When Wannabe Gangsters Get Busted For Murder

he said if we ever talk we were dead I'm just like hey guys you know you want to go do this and when you said do this what did you tell them you meant you want to go kill somebody oh [Applause] marred by a history of mental health struggles and attempts at taking her own life a young teenage girl's family fears the worst when she goes missing in Pinckneyville Illinois but in a textbook example of reality being Stranger Than Fiction the Stevens Family couldn't have dreamed of a worse scenario than the one that was about to unfold even under those circumstances fifteen-year-old Sydney Stevens was a bright girl who enjoyed fishing four-wheeling and hanging out with her friends and older sister 18 year old Dakota wall from the outside looking in it appeared that Sydney was living a rather normal life but underneath the surface things were anything but ordinary Tracy Stevens and her daughter Sydney had a great relationship for a long time at least however in recent months they'd been fighting not only that but Sydney and Dakota had been engaging in fights of their own Tracy's husband Tim wall told police that Sydney and Dakota used to be very close but had recently Grown Apart in addition Tracy's divorce from Tim was not something that Sydney took well it left another void and her failing support system especially when she found out that Tim was not her biological father with the heaviness of everything weighing down on her Sydney began to engage in behavior that was previously very out of character there were times she'd run away even worse were a series of attempts she'd made to end her own life when she went missing on July 19 2010 Tracy filed a missing person's report just as she had the previous month an occasion where Sydney had chosen to disappear while it seems certain Sydney had run off yet again hours turned to days and Sydney still hadn't returned then a horrifying development came on July 25th for a place that proclaims itself the friendly little city it was anything but that on the fateful day two fishermen found the lifeless body of Sydney face down in the local buku Creek detectives were stumped as there was little information to go on initially but as the investigation immediately got underway details quickly emerged law enforcement would eventually unravel a tangled web of lies and uncover a shocking Revelation that could only be described as the ultimate betrayal let's begin Now with an acquaintance of Sydney and our first person of interest eighteen-year-old Carl Dane who authorities have called into question just three days after Sydney's body was recovered I guess you know what we want to talk to you about about the situation with Sydney um what do you know about it Carl it's in the editor that whole situation there just in general here we don't know what you know about what happened he said I don't know anything do you remember where you you were on uh Sunday night the I think we got 18th 18th I was sitting at home it's a pretty quick answer how do you know where you were that long ago I just remembered you know I remember when I'm done with you know every once in a while most people who are being honest have a reasonable memory when suspects have a memory of extremes detectives will see that as a red flag for deception for example if a suspect remembers what they were doing on an ordinary day two months ago that is unusual going for The Other Extreme if a suspect can't remember what they did yesterday that's also unusual Sydney's older sister Dakota has brought in almost two weeks after Carl's interview to talk about the tragic event while getting settled the detective Janice Barber informs Dakota that she's from Chester Illinois and relays that it isn't unusual for her to help out with major cases from other towns can you tell me about you're in Sydney's relationship um well we've got along great till puberty then it was the don't touch my stuff I hate you for this weird kind of thing a typical teenage sister yeah thanks but like we got along great unless I was on my period or she was on her period then we absolutely did not want to be around each other sure but other than that we were got along great unless she was trying to take my stuff we were fighting about chores or something so let's talk about Sydney and her disappearing her disappearance is what everybody originally thought it was where were you when you were notified of her disappearance I was at my boyfriend's house and who's your boyfriend Chad Bennett okay last time you saw Sydney that Sunday before the day before the day that she went missing I'd seen her because I came back from camping okay and what time was that I got home at like between 11 and 11 30 in the morning and then how long were you in Sydney both there at the house yeah for how long um I got there by 1131 came back in about between 3 and 3 30 and I left about three so Dakota had apparently gone camping on Saturday July 17th two days before Sydney's disappearance she promptly returned home the next day on the 18th along with Dakota her 20 year old boyfriend Chad Bennett had spent a couple of hours at the girl's home before the pair departed for Chad's house later that afternoon according to Dakota this was the last time she saw her sister shortly thereafter something unexpectedly Sinister was carried out and things would never be the same two days after Dakota's interview we meet Chad who may possess Salient details regarding Sydney's tragic final moments the detective Begins by shaking Chad's hand a gesture of respect likely aimed at building a positive Rapport Chad sits slumped over with his legs spread apart coming across as unaffected by the circumstances then again this may be a comfortable position nonetheless the detectives have most likely taken note of this nonchalant behavior and they proceed to question Chad about his whereabouts on Saturday July 17th yeah what did you do that foreign [Music] [Music] so when was it the next time you saw Dakota yeah I think so Sunday yeah and when it was on Sunday you saw the code I think I think it was Sunday right but what time happened uh morning or afternoon I wouldn't mind so you can sleep in yeah so it'd be like in the afternoon probably after like one so how long you think you stayed there a couple hours a couple hours with words to stay at and ask Cody's room Chad tells the detective that following his short stay at Dakota's house the pair decided to head to Carbondale Illinois where they picked up their friends Carl and 17 year old James Glazier along the way they apparently stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner but left around 8 o'clock before dropping Carl and James off at another friend's house fifteen-year-old Robbie Mueller who will also hear from soon enough following this Chad drove Dakota back to his house where she spent the night since her phone was supposedly turned off Chad had awoken to a panic call from Tracy the next day on July 19th Tracy asked that he informed Dakota that Sydney had once again gone missing but Dakota wasn't too worried as this seemed to be a regular occurrence however when she returned home from Chad's shortly thereafter it was clear that something was horribly wrong we pick up where Dakota's detailing what happened on that unexpectedly harrowing