All language subtitles for Killision.Course.S01E02.WEBRip.x264-ION10

Five strangers brought together by fate...

- If you don't back off,

I swear I'm about
to hurt you, man!

- You a man?
- Yeah, what you gonna do?

Torn apart
by a horrific murder.

A woman who takes refuge
in her own imagination.

- In reality, she had
no control over her life.

Her controlling fiancé...

- He's wired kind of tight.

- Get over here.
- No, don't.

- You're gonna sit
and talk to me.

A new neighbor
harboring a dark secret...

- Gabrielle seems like,

really could be capable
of anything.

A boss who crosses the line...

- Being aggressive was
a natural reaction for him.

And a childhood friend

still obsessed with the past.

- I would call her a predator.

- When they all came together...

-
- Don't you ever--

- It was the beginning
of the end for all of them.

- Where are you going?
- Stop trying to control me.

The moment they met...

They were sent

on a "Killision Course."

- Syracuse is
a beautiful city--

tree-lined avenues,
pleasant neighborhoods--

but sometimes problems lie
in places you can't see,

the places hidden from view

by closed doors
and picket fences.

- To be perfectly frank,
I don't lose much sleep

if a criminal gets murdered
over some nefarious act

gone wrong.

Domestic homicides,

almost always
the victim doesn't deserve it.

The killer is
someone they trust.

- All five of these people,
they lived near each other,

socialized with each other,
trusted each other,

but one of them
didn't deserve that trust.

- Trust can be
a fragile thing,

especially when people
have grown up

in less than ideal
circumstances,

and when trust is broken,

that can spiral
into feelings of betrayal,

jealousy, and rage.

In the spring of 2013,

a sordid tale of lust, love, and lies ends in brutal murder.

The first character
in this tragic narrative

is aspiring writer,
Tiana Beck.

- To say that Tiana had
a troubled childhood

is an understatement.

Her mother died
when she was young,

and her father disappeared.

Tiana was put into the system,

and grew up in a succession
of foster homes.

- There's a pattern in children
raised in foster care.

The disjointed caregiving,
the lack of stability,

it affects their ability
to form true

emotional attachments
to anything real.

- She may have had
food and shelter,

but she lacked a real sense
of being loved.

I think writing and drawing

was a way for her
to express her emotions.

- Children in these situations

often take refuge
in their imagination.

For Tiana, that creative outlet
was in writing and drawing.

- Tiana seemed to have grown up

with a decent head
on her shoulders.

She did well in school,
had a decent part time job.

Eventually she enrolled
in a community

college writing program.

She was trying to establish
a solid life for herself.

- Work and school provided
some balance for Tiana,

but because of her childhood,

she craved stability
and security

on an intimate level.

That's when she met
Ethan Lawrence.

- Ethan was taking classes

at the same community college
as Tiana,

and we believe
that's where they met.

From what we know now,

I think Ethan was attracted
to her vulnerability.

She probably seemed like someone
he could control easily.

Ethan Lawrence
had reasons of his own

for wanting the intimacy
that Tiana could provide.

- I knew Ethan Lawrence
ever since he was born.

Me and Ethan's dad,

we served in the same
military police company

in the army,

and I can tell you,
being an army brat,

it's a hard way to grow up.

Ethan's dad was, well,
he was wired kind of tight.

Everything was supposed to go
just the way he said so,

and even if Ethan broke
some other rule,

you know,

just doing what kids like to do,
he'd get a beating.

- It's evident that some serious
control issues affected life

in the Lawrence household.

The father ruled
with an iron fist

over Ethan's mother
and Ethan himself.

Kids see how their parents act.

Those traits are hard to shake.

I think this would true
for Ethan.

Everything had to be exactly

how he thought it should be,
and if it wasn't--

- Stand back.
I swear I'm about to hurt you.

- He lashed out.

- If you leave now,
you're gone.

When Ethan and Tiana
meet they recognize the chance

to escape the fear
and isolation of their pasts.

- After only a few months
of dating, Ethan proposed.

- She accepted the ring
without hesitating,

and, I mean, why wouldn't she?

On the outside,
Ethan was perfect for her.

Their engagement
is supposed to be

the start of a new life,

but happiness can be elusive,

and by moving in together,

they set off
a deadly chain of events.

- After graduation,
they moved into

a small off-campus apartment.

