Original subtitles

(Somber piano music)

- (Narrator) Vera did as she was told

and went with her killers, knowing she was going to die.

- (Nicole) Then he was just like,

"Get your coat and shoes on now.

"We're leavin', we're goin' for a walk."

- When they told her to put her shoes on, you know,

she kinda, she was like yelling, "Why?

Ya know, like, "Why?"

"Why do you want me to get my shoes on?"

And Zachary went up to her and said,

"Just get your "effin' shoes on."

- (Narrator) Had she been given one final wish

it would've been to say goodbye to Willadean,

her precious little girl.

But instead her last farewell came

from the baby's grandmother who knew this was the end.

- And as I laid my head down all I seen was a vision

of Danny, Nicole, and Vera's purple hoodie,

of them walking outside on the porch.

And I said, "Goodnight, Vera," and she said, "Goodnight."

She said, "Goodnight, Sugar Babe," and I said, "Goodnight."

- (Narrator) She had 15 minutes to live.

(Ominous rock music)

♪ I've got no sugarbaby now

♪ Got no sugarbaby now

♪ All I can do is seek peace with you

♪ And I can't get along this way

♪ I've got no sugarbaby now

♪ I've got no sugarbaby now

♪ All I can do is seek peace with you

♪ What more can a poor boy do

♪ Who'll rock the cradle

♪ Who will sing the song

♪ Who will rock the cradle when I'm gone

♪ I've got no sugarbaby now

♪ I've got no sugarbaby now

♪ All I can do is make peace with you

♪ And they'll send you to your mama next payday

♪ Who will rock the cradle when I'm gone

(train whistle blows)

- (Narrator) The case began on a cold spring morning.

- They had her layin', instead of having her layin'

on the rails they had her

layin' in between the tracks.

- It's like, here's the two tracks, she was in the middle

and he was goin' so fast with the train

that he looked down and thought

that it was a baby deer.

- And the engine and eight cars went over her.

- He stops the train, gets out, and walks back

thinking that he was gonna find the carcass of a deer.

Because the train, the cars were still over her,

looks under, sees that it's a human.

(Phone buzzing)

- (Officer Biggs) Findlay Police Department, Biggs.

- (Chris) Hello, this is Chris with CSX Railroad.

- (Officer Biggs) Yes.

- (Chris) Hey, we just got a report

that we have a train stopped over near

Central Parkway.

Right in between there across from Blanchard River.

- (Officer Biggs) Okay.

- (Chris) We got a report that we have a train

stopped right now because they see a

naked female body laying in the middle of the track.

Appears to be deceased.

- (Narrator) The location of this grizzly discovery

could not have been more symbolic.

On a train trestle in the center of Findlay, Ohio,

a town once designated by an official act of Congress

as Flag City, USA.

It was known for its good schools, low crime,

and famous sports stars.

And little girls dream of becoming homecoming queens

and cheerleaders.

(Crowd cheering)

- (Crowd) We're in it to win it so let's take the floor

of (mumbles).

(Spectators cheer)

- (Narrator) But now someone had taken a knife

to this picture of all-American bliss

and left one little girl under the central overpass,

slashed, bruised, and slaughtered.

- After I found out, you know, she got murdered

and everything it broke my heart

because me and my sister did everything together.

(Somber ambient music)

- (Narrator) Two months earlier Findlay Police

responded to a domestic violence call

at 300 Center Street.

This was not the first time Vera's abuse had been reported.

But if anyone was paying attention,

they would've seen the violence getting worse.

- I was there a few times when the cops was called.

They'd come,

be like, "We need to speak to Vera,"

and Zachary and Cheri and them would tell her,

"Don't say Zachary did anything."

Or be like, "You fell down the steps."

"You did it, it was your fault."

- (Narrator) Only this time the quote "I tripped and fell"

excuse would not work.

A problem soon solved with a better lie.

- When her boyfriend,

oh what is his name?

- They said it was a black dude, that I guess

she was supposedly dating,

but I believe he was a created character

as they call it in the video game world.

- I can't even think of his name now but it's...

Demetrius Jones I think it was.

- She made up the Desmond Thompson guy from Lima.

- And he had busted her nose.

'Cause she had to go out to the hospital

'cause she had a bump here and they said

she might have a concussion and bleeding.

- They come up with this story sayin'

that Vera had a boyfriend, a black man,

that was out of Lima or somewhere

and he come up here and got in a fight

and punched her in the face and broke her nose,

but that's not true.

It was her son Zachary.

- He came downstairs, went straight to his mom,

asked her what happened.

Cheri just came up with an excuse sayin'

that Vera was the one that pushed her own daughter

into the coffee table.

And Zachary just listened to what she said,

went over to Vera, and swung his fist

and hit her right in the face.

- (Narrator) Even more chilling is what happened next

when Zach and Cheri brought in a third party

to finish the beating.

- Zach had got a hold of his Aunt Sam

and when Vera didn't give her a straight answer,

Sam, Samantha, just straight up punched her

in the face again.

- And broke her nose. - And broke her nose.

- (Narrator) This January assault is a glaring example

of how the system failed Vera.

- They talked to me and Vera both together

'cause Vera wouldn't talk to nobody

unless I was there in front of her.

- She wasn't allowed to talk unless she was told

to talk by Cheri.

Nobody else, just Cheri.

Cheri had to be the one to tell her she could talk.

- That astounds me to this day.

That the police did it or

wasn't there a social worker there?

I mean, it's just sort of Police 101

that you say, "I wanna know what she's gonna say

"and I know that woman's gonna get in the way,

"so I'm taking her somewhere else and she's staying there."

They could've done that.

They could've said, "No, you're not coming.

"You're stayin' there."

- (Narrator) Except telling Cheri no

is easier said than done.

Is easier said than done.

- You can tell me to do something but that doesn't mean

I'm gonna listen to ya.

(Somber piano music)

- (Narrator) To say that Findlay P.D. was familiar

with 300 Center Street is an understatement.

Even on the day of the murder, earlier that afternoon,

police were dispatched to break up a neighborhood brawl.

- The cops wee there earlier because of a fight

that I guess broke out, 'cause I was woken up.

- (Narrator) And while they knocked at the door,

Cheri was busy inside.

- How I got woken up was Cheri, my mother,

sent Vera up to wake me up.

- They had to hide Vera

'cause the police woulda taken her out

if they'd have seen how bruised up she was.

- (Narrator) But the police were not there for Vera.

They'd been called to a street fight.

- There was a fight between Danny and my kids

with the people down the street.

- Zachary, Garth, Chuckie, Danny, and Nicole.

They all went down there

- Danny had got outta prison, like, three weeks before

all this happened.

- (Narrator) A detail that made the officers

immediately worried.

- Like, when I first met him I was actually kinda like

intimidated 'cause he has tears on his eyes.

- That lets other inmates know once you walk in the door,

See this?

I killed once,

I will do it again.

- (Narrator) The fight was finished

by the time police arrived.

And while they interrogated the other gang,

the Brooks boys were in the house getting ready to flee.

- You can't tell me Daniel and Nicole's the only one

that escaped the house because they don't know Findlay.

They're from Tiffin.

- He had went over to, um...

Dave and Sam's to hide out, is what I heard.

'Cause they, I remember seein' 'em jump out my window

and told Nicky, "Let's go.

And they jumped out the window

and went over to Dave and Sam's.

- (Narrator) Playing a much greater role

would be the third person who jumped out Cheri's window,

her son Zachary.

- (Nicole) Me, Danny, and Zach were actually

running from the police because Danny had pulled out

a knife on one of the Brooks's neighbors.

Zach had a warrant and I knew I had a warrant in Tiffin.

- (Narrator) In that short run from the Brooks house here

to the Schwabb house there, Zachary, Danny, and Nicole

began a chain of events that would end five hours later

with Vera dead on the tracks.

- And they ran to this house right here

and that's where Cheri even admitted they were at,

was right here, and how close is that to the tracks

where Vera was murdered?

- (Narrator) But right then police had one priority,

to find the guy running around Findlay flashing a knife

and wearing a teardrop tattoo.

(Somber piano music)

In the first news reports it seemed that Daniel Bixler

was some crazy distant cousin who blew in from Tiffin,

a town 25 miles east of Findlay.

An impression supported by the fact

that only three weeks before he had been released

from Allen correctional after serving

almost three years in prison.

- He admitted he was in a gang at the prison,

the 211 boys as he called it.

- (Narrator) Once free, Danny went on a spree

of escalating violence, beginning at this park where,

in an act of twisted chivalry, he attacked

a teenager who had refused to give up a park swing

to his new girlfriend Nicole Peters.

It was this assault charge that sent the fugitive couple

on the lamb, fleeing Tiffin before Danny got arrested.

- Yeah, he ran away from it.

That's why he came to Findlay, to hide.

- (Narrator) The reason Danny felt comfortable turning

to Cheri is obvious.

He was not a distant cousin at all,

but a close member of the family.

Best illustrated by Cheri's relationship

with the other Danny Bixler, his father.

- Oh yeah.

Danny and I go,

they call us the kissing cousins.

- (Narrator) From this incestuous romance,

Cheri conceived the first of her nine children,

Scottie Emmons.

- Scottie Emmons belongs to Danny Bixler, Sr.

Her mother's sister's kid, he would be her cousin.

- The incest kind of stuff that's in our family.

- (Narrator) In 2008, Big Danny stabbed his wife's lover

and led police and sheriffs from three different counties

on a high speed chase in an 18-ton semi.

