Three's a Crowd

Narrator: THE POPULAR KID AND THE LONER FIND COMMON GROUND ON THE BALL FIELD. WHAT BONDED THEM TOGETHER WAS BASEBALL. Narrator: BUT WHEN ONE FALLS IN LOVE, THEIR FRIENDSHIP TAKES AN UNEXPECTED TURN. HE WAS VERY POSSESSIVE OF HIS GIRLFRIEND. Narrator: JEALOUSY AND RESENTMENT LEAD THE FRIENDS TO THE BREAKING POINT AND BEYOND. HE ELIMINATED THAT RISK, AND HE DID IT IN A HORRIFIC WAY. ARE YOU STUPID?! Narrator: KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE AND YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER. -- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLDS CHRIS DAIGLE AND RICKY MENDOZA ARE HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL STARS WITH THEIR SIGHTS SET ON THE MAJOR LEAGUES. NICE! THAT WAS BOTH OF THEIR DREAMS. THESE TWO WERE GOOD. Narrator: TEAMMATES AND FRIENDS SINCE THEY WERE 5 YEARS OLD, THE BOYS ARE INSEPARABLE. THEY WENT TO SCHOOL ALL THROUGH THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY. THEY WERE JUST ALWAYS TOGETHER. Narrator: BUT THEIR CONNECTION RUNS MUCH DEEPER THAN THE DIAMOND. THEY BOTH HAVE TROUBLED HOME LIVES. SHOW ME JUST A LITTLE MODICUM OF RESPECT. Venable: CHRIS, HIS MOTHER AND HIM DID NOT GET ALONG AND HE WOULD COMPLAIN EVERY DAY THAT THEY HAD PROBLEMS, AND RICKY WAS NOT CLOSE WITH HIS MOTHER AT ALL AND FELT NEGLECTED. Narrator: NEITHER BOY HAS GUIDANCE FROM THEIR FATHERS, EITHER. CHRIS'S DAD LEFT WHEN HE WAS YOUNG AND RICKY'S FATHER DIED IN AN ACCIDENT. BOTH OF THEM HAVING DADS ABSENT IN THEIR LIFE. IT'S JUST SOMETHING ELSE THAT THEY KIND OF BONDED OVER. Narrator: IN 2001, CHRIS AND RICKY ARE JUNIORS AT HIGHTOWER HIGH SCHOOL IN MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS, A SUBURB NEAR HOUSTON. CHRIS, TALL AND BLOND, IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR KIDS AT SCHOOL. HE WAS THE LEADER, YOU KNOW? HE WAS A LITTLE DAREDEVIL. [ CHUCKLES ] WILD AND CRAZY. KIND OF LIKE A LITTLE REBEL. Talley: CHRIS WAS FULL OF LIFE -- FUN. IF HE DID HIS HAIR ONE WAY, THEY'D START DOING THEIR HAIR THAT WAY. Venable: THE GIRLS LOVED HIM. HE FLIRTED. HE WAS THAT POPULAR GUY. EVERYBODY LOVED CHRIS. Narrator: RICKY COULDN'T BE MORE DIFFERENT. SHY AND QUIET, HE IS RARELY THE CENTER OF ATTENTION AND HAS A HARD TIME MEETING GIRLS. RICKY IS DEFINITELY A LITTLE AWKWARD. KIND OF AN ODDBALL. HE DIDN'T MAKE A LOT OF FRIENDS. CHRIS IS REALLY HIS ONLY FRIEND IN HIGH SCHOOL. Narrator: THOUGH RICKY AND CHRIS ARE POLAR OPPOSITES, THEY ARE DRAWN TOGETHER BY THEIR LOVE OF BASEBALL AND ADVENTURE. CHRIS WOULD GO TO HIS HOUSE AND THEY'D PLAY CATCH IN THE BACKYARD. THEY WOULD SKIP SCHOOL AND GO MUDDING. [ Chuckling ] YEAH! [ LAUGHS ] THE MORE MUD, THE BETTER. Venable: THEY WERE TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF PEOPLE, BUT YET THEY