All language subtitles for Episode 05 Fixer Upper

Terror is not
a big enough word.

I wrote a letter to my boys.

I told my boys that I love them

more than anything
on this earth

and I'm so, so sorry
that it ended like it did.

I prayed and prayed
and I pled to god,

please, please,
let me get out of this.

When desire
overtakes reason,

the human mind
can unleash deadly obsession.

These are true stories
told by the victims.

I was 44 years old
when I divorced,

and I'm like,
you're almost halfway there.

You better start doing
some good, positive things.

And so in August of 2012,

I had just started my job

with texarkana independent
school district.

I'm a teacher.

I was really looking forward
to this new chapter in my life.

I had a cinderella
upbringing.

Both of my parents
worked in education.

I was born
into a Christian home.

My parents were very strict,

but they were strict
in a good, loving way.

God loves US.
We love others.

That was a very strong theme
all throughout my upbringing.

I got my bachelor's degree
in elementary education

and started teaching school
right after that.

First day after I taught,
I remember thinking,

I cannot believe
I'm getting paid for this.

I would do this for free.

I got married in between
my junior and senior year

of college in 1989.

We met on a summer job.

So I was 20 when I met him
and 21 when we married.

My husband and I were married
for six years

before we had our first son.

Lincoln was born in 1996.

I had a second child
two and a half years later.

His name is Hudson.

I think what happened to US
happens to a lot of families.

You kind of
lose touch with each other.

We got married really young.

I poured my life into
raising my boys.

And my husband
was at work a lot.

There was not a lot of time
for relationship building.

I eventually found a house
that I loved.

It was a house that was built
in the '40s

with still
the original wood floors.

It was three bedrooms.

I spent a lot of time
decorating it and working on it

and just building my nest.

Even painted the doors
a bright yellow color

because I felt like
that was a happy yellow.

This house had an attic.

I had some people come over
and see if

we could convert the attic
into an actual second floor.

I want to turn into
a recording studio for my boys.

I need to keep
their drum set away from me.

We'll double
the soundproofing.

The person that picked up,
his name was Curtis Jones.

He came over
and looked at the space.

My first impression of Curtis
was that he was confident.

He was confident in the job.

I'd only need some of my team
on the job,

so that'll
keep the price down.

Had kind of a charisma
about him,

but he's not attractive
at all.

Is that rude?

I don't know how to say that.

He just seemed like
the best person for the job.

And that's all
it was supposed to be.

Hey.
Come on in.

Just making sure my team
are on track.

Two more weeks,
and we're done.

Just holler if you need
any other help with anything.

I'm okay.

You go check
on your team?

Kind of got a whiff of, like,
maybe he's, like, liking me.

He kept coming over
and kept coming over

and kept talking to me.

I mean, he knew
that I had just gotten divorced.

And I said I am not at all

looking for any kind of
a relationship,

friendly or otherwise.

I'm working on this house,
raising my boys,

and getting my life
back together.

He didn't take the hint,

and he didn't take no
for an answer,

and he just kept coming.

One more day,
and we're done.

Curtis did
pay attention to me.

That felt good.

I'd been in this dry desert of
a marriage for many, many years.

And then little sprinkles
of rain.

I felt really good.

So, I was thinking

maybe I could take you out
sometime.

Well, I was wondering how long
it would take for you to ask.

I consciously thought,
I'm just going to have fun

for a little bit.

That is how
our relationship began.

In the spring and summer
of 2013,

I did just
fall into a routine.

There was never
a conversation.

There was never,
like, you know,

do you want to be my boyfriend
or girlfriend

or anything like that.

I fell into a routine of him

always calling me
and being there.

I knew we weren't the same.
We weren't equally yoked.

I knew that he had some history
of some mistakes.

Why didn't you tell me
about this sooner?

There's no good time to say
you have a criminal record.

We've been together
for months.

I'm sorry.

