Witnessed: Devil in the Ditch - Mystic Mother | 7. The Verdict
Episode Date: October 11, 2022The 48-day trial comes to an end, and the jury reaches a decision. Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Witnessed: Mystic Mother, ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge — All Episod...es. All at Once. Plus you’ll unlock brand new stories, dropping every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free. Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Witnessed show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Campside media.
Just a note before we get started.
This episode deals with some sensitive subjects, including sex and sexual assault.
Please take care as you listen.
W.D. County attorneys Ed Leiter and Chris Sammons have the home court advantage. In videos of the trial, they look young, but between them they have
years of experience and they have the state of Arizona behind them. Their
approach is cut and dry, no chakras, no altars, just evidence. Once the session
started, that's obviously where the legality issues kind of kick in in this case.
The goddesses or the practitioners would perform usually in one hour, sometimes a 90-minute session,
and they would do what they call the whole body's healing.
She said that there would be a happy ending and she sort of pointed at me like I was the one that was going to get to have you. At the end of the session, what would typically happen before the mail would lead, and
as he would leave money at that point.
I said $20 for Handleleast, I tried to give her to her, and she pointed at the hands
on the counter, and it's like a little statue.
And the emails were always required to be the cash, to be a little statue that they would
have in the room and kind of hands out.
They had some classes,
but in terms of how the God's temple made a money,
how they paid the salaries, how they paid the bills,
it was through a legal prostitution.
At the end of this trial, ladies and gentlemen,
I stated to you in the standup here,
and we're going to ask you to render
only reasonable verdict in this case, and that's guilty.
While the undercover deals are compelling,
some of the recordings are pretty bad quality,
and Tracy could argue that it's unreliable evidence.
And all they've got is this conqueror
for Joker clown, and so they've got
with a Jack Hammer sound. You may say. That's all I've got is this conqueror of the jokers, clown. And so they've got, with a jet hammer.
So, that's all I've got to defend myself with.
It's a very bad piece of evidence and an incorrect transcript.
The prosecution knows they need more than just detectives to testify.
They need to fight goddess with goddess.
I was sad for Tracy in an in a way, but then it would go back to well.
She lied to me.
Rebecca Carrara felt Tracy had misled her about the legality of what they were doing.
She had no priors and no history of sex work before the temple.
Now she was facing multiple felonies and misdemeanors.
And then going to court and all that, then I was scared, then I was scared.
It's like, oh my gosh, I'm going to do some gel time.
And I just kept on thinking, how am I going to fight this?
From the start, Rebecca wanted to meet with the prosecution.
She had questions for them about her charges and her options.
And they had questions for her too.
He said, so do you believe in the goddess?
Because all the girls were saying the goddess
is going to prevail and the goddess will take care of us
and the goddess will get us out of this and all that.
So I said, as of now, I'm just a seeker.
I'm a seeker of the truth.
Do I think the goddess energy is going to get us out
of this?
No.
She was asked to meet with a panel
and she told them what she knew, the
good and the bad. She told them about the happy endings and the donations and they asked
her to be a witness for the state, which meant she would have to testify against Tracy.
And Rebecca said, sure.
If I went to court and I was telling a lie, I just knew I'd have this big thing on my head
going shing-ing-ing, like a red light or something, because a lot of times I can't remember a lie.
I just can't remember a lie.
So I just told the truth and the truth was damaging to the next room. From Campside Media and Sony Music Entertainment, you're listening to Witnessed, Mystic Mother.
Episode 7, The Verdict. Si necesitas un taller de garantía para tu coche, Motrio te ofrece un mantenimiento
multimarca sin sorpresas con mecánicos expertos altamente cualificados y formados.
Descubre MOTRIO, tu taller para todo lo que necesitas.
Encuentra tu taller MOTRIO más cercano en talleres.motrio.es.
Tracey's witnesses were mostly friends and family who could speak to her character, her beliefs, and the intention behind her behavior. She's trying to
tell a story the jury can understand. Her story.
It's safe to say that creating and offering the priestess path is one of your
proudest moments of your career. It's not just proud. it's why I came to the planet, which sounds really sort of grandiose,
but it's not just a proud moment, it's the fulfillment of a girl wanting to hear other
people say.
I think God's female too.
