02x05 - Devil in Disguise

[bunniefuu]

[somber music playing]

Hey, all! I'm April,
of "I Grow, You Grow,"

and I have been helping others
manifest their perfect lives

as I have been manifesting mine.

[Jamie]
April's TikTok account had
well over 200,000 followers

that would love to watch her.

The question of the day is,
what is something that you are

passionate about?

[Kayley]
April wanted the fantasy
of being on TikTok

and having crazy followers.

[April] Not everything is pretty
and sunflowers and rainbows.

Social media is
judgmental as [bleep].

[Courtney]
The problems going on behind
the scenes can be a lot darker

than what
they're showing online.

[Colin] We're going through
all of this stuff.

I was absolutely shocked
when I saw not only one,

but two g*ns.

It's weird.

[April]
A lot of people feel stuck
or imprisoned or confined

by their current circumstances.

Choose to have
positive thoughts.

Your life will change.

[Courtney] I don't think anyone
that was following April

would have ever predicted
what happened next.

I'm her mom,
and I'm gonna get justice.

[theme music playing]

[April]
I see so many women every week,
and I just have to say,

every woman is so unique
and special in their own way,

which means if you're seeing
this, you're probably one

of those women, and I'm probably
talking directly to you.

[Jamie]
April wanted to make an impact
that's positive in this world,

and I'm so proud
of what she was doing.

So I just wanna let you know,

you're beautiful
inside and out.

Embrace who you are
because you're already perfect.

She was just like a light
everywhere she went

because she wanted to make
other people

feel good about themselves,

and I loved that about her.

Have a great day on purpose
and brush your lashes.

♪♪

[Jamie] I've always told my kids
they can do

anything they wanted,

and April has always had
big ideas.

At some point, she decided,

"Imma go to lash tech school."

She excelled tremendously.

That's when she started
her social media accounts.

I do offer
after hour appointments

Monday through Wednesday.

[Kayley]
She knew being on Instagram
that that's what would

skyrocket and help her be viewed
by so many different people.

I'm officially offering
$100 freestyle sessions.

♪ Have your attention ♪

Her following went up
pretty quickly

within the first couple months.

[Stephen] I was like, "Oh, wow.
I never knew you can actually

use your social media
like that."

That was truly amazing.

Have a great day on purpose
and brush your lashes.

♪ Do I have your attention?
Boom ♪

[Kayley] I was on April's lash
page a lot.

I think I was her third
or fourth client

that she had ever had.

I got a couple messages
from some friends asking,

"Did you get
your eyelashes filled?

"'Cause I see this page
and you're tagged in it,

"and then I can tell
that it's you

because I can see
your mustache and your beard."

And I was like, "Oh."

[Kayley]
I loved her so much.

They would shout her out,
tag her, post her

on different platforms.

Get on IG and go look up
literallylashes615.

[Kayley] She was really good
at what she did.

One of the best.

♪ Do I have your attention? ♪

[Jamie]
When I gave birth and I found
out that I had a little girl,

I was just...

instantly in love.
Like, instantly in love.

Have you just -- I saw her.
She was gorgeous.

We named her April,
which means new life.

She was the oldest
of the three that we had.

I stayed home with the kids,
and then my husband worked.

She never went without a thing.
Spoiled rotten.

She had such a great childhood.

Her friends brought her
into the social media world

when she went to high school,

'cause in our house,
we didn't do social media.

[Kayley] Facebook, Snapchat,
and Instagram,

those were her three apps.

If she wasn't on one,
she was probably on the other.

[Stephen]
Around 2015, I get a message
from April on Facebook.

She told me how she was
talking to somebody new.

She did send me a picture
and say, like,

"Well, this is Donovan.

We've been talking
for a little while."

[Jamie] From the very beginning
when April met Donovan,

she used to tell me,
"He's my best friend."

He was a chef, so he would
make her very, very fancy meals.

Treat her like a princess.

Shortly after she met Donovan,

April told me
that she was pregnant.

She was very excited about it
because it was kind of like

they were starting
their own little family.

April always thought
that her and Donovan were

a power couple
because she was lashing,

he had his food business.

Hey, what's going on, everybody?
Chef Big Poppa here.

They wanted to help each other
expand and grow even more

with both of their platforms.

