transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:00] This podcast is supported by MIDI Health. Are you in midlife, feeling dismissed, unheard, or just plain tired of the old healthcare system? You're not alone. In fact, even today, 75% of women seeking care for menopause and perimenopause issues are left entirely untreated. But it's time for a change. It's time for MIDI. MIDI's not just a healthcare provider. It's a women's telehealth clinic founded and supported by world-class leaders in women's health. Their clinicians provide one-on-one, face-to-face consultations where they truly listen to your unique needs. They offer a full range of holistic, data-driven solutions that isn't one-size-fits-all care. This is care uniquely tailored for you. At MIDI, you will find that their mission is clear, to help all women thrive in midlife, giving them access to the healthcare they deserve, because they believe midlife isn't the middle at all. It is the beginning of your second act. Ready to feel your best and write your second act script? Visit joinmidi.com today to book your personalized, insurance-covered virtual visit. That's joinmidi.com. MIDI, the care women deserve.

Speaker 2:
[01:17] Take the exit.

Speaker 1:
[01:18] Turn right into the dry-through.

Speaker 3:
[01:20] Nope, I'm making dinner tonight.

Speaker 2:
[01:22] You don't have time. Josh has practice.

Speaker 1:
[01:24] Oh, that's right.

Speaker 2:
[01:25] I'll just get a salad. And fries?

Speaker 1:
[01:27] No, just the salad.

Speaker 2:
[01:28] But salad cancels fries. Salad only. Fries. Salad. Fries.

Speaker 4:
[01:32] Food noise isn't fair, but Mochi Health is.

Speaker 2:
[01:35] The affordable GLP-1 source that puts you on the road to successful weight loss.

Speaker 1:
[01:39] Hey, can I get the-

Speaker 2:
[01:40] Fries.

Speaker 1:
[01:40] Salad. Sorry.

Speaker 4:
[01:42] Learn more at joinmochi.com.

Speaker 2:
[01:44] Mochi members have access to licensed physicians and nutritionists. Results may vary.

