S3: E5 – The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. Justin Rutherford

Transcript

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Speaker 24 Every defendant has the right to what we call allocution. They have the right to speak on their own behalf.
As a prosecutor, I have seen a lot of defendants give statements and I have seen it range.

Speaker 24 I've seen defendants be apologetic and truly apologetic. I've seen some of them apologize to their own families.

Speaker 24 But in my opinion, his allocation was one of the weirdest allocations I've heard in my whole career.

Speaker 26 I'm Andrea Gunning.

Speaker 27 This is Betrayal Season 3, Episode 5.

Speaker 17 The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs.

Speaker 27 Justin Rutherford.

Speaker 30 The charges against Justin Rutherford could put him in prison for decades.

Speaker 5 Tyler was the chief witness against him.

Speaker 27 So Justin had tried on several occasions to persuade Tyler to recant his statement to detectives.

Speaker 33 When that didn't work, He concocted a plan to eliminate Tyler.

Speaker 1 Justin had sent letters to his godmother Nanny Dee, begging her to find someone to murder him.

Speaker 27 And he even solicited a cellmate in county jail to do the job.

Speaker 36 None of those efforts had paid off.

Speaker 37 Monday, May 1st, 2023 at 11.29 a.m., Reading, Pennsylvania.

Speaker 12 Two and a half years after Justin was arrested, Stacey, Tyler, their family, and friends arrived at the Berks County Courthouse.

Speaker 35 The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania versus Justin Rutherford.

Speaker 33 Justin sat at the defense table dressed in yellow prison scrubs and watched his former family file in.

Speaker 37 I wondered what they were all thinking in that moment.

Speaker 22 Here's Stacey's daughter, Michaela.

Speaker 25 When I first walked into the courtroom, it was pretty overwhelming.

Speaker 25 The door was like a big heavy door, so you could hear it creak and open up pretty loudly. And he kind of turned his head and we made eye contact.

Speaker 25 And then I turned my head away from him because I was like, don't look at me.

Speaker 22 Tyler was taken aback.

Speaker 40 I thought, wow, he looks a lot different than I remember.

Speaker 40 That does look like him. Like, he looked like a ghost.

Speaker 40 You could definitely tell he had lost some weight. Like, it's almost like, holy shit, I can see what the monster looks like now.

Speaker 24 He turned around and it was one of the first times I had seen him in a very long time and seeing him chained like an animal was really tough for me

Speaker 24 and I don't know why because I feel like I should have felt some kind of joy in that and I and I didn't.

Speaker 24 So it was really hard, you know, just to see him for the first time.

Speaker 35 Michaela's husband Tommy was focused on the outcome of the proceedings.

Speaker 29 I was worried the justice system was going to let us down. He was a doctor and all that.
They were going to take that into account and be like, oh, well, he's not that bad of a person.

Speaker 29 We'll just give him a slap on the wrist.

Speaker 42 We were able to obtain transcripts of the court proceedings.

Speaker 35 And what you're about to hear is a reenactment of what happened that day.

Speaker 29 Good morning, Your Honor.

Speaker 43 Miss McCallum, representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Speaker 27 There was no jury.

Speaker 44 There would be no trial.

Speaker 33 For all of Justin's posturing and proclamations of innocence, he made a plea deal with the prosecutor in the case.

Speaker 35 Justin Rutherford pled guilty to rape of a child, rape of an unconscious victim, filming sexual acts with the knowledge that the subject is a minor, and he pled no contest to six counts of invasion of privacy for viewing and photographing people without their consent.

Speaker 27 Justin was also charged with criminal solicitation to commit murder in the first degree.

Speaker 26 But he would not be tried or sentenced for that on this day.

Speaker 39 He would answer for that charge nine months after this one.

Speaker 43 Your Honor, the defendant pled guilty to a charge agreement open plea on October 17th, 2022.

Speaker 22 An open plea is when the defense and prosecution agree ahead of the sentencing on what the charges are, but not on what the sentence will be.

