I Saw Her Go Straight Up Like in the Jaws Movie

Summary

Cold Case Files: "I Saw Her Go Straight Up Like in the Jaws Movie"

Podcast: Cold Case Files (A&E / PodcastOne)
Host/Narrator: Marisa Pinson
Release Date: June 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Cold Case Files features three harrowing survival stories, each a testament to human endurance and the unpredictability of violent crime. The stories include:

1. A mass shooting at the Jewish Federation of Seattle (2006), with survivors recounting the terrifying 15-minute siege.
2. A catamaran disaster off the coast of Florida (1981), culminating in a fatal shark attack and a grueling swim for survival.
3. A stalking turned attempted murder and poisoning in Texas (2003), exposing a case of obsession, betrayal, and attempted contract killing.

Each narrative is told through the voices of survivors, weaving first-hand accounts with chilling details. The episode explores trauma, resilience, and the fine line between life and death.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shooting at the Jewish Federation of Seattle (00:30–16:31)

Background and Lead-Up to the Attack

• Setting (02:18): July 2006, Seattle. Cheryl, the marketing manager, and her colleagues were finishing up their day.
• Intruder Enters (03:07): The gunman forces his way in at gunpoint alongside Cheryl’s niece, Kelsey.
• Carol (receptionist) Details First Encounter (03:14): “He got out a gun and asked to see my manager. I slowly backed away with my hands up…”

Moments of Terror

• Gunman Threatens, Then Opens Fire (04:39–05:11):
  • Carol is shot in the knee.
  • Gunman fires at Cheryl and Layla, injuring both.
• Cheryl recalls: "I kind of went into emergency management mode...I just turned and I said in Carol’s direction, 'Call 911.' As loud as I could.” (03:55)
• Carol, after being shot: "I couldn't move. And I wanted to call 911, but I couldn't get to a phone because my leg was just totally dead.” (05:19)

Struggle to Survive and Help Others

• Cheryl Tries to Escape: She describes the panic and hard choices: “I wasn't dressed to be shot and get away. And I got up and I went right to the door...this might be my only chance.” (07:33)
• Layla’s Survival Mode: “I had to get help so that myself and anybody else that could possibly get out of this alive would get the help that they needed.” (08:49)
• 911 Call Excerpts: Layla, calm under pressure, gives details while hiding (08:24–10:38).

The Gunman’s Demands and Surrender

• Hostage Situation (13:08): The attacker takes Dana, a pregnant coworker, hostage and speaks to 911:
  • “I want these Jews to get out. Why are you so upset at these people? I’m not upset at the people. I’m upset at your foreign policy.” (13:27)
• Gunman Surrenders (14:40):
  • “Here, I’ll give myself up.” (14:40)

Aftermath

• Immediate Trauma: Cheryl’s 14-year-old niece Kelsey “had hidden in the bathroom throughout the shooting” (15:15).
• Pam, a coworker, was killed at the scene; five others were hospitalized.
• Trial Outcome (15:40): Gunman Navid Haak found guilty and sentenced to life plus 120 years.

Reflections

• Layla: “I survived because I was calm. I got out of harm’s way and did what I could to call for help...” (16:03)
• Cheryl: “...there was Kelsey standing over me...with tears in her eyes, saying, 'I love you.' Because she knew that was the most important thing for me to hear right then.” (15:28)

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2. Catamaran Disaster & Shark Attack – Ormond Beach, Florida (19:09–28:37)

Setting the Scene

• Tamara and friends embark on a sailing trip (19:19–19:42):
  • Small catamaran, far from shore.
  • Sudden storm causes the boat to capsize, stranding the group miles out at sea.

The Ordeal

• Initial Optimism Turns to Realization:
  • “We were able to all get up on the hull...we just got settled there and tried to think what to do.” (20:13)
  • No food, no water, minimal clothing; failed rescue attempt by passing boat (21:02).
• Despair Sets In:
  • “We were sure we were whistling really loud...And then that was just like the reality hit us, and we were just quiet.” (21:02)
  • "Christy, who was sitting in front of me, she was very quiet...she knew she was going to die." (21:58)

The Swim for Survival

• Decision to Swim for Shore:
  • “I'm out of here. I'm going. Once the sun comes up, we might lose our direction. So we knew we had to go.” (22:01)
  • Tamara leads, Christy struggling.

Shark Attack – The Episode’s Namesake

• Christy’s Death:
  • “She went straight up, just like in the movie, in the Jaws movie. She went straight up and straight back down into the water. And I knew she'd been hit by a shark.” (22:15–23:00)
  • Tamara: “The last time I saw her go up and she just went face down into the water, I knew that, you know, I knew she was dead...There was no way I was going to go back there.” (23:00)
• Tamara’s Own Encounter:
  • “After seeing Christy get hit by the shark, I got bumped by something...I looked down, and it was a gray shark, bigger than I was.” (23:15)

Endurance and Rescue

• Swimming Against the Odds:
  • “I just kept stroking. That's all I gotta say...I was hallucinating." (25:29)
  • “...There was a cloud in the sky, and it went straight east, west, the one side of the cloud. So I did backstroke and I followed the cloud in the whole way.” (26:30)
• Near the Finish:
  • “Finally, when I got almost all the way in...I thought I was going to die.” (26:39)
  • “If I did sidestroke that I could break it like that. And I did sidestroke and I broke through it. And then [the lifeguard] saw me and he came running out and yelling at me because he thought I was a lifeguard swimming laps.” (27:19)
  • Aftermath: Christy’s body was never found. Tamara survived, along with Daniel and Randy. (28:00–28:37)

