0:01

Due to the nature of

0:03

this episode, listener discretion is

0:05

advised. This episode includes discussions

0:07

of murder, assault, self-harm, suicide,

0:10

and intimate partner violence. Consider

0:12

this one deciding how and when you'll listen. To

0:15

get help on mental health

0:17

and domestic violence, visit spotify.com/

0:20

resources. Okay,

0:24

I spend a lot of time thinking about

0:26

serial killers. How they operate,

0:28

how they hide, how to protect myself

0:30

from them. But statistically, there's

0:33

someone even more dangerous than a serial

0:35

killer. Your ex. We've

0:38

all heard the trope, the boyfriend did

0:40

it, for a reason. Intimate

0:43

partner violence accounted for roughly one-third

0:45

of murders in 2021. That

0:48

includes murders after a breakup. Meanwhile,

0:51

serial killers make up less than 1%. And

0:55

the more I looked into it, the more

0:57

I realized serial murderers and abusers have a

0:59

lot in common. They hide

1:01

in plain sight, they're often motivated

1:04

by power and control, and

1:06

they feel so difficult to stop.

1:09

So today we're looking at two cases

1:12

where exes turned deadly and discussing how

1:14

to spot the warning signs of a

1:16

killer. I'm

1:18

Vanessa Richardson, and this is Serial

1:21

Killers, a Spotify podcast. You

1:23

can find us here every Monday. Be

1:25

sure to check us out on Instagram

1:27

at Serial Killers Podcast. We probably all

1:29

know someone who survived domestic violence, even

1:32

if we aren't aware of it. It

1:34

impacts over 12 million Americans a year. That's

1:37

one in three women and one in four men. And

1:40

they aren't always the people you'd

1:42

expect. I'm here with Annie Elise,

1:44

creator of the YouTube channel, Tend

1:46

to Life and the podcast Serialously.

1:49

Every week Annie covers the latest in true

1:51

crime news. With her candor

1:53

and empathy, you can think of her as

1:55

your true crime bestie. Today she's

1:57

my true crime bestie. Thank you so much for

1:59

joining us. joining us today. Thank you so much

2:01

for having me. I'm really excited to be here

2:03

and talk about these two cases. A

2:06

lot of people hear domestic violence and

2:08

picture a husband hitting his wife. I

2:10

know that I used to, but there

2:12

are actually many different forms and perpetrators.

2:14

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline,

2:16

it's any pattern of behavior used

2:19

by one partner to control another.

2:21

It can be slippery and really

2:23

hard to escape from. Exactly. Unless

2:25

you've been there, you don't know. And everyone's

2:27

situation is different. So it's up to them

2:30

to decide when and how to leave. But

2:32

what we can do is share knowledge. What

2:34

does domestic violence look like? What are the

2:36

warning signs? What's a healthy

2:39

relationship? And most importantly, what

2:41

are some resources for survivors and their

2:43

loved ones? Stay with us. This

2:54

episode is brought to you by

2:56

ABC's hit drama Will Trent. Special

2:58

Agent Will Trent's strength is observing

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what others don't see. The crucial

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clues that make or break a

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case. Ramon Rodriguez stars as Will

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Trent, special agent from the Georgia

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Bureau of Investigation, using his gifts

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of observation to solve thrilling and

3:14

compelling cases week after week. Will

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Trent season premiere February 20th at

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8-7 Central on ABC and stream

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on Hulu. Tax

3:23

Act can think of a million things more

3:25

fun than filing taxes. Tax

3:27

Act is going to name some now. Sitting

3:30

in traffic. Folding a

3:32

fitted bed sheet. Listening

3:34

to your coworker talk about his fantasy

3:36

team. Digging a hole. Digging

3:39

an even larger hole next to that original

3:41

hole. Unfortunately, Tax Act's

3:43

filing software can't make taxes

3:46

fun. But Tax Act

3:48

can help you get them done. Tax

3:50

Act, let's get them over with. The

3:55

detective came and knocked on the door and

3:58

I said is it Renee and he just gave me

4:00

that solemn look. It was

4:02

the worst day ever. The

4:04

proof podcast is back with a new case and

4:07

a new season. 23 years

4:09

ago, 18 year old Renee Ramos went

4:12

missing. Her body was later

4:14

found in an empty Home Depot building on the edge of

4:16

town. I don't

4:18

think that they arrested the right people. It's about time

4:20

it's only trying to do something. She

4:22

had a black eye about two weeks before she

4:24

was murdered. They are

4:27

involved. They definitely had her body and

4:29

her backpack. You know people

4:31

are going to judge you, right? Of course.

4:33

They're judging me now. They've been judging me

4:35

then and my whole life. You

4:38

can listen now to season two of proof wherever

4:40

you get your podcast and follow along

4:42

with us as we reinvestigate the murder at the

4:44

warehouse. I have to

4:46

ask, did you kill Renee?

