Moments After Finding Her Roommates Brutally Executed

I don't care what you did. And I'm sorry. about what I did. Just please come home. Please. [laughter]. Just. please. This is Joseph Paul Dewise and his. deteriorating relationship with his wife. Lauren is slowly ruining his life. I'm driving and I'm crying. I.

I don't want to go without you. I'm. sorry. I will do better. I promise. Over the years, Lauren had lost her. feelings for Paul. But Paul's love for. her had only grown [music] stronger. And. to cope with slowly losing the love of. his life, Paul turned to drinking, sending his mental state into a downward. spiral. his love for Lauren would turn. into hatred. And.

all of a sudden, you're like, "Oh, I'm. just an innocent victim now. Why don't you attack me in front of the. camera? Why don't you talk to me like. you did a minute ago?". And that's what this is about. And I'm angry and it's hard for me to. live with. Paul could only bear the pain for so. long. His complex emotions turned into. [music] obsession, leading him to stalk. Lauren, where he soon discovered she was. going on dates with other men.

Eventually, enough was enough. [snorts]. Good night, Lauren. I hope you sleep. well. On the night of January 7th, 2018, Lauren Dewise would be found dead in her. bedroom. It was confirmed that Paul was. responsible. Uh, I live at 1308. That's a next door. neighbor. She just came over in Paris. and said somebody shot her roommate. What makes this case specifically so. interesting is that Paul recorded his. entire mental downfall from the start of.

his issues with Lauren all the way to. the tragic end. For the past 6 months, I've worked with a handful of police. stations, district attorneys, and news. networks to gather [music] the entire. recorded life of Joseph Paul Dewise. This is his full story.

This was a letter to Lauren written by. Paul on July 24th, 2017. It indicates. the first real sign of Paul and Lauren's. relationship problems, but also Paul's. [music] dark tendency of self-hatred. I have no excuse for what happened last. night. I am a very bad person for you. right now. I hate myself. I do not. deserve you. I have no reason to be. loved by you or the kids. I ruin. everything. You deserve someone way.

better than me." Paul wrote this letter. just hours after a heated argument with. Lauren where he lost his temper and. screamed at her all in front of their. three children. This was likely one of. many arguments that took place in the. home because after this incident, Lauren. would leave their home, stating, "I'll. only return for the kids.". Looking at the letter, it's clear that. Paul felt immense guilt for screaming in. front of his children, perhaps even more.

than most would. And there's a very good. reason for that. In his journal, Paul would often write. about growing up in an abusive. household. In one entry, he described. walking in on his father, screaming and. choking his mother, her face [music]. turning purple from the strangulation. Perhaps Paul felt he had followed in his. father's footsteps by becoming. aggressive towards Lauren in front of. their children, something that likely. embarrassed him. But instead of. apologizing for his outburst, he chose a.

different path. He would begin. manipulating his children, convincing. them that he had done nothing wrong, even going as far as recording these. statements to show Lauren later on. How do you feel about what happened with. Lauren? I'm angry and sad and. I don't know. I'm upset. I'm mad. I don't understand. It's overwhelming. Um, the only damage.

that I feel that has been done by um is. [music] honestly Lauren. I mean, everything was fine until [music] she. decided that she wanted to do what she. did. Was it my fault? Was I a bad husband to. Lauren? No. Are you glad it's just going to be. me, you, Jill, and Emma now? Why? because mama moved away. Yep.

Lauren had moved out of the house and. Paul's attempts at manipulation only. pushed her further away. In turn, his. abandonment issues worsened, spiraling. into paranoia over the thought of Lauren. falling in love with someone else. There. are numerous examples of Paul's. paranoia, but certain examples are. particularly notable. One thing Paul. would consistently do over these years. was send relentless barges of text. messages. They would usually start out. in a calm, collected way. I respected.

you and so did the community. Now you. are someone else. You aren't building. love in the family anymore. Mostly. insecurity and frustration and sadness. But would quickly spiral into. unintelligible rants of self-hatred and. aggressive accusations. Now I am depressed again. How can you. not care? How can you make me deal with. this by myself? Why won't you save us? I'm sick again and my counselor had to. cancel. I am a pathetic piece of crap.

now. I am completely alone. My life is. ruined. My money is gone. My body is. broken. My wife doesn't care about me. except to hurt me. You are abusive. You. You I'm crazy now. Great job. always. ending with some type of accusatory. comment, likely to make Lauren feel. guilt over not being there for him. Another thing he would regularly do was. contact people in Lauren's life. One. notable example would be towards.

