MURDERED: Anastasia WitbolsFeugen

Summary

Crime Junkie Podcast Episode Summary: "MURDERED: Anastasia WitbolsFeugen"

Release Date: August 11, 2025

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of Crime Junkie, hosts Ashley Flowers and Britt Prewat delve into the mysterious and troubling case of Anastasia Whitbulsfukin. The story begins with a late 1990s fatal teen romance that spirals into a complex investigation filled with confessions, twists, and lingering doubts about the police's conclusions.

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Discovery of the Crime

At nearly 4 AM on October 23, 1997, Deputy David Epperson of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department was patrolling Lincoln Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri, searching for stolen vehicles—a common sight in the dark cemetery grounds. At a turnaround spot, Deputy Epperson discovered a "woman with dark hair lying on her back with a huge gunshot wound to the middle of her face" (00:00).

Realizing the severity of the situation, he "calls for backup" and searches the immediate area for any identifying items. However, the only items found were a key and a cuckoo clock keychain, offering no immediate clues (00:50).

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Initial Investigation and Identification

By sunrise, investigators had completed the initial examination and conducted an autopsy. They struggled to identify the victim due to the lack of personal belongings. The turning point came when they expanded their search to the adjacent Mount Washington Cemetery. The property manager revealed that the night before, an "18-year-old Anastasia Whitbull's Fugen" was seen alone, then later with two males and one female around 7 PM (03:51).

An urgent call was made to Anastasia’s father, Robert Whitbull's Fugan, also known as Bob. When contacted, Bob was informed "they're working on identifying a young woman" and was asked about his daughter's dentist, leading to the confirmation of her identity through dental records (04:34).

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Unraveling the Timeline

Bob provided a detailed timeline: Anastasia was dropped off at Mount Washington Cemetery by her stepmother around 4:30 PM to meet her boyfriend, Justin Bruton. Bob returned home at 9:30 PM, only to realize Anastasia was still out. He learned from Justin that they had a fight, leading to Anastasia walking off alone (05:05).

However, Justin became unresponsive to police inquiries. Ashley Flowers notes, “the boyfriend of our victim in the wind,” highlighting Justin’s sudden disappearance and the suspicious absence of his vehicle (06:40).

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Witness Testimonies and Suspicions

Additional witnesses emerged, including Byron Case (18) and his 15-year-old girlfriend, Kelly Moffatt. They recounted Anastasia's distress call from a Dairy Queen payphone near Mount Washington Cemetery. Anastasia requested a pickup, but during the drive, a fight erupted between her and Justin. Anastasia stepped out of the car at a stoplight to walk alone into a sketchy area, while Justin sped off with Byron and Kelly returning her to safety (08:10).

By October 25, Justin was found dead near an old warehouse in Kansas, near his abandoned car. He had a shotgun by his side, leading authorities to rule his death a suicide, further complicating the investigation (18:05).

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The Trial of Byron Case

With lacking evidence against Justin, police turned their focus to Byron Case. Kelly Moffatt eventually came forward, offering a confession in exchange for transactional immunity, revealing that Byron and Justin had planned Anastasia's murder. Kelly stated, “the whole thing, Anastasia's murder was planned by Justin and Byron and that I, Kelly, had no idea what was going to happen that day” (24:43).

Despite inconsistencies in Kelly’s statements and the absence of physical evidence, Byron was arrested, tried, and convicted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. The prosecution heavily relied on Kelly’s testimony and a dubious recorded phone conversation from Byron, which they interpreted as a "tacit admission" of guilt (32:06).

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Post-Trial Appeals and Doubts

Years later, the Midwest Innocence Project reviewed Byron’s case but declined to take it on. In 2019, attorney Brian Russell took up Byron’s appeal, convinced of his innocence after thorough examination of the case files. He presented three alternative theories:

1. Justin as the True Culprit: Suggesting that Justin may have accidentally shot Anastasia and later took his own life out of guilt.
2. Patrick Rock: Anastasia's close family friend, who could have been called for help, though no evidence supports this.
3. Unknown Perpetrator: Possibly someone within their friend group or a stranger who then orchestrated Justin’s suicide to cover up the murder.

Ashley Flowers reflects, “I keep coming back to his suicide, if that's what it really was. His death has to be involved, right?”

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Suspicious Behavior of Anastasia’s Father, Bob

Bob's behavior post-crime raised significant red flags. He reported hearing a gunshot around 11:30 PM the night Anastasia was found dead and later returned to the crime scene, offering "skull fragments" to the police, which were never properly investigated (14:50). Additionally, Bob had a history of misconduct, including statutory sodomy of a minor, further casting doubt on his integrity and possible involvement.

Britt Prewat notes, “Bob’s past is downright creepy, weird sus,” emphasizing the suspicious actions and lack of transparency in his interactions with law enforcement (47:14).

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Alternate Theories and Unanswered Questions

The case remains riddled with unanswered questions:

• Lack of Physical Evidence: No bullets were found at Anastasia’s crime scene, and Justin’s shotgun was discovered separately without any processing reported.
• Inconsistent Testimonies: Kelly’s shifting blame from Byron to Justin undermines the prosecution’s case.
• Byron’s Death: Justin’s suicide removes him as a suspect but leaves a gap in the timeline that Byron’s innocence team seeks to fill.

Ashley Flowers questions, “why isn’t Byron just saying Justin did it?” highlighting the perplexing nature of the unresolved evidence (41:19).

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Current Status and Closure

Ultimately, the Jackson County Sheriff's Department closed Anastasia Whitbulsfukin's case with Byron Case serving seven years in prison for her murder. Despite appeals and alternative theories, no conclusive evidence has emerged to exonerate Byron or implicate another party definitively.

Britt Prewat concludes, “from the justice system and Anastasia's family and loved ones, including Bob and Patrick, the person responsible is behind bars,” yet the investigation's flaws leave lingering doubts (53:44).

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Conclusion

The haunting case of Anastasia Whitbulsfukin underscores the complexities and potential miscarriages within the criminal justice system. With questionable testimonies, suspicious behaviors, and a lack of concrete evidence, the true circumstances surrounding Anastasia's murder remain shrouded in mystery. This episode serves as a poignant reminder of the need for meticulous investigations and the enduring quest for truth and justice.

Notable Quotes:

• Britt Prewat (00:16): "This is the story of Anastasia Witbulsfukin."
• Ash (06:40): "But the pieces eventually fall into place."
• Britt Prewat (14:50): "Bob says he remembers something from the night he went out looking for his daughter."
• Britt Prewat (24:47): "Transactional immunity offers her a broader protection from specific offenses related to her testimony."
• Britt Prewat (32:06): "Police think that that's a tacit admission."
• Ash (38:29): "You’re like, I'm giving you a name, I'm giving you a chore."
• Britt Prewat (53:44): "In the eyes of the justice system and Anastasia's family and loved ones, the person responsible... is behind bars."

