Snapped: Women Who Murder - Kathryn Briggs

Episode Date: September 13, 2020

A decorated soldier falls in love with a beautiful model online; tragically, after he returns home from serving two tours overseas, he's brutally murdered in his own home; a web of deceit unfolds as the picture of an unlikely killer emerges.Season 26, Episode 1Originally aired: September 1, 2019See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wonder East Podcast American Scandal. Our newest series looks at the story of OxyContin, a popular painkiller that helps spur an epidemic of addiction and drug abuse, in which prompted a broad campaign to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable. Listen to American Scandal on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. It was a love affair that started online. He was overseas and worn in Iraq. This is an extremely beautiful woman flirting with him online.

When he finally met her, he was just so enamored with her. But their budding romance is torn apart by a vicious crime. Whoever did this was very brutal in their attack. The search for a motive would unravel a dark web of deceit and betrayal. They had some kind of personal vendetta. He admitted to her that he had had two or three of fairs. And when the deadly mastermind is finally unmasked, it will leave even the most veteran law enforcement officers

speechless. You don't do that unless you're cold-hearted and you're evil. The Police Police Police Police Police Police

Police Police Colleen Texas, October 14, 2008 At 11.30am, police received an urgent call from U.S. Army officials at Fort Hood. They're concerned about one of their decorated soldiers. 24-year-old staff sergeant, Ryan Sullivan. It was a welfare concern.

He always shows up for PT, and he always shows up for formation in the morning. He hadn't been heard from that morning, which was unusual. We were advised that that's just not characteristic for him, not to show up to work. He's always on time. If he was going to be at at work, he would call. Colleen Police Officers meet Ryan Supervisor

at Ryan's Off-Base Apartment. Responding officers show up to the scene and they knock on the door and don't get a response. They try to access the door and it's locked. They got hold of the property manager and they were able to get into the house. When they opened the door, you can smell coming out of the apartment.

You just know it's decomposition. Once you smell it, one time, you'll just know what it is for the rest of your life. There's blood on the wall behind the couch. And you can see some on the coffee table. And you can see a pair of feet sticking out between the love seat and the couch. They had a pretty strong suspicion

that that was going to be Ryan Sullivan. They had a pretty strong suspicion that that was going to be Ryan Sullivan. Ryan Sullivan was born in 1984 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to a large and loving family. From everything that I knew about Ryan, he really held his family close to chest. His sisters, his brother, his mom's dad. He had very high regard for them. Ryan's father and grandfather were both in the military. And from a young age, Ryan knew he wanted to serve his country. He had a big heart. He really wanted to take care of people.

He would constantly put himself before others. After high school, Ryan enlisted in the Army as an infantryman with the first infantry division. He doesn't just join the army, he joins the army and becomes like the top hand-to-hand combat fighter in his unit. Sergeant Sullivan was just a rock star. He knew his tactics, his techniques, his procedures. He was a superstar. A valuable leader, Ryan was deployed to Iraq and served on the front line in 2002.

Ryan was a squad leader that other squad leaders wanted to be. And he was able to lead soldiers in combat. He was the kind of guy you wanted to go into combat with. He was the kind of guy that would have your back. Because of his wear ofal, his tenacity, his abilities to lead all this potential that he had, he was able to get to a higher rank of sergeant. When he wasn't in combat, Ryan would sometimes go online

to meet new people. Anytime soldiers are able to talk to someone who shows that compassion and they care and they tell them things like, oh, you know, I can't wait for you to get back. I hope you make it home. They need that encouragement over there in Iraq. One of the people Ryan met online was a young woman from Ohio who said she was a model. She said her name was Marissa, and she sent him dozens of photos.

She said were from her recent modeling shoots. This is an extremely beautiful woman. Flirting with him online and this relationship develops. At the start of the relationship, he was, you know, at war in Iraq. So a lot of their relationship was through email and phone calls and stuff like that. He's falling in love and this beautiful woman is falling in love with him.

After nearly a year of online dating, Ryan returned to the United States and finally visited Marissa at her home in Cincinnati. But Marissa hardly resembled her online photos. We're not talking about a five foot 10 model. We're talking about a five foot two, the heavy set woman. She didn't sit up straight in her chair. She didn't cross her legs like a model.