It was then that they met

their new neighbors,
Brandon and Gabrielle.

- Gabrielle, nice to meet you.
Welcome. Hi.

- I'm Ethan.
- I'm Tiana.

- What we managed
to piece together

after interviewing dozens
of people

associated with this case,

we were able to create a chain
of events

relevant to the prosecution.

That chain basically begins
the first night

they all hung out in a group.

- You should have one now.

- Tiana was
undoubtedly thrilled

to have a friendly couple
next door.

Gabrielle seemed like someone
that could be a real friend.

Someone that she could trust.

But for Gabrielle,

friendship has never
come easily,

and trust is hard to come by.

- Gabrielle Tabarez was raised
in an extremely sheltered home,

almost deliberately
kept out of society.

- Gabrielle's family held deeply
conservative religious views

and lived
in a reclusive community

that segregated themselves
from the rest of society.

They lived life
by their own beliefs.

She was essentially
required to stay in the home

to care for her sick mother

who refused to see a doctor

based on their
religious principles,

likely having to watch
her mother die.

- Gabrielle was only 15,
which would have

made her mother's death
more traumatic,

but it also must have been
a relief

after caring for her for so long
and seeing her suffer.

- We know that Gabrielle
left home

almost immediately
after her mother's death.

Years later,
Gabrielle believes

she's finally found her ticket
to a better life

when she meets
Brandon Cashel.

- I went there just once, but--

- They met through
online dating

and were married
a few years later.

For Gabrielle, Brandon
represented financial security,

and a refuge from
the hard living

she had experienced
since leaving home.

- Hey, give me a beer.
- Brandon, on the other hand,

wanted the classic version
of a housewife,

and Gabrielle fit that to a T.

- Sounds good.

On the outside,
Brandon seems good-natured...

But he hides demons
of his own.

- What we learned during
the investigation

is that Brandon Cashel's
profile

showed a troubled childhood.

His parents had a pretty
miserable marriage,

so the house was always filled
with conflict and anger.

- Children often know how
to hide when there's trouble,

and this is what
gets imprinted emotionally.

As the child matures,
it's not always healthy.

- As an adult, Brandon
had very few real friends.

Most of his social contact
was online.

- His various online profiles
showed he stayed logged in

for hours and hours.

Most of that time
was spent playing

violent video games
like first-person shooters.

- The type of games
where he could kill, annihilate,

and crush his opponents,

the things he wasn't allowed
to do in real life.

Because in the real world,

Brandon is
an outgoing entrepreneur.

- What do you do?

- I run a fantasy game
and book store.

- Really?
- Yeah.

- His store was
the kind of place

you could spend hours

if you wanted to take a break
from real life.

- I went to school to be
a writer.

- Really?

- Oh, really?
- Yeah, yeah.

- We're actually
hiring right now.

- For Tiana, Brandon's offer
sounded like a dream job,

like somewhere
her love of fantasy

and real life
could kind of coexist.

- That is not gonna happen.

- It just didn't
sit well with Ethan.

He would have been mad
that some dude he just met

was getting between
him and his girl.

- Okay.
- You're extremely controlling.

- A man just don't interfere
with another man's woman

unless he has
an ulterior motive.

That was the way he was raised.

- You're not gonna come to me
and try to take my lady.

- I'm not trying to take
anything from you.

- We should probably go.

- What was that?

- To put it simply,
he didn't want to back down,

especially in front
of other people.

- I am speaking with you.

- Tiana was taken aback
by the entire thing.

She knew Ethan
could be difficult,

but this public outburst
was just embarrassing.

It was a side of him
that she had never seen before.

The next day, it's Brandon

who comes to their apartment
to apologize.

- I think Ethan knew he stepped
out of line

over that argument.

He had some
of his father in him.

It was that part of him
he didn't like.

No reason to hold a grudge,

and he really did
want Tiana to be happy.

- Honestly, man, if the job's
still open,

she would love that.

You excited?
-

For Tiana,
working at the game store

is a promising new chapter
in her life story.

- Well, Tiana was finally
in her element, you know,

and Brandon let her work
on her writing

while it was quiet
in the store.

It was a perfect fit.

- There was a commonality
between Brandon and Tiana

that drew them together.

She escaped reality through her fantasy writing and sketching,

and Brandon did the same thing
through his video gaming.

- As time went on,
Brandon actually read

some of Tiana's short fiction,

and he was very impressed.

