Trust

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Kim Neptune leaves her brother's apartment and closes the door
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behind her. She hears her brother lock it as she
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walks away. It's only a short distance to her place,
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just down the road. She pulls her coat close, wishing
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it would warm up already. It's been a month since
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the official first day of spring, but it's still barely
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above freezing. Kim hurries now, down the road, and up
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to her apartment. Her little apartment is one of the
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many in a cabin-like complex near the banks of the
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Little River and Zipiak Trail. She loves where she lives.
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Family is important to her. So her brother living so
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close was a welcome sight. That combined with the unadulterated
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beauty of Maine's wilderness made her life as perfect as
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she could hope. She passes her neighbor's back porch and
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walks up the stairs towards her front door. She can't
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help but glance at her ATV parked out front. It's
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her prized possession. She smiles a little, remembering how proud
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she was when she bought it. The smile is still
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there when she reaches her front door. She's fumbling with
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her keys when her phone chimes. She pulls it up
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from her pocket as soon as she gets inside, closing
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the door and locking it behind her. It's a message
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from her friend asking if they could come over and chill.
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She quickly responds with a yes, but says she needs
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some time to clean up. Kim grabs her razor and
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shaving cream and hops into the shower. Minutes later, she
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hops out feeling refreshed and looking forward to her visitor.
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Across town, her neighbor is at work when she gets
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an alert on her phone. Motion is detected on her
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security camera on her back porch. She looks at the
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time and opens the app. It's 11 p.m. She taps
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for the live view. From the camera's perspective, above her
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back door, she could see part of Kim's stairs. But
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everything seems typical. Except that, through the camera, she can
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see her own dogs inside her apartment. They're barking, whining,
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and just going crazy. At midnight, she gets another alert.
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This time, she looks at the clip. She sees someone,
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a dark figure, coming down the stairs and then going
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right back up. Her dogs are still barking. She doesn't
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think much of it. But 17 minutes later, she gets
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yet another alert. The clip shows the shadows of two
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figures this time, moving around in front of Kim's door.
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She glances at it briefly, but returns to work. It
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isn't her business to know what her neighbors are doing
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in the middle of the night. Later, she checks the
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app again, just to make sure her dogs have calmed down.
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She scrubs through the last hour of video and hears
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the dogs quiet down at around 1am. Good, she thinks.
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Whatever they were barking at must have stopped. Welcome to
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Sword and Scale Nightmares. True crime for bedtime. Your nightmare
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begins now. 43-year-old Kim Neptune was the kind of person
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everyone in Pleasant Point knew in some way or another.
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You might see her cleaning rooms at Bar Harbor during
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the summer, catching little eels along the riverbank in the spring,
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or working long hours making wreaths for Whitney Wreath in
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the fall. The work was hard, cold, and exhausting, but
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Kim never complained about it. She had a kind of
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happy determination. Her family used to joke that she was
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like a turtle, graceful, calm, and never in much of
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a hurry. Time didn't seem to matter much to Kim.
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She moved at her own pace through life. Kim was
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proudest of the ATV she'd finally saved enough money to
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buy herself. Around Pleasant Point, people were used to seeing
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her riding the trails with buckets of eels strapped to
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the back. She loved living there. tucked into the woods
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beside the river, surrounded by the people she cared about most.
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And most than anything else, Kim loved her family. Her
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brother Samuel lived only a short walk away from her apartment.
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And in a place like Pleasant Point, family wasn't just important.
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It was part of everyday life. The following day, April 21st, 2022,
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started like any other for Samuel. He got up and
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got ready for work. It was the assistant supervisor for
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the Pleasant Point Housing Authority, which kept him busy all
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over town. That morning, he messages his sister that he's
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on his way over. He heads to her apartment to
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drop off batteries for her smoke detectors. It was just
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a small part of his job. He pulls his truck
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into the driveway and parks next to her ATV. He
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hops out with a handful of AA batteries and bounds
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up the stairs. He gets to her front door and knocks.
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He waits. When she doesn't answer, he tries to peek
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through a window, but can't see past the drapes. He
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reaches for the doorknob, but it's locked. He thinks about
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opening the door with the key she gave him, but
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he doesn't. He was there on an official capacity, not
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as her brother. That would be unprofessional He assumes she
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must be asleep or not at home, so he gets
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back in his truck and leaves. By the end of
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the day, he's exhausted and pulls into his own driveway.
