01x01 - The Fairy Tale

[bunniefuu]

WEBVTT FILE

[ominous music]

♪♪ ♪♪

[phone line beeps]

- You will never have
to question

my love or devotion to you,

because there's nothing else

that I want to spend
my time doing

except showing you
those things.

♪♪ ♪♪

[dramatic music]

♪♪ ♪♪

[birds chirping]

[church bells tolling]

ANDREA:
When we started this,

did you have any idea
this little podcast

that we talked about
on the phone

would turn
into the number-one podcast

with millions of listeners?
JENIFER: No.

For me, it was really hard
to make sense of everything,

what my husband did,

and we were just kind of
following where it led us.

And every person
that's heard my story

can't believe it,

except for someone who has gone
through something similar.

I mean, it's helped
a lot of people, I think.

ANDREA:
Yeah, absolutely.

- But, obviously, there's
a lot more to uncover.

[dramatic music]

♪♪ ♪♪

My name is Jenifer Faison.

For the past five years,

I've been on a journey

of discovery,
of healing

from a trauma that actually
started for me in college,

even if I didn't know it yet.

♪♪ ♪♪

I transferred to Berry College
my junior year.

♪♪ ♪♪

JOSH:
Berry College is located

in the northwest corner
of the state of Georgia.

There are only about


It was just a small,
close-knit, family environment

to go to school in.

♪♪ ♪♪

JENIFER:
When I was at Berry,

I just felt like I fit in
and I belonged.

My major was communications,

and we had
a television station.

[upbeat music]

♪♪ ♪♪

I went to the first meeting
for the television station.

♪♪ ♪♪

And Spence was sitting
up on the stage.

And I was walking
down toward him,

and he looked at me
and smiled.

And then that was
just kind of it.

I mean, that was the moment
that everything just changed.

♪♪ ♪♪

- They started dating probably
around September,

maybe October
of that first year of school.

JOSH: Spencer was certainly
well-known around campus,

not just because
of his involvement with BCTV.

Spencer was the station
manager at the time.

- A new mall, a bigger mall,

and a better mall
than Riverbend.

JOSH: He was just one
of those people

who had an outgoing
and charismatic personality.

- Spence Herron, WBCS News.

JENIFER: Spence had a great
group of friends at Berry.

And I'll never forget, they
did this lip-sync concert.

And it was this medley of
New Kids on the Block songs.

SINGER:
♪♪ I can see it in your walk ♪♪

♪♪ Tell it when you talk ♪♪

♪♪ See it in everything you do ♪♪

JOSH: Spencer had
the sort of guy-next-door,

Boy Scout/Eagle Scout affect.

- It used to be lined
with trees on both sides,

all the way
from the horse stables

down to
the Possum Trot site itself.

Now it's lined with dirt.

- He was the kind of guy that
you knew if you needed help

moving a couch into
your third-story dorm room,

Spencer would show up
and help you move the couch

into your dorm room.

And I think, in fact,
I asked him to do that once.

APRIL:
Jenifer really liked Spence,

and Spence really
liked Jenifer, too.

They were a good match.

JOSH: Spencer and Jenifer
were inseparable.

If I saw one walking across
campus, I would look nearby,

and I was almost guaranteed
to see the other.

They just always seemed like
the perfect couple to me.

- In today's fast-paced
and highly mobile world,

it is imperative that people

can keep their work skills
up to date.

JENIFER: Spence was always
so attentive,

and making sure that I knew
how he felt about me.

Every day we would pass
each other in the hallways,

and he would hand me a note.

♪♪ ♪♪

- You must have
felt like you had,

honestly, the best boyfriend...
JENIFER: I did!

- In the entire world.
JENIFER: Oh, my gosh.

Like, I kept
this whole notebook,

which I haven't looked at
in a while either.

- Mm, I don't know why
I'm getting sad.

- All the stuff
that he gave me,

like, every note
that he passed me.

- Stop it right now.
- I kept it in a notebook.

- Wait.
Hold on.

"News flash--it's official.

"Spence Herron has
just been named

the luckiest man on campus."

- That was his news flash.

- I don't even want to read
the rest of it, to be honest.

