Garrett Moreland (17:38)

Whether I'm searching for my next place to buy or rent or I just want to scroll through some dream homes, we use the Redfin app, and Peyton and I have actually, fun fact. Been using Redfin for years.

Peyton Moreland (17:52)

We actually. One of our first homes was found.

Garrett Moreland (17:55)

On Redfin, and I'm pretty sure we used. Didn't we use the Redfin realtor as well? Yes, almost. So. So if that's not a endorsement, I.

Peyton Moreland (18:06)

Don'T know what is.

Garrett Moreland (18:07)

You can filter for price, beds, baths, square footage, and so much more. And if you find a place you love, Redfin makes it easy to go see it in person. Just schedule a tour right from the app.

Peyton Moreland (18:19)

And, you know, if. If you're not one of the people who has found the pleasure of looking at houses you cannot afford on Redfin at night in places that you do.

Garrett Moreland (18:30)

Not live, you're not a real person.

Peyton Moreland (18:31)

You need to join the club right now because there's something so fun about it. Plus, if you're looking to sell, Redfin agents know how to get you the best price possible for your home. And that's because they close twice as many deals as other agents. And with a listing fee as low as 1%, Redfin's fees are half of what others often charge, which means you'll more money to put towards your next home.

Garrett Moreland (18:53)

Also, my dad actually sold his home through Redfin too. Remember that? And it was because they charged only 1% or whatever. So he's like, I'm going to sell my home through them.

Peyton Moreland (19:00)

Yep.

Garrett Moreland (19:01)

Anyways, we're Redfin family over here, so whether you're looking to buy, rent, or sell, Redfin has got you covered. Download the Redfin app to get started.

Peyton Moreland (19:10)

We were streaming the other day, you guys, and we were talking about Shopify to the viewers, and it was hilarious because Garrett was genuinely telling them how long we have used Shopify and how we love it.

Garrett Moreland (19:22)

It was funny because they were talking about how, you know, the little cha Ching sound comes on when you listen to the Shopify ad. And somehow we got in a conversation about Shopify, and I was like, look, they might make us do the cha Ching sound, but I've been using Shopify for almost like seven, eight, years now and I love it. I use it. I've vouch for them. You should use Shopify. Shopify is how you're going to make it happen. And let me tell you, Shopify makes it simple to create your brand, open for business and get your first sell. Shopify makes it easy to manage your growing business. They help with details like shipping taxes and payments from one single dashboard, allowing you to focus on the important stuff like growing your business with Shopify. Your first sales closer than you think.

Peyton Moreland (20:07)

