Latest / True Crime and Wine Time / Christa Pike Part 1 - The Making of a Killer TCWT PODCAST S6 E36

Transcript

Christa Pike Part 1 - The Making of a Killer TCWT PODCAST S6 E36 · True Crime and Wine Time

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: For nearly 30 years, the state of Tennessee has tried
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: to put Krista Gail Pike to death.
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: At this very moment, she lays in a hospital surviving
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: two rounds of lethal injections after a botched execution.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: At 18, most kids are worrying about high school graduation
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: or college dorms.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: But Krista was sitting in a dark wooded lot carrying
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: a piece of Colleen Slimmer's skull in her pocket as
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: a souvenir.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: From death row, Krista called it a reckless teenage mistake, saying,
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: it sickens me now to think I had the ability
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: to commit such a crime.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: It sickens everyone. But if you think Krista Pike just
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: snapped one night in 1995, you don't know the real
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: full story.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: The ability to kill was engineered across generations of madness,
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: violent crimes, and and toxic DNA.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: Was Krista Pike born a monster, or was she meticulously
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: crafted by every single adult who was supposed to protect her?
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Pour a heavy glass for this one, because to understand
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: the monster she became, you have to see the nightmare
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: that birthed her. Welcome to True Crime and Wine Time.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: I'm Terri.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: And I'm Lana.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: Tonight, We are uncorking the truth behind one of the
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: darkest crimes and breaking it down together with you.
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: One case, one conversation, and one or maybe two glasses
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: of wine to take the edge off. It's time to
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: get comfortable and double check those locks before we get started.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: So let's take a sip and dive in. Hello, everyone.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to True Crime and Wine Time. And I'm Terry.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: I'm Lama, of course. And hello to all of our
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: live chatters joining us tonight. It's so good to see
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: you guys in chat. Jump on in, say hi, and
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: let us know what you're sipping on today because y'all
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: are going to need it. You are going to need it.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: Before we get into tonight's deep dive, if you're watching
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: us on YouTube, Take a quick second to hit the
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: like button, subscribe to the channel, and turn on the
• 2:35
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• 2:39
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• 2:41
  Speaker 2: Now, if you want to take your support a step further,
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: you can send a super chat or a Venmo tip,
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: which I forgot to put on the screen. You can
• 2:51
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• 2:56
  Speaker 2: perks like early access, bonus content, and more. custom chat badges.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: Where is that pesky little thing? Oh, I didn't upload it.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: That's my fault.
• 3:05
  Speaker 4: That's okay.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: And everyone listening on your favorite podcast app, don't forget
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: to download the episode. Leave us a five-star rating and
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: a quick review. It only takes a minute, okay? But
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: it makes a huge difference in helping our show get noticed,
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: reach new listeners, okay? Because every download, rating, and review
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: helps our little podcast grow and And we truly appreciate
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: your support.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: That's right. Now, before we get into the story tonight,
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: just a few quick announcements. I've been on a hiatus
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: this week because of house renovation. So I was quite
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: with Lama. We haven't been doing anything over there, but
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: I'm back tomorrow morning with Buffy getting back into the
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: Hanvey returnable. And Monday we are diving deep into massager
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: two sets versus Eden Carney. So I'm very excited to
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: be back. I've missed all of you even over here.
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: It's been boring.
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: Now, also tomorrow, right here on this channel, True Crime
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: and Wine Time, we are back with our deep dive
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: into the people behind the Netflix documentary, The Crash.
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: We've talked about Mackenzie. We've talked about Dom. We've talked
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: about Davian. Last week, we read some of Dom and
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: Sharila's text messages. We're going to continue that craziness tomorrow
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: at 2 p.m. Eastern, right here.
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: That's my teenage boy. I'm Dominic. Yeah.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Now, Lama, why don't you break it down for everyone?
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: What crazy story are we diving into tonight?
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: Well, tonight we are kicking off part one of our
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: multi-part series on Krista Pike, the youngest woman ever sentenced
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: to death in modern U.S. history for the horrific murder
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: of of Colleen Slimmer. Now, this is going to be
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: a very long story, probably the longest series we've done yet.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: And you all know how long the Robert Hansen one was.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: But we dived real deep into this. We've been working
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: on it for quite a while, actually. But, you know,
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: the turn of events recently has kind of brought it
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: way back into the news. Now, We're going to be
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: spending a lot of episodes talking about Krista's childhood leading
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: up to the horrific murder. And then, of course, the
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: story doesn't end after her sentencing. It gets just as crazy.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: There's more prison crimes, even an attempted escape. And, of course,
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: the botched execution that took place just last week on
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: September 30th. And if you thought the story of Sarah
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: Hartsfield that we just did had many twists and turns,
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: well then buckle up because this one is even crazier. Now,
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: I will say that this was probably one of the
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: hardest stories to research and write because it truly is horrific.
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: And I know I've had to take many breaks reading,
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: working on this because it does get heavy really fast.