- When he gets a temper, both of them,

when they get a temper, you can't handle 'em.

- Even Danny had said it's in the Bixler blood.

I'm meant to kill, I guess.

- (Narrator) For a homicide that started out

with a naked dead woman with no ID,

with a naked dead woman with no ID,

no witnesses, no murder weapon, no suspects,

and no apparent motive, Findlay police

solved the case incredibly fast.

- She had been to the hospital before.

- She had been to the hospital before.

There was a social worker involved.

She had bruises.

She had been beat.

So, it's not like, you know, this was a surprise.

- I will make sure that they now that Desta Bixler, uh--

- Danny, when he was drunk, he kind of basically told her

- Danny, when he was drunk, he kind of basically told her

every single detail

about the murder.

- While we were drinkin' they were smokin' all my cigarettes

- While we were drinkin' they were smokin' all my cigarettes

so we decide to go down to the gas station,

which isn't that far from here,

and so we walk down there and we see the train has stopped.

And then I'm, like, sittin' here thinking,

And then I'm, like, sittin' here thinking,

like, why is the train stopped

at like three-somethin' in the morning?

I asked the lady at the gas station,

I'm like, "Do you know why the train stopped?"

I'm like, "Do you know why the train stopped?"

I'm like, "Was there somethin' wrong with the engine?"

Just bein' nosy, and she's like, "No, they found a body."

And I looked back at Danny and he's just staring.

And I looked back at Danny and he's just staring.

Like, he's froze

and right then I knew.

I knew everything that was bein' said was true.

I mean, I was scared.

- (Narrator) In addition to Desta's information,

police also learn that there had been

an eyewitness after all.

- Across the street

from the Brooks's home, there was a camera out there

from the Brooks's home, there was a camera out there

for surveillance

and they seen them walk across the street.

- (Narrator) The grainy video shows three figures,

- (Narrator) The grainy video shows three figures,

Danny Bixler, Vera Reigle, and Nicole Peters,

in a single file line walking south.

- They did have the knife towards her.

- They did have the knife towards her.

If she was screamin' or anything that they would

stab her right then and there.

- (Narrator) Confronted with this mounting evidence

Danny first tried to push blame on others

then started making damning admissions.

Then started making damning admissions.

By mid-afternoon he and his interrogators

were driving back to the train bridge,

returning to the scene

of the crime.

- (Narrator) There he pointed to the spot where

just 18 hours earlier he threw the murder weapon

into the water.

- The blade that he used was from the kitchen.

- The blade that he used was from the kitchen.

- Danny tooked it outta my knife set

and he was playin' with it and twirlin' and all that.

- (Narrator) For her part, Nicole was more tightlipped

- (Narrator) For her part, Nicole was more tightlipped

and to this day exactly what she did

at the tracks remains a mystery.

But she still was not as skilled at lying

as the Brooks family and it did not take long

for her to implicate herself as well.

For her to implicate herself as well.

The detectives had caught the murderers.

- The people that were charged were Daniel Bixler,

- The people that were charged were Daniel Bixler,

Nicole Peters,

and then people that lied to the police,

which there's quite a few of those.

Zachary Brooks, Cheri Brooks,

Shannon Brooks, and Michael Brooks.

And then they have a juvenile son that also participated

in lyin' to the police and his name is Chuck Brooks.

- (Narrator) And so everyone zeroed in on Danny,

the out of control ex-con, and Nicole,

his bloodthirsty girlfriend.

His bloodthirsty girlfriend.

- (Judge) How old are you today?

- 18.

- (Judge) How old were you when this offense was committed?

- 17.

- Some girls go for the bad boys.

Like a Bonnie and Clyde kinda thing,

Like a Bonnie and Clyde kinda thing,

but with a evil twist. (Chuckles)

- (Nicole) I've known him since I was younger.

I met him at the Seneca County Juvenile Detention Center

and I used to hang out with his brother,

Richard Bixler a lot and that's how I met Danny.

- She was obsessed with this man.

- She was obsessed with this man.

Like, she'd constantly talk about him.

Everything, all of her letters were about how much

she was devoted to him,

how much she loved him.

She cared about him a lot.

- They had only been together for, like, a week and a half.

- They had only been together for, like, a week and a half.

So, he was out for a week and a half

and then they started dating for the other week and a half

that he was out and then boom, he was right back in again.

(Piano music)

- (Narrator) An indication of how authorities struggled

with this bizarre case from the very beginning

is that they did not inform the public for a day and a half

is that they did not inform the public for a day and a half

after the body was discovered.

- Vera's mom didn't even find out about it

from the police or anybody.

They went directly to Cheri first.

And I think that's a bunch of crap, you know.

The police department wouldn't go directly

The police department wouldn't go directly

to her own mother?

- No, 'cause Cheri already identified it.

Because Cheri told the police that Vera's parents died.

Because Cheri told the police that Vera's parents died.

I'm supposed to be dead.

I've died like three different times

in three different states.

- Cheri.

- (Narrator) These deceptions, which she hones over time,

- (Narrator) These deceptions, which she hones over time,

come in two types.

Lies to protect

and lies to instigate.

What happened next

is an example of the former.

Is an example of the former.

- We met Larry one time because he stopped out front

of our house and Samantha, Schwabb,

was at our house and she went outside

and smacked Larry because they got into a fight

because they owed money to her and stuff.

Because they owed money to her and stuff.

And he started talkin' to us

and then next thing I know he started hangin' around

our house like a leech.

- The Larry Spencer guy shows up,

- The Larry Spencer guy shows up,

this guy who's been at the house

once or twice suddenly is,

is being accused of takin' Vera away

and probably killin' her.

- Because I've talked to Larry and Larry said

that they tried to tell the detectives

that they tried to tell the detectives

that it was him that killed her.

- (Narrator) To those who knew about Vera's life

inside the Brooks house, the story on its face

was ridiculous.

- They said, "Oh, she took off with her boyfriend.

Well, she wasn't really allowed to have a boyfriend

except for Zachary 'cause she wasn't allowed

to go anywhere with anybody.

- They wouldn't even let her have a cell phone.

- They wouldn't even let her have a cell phone.

- Cheri said that she didn't need one

because then she could get a hold of her mom

or she could talk to whoever she wanted to.

- (Narrator) After Danny and Nicole were arrested,

- (Narrator) After Danny and Nicole were arrested,

the cover story was modified to fit the changing situation.

- She'll basically change the story up

and she'll basically confuse everybody.

- And she's tryin' to cover up a murder, period.

- (Narrator) The witch's spell had worked like a charm.

- I believe that my own mother had this set up perfectly.

She knew exactly how to do it.

- She can get away with shit.

There are certain things that she's done

in her life that

shoulda been put her behind bars.

It was pretty much (hand smacks) slap on the hand,

go ahead, walk away.

- (Narrator) Gone were any questions about what role

- (Narrator) Gone were any questions about what role

she and her family played in Vera's death.

- You just not wanna say my name on there

sayin' that I had anything to do with this.

- (Narrator) Now it was as if

- (Narrator) Now it was as if

they were just passive spectators.

The only thing people wanted to know

was how they could sit there and watch Danny and Nicole

do something so barbaric.

- I asked her a million times.

- I asked her a million times.

Cheri, why didn't you call?

Why?

Why?

- I mean, even a five year-old knows,

- I mean, even a five year-old knows,

if somebody's being hurt you call the police.

- (Narrator) And as the accusations intensified,

the truth of what happened got further and further away.

- Like someone's really gonna be there to help me say,

- Like someone's really gonna be there to help me say,

"Hey, go get the phone over there off of my computer stand

"so I can call the cops."

You know, they're not gonna,

Nicky's not gonna give me the phone.

Nicky's not gonna give me the phone.

Dan's not gonna give me the phone.

Scottie sure in the world's not gonna give me the phone.

And Shannon, her fat ass was sittin' on the couch

playin' with her phone.

- I wish I would've had...

my phone working because it was,

well, it was dead and I had no minutes

even though I know you can call 911 off of it, but...

(somber piano music)

- No matter her age, Vera was still a child.

- If there's a way she could do it, she would do it.

- If there's a way she could do it, she would do it.

You know, never complained, always help.

She'd help ya any way she could.

- If you told Vera something she'd do it.

I mean, she didn't question.

Almost to the point that it was too much.

Almost to the point that it was too much.

I wish she could've maybe

stood up for herself a little more.

- She was mentally challenged.

She was slow.

- And Cheri and them end up talkin' her into movin' in

with them and, you know, and then she end up

with them and, you know, and then she end up

hookin' up with Cheri's son.

- (Narrator) For Vera, her old life was gone,

like she had joined a cult and got separated from her past.

Like she had joined a cult and got separated from her past.

- When Manson put ideas in his minions

to where he's pretty much the puppet master

and he's doing his puppets to do his dirty works for him.

- Brooks family being like the Manson family,

yeah, I would have to agree with that.

They are like that.

- They're a family that makes sense,

whatever she meant by that.

- Yes.

- It's a cultish type of thing and I really believe

they saw her as an easy target.

- We was at the Salvation Army and she came in

- We was at the Salvation Army and she came in

with the Brookses and she seen me and she kinda lit up

because she'd always smile, ya know.

Like that, ya know.

And she'd come over, she put her hood up

and then as she walked by, "Can't talk.

And then as she walked by, "Can't talk.

"Can't talk. Can't talk."

- She had stopped and I put my arms around her

and gave her a big hug and asked her where her baby was

and she said,

"Oh, she's at home," but boy she just run away.

