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- [00:00]
Advertiser
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- [01:10]
Peyton Moreland
You're listening to an Ono Media Podcast. Hey everyone and welcome back to the into the Dark podcast. I'm your host, Peyton Moreland. Thank you so much for being here. Please engage with this episode. Go leave a comment on Instagram any any engagement supports the show and I would really appreciate it for my 10 seconds today. It is Garrett's birthday. It's Garrett's birthday today. He's gonna go play golf, I'm gonna go to the gym and then we're gonna do dinner, we're gonna watch a movie at home. Garrett's very nonchalant king and he doesn't love being celebrated, so we don't do parties or anything like that. We just do a good little night at home and in. He loves watching movies together, so that's what we're gon. Garrett and I don't really do, like gifts for each other all the time for every holiday, so I don't have anything for him other than just like a note and stuff. I don't know if anyone was even wondering that and I don't know why I felt the need to say that, but I did. All right, so that is my 10 seconds today. If you haven't yet, please go over to Instagram and wish Garrett a Happy birthday. He's 31.
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Laura Richards
Sheesh.
- [02:27]
Peyton Moreland
He's old. I'm just kidding. If you're older than 31 and listen to this. It was a joke. All right, you guys, I love you and let's get into the episode. Trigger warning. This episode includes discussions of pregnancy loss, so please Listen with care. Now, there are a few things that are guaranteed for everyone, no matter what. Everybody who's alive today was born and then everybody dies. There is no escape from that. But when a new baby is born, you're usually not thinking about death. You're picturing all of the years that they have ahead of them growing up, getting a sense of who they are, and maybe even becoming a parent for themselves. But today I'm telling a story of a woman who gave birth and that set a chain of events in motion, which all ended with her murder. So let's get into it. This woman's name was Laura Abarca, and she lived in Wichita, Kansas, where she had a close relationship with her family and her neighbors. Laura was a hard worker, too. She was a first generation immigrant who came to the United States as a teenager. And afterward she held low paying jobs from the age of just 16 years old. While she was working full time, she also made her way through high school and then community college. It sounds exhausting, but no matter how tired she was, Laura was always a warm person who got along well with others. And she needed that kind of personality because in 2008 or so, when she was about 19 years old, Laura worked at a local steakhouse. Now, eventually she moved on from that job and got a position at Chipotle instead of. But if you've ever worked in customer service or in any kind of restaurant job, you know how important it is to get along with the people and seem friendly. And that's who Laura was. She was working at another restaurant in 2015, which is how she met a man named Manuel Gonzalez. He also worked at the same restaurant. But as Manuel and Laura got to know one another, something clicked. And before long, they were dating. And they got serious pretty fast. They moved in together within a year. And then in early 2016, Laura Emmanuel realized they were expecting a baby. This was good news for Laura, who was 27 at the time. She was very excited to become a mom. She told her mother, who lived with her and Manuel how much she was looking forward to growing her family. And Manuel and her mother were all in as well. All three of them were committed to raising the child together and giving them a warm, loving home. They filled the apartment with a crib and other supplies. Her friends threw her a baby shower. And then finally, little Sophia was born on November 11, 2016. Now Laura and Manuel were over the moon. It felt like a new chapter for them both. Well, on November 16th, Sophia was just six days old. But Manuel and Laura had bills to pay. And they couldn't afford to take a long break from work. So even though he'd only been a father for a week at this point, Manuel picked up a shift at his job. Like Laura, he worked in a local restaurant in Wichita. And that day, Laura's mother, Guadalupe, was also working. Which meant that after her boyfriend and her mom had both left home, Laura was home alone with her newborn baby, Sophia. Now, throughout that afternoon, she was quiet. She didn't reply to any texts or answer any phone calls. She was busy with a newborn. So this doesn't raise any red flags for anyone. Not until later that afternoon when Manuel got home at the end of his shift. And before he could even step back into the apartment, he saw something that made him instantly concerned. The door to the apartment was open. Now, Manuel never left without locking it up behind himself. And he knew that Laura also wouldn't leave the door open. And neither would Guadalupe. So something was very wrong. He rushes inside and he finds Laura lying on the couch. She was covered in blood and there was a visible gunshot