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He turns the engine off and steps out of the truck.
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It's already dark out, and the little yellow porch light
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in front of his apartment is beckoning him inside. He's
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through the door and flopping on the couch in seconds.
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It feels good to relax. He pulls his phone out
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of his pocket and sets it on the coffee table
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as he reaches for the TV remote. That's when he
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remembers his sister. She never responded to his text. He
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climbs to his feet with a tired grunt and starts
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walking to his sister's. It only takes a few moments
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to reach her front door. Just like that morning, there
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was no response from inside, and the door was locked.
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Samuel flips through his keys, looking for the one his
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sister gave him. He slides it into the lock and
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opens the door. Inside, it's pitch black. He feels for
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a switch and flips on the lights. Samuel can't believe
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his eyes. His sister's apartment is usually neat and tidy,
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but right now, it's an utter mess. He calls out
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for his sister as he walks inside. The home is
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eerily silent. He walks through the living room and up
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the stairs to the bedroom. The door is closed, so
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he knocks softly as he pushes it open just a crack. Kim,
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he calls as he turns on the lights. Kim's room
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was a disaster, far worse than downstairs. There were things
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all over the floor. The contents of her dresser were
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dumped everywhere. onto the ground what the hell he starts
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to exclaim but stops when he sees it sticking out
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of the pile are two feet Samuel's stomach sinks and
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he runs to the pile he frantically starts to unbury
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his sister peeling away the layers covering her no no
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no he repeats over and over. He reaches the last layer.
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A blanket. He peels it back. His sister is cold
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and stiff. He feels for a pulse and then falls
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back and realizes she doesn't have one. He reaches for
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his cell phone but remembers he left it on the
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coffee table. He springs to his feet and runs out
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of the apartment. His breath is quick and sharp. His
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heart beats like a beat. a drum, and he runs
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as fast as he can for help. Detective Anderson steps
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outside his patrol car and walks up the stairs to
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Kim's front door. He stands in the doorway a moment
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before walking inside. The first thing he notices is blood.
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A lot of it. The doorknob and the deadbolt have
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blood on them. The light switch next to the door
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has blood also. But Anderson doesn't see that. He can't
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take his eyes off the set of bloody footprints going
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up and down the stairs. He stops carefully around them,
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making his way upstairs. He looks around the room. The
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amount of blood seems unnatural. The blankets on the bed
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were stained red. Even the pillows had blood on them.
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One looks like the killer used it to wipe his blade.
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The trail of blood leads to where Kim now lies.
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wedged between the bed and her dresser. The blanket she's
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wrapped in is saturated with her blood. And it's no wonder.
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Her body is riddled with stab wounds. He can't tell
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how many, but they are all over her legs, stomach, neck,
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and head. Anderson takes a step back and looks down
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at Kim's lifeless body. He's worked for the Maine State
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Police Major Crime Unit for years... and has never witnessed
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a scene so brutal. Whatever happened, it was ultra-violent. Anderson
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turns his attention to the other clues left behind by
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the killer. A bloody hand reached between the mattress and
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the wall and left a smear. Bloody hands turned all
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the pockets on Kim's clothes inside out. This has all
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the hallmarks of a robbery gone wrong, he thinks. Even
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her cell phone and bank cards are missing. Anderson is
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left scratching his head. The sheer brutality of the murder
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implies it was committed by someone close to Kim in
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the heat of passion. Her body being covered supported that theory.
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But those types of murders typically didn't involve simple robberies.
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By 9.30 the next morning, the autopsy was complete. The
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medical examiner explained the severity of the crime, and it
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was worse than Anderson expected. Kim was stabbed a total
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of 484 times, mostly to the head and neck. Many
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of the wounds were inflicted after death. Her carotid artery, lungs,
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and abdominal cavity were all penetrated. She had defensive wounds
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on her hands. But what killed her was the blood loss.
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She died slowly as she bled out. Anderson sent off
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samples for DNA analysis, tried to ping her phone, and
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put in a request for Kim's debit card activity. But
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the first real lead came from Kim's neighbor. The alert
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she got the night of the murder gave detectives something
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of a timeline. The dogs barked uncontrollably from 11 p.m.
