S26 Ep2: He Underestimated My Healing

Summary

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Something Was Wrong – S26 Ep2: He Underestimated My Healing

Podcast: Something Was Wrong
Host: Tiffany Reese (Broken Cycle Media)
Release Date: June 18, 2026

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

This gripping episode continues Marie's deeply troubling account of abuse and stalking at the hands of her former pastor, Sergio. Marie shares her journey through manipulation, escalating boundary violations, multiple break-ins, and the complex aftermath involving church leadership, police, and those closest to her. The episode exposes how power, religious standing, and public persona can be weaponized to enable ongoing abuse while a survivor struggles to be believed—and to reclaim ownership over her own story and recovery.

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KEY THEMES & DISCUSSION POINTS

1. The Early Dynamics: Manipulation, Persistence, and Red Flags

[02:18 - 11:26]

• Early Relationship: Marie describes how Sergio, her ex-husband’s friend and a pastor, inserted himself into her life after her divorce—bringing groceries, showing up uninvited, refusing to respect her boundaries.
• Boundary Violations: Multiple incidents where Sergio ignored Marie's requests to stay away. His insistent presence, sometimes in the church van, demonstrated both entitlement and a lack of concern about being seen.
• Manipulation:
  • Sergio engaged in emotional manipulation—using a “sad face,” feigning need for support, and making Marie feel emotionally responsible for his well-being.
  • Identity Control: He accused Marie of inappropriate behavior, attempted to isolate her, and subtly pressured her about her friendships, social media, finances, and parenting.
  • Dependency Creation: Instead of directing Marie to church resources for financial help, Sergio orchestrated payments to her landlord, increasing her reliance on him.

Notable Quote:

“Entitlement, pure entitlement…this is emotional manipulation.”
—Marie ([04:00])

Red Flags Recognized:

• Using church power/status to exert control
• Trying to preemptively discredit her with church leaders
• Weaponizing Marie's history of trauma for his own ends

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2. Escalation: Harassment, Assault, and Stalking

[14:25 - 22:10]

• Assault: Sergio’s pattern of boundary violations culminated in a physical assault—he forcibly kissed and groped Marie after forcing his way into her home, leaving abruptly afterward.
• Gaslighting: After the assault, Sergio reversed the narrative, later claiming in public encounters that Marie kissed him. Marie recognized this as an attempt to rewrite reality and undermine her credibility.
• Increasing Intrusion:
  • Unexplained appearances at her new residence
  • Break-ins: Sergio was caught in Marie’s home, using her laptop, and later surreptitiously accessing her email using a university account.

Notable Quote:

“It was at that moment that I knew something was really, really wrong. I felt unsafe.”
—Marie ([15:54])

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3. Church, Community, and Isolation

[23:05 - 29:46]

• Community Manipulation: Sergio spread false stories to others, including his friend Pablo, claiming an affair and misrepresenting Marie’s actions.
• Reluctance to Disclose: Marie rarely shared what was happening, both out of a desire to protect Sergio’s family and out of fear she wouldn’t be believed.
• Institutional Response: When the church was eventually notified, nothing seemed to change; instead, Sergio’s exit was framed as a promotion to a higher leadership role.

Notable Quote:

“It almost seems like a promotion…he was now overseeing all of the Hispanic churches in Virginia, which is terrifying.”
—Marie ([28:50])

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4. The Breaking Point: Repeated Break-Ins, Digital Surveillance, and Law Enforcement

[29:46 - 58:47]

• Shocking Return: Years after cutting ties, Marie learns via home security that Sergio has broken into her house while she’s out of state, using information from her public Instagram.
• Immediate Fear: The realization that Sergio’s stalking was ongoing and meticulous—he navigated the house in the dark and accessed her daughter’s room—plunged Marie and her friend Claire into terror.
• Police Involvement:
  • Marie reports the break-ins; police acknowledge the seriousness, discuss possible motives, and begin gathering evidence.
  • Officer interactions reveal the struggle of investigating cases when the perpetrator is a respected community figure and persistent liar.
  • Sergio continues to deny all involvement, even when faced with clear evidence on security footage.

Notable Moment:

“When I saw him on my security camera, that’s when I feared for my life.”
—Marie ([35:36])

Chilling Detail:

• After police involvement, Sergio returns and breaks in a second night in a row, prompting further emergency response.

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5. Impact on Community & Family

[33:52 - 38:55]

• Claire’s Perspective: Marie’s best friend recounts the overwhelming shock when the proof of the stalking emerges, her own fear for Marie’s daughter’s safety, and the retrospective clarity on all the “benevolent” intrusions Sergio staged.
• Aftermath:
  • Marie’s family and friends confront the full scope of the stalking for the first time.
  • Claire describes the “domino effect” as Marie begins to process all the red flags she previously compartmentalized.

Notable Quote:

“It was very, very wolf in sheep’s clothing. Later that night …we literally watched him live breaking into her home for a second night in a row.”
—Claire ([38:55])

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6. Law Enforcement Interviews & Confrontation

[43:43 - 58:47]

• Police Interviews: Officers, sometimes incredulous at the brazen behavior, try to piece together motive and intent—focusing on whether the break-ins are evidence of sexual obsession or intent to harm.
• Interrogation:
  • Officers directly question Sergio, who flatly denies involvement despite video evidence.
  • Officers express to his wife that there’s video proof, discuss possible motives, and acknowledge the unnerving aspect of a pastor with this pattern.
  • Marie asserts to police that Sergio’s only motive could be obsession, as theft makes no sense in context.

