A Crime Before Christmas

Summary

Podcast Summary: 48 Hours – "A Crime Before Christmas"

Original Air Date: December 22, 2025
Podcast Host: CBS News "48 Hours"

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Episode Overview

This episode of "48 Hours" recounts the harrowing 1990 Tiede family cabin attack in Oakley, Utah—a vicious double homicide, home invasion, arson, and kidnapping that shattered a family just days before Christmas. Through survivor testimony, law enforcement insights, and emotional family recollections, the episode offers an immersive journey into the investigation’s twists and the survivors’ path toward healing.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Tiede Family Cabin: Setting and Family Traditions

• Cabin as Family Sanctuary:
  Tricia and Linnae, the Tiede daughters, describe the secluded cabin as an idyllic family retreat.
  • "My family owns a beautiful cabin in Oakley, Utah... It was an escape from the world for a family." – Tricia [01:42]
  • "I loved going up there, bringing aunts and uncles and cousins..." – Linnae [01:42]

The Attack – What Happened

• Crime Unfolds:
  Tricia recalls returning to the cabin with her mother and grandmother, then being confronted by two armed men (later identified as Von Taylor and Edward Deli), who had broken in, eaten their food, and opened Christmas presents while waiting for the family.
  • "…behind the refrigerator came a frizzy-headed man…with his pistol pointed at me." – Tricia [02:22]
  • When her mother arrives, "out from the back bedroom, another robber with thick Coke bottle glasses on was pointing a gun at my mother." – Tricia [02:22]
  • Immediate gunfire leads to the deaths of her mother and grandmother.
• Father and Sister Arrive:
  Linnae and her father arrive moments later, are confronted and robbed, and her father is shot at close range.
  • "The man in the Coke bottle glasses was instructed by the other to shoot my dad... he refused to fire." – Tricia [06:17]
  • "Pulled the trigger once. Click, no fire. Twice, click, no fire. And then the third one went off." – Linnae [06:55]
  • Their father was shot and left for dead, but survives by playing dead and later escaping.
• Fleeing the Scene:
  The assailants force Tricia and Linnae at gunpoint to help them escape, first on snowmobiles and then in the family car, planning to kill them and burn the crime scene.
  • "They pour gas everywhere and set the cabin on fire." – Tricia [08:16]
  • "I had all kinds of different plans... how to get rid of him. But all I could think of is I couldn't leave my sister." – Linnae [08:59]

Family’s Heroics and Law Enforcement Response

• Father’s Survival and Escape:
  Despite being shot, doused with gasoline, and set on fire, their father escapes down the mountain to get help.
  • "He had to run into the shower and tear off his snowsuit while on fire... then race down that mountain." – Linnae [18:02]
• Uncle’s Role and Massive Manhunt:
  Uncle Randy inadvertently encounters the girls with their captors but, realizing something is wrong, later helps coordinate the search and rescue.
  • "I knew something's wrong... Rolf says, 'I've been shot. My wife has been killed and my daughters have been kidnapped.'" – Investigator [13:25]
  • Law enforcement quickly mobilizes, identifying and chasing the suspects.
• Hostage Rescue:
  High-speed chase ends as the car crashes, and authorities apprehend the suspects, rescuing the girls.
  • "Car fell off an embankment... the entire road above us... full of maybe a couple cops... drawn down with pistols and shotguns and rifles." – Linnae [15:38]

The Investigation

• Crime Scene Details:
  Investigators describe finding a war-zone-like scene: bullet holes, blood, and fire damage.
  • "There was maybe a 12 to 18 inch puddle of blood... holes in the wall... a bloody hand had wiped down the wall..." – Investigator [18:57]
• Key Evidence – Video Tape:
  The suspects filmed themselves opening the family’s Christmas presents, crucial evidence revealing their lack of remorse.
  • "They were opening the family's Christmas presents." – Investigator [24:25]
• Suspects’ Backgrounds:
  Both were recent parolees from Utah State Penitentiary, on release from a halfway house.
  • "Vaughn Taylor had been previously convicted of an aggravated burglary..." – Investigator [25:28]
  • Both absconded from the halfway house and started robbing cabins in the area.

