24:09called her later that morning
24:11and told her that Anna had been killed.
24:16Lacey called Josh
24:18and told him
24:19what had happened to Anna.
24:22Lacey gets in her car
24:23and goes to the Cardwell's house
24:25to be there with the family
24:26to just try to comfort them.
24:31Detective Evans is curious
24:33why Josh Kaspari
24:34did not meet her at the crime scene
24:36to be with the friend group.
24:39Lacey explains
24:40that she and Josh
24:40were not exactly
24:42a model of stability.
24:44Lacey and Josh
24:46really had like
24:47a crazy relationship.
24:49Oh, I'm going to break up
24:50with you this day
24:50and then we're going to
24:51get back together this day.
24:54At this time,
24:56she does advise us
24:57that Josh was not
24:59happy with Anna,
25:00that Anna convinced Lacey
25:02to break up with Josh.
25:04She didn't think
25:05Josh was a good guy.
25:06She didn't think
25:07Josh was good for Lacey.
25:11Anna Catherine was quick
25:12to let Lacey know
25:13you deserve better
25:15and would encourage Lacey
25:17to find someone else.
25:23Anna did definitely
25:24have high standards
25:25for her friends
25:26as far as like
25:27she wanted them to have
25:28a guy that treated them right,
25:30loved them for who they were,
25:32treated them how they were
25:33supposed to be treated
25:33with respect.
25:35Josh and Anna
25:37would talk about Lacey.
25:39It drove Anna crazy
25:40to be in the middle
25:41of the drama.
25:44I think she was a lot more
25:46wrapped up in that drama
25:48than we realized.
26:06Investigators have learned
26:07that Anna Cardwell
26:08was trying to convince
26:09her best friend Lacey
26:10to break up
26:11with Josh Gaspari.
26:15Lacey was actually trying
26:17to end it for good
26:19this time
26:21because she was
26:22trying to, you know,
26:24move on.
26:25So detectives bring in
26:27other friends
26:27for questioning
26:28and what they have to say
26:29raises even more
26:31red flags.
26:33They said
26:36Josh blamed Anna
26:38for the relationship
26:39with Lacey
26:40going south.
26:42We realized that
26:44a lot of people
26:45were scared of Josh.
26:47If everybody else
26:48in the group
26:48has that opinion of him,
26:51are you trying
26:52to cover for him?
26:54The more the friend group
26:55is comfortable talking,
26:57the more tea gets spilled.
26:59They said,
27:01hey, if you're going
27:02to talk to anybody,
27:03you need to talk
27:04to Josh Gaspari.
27:07During the course
27:07of our investigation,
27:09we realized
27:10that a lot of people
27:11did consider him
27:13to be the type of person
27:14that could do this.
27:16They waste no time
27:17bringing in Josh Gaspari
27:19for an interview.
27:21Like so many
27:22of Anna's friends,
27:23he comes in voluntarily,
27:25deeply touched
27:26by the tragedy
27:27of his dear friend's death.
27:30When Josh Gaspari
27:32came in
27:32for an interview,
27:33he came in,
27:34he sat down,
27:35he talked to investigators.
27:37He seemed like
27:39he was genuinely
27:40in disbelief.
27:42He voluntarily came in
27:44and gave a statement
27:45for his whereabouts
27:46for that morning.
27:48He said that he had
27:49left his vehicle
27:50at a friend's house
27:52and he had called
27:53his mother to come
27:54pick him up
27:54and take him to his truck
27:55at a friend's house
27:57down the road
27:57and that she had come
27:58and picked him up.
28:01His demeanor didn't
28:02stand out
28:03as being suspicious.
28:06Nothing that really
28:07drew any alarms
28:08from us.
28:09He just seemed like
28:10one of the crowd,
28:11one of the group.
28:12But we knew
28:13we were going to have
28:14to do a little more digging.
28:18And it doesn't take
28:19a steam shovel
28:20to uncover
28:21the real dirt.
28:26The next day
28:27on the 16th,
28:28we had another investigator
28:30who had gone
28:31to interview
28:31Josh's mother
28:33and he called me
28:34on the phone
28:35and said
28:36she told him
28:37that she had indeed
28:39picked her son up
28:41but it was
28:41in the Winn-Dixie
28:42parking lot
28:43where Anna Cardwell's
28:45car was dropped off.
28:47So at this point,
28:48his mother
28:49destroyed his alibi.
28:51He had lied to us
28:52about his whereabouts.
28:54He was located
28:57where the car
28:58was ditched
28:59after the murder.
29:01So he's immediately
29:02in that timeline.
29:05This is a major
29:06turning point
29:07in the investigation.
29:09It's just 24 hours
29:11after Anna's murder
29:12and Josh's own mother
29:13has ruined his alibi.
