Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:04]
Nikki Lee
Welcome back to Poppy Killed Mommy. Hi, my name is Nikki and I'm the daughter of a murdered woman. In today's bonus episode, I want to share a letter I recently wrote to my mom. Writing to her and speaking my thoughts out loud has been incredibly therapeutic and healing. I do it often and putting those feelings down on paper helps me process everything in my head. I originally wrote this letter and shared it on my TikTok channel. Here it is a few days before the launch of my mother's podcast, which premieres on July 8th at 11pm, the exact moment I said goodnight to her for the last time. Bringing this podcast to life has pushed me far outside my comfort zone. I built a recording studio, I learned to use the equipment and even took lessons from local podcasters because I was so unfamiliar with this technology. Now, sitting down in front of the computer to edit an episode and tell my mom's story, it still feels surreal. This journey has been unbelievable and through it all, my mom continues to teach me and help me grow, even 32 years after she's gone. So grab some tissues, settle in and listen as I work through my trauma and emotions by reading a letter to my late mother. Dear Mommy, I said good night to you for the last time on a Thursday night. It was July 8, 1993. You had just gotten off the phone with my father, Craig Daly. You talked with him for what felt like forever. It was an hour and 47 minutes from 8:06pm until 9:53. You were making plans to go back to him. I finally went to bed about an hour after you hung up from that call at 11:00pm, not long after, I heard the door open. Russell had come home. He had been your boyfriend for the last six years and in the early morning hours of July 9, 1993, Russell Peterson shot you and took your life. You were put to rest just days later on a Wednesday, July 14, at the age of 32, leaving your 3 and 10 year old daughters to the will of the system. After your murder, I'll go live with my dad, Craig, while your youngest daughter went to live with her father. Your murderer and I grew up without you. Russell Peterson is never charged with your death. And for 28 years your case sat dormant while I grew from a scared child into a stubborn woman. In 2020, I heard there was a new investigation and started asking questions. Nothing will come of this. So in 2021 I printed your case file for the first time and started speaking. By the end of 2021, I had started a social media campaign for justice and then, in the summer of 2022, people finally started to listen. Your story was featured on Fox News. At the same time, I reached out to the Arizona Attorney General, the Yavapai County Attorney, and the Department of justice. In January 2023, I secured an interview with the Sedona Police Department. A month later, in February, they interviewed my father for the first time in 30 years. In November 2023, I visited your final resting place at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery. I haven't felt this close to you in decades. That visit stirred something inside me, a renewed fire to keep fighting for you. In December 2023, I brought your story to life on TikTok. Two weeks later, my I am the daughter of a murdered woman video went viral, which now has over 13.2 million views worldwide. Because of that video, your story is being told across the globe. I know it took me 28 years to find the strength to step into this fight, but I will not stop until there is some kind of accountability. Today, over 200,000 people follow our journey. I launched a petition demanding justice, which now has over 12,000 signatures. Portraits of you are being painted to honor your memory. Your legacy is cemented through true crime podcasts like the Murder Diaries, Voices for Justice, Generation Y, and so many others. Your story has been featured on dozens of true crime podcasts and platforms. People are searching your name, wanting to know about you, your life, and your story. And I started a podcast, too. With Dad's help, we built a soundproof room, funded by donations from followers who believe in this mission. I wrote the episodes and scheduled the premiere to launch at the very moment I said goodnight to you for the last time 32 years prior. And I'm headed to Denver in September to promote your podcast at this year's CrimeCon. I just can't let you go. And when people tell me all the time to let it go, your mom wouldn't want you dwelling on this. My response is always the same. Fuck, yeah, she would. You were murdered by your boyfriend, Russell Bennett Peterson, just hours after you made the decision to leave him for my father, Craig Daly. I will never stop demanding justice. Because you deserve that. Because you deserve the truth. Because you deserve to be remembered not just as my mother, but as the woman you were and the life you lived and the person you never got to be. I love you. Yesterday, today, tomorrow, forever. Love you always, Nikki Lee. If you've made it this far and you're still here, thank you. Writing these letters to my mom, saying out loud what's been trapped in my head for 32 years. Years has become the most therapeutic, peaceful and unexpectedly healing thing I've ever done. Each update I share with her steadies me and every time you press play, you're helping turn that private healing into something bigger. A public fight for truth. Please come back on July 8th at 11pm for the official launch of Poppy Killed Mommy. The first episode told by me, her totally not tech savvy daughter who had to chat GPT. Almost everything about audio production drops at the exact moment I said good night to her for the last time. I pushed through every fear of cable, software and self doubt so that you could hear the story the way it deserves to be heard. So until then, take care of yourselves. Keep her name alive and remember that justice can start with a single voice, sometimes shaky, sometimes stubborn, but always determined. I'll meet you back here on July 8th. With love, Nikki.