WEBVTT - The Foursome, The Beach Vacation and The Thrill of the Kill 0:00:01.240 --> 0:00:03.520 Falling in love is the best feeling in the world. 0:00:04.040 --> 0:00:07.560 You see stars, you feel giddy, But sometimes that makes 0:00:07.560 --> 0:00:12.960 you do crazy things, and sometimes that means murder. Just 0:00:13.080 --> 0:00:15.840 because the story starts out with once upon a Times 0:00:16.200 --> 0:00:20.599 doesn't mean it ends happily ever after. Welcome to Crazy 0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:23.919 and Love, a production of Katie Studios and I Heart Radio. 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:27.479 Today's guests are producer Jeff Shane and the host of 0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:32.479 the hit podcast Sacred Scandal, Paula Barrows and Melanie Bartley. 0:00:33.159 --> 0:00:38.080 Paula is a voice actress, comedian, writer and producer. Melanie 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:42.479 is a documentary filmmaker and producer. Paula can be found 0:00:42.520 --> 0:00:47.199 on Instagram at Polly Me, and all episodes of Sacred 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:52.680 Scandal can be found wherever you get your podcasts. Episode 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:57.480 The Case of the Foursome, The Beach Vacation, and The 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:05.280 Thrill of the Kill. On May twenty nine, two and 0:01:05.360 --> 0:01:08.319 two police received a phone call about a potential missing 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:13.679 person's report. A couple had been vacationing in Ocean City, Maryland, 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:17.080 over Memorial Day weekend and failed to come home when 0:01:17.080 --> 0:01:21.759 the holiday ended. Friends and family were concerned about the couple. 0:01:22.400 --> 0:01:25.720 When police arrived at the couple's vacation rental condo. It 0:01:25.800 --> 0:01:33.520 looked undisturbed. Their car sat untouched in the parking lot. Meanwhile, 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:38.319 police searched another condo nearby and discovered a very different scene. 0:01:39.400 --> 0:01:43.039 Bullet holes lined the wall, blood had dried on the floor. 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:48.960 A terrible crime had clearly been committed. Two nearly identical 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:53.240 vacation units rented by two similar couples, both at the 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:57.200 center of this beachside mystery. By the end of the 0:01:57.240 --> 0:02:02.000 police investigation, detectives realized that one duo was dead and 0:02:02.080 --> 0:02:06.160 the other were the killers. But how did these two 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:10.120 romantic pairs cross paths and made a violent and dreadful end. 0:02:11.760 --> 0:02:15.600 Let's go back to see how it all started. Here's Melanie, 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:19.519 So let's talk about couple number one first, Joshua Ford 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:23.440 and Jeannie crutch Ley. They were both from Fairfax, Virginia. 0:02:23.680 --> 0:02:26.360 They were both successful business people. He worked as a 0:02:26.400 --> 0:02:29.440 mortgage banker and she was an insurance They met at 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:33.040 a Christmas party back in Boston and started dating. Two 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:35.280 years later, when josh was moving back to the d 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:38.239 C Area for work, Jeannie decided to come with him, 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:41.120 and so they moved in together. So it was a 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:44.679 May December relationship. There was a huge age gap there. 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:47.880 Jeannie was fifty two and he was thirty eight, so 0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:50.760 I guess he was just smitten with her and they 0:02:50.760 --> 0:02:55.120 got together. Josh was also like really religious, into the church, 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:59.440 volunteering all the time, and Jeannie was not so much 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:01.399 into that. But you know, it was still working out. 0:03:01.680 --> 0:03:06.520 She had been divorced before dating Josh. Everything was going great, 0:03:06.760 --> 0:03:09.320 and you know, they went on this vacation to the 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:11.760 beach and they thought this was going to be a wonderful, 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:15.720 awesome escape from real life and it's gonna be fun. Yeah. 