Latest / Least of These / 257. "A Safe Place" - The Case of Morgan Bauer - Newton County, Georgia - [Part 4 -FINAL]

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257. "A Safe Place" - The Case of Morgan Bauer - Newton County, Georgia - [Part 4 -FINAL] · Least of These

0:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome to Least of these, where I cover the cases that need it most, because every life matters and everyone deserves justice.
0:08
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm your host Leadie, and today I'll be bringing you the conclusion of the case of Morgan Bauer and Newton County, Georgia.
0:15
[SPEAKER_01]: This case is extremely violent and graphic in nature.
0:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Listener discretion is advised, and with that said, let's get right to it.
1:01
[SPEAKER_01]: At Caitlyn Gobble's murder trial, her ex-husband David Settles took the stand and told the jury all about how Caitlyn had confessed to killing Morgan.
1:10
[SPEAKER_01]: He went on to say that Caitlyn bragged about being able to manipulate men and that she was heavily involved in witchcraft.
1:17
[SPEAKER_01]: He also explained that despite everything that had happened, their relationship had remained relatively cordial following her arrest because they shared two children together.
1:27
[SPEAKER_01]: As Caitlyn and her defense team prepared for trial, prosecutors argued that she was still trying to manipulate the men in her life, particularly David.
1:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Here's a phone call between Caitlyn and David about a month before trial.
1:41
[SPEAKER_01]: In it, Caitlyn tells David that he can still help her, and that his original statements to investigators had incriminated her.
1:54
[SPEAKER_07]: They might call it up to each other, they're back, yeah, but thank you.
1:58
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, that's good.
2:01
[SPEAKER_05]: Um, uh, right here, I mean, I still think that you would be able to help in some way.
2:14
[SPEAKER_05]: If you were to be to the people that you spoke to me before,
2:24
[SPEAKER_07]: Well, I don't know what I said that was a lie, so, again, I don't have the notes in the front of me like you do to say what was a lie or anything, but... Well, basically, that's the way that you send things and you make time to make it.
2:45
[SPEAKER_05]: Instead of acting, instead of acting, explaining that, hey, she knows what happened, but she was in picture of me in a certain sense that you made it sound like I was a really pertinent.
3:00
[SPEAKER_07]: But the only way is to explain myself is because, uh, that night when you got really drunk and then you did start getting something out of everything to me.
3:13
[SPEAKER_07]: You made it same like you were a willing participant to tell them that's what it sounds it like
3:25
[SPEAKER_05]: I don't remember a bunch from that night, but I remember enough to know that when I was finally telling you, and finally letting go of everything that was hurting me, that hurt us, that the between our relationships, I was breaking down in front of you.
3:46
[SPEAKER_05]: And maybe you were hearing what you wanted to hear because of what was already going on this
3:54
[SPEAKER_01]: According to Caitlyn, she hadn't told David she was a willing participant in Morgan's murder.
3:59
[SPEAKER_01]: She was a victim, and he was simply hearing what he wanted to hear.
4:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Poor Caitlyn, everybody was just twisting her words.
4:08
[SPEAKER_01]: But when that approach didn't work in Caitlyn learned that David had turned over evidence to prosecutors, she lashed out nanger.
4:15
[SPEAKER_01]: The evening after the first day of jury selection, she learned a David had given prosecutors a photo and video of that handwritten spell.
4:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Caitlyn became angry and accused him of trying to make sure the mother of his children remain behind bars.
4:29
[SPEAKER_01]: And then, as a child continued, Caitlyn called David again, this time telling him, she wasn't happy with the way he was relaying messages on her behalf.
4:39
[SPEAKER_01]: At one point she told him, I know I told you to relay a message, and you didn't relay it the same way I said it.
4:45
[SPEAKER_01]: She went on to explain that she had a very specific way of speaking for very specific purposes.
4:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Take a listen.
4:54
[SPEAKER_05]: I know I have told you to relay your message and to get it relayed at the same way as I said it.
5:05
[SPEAKER_06]: All my cheers to you.
5:09
[SPEAKER_05]: I'll call you a five, call you a five, you paraphrase too much, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up,
5:38
[SPEAKER_05]: that's the problem.
5:42
[SPEAKER_05]: I was saying for specific purposes the way I was conveys my thoughts the way that I wanted to be convey.
5:58
[SPEAKER_05]: I speak to people in a certain way so that they can understand that I'm being friendly
6:08
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm deferring or disagreeing in a number of things.
6:15
[SPEAKER_05]: I think the way I speak with a purpose is to get talent that I have picked up through doing what I did for that in a year.
6:28
[SPEAKER_07]: Yes.
6:30
[SPEAKER_05]: Being able to jump into different conversations with
6:37
[SPEAKER_05]: actually would you convey how I, what I'm thinking.
6:42
[UNKNOWN]: Yeah.
6:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Apparently, David needed to do a better job of communicating her thoughts exactly the way she wanted them communicate it.
6:51
[SPEAKER_01]: And David wasn't the only person in Caitlin's family who testified for the prosecution.
6:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Caitlin's biological brother also took the stand.
6:59
[SPEAKER_01]: He confirmed what prosecutors had described, telling the jury that he had never seen a sister afraid of any of her boyfriends.
7:06
[SPEAKER_01]: In fact, he said she'd always seem to be the one in control of her relationships.
7:11
[SPEAKER_01]: He also testified that growing up, Caitlyn had a deep interest in serial killers.
7:16
[SPEAKER_01]: And when asked about their relationship as it stood, he made it clear that he no longer had anything to do with her.
7:23
[SPEAKER_01]: The prosecution called Dr. Sandra Reynolds, medical examiner with a Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
7:29
[SPEAKER_01]: She explained that the remains recovered in Porterdale were partial skeletal remains that had been severely charted.
7:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Because of their condition, investigators needed the assistance of a forensic anthropologist, and Morgan was ultimately identified through dental records.
7:45
[SPEAKER_01]: The medical examiner determined that Morgan's manner of death was homicide.
7:49
[SPEAKER_01]: However, because of the condition of the remains, she couldn't identify a more specific cause of death and classified it as homicidal violence.
7:58
[SPEAKER_01]: That said, she testified that the evidence was consistent with strangulation.
8:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Prosecutors asked the medical examiner about strangulation and how long it would take to manually
8:10
[SPEAKER_01]: A timer was set in the courtroom.
8:13
[SPEAKER_01]: 30 seconds went by.
