List Series: Cases with Dropped Charges

There are many murder and missing persons cases in which a suspect has been charged, but then the charges were later dropped. This may happen due to several reasons - whether it's due to faulty investigative work, lack of evidence, or new evidence that eliminates the suspect. In some cases, charges have been dropped during court proceedings due to unfair or illegal conduct either by a prosecutor, defense attorney and/or a juror. These cases are especially difficult for the victim's families, as it delays justice being served. 

Below is a list of 5 such cases with dropped charges. Do not let these cases be forgotten!

Nadia Kersh vanished in Homewood, Alabama on November 3rd, 2008. The then-21-year-old left her job around 1:00 PM that afternoon to pick up her one-year-old son from daycare. Nadia never arrived - which was an immediate red flag. 

The following day, Nadia's car was found abandoned in west Birmingham. Nadia herself remained missing - but police soon identified a person-of-interest: a man named Joacques Haywood. Nadia had dated Haywood at some point before her disappearance. He was the main focus of the investigation for over two years before he was finally charged with capital murder in relationship to Nadia's disappearance. 

Prosecutors decided to pursue these murder charges without a body. They believed that Haywood killed Nadia during a botched robbery. However, the charges did not stick. During the summer of 2011, a judge dropped the charges against Haywood. The judge stated that the prosecution had failed to test two pieces of evidence for DNA, and they also did not give Haywood his constitutional right to a speedy trial. The charges were dropped without prejudice, which gives the prosecution the option to recharge Haywood with murder if more evidence is discovered.

Unfortunately, it appears that no such evidence has been found. Nadia remains missing and there have been very few updates in her case since the charges against Haywood were dropped. The case remains unsolved.

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During April 2012, a man named Michael Johnson of Baltimore, Maryland was arrested and charged with the murder of 16-year-old Phylicia Barnes. Phylicia had vanished from her half-sister's Baltimore apartment in late December 2010. Johnson, the ex-boyfriend of Phylicia's half-sister, was the last known person to have seen Phylicia alive. Nearly three months later, Phylicia's body was found in the Susquehanna River. An autopsy determined that she had died from asphyxiation. 

Johnson was the prime suspect in Phylicia's case from the jump. He told investigators that he went to Phylicia's half-sister's apartment the day Phylicia vanished to gather his belongings, as the two of them had recently broken up. Johnson claimed he saw Phylicia during this visit. However, when her sister later returned home from work, Phylicia was nowhere to be found. Many people suspected that Johnson harmed Phylicia - especially after neighbors told police that they saw him carrying a 35-gallon tub out of the apartment that afternoon. After Phylicia's body was found, the many theorized that Johnson killed Phylicia and transported her body to the Susquehanna River in that tub. 

Prosecutors built their case against Johnson based on that theory. During trial, a witness named James McCray testified that he saw Phylicia's dead body - and that Johnson asked for his help with disposing of her. Following this testimony, Johnson was convicted of murder. However, it was later revealed that McCray had a history of making false statements surrounding criminal cases. After the judge learned this, he overturned the conviction. 

Prosecutors would later attempt to bring Johnson's charges to court two additional times. A mistrial was declared during both proceedings. Finally, in 2015, a judge decided to drop the charges against Johnson. Unfortunately, this leaves Phylicia's case classified as unsolved today. Many still believe Johnson is responsible, and it is unclear if any other leads have been pursued. 

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On October 13th, 2011, an animal rescue group was attempting to rescue feral cats behind a Homeland Grocery Store in Bethany, Oklahoma when they spotted a black duffel bag. The bag reportedly had a foul odor that prompted the police to be called. Once there, detectives made a horrifying discovery: dismembered human remains were inside the bag. They appeared to belong to a young female. Several different body parts were wrapped in plastic bags within the duffel bag. It was clear that this young person had been brutally murdered. Days later, the remains were identified as 19-year-old Carina Saunders. 

Carina had vanished a few days prior to her body being found. She struggled with addiction at the time of her disappearance, and many theorized this might have played a role in her death. During 2012, a witness named Tia came forward claiming to have seen a video of Carina being tortured and murdered. Tia told police that she saw the video on a cell phone belonging to a man named Luis Ruiz. According to Tia, Ruiz and another man named Jimmy Massey are seen torturing Carina in the video. 

Another witness named Michelle also came forward. She said she, too, had seen the video of Carina being tortured and murdered. Michelle told police that she had been kidnapped by Ruiz and Massey, and they had forced her to watch the footage. Although investigators were still unable to locate said footage themselves, they still moved forward with the case. On July 5th, 2012, Ruiz and Massey were charged with Carina's murder.

