Oh, wow. Yeah. Okay. Over here! Sheriff's Office! Over here! I'm down here by the door. What is it? I'm by the door. The police found a man trapped behind the door, drenched in sweat. His name is James (59), the homeowner’s son. right here. Right here. I think he's in shock. His mother passed away and he's the sole caregiver and I just think he's in shock and I got him late today to check on him. There's guns in every room. No, there's not. No, please don't. No, I'm not putting you in trouble. No, this is just to make sure there's no weapons. mental health issue here. Yeah. No, no, no. Can you come talk to me in here? James and I have been friends for 40 years. Uhhuh. Good friends. His mom has been ill has had Parkinson's. We're inside making contact now. And I would just It doesn't matter what's in there, believe me. It doesn't matter. So So what? So So I'm sorry. What was your name? Listen. Listen to me. I I know. I don't know where the gun is. So we're we're going to take care of the But I need you to relax and talk to me. Okay. Go ahead. Take a seat for me. Can I just stay here? Yeah, that's okay. What What was your name? Rhonda. R H O N D. Yeah. All right. So James. Uhhuh. What's Can I talk to you outside, brother? Yes. Can you do one thing though? Yes, sir. This door cannot be locked. Can we open that door, please? Why do we need to open it right now? Yes, because it's it's the heating stuff doesn't work if it's locked. Okay. I will I will be sure to unlock it. I will unlock it. Can you go back around the front? I will unlock it here before we have a good Okay, you you go first, sir, cuz we're just we're going to make sure I need to lock the door. Okay. So, James, what's what's going on today, man? We we got called out here because I I am sorry to hear that there was a death in the family and that is what I understand happened today. Yesterday and yesterday. Okay. And this has obviously been very rough for you. Absolutely. And so we were called out here because somebody said you were maybe thinking about yourself. Rhonda did. And and is that a true? Is that something you thinking of? So what's going on today? Why is like what was the argument about today? just that that what's happened with my mom and that kind of stuff. Okay. So, she's under the impression you're trying to grab a gun and shoot yourself. She thinks I would have killed myself in that room. Okay. But you not my intent. You're not intending to do that. Why would she think that? She just does. I don't know why. Okay. Can we have medical come check you out, man? Just cuz I mean you look you got some scrapes and things like that. Is this What is on your shirt? That's a little bit of blood. Yeah. From from your lip or something. Something. Yes. What happened to your lip? Just just just cut a little bit on your nose, too. The bridge of your nose. Uh-huh. Okay. So, Rhonda, I just need you to relax and talk to me. So, what what happened today? I know you said that he said his mom has Parkinson. She passed away and he's in shock. Yes. What is he doing that's making him feel like that he wants to himself? Because he told me he did. Okay. What did he say? He just said that there was no reason to live anymore and that he just felt it was best just, you know, I don't know if he said specifically kill himself, but he said there was no more reason for him to live. And I just know this is his parents house and we've been friends long enough and we dated many, many years ago and then we're just friends now. But I know there's guns in there, okay? because he did a police report because somebody broke into the house and stole some of them. Mhm. And and and when I called him on the phone originally and he called me back, I heard a zipper like you know if you've ever heard a zipper for like a a rifle or something and that's what it sounded like and he just said he was looking at his dad's guns and going through some of the guns that he knew was stolen. Right. I I texted him today, didn't hear from him and then I tried his mom. didn't get her. And then I called him some more. Didn't get him. And so then I swung by his house and nobody was there. Uh he said he was over here and he was in his dad's uh you know he was here and he was just looking at some guns and so I just so I said well I'm just I kept him on the phone. Then when I got here, I said, "Just come on out and let's go to the car and let's just talk." I said, "Come on out." Because he's been very emotional about things being stolen from this house and another house he had broken into. Okay. Just came and he sat in the car and we talked and I said, "How is your mom doing?" And he said, "Well, she passed away yesterday." And and I just think he's in shock. I