← True Crime with Kendall Rae
True Crime with Kendall Rae
Jealous Rage Fueled Shooting or Accidental Firing? The Case Danielle Nemetz
01:06:29
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This week on a special episode of
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day or night. VRBoCare is here 24. 7 to help make every part of your stay seamless. If anything comes up or you simply need a little guidance, support is ready whenever you reach out. From the moment you book to the moment you head home. We're here to help things run smoothly because a great trip starts with the right support. And hey, a good playlist doesn't hurt either. Hi, everyone. So I have some great news. True Crime with Kendall Rae was nominated for a Webby People's Choice Award under the crime and justice category. And it would mean the world to me to have your vote. Voting is super simple. It only takes a minute. The link to vote will be in the description box and show notes and also a pinned comment. Thank you so much for all you have done to make this possible and for supporting this show. While I'm on maternity, you leave. Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Ray. Thank you so much for joining me today, as always, and if you are new to the show, then welcome. I'm so happy to have you here. Okay, guys, today we are getting into a case that I cannot stop thinking about. I pretty much know what I think. I've pretty much formed my opinion, but there's still parts of me that are like, I don't know. It's a really, really tough one. I think you guys are gonna have mixed opinions, mixed feelings on it, and I'm definitely curious to see what all of you guys think. Yeah, it's. It's very difficult, very confusing, and also just extremely sad. We're going to be talking about the case of Danielle Nimitz, and at the end of the day, there is no debate over who killed Danielle, but there's a lot of debate over why the person who killed her did so and if it was intentional or if it was an accident. If this was an accident, it's a horrible, tragic, beyond words accident. Or if this was on purpose. This was a deliberate, cold, vicious killing. And it's really hard to say either way. I think like I said, I really feel like 90 confident in my opinion. And yeah, I'm just really curious to see what you guys are going to think because I, I'm pretty sure knowing my audience, I know where most of you are gonna fall. But I think there'll be some debate and I think that's healthy. I'm curious to see what the discussion will be like in the comments of this episode. But yeah, we have a lot to go over so I want to get into it. But before I begin, I just wanted to remind you that this is a pre recorded episode. I'm actually recording this in May of 2025 and I don't know when you'll be seeing it because at this point I am not pregnant. But when you do see this, I'll either be very pregnant or have just had my daughter. And if you're looking for any updates on what's going on with me during maternity leave, you can check out my Instagram. I'll leave my handle below. I'll be posting me, I don't know, maybe updates on there if you want to check in with me. But hopefully things are good. It's always just so weird recording this far out. I've never done this when I was pregnant last time I didn't start prerecording episodes until I was already like pretty pregnant. And it was pretty tough to fit in an extra fourth recording on weeks where I was feeling so horrible. So that's why I'm trying to do this so far in advance. And it's also kind of weird that this episode in particular, I am so looking forward to hearing what you guys have to think. And now I have to wait at least like 10 months, maybe even a year or longer because I don't know what the future holds for me at this point. But I will be looking forward to seeing what you guys have to think on this one. And Danielle's case is really one I wanted to highlight. So I appreciate you guys sticking with me during this time until I am able to come back. And so with that, let's get into the case starting with Danielle's early life and what we know about her. So Danielle was born Tira Ripon and she went by her middle name, Danielle. She was born on January 11, 1995 in Northern California to her mother, Elizabeth Rippon Cole. And everyone actually called her a miracle baby because she was born seven weeks early and doctors didn't think that there was a good chance of her surviving. But like many things in her life, Danielle pushed Through, Danielle had two sisters and one brother. And sadly, when she was only two years old, her siblings and her went through a devastating time when their mom died of cancer. And because of that, they ended up going to live with their grandmother in McKinleyville, California, which was great in a lot of ways, gave her an opportunity to bond even closer to her grandma. But it was also incredibly difficult. Money was tight, and Danielle and her siblings really had to watch out for one another. And all of them really went through so much in their lives because tragedy struck once again when their grandmother died, which left Danielle in the care of their stepdad, who we actually don't have a lot of information about. But one of the things that really stood out to me is despite the fact that Danielle had such a difficult life, that didn't stop her from being happy and positive and spreading that happiness, joy and love to other people. And I have no doubt that there were probably a lot of tough times in between all that. Maybe things that people didn't see, there had to be, you know, things that she was struggling with, but you probably wouldn't know that she had harder circumstances just by looking at her, by the way that she presented herself and carried herself. Danielle was very high energy and a really bubbly person. They actually called her a small stick of dynamite. And she was someone who brought just tons of joy to those around her. And it was those qualities that made her perfect for her high school's cheerleading team. She was the flyer, which they say was a great for her, not only because she was tiny and easy to throw up in the air, but because she also loved being the center of attention. So she really thrived as a cheerleader. And cheering was one of the few things that Danielle was very passionate about. She was also super passionate about the idea of one day starting her own nail salon. And she was also into makeup and YouTube and she actually had her own channel. And there's only a couple of videos on there. I don't know if some have been removed or she only posted a couple times. But it was really eerie watching her videos because it just. I remember this time so well. There was one upload where she did a swap with another creator, and it was 2014 at the time, and I was doing the same type of content. I remember doing swaps, which, if you don't remember back then, you basically would like collab with another creator by agreeing on a specific amount to spend and like making a. A box of things, sending it to each other and then opening it on camera. And it was really cute. I really missed those days of YouTube. And there's even a moment in that video, the swap video, where she mentions her husband. And it's just really, like I said, eerie when you think about it in hindsight. Hey, so this is my makeup collection video. I thought it'd be a fun way to start out my life here on YouTube. A show all you beautiful people my makeup collection. So as it is, let's jump on into it. But, yeah, when you watch these videos, you can really get a sense of her energy and excitement that she had towards life. So don't worry about all this. Not important. I just got a package from boss Bib J. We did a friend meal swap here on YouTube. And I'm excited because it's my first swap. And yeah, let's get to open it. Let's see if I can do this
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cute little.