wound on her forehead. Laura wasn't breathing or moving, and it was clear that she was beyond saving. Laura, who had just given birth a week earlier, was dead. Now, of course, right away, Manuel's next move was to check on his brand new daughter to see if she was okay. But Sophia wasn't in her crib or in the rocker, or honestly, anywhere near her mother's body. She wasn't in the apartment at all. Little Sophia had gone missing. Now, right away, Manuel ran to a neighbor's unit for help. He was too upset to know what else to do. But after he managed to explain to them what had happened, the neighbors convinced him to call the police. And he made the 911 call. And right away, detectives rushed over to survey the scene. They noticed some details that Manuel had originally missed. Like there were no signs of a struggle in the unit. The apartment was surprisingly neat and tidy, or as neat and tidy as any household with a week old newborn could be. Plus, Laura didn't have any defense wounds. There was no sign that she had tried to fight off an attacker. In fact, she might have actually been holding her phone when she was shot. It was lying right near her body. So this told police a few things. Perhaps Laura knew her killer. She might have let them in the apartment willingly. And then, based on the crime scene, it seemed the person had pointed a gun at Laura's face and then shot her before she could even react. She didn't have a chance to run away or Defend herself. So their first theory was that Laura must have been murdered by an ex boyfriend. See, before she got together with Manuel, she had been with a different man. He also lived in Wichita, not too far from Laura's apartment. And it seemed very possible that in a fit of jealousy, he could have come over and shot her. So the investigators number one priority, after talking to her friends and family, was to find the ex boyfriend. And they did, in Kansas City. See, he was out of town the day she was murdered, almost 200 miles away from Laura's home. He had friends who confirmed his alibi for the whole day. So it was clear he couldn't have done it. The police needed to keep looking. Now, their next stop was to question all of Manuel and Laura's neighbors. The woman who lived next door told the police that she had seen someone leaving Laura's apartment that day. She'd spotted a woman coming out of the door. This was just a few hours before Manuel got home from work and found Laura's body. Now, like I mentioned before, Laura was a friendly, outgoing person. The neighbor knew her, and she was confident that the lady leaving Laura's unit was not Laura. And more alarming, the neighbor said that the woman had visible blood on her. Now, unfortunately, the neighbor didn't recognize who the woman was, and she couldn't give the police any details that would help identify her. But next, when they questioned Laura's mother, Guadalupe, she told the detectives something interesting and more useful. She said that on the 15th, this was just the day before the murder, a friend had come over to visit. It was a woman Guadalupe knew as Jesse. Now, unfortunately, Guadalupe didn't know Jesse's last name or where she lived, so it wasn't much to go off of. Still, Guadalupe said that Jesse had dropped by because she was looking for a place to live, and she was interested in an open unit in Laura's building. So she had a lot of questions for Laura about what the property managers were like, whether it was a good neighborhood, those sorts of things. She also asked a lot of questions about security, about whether the building used surveillance cameras or if there were on site guards. And Laura actually reassured her just the day before she was murdered that it was a great neighborhood and very safe. But Jesse still had plenty of specific questions. Now, at the time of this conversation, Guadalupe didn't think much of Jesse's words. But now, with Laura dead, she had to wonder if Jesse had been asking about security because she was planning on coming back and attacking her daughter. Almost like she was trying to figure out if there were any building security measures that she would have to get past. The police also found this story about Jesse very suspicious, but they needed more information to figure out exactly who she was. Well, they had one more big clue, and it's something I mentioned earlier. The police had Laura's phone. They collected it from the crime scene, and when they pulled digital records from it, they saw that Laura had been exchanging WhatsApp messages with a woman, Yesenia Sesmas. And in those conversations, Yesenia had told Laura that she was planning to come over and visit on November 15th. This is the exact same time when Guadalupe said Jesse was there. And even more alarming, she talked to Laura about visiting again the next day. Meaning this woman had plans to come to the house the day Laura was murdered. Now, Yesenia was 34 years old, and she had been friends with Laura for a very long time, almost a decade. They met while they were working together at the same restaurant. It was this steakhouse I mentioned earlier. And even after Laura moved on to a different job and Yesenia moved out of state, the two of them stayed in touch. I mean, by 