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Speaker 1: School of Humans. Helen Got Murder Line actively investigates cold

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Speaker 1: case murders in an effort to raise public awareness invite

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Speaker 1: witnesses to come forward and present evidence that could potentially

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Speaker 1: be further investigated by law enforcement. While we value insights

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Speaker 1: from family and community members, their statements should not be

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Speaker 1: considered evidence and point to the challenges of verifying facts

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Speaker 1: inherent in cold cases. We remind listeners that everyone has

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Speaker 1: presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Speaker 1: Nothing in the podcast is intended to state or imply

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Speaker 1: that anyone who has not been convicted of a crime

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Speaker 1: is guilty of any wrongdoing. Thanks for listening.

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Speaker 2: On Monday, December eleventh, twenty twenty three, twenty two year

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Speaker 2: old Lauren Johansson and her boyfriend Bryson Rivers were on

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Speaker 2: vacation in Nashville and out at the var Bryson and

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Speaker 2: Lauren had known each other for years. They had dated

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Speaker 2: on and off since high school, and on the surface,

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Speaker 2: they seemed happy. You can look online and see that.

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Speaker 2: Photographs of Lauren and Bryson from that time period show

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Speaker 2: a smiling, happy, young couple who were in love, but

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Speaker 2: behind the scenes that relationship was violent. Lauren's father, Lance Johansson,

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Speaker 2: later told police that Bryson was physically abusive to his

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Speaker 2: daughter and that Bryson had stalked Lauren for years. On

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Speaker 2: December eleventh, things took a horrific turn. Lauren and Bryson

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Speaker 2: were hanging out at a bar when Bryson flew into

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Speaker 2: a jealous rage and accused Lauren of having sex with

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Speaker 2: a bartender. The fight continued after they left the bar

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Speaker 2: in a vehicle, and the fight escalated. Police came to

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Speaker 2: the scene and found Lauren screaming in a parking lot.

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Speaker 2: She had been hit dozens of times and the inside

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Speaker 2: of the car was covered in blood. Police arrested Bryson

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Speaker 2: and he was charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated stocking, and

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Speaker 2: coercion of a witness. He was taken to jail and

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Speaker 2: a judge set his bail at two hundred and fifty

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Speaker 2: thousand dollars. It seemed like Lauren and Bryson's violent relationship

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Speaker 2: was finally at an end, but tragically that was not

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Speaker 2: the case. Lauren Johansson's father, Lance attended Bryson's hearing with

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Speaker 2: his daughter. He later told the news station w LOX

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Speaker 2: quote I sat in the courtroom in Nashville and told

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Speaker 2: the judge that if they let him out, he was going.

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Speaker 3: To kill her. He had assaulted her.

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Speaker 2: This was probably the fifth or sixth time where they

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Speaker 2: would get into a fight and he would beat her.

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Speaker 2: We would get her away from him for a while,

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Speaker 2: but he would find a way to weasel back.

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Speaker 3: In end quote.

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Speaker 2: Later, Bryson's lawyer asked for a reduced bond, and in

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Speaker 2: March the judge, Cheryl Blackburn, agreed to lower the bond

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Speaker 2: amount to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. This meant

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Speaker 2: that Bryson's mother could afford to put up the twelve

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Speaker 2: thousand dollars needed to secure his release with the help

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Speaker 2: of two bailbond companies. So on June twenty fourth, twenty

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Speaker 2: twenty four, Bryson Rivers was released.

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Speaker 3: From the Davidson County Jail.

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Speaker 2: Eight days later, Lauren Johansson was found dead in the

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Speaker 2: trunk of her car. Lauren's father told WLX quote, I

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Speaker 2: knew she was dead.

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Speaker 3: She was basically beaten to death.

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Speaker 2: Her face was smashed in, her head was smashed in,

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Speaker 2: she was brutally beaten to the point she couldn't see

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Speaker 2: out of either eye. When she finally died, there were

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Speaker 2: multiple holes.

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Speaker 3: In her head. End quote.

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Speaker 2: I'm Catherine Townsend. Over the past seven years of making

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Speaker 2: my true crime podcast, Helling Gone, I've learned that there

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Speaker 2: is no such thing as a small town where murder

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Speaker 2: never happens. I have received hundreds of messages from people

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Speaker 2: all around the country asking for help with an unsolved

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Speaker 2: murder that's affected them, their faire families, and their communities.

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Speaker 2: If you have a case you'd like me and my

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Speaker 2: team to look into, you can reach out to us

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Speaker 2: at our Helen Gone Murder Line at six seven eight

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Speaker 2: seven four four six one four five. That's six seven

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Speaker 2: eight seven four four six one four five, or you

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Speaker 2: can send us a message on Instagram at Helen Gonepod.

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Speaker 2: This is Helen Gone Murder Line. Lauren Johanson's murder was

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Speaker 2: not a who done it?

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Speaker 3: Instead.

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Speaker 2: I wanted to do this episode because this is something

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Speaker 2: that we see all too often.

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Speaker 3: How could the system fail her like this?

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Speaker 2: As we'll talk about here, police chased Bryson, their only suspect,

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Speaker 2: into the woods shortly after Lauren's body was found. They

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Speaker 2: had him on camera stalking her, and he confessed to

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Speaker 2: a family member. On this podcast, we get so many

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Speaker 2: calls from people who were either in a domestic violence

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Speaker 2: situation or have a friend or family member dealing with

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Speaker 2: those issues, and so often the systems that are in

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Speaker 2: place to protect us fail. So I wanted to go

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Speaker 2: back and find out in detail what happened between the

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Speaker 2: time when Bryson was released and the time when Lauren

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Speaker 2: was murdered.

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Speaker 3: First, we're going to back up and.

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Speaker 2: Take a look at the beginning of the relationship. Lauren

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Speaker 2: grew up in Gulfport, Mississippi, with her parents, Lance and Tamala,

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Speaker 2: and three siblings. Her father, Lance is an orthopedic surgeon

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Speaker 2: who has been very outspoken about how much danger his

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Speaker 2: daughter was in from Bryson. He told True Crime News

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Speaker 2: that when Lauren was born, he delivered her himself. In

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Speaker 2: high school, Lauren was popular and made straight a's. According

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Speaker 2: to her father, Bryson was her high school sweetheart. Bryson

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Speaker 2: was a star athlete in high school. He played football,

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Speaker 2: so on paper, Bryson and Lauren looked like the perfect

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Speaker 2: high school couple, but those cute photos hid a very

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Speaker 2: ugly reality. Lauren was being terrorized. Lance told True Crime

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Speaker 2: News that he didn't like Bryson from the very first

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Speaker 2: time he met him, and that he believed that Bryson

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Speaker 2: had influenced his daughter to use drugs in high school.