Reflections

• Tamara:
  • “Dying wasn’t an option for me during that time, so I just had to keep good thoughts and say okay, I made it another minute, I made it another five minutes, I made it another hour and just keep going.” (28:42)

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3. Obsession, Attempted Murder, & Poisoning – Corpus Christi, Texas (32:50–44:53)

Unfolding Obsession

• Elizabeth Reynolds appears benevolent, helping Alberto’s parents (32:50).
• Her fixation grows: "She wanted to be a police officer. She became a little fixated...as far as calling me on my cell phone...as soon as I got out of work." (33:17)

The Day of the Attack

• "She walks in looking like a Southern belle...asking for forgiveness." (34:23)
• Gunman enters; Alberto is shot multiple times:
  • “So at that point, I got three in the back. And I never, never heard the shots… I could taste metal in my mouth." (36:22)
  • “I kept my poise. I kept. It was important to stay as dignified as possible.” (37:45)

Aftermath and a Suspicious Recovery

• Alberto survives after several surgeries, but falls gravely ill after Elizabeth brings him food:
  • “I'm vomiting, I'm pulling over the road to vomit, and I, I'm starting to black out...I pass out. I wake up, and I'm in the critical care unit.” (39:05)
  • “I started getting so sick...I had to end up staying there another three or four days.” (40:43)
  • Doctors begin to suspect poisoning.

Piecing Together the Plot

• Alberto's Own Investigation: "I had been asking her, I said, look, why don't you just take a polygraph?" (41:25)
• Another Illness After Meeting: "After only 35 minutes, I'm gravely ill...My heart stopped four times." (41:44)
• Break in the Case:
  • Anonymous tip (possibly from Elizabeth herself) implicates shooter Francisco Perez.
  • Perez confesses; implicates Elizabeth as the mastermind: “She paid him with a check, and she paid him with drugs. And also...with sex.” (44:41)

Convictions

• Perez sentenced to 60 years; Elizabeth Reynolds receives life for conspiracy to commit murder (44:41–44:53).
• Motive: Obsessive love; “If she couldn’t have me, nobody was going to have me.” (44:53)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Carol (re: shooter): “The hole of the gun looked as big as an eye, like a human eye to me at the time.” (03:55)
• Layla: “I survived because I was calm.” (16:03)
• Tamara (on shark attack): “She went straight up, just like in the movie, in the Jaws movie. She went straight up and straight back down into the water.” (22:15)
• Alberto: “I really felt that he was gonna. That he was gonna kill her and that it was my fault, you know? Cause I should have. I didn't have my sidearm. I should have taken him out.” (37:45)
• Cheryl (to Kelsey): “I love you. Because she knew that that was the most important thing for me to hear right then.” (15:28)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jewish Federation Shooting:

  • Attack begins: 03:07
  • Victims recount injuries: 04:39–06:16
  • Hostage situation: 13:08–14:40
  • Surrender and aftermath: 14:40–16:31

• Catamaran/Shark Attack:

  • Setting sail: 19:19
  • Storm and capsize: 20:13
  • Failed rescue: 21:02
  • Shark attack: 22:15–23:00
  • Survival swim: 25:29–28:37

• Alberto and Elizabeth:

  • Elizabeth’s fixation: 33:17
  • The shooting: 34:23–37:45
  • Poisoning incidents: 39:05–41:44
  • Investigation breakthrough: 43:29
  • Resolutions and sentencing: 44:41–44:53

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Tone & Language

The episode blends calm, factual narration with the raw, sometimes stunned language of survivors. Descriptions are vivid and personal—often harrowing but punctuated by the resilience and clarity that comes with survival:

• “I was just waiting. I couldn’t see anything. My face was in the rug. I couldn’t hear anything because my ears were ringing.” (Cheryl, 05:47)
• “Mine [life] flashed about six hours of swimming." (Tamara, 25:29)
• “I knew I had time to live. I didn’t want to lay down. I sat down, but I kept my torso up, laying down, you know, giving in to...was giving in to death. As far as I was concerned, I wasn’t going to do that.” (Alberto, 37:45)

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Closing Thoughts

This episode stands out for its focus on the psychology and split-second decisions of survivors during traumatic events. Listeners are left with a sense of awe for the human spirit’s capacity to endure, as well as the chilling reminder that violence can come from strangers—or those closest to us.

If you’re compelled by stories of determination, resilience, and the unpredictable turns of true crime and survival, this episode is not to be missed.

Transcript

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[Cheryl]

A whodunit that fights the patriarchy in surprising ways, says the Hollywood Reporter. A teenage girl is found dead in the desert. No identification, no family, no one willing to claim her. With each passing day, the chances of solving the case fade. But for Noelle Al Safan, a newly divorced true crime enthusiast haunted by personal loss, walking away isn't an option. Driven by a need for answers, she launches her own search for the truth. What begins as an investigation into an unidentified victim soon uncovers a larger story, a one that exposes hidden tensions within a society in transition and reveals the determination of women striving to define their own futures. From acclaimed director Haifa Al Mansour, Unidentified is a riveting, powerful mystery. Opens in select City Theaters June 19th.