2016, Yesenia lived in Dallas, Texas. That was more than 350 miles away from Laura's home in Wichita. But still, the two of them texted and sent WhatsApp messages regularly. They talked on the phone about relationship problems, money issues, everything. As it turns out, Yesenia and Laura had similar lives, and it was easy for them to relate to one another. And toward the beginning of 2016, they realized they had one more thing in common. They both became pregnant at about the same time Laura was expecting baby Sophia. While Yesenia learned that she was going to have her second son. She already had a little boy, and now he was about to have a baby brother. But tragically, Yesenia's younger son was never born. She lost him in a miscarriage. And after this, Yesenia was devastated. She didn't know how she could go on. In fact, she didn't even tell any of her friends or family members what had happened. It was too painful to even talk about the pregnancy loss. The only person she opened up to about her miscarriage was Laura. I have a podcast that I know my listeners will enjoy called Fear Thy Neighbor on Fear Thy Neighbor from id, hear true stories from the victims of deadly neighborhood disputes. Most violent crimes that captured the public's imagination are about serial killers or crimes of passion. But what happens when the person you fear the most is living right next door? Each episode focuses on a different town where neighbors fall out over what should be minor and resolvable issues like when a neighbor borrows a lawnmower but returns it damaged, which sets off a violent course of events. Or how a man in Vancouver moves into a new building, finds himself helping out an elderly neighbor. Then they had several disagreements and a falling out that leads to his death. Here are these true stories told by the victims, their families and their neighbors, featuring real 911 calls and surveillance archives One of my favorite episodes is called Blizzard of Blood. A single woman and her two young sons believe they have found a perfect new apartment on a quiet street with an on site landlord, and soon after the lease is signed, the landlord begins to exhibit controlling and obsessive behavior, frequently monitoring the comings and goings of his tenants and flying into a rage over perceived parking infractions. The family's once idyllic living situation turns into a living hell of arguments and intimidation that finally ends in bloodshed and two shocking murders. Listen to Fear Thy Neighbor wherever you get your podcasts.
- [14:55]
Laura Richards
Hey lovely, this is Laura Richards, host of the Crime Analyst podcast. The human body is an amazing thing. It can repair and grow in ways that are still pushing the limits of what science can explain even in 2025. But as you age, your body's natural healing and building processes slow down. It's totally normal, but that doesn't mean there's nothing you can do about it. A collagen supplement from Ancient Nutrition can help you feel and look your best. Ancient Nutrition's mission is to create high quality supplements that combine the best of ancient wisdom and modern science. Ancient Nutrition's Multi Collagen Advanced Lean supplement contains 10 types of collagen from 10 real food based sources. This formula is powered by clinically standard studied ingredients that promotes fat loss and healthy weight management as well as building lean muscle. Collagen can help reduce joint discomfort and improve the look and growth of your skin, hair and nails. Plus, Ancient Nutrition's Multi Collagen Advanced Lean is delicious and easy to work into your daily routine by mixing it into your morning coffee, Matcha or your favorite smoothie. I'm telling you, I can't wait to add Ancient Nutrition's Multi Collagen Advanced Lean supplement into my morning routine. I'm literally counting down the days until it arrives. Right now, Ancient Nutrition is offering 25% off your first order when you go to ancientnutrition.com truecrime that's ancientnutrition.com truecrime for 25% off your first order ancientnutrition.com truecrime.
- [16:35]
Peyton Moreland
So far as everyone was concerned in Yesenia's life, she was still pregnant. And she kept up the lie for months. She bought all of the supplies she would need as a new mother, including a crib, a car seat, lots of clothes and diapers. She even let her friends throw her a baby shower. She told everyone, including her boyfriend, that her son was on the way. And weirdly enough, Yesenia never wore a fake belly or anything that made her look pregnant. She did sometimes stick her gut out, but. But it wasn't very convincing, especially as the months went on. She was still pretty thin, even while she was supposed to be seven, eight and nine months pregnant. At least one of her co workers believed she was lying about the pregnancy and came forward publicly to say as much. But other than that, one person, most of Yesenia's loved ones just went along with it. Maybe they were uncomfortable calling her out on that lie. Or perhaps they had a hard time accepting that Yesenia would fake something so serious and elaborate and go so far to fake it. Every day she bragged to her friends about how she felt the imaginary infant kicking or how her