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: And some of you may not be around for certain
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: parts of it. And that is more than understandable. We
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: will warn you before we get into certain topics. And
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: of course, after this episode is over, there will be
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: timestamps in the description of our YouTube video. So you
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: can skip around to your liking because it's some really
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: heavy disserving stuff. Um, But I think, too, that there
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: are a lot of interesting questions and conversations to be
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: had as we make our way through the last 51
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: years of Krista's life. I think there's going to be
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: a lot of differing opinions. And I think that's really great.
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: As long as everybody can be respectful of each other's
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: perspectives in the live chat and the comment section, please
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: and thank you.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah, guys. This whole story is a wild, wild ride.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: I mean, we talk about insanity. We're into some crazy
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: stuff with this story.
• 7:10
  Speaker 4: Yeah. Yeah.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: So tonight I am sipping on a St. Super Rose.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: It's what I got left because I had this pregame
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: because I knew this was going to be rough.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: Well, I've got these two little mini cut water margaritas
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: because that's all they have for little ones. Oh, that's
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: not the right one. I got a mango one and
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: a strawberry one. They're my new favorite thing. They're made
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: with tequila. And unlike other like similar beverages, it doesn't
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: give me heartburn. And it's like 10 to 12% alcohol.
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: So you can't go wrong. And you can get them
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: at the gas station.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: Gas station cocktails.
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: Look how tiny they are in my hand. Oh, they're delicious.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: Are they? Now, guys, pour yours up if you haven't already.
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: And with that, let's get into the story of Krista Gayle.
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: Now, we like to comfort ourselves with the idea that
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: we all start life on an even playing field, that
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: we're all born with clean slates and infinite potential. But
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: for some, the game is rigged before they even take
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: their first breath.
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: When a child inherits generations of untreated trauma, severe mental illness,
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: domestic violence, and unchecked physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, The
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: cards aren't just stacked against them. They're practically burned before
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: they even leave the womb.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: Now, to understand the nightmare Krista Pike would eventually unleash,
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: you have to understand the nightmare world she was about
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: to inherit. And it begins on her mother's side of
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: the family.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: Take her maternal grandfather, Chris Fotos. By 11th grade, Chris's
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: explosive temper had already severed his ties to normal society
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: as he got expelled from school after he and his
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: brother brutally beat a teacher.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, his grandfather, y'all.
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: The grandfather.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: We're not starting out great.
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: No, it's not starting out great.
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: No.
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: Then at 16, he turned the same rage at his
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: own father. Chris then walked out the door of his
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: parents' home and didn't look back. He would eventually carve
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: out a living by running a meat butchering business, a
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: trade where violence and blood were just part of the
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: daily routine.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: When Chris was 26 years old, he set his sights
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: on a bride, a 15-year-old girl named Zola Privet, who
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: only had a sixth grade education. Now I want you
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: to pause and think on that for a second, okay?
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: That's a 26-year-old grown-ass man marrying a child who barely
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: made it past middle school.
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's not great.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: And in any era, the power of dynamics is disturbing, okay?
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: But Zola was already a deeply broken young girl long
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: before Chris's photos entered the frames.
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: Now, Zola's father, Henry Privet, was a violent, sadistic alcoholic
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: who turned his own home into a torture chamber for
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: his eight children. The abuse was so horrific, so inescapable,
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: that local rumors circulated that even the Ku Klux Klan,
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: a group built on hatred, stepped in, barring and feathering
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: Henry Privet. and leaving him for dead in an act
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: of vigilantism. Now, Henry survived, but his children were permanently marked.
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: I mean, that's fucking nuts.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: That says a lot, okay? Like, if the KKK doesn't
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: like you and you're the same color as them, you
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: know you done screwed up. Now, the severe trauma spawned
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: a lineage plagued by psychological ruin in shocking violence. One
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: of Zola's sisters, Dorothy, married a convicted child rapist named
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: Bill Howell, who at one point had beat Dorothy so severely,
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: she required emergency hospitalization.
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: Just a really stand-up side of the family already. Just
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: really now. Now, another sister, Norma, would later go on
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: to attempt murder... And we'll hear more about her later.
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: Don't worry. Norma comes back around a few times. Then
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: there's Geraldine, another sister who suffered from terrifying delusions, claiming
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: God spoke directly to her. And if you go further
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: up the family tree, there's a great aunt who spent
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: years locked away in an asylum. I mean, that is
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: a lot of family trauma.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: It is. And Totem, nice to see you here. Yes,
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: we have Take Your Kid to Work Day. Let's hope
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: none of these people took their children to work.
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: Okay?
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: Spoiler alert.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: As for Zola herself, her own daughter Carrie, Krista's aunt,
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: would later describe her mother as a deeply troubled, sexually preoccupied,
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: pathological liar drowned in a severe, lifelong battle with alcoholism.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: That's a cocktail.
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Now, out of Kristen Zola Photo's tumultuous marriage came
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: at least two daughters, Carrie and her younger sister, Carissa,
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: the girl who would grow up to be Kristen Pike's mother.