She didn't walk like a model. There was nothing about her that pointed to her being a model at all. Marissa assured Ryan. She was the same woman from the photographs. She had said she had broke her back or injured herself in some way to where she had shrunk three inches and gained 50 pounds

from what she used to be. She says that they had to remove horse and over spine that made her shrink from five foot, seven to five foot, three. She claimed that the accident ruined her modeling career. Made her fill insecure and like he wasn't going to pay attention to her or even like her if she wasn't beautiful. That's why she shared the older pictures with Ryan. That was her reason for doing it. Ryan was shocked by Marissa's appearance,

to say the least, but after the conversations they had had in Iraq, he told Marissa, don't worry about it. You know, it's no big deal. We've been talking for this long already. And so he kind of just accepted her. Relieved that Ryan accepted her for who she was, Marissa made another admission.

She ends up telling Ryan that Marissa is not her real name. That it's her professional name that she used for her modeling career. And her real name was Katie Briggs. As Ryan spent time with Katie, he got to learn more about her. Katie was born in Cincinnati, suburb in 1982, and she told Ryan after her career as a model was over,

she decided to work for the IRS. She was a data transcriber. Her job was just to transcribe text forms into the system, and she was really good at her job. She was more like a social butterfly. She was always around talking to everybody. She was always happy, always loud. Ryan kept seeing her because he really liked who she was.

It didn't matter to him that she wasn't this beautiful model anymore. He liked Katie. But just as their relationship was taking off, Ryan received upsetting news. We were preparing for our next deployment. This time we were going to Iraq yet again. Ryan received upsetting news. Ryan was heartbroken at the thought of leaving Katie so soon. So to take advantage of the time they had before his next deployment, Ryan invited Katie to move with him to Texas.

She jumped at the opportunity, and she landed a new job in Austin, not far from their apartment in Colleen. So Katie decided to go over a thousand miles, leave her job and Cincinnati, and go to Austin to take another job with the IRS, and Austin's only about an hour away from Fort Hood. In October 2006, Ryan began his second deployment to Iraq, while Katie waited for his 15-month rotation to end in their new apartment in Colleen. Finally, in January of 2008, Ryan came home. Ryan was looking forward to starting a life with her.

To being with her, he saw no end in sight. She was it for him. But their love story was about to come to a tragic end. Only nine months after Ryan returned home, Colleen police find a dead male in Ryan and Katie's apartment. He had over 35 stab wounds and in cuts on him. He was basically eviscerated. Whoever did this was very brutal in their attack.

We were able to identify, positively identify, this is Ryan's soul. Homicide detectives are stunned. And left questioning, how a combat soldier could survive several tours in an active war zone only to end up slain in his own home. And who would want to do something like this to a respected military man? Coming up, police attempt to track down Ryan's

live-in girlfriend, Katie Briggs. The police become a little more concerned, even like, could she be a victim? Could she be a suspect? And investigators get a tip about Sargent Sullivan's personal life that points to a possible person of interest. He showed back up to her the same day that Ryan's body was discovered.

We immediately started looking at as being more than coincident. MUSIC MUSIC Police in Colleen, Texas have just discovered staffs sergeant Ryan Sullivan stabbed to death in his apartment. The coroner estimates Ryan's been dead between 24 and 36 hours. And missing from the scene is Ryan's live-in girlfriend, Katie Briggs.

At that point when we find out that she's on the list, we try to get a hold of her. They called the number that was on the paperwork and speak with Katie. She was in Austin at the time at work. She had been contacted and requested to come to the police department. We did not tell her what happened.

We just asked her to come to the police department so that we could speak to her. While Katie makes the 60 mile drive from Austin to Colleen, officers canvass the neighborhood. One neighbor mentions seeing an unfamiliar vehicle parked outside Ryan and Katie's apartment a few days before the murder. There had been a black motorcycle parked

in front of Ryan's apartment, a multiple occasions, but nobody knew who the driver was, and it was a black sports bike. Oh. Could whoever owned the motorcycle have something to do with Ryan's murder? And if so, could Ryan's girlfriend Katie offer any insight? She came to the police department, and I made contact with her about four o'clock that day. She seemed very quiet.

Do you have any idea why we would have asked you to come in? I have no idea. Do you have an apartment here in Colleen? Yes. Okay, who lives there? I do and I believe in. Katie tells police that she hasn't been back to her apartment in Colleen for three days. Instead, she's been staying at a second apartment she leases in Austin.