- I know. "Jenifer, I can't
believe that you chose me.

"I know it's not a dream
but a dream come true.

I am now the happiest
man on campus."

ANDREA:
This is all really sweet

and, like, in the beginning,
like, so nice.

Was there ever a point where
you were like, this is a lot?

JENIFER:
Um...

I just enjoyed it.

There wasn't anything bad

that would, like, give you
a red flag.

Why would you
question any of it?

- Safe person.
Yep.

[soft music]

JENIFER: We went
to all the dances together.

He was making me mix tapes.

I remember one night, he
cooked me dinner in the dorm,

and he made a whole menu.

He wrote it out
and everything.

It was really fun,
and it was easy.

It was just that perfect
college relationship.

We were definitely in love.

Okay, this is Spence's
senior year at Berry.

Spence and I went
up to Minnesota.

It was his first plane ride.

That's the first time
that Spence really met

all of my family.

And...

I mean, of course,
they all just, like,

fawned over him and loved him.

GAIL: Our other daughter
was getting married,

and Jenifer was coming
up for the wedding.

And she said, would it be okay
if Spence comes?

And from the time we picked
them up at the airport,

it was, like, so comfortable.

We had a terrible snowstorm
that weekend,

and Spence thought it would be
fun to go out in the snow.

And they go out in the yard,

and they're playing
in the snow.

It was like two little kids
out there.

I mean, he's just adorable.

They were so in love,
and it was obvious.

- We had very positive
and strong feelings

about Spence
being a good person.

GAIL: Jenifer's sister,
Christy, was the first

to refer to him
as Saint Spence.

He was the perfect person.

He's the kind of person

you wanted your daughter
to marry.

JENIFER: Spence was a year
older than I was,

and so he graduated,

and I still had a year left
at Berry.

And I loved Spence,

and we had
a great relationship.

Yet I still had a year.

Oh, I'll never forget,
right before my senior year,

and we were on the phone--
a pay phone, of course.

And it was one of the hardest
conversations that I've had,

because I knew I was going
to break his heart.

And I had to tell him,

I just want to be
on my own my senior year...

to have fun with my friends

and not really be tied down
to a boyfriend,

especially one that I wasn't
going to be able to see

that often.

He was pretty devastated.

SINGER: ♪♪ Maybe it's okay,
oh, not to be okay ♪♪

♪♪ When everything's broken ♪♪

♪♪ Oh, and you don't know if ♪♪

♪♪ It's going to be okay ♪♪

♪♪ We're going to be okay ♪♪

JENIFER:
When I broke up with Spence...

my family
definitely questioned it.

- I was disappointed that
they were breaking up.

JENIFER: My sister--
she couldn't believe it.

She was like,
you have this great guy.

What more could you want?

He was a great guy.

It was just not the right time.

APRIL: They were
a really good couple,

but I also think she knew

that it was part of her life

to experience more than just
one relationship like that.

JENIFER: And so we went
our separate ways,

and I just kind of
kept moving forward.

[serious music]

After graduation, I moved home
for about three years,

worked at a radio station,

and then decided to make the
big move to LA to get into TV.

[upbeat music]

JEFFREY:
She literally packed her car

and drove to Los Angeles,

and set up a life in California
on her own.

- My first job in television
was with Judge Judy.

ANNOUNCER:
The people are real.

The cases are real.

The rulings are final.

This is Judge Judy.

- I worked on her show
for about four years,

and was nominated
for two Emmys for that.

Got to take my mom
to the Emmys in New York

and do the whole red carpet.

So it was really fun.

And then I got the job

on Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition.

ALL:
Move that bus!

[cheering]

PERSON: Look at this!
PERSON 2: Oh, my God!

GAIL:
She grew.

She blossomed out there
in this business.

♪♪ ♪♪

ANDREA: While Jenifer was
building an impressive résumé,

Spencer got married,
had children...

and created
a little life in Georgia--

very different from Jen.

JENIFER: I heard
about Spence getting married

through other college friends.

And I remember feeling
a little bit of sadness,

because we really loved
each other,

and that door had closed now

because he had moved on.

