Dec. 14, 2025

DTL - Part 7: The Journal

DTL - Part 7: The Journal
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Season 9

Geralyn Desoto’s life came to a tragic end when the 21 year old LSU graduate was murdered in her home in Addis, Louisiana on January 14th 2002.  The initial investigation and discovery of a journal kept by Geralyn would place her husband at the center of the investigation as the prime suspect, Meanwhile, her killer, would go undetected and free to proceed with a series of violent murders yet to be committed.

Derrick Todd Lee (DTL) terrorized the Baton Rouge and Lafayette Louisiana. A Serial Killer who took the lives of at least (7) women in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Lee’s reign of terror finally ended in late May of 2003 when he was captured in Atlanta, GA after being linked by DNA to several of the murders.

This is DTL 

Hosted by Kelly Jennings and produced by the experts at Envision Podcast Productions.

For Media or Advertising Inquiries 
Envisionpodcaststudios@gmail.com

#DTL #podcast #DerrickToddLee #BatonRouge #SerialKiller #unspeakable #Serial #LSU  #GeralynDesoto  

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In the sultry heat of Louisiana, where the bayous whisper

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secrets and the air hangs heavy with the scent of magnolias,

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a darkness lurked beneath the surface. Derrick Todd Lee was

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a man whose charm masked a sinister reality. He was

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a monster. Lee, a seemingly ordinary man with a disarming smile,

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led a double life that would unravel in a series

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of murders in the capital city of Baton Rouge and

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the surrounding areas. As the first reports of disappearances and

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murders began to surface, South Louisiana was thrust into a nightmare,

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igniting a frantic search for answers. The true horror was

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just beginning, and the hunt for a serial killer eventually

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known by just three letters, would reveal not only the

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depths of Derreck Todd Lee's depravity, but also the resilience

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of those most affected by his evil acts, the families

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and the survivors. This is dtl With Gina Greene's unsolved

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murder fresh on the minds of investigators in Baton Rouge,

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Zachary P. D was also dealing with a suspect of

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their own a man thought to be responsible for two

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murders and a violent attack in a cemetery. Not to

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mention the numerous peeping tom reports, but Zachary PD had

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something come to their attention that they thought would be

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the nail in the coffin for Derek Todd Lee, and

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it was the fact he was a thief. See, Derek

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had helped his cousin move at some point in two

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thousand and one. When doing so, he took it upon

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himself to steal his cousin's gun, a twenty two rifle.

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Well technically it wasn't his cousin's gun, it was his

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cousin's boyfriend's gun, but same difference. This would prove an

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easy way to get some cash, and that's just what

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he did pawn The gun problem was the gun had

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been reported stolen. When it was pawned, it was flagged.

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But by flagged, I don't mean with the technology of

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twenty twenty five. Today, anything with the serial number is

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entered into a system by the pawn shop that's receiving

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the goods, and if the item they received is flag stolen,

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a match can be investigated. But back in two thousand

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and one, things were different and technology wasn't caught up

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with the criminals. Yet. When Lee pawned the gun at

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Easy Pawn on Airline Highway in Baton Rouge, the shop

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owner did notify local police. When they arrived to retrieve it,

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laws would hinder them from getting it. It had to

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be relinquished to the city police or the Sheriff of

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the Baton Rouge City. Zachary PD did go through the

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proper channels to try and get the weapon, and eventually

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they were able to take it. And now that weapon

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was back at Zachary PD. As luck would have it,

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the gun was leaning in an office one minute and

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gone the next, whether an accidental'll pick up by someone

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on the force or mistaken as a different weapons someone

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was supposed to take. The gun simply went missing. A

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few months would pass and it would be found, but

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the problem became that the chain of custody had been broken. Basically,

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when a piece of evidence is collected, it must be

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logged and then kept under tight custody at all times.

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Now that that gun had gone missing for a period

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of time, that chain of custody was broken, and any

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lawyer worth their salt would be able to argue the

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evidence was useless. This could have been a felon in

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possession of a firearm charge and he would have gone

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straight to prison, but it was what it was. Derek

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would get to slide due to this technicality, But then

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January of two thousand and two would roll around. Back then,

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same as now, Dow Chemical was one of the largest

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employers in South Louisiana, with an annual payroll somewhere around

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three hundred and thirty five million. It's obvious that this

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is where a lot of people make a living in

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the state. Dal proudly serves as the largest petrochemical company

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in the state, with sites all over, including the city

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of Placamen. If you're from the nearby Baton Rouge area,

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it's often referred to as a located quote unquote just

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across the river. That's because the Mississippi River makes its

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way to the port of Greater Baton Rouge, the sixth

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largest port in the country, handling the daily load and

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unloading of vessels and barges. The Mississippi River Bridge acts

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as the main route from Baton Rouge to Placamen. The

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city of Hospitality is touched between the swamps of the

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Achafalaya and the state capital of Baton Rouge and Placamen.

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It just has that old time feel about it and

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it was the perfect place for Jerrelyn de Soto to

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establish her home. Jerrelyn, whose nickname was Sissy, was born

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on April eighteenth, nineteen eighty and by two thousand and

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two she had grown into an intelligent twenty one year

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old woman. While most students would take four years to

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graduate from high school, she was able to accomplish at

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in just three, graduating as a junior from Avoyle's High School.

