Episode 290

Summary

Sword and Scale - Episode 290 Summary

Title: The Horrifying Case of Aliana DeFries
Release Date: May 2, 2025
Host: Sword and Scale
Description: This episode delves into the tragic disappearance and brutal murder of 14-year-old Aliana DeFries in Cleveland, Ohio. It explores the community's desperate search, the meticulous police investigation, and the eventual conviction of Christopher Whitaker, a convicted sex offender with a dark past.

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1. The Disappearance of Aliana DeFries

Timestamp: [02:03] - [05:16]

In a cold January in Cleveland, Ohio, Denisha Cooper, 35, becomes frantic when her 14-year-old daughter, Aliana DeFries, fails to return home from school. Aliana, a shy and innocent teenager who rode the RTA bus daily, had never missed a day before.

Key Points:

• Daily Routine Disrupted: Aliana boarded the bus at 6:45 AM and transferred to another bus to reach E Prep School. On this particular day, she never checked into school.
• Initial Response: Denisha called the school and police after realizing Aliana hadn’t arrived. She described Aliana as a "good kid," full of life and innocence.

Notable Quote:

• Denisha Cooper: "She was a good kid. She was sweet, shy and young for her age. She still liked Disney movies and dolls. She was innocent and inexperienced."

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2. Community and School Mobilization

Timestamp: [05:43] - [09:55]

The school administrator at E Prep takes immediate action, searching the library and surrounding areas with fellow staff and police. The community rallies, distributing flyers and canvassing neighborhoods to locate Aliana.

Key Points:

• School’s Effort: The administrator described Aliana as "never absent" and actively involved at school, making her disappearance even more alarming.
• Community Involvement: Volunteers and school staff tirelessly searched 93rd Street, a notoriously unsafe area with abandoned houses and vacant lots.

Notable Quote:

• School Administrator: "We need to bring awareness to the dangers that lurk in these abandoned structures."

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3. Discovery of Aliana’s Body

Timestamp: [09:55] - [14:17]

Three days after her disappearance, police discover Aliana’s body in an abandoned house near her bus route. The scene was gruesome, with signs of severe torture and violence.

Key Points:

• Crime Scene Details: Found in a dilapidated home with bloody footprints, Aliana was naked except for socks. Tools like a drill, screwdriver, and box cutter were left at the scene.
• Initial Medical Findings: The body suggested prolonged abuse, indicating Aliana was alive when assaulted.

Notable Quote:

• Police Witness: "There has not been a positive identification of a victim found in that house... The body looked like Aliana."

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4. The Investigation and Identification of the Suspect

Timestamp: [14:27] - [37:04]

Detectives comb through surveillance footage from Aliana’s bus route, identifying Christopher Whitaker, an ex-con with a history of sexual offenses. Whitaker’s DNA was found at the crime scene, linking him directly to the murder.

Key Points:

• Surveillance Evidence: Footage showed Whitaker following Aliana near a church on 93rd Street before the murder.
• Background of Suspect: Christopher Whitaker, 44, had a criminal history including burglary, assault, and sexual offenses. Despite his past, he remained a registered sex offender.

Notable Quotes:

• Detective: "We saw Alana talking to a younger kid, and then an adult male who exited the bus and followed her across the street."
• Witness (School Administrator): "I knew Eliana. That was not something she would do."

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5. Confession and Trial

Timestamp: [37:04] - [55:00]

Christopher Whitaker is interrogated, ultimately confessing to the heinous crime. His defense attempts to shift blame to his drug addiction, but overwhelming evidence and his grisly confession leave little room for doubt.

Key Points:

• Interrogation Tactics: Whitaker initially denied involvement, creating inconsistent stories about other suspects. Eventually, evidence forced him to confront the truth.
• Trial Proceedings: The trial was harrowing for Aliana’s family and the community, with graphic evidence presented. Whitaker was found guilty on all charges, including aggravated murder and rape, and was sentenced to death.

Notable Quotes:

• Christopher Whitaker: "I will not try to hide behind drugs or alcohol. I will not pretend or lie because it would be fair to the family."
• City Councilman: "This is not a coincidence to me that now this is the fifth young lady... I want this man to experience hell on earth before he experiences hell in the afterlife."

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6. Aftermath and Community Impact

Timestamp: [55:00] - [53:37]

Aliana’s family sought justice and preventive measures to protect other children. Their efforts led to the establishment of the Aliana Alert law, mandating schools to notify parents if a child is absent within the first two hours of the school day.

Key Points:

• Legislative Change: The Aliana Alert law was passed in early 2019, enhancing school safety protocols.
• Community Healing: Aliana’s family advocated for the demolition of the abandoned house where she was murdered, symbolizing the end of a dark chapter for the neighborhood.
• Emotional Toll: The family received a $1 million settlement, though it was a small consolation for their loss.

Notable Quotes:

• Aliana’s Father: "We have to get these eyesores and these safe havens for crime, because that's what they are."
• Denisha Cooper: "I want him to suffer. Like, you know, he made my daughter suffer, but I also don't feel like he deserves to live."

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7. Conclusion

Timestamp: [53:37] - [Final]

The episode concludes with a reflection on the complexities of the legal system and the enduring impact of such tragedies on communities. Christopher Whitaker's conviction brought some closure, but the scars of Aliana’s brutal murder remain.

Key Points:

• Reflection on Justice: The episode underscores the importance of vigilant community efforts and robust legal responses to prevent similar atrocities.
• Legacy of Aliana: Aliana DeFries is remembered as a beloved child whose life was unjustly taken, inspiring changes to protect future generations.

Notable Quote:

• Narrator: "There is no forgiveness for this type of crime. There is no forgiveness for what Christopher has done here."

---

Key Takeaways

• Community Vigilance: The collective effort of the community and school staff was crucial in searching for Aliana.
• Importance of Evidence: Surveillance footage and DNA evidence were pivotal in identifying and convicting the perpetrator.
• Legislative Change: Aliana’s tragedy led to the Aliana Alert law, enhancing school safety measures.
• Ongoing Impact: The case highlights the enduring pain of loss and the relentless pursuit of justice by families and communities.

