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The Murder of Pregnant Woman Christa Bauer Gilley · Murder Files Unsealed

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  Speaker 1: Welcome back everyone. Today, we're going to take a deep
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  dive into a really tough case, the case of Krista
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  Bauer Gilly.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, this one is it's a heavy one, for sure,
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  it is.
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  Speaker 1: And and we're gonna be careful, obviously sensitive to the
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  to the victim's family and you know, just trying to
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  figure out what happened piece together from from what we have. Right,
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  so we have We've got news articles, we have court documents,
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  and even some social media posts to look at.
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  Speaker 2: Interesting so we can kind of get different angles on this.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, see what what the picture looks like from
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  from different perspectives. And uh, you know, it's a case
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  that starts out like a fairy tale romance. I mean
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  you see these photos from the wedding. It was even
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  featured in Charleston Weddings magazine, and and then it takes
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  this really dark, tragic turn. So we're gonna, you know,
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  we're going to focus on the facts. We're going to
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  try to understand, you know, what the evidence tells us.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, So starting with the facts, can you tell me
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  a little bit about Christ's life?
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  Speaker 1: Yes, so from her obituary and from what her family
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  has said about her, she just sounds like this incredibly warm,
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  dedicated person. She was a nurse anesthetist, oh wow, and
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  really devoted to her patients. She had two young.
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  Speaker 2: Children, so a mom, a professional.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and just you know, someone who brought joy to
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  everyone around her.
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  Speaker 2: That makes it even more tragic, doesn't it.
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  Speaker 1: It really does. And she was very accomplished. She had
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  a degree from Clemson oh wow, and a master's from
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  the University of Pittsburgh. She was bored, certified, and even
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  taught nursing.
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  Speaker 2: So highly educated, successful woman in her own right.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely. Yeah. And you know, there's this one detail in
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  the material that really got to me. She went to
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  Sicily on a trip and she brought back a whole
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  box of sprinkles for her daughter because they were her favorite. Oh.
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  I mean, it just it just shows what kind of
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  mom she was, you know.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. It's those little things that really paint a picture,
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  don't they.
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  Speaker 1: They do. But unfortunately, this is where the story takes
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  a turn and we need to bring Lee her husband,
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  into the picture.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, So tell me about their relationship. How did they meet?
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  Speaker 1: So they actually met about ten years before they got married,
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  when on one day then they kind of went their
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  separate ways and didn't reconnect for eight years.
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  Speaker 2: Wow, that's a long time between first date and the wedding.
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  Speaker 1: It is, and you know, the Charleston Weddings magazine article
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  really plays up this whole meant to be angle. But
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  knowing what we know now, it's just it's kind of eerie,
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  you know.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it definitely makes you wonder what happened in those.
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  Speaker 1: Missing years exactly. And to understand that, we have to
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  look at Lee's online activity, especially on LinkedIn.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, so social media is going to be a part
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  of this.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's important to say right off the bat,
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  liking a post it doesn't equal guilt, right, especially in
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  a case as serious as this, Right, of course not.
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  But it can give us some insight into someone's views
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  their mindset.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, I see. So it's like a piece of.
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  Speaker 1: The puzzle exactly. So what we see in Lee's activity
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  is this recurring theme of traditional gender roles.
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  Speaker 2: Interesting how so he liked a lot.
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  Speaker 1: Of posts advocating for women to stay at home rather
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  than pursue careers. Oh okay, and some of these posts
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  they had some pretty strong wording, like one that called
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  women in the workplace dangerous dangerous.
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  Speaker 2: Wow, that's a pretty extreme language. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and that raises some really disturbing questions, you know,
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  like how much did this kind of online rhetoric influence him?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a big question. It makes you think about
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  the whole impact of online spaces on our views and
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  potentially even actions.
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  Speaker 1: It does. So let's shift our focus to the night
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  of the incident. Lee calls nine to one one around
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  eleven thirty pm. He says Christa overdosed and that he's
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  doing CPR.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, so what happened next? Did the paramedics arrive?
