Original subtitles

This is the story of two best friends...

They were always very close, like brothers.

They were good kids.

...bound together through the good times...

Things started to change.

...and the bad.

He seemed paranoid.

Should have just sent him away.

It's 1992 in lake elsinore, California,

and the arredondo family have gone fishing.

9-year-old Mark can't wait to get started.

And it's not long before he lands his first catch.

Behind the camera is proud mom, Tammy.

Mark was so adventurous.

When he found something that he loved to do,

it was 100 percent.

He always had a ton of energy.

He wanted to be involved in everything that he could.

It's a good thing that Mark has all that energy.

As the eldest brother of six boys, he needs it.

The holidays were happy, happy times.

The arredondos are a very close-knit family.

Jason, our second son --

he was always a happy little guy.

Then we had Jonathan.

Two years after that, Michael.

Then we had Christopher.

It was always crazy, always busy.

But that's what we love. That's why we had so many kids.

There was always a pile of laundry on my couch.

My house was always disarrayed.

Always a Disney movie going up.

Life was always very happy.

For the younger arredondo boys,

big brother Mark is the leader of the pack.

Mom! Watch!

Watch!

Growing up, we weren't inside the house.

We were out in the backyard riding bikes.

We started riding dirt bikes that year.

Mostly, it was US watching Mark.

He was one that was doing all the cool tricks

and the big jumps.

We were just happy enough to help him build them

and then be able to watch him jump them.

He would say, mom, I'm over here.

The younger brothers always looked up to Mark.

He was their leader.

And back then, I didn't have a lot of worries

because they had their brother to look out for them.

Mark was one of the oldest kids on the block.

And as soon as Mark was outside,

he usually had an entourage of kids around.

He had extraordinary energy.

Sometimes it would get him in a bit of trouble here and there.

That trouble was often shared with Mark's cousin

and best friend, Paul Stoeppler.

Paul and Mark were always very close, growing up --

like brothers.

He wanted to do everything that Paul did on the bmx track.

He just thought that was the coolest thing.

These videos show a fun and carefree childhood.

But life hasn't always been this way.

Mark lost his own birth father, Mark Corona,

when he was just 3 years old.

Losing his father at such a young age --

it's hard.

He would cry and say he wanted to go see his daddy.

Tammy later remarried.

And now Mark has become a father figure himself

to his five half-brothers.

Watch him carefully, Mark.

As this home video shows,

that role also includes teaching Rollerblade lessons.

Here's little brother Mikey just learning to skate.

Mark was always an inspiration to me.

Mark always tried to push me as hard as I can

and always give it 100 percent.

For the arredondo boys,

fooling around in the water is the highlight of their summer.

That's Mark mugging for the camera

and then trying to get little brother Mikey

to brave going under.

Go underwater, Mike.

All of my boys loved the water.

And little Mikey -- I think they were teaching him

to go down under the water and hold his breath.

We had to keep an eye, though, cause Mark, you know,

was bigger, and the little ones, of course, wanted to keep up.

They loved every minute of it.

Mikey was kind of like our crash dummy.

So if we wanted to try something new out,

we made Mikey do it first.

And there's their big brother, Mark. Aww!

For Mark, always looking out for his gang of followers

is sometimes exhausting.

Mark, come here. I want to show you something.

What?

Jayson.

When it all gets too much,

he has his best buddy, Paul, to pal around with.

Paul would come and stay with US on the weekends.

He blended in, just like one of the rest of the boys.

Them having each other just gave them the companionship

of being about the same age

and not having to be watched over as much.

Paul's younger sister, Stephanie,

is also a regular at the arredondo home.

Stephanie, being the only girl with all the boys,

she never really participated. She was quiet and shy.

Stephanie keeps herself to herself...

While Tammy deals with the usual chaos of the arredondo house.

As Mark gets older, he spends less time at home

and more of that energy in a new passion --

roller hockey.

Mark was definitely really good at hockey.

