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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 Dereck 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. May of two thousand
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and two was an exciting time for students on Lshu's campus.
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As is common with most universities, May is the month
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of graduation for those who have put in the work
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and passed their classes. After graduation, this summer starts and
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the fun begins. Twenty two year old Charlotte Murray Pace
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had already graduated with her undergrad degree, but she was
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now on track to becoming the youngest person to ever
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obtain an MBA at LSU. This girl was smart and
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she had it going on. From the time she could walk.
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She was succeeding at everything she touched. Ballet, sports, academics.
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Murray was a winner, but she also had a spunk
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about her that was undeniable. While having the grace demanded
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of a dancer, she also had the backbone of being
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a leader. Once, when she was six years old, a
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known bully was her harassing kid on the bus. When
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it was her turn to be harassed, she bawled up
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that little fist and punched that kid's square in the nose. Certainly,
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violence wasn't promoted in the house, but guess what, that
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bully never bothered her again. Murray grew into a five
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foot seven inch parent's dream come true, with glossy brown
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hair and a stunning smile. She dominated in school and
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athletics alike. She studied hard, and she was known to
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keep her notes and her books pristine. She was the
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teenager with a full face of makeup when the rest
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of her friends were in T shirts and shorts. She
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was someone that you would look at and think, Wow,
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that's the whole package. She dressed impeccably, always in style,
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with her fashion choices, which she was happy to help
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others master through makeovers if they wanted. She was bubbly
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and happy and full of energy, but she also could
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be stubborn. When she wanted to do something, she wanted
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to do it, even if her parents thought it wasn't
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a good idea. But one thing they definitely agreed on
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was her maturity. She, like others in this series, completed
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high school early, mastering the classes in such speed that
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she was able to skip her senior year entirely, heading
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straight to college at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. She
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also had the opportunity to play soccer for them while attending.
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Traveling was also something that Murray dreamed of, so when
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she got the opportunity to study abroad, she jumped at
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the chance. She was stoked about the adventure, which lasted
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for about six weeks, and she made good friends in
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the process who hung out during their free time. They
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went to London, Paris, Munich, and Prague, as well as
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to Ireland to celebrate one friend's birthday. She would call
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back home and tell Mama Anne all about her adventures,
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and her mama would beam with pride, knowing that her
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girl was living her dreams. Murray did get her bachelor's
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degree in no time, and by two thousand and two
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she moved to Louisiana to pursue her master's degree at
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none other than Louisiana State University. The home she rented
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was right near campus on Stanford Avenue, and you may
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be thinking, why does that sound familiar? Well, this was
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the same area where Eugenet Woffontaine had called home years
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ago when she was abducted and murdered. That horror was
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now long gone from the media as new tragedies took
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over daily life. But that said, Murray now lived just
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three doors down from the home where Gina Green was
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murdered a few months prior. To say she and roommate
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Rebecca weren't shook by that news would be a lie. However,
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in reality, life goes on when your neighbor is murdered
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and it remains unsolved. Was it scary, of course, I mean,
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it could have been them, after all, But this was
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also something that doesn't happen often and surely wouldn't happen again,
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at least not in the same area. Even so, Murray
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called her mom after Gina's murder, and she was worried
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by the viciousness of it. Murder isn't something you ever
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expect to affect your own life, and here she was
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with a neighbor murdered. She didn't know Gina personally, but
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it still was with her. Mama Anne did exactly what
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you would expect. She reiterated being safe, and of course
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reminded her daughter how much she was loved. I know, Mama,
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I know. Murray was working for the Elishue Alumni Association
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on campus for the moment, but she was excited to
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accept a new job with the firm Deloitte and Touche.
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Murray's master's degree had been completed the week before, which
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focused on internal auditing. The new job would require her
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to move to Atlanta to start her professional career, and
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the thought of moving back to Mississippi with her parents
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just to turn right around and move back to Atlanta. Well,
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that sounded like a lot. She also still had lots
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of activities to attend in Baton Rouge as well as
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some other events. So that said, she decided to stay
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at LSU for the summer, moving in temporarily to a
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new townhome with Rebecca until she could head off to Atlanta.
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The town home was near LSU, but on the other
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side of campus from their previous home near Gina Green.
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Charlotwe Avenue is in an area again full of college students,
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with town homes connected to one another lining multiple streets.
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It was in an area with quick access to River
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Road as well as campus, so it was a good
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area for the girls to live. They had only been
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in their new town home for about a week, still
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not completely unpacked, when they would head out for another
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big event. It was May thirty first, two thousand and two,
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when Murray was packing to head out for her old
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roommate and great friend, Grace Crouch's wedding. The wedding was
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to be held the following day in Alexandria, Louisiana. Life
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was just lifing for these twenty somethings. Graduation and weddings
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and all of the big things that tend to fall
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into place at that age were now becoming a reality
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for them. The excitement was palpable, and the girls were
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giddy with joy for one another's successes. Murray had to
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work that morning for a bid at the Alumni Center,
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but she planned to leave around ten thirty or so
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to head back to the house. Before leaving for the wedding,
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she also had a couple of errands to run. She
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drove a BMW. She was so proud of that BMW
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and she couldn't show up to a wedding with it filthy,
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so around eleven thirty she took it through the car wash.