- You should write on this.
You're a real writer.

Don't write on those scraps.

- Apparently that was
something that

Ethan never really took
the time to do.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

- The four of them spent
a lot of time together.

Tiana and Gabrielle were like
instant best friends,

and Brandon seemed
extremely happy also.

But the relationships

that develop
over the next few weeks

are not what they seem.

- I'm ready to go.

- Ethan, he was the only one
that was seeming hesitant.

Having these new people
sort of barge in

between them,
it bothered him.

The more Tiana thrives

among her friends
and colleagues,

the more resentful
Ethan becomes,

and it's only
a matter of time

before he completely
loses control.

- Syracuse is a midsize city,

and we see our share
of violent crime.

In my 19 years
as an investigator,

I've never seen
anything like this.

Ever.
Not even close.

Less than two months
after moving in,

22-year-old Tiana Beck

has become close
with her neighbors,

Gabrielle and Brandon,

but as she becomes closer
to them,

Ethan's grip on her tightens.

- No doubt Ethan was possessive.

He put a ring on Tiana's finger.

In his mind that meant
she belonged to him.

- From what we know
about Ethan,

in his mind
he truly loved Tiana.

He had their whole lives
planned out.

- What's up
with all this laughing?

- It's just Gabby.
She's funny.

- This would have been new
to her,

and she didn't realize
the effect it

was having on her life.

- That's enough.

- In Ethan's family
the man was the boss.

The woman followed the rules.

Tiana begins to realize

that Ethan may not be the man
she fell in love with.

It's not clear if she's
his fiancé

or his possession.

- Tiana dropped
by Gabrielle's place.

I think she wanted to talk
about her problems with Ethan.

- Hey.
- Hey. Where's Gabby?

I texted her.
She didn't answer.

- She wasn't feeling well.
She, uh, took a nap.

- Oh.

- I'll have her call you
when she gets up.

- Well, seeing Gabrielle
with a nasty bruise

left Tiana really worried.

She tried texting Gabrielle
many times with no reply.

Tiana couldn't believe that
Brandon would hurt Gabrielle.

He'd been such a good friend
to her and almost like a mentor,

you know,
when it came to her writing.

- You all right?
- Yeah.

Just tired.

- Are you sure?
- Tiana's instincts told her

something was wrong,

but she didn't know
where to turn.

Brandon was acting strangely,

she couldn't confide in Ethan,

and Gabrielle wasn't returning
her texts,

so she dismissed it.

Days passed
without any response

from Gabrielle,

until Tiana finally spots her
outside their building.

- Whoa,
I just wanted to stop you.

Um...

- Tiana encountered Gabrielle
two days later.

Gabrielle had tried to cover
her bruise with makeup,

but we know now
that Tiana was suspicious.

- Are you okay?
- I know what you saw.

- Gabrielle told her friend
that she and Brandon

had been experimenting in bed.

Role playing.

Nothing serious,

but it went
a bit too far one night.

No big deal.

- So did Tiana really believe
all that?

I don't know, really.

For the time being,
she just went along with it.

But Tiana
can't shake the feeling

that there's more to the story.

Alone with Brandon at work,

she presses him
for an explanation.

- Can I ask you something?
- Mm-hmm.

- So I saw Gabby the other day,

and she had a bunch of, like,
bruises and scratches.

I asked her about it,
and she told me

that you guys tend to play it

a little bit rough
in the bedroom.

- She told you that?
- Yeah.

Do you guys do that?

- Tiana had held Brandon
in such high regard.

This really shook her idea
of who her new friends were.

They wouldn't have
appeared to be

the kind of people to do that.

I think this was the moment
her instincts

about Brandon began to shift.

- Tiana brought up her concerns,

but Brandon backed up
Gabrielle's story,

and in our timeline
of the investigation,

that was the same day
that Robin Kilgust

came back into Tiana's life.

- Tiana?

Oh, my goodness.
I haven't seen you in so long.

How are you?

- I'm good.
- You look so great.

Robin Kilgust is
the sudden reminder

of Tiana's troubled childhood
in foster care.

- There's information
about Robin's early life.

It seems that her mother
and biological father

were drug addicts
living in the streets.

When Robin was about 12,

she was shunted into
the foster care system

which is where
her records began.

- Robin had never
experienced structured life

when she entered foster care,

and the transition was rough.

