Show full transcript 0:53 Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com or just stop by. 0:57 Granger for the ones who get it done. 1:02 I'm going to be filming at Sentencing. 1:04 It's the start of another work day for the Dateline team. 1:07 And doing some door knocks. 1:09 Our producers are catching up on breaking crime news. 1:12 It had to do with that guy we interviewed. 1:14 At that moment, family knows something is seriously wrong. 1:18 They've got all this evidence against him that looks pretty damning. 1:23 Welcome to Dateline True Crime Weekly. 1:26 I'm Andrea Canning. It's October 15th and here's what's on our docket. 1:30 In North Carolina, 14 years after a UNC student was found murdered at her off-campus apartment, 1:37 her roommate faces tough questions in the witness box. 1:40 Do you remember having a conversation with him about having blood on her hand? 1:46 No. 1:46 In Dateline Roundup, the man convicted of murdering rap superstar Tupac Shakur learns 1:52 his fate and were inside the courtroom for the trial of a Virginia man accused of murdering 1:57 his wife, even though her body has never been found. 2:01 I've liberty in the pursuit of happiness at the American Dream. 2:05 It's what the defendant wanted, but ultimately ended as a nightmare. 2:10 Plus, campus safety. 2:11 What if students need to know if they experience sexual assault or another 2:15 crime on campus? We'll be talking to two experts about where to turn for help. 2:20 Students should know that they always have a choice and agency in this 2:24 situation. But before all that, we're heading to Boston for the latest in the 2:28 federal trial of a former police officer accused of killing pregnant 2:32 teacher's aide Sandra Birchmore. And a warning for listeners, this story 2:36 might be upsetting. It includes discussion of suicide and sexual 2:40 abuse. 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton, Massachusetts apartment on 2:49 February 4, 2021. Now, five and a half years later, Matthew Farwell, a former Stoughton police 2:55 officer she first met when she was a teenager, is on trial for killing her. 3:00 As opening statements got underway last week in a federal courthouse in Boston, 3:04 the prosecution and defense presented very different versions of Sandra's final moments. 3:09 The prosecution showed the jury security camera video of Farwell taking an elevator up to Sandra's apartment on the night of her death. 3:17 They argued that Farwell was there to kill Sandra, who was pregnant, and silence her about their years-long sexual relationship that allegedly began when she was underage. 3:28 Farwell admits he was in Sandra's apartment but says he did not kill her. His defense team says she died by suicide after Farwell broke up with her that night. 3:36 Here to help us get up to speed as Farwell's trial enters week two is 3:40 Dateline producer Cassie Marshall. Welcome to the podcast Cassie. Hey, 3:45 Andrea glad to be here. So you and I have been covering this story together for a 3:49 good while now. We did a Dateline episode called The Betrayal of Sandra 3:53 Burchmore. It's almost hard to believe we are here finally at a trial and as 3:58 we mentioned Cassie, it's taking place in a federal courthouse. We're used 4:01 to murder trials happening more at the state level so this is a little 4:04 different. It is. It is. Personally, for me, it's the first one I've covered in 4:09 federal courthouse. I mean, the main difference is that cameras are not allowed 4:12 in or any recording devices of any kind. The fact, Cassie, that this case is being 4:16 tried by US attorneys, it actually has deep meaning in this case why this is 4:23 in a federal courthouse. It has to do with how everything unfolded with 4:27 the investigation. You're right. I mean, that was the focus of the hour 4:31 that we did, that aired last year. The local county and the local DA concluded that it was a 4:36 suicide. And that was the sort of decision for years. But as we reported, family, friends 4:43 wouldn't let it go. And so in the end, the FBI stepped in and did their own investigation. 4:48 And it wasn't until, what was it, August of 2024 that Matthew Farwell was arrested. 4:55 So Cassie, take us to the prosecution's opening statement. 4:59 Assistant U.S. attorney Tori Cummings, 5:02 she didn't immediately jump into the theory of the crime. 