03x03 - A Mind For m*rder

[bunniefuu]

[ominous music]

♪ ♪

Everything I thought my
life was going to be...

it's nothing like it.

When it comes to my stepfather
sexually molesting me,

I still think about
it to this day.

♪ ♪

After Justin got arrested,

he was constantly trying
to get me to recant...

♪ ♪

And change the story.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

And I got to a point where I
was like, I need it to stop.

♪ ♪

Tyler's young.

He's a teenager.

It was a tremendous amount
of stress to put on someone.

It obviously ate at him,

and I think he carried
so much of the weight

of, like, "Well, I'm the reason"

"Mom doesn't have the
house with the pool.

"I'm the reason Mom doesn't
have a husband anymore.

I'm the reason the kids
don't know their dad."

♪ ♪

And it led to Tyler wanting
to take his own life.

♪ ♪

How did knowing
this make you feel?

And what was going through
your mind as a mother?

STACEY: I think I
just thought, like,

everything that
Justin took from him.

And then here we are.

You know, he... Tyler doesn't
even want to live anymore.

♪ ♪

And I just kept thinking,
like, when is it going to end?

[ominous music]

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

ANDREA: When Tyler
attempts suicide,

he goes into a facility.

And it's there where
something changes.

TYLER: I stayed
for around a week.

I started working on myself.

There are times when
you really need to stop,

and then you can figure
out what to do next.

It's never too late to talk,
and it's never too late

for men to take those
first steps of recovery.

Ultimately, that's the
journey of a trauma survivor.

[soft music]

ANDREA: Tyler going away

really strengthens him.

But after that, there's a trial

where he's going to
have to go on the stand

and testify to what
happened to him.

But nobody wants that for him,

because he's already
carrying so much.

And so ultimately, the DA
offers Justin a plea deal.

STACEY: 15 to 30 years
for the original charges

of invasion of privacy,
r*pe of a child,

and r*pe of an
unconscious victim.

MEG: My name is Meg McCallum.

I am a supervising
assistant district attorney

with the Berks County
District Attorney's office

in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Most cases end up
in a plea agreement,

but Justin turned it down.

We thought we were
going to go to trial.

MIKAYLA: That's where
I was getting annoyed,

because I was like, why
do we need to go to trial?

Just save everybody
the bullshit,

admit your wrongdoings,
and let's move on.

[message dings]

[ominous music]

♪ ♪

STACEY: At that time,
Justin's letters to me

kind of started to slack off,

and he stopped asking
about Tyler recanting.

The communication with
Stacey basically stops,

but he's writing to Nanny.

And in these letters, he's
getting more desperate.

His freedom is in the balance.

♪ ♪

The detectives called me
and said that they had

intercepted letters
between Justin and Nanny

where he was asking
her to k*ll Tyler.

MIKE: My name is Mike Fick.

I'm a sergeant with
the Berks County

District Attorney's office.

He felt if he could
eliminate Tyler,

he wasn't worried
about the other victim,

because he felt that
that case would not have

been that strong, and then
that case would go away.

I almost just found it humorous.

She's almost 70 years old,

smokes like a damn chimney.

[laughs] Like that's
going to happen.

But it did kind of start
to not get so funny

when I found out through
detectives that those letters

turned into him trying to
find somebody to m*rder me.

MIKE: Detective Weaver and I
actually drove to her house

and confronted her about
the jailhouse letters.

♪ ♪

She really didn't
want to cooperate.

And at that point,
I was thinking of

trying to charge her
as a co-defendant,

because in the letters,
Justin was asking her

to locate someone to
have Tyler k*lled.

And I mentioned that to her,

and then I believe she felt
a little different then.

I asked her, "Why wouldn't
you go and report that?"

And she said,
"Because I know that

I wasn't going to do
anything about it."

♪ ♪

You know, I just pulled
one of the letters

that he wrote to Nanny D.

And when you read the severity
in which he's writing about

this m*rder-for-hire
plot, it's really serious.

I mean, he writes, "No
more f*cking around.

"We both tried to avoid
this by asking nicely.

"Please just do it.

"I am begging you.

"It needs to be done ASAP.

"It's either you or
take a bus and you go

"downtown Martinsburg
and look for a druggie.

"Just get it done.

"Offer 5 to 10, pay after, cash.

"It's either that or me.

"And if you don't choose for me,

I'll assume you don't
believe me, Nanny."

I mean, he seems really
serious about this.

Mm-hmm.

You know, when the police
came down to tell me that,

I was... I was devastated.