The Trials and Justice

• Charges & Sentencing:
  • Taylor pleads guilty to two capital murders; he’s sentenced to death.
    • "Taylor was an evil man... just had this air about him of anger and zero remorse." – Linnae [30:18]
  • Deli goes to trial, is convicted of second-degree murder due to one juror holding out, and gets life in prison rather than the death penalty.
    • "I felt like the courts did an injustice to our family." – Tricia [35:07]
    • "Dele's lawyer argued that he didn’t do any of the shooting." – Linnae [32:28]
• Impact of Testifying:
  Linnae and Tricia recount the trauma of testifying and the difficulty of having to handle weapons used in their family’s murder in court.
  • "I actually just had a whole epiphany... was not helpful for a victim to have to put a weapon that they watched their family murdered with to even have to touch it." – Tricia [31:39]

Grief, Healing, and Forgiveness

• Long-term Emotional Impact:
  Both sisters discuss enduring pain, anger, and the long journey toward healing.
  • "I spent a good 10 years hiding that pain and suppressing that pain." – Linnae [35:54]
  • "I went through trying to find happiness in areas where happiness doesn’t exist." – Tricia [36:09]
• Forgiveness:
  Tricia describes eventually receiving a letter from Deli and, after many years, choosing to forgive him to free herself from anger—not to exonerate him.
  • "I believe that I gained my freedom back for myself by choosing to forgive Dele for me." – Tricia [37:59]
  • "Forgiving does not mean forgetting." – Tricia [37:59]
• Rebuilding and Resilience:
  The family rebuilt the cabin as an act of reclaiming joy and refuses to let the crime define their lives.
  • "After the cabin had burnt we went and rebuilt it and made it even better than it was before." – Tricia [39:30]
  • "They're not gonna take away from us the things that we love and we enjoy in our life." – Linnae [40:37]

Family Legacy and Moving Forward

• The sisters share touching memories of their parents and grandmother, reflecting on their enduring influence and the strength they’ve drawn from family bonds.
  • "My dad was the most amazing hero that I've ever known." – Tricia [18:42]
  • "When my father was diagnosed with cancer, our whole family came together." – Linnae [40:57]
  • "I love my life now. And I wouldn’t say that the incident in 1990 defines me, but I would say it's helped make me who I am today." – Linnae [41:46]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Moment of Confrontation:
  "Behind the refrigerator came a frizzy-headed man in a gray sweatshirt with his pistol pointed at me." – Tricia [02:22]

• Sisterly Bond:
  "We've always had a connection, even as little children, a special connection where we couldn't fail each other..." – Tricia [16:17]

• On Heroic Survival:
  "He had to run into the shower and tear off his snowsuit while on fire. Having the strength to get on the snowmobile and race down that mountain to save my sister and I." – Linnae [18:02]

• On the Evidence:
  "Inside the video camera was a videotape. We had no idea what might be recorded on that... they were opening the family’s Christmas presents." – Investigator [24:25]

• On the Justice System:
  "I felt like the courts did an injustice to our family. I felt like he deserved to be on death row as well. Just like Taylor. Dele murdered. Taylor murdered." – Tricia [35:07]

• On Forgiveness:
  "Forgiving does not mean forgetting. I do not believe Edward Deli has a place outside of prison. But when I came to the place of forgiveness, I felt the tremendous burden relief off my shoulders." – Tricia [37:59]

• On Healing and Resilience:
  "They're not gonna take away from us the things that we love and we enjoy in our life. They took our mom, they took our grams, but that's where it ends." – Linnae [40:37]