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Yeah, I'm really excited. I hope you enjoy. Thank you guys for watching my video and I will check you later. Don't forget to like and subscribe. And, yeah, have a good one. Bye. And Danielle just seemed to have a huge heart. Her loved ones say that she was super into giving bear hugs and spending time with her friends. And she especially loved love. And growing up, she had a few boyfriends that she really wanted to give that love to. And of course, she wanted that in return. And there have been people who knew her well that have been interviewed that say things along the lines of, you know, she was sort of filling a void with these boyfriends, and of course, this is just their opinions, but it seemed like she would get really close with the boyfriend's families as well. And I can see why these other families would accept her so much because she's so awesome. And I think she was really, really searching for that fairytale ending and stability. Her cheer coach said that she could just sense that Danielle was longing for that family dynamic that she was missing, and she went looking for it. In boys, she said, quote, every boyfriend was the one she was going to marry. And I don't think she means that in a bad way at all. I think she could just see how much love Danielle had to offer and how ready she was to give that to someone and have her storybook ending. But like most young relationships, things didn't always work out with all of these different boyfriends. That was until her junior year of high school, though, when she met Skyler Nimitz on Facebook. Now, Skyler was a few years older than her and had recently graduated from a nearby high school. And it's been said that these two fell head over heels for one another. His mom, Danette said that her son just suddenly had this sort of sparkle in his eye that she had never seen before. And after some convincing, she agreed to let Danielle move in. With keep in mind, she had only known Skyler for a month at this point. But his mom just said that she felt really sorry for Danielle in a lot of ways and for the circumstances that she dealt with in life. And she genuinely loved being around her, loved spoiling her and enjoyed making her feel like part of the family. Eventually, Danielle even started calling her mom. And Danette said that she really also thought of Danielle as a daughter. And not too many months later, she did become a member of their family. After knowing each other for three months, Skylar bought a ring and proposed on top of Neyland Mountain during their Christmas break. Now by this point Skylar had joined the army and shortly after proposing he went to Georgia to begin his basic training. And then on March 7, the same day he graduated from boot camp, he and Danielle got married at the courthouse.
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now obviously there are a lot of people who get married young and it turns out totally fine. But she didn't have an adult to really talk her through what it means to be married at only 18. She did have coaches and adults who looked after her, but not someone who had any kind of, you know, authority over her. But of course, she was 18, she was an adult, and she could do whatever she wanted. And what she wanted was to marry Skyler and follow him wherever he went. And she even dropped out of school to do so. And then they ended up settling in off base housing in Lakewood, Washington, because Skyler was stationed at Fort Lewis. And this became somewhat of a fresh start for Danielle. This is where she and Skylar planned to start their own family and live the life that she had always wanted. The thing is, though, some of her friends were worried that she may not have been very happy once she moved away. Danielle's light really started to dim, according to them, and they think it was because of Skyler. It's been said that he really sort of isolated her from the people in her life and really didn't make an effort to get to know any of them. Now, James Peltier was a former neighbor of Danielle's, and he was actually really like a father to her growing up. He would take her and her siblings to the movies and out to dinner, and he played an important role in her upbringing. But despite James being so important to Danielle, Skyler didn't really seem to give two shits about him or really didn't seem to prioritize getting to know him. And James thinks that he only met him maybe like three times and that the most interaction that they had was when Skyler, like, shook his hand and then got in his car and drove away. And while Danette describes her son as loving, caring, and sens, those in Danielle's life feel like he may have had a different side to him. And they think that that side was controlling and jealous. And Danielle once had confided in James that Skyler had smashed her phone when he was angry at her, which is obviously a big red flag, right? But Danielle was quick to defend him and said that right after he broke the phone, he went and bought her a new one. And understandably, James did not like hearing this. He even told Danielle that if she wanted to get away, all she had to do was say the word. But she reassured him that everything was fine. And she'd already forgiven Skylar for that incident. But James wasn't the only one to get weird vibes about Skyler. Danielle's best friend, Mikayla also did. Now, Mikayla and Danielle had been friends since they were very young, and they bonded because they had both lost their moms. And Michaela also felt that Danielle just wasn't the Same as she used to be. This is just one example. And keep in mind, this is coming from Michaela. And, you know, I can't confirm that it's true, but Michaela was her best friend, so she felt like Skylar was forcing her to keep the house clean. And not in a way that's like, it'd be nice if you did the laundry and did the dishes type of way. It was a, you need to have our house spotless, you need to shampoo the carpets and do anything he asked kind of way. Apparently, Danielle always seemed really stressed out whenever Skylar was on his way home because she had to make sure the house looked the way that he wanted it to. Again, that's at least the way that Michaela was perceiving it. And most of the time, that was through FaceTime, because that's how she and Danielle would keep in touch after she moved. But it was through these FaceTime calls that she says she could see Danielle was starting to change. And this is so heartbreaking, but the two of them were actually on one of those FaceTime calls only 12 minutes before Danielle was killed. Now, to give some context, In September of 2014, Skylar left on a training mission in Eastern Washington, where he was gone for a total of 19 days. And while Skyler and Danielle had been apart before, he said that this time was especially difficult. Again, this is coming from him. But he said that they both missed each other more than they ever had, and they were really struggling with being apart. And so when he returned on October 16, he said they were just over the moon to be reunited. Danielle even told his mom that she gave the dogs a bath, she got a bunch of candles, and was really, really just eager to be reunited with her son. And one really important thing that you need to know is that while he was gone, Skyler left one of their rifles out of the gun safe in case Danielle needed it for an emergency. Now, this particular Rifle was an AR15, and it was actually one that he had built for Danielle as a gift on her 19th birthday. And actually, their love of guns is one of the things that the two of them really bonded over. And they had spent a lot of their free time together at the shooting range. There's actually a clip of Danielle shooting this gun, and I don't know if I can play it. I don't know if YouTube will allow me to. But it's especially eerie given what happens. You can tell it was something that she enjoyed, and she looks back at the camera with this big smile. But I don't Know, in hindsight, it's just very, very sad to see. So Skyler says that leaving it out wasn't a huge cause for concern considering she knew her way around it. And if she weren't home, he said the gun would have been in its safe where it belongs, which is also where he kept the rest of the guns. And by rest of them, I'm talking about like 14 more guns. Now, Skyler's mom says that they had a rule growing up that their guns had to always be unloaded and in the safe. And Skyler says that he followed that same rule and that Skyler often says that he was very big on gun safety. But for this three week span, he made an exception and it ended up being this same gun, the one that he gifted her, the one that she is seen shooting in that clip