♪ ♪

TOMMY: It became
really real that, like,

this dude's actively
trying to k*ll my family.

You've already taken
so much, right?

Like, you stripped his
childhood from him.

And now you want to
take his life too?

I get being desperate, man,
but, like, come on now.

♪ ♪

MIKE: When we got possession
of the jailhouse letters,

I wanted to arrest him for that.

At that point, we were told
they felt we needed more.

♪ ♪

STACEY: They just kept saying
that he was blowing smoke.

That's not blowing smoke,
you know, making a plan.

Specific as sh*t.

-Specific.
-Yeah.

-Right.
-That's not blowing smoke.

We're talking about
your son's life.

Yeah.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

Justin had went to his
cellmate at the time

and went to him
about k*lling me,

because he was due to get out.

And he told the police.

♪ ♪

MIKAYLA: They asked if
they could wire him,

and he said yes.

♪ ♪

And so that's how
they got exactly

what he was planning to do.

STACEY: The person was
to wait in our driveway.

And when Tyler got off work,

they were to k*ll
him painlessly.

And then he wanted him
either buried in a forest

or burned in a barrel.

MIKE: He actually gave details

and had given him a layout
of the home and, you know,

explained different
scenarios on how to k*ll him.

You know, make sure that
there's no evidence,

and said, "When I
get out of here,

I'll make sure that
you're comfortable."

He stepped way over that line.

♪ ♪

ANDREA: And that led
to additional charges

being filed against Justin

for solicitation
to commit m*rder.

♪ ♪

A doctor who's in
jail is now accused

in a m*rder-for-hire plot.

REPORTER: Rutherford is now
facing criminal solicitation

to commit m*rder charges.

♪ ♪

MIKAYLA: The problem
was because the sexual

and invasion of privacy
case was already going on,

they couldn't add the
hit-for-hire to that.

That was going to be a
whole different charge,

whole different case.

When the police called
me to tell me that

he was being formally charged,

they told me he knew
the layout of my house

because of video chatting
with the little ones

when he was first in jail.

And I immediately felt guilty.

I thought I was just
doing the right thing,

letting my children
talk to their father.

♪ ♪

[indistinct chatter]

Even though he was
formally charged,

I didn't know if
someone else had

taken him seriously
inside of there.

TOMMY: That was a
little terrifying,

because maybe somebody said,
"Yeah, I'll do it for $500,

or I'll do it for free."

There's always that possibility.

And that's what my mindset
was pretty much every day.

You start to question
almost everybody

that looks a little sketchy.

STACEY: And at that
time, I had his g*n,

and I kept it on
the side of the bed.

I wasn't afraid to sh**t to k*ll

if somebody came in our
house, to protect my kids.

♪ ♪

[indistinct chatter]

ANDREA: Initially, Justin
turned down the plea deal,

the 15 to 30 years for
the invasion of privacy

and sexual as*ault.

But leading up to trial,

he changes his tune,

and he decides to plead guilty.

[dramatic music]

STACEY: His plea
deal dropped a lot

of the invasion of
privacy charges.

They kept the sexual
abuse of children

and r*pe of an
unconscious person.

I knew there was enough
evidence to bury him.

I just didn't know what
he was going to get.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

[tense music]

♪ ♪

I remember walking
into the courtroom,

and I was, like, so ready.

I was, like, maybe
we'll get a good judge

who'll just ream his a*s.

♪ ♪

LESLIE: At the sentencing,
holding in the anger was hard,

but I didn't care about
my feelings at that time.

I was just there for support.

The only person that was
there for Justin was Nanny.

♪ ♪

I wrote and rewrote my victim
impact statement so many times,

because every time
I would write it,

I wouldn't think
it was good enough.

[stirring music]

I wanted it perfect.

♪ ♪

"The last two years
of our lives have been

a complete nightmare
because of you.

"You once held
honorable names...

"husband, father,
doctor, and friend.

"Now the words to define
you are pedophile, monster,

"narcissist,
sociopath, and coward.

"You wanted mercy shown to you,

"but how many times
did you show him mercy?

"When plotting his death,
did you extend mercy to him?

"There are a lot of things
that you have taken from us,

"but you will not take the lives

"we still have left to live

"or the plan that God
has for our lives,

and you will not take
another thing from Tyler."

♪ ♪

I felt that she was
speaking from her heart.

He might have broken the family,

but he did not break her.

[soft music]

MIKAYLA: It was very powerful.

I don't think there was
a dry eye in the room.

♪ ♪

TYLER: It was nice.

It was good to see
her have her moment.