[Narrator]

Spring just slid into your DMs. Grab that boho. Look for that rooftop dinner, those sandals that can keep up with you.

[Tamara]

And hang some string lights to give

[Narrator]

your patio a glow up. Spring's calling, Ross. Work your magic. This episode contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

[Cheryl]

I just thought, he's got the gun, reaching out and pointing at me. I'm on the floor and he's like, making up his mind whether to shoot me or where to shoot me.

[Alberto]

Real people from the poisoning. I am so sick. They put me on the gurney. I pass out. My heart stopped four times.

[Narrator]

Who faced death?

[Tamara]

My worst fear was I knew I was bleeding and I looked down and it was a gray shark, bigger than I was and lived to tell how.

[Alberto]

I had the phone in my hand and I called the sheriff's office, and for all intents and purposes, I gave a dying declaration.

[Narrator]

This is I survived. It's July 2006 in Seattle, Washington. Cheryl is the marketing manager for the Jewish Federation of Seattle.

[Cheryl]

I was sitting in my office, you know, answering the last few emails of the day, kind of noticing the clock and what time it was and a little anxious for Kelsey to show up.

[Narrator]

Kelsey is Cheryl's niece. The receptionist that day was Layla.

[Carol]

I was hoping to actually slip out of the office early so that I could maybe get out and go on a little hike or something like that. But I had to wait until Cheryl's niece came in because she didn't have the code to get into the building. And so I needed to let her into the door.

[Narrator]

When she came, a man forced Kelsey at gunpoint to help him through the security entrance.

[Carol]

After she came up, she ran straight to the bathroom. And I thought, geez, she must really have to go, because usually we say hi to each other and everything. And then the man came up the stairs, and when I asked him if I could help him, he got out a gun and asked to see my manager. I slowly backed away with my hands up towards my manager Cheryl's office, and

[Cheryl]

I could hear this loud, angry male voice. I just thought, maybe she needs my help. So I stood up from my desk and started walking towards my office door in the hallway.

[Carol]

And I whispered to her that there was a man with a gun at the front desk who was upset about the war in Israel and Lebanon and wanted to speak to my manager.

[Cheryl]

The hole of the gun looked as big as an eye, like a human eye to me at the time. I just kind of went into emergency management mode, I guess, and just thought, what's the first thing that needs to happen here? And I looked at him, and he was just spouting off about things like Israel, and I'm an angry man and I'm a Muslim. And I turned to my right a little bit, and Carol Goldman sits in a cubicle kind of diagonally from my office door. And she was the only person I could see immediately in my eyesight other than Layla and this man with the gun. And I just turned and I said in Carol's direction, call 911. As loud as I could.

[Layla]

I turned around, I saw Cheryl, I saw Layla, and then I saw this guy holding this gun pointed at me. And nobody was saying anything at the moment. And I'm sure it wasn't very long after that that he shot me. But I didn't hear the bullets or anything or feel it, because I was just kind of in this stunned disbelief. And the next thing I knew, I looked at my knee, and there was these two little red droplets of blood on my knee. That's when it kind of registered in my head like, oh, my God, I've been shot.

[Narrator]

Carol had been shot just above her knee.

[Cheryl]

And he turned, and he just kept firing in my direction and in Layla's direction.

[Carol]

My manager was just pulling me into her office when he shot me. I Immediately fell down onto the ground. And I kept thinking I wanted to get up and, you know, wait until he was reloading and try to stop him, but I realized I just. I couldn't move. And I wanted to call 911, but I couldn't get to a phone because my leg was just totally dead.

[Narrator]

A bullet lodged in Layla's spine. Cheryl was shot through the abdomen.

[Cheryl]

I actually didn't realize that I'd been shot. And I kind of looked at him and I said I was really puzzled. I was, why are you doing this? And then he raised the gun and pointed it at my face. I'm on the floor, and he's, like, making up his mind whether to shoot me or where to shoot me. And I was just waiting. I couldn't see anything. My face was in the rug. I couldn't hear anything because my ears were ringing. And that was it. I just thought, this is it. Undead.

[Narrator]

The gunman fired a shot at Cheryl's head, but missed. He then turned his attention to Pam, another office worker in the room next door.

[Carol]

I saw him run by, following Pam. And after that, there was another gunshot. And then after that, I heard several more gunshots, one right after the other. I heard a woman screaming that she was bleeding, and just all kinds of different sounds as he continued around the building.

[Cheryl]

Well, I could hear moaning and crying. I could hear some female voices. And then it kind of hit me that, you know, the last thing I had been thinking before all this happened was I was waiting for Kelsey, and I thought, oh, my God, she's going to walk into this situation. I have to get out of here. I have to stop her from coming in the building.

[Narrator]

Cheryl's niece, Kelsey, had already been in the building for several minutes.

[Cheryl]

I think it was at that point that I felt my side was kind of burning, and I was on my stomach, and I reached my hand underneath me and pulled it out, and it was a little pink. I thought, oh, I must have been grazed.

[Narrator]

Cheryl had been shot through the abdomen.

[Cheryl]

I was in a short skirt and sandals. You know, it was casual Friday. I wasn't dressed to be shot and get away. And I got up and I went right to the door. I was right by the door, and I just peeked around the corner, and I couldn't see him. And I thought, I mean, this might be my only chance. And so I just ran as quickly and as I tiptoed and ran at the same time in these open sandals, trying to keep them on my feet and down the carpeted hallway, and I thought, oh, no, it's hardwood floors in the reception area. How am I going to run in these sandals and not make noise?