[Stephen] The caption says,
"I'm blessed.

"Thank you, 2019.

"I'm so excited to see
what 2020 has in store

for literallylashes615."

[reporter]
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee
declares a state of emergency

to help fight
the coronavirus pandemic.

[Kayley] COVID did take a toll
on a lot of beauty industries

because it was really hard
to continue to make money

when we had to be
six feet apart.

What's up, everybody?
Chef Big Poppa,

Chef Little Poppa here.

[Stephen] Donovan wasn't getting
as much business.

His page wasn't doing so well.

Today is the last day
of the 20% off spring sale.

It was kind of hard for them.

She was trying to come up
with a plan that could

give her a future
for her family.

OK, so this is day one
in quarantine.

[Courtney]
Because of COVID, a lot
of people turned to TikTok.

I think it just kind of gave
people a community

in such a dark time
in the world.

Hello!

[Courtney] A lot of people were
at home with their spouses,

filming couples' content
and posting it,

and it grew really fast.

During this time,
April did start posting videos

of her family.

[voice on recording]
Who initiated the first kiss?

[Courtney] They were always
laughing and giggling

with each other
and kind of giving you an idea

of what their relationship
was like.

[voice on recording]
OK, I'm gonna turn you on.

-All right, go ahead.
-OK, you ready?

Here it goes.

Ooh!

-OK, that's it, goodbye.
-No, wait, wait, hold on!

♪♪

A couple of months
into starting her TikTok,

she started posting
more about --

-Manifesting.
-Manifesting.

We're going to manifest
and show you guys how to make

$5,000 in two weeks.

Donovan was very supportive
of April's professional

wants and desires,
especially if it was gonna

financially benefit them.

Tune in tomorrow
to see what we do.

Ask, believe, receive.

They were manifesting what
they wanted for their family,

for their life,
for their finances.

You gotta believe.
If you believe it

and truly just let it be
and don't worry about it,

it'll come to fruition.
I promise.

I promise.

And that's when her account
really started to grow.

I think when it comes
to manifesting, she was

a strong believer, like, "Hey,
if I want a million dollars,

I can have it," you know?
And so...

I don't wanna burst
her bubble.

I'm like,
"Hey, baby, pray for it.

If that's what you want,
you can have it."

If you are wanting to manifest
something in your life,

I will help you to the best
of my abilities.

[Jamie]
April's main goal was
to be a light for others.

-I am powerful.
-I am powerful.

-I am Denzel.
-I am Denzel.

Her total intent
was to uplift people.

[Courtney] About eight months
into April's TikTok journey,

she finally hit

And that is such
a huge milestone for creators.

[Jamie]
Companies would ask her
to promote their product...

This is a monthly
subscription box.

This was just the August box.

...and she was making
an income off of it.

Check this out, check them out,
they're amazing.

She was on the right path
towards this career

that she really wanted.

Start coming, start purchasing,
and let's grow.

♪♪

♪ Oh, no, oh no ♪

[Courtney]
But in the midst of posting
all of this positivity

and family content,

tragedy was right
around the corner.

In 2021, April posted this
video of Donovan in the ICU.

He apparently had
a heart attack

and the video updates

her followers on
what was going on with him.

[voice on recording]
And through thick and thin...
and health.

[April]
Hey, all, so don't judge me.

This is me trying to get ready
the day after

Donovan's heart attack.

[Stephen]
It was a scary experience
for her because it really

made her feel like, "Oh my gosh,
I'm about to lose my husband,

I'm about to lose
the father of my son."

[voice on recording]
I told y'all I wouldn't leave

without him by my side.

I thought that they were
going to be sticking out

through everything that would
come their way.

Story time.

OK, so the story is
that we are getting divorced

because it was our decision.

She's my best friend.
I still love her to death.

No hard feelings.
This is not a messy divorce

or anything like that.
We don't do that.

This is like...

[Courtney] When she posted
about their separation,

her followers were
very surprised.

[Stephen]
The marriage may have ended,
but at least they can still be

friends and still
co-parent with Denzel.

He's my best friend.

Nothing's gonna
change that, so...
-A light.

Look at her, bro.

Like, I will never lose
this forever.

[ominous tones playing]

When you're going
through a divorce

and you lose the person
that you tell everything to,

it's like, "I
still have all these things

that I wanna get out
and talk about."

