333. The Desert Trap: The Murder of Erin Corwin

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Murder With My Husband – Episode 333

The Desert Trap: The Murder of Erin Corwin
Date: August 10, 2026
Hosts: Peyton Moreland & Garrett Moreland

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Overview

This episode explores the tragic and complex case of Erin Corwin—a young, pregnant Marine wife who vanished in the desert near Joshua Tree National Park in 2014. Peyton and Garrett delve into Erin's background, the tangled relationships she was involved in, and the investigation that ultimately led to the shocking arrest and conviction of her killer, Chris Lee. As usual, the hosts alternate between Peyton's detailed storytelling and Garrett’s candid, sometimes irreverent commentary.

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Episode Breakdown

1. Pre-Case Banter: Respecting Others’ Time

Timestamps: 02:05–11:08

• Peyton and Garrett discuss pet peeves, especially lateness, and the value of respecting others’ time.
• Garrett’s hot take: “I do not like late people… Someone’s time is extremely valuable. We’re all busy, we’re all doing a million things.” (03:24)
• They debate whether being bad at texting back is as disrespectful as being habitually late.
• Peyton’s perspective: “Being able to get a hold of someone anytime, any place, is a new thing… I don’t know if we were necessarily meant to be reachable at all times.” (06:00)
• Light-hearted back-and-forth, including considerations about pregnancy and future parenthood making punctuality harder.
• Transition to the case.

2. Erin Corwin’s Early Life & Marriage

Timestamps: 11:14–19:20

• Erin (née Heveland) was adopted, grew up introverted but passionate about horses.
• Met future husband John Corwin in 5th grade; childhood friends, later high school sweethearts.
• Married young so they could move together after John joined the Marines.
• Relocated to Twentynine Palms, California—described as a desolate, isolated desert community.
• Peyton paints a picture of Erin's limited social life as a Marine spouse, filling her days with animal rescue work and befriending Nicole Lee, another Marine wife.

3. Disappearance and Initial Investigation

Timestamps: 19:20–27:52

• June 28, 2014: Erin leaves early, telling husband John she's scouting hiking trails for her visiting mom.
• She never returns. John’s reaction is questioned for lack of visible emotion.
• Discussion: The couple had endured a miscarriage, and Erin was reportedly pregnant again during her disappearance.
• Police search the vast, dangerous Joshua Tree wilderness, narrowing efforts with cellphone data. Erin’s car is discovered abandoned outside the base—not near the hiking trails she claimed to be visiting.
• Tracks suggest Erin voluntarily entered another vehicle.

4. Rumors, Affairs, and the Truth Emerges

Timestamps: 27:53–43:00

• The investigation quickly zeroes in on Erin’s network, especially close friend Nicole Lee and her husband, Marine Corporal Chris Lee.
• Rumors swirl of marital issues and Erin confiding in Chris.
• Peyton recounts rumors of mutual emotional struggles after Erin’s miscarriage and Chris’s depression post-deployment.
• Key moment: “He said they felt like, quote, two broken pieces that fit together.” (31:48)
• The affair escalates; the couples often socialize as friends, but boundaries are crossed.
• Nicole discovers Chris and Erin’s affair via text. A tense confrontation leads Nicole to threaten Erin:

  “If you ever have anything else to do with my husband, I will kill you myself.” (38:28)

• Despite spouses finding out, the affair resumes secretly. Days before Erin’s disappearance, she learns she’s pregnant and tells both John and Chris that each is the father.

5. The Day Erin Disappeared and the Web Unravels

Timestamps: 41:55–51:13

• Investigators reveal to both husbands that the affair continued, and both had been told the baby was theirs.
• Erin’s friend reports Erin expected a romantic surprise from Chris—the day she disappears, she believes he’s planning a proposal.
• Chris is interviewed:
  • He admits the affair but claims they “never actually had intercourse.”
  • He places himself in Joshua Tree the day Erin went missing, allegedly coyote hunting alone and playing with a propane tank.
  • Tire tracks near Erin’s car match Chris’s Jeep.
• The investigation is complicated as Chris moves to Alaska after being discharged, but police arrest him briefly on a weapons charge to keep him from fleeing.

6. Break in the Case: Discovery & Arrest

Timestamps: 47:27–51:46

• The search for Erin intensifies through brutal summer heat.
• Breakthrough: The owner of the horse ranch, Isabel, supplies a photo Chris took inside a secluded mine.
• Searchers use the photo, and guided by mine expert Doug Billings, find Erin’s body 100 feet down the “Rose of Peru” mine.
  • Evidence of a failed attempt to destroy the body with fire/explosives.
  • Erin had been strangled with a homemade garrote, then thrown down the shaft.
• Chris is arrested in Alaska; another strangulation device is found in his car.

7. Motive, Trial, and Aftermath

Timestamps: 51:46–54:59

• Evidence against Chris:
  • Shell casings at the site matched his weapons.
  • The propane tank and torch (wrapped in his Marine T-shirt) connected him to the crime.
  • Internet history: “best way to dispose of a human body.”
  • Sprite bottle DNA linked both him and Erin to the scene.
• Motive: To avoid consequences of the affair and impending child, Chris lured Erin to the desert under false pretenses and killed her.
• Chris Lee is extradited, tried, and convicted of first-degree murder with “lying in wait.”
  • Receives life in prison without parole.
• Nicole and her daughter’s whereabouts remain private.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On late people and respect:

  “If we ever do a live show and you come late, I’m calling you out in front of the whole crowd.” – Garrett (07:00)

• On Erin and Chris’s affair:

  “They felt like, quote, two broken pieces that fit together.” – Peyton (31:48)

• On confronting infidelity:

  “‘If you ever have anything else to do with my husband, I will kill you myself.’” – Nicole Lee to Erin (38:28)

• On Chris’s alibi:

  “He said, ‘I was supposed to go coyote hunting with my friend Connor… but Connor canceled…so I just did it by myself instead.’” – Peyton (43:00)

• On the discovery of Erin’s body:

  “They find Erin’s body… along with a propane tank. It looked like a failed attempt to try and blow up the remains in the mine shaft.” – Peyton (49:00)

