Update from Season 3 | BONUS | Stacey and Tyler’s Story

Summary

Betrayal Weekly – Update from Season 3 | BONUS | Stacey and Tyler’s Story

Podcast: Betrayal Weekly
Host: iHeartPodcasts | Glass Podcasts
Producer/Interviewer: Carrie Hartman
Guest: Stacey Rutherford
Release Date: April 16, 2026
Duration of Content: ~13:26

Overview

This bonus episode of Betrayal Weekly provides a significant update to Stacey and Tyler’s harrowing story, originally covered in Season 3. Producer Carrie Hartman reconnects with Stacey Rutherford to discuss ongoing fallout from her ex-husband Justin's criminal convictions for child sexual abuse and a murder-for-hire scheme. The central theme: the enduring aftermath of betrayal, and how perpetrators can continue to inflict harm even from prison—illustrated by Justin’s recent, distressingly manipulative civil lawsuit against his son Tyler.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Justin’s Pattern of Manipulation Continues (02:06–05:52)

• Update: Stacey shares that in August 2025, Tyler was shockingly served with a civil lawsuit by Justin, who is incarcerated.
  • Allegation: Justin sued for defamation after Tyler called him a “child rapist” and “child predator.”
  • Justin’s Claim: He states he was “illegally detained, illegally charged,” and coerced into a plea deal, thus denying the validity of the allegations (03:57).
• Manipulative Tactics:
  • Justin represented himself legally (pro se) and included a personal letter to Tyler, inviting him to visit in prison to “discuss the matter”—despite a no-contact order (05:45).
  • Stacey: “All it is is him spiraling and realizing that he no longer has control over Tyler, at least for me.” (05:57)

Notable Quote:

• “He serves him with the lawsuit papers, and then he put a private letter on the front of it…he asked Tyler to come see him…In his sentence, he was not allowed to have contact with Tyler.” — Stacey Rutherford (05:09)

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2. No Remorse: Justin’s Lack of Accountability (06:07–07:26)

• Justin shows no remorse, instead blaming others for his losses, including his medical license and reputation.
  • Stacey recalls a prior letter: “He talked about being baptized…All I can think of is, there’s no way you found God the way you say…because if you were truly owning what you did to him, this lawsuit wouldn’t be happening.” (06:36)
  • “You lost these things because you were a pedophile….The fact that you still find blame in a child, there’s no remorse.” (07:22)

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3. The Burden of Civil Litigation for Victims (07:26–09:29)

• Tyler initially wants to ignore the lawsuit, but Stacey insists on fighting it:
  • “If you don’t respond to it, Tyler, he could potentially win because you don’t bring forth any evidence…” (07:49)
• Legal Complexity:
  • Criminal and civil courts operate independently. Civil judges might not know Justin’s criminal background unless informed (08:07).
• Their lawyer compiled about 270 pages of evidence to refute Justin’s claims.

Notable Quote:

• “When you first get that paperwork, you have 20 days to respond. So we were scrambling…” — Stacey Rutherford (08:36)

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4. Resolution of the Lawsuit (09:29–10:26)

• The process extended over months with multiple legal back-and-forths.
• In early 2026, the judge dismissed Justin's lawsuit “without leave to amend,” meaning he cannot refile against Tyler on these grounds.
  • “The final document was signed for it to be dropped.” (10:11)

Notable Quote:

• “It is dismissed without leave to amend. So…he cannot refile the case against Tyler.” — Stacey Rutherford (10:14)

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5. Ongoing Concern & The Cycle of Victimization (10:26–12:22)

• Stacey doesn’t believe this is over: “I know enough about him…he always is kind of like trying to be one step ahead of the game.” (10:36)
  • Believes Justin will continue his campaign from prison—"just throwing things at the wall…hoping that something sticks.” (10:44)
  • Stacey’s main fear: “He can continue to victimize Tyler from a prison cell. My son will forever be punished for using his voice.” (11:22)
• Stacey and Tyler celebrated the dismissal as a small victory but remain realistic: “We beat it once, we’ll beat it again.” (12:46)

Notable Quotes:

• “Tyler said to me after the paperwork came, like, is this really the rest of my life? Constantly looking over my shoulder, seeing what’s he going to do to me next?” — Stacey Rutherford (11:22)
• “What we’re saying to other victims is it never really ends.” — Stacey Rutherford (11:45)

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6. Bittersweet Silver Lining (11:50–12:36)

• Long-term impact on Parole: Justin’s ongoing lack of remorse is likely to weigh against him at parole hearings.
  • “The more you do these kinds of things, the less remorseful you look and the less likely the parole board is to grant your parole.” (11:50)

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Timeline of Key Moments

• [03:57] — Stacey explains Tyler being served with lawsuit papers by Justin.
• [05:09] — Personal letter from Justin included with legal summons.
• [06:21] — Discussion on Justin’s lack of remorse and blame-shifting.
• [08:36] — Legal scramble to respond within 20 days, lawyer compiles evidence.
• [10:14] — Lawsuit dismissed without leave to amend.
• [11:22–11:47] — Tyler’s fear of ongoing victimization; the reality for many survivors.
• [11:50] — Justin's behavior negatively impacts his chances for parole.
• [12:46] — Stacey’s resilient conclusion: “We beat it once, we’ll beat it again.”

