Something Was Wrong - S19 E4: (4/5) [Amy] The Mystery Was Gone

Episode Date: February 1, 2024

*Content Warning: stalking, cyber stalking, terrorism, harassment, bigotry, racism, suicidal ideation, non-consensual pornography, murder, physical violence, identity theft, impersonation, rape, sexual assault, torture, psychological violence, emotional abuse,  doxxing. *Sources: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): https://www.ic3.gov/ SWW S19 Artwork by the amazing Sara Stewart: Instagram.com/greaterthanokay*Resources: Stalking Prevention, Awareness, Statistics & Resource Center (SPARC): https://www.stalkingawareness.org/ Free + Confidential Resources + Safety Tips: somethingwaswrong.com/resources Something Was Wrong: somethingwaswrong.com Tiffany Reese: tiffanyreese.me Something Was Wrong on IG: instagram.com/somethingwaswrongpodcastTiffany Reese on IG: instagram.com/lookiebooSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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be upsetting such as emotional, physical and sexual violence, rape and murder. Content warnings for each episode and confidential resources for survivors can be found in the episode notes. Some survivor names have been changed for anonymity purposes. Pseudonyms are given to minors in these stories for their privacy and protection. Testimony shared by guests of the show is their own and does not necessarily reflect the views of myself, broken cycle media, or Wondery. The podcast and any linked materials should not be construed as medical advice, nor is

the information a substitute for professional medical expertise or treatment. Thank you so much for listening. At all At all It comes Oh, don't be Oh, don't be You don't know anybody Until you talk To someone It's all to someone

By December 2020, my business partner came to me and was like, we need to do something. We agreed that I would lob a call into the FBI field office here in Denver and just get their advice on what to do. There was a detective assigned to my case who is with the Denver Police Department but also served on the cybercrime task force for the FBI. I was driving home, I got a call and it was a Colorado Springs number. I picked it up and I was so caught off guard. I'm kind of one of those people that if I don't know a

number, especially given the experience I went through, I usually let it go to voicemail because if it's important enough, someone will leave a voicemail or I'll know the person calling. And in this case, for whatever reason, I picked it up. It was a woman on the other line and she said she was calling from the victim advocates office. This was with the FBI at the time because I had just reported my case and it was still working its way through the system.

I started bawling. It was a wave of emotion. just reported my case, and it was still working its way through the system. I started bawling. It was a wave of emotion. Physically, I felt like my face get hot, and I just kind of went numb. I just started crying, and I apologized to her. I think I was in such a fragile state at that time that I didn't know that there were people who advocated

for victims, let alone me, in what I was dealing with. It was the first time somebody I didn't know truly came to me and asked me how I was doing emotionally. I was just like, this person's a complete stranger and it was so authentic and so genuine. I was so grateful that this resource existed and so she just basically told me that there's a bunch of resources available.

Everything from money for therapy, money for rehab, as well as tools and resources and an individual who'll be assigned to my case to guide me through the process. I just remember being very overwhelmed and so grateful. I had a number of victim advocates during the time I was working with them. I will forever be grateful for the role they played

in my experience going through this process. I didn't even know this existed. I've never been through this. I think there's a lot of things that as victims, you have no idea what to expect, what is in your control, what you can ask for, what you can do, where to go. Victim advocacy is that for victims. I oftentimes didn't know what to do or where to go, and they became my go-to to ask questions. They never made me feel stupid or that I asked a wrong question or I should just assume or know something.

They were very good and they were very honest. They didn't always have the answer. The system is complicated, but they were diligent in trying to find the answer for me. I do have an uncle who is retired FBI. It's kind of the go-to to go to my uncle and say, what can we anticipate, whether it be the process or how we can support them in their efforts as law enforcement? He was able to provide some initial guidance. One thing in particular that

comes to mind is when I initially called the FBI field office, it was escalated to the cyber crime unit. And then ultimately ended up being a Denver case through the DA's office. The FBI did not take the case on. At the time, I didn't understand that because we didn't know where Morrison was. I didn't understand the reason why it stayed local. And so my uncle was able to provide some insight into that. Once the case goes into the FBI, the US Attorney's office actually gets involved, and they review the data that's been provided thus far, the documentation, and they decide if they take the case or not. And in this instance, they didn't take it. And so it became a local

investigation versus a federal. I love my uncle, and he is such a wealth of information. I think, unfortunately, with as new as cyber stocking in particular is, I think the FBI and law enforcement in general, those who are actively in those organizations are still trying to wrap their hands around this topic. But I know he provided as much guidance as he could. If nothing else, I think it comforted my dad knowing that he had an expert he could go to and share what was going on and get validation or at least some sort of comfort from him. My sister is the first one that came to me and had told me that she had started doing

some investigating and some research and had actually found some information that would be beneficial to try to find out who this guy is. What I remember is that first research she conducted was on one of the profiles he was using of me with my full name and one of my nude photos to harass and torment one of the victim, the student who was murdered by her boyfriend in Utah. He had used my name to post some really awful comments

on one of her very close friends, Instagrams in the comments section. So I think that was the first experience triggering in my mind. Like we need to shift the focus here. This guy isn't going to go away and I need to start documenting. And then it just became daily conversations of shooting stuff back and forth via text or calls. So when he would create a fake profile of me on Instagram, for example, I would look at the followers that were following that profile that was fake. That's how I found one of the other survivors. To some degree, there was some information that we were able to gather through doing that. Through our pattern of investigation, Kings Seafood