• On Family's Enduring Strength:
  "I love my life now. And I wouldn’t say that the incident in 1990 defines me, but I would say it's helped make me who I am today." – Linnae [41:46]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:42] Family describes the cabin and Christmas traditions.
• [02:08] The attack begins; mother and grandmother are killed.
• [06:55] Father is shot; sisters are taken hostage.
• [08:16] Cabin is set on fire; forced escape for the girls.
• [13:25] Uncle Randy realizes something is wrong; manhunt begins.
• [15:38] High-speed chase; law enforcement intervenes.
• [18:02] Father's escape and rescue.
• [18:57] Crime scene investigation and evidence collection.
• [24:25] Discovery of suspects' videotape.
• [28:56] Legal proceedings, discussion of charges, and sentences.
• [35:54] Sisters reveal long-term emotional struggles.
• [37:59] Tricia reflects on forgiveness.
• [40:24] Family rebuilds cabin, claims agency over trauma.
• [41:46] Linnae closes with message about legacy, healing, and family.

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Final Thoughts

This episode stands out for its deeply personal storytelling and raw emotional truth. It is not only a gripping true crime investigation but also a testament to familial love, resilience, and the human capacity for forgiveness after unthinkable loss. The story affirms that "lightning never strikes twice in the same location", providing hope and healing despite the scars left behind.

Transcript

[Linnae]

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[Tricia]

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[Tricia]

Payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed flow after 35 gigabytes of network spizzy taxes and fees extra. See mint mobile.com. My family owns a beautiful cabin in Oakley, Utah. The sound of the river, the horses that are down in the pasture, the birds. It's absolutely heaven on earth to me. My mom had given it a name, Tita's Tranquility because of the serenity and peace.

[Linnae]

The cabin was an awesome place to go to as a young child. I loved going up there bringing aunts and uncles and cousins. The cabin was about two and a half miles off the road. You have to snowmobile in during the wintertime. It was an escape from the world for a family. It was winter of 1990.

[Tricia]

I was 20 years old and my little sister was 16.

[Linnae]

It was Christmas time. We were off for the holidays. There's a large Christmas tree with lots of gifts around it.

[Tricia]

I have great memories of spending Christmas with my mom and dad. My mom even had our Christmas stockings hung under the fireplace mantel ready for Santa to come. Three days before Christmas our family had to finish up our Christmas shopping and head back up to our family cabin. My mom and Grams and I arrived at the cabin first and my hands were freezing. It was a bitter cold winter that year. I asked my mom to hurry and unlock the door. I needed to run in and run my hands under some water and I would be right back down to help her. I got to the top of the stairs and saw a gray flash go behind the refrigerator and the first thought that popped in my mind was, oh, a cousin's here already. And was gonna jump out and say boo. It didn't turn out that way. Behind the refrigerator came a frizzy headed man in a gray sweatshirt with his pistol pointed at me. I assumed that he would want to just rob us and be on his way. As soon as my mom came to the top of the stairs, out from the back bedroom, another robber with thick Coke bottle glasses on was pointing a gun at my mother. My mom was saying to him, what is it you want? Why are you here? I'll give you anything. Seconds after she had said that, gunfire started imploding. Exploding, explosion from everywhere. I saw my mom go down. I turned at that point and looked over my shoulder to my Grams and saw her get shot in the head and blood spray everywhere. I heard her gasp for some breath and then it was just dead silence. I felt pretty certain that they were dead. My thoughts were turned to knowing that within minutes my dad and sister would be coming. I can remember hearing snowmobiles coming in the distance and my heart sinking to my gut knowing that that was my dad and sister. It felt like slow motion and quick all at once. I can remember the screams and Grams falling off the stool and my mom reaching over her chest saying I'd been shot. I started to plan ahead. I knew that there was a car. I knew my dad left the car keys underneath the mat. If I got these men out of the cabin and into the car, my dad and my sister would be safe. As the noise of the snowmobiles became closer, the man in the gray sweatshirt grabbed me from behind around the neck, put his gun to my back.

[Linnae]

Dad and I arrived at the cabin and as soon as we got off the snowmobiles, a man jumped out from from the garage with a full ski mask on and a gun and demanded that we come inside right away. Don't move.

[Tricia]

Don't move.

[Linnae]

Don't move. Don't do anything.