Notable Dialogue:

Officer: “We have your own camera last night doing it too. …What other reason? If he knows you’re not home, what do you have to enter the house?” ([46:10, 57:04])

Marie: “Maybe it was that… It has to be sexual. It has to be something like that because there is no other motive.” ([57:07])

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MEMORABLE QUOTES & MOMENTS

• Marie on Realization:

  “But at that time of the assault, I really realized I am not wrong and it’s not me.” ([14:55])

• Marie on Protecting the Abuser:

  “I did not share anything that I experienced from Sergio out of protecting him, actually, which is wild. I was trying to protect his reputation and I was trying to protect his wife.” ([29:58])

• Claire on Compartmentalized Abuse:

  “All of those little red flags, all of a sudden it was like a field cleared and she could see everything together at the same time.” ([38:55])

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TIMESTAMPS & MAJOR SEGMENTS

• [02:18–11:26] Marie details escalating manipulation, boundary crossing, and early red flags with Sergio.
• [14:25–22:10] The moment of assault and initial fallout; realization and increased fear for safety.
• [23:05–29:46] Community narrative control, church response, and Marie’s growing isolation.
• [29:46–35:36] Discovery of recent break-in; security camera footage; sharing with friend Claire.
• [35:36–38:55] Processing fear and realizing full extent of danger and stalking.
• [38:55–43:43] Second break-in, immediate police response; law enforcement’s perspective on obsession and escalation.
• [43:43–58:47] Police interviews with Marie, Claire, Sergio, and Sergio’s wife; evidence review and direct confrontation.

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EPISODE TONE & TAKEAWAYS

• The tone is raw, urgent, and at times chilling—Marie’s narration is direct and matter-of-fact, contrasting with the mounting disbelief of those around her.
• The episode powerfully illustrates patterns of abuse, manipulation, and how abusers use position and social capital to avoid accountability.
• It highlights a key survivor truth: “He underestimated my healing”—Marie’s resilience has empowered her to see through manipulation and fight to be heard.

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FINAL NOTES

This episode is a stark exploration of institutional betrayal, survivor resilience, and the insidious nature of stalking and abuse by trusted community figures. It offers a vital, unfiltered look into the courage required not only to extricate oneself from abuse, but to keep pushing for justice when systems repeatedly fail to protect.

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Transcript

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[Podcast Host Tiffany Reese]

If you love Something Was Wrong and want to help, support the show and listen ad free. Become a community contributor on Apple Podcasts or purchase a sticker from our sticker [e-mail] thank you so much. Something Was Wrong is intended for mature audiences and includes topics that may be upsetting. This season we'll be discussing friendship, betrayal, religious abuse, stalking, sexual assault and other serious topics, so please listen with care. Some names have been changed for safety or anonymity purposes. The podcast and any linked materials should not be misconstrued as a substitution for legal or medical advice. Sources and resources can be found in the episode Notes. Thank you so much for listening. Last time on Something Was Wrong, my

[Marie (Survivor)]

ex husband and Sergio hit it off right away. They became instant friends. I decided to go to that shelter. I only packed one small bag. I had to make my ex husband believe I was just going for the weekend. I had a much different vision of how I thought my life would be at 29 years old. Coming back to the church after separation, the dynamic really changed. It was just more of this big brother type relationship. My divorce had been finalized and Sergio showed up at my door one day with groceries. There were a few times more that he did that every few weeks. Sometimes he would already be at my house on the front steps. After a few times of this I had asked him not not to come back. I don't feel comfortable with this. I remember feeling so agitated and annoyed. It just felt like this was a child coming to my house and I remember thinking and wondering where does his boss think he is? There must be no accountability of his time, which now I know I don't believe there is. He's using his working hours. And by the way, I lived on a busy street. People that knew me would see me as they're passing by my house. And he is coming one time, even in the church van. I remember thinking, he does not care if people know that he's in my house. Which really shocked me, because as a pastor, aren't you concerned? Even with the look of something, it should have been probably one of the biggest red flags besides his persistence. There was one moment where I was upstairs and he rang the doorbell and I stayed upstairs just hoping he would leave. It was a very, very intrusive moment because he would not stop ringing the doorbell. I can't remember how long it was. It felt like a very long time. But I'm telling you, he rang that doorbell over and over again. That let me know. This man does not accept. Now he knows I'm home and he is entitled to have my attention. He just felt so needy. I told him, I don't want trouble, even when I'm telling him I have to work and I need to leave now. He didn't care. He'd be like, wait, wait, wait, wait. The expectation was for me to prioritize him. Not my job, not my income, not my kids. Entitlement, pure entitlement. Sometimes I wouldn't let him inside my house. I was able to come out and be like, we're going to stay on the porch. I would say this is emotional manipulation, but he would become very, very sad and have the saddest face. So it's like, oh, I feel like this emotional obligation to make him feel better because he really needs someone to talk to through this time of him harassing me. He was telling me that I was inappropriate with men because he saw me talking to men after church. This is in a public setting. Why is he even paying attention to that? It's very possessive, and it made me feel like he's watching me. Anytime he would tell me these things, it was trying to convince me that this is who I am. This is identity manipulation. This is an attempt to control my identity and what I believe about myself. He eventually attempted to control my friendships, my relationships, and my activity on social media. He attempted to control my housing, my finances, every little thing in my life. It was unbelievable. My parenting, how I organized my house. It would take a long time to list every single tactic, but it was always subtle. For instance, I was struggling to pay rent one month, and he told me I'm paying too much for rent and, and I should move into an apartment complex. It was a specific apartment complex, which now it concerns me thinking about that instead of just telling me about resources through Thomas Road, he had Thomas Rhode send rent money for my rent to my landlord, which I was grateful for. But I was even thinking, why didn't he tell me how to access that resource? Which is just another pattern creating dependency. At one point he had also said that everyone in the church and other leaders and his mother in law all saw all of the attention that I give to him in church. They've approached him at different times and they communicated that they were very concerned with all the attention that I give to him. I didn't believe it for one second because I rarely talked to him at church. In fact, after church the congregation would stay and mingle and talk. There's very, very few times that he would actually talk to me in church. This is reinforcing that. This is what he's telling other people. So now if I go to the church leadership or his wife and say this is what he's been doing to me, they're not going to believe me because they already have a story in their head. He at one point started complaining about his wife. And when he started complaining about his wife, that's when I first even considered that he might be pursuing me. Before that I was just thinking, he's bored, he loves to talk to people, he's needy. I said, you guys should get counseling. He was telling me she has mental health issues, that she should be on medication. I believed he was only telling me that to get me to feel sorry for him. I didn't know if there was any truth to what he was saying, but I was so uncomfortable. And I told him that with him telling me these things because I'm not able to help. Well, that was just the setup for what was to come next. You know, the next few times he would come after me telling him, don't come back to my house after I had left the church. Then he's telling me that he is in love with me, he wants a relationship with me. He was telling me all these good things about me. Words of affirmation are not my strongest love language. So it was just like, oh, okay, thanks, that's nice. And then he said, what do you think about me? And I've never heard anyone ask me that before. So I just was like, what? And he pressured and pressured and pressured me. I'm thinking he has such low self esteem and he really Needs me to tell him something good about him. But I had this really bad feeling. For some reason, I just felt like, is he trying to set me up? So I just decided to say, you're just a good person. And that was all I said. I was so concerned that I started to wonder, is he trying to get me to say something that he would use against me later? I told him at one point, if you come back, I'm going to call the police. He knew everything that I'd gone through with my ex husband. He knew that I had a protective order against my ex husband, that I filed two police reports against my ex husband for violating the protective order twice. He knew that I used the law and set boundaries and maintained boundaries with the law. It really shocked me that he knows this about me and yet he's basically doing the same. And he would even say pretty consistently, I'm not like him. My ex husband, I don't want you to think I'm like him. The first time he said that in my head, I just thought, okay, so he's exactly like him. But he, I believe, thought I was the perfect target. He knew my past. He knew the trauma that I experienced in childhood. When I was married, we had gone out to eat. Me, my ex husband, Sergio and his wife. And while we were out to eat, for some strange reason, my ex husband, who never cared about my childhood trauma, has never brought it up. I'd only told him about it maybe one time before we were married. He told Sergio that I was adopted, that I'd been through foster care. And my ex husband encouraged me to tell him more. And I thought that was so strange. It really stood out to me. I believe that was weaponized against me. He knew about the abuse that I endured through my marriage and he underestimated my healing.