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Stacey Rutherford on emotional aftermath:
  “My son will forever be punished for using his voice. And what we’re saying to other victims is it never really ends.” (11:45)
• Stacey on Justin’s mindset:
  “He’s just throwing things at the wall and hoping that something sticks eventually.” (10:44)
• Host, Carrie Hartman, on justice:
  “I hope it doesn’t happen again, but I agree with you that it probably will.” (12:36)
• Stacey’s determination:
  “That’s okay. Because we beat it once, we’ll beat it again.” (12:46)

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Summary & Tone

Stacey and Tyler's story is a sobering reminder that, for survivors of abuse, the harm doesn’t necessarily end with a prison sentence. Through reflective, candid conversation, Stacey communicates the exhausting ongoing vigilance required, but also highlights resilience and small victories. The tone is both raw and resolutely hopeful, shining a light on the persistence of abusers—and the importance of steadfastly supporting survivors.

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For more updates and resources, visit Betrayal Weekly’s Substack.

Transcript

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Introducing the all new Mazda CX5 featuring more connection. Hey Google, where's the nearest Pilates class? Safety that has your back? More discovery on the scenic routes, more passion in the details and more control in changing weather. The all new Mazda CX5 more to move every side of you. See it in five films at mazdausa.com fivesides Google is a trademark of Google LLC. Sequences shortened and simulated. Hi I'm Carrie Hartman, a senior producer on Betrayal. If you've been following the podcast, you know the stories we tell don't end when the episodes do. People's lives keep moving forward, and sometimes we like to check back in. Recently, I had the chance to talk with Stacey Rutherford. In season three, Stacey and her son Tyler shared the harrowing story of her husband's sexual abuse of Tyler. It's one of the most chilling cases we've covered, and there've been some recent developments. Here's my conversation with Stacy. We all know everybody who listened to your season that Justin pled guilty not once but twice to sexual assault of Tyler and another child. He also pled guilty for voyeurism, and eventually he also pled guilty for a murder for hire scheme. And it seems like with that sentence that he received, that should have been the end of it. You should have walked out those doors that day. He would do decades in prison and this would be over. But that's not how it's gone.

[Stacey Rutherford]

No.

[Podcast Host]

What's happened?

[Stacey Rutherford]

So in August of last year, 2025, Tyler was served with civil suit. Justin was suing him for defamation of character. Tyler had called him a child rapist and a child predator. And Justin's response was that he was illegally detained, illegally charged, and that he was coerced into signing the plea deal. So he's not these things that Tyler is saying he is because he's illegally detained for these things.

[Podcast Host]

I'm just reminded of your sister. After Justin was sentenced, I'll never forget this. She said he's going to be the guy in the law library every single day.

[Stacey Rutherford]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

Trying to devise scheme, come up with any possible way.

[Stacey Rutherford]

Yeah. I remember her saying, they'll know him well in there. You know, Justin is his own attorney. He's filing on behalf of himself. So he was the one that actually filled out the paperwork, had it delivered to the house, and it came from Justin. So it did not come from a lawyer, but he serves him with the lawsuit papers, and then he put a private letter on the front of it. And that's what I was really upset about, because in that letter, he asked Tyler to come see him and said, if you would like to come see me and discuss this matter in person, I can get you put on my list in the prison to come talk to me about this. In his sentence, he was not allowed to have contact with Tyler. So I immediately called the prison and said, I have this mail that he contacted Tyler and I was told that it is his right to civilly sue anyone, and that basically, that did not cross over because he was acting as his lawyer.

[Podcast Host]

So really, did you think the lawsuit was like a cover to get a personal letter to Tyler?

[Stacey Rutherford]

Absolutely. All it is is him spiraling and realizing that he no longer has control over Tyler, at least for me.

[Podcast Host]

What really sticks out is there's absolutely no remorse of any kind. It's almost like he is doubling down on everything.

[Stacey Rutherford]

Yeah. And what I find really comical is the last time I heard from him was well over a year ago. He had sent a letter, and in the letter, he talked about that he was being baptized on Easter and that he would really love for me to come and see him be baptized. And all I can think of is, like, there's no way you found God the way that you say you found God, you know, and to be baptized and to repent of your sins, because if you were truly owning what you did to him, this lawsuit wouldn't be happening. He kept bringing up his reputation and his. His medical license was stripped, and Tyler took all these things from him. And I'm like, you're so not remorseful for any of this because you still are placing blame on him for you losing these things. You lost these things because you were a pedophile. You lost these things because you raped children. So the fact that you still find blame in a child, there's no remorse.