day so then you're at home about noon yeah then what proceeds from there are at home um when I ran home my mom asked me if it was me that house I was like yeah she's like have you heard anything from Sydney or heard anyone that knew or stood me as I was like no she's like well she's like I was told which is one of her friends that Corbin had seen her up at that uh lunch thing the freelance to do with one of the churches here it's you know up there and she's like and I went up there and one of the ladies that was working they'd seen her walking up town about seven o'clock in the morning by the high school with the lady that looked like she was about her late 20s early 30s she's like do you know anyone that said that Sydney would know that's that age I was like no I was like I don't know the anxiety with besides Carly and Jessica she was like okay and she's like you know she's like has anyone been on her voice and I was like no so you would go and check on MySpace yeah we were checking on MySpace every day to see if she'd gotten on okay because the last time she ran away she got kept getting on MySpace and making contact and after a few days of her not making contact that's when we got there was something weird about this something not right when did you think something was weird and not right probably about Wednesday unfortunately this gut instinct will prove to be terribly correct though her family could not have foreseen the unimaginable circumstances of Sydney's last moments a little bit after I came back we went in our room to look to see if she took anything or if there was anything out of place and we noticed that the thing was knocked over that plastic dresser that there was papers scattered all over the floor that she's her money was still there and all the shoes were still there and she said well this is a little weird just like but you know maybe she just had the intentions of coming back Tuesday I do believe was the day that we'd noticed the drag marks because that's whenever we called the police station and they had Murray come down here where he was like well it's just a chair we can drive across the Rocks but I was just like that really doesn't explain drag marks in a bedroom was there a chair that had been moved yeah there's a green chair that I had to stand on to hang laundry up on the hooks outside and usually it's on the deck but it was in the colored rocks and why was it there I don't know okay because my mom had showed it to me she's like come here I was like what she's like look at this chair I was like what about she's like it looked like someone was trying to climb out of the house I was assuming you think that she snuck out she's like yeah so that thing so going downstairs she came up here and went off the deck the disorderly state in which Sydney's room was left could indicate that something far worse may have happened than the teen Simply Having run away Dakota follows up by telling the detective that Chad had come over to the house on that same Tuesday July 20th the pair supposedly watched a movie before Chad left around noon for work did you ever talk about Sydney was like we haven't found her anything yeah I was like we were trying to see if anyone's seen or not like but we haven't seen him music oh he's like well I hope you guys find her he's like because your mom's already taking this heart I was like yeah those are just a little bit was he nervous how long have you and Chad been going on a year and a half year and a half I mean you in love yeah yeah the detective asks Dakota if she's ever gone through Chad's phone to which she replies that she has only done so as a result of others speculating that he may have been cheating what would happen if he was messing around on you thank you very very very upset very upset now that the detective has glimpsed a preview of Dakota and Chad's romance she switches gears in an attempt to learn more about another Union one with a seemingly violent dynamic so let's talk about Chad there's Chad and Carl well there's Carl and um Robbie what's the other boy's name James Carter Chad's pretty good friends with these three boys um I know he's good friends with Carl but James he just met he's apparently I've known James since I was little but I don't remember it most ever known James I remember my dad moved back here James was always over at his house and that's how Chad met him so it had over years and that changed and then Turtles just moved here and he met Turtle a couple months ago okay so what's what's the deal with this explain this uh gang to me that they're all in I have no clue I find it stupid and I told them that it's stupid because if you're all over the town of 5 000 people where the majority of the people are prisoners you don't have a game but they classify themselves as a gang I'm not quite sure I think something happened with the cops and the cops started calling it a game someone told the cops they were spray painting and getting illegal weapons and illegal drugs and the small rural community of Pinckneyville a so-called gang had allegedly emerged known as the p-town Saints consisting of a few local members including 17 year old James Glazier 18 year old Carl Dane 20 year old Chad Bennett and 15 year old Robbie Mueller also known as Turtle numerous other young men were reportedly involved in the group but the four named in particular will remain our Focus we will now meet the youngest member uh could you stage full name for Robbie Dawson Mueller Robbie's formal attire demonstrates a level of respect many might quantify as unusual for an interrogation if a businessman was brought in for questioning detectives would expect to see him dressed up in this manner however for a teenager this outfit choice is quite abnormal the detectives have been asking him questions relating to his involvement with the so-called gang where he gives alarming detail on his brutal recruitment into the infamous p-town Saints your initiation is what uh three people maybe have you for 30 to 60 seconds depending on when they want to stop to beat you in Chad James and Carl okay was there anybody else present um I believe Dakota might have been present did they give you a set of rules that you had to follow I remember getting a paper whatever that you were supposed to memorize I thought I can't remember it well that's okay I'm just saying did you guys yeah you're not supposed to talk about stuff over the phone uh not supposed to fit with 70. which I would you couldn't talk to certain people and what I'm assuming yeah these types of initiations are often an indication of anti-social Behavior the fact that this group can stomach the beating of someone in such a way isn't just horribly cruel but also shows that these individuals likely derive pleasure from inflicting pain and suffering on another person Additionally the comment Robbie made about Sydney shows that they likely had a grudge against her or maybe it was just Dakota that had an issue with her sister and didn't want her boyfriend and his friends associating with her these indications of Chad being considered the dictator or Commander demonstrate that Chad May possess characteristics such as grandiosity and narcissism it's very common among people with antisocial personality disorder to have strong narcissistic traits as they will often