[Podcast Host Tiffany Reese]

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[Marie (Survivor)]

I had told him I would call the police and sure enough, a few weeks later he came back to my house. I had been sweeping when he was at my door. He had seen me and I saw him. I decided, okay, I'm just gonna open the door, finish this up a little, tell him I have a meeting and walk out the door with him to get him out of my house. I believed he was entitled, which actually should have been a little more alarming to me. Entitlement is actually pretty terrible. But I did not believe he was dangerous. I open the door, he comes in, and I'm, like, not really paying him any attention. I'm telling him I'm just finishing up cleaning. I bend down to sweep dirt into the dustpan, and when I stand back up, he suddenly assaults me. He kisses me. He puts his hand up my shirt. And it was so sudden, so abrupt, so forceful. He had never attempted to touch me up until that point. Now I realize when an assault happens. The whole purpose of an assault is to catch you off guard, is to make sure you are not even aware of what is about to happen. I was so taken off guard and so shocked, I pushed him away and yelled. And I've never seen him leave my house so fast. It seemed like he was scared. I've known him for a long time, and I was really good friends with him. So I'm thinking I must have given him a wrong impression. But it was, I think, at the time of the assault when I really realized I am not wrong and it's not me. After he assaulted me as he was leaving, I said, I swear I will call the police the next time I even see you on my property. I didn't call police because I didn't think that they would believe me. Or even worse, they would believe me and wouldn't do anything because he's a pastor at Thomas Road Baptist Church. It's a very big, powerful, influential church in this small town. He's very persuasive. I had considered telling his wife. I was very unsure if she would believe me. I moved for my safety because I was concerned. I moved to a townhome, and I specifically chose a townhome because I believed that I'd be safer in a townhome because houses are connected. And I just thought there's no way anyone or he specifically would try to come to my townhome because people are watching and it's too risky. Little did I know how bold he is. And there's really no risk to him. And that's the scariest part. Within months of living in that townhome, I would see him in public. He would run into me. I used that sentence loosely. It would be in public places like Walgreens or Kroger's. These were places that were by his house. Too. When he first ran into me in public after the assault a few weeks later, I had parked, got out of my car, and I see him and I immediately say, no, I don't want to talk. And he's like, wait, wait. He does his little sad face and he said, wait. But the other day, and I just had stopped. I'm like, what? And he said, the other day when you kissed me and my whole body, I just had chills. What he did in that moment was he flipped the script. It wasn't even like he was trying to persuade me. He was telling me this is how it actually went, that I kissed him. I don't even remember what he said after that. I remember just feeling so numb and so scared. And it was at that moment that I knew something was really, really wrong. I felt unsafe. A few months after living there, I had a routine. I'd be out of the house with my kids at like 7am, drop them off at daycare and. And would be back home, I don't know, usually 5, 30, 6 o' clock at night. One day I went outside of that routine. I had left something at home. So I went to my house to get what I'd forgotten to bring to work. And when I opened my door, I saw Sergio. As soon as I stepped into my house, in my living room, on my laptop, he was standing next to my sofa. He had the laptop on top of the back of the sofa. He quickly put it down on the sofa. I obviously startled him. And I just started yelling. I was shocked. It was unbelievable to me. What are you doing here? Why are you in my house? Why are you on my laptop? And he is acting very happy to see me. He's smiling. He has nicknames for people. He said I look like Mariah Carey, which I don't even think is accurate, but he was like, mariah, what? What's wrong? He was saying, I wasn't out of your laptop. And I'm like, yes, you were. Get out of my house. And he wouldn't leave. He does his little sad face. It didn't work. I'm like, get out of my house. And then he starts coughing, like doing a little cough. And he's like, I need water. Can I have some water, please? And I just pick up my phone and I'm saying, I'm calling 91 1. Then he leaves. He never showed up to my house again that I knew of. I should have called police, but I once again was afraid that they wouldn't believe me. Or even worse, that they would Believe me. But they just wouldn't do anything about it because of his position. I could see that he disrespected every boundary. That's what made me the most scared I had unfriended him. So we were not connected on social media. We never actually had contact through email or text messages or social media or anything. And then I was getting notifications from Yahoo every once in a while. Sometimes it would be months in between. So I'd get a notification on my phone and it would say a new device logged into your Yahoo email. I would click it and it would show the IP address. So I would do a search online for this IP address and. And it would say that it was a Liberty University owned laptop and it would give locations throughout Lynchburg. At one point a notification appeared. I looked up the IP address and it said Liberty owned laptop in Cochabamba, Bolivia. That's when I knew it's totally him. And I could not figure out how he was able to log in if I kept changing my passwords. I finally realized one thing that I missed is one of the backups that I had was my Liberty University email address. I thought maybe he's able to access my email address through Liberty. Still, I took that off. And after I took that off as a backup, I never got those notifications again. I many times had considered going to Liberty University. I didn't fully trust Liberty University or Thomas Road Baptist Church because I'm just thinking back all this time he's been coming to my house at various times during the day and being so bold to even pull up in front of my house on a busy street in a van that says Thomas Road Baptist Church. But I'm also thinking, I wonder if they would just support him anyway because of how persuasive Sergio is, how good he is at lying. The narrative he's telling me is the complete opposite of reality. I have come to learn that Sergio gives a story about people before that person even knows what's happening. I had gone to Bolivia on two missions trips. Our first trip there, I met all the missionaries and one of the men that was there, his name was Pablo and he was a really nice guy. He was around my age. I didn't get super close to him. But the second trip there, I got to interact with him more. Around 2017, he had contacted me over Facebook. He let me know that he was coming to live in Lynchburg, Virginia to attend Liberty University. He was excited to come and he wanted to get together. And I was like, absolutely. And I Always felt comfortable around him. So he moved here, was attending Liberty, and we hung out a lot.