just think he's in shock. And so I told him, "Well, let's let's" I said, "Let's call 911. Let's have him go to the house where she's at." And then he was he was adamant to come back to here and lock this house up. And I told him, "No, it would be okay. It would be okay." But he wanted to he just wouldn't stay in the car with me. So I said, "Okay, I'll go with you." So I came down here with him. And I was very fearful he was going to go in that room and get a gun that was in there. Mhm. Can we lock this door though, please? There's nobody here. We have to turn the alarm system on. All right. Are you going to be going somewhere today? I'm going to go back to my house. Okay. Okay. So, this is not your this is my parents my parents residence. That's right. Okay. Well, let's talk to we'll talk to medical real quick. Um just cuz we'll we'll grab the keys. Can we grab them out of the door before we leave? We have to lock it. Before we leave, we'll make sure leave with the house unsecured. Yeah. Don't worry about that. Yeah, don't worry about that. So, who's who's this other woman in That's Rhonda. Rhonda. And who is she to you? A friend for 40 years. A friend for 40 years. Okay. And how did how did both of you you come to be at this house tonight? She I came here because I was doing some stuff checking on the house and whatever and she came over. Okay. She's worried I'm going to myself. Okay. And that and you're saying that's not your intent at all? It's not my intent but I'm not I'm not in a good spot. Okay. Mhm. Absolutely. But sir, okay, we were had broken into they stole music equipment. They stole all kinds of stuff out of my parents house. I need to lock it. Okay. You want to go ahead? So, I'll I'll wait right here. I'll come out with you. We have to go to my other house. So, your other house? No. So, um, I'm going to be straight forward and just tell you what's going on here. So, we showed up, you were covered in sweat. You have some blood on your t-shirt. You told me, you said, "Hey, I'm not but I'm not in a good mental space." Right. All right. And so, I would I would like for you to just just get checked out by these gentlemen. They're going to take your blood pressure cuz you were obviously in in a highly emotional state when I came in contact with you at first. All right. The only the only thing is we have to go to my other house. Okay. And and where is your other house, sir? Corona Avenue. So, we both went in there. I said, "James, please just set the alarm." And he went in the bedroom and we just basically then wrestled for however long. I don't know, you know, quite some time. And then finally, I had a little place on my hand. Okay. And it was bleeding. And I just told him, I said, "Go get me a Kleenex." I heard it yesterday at the grocery store. Okay. I didn't have my phone, but I had my other phone and I called 911. I I see you've got a little bit of you got a little bit of a cut on your head. Did he hit you? No. Okay. When I was trying to keep him from going into the door, the wall there. Okay. Can you move your hair a little bit? I just want to make sure. Yeah. Okay. Cuz we have medical here. So Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we're going to have medical take a look at you as well. Okay. I think she's overreacting and then I think this dude's just sad and kind of done with No, he's had a break in. So, it's reasonable for him to bear. That's why he's super paranoid about everything. Her freaking out is probably making him freak out. Even though he is going into shock, which is why he's swaying so much. I think I'm more concerned with her than him. Yeah, I think so, too. Are you going to wrap it? Yeah. Oh, are you serious? Oh, no. Really? Okay. All right. So Rhonda, this is what's probably going to happen. Just being honest, we're probably going to have you guys separate for the night. Oh, that's fine. We want you to go home. Um that way he can go home cuz he does live at Forever. So that was if that's where his mother is deceased. So no one has gone to No, his mother's there deceased. That's what I was trying to explain to him. since they said that but no one has gone to the other that his mom is deceased at the other house and no one has gone. What the Jesus Christ? And I think that I think Nas got the address. So what? Yeah, she just told me that mom passed away last night. his mom and then she and she's still at the house and no one has gone. Uh she said there you had kind of a heavy infatuation of going in the room where the guns were at is uh were what was the reason for that? Were you there? Those were the guns were stolen from that room. Okay. And I wanted to shut the door and all for that because the door was was uh she locked the