• On motive:

  “The reason he lied to police and said that he had only kissed her is because her being pregnant is motive and was most likely the motive for him murdering her.” – Peyton (52:58)

• Closing reflection:

  “Aaron deserved better than a friend who became a lover and a lover who then became her killer… everyone makes mistakes… just because Aaron was willingly having an affair with Chris does not mean that she deserved to be murdered.” – Peyton (55:00)

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Key Takeaways

• Friendship and love can blur dangerously—especially in isolated, high-pressure environments like military bases.
• Systems of trust were exploited on multiple fronts: in friendship, marriage, and community.
• The investigation relied on both tireless efforts of law enforcement and crucial testimony/evidence supplied by those within Erin’s circle, especially ranch owner Isabel.
• In the end, Erin’s vulnerability was weaponized by someone she trusted, and the tragedy is compounded by shame, secrecy, and the consequences of betrayal.
• Peyton and Garrett maintain a respectful but candid tone, balancing empathy toward the victim and realism about the choices and betrayal at play.

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Important Timestamps

• 02:05 – Hosts discuss respect and lateness
• 11:14 – Case story begins
• 19:20 – Erin builds a life in 29 Palms, meets Nicole Lee
• 22:35 – Erin leaves for her final day
• 27:53 – Evidence of Erin getting in another car
• 31:48 – The “two broken pieces” affair escalates
• 38:28 – Confrontation, Nicole’s threat
• 41:55 – Erin learns she’s pregnant, tells both men
• 43:00 – Chris Lee’s questionable alibi
• 47:27 – Chris moves to Alaska
• 48:40 – Discovery of Erin’s body
• 50:33 – Chris is arrested in Alaska
• 51:46 – Physical and digital evidence stacks up
• 53:46 – Chris convicted, sentenced
• 54:59 – Peyton and Garrett's reflections on blame and victimhood

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For listeners who haven’t heard the episode:
This summary provides a comprehensive outline of Erin Corwin’s case, how her secret affair unfolded against the pressures of desert military life, and how careful investigative work and community vigilance brought her killer to justice. The episode balances empathy and hard truth, examining not only the crime but the underlying dynamics of trust, friendship, and betrayal.

Transcript

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, tough guy.

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[Peyton Moreland]

You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with My Husband. I'm Peyton Moreland.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm Garrett Moreland.

[Peyton Moreland]

And he's the husband.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm the husband. Happy Monday. How are you guys doing? Hope everyone's having a good day. We're just over here recording Pregnant. Honestly, Pregnant. Doing a lot of that. That's kind of what we got going on, everybody. What do you guys been up to? Anything fun? Any. Anything cool you guys have been doing? We haven't really done anything, just been working. What do we got going on? We go to the hospital sometimes. What else do we do?

[Peyton Moreland]

You go to the bagel shop.

[Garrett Moreland]

I go to the bagel shop. Look, I've talked about this multiple times before, but I feel like we have a lot of new listeners and viewers. So I'm going to talk about it again. And I feel like the consensus was like 80, 70% agreed in like 20, 20 to 30% didn't agree. So talked about it before, but I just saw something on TikTok about it, so I feel like I got to bring it back up. I don't like late people. I do not. It's. It really is interesting to see that some people, like, disagree with that. Like, some people are like, oh, I'm just going to be late to things. Deal with it. I'm like, what? Like that just. That isn't. That doesn't make sense in my brain. Like, my brain can't comprehend that. Like, when it's like, hey, we're going to meet here at 3. You don't show up at 3.

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[Peyton Moreland]

Why?

[Garrett Moreland]

Some people just treat it so. It's so disrespectful.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yep.

[Garrett Moreland]

And the reason I'm saying this is because I just think someone's time is extremely valuable. We're all busy. We're all doing a million things in life, whether it's work, whether we have kids, whether what's going on. And so I just think it's so strange to be like, sorry, like, look, and things happen. I get it. There's your one offs. It happens every once in a while. I'm talking about the people who are consistently like, we all know someone where it's like, oh, they're gonna be 15 minutes late. Like, it doesn't matter. You name a time of where you're gonna be and everyone in the group is like, yeah, Jack over there. We just know Jack's gonna be 15 minutes late.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, but most of the time, Jack's like, yeah, I'm always late.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, it's like a joke to them.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. I can't ever get anywhere on time,

[Garrett Moreland]

but in my mind I'm like, Jack, you obviously just don't care about other people's time. Like, you're too selfishly involved with what's going on in your life. I know it might sound mean. I know some of you are like, oh, Garrett, no. Nope, don't be late. Pet peeve. Not a fan. Everyone's time's valuable. That's my rant. That's my hot take. I got some heat last time from it look, because I know some people Are like, well, I have eight guys. I have an extreme case of adhd. My ADHD is through the freaking roof. And guess what? You'll never catch me late to something.

[Peyton Moreland]

So you can't ask Payton. You can't use the. You can't use your own. You got to fix. You. You can't let it affect other people.

[Garrett Moreland]

I was paying. I got some cr. My ADHD Mach 10 level 100. Like, I'm. I have issues with it, but, you know, okay, so.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, so.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay, let's hear this.

[Peyton Moreland]

I have a hard time texting people back.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

People would put those in the same category. I would not.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't think I would.

[Peyton Moreland]

Because one is, like, in person time where you took the time to leave your house, get dressed. Like, you put a lot of time and energy into going to do something with someone versus someone not responding to you. And I don't mean something, like, urgent. I mean just like a. You know, just like a, hey, how are you doing? Yeah, Like, I feel it is very hard for me to respond to texts. Like, they are so socially draining for me.

[Garrett Moreland]

I think those are two different categories.

[Peyton Moreland]

But I'll be interested to see what people say, because there are people who

[Garrett Moreland]

think it's disrespectful to, like, not respond to someone.