[Podcast Host Tiffany Reese]

Was he a pastor at that time as well?

[Marie (Survivor)]

Yes. And that was interesting to me because I thought he was coming to Liberty University to, like, get his degree. I knew he wanted to become a pastor, but it seems like he came here and immediately became a pastor of a church plant, of Thomas Road Baptist Church.

[Podcast Host Tiffany Reese]

While he was doing seminary, perhaps?

[Marie (Survivor)]

Yes. And I attended that church with him. It was in Roanoke, so it was an hour away from Lynchburg. At one point, we were hanging out, and he's like, I want to talk to you. He's very serious, and he tells me he's very interested in me and he would like to pursue a relationship with me. Sergio was one of his best friends. And he says, sergio told me everything. And I was like, what? He said, I want to let you know that I'm on your side. I was so angry and in disbelief as he's telling me that Sergio told him about the affair that Sergio and I had. But he was very vague and wouldn't tell me specifically what everything meant. Which actually really concerns me, because what else is part of that narrative? I just start telling Pablo, like, no, no, no. But Pablo just keeps talking, and he just keeps saying, but I'm on your side. And I'm like, no, listen to me. He has pursued me. I was not in a relationship with him. We never did anything. At the time, I really was thinking, oh, my gosh, Sergio has convinced this man that I pursued him. We were in a relationship. The reality is that Sergio manipulated me, attempted to control every part of my life. He harassed me and stalked me and broke into my home and has been monitoring my activity because I was so persistent and angry. Pablo finally stopped talking and let me tell him. And I told him what had happened. I was like, he kept showing up at my house. He wouldn't accept any boundaries. His behavior only escalated. He was trying to force me into a relationship with him. I kept telling him I didn't want him at my house. He would show up. He assaulted me, then was showing up in public. And then I told him he had broken into my townhome a couple months before. And so it almost seemed like he understood and cared. He left my house, and I was stuck, still left, questioning, what does he believe and what does he think about this? But at that point, I said, I can't have any type of relationship or friendship with this man. It actually made me more scared and more concerned because of how he was able to use Another person, Pablo, let me know that he had reported it to the pastors at Thomas Road Baptist Church. About a year later, I get another message from Pablo, and he said, I just want to let you know that right now Sergio is under church discipline because of another situation. And so because of that situation, your situation with him was thrown back at the table. The way it was worded was weird, which only leads me to believe that it's a similar situation. He asks that I don't say anything to anyone, which I had never, ever said anything about Sergio and what he did to me, to anyone except for Pablo. He made a comment like, I know that you were really concerned about accountability for him. I just felt like I should let you know. I said, thank you for letting me know.

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[Marie (Survivor)]

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[Marie (Survivor)]

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[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

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[Marie (Survivor)]

She bought it 100% online from her bed, actually. Was it scary? Honey, it was as unscary as car buying could be. Did the car have a sunroof? It did, actually. Okay, good story. Car buying you'll want to tell stories about. Buy your car today on Carvana. Delivery fees may apply.

[Podcast Host Tiffany Reese]

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[Marie (Survivor)]

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[Marie (Survivor)]

A couple months later, I decide to look at the Facebook page of the Spanish church. And on that page I see this post about Sergio. It's dated after the conversation with Pablo. They held this resignation celebration for him. He had resigned and stepped down as the pastor of the Spanish church because he took a position at the Southern Baptist Convention. It almost seems like a promotion because he was now overseeing all of the Hispanic churches in the state of Virginia, which is terrifying to think about. Hispanic churches have some of the most vulnerable people in our population, which is the undocumented women and children. To me it seemed like nothing was done. And maybe that message was just to satisfy me and to get me to believe that something had been done. But this seems to be a pattern now from what I've noticed within Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University.

[Podcast Host Tiffany Reese]

Your best friend Claire also mentioned that she didn't know about some of the things that were happening with Sergio until the break ins. Why do you think you chose not to share?

