1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: There were no red flags. I could have seen the 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: Derek on paper. He seemed like the perfect therapist. I 3 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: shared things with them I have never said out loud, 4 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: and I am looking at a photo of his face 5 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 1: being charged with the exact same things that atrumpotize me. 6 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 2: I'm Andrea Gunning and this is Betrayal, a show about 7 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 2: the people we trust the most and the deceptions that 8 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 2: change everything. This is Chelsea's story. Chelsea has a high 9 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 2: profile career, so for this episode, all the names have 10 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 2: been to protect her anonymity. 11 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 1: I really hope that one day I will be in 12 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: a place where I can present myself publicly and say, look, 13 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 1: this is me, this is my real name, this is 14 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:16,839 Speaker 1: where I'm really from. 15 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 2: Chelsea's been through more abuse than anyone should have to experience. 16 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 2: As a child, she was trafficked by her parents. She 17 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 2: says that her experience wasn't like the movies where she 18 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 2: was kidnapped and held against her will. Instead, her mother 19 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 2: brought her to adults' homes who groomed and sexually abused her. 20 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 2: At the time, her mom worked for a man who 21 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 2: was later charged with multiple counts of child sexual abuse. 22 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 2: Chelsea knew she needed to get away from home for good. 23 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: Education was my escape from home. I got scholarships, I 24 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: was an amazing student. I went to every opportunity I 25 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: could find for any sort of on the home program, 26 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: whether that was camps, whether that was college courses over 27 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: the summer. 28 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 3: I used education as my way out. 29 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 2: She got a scholarship to college and stopped talking to 30 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 2: her parents. The further away she got from home, the 31 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 2: angrier she became about the abuse she experienced as a child. 32 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:19,800 Speaker 1: And then there are all those feelings of betrayal of like, 33 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: what were all of these adults doing? Was there no 34 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: responsible adult in my life? 35 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 2: In order to survive, Chelsea focused on building her own 36 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 2: life an outside of home. She not only survived, she excelled. 37 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 2: She got an advanced degree and began a highly competitive, 38 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 2: successful career, and she threw herself into work. She says 39 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 2: that on the outside it looked like she had it altogether, 40 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 2: but on the inside it was a different story. 41 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 3: I was a. 42 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 1: Scared little child walking around in like an optimist prime suit. 43 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: I think anyone meeting me on the outside just thought, Wow, 44 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: that person has it all together, like that person is 45 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:07,520 Speaker 1: invincible and destructible. Meanwhile, I was just dying on the inside. 46 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 2: She got married after college, but quickly realized she needed 47 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,920 Speaker 2: to work on herself and her trauma before she could 48 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 2: invest in a successful marriage. 49 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: My ex husband and I were very amatably splitting up, 50 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: and also during that time, I was starting to confront 51 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 1: some of these things that had happened to me when 52 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: I was younger that were negatively impacting the way I 53 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: was able to show. 54 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 3: Up in relationships. 55 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 2: She started working with a therapist online processing the abuses 56 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 2: from her childhood, and around the same time, she reconnected 57 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 2: with an old friend who were going to call James. 58 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 3: James began reaching out. 59 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: He had also gone through a breakup, and we were 60 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: kind of just processing this idea of us both having 61 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: this rebirth of rediscovering ourselves after a long term relationship. 62 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 2: She and James started talking every day. After a few months, 63 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 2: she realized. 64 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:14,880 Speaker 1: That there was something that we wanted to explore. It 65 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: just felt like he was this person who was there 66 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: the entire time, right under my nose. 67 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 2: James really saw her and met her where she was emotionally. 68 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: One of the things that really drew me to him 69 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: was just how focused he was on my emotions. It 70 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: felt really wonderful, and it felt really safe and really attentive, 71 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 1: and he just had such an incredible way of viewing 72 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: the world and was also just very cultured in a 73 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 1: way that I hadn't experienced. 74 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 2: He gave her access to a world Chelsea idealized, a 75 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 2: community of artists who expanded her worldview. 76 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 1: James had this whole artistic side to him, like he 77 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:03,920 Speaker 1: was a visual artist. His medium was kind of like 78 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: social commentary photography, but not your typical photography, like a 79 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: lot of like distortions of images, and I just really 80 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: appreciated him as an artist. 81 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 2: James came from a wealthy family and he had inherited 82 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 2: a large real estate portfolio. It meant his schedule was 83 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:25,600 Speaker 2: flexible and he had a lot of disposable income. So 84 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 2: for their third date, I. 85 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 1: Remember him standing there and just saying, this might sound crazy, 86 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 1: but are you doing anything for Thanksgiving? 