Asked why she hasn't been at the home she shares with Ryan, Katie reveals that the couple had been having problems recently. We've been dating for four years and it just seems like these last five months have been the worst. Four years, you know, you could've decided, do you want today, or do you just want to break up? And he just asked for time and space to figure it out before he took away,

think the break is, and we both needed it. Katie explains to Detective Ui They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same.

They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. They're not the same. ever since he'd returned from his latest combat to her. She said it was like she was walking on eggshells. Ryan had been depressed and drinking a lot. Sullivan had possible anger issues and he needed to work those out. And so she stated that she lived in Austin until that time that he could decide whether or not he wanted to continue the relationship. When was the last time he talked to him?

Friday night, Saturday morning, what time, summer time, 11, and one, he came out, let's pretend, I'm trying to call him. Okay, reason why I'm asking all these questions, okay, and the reason why we're going to need to get consent to get into your house, they found in the apartment a well-disused.

She finally tells Katie that we have a body in the apartment and Katie breaks down crime. I'm sorry, I know this is hard on you, and I hate to have to be the one to break this too. This is why we've asked you to come down here. We didn't want to tell you over the phone. I felt bad for her. She cared for him, and she loved him,

and then the hard part is telling the family member or spouse that, you know, that their loved one is deceased. Detectives confirm Katie's alibi that she was in Austin at the time of the murder, which leaves police confident that they can rule her out as a suspect. I didn't think Katie would have the physical stature to be able to take Sullivan out based on what I had received from the other individuals in his unit. Also, Katie wasn't asked and during the time frame.

Following their interview with Katie Briggs, detectives returned to the crime scene to search for clues. There are no signs of forced entry. The doorknob is locked, but the deadbolt is locked as well. It couldn't have been locked from the outside unless she had a key. We're realizing this is probably going to be someone that knew Ryan, and that it was a personal attack. Detective Surmise, that Ryan may have been sleeping on the couch when he was attacked. Towards a blanket also on the couch.

And when you further examine it, there's a lot of blood in the couch and on the couch. So it looks like the initial salt probably took place there. The TV was on, and I believe a video game was up on the screen, so it tells me that maybe he passed out while he was in the living room playing video games. Curiously, it doesn't appear Ryan had been the only one sleeping there that night. There was a decorative blanket on the ground and a pillow on the ground

on the opposite side of the couch. That kind of interests me, because it tells me that at one point, somebody might have been sleeping underneath there. After we process the crime scene, I speak to his supervisors, and I ask him, is there anybody they can think of that would want to harm Sullivan? Ryan's military superiors can only think of one name.

Staff Sergeant John Valdez. Valdez was the medical platoon sergeant with headquarters company. Ryan and John had served a tour together and became close. They served together, men and women who served together in times of that type of situation, come back as friends in a way that many other people could never be. They've experienced tremendous difficulty and survive.

And so when they come back, I think there's a bond. And like Ryan Sullivan, John Valdez was also a valuable asset to his team. As a testament to John, at the age of 24, he was already a staff surgeon. That's a very hard rank to receive in the military, and he did it in a very quick amount of time. When you talk to the people in the unit, there was this discussion about there was some bad blood recently between the two of them. The military supervisors add that, despite his stellar reputation,

John Valdes had also been acting strangely out of character the previous week. He had gone AWOL in this time frame, which was a major red flag. Baudet's show back up to work on the morning October 14, which is the same day that Ryan's body was discovered. We immediately started looking at it as being more than a coincidence.

Coming up, police questioned Sergeant John Valdez about the murder of Ryan Sullivan. You were a good friend with it, Sullivan, right? And detectives get their first clue about a possible motive. This guy was running around and having relationships with different women every weekend. The hardest true crime story to report on is your own. I'm Tiffany Reese, host of the podcast Something was Wrong. For 15 seasons, I've always aimed to validate and amplify the voices of those who have survived

abuse and crime. But for season 16, I'm opening up for the first time about my own experiences as an abuse survivor and a murder co-victim. With the help of trusted friends, we'll unpack my journey to becoming a victim advocate by examining my past. From the emotional and physical abuse I endured at the hands of my parents, and the bullying I received from my classmates, to the murder of my brother and the securities fraud my father was convicted of, I'm covering it all and even learning more about myself through this process. This is obviously a very personal journey for me, but I believe that this will play a part

in my healing helping me to process the trauma that I endured. Follow something was wrong wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and add free on the Amazon Music or Wondery app. Based on interviews with his military superiors, detectives have identified a possible suspect. Ryan's former best friend, Staff Sergeant John Valdez. I asked him to have John Valdez meet me in the morning at the police department. When was the last time you spoke with him? The last time I spoke with him was last weekend. I start asking him questions in reference to Sullivan.