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  Speaker 1: They did, but despite their efforts and those of the
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  hospital staff, she was pronounced dead. And as the investigation
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  went on, some really strange things started to come out
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  about Lee's story. Well, he kept making these weird statements,
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  you know, things like bad things happen to good people,
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  or even that he was being set up.
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  Speaker 2: Oh wow, that's kind of suspicious, isn't it. It is.
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  Speaker 1: It's almost like he was already trying to defend himself
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  before anyone even accused him of anything.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a never good look.
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  Speaker 1: And then there's the forensic evidence.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, so what did the autopsy show.
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  Speaker 1: The autopsy revealed bruising on Chris's face and concluded that
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  the cause of death was compression of the neck.
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  Speaker 2: So it's frangulation. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, And that completely contradicted Lee's initial claim of an overdose.
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  Speaker 2: So his story wasn't adding up, not at all.
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  Speaker 1: And to make things even more suspicious, Lee later admitted
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  to police that Christa wasn't suicidal and she didn't use drugs.
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  Speaker 2: Wow, that's a complete one to eighty from his original story,
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  it is.
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  Speaker 1: And that changed everything for the investigation. On October eleventh,
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  twenty twenty four, just a week after Christa's death, he
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  was arrested.
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  Speaker 2: And what was He charged with?
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  Speaker 1: Capital murder?
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  Speaker 2: Capital murder? Now, remind me what does that mean in
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  this context?
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  Speaker 1: So, in Texas, capital murder is the most serious type
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  of murder charge, and in this case, it means the
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  prosecution believes there were aggravating factors like the fact that
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  Christo was pregnant.
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  Speaker 2: Oh right, I forgot about that she was eight weeks pregnant.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, And so capital murder means he could face life
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  in prison without parole or even the death penalty.
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  Speaker 2: Wow. So they're really throwing the book at him.
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  Speaker 1: They are he was also charged with the death of
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  their unborn child.
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  Speaker 2: It's just it's just heartbreaking, it really is.
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  Speaker 1: And at the bond hearing, prosecutors pushed for a three
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  million dollar bond.
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  Speaker 2: Three million dollars that's pretty steep.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, they argued that the charges were serious and he
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  was a flight risk. Lee's attorney argued for a lower bond,
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  something like two hundred thousand dollars, but the judge said
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  it at one million.
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  Speaker 2: Dollars, so kind of a compromise.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and Lee was able to pay that. So he's
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  out on bond right now.
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  Speaker 2: Wow. I bet Christa's family is devastated.
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  Speaker 1: They are. They released a statement expressing their grief and
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  emphasizing their focus on Christa's children.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, their well being is paramount.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, And speaking of the children, one of the bond
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  conditions prohibits Lee from having any contact with them. Really,
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  why is that, Well, there were allegations that the children
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  were at home during the incident, so you know, for
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  their safety, the judge ordered no contact makes sense.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, they could have witnessed something truly horrific.
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  Speaker 1: And it gets even more disturbing because there are reports
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  that Lee had told family members he was thinking about
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  leaving the state with the kids before he was arrested.
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  Speaker 2: Oh wow, so that no contact order is probably.
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  Speaker 1: A good thing, definitely. So as it stands, Lee's arraignment
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  is scheduled for January twenty eighth, twenty twenty five.
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  Speaker 2: Okay, so that's where the case is at right now,
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  it is, so as we move towards that arraignment date,
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  what what kind of legal strategies do you think we
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  might see play out here?
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  Speaker 1: Well, I'd imagine the prosecution is going to really lean
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  on that forensic evidence, the bruising on Christa's face, the
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  autopsy report, I mean that directly contradicts Lee's initial claim
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  of an overdose. Right, That's pretty damning evidence, and they'll
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  need to address those inconsistencies in his story.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, how do you go from saying your wife overdose
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  to admitting she wasn't suicidal and didn't even use drugs exactly?
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  Speaker 1: I mean, it just makes them seem unreliable at best.
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  Speaker 2: So you're thinking the prosecution will paint a picture of
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  him as someone who panicked, who tried to cover his tracks,
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  and only changed his story when the evidence didn't fit right, Like.