87 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 3: I was like, no, I'm not. 88 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: I'm estranged from most of my family, so holidays are 89 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:40,480 Speaker 1: always kind of a weird time. And He's like, I'm 90 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: kind of doing a solo thing in New York City. 91 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 1: Would you want to fly out with me? And I 92 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: was like, why not, Let's do this Our third date 93 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: was this week long trip in New York City. Well, 94 00:05:56,279 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 1: he planned everything and it was Luber Steakhouse and amazing 95 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:06,719 Speaker 1: seats at some jazz venue and going and seeing a 96 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: Broadway production. 97 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 3: I've only been to New York once before. It was 98 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:12,160 Speaker 3: really amazing. 99 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: It was just showing me New York and it was 100 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:15,320 Speaker 1: pretty incredible. 101 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 2: After their week long third date, they became a couple. 102 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,720 Speaker 2: They lived a few hours apart, so on the weekends 103 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 2: they'd go to each other's cities, where James planned elaborate outings. 104 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:32,160 Speaker 1: James was really into arts and culture, so we would 105 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: go to museums and see different musicians or plays, and 106 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:40,280 Speaker 1: it was really fun. Everything just happened so fast. It 107 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:41,600 Speaker 1: felt like out of a fairy tale. 108 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 2: These dates quickly progressed into a relationship, and Chelsea says 109 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 2: that above all, being with him felt so easy. 110 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:54,239 Speaker 1: So right, and that was something we would always say together. 111 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:56,800 Speaker 1: This just seemed so easy. 112 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 2: One of Chelsea's friends was married to James's best friend, 113 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 2: so right away they had a community together. But that 114 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 2: also meant Chelsea's friend had seen James in prior relationships. 115 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: She did warn me early on that he had a 116 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 1: history of she described it as being selfish. 117 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 2: Early on. Chelsea saw a little bit of that, but 118 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 2: she didn't necessarily see it as selfish. It was more overbearing. 119 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:33,239 Speaker 1: He was very concerned about my sexual history, frequently asking 120 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:37,600 Speaker 1: questions about the identity of my prior partners, the number 121 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: of prior partners I'd had. 122 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,280 Speaker 2: He would ask to go through her phone. She hated 123 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 2: that and it gave her pause about the relationship, so 124 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 2: she addressed it with him directly. His reply made her 125 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 2: feel better. 126 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: He said that he started therapy and became very open 127 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 1: about his efforts to try to address his insecurities. He 128 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: started telling me about the therapist he started seeing, and 129 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 1: it meant a lot for me to hear this level 130 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 1: of accountability from someone. So I was willing to continue 131 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 1: to try to explore something with James. 132 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 2: Because they both believed in therapy, they started couples counseling together. 133 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 2: It was only three months into the relationship, but they 134 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 2: both wanted to improve their communication and connection. 135 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:34,840 Speaker 1: I was at this place in my life where I 136 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:40,080 Speaker 1: was very vulnerable but also energized to do the work 137 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 1: to heal myself, and to have James reflect that back 138 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:50,679 Speaker 1: to me was really significant. I was dealing with a 139 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:54,680 Speaker 1: lot of personal sexual dysfunction as a result of digging 140 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:59,080 Speaker 1: into my own trauma history, and he was very open 141 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 1: to hearing about my boundaries. It was very open to 142 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:08,320 Speaker 1: try to make our sexual connection a safe place. He 143 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:13,080 Speaker 1: had his own sexual dysfunctions, so that was something that 144 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:17,839 Speaker 1: we were able to talk about openly. And this was 145 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: the first relationship I had been in where I was 146 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 1: aware of those things for myself and I was communicating 147 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 1: with them, and he was very receptive to that, and 148 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 1: that made me feel very safe. 149 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:33,080 Speaker 2: They were communicating better than ever. They were still long distance, 150 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 2: but James began staying at our place more often. 151 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:39,559 Speaker 1: So James had a key to my house pretty early. 152 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:44,520 Speaker 1: I worked really long and crazy hours, so I wanted 153 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:45,559 Speaker 1: him to have a key so that he could just 154 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: let himself in and out. 155 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:47,959 Speaker 3: And had a dog at the. 156 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 1: Time, and he and the dog had really bonded and 157 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 1: it was nice to have him around. 158 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 2: When the pandemic started in twenty twenty, their lives officially merged. 159 00:09:57,480 --> 00:09:59,679 Speaker 1: Neither one of us wanted to be alone through that, 160 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: and suddenly, five months into dating, James and I went 161 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,679 Speaker 1: from living a few hours away to we were living 162 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: together and me working within twenty feet of him at 163 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:16,720 Speaker 1: all times. 164 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 2: Now quarantining together with Chelsea working from home, James's controlling 165 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 2: behavior returned as the couple grew closer. James couldn't hide 166 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:30,640 Speaker 2: his jealous side. He became more controlling about who she 167 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:32,280 Speaker 2: was talking to and why. 168 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:35,840 Speaker 1: I work in a fairly male dominated industry, so most 169 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: of my colleagues and my team were men, and James 170 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:46,839 Speaker 1: was constantly fixated on who I was talking to. He 171 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 1: would always ask, what's their story? 