1 00:00:01,680 --> 00:00:05,560 Speaker 1: My mom used to always joke around and say, oh, 2 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: you never marry a doctor because he knows how to 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: kill you and get away with it. She always said that, 4 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: so I always had that in the back of my hand. 5 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,960 Speaker 2: I'm Andrea Gunning and this is Betrayal, a show about 6 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 2: the people we trust the most and the deceptions that 7 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 2: change everything. Tammy McCrary is a polite, easygoing woman. She's 8 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 2: quick to laugh and to make herself laugh. She says 9 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 2: that above all, her kids are her world. 10 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: I have three children, and I treat all of them 11 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: as though they are the only and now my grandchildren, 12 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 1: Oh those grandkids. That's a whole other level of love. 13 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 2: Tammy grew up in Atlanta, where she was raised by 14 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 2: her mother. She was an only child, just her, her mom, 15 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:18,399 Speaker 2: and her mom's sister. As a kid, Tammy dreamed of 16 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:20,199 Speaker 2: having a nuclear family of her own. 17 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: Most of my friends were in a two parent home. 18 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: I did not have the family structure of father and mom, 19 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: so I admired dad. I wanted to have that for 20 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: myself and for my children. 21 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,559 Speaker 2: In high school, Tammy started dating a guy she'd grown 22 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 2: up with. 23 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: We hadn't known each other a long time and he'd 24 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: always teased me about being his wife. 25 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 2: It was a joke at first because Tammy had other plans. 26 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 1: I had planned to go to college, but when she 27 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: was seventeen, I found out that I was expected. 28 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 2: Tammy's college plans were put on hold and the two 29 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 2: got married. 30 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: We both attended the same church, so we had a 31 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: small wedding. 32 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 2: They loved being young parents. Looking back, she says it 33 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,079 Speaker 2: was easier for them than she expected. By the time 34 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 2: they were twenty, the young couple bought a house in 35 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:23,959 Speaker 2: the suburbs of Atlanta. 36 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,679 Speaker 1: I am an only child, he's an only child, and 37 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 1: we both change from middle class backgrounds, so we didn't 38 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:39,359 Speaker 1: have those struggles that you would think that a young 39 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: couple would have. 40 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 2: They were stable and surrounded by community. Tammy and her 41 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 2: husband had a second child a few years later. 42 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: I had so much support from my mom, from his parents, 43 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:58,160 Speaker 1: and I had an aunt that was like a mom 44 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: to meet the saw. I was all about my kids. 45 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:03,079 Speaker 1: That was my life. 46 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 2: When her kids started school and she had more time 47 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 2: on her hands, things started changing for Tammy. 48 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: I just got to this place where I wanted more. 49 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: I wanted to do more the time that I would 50 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 1: have been in college, you know, having that freedom. I 51 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 1: was a mom and I was a wife, so I 52 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: missed it. 53 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,160 Speaker 2: She wanted to grow her career, and she realized she 54 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 2: missed out on so much in her early twenties. Maybe 55 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 2: there was more out there for her. 56 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: I remember getting all of this attention from these guides. 57 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: I was like, am I really bad attractive? 58 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 2: She was coming into her own and reevaluating what she wanted, 59 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 2: including her marriage with her husband. 60 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: He was like, I'm not dealing with this. Either you 61 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: want to be married or you don't. 62 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 2: Ultimately, she decided she didn't want to be married, so 63 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 2: they separated and Tammy got a job as a flight 64 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 2: attendant based out of Chicago. She was able to work 65 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 2: and travel one week and be home full time with 66 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 2: her kids the next. But in Chicago, she got into 67 00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 2: a horrible car accident. 68 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,479 Speaker 1: It was actually a situation where I was pronounced dead. 69 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: It took me about six months to a year to 70 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: recover from that car accident. After she recovered, her priorities changed. 71 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: I no longer wanted to be away from my kids. 72 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: That was the main thing. 73 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:39,920 Speaker 2: So she moved back to Atlanta and got a job 74 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 2: where she could work from home. And focus entirely on 75 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 2: giving her kids stability. I pushed for them to have 76 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 2: the best education. 77 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: I never wanted them to feel a difference in their 78 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: lives and the lives of their peers. 79 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 2: Every other weekend, her kids would stay with the father, 80 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:02,480 Speaker 2: and on the weekend she had to herself. 81 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 1: I was hanging out with my cousin, his wife, and 82 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 1: their friends. We had our little group, our little clique, and. 83 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 2: Her cousin would try to set her up on dates. 