[Layla]

And I thought, well, this is my chance, you know? So I kind of peeped my head out of my cubicle to try and see is it safe to reach up and grab the phone and call for help. And since I didn't see anybody or hear anything, I thought, all right, yeah,

[911 Operator]

we have a gunman here at the Jewish Federation. Okay, and what are they doing? Shooting at people. Okay, where are they right now? They are in the hallway. How many? Is it just one person? Yes, just one person. Radio report of a shooter in the hallway of the Jewish Federation. How many people are shot? Several.

[Layla]

At that time, I didn't know what was going on with anyone else, and I had no idea if anyone else was calling. I just knew that I had to get help so that myself and anybody else that could possibly get out of this alive would get the help that they needed.

[Cheryl]

I went down half a flight of stairs, and there was Pam, who worked in the office right next to mine. I didn't realize that she was even still in the building. And here she was laying face up on the landing, and her eyes were open and she wasn't blinking. It wasn't like they were glazed over. They were just. There was nothing behind her eyes, and they were just staring. She had beautiful, beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair. And she was dressed, you know, just, you know, casual day, Friday, really cute little outfit. And here I thought, she's just laying there. She's not. I couldn't believe that someone could be there and then not be there so fast. It was just all mixed up. There's this guy who might come out after me with a gun. There's Kelsey outside. There's Pam sitting. All these decisions that I had to make just like that. And so I just thought, I have to. I can't do anything for Pam. And so I had to just step over her body and keep going down the stairs.

[Narrator]

Carol, hiding under her desk, was still on the phone to 91 1.

[Layla]

They asked me, what, you know, are there other people injured? And I said, yes, there's other people injured. I know, because I heard them.

[911 Operator]

Okay. Have you actually seen him at all? He shot me in the leg. Okay, okay. Because he asked for the manager, and then he got out of town and started shooting people, and he shot me in the knee. Do you know what kind of a gun it is? Is it a handgun or, like a rifle? Handgun, I think.

[Layla]

I was pretty calm. I was Kind of just in this, like, survival mode and very focused on, I just need to tell him what's going on. I was also focused on trying to be quiet. I wanted to be quiet because I didn't want to draw attention to myself.

[Carol]

And then he came back around, and I saw him aim his gun over the cubicle wall at where I knew that Carol was laying. And I just had it in my mind that he was going to shoot her in the head and that he was going to kill her.

[Narrator]

While Carol was on the phone to 911, the gunman approached her.

[Layla]

And then they asked, is that gunshots you hear in the background? And I initially said, no.

[911 Operator]

Do you know where he's at now? Are those still gunshots in the background, ma'? Am? No, but I know he's down the hallway.

[Layla]

I didn't even realize he was there. I didn't realize he had come back the second time to shoot me. I didn't hear it. I didn't see it. I didn't even feel it.

[Narrator]

The gunman shot Carol through the elbow while she was on the phone.

[Carol]

And then he looked at me and pointed the gun at me and shot me again. And that's when he shot me in the shoulder. And then he continued walking down the hall. In the movies, when someone's shot, if they're really badly hurt, they pass out. And I had assumed, since I hadn't passed out, I was not really badly hurt.

[Layla]

I maybe knew subconsciously I'd been hit, but consciously, I was completely oblivious to the fact that he had come back and shot at me a second time.

[Narrator]

Cheryl was trying to get out of the building to safety, and I just

[Cheryl]

thought, the police are out there. If I just go storming out of the building, they might think I'm the shooter. They might shoot me. So I had my hand on my side and one arm in the air just to try to indicate that I wasn't the bad guy. And there were at least three guys in SWAT outfits with long black guns. One of them definitely pointed in my direction. And then this uniformed, regular, uniformed guy, very tall man. And I. I just turned to him with my arm up and my arm on my side, and he said, you have to keep going. You're still in the line of fire.

[Layla]

Suddenly, down the hallway, I hear this guy say, I have a hostage. And I'm thinking, oh, my God, he's taking Layla hostage now. Because I have no idea where Layla is. I have no idea where anybody is. I didn't even know who all was in the Office at the time, the

[Narrator]

gunman had eventually taken Dana, a co worker, hostage.

[Carol]

He went out and he saw that Dana was on the phone with 911 and he started cursing at her.

[911 Operator]

He's standing right in my doorway and he's holding me hostage and I'm pregnant. Would you like to talk to the police? Does she know him? No, sir.

[Alberto]

Hold on.

[911 Operator]

Here, here. He, he, he is. Who? Get on the ground right there. Who are you and why are you holding her hostage? This is a hostage situation. I want these Jews to get out. Why are you so upset at these people? I'm not upset at the people. I'm upset at this, at your foreign policy. These are Jews. I'm tired of getting pushed around. And are people getting pushed around? What's your name? First of all, let's talk. My name is Navid Haak. How many people are in the office with you? I don't know. I just have one person here. You have one person? Do you have your gun out on that person? Yes, I do. Is that person scared? Yeah, I shot her once. You shot her once? Yeah. But where did you shoot her? I shot her in the arm. In the arm. Okay. She's gonna need an ambulance, don't you think? Yeah, I don't care. I have this gun pointed at her head.