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to 1 a.m. Figures were seen on Kim's stairs shortly
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after midnight. It was a start, but far from the
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clue that would break the case open. Then, Anderson went
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further back in time. Two days before the murder, the
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neighbor's camera caught something suspicious. A person wearing an oversized
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dark jacket was caught on camera. They walked towards the apartment, stopped,
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turned around, and then quickly walked away. The person's behavior
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was odd, but it was something else the person was
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wearing that really stood out. They wore a very distinctive
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bandana over their mouth. On the bandana was the depiction
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of a toothy smile, kind of like the Cheshire Cat
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in Alice in Wonderland. Anderson now had a vague description
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of the person who did this. Hopefully, someone would recognize them.
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A few days later, the entire community knew about the crime,
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and the pressure was building to solve it quickly. Luckily,
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a member of the community had a tip. He gave
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the detective a group of four photos. Anderson recognized the
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bottom two photos as still images pulled from the neighbor's
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security camera. The top two, though, he'd never seen before.
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The tipster explained he pulled the top two photos directly
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from a woman's Facebook page. Anderson was taken aback by
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the resemblance. The woman was wearing a bandana with a
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toothy grin, and the woman's name was Kaylee Brackett. one
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of Kim's closest friends. Before Anderson could move on this information,
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he got another tip. Someone recognized Brackett from the grainy
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images released to the public. Anderson was convinced the figure
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was indeed Brackett. But that didn't mean she committed the crime.
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All he knew for sure was that she was seemingly
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casing the joint in the days leading up to the murder.
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But that's when another tip came in. A couple of
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days before the murder, a woman named Haley Levesque overheard
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a conversation of Kaylee Brackett's. She told several people in
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the store that Kim was going to pay for the
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money she stole. Haley's husband heard it too. To Anderson,
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it sounded like a motive or a threat. Brackett was
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shaping up to be the main suspect. That is, until
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the DNA results came back. None of the samples sent
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to the lab were Kaylee's DNA. They belonged to Donnell Danas.
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Detectives Austin and Lindsey sat down with Donnell, seven days
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after the murder. Donnell is escorted into a room and
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sits at the table across from detectives. When detectives start
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asking questions, Donnell answers. Kaylee, he says, is the love
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of my life. We have a son together, but we're
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not a couple. He explains he knows Kim also. I
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even lived there for a couple of years, sleeping on
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the couch. But, he continues, I moved out and returned
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my key months ago. I don't know what happened to her,
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he says, but I wish I did. That's when detectives
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start asking about his whereabouts on the night of the 20th.
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and Donnell's cooperation or memory or both start to falter. First,
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he says he was in the hospital and his family
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could vouch for that. Then he changed his mind and
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said he could have been at his mom's house. He
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couldn't remember. He claimed his head was foggy. He could
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have been at Kim's or his mom's or both. Who knows?
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Maybe he's a particle from the quantum realm that can
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exist in two places at once. He just didn't know.
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The detectives lean in so Donnell can sense their seriousness.
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We found your DNA all over the murder scene, Detective
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Austin says. Can you explain how your DNA is in
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her apartment? Donnell says he has no idea. Not a
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great look, if you ask me. Donnell, Austin says, do
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you know whether or not you killed Kim? He's quiet
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for a moment, then replies, I didn't kill Kim. But
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the detectives hear anger in his voice now. Donnell angrily shouts,
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fuck off, then jumps up from the table. He looks
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at the two detectives with his jaw clenched. He points
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and says, go fuck yourselves. before turning, punching a hole
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in the wall, and leaving. But later, Donnell returns with
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a family member in tow. He's much calmer than earlier,
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and asks to speak with the detective. He tries to
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explain that while he couldn't remember, his mother and niece
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both said he was at his mom's house all night.
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Kaylee had dropped off their son earlier that evening. He
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further explains that a year previously, He had bled in
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Kim's house, and maybe that's why his DNA was in
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her home. When asked, he defended Kaylee, saying he's never
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known her to be violent. and that he loves her.
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Detectives then asked if he would let them check his
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body for scrapes or marks, and he agreed. Detectives discovered
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three linear scratch-like marks on his chest, marks on both
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his legs, and a mark on his right ear. The
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interview ends and Donnell is free to go. But the
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next day, a witness comes forward with information that seems
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to explain everything. Everything. Christy Longfellow came forward with information
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about the case. She said she had spoken with Kaylee
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and Donnell separately on two different occasions. And what she
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claimed they told her explained what happened to Kim that night.
