← Crime House 24/7
Crime House 24/7
Night Watch: Woman Says “Multiple Personalities” Made Her Kill Grace Jennings
00:25:02
Loading summary
Transcript14 lines
- [00:01]
Katie Ring
Hi Crime House Community, It's Katie Ring and if you love digging into the.
- [00:05]
Narrator / Crime House Host
Most gripping true crime stories, then you.
- [00:07]
Katie Ring
Need to listen to another Crime House original Crimes of with Sabrina Deanna Roga and Corinne Vian. Crimes of is a weekly series that explores a new theme each season from Crimes of the Paranormal, unsolved murders, mysterious disappearances and more. Sabrina and Corinne have been covering the true stories behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains and and this month they'll dive into the paranormal Listen to Crimes of every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
- [00:49]
Experian Advertiser
This is Crime House.
- [00:51]
Narrator / Crime House Host
Tonight we're diving deep into a case full of unbelievable twists and turns Out I'll be talking about the murder of Grace Jennings, a young woman who is killed while she was at her ex boyfriend's apartment in the fall of 2022. This case involves a killer allegedly under the control of multiple personalities, accusations of sinister sex trafficking, and a shadowy gang of vigilantes. Let's get into it.
- [01:17]
Police Reporter / Investigator
Santa Fe police arrested two people they say were involved in a homicide this weekend.
- [01:22]
Narrator / Crime House Host
For police say a couple can spot to murder a woman, all for a quote, secret organization.
- [01:28]
Police Reporter / Investigator
According to court documents, 21 year old Grace Jennings had a prior relationship with 19 year old Kiara McCully and 23 year old Isaac Apodaca.
- [01:42]
Narrator / Crime House Host
Hi, I'm Katie Ring, a true crime analyst, self defense instructor and fierce advocate for victims. And this is Crime House Daily, your essential true crime companion. Every weekday morning and night here at Crime House Daily, we dig into the true crime stories making headlines right now, where justice is unfolding, arrests are happening and new evidence is emerging. Every morning, First Watch gets you up to speed on the biggest cases. Every night, Night Watch takes you deeper. If you want to follow a case from the first 911 call to the final verdict, this is the place for you. Follow Crime House Daily wherever you get your podcasts, leave a review and for ad free listening, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. For video, check out our YouTube channel Rimehouse Daily or on Spotify by searching Night Watch True Crime Cases Daily in the Search tab. This episode discusses active criminal cases and breaking news. The information we share is based on what's publicly available at the time of recording and may change as new evidence comes to light. We aim to inform, not to decide guilt or innocence, so everyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
- [02:59]
Experian Advertiser
It's okay not to be perfect with finances. Experian is your big financial friend and here to help. Did you know you can get matched with credit cards on the app? Some cards are labeled no Ding Decline, which means if you're not approved, they won't hurt your credit scores. Download the Experian app for free today. Applying for no Ding Decline cards won't hurt your credit scores if you aren't initially approved. Initial approval will result in a hard inquiry which may impact your credit scores.
- [03:27]
Narrator / Crime House Host
Experian Tonight's case is about the brutal murder of 21 year old Grace Jennings, who was killed in Santa Fe, New Mexico on October 29, 2022. Her alleged killer, Kiara McColley, was 19 years old at the time. This case is especially shocking because Kiara and Grace had known each other since they were little kids and the authorities believe that Kiara didn't act alone. A man named Isaac Opudaka, who dated Grace and Kiara has been accused of helping Kiara orchestrate Grace's murder. Investigators are still trying to get to the bottom of things, but so far the details that have emerged have been bizarre to say the least. Earlier this year, Kiara accepted a plea deal. Meanwhile, Isaac's trial will begin early next year. But before we get into this strange and horrific tragedy, let's dive into who Grace Jennings was before her life was stolen. To her loved ones, Grace was a joy to be around. She was always surrounded by friends and family and she was such a social butterfly that when Grace's family found themselves planning her memorial, they struggled to find pictures of her by herself. Grace was never afraid to express herself, whether it was through her bold fashion sense or her ability to laugh, sing or dance through any situation. And in 2022, Grace is coming into her own even more. At 21 years old, she's looking for her own place to live. But in the meantime, she is staying with friends. Then in June of that year, she meets a young man named Jackson Sparks. The two of them hit it off and quickly fall deeply in love. Soon the couple