"Oh, she's at home," but boy she just run away.

I mean flat run.

It wasn't no stoppin' and talkin'

and that's not Vera.

- 'Cause they didn't want her to talk to no one

about what was happening

about what was happening

at the house.

That's what they were afraid of.

- They basically did not allow Vera to maintain

a relationship with her parents.

- (Narrator) It didn't take long for people to see a change.

- (Narrator) It didn't take long for people to see a change.

- Before she started datin' Zach she was happy.

- She was pretty much outgoing.

I mean, she loved to sing, she liked to dance.

I mean, she loved to sing, she liked to dance.

- Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton.

She liked all the older country.

- But once she moved in with them it just,

- But once she moved in with them it just,

she changed real quick.

- What I can't see is the Vera that I knew

willingly massaging Cheri's feet.

- That was her job there, was to rub her feet.

She has foot problems, diabetes or something.

But that was her job.

- And when she did Mom's feet if she did somethin' wrong

- And when she did Mom's feet if she did somethin' wrong

Mom would hit her with the itchy stick.

- Well, Cheri had this like, uh,

it's not a backscratcher but it's a little bit thicker.

She'd just whap her alongside the head.

"Don't touch my baby."

"Don't touch my baby."

- And Vera would just keep tellin' her, "I'm sorry,

"I'm sorry."

- She'd say, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Why she was sayin' I'm sorry for, I don't know.

Why she was sayin' I'm sorry for, I don't know.

Because I guess she just felt she was doin' somethin' wrong.

- (Narrator) They even made her sleep with a pig.

- You're allowed to have a pig live in a closet

to where he urinates

to where he urinates

and has feces all over?

- (Wilbert) "Oh no, I'd never make her sleep

"with the pig."

- Of course she did.

She made her sleep with the pig.

She made her sleep with the pig.

- They had the cops called continuously.

Children's Services called continuously.

And God knows why nobody done anything,

you know to even remove the baby itself

- Exactly. - Out of that home.

- Exactly. - Out of that home.

I don't understand that.

- She was such a frequent flier as well call them

that you could answer the phone

and as soon as she says the first word

you know who it is.

You know who it is.

You eventually become kinda desensitized to them calling

and it's not that people mean to do that,

it's just that you know that the major problems

are ones that nobody's gonna cooperate.

Are ones that nobody's gonna cooperate.

- Vera told the cops, "No, I'm not movin' back home

"with you guys."

And the cop said, "How old are you?"

- Vera's cognitive level I would compare to my daughter

- Vera's cognitive level I would compare to my daughter

who's eight years old, okay?

I wouldn't expect the police to take my daughter's word

for it, you know what I mean?

- Because Vera even told CPS when CPS asked her,

- Because Vera even told CPS when CPS asked her,

"Vera are you endanger here?

"Do you like it livin' here?"

Vera said, "I love Cheri.

"I love stayin' here with Cheri and her family."

"I love stayin' here with Cheri and her family."

She says, "Cheri's my family.

"She helps me out

and I would never leave Cheri."

- They came back here and told me

that they talked to her and because she was 24 years old,

that they talked to her and because she was 24 years old,

even though her mind was an eight year-old mind,

they couldn't do anything because she was 24 years old

and she made her choice.

It was her bed, she needed to lie in it.

It was her bed, she needed to lie in it.

- (Narrator) It was total control.

- And they'd make her do, like, just pretty much everything

and nobody else would get up

and do somethin' around the house.

And do somethin' around the house.

It was always her.

- They actually treated her like a slave.

- They wanted her as a slave and her SSI check

that she got first of the month.

- That was legal.

They got that done.

They got that done.

Don't know how they did it and who,

I mean they must know enough.

- 'Cause it sounds like they got a pretty good racket goin'.

Maybe I oughta go on SSI

and have people stay here with me

and have people stay here with me

and they sign over their paychecks to me.

- And each of 'em gettin' around 700 a month?

Comin' in to one place?

- Cheri's on disability,

all of her kids are on disability,

all of her kids are on disability,

and then everybody else that moves in with them

are on disability.

- (Narrator) But more than Vera's money,

Cheri wanted her womb.

- Everybody that gets pregnant that lives in that house,

you know, Cheri says,

"Oh, I hope you have a girl," you know.

- (Narrator) Vera Jo Reigle was killed

because of two conflicting motives.

- I have four kids of my own.

- I have four kids of my own.

I have three girls and one boy.

Well, when I first had my first daughter

she said she wanted it because it's a girl.

- 'Cause in her mind any girl that she could get

- 'Cause in her mind any girl that she could get

she was gonna get.

- (Narrator) The primary motive was based

in Cheri's obsession with baby girls,

an abnormal perversion that began in childhood

when she, like Vera was sexually abused by her own father.

When she, like Vera was sexually abused by her own father.

- And he molested her quite often, I guess.

- (Narrator) The man who nicknamed her Sugar Babe.

- That's her number one name right there, Sugar Babe.

- That's her number one name right there, Sugar Babe.

That's what everybody calls her.

- Since I was a little girl my dad gave that name to me

before I was put in a foster home.

Before I was put in a foster home.

- I actually felt sorry for her.

She did tell me about, you know, her experiences

with her father and how he had raped her.

And I began to kinda understand a little bit

of how this woman come to be the way she is.

- (Narrator) As a young child, Cheri and her three siblings

- (Narrator) As a young child, Cheri and her three siblings

became wards of the state.

- She was put in the children's home,

taken away from her mom, when she was, like, three years old

and then she came back when she was 16.

- (Narrator) It was then she made her first attempt

- (Narrator) It was then she made her first attempt

to take someone else's baby.

- She told us when she come home and she was 16

that she had a baby over here in Tiffin

that she had a baby over here in Tiffin

and that Welfare wouldn't let her have it.

- And my mother would always say, "Did you have a baby

"while you were in foster care because if so

"while you were in foster care because if so

"I'm gonna go get it."

- Because it was Cheri's baby and that would've been

my first grandbaby so I was gonna get it.

But Bea and them said no it wasn't Cheri's baby

it was a foster baby there, too.

It wasn't her baby in the first place.

It wasn't her baby in the first place.

And then we talked to Sandy and Sandy Schneider

says, that's the welfare lady that was takin' her case

and stuff, said that she is an obituary liar

and stuff, said that she is an obituary liar

and that's why, she's a fantasy world,

she lives in a fantasy world like.

And that way whatever she thinks that's what really happens

And that way whatever she thinks that's what really happens

in her world.

- Well see, she'll tell ya somethin' totally opposite

than what everybody else is tellin' her.

She'll lie.

She'll lie.

- She many, many times has done it

and people have fallen in her trickery

and they believe everything she said.

And they believe everything she said.

- Because she's convincing about everything.

I mean, she convinces everybody everything.

(Somber piano music)

- "Who will hold your hand as each one walks out

"of your home to pain that will put my mark

in your hand," and I'm talkin' about Cheri

losin' all of her kids one at a time.

- I'm really confused about all that because I thought

once you have kids taken that you're not allowed,

once you have kids taken that you're not allowed,

especially if you have five.

You have all those kids taken and then you have

a second round of kids and you're allowed to keep those?

- They removed Maria and two other,

well Scottie was one, Michael was one,

well Scottie was one, Michael was one,

and then there was another one but I don't know the name.

- Which was Joshua, Michael, Maria, and little Cheri,

was all taken away from me.

Was all taken away from me.

- (Narrator) In three of the cases,

she lost custody at least in part due to reports

of sexual abuse.

- My sister was comin' over to pick her up,

wantin' to take her out to her house

wantin' to take her out to her house

and railroad tracks is right beside her house,

so there was a train goin' by.

She didn't hear my sister knockin'

and she was even hollerin' out Cheri's name

and she was even hollerin' out Cheri's name

and Cheri didn't answer and she said

when she walked in there Cheri was supposed to be givin',

little baby bathtub thing there,

and she was holdin' the baby up like this here

and she was holdin' the baby up like this here

suckin' its penis.

- She's sick enough that she even molested me

when I was younger.

- (Narrator) Cheri's first five children

were not removed as a group.

Were not removed as a group.

She would have one, lose it to CPS,

then have another over and over and over.

- I seen her more attached when the baby girl was born

than when she was with the boys.

Than when she was with the boys.

I mean, when that girl was born

she wouldn't let her out of her sight.

Let no one hold the baby

or if someone did she would, like,

look at them until they put the baby down.

Look at them until they put the baby down.

It was just like,

kind of obsess with Maria.

- (Narrator) By all accounts it was the loss of this child,

baby Maria, that was most traumatic.

Baby Maria, that was most traumatic.

- She'll always be my girl, my little girl, no matter what

in that she's my first daughter and that I always want her

to know that she's always welcomed here

to know that she's always welcomed here

to meet me any time she wants.

- Every other kid she had she didn't take care of right,

- Every other kid she had she didn't take care of right,

but Maria, she did real good with Maria.

We really was proud of her.

She kept her for a whole year.

- (Narrator) But in the spring of 1987

Cheri reverted to her old ways

Cheri reverted to her old ways

and things went horribly wrong.

- My brother one night called me up sayin'

that we needed to take the baby to the hospital,

that she had been molested.

That she had been molested.

She was bleeding from the vagina.

- Somebody had raped our little Maria

because when she went to change her diaper

she was all bloody down there.

She was all bloody down there.

- (Narrator) That night Cheri reclaimed her baby

but the authorities were on her trail.

- They told her to take her to the doctor the next day.

