WEBVTT - The Devil | Stacey's Story 0:00:03.000 --> 0:00:06.000 She would go sit outside and smoke, and she was 0:00:06.000 --> 0:00:07.880 sitting on the phone talking to him, and I put 0:00:07.920 --> 0:00:10.559 my ear to the glass on our sliding glass door 0:00:10.560 --> 0:00:14.240 and listen. I caught conversations of them talking about if 0:00:14.280 --> 0:00:16.720 I put this car in your name, she won't get it. 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:20.079 And at that point I was like, if you ain't 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:21.119 for me, you're against me. 0:00:34.600 --> 0:00:38.600 I'm Andrea Gunning. This is Betrayal, Season three, episode three, 0:00:39.600 --> 0:00:44.640 The Devil a listener. Note. Some names have been changed 0:00:44.800 --> 0:00:51.840 to protect privacy. The Rutherford family was broken. Stacy threw 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:54.680 Justin out of the house after detective served a search 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:59.160 warrant to collect electronic devices from their home. Stacy learned 0:00:59.160 --> 0:01:02.240 that a hitting camera had been placed in an upstairs bathroom. 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:06.400 The device recorded thousands of images of mostly children and 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:11.039 some adults using the bathroom and shower naked. Soon after 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:14.520 the raid, a teenage boy confided in Stacy's daughter, Mikayla, 0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:18.560 that Justin Rutherford had sexually abused him during a sleepover. 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:23.400 Stacy and the littles were staying at Mikayla's apartment while 0:01:23.400 --> 0:01:25.399 they got the house ready to sell so they could 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:29.200 move back to the Virginia area. Tyler Stacy's son was 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:32.160 already there, staying with his aunt, Heather, so that he 0:01:32.200 --> 0:01:36.360 wouldn't miss his first day at his new school. Heather 0:01:36.480 --> 0:01:39.440 received a call from Stacy that Justin may only be 0:01:39.600 --> 0:01:44.360 charged with a misdemeanor for the hitting camera. Heather was 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:47.400 upset and was worried that there was more to this story. 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:50.480 My sister had just called me and she's crying and 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:53.080 she's like, this is crazy, Like how are they gonna 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:55.040 let him go? And I'm like, I know, oh, you know, 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:57.360 God's got this. We're going to figure this out. Like 0:01:57.920 --> 0:01:59.880 I do not believe in my heart of hearts, disman 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:02.720 is going to walk free. And Tyler's listening to this. 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:07.680 I got phoned and he was helping me fuld laundry 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:09.960 and I said, man, buddy, I. 0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:10.440 Said, I don't know. 0:02:10.480 --> 0:02:13.120 We gotta do some serious pray. And he's like, why, 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:13.720 what's up. 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:17.560 I said, they were talking about only charging Justin with 0:02:17.600 --> 0:02:21.000 the cameras and he goes, well, what does that mean? 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:23.800 And I said, well. 0:02:23.800 --> 0:02:29.480 That probably means that your little brother will have visitation 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:30.720 with his father. 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:37.000 In due time. And he just looked at me with 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:41.040 the look I will never forget, and his eyes welled 0:02:41.120 --> 0:02:46.120 up with tears, and Tyler says he'll never see the 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:48.400 outside of a prison when I tell them what I know. 0:02:50.240 --> 0:02:53.680 A couple hours later, Stacy received a cryptic message from 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:54.440 her sister, Heather. 0:02:55.760 --> 0:02:58.320 We were sitting there eating dinner and I get a 0:02:58.360 --> 0:03:01.440 text message from my sister that said, I need you 0:03:01.480 --> 0:03:04.040 to video chat me. We need to talk about some things. 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:08.440 Mikayla and I went to the bedroom and we called. 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:11.400 I could tell Heather had been crying. 0:03:13.280 --> 0:03:14.080 I was just sick. 