Death in the Dorms Season 2: Episode 2: Haley Anderson

Summary

Death in the Dorms Season 2: Episode 2 – Haley Anderson

Released on December 31, 2024, "Death in the Dorms" delves into the tragic and perplexing case of Haley Anderson, a promising nursing student from Binghamton University whose untimely death shook her community and sparked an international manhunt. Hosted by ABC News and produced by ABC News Studios in collaboration with the Intellectual Property Corporation, this episode provides an in-depth look into Haley’s life, her relationships, the investigation, and the pursuit of justice.

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1. Introduction to Haley Anderson

The episode opens with poignant moments from Haley’s personal life, setting the tone for the tragic narrative that unfolds.

• Haley's Mother: "May 9, 1995, Haley Anderson was born. She grew up in Salisbury, New York, a very tight-knit community… she had a great sense of humor." [00:40]

• Haley’s Close Friend: "When the story broke, I was still very in the twilight zone of how could this happen to our friend." [00:59]

Haley was portrayed as a vibrant, driven individual excelling academically and athletically. Her dedication led her to Binghamton University, where she pursued nursing—a field she passionately embraced.

• Haley's Mother: "She applied to the nursing school at Binghamton University for her junior year, and she got accepted into the program in the Decker School of Nursing." [08:22]

2. Haley’s Social Life and Relationships

Haley's social interactions and romantic relationships played a significant role in her life and eventual tragedy.

• Sydney: "We met in second grade... and we have been best friends ever since." [03:17]

• Haley's Sister: "She always wanted everyone around and everyone to be happy… in high school… she was the complete opposite of that." [04:45]

Haley maintained an on-and-off relationship with Kevin while developing a more complicated relationship with Orlando Trocero, a fellow nursing student with whom she shared a history.

• Karen Anderson (Haley's Friend): "Orlando was very possessive. He wanted her all to himself." [28:17]

3. The Incident and Initial Investigation

Haley’s disappearance culminated in the discovery of her body, raising suspicions and initiating a thorough investigation.

• Narrator: "On March 9th of 2018, Binghamton Police received a 911 call from Haley's roommates… She was found lying in bed unresponsive." [16:22]

• Leigh Whannell (Detective): "There were signs indicative of a failed suicide attempt, but upon closer inspection, it was clear it was manual strangulation." [19:29, 20:31]

A handwritten note in Spanish suggested Haley’s distress, further directing authorities toward foul play.

4. Orlando Trocero – The Person of Interest

Orlando emerged as the primary suspect due to his obsessive behavior and prior incidents indicating a motive.

• Haley's Close Friend: "What's next? We had no idea what was going to happen." [42:00]

• Haley's Friend: "Orlando was obsessed with Haley and jealous if she was with other people… Haley's car tires got slashed." [25:41]

Despite slashing Haley’s tires—a felony due to the total cost involved—and subsequent friction, Haley hesitated to press charges, fearing it might jeopardize Orlando’s nursing career.

• Haley's Mother: "She didn’t want to ruin Orlando's chance of being a nurse." [28:45]

5. The International Manhunt and Arrest

Once Orlando fled to Nicaragua, the case escalated into an international effort to bring him to justice.

• Leigh Whannell: "In my 24 years, this is the first time that I've ever dealt with a case where we've had a suspect flee the country." [35:04]

Orlando was eventually located and arrested in Nicaragua after being recognized in a hospital setting.

• District Attorney: "22-year-old Orlando Tercero was arrested in Nicaragua." [41:35]

6. Legal Proceedings and Trial

Navigating the complexities of international law, the prosecution sought to secure a conviction against Orlando.

• District Attorney: "He was tried and convicted of femicide in Nicaragua." [45:26]

The trial, conducted via video link between the U.S. and Nicaragua, concluded with Orlando receiving a 30-year sentence, the maximum under Nicaraguan law.

• District Attorney: "In November of 2019, Orlando was convicted of femicide." [49:56]

Despite challenges, including alleged defense strategies attempting to mitigate his culpability, the verdict provided a semblance of closure for Haley’s family and community.

7. Aftermath and Advocacy

The tragic loss of Haley influenced significant advocacy efforts aimed at preventing femicide and supporting victims of domestic violence.

• Haley's Mother: "Since Haley's trial, I've been on a mission to bring awareness to femicide, trying to enact femicide as a law in the United States." [53:33]

• Haley's Sister: "I started volunteering on a domestic violence hotline called RAINN… I hope that I've saved at least one person from a situation like Haley's." [54:05]

Haley’s legacy continues through memorials and ongoing efforts to highlight the signs of controlling and abusive relationships.

• Karen Anderson: "I want people to be aware of signs of controlling or abusive people in their life… if you have a friend that is in a situation like my friend was, please tell someone." [54:27]

8. Community Impact and Conclusion

Haley’s death left an indelible mark on Binghamton University and her broader community, fostering discussions about safety, trust, and support systems.