Well, Cheri didn't take her to the doctor.

Well, Cheri didn't take her to the doctor.

So, we went over and she says,

"Mom, take Maria home with ya."

- That was at Easter time one time.

- That was at Easter time one time.

I took Scottie home with me and I gave her Maria

to take home for the night.

- And she never let me take Maria home at all.

She says, "I'll keep Scottie over here

"and you take Maria home."

"And you take Maria home."

So, I did.

Knock comes to my door next morning

and here it was the sheriff wantin' Maria.

(Somber piano music)

(train whistle blows)

- She wanted all of her boys to at least have one kid

by the time they were 16 or 17.

- (Narrator) An example of this is Gina Lopez,

a 15 year-old girl with a troubled family life

a 15 year-old girl with a troubled family life

who fell in love with Cheri's second to youngest son, Garth.

- She was like, "Gimme a grandbaby.

"I like grandbabies.

"I want another grandbaby."

"I want another grandbaby."

- (Narrator) And as soon as she was carrying a Brooks baby,

like Vera before her, the stalking and the threats began.

- I had a job at the time.

I was workin' at this little shop at the corner

I was workin' at this little shop at the corner

of Center and Main Street.

I was workin' there and they would follow me.

- Cheri, Zachary, Garth, and Chuckie,

they all work as a team.

- (Gina) Chuckie would be the one that always followed me

most of the time.

Zachary would sometimes.

- And then when they knew it was time

- And then when they knew it was time

for her to get off they would send,

it was mostly Chuckie.

They would send him down to like kinda spy on her

to see where she went after work

to see where she went after work

or if she came back to the house.

- (Narrator) Fortunately for Gina,

her pregnancy ended in a miscarriage

and she was able to reconcile with her mother

and move to Kentucky.

Putting a couple of hundred miles between herself

Putting a couple of hundred miles between herself

and the madness up in Findlay.

(Train whistle blowing) (somber piano music)

- Vera loved that baby.

That was Vera's pride and joy right there.

- She was the one that was always babysittin'

- She was the one that was always babysittin'

for Stacy's little girl.

She always had her,

so I could see her really being a mother

to her own child.

To her own child.

- (Narrator) Except Cheri was in charge

and she saw things different.

- Cheri had a lot of boys.

I think she was really, really obsessed with girls,

especially since Maria

was taken away from her.

Was taken away from her.

- And I think, you know, with Vera,

I mean she has a chance to,

you know, she has a chance to take that one

rather easily.

- Cheri's always wanted a baby girl again.

- Cheri's always wanted a baby girl again.

She was gonna have somebody make her a child,

another daughter, and then she was gonna try

to take 'em away from her.

- Cheri said, "That's my kid if you get a girl."

- Cheri said, "That's my kid if you get a girl."

And she told Zachary it better be a girl.

- She did tell Zachary that if it turns out

to be a girl that she wanted him to sign off his rights

to be a girl that she wanted him to sign off his rights

to her and he did that.

He said that was fine.

- (Narrator) And this was not just any womb

- (Narrator) And this was not just any womb

chosen for the assignment because Cheri once targeted

Vera herself to replace her lost baby.

- Yeah, I was there when she lost Maria.

- Yeah, I was there when she lost Maria.

'Cause we lived on

Sandusky Street, a white apartment house there

and her and her ex-husband Mike lived upstairs.

And her and her ex-husband Mike lived upstairs.

- (Narrator) For five months from the time

baby Vera was born in November

until the sheriff took baby Maria at Easter,

the two little girls lived in separate units

of the exact same house.

Of the exact same house.

- She was trying to take over on Vera

when Vera was a baby and I told her,

"No, that's my baby."

- (Narrator) And so remarkable, Cheri ended up

- (Narrator) And so remarkable, Cheri ended up

taking the baby of the baby

she tried to get 24 years earlier,

claiming custody of baby Willadean before she was even born.

- Vera was like way out here.

- Vera was like way out here.

You would talk to Cheri or you would see Cheri,

"My baby's in there.

"My baby.

"That's my baby, my baby."

You know, it's always "my baby."

You know, it's always "my baby."

- They kept on tellin' Willadean that Vera wasn't her mom,

that Cheri was her mom.

- And every time Willadean wanted to come to her mom,

- And every time Willadean wanted to come to her mom,

like her learning how to walk,

she'd walk around and she'd see her mommy

and she'd wanna run up to her mommy,

and Vera would say, "No, no, no, I'll get in trouble

and Vera would say, "No, no, no, I'll get in trouble

"if I touch you."

- See, I seen Cheri after Willadean was born,

maybe, I don't know, four or five months later.

"You see my new baby?"

I said, "Well, that's Vera's."

"No, it's mine.

"No, it's mine.

"I adopted this baby."

So it was no longer Vera's.

Vera could not do anything with the baby.

She touched the baby, Zach hit her.

She touched the baby, Zach hit her.

That was Cheri's baby, not Vera's.

- (Narrator) Another example of Cheri's control

appears in the date of the child's birth.

- Well, I'm November 3rd, she's November 4th.

- Well, I'm November 3rd, she's November 4th.

- (Narrator) It is here we glimpse the true depth

of Cheri's madness.

- She gave her castor oil and orange juice.

- To have the baby come out earlier

than what it was supposed to be.

- (Narrator) According to a website

for the castor oil industry, the recommended dosage

for inducing labor with this old midwifing technique,

for inducing labor with this old midwifing technique,

is two tablespoons.

- Because she gave her that castor oil,

gave Vera three bottles of it.

- And it was about three bottles, yeah.

- And it was about three bottles, yeah.

- To make her go into labor

so she'd be there for her birthday.

- Well, it didn't happen on her birthday.

It was the day after.

It was the day after.

'Cause she brags about that.

She said, "Well, we didn't get it on my birthday,

"but it was close."

- So, she was an early baby and she ended up

with having, in the hospital for a while

because she had heart problems.

Because she had heart problems.

- Supposedly her original date was supposed to be

December 6, that she was supposed to come out.

But she decided she was comin' out to have

pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes

pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes

with Mawmaw for Thanksgiving.

So she come out early.

'Cause she wanted to meet her Mawmaw. (Laughs)

'Cause she wanted to meet her Mawmaw. (Laughs)

(somber piano music)

- (Narrator) The secondary motive was far more common.

- (Narrator) The secondary motive was far more common.

- I don't think he really wanted to be with her anymore.

He wanted to be with other people

but he couldn't because Cheri wouldn't let Vera leave.

- And he just said that they needed to get rid of her

and that he was seein' some other girl.

- Completely over.

- She wanted Zachary because, well, they had a baby together

and she wanted Zachary for herself.

- Zachary, he would get really mad of her being jealous

and go over the wall sometimes.

- (Narrator) At first, before she got beaten

into submission, Vera would fight back.

Into submission, Vera would fight back.

- Vera sometimes could be rebellious.

She had a lot of anger.

- Vera could cuss you.

Vera could tear you up.

Vera could tear you up.

- Zachary ain't allowed to talk to a girl

or look at 'em or anything.

She was always mad.

- (Narrator) And when she got mad, he got mad.

- He whipped a phone at her face, like right here.

- He whipped a phone at her face, like right here.

- Her eyebrow ring came completely out.

- Like, meat was hangin' out and stuff.

- I raised my kids not to hit a girl.

But if they're gonna put theirselves in a man's place

But if they're gonna put theirselves in a man's place

then yeah, then do it.

- (Narrator) In a normal family the father would step in

and stop this kind of abuse, but not Kevin Brooks, Sr.

And stop this kind of abuse, but not Kevin Brooks, Sr.

- He's the opposite of Cheri.

Where Cheri was loud and up front and boisterous,

Kevin was a background person who liked to stay out

Kevin was a background person who liked to stay out

of everything and mind his own business.

- (Narrator) Even when minding his own business

meant letting Vera get beaten.

- No, he's a arch coward.

- And you think this thing's happen in one day?

- And you think this thing's happen in one day?

It's been going on for moths and moths and months.

- (Narrator) And when it became clear that they were really

going to kill her, Kevin looked out for Kevin.

- He already did his 30 days,

- He already did his 30 days,

but he had, at the time, waiting for his 30 days

to get in lock-up, he was like, "If you're goin' to kill her

"wait 'til I'm in jail so that way I have an alibi."

Those were his exact words.

Those were his exact words.

- (Narrator) Crazy as it sounds,

if Vera was going to be saved it would have to have been

one of the Brooks boys.

- That was Punky.

He was the one that was killed in an accident.

He was the one that was killed in an accident.

- (Narrator) Unfortunately, the only one

with enough balls to stand up to Cheri was already dead.

- He ran that household.

Punky ran that household.

Punky ran that household.

His dad and mom were both afraid of him.

- (Narrator) On July 3rd the summer before Vera's murder,

Punky was walking with his girlfriend

on a dark, rural highway.

On a dark, rural highway.

- They were heading towards their town

to go see the fireworks.

- That's not what I was told.

- That's what Cheri told me, he was goin' for the fireworks.

But yeah, I know he was goin'

But yeah, I know he was goin'

for a drug thing. - He was goin' to get

Heather's heroin.

- You know, cab drivin' by couldn't see him, then bang!

- She was really crazy because of him dyin'

- She was really crazy because of him dyin'

and the ashes are still at the house and everything

and she won't bury him.

- My son's layin' up there on the bottom shelf

- My son's layin' up there on the bottom shelf

in that box.

- It seems like she'd gotten worse.