door. Is there any more firearms in that room at all? There are um there's they stole all of them and all my dad's banjos in there. There's someone's like guns and you were there the bullets would would explode when they hit somebody but didn't scare them off. No lethal firearms in there. There's no they stole. Hey guys, supposedly this lady said that his mom passed away last night and she's still there. Nobody has gone. She's still deceased. in here. Oh, one one Corona where he gave you that address. I don't know how how much I trust her information considering the state of mine she's in, but I think we should go check that address. I think she's more my concern than he is my concern. Well, we can ask him the whereabouts of his mom just to double check. Uh James, real quick, brother. Uh I understand. Um so your your mother passed away last night. Is that correct? Yesterday. Yesterday. Morning. Yesterday morning. Okay. And were medical called out or law enforcement? Okay. So, where is she now? At my house. And where would she be? In the house. In the hallway. In the hallway. Okay. So, your your mom dies. Why would you not call me in in the hallway? That's another thing is people don't die in the hallway. Old people don't die in the hallway. People die in bed. They die in bed around the bathroom. none in the hallway. And then he's in shock and then he didn't call us. The first thing you think would happen, you'd call somebody. [Music] Sheriff's department. Anyone inside, make yourself known now. What's up, puffers? Are we going blazing? Oh. Oh, what do we have? Dead body. DB obvious blood on the walker on her lacerations to her legs. Possibly. Let's just clear the house. Make sure no one else is here. All right. If you guys want to hold long here, me and Jeff will get the rest over here. All right. Clear this window. Yep. Small room. Clear. Bathroom. This does not look like a natural death. No, I would say this is not it. Clear. House is clear. Hi, buddy. If we can start a crime scene while we walk. All right. I take it back. I don't think she was overreacting. I think she was underreacting if she knew that there was a body over here. Well, like I would like she was so frantic, but like I wish she would have told us that. Like I don't understand how that wasn't priority one to tell us about. Yeah, this has taken one of the strangest turns I've had on a single call. But yeah, this is some true detective [ __ ] over here. This is some weird [ __ ] How long do you think she's been there? I don't know. This could like I wonder if this will turn into like uh what the actual charge would be but like the equivalent of like aggravated elder resulting in death because if she's if like I don't know I I'm very like confused because the state of undress that she's in where she's positioned and propped up at the blood everywhere. I mean this is I've heard of cases before. There was uh one, forget where it was at, but um these people had a really weird neighbor where they had like a newborn baby and anytime the baby would cry, she would like just like pound on the wall. It was like a duplex. And eventually they freaked out one day because they went to the baby's nursery and like she had punched a hole in the wall and was like staring at the baby. So they moved the out of there and then a few months later they heard that uh they did a welfare check because of the smell because someone else moved into the duplex and her mom had was been dead for like half a year dressed in her Sunday best in her room. Any animals on the loose? Nope. None on the loose. Oh wow. Yeah. Okay. And then we cleared everything over here. We didn't see nothing. Just this just this little doby. My puppy. How long you thinking? They told us a day and a half maybe. I don't know. But look at all the cooling. It's all purple. Yeah. Dude, that right there is crazy. Yeah. There's a bunch of [ __ ] here. There's a bunch of blood. And it goes around this hallway. And I didn't go through here, but Nas said that there's more blood back there as well. I don't know if he like did something intentionally or if there is like just like severe elder going on or he just didn't want to report cuz of like weird like Norman Baitman [ __ ] or what. But yeah, they said that she had Parkinson's, but uh I don't think Parkinson's does this [ __ ] Okay. Can you help me understand like why you're here today? My mom passed away. Okay. Sorry to hear that. Can you tell me more about that? Um, she's been living with me for the last 5 years or so. Okay. And um we we've been having some conflicts as of late. Tell me more about that. But just just just, you know, disagreements or or conflicts and and you know, she said she sometimes makes