Fish House, you know, the company that he used repeatedly on my LinkedIn that I worked there. Our mind went to, what's the relevancy of that? Why did he pick that? So then you go to King's Fish House. My dad was the one who went to LinkedIn and found there was an IT person and then it was linked to Huntington Beach, which this Cal Worthington, which was one of the names he used on Instagram, used to have a car dealership in Huntington Beach, which this Cal Worthington, which was one of the names he used on Instagram, used to have a car dealership at Huntington Beach. So now we're spiraling. There was a lot of legitimate research and investigative work that we were doing as a family

that really was worthwhile. And I think there were other times that it wasn't. We went in the wrong direction and we spiraled. To be completely honest, you're just trying to find answers. Summer of 2021, I remember checking my phone at 7am. I had a ton of missed calls and a voicemail and I learned to just turn my phone off at night. Comments on this post have been limited.

Hugo says hi. Amy. Amy, where are you? I know. It terrifies me still to this day. It's just very haunting. And then there's multiple voicemails that were left from that point forward. Here's Amy's mom. I'm gonna be frilly frank, I say you can't make this shit up. You just can't.

It's terrible. Only a sordid twisted mind can do all this stuff. When you have a loved one that is being randomly put out there to be heinously raped, slaughtered, dismembered and killed, you don't stop. You know that no one's gonna care what you care. Although I will say the FBI was phenomenal. In July, I got a call from my detective. I was at a business luncheon and I had to get up and leave.

And I don't typically do that. But when I saw his number on my phone calling, I I left the lunch and he said, we know who it is. And that's all I can tell you right now. The relief I felt I can't even tell you. He gave me the whole breakdown of who the individual was. I still have the notes on my phone actually. The man was in his early 40s.

He was living with his parents in New Jersey. He gave me kind of these bullet points of who this individual was to give me some peace of mind. I'll never forget that moment of like, okay, we know who he is. The next steps from there was still having to gather enough evidence to get a search warrant for his home to get all the devices to then continue to investigate and then hopefully arrest the individual.

In September of 21, I went to Europe. I was overseas for a wedding of a colleague of mine. And when I got back, I had updated my social media profile picture. That picture that I put in my profile was taken at the wedding and I was in such a happy place overseas and wasn't thinking about the stocking and everything happening back home. I was so happy to upload this new picture to my profile and it just like crushed me when he took it from me within a manner of hours my stalker had taken that picture and

Applied it to some of the fake profiles. He had made of me and that was crushing to me I think this had been going on for so long and it was so violating and Devastating what was happening to me and those around me. I was in direct contact with the detective on my case on a daily basis. He mentioned the cell phone tower data was one of the catalysts of him being able to get search warrants for Google Verizon, all of the various avenues he was communicating with us on.

The fact that he was calling me from one number repeatedly allowed him to get the search warrants he needed to get that cell phone tower data. I called my detective. I told him exactly what happened, and I think I broke down crying, which happened on occasion with him. And he said, don't worry, this is all going to be over soon. We're going to go get him. He can obviously tell me all the details or very much information, but wanted

to give me that peace of mind of this is coming to an end. I believe it was a couple of days later he called me and they had executed the search warrant on his house. There was several law enforcement agencies and individuals who exercised the search warrant on his house. They took all of the devices. When they went in there, then my stalker said to them, just arrest me now. I did it. I'm guilty.

That did not shock me at all when the detective told me that. He knows he's been caught now. Up until the point where they searched his home and took all of the devices he was using, he had no idea that I was investigating him. Since the Denver Police Department was there and it was a Denver search warrant, he knew exactly who was behind the investigation.

When they served that search warrant, those federal agents all stormed into that house that morning at 6 a.m. on a Sunday. Unfortunately, the agent had to walk up and give him and show him the search warrant with her name on it. He should never have known who did that. And we've got to have laws. Why in the world was he allowed to see who was doing this? The agent said, do you know who she is? And his response, he said, oh, yes, I know who she is. We're very fortunate that his passport was not up to date because they didn't make an arrest that day. They were able to confiscate everything for forensics, which took like 45 days to get back because they took it back via truck across the country to Colorado,

and then they finally were able to extradite him to Colorado. He could have run at any time and God only knows what other equipment he was using to terrorize other people. We know of another victim and that victim is too afraid to stand up. I have compassion for that because I watched my daughter go through that yet at the same time you have to stand up to evil. Otherwise it will persist. I'm just really grateful to Amy that she has been able to have the strength to stand up to this predator. So that day was a day of empowerment in a healing way. The truth of it, it was validation of the hell that she had been walking through that he was creating, although at the

same time they couldn't arrest him on that day. So he was still out and that was very, very alarming to us. It goes beyond disconcerting. We were counting that every day you're thinking, okay, if Amy's safe, we always have an action plan and a safety plan. We've had it for years, but it was an even more detailed because he knew exactly where she lived. He knows everything about her. He knows how to get to her. So then that was other special kind of torturing was a really walk of faith to trust that the forensics team could get all of his computers, his phones, you know, because they hide everything. In fact, the FBI said just pray that he doesn't dump everything,

that he doesn't get any wind of this and dump everything, because they do that too. He did it, apparently. That waiting seemed like an eternity. Once they get all the devices, there's a period of time that goes by before he's formally arrested. I knew that, but I didn't realize it would be so much time. That period from him realizing that I'm the person behind him potentially