It's not as bad
as it sounds.

10 years ago,
I split from my ex.

I went back into her house
to get my stuff.

She called the cops,
and I was charged with burglary.

I went to jail.

It wasn't 10 days
or 10 weeks or even 10 months.

It was 10 years ago.

He had stayed out of trouble

and been a productive member
of society for a decade.

We did go on motorcycle
rides in Arkansas

up in the wind-y mountains

or we would go to dinner --

just do normal stuff,
watch movies

or, you know, hang out.

I don't like cigarettes
and smoking,

so he quit smoking

for about three months,
which I appreciated.

And then he slowly started
started smoking again

and I was like, what?

You know,
you've gone this long

and I know that was hard.

So why are you starting up?

He wanted to be
around me a lot.

It wasn't very, I don't know,
thoughtful.

Maybe he was on his best
behavior at the beginning

and then slowly that wore off.

One night, I remember we just
pulled into a gas station

and were getting gas.

Get me a candy bar.

And he just barked
orders at me.

I would've done anything for him
if he'd asked nicely.

But the way he barked it at me
like I was a maid or a dog...

Get your own.

...i was just like, you don't
bark orders at me like that.

What the hell did you
just say to me?

What did you say to me?
Get your own?

You get me
a candy bar.

If I ask you to get me a candy
bar, you get me a candy bar.

That was one of
the first times

that I kind of felt scared.

You get out there and get me
a candy bar right now.

It embarrassed
and humiliated me.

And I jumped
out of the truck

and made the decision
to walk home.

I made a quick right turn
into a dark neighborhood

that probably wasn't very safe.

I heard a truck
turn onto the street.

I could just tell by how
it was driving that it was him.

Get in the truck.

I could just tell
that it was him.

Get in the truck.

My heart was beating hard.

I was breathing hard.
I was angry.

He just grabbed me like this
to pull me into the truck.

It seemed like it was
in the blink of an eye.

We were in the truck
and it was over.

He proceeded to drive me home
yelling the whole way.

There was a mixture of emotions.

There was shock.
There was fear.

There was anger that he would
treat me in such a way.

And there was embarrassment
and humiliation.

I was scared,
but as this was the first time

that he had really shown
any physical aggression

or, you know, a dangerous side,

it was a fight,
it was over,

and I didn't give it the weight
that I should have.

I should have
cut ties right then.

He had a special knack
for turning things around

and making it seem like
it was your fault.

I did not tell my parents.

I did not tell
any other friends.

I did not tell the police.

Want some juice, angel?

The next morning,
just acts like nothing's wrong.

And that's not okay with me.

I have to talk things out
and have an apology.

I'm sorry.

I just couldn't stand you
running off like that.

I definitely thought
after this incident

that it was a one-time thing,

that it would
never happen again.

A few weeks later,
he got angry for something.

All I remember is

that I refused to do
what he asked me to do.

And he grabbed me by the hair

and grabbed me by the neck
in the back

and drug me across the room.

So literally his hand is
back here and he's dragging me,

and my feet
are trying to keep up,

and he throws me on the couch.

I've never been touched
and in such a manner.

It's confusing
because this person

that's supposed to love you

can treat you
in such a horrific manner.

For somebody to drag
a whole body

across the room
by their hair,

it was --
it was horrifying.

I am a mom.
I'm a teacher.

I'm a Christian. I'm a sister.
I am a friend.

If a girlfriend of mine
had come to me

and told me
what was going on,

I would have said,
get away from him.

You deserve more.

But when I was in it,
I couldn't see it.

But this hair-pulling incident

changed my mind.

You need to leave.

That was the first time

that I did pay attention
to a red flag.

I need a clean break,

and this is
just not healthy for me.

I thought that I could
break up with him.

I could go back
to my regular life

and he could go back to his,
and that would be the end of it.

It's embarrassing to --

to not be the strong woman
that you were brought up to be.