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:19.160 There was an awkward silence. Tyler was quiet that. 0:03:19.160 --> 0:03:20.600 I could have never looked at my mom on the 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:23.320 face and said it. And even I would say even 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:26.120 a good year after that, it was like hard to 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:27.360 look at my mom. 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:30.240 So Heather broke the news to her sister. 0:03:30.680 --> 0:03:34.520 She said he's been doing it to Tyler too for 0:03:34.560 --> 0:03:35.120 six years. 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:42.080 And there it was what Stacy had feared. Her husband 0:03:42.160 --> 0:03:49.240 had been abusing her son since he was ten. I 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:51.840 went to visit with Stacy and Tyler in West Virginia. 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:54.440 They told me what it was like in the days 0:03:54.480 --> 0:03:58.480 after Tyler disclosed his abuse. It was a shock. 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:05.080 I remember just saying, you know, I'm so sorry, Like 0:04:05.160 --> 0:04:09.720 I just kept saying I'm so sorry because I didn't 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:10.160 know what else. 0:04:10.200 --> 0:04:15.800 Tuesday, I could just see the go on her face 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:19.039 looking at me. I wish she could have hit it 0:04:19.080 --> 0:04:22.720 from me. I just wanted to act like everything was normal. 0:04:23.279 --> 0:04:24.839 I don't want her to act like she could have 0:04:24.880 --> 0:04:26.640 done anything different, because she couldn't have. 0:04:27.760 --> 0:04:30.040 It was very hard in the beginning to not feel 0:04:30.360 --> 0:04:35.039 every single thing you know of like how could you 0:04:35.080 --> 0:04:40.440 let this happen to him? I still to this day 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:47.239 feel like I failed on so many levels. The hardest 0:04:47.240 --> 0:04:49.560 thing for me is to just not feel. 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:53.960 Like I love you. You know that it's not your fault. 0:04:55.480 --> 0:04:55.960 I don't know. 0:04:57.480 --> 0:05:01.919 Stacey felt responsible that this was all her fault, and 0:05:02.000 --> 0:05:04.839 on top of that, she continues to worry about the future. 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:08.520 How will Tyler feel in a year or three years 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:11.279 when he is older and has had time to process 0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:12.600 what happened to him. 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:17.360 My greatest fear and still to this day, is that 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:19.120 someday You're going to be mad at me and never 0:05:19.160 --> 0:05:22.039 talked to me, and I couldn't go to the rest 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:25.400 of my life without that, Like that was always my fear, 0:05:25.560 --> 0:05:27.840 was like God, just don't let him stop talking to me, 0:05:28.440 --> 0:05:31.279 you know, because I just was like I can't lose 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:32.080 one of my kids. 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:35.760 Tyler was left with more than any adult, much less 0:05:35.800 --> 0:05:40.359 any teenager should have to handle. There was the weight 0:05:40.480 --> 0:05:44.120 of the secret for six years, and then there was 0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:45.640 the weight of the destruction. 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:48.880 There was no relief, but in that specific moment, it 0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:54.080 was just that out of body feeling like everyone knows 0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:57.760 and they're just staring at you, and you feel like 0:05:58.360 --> 0:06:02.479 jumping out of your skin again. You feel like the 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:05.239 same way you feel when it all first starts. 0:06:04.880 --> 0:06:07.600 When it all first started, well, that was a long 0:06:07.680 --> 0:06:11.640 time ago, about two years before Stacy and Justin got married. 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:15.200 As I said, he was only ten years old then, 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:17.120 and their wedding day. 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:19.640 That ring on the finger. I felt like that was 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:23.479 like sealing the fate. I was standing in that courthouse 0:06:23.600 --> 0:06:25.880 trying to hold in my tears while everyone else is 0:06:25.920 --> 0:06:30.200 trying to hold in theirs for joy mine or not joy. 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:33.520 But Tyler opening up to his family wasn't enough. He 0:06:33.600 --> 0:06:37.200 knew he needed to take this information to the police. 