[Peyton Moreland]

And my argument on that is, well, being able to get a hold of someone anytime, any place, is a new thing. Like, we weren't. I don't know if we were necessarily meant to be able to be reachable at all times. And, like, an expectation that just because someone has a cell phone mean that they. Means that they should always be ready and willing to talk to you.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. No, I think those are two completely different things. I think if you were to say, if you agreed to text someone back and then didn't text them back, then that would be similar to, like, let's

[Peyton Moreland]

make plans and then they text and you don't. That's disrespectful.

[Garrett Moreland]

I think that's rude and disrespectful.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yes, I would agree with that.

[Garrett Moreland]

But there's a. There's a lot of people in my life I know that are late to things. I'm still friends with them. It doesn't mean I hate them, but I will give them crap every single time they're late to something. So if that is you and you're hearing this, I still love you.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, I guess scared half of our friends, they're all like, oh, we know when we're hanging out here, we have to be on Time.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's true. But I still love you. I'll still be your friend. I still want you to watch and listen. I'll still talk to you. But if we ever do a live show and you come late, I'm calling you out in front of the whole crowd.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, because sometimes things happen.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yes. Unless. That's true. Unless. And that's what I said.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Things happen. You have your one offs. I'm talking about the people that are like, cons. Like, they're so good at it. They're consistently late.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. No, because I think they think it's like, a quirk.

[Garrett Moreland]

I think so. Why? No, there's a lot of people out there who are like, what's the big deal?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. But then it's like, I have people in my, like, life that are consistently late.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

And I've been with them when they have somewhere to be. They're not doing crap.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's what I'm saying. It's time management. Yes. They're watching TV where they're doing something

[Peyton Moreland]

instead of just getting ready slow. They're showering late. They're like. It's just.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yes, I know. I honestly. I'm sorry, guys. This is long. We're eight minutes in. I truly don't understand someone. Try to explain it to me. Like, I don't know if there's a good explanation you could give me.

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Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

But here's the thing. If your explanation is, oh, well, my life doesn't rule.

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Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

That's not the explanation we're wanting.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

No. Well, then don't make plans with someone.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

If you make plans with someone, you're committing to something.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Mm.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's not just your time, it's somebody else's time.

[Peyton Moreland]

So you're disloyal.

[Garrett Moreland]

You can be.

[Peyton Moreland]

So you're basically a cheater.

[Garrett Moreland]

You can be laid by yourself. I don't care if you're late by yourself. Don't do it around me. Oh, man, this gets me fired up. Like, I've always been like this, though.

[Peyton Moreland]

But I will say, since getting pregnant, I don't know why, it does seem a little harder for me to, like, get out of the door in the normal time I used to.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, I totally get that.

[Peyton Moreland]

But I think I'm just moving a little slower with everything and it kind of adds up. I'm not late, but, like, I like to be early to things. Yeah, I like to be early to things. And so when I'm showing up with only three minutes to spare, that stresses me out.

[Garrett Moreland]

And look, I get It. I'm. Oh, my gosh. I already know. All of you guys are like, wait till you have kids. Okay? I will film every single time. Because guess what? I'm gonna be getting my kid ready an hour earlier.

[Trailer/Promo Voice]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

What if your kid's having a tantrum?

[Garrett Moreland]

Because here's the thing. I grew up in a family with little kids.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

And guess what? We were never late to anything. But what my parents did was different. Is how we went about things, is everyone would just get ready a lot earlier.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Right.

You just.

[Garrett Moreland]

You just push everything back. It's not impossible.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, I'm sorry. I know I'm pissing a lot of people off, so I'll stop. I love all you guys. We all have our own opinions. That's the best part of life. I'm still friends with everyone.

[Peyton Moreland]

Someone's probably rage.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, someone's rage. Someone's giving me a one star review right now.

[Peyton Moreland]

But I do feel like there's other things that people feel this passionately about. Like you with late people.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, sure.

[Peyton Moreland]

There's probably other things that when. If they brought it up to us, we'd be like, oh, we don't really care about that.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, but if it's something I do, I get.

[Peyton Moreland]

I think it goes back to what you're saying. Like, the level of respect is the thing you're doing. Inherently disrespectful of someone else's time.

[Garrett Moreland]

For sure. That's my main thing. We gotta stop talking about it. But yes. No, that's my main thing is it's just. I think it's disrespectful. If there's something I'm doing that you think is disrespectful, tell me, because I'll be like, yeah, you're probably. I get that. I shouldn't do that anymore. Someone the other day was mad that I was eating food when we were telling one of our stories. And I was like, okay, I could see that. So guess what? I'm not eating food during one of my stories.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Or one of the cases. I get it.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, yeah, it makes sense.

[Garrett Moreland]

I get it. I could see that.

[Peyton Moreland]

Wow, you're so humble.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, I'm just. Get out of here. No, but I feel like I'm open to 100%. I'm a very open person when it comes to, like, criticism or hearing what other people's thoughts are. I won't always agree with you, but, like, I'm very open to it and I enjoy seeing other people's point of views.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. I feel like, very rarely do I not see truth in something that someone brings up.

[Trailer/Promo Voice]

Yeah.

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Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Should we get into today's case?

[Garrett Moreland]

Let's get into today's case. And guess what? You don't have to hear me talk as much anymore. We're coming over to Pagan.

[Peyton Moreland]