Speaker 31 The judge has full discretion.

Speaker 39 She would ultimately decide Justin's fate.

Speaker 25 State your name for the record?

Speaker 29 Justin Rutherford.

Speaker 44 Thank you.

Speaker 29 All right, Miss McCollum.

Speaker 43 Thank you, Your Honor. Count one is 14.
The standard range is 6 to 40 years.

Speaker 17 What you're hearing is the prosecutor Meghman Callum reading the prison sentence ranges for each count.

Speaker 33 The judge would have great latitude in sentencing Justin.

Speaker 43 Count 14, rape of an unconscious person. The standard range is 48 to 66 years.

Speaker 25 She was reading them fairly quickly. I'm sitting there like, you know, counting on my fingers, but I couldn't keep track.

Speaker 22 Before sentencing, victims would have their opportunity to make a statement, and then Justin would have his.

Speaker 43 Your Honor, at this time, I would call forward Stacey Rutherford.

Speaker 35 Equipped with the victim impact statement she had written and rewritten countless times, she now faced the man she once shared a life with.

Speaker 24 I had to walk through where the district attorney and his attorney was sitting past him to a podium right in front of the judge.

Speaker 24 And I asked if I could turn the podium to him

Speaker 24 because I wanted to look at him. I wanted him to see my face when I was reading what I said to him.

Speaker 24 When we got up to read, it was a different emotion. It was fear, you know, of finally confronting him and getting to say.
what we wanted to say because

Speaker 24 I felt like for the first couple years, we didn't didn't really have a voice.

Speaker 22 We asked Stacey to reread her victim impact statement for this episode.

Speaker 24 The last two years of our lives have been a complete nightmare because of you. When I met you, I never imagined how disgusting or destructive you would be.

Speaker 24 Our home was supposed to be a place where our children felt safe from monsters like you. You are pure evil.

Speaker 24 I'm so thankful the truth about who you are was discovered so that I am able to protect my children from you and the further damage you could have caused.

Speaker 24 The abuse you subjected Tyler to for six years has been described as scarier than Jeffrey Dahmer.

Speaker 24 Your evil schemes were an attempt to take peace out of our home, but we refuse to stay scared.

Speaker 35 Stacy looked at her ex-husband, hoping for some kind of reaction.

Speaker 24 I did feel in control for once, but then I realized that it wasn't phasing him.

Speaker 24 At one point, he leaned over to like say something to his lawyer, and everything in me wanted to just say, Listen to me, give me five minutes.

Speaker 24 You can't give me five minutes to tell you what you've done to me and your children's lives.

Speaker 24 Despite Justin's indifference, Stacy continued, You once held honorable names: husband, father,

Speaker 18 doctor, and friend.

Speaker 24 Now, the words to define you are pedophile, murderer, monster, narcissist, sociopath, and coward.

Speaker 24 You robbed my children of growing up in a home with both of their parents. You stole from them having their father at birthdays, proms, graduations, weddings, births of their babies.

Speaker 29 Our daughter will not have her father walk her down the aisle.

Speaker 24 Our son will not have his father take him to sports or teach him to drive a car.

Speaker 24 You foolishly chose to miss the most important moments in their lives, and I am confident you will spend the rest of your miserable life longing to be a part of these moments.

Speaker 46 What Stacy yearned for was a flicker of empathy, of recognition, and true remorse for the damage he inflicted.

Speaker 24 I wanted him to understand what he took from them.

Speaker 46 There was more.

Speaker 24 Instead of taking responsibility for your heinous actions, you have repeatedly blamed my child and the other victims.

Speaker 24 And in your pitiful last-ditch efforts to save yourself, you tried to take my son's life twice.

Speaker 24 You chose to give my child a life sentence when you put your hands on him. Why do you deserve any less than spending the rest of your miserable life in jail?

Speaker 24 You wanted mercy shown to you, but how many times did you show him mercy?

Speaker 24 When plotting his death, did you extend mercy to him?