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Speaker 2: Lance said Lauren's grades dropped after she met Bryson, but

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Speaker 2: he said Lauren was getting back on track and hoping

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Speaker 2: to begin a career in nursing. In an interview with

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Speaker 2: The Daily Mail, Lance said that Lauren struggled with breaking

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Speaker 2: out of what he called an abusive relationship with Bryson

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Speaker 2: for years. He told True Crime News that Bryson would

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Speaker 2: do what he called crazy things, like threatened to kill

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Speaker 2: her dog if Lauren left him. Lance said that when

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Speaker 2: Lauren graduated from high school, she told her father she

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Speaker 2: thought it was over with Bryson, but even after she

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Speaker 2: got accepted to college and went to the University of

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Speaker 2: Southern Mississippi, Bryson was obsessed with Lauren. He tried to

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Speaker 2: stay in constant contact. Her father claimed that Bryson would

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Speaker 2: even break into her home and confront man Lauren was

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Speaker 2: dating and try to start fights. Lauren and Bryson broke

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Speaker 2: up and got back together several times. Reading between the lines,

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Speaker 2: it seems like Lauren didn't tell her family about the

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Speaker 2: last time that they reconciled in late twenty twenty three.

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Speaker 2: In December of twenty twenty three, Lauren and Bryson were

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Speaker 2: on that vacation together in Nashville.

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Speaker 3: There were other.

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Speaker 2: Friends on the vacation too, so Lauren and Bryson went

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Speaker 2: out to bars, saw friends, hung out, and played top golf.

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Speaker 3: They seemed to be having.

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Speaker 2: A good time at least at first, but then on

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Speaker 2: December eleventh, they had that fight, the one where Bryson

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Speaker 2: accused Lauren of having sex with a bartender. He got angry,

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Speaker 2: grabbed her phone, and drove her to a parking lot.

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Speaker 2: Once they were alone and isolated in that car, Bryson

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Speaker 2: started violently beating Lauren with his fists and with a gun.

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Speaker 2: Police also found rocks covered in blood in the car

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Speaker 2: which he had hit her with. Now this went on

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Speaker 2: for three hours. He held Lauren captive in that car.

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Speaker 2: Bryson's mugshot shows his face was completely covered in blood.

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Speaker 2: This attack was brutal and prolonged. At some point, Bryson's mother,

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Speaker 2: Chelsea rivers. Now. It's not clear from media or police

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Speaker 2: reports whether he answered on purpose or accidentally, but whichever

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Speaker 2: it was Bryson's mother could hear what was happening. She

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Speaker 2: called the police and told them where the couple was.

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Speaker 2: Officers rushed to the parking lot and they found Laurence

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Speaker 2: screaming for help. She was wearing just her bra and underwear.

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Speaker 2: She was asking for her father. According to police reports,

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Speaker 2: Lauren was traumatized and was quote severely beaten. Her eye

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Speaker 2: was swollen shut, and she also had a severe laceration

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Speaker 2: to her forehead end quote. Bryson was arrested and charged,

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Speaker 2: and Lauren went back to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where she lived

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Speaker 2: with her sister. They believed that because Bryson was in custody,

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Speaker 2: that Lauren was safe, but they were wrong. Lauren's family

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Speaker 2: first realized that something was very wrong on July first.

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Speaker 2: On that day, her dad, Lanced, said that he received

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Speaker 2: a text message from Lauren's phone. He later said that

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Speaker 2: message did not seem like it came from Lauren, so

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Speaker 2: her family started checking up on her. On Tuesday, July second,

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Speaker 2: Lauren's sister said that she was not at home, and

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Speaker 2: according to court documents, the sister noticed their front door

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Speaker 2: security camera had been destroyed. Lauren's family reported her missing

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Speaker 2: to the Hattiesburg Police Department, and they immediately told the

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Speaker 2: police they suspected that Bryson Rivers was responsible. Shockingly, even

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Speaker 2: though Bryson had been arrested for severely beating Lauren and

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Speaker 2: the bail bond company was supposed to be monitoring him,

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Speaker 2: Lauren's family soon discovered neither police nor the bond company

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Speaker 2: had any idea where he was. The company that was

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Speaker 2: monitoring his ankle bracelet said that on July second, the

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Speaker 2: battery in his device had started to run out and

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Speaker 2: he wasn't responding to messages, so they reached out to

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Speaker 2: his mother. His mother said she hadn't heard from him either,

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Speaker 2: so the court issued a warrant for his arrest. Bryson's

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Speaker 2: ankle monitor had last pinged on Beach Boulevard in Biloxi,

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Speaker 2: but one police were alerted on July second, it was

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Speaker 2: already too late. According to the Harrison County Coroner's Office,

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Speaker 2: Lauren was already dead. What laurence family didn't know was

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Speaker 2: that after Bryson left Tennessee, he had gone straight back

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Speaker 2: to Lauren's house and he had been texting her. Police

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Speaker 2: say he had texted and called her over one hundred

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Speaker 2: and twenty times within a short period of time, but

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Speaker 2: she never responded. Camera foot had showed Bryson being dropped

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Speaker 2: off close to the place where Lauren and her sister

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Speaker 2: lived on South eleventh Avenue in the early morning hours

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Speaker 2: of July second, according to court documents. At that time,

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Speaker 2: Lauren and her sister were home and a male friend

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Speaker 2: of theirs was also there. The male friend told detectives

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Speaker 2: that Lauren was alive. On that morning, July second, between

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Speaker 2: the hours of four am and six am, police took

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Speaker 2: camera footage from laurence neighbors. They saw footage of Bryson

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Speaker 2: walking toward her house at around five am. Cameras show

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Speaker 2: him leaving the house without a shirt on. Then he

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Speaker 2: comes back to the house, gets into laurence car, and

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Speaker 2: backs it out of the driveway. He then returns to

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Speaker 2: the house for just a few minutes before leaving again.