Lauren's female coworker, who Paul. suspected to be bisexual. I would appreciate it if you would stay. away from my wife. You are not a good. influence for her and she is acting like. a single woman. I don't not trust you as. I reached out to you and you ignored me. My wife needs familyoriented friends, not friends that married people [music]. and aren't friends enough to help in. crisis. Paul's messages to Lauren and her. friends continued for months, growing. increasingly emotional over time. But. Lauren would rarely respond. Reading his.

diaries, it's clear this deeply upset. Paul. He felt like he was losing the. woman he loved. Desperate for a. reaction, he soon turned to sending her. videos instead, hoping that would. finally grab her attention. I don't care what you did, and I'm sorry. about what I did. Just please come home. [laughter] I don't want to I don't want. to rest by myself.

And I love you. Please, just [ __ ] please. [snorts]. Please. I work two jobs. I won't do anything. I. won't be here. I'll be working all the. time. Just come home. Please. Please come home. I'm sorry. I Sorry. I was so angry.

I have a new perspective now. Paul's emotional swings indicate a deep. fear of abandonment, likely stemming. from his childhood. With Lauren, he was. angry and controlling. Without her, he. was desperate [music] and. self-pittitying. When she responded, it. would briefly ease his distress, but. unfortunately for Paul, Lauren would. [music] stop responding altogether. On November 14th, Paul's worst fears of.

abandonment would come true. He would. discover clues that Lauren had started. going out again. And later that same. week, he signed up for VSync GPS. tracking services and registered her. phone to the system. Paul would start. stalking her. He would take pictures. [music] of Lauren and the various bars. she would go to and store them away to. confront her with later. But on November 14th, things took a dark. turn when, while stalking her, Paul.

discovered Lauren in her car with a. c-orker named Kevin making out. It. seemed to confirm his deep fear of being. abandoned as he stood there watching it. all unfold. Kevin would eventually leave. the vehicle, allowing Paul to rush in. and let Lauren know he saw everything. that just happened. He'd pull out his. phone to record, but would only capture. a few seconds. It was an accident. I'm sorry. Paul would go on to take Lauren's phone,

texting Kevin an array of angry. messages. However, eventually Lauren. would escape the situation. Approximately 22 hours after this had. taken place, Paul would find Lauren with. a different [music] man, Brian. The two. were simply co-workers. But Paul wasn't. going to take any chances. [music] So. again, he would go up to the car, this. time confronting the man instead of. Lauren. This man had absolutely no. intimate relationship with Lauren. So he.

retaliated against these claims, even. punching Paul in the face. There's another good-looking man. Paul was furious. However, instead of. begging Lauren to get back together, he. would ask her to grab her final. belongings from the house and never come.

back. This was a sharp distinction [music]. from the previous weeks and even months. It seemed like Paul's ongoing. desperation for Lauren had bizarrely. turned into hatred. Lauren would oblige and go on to take. her items from the house, but Paul. wouldn't [music] stop there. The next. morning, he would take to Facebook, making a public post stating, "Has anyone in Boseman not kissed my. wife? Last night, I caught Lauren making.

out with this man in her car outside of. a bar. She is the best liar I have ever. known.". Paul had turned to retaliation and his. video recordings made that clear. Yes, I've been drinking. I'm having beer, but I'm not wasted. I'm very upset. I. put up the [ __ ] for years. I didn't. realize it because I was blind. And. that's what this is about. And I'm angry. And my children are angry.

My baby's angry. And it's hard for me to. live with. It's very difficult. It's all about shutting you down. But in. Bosezeman, there's all these young. 30somes with tons of money that Lauren's. chasing. She loves that. And she's going. to step up from me and our family and. get ahead. I'm angry. I don't want her. to keep her job. I would like to protect. the community from her. I'm sure I'll be. an outcast now because, you know, who.

tells the truth anymore, right? Paul continued to bombard Lauren with. texts, stalk her, and most of all, fuel. his chronic alcoholism, which only. worsened his anger issues. At one point, even telling Lauren's friend at a local. bar, quote, "I've killed people before, and I'm not afraid to do it again.". The final straw in Paul's downward. spiral came in an incident completely. unrelated to Lauren. While out walking.

with his daughter, Paul would begin. threatening a homeowner who [music] his. dogs were barking at him from behind a. fence. When the man confronted him, an. enraged Paul pulled out a pocketk knife. and stabbed him in the hip, and Paul. would record the entire event. Okay, we just got attacked by these people's. dogs. This is my baby. Baby, did you. think that dog was going to get you? I did, too. And then this man attacked. me behind the dog after this woman.