8:14
[SPEAKER_01]: That's approximately how long it could take for someone to lose consciousness.
8:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Then, for excruciating minutes passed, according to the medical examiner, that's typically what it would take for death to occur.
8:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Four minutes is a long time, and Dr. Reynolds testified that accidentally strangling someone to death would be difficult.
8:35
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a sobering explanation of just how much time and sustained force are involved in a manual strangulation and did directly challenge any suggestion that Morgan's death could have been the result of some brief accidental encounter.
9:09
[SPEAKER_01]: The prosecution presented more evidence of Caitlyn's interest in death in the macabre.
9:14
[SPEAKER_01]: This time in the form of a tattoo owner, for arm.
9:17
[SPEAKER_01]: A tattoo she got after the murders of a window go.
9:21
[SPEAKER_01]: She had talked about the tattoo with one of the female investigators and in March of 2021 made a TikTok showing off this new tattoo which covered an existing one.
9:31
[SPEAKER_01]: And the video Caitlin said, Yesterday I got a tattoo that was done by a bully covered up.
9:37
[SPEAKER_01]: It reminded me a lot of sadness and frustration.
9:40
[SPEAKER_01]: Meet my new monster, the spirit of the Wendigo.
9:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Now in case you're like me and have no idea what the hell a Wendigo is.
9:48
[SPEAKER_01]: According to court testimony, a Wendigo is a mythological creature or evil spirit that may possess a human being with an insatiable desire for blood, a propensity to murder, and a drive to eat humans.
10:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, this highlighted the fact that though Kayl and Tolton investigators, she had only participated in Morgan's murder because she was afraid of Alex Warren.
10:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Her fixation on death, murder cannibalism, serial killers, and demonic creatures existed both before and after Alex Warren.
10:18
[SPEAKER_01]: The state rested in the defense called no witnesses, and with that, it was time for closing arguments.
10:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Chief Assistant District Attorney Amber Dally delivered closing arguments for the state,
10:31
[SPEAKER_04]: a kid on the table, and now it's born.
10:34
[SPEAKER_04]: Planned is to pray murder of ordinary families.
10:39
[SPEAKER_04]: She wanted to do this.
10:41
[SPEAKER_04]: She murdered Morgan to the house of Porterdale, because she wanted to kill her because she's a bastard dead and serial killer is an immigrant.
10:52
[SPEAKER_04]: That is what she did.
10:53
[SPEAKER_04]: She knew or she fought.
10:55
[SPEAKER_04]: Morgan would be a perfect vehicle.
10:58
[SPEAKER_04]: Right?
11:01
[SPEAKER_04]: People won't come looking for her.
11:02
[SPEAKER_04]: She's working at this club that she will have been shot for 10 and 4.
11:07
[SPEAKER_04]: She's the perfect victim.
11:08
[SPEAKER_04]: So she pretended to be her friend.
11:10
[SPEAKER_04]: She pretended to be sending a gift for a safe place to lay her head at night.
11:16
[SPEAKER_04]: It she ended her life.
11:20
[SPEAKER_04]: And her and I would end her war in our psychopaths.
11:23
[SPEAKER_04]: And I would say that to you right.
11:25
[SPEAKER_04]: I have prosecuted, I don't know how many murder cases, and I have never stood up in a closed argument and said that before, but that is what the evidence showed you in this case.
11:36
[SPEAKER_04]: That is what it shows you.
11:39
[SPEAKER_04]: And today, it is time for justice for Morgan, and it's time to hold her accountable.
11:46
[SPEAKER_01]: The prosecutor began walking the jury through the law and explaining why under Georgia law, Caitlyn could be held just as responsible for Morgan's murder as Alex.
11:56
[SPEAKER_01]: First, there was a concept of being a party to a crime.
12:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Caitlyn didn't have to be the person with her hands-around Morgan's neck to be guilty of murder.
12:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Under Georgia law, someone who intentionally helps, encourages, advises, or otherwise participates in the commission of a crime, is also guilty of that crime.
12:15
[SPEAKER_01]: If the jury believes she had done anything to facilitate Morgan's murder, she was just as guilty as Alex Warren was.
12:22
[SPEAKER_01]: The prosecution also argued that the evidence supported a conspiracy between Caitlyn and Alex.
12:28
[SPEAKER_01]: They were together before the murder.
12:30
[SPEAKER_01]: They were together when it happened, and they remained together afterward.
12:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Prosecutors asked a jury to look at the circumstances surrounding Morgan's death, and determine whether the two had acted together.
12:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And if the jury found that a conspiracy existed, acts committed by one could be contributed to everyone involved in the conspiracy.
12:50
[SPEAKER_01]: The prosecutor then explained the charge of malice murder.
12:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Malice murder by definition is an unlawful killing committed with malice a fourth thought.
12:59
[SPEAKER_01]: In other words, the state had to prove that Catelyn acted with the intent to kill.
13:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Not necessarily that she was the person who physically carried out every part of the attack.
13:09
[SPEAKER_01]: motive?
13:10
[SPEAKER_01]: The state didn't need to prove motive, but it was simple.
13:13
[SPEAKER_01]: The prosecutor asked the jury to simply look at Caitlyn's interests.
13:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And then there was pre-meditation.
13:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Pre-meditation wasn't a separate element the state had to prove for malice murder.
13:25
[SPEAKER_01]: But the jury could consider evidence of planning and preparation when deciding whether Caitlyn acted with a required intent.
13:32
[SPEAKER_01]: And the prosecution argued there was evidence of premeditation.
13:35
[SPEAKER_01]: There was a social media post about bob killing people for fun, posted just five hours before Morgan was murdered.
13:43
[SPEAKER_01]: There were the post about serial killers, the images of flayed women, and the list went on.
13:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Taking together within the timeline, the prosecution argued these weren't random posts.
13:53
[SPEAKER_01]: They were part of a much larger picture.
13:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And then, there was Morgan's phone.
13:58
[SPEAKER_01]: David Settles testified that Morgan's phone was taken from her when she first got to Porterdale.
14:03
[SPEAKER_01]: He also testified that Caitlyn confessed to disabling the phone and disposing of it.
14:08
[SPEAKER_01]: The prosecution believed that was another piece of evidence showing Caitlyn's involvement in Morgan's murder.
14:14
[SPEAKER_01]: And ultimately, the state's theory was that Caitlyn wasn't just following Alex Warren's leave.