[Marie (Survivor)]

I did not share anything that I experienced from Sergio out of protecting him, actually, which is wild. I was trying to protect his reputation and I was trying to protect his wife. My thought was if I was going to tell anybody about what was happening, it would be someone that would do something about it. I didn't think that there was any reason to tell anyone. So I decided not to speak to church leadership, not even his wife. On top of that, I didn't think it was fair to his wife if I told my friends, it's her husband doing these horrible things. Those are serious accusations. I just did not feel comfortable telling anyone. From the time that he had broken into my townhome to the time that he broke into my house in 2023. I had not seen him in six years. So it was very, very shocking to me. I was going to be in D.C. for a friend's birthday. The weekend before that friend had canceled. So I was like, well, I already had boarding for the dogs and I had already planned to go somewhere. I hadn't visited Claire in a while. I had contacted her and asked her if I could come visit and she was like, absolutely. My kids and I traveled to Pennsylvania. We got there Friday evening in Pennsylvania at Claire's house. And that night we just hung out. I turned off my phone probably around 9 o' clock, and we went to bed pretty early. My kids, they were teenagers, they stayed up watching TV in the living room and were sleeping in a bedroom on that main floor. I woke up Saturday morning around 8am I turned on my phone, and when I turned on my phone, the first notification that I saw was person detected in kitchen camera, something like that. And I said, that's weird. A neighbor of ours that was a friend of my kids, he was a teenager, he agreed to bring in packages for us because this was November, so Christmas gifts were coming in. But the notification said 11:30 Friday night. So I was thinking, there's no reason that this kid would have been in my house at 11:30. But I was automatically assuming it was him because who else would be in my house? And he was the only one that I had given the key to my house to. When I open up the notification, it starts with the basement door being opened. The man coming through the basement door that leads into the kitchen. And it was facing the front door, but it also faced that door from the basement going into the kitchen. And the man was. Walks into the kitchen. It's like he knew where he was. And I immediately recognized him. There's no doubt who this guy is. And it was Sergio, my former pastor, that I had not seen in about six years. At least it might have been longer. I was completely shocked. He was completely identifiable. He kind of looks closer, like, what is that?

[Podcast Host Tiffany Reese]

As if he had been there before and hadn't seen it.

[Marie (Survivor)]

Everything about that footage makes me believe he has been there before. To come into a house that is so dark, so late at night, when it's dark outside, it's dark in the house. He seems familiar with the place. He knows where he is.

[Podcast Host Tiffany Reese]

I mean, it had to be so chilling.

[Marie (Survivor)]

It was. I screamed. I literally jumped out of the bed. I ran downstairs just yelling, there was a man in my house. And I run up to Claire and show her the video.

[Claire (Friend)]

I will never forget this for the rest of my life.

[Podcast Host Tiffany Reese]

Here's Claire.

[Claire (Friend)]

I was staying in my kitchen, and I was making breakfast. I was downstairs with my daughter and Marie's kids, and I heard her coming down the stairs. She said my name. You could feel the terror in her voice. She came around the corner. She was white as a ghost. I just immediately knew that something was, like, terribly wrong. I can't remember her exact words, but it was something along the lines of, like, somebody broke into my house last night. There was a man in my house last night. She came over to me, and we were watching the video, and her kids were behind us. And the video wasn't even on for, like, two seconds. And her kids were like, that's Sergio. He looks directly at the camera the first night and bolts out the Door. You know that he knows that the cameras are there. She's like, what is he doing in our house? Why is he there? She had posted on her Instagram story that they were on a road trip. She was like, I typically never post that. I'm away from my house. Later, in hindsight, after this happens, she goes back to her stories and sees that even though she does not have him on any social media whatsoever, her Instagram profile is public. And he had watched her stories and saw that she was out of state. One of the first things that we were extremely concerned about was that it had something to do with her daughter, because the way that he was getting in the house was through her basement door. Her basement is a above ground, for lack of a better word. And her daughter's room was down there.

[Marie (Survivor)]

I can look back now and see all of the red flags. And that's the crazy thing is I went through so much with him. Why would I be so shocked about this? But for some reason, I still was. If I had been on the outside looking in and that happened to somebody else, I wouldn't be that shocked. I don't think, if. If I knew the prior history because I knew him before. I think that is probably one of the biggest reasons. It was just hard for me to actually accept that he was a predator, he was a stalker. When I saw him on my security camera, that's when I feared for my life. That's when I really recognized and maybe accepted that this is a dangerous man. And I was absolutely in fear of my life and in fear of our safety and the safety of my children. I immediately called police. I went to another room because I also didn't want to share all of the past history with my kids listening. I called 911. I let them know that there was a man that broken into my house. I just saw the camera footage. He's not supposed to be there. I told him who it was and that it was my former pastor and he had no permission to be in my house. And I said, I've had problems with him before. The police officer asked me a couple questions, so he definitely seemed interested to get more information, to have more clarity. He also asked me if I'd ever sent nude images to him, which my initial reaction in my head was, why the hell does that matter? I'm still not totally sure why that matters, but somehow it seems to matter because police officers asked me that the next night too. I let him know that no images have ever been shared between us. I'm thinking that it might be to determine intent. The police officer asked me if I wanted to press charges and I said yes. He asked me when I would be home back in Lynchburg. This was Saturday morning, November 11th. Sunday, November 12th, I'd be back in the evening. He said he would come over and then he would write the report. What I understood is they were not going to have any contact with him. They had to do the report first. That is why Sergio wasn't arrested that night, which is why he came back.

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[Claire (Friend)]

After this happened, it was like the floodgates opened in Marie's mind and she just kept remembering these interactions or things that had happened over the years where she realized even though she didn't know it, he had basically been watching her or involved in her life in some way all along and she didn't even realize that it was happening. It was like dominoes falling, all these things that she was remembering. I didn't actually find out really anything until she was at my house. She didn't share anything that had gone on. She was trying to be so respectful, respectful and so understanding for his family that she was living through this alone. And so I think she kind of like compartmentalized all that stuff because of what she was going through in her personal life with her ex. And so until this happened, all of those little red flags, all of a sudden it was like a field cleared and she could see everything together at the same time. I remember she just sat on my bed for hours remembering all of the stuff that she had never put together before, how he has been essentially stalking her and she didn't even really realize it. There were times where he would show up on her doorstep, and it was always for, like, some benevolent reason trying to do something nice for her and trying to come off as this supportive person that's just here to help her, when in reality, he was just trying to, like, manipulate, control, and, like, gain this access into her life so that he could do God knows what. He was always trying to weasel his way into her life under the ruse of good intentions. It was very, very wolf in sheep's clothing. Later that night, we were in my living room watching a movie, and her phone dings again. And she was like, he is breaking into my house again. And so we literally watched him live breaking into her home for a second night in a row. And I was like, maureen, you have to call the cops right now so that they can catch him while he's there. She called them, and funny enough, I actually have family in the same town that she lives in. And my husband was down there at the time. And I called him and told him what was going on. And they were like, we can actually hear the cops. It was so surreal. Is this really happening? The fact that he had the audacity to go back for a second night? Marie was, like, dumbfounded.

