Babysitter Laughs After Killing Baby & Taking Lifeless Body to McDonald's

on October 18 2018 Heather Gardner made a late night trip to a laundromat hoping to catch up on her chores for the week with her was her sister Jessie as well as Heather's two sons her toddler Jathan and her two-month-old baby Benson as the two women got to work with the laundry Jesse made a shocking Discovery Benson was ice cold to the touch and his lips had gone blue terrified Heather began CPR while her sister made a harrowing phone call to 9-1-1 or something I'm not sure today Third Avenue very different places which one are you at 99 say laundromat I don't know the name of it but I have another child in my arms my sister's baby is bad we just drink them up on the babysitters come on everyone two times he's freezing cold already okay now I'm gonna need you to take your hand and put it in the middle of his chest okay okay and you're gonna push on his chest okay you count with me ready yes one two three four as Heather continues to follow the 9-1-1 operator's instructions officers arrive on scene and are quick to take over foreign [Music] when the ambulance finally arrives Benson has rushed inside for life-saving measures unfortunately there's nothing they can do for him and he's officially declared deceased the immediate question was whether this was a case of something like SIDS sudden infant death syndrome or if something far more unimaginable had occurred desperate for answers Heather and Jesse tearfully explained to the officers what's going on what exactly from the babysitter I took him out of there and he was cold despite the horror and Trauma that Heather's going through the officer is able to get the babysitter's name from her his officers handle getting Marissa teatsort's address and information detective Jennifer Holtz arrives on scene and sits down to interview Heather and Jesse the following mostly never before seen footage has been thoroughly analyzed by a former licensed professional counselor a licensed professional counselor and a licensed clinical psychologist before the interview can start Jesse gives detective Holt some unfortunate news sorry I sent her a text what did she say she didn't say anything there sorry can you tell that she read it like a Facebook message or a text a text it doesn't switch sorry no sorry I just was really angry and it was asleep I was on Heather's phone I'm sorry while this may not seem significant at first it would turn out to be very important although the police can't head to Marissa's apartment to talk just yet they do send an officer over to her building the interview then gets underway and at first everything Heather and Jesse describe sounds normal Heather was a longtime friend of Marissa's and Marissa had been babysitting her kids whenever Heather had to work however as Heather and Jesse describe their interactions with Marissa while picking up the kids that night it becomes clear that something was very very wrong you guys both went inside no she didn't even let us let us know I better shut the door and then Martha handed me the other baby yep and just a diaper bag and then Heather was in the doorway for two seconds and said something about the hickey and then we were gone and so it was just real quick like yeah that's girl's face was feet not kidding you what I thought in my head was Jesus Christ what the hell is she on and usually she's like okay what time tomorrow or you know it was nothing like nothing nothing this is super unusual usually I go in the house and I help her at least pack the kids maybe in his car seat and what was their change was he like acting weird shaking eating I didn't sleep and barely look at him it was dark in there she just seems so weird to me yeah but she is never really there but it was very I know Marissa this is and it was just something was really off there's no denying that Marissa was acting suspiciously and it was quickly becoming evident to detective Holtz that if she wanted to find out the truth about Benson's death she was going to have to find Marissa unfortunately this would prove harder than anyone was expecting detective Holtz made her way to the apartment Marissa shared with Adam her longtime boyfriend and the father of her children with Jesse having texted Marissa about Benson's death detective Holtz wasn't sure what to expect when she got to the apartment just to be safe she brought several officers along for backup as well as Captain Graham Marissa we're not going away open the door it soon became evident that no one was going to answer the door leading officers to take drastic measures thank you this one here what's the police anybody in here kid's room show me your hands anybody just as they had feared Marissa was nowhere to be seen but this didn't mean all hope was lost detective Holtz was able to get in touch with Marissa's service provider and have her phone tracked down to a local hotel known as the Plaza within an hour Holtz and Graham were standing in front of Marissa's Hotel dorm morning Adam good morning is Marissa here what are you guys doing he has a place to add him just to cooperate with us okay we'll explain something well you already charged her what the Adam stay here no you guys are harassing the hell out of us and she already got charged we'll be at court why you gotta come here well because we need to talk to her about something new something new yep Marissa I need you to wake up why are you guys here because we wanted to get a wave we got it from what everything isn't against the law to come stay in a hotel room for tonight can you get up so I can talk to you now that the police finally have Marissa and Adam located it's time to separate them for interviews and see if they have any information about what may have happened to Benson this is a very important conversation we're about to have okay tell me about taking care of them today oh I was just watching them and YouTube is fine notice Marissa's upward inflection at the end of her sentence when she says he was fine this is not typical of a statement but rather a question which indicates that Marissa isn't feeling sure about what she's saying that was about it did you feed them or um I fed him once and then he slept and well we went outside when they first got there a little bit so it's you and the kids yep okay was he dressed in what he was dressed in his snow suit and a blanket okay and then you were home alone and then what time did Adam get home oh he got home at like almost um oh maybe 6 30 or something like that where was he at he was hunting okay and then what would you guys do