84 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 1: They were a professional, successful men, bowyers, doctors. But I 85 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: wasn't interested in dating. I want to be a single mom. 86 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: But my kids and I we travel, you know, we 87 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 1: do things, and life is still good. 88 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 2: On one of these weekends, Tammy, her cousin, and their 89 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 2: friends decided on a whim to go out to a 90 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 2: night club. 91 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 1: It's a pretty wild scene. I can remember some women 92 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: being barely dressed. I had never been before. But you know, 93 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:51,839 Speaker 1: I'm just hanging with the crowd. 94 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 2: She admits to feeling a little out of place. 95 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: I may have just had on jeans and a sweater, 96 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:04,599 Speaker 1: definitely no club gear, nothing sexy. 97 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:08,839 Speaker 2: But she was still getting plenty of attention and even 98 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,920 Speaker 2: locked eyes with a guy across the bar, but I made. 99 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:14,279 Speaker 1: Eye contact with several people, so you know, it was 100 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:19,680 Speaker 1: nothing until he walked over to the area where we 101 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:23,480 Speaker 1: were sitting and he just started throwing money over the area. 102 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,279 Speaker 1: Back then, I think they called it making it rain, 103 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:29,840 Speaker 1: and so he did that, and you know, we were 104 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 1: just laughing about it, and everyone was like, oh, drinks 105 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: are on Tammy, because you know, they were picking up 106 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:42,799 Speaker 1: their money. And then he came back and he introduced himself. 107 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 2: His name was Eric, and he told her he had 108 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 2: just moved to Atlanta for a fresh start. They hit 109 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:50,919 Speaker 2: it off and by the end of the night, she 110 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 2: gave him her number. 111 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: So crazy, because the rule of thumb was always he 112 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:57,280 Speaker 1: never met anyone in a club. 113 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 2: Eric called her on Monday and asked her to lunch. 114 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: I didn't see the harm. I didn't see the harm 115 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 1: in it. 116 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 2: At the time, Tammy worked as a loan officer and 117 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:09,920 Speaker 2: Eric was looking to buy a home. It seemed like 118 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 2: a possible opportunity for Tammy, and he just moved from Chicago, 119 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 2: where Tammy used to live. So over lunch they swapped stories. 120 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:23,360 Speaker 1: I enjoyed his company very much. Soon he was very attentive. 121 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:29,680 Speaker 1: He was a great listener, and he definitely retained information. 122 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 2: Well, that was an understatement. He was really smart. 123 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: He went to college really early. He graduated from high 124 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 1: school pretty early, so it was like he was a 125 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: whiz kid. 126 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 2: He said he'd been married before, but it ended abruptly. 127 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: He said that he walked in on her and another man, 128 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 1: so that was the end of the marriage. 129 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 2: By the end of that lunch, she got the feeling 130 00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 2: that this was their first date, and they scheduled another. 131 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: And so, of course, you know, my next test is 132 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 1: to take him around people, just to see how he 133 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 1: does or what they think about him. And he definitely 134 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: passed that test as well. But she was cautious about 135 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,200 Speaker 1: who she brought around her kids. If I met someone, 136 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: I didn't allow anyone to come to my home. We 137 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:30,040 Speaker 1: would meet out. 138 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:34,840 Speaker 2: Eric also worked remotely as an electrical engineer, so with 139 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 2: their flexible work schedules, they went on dates during the day. 140 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: There was no nine to five schedule for neither one 141 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:46,679 Speaker 1: of us, so there was a great deal of freedom. 142 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 2: After a few months of casual dating, Tammy's life took 143 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 2: a turn. The aunt, who was like a second mother 144 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 2: to her, was living with Tammy at the time and 145 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 2: her aunt started to get sick. One night, her health 146 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:01,040 Speaker 2: diaclined rapidly. 147 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 1: She was so ill I had to call Paramittings to 148 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 1: the house. 149 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 2: She called Eric to tell him that she was going 150 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 2: to the hospital and that she was worried. He wanted 151 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 2: to meet her there to be supportive and in the 152 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 2: er together, she noticed something interesting about Eric. 153 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 1: He began interacting with the doctors about my aunt and 154 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: her condition, all these medical terms. I'm curious, like, what 155 00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:32,680 Speaker 1: does he know? 156 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 2: Eric had said he was an electrical engineer, but at 157 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 2: the hospital he was talking as if he was a doctor, 158 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 2: like asking to see the results of tests and pressing 159 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:43,800 Speaker 2: them to do others. 160 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 1: At that time, I'm really like, what is going on? 161 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 1: And that's when he tells me he went to medical school. 