He's very nonchalant. He is answering my questions. But at this point, I bring up to Baldes that I had received information that you were able. What happened there? I was out partying the whole time. Down in Austin. OK.

I'm Friday in Saturday, where were you? Saturday I was still in Austin. I was with Mesh that night. John claims he'd spent the weekend partying in Austin with another soldier, private first class Kyle Mesh. John claims both he and Kyle ended up crashing with Ryan's estranged girlfriend, Katie Briggs, at her apartment in Austin.

It advises that during the interview that he is friends with Katie, but as far as anything further, they're just friends. John explains he's actually engaged. I get it, I get it, I fight my fiance. What's her name? Her name is Maryana. John says that he'd met his fiance, Arianna, a few months earlier, and that they'd been introduced by Katie Briggs. He had gotten really drunk, and Kate had informed him that he hooked up

with a female named Arianna. She says they really hit it off, and that he bought her some sort of cheap ring like a joke engagement ring type thing. He says after that he wakes up and that's when Kate tells him hey you hooked up with Ariana what did you think and he didn't remember it. John tells investigators that Katie had given him Ariana's phone number when he called her the two hit it off and made the decision to pursue their relationship. After that, the only conversations he ever had with her was over the phone. Detective Drozd redirects the conversation back

to the investigation. I asked John Baldaz if he knows of anyone that had issue with Sullivan. No, no, no, no. You know, his house base that he might have, that club or something like that. It's an adversity club. John Baldass advises me that Ryan Sullivan had gotten into a few altercations at the Star

Light Club. They're in clean Texas. That has made the comment that Ryan was meeting up with women at the club and Ryan was having affairs with them knowing that most of them were married. If Ryan had been having an affair with a married woman, is it possible he was killed by a jealous husband? It's a theory detectives will have to follow up on later. First, they want to know more about the rumored bad blood between John and Ryan. He never does admit that he had an issue.

In fact, he tells me that he'd never fought with Sullivan and that they were good friends. You don't know what happened to Ryan. And you didn't have anything to do with what happened to Ryan, correct? Before ending the interview, detectives ask John about the black motorcycle spotted by witnesses outside Ryan's residence. What type of vehicle do you drive? I drive a JX-16, motorcycle.

Motorcycle? Okay. What color is it? It's black. We want a witness. The place is a black motorcycle. He's residents this weekend. Who would that have been?

John says that that wasn't his black motorcycle there that he was in Austin at the time, so it couldn't have been him. It had to be someone else. The next day, detectives follow up on John Valdez's tip about Ryan's supposed affairs with married women. They interview his fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, who confirm that Ryan liked to frequent local bars.

But the soldiers describe Ryan's nights as being anything but rowdy. They always end up back at his house playing Xbox or something of that nature. We said, well, what about these fights Ryan had at the club? Nobody else knew about them. The only person that said that was Valdez.

The soldiers also confirm that despite John's denials, he and Ryan did in fact have a falling out. And the issue had been John's close relationship with Ryan's girlfriend, Katie Briggs. Katie was crying on John's shoulder about how Ryan had been treating her, what he had done, and things like that. But none of them thought that there was anything physical going on. They thought that it was all protective on about

Desi's portion on his part. The soldiers also reveal that Ryan had actually broken up with Katie Briggs months earlier because of her close relationship with John. It's interesting because Katie during her interview is telling us, we didn't break up, we're separated because she wanted Sullivan to think about their relationship and whether or not they should continue. She'd never had advice that they had broken up.

So at this point, the information I've received is making Valdez more of a possible suspect in this case. And why is Katie telling us that she's still in a relationship with Solivan? Determined to uncover the truth about Katie's relationship with Sergeant Sullivan and her supposed connection with John Valdez, detectives ask her to come back for a second interview.

