Here at home, the murder of a jogger in Queens has left a community on edge as the hunt for her killer continues. At around 10:30 at night, police officers were moving slowly through the thick reads along the running trail in Spring Creek Park in Brooklyn. Then, suddenly, they heard a man scream. When the officers rushed closer, they saw a father standing over his daughter’s body.
Karina Vrono, a 30-year-old woman, was lying face down on the ground. Her athletic top and shorts had been pulled down. There were bruises on her face. Her teeth were broken. And her legs were covered in scratches. The officers tried to pull the father away from her body, but he wouldn’t let go. He just kept repeating the same words over and over.
I have to take my daughter home. Just a few hours earlier, Karina had simply gone out for a run. She was an experienced runner and used to jog along that trail all the time with her father. But that day, he stayed home because of a back injury. Right before she left the house, she told him everything would be fine.
Two hours passed and she never came back. When detectives began examining the crime scene, one thing became painfully clear. Karina had fought until the very end. At one point, she even bit her attacker so hard that she broke her own teeth. Investigators later found DNA under her fingernails. But when they ran it through the national database, it didn’t match anyone, which meant only one thing.
Somewhere nearby, there was a man who had brutally attacked a woman in the middle of the day and then disappeared without a trace. But what investigators discovered later turned out to be far more horrifying than just a murder. DNA analysis revealed a terrifying secret. And when police finally found the killer, some of the officers said it was so disturbing that it honestly gave them chills.
A few of them even needed psychological help afterward. So to really understand how this all happened, we have to go back to the very beginning. All right, friends, let me pause for just a minute. I’m really curious where my audience is watching from. So, if you don’t mind, tell me what city you’re in and what time it is where you are right now.
Thanks for taking a moment to do that. Drop it in the comments. And now, let’s keep going. Karina Vrono, a 30-year-old runner, was the kind of person who always pushed herself, always trying to go a little farther and a little faster. That day didn’t seem any different from the others. At around 5:00 in the afternoon, she stepped out of her house to go for a run near Spring Creek, a quiet area that’s part of East New York in Brooklyn.
Spring Creek is a natural preserve that covers about two square miles. It’s full of overgrown patches, tall weeds, and thick brush. The place sits just a few blocks from the home where Karina lived with her family. Most of the time, she ran there with her father, Phil, a retired firefighter. But that day, he stayed home because of a back injury.
Phil felt uneasy about her going there alone. The area was pretty isolated, and he told her he didn’t think it was a good idea for her to run there by herself. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” she told him. >> Just a few minutes before heading out for her run, Karina took a quick selfie. In the background of the photo, you can actually see her mom, Kathy, walking past behind her.
Then, Karina left the house. Phil later said that about 45 minutes after she walked out the door, he suddenly had this uneasy feeling like something just wasn’t right. By then, almost 2 hours had passed. Karina still hadn’t come home. Phil tried calling her over and over again, but she never answered. So, he reached out to a childhood friend of his who was working with the New York City Police Department at the time.
A patrol car was sent to the area to look for her. When officers couldn’t find Karina, the search quickly expanded. Units from the 106th precinct joined in, moving through thick reads that were as tall as 10 ft. And even as night fell, the search continued. When we were going along the trail and checking the area, there was this really strong sense of unease, said NYPD detective Barry Brown.
At one point, someone even said out loud, “This doesn’t feel right.” Phil was also helping police during the search using the geoloccation signals from Karina’s phone. Investigators eventually moved toward a marshy area about 15 ft off the running trail. Local residents had raised concerns about that area before. The tall weeds there had long been considered a safety problem for the community.
At around 10:30 that night, officers suddenly heard a man screaming and immediately ran in that direction. It was Phil. He had found his daughter’s body lying face down on the ground. Officers had to physically pull him away because he just couldn’t let her go. He kept repeating that he needed to take her home.
Detectives, including Barry Brown and Lieutenant John Russo, determined that Karina had bruises on her face and multiple injuries. Her teeth were broken and there were abrasions on her legs. Her athletic top and shorts had been pulled down. Police said there was evidence pointing to sexual assault. Karina had fought her attacker so fiercely that she bit him with such force that she broke her own teeth.
Investigators also noticed that one of her hands was tightly gripping grass, which suggested she may have been dragged across the ground. The chief of detectives, Boyce, later said it was obvious that she fought until the very end. The office of the medical examiner later performed an autopsy and determined that her death was a homicide caused by strangulation.
While the killer was choking her, he pressed his hand against her neck so hard that police could actually see the imprint of his hand. Phil later said he felt like it was somehow meant to be him who found her. She led me to her. She needed her dad to be the one who found her. There’s no doubt about that. He said >> it’s one of the most intense and difficult crime scene searches in recent years.
The view from Chopper 2 shows the demanding scope of the task. >> We have a very active crime scene in a very remote area. So, we’re we’re searching this as best we can in a very tough condition. Uh the grass is very high. We’re using machetes to search for additional evidence wherever we go. >> Thursday, dozens of detectives fanned across Howard Beach, interviewing landscapers and home improvement workers.
>> They’re just asking us what time we shut up and were you working Tuesday. They want this guy. Whoever he is, I hope they get him. >> Tonight, teams of search crews continue to tackle the dense weeds 300 ft at a time. First, hacking away by hand with machetes. They don’t want to damage any possible clues as they clear the area.
>> We’re clearing uh a a very vast area uh in the back uh adjacent to the crime scene. And we’re we’re conducting a search for evidence. >> The the mother and father are just visibly shaken. Uh they want closure. They want justice. Uh they want to be able to bury their daughter with dignity. >> We all jog and we all walk out here and enjoy, you know, the serenity.
And now I’m I’m afraid to go out. At his latest briefing, the chief of detectives calling this case quote, “a severe community threat and taking the following steps. A six-month review of all Parks Police activity in the area, collecting information from the police department’s sex offender monitoring unit, and continuing with their cell phone tower investigation.
But so far, just the possibility that the killer may not have been someone Karina Vetrono knew.” Well, it certainly leaves residents on edge. My concerns is that, you know, that that it’s if it’s somebody that lives in in the area that he might do it again. >> Karina’s father described Karina Vrono as cheerful, driven, and successful, the kind of daughter every parent dreams about.
Even though she was only 4′ 11 in tall, her personality was incredibly strong. She was very intelligent and had earned a master’s degree from Street John’s University. While still living with her parents, she worked as a speech therapist in Manhattan, helping children with disabilities. According to her friend Erica, Karina was like a spark, a tiny firework of energy with this contagious laugh that could fill an entire room.
Besides her job as a speech therapist, she also worked part-time as a promoter at a club in Atoria, where she invited guests and earned a percentage from the revenue generated by VIP services. Friends also told investigators about a man named Paul, an employee at the nightclub where Karina worked. They said he had made unwanted advances toward her and would become aggressive when she rejected him.
At one point, they believed he might even have been stalking her. However, police later ruled him out as a suspect after confirming that he was at work at the time of the murder. And the more investigators looked into the case, the more it started to seem like this might have been a random killing carried out by a stranger.
We are still in the process of crime scene collecting evidence right now. We will be out there for several days. That is a remote area. Uh we have crime scenes set up there and we plan to chop down just about every weed in that location until we satisfied that we got all the evidence. Now we have a lot of uh a lot of forensic evidence acquired so far, but we’re not getting a lot of Crimestoppper tips.
We have three and they’re all pretty generic. So, we have since raised the um the reward up for $10,000 for any information. That is a very strong community. I’ll be out there as soon as I leave here. Uh we’ve got nothing but uh but support from everybody uh out there. We hope to have more information. Now, this is a remote area.
Young lady was running, still daylight, so hoping somebody saw something going into the park. Thus far, we don’t have a lot of leads on this right now, but we’re still collecting evidence. The evidence that we’ve collected thus far is in the office of chief medical examiner. We’re hoping to get it up on a uh on a DNA profile in the next couple days.
We have them, I tell you, we have them often in this city. No one is the uh subject of murder. Uh they’re usually late at night. Uh if we have them on the street, uh rape one where extraord stranger rapes are down in this city. Nonetheless, we still get them. This type of incident where you have a jogger in a park in a recreational center in in broad in daylight hours is extraordinarily uh unusual.
>> About 400 people came to Karina Vanrono’s funeral. Among them were several members of the New York City Fire Department. She was full of life, Phil said during his farewell speech. She lived every single day like it was her last, putting as much life as she could into every minute. In just 30 short years, she accomplished more than some people do in an entire lifetime.
And we weren’t just father and daughter. We were like one and the same. >> She was a beautiful girl, young. I didn’t know her. Didn’t know her at all. But it’s it’s sad. I’m going to address the coward whoever killed her daughter Karina for the first time since the brutal murder. The Vronos spoke with reporters outside of their home.
You know that my daughter was a force to be reckoned with. And I guarantee you that you will be reckoning with that force not only for the rest of your pathetic life, >> but for the rest of eternity as you burn in hell. My daughter was a big believer of karma. And as you could see, she’s magical. The whole world knows she’s magical.
and I guarantee you, you will pay forever. >> Justice will be served. Okay? That’s why we have the PD. That’s why we have God. Justice will be served. >> Investigators were not able to recover usable DNA from the sexual assault evidence kit. However, they did manage to build a DNA profile using material found under Karina’s fingernails as well as on her cell phone, which was discovered just a few feet from her body.
Her murder deeply shook the tight-knit community and many people were living in fear trying to understand what had happened. Thousands of people also donated money to a reward fund for information that could help identify the killer. Police contributed $25,000. The mayor’s office added another$10,000 and the remaining funds were raised through GoFundMe.
>> They’re tracking everything down. But what we need, we need for someone to say, “Hello, I know the guy.” That’s what we’re looking for. If I wake up and there’s nothing for me to do, that’s when the bottom’s going to drop out. So, I have to stay involved every day in every way. Today, it’s this. This is keeping me alive.
Today, >> a tractor with an industrial mower was brought to the crime scene along with dozens of police officers from different units. Because the land where Karina’s body was found was under federal ownership, the New York City Police Department asked the FBI for assistance. Federal agents supported the investigation by providing additional resources.
They even used drones to survey the area from above. Police also said they checked a homeless encampment located more than one mile from the crime scene, but investigators eventually concluded it was likely not connected to the murder. They also questioned registered sex offenders who live nearby along with several people known to spend time living inside the park itself.
To increase the resources dedicated to the investigation, the NYPD created a special task force. It included two detectives from each of the eight units of Queen South. At the same time, officials had to address safety concerns inside the park. A federal officer explained that the large area where Karina was killed was only monitored around the perimeter and even those checks were irregular throughout the day.
The same officers were responsible for patrolling parts of Gateway National Park in Brooklyn and Queens, which also includes Spring Creek. “This is a serious challenge for us. We’ve talked about it with the community before, and honestly, it’s no secret,” said the commander of the US Park Police District. “Ive investigators said that with no eyewitnesses, their most important lead was the DNA profile.
” That profile had already been checked, but at that moment it still hadn’t produced a match in the national database. The COTUS database that we use for DNA was only created in 1998. So this person could have been in prison before that, explained Chief of Detectives Voice, but it could also be someone younger, someone who’s never been in prison at all.
In a case like this, it was crucial to check whether anything similar had happened before. Early in the investigation, detectives in New York said they had been contacted by the Massachusetts State Police to see if there might be a connection between Karina’s murder and the killing of Vanessa Marquott, a 27-year-old Google account manager who was found dead in Princeton on August 7th.
At the time, Vanessa lived in New York City, but she had traveled to Princeton to visit her mother. On August 7th, she went out for a run and never came back home. Later, her body was discovered in a wooded area about half a mile from her mother’s house. Authorities in New York said they could not confirm any connection between the two cases.
Still, they emphasized that investigators would continue checking every possible lead. Chief of Detectives Boyce said investigators still believe Karina’s murder was random. Their main theory hadn’t changed. They believed the suspect escaped through the dense brush surrounding the crime scene and eventually made his way toward Belt Parkway.
Police examined every possible escape route, but surveillance cameras did not capture any clear image of a suspect. Every house near the park was checked and residents were interviewed. Investigators even used the phrase a needle in a hay stack. And honestly, that’s exactly what the search felt like. As the high-profile case continued to draw more public attention, a Verizon employee who had been working in Spring Creek Park on the day Karina was killed contacted the police.
He told detectives that he had seen a man who seemed suspicious. The man was wearing a wool cap and was in the area around the same time investigators believed the attack had happened. Based on that description, a composite sketch was created and released to the public on August 31st. At >> a press conference, Chief Boyce says one particular thing stands out.
>> And if you’ll notice the dark wool hat, remember the day was August 2nd. A little unusual. He’s wearing a wool hat in the area there. And now a laser sharp focus on this bike path where unfortunately there are no cameras. And finding this man who police say is black, 5’10, between 35 and 45 years old with a medium build.
>> We have to speak to this person. That’s the only reason we’re putting it out. >> After the composite sketch was released, a former NYPD supervisor contacted Robert Boyce. At the time, he was working as the head of security at a residential building in Brooklyn, and he said that one of the residents looked a lot like the man in the sketch.