♪ ♪

STACEY: I had given my
victim impact statement,

and the judge had asked if
there was anybody else left

that wanted to speak.

MIKAYLA: It was quiet, and
we were about to move on.

And then Tyler, like, stood up.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

TYLER: I kept quiet for years.

I didn't want to hurt
anybody, especially my mom.

But I just knew if I didn't get

what was on my chest
off of my chest,

I'd probably regret it
for the rest of my life.

♪ ♪

Then it was, like, dead silent.

TYLER: It felt
like my heart was,

like, racing out of my chest.

But once I got into
it, it just came to me.

♪ ♪

I basically just told
him I was going to have

that successful life he
always worked so hard for.

I was going to be the
good father he never was.

STACEY: "I'm going
to have the family

that you used to have."

MIKAYLA: "You don't
control me anymore.

And what you thought you
stole from me, you didn't."

I'm out here free, and
you're the one in chains.

♪ ♪

TYLER: Justin was sexually
molesting me for years.

If I didn't do what he
wanted, he'd get very angry.

And then I would...
I would give in.

But I showed him who was
in charge, and it was me.

♪ ♪

[exhales sharply]

So proud of him.

I thought that was
incredibly strong and brave.

♪ ♪

And I can't imagine
the courage it took

to do something like that.

I wanted to get up and
just start, like...

[clapping] Yay, you!

You know, like, that
was f*cking awesome!

Like, I was so happy for him.

That's exactly
what Tyler needed.

♪ ♪

STACEY: He kept Tyler bound
for a really long time.

And I think it was a moment
that Tyler finally felt free.

♪ ♪

TYLER: I walked back to my seat,

and I was like, I'm the man.

♪ ♪

MEG: Every defendant
has the right

to speak on their own
behalf, but I was not aware

that Justin was
actually going to speak.

♪ ♪

STACEY: He was able
to speak to the judge,

and then he asked
to address Tyler.

♪ ♪

[suspenseful music]

♪ ♪

TYLER: Justin
pulled out a letter,

and the judge stopped him.

And she was like,
"Wait, wait, wait."

STACEY: And she kind of said,

"Do you care to
hear this from him?"

Before anyone could really
even, like, get a word out,

I, like, just blurted out,
like, "Hey, just let him.

Just let him talk."

He explained his love
for me very deeply,

and he thought we were
basically together.

MIKAYLA: "I loved you."

"I was in love with you.

If I was hurting you, you
should have just told me."

The whole time
you're sitting there,

you're like, what
are you saying?

STACEY: And he told him,
"You were the only person

I ever planned on
being like that with."

How can you say that you
weren't assaulting my child,

but then turn around and say,

"But you were the only person

I had ever planned to
be with like that"?

It was like, you
just admitted it.

And then he compared
their relationship

to Demi Moore and
Ashton Kutcher.

♪ ♪

What the f*ck?

No matter what the
circumstances are,

you were the adult
in the situation

and should not be in
love with a child.

The whole courtroom,
everybody was disgusted.

You could look around and
see the face of disgust

on every single person.

♪ ♪

LESLIE: I was ready
to jump over the table

and choke him with
my own two hands.

The judge put her
hands to her face,

took her glasses off,

just shaking her
head back and forth.

[solemn music]

All the policemen just
shaking their heads as well.

♪ ♪

It's like this man who
was... who was so smart

became one of the stupidest
people I've ever met.

To this day, I still
can't understand

why his lawyer allowed
that to happen.

But good on him for
letting it happen.

♪ ♪

TYLER: It was hard to listen to.

I'm not really a crier,

but, like, that...
that really hit me.

♪ ♪

It was, like, a pissed cry.

Like, it's almost like he isn't
even trying to defend himself.

♪ ♪

ANTHONY: These groomers,

no one believes
it more than them.

They believe they're
doing the right thing.

It is so pathological,
which it is,

that we can't apply our
regular rules to it.

It doesn't make sense.

[dramatic music]

ANDREA: Before the judge
could decide Justin's fate,

both sides could argue what
they deem as a fair sentence.

♪ ♪

MEG: I consistently ask
for no contact provisions

for any minor child

as part of a sentence
for any sex offender.

She was pushing for the full
sentence, 24 to 70 years.

♪ ♪

And then when
everything was over,

it took the judge 13 minutes
to decide his sentence.

♪ ♪

Former Berks County
doctor has been sentenced

to up to 70 years in prison.

Investigators say he sexually
assaulted two underage victims

and used a hidden
camera to record people

in the bathroom of his
home in Amity Township.