172 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 3: What does that mean? They say, are they married? It's like, well, 173 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:54,959 Speaker 3: I think so, but what does it matter? They work 174 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 3: for me. 175 00:10:56,320 --> 00:11:00,080 Speaker 2: He became almost paranoid, and Chelsea wasn't having it. 176 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:03,480 Speaker 1: And I was getting more confident in standing up for 177 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 1: my own boundaries around my communication with other people, and frankly, 178 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:13,079 Speaker 1: I was just getting sick and tired a feeling constantly 179 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:14,880 Speaker 1: monitored by this person. 180 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 2: One day, they got into a heated argument about his behavior. 181 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,600 Speaker 2: He insisted on going through her phone. She refused and 182 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:28,880 Speaker 2: locked herself in the bedroom. That's when things escalated even further. 183 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: James, from the other side of the door, told me 184 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:35,640 Speaker 1: that if I did not come out and speak to him, 185 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: and if I did not give him full access to 186 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:41,080 Speaker 1: my phone. He was going to distribute private images of 187 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 1: me to my coworkers. 188 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:46,880 Speaker 2: They were photos from early on in their relationship, photos 189 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 2: James said he would delete. 190 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: I spoke to him to the door and was like, 191 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: you said you deleted those, and he said, well, I didn't. 192 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: I lied to you about that. He went on to 193 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,319 Speaker 1: say they meant a lot to me. You're just so beautifull, 194 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: and I wanted to keep them. And I was livid 195 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 1: that he had violated that trust. I was sick of it. 196 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 1: The fact that he had just told me that he 197 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:15,520 Speaker 1: had images that he didn't have consent to was enough. 198 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:18,679 Speaker 1: I wanted his phone, so I stepped outside that door. 199 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:22,160 Speaker 1: I grabbed his phone. I went back inside my bedroom 200 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 1: and I locked the door and I went into it, 201 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:32,119 Speaker 1: went back through our messages, found the images and deleted them. 202 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:36,360 Speaker 1: And on an iPhone, it's not enough to delete them. 203 00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:38,320 Speaker 1: You then have to go to the deleted folder and 204 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:41,960 Speaker 1: delete them from there. So when I was going to 205 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:48,040 Speaker 1: the deleted folder, right below the deleted items, there's a 206 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:49,880 Speaker 1: folder called the hidden folder. 207 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 3: And I'm seeing all sorts of things in this folder. 208 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:57,360 Speaker 1: I don't really know how to grasp what I'm seeing, 209 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:02,559 Speaker 1: and I can feel myself start to leave my own body, 210 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: and I can feel myself started to just float away 211 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 1: because what I am seeing I just cannot comprehend. And 212 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:14,000 Speaker 1: while holding his phone in my left hand, I take 213 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:16,720 Speaker 1: my phone in my right and I just start recording. 214 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:37,720 Speaker 2: Chelsea thought she and her boyfriend James were on the 215 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:41,439 Speaker 2: right track, going to individual and couple's therapy, working towards 216 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:45,760 Speaker 2: a healthy relationship, but during the pandemic, James's controlling behavior 217 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:49,200 Speaker 2: took a dark turn when he threatened to release nude 218 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:53,439 Speaker 2: pictures of Chelsea to her colleagues, pictures he said he 219 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:55,720 Speaker 2: got rid of. When she went into his phone to 220 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 2: delete the photos herself, she discovered another folder on his 221 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 2: photo app, the hidden folder, which exists on every iPhone 222 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:05,520 Speaker 2: by the way, it's right next to the deleted folder. 223 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:11,120 Speaker 1: The first thing I noticed was a series of photographs 224 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:15,959 Speaker 1: of my condom where it looked like he was documenting 225 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: or spying on me. That kind of triggered this, oh shit, 226 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:25,400 Speaker 1: what the fuck am I looking at feeling? It looked 227 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 1: like he had maybe gone through rooms, placed objects in 228 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: certain places to see if they were moved between When 229 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: he was leaving or coming back and forth, and they 230 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 1: had date stamps on them, so that was really strange. 231 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,560 Speaker 2: She kept scrolling through the folder, which had hundreds of 232 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 2: images in it. 233 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: There were whole collections of nude photos of different women. 234 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 2: She recognized some of these women. There were photos of 235 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 2: his best friend's wife, the one that was Chelsea's friend, 236 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 2: the one that had warned her about James's selfish tendency. 237 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:06,640 Speaker 1: I'm like, God, that looks like her, But why would 238 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: he have naked photos of his best friend's wife? 239 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 3: Why would he have these? 240 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 2: Right away? She called her. 241 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: I was like, I remember you had a tattoo on 242 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 1: your ankle. Which ankle is it on? And she told me, 243 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: And I was like, he has photos of you? And 244 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:30,520 Speaker 1: she was just like, that's not possible. I have never, never, never, 245 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 1: And I was like, no, I don't think you sent 246 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 1: these to him. 247 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 3: I don't think you sent them. 248 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 2: Chelsea sent her friend the photos and she confirmed that, yes, 249 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 2: they were photos her husband had taken of her, but 250 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,280 Speaker 2: she didn't know he shared them with anyone, much less James. 251 00:15:46,640 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 1: And you could just hear like the breath come out 252 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 1: of her, and she says, I'm going to talk to 253 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 1: my husband. 254 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 2: Before she hung up, she asked her friend. 