She acted out a lot,
sometimes violently,

which meant she was
moved frequently.

- I hate you!

- Robin's records do indicate

a single six-month period
of stability

before her discharge.

That period was when she shared
a foster home with Tiana Beck.

- Got you!

- Being friends with
Tiana appeared

to be the only meaningful,
emotional relationship

either woman
had in their childhood.

Their separation was devastating
to both of them.

- Kiss you.

After leaving
foster care,

her life went
on a downward spiral.

Robin searches for the
closeness she had with Tiana

chasing fleeting relationships
with both men and women.

- How are you?
- I'm good.

- Oh, my God.
I haven't seen you.

- How are you?

Tiana is overjoyed
to reconnect

with her only friend
from childhood.

- I can't believe I saw you
like this.

- Okay.

- Wow, she likes you.

- Tiana didn't have
people from her past.

So to meet up with Robin,

someone that she knew
as a child,

was very exciting for her.

You know, she wanted to show off
how far she'd come,

and only Robin would have known
how far that was.

- Were you fired
or did you quit?

- No, I just walked out.
- Oh, okay.

Tiana wastes no time

introducing Robin
to her new friends.

- I walk in
on my first day...

- So Robin was talkative
and friendly,

and, you know,
she just fit right in.

So suddenly having her around
was fine at first,

at least for Tiana
and Gabrielle.

- I just can't believe
that after all this time

you just show up
in my life again.

- For Ethan, he was now almost
an outsider in his own world.

Tiana was not
following his rules.

His world was spinning
out of control,

which was not good for him
or anyone around him.

- Oh, God, like,
I'm telling you--

- Ethan saw Tiana was
getting independence,

and that didn't sit well
with him at all.

- Day by day, Tiana seemed
to be slipping from his grasp.

And when he tried to hold
on tighter, it just got worse.

- That's it, that's it.

You're never here anymore.
You're driving me crazy.

- I'm working, I'm not--
- Working on what?

You're not working on us.

- He loved her.

Tiana was his life,

and he thought all these new
friends were driving her away.

- I'm just--
- You're just what?

- Ethan's troubles
were increasing

because even when he wanted
to show sincere emotions,

it came out
as intense and angry.

It was the only way
he knew how to act,

and it was actually
pushing Tiana

into an angry place as well.

She was regressing back
into the emotional state

she was in during foster care,

which Ethan didn't understand.

Her writings and drawings

were how she was able
to express her pain

and frustration with Ethan.

Ethan has pushed
Tiana to a breaking point,

and he has no idea
how close Tiana's

dark and violent thoughts
are to becoming a reality.

As Ethan becomes
more controlling

and her new found friends,
Brandon and Gabrielle,

appear to be hiding
a dark secret,

Tiana channels her feelings
of confusion and sadness

into anger.

It's only the return of Tiana's childhood best friend, Robin,

that provides her
some moments of happiness.

- From reading Robin's journals

we'd learned that
she'd developed

an unhealthy fixation on Tiana

after their encounter
at the game store.

- Robin's brief experience
with Tiana

triggered an emotional response

that, coupled with her already
fragile emotional state,

created the obsessive behavior.

- The journals indicated that
Robin began following Tiana

and watching her every move.

She had developed
a romantic interest in Tiana

that seemed very unhealthy.

- Okay, so this one is
really good for your kids.

I think that they'll
really like it.

It's a board game
and a kids game.

Robin has become
an almost constant presence

in Tiana's life.

- I'm so sorry.
Can you just--I'm so sorry.

- I was just listening
to a song,

and it made me think of you.

- Robin, I'm at work.

- Robin was delusional.

She was never loved as a child,

so it does make sense

that she wasn't able
to understand

that Tiana was rejecting her,

or she just refused
to accept it.

- Okay, so why don't we get
a drink after work, yeah?

- Okay, yeah, yeah, okay.

- Tiana was probably
not as honest

as she might have otherwise been

because she cared
for her friend.

- you.
- Okay.

- I would guess that
if Tiana knew the extent

or Robin's behavior
and motivations at the time,

she might have
taken actions sooner

to get Robin out of her life.

- Girlfriend troubles?

Here, why don't we
all get together?

I'll bring Gabby.

We'll go to the bar after work,
and we can meet up with her.

- Yeah, fine.