And it's embarrassing

because
some people told me

you know,
he's not a good influence.

You shouldn't be around him.

And I didn't listen.

And so my humiliation
and embarrassment about that

kept me in isolation.

And that was a huge mistake.

He used his conniving skills
of saying

well, I love you so much.

I've never had anything
like this before.

And I need to still, you know,
be friends with you.

And if you aren't friends
with me

or you do just cut me off
suddenly,

then I'll go crazy.

He would leave messages and say

I'm the one
that's been your protector,

or keeping you safe,
and I'm just checking on you,

so if you'll just
let me know that you're okay,

then, you know,
I'll leave you alone.

If I didn't answer...

...he would come by.

That was the beginning
of an obsession

of him trying to
get back with me.

I was not changing my mind.

I was not going back.

And I think
that once he realized,

that made him angry

and that's where
he turned a corner

and things got super scary.

Just constantly having
the feeling

that somebody is watching you

and somebody is following you

is nerve-racking.

It literally exhausts you
emotionally

to constantly be looking
over your shoulder.

I went to the bank and was
changing all of my banking,

all of my banking accounts
and everything,

because he had stolen papers
and files from my house.

I heard my car lock,
lights going on and off.

I knew it was him

because he was the only one
that had a set of keys.

I'm on high alert all the time.

And so yes,
when I left the bank,

I was looking over my shoulder

and looking left and right

and trying to see him
and trying to stay safe.

He just tormented me
every day for no reason.

If he can't get me back,

then he or someone else
will take care of me.

It might be six weeks from now.

It might be six months from now.

And if I ever end up
going away or going to jail

or something,
they're going to get you.

And even if I'm not here,

you can know that
it was from me.

Lincoln,
he was at college,

so he was in Tennessee
for part of this time.

My son Hudson
was staying with his dad

more than he was me,

which was so hard

because
I want my child with me.

But I was afraid
that my house was dangerous.

I was still keeping up
a facade at work

that everything was okay.

I didn't tell anyone
because I was embarrassed.

He told me one time
that this motorcycle gang

put explosives
on the bottom of my car.

He had talked to them,

so they were going to come
take them off that night.

So if I heard something
outside my house

or going on with my car,
not to be alarmed.

Once again
he was doing me a favor.

I was exhausted.

You can't make a judgment.

I couldn't differentiate
what was ridiculous lies.

Every little, bitty noise,

you think
that's probably them.

I worried a whole, whole lot.

I got in my car

and he called me,
and I was terrified still

and wanted to know
were they off?

Did they do what they were
supposed to do, you know?

And he says, they did.

You're fine. You're safe.

You know,
thank goodness you have me.

I never know what to believe.

But the fear of that
possibly being true

is what keeps me
stuck and paralyzed.

I remember thinking

what if he just told me
they took them off?

What if they're still on there?

I was terrified to turn the key.

He said there were
explosives on my car.

Men were coming over
to take them off.

I was terrified still and wanted
to know were they off.

He says, they did.
You're fine. You're safe.

What if they're still on there?

If I die,
I know where I'm going.

I was terrified to turn the key.

And I did.

Nothing happened.

And I said more prayers
of thankfulness.

That was another layer
of hatred,

to put me through
torment and fear.

One time, I remember I got home
and I opened my back gate.

There was a huge piece
of broken sheetrock

blocking the whole
entire staircase.

There was a letter
taped to the door.

There were dying flowers
in a vase by the door.

These were the thoughts of
a desperate, irrational human.

Desperate people
do desperate things.

And so that's
what was scary to me.

It was disturbing.

It continued and escalated.

He was relentless.
He would not let go.

One day when I got home,

he had ladders and ropes
and paint cans

and probably four or five men

and work trucks all in
and around my yard,

and they were
frantically painting

the whole entire
outside of my house.

I said, Curtis, I did not
ask you to paint my house

and I have asked you
to stay away.