Established in 2025 has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? So sign up for your $1 per month trial period@shopify.com husband that's all lowercase. Go to shopify.com husband to start selling with Shopify today. Shopify.com husband and shockingly, when Zach approaches Eileen about it, she agrees. So they agree. In fact, when Eileen lost her job as a property manager that year, she also joined Zach and Christina's used car business. And when she lost her apartment, she got a place in the same building as them. But as you can imagine, this wasn't the happy solution they were all hoping for. It wasn't long before Christina began getting jealous of the affection Zach was showing Eileen. If she was the odd man out, she made sure her frustrations were known. Okay. She got even more erratic when she drank, often threatening Zach that she could make him disappear without repercussion. See, Christina's father was a high ranking colonel with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, and she made sure everybody knew it. She often threw it in Zach and Eileen's face that if anything happened, she could easily cover it up because her father was police royalty, that he could make her problems go away in the blink of an eye, and that she had gotten away with pretty much everything in the past by pulling her cop's daughter card. Which was why Eileen was terrified to go to the police when things in their relationship started getting violent. According to their friend Mike, who knew about this throuple, the first physical fight between Eileen and Christina happened in his house back in 2017, when Eileen made a comment about how she'd been sleeping with Zach long before Christina had even knew about it, that they had been having an affair. Christina began throwing punches at Eileen, but the fighting seemed to become a regular occurrence, especially when the two women were drinking. Mike said it wasn't abnormal to see one or both of them with a black eye. Soon the fights were almost daily, but Eileen's friend Ally said she heard a different side of the story. She would get calls from Eileen saying, please come over and help me. He hurt me again, meaning Zach. When Allie encouraged her to go file a police report, though, Ali refused calling back to Christina's father, saying she didn't think that she'd be believed because of Christina's connection to the force. But eventually, Ali said the abuse had gotten so bad that she actually at one point, had to take Eileen to the hospital. And even then, when the staff asked her where the bruises came from, Eileen was afraid to legally report it. So that's when Ali warned her, like, if you don't get out of this situation, someone is going to wind up dead. But at this point, Eileen felt trapped. She was struggling financially. She couldn't afford a place on her own anymore. And around March 2018, instead of moving on from the couple, she actually decided to move in with them. I mean, it can definitely be challenging enough to live and work with your partner, but then double that. Two partners, and there's already a violent, contentious dynamic to begin with. This is not going to end well. Still, Eileen told her friends and sister, no, no, no, it's just temporary. She was going to give it a month or two and see how it played out. But Eileen couldn't even make it that long. A few weeks after moving in, Eileen had to get out of there. Then everything changed when on April 7, Zach came to Eileen and told him, hey, I'm done with Christina, too. So that day, Zach and Christina had gotten into a vicious fight, perhaps their most violent yet. Eileen called her friend Ali right after to say she and Zach were getting out of the house and away from Christina. But Ali thought that meant out to the mall or coffee shop for a minute. She didn't think that meant they were running away, like, out of the state. However, the next call Ali received was from Christina. She said, hey, since Zach and Eileen aren't answering my calls, I'm gonna call you and have you relay a message to them. She said she was going to report the car Zach and Eileen were driving as stolen if they didn't come back for her. So Ali called. Eileen said, hey, Christina called me. This is what she said. But Zach and Eileen were already en route to Georgia, and apparently, they had gotten out of the house so fast that Eileen didn't even grab her phone or her wallet. She's just using Zachs. Still, Eileen kept telling Ali this was the best thing, okay? They were just gonna finally escape Christina and be together how it had originally supposed to be. But this doesn't last long. So when they run away, Together, Christina begins sending Zach texts saying, you two deserve each other. But over the next few hours, they become more threatening. She began saying things like, my dad's going to be calling you, you F me over, and now I'm effing you over. Over the course of 24 hours, Christina sent them over 150 text messages, and Zach and Eileen did not reply to a single one. Okay, they were ghosting. So it looked like they were holding strong until the following day, the couple reaches Texas. And that's when Christina changed tactics. Suddenly, she's begging Eileen and Zach to come back home. She promises to change, says, you'll never have to question my love again. And Zach caves. But instead of telling Eileen, we need to go back, let's turn around. He told her that he invited Christina to fly to Dallas to join them for the rest of what's now become just a little road trip. And of course, the second Christina shows up in Texas, things turn ugly between the three of them. Eileen would sneak off with Zach's phone to call Ali, saying things were getting really bad between the three of them. She didn't know how to get out of the situation, especially because she doesn't have her phone or her wallet. Now, this continues for several more days, and Eileen's sister Francesca is starting to get extremely worried, too, because she hasn't heard from her sister in over a week, which, again, is very unlike her. But when the throuple finally turns back and passes through New Orleans, Eileen gives her sister a call. And on this call, okay, Eileen tells Francesca flat out, I think they're gonna kill me. Now, of course, this terrified Francesca, who told her sister, hey, run to the nearest police station, gas station, anything. Get away from Zach and Christina. But for some reason, Eileen tells her she can't. And then she rushed Francesca off the phone, leaving her completely hopeless. She had no idea what hotel they were staying at, what they were doing next, where they were going. All Francesca could do was pray that her sister somehow would make it back to Miami. Okay, now, that was around April 17, when the two