In short
Sword and Scale Episode 310 covers the 2008 disappearance of 15-year-old Morgan Leppert and 22-year-old Toby Laurie from Melrose, Florida, and their murder of 66-year-old James Stewart, a disabled man, after stealing his silver Toyota Tacoma.
Guest backgrounds
The episode does not feature podcast guests. It includes interviews/recorded statements from attorney Bradley Waldrop (former prosecutor; criminal defense and family law in St. Augustine) and interviews with Morgan and Toby conducted by detectives.
Key claims
Morgan’s mother, Jerry Leppert, let Toby move in despite his adult age and criminal record; she later kicked him out when she learned the truth. Morgan and Toby ran away together, using stolen goods and casing houses. Investigators claim Toby and Morgan killed Stewart during a home invasion to steal keys/cash and escape, with Toby later describing extreme brutality.
Notable examples
Morgan and Toby allegedly used Stewart’s phone for reconnaissance; Toby and Morgan reportedly stomped Stewart’s neck repeatedly, stabbed him in the chest, and used a plastic bag to suffocate him. Stewart was found dead in his home about ten days later.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOThe Nightmare of Episode 17
0:00 to 0:28
Discussion about the shocking content of Episode 17 of Sword and Scale Television.
“Want to bring a little Hollywood excitement to your day?”
The Nightmare of Episode 17
0:57 to 2:26
Discussion about the shocking content of Episode 17 of Sword and Scale Television.
“Before you go ahead and hit skip to the meat of the show, let me tell you, if you're not going to watch episode 17 of Sword and Scale Television, you are truly missing one hell of a nightmare.”
Life in Putnam County, Florida
3:55 to 6:50
Descriptive overview of the rural community and its challenges.
“And I've also found it to be true in my own life.”
The Life of Morgan Leppert
6:58 to 12:12
Exploration of Morgan's family life and her relationship with Toby.
“If you don't know what that means, you will.”
The Consequences of Choices
12:14 to 14:00
Discussion of the implications of Morgan's decisions regarding Toby.
“If you only heard of this conversation, you'd think this was a dad having V-talk with his giggly teenage daughter, a patient, experienced voice trying to steer her back onto the right path.”
Morgan's Relationship with Toby
14:00 to 15:09
Explore the dynamics of Morgan's relationship with Toby leading to her disappearance.
“Then he came back two months later and he got back to get it.”
The Disappearance and the Silver Truck
15:09 to 17:08
Delve into the events surrounding Morgan's disappearance and the significance of the truck.
“So when you got there, the truck was already there?”
Background on Morgan and Her Family
19:16 to 20:57
Gain insights into Morgan's family dynamics and her relationship with her mother.
“Jerry Leppert lived in a three-bedroom home on the end of a rural street with her son and her daughter, Morgan.”
The Discovery of a Crime
20:57 to 24:42
Learn about the grim discovery surrounding James Stewart and the implications for Morgan.
“But what started as an escape, as chance at the big road trip and a new life together, would soon unravel into something far more horrible.”
Morgan's Perspective During the Investigation
24:42 to 28:00
Examine Morgan's viewpoint during the investigation and her understanding of the events.
“He'd been dead for nearly ten days, murdered and left to bloat, stiffen, and seep into the floorboards of his own home.”
Show all 26 chapters
Interrogating Morgan
28:00 to 29:20
The detective tries to uncover Morgan's story and her connection to Toby.
“Do you remember him mentioning him to him at T at all?”
Dangerous Circumstances
29:20 to 30:40
The detective highlights the risks of Morgan's situation and her wellbeing.
“That means I'm going to put him in a jail.”
The Story Unfolds
30:40 to 32:30
Morgan maintains her story while the detectives piece together events.
“This wasn't just about a stolen truck anymore.”
Life on the Run
32:30 to 33:40
Morgan and Toby's life together involves theft and evasion.
“By then, they already knew where he and Morgan had been.”
Casing the Neighborhood
33:40 to 35:40
Toby and Morgan plan a break-in while discussing their motives.
“I know you cased out some houses over there in the Melrose area.”
Meeting the Victim
35:40 to 38:30
Toby and Morgan encounter James Stewart, a disabled man, leading to a plot twist.
“Miss Leppert, earlier in the day, the day of the murder, knocked on Mr.”
A Dark Intent
38:30 to 42:01
Toby expresses his thoughts on violence while planning against James.
“ready to do the unthinkable to a disabled man, and he's calling the victim a predator.”
Toby's Confession Begins
42:01 to 44:32
Toby recounts the tense moments leading up to the crime with Morgan.
“and asks if he's stupid because he just told him she left and went down the street.”
The Brawl with James
44:33 to 49:02
Toby details the confrontation and ensuing violence with James.
“Morgan says, you have to do something now.”
Toby's Disturbing Enthusiasm
49:03 to 54:39
Toby describes the brutality of the encounter with an unsettling excitement.
“Toby answered with a punch in the face, breaking James' glasses and puncturing his eye with a piece of the lens.”
Toby's Disturbing Enthusiasm
56:03 to 56:34
Toby describes the brutality of the encounter with an unsettling excitement.
“Again, that's Shopify.com slash sword and scale.”
The Disappearance of Morgan Leppert and Toby Laurie
57:04 to 59:52
Discover the chilling details surrounding the disappearance of two young individuals and their violent crime.
“Anyway, days earlier, Morgan had been reported missing and investigators soon discovered she wasn't just a runaway.”
Toby's Confession and Murmurs of Remorse
59:59 to 1:03:24
Explore Toby's chilling confession and his complex feelings of remorse after the murder.
“Toby had stepped away from the scene for just a minute to use his inhaler, which is fucking hilarious.”
The Trials and Sentencing of Toby and Morgan
1:03:27 to 1:07:19
Understand the judicial outcomes for Toby and Morgan following their crimes and the implications of their sentences.
“But somewhere in his core, he was finally feeling remorse, and it was visible to detectives.”
The Legacy of James Stewart
1:07:22 to 1:10:04
Reflect on the life and legacy of James Stewart, a victim of violence.
“A reduced sentence, but still long enough to make sure she won't walk free until she's well into her 50s.”
Obsession vs. Real Love
1:10:04 to 1:12:42
Explore the dangerous dynamics of obsessive love in a tragic context.
“But I'm sure Morgan doesn't know either.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Hey, it is Ryan Seacrest here. Want to bring a little Hollywood excitement to your day? Take a few spins with Chumba Casino's brand new game, Ryan Seacrest's 10K Ways. It's free and features 10 ,000 ways to play, giving you nonstop action, including thrilling bonus re-spins and cascading reels. Every spin brings something new, so step into the spotlight. Enjoy the excitement and play today at ChumbaCasino.com. Chumba! No purchase necessary. VGW Group. Voidware prohibited by law. CTs and Cs. 21+. Sponsored by Chumba Casino. Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences.