decides that they want to be together as much as possible and Grace moves in with Jackson. On August 22, they celebrate Grace's birthday with a party at one of their favorite local hangouts. Jackson surprises Grace with amazing marriage proposal. Grace is over the moon and she says yes. But like all relationships, things aren't perfect. In the fall of 2022, they hit a rough patch and Grace moves out for a bit. She crashes with various friends while she and Jackson try to sort things out. One night in October, Grace reaches out to her ex boyfriend, 26 year old Isaac Opudaka, to ask if she can stay at his place at the time, Isaac lives with his girlfriend, 19 year old Kiara McColley, in a converted garage apartment next to Kiara's mother's house. Grace and Kiara have known each other since elementary school, although they're not particularly close. Despite the awkward situation, Grace really needs a place to crash and Isaac tells Grace she's welcome to stay the night at their place. And here's where authorities are still working to put all of the pieces together. According to Isaac, Grace heads over and the three of them spend the night hanging out. There aren't any problems and everyone is getting along just fine. Later, since the apartment is small, they even all fall asleep in the same bed. It's pretty cramped though, and throughout the night Isaac doesn't sleep well. When they all wake up the next morning, Kiara is upset. She tells Isaac that both he and and Grace have to leave the apartment. Isaac doesn't understand why she's kicking them out, but he doesn't argue with her. He tells Grace they have to leave and he starts packing his things. Then around noon, Isaac goes into the main house where Kiara's mom Lonnie lives to use the bathroom. He's only gone for a few minutes and when he returns the apartment is covered in blood and and Grace is dead. According to Isaac, Chiara is standing over Grace's body and says I did it. When Isaac sees this, he immediately runs out of the apartment. He calls his mom and tells her that Kiara killed Grace. After that, he heads to a nearby store and calls the police. An employee there notices that Isaac's so shaken up he can barely breathe. Isaac tells the employee that he's seen, quote unquote, something awful. But he doesn't tell them anything else. Eventually, the police arrive at Khiara's mom's house and as soon as they get there, they spot Kiara in the backyard. When she sees them, she runs into the main house and slams the door behind her. They knock and Lonni lets them in. The police tell her that they got a call about a murder at the residence. Chiara is standing right there and she reacts with total shock and confusion. From there, Lonni leads the officers to the apartment. She unlocks the door and they find Grace's dead body. There's a literal sword near her body and Grace has multiple stab wounds, including some on her neck that make the officers think someone tried to decapitate her but failed. As the police process the blood soaked scene, it becomes clear that Kiara had something to do with this gruesome crime and and she is taken into custody, but when officers question her, Kiara claims she doesn't know what happened. She has no memory of how Grace died, but chances are she might be telling the truth because she suffers from dissociative identity disorder. Kiara says her condition is like being in a house with a gaming console. Only one person can play at a time, but a bunch of different people are fighting for the chance to play. She also says that when different personalities take over, they often don't share memories with each other, which is why she doesn't know what happened to Grace. Detectives ask Chiara what personality is in control at the moment, and she tells them it's her dominant personality, which is named Froggy with three GS. Then Kiara reveals something else. She says that she hopes Grace is dead because she deserves it. According to Kiara, Grace isn't the bubbly, fun loving person everyone thinks she is. Kiara claims that Grace is actually a sex trafficker and says she knows this from personal experience. She tells detectives that when she was just 13 years old and Grace was 15, Grace orchestrated a gang rape of Kiara and collected money during it. Kiara says she's always fantasized about killing Grace out of revenge, and soon investigators realize there's even more to the story. I've seen so many people on social media talking about how clothes are getting more and more expensive but the quality of the fabrics keeps getting worse and worse. It feels like even designer labels are using polyester but charging the prices of real quality fabrics like cashmere, wool and real silk. I've been searching for some staple pieces for fall and winter that are made of high quality real fabrics that will actually last. And if you're in the same boat, you need to check out Quint. One of my favorite parts about Quint's is that they are working directly with ethical top tier factories so you get high quality clothes ethically sourced for half the price.
- [10:43]
Katie Ring
I'm also on the quest for the.