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  Speaker 1: He was caught in the lie. But what about those
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  social media posts he liked, the ones about traditional gender
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  roles and women in the workplace? I mean, can they
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  really use that as evidence?
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  Speaker 2: It's going to be tricky. They'll need to show a
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  clear link between Lee's online activity and his actions that night.
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  Speaker 1: So how do you prove that liking a post translates
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  to real world violence?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think they could argue that those posts reflect
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  a deeply ingrained belief system, one that potentially created a
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  hostile environment for Krista.
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  Speaker 1: I see what you mean. So if he's constant exposed
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  to and seemingly endorsing this idea that women in the
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  workplace are dangerous, that could contribute to a toxic dynamic
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  at home.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly. It's not about saying those posts made him kill her,
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  but they offer a glimpse into his mindset, a.
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  Speaker 1: Pattern of thought that could have led to resentment or worse.
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  Speaker 2: Right, And they might also call in some experts, you know,
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  people who can analyze the language us in those posts,
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  the groups he followed to see if there are any
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  connections to broader trends in online extremism.
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  Speaker 1: Interesting, So paint a picture of Lee not just as
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  someone with old fashioned views, but as someone who might
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  have been radicalized online.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly, build a case that goes beyond just liking a
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  few posts. Now, of course, the defense will likely fight
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  back hard.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, what might their strategy be.
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  Speaker 2: Well, for one, they could try to poke holes in
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  the forensic evidence, argue that the bruising happened accidentally or
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  at a different time.
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  Speaker 1: Or even question the accuracy of the autopsy.
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  Speaker 2: Right. They could bring in their own medical experts, offer alternative.
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  Speaker 1: Explanations, cast doubt on the prosecution's key evidence. Classic defense
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  tactic exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And I imagine they'll also try to humanize Lee, you know, Yeah,
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  present him as a as a loving husband who just
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  made a terrible mistake.
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  Speaker 1: Emphasize the fact that he tried to perform CPR, make
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  it look like he was genuinely trying to save her.
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  Speaker 2: Right, appeal to the jury's emotions.
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  Speaker 1: And maybe they'll bring up any stressors in his life,
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  Argue that he snapped under pressure.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe play up the whole traditional gender roles thing.
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  You know, he was the sole provider, maybe felt overwhelmed.
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  Speaker 1: So looking at all of this, what kind of outcome
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  do you think is realistic? I mean, we're talking about
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  capital murder.
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  Speaker 2: Here, it's hard to say. It's a tough charge to prove.
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  For the prosecution to get the most severe sentence, they'll
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  need to demonstrate premeditation intent.
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  Speaker 1: So basically showed that he planned to kill.
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  Speaker 2: Her, right, And the defense will argue that his online
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  activity was protected free speech, that the whole thing was
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  a tragic action, a heated argument that got out of hand.
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  Speaker 1: But what about those inconsistent statements and that comment about
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  being set up before anyone even accused him.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, those are going to be hard to explain away.
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  Speaker 1: And then there's the fact that he supposedly considered fleeing
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  the state with the children.
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  Speaker 2: Definitely not a good look. The prosecution will use all
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  of that to suggest that he's a danger, that he
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  was trying to avoid consequences.
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  Speaker 1: It's all just so incredibly sad. You know, Christa's life
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  cut short, those two young children losing their mother, It
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  really is.
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  Speaker 2: And it brings to this whole issue of domestic.
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  Speaker 1: Violence, something that can happen behind closed doors, even in
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  seemingly perfect families exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And then you layer on the whole issue of online extremism,
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  how these harmful ideologies can spread and potentially influence people's actions.
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  Speaker 1: And we can't forget about the challenges working mother's face
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  trying to balance career aspirations with societal expectations. Christa was
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  such a successful woman, a dedicated mother. Her story really
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  highlights those struggles.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, makes you think about what we can learn from this,
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  how we can prevent something like this from happening again.
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  Speaker 1: It's hard to wrap your head around, isn't it.
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  Speaker 2: It really is. There are just so many layers to
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  this case, so many things to think about.
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  Speaker 1: It feels like we're looking a much bigger problem here.