0:36Listener discretion is advised.
0:43Oh my God, get it. Fucking God, you son of a bitch. I just fucking lay in with a fucking windpipe in my shoes.
0:54Mike Boudet:This is episode 310 of Sword and Scale. you know that already, but I'm not going to waste your time with that. Before you go ahead and hit skip to the meat of the show, let me tell you, if you're not going to watch episode 17 of Sword and Scale Television, you are truly missing one hell of a nightmare. Let's go.
1:38Mike Boudet:I mean, I'm not even kidding. I couldn't sleep for three days after finalizing that episode. And if you're going to only watch one episode of Sword Scale Television, that one should be it. Not that you have to stop at one. I mean, if you sign up for the super supporter tier, Here you can get access to all 17 episodes and ongoing episodes monthly. We're working on getting you some more content on top of that. It's a labor of love, people. This is what the dipshits on Reddit call begging, which is actually just marketing. Yeah, we created a product. We want you to consume it. Duh. Anyway, go check it out if you like True Crime and if you want to support Sword and Scale.
2:50Mike Boudet:and checkout without a bunch of friction. That matters because once someone decides they want something, you don't want to stand in their way. You don't want to make it complicated. And payment processes can be complicated. Shopify checkout helps more customers complete their purchase. And returning customers can checkout with their details already saved. That gives us more time to focus on creating, promoting, and growing instead of wrestling with the technical side. See what you can build at shopify.com slash sword and scale. With Shopify, nothing stands between your idea and a real business.
3:28So, go make one.
3:31Mike Boudet:Start your free trial at shopify.com slash sword and scale. Again, that's shopify.com slash sword and scale.
3:54Mike Boudet:Love takes sacrifice. That's what I've heard. And I've also found it to be true in my own life. There's a lot you give up when you're truly in love. Sometimes you give up your time or your money or your freedom. To go to a ditty party, for example. A lot of things. But your humanity shouldn't be one of them.
4:50Mike Boudet:Putnam County, Florida is a stretch of land between Gainesville and St. Augustine, where dirt roads wind through the pine forests. And the air is as humid as… well, it's like walking through the bottom of a pool. It's a place of small towns and long stretches of country in between. The poverty rate is higher than the rest of the state because of the remoteness. Inside Putnam County is Melrose, a small, quiet community that barely makes a blip on the map. This is the kind of place where people still leave their doors unlocked, believe it or not, and where Friday night football and Sunday morning church have become just a thing on the calendar that doesn't change.
5:36Mike Boudet:This is attorney Bradley Waldrop, a native of the area. I am a former prosecutor. I've worked in Putnam County and St. John's County from about 2006 to 2010. I'm currently in private practice in St. Augustine, Florida. I do criminal defense and do family law as well. But I'm a lifelong resident of St. Augustine, Florida. So very familiar with the area and really cut my teeth as a prosecutor in Putnam County, which is where this occurred. Down a dead-end road in Melrose sat a modest home built in 1985. It was now more than two decades old, a single-story house with a yard that stretched into the woods.
6:23Mike Boudet:It wasn't much, but it was home to 15-year-old Morgan Leppert, her older brother, and her 48-year-old mother, Jerry. Melrose is a beautiful community. Like I said, it's very laid-back, rural. It's one of those towns that you pass through on the way to Gainesville. Just a lot of beautiful scenery there. It's kind of like one of those one red light towns where you stop at the red light and there's everything, a general store, a restaurant, a gas station. But it's a very laid-back town, very tight-knit community. Jerry Leppert was the kind of mother who had lived enough to see trouble. If you don't know what that means, you will.
7:05Mike Boudet:Let's give it time. She tried to steer Morgan in the right direction, tried to set rules, and tried to keep her daughter close. She even picked her battles with Morgan, letting her see boys at an early age. In order to keep an eye on things, she had an open-door policy preferring that Morgan socialize where her mom could see her. An interesting parenting style, which some people employ, to their detriment. But just like typical teens, arguments took place over space, choices, and the kind of people Morgan was bringing into her life. Her mother saw the warning signs. She knew what was coming. It was obvious that Jerry cared about and loved her daughter, but Morgan didn't see that.
7:53Mike Boudet:She saw a cage instead, built to stifle her cravings for independence. I've said it a couple times on this program, but I'll say it one more time. Kids are dumb. They really, really are. So if you're an old person and you see a bunch of kids at a protest, Maybe think twice before joining in. Because he might be supporting really bad shit. Anyway, Morgan was desperate for her independence, as most teenagers are. And one day she found it. In the form of a man named Toby Laurie. She fell in love with him. And love meant freedom. He moved in with us. Yeah. He moved us for three months. Okay. Yeah, three months in like a month, something like that.
8:40Mike Boudet:Did you sleep on the couch at the house? Did your mom know that? So Toby moved in right away. You know, parenting isn't easy, and Toby needed a place to stay. Jerry was picking her battles with Morgan and was already prepared for the day when Morgan became interested in boys. Well, that day came early, and her mom had already brought in reinforcements. As in, contraception. let me ask you a personal question are y 'all having sex? yeah I ain't gonna like it well I appreciate it it's all with your will he's not forced himself on everything no? never well okay how many times do you think you may have had sex since y 'all dated from the very beginning until now I don't know just guess I know it's embarrassing, but guess.
9:42Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy. 10? No. 20? No. Am I going too high or too low? Too low. 60? Probably. Probably. Are y 'all using protection? Mm-hmm. I was on birth control. You were? Who got that for you? I don't know. I got on birth control on my 14th birthday in January. I think it was 14th. That's too early, girl. Oh, my mom. She done. My sister got on birth control at 14 too. Yeah. And this is the thing. Is he using protection? Yeah. You're not present? Mm-mm. Okay. So your mom knows it. Y 'all having sex? Yeah. And she's fine with it? he was whenever he was living with us. I have no idea now.
10:38Mike Boudet:At first, Morgan's mom didn't ask too many questions. Teenagers push boundaries, and that's just part of raising one. If giving Morgan a little space kept the peace, maybe it was worth it. But Toby wasn't just some boyfriend. He was 22, unemployed, and guess what? he had a criminal record. Young girls love bad boys, you know? So naturally, he was the perfect guy to move in with a 15-year-old. That was sarcasm. Some of you don't understand sarcasm, so I guess I got to point it out. Derry would soon find out exactly who she let into her home. Well, at least y 'all are using protection and you're not pregnant.
11:26That's the big thing. You don't need no kids right now because, heck, you're still in school. How old was he? 22. And you're, you want me to tell you how old you are? 15. Yes, ma 'am. Don't you think that's kind of a big age gap? Nope. You're fine with it? Because age, age, I don't remember. Yeah, but still, you're still in school and he's out and got a job and.