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:17.600 We I mean, we hear a lot about relationships that 0:03:17.680 --> 0:03:19.680 kind of opposites attracted, and it seemed like despite their 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:23.000 age differences and maybe he was more religious than she was, 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:25.800 they really seemed to have a connection definitely, And he 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:29.040 was a good church boy, which you know, after her 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:30.960 having going through a divorce and stuff, she probably just 0:03:30.960 --> 0:03:34.399 wanted a good boy and that was Josh. The other 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:37.600 romantic pair at the center of this horrific crime was 0:03:37.840 --> 0:03:43.200 Erica and Benjamin Cyfrid. Erica grew up in Pennsylvania and 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:45.800 came from a very rich family. As an only child, 0:03:45.840 --> 0:03:48.960 her parents had very high expectations for her, and she 0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:51.800 seemed to match. Though she was an excellent basketball player 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:54.920 and student, she graduated number one in her class. In college, 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:57.600 she continued to play basketball and thrived, but off the 0:03:57.600 --> 0:04:00.320 court she struggled. She had severe anxiety and a c D, 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:03.480 which endered her academic career. And so when she was 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:07.680 in senior year, she meets Benjamin or b J as 0:04:07.760 --> 0:04:10.160 he was known. She meets him at a bar, right, 0:04:10.200 --> 0:04:14.840 and this guy's tall, fit, hot, everything she was looking for. 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:18.360 He was a Navy seal station in the area, so 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:20.880 she is smitten by him. They have the same thing 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:25.240 in common. Excellent in sports, also really smart. This is 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:28.920 a guy that finished first in the Navy seal recruit class, 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:30.960 you know, and he was the youngest one to do so. 0:04:31.560 --> 0:04:35.240 So yeah, he was a cash and she felt for him. 0:04:35.360 --> 0:04:38.480 I think they both started developing a wild side into 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:41.960 the relationship. He was a bench drinker, they liked to party, 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:44.120 all of that, and she joined him on that. But 0:04:44.240 --> 0:04:46.600 you know, when you ask people that knew him, they 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:49.080 would say that he would drink for two days straight 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:52.240 and get no sleep and go to sleep wasted, and 0:04:52.279 --> 0:04:54.080 then the next morning wake up and go run a 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:57.479 marathon and come in first place. Just amazing. Wow. So 0:04:57.480 --> 0:04:59.680 it seems like this couple has more in common for 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:01.920 both good and bad. They're both very smart but also 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:04.640 like to have a good time. Maybe too good of 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:06.880 a time, definitely they Yeah, they seem like a better 0:05:06.960 --> 0:05:09.320 a better match. You also around the same age. He's 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:10.880 like the kind of guy who are just like so 0:05:11.040 --> 0:05:13.600 driven and works so much, and they're just like perfect 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:16.160 person and they can also party and then the next 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:18.640 day they're just fine and they can run marathons. But 0:05:18.760 --> 0:05:21.359 there's always I felt like a little bit of a 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:24.240 dark side to those people, and always like there's you're 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:27.640 hiding something. You can't be this perfect. Yeah, I've never 0:05:27.640 --> 0:05:29.360 been able to drink and then go run a marathon, 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:32.880 so there's something they're very suspicious. I would imagine Erica, 0:05:32.960 --> 0:05:35.280 coming from this rich, well to do family that put 0:05:35.279 --> 0:05:37.800 a lot of pressure on her, probably was attracted to 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:41.240 the fact that not only b J was smart and academic, 0:05:41.240 --> 0:05:42.560 but also like to have a good time, Like she 0:05:42.680 --> 0:05:45.719 was probably so desperate to let loose that that was 0:05:45.920 --> 0:05:48.919 appealing to her. Yes, And I think I would imagine 0:05:48.960 --> 0:05:51.160 for someone with severe anxiety and o c D it's 0:05:51.160 --> 0:05:55.480 probably not good too to start drinking heavily. Yeah, I 0:05:55.720 --> 0:05:58.320 can imagine he probably unlocked this side of her that 0:05:58.400 --> 0:06:01.360 was kind of being so altered, or just being an 0:06:01.360 --> 0:06:05.400 overachiever and being so perfect, like a perfect girl. Finally 0:06:05.440 --> 0:06:07.880 having the chance to let loose and then be a mess, 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:10.800 and just she needed that. Probably after graduating first in 0:06:10.800 --> 0:06:14.760 your class and fulfilling everyone's expectations, I could see turning 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:18.480 into a party girl. Erica and BJ shocked friends when 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:21.520 three weeks into their relationship they eloped in Las Vegas, 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:25.120 but the couple had a rough patch when BJ got 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:28.920 sent to Alaska for the Navy. Erica became jealous and 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:32.480 forced her new husband to choose between her and the Seals. 