Later in Sammons get increasingly frustrated.
They've filed tons of motions to preclude Tracy
from discussing all sorts of things
that are irrelevant to the case.
But she often finds a way to bring them up anyway.
So they're constantly asking the jury
to ignore things they've heard.
And the trial is dragging on, because there's
a lot of ground to cover, and there are a lot of witnesses.
Tracey's cross-examination sometimes goes on so long that Judge Stevens threatens to put a time limit on her.
Later in Sam and suggests that the judge is being too soft on Tracey and that she's preventing them from getting a fair trial. Judge, is there any way to keep Miss Elise from asking improper questions?
Because we keep objecting and she just
ask it until it comes out some way or another.
She clearly understands that this is not relevant.
We object over and over and over and over.
No, I know you don't understand.
But she does it anyways, Judge.
It's incredibly disrespectful to the jury.
Miss Elise never answers the question.
Judge, I'm asking that she be removed from representing herself.
She cannot follow court orders, and she continuously violates your orders, and says, whatever
she wants to say, she doesn't care what the judge tells her to do.
She either doesn't, she's either intentionally doing it, or she just doesn't know what
she's doing.
Either way, Mr. Green should take over representing her.
Things get uncomfortably tense a lot,
and the judge is constantly playing referee.
You thought the work around on a process,
you should status was playing the literature.
Ultimately, that's what this is about, isn't it, Miss Elise?
No, Mr. Lighter, it's about how you're not
applying the Constitution when it's your duty to do so.
It's your duty to do so.
We are going to take the new recess. Ladies and gentlemen, please return at 1.30. applying the Constitution when it's your duty to do so. It's your duty to do so.
We are going to take the new recess.
Ladies and gentlemen, please return at 1.30.
1.30, please remember the admonition.
The prosecution never actually denies Tracy's beliefs.
In fact, they say whatever, call it a temple,
call it a church.
It doesn't matter because religious freedom
doesn't allow you to break the law.
And they're essentially trying to hinge their entire case on prostitution.
So if they can convince the jury that that's what was happening at the temple,
all of Tracy's other charges, the money laundering, racketeering,
illegal enterprise will follow.
One of their witnesses is Detective Amber Campbell,
who co-lead the investigation of the temple.
But they don't jump into that at first.
Instead, they start with her extensive experience as a detective, and they ask her to break
down what she typically looks for during an investigation of an illegal enterprise.
When a female undercover goes into a business, the individuals don't generally suspect that we're
undercover officers and are usually very forthcoming with information about how the price split is going to
work, how much we're supposed to charge for certain sex acts, how much money goes back to the business.
One of the most important things for a vice enforcement detective is to establish who's in control of that business,
who's in charge, who's doing hiring.
Those are all very important when you're working with
enterprise cases because ultimately you have to establish
in the end if you determine it's a house of prostitution, you have to establish
who's responsible for that crime.
a prostitution you have to establish who's responsible for that crime. There was never any question about who was in charge at the temple.
The gatekeepers ran the day to day, but Tracy approved the hiring of every single goddess.
One goddess, who went by the name Bridged, said that at first she felt encouraged by Tracy.
She really built me up.
She said that she saw light inside of me
that was waiting to break out.
She saw a wonderful little girl
that was waiting to break out
and that she was going to help me find my voice.
But that's not what happened for her. Bridget told a story about how she had enrolled in a work study program at the temple, but she kept getting pulled out of classes to do sessions.
I was standing outside of the door and Janet was taking calls and I'm sorry, that one.
calls and um, far from that one. Um, I heard her say, Bridget, and I talk about, yeah, she's blonde, busty, and then I heard
her say, no, no, we don't provide condoms.
We have to bring those. And so that really, really, really affected me.
I've sold in that moment.
In case you missed that, Bridget said she felt sold.
I went to the back and I cried.
I think it blows down to the fact that a woman can't be building up another woman and offering her into prostitution.
Bridget was one of several goddesses who testified against Tracy.
But the state also had detailed statements from police interviews with goddesses and gatekeepers after their arrests.
And the more than 30 plea deals secured by the state before trial can also be used as evidence that prostitution not only occurred,
but that it was the temple's main reason for being.
The majority of those that attended or that came into the temple, came in with the belief that they would be receiving
some sexual act as a result of their time in temple.