after that after Adam got home um we went to eat a little bit um after he got home and where'd you go McDonald's which one the one over um by the courthouse okay go inside through the drive-thru we went inside okay how long did he stay there uh I don't know about maybe 15 minutes tops okay so did you eat inside or you just grabbed the food and then go okay okay so you were able to finish your meal in 15 minutes that's pretty good okay um he ate when he got there and that was about it one bottle like a full one half one he ate like four ounces okay but yeah he like eats it it depends did Heather send that with you pre-made or did you make that up the bottom she sends it pre-made and then yeah then I made another one so okay and then what happened and did you come straight home after McDonald's the only place you went outside of the house was McDonald's okay and came straight home and anything significant happen no we came home after McDonald's um oh we put a movie in then like I don't know how long it was after but she called and she's like um I'm putting my clothes in the dryer and then I'll be there and then like 15 minutes she came there so okay did you have him ready or did she get him ready yeah I I had him ready I left him in his car seat okay how long had he been in his car seat after McDonald's it was only like half hour 45 minutes maybe okay it was right after McDonald's I just left in those car seat and then he didn't take them back out no because usually she's there like nine nine thirties throughout this initial statement Marissa is repeatedly saying and then and then he slept and like this usually indicates something being left out in someone's story in an interview detectives will dive more deeply into portions of the story where a suspect is repeatedly using phrases like and then or and this happened the whole time oh he's he was sleeping when the whole time the whole time he babysat him well no I mean like after he got there he was up for like a couple hours and then I fed him and then um I put him in the pack and play and then I have this little camera like the video monitor and then like I had to check on him because I have that now so like and he was in your back bedroom or yeah in your bedroom in a pack and play and then um are you okay yeah I'm just like half asleep Marissa's laugh and smile here is odd given the circumstances this is clearly a serious situation when a suspect acts unconcerned this can be a red flag for deception they may be trying to play it cool so that they don't look guilty when actually their behavior just makes them look more suspicious the reason we're here pretty Britney's office right yeah Brittany I'm sorry Marissa you have a sister Brittany right um the reason we're here is although the audio here is redacted we can infer that she informs Marissa that Benson is deceased why is he dead foreign this is the most important conversation I will ever have in your life no you're not telling me you didn't tell me last time and you're not telling me no and I need you to tell me the truth Heather deserves to know what happened I know as detective Holt States this isn't the first time that Marissa is being questioned about potential childhoods in fact it's actually the third time two months prior to Benson's death detective Holtz was called to the home Marissa shared with her boyfriend Adam after a child sustained severe head and face injuries while in Marissa's care while Marissa and Adam claim the child just had an accident detective Holtz is determined to figure out the whole story Adam when you say that the child fell off his home did you witness that or no but I mean versus one of these people that I mean she resorted to drugs because her kids got taken away to the point where she was a rack of Bones and the only way we got her to go to the clinic and get clean you know she's been clean for four years now is that we told her we're gonna sign her into rehab and she doesn't want to get forcefully put it sure that's fair enough but she has no reason to lie to me and I mean whenever she babysits kids or we have other people that she watches for this coffee table gets put in the living room and then the kids get put toys on okay toys all come out in the floor as you see they're here okay I see this is like a matching set are they the same no they're not as well they just happen to be the same color okay I've got this one I got for free up in Maryland and that one we've had for a long time do you know which coach and pretty it would have been this one on the outside the couch sleeping I was over here sleeping and she just went to the bathroom and she came she was literally just pulling her pants up and she heard her cry but I mean like they are and can't come talk to me about something or come talk to us before they go and get you guys involved um I mean she obviously fell and hit a toy or something and Mercy's not gonna go and beat a kid I mean she was a child and stuff so she's very protective of kids I mean this is this is all ridiculous so I'm getting a little upset about it no I know and just calm down everything's calmed down because like I said I got over by Social Services too many times I try to work with them and I look he's our fifth child I got pictures of my kids here and that's all I can do that's all I get to see of them is pictures so there's nothing I can do about it although Adam isn't getting into specifics here he's referencing the fact that four of his and Marissa's children were all taken by Social Services had Social Services known about their Fifth and youngest child he also would have likely been taken detective Holtz and the women from Child Services wait around in the apartment for a while until finally Marissa arrives home Social Services so because there's a child involved and you were providing care for that child at the time Social Services gets involved so I just need to hear from you I was babysitting um she went to bed so I decided to clean and then I was like doing dishes her uh screaming and the staff doing dishes and then stop the couch and there's a bunch of toys because usually I have her sister so and she like follows her so I had a bunch of toys out in the living room okay so you were doing dishes and you heard screaming was she sleeping or yeah and she must have rolled off and then I stopped doing the dishes and she was on the floor and all she had was brought back and she had bruises so she must have hit a toy what toy was on the floor I had all like I had a bunches like this table was out and I had a bunch of toys like in the middle on the rug it's an