some, you know, derogatory statements to me like what? like the dog um wasn't fed sufficiently. That's why she doesn't have enough weight and it's you know it's going to dog kind of thing. That's an example. Mhm. I saw the dog. The dog was good. I I wish people would have taken her out. Okay. Well, we can do something about that. When when Mhm. When we're done talking, tell me more about your mom's health. Uh my mom has um Parkinson's disease. So she has Parkinson's. She has Parkinson's. Some issues with with blood clotting. So you know blood clotting. You have to keep your your blood balanced. Um she has some stuff with high blood pressure as well. Okay. So does she prescribe any medication? Mhm. Yes. Okay. So who's her primary caretaker? I I I pretty much take care of all her stuff. Okay. When was the last time she uh was seen at the hospital or at the doctors? The last time we went to the doctors um would have been sometime in January. I don't know. Yeah. Tell me more about tonight. Like why were the police called? because um so I was at my parents house and Rhonda, a friend of mine for 40 years, you know, basically showed up and wanted to talk with me. I told Splender that my mom passed has passed away. So when did your mom pass away? Yesterday morning. Yesterday morning. Did you were the one that found her? Is that correct? And where was she yesterday morning? She was at my house. Oh, like where? She was on the um she was on the um on the the the the walker in the in the hallway there. Okay. So, you said yesterday morning, but we're already in the 3rd of April. So, I meant the second the first The first. When did you see her? Around the morning. around 11 in the morning. You just didn't see her that morning until 11. I did your Oh, you did? Yeah. Okay. Like around what time? Uh 6 7 8 You know, very candid. She was um you know, again, we've had some arguments. So, she was sort of just sitting in a stuper like what does that mean? Not saying really not talking at all much to me at all. Oh, like you were getting a silent treatment. Mhm. Okay. I'm sorry. And she was um just just sitting stationary and um we had had some big disagreements. And tell me more about those. I gave you an example. One dog. Were you said big disagreement? The one about the dog was not a big disagreement. Well, it was with the dog not being not quote unquote being fed correctly. Okay. That's a that's an example of it. Okay. Is there any more? Um I I'm I'm 59 years of age and I have no children. Well, I mean that's like everyone's personal choice, right? That's true. But you know, there's been some comments made about why not kind of thing. How does it make you feel? Not good. So, is that what the argument was that morning about? Like that's a like sort of an ongoing thing. Oh, okay. Like for how long? Probably several, you know, years. Do you want any grandkids? Um, it's just comments about, you know, people's life. Okay. I'm sure that was pretty upsetting. I'm sorry. Mhm. Um, how come you didn't call uh right away? In a state of shock about what has happened and very candidly, I was thinking I should just myself. Is that how you still feel tonight? Well, what I've I've tried to go on with doing other stuff that I have like work and stuff the last couple of days cuz I I have other things I I have to do. Um but obviously, you know, it's a very it's not a it's a bad situation. It is. It's very traumatic and I'm sorry, but thank you for like coming here and talking to me about it. Um, so like what were your immediate steps after you saw her? I um sat her up in in a chair. She had she had stumbled off of a chair a couple times. Um, so she she had fallen off of a chair that that chair that she's on now. And so I helped put her back I put her back on the chair. Not helped. I put her back on the chair myself and and you know situated her where you saw her tonight. When did she fall off that chair? A couple of times that morning. Couple of times that morning. Okay. And so when you found her, she was not in the chair. No, she was in the chair and a couple times she fell off the chair on onto the tile. Okay. But that was earlier in the day. Earlier in the day. Yeah. When she was alive, you helped her get back on the chair. Okay. But when you found her, she was on the chair at 11:00. She was on the chair cuz I had placed her on the chair. Yes. Okay. She was on the chair cuz you placed her on the chair when she was already passed away. No, she was she when I said her on the chair, she was alive. But but then she passed away. Okay. So after she fell, you didn't want to call the ambulance or anything like that? I did not. No. Why not? So, you've already said to me I can stop this conversation if I want