And along with that, the expectation from the print
amount of money that is listed in the back page
out of the execution fee, $200 and $4,
for that hour in the transformation chamber.
We're in the session, correct?
Correct.
In fact, through the course of your investigation,
did you not learn that many of the goddesses
understood a specific expectation from the grand
goddess temple that they were to give a release
or the man was to be manually masturbated during a second.
Through the course of our investigation, it was made known to us that at a minimum,
the expectations were that the practitioners were topless at a minimum and that a release,
meaning an orgasm, was... The calculation was to occur.
When the prosecution calls Rebecca to the stand, they ask her why.
Since she had no background in sex work, why did she perform sexual acts in her sessions?
And she testifies that the expectation was made clear to her by a gatekeeper
that every seeker should experience a release at minimum.
Was this religious to you Rebecca?
I was searching and searching and searching
to try to see where the religious aspect,
I wanted to believe.
However, if this thing was legal, in my mind,
I was thinking they would have temples everywhere.
They also ask about her first time meeting Tracy.
Yeah, he's Miss Elise currently in the courtroom.
Yes, she is.
She's on the left side of the courtroom.
She has a brown, looks like dress with some pink flowers on it.
Rebecca says Tracy no longer had that same glow she had when they first met.
She looked a lot smaller.
Like she wasn't as big and bright as she used to be. You know, she just looks smaller.
Cross examination.
You just had a birthday.
Yes, we're both Sagittarius.
We used to celebrate that at Trump.
There was a lot of Sagittarius women there, wasn't there?
Yes, there was.
There was.
Tracey Cross-Examines Rebecca over the course of two days.
I just told the truth and I didn't feel ashamed, I didn't feel inadequate or she didn't
intimidate me.
I thought it would be weird and
intimidating but it wasn't. It just wasn't for some reason.
Did you feel you had any choice to not take the plea? Did you feel there was another option?
I just took the plea because I just knew it would be the right thing to do for
myself because I couldn't go in and fight this because I had to tell the truth.
And that moment when I got arrested I knew that my truth was the wrong truth.
It wasn't the law, it was breaking the law.
Did you feel that you had just been given a fee for having sex or did you feel that you'd
been given donation for an experience in the temple?
Sometimes I had both.
So there were times when you felt empowered and there were times when you weren't so sure.
Yeah, times I felt empowered, sometimes I felt disempowered. Like something was taken away from me.
Then at one point, the judge reads out questions from the jury.
Did you feel manipulated by Tracy Elise to perform sexual acts for money for a donation?
That's after the break.
Uncover from CBC Podcasts brings you award-winning investigations year-round.
Infiltrate an international network of neo-Nazi extremists.
Branted with racist language.
Discover the true story of the CIA's attempts at mind control.
Their objective was to wipe my memory.
Or dig into a crypto-king's mysterious death and a quarter idea y una de las millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones de millones? Pero, MailChimp… no. MailChimp analiza los datos de millones de correos electrónicos
para ofrecer recomendaciones personalizadas para mejorar el contenido de tus correos electrónicos,
segmentar tu público, entre muchas cosas más, adivina menos y vende más con Intuitimale
Chimp.
La marca número 1 en Emilio y Marketing y Automatización.
Empiezad hoy mismo en MailSimple.com. Vas a verme a tus públicos de marcas competidoras en número de globales de clientes en 2020-2020. No. Did you feel forced by Tracy Elise to perform sexual acts for money or a donation?
No.
Did you feel coerced by Tracy Elise to perform sexual acts for money or a donation?
Yes.
Tracy claims that the only thing Godesses were coerced into was taking a plea.
And that at the temple they were empowered, happy, and thereby choice.
She feels the state is unfairly characterizing them as victims.
I don't even understand why they're trying to shut my religion down.
I actually don't, I know for effect there's no harms.
The victims they've named are my people who looked terrible by the way
compared to how they looked in temple. You saw those pictures. Those women were
happy. They've been shamed for sexuality in their life. Now they found this place
that uplifted them for what they learned and they said yes this damage that
happened to you can now be turned into a gift for others. These women were happy.
But yet the state characterizes all women who do this type of work as
victims. I have never harmed a soul, nor has anyone ever
harmed a soul. We've never been a harm to society. We've
only served to help.