- [10:45]
Narrator / Crime House Host
World'S comfiest bed, so I ordered their linen duvet and the mulberry silk pillowcases for anyone who has asked about the hair 100% silk, not polyester. Satin is key to protecting it, so I'll make sure to report back on those. Step into the holiday season with layers made to feel good, look polished and last. From Quince, perfect for gifting or keeping for yourself. Go to quince.comchd for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada too. That's q-u I n c e.com chd to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quint.comchd After Kiara McColley is arrested on October 29, 2022, she tells the police she suffers from undiagnosed dissociative identity disorder and says she has no memory of killing Grace Jennings because a different identity was in control when the crime happened and that each of her identities don't share memories. Kira also accuses Grace of sex trafficking her when they were teenagers. Although I am not a psychologist, it's interesting to note that her trauma resulting from this alleged gang rape could have led to Kiara's dissociative disorder. A study on trauma related dissociation and dissociative disorders states that in the face of overwhelming traumatic experiences, dissociation can offer a psychic escape when there is no physical escape. For example, it is not uncommon for survivors of rape to report experiencing themselves as being outside of their body during the assault. Individuals may also have thoughts and feelings that appear disconnected over time. And particularly in the context of repeated trauma during childhood, the use of dissociation can become a rigid and automatic response to the stress that disrupts the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, emotion, perception, body representation, motor control and behavior. While in some ways adaptive for trauma survivors, severe trauma related dissociative symptoms can interfere with almost all aspects of functioning and lead to a diagnosis of dd. At the same time, other trauma in her life could have potentially led her to maybe have delusions that led her to believe this happened. But regardless of whether or not this trauma played a factor in Keyara's dissociative disorder, it quickly becomes apparent that there's a lot more to this story. Because while investigators search Kiara's phone, they find evidence that Kiara was in fact responsible for killing Grace, but that she may not have acted alone. They discover a text message from her boyfriend, Isaac Opodaka, the same person who called 911 to report the murder. It says, quote, I'm wanting you to kill her. You have to end your suffering by ending her joy. When officers ask Khiara about this message, she begins making bizarre claims about who Isaac really is. According to Kiara, Isaac is the leader of a vigilante justice group known as Ghost. Khiara says that Isaac claims the group's main goal is to target sex traffickers and child abusers. He says Ghost is well established with many members and that he wants Kiara to join them. Isaac has supposedly told Kiara that if she kills someone, she'll be rewarded with a high rank as well as black market perks. Investigators don't know what to make of this outlandish story, but one thing is clear. Isaac encouraged Ciara to kill Grace. And that's not all. Based on other text messages between the two, it's clear that Isaac also helped Kiara plan how she would do it. In their messages, they exchange ideas for how to carry out Grace's murder. One text mentions a remote barn with soundproof walls where they can take her. In another message, they talk about stabbing her together. But in the end, they decide that Chiara will kill Grace herself and she'll do it in their apartment. Isaac had recently purchased a three foot long display sword that was hanging on their apartment wall the previous night. The couple decides that Kiara will use the sword to stab Grace, which is absolutely wild. From there, they'll use hydrogen peroxide to clean up the crime scene. The messages give police enough to find Isaac and bring him into custody. However, he's less talkative in his interview. He initially claims he had no part in plotting the murder, but then investigators show him all of the text messages they have. And that's when Isaac starts making excuses. He says they were just discussing a movie about murder, not an actual murder. He also claims that Kiara took his phone and was texting herself so that she could pin things on him later and that the only reason he was responding was to try and get Chiara to stop texting him so he could go to sleep. From there, Isaac tells detectives that he's feeling traumatized. He claims he once witnessed his best friend get shot to death. Officers try to be understanding, but soon they know they can't trust Isaac. It starts when Isaac tries to give an explanation for the, quote, mess he and Kiara said they would clean with the hydrogen peroxide. He claims that was a reference to Chiara defecating in their bed. Now investigators are fed up. Isaac is clearly lying. Vigil keeps confronting Isaac with his text, including the one that says, I am wanting you to kill her. You have to end your suffering by ending her joy. At that point, Detective Javier Vigil tells Isaac it's clear he was egging Chiara on with this. Isaac finally gives in and starts talking. He tells the detectives the same story about Khiara's alleged assault and cites that as their motive to kill Grace. However, he says the incident happened in 2020, not 2016, which is the year Khiara gave. Isaac also claims that he and Khiara even went to the police to report the assault, but that officers told them there was nothing they could do. Isaac admits that he did want Grace dead because of what she allegedly did to Kiara, but that he didn't think it would actually happen. He says he would have stopped Khiara if he had been in the room at the time. Police look into reports of sexual assault from 2020, and they do find one from Khiara. However, according to the police, the details don't align with what Khiara told them. He doesn't get into the details for privacy reasons, but his statement strongly implies that there's no evidence