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: From the very beginning, Carissa's life was defined by pain.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: She suffered from a severe blood dyscrasia, dyscrasia?
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: Dyscrasia, I think it is.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: Dyscrasia. a serious disorder that forced her into a revolving
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: door of hospital visits.
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: Before she could even establish a normal childhood, she failed
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: the first grade, not because she lacked intelligence, but because
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: her own body was constantly keeping her confined to a
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: hospital bed.
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: But while Carissa fought her own physical battles, the chaos
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: inside the photos home was spiraling out of control. driven
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: by her father's deepening addiction.
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: Now, following a major surgery, Chris, photos, was prescribed painkillers.
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: And what began as medical treatment rapidly metastasized into a
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: crippling 20-year-long intravenous addiction. His drug of choice, Tauin, a
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: powerful synthetic opioid that, when abused, can trigger severe hallucinations, paranoia,
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: and complete detachment from reality. I had never heard of
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: this drug before until we started this. Do people even
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: take that? I've never even heard of it.
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: I don't think they take it anymore. I heard about
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: it from another case.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: This is very old timey. I've heard of it.
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: So it was like one of those first synthetics they did.
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: It sounds horrific.
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 14:30
  Speaker 4: Wow.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: As his daughter, Carrie, would later testify under oath, When
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: Chris was under the influence of Talwin, he wasn't just impaired.
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: He was completely gone. He had no concept of who
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: he was, where he was, or what he was capable
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: of doing.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: Now, in that hallucinatory, unpredictable state, the house became even
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: more of a minefield. Chris was quick to threaten violence
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: against anyone who crossed him. a threat he made terrifyingly
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: real when he pulled a loaded gun on his own daughter, Carrie. Now,
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: his explosive volatility eventually collided head-on with the federal law enforcement. Remember,
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: this is the guy who got expelled from school for
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: beating up his teacher, beat up his dad. Now, oh
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: my goodness, and now the federal government, oh my goodness.
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: And when the IRS launched an investigation into Chris for
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: tax evasion, he didn't hire a lawyer. No, he instead
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: armed himself, walked straight into a federal courtroom with a
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: concealed firearm. And in the middle of the proceedings, Chris
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: flew into a rage, screaming at the presiding judge and
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: declaring that he had brought the gun specifically to unseat him.
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: Just normal everyday occurrences, apparently. As one does.
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Let me see how that worked out for him. U.S.
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: Marshals wrestled his butt to the ground before he could
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: pull the trigger. He was convicted, fined, and placed on probation.
• 16:15
  Speaker 4: Can you believe that?
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: Probation.
• 16:19
  Speaker 4: Yes.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: For pulling a gun on a federal judge. What is happening?
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: That's wild.
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: I don't know.
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: Now, inside the home, though, there were no marshals to
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: step in. For young Carissa photos, growing up sick, isolated,
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: and surrounded by explosive, drug-fueled rage wasn't an anomaly. It
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: was just another day in the family.
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: When Chris and Solo were absent, the terror inside the house,
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: it didn't pause. The caregiver's duties persisted. were often passed
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: to Krista's aunt, Norma Privet. To the outside world and
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: to her sister Zola, Norma was the picture-perfect, helpful relative.
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: But the moment the door closed and the adults were gone,
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: a new terror would begin.
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: Now, Carrie would later recall the dread that set in
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: when Norma was left in charge. As we said earlier,
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: Norma apparently was suspected of attempted murder. And yeah, so
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: that's totally normal. Now, the emotional abuse was constant from her,
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: but the physical violence was cruel and deliberate. Norma would
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: grab young Carrie by the handfuls of her hair, literally
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: dragging the young girl across the floor and through the
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: house while her sister Carissa watched. Norma's cruelty wasn't an
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: accident at all. It ended up being pretty much a
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: sport for her. She got a lot of joy out
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: of torturing children. Now, to escape.
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: The house, Carrie and Carissa spent endless hours at their
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: father's butcher shop.
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: There you go, Totem.
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: See? Yeah, where you don't want to take kids, in
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: my opinion. My opinion. But running from one chaotic environment
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: into another chaotic, did nothing to heal the damage. The
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: violence wasn't just around them. It was slowly becoming a
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: part of them. And Carissa was absorbing every single bit
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: of it.
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: Now, as Carissa grew older, her own behavior began mirroring
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: the hostility of her father and aunt. She developed a fierce,
• 18:49
  Speaker 2: volatile streak, routinely threatening friends, family, and strangers alike with
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: physical violence. But inside the photos household, nobody batted an
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: eye about it because that's just what they do.
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: To them, it was normal, sadly, sounds like. As Carrie
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: later explained, in their world, violence wasn't just seen as
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: a problem or a last resort. It was the default
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: solution to pretty much everything. They lived by a localized,
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: almost primitive code where every conflict was settled with a
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: fist or a weapon. It was the Hatsfields and McCoys mentality.