Police went to the apartment. The man, whose name was Kevin, refused to open the door at first. Officers stayed outside the building until he eventually came out. Kevin admitted that, yeah, there was some resemblance to the sketch, so he was taken to the station for questioning. Once there, he refused to provide a DNA sample.
Detective Barry Brown later said that decision immediately caught everyone’s attention in the room. Police eventually obtained his DNA using a discarded water bottle he had thrown away. But when the results came back, the analysis showed that Kevin’s DNA did not match the profile connected to the crime scene. After that lead was ruled out, investigators were basically back at square one.
Hoping to generate new information, Crime Watch Daily released surveillance footage showing Karina just a few hours before her murder. The video was recorded during what police described as her usual running route. Her family and investigators were both hoping it might reveal some kind of clue. Authorities said it was the last known image of Karina.
Karina’s loved ones also came together to retrace some of the last routes she was known to have taken. When the DNA still didn’t match anyone in the database, Phil urged investigators to use a method called familial searching. basically checking whether any relatives of the possible killer might already be in the database.
You could find the killer, he said. You might be able to trace a direct connection and that would narrow the search down a lot. At the time, that kind of testing method was being used in nine states, but not in New York. So, Phil started a petition hoping to change that. Familiar DNA searching goes deeper using special software to look for a similar not exact match indicating the suspect could be related to someone in the system.
>> There’s untold amount of cold cases that’ll be solved by this. >> But the ACLU is pushing back saying that such policy could lead to quote miscarriages of justice. >> Well, I think they’re just ignorant. Ignorant of the facts that we are just targeting criminals. Six months after she was found dead, police now have a person of interest in the case of murder jogger Karina of Vrono.
>> One man was taken into custody. The next day, he was officially arrested and he said, “Please tell my mom I’m sorry. Could I speak with someone from the victim’s family? I’m sorry for what I did.” The events that led to that moment actually began about a month earlier after weeks and months had passed without any major breakthroughs in the investigation.
In January 2017, Lieutenant John Russo took another look at the case. He was one of the officers who had been at the scene when Karina was found, and he also lived in Howard Beach. While reviewing the case files, Russo suddenly remembered an incident from May 2016, just a few months before Karina’s murder.
And um he started to wonder if it might actually be connected to the investigation. On the other side of the street, near the house next door, I saw someone walking away from me. The person was wearing a tracksuit with long sleeves and a hood pulled over their head even though it was about 80° outside.
And I remember thinking like that’s strange. Russo said the man seemed to be looking over the houses nearby and that made him call the police. But by the time officers arrived, the person was already gone. The very next day, neighbors reported similar suspicious behavior. They said a man wearing a black and white tracksuit had walked onto several private properties.
Later, Russo ran into the same man again and asked for his name. His name was Chanel Lewis. At the time, Russo figured that was probably the end of it and that their paths would never cross again. But in January, the memory came back to him. He had this strong feeling about it, like something just didn’t sit right.
So, he started digging deeper into Chanel Lewis. He discovered that Lewis didn’t have a criminal record, but he had received several summones connected to the Brooklyn side of Spring Creek Park across from the section of the preserve located in Queens. After that, Chief Boyce received a call from Russo. There was something in Lieutenant Russo’s voice that made me think, um, this might actually be the one, Boyce said.
So, we jumped on it right away. When investigators began speaking with Chanel Lewis, he told officers he knew the area very well. According to him, he was mostly a loner with very few friends, and he often walked along the trails to listen to music and like clear his head. While cooperating with detectives, he voluntarily provided a DNA sample.
Officers also visited his former high school and discovered that his past appeared to be troubled and complicated. According to news reports, while he was still in school, he once told a teacher’s aid that he wanted to stab his female classmates. I want to stab all the girls. According to reports, he said that on May 17th, 2011, when he was 15 years old.
Sources also said that at one point he allegedly asked, “What would happen if I brought a knife to school?” Sources said the school notified the police and he was taken into custody as a person with emotional disturbances. He was transported to Kings County Hospital Center for evaluation and later released.
The following month, according to reports, school staff contacted law enforcement again after he allegedly cursed at a female student and threatened her and her family. He was once again taken to the hospital and later released. One tabloid article also claimed that he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, but that information appears never to have been independently confirmed.
During research into the case, that claim only appeared in an article from the New York Post. In September 2011, he was reportedly transferred to a private school for students with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Former classmates later said he was known as a loner and was often bullied at school. They used to beat him all the time.
One student said even girls would pick on him and hit him. He didn’t have any friends. Another former student said that sometimes he tried to fight back, but that didn’t happen very often. One classmate who rode the school bus with him said many people made fun of him because of the way he dressed and the way he looked. At the same time, several former students said they never knew him as an aggressive or confrontational person.
He always walked around school with his hood pulled over his head, one of them said. The executive director of Martin Deores schools later said that Chanel Lewis graduated in August 2015 and during his time there there were no reports that he had threatened anyone while he was at the school there were no disciplinary records connected to him and there were no other reports of threatening statements directed at other students.
The director said in a statement Chanel’s father stood up for his son but at the same time he pointed investigators to one important detail. He told detectives that his son couldn’t have committed the crime because the day after the murder, he had taken him to the hospital. Chanel was treated there for a hand injury.
He said he had gotten it during a fight. After checking local hospitals, detectives managed to find the doctor who had treated him. According to Detective Barry Brown, the doctor said he had removed a foreign object from Chanel’s hand. The DNA sample taken from Chanel’s voluntary swab was then run through the system and it matched the DNA found at the scene of Karina’s murder.
That foreign object removed from Chanel’s hand was now believed to be a fragment of Karina’s broken tooth which had snapped off when she bit him. I’m Detective Deal. We are located at the 107 precinct, second floor detective squad area. Today’s date is February 5th, 2017. Time is approximately 10:33 a.m. and I’m activating the tape at this time.
Now that I advise you of your rights, are you willing to answer questions? >> Okay. >> Yes. Okay. All right. All right. Chanel, why don’t we start with uh I think it was a Tuesday evening on August 2nd um 2016. You remember that that date and that evening? >> Mhm. >> All right. And where were you at that time? No, that was in Spring Creek by Gateway and Spring Creek Mall.
>> Okay. By Gateway and Spring Creek Mall. >> Spring Creek Park. >> Park. All right. Were you inside the park? >> Yeah. >> Okay. And was anyone with you or were you by yourself? >> By myself. >> All right. About what time did you get to the park? >> About 5:00. >> And were you on a trail or you in the grass? >> On the trail. Okay.
>> Now, while you were in the park, um, did something happen? Yes. >> What happened while you were in the park? >> While in the park, there was this girl jogging and then I then, you know, one thing led to another because we get some other situation. >> All right. Well, the girl that was jogging, was she by herself or with anybody else? >> By herself.
>> And when you first saw her, where were you? Were you in the grass or were you on the trail? >> On the trail. >> All right. And were you moving or you were you standing still? Like I was moving, listen to music. >> You were you were walking or jogging? >> Walking. >> Walking. And you were walking towards her? >> I was walking towards and then got side to side and then one thing went up.
>> You said as she got next to you, when she got next to you, as you as she was running and you were walking, what happened now? >> Then because of a past situation, I got angry and then start hitting her and stuff like that. >> Okay. Um, before you did, where did you hit her? >> Like in the face and like in the mouth.
>> In the face. In the mouth. Before you hit her, did you grab her or did you just hit her right away? >> What kind of grab her first? >> Grabbed her. And like, how did you grab her? What part of her body did you did you grab? >> Like I started hitting her because of the incident going on. >> Right.
But did you did you grab her before you started hitting her or was the first thing you did was to hit her? What was the first thing you did? >> I grabbed her. >> Okay. And how did you grab her? >> Okay. With both hands? >> Mhm. >> Okay. And what part of her body did you grab? Do you remember? Her shoulders, her waist, her neck.
Do you remember? >> Probably like around here. >> Okay. Around the shoulders. Did she say anything at all? >> No. Did she scream? >> No, cuz her tooth broke. >> I’m sorry. Her tooth broke, right? Were you covering her mouth at all? >> No. Okay. Um, how long would you say you were hitting her for? About how how long in time? I >> The whole thing was like about five minutes.
>> Five minutes. All right. How far off the path did you would you would you say you dragged her into the grass? Like how how many feet about? >> About probably about 10. >> Okay. What what was the um status of her clothing? How was how was her clothing pulled off? >> Pulled off. >> Yeah. >> Okay.
What was pulled off? >> Like her clothes. >> Now, you said you did this because you had some anger. Is that right? >> Mhm. >> All right. Um can you tell me about that anger? >> You know, I used to live in a different address than I currently live at now. Right. >> And then there’s sometimes there’s this man that comes around there.
He play like a lot of music and carry a lot of friends around there. I didn’t like it cuz I feel unsafe and comfortable and I like my place private >> and peaceful and usually I just >> No, I know. Um Chanel, I know that uh like last night you you didn’t you really didn’t want to talk about this, right? Last night, but today it was okay.
You wanted to talk about it, right? I know that you told um Detective Brown you want to straighten your life out, right? >> Yes. >> Okay. And then Detective Brown said to wait until you came in the room to talk about it. That’s right. >> And that’s what you did, right? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Chanel Lewis, who was 20 years old, was arrested and charged with seconddegree murder.
>> He was held without bail. >> Why’ you do it? Why’ you do it? >> Get out. >> Were you hiding down for 6 months? This way. This way. This way. This way. This way. Right here. >> After his arrest, Karina’s family reached out to the public and asked for opinions on how the remaining money from the GoFundMe fund should be used.
You all made donations, so you all deserve to have a voice, Phil wrote on the fundraising page. Later, Phil said he distributed nearly $300,000, including making a contribution to Archbishop Malloy High School to create a scholarship in Karina’s honor. After that, Chanel Lewis was formally indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges.
In total, there were 13 counts related to murder and sexual assault connected to the death of Karina Vrono. He was facing the possibility of life in prison without parole. Lewis pleaded not guilty. >> Tonight, Lewis’s relatives say it’s not possible. >> To the family, I’m sorry for their loss, but they have the wrong person.
>> Richard Lewis is the suspect’s father. is a wonderful young man. Wonderful young man. >> My brother is a skinny. You saw him on the TV. He’s a skinny guy. When can I kill such a strong girl? Cuz she’s a strong person. He alone can never kill a person like that. >> Today I would like to thanks all those who have reached out and give their support for me and my family.
I love my son. I support my son. I raised my son to be a god-fearing man and to respect life. My son is friendly, God-fearing, and would not hurt anybody. My son has mental health problem and needs help. He’s not a criminal and need mental resources. Please respect my family privacy. to respect my family privacy in this matter and allow my son to get to get due to get help in due process.
>> Karina’s family spent a long time pushing for investigators to start using familial DNA searching in criminal cases. Then in June 2017, the New York State Commission on Forensic Science agreed to allow that method to be used in investigations involving murder, rape, and certain other serious crimes. The decision was made despite objections from civil rights organizations which argued that the practice could pull law-abiding people into criminal investigations simply because of their family connections. By the time the
commission approved the policy, Chanel Lewis had already been arrested. So, the decision didn’t change anything for Karina’s case, but it could affect future investigations. As mentioned earlier, investigators had also looked into a possible connection between Karina’s murder and the killing of Vanessa Marott.
Later, authorities determined that the two cases were not related. On April 15th, 2017, officials announced that Angelo Colon Ortiz, who was 31 years old, had been arrested after DNA evidence linked him to Vanessa’s case. He later pleaded guilty to seconddegree murder and unarmed robbery. And on November 2nd, 2022, he was sentenced to life in prison.
He will not be eligible for parole until 2067 when he will be 81 years old, November 2018. >> It was packed inside of the courtroom filled with family and friends on both sides as you mentioned. It was also very emotional. Karina Vanrano’s mother was inside of that courtroom. She held on to a cross most of the time crying.
Uh Karina Vano’s accused killer Chanel Lewis obviously in the courtroom. His mother was there as well and she held on to a Bible, also in tears most of the time. Now, opening statements got underway. Defense attorneys with the Legal Aid Society representing Lewis told jurors today Lewis is innocent. They have serious doubts about the evidence, adding there are no witnesses and Lewis was coerced into confessing and people are rushing to judgment.
>> In his opening statement, Assistant District Attorney Brad Levventhal said they crossed paths by chance. She didn’t provoke him. He saw her and he killed her. Prosecutors said that Chanel didn’t have a girlfriend, had very few social connections, and didn’t have a job. They described him as someone who often carried a lot of anger.
According to their theory, it was that anger that led to the attack, which they described as random. That day, he took out his anger on a beautiful young woman, a girl wearing a top, the prosecutor said. However, the defense pushed back against those claims. There won’t be any eyewitnesses. No one is going to walk into this courtroom and say he did it, said defense attorney Jenny Chung.
She also argued that the prosecution was trying to like force a square peg into a round hole. Chung questioned the police interrogation of her client as well, which lasted more than 10 hours. Procedures were shortened. The prosecution’s evidence is incomplete, she said. The defense also claimed that the DNA evidence linking Chanel Lewis to the crime scene was unreliable.