- After college, I actually
kept in touch with Spence

probably more than
I did with Jen.

To start his career,
Spence did some video work.

He was in communications
and was a videographer,

and he also taught.

He was teaching
video production

at one
of the local high schools.

SPENCER: So it's going to be
an awesome semester.

I'm really excited
about the show.

Look at that. Perfect timing.
Welcome.

This is our film crew,
you guys.

I was going to explain
to you why they're here.

They're coming here
to document us

actually putting on an actual
student-produced morning show.

What do you think?

STUDENT: No way!
STUDENT 2: Yes!

SPENCER: Yeah, it's going to be
really, really cool.

I can't wait.

RAE: He didn't go to school
to be a teacher.

He didn't plan to get
into education.

He was a camera guy

that would go out
on freelance video shoots.

So he didn't come at it

from the book/educational
aspect of it.

It was from
the hands-on experience,

and this is what he knows.

He wasn't much older than us.
He was in his early 20s.

So he was just really
relatable and personable

and engaging and supportive.

ANDREA:
While still teaching,

Spencer joined
the Air National Guard,

and his position was
a member of the band.

- Hey, guys, what's up?
It's Coach Herron.

This is my band behind me,
and Brent sh**ting the camera.

So we're performing
in Nashville, Tennessee,

at this bigwig deal,
and I'm working really hard,

but I'm telling you, you should
be working really hard, too.

ANDREA: When troops get
deployed overseas,

it's just to pick up morale
and be there for the troops

that are in combat.

[cheers and applause]

JENIFER: Spence played
in a couple bands

with the Air National Guard.

And one of them
was a rock band,

where they would play things
like Luke Bryan,

"Play It Again"...

PERSON: ♪♪ Sitting around
waiting for it to come on ♪♪

♪♪ And here it is ♪♪

♪♪ And she was like... ♪♪

JENIFER: Or Journey,
"Don't Stop Believing."

ALL:
♪♪ Streetlights, people ♪♪

♪♪ Oh ♪♪

♪♪ Don't stop ♪♪
[wild cheering]

- He excelled
in everything that he did.

JENIFER:
He was an Eagle Scout.

He was a really great father.

He played soccer on the side.

JOSH: I cannot think
of a single time

in the time we knew each other

that I got any kind
of bad feeling about Spencer.

He was just a good guy,
and the guy next door.

[light acoustic music ends]

[dramatic music]

♪♪ ♪♪

JENIFER:
For 20 years...

I didn't get married.

♪♪ ♪♪

And it's not that I didn't date

or didn't want to get married.

I wanted to find
the right one.

♪♪ ♪♪

I was looking
for my soul mate,

and I wasn't going to settle
for anything less.

I really thought a lot
about Spence over the years.

He kind of set the bar
for what I thought I wanted

in a future relationship.

And then Spence reached out
to me on Facebook...

♪♪ ♪♪

And just said,
hey, how are you?

Are you still in LA?

I've been following
your career.

How's it going?

♪♪ ♪♪

I got butterflies.

♪♪ ♪♪

[bright music]

JENIFER:
Spence's class was having

their 20-year college reunion.

And I had commented on a photo
or something on Facebook,

and he saw it.

So he reached out to me.

First thing that I did was
message him back

and just say,
are you still married?

And he said,

no, we've been apart
for four years now...

♪♪ ♪♪

Because they had lost
the intimacy and closeness

of their relationship.

So I thought, okay.

So we spoke on the phone,

and he said, I have to go
to New York

with some students
on a school field trip.

♪♪ ♪♪

- Look behind me.
Tons of teenagers.

We're getting ready to go
to the Empire State Building.

- And then he asked, any chance
you're going to be in New York?

I know you travel for work.

And I didn't really travel
to New York very often.

But sure enough,
about a week later,

my old executive producer
from Extreme said,

can you go to New York
and help out with this show

that we're doing?

Of course I said yes.

When I found out
I was going to New York,

I wrote Spence and let
him know--guess what.

I'm going to happen to be there
at the same time you are.

And so we made plans
to meet while we were there.