WERE STILL FRIENDS AT THE END OF THE DAY. Narrator: BUT THE BOYS HAD NO IDEA THAT THEIR BOND WOULD SOON BE RIPPED APART. IN THE SPRING OF THEIR JUNIOR YEAR, CHRIS AND RICKY SPEND EVEN MORE TIME TOGETHER DURING BASEBALL SEASON. ONE AFTERNOON, WHEN THE BOYS ARE RIDING THE BUS HOME FROM A GAME, CHRIS AND A TEAMMATE GET INTO AN ARGUMENT. DID YOU REALLY JUST THROW THIS AT ME? I DIDN'T THROW THAT AT YOU. ONE OF THE BOYS THREW A BOTTLE OF URINE, AND HE, OF COURSE, WAS UPSET AND HE THREW IT BACK... ...AND SOME OF IT HIT THE COACH AND THE COACH BECAME VERY UPSET. DID YOU THROW THAT AT ME? YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. GET OUT OF THE VAN RIGHT NOW. LET'S GO! GET OUT. Narrator: CHRIS IS IMMEDIATELY KICKED OFF THE TEAM. AND I WENT AND BEGGED THE COACH TO LET HIM PLAY AND HE SAYS, "NO." Talley: HE LIVED BASEBALL. EAT, SLEEP, DRINK, BREATHE BASEBALL. THAT WAS ALL THERE WAS TO HIS WORLD. Narrator: BUT CHRIS ISN'T THE ONLY ONE WHOSE BASEBALL DREAMS COME TO AN UNEXPECTED END. IRONICALLY, A FEW WEEKS LATER, RICKY SUFFERS A CAREER-ENDING INJURY ON A ROUTINE THROW. AH! Venable: RICKY TORE A LIGAMENT IN HIS ARM AND HE WAS REALLY, REALLY UPSET THAT HE COULDN'T PLAY BASEBALL ANYMORE. Narrator: IT'S A STUNNING BLOW FOR BOTH OF THEM. NOT PLAYING THE GAME THEY LOVE LEAVES A GAPING VOID IN THEIR LIVES, BUT CHRIS TAKES IT HARDER THAN RICKY. HE'S ANGRY AND BLOWS OFF STEAM AT RICKY'S EXPENSE. Zavala: CHRIS WOULD KIND OF POKE FUN AT HIM. I THINK IT WAS JUST TEENAGERS KIND OF MESSING AROUND. AND RICKY THOUGHT, "YEAH, I'M GONNA GO ALONG WITH THIS BECAUSE I'M YOUR FRIEND." BUT AS THE WEEKS GO BY, CHRIS STEPS UP THE TAUNTING AND TEASING, LEAVING RICKY FEELING HURT AND HUMILIATED. HEY, RICKY. [ CHUCKLES ] HE WAS PRETTY UPSET. RICKY TRUSTED CHRIS. CHRIS DIDN'T KNOW HOW MUCH RICKY LOVED HIM. AND SOON, RESENTMENT AND BACKSTABBING WILL LEAD THESE LIFELONG FRIENDS DOWN A DARK AND TWISTED PATH. THEY DIDN'T EXPECT HIM TO DO WHAT HE DID. AND IT TURNED INTO BLOOD AND ***. Narrator: AFTER CHRIS AND RICKY'S BASEBALL DREAMS COME TO A CRASHING HALT, CHRIS TAKES HIS ANGER OUT ON HIS BEST FRIEND BY BULLYING RICKY IN FRONT OF THEIR CLASSMATES, BUT RICKY REFUSES TO LET IT COME BETWEEN THEM. [ LAUGHS ] RICKY WASN'T THAT OUTGOING, SO I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY WHY HE WAS MORE FIXATED, YOU KNOW, IN HOLDING ONTO THAT RELATIONSHIP. Narrator: BUT OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, TENSION MOUNTS AS RICKY'S TOLERANCE WEARS THIN. HIGH SCHOOL WAS WHERE THAT WEDGE CAME IN BETWEEN THEM. Narrator: THEN SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAPPENS THAT TURNS RICKY'S LIFE AROUND. RICKY FINALLY GOT A GIRLFRIEND. SHE'S 14-YEAR-OLD MEAGAN VENABLE. Owen: MEAGAN WAS A VERY ATTRACTIVE GIRL AND HE HAD STARTED DATING HER