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:40.880 Justin was still a free man, and in fact, he 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:43.600 was even checking in with Tyler in Virginia. 0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:46.400 He was trying to act like everything was normal and 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:49.560 check in on me, ask how school was going, ask 0:06:49.600 --> 0:06:53.159 how life was going in Virginia. I guess to see 0:06:53.160 --> 0:06:54.839 if I was going to open up my mouth or 0:06:54.880 --> 0:06:58.760 say anything. I just kind of played along, played the part. 0:06:59.000 --> 0:07:01.920 I acted like everything was normal as well, just to 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:05.240 keep him not suspicious that people were coming for him. 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:08.880 A few days after Tyler disclosed everything to his family, 0:07:09.440 --> 0:07:11.800 he would have to endure one of the hardest days 0:07:11.840 --> 0:07:15.760 of his life. He would finally sit with law enforcement. 0:07:17.720 --> 0:07:21.280 It was an awful feeling, like a like a mountain 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:25.760 sitting on your chest. Pretty much the whole day. My 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:28.280 school was right next to the Sheriff's office. I could 0:07:28.280 --> 0:07:32.000 look out the window at my doom the whole eight 0:07:32.040 --> 0:07:36.520 hour day, just sitting there looking at it, knowing it's coming. 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:39.520 It was like I almost couldn't breathe. 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:42.840 Heather picked Tyler up and brought him to the Sheriff's 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:45.040 office for an official forensic interview. 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:47.840 They just put me in the room and it was 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:52.520 mean and two detectives, and they had like a whole 0:07:52.600 --> 0:07:55.400 drawing board for me. They had me draw like layouts 0:07:55.480 --> 0:07:59.840 of our house and like real crazy stuffs. 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:02.680 Any Sergeant Detective Mike Thick. 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:07.400 It's difficult because a lot of boys don't want to 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:11.760 disclose that they were sexually abused, especially when they're in 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:14.640 their teen years, because a lot of them will disclose 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:16.920 to me and say when he did this or that 0:08:17.000 --> 0:08:18.560 to me, he made me do that to them, But 0:08:18.600 --> 0:08:20.600 then they'll say that you know, I'm not gay. 0:08:21.360 --> 0:08:24.560 You got to realize these are kids and embarrasses them. 0:08:24.800 --> 0:08:27.720 That was probably the most uncomfortable fulk I ever had 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:31.280 in my life was that one. Right there. They ask 0:08:31.400 --> 0:08:35.720 you some of the most vulgar questions. They need so 0:08:35.920 --> 0:08:40.120 much detail, like so specific, to the point where it 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:42.800 doesn't even seem like how they can make any difference 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:48.120 out of that very specific fact, like such minute details 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:52.000 that seem like they wouldn't even make a difference. They 0:08:52.040 --> 0:08:54.040 just cut really deep with those questions. 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:58.280 He took advantage of these kids, especially Tyler, like from 0:08:58.280 --> 0:08:59.160 a young age up. 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:01.000 He groomed them. 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:04.600 Tyler thought, that's my stepfather, It's someone I can go 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:07.440 to and trust some tipes, it's people closest to you. 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:11.240 And that was right after just admitting it had happened. 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:14.680 So it goes from not opening my mouth for years 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:16.479 to spilling the whole story. 0:09:16.360 --> 0:09:24.040 Out during this interview, Tyler disclosed all the painful details 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:27.800 his family would never hear. He was smart enough to 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:32.680 know that the detectives interviewing him were collecting evidence. This 0:09:32.880 --> 0:09:35.600 was excruciating, but it would matter. 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:42.079 I knew my words in that conversation were going to 0:09:42.120 --> 0:09:46.319 do a lot of damage. I knew it was the 0:09:46.360 --> 0:09:48.560 main evidence they need on him. 0:09:49.160 --> 0:09:53.160 The hard truth was law enforcement didn't have a strong case. 