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A straight A student her whole life, she had a

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goin on, athletic smart and a heart of gold. She

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was a higher education institution's dream student, and she was

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a go getter who refused failure in all aspects of

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her life. She wanted to always be the best that

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she could be at everything. Why do it if you're

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not going to give it your all? That was her

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basic thought process. She had dated her first love, his

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name was John, for a few years in high school,

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but that sadly came to an end. But just before graduation,

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she met a new boy and his name was Darren.

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He had already graduated high school, but they were attracted

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to one another and the relationship would become official after

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she graduated. Though, she was ready to take to the

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isle the church aisle Darren had proposed, and although they

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were young, she was ecstatic to become missus DeSoto. Mama

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Melanie and Daddy John they were excited too. Now. Funds

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were tight, but Daddy was gonna make Sissy's wedding dreams

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come true. He worked at the Cotton Port prison, teaching

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inmates mechanic skills by day, but he also owned a

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body shop on the side that he worked late hours,

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scripping up the money for Cissy's big day. Now, Mama,

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she wasn't just sitting by idle either. Now she worked

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as an office manager at the local cotton gin, making

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a little money, but she was crafty as all get out.

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This meant Mama could do all of the decorations herself.

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She had made her kid's clothing for years, so a wedding, well,

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that was gonna be a piece of cake. There was

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only one complaint. Why did Cissy have to have blue

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as her bride'smaid's color? Now Mama had to pay extra

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to have the shoes dyed blue. Jerland's favorite color was

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hunter green anyway, but guess what Mama made it happen.

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Mama also got to work making the decorations after Sissy

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lined out her exact wants and wishes. Most special was

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that Mama made her veil the symbolic item to be

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lifted as her girl was given away. And the wedding

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was a blast, with her sisters by her side as

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bridesmaids and her best declare as her maid of honor.

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They watched as Jerrelyne Barr became missus Jerlyn DeSoto. They

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married at the Plocheville Catholic Church and they had a

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simple honeymoon at an airbnb before starting their lives as

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man and wife. At the time, Jerrelyn was enrolled at

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Louisiana College, but because of Darren's job, they would be

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moving to Addis, Louisiana, and as such she would transfer

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to the amazing campus of LSU to complete her studies.

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She promptly enrolled and continued to pursue her degree with

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ultimate dreams of completing physical therapy school. Jerlyn was not

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only loving, but she was also so very kind. A

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gentleness about her spirit was evident when you met her.

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She felt things deeply, although not always one to speak

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up about it. But she was no pushover y'all. She

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had a competitive side, especially when it came to basketball.

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She loved to play and she was good at it.

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And maybe that competitiveness was learned because she had to

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share a home with two sisters, both Brandy and Heather

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there her whole life. But the girls were raised by

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great parents who taught them the important things in life,

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like loving one another. Jerrelyn was young, just twenty one

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years old, but she was making her own way on

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her own terms, all the while chasing her dream. But

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while chasing your dream sounds great rolling off the tongue,

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the realities of life were also at play. Jerrelyn's marriage

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to Darren wasn't turning out to be quite what she

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had expected. She came from a family that was loving

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and supportive, but was now the better half of a

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man who could really be volatile. He was prone to

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yell and to curse at her, and he constantly questioned

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what was she doing and who was she talking to?

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How had things changed so rapidly? All in all, married

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life was just depressing. Pretty early on, she would often

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lean on friends to vent, but eventually they even grew

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tired of her not being happy. They weren't tired of her.

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They wanted to just see her happy and smiling and thriving,

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not stuck in this cycle of sadness, always hoping for

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more than her husband was willing to give. Emotionally, but physically,

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she was also enduring more than what many may have realized.

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Pushing and slapping that was now part of her marriage,

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and recently, in an argument, Darren had even stabbed her

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in the leg with a fork. Did he really mean

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it or was he just overreacting during their argument? She

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loved Darren, but she needed more than just the title

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of wife. So many women have been in her position before,

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and what had they done. Should she stay and work

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it out or should she just call it quits. Oftentimes

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she would play her thoughts in a diary, committing them

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to written word, just to get them off of her chest.

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But one thing for certain was that her daddy never

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spoke to her the way that her husband did. Now.

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He loved her so dearly and wore the World's Best

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Father t shirt she gave him. He told her that

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he was proud of her and that she was a winner.

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Sissy just couldn't bear the thought of failing at marriage

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and letting her parents down. All of this in her mind,

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at least, love is supposed to be patient and kind.

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It doesn't envy or boast, and it certainly doesn't berate

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you when you gain weight. But Darren did. Her clothes

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had gotten a bit tighter, and it bothered him a

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why should look good for her? Man? That was his sentiment. Basically,

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it seemed like Darren wanted Jarrelyn, but not to be

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married to her. More like he wanted control of her,

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but not for good reason. Both of them, However, they

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hid this fact behind closed doors. They had settled into

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a small trailer park. The start of their marriage would

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be there, but with hopes of one day buying a house.

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Their trailer was simple, a two bedroom, one bath house,

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small and pale blue in color, but it was home.