to. So, yeah, you can. So, is that Are you Are you done answering my questions? I'm I'm simply going to say that I did not because I didn't know what to do with the situation. I mean, it's a pretty easy thing to do. Like, somebody falls down, you ask them if they're okay, and then you call 911 if they're not, right? Mhm. So, how come you going to call? cuz I felt accountable for where she's at. You know, I'm I'm responsible for what's happened here, right? So, calling 911 would have been like the helpful thing to do, right? When she fell off the chair, it might be. Okay. So, you guys are having an argument in the morning. Is it fair if I were to say you were upset at her when she fell? Cuz you were already upset about this ongoing argument. Is that why you didn't call 911 after she fell? you were still upset. I I didn't call 911 because I knew that that, you know, I I would be bound to be, you know, doing elder abuse. Well, falling off a chair is an accident. Like, anybody can fall off a chair, especially somebody who is Sorry, I can't do math right now. How old is she? 83. Yeah. Somebody who's 83. I mean, that's like a pretty reasonable thing for somebody, not reasonable, but like plausible thing for somebody 83 years old to do. Mhm. So, it's not you should be calling 911 if they have an accident because um in my mind I didn't think she was in good shape and I I mean I I didn't think it that the situation was fixable. Okay. What do you mean by fixable? Like what was what was unfixable about it? You know, her her um her face and stuff like that, you know, was is bruised up from when she fell on the floor? No. You know, some of the arguments we had. Okay. So, they got physical between you and your mom. Mhm. Okay. Tell me more about her face. Like, where did she have marks? Just marks on her face on both sides. Okay. And like how did she get those? From some of our arguments. Okay. From you. Yeah. Okay. From what part of your body left the marks on her face? My hands. Okay. And in what manner did you use your hands to leave the marks on her body? Like that. Is that like an open palm flap? Mhm. Okay. I saw some marks on her shins. Mhm. Could you tell me more about those? On her shins? Where? So, there's one on her left shin, like right down the middle somewhere. Like basically in the middle of the shin. It looks like a cut. Mhm. Could you tell me more about that? her skin because of the thein um is is very very very brittle or softer. That's the medication for blood, right? That's right. Okay. And so her skin is very soft because of that. If if you if you literally just touch her arm or her hand or something like that, it it will can it can make skin come off. Really? Mhm. Okay. So she also has another what looks like a laceration on her right chin as well like from the outside. Is that because of a similar situation? I I don't know. I I I just can say her skin is very soft and if you you just you know move her leg or whatever it can it can cause like the skin to you know tear or peel or whatever. Okay. Did you move her legs at any point? Yes. Tell me about it. Well, I've moved her legs, you know, to help her walk or pick her up or these kind of things. Okay. So, the one on the left chin looks pretty fresh and it looks pretty deep. Okay. Do you remember how that happened? I know you said skin splits, but like that looks pretty like deep. No, I don't remember how that happened. Was it from a fall? Maybe. I don't remember how that happened, but I know she fell um in the in the living room area. She had a huge bruise on her leg if you look at that leg. And um that the left or the right leg? The left leg. Mhm. When did she fall? Oh, it's been like the um late January. Oh, okay. So, it's been like a while back. Mhm. Okay. Tell me about your shirt. What's going on with what looks like blood on your shirt? I I don't know. I'm not sure where these these came from. Is this the same shirt you've been wearing since April 1st? Yes, it I think it is. Yes. Yeah. Mhm. Cuz you also you also have some marks on the back as well. Where is that? Uh back of your arm. Um kind of like left scapula. It's the same shirt you were wearing when you like picking up back in the chair. I think so. Okay. What happened to your lips? Is that blood? I don't know. Um so she was found like unclothed. Why is that? She had a like a a sheet that was on her that was had had blood on it that I threw away. Okay. But what about like clothing? Where was her clothing at? She she has the clothing that she wears like t-shirts and pants and all that. They're in the bedroom there. But she wasn't wearing any that morning. Uh, no. She had a she was covering herself with a with a sheet. Okay. Is that like normal for her? No. Normally