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Support and Resources:

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, reach out to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for immediate assistance.

For more information and to explore this case further, visit crimejunkiepodcast.com.

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Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Transcript

[Britt Prewat]

Hi, Crim junkies. I'm your host, Britt Prewat.

[Ash]

And I'm Ash. We're switching things up today. Yeah, I have been working on some pretty big cases lately.

[Britt Prewat]

So, Britt, it's no big deal.

[Ash]

You came across this from a podcast and, like, made contact. We have to cover it. I'm so excited.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. The story I have for you today seemingly starts as a late 90s fatal teen romance. But a shocking confession and so many twists and turns later, you're going to be wondering if police got this one right. Now, over 20 years later, I'm bringing you a crime junkie breakdown on what happened and digging into who could be responsible for murder. This is the story of Anastasia witbulsfukin. It's almost 4am on October 23, 1997, when Deputy David Epperson with the Jackson County Sheriff's Department is patrolling through Kansas City, Missouri, and and cuts into Lincoln Cemetery. He's looking for any sign of stolen vehicles. Apparently, it's a common place, people leave them and this cemetery is dark. He's just got his headlights shining ahead, and as he gets to a turnaround spot in the back of the lot, he comes upon someone lying on the ground. He doesn't know if they're drunk or hurt, but they're not moving. So he gets out of his cruiser, only to realize it's neither of those things. In front of him is a woman with dark hair lying on her back with a huge gunshot wound to the middle of her face. To Deputy Epperson, it looks like she was shot right there where she stood point blank. And by someone else because there's no gun present. He calls for backup. And while he waits, he looks for anything that can help ID this woman. But there's nothing around her, no purse or anything. And the only thing they find in her pockets is a key and a cuckoo clock keychain. That's nothing that's going to immediately help id' ing her. By the time the sun begins to rise, investigators have already looked the woman over and had her body removed for an autopsy.

[Ash]

Is she like, young, old?

[Britt Prewat]

She's definitely young, but without an id, there's really no way of knowing.

[Ash]

Right.

[Britt Prewat]

And with the light, they now have a more thorough search of the cemetery that gets underway, looking not just for evidence, but also for witnesses. They don't seem to get anything from anyone at Lincoln Cemetery. But when they expand out their search and canvas radius to include the cemetery next door, one that's called Mount Washington, the property manager there says something interesting that helps Police build out a potential timeline. He says that the night before there was actually a young woman hanging out alone in his cemetery. He saw her a little before 5pm, didn't interact with her then. She wasn't up to anything or trespassing. It was fine for her to be there. But then when he was doing a quick patrol, around 7pm before closing, he saw her again, this time with two guys and a girl. Now at that point the cemetery was closing, so he pulled up behind them, flashed his lights, letting them know, hey, you need to get out of here. He never made contact with them, but it seemed like they took the hint and left. Now he didn't know the girl or any of the people she was with, but he knows that whoever it was he saw, that girl's dad had been looking for her. Because around 6:00am this morning.

[Ash]

Well, you're talking about like literally just a couple of hours ago.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. A man comes up to the gates and asked him if he'd seen his daughter. The man showed him a picture and it was the same woman from the night before. He didn't have anything to offer this dad more than what he'd just told police, but that guy had left his number. So he hands the dad's number over to the officers. When they ring the guy, they find out that he's Robert Whitbull's Fugan, who goes by Bob. And his daughter, who he'd been looking for is 18 year old Anastasia Whitbull's Fugen. They don't tell Bob why they're calling or what they found. They just over the phone ask if he knows who his daughter's dentist is.

[Ash]

Well, I mean like he's gotta know what they're looking for. You don't even need to be a crime junkie to know what the implication is.

[Britt Prewat]

Well, if he didn't know, he's about to find out. Because while they track down her dental records, another officer drives over to Bob's house and tells him in person that they're working on identifying a young woman. And they ask if he could give a statement. And I don't know if it's denial or their delivery because this whole thing has unfolded so backwards or whatever, but he's like, I don't know what you want me to give a statement about.

[Ash]

But the pieces eventually he's like not.

[Britt Prewat]

He'S not connecting like all of the dots here, but the pieces eventually fall into place. The dental records confirm it's Bob's daughter Anastasia and her family helps put a Further timeline together of what she was doing the night before. Bob says his wife Anastasia's stepmom dropped her off at Mount Washington Cemetery to meet up with her boyfriend, Justin Bruton, a little before 4:30pm meeting at a.

[Ash]

Why is she driving over to cemetery? Like, is her boyfriend dead? Like, I don't even.

[Britt Prewat]

So they were into the goth subculture and the cemetery fit that aesthetic. Anastasia would go there and write poetry and it was just like this quiet place to hang out for like the vibes. Right.

[Ash]

Okay.

[Britt Prewat]

So Bob says he got home around 9:30pm and realized that Anastasia was still out and that Justin had tried to call the house before he got home looking for Anastasia. Bob calls Justin. It goes to voicemail. But by around 10pm Justin called him back. And Justin told Bob that getting his call made him immediately worried because yes, they had been together at one point that night, but they'd gotten into a fight that led to Anastasia getting out of the car and walking off alone. And he hadn't heard or seen her since. Now Bob tells detectives that that's when he went out and started searching for her. But aside from talking to that property manager, he hadn't found any sign of her. So obviously police want to talk to Justin. A, to figure out if his story is legit.

[Ash]

Right.

[Britt Prewat]

And B, if it is legit, find out where she got out of the car and which direction she started walking off in.

[Ash]

Right. That's like her last known movements.

[Britt Prewat]

Right. But they run into problems with right.

[Ash]

Away his story doesn't line up.

[Britt Prewat]

No, they can't even get his story because Justin seems to be MIA there's no answer when they call him. No one at his apartment when they go knocking. He's 20 and lives alone, so it's not like they were expecting anyone but him to answer. Like he could just be out. He's definitely out because his two door blue green Honda seems to be missing from the apartment building's parking lot. So they're kind of left with this question, like, is it bad timing or is the boyfriend of our victim in the wind?

[Ash]

Well, and it's super Sus. Because, like, clearly he's calling her dad. Like he knows. He says he's worried. He knows dad is worried and all of a sudden we can't find you.

[Britt Prewat]

Right. Like he knows that. Like she's in theory, like her whereabouts are unknown. Right?

[Ash]

Right.

[Britt Prewat]

So look Sus. But they don't know what to make of it. And without him, it's making it harder to find out who else they were with that night because even though Justin hadn't mentioned other people to Bob, remember what that guy at Mount Washington said?

[Ash]

Oh, that she was with other people. Right. She was like with two guys and a girl.

[Britt Prewat]

Right.

[Ash]

So then if one of the guys was Justin, then there has to be at least two more people.

[Britt Prewat]

Right. And before they even begin to try to figure out how to solve this problem, the investigative heavens open up and these mystery friends just come to them.