Speaker 3:
[01:47] You're listening to an OH NO MEDIA podcast. Hey everyone and welcome back to the Into The Dark podcast. I'm your host, Payton Moreland. I'm so glad you are here listening. If you are watching, yes, my face is super shiny. I'm incredibly dry and I have like 10 layers of moisturizer on. So yeah, I'm not sweating or anything. I'm just trying to heal my skin. Getting into my 10 seconds today, it was like snowing two days ago and then today it is super warm. Warm enough that I was like hot when I was outside. So I'm super confused. Utah always has such temperamental weather and I swear we go through all four seasons in like one week. So that's currently what I'm going through. I hope you all are having an amazing week and let's get into today's episode. There is a theme that you see in True Crime stories time and time again. So you never really know what a person is capable of. A friendly, kind neighbor could secretly be a brutally violent criminal and a quiet, shy teenager might secretly be strong enough to fight off a vicious attack. Or a seemingly happy couple might just have deadly secrets. The point is, it's hard to say what's really going on in someone else's mind. And if you make an assumption and it's wrong, that can come with consequences, which is a pretty big theme in today's case. The story of Nancy DePriest. Now, we're backing up to 1988, when Nancy was 20 years old. She lived in Austin, Texas, and she worked at a local Pizza Hut. Now, Nancy was young, but she was also already really responsible. She was actually already a married mother, with a daughter who was just over a year old. And Nancy was still really close with her parents. She cared about her family and about doing her job well. She had actually worked her way through the ranks at Pizza Hut, so now she was allowed to work early mornings and late at night without supervision. Her boss trusted her to handle her job alone. And early on the morning of October 24th, that's exactly what 20-year-old Nancy was doing. Someone had to come in before the restaurant opened and make the dough, get all of the ingredients ready, and just make sure everything was clean and nice looking and ready to go for the day. And Nancy took care of all of that during her opening shift. However, eventually someone else was supposed to join her. Maybe another employee or her manager. I'm not entirely sure who else was scheduled that day. But for the sake of keeping the story simple, let's say her colleague was named Jessie. Jessie does show up to work. And as soon as Jessie walked in the restaurant store, they were surprised because Nancy was nowhere to be seen. The kitchen and dining area were clean. All the supplies were out. So clearly she had come in to work. She had done her tasks. However, when Jessie called her name, Nancy didn't answer. And eventually they actually checked the bathroom to see if maybe Nancy was in there. And she was, but she was seriously hurt. Jessie had gone in and found Nancy lying on the floor. Her clothes had been removed and someone had used her bra to tie her arms together. And she wasn't in a state where she could explain who had done this or even what had happened because there was a gunshot wound in the back of her head. Now, when Jessie found Nancy that morning in the Pizza Hut bathroom, she was still breathing. But it was obvious that her life was in danger and she might not make it much longer. So Jessie immediately called 911 and paramedics rushed Nancy to the hospital for emergency treatment. And in the meanwhile, the police immediately respond and investigated the scene to try and figure out what had happened. Now, right away, they found a single pubic hair on the ground, near a puddle of Nancy's blood. It didn't come from Nancy, so it had to be from whoever had done this to her. And in addition, the doctors who were treating Nancy identified semen on her genitals, a sign that she had been sexually assaulted in this bathroom. So the investigators collected a sample. And next, forensic detectives searched the rest of the Pizza Hut. And they found that the cash register was empty, which made the police figure Nancy had probably been attacked during a robbery gone wrong that morning. So the theory went that someone had broken in to steal all of the money. But then when the thief realized that Nancy, an employee, was there and she was alone, they decided to assault her and then shoot her, then left with the cash. Now, aside from all of this, there was one more clue I want to touch on and it's a pretty big one. See, there were no signs of forced entry in the restaurant, but the crime had happened before Pizza Hut was supposed to be open, meaning the doors should have been locked. It is important to note that tons of people have keys to this Pizza Hut. I mean, all of the employees. That way they could let themselves in for an early shift or close up after working late. And the police knew the Austin area Pizza Huts all actually used the same key, one that worked for all of the locations rather than just one. Which meant the