---

This episode of "Sword and Scale" serves as a chilling reminder of the darkest facets of human nature and the imperative for communities to remain vigilant and proactive in safeguarding their members.

Transcript

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[Narrator]

Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Listener discretion is advised.

[Witness]

She couldn't even defend herself. Look how big he was.

[Narrator]

All right, don't get used to this. This isn't gonna be the new norm. We aren't gonna do two episodes a week every week forever. I mean, do you wanna kill me? This is season 12, episode 290 of Sword and Scale. A show that reveals that the worst monsters. Ah, I missed it. Damn it. All right, let me try that again. This is season 12, episode 290 of Sword and Scale. A show that reveals that the worst monsters are real.

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Most people would rather assemble a 300 piece cabinet than search for insurance. That's why the zebra searches for you. Comparing over 100 insurance companies to find savings no one else can compare. Today@the zebra.com.

[Narrator]

A cold January in Cleveland, Ohio. Then again, isn't every January cold in Cleveland, Ohio? A thick layer of snow covered the ground and the sky was gray. Inside the modest downstairs apartment of a turn of the century house, 35 year old Denisha Cooper was pacing through her living room. Her hands were shaking as she called 911.

[Cleveland 911 Dispatcher Milani]

Cleveland 911 dispatcher Milani evening please. Fire, ambulance please. What's going on over there in 149? Tarnesha, I want to report a missing child. How old is the child? 14. What's the child say? Ariana decree. Okay. Has she ever done this before? No. I put her on the RTA this morning because they give her bus tickets and she knows to eat her right down the street from the police station and I gave her. I put her on the bus and she just gets over 10 at the school. And I called the school because I had a pediatric conference and they said she never checked into School.

[Narrator]

Donisha's 14 year old daughter Aliana had not returned home from school. Aliana took the RTA bus every day. RTA stands for Regional Transit Authority and it's basically a city bus. Even though Danisha was weary of sending her daughter to school this way, it had never been a problem before.

[Cleveland 911 Dispatcher Milani]

What time did you put her on the RTA? It was about 6:38 when the bus rang down. You said it's 6:30 this morning? Yes. What school did she go to?

[Narrator]

Every weekday morning, Aliana would get on the bus at 6:45am and ride halfway to school to 93rd street and Kinsman. Then she would transfer onto another bus which would take her all the way to school.

[Cleveland 911 Dispatcher Milani]

And she never made it to school this morning at all? No. And they usually give out a phone call if the child doesn't come to school. But I didn't get a phone call.

[Narrator]

Danisha never heard anything from Aliana's school about her not showing up. Normally they would send her a text message through the school's messaging service. But Dinesha received no notifications or telephone calls. So she assumed her child was safe in her classroom with her teacher and peers. But then Aliana never returned home. Danisha called the school to check to see if her daughter was still there. She had a parent teacher conference scheduled for 5pm that evening. Maybe Aliana had decided to stick around for some reason.

[Cleveland 911 Dispatcher Milani]

So that's why she didn't call until just now. Okay. All right. She's trying to get her zone car over to you now. What was she seeing? What was she wearing when you last seen her uniform? Brown coat, black sweater, black pants. Yes. Okay. Has she ever done this before? No, she's never ran away before. Did this said, you know, nothing like this before? No. Okay. She's trying to get his own car over to you now. If anything happens, if you hear back, give us a call back because we're going to have an officer come make a report for you. Okay? Okay. Thank you.

[Narrator]

Denisha was sick with worry. This was not like Aliana. Her daughter was a good kid. She was sweet, shy and young for her age. She still liked Disney movies and dolls. She was innocent and inexperienced. The panic of where Aliana could be did set in. Here's one of the administrators at the E Prep.

[School Administrator]

Like I mentioned, I opened the door to school every day for my students and greeted everyone by me. I was in and out of classrooms every day coaching teachers. And so I had a lot of interactions with students in the lunchroom. Aliana. Because I Was her first point of contact at E Prep. She felt comfortable coming to me often.

[Narrator]

This administrator had a special relationship with Aliana.

[School Administrator]

She was never absent, and she was the type of student that loved coming to school. So I. I don't have the data in front of me, but I just haven't. I know she was at school all the time.

[Narrator]

So when she heard she was missing, she sprung into action.

[School Administrator]

I put my coat on, and my director of curriculum and instruction went out to the library to see if she was there. My first instinct was maybe she just didn't come to school because she was at the library. I don't know.

[Cleveland 911 Dispatcher Milani]

I just.

[School Administrator]

That was my instinct.

[Narrator]

She checked the library, but no Aliana. However, there were other places and other libraries that she might be at.

[School Administrator]

We got in my car and we drove to the library at our first bus stop on Kinsman to see if she was there. That was all that was happening.

[Narrator]

I was on the phone with Mrs.

[School Administrator]

Cooper while also calling the police to follow up. At that point, the police were at Ephraim, so I went back to school to talk with the officer.

[Narrator]

Back at the school, the staff talked with the police. As concern grew, everyone who knew Aliana could tell something was very wrong.

[School Administrator]

The police officer was there. He wanted to take my statement and learn more about Aliana. At the time, the officer had felt like maybe she was just a typical kid and run away. And I. I told the officer that that was. In my gut. I knew Eliana. That was not something she would do. And so he told me that he would go back out to the community. And myself and three of my staff members continue to call parents and call students to find out if anyone had any understanding of where she was. I go home, I call Mrs. Cooper to let you know you stay on the phone that entire night. She called. I remember Mrs. Cooper called me around midnight that night. Just keeping in touch.

[Narrator]

Nobody slept that night. Not Danisha Cooper, not any of the school staff, not any of her friends or extended family. Everyone was busy making a plan for how to find her. And the next day, they got to work.

[School Administrator]

The next morning, we set up a system where my school and a few of our other schools brought teachers and staff over. And we canvass the area with flyers and we divided the city up. So myself and my director of curriculum instruction, we went as far as tower city. We had folks up and down 93rd, up and down all the neighborhood. We were there all day. That evening, I went to a community event with the peacekeepers and Aliana's family. There was news media there wanted to call to the community to find out if anyone had any information about her. We prayed that night that was the end of that night.