5:06 What I took note from the prosecution's opening statement 5:09 was that they wanted to give the jury a sense of who Sandra was. 5:13 They gave you the visual of this only child raised by a single mom, vulnerable. 5:18 There wasn't a lot of money. 5:19 Her mother was often sick. 5:21 And so they put her in these programs to help give her positive role moms. 5:24 So that's how they introduced the Stoughton Police Department Explorer Program. 5:28 Cassie, we should say too, for anyone who doesn't know about these explorer programs, 5:33 they are for youth interested in learning about law enforcement. 5:38 Yeah. This particular program was run a little bit like a mini boot camp. 5:41 So they would get physical training, there was classroom training, 5:45 there was exposure and speakers about different roles in law enforcement. 5:49 Yeah. 5:49 And the prosecutor put up a photo of Sandra and some other cadets from this explorers 5:56 program. 5:56 Yes. 5:57 I think there was maybe tid kids in the photo. 5:59 And she's by far the smallest and super innocent looking. 6:03 And they say that's where she met Matthew Farwell. 6:05 And he started by sending her a Facebook friend request, which, you know, is outside 6:10 the purview of the program. 6:12 Then he started tutoring her at the library outside of the program. 6:17 And then he started introducing sexual contact and then that moved on to them having a sexual 6:23 relationship at the age of 15, you know, this is all of their allegation. 6:27 Which is underage. 6:29 Which is underage at statutory rate. 6:31 So they gave you the timeline of how he became an integral part of her life and that 6:37 relationship continued once he was married. 6:40 Like he got married a month after he first slept a standard. 6:43 They put that in the opening statement. 6:45 And so they give you this timeline all the way up to the months before her death, when 6:50 she becomes pregnant. 6:51 And then they say that that's when things really took a turn, because they said that 6:56 he was not happy about the pregnancy. 6:58 He also learned that she was starting to share information that he had told her not to share. 7:03 There's a call to his police department saying they're sleeping together. 7:08 And that, in the prosecution's opinion, is the straw that broke the camel's back. 7:12 That's what sets him on this plan of like, okay, there's no way to control her now. 7:17 I have to get rid of the problem. And the way to get rid of the problem is to end her life. 7:21 And less than two weeks later, she was gone. 7:24 I mean, the one thing that's wild about this case that I tell people is that 7:30 when prosecutors say he killed her, it was something like they say 12 hours later that 7:35 his wife gave birth to their third child. Yes. His wife, he dropped his wife at the hospital. 7:40 She had a Schedule C section. He goes from there to Sandra's apartment, 7:45 and then a few days later is when her body's found. 7:48 The defense, Cassie, wants the jury to believe that Sandra was suicidal. 7:51 So yeah, the defense opening statement was very different, a very different story of what 7:55 happened to Sandra, that she, you know, had a history of mental health struggles, 8:02 and that the night Matthew Farwell went to her apartment, she had been texting him all 8:06 night long saying that she was stressed and she wanted to see him and come over. 8:11 It was it was a litany of text messages and that finally he responded and that's 8:16 why he was there and that once he was there he broke up with her and she took 8:21 her life. You know the fence introduced in their opening statement and it's 8:24 clear from the exhibit list that it's going to be part of their defense 8:27 is the journals that Sandra kept and that apparently there's things in the 8:32 journal that they feel show that she was suicidal at certain points. 8:36 It sounds like the prosecution might say that maybe that was in the past nowhere near the time of her death 8:41 But that's something for us to look at is is what those journal entries say 8:45 Yeah, I'm interested in seeing those Cassie prosecutors pointed out that Sandra did not leave a suicide note that she'd sent some 8:53 600 messages that day about her life and you and I learned that she was an oversharer 8:58 About everything so they pointed to that to say like it doesn't add up 9:03 Right. And according to the opening statements, Sandra was on the phone with her best friend 9:07 that night. So it brings the question, wouldn't she just hop back on the phone or text