162 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 2: He said he'd gone to med school at the University 163 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 2: of Chicago. Another doctor in the room was familiar with 164 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 2: the school, so the two started chatting about it. Tammy's 165 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 2: aunt was stable enough to move out of the r 166 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,800 Speaker 2: and finally there was an opportunity to ask Eric questions 167 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:12,680 Speaker 2: about his past and medical school. 168 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 1: Now, I want to know, why aren't you doing that? 169 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: And that led to the conversation of him sharing with 170 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 1: me his story. 171 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 2: His story was unlike anything she'd ever heard. It was 172 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:29,080 Speaker 2: a nightmare. 173 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 1: He explained to me that his parents, along with his 174 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 1: two sons, were taking a trip by car and they 175 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:47,680 Speaker 1: were involved in an accident with an eighteen wheeler. He 176 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 1: said the driver was Dui. He said one son may 177 00:10:53,320 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: have died on the scene. Father died on the scene, 178 00:10:58,880 --> 00:11:05,160 Speaker 1: and his mom and one son were in the hospital, 179 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 1: but they both passed before he arrived. So I was 180 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: just heartbroken. He's lost both parents, both children. 181 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:23,360 Speaker 2: She sat there, stunted. He went on to explain that 182 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 2: the accident derailed his career. He just started working in 183 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 2: the er when it happened, but he had to quit. 184 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: It was just so devastating for him to know that 185 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:40,600 Speaker 1: on a daily basis he's saving lives, but here it 186 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:44,400 Speaker 1: is he's not able to save the lives of those 187 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:49,320 Speaker 1: that he loved the most. And so it was just 188 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:55,240 Speaker 1: too soon for him to go back into medicine. He 189 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 1: just couldn't do it. 190 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,560 Speaker 2: Timmy herself had nearly died in a car accident. With 191 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 2: Eric sitting in front of her in the hospital waiting room, 192 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:08,320 Speaker 2: holding back tears, she saw how resilient he was, just 193 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:11,200 Speaker 2: like her he'd fought for a new life and a 194 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:12,960 Speaker 2: new career after a tragedy. 195 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:18,959 Speaker 1: Of course, I'm saying, oh, yeah, I understand, I understand. 196 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 2: Eric opened up and shared that he was a doctor 197 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:45,640 Speaker 2: but had to stop practicing after a family tragedy. He 198 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 2: lost his parents and two young children in a car accident. 199 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:54,479 Speaker 2: These revelations and Eric's vulnerability brought he and Tammy closer. Eventually, 200 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:57,920 Speaker 2: they made it official. He started coming over to her house, 201 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 2: where he met her son. It was a big step 202 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 2: for Tammy. They would make dinner together and watch a 203 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 2: movie on the couch. But on one of these nights. 204 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 1: I remember it being a Sunday evening, and he received 205 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: a phone call and he wanted some privacy, so he 206 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:20,559 Speaker 1: actually came upstairs took the phone call in my bedroom, 207 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:24,559 Speaker 1: and I just remember him yelling for me. Of course, 208 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: I ran upstairs to see what was going on, and 209 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:33,720 Speaker 1: he is just like an emotional rick. He is just crying. 210 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:37,439 Speaker 1: I was finally able to get him to share with 211 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: me what was the problem, and that's when he told 212 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:45,719 Speaker 1: me that his stepdaughter had committed suicide. 213 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:50,640 Speaker 2: Tragedy had struck his life again. It was his first 214 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 2: wife's daughter. He helped raise her. 215 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 1: Of course, I'm thinking, oh my gosh, this man. I 216 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:02,840 Speaker 1: know he's devastated, and I was just like, well, you know, 217 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,480 Speaker 1: just stay here. You don't have to go in there. 218 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:09,400 Speaker 1: You can just stay here with us. You definitely don't 219 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:12,360 Speaker 1: need to be alone at this time with this devastating news. 220 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:16,120 Speaker 1: You don't have anyone else. He just have us. And 221 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:21,280 Speaker 1: so I think from that moment is when things really progressed. 222 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 2: After that, Eric started staying over most nights. He took 223 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 2: the death hard, but he didn't want to talk about it. 224 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:30,880 Speaker 1: He did tell me of his plans to pay for 225 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: her service, but he said that he could not bring 226 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 1: himself to attend. 227 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 2: He channeled his grief into their relationship. Doting on Timmy 228 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:42,840 Speaker 2: was a good distraction. He would go above and beyond 229 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 2: to make her happy. 230 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:50,920 Speaker 1: If I said I used to love these strawberry oreos, 231 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:53,960 Speaker 1: but I haven't been able to find him. I don't 232 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:57,480 Speaker 1: even know if they make them anymore, he would pop 233 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 1: up with those strawberry oreos and say I had to 234 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:05,880 Speaker 1: reach out to some people over in Europe, but I 235 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:09,520 Speaker 1: had them shipped and here they are. He was like 236 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 1: that those are the type things that he would do. 237 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:15,200 Speaker 2: He even gave Timmy a nickname. 