that was used in her death. The big question though in this case is was it on purpose or wasn't an accident? Well, if you ask Skyler, the whole thing was a terrible accident. And here's what he says happened. On the day that he returned from training, Danielle drove about 30 minutes to pick him up, and then the two of them ordered a delivery pizza from Domino's. He says that they got home around 3. They walked through the house so that she could show him how she cleaned it, and then he changed out of his work clothes. After that, he says the two of them went to their second bedroom, which is where Danielle had her desktop computer, because she wanted to show him a few videos. While living in Lakewood, she had actually gone back to school to finish her degree and she got a job working for a granite company. And part of her job was to make these videos showing the granite transformations. And so that's what he said they were watching. Then, according to Skyler, they had sex and then they took a shower and then went to the couch to watch a movie. And throughout this, he said he had a shot of Sailor Jerry's Rum and then one drink with Fireball and Red Bull. Then in version of his story, and we get a lot of versions here, but he mentioned that just before 6pm, Danielle got up from the couch, went into the primary bedroom, and she moved the rifle from the closet and brought it into their second bedroom. And when she was moving it, she asked him if he would go put it back in the gun safe. And rather than get up and do what she asked, Skyler said that he just kept watching TV for about another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, while he's watching TV, according to him, Danielle stayed in the spare bedroom to finish up up work. And then she decided to FaceTime with Michaela. And this was actually their second FaceTime of the day. And Michaela remembers that Danielle seemed really happy. Skyler even came into the room at some point. And Michaela says that she actually saw Danielle run and jump into his lap. And that according to her, they looked like they were in really good moods as far as she could tell. So they talked for a little bit longer. But eventually the conversation ended with Danielle telling Michaela that she loved her and was looking forward to talking again. But they never did get that chance to talk again because only 12 minutes later, 19 year old Danielle Niemetz was dead. And that's because according to Skyler, when he went back into the room to make sure there were no bullets inside the gun and to put it away, the weapon discharged, shooting her square in the back of the head. Danielle was facing her computer screen when this happened. The bullet went right through her head and hit the computer screen and she died instantly. And it gives me like this tiniest sense of relief that at least she probably didn't even know what happened, that it was so instant that she couldn't have possibly comprehended what just happened to her. And I hope that gives her loved ones a tiny, tiny sense of peace. And I'm sure a lot of you already have a lot of thoughts at this point, especially if you are someone who really knows guns. And he swears that he never saw a single bullet in the chamber. But many question if that was actually the truth because, and this is a huge red flag, one of many. But rather than call 911 or even try to save his wife or, you know, hold her body, he didn't do any of that. He proceeded to clean up the scene. He hid the magazine under the bed, he moved the rifle to the closet, and he even dumped the alcohol down the toilet and tossed the bottles over their balcony. And yes, you heard me right, Skylar did not call 91 1. It was actually two of their neighbors who called 911. And you can hear that they were pretty confused about what happened. So during this pregnancy, my girls, if you know what I mean, have changed a bit in size, actually a lot. And so when it was time for me to finally just go ahead and get a new bra, of course I went to Skims because Skims makes my favorite bras. They are actually, I swear, the only bras I own, the only bras in my drawer, love their push up bra when I'm not pregnant, although I have worn it quite a few times during this pregnancy and I'm still comfortable in it, which is crazy. But what has been the real heroes for me during this pregnancy has been their T shirt bra. It's amazing. It's so unbelievably comfortable for an underwire bra. 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911 what are you reporting? Hi. I think somebody was shot. Our neighbors. We heard a loud banging. Our neighbors were making a lot of noise. And what detect. He said his rifle was out and there's a accident. He said her name's Danielle. Danielle was the one that shot and he accidentally shot her. I don't. I don't know that part. We just heard the gun go off and he said there's an accident. Okay. Is she breathing at all? Is she breathing? No. No. And you said you don't know his name? No, I don't. Can you ask him his name? What's your name? Tyler. You hear someone screaming?
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C
I. I was.
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I'm their neighbor and I heard a shot go off and I wasn't sure if it was shot or anything else. The husband had said that she's dead and he doesn't want me going in to see her. It was a. It was a accidental discharge because the round was in a right in her rifle. So the male told you that his wife is dead?
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C
Yes.
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A
Okay, so she accidentally shot herself. Is that correct or What? You've been 12. The accident was something. The husband does not want to talk about it. So we just need somebody here. Yeah. We have. We have been notified, it sounds like, from somebody else. Do you guys know where that rifle
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B
is now at all?
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C
I didn't ask.
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And it's interesting. This second caller said that Skyler didn't want to talk about what happened. But some sources have reported that Skyler told a neighbor that Danielle shot herself. And you can actually hear in a 911 call that. That that's what's being told to the operator or that the operator seems to believe this at some point. But Skyler said that it was an accident, that the gun went off while she was cleaning it. But that's not the story we know he told police. But what a lot of people want to know, though, is if this was truly an accident, regardless of how it happened, why did he not call 911 himself? And, of course, why did he clean up the scene and not rush to his wife's side? And, of course, you could, you know, think about the fact that if this really was an accident, maybe he was scared in the moment, knew that it would look bad, and so he tried to clean up the scene because. Maybe because of the alcohol. But when you really look deeper at it, there's definitely other reasons why he would clean the scene, especially if this wasn't an accident. But you would think if it really was an accident, it would just be your gut reaction to rush right to your wife's side and call 91 1- because maybe there's a chance that she's still alive. I mean, he said in court that he knew right away that she was gone. But even then, I think most people would want to embrace their life partner as they're lying dead on the floor, you know, And I guess that's not the case for everyone. And that's why this case is so difficult in general, because everyone deals with grief and shock so differently. So there's not one formula for how everything should be done, not one textbook way, but there is a way that the majority of people would act. But anyway, when police show up, he didn't have any of her blood on him, which made them believe that he never tried to save her. And another really weird thing is when police got there, he was making sobbing sounds and saying, I don't know why I can't cry. And again, this is. It's a tough thing to judge because no one knows how they would act in that situation. And maybe if you're in such shock, you can't cry. But to me, it's strange that he's even acknowledging this, that he's Even thinking, like, doesn't really look good, that I'm not crying right now. And he's forcing out sobbing sounds, but makes it very clear. I don't know why I can't cry. Just another red flag after that, he was placed in handcuffs and put into the back of a police vehicle, where he was transported to the police station for nearly five hours of questioning. And I am very curious to hear all of your thoughts on this footage from the back of the cop car.