Attorney Robert Mohler argued that the crime scene had been compromised by multiple people, including Karina’s father and therefore could not be considered a fully reliable source of evidence. Lewis’s lawyers also said the confession had been obtained improperly and should not have been used in court. According to them, he confessed only because he wanted to leave after waiting for hours.
But the prosecution focused heavily on what he actually told police. He was angry and he took that anger out on Karina Vrono. Those are his own words. He is the man who strangled Karina Vrono, the prosecutor said. The prosecution also emphasized what they described as strong DNA evidence. An expert witness testified that the DNA profile taken from material found under Karina’s fingernails, on her neck, and on her cell phone matched Chanel’s DNA profile.
Two NYPD detectives also testified about the detailed and extensive process used to collect evidence in the case. Some of the images shown during testimony were so disturbing that Karina’s parents were visibly shaken. At times they couldn’t hold back their tears and at one point they even had to leave the courtroom. Closing arguments on the emotional trial over the death of 30-year-old Karina Vrono have now wrapped up.
The prosecution painting the suspect, 22-year-old Chanel Lewis, as a frustrated, angry, and lonely young man who spotted Vrono on an afterwork jog at a park in Howard Beach and took out all his anger by taking her life. He was mad and he took out his anger and he took out his frustrations on Karina, grabbing her, throwing her to the ground, beating her, and strangling her until she was dead.
But the defense argued that it was the police department that was frustrated with their six-monthlong investigation that had yet to find a suspect. That Lewis was singled out and that detectives worked endlessly to fit evidence they had to build a case against him. >> They never allowed to develop logic evidence to develop a theory. Rather, they just wanted evidence to fit that.
>> The exhausting trial lasted 7 days. Soon, it was time for the jury to decide the fate of the case. After a long day of deliberations, the jurors spent more than an hour reviewing the second of the defendant’s two recorded confessions. They also asked to have 74 pages of testimony from the prosecution’s DNA expert read back to them.
On top of that, the jury requested to look again at the autopsy photographs of Karina. After a day and a half of deliberations, five jurors said they could not return a guilty verdict beyond a reasonable doubt. that created what’s known as a hung jury. The jurors sent a letter to the judge explaining that they could not overcome their disagreements and had already exhausted every option to reach a unanimous decision.
After a full day of deliberations, we remain divided. It seems like we can’t move forward anymore. We believe we’ve exhausted all possible options. Because of that deadlock, the judge declared a mistrial. The parents of Karina Vrono looking somber and stunned leaving the courtroom. Relatives in tears after the judge declared a mistrial.
A ruling which sent shock through the courtroom. Sir, >> Mr. Vano, >> just a moment. >> Stunned silence from the family of Karina Vrono moments after learning justice would be delayed. >> Vrono’s family did not speak after the ruling. Lewis’s legal team, however, did. >> Jury is understanding that DNA is not all it. Confession is not all it.
And there are issues in the case, but as we all see, it’s much more complex. >> Is this a win for you? >> Yeah. >> Well, it’s not a conviction, so I guess that’s a good thing. But, um, >> closure would be a good thing, too. >> That decision meant the case would have to be tried all over again, which made the legal process drag on even longer.
For Karina’s family and loved ones, it meant continuing a painful ordeal. they would have to relive the details of the tragedy once again and go through another trial in their search for justice. Prosecutors didn’t want to take any chances during the second trial, so they prepared new evidence. One of the key pieces was a detailed record of Chanel’s internet searches leading up to his arrest.
Among those searches were queries about indictments, plea deals, criminal prosecution, and news reports about Karina’s murder. Then, in March 2019, the retrial began. Karina Petrono’s father returned to the stand today in the retrial of the man accused of strangling her back in 2016. >> At one point, Vrono’s father dropped to his knees in front of the jurors as he emotionally described finding his daughter’s stiff, cold body in a nearby trail.
>> The defense once again insisted that their client was innocent, arguing that his earlier recorded confession had been obtained under pressure. His attorneys also claimed that if he had truly been the killer, his DNA would have been found all over the crime scene in much larger quantities, but the prosecution remained firm.
Prosecutors emphasized that the defendant’s DNA matched the evidence, and they also pointed to the recorded confessions in which he admitted that he killed her. Then, just one day before the jury was supposed to begin deliberations in the retrial, the defense attorneys received an anonymous letter.
It was supposedly written by an NYPD officer who expressed concerns about the investigation. The letter included several allegations about the early stages of the case. Among other things, it claimed that during the first strategy meetings, NYPD Chief Michael Kemper repeatedly said police were looking for two strong white men from Howard Beach.
Sunonny Host, a senior legal correspondent for ABC News, reported that if the letter turned out to be genuine and the concerns described in it were accurate, it could potentially become grounds for an appeal. One of Lewis’s attorneys said, “We receive disturbing and credible information suggesting that the police withheld critically important details about other potential suspects, and that information was never shared with the defense.
” The defense also said it had become known that police approached Lewis to obtain a DNA sample as part of a large-scale sweep that according to them showed racial bias. During that operation, DNA samples were collected from more than 360 African-American men in Howard Beach and nearby areas of Brooklyn and Queens. In light of this new information, we plan to file a motion on Monday requesting a hearing regarding the prosecution’s failure to disclose exculpatory evidence as well as a separate hearing concerning unconstitutional racial profiling during
this investigation. The attorney said in response, Sergeant Brendan Ryan said that the NYPD had conducted a thorough investigation into the murder. And as the prosecution presented by the Queen’s District Attorney shows, the evidence clearly demonstrates that Chanel Lewis is responsible for her death.
He also noted that numerous court hearings and two criminal trials, which took place over more than 2 years, had already carefully examined the issues raised in the anonymous letter. According to him, the letter contained many false claims and inaccuracies. Assistant District Attorney Levventhal also said, “This anonymous letter contains no verifiable information.
The person who wrote it is clearly trying to disrupt the trial.” >> This morning, the judge denied a request from the defense asking for a hearing on this. >> After that, the case was handed over to the jury for deliberation. The importance of that moment was obvious. The first trial had already ended in a deadlock with the jury unable to reach a verdict and the court declaring a mistrial.
Neither side was treating the outcome with too much confidence or complacency. There was a lot at stake, not just for the prosecution and the defense, but also for Karina’s family, who had already endured years of uncertainty. On April 1st, 2019, the verdict was finally announced. Inside the courtroom, everyone held their breath.
We the jury find the defendant guilty. >> Chanel Lewis was found guilty. >> A very different response this time around from Vrono’s parents leaving the courtroom. >> Guys, tell us what’s going through your mind right now. >> Mrs. Vano, >> thank you Jesus. Keep moving on. Say it again. Thank you, Jesus. >> Your thoughts? >> Jubilation. You’re not interview.
>> I am thanking those jurors for listening to the overwhelming evidence. >> All the anger, all the years of pain, but mostly the anger was lifted and gone. >> Lewis lifted his handcuffed hands and a farewell wave to his family and supporters as he was led off to jail. Some of those supporters today say they followed the case very closely.
And a family spokesperson says they question the verdict. >> How does a young man walk into Howard Beach, murder a young lady that was physically fit and walk out of Howard Beach without being seen on any camera from the Gateway Mall? Any camera in Howard Beach at all? >> After the guilty verdict was finally delivered, the case once again slipped into a state of uncertainty.
Now to a stunning development in the Karina Vrono murder case. Sentencing for her convicted killer has been postponed because of new claims of juror misconduct. >> Family. It was another painful blow and a reminder that even a guilty verdict doesn’t always bring an immediate or final sense of closure. It was claimed that one of the jurors accused three others of ignoring the judge’s instructions about when and how the case was allowed to be discussed.
The judge agreed to delay sentencing in order to hold a hearing with the jurors. Queen’s District Attorney Richard A. Brown later responded to the defense’s accusations, presenting a different version of what had happened inside the jury room. In a sworn written statement referenced in the motion, juror A claimed that juror B had started expressing conclusions about the case from the very beginning of the trial and continued doing so throughout the proceedings.
According to the statement, juror B told juror A, “I’ve already made up my mind, and I hope you have, too.” After the victim’s parents testified on the second day of the trial, District Attorney Brown wrote that those comments from juror B identified in the motion as the fourth juror did not show prior bias.
Instead, he said they reflected an emotional reaction to the shocking testimony about the condition of the victim’s body. During deliberations, jurors are required to rely only on the evidence presented in court. However, according to a sworn statement, some jurors began bringing up information that had never been introduced as evidence, and some of that information may not have been accurate.
Juror D told the others that the absence of the defendant’s DNA and samples from the victim’s intimate area could be explained by the idea that the body might have absorbed the male DNA. She allegedly told juror a >> know this better than you. You’re just a man. I was raped. argued that by saying this, the juror had improperly supplemented the evidence presented in court with her own personal experience.
Because of that, other jurors may have felt they couldn’t question her statement and were forced to accept it as fact. That kind of communication was described as juror misconduct since she had essentially become an unsworn expert supporting the prosecution. In other words, the jury had stepped beyond the evidence that was officially presented in court.
Attorneys from the Legal Aid Society representing Chanel Lewis, Robert Mohler, Julia El Burke, and Jenny Chung submitted these arguments to the court. However, juror Denied ever telling the other jurors that she had been a victim of rape. In a sworn statement submitted along with the prosecution’s response, she wrote, “Never been raped, and I have never told anyone that I was raped.
As far as I know, during the deliberations, no other juror said that she had been raped either. >> In another example mentioned in the motion, defense attorneys said that one of the jurors had drawn conclusions based on information that was never part of the evidence presented in court. Juror C compared injuries from a completely unrelated rape case with the injuries suffered by Karina Vrono and claimed that sexual assault had been proven because the injuries in both cases were the same.
The motion argued that the information juror C shared with the other jurors was improper because it essentially introduced facts that had never been presented during the trial and went beyond a juror’s ordinary life experience, knowledge, or common sense. Juror C admitted that he had mentioned his experience serving on a jury in a previous rape case.
However, he said another juror immediately told him not to do that and after that, he stopped discussing any details from his earlier jury service. According to a sworn statement from one of the jurors, the district attorney defended the jury’s actions. It was stated that none of the jurors presented themselves as professional experts.
Instead, each person simply relied on their own life experience and expressed their personal opinion as an ordinary citizen. That wasn’t misconduct. >> After the verdict, CBS 2 spoke to the jury foreman who called it a slam dunk case. When asked what the most damning evidence was, >> two things. The confession, it wasn’t coerced.
DNA Dena was like so overwhelming. >> He said the jury was unanimous on the murder charges, but there were at least two holdouts on the sex abuse charges. >> However, in another interview after the verdict, one of the jurors who agreed to speak with reporters anonymously said he had felt pressure from other jurors to vote for a guilty verdict.
In the end, the judge rejected the claims of juror misconduct. After that decision, the sentencing could finally move forward. April 23rd, 2019. With respect to murdering the first degree, the sentence court is that you spend the rest of your natural life in jail without any possibility of parole. >> It’s the moment the family of Karina Vrono has been waiting more than two and a half years for giving passionate testimonies in the courtroom ahead of sentencing for Tanel Lewis.
the man who will now serve life in prison for her death. >> There were no more merry Christmases, no more happy new years, no more happy birthdays. There is no more pleasure in life, no more smiles, no more happiness. Those are all taken by that convicted murdering rapist. Only my faith in God and my belief in heaven keeps me from killing myself.
for fear of not being allowed into heaven to see my baby again. >> Describing his family walking the earth as zombies just waiting to see Karina, Phil Vrono told 22-year-old channel Lewis his daughter had a message for him. >> She told me that if you stand up here today in court and ask for her forgiveness, tell her you’re sorry, she will forgive you.
But remember, those are not my words. and I will never forgive you.” >> Her mother brought a piece of Karina into the courtroom. >> These are Karina’s shoes. >> These are the shoes that she put on the morning of August 2nd as she prepared to work and wore throughout the workday. As tiny as they are, your honor, these are the shoes of a giant, a valiant warrior and a queen.
At times you could see Lewis over her shoulder. >> The vacant expression you show is merely a reflection of your detached and empty soul. You suffered and died a million deaths every second of every day. You breathed. You ate. You searched your phone for pornography and forcible rape. But God was watching you all the time.
Chanel Lewis. The judge added 32 years in prison to the life sentence for secondderee murder and sexual assault. This is a situation where both families have lost. He said the worst nightmare any parent could imagine. Your child goes out for a run and never comes back. One day you’ll see that the people who followed this case will move on with their lives and you’ll be left alone.
But I’ll tell you this, when that day comes, you’ll be behind bars. The defense spoke on behalf of Lewis and then he said just a few words. I’m >> innocent and I’m sorry for the family’s loss, but I didn’t do this. Those who believe in his innocence argued that the NYPD was under intense pressure to quickly find a suspect and close the case and that investigators focused on him because of that pressure.
Around 40,000 people signed a petition calling for the case to be reviewed by the conviction integrity unit. Despite the calls for his release, and the ongoing public debate, the legal outcome did not change. After two trials, one mistrial, and years of reviews and disputes, the jury found him guilty, and the court issued its final sentence.