14:19
[SPEAKER_01]: She was the mastermind behind Morgan Smurter, the one calling the shots, Alex was just a muscle.
14:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Then it was the defense's turn.
14:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Defense Attorney Ben she'd a junior delivering closing arguments for Caitlyn Goble.
14:34
[SPEAKER_01]: He told the jury that the state's case was a lot of smoke.
14:38
[SPEAKER_01]: He compared it to a brick wall.
14:40
[SPEAKER_01]: It looks solid from far away, but when you got close, there were gaps in cracks everywhere.
14:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure, Caitlin had lied.
14:46
[SPEAKER_01]: The defense wasn't trying to run away from that, but Caitlin lied only because Alex told her to.
14:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Caitlin had always told the story that Alex wanted her to.
14:55
[SPEAKER_01]: That wasn't until she voluntarily sat down with investigators.
14:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Alex was a psychopath, and he was the one who had murdered Morgan.
15:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Everything Katelyn had done was because of Alex, and because she was afraid of him, it was all Alex.
15:11
[SPEAKER_01]: According to the defense, Katelyn had helped in this investigation, and those social media posts a prosecution kept harping on proved nothing about the murder.
15:20
[SPEAKER_01]: It was all just cosplay.
15:22
[SPEAKER_02]: The way he got into the property with the war was because of Miss Gold.
15:29
[SPEAKER_02]: she helped in this investigation.
15:31
[SPEAKER_02]: So some while we're talking about that, but because of her, that's why we're all here today, because she told me, she didn't have to say nothing.
15:41
[SPEAKER_02]: After she talked to Terry, after she talked to Ashley, she put an advantage.
15:46
[SPEAKER_02]: But the next day, she went to law enforcement.
15:49
[SPEAKER_02]: She gave out, you said, here for a day, listen, and it's four or five different interviews or interrogations because she was arrested at that time.
15:59
[SPEAKER_02]: And she told them what happened, she told them where it happened, she told them where the means.
16:08
[SPEAKER_02]: She told them her part.
16:10
[SPEAKER_02]: She said, I do not.
16:12
[SPEAKER_02]: I do nothing.
16:13
[SPEAKER_02]: She said, off rip, yes, she did not.
16:16
[SPEAKER_02]: She lied.
16:17
[SPEAKER_02]: What's the point?
16:18
[SPEAKER_02]: But there are some substances.
16:20
[SPEAKER_02]: What are those substances?
16:22
[SPEAKER_02]: She always said that Alex did more.
16:28
[SPEAKER_02]: that I helped get her to the back.
16:30
[SPEAKER_02]: She didn't talk about it this night.
16:32
[SPEAKER_02]: And then that first, when she still said, I helped her, she said, I carried the suitcase.
16:37
[SPEAKER_02]: She said, I got states and then stuff in the ground and put it on, she said, out of separate fire.
16:43
[SPEAKER_02]: She always said, I got rid of the cell phone.
16:47
[SPEAKER_02]: Those were all consisted.
16:48
[SPEAKER_02]: She didn't have to cut herself in that.
16:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Because I know what a cell phone went.
16:51
[SPEAKER_02]: They didn't find it in the yellow river behind the house.
16:54
[SPEAKER_02]: She told about the trophy.
16:58
[SPEAKER_02]: kept in the vet law enforcement had no reason to go check event and if it wasn't for her that's the information that the her GBI said we got a tip that would have known nothing about this vet but because of Miss Golden that's how they were in the get inside and find these sick trophies by the sick individual that you put down.
17:24
[SPEAKER_02]: So down the talks to her and then
17:27
[SPEAKER_02]: and they bring all of her TikTok videos and all of the social media posts and everything.
17:34
[SPEAKER_02]: All we'll talk about that, because, yeah, a lot of stuff is weird, and maybe we're just some of some people are interested in it, but that is not true murder, but because she posted dressing, because she had prop heads that we talked to them.
17:57
[SPEAKER_02]: in a pocket.
17:59
[SPEAKER_02]: One has flat, one has rubber.
18:02
[SPEAKER_02]: They talked about what when she hit the health of the pocket, she didn't throw up.
18:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, throw up what a pocket.
18:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Ladies and gentlemen, that does not prove murder.
18:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Nothing that they got from social media who's murdered.
18:19
[SPEAKER_02]: A lot of these posts, a shoulder time run.
18:22
[SPEAKER_02]: She posted them before she
18:26
[SPEAKER_02]: What does that prove?
18:28
[SPEAKER_02]: That she's in, so stuff like, they think is weird.
18:32
[SPEAKER_02]: How does that prove?
18:35
[SPEAKER_01]: So the defense, one of the jury to believe they Katelyn wasn't a murderer.
18:39
[SPEAKER_01]: She was just into things the prosecution found weird and she was being controlled by her dangerous and violent boyfriend.
18:46
[SPEAKER_01]: But the prosecution wasn't finished.
18:48
[SPEAKER_01]: The state had the final word with its rebuttal.
18:51
[SPEAKER_01]: During rebuttal Amber Dally brought the jury back to Katelyn's actions before, during, and after Morgan's murder.
18:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Rather than looking at each social media post video or statement as one isolated piece of evidence, the prosecution placed them within the larger timeline of events.
19:08
[SPEAKER_01]: And the question they wanted the jury to consider was this, where Caitlin's actions, those of someone who was terrified and controlled by her boyfriend, or were they the actions of someone who was willingly participating in the planning, murder and cover-up.
19:26
[SPEAKER_04]: We've been a lot of talk about how Alex made her do everything and Alex was the one in control.
19:32
[SPEAKER_04]: Again, both SACC, she says it's half a target.
19:34
[SPEAKER_04]: He's the one who's orchestrating all of this and making her do anything.
19:39
[SPEAKER_04]: And they have to make you believe that.
19:41
[SPEAKER_04]: Because otherwise, she's in control.
19:45
[SPEAKER_04]: She's a participant here.
19:46
[SPEAKER_04]: And she's a driver of this, right?
19:48
[SPEAKER_04]: It's really what the other is to guess you.
19:51
[SPEAKER_04]: Again, she's the great.
19:53
[SPEAKER_04]: And he's more of a muscle.
19:54
[SPEAKER_04]: This is her entrance, she wants to do it, and she is in control, okay?
20:00
[SPEAKER_04]: Takes the McLeod tells you, and that he did.
20:02
[SPEAKER_04]: Yes, sure, they're out there who's doing a talking cake, who's boys to throw a cake?