[Narrator]

The community rallied together in search of Aliana, and the faculty at EPREP took charge. Meanwhile, the police were starting their investigation, retracing their steps. Every weekday morning, Aliana would catch the number 14 bus and ride it to 93rd and Kinsman. Then she'd transfer to another bus, which took her down 93rd to her school. This was not the best area between kinsman and eprep. 93rd street was home to a few churches, auto shops, vacant lots, and some houses. The officers searched every location for Aliana and took note of where they could collect surveillance footage along her bus route. But they started with the video footage from the bus she got on the day she went missing.

[Detective]

At that point, I did review the video, and there was a couple of things that we saw on the video. We saw Alana talking to a younger age kid, approximately her age, high school age kid that, you know, ped our interest.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

But she.

[Detective]

She was having some sort of conversation with him. And then there was also another adult male that was seen on that video who was seen exiting the bossman, Alana Finn, ex. The bus that peaked our entrance as well.

[Narrator]

The man in the video footage did more than just talk to Aliana on the bus.

[Detective]

He had gotten off the bus, fallen Alana, same path Alana was going, where she was crossing East 93rd street to the other side. And that male in that video appeared to reach out and say something to her in the crosswalk. That kind of peaked out right here. She was an older adult male. They had no conversation with her whatsoever on the bus. Reached out and said something to her in that crosswalk.

[Narrator]

The man in the RTA bus footage sat facing the front with his white hoodie pulled up. As Aliana exits the bus, he looks up, grabs his two bags, and gets off the bus behind her. He yells something as they both cross the busy intersection. But Aliana keeps walking until she gets to the other side of the street. That's when the footage ends. The bus continues its route. So what do you do next?

[Detective]

At that point, I started to check vacant lots in the area of 93rd and Kinsman, also along the path of Kinsman to Union, which would be the school room.

[Narrator]

So they kept searching. Soon, the FBI got involved. Danisha handed over her daughter's phone just in case there was something on it, which she'd found in her bedroom dresser. Anything on there could help. Still no Aliana. The whole neighborhood was on high alert in search of this beloved teenager. It felt like she had just vanished into thin air. Then police found a body. Police have more questions than answers after they discovered the body of a female inside an abandoned home late last night.

[Witness]

And while investigators wait for a positive id, there is concern tonight that it could be that of a missing 14 year old Cleveland girl.

[Narrator]

On Sunday, January 29, 2017, only three days after she'd been reported missing, officers searched an abandoned house just off 93rd Street. Inside the cold and crumbling home, the police used their flashlights to follow bloody footprints and smears towards a room. Inside they found a training bra, some clothes, a ripped condom wrapper, and the body of a young black female. She was naked except for a pair of socks. On the built in window bench next to her was an assortment of torture tools, a drill, a Phillips head screwdriver, a nut driver and a box cutter. There has not been a positive identification of a victim found in that house on Sunday night. And until there is positive scientific evidence, we're not going to announce who that person is. We have a very strong idea based on evidence and things like that of who that person is. And we've talked to that family, we're in constant contact with that family. But until the medical examiner makes that positive identification, we don't have an announcement for that. The body looked like Aliana, but there had been several missing women reported in the area, so they had to be sure. After securing her dental records, it was confirmed.

[School Administrator]

I went home. I went home. And then a few hours later I, I got a call from my, my, my boss to let me know what had happened. I, I had to call all her teachers. I had to call everyone, tell everybody what happened.

[Narrator]

My school, she's my student.

[School Administrator]

It's our community. I just felt like everyone had been putting so much time and effort into finding her that we needed, everyone needed to know what had happened.

[Narrator]

As far as anyone could tell, Aliana had been mercilessly tortured and killed in this terrifying house with its cracked door frames, scurrying rats and peeling wallpaper. Now the police had to follow the breadcrumbs of video footage to find the person who killed her.

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[Narrator]

Today@the zebra.com 14 year old Aliana DeFries had mysteriously disappeared one January afternoon on her bus ride to school. The entire community had Banded together to find her. But it was the police who eventually discovered the dead body of aliana in an abandoned home just off her bus route on 93rd Street. This area of cleveland, ohio, Was littered with abandoned and crumbling homes. Over the past few years, five women had gone missing near 93rd street, their bodies mutilated and dumped like trash. All the murders had remained unsolved. Like we said before, this was not a safe area. Crime had started to fester there among the abandoned homes, and the women who were killed before aliana Were adults caught up in that dark world. But after what happened to aliana, an innocent school kid, Officials started to perk up. Some members of the city council feared the worst.

[City Councilman]

This is not a coincidence to me that now this is the fifth young lady that in less than a mile Whose body has been dumped on 93rd. And either in a vacant lot or a vacant house.

[Narrator]

This city councilman was convinced a serial killer could be targeting the east side neighborhood. But the cops didn't agree.

[City Councilman]

Every time I bring it up, they tell me that I don't know what.

[Narrator]

The hell I'm talking about, that these.

[City Councilman]

Aren'T connected well, Like I said, I just want them to prove me wrong.

[Narrator]

Meanwhile, Aliana's family grieved publicly, and the entire community decided enough was enough. This was a teenager who had been taken from her family. And residents who rode the bus every day with aliana, and kids like her decided to take turns guarding the last place she had been seen, her bus stop.

[City Councilman]

All we're doing is watching, Just making.

[Narrator]

Sure that they get from one bus to another. I'll be out here every day to.

[Zebra Insurance Ad]

The end of the school year until.

[Narrator]

They find some other way to get those babies to school safe. As much as it was about preventing future tragedies, this was also a way to honor aliana. Community is out here, and we didn't forget about you. We're sorry that this happened on our watch, and we don't want this to happen again. Police continued pulling surveillance footage from around her first bus transfer, where the man in the white hoodie had followed aliana across the street at that point, after.

