You've seen it before. A courtroom packed with emotion and suddenly the accused breaks down crying. I didn't mean to kill Austin. Ashley, I really didn't really think I did. I didn't mean to hurt him. But what if those tears are nothing but a performance? In today's video, we're breaking down the infamous case of Dylan Shoemaker, the teen who cried in court during sentencing trying to dodge justice. But a hidden recording exposed the truth. Stick around to find out how this case became the perfect example of when criminals try to cry their way out of prison and fail. Imagine this. You're a judge watching a 16-year-old break down in tears, begging for mercy. You almost feel bad for him until you hear this. I'm a 16-year-old blonde. Probably all I have to do is cry in front of the jury, and they're going to feel sorry for me. Caught. Manipulation exposed. Justice served. Let's get into the full story. Back in March 2013, 16-year-old Dylan Shoemaker was babysitting his girlfriend's two sons in Springville, New York. He wasn't a hardened criminal, he was just a teenager. But that night turned deadly. He brutally 23-month-old Austin Smith. The toddler's injuries were so severe, doctors said they were consistent with blunt force trauma. Austin didn't survive. Another big story we're following tonight. Police say a little boy in Springville has been to death just days before his second birthday. And the suspect is the mother's 16-year-old boyfriend. Shoemaker was arrested and charged, but the real twist came during the trial. When trial day came, Dylan sobbed in front of the judge. He apologized. He claimed he didn't mean to hurt the child. The courtroom was emotional. People were torn between heartbreak and outrage. But Judge William Bowler wasn't buying it. And here's why. While in jail, Dylan made a phone call to his mother. He said this, and I quote, "I'm a 16-year-old blonde. Probably all I have to do is cry, and they're going to feel sorry for me." Boom. Just like that. Every tear he cried in court was exposed as part of a plan. Fake remorse. A strategy to manipulate the system. I didn't mean to kill Austin. Actually, I really didn't. You really think I I didn't mean to hurt him. I can't take back what was done. I wish I could out give my life for Austin. I loved him a lot. Austin Smith was completely defenseless, but that's a that's a given, but there were other dynamics at work there, including my client's inability to either control his anger or frustration and his inexperience in babysitting. Based on his short life now, what is to say he won't do this again? Well, we don't know that. I think it's completely un unlikely. It was a situational circumstantial thing. The record will show that you admitted on Jul that on July 23rd, 2013, in a phone call to your mother from the holding center, you stated, and I got a quote from the court reporter, "I am a 16-year-old blonde. Probably all I have to do is cry in front of the jury, and they're going to feel sorry for me." End quote. Judge Bowler called him a manipulator and a deceiver and sentenced him to 25 years to life. But the story didn't end there. In 2016, an appellet court reduced Shoemaker's sentence to 18 years to life. Why? Because of his age, mental health concerns, and lack of criminal history. Many were shocked. Some say it was fair. Others say he got away with murder. You decide. Dylan isn't the only one who's tried this move. We've seen it with hard criminals, con artists, even celebrity scammers turning on the waterworks the moment they hit court. But here's the question. Should judges trust courtroom emotions? Or has the justice system become too easy to manipulate with a few fake tears? Let us know in the comments. Do you believe remorse should reduce a sentence, or should the punishment always fit the crime, no matter how sorry someone looks? Here's what we can all learn from this case. Fake remorse doesn't fool everyone. The justice system still has ways of digging out the truth. Not all tears in courtrooms are real. Some are strategy. You never know when your own words will be your undoing. And finally, crying in court won't fix a crime. Accountability does. If you found this case eyeopening, there's more where that came from. We cover real stories, raw truth, and courtroom moments that make you question everything. Hit that like button, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss when we drop the next shocking case.