29:15This gives police
29:16the ammo they need
29:17to obtain a search warrant
29:19for Josh's home.
29:21They need more
29:22than catching him
29:23in a lie.
29:24They need
29:25a smoking gun.
29:27We were able
29:28to enter
29:29Josh Gaspari's residence.
29:31The house
29:32was fairly orderly
29:33for a couple of guys
29:35to be living in it.
29:36Nothing really
29:36out of the ordinary there.
29:38until we started
29:40searching
29:40the residence.
29:42As we began
29:43our search,
29:44we located
29:45numerous firearms
29:47throughout
29:48the entire residence.
29:51There were shotguns,
29:53rifles,
29:54pistols.
29:56This was
29:57an arsenal
29:58of firearms.
30:04I took a list
30:06of what we had recovered,
30:08handed it to dispatch,
30:10and asked them
30:11to start running
30:12the weapons.
30:14You run
30:15the serial number
30:16for those guns
30:16to find out
30:17its origin.
30:20They called me
30:20on the radio
30:21and said,
30:22you're not going
30:23to believe this,
30:24but all these weapons
30:25are coming back
30:26stolen from
30:27our jurisdiction.
30:33November of 2011,
30:34we got a call
30:35of a home invasion
30:36robbery.
30:41A former police officer
30:43was the victim
30:44of a home invasion.
30:47These masked men
30:48bust into his house
30:49and stick a gun
30:51to his head
30:51and tell him
30:52they're going
30:52to kill him.
30:53They pistol-whipped him
30:55and his gun collection
30:56was taken.
30:58The cash of guns
31:00implicates
31:01Josh Kaspari
31:02in the home invasion.
31:05But does it also
31:06implicate him
31:07in Anna's murder?
31:12And as we start
31:13squeezing those walls in,
31:16it's all about
31:16Josh Kaspari.
31:19We're looking at
31:20someone who is capable
31:22of that type of violence.
31:36It's almost 24 hours
31:38after Anna's murder
31:39and investigators
31:41now have a strong suspicion
31:42that Josh Kaspari
31:44is her killer.
31:48We're starting to see
31:50a complete picture
31:51of the violence
31:54that he's capable of.
31:56during the search
31:57with Josh Kaspari's
31:58residence.
31:58There was also
31:59a safe found.
32:01We opened the safe
32:02and there were steroids
32:04and a large amount
32:05of currency.
32:07And then there were
32:08two handguns in there,
32:09both 9mm.
32:14So we had to send
32:15them both off
32:16for testing.
32:18Josh is arrested
32:19for home invasion
32:20and brought in
32:21for interrogation.
32:23Now they need
32:24to hear from Josh
32:25what actually happened.
32:27It wasn't going
32:28to be easy
32:29to get the truth.
32:32This guy
32:33was a huge
32:34steroid taker.
32:36When he walks
32:37in the interview room,
32:37he's actually
32:38flexing his muscle.
32:43It kind of painted
32:45the picture of a,
32:46just an egotistical
32:47bully.
32:49We go back
32:50to Kaspari
32:52and re-interview him
32:54this time
32:55about the home invasion.
33:07He implicates
33:08his roommate,
33:10Cody Abernathy,
33:11in the home invasion.
33:13While investigators
33:15continue to take
33:16Josh's statement
33:17at the sheriff's office,
33:18detectives track
33:19down his roommate
33:20and the quiet member
33:21of the slap-out
33:22friend group,
33:23Cody Abernathy.
33:28We then go get
33:30Mr. Abernathy
33:30and arrest him
33:32for the home invasion,
33:36interview him.
33:38I think Cody
33:39was open
33:40with law enforcement
33:41because he realized
33:42the walls
33:43had really
33:44closed in
33:45on him.
33:47Abernathy's
33:47statement to us
33:48was, you know,
33:49basically,
33:49you just do
33:50what Josh
33:51wants you to do.
33:53They're all
33:53scared of Josh.
33:55In exchange
33:56for leniency,
33:57Cody cooperates
33:58and confesses
33:59that Josh
34:00had coerced him
34:01into the home invasion.
34:03But that admission
34:04is immediately
34:04overshadowed
34:05by a far more
34:06significant revelation.
34:09We asked him
34:10if he knew
34:11anything about
34:11the murder.
34:17So he admits
34:19to taking Josh
34:19up there
34:20on the 15th
34:21of February
34:22and dropping him off
34:24and leaving him
34:26there at the
34:26Cardwell house
34:27in the early morning
34:28of the murder.
34:30I mean,
34:30you've got someone
34:31who can actually
34:32place him there
34:33in an awfully
34:36questionable
34:36context.
