05x06 - Call Me back, Chris

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

Narrator: a missing persons case...

It was scary because every minute counts

When you're looking for somebody that's missing.

Well, let's get down there.

...turns into a gruesome discovery.

It kind of felt like I was stepping into

A horror movie scene.

Is there anybody there?

Narrator: with no clues, police hunt for the k*ller...

I want you to sweep a 10-mile radius.

Man: I copy, eagle, that little wooded area there?

I think I have a light down there.

...until surveillance cameras reveal the truth.

Could we see that again?

It's almost like there's

A little yellow brick road for us to follow.

It felt like evil had been there.

--Captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by discovery communications

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: it's christmas day, 2007.

Christopher duncan and his partner, jason amos,

Are celebrating the holidays with family.

We pretty much got together every holiday because holidays

Were as big of a thing for him as they were for me.

Mom! You shouldn't have.

Narrator: leah doesn't get to see chris often,

Though they share a very special bond.

We're very close, and when he moved away,

We still talked every sunday and every wednesday.

At 3:00, we were on the phone,

And we would talk about anything and everything.

-Oh! -[ Chuckles ]

That is beautiful. I love it.

Aw, well, jason picked it out.

Jason!

He treated me like a queen.

He was like, "no, no, no. You don't need to work, mom.

It's okay. I got it," you know?

Christopher eventually told me

That jason was more than his friend.

-Thank you. -Merry christmas.

It's not the lifestyle I would chose,

But I'm his mom, and I love him.

Amos: leah is so supportive as a mom.

In fact, when I met her,

She told me not to call her leah,

Not to call her "ms. Mercer," call her "mom."

Narrator: chris and jason have been together 18 months,

And although g*y marriage is still ill*gal in texas,

They made their relationship official

With a commitment ceremony back in september.

Amos: and I absolutely believe it was love at first sight.

I saw this man that I felt like he had a heart of gold.

Duncan: gary, always a pleasure. Great to see you. Bring it in.

Narrator: at the end of their christmas dinner,

It's time for leah and her partner, gary,

To head back home.

And I gave him a big hug,

And we always told each other, "I love you."

Bye! Take care.

You do the dishes. -Hmm.

♪♪

Narrator: the following day,

Chris and jason are in town running errands.

-So once it... -When was the last time we...

Was it a year ago?

That -- okay. Here.

Mercer: I had taught christopher growing up that

If you saw someone homeless, and they needed something,

I would give them something to eat and something to drink.

Hello. You okay?

-Hungry? -Do you...here.

Do you want something to eat? -Here.

Narrator: and it's a tradition jason supports.

Mercer: I was very proud of christopher,

But especially for his compassion.

All right. Take care.

Merry christmas, buddy. Yeah.

They just carried on the tradition

From when he was little.

Narrator: one month later,

And both christopher and jason are having a tough time.

While I was in the army, I ended up getting injured.

I had to have surgery on my lower back and my right knee.

Narrator: christopher is also struggling

With a recent foot injury, so it's a couch day.

In fact, we spent a good part of that day binge-watching

What we had recorded.

"Smallville" was what we were watching.

You want another one?

I had taken my medications, 18 different medications,

Which make me very sleepy.

We're out of beer.

That's okay. I'm falling asleep anyway.

Narrator: but christopher wants another beer

And decides to walk to the h-e-b store.

He was wearing house slippers

Because he couldn't fit his shoe on with any comfort.

-[ Kisses ] I'll be back. -Yeah.

He kissed me, he said, "I'll be right back," and he left.

♪♪

Narrator: 30 minutes later...

[ Cellphone rings ]

[ Groans ]

Chris?

It was a little after midnight when...

When christopher called me.

Told me he had met these homeless people

That he was going to share his beer with.

Narrator: despite the couple's work with the homeless,

This is an unusual decision.

It wasn't something that chris would do at night,

Stopping to share beer.

It was normally something that we would do in the daytime.

He said, "I love you and I'll see you later."

Yeah. I love you, too.

I don't know if it has something to do

With my combat-related p.t.s.d.,

Or it was just an eerie feeling that I had

Because I felt like something was amiss.

I fell asleep because of my medications.

My thoughts were he would be home,

And I'd wake up the next day, ready to make breakfast for him.