- [32:31]
C
Why me? I love my wife so much. Why me? I love my wife, my life. I love my dogs. I love everything. Why me? I love my. I love my family. I love my dogs. I love my wife so much. She's everything. Please. Never been in my cop car. Just kill me. My wife, my love. I need to talk to somebody, like a chaplain or a lord or a priest or someone, please. I love being in the military. I love being in the army. I love my wife. I love. I love my family. I love my friends. I would never hurt any of them. I'm in his. I didn't. I didn't mean to hurt anybody. I love it all. I love my life. I love the military. I love the government. I love my wife so much. Just my mom, my dad. I'm so disappointed in me. All they taught me is just on the waist. Never been a handcuffs before. Never been a better Concord. One ticket my entire life.
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A
Now, I want to point out just once again that everybody reacts to shock, trauma and grief very differently. So it's hard to judge him in this situation. But that being said, his behavior to me is very strange. I think it's odd that he is immediately saying things like, why me? Why me? He does say, you know, I killed my wife and I love my wife and things like that. But he also says, I've never been in the back of a cop car. And it's very clear that he is trying to make it. I think he knows he's being filmed clearly. And I think he is trying to make it seem like, how could this happen to me? I've never been in trouble before. I'm such an upstanding citizen. And the fact that he's so focused on all of that when your wife was just shot in the head by you is strange. And then there's another part where he talks about the gun more and gun
- [35:03]
C
safety tried clear the rifle. Because I was home. I was her safety now. I was her safety. Not some stupid guy left for a month because I was gone. I was the safety. I'll do is shut it. Clear as I could put it away. Because I was there, because I was gonna. I was gonna clear it. I was gonna put it in that I was gonna come. Come up behind her. I was gonna kiss her on the neck and I was gonna tell her I loved her. I just had dinner with her. We were relaxing, just watching tv. She went to go to the room, make a couple phone calls for work. Last thing I told her. What did I tell her? I think I told her, you're cute. I think I said, you're cute. You're really cute. And before dinner, I told her I loved her. After or before? What happened? I said, you're very cute. You're a very cute girl. Who the fuck does this happen to? How does this happen to people? Who does this? Who the fuck does this happen to? How the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck? My wife is dead because of a firearms accident. I'm gonna go to prison the rest of my life. I'm never gonna live again. I'm gonna get kicked out of the military.
- [36:21]
A
I'm.
- [36:22]
C
I'm not gonna be in the. No fucking tears on my face. I'm always so big about gun safety. Always so big about gun safety. I'm the asshole of my friends because I'm so big about it. And then I'm the. I'm the. I'm the guy that it happens to. I'm this safety guy that everybody hates. And then I'm the guy it happens to. Of course. Of course.
- [37:12]
A
So I just rewatched that clip again myself, and a few things really stand out to me here. The fact that he is saying my wife is dead because of a firearms accident in my house versus my wife is dead because I shot her. And then another thing that really stands out to me is, you know, he is saying my wife's dead. And then he says, I'm gonna get kicked out of the military. And in my opinion, that seems to be the most emotion that he shows, even over the idea of going to prison. Like, when it. Most of his emotion and fear seems to be around things that are going to happen to him. It all comes back to him. He again says, no tears out of my face. Like, he. He knows that he's being watched, and I think he's very well aware of it. Doesn't look good right now that I'm not crying. So he wants to, I guess, make it clear to officers that I'm. I don't know why I'm not crying. And then he goes, I'm the Asshole with my friends because I'm so big about gun safety. I'm always that guy. I'm the guy everyone hates. But then I'm the guy that this happens to. I'm the guy that this happens to. It's so focused on him. I'm just so glad that we have this footage because I think that seeing how someone reacts in the aftermath of something like this, this is incredibly important and tells you a lot. And again, once again, I do understand that everyone reacts to these things differently. Everyone, you know, emotes differently, expresses their. Their feelings, grief and shock all differently. But I don't know. So it's very, very odd. I think most of you will agree with me that this does not seem normal. But again, people don't always have normal, textbook reactions to things like this. If it really, truly was an accident. We also have a recording from his interrogation, which I can't. I can't play in full because it's almost five hours long. But I did pull some clips of it that I thought were interesting and most important that I wanted to share with you, starting with Skyler explaining what happened.
- [39:11]
C
Usually when I leave, I leave her. Like a firearm, or at least I. Some sort of security. Sure. All right. I tell a friend, you know, that I'm leaving. And so this time I had a DPMS AR15 that I bought like year for her birthday party. For her birthday. I left it unloaded. This is where I was so confused, is I left it unloaded with a magazine away from it in the closet because she doesn't know how to use the safe and all that. So I left that in the closet. And I told you, only touch this if you need it. And when I get home, I'll put it away because I'm. I'm home. Anyways. I got home, just relaxing. Finally, she went to work on computer and talked to him, but employees and whatnot. And I just thought to myself, oh, I'm home. I'm just gonna go. I'll unload the rifle and I'll put it away because she doesn't need it anymore anyway. She was in the spare bedroom. Movies. For when I give stuff on the computer for work or she calls employees. She goes in there because we have a computer and it's silent. She was in there, and I left the rifle in there because the safe is in that same room. It's a Cabela's safe. I went into the room. I was behind her when she was on the computer. I didn't. Right before, I said, right before anything happened, I looked. I was just like watching. I looked over her shoulder and I was looking when she was doing computer. And I was like, you know, you're really cute. So I took the rifle and I took the magazine out and I. I don't know what the happened. Like, I didn't charge it. I didn't pull the trigger or anything. I hit the safety. I turned the safety from safe to semi because I was to about to charge it to make sure it was clear, even though when I gave it to her, I knew it wasn't around. So here I think that when, maybe when I was gone, she might have put a round in the chamber maybe. And I don't know how the fuck it went off, but it went off.
- [40:56]
A
So I don't know if you caught this, but in that clip, he says that he took the magazine out. And one of the detectives even presses him on this, and he says that he remembers for a fact that he took it out. Take a listen.
- [41:09]
D
But some things. I know you're upset. I've been doing this job longer than you've been alive, so, I mean, I get that.
- [41:16]
C
Right.
- [41:16]
D
But you've changed your story twice since we've been sitting right here. And I just want to make sure
- [41:21]
C
I'm not lying about anything.