Baby, I'm sorry. I withdrew my line, my knife to defend. myself against this man who took me down. with a single leg takedown. As a last. resort, when my back was on the floor, I. struck up with a knife. I struck the. man. You didn't put that knife. They pulled the dog away. Now the dog's. gone. You okay, baby? Okay. I'm so sorry. You stood here and antagonizing.

and see the dogs were still the. aggression. You stood here. the dogs. Look at what you're doing to. I'm blocking my baby. from this woman. Look what you're doing to. This is the aggression these people. have. They threatened us when we tried to walk. by. Are you crazy? Let's get out of here. Are you some type of driver? Are you crazy OR WHAT? HEY, THE COPS are coming for you. You're. crazy. You guys are going to be out of here. I'm so glad you've been uncovered for. what you are.

You better chill the [ __ ] out. That's right. I should. You kicked me and I PUT YOU ON THE. GROUND. THAT'S RIGHT. So that you can figure out what's going. on. It's okay, baby. That's right. Don't run away. Don't threaten me and [ __ ] come to my. YARD AND [ __ ]. DROP THE KNIFE. I DROPPED IT. GET ON THE GROUND NOW. [screaming]. DO NOT MOVE. It's okay. HAND BEHIND YOUR BACK. IT'S OKAY. HAND. BEHIND YOUR BACK. [screaming] DO NOT.

MOVE. It's okay, baby. Luckily for Paul, the homeowner had. technically put his hands on him first. So, the stabbing was considered. self-defense. And while he would walk. away with no charges, this event would. signify that Paul was not afraid of. violence and in fact seemed to endorse. it. On January 6th, 2018, at 11:56 a.m., Paul would text Lauren inviting her over. for some soup. Lauren would never reply.

At 3:36 p.m., Paul would text Lauren. asking if they were still meeting for. tomorrow. Lauren would reply, "What for? I'd like to pick up my daughter and. spend time with her." This seemed to. upset Paul, so he would go on his by. this point usual rant to Lauren, sending. messages such as, "I beg you, please. don't destroy us. I love you, and we'll. do whatever it takes." Hours later, at. 10:58 p.m., Lauren would reply, "No, [music] thank you." A 2hour gap would.

proceed with no text messages between. the two. However, Paul was completing. other tasks during this time. First, Paul can be seen on CCTV at the. Town Pump gas station at 12:34 a.m. Additionally, Paul would take a photo. from his phone minutes after. While. blurry, this photo shows Lauren's. current home in the distance, as well as. a GPS tracking device inside the. vehicle. Following this photo, Paul. would send a final text message saying,

"I know I'm not supposed to text you. now, but I can't sleep. Please, please, please come home. I miss you and love. you so much. Please, I love you. We all. do. Please just come home. Please. 911. What's the address of your. emergency? Uh Idaho Street, Belgrade. It's a next. door neighbor. She just came over in. barracks and says somebody shot her. roommate. Should it just happen? Yeah, she said it just happened. She. needs ambulance and police. Okay. Where is the person that shot the. neighbor?

She who who shot who shot the guy's name. was Paul Dewise. The Paul Dewise is the one that shot the. person. That's what she said. Yeah. She. said her roommate Ashley is the one. that's still alive. Do we know where Paul is now? She She doesn't know if he's still in. the house. That's why she ran. Okay. All right. Is Ashley bleeding. seriously? Was she bleeding seriously? Yes. She. said yes. Okay. Lauren and her roommate Ashley were shot. on the morning of January 6th. Their.

neighbors would hear the gunshot and. rush to the home, finding what they saw. as a deceased Lauren and a severely. wounded Ashley. Additionally, the. neighbors would name Paul the Wise as. the shooter. Officers would waste no. time and rush to the scene immediately. Where are we at? What's going on? I I I. walked over I stayed a friend last night.

and I just came in and I saw that my. back door had been broken in. So I went. to the back and I could see footsteps in. the snow. So I ran up to my room to see. if my roommate was okay. I have two. roommates. One of them is dead and the. other one is in her room and she's still. alive and she needs help. And I ran. because I didn't know if he was still in. the house. Okay. So you you don't know if there's. somebody else in the house. I don't think so. But I don't know. Okay. She Lauren looks like she's been a. while. Ashley said asked me for help and. I ran. work the street. Is this door open? Yes.