[Carol]

I know he shouted obscenities for a while about wanting to be on CNN and wanting the war in Iraq to stop, but he gave himself up after a few minutes and walked out of the building with his head, hands on his head.

[911 Operator]

Here, I'll give myself up. You're gonna give yourself up? Yes. Well, you can walk out the front with your hands on your head. Okay. Okay. All right.

[Carol]

They put me on a stretcher and carried me out. And they were very kind in asking all of us to close our eyes when we went down the stairwell where Pam's body was still laying. I thought they were telling me to close my eyes so that I wouldn't get dizzy at the weird angles when they took me down the stairs. But it was to try to help us not have to have that memory of her.

[Narrator]

Cheryl's 14 year old niece, Kelsey, had hidden in the bathroom throughout the shooting. The entire siege lasted approximately 15 minutes. The five surviving gunshot victims were taken to the hospital.

[Cheryl]

I heard so badly, but there was Kelsey standing over me, you know, with tears in her eyes, saying, I love you. Because she knew that that was the most important thing for me to hear right then.

[Narrator]

In his 2008 trial, Navid Hawk's lawyers pleaded that he was insane. The jury could not reach a verdict and the judge declared a mistrial. Haack was retried in 2009. He was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to life without parole plus 120 years I learned that I am

[Layla]

very good and very calm under pressure because it's something you would never know about yourself until that happens. And for me it was just kind of like instinct took over. Once I realized what was going on, I survived because I was calm. I got out of harm's way and did what I could to call for help when I was able to do so.

[Narrator]

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[Alberto]

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[Commercial Announcer]

Then I heard a voice.

[Narrator]

Come with me if you want to live.

[Alberto]

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[Narrator]

It's 1981 in Ormond Beach, Florida. Tamara and three friends in their early 20s are planning to go sailing on a catamaran.

[Tamara]

My friend Randy had called and asked me if I wanted to go out on a catamaran. He was kind of setting me up on a blind date with a friend of his, Daniel, and he owned the boat. And so I said sure. We went out on a 17 foot catamaran. This was very small, so it only seated like four people. There's one sail in the middle. There's no cabins or anything down below.

[Narrator]

The group sailed one mile from shore.

[Tamara]

At one point I saw some dark clouds coming up kind of far offshore, but then I saw some lightning also and it just came really, really quick. And so by the time the guys had saw it, they said, you know, it's too late, so it's better to stick out the, wait it out out here instead of trying to run in and go into the, into the storm.

[Narrator]

The catamaran was battered by the storm and one of the pontoons filled with water.

[Tamara]

And unfortunately, 10, 15 minutes later, the boat ended up flipping. As I fell off, I scraped my leg on the pontoon in. The fear of shark immediately was in everyone's head at that point. We just scrambled and we were able to all get up on the hole and we were able to put our knees up to our chests and be able to stay out of the water. And we just got settled there and tried to think what to do. And basically, I know we were awe at the idea that it was still daylight, the storm was passing. Surely there's going to be boats back out on the water.

[Narrator]

They had been at sea for over six hours and were drifting further from shore. They had no food or water and were wearing only bathing suits.

[Tamara]

We heard an engine, and Daniel said that it was a Coast Guard cutter. And it came so close, and we were sure we were whistling really loud. It was completely silent out there. So we just whistled really loud and. And yelled and screamed and everything. And it cut its engines off. We're going, oh, my God, you know, they've heard us. They're going to hear us. We're going to be saved. And we were happy, and we were getting all excited, and this is going to be so cool, and we're going to be in the paper. And then the engines started up again and the ship went off elsewhere. And then that was just like the reality hit us, and we were just quiet. And Christy, who was sitting in front of me, she was very quiet. And I could tell also that she was just making peace. And I just had a sense that she knew she was going to die.

[Narrator]

They have drifted nine miles from shore.

[Tamara]

Crack of dawn. I just looked over, and when I saw the light, I said, that's the sun coming up. Shore's got to be the other way. I'm out of here. I'm going. Once the sun comes up, we might lose our direction. So we knew we had to go.

[Layla]

I thought.

[Tamara]

I think I thought I was going to die. So either way, I just wanted to die trying. And Christy was the only one that didn't know how to swim that well. So I told her about the salt water. You know, it keeps you buoyant so you can just float on your back. And if you get tired, we'll wait and just, you know, do your best. And so we all took off. And I took off first. I was up in front, and it was only probably about an hour into the swim that I looked back and I heard Christy screaming and saying that, yelling for Randy to come and get her. And I thought, you know, first I thought she was just drowning or tired or something. I was yelling, you know, saying just float or whatever. And then I realized I saw her thrashing about in the water. And then she went straight up, just like in the movie, and the jaws moving. She went straight up and straight back down into the water. And I knew she'd been hit by a shark, so I yelled to Randy that it was a shark, and he thought she was drowning. So he was yelling back to her and, you know, calling her name, and she was just, you know, screaming Come and get me now. And she went up again and down. And he was swimming while this happened, and he didn't see that it was a shark. He just thought she was drowning. So when I. The last time I saw her go up and she just went face down into the water, I knew that, you know, I knew she was dead. It was like she was completely pale, completely white. And I knew she'd lost all her blood. I knew if he went back, he was going to get killed also, or attacked, you know, whatever. And I was a good distance ahead, and I said, there's no way. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to help. I just knew it. And I was not. There was no way I was going to go back there. And so I just turned around and kept swimming. After about 15 minutes of swimming, 15, 20 minutes after seeing Christy get hit by the shark, I got bumped by something and I looked down and it was a gray shark, bigger than I was. And I just split second vision of Christy and me saying, that's not how I want to go. There's no way that I can die like this. I put myself in the frame of mind of a fish or that I belonged in the ocean. It was the weirdest thing. Just in nanoseconds, it was like, I belong here. I belong here too. So, you know, get out of my way too. So I just kept swimming, backstroke. I went slowly, of course, and as smooth as I could, but slow. And so I obviously had 15, 20 minutes of wondering if it was still under me. The currents were really, really bad, so I couldn't stop. Anytime I stopped, it would just take me back or north or south instead of west where I wanted to go.