[Detective]

Seeing that video there. And you can tell that the video for the rta bus ends after the bus keeps moving along Tanzania past East 93rd. I responded to the shell gas station, which is right on that corner where that bus passes. I went inside there to check to see what kind of video was available there. And they, too, only had interior video. So I did watch a little bit of the video. There was nothing on the video that indicated me.

[Narrator]

The detectives continued pulling video from businesses and churches all up and down Alana's bus route. They kept thinking they would see the man in the white hoodie again. But then something strange happened. Another man appeared in the surveillance footage from her second bus stop. And it was not the man in the white hoodie. Outside the True Gospel Mission Baptist church on East 93rd and Fuller, only a few blocks away from where she was murdered. Camera footage showed a black male pacing back and forth across the bus parking lot at around 7am Then Aliana gets off her bus and crosses the street towards the church. The black male then goes up to Aliana and starts talking to her. She takes a cautious step back. Even from the grainy video. You can sense the fear in her body language. Then she scurries away. A few seconds later, the video catches him following her up the street. It's chilling. Meanwhile, the community continued to make sure Aliana was not forgotten like the other murdered women before her.

[Cleveland 911 Dispatcher Milani]

Standing Paul.

[Narrator]

Aliana.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Who are we standing for?

[Cleveland 911 Dispatcher Milani]

Aliana.

[Narrator]

I can't hear you.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Aliana.

[Narrator]

Aliana. The church video was released to the public and tips soon came flooding in. But they would prove unnecessary because the killer had left his DNA all over the crime scene. In that cold, disgusting house. Aliana had not only been viciously murdered, tortured with tools, but also raped. The killer's DNA was like a white flag all over the abandoned house. When the police sent what they had out for forensic testing, they found the culprit was already in the system. His name was Christopher Whitaker. He wasn't hard to find either. 44 year old Christopher was an ex con who'd been living and working in the 93rd street area. He had a 19 year old daughter to himself. But he was a negligent father. You know, being in and out of jail and all. Can't be a good father if you're locked up, you know. Anyway, Christopher had listed his aunt's house as his last known address. But he was staying with a girlfriend while he worked when he could. And when I say he worked, I mean he did random construction like tasks on homes for a buddy. I'll explain in a sec. Anyway, he couldn't do much else given the lengthy criminal history.

[Witness]

Do you know, have you seen the news or anything recently in the past week or so? You know what's going on in that area?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Yeah.

[Witness]

So then you know why I'm asking all these questions. Are you familiar with the girl that went missing?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I do not know anything.

[Witness]

You don't know Her. When you were over there working or anything, did you ever see her?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Never. I wasn't even out that early in the morning. First we heard about it. I was in the car with Ray's brother, T. We were going to move a friend of his, and we saw a lady passing out flyers. And we stopped and he grabbed two flyers. And we was reading the flyers. First we heard about it.

[Witness]

What day was that? Do you know?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

That was like. Yeah, I did go back over there that Friday because I wouldn't have to move.

[Witness]

Okay, so Friday you were on Fuller.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Yeah, and I went back home. Yeah.

[Witness]

And people were passing out flyers.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Yeah, it was. I don't know if she was white or Puerto Rican or something. She was standing right there. 93rd kinsman passing out flyers.

[Witness]

Some females passing out flyers. So nothing about her looks familiar. You don't know her. You have no information as to her whereabouts or what happened to her? What's the next thing that you heard about what was going on over there?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I mean, what I heard on the news, basically.

[Witness]

What'd you hear on the news?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

They discovered the body. They weren't releasing much information. I mean, I don't know. Just basically what I heard on the news.

[Narrator]

Christopher said that the only thing he knew about Aliana was the same thing anyone else did. But the police knew that he was involved. His DNA was literally everywhere. Instead of bashing him with the cold, hard evidence right away, they wanted to see him squirm a bit. It's fun. And cops need to have fun, too, sometimes.

[Witness]

Were you ever in that house?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I mean, I'm not going to lie. Yeah, we went in the house. Me, T and. What's the other guy's name? What they call him? What is his nickname? They call him Boogie. Call him what? Boogie. Boogie. Yeah. I mean, we went and we took the hot water heater and the furnace out.

[Witness]

Tea and Boogie.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

And we took a couple pieces of some wire and some, you know, little metal stuff connected to the furnace, took that out.

[Witness]

So you're talking about the piping and wiring?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Yeah. Took it to the scrap yard.

[Witness]

How long ago was that?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

That's like Monday, Tuesday, when we did.

[Narrator]

Oh, and by construction work, I also mean that Christopher and his friends would go into abandoned houses and dismantle whatever parts they could use, like hot water heaters, sinks, pipes, or scrap metal they were scrounging, you know, like rats, like vermin.

[Witness]

Where did you guys park the vehicle to load all this stuff up?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

We just put it on like a cart, a shopping cart, and took it up the street. And the next morning we put it in the van and took it to scrap Dirt.

[Witness]

Do you know how much you got for it?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Not much. Like, it was like $37 split between three people.

[Witness]

$37, right.

[Narrator]

Just three grown men stealing metal from abandoned houses and lugging it out in a also stolen shopping cart. Then trading it in at a scrapyard for a measly $37 to split three ways instead of just, oh, I don't know, flipping a burger or maybe even delivering a burger these days for way more. But. Nah, nah, just keep doing what you're doing. Why would anyone resort to such a low level cash grab? Oh, right, right, right. His criminal record keeps coming back to that, doesn't it? Let's just keep all of this in mind while we listen to Christopher spin his little web.

[Witness]

Well, if I was to tell you that we found your DNA inside the house, in the upstairs, would that surprise you?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Probably through the kitchen, maybe.

[Witness]

I can tell you that we didn't find your DNA in the kitchen. That's not the room that we found your DNA in. That's the reason I'm asking you if you went into any other part of.

[Detective]

The house.

[Witness]

You know, your DNA's on file. I mean, I'm not.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Yeah. I mean, is there the case?