immediate red flag for deception that Marissa fails to incorporate any of her own emotions during her account of what happened most people who were telling the truth will include their feelings during the event however it's typically difficult for a guilty person to fake emotion so guilty individuals will often opt to keep their emotions very neutral even if it's completely inappropriate to stay neutral given the circumstances can we talked to about a year ago for a child that was injured that sustained a skull fracture oh yeah that was that was not me you were providing care for her well yeah I was but no nothing okay we're bad kids so like I've never I love kids I don't you know nothing okay I always babysit people say it's like right I know which thing you beat anybody but people lose their temper sometimes I never had postpartum nothing noticeably Marissa also doesn't flat out deny these prior allegations in theory it should be a flat out denial but she just can't seem to get the words right something that will surely stand out to Detectives talking about how much she loves kids is still not a straight denial of her allegations it can be difficult for a guilty individual to make a false denial as their body will automatically start showing physiological signs of anxiety with an ongoing child investigation against Marissa Social Services informs the couple that their baby son won't be able to stay with them Adam doesn't take the news very well we place both relatives if you don't have a relative then we have to look at foster care so I need you to give me some relatives at this point so do you have a brother or sister or an aunt's Uncle Adam stop Adam stop stop they said with family no mental investigation is over your dad my dad cannot watch him you guys can go or I can leave and he can watch can I just live with her for until the investigation you need to leave we can't leave we can't live now yeah he wasn't here he can take him no he can't leave I'm stopping and you're scaring the baby uh you're hearing my baby get the out of my house can that can that work I'm sorry we need to sit down and have a civilization I told you guys I think you're taking my kid you guys I believe and no you can have him they need to leave no because they'll take it I trust you guys right now you guys think you're taking my kid or asking my kid to go anywhere we're trying to figure out a family member that I do not have any family members we have no family that she was I was not here [Applause] she was the only one here well that's what's gonna happen with Shayna Shayna okay right there the baby's sitting here so there's the situation you guys can go well we're not leaving until I sort it out so I just told you what's gonna happen no it's not fine I told them when they came in the house I let them in my sleep until it's overnight you guys are lying audio that's why I don't trust anyone I don't think anybody's lied to you at this point yeah because I asked I told you specifically did I not right when you guys walked in the door I said if you think you're gonna do anything with my kid you better bring the SWAT team that's exactly what I said and I'm sticking to my I'm sticking to it so you guys need to leave and that you have to take him up I can't be here all right let's talk about this Adam I just called girl no no that's not all it works we need to sit down and figure out you guys gonna pay my rent no so you can leave now I'm gonna ask you 15 times they're letting him stay with you I'm leaving but he needs to calm down right I will come as soon as your head's gone through the back of my dorm and you can sit and relax I relax as soon as you go off my door you can pop through the door but I don't watch any of my house can is that can't he just take him and I leave I can't leave a child here with him because I'm pissed off because you guys are and I'm just my face and I'm just that right now I'm calling with those daily stop oh my God I can help it person you know well you want him here my God they're freaking out Marissa and Adam are having very different reactions to their son being removed from their home although Adam's feelings are valid and many people in this situation would feel angry his Outburst is clearly upsetting the baby and he doesn't seem to recognize that Marissa on the other hand is notably calm about their entire situation this is rather unusual as most parents would be quite upset about having their child taken especially if they didn't do anything wrong this may be an act on her part she may think that she needs to appear relaxed because if she is explosive like Adam it will just look like she acted that way with the child she babysat and there's nothing anymore You Wanna Know but I can't stand here with these memories fresh in her mind detective holds his unrelenting in her interview with Marissa Heather deserves to know what happened I know you're true I am I don't know what happened I promise I understand that things get frustrating especially with you being pregnant and having a child of your own they were frustrating I promise you that Marissa is likely trying to bolster her statements by stating I promise you that when someone is being deceptive they will try really hard to sell you on their story whereas someone who's being honest doesn't need to go to such links Marissa may not have been comfortable enough with her answer about how the kids weren't frustrating likely because it was a lie and she did find them to be frustrating so she needed to prop her claim up with a promise to make it sound more convincing this theory is backed up by Adam's statements to Officer Cole back in the hotel room so you get home what time seven six thirty seven somewhere and what's going on in the apartment when you get home the kids are all sleeping the topic then shifts to Jason who Marissa also babysat yeah pretty quiet kid efficiency quiet if you look at it wrong even starts crying I mean lately he's been he's been getting used to us and then take me through the rest of the next few hours until you guys decide to come over here we went to McDonald's came home and who went to McDonald's all of you all of us yeah the three kids in the back seat in which McDonald's was one by the courthouse okay who picked him up out of the pack and play and put him into the car I picked them up and put them in there okay absolutely normal to me and what is normal as soon as you pick one of these wines and stuff so he was making noise making noise and open his eyes at all yeah crying and everything else Adam describing Heather's kids in such negative terms is concerning