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Speaker 2: After Laurence family reported her missing, police used her car's

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Speaker 2: on Star system to track the vehicle, and on July third,

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Speaker 2: it showed the location as Wolf River Cemetery near some

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Speaker 2: woods in Harrison County. The Hattiesburg Police Department called Harrison

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Speaker 2: County and asked the officers to do a welfare check

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Speaker 2: on her. At that location, a deputy found the car

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Speaker 2: and when he opened the trunk, he found Lauren's body

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Speaker 2: wrapped in a trash bag in sheets from her house.

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Speaker 2: According to court testimony, forensic testing showed that Lauren's body

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Speaker 2: could have been in the air area where she was

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Speaker 2: found for over twenty four hours. The coroner estimated it

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Speaker 2: could have been there anywhere between thirty to thirty five hours.

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Speaker 2: While they were on the scene, police talked to witnesses

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Speaker 2: who said they saw a man running into the woods.

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Speaker 2: Police chased and caught the man who was hiding. The

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Speaker 2: man was Bryson Rivers. They arrested him and took him

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Speaker 2: into custody.

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Speaker 3: This time his bail was set at one million dollars.

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Speaker 2: The evidence against Bryson Rivers is overwhelming. He was caught

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Speaker 2: on camera entering and leaving Lawrence house, he was hiding

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Speaker 2: in the woods, and according to police, during the period

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Speaker 2: when he was hiding in the woods, he called his

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Speaker 2: brother and confessed to Laurence murder. He said, quote, I

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Speaker 2: killed the bitch end quote. But there were still a

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Speaker 2: lot of questions about what happened to Lauren. One of

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Speaker 2: them was where exactly.

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Speaker 3: Was she killed and how.

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Speaker 2: At first, it seemed like police believed she had been

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Speaker 2: murdered at or near the cemetery where her body was found,

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Speaker 2: but later media reports said that new information had led

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Speaker 2: police to believe she may have been killed not in

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Speaker 2: Harrison County, but somewhere else. A news channel interviewed Forest

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Speaker 2: County Sheriff of Charlie Simms, who said that as the

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Speaker 2: investigation continued, evidence started to point to Lauren being killed

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Speaker 2: in Forest County.

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Speaker 3: The investigation involved.

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Speaker 2: Multiple counties, which, as we all know, can lead to

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Speaker 2: more complications. However, in this case, it seems like they

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Speaker 2: were all pretty cooperative. In addition to the police from

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Speaker 2: Harrison County being involved, there was Forest County, the Hattiesburg

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Speaker 2: Police Department, and the Pedal Police Department. Charlie Simms said

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Speaker 2: that Forest County would collect and compile the evidence and

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Speaker 2: present it to the District Attorney's office, and he stressed

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Speaker 2: the importance of communication between all these different agencies, keeping

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Speaker 2: in mind that they all had the same goal catching

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Speaker 2: and bringing Lauren's killer to justice. Bryson Rivers was indicted

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Speaker 2: by a grand jury. He pleaded not guilty to capital

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Speaker 2: murder stealing a vehicle and tampering with evidence. But how

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Speaker 2: did Bryson Rivers end up going from being incarcerated in

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Speaker 2: Davidson County, Tennessee to fleeing the state and stalking and

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Speaker 2: killing Lauren? How was that ever allowed to happen? It

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Speaker 2: turned out that this happened because of a catastrophic series

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Speaker 2: of mistakes, mistakes that Lance Lauren's father believes crossed the

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Speaker 2: line into criminal He is alleged in a civil lawsuit

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Speaker 2: that the administrative errors that were made by the court

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00:16:22,681 --> 00:16:26,761
Speaker 2: and by these bailbond companies directly contributed to his daughter's death.

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Speaker 2: After Bryson was released from prison on Monday, June twenty fourth,

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Speaker 2: at four oh five pm, he was met by a

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Speaker 2: Brooks bailbonding agent. The agent then signed his release form.

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Speaker 2: Now that release form specifies that Bryson was not allowed

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Speaker 2: to leave Davidson County in Tennessee.

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Speaker 3: The judge had.

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00:16:46,161 --> 00:16:48,801
Speaker 2: Ordered him to wear an ankle monitor from a specific

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Speaker 2: company called Tracking Solutions, But because Bryson got out of

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00:16:53,001 --> 00:16:56,081
Speaker 2: jail after four PM, the time that Tracking Solutions closed,

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00:16:56,641 --> 00:16:59,841
Speaker 2: the Brooks bail bonding agent used an ankle monitor supplied

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00:16:59,881 --> 00:17:05,000
Speaker 2: by another company called Freedom Monitoring Services. According to the lawsuit,

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Speaker 2: something happened there that meant that Bryson's bond order form

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00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:13,041
Speaker 2: was not available. The lawsuit stated this happened according to

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Speaker 2: the switch in companies. I want to reiterate all of

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Speaker 2: this information comes from Lance Johansson's lawsuit, and there are

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Speaker 2: obviously two sides to every story, but there are some

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00:17:23,360 --> 00:17:26,640
Speaker 2: things that are not in dispute. The Davidson County Clerk

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00:17:26,721 --> 00:17:30,880
Speaker 2: has publicly admitted that mistakes were made by that office.

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00:17:30,961 --> 00:17:33,600
Speaker 2: They said that none of the conditions of Bryson's release

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00:17:34,041 --> 00:17:36,241
Speaker 2: ever made it to the Sheriff's office when Bryson was

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00:17:36,281 --> 00:17:41,000
Speaker 2: let out. Julius Schlaus, the chief deputy clerk in Davidson County,

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Speaker 2: told news Channel five quote, one of our employees didn't

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Speaker 2: completely follow that process end quote. He said that the

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Speaker 2: employee who made the mistake will face quote some form

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Speaker 2: of disciplinary action, but he didn't specify what kind of

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Speaker 2: disciplinary action that would be. He also said the office

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00:17:58,761 --> 00:18:03,561
Speaker 2: will focus on eliminating human error in future. Lance Johanson's

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00:18:03,601 --> 00:18:07,080
Speaker 2: lawsuit states that it was the bail bond company's responsibility

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Speaker 2: to verify Bryson's release conditions.

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Speaker 3: Either way, I find it.

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Speaker 2: Incredible that a felon who had been charged with kidnapping, stalking,

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Speaker 2: and coercion was allowed to walk away and lead the state.