4:55

Our first case is from a few years ago

4:57

in Dallas, Texas. I'll tell this story then

4:59

Annie will share our second case. I'm ready.

5:02

Let's get into it. It

5:04

starts in 2012, the year Tinder and Hinge

5:07

launched and swiping right as the latest

5:09

trend, especially for

5:11

Brenda Delgado. She's 30

5:14

and ready to find her husband. When

5:16

she matches with Ricky Paniagua, she

5:18

falls hard. That doesn't

5:20

hurt that their first date is a JLo concert. Ricky's

5:24

a 36 year old divorced dermatology

5:26

resident. For Brenda, his ambition

5:28

in the healthcare field is really

5:31

attractive. Her own dream is

5:33

to become a dentist, but the required education

5:35

has always felt out of reach. Now

5:38

with Ricky by her side, she's

5:40

empowered to finally pursue her dreams.

5:43

According to Skip Hollinsworth's article

5:45

in Texas Monthly, their relationship

5:48

starts picture perfect within

5:50

three months. They move in together. Not

5:53

long after that, Brenda enrolls in a

5:55

dental hygienist program. Everything's

5:57

coming up Brenda, a year.

5:59

A year and a half into their relationship,

6:02

Ricky gives Brenda a ring.

6:06

A promise ring. And they're in

6:08

their 30s? Yeah. Okay. I

6:11

don't know about you, but at that

6:13

age when it feels like everyone is

6:15

getting married and having kids, if my

6:17

boyfriend of almost two years handed me

6:19

a promise ring, I'd be underwhelmed, maybe

6:21

even downright offended. Absolutely. Yeah, there's definitely

6:23

a message here. Ricky, he cares

6:26

for Brenda, but he's not ready for a life

6:28

commitment with her. And by July 2014, he realizes

6:30

he'll never be ready. He

6:34

breaks up with Brenda, ending

6:36

their two-year relationship. But

6:38

a few months later, they run into each other

6:40

at a salsa class. Neither

6:43

dance salsa during their relationship, so picking

6:45

the same new hobby feels like

6:47

fate. Brenda and Ricky

6:49

get back together and break up

6:51

again a few months later. But

6:54

once again, fate intervenes. They both

6:56

take up running and literally cross

6:59

paths on the local trails. Later,

7:02

Ricky takes a new date to Panera

7:04

Bread, where Brenda just happens to be

7:07

grabbing lunch. But

7:09

she's not there for the broccoli cheese soup. She's

7:11

there for Ricky. The

7:13

exes hadn't run into each other coincidentally.

7:17

Brenda's been masterminding the encounters.

7:19

No way. I was

7:21

just thinking. Alice is a huge city,

7:23

so it's wild that they kept just

7:26

running into each other. It's crazy. So

7:28

Ricky didn't know it, obviously. But during

7:30

their relationship, Brenda secretly grabbed

7:32

Ricky's email and iCloud

7:34

passwords. With these,

7:36

she was able to view his

7:38

calendar, read his messages, and even

7:40

track his location. Oh my gosh.

7:42

This is actually a form of

7:44

intimate partner violence, digital abuse, and

7:46

stalking. But it's one of

7:49

the harder kinds to catch. Absolutely. At

7:51

this point, Ricky doesn't even know he's

7:53

a victim. Brenda's been

7:55

successfully playing off their encounters as

7:57

coincidence. Plus, she and Ricky made

8:00

a loose friendship, keeping up through texting,

8:02

emails, and through social media. Ricky

8:05

knows she's up to date on his

8:07

life, just not how up to date.

8:09

It's understandable. According to the National Domestic

8:12

Violence Hotline, aka the Hotline, most people

8:14

don't expect abuse of any form to

8:16

come from a woman. The majority of

8:19

stalkers and abusers are men. But

8:21

the truth is anyone can be violent

8:24

and abusive, including women, including people with

8:26

no criminal record, including someone

8:28

you've known and lived with for years,

8:30

like in Ricky's situation. If

8:33

you have a friend who runs into

8:35

their ex an abnormal amount or whose

8:37

ex seems to know too much, you

8:39

can suggest that they consider their personal

8:41

cybersecurity. They might want to change their

8:43

passwords or block their ex, and you

8:45

might want to stop tagging locations and

8:47

Instagram stories that feature them. In

8:50

2015, almost a year after Ricky

8:52

first broke up with Brenda, he

8:54

gets a new girlfriend. Her name

8:57

is Kendra Hatcher. Brenda's

8:59

reactions start fairly normal. Okay,

9:01

I'm going to go through them and you can

9:03

tell me what you've done. Okay, fair. Damn, I

9:05

know. So

9:08

you look up your ex on social media. 100%, guaranteed.