[Ash]

Honestly, it would be suspicious if they didn't. Like, I mean, I imagine word is spreading fast about something like this.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah, that's exactly what happened.

[Ash]

Okay.

[Britt Prewat]

These two got wind that Anastasia had been found and they came forward because.

[Ash]

I was with her last night, like exactly.

[Britt Prewat]

Okay, so the other guy is 18 year old Byron Case and the girl is his 15 year old girlfriend, Kelly Moffatt. They say that earlier in the night on October 22, Byron and Kelly were hanging out with Justin when Justin got a call from Anastasia. She was calling them from a payphone at A Dairy Queen hello 90s, which was across the street from the Mount Washington Cemetery. What they picked up from the conversation was that Anastasia was upset with Justin because apparently the two of them were supposed to meet at Mount Washington cemetery to talk about their relationship. But Justin didn't show.

[Ash]

He just like ghosted her.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. So Anastasia asked them to pick her up and they tell police they got to the Dairy Queen at like 7 and they all went back over to Mount Washington within a couple of minutes. And this is when they're seen by that property manager who got them to leave. So they loaded up in Justin's car, drove off. But as they did, Anastasia and Justin, who was driving the car, started fighting and she got out of the car at a stoplight about a block away and started walking into what Kelly tells police is a sketchy part of town.

[Ash]

And they just like leave her? Yeah, all of them.

[Britt Prewat]

Justin sped off and took Kelly and Byron back to his place where they just hung out until Kelly had to get home for her 9pm curfew. Byron and Justin took Kelly to her house around like 8:30.

[Ash]

Okay.

[Britt Prewat]

They drop her off. And when they did, apparently Justin went in Kelly's house real quick to make that first call to Anastasia's house. And Byron tells detectives that Justin was getting worried. He didn't like that Anastasia just bailed from the car and he wanted to check to see if she had called asking anyone else to pick her up since that's kind of what he assumed she'd do. He didn't think that there was any way that she was gonna walk, like it was something like almost four miles back to her dad's house. It would have taken like an hour and a half. So he made a quick phone call to see if Anastasia had called her house. Anybody there had heard from her. Whoever answered said no, she hadn't called. And that worried Justin.

[Ash]

Yeah, I'm also like picturing her like when you talk about her hanging out a cemetery and like goth culture, I'm picturing her in like I don't know what she was wearing but like full like chunky black boots. Like you're not going for a high, a four mile hike home in this. Like you would have had to have gotten a ride.

[Britt Prewat]

Totally. And it's at night.

[Ash]

It's still out there.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. At the time Byron and Kelly didn't know anything was wrong. After dropping Kelly off, Justin took Byron home. He got dropped off around like 10 that night at his mom's place where he lives and he just went to bed. He had talked to Justin once more though. He said the next morning Justin called him saying he couldn't sleep. He said it was like 9am and that was far too early for Byron so he told him he'd call him back later.

[Ash]

Is the insinuation that he's been like awake this whole time?

[Britt Prewat]

If he can't sleep, yes. But Byron had no time for this. His sleep was important to him. When he finally does wake up, he tries calling Justin and Justin doesn't answer any of his calls. And it was after that when he found out about Anastasia being found and that kind of sent him into a little bit of a spiral. He still couldn't get a hold of Justin. He started worrying about him.

[Ash]

So it's not like the cops have just like missed Justin. Nobody can find Justin.

[Britt Prewat]

No one can find them. So even though these kids are telling a story that matches up with Justin, like this is all the more reason they need to lay eyes on him. It's now been a full day since they found Anastasia and like you said, no one has heard a peep from him since he made that 9am ish call to Byron. The autopsy results had come back by now and showed Anastasia died from a gunshot wound to the head and the gun had been pressed to her nose when the trigger was pulled. There was an exit wound but no bullet found and they don't know what kind of gun was used. They found a lead fragment in her scalp and set it out for testing. But it wasn't helpful at all in determining what type of gun could have been used. She had no defensive wounds or drugs or alcohol in her system and there were no signs of sexual assault. Unfortunately, they can't determine a time of death for anesthesia. But once those initial autopsy results are back, police release a statement saying that they just want to talk to Justin about Anastasia's murder.

[Ash]

One of the last people who were with her, her friends came forward.

[Britt Prewat]

He's not considered a suspect or anything, and they just want to talk to him to line up this story, these timelines.

[Ash]

So the longer you're gone, the more sus it gets.

[Britt Prewat]

Exactly. So they put out a BOLO for his car and officers are posted up in the area. And one of those officers is Deputy Epperson, who remember, is the officer that found Anastasia. So he's posted up at the entrance of a third cemetery close to both Mount Washington Cemetery and Lincoln Cemetery. It's like cemetery town here, it seems. So he's posted up there and Bob rolls up and asks to be taken to the place where his daughter was killed, which is super random because like he doesn't even know if they're working the case like these officers, but the officers are like, we can't help you. Contact the detective unit for that information. And Bob leaves. Worried about Bob's well being, the deputies go check to see if Bob actually went to Lincoln Cemetery and sure enough, they find him there. In fact, Bob is standing in the exact spot where Anastasia's body was found. Bob notices the deputies behind him and straight up says, am I close?

[Ash]

Wait, is there no crime scene tape up?

[Britt Prewat]

Like, I don't think they were processing the scene anymore at this point. So it seems like you could just walk right up on it. And I don't know if there was still blood or anything that marked it, but he was close all right. I mean, Epperson didn't want to tell him, but he's right on the mark. And while he's there, the weight of everything must have kind of settled in because Bob says he remembers something from the night he went out looking for his daughter, Something he hadn't mentioned before. He says around 11:30pm he heard a loud gunshot from what he thinks was a large caliber rifle. And somehow in that moment, he just knew his daughter was dead.

[Ash]

I mean, first off, feels relevant. He yeah, but did that's what I don't understand. Like, so we know she's shot, right? So like this could make sense, but was she shot at 11? Did anyone else hear this gunshot? I mean, I feel like someone would. We know it's across from a Dairy Queen.

[Britt Prewat]

So no one reported hearing any shots. Not at 11:30, not at any other time. Which, to your point, is kind of wild to me. But here's what else is wild. Speaking of not like crime scene taping, anything off, Bob goes back to the scene another time, and he comes to police after, and he's like, I was out there and I found some skull fragments today. Don't worry, I picked them up for you guys. They're over on my desk if you want to grab them.

[Ash]

I'm sorry. He's just like, first of all, why are they there? And why is Bob picking them up and putting them in a bag? I mean, he didn't put them in a bag. I don't know what he did with.

[Britt Prewat]

Them, but, like, he has them in his desk somewhere. Right. So all of that. But get this. After looking over the investigative files, it doesn't seem like police do much with this, like, at all. Like.

[Ash]

Like they don't, like, go test them.