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, if dad is willing to take a
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: gun to a federal judge, I can't imagine.
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: And who pulls a gun on their own child?
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: Now, by their teenage years, the sisters were completely out
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: of control. Seeking an escape from the toxicity at home,
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: Carrie and Carissa turned to the streets. They skipped school,
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: snuck into local bars, smoked marijuana, and consumed whatever drugs
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: or alcohol they could lay their hands on.
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: What started as teenage rebellion rapidly hardened into a lifestyle.
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: Carissa was spiraling into severe alcoholism, growing up into a
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: woman her own sister would later describe as deeply immature,
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: completely irresponsible, and hopelessly addicted. And This was the woman
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: who was about to bring Krista Pike into the world.
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: Now, despite the chaos, the chronic illnesses, and the new
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: spiraling addiction, Carissa did manage to cross one milestone by
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: graduating high school. But her attempt at building a normal
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: life immediately collapsed into familiar territory when, at just 17
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: years old, Carissa married a man named named James Ferguson.
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: If she was searching for an escape from her father's household,
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: she didn't find it. Instead, she stepped right back into
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: the cycle. James was violently, brutally abusive. Yet, in the
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: middle of a volatile war zone, Carissa became pregnant and
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: gave birth to a daughter, Alicia.
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: Now, Alicia would grow up with front row seats to
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: the carnage of her parents' marriage. She would later describe
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: her home life as a pressure cooker of extreme violence
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: and deep deceit. James was prone to sudden, terrifying outbursts
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: of rage. Even so that at one point, he fired
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: a loaded gun directly at Carissa and while she was
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: carrying baby Alicia in her arms. Now, for her part,
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: Carissa was unraveling in her own ways. While claiming to
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: be at church, she was secretly carrying on multiple affairs
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: with a lot of different.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: Now, amidst the infidelity and the flying bullets, there was
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: a damaging emotional void. Alicia would later testify that she
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: could not recall a single instance where her mother ever
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: hugged her or a single moment she was ever allowed
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: to sit on Carissa's lap. The physical abuse was loud,
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: but the emotional neglect was deafening.
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: Now, predictably, the marriage between Carissa and James imploded in 1974.
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: after just a few turbulent years, and ended in divorce. Remarkably,
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: through sheer willpower or necessity, Carissa managed to complete nursing school.
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: And even as her alcoholism deepened, she managed to maintain
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: a double life. She was able to function enough to
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: wear the uniform of a caretaker by day, while continuing
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: to sink into addiction and chaos by night. I mean,
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: that is just her mother's side of the family.
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: I know, like, that's just maternal side.
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: Oh, my goodness.
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: To understand Krista Pike's genetic blueprint, you have to be
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: fair and look at both sides of the coin. Because
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: while the Fotis lineage was a sprawling web of public
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: violence and open chaos, the Pike family history carried a
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: different kind of burden. Enter Emil Glenn Pike.
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: Now, Glenn was born and raised in Beckley, West Virginia,
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: a town built on backbreaking labor, coal dust, and tough survival.
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: His father split his life between the dangerous depths of
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: the local coal mines and hard plumbing work, while his mother, Delpha,
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: ran the household.
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: Growing up, Glenn was routinely subjected to being beaten with
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: switches and leather belts whenever he stepped out of line.
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: The physical pain left a deep, permanent mark on him,
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: so much so that a young Glenn swore a quiet,
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: desperate oath to himself that if he ever had children
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: of his own, he would never lay a switch on them.
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: Spoiler alert, that is not what happened. That oath was broken.
• 24:47
  Speaker 2: Now, at just 13 years old, Glenn's world was completely shattered.
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: His father suffered a massive fatal heart attack, dropping dead
• 24:58
  Speaker 2: and leaving the family financially destitute. And suddenly, that young
• 25:03
  Speaker 2: boy was forced to grow up overnight.
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: Desperate to save the family farm from foreclosure, Glenn and
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: his mother, Delpha, packed up what little they owned, abandoned
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: their roots in West Virginia, and headed to Indiana in
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: search of work.
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: It was a grueling, destabilizing move that ripped Glenn out
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: of his childhood and thrust him into survival mode. He
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: was just a young, grieving boy carrying the weight of
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: his family's financial survival on his shoulders, completely unaware of
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: the toxic storm he would eventually face collided with in
• 25:44
  Speaker 2: the years to come.
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: In 1966, the heavy hand of fate intervened once again.
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: Glenn was drafted into the military and shipped halfway across
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: the world to the dense, brutal jungles of Vietnam. The
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: combat was relentless, and the toll on Glenn's body was immediate.
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: While deployed, he contracted hepatitis, a severe liver disease, and
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: was shot in the neck during a firefight. narrowly escaping
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: with his life. When he was finally discharged, he returned
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: home to West Virginia, physically scarred and emotionally drained, and
• 26:28
  Speaker 2: moved back in with his mother. Back home, however, the
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: economy in West Virginia was dead. Unable to find steady work,
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: Glenn made a desperate choice in 1973, and he re-enlisted
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: in the Army.