♪♪

So when I woke up in the morning

Asleep on the couch instead of in bed,

I immediately got up and went to check the room.

Christopher?

Christopher?

Narrator: there's no sign that chris ever came home.

I was first angry at myself for having fallen asleep

And not gotten up to go look for him,

And I immediately started to panic.

[ Line rings ]

Hey, chris. It's me.

Where the hell are you? I'm worried.

Call me back.

Narrator: jason drives the half-mile journey

To the h-e-b store.

♪♪

There's no sign of chris anywhere.

And finally called the police and attempted

To file a missing persons report.

[ Line rings ] his name was christopher duncan.

Narrator: but there's a problem.

Yes, yes, I understand.

And they said because he hadn't been missing for 24 hours,

They couldn't file a report.

Narrator: jason makes the hardest call of his life.

Leah? It's jason.

I-i can't find chris.

And I said, "okay. I have to go back to work.

The moment I get off, I'm headed your way."

♪♪

Narrator: 8:00 p.m. That evening...

[ Knock on door ]

Christopher?

It's just me, honey. There's still no word?

No.

Narrator: leah arrives to a bad situation turned worse --

No christopher,

And now jason has received a text message from the bank.

Here. Look at this.

Amos: we had a joint account.

There was inconsistent spending on our card.

Narrator: a purchase of $156

Was made at the local target store

Just 10 minutes ago.

It worried me because we had a joint account.

Most of the money was spent on my card.

Christopher didn't spend as much money on his card.

Well, let's get down there.

Yeah. Yeah. Let's go.

Amos: there was just something in my mind.

He would contact us. He wouldn't just go shopping.

I was scanning the parking lot,

Hoping that I would see any evidence of him.

♪♪

Excuse me. Excuse me.

Hi. Can you help me?

I'm looking for this man.

He was here maybe 20 minutes ago.

Have you seen him?

Are you sure? Please, look again.

I know he was here.

Narrator: the manager doesn't recognize chris...

♪♪

...but there may be another way to find him.

You have surveillance video.

Could we take a look at that tape?

They said, "you're not the police,

So we can't show you the videos."

Amos: it was scary because every minute counts

When you're looking for somebody that's missing.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: jason and leah have tracked

Christopher duncan's last movements to a target store.

Without the police, they're unable to view

The surveillance footage.

Don't erase the tape, okay?

Narrator: as they head back to the car,

They spot a patrol officer on duty.

-Sir, are you all right? -Hi. Uh, no.

My friend has been missing for a few hours now.

Have you seen anything around here?

Narrator: with christopher missing nearly 24 hours,

The officer volunteers to file the report himself.

What is your friend's name, sir?

I immediately had hope.

He made me feel like somebody was going to help us.

But inside, it felt like my whole world just fell apart.

Reality had struck. He was really missing.

♪♪

Narrator: an anxious night passes.

At 9:00 a.m., Jason, leah, and christopher's brother david

Meet detective chris tillery

Of the san antonio police department.

I had been tasked with going out and meeting the family at target

So that they could review the surveillance cameras.

We were very hopeful if chris had used the card

That we would see him.

Narrator: at that time of evening,

There is one cash register open.

They cue up the footage to 7:52 p.m.,

The time chris' card was used.

Tillery: family primarily wanted to see

If it was chris that was using his card.

Narrator: there are two men at the register.

Tillery: one was wearing a white striped sweater

And a backwards ball cap,

And the other one was wearing a black sweater.

Is that chris? -No.

Do you remember what he was wearing?

A black cap, white t-shirt.

Narrator: the footage rolls on.

And I was hoping that the next person in line would be chris.

More customers approach the checkout,

This time a man and a woman.

Tillery: the woman appeared to have long dark hair

And was short in stature.

Behind her was a taller male.

Do you recognize them?

No.

When the time stamp on the monitor

Reached the transaction time stamp,

And it was two people that I didn't recognize,

My heart dropped.

Several items being purchased were mostly clothing.

There was shoes, hoodies, and a camouflage jacket.

♪♪

Wait. Could you play that back?

The woman in the video can be seen studying

The point-of-sale machine

And has a credit card in her hands.

Narrator: she flips the card over

Like she's never seen it before.

The purchase was for $156, and the card in her hand,

It's observed as gold in color,

Which is consistent with chris' card.

Do you think they stole chris' card?