somebody 9:12 to say, oh my God, I can't believe what happened. But the defense said there's no signs of struggle 9:17 in the house. There's no drag marks in terms of the carpet. Like if he took her life, 9:22 they don't see any signs of it. But the one thing I found really interesting that the 9:25 prosecution said is that Matthew Farrell had introduced, and this is graphic, choking 9:31 into their sexual relationship from a very early age. 9:36 So they said the idea that Matthew Farwell 9:39 would put his hands around Sandra's neck 9:42 would not come as a surprise to her. 9:44 And that she necessarily wouldn't fight back, 9:47 suggesting that by the time she realized 9:49 that it would be too late. 9:50 I thought that was very key that they did that. 9:52 How is the defense handling this relationship 9:56 between Matthew Farwell and Sandra? 9:59 Because it can certainly make the jury not, 10:01 like Matthew Farwell, when they hear about this alleged grooming? 10:05 No, it was interesting because they did not address it at all. 10:08 You know, usually when I've seen defense attorneys go up 10:12 and they talk about how their client did not commit murder, 10:15 you know, it's very strong, it's very emphatic, it's very forceful. 10:19 This was the opposite approach. 10:21 The defense attorney was very gentle. 10:23 She had her hand on his back. 10:26 Then she went up into the jury box and she was very soft-spoken 10:30 And it was almost like she was trying to impart 10:32 that she really cared and there was another side of him. 10:35 And she just sort of said that this was a man 10:37 that had an affair. 10:38 You know, he made a mistake 10:39 and they completely did not mention 10:41 everything the prosecution had said 10:43 about the fact that he started sleeping with her at 15 10:46 and they had text messages to prove it. 10:49 They did not address that 10:50 in the opening arguments at all. 10:51 This case really does come down 10:53 to which investigators you believe 10:55 because the Norfolk County DA and local investigators, 10:58 said Sandra died by suicide, and then the federal investigators are saying that she was killed by far well. 11:05 So it's not a comfortable place for prosecutors to be, and it certainly could leave room 11:11 for reasonable doubt for a jury. 11:14 No, it's true. 11:15 And I think a lot of people are waiting for the Emmy that did the initial autopsy to testify, 11:21 because the interesting thing about her is that, like we said, it was ruled a suicide 11:26 until this year, it was changed to undetermined. 11:30 The suicide ruling was a strong boost for the defense. 11:34 The fact that it's been changed to undetermined 11:36 could be a blow to their case. 11:38 So a note, just Cassie, a note for our listeners. 11:42 It was determined in the end that Matthew Farwell 11:44 was not the father of Sandra's baby. 11:49 However, the prosecution argues 11:51 that he believed he was the father. 11:53 Right, right. We know that from previous ruling that DNA testing ruled Matthew Farwell out 12:00 as the father. Authorities, federal prosecutors do know who is the father, and he is on the 12:05 witness list. So it remains to be seen whether he'll testify or not, and what he'll say. 12:11 One thing we do know, Cassie, is how deeply upsetting this is for Sandra's family, 12:16 who we got to know during our coverage for Dateline. Have they been in court? Have 12:20 you talked to them in the hallways at all? 12:22 Yes, the four cousins that we interviewed for our report, they have been here and, you know, 12:28 I have seen them. And, you know, they're hanging in there. They're strong women. They showed that 12:33 to us. But, you know, obviously it was difficult for them to hear the opening arguments by the 12:39 defense. And it's hard to see Matthew Farwell in there. But, yeah, they're showing up and 12:45 they plan to be here as much as they can. Cassie, thank you so much for coming on from 12:50 from Boston. 12:51 You're very welcome. 12:52 My pleasure. 12:54 Coming up, 14 years after UNC student Faith Hudgepath was murdered, a key witness takes 13:00 the stand in the trial of her accused killer. 13:06 Whoever says saving money is hard doesn't know that the new customers who bundle and 13:11 save with progressives save hundreds. 