getting arrested and charged for these crimes was really scary for me. I knew he was a New Jersey. I knew very little about who he was, the profile living with his parents. He was in his early 40s. I didn't know if this guy was going to try to come find me or flee or whatever it may be. So I pursued a civil protection order during this time to try to provide some sort of protection until he was ultimately arrested. And that was one of the worst experiences of my life. One, the paperwork is just very extensive and confusing

and there are certain things you have to provide. And because mine was a criminal case that was being continued to be investigated, there was certain information that my detective could not provide me that I needed for the paperwork. So I typed up the paperwork. I spent a ton of time detailing all of my answers to their questions. And then you have to physically go deliver the paperwork at the courthouse. With the clerk and the judge has to approve the protection order, and you have to do that

in person. And there's just a small window of hours that you can go do that. Fortunately, I'm in a job where I have flexibility that I could accommodate the hours to go deliver this paperwork. I walked in to deliver the paperwork. The clerk was standing there flipping through my pages, not sitting down, just kind of leaning over the table and she looked at me and said, you know, you have to be in imminent danger, right? I looked at her and I said, I don't know that I'm not. And I was blown away that that's what her response was.

I couldn't believe how I was treated. And I left there and I, I'm gonna get emotional now thinking about it. I cried all the way back to the car, not only for my experience, but what other people had likely experienced as well. If that's how I was treated and it was shocking to me is what I will say. It was just so disheartening and just deflating. The first time she went to get a restraining order, they were derogatory towards her. They tried to shame her, she's strong got through it, it's lasening. It's not just Amy, it's with so many in the system that are being

victimized. Aren't those in the system aren't they supposed to be there to stop this sort of behavior and not be a part of it? Every system has its dirty little secrets. And when you choose to be a part of it, that makes you as bad as a dirty little secret. When you choose to stand up against it, that is what we should all be doing, because that's how we break down barriers. And that's how we get reform that actually helps all of us as a society. This is not just about Amy. So it brought everything back home only at a very heightened place. And so much information is withheld about the predator. We should know in order to protect her in the future. But none of that is for it's given yet.

He knows everything about her. Before he was arrested, this time period from September till November was very terrifying. Knowing this guy is likely capable of a whole hell of a lot more than what he did online to me. It's a very terrifying time. He was arrested in New Jersey and when he was arrested in November of 21, he was charged with a class five felony, which was stalking. I got a picture of his mugshot and to be honest, I wanted to throw up. I couldn't believe the individual I saw based on the content and the racist comments. The way in which this guy spoke and the messages,

all of his behaviors, I had assumed that this guy was probably a middle-aged white guy who had some neo-Nazi tendencies. The mugshot I got was a bald Latino man who was in his early 40s. I was blown away because I had just built up this image of this person as you do, right? When somebody's coming after you the way that he did, you're trying to figure out instinctively who this individual is, who would do this, why this behavior, why this language, right? And so your mind curates an image of this person. And it was

just the polar opposite of what I was anticipating. He also had this just very blank stare. When I shared the mug shot with others, they just said it looked very like emotionless. That was very interesting to me. And as I learned more about the profile of the individual, He was a Latino man in his early 40s, living in his parents' basement, did not have a job, and come to find out, graduated from one of the top law schools in the country with honors. I was blown away. I've always said the stalker was very much

an intelligent person. He was very smart, and I knew that. When I found out this profile, it was just very shocking, and it took me a while to kind of absorb it. Here's Amy's dad. It was a huge breakthrough. We knew that they had identified him. We knew that they were going to arrest him.

We didn't have all the details until after it occurred, obviously. But the biggest relief was once they identified him, I thought it was unlikely we would ever find him. And they found him and they found him quickly. And it was unlikely we would ever find him. And they found him, and they found him quickly. And it was very impressive, and I'm so thankful for the FBI and the Denver Police Department for what they did. We know his name now. We know where he's from. We know exactly where he's at. That's such a huge relief.

Not knowing was one of the most difficult parts. I just felt so thankful that now he was somewhere where he couldn't harm us and hurt my sister and harm anybody else. He was harming me because I would venture to guess that Amy was not the only one. Although it seemed like it was his full-time job to particularly make Amy's life a living hell. It was a huge relief. I mean, I cried for sure. When we finally learned of who it was, I was surprised to find out he was younger than I thought he was going to be. He was not white, which I was shocked because there was a real racist element to so much of what he posted and emailed and did. Waves of relief and then uncertainty as to how it would end up.

The research that I had done on this subject in cyber stalking was there's not that many years in the sense. If you even get the max and typically with these cyber stockers, it's really rare that they get a max sentence. It's usually their first infraction. They're not in jail for very long. So that came with it. That was relief, but it was also a bit of anxiety. Now it's like that we have this guy, but but now what? Being an actual royal is never about finding your happy ending.

But the worst part is, if they step out of line or fall in love with the wrong person, it changes the course of history. I'm Aresha Skidmore-Williams. And I'm Brooke Sifron. We've been telling the stories of the rich and famous on the hit Wondery Show, Even the Rich. And talking about the latest celebrity news on Rich and Daily. We're going all over the world on our new show Even the Royals. We'll be diving headfirst into the lives of the world's kings, queens,

and all the wannabes in their orbit throughout history. Think succession meets the crown meets real life. We're going to pull back the gilded curtain and show how royal status might be bright and shiny, but it comes at the expense of, well, everything else. Like your freedom, your privacy, and sometimes even your head. Follow Even The Royals on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Even The Royals early and ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus. Hi, I'm Lindsay Graham, host of Wondery's Podcast American Scandal. We bring to life some of the biggest controversies in US history, presidential lies, corruption

in sports, corporate fraud. In our newest series, we go to Baltimore, where in the spring of 2017, a police corruption scandal shocked the city. At the heart of it was an elite plainclothes unit called the Gun Trace Task Force. It was supposed to be the Baltimore Police Department's best of the best, a group of highly decorated detectives who excelled at getting drugs and guns off the streets. But they operated with little oversight, creating an environment where criminal cops could flourish by falsifying evidence and robbing suspects.