Speaker 24 You will have to live the rest of your life tortured by the choice of who you are. We will not.

Speaker 24 There are things you have taken from us, but you will not take the lives we still have left to live or the plan that God has for our lives. You will not take another thing from Tyler.

Speaker 24 You have created a lot of damage, but we refuse to let it be carried over to our future.

Speaker 24 You don't get the privilege to know your children or see them grow up to be the beautiful adults they will become because you gave them.

Speaker 44 The only thing Justin did seem to care about were the two children he and Stacy had together.

Speaker 24 I thought that maybe even bringing that part up about them would have triggered something in him.

Speaker 4 But it didn't.

Speaker 24 Your Honor, from the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you. Thank you to the DA's office, Meg McCallum, and District Attorney John Adams.
We are forever grateful for your hard work and dedication.

Speaker 45 As Stacy walked back to her seat, the judge asked, is there any other victim who wishes to speak at this time?

Speaker 40 My mom, for the longest time, wanted me to write a victim statement and like the court sent me something if I wanted to write one.

Speaker 40 And I was completely against it, had no desire to do so, to talk to him or. give him my word at all.

Speaker 25 He wasn't going to say anything. He didn't prepare anything.
He didn't want to talk.

Speaker 24 And then out of nowhere, he said yes.

Speaker 25 And my first immediate reaction is, oh shit, Tyler's going to jail.

Speaker 24 I think Michaela and I kind of both had the same thought for a second. We kind of looked at each other and it was one of those, oh shit, kind of moments.

Speaker 29 Like,

Speaker 24 this could be bad. This could be really bad.

Speaker 25 I'm like, but we got bail money and savings, so I guess we'll go get him.

Speaker 40 Once my mom had gotten done reading her statement and anyone else who had one, they were like, does anybody else want want to talk? And I was like, well, I guess I'm freestyling it.

Speaker 43 Your Honor, Commonwealth calls Tyler.

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Speaker 43 Your Honor, Commonwealth calls Tyler.

Speaker 40 I was definitely nervous, like my heart was racing walking up to there.

Speaker 12 We also asked Tyler if he was open to reading what he said in court that day using the transcript from the proceedings.

Speaker 40 You had me at my lowest. I had nightmares, but not anymore, because I worked on myself.
But at one point, I had nightmares so scary I would wake up. I would hear and see things that weren't there.

Speaker 40 I tried to kill myself, and I had to stay in the hospital for a week and a half, with therapists evaluating me non-stop.

Speaker 40 I've struggled with mental health problems, and I'm finally getting better.

Speaker 40 I have anxiety so bad I wake up every morning and I puke because of it. Every morning before I go to school, I puke.
Any sort of thing that worries me whatsoever, it makes me physically sick.

Speaker 40 Now I've learned how to deal with all these problems.

Speaker 29 I was a little boy then.

Speaker 40 You could manipulate me. Now I'm a grown man.
I'm just as big as you, and I'm not scared. You're the weak one.
You're the one in chains. I'm graduating early because I'm making something of my life.

Speaker 40 I'm gonna have a house here in a few years, car, family, while you're sitting behind bars. You lost all that.

Speaker 40 That's all I have to say.

Speaker 13 I was not expecting that.

Speaker 25 What he said, not even being prepared and on the fly, was beautiful and

Speaker 2 took a lot of strength.

Speaker 40 I was really proud of myself, and I felt like a badass, to be honest. And reading the transcripts back, I'm like, damn, I can't believe I just came up with all that on the spot.

Speaker 24 I think it was perfect.

Speaker 22 The victims had spoken.

Speaker 46 The prosecutor was ready to make her case for the maximum sentence.

Speaker 43 Your Honor, at the plea, the defendant admitted to his sexual abuse of Tyler for six years, and it continued until July of the year that he was caught.

Speaker 43 And he was caught only because there was a brave young man who happened to see a hidden camera in the bathroom of the defendant's home that he shared with his family.