Our sources for this episode are oxygen.com abc7.com abc30.com new york post.com bakersfieldnow.com cnn.com desertsun.com alaskanewsource.com marinecoretimes.com allthat's interesting.com CBS News, New York Post, fox13seattle.com and ktla.com usually a solid friendship makes the perfect foundation for a beautiful romance. We've heard this time and time again. Like friends first, lovers second, falling in love with your best friend makes things easy. You get to skip the awkward first date, the getting to know you phase, the uncomfortable small talk. You already feel safe with that person. So dating just kind of feels like this organic transition. But there are cases where dating your close friend is not the best idea, like maybe when you're already in a committed relationship. It's a risk that usually outweighs the reward, the possibility of ruining several important relationships all at once because you're dating someone but then fall in love with your best friend. I don't know. Some people will do it. They'll take the chance. They'll roll the dice. I love who I love. And others just get themselves in too deep and then end up trying to do whatever it takes to pull themselves back out. So we are kicking today's case off in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where a young girl named Erin Heveland is growing up. Now, Erin was adopted when she was just 17 days old by the Hen family in Tennessee, and all of her other siblings were adopted as well. Though Erin was easily the most quiet, shy, reserved of all of her adopted siblings, she was cautious. She was obsessed with animals. She loved horses. And that was actually where Erin ended up finding a lot of her confidence. Growing up, she got a lot of her experience with horses. And at the East Tennessee Riding Club, which her mom, Lore, that's her name, Lore, described as Aaron's second home as a kid. And as much as Laure and her husband pushed back on getting Aaron a horse of her own, they couldn't deny that joy from her forever. So they eventually gave in and they gave her not one but two horses. But it was there at the barn that Aaron gained another horse Loved when she was just in fifth grade. She's a horse girl. She meets A boy named John Corwin, 5th grade. 5th grade. Now John and Aaron become close friends. Then they drift for a while as they like start coming of age. But then after reconnecting, the two started dating. John actually asked her to be his girlfriend on Aaron's 16th birthday. So it was kind of like this childhood crush love that's now actually turned into teenagers dating. And John even asked Aaron's parents permission first. Which is why the Heathlands really loved John. They really took him in. He was polite, warm hearted, he had a good head on his shoulders. He already knew what he wanted to do with his life, which was to join the Marines. Of course that meant that John would likely be stationed somewhere out of state after he joined he and the best way for Aaron to go with him and for them to stay together after high school was if they got married. So In November of 2012, 18 year old Aaron and 19 year old John tie the knot. They actually went off and eloped in Las Vegas. While they were young, Aaron's family was supportive of the decision. Her family knew him, had known him for a long time. They didn't really see this as some just like puppy love fling o going off and eloping. They figure this is just a means to an end, to make it so that he can join the Marines and she can go with him. And that was important because by September 2013, Aaron and John were going to be on their own, far removed from family. When John got his assignment, he was sent to a base in 29 palms out in California. Now together, Aaron and John, still young, started a new little life at the Marine Combat Base just outside of Joshua Tree National Park. And Garrett and I have been to Joshua Tree. If you don't know what Joshua Tree is, it is this town in the desert.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's a desert town.

[Peyton Moreland]

It is very small, it is very deserty.

[Garrett Moreland]

There's lots of sand, lots of dirt, things like holes.

[Peyton Moreland]

The movie, I feel like I'm always talking about that movie.

[Garrett Moreland]

But there's some cute, there's some really cute houses, cute city. There's some things to do, but they're

[Peyton Moreland]

on the base outside of Joshua Tree. When we were kids, summer meant freedom.

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[Peyton Moreland]

Basically they move here and pretty soon the world is starting to feel a Little bit smaller. For Aaron out in the desert, there wasn't much to do to occupy her time, especially since John would be off in training, sometimes gone for a month or longer, while Aaron was just left at home to her own devices. Luckily, the base did have its own grocery store and a movie theater, so it was easy for Aaron to meet people, make friends who also lived there. Especially running into the same military wives who were going through similar things as her. Plus there was a place called the White Rock Horse Rescue that was nearby and that kind of filled some of what Erin was missing from back home. She started going to these stables often, including with a new friend. She had met a fellow Marine wife and neighbor of hers, a woman named Nicole Lee. Okay, now Nicole and Erin going to the stables together, kind of living a similar life. They get pretty close, they would ride together and then Aaron would go over to help babysit their five year old daughter, which she loved because Aaron loved kids, she wanted kids of her own. And while their husbands were out on duty, they would spend a lot of time together, hanging out at each other's places, chatting, gossiping. And when their husbands were around, they would all double date, barbecue together, watch movies at each other's homes. Like it was definitely best friends type thing. And Erin was starting to get used to the setup, even though she was miles away from home. But she was excited in June of 2014 because her mother, Lore, was actually coming to visit in a few days. But unfortunately, the family would receive some devastating news before that trip came. On the morning of June 28, 2014, Erin woke up early and told her husband she was going out for the day. She wanted to scout out some hiking trails around Joshua Tree national park to see what would be safe and doable for her and her mom when her mom arrived. Now, Aaron gave John a kiss goodbye and told him she loved him. And then John rolled over and went back to sleep for a while. Apparently that was around 7:30am Later, John Wakes up. He goes about his day. But the hours passed and Aaron still wasn't back from scouting out hiking trails. So eventually he gets really worried and he called Aaron over and over again, 50 times by the end of the day with no answer. And by nightfall she is still not home. Except John doesn't go to the police that night. Instead he waited until the following morning. She still doesn't come home. And then he reports his wife missing. You would report me missing if I wasn't answering and didn't come home that night?

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, a hundred percent. You know, 100%. That's weird. It's. That's.

[Peyton Moreland]

Maybe not all are like that.

[Garrett Moreland]

It depends, like, if I. If you. Yeah, no, I would. Yeah, 100% would.

[Peyton Moreland]

So John tells the police he's really worried over the fact that Aaron honestly left the house that day with nothing. She didn't pack much more than a Gatorade. So how is she still gone into the next day? But he doesn't sound that worried. According to police, they said there wasn't much emotion in his voice and that was what worried them. They were like, why are you not more worked up over this? John had also called Aaron's mother, Lore that day to say, hey, I just reported Aaron missing. And Laura's first impression is, Aaron, her daughter, likely just got lost somewhere out looking for those hikes. She said Aaron's not very good with directions. And in a place as vast and sparse as Joshua Tree national park, it is easy to get turned around. But regardless, Lore wastes no time. She gets on a plane and she is out there by the next day. But when she showed up at Aaron and John's house, John goes, oh, there's also something else I need to tell you, something that's going to make this situation even more dire. Aaron was apparently three months pregnant at this time, and she's now been missing. So again, okay, this is a pretty big deal for Aaron because she had gotten pregnant before, earlier in the year. She was so excited about it. She had posted an announcement on Facebook. But then a few weeks after that, they had a miscarriage. It devastated her. It devastated John. And according to sources, this was a hard time in Aaron's life. She pulled back a bit. She was less social. It also put distance between her and John, which was tough since things weren't great between them even before this first pregnancy. So when her mom gets there and she learns she's pregnant again, she starts kind of like flashing back to all of this entire marriage. Apparently, John and Aaron often argued over their finances. Friends said he kept tabs on her, maybe more than he should have, was a little controlling.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, finances are the number one reason. Yeah, couples get divorced, but, yeah, it's hard.