20:08
[SPEAKER_01]: She is nobody's victim.
20:11
[SPEAKER_04]: She says so, all the time she says to David.
20:14
[SPEAKER_04]: about yeah and the I'm such a good stripper I can manipulate so well you can hear her on those jell calls and like the description of how she wants things word of certain way who were lay message because that's how it's just it's master manipulation and she is a self-prolain cyber right self-prolain I'm more of a cyber than the mermaid I could best of eight David if I wanted to because I know deciding his issues
20:41
[SPEAKER_04]: I have this heart in my hand.
20:42
[SPEAKER_04]: I just want to be good to someone for once instead of running away.
20:46
[SPEAKER_04]: Good at breaking hearts in a way they never heal.
20:49
[SPEAKER_04]: June 26, 2017 after the murder.
20:54
[SPEAKER_04]: The last time I know the better, I'm a Simon at Park, and I'm good at using that to my advantage.
20:58
[SPEAKER_04]: I pulled one little quote here, and there from the Tariff Community Messages, right?
21:02
[SPEAKER_04]: It says, where she's telling you, I just don't know if it's easier to get face-to-face to get a sense of each other, because Tariff's saying, well, we don't really need to need face-to-face.
21:09
[SPEAKER_04]: She said, no, I want to, and you know what?
21:11
[SPEAKER_04]: She's got a minute to look at.
21:13
[SPEAKER_04]: She's going to try to pull Tariff on her side, right?
21:17
[SPEAKER_04]: That's her whole goal.
21:18
[SPEAKER_04]: She's good at it.
21:19
[SPEAKER_04]: She knows it.
21:20
[SPEAKER_04]: She uses it to her advantage.
21:29
[SPEAKER_04]: her brother's observations.
21:31
[SPEAKER_04]: I mean, just what he has heard her growing up, that collaboration is the one that you told me.
21:36
[SPEAKER_04]: You didn't warn me, it tells you, like, he looked at her for everything.
21:39
[SPEAKER_04]: I didn't like how she put out of what to do.
21:41
[SPEAKER_04]: Nothing I'm saying here, I just wanna follow and say, but again, it says that I don't power this and it's also a psychopath.
21:48
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay, he's involved in this front of you.
21:50
[SPEAKER_04]: So this is the saying that, oh, he's not like, just as guilty as her, and just as terrible, but it is preposterous for her to ask me to believe
21:58
[SPEAKER_04]: is the control by him that she's not fully responsible for all of her own actions.
22:08
[SPEAKER_04]: All of her other posts.
22:09
[SPEAKER_04]: I mean, she tells you that for what she posts, don't fashion me into a maiden that needs saving from a dragon.
22:15
[SPEAKER_04]: I am the dragon, and I will eat you whole.
22:18
[SPEAKER_04]: That's what she posts on August 25, 2016, just a few months after the murder.
22:23
[SPEAKER_05]: I don't need the rest of the pack, I'll rip your fucking throat out.
22:26
[SPEAKER_05]: August 3, 2016, the spell, she's so key on manipulation.
22:32
[SPEAKER_04]: She will take someone's urine and finger milk with these jar and then they're at my own river so that she can manipulate them.
22:42
[SPEAKER_04]: She is nobody's victim.
22:46
[SPEAKER_01]: The defense had argued that all those TikTok videos in social media post showing Caitlyn posing with a fake severed human head or dressed as a full-blown demon were simply cosplay.
22:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Caitlyn was just really good at cosplay.
23:00
[SPEAKER_01]: And during Rebuttal, the prosecution conceded, Caitlyn was in fact really good at cosplay, but she wasn't cosplay on TikTok.
23:10
[SPEAKER_04]: This is so far beyond any kind of regular cause playing for interest and the cold or serial killers.
23:18
[SPEAKER_04]: This is her red prominent in leaving those properties and throughout the years because she blocks this.
23:27
[SPEAKER_04]: She loves this murder.
23:32
[SPEAKER_06]: OK, so we have this.
23:34
[SPEAKER_06]: You make 10 meals.
23:36
[SPEAKER_06]: You're not a cook.
23:40
[SPEAKER_06]: You're not Marcus, but you killed one person.
23:46
[SPEAKER_04]: The truth of it, y'all, is that Kayla Gurball's been cosplaying all week for you guys.
23:53
[SPEAKER_04]: She's a good cosplayer.
23:55
[SPEAKER_04]: She's done it since last Monday.
23:57
[SPEAKER_04]: This is her cosplay right here.
24:01
[SPEAKER_04]: This is the act, and this is the real Kayla.
24:07
[SPEAKER_01]: The real Caitlyn Goble was that demonic creature holding the severed human head, and the prosecutor played that video for the jury.
24:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And with that, the case was in the hands of 12 jurors.
24:19
[SPEAKER_01]: It didn't take long.
24:21
[SPEAKER_01]: After about 30 minutes, the jury returned with their verdict.
24:25
[SPEAKER_01]: On August 31st, 2026, Caitlyn Goble was found guilty on all counts.
24:31
[SPEAKER_01]: guilty of malice murder, felony murder, guilty of aggravated assault, guilty of tampering with evidence and concealing the death of another.
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[SPEAKER_01]: After more than 10 years, Caitlyn Gobel was finally being held accountable for her role in Morgan Bower's murder.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The day after the verdict, everyone gathered back in the courtroom for sentencing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Before the judge decided Caitlin's fate, Morgan's family had the opportunity to speak.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Victim impact statements were read from Morgan's best friend Terran, her dad Matt Bauer, who brought photographs of Morgan throughout her life to show the judge.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He wanted the court to remember that Morgan was a daughter, a friend, a sister, a young woman whose life had been taken far too soon.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Matt Bower told the court room that he had actually learned Morgan had moved to Georgia at the same time he learned she was missing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Morgan hadn't told him because she knew he wouldn't have wanted her to go.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Morgan stepped momily about her also gave a statement.
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[SPEAKER_01]: She spoke of her love for Morgan and described the last time she got to wrap her arms around her.