Investigators repeatedly searched for the video footage to no avail. Then, one of the prosecution's star witnesses backtracked on her original statement. Tia later admitted that she had never actually seen the video but had heard of its existence. At that point, the prosecution did not have a strong enough case against Ruiz and Massey. The murder charges were subsequently dropped. 

New investigators have taken over Carina's case. New suspects have been looked into as well. Unfortunately, no arrests have been made and Carina's case is still classified as unsolved.

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Keiosha Felix has been missing since April 30th, 2012. The then-15-year-old was last seen at her aunt Patricia Andrus' home in Duson, Louisiana. She was initially classified as a runaway, as she had run away before in the past. Additionally, her cousin Portia Felix told authorities that she had seen Keiosha after her disappearance, and she was doing "just fine". However, three months later, Keiosha was reclassified as an endangered missing child.

Throughout the investigation, the Duson Police Department learned more information about Keiosha’s relationship with her aunt Patricia and Patricia’s boyfriend, Leon Wilkerson Jr. Prior to her disappearance, Keiosha allegedly told Patricia that Leon had sexually assaulted her. Patricia never reported this to the authorities, nor did she tell investigators about it after Keiosha went missing. In July 2012, Leon was arrested and charged with rape and second-degree kidnapping in connection with Keiosha’s disappearance. Patricia was arrested and charged with improper supervision of a minor and accessory to rape. Keiosha’s cousin Portia, who told investigators that she heard from Keiosha after her disappearance, was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice. In August 2012, Leon's brother Ronald Wilkerson was charged with kidnapping as well.

The case began to unravel about a month later. In September 2012, Duson PD’s Assistant Chief of Police, Lt. Gerald Credeur, was removed from the investigation and suspended from duty. Lt. Credeur was in charge of investigating Keiosha's case, but Chief of Police Frank Andrew accused him of mishandling it. Andrew told the Duson Board of Aldermen that Credeur illegally arrested two people for kidnapping, given false testimony and made an illegal search and seizure during the investigation. The Board of Alderman determined that Credeur did, in fact, make the searches and the arrests without probable cause and he was fired the following month. The charges against Leon and Ronald Wilkerson were dropped. The charges against Patricia and Portia were later dropped as well.

Investigators have chased other leads in Keiosha's case, but nothing has panned out. Keiosha remains missing today. Many still believe Wilkerson is responsible for her disappearance, but unfortunately the case remains unsolved.

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Curtisia 'Courtney' Smith was shot numerous times at point-blank range in Boynton Beach, Florida on April 5th, 2017. The 26-year-old died from her injuries 12 days later. On the day she was shot, Courtney met up with a group of people at Boynton Beach's Z Food and Meat Market on North Seacrest Boulevard. Courtney was waiting outside for pizza that she had ordered when a man with a covered face approached her and shot her several times in the legs, neck, and chest.

The market's surveillance cameras captured Courtney's murder.  The footage showed the shooter talking with a man, later identified as Roderick Taylor, just a few minutes before the shooting. The camera captured Taylor and the shooter fleeing the scene shortly afterward. Police arrested Taylor once they were able to positively identify him as one of the men in the footage. He was charged with second degree murder and possession of a firearm as a felon. 

Three days after Roderick Taylor's arrest, a 30-year-old man was arrested on first-degree murder charges in connection with Courtney's case. Three separate witnesses had reportedly told police that this man was the person who shot Courtney. However, less than 12 hours after his arrest, the charges were dropped. Police stated that they found evidence that ruled this man out as the shooter. 

Although those charges were dropped, Taylor's second-degree murder charges remained--until 2020, when he accepted a plea deal. Taylor ultimately pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in relation to Courtney's case, and he also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and tampering with evidence in relation to a different case. As part of the plea deal, Taylor also agreed to testify against any others potentially involved in Courtney's murder. Since he accepted the plea deal, the second-degree murder charges were dropped. 

Although Taylor agreed to testify against any others who might get charged in Courtney's case, it appears that Taylor has not offered any valuable information about these potential others. Either that, or police simply do not have enough evidence to arrest any potential others. To date, the only other person who has been arrested in the case was the man whose charges were dropped less than a day later.

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The Disappearance of Misty Faulkner

 

Misty Faulkner has been missing since January 14th, 2011. The then-29-year-old lived with her grandparents in Eucha, Oklahoma. On the day she vanished, Misty went to work as usual and then went to a local Wal-Mart to buy groceries. Later that evening, Misty’s grandparents saw her arrive back at their home – but she was talking on the phone and did not immediately enter the house.