- [41:22]
D
I'm not saying Scott or Yar. It could be the fact that you're upset. So initially he said the gun was in the. And it could be just confused. But initially he said the gun was in the office, and then later on it was in the bedroom and you brought it in there. And then there was other magazine. Hang on. I just want to make sure we're understanding. So she brought the gun into the office and said, put this away. About 30 minutes later, you decided that was the time to put it away. The magazine was in the attached bird cage on the side of the firearm, right?
- [41:51]
C
Yeah.
- [41:52]
D
Okay, so you took the magazine out or you left it in
- [41:57]
C
just when you were going to clear.
- [41:59]
D
Was in the birdcage?
- [42:00]
C
Yeah, the magazine was in the birdcage. I took the magazine out. I remember for a fact I took the magazine out of the birdcage cage before I tried to clear the weapon.
- [42:13]
A
However, in other versions of his story, he says that the magazine was never attached. And he said that he put it far away from the gun to avoid an accident similar to what just happened. He also changed his story on where the gun was located when he was out of town, and most notably how he was holding it when it went off. At first he said he was holding it by his thigh and somehow bumped it against his thigh. And the gun just discharged accidentally against your.
- [42:40]
C
Okay, can you. Can you demonstrate just how you. How you did it when you did you. No, I was just like this. Like, if you were.
- [42:49]
A
So.
- [42:50]
D
So Daniel was over here.
- [42:51]
C
She's facing the computer. I went like this, and I had the stock like this, and I went like that. Like, my. This hand was on the buffer tube, and this hand was on the foreground. It has angled fork on him. I was holding. I went like this, and I hit it on my thigh. And when I did that, I don't know what happened. Like, I don't know if. Like, I don't know how the hell it happened. But within beforehand, the weapon added on fire. When I hit it against that, it went off.
- [43:17]
A
And then at one point, he even suggested that he shook the gun and it went off, which I can't even believe he was trying to say stuff like this, given that he's in the military and he's talking to law enforcement. I mean, weapons don't just randomly go off like that. And they certainly. There is not a model of AR15 that goes off when it is shook. And I just want to note here also that a forensic expert later confirmed that the gun was working just fine, meaning that the only way that it could have gone off was if somebody pulled the trigger. And it also bothers me that in a lot of his interrogation clips and in, I think, other moments, too, maybe in court, I'm not completely sure, but good. I know there are times where he says the gun just went off. The gun just went off, which always pisses me off when people try to use this. Guns don't just fire themselves. Okay? That's not how it works. And he's smart enough to know that that's not how it works. And the fact that he even tries to say that, it's just offensive. And within that same interview, Skyler changed his story and said that he was holding the gun on or near his shoulder, very different than his thoughts, and that he did, in fact, pull the trigger.
- [44:28]
C
I picked up the weapon. I went like this. I took the magazine out, I put it on the bed, I put it on fire, and I pulled the trigger and it went off. And I. It was on my shoulder. It was on my shoulder. It was on the wrist. It was up high. It was around here. I don't know why I thought it was on my thigh, but that was just.
- [44:44]
D
You didn't think it was on your thigh. You thought the story sounded better Skyler,
- [44:48]
A
but he swears up and down that he thought the chamber was empty and he thought it was just going to click when he pulled the trigger, indicating that there was no impact ammunition inside. But here's what a lot of people want to know. Even if the gun was fully unloaded, why would you ever point it towards the back of your wife's head? There is just no reason in the world to do that. And anyone who knows anything about gun safety knows that you never point a gun at someone regardless of if it's loaded or unloaded. And as much as I went back and forth a bit while I was researching this case case, I think where I ultimately really struggle to believe him that this was an accident is because he's not just a gun enthusiast, right? Like he's not someone who just collects guns and goes hunting and has been around guns since he was a child. He is in the military. In fact, while he was in the military, he was building AR15s. Skyler himself says that he knew gun safety like the back of his hand. Yet when he's checking to see if the weapon is is unloaded, he points it directly at the back of his wife's head. And on top of that, it was a perfect shot. And I hate to describe it that way, but it was as a reminder. It went dead center through the back of her skull and out the other side straight into her computer screen. This shot killed her instantly, and investigators just had a hard time believing that an accidental shot would have ended up right there. In fact, they believe that he changed his story about how he was holding the weapon when they told him that the trajectory of the bullet match his initial story. And let me tell you, these homicide detectives were not messing around. They called him out.
- [46:38]
E
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- [47:21]
A
Fraud.
- [47:22]
E
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- [48:13]
D
So I'm trying to get to the bottom of this, man. Skyler, I don't think you're a dumb guy, but I'm. I think you're sitting there thinking, that fat fucker's a dumbass and I'm getting over on him.
- [48:22]
C
I have no problem with you guys. I don't understand what you think. I do. I don't.
- [48:25]
A
I really have no problem with you
- [48:26]
D
because your story doesn't make sense. There's a huge fucking gap in your story. You're detailed all the way through up until the point where we had to talk to you for two and a half hours to get you to realize that we're smarter than you think. And you shouldered a weapon because the fucking trajectory of that fucking round didn't match up. So immediately you change the fucking story. That's about the eighth time you've done that. When your story. About eight times. When your story doesn't make sense and you hear it for the second time and we bring something up, you change the story. I'm trying to figure out why you put a gun in the back of your wife's head and pull the trigger. I have to speak for the ones who can't speak anymore because somebody put a fucking gun in the back of their head and pulled the trigger. And I got to find out why.
- [49:10]
A
Yeah.
- [49:10]
D
And you're sitting in this seat, not this seat. So this seat, you need to tell me why it happened so I can explain that. Because your wife, Danielle, she deserves that.