For the justice system, that verdict marked the formal end of the legal process. In a case filled with complexity and controversy, the conviction brought a legal conclusion, even if it didn’t bring emotional closure to a story that had consumed a family, a community, and public attention for years. Karina Vrono’s family says they want her to be remembered for more than just the circumstances of her death.
Through scholarships, memorial initiatives, and community efforts, they are trying to keep her name and her story alive in the community she loved. >> Something so tragic and despicable. We have something good coming out of this. We have a a scholarship. >> Amid all the legal battles, appeals, and public debates, one person often faded into the background, Karina Vrono.
Her life, not the legal fight that unfolded after her death, remained the true center of this story. And in the end, that’s where this story returns. Karina Vrono was a daughter, a friend, a young woman building her future. Someone who worked with children and filled her days with routine, purpose, and plans.
On an ordinary summer evening, she stepped out of her home to do something she had done countless times before. She went for a run and she never came back. That simple, devastating reality became the heart of this case. how an ordinary moment can suddenly become irreversible. And how the loss of one life can leave a silence that a family, a community, and everyone who followed her story can feel for years.
A memorial as beautiful as Karina of Vrono, tucked away in Spring Creek Park, where a butterfly made of stones, an angel, and candles sit. But perhaps the most important fixture of all, her father, who returns here every morning to remember his daughter. It’s the only place I could go to get peace.
And it it might seem strange because right where I’m sitting is where I found her. But I think because it’s the only place where I have any control. >> If she could be here today or you could speak to her today. What would you say to her? >> I speak to her every day. Every single day I speak to her and she speaks to us in volumes.
>> Karina’s father says her voice will always be heard from the sound of the birds here to the writings on her blog. and they plan to find a way to get her work put into a book. How do you think Karina would want to be remembered? >> Just as she is. Just as everybody sees her. She’s special. She was smart.
She was beautiful. And she was destined for greater things and she has achieved that. We don’t know what what the rest of the rest of our life is going to be like, but it it’s it’s a good feeling to know that now we could move forward. >> I’m just I’ve been staying out of the way of law enforcement all this time.
I thought I was doing the best thing by not coming down on law enforcement and I’ve just it’s been too many years of no action. Nothing’s been done. So, I’m tired of waiting. Um, I had my the investigator over the case right now out of Scurry County, he told me one time, he said he doesn’t care if it takes 20 years to do this.
And I do care if it takes 20 years. I don’t want the person that hurt my kid that doesn’t need to walk the street for 20 years. >> December 27th, 2010, Colorado City, Texas. 13-year-old Haley Dunn wakes up in her mother’s house. At 5:30 in the morning, her mom’s boyfriend, Shawn Atkins, walks out of the house.
He heads to work in Snider. By 6:00 in the morning, he arrives there. He buys a drink. Then, he turns in his work uniform. And about 10 minutes later, he drives away. He says he had an argument with his boss and um quit the job. But later on, Cell Tower Records would show something very different. At that same time, Haley is home alone.
Her mom, Billy Gene Dunn, leaves for her 12-hour shift. Before heading out, she stops by her daughter’s room. Haley is asleep in her bed. Everything looks completely normal. Then, around 2:00 in the afternoon, a short message is sent from the phone that was left at home for the kids. The text goes to one of Haley’s friends.
What are you doing? >> Her friend never replies. Later that same day, Haley’s father, Clint Dunn, is waiting for her at his house across the street. She always came by. Almost every day, sometimes before school, sometimes after, and sometimes just to say hi. But on December 27th, she never shows up. Around 3:00 in the afternoon, Shawn Atkins returns to Colorado City.
He says he saw Haley at about 3:15. According to him, she walked over to her dad’s house, but cell phone data later shows that at that exact time, he was almost 40 m away from the city. So, like, he simply didn’t have enough time to get back home. Haley’s brother, David, comes home around 4:00 in the afternoon. The door is locked.
He knocks for a long time. No one answers, so he climbs into the house through a window. And in the hallway, he sees Shawn standing there. David would later say that Shawn looked confused like a deer caught in headlights. That evening, Shawn picks Billy up from work. When they get back home, Haley is already gone.
Shawn tells Billy that Haley walked to her father’s place and planned to spend the night at a friend’s house, but Clint Dunn says that’s not true. Haley’s friend also says she never came over. The next day, Haley’s room looks like she never planned to go anywhere. All of her things are still there. Nothing is missing.
The missing person report isn’t filed until December 28th. At first, police think it might just be a runaway case. But Haley is only 13 years old. She was a cheerleader. She played the saxophone. She also played volleyball, basketball, and softball. She loved school. And every single day, she would stop by her dad’s house across the street.
When the search begins, the whole town comes out to help. Clint Dunn checks trash dumpsters. He walks the streets, searches through alleys, but people start noticing something else. Haley’s mom’s boyfriend, Shawn Atkins, isn’t helping with the search. He doesn’t hand out flyers. He doesn’t join the volunteers, and he barely talks to investigators.
4 days after the girl disappears, a New Year’s party takes place at the house where Billy and Shawn live. At the very same time, her father is standing on his porch with binoculars, trying to spot any sign of his daughter. Little by little, investigators start checking the phones. Bank activity, movement, history, and with every new detail, Shawn Atkins story begins to fall apart.
He lied about the job. His phone shows completely different routes. And when detectives ask him where Haley might be, he gives a short answer. Scurry County, the very same place where years later human remains would be discovered. And when investigators ask him who the police should maybe be looking at, Shawn gives an even shorter answer, both of us.
So, to really understand the details of this story, we need to start from the very beginning. 13-year-old Haley Dunn was from a small town called Colorado City in Texas. The town has a population of just under 4,000 people. It’s located in the western part of the state about 370 km from Dallas.
Colorado City is the administrative center of Mitchell County. In the middle of town, you’ll find the main government buildings, a few local stores, and small cafes where people like to gather. Because the population is so small, the atmosphere there is calm and slow paced. Not far from the town is Lake Colorado City, a popular place where locals go to relax, fish, or just spend some time outdoors.
The region’s economy is mostly connected to energy, agriculture, and small local businesses. Roads link the town with other communities across West Texas. The infrastructure is simple, but it’s enough for everyday life and short trips around the region. Colorado City is the kind of place people visit when they want to see a small town with that classic West Texas feel.
By the way, um I’m curious from which city are you watching this video right now? And what time is it where you are? I’d really love to know where my audience is from. While you’re typing that in the comments, I’ll keep going. The neighborhood where Haley lived was a very tight-knit community. Her father, Clint, described Haley as a real little rascal, kind of a tomboy in personality, but at the same time, she loved shiny and beautiful things.
Her mother, Billy Jean Dunn, said she would always remember Haley’s laughter, her big smile, and just how cheerful she was. She was a bright and energetic teenager. Haley’s friends said she loved joking around and was never afraid to speak her mind. She was a cheerleader, she played the saxophone, and she was also a talented and competitive athlete.
She loved school, her friends, and her teachers. By the time Haley reached the eighth grade, she was already playing on the volleyball, basketball, and softball teams. Her parents divorced when she was 10 years old. After that, Haley and her older brother, David, moved in with their mother and her boyfriend, Shawn Atkins, on Chestnut Street in Colorado City.
Haley and her dad, Clint, were especially close. Clint lived literally across the street from them, and Haley stopped by his house every single day. Sometimes she would just run over before school to say hi. Other times she would stay for dinner. She never missed a chance to spend time with him. Haley’s grandmother, Connie, later said that day the girl was in a really great mood.
She was super excited about the gifts she had received that year, especially her brand new iPod. She spent most of Christmas Day and the day after Christmas with her dad. That evening, her brother David, who was 16 years old, went to a friend’s house to stay overnight. Haley stayed home and played video games late into the night. The next morning, December 27th, Shawn left for work at 5:30 in the morning.
About an hour later, Billy Jean also left for work to start her 12-hour shift. Before leaving, she said she looked in on Haley. The girl was fast asleep in her bed. Everything looked completely normal. Billy said Haley was supposed to spend the day at home by herself since both she and Shawn were working. She assumed that once Haley woke up, she would probably just walk over to her father’s house like she usually did.
Billy also left her cell phone at home so the kids could use it if they needed to. Shawn arrived at work in Snider around 6:00 in the morning. According to him, about 10 minutes after he got there, he had a serious argument with his boss and like quit the job right on the spot. After that, he drove to his mother’s house in Big Spring and later headed back toward Colorado City, arriving a little before 3:00 in the afternoon.
Haley’s father, Clint, was used to seeing his daughter every single day. But on December 27th, Haley never knocked on his door, and he didn’t hear from her the entire day. Then, around 2:00 in the afternoon, a text message was sent from the phone that had been left at the house. The message was sent to one of Haley’s friends. >> What are you doing? That friend never replied.
Later that same evening, Shawn picked Billy up from work. Billy said that when she got home, she realized Haley wasn’t in the house. She asked Shawn if he had seen her. He said that Haley had left the house on foot, walked over to her father’s place, and then supposedly planned to spend the night at her friend Mary Beth’s house.
But Clint later confirmed that this simply wasn’t true. >> And then I came home uh around I guess like 3:00 I got there and Haley was there watching TV in the living room and I went into me and Billy’s bedroom and she came in there and told me that she was going to her father’s house and that she was staying the night with a friend and then she left and then I was there by myself for maybe an hour at the most and then David and a friend came over and they went to his room and they were playing video games and so forth and
Billy called me and told me that uh that her relief got there and that she’s going to get to leave a little early. So, I was up there at the hospital in uh Snyder around 6:00 to pick her up and then we came back and then we went to bed shortly after that. >> And this whole time you were thinking Haley was at a friend’s house.
>> Yes. >> About what time did she say she was leaving? >> Uh what time Haley was leaving? Uh, I guess it was sometime in between 3:00 and 3:30 when she said she was leaving. It was like shortly after I got there. I’m not real sure about a time. >> Does she normally call and check in every so often or is it normal to not hear from her for so long? >> Uh, it’s pretty normal for her just to not call cuz she usually does that though cuz she does stay the night at a friend’s house.
She’ll be back the next morning. The next morning came and went, but Haley still didn’t come home. Billy decided to call Mary Beth’s parents. They confirmed they hadn’t seen Haley at all, and she definitely had not spent the night at their house. Nothing was missing from Haley’s room. In fact, the things someone would normally take if they planned to stay overnight somewhere were all still right where they belonged.
Billy started going door to door, asking people if they had seen her daughter, but nobody knew anything. She later said she was scared. Maybe someone had driven by and abducted the girl while she was walking to the store. She also wondered if Haley might have been in a bad mood that day and just stormed out of the house, like slamming the door behind her.
A missing person report was finally filed during the afternoon of December 28th. At first, investigators classified Haley’s disappearance as a runaway case, but a little later, the case was reclassified as a missing child investigation. That decision would later bring serious criticism toward the police. The community quickly came together to support the family and started actively helping with the search for Haley.
The media also picked up the story very fast. Clint was absolutely devastated by his daughter’s disappearance. He spent every waking moment searching for her. He checked dumpsters, walked the streets and alleys, and looked anywhere he could possibly imagine. People later said they didn’t see the same level of concern from Billy and Shawn.
When the search began expanding into wider and more remote areas, reporters noted that Billy didn’t want to participate in those searches. Billy herself explained that she was willing to hand out flyers and talk to the media, but she couldn’t search in woods or open fields because it made her think that people were looking for her daughter’s body.
Those searches in the more remote areas were also incredibly difficult for Clint. But Billy’s boyfriend, Shawn, didn’t even hand out flyers, let alone join the searches. He mostly stayed away from both the search efforts and the investigation itself. Many people were questioned during the investigation. All registered sex offenders in the area were also checked, but each of them was quickly ruled out as a suspect.
On Wednesday, December 29th, searches were carried out at the homes of Clint and Billy. And the very next day, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children joined the case. Search dogs were able to pick up Haley’s scent near her home. The trail led them to a nearby motel. However, motel staff said they didn’t remember seeing Haley, and she also didn’t appear on any of the surveillance cameras.
All 24 rooms in the building were carefully searched, but no evidence was found that Haley had ever been there. Billy and Shawn held a New Year’s Eve party on December 31st, just 4 days after Haley was reported missing. A lot of people were confused by the timing of that celebration. Billy later said she didn’t even realize it was New Year’s Eve and that friends and relatives had simply come over to support her.
But Clint saw things very differently. He said that he was standing on his porch with binoculars, searching for his daughter, while at the same time watching Billy and Shawn celebrating and partying late into the night. I just don’t understand how someone can celebrate New Year’s when their daughter is missing. That should be the last thing on your mind when your child is gone.
When the new year arrived, the close-knit community welcomed it with a heavy and somber mood. There was still no sign of Haley Dunn. No messages, no confirmed sightings, nothing. The long and exhausting search just kept going. Well, Lane and Victor were going into day nine in the search for Haley Dunn, and there’s still no sign of her.
When I visited with the Dunn family this morning, I saw Texas Rangers scouring through Haley’s room. If we take a look over here, this is the window to her bedroom. Now, Texas Rangers, I’m told, have not found anything and no sign of foul play or any sign of her packing her bags and running away from home at this time.