back hurt because of all the weight she was gaining. And everyone sort of just nodded and agreed with what she was saying. But as her due date got closer, Yesenia realized she was gonna have to go to even more extreme lengths to keep the fantasy alive. She needed to bring home an actual baby. And I know you know where this is going, but she could only think of one way to do that. By her due date. She needed to steal someone else's newborn baby. Now, before long, Yesenia found the perfect target. A friend of hers who she could attack and then kidnap a child from. And her chosen victim wasn't Laura. There's the twist. It was another woman she knew. Adriana Portillo. See, Laura and Adriana were friends. And Laura knew that Andriana had two children. A three year old and a ten year old, both girls. And she was also pregnant, expecting her third. And apparently Yesenia thought that she could get the unborn baby from Audriana and maybe still her other daughters, too. So on July 25, 2016, Yesenia invited Adriana over to her house. It's worth mentioning that this house was in Wichita. Isanya hadn't moved to Dallas yet, but she was in the process of packing up her things and getting ready to relocate. So she claimed that she had some old clothes and a TV she was planning to give away rather than bring them to Texas. And Yesenia said she wanted Adriana to have those things now as soon as Adriana arrived to pick them up with her two children, Yesenia said that the stuff was in her basement. Everyone went down the stairs together. And as soon as they made it to the basement, Yesenia began acting very nervous and aggressive. She told Audriana an odd story down in that basement. She said that she was desperate to have another child, a younger sibling for her son. And in particular, she really wanted a girl. Which was notable because Adriana's third child was supposed to be a girl. But Yesenia explained that, sadly, she was infertile and she'd never have a big family like Audriana's. Now, this was a very personal confession, and it made Audriana uncomfortable. Overall, she was getting a bad vibe about this. But before she could make a polite excuse and leave, Yesenia pulled a knife on her friend Audriana. She had a roll of duct tape, and she ordered Audriana to put the tape over the children's mouths and arms. Yesenia explained that this was a ransom situation. She was going to keep Adriana's daughters in the basement if Adriana ever wanted to see them again. She needed to give Yesenia $10,000. Well, Adrianna knew better than to cooperate with Yesenia's orders and put duct tape on her children. Plus, Adriana didn't have a lot of money. She didn't even have $10,000 to give away. She had no idea why Yesenia would have believed that. So rather than follow her friend's bizarre orders, she charged Yesenia. And the good news was that Yesenia wasn't actually looking for a fight. Apparently, she just hoped that Audriana would comply out of fear. So as soon as Audrianna ran toward her, Yesenia turned and just ran up the stairs. Audrianna wasn't familiar enough with Yesenia's house to know if the door at the top of the stairs had a lock. But she didn't want to find out the hard way. Her life depended on getting herself and her daughters out of the basement and not letting Yesenia trap them. So as Yesenia's lunging for the stairs, Adrianna grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back down. Now the two women grappled with one another, and in the tussle, Adriana's cell phone fell on the ground. Which was good News because Adriana's 10 year old daughter grabbed it and called 91 1. Finally, Audriana managed to push Yesenia down. She grabbed her girls, and all three of them made their way up the stairs. And thanks to her daughter's quick thinking, the police were already on their way. It still took them a few minutes to get there, though. So as soon as they made it out the front door, Adrianna and her daughters sprinted toward their car. They just wanted to get away and put as much distance between themselves and Yesenia as they could. Now, before Adrianna could get her car door closed, Yesenia reached inside, who had followed her out, and grabbed the 10 year old's neck. She was trying to choke her. Now, Audriana attempted to push Yesenia off her daughter, but Yesenia was too strong. So next, Audriana got back in the car and put the car into reverse, hoping to just drive away. But Yesenia reaches in and grabs the gear shift and puts it back into park. Then she yanked the keys out of the ignition to ensure that Adriana couldn't drive away. Yesenia threw the keys into the yard. And then her whole demeanor suddenly shifted. She seemed remorseful. She stood outside of the car, just begging Adriana not to tell anyone what had happened. She tried pretending that everything had been a prank and it was just in good fun. Adriana's like, what the. Now, the police arrived right around that time, and Adriana told them everything. She was very clear that the assault hadn't been a game or a practical joke. She and her daughters had been afraid for their lives. So the police arrested Yesenia and charged her with three counts of attempted kidnapping, two counts of aggravated battery, and one count of attempted