[Marie (Survivor)]

I said, no way. He's breaking in again. And they were shocked. I called 911. I'm out of state, so they connect me to Lynchburg 911. Then I report there's a man that broke into my house. He had broken in the night prior. He's in the house right now. I just watched it live on my camera. The police got there quickly. I remember the dispatcher was asking helpful questions. One thing she asked is, does he have a weapon on him? And I'm like, no, and I don't think he owns a gun. Right after I said that, I'm just thinking, you know what? I think he's capable of anything. And he's even admitted that he's capable of evil because he has said that phrase so many times. We're all capable of evil. Even you are. The 911 dispatcher ends that phone call after the police arrive to the house. Then I'm able to see in real time the police officers searching my house. Then I get a phone call Shortly after that 911 call from an investigator who ended up being the investigator for this case. He asked a lot of questions who this man was, what the relationship was. I said, he was my pastor. He wanted to know if I'd ever been in a relationship with him. I just let him know he Never had a relationship with me. He had absolutely no permission and no reason to be at my house. I let him know the past problems with him and that he doesn't stop every time I try to set boundaries, his behaviors would just escalate. And they wanted to know why he would be in my house. That's a question that was asked to me a couple of times that night. Why would he be in my house? And I said, I have no idea. He asked me if I wanted to press charges. I said yes. And that's the point where. Then they went into the home to search for him because I believed he was still there. I even asked that investigator, is he still in my house? And he said, well, we're still trying to figure that out.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Yeah. Temporary units on the right. It's going to be the house right next to you. Let's get a perimeter, and we'll hold it till the dog.

[Marie (Survivor)]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

All right, Lynchburg Police.

[Marie (Survivor)]

K9, anyone. Make yourself known now. Make yourself known now. If not, I'll release the dog. And when he finds you, he'll bite you.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

That's what the notes say. It's her. It's an old past.

[Carvana Announcer]

What?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Really?

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Yeah, the note.

[Marie (Survivor)]

The more notes popped up when y' all got.

[Grainger Announcer]

After y' all got here.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Okay. It's a weird thing to your pastor.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Yeah.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

An old pastor.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Do we know, like, what she wants

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

us to do or why would he be in her house? Do we know? The note said right before I showed up, it added that it's her old pastor. She wants to press charge for being me. It sounds like this may be me with an attempt to commit assault. Sounds like a stalking issue. Stating that he has never lived here and that she believes he was also here last night. She spoke with officers about that as well. Okay. She says she wants to press charge for B E. That is recorded. I want to know if he. If he. We have him leaving, too, because I'm wondering if. Let's check this front door to see if it's on. I mean, he would have had to have gone out the same way. The door's locked from the inside. Same on that door.

[Carvana Announcer]

Keystone.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Yeah. So he would have came in and out. Yeah, that's all we're doing. We're just checking the house to make sure it's okay. So he doesn't seem to be in there now. We're just curious to where he went. She's got cameras here.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

How do we.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Do we not have him leaving?

[Marie (Survivor)]

No, I guess she's. That's what's the whole point where she's like, I saw him go in on. Never got a notification saying he went out.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Is this from yesterday or today? Like, just before we got here?

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Yeah.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

So that's. Where is he at?

[Marie (Survivor)]

So he either. So it's a ring camera. Sometimes it doesn't pick up stuff. So he either, like, left out somewhere else or not.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

I don't like to pick it up. Yeah, I don't like that or not, but. So it's a stalking. Pastor uncomfy cameras didn't pick it up. Oh, I hope so. That's still a really weird thing.

[Amy B. Chesler (Associate Producer)]

Did they.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Did Hamlet not go get warrants on him last night?

[Marie (Survivor)]

I have no idea with any of that.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

I mean, it sounds like B and E with intent to commit assault or something like that. She says it's like an obsession thing, like stalking. And I think if I would fall under the reasonable fear. Yes. She says she lives here. He's never lived here. That I was like, well, what's his interest in being here? And you know, what if we got. Well, the end concept for now. I'll do it away from the cameras. Hey, how's it going, Sergio? Hey. I'm. Office area, Lynchburg pd. How you doing? How are you? You. You okay? You look like you're. You're stumbling a little bit, like, leaning forward. No, no, no. I'm sorry. Okay. You're okay. So I'm officer Harris, Lynchburg Police Department. You're fine.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

You.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

We can hang out right here. So I'm going read you your Miranda warning and all that. Okay. Just because I want to talk to you about some stuff that's going on.

[Marie (Survivor)]

Yes.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Okay. All right. So why did you enter street tonight? Why you going to. I didn't. We have. I have you on video of doing it about 30 minutes ago. You did? Why. Why'd you go inside? I didn't go inside. You did go inside. You entered through the basement. No, the back door. We have. We have you. I could play you the video. I'm just trying to figure out why you would do that. I don't know. You don't know why you would do that? No, I. I don't care. Maybe I should remain silent. All right, so we're trying to figure out exactly. Do you have the video for me? That's you right there.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Same glasses and everything.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

You're wearing the same clothes, going right

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

in the back door.

[Claire (Friend)]

Did you used to live there?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

No.

[Marie (Survivor)]

You know her? Like, why help us help you? Like, why are you going in here?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

That's not me.