238 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: I'd never had a nickname never, but he gave me 239 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 1: the name Princes and I tell you just the way 240 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 1: he said it, and oh my gosh. 241 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 2: And he treated her like one. 242 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 1: He's buying cards, flowers, no special occasions, just because he's 243 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:47,840 Speaker 1: writing coins. Once I did introduce him to my clique 244 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: of friends. I mean, he was to say the most 245 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:56,760 Speaker 1: wonderful things about me. It's like, oh wow, he really 246 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: loves her that. 247 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 2: He'd been dating for a few months when Eric said 248 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:04,120 Speaker 2: he wanted to look at engagement rings together, so he 249 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 2: took her to a custom jeweler. 250 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 1: He's telling the guy, you know what he wants, and 251 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 1: he's talking about was a peerless dying. He wanted it 252 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:18,960 Speaker 1: in an antique setting, and I was like, what is this. 253 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: I think it was ringing up over thirty thousand dollars. 254 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: I mean, the way he put it together, it was beautiful. 255 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: So yeah, I was pretty excited. 256 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 2: She was ready to take the next step with him, 257 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 2: but the safety of her family and her kids were 258 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 2: always her first priority. She didn't have the ability to 259 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 2: meet his parents or his friends back in Chicago, so 260 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 2: she took it upon herself to vet him. She called 261 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,040 Speaker 2: her friend who was a private investigator. She gave him 262 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:50,480 Speaker 2: Eric's name and birth date and asked him to run 263 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:51,320 Speaker 2: a background check. 264 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:54,280 Speaker 1: He came back and was like, oh, he's Coleen. So 265 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:55,280 Speaker 1: I felt comfortable. 266 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 2: The findings were reassuring. The next time the topic of 267 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 2: marriage came up, she told him that's what she wanted. 268 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,680 Speaker 2: So right then and there, Eric got down on one knee, 269 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:10,720 Speaker 2: but he didn't have the ring. 270 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 1: The ring that we looked at that he was planning 271 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:17,720 Speaker 1: to get me that would have to be put on 272 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 1: hold because of the money that he had to spend 273 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 1: for his stepdaughter's funeral arrangements. 274 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:30,399 Speaker 2: She didn't care about the ring, especially when he was 275 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 2: spending that money on something so important. Plus they've both 276 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 2: been married before. They wann't something small. Anyway, Eric offered 277 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 2: to take the lead on planning their wedding and sending 278 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 2: out the invitations. 279 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 1: I'm thinking, oh, wow, this is different because normally that's 280 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 1: the behavior of the woman. But he wants to do it, okay, 281 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:54,920 Speaker 1: So I gave him a list and he created these 282 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:58,959 Speaker 1: invitations and we sent them out and then I started 283 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 1: getting the phone call. Everyone was just saying Eric was 284 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 1: a doctor. I said, what, well, the invitation said doctor 285 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:16,879 Speaker 1: Eric Petite and Tammy, So of course you know. I 286 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:21,159 Speaker 1: reposed him. I said, did you put on these invitations 287 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 1: that you're a doctor because I never told anyone about that, 288 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:28,200 Speaker 1: which I did because I felt he was no longer 289 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:33,880 Speaker 1: practicing wasn't important. And he said, oh, yeah, yeah I 290 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:38,000 Speaker 1: did that. It was actually supposed to be a surprise. 291 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:40,800 Speaker 1: That was going to be my wedding gift to you. 292 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:43,760 Speaker 1: I was going to surprise he'd let you know that 293 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:47,160 Speaker 1: once we come back from our honeymoon that I'm going 294 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:48,800 Speaker 1: back into medicine. 295 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:51,239 Speaker 2: Then he pulled out a folder of documents he'd been 296 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:55,480 Speaker 2: waiting to show her, his letters of recommendation and his 297 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 2: offer letter from a hospital. 298 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 1: I said, and what brought this? And he says, well, 299 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:06,439 Speaker 1: there's been some time, and I have you now, and 300 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:12,879 Speaker 1: I really feel that you deserve a certain lifestyle and 301 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:17,840 Speaker 1: I want to provide you with that lifestyle. I'll be 302 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: going to work and I'm just like wow. 303 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:25,919 Speaker 2: The choice felt selfless. It meant a lot to her 304 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 2: that he wanted to provide for her family. 