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00:18:20,441 --> 00:18:24,880
Speaker 2: And also the GPS parameters were never set so that

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00:18:24,921 --> 00:18:27,600
Speaker 2: there would be an alert if Bryson left Davidson County.

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00:18:28,521 --> 00:18:33,201
Speaker 2: Freedom Monitoring finally got Bryson's bond paperwork several days later.

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Speaker 2: On that same day, they noticed that Bryson was not

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00:18:36,881 --> 00:18:40,041
Speaker 2: responding to alerts. They couldn't get in touch with him,

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00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:42,001
Speaker 2: so they ordered him to come in and get fitted

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00:18:42,001 --> 00:18:46,201
Speaker 2: with a new monitor. In all that time, the lawsuit

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00:18:46,241 --> 00:18:49,761
Speaker 2: alleges that Brooks bail bonding did not communicate the conditions

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00:18:49,761 --> 00:18:54,081
Speaker 2: of release to Freedom Monitoring. It was Bryson's probation officer

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00:18:54,241 --> 00:18:57,961
Speaker 2: who eventually noticed that Bryson was failing to respond. This

295
00:18:58,161 --> 00:19:01,081
Speaker 2: chain of events led to the District Attorney's office being

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00:19:01,121 --> 00:19:05,281
Speaker 2: contacted and to the DA's office finally reaching out to

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Speaker 2: the Johansson family. This was the first time that the

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00:19:08,761 --> 00:19:13,321
Speaker 2: Johansson family was contacted. The District Attorney's office called Lance

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00:19:13,361 --> 00:19:16,521
Speaker 2: and told him that Bryson had not reported in for

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Speaker 2: the new ankle monitor fitting and that they couldn't get

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Speaker 2: into contact with him.

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00:19:21,401 --> 00:19:25,080
Speaker 1: Bryson Rivers was released from custodies and he has not

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00:19:25,161 --> 00:19:26,921
Speaker 1: been heard from. So I want to make sure that

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Speaker 1: Lauren is safe and that you all take proper precautions.

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00:19:30,881 --> 00:19:35,321
Speaker 2: Tragically, Lance did not hear that message until Monday. By then,

306
00:19:36,161 --> 00:19:46,641
Speaker 2: Lauren was already dead. The discovery of Lauren's body, investigators

307
00:19:46,641 --> 00:19:49,360
Speaker 2: were trying to piece together what happened and how Bryson

308
00:19:49,441 --> 00:19:54,201
Speaker 2: Rivers could have slipped through the cracks. On June twenty eighth,

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00:19:54,681 --> 00:19:58,481
Speaker 2: the bail bond company knew Bryson had violated his bond conditions.

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00:19:59,041 --> 00:20:02,081
Speaker 2: On Saturday, June twenty ninth, Bryson reported in to get

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00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:06,360
Speaker 2: a new GPS monitor fitted, but again, for the second time,

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00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:09,721
Speaker 2: there was no alert put in place if Bryson left town.

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Speaker 2: By that Monday, when the company Freedom Monitoring called Bryson

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00:20:14,001 --> 00:20:16,161
Speaker 2: and told him his monitor battery had gone down to

315
00:20:16,201 --> 00:20:19,321
Speaker 2: six percent, he called back and said he couldn't come

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Speaker 2: to court in Nashville the next day. He claimed it

317
00:20:22,241 --> 00:20:25,681
Speaker 2: was because he had no transportation. Now by this point

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00:20:25,761 --> 00:20:28,521
Speaker 2: he had crossed county and state lines and was already

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Speaker 2: in Biloxi. And yet nothing happened as a result of that,

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Speaker 2: except that the court issued a warrant for him, and

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00:20:35,321 --> 00:20:38,081
Speaker 2: by the time they figured this all out, a deputy

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00:20:38,121 --> 00:20:40,721
Speaker 2: had found the car in the woods with Lawrence's body

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00:20:40,721 --> 00:20:43,920
Speaker 2: wrapped in a sheet, and Lawrence's family wanted to know

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Speaker 2: how it could have happened that he was taken to

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00:20:46,361 --> 00:20:48,761
Speaker 2: the wrong company in the first place, because he got

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00:20:48,761 --> 00:20:51,761
Speaker 2: out five minutes late, why they didn't communicate that he

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00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,121
Speaker 2: wasn't allowed to leave the county, and why the GPS

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00:20:55,161 --> 00:20:58,400
Speaker 2: tracker on the ankle monitor was never programmed to alert

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00:20:58,521 --> 00:21:03,120
Speaker 2: if he left Davidson County. Lance Johansson filed a civil

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Speaker 2: lawsuit against Brooks Bonding, the bail bonding company, and the

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00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:09,441
Speaker 2: civil lawsuit for me really highlights how a lot of

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00:21:09,441 --> 00:21:13,761
Speaker 2: these things work. It's really shocking how little supervision there

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00:21:13,881 --> 00:21:17,160
Speaker 2: is when the court puts conditions on a defendant. Because

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00:21:17,401 --> 00:21:19,841
Speaker 2: after Bryson's bail was lowered to one hundred and fifty

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00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,481
Speaker 2: thousand dollars by Judge Blackburn at that bond hearing on

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00:21:22,561 --> 00:21:27,160
Speaker 2: June fifth, Judge Blackburn had set bond conditions. Bryson was

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00:21:27,161 --> 00:21:29,801
Speaker 2: supposed to wear a GPS bracelet, he was supposed to

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00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:32,840
Speaker 2: stay in Davidson County. He had told the court he

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00:21:32,881 --> 00:21:35,161
Speaker 2: would be living with his mother in Nashville, and apparently

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00:21:35,161 --> 00:21:37,801
Speaker 2: no one was checking on that, and it was emphasized

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00:21:38,121 --> 00:21:42,600
Speaker 2: he was to have absolutely no contact with Lauren in

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00:21:42,681 --> 00:21:44,601
Speaker 2: case there are people out there who don't know how

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00:21:44,601 --> 00:21:47,600
Speaker 2: a bailbond system works. What happens is that the bond

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00:21:47,601 --> 00:21:51,120
Speaker 2: company will take a deposit, normally around ten percent of

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00:21:51,161 --> 00:21:54,081
Speaker 2: the amount of money they're putting up. Then they give

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00:21:54,121 --> 00:21:56,281
Speaker 2: the money to the court so the inmate can be released.