thief could have been another Pizza Hut employee, but not necessarily one of Nancy's coworkers. Anyone who worked at Pizza Hut, any Pizza Hut in the region, was a potential suspect. And with each minute that passed, it became more important that the detectives find them, because at the end of the day, Nancy tragically succumbed to her injuries. She passed away from that bullet wound to the back of her head, making the case a murder investigation. Now, news about Nancy's death spread like wildfire through Austin. Again, this is the late 1980s, she's 20 years old, this happened at work, the crime was violent and shocking. I mean, people were shaken, especially other Pizza Hut employees who now had to wonder, okay, well, is this person coming back? Is one of our coworkers a killer? And while a lot of people were scared or sad about the news, two men actually responded to it in an unexpected way. So their names were Richard Danzinger and Christopher Ochoa. Now, they both worked at Pizza Hut, Christopher and Richard, but they worked at a different location from the one where Nancy had been killed. And back on October 26, this was two days after the crime, both of them were off the clock eating a pizza and drinking a beer together at the Pizza Hut. And during their dinner, they said they wanted to toast to Nancy's memory. Remember, they didn't work with Nancy, but all Pizza Hut employees. Then Christopher and Richard lifted their beers and clinked the glasses together. Except their coworkers saw this and they just thought the behavior was really weird. Something about their body language and their tone of voice just honestly rubbed everyone the wrong way. To them, it almost seemed like they were celebrating Nancy's murder instead of honoring her life. And one of the coworkers had a gut instinct that told them, I need to report this to the police. I need to tell the police what I just saw. So they called the police to say they were suspicious of these two Pizza Hut employees and they think it was worth looking into. Which is exactly what the police did with this tip. They looked at Christopher and Richard's backgrounds. They were not the sort of people you would expect to commit a brutal rape and murder. Christopher was 22 years old and he had always been quiet and shy, but close to his family, he had spent his entire life in Texas. He went to church regularly. He got good grades in school. He had never been in any kind of legal trouble before. In fact, people said he was actually sensitive and cared about other people's feelings. Christopher wrote poetry. He loved music. Everyone saw him as just kind of this sweet and kind, quiet kid. He didn't seem capable of committing a brutal murder. And as for 18-year-old Richard, so even younger, he was also well-liked. He didn't seem violent. But aside from that, he was kind of the polar opposite from Christopher. It was kind of ironic that they worked together and became friends. His parents were in the military, so they had moved a lot throughout his childhood. So Richard was always changing schools and needing to start over fresh. So he had learned to be very outgoing because that was the best way to make new friends in a new town. When he was young, Richard talked a lot. He had a great sense of humor. Everyone who knew him said he just loved to laugh. But everything changed when his parents decided to get a divorce. According to witnesses, Richard took the split very hard and his emotions spiraled. He even spent some time in a mental health facility getting treatment and then once he came back home, he kind of became a little rebellious. He stole his mother's checkbook and used it to steal money from her. He got caught and was actually arrested for theft. But this was the only time he had been in real legal trouble. He had never committed a violent crime or made anyone feel unsafe. However, Richard did kind of feel like a different person now, ever since getting back from treatment. Maybe someone who had a darker side that nobody in his life had really noticed before. He definitely wasn't as social or talkative. When he was out with friends, he was pretty quiet. He would refuse to interact. Richard only seemed close with two people at this point in his life, his manager at Pizza Hut and Christopher. Like I said, Christopher and Richard had met through their jobs, and actually right off the bat, they really clicked. They ended up spending a lot of time together and supported one another, and at some point recently, they had even moved in together. So they were now roommates who both worked at Pizza Hut. So police learn all of this and they wonder, okay, did Christopher and Richard plan this? Did they plan this horrible crime together to rob Pizza Hut because they have keys and then stumbled upon Nancy? So they reached out to each man to ask where they were on October 24th, the day of Nancy's murder. Christopher didn't have an alibi. In fact, his story about that morning was pretty suspicious because Christopher was scheduled to work at his Pizza Hut at the time of the crime, but