[Courtney]
Her followers were also
invested in their relationship.

What do you guys think?

She was talking herself
through it

with her followers
while also helping them.

I want real opinions, let me
know about this, for real.

[Jamie] During their separation,
Donovan had started working

on a NAVY ship as a chef.

So he was gone
for long periods of time.

That's when she decided
to start posting things

about self-care and self-love.

If you need time to heal
and get yourself back on track,

don't say sorry for doing
what's best for yourself,

because nobody else is gonna
do it for you.

[Courtney]
Her account continued to grow.

Embrace loneliness

and reinvent yourself
in the process.

[Courtney]
She was really trying to do
everything she could

to make herself
the best person she could be

on her own without a partner.

[April]
Denzel, what is your purpose?

Your purpose was
inside your body...

And then every once in a while,
she would post

a video with Donovan.

It was like, "Hey, guys,
look at us.

"We're still civil
with each other.

"We still love each other.

And we're co-parenting Denzel."

It showed really,
really healthy separation.

[Jamie] When April was
separated from Donovan,

she wanted to become much
more active with the church.

I'm a Sunday school teacher,
and I'm running late.

Zach was one
of my volunteers as well.

How you doing, TikTok?

What you doing?

[Zach]
When I met April,

I was really bad at TikTok.
Yeah.

For me, it was more starting
off as like a friendship.

And we hung out one time
outside of the church, sitting,

and I was like,
"Oh, yeah, this could be more."

I did like how natural it felt.

[indistinct]

Nothing was forced.

-Yeah, I see you-
-I see you.

Her love is authentic.

April didn't bring up
Donovan initially.

I found out about
that situation through Jamie.

I asked April about how long
they had been divorced,

but she told me she wasn't.

And I told her, I said,
"This relationship with me

won't be legit
unless that's done."

And she was like, "I understand.
Just be patient with me,

and, you know,
we'll make that happen."

[Jamie]
Donovan was still on the ship
working as a chef.

He was only back usually
for a few days,

and then he would get
back on the boat.

So, I'm not sure where he would
stay during those time.

[Zach] Initially,
it started off as him in hotels.

Then it became a situation
where, you know, he would sleep

in Denzel's room.

And when it got to a point
where it was becoming

a consistent thing,
that was when we started having

some really tough conversations.

'Cause that just wasn't
gonna work for me.

[April] If you thought you knew
me last week,

you don't know me this week.

'Cause so many decisions
have been made, and my life is

completely transformed.

And yes, this past year,
I was trying to reconnect

spiritually with God
and just align my life more.

Because she was growing closer
to God, that's when she started

to feel a pull
at her heartstrings

to try to make her marriage
work one more time.

Anything I did,
anywhere I went,

it was like screaming
in my head,

"Go back to your husband."

And so she took him back in.

I'm being so transparent
right now.

I was dating somebody else.

[Zach] It took a while for me
to come to terms with it.

But, you know, I accepted it,
prayed about it, moved on.

[April]
What do you think the secret
to our relationship has been?

Being best friends.

That came first.

So, even through the bullshit,
we can joke around

and maintain that friendship.

I mean, it's what kept us

through our separation,
honestly, so...

Yeah.

[Courtney]
After two years apart,

April and Donovan got
back together.

Her followers were happy
to see that.

-Say, "Hey," babe.
-What's up?

They wanted to say,
"Hey, let's give it

another chance."

So then she gave him six months.

From there, we see a bunch
of happy, wholesome content

between April and Donovan.

[Jamie] That's the trick
with social media sometimes,

is that we can deceive
our audience.

[Stephen] Behind closed doors,
she started talking to me

about financial issues
and being on top of bills.

[Jamie]
Donovan gave up very fast

in anything he was doing.

So, if his job wasn't working,
he didn't think, "Well,

how am I gonna pay the bill
in three weeks?"

He left it all on April.

Only one week
after she took him back,

he quit his job again.

I do offer
after-hour appointments

Monday through Wednesday.

She would work hours and hours
and hours to make sure

that she could bring
in the income

to support their apartment,

their lifestyle.
Denzel...

But she was tired.

She was tired of taking care
of him.

[April]
A lot of people feel stuck

or imprisoned or confined
by their current circumstances.