she puts on some different clothes or whatever. Okay. Did she say why she was just covering herself with the sheet that morning? That morning? No. I No, but I I helped her on the night before she hadated on herself. So, I helped try to clean her up. Okay. And then I I um basically sat her sat her on the the walker there and and and just cuz it's close to the bathroom or whatever in case we needed to use the bathroom. The lacerations again um back to the marks on her body. So, some of them look really deep. And I mean like not a doctor or anything, but it looks deeper than just skin. The one in particular on her left shin. I know you said the medication makes the skin split, but that one looks really deep. If if you're asking me, did I do something like take a knife and cut her or something? The answer is no, I did not. I never even brought up a knife. I was wondering if she fell and like hit her. But there's nothing or something. There's nothing like a knife or anything like that. If you literally like touch her skin or grab her leg or whatever, it will it can tear like that. Do you remember seeing it? Yeah. Yeah. Cuz like that to me looks like it's down to the bone. Okay. Yes. Is that how it was? How you remember seeing it? Yes. Like it's almost down to the bone. And that you think is because of the medication? Okay. She didn't like hit herself on a table or anything like that or had fallen couple months back and that bruises her skin and then it makes the skin very brittle like that. Okay. So, back to the morning of when she passed away. Mhm. So, I know it's a shock and you were pretty upset. Of course. So, it's been two full days and you said you still didn't have a plan on how to report her report her uh her passing. I hadn't decided how I was going to go about it. No. What were some of your thoughts? Excuse me. What were some of your thoughts? Cuz you said you haven't decided fully. I'm sure you had some thoughts. My thought was to kill myself. Okay. So, your mom passes away. You guys didn't have the best relationship at the end of it. Is that fair to say? Yes. How come it affected you so strongly that you want to take if she passed when she passed away? And that's a leading question you're asking, but I think you know what the answer is cuz I feel accountable for what's happened here. I'm not meaning anything at all. I'm just asking why it's so upsetting to you. I feel accountable for what's happened here. Is it possible you maybe hit a little too hard on Monday morning? I didn't hit her. Okay. The night before? Yes. You think it's possible you hit her a little too hard? Mhm. Like it was hard enough to cause an injury. I'm not sure. I just know that she was very like coast kind of like very What does that mean? Non-communicative, non non-talking. I mean, did she lose consciousness? No, she was conscious. So, at no point did she lose consciousness during an argument when you go physical or after she's taking a shower or anything like that? Basically, in the shower, I had to help her get in there, help her shower off and take her out and she she had trouble standing up and stuff. Okay. Mhm. But the shower was after the argument. The shower was after the argument. Like, does she have a room where she sleeps in? Mhm. How come you didn't put it there that night? because we we both discussed it's probably best to try to stay upright and and not be, you know, laying down. She's having some trouble breathing and stuff. So, we decided it was better to stay upright. But you know, you found the two which are not like real guns, right? Mhm. Is that what kept you from going all the way through? You know what what kept me from going all the way through was Rhonda came there and just basically was saying, "You shouldn't do that. Don't do that." Did you ever think like, "Okay, well, if I'm not going to do this, how are you going to what were you going to do with the body?" Do you ever have any thoughts about that? No, I did not. But I I didn't have any thoughts of taking it and burying it somewhere in the East Mountains or something. No. Okay. No, I did not. Um, and you're sure she died in that hallway by the bathroom. You didn't move the body at all? Like she she died in that hallway by the bathroom? Okay. I'm asking because there's like It looks like there's some drops of blood in the hallway. Where did those come from? From the chair, you know, she would move it around some. Okay. So, those were from previous days. Those were from previous days. Yes. What injuries would be like expected to find in the autopsies, do you think? Most stuff on her face. Anything else? I think her nose. I I pulled on her nose sometimes. Okay. Fore! Foreign! Foreign! Fore [Music] speech.