[Tricia]

My dad could see tears in my eyes and it was an unspoken communication. And he knew at that point that something awful had happened to mom and Grams. The man asked my dad if he had any money. He reached into his pockets and pulled out what he had and threw it down to the ground. The man in the Coke bottle glasses was instructed by the other to shoot my dad. He pulled back the hammer. I heard it, and he refused to fire.

[Linnae]

So then the other man restraining my sister pulled his gun out, pointed it at my dad, pulled the trigger once. Click, no fire. Twice, click, no fire. And then the third one went off. That blast was so close I could feel it.

[Tricia]

I had no doubt in my mind that he was dead, just like mom and Graham's. I was terrified to just think that the trauma would not stop. It kept going. Didn't make any sense to me. I had no idea what was happening or why. These men that were in the cabin, I knew that they had been there for a while. There was food eaten, There was Christmas presents open. It wasn't just that we walked in and startled them or scared them. They had actually waited for our family to return home. Their plan was to destroy their evidence and burn it to the ground. There was always gas cans full of gas for the snowmobiles.

[Linnae]

They immediately got busy doing things.

[Tricia]

They pour gas everywhere and set the cabin on fire. I can remember hearing the smoke alarms going off as the fire was already a blazing.

[Linnae]

Inside the cabin there was a sense of urgency. They began telling us, we gotta hurry and load the snowmobiles and get out of here. I had this feeling inside of me that we needed to listen and do what they said until the moment came to where Linnae and I could make our escape.

[Tricia]

My sister and I drove these awful men on the snowmobiles out of the cabin. I drove one man behind me and my sister drove the other man behind her.

[Linnae]

I had all kinds of different plans of how to wreck the snowmobile, how to throw him off into a tree, how to get rid of him. But all I could think of is I couldn't leave my sister.

[Tricia]

I can remember wanting to stay close enough that I could still see my sister. I felt a sense of security knowing that she was still. There.

[Linnae]

Is no one to help us. There was nowhere to go. We were in the middle of the mountains on snowmobiles.

[Tricia]

We headed up to the main gate and saw my Uncle Randy.

[Investigator]

I seen the snowmobiles come up the trail, two snowmobiles. And I go, oh, look, there's my nieces. I knew it was the girls with two people on the back. And I go, wow, they got boyfriends. I walked over there and tried to greet them and say hi. And I waved my hands in there and they just drove by me. And I go, hmm, that's weird. That's not my nieces. They don't do that to me.

[Linnae]

I saw my uncle. Uncle had pulled up and he waved at us and we just kind of looked at him and turned back. And the men said, who was that? Somebody that must live up here. Just being nice. I knew his life could be in danger. I knew if these men knew Randy was our uncle there that they would have killed him.

[Investigator]

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[Tricia]

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[Linnae]

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[Linnae]

We were up there in the mountains. There was no one around, was just my sister and I and two men that were dangerous that had a gun. There was a feeling of being completely vulnerable. Once we arrived at the family car, they had two guns. Each of them had a gun. And the dark headed man loaded his gun in the trunk. And as he loaded his gun in the trunk, he pulled his jacket open and he had a knife and he looked at me and goes, don't worry, I'm just as good with a knife as I am a gun.

[Investigator]

And then I seen the Lincoln come out across the street. And I go, well, there they are again. I was walking up to the car as they were pulling out and I seen, I was actually looking in the back and I think I seen Lennae in the back. I waved my hands again. I go, stop.

[Tricia]

I knew that if we were to call out or ask, plead for help or act like we knew Randy, that Randy would be shot as well. So he was waving his arms and my sister and I just pretended we didn't know who he was.