13:14 Because switching your home and auto insurance is better than cutting down on those iced 13:18 lattes you love. 13:19 Switch your home and auto to Progressive and see if you could save and keep 13:23 sipping away. Get your quote today at Progressive.com. Progressive Casualty 13:28 Insurance Company, Affiliates, and other insurers. Not available in all states. 13:33 For kids, summer means freedom. And as adults, summer still means freedom. 13:37 Thanks to Mint Mobile's summer sale. Right now, all of Mint's plans are 13:41 $15 per month, even unlimited. 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Availability, speed and coverage 14:37 very see mintmobile.com. 15:07 for details." 14 years ago, 19-year-old UNC student Faith Hedgepath was found brutally 15:16 murdered inside the apartment she shared with her roommate in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 15:21 For nearly nine years, no one was charged with her murder. 15:25 Then, in 2021, investigators arrested Miguel Salguero Olivares. He was also 19 at the 15:32 time of the murder and living in Chapel Hill. He had no known connection to faith, 15:37 But prosecutors say DNA evidence tied him to the crime. 15:41 He has pleaded not guilty. 15:43 The second week of his murder trial is underway, 15:45 and prosecutors have called a key witness, 15:48 Faith's friend and roommate, Karina Rosario, 15:51 one of the last people known to have seen her alive. 15:54 I just saw a couple of spots of blood, 15:57 and I pulled the comforter down, 15:59 and I saw that she had a black eye. 16:02 I've been following the trial alongside 16:04 Dateline producer Mike Nardi. 16:05 Hey, Mike. 16:06 Hey Andrea, how are you? 16:08 Good, so I know you have been in the courthouse 16:11 in Durham, North Carolina. 16:14 I was there last week for the beginning of the trial. 16:17 This has been very emotional for Faith's family and friends. 16:21 There has been a big showing for Faith, her parents, 16:24 her nieces, friends from college. 16:26 I saw a lot of hugs and a lot of tears. 16:29 Right, I think her family especially 16:31 have waited a really, really long time for this moment. 16:34 Yeah, you can just feel the weight, the heaviness in that courtroom. 16:38 Mike, once the jury was finally seated, we heard opening statements. 16:42 Prosecutors laid out their theory of what happened to faith, and sitting there listening 16:47 to how the state alleges the tragic night unfolded, it was quite chilling. 16:51 Right. 16:52 Right. 16:52 So they told the jury that Miguel Salguero Olivares entered faith's apartment in 16:57 the middle of the night after her roommate had left with a friend. 17:00 Prosecutor said he attacked her with the Bacardi rum bottle and sexually assaulted her. 17:05 And they alleged he left behind a handwritten message on a white paper takeout bag that was found on Faith's bed, 17:12 and it read, I'm not stupid, bitch, jealous. 17:16 It was very hard to hear. 17:18 There was a moment when the prosecution told the jurors to tune out speculation that had surrounded the case for years. 17:26 The evidence in this case is louder than the noise around it. 17:32 Listen to the evidence. 17:33 Right, right. 17:34 And you said that word speculation, which is exactly right because there has been so much 17:38 of that with this case over the years. 17:42 So many people with so many ideas about what happened to faith and who might be responsible 17:46 for it. 17:47 The defense presented its opening statements and Miguel's attorneys actually picked up 17:53 on that word noise and turned it around. 17:55 Ask the show. 17:57 Is this no one? 17:58 Is it just DNA and the rest is no one? 18:00 Or are there things in this case that don't matter?" 18:03 Right. 18:03 The defense pointed out that no witnesses ever saw Salguero Olivara's interfaith's apartment. 18:10 His attorneys also raised questions about how the evidence was collected and handled 18:14 and whether the DNA evidence proves what prosecutors' alleged does. 18:18 They argued that those questions couldn't simply be dismissed as noise. 18:23 Prosecutors began calling witnesses immediately after openings finished and 18:27 they put a number of photos of faith up on the screen, the large screen in the 18:31 courtroom and one of the photos that they showed the court was of faith. She was 18:36 in Myrtle Beach by the water. She looked so happy and she was with her friend 18:41 Carina Rosario. Prosecutors called her very quickly as their second 18:45 witness. I have to say she looked very sad on the stand, kind of almost 18:49 broken. Yeah. And, you know, Karina has been a central figure in this case from the very beginning. 