255 00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:00,240 Speaker 1: Like, there's all sorts of other women in here. Do 256 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:04,920 Speaker 1: you know any of these women? And she did, a 257 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: lot of these were the wives of James's friends. It 258 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 1: appeared that James and his male friend group were exchanging 259 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: these intimate photos with each other. 260 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:22,560 Speaker 2: As Chelsea kept looking through James's hidden folder, she found 261 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 2: something even more disturbing. 262 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:29,720 Speaker 1: The other category of images that he had on this 263 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 1: phone were dozens of photos of children, young children, two four, 264 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:45,760 Speaker 1: six years old children. They were like little girls in 265 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:49,560 Speaker 1: bathing suits. And I don't know if he was taking 266 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 1: these at some public park. I don't know if he 267 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:56,120 Speaker 1: was taking me off of social media sites, if some 268 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:58,000 Speaker 1: well meeting parent was posting something. 269 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 2: Her mind was racing who were these girls? And then 270 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 2: she found one particular photo, the photo, the one she'd 271 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:08,919 Speaker 2: never be able to unsee. 272 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:12,120 Speaker 1: The moment I looked at that photo, I knew something 273 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:14,280 Speaker 1: was fucking row. 274 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 3: Something was absolutely wrong. 275 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:20,920 Speaker 2: Chelsea disclosed what she saw in detail. It's too disturbing 276 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:24,360 Speaker 2: to share here, but what she discovered she clearly believed 277 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,560 Speaker 2: was ce sam or child sexual abuse material with a 278 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:30,280 Speaker 2: girl's face cropped out. 279 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 1: Everything in me just told me, especially in the context 280 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:38,720 Speaker 1: of where this was kept with all of the other images. 281 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,919 Speaker 1: I was like, this is one hundred percent something he 282 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:46,359 Speaker 1: is sexually interested in, and I did not know how 283 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 1: to handle it. 284 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:50,679 Speaker 2: She was having an out of body experience looking at 285 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:55,200 Speaker 2: these photos, but at the same time she was still 286 00:17:55,240 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 2: in her apartment with James on the other side of 287 00:17:57,800 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 2: the door, screaming for his phone back. 288 00:18:01,119 --> 00:18:02,119 Speaker 3: I'm just like, I can't do that. 289 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:07,200 Speaker 1: You threatened me, can't do that, and he can tell. 290 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 3: My voice he can tell. And I opened the door 291 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 3: and I. 292 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: Tell him you need to leave. I've seen something. I've 293 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:17,159 Speaker 1: seen something. 294 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:20,439 Speaker 2: Scared of him and unsure of what to do next, 295 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 2: she gave him back the phone. She didn't tell him 296 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 2: that she recorded anything, so he left in a rage, 297 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:29,840 Speaker 2: and Chelsea quickly locked the door behind him. 298 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:35,720 Speaker 1: But then he spends the entire drive back, calling over 299 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:41,040 Speaker 1: and over and over again and yelling and raging and 300 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:44,000 Speaker 1: say I'm going to turn you into the police. You 301 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: took something from my phone. What you just did is illegal. 302 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 1: You better delete everything. And I was just like, look, 303 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:52,919 Speaker 1: I'm not talking about this. I'm not talking about it. 304 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:55,800 Speaker 1: I'm not talking about it. And finally I just turned 305 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:57,359 Speaker 1: my phttle and I tried to sleep. 306 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:03,159 Speaker 2: She woke up, Her first thought was that picture, the 307 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 2: one with the child's face cropped out. 308 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 1: My mind went in a million directions as to why 309 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:14,040 Speaker 1: he would have this, but I couldn't identify who the 310 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 1: kid was. Did someone take this photo and then he 311 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:19,280 Speaker 1: just somehow found it or did he take it? 312 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,520 Speaker 2: Day after day, the photo was all she could think about. 313 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:26,639 Speaker 2: She talked with an attorney and described the image, but 314 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 2: he confirmed one of her fears that the image might 315 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:33,159 Speaker 2: not meet the standards needed for an arrest. It was 316 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:38,879 Speaker 2: right on the edge. A month after the discovery, James 317 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:42,160 Speaker 2: agreed to a joint counseling session. They hadn't seen each 318 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,639 Speaker 2: other or talked since their fight. Chelsea wanted the support 319 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 2: of a mandated reporter, and she wanted to confront him 320 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 2: there in a neutral environment to see if he'd confess 321 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:56,119 Speaker 2: to more. On top of all that, she was also 322 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 2: trying to understand something that was just incomprehensible. 323 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:03,399 Speaker 1: This is part of my trauma too. My go to 324 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:08,119 Speaker 1: coping mechanism is denial and rationalization, and I think I 325 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 1: wanted a reason for this not to be what I 326 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:11,640 Speaker 1: thought it was. 327 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:16,000 Speaker 2: It might sound naive, but part of her still couldn't 328 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:19,359 Speaker 2: believe this was real. She started by asking James about 329 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:21,240 Speaker 2: the photos of his friend's wives. 330 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: And I said, why do you have these? Do you 331 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:28,199 Speaker 1: have permission to have these? Did she know and consent 332 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 1: to you having these photos? He looked at me and 333 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:35,200 Speaker 1: he said, I don't need her consent. It's his property. 334 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: He took that photo. It's his property to share with me. 335 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,720 Speaker 1: And I wanted to puke hearing. 336 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:48,959 Speaker 2: That it was clear that he had thought about this 337 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 2: extensively and that he knew how to operate just under 338 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:56,199 Speaker 2: the radar. Finally, at the end of their session, she 339 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,480 Speaker 2: asked about the photos of children, and that one photo 340 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 2: in particular. 