We'd always go to his games.

He was definitely the biggest one on the rink.

When he wound up a shot,

they either turned their backs away...

...or, you know, took one.

Mark is a natural athlete.

In fact, though his main passion is hockey,

there doesn't seem to be a sport that Mark doesn't take to.

As always, Tammy's on the sidelines,

keeping the younger brothers in check

and making sure everything is captured on camera.

In the summer of 1993,

the extended family all drive over to Disneyland.

That's Mark in the red and Paul next to him in green.

Mark, with his cool sunglasses.

He was always happy,

always anxious to go do the next thing.

Mark and Paul are almost teenagers,

but they've remained inseparable as always.

Hi, guys.

While everyone waves to the camera,

Paul decides it's time for his close-up.

Mark and Paul were getting a little older.

They didn't really want to fuss with the little ones

too much anymore.

That was kind of the beginning of them

turning into their young teenager --

men, if you want to call it.

The bonds of brotherhood are cementing

right on camera.

They look unbreakable.

It's Christmas 2001.

The arredondo boys are growing up fast.

Little Mikey, seen here opening his presents,

isn't so little anymore.

A lot of that stuff, Chrissy, is from --

It's from your brother. That one's from Mark.

Christmas, growing up in our house, was very exciting,

you know, 'cause there was presents for six of US.

I would be up all night trying to wrap presents,

get food prepared.

Christmas was always craziness.

They were always busy and chaotic

cause there was so many kids.

Even though the boys are getting older,

mom Tammy still feels the need to keep a watchful eye.

Unh-unh.

Jayson is now a confident teenager.

I was still at the age where I was still kind of young.

So I kind of was doing my own high-school thing.

Whoo! Whoo!

No one has changed as much as big brother Mark.

Now a towering 6-foot-6,

he has adopted the name Corona in memory of his birth father.

That's around when he developed a love for the music.

We'd have to say, turn that noise down,

cause that was too wild for us to listen to,

but he loved it.

Cause he was older, Mark did his own thing.

I wasn't sure about all the details of his days,

but I always trusted that Mark was doing the right things.

In 2001, after graduation,

work puts together his own band, the final burden.

Didn't play as much hockey after the music thing came along.

While Mark dreams of musical super-stardom,

best friend Paul Stoeppler is on a very different path.

After graduating from Santiago high school,

Paul enlists in the u.S. Army.

And it turns out military life suits him.

He was an overachiever, very smart.

He couldn't get enough success under his belt.

Paul rises up the ranks quickly,

and everybody is proud when he gets his green beret.

He wanted to be at the top.

And he had an extraordinary, extraordinary career

with the military.

Meanwhile, Mark has very different ambitions.

His sights are set on metal super-stardom.

They started playing gigs, and they loved to do those

pit dances and the wild noise.

This is Mark's band's first-ever real gig.

And there, shredding it up, stage right,

in a gray hoodie and red hat, is Mark.

The band's signature style?

Anger.

I thought they were just a bunch of rude, rowdy guys

that liked to mosh pit with each other.

I do remember, one time, coming home from football practice,

and he had his whole band crew, and they were jamming out

in the living room.

And big amps and whole drum sets and...

He definitely loved playing his music.

When Mark isn't in the mosh pit,

he has a job driving a forklift at a local warehouse.

It doesn't pay much, but it allows him

to spend time with friends and enjoy an easygoing life.

As Mark's brothers begin to get older,

they start to have families of their own.

And Mark is a very proud uncle.

He went from big brother Mark

to big uncle Mark now.

He has a handful of nieces and nephews.

He'd make sure he'd go out of his way to see them.

But Mark doesn't seem ready to settle down.

Mark wasn't really like his other brothers,

out there looking for girls.

He always said, I'll get serious

when the day and the right person comes along.

Then in 2003,

Mark's cousin and best friend, Paul,

is deployed to the war in Afghanistan.

At the time that Paul was being deployed, Mark was rattled.