referring to a two-month-old baby is whiny is especially unusual because it's normal for a baby that young to cry frequently it's also possible that being overly critical of the children is a misguided attempt to protect Marissa back in the hallway Marissa attempts to explain why she and Adam fled to the hotel they got a little money from a car accident and I wanted to go swimming and stuff but by the time she picked the kids up you know an hour to go in a hot tub but I don't think I came when I was pregnant I was pregnant so what's the real reason you're here no that is the real reason I'm seriously who lives in this town checks into a hotel at 9 50 p.m after a baby died in their apartment I don't know I didn't know he died and that's also a lie because she texted you and told you that he died my phone's off no it's not yes it is no it's not I'll show you my phone I'm seeing how do you think we found you it's obvious that Marissa's story isn't adding up but the question is what exactly could she be hiding Marissa is likely keenly aware that with her previous child investigation she looks incredibly suspicious right now even if Benson's death was just a heartbreaking accident her history with kids makes it hard to trust her could she and Adam have fled to the hotel because of this I'm serious now cut the crap Marissa this is the third time we've had a discussion with you about a child an infant in your care and now one is dead one is dead then who did one he was fine did Adam do something to him no no one did anything to him he was fine babies don't just die Marissa keeps sniffing and scrunching up her face as if she's crying however it doesn't appear that there are any tears falling she's likely trying to give off the appearance that she's upset but she's not a good actress and it comes off very disingenuous he was fine babies don't just die I would not kill a baby I'm sure you didn't mean to Marissa I think it's not what you do Marissa it's sometimes what you do maybe there was something you just didn't do tonight yeah I'm alone for too long you're exciting yeah was it an accident did you leave him alone I left him in the pack and play after we got off at after we got back in from outside was he okay he didn't make any noise I have that video monitor thing I didn't kill him anymore you'll never get a baby so what happened when you came back from one sec and he was in the back responsibility I use the baby monitor and when he like makes a noise it will you can hear it and I didn't hear anything so yeah I didn't kill him right at what point did you realize that you was dead you know Marissa shrugging in response to Captain Graham's questions are huge red flags that she was involved someone who is innocent would readily be able to provide clear answers for the questions like I said there is that you do and sometimes as a result of the things that we don't do best in this happen and we know when did you know Marissa I know we know accidents happen I just there I thought that baby monitor thing would be fine so I didn't check on them how long it's okay we can talk through this just some tissue oh my God sometimes things happen but we need to know the truth and that's all okay I have a baby monitor but I didn't kill him the detectives know that most suspects are more comfortable admitting to an accident rather than intentional harm and Marissa is no exception she's latched onto the scenario likely because she thinks she won't get in as much trouble while there's every chance that this may be the real truth there are still some parts of Marissa's story that aren't making sense and as Holtz and Graham are about to discover Marissa knows a lot more than she's letting on so how long was it that you didn't check to start start over so it was like um after when um like this before Adam got very checked did you know that I didn't go wrong I know how did you know just because it has been that uh well he does sleep that long anyway but I don't know he's like felt cold and I was scared my boyfriend wasn't there and everything so oh I'm sure I'm sure it's scary how did you find him how was he laying I put him on his belly how did she how did you find him I was like just just not his belly where was his face uh in the uh aren't like this face down did you was trying to so if this is his face and this is his back and you put him like this and you didn't find his head turned anyway it was just straight down I think it was is there anything coming out of his mouth there we go and he felt cold then and that was before Adam got home who picked him up out of the pack and play and put him into the car I put them into okay absolutely normal to me the fact that Marissa can't seem to clearly remember how Benson's head was positioned when she found him is a red flag as this is something that she should be able to remember if she walked in and the baby's face was straight down into the bed this is something that would trigger alarm bells and would likely stand out in her memory but that baby monitor it was like almost 100 and like when they make any noise you can hear it and that has like the camera thing so you're saying that didn't work no it worked it worked yeah left them along for too long I think he went to McDonald's no I brought him did he put clothes on them had on and Adam didn't notice they was dead she probably just thought he was sleeping did you check for a pulse to go see if he was breathing because he would feel his skin was cold whereas where they're making any noise what did you think was going to happen how they're going to pick them up like did you think she wasn't going to notice or oh yeah she was or wasn't it she was gonna notice did you try to do anything uh-oh um you've helped me understand discovered their yeah what why didn't you fall this and I was scared and my boyfriend wasn't there yeah hi baby taken by this point Marissa has mentioned several times how she was scared but she doesn't express any concern for Benson or how his mother is feeling now Marissa appears to be very egocentric and is only thinking about the baby's death in terms of how it affects her we do have an arrest warrant for you based on your other child so we're going to be taking you into class today sure thank you but we're gonna get out although it seems like detectives are getting the truth out of Marissa there is one major problem her story isn't matching up with Adams according to Marissa Benson was dead before Adam ever got home and Adam was none the wiser however Adam is claiming that not only did he pick Benson up and get him loaded into the car but