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[SPEAKER_01]: She told the court room that for seven years as Morgan was missing, they held out hope and prayed for a miracle, a miracle that would never come.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Leo went on to describe learning of the horrific details of Morgan's murder.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We prayed for a miracle, however, knowing in the back of our minds that that probably wasn't going to happen.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When you have a missing child, you pray for answers, and you pray to know something.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But I have learned to be real careful what you pray for.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We will never be able to unhere, unsee or unknow the things that happened to her, and sorry.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And this is taken a huge toll on our mental health, not just processing her death, because I believe that we did that long ago.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Over a time, a wound will scab and heal.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We've been not been able to heal.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The scab that was formed while Morgan was missing for seven years has been ripped off.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Over and over and over again in the last three years, since she was found in Saltport in our wounds every, with every horrific detail that we had to hear.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When we found out those details, we were unable to talk about it with anyone, as it was an ongoing investigation.
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[SPEAKER_00]: So we had to deal with all of those things alone.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Not that you can bring yourself to repeat those things to anybody else.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'm on mental health medication that I've never been on in my life.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I had blood pressure issues, heart palpitations, worrying to have a few ER visits and a heart monitor.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It was anxious to press, had a heart-type constricting on work, went down rabbit holes that seemed never ending looking for information, and I was just unable to process anything.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I went to counseling for the first time in my life to try to grasp all that has happened.
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[SPEAKER_00]: And I still don't sleep well when anything pertaining to Morgan is discussed or scheduled.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I kicked out an urn on Amazon for Morgan's remains.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I watched my husband dig a hole to bury her in.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I watched my three boys carry that urn and flower so delicately and lovingly in place her on the table at the cemetery.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It did all of that as much grace as I could muster with a broken heart.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Hearing your husband say that he wants to do this because it's all he can do for her now is really hard to stomach.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When we were alone after the services, I helped my husband and Morgan's mom bury our daughter with our bare hands.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The hands that hugged Morgan, the hands that dried the tears and held Morgan's hand through breakups and arguments with her mom and dad, the hands that celebrated Morgan, the hands that held my husband's shaking hands while finding out what happened to his daughter, picking out her headstone listening to her funeral services.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and held his hands on the way home from burying her.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Those tears wipe, those hands wiped the tears from my own cheeks.
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[SPEAKER_00]: As I said, my final goodbye kiss to her earn.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Her mother's hands had to hold me up as we hauled her together to fill in her grave.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Our hands may have been washed of that dirt, but our hearts will carry that forever.
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[SPEAKER_00]: If you've never buried a child, it's a very backwards process.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Our children are supposed to bury us.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This is not the first time I have buried a child, but it was the first time that this was at the hands of someone who chose for us.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Caitlin chose to take Morgan from us.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She chose to commit horrific acts, chose to hide it from us, and covered up for seven years living as wondering and praying about the miracle we never got.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We are not the only victims.
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[SPEAKER_00]: My heart aches for Caitlin's children who will someday grow up, Google their mother's name, and have to process through all the horrific acts that she committed.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Morgan is the only daughter I will ever have.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The only sister our boys will ever have.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Everything that was taken for Morgan was taken for us.
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[SPEAKER_00]: We don't get the opportunity to see her do anything that children do when they grow up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She will never get married.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Her dad will never walk her down the aisle.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She will never have children.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She will never have our grandchildren.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Her brothers will never have an adult relationship with her.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She missed out on watching them all graduate and become the adults they are now.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She will not participate in their weddings.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and how do you coach them to tell people about this?
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[SPEAKER_00]: How does one tell people that they have a murdered sibling or child?
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[SPEAKER_00]: It hurts my stomach every time somebody asks me about my children.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The dignity Morgan lost in death is truly heartbreaking as well.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She was a stripper for two weeks.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She was our child for 19 years.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Leah Bauer said she was a stripper for two weeks.
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[SPEAKER_01]: She was our daughter for 19 years.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I think that statement says so much about what Morgan's family has endured.
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[SPEAKER_01]: As the details of this case unfolded, so much of Morgan's identity was reduced to the circumstances surrounding her death and the fact that at the time she had briefly worked as a stripper.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But Morgan Bauer was so much more than that.
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[SPEAKER_01]: She was funny and adventurous.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Kind and compassionate, and she was loved by so many people.
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[SPEAKER_01]: She was somebody's daughter, somebody's best friend, a sister, and a young woman who had an entire lifetime ahead of her.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Morgan's mother Sherry Keenan also addressed the court.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Her statement was one of the most emotional moments of the sentencing hearing.
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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to play Sherry's statement and it's entirety.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's important to me that we take the time to understand not just what was taken from Morgan, but what was taken from the people who loved her.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The impact of losing a child doesn't end when a case is solved, or justice is handed down in a courtroom.
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[SPEAKER_01]: It's something Morgan's family will carry for the rest of their lives.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I'm Sheri Keenan, I'm working hours a month.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Please forgive me if I do my best not to get emotional.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I was first told I would be able to make a victim impact statement in October of 2023 after sitting in a room at the Portodale Police Station with the Newton County District Attorney's Office, Lieutenant Randy Downs at the time, and Casey McClure, why they described
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[SPEAKER_03]: I will not be speaking their names today.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Since that time I contemplated what I would say given the opportunity to stand in front of you now, victims impact statement.
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[SPEAKER_03]: How do I explain how hard it is to even go on without more again while I can't even imagine my life without her?
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[SPEAKER_03]: I keep praying for the right words, though there are none and not nearly enough.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I truly don't have the words to describe the impact on our lives from the loss of my beautiful daughter Morgan.
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[SPEAKER_03]: She was perfect.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I fell in love with her from the moment I saw her.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Not only was she a daughter, she was a stepdaughter, a granddaughter, a great granddaughter, a sister, a cousin, a friend, and so much more.
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[SPEAKER_03]: This woman did describe my daughter correctly and saying she was trusting and kind and loving and the breath of fresh air.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Rainboats, I believe she said.
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[SPEAKER_03]: My daughter was confident.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Confident enough to set boundaries.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Confident enough to go after her dreams.
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[SPEAKER_03]: My daughter was confident enough to say no and know that is a full sentence.
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[SPEAKER_03]: My daughter was lovely and beautiful, both inside and out, so much so that this woman coveted every part of her.
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[SPEAKER_03]: But not for this woman, my daughter would be here.
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[SPEAKER_03]: My daughter would have never been alone with this man.
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[SPEAKER_03]: But not for the dark decisions the choices this woman made, my Morgan would be alive.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Seven and a half years of not knowing where my child was was beyond cruel.
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[SPEAKER_03]: 10 years of fighting for Morgan is now coming to an end and having to learn acceptance has been devastating, especially when all I want to do is go back in time.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Making sure this woman spends the rest of her life in prison for what she's done is the last thing I get to do as Morgan's mom.