341 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:06,560 Speaker 1: And so, in the presence of the couple's counselor, I 342 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,719 Speaker 1: pulled out my phone and I showed him that image 343 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 1: and I said, what the fuck is this? When I 344 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:17,199 Speaker 1: handed the phone to him with the child image, the 345 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:19,919 Speaker 1: tension in that room was just it was wild. You 346 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: saw him immediately start to shake. His hands started shaking. 347 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:30,399 Speaker 1: He immediately said that is not a crime, There is 348 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:32,920 Speaker 1: no penetration, that is not illegal. 349 00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:35,480 Speaker 3: He just kept repeating that. 350 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:39,800 Speaker 1: He instantly just went into she stole things off of 351 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:40,399 Speaker 1: my phone. 352 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:42,760 Speaker 3: I'm going to prosecute her for that. 353 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:45,920 Speaker 1: And at that point he just said, I'm going to 354 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,840 Speaker 1: have to go talk to my attorney about your theft 355 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:51,120 Speaker 1: of information from my phone and. 356 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:52,960 Speaker 3: He left, just got out and left. 357 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,880 Speaker 2: She sat there stunned. Chelsea and the therapist sat in silence. 358 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,160 Speaker 2: They waited for James's car to leave the parking lot. 359 00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:07,439 Speaker 2: Why did he even bother to come that day? Chelsea 360 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:08,480 Speaker 2: has a theory. 361 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:11,240 Speaker 1: Looking back, I think he was trying to figure out 362 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:13,840 Speaker 1: what I knew because he knew I found something and 363 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 1: he didn't know what I knew, And I think he 364 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:18,120 Speaker 1: was doing this to try to protect himself. 365 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,359 Speaker 2: Her relationship with James was over, but it was only 366 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 2: the beginning of a horrible dilemma for Chelsea. She grappled 367 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 2: with reporting him to the police, but she was worried 368 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 2: that she didn't have enough evidence. 369 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,600 Speaker 1: I felt like what I had wasn't going to be enough. 370 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:40,600 Speaker 1: This is right on the cusp, and if I report James, 371 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:42,280 Speaker 1: what is going to happen to me? 372 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 2: Chelsea was afraid of James's wealthy, well connected family. She 373 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:49,720 Speaker 2: was also thinking of the legal threats he made and 374 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:52,840 Speaker 2: the threats about releasing photos of her. But more than that, 375 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:57,399 Speaker 2: she was afraid to report and have nothing happen at all. 376 00:22:58,119 --> 00:22:59,800 Speaker 2: It took her back to the way she felt as 377 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:00,480 Speaker 2: a child. 378 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:05,400 Speaker 1: When I saw these images on James's phone, it took 379 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:09,600 Speaker 1: me back to being those children, And it was so 380 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 1: hard not to think. 381 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:14,240 Speaker 3: About what those children might have been. 382 00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:17,720 Speaker 1: Experiencing if they were being abused. And I can report 383 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 1: this person to the police, but is anything going to happen? 384 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:26,520 Speaker 1: And can I emotionally handle that? Can I emotionally handle 385 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:29,919 Speaker 1: having nothing happen as a result of it, because unfortunately, 386 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:33,760 Speaker 1: that was the childhood thing that was playing out. 387 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:39,000 Speaker 2: I understand where Chelsea is coming from. If you've listened 388 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,960 Speaker 2: to season two of Betrayal, you heard Ashley Litton's story 389 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 2: of how her husband had over one thousand images of 390 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:48,160 Speaker 2: se Sam in his hidden folder, but he served less 391 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:52,199 Speaker 2: than a year. These cases are wildly under prosecuted and 392 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,679 Speaker 2: with only one image as evidence. Chelsea's concerns were valid, 393 00:23:56,119 --> 00:24:00,480 Speaker 2: or rather realistic, but that didn't change her feeling moral 394 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:03,880 Speaker 2: obligation to the girl in the photo and victims like her. 395 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:10,120 Speaker 1: My biggest priority at that point was protecting this particular 396 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:10,640 Speaker 1: little girl. 397 00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,119 Speaker 2: She knew if she was going to report James, she 398 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 2: needed professional support to get there. 399 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:19,800 Speaker 1: I knew I was going to need a lot of therapy, 400 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:22,480 Speaker 1: and that's how I about Eric. 401 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:26,439 Speaker 2: Eric was a therapist who checked all the boxes and 402 00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:30,080 Speaker 2: then some. In fact, he'd been a prosecutor on sex 403 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:32,200 Speaker 2: crimes before he went into counseling. 404 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:35,320 Speaker 3: There were no red flags I could have seen there 405 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:41,240 Speaker 3: on paper. He seemed like the perfect therapist, but. 406 00:24:41,240 --> 00:25:02,159 Speaker 2: She would soon find out he wasn't. Chelsey began working 407 00:25:02,160 --> 00:25:05,280 Speaker 2: with a therapist, were going to call Eric, and quickly 408 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 2: Eric became a big part of her life. She started 409 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:09,840 Speaker 2: seeing him three times a week. 410 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: I felt like I was coming into that scenario with 411 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:17,480 Speaker 1: my guts pulled out. It was just like what do 412 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:18,560 Speaker 1: I do with all this? 413 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 2: She was working up to being able to report her 414 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,199 Speaker 2: ex James, and she needed a safe place like Eric's 415 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:29,920 Speaker 2: office to process her trauma, starting with her childhood abuse. 416 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:35,400 Speaker 1: Working with Eric, he was able to help me accept 417 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:40,280 Speaker 1: some of these bigger terms that I was uncomfortable. 418 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:43,640 Speaker 2: With, terms like trafficking and incest. 