11:51Mike Boudet:Toby was out of school and unemployed. When he wasn't behind bars, that is. Charismatic and conventionally good-looking, he'd fallen through the cracks, fallen out with his parents and started breaking the law. And Morgan wasn't just rebelling, she was running toward a person who made her feel like an adult, even if he was the worst possible choice. If you only heard of this conversation, you'd think this was a dad having V-talk with his giggly teenage daughter, a patient, experienced voice trying to steer her back onto the right path. But this was not her father. This was a detective sitting across from Morgan in a concrete interrogation room, hours after she and Toby were found in Texas a thousand miles away from home, burning through stolen gas and borrowed time.
12:47Mike Boudet:And all of it started when Jerry Leppert learned the truth. She had no idea that Toby had a criminal record with burglary, theft, and drugs under his belt. She certainly had no idea that he was an adult male, almost eight years older than her daughter. But once she found out, she did what any sane mother would do, and she kicked him out. She told him he was done. Gone. No more playing house with a 15-year-old child. For a minute, that might have seemed like the end of it, but Morgan wasn't letting go that easily. Just a few days later, on April 22, 2008, she was gone too. Her mother searched. She filed reports.
13:33Mike Boudet:She even broke into Toby's trailer, hoping to find some kind of sign. Some trace of her daughter, but... Morgan wasn't there. This is Morgan talking about the early days with Toby leading up to her disappearance.
14:10back in January of this year? Yeah, January 11th. The day before my birthday. Then he came back two months later and he got back to get it. Yeah, so he came back in March and y 'all got back to get her in March? Is that what you're saying? Yeah, March 11th. He started dating me.
14:25Mike Boudet:The reason Toby was basically homeless was because he had been living in a camper and then went to prison. While he was living in the camper, he proved his devotion to Morgan before moving into her bedroom. And he used to come down my street. He used to walk. That far? All the way from Polacka to the other side of the bridge. All the way to San Jose. Are you serious? Every day. That's a good 10-mile. He used to walk every day. And you know, the bridge is steep. Fast forward. Toby moves in and stays for a few months, but things come up missing. Morgan's mom finds out about his age and background, and she kicks him out.
15:08Mike Boudet:And in April, Morgan disappears with Toby, leaving her mom to contact the police.
15:38you did and you started um where'd y 'all go when you left did you did you did you go back to your house or is that when y 'all started driving i started driving then well what car how did you get out here yeah just that truck what truck that's over the dakota or not the code in that toilet or whatever oh did you buy him a truck from working i have no idea he showed up in the truck i don't know where he got it from yeah that's what i have no idea where that thing Not at all?
16:12So when you got there, the truck was already there? And then y 'all just hopped in it and took off, huh? Did you bring any clothes, would you? Well, we bought clothes, like do travel and stuff, but I don't know if they're going to give me my clothes back. They're all in the truck with my wallet and everything.
16:32Mike Boudet:Maybe Toby rode in like a knight in shining armor. Literally. The truck was silver, new and gleaming, ready to whisk Morgan away to freedom, to adulthood, to adventure. And to Morgan, barely 15, and desperate for something bigger than the life she knew, it might have felt like a rescue. But to Toby, it was never about saving her. He was merely pulling her deeper into his world, where love was just another tool of manipulation. And that shiny new truck, it carried Toby and Morgan away on an adventure, while it left its owner behind, broken and bleeding.
17:46Mike Boudet:If you've been sitting on a business idea, Shopify makes it easy to turn it into something real. Kind of like one of our monsters here. At TornScale, we use Shopify for our storefront, where listeners can browse our merch and check out without a bunch of friction. That matters because once someone decides they want something, you don't want to stand in their way. You don't want to make it complicated. And payment processes can be complicated. Shopify Checkout helps more customers complete their purchase, and returning customers can check out with their details already saved. That gives us more time to focus on creating, promoting, and growing instead of wrestling with the technical side.
18:29Mike Boudet:See what you can build at Shopify.com slash sword and scale. With Shopify, nothing stands between your idea and a real business. So, go make one. Start your free trial at Shopify.com slash sword and scale. Again, that's Shopify.com slash sword and scale. Tyler Reddick here from 2311 Racing. Victory Lane? Yeah, it's even better with Chumba by my side. Race to ChumbaCasino.com. Let's Chumba. No purchase necessary. VGW Group. Void where prohibited by law. CT &Cs. 21+. Sponsored by Chumba Casino.
19:15Mike Boudet:It was April 2008 in San Mateo, Florida. Jerry Leppert lived in a three-bedroom home on the end of a rural street with her son and her daughter, Morgan. The kid's father was no longer in the picture and her oldest daughter had moved out. Morgan was a good kid, but Jerry always knew she needed to keep an eye on her. Morgan was feisty, somewhat immature, and crazy about boys. One boy in particular, whose name was Toby. Toby had been living in a camper, so when Morgan begged her mom to let him move in with them, she reluctantly conceded. Sensing they were already sexually active, Jerry would rather have them fooling around under her own roof than in a camper somewhere remotely.
20:06Mike Boudet:I guess the sentiment sort of makes sense, but I don't know, try parenting instead. It works better. You can't actually say no to your children every now and then. But instead of doing this, Jerry put Morgan on birth control at age 14 to ensure that there would be no accidental pregnancies. She didn't realize that Toby was an adult male with a criminal history, and his sights set on Morgan. So, when she kicked him out of her home and her daughter's life, Morgan had already fallen for him. It was too late, way too late. They were about to take off and make a life of their own. At least, that's what Morgan thought.
20:49Mike Boudet:They simply disappeared in a silver truck. No one knew where they were going or what they'd already done. But what started as an escape, as chance at the big road trip and a new life together, would soon unravel into something far more horrible. Because the truck they were driving didn't just belong to anyone. It belonged to a dead man. After they were picked up in El Paso, Texas, Morgan was interviewed. She wasn't interested in talking about the truck, though. Truck? What truck? All she could think about or talk about was how great Toby was, and how he'd do anything for her. She talked about leaving Florida, about sleeping in the woods, showering at gas stations, and about what it felt like to be free.
21:43Mike Boudet:If that sounds a little immature, it's because it is. It is. But you know how detectives are. They don't just ask you a question and take your first answer at face value. No. They ease in slowly, like a fisherman letting out a line, waiting for the right moment to reel you back in. And I was on the 22nd, the day y 'all left. Did he tell his parents where he was going? No. Just that he was going to leave town for a little bit. and and is that his friend's truck that he did that y 'all are in i really have no idea you ever seen him in it before you didn't ask him who it was i really didn't care at the moment i was glad to get out of here so well he didn't say hey this is my buddy jim's truck or this is It didn't even worry that I had to jump in and kill off.