Okay. So, we have two people upstairs. Is that what you're telling me? Okay. Thanks. Well, we don't know if there's anybody. else in the house. Is that correct? Okay. Ashley. Okay. One apparent dead, one still alive. She. said I ran out as soon as I saw that. I. have no idea if there's still anybody. else in there or not. This is open. See any footprints in the snow leading. up here? Okay. You ready? Yep. BELGRADE POLICE. POLICE POLICE DEPARTMENT. ANYBODY INSIDE? COME OUT.

I'M GOING THIS WAY. OKAY. I got stairwell. Police. Where are you at? HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE INSIDE? WE'RE making. entry. How many people? Okay,

we're coming. All right, PLEASE SHOW ME YOUR HANDS. We. got doors on the left and right. I'm in here. Police. Shoot me. Who shot you? No. PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME. I'm not going to shoot you.

I'm behind you. We need medical in here now. Please don't shoot. We're not going to shoot you, ma'am. MY NAME'S ASHLEY. ASHLEY, what's going on? Who shot you? Nobody. Oh, what happened? I DON'T KNOW. PLEASE COME HERE. Who did? I hear the [screaming] police. I'm the police right here. Where are you? I'm right here. CAN YOU. SEE ME? WHERE ARE YOU? I'm right here. Where? Ashley was temporarily blind with a. bullet wound to the back of her head and.

several others across her body. She had. no idea where she was and [music] wasn't. even aware she had been shot. Are you the police? I'm the police. Yes. Show me your face then. I'm right here. Can you see me? No. Can you see anything? No. No. No. Okay, ma'am. I'm right here. Can you. hear me? Where are you? I'm right here. Can you feel my hand? Shoot me. What? Don't shoot me. I'm not going to shoot you. Where do you. hurt? I don't hurt anywhere.

You don't hurt anywhere? No. Are you going to hurt me? No, I don't want to hurt you. Okay. Please help me. We're going to help you, Ashley. Ashley was not in a communicative state. at this point, making this about as. difficult a situation as you can get as. a police officer. Regardless, this. officer would do a heroic job of. remaining calm as he continued to talk. to Ashley and ensure she stayed awake. Fortunately, medical staff arrived.

quickly and Ashley would be rushed to. the hospital. Whether or not she would. survive remain to be seen, but the. officer can rest assured knowing that he. did everything possible to keep her. alive. The other victim, Lauren, would. be pronounced dead on the scene. While this is devastating, another. problem still had to be solved and. solved fast as the shooter had not yet. been located. Got the garage cleared. Yep, he cleared the garage.

We got tracks everywhere. Can you move that bed frame or the. mattress? Got a man door. Can we go out that? Yeah. Clear. We're clear. Is there tracks going over. the top of the fence or anything? No. Negative. How about this way? There's tracks going around that way. Okay. Is our gate open? The house was clear, meaning whoever.

killed Lauren had fled immediately. And. while he may have gotten away, several. clues would be left behind. The most. obvious being a trail of bloody. footprints leading from the east side of. the house over to the back door. At the. time, this was a small, irrelevant. detail. However, this would become one. of the leading pieces of evidence to. solve the case later on. By nothing. short of a miracle, Ashley would survive. the brutal attack. She would undergo. multiple emergency surgeries, fracture.

treatments, and blood transfusions. This. was a blessing for not only Ashley and. her family, but for the detectives. working on the case. Because if Ashley. could recall what had happened and who. shot her, solving this case would become. a whole lot easier. But before we dive. deeper into the case, let me tell you. about today's sponsor, ShipStation. [music]. Every business owner knows the headache. of juggling multiple shipping platforms. and carriers, especially after the. holidays. That's where ShipStation. [music]. comes in. Ship Station brings order to.

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her recall crucial details about the. incident by asking specific [music]. targeted questions in hopes of. triggering memories that might have been. buried [music] due to the trauma. So, obviously, you know, we're here to. talk to you. Yes, I do. And I know this is kind of a tough. question, but can you tell me, do you. remember anything at all? When I got shot? Mhm. No. No. I do not remember being. shot at all. Well, yeah. You're, you know, you're a. lucky doubt, but everything that I've. heard, you know, you're a fighter.