18:56 As we know, she was one of the last people to see Faith alive, and she was the person who 19:01 found her body. She found her friend in their bed, and it was emotional at times. 19:06 One day, I just think a normal college student in the next, who felt like my whole life was 19:12 whipped up. Her voice shook as she talked about how close she and Faith were. She 19:18 She told jurors that they really became close at UNC. 19:22 And by the summer of 2012, they were living together in a one bedroom apartment. 19:27 They even shared a mattress. 19:29 And I think the way Karina described their friendship was really touching. 19:34 Kind of felt like a never ending sleepover. 19:37 Like we would stay up late, watch Disney movies. 19:43 She would cook for me because I was just like, it was not a great cook. 19:47 Look, Karina also walked the jury through the last night she spent with Faith, which 19:52 is critical to this, those final hours of Faith's life. 19:57 Right. 19:58 Right. 19:59 Karina said they were studying together at the library, and then they decided to go 20:03 out to a bar, a nightclub called The Thrill. 20:06 Karina said she drank quite a bit that night, and eventually they went home. 20:11 But a few hours later, Karina decided to leave. 20:13 She told jurors she'd been texting a friend named Jordan McCrary and around four in the morning. She asked him to pick her up 20:23 I believe I just said I was going to go stay with Jordan and something to that 20:28 Remember if she said anything back to you know 20:31 When you left, what did you take out of the apartment? 20:34 Just my phone. Did you take a key? 20:37 No, we only had one key. So it was 20:41 usually the last person to leave the apartment cut the key. 20:45 So I wouldn't have taken it. 20:48 Mike, according to her testimony, 20:50 that meant Faith was left alone in the apartment. 20:53 That's right. 20:54 And the next morning, Karina said, 20:56 she tried calling Faith repeatedly 20:58 but couldn't get an answer. 20:59 So she asked their other friend, Mary Saul, 21:03 to drive her back to the apartment. 21:05 When they got there, Faith's car was still outside. 21:08 Karina said the door was unlocked. 21:09 She went inside, walked toward the bedroom, and found faith. 21:13 Karina called 911, and jurors got to hear that recording in court. 21:19 How did he feel? 21:20 Was she warm? 21:21 No. 21:23 Did he feel cold? 21:29 Mike, there is a twist with this witness. 21:32 Before the trial even started, the defense raised questions 21:35 about whether Karina herself could have been involved in faith's murder. 21:40 So when she was cross-examined on the stand, 21:42 the defense pressed her about what happened that night in a different way from the prosecution. 21:48 They did, and one thing they focused on was the last time Carina saw faith. In her original 21:53 statement to police in 2012, Carina said that as she was leaving the apartment, she told Faith 21:59 that Jordan was picking her up. But in a meeting with prosecutors earlier this year, she said she 22:05 couldn't remember saying that. No, I don't, but it's also been 14 years. I haven't 22:16 looked at my statements. I hadn't looked at interviews. I hadn't looked at 22:20 anything. You're asking me to like, dredge up memories from that long ago. The 22:26 defense also questioned Karina about something the friend who picked her up 22:31 that morning had told police something he noticed on Carina. 22:37 Yes. Jordan McCrary told investigators back in 2012 that as they were leaving the apartment 22:43 complex, he noticed what looked like a small smudge of blood on her finger and the defense 22:49 asked Carina about it. 22:51 Do you remember having a conversation with him about having blood on her hand? 22:56 No. 22:57 Think of any reason for him to make that up? 23:01 I trust him. I don't see him to be a liar. And I told the investigators the same that I, 23:09 that is the conversation we had. That's the conversation we had. Do I believe it was blood? 23:15 No. Karina acknowledges that she had been drinking heavily that night at the club 23:21 when she went out with Faith. Right. Right. She said she'd been drinking 23:25 like a red slushy type drink and had too much of it 23:30 and ended up getting sick 23:31 and vomiting that night back at the apartment. 23:34 So she believed that might explain 23:36 the red mark on her finger. 