♪ ♪

STACEY: Justin's sentence
was 26 years and 10 months

to 70 years, with 12
years of special probation

after he is released.

And he also is to
have no contact with

any of the victims'
immediate family members,

which includes his
biological children.

♪ ♪

TYLER: I mean,
everything they said

in there, it didn't faze him.

He didn't move a muscle.

The second they said,
"You'll never see your kids

or talk to your kids again,"

his body language was different.

His face drooped.

And he, like, you
know, fixed himself.

And he was, like, "Your Honor?"

And she said, "Yes?"

And he said,

"But when my kids turn 18,
I can talk to them, right?"

And I remember, she
took her glasses off,

and she's, like, "Let
me make myself clear.

"For as long as you live,
and unless you live to be

"over 90-something years old,

you will never speak to
your children again."

♪ ♪

She was pissed.

And she threw the book at him.

♪ ♪

MIKAYLA: The look on his face
was, like, fully defeated.

And it was such a good
feeling to be like,

"Yeah, the kids are safe."

Never heard of a
pedophile who was cured.

I've heard of a pedophile
who no longer perpetrated

because they were
separated from kids.

And we have that ability.

♪ ♪

STACEY: He is registered
as a sex offender now

on Megan's Law.

And he is the worst level of
offender that you can have.

He's deemed a sexually
violent predator.

He will be on that list
the rest of his life.

If you want my opinion,

what he deserves is a
slow, painful death.

[tense music]

And you know what?

I'm getting a master's degree.

Tyler's doing wonderful in life.

So whatever f*cking plan
you thought you had,

you didn't get any of us.

And just to let you
know, your kids will be

taken care of as
long as I'm alive,

so they don't f*cking need you.

♪ ♪

I told everyone after the
court hearing was over that

that was my time to
start living my life.

The trauma is still
obviously a part of me.

I still got to work on myself.

But he's in prison now.

We got our justice.

I'll take that as my win.

♪ ♪

[tense music]

♪ ♪

MEG: As a community, it
is shocking for people

to believe that a
doctor, a stepfather,

a person who we
pour our trust in

could do these types of things.

And when things
like this come out,

you know, it's scary.

♪ ♪

People were very upset.

And now, every time, you know,
a parent brings their child in

where the doctor was
employed at, you know,

that's always going to be
in the back of their mind.

Can I trust this person?


when they say, "Hey..."

In this case, "Justin
was abusing Tyler,"

people are like,
"He's the last person

"I would have
thought," you know?

It's always the last person.

Well, then let's
kind of rethink this.

The only way we
can battle this is

to get people talking about it.

And so the only way we can
do that is to break stigma,

which is to do things like this.

We have to realize
that it exists.

[tense music]

STACEY: The original
hearing for Tyler's case

and the cameras
was in May of '23.

♪ ♪

And then the following
February of '24

was when we went to court
for the m*rder-for-hire plot.

And he ended up taking
a plea deal on that.

♪ ♪

ANDREA: Justin's plea deal was


run concurrently

with his existing sentence.

♪ ♪

What Stacey wanted was closure.

And that was good
enough for her.

STACEY: We're all
playing it safe.

Fold.

I don't think I like our dealer.

TYLER: I got the high, so I won.

Eh, whatever.

TYLER: My money.
-Whatever. It's cool.

TOMMY: Loser.

Did you guys play poker a lot?

MIKAYLA: Like,
almost every weekend.

STACEY: Yeah. ANDREA:
Every weekend?

Was Tommy always the dealer?

No, Justin was
always our dealer.

TOMMY: Yeah, I don't
think we've played

poker together since then.

He took it a lot more seriously.

What I find remarkable
about this family

is their resilience.

I mean, they're able
to still do things

that they used to do with Justin

and have a good sense
of humor about it.

You know, for as dark as
things have been for them,

there's a lot of laughter.

And there's so much love.

It is inspiring.

And, I mean, they are
such a great family.

After the sentencing hearing,

what was that experience
like for you guys?

The whole thing just
didn't feel real yet.

Yeah, it felt like we were
in, like, a simulation.

It was definitely,
like, very detached.

ANDREA: Yeah, did you
guys have to leave

the courthouse with Nanny?

Yeah, and she
actually talked to us.

I think she said something
along the lines of,

"Justin wrote me a letter,"

and that he had wrote a
book of his life story

and explaining everything.

And that if I wanted to read it,

I had to go to her
house to read this,

because he didn't want anybody
to get their hands on it.

But I never got it from her.

For me, it's just lies.