WHILE SHE WAS STILL IN JUNIOR HIGH, AND HE WAS ALREADY IN HIGH SCHOOL. DESPITE THE THREE-YEAR AGE DIFFERENCE, RICKY AND MEAGAN QUICKLY GET SERIOUS. I LOVED HIM TO DEATH. HE CARED ABOUT ME. WE WOULD TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING. WE JUST CONNECTED ON THAT DEEPER LEVEL. Narrator: WHEN MEAGAN ENTERS THE PICTURE, RICKY'S FRIENDSHIP WITH CHRIS TAKES A BACK SEAT, AND FOR CHRIS, IT'S AN UNCOMFORTABLE PLACE TO BE. SIX MONTHS LATER, WHEN THE 2002 SCHOOL YEAR BEGINS, RICKY AND CHRIS ARE SENIORS AND MEAGAN IS JUST STARTING HIGH SCHOOL. RICKY WAS REALLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT HE HAD A GIRLFRIEND. Narrator: MEAGAN IS A HEAD-TURNER. FOR RICKY, IT'S A BLESSING AND A CURSE. WE STARTED OFF HIGH SCHOOL AND ALL THE GUYS STARTED LIKING ME. AND RICKY'S BEST FRIEND IS NO EXCEPTION. CHRIS, WHO'S ALWAYS BEEN THE LADIES' MAN, THINKS MEAGAN IS OUT OF RICKY'S LEAGUE AND MORE IN HIS. CHRIS AND MEAGAN ARE IN THE SAME FOURTH-PERIOD STUDY HALL, AND SOON, CHRIS MAKES A MOVE ON HIS BEST FRIEND'S GIRL. CHRIS WAS GETTING A LITTLE FRIENDLY WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND. Narrator: MUCH TO CHRIS' SURPRISE, MEAGAN REJECTS HIS ADVANCES. Venable: I WAS THAT ONE GIRL HE COULDN'T GET. HE'S LOOKING AT RICKY GOING, "YOU'RE NOT EVEN ATTRACTIVE. WHAT DO YOU HAVE THAT I DON'T HAVE?" IT WAS ALMOST A COMPETITION BETWEEN THEM BOTH. Narrator: CHRIS IS DETERMINED TO STEAL MEAGAN AWAY FROM RICKY AND TAKES EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO FLIRT RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. INSIDE, RICKY IS FURIOUS, BUT HE KEEPS IT TO HIMSELF. [ LOCKER DOOR SLAMS ] RICKY TOOK THAT TO HEART AND DIDN'T LIKE IT. HOWEVER, HE DID VALUE HIS FRIENDSHIP AND HE NEVER REALLY CONFRONTED CHRIS, ESPECIALLY IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE. Narrator: BUT RICKY HAS MORE TO WORRY ABOUT THAN JUST CHRIS. MEAGAN'S PARENTS DON'T APPROVE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP. WHEN OUR PARENTS HAD LEARNED THAT WE LOST OUR VIRGINITIES TO EACH OTHER, MY PARENTS WERE NOT VERY HAPPY. UNDAUNTED, RICKY SURPRISES MEAGAN AND STOPS BY FOR A VISIT LATE ONE NIGHT. Venable: HE SHOWED UP AT MY BEDROOM WINDOW AND KNOCKED ON THE WINDOW. DAD, STOP! Narrator: MEAGAN'S FATHER IS FURIOUS. MY DAD BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HIM. HELLO, POLICE? HE CALLED THE COPS ON HIM. IT WAS A PRETTY BIG ORDEAL, SO WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO DATE AT ALL. Narrator: BUT RICKY AND MEAGAN CONTINUED TO DEFY HER PARENTS. WE HAD A VERY, YOU KNOW, SNEAKY RELATIONSHIP. AS THE WEEKS GO BY, RICKY BECOMES MORE CONTROLLING OVER MEAGAN. HE FEARS CHRIS WILL STEAL HER AWAY, SO HE WALKS HER TO AND FROM ALL HER CLASSES. RICKY WAS VERY POSSESSIVE OF HIS