supposedly Benson was crying and whining during this one of them is lying and it's up to the police to figure out which one of them it is okay Adam here's what I need the explanation for we know why you guys came over here on my children's on my life um we know Marissa's received messages on her phone letting her know the audio is redacted here but the officer informs Adam that Benson is deceased come on now it's pretty good I did not know this yes no I I swear I didn't so I swear I didn't know Marissa's phone is in here somewhere I didn't know I Swiffer and there has my phone number she never not once that's your phone this is my phone yes where's Marissa's phone I don't know I can call it to find it it's that's right and then you guys come over here you leave shortly after another leaves it's like another reason we came here is where's the sister's supposed to be getting her kids tonight for the night so we figured we'd come get it and she can just take the room tomorrow so there's gonna be an autopsy tomorrow that's gonna tell us a lot more than what we know right now about the cause of death and if things don't add up yeah because right now I'm seeing a lot of red flags about why you guys came over here no I why nobody there appears to be two options here he's either telling the truth about part of what happened meaning he did get Benson out of the pack and play but he knew the child was dead or he's lying about being the one to get Benson out of the pack and play because he thinks this will protect Marissa from getting in trouble but there needs to be some sort of explanation that has to come from one of you too for both of you have babies that uh it's kind of a betting issue that they suffocate accidentally um I've seen children that were given too much medication because they were too fussy too whiny and so the caregiver was trying to get them to sleep or you know officer Kolb is offering up more acceptable reasons for why Benson may have died he's being careful not to portray Marissa as being a cold-blooded killer because he knows that could make items shut down from the conversation however if he can sow a seed of doubt in Adam's mind about how it could have been an unfortunate accident Adam may be more willing to provide information that could be helpful to the investigation yeah so why is he telling us we're leaving to go to McDonald's but when you have to be scared of homer so dominate it in trouble or go to jail but he doesn't know why would he be covering up for you if he doesn't know that he did anything wrong remember we talked about being honest dog I'll freak out where she said they're here tomorrow but you know what's going on right this is going on what did you tell me when Heather got there no when you guys were going to McDonald's right yeah and he was making noise he said several times we asked him clarified that with you right yeah is that the truth yeah he was busting stuff when we left we just want this situation Complicated by lies obviously we're all just trying to figure out what happened and Marissa's made some admissions to some things but there's just some little things that aren't matching up with what you're telling us I just don't know I mean I Adam's claim of I don't remember is a selective memory statement which can sometimes be legitimate or could be a sign of possible deception it's possible that Adam used deductive reasoning to figure out that Marissa was Under Suspicion for something related to Benson he likely didn't know what Marissa was being accused of but it was clearly related to her care of other children so he decided in the moment to lie in the hopes that he could protect her from further trouble however he might be less willing to protect her from trouble after he learns what she's been hiding from him So Adam what what she has uh admitted to out there while we were talking in here is that while you were out hunting oh she already knew likely suffocated of course she's probably freaking about that and even when you came home and went to McDonald's she's saying she knowingly put and into the car leading you to believe he's alive and well and he was dead all that time and do you understand we're not we're not here to argue with you fight with you or nothing we want what's best for the kids okay and I think you do too I do and I even think Marissa does she does but she has a poor way of doing it I guess you can ask anybody have you lived around Jesus she gets everybody gets the most in a mood where they don't want to be bothered or whatever and I really wish then that happens you know she'll tell me and I'll take care of it take care of it she's been going to take the showers and what she's got to do that's right every time this happens that's why I told her as Adam Waits at the hotel to deal with CPS Marissa agrees to go back to her apartment with Detective holds in order to demonstrate how she found Benson if detective holds can clearly see how Benson was positioned she may be able to determine if his death was the result of an accident SIDS or something far more sinister we have these dialysis because it makes it a little more realistic as far as like facial shape and things like that what I want you to do is just like walk through exactly how you put him down okay okay yeah and I just put them in here and then I turn camera on and so I put him in here and put the blue blanket on so you when we were at the hotel you were talking about like his face was to the side a little bit yep can you show me exactly how his head was I know his his body probably is right this isn't it's completely anatomically correct but if you could just show like how his face was I I realized that his body was flat um and it wouldn't turn off like that but it was too was it to that side specifically um so to his egg right so yeah although Marissa's been laughing and smiling throughout this demonstration she's likely still feeling some anxiety if we look at her hands we can see that they're almost closed into fists which indicates that she's feeling tense most caregivers would be traumatized by having a baby die in their care having to reenact their last actions with the infant would likely be difficult and emotional in stark contrast to this Marissa appears to be completely unaffected however this image of her clinched hands May provide a glimpse into her inner stress no I'm not okay this three steaming blanket and then his blanket so the receiving blanket was already folded up and laid down before you came in here when did you when would you have done that um I think I did it I laid him on the couch and when