He worried.

He used to think, what if something bad happens to him

and he never comes home?

The whole family was concerned.

But unbeknownst to Mark, he's about to see

his best friend much sooner than he thinks.

Paul rushes home when his mother, Renee,

loses her battle with cancer.

Paul didn't share a lot of feelings.

I know it was very hard on him.

He was never really able to have the time

to take care of his mom.

He came home,

seemed very unemotional,

and left shortly after that...

Back into the military.

He seemed to be strong and proud,

and I think a lot of that comes from his training.

You know, you're looked down upon

if you're not strong inside, and...

He was capable of shutting things out.

Nine months later, Paul, back in Afghanistan,

receives word from home about his younger,

quieter sister, Stephanie.

Stephanie took her own life.

I don't think she did very well after her mother passed away.

It was just devastating.

Paul is grief-stricken by the death of his sister.

Home has become the place where his casualties mount.

Paul came home for Stephanie's funeral.

But he doesn't stay long.

Immediately after the funeral,

he returns to his military family in Afghanistan.

I know he flew in from the military and then flew out,

so it's not like we had a chance to hug it out or talk about it.

Carefree Paul is seen here with Mark in happier times.

Now he needs his blood brother more than ever.

Mark and Paul, they talked a lot through social media

and letters, and they they kept in touch,

as he was the only one that Paul could maybe open up to at times.

What the family can't know

is that the biggest disaster is yet to strike.

While on deployment in Afghanistan,

Paul Stoeppler's life has fallen apart.

His sister and his mother have both died suddenly.

And things are about to get worse.

On September 23, 2013,

Paul is out on foot patrol with his troops.

Six of Paul's patrol are killed by the explosion.

We got a phone call telling us that

the soldiers in front of him had stepped on a I.E.D.

And Paul has received catastrophic injuries.

Mark got very upset and was so extremely worried about it,

he just could hardly think straight.

The blast has shattered Paul's right arm and leg

and left him with numerous shrapnel wounds

and head injuries.

Knowing that that Paul may not survive was just turmoil.

Mark was pretty devastated,

angry that this could happen to Paul.

As Paul hovers between life and death,

the family's wait is excruciating.

But finally, there's news.

We learned that Paul was gonna, you know, survive and be okay.

Paul starts the road to physical recovery,

but emotionally, his wounds may take longer to heal.

Hey, buddy.

Sorry I'm late.

What's harder is that Paul will now

have to retire from the military,

giving up the only adult life he's ever known.

Paul didn't seem happy about leaving the military,

but he had no other alternative.

Once he got home, he tried to move forward,

past all of that.

Paul tries his best to put his life back together.

By may of the following year, 2014,

he has chose to participate in a retreat

for injured veterans in Alaska.

It's a group and a cause he can really get behind.

The program is designed to help wounded vets like Paul

connect to others and realize they aren't alone.

And it works.

Paul seems ready to get himself back on track.

He applies to nursing school,

following in the footsteps of his late mother.

He was trying to find some direction,

didn't have a lot of confidence.

I assured him, you're very smart.

You could do well with that.

Tammy's support pays off.

And the same drive Paul had in his military career

serves him well for making his grades.

He seemed to be doing well. He was getting as.

Stayed busy. He had a full, you know, workload.

But despite his success,

the family notices a change in Paul.

Paul's attitude was definitely changing.

I knew something wasn't right with Paul.

He seemed paranoid, and then he would snap out of it.

He would seem fine again.

So it was kind of a roller coaster.

Mark is determined to help his friend

keep his life on track

don't let me stop you.

No, no problem. I could use a break.

Mark was still very concerned about making sure

that he checked in and talked and dropped in for a visit.

He still felt a strong sense of responsibility

to make sure of Paul's well-being.

Thank you.

Get out of this cave.

I appreciate it.

But dedicated as he is to helping Paul,

Mark now has other things on his mind.