apparently he showed up to his shift several hours late. He told the police he'd actually just overslept, except no one could obviously corroborate his story, not even his roommate Richard because he claimed he was with his girlfriend at her house that morning, and she confirmed that they were together at the time of Nancy's murder. But the police weren't sure if they could believe her. After all, the girlfriend admitted she had been drinking the night before, she was a pretty heavy sleeper. So it was possible Richard could have gotten up early in the morning without even waking her. Since according to her, she didn't get out of bed until around 9:15 AM, she couldn't say for sure that he had been with her at the time of the murder, which was back around 8 AM. Now, since no one else was with Richard and his girlfriend that morning, it's kind of hard to take this story at face value. And I mean, as we know, based on stories like this, girlfriends lie, especially young girlfriends, 18-year-old girlfriends. So the next step was to look at the hard evidence, but this also wasn't definitive. See, genetic technology in 1988 was not advanced yet. Even though the police had the killer's pubic hair, they couldn't actually test its DNA. They just didn't have those capabilities yet. The investigators knew it was the same color and texture as Richard's, so it was possible that it had come from him, but I mean, you can't prove it. And they had pretty similar issues with the semen that they had taken from Nancy. Unfortunately, it was mixed with Nancy's blood, and at the time, there was no way to separate the killer's DNA from hers and then test it alone. Basically, the sample is compromised, which meant they also couldn't compare that sample to Richard or Christopher's. So to summarize, at this time, the DNA evidence wasn't very helpful. There were no witnesses. Richard had an alibi, but it wasn't solid, and they also couldn't prove or disprove that Christopher had overslept that day. They couldn't say for sure that either man was guilty, but they couldn't rule them out as suspects either. And all of this just came from a single tip. They couldn't say for sure that either man was guilty, but they couldn't rule them out as suspects either. So the next step was actually to pull them into interrogations and see what they said. So on October 27th, the police questioned both men separately. For context, it had been three days since Nancy's murder and only one since Christopher and Richard had made that strange toast at work while not working. And they're both at this point still saying that they are innocent. They insisted they didn't know anything about the crime, but the police didn't believe either of them. They could just sense that they weren't really telling the truth, especially because Richard apparently kept slipping up. In this interrogation, he mentioned details about the murderer that hadn't been released to the public yet. And these were things that only the killer would know. He actually says the exact kind of gun that had been used to kill Nancy. So interrogators are like, okay, red flag. And on top of that, the murderer had left a blue apron in the restaurant's kitchen sink with the water on, and the apron had actually blocked the drain, so the sink had flooded. And the police didn't release any information about this, but then Richard brings it up. And when the officers are like, hey, how do you know what kind of gun? How did you know about the apron? Richard was like, I heard through it, through the grapevine. Apparently, some of Nancy's coworkers had seen the flooded sink and the gun before the police had closed the crime scene. And the gossip had then made it back through the Pizza Hut work chain to him. Now, police don't really believe this. In fact, their records said they'd closed the scene before any employees could even get there. So it seemed pretty impossible that these employees could have learned this information and then began to spread rumors about it. If anything, this only made the police more suspicious of Richard. So they refused to release him or Christopher, even though Christopher wasn't slipping up. And then 12 long hours go by. Christopher and Richard still said they were innocent and the detectives still didn't believe them. So that is when the police get a little firmer. They warned Christopher that if he was convicted of Nancy's murder, he could go to prison for life or he could be executed because Texas was a death penalty state. However, if he confessed and cooperated with the investigation, the courts could go easier on him. Now, I'm just going to butt in with personal opinion here. You know how I feel about 12-hour long investigations and then hitting them with the, if you don't confess, you're going to die. Yeah, it's a little bit persuasive. It's a little bit leading to false confessions. So at this point, I digress. Christopher weighs his options and decides he's not going to risk the death penalty. He didn't want to be killed. So he admitted to interrogators that he had done this.