Describe your relationship to me about Valdez. Ryan introduced me to him in January when they got back. Okay. I'd say he's like an annoying cousin. Police ask Katie why she lied about the breakup between her and Ryan, and she tells police that she was embarrassed about it, that she was ashamed. And so that's why she didn't mention it.

We've been having some problems. What kind of problems? What do you mean? We were waiting on DNA results. I mean, there was a girl who said that she was pregnant. This child could have been his. Katie says that Ryan had admitted to her that he had had two or three affairs while he was seeing her. The last one he had was with the female by name of Jordan.

She was possibly pregnant. And Ryan told her that he didn't believe the child was his, and then he was gonna ask for, I guess, DNA paternity test. Adding another layer to his complicated story, Katie reveals that Jordan is the sister of Ariana Benitez, who is John Valdes' fiance. I had heard about Ariana from Baldes earlier,

the fact that, you know, he's engaged to her that's his fiance, but yet he's never physically met her other than what Katie told him. One of the things we were trying to do with him on office was to try to find out who this person was by the name of Ariana Benitez. Because that name had been coming up, that connected Cape Briggs, Ryan Sullivan, John Valdez.

Do you have the full number to Ariana? Yeah. But when detectives call the number Katie provides for Ariana, they don't get an answer. Nor can they find any trace of Ariana at the apartment building where John Valdes had claimed she lived? We couldn't figure out who she was.

And in my business, we're usually pretty good about figuring out who you are. Detectives have hit a dead end. And without more evidence, the investigation into who killed Ryan Sullivan is at a standstill. Coming up, police confront an informant who may hold the key to solving the case. I'm doing something that I shouldn't do right now. And I don't want to put myself in jeopardy.

He was shaking like a leaf. You could tell that something was getting to him. I'd find some, be a man. Be a man for Ryan. Step up, say something. Police investigating the stabbing murder of Sergeant Ryan Sullivan have identified two possible persons of interest. His girlfriend, Katie Briggs, and his former best friend, Staff Sergeant John Valdez.

And their first interview with police, Katie and John made it seem like everything was perfect with Ryan. They made it seem like everything was hunky-dory, and everybody was getting along perfectly. But police later found out that that was not the case. I think it's safe to say that Ryan was not comfortable with Katie and John's relationship. He was not okay with it.

But so far, police have been unable to tie either Katie Briggs or John Valdez to the crime, and the investigation has come to a grinding halt. Until, police catch a major break when they receive a call from someone who claims to have important information on the case. I'm doing something that I should be doing right now, and I don't wanna put myself in jail. The caller is identified as specialist Jeremy Jacobs,

a fellow soldier in the same unit as John Valdez. Jeremy Jacobs lived with Sergeant Baldes. At this time, Valdez had been having some money problems, so Jeremy Jacobs offered to let him move in and live with him and split the rent. So Valdez was living with Jeremy Jacobs at the time it was happened. Like John Valdez, Jeremy Jacobs is an army medic

and was a good friend of Ryan Sullivan. He agrees to come to the police station to talk to investigators. Right, super nervous about the end of the loss. He was shaking like a leaf. You could tell that something was getting to him. I'd find a stumps and say, Jeremy, listen, you and Ryan had a bond.

You were warriors together in a combat zone. Be a man. Be a man for Ryan. Step up, say something. Jeremy finally reveals that in early September, John Valdez had approached him with a shocking story. He said that there was a hit out on Sullivan, and that he was going to get it.

That's what balled out, sir. He told you he was going to carry the contract out. Is what it was for him? He said there's a hit, and I'm going to get it. It's for $100,000. Yeah. He told you he was going to carry the contract now. Is what it was for them? He said there's a hit, and I'm going to get it. It's for $100,000. I'm going to get it. About ESP, two different stories. One was the congressman had put $100,000 hit on Ryan,

and another one was the some high ranking pentagon official had placed $150,000 hit. John was going to kill Ryan for the money. Jeremy says John asked him and another soldier, Kyle Mesh, for help. He asked me and Mesh if he did it, if we were helping him with it. What did he buy that? He said, I'll give you guys each some money, and when it goes down, just help me make it go away.

Kyle Mesh, the person John Valdez was partying with in Austin, the weekend of the murders. Jeremy claims neither he nor Kyle took John up on his offer, and he assumed John wouldn't follow through with his plans. But on the weekend of the murder, Jeremy had been startled awake by a frantic knocking on his door. Kyle May showed up that morning and got him out of bed. Said it just happened.