GIRLFRIEND AT THAT TIME. Narrator: BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP CHRIS FROM FLIRTING WITH HER. TO HIM, IT'S NOTHING BUT A GAME. WHEN CHRIS WAS KIND OF FLIRTING OR EVEN JUST TALKING TO HER, THAT SET HIM OFF. THE JEALOUSY, THE RAGE, AND POSSESSIVENESS GOT A LITTLE OUT OF CONTROL. DESPITE THE INCREASING FRICTION, THE BOND BETWEEN THE BOYS STAYS INTACT. EVEN IF THERE WAS A LITTLE BAD BLOOD, A LITTLE TENSION, A LITTLE TEASING, CHRIS STILL VALUED HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS BEST BUDDY. Narrator: BUT SOON, THEIR FRIENDSHIP WILL BE TESTED IN WAYS NO ONE COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED. HIS LIFE IS COMPLETELY SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL. I DON'T THINK THAT ANYBODY ELSE KNEW WHAT HIS INTENT WAS THAT DAY. Narrator: IN OCTOBER OF SENIOR YEAR, CHRIS CONTINUES FLIRTING WITH HIS BEST FRIEND'S GIRL AND ENJOYS GETTING A RISE OUT OF RICKY. AS A RESULT, RICKY BECOMES OVERLY POSSESSIVE OF MEAGAN. Venable: HE ALWAYS WAS WORRIED ABOUT CHRIS. "WHO'S SHE WITH? IS SHE WITH CHRIS? WHAT IS SHE DOING WITH CHRIS?" BUT ONE AFTERNOON, MEAGAN TAKES OFF WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS AND DOESN'T TELL RICKY WHERE SHE'S GOING OR WHO SHE'S WITH. I SKIPPED SCHOOL, AND WE ALL WENT MUDDING WITH CHRIS. READY. [ LAUGHTER ] WHEN THEY CAME BACK TO SCHOOL, RICKY WAS WAITING. MEAGAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHEN WE PULL UP AND I SEE HIM STANDING OUTSIDE AND I WAS TERRIFIED. I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, "OH, MY GOD. HE IS ABOUT TO BEAT MY ***." Narrator: RICKY ANGRILY CONFRONTS MEAGAN IN FRONT OF THEIR FRIENDS. RICKY, YOU'RE BEING RIDICULOUS. MEAGAN, GET OUT OF THE CAR. RICKY -- SHUT UP. Owen: HE WAS VERY UPSET. HE WAS VERY ROUGH AND VERY, YOU KNOW, HARSH IN HOW HE DEALT WITH MEAGAN. I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD BOTHER YOU SO MUCH. ARE YOU STUPID?! HE HITS ME IN THE FACE AND EVERYBODY GETS PISSED. I'M TALKING PISSED. I TOLD YOU TO STOP [BLEEP] I DIDN'T WANT TO DO THAT. MEAGAN, NO. Venable: CHRIS, THE WHOLE CREW, ALL RAN UP ON HIM AND WERE LIKE, "GET OFF OF HER NOW." YOU STAY RIGHT THERE. Man: WHAT IS WRONG? GET OFF OF ME. YO, BACK UP. BACK UP. I'M CRYING. I'M SCARED. I'M, LIKE, FREAKED OUT. HE WAS VERY MAD, AND AT THAT POINT, HE WAS PRETTY MUCH DONE WITH CHRIS. LIKE, HE HAD HAD ENOUGH. [ ENGINE TURNS OVER ] GET IN. Narrator: CHRIS IS ALSO FURIOUS AS RICKY STORMS OFF WITH MEAGAN IN HIS TRUCK. THAT JEALOUSY, THAT TENSION, IT BUILT UP -- BIG TIME. Narrator: WITH THEIR FRIENDSHIP AT THE BREAKING POINT, RICKY TIGHTENS HIS GRIP ON MEAGAN. MEANWHILE, CHRIS TAKES HIS BAD-BOY ACT TO THE NEXT LEVEL. Zavala: BUT CHRIS WAS SORT OF SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL. HE