[Marie (Survivor)]

That is you. We didn't just randomly come over to your house.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

This is you walking down the street wearing the exact same outfit that you're wearing right now, just with a jacket on.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

In the same van.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

In the same van. It's gonna zoom in here in a second.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Yeah, we have your own camera last night doing it too.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

And there's a camera in the house that has your face in it.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

We're just trying to make sense all this because, I don't know, it makes it difference if you're going in to hurt somebody or if you're going in to steal something or if you. You just have an obsession with somebody. All these things make a difference. The reason why I know that you did it. I'm not here to dispute with you that you did it. This is me trying to figure out why. Because the why is what elevates everything. So that's why I'm trying to figure this out. I didn't go in there. Okay. Keep hearing such a box for me, okay? I'm sorry. Okay. Am I under arrest? Not right now, but go ahead and just put your hands on your back for me. You're just being detained. All right?

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Is your wife inside?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Yeah. Okay. I have a conversation with her here in a second. Figure out what's going on. Lynchburg Police Department. Hi, I'm Officer centripet. Do you mind if I come inside and talk to you for a minute? Hi, Are you Sergio's wife?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Yes.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Can I speak to you out here for a moment?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Yes. Yes,

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

I'll talk to you down here. I just don't want to get everybody involved in the business. Do you know where Sergio's been tonight? You aware of his whereabouts the last hour or so? Does he tell you where he was going?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Yes, he went to Party City and he told me that the place was closed. He come back here.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Okay.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

And he told me we. We're trying to find. Buy balloons for the pastor. That is. That is his birthday tomorrow, so I have to go to Kroger to buy them. What happened?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Is your last name, is it?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Yes.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Okay. What's your first name? I'm sorry.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Laura.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Laura. Laura. Okay, Laura. So do you know a Marie who stays off Avenue?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

No.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

No? You don't know? Used to maybe be a past or. He used to be her pastor. A female. There's a. We have your husband on video entering somebody's dwelling through the basement door in the last hour or so. And it sounds like it's been an ongoing problem the last couple Nights he most certainly, I don't think, has been at Party City. I have him on video, and she recognized him. So I'm trying to make sense of all this. Do you know why that might be?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

No, I don't know. Who's Marie in.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Okay, so you're not familiar with that at all?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

No.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Okay. I'm not trying to scare you, upset you or anything.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

I'm very scared.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

But the issue is, is that he's. He's denying any knowledge of it. And we have him very plainly on video doing it, which makes me lead me to believe that something's more. Something more to it. But he had. His intent was more than just. Than just invading somebody's privacy. So that's my. That's my concern. Has he ever done anything like that?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

No. No.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Never. Never. Okay, so. So that's something that I Clearly.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

In video. Can I see the video?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Sure. Sure. I can. I can. I can get that for you here in a second. But you. He's never mentioned anything about anybody?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

No, no, no.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Okay. Do you all have children together?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Yes, of course. Three.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

How old is he?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

He's 48.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

48, okay. Yeah. It's. I know this is kind of a. Kind of a shock, and I'm not trying to, like I said, stir anything up, but what I'm. I. I am concerned is because it sounds like. Like when we spoke with the female, she recognized him. That's how we were able to find you here, is that. And he's very plainly in the video, wearing the same clothes, like. So this happened recently. The video is timestamped and everything. It's something we're concerned about.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Oh, my goodness.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Yes, ma'.

[Sherwin Williams Announcer]

Am.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Now I know what happened.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

What happened?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

There's a missionary house, and you can Now. I forgot about this situation. There's a missionary house over there belongs to Thomas Trout Baptist Church.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Okay.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

And that. There's some friends that were here last night. They are missionaries, too, and they were using the house.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

So Maurice says she lives there. He's saying he wasn't even there. He's denying he ever.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

No, it's not.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

This is. This is a house. So this is. I don't believe this is a missionary house. It's not. Doesn't look like a missionary house.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

I can go and show you the house. It's not in Avenue.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

This is, without a doubt, 100 there.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Yeah, that's him walking to the back. But I cannot see him.

[Claire (Friend)]

Right.

[Marie (Survivor)]

That's just him walking to the front.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Yeah. But I cannot see his face.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

He's wearing the same clothes, the same glass as he is this evening, Man.

[Marie (Survivor)]

That's what we're trying to figure out.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

That's all. Can I see that video again? It looks like him.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

She. She recognized him. That's how we were able to get here as soon as he did is. Because we have.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Does she know him?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

She. Does.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

She.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

She knows him. That's how she was able to identify him.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

What's her last name?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

But.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

And that happened last night.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

This happened tonight, in the last hours, the last couple nights, it sounds like. But tonight is the night that we were able to get out with him. Like, we went straight from that house to here, and then we saw him pull off of Ford Avenue, come up and pass us. She described the vehicle that he drove. The vehicle that he drove is in the video. He's in the video, and then we see him get out here, and he makes a brief phone call before entering inside. Okay, so you're not aware of anything like this, is it?

[Carvana Announcer]

No.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

I'm surprised that he's doing that. I don't know any of that.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Has he. Has he ever. And I'm not trying to pry into your marriage or anything, but has he ever been unfaithful? Do you have anything. Anything like that where you've had issues with infidelity in the past or something? I know it's uncomfortable to talk about, but my concern is, is that if this is like. Like some love affair thing, it makes a difference, as opposed to if. If he's going to harm her or something like that, that makes a difference. So has anything like that ever happened? How long have y' all been married?

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

17 years.

[Claire (Friend)]

17, 18.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Does any. Any of this surprise you, or is this, like, what's.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

I. I am surprised. I'm very. What is he doing there?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

It's that. Which. Which is we're trying to figure out. I'm gonna make a phone call to the victim and figure out if we need the car, because we don't know if anything was taken. I'll return this back to him. You're. You're okay to go inside or hang out out here, but we're probably gonna be here for a little bit between talking to him and potentially looking in the vehicle to see if anything was taken. That's kind of one of the issues that we're running into now is that if it. If it was something, he was just going in there to take something or something like that, it's different. But again, if he was going in there to hurt somebody, that is a Very elevated charge, and that's what we're trying to sort out. But if you have anything that you can help us out with in reference to trying to explain this or make heads over tails, because right now he's. We've shown him the video, and he's like, he doesn't have anything to say. He's just quiet.