I mean, it's just like Cheri went crazy.

- I mean, you talk about Punky, Punky is like wow,

Punky you know, all the girls went wild for Punky.

Punky you know, all the girls went wild for Punky.

- (Narrator) From the night he was hit

Cheri could not accept her son's death was an accident.

Now she was out for revenge.

Now she was out for revenge.

- The accident happened 20 minutes before

they got any call

and Cheri was all mad about that

and Cheri was all mad about that

and then was tryin' to put the blame on Heather

sayin' that Heather pushed Punky.

- Cheri had told Heather, you know, "I just want the truth.

"Did you push him?"

And Heather looked at her and said, "No, I did not do it."

- (Narrator) But when it comes to Cheri's fantasies,

what actually happened doesn't really matter.

- Heather pushed Punky in front of the Accurate cab

to help kill my son that night.

- Cheri said that Heather is the one that killed Punky,

had it set up so that's why Cheri had Marsi

beat Heather up for it.

- Marsi was, I believe she was standing on the porch.

- Marsi was, I believe she was standing on the porch.

She was like standing by Cheri.

Cheri had whispered to her, she said, "I need you

"to do me a favor."

- That went down crazy.

- That went down crazy.

- Then outta nowhere Marsi just takes her hand

and starts punchin' her in the face.

- Then took her by the head of the hair

and rolled her down the steps

and started beaten the hell out of her.

And started beaten the hell out of her.

- They were like, "Bring her to the road.

"Curb stomp her."

- And at that time Heather's nose

was like bleeding really bad

and you could see that it was broken.

- All she kept sayin' is, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry,"

- All she kept sayin' is, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry,"

and she kept puttin' her hands up in the air

and Zachary said, "This is fucked up." (Chuckles)

- Then Marsi told her, you know, that'll teach you

to ever mess with my family again.

To ever mess with my family again.

- Because you killed Punky.

You had Punky killed and you took the best thing

away from us all when you had Punky killed.

- (Narrator) Like his brother Zach as well as Danny Bixler,

Punky was a member of the Crips street gang.

- Punky was supposably a Crip, and Zachary.

- Punky was supposably a Crip, and Zachary.

- Punky says that he wanted to get Zach to take his place.

To be able to fight like he does

and they wanna run this town.

- (Narrator) It was then that Cheri and Zachary

- (Narrator) It was then that Cheri and Zachary

really turned on Vera.

- At times I live with them and everything else, you know.

They were gettin' along great, you know.

"Love you," kisses and everything else

"Love you," kisses and everything else

and then all of a sudden Punky dies,

it's, you know, "I wanna beat her."

- (Narrator) The pattern began to take shape.

- There was a candy bar

in the room where they had

Punky's little memorial thing.

- I know (mumbles), he and Punky,

- I know (mumbles), he and Punky,

they were really tight together.

- I guess the candy bar was supposably for Punky

and Vera ended up eatin' it because she was hungry

and Vera ended up eatin' it because she was hungry

and they told her she couldn't get out of the room.

- And Alyssa went off on her and she actually had her

on the ground and she punched her, like, maybe twice.

- (Narrator) This game of trumping up a charge

- (Narrator) This game of trumping up a charge

to get someone else to beat Vera

was not an isolated incident.

- He was thinkin' of people who could beat the crap

out of Vera badly, so he just got on his phone

out of Vera badly, so he just got on his phone

and he started callin' people or textin' people

and as soon as they got the word they came rushin' over.

- (Narrator) Zachary Brooks, tough new leader

- (Narrator) Zachary Brooks, tough new leader

of the Findlay Crips, was texting his dead brother's

old girlfriends to come over and assault

his defenseless baby mama.

- Crystal pushes her down on the floor

- Crystal pushes her down on the floor

and Zachary's yellin' at her, "Come on, hit her, hit her."

- (Narrator) And they do it.

(Bell dinging)

(train whistle blows)

(train whistle blows)

The location was chosen for a very personal reason.

- They tried to do the same identical thing to Vera

that happened to Travis.

That happened to Travis.

Take her to the railroad tracks

and lay her out for the-- - Exactly.

- Train to run over her and cut her head open and you know.

- (Narrator) Travis Puckett was the son

of Cheri's baby sister Tabitha.

Of Cheri's baby sister Tabitha.

- My nephew Travis was 16 years old

and my sister told him to get the hell out of her house.

- (Narrator) The same age as Zachary,

- (Narrator) The same age as Zachary,

Travis became part of the Brooks boys gang,

hanging out at a local park riding skateboards.

- He went takin' off down the road

and that's when he jumped the railroad tracks.

And that's when he jumped the railroad tracks.

- 'Cause it was two trains comin' at the same time,

so he couldn't do nothin'.

- And went Travis went to jump, Travis slipped under

- And went Travis went to jump, Travis slipped under

and (hands smack) and off came Travis's head.

- He looked back like this to see his brother Curtis

and when he did

the other train came and that's when he got,

the other train came and that's when he got,

she says like hamburger.

- And then he was smashed up like hamburger.

- (Narrator) But what's important is not

whether Cheri and Zachary consciously wanted

whether Cheri and Zachary consciously wanted

to imitate Travis's death, it's that they told

the killers about their vendetta against Vera.

- I think she was thinkin' about it

when Vera accidentally dropped a brick on her foot.

- I asked her to come outside with me and help me

clean the rabbit cage and I had a tarp

clean the rabbit cage and I had a tarp

on top of the rabbit cage.

- And there was like four bricks to keep the tarp on there

so that way it doesn't blow away.

- (Nicole) She told me also that Vera had thrown rocks,

- (Nicole) She told me also that Vera had thrown rocks,

big huge like rocks onto her feet

and that's why her feet had to be wrapped.

- Zachary come runnin' outside

- Zachary come runnin' outside

and he said, "What's wrong, Mom?"

I said, "Bitch fuckin' dropped that rock on my foot.

"I need help."

He said, "What?"

He said, "What?"

I said, "She fuckin' threw that rock on my foot

"and it hurts.

"Get it off."

- Zachary and all them, they're sayin'

that she intentionally did it.

That she intentionally did it.

- And I yelled at her, said, "You fuckin' bitch!"

I said, "You fuckin' hit me with a fuckin' rock,

"you fuckin' bitch."

- (Narrator) The slave had committed

a fatal error.

- Nope, she didn't apologize.

She never apologizes.

- (Narrator) From this point on things went downhill.

- (Narrator) From this point on things went downhill.

- It all happened, events after that.

After she got the bricks, was on her foot.

- The rock hit on Cheri's foot and then

- The rock hit on Cheri's foot and then

that's when they were going to plan

on throwing Vera on the tracks.

(Train whistle blowing)

- Cheri made a little joke about wanting to drug Vera

with her sleeping pills and Zachary wanted to get her high

and everything and then mix those together

and then let her walk the tracks at nighttime.

Eventually she would fall over and lay right

Eventually she would fall over and lay right

in the middle of the tracks.

- When she said you need to cut her up

and put her on the tracks, then she looked towards Vera,

smiled, and turned back.

Smiled, and turned back.

- And there would be no way of the conductor

to stop the train in time.

- She thought if she did get squished by the train

- She thought if she did get squished by the train

then there wouldn't be any fingerprints

because you would be like hamburger meat.

- So basically she wanted to kill her.

(Train whistle blowing)

(somber music)

- (Narrator) On Sunday March 20th,

Danny and Nicole ran from the assault charge in Tiffin

Danny and Nicole ran from the assault charge in Tiffin

and arrived at the Brooks house.

That evening they met a being named Vera who,

already living in a perpetual state of terror,

already living in a perpetual state of terror,

could no longer be considered human.

- She stayed in her room 24/7.

She barely ever came out unless Cheri called her.

She barely ever came out unless Cheri called her.

- She was basically like this.

Wouldn't look you in the eye.

Wouldn't talk.

If somebody walked in the house,

she'd go to the bedroom by herself.

She'd go to the bedroom by herself.

- If she's sitting there and just curled up like this

and looking up like this every now and then

and then going back down, I mean,

you get this idea that she was probably

pretty much psychically dead anyway.

Pretty much psychically dead anyway.

- (Narrator) Meanwhile, Vera's baby daddy

had found a kindred spirit bonding

with his long lost Crip brother.

- They seemed very dependent on each other.

They seemed very close for just knowing each other

for that little of time.

For that little of time.

- (Narrator) For the next four days,

they unleashed an animalistic rage that is hard,

but not impossible, to explain.

- Cheri Brooks and the entire family

- Cheri Brooks and the entire family

was telling Danny stories.

- (Narrator) For the past three years he lived here

at Allen Correctional.

- Guys who in prison had been raped

when they come out it's like they wanna get revenge

when they come out it's like they wanna get revenge

on somebody.

- (Narrator) And gang bangers and their bloody code

of survival is very, very real.

Of survival is very, very real.

- Well, I know she's all about the Crip stuff

because when we were at dinner she was talkin'

all about Punky bein' a Crip.

And she had a blue bandana around his flowers.

- (Man) Do you think Cheri thinks she's a Crip?

- (Man) Do you think Cheri thinks she's a Crip?

- Yeah, for sure.

- (Man) So, as far as this gang affiliation,

who's the first Crip amongst the Brookses?

- Punky.

- (Narrator) This is why when interviewed

- (Narrator) This is why when interviewed

for this project, Danny's response was so chilling.

- When he mentioned something about Punky,

they all get this thing of

thinkin' that she's disrespectful to Punky.