About an hour later, Misty still had not come back inside. Her grandfather went to check on her and noticed that her car was still there, but Misty herself was nowhere to be found. The groceries she had just purchased, along with her cell phone and wallet, were left inside the vehicle. Misty has never been seen or heard from again.

Misty's loved ones have never believed that she went missing on her own accord. Her family members do not believe she would abandon her two sons, nor would she voluntarily stay out-of-touch. Over the years, investigators have chased many leads, but unfortunately nothing has panned out. 

In 2017, it was reported that the Delaware County's Sheriff's Office has been "investigating [Misty's] case as a homicide from the beginning even though there's no evidence she's dead." Other than that, very little information about the investigation has been revealed. 

Misty's disappearance remains unsolved. Her family members are still desperately hoping to find answers. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Delaware County Sheriff's Office at 918-253-2700.
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Sources:
Charley Project
Justice for Native Women
KJRH
Uncovered

The Disappearance of Kaitlynn Ledbetter

 

Kaitlynn Ledbetter vanished from her home in Hilham, Tennessee in May 2021. At the time of her disappearance, the 26-year-old woman lived with her father and her father’s girlfriend in a house on Turkeytown Road. Kaitlynn disappeared after an argument with her father’s girlfriend during the early morning hours of May 2nd. According to reports, she jumped out of a window around 5:30 AM and ran into the woods. Kaitlynn has never been seen or heard from again.

According to locals, the wooded area in which Kaitlynn disappeared is very rough terrain. Scent-tracking dogs were brought to said area, and they tracked her scent at the side of the road. It is unknown if Kaitlynn was picked up by a vehicle, but this finding led many to believe that she was no longer in the woods. 

Still, authorities decided to conduct a more widespread search for Kaitlynn about nine months after her disappearance. Nothing was found during this search, possibly due to the amount of time that passed – or possibly because Kaitlynn exited the woods on the morning of her disappearance as initially believed.

As of today, there are still more questions than answers about what happened to Kaitlynn. Many have criticized the Overton Police Department's investigative efforts in the case. Not only did they wait nine months to conduct a widespread search for Kaitlynn, they also reportedly lost key evidence in the case - including text messages and other phone data from the time of her disappearance.

Kaitlynn’s case remains unsolved. If you have any information that could lead to her whereabouts, please contact authorities at 931-823-5635.

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Sources:
Charley Project
Fox 17 News

WKRN

The Murder of David Carter

 

David Carter was brutally murdered in late September 2018. The then-39-year-old lived in Melvindale, Michigan at the time of his death. David was last seen by his loved ones on September 28th, 2018. That evening, he attended his son’s football game amongst several other family members. It appeared to be a typical evening; David’s family could have never predicted it was the last time they’d see him alive.

On September 30th, the mother of David’s son received a text from David’s phone saying that he was sick. As such, David’s son DJ went to his father’s residence so he could gather some belongings. Once there, DJ encountered David’s girlfriend Tamera ‘Tammy’ Williams taking out the garbage. When DJ asked where his dad was, Tammy told him he went for a walk. This seemed odd – as he was under the impression that his father was sick – but DJ initially did not think too much of it.

A few days later, David’s sister Tasia was notified that David had not shown up for work as planned. Tasia then decided to go to his apartment to check on him. She began to worry when she noticed that David’s front door was unlocked, and his bedroom was in disarray – which was unusual for him. Tasia also stated that she noticed a gunshot hole in his mattress, as well as a blood stain. She asked David’s girlfriend Tammy about David’s whereabouts, and she claimed she did not have a clue. David’s family reported him missing shortly thereafter, on October 2nd, 2018.

Unbeknownst to his family, David had already been found deceased. On October 1st, 2018, an employee with the department of transportation spotted a sleeping bag along a highway in Eagle Township, Ohio. Inside, a human male’s lower torso and legs were found. Although this was located nearly 100 miles away from David’s home in Melvindale, investigators were quickly able to determine the remains belonged to David by one of his tattoos.

Many questions remain about David’s death. He was dedicated to being a father and was also committed to his job. David was not the type of person to have enemies. A motive for his murder was initially very unclear. However, as detectives continued to investigate the case, they learned troubling information about David's relationship.