• Haley's Friend: "It's really terrifying to see something like that happen so close to home." [41:35]

• Haley's Mother: "There was so much more of life for Haley to live and so much more of us to have. Haley's death is forever." [55:03]

The episode concludes by honoring Haley’s memory and emphasizing the importance of awareness and action in preventing similar tragedies.

• Podcast Host: "Join us next week for a gripping episode about a linebacker from the University of Miami… Death in the Dorms is available streaming on Hulu." [56:27]

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Notable Quotes:

• Haley's Close Friend [25:41]: "Orlando was obsessed with Haley and jealous if she was with other people."

• Haley's Mother [28:45]: "She didn’t want to ruin Orlando's chance of being a nurse."

• District Attorney [49:56]: "In November of 2019, Orlando was convicted of femicide."

• Karen Anderson [54:27]: "I want people to be aware of signs of controlling or abusive people in their life… if you have a friend that is in a situation like my friend was, please tell someone."

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Conclusion

"Death in the Dorms Season 2: Episode 2: Haley Anderson" provides a comprehensive and emotionally charged exploration of a young woman's life cut short by violence. Through detailed accounts from family, friends, and law enforcement, the episode not only chronicles the harrowing journey to justice but also serves as a poignant reminder of the pervasive issue of femicide. By highlighting the personal impacts and subsequent advocacy efforts, ABC News delivers a narrative that is both informative and deeply moving, ensuring that Haley Anderson’s story resonates and inspires change.

Transcript

[Karen Anderson]

If anyone can hear what I'm saying, please help us.

[Sydney]

We were attacked by some kind of animal.

[Haley's Mother]

From the director of the Invisible man.

[Leigh Whannell]

And Blumhouse, producers of the Black Phone.

[Haley's Friend]

My husband was infected.

[Haley's Mother]

What is happening to me?

[Haley's Close Friend]

Daddy, is that you?

[Haley's Mother]

Run.

[Haley's Sister]

Hurry.

[Karen Anderson]

Mommy, he's coming. Don't you lay a hand on her, Wolf Man.

[Leigh Whannell]

Directed by leigh whannell. Under 17 out of the middle without parent only in theaters January 17th.

[Podcast Host]

Hi 2020 listeners. We're about to hear the second episode of death in the dorms, season two, a new true crime series from ABC News studios. This week we'll hear about Hayley Anderson, a nursing student from Binghamton University whose untimely death sparked outrage in her community, igniting an international search for her killer. Let's listen.

[Haley's Close Friend]

When the story broke, I was still very in the twilight zone of how could this happen to our friend.

[Narrator]

Police found Anderson, who was from Westbury, dead inside an off campus home on Friday.

[Haley's Friend]

Someone that's so full of promise and who's going to college and waiting for their degree. That's just a very tragic thing to happen to someone.

[Haley's Mother]

I say she's Forever 22. That's hard, that's sad to me because Forever 22 is too.

[Karen Anderson]

He was friendly with a roommates discover she was murdered.

[Haley's Friend]

From the universe. An international manhunt is underway. And you were healing.

[Haley's Sister]

You tried your best. Now it's time to rest.

[Haley's Friend]

You can't run from this forever.

[Haley's Mother]

May 9, 1995, Haley Anderson was born. And I did something in the top 10% of the world. I delivered on my due date. So of course Haylee would come into the world when she was due because she was always very tenacious. Hayley grew up in Salisbury, New York, very tight knit community, right in the middle of Long Island. And she was very curious and such a rambunctious little child. And she had a great sense of humor.

[Haley's Close Friend]

Haley and I became close in second grade when we actually shared a class together.

[Sydney]

We met in second grade. Her and our friend Sydney both came up to me and asked me if I wanted to play. And I said yes. And we have been best friends ever since. Sydney, Haley and I spent a lot of time together. Every Friday we would go and get pizza, we would make some YouTube videos.

[Haley's Close Friend]

Alright, put the car in drive and we'll go, okay?

[Sydney]

That was a major part of our childhood.

[Haley's Mother]

Is everybody buckled in?

[Haley's Close Friend]

Growing up, we were both creative people, but Haley would go do field hockey and track. And she was athletic, she was intelligent, she was on every single honor roll that you could possibly want to be on.

[Karen Anderson]

Hailey was extremely self sufficient. She grew up in a way where, I mean her mom was a great example for that. Karen did a lot of things on her own. Karen basically raised her by herself.

[Haley's Mother]

I filed for divorce from Haley's dad when Haley was 14 years old. And that was hard. This was a very difficult time for Haley. But we were over very close so we persevered.

[Haley's Sister]

She always wanted everyone around and everyone to be happy and she didn't want anyone to leave her again, which anyone going through as a child, a divorce feels that way. In high school when people were normally rebelling and going out in parties and sneaking out of the house, Hailey was the complete opposite of that. She was a straight A student, she was a tutor.

[Haley's Mother]

When she was setting out, looking at colleges, we went to Binghamton University and she walked in on the campus and she fell in love with it. It was really quite large, it was pretty and it was summertime there because it's a little different in the winter when it snows every day. But she fell in love with Binghamton and that was her choice to go there.