WAS USING A LOT OF DRUGS, TRYING DIFFERENT THINGS. Narrator: CHRIS IS REBELLIOUS IN SCHOOL, ESPECIALLY DURING STUDY HALL. CHRIS AND SEVERAL DIFFERENT KIDS WOULD TAKE DRUGS IN SCHOOL, AND NOBODY DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEY WOULD BRING IN XANAX AND THEY WOULD CUT IT UP ON THE DESK AND SNORT IT RIGHT IN THE CLASSROOM. Narrator: AND IN THAT SAME FOURTH-PERIOD STUDY HALL, TENSION BETWEEN RICKY AND CHRIS BOILS OVER WHEN RICKY WALKS BY AND DOESN'T LIKE WHAT HE SEES. CHRIS WAS KIND OF HANGING ON MEAGAN AND KIND OF FLIRTING WITH HER. Narrator: OUTRAGED, RICKY BURSTS INTO THE CLASSROOM. YO, GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY GIRL. THAT'S MY GIRL. BACK UP. Narrator: THE OLD FRIENDS FACE OFF AND ARE ABOUT TO COME TO BLOWS. Venable: RICKY! GET OUT. CHRIS WAS DISSING RICKY, LIKE, YOU KNOW, "SCREW YOU." I'M GONNA DO WHAT I'M GONNA DO," AND RICKY WAS LIKE, "SCREW YOU. I'M GONNA TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS, WHETHER YOU THINK SO OR NOT." Venable: GUYS, GUYS! YOU GONNA TRY SOMETHING? Narrator: NO BLOOD IS SHED, BUT ONCE AGAIN, RICKY FEELS BETRAYED BY HIS BEST FRIEND. YOU MOVE BACK. Venable: HE KEPT THINKING, "CHRIS IS GONNA TAKE MY GIRL," AND HE WAS NOT COOL WITH THAT. HE SAID NO. LIKE, "NO. THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL." Narrator: CHRIS HAS ALSO HAD ENOUGH, AND, WITH THE FRIENDS AT ODDS, RESENTMENT BUILDS AND THEIR LIFELONG FRIENDSHIP IS HEADED TOWARDS A VIOLENT END. HE COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE, AND HE WAS GOING TO GET REVENGE. HE HAD A LOT OF ENEMIES, BUT ONE OF THE BIGGEST ENEMIES OF ALL WAS HIS BEST FRIEND. CHILDHOOD FRIENDS, RICKY AND CHRIS, NEARLY COME TO BLOWS AFTER RICKY CATCHES CHRIS COMING ON TO HIS GIRLFRIEND. GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME! HE WAS JEALOUS. COULDN'T STAND IT ANYMORE. Narrator: CHRIS SEEMS TO OVERLOOK IT, BUT MEAGAN KNOWS TROUBLE IS BREWING. I LOVED CHRIS. AS A FRIEND, HE WAS FABULOUS. BUT I KNOW HOW RICKY THOUGHT OF HIM, AND HE FELT THAT HE WAS A THREAT. Narrator: IT'S A THREAT RICKY WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE. A FEW DAYS AFTER THE CLASSROOM INCIDENT, RICKY APPEARS TO HAVE PUT THEIR CONFRONTATION BEHIND HIM. HEY. WHAT'S GOING ON? AND ON NOVEMBER 7, 2002, RICKY INVITES CHRIS TO HANG OUT AFTER SCHOOL WITH RICKY'S 15-YEAR-OLD COUSIN, DANIEL RODRIGUEZ, AND HIS 14-YEAR-OLD FRIEND, JOSH FRETZ. THEY WERE GOING TO GO AND PICK PSYCHEDELIC MUSHROOMS. THAT WAS THEIR THING. AND RICKY TOLD HIS FRIENDS THAT THEY WERE GONNA SHOOT BIRDS WHILE THEY WERE THERE. THAT WASN'T UNCOMMON FOR THE KIDS TO GO SQUIRREL HUNTING OR GO SHOOT DOVE OR WHATEVER OUT IN THOSE FIELDS. THE TEENS DRIVE OUT TO A DESERTED AREA A MILE FROM TOWN, AND AS THEY GET OUT OF THE