exploit others without hesitation or remorse to ensure that their needs are met no matter the cost additionally Robbie allegis Chad is the dictator who ordered his henchmen to carry out all of his horrible intentions but could he have gone so far as to plan the ultimate crime let's hear from the so-called Commander himself what I mean with the whole Saints thing let's talk about the things because this is something we got to talk about uh how long has there been a saint [Music] s a couple months maybe just a couple of months and recovered text Chad codenamed Chuckles had recited the official Saints pledge for my fellow Saints I hereby pledge my life to my brothers and will do whatever is in my power to help them if need be I will die for my fellow Saints just as they would die for me this sort of unconditional Devotion to the wannabe gang is typical among these delinquent groups human beings have innate desires to belong and to be accepted which drive us to be a part of one or more social groups are supposed to do and you know just went away so originally you were going to Kings yeah apparently before the not so well-known peace Saints came to life a group of young men had previously formed what was known as the ganja Kings although they were supposedly no longer active at this time it started out with a bunch of us and we had a setup of how it would go who wants to set up like explain and be us and they'd be three people that were of Above the Rest then when you say us who would be the US and the three people with her love to rest me calling James went up three so is that one two and three yeah you're number one because you're the OG it's I started right yeah and then after me King Carl and not to call against James so the order would be one so three then top bomb and now does anybody else have a tattoo like you got there with Saints on it yeah that that's why it's gonna be gone why is that because that was nothing but a bit to say Chad's ominous hand tattoo showcasing a cross and skulls is supposedly part of the gang initiation process although it's not reported they Carl James or Robbie have the same one this initiation system can be seen among various gangs across the world as a notable indication of one's allegiance to their group but along with this new members may be required to undergo a physical beating such as the one described by Robbie I'd like to say it did turn into a game oh yeah and you were the leader again you were the OG yeah and uh some of your guys really got into it didn't they were all really loyal right I mean I hate to say it but it's kind of like dogs I mean they were like what like dogs you could tell them to do something but do it but I never did but then at that point of the game is people you're the leader you got your soldiers or what people about their belong you you telling me something it's just life in the Army they're supposed to do it in that right [Music] and and Carl was really into that one yeah and James was really into oh yeah oh God Dave's probably the most other person we had people who have anti-social personality disorder with narcissistic traits have an excessive need for admiration they'll often seek out people who will worship them to satisfy their grandiose sense of self-importance and preoccupation with power and control having these loyal young boys around him means that Chad was likely able to use them however he saw fit even if it meant committing a crime or harming other people along with this Chad's demeaning reference to the other members as dogs may be yet another indication of possible narcissism people with antisocial personality disorder don't fully trust anyone in their lives they're very cynical and often anticipate that others want to do them harm or betray them even those closest to them I guess I don't know what you would call those guys have you guys trust uh Carl and James to be truthful to you yeah one I don't know it's just something I trust them they trust them so I don't know what you mean by they trust and you mean before all this happened you go to trust me but now you don't yeah because Chad states that he doesn't trust the others as much this may present the detectives with an additional tool of manipulation they can use against Chad later on for example to Foster doubt surrounding his trust in Dakota and their relationship whatever so census deal was sending what has changed where you're concerned that you don't trust just the fact that he'd go out and do something and then try to throw me in the middle of it just because he died it's not gonna go away until the end and you've had to be feeling pretty bad the last two or three weeks you had to have a load a load of stress on your shoulders with this whole situation and do you realize that that's not going to go away until it all comes out and it will come out because a lot of it already has unbeknownst to Chad the detectives are in possession of what the young man has been unable to provide the truth and as we come to learn from more than one person the unthinkable incident that took place on one fateful night is almost too graphic to tell before we get to that though let's hear from none other than the gang's second in command Carl so you James and Robbie were both at your grandpa's house yeah and what did you tell them or what did they tell you they wanted to do I didn't really say nothing just like hey guys you know you want to go do this and when you said do this what did you tell them you meant pull them want to go kill somebody and then did you already tell them who that somebody was yeah right after I got off film Chad and what time do you think that was like I said around 11 or 12. well before Sydney's disappearance the p-town saints were having a usual get-together when Chad allegedly gave Carl a 22 Ruger semi-automatic pistol what they had in store was evil beyond measure and participants in the sick and twisted Ploy were not limited to just Chad and Carl as you'll soon see for now we're introduced to James third in command of the gang and he is audibly shaken it seems he's making no effort to hide anything so James when you saw your mother is that when you decided you wanted to go ahead and talk to the police yes yeah okay I love you baby come on we gotta do this we need to do this okay James so you want to talk to us now right is there any like I do but he's scared you either want to talk to us or you don't want to talk to us okay I'll talk I'll talk you know what we want is a hundred percent of the truth okay well no matter how difficult it is it's like I've already tried to protect it once I'm done okay and when you say try to protect him what are you talking about oh okay uh you wouldn't have said when you say Carl who do you mean Call of Duty did you hear his question no only 100 so he's in jail he can't hold me yeah so he's in jail he's in jail he can't hurt him okay he's in isolation it appears that James has finally grasped the severity of the situation but only so when his freedom is on the line on Sunday that 18th I think right yeah Sunday the 18th the whole day I've been drinking wine that I had left at home and I got a little bit of tequila left I've been drinking all day who are you with me Carl that night Robbie came over and whose house are you at called grapples out in the country yes okay