22:41I was just so happy as we get out of there. Yeah. Okay. How did y 'all eat? Did y 'all just buy food? Yeah, we had money to buy food. Did you know that the whole country was looking for your sweet little self? No. You didn't know that? I know. I heard about it. I figured, like, because I was walking into every Walmart we went to, traveling the whole time. and now I look on the missing people thing. I didn't even see myself on this. I said, whatever, you know. You know what an umbrella it is? Making wise. Yeah. I just found that out. Yeah. Because that's how they find me. Yeah. And what they did is because your mom was so worried about you because she didn't see him so long as they sent this an umbrella out.
23:30I haven't got sure since the day I left. Almost two weeks.
23:34Mike Boudet:But Jerry wasn't the only one wondering where their loved one was. James Stewart lived alone, but his cousin had spoken to him on the morning of April 25, 2008. After that, the calls went unanswered. A neighbor also noticed that James hadn't left his house in a while. His beloved tomato plants weren't thriving anymore, and they wondered if he was away on vacation. But his truck was still there. James's family wasn't alarmed for the first few days. It was just a missed call, maybe just bad timing. But when the days started to add up, so did the missed calls. By May 1st, another cousin couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
24:21So, he called the police.
24:24Mike Boudet:Deputies went to the house for a welfare check, and when they opened the door, the truth hit him in the face. a wall of decay and death. James Stewart wasn't missing. He was lying on the floor, rotting. He'd been dead for nearly ten days, murdered and left to bloat, stiffen, and seep into the floorboards of his own home. Morgan claimed that Toby picked her up in a silver truck and she had no idea who the owner was. Maybe she was right that Toby would do anything to be with her. Maybe she was right indeed. Who do you think that truck belongs to?
25:12Yeah. He just gets, you don't, you didn't worry about who there was? You know, he didn't make enough money to buy that truck, right?
25:34I have no idea. I have no idea. What's wrong are you getting to?
Read the full transcript
25:44I have no idea. No. What'd you tell me if he did? You problem? Yeah, I was. I'm just making sure. We're trying to find out whose truck it is, if not Toby's. I don't know. He picked me up in it, and we just went on from there. I didn't care at the moment who, what, or what was going on around me or anything.
26:06Mike Boudet:Okay. She didn't care who it was or what was going on because she was in love. She already came to be with me, most likely. Yeah, but you know what? He told me he was gonna do whatever he had to do just to be with me. But I didn't know he was gonna take it that far. And do something stupid like he did. Like what? He said that truck was going. Yeah. And it was. And the whole week talked about running away, but I didn't know that he was even that serious about it. And then we actually did it and... Kind of scared you a little bit? I didn't know he was like, I thought he was joking around and going along with what I was saying.
26:51But we didn't force you to run away, did we? Uh-uh. No? I went well. Believe me. I went well.
26:58Mike Boudet:Morgan had no problem talking about running away. And she certainly had no problem talking about Toby, the man who would do anything to be with her. But detectives weren't here to talk about young love. They were here for murder. just like you. They just hadn't revealed that secret to Morgan just yet. The tone in the room shifted. The detective stepped out for a moment and came back with a picture. Do you recognize this guy, Morgan? Ever seen him before? Somewhere? In my room? Yeah. I have no idea. Never seen him before? Has Toby ever talked about he had an older friend in Melrose? I have never seen Toby hang out with an older guy.
27:49Like the only guys that he hangs out with is Scott. Every time I went to the show, I thought he was with. Well, I talked to him and he said that he had mentioned this guy to you. Do you remember him mentioning him to him at T at all? Not at all? Don't recognize him at all? No, he never said, hey, I got this guy, a friend of mine that's older or nothing like that. I've never seen him with that guy before.
28:14Mike Boudet:Morgan wasn't budging. Either she was telling the truth and her innocence was just that, an innocent young girl in love taken advantage of by an older boy, well, an older man, or there were many more layers to Morgan. Well, I'm giving you a clean slate mirror that you knew what was going on in that truck to tell me. And you won't get in any trouble. Yeah, I know. You sure? How does that posit? Yeah. I just know it's cold here. I'm changing subject, but I'm cold. You want to put that jacket on? I don't want to look like a banana. So you pick on us to wear this kind of jacket when we work? You call us bananas?
29:01I have a question. Yes, ma 'am. My name is Toby. Toby is in a holding cell waiting to be processed in the jail. Wait, can you go back for me? Yes, ma 'am. Do you know what jail you're seeing? Putnam County. Why, you worrying about seeing him? Well, you'll be able to pay him a Putnam County jail. That means I'm going to put him in a jail. Did your mom go to election? That's what I'm scared to hold on. I can be honest with you. If you were my daughter, I wouldn't let you go. No place for you.
29:36Mike Boudet:It was early in the morning and the interview was winding down as it was looking like Morgan wasn't going to give in. The detective gave it one last shot. Well, I'm going to be honest with you, okay? Because you've been honest with me the whole time, so I'm going to be honest with you. If the truck comes back, not going on with the tow being stolen, he's going to be in a little bit of trouble, okay? Okay. My name is your boyfriend, and I wanted to tell you that, just so you know. um another thing is is that if toby tells us that you knew the truck was stolen or you knew that there wasn't his then you might be in a little bit of trouble too you see what i'm saying well i mean you could you know it's it's tough you know i mean so i mean i'm just saying if he honestly didn't tell you that's fine and and and i completely believe you but if he did tell me now and we can bypass the issue of you getting in trouble or anything not that i know of I mean, we've been traveling this whole time in that truck.
30:32Mike Boudet:Yeah. The detective tried the soft approach by giving Morgan an out, a clean slate. But when she stuck to her story, he switched gears. This wasn't just about a stolen truck anymore. He reminded her of how dangerous this all was. A teenage girl running away from home, sleeping in cars, hitchhiking across state lines, sleeping in the woods with rattlesnakes and only Toby to protect her. She could have been kidnapped, assaulted, or left for dead in the middle of nowhere. But somehow, she was still here. So far, I mean, y 'all could have easily gotten in a car accident and you could have been hurt and no one would have known where you're at, you know?
31:15Mm-hmm. I heard my mom thought I was dead. Really? Why did you, is that the friend you called that told me that? Why did she think you were dead? I don't know. I guess my mom kept on calling him, seeing a security thing from me, and she said, or I guess she told him that, oh, she thought I was dead. A lot of people thought you were seriously hurt because they ain't hurt from you in a while. Yeah, I heard a lot of people been looking for me out there. Do you know you've been on national television? I've heard. You've been on Nancy Grace? Nancy Grace. She's the talk show host on CNN. I had no idea.
31:55You know what the internet is, that TV channel, you've been, you're famous, girl.
32:00Mike Boudet:By now, Morgan's face was on the news. What appeared to be a missing or runaway teen was turning out to be much more of a complicated story. Morgan was still holding on to her version of the story, insisting that she had no idea where this truck came from and that she'd gone with Toby willingly. But detectives weren't just getting one side of the story. Because just down the hall in another room of the El Paso Police Department, they had already sat across from Toby Laurie and sent him back to Putnam County Jail. By then, they already knew where he and Morgan had been. On April 22nd, a friend of Morgan picked her up and took her to Toby's trailer at the Economy Inn RV Park.