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: During his service in Southeast Asia, Glenn had been reportedly
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: exposed to Agent Orange, a deadly toxic tactical herbicide sprayed
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: by the military to clear jungle foliage. What soldiers weren't
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: fully warned about at the time, because the government isn't
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: your friend, was that Agent Orange was laced with dioxin,
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: one of the most toxic chemical compounds known to science.
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: It is very serious. If you don't know about Agent Orange,
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: please go give it a Google. It's horrifying. Now, it
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: didn't just cause cancer and neurological damage in the men
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: who breathed it in. It poisoned their very genetic code.
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: Military medical briefings would later deliver a terrifying warning to
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: veterans like Glenn. Exposure to Agent Orange carries a high
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: risk of causing severe heartburn. horrific birth defects in their
• 27:47
  Speaker 2: future children, particularly conditions like spina bifida, where a baby's
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: spine fails to properly develop in the womb.
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: By the mid-1970s, Glenn was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: After receiving an honorable discharge in 1976, he headed back
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: to Beckley, West Virginia.
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: Now, he was a combat veteran carrying physical wounds, toxic
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: chemical exposure, and the unaddressed trauma of war. And attempting
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: to build a stable life on his own terms, Glenn
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: decided to carve out a new path on the land
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: he had fought so hard as a child to save.
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: And he opened a motocross racetrack right on the family farm.
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: Glenn made a.
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: Brief, ill-fated attempt at settling down. marrying a woman named
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: Joanne Lilly in 1974. The marriage was dead on arrival,
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: collapsing into a divorce after just a few short months.
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: But fresh off the breakup, Glenn met Carissa Fotos.
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: Now, on paper, they were two damaged people looking for
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: a fresh start. But in reality, they were a match
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: thrown directly into a bowl of gasoline. Okay, it's not
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: Two people who should have never met, ever. Now, their
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: entire social life revolved around one thing, alcohol. And just
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: like Carissa, Glenn was fighting a severe, crippling battle with alcoholism.
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: But while Carissa, against all odds, managed to maintain her
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: career as a working nurse, what is known as a
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: functioning alcoholic, Glenn couldn't keep his footing. plagued by his
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: wart injury. trauma, and heavy drinking, he was completely incapable
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: of holding down a steady job.
• 29:46
  Speaker 4: But despite the parade of red flags and the constant instability,
• 29:55
  Speaker 4: the two moved fast forward And in 1975, Glenn Pike
• 30:00
  Speaker 4: and Carissa Photos officially tied the knot.
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: Two lineages, one defined by generations of severe mental illness,
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: physical torture, and open violence. The other, burdened by war trauma,
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: heavy addiction, and toxic chemical exposure, had officially collided.
• 30:21
  Speaker 2: That's not a good combo.
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: This was the lineage waiting in the wings. This was
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: the legacy long before Christa Gale Pike ever drew her
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: first breath.
• 30:34
  Speaker 2: Now, almost immediately after saying, I do, Carissa discovered she
• 30:39
  Speaker 2: was pregnant. But it didn't bring celebration. No, instead, inside
• 30:46
  Speaker 2: the family, it sparked immediate rage. Zola, our mother, was furious.
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: Because in a family already drowning in poverty, addiction, and chaos,
• 31:00
  Speaker 2: another baby wasn't seen as a blessing. It was just
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: another mouth to feed and another burden on a lineage
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: that was already buckling under its own weights.
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: Unwelcomed by her grandmother before she even arrived, Krista, the
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: unborn child, was immediately exposed to severe trauma. irreversible danger
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: inside her mother's womb. Years later, Carissa would flatly deny
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: using substances while carrying Krista. But according to her husband, Glenn,
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: Carissa was drinking alcohol at least once a week and
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: getting higher on marijuana multiple times a month throughout her pregnancy.
• 31:42
  Speaker 4: I'll be honest.
• 31:43
  Speaker 2: I think Glenn was being very generous here to her
• 31:46
  Speaker 2: based on everything I know, but okay. Now, the alcohol
• 31:53
  Speaker 2: crossed the placenta, inflicting severe structural damage directly onto Krista's
• 31:59
  Speaker 2: developing brain. The frontal lobe, the critical command center responsible
• 32:04
  Speaker 2: for things like impulse control, emotional regulation, judgment, and empathy
• 32:10
  Speaker 2: was permanently altered before Krista ever drew her first breath.
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: As if toxic chemical exposure wasn't enough, the pregnancy took
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: a sudden violent physical turn. Working as a licensed practical
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: nurse on a high-risk psychiatric unit during her evening shifts,
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: a heavily pregnant Carissa was confronted by a newly admitted
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: patient suffering from delirium tremens, a violent severe form of
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: alcohol withdrawal. Without warning, the patient snapped, grabbing Carissa and
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: hurling her through a set of double swinging doors where
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: she was slammed hard into a heavy metal supply cart.