[Haley's Friend]

Take off baby, gonna take off. There's a new day coming in the morning. Binghamton University is a really good school. It's known for its academics. It's even termed public ivy by our university.

[Haley's Mother]

Binghamton is a very well renowned SUNY and it's difficult to get into. And I was very proud of her for choosing Binghamton. I thought it was a good fit for her. Caution to the wind. Yeah, we'll learn how to swim but don't, don't look back.

[Haley's Friend]

SUNY stands for State University of New York. And so it comprises all the universities and colleges that are public schools. It's very recognizable within the state of New York to then go get a job.

[Haley's Sister]

As a kid who grew up in Long island, it's very common for you and a lot of your friends to go to SUNY schools. At that time Binghamton was, I mean, and still is, has such a high regard as a SUNY school. And so when she made the decision to go there, I was very excited for her.

[Haley's Friend]

Binghamton University, it's not really in the city. You have to take a bus or a car to go there. And so the campus is very chill, relaxed, very comparable to many public schools in the us. The city on the other hand is very, I would say run down. So IBM started in Binghamton and it produced a ton of manufacturing jobs. And Binghamton was booming at one time in its history. And then IBM left And now it's sort of disheveled, but it's definitely a college town. There's bars there that are strictly made for students. It's not a big sports school. I mean, I think we're Division 1, but the school store has, like, a joke shirt that says Binghamton Football. Like, hasn't lost a game since, I don't know, its inception because we don't have a football team. So.

[Sydney]

I think Haley was starting to become her own when she went away to college.

[Haley's Sister]

I'm on my way up Chasing the.

[Haley's Mother]

Hot times.

[Haley's Friend]

I did the good in saying the goodbyes so bumped away I'll.

[Sydney]

Take on the rundown she didn't really have too much of an idea of what she wanted to do right away. And it's when she found nursing. Then it really clicked for her.

[Haley's Mother]

She applied to the nursing school at Binghamton University for her junior year, and she got accepted into the program in the Decker School of Nursing.

[Sydney]

She was excited to be a nurse. You could tell she really had a liking to it.

[Haley's Mother]

She thrived in that program, and she loved it. And then she even applied for an externship at Northwell, and she got it. And she was home all summer, working really hard, putting on her scrubs. It was almost magical to me because I've never had anybody in my family being in the medical career. So I thought, this is gonna be perfect for her.

[Karen Anderson]

She had always wanted to travel, and she thought, you know, maybe if I become a nurse, maybe I could do travel nursing. She hadn't decided on that, but it just opened up this world of things that she didn't even know was possible.

[Haley's Sister]

As much college is for the academic aspect, it's just as important for your social aspect to figure out who you are as an individual away from your friends and family. And Haley took advantage of that, which everyone going to college should. And she wanted to see what she liked, see what she didn't like, and take the time to figure that out before making any concrete decisions.

[Sydney]

A couple of years into her college career, she told us she had met a guy named Kevin. He was very sweet. He was very cute. They hit it off. It seemed like they had a really good relationship at first.

[Haley's Mother]

Kevin lived in Long island as well. So I think when I met Kevin the first time he came over to our house, they had a lot of fun together, and they would make each other laugh, and they just had so many things in common. It was just a very easy relationship.

[Karen Anderson]

He supported Hailey in a way that, you know, me and my sisters supported Hailey. He let her be Hailey.

[Haley's Mother]

But when it started getting closer to her graduation time, she started thinking about if she wanted to be in a serious relationship. So there were a couple times with Kevin that they talked about putting it on hold for a while.

[Karen Anderson]

But I.

[Sydney]

Know that they always stayed in contact. So even in their off period, they were still texting. They would hang out periodically. Despite her liking to Kevin, she still had that, you know, itch to just meet new people.

[Haley's Friend]

Baby, you ain't dreaming.

[Haley's Close Friend]

Hookup culture exists. You're in college, you want to have fun.

[Haley's Friend]

Yeah, yeah, I know. Real thing.

[Haley's Close Friend]

Like any typical college student, she was just dating around.

[Haley's Mother]

Thank you.

[Haley's Friend]

This ain't just another old pop star.

[Karen Anderson]

Hailey had met Orlando in her nursing program sophomore year.

[Haley's Mother]

I went out on super bowl weekend. It was like 3rd and 4th of February. And that's when I met him for the first time of 2018. I know he was born in Miami, but he had dual citizenship with the United States and Nicaragua. Orlando's sister was nearby, I think in Queens. His mother and his father were living in Nicaragua. His father was a doctor, so he wanted to kind of follow in his footsteps and become a nurse in the medical field. His father had passed away. Hailey befriended him. As she did many of the people in the nursing program.

[Karen Anderson]

Their relationship started purely friendship. I know that through time it became more of a romantic relationship, but it was never a, you know, a boyfriend, girlfriend relationship.