Speaker 43 Your Honor received a sentencing memorandum from the defense counsel. What stuck out to me most is the leniency that they are requesting on the fact that the defendant was a doctor.

Speaker 43 The fact that he was a doctor is not something that this court should indicate as a mitigator for any sentence Your Honor chooses to impose.

Speaker 27 Asking for leniency because he was a doctor?

Speaker 26 If anything, that would be an aggravating factor. A doctor should know just how damaging his actions were.

Speaker 43 Like the court did when she first became a lawyer and when you took the oath to become a judge, the defendant took the Hippocratic oath when he stood up to be a doctor.

Speaker 43 And part of that oath says, May I always act to preserve the finest traditions of my colleague and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.

Speaker 43 If I ever break this oath, let my gods take away my knowledge of this art and my own health. May I be destroyed if I betray these words.
The defendant betrayed those words in the worst way possible.

Speaker 43 He swore an oath to protect people, violated that in secret in hopes that he would never be caught.

Speaker 43 The defendant, who I will describe as a narcissist, is only worried about the repercussions to himself.

Speaker 43 He went to great lengths because he doesn't like how hard the bed is, and that he's depressed because he's jailed, and all of these things that affect him.

Speaker 43 And went through the lengths of trying to convince his godmother to hire someone to kill Tyler.

Speaker 43 Your Honor, the defendant deserves to remain in jail for the rest of his life.

Speaker 39 And how much time was the state specifically asking for?

Speaker 43 I ask Your Honor to impose a sentence of 26 to 70 years, followed by 12 years of probation.

Speaker 43 Additionally, Your Honor, I would ask for special conditions that the defendant have no contact with any minor, including his biological children.

Speaker 34 You heard that, right?

Speaker 17 The state was asking for up to 70 years in prison and absolutely no contact with any minor.

Speaker 22 Before the judge would hand down her sentence, the defendant has the right to address the court one last time.

Speaker 5 So, Justin Rutherford made one last attempt to explain why he deserved mercy.

Speaker 22 He first addressed the judge.

Speaker 29 Today, I stand before you a broken man. Over the course of these charges, there's been a lot of pain and hurt.

Speaker 29 I lost my family, my friends, my career, my home, and the DA is preventing me from seeing my kids. I'm at rock bottom.
I know I'm not the only one hurting.

Speaker 29 I would like to say that, as a physician, though, I served my community well.

Speaker 29 I never had any patients complain on me. I treated them all with respect.

Speaker 29 None of the invasion of privacy charges stemmed from my patients or the office. I never violated their HIPAA or their privacy.

Speaker 29 I put all of my energy into being the best I could professionally and taking care of my patients.

Speaker 29 Unfortunately, I forgot to take care of myself.

Speaker 29 The strange thing is,

Speaker 29 I don't know how to explain it,

Speaker 29 except to say that I was hiding from myself my sexual orientation.

Speaker 29 Not everyone's mind agrees with their body.

Speaker 29 After participating fully in the treatment at the jail, I figured out a lot about myself.

Speaker 29 I straightened myself out, as well as coming to terms with some of the traumas I experienced in my past as well.

Speaker 29 I wish I had the wisdom to have gotten help before,

Speaker 29 but I was scared and worried about what it would do to my family and my career.

Speaker 29 Your Honor,

Speaker 29 in every other area of my life, I am a law-abiding citizen.

Speaker 29 I'm just a boring old family man who made some poor errors in judgment due to a condition I suffer from.

Speaker 29 I love my stepson with all my heart.

Speaker 29 I've never physically assaulted my wife, kids, stepkids, or anyone.

Speaker 29 I rarely ever even raise my voice at them.

Speaker 44 He didn't seem to make the connection between pleading guilty to raping a child and physical assault.

Speaker 29 Your Honor, I'm asking you,

Speaker 29 pleading with you, and begging with you to ignore the DA's recommendation for sentencing. I'm asking you for mercy this one time.

Speaker 29 My first ever charge.

Speaker 29 God sent me here to correct my my temptation and force me to repent.