0:06:33.560 --> 0:06:37.040 B J chose love. The new Lueds moved back to 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:41.000 Erica's hometown, where, with the help of her parents, she 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:45.279 opened a scrap booking store called Memory Lane. They also 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:49.640 started selling merchandise on eBay to make extra cash. Their 0:06:49.680 --> 0:06:55.360 biggest selling items were of one variety Hooters Here's Melanie. 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:59.960 Hooters was a big obsession for Erica. Yes, the rest 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:04.479 strong chain that focuses on the waitresses breasts. She loved 0:07:04.480 --> 0:07:07.320 the food and the ambiance. But more than that, she 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:12.640 loved the merch. She collected hats, shirts, cops, really anything 0:07:12.680 --> 0:07:15.200 that she could get her hands on. It was described 0:07:15.240 --> 0:07:17.120 as kind of like a fetish for her. I just 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:19.600 don't understand it. It was just the brand she liked. 0:07:19.680 --> 0:07:23.480 I really like hope that it's ironic. No, but that's crazy. 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:26.200 Maybe she really liked Orange. I don't know. Or maybe 0:07:26.200 --> 0:07:28.640 it was again tying back to she had the strict 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:31.280 upbringing this idea that a woman could be free and 0:07:31.360 --> 0:07:33.640 do what she wanted with her body. Maybe that was 0:07:34.120 --> 0:07:36.920 something that she had never been able to do, and 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:38.640 b J was bringing that side out of her with 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:42.040 the partying, and so maybe Hooters kind of encompassed all 0:07:42.080 --> 0:07:44.640 of that fun. It's a really good point. B J 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:48.440 got even into a worst obsession at twenty three years old, 0:07:49.120 --> 0:07:53.720 became obsessed with the Aryan lifestyle. He got a swastika 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:57.920 tattoo on his chest. Huge. This guy was like just 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:02.000 out of control. He got pet snakes that he named 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:07.000 Hitler and HIV like things that kill people. The pair 0:08:07.120 --> 0:08:10.000 were becoming really bad influences on each other. They were 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:14.040 partying a lot, doing cocaine and just getting worse and worse, 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:17.320 just beating each other's bad habits. When Erica met b J, 0:08:17.520 --> 0:08:20.200 he was the straight laced navy seal and now all 0:08:20.200 --> 0:08:23.040 of a sudden, he's getting a massive swatstick a tattoo 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:26.240 on his chest and it's a big shift. So I 0:08:26.240 --> 0:08:28.840 wonder what is going on in their heads, if she's 0:08:28.880 --> 0:08:31.240 into that, if she's okay with it, what her parents thinking. 0:08:31.240 --> 0:08:33.760 I mean they're living at their parents house. Yeah, this 0:08:33.920 --> 0:08:37.120 is making Erica's obsession with Hooters look a lot better, 0:08:37.400 --> 0:08:39.720 that is true. And he's cute. He's like, looks like 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:42.480 a preppy, good college boy. He didn't shave his head 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:44.480 or anything like that. He had like the cute face, 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:47.640 all of that, and then this huge swastika tattoo on 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:52.840 his chest. Insane. So how did these two couples meet 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:56.280 in the beachside paradise of Ocean City and what happened 0:08:56.320 --> 0:08:59.920 to them? On the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, four 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:03.800 days before the missing person's report was filed, Jennie and 0:09:03.880 --> 0:09:06.840 Josh were at a local bar watching a Boston Celtics game. 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:10.000 Josh called his brother at nine thirty pm to say 0:09:10.000 --> 0:09:12.720 they were going bar hopping. It would be the last 0:09:12.760 --> 0:09:17.320 time anyone would ever hear from the couple. May thirty one, 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:20.440 two thousand and two, two days after the missing person's 0:09:20.440 --> 0:09:23.640 report was filed, police received a call about an alarm 0:09:23.679 --> 0:09:26.679 going off at a restaurant at two am. When an 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:29.559 officer arrived, he saw a couple stealing hats and T 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:32.960 shirts and loading them into the car. The couple was 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:37.120 Ariga and b J, and the restaurant was Hooters. The 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:40.040 officer cuffed them both and as he waited for backup, 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:43.480 Erica started to have a panic attack. She begged for 0:09:43.520 --> 0:09:46.440 the officer to get xanex out of her purse. While 0:09:46.480 --> 0:09:49.920 that usually would go against protocol, the officer decided to 0:09:49.960 --> 0:09:53.920 make an exception per her instructions. He located the pills 0:09:53.960 --> 0:09:56.560 in her purse, but that is not all he found. 