spoke. By April 21, the throuple is back in Florida, still driving their way down to Miami, when they decide to call it quits on the driving for the night and hole up in the Sportsman's Lodge motel in East Point, Florida. This is our crime scene. And for the first night, it seemed like the trio was actually getting along. Remember, according to hotel staff, they were pleasant. They check in on the evening of Saturday the 21st. The three of them grabbed dinner before going out to play mini golf. Then they went back to the sportsman's lodge and partied for a while before calling it a night. The following morning, Sunday the 22nd, the three of them made a plan for the final leg of their road trip. They decided to spend one more night at the hotel before making their way to Tampa on Monday morning. So they go to the liquor store, they buy two huge bottles of vodka and a massive thing of fireball. Then they spend most of the day hanging around the motel, barbecuing and drinking. But Eileen was not having a good time at this point. Once again, she sneaks away to call Ali, and she told her friend, I just really need to find a way to leave right now. I. I cannot wait until tomorrow. And she tells Ali, honestly, I'm being treated like a sex slave right now in this relationship. Zach was being scary ever since Christina joined them. According to her, she told Ali that Zach had this look in his eye that she didn't recognize. She's like, can you help me? Please help me come up with a plan. So Ali buys her a greyhound ticket and tells her, hop a bus when they made a pit stop in Tampa the following day. So wake up the next morning, get to Tampa, and then take this bus. And then Allie would scoop her up from the bus station in Miami, and she'd take her home to get her things while Christina and Zach were still on the road. And then Eileen would go stay with Ali for a while until she figured out her next chapter in life. Only as we know, Eileen would never make it to Tampa. And that was the last time Allie would ever speak to her friend. By Monday morning, Zach and Christina were back on the road. And as we know, Eileen is no longer with them. Now, I'm not sure where they went that afternoon, but it seems they spent those early hours probably looking for a place to dump Eileen's body. And I know that By Monday night, April 23, they were knocking on the door of their good friend Mike back in the Miami area. Now, when they arrive to Mike's house, he's like, guys, where's Eileen? He knew the three of them had been on this road trip together. So it's a little strange that just Christina and Zach are showing up. Christina's like, oh, Mike, Eileen ran away. Now, Mike doesn't buy this for a second. He can sense that something is up. The two are acting weird. It doesn't take long for Zach to break it. He looks at Mike and says, eileen is dead. Now, Mike is obviously reeling from this news. I mean, he's friends with Eileen, too. And also two of his really good friends that are in a throuple with Eileen are sitting in his home acting really strange and saying that Eileen's dead. But it isn't until Christina leaves the room that Mike gets the details out of Zach. And here's what Zach tells Mike. Okay. He claims that on Sunday night, the night before Christina killed her, he didn't see or hear it happen. But when he woke up that morning, apparently Eileen was dead in the bed next to him. He woke up, tried to give her cpr, which wasn't working. And when he told Christina he was going to call 91 1, she stopped him. And when Mike's like, dude, why? He says, well, I listened to her because I wanted to protect Christina. I mean, she murdered Eileen. But he also gives him a pretty good description of where they left the body, which is definitely a useful piece of information in this confession. Except now Mike's worrying for his own life. He's thinking, okay, I just let a murderer, maybe two, who killed a girl yesterday into my home, and now they're confessing to me that they've done it. This is dangerous. Am I next? Who knows what these people are capable of? So Mike pulls a really smart move. When the couple passes out on his couch. He takes a photo of the two of them, and then he goes on Google Maps to try and find the exact location Zach was talking about. And it isn't hard for him to find that abandoned cul de sac in the small rural Florida town. Finally, he goes on Facebook and finds Christina's father. Because Mike knows Christina's dad's a police officer. Obviously, she's told him a million times, and he thinks, I've got to reach out to her dad. He sends him the photo he just snapped of the couple on his couch and tells Colonel Tony that he has some really important news to share about his daughter. And Colonel Tony doesn't hesitate. Okay, he tells Mike, meet me at a gas station nearby. So Mike pulls up to this gas station. Colonel Tony is there, and he really can't hold it in, mainly because he's worried for his own safety. Now he tells Colonel Tony outright, your daughter just killed someone. And when Colonel Tony realizes how serious the thing that Mike needed to tell him was, he says, nope, we're not doing this here. And wastes no time getting Mike down to the station to make a formal statement about whatever this is. In fact, he even gets two other officers to do the questioning because he knows this is a conflict of Interest. So despite Christina saying that her father could protect her from anything, that is definitely not what this scenario is shaping up to be. Colonel Tony Arojo takes this statement very seriously, especially when they learn from the Franklin County Sheriff's department, hey, we did find a body. They try to corroborate Mike's story of what Zach and Christina had told him. They call Franklin County Sheriff's department, they're like, yeah, we found the body exactly where Zach had told Mike it would be. So that same day, Colonel Aroho has Mike take a look at a photograph of the victim. And he confirms, without a doubt, yes, that is my friend, Eileen Sidon. So what does Colonel Arojo do? Well, it's the opposite of what his daughter Christina's been threatening all this time. He doesn't actually help her get away with anything. Instead, he coordinates her arrest. You say you'll learn a new language every year, but few of us actually commit to it. Babbel, though, makes it easy for you to learn one in less time than you think. This year, speak like a whole new you with babbel, the language learning app that gets you talking. Learning a new language is the pathway to discovering new cultures. So why not embark on learning something new? Babbel's quick 10 minute lessons, handcrafted by over 200 language experts, get you to begin speaking your new language in three weeks or whatever pace you choose.