More than a week later, and still no sign of Haley, her mother says it’s frustrating, but she remains hopeful. >> But I have to do nothing but hope that she left by herself and that she’s going to come back to me because if I don’t cling on to that hope, I don’t have anything. Now, local authorities tell me they’re following several tips at this time.
Several agencies have stepped in, and the reward once again is $25,000 for tips that lead to Haley Dunn. >> On January 4th, 2011, the Texas Rangers and the FBI joined the investigation into Haley’s disappearance. More than 100 billboards with Haley’s photo and information about her were put up across Texas and even in other states.
The case gained even more attention after Nancy Grace talked about it on her show and interviewed Billy Gene Dunn. That moment pushed the story to a whole new national level. >> Billy’s case was on national television and Nancy Chris seemed to be a little hard on you. What was that like hearing her question Billy like that? >> Uh, I heard about it.
I wasn’t there when Billy was getting interviewed by her. I was talking to the Texas Rangers, but I heard about it and it’s frustrating, you know, what she said about me and but it really doesn’t bother me because, you know, my main focus is just Haley, cuz we just want her to come home safe. >> Does it hurt to think people would point fingers at you, the person who cares about her? >> Yeah, it hurts. It does.
>> Describe to me the relationship between you and Haley. >> Oh, it’s really good relationship. And you know, I love her with all my heart and I believe she loves me with all her heart and we get along just fine. >> See, is there anything else um you want people to know about you and your relationship with the family at all? Cuz it seems like a lot of people are buzzing on the internet about it.
>> Yeah. As far as me, Haley, and Billy, and David, you know, we all get along just fine. And I would never do nothing to that little girl. I love her with all my heart and I just wish for her safe return. >> The next day on January 5th, Billy asked Shawn to leave the house. That actually wasn’t unusual because the two of them argued pretty often and then usually made up a few days later.
But now, as the investigation started going deeper, new details about Haley’s home life began to surface. Reporters said that even though her life looked simple and carefree from the outside, behind closed doors, it was much more complicated and difficult for a 13-year-old girl and her brother.
One journalist later said, “We were getting reports about a lot of alcohol, a lot of parties involving her mother.” So, um, it really gave the impression that life at home might have been a little more complicated than what they were trying to show. Billy Gene Dunn and Shawn Atkins had actually been on the police radar long before Haley disappeared.
About 10 months before Haley was last seen, police received calls about a domestic dispute between Billy and Shawn. Both of them had called the police to complain about each other. When officers arrived at the house, the couple was acting aggressive and constantly arguing. >> I really need to file a report on somebody. >> What exactly happened? >> I broke up with this guy a couple of days ago and and he’s telling me that he’s going to kill me and that it’s going to be remembered for a long time.
>> I got a situation on my hands. I have a ex-girlfriend. She’s taking me a whole bunch of anxiety pill that I take. Well, I guess she got them from me. She said she like took a bunch of her pain pills, too. And she’s saying that she wants to die because she filed a report on me. She knows for threats and stuff like that. She was just upset about it.
She’s just, you know, not being herself right now. >> Threatening to kill her. >> Damn it. >> Billy done. >> Oh god. He’s been going all day. All right, I’ll go up there. >> Not long after that, like it happened many times before, Billy and Shawn made up and Shawn moved back into the house, Billy herself said that Haley never really saw Shawn as a stepfather or any kind of parental figure.
According to her, they were more like friends than anything else. But people who were close to Haley told a very different story. They said the girl actually didn’t like Shawn at all and was afraid of him. >> Haley used to tell me about the man. What kind of things? >> She didn’t like him. She didn’t trust him. She was afraid of him.
>> I don’t want to be here right now. I’m going to be here with you cuz I don’t feel right with my stepdad. >> She also told her grandmother, Connie, that many nights she would see Shawn’s shadow near the door of her bedroom. Sometimes it was in the middle of the night, and she was really scared that he might walk into her room while she was sleeping.
Detectives later asked both Billy and Shawn to take polygraph tests, but they both had to take the test again because during the first attempt they were under the influence of drugs. Billy said those were just anxiety medications that had been prescribed by her doctor. Shawn Atkins, meanwhile, walked out of the test at least two times.
During a third attempt, he only completed the first stage. He claimed it felt like a witch hunt and said investigators were trying to force him to confess to something he didn’t do. But he still gave detectives one answer. When they asked him where he believed Haley might be, Shawn said, “In Scurry County.” And when investigators asked him who the police should be paying attention to, who he personally considered a suspect, he simply answered, “Both of us.
” The test showed that those two answers were truthful. But he refused to explain anything further and then walked out again without completing the second stage of the test. The results of Billy’s second polygraph in the first stage of Shawn’s test showed signs of deception on several questions. >> Um, I want to thank everyone for coming this afternoon and giving me an opportunity to make a statement.
First, I want to speak directly to Haley in case she’s listening. Um, wherever you are, Haley, I’m looking for you. Hundreds of people are looking for you. We all want you home safe. Um, I just want to see and touch your beautiful face. Um, I really love you. I desperately need you home. And, um, there’s not a minute goes by I’m not praying for you or crying, wishing you were in my living room.
Um, I can’t handle not knowing where you are or if you’re safe. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on. And I’m very proud that God chose me to be your mother. Next, I want to say if someone out there has Haley, please let her go. Just turn her loose. Drop her off at a church, a school, police station, anywhere that she can get to a phone and call police or call her family.
I’ve been flat out called a liar by some people. Others speculate on my possible involvement in Haley’s disappearance or wonder if I’m covering up for somebody. Some people accuse me of withholding information and not cooperating with law enforcement. These things are not true. But I now feel that I have to defend myself from ridiculous accusations, slander, or defamation of character.
>> Over the next few months, memorial gatherings and search efforts continued in Colorado City. But volunteers often had to pause the searches for several weeks because of extremely cold weather and freezing temperatures. After that, the Colorado City Police Department held a press conference.
They announced that the investigation was now being treated as if Haley might have been taken against her will or possibly killed. Early in the investigation, detectives analyzed the cell phone records and bank activity of Shawn Atkins and Billy Gene Dunn. They also looked into Shawn’s previous workplace. And that’s when something important came up.
It turned out that Shawn had not actually been fired from his job. His supervisor told investigators that on December 27th at 6:00 in the morning, Shawn arrived at work, bought a drink, turned in his uniform, and immediately quit. By 6:10, he had already left. Later, Shawn admitted that he lied about being fired because he didn’t want to get into an argument with Billy Jean.
Shawn told detectives that after leaving Snyder, he drove straight to his mother’s house in Big Spring to use her computer and apply for unemployment benefits. But cell phone records showed that this story simply didn’t add up. Between 6:35 and 6:56 in the morning, Shawn’s phone connected to a cell tower in Colorado City, which is almost 50 mi away from Big Spring.
The data did show that he was in Big Spring, but only between 9:38 in the morning and 2:40 in the afternoon. Additional cell tower signals also showed that Shawn was in the area of Scurry County that same day. Shawn told police that after visiting his mother’s house, he returned to Colorado City around 3:00 in the afternoon and last saw Haley at about 3:15, right before she supposedly walked to her father’s house.
But other cell phone data confirmed that Shawn was still in Big Spring at 2:40 in the afternoon. That meant he would have had only about 20 minutes to travel 40 m, which is basically impossible. Haley’s brother, David, later said that when he came home on December 27th around 4:00 in the afternoon, he found the door locked. After knocking for a long time and trying to get inside, he eventually climbed into the house through a window.
David saw Shawn standing in the hallway looking confused, like a deer caught in headlights. In an official statement, Haley’s uncle later mentioned a conversation he had with Shawn after the girl disappeared. The uncle said he couldn’t believe that someone would actually want to hurt a child. And Shawn responded, “It’s like killing a deer.
” Bank records later showed that after Shawn picked Billy up from work at around 6:00 in the evening, the two of them stopped at two different ATMs. There, Billy withdrew a total of $140. At first, Billy told police the money was for groceries and gas, but later, investigators discovered that the couple actually used that money to buy drugs.
Because there were suspicions that Billy and Shawn might have been using drugs inside the house where the children were living, detectives decided to take a much closer look at the home. During the search, investigators found something unusual. Billy and Shawn had printed out hundreds of articles from the internet.
All of those materials were about serial killers, sexual sadism, and murders involving family members. Billy later said that this was just their personal interest and that um a lot of people are fascinated by true crime. On January 12th, 2011, it became known that Shawn was officially being considered a person of interest in the case.
He denied having anything to do with Haley’s disappearance. After that, David was removed from the home by child protective services. Then, on February 24th, authorities made a shocking discovery. On a USB flash drive found in Billy’s house and also on a computer at Shaun’s mother’s home, investigators discovered more than 100,000 images of child pornography.
A laptop that had been stored at the police station was also taken into evidence. Haley’s father, Clint, later said that Shawn’s stepfather came to the police station demanding that Shawn’s laptop be returned. And like unbelievably, it actually was returned to him. Despite these discoveries, no arrests were made. However, the materials were sent to a grand jury for review.
Sheriff Tom later said, “In each of these situations, there was more than one person living in the house. So, um, we have to determine and confirm exactly who is responsible.” On March 17th, 2011, law enforcement officers went to the house where Billy and Shawn were living to speak with Shawn. Billy told them he wasn’t there.
But when officers entered the house with a warrant, they discovered that he was actually hiding inside. After that, Billy was arrested and charged with lying to the police. In June of 2011, Billy Gene Dunn received a suspended sentence 90 days in jail with the sentence postponed along with one year of probation for giving false information about Shaun’s location.
Billy served her probation more than 250 m away in Travis County where she had moved together with Shawn. Eventually, the couple separated in 2012 and went their own ways. Billy Gene later said that over time she began to believe Shawn might actually be involved in her daughter’s disappearance, especially after it became known that not only local police, but also the FBI considered him a person of interest in the case.
As time went on, the searches for Haley slowly began to fade. After each memorial gathering, new tips and theories would come in, but sooner or later, the investigation would hit another dead end. Another year passed, and there was still no progress in Haley’s case. But on March 16th, 2013, a hiker discovered human remains about 20 m from Colorado City near Lake JB Thomas in Scurry County.
>> 2013, local authorities were notified of human remains located near Lake JB Thomas in southwest Scurry County. The remains were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification for DNA analysis. On April 26, 2013, the Scurry County District Attorney’s Office received written confirmation that the remains have been positively identified as those of Haley Dunn.
>> Authorities never officially confirmed the exact cause of death. However, Clint later said that investigators told him the most likely cause was blunt force trauma to the head. A reward of $15,000 was announced for any information that would directly lead to the arrest of the person or people responsible for Haley Dunn’s murder.
Sadly, the family had to wait a painful four years before they were finally able to bury Haley in January 2017. Texas mother desperate to find her daughter’s killer is speaking out. It was 6 years ago when 13-year-old Haley Dunn went missing after leaving her father’s home in Colorado City. that’s west of Abalene.
Her remains were found 3 years later, but her killer remains at large. Her mother, who is from Austin, says she has hope justice will be served. >> I still want to believe every time they tell me that there’s going to be an arrest soon, I I keep that faith. >> In 2018, Clint Dunn told reporters that he believed either Shawn attacked his daughter himself or his ex-wife, Billy Jean Dunn, did it while Shawn helped.
They’re both involved, he said. At this point, that’s not even up for debate. Clint stayed in constant contact with the police again and again trying to get answers. He called, sent messages, and asked investigators not to stop working on his daughter’s case. For him, this wasn’t just some old file sitting in an archive.
This was the story of his child, and it deserved justice. With every call, he kept asking law enforcement to make an arrest and hold whoever was responsible accountable. His determination never faded, even after years of waiting. But despite all those efforts, investigators still didn’t have enough evidence. And um that lack of solid proof remained the main obstacle, preventing them from moving forward with an arrest and formal charges.
I’m just I’ve been staying out of the way of law enforcement all this time. I thought I was doing the best thing by not coming down on law enforcement and I’ve just it’s been too many years of no action. Nothing’s been done. So, I’m tired of waiting. Um I had my the investigator over the case right now out of Scary County.
He told me one time, he said he doesn’t care if it takes 20 years to do this. And I do care if it takes 20 years. I don’t want the person that hurt my kid that doesn’t need to walk the street for 20 years. >> You think that person is still out there somewhere? >> Yeah. I think he’s here in this town. Big Spring, Texas.
>> You think he’s in Big Spring? >> Mhm. >> I know he was two months ago. You have somebody in mind? >> Sean Atkins. >> Sean, >> you think it’s Shawn Atkins? The only named suspect? >> Yep. >> And I think that Billy Jean knows something. She said too many lies. She’s avoided too much, and she knows more than what she said.
>> For years, Clint Dunn kept posting on social media about his daughter’s case, refusing to let it be forgotten. He wrote about Haley again and again, reminding people of her story and asking for help. Eventually, those posts caught the attention of an anonymous person. According to reports, that person remembered finding several items back in late spring or early summer of 2011.
Later, it turned out those items had belonged to Haley Dunn. At the time, that person was just a regular high school student. They didn’t know anything about Haley, had never heard about her disappearance, and didn’t connect the items to any tragedy. To them, it simply looked like a random find that didn’t seem important.