The question of who is the victim in this case comes up a lot.
Tracy constantly implies that she's the one being attacked. It
can be confusing for the jury,
and there's a lot to keep track of. And both sides agree that it would be clarifying
to at least instruct the jury on the definition of terms like prostitution, pandering, and
illegal enterprise. But Tracy proposes taking it a step further. By explaining to the
jury why prostitution is illegal in the first place. Tracy wants to show the jury that none of the harms often associated with prostitution,
like STDs or trafficking, occurred at the temple.
But the judge says that's not relevant.
I want to show time and again that I never had any STD issues.
I never had any coercion camping issues and I never had any cluster crimes.
I think that matters.
It's comes to my character. It comes to the fact I did read that law, I never set out to
be a law-breaking institution.
It may be relevant.
It may be your honor.
Hold on.
I have a question.
It's a least, at least.
Please, please, please.
Deep breath.
Take a deep breath.
I know you're upset.
Have a seat for a moment."
Lucky for Tracy, the jury isn't present for this outburst. But clearly, this is really
important to her because she's trying to show that she's always been mindful and careful
and that she has good intentions. She never meant to hurt anyone. At one point, her
son Daniel testifies that growing up, Tracy would often bring home
strangers in need for dinner and sometimes let them stay.
The temple was meant to be an extension of that kind of work.
But some of the state's witnesses testified that people were harmed at the temple, even
if that wasn't Tracy's intention.
Many of the goddesses were survivors of abuse,
and some said they hadn't been given the training
or the tools to heal themselves, let alone others.
Many who then needed help.
And the support that they were seeking was not there.
This is a woman who was a gatekeeper at the temple.
Someone who would screen calls and book appointments.
What was it you were experiencing many?
Before they were going to get any help,
they were in doing stuff.
Correct.
But weren't all the women there choosing to be practitioners
and pretty excited about it?
They were excited because of the end results,
but they needed you Tracy.
They needed you to be there for them.
Well, we tried to do something really, really hard
at the Phoenix Scott Assembly,
bringing sexual healing in a world that doesn't really accept that.
It wasn't, they was hard.
It was, the petitions were were some were already traumatized.
So for them to be able to help someone else while they are broken, they do more damage than to heal.
That's why the issues that we have in that the practitioners needed to be helped first.
in that there's a special need to be helped first.
Like, as soldiers, not going to surgery, to end up when they're just very graduating from school.
Some of the goddesses did receive what they were told
was deep core healing for survivors of sexual trauma
from a man named Wayne Clayton.
Clayton was the director of the temple's School of One.
We heard about his session with Rebecca in the New Times article, and he was one of the
people arrested during the raid of the temple.
In an interview with police after his arrest, Clayton said he wasn't paid by Tracy and
didn't make money from seeker sessions.
Clayton, who's not a licensed therapist, received donations from
his own healing sessions, which involved re-enacting abuse. He denied that his methods involve
sexual acts. But when Tracy questions Nicole, who's their testifying on her behalf, Nicole
says something Tracy wasn't expecting.
Were you ever coerced to do anything at Temple?
Truthfully, yes, there was one person.
I could name it if you'd like.
And he took me into what I thought were healing sessions for me.
And I've had a lot of, I had a bad experience and I've had a lot of really difficult emotions
in regards to what occurred. And I don't hold the temple responsible, I hold him responsible.
Um, hmm, I didn't know anything about this. Would you like to say speak to it more or? We spent probably six hours in the red ray room and
he tried attempted to address
previous sexual abuse that I had been through by
repeating those acts with me and
that didn't serve to help or heal me anyway. But at that point I felt pressured
by him. He continued to reassure me and say that everything was fine, that it was normal.
Tracy seems taken aback. She comments to Ben, it's okay. I'm about the truth coming out. I didn't know, and it's okay.
I'm about the truth coming out.
That is a good point.
I'll come back to that.
I'm very impacted.
I can hear it.
It's insane.
You know what, Ben?
Not in my body.
And it is hard to do what I'm doing.
And I'm listening to her.
But you're not.
And these women are all using this to say what they want to say. They're all using this platform to say what they want to say.
Which I think is pretty good.
This isn't the first time allegations of assault have come up during the trial.