and Carl hey what's wrong he asked me if I wanted to go somewhere I said yes and Robbie came too and he told us on the way what he was doing he said if we ever talk we were dead okay then what did he say he told you what you were going to do what did he say he told us that we were going to take something he told us we were going to and he had the gun down his pants a 22 pistol although James is emotional and sounds very distressed as he's describing the series of events that transpired that night it's unknown if he was really forced to go with Carl to commit this crime or if he's just saying this now because they've all been caught by telling the truth he may even believe that this will lessen his responsibility for what happened he sounds very emotional but it's important to remember that while his tears could be due to feelings of remorse they could also be a result of him being afraid for himself and what is going to happen to him now we went to the house checked the doors they were both locked he saw who all went to the house Robbie was to look how Carl said no Robin called it lifted me up and made me lock the doors and wake up said so what did you have to wear the patio and where'd you go once you got on the patio I unlocked the door the front door okay so how did you unlock the front door the patio was unlocked also it was unlocked are you talking about a regular door or a sliding door uh the sliding door was the patio yeah so it was unlocked yes and then I went downstairs and unlocked the downstairs basement door with us in his room it's rather suspicious that the patio door to Sydney's room had already been unlocked and given that this intrusion happened in the middle of the night it might not be a coincidence uh I grabbed us so Tracy that wake up because Tracy woke up colder shooter I wanted to kill Tracy how do you know that Carl was going to shoot Tracy he told us before we walked in he said no leave no Witnesses so you're you're in the house and you go down and let them in and what happens next she asked me what I was doing and she knew who me and called both because she goes James and call her she said on names and she's trying to yell for Tracy I don't want Tracy to wake up because if Tracy woke up and came downstairs Paul was trying to shoot up so what what happened what to stop that from happening I I jumped on it so she'll be quiet and put my mouth and then Robbie came over and helped me is she on the bed or where yes she's on the couch thing okay I have to be quiet she started walking and I taped her hands up Scott told me to and I started taking him out like she ripped and started your mom I had to stop until I didn't want Tracy died it seems odd that James was apparently so concerned about Tracy an adult he either didn't even know or barely knew but didn't appear to show much concern for harming Sydney who was a peer the little regard he showed for Sydney's life makes it all the more likely that he felt the same toward her mom as the grisly plan is underway it seems that Carl is the ringleader in this Twisted event I was by the door James went to taper in her mouth and she took it off and stood up and I guess thought it was a joke because she is going on and then Carl had the gun pointed at her and this one she kind of flipped out and James grabbed her and they wrestled to the ground and everything and Cole walked over towards me and stood by me she was kind of all wrestling and everything and Carl told me held him and I went over and I put her in a like and she's more unconscious uh Carl to get her outside me and James I don't remember which one or whatever but sorry bring her outside right I forgot the door she woke up again and uh he said put her in it again and James ended up putting her Chokehold and camping on her for quite a long time what happened he uh put her in until pulley in and held it for several minutes and uh t-style checked your pulse and there wasn't one they uh James said get he will get the car okay now this is the important part we're talking about what happened why he was going against the car sat there smoked cigarette so she's unconscious now right or maybe even dead all right so how did you guys get her to the car somebody took an arm away and just lift her up and Drug her somebody yeah something you know one of one of us took one arm you know you gotta take another arm somebody took the legs something white or pants down well I wasn't no I was walking behind them while they were dragging you know for until we got to the creek and that's how the parents got down so you still say that the pants were pulled down because she was getting drugged yeah and so nobody touched her you sure not that I know of this statement is considered a qualification phrase which can sometimes be an indicator of deception it gives the suspect an escape in the event that they later need to retract what they said the response is rather vague and leaves open the possibility that someone did assault her she woke up halfway down the creek and so I just walked a few feet you know away smoke cigarette what do you mean she woke up like 10 too okay so she woke up halfway down the creek and why did you walk away from that because they had sex with her you know somebody you know choking her so I just walked I didn't think I went to you know I'll say that so who choked her Robbie was at that time choking is commonly a crime of passion linked to jealousy and personal rivalry but it's odd that Carl isn't the one to actually strangle Sydney given the fact that the two had allegedly engaged in a short-term romance earlier that year supposedly the relationship lasted for only a week ending over another boy in the past Carl had allegedly vowed to take revenge upon all of the women that had scorned him but no one would have thought he would take it this far and did anybody shoot her out there yeah okay anyone helped her this time did she stay choked they were woke up again yeah and how do you know it was Robbie it was choking or not James because it was dark wasn't it because I could tell the trench coat for normal clothes until we had the trench coat on James just sat up and I'm like hey guys get back to it this comment is especially indicative of Carl's total indifference to the fact that this is a human life and not just any human life but a girl he knew and even had a brief romance with Carl's behavior is very typical of individuals with antisocial personality disorder as he sits there with a slouched posture practically motionless it's very evident that he is completely void of any empathy or remorse when law enforcement recovered Sydney's body on July 25th 2010 she was unrecognizable and needed to be identified in a meeting with detectives Sydney's mother was asked if her daughter wore a specific type of necklace with a dangling music charm Tracy confirmed it was Sydney's and with the heartbreaking Revelation Tracy came to the terrible realization that her daughter was dead 10 o'clock that night you called Chad the next day is that right okay and why did you call Chad what did you tell him just say what's up no come on girl you know we're all just telling the missions accomplished golden job's done telling the job's done and how do you know what job do you have because of the phone call you made ahead of time I wanna go kill