Speaker 4:
[18:49] You know that thing where you get an amazing pair of shoes at a really great price and want to tell everyone about it? Yeah, so do we. Here at Designer Shoe Warehouse, we'll give you something to brag about, like the latest styles from brands you love, or the trends everyone's obsessing over, or shoes that make you feel like, well, you. So go ahead, show off a little. Find shoes that get you, or prices that get your budget. Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today. DSW, let us surprise you.

Speaker 3:
[19:18] Thanks to HomeServe for sponsoring this episode. Owning a home is amazing until it is not. One minute, you're sipping coffee. The next, you're ankle deep in water from a burst pipe. Repairs don't care about timing and they definitely don't care about your budget. And regular homeowner's insurance usually doesn't cover a lot of the day-to-day wear and tear, plumbing failures, HVAC breakdowns, electrical issues. You're often on your own for those and that is where HomeServe comes in. It's like a subscription for your home. For as little as $4.99 a month, they have got your back. Repairs hit fast and hard. You could be searching for a contractor in a panic or you could already be on the phone with HomeServe's 24 seven hotline scheduling of repair. And honestly, this is so, so brilliant. I think currently right now, I have a hole in my wall that I need fixed up and that is where HomeServe comes in. It's so nice to just have someone right there to do it with 4.5 million customers, a 4.8 out of five post repair rating and an A plus BBB rating. They're the real deal. Help protect your home systems and your wallet with HomeServe against covered repairs. Plans start at just $4.99 a month. Go to homeserve.com to find the plan that's right for you. That's homeserve.com. Not available everywhere. Most plans range between $4.99 to $11.99 a month. Your first year terms apply on covered repairs. He explains that on October 23rd, the night before the murder, he and Richard had been hanging out and then Richard had casually mentioned that he needed money and he brings up the idea that he could steal it from another Pizza Hut the following morning with their keys. And Christopher said at first he objected to the plan. He wasn't a thief. He didn't want to break the law, but eventually Richard convinced him to be an accomplice. So according to Christopher, the next morning, they met at 7 a.m. They drove to the Pizza Hut together, but parked across the street so their car wouldn't be spotted by employees or witnesses. They arrived at 730, which was right when Nancy was supposed to begin her shift. In fact, he says they saw her pull into the parking lot and walk in the door. Now, again, turn around. Bye. Turn around. But they don't, and this is a problem because Christopher actually knew Nancy they'd met before. So he's like, I don't feel good about robbing her. She's going to recognize me and she's going to tell the police. But Richard convinced him to go forward. He made it sound like it was just too late for them to back down. According to Christopher, Richard then showed him that he had a gun tucked into his waistband and he was ready to use it. So yeah, we're pretty premeditated here. Richard also had a key. So according to Christopher, he unlocked the door and they walked into the Pizza Hut. But the moment Nancy heard them come in, apparently she looked up and said quote, What's up, Chris? And as soon as they heard those words, they knew there was no going back. She had recognized Christopher. He claims that at this point, Richard drew his gun and pointed it at Nancy. He ordered her to open the cash register and took all of the money. But then instead of fleeing, he and Christopher briefly discussed what they were going to do, because they can't leave Nancy alive. She knows who they are. They decided they were going to murder her, but first they would take turns sexually assaulting her, which is exactly what they did. And once they were finished, Richard put his gun into Christopher's hand and said, okay, you've got to murder Nancy. Christopher claims he had never shot a person before, but he did what he was told, except the bullet didn't kill her right away. So instead it just seriously injured her. They dragged her into the bathroom so she would be out of sight. Christopher scrubbed the Pizza Hut from top to bottom to destroy any DNA or fingerprints they might have left behind. And then he tells investigators they left. And according to Christopher, this was the entire story. Finally, he was telling the police the truth, but the only problem was, Richard continued to insist he was innocent. He was like, I had nothing to do with Nancy's murder. I didn't rob the Pizza Hut. I don't have a gun. I would never hurt Nancy. None of the details from Christopher's confession were true according to Richard. And he doesn't understand why his friend is implicating him in this crime. He's like, hey, if Christopher did this, I wasn't there. I don't know why he's including me. So in spite of Richard's denials, officials felt Christopher's confession was enough evidence. They charged both men with Nancy's rape and murder. And Richard's trial began the following year in 1989. Now, it is worth mentioning Christopher didn't have a trial. After he gave his confession, he accepted a plea bargain where he was sentenced to life in prison. The death penalty was now off the table because he confessed. But terms of the deal said he had to testify against Richard at his trial. So he takes the stand and he described Nancy's sexual assault and murder in graphic detail. It was so disturbing. Nancy's mother realized she couldn't listen to another word. She ran out of the courtroom and threw up. And apparently after that day, she had recurring nightmares about the things he said while testifying. For 12 years, she was tormented by dreams about Nancy's final torturous hours. I'm not going to be repeating all of the gruesome details that was mentioned, but trust me when I say Christopher's testimony was shocking. He did not hold back and it resonated with the jurors. They believed him over Richard, who still was saying he was completely innocent and ultimately, he was also found guilty and sentenced to life. So Richard and Christopher both went off to prison and it seemed like the story might end there. I mean, it makes sense. They were Pizza Hut workers. They had