Going out with her friends

is starting to feel less
like a release for Tiana

and more like a chore.

- Up to this point,
Tiana had been

enjoying her new
circle of friends.

She started going out a lot

when she met Brandon
and Gabrielle,

and now that Robin
was in the mix

they were going out even more.

- Have you seen the two lesbians
over there?

- I can imagine
what Tiana must have felt.

Here's Robin, a treasured friend
from childhood,

but now she's latching
on to Tiana

in a very disturbing way.

Tiana would have been
torn between

rejecting her oldest friend

or accepting
the unwanted attention.

- Hey.
- What's up?

- Some of Tiana's socializing
was avoidance.

She didn't know how to handle
Ethan's controlling behavior.

Ethan was in a downward spiral.

The more Tiana stayed away,
the angrier Ethan became.

- We learned that Ethan,
fairly quickly,

stopped hanging out
with Brandon and Gabrielle,

refusing to go out
with them socially.

- That created a lot of tension

between Ethan and Tiana.

After another night
out with her friends,

Ethan's anger boils over
into a heated argument

with Tiana.

- I don't want to do
this right now.

- You what?

- I don't want to do
this right now.

- You are gonna do this.
It's me and you, okay?

I don't want you dealing
with those people anyway.

You don't need them.
You need me.

I love you,
I provide for you,

and that's all
that matters.

- Ethan really had only, like,
two settings,

love or anger.

- Stop it.
- Stop what?

Stop telling you
that I love you

and I need you
and it's only me and you?

- And at that point, he's
pretty much stuck with anger.

I don't think he could
switch it off.

- I said get over here.
Get over here, I'm--

- He would have been very scary,
just like his father could be.

- What are you doing?
Where are you going?

- Stop trying to control me.

- Are you kidding me?
I--

- When Tiana stood up to Ethan, that shocked him.

It would have been a huge shift
in their relationship.

She had taken power for herself,

and that wouldn't have
been something

he knew how to deal with.

- We have somebody new
at the--

- Tiana wouldn't have had
anywhere else to go.

To her Ethan was dangerous,

and Robin made her
uncomfortable.

That meant that Brandon
and Gabrielle

were the only people
she could turn to.

- Hey.
- Hey.

- Are you okay?

- Where from the outside
it really looked

like Tiana's friends
were there for her

and helping her
to solve her problems.

But taking a closer look,

things weren't actually
what they seemed.

- And today he was saying
that maybe

I shouldn't hang out
with you guys anymore.

- It's gonna be okay.

- Gabrielle would have been
very concerned for her friend.

Ethan was exhibiting
signs of abuse,

and that was something
that Gabrielle

would have taken very seriously.

- You don't need him
in your life.

- At that point she began

to press Tiana
to break up with Ethan.

- Like, I couldn't stand
him with you.

- Brandon had his own motives

for her to leave Ethan.

From what I learned, it seemed
that Tiana really needed

to feel a sense of family
and stability.

But at that point...

- That's it.
Get over here.

- Everyone in her life

was pulling her
in different directions,

attaching their own agendas
to her.

It didn't seem like many
of those motivations

were positive for Tiana.

Unsure of her next step,

Tiana doesn't return home
that night,

leaving her fiancé to fear
he's lost her forever.

- Brandon and Tiana
were at work,

but Tiana was being harassed
by incessant texting from Ethan.

- Ugh.

- These texts were not
expressing concern.

They were angry.

He wanted to know
where she had been.

Where she had stayed the night.

- He's being ridiculous.
"Where are you, where are you?"

- He know you're here, right?
- Yes, I'm at work.

Like, where else
would I be, right?

- Right.
- You know what I mean?

- Where have you been?
- What?

- Where have you been?
- Ethan was fired up.

Ethan should have backed down
on the idea

that Tiana was his property,

but the kid just didn't get it.

- We have surveillance video
and eyewitness testimony,

so there's no doubt about
what happened next.

- Let's go.
You're coming with me right now.

- No, don't touch me
like that.

- Let's go.
Get going right now.

- Hey, hey!
What are you doing?

These five lives have become dangerously intertwined

and are at a boiling point.

- Get--get over here.

When Ethan tracks
down Tiana at her work...

- Where have you been?

He loses control.

- No, you don't you touch me.
- You're coming with me.

- As far as we know,

Ethan had never put his hands
on Tiana before that day.