• 32:55
  Speaker 2: Now, the blunt force impact was devastating. Shortly after the assault,
• 33:00
  Speaker 2: Carissa began leaking amniotic fluid and her body showing immediate
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: signs of trauma. Placed on a strict medical leave and
• 33:11
  Speaker 2: forced off her feet, she was left to wait in dread,
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: wondering what damage had just been inflicted on the child
• 33:18
  Speaker 2: fighting to survive. inside her.
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: On March 10th, 1976, Krista Gail Pike entered the world
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: via emergency C-section, arriving weeks early, weighing a fragile five pounds,
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: seven ounces.
• 33:35
  Speaker 4: That's tiny.
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: She emerged completely blue, her tiny body suffering from respiratory arrest.
• 33:42
  Speaker 2: Now, her underdeveloped lungs were collapsing under a condition known
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: as Hyland Membrane Disease, That was preventing her body from
• 33:52
  Speaker 2: receiving vital oxygen. Medical staff rushed to stabilize her, immediately
• 33:58
  Speaker 2: transferring the infant from her mother to a specialized neonatal
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: intensive care unit in Charleston, West Virginia, miles away.
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: For three to four agonizing days, a ventilator breathed for her.
• 34:13
  Speaker 1: She would remain hooked to tubes and monitors in the
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: NICU for two full weeks.
• 34:19
  Speaker 2: Now, Krista was also born with severe bilateral hip dysplasia,
• 34:25
  Speaker 2: a structural deficit where her hip sockets were completely unformed,
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: leaving her leg bones completely out of joint. Now, for
• 34:35
  Speaker 2: the entire first year of her life, Krista required invasive,
• 34:39
  Speaker 2: uncomfortable medical interventions. Karista was instructed to double and triple
• 34:45
  Speaker 2: diaper the baby at all times. forcing her tiny legs
• 34:49
  Speaker 2: wide apart day and night so that the force of
• 34:52
  Speaker 2: her leg bones would slowly, painfully carve out artificial sockets
• 34:57
  Speaker 2: in her hips over time.
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: Beyond the physical pain, a silent psychological canyon was forming.
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: Developmental experts know that critical early bonding occurs in those
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: first few hours and days of life through touch, eye contact,
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: and direct maternal care. Sick infants who are immediately separated
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: from their mothers and subjected to medical intervention face a
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: massive risk of failing to form healthy human attachment.
• 35:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and we already know she wasn't great with her
• 35:34
  Speaker 2: first daughter, Alicia. Now, because the specialized NICU was located
• 35:42
  Speaker 2: so far from the family's home, Carissa rarely visited. As
• 35:48
  Speaker 2: Carrie would later recall during those crucial foundational first weeks
• 35:52
  Speaker 2: of life, there was no gentle rocking, no mother's touch,
• 35:57
  Speaker 2: and no physical warmth for Krista.
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: Before Krista Pike even took her first steps, her brain
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: had been starved of oxygen. Her body had been subjected
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: to constant physical discomfort, and her fundamental capacity to form
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: human connection had been completely severed.
• 36:18
  Speaker 2: And as Krista fought for survival and miles away, the
• 36:23
  Speaker 2: woman who brought her into the world was completely collapsing.
• 36:28
  Speaker 2: Carissa wasn't just physically exhausted from the C-section, she was
• 36:33
  Speaker 2: breaking down psychologically as well.
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: In the heavy shadow of Krista's traumatic birth, Carissa sank
• 36:40
  Speaker 1: into a severe paralyzing depression. The darkness was so overwhelming,
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: that shortly after bringing her daughter home, Carissa made a
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: desperate attempt to end her own life.
• 36:53
  Speaker 2: Now, she survived, but the suicide attempt was a warning sign.
• 36:59
  Speaker 2: Carissa was now living with a mother who was utterly
• 37:02
  Speaker 2: incapable of caring for herself, let alone a fragile, medically
• 37:08
  Speaker 2: compromised infant. Psychologically, the environment was catastrophic. It's not great.
• 37:15
  Speaker 2: It's very, very bad.
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: Carissa had already inherited a brain damage by prenatal alcohol exposure,
• 37:23
  Speaker 1: and now her mother's severe, unmanaged clinical depression added another
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: heavy layer of genetic risk for future mood disorders.
• 37:32
  Speaker 2: Let alone her entire mother's side of the family. Yeah. Now,
• 37:38
  Speaker 2: child development hinges on a concept known as secure attachment,
• 37:42
  Speaker 2: which is the deep instinctual bond formed when a mother
• 37:46
  Speaker 2: responds to her baby's cries with warmth and touch and protection.
• 37:50
  Speaker 2: It is the literal foundation upon which a child learns
• 37:55
  Speaker 2: to trust the world, to regulate their emotions, and to
• 37:59
  Speaker 2: feel safe. But for Krista, that foundation never existed.
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: Drowning in her own depression and alcoholism, Karissa was emotionally vacant.