And I remember saying,
you are dangerous to me,

and I cannot be with someone
that is dangerous to me.

I made the mistake
of cracking my door

half an inch.

He barged his shoulder in
with all of his might.

Your friends think
we're broken up.

Take out your phone.

He tells me, you're going to
text them right now

and tell them
that you made a mistake

and that really I'm a good guy
and that we're back together.

He kept shoving the gun
at my head

and was saying,
do it. Do it.

I texted them
I've made a mistake.

Curtis really is a good guy.

Just exactly
what he told me too.

We are still, you know,
in a relationship.

And I pressed send.

And he left.

And I just shook like a leaf
for the rest of the night.

There are no words to describe.

Terror is not
a big enough word.

At one point,
he called and said,

do you want all this to end?

I was willing to
hear any ideas

and have this be over.

I was emotionally exhausted.

And he said,
if you pay me $5,000,

I will leave you alone forever.

So I said,
I don't have $5,000.

And he said,
I've seen your credit,

and I know that you can get
$5,000 if you want it.

He said, if you do that,
I won't kill you.

And I answered yes.

I thought, maybe today's
the last day.

This is really the end,
right?

Maybe this nightmare
is over tonight.

He said, if you don't want
to die, you'll let go.

He took all the money I had.

I really had hope
that it was the end.

I wanted it to end
so badly.

I went to my sister's
for Christmas with my kids,

and so I was excited,
but I was petrified and nervous

keeping these two worlds apart.

And I remember one time my mom
and sister in the kitchen

just talking about a recipe.

And I remember watching them
and it was like,

how can y'all be talking
about a recipe?

Like, I'm trying to stay alive
over here.

Like, it just seemed so mundane.

I wish I had that.

I wish I was talking
about a recipe

instead of talking about
not getting killed.

I had a security system
in my home

I could check from my phone.

I had cameras so you could see
all the way through my house.

I could turn the alarm on
remotely from my phone.

Curtis was in my house.

I had a security system
in my house

I could check from my phone.

I had cameras so you could see
all the way through my house.

Curtis was in my house.

I would turn the alarm on
the house

remotely from my phone.

He would be inside the house
and turn the alarm off.

Hello?

Curtis called and I told him
to get out of my house.

He wouldn't do it.

Jones:
You're at your sister's.

Just leave US alone, please.

I on purpose never told him
where my sister lived.

He said that he and a bunch of
people were already on the way.

And he spit out
her address.

I had to leave.

I made up some lame story
that they all knew wasn't true.

I got in my car
and I left as fast as I could.

I was trying to draw him away
from my boys

and my parents
and my sister and her kids.

I don't want my kids
to see me murdered.

I don't want to be
the cause of this tragedy

in all these people's lives.

I would just rather go
and be murdered by myself

than have them see that.

So...

And it was super,
super hard to leave.

I kept driving until I found
some little fishing cabins.

That is the night that I knew
I was probably going to die.

My ex-husband bought me
a .22 pistol.

I had a Bible and a gun
to protect my own life.

I wrote a letter to my boys.

And I told them the truth
about what was going on.

And I told my boys that...

I love them more than
anything on this earth

and I'm so, so sorry

that it ended like it did.

I made a decision
that I had to ask for help.

I had to tell my parents
what was going on.

And I had to tell the police
what was going on.

So I ran, I called my dad,
and I said,

I'm in trouble,
and I need help.

And I told him everything
that had been going on.

That Curtis told me
that he was coming to get me.

So I told him that I was
going to the police,

and that's what I did.

Amy Smith, who was
at the domestic violence center,

said, we will help you,

and we will walk you through
every single step.

I was getting
an emergency protective order

because my life
was really in danger.

That was the first person that
reached out their hand to me

and helped me and I thought,

maybe she can help me
and I won't die.

My parents came into town
to be with me and to help me.

I'd been trying to protect
my family from being involved,

and I felt very guilty.