9:11

Sure, right? Look up their new partner. Doesn't

9:13

everybody? Super normal, right? Yeah.

9:16

Talked about your ex's new relationship with a

9:18

friend. I feel like that's just a sense

9:20

of emotional processing. Absolutely, so normal. Gone

9:24

on a date with someone new, but made

9:26

them drive to your ex's new girlfriend's apartment

9:28

and sit outside waiting for them to go

9:31

in or out. I'm

9:33

sorry. Excuse me. Right. Okay,

9:35

not that. That is what Brenda did.

9:38

She tracks down Kendra's home address

9:40

and makes her date take her

9:42

there. This is especially concerning because

9:44

Brenda and Kendra have never met. Oh

9:47

my gosh. At this point, it's clear

9:49

Brenda needs help, but she only grows

9:51

more obsessive. Brenda talks about

9:53

Ricky and his new girlfriend constantly.

9:56

It doesn't help that Kendra is divorced, just

9:59

like Ricky. And she's a

10:01

dentist, Brenda's dream job. The obsession

10:03

ratchets up to a 10 when

10:05

Brenda starts talking about Ricky and Kendra

10:07

getting hurt. At one point,

10:09

she offers her roommate money to attack them.

10:12

Brenda's roommate is freaked out, obviously, and moves

10:14

out of the apartment. I don't blame her.

10:16

I'd be worried about my safety, too. Here's

10:19

what else you can do if you ever find yourself

10:21

in that kind of situation. First, make

10:23

it clear that you do not support violence.

10:25

Then, check on their well-being. You can ask

10:28

how they've been sleeping lately, or if they've

10:30

spoken to anyone else about this. If

10:32

the threats seem credible, or if they

10:34

have a detailed plan, you can also

10:37

contact the police or warn the person

10:39

being threatened. And lastly, you can always

10:41

call the hotline for personalized support, even

10:43

as a concerned bystander. We

10:45

don't know how much Brenda and her roommate

10:47

discuss it, but Brenda doesn't drop the subject.

10:49

She starts getting closer with one of her

10:52

old roommate's friends, a 23-year-old single

10:54

mom named Crystal Cortez. Remember

10:56

how Brenda is a dental

10:58

hygienist in training and Kendra

11:00

is a dentist? Crystal

11:02

is a dentist office receptionist slash

11:04

assistant. She looks at Brenda the

11:06

way Brenda looks at Kendra, with

11:09

envy. But Brenda is

11:12

extremely nice to Crystal. She pays for dinners

11:14

out and lets her use her big screen TV,

11:17

as long as Crystal listens to Brenda,

11:19

her wranging about Ricky and Kendra. Eventually,

11:22

they're close enough that Brenda

11:25

feels comfortable bringing up contract

11:27

killing. And Crystal doesn't

11:29

walk away. Oh, no. Mm-hmm. Brenda

11:32

offers Crystal $500 to help plan the murder, and

11:36

Crystal needs the money. So they start meeting

11:38

up on a near daily basis, discussing

11:41

murder methods and how to hire a

11:43

hit man to actually do the job.

11:46

Crystal also joins Brenda in stalking

11:49

Kendra and Ricky. They even

11:51

use night vision binoculars. And

11:54

here's something wild. They start driving

11:56

around Crystal's old neighborhood that she described

11:58

as run down. They pull

12:00

over and approach random men, asking

12:03

them if they would shoot someone for

12:05

money. This doesn't

12:08

get them anywhere. Eventually, they go to

12:10

Crystal's mom's house, where they meet Christopher

12:12

Love, a weed dealer with an

12:14

AK-47 tattoo. Brenda

12:18

sizes him up and scores an invite to

12:20

his place. There she brings

12:22

up the idea of a contract kill. Christopher

12:25

has a criminal record, and he's not

12:27

opposed to the idea for the right

12:29

price. At this

12:31

point, Brenda starts flat-out lying. She

12:33

says she's in with a Mexican

12:35

drug cartel, so she can offer

12:37

Christopher drugs in addition to cash.

12:41

That seals the deal. Christopher joins

12:43

Crystal and Brenda in the murder plot.

12:46

In the meantime, Brenda keeps a close

12:48

eye on Ricky and Kendra. She

12:50

learns they're making plans of their

12:52

own, trips to California and Mexico,

12:55

then a

12:57

wedding. Brenda

13:00

wants to stop it all. On

13:07

September 2nd, 2015, Brenda

13:10

spends most of the day in a

13:12

library, ostensibly studying for her dental hygienist

13:14

license exam. But her

13:16

thoughts are probably somewhere else, because

13:19

across town, Crystal and Christopher are

13:21

sitting in a borrowed Jeep Cherokee.