[Narrator]

Tamara had now been swimming for over five hours. She had lost sight of her two male companions.

[Tamara]

I didn't hear any screaming, which was one thing. I was, you know, kind of calmed me down a little bit because I knew if they got hit by sharks, then I probably would have heard something because it was so quiet out there.

[Narrator]

Tamara suddenly realized that there were several sharks nearby.

[Tamara]

There was like a feeding frenzy going on. It was just a bunch of fins and just going at it. And the currents were taking me that way. So I had to start. Start swimming against the current to go south and get around that. And once that happened, it's just, you know, you just kept stroking. That's all I gotta say. I just kept stroking. I was hallucinating. I had a lot of thoughts. I sang most of the way, tried to keep my spirits up. I did have a Lot of thoughts about my life. So then I was thinking about all these people that do die and come back. They always say their life flashes before them. Mine flashed about six hours of swimming. I was disoriented because with the sun up, you were still kind of losing bearings and the currents. I was afraid of where they were going to take me. And I looked up and there was a cloud in the sky, and it went straight east, west, the one side of the cloud. So I did backstroke and I followed the cloud in the whole way. So that was something incredible.

[Narrator]

By now, Tamara had been swimming for over seven hours. She was exhausted and suffering from dehydration and exposure.

[Tamara]

Finally, when I got almost all the way in, I couldn't break the riptide right there. I could see the shore, I could see the lifeguard. I went almost straight in from the boat. I ended up being in almost a straight line. I didn't have the strength to get through there. I kept trying to, you know, backstroke, front stroke, everything. And I thought I was. That was it. He couldn't. The dive guard did not see me. And it was just. I mean, mentally it was really, really hard because I'd done all that work to get there, and I was just so a few feet from shore, and I thought I was going to die.

[Narrator]

As Tamara Approaches Shore, a 26 mile per hour undertow is pulling her back out to sea.

[Tamara]

There was the lifeguard stand, and he was there, and I was yelling and whistling and I was too tired to break the current. The riptide I just remembered to do, if I did sidestroke that I would cut this way instead of cutting through. If I did sidestroke that I could break it like that. And I did sidestroke and I broke through it. And then he saw me and he came running out and yelling at me because he thought I was a lifeguard swimming laps. I just told him instinctively, I said, I've just swam about nine miles. There's a boat out there. One person's dead and there's a couple of other guys, but I don't know if they're dead or alive.

[Narrator]

Tamara was suffering from dehydration, exhaustion and sunburn. The Coast Guard collected Daniel ashore five miles away, and Randy was rescued at sea. Christy's body was never found.

[Tamara]

I went to the hospital that day and saw Randy, and he was in the hospital for, I think, about two weeks. He had hypothermia and all that. And Daniel, the guy that owned the boat, I don't know what happened. I didn't see him again. He also, I think like me, went to the hospital, but then he left and never seen him again.

[Narrator]

Tamara went to work on boats in the Bahamas to help her overcome her ordeal.

[Tamara]

And I still to this day I won't go in dark water. But surviving that also gives you just a whole new outlook on life. Dying wasn't an option for me during that time, so I just had to keep good thoughts and say okay, I made it another minute, I made it another five minutes, I made it another hour and just keep going. And thinking about family or your future and, and not giving into the negative thoughts is how I survive.

[Narrator]

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[Alberto]

She would, you know, try to help my mom out, run errands for her, do things that the caregivers wouldn't do for her, color her hair, give her pedicures, manicures and everything. But I thought it was very, very nice for her to do such a thing. I thought she was really a gentle person, you know, by doing this and a real humanitarian by reaching out the way she did to help my my mother and father.

[Narrator]

She asked Alberto, a former law enforcement officer, for help finding work.

[Alberto]

I was teaching criminal justice and law enforcement in Corpus Christi, Texas. She wanted me to teach her. She wanted to take my courses and she wanted to be A police officer. She became a little fixated, if you will, as far as calling me on my cell phone. She started coming over to the house, you know, as soon as I got out of work. She didn't. I didn't. She didn't know what time I was getting out of work, but she'd show up.

[Narrator]

Late one night, Alberto returned home from dinner with colleagues, and Elizabeth was waiting in his driveway.

[Alberto]

She asked me how my dinner was, and I said, well, how did you know that I was having dinner? Her tone was like. Like an angry wife. So I didn't want to anger her. She just. She appeared to have some twisted attraction. Elizabeth left the farmhouse about 7am in the morning. She knocks on the.

[911 Operator]

On.