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David’s girlfriend Tamera ‘Tammy’ Williams.

image source: AMWfans.com

Tamera ‘Tammy’ Williams was David’s girlfriend of about six months. At the time of David’s disappearance, Tammy was working as a phlebotomist, but she previously worked as a travel agent. According to David’s sister Tasia, Tammy displayed “possessive behavior” in her relationship with David. Due to this, Tasia believed that David was going to end his relationship with Tammy. 

Tammy attended David’s son’s football game on the evening of September 28th. It was noted that the two of them arrived at the game together, but they did not sit together or interact at all whilst there. This further pushed Tasia’s belief that David and Tammy were going through a breakup. Unfortunately, before anyone could ask David about the status of his relationship, he vanished. 

David’s disappearance.

As previously noted, David’s loved ones were first notified about his disappearance on October 2nd, 2018. However, it is believed that he vanished a few days earlier.  David had a scheduled work shift on September 30th – which was a Sunday. He would have been paid triple time for this shift, but he never showed up. Once David’s family members learned he had been a no-show at work, they knew something was wrong – as it was unlikely that he would pass on an opportunity to get paid triple time. 

David was also supposed to see his son DJ on the evening of September 30th. As also previously stated, DJ’s mother received a text from David’s phone saying that he was sick and therefore he could not spend time with DJ. As such, DJ went to his father’s apartment to gather some of his belongings. Once there, DJ was told by Tammy that David was out taking a walk – even though he was allegedly sick.

Worries for David's safety escalated once his sister Tasia went to his apartment and discovered the bloodstains in his bedroom and the gunshot hole in the mattress. It's clear that something happened in that bedroom, but Tammy was still unable to tell David's family members about his whereabouts. 

Unfortunately, by the time David was finally reported missing, he had already been found. Once authorities in Melvindale learned that human remains had been found in Eagle Township a day before David was reported missing, it did not take long for them to identify the remains. 

The October 5th arrest.

image source: KWTX News 10

On October 5th, 2018, investigators officially named Tammy Williams as a suspect in David's murder. They brought her into custody for questioning - but she denied involvement in David's disappearance and death.

 Michigan law states that a suspect can only be detained for 3 days before they have to be let go - unless investigators are able to find more evidence of the suspect's involvement within that timeframe. After having Tammy in custody for 3 days, investigators were unable to find any other evidence of her involvement in David's murder - so they were forced to let her go. 

The discovery of more remains.

As previously noted, David's lower torso and legs were found on October 1st, 2018. The rest of his remains were still missing. However, a few days after Tammy was released from police custody, another suspicious duffle bag was found along the I-75 highway - close to where the first set of remains were found. Inside the duffle bag, investigators discovered David's dismembered head.

This discovery allowed investigators determine David's cause of death. A gunshot wound was found in his skull just below one of his ears - proving that he died from a gunshot to the head. It's very possible that he was shot in his own bedroom, as his sister Tasia had seen a gunshot hole in his mattress.

On October 16th, a final set of remains, containing David's arms and upper torso, were found. It was clear that he had been brutally murdered, dismembered, and discarded along the highway. To this day, Tamera 'Tammy' Williams remains the prime suspect in the case.

A suspect on the run.

Tammy fled from Michigan very shortly after being released from police custody. She reportedly withdrew cash from several ATMs before taking the train from Ann Arbor to Chicago. From there, detectives learned that Tammy traveled to New York. She was spotted once in Brooklyn but has never been seen or heard from again.

Tammy has several contacts around the world due to her previous work as a travel agent. As such, investigators believe that she has had people help her go on the run and stay hidden. A warrant has been issued for Tammy on charges of first-degree homicide, disinterring a dead body, and tampering with evidence.

How to help.

There is a monetary reward for anyone with information that could lead to Tammy's whereabouts. She is described as approximately 5'5" and 190 pounds. Tammy has brown hair and brown eyes, but she may change her appearance to stay hidden.

If you have any information that could lead to the arrest of Tammy, or any other information about David's case, please contact authorities at (313) 429-1070.

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Sources:

The Cinemaholic

Netflix Life
Uncovered

The Murder of Giggie Blount

image source: uncovered.com

 

During the early-morning hours of September 11th, 2017, police in New Orleans were called about a disturbance at a parking lot in Central City. Upon their arrival, they found a woman who had been shot in the back. That woman was later identified as 35-year-old Giggie Blount. EMTs rushed Giggie to the hospital, but she unfortunately succumbed to her injuries.