Grace was involved at all. As Kiara and Isaac's stories continue to unravel, they're both charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Isaac is denied pretrial release and Khiara is also charged with evidence tampering. But authorities soon become more concerned about how to handle their investigation into Kiara, who is also held in custody. The more they talk to her, the more complicated her motive becomes. Khiara tells authorities that Grace wasn't just Isaac's ex girlfriend. Kiara says she used to be involved with Grace too. She says Grace was, quote, the first person I ever loved and the first person to completely destroy me. On top of that, authorities are getting a clearer picture of Kiara's mental health. Her symptoms are pretty severe. And in November of 2023, Kiara is found incompetent to stand trial. She's transferred to a behavioral health facility in Las Vegas where she undergoes psychiatric evaluation. After a few months, she's ruled competent to stand trial and returns to New Mexico to await her trial. However, by this point, both she and Isaac's trials are repeatedly delayed due to backlogs in the state crime labs. In the meantime, police investigate the couple's claims of a secret vigilante organization. They have yet to announce if they found any evidence that such a group really exists. At the same time, members of the press begin their own investigation into Kiara and Isaac. And soon they uncover even more troubling information. Foreign By November of 2023, the story of Grace Jennings murder has picked up steam in the media. Reporters begin looking into her alleged killers, Kiara McCauley and Isaac Opodaka, and they discover that both of them have very disturbing histories. Isaac apparently has a prior criminal record. His main offenses are larceny. But he's also been charged with domestic violence against Kiara. These charges stemmed from an incident that occurred a few months before Grace's murder. In April of 2022, the two had an altercation that escalated severely. Details are sparse, but Isaac was charged with felony false imprisonment, aggravated battery, and interference with communications. This essentially means he assaulted her and tried to keep her from seeking help. During this investigation, Kiara told police that she and Isaac had been together for three years and that Isaac was her fiance, meaning she would have been 16 when they got together while he was 22. So even though Kiara was at the age of consent in New Mexico, the state does have an age gap law preventing a 16 year old from consenting to with anyone more than four years older than them. But their relationship was never reported. And in the end, Isaac's domestic violence charges were dropped because Kiara wouldn't cooperate with law enforcement. The press also tracks down Kiara's ex boyfriend, Lachlan Stevenson, whom she dated a couple years before her relationship with Isaac. He tells reporters that he believes Kiara suffers from delusions. She once told him she was a witch and and that she had the ability to hex people and even levitate. He says he feels bad for Chiara and regrets that she couldn't get the help she needed before the tragedy. He also reveals that Kiara used to slap him and burn his arms with cigarettes, which he still has visible scars from. These claims form a picture of Kiara as someone prone to violence. By this point, both Kiara and Isaac are considering plea deals. Isaac apparently signs one, but then it seems like he regrets his decision because he fires his attorneys and hires a new one. In November 2024, his new lawyer tells the judge he's no longer happy with the deal he signed. The judge, Glenn Ellington, responded by physically ripping up the deal in the courtroom. After that, Isaac's lawyer promises to try and work out a different plea deal with prosecutors. In the meantime, Khiara accepts her plea deal. On February 10, 2025, she pleads guilty to aggravated second degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Her sentencing hearing has yet to take place, but according to her plea deal, she'll receive 30 years in prison. In exchange, she waives her right to an appeal and agrees to testify against Isaac. If Kiara fails to cooperate with her, deal could be revoked, which means she'd be facing life in prison, which is the same sentence Isaac could also be facing because he's now no longer interested in a plea deal. Instead, Isaac has decided to go through with a jury trial. Jury selection for his case is scheduled to begin early next year. Once the jury is finalized, it'll be up to them to decide whether Isaac is guilty of first degree murder and and conspiracy to commit first degree murder. For now, Grace's ex fiance, Jackson Sparks, has spoken out. He says that he knows they were young when they got engaged, but that they were ready to make the jump together and despite the rough patch they went through, he calls her the love of his life. He says that even though their time together was short, it was cherished, and that he's grateful he was able to make her happy during the time they spent together. Hopefully, Isaac's trial will provide answers and justice for all of Grace's loved ones. We'll be keeping a close eye on this trial as it progresses, and as always, we'll keep you updated with any new developments. What did you think of tonight's case? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments. See you next time. If you haven't already, subscribe to our YouTube channel @Crime House Daily and follow us on social media rimehouse24.7 for real time updates. Because the pursuit of justice never stops. Looking for your next Crime House?
- [24:27]
Katie Ring
Listen? Don't miss Crimes of with Sabrina Diana Roga and Corinne Vian. Crimes of is a weekly series that explores a new theme each season from Crimes of the Paranormal, unsolved murders, mysterious disappearances, and more. Their first season is Crimes of Infamy, the true stories behind Hollywood's most iconic horror villains. And coming up next is Crimes of the Paranormal, real life cases where the line between the living and the dead gets seriously blurry. Listen to Crimes of every Tuesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.