[Peyton Moreland]

I guess it wasn't too alarming, just normal couple stuff. But the marriage just ended up complicating matters even worse. Still, the police believe at this point in the investigation, she's been missing her. Her mom is now here. They think John's lack of emotion is still strange, but Laura kind of tells them, no, that's just John. Like, he's not acting any different. He doesn't show a lot of emotion. He never really has. And she personally tells police, I don't think he's done anything wrong. The police are like, okay, we get it. We're gonna polygraph him anyway. Because his pregnant wife is missing and he passes. Plus, he handed over his phone to authorities and let them track his digital information, which proved his. He was at the house all day when Aaron went missing. At least his phone was and being used. So they kind of ruled John out. But at this point, investigators didn't even know if this was an issue of foul play. I mean, all they know is that Aaron went out to Joshua Tree and never made it home. So that same day, they dispatched crews by foot and air to scour Joshua Tree National Forest just in case she had gotten lost. This is not an easy task considering that it's over 1200 square miles of desert with more than a thousand abandoned mines.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Wow.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, luckily, authorities managed to narrow down the search to 300 square miles, actually using Aaron's cell phone data. And with the help of six different law enforcement agencies and hundreds of volunteers looking for this missing pregnant woman, the search for Aaron Corwin went into full effect. Meanwhile, two days later, on June 30, police found their first clue of what they believe might have happened. And it was her car. Police discovered her car just outside the military base, not inside of Joshua Tree park like they had expected. Which doesn't make sense because if she told her husband that morning when she woke up, she was heading to the national park to scout hiking trails, why did she park her car so far away? The car doesn't give them much else. There was no sign of Aaron. But there were some footprints leading away from her car, and they seemed to disappear at another set of tire tracks. Again, it's desert. And so they believe Aaron parked her car, got out of her vehicle, and got into someone else's car.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

So when they discover this, they're like, okay, this isn't what she said she was doing that morning. Who was she meeting up with? The prints don't show any signs of a struggle. It looks like, like she just willingly got in. Which is when they started looking closer at the friends Aaron made while living in Twentynine Palms. And they heard from a few people that Aaron's new best friend, Nicole, was having some issues in her marriage as well, recently with her own husband, 24 year old Marine Corporal Chris Lee. And it seemed to have something to do with Aaron. So as they begin asking around, getting to the rumor Mill the gossip. They're like, what's going on with Erin? Who did she know here? What was her life like? And all of these people are like, well, her best friend Nicole and Nicole's husband. They seem to be arguing over her friendship with Aaron. Okay, now, one of the first people to notice, am I wrong?

[Garrett Moreland]

I feel like someone that's in the military let me know. I feel like on these bases, like, cheating happens a lot. I mean, I guess it makes sense. I mean, maybe it's not any different than a normal population, but I do know it's a bigger deal, right?

[Peyton Moreland]

Because it is like its own little town.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, you'll. I mean, like, you're not supposed to. When you're in the military, you lose your career. Yeah, exactly. So maybe it's just a bigger of a deal.

[Trailer/Promo Voice]

I don't know.

[Garrett Moreland]

Well, it is a bigger deal, but, I mean, maybe it's just heightened more. I feel like I hear about it a lot for some reason.

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, they begin talking to people. And one of the first people that claimed to notice this was Isabel Mey. She was the owner of the horse ranch where Aaron and Nicole spent a lot of their free time. Now, Isabelle got to know both couples pretty well, and she could immediately sense a disconnect between Nicole and her husband, Chris. She said Nicole was definitely the tougher one in the marriage. She was stricter. She wore the pants, if you will. Kris was less serious, a bit more irresponsible, was always just trying to have a good time. In fact, he had gotten in trouble with the Marines at least once for treating the weapons like toys. He had already gotten caught messing around with rifles and rocket launchers. So there were rumors that Chris was a bit reckless and that it could jeopardize his career in the Marines. Like, this was kind of, you know. It also seemed like Chris was at a loss when it kind of came to the direction of his life. He told people around this time he was struggling with depression. He wasn't really connecting with his family anymore, which was something that Aaron Corwin could relate to, especially after her own miscarriage with John. So according to the rumor mill, Aaron began confiding in her best friend, Nicole's husband, Chris, about the issues in her marriage. And it was reciprocated by Chris, who was also struggling after coming back from a tour in Afghanistan. Aaron was also the kind of person who liked to help people. And Chris had told her that his depression had gotten so serious that he had been playing, quote, Russian roulette every morning. I don't know how serious that statement is.

[Garrett Moreland]

What does that mean? I mean, I know what it means, but like.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, I don't know if he's being literal or if it was more just like every morning I get up and wonder if I want to be here.

[Garrett Moreland]

I would. Oh, okay, got it. I was thinking of something like, he's walking on eggshells.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, I wasn't thinking this was about his literal life.

[Garrett Moreland]

Ah, I see. Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

But over time, Chris made it seem like Aaron, again, his wife's best friend, was really helping him through that. He said they felt like, quote, two broken pieces that fit together. The two started to lean on each other more. They started hanging out more, even with their spouses present. Like, they didn't necessarily hide this blooming friendship from their spouses. But things escalated from there. One night a few months before Aaron's disappearance In February of 2014, that evening, the lease invited the Corwins over to watch the Walking Dead again. All four of these people are best friends. They're couple best friends. But since Aaron hated the violence in the Walking Dead, she ends up going into Chris's room to play video games. And apparently he joins her, leaving John and Nicole on the couch alone to watch the episode. So the couples have, like, swapped, if you will.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like willingly.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, she walked in and then he ended up following her. And then the other two were still watching the Walking Dead. I mean, could it unfold naturally, but when you look back.