There's also discussion of Tara allegedly being assaulted by a seeker.
And it's hard to imagine that all of this
didn't impact the jury.
During the trial, Lytter says Clayton wasn't helping victims.
He was revictimizing them, based on the allegations.
But he was never charged with sexual assault, and he couldn't be reached for comment.
He pleaded guilty to a legal enterprise in 2013, and he was sentenced to just one year
of unsupervised probation.
His sentence was reduced in exchange for his testimony against Tracy, even though the
state never called him as a witness, and he also received permission to move to Chicago.
A prosecution suggests that even if Tracy didn't personally commit every single crime
that occurred at the temple, she's still responsible, because it all flowed from her.
The trial spread across nearly four months.
Tracy is the last witness.
For three days, she gets to say a lot of the things she couldn't say when
she was doing the questioning. We were used to being sex therapists without a
license. We never claimed to be that. We said we were there as faith healers. So I've
multiple times I've had to make a decision about a person who says I was abused
but now I feel powerful.
And I had to believe those women,
when they showed up to me, they were showing up shiny.
But look at the pictures, these women were pretty happy
because the temple took away the shame
on what had happened to them.
Both sides seemed to be an agreement
that Tracy was sincere in her belief
and that she was aware of the law.
But the prosecution says that Tracy lives in unicorn land,
where the rules don't apply to her.
And that it doesn't matter what she believed.
Even if Tracy thinks what she was doing was legal,
what matters is the evidence that she did in fact break the law.
At one point, they bring up her second arrest.
Miss Alice, why did you continue to practice
while this case was pending?
Well, primarily because you're innocent
until proven guilty.
Secondly, it's my life's calling.
I thought to myself, if they take this from me,
I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do on the planet.
In one final Hail Mary, the day before closing arguments, Tracy files a motion to dismiss.
She's hoping that in light of everything Judge Stevens has heard about her religious beliefs,
that the judge will reconsider whether a religious defense applies and throw out the case. This is Tracy turning the wheel in the game of chicken.
Well, Your Honor, I just would, I guess,
what an education, and I really want to,
I've been disrespectful with my energy and my words at times,
and I apologize.
And I have not yet learned how to stay in my words at times and I apologize. And I have not yet learned how to stay in my heart
while I'm being attacked. I'm disappointed in myself for that. So your honor, I would just
ask that if the laws exist on the books in the state of Arizona, Constitution and statutory
law, that would relieve me of these charges and allow me to continue
with my next stage of my journey as a priestess that I would ask sincerely, humbly, prayerfully
that you would apply those laws rather than let this voter jury.
Her motion is denied. Tracy's fate is in the hands of the jury. Her motion is denied.
Tracy's fate is in the hands of the jury.
Despite everything, Tracy says she still believes in the system and in humanity.
She thinks she's put up a reasonable doubt, and she has one last chance to convince them
not to convict her.
That's after the break.
Everything that was presented to me, I just swallowed completely home.
We are one of the richest families in the world that could never change.
We're Steinbergs, like we are Steinbergs.
We're made money.
The family was drawn together by the money.
I was so aware of this could come to a screeching halt.
You think I would have stopped?
And then all of a sudden, the volcano erupts.
I'm Ariel Levy, and this is the just enough family.
Ben Joel episodes now on Apple Podcasts.
I'm Adam McCay, Director, Writer and most importantly, Podcast Host.
In the first season of our show, Death at the Wing, we explored a series of tragic deaths
from the wild world of 80s basketball.
This season we're going back further to the 50s, the aftermath
of World War II, and a series of tragedies in Hollywood. We'll tell stories of trailblazing
actors who lived fast and die young. I hope you'll join us on Death on the Lot.
lot.
In a Facebook video, Tracy says she's just hours away from giving the impromptu speech of her life.
She's wearing rainbow earrings, the colors of the chakras, and a dress that belonged
to her co-founder, Tamara Bruso.
Her voice is shaky like she's holding back tears.
She says, I wish I could feel beautiful.
I wish I could feel forgiving.
I wish I could feel unconditional love.
And I do, to some extent.
She says she's not afraid of going to prison,
but she would be sad if she couldn't be with her children
or share her gifts from inside the state of Arizona
women's prison. All right, please be seated. The record share her gifts from inside the state of Arizona women's prison.
