Latest / Slice of Crimes | Serial Crime Story & Audio Drama / No Escape Episode Seven: No Escape From the Truth

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No Escape Episode Seven: No Escape From the Truth · Slice of Crimes | Serial Crime Story & Audio Drama

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  Slice of Crimes is a fictionalized true crime podcast that delves into complex
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  and sometimes difficult stories.
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  Topics may include discussions and descriptions of violence,
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  abuse, self-harm, sexual assault, suicide, and other sensitive subjects,
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  as well as occasional strong language.
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  Please listen with care and discretion. This podcast may not be suitable for
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  all audiences, especially young listeners.
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  Music.
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  Nothing has ever heard exactly as it seems seems.
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  Slice of crimes.
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  Infinite banks no escape episode 7 no escape from the truth,
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  welcome back to slice of crimes i'm casey your resident slice sleuth and today
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  we've reached the final stretch the pieces of the puzzle are finally coming
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  together and the truth about Jenner Smith's murder is about to emerge.
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  McAllister and Ramirez are just about to put the final nail in the killer's coffin.
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  Any sleuths out there already solved this case? You're about to find out.
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  Detective Sarah McAllister stands in the middle of the interrogation room,
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  surrounded by the five teens, Maya, Jenkins, Blake, Myers, and the shadow of Jenner.
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  I'm going to cut right back in where I left off.
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  Detective Mike Ramirez just entered the room holding a clear evidence bag containing
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  the knife used in the murder.
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  He placed it on the table, the room going silent as everyone's eyes locked onto it.
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  This knife, stamped with a rose emblem, was manufactured in Sheffield, UK.
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  It's a real weapon, not a prop, and it was used to kill Jenner.
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  The only fingerprints on it belong to you.
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  Wait, who is he pointing to? Oh yes, okay, just what I figured. Maya.
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  Maya's face, which had finally regained the slightest tinge of rosiness since
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  her hysterical episode, instantly drains of color, once again leaving her with
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  the fragile blanched white appearance of a porcelain doll.
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  Despite her obvious trembling, she finds the strength to protest.
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  No! I must have touched it when I went to him after we found him. That's the only way!
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  Detective McAllister raises a hand, silencing her.
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  Shush, Maya, let me finish. The unique marking on this knife,
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  a rose, tells us it's from Sheffield, always manufactured in the UK.
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  And then there's the Glasgow smile, a gruesome mark that originated in Glasgow,
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  meant to mock the victim, to humiliate, sending a clear sign you messed with the wrong person.
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  The killer is clearly a UK citizen, but also a US citizen, someone who straddles both worlds.
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  You know what that means, right? Two killers. Maybe you saw that coming. Maybe not.
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  But the full story has not rolled out. There are still secrets yet to unfold. Means and opportunity.
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  And what about motive? Let's see.
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  Maya, you didn't just touch that knife by accident. You may have thrown yourself
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  on Jenner to cover yourself, but this, your fingerprints, isn't the only evidence
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  we have. You and Myers were in this together.
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  You fell for him when he started encouraging you to stand up to Jenner.
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  He targeted you as needy, vulnerable.
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  You were an easy mark for him, wearing your heart on your sleeve.
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  He convinced you that Jenner had broken that heart. Then he bombarded you with attention.
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  Attention, you felt Jenner, was denying you. You finally felt the way you thought
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  love should feel. You felt adored.
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  You felt special. You felt empowered and recognized for your beauty,
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  talent, and wealth for everything you wanted to be recognized for.
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  Easy for someone like Myers, a serious lifelong sociopath, adept at mirroring
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  emotions, but ironically incapable of actually feeling those emotions.
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  And it didn't stop there, did it?
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  Myers convinced you that you can do it. At first, we thought he meant to encourage
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  you to leave Jenner and have you to himself.
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  But really, it was a cryptic reference to Jenner's death, something you were planning together.
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  Maya's eyes widen, tears welling up as she shakes her head in denial.
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  Myers is stoic and unnervingly casual as he asks for a lawyer.
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  I'll take that solicitor now, thank you.
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  You had to convince Jenner to go to the escape room with all of you.
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  Easy enough once you tossed in the idea of playing individually so he could challenge everyone.
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  Jenner couldn't resist that, and you knew it. That's why everyone thought it was his idea.
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  You even had him call Eddie at the front desk to ask if $50 would get the rules bent.
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  On your phone. Not smart leaving that number in there for Ramirez to see.
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  He didn't even have to dig.
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  Eddie confirmed it. Jenner called ahead and when
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  you all pitched in Eddie figured everyone was in on it
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  and Maya using the punch card let us
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  in on a couple of things first you had been there earlier with Myers to case
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  the place and set up the plan and second you used the ploy of pulling out the
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  punch card and dropping your hairbrush on the floor Myers was ready and scooped
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  it up shoving it back in your purse along with the knife that's how you had
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  the knife you stabbed Jenner in the heart,
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  The very revenge a scorned lover with a broken heart would take.
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  Myers. He really got to you, Maya. He could have done it alone, you see. He has before.
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  But you added flair to the murder. And he likes to bring the drama when he kills.