[Alberto]

On the back door to the farmhouse, and she walks in looking like a Southern belle. And she was being very, very charming and asking for forgiveness, things like that. About three minutes later, I hear a thump on the door. Sounds like, you know, the traditional drug raid thump, you know, when you go, you know, conduct a raid on a house. So I opened the door and I saw a. A large Mexican American gentleman with a gun in his hand pointed at my. Right, at my face. I asked him if he was sure who he was looking for. When he tried to answer, you know, he made a big mistake by giving me that edge. And I took advantage of that edge to slam that door shut. You know, I hit both deadbolts. I screamed at Elizabeth Reynolds loud enough to call 911. I reached back to my hip to look for my sidearm. I didn't have it with me. I didn't have my cell phone either. I didn't have anything.

[Narrator]

Alberto had left his gun at the office.

[Alberto]

Placed my left foot on the door. I kept my body, my torso behind the brick veneer. I felt, you know, that would stop the bullets if he tried to, you know, because I would have shot right through the door. I figured he was going to do the same thing.

[Narrator]

Elizabeth had left the room, heading for the back door.

[Alberto]

I was trying to listen for her car. She should be taking off. She slammed the door to my room, and I figured she did the right thing to keep that door between the criminal and her. You know, she had the door, she had me, she had another door than the criminal. So I figured she did that strategically, and I felt that was good. She was smart for doing that.

[Narrator]

Elizabeth unlocked the back door, and the gunman entered the house behind Alberto.

[Alberto]

So at that point, I got three in the back. And I never, never heard the shots, but I did smell gun smoke and I don't know why, but I could. I could taste metal in my mouth. I ran out that door, ran in. Into the house through the laundry room, grabbed the cordless phone. And when I was there in the kitchen, I got another one. And I got shot in the abdomen. I never stopped. I kept running. For some unusual reason. I saw Elizabeth Reynolds in the hallway with her arms crossed and tapping her foot. And I thought. When I saw that, I thought that she was making a big mistake by not running for her life. Why she would stay there. I didn't understand that. The perpetrator came after me, shot me again. I went down when he shot me. It got me in the arm, and then it entered my body. I spun around. I got back up. He shot again, caught me again. I knit up with five rounds just in my torso. Plus I had. I had one through my left arm. And my right arm was bleeding also, so I had a bullet fragment in my right arm.

[Narrator]

Alberto hid from the gunman in some bushes. Elizabeth was taken hostage.

[Alberto]

He went and took her at gunpoint. And they went. And they got into my sedan, my Crown Victoria, and they took off in that. I really felt that he was gonna. That he was gonna kill her and that it was my fault, you know? Cause I should have. I didn't have my sidearm. I should have taken him out. So I wanted to. I wanted to survive. I wanted to make it. I looked down and I saw a lot of. A lot of blood, but my liver was fine. My heart was fine. I had a. What appeared to be a sucking chest wound. I could tell by the blood coming out of my mouth, it was pinkish. I knew I had. I knew I had time to live. I didn't want to lay down. I sat down, but I kept my torso up, laying down, you know, giving in to. Was giving in to death. As far as I was concerned, I wasn't going to do that. I kept my poise. I kept. It was important to stay as dignified as possible.

[Narrator]

Alberto called 911 and was airlifted to the hospital. He was in and out of the hospital for over four months for multiple surgeries. He lost almost half of his colon and small intestine and a third of one kidney. Elizabeth had been released by the gunman the day after the shooting.

[Alberto]

You know, I started asking her about. About the crime, this and that and the other again. She started saying, oh, she's so glad that I'm fine. You know, that I lived. I went to her house after work, and she said, yeah, my mother and I, you know, we just want to say a prayer over you, and, and we made you a really good spaghetti dinner and everything. And I'm like, that's very nice. That's really nice. And so I just got there and I ate my, you know, I ate the salad and then I ate the spaghetti, and I didn't even finish with the spaghetti. And she's like, oh, my goodness, look at this. 7:00 o' clock already. God, I got a long day tomorrow. I'm going to be very tired. I almost get to my house, and lo and behold, man, I am so sick. I mean, I, I am. I'm vomiting, I'm pulling over the road to vomit, and I, I'm starting to. To black out. So I'm kind of like on the shoulder, and I'm driving with my hazard lights on. And so I call it in and I, you know, I call Clber County Hospital, tell me, hey, I'm in a route up there. And I don't know what's going on. Maybe I've got an infection, you know, with my, with my colon because they had removed 45%. Maybe it's my small intestine. Maybe it's my left kidney. Maybe it's those two bullet fragments I still have in my spine. And then I pass out. I wake up, and I'm in the critical care unit.

[Narrator]

Alberto's stomach contents were never tested for poison. The doctors, police, and Alberto did not suspect Elizabeth. After four days in the hospital, Alberto was visited by Elizabeth.

[Alberto]

They're about to release me from the hospital. And she brought me some onion soup from tgif. She knew I loved it. I was tired of the hospital food. I ate the whole thing. I started getting so sick. The same weight, same, just as sick as I got. You know, when I went to the hospital, the same thing, but I had to end up staying there another three or four days. I had become gravely ill from the food that Elizabeth Reynolds had been feeding me. And after, you know, every incident, I'd end up in critical care in a hospital.

[Narrator]

Alberto decided to begin his own investigation.

[Alberto]

I had faith in those criminal investigators, but nothing jived. There wasn't a fluid format of investigative techniques. I had been asking her, I said, look, why don't you just take a polygraph? That way you're eliminated as a suspect.