you found him exact same position or was he different um and thank you it's in the same position okay I need you to really try hard to remember because this is important I know um could have been in a different position but still was he still in the middle yeah Nova was in the middle I think he was in the same position based on her frequent responses of I think so I think it seems like Marissa is making things up as she goes okay so why determine that he's not alive because I picked him up and he was really cold how did you pick him up um I just went like this okay and what did he what did you look like it was just called Marissa is completely unemotional once again she fails to mention any of her thoughts and feelings when she discovered Benson was dead which could be a sign that Marissa is being deceitful and hiding something from the detective the question is what exactly is she hiding and then what did you do um laid him down where did you lay him down oh I think I laid him on the floor so I've got his car seat in there I'm gonna grab just noticed it later on the floor I put him in the snow stop and then put him in his car seat with his blankets okay and then where did you put the car seat um I think I left it in there with the door open or shut with the door open I left him in there put the door open and then um Adam we got here and then we leave him in the car seat in his snow suits there um and you you laid him on the floor but if you don't know CPR no attempts to call anyone or research anything online really do you see if there's anything maybe stuck in his mouth or oh okay and you said no knock okay this detective holds his listing off logical responses to finding Benson dead Marissa simply nods with indifference perhaps implying that there was another reason that she didn't try to investigate Benson's unresponsiveness um back there so you had it back there you had the baby minor on or no okay and then was it facing there where were you sitting yeah this facing right there and I was right here okay so then when did you turn it off um after they left and we left okay how did you turn it off turn it on and turn it off so it surprising to know that your baby mother is unplugged is it yeah I might have unplugged it too because you have to charge these but I did have it on and everything what the camera because oh I stopped using it when I stopped using it I just turned to unplug it I did have it on and everything I promised on everything I had it on Marissa making promises or likely attempts to bolster her lies having gathered all of the relevant information at the apartment Marissa is officially arrested and spends the rest of the night in jail although it seemed Marissa was telling detectives everything she knew about Benson's death his autopsy came back with shocking results prompting Captain Graham and detective holds to bring Marissa in for one more interview this room setup is not ideal for an interrogation as there's a huge table between Marissa and the detectives it would be better if there was no table at all so that the detectives could observe Marissa's entire non-verbal communication instead of having half of her body being hidden from View [Music] yeah I explain yourself I promise you I did not do nothing to him promise no he did not fall did he did she roll and some more just a little bit closer now that I've seen that I did not do anything to him Marissa uses a qualification phrase when she says not that I seen which gives her an escape in the future allowing her to blame her faulty memory or say that she didn't see what had actually happened died as a result that happy new free and I'm hoping based upon your relationship with Heather and based upon the genuine log that I know that you have for children it's important that Knowles what what no I didn't do anything to him because something happened in that apartment and I know this department should tell me it couldn't have been an Adam it could have been yeah or could it no but Adam came back at some point you know and you've seen and we've seen Adam get upset really at the step of a finger and are you sure that he had to do something remember that science doesn't lie so there's absolutely no doubts like to think that you're not some cold-blooded person right and I I want to believe that you do genuinely love children I see it I see it with you in person I see it with the media that you're carrying and I'm sure you had a bond with friends and because you've been watching they did not kill them I would never I can't never could never kill anyone in my life let's not even use that word as Marissa gets emotional for the first time in the interrogation she uses the word kill it seems that what may have triggered her tearfulness is when the detective started talking about how Marissa loves kids and may have had a bond with Benson earlier in the interrogation Marissa seemed to be avoiding the word kill instead saying that she didn't do anything sometimes these non-specific statements are used by deceptive individuals because it allows them to dance around having to be more specific an innocent person is more likely to be straightforward and use necessary language because they want to ensure it's clear what they're denying a deceptive person may prefer to avoid using such explicit language because it means they will have to look the detectives in the eye and lie and whatever I mean some things here will happen and you were taking care of them and it's important for Heather it's important for you and still looks better for you quite frankly if you a message [Music] that's why I don't want to think that it was intentional thank you boys names first you have 50 more than I can imagine a lot going on they are in this other case that was out there which we always have found the effects yeah this this is pretty serious and you have other children that have been taken away yeah you know you're on the road to recovering from some drug addiction yeah sometimes the weights a place can become too much to bear and see yourself acting or something and thinking without even thinking just reacting in ways that are outside of your character and I wonder if something like that happened on Thursday yeah you know extra fussy because he's got some sores and just not receiving feeding well and supplement no I would never I could never anything I love kids way too much I can never know I hear him say that and I I want to believe you like I said but there has to be an explanation of it's not what you pulled suspects may be more willing to confess if they feel like the detective truly understands