TRUCK, RICKY GRABS HIS 12-GAUGE SHOTGUN. AS THEY'RE WALKING, RICKY SAID SOMETHING AND CHRIS TURNED AND LOOKED AWAY FROM RICKY. [ GUN *** ] [ GUNSHOT ] AT THAT POINT, RICKY SHOT CHRIS IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD. [ GUN ***, GUNSHOT ] HE WAS DEAD BEFORE HE HIT THE GROUND. Zavala: RICKY MURDERED HIS FRIEND IN COLD BLOOD. IT ALL BOILED DOWN TO JEALOUSY, AND THIS WAS SOMEBODY THAT CHRIS TRUSTED. GO! GO! GO! GO! Narrator: JOSH AND DANIEL ARE SHOCKED AND TAKE OFF RUNNING. RICKY FOLLOWS, SHOTGUN IN HAND. GET IN THE [BLEEP] CAR. THE OTHER FRIENDS PANICKED... [BLEEP] ...AND AT THAT MOMENT, THEY DID EXACTLY WHAT RICKY SAID -- GET IN THE CAR AND DON'T TALK ABOUT IT. DO NOT EVER SPEAK ABOUT THIS. YOU HEAR ME? RICKY THREATENED THEM AND THEY WERE AFRAID THAT HE MIGHT DO THE SAME TO THEM. Narrator: THE DAY AFTER THE ***, RICKY FORCES JOSH AND DANIEL TO RETURN TO BURY CHRIS, BUT NOT BEFORE RICKY KNOCKS OUT CHRIS'S TEETH WITH A HAMMER AND CUTS OFF HIS FINGERS, IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE HIS BODY UNIDENTIFIABLE. WHEN CHRIS DOESN'T SHOW UP AT HOME FOR A FEW DAYS, AT FIRST, NO ONE IS WORRIED. EVERYBODY THAT KNEW HIM WAS KIND OF CONSIDERING HIS LIFESTYLE AT THE TIME -- A DRUG USER, KIND OF BEING A REBEL -- AND THEN THEY THOUGHT HE DID RUN AWAY. Narrator: BUT AFTER A WEEK GOES BY WITH NO WORD FROM CHRIS, HIS FAMILY CALLS POLICE AND A MASSIVE SEARCH BEGINS. I TOOK OFF WORK AND I WENT AROUND ALL THE DITCHES AND LITTLE LAKES AROUND HERE, AND I WAS LOOKING FOR HIM. Narrator: WHEN POLICE LEARN ABOUT THE BAD BLOOD BETWEEN CHRIS AND RICKY, THEY QUESTION THE TEENAGER. WHICH MALL? Owen: RICKY SAID, "YEAH, I PICKED HIM UP AND WE WENT TO THE MALL. THEN WE RAN INTO SOME GIRLS AND THEN MY MOM CALLED TO TELL ME TO COME HOME AND HE SAID HE WASN'T READY. SO I LEFT HIM THERE AND THAT'S THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM." Narrator: AUTHORITIES BELIEVE RICKY'S STORY. THE INVESTIGATORS SPENT A WHOLE LOT OF TIME BASICALLY CHASING, YOU KNOW, RABBIT TRAILS WHERE THERE WAS NO REAL EVIDENCE EVER FOUND OF WHAT HAPPENED TO CHRIS. Narrator: AFTER AN AGONIZING YEAR GOES BY, THERE'S STILL NO SIGN OF CHRIS. HIS CASE GOES COLD. Wanda: IT TORE ME UP. THEN I BEGAN TO ACCEPT THAT SOMETHING REALLY DRASTIC HAPPENED. Zavala: WHEN THAT CASE WAS COLD, CHRIS' FAMILY LIVED IN HELL. Narrator: ALTHOUGH NO ONE KNOWS WHAT RICKY HAS DONE, IT'S OBVIOUS HE HAS CHANGED. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE ANYMORE. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU. Narrator: MEAGAN SOON BREAKS UP WITH HIM, AND NOW THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN HIS LIFE ARE GONE. WE WEREN'T TOGETHER AFTER THIS. ME AND RICKY WERE DONE. Venable: AFTER HIGH SCHOOL, RICKY'S LIFE SPIRALS DOWNWARD. AFTER THE ***, IT'S SAID THAT RICKY REALLY WAS GUILT-RIDDEN. HE GOT HEAVY INTO DRUGS, COULDN'T KEEP A JOB. Narrator: AS THE YEARS GO BY, IT APPEARS RICKY WILL GET AWAY WITH ***... EXCUSE ME. ...UNTIL ALMOST A DECADE LATER... DID YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW MY SON CHRIS DAIGLE? Narrator: REFUSING TO GIVE UP ON HER SON, CHRIS'S MOTHER HAS A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH ONE OF RICKY'S OLD FRIENDS. WE'RE LOOKING FOR ANY PIECE OF INFORMATION WE CAN GET. UNBELIEVABLY, THE FRIEND TELLS HER THAT SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER CHRIS WENT MISSING, RICKY ADMITTED HE KILLED HIM. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ANYBODY? I THOUGHT HE WAS MAKING IT UP. SHE SAID SHE THOUGHT HE WAS LYING, THAT SHE COULDN'T BELIEVE SOMEBODY SHE KNEW WOULD DO THAT, SO SHE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING. SHE JUST GAVE ME THE WHOLE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED. SHE WAS FRIENDS WITH ALL THREE OF THE BOYS THAT WERE INVOLVED, AND THEN I GOT HER TO TALK TO THE DETECTIVES AND THEY STARTED INVESTIGATING MORE. Narrator: ARMED WITH NEW INFORMATION, POLICE HAUL JOSH AND DANIEL IN FOR QUESTIONING. TAKE ME THROUGH THAT DAY WHEN RICKY KILLED CHRIS. NOW IN THEIR 20s, JOSH AND DANIEL ARE EAGER TO FINALLY CLEAR THEIR CONSCIENCES. THEY TOLD THE TWO INVESTIGATORS EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED IN THE FIELD THAT DAY, AND IT WAS VERY, VERY HARD TO KNOW THIS SECRET AND NOT TELL ANYBODY. Narrator: ON AUGUST 11, 2011, ALMOST NINE YEARS AFTER RICKY MURDERED HIS BEST FRIEND, DETECTIVES UNEARTH CHRIS DAIGLE'S REMAINS. THE NEXT DAY, RICKY MENDOZA, NOW 26, IS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH CHRIS'S ***. Venable: I THINK THAT'S WHY HE DIDN'T EVER DO ANYTHING WITH HIS LIFE. HE KNEW THIS WAS GONNA CATCH UP TO HIM ONE DAY. ON FEBRUARY 11, 2013, RICKY IS CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO 50 YEARS IN PRISON. [ CELL DOOR LOCKS ] CHRIS'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE DISTRAUGHT KNOWING THAT SOMEONE THEY ALL KNEW AND TRUSTED COMMITTED SUCH A HEINOUS CRIME AND MADE THEIR LIVES A LIVING HELL, WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED FOR NEARLY A DECADE. Wanda: WHAT WAS RICKY THINKING? WHY WOULD HE DO SUCH A THING? THAT REALLY HURTS. Talley: YOU DON'T EVER WANT TO THINK THAT SOMEBODY YOU KNEW, SOMEBODY THAT YOU WERE FRIENDS WITH, THAT YOU ATE LUNCH WITH EVERY DAY, WOULD DO SOMETHING THAT COWARDLY OVER SOMETHING AS DUMB AS A GIRL. Tracie: FRIENDS ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE YOUR BACK. THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE FOR YOU THROUGH THICK AND THIN. YOU WOULD NEVER THINK THAT SOMEBODY WOULD TURN ON YOU. IT'S NOT RIGHT.