SINGER: ♪♪ Remember the feeling
the day we met ♪♪

♪♪ When the walls and the
ceiling shattered between us? ♪♪

♪♪ No matter what I do,
I can't shake it yet ♪♪

♪♪ And there's no other soul
who gives me this feeling ♪♪

JENIFER:
The night that I re-met Spence

in New York was magical.

SINGER: ♪♪ The way that you
pull me close ♪♪

♪♪ The way that you kiss me when
I'm dancing on the ceiling ♪♪

♪♪ The that you... ♪♪

JENIFER:
I walked into the hotel lobby

where I was meeting him,

and he's leaning
up against the wall.

And...

I just looked at him,
and I was like, wow.

Like, this is Spence.

And he was grown up
and handsome.

And we walked around.

We went to Bryant Park...

SINGER: ♪♪ Oh, I love the way
that you are ♪♪

♪♪ I love the way that you are,
oh, oh ♪♪

JENIFER: And just caught up

on every piece of our lives
that we could.

SINGER:
♪♪ I love the way that you are ♪♪

- We just talked
about everything.

[mellow music]

It felt like I was
back with somebody

I was really, really
familiar with.

We didn't want it to end.

He said, well, I'll walk you
back to your hotel room.

And I said, okay, great,
and, you know, we're walking,

and you kind of bump
into each other.

And then we stopped
for a minute,

and he kissed me.

♪♪ ♪♪

It really just was loving

and amazing.

And he came
to my hotel that night,

and, yeah, we slept together.

Just that reconnection
and that bond

came right back.

And the next morning,
I knew he was leaving New York

and I wasn't going
to see him again.

And I was sad,

because we had reconnected,

and, wait,
that's going to be it?

That's it?

Now we go back to our
separate sides of the country?

[line trilling]

[cell phone ringing]
Fortunately, right away,

he started calling
and sending me texts,

and we would have
late-night conversations.

We just didn't want
to let each other go...

♪♪ ♪♪

Because it would just--

It was meant to be.

♪♪ ♪♪

It just felt right.

♪♪ ♪♪

We really believed
we were soul mates.

One month when we were dating
and I was in LA,

he wrote me a letter
every single day

of the month of March, because
that's my birthday. Like--

ANDREA:
And those are the letters?

JENIFER: Yeah.
ANDREA: Can I see?

"My perfect Jenifer."

"My girlfriend--
I love using that word."

- So that was,
like, three months

after we got back together.
ANDREA: Right.

Because it was around
Christmastime in New York.

- And this was March.
- And this is March.

JENIFER:
Mm-hmm.

- "Hi, most gorgeous one."

I don't know how you feel,

but I have a hard time
looking at this, Jen.

When you read these
and you see these,

these are acts of love--

- Yeah.
- And--

- Acts of love.
Yeah.

[sniffles, crying] So I don't
think anybody can blame me

for being so in love, you know?
ANDREA: Absolutely not.

- [sniffles]

[dramatic music]

- We hadn't talked to Spence
and hadn't seen Spence

since they had gotten
back together.

And he set up
a FaceTime with us,

and he asked us

if we would be okay

if he asked Jenifer

to marry him.

Now, they're older, so that
seemed a little unusual,

but we were excited.

- I decided to move
across the country,

because he had kids still
and wanted to be close to them.

♪♪ ♪♪

So he came out,

and he and I drove my car
cross-country.

And the first night
we stopped in Vegas,

and we had gone to dinner,
came back up to the room.

And he hands me
this little book...

♪♪ ♪♪

With photos of us
over the years,

and the very last page was
a picture of a diamond ring.

And he got down on one knee,
and he asked me to marry him.

And I said, can you ask me
that one more time?

Because I didn't want to
forget what it sounded like.

I really wanted to remember
this experience.

He laughed and asked me again.

And of course
I said yes, and...

It was just...

just wonderful.

♪♪ ♪♪

[steady music]

APRIL: I found out that Spence
and Jen were getting married

and that she was moving
back to Georgia,

in Acworth...

a little small town,

but it's also pretty close
to Atlanta.

So you get
a little bit of both--

big-city
and little small-town feel.