All right, please be seated.
The record will show the presence of the jury, the defendant and counsel.
All right.
This is the time for closing arguments.
The prosecution goes first.
We have heard in this trial from God's is in Mother Mother Priestess, in Goon Room, in reality TV star, in Foreign
Star, two alien efficient autos, Indian medicine man, and one native life group.
We're just gentlemen, thank you for your service.
I typically do that in closing argument, but I'm making a exception in this phase, because
like I said, this is not your standard phase. I think to do something that I can weave for months to do. I think to
respond. I get to address some of the things that she sent our way during the course of
this trial because as I'm going to explain to you guys and down in a few minutes and this
may surprise you based on what you've heard in the course of the last four months,
there is absolutely no legal protection,
no religious protection for what was happening
at the Phoenix God's house.
Now,
state doesn't have a trying to show you.
We don't have tarot cards.
I'm not going to do it on her dance.
But what State has and what we switch to you is those stubborn things, those things that
Miss Elise wants you to avoid, not to look at.
And those are the facts that you have heard in this case.
I said this is an open statement, relation, gentlemen, they're the same.
It looks like duck, quacks like duck, it looks like duck.
It's probably a duck.
This place is a problem.
What she's asking the dentist for no notifications,
she's asking you to say, you know what, I feel bad for her.
She got up in here, she cried.
She cried.
I feel bad for her.
But you're asking this passion.
Only when you focus on the evidence.
Then it's Tracy's turn.
I hardly know where to begin with this,
because I have no criminal intent.
And in fact, when you look at everything, you're going to see that at the
temple, we were bravely attempting to stand in society while we were getting judged.
Why are we getting seriously judged and misunderstood? Please consider my motive.
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, please consider my motive, please.
I love what I was doing and I love what we were doing.
And that's my motive to make the world a better place
through education and touch, and especially the sacred feminine,
and especially men who want to see more of the sacred feminine.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm a priestess. I am not a prostitute. Thank you very much and I thank you for spending this time
in a long journey. You took four months out of your life.
That's just huge.
And regardless of what happens, I trust.
You should know that I, how I do my walk as a priest
is I just trust.
And just trust.
That's all I can do.
The case is now submitted to you for a decision.
When you go to the jury room, you will choose a four person.
All that's left is for the jury to decide.
While they're deliberating, Tracey and her family
wait together, and they invited Miriam to join them.
They were just like colorful scarves decorating
the walls and the windows.
There are a lot of lights everywhere, a lot of candles,
Christmas lights.
Tracey and her kids had rented an apartment
near the courthouse that was their home base throughout the trial. There's a little sign on the counter, I remember
that said, exonerate Tracey at least next to like a burned candle, so they kept a candle
going by it. There were little altars over all sorts of surfaces, so tables, window sills, shells, Buddha statues.
There was a small waterfall,
a big dream catcher on the wall.
They had made this place home.
I'd say it was, there was like a lot of optimism.
Like I think people were kind of like, okay,
like I just get good feelings.
I think we're gonna be okay.
They had no idea how long they'd be waiting.
So they settled in.
And then at 3.30, the phone call came in
that the jury had decided.
And, you know, I have in my notes that Sylvia just goes,
like, holy shit, that was fast, that was so fast.
And Judy Tracy's mom just says,
I don't know if I can do this right now. And she
went out to the porch and started crying and we could we could hear her sobbing inside.
There's just a lot of like frantic and chaotic energy. But Tracy was really calm. So then
we get back into the courtroom. And...
Please be seated. The record will show the presence of the jury, the defendant, and counsel.
Has the jury reached a verdict?
Yes.
Please hand the verdict forms to the bailiff.
I don't know what I was expecting that there would be some big statement from the judge or something, but like...
...bam, the verdicts just start getting read.
In the superior court, the state of Arizona, in and for the County of America, verdicts just start getting read. the first day of January 2010 and the sixth day of September 2011, guilty.
After the first guilty one, everyone gets upset, right? You can kind of tell the way that this is going to go.
Count to guilty.
Tracy just turns and mouts to Sylvia.
I'm going to be okay.
And they're all crying.
Then comes over and the three of them just kind of stand there in an embrace.