somebody and you're already tell them who that somebody was yeah right after I got off on Chad so when you call him before you went to Sydney's you told him what you were going to do and you wanted to make sure that he had got the code out of there okay is that right or is there was that the plan yeah I just want to make sure the code is up the house and he understood why Dakota was going to be out of the house so you and him and talked about this planning to do this to Sydney Carl's voice has become weaker and his words are short and prematurely cut off he sounds defeated and for good reason as we'll soon learn it was late at night it was dark ever and he stayed then if you showed up and we was outside on my porch they said when you talk whatever and I have Chase stay on the porch and we went around the house and talked about it said we're going back tonight we had to go and I told him I'm not going I should have been involved I didn't want to be involved I'm gonna choose a close friend of mine and I said I didn't want to be involved Robbie's show of remorse is too little too late although the shocking truth behind the gruesome murder has been revealed there's still much more to the story The Detectives are well aware of the truth however and they want Chad to reveal his ultimate role you explained it in a way that's going to make it really easy for us Chad do you understand that that you're the you're the number one those guys that were as loyal to use dogs so what you're telling what you're laying out is there's no possible way they would have done this without your permission that there's no possible way that would have done that without you telling them to you just lay that out for us you know I did not yes you did Chad is remaining unusually calm for someone who's being accused of giving permission for someone else's murder he may believe that his reaction is in line with an honest person but in actuality someone who's being truthful is more likely to have a strong adamant denial to a false accusation a truthful individual may even become hostile if their denial is not accepted on the other hand someone who's being deceptive is more likely to offer vague denials or use a weak tone of voice as Chad is doing now I have a hard time believing that you would wear the murderer your your girlfriend's sister I have a hard time believing that but you know what you're making me believe it the detective is trying to shake Chad's confidence so that he'll slip up and admit to something once they can get him to confess to having knowledge of the attack it will be easier to later prove that he was much more involved in an exclusive never before seen interview with Dakota's childhood best friend and Chad's ex-girlfriend Jerica coupling she reveals exactly who Chad really was whatever Chad wanted Chad got I do feel and I do think he is capable of being that person to be in charge he has done it before I didn't know anything except what I was being told let me ask you this Carl had a 22 Ruger [Music] for you no way how did you get it Carlos having money all right so I can't even be around guns you know let alone get out of your child which you have been around guns and like when you're not supposed to be around guys so that's not really the excuse me I mean it's just fine as we already know Chad allegedly supplied the gun to Carl and potentially lying about it takes away any credibility that he may have previously had although that might have been slim to none don't tell what's going on say if I was in their position and say someone did something right yeah and I got off in that and I'd be pretty fast we've got at least five other people telling very important things about what took place and they're all asking Bunches of questions and they all match up and they all make sense and it's just not going to be good Chad likely feels torn here if he believes that the others have turned on him as the detective is claiming he may be worried that he will face a worse punishment for lying not appearing remorseful and being seen as uncooperative however if it's all a lie and his friends haven't mentioned his involvement there may not be enough evidence to convict him without being able to communicate with them he's faced with a decision dilemma rather than admit to anything Chad maintains his innocence but the question is still lingering in the air why was Sydney murdered there's one other person who has yet to give answers someone unexpected but undoubtedly close to Sydney though not by choice again we're met with the Lively Dakota who up until this point hasn't been a person of interest when we pick up the detective leaves no room for small talk and jumps right into the most critical of information is there a reason Carl James and Robbie did not like Sydney Robbie I do believe never knew Stickney James from what I from what I have heard him say she was getting mad because Sydney was apparently going around spray painting stuff and blaming it on him and Carl and Carl her him and Sydney dated during spring break which this year yeah which I think would have been expect to be first week in the table as you'll see the next question that the detective asks will come as a total shock which one of these warrants murder spray painting see no no let's answer my question I that's we got to stay on track here notice how Dakota begins to touch her nose here possibly indicating that she feels uncomfortable and is trying to soothe her nervous energy why would these three I dated her for two weeks she accused me of spray painting and I don't know her at all why does that warrant someone being murdered I don't know I think because they're dumb probably because I think honestly I think Carl threatened Robbie has Chad had any issues with Sydney not that I know of Dakota is using a qualification phrase here possibly to cover herself if it's later revealed that Chad did have an issue with Sydney the detective has now changed her position moving closer in proximity to Dakota to assert a pressure building tactic specifically promoted in the Reed interrogation technique food it's just got to stop right here and right now Dakota let's switch this around Sydney is sitting in this chair and you are the one that your mother just buried what would you want Sydney to do to you do for you as we have previously heard there had been a rift between Dakota and Sydney well before her death but it was never clear on how tumultuous their relationship was until now Dakota did not like her sister she would always talk about how she did not like Sydney hanging out with us she hated Sydney bothering us when she had us over she would always yell at her and tell her the way and all this other stuff and I'm just like dude let me relax stop being mean to your sister just you know that's your sister I got back a hold of her I was like dude what's going on where's your sister have you heard anything this and that she was just so nonchalant and was just like oh she she probably just ran away again and I was just like okay well when Sydney died I went to the funeral service because Tracy talked to me about it so I showed up and what bothered me and made me question about everything was the fact that Dakota was acting her normal self smiling bouncing around just casually talking to everybody like it was no big