[Britt Prewat]

They don't even go get them. What?

[Ash]

So it's one thing to not get them the first time, but after, he's like, hey, by the way, I have this.

[Britt Prewat]

Okay, so, okay. This case popped on my radar after journalist Leah Rothman did a story super deep dive into it on the third season of her podcast, the Real Killer.

[Ash]

I love that podcast there. I listened to the two seasons before this. Yes, Highly recommend.

[Britt Prewat]

Yes. Thanks to her, we got access to a massive case file with all of these details. And she comes to the similar assessment about how the police's investigation could have been more thorough. And, like, you have to go listen to season three once you finish here. Anyway, even though everyone they talked to during their canvass didn't hear anything, they do find a witness who saw something. Police come across a mechanic who works nearby this area where the cemeteries are, and he thinks he saw Anastasia that night getting out of a car. He said the car drove off and Anastasia took off walking east, which, from where he was, would have been in the direction of both Anastasia's house and. And Lincoln Cemetery, where she was found dead. Like, she would have had to walk past Lincoln Cemetery to get to her house.

[Ash]

And what time is he seeing her?

[Britt Prewat]

This is around 8:30pm so, like, what's.

[Ash]

So, like, it seems like everything that Justin is telling or told Bob was, like, true.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah, which is great. But they still want to confirm it with Justin himself. I mean, at this point, Justin's timeline is hearsay, essentially, and they're still looking for him the next day. On October 25th when they get word from an agency in Kansas about 30 miles away that Justin's been found dead. What? Cause of death? Gunshot wound to the head. This other agency in Kansas had found Justin's car abandoned near an old warehouse. They ran the plates and learned that the owner of the vehicle was wanted for questioning in a homicide investigation in Kansas City, Missouri. So they do a sweep of the area, and as they were conducting their search, they found Justin on the ground lying next to the building.

[Ash]

So outside of his car?

[Britt Prewat]

Yes. Unlike in Anastasia's case, police did find a shotgun next to Justin and they know that it was the weapon used. Authorities quickly ruled his death a suicide and then informed the Jackson County Sheriff's Department of his death. Now, Justin's exact time of death is unknown, but he appears to have been dead for at least 18 hours before he was found on Saturday, October 25th. Meaning he would have died around 7pm on the 24th. And like, this is a timeline in my head to keep this all in context. The timeline is super important.

[Ash]

Yeah. Because I'm like, I'm trying to figure out like, was he, has he been dead this whole time?

[Britt Prewat]

He's been missing? So police believe that Anastasia was shot the night of the 22nd and found the morning of the 23rd. And then they believe that Justin died the evening of the 24th and was found on the 25th. So there's a gap.

[Ash]

Right? There's like a two day gap. Where's he been for two days while everyone's been looking for him?

[Britt Prewat]

Detectives have no idea, but I think they're wondering what did Justin do after 10pm when he dropped Byron off?

[Ash]

Right.

[Britt Prewat]

Like say Bob's account of hearing a gunshot around 11:30 near the cemetery is actually true.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Britt Prewat]

Is there a way that Justin was with Anastasia and shot her?

[Ash]

Like, did he go back looking for her?

[Britt Prewat]

Right.

[Ash]

Do we, like, did they ever. I don't remember what you said. Did they get a time of death for Anastasia?

[Britt Prewat]

The ME could never determine a time of death. So basically the last time someone saw anastasia was around 8:30pm that mechanic guy. Yeah. And Byron last saw Justin at 10. And then Anastasia's body is found at 4. So there's like an eight hour window that detectives are working with and six of those Justin is unaccounted for. And they theorize just like you were, that maybe Justin met back up with Anastasia alone, killed her, then took off and took his own life out of guilt.

[Ash]

Yeah. And that would explain at least to me, why there's like, no gun found at Anastasia's crime scene. Like it could with him, and then he used it, right?

[Britt Prewat]

It could. But authorities from the other agency had found a receipt in Justin's trunk. The receipt is for the shotgun, and it's dated Thursday, October 23rd. And when investigators go to the gun store looking for surveillance footage, they see Justin buying it at 10:25 in the morning.

[Ash]

So she's already dead by then.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So he would have what? Like, he would have got rid of the gun he used on Anastasia, then went out and bought a different one to take his own life?

[Britt Prewat]

That's what investigators need to find out.

[Ash]

Like, that doesn't even, like, make a.

[Britt Prewat]

Lot of sense, Right? So next, they search Justin's condo for any information on why he possibly would have wanted Anastasia dead. They collect his computer and other personal notes to go through, and they find a card from Anastasia. And in it, she apologized to Justin for how she acted and hoped that they could still be friends. And this is dated September 19th. So a little over a month before this all happens.

[Ash]

And when she talks about still being friends. So, like, are they. At the time that this happens, are they together or are they broken up?

[Britt Prewat]

It'd be great to talk to Anastasia or Justin to know for sure. I mean, they were going to meet up to talk about their relationship. It sounds like they were broken up in this note. But regardless, investigators are feeling more and more confident about this murder suicide theory with, like, each piece of evidence they find, like, a letter they found on Justin's hard drive that's seemingly written and edited by Anastasia just two days before her murder. And here's part of it. You remember when you said that you could beat me over the head with.

[C]

A bat and spray paint on my face? That you did it? And still tomorrow I would call up and ask for forgiveness because I believed that I caused it. Well, you're wrong. I may forgive you for a lot of things, including hurting me, but believe me, I have nothing holding me here. I never cared what anyone thought of me until I loved you. Then I only cared what you thought of me. Byron can go f himself for all I care. You don't deserve my love.

[Ash]

You.

[C]

You don't care about my love at all. I am strong. Stronger than you will ever know. You and Byron deserve each other because that seems to be the one you want. Someone who shares your brain and your thinking. And so f me.

[Britt Prewat]

So that's the condensed version. The original note is long.

[Ash]

Um, I feel like this is new. What is this? Byron and Justin Stuff.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. They've already started hearing rumors that Justin and Byron may have either been messing around or that Byron was enamored with Justin. Like, there's clearly more to this group than it seems on the surface.

[Ash]

Yeah. Facebook status. Complicated.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. So detectives speak to more of Anastasia's friends and loved ones, and their assessments of Byron vary. Some say he was super upset by his friends deaths. Others say he didn't seem that affected at all. And lots of people have no idea what they're talking about when they mention a love triangle or any kind of romantic connection between Byron and Justin, which Byron completely denies, by the way.

[Ash]

So I was gonna say, yeah, we have Byron. Let's just ask Byron.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah, he says absolutely not.

[Ash]

Okay.

[Britt Prewat]

So somewhere along the way, detectives come up with this theory that maybe Justin and Anastasia's deaths were part of a, quote, goth suicide pact. That maybe.

[Ash]

Tell me, it's the 90s, like, right.