32:51Mike Boudet:How romantic. That night, they showed up at Toby's parents' house, hoping for a place to stay, but his parents refused to take them in. Now, they were on their own. Toby was a drifter, a thief, and a predator. And like always, he was looking for someone to take along for the ride. It gets lonely out there, predating by yourself. Is that a word? Anyway, together they broke into a concession stand, stealing candy, drinks, and whatever food they could find. They slept wherever they could, in the woods, behind homes, even on old mattresses they found abandoned in the yard. It was like a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde adventure.
33:36And along the way, Toby started looking for something bigger, something like a getaway truck.
33:47I know you cased out some houses over there in the Melrose area. And I want you to tell me what, if anyone entered any houses, I need you to tell me. If you did not, then we'll go on. I'll get over to that. Okay, I'm sorry. We're going to start back off on to the counter. When we were laying in the woods, we have a mattress. What day? What day are we at? 24 hours is the day this happened. Okay.
34:25Mike Boudet:He immediately inculpated Morgan as the voice that drove him. But neither he nor the officer was ready for the climate shift about to hit them. He paused, shifted in his seat. He rubbed his arms and ran his hands through his blonde hair. The room went quiet. A chill settled into the space between them, and then, finally, Toby leaned in. Relax, we're getting all together. You were relaxed before. I don't know, I'm kind of cold. No, I'm not cold. Okay. Basically, what I was saying to her is, I don't like, baby, but go up there and knock on the door. What time was it, Toby? Was it dark? No, it was daylight.
35:16Okay, so you're sure it's a 24? Yes. Okay.
35:20Mike Boudet:Even though Toby didn't know the occupant of the house, James Stewart, he knew a little about the house itself. He used to live directly behind it, and a friend of his lived in the house James was in now. What they did is they decided to run away together, and they were basically casing different houses to look for appropriate victims. Miss Leppert, earlier in the day, the day of the murder, knocked on Mr. Stewart's door around 1 p.m. and asked to use his phone. He gave her access to use his phone and she actually called her own cell phone and had an opportunity at that time to basically do some reconnaissance on his residence.
36:08that he did live alone.
36:10Mike Boudet:So Toby sent Morgan directly to James' front door on this reconnaissance mission. We just went up, knocked on the door, and was like, go there and ask if you can use the phone. Okay, call your cell phone. No one's going to answer your cell phone. Toby waited in the woods close by, and he could see what was happening. After about 10 minutes, Morgan came back. This was getting real. I'm kind of pushing. you know, I'm a fucking thoughts right now. Cause as you can tell, I'm kind of psychotic in my mind. Well, you're thinking survival, bro. I'm thinking survival. I'm trying to get it to where we ain't nowhere around this fucking place at all.
36:53I'm trying to get the fuck out of there, you know? Sure. So she's telling me, motherfucker, he got no fingers. He looks like he's kind of, yeah, kind of a little bit. Yeah. but he's Is that because of some of the stuff that's in the house? Yeah. Okay. Weight equipment and shit like that. Yeah. It looks like partially of his fingers like right here got cut off some weird shit. I don't know what it is bro. And I was like, what the fuck? And she was like this hand over here, all the fingers were gone and there was just a round hand right there. You know what I was like kind of good. I was like, what the fuck?
37:35That's fucking freaky as shit. And you'll be honest with me and you'll tell me you've never known this guy before. No, I've never met a fucking guy. Okay, you just picked this place out of random at that. And I thought, I was like, maybe that's fucking freaking me out. I was like, he didn't touch you or nothing, did he? Because usually people like that are fucking predators. Sure. And I was like, maybe he didn't touch you, did he? And she was like, she didn't answer me. And I was like, baby, he didn't touch you, did he? And she was like, no, he didn't touch me. I was like, she probably answered you.
38:10I was like, okay.
38:11Mike Boudet:They'd opened the door to the home of a disabled man. James Stewart lived a quiet life tucked away in his modest house in Melrose, Florida. He wasn't a predator. Where did Toby get the idea that disabled people are predators? I have no idea. Here's Toby, someone who just entered adulthood with all his faculties and appendages, ready to do the unthinkable to a disabled man, and he's calling the victim a predator. James wasn't wealthy, he wasn't famous, but he was independent. He took care of himself, tended to his tomato plants in his backyard, and kept his truck in pristine condition. What he didn't have, what he had never had, were fingers.
39:01Mike Boudet:He was born with a congenital defect that left him with hands that he could grasp with but never fully close. The simplest tasks like buttoning a shirt, tying a knot, holding a pen, had been lifelong challenges, but he'd learned to manage. He had adapted. It's amazing how humans can adapt to almost anything. He'd found ways to live in a world that wasn't built for him. But there are some things that no amount of adaptation could prepare him for. And all Toby was concerned about was whether James had touched his precious girlfriend with his stubby hands. In Toby's words, fingerless stumps. But there was some information Toby hadn't revealed yet that would lead this cold-hearted thief and murderer feel just a little more protective of his girlfriend Morgan than usual.
40:20I'm like, well, he had a truck. I'm like, fuck, man, I don't know what the fuck. All right, I woke up a little bit. I'm thinking, I'm like, what the hell to do? What am I going to do?
40:31Mike Boudet:All they could think about was how to get out of the state and start building a life together. Because after all, their baby was technically going to be the product of statutory rape, according to the law. She was like, honestly? I'm like, yeah, honestly. She's like, I say we grew up in this fucking house. while he's in there. Fucking get the shit out of him. Dude, it's what we gotta do. I'm like, baby, I'm a fucking dumb about this shit. I'm not thinking I got the heart for that.
41:04And I was like, well, fuck it.
41:07Mike Boudet:It was easy to think that Toby was the one lying and trying to pin this on Morgan. But for the fact that he was the one laying out the painstaking details while Morgan had sat in a chair across from another detective, lying and giggling. On the other hand, Morgan claimed she went willingly. Maybe she believed that at the time. Maybe she still does. But willingly or not, she was a 15-year-old child who followed Toby all the way to murder. Next, Toby goes to the door of the house by himself. He knocks. James comes to the door and is met with Toby, asking him if he'd seen a young blonde girl earlier.
41:54Mike Boudet:James tells him yes. She just left and went down the street. Toby answers, really? At this point, Toby says that James gets snarky with him and asks if he's stupid because he just told him she left and went down the street. That response sat with Toby about as well as the thought that a man with fingerless hands would dare touch his woman. According to Toby, he gave him an evil look and walked away. Relax, while you're shaking on me. I know. Sorry. She was just nervous and I never gave a confession like this ever. Okay. We had five minutes and she was like, baby, you're going to shut the killing ass.