Speaker 29 As I ask for God's mercy,

Speaker 29 I ask for yours.

Speaker 29 Thank you, Your Honor.

Speaker 22 It's like he's talking about a speeding ticket. Justin still thought he was entitled to some kind of pass.

Speaker 29 Can I turn to address my family?

Speaker 45 No, you can direct it at me if there's something you want to say.

Speaker 29 Tyler, I have prayed for an opportunity to face you, to look you in the eyes and work this out.

Speaker 29 This might sound strange to you, but just like when your mom and I argue,

Speaker 29 I can't stand there being tension between us.

Speaker 29 For several years, you were my best friend, my shadow. I'm gonna stop you.

Speaker 40 They stopped him about like a few words into a statement and was like, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Speaker 45 This is not about you directing your comments to the court.

Speaker 45 Are the victims comfortable with him addressing you? If you are not, I will stop it.

Speaker 40 I like rose my hand in the middle of the court and I was like, nope. I wanted to hear what he had to say, even if it was all bullshit.

Speaker 40 He'd already written it, so I was like, fine, say what you want to say.

Speaker 44 The judge allowed Justin to continue.

Speaker 29 I have become aware through all of this that you experienced bad times as well.

Speaker 29 I'm totally sorry that I have caused you pain.

Speaker 29 It was never my intention to cause you harm.

Speaker 29 You know it's not me.

Speaker 29 I will fully admit I had fear expressing my sexual orientation for a long time.

Speaker 29 I don't know what you heard about me since all of this came out,

Speaker 29 but I swear to you that

Speaker 29 you know

Speaker 29 you were the only one that I was like that with in that way.

Speaker 29 You were the only one I ever planned to be with in that degree.

Speaker 29 To be honest, it might sound crazy, but it had nothing to do with your age.

Speaker 29 It had only to do about who you were, who you are.

Speaker 40 I didn't take my eyes off of him. He didn't take his eyes off me.
I just kept my Billy Badass mean face. I was mean dogging him and just kept staring at him.

Speaker 40 It wasn't bothering me at the start, but as he kept going,

Speaker 40 it just got creepier and creepier.

Speaker 26 Then Justin revealed something.

Speaker 41 Everyone froze in their seats.

Speaker 29 I mean,

Speaker 29 love can strike you at any point.

Speaker 29 You know, look at Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. There's 15 years of an age difference.

Speaker 29 To counteract any negative feelings you've ever had about me or feel towards me,

Speaker 29 I hope you think of all the times I tried to steer you down the right path.

Speaker 29 How I rewarded you for good grades that led you to being a straight A student.

Speaker 29 I was there when you cried about a bully on the bus.

Speaker 24 He said some pretty odd things to Tyler. I think that it turned from an abusive situation to ultimately the end he believed he was in a relationship with Tyler.

Speaker 24 That he was Tyler's lover.

Speaker 29 Every day. For the past 21 months, I've been apart from you.

Speaker 29 I'm very sorry. I gave you every piece of my heart and soul.

Speaker 29 And I'm sorry if I failed you.

Speaker 44 Even in his elocution, Justin still tried to manipulate Tyler.

Speaker 29 I hope for your success. And I hope you still consider going into sports medicine.
I'm proud of you.

Speaker 29 I pray for your healing, love, forgiveness, and mercy.

Speaker 29 And I'll love you always, buddy.

Speaker 38 Justin was looking at Tyler, and Tyler was staring back at him.

Speaker 44 Stacey, on the other hand, had her eyes squarely fixed on the decision maker in the room, the judge.

Speaker 24 As he read his letter,

Speaker 24 you could see the disgust on her face. At one point, she took her glasses off.
And she put her face in her hands. And all I could think of was, are you not looking at this?

Speaker 29 Are you not watching her?

Speaker 24 She was gonna throw the book at him.

Speaker 40 Once he was done talking to me, I kind of just shook it off, and I was good.

Speaker 30 After that, Justin turned his attention to Stacey.