23:38 The defense is not directly pointing the finger at Carina, 23:42 but they're coming pretty close, Mike. 23:44 Yes, yes. 23:45 And you know, they can't come right out and say it 23:48 because the judge previously ruled 23:50 that they weren't allowed to do that. 23:52 But it's the implication they seem to be 23:54 making and trying to impress upon the jury. 23:57 To be clear, it was never established 23:59 that the Mark Jordan saw on Carina was actually blood. 24:04 Correct. 24:05 And Carina, of course, 24:06 has denied having any involvement in face murder. 24:10 Yes. 24:11 One of the lead investigators on the case 24:13 also took the stand and described arriving 24:16 at face department. 24:18 Yes, and she walked yours through the crime scene 24:20 and how investigators began trying 24:22 to piece together what happened, but on cross-examination, the defense pressed her about some evidence 24:29 that was never tested. For example, investigators photographed Faith's car with its gas cap open. 24:35 The gas cap was open. Do you know if that got swabbed for DNA? 24:40 It did not. 24:41 Wow. 24:42 I don't know the answer to that. It's hard to think through what our thought process was 24:47 14 years ago, and so I do not know why that was not swabbed at the time. 24:50 And you recall that the doorknob, so I guess the front doorknob had been swapped, correct? 24:56 Yes. 24:57 Why was the decision not to send that to the to be tested? 25:00 I don't, I do not have an answer for that. 25:03 Mike, I also want to talk about the defendant. I noticed he was taking a lot of notes. 25:08 He seemed to me to be very engaged and closely paying attention. 25:13 You know, he watches the witnesses. He's engaging, interacting with his attorneys. 25:18 he had some strong facial reactions 25:21 to some of the photos of the crime scene. 25:23 So he's certainly not just sitting there 25:25 stone-faced at the defense table. 25:27 Okay, thank you, Mike. 25:29 We will continue to follow this trial. 25:31 Thanks, Andrea. 25:33 Up next, it's time for Dateline Roundup. 25:36 We'll take you inside the courtroom 25:38 for the sentencing of the man 25:39 who masterminded the murder of Tupac Shakur. 25:42 And we'll share new details 25:44 in the case of the Houston man 25:45 who fled to Italy on the eve of his murder trial. 25:48 Plus, resources for students who experience sexual assault and other crimes on campus. 25:54 We'll talk to an advocate and a former detective about what students need to know. 26:05 You might not think about oil and natural gas, but it's a big part of your daily routine. 26:10 From the soap you use, to your toothpaste, even your bed sheets. 26:14 More than 6,000 everyday products are made using oil and natural gas. 26:18 Companies like Energy Transfer work behind the scenes, safely transporting these resources 26:24 across the country through a network of underground pipelines. 26:28 Learn more at ittakesenergy.com 26:35 Every day someone sits in this chair, convinced healthy, strong hair has to come with a luxury 26:40 price tag. 26:41 But you know what really surprises them? 26:44 How simple the solution can be. 26:47 The secret isn't some long, expensive salon treatment. 26:50 It's actually Pantene. 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For salon quality hair repair, 27:14 Here's something you may not know. 27:19 Only 14% of cancers in the U.S. are caught through routine screenings. 27:24 Prenuvvo's whole body MRI may help close that gap. 27:27 Screening for over 500 conditions, including most solid tumors, all in under an hour. 27:34 Prenuvvo's body panels also test over 80 biomarkers for a deeper understanding of 27:39 your health. 27:39 No radiation, no contrast. 27:42 Book your scan at prnuvo.com. 27:44 That's P-R-E-N-U-V-O.com. 27:54 Welcome back. 27:55 Joining me for this week's roundup 27:56 is Dateline supervising digital producer Veronica Maseca. 28:00 Hey, Veronica. 28:01 Hey. 28:02 So first up, we have some new details 28:03 in a case we've been following out of Houston. 28:06 Back in October 2024, Lee Gilley 28:08 was placed on house arrest with an ankle monitor 28:11 after he was charged with the murder 28:13 of his pregnant wife, Krista. 28:14 He pleaded not guilty and authorities say on the eve of his trial, Gilly cut off his ankle monitor and fled to Italy. 28:23 We had few details until this week about how exactly he got to Italy. 