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[SPEAKER_03]: My free spirit of daughter bravely came to a brand new world from our small community in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
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[SPEAKER_03]: She was only 19 years old.
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[SPEAKER_03]: She had plans.
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[SPEAKER_03]: She wanted to act and she loved art.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Morgan was so brave and courageous that she chose to leave that small community, picked a place on the map, and went on an adventure to make her dreams come true.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Morgan was larger than life.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Morgan knew one day she wanted to get married.
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[SPEAKER_03]: She wanted to dance to butterfly kisses for the father daughter dance.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Morgan wanted to be a mom.
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[SPEAKER_03]: She talked about having children so often that her sister, Mord's being the cool out like they had planned.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Morgan has three little brothers that are now older than Morgan will ever be.
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[SPEAKER_03]: So many memories and milestones they were supposed to experience through their lives just gone.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Now, one grandmother monitors are missing group while the other takes care of the cemetery grounds where my beloved daughter is buried rather than holding her in her their arms.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Her father's stepmother and I buried our daughter with our bare hands.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Morgan was in Georgia only 13 days and knew this couple for less than two of them.
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[SPEAKER_03]: In that time, this woman befriended my trusting child and took her to a place that any of us would have believed she was safe.
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[SPEAKER_03]: A place that looked like a mansion.
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[SPEAKER_03]: This plantation property with rivers and pools, so big it looks like a dream come true.
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[SPEAKER_03]: His parents were home.
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[SPEAKER_03]: My daughter believed she was safe after being in fear the night before.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Morgan trusted her.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Morgan believed she cared for her.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Morgan tried to help her.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Morgan was precious to this earth.
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[SPEAKER_03]: They just didn't think anyone was coming for her to look for her.
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[SPEAKER_03]: They were wrong.
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[SPEAKER_03]: And believe me, I was never going to stop.
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[SPEAKER_03]: In 2016, I began the arduous task of searching for my daughter in Atlanta, Georgia.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I had no idea what I was doing as the desperate and frantic mom from Aberdeen, traveling to Atlanta, a city where I had never been and had no idea where to look.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Little did I know it would take only 10 hours for me to be sitting in front of the two people that took my daughter's short life.
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[SPEAKER_03]: In those seven and a half years, we did not know whether my daughter
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[SPEAKER_03]: As we never believed, she had chosen this on her own.
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[SPEAKER_03]: If she could, she would, my late grandmother would say, I prayed every day that I was going to find and save my child.
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[SPEAKER_03]: As you've heard in this woman's own words, I have been diligent in keeping Morgan's story alive in the direction of the two people that lost saw her.
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[SPEAKER_03]: While every single lead story or suggestion was followed, there was no other explanation as to what happened to my daughter.
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[SPEAKER_03]: everything kept pointing in one direction.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Porterdale, to this couple.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Beyond what you've heard here, I have proven this woman is a self-described satinist and proved that all the way down to the date they chose to take my daughter's life.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Even her TikTok name, which we've been discussing, is Alyssa Pire.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Alyssa is my oldest daughter's name.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Pire is what they chose
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[SPEAKER_03]: I took this as an additional threat.
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[SPEAKER_03]: She knows what she is doing.
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[SPEAKER_03]: What I can tell you is beyond my reasonable doubt.
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[SPEAKER_03]: My reasonable doubt, I have proven that this woman chose my child, lured my child, brutally murdered my child and did unspeakable acts to her body once she was gone.
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[SPEAKER_03]: My daughter remained in the light.
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[SPEAKER_03]: There is not one person that has worked this case or has been part of this case that would not tell you that good and evil collided on March 15th, 2016.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Each believes that Morgan and God had their very hands in this.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Each person believes they were put right where they were to be here to help Morgan.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Even as we were hearing the terrible acts described by the defendant in this very courtroom, the skies opened up.
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[SPEAKER_03]: We all hurt the funder.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Over the last 10 years while I have made it my personal mission to find my daughter and to see that the people responsible for taking her from this world would be held accountable for the consequences of their actions.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I will tell my full story at a more appropriate time.
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[SPEAKER_03]: What I know is that this woman will remember me for the rest of her life.
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[SPEAKER_03]: This woman blames everyone by herself and takes no accountability for the responsibility of her actions.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I know this woman will think of me and Morgan every day for the rest of her life.
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[SPEAKER_03]: And when she does, I pray she knows we are divinely protected and may she live with the horrors she's so loved as she resides in the personal hell she chose to create.
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[SPEAKER_05]: So it is.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Standing before you, I do need to say that I am grateful that I did not have to do this alone.
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[SPEAKER_03]: and those you met throughout the trial.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Additionally, I need to thank the thousands of people watching and searching online for Morgan and the missing Morgan group on Facebook that have continued to fall in love with Morgan over and over again.
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[SPEAKER_03]: There are so many people that have played a role and too many to name here the one day I will try.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Additionally, I'm grateful to those who have been in this courtroom to show support and are still here today.
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[SPEAKER_03]: For now, this isn't the couple's story, it's Morgan's.
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[SPEAKER_03]: This woman should never profit from it.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Well, I do not believe that there can ever be justice for Morgan.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I know there is just us.
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[SPEAKER_03]: If a person truly dies after their name is no longer spoken, I know my daughter will live on forever.
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[SPEAKER_03]: So I ask you today, Judge Bishop.
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[SPEAKER_03]: While I understand how easy it is to have compassion for this woman because she has children.
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[SPEAKER_03]: She can write her children.
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[SPEAKER_03]: She can call her children.
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[SPEAKER_03]: She can, her children can come visit her.
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[SPEAKER_03]: And I'm sure with the advances of the world that she can even video chat with her children.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I will never have that opportunity again.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I only pray that no other mother has to go through anything like this.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I have enough grief in my chest for us all.
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[SPEAKER_03]: I pray no other mother has to feel the way I feel today, lost without Morgan.
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[SPEAKER_03]: No other mother should have to sit in a courtroom or hear the terrifying last moments of their young daughter's life.
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[SPEAKER_03]: please sir.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Put this woman in a safe place for the rest of her life, she will not be able to harm another living soul.
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[SPEAKER_03]: Thank you.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Morgan's family and the prosecution were asking the judge for the maximum sentence, life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Before the judge made his decision, there was more testimony to hear that hadn't been included in the guilt phase, and it gave the courtroom an even closer look into who Caitlyn Gobel really was.