13:24

They're parked outside Smile Zone, the

13:26

dentist office where Kendra works. Around

13:29

7 p.m., Kendra leaves for the

13:31

day, and the Jeep tails her white

13:33

Camry across town until they

13:35

lose sight of it in evening traffic. But

13:38

that doesn't stop them. Crystal

13:40

and Christopher drive straight to Kendra's

13:42

apartment. They know she'll go there

13:45

eventually. They wait until

13:47

one of the neighbors opens the garage

13:49

gate and they sneak inside. Then

13:51

they park where they have a good view of Kendra's

13:53

parking spot. Wait, they know

13:56

where she parks? Oh yeah, Brenda found

13:58

out everything. and

14:00

Christopher wait until Kendra finally arrives

14:02

home. Once she parks, Christopher

14:04

gets out of the Jeep and approaches

14:07

the Camry. As Kendra

14:09

exits her car, Christopher shoots

14:12

her in the head. She

14:14

drops to the ground. Christopher grabs Kendra's

14:16

coach bag, then jumps back into the

14:18

Jeep. Crystal drives off,

14:21

leaving Kendra to die in

14:23

the parking garage. Everything

14:25

went according to plan. So

14:28

the plan was to kill Kendra, not

14:30

Ricky? Yes. Intimate partner violence

14:32

doesn't only harm the partners. It

14:34

can endanger people close to the

14:36

situation as well. Brenda

14:38

made Kendra her target because killing

14:41

Kendra allowed her some control over

14:43

Ricky's life. If Ricky wasn't

14:45

gonna be with Brenda, he wasn't gonna be

14:47

with anyone. Wow, you know the concept of

14:50

winning a breakup? Yeah. Well, it

14:52

sounds like the worst possible version of

14:54

that. Yeah, exactly. It's also possible Brenda

14:56

thought that with Kendra out of the

14:58

picture, Ricky would come back to her

15:01

maybe. Because that night, Ricky

15:03

texts Brenda. No. Yes,

15:06

he thinks she's a friend, that

15:08

shoulder to cry on. And Brenda

15:10

plays that part perfectly. She

15:12

even offers to bring Ricky groceries and

15:14

he accepts. They plan for

15:16

her to come over the night of September 3rd, barely

15:19

48 hours after Kendra's

15:21

murder. But that afternoon,

15:23

the police contact Ricky. They have

15:26

a lead on the case implicating

15:28

Brenda. So instead of spending her

15:30

evening in Ricky's apartment, Brenda

15:32

spends it in an interrogation room.

15:35

But she's like Kendra who? Because again,

15:37

they have never met. Plus,

15:39

Brenda has an airtight alibi. She was at

15:41

Chili's with a friend. She has the margarita

15:43

receipts to prove it. At some

15:46

point, the detectives reveal why they've narrowed

15:48

in on Brenda. Her friend Jose's Jeep

15:50

is on the parking garage security cam

15:52

footage. And Jose insists he

15:55

lent his Jeep to Brenda. Brenda

15:58

responds that she lent it to her friend. Crystal,

16:01

not even her friend, a girl she knows,

16:03

an acquaintance. Police

16:05

talk to Crystal, who feeds them a series

16:07

of lies, landing on the story that

16:09

she was only hired to rob Kendra,

16:12

not kill her. But

16:14

her accomplice went rogue. Amid

16:17

the lies, Crystal unveils one

16:19

truth. The crime wasn't targeted

16:21

at Kendra at all. It

16:24

was targeting Ricky. Still

16:27

it's not enough evidence. Police keep

16:29

investigating and a month later they

16:32

finally track down Christopher, who also

16:34

claims Brenda hired him to rob

16:36

Kendra. She wasn't supposed to

16:39

die. With two confessions

16:41

implicating Brenda, police finally have enough

16:43

to arrest her. There's

16:45

just one problem. Brenda

16:48

fled the country. The Dallas

16:50

PD escalate the case to the FBI,

16:52

who put Brenda on their 10 most

16:54

wanted list. She's the ninth

16:56

woman ever put on that list. The

16:59

list serves its purpose. Tips lead the

17:02

FBI to Torreón, Mexico, where Brenda's hiding

17:04

out. She surrenders

17:06

peacefully, probably because she knows

17:08

she won't be punished immediately. You

17:11

see, Brenda has dual citizenship between

17:13

the U.S. and Mexico, and Mexico

17:16

has laws protecting its citizens from

17:18

the death penalty, even in

17:20

other countries. But

17:22

the death penalty is a possible

17:24

punishment for Brenda's crimes in Texas.

17:27

So she waits through international diplomacy

17:29

and doesn't go to trial in

17:31

the U.S. until June 2019. At

17:35

that time, Crystal takes a plea deal

17:37

and testifies to the truth of Brenda's

17:39

crimes. Brenda's found

17:42

guilty and is currently serving life

17:44

without parole. Christopher

17:46

is also serving life without parole. Crystal

17:49

is serving a 35-year sentence. To

17:52

me, the most upsetting part of this

17:55

case is that Kendra was collateral damage.