Follow American Scandal on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge American Scandal, Police Corruption, and Baltimore early and ad-free right now on Wondery Plus. Here's Amy's co-worker Natalie. Amy's co-worker Natalie It was very strange putting a name to the persona. We had no concept of who this individual was to then get a name, get a face, and then understand their backstory. It's just so disheartening and saddening that he as an individual feels like he is in so much pain that he needs to deflect that and place that pain on others. Here's Amy's business partner, Andy.

I was so relieved that they found him. We knew that they figured out who it was and that he wasn't local. When they actually went in and arrested him and did the search warrant and took his computers, I knew they had him. He was methodical in how he went about this. Obviously, he knew how to set up profiles and what he couldn't and couldn't do as we talk to the

FBI folks. He's a very intelligent person, it seems like, but deeply disturbed. I was a little bit surprised that somebody with that level of education wouldn't go out and do something positive with their lives. Here's Sarah, Amy's colleague. I do remember getting the call from Amy and it was a great call. This was the first step we all learned throughout this is we are absolutely far behind in how to legally protect and remedy these types of situations. Fortunately, Amy was so diligent and her parents making sure that we got this attention and it needed it. It felt like there was climbing a mountain from two fronts just from her personal situation,

but then also getting the type of attention for this case. It was huge. It's what we were all working towards, but we were still shocked that it happened because legally there's just not a lot of precedence. It was a wonderful call that we got from her, but then it was like, okay, but now we're going to need to prepare for the next stage.

I knew nothing about this process or how the whole justice system works. What I learned is because it's a cyber crime and the victim, who is me in this case, was located in Denver. He's in New Jersey. He had to be tried in Denver, and it was handled through Denver law enforcement. That's when I found out that he was going to be extradited to Denver. And I didn't know when I am signed up for victim notifications. So anytime he moves prisons or he moves addresses, if and when he's released, or there's some movement in his physical location, then they have to notify me of that formally.

That notification process is slower. That was actually surprising. And I will give my dad credit. He was tracking it much faster than that notification system. He got extradited not only to Denver, but to a detention center that was 10 minutes from my home and even closer to my place of work. It's a place I drive by almost on a daily basis. Although he was in jail and being held, it was equally terrifying. His bond was set at $50,000. Fortunately, I'm grateful for the judge for setting it so high. At the same time, he could have bailed out or bonded out at any time. And I knew that. And I knew that he knows where I live, where I work, that he had come after

not only me, but my family and my coworkers and my business partner and his wife. Knowing all of this, we put extra protection orders in place. We locked down our office. We had notified security for the building so that they could keep a lookout, the potential of somebody being that close to you. It was a very anxious time. I was more anxious than I realized, probably, because I was just so much in survival mode.

I went back to all the feelings I had before, the hypervigilance, the anxiety, the on edge, and constantly looking over my shoulder and being worried about my loved ones, my coworkers. So there's just this whole host of anxieties that doubled down when he was extradited here. Fortunately, this man never bonded out, and I am so grateful for that. For whatever reason, he just remained in jail.

I was assigned a prosecutor. He was the assistant DA at the time. He's now a judge. He was great. Very early on, there was pressure to think about what a plea bargain might look like or what I might agree to. I said from the outset that I would not agree to anything, that I would take this guy to trial. I was very clear and I never wavered on that with my prosecutor and he came to me a few times and at one point said, this guy doesn't have any

prior crimes. The way this typically works is it could be pushed to a misdemeanor, because he had no prior record based on what's in the system currently. They were nervous that if it did go to trial that I would have to potentially be on the stand, and the way that the defense would position me or the persona they would put on me would be emotionally disheartening and difficult to deal with. I'm a strong person and I figured if that day came, I'll deal with it. I just was very consistently persistent about not giving in. There was no plea, I would agree to. Her standing up and confronting this type of wicked evil darkness is really

state strongly who she really is and was able to say no to the system that she was in for so long saying no, I'm not going to accept that deal. If it's gonna take it to go to trial and she knew what that meant, it was gonna be ugly. I will do that because he has done all of this to me because she cares about the others out there. His first hearing was scheduled in December.

It got continued until January, but I attended every hearing as did my parents. All the hearings were difficult. The first one was virtual. The others were in person where I was feet away from this man who had stalked me for five years. Just seeing him, it's always just like feeling of wanting to throw up.

None of his family, to my knowledge, attended any of the hearings virtually or in person. That was always very interesting to me, given he lived with his parents. When the judge would decide whether or not this was going to go to trial, we figured they would go to trial because Amy, her lawyer fought for it. And that's when Morrison stood up and said, I've been guilty to everything. That was the moment of hallelujah. Hallelujah, because that validates our daughter. He looked white as a sheet and he looked awful. Oh, his lawyer was not happy. He was pissed.

He said, I want you to know, first of all, that I have advised him to do just the opposite, basically. And I, against my advisement, kept saying that he was basically bragging about the fact that here we've got this brilliant man, this brilliant mind who's graduated from an Ivy League college. And I remember thinking, he's a brilliant man, and that's scary. Anyway, he said, no, I feel guilty to everything. And I know why he did.