419 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,840 Speaker 1: Like is this the right term? I started seeing Eric 420 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:52,159 Speaker 1: to have that space to unpack the sexual abuse trauma 421 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:58,040 Speaker 1: and was just very early stages of unpacking that. 422 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:02,800 Speaker 2: At this time she was haunted by the images she'd 423 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 2: seen on James's phone. It became all consuming. 424 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: I couldn't close my eyes at night and not see 425 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:14,720 Speaker 1: these children. I just kept fixating on who is this child. 426 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:19,040 Speaker 2: Because Eric had been a prosecutor, she trusted his perspective, 427 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 2: and Eric wasn't so sure she should report James. In fact, 428 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:27,119 Speaker 2: he worried she was taking on too much personal responsibility. 429 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:32,320 Speaker 1: And one thing Eric would tell me all the time was, Chelsea, 430 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:34,399 Speaker 1: you can't solve this. 431 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:38,840 Speaker 3: You are not batman. You can't figure this out. 432 00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:43,639 Speaker 2: Since they broke up, James deleted all of his social media. 433 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 2: She heard through the grapevine he was saying he'd been hacked, 434 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:49,960 Speaker 2: but Chelsea suspected it could be related to what she 435 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:52,919 Speaker 2: saw on his phone. She worried that while she waited 436 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 2: to report him, he could be deleting or destroying evidence, 437 00:26:57,160 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 2: and Eric helped her understand the pathology of people like James. 438 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 1: Eric would talk to me about these types of individuals, 439 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: these types of predators. He would talk about their behaviors. 440 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:10,159 Speaker 1: His exact quote was, every once in a while they 441 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:13,399 Speaker 1: freak out and purge, but they eventually go back to 442 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:13,920 Speaker 1: doing it. 443 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:18,960 Speaker 2: After two months of working with Eric, Chelsea felt ready 444 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:21,800 Speaker 2: to report James. She began to see it as the 445 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:22,640 Speaker 2: only way out. 446 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 1: I thought that maybe if I could face these things now, 447 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,160 Speaker 1: maybe that would make the nightmares if the kids stop. 448 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:32,960 Speaker 2: But Eric dug in he still wasn't sure reporting was 449 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:34,240 Speaker 2: the right decision for Chelsea. 450 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:38,080 Speaker 1: When I started saying that I really felt like I 451 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:42,040 Speaker 1: needed to turn James in, Eric was encouraging me not to. 452 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:45,400 Speaker 3: Said I needed to let go of the relationship. 453 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 2: Eric felt like Chelsea wasn't properly grieving and moving on 454 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:55,320 Speaker 2: from her relationship with James, and that by fixating on 455 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:59,080 Speaker 2: these photos she was trying to stay connected to him. Somehow, 456 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:04,159 Speaker 2: one night it just hit her she knew who the 457 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:05,720 Speaker 2: girl in the photo could be. 458 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:10,480 Speaker 1: This image that's been haunting me. There's no face, but 459 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:12,480 Speaker 1: the ages of the right ages. 460 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:17,119 Speaker 2: James did have a friend with two young daughters. Chelsea 461 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:20,119 Speaker 2: hadn't put those pieces together before, so she did some 462 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:21,160 Speaker 2: internet slew thing. 463 00:28:22,119 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 3: My tarn faced went on. 464 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:28,680 Speaker 1: I went on these parents' face with profile and couldn't. 465 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:29,120 Speaker 3: Read what I saw. 466 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:33,080 Speaker 1: I was like, that's it, It's got to be this kid. 467 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:37,160 Speaker 1: The ages of the right age. The cabinet tree looks 468 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: the same as like in these photos that are showing up. 469 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,840 Speaker 1: I'm full on Facebook detective at this point, this could 470 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 1: be that same house, same wall color, same cabinets. 471 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:46,960 Speaker 3: This has got to be it. 472 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:51,200 Speaker 2: James had access to these kids. If this was the 473 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 2: girl in the photo, reporting him felt more urgent than ever. 474 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:58,880 Speaker 2: Despite Eric's advice, Chelsea had made up her mind. 475 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:00,520 Speaker 3: And call my lawyer. 476 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 1: I'm like, I got to report this, and the helped 477 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:08,520 Speaker 1: set up a meeting with a detective in the town 478 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:11,560 Speaker 1: that James lived who was the head of the Internet 479 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:14,840 Speaker 1: Crimes Against Children's task Force, and we set up a 480 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:17,960 Speaker 1: meeting through that following Monday. 481 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,160 Speaker 2: After she set the meeting, she went to a regular 482 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 2: therapy appointment with Eric and she felt empowered. 483 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:26,840 Speaker 1: I remember sitting there with Eric saying, things are going 484 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 1: to change. I'm going to identify. I'm going to know 485 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:31,160 Speaker 1: the next time I'm in a room with a person 486 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:33,720 Speaker 1: like this, I'm going to know, I'm going to know it. 487 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: I'm going to know everything about this person. I'm going 488 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:37,360 Speaker 1: to be able to pick them out of a room. 489 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:39,120 Speaker 1: And I remember. 490 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:41,760 Speaker 3: Eric was really uncomfortable. 491 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 2: Eric ended her session Early that day, Chelsea planned to 492 00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:49,920 Speaker 2: prepare for the meeting with police in her next therapy session. 493 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:53,959 Speaker 1: And I remember going to his office and I was hyped, 494 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:56,920 Speaker 1: like I had my narratives partially written. 495 00:29:57,520 --> 00:29:58,520 Speaker 3: I was like, I'm going to do this. 496 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 2: But on the day of that therapy session. 497 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:06,480 Speaker 3: Eric wasn't there. He was never late. 498 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:09,440 Speaker 1: I usually when I pulled in, I would park next 499 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:14,560 Speaker 1: to his car. The car wasn't there. Ten minutes go by. 500 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:18,240 Speaker 1: I'm looking at the receptionists. They're like, this is really weird. 