17:57

She met a man. She

17:59

fell in love. And she

18:01

lost everything due to intimate partner

18:03

violence. She had no reason

18:05

to feel like she was in danger. Yeah,

18:07

she might have known that Brenda existed, but

18:09

how often do you think about your current

18:12

partner's ex? Not that much. Exactly. Meanwhile,

18:14

Brenda obsessed over Kendra. When detectives

18:17

investigated Brenda's phone, they found dozens

18:19

of screenshots of Kendra's social media

18:21

posts, pictures of her and Ricky,

18:24

even her flight confirmations from Ricky's

18:26

email. Wow, that is chilling. Yeah,

18:28

it might make you want to

18:31

set your Instagram to private or

18:33

even delete all social media. Nowadays,

18:36

any information you or others post

18:39

online could be used against you.

18:41

But I want to reiterate, Kendra's

18:43

murder was not her fault. Or

18:46

Ricky's. It wasn't about her. It

18:49

wasn't even about Ricky. It was

18:51

all about Brenda. Much

18:53

like a serial killer, Brenda wasn't going

18:55

to be satisfied until she harmed

18:57

Ricky somehow. She wanted to control

18:59

his life, and it was her

19:02

choices that caused this tragedy. Up

19:05

next, I'll share a more recent case

19:07

involving intimate partner violence in one of

19:09

the last places you would ever expect.

19:17

Our second story involves two more

19:19

unlikely parties, teens and their parents.

19:23

In 2019, it's the summer before

19:25

Morgan McCaffrey's senior year. She's busy, she

19:27

moves into a new house, and she

19:29

gets a new boyfriend. Is it a

19:31

big move? Not really. It's just across

19:33

town in Philadelphia. She keeps her same

19:35

school and her friends. But I mention

19:37

it because it might have brought her

19:39

closer to her new boyfriend, Gilbert Newton

19:41

III. And they have a lot

19:43

in common, both play soccer and attend private

19:46

Catholic high schools. Even though they

19:48

live about 15 minutes from each other, they

19:50

do go to different schools. Morgan goes to

19:52

an all-girls school, Nazareth Academy, and

19:54

Gilbert attends an all-boys school, Roman Catholic

19:57

High School. In the beginning,

19:59

the relationship is... romantic, think flirty

20:01

texts and going to each other

20:03

soccer games. Eventually, Gilbert says they

20:05

lose their virginity together. Over

20:08

the next year, Morgan and Gilbert seem

20:10

to be a normal teen couple, until

20:12

they aren't. Allegedly, Gilbert starts

20:15

blowing up at Morgan for the

20:17

tiniest things, like taking too long

20:19

to text back. When she doesn't

20:21

reply, he texts her insults. According

20:23

to the hotline, forcing your partner

20:25

to maintain constant contact can be

20:27

an early attempt to control them.

20:29

It's a warning sign for abuse later

20:31

down the line. A pattern

20:33

of insults and aggression is emotional

20:36

abuse, and coercing immediate text responses

20:38

is a form of digital abuse.

20:41

But Morgan and her friends don't know that.

20:43

She does tell her friends about the mean

20:46

text, but insists that Gilbert doesn't really mean

20:48

it. He's just upset. And this is pretty

20:50

common. At a lot of schools, intimate partner

20:52

violence isn't really talked about. So when a

20:55

warning sign appears, teens can blow it off

20:57

as drama. But in reality,

20:59

one in ten teens experiences

21:01

abuse. In fact, the

21:03

hotline has an entire program for teens

21:06

called Love is Respect. Love

21:08

is Respect has resources specifically for young

21:10

people. Their info is linked in the

21:13

show notes. In this kind of

21:15

situation, they recommend talking to your partner about healthy

21:17

boundaries and making it clear you aren't always going

21:19

to be on your phone. Like you might turn

21:21

it off to go to the movies or for

21:24

a family dinner. We don't know

21:26

exactly how Morgan handles her conversations

21:28

with Gilbert, but things don't improve.