Now they had to experience
some terror with me.

About 1:30 at night,
my dad came into the bedroom,

and he said,
somebody just threw a brick

through the window.

I jumped up and I ran in there,
and my mother was terrified.

A brick had come through

two panes of
a storm-glass window,

had hit the wooden headboard
so hard

that it broke the headboard,

and wood chips were all the way

across on the other side
of the bedroom.

Had that headboard
not been there

and stopped the brick
from coming all the way through,

it would have hit my mom
in the head

and severely damaged
if not killed her.

I want to
press charges.

They explained to me
that I didn't have any proof

that it was him
that threw the brick.

I have
a protection order.

There must be
something we can do.

We could come up
with a burglary charge

because I had proof from
the alarm company's website

that I was turning on an alarm

from a remote area
with my phone,

and he was turning it off
from inside the house.

He was picked up
and arrested for burglary.

A detective told me he's gonna
be mad when he gets out,

so you need to take precautions

and you need to
be very careful.

I left church and I got home.

I pulled up into my garage.

I had a habit of shutting
my garage door completely

before I would get out
of the car.

I was just about
to shut the garage door.

Get out.
Get out! Get out!

Get out! Get out!

My first thought was,
get your gun. Get your gun.

Then I thought, by the time
I turn to get my gun

and turn back towards him,
it'll be too late.

So I threw my car in reverse

and backed down the driveway
as fast as I could.

And as I was putting it in drive
to go forward...

I could not believe that
he was actually shooting at me.

Glass shattered
all in my face.

And it was so loud.

It was so loud.

He opened fire
for what seemed like forever.

I felt like it was
maybe six shots,

but the police later found
four casings.

I drove a little ways.
I parked somewhere.

I didn't feel any pain.

You're so terrified
and your whole body so numb.

I knew I saw blood here,

and I knew
that I had been shot.

I called and she said, 911.
How can I help you�

and out of my mouth came,
I've been shot.

I've been shot.

And so I told her
what street I was on.

I said, where are they?

And she said,
they're coming. They're coming.

Hold on.

It seemed like forever to me.

I'm sure it was a few seconds,
you know, might be a minute.

I just felt like that
if I stopped thinking

or stopped moving,
then I would die.

So you don't have a choice.

You just are in survival mode,

and I felt like god gave me
a clear mind.

A policeman got there
and opened the door

They were looking for him,

but they didn't know
where he was.

I ended up at the hospital.

And there were guards
around my room

because he was
a shooter on the loose.

So that very first night
in the hospital...

They didn't want me
to be left alone,

and I didn't want
to be left alone.

The next day, they were
contacting people that he knew.

It was on Friday morning

that somebody convinced him
to go talk to the police.

He went to the police station
and said,

I understand that y'all
are looking for me.

And they found the gun
hidden in between some rocks

in this creek in my neighborhood
that I didn't even know existed.

We had the gun
and we had shells from the site,

and so we had possibility
for some ballistics

and some hard evidence

that he was the one
that pulled the trigger.

I found out that that bullet
broke my pelvic bone,

travelled through and tunneled
through my pelvic bone,

and is still sitting in my back
today.

I choose to look at that bullet
like a good thing

because to me,
that's a constant reminder

every day to be grateful.

To be grateful for every minute
and every hour and every day.

Some decisions that I made

got me in the predicament
in the first place,

and those are the things
that I'm sorry for.

My boys were with me
every step of the way,

and I'm grateful that I do
get to see them grow up

and get married

and one day
see some grandbabies.

Every single time that I've had
an opportunity to talk to a girl

that might be going through
the same thing

or speak in, you know,
domestic violence events

or police academy events
or doing this,

I am keeping a promise to god

because I refuse
to let this evil person

and this bad thing
remain a bad thing.

I actively, proactively,
positively

will turn what he meant for evil
into good,

and I will do that
until the day I die.