(THEME MUSIC PLAYING) You may be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case of<i>
Threlkeld vs. Threlkeld.</i> Thank you. You're welcome. Good day, everyone. Good day, Your Honor. LAKE: Mr. Threlkeld, you have entered
this courtroom with a marriage
on the brink
of divorce. You state that
while you were
out of the country serving in
the military, your wife paraded
around town
with other men. And she has
admitted to cheating
multiple times. You claim
you are not sure if you are
the father of
her third child, <i> 18-month-old
Liliana,</i> and have
asked the court
for a paternity test. Yes, ma'am. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) Mrs. Threlkeld, you say you began
exotic dancing to
make extra money... Yes, Your Honor. LAKE: ...because
Mr. Threlkeld's
military salary was inadequate
to live on and that led to
a few indiscretions. You argue that
Mr. Threlkeld treats
your daughter Liliana, differently than
your other children and are hoping
today's DNA results will settle
the matter
once and for all. Yes, Your Honor. Now, Mr. Threlkeld, when did you
first discover that your wife
had been unfaithful? Actually, ma'am, um... I was overseas
in Afghanistan and I was
up in the northeast <i> and a soldier of mine
came up to me</i> <i> and tapped me
on the boot, said,</i> <i> "Hey, I need to go outside,
we need to talk right now."</i> <i> So earlier on in the day</i> me and him
got into some words, so I thought we were
going to settle it. Well, it turns out
his wife and my wife
were friends and she had found out that
she was actually stripping
as we spoke. And at the time, you know, I found about it,
I thought, you know,
it was all just a hoax, so I went calmly
to the Internet lounge, got on Facebook
and asked her,
"Hey, "you know, is it true
you're doing "what I told you
I didn't want you
doing at all?" And she didn't really
say anything, honestly. And right after
I left there, our base actually
got attacked... (AUDIENCE MURMURS) ...and they actually
turned off the Internet
for three weeks, so I was in the dark
for three weeks. And then another two weeks
after those three weeks
went by, <i> I got transferred
to Bagram.</i> And while I was at Bagram,
I finally was able
to get back online and I get on Facebook
and there's some clown
on there saying, you know, liking
all her skimpy photos... BRITTANY:<i> They're not
skimpy photos.</i> MATTHEW:<i> Yeah.</i> <i> He was following her.
He liked that she was
working at the club.</i> <i> So then I started doing
a little bit of research</i> wondering, you know,
who this guy is. Mmm-hmm. So I went to the phones
and I called her
and I said, "Hey, you know,
I know you're stripping, "you know, that I can
somewhat deal with. "Tell me about this guy
that's going on." And she says,
"Oh, it's nothing,
it's just a friend," you know, etcetera,
the same BS
that every girl says. BRITTANY: First of all,
we were done. He hacked my Facebook. He invaded my privacy. And he looked
into my stuff... Guy's gotta find out. ...into my messages. That's how he found out. So what did he find? BRITTANY: There were
messages, yes, but... MATTHEW: Actually, ma'am...
It's already a lie. No. She actually...
I got on there and on the inbox
I see... (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) I see, "Oh, baby, I can't wait
to see you later on tonight, "I had a great time with you, "you know, last few days
we've spent together,
it's been amazing." These are the messages
that you're seeing... MATTHEW: Yes, ma'am. ...that your wife
is entertaining while you're serving
your country? MATTHEW: Yes, ma'am. <i> She didn't even
have the courage</i> <i> or the decency to tell me.</i> BRITTANY:<i> Yes, I did.</i> MATTHEW:<i> No!
Your friend's husband
told me</i> that she's doing
what she's doing 'cause she didn't have
the decency to say, "Hey, I'm doing
what I want to do." LAKE: So,
Ms. Threlkeld... What? Your husband's overseas
serving his country... BRITTANY:<i> Yes.</i> LAKE:
...serving our country, <i> keeping us all safe...</i> (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) What in the world
led you to entertain these type of messages
on your Facebook and you've admitted that you had
a few indiscretions. What is going on? First of all,
we were done. We were not together. We had a phone conversation and he had said,
"We're gonna
get a divorce "and I'll send you
the divorce papers." And then we hung up. Ma'am... Let me finish,
let me finish. Ma'am, what had happened was
when I was at Fenty, we got in a phone argument,
like she said, on Skype, and I told her, "Look,
if you're gonna strip "after me and you
have already gone
through the discussion "that you're not to do it
until I get back, "we might even...