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[SPEAKER_01]: A portion of Alexander Warren's statement was played, specifically the part in which he claimed it was Caitlyn's idea to murder Morgan.
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[SPEAKER_01]: The court also watched a video recording of Caitlyn assaulting David Settles during their marriage, while their two young children looked on.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And then the prosecution turned its attention to Caitlyn's behavior since her conviction.
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[SPEAKER_01]: They argued that nothing had changed, not one bit.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Prosecutors presented the judge with photographs of Caitlyn following a little jailhouse haircut.
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[SPEAKER_01]: A haircut she had given herself the evening before, after returning to herself,
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[SPEAKER_01]: In court, Caitlyn's hair appeared relatively normal, brown, stringy, and hanging down around her face.
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[SPEAKER_01]: But prosecutors had photos showing what she'd done underneath, as it turned out she had shaved the underside of her hair.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And playing Salon wasn't the only thing she had done when she got back to the jail that night.
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[SPEAKER_01]: She had called her new boyfriend, Erin Spicer, and told him that with her conviction, prosecutors
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[SPEAKER_05]: make traction, and so now made it to be the market that's been used in person.
43:21
[SPEAKER_05]: Today, we're going to call me a home title.
43:24
[SPEAKER_05]: This VA is really funny call me a title cast.
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[SPEAKER_05]: They, they want a home title cast.
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[SPEAKER_05]: I can give them some of his entire home credit goals.
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[SPEAKER_05]: I don't have to make the decision based on those issues.
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[SPEAKER_05]: I can make this, this is a period I wanted to do, I think, that I wanted to do.
43:56
[SPEAKER_05]: Excuse me.
43:58
[SPEAKER_05]: You were so surprised about that, was it?
44:00
[SPEAKER_07]: So the things that we would need to do, for a relationship with my heart, were to tell that I actually resisted from very college there,
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[SPEAKER_05]: I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you about what I'm going to talk to you
44:38
[SPEAKER_01]: did she really just say that?
44:41
[SPEAKER_01]: They scratched me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Now they get to see the monster that's beneath the surface and the D.A.
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[SPEAKER_01]: thinks she's putting the monster away and reality she just created two or more because my son and daughter are just like me.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Yep, she sure said that you heard it right.
44:58
[SPEAKER_01]: And while we're on the subject of her boyfriend Aaron, he was called by the defense to testify on Caitlyn's behalf.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He told the judge that he wasn't just her boyfriend, but her fiance.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He claimed that he had personally witnessed Caitlyn having PTSD episodes related to Alex Warren, had watched her fight through an addiction to alcohol, and had witnessed her weeping uncontrollably over how her life had turned out, and over Morgan.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Two fragile of a person to commit an act of violence, and said he was afraid of what prison would do to her.
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[SPEAKER_01]: He also complained that keylands' words were being misconstrued in the media, and her name, slandered.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And that had brought, quote, unattentable torment to his heart.
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[SPEAKER_01]: And when the prosecution had a termed asking questions, they went hard.
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[SPEAKER_04]: Are you the same Aaron?
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[SPEAKER_04]: Is it spicer?
45:55
[SPEAKER_04]: How do you say it, Erin Spicer, who's on gel calls with Ms. Goal saying that it will be you who will bring unending misery to those who put her there by your own hands.
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[SPEAKER_04]: Is that you?
46:08
[SPEAKER_06]: I do believe that you have missed to text your lives, the spaces, which you've really able to read it out loud.
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[SPEAKER_04]: Sure, you did it.
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[SPEAKER_04]: Are you the one who said that you're going to bring unending misery to those who put Caitlin here by your own hands?
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[SPEAKER_04]: Is there going to be a recorded jail call in which you say that?
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[SPEAKER_06]: I did not say that I would directly take any action of an infinite nature against anyone with a girl to do this.
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[SPEAKER_04]: Okay, so you also didn't talk about threatening omniscient?
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[SPEAKER_06]: That is simply an exaggeration, man.
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[SPEAKER_04]: Is it clearly?
46:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
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[SPEAKER_04]: But that's the kind of things you discuss bringing undenim misery at your hands and omniscient with her on the jail calls.
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[SPEAKER_04]: it is the right means of expressing the internal emotion, okay also you did give an interview to the police right back in 2023 and investigated out you recall that barely but review okay why is it that you didn't tell Caitlin about that when she asked you why
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[SPEAKER_06]: So there's a lot going on in my mind with this time, but what do I hear about the interviewer?
47:36
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, so in your interview, you were called saying that Caitlyn, Bobo told you that Elton or Warren was her heroin dealer, and that he actually had her and Morgan living together in the same house addicting them both to heroin, and then using that as a means of manipulation to have sex with both her and Morgan over a period of time.
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[SPEAKER_04]: Is that what she told you?
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[SPEAKER_06]: if you have some recollection of that being part of the case.
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[SPEAKER_04]: Okay, that being part of the story.
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[SPEAKER_04]: So then if you, if that's here in a transcript of what you said to lieutenant down, then that would be accurate as to what she told you.
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[SPEAKER_06]: That's the one I recall.
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[SPEAKER_04]: Okay.
48:15
[SPEAKER_04]: Oh, everything.
48:18
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what they say about birds of a feather and flocking together, seems Caitlyn may have found her perfect match.
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[SPEAKER_01]: What do you love to hear the jail phone call after that?
48:30
[SPEAKER_01]: After Caitlyn learned for the first time alive and in court that her fiance had sat down for an interview with police, she knew nothing about.
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[SPEAKER_01]: There was also testimony from a long-time friend of Caitlin's Tristan who had known her sense of sixth grade.
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[SPEAKER_01]: Tristan described Caitlin as outspoken, someone who wasn't afraid to say what she needed to say, and who would stand up for her friends.
48:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Not sure any of that was too helpful for Caitlyn, who was still trying to cosplay a victim.
48:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Caitlyn's grandmother also submitted a statement.
49:02
[SPEAKER_01]: She described Caitlyn as kind and loving, someone who had helped take care of her.
49:07
[SPEAKER_01]: She talked about her as a happy loving mother and said she had never seen Caitlyn's dark side.
49:13
[SPEAKER_01]: My guess is Grandma didn't spend much time on Facebook.
49:17
[SPEAKER_01]: Anyhow, the defense then made its final appeal to the judge.
49:21
[SPEAKER_01]: They argued that Caitlyn had endured a difficult upbringing and asked the court to consider a sentence that would leave open the possibility of parole.