[Haley's Sister]

Kevin and Orlando were in the same fraternity at Binghamton. I knew they were friendly. They were both from Spanish speaking backgrounds, so they had that in common. So I think as the relationship with Kevin and Haley ended and then Haley was on and off again with Orlando, Kevin, while it probably made him upset, allowed Haley to do what she wanted to.

[Sydney]

It was very casual. She did make it clear to Orlando that she did not want anything serious.

[Haley's Mother]

Hailey was just ready to start her independent life free from anything that was gonna keep her attached to one area. She wanted to have a career and really embrace the career and embrace the perks that come from having that salary and ability to travel. She had a job lined up at Northwell, you know, as long as she passed her nursing boards. So that would have been the next step. She would have graduated and studied for her nursing boards, taken those in June, and hopefully gotten her career. Haley called me to talk about her tax return. She was all excited because she was gonna get $400 back. And I said, I love you, and she said, I love you, and I said, talk to you soon. And we hung up. And that was Tuesday. And Then on Thursday she was supposed to go to her roommate's poetry reading, but she didn't show up.

[Narrator]

The Ford Explorer is America's all time best selling suv. But we couldn't leave it at that because you still have unmarked paths to pursue. So we gave it an available 400 horsepower engine. It's up to you what you do with that power. The 2025 Ford Explorer, it's all in the name. Based on S and p Global Mobility 1946, the current US total new cumulative registrations for all vehicles identified as SUVs. Horsepower and torque ratings based on premium fuel per SAEJ1349 standard. Your results may vary.

[Haley's Mother]

Haley's roommates were calling her and calling her, but she wasn't answering. And that's when they started to get concerned. And I didn't even know they couldn't get in touch with Hailey. Friday morning, that's when they checked the Find My Friends app on the iPhone and they saw that it was at 23 Oak street which is where Orlando's apartment was. So that's when her roommate went over to the apartment and no one answered the door. They climbed through the window. That's when they found Haley.

[Narrator]

On March 9th of 2018, Binghamton Police received a 911 call from Haley's roommates. Officers respond to the scene. They enter the home. That's where they find Haley lying in bed unresponsive. And obviously just given the nature of Haley's age alone is suspicious. 22 year olds generally just don't die without some related medical condition. And here by all accounts is just from the visible eyes is a healthy person who's found deceased lying in bed. It was safe to say that the death was suspicious in nature. I was advised of the situation. I responded to the scene as well as my staff.

[Leigh Whannell]

We were advised by my lieutenant at the time that they had a death investigation pending unusual circumstances, so to speak. They said that they were drafting a search warrant for the residents. So my partner Jess Griffin and I went to the scene. Obviously we can't go inside the residence until the search warrant is completed and signed. So we were waiting for that to happen.

[Narrator]

The area around 23 Oak Street. It's residential multifamily homes along with single family homes known for Binghamton University students. Where Haley and her friends lived. It was around the corner.

[Leigh Whannell]

The apartment where Haley was located was not Haley's apartment. It was rented by several other Binghamton University students. Orlando Trocero being one of them.

[Narrator]

Through talking to Haley's Roommate. It was learned that Orlando, I don't know if you could say that they were boyfriend and girlfriend, but they had an on again, off again relationship. And where Hallie was located was Orlando Tercero's bedroom. We have to know why Hallie has been found deceased in his bed and why he is not around.

[Leigh Whannell]

Once the search warrant was signed, then we start moving our way inside. As we moved into the dining room, we noticed that the bookshelf was askew. Screwed into the entryway. It's like a wood frame structure were three eyelets, three metal eye hooks, and through those was a necktie. And not too far into the kitchen a little bit, there was a chair that was askew as well.

[Narrator]

My detectives see that as evidence of a suicide attempt. Failed suicide attempt ida14 814 med x25.

[Leigh Whannell]

On tech 2 We also noticed some gauze packaging on the kitchen counter. In the garbage can also were more gauze paper towels with obvious blood staining. So that was another indication that someone hurt themselves and tried to clean themselves up a little bit. We did go into the bedroom where Haley was located.

[Narrator]

She was found in the bed, almost in a sitting position, I guess you could say.

[Leigh Whannell]

No wounds. But we did see some bruising around her neck. And as you got in closer, you could actually see particular hemorrhages in her face. So we assumed it was manual strangulation.

[Narrator]

They did find a note, handwritten note. It was in Spanish, the note translated. I'm really sorry about this. I never felt I could be capable of doing this. Father. I'll see you soon. I'm sorry. This is stupid. I. I'm sorry. At that point, I am fairly confident that we have a homicide investigation. Orlando's our person of interest. We have to find him. We have to talk to him. And members of the Binghamton police were in contact with Haley's family to let them know.