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00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:59,201
Speaker 2: If the inmate fails to show up in court later,

348
00:21:59,641 --> 00:22:02,041
Speaker 2: the bail bond officers will go after and try to

349
00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:06,561
Speaker 2: apprehend the suspect. Two different bail bond companies were responsible

350
00:22:06,641 --> 00:22:10,360
Speaker 2: for Bryson Rivers Release, Brooks bonding, and on time bonding.

351
00:22:10,921 --> 00:22:13,840
Speaker 2: Each company posted a seventy five thousand dollars bond to

352
00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:18,121
Speaker 2: the Davidson County Warrant in Bond Office. Lauren's family alleges

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00:22:18,161 --> 00:22:21,241
Speaker 2: that from the beginning, these bond companies should have known

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Speaker 2: that because this defendant was facing serious felony charges, they

355
00:22:24,921 --> 00:22:27,721
Speaker 2: should have been diligent about getting information about the exact

356
00:22:27,801 --> 00:22:33,001
Speaker 2: conditions of Bryson's release, but they didn't. Instead, according to

357
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Speaker 2: the lawsuit, after Bryson was released from jail. On June

358
00:22:36,321 --> 00:22:39,840
Speaker 2: twenty fourth, an agent from Brooks Bail Bonding picked Bryson

359
00:22:39,921 --> 00:22:42,640
Speaker 2: up and then went back to the office. At that point,

360
00:22:42,681 --> 00:22:46,160
Speaker 2: they realized the Core ordered monitoring service was closed, so

361
00:22:46,521 --> 00:22:50,481
Speaker 2: they contacted the owner of the company. She allegedly told

362
00:22:50,521 --> 00:22:52,761
Speaker 2: the employee that wasn't a problem. They could use a

363
00:22:52,801 --> 00:22:56,400
Speaker 2: GPS device from this other company called Freedom Monitoring. So

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00:22:56,481 --> 00:22:59,561
Speaker 2: the agent put the Ankle monitor on Bryson, but did

365
00:22:59,601 --> 00:23:02,321
Speaker 2: not program the monitor so that an alert would go

366
00:23:02,361 --> 00:23:05,600
Speaker 2: off if he left the county. The lawsuit states that

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00:23:05,681 --> 00:23:08,441
Speaker 2: the bail bond company knew that Bryson was planning to

368
00:23:08,521 --> 00:23:11,441
Speaker 2: leave town, because they said Bryson didn't hide that fact.

369
00:23:12,121 --> 00:23:13,921
Speaker 3: Bryson's mother, Chelsea.

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00:23:13,681 --> 00:23:16,321
Speaker 2: Sent Brooks Bonding Company one hundred and thirty dollars to

371
00:23:16,321 --> 00:23:19,081
Speaker 2: pay for a bus ticket so Bryson could travel to Mississippi,

372
00:23:19,521 --> 00:23:22,721
Speaker 2: and Brook's Bail Bonding apparently sent him the money from

373
00:23:22,761 --> 00:23:23,481
Speaker 2: his mom.

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00:23:23,321 --> 00:23:24,640
Speaker 3: So he could buy the bus ticket.

375
00:23:25,681 --> 00:23:28,680
Speaker 2: The lawsuit alleges the bail bond agent knew that Bryson

376
00:23:28,721 --> 00:23:31,801
Speaker 2: had left Davidson County and that this was a violation

377
00:23:31,881 --> 00:23:34,521
Speaker 2: of his parole, but alleges that they did not take

378
00:23:34,561 --> 00:23:38,600
Speaker 2: immediate action. So then June twenty seventh, th rolled around,

379
00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:42,360
Speaker 2: Bryson's ankle monitor was dying, he was losing battery charge.

380
00:23:42,601 --> 00:23:44,681
Speaker 2: The company ordered him to show up, but he doesn't,

381
00:23:45,161 --> 00:23:47,601
Speaker 2: and then the next day they get the paperwork from

382
00:23:47,721 --> 00:23:50,761
Speaker 2: Davidson County. So by now by Friday, they know for

383
00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:54,080
Speaker 2: sure he's not allowed to leave Davidson County, and presumably

384
00:23:54,121 --> 00:23:57,441
Speaker 2: that by going to Mississippi he was violating his bail conditions,

385
00:23:58,121 --> 00:24:00,481
Speaker 2: and yet this saga was allowed to continue.

386
00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:02,121
Speaker 3: On June twenty ninth.

387
00:24:01,961 --> 00:24:05,681
Speaker 2: Twenty twenty four, Bryson Rivers came back to Brooks Bonding

388
00:24:05,761 --> 00:24:09,041
Speaker 2: to meet the agent, and the lawsuit alleges the owner

389
00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,641
Speaker 2: of the company had planned to be there but was

390
00:24:11,761 --> 00:24:14,321
Speaker 2: unable to attend due to what was referred to as

391
00:24:14,361 --> 00:24:17,601
Speaker 2: a personal matter. The lawsuit pointed out there was no

392
00:24:17,681 --> 00:24:21,281
Speaker 2: policy in place in case that happened. At that meeting,

393
00:24:21,481 --> 00:24:24,681
Speaker 2: the agent put a new ankle monitor on Bryson, and

394
00:24:24,721 --> 00:24:28,160
Speaker 2: once again he was allowed to leave that bail bond office.

395
00:24:28,761 --> 00:24:31,441
Speaker 2: They took him back to his car on June twenty ninth,

396
00:24:32,201 --> 00:24:37,401
Speaker 2: and after that Bryson headed toward Mississippi and toward Lawrence House.

397
00:24:38,481 --> 00:24:39,801
Speaker 3: The lawsuit alleges that.

398
00:24:39,801 --> 00:24:42,961
Speaker 2: In addition to that, no one from the bail bond

399
00:24:43,001 --> 00:24:47,200
Speaker 2: company notied guide anyone in Tennessee, that Bryson's GPS had

400
00:24:47,241 --> 00:24:50,281
Speaker 2: left the county in the state, and that none of

401
00:24:50,281 --> 00:24:54,561
Speaker 2: the bail bonding agents contacted the authorities in Mississippi or

402
00:24:54,801 --> 00:25:01,360
Speaker 2: Lauren Johansson or her family. Lance Johansson is suing for

403
00:25:01,401 --> 00:25:04,761
Speaker 2: one hundred and fifty million dollars, and it seems clear

404
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:08,080
Speaker 2: that for Lauren's father this is about much more than money.