Speaker 29 Stacy,

Speaker 29 I'm not even sure what to say to you because there are no words to tell you how sorry I am for what I put you through.

Speaker 29 Every part of my personality was genuine.

Speaker 29 When it came to caring, hoping, loving,

Speaker 29 or helping, laughter,

Speaker 29 etc.,

Speaker 29 all of that was my true me.

Speaker 29 But I did deceive you about my sexual orientation.

Speaker 29 And for that,

Speaker 29 I'm sorry.

Speaker 22 I must stop here for just a moment.

Speaker 5 Justin is implying that he was deceptive about being gay.

Speaker 11 Maybe he is gay. Maybe he isn't.

Speaker 30 It's irrelevant.

Speaker 27 Justin is a sexually violent predator.

Speaker 27 It's important not to conflate his supposed sexuality with acting on his impulse to sexually abuse children, as well as observing non-consenting people in their private time.

Speaker 24 Voyeurism.

Speaker 29 I failed you.

Speaker 29 I failed our marriage. And I wish I could have been everything you wanted.

Speaker 29 I still believe we were made to be soulmates.

Speaker 29 You were an amazing spouse and didn't deserve any of this.

Speaker 29 At least, out of all of this, we have our two wonderful kids.

Speaker 22 Finally, Justin turned to Stacy's daughter.

Speaker 29 Michaela.

Speaker 29 I'm sorry for any pain or suffering I've caused you as well.

Speaker 29 I'm sorry for the worsening of your mental health. I'm sorry I couldn't be the father you wanted and deserve.
I love you so much.

Speaker 29 Do you know why I always supported your relationships and sexuality?

Speaker 29 I was happy you were expressing your true self, which is something I always wanted.

Speaker 25 So the first part of his letter to me started out basically saying like, You're the only one in this courtroom who understands me because you dated a woman before.

Speaker 29 Just like you, I was searching for my true perfect match.

Speaker 29 Sometimes, though, who you are and what you want clash.

Speaker 29 Just like you, I made the decision you are making because of the desire for kids.

Speaker 29 Another way we are alike.

Speaker 25 I'm ready to flip my lid, right? Like, do not compare me dating two girls in my lifetime to

Speaker 31 you being a predator.

Speaker 29 I wish you the best of life, and I'm happy I played a part in getting you there.

Speaker 29 I hope you will maintain contact.

Speaker 29 Just know, I'll always consider you my daughter, and I pray for your success, love, and healing.

Speaker 29 Thank you, Your Honor.

Speaker 25 So I'm sitting there like, fuck you.

Speaker 25 To me, that was like, you're literally showing no remorse, which we already knew that from his letters to mom and Tyler, but that was just more ammo to be like, you don't care.

Speaker 26 The judge would consider everything she had just heard.

Speaker 5 She would take the prosecutor's recommendation, victim impact statements, and letters that supporters had submitted into her chambers.

Speaker 26 When she returned, she would deliver the sentence.

Speaker 17 ADA McCallum had one last request.

Speaker 43 Your Honor, if I just may, I know I asked for no contact with minors, but I would also ask for no contact with any of the victims.

Speaker 45 Thank you, Counsel.

Speaker 29 I'll be back.

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Speaker 47 A decade ago, I was on the trail of one of the country's most elusive serial killers. But it wasn't until 2023 when he was finally caught.
The answers were there, hidden in plain sight.

Speaker 47 So why did it take so long to catch him? I'm Josh Zeman, and this is Monster, Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer, the investigation into the most notorious killer in New York, since the son of Sam.

Speaker 47 Available now. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 39 13 minutes.

Speaker 46 That's all the time the judge needed to decide on Justin's sentence and emerge from chambers.

Speaker 45 First, I'd like to say to the victims and their family, I hope that today brings you some type of closure.

Speaker 45 I can't undo what was done.

Speaker 45 It sounds to me like you guys are sticking together, taking care of each other, and getting yourselves the services that you need to begin to heal from all of this. But I'll do my part.