[Haley's Mother]

I had just come home from school, and I pulled up to my house and there was a big black car. And there were two men sitting in the car with suits on. And I pulled into my. My driveway, and I got into my house and I just kept looking out the window because I was like, that's so odd. And it kind of scared me. I was like, oh, God, who's in trouble? You know, Kept looking out the window, and they weren't coming, and they weren't coming. So I started feeding my dogs. And then all of a sudden, I see them take a big swig of water and get out of the car. Two of them together. Shut the door and they start walking up my driveway. My heart was pounding so fast. And they knocked on my door and I walked out and I said, can I help you? They're like, yeah, we need to talk to you. I go, can we talk? Here? They go, no, we need to talk inside. And they sat me down at the dining room table and they just said, homicide. And then I heard them say, 23 Oak street and then Haley. And then. From then on, it's really. It's just a blur. The police officers, they didn't tell me how it happened. And I just remember they didn't want to leave until I had someone come to my house. So I called my one friend and I just said. I said, patty, Haley's dead. Because I just wanted them to leave my house. Because I just needed to grieve or process without it being with strangers, even though they were the nicest gentlemen. I mean, I wouldn't want to have to do that job. Oh, God, I'm sorry.

[Karen Anderson]

I remember my mom getting a phone call from Karen. She made a scream that I can't describe. She goes, it's Karen. You know, Haley's dead. And I said, what are you talking about? And I remember I fell to my knees.

[Haley's Sister]

My sister Joanie called me. I screamed so loud, I went numb. I couldn't walk. My roommates had to carry me up to my bed. And I just. I think I couldn't feel anything. Nothing made sense.

[Haley's Close Friend]

I was getting ready to go out on a double date with Christina, actually. And one of our other friends had texted me, hey, have you heard the news?

[Narrator]

Police found Anderson, who was from Westbury, dead inside an off campus home on Friday.

[Haley's Friend]

She was just such a bubbly person.

[Haley's Sister]

Opened up to anyone.

[Sydney]

She was friendly, with a huge heart. I called Sydney and I said, is this real? And she did confirm, yes, it's real.

[Haley's Close Friend]

When you think about the trajectory of your life, you don't expect something this tragic happened to your best friend.

[Sydney]

We were both in disbelief. And the first guy that popped into our head was Orlando.

[Haley's Close Friend]

We did not have to hear about any suspect specs from the police. We did not have to wait for her family to confirm who it was. We immediately knew that it was him because of what he had previously done to Haley.

[Narrator]

Throughout this process, the investigation, we had a lot of people that wanted to cooperate and offer information. So there was a lot of interviews that were conducted of associates of Haley and Orlando. The information that came forward was that Orlando was obsessed with Haley and jealous if she was with other people. We picked up information Of Haley's car tires getting slashed.

[Haley's Close Friend]

One morning, Haley had sent me a Snapchat of her tires being slashed.

[Haley's Friend]

Who the slashed every single one of my tires last night.

[Haley's Close Friend]

And Haley's car was outside of her apartment. The only person that Haley could think of that had the motive to slash her tires was Orlando. Orlando was jealous. Haley dating Kevin, dating other people, dating in general.

[Haley's Sister]

It was a night that she had been with Kevin, and I guess that.

[Karen Anderson]

Just made Orlando very angry, and it led him to slasher tires.

[Haley's Mother]

I'm coming for all.

[Sydney]

It did become a messy situation. Kevin and Haley would try to rekindle their relationship, and she would kind of stop talking to Orlando for a period of time. You can tell that problems were starting to arise, though. You can tell there was a jealousy factor coming from Orlando, and you could tell things were getting messy between Kevin and Haley.

[Haley's Sister]

But the biggest difference was that Orlando wanted to control every one of Hailey's moves.

[Haley's Friend]

I'll be coming for you I'll be coming for you.

[Karen Anderson]

He wanted her all to himself. He was very possessive.

[Haley's Close Friend]

At that time, he decided to just slash her tires.

[Haley's Sister]

And the next day, we told her to file a police report. And she did file the police report, so it would be documented.

[Haley's Mother]

She did give them his name, but she was hesitant to press charges.

[Haley's Close Friend]

Haley didn't want to ruin Orlando's chance of being a nurse.

[Haley's Mother]

Because of the cost of each tire added all together, the price would be, to a point that it would be considered a felony. To my understanding, if you commit a felony, I don't think you're allowed to continue in the nursing school at. That's not something I've looked into to see if that's a fact. But I think it was something that Haley was very concerned about. That's the conversation that transpired between Haley and myself. And that was my understanding of why she was hesitant to press charges.

[Haley's Close Friend]

Orlando did admit to slashing her tires and gave Haley money to pay for the tires to be replaced. And then they kind of just moved on from that.

[Sydney]

I was very concerned for her, but in Hailey's point of view, it was already handled. You know, it's fine. And that was that.

[Haley's Mother]

She hasn't said anything else has happened. Nothing else has transpired. And it seemed like he took some responsibility for his actions. So I kind of thought, well, everything must be okay. Haley handled it. He paid for the tires, and everything's back to normal. But Haley never really told me to what extent he was stalking her. I don't know if because she didn't want Me to react in the same way I did with the tire slashing, or she just thought she could handle it because she knows Orlando and didn't expect anything, you know, like that tragic to occur.