0:09:57.480 --> 0:10:00.920 Inside her clutch were four shell casings, knife, and two 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:06.520 driver's licenses. The licenses belonged to Jennie and Josh, the 0:10:06.600 --> 0:10:09.640 couple who had been reported missing just two days prior. 0:10:11.400 --> 0:10:13.840 How did Erika and b J know the missing couple 0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:20.199 and were they involved in their disappearance? Here's Jeff So. 0:10:20.440 --> 0:10:23.679 When more cops arrived, Erica and VJ were officially arrested, 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:27.120 and cops searched the couple's jeep, and amongst all the 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:29.520 Hooters gear, they found a parking pass for a local 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:33.079 condo complex. Thinking that Genie and Josh might be there 0:10:33.120 --> 0:10:36.000 and in danger, they rushed over and convinced the manager 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:38.400 to let them in without a warrant. So they go 0:10:38.440 --> 0:10:41.520 in and Jeanie and Josh were not inside. But what 0:10:41.640 --> 0:10:45.000 they did find was a stack of photos that got 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:48.800 their attention. In between all these pictures of Erica and 0:10:48.880 --> 0:10:52.000 b J and enjoying the beach and playing mini golf, 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:57.880 they found pictures of the missing couple. Now this proved 0:10:57.880 --> 0:11:01.360 immediately that there was definitely a link between these two couples. 0:11:02.440 --> 0:11:04.280 Then the c s I team arrived. They did a 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:07.920 full sweep of the unit, and they realized that the 0:11:07.960 --> 0:11:13.160 bathroom looked like it had been completely renovated, fresh drywall, 0:11:13.480 --> 0:11:17.040 a new door. So they just started wondering, you know, 0:11:17.080 --> 0:11:19.920 why would anyone staying for a long weekend do that? 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:22.880 And then police peeled back the paint on the wall 0:11:23.000 --> 0:11:27.920 and found actual bullet holes. Upon closer inspection, they saw 0:11:27.960 --> 0:11:31.840 that blood lined the floor. It seemed that Erica and 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:34.679 b J had done something really horrible in the unit 0:11:35.080 --> 0:11:38.280 and tried really hard to cover up the crime. But 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:41.320 where were Jeanie and Josh? So let's go back. So 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:44.440 Eric and bj are in Ocean City having a good 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:48.320 time and they end up getting arrested per trying to 0:11:48.440 --> 0:11:52.839 steal from Hooters. Yes, which is the dumbest way. I mean, 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:55.360 if you just committed a crime, which it seems like 0:11:55.400 --> 0:11:57.360 a worse crime, which it seems like they did, now 0:11:57.400 --> 0:11:58.760 that we know about this blood and the bullet holes, 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:00.800 why are you then stealing from Hooters in the middle 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:03.280 of the day. And then on top of that, why 0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:05.600 do you ask for the cop to go into your 0:12:05.720 --> 0:12:09.800 purse if you know there's bullet casings and the ideas 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:12.360 of the deceased that you may have killed. I mean, 0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:17.160 the only explanation is that she was trying to get caught. 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:21.440 It wouldn't make sense otherwise, right, Or she's so cocky 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:23.560 and thinks that she can get away with anything that 0:12:23.600 --> 0:12:26.000 the police aren't going to put it together. Or she's 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:29.320 panicking and they and then forgot. That's crazy. I just 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:32.240 can't believe that. It's crazy too, because cops aren't supposed 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:35.360 to administer medication like that. So I mean, on the 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:37.880 one hand, she got lucky that cop would break protocol 0:12:37.920 --> 0:12:39.600 and give her the zandex. But also the cops got 0:12:39.679 --> 0:12:43.280 lucky that that cop broke protocol because they might have 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:46.480 not found the ideas and the bullet casing. That's an 0:12:46.520 --> 0:12:51.880 excellent point. It is an excellent point. At the station 0:12:52.240 --> 0:12:57.000 Ericon BJ were separated at four am. Detectives first tried 0:12:57.040 --> 0:13:00.360 to speak with b J. He told them if they 0:13:00.360 --> 0:13:02.760 wanted to know what happened, they should ask his wife, 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:05.600 and that he wouldn't say anything else without a lawyer. 