It's a miracle I'm alive. I thank God. every day. It's really a miracle. It is. The detective would continue asking. questions for another 30 minutes, but. unfortunately, Ashley was unable to. answer anything whatsoever. Again, officers were left confused as to who. this killer was and why this happened in. the first place. Due to the lack of physical evidence, detectives decided to talk to more. witnesses in order to determine a. primary suspect. Audrea, the neighbor.

who called for help, had reported Paul. as the potential killer during the 911. call. So, with this in mind, officers. decided it was imperative to speak with. Audrea to better understand why she. would make these claims, and she would. waste no time letting officers in on. Lauren's abusive relationship with Paul. We went golfing once this summer. Okay. Well, she actually had worked out at my. gym. I'm I'm a personal trainer at Big. Sky Barbell. And she had come in one day. and I saw a bruise on her. And I. remember saying, "Dude, what happened to.

her leg?" And she said, "Oh, I just ran. into something." And I said, "A 100 mph. softball? What happened to your leg?". She just dismissed it. Couple months. later, we were golfing. And she said, they'd lived here about a year. And she. said, "I can't believe I've never told. anybody this, but I think I need to. leave Paul. He beats me all the time.". Mhm. And I used to contact me every day. And. one day would be, "Thank you ruined my. life." to I can't believe you're [music].

helping my wife to I'm so sorry. This is. all my fault. It has nothing to do with. you. You did nothing. I mean, he's got a. schizophrenic chain of messages that I. never responded to. Anyway, yesterday it's actually been. fairly cold. She went over to his house. for the um heard their daughters. They. have a three-year-old daughter. She. turned four on. Audrea was well aware Paul was an. abusive and psychotic husband prior to. Lauren's death. Based on Audrea's. claims, her suspicion of Paul's.

involvement would only grow stronger. I left last night around 9:00. She had. just gotten out of the bath and she had. actually said something to me like, "I'm. just so happy here. I feel safer than I. felt in years. And I remember leaving. [sighs and gasps]. I left around 9:30. and I got home this morning. I got home. around 8. And when I walked in, I looked. down and the and my my back door frame, two pieces of wood were laying on the. floor and I ran upstairs to see if. Lauren was okay. She was not okay. I I.

literally like well the door had been. propelled and she always slipped with it. and it went I walked up and I could. spear my I need to walk it all the way. into her room. I just looked at her and. was like. it looked immediately when I was there. but I could I didn't even. believe Ray went to gunshots because he. has like a [music] like a bicyclist. pulled him and cut him off. I like got. close to him in traffic once he pulled a.

pedestal on bicycles. He pulled a. pedestal on Lauren. He got banned from Airbnb. He pulled a. pistol Airbnb guess. Yeah. Based on Ashley's claims, Paul was not. only an abuser, but also notoriously. threatened people with the same weapon. used to kill Lauren. It was becoming. more and more clear that Paul was who. detectives ultimately needed to speak. with. Safely getting Paul to the police.

[music] station for questioning was. something that needed to be done with. extreme precaution. Whoever killed. Lauren was armed with a 22 caliber. pistol. And if Paul was responsible, a. dangerous scenario could occur [music]. if police contacted him directly. So, in. order to safely secure him, officers. devised a complex plan for his arrest. Paul's house would be heavily surveyed. the day of the arrest. The moment Paul. left his house, the surveillance team. would notify the arrest team of his. direction of travel. In order [music] to. leave his neighborhood, Paul would have.

to exit either to the west on South 19th. Avenue or east on South 3rd Avenue. Units would be blocking both streets and. a high-risk felony stop would be used to. take Dewise into custody. With this. plan, officers were granted an arrest. warrant for Paul and immediately the. operation would go underway. At 9:00 a.m. the next day, Paul would. exit his house in his Chevrolet. Suburban. He'd turn west onto South 19th. Avenue, where an officer would be. waiting for him and quickly pull the.

vehicle over. [laughter] Go ahead, guy. Open up the. door. Both hands up. Okay, go ahead and get out. Get out. Put your hands up. Put your hands up. Walk over here. Turn around. Look away from me. Walk. backwards. Keep coming. Keep coming. Stop. Get on the ground.

Get on the ground. Do not move. Do you understand me? Take him to the back of my car. All. right. The plan had worked perfectly and Paul. was quickly brought to the Boseman. Police Station for his first formal. interrogation. At this point, Paul knows.

exactly why he's here. His wife had been. found murdered. He also knows that. logically an innocent man wouldn't have. that kind of information in the first. place. What makes this interrogation. particularly interesting is that despite. knowing this, Paul subconsciously steers. the conversation towards his wife. Hi, Paul. Yep. My name's Justin. I'm with the Belg. police department. Okay. Uh.

here. Remember, at this point, there has been. no mention of Lauren whatsoever. What do you do for work? Uh, I've been a. stay-at-home dad for quite a while, man. Hardest job there is. Had a couple accidents and I end up we. end up switching roles and end up. staying home. Yeah. Yeah. We're going through transition. right now, though. So, is that right? Yeah. [clears throat] So, what kind of transition? Um, we're separated. Oh, yeah. And in fact, she was supposed to.

get a baby today. So, it's it's been tough. I hurt my knee. back in June and we had a lot of. problems since then and I had surgery in. August and it's just it's just uh it. caused a lot of problems. The detectives still haven't mentioned. Lauren. I've had a bunch of injuries in the last. few years and she's pissed off at me. about that. Was it a workrelated What did you do. before you stayed at home? [clears throat]. Um well I was a school teacher for 15. years. I taught science before I moved. to Montana. here. No, in Pensacola, Florida.