[Karen Anderson]

I was told from her and some of her friends that Orlando was becoming obsessive over her.

[Haley's Sister]

He would be mad if she was hanging out with her friends, doing something without him. He wanted to know where she was, what exactly she was doing, how long she was going to be there. There was. Sometimes he would show up on her doorstep uninvited, and when asked to leave, multiple times he wouldn't, and he would just stay out there. And he had the way with his words where he could make a sob story out of his life. And the type of person Hallie was felt for those type of people because she just had such a kind heart. So regardless of these things he was doing, she felt for him. When you have someone psychologically taking advantage of you, it kind of blurs your vision. So I think for us, it was such an easy thing to say, stop talking to him. But it's someone she saw every day in clinicals. It's someone she had a history with. So it was a lot easier said than done for her.

[Haley's Mother]

She trusted him. So that's probably the biggest thing. She trusted him.

[Narrator]

At this point, crime scene detectives, they complete their processing of the scene. An autopsy is scheduled through a forensic pathologist. The following day, Hallie's death is ruled a homicide by manual strangulation.

[Haley's Mother]

A detective came down, and that's when they told us how it. How it happened.

[Karen Anderson]

It just made the emotions, you know, so much stronger because it's like now, not not only do we know that she was murdered, but she was murdered in such a brutal way. So that was. That was really hard to accept and understand.

[Haley's Mother]

Then they separated us all, and they were asking us all questions. The police officers were asking us questions. The detectives were asking us questions. On Sunday, I went up to meet the DA and his office.

[District Attorney]

It was a very, very difficult experience for our entire office, as well as the Anderson family. I mean, this is really one of our own. We welcome students into this community, the Binghamton University family. And when something like this happens, it's just devastating.

[Haley's Mother]

She was literally, like the greatest person ever.

[Haley's Sister]

She never, like, didn't have a smile on her face.

[Sydney]

This is not an easy loss at all.

[Haley's Mother]

It was very upsetting to the university students because this is someone that, whether they knew her or not, this is somebody that is their age. They don't think about that. They're gonna die. So when somebody their age dies, it's almost like a reality check. And it's very disconcerting to them. And it was a, you know, the campus reacted.

[District Attorney]

The university offered counseling for students and made services available to them.

[Haley's Mother]

They closed classes in the nursing school just to let the kids, you know, process, process what's going on. To a colleague, a schoolmate.

[Narrator]

My focus was. My staff's focus was, we gotta find Orlando. We have information. Orlando's sister had originally contacted Binghamton University police the morning of March 9th to say that she had received an alarming text message from her brother Orlando. And this is before Hallie has been found deceased. In that message, he had made statements that he was a failure, that he left his car at JFK Airport. And Binghamton University police contacted us. I reach out to some law enforcement partners at that point, specifically the local FBI agent, to say, can you check to see if he has boarded a plane? And I was notified that Orlando had boarded a flight to Nicaragua and Orlando was no longer in the United States. We've had suspects flee on us before, okay, Whether it be to New York City or Florida. In my 24 years, this is the first time that I've ever dealt with a case where we've had a suspect flee the country.

[District Attorney]

We had learned that he had family down in Nicaragua as well as here. He was a US Citizen and had dual citizenship with Nicaragu.

[Narrator]

Flight is, in my mind, in my experience, is a pretty clear sign of guilt.

[Karen Anderson]

When I found out Orlando had fled the country, I was extremely angry. The thing that makes me the most angry about the whole situation is that he just left her there.

[Haley's Mother]

In that.

[Karen Anderson]

Room, in that bed. And it's like you do something so horrible, but it's like maybe you have this small fiber inside of you to like, feel for somebody, but he didn't. He left my best friend laying on that bed, and he didn't care. He has no remorse and he's a coward.

[Narrator]

Orlando fled the United States, but we had to still move forward. At that point, I was confident he's the guy that we want. But now my staff had to collect the evidence to prove that he's the guy that we wanted. We retrieved video from the residents at 23 Oak street and basically we're going to track every move that we can, whether through video, credit cards, whatever we can do to kind of follow Orlando's movements. Upon reviewing the video from 23 Oak Street, Orlando was seen leaving his residence at 23 Oak street around 2:30 in the morning. On the 8th, he returns at around 3:30 in the morning with Hallie. They're seen on video walking in together. The one thing that's important to note that after that 3:30 timestamp on the 8th, Hallie's never seen again. She's seen walking in, but she's never seen leaving the residence. Orlando, on the other hand, is seen numerous times coming and going from the home at around say 8:30 at night on the 8th. He's clearly packing his car with luggage and goes. That night Haley is due to meet her friends at a poetry reading and she never arrives to meet them again. Putting those pieces of the puzzle together, it's reaffirming kind of what we knew. But what greater power is than the video evidence of two people walking in and only one person walks. We actually sent guys down to JFK airport.