From what we saw
on surveillance,

it appeared to me that Ethan
was near a breaking point.

- Don't.
- Get out right now.

- I didn't do anything.
I'm not going.

- What are you doing?
This is my shop.

- You don't you touch me.

- At that point,
Brandon intervened

and a physical altercation
broke out between them.

- If you don't back off,
I swear I'm about--

- Shut up, shut up.

All right, you do not
touch her like that.

- Brandon wouldn't have needed
any provocation

to go after Ethan.

Being aggressive
was a natural reaction for him.

- I'm coming back for this store, I swear to you.

- It would have been as though

he had stepped
into one of the video games.

- I'm coming back for this
store, I swear to you.

Hey.
- Watch.

Get over here!

- Luckily, the altercation ended
without real violence.

Overwhelmed and upset,

Tiana feels the walls
closing in.

- She was isolated.

She couldn't go home
and risk facing her

potentially abusive boyfriend.

She didn't feel entirely safe
around Brandon either.

- Even though it appeared that
Brandon was protecting Tiana,

any form of confrontation

was becoming too much
for her to take emotionally.

She felt that she had no one
to turn to

and was starting to unravel.

The day of the fight, Robin plans

another of her unexpected
drop-ins at the store.

- Hey.
- Hi.

- Robin knew exactly how to take
advantage of Tiana,

so they suggested

they have a girls' night out
and get some drinks.

At home,
Brandon is still furious

from his altercation
with Ethan.

- I'll kill you.
- Yeah, what are you gonna do?

- Unfortunately, Gabrielle
was unaware

of the fight at the store.

If she had known about it,
she probably would have had

a better understanding
of how angry Brandon was.

- Brandon was
the type of person

that would internalize
his aggression

until it boiled over.

And when you don't express
emotions, especially anger,

it gradually becomes
more difficult to control.

Once again he took
that anger out on Gabrielle.

Across town, Robin
is plying Tiana with drinks

and clearly has
an ulterior motive.

- Look, you've had
a really long day.

Why don't we just
knock a couple back, huh?

Let's do shots.

Robin sees the opportunity

to take advantage
of her fragile state of mind.

- This moment was
as close to real intimacy

with someone
that Robin had ever had.

Tiana was the one person in her life that had cared for her.

- We learned
from the bartender

that Robin was practically
pouring them down her throat.

He cut them off,
but it was too late.

As the night continues on,

with Tiana's defenses down,
her resistance fades.

- Witnesses report that
at about 9:00 that night,

Robin and Tiana left together.

Tiana was incapacitated.

She couldn't even walk
without Robin's help.

- Hey.
I got you.

- Tiana woke up
in Robin's bed.

It's unknown whether anything
sexual happened between them.

- Oh.
- Good morning.

- Tiana was already experiencing
extreme instability.

Spending the night with Robin

would have pushed her
down a dark path.

Tiana completely
rejected Robin.

- Hey, you're fine.
You had too much to drink.

I just took you home.

- I--I got to go.

- For someone like Robin,

Tiana's rejection

would have hit her very hard.

And at that point--

- You're not going to do this.
- I'm sorry.

- No one could have known

what Robin might
really be capable of.

- Tiana.

Don't you dare leave!

The lives of Brandon, Gabrielle, Tiana,

Ethan, and Robin
approach a point of no return.

After fleeing
Robin's aggressive advances,

Tiana turns to Gabrielle
for guidance.

But Gabrielle is nowhere
to be found.

- We were able to pull
cell phone records,

so we knew exactly when Tiana
called Gabrielle's number,

and we know that someone
answered that phone.

- There was definitely
something strange

about that phone call.

For one thing, Brandon answered,
not Gabrielle.

He said he and Gabrielle

were visiting Gabrielle's
cousins for a few days.

That just didn't make
any sense.

- Gabrielle had not been
in contact with her family

for several years,

but the main concern
at that point was

why Gabrielle
hadn't answered her own phone.

Days passed
without Gabrielle returning

or Brandon coming to work
at the game store.

- We believe Tiana had been
sleeping in her car

for a few days when Brandon
and Gabrielle were missing.

Tiana starts to panic.

- Every single person
in Tiana's life was failing her.

Her relationship was over,

and her other friends
had abandoned her

when she needed them the most.

These events would have
left her unstable.

She was falling deeper
and deeper

into a dark emotional place.