deal what would you want Sydney to do for you you know what man I've got two sisters growing up in a house let me talk bro grown up there's gonna be a lot of argument okay I argued with my sisters I still do we love each other very much Sydney loves you very much don't you think she was scared that night yeah you've got to tell us what happened you know a lot more to this Dakota is backed into a corner both literally and figuratively and the detective has easily gotten her to break I can tell you some things that I heard in and out of you're in and out of time there's one day it was me Chad Carla James on the car me and Chad were in the back seat what day was this Wednesday night okay 21st okay me and Chad we were in the back seat me and him were talking because the 31st would have been here got my dog back okay so I was talking I was like yeah I was like do you want to go with me to put flowers or something and he's like yeah sure I can do that I don't know and then I could hear you call Tommy you heard from Talking James and Carl in the front seat because I don't think Chatter's been picking YouTubers on the conversation I was listening theirs and I heard Carl say what did you do to her and at first I thought they were talking about someone that James had been with and I was like I can only hear bits and pieces what bits and pieces were you here I heard James say tied around the only thing of feet okay and then Carl and I heard called say not good because he said something before that and he's like not good and James is like if someone finds her they can call the cops and then we get caught and this was Wednesday yeah and I had no clue what they were talking about because I was gonna say I was like what are they talking about on Wednesday July 21st the group was heading to Nashville Illinois to pick up some K2 a synthetic cannabinoid when Dakota allegedly overheard the chilling conversation but did she really just hear these things or did she actually take part in the discussion actually one thing I don't want you to answer me very honestly why did Chad order the murder of your sister Sydney he ordered it why did he order that why did he want her killed he ordered why did he want her kill I don't know why did he want her killed I didn't even know that you wanted her so answer my question Dakota I don't I really don't mind repeating the question can be a possible indication of deception there are two purposes to this one the suspect doesn't want there to be an uncomfortable silence after a loaded question as it may look suspicious and two they need time to think as they're likely unprepared and don't know how to answer it's also a red flag the Dakota does not adamantly deny that Chad was capable of doing this but instead offers vague answers like I don't know it should be pretty upsetting to find out that your boyfriend ordered the murder of your little sister but Dakota doesn't show any strong reaction to the news and despite her persistent claims that she was unaware Dakota says that Friday July 23rd the p-town Saints had gathered at Carl's grandpa's house where she states another exchange of words had occurred what was discussed about Sydney out there nothing was said about Sydney really not that I know of again Dakota is using a qualification phrase to cover her tracks although this doesn't really help her case nobody said anything yet where are you looking at where are you looking at it what if I told you that the people who you named off were out there that we have interviewed and you guys all discussed Sydney I do not remember let's don't go there Dakota let's don't go there okay it's time you start being honest I'm tired of this it's warm in here you've got to start being honest with me you guys discussed Sydney that night Dakota likely feels very stressed which may explain her sudden increase in fidgeting with her hands her mind is likely racing as she tries to decide on what to say the conversation between you guys remember the only thing I can remember was Carl saying something about a gun and how he shot someone okay the only thing I can remember and what did Chad say I can't no you do remember what Chad said and that's what we need to discuss what did Chad say about Sydney and the police yeah you can yes you can I know it's hard for you I know it's hard anybody anything we talk about I'll kill you and make it look like Chad did it okay but Chad said something about the police not looking at any of you what did he say I think he said that the police weren't helping and what else did he say about the police that he said the police were not looking at them I don't remember that you have to you got to think don't try anything but you think right now you've got to do this for Sydney and her mom they talked about like blocked off after Carver told me that you killed me and blame it on Chad if what Dakota is saying is true most would find it disturbing that she didn't notify the local authorities but then again she may have been genuinely terrified that Carl would follow through with his alleged intensifying threats no matter the detective wants more do realize that Sydney will never have some of the opportunities that you have yeah I know it's a single School in school I think possibly don't know said he's not going to get to graduate she said she was never going to graduation she's got a lot of Milestones she had a lot of Milestones left in her life she realized Sydney's never going to get married Sydney's never going to have babies we will never have any nieces or nephews you have to do the right thing for your sister she had a lot taken away from her your mom had a lot taken away from her and you had a lot taken away from you and now it's time that you stand up for Sydney and nobody else and you've got to stop protecting Chad 's not protecting you Chad hated Sydney and Robbie just didn't know her I didn't even know Chad Hayden said he never said anything about it because he wouldn't tell you what no but he's well you know and that's what I don't understand you guys are alone and he's not telling you anything this is not an equal 50 50 relationship I know the cries that you're seeing from Dakota might almost seem believable however what you will soon expose about herself will bring this investigation into a whole new light as of now she tells the detective of the chilling confession that Carl supposedly made to her on Friday the 23rd I want to hear the whole story Carl told him his Grandpa's grandpa said he said that he had broke into my house I can say is that she was shocked and I was like okay and he was like yeah he's like other than that he's like I can't do anything else I was like who else I'll do about this he's like I'm not timing him out who else knew that was why he's like because because if you tell anybody he's like I'll kill you to blame it on chat why didn't you tell this to the police when they interviewed you Dakota's story here is Highly Questionable when individuals are giving a truthful account of a traumatic event such as finding out that one of your friends shot your sister they're more likely to have both facts and their feelings intertwined in their account instead of describing her shock or grief when hearing about Sydney's murder the next thing she mentions is to protect herself claiming she kept quiet out