42:35I'm like, I'm the man. I was like, man, no, I can't do this shit. No, I ain't got the heart to do that shit. I can't. I can't do it. And she was like, baby, I'm pregnant. There's nothing we can do else. We got no money, no nothing. We ain't got no money. We ain't got no transportation. I'm pregnant. There's nothing we can do. Okay. And I asked her, I was like, is this what you really fucking want? She's like, yeah. Once we do this, we can take the drug and get the fuck out of state. I'm like, baby, we gotta do something. I can't lose you again. I'm like, well, you know what we got here? You're gonna lose me for a long time.
43:23And you're like, we ain't gonna get caught.
43:26Mike Boudet:Here was a seasoned criminal looking to a 15-year-old girl on what to do when she had never committed a crime before meeting him. This wasn't two kids who believed it was them against the world. It was an adult and a naive girl. She's right next to me. She don't like a lead method. I get you. So now the couple was heading back into the house. The doors were all unlocked, remember? It's some little shit town in Florida. Nobody locks their doors. This time they had with them two copper pieces of pipe tucked into their backpacks. And they wouldn't be knocking on the door. they'd be sneaking in through the side door.
44:32Mike Boudet:That's worth repeating in case you didn't understand. Morgan says, you have to do something now. We're in the house and they'll call the law on us. To which Toby replies, how's he going to call the fucking law? He ain't got no fingers. I looked in the room. You actually peeked around the corner? I peeked around the corner. Yeah. I see you sitting in the computer desk. I'm like, I started thinking, I'm like, maybe you just sit there. Turned towards us. She's like, babe, go in there. Pull the knife on him. He ain't gonna say shit to you.
45:14I'm scared. You got to work with my life. No parole. She was like, babe, you've got to do this. You've got to do this. You've got to do this. So you guys are kind of arguing back. I'm not really arguing. No, we're discussing it. Like on your breath? I'm about to go right now? I'm like, man. I took off my sweater, my shirt, and I put it in the chair. And I didn't have no shirt on. All right. Why? I didn't want to get blood or nothing on my head. So I was like, fuck it. You know, done.
45:47Mike Boudet:It seemed like the adult in the pair was the only one thinking of consequences. Toby didn't want to get blood on his shirt, and he reminded Morgan of what could happen. I'm like, man, you don't want to fucking do this shit. by this time I'm almost in tears. Babe, we just don't know how long I'll go away for. She was like, fuck it. I'm like, fuck it, can I never fucking see me again? And she was like, can I get you in the show? You know what I get really fucking telling me this? And I swore in my mind I wouldn't, I wouldn't confess this shit to nobody, but she already did apparently. Little did Toby know that Morgan, either because she had too much faith in her partnership, or because she was immature and naive, or maybe because she was smarter than he was, had not said one word and would not confess until the next day.
47:02I'm like, where the fucking gear did you drop? I wasn't planning not doing shit to him. I was just planning to get the fees, whatever money he had, and leave him. You know, what did they do? Motherfucker's like, motherfucker, I'll fix him. Get up the cold wall. I was like, you meant me, and you don't want to fucking do that, dude. I'm unstable.
47:20Mike Boudet:At that point, James was still sitting down. His back had been turned to Toby and Morgan. He hadn't noticed them yet. But when he heard them, he swiveled around and put his arms up. He was wearing a t-shirt, underwear, and socks in the comfort of his own living room, where he'd been playing a game on the computer. When he started to stand up, Toby grabbed a nearby knife and started threatening him. All he wanted was keys to the truck and cash, but for some reason James kept repeating that he couldn't even afford the truck. And this made Toby angrier. because that didn't make any sense to him. Being an idiot, of course.
48:03So I was like, give me the fucking keys right fucking now. You'll give me the fucking keys and I'll fucking cut you wide open, okay? You're like, man, man, look here, look here. I can't afford that truck. I was like, I'll give a fuck if you can afford the truck or not. Give me the goddamn keys and I'll be out of your motherfucking hand.
48:21Mike Boudet:James was getting closer. Like, if he wanted to, he could grab that fucking knife. How do you hold on that?
48:33Mike Boudet:But then Toby looked at him and remembered.
49:00Mike Boudet:According to Toby, James fought back with everything he had, but Toby had already he decided how this was going to end. Toby answered with a punch in the face, breaking James' glasses and puncturing his eye with a piece of the lens. And I'm like, God damn it, see what you fucking made me do? And Morgan's like, hey, fucking get on top of him, fucking kill him right now. Did he fall to the ground? Yeah. The two got into a physical brawl on the floor, and James defended himself fairly well, despite his limitations, maybe a little too well.
50:04I'm like, God damn, I'm fucking freaking out now, okay? I'm like, baby, fucking hitting with something. Where is she at? She's standing right beside me. She's still over at the end of it. I'm like, fucking hitting with something. I'm like, what the fuck are you on there and standing there?
50:18Mike Boudet:Do you hear how excited this idiot is? He can't wait to tell his story, even to cops. Like it's a promo for some stupid made-for-TV movie. Dumb people be dumbing. I'll bet my Cybertruck this retard watches a lot of wrestling. and she hit him with the pipe in the face. He might one time he's like... He's fucking... So he must be laying five in the floor. Yeah, he's laying five in the floor now. I'm fucking... The shoes I had on, I had some Reebok soldiers on with a fucking latched strap to come across the top of him. Okay. And I got my foot in his fucking neck like this. I'm trying to fucking choke him.
50:57I'm trying to fucking break his windpipe, yeah. Are you stomping on it? Yeah. I kept stomping on his fucking windpipe. God damn. So you still been living? Yeah. You still trying to fight me off of it. Okay. I'm like, man, quit fucking moving, man. I'm freaking out, man, because I'm like, man, this motherfucker's close to dying already, man. He's bleeding to death out of his fucking arm. You know, fucking. You still struggling with him? Oh, yeah. I sliced him on his arm, but I know that fucking vein right there is a straight leg key to your heart. Yeah. He's going to bleed like a motherfucker. Okay.
51:26I'm bam, bam, bam, bam. I'm fucking kicking his fucking face into the wall. You kicking the neck? Yeah, I'm kicking her neck. I'm trying to fucking collapse his windpipe. Alright. I can't do it. He's still fucking moving. How many times did you kick him? About 25 times. What? That's right. I'm fucking... Are you kidding me? No, I fucking kicked him a lot. Just kept stopping him? Yeah, I just kept doing a stardom because I didn't know what the fuck to do. I'm freaking out. This time I'm dropping the fucking knife. Okay. I'm like, I ain't got shit in my hand now. Okay. Where's she at? She's standing right beside me still.
52:02Mike Boudet:Imagine bragging about getting the better of a man with no fingers. I mean, seriously. She was standing right beside him because they never left each other's sides, according to Morgan. Did Toby stay with you the whole time or did he go somewhere else and leave you there? He was a bit old. He won't leave my sight. You sure? He wouldn't let me out of his sight. I wouldn't let him out of my sight. He was like dead on. And you're like, baby, baby, fucking did kill you. I'm like, God damn it. Just stop for a minute. I'm like, damn, damn, damn. I'm still fucking kicking you, man. I'm like, God damn it.