305 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:32,960 Speaker 1: He was like, just start looking at the top private schools, 306 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:37,879 Speaker 1: and we need to start looking for another house because 307 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 1: I want us to be closer to the hospital. You 308 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:44,040 Speaker 1: want to look at another house, you want to get 309 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:47,680 Speaker 1: a condo, whatever you want to do, just go do it. 310 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:51,600 Speaker 1: Just start looking. And I'm just thinking, like, you know, 311 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 1: someone just called and told me that I have that 312 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:57,960 Speaker 1: winning lottery ticket. All of my numbers met. 313 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 2: He received an advance from the new job, so after 314 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:05,919 Speaker 2: their intimate wedding ceremony, Eric paid for a honeymoon to 315 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 2: the Bahamas. He wanted the whole family to join them, 316 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 2: Tammy's kids and her mom. It was emotional for everyone 317 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 2: considering what he'd been through. They were his family now. 318 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:20,120 Speaker 2: The vacation ended, but the honeymoon didn't. 319 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:24,960 Speaker 1: And so when we returned, I remember him giving me 320 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 1: a check. It was a check for five thousand dollars, 321 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: and He's like, moving forward, I'm taking care of all 322 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:34,280 Speaker 1: of the bills and everything. 323 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,240 Speaker 2: That week, he started his job in one of Atlanta's. 324 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:45,159 Speaker 1: Busiest yurs so that meant crazy hours. He was always working, 325 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:49,320 Speaker 1: always on call. I can still remember some nights when 326 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:52,719 Speaker 1: it was like two or three in the morning and 327 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: he would receive a tics or a phone call and 328 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,720 Speaker 1: he would have to jump up and go to the hospital. 329 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:03,679 Speaker 2: They shared a car, so every day Tammy drove him 330 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:06,679 Speaker 2: to work and picked him up. One day, while Tammy 331 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:09,960 Speaker 2: was driving, they came upon a car crash. It looked 332 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:11,200 Speaker 2: like it had just happened. 333 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 1: The paramedics had not arrived yet, so he jumped out 334 00:21:16,359 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: to check on those that were involved and get their vitals. 335 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:27,200 Speaker 1: There was one person that seemed to have been critically injured. 336 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 1: He got out to help, and once the paramedics arrived, 337 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:36,760 Speaker 1: he was able to give them information on each victim. 338 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:40,680 Speaker 1: I was impressed, I must say, I was like, Wow, 339 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:42,280 Speaker 1: he really knows what he's doing. 340 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:46,359 Speaker 2: He could have saved those people's lives. But this responsibility 341 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:49,640 Speaker 2: came at a price. His shifts in the er were grueling. 342 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:52,280 Speaker 2: When she picked him up after work, he looked spent. 343 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,160 Speaker 2: His scrubs were stained and wrinkled, and he would share 344 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:58,200 Speaker 2: upsetting stories about what he'd seen. 345 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:07,000 Speaker 1: I can remember once he was very disturbed because he 346 00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:10,600 Speaker 1: said that there was a child that came in with 347 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: an injury from the playground and he wasn't able to 348 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:21,919 Speaker 1: save the child and the child died. So of course 349 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:25,920 Speaker 1: it triggered memories of his children. 350 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:29,840 Speaker 2: The work was taking a toll on him, emotionally, changing 351 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:32,360 Speaker 2: him in more ways than one. 352 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:38,200 Speaker 1: He became somewhat arrogant. I didn't think anything about it, 353 00:22:38,359 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 1: you know, I was just thinking back, okay, So he's 354 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 1: back in his zone, in his doctor's zone. So that's 355 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:49,119 Speaker 1: where all of that is coming from. 356 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 2: On his days off, he rested and watched his favorite 357 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:58,040 Speaker 2: TV show, episode after episode of Er. 358 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:00,720 Speaker 1: That was his fit Shaw. 359 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 2: After a few months of marriage, they had a routine. 360 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:08,760 Speaker 2: She dropped him off at work, he texted throughout the 361 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 2: day to keep her updated on when he'd be done, 362 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 2: and on the drive home, they debriefed. That was their thing. 363 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:20,680 Speaker 2: They did this day in and day out, week after week, until. 364 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:23,359 Speaker 1: It was on a Sunday, we went to church and 365 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:29,800 Speaker 1: came back home, spent the afternoon together, and he said 366 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: he had to go in for the evening. But whenever 367 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 1: he was away, he would always call and check in, 368 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:42,679 Speaker 1: see how things are going with myself, let me know 369 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:46,240 Speaker 1: what's going on with him. It was weird that this 370 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:49,840 Speaker 1: time I had not heard from him at all. I 371 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:55,600 Speaker 1: wasn't alarmed, and then the next morning still hadn't heard 372 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 1: from him. And then once it started getting late into 373 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:03,399 Speaker 1: the morning, then I did start to worry. I tried 374 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:09,399 Speaker 1: to call him on both cell phones. No answer, so 375 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:12,240 Speaker 1: of course I'm thinking, well, maybe he's tied up or whatever. 376 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,400 Speaker 1: After a while, I said, I've never called the hospital, 377 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:23,439 Speaker 1: but I'm calling today. And when I called, they're like, 378 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:30,800 Speaker 1: there's no one here with that name. Okay, well they 379 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:34,440 Speaker 1: don't know all of the doctors, you know, And I'm like, okay, 380 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 1: let me try these cell phones again. And finally someone 381 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,320 Speaker 1: answers the cell phone, but it's not him. 382 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:43,080 Speaker 2: There was a security guard at the hospital. 