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Funds were limited, though, so Mama and Daddy did what

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they always did, and they showed up helping Jerylyn make

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some repairs and some minor updates to the house. And

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Jerlyn so appreciated all that they did for her. They

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loved her so much and they always showed up for her.

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Jerlyn would then decorate with one of her favorite things, angels.

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She loved their beauty and everything that they stood for.

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So while she had converted to Catholicism so that she

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and Darren could get married, because you know, Darren was

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a Catholic and she wasn't. She loved God and would

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be officially saved just six months before tragedy would strike.

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For now, Darren spent his days working for XRI testing

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at the Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation in Grammercy, while Sissy,

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she was still a full time student at LSU. She

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did have a part time job on campus, but Darren

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was absolutely the breadwinner, and because the plant was about

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forty five minutes from their home, Darren would leave very

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early in the morning and not return until after dark

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on most days. In order for them to keep in touch,

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Darren had purchased them next Tell phones with that new technology,

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the walky talkie feature, and they spoke many times throughout

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the day using that very feature. Another man was also

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traveling that same highway to work daily, a dangerous man

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who it seemed became extremely violent every time he would

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lose a job, and his name was Dereck Todd Lee,

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and he was about to get some bad news. On

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January eleventh, two thousand and two. There would be no

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need for him to report to work that day because

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he was being laid off, and for three days he

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would stew on that information. On January fourteenth, to two

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thousand and two, Darren de Soto left for work like

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every other day, and Jerlyn too. She had plans for

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that day. While anyone would hate to part with their

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hard earned money, Jerrelyn on this day was happy to

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go and pay her tuition for grad school. When her

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black Mustang pulled up and parked on Elishu's campus, she

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met up with her friend and co worker, Jonathan. He

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was on the clock that day, but the two of

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them walked together to Thomas Boyd Hall, just behind the

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Lshue Parade grounds for her to pay her school fees.

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They chatted as they walked because Jonathan he couldn't be

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gone long from the office, but he did make time

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to talk with his friend. Jerlyn paid her fees and

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then the two started to walk back towards her car

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near the Greek Theater in the Student Health Center. They

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chatted a bit and they hugged briefly before parting ways.

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Jonathan had to get back to work, while Jerrelyn had

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to get dressed for a very important job interview she

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had later that day. Returning back to the house, she

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spoke to Darren briefly around ten thirty to update him

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00:13:57.559 --> 00:13:59.919
on her plans, and then she sat down to write

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00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:04.080
an email. Doctor Eve Tyler had been advising Jerylyn on

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best practices for getting into grad school and it had

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paid off. As such. Before she started getting dressed, Jerlyn

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felt it necessary to thank her for her guidance. She

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sat and thought carefully about what she wanted to say.

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Most importantly, she wanted to thank doctor Tyler for having

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faith in her. She really needed that. Jerlyn had away

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with words, loving to write in her diary and expressing

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on paper what she didn't necessarily say out loud. She

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had always had an artist's soul, if you will, even

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known for her intricate drawings when she was younger and

254
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in school, and art in any form is expression, and

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Jerlyn would artfully put to words just how thankful she

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was for the guidance she had received. Jerlyn pushed send

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on that very email at eleven forty one a m.

258
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The Desoto's trailer was on lot number nine of thirty

259
00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:02.639
two total, but it wasn't close to Highway One. It

260
00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:06.399
was actually physically twenty three trailers back from the highway

261
00:15:06.759 --> 00:15:09.480
off of a service road, so to see the trailer

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it would have to be intentional. At the same time

263
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Jarrelyn was writing the email, Dereck Todd Lee was traveling

264
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Highway One on his way to pick up his final

265
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paycheck after being laid off. He had murdered Gina Green

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00:15:23.960 --> 00:15:28.399
four months prior, but now he was back boiling with anger.

267
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No job meant no money, and someone would pay the

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price for the inconvenience. Nobody lays off Derreck Lee. Jerrelyn

269
00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:40.440
had gotten a new outfit for the interview, and it

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00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:44.320
made her feel so confident. She was sure to while

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the interviewer not only with her personality, but she was

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00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:50.399
also going to look the part. She laid her close

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00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:52.720
out on the bed and was just about to get

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changed when she heard an unexpected knock at the door.

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Maybe it was one of the neighbor kids or something,

276
00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:02.399
because she wasn't expecting anyone. She made her way down

277
00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:04.720
the hall and unlocked the dead bolt, and as she

278
00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:08.080
opened the door, a well dressed black man was standing

279
00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:11.360
right before her. She gave a smile and he smiled back,

280
00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:14.440
obviously a bit embarrassed, but he asked if he could

281
00:16:14.440 --> 00:16:17.840
borrow her phone. He didn't have his and he needed

282
00:16:17.879 --> 00:16:22.000
to call a friend. Car issues likely the problem. Well,

283
00:16:22.039 --> 00:16:25.120
of course, Jerlyn knew how it felt to be out

284
00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:27.840
of place, away from your comfort zone, and she was

285
00:16:27.879 --> 00:16:31.080
happy to help the man out. Leaving the door slightly open,

286
00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:34.519
she turned and she grabbed the cordless phone for him.