[Britt Prewat]

But that maybe Kelly and Byron just backed out of. Like, this pact was for the four of them, but everyone they talked to was like, no, definitely not.

[Ash]

I pro. I could have told you no. And not just because we're, like, halfway through the episode.

[Britt Prewat]

Even though Byron and Kelly are still some of the last people to see Anastasia alive, there's nothing tying them to her murder. So police aren't able to do anything except keep coming back to the same people asking the same questions. And they do this a year out, even try to bring Byron back in for questioning. But now he's lawyered up. And it seems investigators have hit a wall. But that wall starts to crumble when Kelly walks into the police station and says she is ready to tell the truth about what really happened to Anastasia. Now 17 years old, Kelly tells detectives she's been lying for years, but she's ready to tell the truth as long as she gets transactional immunity.

[Ash]

What the hell is transactional immunity? Like, I thought there was just immunity, so.

[Britt Prewat]

Yes, but it's a little different. Transactional immunity offers her a broader protection from specific offenses related to her testimony. It's like a full pardon for whatever she says. And at this point, detectives have nothing. And since they've always been pretty sure that the key to this case is locked up somewhere in what Kelly and Byron know, they're, like, the only two people left. Yeah, right. Like, they're like, you know what? Sure. We're willing to play ball with this transactional immunity thing. And so Kelly tells detectives how the night Anastasia was murdered really went down. Kelly starts by telling detectives that the whole thing, Anastasia's murder was planned by Justin and Byron and that she, Kelly, had no idea what was going to happen that day. Kelly got in the car expecting them to just hang out or whatever, but Justin and Anastasia were fighting again. They had a pretty rocky relationship, and Justin was complaining about her. He looked at Kelly in the backseat and said, who's my biggest problem? Kelly not knowing where he was going with that was like, I don't know. And he told her, anastasia, she's gotta go. Kelly didn't really know what they meant, but as they drove around, they got to scheming. And ultimately the guys made Kelly call Anastasia before picking her up.

[Ash]

Wait, I thought Anastasia called Justin from Dairy Queen.

[Britt Prewat]

That was the original story, but now Kelly's telling them that she made the call. And it's been a couple years. She could be misremembering.

[Ash]

But I. Like, that doesn't even make sense to me because, like, how would she know that Anastasia was gonna be at the Dairy Queen?

[Britt Prewat]

I don't know.

[Ash]

Well, like, I'm confused. Did anyone, like, pull the phone records?

[Britt Prewat]

That would have been great, wouldn't it? No.

[Ash]

You're kidding me.

[Britt Prewat]

Detectives never pulled any call logs, not.

[Ash]

Even early on when they, like, not.

[Britt Prewat]

For Kelly, not for Anastasia, not for dq.

[Ash]

Like, like, even, like the. Like Justin calls. Like, did he meet up with her later? Great question. I bet his call logs would have something.

[Britt Prewat]

No call logs. So Kelly continues her confession by saying that on their way over, Justin and Byron begin talking about what it would be like to kill Anastasia. So the three of them pick her up around seven. They went to Mount Washington, then ended up next door in Lincoln Cemetery. And it wasn't long before Justin and Anastasia began arguing about their relationship and got out of the car. And Kelly and Byron were in the back until things started escalating between Justin and Anastasia. And Kelly says that's when Byron got out, opened the trunk, pulled out a shotgun, walked up to Anastasia, aimed the gun at her and pulled the trigger.

[Ash]

Byron?

[Britt Prewat]

Yes. Then Byron threw the gun back in the trunk and got into the car. And Justin completely lost it, but still managed to drive them out of the cemetery. All the while, he was yelling at Byron, asking him if he'd heard him say, never mind. And Byron's like, no, I was focused on what I was doing. And they drove over to some train tracks and threw the gun out. Once they'd fled the scene and dumped the weapon, they went back to Justin's place, came up with a story to make sure they were all on the same page, and Kelly says she was shocked by what had happened. And she remembers telling Byron, you know, this makes you a murderer, right?

[Ash]

You think?

[Britt Prewat]

And his response was, so matter of fact, he said, no, I did it because Justin asked me to. And a murderer is someone who doesn't feel bad about what they did. I feel bad, but what's done is done.

[Ash]

Still makes you a murderer.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. And this information helps things click into place for police. Byron's odd behavior, his jealousy of Anastasia. It makes sense to them that he would kill Anastasia for Justin because he had romantic feelings for Justin himself. But detectives need to know why now? Like, why is Kelly coming forward now after almost three years have passed since that awful night in the cemetery? And specifically episode five of the Real Killer really gets into that. It kind of boils down to Kelly's trauma from witnessing Byron kill Anastasia sent her down a dark path of substance use that she was now trying to turn her life around from. And she didn't really feel like she could do that while still holding on to this. Also, you say this all the time. Ties that bind weren't so tight anymore.

[Ash]

Usually it takes longer, but a couple years, it'll change things.

[Britt Prewat]

She tells them that Byron had recently moved to St. Louis and tried cutting all contact with Kelly, and that had triggered her. She felt wronged by the fact that Byron seemed to be doing fine while she was spiraling deeper into addiction. She'd been kicked out of her parents home and was experiencing homelessness before getting admitted to rehab. And she decided to finally tell the truth to police after she admitted what happened to her rehab counselor. So the story was huge for police, but they were going to need more than a story if they hoped to solve this case and take it to court. It would basically be Byron's word against Kelly's. So, hoping to find some substantial evidence, detectives take Kelly for a ride to see if she can show them where they threw the gun that night. And she does show them to a few areas where it could be. But three years out, I don't think anyone's surprised when they don't find anything.

[Ash]

Wait, where does she even say they got the gun to begin with?

[Britt Prewat]

She doesn't. Detectives push her on her past statements, and she previously told them that Justin had a shotgun or something like that, but Byron told her that he had sold it. Today, though, she's saying Byron made her lie about that, so it kind of make Justin look guilty since he was already gone.

[Ash]

Okay, so she's saying that he shot her. They all get back in the car like I keep thinking, like, there was probably blood on the gun or like, someone's clipped Byron's clothes if he was the one that was there. Justin's clothes, if he was standing next to her.

[Britt Prewat]

And then they all get in the car. Right?

[Ash]

Like, there's no way they came out without some kind of, like, something on them. Like, I feel like, did they ever even check Justin's car?

[Britt Prewat]

So, looking back through the reports, the police that found Justin in his car looked at his car and noted that it was clean and tidy. They looked in his trunk, too, and nothing in their notes said there was blood anywhere.

[Ash]

Yeah, but, like, I mean, we're. Like, we have a window of time. Like, you could have cleaned the car before he died.

[Britt Prewat]

You're right. And the car was towed to a secure lot for the Jackson County Sheriff's Department to retrieve it. But I couldn't find anything in the police report saying that they retrieved and processed this car.