Narrator: the woman signs for the purchase.

Then the mystery couple picks up their bags and leaves.

Tillery: with cash register surveillance cameras,

They're at top-down view.

You don't always get a clear picture of the person

Making the transactions.

Hoping for a clearer view of the couple,

The security guard pulls up another camera angle.

The exit camera appears to be located over the door.

It catches people coming, going from the store.

There they are again.

In the video at 7:54 p.m., We can see the couple

That made the transaction on chris' card leaving the store.

We can see a shorter woman, about 5 foot tall,

With brown hair, medium-colored skin with a dark sweater.

The man is about 6-foot tall, medium build, fair complected,

But with a baseball cap, it's hard to tell much else.

Narrator: the couple who just spent

$156 Of chris and jason's money

Leave the store looking like a pair of regular customers.

Amos: when I see her smiling in that video surveillance,

It -- it...

It just made my stomach turn.

It made me sick to know that she was just happy

About spending our money.

Tillery: I had the surveillance team,

They printed out a picture.

We gave that to the family, so they could pass it around.

I just thought, "if we could find them,

Maybe we could find chris."

Narrator: the couple are now prime suspects

In the missing persons case.

As detective tillery heads back to the department

To file a report,

Jason receives another text alert from the bank.

[ Cellphone chiming ]

The card was used at a nearby chili's restaurant

At 9:30 p.m. The previous night.

Was this man here last night?

No.

He said, "no," christopher wasn't one of them.

How about these two?

Yes. They were definitely here last night.

Narrator: the manager finds the receipt that corresponds

With the couple's bill.

-They bought three steaks? -And ordered one steak to go.

Narrator: the third meal offers a glimmer of hope.

Amos: finding out there was a steak dinner to go,

It was the only hope that I had that he was alive

And that they were going to take it to feed him,

To nourish him.

Even if he was injured, I was hoping he was alive.

Narrator: detective tillery continues

To canvass the local area

Whilst christopher's family cover the neighborhood

With "missing" posters.

With my whole heart, I had hoped he would be alive somehow,

That he was...

My hope was that we would just find him.

Maybe someone saw something, and then they would call us,

But no one called.

Friday, february 8th --

Four days since christopher went missing.

Amos: we stopped at a gas station, a shell station.

Hi. I'm wondering if you could help me out.

I'm looking for these two folks, right here.

Have you see them?

Yeah. Yeah.

-Are you sure? -Yeah.

I'm pretty sure they just hang in the woods over there.

Narrator: the shop assistant points

In the direction of the walmart store.

Amos: and this lady said she recognized

The female in the photo.

This was finally something that we could work with.

Narrator: the walmart is opposite the target

Where the couple bought clothes with chris' credit card,

And behind it is a patch of forest

Where transient people are known to gather.

-You think this is the place? -Amos: let's take a look.

It was after 10:00 p.m. When we went into the woods.

Narrator: jason and david can't help but wonder.

Has christopher's concern for the homeless

Landed him in trouble?

I'll go look over here.

♪♪

♪♪

Is somebody there?

Hello?

♪♪

Is there anybody there?

Aah! -Oh! David?

Oh, my god! You don't want to see him!

No! Let me see him!

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: four days after

Christopher duncan went missing...

You don't want to see him! Don't look!

No! Let me see him!

...his brother david has made the horrifying discovery

Of christopher's lifeless body.

I got there, and I saw...

-You don't want to see him! -Let me see him!

...a bloody shoulder.

David grabbed me and wouldn't let me get any closer.

Let me see him!

You don't want to see him like that!

I was torn.

I didn't want to believe it was him,

But I was sure it was.

[ Sniffles ] my world fell apart right then.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: detective timm angell is called to the scene.

Angell: I'm trying to look at the evidence

And identify the person that committed this crime,

But I'm not a hunter.

We use the u.s. Marshals for that.

Narrator: marshal tom smith has been called in

To help track down the k*ller.

-Detective timm angell. -Tom smith, u.s. Marshal.

No, I want you to sweep a 10-mile radius. Make sure.

[ Police radio chatter ]

Narrator: he starts by checking the immediate area

From a helicopter.

Smith: eyes in the sky are very important

'Cause their field of vision is much more,

And you have the equipment on the helicopter

That picks up images.

You can see a body moving through the trees.

You can -- you got a big spotlight.