[Garrett Moreland]

Cannot unfold. No.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, when you look at it, it's like, why are those two in a room together?

[Garrett Moreland]

They're basically swinging.

[Peyton Moreland]

Oh, okay. I wouldn't go that far.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Really?

[Garrett Moreland]

Why?

[Peyton Moreland]

Because it's not like they're swinging.

[Garrett Moreland]

What are they doing?

[Peyton Moreland]

They're just four friends hanging out and

[Garrett Moreland]

they happen to swap.

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, they're not. Just because one went in doesn't mean the other two are having a relationship as well.

[Garrett Moreland]

Got it.

[Peyton Moreland]

So that's not swinging. That's just a full blown affair.

[Garrett Moreland]

Sure.

[Peyton Moreland]

So according to sources, Aaron is playing video games. Chris goes in, they're seated on the floor. Guess one of them pauses the video game and kisses the other one.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't know. It was quick. It was the start of something dangerous. It escalates into a full blown affair. According to the story, this is the first time they have had physical interaction with their spouses sitting in the living room to the point where they then both begin talking about leaving their partners.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, no.

[Peyton Moreland]

For each other.

[Garrett Moreland]

Not good. Not good.

[Peyton Moreland]

Chris even told her, you like my child already loves you because you've spent so much time with Nicole, your best friend, mind you.

[Garrett Moreland]

Your best friend, that's just so messy. Like, don't bring the kids into it like that. Like, come on.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's also just like, yeah, Nicole let you know her daughter because you guys were best friends. No wonder the daughter loves you. But then Chris takes this and he's like, you'd be such a good stepmom.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh my.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like our five year old daughter already loves you.

[Garrett Moreland]

Got to be kidding me right now. That makes me sick.

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Garrett said, just healthy snacks.

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Hey, it's Peyton here and if you watch my solo show into the dark, you might have noticed a beautiful bookcase that sits in the back that is decorated all spooky. And I'm excited to tell you that that bookcase is actually from article.

[Peyton Moreland]

I want to tell you about my

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[Peyton Moreland]

That is one of my favorite parts

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

is the article gives you such a high end look but at such a good price and there's no filler. Every item is chosen for its craftsmanship, design and lasting value. You can just immediately Tell the difference in quality. And with Article's 30 day satisfaction guarantee, you can shop with confidence, knowing that if you're not completely in love with your new furniture, you can just easily return it. This peace of mind ensures you can invest in your home without hesitation. Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim, visit Article.comHUSBAND and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout. So just do make sure to include that/husband if you want the discount again, that is article.com husband for $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. Go check Article out. You guys furniture is amazing. I know you'll love it.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, it doesn't take long for Nicole to realize something is off. Chris had been pushing her away. It made her curious if there was something he wasn't telling her. So one day that spring, she checks his phone and she finds endless text messages between Chris, her husband, and Aaron, her best friend. Okay, Saying things like, I'm falling for you. So after that, Nicole called John the husband, Aaron's husband. So instead of confronting the two, she ends up calling John. And she says, hey, this is what I found. Our spouses are definitely sleeping together. And this ends up becoming a meeting between the four of them. He's like, okay, let's bring both of them to the room. All four of us will meet and get down to the bottom of what's going on. And this meeting lasts hours and ended with Aaron trying to leave, but Nicole stopping her to say, quote, if you ever have anything else to do with my husband, I will kill you myself.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, my gosh.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, so it's definitely volatile, it's definitely messy. And after that, Aaron and Chris apparently call it quits. Like the spouses have found out. It's a mess, at least for a few weeks. But once the storm had settled, they began seeing each other in secret again. And then on June 22nd.

[Garrett Moreland]

That is ballsy.

[Peyton Moreland]

Less than a week before she disappeared, Aaron learns she's pregnant. And she is already three months along.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, my gosh. And see, that's their baby.

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, she tells John, no, no, no, the baby's yours. Like 100%. The baby's yours. I promise. And after their miscarriage, he's obviously overwhelmed with joy. Maybe they are finally getting back on track. Like secrets had come out. They're now pregnant. What John never learned was she also goes to Chris and says, the baby's yours. What are we going to do? She tells both men that the baby is there.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's pretty diabolical, not gonna lie.

[Peyton Moreland]

John obviously has no idea the couple had been sleeping together again, because even though it's three months, remember, they took some time and stopped talking, apparently. So it had been three months since this meeting that he believed is when they stopped sleeping together. So in John's mind, he's like, yeah, it can only be mine because she's only been sleeping with me. But Chris and Aaron know, no, we've still secretly been sleeping together. This could very much be Chris's baby. It's a mess. Like, they. This is a. This is a mess.

[Garrett Moreland]

What.

[Peyton Moreland]

And this means at the time of Aaron's disappearance, things are still on between her and Chris. She's still having an affair. But now, several days into the investigation, police have been talking to people. They've been going through cell phone records, They've been pulling people in for interviews, and they've uncovered the truth. Which means John is also finally learning that his missing pregnant wife was still actively seeing his best friend, basically her best friend's husband at the time of this disappearance. And could possibly not be his baby. It could be Chris's. So police uncover this to everyone involved. They're like, Aaron continued this affair with Chris, and she also told Chris the child was his. Now, by that point, the police had also begun unraveling another clue. Aaron's mother, Lore, had spoken to Aaron's close friend Jessica, who lived back home. And apparently, Aaron had been confiding in her home friend Jessica about everything that had been going on, the details of the affair. She told Lore that Aaron was talking about a special surprise from Chris right before she vanished. So her friend from home is like, oh, I knew about everything going on. And she said Chris was going to surprise her. According to this friend, Aaron said she was clueless about what the surprise might be. But he did tell her it was a trip to Joshua Tree National Forest. Aaron believed Chris was going to tell her he was leaving his wife for her and he was going to propose. So she tells her friend, I actually think he's taking me here because we're going to start our life together.

[Garrett Moreland]

Now.