Oh, really? Mhm. Okay. So, I have a biology degree. Yeah. That's how my wife and I met. Oh, really? Yeah. She was We both taught next door. to each other. Yeah. She [snorts] liked my coffee. [laughter]. Once again, Paul brings up his wife. unprompted. While this is interesting, it's not enough to serve as evidence. So, the detectives decide it's time to. apply more pressure. Um, so the reason that I wanted to talk to.

you is there was some issues that. happened. uh over at Lauren's house last or this. morning and I just kind of wanted to. touch base with you to see. um if you were over there at all, if um. kind of where you were. um this morning, that kind of thing. What happened? Well, um, someone broke into the back. door of her her place. And so, from what.

I understand, you guys were separated. and working on a divorce. That's that's. kind of where we're at. Is she right? Well, uh, not not really. She hasn't. What happened? Well, the the person that came in ended. up shooting her, so.

she's dead. Yeah. So, Oh my god. So that that's why we're talking to you. because you guys are going through a. divorce and. from what I understand and that's we. need to kind of figure out what's going. on. This is new to me. I don't know anything. about it. Well, let me let me just say right off.

the bat, regardless of your relational. issues, understand. I love her. Lauren's very important to. you. I love her. And I'm so sorry that you're going. through this right now. This is. [ __ ]. If let's say for. You think I did it. I didn't do it. We We got to We got to look at the big. Say you did it. I would never do anything. I'm asking you to give us any. information that you can about anything, whether it was you or not.

It's hard to tell whether Paul is. genuinely anxious over his wife's. passing or if he's simply putting on a. convincing act, panicking, not over. grief, but over the realization that the. detectives are closing in on him. Notably, Paul would quickly regain his. composure and instead redirects the. [music] conversation towards Lauren, quickly painting himself as a victim of. her actions. My hands are tingling. And I've been having panic problems. I. never had it before. Never. I didn't. know what a real panic attack was like.

just since you got here. No, since um since we started going. through this crap, you know, it started. in like July. She's going through like a midlife. crisis and you know, she's staying gone. She's coming home late and drunk. Um I. caught her cheating. Yeah. Two days in a row with two different. people in the car, you know. And uh and. the second time I asked her to leave. While Paul may think that painting her.

in a bad light is a smart move, in. reality, it only establishes that he had. a strong motive for revenge. At this. point, the detectives decide it's time. to start constructing a timeline, hoping. to pin Paul to a version of events they. can systematically dismantle. So, is there anything you can think of? Anything that would help us at all? I can't think right now. Let's just. start with a basic timeline. So start. with let's say what you do during a. normal day yesterday was Saturday.

Right. Right. So when you woke up, were your other. kids already awake? No. Were they all three still asleep or you. said Jennifer? Jennifer woke me up. Okay. But the teenagers were in bed. Mhm. That's what teenagers do. Yeah. Yeah. Um that's about it. Nothing exciting. I. mean, I was just in my chair all day. Okay. So, you didn't uh I [snorts] think you can. go to Walmart or go out to eat or. anything like that? No. No trips.

outside? No. Didn't go anywhere. The detective asks this question because. they have CCTV footage placing Paul at a. gas station at 12:34 a.m. By outright. denying that he left his home, it's. clear that Paul is lying. However, when. detectives ask the question minutes. later, Paul realizes they might be. setting up a trap and changes his story. So, if I'm understanding correctly, you. didn't leave your house pretty much at. all yesterday. Mhm. Not last night. Certainly not after dinner.

Mhm. What time do you think you went to bed? Um. gosh, it was late. Actually, it did go. out. I went and got a six-ack of beer. around midnight at uh Town Pong. Going back to the timeline last night, you. went to the town pump to get uh six pack. of beer. Mhm. And both of your oldest were still up.