them and their situation Graham and Holtz are both doing a really good job of relating to Marissa and being empathetic and the read technique it's important for investigators to appear non-judgmental as that creates a dynamic in which the suspect may be more likely to open up I don't know what happened like I said not that not when I was around there right I know yes hurt badly I want to believe that it was an accident and you're not a monster hey man it must be explained well then it must have been an accident like I said I just sat on Change film could have been the thing in the face he's in his head I don't know how he would have hit his head I don't know could he have fallen I'm asking you know I was around and you didn't just fall without anybody around and wasn't he noticing and then put himself back in passing place and I hope you have this one opportunity to explain by increasing her proximity to Marissa detective Holtz is increasing the pressure for her to confess ions as hard as mainly about this head a little bit they don't know because I could never show me nice I don't know I just put him on the couch you're gonna call me your trunk I need it to be 100 good all right so maybe like how it's time or maybe not a place in I don't know for saying that I didn't know I can never do that [Music] to you from no I could never it was awesome neither holds nor Graham have suggested that Benson could have been thrown so it's highly suspicious that Marissa suddenly introduces this new idea when new language is introduced by the suspect such as what Marissa has just done here detectives will likely see it as a big red flag that the suspect has been hiding something Marissa is still refusing to tell detective Holtz the truth so Holtz decides to play into Marissa's emotions and ask her how she would feel if it was her own child who died please testing mother she deserves to know what happens [Music] and this is your last chance to tell me the truth everyone I am lost a lot out here and father but apparently Melissa and the monster so she can't even explain what she did even if it was an accident please you have to help me tell Heather [Music] please after this desperate emotional appeal from detective holds Marissa sits in complete silence for nearly two minutes before finally opening up a bit during this long pause Marissa is likely trying to decide what she's going to say should she stick with her story about how she doesn't know should she confess the truth or should she admit to something in between she may be weighing the pros and cons of each option in her head most people care what others think of them at least to some extent so hearing the detective say that you will be thought of as a monster may help motivate Marissa to tell the truth show me oh Lord me like that where you give me another playpening here it is the one you guys have there's nothing I could think of how many times one twice the only thing I could think of I could never I could never so I don't know I promise I'm saying I could never but you know what you did you did I did not that child had multiple injuries to his head not one time and it's not from a play hand I said I don't know where he could have got it from I did not do it on everything I'm not gonna do no you're not yes I am no you're not yes I am I'm very slow totally not unless it was harder though because that's harder it would have happened more than one song one time just once I don't know I didn't think so and when you did that didn't stop breathing okay you don't remember it's pretty significant I I am I don't remember if the child died right in front of me when I suspect claims to have a memory failure such as claiming not to remember such a major detail this can be a sign of deception Marissa's saying that she can't recall if Benson died right after she put him down roughly it's a major red flag as most people would remember such a significant event what do you mean were you holding on to his midsection and putting him down how did you first put them in there then in the midsection on his back or on his spot in there so did you did you let him go if I was like this and then you just let it go and so he kind of fell as well or did you have hold of him and he wasn't this or was it done yeah I think so it was like this yeah and then he said then you take him this is the packet play and you just throw him in the packet was it like a foot or two drop I don't know Mike but or whatever well if you're standing just the pack and play and you're standing right here was it from up here yeah like my yeah the pass and play that you showed us is one of those that has like a insert where it's up a little bit are you sure it was that pack and play or was it the one in the spare room no I'm silent and it has the man on the thing so you were above the pack and play and dropped him with forces like was it citizen Let's Roll I don't think so you're frustrated right I'm scared to throw a shirt you tell me okay I need you to prove that you're being honest with me what I want you to do is tell me exactly what you did and if it matches up with the injuries that I saw then then I know that we've got a caring person here who is sorry for what she did I am I'm just frustrated I'm sorry even that frustration going is it your bedroom in the pack and play is right there next to the bed and were you standing right next to the pack and play were you standing by the door and just depends but like where your thighs touching the back and playing like this or what's the fact that far away and you just oh no I don't like that so yeah James just throw them in was it with all your force all your strength you just threw them in there I don't know I think so you think so so you with all your Force just like that as hard as you could but really it's hard but Marissa is still vague in her description but Graham getting up is important here because it makes Marissa have to demonstrate what she did Graham clearly dramatized the throw from a very far distance which forced Marissa to have to clarify that she didn't throw Benson from such a far-off distance but she did in fact throw him idea of Christ is that what you're saying or didn't stop crying he just died for a couple minutes then that was it some multiple Amber response and I promise you I do not know where he got the under injuries promise did you grab him by by eight books who that's why I ask you Marissa how were you holding him when you threw him into the pack and play because he has some very injuries right I said he has some broken bones he does I don't think you must do it