501 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:19,240 Speaker 1: We can't get a hold of him. 502 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 3: And she's calling. She said, the phone's going straight to voicemail. 503 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 3: I don't understand what's happening. They said, We're gonna get 504 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 3: another clinician, just please wait. 505 00:30:29,960 --> 00:30:33,320 Speaker 2: This was her last session before she finally went to 506 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 2: the police. She really needed guidance. So another therapist from 507 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,200 Speaker 2: the practice agreed to see Chelsea that day and I 508 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:41,600 Speaker 2: was like. 509 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:45,400 Speaker 1: Something is wrong. Eric is never late. Our last session 510 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:47,680 Speaker 1: was kind of weird. I felt like maybe I made 511 00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:50,600 Speaker 1: him uncomfortable. And I could tell by the way she 512 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 1: was responding to me too. She was like, something's not 513 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:56,400 Speaker 1: right either. I could sense it, and I started telling 514 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:58,160 Speaker 1: her what happened. I was like, this is what I've 515 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:00,680 Speaker 1: been dealing with. Eric was telling me not to do it, 516 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:03,800 Speaker 1: like I needed to like grieve this relationship, that doing 517 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,320 Speaker 1: this was just gonna like let it perpetuate on. I 518 00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:09,280 Speaker 1: wasn't going to need enclosure. She's like, no, you're doing 519 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 1: the right thing. You're doing the right thing. 520 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 2: After that session, she finally reported James. 521 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: That Monday morning, I got up, I met with the 522 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:24,360 Speaker 1: detective and we had a three hour recorded interview. I 523 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:26,840 Speaker 1: showed him everything, told them the same story that I'm 524 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 1: telling you now. 525 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:30,400 Speaker 3: He was so validating. 526 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:36,120 Speaker 1: And he said he told me, he's like, this isn't contraband, 527 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:40,160 Speaker 1: but it is absolutely wrong, and you were doing absolutely 528 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:43,400 Speaker 1: the right thing by reporting it. But I want to 529 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:47,520 Speaker 1: manage your expectations. There are things I can try to do, 530 00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:51,800 Speaker 1: but this by itself isn't enough. And I was like, 531 00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: I know, that's why it's taken me so long to 532 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:55,360 Speaker 1: get here. 533 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:01,000 Speaker 2: At the end of their meeting, the detective assured her 534 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:04,720 Speaker 2: that they do everything they could. She left the station relieved. 535 00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:08,680 Speaker 2: It had been a difficult and draining day, but the 536 00:32:08,760 --> 00:32:10,720 Speaker 2: day was far from over. 537 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: So I got my car went back home to to 538 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:18,320 Speaker 1: where I lived. I've been in my house for less 539 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:21,760 Speaker 1: than fifteen minutes. I've literally locked in the door, gone 540 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:24,920 Speaker 1: to the bathroom, opened to Lacroix. 541 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:27,719 Speaker 2: And then she saw an email come in from her 542 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,080 Speaker 2: therapist's office and. 543 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:32,880 Speaker 1: It says, I'm receiving this letter because I'm a client 544 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:36,520 Speaker 1: of Erics, and that they were notified that he was 545 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:40,480 Speaker 1: arrested and that he was immediately terminated, and they were 546 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:41,160 Speaker 1: reaching out to. 547 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:42,720 Speaker 3: Me to facilitate continued care. 548 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:48,840 Speaker 1: One of the last things it says is any questions 549 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:54,040 Speaker 1: related to the status of Eric maybe directed towards and 550 00:32:54,040 --> 00:32:56,120 Speaker 1: they provide a detective's name in the phone number, and 551 00:32:56,200 --> 00:33:04,640 Speaker 1: I'm like, oh my god, I already knew everything in 552 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:06,840 Speaker 1: my body knew what had happened. 553 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:11,600 Speaker 2: She went to the court records website and typed in 554 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:12,280 Speaker 2: Eric's name. 555 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 3: I see possession of child phiography. 556 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:26,320 Speaker 1: I am looking at this mugshot of this person, and 557 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:29,080 Speaker 1: this is a person I have just spaid the last 558 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:30,000 Speaker 1: several months with. 559 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:33,800 Speaker 3: The most. 560 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:41,360 Speaker 1: And the most intimate and trusting of a relationship. I 561 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:45,720 Speaker 1: shared things with this person I had never said out 562 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:50,760 Speaker 1: loud before, and I am looking at a photo of. 563 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 3: His face. 564 00:33:54,320 --> 00:33:59,720 Speaker 1: Being charged with the exact same things that a trumpotize. 565 00:33:59,760 --> 00:33:59,840 Speaker 2: Me. 566 00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:07,000 Speaker 1: Just sat there staring at the screen, just feeling like 567 00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:13,760 Speaker 1: I wanted to tear my skin off, thinking about every 568 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:20,359 Speaker 1: detail I told this person and then thinking that they 569 00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:22,320 Speaker 1: were sexually aroused by these things. 570 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:27,600 Speaker 2: Then she pulled up the police report and what she 571 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:29,800 Speaker 2: read there was a nightmare. 572 00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:36,280 Speaker 1: They seized all of his electronic equipment. They found thousands 573 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:41,160 Speaker 1: of videos and the descriptions. 574 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:42,840 Speaker 3: Are horrific. 575 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:47,080 Speaker 2: She replayed all the things he'd said in sessions with her. 576 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:50,640 Speaker 1: Then thinking about all of those things he told me 577 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:54,360 Speaker 1: about how a predator would behave. 578 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:57,880 Speaker 3: I'm like he was telling me about his own behavior, 579 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:00,800 Speaker 3: and I arted vomiting. 580 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:04,560 Speaker 2: The person she'd turned to in this situation would be 581 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:05,840 Speaker 2: a therapist. 582 00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:07,560 Speaker 3: I didn't know what to do next. 583 00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:10,800 Speaker 1: There were so many layers of things I had to process. 584 00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:15,400 Speaker 1: I could not have told this story to a worse person. 