Because of that, they never contacted the authorities or reported the items to the police. At that moment, they had no reason to believe those things could be connected to a serious crime. Years went by. Then, in 2019, that person happened to see one of Clint’s posts online about Haley.
And that’s when the memory of that old discovery suddenly came back. Only at that moment did they realize that what once seemed like something small might actually matter to the investigation. After that, the person reached out to Clint and told him about what they had found many years earlier. Exactly what those items were and where they were discovered has never been publicly revealed.
Those details remain confidential. However, Clint later said the items had been found in an area that investigators had searched countless times during the early stages of the case. That made the information even more disturbing and honestly more mysterious. A private investigator named Erica Morse has been working closely with Clint ever since the day his daughter disappeared.
Over the years, she became one of the people who refused to let the case fade away. Erica said that during that time, she managed to uncover certain pieces of evidence and had conversations with officials connected to the investigation. According to her, after Haley’s remains were found, authorities mostly stayed silent.
She claimed that law enforcement stopped returning her calls and wouldn’t say whether there had been any progress in the case. Information was extremely limited, which only made the uncertainty feel even heavier. Then, in October of 2019, Erica said she started receiving messages from women in West Texas and nearby areas.
These women claimed they had been harassed online by a man who introduced himself as Casey. Erica knew that Casey was actually the middle name of Shawn Atkins. So, like that immediately caught her attention. She asked the women to send her the videos and photos the man had been sending them online. After reviewing the material, it became clear that the person in those images really was Shawn.
On October 28th, 2019, Erica accompanied one of the women he had allegedly been harassing to a police station. They went there to file an official report, but the officer who took the complaint refused to accept the report. Even worse, he accused the woman of making the story up. That decision caused serious outrage.
After that, Erica wrote an open letter. In it, she warned that if Shawn wasn’t arrested soon, there would almost certainly be more victims. Her words sounded like a warning, but at the time, they didn’t lead to any immediate action. More time passed. For another two years, the case showed no real movement.
And then finally, in 2021, the investigation took a serious turn. In May of 2021, Erica finally received a response from the district attorney of Mitchell County. She and Clint were invited to a private meeting. Erica later said that during that meeting, they were told, >> “We were assured that sometime in June, Haley’s killer would be arrested.
” And then more than 10 years after Haley Dunn was first reported missing, the case finally took an important step forward. Over those years, there had been so much painful waiting, so much uncertainty, and so many questions that seemed to have no answers. By that point, it had also been 7 years since her remains were found.
A heartbreaking confirmation that any hope for a different outcome was gone. But even after that, justice still remained out of reach for a long time. And only now, after all those years, after a long investigation and new developments in the case, an arrest finally happened. >> Reaction from Colorado City tonight is emotional and also getting straight to the point.
Sean Atkins is sitting in the Mitchell County Jail tonight, charged for the murder of 13-year-old Haley Dunn. She first went missing over 10 years ago. You know, this community, they have spent more than a decade searching. Searching for a young girl, searching for answers, searching really for justice. We are a step closer to that tonight.
The arrest of Shawn Atkins is what the community of Colorado City has been waiting on for a long time. >> District Attorney Ricky Thompson decided to reach out for help from the Texas Rangers Cold Case Unit. That’s a special division that works on investigations that have remained unsolved for many years.
and Haley Dunn’s disappearance and death had sadly become one of those cases. After reviewing the case and consulting with investigators, the Texas Rangers continued working through the evidence. As part of that process, they went to court to request a warrant to collect a DNA sample from Shawn. That step became a major development in a case that had gone so long without clear answers.
On June 13th, 2021, the warrant was officially issued, and that same day, Shaun Casey Atkins was arrested. He was formally charged with the murder of Haley Dunn. That moment became a turning point in the case, which had been a painful wound for the family and the community for years. The news of the arrest spread quickly and brought strong emotions from people who had been following the story from the very beginning.
Billy Dunn said, “I I can’t say I’m really surprised by this news that it was Shawn. Of course, I wish I could believe it wasn’t him because um I stayed with him after she disappeared, after Haley went missing, but I’m not surprised. And I thank God that this person has been arrested and that he’ll answer for what he did here on this earth.
>> At the moment, Shawn Atkins is being held on a bond set at $2 million. That’s the amount the court determined, and it remains one of the key conditions for his detention while the case continues to move through the legal process. The decision reflects just how serious the charges against him are.
As of July 2021, the case was still in the early stages of court proceedings. Despite the intense public attention and the high-profile nature of the case, Shawn Atkins had not yet entered a plea neither guilty nor not guilty to the charges filed against him. So, um, his official position had not yet been stated, and the case continued moving through what can be a long and complicated legal process that will ultimately determine his fate.
After Shawn was arrested, private investigator Erica Morse, publicly spoke about the role Haley’s father, Clint, played in the case. According to her, he was the driving force that kept the investigation from fading away. Throughout all those years, Clint never stopped looking for answers. He kept reminding people about his daughter’s case, pushing for the investigation to continue and insisting that the truth eventually had to come out.
Erica Moore said that his determination and persistence helped keep attention on the story even when the years slowly pushed it out of the headlines. She added that Clint became an example for parents everywhere who are fighting for justice for their children. An example of how a parents love and dedication can turn into the kind of force that keeps an investigation moving forward.
Clint said, “Right now, there just aren’t words to describe how I feel. We’re going to let the evidence and the truth speak for themselves. Thank you to everyone who searched for Haley and to those who fought tirelessly to see an arrest made. I just hope that real justice will finally be served in the courtroom.
This case still remains open and continues to move through the courts. The investigation and legal proceedings are ongoing, and there are still many important decisions ahead. For Haley Dunn’s family, it has been a long and exhausting journey filled with waiting, pain, and uncertainty. But even after all these years, they haven’t lost hope.
Her loved ones believe that one day the truth will finally be spoken in a courtroom, and the people responsible will face the consequences they deserve. The family hopes that someday this story will end with a fair and just verdict, and that Haley Dunn’s name will finally receive what it deserves, justice. The door to apartment number 200 wasn’t locked.
Relto Robinson pushed it open and immediately froze. Right there in front of him was blood on the floor. Within seconds, he was already on the phone with 911. Just four minutes later, officers stepped inside. 23-year-old Kayla Hodgson was lying on her back right near the entrance. All around her were shards of broken glass. Under her body was a hookah hose.
Blood was on the walls, on the floor, even in the kitchen. This wasn’t a quick attack. You could tell there had been a struggle. Blood was found in multiple rooms. Some surfaces looked like someone had tried to wipe them down. Certain pieces of broken glass were missing. It appeared Kayla had been moved after she was injured.
One of her fingernails was torn off. Underneath it, there was DNA. On the floor, there were bloody shoe prints marked with BB. They didn’t belong to her. Those prints led outside, down the stairs, all the way to the parking lot. Whoever left the apartment didn’t rush, and it seems they had enough time to get rid of at least some of the evidence.
That same night, a neighbor woke up to knocking on her door. When she opened it, there was a woman standing there dressed in black and wearing a mask. Surveillance cameras caught her, and just minutes later, they recorded what appeared to be the same person again, this time in different clothes, carrying a box.
Inside that box were likely items taken from the crime scene. And none of this started that night. In the weeks leading up to her death, Kayla had been receiving threats, but no one expected that one of those threats would actually show up at her door. Hey guys, let me grab you for just a second. I’m really curious where my audience is watching from.
So, I’d love for you to drop a comment and tell me what city you’re in and what time it is for you right now. Thanks for taking a moment. Go ahead and share that in the comments. And now, let’s keep going. 23-year-old Kayla Hodgegson worked as a bottle girl late at night in clubs with the music pounding and drinks flowing non-stop. She drew a lot of attention.
And while Kayla might have been popular with men in that environment, things weren’t always the same when it came to other women. So, when Kayla Hodgson was tragically found stabbed to death inside her own home, investigators quickly shifted their focus away from the men in her life and toward the women connected to them.
It started to look like jealousy had been building for some time. Like an angry, rejected woman had been carrying resentment toward Kayla until it finally erupted. >> I ain’t going to go look on that page. I be looking at y’all page and y’all can’t talk about me cuz >> the city of Tamarack in South Florida sits just north of Miami in Broward County at 300 p.m.
On July 13th, 2022, sheriff’s deputies received an emergency call. The sound of the phone ringing, cutting through from an apartment building on Northwest 57th Street in Tamarak. >> 911. What’s the address of the emergency? >> Oh, ma’am, I don’t know the address. I just >> Okay, what is the apartment number? >> The caller, RTO Robinson, had just opened the unlocked door to his friend’s apartment and was immediately met with a bloody scene.
>> Fire rescues on the way. They’re coming as fast as they can. >> Paramedic. Can I run down? Can I run down paramedic? No, but go you could go outside and direct them in. >> Hold on, man. Hold on. >> Okay. It looks like someone slashed her neck. >> Just 4 minutes after the call, Deputy Hus arrived at the building.
RTO led him inside, then quickly ran down two flights of stairs to signal the officers waiting in the parking lot. Within moments, other sheriff’s deputies joined him along with firefighters and paramedics. >> Oh [ __ ] >> Yeah, she’s right there. >> 23-year-old Kayla Hodgson was found just inside the doorway of apartment number 200, the home she shared with her mother, Diana Hodgegson.
It was immediately clear she had died from multiple stab wounds. She was lying on her back on the floor, surrounded by shards of broken glass. Deputies moved through the apartment to make sure no one else was inside, and what they saw pointed to a violent struggle. Even though Kayla was found just a few feet from the door, there were blood stains deeper inside the apartment, on the walls, across the floor, and on the kitchen island.
Under her body was a dark hose, the kind typically used with a hookah, a device for smoking flavored tobacco. Pieces of glass were scattered across the floor, and part of the hookah base was still sitting on the counter. It looked like Kayla had been dragged from the entrance to the spot where she was found several feet inside the apartment.
On her right hand, a fingernail was missing. Both the artificial and the natural nail likely torn off during a struggle with the attacker. A DNA sample was collected from that area, potentially a key piece of evidence if investigators could match it to someone in a database or identify a suspect. Based on the blood patterns throughout the apartment, it appeared the attacker stayed inside for some time after Kayla had already suffered her fatal injuries.
Investigators found multiple areas with blood in both Kayla’s bedroom and Diana Hodgson’s room, including inside Kayla’s closet and in the bathroom. In the kitchen, there were signs that a specific area had been wiped down, especially on the island directly across from where Kayla’s body was found. On top of that, it turned out that a significant portion of the glass from the hookah base was missing.
Investigators believed it had been shattered during the incident and that some of the pieces were later removed to hide evidence. Most importantly, several shoe prints were visible around Kayla’s body. The souls clearly showed the brand marking BB. And based on their placement, it was obvious they didn’t belong to her. They belong to someone else.
Those bloody footprints didn’t stop at the apartment. They continued beyond it. >> Stay separate. You got one going this way and one going to the elevator. Are you the only one in there? >> We have witnesses here. >> Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. >> A guy found her. Black mouth. He’s over there. We got him. >> He He’s confirming.
I’m going to ask his name. >> He ran down. >> The guy came down. >> He ran down. >> The guy who found her, ran down, flagged fire rescue, then ran back up. So, he’s saying these are his friends. The trail of footprints led from apartment number 200 down the stairs along a concrete walkway and out toward the parking lot, gradually fading as they moved farther away from the building.
>> Well, there’s bloody footprints that come all the way down. So, when you come upstairs, >> just be careful. >> There’s there >> and then they kind of lead >> all the way here and then here. So, I’m guessing he made it out to 57 if it’s a five. >> Yeah, if it’s a five. Yeah, it’s probably domestic five. >> Yeah.
So, I want to lock that so nobody comes in there. And they’re here. >> And then the whole stairwell, you can see. >> It wasn’t entirely clear whether those footprints were left by the killer or by Relto Robinson, who had rushed out in a panic to meet first responders. At the same time, as investigators processed the apartment, they began to suspect that certain items had been removed and possibly taken to the building’s trash bins.
following the same path marked by the bloody trail. On top of that, the shoes with the BB marking matched a pair of slip-ons Kayla had worn, and there were signs that her closet had been opened. Reto Robinson waited patiently with blood still visible on his hands. He hadn’t wiped it off until after speaking with detectives, just as he had been instructed.
>> Listen, I’m sorry that you’re going through this. We’re going to do everything we can to help you out. We’ll be here for you. All right? I appreciate you talking to me and being cooperative and calm. All right. >> Um, we’re gonna have a million questions to ask you. Just just bear with us. >> Relto, who friends also called Vvelt, explained that the last time he saw Kayla Hodgson was the evening before around 7:00 p.m.
And after that, he went home. He assumed Kayla had gone to work that night. She was a bottle girl at a local club called Spot Lounge. And every Tuesday, she usually worked a shift that ran until about 4:00 in the morning. The next morning, Vel came back to the apartment, but Kayla didn’t answer the door.
She wasn’t picking up her phone and she wasn’t responding to messages. At first, he got frustrated, thinking she was ignoring him for some reason he didn’t understand. But as he was leaving, he noticed her car parked in an unusual spot, not near the entrance, but a little farther away from the building. That didn’t seem like something Kayla would do.