[Investigator]

The car just drove right by me. I knew something's, something's wrong. I don't think it was a minute. I seen another snowmobile come up with this person on it. And I look and I look and I go, he has no coat on, you know, no gloves, no Helmet. And I go, wow, who is this? And I look and I go, oh, my God, it's my brother Rolf. And his face is just huge and full of blood and just big. His eyes swollen shut. Blood sickles because it was cold. He was in really bad shape. And he says, I've been shot. My wife has been killed and my daughters have been kidnapped. I start heading down the canyon as fast as I could. I'm in panic. Rolf's in the back, full of blood, laying on the back seat. Twenty years ago, your cell service did not work up there whatsoever in that canyon. And I kept trying and trying and trying. Got two things on my mind. Save the girls, get him onto life flight. I come up to the back of the Lincoln. I know the girls or kidnapped. I know the guys got guns in the car there, you know. I'm going, what do I do? Do I run them off the road? Still trying to call out on the mobile, you know? And my mobile kicked in. I got nine, one, one. She says, tell me what direction they're going. We got police. We got people in the area. I go, well, they're turning on the road. They're heading towards Camas. I go, I need a helicopter. And the phone went dead. I pulled in the gas station, went over the pay phone and got 911 back on the phone again. Guys, I need a helicopter now.

[Linnae]

We notice a cop car pass us and turn around and begin to follow us. Both men began to panic. I remember looking over the speedometer going over 90 miles an hour.

[Tricia]

We turned right down towards the canyon and went another mile or so and then fell. The car fell off an embankment.

[Linnae]

I remember looking up because the car was at an angle and noticing the entire road above us. We came down was full of maybe a couple cops, but mostly people in common clothes drawn down with pistols and shotguns and rifles at us. And it was. I just remember how amazed I was that there were so many people there so fast.

[Tricia]

There was cops pointing guns at me. And my little sister says, no, no, that's my sister. And I don't think they'd received information that there was even hostages in the car.

[Linnae]

I reached back for my sister's hand and grabbed her hand and said, duck.

[Tricia]

We both ducked, and we were praying and just squeezing each other's hand. We have always had a connection, even as little children, a special connection where we couldn't fail each other. She's always been a great comfort to me.

[Investigator]

The suspects were taken from the vehicle and then were secured by officers who'd Arrived at the scene. These guys are obviously cowards. As long as they were in total control of a situation by use of fear and force, then they continued to function. When that control went away, that's when it stopped and they surrendered to authorities.

[Tricia]

The men were down on their knees with their arms behind their neck. And the cops were, you know, yelling at him to get down, get down and surrender. And I started to yell at the cops to kill him. I said, kill him. They just killed my mom, my dad, and my grams. Kill him. Shoot him now. Kill him.

[Linnae]

I remember a feeling of not necessarily being safe, but of survived. We're no longer in the custody of those two evil men.

[Investigator]

The helicopter showed up. They got Rolf out of the back of my blazer and got him into care. And he was in pretty bad shape, critical condition. And when it lifted off, I'm just praying that he makes it.

[Linnae]

I can't imagine what had have been going through dad's head after he'd been shot and then shot again. And he's laying there playing dead, trying to breathe as shallow as possible. I later learned that dad had actually been doused with gasoline and he caught on fire himself. And he had to run into the shower and tear off his snow suit while on fire. Having the strength to get on the snowmobile and race down that mountain to save my sister and I. How much blood he lost, how he couldn't see getting down the mountain in freezing temperatures. My whole life, my dad was my hero. And that just put an exclamation point on that.

[Tricia]

My dad was the most amazing hero that I've ever known. Beautiful, kind, blue eyes. He was extremely kind and generous in every way.

[Investigator]

The number one concern in this particular case is rescuing anybody who might need assistance. Secondly is to preserve the evidence at the crime scene. One of the most significant pieces of evidence was a video camera. Inside the video camera was a videotape. We had no idea what might be recorded on that. So at a number of junctures in that, in that film, I was saying, oh my God. Oh my God. Hundreds of crime scenes later, it still rakes right up there. You know, it's still very vivid to me. Probably when I got about maybe 10ft from the door, I picked up a faint smell. It was kind of like burnt hair and maybe burnt fabric, like clothes burning. As I entered the garage, there was maybe a 12 to 18 inch puddle of blood that. That was fresh. As I started up the stairwell, I could see holes in the wall, bullet holes coming from one wall across the stairwell into the other wall, there was a blood smear on the wall. It looked like a bloody hand had wiped down the wall and it almost looked like a mini war zone. There was two bodies. I checked for a pulse, but I knew in my mind they was deceased. I actually walked into the smoke before I really realized that the top floor of that cabin was on fire. Then our mindset went to protecting the victim's property because we. We thought the cabin was going to burn down. On top of the coffee table, there was a VCR camera and some tape.