- [49:19]
A
But if detectives don't think this is an accident, why do they think it was intentional? What was the motive? Well, they think it had to do with that fireball and Sailor Jerry's alcohol that I briefly mentioned earlier. Because what had happened was while Skyler was at training, he asked a buddy of his to buy him some alcohol because. Because he was underage. And it was this guy named Anthony who was also at training. And I guess he was leaving before the rest of the guys. So he had asked him to buy him some booze and the plan was for him to drop it off with Danielle. The thing is though, for whatever reason, Anthony didn't end up getting it. And knowing that her husband really wanted alcohol when he returned, Danielle asked two other guys, kind of in a panic to go and get it for her. And one of the guys that she asked asked was someone who she was really close with. His name is Jeremy. And long story short, they'd known each other since they were young and they tried dating, but ultimately just decided that they were better off as friends. But Skyler, I guess, hated Jeremy. I mean, hated Jeremy. And I'm guessing that had to do with his jealousy and the fact that there was ever something between them before. Maybe he had trust issues with her for whatever reason. As far as I know, she didn't give him any reasons to feel that way. So to make another long story short, investigators believe that when Skyler came home home and found out that she had asked Jeremy to buy the alcohol, that he became enraged. And they think he found out because when he went to thank Anthony for buying it, Anthony said it wasn't him, it was those two other guys, one of them being Jeremy instead. And he says that Skyler was visibly angry because Danielle lied about where it came from. Now it turns out that Jeremy wasn't even the guy to buy the alcohol. I think it must have been this other guy. It's kind of confusing, but either way, way, Skyler thought that it was from Jeremy and got super angry. Again, this is just a theory, but the theory goes that after learning the truth, he picked up that AR15 and shot her in the back of the head. And then tried to hide the evidence while coming up with a made up story for how she died. And even though Skyler appeared happy in the background of that FaceTime that Danielle was having with Michaela, investigators believed that he was, quote, lying in wait like a well trained soldier. They ultimately believed that he waited until she got off the phone, then proceeded to shoot her with the intent to end her life. So they charged him with first degree murder and set his bail at $1 million, which he ended up posting after it was reduced to 350. And he wouldn't have been able to post that bail if it weren't for his mom helping him. And a lot of the leniency that Skyler experienced was actually due to his mom. She had been living in Utah when she got the call about what happened. And she ended up moving to Washington, dropping everything, selling almost all of her possessions so that she'd be closer to her son and get him an expensive lawy most mothers would do. She hired the best defense attorney she could, and he was actually the one that got the bail reduced. And being out on bond was not glamorous. He had to wear an electronic monitoring device 24 7. And he and his mom actually shared the same bedroom at a friend's house in Tacoma while the legal proceedings were underway. And I don't believe it'll come as a surprise to any of you that his mother wholeheartedly believes that this was an accident, and she did everything in her power to try and help him. And honestly, Danette feels that investigators really never gave her son a chance, that they had already made up their minds at the scene. And on that day, she's talked about how his mental health has really suffered throughout all of this and how from the moment that she got the call, she felt like they just decided that he was guilty. She's even said things along the lines of, there have been times I'm worried that he's going to take his own life. There's still part of me that thinks he might one day. As his mother, she does have that right to believe in his innocence. But at the same time, of course, her friends and James have the right to believe the opposite. And Daniel's friends and siblings all feel strongly that Skyler intentionally took her life. And a few people have pointed out that she was likely the victim of domestic abuse. And there's no evidence of the physical abuse. There's some evidence of just. Just verbal and just him treating her like, in my opinion. But there are people who claim they know of physical abuse. For example, the day after Skyler was questioned, that guy Anthony's wife came into the station because she had something that she needed to share, apparently. She told investigators that Skyler had been physically violent with Danielle and that she would often wear long shirts to cover up the bruises. And then there was Jeremy, who also had an interview with police, and he said that Danielle confided in him about how Skyler gets violent when he drinks hard alcohol.
- [54:09]
D
Did you ever note her to have bruises or marks where you hit her or anything like that?
- [54:13]
A
I never saw them, but she did
- [54:16]
C
mention them to me.
- [54:17]
D
What did she say to you about that.
- [54:18]
C
She pretty much told me that when he drinks, he becomes abusive.
- [54:22]
A
He tends to hit her, slap her. I. I guess it all kind of
- [54:28]
C
depends on what he's drinking.
- [54:30]
A
Usually it's just hard alcohol.
- [54:32]
C
It just puts him off when he drinks.
- [54:34]
D
Hard alcohol.
- [54:35]
A
Yes, sir. And in my opinion, even though there isn't proof of this documented or pictures or anything like that, we just have their statements. I believe them. I. I really do. Especially Jeremy. They were very close, and I don't think he would just make that up.
- [54:55]
C
Up.
- [54:55]
A
And I don't think Anthony's wife would want to insert herself into this unless she really believed that. And, of course, we do know that he was drinking alcohol on the night that she was killed. And he even took the extra steps of trying to hide that and get rid of it before police came. But again, at the end of the day, what this whole case boils down to is not the who, it's the why. We know that skyler killed his wife. 100. We know he was negligent. Was it intentional? And why would he do it? And that was really the focus of his trial, which took place in January of 2016. And during the trial, nobody denied that Skyler killed her. I mean, he knows that he did. It was all focused on the potential motive or lack thereof. Now, prosecutors obviously took the same stance as investigators, which is that they think he intentionally killed Danielle in a fit of jealous rage, under the influence. And to convince the jury that he was a jealous person, they pointed to his text messages. Some of them read, danielle, what the. We have Amazon. You don't need that prime. Another one says, come on, can you ask before you with my money? Thanks. Another one says, you're an idiot. Then there's this one, which is really disturbing to me. It says, no lunch. Exclamation, exclamation. I am about to leave for three weeks. I need homemade food. You let me down. And when I first read this, I just. I don't know. There was part of me that was like, was he saying this in a sarcastic way? Were they joking? But I think he really meant it like that. And that's what we're hearing from other people, that he sort of expected her to be this traditional homemaker and keep the home nice and cook for him. And I think he really meant that. And then in another text, he actually accused her of going on a date with Jeremy. And here's