Why would a guy do that? Not out of the goodness of his heart. He did it because he knew that in trial, all the rest of the story, all of it, would be coming out, and it's bad. And so he pled guilty to protect himself. It was to save his own skin, make no bones about that. Thankfully, he did. So we took a deep breath and were like, thank God.

He shocked the judge, my prosecutor, and his own defense attorney by pleading guilty. The next court date was his sentencing. The sentencing from me was very overwhelming. I had my business partner, my parents, my business partner's wife, my sister, and a room full of strangers and other defendants who were also having their hearings at the same time.

I'm giving a victim advocate statement with strangers and criminals in the room listening to me. And so it's a very overwhelming experience. That courtroom was always so noisy. Doors slamming because, you know, legal people are running in and out, but basically people like our family, et cetera, waiting and going to bathroom

and people that are there to state their cases and all of that, clicking of computers because the lawyers are working on everything. So it's very noisy, very chaotic. It was an incredibly emotional day. It was myself, my husband, Amy, Amy's mom and dad and her sister. We were all there with our papers prepared, our hands clenched tightly together. I'm so happy that she has such an incredibly strong supportive family. It really came out.

I mean, when we were sitting there at trial, we're all there holding hands on the pew, being there for her. It was the first time that I've ever participated in a trial or legal proceedings. I was really nervous because you're just in kind of a foreign environment. When he came in, that was where that visceral, almost out of body of like, you were almost just vibrating with so many emotions that that one person was just behind their computer, keeping people locked in this tormenting terror of what he was doing. The destruction that he did to all of these lives in a permanent and lasting way to see

that person come out. I don't even know if I have the words to completely describe that, to be face-to-face with somebody that can't even look at you but could sure do this damage online in such a destructive way. It was very surreal to have that perpetrator standing literally feet from you, never make an eye contact with you, knowing full well what he did, knowing that that's the man you looked for for so long that punished your daughter, punished all of us for no reason other than his own personal entertainment or whatever his motivation was, was very difficult to be that close to him and yet that far from him, if you know what I mean. You have to let the law run its course. Sometimes that's slow and tedious process,

but it was hard to stand there and look at him. And it was even harder to watch Amy's reaction to him because it was very difficult for her. She lived in fear for so long, was literally like being in prison for years for her. And there he stood before us. I didn't see a lick of guilt. He just very narcissistic, but I was glad to have him standing somewhere where at least I knew where he was. To see when he walked in that courtroom, it was a lot of mixed feelings. Honestly, I want to jump over there and just let him have it. But of course I wouldn't do that.

It was relief, frustration, a righteous anger, and empowering. It was interesting to see the armed guards there that stood close to him between us so that he couldn't do anything to our daughter because we were told about that possible danger. I was so grateful for them to be there to protect her and us. I actually got to see him and be in the same room as him. I had heard his voice, but I hadn't seen him in person. I have a feeling he never thought that we would ever know who he was. But the fact that we did, it was like there was some small victory in that. It was interesting, like when he walked in, I wasn't even angry.

I don't even, I don't really know how to describe it. The mystery was gone finally. And while there was a lot of uncertainty about what was going to happen that day, I felt a peace and knowing we knew who it was. I just kind of felt disgusted to be around him. But I also felt a sense of victory. People that were sitting there, it became silent. They became focused on, very riveted, focused on what was being stated with the statements and by the lawyers and why this person was there. If you could hear a pin drop on carpet, you would have heard it drop.

Up to this point, I had never reacted to anything he's done. He had not heard from me the extent of the emotional damage and hurt that had been done to me, but also my family. And this was the victim impact statement that I provided in person. Hi, thank you for hearing my statement today, Your Honor. I'm gonna do my best not to get emotional, although this is by far one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

My name is Amy, and I'm a victim of the defendant, my stalker, since 2016 where I met him as Eric, a wholesome and genuine man. He was fraudulently impersonating on a dating website. A man who was seeking an intelligent, strong-willed woman who loved to travel and go out and have fun. I'm daughter, a sister, a friend at the time of the president of a local nonprofit and a business owner who believes in doing the right thing and giving back. I'm here today not only for myself, but for the many other victims I know are out there

who have also been tortured and tormented by the defendant. I personally spent countless hours trying to identify him, documenting everything along the way and trying to identify other victims. I hope my words and those of others impacted through me today provide justification as to why this predator belongs in jail for as long as the legal system will allow.

I know this is not his first and only crime committed. I do believe this is the first time he's been caught, which is why his guilty plea I expected. This man has attempted to destroy me as a woman, both personally and professionally, and I will never understand what I did to deserve it. I'm not stupid, but I am human, and I trusted the man I met online and then a connection we were building, as everyone would while dating. That said, this man purposely sought me out, strategically gained sensitive information

from me, and then viciously used it against me in a terrifying and confusing way for years. This man is the most thoughtfully evil individual I've ever encountered. He knows exactly what he has done to me and what he has done to others. His actions were intentionally planned out like a chess match where I refused to play with him. My hope was he would just disappear or get bored of coming after me. I was not so lucky nor were my family members, business colleagues, and friends of mine. It wasn't until 2021 when my business partner, who you will also hear from today, confronted me about the impact his actions were having on me, our company, our employees, one of which I provided a written statement ahead of today, his wife, who you will also hear from today, her company and her employees.