287
00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:37.240
But as she pushed open the glass storm door to

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00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:41.240
hand over the phone, their eyes met just for a flash,

289
00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:45.120
and that gentle smile from the stranger just in front

290
00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:49.159
of her that just seconds before now was smiling, it

291
00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:54.799
switched into the look of anger and disgust. Jerrelyn's eyes widened,

292
00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:57.200
but it was far too late, as that man came

293
00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:00.759
crashing through the front door, full force, so wiping and

294
00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:03.720
grabbing at her with every inch forward. She had been

295
00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:05.880
ruffed up before in the past by a man, but

296
00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:10.319
this wasn't just male ego here. This was brutality and

297
00:17:10.400 --> 00:17:13.279
nothing like she had ever been up against before. It

298
00:17:13.319 --> 00:17:16.200
almost didn't seem real until he took the phone she

299
00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:19.039
had handed him, and he smashed the phone down into

300
00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:22.519
her face as hard as he could possibly swing, using

301
00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:24.920
both of her arms. She covered her face and her

302
00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:27.640
head instinctually trying to duck down out of the way

303
00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:30.319
as he took the phone, and he continued to smash

304
00:17:30.359 --> 00:17:33.799
into her facial bones again. He struck her so hard

305
00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:37.039
that in that instant she was now suffering the effects

306
00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:41.920
of a skull fracture that penetrated straight into her brain tissue.

307
00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:44.519
She turned towards the hallway, trying to run from this

308
00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:48.599
crazed attacker. But for every near silent footstep that she

309
00:17:48.640 --> 00:17:52.000
stumbled across the carpet, a steel toed boot shook the

310
00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:55.759
thin trailer floor behind her as he gave chase. As

311
00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:59.359
with every woman so far, Jarrelyn was running to her

312
00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:03.559
normal place of safety, her bedroom, But the idea of

313
00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:07.400
safety it was now just a facade, a pipe dream,

314
00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:10.960
non existent honestly, but it was all she had to

315
00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:14.880
cling to, and with her head throbbing in pain, nausea

316
00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:18.279
hitting her at maximum level, and her vision now blurring,

317
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Jarrolyn refused to fall. The athlete in her wouldn't allow it,

318
00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:26.759
bumping into the walls of the narrow hallway and blood

319
00:18:26.839 --> 00:18:29.240
running from the wound on her head, she made it

320
00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:32.000
back to her bedroom. She grabbed darren shotgun that he

321
00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:35.079
kept for safety, but unknown to Jerlyn as well as

322
00:18:35.079 --> 00:18:38.799
her attacker, it wasn't even loaded. She pointed the gun

323
00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:40.880
at him as best as she could in her weakened state,

324
00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:44.279
but Derek was on her within seconds, Refusing to give

325
00:18:44.359 --> 00:18:47.440
up the weapon. Jarrelyn and Derek both jerked back and

326
00:18:47.480 --> 00:18:49.680
forth to both try to take control of the gun,

327
00:18:50.119 --> 00:18:52.759
yet he maintained the upper hand as they fell backward

328
00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:55.720
into the bedroom. Realizing she needed to make distance between

329
00:18:55.720 --> 00:18:59.920
herself and her attacker, she abandoned the gun, pushing away momentarily.

330
00:19:00.119 --> 00:19:02.920
As she tore off back towards the bedroom door. She

331
00:19:03.079 --> 00:19:06.240
knew her back door was right there, but in such

332
00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:09.000
immense pain, it might as well be a mile away.

333
00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:11.960
She struggled to stay on her feet in what felt

334
00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:14.960
like slow motion. She tried to run towards her only

335
00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:18.759
escape route. If only she could just get outside, she

336
00:19:18.839 --> 00:19:22.519
could yell out for help, But right behind her, Derek

337
00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:25.079
was already on his feet and had pulled a knife

338
00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:28.680
from his trusty leather sheath. This same one an officer

339
00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:31.319
noted in his report while giving him a ride to

340
00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:35.519
his truck years ago. He raised the knife, lunging at

341
00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:38.160
her and stabbed her straight in the back, and not

342
00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:42.319
just once. As she fell screaming out in pain, he

343
00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:46.519
jammed the knife blade into her back again. Jarrelyn collapsed

344
00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:49.759
to the ground, rolling onto her back and continued to

345
00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:53.720
push away with her feet. Although mortally wounded, she continued

346
00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:56.839
to fight, but Derek jumped right back on top of

347
00:19:56.839 --> 00:19:59.559
her and raising the blade out to his side, he

348
00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:03.319
stabbed get full forced into Jerlyn's delicate and soft side

349
00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:08.559
where ribs don't protect, and with every breath and every heartbeat,

350
00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:12.480
blood sprang from her body down the walls. He continued

351
00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:17.240
to stab. She weakened at an alarming rate and unable

352
00:20:17.279 --> 00:20:20.000
to move further. All she could do was cry out

353
00:20:20.039 --> 00:20:23.440
for her mama as he raised the blade again, stabbing

354
00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:28.119
down straight through her chest, directly into her right breast.

355
00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:33.400
By now, Jerlyn had been stabbed seven times and was

356
00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:37.680
unable to fight effectively anymore. She was still alive, though,

357
00:20:37.720 --> 00:20:40.480
and whimpering on her back when he grabbed her by

358
00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:43.920
the head of hair, steadying her head as her tears fell.