what Danielle said in response. You either have insecurities you need to work on, or you don't trust me. When it comes to hanging out Jeremy, which I can imagine Skyler was not happy about this text, and let's just call a spade a spade here, in my opinion, like I said, these texts come across to me as verbally abusive. But at the very least, these texts suggest that he was a very unkind and a very volatile person. And I don't think really anyone could argue against that. And it sounds like Jeremy was really someone who. Who triggered him. And this was confirmed by Anthony's testimony in court. Anthony was actually the star witness for the prosecution, and he said that he saw Skyler get visibly angry when he found out that Danielle had reached out to Jeremy about the alcohol. His testimony spoke ultimately to the headspace that the prosecution believed Skyler was in when he went home that day. And that in their argument was the headspace of a jealous and angry man. And another thing that the prosecution brought up in court report was the fact that Skyler had tried to clean up the scene, which is something we've talked about. But what I haven't yet mentioned is that investigators found blood tracked through the house, and it wasn't Danielle's, it was Skyler's. They believe that he cut his finger while pulling the trigger and that marks of the blood through the house showed the path that he took while trying to clean up the evidence. And the fact that none of that blood was hers showed that at no point did he ever try and save his wife. Now, again, Skyler said that he knew that she was already gone. He said that he looked at her and could tell that she was dead. But in the eyes of the prosecution, and like most people, who cares, you accidentally shoot your wife, you would think that the first thing you would do is run to her, hold her, do anything but clean up the scene. Especially, why wouldn't he have called 91 1? And once again, I do need to point out that he could have been so freaked out. We. You never know how you would act in a situation like that if it was a truly an accident, didn't. And maybe he was just scared that he was going to look guilty based on the scene because it certainly makes him look that way. So he was trying to clean it up. In that case, if you want to go from the idea that it was accidental, but I think. I think with. When you're really looking at everything, to me there's like that room for it being accidental, but it's very small compared to my personal belief that it was intentional. Not to mention there were all those times that he changed his story and changed it a lot. Plus the fact that with his extensive background using guns and being in the military, he would have known never to point a gun towards another person. In the minds of the prosecution, there was just no way that this was accidental. And they say that the placement of the bullet alone just speaks to that. However, the, the defense argued that it was possible for the bullet to have taken that path accidentally. And would the chances of that be low? Sure. But it was possible and that can't be argued. It is possible. And again, I'm not a gun expert, but from listening to people who are, they say that there is a very small chance that that could have been what happened. And the defense also argued that Skyler was pressured to change his story. His attorney said that the detect pushed him to say that the gun was on his shoulder and that they did it in a moment when his client was clearly in shock, which is how they explained the rest of his behavior. Shock and everything he did after the fact, they said he responded to in a mental state that he shouldn't be held accountable for. And to be very clear here, the defense was not asking for Skyler to be acquitted. They knew that he was guilty of killing her, but they said, said that it wasn't first degree murder. And this is pretty rare, you don't often see this. But instead they were asking for the jury to find him guilty of second degree manslaughter, which is criminal negligence. And to do that, of course, they need to paint him not as someone with jealousy issues, but someone who is a loving husband who was excited to be reunited with her. And like the state, they also displayed some of his texts to prove that things like, I'm going to bed, hun, I love you. And hey babe, how was your day? And to me, these are pretty weak. I don't think that says a whole lot, but that's just my opinion. And then this was really surprising to me, especially in this case. And it's just rare in most cases, but especially this one. This was kind of odd, but Skyler ended up testifying in his own defense and he took the stand over the course of two days. And he was crying on and off while he talked about what happened. And let's just take a listen.
- [61:28]
C
Before Danielle got on the phone with Michaela for the space time, I hadn't seen the weapon in question. I hadn't seen that weapon since before, you know, when I was back from Yakima, before I left and during, right before that call happened, Danielle took the rifle from the master bedroom closet and brought it to the spare bedroom. During that, she told me to put it away. You know, she wanted me to put it away.
- [61:57]
A
Okay.
- [61:58]
C
And then she proceeded to work on the computer and continue FaceTiming with her friend. Is that right? Yes. Are you watching tv? Yeah. Very cheesy. Movies on. I was channel surfing, and then somehow I winded up watching GI Jane. I don't know how that happened, but it happened. And I was just dozing on and off on the couch. I would say at least a half an hour after Danielle had told me to. To put the weapon away, I got off the couch and I went into the room to put this rifle away. I picked it up and not, you know, not paying attention to where that weapon was pointing.
- [62:42]
A
I'm gonna ask you a question about that.
- [62:45]
C
Were there magazines inside the rifle? No, there was not. So I pick up a weapon that is in a state the same way I left it unloaded, to my knowledge, and I pick it up, and I was inside the room. And in my time, I was trying to clear the weapon, and I didn't do it correctly, and I made a terrible mistake, and the weapon went off in my hands, and. And they struck the back of my life. I believe, from what I remember, I was holding the weapon like so, and with the ejection port facing down, and I was just looking at the weapon, almost admiring what I had just built. And when you looked at that weapon, do you recall if it was on safe or fire? I don't recall if it was on safe or fire. You know that you told the police that you switched it from safe to. Yes, I did tell the police that I switched the safety selector from safe to fire. Do you remember doing that? I do not remember.
- [63:56]
A
So despite him initially saying he never went to his wife's side, a decision he explicitly said he regretted, Skyler is now saying that he did, in fact, go to her after she was shot.
- [64:08]
C
After the smoke cleared, I saw my wife, and she wasn't moving. I dropped the weapon, and I. I went up to my wife on the left side, and I saw her face. And my wife wasn't there anymore. Did you see the guy shot the left? I saw the gun shot. Where did you see it? I saw it on the back of her head. Did you know she was dead? I knew she was dead, and I didn't know what to do. Scotty, did you touch your wife? I think I touched my wife. I believe I did. Do you see her face? I saw her face. Did you see the Exit wound on her forehead. I don't recall seeing the exit wound, but I remember. I do remember touching her, and I remember feeling a deformation in the back of her head. What did you. What did you know when you felt the deformation? The round had hit her in the head.