[Leigh Whannell]

Port authority police brought us over to the terminal. They were able to pick him up. Actually walking in to the terminal on security cameras and immediately you saw the head bandage around his head. Pretty telltale because that kind of just confirmed what we thought from the scene about a possible attempted suicide. They were able to track him throughout the airport from the time he got there till the time he boarded the plane.

[Narrator]

The death of Haley, that garnered national attention.

[District Attorney]

We got calls from media from all over the country.

[Karen Anderson]

International manhunt launched for the former boyfriend of a nursing student found dead in upstate New York.

[Narrator]

Orlando is a dual citizen. He leaves the United States for Nicaragua.

[Haley's Friend]

Reporters who spoke to one student who said she was shocked when she heard the news. It's really terrifying to see something like that happen so close to home.

[Narrator]

It was a high profile case. So the, the Nicaraguan authorities, they, they located Orlando in Nicaragua and they arrested him.

[District Attorney]

22 year old Orlando Tercero was arrested in Nicaragua.

[Sydney]

He apparently was in a hospital there and I believe somebody there recognized him and called the cops and he, he was arrested right outside of the hospital grounds.

[Haley's Sister]

When we found out he was caught, it was initially a sense of relief. But then that also meant nothing because she was still gone. While we felt safer knowing he was caught, that just led to more question, what's next? We had no idea what was going to happen.

[Narrator]

From there it then becomes how to handle what turned into be an international incident.

[District Attorney]

There was a warrant issued for him to be brought back.

[Narrator]

The charge is murdered in the second degree and the people are ready for trial.

[District Attorney]

Our understanding was that he would actually stand trial in Broome County.

[Haley's Mother]

I was very happy that they had found him. He was arrested and then it was just a waiting game.

[Haley's Sister]

It feels good to get a feeling that hopefully justice will be served. You know, right now, it's kind of hard to look at the bright side of things.

[District Attorney]

Once we had learned that he had been taken into custody down in Nicaragua, our office was very busy trying to meet with the State Department, contact Washington, D.C. in a way to get him extradited back to Broome County, New York, to stand trial. Great efforts were made by our local government, federal government, to try and get this individual back.

[Haley's Mother]

I got a call from the da he said that they're not extraditing Orlando. And right away I said, well, what does that mean?

[Haley's Close Friend]

I knew that Orlando had dual citizenship, so I wasn't sure whether or not he would be extradited to the United States to have a trial.

[District Attorney]

This was a very unique situation, something that I had never come across in my 25 years as a prosecutor. My understanding regarding the extradition treaties that are in place are that if he is a citizen of both countries, that they have the option to have him tried in Nicaragua or be brought back to the United States to face trial. There came a point in time when the authorities in Nicaragua made it clear to our local government and our federal government that he was going to be tried down there based on the fact that he was a citizen of Nicaragua.

[Narrator]

He would be prosecuted in Nicaragua for the crime of femicide.

[Haley's Friend]

Femicide is basically homicide, but with a specific intention to harm a female.

[Haley's Sister]

Femicide occurs in every country, but it's not recognized as femicide. In most countries.

[District Attorney]

We don't have that law. In New York State, we have murder in the second degree. That's what he was charged with in this case under New York law.

[Haley's Sister]

Once we found out he would be going to trial down there, I was glad to hear that he was being being charged with femicide and not homicide, because what he did was the brutal murder of a woman based off of their prior relationship. So I thought that was a very appropriate charge that should be brought upon him.

[District Attorney]

We did everything that we could to help Haley's family through the process, but we were learning the process ourselves at the same time, trying to explain. Explain it to them. But we were going to do everything that we could to make sure that Haley's family got justice.

[Haley's Mother]

As it started moving along, everything started to come together. They both complied that they would have the trial on Skype, or whatever they call it, video camera in between the two court systems.

[District Attorney]

We actually had our grand jury room outfitted as a courtroom with all the technology in order to connect with Nicaragua. Sometimes there were mechanical glitches or technical difficulties to hook up with them by satellite.

[Haley's Friend]

We were dispatched to a female meltdown, not breathing when I arrived.

[Haley's Mother]

And they had an interpreter. So when we didn't understand it, she would explain everything to us, laying on.

[Haley's Friend]

The bed on her back.

[Narrator]

Members of my staff were called upon to testify and present testimony and or physical evidence that was recovered during the investigation.

[Haley's Friend]

Find My Friend app was showing that Hallie Anderson's cell phone was inside the apartment.

[District Attorney]

We had to bring in witnesses from all over the country. They were actually questioned by the prosecutors. We did not question them. They were just put on the video and were interviewed by the prosecutors down in Nicaragua.

[Sydney]

The whole situation was very weird to me, but I was happy that he was being tried and he was being held accountable.

[Haley's Friend]

They stated that Halle had hooked up with Orlando Tracero a couple of times but did not want anything serious with him. That he was obsessed with her and that at one time he had flags her vehicles tired.

[Haley's Close Friend]

At the time I thought it was because I was seeing Hayley again.