And you can hear Tracy just saying like, honey, it's going to be okay.
Like we're going to start right back up.
Count four.
We the Jerry's early encounter.
And so we're going to be a bug entitled action upon our host, Bill Beath.
Count nine.
We the Jerry's early encounter.
And so we're going to be a bug entitled action upon our host.
Tracy was convicted of 22 counts on March 2nd, 2016, nearly five years after the raid.
It was just like a big balloon pop and kind of, or you're like, whoa, wait, what?
That all just happened.
Tracy's in shock.
Your Honor, I obviously didn't expect this, but it was a very complex case.
Many things were not the dream to get to hear, see that may have been a mistake on my part,
but I also, I'm just walking in spirit.
After the verdict is read, they take her to jail.
It doesn't remember she had her hands in like a prayer position in handcuffs.
Yep, and they lead her out.
One of the supporters just yelled out like Tracy followed the goddess and someone else said,
don't forget, just don't forget why we're doing this.
And they just kind of take her through the doors and and and that's
that. But for Tracy it's not over.
You're on no matter what you do in this court I vow to you with everything in my
being I will pursue this to the Supreme Court. I will do it if I'm in prison I
will do it if I'm out.
I will do it if I'm in prison, I will do it if I'm out.
Next time, on Witnessed, Mystic Mother. Arizona versus Tracy Elise, this is the time to set for sentencing.
Miss Elise wanted to make this a worldwide movement.
She is going to continue to do this because she frankly has no respect for this court or the criminal justice system. It specifically said, this is no more a church than Cuba is fantasy island.
It does not have a right to say that.
This was a hate crime and there are super-sitting laws which protect what I claim as sacred.
I felt ashamed of my work and my spiritual practice.
I abandoned it in order to gain the acceptance of some people.
I cannot pick up a gun and protect the Constitution,
but I can stand here in a court of law and keep going.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault or abuse, you can find help and resources at rain.org.
That's r-a-i-n-n.org or call their 24-7 confidential phone line at 1-800-656-4673. Music
Witnessed Mystic Mother is a production of Campside Media and Sony Music Entertainment.
It's hosted and created by me, Katie Henneck and me, Leah Henneck.
This series was reported by Sarah Ventree and Written by Sarah Ventree and Emily Martinez.
Additional reporting by Katie and Leah Henneck.
Sarah Ventree is our managing producer.
Our story editor and executive producer
is Emily Martinez, additional editing by Mike Meyer,
produced by Katie and Leah Henick, associate producer,
Sidney Fleishman, additional production assistance
from Mo LaBord and Ron Warner.
A huge thank you to Rebecca Ross, our legal researcher.
Our theme song was composed by Betsy Gans and Chris Norby, A huge thank you to Rebecca Ross, our legal researcher.
Our theme song was composed by Betsy Gans and Chris Norby, and performed by Betsy Gans,
Chris Norby, and John Rouse House.
It was recorded and mixed by Michael Krasner and mastered by Chris Norby.
The series was sound designed and mixed by Claire Mullin.
Our recording engineers are Mike Delay and Gavin Reign
at Real Voice LA.
Special thanks to Campside Studio Manager and Mix Engineer,
Ewan Lyte Ramouin and Campside Producer Johnny Kaufman.
Our fact checkers are Sarah Sneeth and Kali Hitchcock,
additional research from Alex Yabwan.
Thanks to Debra Don, Hugh Urban, Susan Starritz,
Rianne Isler, Sphrana Borkataki-Varma, Phoenix Khalida,
Natalia Winkleman, and Miriam Wasser.
And thanks to Tracy Elise, who gave campsite permission
to use videos she created.
The Pat McMan show is a production of K-A-ZT TV,
and a special thanks to our operations team,
Doug Slaywin, Alia Papers, and Allison Haney.
Campside Media's executive producers are Josh Dean,
Vanessa Gregorioides, Adam Hoff, and Matt Scher.
If you enjoyed Mystic Mother, please rate and review the show
wherever you get your podcasts. ¡Puede reír y revierta el show, donde puedes ver tus podcasts! Al igual que en el resto de su creación, la escultura de Picasso se distingue por innovar en el uso de técnicas y materiales poco ortodoxos.
Puedes imaginar cuáles y como... descubrela!