[Tricia]

There was a double funeral for my mother and grandmother. My grandmother's name's Beth Tidwell Potts. My mother's name is Kay Tidwell Tida. I remember just so many people and families that came to love us and help us build their love and support.

[Linnae]

Aunt Claudia was my mom's older sister. When mom passed, Aunt Claudia stepped in, letting us know that she was there. And it gave us all a sense of that we weren't alone.

[Tricia]

I wanted to be there as much as I possibly could because they needed support. This was. It was a horribly traumatizing thing for them, and we were what they had left.

[Linnae]

Grams had a lot of energy. She was full of life.

[Tricia]

She was a very fun, vivacious, energetic, happy grandma. She would give me permanence in my hair and make it curly. Awful. I remember mom called the aspen trees quakies. She loved the noise that the quaking aspen made in the wind. That was one of her fondest memories, and it is mine as well. My sister was one of the most devoted mothers that I have ever known. She would give up anything for her children. She was strong willed, and they were strong willed. And you know, that relationship is not without conflict, but they always worked it out.

[Linnae]

The morning of the crime, I remember turning and walking over to give my mother a hug, as I always did. And she and I had got in a little argument earlier that morning over something silly. And she and I both looked at each other and me, at 16 years old, just turned and wasn't gonna give her a hug. I turned and I walked the other way. And that's the last time I saw my mom alive.

[Investigator]

You tell me, what's your justification for taking these lives and doing this to these people that you don't even know? When I watched the videotape that had been taken from the crime scene, I expected to see pictures of family talking, playing games, doing what family folks do. But as it turns out, there were the two suspects. How come your light flashing on the I Don't know. Find out. They were opening the family's Christmas presents. Oh, wow. What is it? Baseball card.

[Tricia]

I remember thinking of the pure malice and hate that these men must have. What heartless jerks. Why would you do this to our family?

[Investigator]

The two men were in their early to mid-20s. Both spent time at Utah State Penitentiary. Vaughn Taylor had been previously convicted of an aggravated burglary. What I gather is he was a normal kid, a very normal and decent family, but that at some point he got into some conflict with the law. I don't think I got all of this. I'm not aware of a violent history on Mr. Edward Dele. He had been convicted of an arson. They'd been released from the penitentiary to a halfway house facility. So apparently they were given the ability to go out and look for employment. At that point, they just absconded.

[Linnae]

I later learned these men had hitchhiked their way up there and chose that area because one of the men had family that had a cabin in the area. They'd robbed several cabins and eventually came to our cabin because they knew we were there. They wanted to find a way to get a vehicle and get out of the country. They waited for us all night long to return.

[Investigator]

I'm afraid to go in there and cancel it. This might appear to be a slam dunk case to some folks, but from an investigator's point of view, it was very complicated and very complex. Sure, it's not a whodunit. There's no question who committed the crimes. But being able to determine what criminal act each suspect committed, that was a challenge. Hey, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. You know, one of the perks about having four kids that you know about is actually getting a direct line to the big man up north. And this year he wants you to know the best gift that you can give someone is the gift of Mint Mobile's unlimited wireless for $15 a month. Now you don't even need to wrap it. Give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment.

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[Linnae]

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[Investigator]

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[Tricia]

Find a Marshalls near you. Von Taylor and Ed Deley very much each took their own separate part in murdering my mom and Grams. I do not feel one man in any way, shape or form was more responsible.

[Investigator]

They were charged with the murders, the aggravated kidnapping, the arsons, the high speed chase. I don't remember the exact number, but in addition to the murders, there were something like eight to ten felonies and some misdemeanors.