He had taken his brothers out, and he shared with his brothers

that, I think I met the girl.

Mark and I first met at a brewery.

Mark's friend introduced US,

and I think I was even trying to, like, pick out what beer.

And I didn't know at the time, but Mark is, like --

that is his thing, is, like, craft beer.

He knows all about it.

He was cute. He was funny.

He was friends with, seemingly, the entire bar.

Drinks are followed by dinner.

And it's not long before Mark and Gina have both fallen hard.

We were together.

We were together after the first time we went out.

We had an instant connection.

Hey, buddy. Glad you could make it.

Gina knows how important Paul is to her boyfriend

and makes an effort with him.

Can I get another beer for him?

But Paul is distant and tough to get to know.

If I would directly talk to him

and try and start a conversation,

he would never even look me in the eye.

Listen, we're gonna...

Mark was kind of the only person who could really get Paul

to interact with him in any kind of meaningful way.

I had asked him, like, what's up with Paul?

Does he need help or anything like that?

Need to leave it alone, all right?

It always used to be about Paul and Mark.

Now things are changing, and cracks are starting to appear.

Cousins Paul Stoeppler and Mark Corona

have been inseparable since childhood.

But Paul is drifting.

It's June 3, 2018.

Wait!

Tammy is getting her grandkids ready to go to a soccer game.

You kids better make your way downstairs,

I'm gonna get the hose to you!

Paul arrives at the arredondo house,

and immediately, Tammy knows that something is up.

When I seen Paul walking up the driveway,

he seemed very angry, and he said,

where's Mark? I have beef with Mark.

After hearing noises, Marcus comes downstairs

and tries to calm Paul down.

Paul is angry, but he won't explain why.

Hey, is everything okay?

We need to talk.

He said, mom, stay upstairs.

I'll go down and handle Paul.

So I knew something wasn't right.

We need to talk.

Okay, cool. Let's go for a smoke out back.

Hey.

It's okay. Everything's fine.

An hour later,

as Tammy is driving the kids to a soccer game,

she receives a text from Mark.

He sent me a text.

He said, don't worry, mom, everything will be fine.

I got Paul settled down.

We're gonna go grab a bite to eat at stadium.

At around 3:20 P.M., a family with a dash cam

is in the parking lot of stadium pizza.

It captures a terrible scene.

The 911 lines light up.

Not only did we receive one 911 call,

we received a second and a third.

And all reported that a man had a gun.

Based on that situation,

he appeared to be a possible active shooter.

Deputies immediately responded to the location.

Within minutes, the shopping Plaza is on lockdown.

When deputies responded,

they didn't know what to respond to based on the shooting.

They didn't know if they had one suspect, two suspects,

or many suspects.

Officers spot a gray sedan,

its front passenger-side window shattered.

Inside the vehicle, it was clear a shooting had occurred.

There was bullet holes on the door.

There was a shattered window.

And there laid the deceased body of the victim.

First responders confirm that the man is dead,

shot multiple times.

A second man has been taken into police custody.

Meanwhile, detectives have recovered

surveillance footage from the scene.

Seconds after the shooting,

cctv reveals the shirtless suspect

walking into the street before calmly sitting down.

Seconds later, he puts on a shirt,

returns the same spot, and empties his pockets.

The man is Paul Stoeppler.

Despite his incredibly violent actions just seconds earlier,

he appears completely composed.

As police arrive on the scene,

they place Paul Stoeppler under arrest.

The video showed a deliberate,

thoughtful attack towards a person who was helpless,

seen in this vehicle.

It appeared to be a execution,

to where the victim had no ability to defend himself,

fight, argue.

I don't even think he knew it was coming.

My phone rang.

And I think it was Michael, my son,

that called and said, mom, Paul shot Mark.

And he didn't survive. I just lost it.

I don't really remember a whole lot after that.

My son was still sitting in his car at the pizza place.

I don't really know what happened after that.

My grandpa was there with me.

I don't know.

I think I just started screaming.