As police investigated the incident that left Giggie dead, they learned that she had been in an argument with either one or multiple people before she was shot. It appears that the identify of said person(s) remains unknown at this time. Giggie's family members said that they have heard many rumors about what happened the morning she was killed, but nothing has been confirmed. 

Giggie was a mother of 7 and the oldest of 8 siblings. She left behind numerous loved ones who are now searching for answers. Police are reportedly still searching for both a motive and a suspect in the case. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
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Sources:
NOLA
Uncovered

The Disappearance and Murder of Zoe Campos

18-year-old Zoe Campos disappeared from Lubbock, Texas on November 17th, 2013. Earlier that night, Zoe and her sister Savannah went out to dinner before returning to Zoe’s apartment to watch a movie. After that, Zoe told Savannah that she was going to hang out with a friend before going to pick their mother up from work. Around 1:30am, Zoe texted her mother to let her know that she was on her way to pick her up. However, Zoe never showed up and was never seen or heard from again.

Three days later, Zoe’s aunt spotted an unknown man driving Zoe’s car. She attempted to follow the car before eventually losing sight of it. A short while later, the car was found abandoned at an apartment complex on Utica Ave. 

After speaking to Savannah, investigators learned that Zoe apparently planned to meet up with a man named Carlos Rodriguez on the evening of November 17th. Phone records corroborate this as well; the last phone call on Zoe’s phone was with a ‘Carlos Rodriguez.’ Savannah did not know this person, and the nature of Zoe’s relationship with Carlos was unknown to Zoe’s family and friends. 

Police were able to locate and question Carlos—he said that he and Zoe were ‘acquaintances’ who met up that night to smoke marijuana. Carlos told police that when Zoe showed up at his home, he realized that he did not have any marijuana, so Zoe left to go retrieve some—but never returned.

Carlos was initially not charged with anything related to Zoe's disappearance. Zoe's family feared she might have been trafficked. Meanwhile, Carlos stayed on the police's radar and ended up getting arrested in 2017 for an unrelated stalking charge. Years passed without any leads in Zoe's case, until 2018 when, investigators received a tip that led them to searching a backyard of a home in Lubbock. During said search, a bone was reportedly found. It was later revealed that the bone was found on property close to Carlos' family's old home. Then, exactly five years to the day of Zoe's disappearance, Carlos was arrested and charged with her murder. 

The road to justice was a long one for Zoe Campos and her loved ones. It took years, but as the case unfolded, the truth about what happened was finally revealed.
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Carlos Rodriguez

The phone calls.

Carlos' arrest warrant revealed that investigators had questioned him again from behind bars in November 2018 after the bone was found near his property. It turns out that the bone belonged to an animal, but Carlos was questioned before the origin of the bone was revealed–and he requested a lawyer after said questioning. In a jail phone call, Carlos was reportedly heard saying that he told somebody what happened to Zoe and that person had “snitched” on him. 

The confessions. 

Eventually, Carlos confessed to killing Zoe. He told investigators that, after the two of them smoked synthetic marijuana together, he “lost control” and strangled Zoe. Carlos later buried her in his backyard. After this confession, search teams returned to his property. During said search, Zoe’s remains were found and later identified. 

In July 2019, Carlos wrote a handwritten letter detailing Zoe's murder. In the letter, he wrote, "after five years of fear, guilt and shame I can finally make peace with myself and God. I want the people in my community and on social media to know not just part of the truth, but the whole truth." 

Carlos then went on to explain that he met Zoe on November 17th, 2013. He was attracted to her initially and invited her to come over to his house that evening. By his account, the two had sexual relations in his bedroom before smoking K2 synthetic marijuana together. Carlos stated that the K2 caused him to hallucinate that Zoe was a demon. At that point, he attacked Zoe and choked her, eventually killing her. 

Plea and sentencing.

Despite Carlos' 2019 confession, it actually took years for the case to make it to the courtroom. On August 15th, 2022, he pleaded guilty to murdering Zoe Campos. However, he claimed that his actions were heavily influence by K2 and asked jurors to consider this during the penalty phase.

The jury deliberated for 14 minutes before sentencing Carlos Rodriguez to life in prison. 

The Murder of Sydney Loofe

24 year-old Sydney Loofe’s final Snapchat, taken and sent on November 15th, 2017.

On the day this Snapchat was taken, Sydney planned to go on a second date with 23-year-old Bailey Boswell, a woman she had met on Tinder. Sydney never returned to her Lincoln, Nebraska home after meeting with Boswell. She was reported missing after she failed to show up to work on November 16th. Around two weeks later, on November 28th, Lincoln Police announced that they wanted to question two persons of interest in Sydney’s case. One of those persons of interest was Bailey Boswell. The other was Boswell’s boyfriend, a 51-year-old man named Aubrey Trail.