With nowhere to go

and vulnerable
to a breaking point,

Tiana decides to go
back to Ethan.

- I was, you know,
very surprised

when I learned how he reacted.

- I wanted to say sorry
for everything that happened.

- But then Ethan's true colors
came out.

- And understand that
I'm the head of the household.

- He was calm, but had become
even more controlling.

- I want you to know things
are gonna change.

- Ethan demanded that Tiana cut

all ties
with Brandon and Gabrielle

and started looking
for new apartments.

- It's gonna be me and you.
Nobody else.

Follow my directions,

and we're gonna have
a great time together.

Tiana seems to submit to Ethan's control,

that is until she could write
a new ending to this story.

- And then Tiana received a text
that she could not ignore.

- Tiana hadn't seen or heard
from Gabrielle in days.

- What happened?

- The mental state of both
these women

would have been very fragile
at that point.

- He just started beating me
so hard,

like never before.

- Tiana would have only seen
to run away.

Gabrielle is terrified.

Brandon threatened her
within an inch of her life,

but she's determined
to go back

for the money she has hidden
in her apartment.

- Gabby, I do not want you
going back there.

But Gabrielle convinces Tiana

that Brandon is back at work,

and Tiana won't
let her go alone.

- Ah!
Let her go.

- Agh.

- I first learned about
this homicide

when hikers discovered
human remains

in a state park near Albany.

It wasn't even a whole body.

So we sent teams looking
in woodlands

all across the county.

Probably the most important
piece was the hand.

Tiana and Gabrielle's decision

to return home will ultimately
cost someone their life.

But who was the victim

and who was the killer?

On June 20, 2013,

the dismembered body
of a homicide victim

is found near
Syracuse, New York.

- We knew we had a female
about 22 years old.

Whoever dismembered her
had tried

to burn off her fingerprints,

but we were able to pull
a partial off the woman's thumb.

Forensic evidence confirms

the victim's identity

is Tiana Beck.

Investigators quickly focus
on her fiancé, Ethan.

- When we learned how volatile

Ethan and Tiana's relationship
had become,

he was instantly
our main suspect.

- But, this isn't happening.

- But we were able to pretty
quickly rule him out

based on cell phone records.

He had a solid alibi.

And it was Ethan
that gave investigators

the lead they needed.

- Ethan called us.

He'd gotten Tiana's effects back
from the coroner

and her engagement ring
was missing.

- We started canvassing
pawn shops.

48 hours later
we had a positive ID.

- With the proof that Brandon
pawned Tiana's ring,

it gave us probable cause
to search the apartment.

- Brandon Cashel had pawned
that ring the day

after we believed Tiana
was murdered.

We also found blood
and body tissue

in the tub in their apartment.

Brandon and Gabrielle

are brought in
for questioning.

- Brandon denied everything.

But that ring,
that did it.

Overwhelmed by guilt,

Brandon's wife Gabrielle
confesses

to her own involvement.

- Tiana and Gabrielle entered
the apartment building

at approximately 3:45 p.m.

- I'll just be five minutes.
- Okay, hurry.

- Contrary to
their expectations,

Brandon actually was at home
when they entered the apartment.

- Aah!

- I thought I told you
to stay home.

- Oh, my God. Let her go.

Stop.
Stop it.

- Unfortunately,
what Tiana didn't realize

was the depth of Brandon's
rage and anger.

- No!

- It's often difficult for
abuse victims

to confront their abusers.

But in many cases the victim
does find the strength

to fight back.

But Gabrielle
can't bring herself to kill.

- Tiana Beck was strangled
to death by Brandon Cashel.

And now,
Brandon has crossed over

from abuser to murderer.

- To be honest,
it's sort of shocking to me

that Brandon
let Gabrielle live.

My only guess is that
he needed help with the body.

- She saw Brandon kill Tiana,

then watched him dismember
the corpse.

- Brandon was easy to convict.

He went down on second degree
murder

with malice aforethought.

He's doing a 50 year minimum.

- It's hard to say
that Gabrielle was innocent.

She did help Brandon
to dismember the body

and then get rid of it.

- Tiana's death would have
been devastating for Robin.

She lost the person she'd been
living for since childhood.

I really can't imagine how
anyone could recover from that.

- As for Ethan, I believe
he will carry the weight

of what happened
for the rest of his life.