21:31

In March of 2020, yes,

21:33

yes, this is about to be a

21:35

COVID story. I know we were all

21:37

hit hard by the lockdowns. And so

21:39

were Morgan and Gilbert. March through May

21:42

of 2020 was supposed to be a

21:44

really special time in their lives. Prom,

21:46

graduation, their last few weeks in high

21:48

school. For most teens, the end of

21:50

senior year is filled with parties and

21:52

celebrations. It's a major milestone. For

21:54

Morgan and Gilbert, it was Zoom calls

21:57

and sweatpants. It's something most reporting on

21:59

the case. doesn't touch on, but they

22:01

and their families are robbed of the typical

22:03

coming of age traditions. This

22:05

undeniably impacts everyone's mental state and how

22:07

the next few months play out. Even

22:10

so, amid all of the chaos, Morgan

22:12

spearheads a plan to create care packages

22:15

for local nurses. Even in

22:17

a really tough time, she's banding together with

22:19

her community to support people who have it

22:21

harder than her. And according to

22:23

his friends and family, Gilbert is a

22:25

good match for Morgan, known for his

22:27

peacefulness, truthfulness, and being law-abiding, as well

22:29

as his good character. That

22:31

spring, they both graduate and planned to

22:34

attend different colleges. Morgan commits to Manor

22:36

College for undergrad, where she plans to

22:38

prepare for dental hygiene school. Gilbert

22:41

plans to play soccer for Lebanon

22:43

Valley College, but behind closed doors,

22:45

things are much less rosy. Just

22:48

to add some context before we

22:50

go on. In 2020, domestic violence

22:52

increases worldwide. The uptick is so

22:54

severe, the United Nations dubs it

22:57

as a shadow pandemic. And according

22:59

to Philadelphia's district attorney, their city

23:01

is no exception. With so much

23:03

of society shut down, survivors have

23:05

fewer opportunities to escape, and abusers

23:08

have more opportunities and motive to

23:10

do harm without witnesses. And

23:12

that's what happens with Gilbert and Morgan. At

23:16

some point during their relationship, the

23:18

name calling evolves into the threats

23:20

and at least once physical attacks.

23:22

Gilbert shoves Morgan, punches her, and

23:24

even bites her. Oh no. When

23:27

this happens, Morgan's isolated from her friends,

23:29

her teachers, and so many other people

23:31

who might notice signs of abuse, or

23:34

be a safe person to talk to. She

23:36

definitely has a loving family, but for survivors

23:39

and teens especially, it can be easier to

23:41

talk to someone outside of the family, which

23:43

is what Morgan does. She tells

23:46

at least one friend what happened. We

23:48

don't know exactly how that conversation goes,

23:51

but if someone comes to you about

23:53

abuse, love is respect recommends creating a

23:55

safe space where your friend or a

23:57

loved one can share and listen without

23:59

judging. Then, you can offer

24:01

to help with whatever they need. Though,

24:04

be prepared. It might not be what

24:06

you expect. And they might not be

24:08

ready to end the relationship. If that

24:10

happens, respect their decision and remind them

24:12

you're there if anything changes. In

24:15

Morgan's case, it's possible that talking to friends

24:17

helps her break up with Gilbert, which isn't

24:19

easy. Morgan's mom says that they break up

24:21

and they get back together a few times

24:23

that spring. When Morgan breaks up with Gilbert

24:26

again on June 20th, 2020, he

24:28

texts her death threats. We'll just read one

24:31

so that you can understand the tone. I

24:33

just want to stab you in the neck

24:36

continuously. Morgan blocks

24:38

his number, which is exactly what love

24:40

is respect recommends. If someone is sending

24:42

you harassing or scary texts, you don't

24:44

have to read them, though it can

24:47

be helpful to take screenshots in case

24:49

you need documentation later, like for a

24:51

restraining order. Here's where it

24:53

gets wild. Gilbert gets his

24:56

mom involved. Wait, what? Yeah,

24:58

when Morgan stops answering him, Gilbert texts

25:00

his mom to talk to her on

25:02

his behalf. On July

25:04

6th, he writes, quote, because

25:07

I want to talk to her, say he will text

25:09

you when you get home. Just unblock

25:11

him. She's got an attitude like it's really

25:13

done. I'm really going to fucking kill her

25:15

dude. I will stab her in the neck

25:17

57 times. Wait,

25:19

he sent that to his mom? Yes,

25:21

and it gets worse. His mom reads

25:23

that text and calls Morgan. Oh,

25:26

I've heard some really bad cases of helicopter

25:28

parenting, but this might be the worst. Morgan

25:31

doesn't pick up, does she? Not at

25:34

first, but his mom calls again and

25:36

eventually the pressure on Morgan is too much.

25:39

She picks up the phone. Remember, Morgan's

25:41

a legal adult, but she's only just finished

25:43

high school. She still lives at home and

25:45

she met his mom when she was underage.

25:47

So Gilbert's mom is still an authority figure.

25:49

That doesn't help that they lost so many

25:51

of the end of high school traditions that

25:53

help parents start seeing their kids as

25:56

adults. Yeah, plus Morgan's graduated from

25:58

a Catholic high school. So,

26:00

maybe she's operating under specific cultural

26:02

values like being the bigger person

26:04

or turn the other cheek and

26:06

be kind or feel the famous

26:09

Catholic guilt. This is what Morgan's

26:11

mom thinks, at least that Morgan

26:13

felt guilty after hurting Gilbert's feelings.