We'll talk about it then." She says... There was reasons
why I needed to. MATTHEW:
Yeah, see, she says she needed the funds
to support her family. Overseas, I was making
$4,000-$5,000
tax-free a month. Living in a $400 rent room. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) BRITTANY: It wasn't even
that much. Okay, Your Honor,
there are expenses
when you have kids and the money
that was coming in, let's just be real,
it wasn't enough
to support the kids. And on top of that... "Wasn't enough
to support the kids?" How? 'Cause I'm gonna keep
it real. Five grand a month
tax-free... I had to have... LAKE: This is what
I'm trying to understand. Ms. Threlkeld, you say
you guys were done. Yes, Your Honor. So, in other words,
these things
that he's finding on your Facebook and
these indiscretions
you're telling him about, this really
shouldn't be an issue because in your mind,
you guys, you thought your
marriage was over. Yes. It was. LAKE: Because
you all had
an argument about you stripping
and you hung up. BRITTANY: Yes. Yes, Your Honor. We hung up and
we said it was done... Wow. (MATTHEW LAUGHS) (MAN LAUGHS) ...because I wanted
to do what
I want to do. Okay, okay,
now we're getting
into the truth. You wanted to do
what you wanted
to do. BRITTANY: Exactly. And why is it that
you wanted to strip? Because we got
married too young. Well, I needed to
because... She wanted to be
a hooker in training
so she took stripping. Will you just
let me talk? Well, no, I... BRITTANY: No. The reason
why I'm asking is because I really
want to know... He's always
calling me names. ...why you chose stripping? I mean,
'cause you could
have just said, "I wanna go
get an extra job
at the mall. "I wanna be..." BRITTANY: Okay... MATTHEW: Ma'am, since
our relationship, we've been together
since 2008, she hasn't started
working until actually about
three weeks ago. It was actually
her first-time job. Hooking or
stripping. It's not hooking. You're selling
your body for money.
Hooker! No, it's not,
excuse me. (AUDIENCE CHEERING) LAKE: Wow. MATTHEW: Anyways, to make matters
worse, ma'am, when I...
Actually the day
I was supposed to come back home
from overseas, <i> we were told
before we even got
onto the plane</i> <i> at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin,</i> that there was gonna be
the color guard, the motorcycles that drive,
you know, up front. The news was gonna be there. I get there and not my father,
not my mother,
my wife, like I said, weren't even there.
We get there, you know, they call
everybody's names up, everybody's clapping
and cheering, they come to my name
and it's just dead quiet.
No one's there. So, as everybody's getting
ready to go home, I'm standing over there
with my bags and I didn't even have
a phone yet. So I couldn't even
call her, so... I'm sitting there
under a street light with my Army bag
on one side and
a suitcase on the other. No, I was waiting
in the car
for 30 minutes. He never showed up. LAKE: Wait, wait, wait. You waited in the car,
so when they called
his name, he says no one was there
to clap or cheer. Did you hear them
call his name? We were at the airport. I was waiting
across from his unit
where he told me to wait. And I sat there
for 30 minutes waiting. MATTHEW: Actually, ma'am,
two weeks before
we came back from overseas, my unit actually sent
papers to all the family
members back home giving the exact
address and time and who would be there
at the time. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) So it's not like
somebody didn't know. Like she didn't know
where I was at or when
I was going to be there. Hell, it was on
Channel 5, Channel 8, Channel 7,
Channel 14 and 11. Well, did she
eventually pick you up? Actually, you know,
when she picked me up... Yes, I did. ...she came dressed
in her clear hooker shoes
and this. "Hooker shoes"? That's one whole outfit? I think
it's a dress,
is what they call it. I don't know. BRITTANY: It is. She's in clear shoes
with money still in them. (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) And the dress... BRITTANY: Okay,
that was for decoration. LAKE: So you come home.
Mr. Threlkeld, and your wife and your family
aren't there, but she eventually
does pick you up. So you were there
at some point to get him. BRITTANY: Yes, Your Honor. Yes, Your Honor. So you're riding
down the highway... Yeah, she has her phone,
and, um, you know, I was wondering who...
'Cause I saw the guy, she hadn't fully admitted
that she's been
seeing this guy, so I snatched
the phone from her and I start
going through it. And as I was
looking through it, there was a number
that she called,
like, 13 times. So I called him right back. And he answered the phone,
"Hey," you know, I said,
"Who is this? "Are you the one
that's been...my wife?" He said, "Yes,
yes, I've been." (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) And now, her defense,
she starts laughing,
saying, "Ha, ha, I knew he was
just gonna say that. "He's just saying that
to make you mad." And it was ridiculous.