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:09.480 His wife, Ericap proved to be much more of an 0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:14.040 open book, and so Erica started first by telling the 0:13:14.080 --> 0:13:17.280 cops how they met Jeannie and Josh. She says that 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:19.760 on Saturday night, Erica and b J were headed to 0:13:19.800 --> 0:13:23.760 a nightclub, you know, via a shuttle, but they realized 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:27.040 that they needed exact change to get on. Then Josh 0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:29.520 comes in offers to pay for their fare, and once 0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:32.400 they got to the club, Erica and b J buy 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:34.559 them a drink to thank them, and that's how they 0:13:34.600 --> 0:13:40.200 meet kindness. We're going to take a break, we'll be 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:57.120 back in just a moment. So after hours of dancing 0:13:57.160 --> 0:13:59.320 and drinking. The club was starting to close, I mean, 0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:01.960 it was late and it and the couple just wanted 0:14:02.000 --> 0:14:06.200 to keep the party going. So Erica and b J go, hey, guys, 0:14:06.280 --> 0:14:09.240 come back to our condom. So off go Jennie and 0:14:09.320 --> 0:14:13.079 Josh to Erica and BJ's condom. They keep drinking. After 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:17.520 a few drinks, Erica notices that her purse goes missing. Well, 0:14:17.559 --> 0:14:19.560 she starts looking for it everywhere, and then she accuses 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:23.560 Genie of taking it. This big argument ensues. It got 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:25.520 so bad that at one point Erica called nine when 0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:28.880 one and tried to report the stolen purse. But she 0:14:29.080 --> 0:14:30.520 was kind of making no sense on the call and 0:14:30.560 --> 0:14:34.200 sounds a little confused and disoriented, and before the dispatrick 0:14:34.240 --> 0:14:35.880 can get any real information out of her, the call 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:39.680 got disconnected, so that call was never linked to the 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:43.720 crime till after the fact. But what she said was 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:46.200 that after that call got disconnected that b J actually 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:48.720 got so worked up he pulled a gun on Genie 0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:52.760 and Josh. They were denying stealing the purse, and b 0:14:52.920 --> 0:14:54.520 J had the idea that he should got them naked 0:14:54.560 --> 0:14:57.000 to prove that they didn't have it on their bodies. 0:14:57.280 --> 0:14:59.680 So they obliged and Once they were naked, no purse appeared, 0:15:00.360 --> 0:15:02.560 and Erica BJ weren't sure what to do at that moment, 0:15:02.880 --> 0:15:05.360 and it was then that Jennie and Josh ran into 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:07.440 the bathroom and locked the door, trying to hide. BJ 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:09.200 got so mad he kicked on the door and Josh 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:12.240 begged to know why they were doing this. According to Erica, 0:15:12.320 --> 0:15:13.960 it was at this point that her husband said see 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:16.240 you later, motherfucker, and shot him in the head. At 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:18.280 this point, Jeannie was terrified and she was hiding under 0:15:18.280 --> 0:15:20.120 the van and be begging for her life in this 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:22.440 brutal fashion. Erica described that her cries were like a 0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:25.480 baby whimpering, and at this point b J shot her twice. 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:29.200 While Erica claimed not to have seen the actual killings, 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:32.680 she did have a big role in disposing of the bodies. 