[Haley's Sister]

Seeing Orlando throughout the trial was one of the craziest things because he sat there looking bored the entire time.

[Karen Anderson]

He did not speak, which I know in trial usually the person being accused doesn't really go on the stand. But it was extremely frustrating because you're almost like, oh, you know, maybe you're going to watch Orlando on this trial and maybe you're going to like see some kind of reaction or he's going to admit to what he's done and there was absolutely nothing.

[Narrator]

Orlando Tercero, in a cold blooded manner, choked the life out of a young woman who was, we believe, probably sleeping. It doesn't get any more sick and depraved than that.

[Haley's Mother]

The judge was female. They had a female prosecutor who was such an advocate for Haley. Very impressed with her. I was very proud of everything that she was doing. She really did a great job.

[Karen Anderson]

His defense was honestly horrible. They tried to, you know, pull that insanity thing or that he was under the influence of alcohol. I mean, it was all horrible.

[Haley's Mother]

We wrapped everything up and then I think 30 minutes to an hour later, they delivered the verdict.

[District Attorney]

In the United States, you have a jury trial where you have to convince 12 people beyond a reasonable doubt of the defendant's guilt. Nicaragua used the judge having the authority to make the decision as to whether someone is guilty or not guilty. So we didn't know anything about this judge. We didn't know what the judge was going to do. It was very stressful time for everyone involved. In November of 2019, Orlando was convicted of femicide. We knew that the sentence could be up to 30 years in prison, and we were somewhat relieved at that point, knowing that Haley's family would get justice.

[Haley's Mother]

He got the full 30 years, and that was the fullest extent of their law.

[District Attorney]

We're very pleased with the judge's decision, and we believe it was the right decision.

[Haley's Close Friend]

It provided a sense of relief that at least that portion of justice was served.

[Sydney]

It gives us a little bit of a peace of mind that, you know, we were able to get the closure that we needed, or at least that I needed.

[Haley's Mother]

I'm glad he got what he deserved to the fullest extent of the law. But death is forever, and he's not going to be there forever.

[District Attorney]

There's an outstanding warrant for, for him, and he's ready to be tried in New York State. The maximum sentence in New York State for murder in the second degree is 25 years to life. Now, would we bring him back to be tried a second time? Decisions would have to be made down the line. His defense attorney in New York State, as well as down in Nicaragua would argue that double jeopardy attaches. Our position is that it doesn't attach. It's a separate country and he could be tried here, but the decision obviously won't be made by me if he continues his 30 year sentence. But the family would be contacted and we would want their input onto whether you would bring this guy back to the United States.

[Haley's Mother]

Wake up alone with the fire in the hole.

[Haley's Friend]

The lingering effects that Hayley Anderson's murder had at Binghamton were really discussions between students. I talked to my friends about it, they talked to me about it. We all sort of were thinking and continue to think. That's really sad because it just doesn't. It doesn't make sense for that to have happened. I didn't know her, but someone that's so full of promise and who's going to college and waiting for their degree, that is a very tragic thing to happen to someone.

[Karen Anderson]

After Haley's death, we had attended her graduation and they had a picture for her on the chair for the nursing program. So that was nice. And they said her name, and it was nice to be able to honor her in that way.

[Haley's Mother]

Since Haley's trial, I've been on a mission to bring awareness to femicide, trying to enact femicide as a law in the United States. Many countries in South America have adopted the law. In Africa, more and more people are starting to adopt the law because it is becoming so much more prevalent. And even here in the United States, femicide, it's become much more prevalent.

[Haley's Sister]

I started volunteering on a domestic violence hotline called rainn, which is the nation's largest antisexual domestic violence organization. And I hope that I've saved at least one person from a situation like Hallie's.

[Karen Anderson]

I want people to be aware of signs of controlling or abusive people in their life. And I want you to know that there's help and there's. There's ways to reach out to people. And if you have a friend that is in a situation like my friend was, please tell someone. And I hope that if this saves literally one person's life, then it was worth it for me to be here and relive this.

[Haley's Mother]

There was so much more of life for Haley to live and so much more of us to have and Hailey in our lives. The experience of Haley, she's never coming home. And that is the saddest part. Hailey's death is forever. I'm sorry. I need a tissue. This is just her memorial. All of these bricks are for parents who have lost a child. People come here to celebrate their child's life that were lost too early. I have a. This is a. A lotus with its cremation jewelry. And inside I have her. Cuz she always wanted to travel. So wherever I go, she goes with me. I couldn't have asked for a better 22 years. So I'm thankful for.

[Podcast Host]

Join us next week for a gripping episode about a linebacker from the University of Miami and his childhood friend whose visit to campus ended in an unpredictable tragedy. Death in the Dorms was produced by ABC News Studios with the Intellectual Property Corporation. And yes, like a river for Hulu Originals. You can find the whole series streaming on Hulu. And be sure to tune in to ABC on Friday nights at 9 for all new broadcast episodes of 20 20. Thanks for listening.