keys. They knew there would be money there, except the case took a shocking turn in the mid-90s when a letter was delivered to the governor of Texas. Now, the governor at the time was George W. Bush. This was before he became president of the United States. And the letter he received was from a man named Akeem Marino. So Akeem was serving a life sentence for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. And in the note, Akeem tells the governor, he needed to make a confession. He was writing because he had always suffered from mental health problems and delusions. For years, he had been hearing voices. He often believed demons were possessing him. Akeem had a long history of committing violent crimes, but in the letter, he explained that he never felt like he was in control during these times. It was like something else was forcing him to hurt people. But Akeem also says in the letter, he had recently converted to Christianity, and in addition, was trying to get sober after a lifetime of drug and alcohol abuse. So now, he needed to come clean and make amends for the things he had done, even if it still felt like he wasn't totally in control when he did them. Akeem, in this letter, goes on to explain that on the morning of October 24th, 1988, he broke into a pizza hut in Austin. He wasn't an employee, he didn't have a key, but somehow he managed to get the door open without forcing or breaking it. Once he was inside, he pulled a gun and ordered a woman behind the counter to give him money. And then he sexually assaulted her and shot her in the head. Akeem claims he left her to die in the bathroom and the police had never connected him to the crime. However, Akeem says in the letter he had followed the news afterward and he knew that two other men, people he had never met and who had nothing to do with the murder, according to him, had been convicted of it and one of them had even given a false confession. That was how they even got this conviction, which was why he felt like he needed to come clean now. He says it wasn't right for these two men to serve time for a crime they hadn't committed and it also wasn't right that the victim never received justice. Now, given the details he gave, it was clear that Akeem was definitely talking about Nancy DePriest's murder. He wanted Christopher and Richard to be released so he could take responsibility. Except Governor Bush gets this letter and he doesn't do anything with it. In fact, he never even read the letter. His aides and assistants opened it, refused to pass it along to him. They claimed it was because as governor, it just wasn't his job to investigate crimes or try to relieve someone's guilty conscience. That was the responsibility of the district attorney or the governor's general counsel. Those are officials who handle the courts and criminal cases. Bush's staff allegedly gave the letter to them and then basically forgot about it. They passed it on to who's supposed to deal with it and moved on. Except according to the general counsel and the district attorney's office, they never received this letter. Nobody from Bush's office ever contacted them about the Nancy DePriest case. And I'm not really sure who to believe. I'm not even sure who to tell you who I'm leaning to. Maybe someone just dropped the ball. Maybe the letter got lost in the mail. Maybe it was passed to one person who forgot about it. It's even possible someone read it and was thrown off by Akim's rambling tangents. You know, he does talk about demon possessions, mental health, hearing voices. Maybe they figured he just wasn't reliable and they threw the letter out without another thought. You know, they, oh, this is just another crazy person writing to the governor. I do know, though, that Akim continued writing to other officials afterward. He contacted newspapers, lawyers, civil rights organizations, everyone he could think of. And in 1996, he ended up sending a note to the Austin Police Department. And that is who took action. A few officers visited Christopher in prison. Now, at this point, he had been behind bars for seven years. And the police were like, hey, so we received a letter from this guy named Akim confessing to the murderer. Is this story true? Are you and Richard innocent? Except Christopher was like, no, I killed Nancy. Like, no, I know for sure we did this. He didn't know why this random guy Akim was taking credit for the crime, but he was standing by his original confession. He wasn't changing his story. So the officials aren't sure how to move forward. And since Christopher didn't seem interested in overturning his conviction using Akim, the authorities decided not to do anything. They figured the courts probably got it right back in 1989. Akim might just be going through something, had seen the murder and decided to take credit for it. So there was no need to reopen the case. But in the meanwhile, Akim kept writing letters. And on February 28th, 1998, he sent another message to both Governor Bush and the police. And this one couldn't be ignored. In fact, he said that after he had robbed the Pizza Hut, he had also taken Nancy's keys out of her purse. Then he had fled to his mother's house and hidden the keys and the cash somewhere. Akim actually described the hiding place in the letter, but that information hasn't been made public. So I don't know exactly where he said he hid this evidence. However, he was confident that his mother had not found his stash. And he says, to this day, the money and keys, her keys were probably still at his mother's house. And he told the recipients, don't believe me, you can search my mother's house and find proof that I'm the one who killed and robbed Nancy. Now, sure enough, some police officers decide to go to Akim's mother's home and they find the hiding spot he described in the letter. And there they were, two sacks of cash and Nancy's missing keys. This was compelling enough for them to reopen the investigation despite what Christopher was saying from prison. Some officials collected DNA samples from Akim. By this point, genetic technology was a lot more advanced than it had been in the 80s. So investigators were able to test the semen sample and pubic hair, both are perfect matches for Akim. So the state charged him with Nancy's murder and sexual assault. And shortly after that, in 1999, Christopher also came forward. After 10 years of claiming to be the real killer, even when