405
00:25:08,521 --> 00:25:12,840
Speaker 2: This is about holding these companies accountable. Lance has gone

406
00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:17,641
Speaker 2: very public with his daughter's brutal injuries. He gave photos

407
00:25:17,681 --> 00:25:20,721
Speaker 2: to The Daily Mail, photographs that he said he took

408
00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:24,801
Speaker 2: after Bryson beat her. In these pictures, laurence face is

409
00:25:24,881 --> 00:25:29,761
Speaker 2: bloody and bruised. Lance told the Daily Mail he did

410
00:25:29,961 --> 00:25:33,401
Speaker 2: everything right. He attended the hearings, and he told the

411
00:25:33,521 --> 00:25:36,400
Speaker 2: judge straight up that Lauren was in danger and that

412
00:25:36,441 --> 00:25:39,841
Speaker 2: if Bryson ever got out of jail, he would come

413
00:25:39,881 --> 00:25:44,441
Speaker 2: back to kill Lauren. And yet the judge, share Old Blackburn,

414
00:25:44,481 --> 00:25:47,481
Speaker 2: decided to lower the bail, which may have been instrumental

415
00:25:47,561 --> 00:25:52,801
Speaker 2: in facilitating Bryson's release. So why did the judge agree

416
00:25:52,840 --> 00:26:05,521
Speaker 2: to reduce his bond. Judge Blackburn stated in court that

417
00:26:05,641 --> 00:26:08,001
Speaker 2: she thought that due to the evidence, there was quite

418
00:26:08,041 --> 00:26:10,880
Speaker 2: a high likelihood that Bryson would be convicted of this crime,

419
00:26:11,321 --> 00:26:13,681
Speaker 2: but she also stated that the bond of one hundred

420
00:26:13,681 --> 00:26:17,121
Speaker 2: and fifty thousand dollars was appropriate in this case because quote,

421
00:26:17,401 --> 00:26:20,481
Speaker 2: it does not appear that mister Rivers has a prior

422
00:26:20,521 --> 00:26:24,561
Speaker 2: criminal history end quote. I bring this up because I

423
00:26:24,601 --> 00:26:27,881
Speaker 2: see this over and over in cases involving domestic violence.

424
00:26:28,521 --> 00:26:33,881
Speaker 2: Prior convictions are counted, but prior arrests are not. And

425
00:26:33,961 --> 00:26:37,360
Speaker 2: as so many of us know, not every domestic violence

426
00:26:37,361 --> 00:26:40,880
Speaker 2: incident ends in an arrest and conviction. So if someone

427
00:26:41,001 --> 00:26:44,721
Speaker 2: has one hundred domestic violence complaints, that it's not necessarily

428
00:26:44,761 --> 00:26:48,041
Speaker 2: going to be considered at this type of hearing. In

429
00:26:48,121 --> 00:26:52,041
Speaker 2: Bryson's case, he did have prior arrests, including arrest for

430
00:26:52,121 --> 00:26:56,561
Speaker 2: DUI auto burglary and possession and trafficking of a controlled substance,

431
00:26:57,161 --> 00:27:00,401
Speaker 2: but again, because they didn't end in conviction, those would

432
00:27:00,401 --> 00:27:04,241
Speaker 2: not necessarily be considered by the judge. Lance told the

433
00:27:04,321 --> 00:27:07,761
Speaker 2: Daily Mail, quote, I realize people have rights, but you

434
00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,920
Speaker 2: can't just let loose a wild animal they knew he

435
00:27:11,001 --> 00:27:13,121
Speaker 2: was a psychopath. They knew he was going to kill

436
00:27:13,161 --> 00:27:15,681
Speaker 2: her if he got out. I warned them how this

437
00:27:15,801 --> 00:27:17,681
Speaker 2: was going to play out, and they went ahead and

438
00:27:17,721 --> 00:27:18,521
Speaker 2: did it anyway.

439
00:27:18,961 --> 00:27:19,481
Speaker 3: End quote.

440
00:27:20,561 --> 00:27:24,281
Speaker 2: Lance Johanson hopes that his civil suit can help change things,

441
00:27:24,961 --> 00:27:27,880
Speaker 2: and sometimes one case can have an effect on how

442
00:27:27,921 --> 00:27:30,721
Speaker 2: the justice system works. I don't know how many of

443
00:27:30,761 --> 00:27:34,001
Speaker 2: you are familiar with the case of Tracy Thurman, but

444
00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:36,521
Speaker 2: her case became a movie in nineteen eighty nine called

445
00:27:36,561 --> 00:27:38,481
Speaker 2: a Cry for Help The Tracy Thurman Story.

446
00:27:38,801 --> 00:27:40,401
Speaker 3: It's one of the very first.

447
00:27:40,241 --> 00:27:43,201
Speaker 2: Movies about domestic violence that left a lasting impact on

448
00:27:43,281 --> 00:27:47,001
Speaker 2: me as child. Tracy Thurman was married to an abusive

449
00:27:47,041 --> 00:27:49,761
Speaker 2: man named Charles Thurmant, and when she tried to escape

450
00:27:49,801 --> 00:27:53,441
Speaker 2: the relationship with her young son, Charles terrorized her.

451
00:27:54,321 --> 00:27:56,281
Speaker 3: Her case changed.

452
00:27:55,801 --> 00:27:58,840
Speaker 2: The way that police departments deal with domestic violence, because

453
00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:02,761
Speaker 2: back in nineteen eighty two, domestic violence was treated very differently.

454
00:28:03,241 --> 00:28:06,401
Speaker 2: It was almost like whatever happens behind closed doors stays there.