52:41Fucking kill you, son of a bitch. Fucking, I just fucking lay in these fucking windpipe
52:47Mike Boudet:with my shoe. It was like they were stamping out a bug or a deadly snake or like World of T-shirts stomping on a fish. And there was Toby in his orange jumpsuit, reliving it all with disturbing enthusiasm. I don't know about you, but this is kind of ennauseating to me, hearing him so excited about telling the story. He was standing now, animated, his hands waving through the air as he reenacted every brutal strike. For a few minutes, it wasn't a confession, it was a performance. Toby looked less like a man haunted by what he'd done, and more like one who still felt the thrill of it. This is the worst case that I've encountered as far as brutality and the circumstances surrounding the passing and the killing of Mr.
53:43Stewart. I can't think of anything in my 18 years of practicing law that's been this brutal.
53:52Mike Boudet:Toby lifted his boot and brought it down hard on James Stewart's neck again and again. Die, son of a bitch. But James didn't die. He was fighting as hard as he could. This man who'd endured a life of trying to adapt was desperately trying to survive. fighting as hard as he could despite his physical disabilities. For all the blood, all the blows, and all the ways his body had been broken, he was still alive. And there was still time for Toby and Morgan to leave with James' soul still intact. But that wasn't part of the plan. What came next wasn't just brutal, it was absolutely merciless.
55:02Mike Boudet:If you've been sitting on a business idea, Shopify makes it easy to turn it into something real. Kind of like one of our monsters here. At TornScale, we use Shopify for our storefront, where listeners can browse our merch and check out without a bunch of friction. That matters because once someone decides they want something, you don't want to stand in their way. You don't want to make it complicated. And payment processes can be complicated. Shopify Checkout helps more customers complete their purchase. And returning customers can check out with their details already saved. That gives us more time to focus on creating, promoting, and growing instead of wrestling with the technical side.
55:45Mike Boudet:See what you can build at Shopify.com slash sword and scale. With Shopify, nothing stands between your idea and a real business. So, go make one. Start your free trial at Shopify.com slash sword and scale. Again, that's Shopify.com slash sword and scale. Hello, it is Ryan, and I was on a flight the other day playing one of my favorite social spin slot games on ChumbaCasino.com. I looked over at the person sitting next to me, and you know what they were doing? They were also playing Chumba Casino. Everybody's loving having fun with it. Chumba Casino is home to hundreds of casino-style games that you can play for free anytime, anywhere.
56:27So sign up now at ChumbaCasino.com to claim your free welcome bonus. That's ChumbaCasino.com and live the Chumba life. Sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary. VGW group void. We're prohibited by law. 21 plus terms and conditions apply.
56:49Mike Boudet:In April of 2008, 15-year-old Morgan Leppert and 22-year-old Toby Laurie vanished from Melrose, Florida in a stolen silver Toyota Tacoma. Great truck, by the way. It's one of our sponsors. Anyway, days earlier, Morgan had been reported missing and investigators soon discovered she wasn't just a runaway. She and Toby had been involved in a violent crime, and that's quite an understatement. Their trail led back to the home of 66-year-old James Stewart, a disabled man who was found murdered in his own home. His pristine truck was missing, and the suspects were nowhere to be found. As authorities pieced together this timeline, they realized this wasn't just a case of teenage rebellion.
57:40It was something a lot darker.
57:44Mike Boudet:Sitting in an interrogation room over a thousand miles away, Toby Laurie was recounting every last detail, each thought and each action. Even detectives were mortified at the number of times Toby stomped on James's neck while he was on the floor. But what he had to say next was far worse than anyone expected. I get down on the ground, grab the knife, and I try to stab him in his fucking chest. How many times? Well, the knife wasn't going at first. I tried to fucking put the knife on his chest to fucking push down on it, but he kept trying to fucking force the knife up. He was still alive. What about him in the chest?
58:25Like, right here. How many times did you stab him there? Because I know how many. I don't even know. I've tried to stab him once. I know that with my knife. I've tried to stab him. and when I came to and I looked at his face his whole face was fucking purple yeah bloody yeah fucking there was chunks of brain coming out of his fucking nose cartilage coming out of his fucking nose not moving he's not he he's still moving a little bit it's like twitching or whatever he's like he's trying to fucking breathe sure I done fucking broke his nose and shit and probably there too yeah he's trying to breathe i still see his heart beating in his chest he's done piss on himself he pissed blood out his dick um there's blood everywhere blowing the wall and i'm like goddamn goddamn goddamn goddamn freaking out freaking out i'm freaking out what's marvie did you say and she's like she's like baby move hey move move i'm like why the you want me to move i moved because i was out of breath i couldn't breathe in the office it was just it was burning right here you on you yeah it was just fucking burning there was nothing i could do it was just fucking burning and i walked in the other section of the house for a minute and i hear black black black black black i turn around morgan's fucking beat the shit i'm in this fucking pipe i didn't be the shadow where in the face okay she's hitting and face a whore.
59:59Mike Boudet:Toby had stepped away from the scene for just a minute to use his inhaler, which is fucking hilarious. A killer with asthma. All that action had left him breathless, and he had plenty of life left, unlike James, his victim, who was struggling with everything he had to stay in the fight. But he was losing. And then, through the wheeze and the chaos, Toby saw something that he wasn't prepared for.
1:00:54I understand. Just finish it out, though, because if you're over the trouble with it, you're not going to have to stand there. I've seen Morgan stabbing his chest. Okay, how many times did he do that? At least twice. Okay, there was three stab wounds in his chest. They were almost like bam, bam, bam.
1:01:09Mike Boudet:There were three stab wounds because Toby had just finished stabbing him once. And then Morgan took over. When Toby got out of the shower, he realized that James was still alive. He's still telling if I can ask him, Brad, but I'm not supposed to play around in misery. Is that leading something? Yeah. I don't know if I could. I wouldn't get a garbage bag. Right. Where'd you get her from? The camera. Oh, he was mine? Yeah. Okay. I put her around his head and I twisted the side like a... Where are you? You must have a hand with a... On the back of the threshold level, like a hand. Where are you handling that?
1:01:49Okay. And I just... I lost it again and started beating the face down. I broke his nose. The nose was like... Are you holding that plastic bag? Yeah, he's still trying to breathe. I can see like a bubble come up from where his mouth is. I can still see the heart beating. And I'm like... I lost it. Bam, bam, bam, bam. I felt his nose break three times. Is the plastic bag on his head? Yeah, I found his nose broke three times. When his nose broke three times, that's when he fucking... That was it. That's when he passed. Because I think I pushed the phone up into his brain or something. Yeah, these were my head suffered though.