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: she couldn't provide the basic behavioral cues of affection, just
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: as her older daughter Alicia had experienced. Carissa emotionally shut
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: out her new baby.
• 38:27
  Speaker 2: Now, Krista grew up in a cold, empty void, feeling
• 38:31
  Speaker 2: deeply unloved and completely unprotected. And as clinical studies repeatedly show,
• 38:39
  Speaker 2: a child raised without secure attachments isn't just emotionally crippled.
• 38:46
  Speaker 2: They are left wide open, utterly defenseless against the predatory
• 38:52
  Speaker 2: abuse and violence that was waiting for her just around
• 38:55
  Speaker 2: the corner.
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: Whatever fragile chance remained of Carissa to build a connection
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: with her daughter vanished almost overnight, just three weeks after
• 39:07
  Speaker 1: undergoing a major C-section and fresh off the suicide attempt.
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: Carissa went straight back to work.
• 39:16
  Speaker 2: Now, driven by financial desperation and an unemployed husband, her
• 39:22
  Speaker 2: work schedule became punishing. Monday through Friday, she pulled double
• 39:27
  Speaker 2: shifts at a local nursing home. gone from 9 a.m.
• 39:31
  Speaker 2: until midnight. And on the weekends, she picked up extra
• 39:36
  Speaker 2: grueling 12-hour shifts. So in Krista's first year of life,
• 39:41
  Speaker 2: Carissa took a grand total of 12 days off. That's it.
• 39:47
  Speaker 4: 12 days.
• 39:49
  Speaker 2: Days.
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: Now, while Carissa worked herself to the bone, Krista's father, Glenn,
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: was a permanent fixture at home, but he wasn't parenting.
• 39:59
  Speaker 1: Incapable of holding down a job, Glenn spent his days
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: steeped in his own addiction. Carissa would stagger through the
• 40:06
  Speaker 1: front door after 16-hour shifts to find Glenn sitting in
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: the dark drinking beer after beer. Heavy smoking, hanging in
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: the thick air, and completely oblivious to the infant in
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: his care.
• 40:23
  Speaker 2: The house quickly devolved into basically a biohazard. Krista's Aunt
• 40:29
  Speaker 2: Carrie would later recall the stomach-turning conditions she witnessed during
• 40:34
  Speaker 2: her visits. The home was perpetually filthy, with rotting food
• 40:40
  Speaker 2: and towers of dirty dishes overflowing from the sink. And
• 40:44
  Speaker 2: on the floor, surrounded by squalor, was baby Krista.
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: Carrie described the horrifying sight of the infant crawling through
• 40:53
  Speaker 1: the house, picking her way past piles of neglected, decaying
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: dog feces that littered the carpets. While her mother was
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: away working double shifts and her father sat numb in
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: an alcoholic haze, baby Krista was left literally crawling through
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: filth unwatched, unprotected, and completely abandoned in her home.
• 41:20
  Speaker 2: Now with two small children in a filthy home and
• 41:23
  Speaker 2: Carissa working around the clock, the burden of childcare shifted
• 41:28
  Speaker 2: back to one of the matriarchs of the family, Zola Photos.
• 41:33
  Speaker 2: But inside the grandmother's house, the two sisters were treated
• 41:37
  Speaker 2: like two entirely different species.
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: Alicia, the oldest sister, became Zola's favorite. As the firstborn grandchild,
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: Alicia was showered with love, warmth, and rare moments of
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: genuine affection. To Alicia, the home felt safe enough. She
• 41:57
  Speaker 1: knew her grandfather Chris Fotos, the meat butcher, with a
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: history of extreme violence, as a fun man who spoiled
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: his granddaughters with candy and took them to visit the slaughterhouse.
• 42:09
  Speaker 4: Right.
• 42:10
  Speaker 2: That sounds super fun. Now, for young Krista, however, her
• 42:18
  Speaker 2: grandmother's house was no sanctuary. Zola openly resented Krista's very existence.
• 42:26
  Speaker 2: To Zola, Krista was an unwanted burden born to a
• 42:31
  Speaker 2: daughter whose life was falling apart. And making matters worse,
• 42:35
  Speaker 2: Zola's own longstanding alcoholism was rapidly worsening, starting every single
• 42:41
  Speaker 2: morning with a heavy glass of whiskey.
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: While Alicia received hugs, Krista received physical punishment. Zola routinely
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: targeted tiny Krista with harsh physical discipline, venting her own
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: escalating alcohol-fueled rage on the toddler. Even as an infant,
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: Krista was acutely aware that her sister was loved, while
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: she was merely tolerated and beaten.
• 43:11
  Speaker 2: Now, as Aunt Carrie would later observe, the family dynamic
• 43:15
  Speaker 2: had fractured down the middle. Alicia was given a safe harbor,
• 43:20
  Speaker 2: while Krista was handed resentment, rejection, and physical lashings. The
• 43:27
  Speaker 2: message to Krista was delivered early, clearly, and repeatedly.
• 43:31
  Speaker 4: You.