383 00:24:43,359 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 1: When I asked for him. The guy, he's like, are 384 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:52,640 Speaker 1: you talking about the guy that had this cell phone? 385 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:56,160 Speaker 1: And I'm like, yeah, yeah, that's what I'm talking about. 386 00:24:56,320 --> 00:25:00,360 Speaker 1: He's like, oh, yeah, well he was arrested last night 387 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:03,960 Speaker 1: or impersonating a doctor. 388 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,560 Speaker 2: Tammy hadn't heard from her husband and was getting concerned. Finally, 389 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:27,440 Speaker 2: someone answered his cell phone. It was a security guard 390 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:29,879 Speaker 2: at the hospital who told her that Eric had been 391 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:34,439 Speaker 2: arrested last night for impersonating a doctor. And strangely, the 392 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:37,080 Speaker 2: security guard seemed to know Eric pretty well. 393 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: He said, I don't know why you would do that, 394 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:45,639 Speaker 1: because I had really grown to like him. So security 395 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:47,240 Speaker 1: they were familiar with him. 396 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:51,320 Speaker 2: Security knew him because Eric had been going into the 397 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:54,560 Speaker 2: hospital every day when she dropped him off. He got 398 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:57,080 Speaker 2: in using a forged ID card. 399 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:02,280 Speaker 1: He had a badge that actually belonged to a doctor, 400 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:08,000 Speaker 1: but he took that badge and put his picture on it. 401 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 2: Every day for months, he strolled the hospital hallways and 402 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 2: mingled with nurses and staff. He introduced himself as doctor 403 00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:19,680 Speaker 2: Eric Petite. Everyone there knew who he was, or thought 404 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:20,080 Speaker 2: they did. 405 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:27,199 Speaker 1: There's one thing to say that you're a doctor, but 406 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 1: to actually go through the act and show up on site, 407 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:40,080 Speaker 1: and then to actually walk around the hospital and interact 408 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: with other doctors, that is something different. 409 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:48,359 Speaker 2: Tammy was sitting at her kitchen table hearing from a 410 00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 2: complete stranger that her husband was a stranger himself. 411 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:56,560 Speaker 1: And the one thing that I just kept thinking was 412 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:03,520 Speaker 1: who is this person? Have I been with? An axe murderer, 413 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:09,680 Speaker 1: a serial rapist. I've got to find out this person's 414 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 1: real name. 415 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:13,440 Speaker 2: So she started digging. 416 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:17,879 Speaker 1: He had a buffle bag that was in the closet. Man, 417 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:22,600 Speaker 1: I dumped everything out of that bag, and I just 418 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 1: started going through every piece of paper that I could 419 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 1: find because I'm looking for clues. I came across his 420 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:42,080 Speaker 1: divorce decree. It clearly states that his wife couldn't find him, 421 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:46,879 Speaker 1: didn't know where he was, and she fouled for a 422 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:51,879 Speaker 1: divorce and it was granted on the grounds of abandonment. 423 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:55,840 Speaker 2: So his marriage hadn't ended like he said, with his 424 00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:59,120 Speaker 2: wife cheating on him. But one thing she found did 425 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:03,360 Speaker 2: corroborate his back story death certificates for his children. 426 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:10,160 Speaker 1: I myself had never laid eyes on a death certificate before, 427 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 1: with the notary sticker and everything, what. 428 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 2: Was real and what wasn't. There was so much contradictory 429 00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:19,480 Speaker 2: information in these documents. 430 00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:23,880 Speaker 1: I also came across some papers showing me that he 431 00:28:24,119 --> 00:28:28,520 Speaker 1: was on probation, so he really wasn't supposed to be 432 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:33,879 Speaker 1: in Georgia. I came across telephone numbers he goes on 433 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:37,760 Speaker 1: the probation stuff, and I just started calling those numbers. 434 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:44,960 Speaker 1: One of the numbers just happened to be to this 435 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 1: really nice young lady, and you know who she was, 436 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:52,280 Speaker 1: his mother. 437 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:58,360 Speaker 2: His mother was very much alive. 438 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: There was no accident, and she confirmed that no, his 439 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:11,680 Speaker 1: kids are fine, and there was a stepdaughter, but of 440 00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:13,480 Speaker 1: course she was fine as well. 441 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:18,120 Speaker 2: The death certificates in her hands were forged. His mother 442 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:20,880 Speaker 2: said she hadn't talked to her son in years. She 443 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:24,120 Speaker 2: was a devout Jehovah's witness, and so was the rest 444 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 2: of his family. Eric had left the faith. 445 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:33,560 Speaker 1: So because he was no longer practicing the religion, his 446 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 1: parents were forced or obligated to treat him as though 447 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:44,000 Speaker 1: he was dead. That's the way it was explained to me. 448 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:50,280 Speaker 1: So that's why he was disconnected from his parents. 449 00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:54,400 Speaker 2: His mom provided some answers, but Tammy was still in 450 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:57,160 Speaker 2: the dark as to where he was, so she started 451 00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:58,840 Speaker 2: calling local police precincts. 452 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:04,480 Speaker 1: I found out where they had taken him, and I 453 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:10,480 Speaker 1: went to visit him because I wanted to hear his version. 