robbery. Okay, now let's fast forward. Laura, Yesenia's other friend, gets murdered. Right? And Yesenia at that point, still hadn't gone to trial for everything that had happened between Adriana, her other friend, and the daughters. She had paid bail to get out of jail, and that's why she was free to keep living her life. She was still on bail when she visited Laura around the time of her murder. So, yes, Jesse and Yesenia are the same person. Okay, it's just a nickname. And thankfully, the police were able to see all of this history when they looked her up. So they track Yesenia down and figure out all of this. And luckily, she wasn't that hard to find. The police got a warrant to access Yesenia's digital records, everything from her phone and computer. And once they accessed those files, they found a gold mine. Yesenia and Laura talked a lot. The police already knew that because they'd seen the conversations on Laura's phone. They also knew that Laura had been sending Yesenia pictures of baby Sophia, acting very proud of her daughter. Now, Keep in mind, police at this point know that Yesenia has already attacked another friend trying to steal her baby. And now Laura is sending her pictures of her newborn. Well, on the morning of November 16, this is murder day. At around 9:23am, Yesenia texted Laura and said, hey, I want to talk again. Remember, this was after the visit she'd made on the day before and just a few hours before the murder. But this time around, she made a point of asking if Laura's boyfriend Manuel would be at the apartment. She made it sound like she was a little uncomfortable around him and she didn't know him that well. Either way, Laura confirmed that Manuel would be at work in the afternoon. And she even told Yesenia what time he planned to leave. It's also worth mentioning that when Yesenia had been over the day before, Guadalupe had made an offhand comment about her work schedule. She told her daughter Laura she was also going to be gone the next day. In other words, Yesenia now knew for a fact that Laura was going to be home alone on the early afternoon of November 16th. And her phone's GPS showed her going to Laura's apartment at 1:30pm that is the time when the police believe that Laura was killed. Except after the murder. As police are looking through these phone records, they discover that Yesenia kept texting Laura. She was sending little check in messages like she wanted to confirm she was okay. Maybe she was trying to make it look like she didn't know that Laura had died. But she also texted her boyfriend after the murder and specifically told him she had just given birth. And she sent him pictures that were supposedly of their new baby. Except, of course, as you know, this wasn't Yesenia's baby. These were pictures of Sophia, her friend Laura's baby. She was actually forwarding the same photos Laura had sent her earlier. And in at least one case, she photoshopped her face over Laura's in a picture of her holding Sophia. Now, not long after Yesenia told her boyfriend about her alleged baby, she began driving home. And I don't know how her boyfriend reacted when she showed up at the front door with a newborn baby. You must have suspected something, given what a bad job she'd done at faking this entire pregnancy. But the truth is, we don't actually know how he reacted. I do know the police were still able to trace her phone signal, and it said she was in her house in Dallas, Texas. She hadn't skipped town or tried to flee the country. She just went home. So as soon as the Wichita Police pulled all this information. They contacted some officers in Texas and asked them to help them catch a kidnapper and killer. All of this happened really fast. Around 4:40am on November 19, three days after the murder, a SWAT team surrounded Yesenia's house. They were cooperating with the local police and with 25 FBI agents who'd been assigned to the case. This was a huge team working to rescue baby Sophia. And as soon as they were set up and ready to go, the SWAT team forced their way through Yesenia's front door. Now, Yesenia's home was very small, and once the officers opened the door, they could actually see directly into the bedroom. Yesenia and her boyfriend were in bed and there was a crib right next to looked like all of them had been asleep. But of course they now that the officers were pouring into the house, Yesenia and her partner both woke up. The team members told Yesenia and the man not to move. And in the meanwhile, they looked into the crib and there was a baby inside of it. The SWAT officers grabbed the child and safely took her out of the room before dealing with the two adults. And as soon as she realized what was going on, Yesenia surrendered peacefully. She didn't resist arrest. The officers let her boyfriend go because he didn't seem to have any idea what was going on. And thankfully, the team soon determined that the baby hadn't been hurt. In fact, it looked like Yesenia had been taking pretty good care of her for the past three days, as though she really was treating her like her own daughter. The authorities did a DNA test to confirm the child's identity, and afterward they gave baby Sophia back to her father Manuel and her grandmother, Guadalupe.