I mean, you know,
that was just... So when he calls
the guy on the phone,
you deny it? Yes, Your Honor. You say... Okay. So we get back
to the house and, like,
throughout the night,
I guess, she had not
gone over there for three or
four days or so. LAKE: Mmm-hmm. And, um... He texts her
and says, you know, "I guess I've
figured now
who you picked." And so she
starts crying and I say,
"Why are you crying?" We were
already done by then, why would it matter
what I do?
Why do you care? Why would you
have a boyfriend
if you're married? Paper or no paper. We were done. MATTHEW:
You got papers? Well, why do we
have to have papers
to be done? You said
it was over. 'Cause in a marriage... It's called a divorce. (AUDIENCE CHEERING) So we were done
a few days ago. Just a week ago
we were done. Just for
nothing there, you're still married
till you get one. In your mind,
this was
a mutual decision that you two
were finished... BRITTANY: Mmm-hmm. ...and were heading
for a divorce. Yes, Your Honor. Until you get home, and somehow
you end up being husband
and wife again,
don't you? BOTH: Yes, Your Honor. Yes, ma'am,
we actually had,
like, make-up sex, within minutes
of being home. LAKE: All right,
we keep skipping the event or events that led to
the conception... MATTHEW:
Actually, ma'am... ...of your last child
in which you feel <i> you may or may not
be the father.</i> BRITTANY:<i>
Why don't you
just be quiet?</i> When I was overseas
and I found out about her stripping
and her cheating there was few options
that came across my head of how I should
deal with it. So when I got back home
within this those
first week or two, we had sex, like,
four or five times a day. And I purposely... She doesn't want
to hear that. So you had it
in your mind that if I get
my wife pregnant,
she'll stop stripping. Roger. Because... What she tells me... Even though you've
had this conversation that you're done
while you were overseas, you come back and
you have in your mind, "Maybe if I could
get her to stop stripping, "we could, maybe,
make it work. "I get her pregnant..." MATTHEW: Yes. "...she can
stay off the pole "and stay in the house." Yes, ma'am. Yeah. LAKE: That's in your mind. But he didn't think about
all the other expenses of having a child. <i> The bottom line, Your Honor,
is I had to support
my children.</i> <i> There are things
you need to do regardless.</i> And I knew he wasn't
gonna get a job
when he came back. MATTHEW: (CHUCKLES)
You asked why we're here
for a paternity court. Within three weeks
of us being home,
she was pregnant. So I mean, I don't know
if it was my devious,
messed up... ...head that
got her pregnant... BRITTANY:
Of course it was. ...or the dude. MATTHEW:
So that's the reason
100% why we're here. LAKE:
Because the truth is even though you had
that plan in your mind that, "If I get her pregnant
that will be a professional
hindrance." But he doesn't think about
all the other costs that come along with that,
and responsibilities. Hence why we have three kids. But you were also
sleeping with another man during that
same time period,
am I correct? Yes, Your Honor,
yes. So you didn't
know as well
who could be the father? Yes, Your Honor,
that's correct. Now, Mr. Threlkeld, you asked your wife
to take a lie
detector test at some point,
am I correct? Yes, ma'am. Before she came back,
I said, "Look, "obviously the path
we're going down
right now "isn't a good one. "Either it's a go
or no-go. "So, I think,
for my insecurities, "I'd like you to take
a lie detector test." She kept saying,
"Oh, that's fine,
I'll do it. "Not a big deal." Why do we need
a lie detector test?
We don't need to take one. But when it comes
closer to actually
doing it, she starts
getting nervous, I can start telling
from body language and tone of her voice,
you know,
she was getting nervous. We don't need
a lie detector test. We just
need communication.
There's no reason. MATTHEW:
She tells me straight out... What happened? She tells me straight out
about the people that she
cheated on me with. Right after
our first daughter, she cheated on me
with a guy when she was going
to cosmetology
school. On her way to
cosmetology school,
she goes to his house. And a little bit
before that, he was taking
pictures of
both of us and when she
went there to
check the photos, she got a tour
of the house and lo and behold,
the tour ended
at the room. Hmm. MATTHEW: So... So you slept
with a photographer? Yes, Your Honor,
I did. LAKE: What else
did you find out? MATTHEW: There was
a friend of mine that we've been friends
with for a couple of years and when I
went to AT, I think it was either
annual training
or drill, she was watching TV
next to this one guy and she started
falling asleep and next thing you know,
he rolled over on her and she thought
it was me. Your Honor, when he... (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) No. And had sex with him. Mistaken identity. MATTHEW: I guess.