34:38Being that close
34:39to the actual
34:40incident,
34:41you know,
34:42that's important.
34:45So now you have
34:46Cody Abernathy
34:47committing the
34:47home invasion
34:48with Josh.
34:49You have him
34:50dropping Josh off
34:51at Anna's home
34:52not too long
34:53before Anna
34:54was killed
34:54in her house.
34:58Did he know
34:59Josh Caspar
35:00was going there
35:00to kill her?
35:05What did Josh
35:06tell him?
35:07So those are
35:08things to where
35:09we had to sort
35:09that out.
35:10For Cody,
35:11that was kind
35:12of the difference
35:12between are you
35:13looking at 10
35:15to 99 or life
35:16for being an
35:17accomplice to murder
35:17or are you
35:18looking at a
35:19smaller sentence
35:21in connection
35:22to the home
35:22invasion
35:23and for,
35:24you know,
35:25admitting your
35:25role in
35:27basically helping
35:28this crime occur
35:29even if you
35:30didn't know
35:30he was going
35:30there to kill
35:31her.
35:33Whether or not
35:34Cody knew
35:35what Josh
35:37was going
35:37to go do
35:38to Anna,
35:38I still don't
35:40know the answer
35:40to that.
35:41I don't want
35:42to think
35:42that he did
35:43know.
35:45I hope
35:45he didn't
35:46know.
35:48Cody claims
35:49he had no
35:49idea Josh
35:50was planning
35:51on killing
35:52Anna,
35:52but the intel
35:53he provides
35:54helps investigators
35:55hone in
35:55on Josh's
35:56interrogation.
36:00I think
36:01there was
36:01a part
36:02of him
36:02that would
36:02want
36:03to unload
36:03this
36:04and get
36:05it off
36:05his chest.
36:07Hey boss
36:08man,
36:09what you
36:10does
36:10to me?
36:12I don't
36:12know what
36:13you got
36:13going on
36:13in your life
36:14and hey,
36:16I'm not
36:16trying to
36:17be your
36:17daddy,
36:18but you
36:19gotta get
36:20on this
36:20I'm the
36:21baddest
36:21mother
36:21talking
36:22out of
36:23and you
36:24didn't listen
36:24to somebody.
36:26You see
36:26those shoes
36:27right here?
36:29Those shoes
36:30right there
36:32is fixing to
36:32step in front
36:33of each other
36:34and I'm
36:34going to go
36:35over there
36:35and talk
36:35to the
36:36DA.
36:36You know
36:37what we
36:37going to
36:37talk about?
36:39Ask me.
36:41Sir,
36:43we're going
36:43to talk
36:43about whether
36:44or not
36:44you're going
36:45to have
36:45a chance
36:45to live
36:47or die.
37:08Josh
37:08Kaspari
37:09has been
37:09arrested
37:09for the
37:10murder
37:10of his
37:10friend
37:11Anna
37:11Cardone.
37:12But he
37:13still won't
37:13explain why
37:14he did
37:15it.
37:20Everything
37:20happened
37:20while
37:21it
37:21blur.
37:22I don't
37:22know how
37:23to explain
37:23it.
37:23Like it
37:23wasn't meant
37:24to happen.
37:24I didn't
37:25have it
37:25planned out
37:26like this.
37:27Y'all
37:28look at me
37:28like I'm
37:30a monster
37:31and all
37:31this.
37:31I don't
37:32know how
37:32to explain
37:33it.
37:34He needs
37:34to understand
37:35that hey
37:35this is a
37:36cold-blooded
37:37killing
37:38and that
37:39you need
37:39to give
37:40a plausible
37:40explanation
37:41and a
37:42truthful
37:42explanation
37:43on exactly
37:44what's
37:44going on.
37:58Josh
37:59claiming
37:59memory
38:00lapsed
38:00the
38:00investigation
38:01turns to
38:01cold hard
38:02science.
38:05The prints
38:06that we were
38:07able to
38:07extract from
38:09Anna
38:09Cardwell's
38:10car were
38:11sent to the
38:11Department of
38:12Fransic Science
38:12and those
38:13particular prints
38:14came back
38:15to Josh
38:16Kaspari.
38:20Investigators
38:21can place
38:21Josh inside
38:22Anna's car
38:23that was
38:23stolen from
38:24the crime
38:24scene.
38:25But they
38:26need to
38:27confirm that
38:27one of the
38:28dozens of
38:28guns Josh
38:29had stolen
38:30was used
38:31to kill
38:31Anna.
38:34There were
38:34two 9mm
38:35in the safe
38:36from Josh's
38:37house so we
38:38had to send
38:39them both off
38:39to the Department
38:40of Forensic
38:41Science for
38:42examination.