It just happened. I don't know what you do. It just happened. So I saw him stay. Kyle May should told him that Sullivan had went out with Mays earlier that night to the starlight, and they left and went back to Sullivan's house. He says Mesh tells him that he lays down on the couch

and eventually Sullivan lays down on the other couch. They fall asleep, and he says he's woken up to a loud noise, and he looks over, and he sees a masked figure. Kyle told Jeremy he saw Ryan's dead body on the floor. Then the masked figure turned and revealed himself. And the guy took off his mask and it's Valdez. He said, brother, as a stand-up, he had a ski mask pulled up over his face.

And was yelling at me to get the fuck up and get the fuck out of the house. Following Jeremy's statement, police arrest John Valdez. and was yelling at me to get the fuck up and get the fuck out of the house. MUSIC Following Jeremy's statement, police arrest John Valdez. When Valdez got arrested on the murder warrant, he had a key in his possession that was for a room at the economy in. So Detective Drowson, I went to the room.

We look in the hotel room and we find a motorcycle jacket. Inside the motorcycle jacket, I find an envelope from Bank of America. And it's got roughly $4,400 in it. Detectives are now questioning whether the money is part of John's payment for killing Ryan Sullivan. And if so, who had actually hired John? While detectives try to answer those questions, they bring Kyle Mesh in for questioning. When he arrives, they ask him to take a polygraph exam.

That's when the soldier breaks down and reveals his involvement in Ryan Sullivan's killing. Valdez had approached Mesh about a murder for hire. I'm going gonna promise Kyle Mesh $5,000 to help me kill this guy. I just wanted money. You have to sink as you wanted money. I wanted money. Valdez had texted him to take Ryan to the club, get Ryan as drunk as possible,

and to bring him back to the apartment and when he got back to the apartment, let him know, and that was all in the plan to kill Ryan. Kyle text him, all right, he's asleep. He's down. Valdez was hidden in the apartment and he came out and attacked Ryan Sullivan. And viciously, you know, stabbed 34 times. Based on his admission, police arrest Kyle Mesh.

But there are several mysteries that remain unsolved. So at this point, police have no evidence. As to who would hire John Valdez to kill Ryan. And it was a congressman or a Pentagon official. Like, these are the things he was saying to Jeremy and Kyle. Hoping to find the answer, police monitor John Valdez's communication while he's in jail. So the idea was, whoever hired him,

they might just call him in jail. John never receives a phone call from a congressman or Pentagon official. But he does receive several phone calls from his fiance, Ariana Benitez. So we're monitoring jail calls, and when you listen to the phone calls, where Valdez calls her, the voice is, sounds like a baby almost, like a teenager trying to talk baby talk. It was very peculiar. Coming up, police finally tracked down the elusive Ariana Benitez,

and uncover a web of lies orchestrated by a devious mastermind. She thrives on deception, and she thrives on manipulation. Army soldiers, John Valdez and Kyle Mesh have been arrested for the contract killing of Sergeant Ryan Sullivan. And police are hopeful John's jailhouse communication will lead to the person who hired him.

We really started monitoring everything at the jail. So these jail calls, we listen to them when Valdez calls Ariana. She never does come to the jail, okay? She never visited the jail. But one person who does visit John and Jail surprises authorities. Ryan Sullivan's ex-girlfriend, Katie Briggs. Police pull Katie's financial records and make an interesting discovery.

Despite the fact that she and Ryan had broken up, she was still listed as a beneficiary on his life insurance policy. In the military, there's an automatic $400,000 life insurance policy. And Ryan had divided that up. Katie would have received $100,000 from his life insurance policy. And Ryan had divided that up. Katie would have received $100,000 from his life insurance policy. I believe the rest went to his family. We found

out. We didn't realize it at the time that it had been paid so quickly, but the military had paid her on Ryan's life insurance policy. And she had $100,000 already, you know, a few days after the murder. Police also noticed a $4,400 cash withdrawal from Katie's account right before the murder,

which just happened to be the exact amount of cash that was in John's possession at the time of his arrest. They found the cash in the hotel room when they searched its subsequent abilities as a rest. This discovery leads police to one conclusion. There was no congressman or Pentagon official wanting Ryan dead. It was someone much more devious. This was murder for hierarchy that appears to have been masterminded by this woman, Katherine Briggs.