And combined with the silence, it started to feel off. So, he turned around and went back to the apartment. This time, he tried the door, and it was unlocked. Now I’m banging on the door cuz I’m like the car is here. I’m banging on the door and then I just check the door and then I check the door open and she was right there. >> Hold on one second.
>> Okay. So she’s facing her head is facing this way and her arms out right here walking by the island in the kitchen on the left side of the island. >> So there you see anything unusual besides the fact that she >> No, nothing out of the ordinary that was seen besides that. >> Was there anything around her? Anything near her? >> She had a hookah.
She had a hookah on her hookah rope. I mean her hookah hoes. >> Okay. >> Relto Robinson described his relationship with Kayla Hodgson as nothing serious. At the same time, Velt had a girlfriend named Nadia who lived in New York City. From everything known, Kayla was aware of Nadia, but Nadia had no idea about Kayla. >> She been dating her about for about a year? >> Yes.
>> Are you her only boyfriend? >> I have no idea. >> Okay. For about a year. Yes, >> she’s she’s a bottle girl at a party. >> She what? >> She’s a bottle girl at a party. She She works at Jamaican party like every weekend. >> Every Tuesday, I mean. >> Where is that at? >> It’s right down the road in this down here.
>> While working as a bottle girl or server, at Spot Lounge and other venues in Tamarak and nearby areas, Kayla Hodgson received a lot of attention. She found it easy to meet men and often went on dates. Her close friends mentioned several names. Aside from Velt, she had gone out a few times with a man named Shakir.
She also kept in touch with a man from the club, though they only knew him by a nickname. From time to time, she spoke with a realtor from New York City named Terrence. She also had an ex-boyfriend, but friends said he was no longer part of her life. At the same time, everyone emphasized that Kayla wasn’t the kind of person who made enemies.
She didn’t look for conflict and was liked by many. People described her as an amazing daughter, a very loving older sister, a friend, a granddaughter, and a cousin. She was remembered for her genuine smile, but most of all for her kindness, humility, and loyalty. She had a vibrant personality and a big heart. Now, investigators were faced with the key question.
Who could have wanted Kayla dead? As officers canvased the building and spoke with neighbors, they came across one of their first leads. Hey. Hi. >> Early that morning, a 16-year-old neighbor of Kayla Hodgson reported that someone had been in the hallway and knocked on her door. The woman claimed that someone from that floor had stolen her backpack, which she had left in the stairwell.
After speaking with officers at the building, the teenager later provided a recorded statement to detectives. >> Your own words, could you just tell me about what happened that night? So, it was around like 2 2:30 maybe. Um, I had a knock at the door. So, I looked through the peepphole, but I wasn’t sure who it was, but I seen it was a woman and she was kind of standing off to when I opened the door and I pulled my head out, she was talking to me.
She was kind of not looking like she was looking but like over her shoulder. And then at one point she turned and she pulled her mask down and she told me that she like someone took her her bag like she put her bag down on the stairs, walked around the complex told me she came back and her bag was gone. And she said I knocked on I knocked on everybody door or I’m I’m knocking on everybody door on this floor because somebody on this floor took it.
She said she heard a door open and it closed. Probably like 20 minutes later, I started hearing banging at the door. Like it was like somebody was aggressively banging, but I didn’t come out my room like see who it was. But I called my mom, told my mom that there was somebody banging on the door. >> The neighbor’s apartment was right next to Kayla Hodgson’s and there was no evidence that anyone had actually been going door to door in the hallway in the middle of the night looking for a bag.
Most likely, the neighbor had come face to face with the killer, someone who had simply knocked on the wrong door. The teenager described the woman as dressed entirely in black, wearing a mask, and surveillance cameras in the building captured that person. >> Kind of like a coat, a Yankees cap, like black sweatpants, and I’m not sure what type of shoes are, but I know they’re like really expensive.
>> As you might expect, when investigators checked the cameras at the building’s exit, it turned out that the same person had already changed clothes and shoes. Surveillance footage captured the suspect carrying a cardboard box in a paper bag, likely containing items taken from the crime scene.
In the days that followed, detectives instructed officers to search the building’s trash compactor. >> Day three of a homicide investigation. At one point, deputies focusing on the garbage area downstairs from where a woman was found dead. The victim’s second floor apartment is still blocked off.
A biohazard bag and evidence markers on the ground. The unknown is driving us crazy. You know, we don’t know who did this. We don’t know why you would do this. >> Diana Hodgson, Kayla’s mother, worked as a flight attendant. When she learned the devastating news about her daughter’s death, she immediately got on the first flight home.
Diana spoke with detectives and provided everything she could that might help the investigation. She also listed items that were missing from the apartment, including a pair of slip-on shoes with the BB brand. described a pair of slides that this person was wearing and you told me they were BB slides and provided a description of them without me showing you a photo.
Is that correct? >> We just discussed that on the phone. >> Um and you described them as a pink slide type sandal with um kind of fuzzy >> fur. Yes. Yes. And and the the BB lettering is like a glitter like a rhinestone look to it. Even though their schedules often didn’t line up, Diana Hodgson and her daughter remained very close.
Diana was well aware of Kayla Hodgson’s social life, her work, and her relationships. For several months, Kayla had been receiving threatening phone calls, and in the days and weeks leading up to her death, those threats only became more frequent. >> But she did mention that she was having an issue as of lately with the prank phone calls.
and um she she seemed to be a little bit more concerned about that. >> Was also aware of those calls. In fact, for a while, Kayla Hodgson believed they were coming from his girlfriend in New York City. The number was blocked, but the slang used by the caller. Words like dead ass was typical of people from New York.
She assumed Velt didn’t fully understand the details of those calls. >> By a couple weeks ago, she was getting like prank calls. people calling her like constant people call like prank calling her like oh um like just prank calls she was and she said something but she didn’t get into details about it. >> The most important information though came from a conversation with Janessa Kayla’s best friend who also worked as a bar doll >> was a guy named Shakure.
There was a guy named Terrence. Um Terrence he’s lives in New York. That’ll be about it. >> Okay. So that was >> Cure Vel. Then there’s her ex-boyfriend Javon. >> Javon. Okay. But does she see him at all still or No? >> No, they haven’t seen each other in a while. >> And we know Terrence has a girlfriend. >> Correct.
Well, he doesn’t claim the girlfriend, but yes. Yeah. >> Okay. >> That connection to New York City. The realtor Terrence is what raised red flags for Janisa. In the bigger picture, it didn’t feel like a random detail. It felt like a missing piece that could explain a lot of what had been going on. Just like Velt, Terrence, who friends called Terry, also had a woman in the city, even though he insisted they weren’t together.
That gap between what he said and what seemed to be reality created tension and left the sense that something was being hidden. Terry and Kayla Hodgson met in August of the previous year and started spending time together whenever she visited New York. At first, everything seemed easy and carefree, but almost right away, there were early warning signs.
Issues with his not girlfriend showed up quickly and unexpectedly. Threatening messages on Instagram, obsessive behavior showing up uninvited. These weren’t isolated incidents. It felt more like a pattern that kept repeating and slowly escalating. It seemed like she always knew when they were spending time together, and almost immediately afterward, she would reach out to Kayla, like there was no delay at all between what happened and her reaction.
It created this constant feeling of being watched, something that was hard to explain as coincidence. Even with all of that, when the prank calls started happening more often, Kayla still suspected Velt’s girlfriend. At that point, her attention was focused in a different direction, which only made the situation harder to understand.
Because according to both Diana Hodgson and Janisa, from Kayla’s perspective, her contact with Terrence was casual, nothing serious, nothing that should have caused concern or conflict. She didn’t see it as anything meaningful, and that likely affected how she judged the risk. But it was becoming more and more clear that Terry’s sometimes girlfriend saw things very differently.
To her, the situation felt personal, intense, and charged with a much higher level of emotion. Not long before her death, Kayla had returned home from a trip to New York. She and Janisa spent an evening with Terrence and his friends. And that time, nothing happened. Everything felt calm, even normal, like all the previous tension had just disappeared.
But during an earlier trip, it had been very different. That time, Terren’s not girlfriend suddenly showed up, clearly looking for confrontation. Her appearance was abrupt and unwanted, breaking any sense of safety or control. And that moment left behind a lingering feeling that the tension hadn’t gone anywhere.
It had just been waiting for the right moment to surface again. >> She was waiting for Kayla at a at a lounge when we were in New York. >> And not this past time, but >> No, this was this is about last year. >> Okay. Why was she waiting for her there? >> Probably to fight her. >> Oh, she she wasn’t like they weren’t trying to meet up and like squash something.
She just happened to show up where Kayla was headed. >> She that place was a frequent place for the guys to go hang out. So she went there in some sweats, hair tied back, you know, looking to fight. >> This is like an after hours place. >> Yes. >> There was no physical confrontation that time. Kayla Hodgegson avoided the conflict and chose to step away to change locations, create distance, and not let things escalate.
It felt like a deliberate decision, an effort to stay in control and keep the situation from getting worse. In that moment, the tension seemed to ease, but only on the surface. That night may have been a warning. The other woman’s behavior already showed signs of persistence and emotional instability that were hard to ignore.
And after that, things didn’t calm down. They escalated. The threatening messages and calls became more frequent, more aggressive, like whatever boundaries had once held the situation in check were starting to disappear. Janisa shared messages with detectives that she had exchanged with Kayla about the harassment. Those messages weren’t just words.
You could feel the escalation in them, a steady build of tension that no longer seemed random. That conversation became an important piece of the puzzle, helping investigators understand the atmosphere of those days. tense, unsettling, and leading up to what would happen next. >> You’re you’re a [ __ ] Um, leave my man alone.
Like just stuff like that, antagonizing. And but she goes, “The girl keep calling me and text me.” Now, she said like they would be silent for a good minute. Then I would have to scream hello just for them to say hello. Then at the end, she was like, “You know you’re a [ __ ] right?” I was like, “Yeah, I know. Tell me something else.
” Then the [ __ ] would go quiet. The next day in the morning, she messaged her again. could be a female. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here pregnant. The sick part is if y’all really talking and hanging out. I want you to know I’m not coming coming I’m not coming easy on either of y’all. Girl crazy. >> She had a tracker in the in his car.
That’s how she found out that they went out to eat that he was picking her up. But for the most part, there’s not one time that she did not know. The woman who was, or as Terrence himself claimed, was not his girlfriend was 28-year-old Sakina Thompson. Even that description sounded contradictory, creating a sense of uncertainty, like their relationship existed in two different versions at the same time, one public and one private.
For some, it may have looked like a clear relationship, while for others, it was something being denied or kept hidden. Sakina worked as a nail technician, a job that required precision, patience, and an eye for aesthetics, qualities that often go unnoticed but shape everyday routine. A few years earlier, she had also started her own channel on YouTube, where she shared beauty and makeup tips.
That space seemed like a form of self-expression, a place where she could present a different side of herself, more open, more confident, more in control. Her videos likely reflected a completely different side of her life. Calm, focused on appearance, style, and self-care. And that contrast between her public image and what was unfolding away from the camera gave the story an even more unsettling edge.
>> Guys, my name is Sakina. I’m from New York. I’m 20 years old. I’m a full-time nail technician. Yeah, I don’t really I didn’t really know what to say, but hello. >> Yeah. >> Okay, bye. Even though Terrence assured Kayla Hodgson that he wasn’t in a relationship with Sakina Thompson, the overall picture looked far more complicated.
From the outside, it could have seemed like denial or an attempt to distance himself, but at the same time, there were details pointing in the opposite direction. It appeared that they had once been seriously involved, the kind of relationship that leaves a mark and doesn’t just disappear without a trace. Sakina’s social media was filled with videos of their life together.
These weren’t just occasional mentions or random clips. It felt more like a full visual story, creating an image of closeness, emotion, and shared experiences. She posted videos of herself receiving huge bouquets of flowers, likely from Terry. Those moments looked bold and intentional, almost like they were meant to highlight the importance and uniqueness of their relationship.
In one video, there was a romantic montage of one of their dates with smooth transitions that created a sense of intimacy and attention to detail. Among those details were even personalized boxer briefs worn by her partner featuring her photo on the waistband. It didn’t come across as just a joke or a coincidence. It felt more like a symbolic gesture, reinforcing a sense of exclusivity and closeness between them.
In another post, Sakina showed herself opening an expensive gift. The camera captured the anticipation and her reaction while in the background, Terry was being congratulated by friends. Altogether, it felt like part of a larger narrative, a life she was presenting publicly as stable, meaningful, and mutual. And those posts stood in clear contrast to what he was saying, leaving a strong sense of inconsistency between his claims and what had been openly documented.
>> Takina Thompson was exaggerating how perfect their relationship was is something we can only speculate about. From the outside, it might have looked like a typical emotional attachment, but in her view, the relationship likely carried a much deeper and more clearly defined meaning. What others may have seen as a casual connection or something unstable seemed in her mind to have clear boundaries and expectations.
But one thing does stand out in her perception. Terrence was her man. And that didn’t feel like a guess. It felt like a firm belief, something that shaped how she reacted, the decisions she made, and how she interpreted everything around her. In that kind of mindset, there wasn’t much room for gray areas.