[Linnae]

I wanted them both to be sentenced to the death penalty. I wanted both of them to know that they were gonna die.

[Investigator]

Approximately five months after these crimes, Von Taylor pleaded guilty to two counts of capital murder and the state dropped all of the other charges against him in exchange for that plea.

[Tricia]

I believe Taylor pled guilty to his crime because there was so much cold evidence against him that that was all that he could plea was guilty.

[Linnae]

Taylor was an evil man. He had no remorse, no regard for life whatsoever. You could see it in his eyes. You could see it in his countenance. From the moment we saw him to the last time we saw him in court, he just had this air about him of anger and zero remorse.

[Investigator]

Taylor opted to go to sentencing in front of a jury instead of in front of a judge. The jury sentenced him to a death sentence for both murders. So he has two death sentences.

[Tricia]

I felt relieved that Taylor would be put to death for his crime. Justice had been served.

[Investigator]

Short period of time after that, a couple of weeks, I believe, then Mr. Deli went to trial. We were as prepared, if not maybe even a little bit more prepared to go into the deli trial as we were with the Vaughn Taylor trial.

[Tricia]

I felt a great burden. I felt like they practically wanted me to be able to see, see the bullets coming out of the guns, that they expected me to point the exact gun in the direction of every bullet and where it hit at any given moment. Hmm. I actually just had a whole epiphany of new thoughts come to that that I don't think that that was helpful for a victim to have to put a weapon that they watched their family murdered with to even have to touch it. What is the point? The weapons were already on the table. Why would I have to touch it?

[Linnae]

Those trials are somewhat of a blur to me. I was 16 years old and I wanted to go back and live that life I loved and not having to keep relive a nightmare. Dele's lawyer argued that he didn't do any of the shooting. These men were guilty. They committed a crime. They needed to be punished, and we needed to move on.

[Investigator]

Lennae and Trish Teda were excellent witnesses. They were very sure about the things they had seen and very articulate, able to relate these very, very sensational things in an unemotional way. So they were extremely valuable witnesses. But we had another survivor of the case. Mr. Titus survived the assault and the attack. Incredible guy.

[Linnae]

I remember sitting and watching the look on Dele's face as he came in seeing my father. And it was very apparent to me that he did not know my father had survived. And the look on his face was just priceless, like he had been defeated. My dad survived. We won.

[Investigator]

He's lucky that they used the wrong gun when they shot him. They used birdshot. Very ineffective. They didn't know that, you know, I think his odds of having made it and survived an incident like that are probably one in a thousand. He was kind of an ace in the hole, and he brought the prosecution together in an outstanding way. I expected Edward Dele to be convicted of first degree murder. The case had been thoroughly investigated and the prosecutor's office had done an excellent job. I heard the verdict came out. Second degree murder with life imprisonment. And I never really understood that. I said, something's wrong. It can only be them that did this. How can he be not sentenced to death? Dele was not convicted of first degree murder. He was convicted of second degree murder, and a death sentence was no longer an option. Once that conviction came in.

[Tricia]

Edward Dele received second degree murder instead of first degree due to one jury member deciding to hold out. I felt like the courts did an injustice to our family. I felt like that he deserved to be on death row as well. Just like Taylor Dele murdered. Taylor murdered.

[Investigator]

This was such a horrific experience for everybody here that I think we all didn't know what to say or buried it inside to where we didn't talk about this a lot.

[Linnae]

I went through periods of anger and frustration and not understanding why. And for years and years that follow, I'D cry in silence. I spent a good 10 years hiding that pain and suppressing that pain.