I was terrified to do something not knowing how this man would react. That said, we're here today and that's telling enough. What I want you to hear is that I know the defendant is capable of so much worse than the crime he's being sentenced for today. It's for that reason, the only time I've ever felt safe in over five years is when he's in jail. I'm strong and I have an incredible support system, but I fear others do not. I always knew there were others. I always assumed he was using me to lure other victims and stalking them the way he was stalking

me. And through my own research, I've recently come to find out I was correct. I'm sure there are many, and I think about them constantly. Unlike me, they don't know who this predator is. He has no face, no name, no location to them. So although he has been stopped because of me for the past several months, they are still waiting, wondering when this man is going to strike next. I cannot tell you the countless hours I spent dodging him, doing damage control, spending

my free time, work time, nighttime, actually all the time worrying and contemplating what would happen next. I could never predict what he would do next because it was so messed up and disturbing. This man has repeatedly called me, left me disturbing and strange voice mails often at night and personated me on social networks. He has publicly made false accusations about me and a male employee harassed my female employees and attacked my company and all we stand for. This man has no boundaries and is set on destroying good people who don't deserve it. I know he's capable of more than what he has done to me from behind a computer screen and phone. Now, given he's been caught for a crime he never thought he would, I fear

his criminal behavior will only escalate. I witnessed his escalating behavior first-hand and I fear physical harm from him and always have. Fearing I could be raped and or murdered by this man at any moment. Looking for my shoulder under my car, not sleeping, fearing that he would come after me or worse he would come after a loved one of mine. It was torture. I did everything I could to compartmentalize and be strong and fulfill my life's obligations personally and professionally wish are vast. I fell apart so many times I lost count, sometimes feeling so fearful that someone would have to come and stay with me so I felt safe and could sleep or at least try to. In the time this man stalked me, he also victimized two of my younger female cousins, four female

employees and one male employee of mine, exploited my company's social media and our reputation. Our PR firm was attacked both personally and professionally. All of the social media accounts, including professional profiles he created of me, are still out there and those are just the ones I'm aware of. What else has this man done to try to destroy me that I'm not aware of using my name and personal information? This haunts me today. With that said, I have some requests your honor so we can feel safe and try to get some peace in my life again. First and foremost, please give this man the maximum sentence possible. I know he has no prior documented recorded offenses, but I can assure you he is not innocent of

other crimes. He just hasn't been charged on the ones already committed. I asked that my stalker be sent back to New Jersey to serve his sentence that he not be released from the current Denver jail until the permanent civil protection order I have in process is finalized. And most importantly, request that the New Jersey law enforcement agencies know all of his court information regarding this case, including this statement and the seven others heard today. I request he has a GPS monitor at all times when not in jail and to know his location all times. I also request all fake social media accounts, dating sites, be removed, the ones I know about and the ones I don't. I appreciate your time today, Your Honor, and the time spent reviewing my case. Good morning, Your Honor.

I am Sherry. I would like to begin by sharing a quote. Abusers be like, how dare you ruin my reputation by telling people the things I did and said. Well, Mr. Morrison, make no mistake about it. I am telling on you. I am Amy's mother.

I have loved Amy all of her life. I am sharing with you how I have personally witnessed Morrison, whom I will refer to more appropriately as Amy's Beast of Prey, Predator, Hunter to Kill, for there is no terminology in the dictionary, which even comes close to describing Morrison. Believe me, I know because I have looked and looked and looked. This predator is the epitome of cruelty, and he deviously stalks his human prey, who are my daughter, Amy, and others without any conscience. Do not be fooled. He knows exactly what he is doing.

And furthermore, he enjoys every second of it. He is cunning and he slithers around the various social media platforms with venomous delight. There is nothing sacred in his victims' lives, absolutely nothing. This beast of prey advances with surgical precision and skill for the kill. For the past several years, he has euphorically cut like a knife and mashed through Amy's life, her career, her reputation, and many, many of the freedoms which

she has a birthright to as a citizen of the United States. He's intentions are to taint, kill and destroy, utilizing the weaponry of severe emotional abuse through constant 24-7 cyber attacks, late night calls, which include personal threats of danger, lewd sexual language, wicked evil, rape, and potential murder threats. These all pop up day, night, during celebrations, prior to important client meetings, birthdays, holidays. Whenever this beast of prey decides to go on a hunt, I think you get just a part of the ugly, sordid picture. One of the worst slaps in the face

is the social media networks who are willingly complicit and hiding these criminal acts. This is another reason Boyd Morrison must be sentenced to the maximum sentence allowed in Colorado because he is protected by social media and other systems. I am grateful Amy has a strong belief in the Lord and a strong support system because there were many, many days these last several years where I am not sure how a strong belief in the Lord and a strong support system because there were many many days These last several years where I am not sure how Amy was able to get out of bed and head into another day of Constant torture by this beast of prey. I am also grateful. She never opted to take her own life

I have wondered if any of his victims have fallen prey to this option Amy is a woman with a big heart for others, especially the underdog to this option. Amy is a woman with a big heart for others, especially the underdog. She is a leader, not just a participant and volunteers through many years with much of her time and money to positively impact those in need in order to empower them. I have observed my confident, fun-loving, lovely daughter become more and more reserved, more and more anxious and fearful of her own shadow, so to speak, in certain scenarios, questioning every new person her paths cross, not dating because of her own shadow, so to speak, in certain scenarios, questioning every new person her paths cross. Not dating because of feeling extremely vulnerable, afraid she may be raped,

maimed or murdered. Amy has been proactively trying to manage her life at every level. She pays privately for continued professional counseling and engages a professional business coach for a period of time, so she can continue to navigate forward successfully in this journey. The physical emotional cost to my beloved Amy, due to the severity of the evil terrorizing abuse

that she has had to endure for several years, can never be measured. I am a registered nurse, and I have been extremely concerned about the sustained stress levels, which Amy has been forced to endure. Sustained high levels of chronic stress are many times a negative precursor, the cause of very serious physical health issues, including cancers.