Between November 29th and 30th, Boswell and Trail posted two videos to the Find Sydney Loofe Facebook page, declaring their innocence in the case. In the first video, Boswell says that when she went to drive Sydney home after their date, Sydney requested to be dropped off at a friend’s house instead. After allegedly dropping her off at the home of this unidentified friend, Boswell claims she has not seen or heard from Sydney again. That first video was deleted a few hours later and the joint Facebook account that Boswell and Trail had been using was deactivated. 

Trail posted the second video on the following day. He once again declared their innocence in Sydney’s case and angrily called out people who accused them of wrongdoing. At the end of the video, Trail explains that, despite having warrants for other unrelated charges, he and Boswell were going to turn themselves in because it was the “only viable option” in order to clear their names in Sydney’s case. The two were taken into custody in Taney County, Missouri and were taken back to Nebraska on December 1st. 

After the Lincoln Police were able to speak with Trail and Boswell, they announced on December 2nd, 2017, that the two remained persons on interest in the case, but they had still had not been charged with anything related to Sydney’s disappearance. The two remained behind bars on the aforementioned unrelated charges.

On December 4th, 2017, Sydney’s body was found in a rural area of Clay County, Nebraska. In a press conference held the following day, authorities said that they had been following a “digital footprint” that prompted a search of that area and subsequently lead to the discovery of Sydney’s body.  Sydney had been strangled to death and dismembered.

Bailey Boswell and Aubrey Trail remained the only suspects in Sydney's murder, however they were not immediately charged with anything related to her case. Then, in February 2018, Trail reportedly admitted to killing Sydney. In a phone interview with a local news station, Trail said that Bailey Boswell was not in the room when Sydney was killed. “When she was told what happened, she freaked out so badly she had to be sent out with a bag of weed to try and calm down,” he told reporters. 

Finally, on June 11th, 2018, Boswell and Trail were finally charged with first-degree murder and improper disposal of human skeletal remains in the killing of Sydney Loofe. As the case progressed, the truth about what truly happened to Sydney was finally revealed.

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Probable cause.

After Trail and Boswell were charged with murder, court documents revealed even more information pointing to their guilt. According to the documents, Sydney and Boswell met for their first date on November 14th, 2017. At the end of that date, they decided to meet up the following night for a second date. 

Around 10:35am the following day, hours before the planned second date, Boswell and Trail were captured by surveillance footage at Home Depot purchasing the tools and supplies believed to have been used in the dismemberment and disposal of Sydney. This particular clue indicates that the killing was premeditated, because Sydney was still alive at the time the purchase was made.

The trials.

Aubrey Trail went to trial in June 2019. During the trial, he exhibited odd behavior in court. After a witness left the stand during testimony, Aubrey immediately screamed "Bailey is innocent, and I curse you all!" before slitting his throat with an object that appeared to be a blade. He was immediately taken to the hospital where he recovered, and the trial was able to continue. Eventually, in July 2019, Aubrey was found guilty of all charges.  

Bailey Boswell later went to trial, during which it was revealed that both she and Trail had fantasies of sexual torture. It was also revealed that both Boswell and Trail attempted to get numerous girls involved in their sexual relations. Both were also interested in witchcraft and the pair spoke numerous times about "gaining witchcraft powers" by killing someone.

This evidence, in addition to the physical evidence, pointed to Boswell's guilt. The jury ultimately convicted her on all charges as well. The death penalty was being considered for both Trail and Boswell, and the sentencing phases began in 2021.

The sentencings.

In June 2021, Aubrey Trail was sentenced to the death penalty. During the sentencing hearing, Aubrey spoke directly to Sydney’s family. He said, “Almost everything I’ve said before was a lie unless it benefitted me. I lured her there to try and pull her into our group. But once I sat Sydney down and explained to her our criminal activities and group sex, I knew I had made a big mistake. The truth is I killed her because of her reaction to what I had told her. I had no doubt she’d tell people what I told her. She did nothing but reject my lifestyle and threaten to expose it and I killed her for it.” The judge stated that the crime was committed with “exceptional depravity” which fit the criteria for a death sentence.

In November 2021, Boswell's sentencing proceedings were held. A three-panel jury was tasked with whether or not to sentence Boswell to death. While some voted in favor of the death penalty, others did not. As such, Bailey Boswell was sentenced to life in prison.