- [65:20]
A
He also denied ever speaking with Anthony about these two other people buying alcohol, which was corroborated by a friend of his who took the stand and said that this conversation never happened. Someone is lying. I mean, clearly, either that conversation with Anthony happened or it didn't. And it. If it did happen, that means Skyler was angry at Danielle on the day that he shot her. If it didn't happen, though, it's confusing because I guess I'd want to know Anthony's reason for lying. I mean, what would he have to gain when lying like that, you know? Now, when I first watched his testimony and him crying on the stand, I had a lot of sympathy for him, but I am also a massive sucker. I will just admit that that the more I watched it and I listened to the jury and people who were actually in the courtroom speak about it, the more I saw a less genuine Skyler on the stand. And that's why I said I went back and forth so much during this. But, yeah, I. The more I've looked into this and just heard other people speak on it and their opinions, especially people who have experience with guns, it has really changed my mind. Now, on cross examination, Skyler's demeanor changed quite a bit. He went from being very upset, crying, displaying his emotion, to being pretty combative. He responded a lot by saying he couldn't remember what he did and said, and both defended his actions and denied other ones that were presented to him. And from what I can tell, of course, I wasn't in the courtroom myself, but there were wins on both sides of the argument. In particular, the defense got the prosecution's weapon expert to admit that mistakes can be made. Made and that it can be hard to tell when AR15s are loaded. I found this testimony to be really interesting. Again, I know just nothing about guns, especially assault rifles, but especially with a gun like that, why would there be so much room for error, for mistakes to be made? And hearing that from a weapons expert was really shocking to me and confusing. And that's why I'm really curious. Curious to hear from some of you out there, because I'm sure there are, you know, people out there who have much more experience than me and opinions on just the gun portion of things, but something that the state came Back to a lot was the fact that Skyler knew his way around a rifle. And I think that's what really was the just nail in the coffin for me is I cannot get over how much experience he had with guns and that he was in the military, that he has been built ar15s that he should. That he claims to be this stickler on gun safety so much that his friends think he's an because he's so particular about it. And then he breaks like five gun safety rules in that moment. I just can't believe it. Him being a very experienced gun owner and being in the military just can't be disputed. I mean, how can you argue against that? But all of this made the jury's decision very difficult. And I really feel for a lot of them, this would be a very, very tough case to be on the jury for. It seems to me that they took it very seriously. Of course, I wasn't there. I'm not in the jury myself, but just from interviews I've seen. And also the fact that they deliberated for an entire week and they went back and forth a lot, I guess, about whether or not Skylar had intent. But they said that the reality was, at the end of the day, day, without Anthony's testimony, there was no evidence at all to show that he was in an angry mood that day. So the jury really said that that whole part of the case fell apart for them because there was just too much reasonable doubt. And they're right. There was not another person, certainly not another witness who saw or heard anything that day to say otherwise. But they actually ended up doing their own test on a gun gun to recreate what the state's gun expert had demoed in court. And after they did that, they all agreed that he could have absolutely thought that the gun was empty. So to them, it became reasonable to believe that it truly could have been an accident. Keyword could. One of the jurors who was a veteran did say that he just couldn't believe that Skyler could make such a mistake. One of them even said that if the state had presented, wanted even one good piece of evidence that proved that it could have been intentional, that he may have taken that and said, okay, good enough for me, but it just wasn't there. Neighbors had reported that they often heard fighting coming from Skyler and Danielle's apartment, But I wasn't able to find anything about if they were heard fighting that day. This was also really interesting, though. The jurors seem to unanimously, at least the ones that were Interviewed, they seem to feel that, that Skyler's testimony was very rehearsed, very theatrical, and some of them thought he was unreliable and just hard to believe. And one of them said that his testimony didn't help or hurt his case in the end for them. So in the end for this jury, they did not think that there was enough evidence to convict him of first degree murder. So they found him guilty of first degree degree manslaughter, which wasn't quite what the defense wanted. They wanted second degree manslaughter, but this verdict was definitely more in their favor. And I'd say that his sentence, which was given three weeks later, was also in his favor. Skyler was given a chance to speak at the hearing, and he apologized to Daniel's friends and family. And he said, you know, I am responsible. Something along those lines. I killed her. Her. And I will accept whatever punishment that I get. I will, whatever it is, I deserve it. Something along those lines. I'm just kind of paraphrasing off the top of my head. But he said something like that. And that is interesting to me, considering what happens later. But in the end, he was sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison. Now, some sources say he could be released in 2027, which is coming up very shortly. And going back to what I just said a second ago, when him saying that he. He believes or will accept any punishment that he has given, it's really so fake to me, because not surprisingly, he tried to appeal his sentence, but there thankfully has been no luck on that front. It's just so fake to, in front of everybody say, I deserve whatever punishment I will get, or I accept whatever punishment I'm going to get, something like that, and then to go and appeal it. Clearly that's not actually how you feel. Now, the verdict and his sentence was very disappointing to her friends and family. And James, there's courtroom footage of him. He just looks devastated. And I'm sure it was a huge relief to them that he has not been able to appeal his sentence, which to them 13 and a half years isn't enough. Because they do believe that he did this intentionally. I mean, in their minds, they think that he doesn't deserve to get out at all. And it's so tough because I really, I. I understand where the jurors were coming from. I don't think that the state was able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was intent behind it, even though me personally, I believe like 95%, 90% at least that he did do this intentionally. But that's not how the court system works. You have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. I don't think they did that. James, her aunt and her siblings all came to Tacoma for the trial, and devastated does not even begin to describe how they felt. But at the end of the day, it's so difficult because while her killer is behind bars, there was some accountability. 13 and a half years just doesn't feel like nearly enough given how many years were stolen from her. Danielle was only 19, dude. She was a teenager. She was still a baby. And she had so much life ahead of her. And even if it wasn't intentional, for it to all have been taken away because of. Of his irresponsible, negligent behavior is infuriating. And then when you add the idea of it actually being intentional, it makes you want to rip your hair out thinking that all he got was 13 and a half years. Well, anyway, that is all I have to report on this case, but I am super, super curious to hear where you all lie on this and why. What reasons really make you lean one way or. Or the other? Again, I am mostly of the opinion that this was intentional. But at the same time, I do believe that the jury got it right with what the state presented. And I think there might be some of you who disagree with me, and that's fine. I think there are rooms for many different opinions in this case, and you can really make arguments several different ways. Ways. So I definitely want to hear what you guys think about the verdict and the sentencing, about Skyler, and if you think they got it right. To me, at the end of the day, and this is, again, my opinion, it's really clear that the jury really did take their time with this decision. I mean, they did take a week to deliberate, which is not always the case. And I just want to know what you would have done if you were on that jury and what you guys think of the evidence. And then at the same time, I'd like to know. Know what you would do if you were on the jury. But then in your personal opinion, what you truly think happened, regardless of the evidence, if that makes any sense. Oh, my head was spinning. This one has been truly driving me insane. I cannot imagine how Danielle's family has felt over the years. Oh, my God. It's just beyond tragic. So my heart truly goes out to all of them, all of her friends. To James. That is going to be it for me today. Guys, thank you for joining me for another episode and make sure you follow the show on Spotify. And Apple Podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked. Or you can just search Kendall Rae. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there.
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