that hard did he tumble a little bit when he was when you throw them in the pack and play like did he roll no because I I could see if if you're walking down the hall will you come in the room you're a little upset and frustrated you throw him like that I could see that he might tumble a little bit in the pack and play and maybe get lodged up against something what I wasn't there Marissa said how can you help me understand in my mind what happened I know what happened I was just frustrated there was in the pack and play and what did you see happen when he landed in the packing place that what happened to his body did he just oh stay in one one position or did he roll or I think he hit the side but that's about it what part of him hit the side the pad and was it the corner where it's hard or was it yeah it was a corner which corner I don't know we're in the corners okay so it was he came and just curled up in the corner I don't think so I think it may be his friend was down so you throw them in she tumbles into the corner of the packet light is he face down at that point or is he face up or is he to the side yes face down okay so you throw him down on his back he tumbles a little bit into the corner of the pack and play and his face is down then do you pick him up again and throw him down or what do you do no what would you do I just pick them up and put them in the middle even while she confesses to throwing him into the pack and play and then rearranging his body Marissa doesn't appear to have any remorse for what she did to Benson you throw him in there he tumbles into the corner you had said that he cried for a couple minutes no well did you just you know stand there for a couple of minutes and just well maybe not a couple minutes maybe a minute or less did you stay in the room with them or go out before I put on that guy's stomach did I stand in my room and just looked like while I was crying yeah maybe you were in shock like what did I just do right yeah just a couple times this couple minutes thing is is confusing me here because I wasn't shocked or what just happened to him what I did to him so I was frustrated are you frustrated and what shocked you was the fact that you threw him into the pack and play very hard maybe not with all of your strength but you were really frustrated and he tumbles into the corner maybe hits his head on the corner and then you stand there and he cries for a little bit no I just had very purple a couple seconds pulling every minute and then you take it from the corner he's no longer crying right and you just set him FaceTime [Music] I'm scared shouldn't be that at that point so anyone who's doing anything that was did you try to do something to bring it back to life in his mouth because that's how I know what to do okay because I could see you trying to undo what what has just happened right yeah that's right and that tells me a little bit about who you are so that yeah I made a mistake here but I don't want this child to die right although Marissa now claims to have tried to revive Benson she laughed and denied trying to revive him at all research anything online really do you see if there's anything maybe stuck in his mouth or this discrepancy in her story indicates that she might be pretending to have tried to save Benson's life in order to not look like a monster since at this point she's confessed and likely knows that she's in for some major consequences I understand [Music] [Music] all right although Marissa is sobbing this may be in response to the consequences of her actions which she knows are coming not for what she did it wasn't there and I had the other kids yeah so it was scared the reason she didn't call 9-1-1 is likely selfish she was afraid of being apprehended she may have thought that the best option was to cover up the crime even going so far as to keep the secret from her boyfriend yes okay [Music] I'm not making it higher because I have court for this statement around you November first things [Applause] I'm sorry I was scared and frustrated but it gets frustrated too if um yeah so that's what's going to happen so yeah eventually online you're going to see the character information today I don't know please walk through this this don't break these rejection I mean you have to know that there's time to find this room I understand they're sorry and that does mean a lot all right if you have any other questions yes [Music] once again Marissa shows that she's putting herself first by asking for a lower Bond she also appears to be surprised to find out that she will be charged it's almost as if she expected that if she just said sorry they would let her go Marissa is failing to see the seriousness of the crime and even attempts to deflect responsibility from herself to Heather while sitting in jail awaiting trial Marissa began to form relationships with a variety of pen pals promising that she would love them be physically intimate with them and move in with them after prison in exchange for these pen pals giving her money and a report written by detective holds it was noted that Marissa was especially good at manipulating people and was able to juggle all of these relationships while also manipulating Adam into believing that she wasn't cheating on him so he would also give her money Marissa also occupied her time in jail by begging the judge to give her a lighter bail a letter to the judge written by Marissa reads this Marisa teetsort and I want a bond reduction cause this is crazy that don't get half signature Bond and lowered like really I'm not a monster or whatever I love kids and I'm a mom to five kids plus I'm pregnant now with my sixth kid that's right not only does she not grasp the severity of her crime against Benson but she tries to claim that she's a loving and successful mother to her children even though most of those children were removed from her care according to detective holds Marissa believes she would be getting a light sentence for Benson's murder as she and her attorney were planning on claiming that she wasn't guilty due to brain damage caused by her extended substance abuse things didn't go the way Marissa had hoped however and she was instead sentenced to 37 years for Benson's death and another three years for the injuries caused to the child who would supposedly fallen off her couch just two months prior to Benson's death

Channel: EXPLORE WITH US

Views: 12,240,903

Keywords: documentary, true crime documentary, educational, psychology, law, analysis

Id: cIaj123_PaE

Length: 76min 21sec (4581 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 22 2023