[Ash]

Well, yeah, that too. Like, if it. Like, you would have to, like, look in detail. I'm not saying they're, like, soaked in blood. And if you don't. Just, like, if all you're doing is just scoping this car and being, like, nothing to see here.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah, but the. I mean, that's pretty much all we have confirmed. We don't even confirm that the agency in charge of Anastasia's case even retrieved the car, let alone processed it. And basically, they still have zero physical evidence because this was a poor investigation from the start. No kidding. A lack of evidence isn't stopping investigators, though, because they've set their sights on a confession from Byron. Detectives tap.

[Ash]

That's the only thing they're gonna be able to get. Like, they have.

[Britt Prewat]

Literally, there's nothing else. So detectives tap Kelly's phone lines, hoping she can get Byron on the phone. And eventually, on June 5, 2001, Byron picks up, and we're gonna play a snippet of their conversation that we got from Leah. And fair warning, it's not great quality. And on top of that, Byron sounds kind of muffled, but here it is.

[D]

Why? Seriously, why did you have to kill her? What was the whole big deal? Could you explain that to me? Because I don't get it. Seriously. Justin's dead for no reason. She's dead for no reason. It's just all up. And for some reason, they're talking to me. Because you won't talk. So I'm. And it makes me look horrible because everybody already knows that I'm a crackhead, that I'm a cokehead, that I'm an alcoholic and I don't remember sh. And if I try to talk to him, nothing's gonna add up. So, I mean, if you could seriously explain to me as to why you actually felt the need to kill her, then that would really help me feel better about the whole thing.

[Britt Prewat]

Thing.

[D]

I mean, was there seriously any reason to all of this?

[Britt Prewat]

Why.

[D]

Of course we should.

[Britt Prewat]

So police think that that's a tacit admission, which is when someone indirectly admits something without saying it. And police are like, by saying we shouldn't talk about this, he's admitting that.

[Ash]

He did kill her, that there's something to talk about. Or the thing to talk about is the thing she's saying.

[Britt Prewat]

But let's be honest, the audio quality alone leaves a lot to interpretation. Like, does he actually say, we should talk about this? It's almost impossible. Like, I can see your face. Like, you're like, I didn't consider that. Once you think about it, it's impossible to put that out of your mind. But police have made up their minds that he says shouldn't.

[Ash]

But I also do feel like someone who, like, if this truly is coming out of nowhere, right? Like, their original story is they. She gets out of the car, they all have, like, a normal night. I feel like if that's what happened, I'd be like, what are you talking about? Not like, we should or shouldn't talk about this. I'd be like, where is this coming from?

[Britt Prewat]

Right? And I mean, even if his response is like, oddly, we shouldn't talk about this, maybe he's not talking specifically about the murder. Right. Maybe it's just like, we shouldn't talk about this incredibly traumatic thing that happened in our lives.

[Ash]

Fair. Yeah.

[Britt Prewat]

But either way, police think that and Kelly's confession are enough. And six days later, Byron's arrested in his home and charged with first degree murder and armed criminal action.

[Ash]

Dude, this is what I'm talking about. We see cases where, like, there's this, like, huge circumstantial case, and they're like, oh. Police are like, not enough. Prosecutors, like, not enough. Like, I get someone's telling you what happened, and they were there, but this doesn't feel like enough. I feel like I'm losing my mind.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. There's nothing else. And even the public defender, he gets to represent him knows the prosecution is reaching a little bit. Yeah. Because in pretrial, the prosecutor is asked to be allowed to discuss Byron's goth lifestyle and his obsession with death.

[Ash]

It's like West Memphis three.

[Britt Prewat]

Like, please, they Definitely want to use the tap phone call as their proof of admission. And they have a clear objection to the defense's request to present Kelly's medical records. Like, the defense wants to show that Kelly is essentially an unreliable witness with a substance use disorder. And they're like, no, no, no, we don't need any details about her or how we got here. Just what she's willing to say about the night and who did it. So all that gets put before a judge and the judge decides that Kelly's medical records stay sealed. That's not going to get brought up in court. The recorded conversation is in and some of the goth lifestyle info is out, which means some of it's also in. Byron's trial begins April 29, 2002. Kelly testifies, giving the same story she told police that Byron is responsible for killing Anastasia. Byron takes the stand in his own defense, maintaining I know. And he maintains the same story he originally told police. His defense calls Evelyn Case, Byron's mother, and she testifies that Byron got home at 10pm that night. And in the days after Anastasia's murder, Evelyn never felt that Kelly was acting afraid of Byron and things seemed normal between the two. She says Kelly called her after Byron got arrested and told her that she felt responsible too, and that she should be in jail with him. The jury deliberates for over three hours before coming back with a verdict. They find Byron Case guilty of murder in the first degree and armed criminal action. And the judge sentences Byron to two concurrent life terms. And that's where this story could end. But Byron still claims his innocence. In 2010, the Midwest Innocence Project looks into Byron's case. Ultimately, they pass on taking it on. And we tried reaching out to them to ask why.

[Ash]

I was going to say why, but.

[Britt Prewat]

They never got back to us. And it's actually a personal injury attorney named Brian Russell who stumbles upon the Free Byron case website in 2019. And he immediately goes down the rabbit hole. He reads all the case files and court transcripts and decides to call Byron up and see if he wants a lawyer. They have one meeting and Brian decides to take on the case to help clear Byron's name. Leah interviewed Brian Russell for the real killer, and he told her he wasn't even convinced Byron was innocent when he first offered to take on this case. He just knew that he didn't get a fair trial. But the more they talked and Brian got to know him, he says, the more he became convinced of Byron's innocence. And like, I can't vouch for that. Our team reached out to Byron, but he said his attorneys didn't want him to talk to us. Regardless, Brian and his team feel confident about their case, which is built not just on the things that they think went wrong and the lack of physical evidence against Bryon. They know that their burden of proof is much higher now that he's already been found guilty.

[Ash]

You don't have that, like, not that I, you know, in some cases you never get the like presumption of innocence. Definitely not now.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah, but they don't have to prove. If not Brian, then who? But having an alternative suspect sure wouldn't hurt. Yeah. And they put forward not one, not two, but three alternatives. First up is Justin. Turns out Kelly herself wasn't even always consistent with her story about Byron being the killer. Apparently the night before Kelly went into rehab, she told her dad that Byron did it. But while she was in rehab, she told her counselor Justin did it. But she later said she only claimed that in rehab because by that point Justin was already gone. Police were thinking he did it then and she thought he was just as guilty as Byron. And by the way, prosecutors brought up her inconsistency at trial.

[Ash]

So it felt like, yeah, this was.

[Britt Prewat]

Not brand new information like after Byron's conviction.

[Ash]

And listen, like, honestly, like, there's things that don't piece together, but Justin makes more sense to me than Byron.