28:28 According to exclusive reporting by our local affiliate KPRC2, we finally have some answers Veronica, fill us in. 28:35 We knew thanks to court documents that Gilly's ankle monitor generated a tamper alert around 9 p.m. on May 1st. 28:43 Our affiliate says that sometime after his ankle monitor alarm went off, Gilly hopped on a bicycle. 28:50 He somehow made it all the way to Memphis, Tennessee, before boarding a private jet to Canada, 28:56 and there he used forged documents to board a plane to Italy. 29:01 So investigators still do not know how Gilly got from Houston to Memphis, 29:04 as that's a distance of over 500 miles. 29:08 Incredible allegations. Veronica, Gilly has been fighting extradition 29:12 since being arrested in May, 29:14 he has cited concerns about facing the death penalty 29:16 if he's sent back to the United States. 29:19 There's an update on that, too. 29:20 Yes, the Harris County District Attorney's Office 29:23 has filed a formal waiver stating 29:25 that they will not pursue the death penalty. 29:28 Later this month, an Italian judge 29:30 will decide what that means for Ghillie's extradition. 29:34 OK, up next, we are checking in at a Virginia courthouse 29:37 where it's week two in the murder trial of Nuresh Botte, 29:40 who has been accused of killing his 28-year-old wife, Mamta. 29:45 This is a case we talked about last week, Veronica, 29:47 and listeners might remember Mamta disappeared in July 2024. 29:52 Her body has never been found, 29:53 but prosecutors say there is enough circumstantial evidence 29:56 to prove Nuresh killed her. 29:59 Opening statements got underway, 30:00 and the prosecution focused on this idea of the American dream. 30:04 Let's take a listen. 30:05 I've liberty in the pursuit of happiness at the American dream. 30:10 It's what the defendant wanted, but ultimately ended as a nightmare. 30:15 Prosecution wanted the jury to get to know Nuresh and Mamta a little bit. 30:19 They were both immigrants from Nepal. 30:22 Mamta was a pediatric nurse and a mom to their young daughter. 30:27 Nuresh was an IT consultant, and it was an American success story, which Nuresh threw 30:32 away, according to prosecutors, when he decided to kill Mamta. 30:36 Veronica, what are they saying was his motive? 30:37 The prosecutor said that Mamta had been making efforts to assert her independence, like get 30:43 a bank account and a phone, and Nourish didn't like that. 30:46 And one of their first witnesses was a woman who said Mamta had confided in her that Nourish 30:51 was having affairs and could be aggressive. 30:54 She says he's been like hitting her so many times, he was shooting her. 30:58 She found out like multiple chats and conversation with other girls. 31:02 Since this is a nobody case, how is the prosecution Veronica planning to overcome that? 31:09 So the prosecution said that forensics from inside the home plus security camera video 31:14 of Nourish at the time Momta disappeared will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Nourish killed her. 31:20 Nourish has pleaded not guilty. What has the defense had to say so far? 31:25 The defense has focused its opening on the fact that there is not much hard evidence 31:31 about what actually happened to Mamta. 31:33 There is a sort of black hole 31:36 at the time of Mamta Kafe's disappearance, 31:40 and it's a hole where evidence should be. 31:44 The hole that the government 31:45 will not be able to fill for you. 31:49 They're going to try to fill the gap 31:50 with ideas and speculations and guesses, 31:54 but not with actual fact. 31:57 And when they cross-examined Mamta's friend, 32:00 she admitted that she had not seen Nourish hit Mamta with her own eyes and only heard about the 32:05 alleged abuse from Mamta. Okay, finally, we are off to Las Vegas, Veronica, for the final chapter 32:12 in a 30-year-old murder that went unsolved for decades, the shooting of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur. 32:19 On Tuesday afternoon, Dwayne Keith Davis, also known as Keefy D, a former gang leader, 32:25 stood before a judge and was sentenced for masterminding Tupac's murder. 32:28 He was convicted back in August after prosecutors presented evidence that Davis 32:33 had planned the killing after Tupac beat up his nephew. Tupac's family was there 32:38 for the sentencing. 32:39 Lots of Tupac. 32:43 For a long time crippled my entire family emotionally and mentally. 32:48 His sister, Szechua Shakur, spoke and she talked about what an icon her 32:53 brother was and told the court what he would have been doing today had he 32:57 been alive. 