You can see people.

You can blind them and hold them in place

Until ground troops arrive.

There were no heat signatures other than the officers,

Leads you to believe that everybody fled that area.

♪♪

Narrator: on the ground, a police videographer

Records the crime scene as investigators look for clues.

Angell: there was a red tent.

There were sleeping bags inside this tent.

It looked to be abandoned property.

There's beer cans all over the place.

There's cigarette butts.

It looks like people had been hanging out,

That people had been drinking.

Angell: and these were photographed and collected,

Swabbed on the hopes that later on,

They could give us some dna results to prove

Who may have been there at that scene.

There was also a slipper.

We were aware that christopher

Had left his home that evening wearing slippers.

Narrator: detective angell and marshal smith

Take a close look at the victim's body.

Angell: the injuries that were done to christopher

Were shocking.

It looked like he been attacked

With some type of blade.

Angell: there were hack marks on the tree.

It looked like some sort of a chopping device,

Maybe a hatchet, had been cut into the tree.

It kind of felt like

I was stepping into a horror movie scene.

It's hard to describe the feeling

Of being in that area.

Felt like evil had been there.

Narrator: when leah arrives on the scene, it is too late.

Mercer: I thought, "oh, my god."

There, the police had the yellow tape around the woods,

And they wouldn't let me in.

And I saw david

And I asked him...

[ Crying ] are you sure? Are you sure it's your brother?

...and he just collapsed on me, and I knew.

I knew it was his brother. I knew chris was gone.

Amos: she just started saying, "no, no, no. It can't be,"

And i... -[ Continues crying ]

And I could hardly get the words out.

I-i was so emotional. I could hardly speak.

I told him, I said, "our mission was to find chris."

That was our job.

Now, we're going to step back and let the police

Do what they need to do.

♪♪

Narrator: as dawn breaks over the city of san antonio,

Detectives are reviewing christopher's bank statements.

Angell: it was found that there was another transaction

On february 5th,

The day after christopher went missing, at a walmart.

Narrator: the store is just across the street

From where christopher's body was found.

Marshal smith heads there to see

If the transaction was captured on camera.

♪♪

♪♪

Show me the footage from the night of february 5th.

Narrator: the cash register footage is corrupt,

But as investigators search other angles,

They suddenly spot someone familiar.

Smith: around 10:00 p.m.,

Surveillance video captured two people,

A white male and white female,

And that woman was wearing a camouflage jacket.

The camouflage jacket is significant

Because this jacket matches the description of the jacket

That was purchased earlier that day

With christopher's credit card at the target.

♪♪

Narrator: they track their journey around the store.

What's that? Go back.

At the crime scene, there was a red tent found,

And curiously enough, the suspects ended up

Purchasing a red tent with christopher's card.

This tent appeared to be almost identical to the tent

That had been abandoned at the crime scene,

And the suspects here, in this case,

Were actually replacing the tent

That they were forced to abandon.

I was very, very excited that now we had someone,

An image of somebody to look for,

So it was huge, huge.

♪♪

Narrator: in the morning, the autopsy results are in.

He was k*lled shortly after he went missing,

Just based on the decomposition that was visible in the body.

Henricksen: christopher's body was covered with wounds.

They were long straight wounds

That ultimately were determined to be consistent with a machete.

Narrator: at the crime scene,

A new lead mirrors the autopsy results.

Let's go have a look.

♪♪

What do you got?

Our vis technicians found plastic packaging

From what appeared to be a machete.

You find a blade?

Smith: finding the packaging for the machete was huge.

One, it quite possibly could've been used

As a the m*rder weapon,

And the second part was the process of tracking back

Where it was purchased and who purchased it.

There's actually a walkway that leads from the entrance

To the crime scene to the walmart parking lot.

Narrator: the same store where the mystery couple

Was caught on camera buying a tent.

Angell: it's almost like there's a little yellow brick road

For us to follow,

So we went into the walmart, tracked down a security manager.

Can you tell me if this was purchased here?

He said, "yeah." He would check. It would take a few minutes,

So while we were waiting, the detective and I

Walked to the back to the camping department

And saw the machete

And verified the u.p.c. Code.

Check it out.

-That's the one. -Yeah.

Narrator: when the manager returns,

He confirms their suspicions.

There was only one purchase in the entire month.