[Britt Prewat]

Well, and it could have been an accident too. Bob told police he heard secondhand that Byron had given Justin a loaded gun and Justin, not knowing it was loaded, aimed it at Anastasia and accidentally shot her.

[Ash]

Which is possibly why Justin felt guilty if he really did take his own life. I also keep coming back to, like, in my mind, Justin didn't own the gun that killed Anastasia. Otherwise, like, why go buy a new one still, even, even going and buying one, like if you all dumped it together, you could have just gone back and get that. I don't know, whatever. But the thing I don't understand is like, if it really was Justin, like, why she's going back and forth. Like she would just say Justin, like, there's no point in ever pointing the finger at Byron. So like, and he's like, he's almost easier to point the finger at because he's not here.

[Britt Prewat]

Right. Byron's team said that Kelly had some sort of like grudge against him. Like, I don't know her feelings right when this happened, but before she came forward, apparently, like, he just cut off all contact.

[Ash]

I just have like a zillion questions and like I, I keep coming Back to his suicide, if that's what it really was. Like his death has to be involved, right? Or like he has to know he had to have known something more about what happened.

[Britt Prewat]

It sure feels that way. Because there's never been any other explanation for his death. Like, there was no suicide note. As far as I know, he didn't say anything to anyone before.

[Ash]

If they're even, like, suggesting that it was Justin, why didn't Byron just say that? Ever? Like, Byron's always, like you said on the stand, he stuck to his original story about, like, going home and hanging out and nothing. Like, same way where I think it'd be easier for Kelly to point the finger at him. Like, Justin is Byron's get out of.

[Britt Prewat]

Jail free car and Byron's the one who's been on trial. I don't know. They could have just walked into the police station after Justin died and said, look, he killed her, then he killed himself.

[Ash]

That doesn't make sense. It doesn't make sense.

[Britt Prewat]

But they don't. They walk in from, like, day one and say, she walked away and we never saw her again.

[Ash]

And, like, we also have the mechanic who saw her. Right?

[Britt Prewat]

Right. So we saw the mechanic, saw her get out of the car and start walking. So. Okay, let's just say Justin did it.

[Ash]

Okay.

[Britt Prewat]

Like we talked about earlier, what the police were initially thinking, murder, suicide seems plausible. And clearly other people thought he did this. Well, let me tell you, this is totally unrelated to this case, so bear with me. I promise. It comes back to our story, short story. In 2008, a woman named April Wilkins filed an appeal against her conviction for first degree murder for shooting and killing her ex fiance, Terry Carlton, on April 28, 1998. April claims she killed Terry because she was experiencing intimate partner violence. And in her appeal, she said one of the reasons she was so afraid of Terry was that he told her he had a nephew, Justin, that had recently killed his ex girlfriend, AKA Anastasia. And Terry told her, quote, that got what she deserved and said that she was next. And maybe this was a baseless threat Terry was throwing around to scare April.

[Ash]

Yeah, because also, like, it's just what everyone believed at the time.

[Britt Prewat]

Or maybe Justin should have been investigated more than he was.

[Ash]

Yeah, like investigating his death and processing his car, you mean?

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah, just those little things. But for lack of effort, because the evidence wouldn't have been there even if they went looking for it. They just have nothing solid to back that up. There is this little, like, it's not even a full theory. I'll call it a half theory. That pops up too when they're speculating. It's one that Anastasia's dad Bob and her godfather seem to think is plausible. That someone completely unknown, maybe someone in their friend group, maybe a total stranger, shot Anastasia then shot Justin later to keep him quiet. That maybe Justin's death could have been made to look like a suicide.

[Ash]

But to me, I mean, yes, I have so many questions about his death that don't make sense to me. But to me that only makes sense if we're back to Byron and Kelly.

[Britt Prewat]

Well, take Kelly out of the equation for a second. Byron still says nothing happened. I think they're saying that what if it happened after they all stopped hanging out? Again, not a lot of meat to this theory to grab onto.

[Ash]

And like, I mean like do we know anything about her other friends? Or like Ashley?

[Britt Prewat]

We could spiral about this for days but Justin is just the first alternative theory. Okay, I brought up Anastasia's godfather. Let me introduce you to Patrick Rock. He's another person Byron's team identified as someone worth looking into. He runs anastasia's memorial website, stasia.org and he's close family friends with Bob. Apparently Anastasia was known to be comfortable enough to call him if she needed him. And allegedly she knew his number by heart. The theory from Byron's team is that if Anastasia had gotten out of the car after her fight with Justin then she would have needed a ride home and she could have called Patrick. We know that the DQ payphone is nearby like I told you earlier.

[Ash]

Yeah, could have, would have, should have. We don't have the records to show that she actually did though.

[Britt Prewat]

Correct.

[Ash]

And that doesn't even really feel like a solid theory to me. Like, oh, she was close enough that she memorized his number like it's the 90s. Like I still remember your home phone.

[Britt Prewat]

Number like you told it to me like the other day.

[Ash]

Yeah, I'm sure she had a lot of numbers memorized, not just his. Like she probably had Justin's memorized from the payphone. She probably had Byron. She probably had Kelly's like right for.

[Britt Prewat]

Me and seems like for you too. There's nothing there.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Britt Prewat]

Anastasia could have called anyone when, if she got out of that car. And despite what Byron's innocence team is trying to say, Patrick has never been named a suspect. Our team reached out to him for a comment and he declined to talk to us. Honestly, Patrick, Patrick's most suspicious to me because of his friendship with Bob. So after Justin and Patrick, another alternative theory leads us Back to Bob.

[Ash]

He's dad Bob.

[Britt Prewat]

Yes. He's been a grieving dad, a persistent advocate for justice for his daughter. He's been relentless in making sure detectives were investigating her case and taking everything seriously. But there's a few things that I left out. Bob was also out here doing some strange is too nice of a word. He was straight up being suspicious. As I mentioned before, in the days after Anastasia was found, Bob walked up to some deputies and asked them to take him where she was killed. Yes. And when they said to call the detective unit for that, Bob started going off about how his daughter was frisky and she would have put up a fight if she was attacked. And the officers are like, okay. And then Bob leaves.

[Ash]

This is when he goes to like, where she was shot at the graveyard. Okay.

[Britt Prewat]

Then after detectives went to check on Bob and Bob realized they were there, he went off on them again. He was like, what are you guys doing following me? I'm not the bad guy. You guys should be out looking for the bad guy. And this is when he tells him.

[Ash]

That he hears the gunshot, right?

[Britt Prewat]

Yes. And he knew his daughter was dead. He claps his hands together and said, boom, there goes the neighborhood.

[Ash]

What does that mean?

[Britt Prewat]

I don't know. But there's those interactions plus him finding supposed skull fragments, remember? Downright creepy, weird sus.

[Ash]

Which is like, it makes me wonder, were they even skull fragments now? Like, was he acting weird and like police, like, were like, I'm not collecting this like, weird piece of plastic that you like or didn't have anything at all if they never even went to go get anything.