359
00:20:44.279 --> 00:20:47.079
He took the knife in his other hand and slashed

360
00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:50.680
across her neck with devastating force, cutting through all of

361
00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:54.400
his skin, all of the muscle, and severing her jugular.

362
00:20:55.559 --> 00:20:58.000
All that she could do at this point was stare

363
00:20:58.079 --> 00:21:01.240
up from the floor at the man's she knew was

364
00:21:01.359 --> 00:21:05.920
killing her. Sweaty and filled with peak rage, he got

365
00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:10.039
back up to his feet. Jerrolyn would finally lose consciousness

366
00:21:10.160 --> 00:21:13.200
just as he raised his foot and stomped out the

367
00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:17.279
very light of her existence. With steel toed boots, he

368
00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:21.519
stomped until he was sure that she was dead. Now

369
00:21:21.640 --> 00:21:26.200
drained of adrenaline and on the comdown, he stood over her, panting,

370
00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:30.759
taking in what he had just done. Pleased with his work,

371
00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:35.000
he then slid the knife back into its sheath, and

372
00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:38.160
then he looked up to find the door. He stepped

373
00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:42.039
over Jarrolyn's brutalized body and simply walked out of the trailer,

374
00:21:42.759 --> 00:21:47.519
walked to his vehicle parked nearby, and drove away Back

375
00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:51.720
inside the house. Jarlyne lay in a literal pool of

376
00:21:51.799 --> 00:21:56.559
her own blood, alone and now in the quiet, just

377
00:21:56.720 --> 00:22:01.240
waiting for an unfortunate someone to find her. Jerrelyn and

378
00:22:01.319 --> 00:22:04.640
Darren would typically speak often during the day, so when

379
00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:07.200
four pm rolled around and he hadn't heard from his wife,

380
00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:10.920
he figured the interview must have run long. A bit later,

381
00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:15.680
he called, but again no answer. He called again and

382
00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:20.400
again periodically, but Jarrelyn wouldn't pick up the phone. He

383
00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:23.519
even sent out a notification similar to Today's find my

384
00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:26.240
Phone to try and alert her that, Hey, I'm trying

385
00:22:26.279 --> 00:22:29.880
to call you. Pick up the phone. She never answered.

386
00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:33.440
He knew he'd be leaving work shortly, but this was odd.

387
00:22:34.160 --> 00:22:36.720
Even stopped at a store on his way home and

388
00:22:36.759 --> 00:22:39.839
called her from that number. Maybe she was just ignoring

389
00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:43.799
me or something, but there was still no answer. When

390
00:22:43.839 --> 00:22:46.640
he got to the house, he was confused by the

391
00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:50.000
placement of Jerrelyn's car. He was parked in the middle

392
00:22:50.039 --> 00:22:53.400
of the driveway rather than to the side like usual.

393
00:22:54.279 --> 00:22:56.839
She knew to make room for him, and so she

394
00:22:56.880 --> 00:22:59.680
would usually park where they could both fit. But why

395
00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:02.160
was she in the middle? It was almost like she

396
00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:06.839
had pulled up and then never left again before something

397
00:23:06.839 --> 00:23:11.039
had occurred. Weird. When he got to the front door,

398
00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:14.519
it was slightly open, which made him even more nervous.

399
00:23:14.839 --> 00:23:16.839
So he walked into the living room and he called

400
00:23:16.880 --> 00:23:22.599
out to her Jarrelyne, Jarreline. There was no answer. The

401
00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:24.960
notification that he had sent through the next till was

402
00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.359
still making the alert alarm. So he walked over and

403
00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:33.559
he silenced it, but he called out again, Jarrelyne, and

404
00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:36.400
as he made his way to the hallway, he almost

405
00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:39.279
didn't believe his eyes when he saw her crumpled on

406
00:23:39.319 --> 00:23:43.359
the floor near their bedroom door. He ran over to

407
00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:45.799
her and he knelt down, seeing his wife in a

408
00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:49.359
condition that went against everything a spouse should ever see.

409
00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:52.640
Blood spattered and dripping down the wallpaper of the hall.

410
00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:56.759
He looked around, trying to make it make sense. That's

411
00:23:56.799 --> 00:23:59.559
when he noticed the gun on the bed in the bedroom.

412
00:24:00.519 --> 00:24:04.880
Oh my god, Geralen, what did you do? In that moment,

413
00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:09.000
he thought she had committed suicide. But taking it all in,

414
00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:13.680
even that didn't make sense everything considered. He grabbed a

415
00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:16.079
hold of her body, trying to speak life into her,

416
00:24:16.079 --> 00:24:19.400
but it was of no use. She was stiff, she

417
00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:23.920
had been dead. She was cold. But as he grabbed

418
00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:26.160
her in a hug, hoping that this was all a joke,

419
00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:29.240
that's when her head fell back and he noticed the

420
00:24:29.400 --> 00:24:33.079
massive gaping hole in her neck. He nearly dropped her.

421
00:24:33.119 --> 00:24:35.559
It scared him so bad, but in that moment he

422
00:24:35.640 --> 00:24:39.680
realized nothing about this was self inflicted. He got up

423
00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:41.480
and ran back down the hall to look for the

424
00:24:41.480 --> 00:24:45.160
cordless phone, but he couldn't find it anywhere. What the hell.