49:29
[SPEAKER_01]: They argued that rehabilitation was possible, and above all asked the judge to show mercy.
49:36
[SPEAKER_01]: The attorney claimed Caitlyn wanted to apologize to Morgan's family.
49:40
[SPEAKER_01]: But Caitlyn never opened her mouth.
49:43
[SPEAKER_01]: She sat there staring blankly ahead as she had for the majority of the trial.
49:47
[SPEAKER_01]: And of course, the defense brought the focus right back to Alex Warren, calling him a deviant and stating that none of this would have happened but for Warren.
49:57
[SPEAKER_01]: And the prosecution, well they agreed.
49:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Alex was a deviant, and he was in prison where he belonged.
50:03
[SPEAKER_01]: And now, it was time for Caitlyn to join him.
50:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Judge Joe Bishop wasted absolutely no time sending Caitlyn Gobel there.
50:13
[SPEAKER_01]: She barely had time to stand as Judge Bishop sentenced her to life with no possibility of parole and immediately remanded her into police custody.
50:22
[SPEAKER_01]: And that was it.
50:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Caitlyn Gobel was been the rest of her life in prison and really there couldn't be a better place for her.
50:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Morgan Bauer was just 19 years old when she set out on an adventure for an exciting life in the city.
50:37
[SPEAKER_01]: She had hopes and dreams and wanted to finally make it big.
50:40
[SPEAKER_01]: She was brave and courageous and trying to find her way in the world all on her own.
50:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Morgan was looking for something exciting and new, but a series of unfortunate events led her straight into the hands of two monsters held bent on death and destruction.
50:56
[SPEAKER_01]: They promised Morgan a safe place and friendship, and Morgan who always tried to see the good and people believe them.
51:03
[SPEAKER_01]: She had no reason to question their motives.
51:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Morgan was kind and young and trusted easily.
51:09
[SPEAKER_01]: The evil that existed in Alex and Caitlyn was something Morgan couldn't have anticipated.
51:15
[SPEAKER_01]: She couldn't have known what they were capable of, nobody would have.
51:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Morgan deserved the opportunity to live that exciting new life she set out to find.
51:24
[SPEAKER_01]: She deserved to grow, make mistakes, fall in love, travel, laugh and experience all the things that come with being 19 and having your whole life ahead of you.
51:34
[SPEAKER_01]: She deserved all of that, and so much more.
51:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And that, my friends, is all I've got for this week.
51:41
[SPEAKER_01]: Be sure to join me next Thursday, same time, same place for an all new episode.
51:46
[SPEAKER_01]: In the meantime, you can find me on Instagram at least underscore of these or my Facebook at least of these podcasts.
51:53
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51:57
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52:02
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52:09
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52:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for listening, thank you for caring, if you know something, say something, and until next time, be good to each other.
53:06
[SPEAKER_01]: I am so glad we are done talking about Caitlyn Gobel, may she fade away into obscurity behind bars and be forgotten.
53:14
[SPEAKER_01]: The level of lies, deception, and darkness surrounding her is on a whole other level.
53:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Who in the hell hopes their kids become like them as they sit behind bars convicted of a gruesome murder?
53:25
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not just crazy.
53:27
[SPEAKER_01]: That is evil.
53:30
[SPEAKER_01]: The prosecution team in this case, Amber Dally and Bailey Wilkinson, holy cow.
53:36
[SPEAKER_01]: They didn't miss a thing.
53:37
[SPEAKER_01]: They got trial prep going on and the nights are long and hard, but they put somebody on those jailhouse phone calls and also that haircut now didn't they?
53:47
[SPEAKER_01]: They made sure they did not miss one single opportunity and she didn't get away with nothing.
53:52
[SPEAKER_01]: I said it before and I'll say it again.
53:54
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the dream team right there.
53:56
[SPEAKER_01]: Those calls after her conviction were definitely icing on the cake.
54:01
[SPEAKER_01]: They pursued justice for Morgan like a bulldog on a bone.
54:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm just saying, I'll love to see it.
54:07
[SPEAKER_01]: You walked away knowing the jury made the right decision.
54:09
[SPEAKER_01]: 30 minutes for a week-long trial has got to be close to some sort of record.
54:15
[SPEAKER_01]: and I personally think the reason the jury was able to reach that decision so quickly was because there was no question left on answer.
54:22
[SPEAKER_01]: The prosecution was so thorough.
54:25
[SPEAKER_01]: There was no room for doubt.
54:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Every element of the crime was proven at least twice over.
54:31
[SPEAKER_01]: I could have easily made this a 12-part series with as much information as was presented at trial.
54:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I tried to keep it streamlined and hit the major points, but there was evidence for days that Caitlyn was just involved as Alex.
54:45
[SPEAKER_01]: And don't think I'm being soft on him, he's he's a monster too, but I'm done talking about them too.
54:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Before we go tonight, I want to take a moment to remember Morgan.
54:56
[SPEAKER_01]: So much really was lost in the details surrounding this case.
55:00
[SPEAKER_01]: It's important that we remember why we're here in the first place, and that's Morgan.
55:05
[SPEAKER_01]: She was 19, so young.
55:07
[SPEAKER_01]: She really did have her whole life ahead of her.
55:10
[SPEAKER_01]: She was just trying to get out there and make something of herself.
55:14
[SPEAKER_01]: She was described by those who knew her best as adventurous, resilient and kind.
55:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Morgan was known for giving out free hugs to anyone who needed them.
55:23
[SPEAKER_01]: She had only been in the state of Georgia for two weeks and been working at a club less than that.
55:28
[SPEAKER_01]: A few unfortunate events left her to position needing a quick way to make cash.
55:33
[SPEAKER_01]: While this case is not typical, the dangers of working in the sex industry are very real.
55:39
[SPEAKER_01]: And young women in that industry
55:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I say all this and no way to blame Morgan, so please don't misunderstand me.
55:48
[SPEAKER_01]: She was young and just thought she could make some quick money and who would have thought that another young woman in that same industry, who pretended to be her friend, would be the one to lure her into a situation that cost her life.
56:01
[SPEAKER_01]: What Sherry said in her victim impact statement was so true, that house looked like a dream.
56:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Morgan could have never imagined the nightmare it would turn into, and that's about
56:13
[SPEAKER_01]: y'all know I'll love you more in my luggage and I can't wait to talk to you next week.
56:17
[SPEAKER_01]: But until then, bye-bye, bye-bye, thanks!