Narrator: the buyer paid with cash

On february 4th at 2:37 p.m.,

The afternoon before chris was m*rder*d.

Detectives request to view the surveillance cameras.

We were very determined and excited

To learn who bought this machete

Because at the very least, they had been at the scene,

And at the most, they were actually the K*llers.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: detectives have recovered machete packaging

At the crime scene,

Which has led them to surveillance

At a nearby walmart.

Could we see the cash register where the machete was purchased?



A man and a woman are at the register.

Unfortunately, the camera angle was from behind,

And we're not able to see the couple's faces.

They appeared to be purchasing the machete and some beer.

Narrator: detectives spot something else.

Could we see that again?

Angell: when we went back and studied the video,

You can clearly see her asking for identification

And then entering numbers into the keypad.

You still have the receipt?

Narrator: state law requires proof of age

When purchasing alcohol.

December 19, 1974 -- date of birth, that's something.

They still need confirmation that the people

Buying the machete and beers are the same ones caught

Using christopher's bank card.

Can we see the exit camera?

We were able to find another view of the couple

Leaving the business.

Narrator: the couple are carrying a red tent

Exactly like the one found besides christopher's body.

Could we see that again?

It's high-definition, and you could clearly see

Their facial features

And get an idea of what they actually look like.

♪♪

Narrator: it's undoubtedly the same couple seen using

Chris' card the day after his m*rder.

♪♪

♪♪

The security guard switches cameras and follows the couple.

Angell: and you could see the same couple exit

The front of the walmart,

And they followed the same walkway

That I had followed coming here.

♪♪

Looks like they're headed to the crime scene.

And they are walking down a trail and into the woods

That if you follow that trail, will take you directly

To where christopher duncan's body was found.

Angell: we know who we're looking for,

But we don't have names to put with their faces.

Let's get these faces out there.

Somebody ought to recognize them.

♪♪

Narrator: but with no other leads,

The trail of christopher's murderers soon goes cold.

♪♪

On february 15th,

Seven days after christopher's body was found,

His family prepare for his funeral.

When you lose your parents, you lose your past.

When you lose your spouse, you lose your present,

But when you lose a child...

...you lose part of your future,

And that's what they took, part of my future.

Amos: it was very hard at that time 'cause we didn't think

That there would be

Any hope of closure for this case.

♪♪

Narrator: saturday, february 23rd,

And detectives get a tip that reignites the case.

Angell: we received a call from corpus christi.

They had an individual detained

Who they believed had details of our m*rder case.

He could relay that it involved a machete and a homeless couple.

Narrator: the man knows information on the case

That hasn't been released to the public.

And he was obviously somebody

We needed to get down there and talk to.

Narrator: detective angell makes the 2-hour drive

In the hope of solving christopher's m*rder.

♪♪

But when he arrives,

The prisoner looks nothing like the man caught on camera.

When I sat down with robert,

He told me that he was going to jail anyways,

So he might as well tell me everything.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: the search for christopher duncan's k*ller

Has led detective timm angell to corpus christi, texas...

...where a man named robert white

Claims to have information about the m*rder.

Robert claims he doesn't know

The last name of these individuals

But reports their first names are kristi and thomas.

Kristi had several tattoos,

One of which was a unicorn tattoo above her chest.

Robert said that as they were drinking, an argument ensued.

Narrator: robert white accuses christopher

Of throwing the first punch,

Though admits he might have said something to prompt this.

Both the male and the female participated in this as*ault,

According to robert white.

Narrator: then robert delivers the information

That he could only know if he was there.

Angell: he described facts about the tent,

The campsite,

The weapon, the couple.

It was obvious robert was using little bits of truth,

But had mixed them in

With several deceptive, inconsistent statements.

He kept saying more and more and ultimately ended up

Being a party to the offensive m*rder.

Narrator: with the net closing in on robert,

He gives police a key lead.

Robert's best information

Was that they were heading south.

They had mentioned going to south padre island,

Which is on the border of, basically, mexico and texas,

Right on the gulf of mexico.

Narrator: deputies in nearby brownsville canvass the area,

Searching homeless camps.

Unicorn tattoo? Sounds like a match.

Narrator: and they get a hit.

Someone matching kristi's description

Is living in an r.v. Park on the island.

All right, thanks.