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:58.680 Tyler's bravery and coming forward helped corroborate the other victim story. 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:02.000 There was a good chance without this, Justin would walk 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:04.960 away with a misdemeanor, a slap on the wrist. 0:10:05.760 --> 0:10:08.360 I mean, they're brave and I just I mean, to me, 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:09.040 they're heroes. 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:12.720 Tyler didn't realize his stepdad was a predator. 0:10:15.679 --> 0:10:17.520 I just never thought he would do it to anyone else. 0:10:18.600 --> 0:10:20.480 I'd like to have friends over because it was a 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:24.120 sense of security and protection that nothing was going to 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:27.080 happen to me. I just thought when there was a 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:30.240 group of US boys, everyone was safe, and. 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:34.600 Justin took advantage of that access. The other victim reached 0:10:34.640 --> 0:10:36.800 out to Tyler and shared his experience. 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:42.040 My friend texted me and he's like, you remember that 0:10:42.280 --> 0:10:46.840 night at your house when I had that crazy dream 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:49.600 and how a sleepwalking and everything was all crazy. He 0:10:49.720 --> 0:10:52.040 was like, do you think that was Justin? 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:54.040 Tyler deflected. 0:10:55.080 --> 0:10:59.000 I was just like, that's crazy. I don't know. I 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:01.199 don't know, Just like think about it. Are you sure? 0:11:01.679 --> 0:11:02.800 Because I'm still scared? 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:05.680 He deflected, and was scared for good reason. 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:09.320 He could monitor everything I did on my phone. He 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:14.200 read every word that went to another person through text. 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:18.440 Justin had been monitoring all of Tyler's communication for years. 0:11:18.960 --> 0:11:21.200 There are apps that allow parents to see what kids 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:23.840 are doing on their cell phones, and Justin used one. 0:11:24.600 --> 0:11:26.800 Stacy thought it was a good idea to help keep 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:31.240 kids safe, but for Justin it went beyond safety. He 0:11:31.360 --> 0:11:34.719 used it to spy on Tyler. So he must have 0:11:34.840 --> 0:11:38.240 known the House of cards was about to fall, and 0:11:38.280 --> 0:11:54.160 he got a head start on law enforcement. Stacey had 0:11:54.200 --> 0:11:57.240 to triage her crises. She now knew for certain that 0:11:57.360 --> 0:12:01.200 Tyler and another child had been sexually abused. She was 0:12:01.240 --> 0:12:04.520 filing for divorce, selling her house, and trying to get 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:08.360 back to Virginia where she could find more support. Meanwhile, 0:12:08.480 --> 0:12:11.679 back at her house, Justin's godmother d or Nanny as 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:16.360 everyone calls her, was living there, but Stacy didn't know 0:12:16.400 --> 0:12:17.400 where Justin was. 0:12:18.720 --> 0:12:21.640 Nanny calls me, she's like, I just got home and 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:24.120 Justin left a letter. He's gone and everything is gone. 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:24.160 Of his. 0:12:26.920 --> 0:12:30.360 And I was like, what what did he say? And 0:12:30.400 --> 0:12:32.280 she read me the letter and it just basically said 0:12:32.320 --> 0:12:36.080 something like I love you, Nanny. Tell the kids I 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:39.280 love them, you know, take care of them. I gotta leave. 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:42.720 I can't do this anymore. I'm leaving my car. I 0:12:42.760 --> 0:12:48.320 won't be back. And I was like, huh. And she 0:12:48.520 --> 0:12:51.480 wasn't like frantic, So I had a feeling that something 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:52.080 wasn't right. 0:12:52.720 --> 0:12:56.040 Nanny lived with or near Justin since he was a child. 0:12:56.559 --> 0:12:59.440 She even lived with him and his roommates in college. 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:02.520 She would never be so matter of fact about him disappearing. 