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  You served Myers well. A sociopath's manipulation can be difficult to resist
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  when you're in a vulnerable state.
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  And then there's the crime scene itself. The secret door in the third room,
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  disguised as a bookshelf, locked from the inside with a hidden exit out the back.
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  And the ladder painted black to blend into the surroundings,
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  leading to a scaffolding platform high above the room.
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  Maya, you used that flashlight to climb the ladder to the platform so you could disappear.
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  You probably dropped that darn punch card when you pulled out the flashlight.
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  I found it directly below the ladder.
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  Anyway, then you crouched 25 feet above, watching as Myers and Jenner stepped into the first room.
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  You gave it away when you mentioned how it reminded you of your swim platform.
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  That only makes sense if you were standing up looking down. Looking up,
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  you would describe it as gazing at a tall ceiling.
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  Most would be scared at that height, not you, a champion diver.
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  You also knew that you could use the duct tape that was kept up there.
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  You and Myers had checked that all out on your previous visit a couple weeks
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  ago. Yes, of course we checked the previous surveillance tapes.
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  It turns out, Myers, you don't always wear black.
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  It looks like you must have borrowed some of your cousin jenner's clothes that
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  day trying to look sporty You just didn't pull it off and maya a hoodie and
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  baggy sweatpants wasn't enough to keep us from recognizing you once We knew
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  who we were looking for Eddie wasn't working that day So he didn't remember
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  you but we can clearly see you accepting a new punch card too bad You used it again.
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  It really tipped us off and from the timestamp on the video We can see that
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  although you paid cash and did not give your names the castle escape room was
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  set up for the exact time slot for two people.
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  Maya begins to rock silently. It looks like her eyes are focused on the wall behind the detectives.
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  She's receded to a place within herself. A place where she isn't a murderer,
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  perhaps? A place where her life is not over?
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  Well, she can't stay locked out of reality forever. There's no escape.
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  After all, she can't escape herself. Maya, you didn't want to wear black because
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  it would be a dead giveaway.
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  So you told Jenkins you were cold, knowing he'd hand over his black chess club jacket.
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  He wore it everywhere, just like Jenner wore his Duke jersey everywhere.
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  You wore Jenkins' black jacket to blend in, making sure no one saw you.
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  From that height, you saw everything. Jenkins enter in, then Blake.
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  You even heard the lock click as they entered the secret bookcase door together.
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  They made the mistake of both describing entering that passage alone,
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  but it wasn't possible because it locked from inside.
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  No, Jenkins waited for Blake, he must have called him over, and they entered
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  together. They had no idea anyone was watching.
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  But it was perfect for you. They were out of the way, locked out.
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  You waited in the third room for Jenner, and you knew he wouldn't be surprised
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  to see you scared and lost. You had already set that scenario up.
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  Then Myers ambushed him from behind.
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  Myers had the zip ties in his pocket because they were small enough to conceal.
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  And you were ready with the duct tape.
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  DNA results take a while, but I have no doubt we will find your DNA on every piece of that tape.
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  Of course, we've already established the knife was in your purse.
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  No, I didn't. I didn't mean to. But you did, Maya. And now it's over.
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  Has anyone forgotten that Jenkins and Blake are still in the room?
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  It's almost as if McAllister, in her flurry, has.
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  Jenkins is growing increasingly agitated in his seat. He stands and starts pacing before cutting in.
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  Detective, may I? Do I need to stay here?
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  I mean, can I just go? This is nearly impossible for me to sit here and listen to.
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  Every single thing I believe to be true is decimated. Just, what is this?
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  How? Maya, I'm going to go detective. I don't know if my dad can survive this.
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  I can't be here any longer.
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  Yes, Jenkins, yes, go. I will be in touch.
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  I would like to sit down with your father as soon as I wrap this up.
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  If you want to wait in my office, you can lay down on the sofa in there.
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  I'm so sorry, Jenkins. You are 100% correct. These circumstances are impossible to process.
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  There was never going to be a good answer. Any outcome is devastating.
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  It's a tragedy. But Jenner will have justice.
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  As Maya tunes everything out, Myers remains silent, his face a mask of calm indifference.
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  Detective McAllister turns her attention to him.
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  Myers, you played your part well. you manipulated Maya, convinced her that Jenner
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  needed to be out of the picture.
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  But in the end, it was your plan all along.
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  The Glasgow smile, the Sheffield knife, all point back to you. You had the means.
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  And we are quite aware you had the motive too. Not to mention you are quite capable of murder.
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  Myers doesn't respond, but his expression changes as the detectives close in on him. He is smiling.
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  Warning! Just one look at Blake and it's clear.
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  He's been simmering in his anger and frustration far too long,
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  like a pressure cooker left on high heat with no release valve. He's about to blow.
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  Today's wild rollercoaster ride of emotions, from despair to humiliation to
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  full-blown panic, Has drained him.
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  He's got nothing left in the tank. No filter.
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  No restraint. Just rage.
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  And McAllister just now triggered him. You know the saying, he just snapped.
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  That's exactly how I would classify this outburst.