Narrator: marshal smith drives the 300 miles

To confirm the sighting.

Smith: she looked like the image in the photo.

She had tattoos that were visible,

And she's walking towards a red tent,

The red tent that we've heard about over and over and over.

As she approaches the tent,

Guess who walks out?

The male that was in the image.

Got a positive i.d. On the male and female suspect.

So we knew then, we had 'em.

[ Siren wailing ]

Narrator: the u.s. Marshals move in for the arrest.

Kristi! Come on out of there!

♪♪

Narrator: back at san antonio police department,

Kristi is the first to be interviewed.

She told investigators that she had been in san antonio

For 2 days with her boyfriend, thomas.

Angell: reported that she met a man named pee-wee,

Which was another name that robert white went by,

His street name.

Henricksen: she seemed shocked.

She did not expect them to know what they knew,

And for a second, it just seemed like she knew she was caught.

It was at that point that she terminated the interview

And requested an attorney to assist her.

Narrator: in an adjacent room, thomas protests his innocence.

Within about 30 seconds of agreeing

To take a lie detector test,

Thomas thought better of it and asked for an attorney.

The interviews are brought to a frustrating close.

Right now, it's robert white's testimony

Against thomas and kristi's,

But dna evidence could break the tie.

Police investigators came in

And took dna swabs from both thomas and kristi

That they could compare to evidence

Collected at the crime scene.

When the dna results came back, it showed that thomas's dna

Was on a beer can found at the crime scene,

And kristi's dna was found on both a cigarette butt

And a beer can found at the crime scene.

Just what police need to charge all three with m*rder.

The truth of the matter is, there are four people

That know what happened at that campsite that night.

Christopher is no longer with us.

That leaves kristi,

Thomas,

And robert white,

And ultimately, two of them chose not to talk,

And one gave us a version of the truth.

Narrator: it is robert white's account

That is used by the prosecution in court.

Hey, man.

Could I maybe get one of those if you have the time?

Yeah, yeah. Sure.

Christopher was one of those rare individuals,

Almost like an angel, who takes pity on people that have less,

And he didn't have a lot.

-Really? -Yeah, man. Why not?

-Thanks, dude. -It's, you know, whatever.

But what we had, he was willing to share,

And he had a soft spot for homeless people.

Well, hey, if you're not in any rush, I have some friends here.

Our campsite is literally right over that hill

If you want to have a beer with us.

-Yeah. Why not? Let's go. -Cool, man. Yeah.

-Mm-hmm. -It's just right over here.

Man, I just have to make a call. I'll catch up with you.

-Sure. -Hey, jason.

Hey, yeah. I just met up with some people.

We're gonna have a few beers.

♪♪

After some point,

Robert was not very clear on why it happened,

But that there were some sort of angry words

Exchanged between him and christopher.

Thomas then got angry.

Thomas then took over and started

Kicking and hitting christopher.

[ Grunting ]

Kristi, pass me the machete!

The machete!

Here!

[ Grunting ]

Get him! Get him, tom!

♪♪

Henricksen: when thomas stepped back,

Kristi took the machete and hit christopher with it one time

And said something to the effect of,

"Why don't you just die?"

Narrator: after wrapping the body in tarp,

The three culprits fled, tossing the machete on the way.

♪♪

In 2011, all three defendants are convicted of m*rder.

Robert white agrees to testify against kristi and thomas

In exchange for a reduced sentence.

I definitely think they were going to rob him.

They thought they saw somebody who had a little money.

I think that's why robert white lured him back to that campsite.

Ultimately, that was their motive,

Was to use his credit card.

Narrator: thomas ahrens is sentenced to 45 years,

Kristi tebo to 50 years, and robert white to 25 years.

This is the only case in my 20 years of working homicides

Where I have obtained an arrest warrant

Based on a video,

But that's how important the video was.

It led to the arrest of these two individuals.

Without it, we maybe still be wondering,

"Who did what?"

Smith: he was a trusting individual.

He just put his trust in the wrong people.

Narrator: 10 years after christopher duncan was k*lled,

His family still struggle to comprehend

Their loved one is gone.

When they took christopher away from me,

They took away my hope for a future.

They took away my dreams.

They took away my love and what I felt like was my entire heart.

Mercer: I talk to him all the time.

[ Crying ] I just tell him I love him.

I tell him I miss him.