- (Narrator) But she was being accused of more

than just disrespecting Punky.

Than just disrespecting Punky.

Zachary and Cheri told Danny, who was in prison

when it happened, that she had murdered him.

In their most vicious lie of all,

knowing full well how he would react,

knowing full well how he would react,

they convinced Danny it was Vera who pushed Punky

in front of the cab.

- Oh my God.

- No, but that

is just messed up just to tell anybody

Vera was the one to push Punky because there was a lot

Vera was the one to push Punky because there was a lot

of people that would take up for Punky.

- (Narrator) So not only was Vera a threat

to Cheri's precious baby, Willadean, she also

killed the Brooks gang's leader.

Killed the Brooks gang's leader.

Now Cheri wanted something done about it.

- Nicole was just another opportunity for her

to do her mind games with.

- She wants to be a people pleaser so bad.

- She wants to be a people pleaser so bad.

She wants friends so bad that she just,

she couldn't see it comin' at all.

Especially not with someone as conniving as Cheri is.

- From what she either says or does,

- From what she either says or does,

everybody else follows and just does what they're told.

- It was like the female Charlie Manson.

Like if Charlie Manson had a girl form it would be her.

Like if Charlie Manson had a girl form it would be her.

- Cheri is the one that told him to do it.

He did say that.

- Since she knew Danny was in the Crips

and she believes that she is a Crip,

and she believes that she is a Crip,

she pretty much put into Danny's mind,

like, hey, help us out.

- (Narrator) Then Cheri's little helpers got busy.

- Chuckie's pad lock from his school locker

- Chuckie's pad lock from his school locker

was sitting on the stand and they just happened

to pick it up and hook it to the belt

and all of a sudden that's when they started

and all of a sudden that's when they started

hittin' Vera in the head and the body with it.

- It was their weapon of choice after that.

That and a big long paddle with a number 3 on it.

- Nicole took the paddle and beat Vera's ass

and Vera had a bruise on her ass.

And all Vera had on was a t-shrit

and her underwear.

And her underwear.

- (Narrator) And the more Vera screamed,

the more it became sexual.

- I think Nicole gets off of a lot of violence.

- And Nicky was like, like she was gettin' real excited

- And Nicky was like, like she was gettin' real excited

and then she'd go over and start kissin' on Danny

like she was bein' turned on for what she was doin'.

- I think once Danny started beatin' her,

- I think once Danny started beatin' her,

he couldn't stop.

He got off on it.

Basically he says, now this is gettin' fun.

- When she got hit her hand went up like this

- When she got hit her hand went up like this

and it accidentally hit Nicole's boob

and Nicole said, oh, (hands smack) bam,

right across the face.

Right across the face.

Now you're doin' a lesbian act on me?

- After the beatings Vera, they would run up

to the room where they were sleeping at

to pretty much get it on.

- The idea that after they had beaten Vera

- The idea that after they had beaten Vera

they would go upstairs and have sex

would also indicate that there was

some sort of real psychological thrill about this.

- I don't know if you know, but almost every bone

- I don't know if you know, but almost every bone

in her face was broke.

A lot of that's from being slugged for lookin' at Danny.

- Nicole punched Vera right square in the nose like this.

- Nicole punched Vera right square in the nose like this.

- Vera was not even interested in Danny.

That was all brought up because Cheri kept sayin',

"Yeah, Vera will sleep with any of 'em.

"She slept with all my sons.

"She'll sleep with Danny, too."

"She'll sleep with Danny, too."

- And then as soon as they would beat on her,

they'd run right upstairs and have sex

and then come right back down and beat on Vera again

like it turned 'em on.

Like it turned 'em on.

- (Narrator) By this admission, when you consider

whose bedroom was downstairs, Danny and Nicole

were not the only ones getting off on it.

Were not the only ones getting off on it.

- It always happens in Mother's room

for some reason.

- (Interviewer) All the beatings were in

your Mom's room? - Yes.

- Cheri just spoke out.

She just said, "Hit her again."

- She thinks it's cute of Vera havin' black eyes and stuff,

- She thinks it's cute of Vera havin' black eyes and stuff,

said she looks like a little squirrel.

- Like, she wants everybody to know that she wanted her

to be hit.

- She kept hittin' her head like this

- She kept hittin' her head like this

on the dresser and Nicky kept sayin', "Can I kill her?

"Can I kill her?

"Can I kill her?

- (Narrator) And through it all, to quote Danny Bixler,

- (Narrator) And through it all, to quote Danny Bixler,

Vera just took it.

- That's when he pretty much mud stomped.

It's a southern term.

It's where when they're on the ground you just stomp 'em

It's where when they're on the ground you just stomp 'em

until they're pretty much weakened

to where they can't even get up again.

- When somebody gets beat up in prison

they call it that way.

- (Narrator) Her injuries from the mud stomping

- (Narrator) Her injuries from the mud stomping

were all too evident the following day

when, amazingly, they took a break from beating Vera

and walked her across the street to lunch.

- Somebody else actually told us what she wanted.

- Somebody else actually told us what she wanted.

It looked like her lip had been busted

right here.

- We talked about it after we were done.

After they had left we all says, "Man, did you see

After they had left we all says, "Man, did you see

"that girl's face?"

- I'd made the comment to Shane and a couple

of other people, I said, "Man,

"she looks like she went through the windshield of a car."

"She looks like she went through the windshield of a car."

(Dramatic music)

- (Narrator) As it became clear the legal system

was going to minimize the enormity

was going to minimize the enormity

of what had happened to Vera, frustration grew

throughout the community.

This led to the formation of Voices for Vera,

an activist group dedicated to bringing the people

an activist group dedicated to bringing the people

who brutalized her to justice.

- We don't understand.

We don't know why that there was only two people

that was charged with this murder.

There was so many people involved,

and there's only two people that's bein' charged with it.

Except for lying to the police.

Wow.

- (Narrator) Nor did anyone in the prosecutor's office

figure out the author of these lies,

evidenced by how the judge sentenced Cheri

for passing on secondhand information

that she herself had created.

- Mrs. Brooks has a relatively long criminal history,

mostly minor offenses,

those of a minor nature, but at least one

felony offense, albeit some years ago.

With respect to Ms. Brooks involvement in this particular

case it appears that Ms. Brooks participation

is slightly, and I underscore slightly,

less serious than that of the others who've been involved

because it appears that her crime involves the passing

along of secondhand information, which nonetheless

misled the officers, but it appears to be

more of a secondhand information that she passed along

as opposed to firsthand information.

- (Narrator) Not only was the court fooled

about Cheri's role in making it the cover story,

no one even bothered to determine

when she told her family to say it.

- Yes.

- When Vera was sleeping

from her bruises, 'cause I had to actually do

her dang feet that night.

- Yeah, there was one night I had to do her feet

because Vera was too wounded to.

- (Narrator) Scottie is talking about Thursday

following Vera's mud stomping.

- I believe yes, I believe he did do her feet that night.

- And that's when she said if they would kill her,

"I hope they don't."

Like, you know, throwing it off.

That we would have to have a cover story

to protect this family.

- They had to think of something and put blame

on certain people to still try to keep certain members

of the family out of it.

- The secondhand information means

that Shannon told me that they took Vera

up to the tracks and that they degutted her like a fish

and that they left her up there to die.

And Shannon said, "Don't worry about it

"because she deserved it."

- It's like this.

You're looking at this hand while something else

is going on in this hand.

But you're pretty much more interested in this hand.

- That's probably what was in her head,

was to take Willadean away from Vera,

get Vera out of the picture so that

she could have Willadean as her own child

and have her raise it

as hers and Michael's

and it's not her child.

I mean, there's nothin' wrong helpin' Vera with the child,

givin' it baths, helpin' her feed her

and helpin' her change her,

you know, taking care of her, but she didn't

have to kill Vera, have Vera killed

just to take her baby from her.

- (Narrator) Yet, incredible as it sounds,

this absurd projection of Cheri's own motive

became the basis of the state of Ohio's case

against Vera's killers.

- The official version of events,

Danny Bixler indicated he was upset

with Vera Jo for spraying

pepper spray in the home.

- Not that Shannon had no involvement

in Vera's murder, she did.

- (Nicole) It's not only Cheri that was manipulative.

Shannon Brooks, Michael Brooks's wife, also

said that she was three months pregnant.

She was never pregnant.

- Cheri, I guess, while I was gone

had told Danny and Nicole that...

I had miscarried.

I never told her that I was pregnant.

Not one bit did I say that I was pregnant.

- (Narrator) Except, based on these Facebook timestamps,

this claim is a demonstrable lie

because in addition to posting she was pregnant

two days earlier, Shannon was talking to Cheri

two days earlier, Shannon was talking to Cheri

about it the morning of the murder.

- If you go with the flow, nothin's gonna happen to ya.

However, once you go with the flow

you do get involved into it and

there's sometimes no turning back.

- (Narrator) And then she saw a way out.

- They had said that Vera had sprayed

the pepper spray upstairs to where

it was really bad.

- No, Vera never did, but yes,

Shannon did come back furious.

- At Vera.

- (Nicole) Shannon was like, "That little bitch,

"if she made me lose my baby, I swear to God

"I'm going to kill her."

"I'm going to kill her."

And when she got back she said she had a miscarriage

and that she had to get a D&C and everything else

that goes along with a miscarriage.

- (Narrator) Nicole had clearly developed

- (Narrator) Nicole had clearly developed

a bond with Shannon, but she didn't understand the game.

- Vera caused it.

Blame everything on Vera.