[Peyton Moreland]

After hearing this, the police bring Chris in for an interview the day after Aaron's car was found. So this is all unraveled quickly. This is July 1, 2014.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Chris seems cooperative. He doesn't ask for attorney. He admits he's like, yep, I was having an affair with Aaron. Though he said, Aaron couldn't have been carrying his child because we never actually had intercourse. We never did anything more than Kiss. So I know that that child's not mine. He also tells police, I thought I was in love with her, but now I'm thinking it was just a fantasy, since me and my wife weren't in the best place.

[Garrett Moreland]

Does that sound a little funny as, like a grown adult to be like, we only kissed. We only kissed. I swear. We just, like, we had a little

[Peyton Moreland]

peck on the little 16 year olds.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, we just kissed. That's it. We only kiss. Like, no, dude, you're a full grown adult.

[Peyton Moreland]

You're having a full blown affair.

[Garrett Moreland]

You're having an affair. You guys, you guys, you know what?

[Peyton Moreland]

100%.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, come on. Oh, we just kissed. I promise. Like, okay, be an adult. Take some responsibility. Just funny.

[Peyton Moreland]

So. And then he tells police, like, yeah, when we only kiss. And also, like, the only reason I ever even kissed her was because me and my wife weren't doing good. But I realized that was just like a. Like a fantasy. Like, I love my wife. But here's what really sets police off. Like, as they're just letting him, you know, talk. They say, okay, well, where were you on the day Aaron went missing? And he goes, I was in Joshua Tree National Park. He said, I was supposed to go coyote hunting with my friend Connor. And he said, but Connor canceled on this trip. Hunting trip, because he had a friend staying with him. And he's like, yeah, I also brought along a propane tank I wanted to mess with and explode in one of the mine shafts in the park. I just did it by myself instead. Like, we were supposed to go hunting and do this, like, explosion, you know, Ooh, fire in the. Okay, in the mind.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Sure.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's not allowed.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yes. But also, he already has this reputation of being like, a little adrenaline with his toys. And so he's like, but I went by myself. My friend Connor canceled. I went by myself to Joshua Tree National Park. Now, this is obviously a whole horrible alibi if he's trying.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Horrible.

[Peyton Moreland]

If he's trying to be like, no, I couldn't have done it. I was here. You literally just put yourself in the place where she thought you were taking her. She told a friend you were taking her on the day she went missing. They're like, okay, but they don't have enough to arrest him. They don't even know if Aaron is dead. They haven't found her body. So next they call in Nicole. She is a little bit tougher to deal with. She doesn't want to answer questions. She's angry. They don't really get anywhere with her. Which didn't bode well for her either. I'm not sure if she has an alibi, but I can tell you this. The police weren't ruling either of them out as a person of interest. But they keep digging for evidence and they find something interesting. Those tire tracks that were found next to Aaron's car. They obviously check Chris's car. It is a perfect match for his Jeep, which was strange considering he said he was just going out playing with fire in Joshua Tree and said nothing about seeing her that day. But now they have tire tracks that match his car right next to her abandoned car. But even that is not enough to move in on Chris. Unfortunately, the timing of this investigation isn't great. Because the next weekend, July 4th, Chris finished his service with the Marines. He was honorably discharged, which means him and his family are moving out of base housing. So this isn't great. They move out of base housing and they go stay at the White Rock Horse Ranch with Isabel. This is the ranch Nicole and Aaron would go visit. They go stay there while they're trying to figure out how to move back to their home state of Alaska. But before police let him get too far, they found something on Chris that they hoped would keep him in town a little bit longer. While talking to Isabel, she tells police something useful again. She owns the horse ranch. She remembered that Chris had once left something in her truck after he borrowed it, and it was a potato gun. Okay, if you don't know. Basically a high powered potato launcher that can be very destructive. And in the state of California, it is considered an explosive device. And since Chris had left it in someone else's car, that's a felony. So they literally just use this information.

[Garrett Moreland]

Low key, though. Potato guns are kind of scary.

[Peyton Moreland]

Oh, yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like you can kill someone.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Not that I've ever used one.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay.

[Garrett Moreland]

But you can kill someone.

[Peyton Moreland]

So you're telling me you grew up in California and were using a explosive device?

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't know if it was illegal at that point. Maybe it was. I don't know. I was a teenager, dude.

[Peyton Moreland]

Anyways, it's considered a felony. So they get an arrest warrant for Chris and they end up searching his apartment on Isabel's ranch that he's currently staying with with his family. Except they don't find anything in regards to Aaron's disappearance, which is not surprising because that's not even where he lived at the time she disappeared. But instead, Chris is released on bail just two days later. And shortly after, he moved his family back to Alaska, like they had Planned because, like, unless you're going to arrest them, you can't keep them.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now, meanwhile, the search for Erin does not stop. By mid July, people suspected that Erin, if she was out in the park, was no longer alive. Temperatures in the summer there easily climbed to 110 degrees. Even search and rescue dogs were getting heat stroke. By that point, they had explored over 100 different mine shafts, but there were thousands of them. Now, come August, they felt like they were running out of options. When Isabel, our horse ranch owner, once again saves the day. She goes to police, and she's like, I remembered something else that might be useful. She said, about a week before Aaron vanished, Chris told her he was going to go to the park to explore some mines, including, quote, one no one would ever find. And when he came back, he showed her pictures, and she had those pictures. So they are now able to recover them. Luckily, they had been working with an expert named Doug Billings, who not only knew Joshua Tree park like the back of his hand, he knew the mine shafts extremely well, too. And when police were like, hey, where is this mine? The one that Chris shared with Isabel? He recognizes it right away.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Wow.

[Peyton Moreland]

He says it even has a name. The Rose of Peru mine. Apparently not so secret at all. So on August 16, 2014, after eight weeks of searching, using this picture from Isabel, they find Doug and his team drop a camera 100ft down this mine shaft.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, my gosh.