Mhm. And actually my son with me. Oh, your son was okay. Um. and. you guys were gone for [music] from your. house. That's what got to be 15 20. minutes maybe. That's like. if you get the light maybe it's five. times. The fact that Paul's son Joseph was with. him on that trip is actually a crucial. detail. Detectives now have another. potential key witness who can prove or.

disprove Paul's movements that day. However, while this interview. establishes that Paul has both a motive. and a timeline that aligns with Lauren's. murder, it's not enough evidence for. detectives to make an arrest. For now, they have no choice but to let Paul go. While this is unfortunate and. potentially dangerous, they were able to. obtain one of Paul's belongings, his. iPhone. Quickly, officers discovered that Paul. was in fact at Lauren's house the day of.

the murder by locating a photo Paul took. in front of her house just hours before. her death. By combining Paul's claim. that he was with his son that night with. phone data placing him at Lauren's. house, a crucial question can be made. Did Paul's son, Joseph, also go into. Lauren's house the night she was. murdered? If what Paul said during the. interrogation is true, then Joseph. should have been with Paul the entire. night, which would include going to. Lawrence house. This is a question that. detectives needed to solve and solve.

fast as both the potential suspects are. roaming free and could cause further. damage if the case were to come to a. standstill. So a few hours later, Paul's. son, Joseph, would be brought to the. interrogation room. The plan for this. interrogation was very straightforward. Simply get a timeline for where Joseph. was the day of his stepmom's death and. see if Joseph will admit to him or at. least his father going to Lauren's house. that night. Let's chat, man.

Well, just see if all kinds of chair. chatter out there. Uh, my name is Jeremy. Cop. I'm the detective sergeant for the. sheriff's office. Okay. Obviously, you. you know what happened to dad. Um, given. that, then I need to be able to sit down. and be able to talk to you. Right. Right. Let's go to. Saturday. and just walk me walk me through.

Saturday. Um, so Saturday, uh, I got up around. like maybe 12ish around 12. Is that kind of typical. on a week? On the weekends or No, usually get up around like 10:00 maybe. Okay. Okay. And then my daddy's not feeling the. best. So we don't [music] we usually. would work on Saturday with all of them. Mhm. [clears throat]. We were wobbling in a trailer. Mhm. But um we are we were kind of sick and I. didn't really feel like working here and.

I was kind of run [music] down. Mhm. So we just we just hung out all day and. we were up later than we we should have. been and then we stayed up for a while. and then 12 came around and then me and. my dad went on a beer run. We went I. went with him to the town pump. Okay. By Albertson's. Okay. And. so he got a six-pack of Booty Ranger. of what? Blood what? IPA Booty Ranger.

Voodoo Ranger. Okay. Joseph's timeline is almost identical to. that of both his father and sister who. was also interviewed. This is troubling. because the detective knows the story is. a lie. At some point during that time. frame, Paul went to Lauren's house. That. means someone isn't telling the truth. The detective would notice this and. pivot, starting to ask some more direct. questions to Joseph. Did you go? I just It wasn't because. Yeah.

Dang. You miss your dad quite a bit. Yeah. Pretty tight. Yeah. So, we just. Fair enough to say. whatever we do, you know. Okay. And then we came back to the house and. then uh Natalie was up till around. 11:00. I mean 1:00. Okay. Baby went to sleep around like 7:30, 8. So, you don't recall hearing doors or. anything open when you go to bed, right? Nobody contacts you or anything. Okay.

Despite the detectives tries, Joseph. doesn't seem to budge on his story. Additionally, the suspicion that he. could have been implicated in Lauren's. murder at this point is fairly. long-winded. So, the detective decides. it's best to not confront Joseph any. further until more factual evidence can. prove he's lying. Luckily, that evidence. wouldn't take long to present itself. Remember the bloody footprints found in. the snow in Lauren's backyard? Well, a.

few days after the initial interviews, detectives began analyzing the. footprints to try and determine who they. could be from. Immediately, detectives. noticed there were two shoe prints in. the snow, one noticeably larger than the. other, meaning two people were. implicated in Lauren's murder, one with. bigger feet and one with smaller. When. the prints were further analyzed, they. were confirmed to be from two different. shoe models, the Walmart Interceptor. boots and the Merrill Reflex. And if we.

take a look at photos of Joseph taken. from Paul's phone, we can see that. Joseph would commonly wear the Walmart. Interceptor boots. Additionally, if we. look at the CCTV from the Town Pump gas. station, we can see that Paul was. wearing the Merrill Reflex. Paul had. undoubtedly killed Lauren and Joseph had. come along with him. Detectives realized. that Joseph was the key to all of this. He had been there with his father when. Lauren was killed, and now they were.

certain of it. In his last interview, Joseph had stuck to the same timeline as. his father. A timeline that. investigators could now prove was a. complete lie. With this leverage, detectives believed. that with the right amount of pressure, they could break Joseph and force him to. confess everything.