0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:38.280 Erica and b J cut off Genie's and Josh's arms, legs, 0:15:38.640 --> 0:15:42.960 and heads and put them into different dumpsters. A few 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:46.920 days later, police found Jeannie's leg and Josh's torso in 0:15:46.960 --> 0:15:51.280 a landfill. When the police interrogated the couple again, BJ 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:54.440 still remained tight lipped, but Erica had a lot more 0:15:54.520 --> 0:15:57.560 to say. She told cops that she only covered up 0:15:57.560 --> 0:16:00.400 the Hainous murders because she was afraid if she didn't, 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:04.280 b J would kill her too. She started telling police 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:08.480 that BJ was controlling and abusive, both physically and emotionally, 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:11.720 a story that could never be corroborated. So they were 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:14.960 skeptical of this whole battered wife's story. They're not believing it, 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:17.280 but they still feel like they need Erica if they 0:16:17.320 --> 0:16:19.760 want to convict b J, so they offer her this 0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:23.200 whole deal. They're like, Okay, you testify against him and 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:25.800 then we'll give you a plea deal. The only caveat 0:16:25.840 --> 0:16:27.840 was that she had to pass a polygraph test to 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:32.000 prove that she wasn't lying. And this is where everything changes, okay, 0:16:32.040 --> 0:16:35.000 because right before the polygraph, the cops like do this 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:37.200 pre interview thing where they ask her a bunch of questions, 0:16:37.280 --> 0:16:40.440 and Erica changes the story. She goes from like not 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:43.280 having a role at all in the killing to admitting 0:16:43.440 --> 0:16:46.960 this tiny, minor, little detail. She admits to the cops 0:16:47.360 --> 0:16:50.200 that after b J shot Jeanie, he tells her go 0:16:50.640 --> 0:16:54.560 make sure that Jeanie's dead, and instead of just checking 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:58.920 her pulse, what she did was taken knife and stab her. 0:16:59.400 --> 0:17:01.920 This changed everything immediately the plea deal was off the 0:17:01.960 --> 0:17:05.879 table because Erica was a killer herself, and now both 0:17:06.119 --> 0:17:09.640 Erica and b J would be going to trial for murder. 0:17:10.040 --> 0:17:12.879 It just seems crazy that they killed the couple and 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:15.959 then dismember them in such a way like that. Asks 0:17:16.080 --> 0:17:17.679 to me, seems like it would have to be a 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:20.160 little planned or premeditated, because where do you even get 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:23.639 the tools to dismember someone at, you know, in the 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:27.359 middle of the night. Yeah, it's really strange. It doesn't 0:17:27.359 --> 0:17:30.760 make any sense to me. Also, that they would spend 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:34.800 so much time renovating the bathroom to hide the blood 0:17:34.800 --> 0:17:40.600 and the bullet holes, but then getting caught robbing hooters 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:42.920 with their ideas in the in the purse. It's like 0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:45.800 they spend so much time covering certain things up but 0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:49.520 then made the biggest mistakes in other ways. They needed 0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:52.560 the T shirts like they needed these hats, you know 0:17:52.600 --> 0:17:54.800 what I mean? Now that is crazy. You paint the 0:17:54.920 --> 0:17:57.040 entire bathroom, you get a new door, you do all that, 0:17:57.119 --> 0:17:59.600 and you're like, now all we need is new knew 0:17:59.760 --> 0:18:02.480 who hers merch well and that Erica was so forthcoming, 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:04.200 like she spilled the beans right away. What do you 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:06.159 guys make of that. I just think I think it's 0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:07.959 a lack of i Q here. I mean, it just 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:10.320 it's got to be. But we know she's smart. I 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:12.600 mean she was the number one student in her class. 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:15.240 That's that's a that's an argument. But I also when 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:17.760 you're when you're having an anxiety attack, I think fight 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:19.879 or flight mode takes in and she's not thinking of 0:18:19.960 --> 0:18:22.280 the licenses that are next to his annex. But when 0:18:22.320 --> 0:18:25.600 she gets questioned, she's she's so forthcoming, which makes me 0:18:25.640 --> 0:18:28.560 think of a spoiled brat kind of who like thinks 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:32.360 she can get away with everything. That maybe she's gonna 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:35.480 find a way to blame b J for being abusive, 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:37.560 and she was afraid of him, and he's the one 0:18:37.600 --> 0:18:39.600 with the swatstick a tattoo, you know, so like you 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:42.600 could easily blame any death or whatever on him. But 0:18:42.840 --> 0:18:45.840 insane that she would admit to that right away. Yeah, 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:47.560 you're absolutely right. I think she thought she would get 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:49.919 away with it. And also, I think