[Peyton Moreland]

And they find Aaron's body.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Alongside her were shell casings, pieces of rebar, and a propane tank. It looked like a failed attempt to try and blow up the remains in the mine shaft. Now, thankfully, teams were able to remove Aaron's body from the shaft, send it off to autopsy because it hadn't been blown up. And they found that Aaron had been strangled and then died from blunt force trauma after being pushed down the mine.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

And it wasn't manual strangulation. They. She was strangled with something. It was basically like a tool composed of wire or cord along with some sort of metal or wood piece that you could use to, like, tighten it. Which explained the piece of rebar that was found at the bottom of the shaft with Aaron. However, Aaron's body was too decomposed to confirm whether or not she was actually pregnant.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, that's horrible. That's horrible.

[Peyton Moreland]

So at this point, officials are like, yep, we have more than enough now to get an arrest warrant for Chris, because we only found this body because of information he gave a witness. It was just a matter of tracking him down, which wasn't hard. The following day in August 17, they had located Chris living with his family in Anchorage, Alaska. He was pulled over by local police and arrested. And what would you know? Inside his car was a device you could use to strangle someone, like a homemade one.

[Garrett Moreland]

He had it with him still, just

[Peyton Moreland]

like the one they found near her body. Because there was like another one.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, he had another one. Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Chris was extradited back to California where he was facing charges of murder along with a special circumstance of lying in wait. Meaning he planned her death and then lured her into a trap, which I think is worth another charge.

[Garrett Moreland]

In my opinion, it's basically just first degree murder to an extent.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

But it's almost like more.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Or is it less?

[Peyton Moreland]

I think it's the luring like an innocent person because, like, first degree premeditated. Could be. I'm going to break into this person's house and then you break in and kill them.

[Garrett Moreland]

I wonder if it's a less of a charge or more of a charge. I don't know the answer to that.

[Peyton Moreland]

I think it should be worse because you're taking someone who trusts you.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, no, but I wonder, like, if the actual charges less or more. Do you know?

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, I'm going to say it's at least the same because this conviction is worthy of the death penalty.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

If found guilty. So I would say it's very similar. Now, meanwhile, the prosecution was building their case against Chris. They found some other pretty strong connections between the items found with Aaron's body and Chris himself. For example, the shell casings discovered near her body matched those that were found in Chris's home and car.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, it's open and shut.

[Peyton Moreland]

If you remember, they also found that propane tank. Not only did a neighbor say they had seen that propane tank sitting in Chris's jeep days before Aaron disappeared, authorities found out where it came from. Once again, Isabelle says, oh, yeah, he asked me if he could have that propane tank before the disappearance and said he would bring it back, but he never did. Also found in that mine shaft was a makeshift torch with a Marine Corps T shirt around it. This was tested for DNA and confirmed to belong to Chris.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

There was also an empty Sprite bottle that had the DNA of both Chris and Aaron on it, which again, is so devastating, it supports the lion weight theory that Chris led her there, they shared a sprite, they were friendly, and then he murdered her. On top of that, his Internet history shows that he had searched for the phrase best way to dispose of a human Body. Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

What an idiot.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay.

[Garrett Moreland]

Put him in jail for life. So gone. Get out of here.

[Peyton Moreland]

At this point, just to put two and two together, the reason he lied to police and said that he had only kissed her is because her being pregnant is motive and was most likely the motive for him murdering her. Because if she was pregnant with his baby, he would then have to come clean to his wife. And apparently he was not ready to go run away with her.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's crazy.

[Peyton Moreland]

Which is why he tells police, no, there's no possibility it was even mine because he knows that was the motive. So In October of 2016, two years after the murder, Chris, the wife thinks, by the way, I know, what a mess, what a horrible like and just what an absolute. Again, she's just victimized over and over again. The wife is as well.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, no, 100%.

[Peyton Moreland]

The trial happens. There's, you know, a bunch of ways he tries to get out of this, including saying that Aaron had been hurting his five year old daughter, which I'm not even going to get into details because whatever. Literally, after 15 minutes of deliberation, 15 minutes. The jury finds Chris Lee guilty of first degree murder and the lying in weight enhancement. In November of that year, the 27 year old dodged the death penalty but was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He's tried to appeal his case. And as for Nicole and his daughter, whereabouts unknown, it's safe to say she stayed off social media, as she should. There's no reason she should have to be in the limelight after all of this. But that brings us back to what we were discussing earlier. A solid friendship can make the perfect foundation for a romance. But this story was never actually really about love. It was about Chris wanting the reward without paying the price. He wanted something new without losing what he had. And when he found out that Aaron was pregnant, that went against everything he wanted and he killed her because of it.

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[Peyton Moreland]

Aaron deserved better than a friend who became a lover and a lover who then became her killer. She deserved happiness, warmth, generosity. She deserved a soulmate. And I want to make it clear here that everyone makes mistakes. And. And just because Aaron was willingly having an affair with Chris does not mean that she deserved to be murdered or that she ever even put herself in this situation to begin with.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, no, no, not at all.

[Peyton Moreland]

And so I just want to make that clear because sometimes it is hard when you're like looking from the outside looking in.

[Garrett Moreland]

I get that.

[Peyton Moreland]

But the reality is, is like no,

[Garrett Moreland]

no matter what you do, you don't deserve to die.

[Peyton Moreland]

No.

[Garrett Moreland]

Whoa. My mind will change on that. Unless you kill someone else. But that's the Garrett opinion.

[Peyton Moreland]

Lives are messy. People make mistakes. We can't just kill. We can't just say everyone deserved to die because of a mistake they made. Thank you guys so much for listening to today's case, and we will see you next time with another one.

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[Garrett Moreland]

I hate it. Goodbye, Foreign.

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[Peyton Moreland]

one app, and they have everything.

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[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, it was crazy because I watched the movie, but I also listened to the audiobook. So when Amazon Music wanted to sponsor us, I was pretty excited because I don't read many books, but I will listen to audiobooks.

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[Peyton Moreland]

really bring a story to life in

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[Peyton Moreland]

So it is one of my favorite ways.

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[Garrett Moreland]

It's almost like a podcast, where you can do it wherever you are. Also, you need to listen to Project Hail Mary. If you haven't listened to it yet, it's amazing.

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[Garrett Moreland]

Yep.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. Like Garrett said, a lot of us

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

I am selling the building.

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

Or not.

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