approached in prison, he now says, okay, I gave a false confession all those years ago. He got in contact with a lawyer to try and overturn his conviction. And just for safety, he gave a DNA sample and had it compared to the semen and pubic hair. Richard did the same thing, obviously. Both men's results prove there was none of their DNA at the crime scene. They had not done it. They really had been innocent the entire time. Christopher had lied when he took credit for the murder, had lied about the grisly details on the stand. And Richard was innocent this entire time. All right, you guys, I'm getting into an ad. And if you've listened to any of my shows, you know that I love Quince. It is my favorite place to shop for clothing and honestly, a lot of products. Quince makes beautiful everyday pieces using premium materials like 100% European linen, organic cotton, and super soft denim with styles starting around $50. I also love that they work with ethical factories, cut out the middleman. So you're paying for quality, not brand markup. I can promise you right now that anything you are getting from Quince is going to be quality and it is going to last you. It's one of my favorite parts about Quince. All of their products become staples in your life. I love their silk skirts. They have become my go-to. The fabric feels substantial but still easy to wear. They don't cost what I thought silk skirts would cost. So refresh your spring wardrobe with Quince. Go to quince.com/dark for free shipping and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's quince, quince.com/dark for free shipping and 365 day returns, quince.com/dark. All right, everyone, I'm jumping into an ad and let's talk about shopping for clothes. I don't know about you, but I have definitely gone through a fashion crisis in my time here and there. And if you feel like that is you, where you just don't know what you want your style to be, what fits best for you, you just feel like shopping can be a struggle, well, that is where Stitch Fix comes in and I can get you some money off. So if you don't know what Stitch Fix is, you can get on, you take a quiz, you let them know everything about you, your sizes, your preferred style, and then they assign you a real stylist, personalized to you who then every single month makes some picks for you, puts them in a box, ships them to you, and you get to try them on in the comfort of your home, see them in person and then decide what you want to purchase and what you want to send back. It makes shopping so easy and like for me, I really love black clothing. I feel like I'm kind of specific and my stylist gets it every single time. This, this is from Stitch Fix actually, my cardigan I'm wearing, how funny. And in my last box, I actually tried on a Z Supply Europa Midi Slip Skirt that literally fits so well, works with multiple things in my closet. We'll get started today at stitchfix.com/into The Dark to get $20 off your first order. Again, slash Into The Dark to get money off. That's stitchfix.com/into The Dark. Now Christopher explained why he did it and he says it all came down to fear. He said when the investigators had told him he could be convicted and sentenced to death, Christopher had believed him, especially because the officers were pretty forceful and intimidating. He said at one point they tapped him on the arm and they said this was the spot where the executioner was going to give him the lethal injection during an execution if he didn't confess. Another time an officer threw a chair and then told Christopher he'd beat him if he didn't confess. According to Christopher, on top of that, the police made several comments implying Christopher would be sexually assaulted by other inmates in prison. But if he cooperated, the officials would find a way to keep him safe in there. So, Christopher says, being young, 20 years old, he was genuinely afraid that if he fought the charges and maintained his innocence, he would be raped and killed. In comparison, it almost seems safer and easier to just make a false confession and cooperate. That's also why he'd insisted he was the real killer again when the police questioned him after receiving Akim's earlier letter. Because even after all this time, he was still too afraid to say, no, I actually didn't do this. He thought that if he told the truth, the government would somehow find a way to give him the death penalty now, or withhold parole, or now let the other inmates hurt him. But obviously now things are different because of DNA. The police were focused on Akim, which meant Christopher didn't feel intimidated anymore. If anything, this was his chance to set the record straight, clear his name, and just get out of prison. So he worked with attorneys to try and get his conviction overturned, but he ran into an unexpected roadblock. See, when Christopher had confessed, he'd given a lot of details that weren't public information. I already touched on the blue apron that made the sink flood, and the model of the gun the killer used. Christopher, again, claimed he had apparently heard gossip about these details, but he also knew what time Nancy was killed, and just certain graphic details about the sexual assaults. So the arresting officers at this point still maintain there was no way he could have known those things unless he did them, except Christopher argued he had been coached during his confession. He says, no, the investigators told me what to say, told me what they wanted to hear, and then I just repeated those facts back to them, and then they told everyone I said them on my own. Now, unfortunately, there was no recording of the interrogation or any way to say if he really had been fed this information, but on the strength of the DNA evidence alone, he won his case. Christopher was formally found not guilty and released from prison immediately. Now, before you're like, what the heck, like these officers, this is common. State officials, officers, district attorneys, judges, they don't like to admit when they've done something wrong, and oftentimes when DNA brings another person forward, instead of simply saying, I'm so sorry, we did the wrong thing, they say, well, maybe you were an accomplice, maybe you did this, and so did he, and you just didn't leave any DNA. This is common. But you might be wondering, okay, well, where's Richard? Where's Richard in this? Authorities now know he's also innocent. However, they