38:46And one of
38:47them does
38:47come back
38:48as the
38:48murder weapon.
38:51The autopsy
38:52results come
38:53in and tell
38:54the story.
38:55The medical
38:56examiner
38:57performed an
38:57autopsy on
38:58Anna's body
38:59and it showed
39:00a total of
39:01four gunshot
39:02wounds.
39:03Two rounds
39:04that went
39:05through her
39:05back and
39:06then another
39:07round to
39:08the chest
39:08and she's
39:10still up and
39:10she's still
39:11fighting and
39:11she's still
39:12trying to get
39:12away until
39:14he ultimately
39:15brings her
39:16back into
39:16the house
39:17and executes
39:18her.
39:21I think
39:22he drug
39:22her back
39:23in from
39:23the back
39:24door and
39:25kind of
39:26pushed her
39:26down onto
39:27the floor
39:28and shot
39:28her.
39:31Just
39:31standing
39:32over somebody
39:32the moment
39:34before you
39:34take their
39:35life, I
39:36think that's
39:36a power
39:37thing.
39:42In
39:43exchange
39:43for his
39:44cooperation
39:44Cody
39:45isn't
39:46charged
39:46as an
39:46accomplice
39:47to the
39:47crime
39:48but
39:49he gets
39:5010 years
39:50for the
39:51home
39:51invasion.
39:53Josh
39:54is charged
39:54with capital
39:55murder.
39:59Lacey
40:00gets the
40:00text and
40:01says,
40:02well,
40:02Josh
40:03has been
40:03arrested.
40:05All
40:05nervous,
40:06we're just
40:07started
40:08bawling,
40:09crying
40:10with her
40:11as she
40:11was
40:12unconsolable.
40:15I don't
40:16think that
40:16Lacey knew
40:17what to
40:17do at
40:18that point.
40:20Your best
40:21friend is
40:21gone and
40:23then your
40:23boyfriend
40:25was charged
40:26with her
40:26murder.
40:28How do you
40:29deal with
40:29that?
40:33I still
40:34don't
40:34understand.
40:36Everyone
40:37would think
40:37that he
40:37would do
40:38it.
40:44Justice
40:44was very
40:45important to
40:46me and
40:47my family
40:50because that's
40:50the last
40:51thing I could
40:52do for
40:52Anna Catherine.
40:53What else
40:53could I do?
40:54But I can
40:55get justice
40:55for her.
40:58So it was
40:58my last
40:59job as
40:59a mom.
41:03We decided
41:04to seek
41:05the death
41:05penalty.
41:06When the
41:07death penalty
41:08is on the
41:08table,
41:09Josh finally
41:09comes clean
41:10and owns
41:11up to
41:12the
41:12premeditated
41:13murder.
41:16That story
41:17was I
41:18blamed
41:19Anna for
41:20my relationship
41:21with Lacey
41:22that went
41:22south.
41:23It was
41:24Anna's fault
41:24and I went
41:25to her
41:26house to
41:27basically get
41:28revenge on
41:28Anna for
41:29taking away
41:30something that
41:31I love.
41:33Joshua
41:34Kaspari
41:34pled to
41:36the capital
41:36murder of
41:37Anna Cardwell,
41:38murder in the
41:39course of
41:40burglary in
41:40the first
41:40degree.
41:42And in
41:42exchange for
41:43giving the
41:44full story
41:44in open
41:45court,
41:46his punishment
41:47was life
41:48without the
41:48possibility of
41:49parole.
41:55I feel
41:56like it
41:56did make
41:57us all
41:57grow up
41:58really quick
42:00and realize
42:01like this
42:02is real
42:02and it
42:02can happen
42:03to you
42:03and it
42:03can happen
42:04in your
42:04circle
42:05and it
42:05can happen
42:05in your
42:06town.
42:06So when
42:07it's your
42:07friend,
42:08someone you
42:09know you
42:09went to
42:10school with,
42:10you worked
42:11with,
42:11that is
42:12insane
42:13because it
42:14still don't
42:14seem real.
42:16We learned
42:16that always
42:18tell each
42:18other that
42:18you love
42:19them and
42:20spend as
42:20much time
42:20as you
42:21can.
42:21You don't
42:22ever know
42:22when the
42:22last day
42:23will be.
42:28She did
42:28make a
42:29difference
42:29with other
42:30people.
42:32She was
42:33just an
42:34amazing
42:34person.
42:38Josh
42:38Kaspari
42:39has tried
42:40to escape
42:40from prison
42:41twice.
42:42unsuccessfully.
42:44Thankfully,
42:44he remains
42:45incarcerated
42:46where he
42:46will be
42:47for the
42:47rest of
42:47his life.
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