♪♪ ♪♪

JENIFER: When Spence went to
tell his ex-wife

that he was getting
married again,

he didn't even have to tell her
who it was.

She literally said,
it's Jenifer, isn't it?

And it was crazy.

He and I dated 20 years prior,

but she still knew that
there was something special

between the two of us,

and she wasn't surprised to
hear that we got back together.

JENIFER: I've been thinking--
PERSON: Oh, it's beautiful.

PERSON 2: It's so pretty!
PERSON 2: You like where it is?

PERSON 4:
Jen.

[soft music]

♪♪ ♪♪

JENIFER: I had waited
a long time to get married,

because I just wanted
to do it once,

and I wanted to do it right.

And we planned
a small wedding.

About 80 people were there--
closest friends and family.

And it was such
a celebration of love.

KELLY: It was a beautiful,
beautiful night.

There was just lights
everywhere, firefly-type deal.

I was kind of jealous.

[laughs]
I was kind of jealous

of how the whole thing
went down.

♪♪ ♪♪

RAE: It was the day
before New Year's Eve.

So it was that end-of-the-year,
new beginnings

kind of feeling to everything.

APRIL:
The wedding was beautiful.

She looked gorgeous.

♪♪ ♪♪

JOSH: I was deeply honored
to have the chance

to officiate at their wedding.

They were two people
whom I loved dearly

and had a lot of affection for.

This is my favorite part
in the ceremony.

As I explained to the couple,

this is the part where I get
to say anything I want.

And what I have been waiting
to say to the two of you is,

it took you long enough.
[laughter]

An unbroken circle, the ring
is an ancient symbol of love

because it has neither
a beginning nor an end.

It is a reminder of both
your love for each other

and of the promises
you've made today.

- Spencer was on cloud nine.

- You will never have
to question

my love or devotion to you,

because there's nothing else

that I want to spend
my time doing

except showing
you those things.

I call you my dream girl

because you
are so perfect to me.

And yet I feel
like I'm dreaming

every time I'm with you.

- You make me laugh.
You listen.

And, most importantly,
you love me unconditionally.

Marrying you is the easiest
decision I've ever made.

[romantic music]

♪♪ ♪♪

- Friends and family,
it is my privilege

to present to you, finally...

[laughter]

Spencer and Jenifer Herron,
husband and wife.

[cheers and applause]

♪♪ ♪♪

- Everybody laughed at that,
because they all agreed

it was finally time
that we got together.

[cheers and applause]

CHRISTY: Spence, I want
to welcome you to our family.

[crying] Thank you for loving
my sister the way that you do.

[sniffles] I've never seen her
happier than she is with you.

She lights up when she
talks about you

and your future together.

I am so happy to officially
be your little sis.

[applause]

KELLY: I had a feeling the
night of their wedding that

that was going to be
something special,

that these two, they--

It was the right choice.

[upbeat music]

♪♪ ♪♪

GAIL: You could just see it
on their faces.

It was like
these two beaming faces.

They were so happy.

♪♪ ♪♪

JENIFER:
After we got married,

we just always
had fun together.

SPENCER:
Hey, Jen, listen,

I'm having a great time,
and I will be skiing tomorrow.

So we can have a lot more fun
together,

which would be great.

And I may even hit a jump
to impress you, if I can.

I love you so much.

- He left me a note
every single morning

by the coffee pot.

JEFFREY:
I was thinking,

why did he feel
the need to do this every day?

That felt so over the top.

- [laughs]

JEFFREY: Was that a flag?
I don't know.

But it was unusual behavior,
in my mind.

JENIFER: He always checked in
during the day,

always making sure
if I needed anything.

You know, it was a big deal

to be married to one another.

We both love coffee,

and so we were walking
around one day and thought,

oh, we should open a coffee bar
on Main Street.

Like, that's what
this town needs.

So it ended up
kind of developing over time,

and a wine bar
became available.

So we ended up
taking the wine bar over,

right on Main Street
in downtown Acworth.

♪♪ ♪♪

ANDREA:
It is really cute here.

- So this is the old wine bar.

- This is the old wine bar.
- Yeah.

ANDREA: Wow.
JENIFER: Yeah.