425
00:24:45.880 --> 00:24:48.519
Now Completely panicked, he ran out of the house to

426
00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:51.920
the next door neighbor and together they dialed nine one one.

427
00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:56.480
When the police arrived, they saw exactly what Darren had seen.

428
00:24:57.160 --> 00:25:00.359
Blood on the walls, blood on the floor, and his

429
00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:05.119
wife in deplorable condition with him leaning over her, still sobbing,

430
00:25:06.200 --> 00:25:09.039
removing him from the home. He sat in shock, not

431
00:25:09.200 --> 00:25:12.039
knowing what to do. He had never been through something

432
00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:17.759
like this, but tussling with Jarrelyn well that he had

433
00:25:17.799 --> 00:25:20.799
been through. So when detectives saw a hole in the

434
00:25:20.839 --> 00:25:24.319
sheet rock, they wondered if this had been domestic violence

435
00:25:24.359 --> 00:25:28.759
that had turned deadly. Detectives they couldn't help but notice

436
00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:32.400
that Darren's shirt was also covered in blood. Darren was

437
00:25:32.519 --> 00:25:35.960
questioned about the hole in the wall, and he readily admitted, yeah,

438
00:25:36.039 --> 00:25:39.599
he did it. He explained that he was so overwhelmed

439
00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:42.599
by the sight of his dead body that he turned and,

440
00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:45.160
in a fit of rage, just punched a hole straight

441
00:25:45.240 --> 00:25:48.119
through the sheet rock. Well, he was questioned for a

442
00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:52.319
long time, and Darren he had just earned the spot

443
00:25:52.480 --> 00:25:56.160
of their main suspect. His clothing was taken into evidence

444
00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:59.720
and he would answer questions throughout the night. It also

445
00:25:59.720 --> 00:26:02.839
didn't help that Jerlyn's journal was discovered during the search,

446
00:26:03.359 --> 00:26:05.279
and she had been pouring her heart out in it

447
00:26:05.359 --> 00:26:08.880
for a while. An entry from the past year detailed

448
00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:12.279
how she couldn't handle him cursing her out anymore. It

449
00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:16.279
was like they were literally each other's worst enemies. A

450
00:26:16.319 --> 00:26:19.519
direct quote from that entry reading quote, I cannot think

451
00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:22.480
of any other person that I truly dislike and have

452
00:26:22.519 --> 00:26:25.160
a grudge against but him, and I'm sure he can

453
00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:28.920
say the same for me. End quote. Needless to say,

454
00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:33.119
things were not looking good for Darren, but he knew

455
00:26:33.400 --> 00:26:36.720
he didn't do it, just as past behavior was catching

456
00:26:36.759 --> 00:26:39.880
up with him in terms of suspicion. Well, the way

457
00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:43.000
it goes, y'all, in one way or another, what is

458
00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:46.559
done in the dark will always come to light. The

459
00:26:46.599 --> 00:26:50.000
phone called tot Jerlyn's parents went exactly like you would expect.

460
00:26:50.599 --> 00:26:53.200
Mama was in the kitchen and she was cooking when

461
00:26:53.240 --> 00:26:56.640
the phone rang, so she walked over picked it up

462
00:26:56.960 --> 00:27:00.000
and answered the call that would forever change her life.

463
00:27:00.319 --> 00:27:03.279
Cissy's sixteen year old sister, Brandy was there at the house,

464
00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:05.640
but unable to hear anything that was said on the

465
00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:08.240
other end of the phone. But when her mama yelled

466
00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:12.119
out no, No, as she collapsed and slid down the

467
00:27:12.160 --> 00:27:15.720
wall to the ground, she knew instantly that something horrible

468
00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:18.720
had happened. She ran over, but her mother couldn't say

469
00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:21.119
a word, so she grabbed the phone to hear the

470
00:27:21.200 --> 00:27:25.440
voice of Darren's dad on the other end, what what happened?

471
00:27:25.480 --> 00:27:28.400
Tell me? As soon as she heard the news, she

472
00:27:28.599 --> 00:27:31.119
dropped the phone and ran straight out of the house.

473
00:27:31.640 --> 00:27:34.319
She didn't yet have a license, she would be seventeen

474
00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:37.400
and three days, but she didn't care. She jumped in

475
00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:40.559
the family car and drove straight into town, where her

476
00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:43.559
daddy was in an alderman's meeting. She ran into the

477
00:27:43.559 --> 00:27:46.799
building and threw open the meeting room doors, running straight

478
00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:49.960
up to the podium, interrupting the complete formality of the meeting,

479
00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:52.599
and all she could scream out was the word sissy.

480
00:27:53.160 --> 00:27:55.799
As the words came from her mouth, her daddy wrapped

481
00:27:55.799 --> 00:27:58.400
her in his arms and they both collapsed to the floor,

482
00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:01.960
where she explained, and the crying and the hugging continued.

483
00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:05.599
While the trauma Jerlyn had experienced was over for her,

484
00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:09.119
it was just beginning for her family. The truth of

485
00:28:09.160 --> 00:28:11.880
what Jerrolyn had experienced would be shared with the family,

486
00:28:12.160 --> 00:28:16.759
and yet was gut wrenching. Police interviewed everyone, from neighbors

487
00:28:16.799 --> 00:28:20.039
to family, and they all seemed to echo the same sentiments.