[Witness]

Yeah. The kitchen isn't where we found it because there was nothing in the kitchen. The kitchen was empty. The dining room is where we found your DNA. Do you want to think about whether or not you were in that room at all? What then how do you explain your DNA and actually your print in the dining room?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

We walked around the house, but we just didn't walk. I mean, it's like we didn't focus in there. Like we in here trying to see what is in here. We just looked around. I mean, I'm not saying the basement in the dining room is the only thing we looked at. I mean, we looked around us, but I didn't go around the house, like, just trying to see what's all in here we can take.

[Witness]

Did you find anything in any of the other rooms that you guys took or touched or.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

No. You know, I did go upstairs because we. We went to see if they had a cast iron tub up there. Cause cast iron tubs we talking about second floor. Yeah, we went up to the bathroom, looked, came back down.

[Narrator]

Christopher said that they walked around poking their heads in each dilapidated room, trying to salvage anything of value that someone else hadn't already ripped from the home's carcass. But he was jittery as he spoke. Little nervous. What's wrong, Chris?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I'm trying to get it right, but I'm sitting here, I'm nervous cause I'm actually in the house that this girl's body was found in.

[Witness]

So I'm like, that's understandable.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I wanna get this right.

[Witness]

Yeah. And I understand that getting back to her now, now that we've got the house down pat. You've never met her? You've never seen her before? You didn't recognize her when you saw the flyer?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Never.

[Witness]

Okay. She's not a friend of yours or somebody that you talked to on the street when you were working on the street?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I would have no reason to speak till 14.

[Witness]

Well, sure. She's a year old girl. I can understand that. So then, then my next question would be, can you explain how your DNA, your semen, would have ended up inside her? You don't know anything about that.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I mean, I. I wasn't even over there on that day.

[Witness]

Okay, you weren't over there then. I got to wonder how your semen could have ended up in inside of her. So now we have your DNA inside the house. We have your fingerprints inside the house. And now, now we have your DNA inside of her.

[Narrator]

Christopher sat there, across from the detective with his broad shoulders slumped forward. He looked like a gigantic toddler being punished in his naughty chair. The flyer of Aliana was on the table in front of him, her smiling, innocent face looking in his direction. But instead he just stared at his hands.

[Witness]

There's gonna be more things that are gonna come up once they're finished testing it. So I'm asking you this now. You get in front of this, straighten this out, tell your side of the story. Or you can just let us assume whatever we want to. It's up to you. You want to explain to us what happened?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Got much to explain you for, really?

[Witness]

Well, sure you do. How did you meet her? How did you get to talking to her? Did you see her before that day?

[Narrator]

Never.

[Witness]

Never? Well, then how did you get talking to her? Tell us what happened.

[Narrator]

Christopher refused to look up. The detective pushed the picture of Aliana closer to him and tapped her pen on it.

[Witness]

So why don't you just tell us how you came upon Eliana. That's her name. How you came upon her, how you got to talking to her. How did that come about? What happened?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

It's crazy. What'd you say?

[Witness]

It's crazy. What did you run into?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I'm a cracker and I get high and I do stupid shit for People for my.

[Narrator]

Okay, the scrap metal scrounging makes a little more sense now, doesn't it?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Everybody you hang with that you smoke with or get high with. You don't know everybody you deal with. You don't know everybody's situation or how everybody got in that situation. So, I mean, for me to sit and try to put names or faces to everything that went on that night or that morning, it's probably impossible. Cause I was high.

[Witness]

So you're telling me there was more than just you there? Is that what you're saying, Chris?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

By the time I realized how old this girl was, I left.

[Witness]

Okay?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I left. And it was other smokers around that. I mean, it's like late at night, you trying to find dope, you don't know who to ask. So, I mean, smokers come together to get high or whatever, whatnot. You don't even know. It's like, I might not know you if you were getting high. And I'd be like, look, you know where to get something at. Yeah, you go look out for me. Yeah, whatever. How this little girl got involved, I do not know. If I could go back to this day and prevent what happened from happening, I would. Had I been in the house for the remainder of that day, I probably would have never let anything happen.

[Narrator]

As a taxpayer, aren't you sick of this shit? Just asking. You do pay your taxes, right? Christopher tried to say that this all happened because of his addiction to crack. He was out looking for drugs when he met some guys who took him back to the house. It was someone else, not him. Aliana was already there, naked. He was being very vague about the whole thing.

[Witness]

How did she get into the house? Start with that.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

That part I can't tell you. I was invited in.

[Witness]

Okay, who invited you?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Um, I can't give you. I don't know the name. Somebody I was smoking with. Male, Female? Male.

[Narrator]

Despite the video evidence of Christopher stalking Aliana near the church on 93rd street, he tried to tell the police that two strangers invited him into the abandoned house and Aliana was already inside. He just happened to be cruising around town looking for drugs on. Yep, you guessed it. A stolen bicycle.

[Witness]

And what bike were you riding?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I was riding a blue and green mountain bike.

[Witness]

Whose bike is that?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Well, it was a bike laying around in the backyard down on Eddie Ford.

[Narrator]

Chris went on for a long time spinning a story about two random men who he described in great detail. They were the ones who had done this, not him. He just happened to be there. And yes, sure, he had Sex with her? I mean, why not? You know, she was there and she also wanted to get high. And, you know, she's naked and stuff, so whatever. Imagine being so stupid that you think other people are this stupid. The whole thing was completely unbelievable to anyone who knew Aliana. Actually, it was completely unbelievable to anyone with a brain. But Aliana was a good kid. The detectives knew this, yet they sat and listened as Chris went on and on.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

As far as hurting her, no, I had nothing to do with that. I'm keeping honest to God true. They told me that she was somebody that was getting high or whatever. And now when I see hear the news and they say she was slow, I understand why she was going along with what they were saying. She was probably scared or whatever. I had no idea. I'm high. I'm just. You get high, you thinking it's cool. I mean, you just. Women out there that sell their body for dope.

[Witness]

What room of the house did you have sex with her in?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Um, on the carpet. On the little bundle right there. Which room? I think it was the living room, closer to the door.

[Witness]

Do you recall what she was wearing?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

No, she was naked when I got there.