Choose to have
positive thoughts.

Your life will change.

[Stephen]
I remember April did tell me
about how there were days

where everything's good and then
days where she's just crying.

She told me, "Stephen,
I can't do this anymore.

"I'm so over being disappointed
and let down by men.

"I'm getting a divorce
and staying single.

The second I got back with him,
my life went to sh*t again."

[Jamie]
So that's when she called me
and said, "Mom,

"I'm really serious.
I gave him six months,

and I can't do it anymore.
I wanna divorce."

So lately, I have been going
through just a lot,

and I'm in, like,
a depressed state.

It seemed like she was
just overwhelmed

and couldn't handle it anymore.

Someone's gonna have
to tell him... [indistinct]

[ominous tones playing]

[Jamie] That day, we were gonna
go to the Barbie movie.

I looked at my phone,
and she had texted me.

It was 12:30, and she just
said, "Hey, Mom, I have to be

"home with Denzel,
so I'm not gonna be able

to go to the Barbie movie."

And I just put my phone down.
I didn't reply.

The next thing
is my phone ringing,

and it's Donovan,
and he said,

"I just found April
in the shower

not breathing and she's
on her way to the hospital."

My mind was just, like,
going around in circles,

like, "Why?
What is going on?"

She just text me at 12:30.

Perfectly fine.

[Jamie] I get to the hospital,
and little Denzel is just

sitting in the waiting room,
and I gave him a hug,

and I said, "Baby, I'm just
gonna go check on Mom."

When I walked into that room,
I had no idea what to expect.

And so when I saw her,
I was hysterical,

just crying and crying.

And there's Donovan,
and he's rocking.

And he's like,
"I don't know what happened.

I don't know what happened."
And I was like,

"What do you mean?
Like, what's going on?"

The doctor comes into the room
and he says,

"April went without blood
or oxygen for over 15 minutes.

"So she is on life support.

We're gonna give her some time."

Then my mom says, "Did you know

Donovan said that he found
her with a bag over her head?"

I said, "Mom, what
are you talking about?"

And Donovan said,
"Yeah, she did.

And she taped it."

There was a belief
that she attempted

to commit suicide.

[April] So lately, I have been
going through just a lot.

[siren wailing]

[Kayley] Finding out
that it was a suicide,

I had no words.
I sat in silence.

[April]
I know that one of my issues
is that I just have not been

taking care of myself lately.

I said to myself, "Was there
something that she wasn't

telling me?"
-I had a mental breakdown

the other night and I plucked
all of my lashes off.

[Courtney]
A lot of her other content was
very, like, captions and smiles

and curated perfectly.

This is probably one
of the most vulnerable videos

that I've posted
in a really long time.

[Courtney] But this video was
just very raw and vulnerable.

Not everything is pretty
and sunflowers and rainbows.

I think it shows that things
weren't all great in her life.

As an influencer,
it's been really hard for me

to share my personal struggles
with social media.

[Courtney] You can tell she's
kind of nervous.

Do they just wanna see
the happy, positive April?

I always feel like I'm being,
like, judged.

And I know I'm not being judged.
No, I am being judged.

Social media is judgmental
as [bleep].

-Anyways...
-[Courtney] When you put

yourself out there
and then it flops,

it feels like these people
don't care

about what I'm saying.
And then you're like,

"Oh, well, I shouldn't have
shared that."

Like, "That was a mistake."

♪ Oh, no, oh, no♪

She also posted a video...

♪ Oh, no, no, no, no, no♪

talking about a suicide attempt
and severe depression.

April doesn't specify
who attempted suicide

or who the severe depression
was about,

and she doesn't really elaborate
on it after that,

so it's kind of just
up in the air.

After that, it seems like
everything's good again.

[device beeping]

[Jamie] Six hours after I got
to the hospital,

they moved her up
to the ICU floor.

And that's when I noticed
there was a bruise on her neck,

and she had bruises
on her wrists and her ankles.

The doctors did not give me
a reason for the bruises.

My mama gut was like,

"Something's not right."

At this time, we alert police.

When the cops arrived,
they called me

in for questioning.

And I told them,
"I know my daughter

didn't try to commit suicide."

And they're like, "Every parent
wants to believe that."

Shortly after that,
I go back to April,

and the doctors tell me

there's no brain activity.