[Marie (Survivor)]

So that's what.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

He was quiet?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

He said. He said I was initially. I told him, hey, can you tell me why you were in 8 Avenue? And said I wasn't. I said, well, you were. And I show him a video, and he's like, I. I don't know. He's like, he doesn't have anything to say.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

But he said that it was him.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

No. So he's denying that he was ever there. He's like, I don't know. Yeah, he's like, I don't know.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Can I see the video again?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

So I don't have Officer McLeod's passcode. I'll be right back. I'm gonna make a phone call and I'll be right back with you. Okay, so she's stating that this is on news to her. I'm going to call the female, the complainant.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

He admits to knowing Marie. He said that they used to go to church a long time ago together. Said he's known him for about 10

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

years and that he sexually assaulted her in the past.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

He's not saying that.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

No, no, but she said that.

[Sherwin Williams Announcer]

She said that.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

She said 2017.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

I mean, he's got looks like almost identical glasses and everything.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

No, she was. She. I need him.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Yeah, well, he's. He's one of the lead pastors for the Hispanic church for TRBC Crazy. And we can step over here.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Yeah, let's do that. Hello?

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Hey, Marie, it's Officer McLoud again. How are you?

[Marie (Survivor)]

Hey, good.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Hey, you're on speaker phone here with my partner, Officer Harris. Okay, so we are. We're trying to figure out if anything was taken and what the. I guess the motive for him doing this would be.

[Marie (Survivor)]

I cannot even understand the motive. So I don't think he would have taken anything.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Even if it's like. If this is a sexual obsession, you don't think he might have taken. Taken underwear or articles of your clothing or anything? Because what other reason? If he knows you're not home, what do you have to enter the house?

[Marie (Survivor)]

That's the thing. Maybe it was that.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Well, I'm not trying to. That's just something that I've seen in the past with when it comes to Obsession or something like that.

[Carvana Announcer]

There's no.

[Marie (Survivor)]

There is no other. There's no other motive he wouldn't have. It wouldn't be to steal. As far as motive, I think it is. It has to be sexual. It has to be something like that because there's. There is no other motive.

[Claire (Friend)]

Stalking. That's.

[Marie (Survivor)]

He's stalking.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Okay. And he did this last night as well. Am I understanding that right?

[Marie (Survivor)]

Last night?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Yeah. Can you resend those videos to. To Officer McLeod, please? Reference to last night. And you.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

You have. I just want to clarify, you have the video footage of him inside that residence as well, right? From the kitchen?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Yes, yes. Can you send that as well? That would be fantastic. Because I'm assuming that's a pretty. That's a full body shot.

[Capella University Announcer]

Yes.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Okay, so obvious, obviously you gave. You gave me his name, right? So from the video footage, you recognized him?

[Marie (Survivor)]

Oh, absolutely.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Okay.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Pretty clean.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

There's a shoe.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Has he tried to contact you recently or anything like that?

[Marie (Survivor)]

No, that's the. That's the crazy thing. I've had no contact with this guy, so I don't understand. I have not talked to him in. I guess that was the last time when he entered my. When I found him in my house in my town home. I believe that was like 2017. Really concerns me that we've had no contact, like, hey, I'll call you right back.

[Podcast Host Tiffany Reese]

Next time on Something was Wrong.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

Sergio, this is a video of you inside Marie's kitchen. Boom. That's you with your phone light on, looking right at the camera. And then you go back downstairs. So here's your chance. Why, like, what's the deal? Nothing.

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Nothing, sir.

[Laura (Sergio's Wife)]

Okay.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

We said you're a pastor, so I won't lecture you on. On what the word says because you already know what it says. Truth is truth, right?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Correct.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

That's a piece that you got to make between you and God, right?

[Officer Harris (Police Officer)]

Correct.

[Officer McLeod (Police Officer)]

So do that what you will. If you don't want to talk to me about it, that's fine, but obviously I've got all the evidence I need.

[Podcast Host Tiffany Reese]

Thank you endlessly to every Survivor guest and expert who has contributed to our community. We are eternally grateful for your bravery, energy and time. Something was wrong is a broken cycle. Media production created and produced by Tiffany Reese. Thank you to our incredible team, associate producer Amy B. Chesler, audio engineer Becca High, and social media marketing manager, Lauren Barkman. Special thanks to Sarah Stewart for our amazing Season 26 artwork, Stephen Wack for AD audio editing, and our partners at AudioBoom. If you love something was wrong and you want to help. Support the show and listen Ad free. Become a community contributor on Apple Podcasts or purchase a sticker from our Sticker [e-mail] or tell everyone you know like your neighbor, sister, brother, yoga instructor, florist, telemarketer, reiki healer, stylist, trainer, mentor, parents, cousins, aunties, uncs, coaches, librarians, matcha, art artist, dance instructor, balloon artist, wedding planner, bridesmaids, bank teller, driver, dog groomer, dentist, orthodontist, esthetician, tattoo artist, house cleaner, accountant, tax preparer, insurance agent, mail carrier, crossing guard, barista, beekeeper, notary, public lifeguard, camp counselor, flight attendant, dog walker, pet sitter, Pilates instructor, spin instructor, tarot reader, acupuncturist, landscaper, electrician, plumber contractor, realtor, real estate agent, mortgage broker, optometrist, veterinarian, park ranger, farmers market vendor, Little League coach, PTA president, school librarian, substitute teacher, driving instructor, wedding officiant, travel agent, locksmith, Ferris wheel operator, hot air balloon pilot, llama farmer, falconer, puppeteer, professional mermaid or that one friend who's somehow just in every everyone's business. If you know, you know. Thank you so much for listening. Until next time, stay safe. Friends.

[Amy B. Chesler (Associate Producer)]

Hi friends, this is Amy B. Chesler, and if you've been loving listening to Something Was Wrong, you'll definitely want to check out Broken Cycle Media's sister podcast, what Came Next. With more than 170 episodes available, the series explores what happens after survivors share their stories publicly, diving into healing, justice, advocacy, and the lasting impact of trauma and media exposure. Co created and co produced by Tiffany Reiss, the show gives survivors a platform to discuss not just what happened, but where life led them next. Follow and listen to what Came Next. Wherever you get your podcasts.