[Narrator]

Elizabeth agreed to take a polygraph test. They met at a restaurant.

[Alberto]

We're waiting for one of the investigators to have a, you know, to talk to her about signing the polygraph form to get her, you know, to administer a Polygraph. And I'm waiting for his phone call. And I had just got a fish platter. I ate my. On my fish plate. When the investigator never got there, or the polygraph examiner, he was going to be brought there by the investigator, I guess something came up. He couldn't make it. About 35 minutes later, you know, luckily, I had picked up one of my criminal justice students. He was driving my car. Next thing, man, I. Things get so bad for me physically, I throw up inside my car. Can't even make it to pull the car over. I mean, I. I'm gravely ill. So bad that he's driving as fast as he can to get to the hospital. He pulls up in there. They got a gurney, you know, that they bring up to the car. They put me on the gurney. I pass out. My heart stopped four times. My doctor had already talked to my family, and they were there at the hospital when he released me, he talked to me in a very stern way. He said, al, I'm not going to release you from this hospital if you go back to that blank, blank, blank woman, because I know she had everything to do with poisoning you. She had lied to the investigators. She said that the. That the gunman was wearing a mask. He was not wearing a mask. She said that he jumped out of the car at 60 miles an hour. 60 miles an hour. He would have been dead. The body would have looked like a hamburger meat. And then she lied about where she had dropped him off.

[Narrator]

Alberto continued to question Elizabeth's statements to the police.

[Alberto]

I'd been talking to the executives of the Crime Stoppers program, and I told them I needed. I needed them to raise the reward on my shooting, and they agreed to do that. And lo and behold, days later, somebody calls in utilizing the name of Lisa. And I remember Elizabeth Reynolds would call herself Lisa. To this day, we don't know who it was because it was anonymous. We can only speculate. However, they gave up the shooter. The shooter's name was Francisco Perez. He was at some nightclub, and he was bragging that he had shot me. And that's when they brought him in for questioning. And he broke. In minutes, like five minutes, he broke. He rolled over on her, and he started telling him, look, yes, I did this, but I was paid by Elizabeth Reynolds to do this. And she paid him with a check, and she paid him with drugs. And also, we later learned in court that she paid him with sex.

[Narrator]

Francisco Perez was arrested and sentenced to 60 years in prison for attempted murder. Elizabeth Reynolds was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

[Alberto]

It was difficult for me to live my life without trying to find out who the gunman was, why they were trying to kill me, why they were trying to shoot me. The district attorney stated during court that her motive was the fact that she had an unhealthy love for me. She felt that if she couldn't have me, nobody would was going to have me. Had I died, you know, she would have gotten. She would have gotten away free.

[Narrator]

Finding the one can feel impossible, and in today's world, it's even harder. False profiles, Inaccurate pictures, Incompatibilities Ghosting on Dates Is this sounding familiar? But if you're ready to make your move to a new place, it doesn't have to feel like dating. All it takes is a simple search on apartments.com to find your perfect match. Whether you're looking for a three bedroom condo downtown, a two bedroom duplex in a quiet neighborhood, a cozy studio in a walkable city, or even a single family home in a cul de sac, you can find a place that checks all the right boxes. So whichever stage of life you're in, settle down in your perfect home by using apartments.com no more swiping and awkward first dates. Make it easier to get a place that gets you visit apartments.com, the place to find a place.

[Alberto]

At first I didn't think it was real. I woke up to this blinding light and I was transported to another place. Pluto tv.

[Commercial Announcer]

Then I heard a voice, Come with

[Narrator]

me if you want to live.

[Alberto]

There were thousands of movies and shows and they were all free.

[Carol]

Truth is that it's just so Beautiful

[Alberto]

on Pluto TV TV Free streaming of Terminator 2, Fringe Arrow, the 100 and the X Files may cause excitement, loss of sleep and sudden belief in extraterrestrials. No credit cards or alien encounters necessary. Pluto TV Stream now pay Never.

[Commercial Announcer]

You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you might not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over $900 on average. Pop over to progressive.com, answer some questions and you'll get a quick question quote with discounts that are easy to come by. In fact, 99% of their auto customers earn at least one discount. Visit progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little cash back. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates national average 12 month savings of $946 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025 Potential savings will vary. Insurance isn't one size fits all, and shopping for it shouldn't feel like squeezing into something that just doesn't fit. That's why drivers have enjoyed Progressives NAME your price tool for years, with the name your price tool, you tell them what you want to pay, and they show you options that fit your budget enough. Hunting for discounts, trying to calculate rates, and tinkering with coverages. Maybe you're picking out your very first policy. Or maybe you're just looking for something that works better for you and your family. Either way, they make it simple to see your options. No guesswork, no surprises. Ready to see how easy and fun shopping for car insurance can be? Visit progressive.com and give the Name your price tool a try. Take the stress out of shopping and find the coverage that fits your life on your terms. Progressive Casualty Insurance company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law I'm Kiana, and I leveled up my business with Shopify. Once I figured out that Shopify was a thing, I never turned back. I can create a site with my eyes closed. Shopify thinks ahead of of us, you know, and it thinks about the customer more than anything. Every day I'm thinking about some other new business, but Shopify is doing it to me because it's so easy to use. It's like, I can't stop. I'm addicted. Start your free [e-mail].