She's gone.

"I hope this message finds
you in high spirits

"and ready to conquer
the day ahead.

"Take a moment to appreciate
how far you've come

"and the incredible person
you are.

[voice shaking]
"Have an amazing day,
my dear friend,

filled with positivity,
hope, and a heart full of joy."

[sniffles]
Sorry.

"And take care
and have a great weekend."

And that was the last message
I sent to her,

but she had never read them.

[producer]
Do you want to have a moment?

I -- if -- if you don't mind.

[sobbing]

[Jamie]
The death of a child,

that's the hardest thing
you ever have to experience

in your life.

It hits so differently.

But then...

the pain and the sadness
turned into...

fuel.

I know my daughter
didn't commit suicide.

Something's not right.

And I'm gonna find out
what it is.

The cops were saying
on the reports, there was

no signs of foul play.

And I said,
"What about all the bruises?"

"Oh, we didn't see any bruises."

And I'm like...

"I don't understand.

I don't understand
what's happening."

And they called in
a therapist for me.

And they just kept saying,
"Well, you know, you're gonna

have to accept this is suicide."

And I said,

"How do you get to just rule
suicide when you haven't

investigated the rest
of the pieces of the puzzle?"

Shortly after that,
we took Denzel on a trip

to try to just distract him
from everything that's going on.

Denzel's laying with me
in a bed,

and I wanted to get up
and get a shower.

And he says,
"Don't get in the shower.

I don't want you to leave me."

I said,
"I'm not gonna leave you.

I'm gonna be in there
for a few minutes."

He was so scared.

I said, "Let's just talk
about that day."

He said,
"I gave my mommy a kiss

that morning."
And he said,

"And then she said,
she's gonna get in the shower."

And that's when he tells me
that his mom and dad

were arguing in the bathroom.

But he said,
"I couldn't understand

what they were saying."

Then later, he looked
under the door,

and his mom was laying
on the ground.

That conversation that I had
with Denzel was my confirmation

of what I was suspecting
all along,

that Donovan
had taken the life of April.

So I recorded Denzel
saying these things,

and I sent it over
to the detective.

They just told me,
"You keep asking

"leading questions.

"It's just a seven-year-old
saying these things.

He could change his story."

So I decided,
what can I do next?

How am I gonna draw
attention to this case?

How to find your purpose
and start living in it fully.

[Jamie] April used TikTok
as her platform.

And I thought, "OK, if she can
reach this many people,

"then that's what
I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna learn
how to use TikTok."

So I created an account

and I went on there to explain
what was going on

and that I needed
my voice heard.

I'm making this post to make
people aware of the situation

that we have at hand.

The main goal in my TikTok
videos were to let people know

how amazing my daughter was.

Her name was April Lynn Holt.

An amazing mom.

Second, I wanted people
to know, she did not

take her life.
Her life was taken.

I promise you,
he took my daughter.

I'm gonna take his freedom.

Hello, everyone.

[Courtney]
So many people rallied
behind Jamie when she posted

those videos.
She got millions of views.

And it's easy to see why.
The story is so insane.

[Stephen] When I first saw Jamie
out there on social media,

I knew this is a mama that's
really on a mission.

But what I'm asking for
everybody to do is make signs.

I want you to post it
on social media.

She's gonna prove
everyone wrong.

She will go
to the ends of Earth.

Please, please, please help me
and share this

as much as possible.
Thank you all.

You could feel it through
the screen, just how desperate

she was to get this story
out there.

Please continue to help me
seek justice for April.

Justice for April Holt.

Hashtag justice
for April Holt.

Justice for April Holt.

Justice for April Holt.

Say her name, April Holt.

Hashtag justice
for April Holt.

I'm her mom, and I'm gonna
get justice.

[Colin]
Warning, the following podcast
is not suitable

for all audiences.
You have been warned.

[Courtney] You're listening
to m*rder in America.

I first heard
about April's story

through my wife, Courtney.
She wanted to help Jamie.

I reached out to her,
but right before we were able

to do the interview,
Jamie was hit with a gag order.

And this is day one.

[Jamie]
Two weeks after I started
posting about April's case,

Donovan went to the attorney
that he had,

and he got a gag order
put against me.

[Stephen] In a show of support,
I actually did the same thing,

and I sent a picture of myself
with a piece of tape

over my mouth.