26:16

In the end, Morgan agrees to do the

26:18

quote unquote nice thing and meet Gilbert at

26:20

his house on July 13th. That

26:22

day, she drops off the rest of Gilbert's stuff

26:24

that he left with her. She's ready to move

26:26

on. Gilbert is not.

26:28

She stocks Morgan online. On

26:31

July 26th, he finds her VSCO account,

26:33

which Morgan intentionally didn't share with him.

26:36

For those of us who are a little older, VSCO is

26:38

a photo sharing app similar to Instagram.

26:40

It was popular with teens in 2020,

26:42

mostly because people our age weren't on

26:45

it. But unlike Instagram, it doesn't have

26:47

the option to make your profile private.

26:49

So Gilbert can view all of

26:51

Morgan's posts, including one with her

26:53

new boyfriend. And Gilbert

26:55

is extremely upset. She texts

26:57

Morgan, asking her to meet. But even

26:59

when she agrees, Gilbert keeps harassing her, asking

27:02

her about her new boyfriend. Eventually,

27:04

Morgan tells Gilbert to leave her alone or she

27:06

will block him again. At

27:08

some point during this talk, Gilbert texts

27:10

his mom that Morgan quote, better come

27:12

back or I'll cut her head off.

27:14

But instead of talking to Gilbert about

27:16

his violent feelings, his mom's Facebook messages

27:18

Morgan and convinces her to keep talking

27:20

to Gilbert. Morgan and Gilbert

27:23

text some more and agree to meet by the school

27:25

track field the next morning. So around 7 30

27:28

a.m. on July 27th, Morgan pulls into

27:30

the field's parking lot. Gilbert

27:33

isn't there. A few minutes

27:35

later, he texts her that he's driving to a

27:37

different location, a church parking lot. He

27:39

says it's more private. Morgan agrees

27:42

to go and meet him there. But when

27:44

Gilbert learns that there's another car in the

27:46

lot, he makes her change the location again,

27:48

this time to a train station parking lot.

27:51

Morgan arrives at 7 55 a.m. and

27:53

this lot is empty. It

27:55

seems like Gilbert doesn't want any witnesses to

27:58

his meetup with Morgan, not only for the

28:00

text, but from the two Ginzu Kitchen Knives

28:02

Gilbert brought with him. He'd taken them from

28:04

his parents' knife block. At

28:07

8.06 a.m., Morgan's phone dials her

28:09

mom's number, but the call doesn't go

28:11

through. At 8.12 a.m.,

28:13

city workers call 911.

28:16

By 8.14 a.m., the police are on

28:18

the scene. They find Morgan in a

28:20

pool of blood, laying on top of a

28:23

broken knife. Morgan has roughly 52

28:26

stab wounds. One pierced her

28:28

heart and would have been fatal alone.

28:31

Morgan also has defensive injuries, bruises,

28:33

and scratches from fighting back. In

28:36

the struggle, blood spattered 20 feet across

28:38

the parking lot. Morgan is

28:41

declared dead on site. At

28:44

10.01 a.m., there's another 911 call, this

28:47

time from Gilbert's mom. Police

28:49

dispatch to the Newton house. There,

28:51

they find Gilbert on his parents'

28:54

couch covered in Morgan's blood. He's

28:56

expressing suicidal thoughts, and

28:58

he confesses to murdering Morgan. A

29:01

year later, he's found guilty of

29:03

first-degree murder, premeditated homicide. Gilbert

29:06

was angry that Morgan had moved on from

29:08

their relationship, so he stabbed her to death.

29:11

After the trial, Gilbert says, I blame

29:13

no one but myself. I blame myself

29:15

completely. Gilbert Newton

29:17

III is serving a life in prison.

29:21

Wow. One of the

29:23

scariest pets of this case is how young

29:25

Gilbert and Morgan were. As the mom of

29:27

teens, this hits way close to home. I

29:29

can't imagine how I'd be if something like

29:32

this happened to my kids, but I can

29:34

tell you what Morgan's family did. In

29:36

the wake of Morgan's death, her family

29:38

was showered with donations. They used the

29:41

money to found an educational nonprofit called

29:43

Morgan's Light. Morgan's Light provides

29:45

tools and resources that help teens

29:47

and parents stop domestic violence before

29:49

it starts, and they work with

29:51

schools to spread awareness. I

29:54

want to share part of a message Morgan's

29:56

mom wrote online. Knowing what

29:58

I do now, reached out

30:00

for support through the resources we are providing

30:02

to you. After doing my research,

30:05

I know this can be a daunting task,

30:07

but I also know that this patience and

30:09

strength are worth it. These resources

30:11

are there to help a woman

30:14

leave a relationship safely. Yes, she's

30:16

right. The tools are out there.