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:05.559 I go to the house and his side of the 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:09.160 closet is gone. All of his stuff was gone. Anything 0:13:09.200 --> 0:13:12.360 in that house that remotely was his was gone. But 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:15.400 his car was there. And I read the letter and 0:13:15.480 --> 0:13:17.560 she's just like, I don't know, I don't know where 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:17.960 he's at. 0:13:18.679 --> 0:13:21.920 Stacy had no idea where he'd gone, but eventually the 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:25.320 police would have enough for charges. Right when would they 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:28.520 come looking for him? She would also need Justin's signature 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:31.720 to finalize the house sale, and Stacy needed that money. 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:35.120 It felt like Justin fled, but without an arrest warrant, 0:13:35.200 --> 0:13:39.920 he wasn't technically a fugitive. Stacy knew Justin packed up 0:13:39.920 --> 0:13:42.520 his things and moved out of the house, but was 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:46.559 shocked when her credit card company started asking about charges overseas. 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:49.720 He was charging things on one of my cars, and 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:51.960 then he would pay it off immediately, so it wasn't 0:13:51.960 --> 0:13:52.800 showing a balance. 0:13:54.000 --> 0:13:57.360 The charges were from Great Britain and Amsterdam. He was 0:13:57.400 --> 0:14:00.480 in Europe. It turned out that Justin left the country 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:04.440 on August twenty eighth. The first victim disclosed the abuse 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:08.520 to police on August thirty first. Tyler disclosed Justin's abuse 0:14:08.640 --> 0:14:12.360 days later, so Justin bolted before either one of the 0:14:12.400 --> 0:14:17.199 boys talked. Meanwhile, law enforcement was busy with their. 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:21.800 Investigation some individuals sleep. I didn't think he was going 0:14:21.880 --> 0:14:24.800 to leave for good. I mean his young children. I 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:25.600 don't know what he was. 0:14:25.560 --> 0:14:27.880 Thinking, and neither did Stacy. 0:14:29.360 --> 0:14:32.560 Annie would go sit outside and smoke and she was 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:34.040 sitting on the phone talking to him. She would have 0:14:34.120 --> 0:14:37.000 video chats with him, and I'd like put my ear 0:14:37.120 --> 0:14:39.720 to the glass on our sliding glass door and listen. 0:14:42.040 --> 0:14:45.520 Nanny Dee had become an important part of the Rutherford household. 0:14:46.040 --> 0:14:49.600 It was a tricky situation. Stacy knew that she loved 0:14:49.640 --> 0:14:54.600 the kids, but she loved Justin fiercely. The two remained 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:56.680 close no matter what chaos ensued. 0:14:57.560 --> 0:14:59.760 And I said, you know that if you know where 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:02.480 he's and if you took him to go there, the 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:04.680 police can come after you. And I don't want you 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:06.640 to get arrested. I really think that he's putting you 0:15:06.680 --> 0:15:09.920 in some dangerous situations. He's making you believe that these 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:12.600 things are legal and okay, and Nanny, they're not. They're 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:16.400 not okay. And she flew off the hand or oh 0:15:16.600 --> 0:15:19.320 now I'm doing a legal shit too, you and your 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:22.240 sister and your stories, and something just snapped in me 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:23.760 and I said, you know what, you can get the 0:15:23.800 --> 0:15:25.880 fuck out of my house too. 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:31.640 Battle lines were drawn. Nanny didn't believe the accusations. She 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:33.160 was supporting Justin. 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:36.720 I caught conversations of them talking about if I put 0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:39.680 this car in your name, she won't get it. And 0:15:39.760 --> 0:15:42.480 at that point I was like, if you ain't for me, 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:43.320 you're against me. 0:15:44.280 --> 0:15:48.240 Justin was busy enjoying Europe. Stacy was picking up the 0:15:48.240 --> 0:15:51.640 pieces with him out of the country. It's stalled the 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:52.960 family's ability to move. 0:15:53.680 --> 0:15:57.600 It stopped the house sale. He was emailing with the 0:15:57.720 --> 0:16:00.480 underwriting people about the documents that he would supposed to 0:16:00.480 --> 0:16:02.920 sign because he told them in an email, I'm out 0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:04.080 of the country on business. 