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Longfellow claimed that Kim was at home alone when she
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got a text from Kaylee saying that she had a
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babysitter and wanted to come over and chill. The two
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were sort of seeing each other. Kim agreed and hopped
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in the shower before she got there. Just before 11pm,
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Kim answered the door, but Kaylee wasn't alone on the
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other side. Donnell was behind her on the stairs. Kim
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was surprised. She didn't expect Donnell to tag along. She
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told Kaylee she didn't want Donnell there. That's when Donnell
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rushed past Kaylee and attacked Kim. The neighbor's dogs started
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to bark. The whole plan was to rob Kim. The
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pair knew she had a couple thousand dollars on her
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and that she had just bought a couple hundred Xanax pills.
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But when Danelle attacked her, he lost control, as people
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with low IQs often do. He beat Kim in the
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face and dragged her upstairs. He was jealous of the
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relationship Kim had with Kaylee, the woman he loved. The
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fight got out of hand. Donnell claimed it went overboard
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by accident, as if he couldn't control himself. When the
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fight was over, Kim was making noises and blood was everywhere.
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He couldn't stand the sight of what he'd done, so
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he wrapped her in a blanket. Kaylee grabbed the pills,
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some jewelry, the security camera, and Kim's money. When the
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robbery was done, Kaylee stabbed Kim five times, aiming for
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her vital organs. When they checked her pulse and were
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sure she was dead, they took turns stabbing her dead body.
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The neighbor's dogs stopped barking. Detective Anderson compiled all the
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evidence and applied for a search warrant. It was granted,
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and Kaylee's car and home were searched. Detectives found footage
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of Kaylee using Kim's bank cards at two ATMs and
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a family dollar the day after the murder. Donnell Dana's
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DNA tied him to the crime. He was in that apartment.
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He had relationships with both Kaylee and Kim. Kaylee Brackett
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was tied to the scene through the security footage. She
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went on a spending spree with Kim's money. But none
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of that put her inside the home during the murder.
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That is, until the state found an expert to analyze
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the bloody footprints from the scene. You see, these weren't
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shoe prints. These were prints of a socked foot. And
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just for a moment, think about that. Looking for things
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to steal all the while sloshing around in blood-soaked socks.
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What a fucking horror scene. Both Kaylee and Donnell were
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arrested and charged with murder and robbery. Both were involved,
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but they couldn't say who did what. I guess it
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didn't matter much anyway. Regardless, Kaylee was convicted of murder
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and sentenced to 55 years in prison. Donnell's trial, on
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the other hand, was declared a mistrial after days of deliberation.
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He wasn't innocent. The jury just couldn't agree on what
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he was guilty of. That's some bad lawyering right there.
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Rather than have another trial, the state gave Donnell a
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plea deal, dropping the murder charge. If you think the
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government is there to help us, you are wrong. Seriously
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out of date with your information. Some overworked attorney that
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couldn't hack it in the private sector is now buried
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under cases trying to get through them as fast as
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possible in any way they can. The hell with justice.
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That's somebody else's problem. Donnell ended up pleading guilty to
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felony hindering apprehension or prosecution and was sentenced to get this.
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364 days in jail. He'd already been in jail for
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19 months, so he was just released. Just like that.
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Out on the streets. Person like that. Person capable of murder.
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Just walking around because somebody couldn't do their fucking job.
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And if he complies with a long list of conditions
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for a year, the conviction will be reduced to a Misdemeanor.
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In this country, you can murder someone and get a
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misdemeanor with time served. Unbelievable. Then the case took yet
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another unexpected turn. On appeal, Maine's highest court ruled the
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footprint testimony should never have been admitted. The experts' methods
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lacked a good enough scientific foundation, they said. And Kaylee
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Brackett's conviction was vacated. Today, Kimberly Neptune is still dead.
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Danelle Dana avoided another murder trial and got off with
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just a misdemeanor charge. Kaylee Brackett was convicted, but that
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conviction was overturned. Prosecutors maintain both were involved, but no
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one knows exactly who did what. Somewhere between barking dogs,
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a smiling bandana, and 484 stab wounds lies the truth
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of what happened inside Kim's apartment that night. The only
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thing that is certain is that Kim didn't let her
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killer in. She let in someone. She trusted. If you
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enjoyed the show, please consider joining PLUS at swordandscale.com slash PLUS.
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00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:59.859
But if you can't, consider leaving us a positive review
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on your preferred listening platform. Sweet dreams, and good night.