[Witness]

Well, you were there on Wednesday night. She wasn't picked up until Thursday morning.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

When I went there Wednesday, we was just smoking. We was just getting high. I went and got some more dope, came back, and she was already there, naked. I don't know how they got her naked, how they got her in there. Okay, she was already naked. And so I'm thinking, this is a party.

[Narrator]

Can you imagine what a piece of shit you have to be to show up at an abandoned house, see a naked teenage girl and think this is a party? I mean, that's some straight up ditty shit. I mean, you're basically Ashton Kutcher at that point. This man is so beyond scum of the earth that this is the story he's willing to admit, this is what he thinks is acceptable to tell detectives.

[Witness]

And she was already inside the house, naked. In what room?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

In the living room. She was just sitting there, quiet. She had, like a black hat on.

[Witness]

Black hat.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

The only thing she had on was, like, a black hat. I don't know if it was one of theirs or if it was hers that she had wore. It was basically like. It was like, man, just look out for me and she gonna look out for you. Whatever, whatever. Like, lay down and open your legs. Go ahead and give my dude some.

[Witness]

Oh, so they offered her up to you. I'm just wondering if you had any conversations with her, if she talked to you at all?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I never talked to her.

[Witness]

Was she crying, emotional? Not at all, no. That's surprising. I mean.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I mean, she is. I mean, it's surprising to me now that I look at this and I see what I saw on the news and I saw the flyers and I'm like, well.

[Witness]

So it was just the three of you inside this house.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

And basically it's like I really didn't even fit inside her. So it was basically me just sitting here and I jacked myself off, basically.

[Witness]

Did you use a condom or anything?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

No, I gave the condom to somebody.

[Witness]

You gave the condom to somebody? Well, there's only two other guys there, so who did you give it to?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

One of them? I mean, I opened it up and I was about to use it, but I just jacked myself off and then I rubbed up against her as I was coming.

[Witness]

So your DNA on the condom wrapper that was in the living room would explain.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

It was on my hands.

[Narrator]

It was in.

[Witness]

Yeah, you. You touched it, you opened it, and then you handed the open condom to the other guy.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Cause it's about time for me to go to work.

[Narrator]

So this is how 44 year old Christopher had been living his life. He stole scrap metal for crack cocaine, he worked random drywall jobs, and his only mode of transportation was working with friends or on stolen bikes. Quite frankly, his life wasn't worth living. And it hadn't been for some time. A long, long, long time. Chris grew up the youngest of seven kids. His father was not around. When Christopher was eight years old, his mother died of kidney failure. Fearing the state would try to separate the kids into foster care, Christopher's eldest sister moved the family to Cleveland to be closer to their aunt. Christopher grew up and like his older brothers, turned to drugs and petty crime. So you're telling me the Nancy Reagan say no to drugs thing didn't work? Weird. Christopher was arrested throughout the late 90s and early 2000s for burglary, felonious assault, and other drug related crimes. Years went by. He stayed in the drug world and had a daughter of his own. But by the time his little girl turned six, Chris would be behind bars. When he was 32 years old, Christopher attacked a female friend. When she came over to use his bathroom, he sprang open the door, stabbed her in the neck with a pair of scissors, and then strangled her.

[Witness]

Then he grabbed me around my neck and was choking me and I passed out.

[Narrator]

Then he raped her repeatedly. When she woke up, she was naked and bleeding out. She barely survived. Chris was charged with third degree felonious sexual assault and attempted murder. But he pleaded down the murder charge. He only got four years in prison. Four. I mean, what kind of judges are we putting on the bench? Four years for a violent rape and attempted murder. Makes you wonder what the fuck is going on in Ohio. Christopher has been a registered sex offender since his release in 2009. On post release control, he offended again, but managed to slip through the cracks of the legal system. For some reason, the sexual assault case was closed.

[Witness]

His sentencing was over. And so that could not be used as a reason to put him back into prison.

[Detective]

The process did what it's supposed to do.

[Narrator]

It doesn't make us completely safe.

[Witness]

It never can.

[Narrator]

Even Christopher's former victim knew he killed Aliana.

[Witness]

And a person can go out and sell drugs and get more time than they gave him. And now look what he done. Came back and did. When they found her body, it was like something came over me and said.

[Narrator]

Christy, her death was so violent and sick. Her throat had been slashed with a box cutter. Her face had been stabbed with a screwdriver. Then he had wedged her eyeball out of its socket. Then he left the tools on display on the windowsill before discarding her body like trash in the corner of the room. Now here Chris was, his DNA all over the place, his criminal history chock full of violence and rape. And he was still trying to convince the detectives that he did nothing wrong to hurt Aliana. Sure, Chris, sure.

[Witness]

There's only one problem with your story, Chris. The footprints in the house. There's only one set. They're yours.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

There's only one set.

[Witness]

There's only one set.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Three people went in there scrapping. And then the two people was in the house waiting.

[Witness]

I'm not lying to you. I can show you the pictures. There's only one set of footprints in there.

[Narrator]

Oh, did you believe Chris? You should probably rethink some things. A lot of stuff. There were more problems with this story than just the footprints, though.

[Witness]

I believe that you were high on drugs. I believe that you were out of your mind. I can believe that point. But I don't believe that two unknown strangers that you've never met before in your life bring you to this house that you've already been to a couple of times, just decide to go to the same house that you've already been to.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

And then.

[Witness]

And then you. And then you leave. And surprisingly, in a matter of 10 minutes, they find her, bring her into the house, get her naked and Then you return. It doesn't match up, Chris. So you're like halfway there. You're halfway to accepting responsibility, but you're still trying to. You're still trying to blame other people.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

No, I'm not trying to blame other people. I'm trying to tell you exactly what happened.

[Witness]

No, you're trying to lessen your responsibility for what happened.

[Narrator]

Christopher, there were two people in the house. You and Aliana. That's it. There weren't two other people in that house.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Those two other guys.

[Narrator]

It was just huge, wasn't it?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

No, I swear I'm alone. I'm not going.

[Witness]

Don't do that. Please don't do that. The prints that you left behind were bloody prints. They could only have gotten bloody if she was bloody. Do you understand what I'm saying? You couldn't have just jacked off on her and then left and she was fine if you have bloody prints left in the dining room.