- [28:26]
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Peyton Moreland
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Laura Richards
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Peyton Moreland
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Peyton Moreland
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- [29:26]
Peyton Moreland
So now that Yesenia was in custody, the police questioned her. I mean, obviously we know why. We know the motive. She had already tried to do this with one friend, but they wanted to know how she could do this to one of her oldest friends. Yesenia gave a confession and admitted to killing Laura and taking Sophia. But she said it wasn't a murder or a kidnapping. Instead, Yesenia tells police that Laura's homicide was just an accident and that she was supposed to have baby Sophia because before Laura's death, Yesenia had adopted her. Supposedly, she and Laura had spoken in the past about how Laura wasn't ready for motherhood. In fact, as Yesenia told it, Laura didn't even want her baby. She'd gotten pregnant other times before now, and each time, she'd allegedly chosen to get an abortion. This time around was a little different. Laura chose to keep the child, but only because, according to Yesenia, Laura wanted a son. She was hoping for a little boy. And when Laura realized that Sophia was a girl, she decided she didn't want the baby anymore. And since Yesenia had had her miscarriage around that same time, and Laura learned the baby's sex, the two of them made a plan. Laura would give birth and then give the child to Yesenia to raise as her own. Okay, I'm already shaking my head. But according to Yesenia, things didn't go as planned because shortly after Sophia was born, Laura dropped a bombshell on Yesenia and said she didn't want to give her baby away after all. Yesenia admitted to the police that she didn't take the news well. She was so desperate for a baby for so long, the thought that she was going to lose Sophia pushed her over the edge. As soon as she heard the news, she grabbed her gun and drove hundreds of miles to Laura's house. But according to Yesenia, she'd never actually planned to hurt Laura. She just wanted to scare her into handing her daughter over. Like they had originally agreed. She hoped to wave the gun in Laura's face, threaten to kill her without actually following through on it, and then take Sophia for herself. So, to be clear, according to Yesenia, she was still planning on kidnapping the child. It's a very serious Crime, but not to murder. She didn't want to murder her friend Laura. Anyway, Yesenia's story went that she came over to Laura's apartment, and just like she'd planned, she pulled out the gun, pointed it at Laura's forehead, and told her to hand Sophia over. But while she had the muzzle pointed at her friend, it discharged on accident. She shot her friend at point blank range, killing her without meaning to. And as Yesenia told it, she then panicked, grabbed baby Sophia, and drove all the way home. Okay. Okay, Yesenia. Now, in spite of that story, Yesenia was charged with first degree murder, kidnapping, and aggravated interference with parental custody. Now, remember, first degree murder does mean premeditated murder, so they aren't believing her story. Now, of course, that was all on top of the outstanding charges from the previous incident with Adriana. During her trial in 2018, Yesenia pleaded not guilty. She didn't testify on her own behalf, but her lawyers presented a pretty similar story to the one she told the police. That Yesenia had killed Laura on accident after a failed attempt to adopt the baby. Now, the evidence did not support Yesenia's story. After all, the police had all of her and Laura's digital records. They'd read every text that the women had exchanged, and no one ever mentioned an adoption. Laura's mother, Guadalupe, also testified about the day that Yesenia had visited before. Remember, she came over the day before in front of Laura's family. She explained that that day, nobody ever brought up an adoption. While they sat and talked that afternoon and Manuel talked about how him and Laura were excited for a child, Laura was ready to be a mother. He said she'd never give up her baby. The police also took the stand and reminded jurors that there were no signs of a struggle in the apartment. It didn't look like Yesenia had gone in and threatened Laura. And it was this huge thing, and then the gun went off by accident. Instead, they believed that Laura let Yesenia in. And then, while Laura's guard was down, her friend walked up to her and shot her before she even had a chance to react. It was completely unprovoked and almost certainly premeditated. Now, here's where things get a little bit more interesting at trial. In the closing statement, Yesenia's lawyer acknowledged all of the evidence. He freely admitted that Laura probably didn't want to give up her baby, and she'd probably never discussed an adoption with Yesenia. So in closing statements, it's almost like he switches his story. But according to him, Yesenia was so desperate for a daughter and so heartbroken from her own miscarriage that she had managed to convince herself that Laura was going to give up Sophia. So she went to the apartment believing she was going to talk Laura into handing the child over. The conversation went poorly, the gun went off, and Yesenia committed an accidental homicide. But he claims to the jury no, but that it still is not premeditated murder. Again, this is according to Yesenia's lawyer. Well, after they heard all of the testimony, the jury decided that they weren't convinced. They found Yesenia guilty of all three charges. Kidnapping, murder and interference with custody. And they sentenced Yesenia to 55 years in prison. So that's the end of Yesenia's story. But it wasn't over for Manuel, Guadalupe and Sophia, who all now had to move forward without Laura in their lives. Now Laura's family, including Manuel, is still raising her child, and based on statements they've given to the press, it sounds like Sophia is healthy and happy. Overall, she's doing well. Still, it is both tragic and ironic that Laura expected to raise Sophia and watch her grow up. But instead she lost everything, including her own life, because of one woman's jealousy. And that is the story of Laura Barca. Thank you guys so much for going into the dark with me today, and I will see you on next week's episode. Goodbye.