This predator must be stopped. This hunter to kill is ruthless and must never be allowed to perpetrate these terrifying, torturous acts upon anyone in society. His actions are truly incomprehensible. He is capable of some extremely racist labels and remarks, yet who knows what he is saying and doing to other victims. There will never be enough time to convey all of the intentionally cruel, terrorizing,

heinously twisted abuses, which this cold-blooded predator has inflicted upon my precious daughter's life. And I am asking you to sentence Morrison to the maximum sentence. My daughter needs to be safe and to continue to put the pieces of her life together again, so she can move forward. She deserves this opportunity. She should not be allowed to be victimized any further.

Morrison, this message is for you specifically. No force on earth can stop the confidence of a trauma survivor who finally understands it was not their fault. And another last thought. Actions always speak louder than words. It has been said that time heals all wounds. I do not agree. The wounds remain.

In time, though, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone. I sincerely appreciate your time and your consideration today, Your Honor. Here's Amy's co-worker, Natalie. Through this experience, Amy has consistently checked in on us, whom we are also other victims in this, to ensure that we are OK and feel safe.

Sadly, Morrison belongs in a community of others to exploit and victimize innocent people online for personal gain. Many victims to these acts sit in silence. They're afraid to speak up for fear of making the situation worse. Amy is unique and has found the courage to fight back. Amy has spent countless hours educating herself

on the criminal justice system to understand how to navigate this devastating crime. Amy is not only an advocate for herself, but she's an advocate for all of us. I believe the reason this defendant has no prior record is not due to the lack of offenses, but the lack of getting caught. I'm confident there are dozens more victims who have similarly been exploited by this man.

These victims could be your daughter, your sister, your mother, or co-worker who are sitting in silence. We have felt a weight lifted off of us over the last few months while this defendant has been behind bars. And I feel safe to now share my life online, including photos of my wedding day, my dog, my adventures. Without feeling he might exploit my photos or leave an inappropriate comment. I feel safe to walk my dog without fear that he might come around the corner. I feel safe to stay at my office late without fear that he might show up.

We no longer have to lock the doors to our office or glance behind our shoulders. We feel safe. This man does not deserve freedom as he has taken so much away from so many. Amy's story is just one. And I pray that through these continued efforts by law enforcement, we will be able to find justice for others.

In my statement to the court, I actually said that these laws need to be brought up to date. And the punishment doesn't match the crime. And she actually spoke to me in court with everybody there and said, you're absolutely right. I hope that he never reaches out again in any way. I told him in court that if he ever did, that basically the day he gets out,

I'm gonna track him in the rest of his life through legal means to make sure that he never harms my daughter again. I'm gonna know where he's at and what he's doing. That's a promise I made to him in court. Here's Amy's business partner, Andy. This statement, her mom, her dad, her sister all gave were so heartfelt. The level of impact that he had on the family, how much he had not even knowing who she is just hurt someone randomly

who she is just hurt someone randomly for years and for no reason was just so hard to see. Preparing the statement came pretty easily. It had been so long coming, there was a lot to talk about and what he'd done. But when I read the statement, I became so emotional because the emotions hadn't come out from the years that this had been going on. Then it all kind of became out at that point? So it was a little bit difficult to read my statement, but it was something that for Amy was so important.

I hadn't realized the emotion behind everything that had happened because of how Amy had handled herself and being so strong. I saw my business partner cry for the first time ever. It's highly emotional. I'm thinking back to that day and I think it's pulling up some emotion, not only because the environment you're in, but also hearing how his behaviors has impacted those that I love. To see his reaction or non-reaction, there were no tears. He did this head nod thing that I'll never forget."

Although everyone's victim impact statements were strong and authentic and genuine and emotional, my mom, he should have felt daggers being thrown at him with her eyes. If there's someone who loves passionately, it's her is what I will say. I mean, this pounding, looking at him, I mean, I couldn't look at him when I was giving my statement. I don't want to look at him I don't want to give him that benefit But my mom was staring at him as she was she was speaking to him her statement was so powerful All of them were powerful, but she gave it was such Faced she was so dynamic and I think he was a little terrified of her

When I spoke about the rape tortured, I looked directly at him She was so dynamic and I think he was a little terrified of her. When I spoke about the rape torture, I looked directly at him. We were told not to do that, that we weren't allowed to do that, but I did. That's the second time that this predator tore his eyes from the ceiling and he snapped his head and he looked at me eyeball to eyeball and I looked directly back at him. But I was calm and I was truthful and his stare was so cold and devoid of any emotion dark and it was sheer rage beyond anger. All of a sudden he caught himself and he snapped his head back up to that tile. I had to wear with all the things. Did the judge see that? I watched and she was still had her eyes on him.

I was so grateful that as hard as that was to tell that little tiny piece of what he'd done, which wasn't even the worst, we did because it elicited a reaction from him that was seen by the judge. Because he does consider Amy his prey. She's not human to him. And I wanted to make that point because she's not.