585 00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:20,360 Speaker 2: For the first time in her life, she took a 586 00:35:20,440 --> 00:35:22,160 Speaker 2: leave of absence from work. 587 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:24,120 Speaker 3: When Eric got arrested. 588 00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:27,960 Speaker 1: I just hit an emotional rock bottom and I realized 589 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:30,200 Speaker 1: my coping mechanisms don't work anymore. 590 00:35:30,239 --> 00:35:31,880 Speaker 3: I can't outperform this. 591 00:35:32,960 --> 00:35:37,000 Speaker 2: During this time, mental health was her main priority. She 592 00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:40,080 Speaker 2: started group therapy, which proved to be healing. 593 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:44,879 Speaker 1: I needed a room of people to say that's fucked up, 594 00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:51,160 Speaker 1: that shouldn't happen. I needed to see that outrage from 595 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:53,400 Speaker 1: someone and what we called it in my program this 596 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:58,640 Speaker 1: reality checking. You need the validation oh like, wow, this 597 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:01,040 Speaker 1: feels really wrong. This be wrong to you, and people 598 00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:03,000 Speaker 1: are like, yeah, that would be really wrong. 599 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:07,440 Speaker 2: While she was working on stabilizing herself, she got an 600 00:36:07,520 --> 00:36:10,759 Speaker 2: update from the police about her report on James. They 601 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,640 Speaker 2: didn't have enough to arrest him, but the police had 602 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:14,600 Speaker 2: done a knock and. 603 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:18,120 Speaker 1: Talk when they told him that someone observed a concerning 604 00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:21,360 Speaker 1: image of a child on his phone. He said it 605 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:22,960 Speaker 1: didn't come from my phone, and if it did, it 606 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,520 Speaker 1: wasn't illegal. And then this is the really telling thing. 607 00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:30,920 Speaker 1: He asked the police officer if they're prosecuting me for 608 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:32,360 Speaker 1: taking stuff off of his phone. 609 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:36,640 Speaker 2: As far as Chelsea knows, that's the only outcome of 610 00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:37,280 Speaker 2: her report. 611 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:40,839 Speaker 1: So to this day, this guy will stand out there 612 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:44,400 Speaker 1: and scream that he was in this relationship with this 613 00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:48,279 Speaker 1: crazy woman who's trying to ruin his life, and you 614 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:49,600 Speaker 1: know that I was the bad guy. 615 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,440 Speaker 2: As for Eric, he pled guilty to distributing child sexual 616 00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:59,280 Speaker 2: abuse material and was sentenced to twelve years in federal present. 617 00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:03,400 Speaker 2: That same year, Chelsea decided to move across the country 618 00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:04,359 Speaker 2: and start over. 619 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:09,040 Speaker 1: Ended up taking about four years before I was able 620 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:13,680 Speaker 1: to confidently say that these things happened, and not doubt myself, 621 00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:17,480 Speaker 1: not blame myself, not think that this is my fault 622 00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:22,319 Speaker 1: or my responsibility. And today I'm really proud to say 623 00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:26,319 Speaker 1: I have created the life I've always dreamed of, and 624 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:30,280 Speaker 1: I'm glad that every day now going forward is better 625 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:35,040 Speaker 1: than any day that I've had before this happened. So 626 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:36,759 Speaker 1: there's a rebirth in it. 627 00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:47,080 Speaker 2: We end all of our weekly episodes with the same question, 628 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:49,840 Speaker 2: why did you choose to tell your story? 629 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:52,200 Speaker 1: The reason I reached out is I was just so 630 00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:55,279 Speaker 1: inspired by the stories that we shared. I was so 631 00:37:55,440 --> 00:38:01,400 Speaker 1: inspired listening to other survivors and the ability to retell 632 00:38:01,440 --> 00:38:07,399 Speaker 1: this story and release it is so significant, and I 633 00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:11,440 Speaker 1: hope that someone else hearing this feels empowered to do 634 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:16,960 Speaker 1: the same. These kinds of things only exist in a 635 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:21,120 Speaker 1: world of silence, in denial, and I hope by breaking 636 00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:26,440 Speaker 1: my silence it allows someone else to feel empowered to 637 00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:30,400 Speaker 1: break through own whether they got a conviction, whether the 638 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:35,319 Speaker 1: police took it seriously, whether their abuser acknowledged it, whether 639 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:39,120 Speaker 1: their family believed it. 640 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:43,480 Speaker 3: It doesn't make it your fault. It happened and it 641 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:44,400 Speaker 3: was never your fault. 642 00:38:48,440 --> 00:38:51,440 Speaker 2: On the next episode of Betrayal, and this is the 643 00:38:51,440 --> 00:38:54,239 Speaker 2: first time I was seeing him in four years, and 644 00:38:54,360 --> 00:38:58,240 Speaker 2: I remember it being like I am in big trouble. 645 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:05,200 Speaker 2: If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal 646 00:39:05,239 --> 00:39:08,120 Speaker 2: team or want to tell us your Betrayal story, email 647 00:39:08,200 --> 00:39:12,480 Speaker 2: us at Betrayalpod at gmail dot com. That's Betrayal Pod 648 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:17,000 Speaker 2: at gmail dot com. We're grateful for your support. One 649 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:19,319 Speaker 2: way to show support is by subscribing to our show 650 00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:22,480 Speaker 2: on Apple Podcasts, and don't forget to rate and review Betrayal. 651 00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:25,879 Speaker 2: Five star reviews go a long way. A big thank 652 00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:29,360 Speaker 2: you to all of our listeners. Betrayal is a production 653 00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:32,160 Speaker 2: of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group, in 654 00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:36,000 Speaker 2: partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by 655 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:39,520 Speaker 2: Nancy Glass and Jennifer Fason, hosted and produced by me 656 00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:44,400 Speaker 2: Andrea Gunning, written and produced by Monique Leboard, also produced 657 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:48,560 Speaker 2: by Ben Fetterman. Associate producers are Kristin Melcuriy and Caitlin 658 00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:52,360 Speaker 2: Golden Our. iHeart team is Ali Perry and Jessica Krincheck. 659 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:56,880 Speaker 2: Audio editing and mixing by Matt Delvecchio, additional editing support 660 00:39:56,880 --> 00:40:01,319 Speaker 2: from Nico Aruka and Tanner Robbins. Rails theme composed by 661 00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:06,200 Speaker 2: Oliver Bain's music library provided by my Music and For 662 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:10,480 Speaker 2: more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 663 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:12,040 Speaker 2: or wherever you get your podcasts