455
00:28:06,881 --> 00:28:10,001
Speaker 2: These issues were treated like something you handle within the family,

456
00:28:10,441 --> 00:28:14,041
Speaker 2: something that wasn't anyone else's business. It was treated like

457
00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:17,840
Speaker 2: a shameful secret, which, sadly, in many places sometimes it

458
00:28:17,881 --> 00:28:22,321
Speaker 2: still is. Police departments back then also did not have

459
00:28:22,561 --> 00:28:25,801
Speaker 2: anywhere near the same level of domestic violence training that

460
00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,441
Speaker 2: they have now. This was back in the time where

461
00:28:28,481 --> 00:28:33,401
Speaker 2: marital rape was still legal. Tracy left Charles and filed

462
00:28:33,481 --> 00:28:36,441
Speaker 2: for divorce. Over the next several months, he kept showing

463
00:28:36,521 --> 00:28:39,041
Speaker 2: up at her house and stalking her. Just like in

464
00:28:39,121 --> 00:28:44,401
Speaker 2: Lauren's case, Charles was very well known to police. Did

465
00:28:44,481 --> 00:28:48,041
Speaker 2: everything quote unquote right. There was a paper trail. She

466
00:28:48,081 --> 00:28:50,601
Speaker 2: got a restraining order against Charles. She kept calling the

467
00:28:50,601 --> 00:28:54,481
Speaker 2: police to report every single violation. Once she came to

468
00:28:54,481 --> 00:28:56,841
Speaker 2: the police department because Charles had a warrant out on

469
00:28:56,921 --> 00:28:59,961
Speaker 2: him related to her case, and the officer there told

470
00:28:59,961 --> 00:29:02,881
Speaker 2: her only one officer could handle this request and he

471
00:29:03,001 --> 00:29:05,601
Speaker 2: was out on vacation, so Tracy would have to wait.

472
00:29:06,201 --> 00:29:10,361
Speaker 2: Police told her they would arrest Charles, but they didn't. Finally,

473
00:29:10,441 --> 00:29:13,321
Speaker 2: in June of nineteen eighty three, Charles came to the

474
00:29:13,321 --> 00:29:15,721
Speaker 2: house where Tracy was staying with a friend and demanded

475
00:29:15,721 --> 00:29:19,881
Speaker 2: that Tracy come outside again. She called the police, but

476
00:29:19,921 --> 00:29:23,321
Speaker 2: it didn't seem like anyone was going to show up. Eventually,

477
00:29:23,361 --> 00:29:26,361
Speaker 2: after twenty minutes of waiting for the police, she agreed

478
00:29:26,361 --> 00:29:29,881
Speaker 2: to go outside. Her friend was outside talking to Charles,

479
00:29:29,921 --> 00:29:34,441
Speaker 2: and Charles was getting increasingly agitated. After twenty five minutes,

480
00:29:34,801 --> 00:29:36,681
Speaker 2: one officer finally responded to.

481
00:29:36,681 --> 00:29:39,161
Speaker 3: The scene, but it didn't stop Charles.

482
00:29:39,481 --> 00:29:43,041
Speaker 2: He continued to scream and threaten Tracy, and then he

483
00:29:43,041 --> 00:29:46,841
Speaker 2: pulled out an eye. The officer watched while Charles stabbed

484
00:29:46,881 --> 00:29:52,641
Speaker 2: her over and over thirteen times. Eventually, the officer convinced

485
00:29:52,721 --> 00:29:56,081
Speaker 2: Charles to drop the knife, but the officer continued to

486
00:29:56,081 --> 00:29:59,440
Speaker 2: stand there and watch while Charles went back into the house,

487
00:29:59,921 --> 00:30:02,441
Speaker 2: got his two year old son and dropped the little

488
00:30:02,481 --> 00:30:05,921
Speaker 2: boy on too Tracy, who by now was unconscious. The

489
00:30:05,961 --> 00:30:09,801
Speaker 2: officer also stood there while Charles kicked Tracy over and over,

490
00:30:10,401 --> 00:30:14,841
Speaker 2: and one of those kicks broke her neck. Charles was

491
00:30:14,921 --> 00:30:19,721
Speaker 2: arrested and taken into custody finally, but Tracy's injuries were lifelong.

492
00:30:20,241 --> 00:30:22,361
Speaker 3: That kick partially paralyzed her.

493
00:30:23,121 --> 00:30:26,641
Speaker 2: Eventually, she sued the police department and the city of Torrington,

494
00:30:26,641 --> 00:30:29,561
Speaker 2: where she lived, for failing to protect her. This was

495
00:30:29,601 --> 00:30:31,721
Speaker 2: the first time that a woman had sued a town

496
00:30:31,881 --> 00:30:35,481
Speaker 2: for violating her rights in a domestic violence case. The

497
00:30:35,601 --> 00:30:38,961
Speaker 2: case went to federal court. Tracy won a settlement of

498
00:30:39,001 --> 00:30:43,601
Speaker 2: two point three million dollars. This also resulted in new legislation.

499
00:30:44,201 --> 00:30:47,121
Speaker 2: The Thermon Law requires officers to make an arrest in

500
00:30:47,201 --> 00:30:50,801
Speaker 2: domestic violence cases if there is probable cause. And this

501
00:30:50,881 --> 00:30:53,521
Speaker 2: also changed the way that a lot of police departments

502
00:30:53,521 --> 00:30:57,881
Speaker 2: handle domestic violence calls. They got additional training and for example,

503
00:30:58,081 --> 00:31:01,561
Speaker 2: now officers are routinely sent out in pairs to respond

504
00:31:01,601 --> 00:31:05,001
Speaker 2: to these domestic violence calls. It really marked a difference

505
00:31:05,041 --> 00:31:07,281
Speaker 2: in the way that domestic violence was seen for what

506
00:31:07,321 --> 00:31:11,241
Speaker 2: it is. These are not just little scuffles. These are

507
00:31:11,521 --> 00:31:16,401
Speaker 2: very dangerous and potentially lethal situations for everyone involved, including

508
00:31:16,401 --> 00:31:17,321
Speaker 2: the police officers.

509
00:31:18,921 --> 00:31:20,681
Speaker 3: Tracy was partially paralyzed for.

510
00:31:20,641 --> 00:31:24,361
Speaker 2: Eight months, but now uses a wheeled walker to assist

511
00:31:24,361 --> 00:31:28,481
Speaker 2: her in getting around. Today, she is still an advocate

512
00:31:28,561 --> 00:31:32,440
Speaker 2: for victim's rights and Tracy's case shows the effect that

513
00:31:32,521 --> 00:31:36,121
Speaker 2: one person in one civil lawsuit can have on affecting

514
00:31:36,241 --> 00:31:39,961
Speaker 2: change in a community and around the country. But as

515
00:31:40,001 --> 00:31:43,081
Speaker 2: we see from cases like Lawrence, there is a lot

516
00:31:43,121 --> 00:31:46,521
Speaker 2: that still needs to change. I wonder why, with all

517
00:31:46,521 --> 00:31:49,721
Speaker 2: the technology that exists now, why bail bond companies and

518
00:31:49,761 --> 00:31:53,121
Speaker 2: courts can't create an alert system like the Amber Alert

519
00:31:53,161 --> 00:31:56,561
Speaker 2: system so that families can be immediately notified if an

520
00:31:56,561 --> 00:32:00,881
Speaker 2: offender crosses state or county lines. In my opinion, it

521
00:32:00,961 --> 00:32:04,761
Speaker 2: is not sufficient to leave a message. These are life

522
00:32:04,801 --> 00:32:11,241
Speaker 2: and death situations and these laws need to change. In

523
00:32:11,281 --> 00:32:15,521
Speaker 2: February of twenty twenty five, Bryson Rivers pleaded not guilty

524
00:32:15,641 --> 00:32:16,481
Speaker 2: to Laurence murder.