0:16:04.560 --> 0:16:07.200 It took almost two months for law enforcement to build 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:07.720 their case. 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:11.000 There was forends of work we had to do from 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:13.640 the items that we seized in the home, and also 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:18.080 Detective Weaver had to identify every person that was captured 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:22.880 on video and each person had to be interviewed. We 0:16:22.960 --> 0:16:26.720 also received information that we had two victims out there 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:32.120 that were being sexually abused by Justin. The one individual, 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:35.600 I personally did a forensic interview and interviewed him and 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:41.280 he disclosed being sexually abused by Justin. The second individual 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:45.360 was Tyler, and he was out of state and he 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:49.040 made a disclosure of being abused. 0:16:49.920 --> 0:16:54.120 Police were ready to issue an arrest warrant, and what 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:57.760 Justin didn't know was that law enforcement was watching his 0:16:57.920 --> 0:16:58.560 every move. 0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:01.000 We had him on a watch list. 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:04.679 So on October second, when Justin flew back to the 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:09.439 United States, Sergeant Fick. Detective Weaver and their team were ready. 0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:12.560 They got word that he was boarding a. 0:17:12.480 --> 0:17:17.159 Plane justin Fluenta Dulles International, right outside Washington, d C. 0:17:17.760 --> 0:17:20.840 They were watching him and they secured him at the 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:21.720 airport for US. 0:17:22.320 --> 0:17:24.479 And then the next morning I wake up to a 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:28.240 message from Detective Weaver. We got him. 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:33.359 The charges included multiple counts of invasion of privacy, rape 0:17:33.359 --> 0:17:37.520 of a child, and rape of an unconscious victim. Seeing 0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:41.560 that warrant in black and white, reading those chilling words, 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:45.600 Stacy faced the truth about her husband. She thought she 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:49.639 had married a wonderful life partner, but he was a sick, 0:17:49.720 --> 0:17:53.639 depraved man. Now he was in jail and she was 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:58.840 trying to find solid ground after a devastating event. The 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:02.040 house sale was settled. Justin's lawyer took the paperwork to 0:18:02.080 --> 0:18:09.639 the county jail and it was signed there. Stacey had 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:13.600 four children impacted by the divorce and by Justin's crimes. 0:18:14.280 --> 0:18:18.760 They were all experiencing the loss in different ways. First, 0:18:18.840 --> 0:18:21.439 there was Stacy's eldest daughter, who was in college. 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:26.720 Mikayla had felt she had lost her dad. I had 0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:28.920 to treat her a certain way when I talked about 0:18:28.920 --> 0:18:31.320 things I had to be sympathetic. I'm so sorry that 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:36.040 you don't have your dad anymore. And Tyler, it was 0:18:36.960 --> 0:18:39.520 I'm going to get you justice. I want him to 0:18:39.520 --> 0:18:40.879 fry the rest of his life. 0:18:42.600 --> 0:18:45.280 All the littles knew is that Daddy had a sickness 0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:48.840 in his head, but they didn't care about that. They 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:52.359 just missed him. Stacy allowed the two youngest to write 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:53.960 and receive letters from Justin. 0:18:55.280 --> 0:18:58.600 He sent color pictures, and they knew once or twice 0:18:58.640 --> 0:19:00.000 a week it was going to be in the mailbox. 