[Narrator]

Chris had been caught literally red handed and red footed. It was almost as though he had no foresight at all when he killed Aliana. I guess crack does that to you. It was almost as though the slap on the wrist he had received for raping a woman and stabbing her in the neck enabled him the power to do this again. Except get it right this time. This wasn't about drugs. This was about the fact that his urges of torture and rape were bubbling up to the surface yet again. And he was powerless to stop. 44 year old convicted sex offender, rapist, drug dealer and user. Christopher Whitaker had been taken into custody for the heinous murder of 14 year old Aliana DeFreeze. Despite the overwhelming DNA evidence at the scene and on her body, Christopher continued to try to blame the crime on other men and of course his disgusting drug habit. Maybe his mind was so warped from decades of crack use that he thought there were two other men with him. Or maybe he was just a seedy, worthless rapist and murderer lying his ass off to try and get away with it yet again.

[Witness]

Which bus stop were you standing at?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Right there at the corner of Fuller, by the church.

[Witness]

Okay.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Cause we was trying to decide where we was going to get the dope from.

[Witness]

And everybody, that's what I was trying to get at. Get you to the church.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Everybody, that's that we was calling either wasn't even answering the phone or didn't have nothing. So.

[Witness]

So the video from the church is going to show us all this.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

The video from the church is gone. So I'm standing there, my dude walked by to show him walking down, talking with Aliana. She probably walking a few steps behind him, and I'm still standing there.

[Narrator]

But the surveillance video from the church showed Christopher pacing back and forth, confronting a timid Aliana and then stalking her as she walked away. Christopher then changed his story and said two guys didn't actually go into the house with him. They just helped walk her to the house. He'd gone through about four different versions of the events at this point.

[Witness]

Once you got inside to get high, what happened? Did you get high?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Actually, I stood, like, in the little storm thing and got high just so the wind wouldn't blow my lighter.

[Witness]

You're talking storm door? Is that what you're talking about?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

That leads to the basement.

[Witness]

Okay.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Where's she at? She's, like, standing right there by the door of the back door. So you mean it?

[Witness]

What happened then?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

And I came through the house, and sitting there, she was like. She just looked at me crazy, like, what does that make you feel like? I said it made me horny. I said I asked her if we could get naked and do something. She was like, it's cold. But she took her backpack and her jacket off anyway. And I'm thinking it's okay.

[Narrator]

Sometimes his delusions are so unbelievable that it does seem like the drugs removed him from reality. Christopher said it was all consensual, but then Aliana flipped on him.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I don't know exactly what happened at that moment. Like, she attacked me or whatever. Like, if she suddenly realized that was wrong and I need to get away from here. But I was high and it scared me. I turned around and it's like I punched her, but. But then it's like, after that, it's like a blur. It's like, almost blacked out or something. I don't. Okay, Where'd you punch her? I really can't say. I don't know if it's in the left side or the right side of her face. I don't know.

[Witness]

But in her face, was it with a closed fist or an open hand?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

It might have been a closed fist, but after that, I just blacked out. And I just, like, fucked.

[Narrator]

When you said you punched her, what did she, like, fall back or something like that?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I don't remember. Like. Like I said, when I turned around and went into that rage, it's like I blacked out.

[Witness]

Did you have those tools with you when you went to the house? Was that something you were carrying around?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

No.

[Witness]

Whose backpack is that?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Actually, those tools was theirs. They were there at the House. I remember seeing them there.

[Narrator]

Where'd you see them in the house?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

Sitting on the ledge by the window.

[Narrator]

Did you use any of those tools?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I don't remember what I picked up. I'm telling you, honest to God, too, I don't remember what I did. I just remember when I came through that it had happened. And I was just disgusted right now with myself.

[Witness]

Yeah. Chris, there's just one more question that we have for you as far as that's concerned, because I can see this is uncomfortable for you. I appreciate you telling us what happened, but there's one thing that's not.

[City Councilman]

I gotta get it out.

[Witness]

Because after you dragged Aliana into that bedroom, there's evidence that you then did something to her before you left. Do you recall that?

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I'm being honest with you. I don't remember your name, but I'm being absolutely honest, okay? I mean, I was.

[Witness]

There's indications based on the condition of the room that you then cut her one more time at least. Do you recall that?

[Narrator]

Of course he would not recall. Christopher was selectively forgetting everything about the gruesome butchery he committed with those drywall tools. But Aliana's corpse told a different story. Her body told the detectives what a vile monster her killer really was. Before throwing him in jail, the detectives asked him about five other missing women from 93rd Street. He admitted he knew one of them and said they used to get high together. She was, quote, good people.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I just regret getting high. And if I was in my right state of mind to. And their child would still be here. It's like. I mean, a lot of things get blamed on drugs. But like, I told him, I was clean for three years, and then it's like when I started getting high again, I don't know what happened. It just turned on a monster inside of me, I guess. I don't know. And I just hate myself so much.

[Narrator]

With Christopher behind bars, Aliana's family felt a little relief. But this tragedy was far from over. Here's Aliana's father.

[City Councilman]

Please watch your children. There's a lot of Christopher Whitakers out here. There's a lot of Christopher Whitakers out there watching as I speak.

[Narrator]

Aliana's mother was determined to stand strong when the court proceedings started. I'm going to go to every pretrial.

[Cleveland 911 Dispatcher Milani]

Every trial, everything, so he sees my face. But I want him to suffer. Like, you know, he made my daughter suffer, but I also don't feel like he deserves to live or take my daughter away from me.