525
00:32:17,521 --> 00:32:19,081
Speaker 3: Lauren's father, Lance.

526
00:32:18,841 --> 00:32:22,681
Speaker 2: Told WLX that he believes that the Forest County District

527
00:32:22,681 --> 00:32:24,961
Speaker 2: Attorney Lynn Carter should seek.

528
00:32:24,721 --> 00:32:25,441
Speaker 3: The death penalty.

529
00:32:25,921 --> 00:32:29,241
Speaker 2: He said, quote, if any case should seek the death penalty,

530
00:32:29,241 --> 00:32:31,801
Speaker 2: this is it. There's enough evidence that he should be

531
00:32:31,881 --> 00:32:34,921
Speaker 2: executed this week. But we have a system of rules

532
00:32:34,921 --> 00:32:37,201
Speaker 2: and laws in this country, and we have to follow

533
00:32:37,201 --> 00:32:38,721
Speaker 2: the system how it's set up.

534
00:32:39,161 --> 00:32:41,721
Speaker 3: End quote. Bryson rivers murder.

535
00:32:41,521 --> 00:32:44,321
Speaker 2: Trial was due to start on June twenty fifth, twenty

536
00:32:44,401 --> 00:32:48,041
Speaker 2: twenty five. The most recent information that I have is

537
00:32:48,041 --> 00:32:52,361
Speaker 2: that he was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Lance

538
00:32:52,441 --> 00:32:54,721
Speaker 2: also says that he hopes that as a result of

539
00:32:54,761 --> 00:32:58,441
Speaker 2: his daughter's brutal murder in the civil litigation, he hopes

540
00:32:58,601 --> 00:33:01,561
Speaker 2: that laws will change. He has publicly stated that he

541
00:33:01,601 --> 00:33:05,081
Speaker 2: would like to create Lauren's Law, legislation that would require

542
00:33:05,121 --> 00:33:07,961
Speaker 2: people who are charged with crimes related to domestic violence

543
00:33:07,961 --> 00:33:11,241
Speaker 2: to stay in jail. The domestic violence charge would be

544
00:33:11,241 --> 00:33:13,841
Speaker 2: an automatic disqualification from getting bond.

545
00:33:14,601 --> 00:33:15,601
Speaker 3: This is the type of.

546
00:33:15,641 --> 00:33:19,561
Speaker 2: Law he believes could have saved his daughter's life. This

547
00:33:19,681 --> 00:33:23,361
Speaker 2: case is still ongoing and police are still looking for

548
00:33:23,401 --> 00:33:26,801
Speaker 2: the public's help and figuring out exactly what happened to Lauren.

549
00:33:27,521 --> 00:33:29,681
Speaker 2: The sheriff has said they are looking for members of

550
00:33:29,721 --> 00:33:32,200
Speaker 2: the public who may have camera footage from the woods

551
00:33:32,681 --> 00:33:35,801
Speaker 2: or from Lauren's neighborhood. They still want to talk to

552
00:33:35,841 --> 00:33:38,361
Speaker 2: those people, and they ask that those people reach out

553
00:33:38,441 --> 00:33:42,041
Speaker 2: to law enforcement. So if there is someone out there

554
00:33:42,081 --> 00:33:45,281
Speaker 2: who believes that they have information, the sheriff is asked

555
00:33:45,321 --> 00:33:48,321
Speaker 2: that they contact the Forest County Sheriff's Office on six

556
00:33:48,441 --> 00:33:53,201
Speaker 2: oh one, five eight two, seven, eight sixty seven. I'm

557
00:33:53,241 --> 00:33:58,801
Speaker 2: Catherine Townsend. This is Helen Gone Murder Line. Helen Gone

558
00:33:58,841 --> 00:34:00,721
Speaker 2: Murder Line is a production of School of Humans and

559
00:34:00,801 --> 00:34:04,481
Speaker 2: iHeart Podcasts. It's written and narrated by me Catherine Townsend

560
00:34:04,561 --> 00:34:08,481
Speaker 2: and produced by Gabby wattson Special thanks to Amy Tubbs

561
00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:11,601
Speaker 2: for her research assistance and to James Wheaton for legal review.

562
00:34:12,241 --> 00:34:15,560
Speaker 2: Noah camer mixed and scored this episode. Our theme song

563
00:34:15,641 --> 00:34:19,921
Speaker 2: is by Ben Salek, Executive producers of Virginia Prescott, Brandon Barr,

564
00:34:19,921 --> 00:34:20,361
Speaker 2: and L. C.

565
00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:23,320
Speaker 3: Crowley. Listen to Helen Gone ad free by.

566
00:34:23,201 --> 00:34:26,921
Speaker 2: Subscribing to the iHeart True Crime Plush channel on Apple Podcasts.

567
00:34:27,281 --> 00:34:29,921
Speaker 2: If you were interested in seeing documents and materials from

568
00:34:29,921 --> 00:34:33,241
Speaker 2: the case, you can follow the show on Instagram at

569
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:34,440
Speaker 2: Hell and gonepod.

570
00:34:35,121 --> 00:34:36,361
Speaker 3: If you have a case.

571
00:34:36,121 --> 00:34:38,281
Speaker 2: You'd like me and my team to look into, you

572
00:34:38,321 --> 00:34:40,280
Speaker 2: can reach out to us at our Helen Gone Murder

573
00:34:40,321 --> 00:34:43,960
Speaker 2: line at six seven eight seven four four six' one four.

574
00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:48,361
Speaker 2: Five that's six seven eight seven four four six one four.

575
00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:56,081
Speaker 1: Five school Of humans h