Vera already caused everything else.

Vera already caused everything else.

Vera can cause this, too.

- (Narrator) And with Danny and Nicole

accepting plea bargains, the judge responded

to criticism from Voices for Vera.

- Obviously the facts and circumstances of this crime

- Obviously the facts and circumstances of this crime

have been the subject of much media and public attention.

- Then to hear the judge say, "Oh, we're gonna provide

"adequate punishment for the ones involved in this."

30 days deferred with five years probation

30 days deferred with five years probation

and two and a half years reserved.

Dude, put 'em in jail.

- Many interested persons have spoken out

in the news media.

- You think this is one step toward some justice?

- You think this is one step toward some justice?

I mean, what's going through your mind?

- I'm hoping it's one step towards justice.

- Others have used various forms of social media

to express their views.

To express their views.

It is of course the right of all of our citizens

to speak freely and openly, especially on matters

of great personal and public interest.

But while the sanctity of free speech is beyond question,

But while the sanctity of free speech is beyond question,

it must also be remembered that opinion

unconnected to fact, the law, or for that matter, reality,

must be rejected.

- (Narrator) But what is the reality the court accepted?

- (Narrator) But what is the reality the court accepted?

- Daniel Bixler, Shannon Brooks, Zachary Brooks,

Garth Brooks, Cheri Brooks, and I agreed

to kill Vera Jo Reigle on March 26, 2011.

We agreed to do this because Shannon Brooks

said Vera Jo Reigle caused her to miscarry.

- (Narrator) Only, was this really the motive?

- (Narrator) Only, was this really the motive?

Well, I guess if you believe the source

used by Nicole's lawyers.

- Nicky's lawyer had came to the house to talk to me

and was wonderin' why was Vera killed?

And was wonderin' why was Vera killed?

Was it because of jealousy because Nicky thought

she wanted Danny?

Or was it 'cause of the miscarriage?

And I said, well, for one,

And I said, well, for one,

Vera always will and always will love Zachary.

She went to her grave lovin' Zachary.

- (Narrator) So imagine Cheri's delight at being presented

- (Narrator) So imagine Cheri's delight at being presented

with a smorgasbord of her own lies.

- Vera was killed later on because of

the miscarriage of Shannon.

- (Narrator) But events leading up to the murder

- (Narrator) But events leading up to the murder

paint a very different picture.

For example, the first time Vera got stabbed

wasn't even that day.

- She went into the bathroom

and Danny and them followed her.

And Danny and them followed her.

The first stabbing was when Danny stabbed her in the leg.

- Well, Cheri said she took her finger

and stuck it in the hole,

the hole of her sore where they stabbed her.

- My finger went that far into her leg.

- My finger went that far into her leg.

- (Narrator) This is no nightmare.

This was Vera's final day of life.

- That is one of the ones that were

mean to Vera.

- Yes.

- Yes.

- She had to pick up the dog poop of Jackson and eat it.

- I think they said Chuckie made her eat

- I think they said Chuckie made her eat

the dog poop.

- They're all sadistic.

They're all...

They all had to have been.

- I'm talkin' about they took a plunger

- I'm talkin' about they took a plunger

and put it up (grunts).

- They sodomized her with it, yeah.

- She was completely naked.

She was her on her menstrual period that day.

They took a toothbrush, they raped her sexually

They took a toothbrush, they raped her sexually

with the toothbrush.

- And then she had to use it for her mouth.

- (Narrator) The following morning,

five hours before the Mace incident

they were trying to stab her again.

They were trying to stab her again.

- Daniel actually

gave me a knife and asked me if I wanted

to slice her, you know, cut her up.

- (Narrator) This was during a visit

from Punky's baby mama, Angel Might.

- I do know Zachary was hitting her

and then I can't remember if it was Danny or Nicole

and then I can't remember if it was Danny or Nicole

or both of them that actually started hittin' her, too.

- And tellin' her to, you know, "Shut up, bitch.

"Be quiet.

"I'm hittin' you," you know.

"Shut the fuck up."

You know, just hit her.

- Her and her mother and her brother

sat there for 45 minutes they said,

watching this episode goin' on.

- Not only Nicole

and Danny,

but then also little Chuckie started gettin' into it,

'cause I saw him with a fishing pole striking Vera.

- Cheri had made up this thing, I don't know

how true it was, but supposably Vera had given

little K sour milk.

- She had gave Little K the same milk

that he went to bed on instead of comin' out

and rinsin' the cup out and givin' him fresh milk,

she just went on and gave that to him and told him,

"Get back on the couch and lay back down,"

and covered him up.

- She was scared.

- All cru, I mean all... - All crunched up

in a little ball, like in a fetal position.

She lifted her head once and I saw a cut on her nose,

a split lip.

- (Narrator) A half hour after Angel and her mother left,

the street fight between the Brookses

and the rival neighborhood gang broke

out and someone called the police.

This sent Danny, Nicole, and Zachary

running to his Aunt Sam's, Samantha Schwabb's.

They hid there in the basement until the police left

and were next seen two hours later

walking in an alley three miles away.

- I was gettin' ready to leave to head over

to take my kids someplace and they was walkin' up

the alley towards my house and they were like,

"Where you goin'?"

I said, "Well, we're leavin'."

He goes, "Can you give me a ride to my house?"

- (Narrator) George Speck lives by the Brooks gang's

favorite hangout, the skateboard park.

- Nicole Peters, Danny Bixler, and Zachary.

- (Narrator) His house is also near something else,

the railroad tracks where Vera was murdered.

- Danny, Nicole, and Zachary was at Samantha Schwabb's house

over here, and walked down these tracks around 4:30.

Now, are you telling me that they did not

go and try to scout out a place to kill Vera

five hours later?

- (Narrator) From the bridge they continued down the tracks

toward Alan Cap's apartment, which is beside

that rail line, too.

So in addition to casing the murder scene,

they were also plotting their escape.

- (Nicole) And we just started walking.

We were gonna walk to somebody's house

and they were supposed to take us to Kentucky.

- (Narrator) We know this was their plan

because the following day after Vera was dead

and Danny and Nicole were arrested,

Zachary started desperately calling Gina,

trying to use the escape route for himself.

- Every time he'd call I'd be like, "No, you don't need

"to be comin' down here.

"They're just gonna put more stuff on you for runnin' away."

- Now mind you, Danny nor Nicole knew George Speck

or Alan Cap, so who's the ring leader?

And where is his sentence?

When is he going to get charged for all of this?

- (Narrator) By the time the three co-conspirators

were riding across town in the back of George's pickup,

they already had a cover story,

the murder scene scouted, and an escape plan ready to hatch.

By 5:15 the Brooks house was filled with pepper spray,

forcing a complete evacuation.

- The Mace was upstairs but it was comin' downstairs

once Danny opened the door.

- All the windows were open.

They were airin' the house out.

- (Narrator) Hospital records show Shannon arrived

at the ER at 5:32 p.m.

Around the same time, while the Brooks house

was being aired out from the Mace,

Danny and Nicole walked over to his sister's place.

- He told me that they just asked him all day

to do somethin' about her.

- (Narrator) But was he in a rage strong enough

to kill Vera?

- They were just, you know, sayin' how much they

just didn't want her around anymore.

And I mean, I just figured that they would

either kick her out or something like that

or just tell her to get her kid and leave,

but that wasn't even, obviously,

that wasn't what they were thinking.

- (Interviewer) From what I've been told is that

you were gettin' this kind of pressure before the Mace

ever went off.

- (Narrator) So by elevating Shannon from bit player

to a starring role, prosecutors got it backwards.

Like breaking her nose for pushing the baby

into a coffee table, or beating her to a pulp

for eating Punky's Kit Kat bar,

they needed a rationalization to blame the victim,

an excuse to punish her.

That means Vera was not killed

because they accused her of setting off the Mace.

They accused her of setting off the Mace

for a reason to kill her.

- (Narrator) At nine o'clock, Zachary summoned Danny,

Nicole, and his brother Garth to Scottie's room.

- I overheard the things,

I was pretty much like, nah, they're not really gonna do it.

- (Narrator) This meeting was to decide where to kill Vera.

Danny wanted to do it in a park they checked out

earlier in the day, which he felt was more secluded.

- You remember that park, Alan,

that me, you, and Garth went fishin' at?

- It's right over there by,

you know where Center Street's at?

- (Interviewer) Yeah.

- That park that goes down Center Street.

Right by the bridge.

- (Narrator) But Zachary wanted to go back to the bridge,

insisting they stick to the plan of having the train

turn Vera's body into hamburger.

- They wanted everybody to think that the train

- Hit her. - Hit her.

- (Narrator) As the murderers went into action,

Vera began to panic.

- When they told her to put her shoes on,

she was like yelling, "Why?"

You know, like, "Why?

"Why do you want me to get my shoes on?"

And Zachary had went up to her and said,

"Just get your effin' shoes on," ya know?

So she--

- Zachary and Danny.

And then Nicole had come in and she was standing

right by Vera's door and she's like,

"You need to put your damn shoes on right now."

And then Vera didn't hesitate and she put her shoes on

and Zachary said he was gonna go with 'em.

- (Narrator) But apparently this was no comfort

because judging Vera's reaction,

she was just as scared to leave with Zachary.

- I think she knew what was gonna happen.

I was sitting on the couch right by her room.

She was lookin' at me for, like, a way out.

Like, she was tryin' to tell me to help her.

- (Narrator) When it became clear Shannon was no help,

she reached out to Scottie.