• 43:33
  Speaker 2: Are not wanted here.
• 43:36
  Speaker 1: But amidst the filth, the heavy drinking, and the open resentment,
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: there was one single solitary ray of light in young
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: Krista's life, her paternal grandmother, Delpha Pike. When Delpha moved
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: into the household, she immediately stepped into the void left
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: by Krista's absent mother and alcoholic father. From Krista's infancy,
• 43:59
  Speaker 1: it was Delpha who woke up in the dark hours
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: of the night to check on the babies. even while
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: Krista slept in her parents' room.
• 44:07
  Speaker 2: For years, whenever they lived under the same roof, Krista
• 44:12
  Speaker 2: slept beside her grandmother, a ritual that continued until Delpha
• 44:17
  Speaker 2: passed away when Krista was 12 years old.
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: For years, whenever they lived under the same roof, Krista
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: slept beside her grandmother, a ritual that continued until Delpha
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: Delpha passed away when Krista was 12 years old. Sorry, guys.
• 44:36
  Speaker 4: Oh.
• 44:37
  Speaker 2: Well, that's fine. It happens. Now, decades later, Carissa would
• 44:45
  Speaker 2: openly admit the harsh truth that Grandmother Delpha was far
• 44:50
  Speaker 2: more of a mother to Krista than she ever was.
• 44:53
  Speaker 2: And Delpha was the only reliable source of constant love, tenderness,
• 44:59
  Speaker 2: and security in the young girl's life.
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: She was also the helpless witness to Krista's nightmare. Krista
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: was relentlessly verbally abusive to her young daughter, firing constant criticism, insults,
• 45:13
  Speaker 1: and hostility at the child. Between Krista's cold rage and
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: Glenn's erratic drug and alcohol-fueled temper, Krista was subjected to routine,
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: terrifying physical beatings.
• 45:26
  Speaker 2: Delpha was heartbroken. She would sit in tears as she
• 45:32
  Speaker 2: watched her son and daughter-in-law brutally discipline Krista. But Delpha
• 45:38
  Speaker 2: was an old woman, entirely dependent on the family and
• 45:43
  Speaker 2: utterly powerless to stop the violence. All she could do
• 45:47
  Speaker 2: was weep silently and try to patch up the young
• 45:50
  Speaker 2: girl's bruises and attempt to shield Krista's broken spirit from
• 45:55
  Speaker 2: her own parents' cruelty.
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: But It wasn't enough to stop the damage. Stripped of
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: maternal protection, constantly degraded by her own mother, and subjected
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: to physical terror inside her own home, Krista's fragile psychology
• 46:15
  Speaker 1: was fracturing. The stage was being set, not just for
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: a deeply traumatized child, but for a girl who was
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: at a catastrophic risk of becoming both a victim of
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: victim of predator after predator, and eventually a perpetrator of
• 46:32
  Speaker 1: unimaginable violence herself.
• 46:36
  Speaker 2: Now, next time on True Crime and Wine Time, we
• 46:39
  Speaker 2: trace the exact moments Krista Pike's childhood safety was completely obliterated.
• 46:46
  Speaker 2: I know, it seems like it's all safe and good
• 46:48
  Speaker 2: right now, right? No, it gets worse. It does actually
• 46:51
  Speaker 2: continue to get worse.
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: Left in the care of sadistic relatives and predators... a
• 46:56
  Speaker 1: helpless toddler learns the art of disassociation, escaping her own
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: body when there is nowhere left to run.
• 47:04
  Speaker 2: Between medical neglect, severe brain malformations, and systemic abuse, the
• 47:11
  Speaker 2: girl who would become Tennessee's most horrific killer was already
• 47:15
  Speaker 2: completely lost, and you won't want to miss part two.
• 47:20
  Speaker 1: And before we go, if you enjoyed hanging out with
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: us tonight, Make sure to follow all of our socials
• 47:26
  Speaker 1: and subscribe to our YouTube channel. It's completely free and
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: helps us grow this incredible true crime community. And if
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: you're watching this as part of the replay crew, be
• 47:36
  Speaker 1: sure to leave us your thoughts on what you've heard tonight.
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: And remember, if you're listening over on the podcast apps,
• 47:44
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• 47:48
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• 47:55
  Speaker 1: while also enjoying ad-free episodes.
• 47:58
  Speaker 2: That's right. That's right. Well, thank you all for joining
• 48:02
  Speaker 2: us tonight for part one of this crazy long series
• 48:07
  Speaker 2: we're about to do. We hope you all stick with
• 48:08
  Speaker 2: us and we'll see you all next week. And as always,
• 48:11
  Speaker 2: as I say, go forth and be amazing.
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: As I like to say, stay safe, stay aware, and
• 48:17
  Speaker 1: it's always free to be kind.
• 48:19
  Speaker 2: That's right. That's right.
• 48:21
  Speaker 1: Bye, friends.
• 48:21
  Speaker 4: Bye, guys.
• 48:23
  Speaker 2: Thank you.