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  It's not just about one family's tragedy.
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  Speaker 2: No, definitely not. It's about these broader societal issues like
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  domestic violence, online extremism, and the pressure on working moms.
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  It's all connected.
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  Speaker 1: So let's break those down a bit. Starting with domestic violence.
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  It's something that can be really hard to detect. It
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  often happens behind closed doors, right exactly, And.
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  Speaker 2: It's not always physical. It can be emotional, financial, or
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  even just isolating someone from their support system.
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  Speaker 1: It's all about control, isn't it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, one partner exerting power and control over the other.
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  Speaker 1: Thinking about those social media posts that Lee liked, you know,
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  the ones about traditional gender roles and women in the workplace.
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  Could that be considered a form of emotional abuse? If
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  Crystal was constantly hearing those views at home, how would
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  that make her feel? Oh?
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, it could be incredibly damaging. Yeah, I mean, imagine
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  you're working hard, you have successful career, but your partner
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  is constantly undermining your achievements, reinforcing these outdated ideas.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, you start to question yourself, your worth.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly, and it can chip away your self esteem, make
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  you feel trapped.
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  Speaker 1: And that brings us to the online extremism piece. We've
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  seen such a rise in hateful rhetoric online, targeting women, minorities,
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  anyone who doesn't fit this very narrow worldview.
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  Speaker 2: It's scary how quickly those ideologies can spread online and
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  how these echo chambers form where people just reinforce each
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  other's extreme.
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  Speaker 1: Views, and so easy to forget that there are real
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  people on the other side of those screens, people who
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  can be deeply hurt by those words.
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  Speaker 2: Right, it's dehumanizing, and I think social media companies need
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  to do more to address this. They have a responsibility
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  to curb hate speech and create safer online environments.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, they can't just sit back and let these harmful
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  ideas fester and grow.
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  Speaker 2: Right, it's not just about free speech, it's about protecting
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  people from harm.
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  Speaker 1: And then there's a whole issue of working mothers. Krista
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  was obviously a successful professional and a dedicated mom, but
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  it's a constant struggle for so many women to balance
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  those roles.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, our society still has these outdated expectations. You know,
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  women should be the primary caregivers, even if they have
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  demanding careers.
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  Speaker 1: It puts so much pressure on them to be perfect
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  in every aspect of their lives.
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  Speaker 2: Right, and when those expectations clash with a partner's traditional views,
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  it can create a lot of tension in the relationship.
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  Speaker 1: It's like a recipe for conflict.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's why it's so important to challenge those norms,
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  you know, to create a society where women can be
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  both successful professionals and loving mothers without having to choose
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  one over the other.
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  Speaker 1: We need more support for working parents, period, affordable childcare,
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  flexible work arrangements.
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  Speaker 2: Definitely, and a culture that values both career aspirations and
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  parental responsibilities regardless list of gender.
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  Speaker 1: So what can we learn from Christa's story. What can
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  we take away from all.
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  Speaker 2: Of this, Well, I think it's a wake up call.
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  We need to be more aware of the signs of
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  domestic violence and we need to challenge harmful ideologies wherever
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  we encounter them, whether it's online or in our everyday lives.
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  Speaker 1: We can't just stay silent. We have to speak up,
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  stand up for what's right.
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  Speaker 2: Exactly, and we need to support organizations that are working
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  to combat domestic violence, to create safer spaces for women,
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  and to promote gender equality.
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  Speaker 1: Christa's life was cut tragically short, but her story can
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  still have a positive impact.
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  Speaker 2: I agree. If it makes even one person thing twice,
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  if it inspires someone to reach out for help or
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  to challenge a harmful view, then maybe maybe some good
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  can come from this tragedy.
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  Speaker 1: And on that note, we'll wrap up this episode of
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  The Deep Dive. Thank you for joining us for this
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  difficult but important conversation. If you or someone you know
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  is struggling with domestic violence, please reach out for help.
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  The resources are listed in our sh Let's continue this conversation,
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  challenge the status quo, and work together to create a
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  world where tragedies like this become less and less frequent,