[Tricia]

I went through trying to find happiness in areas where happiness doesn't exist. I went through fear. Fear of putting my heart out there. Fear of loving someone or letting someone love me that they would abandon me. I believe it was 2001 I received a letter from Delhi. I thought about it for many many years and would go to write him a letter and it just never felt right. Meet the computer you can talk to with Copilot on Windows Working, creating and collaborating is as easy as talking. Got writer's block? Share your screen with Copilot Vision to help spark inspiration and use Copilot voice to have a conversation and brainstorm ideas. Or maybe you need some tech help with Copilot Vision. Copilot sees what you see. Let Copilot talk you through step by step guidance so you can master new apps, games and skills faster. Try [e-mail] copilot. It took me over nine years to respond to Deli's letter. I held onto the letter and I reread it probably 20, 30 times. I was just very careful and guarded with my feelings. I basically wanted to get a feel if he was truly sorry. Dele has shared with me that he has grown into a man, not the same evil boy that committed the the crime. I believe that I gained my freedom back for myself by choosing to forgive Dele for me. Forgiving does not mean forgetting. I do not believe Edward Deli has a place outside of prison. But when I came to the place of forgiveness I to feel the tremendous burden relief off my shoulders. I felt free.

[Investigator]

Linnae is flawed perfection. Lenae have been married a little over three years now. She's my best friend. She's everything to me. There is something in her eyes that is just. It's like pure and she's as flawed as the rest of us but she has this innocence that still is there that I just love.

[Tricia]

Nathan changed my life by opening his heart and sharing his true self and giving me the freedom to do the same. I have four kids and five beautiful step kids and I just feel like it's a beautiful start of a new beginning. For me to be a survivor.

[Linnae]

Has.

[Tricia]

Become a beautiful gift. I believe that I can share it with others. After the cabin had burnt we went and rebuilt it and made it even better than it was before. I can remember my dad, he would say this to me quite often. He would say, lenae, I know lightning strikes, he says, but lightning never strikes twice in the same location. And I would find great peace in that. Sometimes, if I ever would have fear, I would just hear my dad say, lenae, you're gonna be safe.

[Linnae]

It's fabulous. We love it. We need to do a hike before I go down. We absolutely go up there and enjoy family and friends. We play and we relax.

[Investigator]

We bond.

[Linnae]

They're not gonna take away from us the things that we love and we enjoy in our life. They took our mom, they took our grams, but that's where it ends.

[Tricia]

The cabin's magical. The cabin is heal.

[Linnae]

When my father was diagnosed with cancer, our whole family came together. And that last six to eight weeks of his life were so absolutely incredible.

[Investigator]

He pulled me aside, spent about an hour, an hour and a half with me, just me and him. Probably gave me one of the greatest compliments I had in my life. And I'm still just a touch uneasy about it. That he knew Linnae would be okay and that he could go because he knew I would take care of her.

[Linnae]

When my father passed, it was very peaceful. I had the privilege of being right by his side as he took his last breaths. And his spirit has never left me. Anytime I need my dad, he's there. He comes in some of the most unique and special times. I very much still feel that my father is there. I have two beautiful little girls, and when I look into their eyes, I see both my mother and my father and everything that's loving and pure. I have an awesome life. I love my life now. And I wouldn't say that the incident in 1990 defines me, but I would say it's helped make me who I am today.

[Investigator]

Can you hear the wind A blowing through the trees can you hear the wind when it's talking to the leaves?

[Tricia]

I think my sister would be absolutely delighted if she looked down to see the healing that Linnae and Tricia have gone through and what they've done with their lives.

[Investigator]

Let the wind blow Let the wind Let it tell you where to go.

[Tricia]

I feel very much so that this experience has changed me as a person. I choose that it's a part of who I am. It's my life story because there's always.

[Investigator]

Demons behind every door. And if you let the wind blow, then the demons ain't that on my own and let the wind what we.

[Linnae]

Experienced together, that created a bond that obviously I couldn't have with anybody else. And I'm glad that we were there together. And I couldn't. I couldn't ask for more.

[Investigator]

Let the wind blow Let the wind blow. Just don't let the wind, don't let it blow you down. If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why, hands down, you count on Grainger for auto reordering. With on time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift and you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Georgia the world pluto tv is free with all the best movies behind the days of pluto.

[Tricia]

So is your feelings.

[Investigator]

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