It really became that hangout
for the neighborhood.

♪♪ ♪♪

There was definitely something
special about that time.

- It's been over 24 hours,

but Jenifer and I have been
a little bit busy

running our wine bar, so here's
our Ice Bucket Challenge.

Are you ready?
[both screaming]

[Jenifer laughing]

♪♪ ♪♪

We both, though, were
working full-time jobs,

at the same time trying
to run this wine bar.

So it wasn't easy.

We ended up selling it about
two years after we opened it.

KIM WIGINTON: But there were
things happening there,

and she never realized
anything was going on.

ANDREA: After, you know,
what happened in there,

is that hard for you
to walk by it?

Or are you kind of over that?
JENIFER: Yeah.

It happened everywhere.

I could let any
of this affect me.

I drive by it all
every single day.

- It's true.

- But I don't
because I want to be here.

And I have
so many good memories.

I have great memories
of the wine bar.

ANDREA: When she first started
living in Acworth,

Jen really was able to bounce
back and find opportunities

as a producer in Atlanta.

[soft music]

♪♪ ♪♪

JENIFER: Spencer continued
to teach video production,

now at Kell High School.

♪♪ ♪♪

And he was
Teacher of the Year twice.

He had a lot of respect
at the school.

♪♪ ♪♪

Spencer also continued
to be deployed on occasion

with the
Air National Guard Band.

- Good morning, kids.
Coach Herron again.

Wanted to give you a report
of what's going on today.

We played for a middle school
this morning,

really early, for almost


It was fabulous.
We had a great time.

So we got through with a huge
rehearsal with the Army band.

You can see all these
flags behind me.

We have this big ordeal

going on tonight
and tomorrow, nonstop.

We don't stop working,
and neither should you,

'cause I'm watching you.

You know what I'm
talking about.

- He would be deployed
for a little while,

and she would miss him
so badly.

And then Jenifer might go work
on a show

somewhere out of state,
and he would miss her.

♪♪ ♪♪

SPENCER:
Hello, gorgeous.

I am almost packed,

but I wanted you
to hear my voice

one last time in Germany

to tell you that I'm coming
home to you and I cannot wait.

- It was the ideal marriage.

[light music]

JENIFER:
I was working in Nashville,

and Spence had been home
from being deployed

for about six weeks.

So I finished up my show

and got up really early
that morning

to pack up my car,

head back home
to go see Spence again,

because we hadn't seen
each other very much.

He had been deployed
for five months.

♪♪ ♪♪

I was excited driving home.

I've got the windows down,

the music cranked up,
listening

to Natasha Bedingfield's
"Unwritten."

BEDINGFIELD:
♪♪ Feel the rain on your skin ♪♪

It was just one
of those beautiful days.

I pulled into the driveway
of our house,

expecting him
to come outside to greet me.

♪♪ ♪♪

And nothing this time.

Little did I know,
I was married to a man

who had done something
so horrible

that it would devastate our
lives and change us forever.

[ominous music]

JENIFER: Spence had been
deployed for five months,

so I'm going home
to see my husband.

And I parked,
but he didn't greet me.

He would always greet me when
I would come home, always.

And I just thought
it was really strange.

We've been married
seven years now,

and you don't come
and greet me anymore?

[dramatic music]

And I remember walking in
through the kitchen.

And I even shouted out to him

'cause I could see him sitting
in the living room.

And he doesn't move.

♪♪ ♪♪

He's just sitting
on the couch,

and I can see the back
of his head just hanging,

and he's shaking his head.

So I walk over to him.

♪♪ ♪♪

And he's just saying,
it's over, it's over, it's--

it's all over.

And I sat down next to him.

I said, what are
you talking about?

What's going on?

And there's this piece of paper

on the table in front of us,

and I notice that it says
"search warrant"

on the top of it.

And then I just remember seeing
the words "sexual as*ault"

and the word "student."

♪♪ ♪♪

I look up
over at the front door,

and it was a double door,

and there was a splinter
down the middle.

I was in such shock.

The police have been in our
house when we weren't there.

They kicked in the door
to get in.