Erica was just 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:53.280 book smart. I I honestly don't think Erica was very 0:18:53.359 --> 0:18:56.359 smart at you know, just logic stuff. I think she 0:18:56.480 --> 0:18:59.920 was just book smart because these are big mistakes I've 0:19:00.240 --> 0:19:02.760 interesting to the b JO. The only thing he'll stay 0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:04.440 to the police before he lawures up is go ask 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:07.840 my wife. So he's kind of trying to maybe point 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:10.280 the finger at her, not as explicitly as she pointed 0:19:10.320 --> 0:19:13.439 at him, But they're already kind of cracks in that 0:19:13.560 --> 0:19:16.840 once very tight relationship as soon as they get in trouble. Yeah, 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:19.119 it took him really no time to start pointing fingers 0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:23.880 at each other. Yeah, it's a not a very strong marriage. 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:27.800 And is anyone else getting natural born killers vibes here? 0:19:27.880 --> 0:19:31.880 The Oliver's Stone movie. That's kind of like the same characters, right, 0:19:32.119 --> 0:19:35.640 the Woody Harrelson character with the tattoos and the snakes, 0:19:35.720 --> 0:19:39.240 and then like Juliet Lewis. I don't know, I can 0:19:39.320 --> 0:19:42.840 totally imagine them like watching that movie and being super inspired. 0:19:43.760 --> 0:19:45.959 She kind of looks like Juliet Lewis with that smirk. 0:19:47.320 --> 0:19:50.000 Good analogy, Mail. I mean, it's interesting too that the 0:19:50.080 --> 0:19:53.719 pictures of mini golf and all the fun they were 0:19:53.720 --> 0:19:57.240 having on their vacation were taken after the photos of 0:19:57.280 --> 0:19:59.919 Genie and Job, So that means that they allegedly come 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:02.639 at this heinous, heinous crime and then go out and 0:20:02.640 --> 0:20:09.040 continue on their fun beach vacation. Yeah. The back to 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:11.720 back trial started in April two thousand and three, with 0:20:11.840 --> 0:20:16.439 b J going first. The snake and swastika loving former 0:20:16.520 --> 0:20:19.280 Navy seal claimed that during the killings, he was asleep 0:20:19.320 --> 0:20:21.720 in the car and only found out what happened when 0:20:21.720 --> 0:20:24.280 he came upstairs and his wife was standing over two 0:20:24.359 --> 0:20:28.960 dead bodies. At her trial, Erica stuck with her story 0:20:29.040 --> 0:20:34.360 about being afraid of BJ's violent temper. So at BJ's 0:20:34.359 --> 0:20:37.160 trial there was a surprise witness, and no one was expecting. 0:20:37.600 --> 0:20:41.800 A woman named Melissa Selling testified that Memorial Day weekend, 0:20:42.280 --> 0:20:45.159 she and her boyfriend had also met the killer couple 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:48.840 and had an eerily similar experience. After drinking at a 0:20:48.840 --> 0:20:52.320 bar together, BJ and Erica invited them back to their condo. 0:20:53.040 --> 0:20:57.240 Once they got there, Erica accused Melissa of stealing her purse. 0:20:58.080 --> 0:21:00.480 B J pulls out a gun. Luck really. When he 0:21:00.520 --> 0:21:03.280 turns away, Melissa and her boyfriend are able to escape. 0:21:04.040 --> 0:21:24.040 Sound familiar. Let's stop here for another break. The big 0:21:24.119 --> 0:21:27.000 question for me is why why would this good looking 0:21:27.000 --> 0:21:30.040 couple who were clearly smart and had opportunities be stealing 0:21:30.040 --> 0:21:32.439 from Hooters and killing people. We did a little bit 0:21:32.440 --> 0:21:35.320 of research, and a term that kind of came to 0:21:35.480 --> 0:21:38.760 mind with this particular crime is thrill kill. And a 0:21:38.800 --> 0:21:41.240 thrill kill is a premeditated, a random murder that is 0:21:41.320 --> 0:21:44.840 motivated by the sheer excitement of the act. And it 0:21:44.880 --> 0:21:47.040 seems that Eric and be kind of fit into this 0:21:47.119 --> 0:21:49.719 because they each had a darkness and when they got together, 0:21:49.760 --> 0:21:53.640 those desires were finally set free. Think about them stealing 0:21:53.640 --> 0:21:55.840 from Hooters the whole reason they got caught. They really 0:21:55.840 --> 0:21:57.840 only did this for fun. They didn't need to steal 0:21:58.000 --> 0:22:00.920 the T shirts and hats. And the trial, it was 0:22:01.000 --> 0:22:03.400 argued that the murders were premeditated, which was also fit 0:22:03.520 --> 0:22:06.399 into this idea of a thrill kill. The reason the 0:22:06.400 --> 0:22:08.760 prosecutors were able to argue that it was premeditated is 0:22:08.800 --> 0:22:11.520 because blood was only found in the bathroom. The big 0:22:11.600 --> 0:22:13.840 question is, how could you kill two people dismember them 0:22:13.920 --> 0:22:18.760 without getting blood anywhere else except the bathroom. Experts argued 0:22:18.840 --> 0:22:20.720 that they drove to Ocean City with the plan to 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:25.720 kill Erica got a tattoo in the same place that 0:22:25.800 --> 0:22:30.080 she stabbed Jennie. She was also wearing Josh's bloody ring 0:22:30.200 --> 0:22:32.399 around a chain on her neck. It seemed like they 0:22:32.440 --> 0:22:36.159 were proud of what they did. And another disgusting detail 0:22:36.160 --> 0:22:39.159