488
00:28:20.599 --> 00:28:24.200
Darren wasn't very nice to Jerrelyn. Just a week before

489
00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:27.319
their wedding, she had confided in her best friend Claire

490
00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:30.400
that Darren had hurt her. It had actually punched her

491
00:28:30.440 --> 00:28:33.960
in the chest. And appalled by this, Claire didn't think

492
00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:37.039
the wedding should go forward, but they were young and

493
00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:40.599
the wedding was already planned. They didn't know what to do.

494
00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:44.799
Both Claire and another friend named Amber, the woman who

495
00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:48.240
had actually introduced Jarrelyn to Darren, they were both scared

496
00:28:48.279 --> 00:28:51.359
for her. On numerous occasions they had seen her with

497
00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:55.200
bruises and even black eyes. She had even left Darren

498
00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:58.039
momentarily a while back after a serious fight, and she

499
00:28:58.079 --> 00:29:01.759
stayed with her friend Robbie, a female well, but eventually

500
00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:06.599
she and Darren reconciled. Had her parents known about the abuse.

501
00:29:06.920 --> 00:29:10.119
There is no doubt that they would have intervened, but

502
00:29:10.200 --> 00:29:14.440
that's likely while Jerrelyn never told them. Jerlyn's daddy was

503
00:29:14.480 --> 00:29:18.000
a man's man for better or for worse. Flat out

504
00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:20.839
Daddy would have beat the brakes off of Darren had

505
00:29:20.880 --> 00:29:24.680
he known. Case in point, Daddy could bench press four

506
00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:28.480
hundred pounds. The neighborhood kids once went around king the

507
00:29:28.480 --> 00:29:32.640
neighborhood and spray painting property, but they amazingly skipped one

508
00:29:32.759 --> 00:29:35.440
house in the neighborhood. It was the one of the

509
00:29:35.480 --> 00:29:38.759
man who they knew wouldn't play games. He was a

510
00:29:38.839 --> 00:29:41.559
kind man, though, and he wasn't one to ever raise

511
00:29:41.599 --> 00:29:46.200
his voice, especially at his wife if they argued. The

512
00:29:46.319 --> 00:29:49.720
kids never knew it. He was always done behind closed doors,

513
00:29:50.440 --> 00:29:53.559
and the thought of a man yelling, let alone hitting

514
00:29:53.640 --> 00:29:56.640
his baby girl, well, that would have sent him right

515
00:29:56.680 --> 00:30:01.000
over the edge. The reality was that Darren wasn't above

516
00:30:01.079 --> 00:30:06.920
hurting her, but murder was really capable of that. Well,

517
00:30:06.920 --> 00:30:10.759
most of those clothes to her thought so Now aware

518
00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:13.359
that Darren was the prime suspect and that he had

519
00:30:13.400 --> 00:30:16.599
been hurting her in the past, the family fluctuated between

520
00:30:16.640 --> 00:30:21.839
the depths of sorrow and pure unadulterated anger. A few

521
00:30:21.920 --> 00:30:24.279
days would pass, and it was just too hard to

522
00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:27.880
grasp the finality of it all. Just the week before,

523
00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:31.279
Jerrelyn had given her little sister Brandy an early birthday

524
00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:34.480
card and had pickles on it because she knew she

525
00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:38.400
loved pickles, and Jarlen also knew that she wouldn't see

526
00:30:38.440 --> 00:30:43.640
Brandy on her actual day. Turned out, Jarrelyn was very wrong.

527
00:30:44.680 --> 00:30:48.039
Brandy did get to see Jerylyn on her seventeenth birthday.

528
00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:51.279
After all, the day they should have been celebrating Brandy's

529
00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:54.240
birth well, that was now the very day that they

530
00:30:54.240 --> 00:30:58.480
were mourning her big sister's death. And happy birthday, Brandy,

531
00:30:59.200 --> 00:31:02.119
that was the last thing on anyone's mind, Brandy's included.

532
00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:05.319
Her aunt did bring a cake to the funeral and

533
00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:07.839
told the seventeen year old that she wasn't forgotten, But

534
00:31:08.359 --> 00:31:11.000
although this was an act of pure love, it just

535
00:31:11.039 --> 00:31:15.640
fell flat. How could she possibly even think of celebrating

536
00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:18.559
while her sister lay dead just feet in front of her,

537
00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:21.359
Forced to wear a turtleneck to cover the knife wound

538
00:31:21.400 --> 00:31:26.000
that nearly decapitated her, her fingernails broken and clipped for

539
00:31:26.039 --> 00:31:30.200
evidence purposes rather than receiving gifts on this birthday, Brandy

540
00:31:30.240 --> 00:31:33.559
decided she would give one. She had purposefully bought a

541
00:31:33.640 --> 00:31:36.720
necklace that was two pieces, two halves of a heart,

542
00:31:37.240 --> 00:31:40.359
one that said Big Sis and one that said Little Sis.