ANDREA: Was that
hard for you guys,

knowing that she was
supporting him so blindly?

Not really. Not to me, at least.

STACEY: Her part of our
story is very hard for people

to understand because
they don't understand

the dynamic of the relationship
between him and her.

This is basically a mother
sticking by her son.

So is Nanny in your life now?

What's the relationship there?

STACEY: Are there things
that I don't agree with

that Nanny has done
in this situation?

Absolutely.

But she was very much
a grandmother figure

in the house for the kids.

She would shank
somebody for them.

So she does help me
out with watching them

if they are sick

or if she can pick
them up at school.

I think people forget that
the littles lost their dad.

STACEY: Oh, they
lost everything.

It's hard to verbalize,

but she was a safe
space for them

at a point where I couldn't
be anybody's safe space.

[solemn music]

So I wanted them
to have somebody

that was comfortable...
they were comfortable with

and they felt safe with.

♪ ♪

I'm sorry.

ANDREA: It's OK.

TOMMY: On that note, all in.

Tommy, Jesus!

[interposing voices]



I didn't have a


♪ ♪

MIKAYLA: I think
there's a part of me

that has been hoping
that, like, by now,

Mom would be healed.

It's just, like, hard to watch

that she's still,
like, suffering

at the hands of this guy.

MIKAYLA:

I struggle with
wishing he would die.

♪ ♪

I want to put my
hands around his neck,

and I want to watch him
as he drifts into hell.

♪ ♪

And I know that's something that

I have to deal with with God.

[solemn music]

♪ ♪

I'd like to see
her doing better.

♪ ♪

But I think she's...

she's getting to a better place.

ANDREA: You know, the
podcast is dedicated

to sharing deceptions
and its aftermath,

but then the
resilience, you know.

People are strong,
and they come out

on the other side of it.

So Stacey's future is bright,

and her family's
future is bright.

♪ ♪

STACEY: I'm blessed,
and I have a good life,

and I'm thankful every
day for what we have.

But there's still a lot of
healing that needs to happen.

But it's coming.

Personally, it
took a while for me

to start feeling relief
from all of this.

I've learned to kind
of be proud of myself

and happy with myself.

But I also want people to
know that I'm not perfect.

I wake up most days
feeling pretty bad.

One of my biggest problems
throughout everything

was anxiety.

I kind of tried to work on
that so hard that, like,

I kind of discounted
other things.

Like, anger is one of them.

I feel more angry
than I used to.

I used to feel more sad.

But there's also that light
at the end of the tunnel.

You just got to want it.

You got to work hard.

♪ ♪

STACEY: We were paired
with the organization 1in6

through the podcast, and we
got to meet Anthony Edwards.

Anthony was assaulted
by one of his mentors.

And he paired with
this organization

to be a voice for them.

I think it's just an
amazing organization that

offers resources
for men and boys

who have been
sexually assaulted.

So life's been good?

Yeah, life's been pretty
good the last year, yeah.

Lately, I've really
just been trying

to figure out what I like and
what I enjoy and who I am.

Recovery is about recovering
that piece of you.

So it's like, yeah,
it feels better,

because you get to be
more Tyler than ever.

TYLER: I got a good job.

I'm currently working
on a personal trainer

certification on the side.

And a lot of people think
it's crazy, but I got engaged.

Congratulations.

That is huge.

TYLER: We love each other,

loyal to each other,

always there for each other.

I mean, it's all I need.

Your mom approves?

Not that it matters.

No, no.

Yeah, no, but my mom
loves her too, yeah.

You know, any step
that someone takes

in this direction will be a
step in the right direction.

I mean, I'm a dad.

I've seen kids grow.

And he has really grown.


I would have never

pictured being where I am now.

From the jump, it was, OK,
I'm going to keep this in.

No one's ever going to
know, the rest of my life.

And, like, once I
finally got it out,

I realized it felt
freeing to talk about it.

ANTHONY: You being able to tell
your story is so exceptional.

I mean, how old were you
when you first talked?

You were like...



Yeah, 16, 17.

I mean, that's a
time when, you know,

most men are still
listening to that, like,

"No, don't show weakness."

You know, I was 52 before I
started really looking at it.

Just because we're men, it
doesn't mean we're weak.

We're still strong.

It doesn't mean we're not a man.

More kids are going to
get hurt and stay silent

like I did when
people don't share.

So from a lot of survivors
in the world that I've met,

I've heard from them,
and they're saying,

"Tell Tyler thanks."

It's a real gift
you've given to people.

[soft music]

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