I just thought that maybe
someone was accusing him

of doing something,

because there was no way

that he would have taken
advantage

of one of his students.

It just wasn't...

It couldn't be possible.

And I just got up and started
pacing back and forth.

And then the police
pulled up in the driveway.

SINGER:
♪♪ Love is ♪♪

♪♪ Our only battle ♪♪

[Laplace's
"My Blood Runs Cold"]

♪♪ ♪♪

- I opened the door for them,
which just feels so weird.

It was like I was welcoming
them into the home.

But I just knew
that was the next step.

They were coming in.

♪♪ ♪♪

As they're handcuffing Spence,
they didn't say anything.

When they arrested him,
they didn't say,

you have a right to remain
silent or anything like that.

They just handcuffed him.

And so I said, what are
you arresting him for?

Like, I wanted to know
exactly what it was,

because I thought that they
were supposed to tell you.

Well, he yells out,
don't tell her anything.

I didn't know
what to make of that.

Why was he saying that
so angrily?

The police didn't say a word.

As they are taking him
literally out our front door

and down the steps,
I yell out to the police,

he's a really nice person.

He's a really good person...

because I wanted them to know,

this must have just been
a mistake.

It couldn't be real.

SINGER:
♪♪ Fight ♪♪

♪♪ Or you'll sink like a stone
in the darkest night ♪♪

♪♪ In the darkest night ♪♪

♪♪ My blood runs cold ♪♪

♪♪ ♪♪

[dramatic music]

- I couldn't believe it.

I just watched my soul mate...

being led to a police car
down my driveway.

♪♪ ♪♪

- Teacher of the Year is
now charged with sex crimes.

- A lot of people didn't
believe that it was true.

- There had to be
something wrong--

maybe a student
who didn't like her grade,

or she made passes at him,
and he told her no.

- You don't always know
what the truth is.

I mean, someone can say
something about somebody

just to hurt their reputation--
you don't know.

- I would always want to know
the history of this person

making the complaint as well.

You know, what kind of history
do they have?

Could they have provoked
something like that?

- I had even told her,
Jenifer, I'll go to court.

I'll testify.
I'll testify for his character.

I thought, her husband
has been accused of something

that he obviously didn't do.

His career is ruined,

and here she is,
left standing alone

to pick up the pieces.

♪♪ ♪♪

JENIFER: There was
a lot of things going on

around this and not knowing
what was going to happen.

Are we going to be able
to bail him out?

I went and got cash
out of the bank.

And they gave Spence

a $50,000 cash bond.

So he couldn't get out,

because
that's just a lot of money.

ANDREA: Jen and Spencer
had just bought a house

within, I think,
that last year.

They didn't have the money.

With the bail set at that
level, he wasn't getting out.

SINGER: ♪♪ Everybody knows
that the truth is a liar ♪♪

♪♪ ♪♪

[vocalizing]

♪♪ ♪♪

- The story broke
about Spence's arrest

and was all over the news.

NEWSCASTER: A Cobb County
Teacher of the Year

has been indicted
on sexual-as*ault charges.

NEWSCASTER 2: Herron
is a video-production teacher

at Kell High School.

NEWSCASTER 3:
An investigation found

that a student is alleging
she had sex with Herron.

SINGER: ♪♪ Everybody knows
that the truth is a liar ♪♪

♪♪ ♪♪

[vocalizing]

JENIFER: I was getting phone
calls and texts all the time,

and people were making
comments about it

on Facebook and on his page.

My sister called me.

She said, you really need
to take down his social media.

So, two days
after Spence was arrested,

I got
into his Facebook account.

♪♪ ♪♪

That led me
into his email account.

So I get into his email.

[suspenseful music]

And I click on the folder
that says "photos."

And I start scrolling down,

and all of a sudden,

there's a photo
of a woman half-naked.

And then there's another one.

And then there's another
different woman, naked.

♪♪ ♪♪

And I just kept looking,

and it was woman
after woman after woman.

♪♪ ♪♪

And then I found emails

and messages

between him and these women.

♪♪ ♪♪

He was living a double life.

Who was this predator
that I was married to?

I never would have imagined

the scope of what he had done.

♪♪ ♪♪