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Interesting enough, Gina Green also drove a BMW. Murray and
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her roommate Rebecca, had been friends for about six years
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at this point, and the two of them really enjoyed
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living with one another. They were close and they would
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speak throughout the day as close friends do. They made
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plans to meet up at their home around one pm
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to pack the car and hit the road for Grace's wedding.
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The trip was only about a two hour drive, but
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in reality, daytime travel is safer and hey, the party
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could start sooner. Rebecca was a bridesmaid in the wedding
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as well, so she had to be there on time
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and ready for the next day's activities. The town home
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they shared was a modest looking one, but average for
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the area. Most occupants were college runners and not planning
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to live in the area permanently, so the setup was perfect.
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Their town home was the last one on the corner
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of a cross street, which I'm taking the time to
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explain because in murder, just like in real estate, location, location, location,
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it matters. The cross streets of their home both led
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directly to major thoroughfares. One direction hit Brightside, the other Nicholson.
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Either way, a quick getaway with maximum distance was easy,
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especially for someone who was out hunting the grounds looking
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for a new victim, someone young, vibrant, and most importantly,
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someone this specific killer could never have. Someone too successful,
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too joyous, too involved in creating a thriving life to
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ever notice a low life woman abuser who couldn't keep
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a job. Once he lay eyes on Murray for the
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first time, he knew he had his next victim. Whether
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he noticed her shiny BMW or simply saw her beautiful
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face as she walked to her home, no one really knows,
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but however it occurred, Murray had no clue she was
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directly in the sights of a killer, and those sites
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were locked in during broad daylight. Their town home was
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three bedrooms, two bath, sixteen hundred square feet, and the
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layout was really simple. The front door opened to a
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small living room with a fireplace and mantle directly to
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the left from the living room, the kitchen is to
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the left, and to the right were two ground floor bedrooms.
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The kitchen was really a narrow passageway sink and counter
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space on one side, refrigerator and appliances on the other.
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It was narrow enough that only one person could probably
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cook comfortably without bumping into someone else, but two people
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could be in the passageway at the same time. Passing
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through the kitchen, you would enter a small dining area,
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where the stairs led up to a loft area. The
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loft had its own bathroom and its own closets. The
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girls each took a downstairs bedroom, while the upstairs was
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reserved for overnight guests. The small backyard was fenced in,
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and the back door opened directly into that small dining
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area and the staircase. Most commonly, residents would park behind
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their town homes to enter because, as in this instance,
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their town home faced a major roadway and it wasn't
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conducive for daily entering nor parking. So after washing her BMW,
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Murray returned home to finish up packing and await Rebecca's return,
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which was expected to be around one o'clock. Rebecca was
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running a bit late, though, and it ended up being
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more like two pm before she would get there. No worries,
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Murray would be ready to go when she got there,
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so she continued small tasks around the town home, including
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making a sandwich and cracking open an ice cold diet
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Doctor Pepper. Nothing beats that first gulp in the fizz
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of a carbonated drink when you're thirsty, does it. Murray
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then mosied into the small living room and plopped down
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on the couch to relax and eat. But no sooner
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did she sit down, there was a knock at the
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front door. It was a sunny and nice day, and
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because of that it almost put her in a happier mood,
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even when being interrupted. While eating. Setting the sandwich on
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the arm of the sofa, Murray got up to open
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the door. It was only about eight steps away. Nothing
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he would really think twice about. But we all know
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what's coming. What stood just on the other side of
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that thin wooden door, now only seven steps away from
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someone willing to knock in broad daylight, with the intentions
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of horrors beyond what any normal person would even be
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able to imagine. Now five steps away from not making
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it to the wedding. She so looked forward to three
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steps from Murray, never seeing her mother again, one step
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from the scariest minutes that she will ever encounter. And
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then it was zero as she flipped the lock and
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opened the door to a stranger. He smiled and locked
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eyes with her, but behind that kind face, he was
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smiling at his prey. The man was looking for someone
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in the neighborhood. But just as Murray began to explain
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he was at the wrong house, the man's innocent and
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inquisitive face evolved into one of extreme disgust. He couldn't
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hold the ruse anymore as he barreled forward into Murray
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without hesitation, and she found herself instantly in a fight
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for her life. She was behind the ball, and that
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reaction is slower than action. But Derek Toddley vastly underestimated
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what was about to take place inside that home. As
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Murray realized the imminent danger she faced, she switched straight
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into feral mode, putting up a struggle like no other
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woman before. Murray didn't turn and run, No, she pushed back, clawing, shoving,
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and screaming as she attempted to get the man back
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outside of the front door. But physically he was much
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bigger and stronger. The thing was, the adrenaline was coursing
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through Murray's veins, and she wasn't going down without a fight.
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Not only was she steadfast in her attack on life,
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but also in her defense of it. Murray was going
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to put up quite possibly the fiercest fight DTL would
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ever experience against a woman, and for this he would
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become even more enraged. The fight moved room to room,
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from the living room into the kitchen, and back out
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towards the bedrooms, both of them slamming into sheet rock
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and pawing at one another, each desperate to better their
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position in the brawl. Dereck Todd Lee had experience in fighting,
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specifically to the death, while Murray understandably didn't. This disadvantage
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of a sudden adrenaline dump likely created tunnel vision for Murray,
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and while she had an instant boost of raw power,
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she burned through that temporary power quickly. Because of this,
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she was left exhausted much faster than the experienced killer.
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His prior murders helped him to develop stress inoculation, where
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he thought more clearly during explosive moments just as these.