of fear for her own life how did Carl say he got in your house he never said how he got into my house how do you think he got in your house I'm now after I'd seen the chair and the way that it is and although I was I think they went through the deck where he went through the deck why did you unlock the door I didn't unlock the door okay your mom says the day before she's doing laundry she's washing blankets she hangs them out on the deck she goes out later on she gets the blankets carries them in and she specifically remembers locking the door what door the deck doors I have not been near the deck door in a long time I was hardly ever anywhere near the death door but detective is hoping Dakota will implicate Chad as The Mastermind behind the crime it remains unclear as to how the patio door was unlocked especially since Tracy was certain that she'd locked each and every door in the house it seems someone else had intentionally unfastened the bolt we know we were with Sunday night we know Chad gets a phone call from Clark to see if it's still a go there's no question about that either we know you were there with Chad when he received the phone call from Carl Sunday night we also know you were there with Chad Monday morning when Carl called and said it's handled it's done right here right now you're right there you want to step over you want to step over that line I know you do you've got to tell me why Chad wanted her dad I know you know yeah okay so let's let's put that let's put that in the equation Dakota unveils another shocking piece of information one that could possibly indicate a motive and it seems that Chad was not the only person to hold a grudge According to some sources at one point during the pair's relationship Dakota apparently had found her sister's diary and couldn't help but read the entries she never could have anticipated the shocking information waiting to be discovered as Dakota turned each page one by one she was frozen in place as she stumbled across a detailed passage describing an alleged romantic encounter between Sydney and none other than Chad Dakota in an instant grew Furious even though the alleged event had taken place before she started dating her new boyfriend this event has never been publicly confirmed and there's no evidence of it occurring nonetheless it is something that Dakota would likely never forget why did he have his friends killed her it's a bit like the fact that I had to watch her have children as Sydney was facing ongoing mental health issues her mother became increasingly worried and asked Dakota to watch her while Tracy was at work of course Dakota wasn't at all thrilled to be spending the majority of her time with Sydney and apparently voiced her concerns to Chad on top of that the gang leader felt that Dakota's so-called babysitting duties had taken precious time away from him and with or without knowing the 18 year old has just provided two reasons to the detective as to why Chad may have ordered the murderer Dakota has officially implicated her boyfriend and when Chad becomes aware of this he is clearly surprised as would be expected story she told about what happened to Sydney was the truth maybe the only way she could have known [Music] is to hear directly from Carl or James harami our believer [Music] that's the only options there are she could not have heard it from anywhere else telling you she didn't hear it from me so if it was lying about it I guess why would why would your great love lie about you I don't know you see that it really likes me you know the girl loves me you too that you're gonna that you're gonna put this on now you're gonna put it on the corner you're not putting anything on anyone I'm sure you are if you're just call it a liar no that's what it sounds like so if you put it on her now that she's lying about you well put yourself in our position who's gonna believe and we know she didn't hear it from us because we haven't told anybody I'm positives you've been here for me well I'm pretty positive she didn't hear it from James or Carl or Robbie that only leaves you but it didn't come from that she's positive yeah but you know what I don't understand is this you want to get clear of all this stuff we want them back out with the gang you're not going to tell the truth about something like this you're having to tell the truth about the fact that Carl or James or both told you what happened that night you're not gonna support your suppose lover you know here you are you're so worried about yourself that you won't even tell the truth when it comes down to something that as serious as murdered you know I understand what kind of standing up is that for anything the detectives of cleverly pitted Dakota and Chad against one another but the p-town leader holds steady on his position that he did not have any involvement in the murder although he did showcase some unusual behavior following Sydney's death especially at her funeral Chad's Behavior she was crying Chad doesn't cry when all this other information came out and like the speculations and the theories behind it all nobody really knows except them when we returned to Dakota the detective is in pursuit of details surrounding the planning but it won't be until the next day when Dakota is brought in for additional questioning that we hear the specifics and they are quite alarming if you think you've heard just about everything wait until the shocking pieces of the puzzle are finally put together why are you crying because of Nikki age your dog yeah because she is dead so so's your sister hey y'all I know when I cry but you cry you you cry more for your dog than you do your sister that's kind of disturbing to me you know Dakota is hiding a dark secret one that not even her closest friend saw coming she was very bubbly and she was always pretty much full of energy and right and she was clumsy and she was funny her normal everyday behaviors never indicated any what would you call it say psychoticness when and where you Chad Carl James and Robbie at when Chad when whoever said we're gonna murder Sydney Robbie wasn't even in the picture Okay so who was all there it was just Carl James Chad when was it about May okay and what who brought the conversation up Carl did and what was the conversation Carl was like one day I'd love to kill all the [ __ ] who put me over and then James was like who he's like mainly Sydney and Bobby Bobby's a girl yeah but just a few minutes ago you said Chad told them so I told him that he did one Sydney dead Carl a deceivingly reserved person has had a most turbulent past and one of his ex-girlfriends Bobby Elder was able to see his darkest sides while dating Bobby recalled that at one time Carl allegedly pointed a gun and threatened to shoot her while simultaneously attempting to take his own life with the deadly weapon the traumatized girl would remember what he said during the terrifying incident for the rest of her life the voices won't stop telling me to kill you Bobby soon after that the pair decided to split up but that wouldn't stop the score index from enacting the most violent behavior that Bobby had ever witnessed from Carl and that disturbingly memorable instance Carl allegedly threatened to shoot Bobby along with everyone in her house and vowed to burn the residents down along with this