Katie was the driving force behind all of this. She was the real criminal here. On May 14, 2009, police arrest Katie at her home. While deputies transport her to jail, an evidence team searches her car. We noticed there were two phones sitting on the center console. Working on a hunch, detectives try the number Katie gave them

for John Valdes' fiance, Ariana Benitez. The maroon phone on the center console rings. When that phone rang, The maroon phone on the center console rings. When that phone rang, it was all that, you know, about Ariana really not existing, and she's totally created, was absolutely 100% confirmed. Kate's Ariana.

She's just disguising her voice when she's talking to him as Ariana. The thing with Ariana and Valdez's relationship is that he doesn't remember it. He gets told by Katie that he hooked up with this girl named Ariana, who Katie knows down in Austin, Valdez never in his life meets Ariana.

But they start having phone conversations. Ariana Benitez was someone created by Kate Briggs to manipulate John Baldiz. That's how twisted and what a pathological liar and how good she was at it. Police also suspect that Ariana hadn't been the only person that Katie Briggs invented. Now we're getting back to the pregnant Jordan

that Katie refers to at the beginning. Ariana has a sister by the name of Jordan. We were never able to locate or identify Jordan. And nobody else, none of Ryan's friends, had ever heard of Jordan. So we're pretty confident that Katie made Jordan up. Prosecutors consider Katie Briggs, John Valdezz and Kyle Mesh equally culpable for Ryan Sullivan's murder.

And on March 28, 2011, the Capitol murder trial for all three defendants begins. The prosecution lays out their theory that Katie Briggs had catfished Ryan from the very beginning. She's a manipulator. Everything that Katie did from a model. I had a medical condition that caused me to put on weight. I had a spine problem that had to cut out four inches, so I'm no longer five foot seven, I'm five foot three. Every time she opened her mouth she lied. When their relationship got rocky, Ryan decided to break things off, but Katie still wanted his $100,000 life insurance.

Ryan was getting ready to change his beneficiaries, so the window was narrowing rather quickly. If Katie wanted him dead for money, she had to do it before he changed the beneficiary. That's when Katie decided to make John Valdez her patty. Almost immediately after Ryan dumped her, Katie began manipulating John with lies about Ryan. Katie was crying on John's shoulder. She would claim that there was times when Ryan was physically abusive to her and that he was cheating on her and wasn't treating her right.

There's no indication that Ryan never did anything that Katie's accusing him of. But I think John, Valdez, fell into it. I think he believed it. Katie even pretended to be John's fiance, Arianna, and fed him the same sob story. So now we have Katie saying all these bad things about what Ryan's doing. His fiance is now saying that Ryan threatened me. So now Valdez is looking at two women

that he feels strong emotions for, the one he's never met in his entire life. And Katie, who he has, I think, a big brother approach to protecting her. This guy, John Valdez, killed his friend, probably because he thought, in some way, he was a threat to his girlfriend who didn't even exist. To sweeten the deal, Katie promised John a cut

of Ryan's life insurance payout. Katie, at one point, had told Valdez that she'd get $100,000, and she told Valdez, if you kill him, I'll give you half. Once John Valdez was on board to murder Ryan Sullivan, he lured in their mutual friend. Kyle Mesh, intentionally, jumped on board with this little trio to kill Ryan Sullivan for money. And nobody got anything. John Valdes and Kyle Mesh may not have gotten their full shares of the money, but all three defendants received the same verdict from the jury.

The jury came back with guilty verdicts on every one. The jury was the only one who had the right to pay the price. John Valdes and Kyle Mesh may not have gotten their full shares of the money, but all three defendants received the same verdict from the jury. The jury came back with guilty verdicts on every one. They received life sentences without the possibility of parole. All three of them. They've set to relief to the family to see that justice was done. Despite the convictions, those who served with Ryan still have a hard time coping with

his murder. This was not something that I was fully prepared for. It's one thing to lose a soldier in battle. It's a completely different thing to lose a soldier in the comforts of his own home, especially a battle tested and decorated veterans such as Ryan Solve. This poor guy goes through Iraq twice. Pice for a country, nothing happens when the main comes here and gets killed.

I never thought anybody sitting next to me would do something like that. It blows my mind to think that she could have hired someone, his best friends, let alone, to kill an American hero. For more information on snapped, go to oxygen.com.