Garrett Moreland (34:44)

Babel's tips and tools are inspired by the real life stuff you actually need when communicating with the focus on conversation. You'll be ready to talk wherever you go. Peyton and I just were in Mexico and pain Spanish is actually getting pretty good. Thank you to Babel. I'm not going to lie. She can. She can communicate.

Peyton Moreland (35:04)

I Garrett obviously, as you guys know, is fluent. So I have to brush up on my Babel often when we go somewhere because often times they talk to me in Spanish as well once they know Garrett speaks Spanish and I want to be able to still understand what's going on.

Garrett Moreland (35:17)

But she kills it. And Babel honestly is extremely helpful. So let's get more of you talking in a new language. Babel is gifting our listeners 60% off subscriptions@babel.com husband get up to 60% off@babel.com husband spelled B-A B B E L.com husband babel.com husband rules. Restrictions may apply.

Colonel Tony Araujo (35:41)

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Peyton Moreland (36:11)

Within hours, police are circling Mike's home with arrest warrants for 30 year old Zachary Abel and 38 year old Christina Arojo. They were transported back to Franklin county and were later charged with first degree murder. But thanks to a series of complicated delays during the pandemic, it would actually take six years before there was any movement in this case. So like I said, the arrest happens in 2018 and the murder happens in 2018. It's not until January 2024, one year ago from the time I'm recording this that Zachary Abel stands trial first. He is pleading not guilty to those first degree murder charges. But eight months prior to that, Christina actually accepted a plea deal to lesser charges of second degree murder. Along with that deal came 25 years in prison and the agreement to testify against Zachary Abel in court. You know, just your typical two person involved murder. Who's going to turn on who? And it's exactly what happened. Christina Arojo becomes the star witness in Zach's trial. And for the first time, she reveals more details on what had happened that evening in room 15. Or at least we get her version of it. Here's what she said that Sunday night. The three of them were just relaxing in the room after a day of heavy drinking, but Zach was not acting like himself. She said whenever he was drunk, he became more aggressive. And this is exactly what happened when Eileen posed one tiny question to Christina that night. She said, christina, guess what? Now, Christina doesn't know what Eileen is going to say, but according to her, Zach clearly knew what she was about to say because he snaps. She says he gets up, walks over to Eileen and starts hitting her in the face, screaming at her and asking her why she's always got to start problems. Christina gets in and she gets involved in it, but for different reasons. She wants to know what Eileen was going to say. She wants to know what Zach was trying to cover up. She says violence was a normal thing in this throuple. So when she can't break up what's happening between Zachary and Eileen, she says she just leaves the room to catch her breath. And when she came back 15 minutes later, Zach was in the bathroom with Eileen. And he had that shower curtain rod in his hand and was beating Eileen with it. Now, Christina said he moved her back to the bedroom, where he began hitting her with a wooden walking stick. And he hit her so hard that he broke it. That's when Christina claimed she got in between Zach and Eileen because this was too much for her to bear. Wow. I'm so glad that eventually, at this point, it was too much. She said Zach stopped beating her. Eileen was still laying there. You remember the autopsy? Absolutely broken. She said she and Zach passed out shortly after from exhaustion, thinking they would all wake up. Eileen would be injured, but would be alive. She says when they woke up the next morning, they realized that wasn't the case, that Zach had beaten her to death. Christina only admitted to helping cover up the crime because she was terrified of what Zach might do to her if she didn't help. Now, I don't know how much of Christina's account can be trusted. After all, we know she's had violent tendencies in the past and was clearly abusive towards Eileen. But some of the evidence does seem to match her claims. Although I. I want to point out the obvious, that even this