There was a lawyer had tears in his eyes. There was another mother in the courtroom close to us and when I walked back after my statement her son gave me a thumbs up. She gently reached towards me to grab my hand and gave me a nod and she had tears screaming down her face. I get emotional because that was the form of compassion that I wasn't expecting from anybody. All those people recognized from all different walks of life the heinous crime that has been committed and that touched my heart deeply. Listeners, we have a new show that we think you're going to love. From Wondery and hosted by Laura Beale, the

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Death Bad Magic on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Dr. Death Bad Magic early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus. When Amanda walked up to the podium, she was like, I don't know, maybe the fourth or fifth to speak, his head snapped for the first time that morning directly to her. Like what the F is happening? Who the heck are you? And then he got angry. You could tell us what he knew nothing about her.

And I loved that piece of it. Yes, she got by you. She spoke her piece and then immediately his head snapped back up when he realized he was showing emotion. I was so grateful for the judge and others to see that and for him to realize that yep, you missed one. He assured it. He had the opportunity to say something to the judge before she sentenced him formally. I don't remember what he said. All I know is I didn't hear an apology. He had no emotion. There was a lot of like eye-raising and shaking of his head, but beyond that he's very cold.

It was just a reinforcement of the person that he is. No regard for its impact on Eany's life, all about him, all the time. So selfish, as you would expect from somebody who does this kind of stuff. He took the angle of trying to get sympathies, saying that it was very hard to be in jail. It was dirty and he has OCD and blah, blah, blah.

I feel like that's kind of the trend with him in court, but no apology, no regard for how he impacted everybody else's lives. He was not articulate. It's like he did not have the kind of awareness that was needed to really communicate in the courtroom in a way that made it even seem that he cared. It was just clear while he was trying to get off easy and appeal to her sympathies,

the judge saw it right through it. And I appreciated that so much about her. His demeanor was, I thought, really interesting. He said he took full responsibility. He didn't shy away from the fact that he did all of these horrible things to her, but it also seemed like lip service and that he just didn't care. It was so clear that he didn't really see the impact that he'd made on all these people's lives

and he was so much more concerned about himself. It was pretty disgusting to watch him give his side of the story and not take much empathy towards Amy and the other people that he'd been harassing for years. He was ultimately sentenced to the maximum sentence that the state of Colorado allows, which is he got four years with time served plus two years of parole. The judge went out of her way to say that there was no sentence that would do Amy Justice,

but that she would do what she could. And she ended up giving him the max that she could and that was incredible. She addressed my sister directly. She even said like, I never do this, but I want to, I want to say something to you Amy right now. This isn't your fault and this is horrific what happened to you. She just spoke to my sister in a way that was so freeing I think for Amy and then when she gave the sentencing for him, we all just broke down. It was a huge relief. Sorry, even right now, I'm kind of getting emotional about it. And it was interesting when the when the judge gave the sentencing,

she said it out loud and we broke down. I looking around, it was like everybody in the courtroom was invested in this. And, you know, you have these like heavily tattooed men and just like, you know, kind of gruff looking people. And it was almost like they were all kind of rooting for Amy. And it was just really powerful in a way that I just kind of think is, is really cool. The judge, she looked at Amy and she said, I can count on less than a few fingers how many times over the many years is presiding as a judge that I speak to a victim. And I'm going to today. over the many years as presiding as a judge that I speak to a victim and I'm going to today.

Amy, this is not your fault and you need to hear that. There is only one person sitting in this room where responsibility and fault lies. And that was so powerful. She said many other powerful things and then she spoke to us too. The judge, she was very fair. The fact that she sentenced him

to the maximum allowable sentence under Colorado law, that sent a strong message to us. And I hope to others so that maybe something can be done to make this put a little bit of teeth in the law. The judges remarked at the end of the trial, were very clear in how she felt. What she said in her inability to sentence him to longer terms, I think, gave the family and aiming some relief that people really saw what had happened.

The judge felt like her arms were tied with what she could do from a punishment perspective. She said that no way does the punishment fit the crime in this game. I was thrilled. It was what we were hoping for, was he'd get the maximum sentence. We all went out in the hall and gave each other big hugs. It felt like for the first time, somebody in that legal position heard the nuance of destruction and pain

in a very real way. What I remember most is walking out of the courtroom with Amy and her family and we all just hugged each other and were crying. We just wanted to let her get some of her life back. There was a sense of relief, but it's like the arrest, right? Then we had a trial. You get these little levels, but then there is a next. And knowing that there was only a time limit on that for him, and then he would be out and he's not well, is that going to make it worse? If this is all we have, then what?

You can only be in that position of rest for so long. That's what's scary about this. That's what creeps in about these circumstances is how can you ever regain all of that back fully without having any of this in the back of your mind? It was a relief that he was incarcerated and knowing that he could no longer harm Amy or other victims, but at the same time, the minute he goes into incarceration, the clock starts. And so now it's a waiting game until the day that they open the door and let him out.

Then we're right back to square one. So it's a double-edged sword. There's relief and there's also concern. Next time on Something Was Wrong. For the Colorado Board of Parole, today's date is May 9th, 2023. And I'm speaking with Morrison, my video for parole application hearing. created and hosted by me, Tiffany Rees. If you'd like to support the show further, you can share episodes with your loved ones,

leave a positive review, or follow Something Was Wrong on Instagram. At Something Was Wrong podcast. Our theme song was composed by Gladrags. Check out their album, Wonder Under. Thank you so much. and add free on Amazon Music. Download the app today, or you can listen early and add free with Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at wondery.com slash survey.