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  This is total bullshit, detective. You're telling Jenkins you're so sorry.
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  On top of Jenner dying, he was put through hell from you.
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  The two of you. You didn't just question us. You grilled us. You skewered us.
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  We were never witnesses to you, and
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  you had zero concern for any of us as victims. You set Jenkins up in me.
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  You read our personal texts out loud, and on the record, knowing we were innocent.
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  So he loses a brother, violently loses a brother, and I lose a best friend.
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  But instead of grieving that loss, we have to grieve the loss of our privacy, of my dignity.
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  Loss of trust, invasion, total invasion. and you made us say horrible things about Jenner too.
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  I loved him. I fucking loved him like a brother and you made me believe he deserved this somehow.
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  You sit here talking about manipulation. We were manipulated by you. For what?
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  Seems like you knew who did this. So why?
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  You're suffering in so many ways, it feels, well, it is unimaginable.
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  I don't have words for the complexity of this situation.
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  But our job was bringing justice for Jenner and getting a murderer off the street. Are you a victim?
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  Yes, in every way, but I did not victimize you. I did my job,
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  and we went through the process of investigating a brutal murder.
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  Seeking truth, the pressure is unbearable, but you and Jenkins,
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  you helped us immensely.
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  Maybe there will come a day where you can hold on to just that part.
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  Blake, why don't you step out with Ramirez? I won't be long.
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  Is McAllister a bit too defensive? Or, within reasonability, these are teens.
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  The trauma has been off the charts as far as what could and will have lifelong
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  psychological implications.
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  Have the detectives compounded the trauma as Blake has accused them of doing?
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  I have an opinion. Hint, absolutely.
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  Okay, that was not subtle, I know, but who out there agrees with me?
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  Even the way she dismisses Blake and goes right back to Myers,
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  I get she's ecstatic to have wrapped up this case. But she's not a robot.
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  She has feelings, right? Well, ironically, she's giving a straight-up lecture
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  to Myers about his psychopathy, his lack of remorse manipulation.
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  Maybe, just maybe, that's what triggered Blake. I vote yes.
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  You thought you could get away with it. Ah, yes, a sociopath's fatal flaw,
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  believing they are smarter than everyone else.
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  You changed the trajectory of Maya's life too.
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  It probably pleases you to have controlled someone like that,
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  but she is not blameless.
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  She had it in her to murder in cold blood. She never backed down.
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  Episode 7 is over and out. You know what else is out? The truth.
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  The guilty parties have been revealed, but the shockwaves of this crime will
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  be felt for years to come.
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  Maya and Myers, a popular girl and antisocial sociopath, turned out to be Myers' dream team.
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  Believe me when I tell you there's so much more to this dark tale.
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  Join me next time for the final episode.
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  Wrapping up loose ends, it's what we sleuths like to do. And who doesn't love an epilogue, right?
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  Especially if it includes the dramatic aftermath of a seriously twisted murder.
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  As always, nothing is ever exactly as it seems.
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  Hey, sleuths! Casey here. As I always say on Slice of Crimes,
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  nothing is ever exactly as it seems.
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  I want to leave you with something to ponder.
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  Here's a sliver, not quite a whole slice, of the upcoming final episode, The Epilogue.
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  Jenkins didn't take McAllister up on her offer to crash on the sofa in her office.
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  He needed to get home, yet was in no condition to drive.
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  Instead, he sets out on a long walk home, about four miles.
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  He needs the time to contemplate. Sort of stumbling out the door,
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  He is hunched as if he is carrying a thousand pound burden on his shoulders.
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  And actually, he truly is. He must be in shock.
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  I mean, how many devastating, life-shattering blows can he take?
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  To anyone watching him slump out of the police station, he probably appears
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  aimless and incapable of even making his way home safely. Okay.
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  Yet despite his weary demeanor, his mind is working on overdrive.
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  Jenkins is a thinker. He is logical and practical, exacting and relentless.
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  Even at his lowest, his most downtrodden, Jenkins is precise,
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  calculated and decisive.
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  And something that Jenner recognized about his twin, he could always rely on him.
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  Jenkins never takes the easy way out and he never ever gives up.
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  He won't let Jenner down. This he vows.
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  Infinite thanks, sleuths.
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  How do you feel after an episode of Slice of Crimes?
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  One step closer to the truth? If you haven't cracked the case yet,
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  no worries. You're not alone.
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  But before you go, remember, the mystery doesn't end here.
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  Enjoyed this episode? Show some love. Share Slice of Crimes with your friends,
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  family, or even that neighbor who's a little too interested in true crime.
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  Oh, wait, that's probably you.
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  Your five-star ratings and killer reviews help keep these investigations coming,
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  and I couldn't do it without you.
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  Got your own theories, burning questions, or maybe a case you think I should
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  tackle next? I'm all ears.
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  Send your ideas and suggestions my way. The more you engage,
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  the sharper my sleuthing gets.
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  So until next time, fellow sleuths, keep your wits about you,
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  stay curious, stay sharp.
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  You never know what the next slice of crime will serve up, and trust me,
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  you won't want to miss it.
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  Infinite thanks for listening today and for tuning in next week.