[Courtney]
Even after the gag order
was issued, she reached

over 100,000 followers
on TikTok, and that's huge.

That was her way of spreading
the story without breaking

the rules of the gag order.

[Jamie] I would say,
"Let my silence be loud."

Donovan knew all eyes
were on him.

That's why he put the gag order
on me.

He was scared.

Be honest with each other
about how you feel

through this journey.
That's the only way

y'all will truly get
through it together.
-Yes!

[Jamie]
People don't always see

that when the camera
stops rolling,

that it's different.

Constantly be learning
each other,

because you're always going
be changing.

Always.

[Jamie] I found out a lot
after everything transpired.

Things I didn't know
were s -- were happening.

[Kayley]
She couldn't post or say
certain things on her TikTok

because he only wanted
good things to come out of it.

So he wasn't looking
like the bad guy.

[Jamie] Even from early on
in their relationship,

April would say that Donovan
had suicidal thoughts.

When things were rough,
he would stop taking

all of his heart medications
and end up in the hospital.

[Stephen] She started telling me
about how he would do things

to make himself sick
to the point where

she needed to take care of him.

[voice on recording]
Thought we were going home,

and then hubby had
another heart attack.

[Jamie]
He literally would say things

like, "If I take my life,
it's gonna be because of you,

because I love you so much."

He did what he did to make
her feel like she has

no control in anything,

to put fear into her
so she'll never go.

All of those are red flags
of an a*usive person

that can snap.

It does not have to be
a physical sign in order

for you to be
in an a*usive situation.

If you see the signs
of jealousy,

if you see the signs
of being manipulated,

get out.

Thinking that Donovan was
the m*rder*r of my daughter

and knowing that my grandson
was still in his care

was heart wrenching.

I don't know what to do.

I've used all the legal
resources I can, and this man,

this monster is gonna get
my grandson,

and I -- I can't do
anything about it, I'm just --

And then Donovan decided
he wanted to move to Texas,

and so was very worried,
because now Denzel's not by me.

Well, we'll help pull together.

Jamie was literally doing
everything in her power

to get the case moving.

She was writing
to the White House.

I'm sending a letter
to the president

of the United States.
-To the governor...

"Our office cannot conduct
criminal investigations."

I looked into
private investigators,

and they were so expensive.

So I just kept Googling

and I found
the Community Review Board.

They investigate
your investigation.

I submitted my claim with them.

It took six weeks
to get it back.

The Community Review Board
report just agreed

with what the investigators
were saying.

According to the committee,
the police did a thorough

investigation and they believed
in their findings.

[Jamie]
It was just heartbreaking.

It was another dead end.

I decided in the back
of my head that I'm gonna have

to figure out another way
to get the truth.

I went through the Community
Review Board report

with a fine-tooth comb,
every word.

That is when I found that
there was a section that said

Donovan Holt's fingerprints were
found on the tape at the scene.

The police said that
those prints could have been,

because they lived
in the same household,

he could have touched
that tape at any time.

But Donovan,
he didn't know that.

So I decided to take a picture
with my phone

and send him just that line.

And I said, "Just so you know,

"I now have evidence
that you k*lled April

"and that your fingerprints
are the only ones

found on the tape and the bag."

Donovan calls me,
and that is when he decided

that he was going to...

tell me what really happened.

[Jamie] This was the confession
that he gave me

of how he m*rder*d April.

There has been an arrest.

Donovan Holt has been arrested
in the state of Texas

for the homicide of April Holt.

We have gotten a confession
that my daughter was strangled.

She had the bag put
over her head and taped

around her neck by her husband,
Donovan Holt.

He then went
into the living room.

He ate lunch with his son.

And then he sent his son
into the bathroom

to find my daughter.

We were able to explain that
mommy did not commit suicide.

She did not intentionally
leave this earth.

She would have never
intentionally left you.

Denzel will be raised by me
and by his poppy,

and we also have the autopsy
that has been amended

from suicide to homicide.

The DA called me and said
that he was being charged

with three felonies,

falsifying the report,
tampering with evidence,

and reckless homicide.

[Colin]
Reckless homicide?

That was almost a term
that I was unfamiliar with.

But then his defense
is that they were having

such violent sex that he ended
up k*lling her on accident.