[Britt Prewat]

Right. And there's some things about Bob's past I haven't told you about yet either. Betsy Owens, Anastasia's mother, talked to the police after Bob's home was searched.

[Ash]

I was wondering, like, she hasn't come up in the story.

[Britt Prewat]

So she and Bob had been divorced for about 10 years, and she told detectives that Bob's behaved inappropriately with a young child in his neighborhood. It's noted in the police report that she says there were claims that he exposed himself to children and was being accused of molesting another child.

[Ash]

But I feel like that changes things.

[Britt Prewat]

No police reports were made at the time of these alleged incidents. So nothing's done. And they definitely should have done something about it because today Bob's serving a seven year sentence in Missouri for statutory sodomy of a minor.

[Ash]

What?

[Britt Prewat]

According to the Missouri Sex offender Registry, his victim was a 15 year old curl. There's no indication that Bob abused his daughters. Detectives asked Betsy as much, but she did tell them that if he was inappropriate with Anastasia, that could explain why Anastasia moved in with Justin for a little bit.

[Ash]

Wait, when did she move in with Justin? I thought she lived with her. Her parents.

[Britt Prewat]

So I don't know when she lived with Justin. But Anastasia was for sure back living.

[Ash]

With Bob before she died and they had broken up. So maybe she moved in with them and then when they broke up, moved back home.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah, maybe. And looking back, they do a search of Bob's house or at least Anastasia's room there. Because I know they collected like hard drives and stuff, but guess what they found on her bed? A stun gun.

[Ash]

A weapon. Yeah, like what, what's she protecting herself against?

[Britt Prewat]

Or like, well who from exactly? It doesn't seem like she was afraid of a stranger because like why not take that with you when you leave.

[Ash]

The house to hang out in a cemetery at night? Yes.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So then like, like it's at your home. So are you keeping it to protect yourself from someone in your home? Do they. So you said they collected the heart. Do they find anything else in her room? Like, or more specifically like, I'm wondering. We've got that note from Justin's hard drive. Like did she write anything on hers? Did she keep a diary about like stuff maybe stuff that was happening in the home?

[Britt Prewat]

Nothing was ever mentioned about interesting items on her. Digital stuff. And it doesn't seem like she journaled.

[Ash]

Bull. I'm sorry but like you, you started this whole thing being like that she likes to go into the cemetery and like she wrote there and she like, like those are the vibes. And she was a writer. Whatever, whatever. She's writing these like long letter to Justin. I keep thinking about like 1990s. I would bet the farm that she had a journal, but what, it's not there or they just didn't collect it or what?

[Britt Prewat]

I wish I had answers on a lot of things, but that too. So throughout the investigation, Bob just kept doing weird sh. We got this huge police report packet from leah with over 2000 pages and there are so many emails from Bob to who? To police and police reports about Bob. In one of those reports they wrote that Bob was rambling almost every time he talked to them. I mean literally. The police reports about Bob are endless. In another report, almost six months after Anastasia's murder, Bob point blank asked the lead detective if he was a suspect. And the detective said no one's been ruled out yet. And a couple months later, Bob came Back and was like, well, if you need more people to look at, I've got a list. And Ash, this is absolutely absurd, but Bob gave detectives a list of 31 cars to look into with license plates and driver descriptions and everything.

[Ash]

From where?

[Britt Prewat]

So he says the night he was searching for Anastasia, he parked at the south gate to Mount Washington Cemetery and watched all 31 of these cars go by in the span of like 10 to 15 minutes. And he's pretty sure that all those drivers either know what happened to Anastasia or were directly involved in her death.

[Ash]

Wait, he's doing this the night he's out looking for her?

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. When he doesn't know anything's wrong yet.

[Ash]

That's what I'm saying. That makes no sense.

[Britt Prewat]

Right.

[Ash]

Like, you're which. And have you already heard the boom? If you heard the boom and you think she's dead, why aren't you, like, going to look for her? Why are you just, like, taking down license plate numbers? It like. No. I don't even know what to say because that's so wild.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. And it kind of feels like maybe he was making a list so they wouldn't look at him.

[Ash]

Yeah. Like, here's a list of all these. And also, it's not even like, it feels so weird to me because it's not like a list of names.

[Britt Prewat]

It's cars.

[Ash]

It's cars and license plates where it's like, it's like, I'm giving you a name, I'm giving you a chore.

[Britt Prewat]

And they all either know what happened.

[Ash]

How would you know?

[Britt Prewat]

Or have something to do with it is what he says.

[Ash]

Because you are. And what, like, what?

[Britt Prewat]

I think he knows that from cars.

[Ash]

Because he was there. And, like, how many cases have you seen where, like, profilers talk about or like detectives talk about, like, someone placing.

[Britt Prewat]

Themselves there, inserting themselves in the investigation and that.

[Ash]

Well, inserting themselves, like, later on. But, like, when they talk to police, they're like, they put themselves at the scene when it happens.

[Britt Prewat]

They have a reason to be there. That's not the crime itself.

[Ash]

It's weird.

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. So now, knowing his criminal history and all of the suspicious things happening around him back in the 90s, it honestly just makes you question everything. Like, it was a bad investigation from the start.

[Ash]

We know that. Yes.

[Britt Prewat]

But now I don't know if we'll ever get to the truth. All that to say. Despite him being one of the three possible alternatives, Byron's lawyers suggest Bob has never been named a suspect in Anastasia's case. Our team reached out to him as well, but he declined to comment. Regardless of what Byron's innocence team is trying to convey, in the eyes of the justice system and Anastasia's family and loved ones, including Bob and Patrick, the person responsible for Anastasia Whitwell's fugan's death is behind bars. But the investigation and claims of a tacit admission leave a lot to be desired. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department is no longer investigating Anastasia's death. Her case is closed. And from what we know, Byron has exhausted all of his appeals.

[Ash]

Wait, so that's it for him?

[Britt Prewat]

Yeah. And something that strikes me is how easy it is for Anastasia's story to get lost amid all the theories and rumors and odd behavior. Like we can't forget this is her story. She's at the heart of why we're telling it. And at the end of the day, Anastasia was a young woman filled with so many emotions and she got caught up in an emotionally volatile relationship, which is so easy to do as a teen. She had her whole life ahead of her and she was passionate about sharing those feelings through her writing and poetry. But sadly, all of her future stories were cut short. And I know we talked a bit about suicide in today's episode, so it's important for you or anyone you know who is thinking about suicide to be aware that emotional support can be reached by calling or texting the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9:88. You can find all the source material for this episode at our website crimejunkiepodcast.com.

[Ash]

Be sure to follow us on Instagram.

[Britt Prewat]

Crimejunkiepodcast and we'll be back next week with a brand new episode.

[Ash]

It Crime Junkie is an audio Chuck production. I think Chuck would approve.