- She knew what's gonna come.

That's why she asked me to come along with her.

- Because she felt safe with him

and she wanted Scottie to walk with her.

- But I told her hold up, I would have to go upstairs

real quick to get my shoes.

Well, as I got upstairs

I pretty much was stopped

from leaving.

- I was supposed to say Danny.

It wasn't.

It was Zachary who stopped me.

- My mother.

But, like I said, Zachary's the one who stopped me,

not Danny, even though I told the police

it was Danny.

- That I think he already knew what was up

and he wanted to protect me.

- (Narrator) Scottie was not the only one

prevented from going.

- When Zachary was told to go upstairs

to get Scottie, it was right at that time

that she told Zachary, "No, you're not gonna be

"a part of what they're gonna do."

- (Narrator) Then they hustled Vera outside,

ignoring her pleas for her life.

- She said, "I don't wanna go.

"I wanna stay here," and she was cryin'.

Vera was cryin' wantin' to stay home.

Nicole said, "No, you're goin' with me now

"or I'm gonna crack your head right here on the porch."

- (Narrator) The temperature was below freezing

that night, yet Danny wore a borrowed pair

of dark blue gym shorts out of respect

for their former owner, Punky Brooks.

He also wore a blue Crips bandana

signaling this was official gang business.

- The ones that they believe happened first,

'cause then there was over, like overlay

where people had stabbed the same areas,

from what I heard, the first ones were weaker,

coming from a weaker person, a female possibly.

- She was cut from almost ear to ear

in a very sort of sawing motion,

it was described as by the coroner.

- (Narrator) This initial failed attempt

as Vera's recovered sweatshirt shows,

happened while she was still dressed.

- In one final act of humiliation that forced her to strip.

- Yeah, they found the clothes scattered around

in the trees and stuff, in the bushes.

They found, like, her panties and I think her shirt.

They took 'em off and then just threw 'em.

Didn't even try to hide that.

- A full day to day and a half

before the murder actually happened

that they were completely messed up the whole time.

Like, there was not one sober moment.

- He was heavily using alcohol, marijuana, cocaine,

and by his own account, an excessive amount to ecstasy.

- (Narrator) When questioned about why Vera

was made to get naked, Nicole Peters replied,

"It wasn't working at first."

Asked what his girlfriend meant by this odd statement

Danny Bixler explained, "That knife was dull as hell

"and she couldn't get it through the clothes."

Which, by strange coincidence,

is the exact same reason given by Cheri Brooks.

- The only thing I can think of is if

you take your clothes off, well then

you get to get to the bare skin and it'll go faster.

- (Narrator) These details told

in separate jailhouse interviews by two people

Cheri had not spoken to since the night of the murder,

are something only the killers would know.

- When they were stabbing at her,

maybe it wasn't that she was dyin' fast enough for 'em

because of the clothes.

When ya stab somebody that snags the clothes.

- (Narrator) So what appeared to be a staged sexual assault

was actually just laziness and they needed Vera's help

to make it easier to kill her.

- It's almost as if he's attempting

to minimize his conduct.

There's 21 stab wounds but he said he only did six.

But an examination of those six stab wounds

is also very telling.

First the legs.

Why was she stabbed in the legs?

He said it was to keep her from running away

so they could continue the abuse.

She couldn't get out of that situation.

- (Narrator) Then he mounted her from behind,

reached around and cut her throat.

- They tried to cut her head off

but couldn't get through this bone here.

So, it's like cut from here to the spine bone back there.

- I think they laid her out on the tracks

after they slaughtered her neck

to make it look like the train cut her neck like that.

- (Narrator) And then they fled, leaving Vera behind,

still alive.

- They left her to bleed out on the railroad tracks alone,

naked and in the cold, and from there,

he told the detectives,

he went to party.

- They were celebrating, yeah.

- They called me up and then they told me

what they did.

I thought they were messin' with me, so I walked

back to their house to see if it was true.

- I look at Nicole and she's got this big smile on her face,

you know, and she puts her arms out like this

like she wants me to hug her.

And she's like, "It's done, it's done.

"No more."

And I was scared.

And she just comes in and hugs me.

- When they did come back Danny went over to Zachary

and patted him on the back.

- When I go back in the living room

and Danny's in there high fivin' Zachary

and then they go into Cheri's room

and they're both kind of laughing.

- And I got there, they were talkin' about

how they killed her and stuff.

I didn't believe it 'cause after they said they did it,

Cheri was talkin' about how she was with Larry,

her boyfriend.

- And then that's when Nicole had said,

I got my first teardrop.

I finally got it.

- She says that to Cheri and she gives Cheri a hug

and Cheri hugs her back and they

start laughin'.

- (Narrator) And why wouldn't they celebrate?

To them Vera was the abuser of baby Willadean,

killer of Punky, smasher of Cheri's feet.

Now that evil bitch was out of Zachary's life

and she left without taking Cheri's baby.

- They came back and switched clothes

and then pretty much went out to get drunk.

- Cheri called me and said Danny wants to come back over.

- While Vera's body was still warm,

Nicole was visibly excited.

- She was excited and ecstatic.

She wasn't sorry.

You could see that in her face.

- She was smiling and happy and just,

you know, I've never seen somebody that happy before.

- (Narrator) But on the tracks, something was happening.

Vera was becoming an angel and she had a few surprises.

Using her last ounce of energy she pulled herself

off the rails and contracted into a ball

only 12 inches high.

- She curled up in a fetal position,

that's the way she always slept, in the fetal position.

- (Narrator) Miraculously this allowed

the front of the train, which police later found

to have a 13" clearance, to pass over without touching her.

- I started feeling like something was wrong

when Zach decided to pretty much drink the entire,

one entire bottle of vodka to himself.

- (Narrator) The angel started haunting Zachary

whose actions the rest of that night speak for themselves.

- Zachary said out loud that he only wanted to get drunk

just so he can forget about the whole entire thing.

- And he looked all depressed and upset about something.

Like he was involved deeply with his own thoughts.

- Zach was doing, like, weird stuff like,

like hit his head on walls and stuff.

- And I was talkin' about him.

I'm like, so, why is he so sad?

And I'm like, "What's going on?"

And that's when Danny decided to say,

"Well, I slit her throat."

And I was like, "What'd you do?"

He's like, "I slit that bitch's throat."

- (Narrator) So it was Zach's guilty conscience

that led Desta to confront her brother,

which ultimately broke open the case.

- They're sick.

They need help.

But when it's their time and they have to meet their maker,

hey.

- (Narrator) And when it came to motive,

on the final day of court, the judge admitted

he still had no idea why the murder happened.

- As we grapple to make sense of this,

perhaps as some have suggested,

that our community has failed Vera Jo Reigle

and I'm sure that debate will continue, but we must

also not forget that there were those

who were directly responsible for Miss Reigle's death,

and in particular defendant Daniel Bixler

who is here today for the court for sentencing.

The evidence reveals that on March 26th of 2011

the defendant assumed the role of self-appointed judge,

jury, and executioner.

For what?

Jealousy, revenge, unfocused rage,

some perverse sense of family honor?

It doesn't appear we'll ever really know.

♪ Of mine

♪ I'm gonna let it shine

♪ This little light of mine

- (Narrator) In the end, Vera is an angel,

one who's wretched life and bad death,

shines a light on the rest of us.

- And Your Honor, at this time I'd like to read a letter

that was found in Vera Jo's purse

after she was murdered.

And this is what it says.

It says, "I love you Willadean.

"You are a good little baby girl to us.

"I'm glad to be your mommy and I'm glad that I had you

"on November 4th at 4:16 a.m., six pounds 2 ounces,

"19 inches long.

"Mommy loves you."

- (Narrator) Worse, by not getting convicted

of a major felony, Zachary still had parental rights

to Willadean.

- Oh yeah, or they would not be makin' a reovocation plan

for Zachary to get his daughter back.

- (Narrator) A case already being discussed

when Zachary's friend Alan Cap arrived

at 10 o'clock on the night of the murder.

- Alls I heard is somethin' about them

wantin' to kill Vera about custody.

- She had that in her mind that that's her kid now

and Vera had it but that's her kid now

and she's gonna keep it.

And she had to

get rid of Vera because Vera wanted to move out

and take the baby, too.

- Like, I was right here and then their room's

like right here.

They were all in a group talkin' about killin' Vera.

- Like, if Vera dies then Zach gets custody.

- (Narrator) But why at this moment were they celebrating

Zachary getting sole custody?

According to the lawyers, it was all about

Shannon's phony miscarriage, wasn't it?

- They were talkin' about Zach havin' custody.

They never said anything about Shannon.

- (Narrator) A version of events confirmed

by the killer himself.

- (Interviewer) And did they give an indication of why

they wanted this done to Vera?

- (Narrator) It is a hope Cheri still holds strong

as she sits in great anticipation,

waiting for the return of her lost little baby girl.

- I added Daddy to the picture. (Laughs)

Had to copy her daddy there.

'Cause I'm gettin' ready to frame it.

Still have to show him Zachary and her look alike.

♪ It is nearing the end of two

♪ And I just passed your birthday

♪ The first one that you spent underground

♪ And I really missed you

♪ So to feel close to you

♪ I visited your grave site

♪ But I just felt further from you

♪ Further than I understood

♪ I

♪ I

♪ I miss you, but

♪ I

♪ I

♪ I miss you, but

♪ And I'll be fine if heaven

♪ Isn't just a cloud

♪ And I'll be fine if we don't decay underground

♪ Forever