454 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:15,200 Speaker 1: I wanted to see what he was going to say 455 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:15,560 Speaker 1: to me. 456 00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:19,560 Speaker 2: On the drive to jail, she decided she was going 457 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:23,560 Speaker 2: to play dumb and not reveal anything she knew, just 458 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:24,840 Speaker 2: to see what he would say. 459 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:30,920 Speaker 1: I just wanted to see what he was going to 460 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:36,440 Speaker 1: tell me. He still held on to the fact that 461 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 1: he was a doctor. 462 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:42,560 Speaker 2: She went along with it as he stuck to his 463 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 2: line with conviction. 464 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 1: How do you as a doctor end up being in jail? 465 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:54,200 Speaker 1: How does that happen? And he tried to explain to 466 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:58,800 Speaker 1: me that he ended up getting into an altercation with 467 00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:02,959 Speaker 1: someone at the hospital, which made no sense to me. 468 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:08,240 Speaker 1: I let him tell his story and I said nothing. 469 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:13,080 Speaker 2: Eric finished his story and they sat there in silence. 470 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:16,560 Speaker 2: Before Tammy got up to leave, she asked him one 471 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:18,560 Speaker 2: final question that. 472 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:24,920 Speaker 1: Just said why, and he pretended to not understand. 473 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:29,560 Speaker 2: He wasn't going to give up the act, so she 474 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:33,440 Speaker 2: had to walk away. That was the last time they 475 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:38,560 Speaker 2: ever interacted. If he wasn't going to tell her the truth, 476 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:40,720 Speaker 2: she'd have to find it herself. 477 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:46,280 Speaker 1: I was on the mission to find out who was 478 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 1: this person. 479 00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 2: And she started by finding out if his name was 480 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:52,200 Speaker 2: even real. 481 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:56,120 Speaker 1: The only thing I could think of in my head 482 00:31:56,400 --> 00:32:00,720 Speaker 1: was that, okay, if I could make contact with the 483 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:06,600 Speaker 1: media and have them post a picture of this person. 484 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:11,640 Speaker 1: I just felt like once a picture was posted, someone 485 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:15,520 Speaker 1: would come forward and say, oh, I know him. 486 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:19,680 Speaker 2: So she put him on the news. The story became 487 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:21,800 Speaker 2: a sensation in Atlanta. 488 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:27,040 Speaker 1: And I never thought that the story would get the 489 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:29,240 Speaker 1: attention that it received. 490 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:33,960 Speaker 2: All that attention did bring some answers. First, that Eric 491 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,200 Speaker 2: Petite was in fact his legal name. 492 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:41,760 Speaker 1: It did surprise me that he used his real name. 493 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:47,200 Speaker 1: I did later understand why my friend that had the 494 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:51,840 Speaker 1: security firm could not find any information on him because 495 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 1: I didn't have his correct date of birth. So the 496 00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 1: age that he had given me we were the same age. 497 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:04,400 Speaker 1: I was in my late thirties, but he was actually 498 00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:07,400 Speaker 1: twenty eight. 499 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:10,960 Speaker 2: Friends of theirs started coming out of the woodwork saying 500 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:13,400 Speaker 2: that Eric owed them money. 501 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:18,000 Speaker 1: Just different people that we know, you know, asking for money. 502 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:23,720 Speaker 1: So when I'm thinking that he's making money, he's really not. 503 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:29,440 Speaker 2: And that wasn't all. 504 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:33,680 Speaker 1: When he was arrested. He was in possession of credit 505 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 1: cards that did not belong to him. The credit cards 506 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:43,680 Speaker 1: belonged to other women. There were women that worked at 507 00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: the hospital that had given him their credit card because 508 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:53,600 Speaker 1: they thought he was doctor Berteite. And he may have 509 00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:57,200 Speaker 1: given some story like, oh, I ran out the house 510 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:02,280 Speaker 1: because of an emergency and I left my wallet and 511 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 1: then thinking that he doctor Fatiz. 512 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:10,080 Speaker 2: So that's how he'd been affording their lifestyle for the 513 00:34:10,160 --> 00:34:14,440 Speaker 2: past year, unborrowed money and stolen credit cards. 514 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:21,680 Speaker 1: I was devastated. I was very angry and disappointed at 515 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:28,400 Speaker 1: myself all the level of embarrassment. I was so embarrassed. 516 00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:34,160 Speaker 1: When people hear stories they always seem to think, Ah, 517 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:36,680 Speaker 1: that would never happen to me. I would have known, 518 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:39,560 Speaker 1: you know, or how could you not have known? He 519 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:42,680 Speaker 1: was a doctor? And you know, and I always ask 520 00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:47,279 Speaker 1: the question, you explained to me how you would have 521 00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:51,000 Speaker 1: known that he wasn't a doctor? You tell me how 522 00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:54,080 Speaker 1: you would have known? Because he's at the hospital. 523 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:59,200 Speaker 2: I mean, he was at the hospital wearing scrubs with 524 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:04,000 Speaker 2: an ID car to match. He'd successfully fooled the hospital 525 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:11,280 Speaker 2: step even the security guards for months. But that didn't 526 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:14,320 Speaker 2: stop people in town from judging Tammy. 