[Jamie] If a person got engaged
in a sexual act of choking

and doesn't resuscitate
the person but decides

to drag them to a shower
and put a bag over their head

and tape it up,

that's not an accident.

In my opinion, this was just
simple, a straight m*rder.

So, we were right there
with Jamie advocating to see

a larger prison sentence
handed down to Donovan.

All right, guys, let me
tell you about what's going on.

So the apartments that Donovan
was living at have evidence

from the case from that
morning, from the crime scene.

The police in San Antonio
will not help me.

This is insane.

[Courtney]
After Donovan's arrest,
his apartment in San Antonio

was about to be emptied.

Me and my husband live
in Houston, which is only

a few hours away
from San Antonio.

I'm exhausted, so I just need
your guys' help, please.

I just knew we had
to help her.

Shortly before Courtney
and I headed to San Antonio,

we sat down in our kitchen,
had a discussion,

and decided we should be
filming this.

That day, we pulled
into the apartment complex.

We met his ex-girlfriend
at the door.

We didn't even know that
Donovan had another girlfriend

after April, but he had given
her a key when they started

dating, so that's the reason
we were even

allowed access
into the apartment.

The energy in there was
definitely a little strange.

[Courtney] All of their stuff
was still there.

There was still, like, food
out on the counter.

I went into Donovan's room
and was doing a little digging,

and I was absolutely shocked
when I looked underneath his bed

and saw not only one,
but two g*ns.

That's weird.

And there was a spent
shell casing.

So he had fired the weapon
at some point.

Obviously, it was concerning
knowing that he had actually

k*lled someone and was living
with this child

with g*ns under his bed.

[indistinct] in there
you can find those journals.

[Courtney] We had been in there
a few minutes

packing up Denzel's stuff.

[Jamie]
Wanna drag the other one?

I opened up a closet,
and that's when I found

Donovan's journals.

We packed up everything
that we found, and we drove

back home to Houston.

Still so many questions.

So many questions.

[Courtney] At home, we sat down
and opened everything.

[Colin] You can see we're going
through all of this stuff.

The standout thing to me was
Donovan's journal,

where he essentially stated
that he wanted to start

a suicide crisis center.

"My wife could have avoided
suicide by simply having

"a professional show support,
care, and concern

towards what she was dealing
with mentally."

And he was actually using
the acronym of April's name.

I want April to be
that resource.

Oh, A-P-R-I-L.

A Personal Refuge In Love.

-But she didn't commit suicide.
-[Courtney] Yeah...

[Colin] So this is all fake.
This whole thing is

fake.

And that was huge.

Courtney and I were shocked
to see that.

[voice on phone]
Hello, you have reached
the Metro Police Department

South Precinct.

But ultimately,
the police really didn't care

that we had found that.

They didn't wanna use it
in any of their proceedings.

So it was just another piece
of evidence that was

either tossed out
or completely disregarded.

[exhales sharply]
We tried.

[reporter]
Today, Donovan Holt was
sentenced to just over

two years behind bars
for the k*lling of his wife.

He was convicted
of reckless homicide,

evidence tampering,
and false reporting.

[Jamie] Our family is disgusted
by this decision.

It took me so long to fight
for this justice,

and I would do it all again
because I have Denzel

here with me, and he is safe.

[Colin]
The world knows that April
didn't k*ll herself.

Without Jamie, no one would
ever know the true story.

I will make it my mission
as her mother to get policies

and procedures changed,
so that no family has

to endure grieving
while investigating

their own child's case
because the system failed them.

When you hear the name
April Holt

from this point forward,

hear an echo of the change
that is to come.

[voice trembling]
I think the hardest thing

is that
at every family function,

there's an empty chair.

I would do anything to have
her back, but at the same time,

she's in a much better place.

I'll see her again one day.

Taking five minutes out
of your day can change

your kids' entire lives.

Do it.
Put the phones down.

Turn off the TV.

Give your kids the time
that they need,

because this is the only time
we have with them right now.

You're welcome.
And thank you.

[keyboard clicking]

Hello, lovelies.

Mahek Bukhari was the epitome
of Gen Z girls.

[car speeds by]

This is a case of love,

obsession,

extortion,

...and ultimately
cold-blooded m*rder.

[tires screeching]