Due to the intense nature of what. detectives are about to do, they would. bring in Joseph's biological mother, Paul's ex-wife, to provide comfort, hoping that her presence would further. push him to finally tell the truth. Please, I hear you. Just tell the truth. I did. just tell the truth.

So, Joe, yesterday you and I um you and I. kind of talked about what everybody had. done on Saturday. Well, I got our felt [music] like we. gotish. and dad and baby and Natalie were. already up. Mhm. And uh we were hanging. in the living room. Daddy was in his. chair. Dad was on the couch. Baby, she's.

just whatever she was. As the interview progressed, Joseph's. timeline remained largely consistent. with what he had stated the day before. The detective knew he wasn't getting the. full truth and that meant it was time to. apply more pressure. That's pretty accurate to what you told. me yesterday. And I was hoping that. today we could you and I could. break through that and we could talk.

about what actually happened. Because if I if I. if I can't get you. to be honest with me, I I can't help you. But I'm not willing. to give up on you. I think. I think that we can get through it. I. can see the weight on you.

And the only way I can help. is if you and I are honest with each. other. [clears throat] Joe, I I can't. I can't help. I can't do anything. if you and I aren't honest with each. other in here. Okay. Joe, please. Please, please, Joe. Okay. It seems to be working. Slowly, Joseph's defenses are starting.

to crumble. At this point, all the. detective can do is sit with him as the. reality of the situation closes in. Your dad took you. No, he didn't. [music]. He wasn't alone. Then he wasn't. I don't know. everyone. She goes, "I have no idea.". [music]. I had my boots on in my own house.

Joe, we've got to be honest with you. Completely honest with you. How [snorts] How did your boots [music]. that are at your residence? Those same prince end up at the crime. scene. Joe, there's Be thoughtful. Be. truthful. I can't do anything if you and. I can't be truthful. [music]. Was it just your dad? Say, son, Joe, come on, son. [music].

Come on, man. Come on. Joe, I know you love your daddy, son. Joe, [snorts]. Joe, just. come on. Come on, son. If you know something, just say it. [snorts]. So. when when did he leave? Did he leave. you? Did he he make you go? Is that why.

[music]. [snorts] did you go to. Was it It was a before the beer. I meant to the beer. Sure. Joe, help me understand. Help me understand that it was just him. Help me understand when he left. Help me. understand why I couldn't believe that. you weren't there. Help me. Help me. understand it. How far in the house did. you go? Did you just wait outside? No, I stayed.

in my house. Joe, why would he frame his own son? [snorts]. Why would he frame his own son, Joe? Your [snorts] boots are there. Help me. Help me. Help me tell the story. Was it you or him? Tell me. It wasn't me.

[snorts]. It was him. It was him. How do you know? He was what? He usually doesn't send me. to bed, but he us. So he sent you to bed. He said, "I love. you, son.". He doesn't usually use. He. said he loves your son. I didn't know he's going to do this. my sisters.

I didn't know. [snorts and laughter]. The pressure had broken Joseph. After. relentless questioning, he had finally. come clean about what transpired mere. days earlier. Months later, when the. detective recounted this moment with. Joseph, he would burst into tears, overcome by the weight of the situation. your mom just love you right now. Okay.

So, so it's your son. I'm sorry, baby. [laughter]. My fault for letting you go. You couldn't be with me. The detectives had what they wanted and. there was nothing left to do but finally. wrap this case up.

Paul's trial would be a long and drawn. out process [music] stretching over 2. years after his arrest. During this time. he remained in the Gallatin County. Detention Center where he quickly became. a problem [music] inmate. On February. 7th, roughly 1 month after his arrest, tensions escalated when Paul called out. another inmate. Buckley, accusing him of. being a liar. Buckley responded with a. warning. Don't [music] disrespect me. like that. But before he could say more, Paul threw a punch, hitting Buckley in.

the face and sparking a full-blown fist. fight. Paul would be charged [music]. with assault following the fight, only. adding to the array of charges against. him. Paul would eventually meet his fate. on February 4th, 2020, nearly 2 years. after his arrest. [music]. He'd be convicted of deliberate. homicide, attempted deliberate homicide, and tampering with evidence, and would. be sentenced to 220 years in prison. without the possibility of parole.