He's about this tall
and ugly. BRITTANY: It comes
down to the point where I did make
a mistake, yes. If I could take it back,
I would, but I can't. But you said
a few indiscretions, that's not one mistake. He's controlling,
he's verbally abusive... He treats my daughter
differently <i> than the other two.</i> MATTHEW:<i> Yeah,</i>
she's a daddy's girl. LAKE: Well, that's because
he has explicitly said
he doubts that he may or may not be
her father. Do you think honestly that he is the father
of Liliana? It could be
a 50-50 chance
honestly, Your Honor. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) Anybody got a quarter? Do you understand
that for a man, for any person, that that would be
really hard to accept? There is a part of me
that listens to
you both talk and sees that one,
if not both of you, maybe still wants
to make this work. Are you two interested and
trying to see if you could save
this marriage? Yes, Your Honor. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) She answered
very affirmatively,
quickly. How about you,
Mr. Threlkeld? Are you interested? I would say yes,
but as a guy, I've never
really been put
in the shoes to where I'd
have to choose
my kid or not. It's either yes or no.
You do or you don't. There's still
a baby involved. I mean,
you can't just... I'm not gonna
take it out on her even if it's
not mine. Even if it's not mine. No, the one I'm
gonna take it out on
isn't her, it's the one
in the pink shirt. So congratulations. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) You take it out
on me every
single day. But let's be
clear here. BRITTANY:
You just need
to get over it. There's one baby
in question as it relates
to the paternity. <i> But you all
still have</i> <i> two additional
children together.</i> MATTHEW:<i>
Yes, ma'am.</i> (AUDIENCE MURMURING) BRITTANY:
Yes, Your Honor. You're a family. BOTH: Yes. So these results are going to affect
in some way
this family, positively
or negatively. Yes, ma'am. Yes, Your Honor. LAKE: All right.
It's time for
the results. Here, Your Honor. Thank you. You're welcome. (EXHALES) (PAPER RUSTLING) Our results today
were prepared by
DNA Diagnostics. In the case of <i> Threlkeld vs. Threlkeld...</i> In the case of<i>
Threlkeld vs. Threlkeld,</i> pertaining to one-year-old
Liliana... (EXHALES) Mr. Threlkeld, you are Liliana's father. (AUDIENCE CHEERING) Ms. Threlkeld, it seems like
you became
instantly emotional. Is that relief
or is that... (BRITTANY SNIFFLES) (VOICE CRACKING)
Yes, Your Honor, it's relief. LAKE: ...joy or both? I mean, it's...
All together
I'm happy because I know
she's his, so I would like
to work on
everything. MATTHEW:
Well, ma'am, there's
a reason why because since the day
it's happened... Since February 2011,
to be exact
when I found out, there's not been a day
that's gone by that I haven't let her
not relive the mistakes
she made. Period. LAKE: I appreciate
your honesty. You are owning up
to the fact that you would not let
the mistake go. You threw it up in her face
over and over and over. For two years. Two years. And I still stayed. No other person
would've stayed. Likewise. What does that
tell you both? Looks like we're stuck
with each other. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) (LAUGHING) LAKE: I think
what's important today about this news is that the doubt,
the fear associated
with it is gone now. You know. I see your emotion.
What do you feel? BRITTANY: You still
don't think she looks
like you, do you? Well, there's times
that I actually
kinda disowned her and every time
she came around me,
I called her JB... BRITTANY:
So now it comes out. MATTHEW:
...or other person's baby. Um, now that I know
she's not, you know,
it's good to know. LAKE: You know now
that you are her father and you got a lot of
making up to do. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Okay? This marriage
is the both of yours. Together, you both have
to honor it. You both have to
respect it. And you both have
to be willing
to work on it. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Court's adjourned. (AUDIENCE CHEERING) I feel like
I'm actually holding her
as my daughter now and there's
no wall dividing, you know,
the amount of love
that I give to her. So she's not different
than the other kids. She's just like, you know,
the other two. So definitely a lot of
making up to do,
huh, monster?
"She was never yours it's just your turn"
A tale older than time.
Jody at it again
Is this real? My goodness some people have no shame.
• whistles nonchalantly •
She's a piece of shit, but he's stupid for keeping her around.
God DAYUM
C-IED
Can you trust guys who drive over boom booms for a living on purpose to make good relationship decisions?
Seriously though had a colleague find out of infidelity over a Facebook group and one of my best buddies came home from a deployment to find out his wife was stripping... for whatever reason.
Side note though, sex work when all parties that are relevant are consenting is fine and should not be looked down upon beyond the legality of things.
Essayons