30:19

Thanks to organizations like Morgan's Light,

30:21

The Hotline, and Love is Respect,

30:23

there's free help for survivors, loved

30:26

ones, and even for abusers who want

30:28

to stop. While you can't

30:30

force anyone to change, you

30:33

can share information. And that could save

30:35

someone's life. Sometimes it's just about knowing

30:37

what to look out for. There's one

30:39

final piece of information I wanted to

30:42

share. In both these

30:44

cases, Ricky and Morgan felt like

30:46

they couldn't escape their exes. This

30:49

is something not enough people are aware of. After

30:52

ending a relationship, you can still

30:54

be susceptible to manipulation and abuse.

30:56

In certain cases, you might even

30:58

be in more danger than you

31:00

were during the relationship. Under

31:02

pressure, Morgan agreed to meet Gilbert

31:04

to give him closure. And under

31:06

similar pressure, Ricky paid for the

31:08

cell phone plan Brenda used to

31:10

stalk him and Kendra. According

31:12

to The Hotline, abusers often gaslight

31:15

victims by downplaying their past actions

31:17

and telling the survivor it won't

31:19

ever happen again. They'll work overtime

31:22

to convince the people around them they're

31:24

a good person who would never intentionally

31:26

hurt anyone. This is part

31:28

of why The Hotline recommends keeping

31:31

an open dialogue about your romantic

31:33

relationships with someone outside the relationship.

31:35

That person can help spot abuse from

31:38

outside the situation. Because when friends and

31:40

family don't know the whole story, they

31:42

can add to the societal pressure to

31:45

be the bigger person, even

31:47

when it hurts you. Ricky and Morgan

31:49

probably felt like they had no choice

31:51

but to be nice. And we're here

31:53

to say you don't have to. There's

31:56

no shame in being a survivor.

31:59

If you or someone close to you is

32:01

experienced intimate partner violence, the first

32:03

priority should be the survivor's

32:05

safety. Even if people say

32:07

you aren't being nice. Even if

32:10

that means blocking them, their family,

32:12

and their closest friends from your

32:14

phone and social media. Going no

32:16

contact is really hard, but it

32:18

can be key to staying safe.

32:20

Because ending an abusive relationship and

32:22

the immediate aftermath are the most

32:24

dangerous times for survivors. But there

32:26

are ways to make it less

32:28

dangerous. Like forming a post-breakup safety

32:30

plan. It can include no contact

32:32

for a set period, like six

32:34

months. Or it can lay out

32:36

exactly how you'll respond if your abusive

32:38

ex reaches out, you run into them

32:40

in public, or someone else shames you

32:43

for setting a boundary. Both

32:45

the hotline and Love Is Respect offer

32:47

free assistance in creating these plans. Whether

32:49

you're still in the relationship and want

32:51

help leaving, or you've ended it but

32:53

want to make sure your ex doesn't

32:55

harm you. Anyone can make a safety

32:57

plan, even if your partner hasn't abused

33:00

you before. Intimate partner violence may be

33:02

the most common form of murder right

33:04

now, but it doesn't have to

33:06

stay that way. By building awareness of what

33:08

a healthy relationship looks like, sharing

33:10

education about the warning signs

33:13

of domestic violence, and supporting

33:15

the people in our lives, we

33:17

can prevent future tragedies. Visit

33:19

spotify.com/serial killers to learn more, get

33:22

support, and take action on the

33:24

specific types of abuse we discussed

33:26

today. If you or someone you

33:29

know is experiencing domestic violence in

33:31

any form, help is available. The

33:33

National Domestic Violence Hotline provides free

33:35

confidential support 24-7. Call 1-800-799-SAFE or

33:42

visit thehotline.org. Thanks

33:45

for listening to this episode of

33:47

Serial Killers and Serialously. And special

33:49

thanks to Casey Asserno on Spotify's

33:51

social impact team and our partners

33:53

at the National Domestic Violence Hotline

33:55

for their help with this episode.

33:57

Remember to take care of each other and stay safe.

34:00

Stay safe out there. Thanks again, Annie, for joining me.

34:02

Thanks so much for having me. Serial

34:04

Killers is a Spotify podcast, and

34:06

Serialously is an audio boom

34:08

podcast. Both of us release a

34:11

new episode every Monday. This episode

34:13

was written by Maggie Admire,

34:15

researched and developed by Maggie

34:17

Admire, and Julian Borow, fact-checked

34:19

by Lori Siegel, and sound-designed

34:21

by Alex Button. Our

34:23

head of programming is Julian Borow. Our

34:25

head of production is Nick Johnson, and

34:28

Spencer Howard is our post-production supervisor.

34:30

This episode was hosted by Annie

34:33

Elise and me, Vanessa Richardson.