he allegedly stalked Bobby and her new boyfriend at Joseph Whaley who had previously been married to Carl's sister the gang member would supposedly insinuate the use of a gun with his hand and give out a warning to his ex-brother-in-law you're next in addition to the threats Chad and Carl had allegedly committed a callous act it said that they shot Bobby's pet cat 15 times and left it for dead animal abuse is associated with additional violent crime like domestic violence assault and homicide so it's unsurprising that they could do something so Sinister but as we've already found out this is only a sliver of what they were truly capable of but just a few minutes ago you said Chad told them so I told him that he did one Sydney dead but okay for a reason I don't know why and we're just gonna go in circles aren't we Dakota well I'm trying to tell you but like you're trying to tell me anything you can tell me that's going to put everything on James Carl and Robbie Robbie wasn't in the picture or the death of your sister and there's more to it than just those three this interrogation is mostly a replication of the day before and because Dakota is unwilling to give any further information she's arrested and charged with obstruction of justice she's eventually released to home confinement but in the future we hear from Sydney's sister yet again and this time nothing will be left on the table [Music] uh going turn around back okay you're being under arrest for murder all right if you want to never mind I don't know what to do do what did you saw Grandma and Grandpa and tell them [Applause] you're gonna help her put on her shoes Okay after the trauma of Sydney's murder it's no surprise that Dakota's mother is hysterical and seemingly not reacting to what's happening she's already lost one daughter and she doesn't want to lose another although there's been an ongoing investigation into her sister's death Dakota may have thought that her name had been cleared in the process it would be two years before she's brought back in for questioning and in that time the evidence against her has drastically mounted it's October 5th 2012. now the entirety of the sick and twisted truth will finally be revealed let's get over the hoop and let's talk about this door and let's get this door out once and for all you hear me once and for all what did you do to that door tell me you do okay look at me take your hands away from your mouth and look at me what did he do you know we're gonna lock the door but he never said well and you unlock the door so you're telling us what are you telling us as far as what your knowledge is about the door being left unlocked when you were asked to do that and you did it what what did you think was going to take place they were just going to scare her okay so that's what you're saying it's not that you knew for sure they were going to go in and do it and kill her that night in a gut-wrenching confession Dakota has now admitted that she did in fact leave the patio door unlocked and although she provides a justification it's clear that the detectives aren't buying it now here at different meetings they're plotting you know you brought out the first time we knew that they were conspiring to kill your mom what was talked about if your mom woke up what were they going to do to your mom if she woke up when they were doing this to Sydney I need you to tell me what what they said they were going to do to your mom tell me that um they were just gonna shoot her she'd woke up as the layers of this terrifying story are continually peeled back a slip of the tongue on the part of Dakota reveals another piece of information that she has been so desperately trying to hide which meeting was this I don't know what the history was it before or after they we you said we had meetings today and then let's not go there okay yeah but you said we you said we had meetings and you've been at these meetings correct yeah Dakota knew exactly what was going to take place she knew that her sister was going to be murdered and she did nothing to stop it and when it was done she apparently shared in the appalling Triumph and he seemed to celebrate what was to celebrate about that it was done that's what Chris they was referring to and Thursday Carl Chad Carl's the one that uh celebrating he said several times and stuff what did you tell us to let it stop so the whole time was Dakota knew all about this that's what you're saying she wasn't Gary Thompson she was smiling and all careful and everything and toasted with it the group seemed to be quite happy with their organized murder to the point that James was supposedly laughing when he viewed the tragic News segment on TV although as we heard in his previous confession his laughter had been replaced by hysterical cries these would not be for Sydney but rather for himself James knew that he'd been caught and his freedom was about to be Stripped Away nevertheless it couldn't possibly compare to the way in which he brutally took hers following the crime on August 18 2010 one of the group had written a note to Sydney's mother apologizing for their Unthinkable actions part of it read I just wanted to say how sorry I am I'm not a bad person and my life is getting taken away because of what happened it seems like no one will believe me I hope you do and forgive me I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart and wish you the best The Writer's reference to their life being taken away is extremely self-centered considering their punishment is the result of them choosing to end another person's life although they may in fact feel guilty the Penman is most likely seeking sympathy for themselves rather than truly understanding the ramifications of their actions it has not been reported as to who the letter is from nor if Tracy ever responded although Carl James and Robbie had already been arrested not too long after Sydney's body was found it would be another two years on the same day as Dakota that Chad would also be taken in Chad was brought in for questioning but quickly requested his attorney ending the conversation before it could even begin although thankfully he would not be getting off scot-free Carl one of the p-town Saints most loyal members pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to 60 years in prison but before he could be transferred to a federal prison he was found deceased in his jail cell a successful attempt at taking his own life James was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 60 years in prison while Robbie was convicted of home invasion and sentenced to 26 years in prison Chad the notorious gang leader was sentenced to 20 years in prison for home invasion the result of a plea agreement that dropped the charge of first-degree murderer and finally Dakota who some would say was the actual Mastermind behind her sister's murder pleaded guilty to home invasion as part of a plea agreement as a result prosecutors dropped murder kidnapping and burglary charges she was sentenced to 26 years but could be released from prison as early as 2023.

Channel: EXPLORE WITH US

Views: 4,717,849

Keywords: documentary, true crime documentary, psychology, law, educational, journalism, news

Id: bRd9NABkq2o

Length: 71min 32sec (4292 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 13 2023