[Podcast Host]

It's infuriating. Because even though it's like a BS lawsuit that's completely ridiculous and really doesn't have a basis in fact, doesn't Tyler still have to respond to it? I mean, just because you get a lawsuit, you can't just go, oh, I'm not going to respond to that.

[Stacey Rutherford]

Tyler at first was like, d. I'm just going to ignore it. I. I don't care. I'm not responding to that crap. That's stupid. And I was like, no, if you don't respond to it, Tyler, he could potentially win because you don't bring forth any evidence to prove why you were saying those things. Just because we know that it's meritless doesn't mean that the court system knows it is.

[Podcast Host]

Right. You can't assume anything. Justin was prosecuted in criminal court. That's where his entire case was heard. But he filed a lawsuit going after Tyler for defamation in civil court. And chances are that the judge deciding the civil case doesn't know who Justin Rutherford is or what crimes he's been convicted of already. We can't assume that those two branches talk to each other.

[Stacey Rutherford]

Right. They don't know that he's sitting in prison for those charges. They don't know the extent of the case. When you first get that paperwork, you have 20 days to respond. So we were scrambling, right? When we finally obtained a lawyer, I want to say it was like, 270 pages that Tyler's lawyer brought in, all the charges, all the sentencings. You know, a transcript of them asking him, do you understand the charges and the sentencing and everything like that?

[Podcast Host]

Yeah. They ask you, have you been coerced to take this plea or.

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[Podcast Host]

Isn't that part of the questioning?

[Stacey Rutherford]

They don't just ask it once. They ask it multiple times throughout that court session of sentencing and everything. You know, did anyone coerce you into this? Have you been explained all your rights? Is there anything we can explain further to you? Do you have any questions? It's like, over and over and over, they make sure that these people understand.

[Podcast Host]

Right. So from the time that Tyler was first served last summer, how long did it take for the judge to rule and what was the ruling?

[Stacey Rutherford]

It was months of going back and forth with him filing first, then our lawyer responding. Then they give Justin the opportunity to respond to our response, and then they give Tyler's attorney a response to response to his response. I mean, it's just you. It's just all this back and forth, and then the first of the year, the judge said that he was going to make his decision and then let Everybody know by the 20th of February. And just last week, the final document was signed for it to be dropped.

[Podcast Host]

When you say it was dropped, what do you mean by that?

[Stacey Rutherford]

It is dismissed without leave to amend. So what that means is he cannot refile the case against Tyler.

[Podcast Host]

Do you think that he's gonna give up now and just say, okay, I got thrown out. I didn't get anywhere with this? Do you feel like you've hit the end?

[Stacey Rutherford]

No. I know enough about him to know that he always is kind of like trying to be one step ahead of the game. So I believe the next thing's coming. I don't think he cares anymore, because I think he thinks, what does he have to lose in there? What are they gonna do? I think he's just throwing things at the wall and just hoping that something sticks eventually. I'm not concerned at all that they're gonna find some heir and that he was illegally detained and he'll be back out. There's no way. I'm not worried about that. The only thing I'm concerned with is just that I just feel like, this is just like a crusade for him to make Tyler pay.

[Podcast Host]

It makes it really hard for your son to move on when you don't know when that next letter disguised as a legal document is coming.

[Stacey Rutherford]

Tyler said to me after the paperwork came, like, is this really the rest of my life? Constantly looking over my shoulder, seeing what's he going to do to me next? And it's frustrating because it's like, he can continue to victimize Tyler from a prison cell. My son will forever be punished for using his voice. And what we're saying to other victims is it never really ends.

[Podcast Host]

Wow. That's really. That's the bottom line.

[Stacey Rutherford]

The only good thing in this is when he goes up for parole. So at 27 years or whatever, the more you do these kinds of things, the less remorseful you look and the less likely the parole board is to grant your parole.

[Podcast Host]

It's an interesting point.

[Stacey Rutherford]

Yeah, definitely. So far, you know, we feel like we had a little bit of victory last week. Tyler and I kind of celebrated a little bit, and we're just hoping that maybe this will shut him up and he'll leave him alone. Wow.

[Podcast Host]

Stacy, I'm really sorry, but I'm happy that things worked out the way that they did, and I think that's what's gonna continue to happen because justice was served.

[Stacey Rutherford]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

And I think you're in the right. You've done everything that you're supposed to do. Right. So I hope it doesn't happen again, but I agree with you that it probably will.

[Stacey Rutherford]

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[Stacey Rutherford]

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