Speaker 45 I think the difficult thing about these is the insidiousness that comes with this type of abuse, especially within a family, because the abuser is, in fact, someone in a place of trust and maybe even love.

Speaker 45 It is very confusing for a young person to decipher all of those feelings, and that's squarely on you, Mr. Rutherford.

Speaker 45 I don't know if it was you or your defense counsel who said about this being difficult for me to render a sentence. I can assure you, I don't find this difficult.

Speaker 45 You and your choices have removed that difficulty from me. Your own biological children, sadly, are collateral victims of all this.
Because of your choices,

Speaker 45 you're right.

Speaker 45 They will grow up without a father.

Speaker 45 I'm of the mind that, at this point,

Speaker 45 that could be a really good thing for them.

Speaker 40 As soon as the judge started laying out everything, I immediately was like, oh, he's fucked.

Speaker 45 When I read your letter and your desire that somehow, if I could mitigate or be in the bottom of the standard range, that you would be able to get out and be a family man.

Speaker 45 That ship has sailed, my friend, long ago.

Speaker 29 Long ago.

Speaker 45 You stopped being a family man the second you laid your hands on those boys.

Speaker 33 The judge sentenced Justin Rutherford to 26 years and 10 months up to 70 years in prison, along with 12 years of special probation after his release.

Speaker 45 You will have no contact with the victims in this case. In addition, though, you will have no contact with any minors, including your own biological children.

Speaker 30 He would also be required to register as a sexually violent predator. But remember, this sentence didn't include the solicitation to commit murder charge that was still to come.

Speaker 23 Although the sentence had been handed down, the judge wanted to be even more explicit about one part of her sentence.

Speaker 45 I found your comments, specifically to Tyler, to be extremely disturbing. So no contact means no contact.

Speaker 45 including through third parties. That means not by letter, not by text, not by phone, not by carrier pigeon, not through nanny D, not through anyone.
You cannot say, tell my children that I love them.

Speaker 45 You cannot say, tell the kids daddy was thinking of them. Nothing.
No contact means no contact whatsoever with any minors whatsoever.

Speaker 45 Am I clear?

Speaker 29 Yes, ma'am. Can I ask a question?

Speaker 29 That applies until they're 18, right?

Speaker 45 No.

Speaker 45 This order applies through the length of your sentence and well beyond the day either of your children turn 18.

Speaker 45 You can have no contact with them for as long as you are on supervision. For the length of your supervision, you may have no contact with them, including their families.

Speaker 40 She said, nope, you'll never see him ever again. And I was like, oh my God, like she's not playing around.

Speaker 25 And she was like really firm about it

Speaker 25 unless you live to be 110 years old you will never see or talk to your children ever again

Speaker 25 he kind of just dropped his head and said okay and you just heard like the defeat in his voice you almost want to look at him and be like did you really think you were gonna see your kids

Speaker 40 he like sealed his fate pretty much with the letter he read to me.

Speaker 40 He kind of admitted to some shit in it and like admitted to his fucked up way of thinking and proved that he should not be allowed on the streets again.

Speaker 42 As Justin was escorted from the courtroom, Stacey was finally able to take a deep breath.

Speaker 24 I think there was a huge part of me that was relieved at how long it was because I knew there was a possibility that it could be less.

Speaker 24 Meg had been in constant contact with me as far as what she was going for as the sentence, but you know, ultimately at the end, it was the judge's decision.

Speaker 40 My way of looking at that court hearing was after today I'm ready to move on with my new life.

Speaker 40 I told everyone I was like, all right,

Speaker 40 I'm ready to stop letting this shape our life.

Speaker 40 We just got all the news we needed. Everything's done now.
That was like my sense of completion, I guess, and it being over, even though it really wasn't. It was over for me.

Speaker 29 I was done with it.

Speaker 22 Michaela's husband, Tommy, summarized the overall feeling.

Speaker 29 Leaving the courthouse, nobody was happy,

Speaker 29 but everybody was

Speaker 29 relieved that this part is over. We're ready to move on as a family.