couldn't release him, and that's because of something that happened to him late on the night of February 27th, 1991. This was back. Richard had been in prison for two years, and he had been trying to keep his head down, not make any enemies. But unfortunately, in spite of his efforts, another inmate jumped him and beat him until he was unconscious at around 10 p.m. that night. It wasn't because he was mad at Richard. In fact, he had been trying to attack someone else, and he mistook Richard for the other man in prison. Now mistake or not, the beating that Richard took in prison for a crime he didn't commit, not for a crime, but he was there for a crime he didn't commit. The beating caused serious brain damage, especially because the attacker had kicked Richard in the head. He had to get emergency surgery and his doctors actually removed part of his brain to save his life. So Richard survived, but he couldn't take care of himself anymore. He needed constant medical care for the rest of his life. That's why the court system couldn't just release him right away because they needed to make sure Richard would be able to survive after his release. Like who's going to take care of him if the prison isn't? So they arranged for him to be transferred directly from the prison to a mental health facility. Technically, Richard was now a free man. I mean, Christopher said he lied. He had lied at trial being the star witness that put Richard in jail. But Richard never actually was free. He would never be able to live independently or be the person he used to be because essentially a series of things that were out of his control. An inmate mistook him for someone else. He was only able to do that because Richard had been convicted of a crime he had never committed. Obviously, this is just like devastating. And I'm sure your anger is being pointed towards so many people right now. And honestly, I get it. So naturally, both Richard and Christopher sued the city of Austin and the county. Christopher won $5.3 million while Richard took home a much larger award, $10 million. Now once the dust from the lawsuits settled, Christopher also became a spokesperson for civil rights. Traveled across the country talking about the dangers associated with false confessions. And he fought for changes to the ways crimes were investigated. You may know that these days police keep their body cams on during interrogation. That way there's a video record of what's being said because this happened way too much. You can watch the footage now to see if the confession was coerced. And those policies exist in part because of Christopher's advocacy in his fight to make sure nobody had to go through what he and Richard had. Now as for Akim, the real killer, he was found guilty of Nancy's assault and murder in 2002. He was sentenced to life in addition to the other life sentence he was already serving at the time. Now before I understand you're angry and I do think that you know Christopher bringing someone down with him was incredibly selfish. But I also do think he's a victim in the fact that he was coerced into saying something he didn't do and he was incredibly scared. Two things can be true. So as I wrap up, I have to acknowledge that Nancy DePriest case is full of twists and turns. And until all of the information came to light, nobody could have guessed the truth about who had really killed her. Even people who thought they knew the situation like police officers and prosecutors ended up being wrong. Because it's just like I said at the beginning of the episode, you never know what a person is capable of. You never know who seems nice and trustworthy when they're just hiding a cruel side. And you also can't know who might be bullied into making a false confession, especially when you add intimidation and threats into the mix. And that's why it's important for investigators to follow the evidence and use hard science. Because people can lie, they can misremember, they can cave to pressure, and they're capable of making terrible mistakes with life changing consequences. It's actually incredibly unfortunate that Christopher and Richard spent the time they did in prison for something they didn't do. And it's even more unfortunate that Richard basically lost his life to prison in a way, you know? And I think it's so easy at this point looking, you know, from the outside looking in to be like, you know, the house confessions are so weird, like, I just they're so stupid, who would ever do that? This happened so much. Police did this so much and people confess to things they didn't do. And I think we're just not taking into account the power dynamic here. I mean, the age, he's young, and this is the law. You're supposed to trust the law. You're supposed to be able to trust what they're saying. You're supposed to see them with this certain level of power. And he did. And he thought, you know what? I would rather just confess than die or do whatever they're telling me. And again, this happened often. The most unfortunate part is that he brought Richard with him. And then on top of that, we still have a victim in this case. We have a woman who was brutally assaulted and murdered. And a lot of that gets overshadowed by the fact that there were more victims in this case. So I just want to take a second to think about everyone impacted in this case. And thankfully, Akeem came forward, but also like you murdered someone. He obviously had his own stuff going on. That being said, this was like a complicated twisted case with a lot of emotions tied to it. Let me know what you think in the comments, and I will see you next time as we go further Into The Dark together. Goodbye.

Speaker 2:
[46:02] Hi, I'm Tamsen Fadal, journalist and author of How to Menopause and host of The Tamsen Show, a weekly podcast with your roadmap to midlife and beyond. We cover it all, from dating to divorce, aging to ADHD, sleep to sex, brain health to body fat, and even how perimenopause can affect your relationships. And trust me, it can. Each week, I sit down with doctors, experts, and leaders in longevity for unfiltered conversations packed with advice on everything, from hormones to happiness. And of course, how to stay sane during what can be, well, let's face it, a pretty chaotic chapter of life. Think of us as your midlife survival guide. New episodes released every Wednesday. Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.