[Narrator]

Christopher was given 10 charges, including aggravated murder, rape, kidnapping, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. He admitted that he was involved, but his defense argued that it was crack cocaine that actually caused the crime, not Christopher. Isn't it funny how you can just skate responsibility like that? Just point at another thing and go, no, that did it, not me. So everyone who loved Aliana, including her family, her friends and teachers, had to endure a very public trial. They had to sit there and watch CCTV footage of Aliana on a bus, smiling her last smile as she exited onto 93rd Street. They had to watch Christopher stalk her outside the church. They had to look at pictures of the crime scene and the unthinkable ways she had been tortured. They had to hear the medical examiner explain how it was most likely that she was in fact alive when Christopher stabbed her face with a screwdriver and plucked her eye out of its socket. They had to hear how, after he murdered Aliana, Christopher went to a local church and helped a pastor unload food pantry items. With a calm smile on his face, the jury found him guilty on all charges. They recommended the death penalty. The judge agreed. Christopher Whitaker was sent to death row, finally where he belongs. Before he was locked away, Christopher told the judge he wanted to say something to Aliana's family.

[Listener Discretion Warning]

I never wanted this to happen. And ever since that day, I've been filled with regret and remorse. Through the year, I made a lot of phone calls. And in those calls, I've said things, a lot of things, in order to protect my family's feelings. I've admitted to my guilt to the detectives and to my lawyers. I asked my lawyers not to contest or challenge anything in this case because I really wanted the Dupree's family to have closure. I will not try to hide behind drugs or alcohol. I will not pretend or lie because it would be fair to the family. I apologize to the family and the community for my actions. There is no excuse for what I've done. I can't imagine the pain the family feels, but I know the pain I felt when I had to look at what I've done.

[Narrator]

Outside, the media buzzed and Aliana's family stood strong.

[Detective]

What do you think of the death penalty recommendation?

[City Councilman]

I wanted life without the possibility of parole, but I respect whatever the jury and the judge has come up with. I prefer him to sit there forever. You can sit on death row forever, but you're isolated. I want this man experience hell on earth before he experiences hell in the afterlife.

[Narrator]

Aliana de Frieza's family Did not stop fighting. Even after the trial, her father and stepmom made it their mission to see that the house she was killed in be torn down. This cluster of forgotten homes attracted seedy activity, drug use and crime. Five women had been killed there already, and Aliana was the last girl the city was willing to lose. Standing outside in the rain, Aliana's father spoke to a crowd.

[City Councilman]

To our understanding, this building, this house, needed to remain standing for legal purposes. But now that we have a conviction of the man that took our baby away, this house can be torn down. We want to bring light to the other women that were found within a mile of this house, and we want to send our condolences to their families. We have to get these eyesores and these safe havens for crime, because that's what they are. You have individuals that seek out these places and beforehand they come by and they replay in their mind what they plan to do later. So we have to bring awareness to the dangers that lurk in these abandoned structures.

[Narrator]

The house was destroyed on December 2018. Aliana's family felt that her death was preventable. I think they're right. I think it was. The school she attended had an alert system in place where a text message could go out to a parent whose child didn't show up to school. But on the day Aliana was murdered, Danisha received no text message, no phone call, nothing. Remember, the only reason she found out her daughter was absent was when she called the school office. Aliana's family sued the school and the city. After a lot of back and forth, the case was finally settled in. The Defries family was given a $1 million settlement. Not much, if you ask me, for a life taken. Aliana's family took it a step further and advocated for a new law to be put in place that required schools to make contact with parents if their child is absent from the school within the first two hours of the school day starting. This bill was brought to the House of representatives in early 2019, and it was promptly signed and passed. It's called, of course, the Aliana Alert law. This year, Aliana de Vries would have been 21 years old. She had so much ahead of her. The way she was taken from this earth is the kind of tragedy that makes your heart hurt, Makes you worry about the future. Hell, it makes you worry about the present. To die alone in that freezing house in the dark and snow with a sexually depraved monster plucking her apart as she lay there dying, it's just too Awful to think about. You can't let it sit in your head too long without doing some damage. She was an innocent, beautiful child who was beloved by so many. Her family did everything they could to make sure her death served a higher purpose for the community at large. But like Aliana's father said, monsters like Christopher Whitaker are out there. We hear about them every day. They slip through the cracks of the legal system and often blame drugs for their actions. But I think we all know better. We've talked about so many of these monsters, these former human beings. They're all cut from the same cloth. Narcissism, sociopathy, psychopathy, the inability to empathize with the pain of others, and the uncontrollable need to satisfy one's own carnal gratification. Above all else, Christopher blamed drugs for what he did to Aliana and his other previous victim. But it had little to do with drugs. Christopher had depraved urges inside of him, and he spent most of his adult life repressing them. He pushed them deep, deep down inside. The deviant killer in Christopher came out when he was 32 when he stabbed and raped a woman in his bathroom. Who knows what set him off then? He was able to keep his urges at bay for another 12 years. Until the day that he murdered Aliana. Like an aerosol can near a fire, he finally exploded. This time, he couldn't stop it. Just one stab to the neck. He had to keep going. After he raped Aliana, he treated her like she was a dead animal in a science lab. I think Christopher willingly gave up his self control that cold January morning. He wanted to do this. He got sexual gratification from not only the rape, but also the torture, the murder. It made him. Come to be frank about it, he is one of the most wicked and vile men that exist. But certainly not the only one. There is no forgiveness for this type of crime. There is no forgiveness for what Christopher has done here. No sentence suitable to fit his crime. Only Christopher knows what's waiting for him when he finally crosses over to the other side. For all eternity, if you believe in that sort of thing. I hope he does. And I hope that his final days on earth are filled with fear as to what's coming. I hope he's a man of faith. And I hope he believes in eternal damnation and hellfire. Because I think that if he's right about that, there may be a very warm future waiting for him. A future much warmer, nay, hotter, than the freezing cold house Aliana died in. I'm sure this will come across as bitching, but it's just me explaining to you why there's so many episodes all of a sudden. I don't want you to get used to it and think it's going to be the normal schedule. You see, we make our money by selling advertising or premium subs, and if there are fewer of you coming in the door than there are leaving, then we can't really do that anymore, can we? And Apple loves to hide us, even though we've been a top premium channel ever since they launched their premium channels service. So we're gonna just put out a shitload of episodes and try to capture more eyeballs that way for the time being to see if we can turn around this trend and get some more people coming in the front door. I'm only telling you this because you're gonna complain eventually, and I'd rather just deal with it now. Stay.