Speaker 41 Well, with one exception.

Speaker 46 Justin's godmother, Nanny D.

Speaker 24 Her and I had a conversation afterwards and she just was so angry that nobody heard him.

Speaker 24 Nobody listened to him. Oh, we listened.
We listened. Everybody listened.
I said, I just don't think you heard the same thing we did.

Speaker 24 She saw it as he was being sincere and he was pouring his heart out. And every one of you just didn't care what he had to say.
It just, it blew my mind that she thought that.

Speaker 30 Justice had been served.

Speaker 22 The kids would never have to worry.

Speaker 10 Stacey could finally be alone with her grief for the first time.

Speaker 27 On the next episode of Betrayal, Stacy finally confronts the feelings she's been too afraid and ashamed to explore.

Speaker 24 Was anything that I ever felt real?

Speaker 27 And she talks with a well-known relationship expert to confront the truth.

Speaker 24 The darkest of possibilities to face is actually

Speaker 2 nothing about this person, nothing about the memories we shared together are real.

Speaker 22 If you're a man who has experienced sexual abuse or assault, or you know someone who is seeking support, go to onein6.org.

Speaker 31 That's the number one I-N number6.org.

Speaker 17 Find a path.

Speaker 12 to a happier, healthier future.

Speaker 23 If you would like to reach out to the betrayal team, email us at betrayalpod at gmail.com.

Speaker 5 That's betrayalpod at gmail.com.

Speaker 16 Also, please be sure to follow us at Glass Podcasts on Instagram for all betrayal content, news, and updates.

Speaker 23 We're grateful for your support.

Speaker 38 One way to show support is by subscribing to our show on Apple Podcasts.

Speaker 33 And don't forget to rate and review Betrayal.

Speaker 23 Five-star reviews go a long way.

Speaker 7 A big thank you to all of our listeners.

Speaker 22 Betrayal is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group in partnership with iHeart Podcasts.

Speaker 28 The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Jennifer Faison.

Speaker 32 Hosted and produced by me, Andrea Gunning.

Speaker 12 Written and produced by Trey Morgan and Carrie Hartman.

Speaker 33 Also produced by Ben Fetterman. Associate producers are Kristen Melchuri and Caitlin Golden.

Speaker 22 Our iHeart team is Allie Perry and Jessica Krinechek.

Speaker 7 Voice acting by Andrew Dobby, Rose Carr, Estee Miller, and Mason Klinder.

Speaker 22 Special thanks to Stacey Rutherford, Tyler, and the rest of Stacey and Tyler's friends and family.

Speaker 12 And to the Berks County Courthouse and District Attorney's Office.

Speaker 10 Audio editing and mixing by Matt Zalvecchio.

Speaker 33 Editing support from Nico Aruka.

Speaker 23 Betrayals theme composed by Oliver Baines.

Speaker 4 Music library provided by MIBE Music.

Speaker 17 And for more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 2 When your alarm goes off in the morning, do you feel energized?

Speaker 4 Or are you tempted by the snooze button again and again?

Speaker 9 Then I found Early Birds Morning Cocktail.

Speaker 17 Visit clubearlybird.com and use code betrayal for 20% off.

Speaker 47 A decade ago, I was on the trail of one of the country's most elusive serial killers. But it wasn't until 2023 when he was finally caught.
The answers were there, hidden in plain sight.

Speaker 47 So why did it take so long to catch him? I'm Josh Zeman, and this is Monster, Hunting the Long Island Serial Killer, the investigation into the most notorious killer in New York, since the son of Sam.

Speaker 47 Available now. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 48 A new true crime podcast from Tenderfoot TV in the city of Mons in Belgium. Women began to go missing.

Speaker 48 It was only after their dismembered remains began turning up in various places that residents realized a sadistic serial killer was lurking among them. The murders have never been solved.

Speaker 48 Three decades later, we've unearthed new evidence. Le Monstre, Season 2, is available now.
Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaker 1 This is an iHeart podcast.