Really, I don't know.

As word of the tragedy spreads,

stadium pizza fills with hundreds of people.

Mark's family and stunned friends

have come out in droves to pay their respects.

There were --

god, it seemed like hundreds of people that were there.

I don't really know how so many people found out so quickly.

But that's just how many friends Mark had.

Everyone was...

Everyone was just destroyed.

When you were boys, right?

It was different.

With Paul in custody,

detectives need to know exactly what could have caused him

to coldly murder his own cousin.

Once upon a time, there were no two cousins closer

than Mark Corona and Paul Stoeppler.

Now, after brutally shooting his friend and cousin

at point-blank range,

Paul has a bombshell to drop on investigators as to why.

He claims he was a victim of sexual assault

and that Mark was responsible.

We asked Paul, why did he shoot his cousin Mark?

He explained that it's 'cause Mark had raped him

eight months prior.

It's a shocking allegation,

and there's more to follow.

As the investigation continued, his story changed.

It changed once.

It changed twice.

Then it finally changed that his cousin Mark was involved

in the suicide of his sister.

Paul's claims are astonishing.

But when detectives press Paul for specific details,

they begin to question whether he's telling the truth.

During the interview,

Paul changes statements, saying that that happened

about three months ago, then changes statements again,

saying that it happened even sooner.

He was trying to make up a story as he was going.

Every time we questioned him, he would change it.

And he eventually admits that he's unsure

if he was sexually assaulted.

You just didn't want him to suffer no more?

Finally, Paul admits that his account

doesn't make sense.

Paul's stories were changing.

It was clear that he was lying.

The truth is, there is no evidence of any rape

or that Mark had anything to do with Stephanie's suicide

Paul Stoeppler can't explain why he shot his cousin.

A few days later,

detectives charge Paul Stoeppler with murder.

Based on eyewitness accounts and the video they've uncovered,

police reconstruct the events

that happened that day outside stadium pizza.

Mark Corona was parked in front of the stadium pizza,

waiting for Paul Stoeppler.

At about 3:23, Stoeppler showed up.

He shot at him in his head and in his torso.

After shooting him, he sat on the pavement.

Seconds, two minutes later, Paul gets up,

grabs the same handgun...

And shoots additional times at the victim.

This was a targeted crime.

After the shooting, Paul goes behind his vehicle,

sits on top of the asphalt,

disassembles his handgun, and waits for the police.

Paul had done what he came to do.

Now he was giving himself up.

On march 4th, 35-year-old Paul Stoeppler pleads guilty

to first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement.

He is given a 50-year-to-life sentence.

Tammy sees her son's killer for the first time since the murder.

The courtroom was full of Mark's friends

and people who were still in shock.

To see Paul in that orange suit was just so unreal.

He never flinched or batted an eye.

Maybe someday, he'll tell me he's sorry.

I don't know.

I loved Paul like he was my own son, but...

I have to forgive him...

So that I can move forward.

For Mark's loved ones,

dealing with his loss is still a daily battle.

I would just spend days in bed, day after day after day.

I just couldn't -- I couldn't see the point to anything.

It was the love that he showed to me that kept me,

you know, waking up every day and being like,

okay, you gotta just -- you gotta just keep going.

I don't have a big brother no more.

I miss Mark every day.

The only thing I could do is live how how he lived,

you know, trying to set the example he set

and be there for my brothers like he was for all of us.

I've never, ever realized while taking those videos,

and you live your life and you record fun things,

and it really jars your memories how good things really were.

I'm gonna make sure I keep video

because someday, that may be all you have.

To this day, the family remembers Mark every year

at stadium pizza where he died.

There's a special display unit that holds his photo

and favorite steelers Jersey.

And every November 8, on Mark's birthday,

his friends and family gather to raise a toast in his honor

with a special beer brewed in his memory.

Miss you every day, brother.

Every day, I miss you, dude.

Everyone put their cups up! Cheers!