32:58 I truly believe he would have been a government. 33:00 He would have already constructed organizations and homes 33:04 for lost boys and neighbor teens. 33:08 We lost something. 33:10 The whole, our whole generation lost something huge. 33:18 September 13th, 1996. 33:22 The judge gave Davis an opportunity to speak. 33:24 Did he say anything? 33:26 Not much. 33:26 he asked for his possessions back and said that he would appeal the case. 33:31 Veronica, focal point of the trial has been Davis's own words over the years. 33:35 He had given interviews and even written in his memoir that he was involved in Tupac's murder. 33:40 Before the judge handed down her sentence, she referred back to some of the things Davis said. 33:45 Heard you say some variation of the same thing, civil enforcement, to BET in your book. 33:51 And it's something like, yeah, I was involved in this, but I'm different. 33:54 I've moved on. 33:56 I got out of Compton. 33:57 I'm a grandfather now. 33:58 I'm here to tell you that's not how this works, okay? 34:01 You don't get to take a man from his family. 34:03 You don't get to take his very life, his whole future from him, 34:06 and just walk away from it. 34:08 What was Davis sentenced to, ultimately? 34:10 He was sentenced to 40 years to life for first-degree murder. 34:14 Thank you for all of these updates, Veronica. 34:17 Of course. Thanks for having me. 34:19 For our final story this week, we're turning to campus safety. 34:22 It's a topic that's come up a lot in our recent coverage, from the murder of UNC student 34:28 Faith Hedgepath to the sexual assault allegations at Cornell University. 34:33 Just this week, Cornell outlined plans to expand support for students who are victims 34:37 of sexual misconduct, including hiring more victim advocates and bringing in independent 34:43 state police investigators. 34:45 And that got us wondering, what resources are available to students if something 34:50 happens to them. And what role does the college play when it comes to keeping students safe? 34:56 Here to talk us through it is Simone Dixon, Assistant Director of Programs at the Cleary 35:00 Center, a nonprofit dedicated to helping colleges and universities create safer campuses. 35:06 And we also have retired detective and law enforcement expert Joseph Scaramucci, 35:11 who has investigated several cases on college campuses. Simone and Joseph, welcome to the 35:16 podcast. 35:17 Thanks for having us. 35:19 Such an important topic. 35:20 Before we get into the resources that are available, help us understand how common sexual 35:25 assaults and other forms of violence are on college campuses. 35:30 I mean, as of right now, I believe the statistics are still one in four, college-age women, 35:35 even though we know these crimes can happen to anyone, 18 to 24 will experience sexual 35:41 violence in their lifetime. 35:42 Yeah. 35:43 And as a mom who has a daughter going off to college next year, one time is too many. 35:49 I have college-aged kids as well, and I think statistics aside, 35:55 it's a real-world issue that we have to worry about, right? 35:58 So as a student who experiences sexual assault or another crime, what resources are available 36:04 through the university, and what should students know before deciding where to turn 36:10 first, if something happens to them. 36:13 I would say that above anything, students should know that they always have a choice 36:17 and agency in the situation, so whether they choose to make a report and they only want 36:22 to get accommodations or supportive measures, such as housing accommodations, changing 36:26 in their academic or work schedule, but also assistance in filing a police report 36:31 if they want to, getting a personal protection order. 36:34 There's a slew of resources that the institution is obligated to provide under law. 36:40 Simone, you work at the Cleary Center, which takes its name from the Cleary Act, a federal 36:45 campus safety law that was named after Jean Cleary, who was raped and murdered in her 36:50 dorm room in 1986. 36:52 Tell us more about the Cleary Act and what it requires campuses to do. 36:57 Yeah, so the Cleary Act just holds colleges and universities accountable, making sure 37:03 that their students, faculty, staff, potential students, and employees are safe and understand
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