543
00:31:41.599 --> 00:31:45.160
Brandy carefully approached the casket and she placed her half

544
00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:48.400
around her neck, and the other she laid carefully on

545
00:31:48.400 --> 00:31:53.319
her big sister's chest. Forever now separated, but never far

546
00:31:53.400 --> 00:31:57.799
from each other's heart, Birthdays for Brandy would never be

547
00:31:57.920 --> 00:32:01.200
the same. Not to mention, the man she thought responsible

548
00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:04.200
for all of this sat just pews away, and he

549
00:32:04.319 --> 00:32:06.839
was on borrowed time as a freeman as far as

550
00:32:06.839 --> 00:32:11.039
the detectives were concerned. Because Jarrelyn she had scratched at

551
00:32:11.079 --> 00:32:15.079
her killer and his DNA was under those broken and

552
00:32:15.079 --> 00:32:18.400
clipped fingernails. It was just a matter of time before

553
00:32:18.400 --> 00:32:21.920
the crime lab would report back. But the thing is this,

554
00:32:22.839 --> 00:32:27.119
some facts you just can't ignore, like the fact Darren

555
00:32:27.200 --> 00:32:31.319
was at work, clocked in on camera and verified by

556
00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:36.119
coworkers the entire time, specifically when the murder took place.

557
00:32:36.920 --> 00:32:40.039
He couldn't have been in two places at once. But

558
00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:44.400
then again, Darren had also failed not one, but two

559
00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:49.759
polygraph examinations While this wasn't admissible in court, sure was

560
00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:53.720
an indicator that he was being deceitful about something. Was

561
00:32:53.720 --> 00:32:56.440
he feeling guilty for all the abuse that his wife

562
00:32:56.440 --> 00:32:58.920
had endured at his hand? Or was there more to

563
00:32:58.960 --> 00:33:03.039
it that was now? What for speculation? For a year,

564
00:33:03.519 --> 00:33:06.799
the murder of Jerlynd de Soto would go unsolved, and

565
00:33:07.000 --> 00:33:10.480
all the while eyes were locked on the wrong man.

566
00:33:11.359 --> 00:33:15.000
When the crime labs report came back, the major contributor

567
00:33:15.079 --> 00:33:18.799
of the DNA under Jerlyn's nails was not that of

568
00:33:18.799 --> 00:33:23.880
her husband. Someone else had killed Jerlyn de Soto. While

569
00:33:23.880 --> 00:33:27.240
police were obviously shocked, their next question was then who

570
00:33:28.079 --> 00:33:32.039
who had done this? The identity of the person responsible

571
00:33:32.319 --> 00:33:36.480
remained unknown. No database hits were made tying a name

572
00:33:36.799 --> 00:33:40.960
to the DNA. In due time, that DNA would solidify

573
00:33:41.000 --> 00:33:44.960
the case against someone, but for now that wasn't the case.

574
00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:47.960
But this wasn't going to stop the owner of that

575
00:33:48.039 --> 00:33:52.039
DNA from committing more murders, And now he was getting

576
00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:55.000
ramped up to kill more women in a shorter amount

577
00:33:55.039 --> 00:33:58.480
of time. One woman whose name isn't widely known still

578
00:33:58.519 --> 00:34:02.599
today would become a headline very soon. Who did Dereck

579
00:34:02.720 --> 00:34:06.200
Todd Lee have his sights on now. One woman in particular,

580
00:34:06.359 --> 00:34:09.639
was blissfully unaware that she was being hunted. But for

581
00:34:09.760 --> 00:34:13.039
Dereck Todd Lee, two thousand and two would be open

582
00:34:13.119 --> 00:34:19.239
season for a killer on the prow. Coming up on

583
00:34:19.280 --> 00:34:34.079
the next episode of DTL, twenty three year old Christine

584
00:34:34.079 --> 00:34:37.199
Moore was leveling up in life. She had already graduated

585
00:34:37.239 --> 00:34:40.320
from Elishue, but she was now a graduate student working

586
00:34:40.360 --> 00:34:43.760
towards her master's degree in social work. Now, fitness was

587
00:34:43.760 --> 00:34:46.719
something that Christine believed in, and jogging was something she

588
00:34:46.840 --> 00:34:50.000
really enjoyed. The LSU Lakes are a common running ground

589
00:34:50.039 --> 00:34:53.079
for college students, but there are also other popular areas

590
00:34:53.119 --> 00:35:04.239
as well, including the Mississippi River Levee. So when Christine

591
00:35:04.239 --> 00:35:06.639
took off for her job that day, it was alarming

592
00:35:06.639 --> 00:35:09.480
when she didn't return. Later, she had a boyfriend who

593
00:35:09.519 --> 00:35:12.039
had no clue where she was. She wasn't at home,

594
00:35:12.480 --> 00:35:15.320
she wasn't answering the phone, nor was she at any

595
00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:21.920
of her normally frequented places. Christine's car had been found

596
00:35:22.039 --> 00:35:28.960
on River Road, not too far from elishu's campus. When

597
00:35:28.960 --> 00:35:31.519
the police arrived, they checked the area for anything out

598
00:35:31.559 --> 00:35:34.320
of the norm. The wooded area behind the church was

599
00:35:34.519 --> 00:35:37.519
likely the home to all of the creatures causing the complaints.

600
00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:40.480
But what police didn't expect to stumble upon in that

601
00:35:40.519 --> 00:35:54.920
same area was a decomposed body. A decomposed human body,