confession, this version of the story, does not make Christina look like a good person. Okay. The bruising on Eileen's body was consistent with a shower curtain rod, one that was confirmed to have a palm print on it that matched Zach's, which doesn't match Zach's version of events. Detectives also testified that they found broken shards of wood in the motel room, again with Eileen's DNA on it. So Christina is saying how the murder happened does kind of match up as far as the murder weapons. However, Zachary Abel's defense at trial painted a totally different picture. They said Christina was the aggressor and she had acted alone. Evidence that was supposedly visible in the photo Mike took of the couple sleeping on the couch. Because in that photo, Christina's hands and feet are covered in bruises. Not to mention, there were those 150 text messages she sent to Zach and Eileen when they left her behind on that road trip, many of which spoke of the bodily harm she would cause both of them when she saw saw them again. She threatened them. They also argued that Christina told Zach to pick up the curtain rod so he would leave his prince behind. That she had been driving the bus almost literally the entire time. This was all calculated, something that was confirmed when a surveillance video caught the two after the murders. In this, Christina's driving Zach's car, and he's riding in the passenger seat. The defense Argued Zach had no reason for wanting Eileen dead. But Christina Arojo did. Jealousy. But the jury didn't buy the idea that either of them sat idly by while this crime was committed. And when they returned from deliberations, they found Zachary Abel guilty of second degree murder instead. But their friend Mike, who's probably the closest to all of the people involved in this case, he thinks that might have been a mistake. He says he doesn't think Zach is the kind of man who would murder someone. He doesn't think he's capable of killing Eileen. In fact, Mike said he had a camera inside his apartment that night that captured Christina admitting to being solely responsible for the murder. Why this wasn't included in evidence during the trial, I'm not totally sure. But Mike does think that Zach was pressured to help cover up the crime. Still, one of the bigger questions is, what triggered either Zach or Christina that night in the hotel room? What happened? What was Eileen about to say when she said, christina, guess what? Why had Eileen told her friends she needed to get out of there? Why did she tell people this was dangerous? She needed to get away? She was being treated like a, quote, sex slave? Well, Zach shared a clue during his sentencing hearing about maybe what Eileen was about to say that moment in the room. He told the judge that he had proposed to Eileen before Christina had joined them on that road trip. Okay. When they ran away, he proposed with a ring, pop. According to Zach, Eileen said yes. Now, was this a story at trial to sort of reduce his sentencing, maybe make the judge sympathize with him more? If he was willing to get engaged to Eileen, why would he then kill her? I don't know if we'll ever have that answer, But I do know that Zachary Abel will be spending his life in prison while Christina is scheduled to be released in 2043 when she's 63 years old. And I also know that her father made an incredibly difficult but correct choice. And making sure that she got what she deserved. At her sentencing hearing, he made sure she knew what side he was on when he told his daughter, quote, you will own up to the truth. You will accept responsibility. You will be the voice of the victim, and you will testify under oath in a court of law. And then whatever is sentenced to you, that's fine. And that is the case of Eileen Seiden. I don't know if we have a clear cut picture of what happened in that motel room back in 2018, but I do know that Eileen loved Zach. Okay? She loved him. She wanted to be with him, and she also felt like her life was in danger. She couldn't wait to get back to Miami and get out of this situation, and sadly, she wasn't given the chance. Her life was taken unfairly and unjustly, and in my opinion, long sentences should be served because of that. You guys, thank you for sticking it out this week. I think Garrett will be back next week for another episode. I love it and he still hates it. Goodbye.

Garrett Moreland (44:40)

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