If he belonged to her, then any interaction he had with other women would automatically be seen as crossing a line. And because of that, in her view, he simply wasn’t supposed to be talking to other women. This wasn’t some mutual agreement between two people. It felt more like an internal rule, something that defined how she saw reality.
And within that, you could feel the tension, the gap between how others might have viewed the situation and how it existed in her own perception. >> I’m buy this [ __ ] >> Sakina Thompson found Kayla Hodgson on Instagram and based on everything didn’t just glance at her profile, but began closely following her life. Every new post, every story, every caption or photo could turn into a source of new emoi and suspicion.
It didn’t feel random. It felt consistent and intentional, like she was trying to piece together a full picture of Kayla’s life through her phone screen. Just a few days before the murder, Kayla blocked her. That move may have been an attempt to cut off any contact and draw a clear boundary, but at the same time, it only highlighted how tense things had already become between them.
The block didn’t just limit access. It acted like a silent signal that the conflict had reached a point where going back to normal communication no longer seemed possible. >> [ __ ] be talking about me thinking I ain’t going to go look on that page. I be looking at y’all page and y’all can’t talk about me. >> Seemed unlikely that the last night Terrence and Kayla Hodgson spent together in New York City went unnoticed.
In a city that never sleeps, where almost every move leaves a trace, in messages, rides, calls, that kind of meeting would be hard to miss, whether digitally or through other people. It sounded obvious, but at the same time unsettling, because so many small details could come together into one clear picture. On top of that, according to the case information, Sakina Thompson almost certainly had access to Tererry’s phone.
And that access didn’t seem accidental or one time. It appeared to be used intentionally to monitor his communication with other women. In that context, every message in every call could quickly turn into a source of tension, suspicion, and jealousy. She even posted their conversations, putting something deeply personal out in the open.
Those messages became a kind of proof, not in a legal sense, but emotionally, showing his love and loyalty the way she saw it or wanted others to see it. There was something both performative and unsettling about it. Private words losing their intimacy and turning into a tool. Terry wrote, “I’ve never been this happy. I love you forever and I’ll never stop loving you.
I hope you know that.” Another thing he said was just as telling. Come over. I’ll let you go through my phone. >> She was really mentally psycho. Like mentally, the girl would not leave Kayla alone. Mind you, this guy talks to many other girls in New York. But I think the fact that Kayla was gorgeous, you know, she had her the body and everything like Terrence was just after her and that was just a persistent thing with her.
It wasn’t just a one night, you know, it was persistent and he would work on it. He would fly her out. He would send her food like, you know, it was persistent. I feel like she felt like she was a threat. >> Okay. >> And I don’t know, I was sitting at home and I don’t know, everybody kept asking me like, “Do you know anybody that Kayla had problems with? Do you know anybody that didn’t like her?” You know, nothing triggered to me and then all of a sudden it just hit me like I forgot about this girl would literally antagonize Kayla
for no reason. I know Terrence has bought a flight for Kayla, you know, to come to New York. So I have a, you know, of course the address would have to be in their messages and the girl has access to his phone because she’s text Kayla off his phone. So that’s the only way I can think that she can get the addresses.
Terrence did in fact buy Kayla Hodgson tickets to New York City. It didn’t come across as some random gesture. It felt more like part of their dynamic where he took on a role of support and care. He also ordered food deliveries to her home in Tamarak. And details like that painted a clear picture of ongoing regular contact between them.
Put together, it suggested that her address was likely saved in his phone, just as ordinary everyday information. Nothing that would raise suspicion in normal circumstances. At the same time, according to case materials, his sometimes girlfriend Sakina Thompson may have had access to that device. And in the context of everything that happened, that detail stood out.
If the address was there, it wasn’t hidden, which means getting to Kayla’s apartment wouldn’t have required any extra searching or effort. It would have just been a matter of using information that was already available. Sakina Thompson also matched the general description of the woman captured on surveillance cameras near Kayla’s apartment the night of the murder.
The footage was grainy and not completely clear, but the overall features, her silhouette, her movements, her clothing lined up closely enough to catch investigators attention. When you look at it alongside the other evidence, it didn’t feel like an isolated detail. It felt like part of a larger picture. Her photo was included in a lineup shown to the teenage neighbor who had seen the suspected killer that night.
The process followed standard procedures, but the outcome carried real weight. The girl carefully reviewed the images and identified Sakina Thompson. That identification became another piece in the overall body of evidence, not the only decisive one, but something that reinforced the broader case and added to the sense of a disturbing consistent sequence of events.
>> In your own words, like if you were to say how sure you were that was the person? >> 95. >> 95. Okay. Wednesday, August 3rd, 2022, at around 8:50 in the morning, Sakina Thompson was arrested in New York City with the involvement of the US Marshall Service Task Force. The operation was carried out quickly and efficiently without unnecessary attention, but the arrest itself marked a major turning point in the case.
Afterward, she was extradited to Florida, where further legal proceedings were already underway. In a small black Prada bag she had with her at the time of the arrest, investigators found several items. Among them was a printed airline ticket showing a route from New York to Fort Lauderdale, departing on July 12th and returning on the 14th.
It may have seemed like an ordinary detail, but for investigators, it became another piece that fit into the broader timeline of movements and events. Detectives also determined that at the time she was in her second month of pregnancy. That fact quickly took on added significance, influencing both how the situation was perceived and the direction of her defense.
Sakina did not plead guilty to the charge of firstdegree premeditated murder. From the very beginning, she denied intent, insisting on her own version of events and attempting to explain her actions differently. Denying that she had been near the apartment in Tamarak that night wasn’t really an option. The collected evidence formed a clear and consistent chain.
Beyond the airline tickets, investigators linked her to a stay at the Plaza Hotel, rides to and from the airport using Lyft, and efforts to conceal her movements through an Uber trip to Kayla Hodgson’s apartment using a fake account. Taken together, these details formed a picture that was difficult to ignore. The DNA found under Kayla’s fingernail turned out to be a mixture of her own and that of an unknown male, a detail that introduced some uncertainty and left room for questions.
Even so, the amount of circumstantial evidence connecting Sakina to the crime and the cleanup afterward appeared substantial and cohesive. According to social media information, Sakina gave birth in 2023 while in custody, awaiting trial for Kayla Hodgson’s murder. That period unfolded under constant pressure where personal circumstances were intertwined with serious criminal charges.
Her pregnancy became a central part of the defense strategy, shaping much of how her actions and condition that night were explained. She claimed that she traveled to Florida only to talk to Kayla woman towoman. According to her, after being blocked, she had no other way to contact her and the trip was her only chance to address things in person.
She said that when she arrived that night, Kayla attacked her with a hookah. The glass shattered, creating chaos in a dangerous situation where any movement could lead to injury. Sakina claimed that a piece of glass cut her stomach and during the struggle she lost consciousness while trying to protect the life of her unborn child.
In her account, that moment was presented as critical, the point where she lost control of the situation. Sakina testified in her own defense over the course of two days. Her testimony was detailed, but it also drew mixed reactions. She admitted that she cleaned part of the crime scene, changed into clean clothes she found inside the apartment, and then disposed of evidence before fleeing.
Those actions appeared deliberate and methodical, which became a major focus in court. She also admitted that she felt jealous of Kayla Hodgson. That motive, while not the only factor in the case, added another layer to understanding the relationship between them and the overall context of what happened. >> A little, I guess you could say, jealous and like insecure.
All of that, Sakina Thompson continued to stand by her version of events, not backing away from it, even under pressure, tough questioning, and clear inconsistencies. According to her, it was Kayla Hodgegson who started the confrontation. She claimed the came suddenly and painfully, saying Kayla struck her in the head with a hookah, and that moment is what set everything off.
In her telling, that was the turning point, the moment when everything slipped out of control. She described it as chaotic, full of sudden movements, fear, and confusion. After that, she said, things escalated quickly and without any clear sequence in her memory. But that version of events was met with serious doubt from the prosecution.
What she said sounded like an attempt to explain how the conflict began, but it didn’t answer the bigger questions about what happened next or the level of violence that followed. And it was that gap between how she described the start of the fight and how it ultimately ended that created a sense of troubling inconsistency that ran through the entire trial.
>> He just starts grabbing my hair and punching me and I’m on the floor. I’m kicking. I’m trying to get up to fight back at this point cuz now it’s a fight. >> Computers didn’t believe the story about losing consciousness. They saw it as an attempt to explain something that in their view showed a clear and deliberate sequence of actions.
In court, they repeatedly emphasized that the attack, which led to Kayla Hodgson’s death from dozens of stab wounds, might have looked like an explosion of uncontrolled aggression, but even in a state of rage. They argued the actions still carried signs of intent. And because of that, they maintained the crime fully met the definition of first-degree murder.
They also argued that Sakina Thompson had brought a knife with her in advance. That point was central to their case because having a weapon before any confrontation in their view pointed to preparation and intent, not something accidental or purely impulsive. Sakina, however, insisted on a different version.
She claimed that after being cut by glass, she became disoriented and only came to with a knife already in her hand, standing over Kayla’s body. According to her, everything happened in the chaos of the struggle, like she had grabbed something sharp without even realizing what it was. Her explanation came across as an attempt to piece together fragments of events she said she couldn’t fully remember.
The knife was never recovered. That missing piece left a gap, but prosecutors argued it didn’t mean the weapon didn’t exist. On the contrary, they believed it had been deliberately hidden or destroyed carefully enough to avoid being found. And despite her claim that she had blacked out, there were details that in the prosecution’s view didn’t line up with that story.
They pointed out that Sakina was able to clean parts of the scene, change into different clothes, and get rid of bloodstained items. Those actions appeared organized and purposeful, like they were carried out by someone who understood exactly what they were doing and was trying to cover their tracks. That contradiction between what she claimed and what she appeared to have done became one of the key elements of the prosecution’s case.
reinforcing their argument that the crime was intentional. >> Punching me. >> Punching you where? >> My face. >> Where? On your face. Point to it for >> I don’t remember. But everywhere. >> You don’t remember where she was punching in your face? >> In my face. >> I mean, this is why you killed her, right? >> No.
>> Right. >> No, >> it’s not. >> No, >> you didn’t kill her because she was fighting you. >> No, I killed her because she took the glass from the hookah and slashed me across my stomach. I wasn’t really walking over the blood. I was walking in the blood. >> You walk in the blood? >> Yes. With what shoes? >> The BB shoes. I changed my shoes.
>> Tuesday, October 14th, 2025. After about an hour of intense deliberations, the jury returned to the courtroom. There was a heavy silence in the air, almost something you could feel. Everyone in the room understood that the decision they were about to hear would bring months of investigation and testimony to a close.
When the verdict was read, it came through clearly and without hesitation, Sakina Thompson was found guilty of first-degree murder. Those words marked a turning point in the case, definitively establishing its legal outcome. The sentence was announced later on December 1st. In the time leading up to that moment, the tension didn’t disappear.
It just shifted from anticipation to the realization that the outcome was inevitable. That day, the court delivered its final word, solidifying a decision that within the scope of the trial left no room for doubt. During the hearing, the mother and brother of Kayla Hodgson addressed the court with victim impact statements.
Their words were composed, but beneath that restraint, you could feel a deep loss, a kind of pain that’s hard to fully put into words. They thanked law enforcement and prosecutors for their work, emphasizing that it was because of those efforts the case had been brought to its conclusion and justice had been served.
They also noted that the number of friends and family members gathered in the courtroom spoke for itself. It wasn’t just about being present. It showed how many lives Kayla had touched, how many connections she had built, and how deep the void was after her loss. Every person in that room stood as a quiet reminder of who she had been to others.
Other loved ones spoke as well, including Kayla’s aunt and godmother. Their statements added even more personal memories and emotion, reinforcing the scale of the tragedy. Taken together, all of these voices created one powerful and unsettling realization. The story doesn’t end with a verdict. But in that courtroom, its irreversible conclusion was finally set.
>> We are forever changed, but by God, we didn’t break us. We are stronger and Kayla will be remembered always. >> Delivered the sentence. Judge Seagull spoke clearly and without emotion, but the weight of his words could be felt in every pause. The courtroom was completely still, tense, not even the sound of papers breaking the silence.
He described the killing as brutal and merciless, emphasizing that this was not a slouchy burst of anger, but a deliberate, intentional act of violence. He made it clear that under these circumstances, the law leaves no room for leniency or doubt. Only the harshest punishment could match the severity of what had been done.
He went on to stress that life imprisonment in this case was not just a formality, but the only just outcome, one that reflected both the seriousness of the crime and the irreversible consequences it caused. His voice remained steady, but every word sounded final, like the closing line of the entire story. After that, he sentenced Sakina Thompson to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
That meant she would spend the rest of her life behind bars with no chance of returning to a normal life, no opportunity for a reduced sentence. The decision was final and left no room for interpretation. This was the tragic story of Kayla Hodgson, a story that began with the ordinary life of a young woman, but ended in a brutal crime and a court verdict that brought everything to a close.
A story that leaves behind more questions than answers and a heavy sense of finality about something that can no longer be changed.