0:19:01.240 --> 0:19:03.479 You know, nobody would know, you know how fast they 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:05.919 would run to the mailbox to get those every time. 0:19:07.240 --> 0:19:09.359 And it was just color pictures. What could it hurt? 0:19:09.800 --> 0:19:12.240 And that's what I told myself. So it was like, 0:19:12.440 --> 0:19:15.760 you know, you're trying to parent four different ways and 0:19:15.840 --> 0:19:17.840 do what's best for you, but still not hurt you. 0:19:19.040 --> 0:19:21.879 It was just like ever see those things where they 0:19:21.960 --> 0:19:24.440 juggle the plates and all the plates are spinning it once, 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:26.840 That's how I felt during that time. 0:19:27.560 --> 0:19:30.240 It might be hard to digest that, but remember the 0:19:30.320 --> 0:19:33.880 little ones had lost their home, a parent, their school, 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:38.800 everything familiar. Stacy was doing whatever she could to quell 0:19:38.840 --> 0:19:45.359 their anxiety. Justin didn't just send letters to the kids, 0:19:45.880 --> 0:19:49.440 he also sent them to Stacy. They were full of regret. 0:19:50.760 --> 0:19:54.000 Sometimes he pledged his love for her, other times he 0:19:54.080 --> 0:19:58.800 tried to cryptically explain his behavior. And then there were 0:19:58.800 --> 0:20:01.159 the letters that leverage Stacy's faith. 0:20:01.600 --> 0:20:04.000 When everything first happened. I did send him a Bible 0:20:04.080 --> 0:20:06.040 from the kids and I for Christmas the first year 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:09.600 he was in because he was talking about faith. In 0:20:09.600 --> 0:20:12.600 one letter, he wrote, you were the best thing that 0:20:12.640 --> 0:20:16.320 ever happened to me. We had two beautiful kids, and 0:20:16.400 --> 0:20:20.560 I fucked everything up, I alone, and you didn't deserve that. 0:20:21.480 --> 0:20:22.880 God what I wouldn't. 0:20:22.440 --> 0:20:23.840 Give to be with you again. 0:20:24.640 --> 0:20:26.800 I would thank God every day if we could only 0:20:26.840 --> 0:20:27.720 have a time machine. 0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:32.359 Justin also acknowledged the deep connection they shared. 0:20:33.280 --> 0:20:36.159 We were soulmates. You were the only person on this 0:20:36.240 --> 0:20:39.080 earth who had the same thoughts as me. Every time. 0:20:40.160 --> 0:20:42.920 I feel like every time that happened, a jolt would 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:46.679 go through my soul Proverbs thirty one eleven through twelve. 0:20:47.640 --> 0:20:49.359 Her husband trusts her judgment. 0:20:50.040 --> 0:20:51.320 He does not lack income. 0:20:52.000 --> 0:20:56.280 She brings him profit, not loss, all the days of 0:20:56.320 --> 0:21:00.280 her life. I should have been completely honest with you 0:21:00.400 --> 0:21:06.040 every day of our lives. Together. I was selfish because 0:21:06.760 --> 0:21:08.399 I was worried that you would leave me. 0:21:09.600 --> 0:21:13.280 What did that mean? Honest about what? That he was 0:21:13.320 --> 0:21:17.080 sexually abusing her son and would abuse another boy, that 0:21:17.200 --> 0:21:18.119 he was a pedophile. 0:21:19.200 --> 0:21:22.160 I wish we somehow could have solved all of this 0:21:22.280 --> 0:21:25.399 without the police, because then maybe we could still have 0:21:25.480 --> 0:21:29.480 our family. But it's with God now. I pray for 0:21:29.520 --> 0:21:32.120 you every day, just like you did for me all 0:21:32.160 --> 0:21:38.080 those years. I pray for your healing and forgiveness. I 0:21:38.119 --> 0:21:42.359 pray for God's mercy. I pray that you find happiness, 0:21:43.200 --> 0:21:48.840 even if that means losing you. I'm sorry for my flaws. 0:21:51.000 --> 0:21:54.600 I'm sorry I let the devil into our lives. 0:21:57.200 --> 0:22:00.399 It was the devil's work, if only the police hadn't 0:22:00.480 --> 0:22:04.000 been involved. Even as he laments the loss of their 0:22:04.000 --> 0:22:13.000 life together, he skirts his responsibility as Justin spent more 0:22:13.000 --> 0:22:16.480 time in jail and became more frustrated with his living conditions. 0:22:17.040 --> 0:22:21.160 He sent another letter escalating his faith based manipulations. 0:22:22.560 --> 0:22:25.560 He was kind of like condemning me for not forgiving him, 0:22:25.600 --> 0:22:27.960 coming at it like, well, I'm just worried, you know, 0:22:28.040 --> 0:22:30.479 like you want to get into heaven, but Stacey, you 0:22:30.520 --> 0:22:34.400 can't with unforgiveness. I was like, oh no, no, no, hold 0:22:34.480 --> 0:22:37.320 up with your Bible vomit. I don't need you to 0:22:37.359 --> 0:22:39.879 tell me how to get in with God, like I 0:22:39.960 --> 0:22:42.400 already know that I'm okay, So you need to worry 0:22:42.400 --> 0:22:46.199 about yourself. So he very much tried to appeal to 0:22:46.240 --> 0:22:47.240 the faith side of me. 0:22:49.960 --> 0:22:53.280 Stacy needed a safe place to grieve and plan her 0:22:53.320 --> 0:22:57.000 next steps. Her sister Heather opened her door once again 0:22:57.080 --> 0:22:59.520 and Stacy and the little ones moved in For about 0:22:59.560 --> 0:23:02.480 six months. It was crowded, but they made it work 0:23:02.680 --> 0:23:04.840 until Stacey could find a home of her own that 0:23:04.920 --> 0:23:10.520 she could afford. In April of twenty twenty two, she 0:23:10.720 --> 0:23:13.920 and the littles moved into an old farmhouse in Jared'stown, 0:23:13.920 --> 0:23:16.959 West Virginia, just down the road from her friend Karen. 0:23:18.040 --> 0:23:21.600 It wasn't the modern five bedroom place they've left in Pennsylvania, 0:23:21.920 --> 0:23:25.280