527 00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:20,040 Speaker 1: People were harsh. Oh my gosh, some of the things 528 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:23,279 Speaker 1: that I read I could not read because of you know, 529 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:28,719 Speaker 1: the things that people were saying about how stupid I was, 530 00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:32,480 Speaker 1: how dumb? How could you you know? It was bad? 531 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:36,160 Speaker 1: So I was so embarrassed, you know, I couldn't eve 532 00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:40,080 Speaker 1: even go to church. I could not because I was 533 00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:43,080 Speaker 1: so embarrassed, so embarrassed. 534 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:47,880 Speaker 2: Over time, she realized that this wasn't her shame to carry, 535 00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:50,760 Speaker 2: and slowly she started entering the world again. 536 00:35:51,239 --> 00:35:55,040 Speaker 1: It took me about two to three months to just 537 00:35:55,440 --> 00:36:03,880 Speaker 1: blend back into society. I eventually just stopped trying to 538 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:10,200 Speaker 1: defend myself and I just began to focus on moving forward. 539 00:36:10,640 --> 00:36:11,719 Speaker 1: That's all I focused on. 540 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:21,240 Speaker 2: Charges were brought against Eric for identity fraud and credit 541 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:25,759 Speaker 2: card theft. After the sentencing hearing, reporters swarmed the courthouse. 542 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:30,319 Speaker 2: When asked for comment, Eric spoke directly to Tammy. He 543 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:31,399 Speaker 2: apologized to her. 544 00:36:32,719 --> 00:36:38,640 Speaker 1: It meant nothing. It meant nothing to me. I did 545 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:41,919 Speaker 1: not show up for his sentencing. 546 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 2: At didn't chair, But she did care about her privacy 547 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:48,279 Speaker 2: and protecting her family from Eric. 548 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:53,000 Speaker 1: I changed my telephone numbers so that he would not 549 00:36:53,680 --> 00:36:55,279 Speaker 1: be able to contact me. 550 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:00,400 Speaker 2: Looking back years later, there's only one thing that still 551 00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 2: haunts her. 552 00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:09,160 Speaker 1: He would have like syringes in his pocket, and there 553 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:14,920 Speaker 1: was something in those syringes. Some type of solution. Makes 554 00:37:14,920 --> 00:37:18,840 Speaker 1: me think, Like my mom used to always joke around 555 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:21,960 Speaker 1: and say, oh, you never marry a doctor because he 556 00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:24,040 Speaker 1: knows how to kill you and get away with it. 557 00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:31,319 Speaker 1: She always said that, so I always had that in 558 00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:38,120 Speaker 1: the back of my head. But I'm just so thankful 559 00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:44,960 Speaker 1: that the situation did not have a tragic end. I 560 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:46,520 Speaker 1: really am. 561 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:50,560 Speaker 2: Today. Tammy still lives in Atlanta, and. 562 00:37:50,719 --> 00:37:57,399 Speaker 1: Well, believe it or not, I am married again. I 563 00:37:57,440 --> 00:38:02,040 Speaker 1: was just excited to be with someone that that was genuine, 564 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:07,080 Speaker 1: that had a really good heart, and it was real. 565 00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:11,960 Speaker 2: She finds that sharing her story takes the power away 566 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:14,239 Speaker 2: from Eric and people like him. 567 00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:18,960 Speaker 1: I'm not afraid to talk about how I was vulnerable 568 00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:25,640 Speaker 1: and how I allowed this person in not seeing the 569 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:30,959 Speaker 1: danger and just totally letting my guard down, because I'm 570 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:34,720 Speaker 1: so caught up on the fact that all this person 571 00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:42,120 Speaker 1: has lost everyone and everything and they've lost nothing. It's 572 00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:43,200 Speaker 1: all alive. 573 00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:51,720 Speaker 2: The end all of our weekly episodes with the same question, 574 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:56,000 Speaker 2: why do you want to tell your story? 575 00:38:56,160 --> 00:39:03,520 Speaker 1: I don't know why people feel that are above being deceived. 576 00:39:04,400 --> 00:39:09,640 Speaker 1: Everyone has an area of weakness, so I just don't 577 00:39:09,719 --> 00:39:13,279 Speaker 1: want us to think that it can never happen to me. 578 00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:17,520 Speaker 1: No one is above dis section. 579 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:26,560 Speaker 2: On the next episode of Betrayal, I. 580 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:30,560 Speaker 3: Can feel myself start to just float away because what 581 00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:34,839 Speaker 3: I am seeing I just cannot comprehend. And while I'm 582 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:39,239 Speaker 3: holding his phone in my left hand, I take my 583 00:39:39,320 --> 00:39:40,320 Speaker 3: phone in my right. 584 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:43,040 Speaker 1: And I just start recording. 585 00:39:48,719 --> 00:39:50,520 Speaker 2: If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal 586 00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:53,440 Speaker 2: team or want to tell us your Betrayal story, email 587 00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:57,799 Speaker 2: us at Betrayalpod at gmail dot com. That's Betrayal Pod 588 00:39:58,160 --> 00:40:02,319 Speaker 2: at gmail dot com. We're grateful for your support. One 589 00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:04,640 Speaker 2: way to show support is by subscribing to our show 590 00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:07,800 Speaker 2: on Apple Podcasts and don't forget to rate and review Betrayal. 591 00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:11,200 Speaker 2: Five star reviews go a long way. A big thank 592 00:40:11,239 --> 00:40:14,680 Speaker 2: you to all of our listeners. Betrayal is a production 593 00:40:14,719 --> 00:40:17,480 Speaker 2: of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group and 594 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:21,319 Speaker 2: partnership with iHeart Podcasts. The show is executive produced by 595 00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:24,880 Speaker 2: Nancy Glass and Jennifer Fason, hosted and produced by me 596 00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:29,760 Speaker 2: Andrea Gunning, written and produced by Monique Leboard, also produced 597 00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:34,320 Speaker 2: by Ben Fetterman. Associate producers are Kristin Melcuriy and Caitlin Golden. 598 00:40:34,920 --> 00:40:38,440 Speaker 2: Our iHeart team is Ali Perry and Jessica Krincheck. Audio 599 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:42,359 Speaker 2: editing and mixing by mattel Vecchio, Additional editing support from 600 00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:47,480 Speaker 2: Nico Ruka and Tanner Robbins. Betrayal's theme composed by Oliver Bains. 601 00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:52,280 Speaker 2: Music library provided by my Music and For more podcasts 602 00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:56,320 Speaker 2: from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 603 00:40:56,360 --> 00:41:03,760 Speaker 2: you get your podcasts.