1:02:35Yeah, I fucking put him out of his fucking misery and... Just relax then. Just relax. Relax. all I do is like you can justify you can justify to yourself there's reasons why you did this and I think you did it you just you did it for me you just find that you're in hard times bro you're trying to help out your wife or your wife can be I should say and you're baby in that belt and you know what Toby unfortunately you still have to provide to them bro you understand that right you still have to be there for him you still have to be a follower you still have to be a A hugged and figure to her? Can I use a bathroom?
1:03:16Mike Boudet:Toby had just described James' final moments in chilling detail, saying he had to put him out of his misery, like a lame horse or an injured animal. But somewhere in his core, he was finally feeling remorse, and it was visible to detectives. It seems like sympathizing with a killer, this technique that detectives use to keep a suspect talking, to stop them from shutting down. But in this moment, after the sheer horror of what Toby had just described, it felt grotesque. Because what had just happened wasn't about love. It wasn't about love at all. And no words, no justification could change that.
1:04:01Mike Boudet:At the murder scene just before they left, this is what Morgan said. After I did that, she told me she was like, baby, we just took human life. I'm like, no shit. I'm the one that fucking did it. I mean, you yelled out, but... I just don't know how that shit made me feel. Shit. And it's been eating at me and eating at me and eating at me. I wanted to complain so bad, but I didn't want to get put in prison for the rest of my fucking life. Was he really remorseful? or did he just fear the consequences of being in prison for life and being without the love of his life? Prison, of course, is exactly where he landed.
1:04:50Mike Boudet:In 2010, both Toby Lurie and Morgan Leppert stood trial for the murder of James Stewart. Prosecutors argued that this wasn't a spontaneous act of violence. It was calculated, cold, and relentless. Toby, the adult of the couple, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life without parole. During the trial, Morgan's defense team painted her as a naive, manipulated teenager under the control of an older, violent man. Courts love it when women get off on the same crime that a man committed. Not exactly sure why. Maybe some of that old chivalry from the Dark Ages. They argued that Toby Laurie was the mastermind, that he orchestrated the attack, that Morgan was just following orders, too young, too impressionable, to understand the weight of her actions.
1:05:49Said, oh, he's going to call the cops, and Toby said, no, the hell you wait, and boom. Punched him right in the face. And I just, I looked away. I was about to cry. I told Toby, I was about to tell Toby I don't want to do this, but Toby just already hit him, and he's like, come on, baby, come on, hit him, hit him.
1:06:09Mike Boudet:But the prosecution had a different take on it. I mean, as far as, like, who was the ringleader, I mean, the only people who know what happened in that house are Morgan, Toby, and Mr. Stewart. So what the jury found was that she was guilty of first-degree murder because she participated in the murder. Exactly what she did, really the only people alive who know are Toby and Morgan. But the jury did find that she intended to commit premeditated murder and in fact killed Mr. Stewart. Morgan, just 15 at the time, was convicted of first-degree murder and armed robbery. Under Florida law, she received a mandatory life sentence without parole, a punishment usually reserved only for adults.
1:07:02But, and here we go, in 2012, the U.S.
1:07:07Mike Boudet:Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles were unconstitutional, despite what monsters they could be. That decision gave Morgan a second chance, at least in the courtroom. In 2020, she was resentenced to 40 years in prison. A reduced sentence, but still long enough to make sure she won't walk free until she's well into her 50s. I'm sure 40 years in prison will rehabilitate her. Oh, Morgan claimed that she was pregnant but miscarried in jail. So, probably no kids in her future. James Stewart lived alone. He was disabled. He'd already proved to the world that he was stronger than his disabilities.
1:07:53Mike Boudet:In fact, he was so strong that Toby and Morgan could have walked away more than once while he was still alive, but they decided not to. James' family will miss him dearly. This is a statement from his nephew. My uncle was the type of man that anyone around him who was ready to take life head-on should have had the opportunity to meet or speak with. Those who were lucky enough to spend time with my uncle soon learned that there was nothing that he could not do. The man was truly amazing. Things that I hear people young and old say that they can't do are things he called speed bumps or obstacles.
1:08:39Mike Boudet:Not having hands did not slow him down one bit. The thing is, he did things most people don't dream of accomplishing in their lifetime. He was a master carpenter, a professor. He skied, played tennis, bowled. He was a commercial fisherman. The list goes on and on. Most of the cars he owned were stick shifts with no power steering. My uncle taught me that the word can't is for cowards, losers, and people that see hard times or difficult tasks and give up. I was lucky enough to be able to spend time with this amazing man and have some of that greatness rub off on me. But my son and future children will only be able to hear stories of this great man that I have called Uncle.
1:09:34Mike Boudet:For centuries, philosophers have pondered what love is. They've done it for as long as there have been philosophers. But what do they know? People with nothing but the luxury to sit around thinking all day and ponder things. Those are usually the people that are most disconnected from reality. Hey, I'm describing myself. Alright, so let's give it a shot. Love is... Fuck, I don't know. But I'm sure Morgan doesn't know either. Why did you just walk out, Morgan?
1:10:17Mike Boudet:Morgan had an obsessive, all-consuming type of quote-unquote love for Toby, the kind that rewired her dumb little brain and twisted whatever immature concept stood in for logic. This obsession drowned out all reason and convinced her that nothing else mattered. It's the kind of thing you see in movies. Bad ones. Morgan was 15, reckless, desperate for freedom, and convinced that Toby Laurie was the answer. He made her feel untouchable, like the world belonged just to the two of them. A lot of people don't realize that Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, not a romance. I, on the other hand, treat it like a comedy, because if God gave you a brain, then you have the responsibility to use it every now and then.
1:11:14And for Toby, Morgan was also an obsession.
1:11:19Mike Boudet:She was something to possess, to run away with, to kill for, because he was lonely and wanted a hole to put his dick in. That's it. That's what she was for Toby. Real love doesn't ask for everything you have. I don't know why anyone has to actually say that out loud. It doesn't demand a sacrifice in blood. It doesn't turn a teenage girl into a murderer or leave an innocent disabled man gasping for his final breath on the floor of his own living room. That, I do know. Even dumb old me. James Stewart didn't know Morgan and Toby. He wasn't part of their stupid fantasy or their twisted rebellion. He gained nothing from being in the proximity of dumb.
1:12:14Mike Boudet:But, unfortunately for him, he ended up being part of their sacrifice and quote-unquote love anyway.
1:12:41Mike Boudet:Well, I'm not going to beg you to watch SNS-TV again. You're an adult. you go figure out what to do. At least I hope so. Otherwise, go find your parents. What the fuck are they doing? You shouldn't be listening to this. SwordScale.com. Stay safe.
1:13:35Step into the world of power, loyalty, and luck. I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse. With family, cannolis, and spins mean everything. Now, you want to get mixed up in the family business. Introducing The Godfather at chumpacasino.com. Test your luck in the shadowy world of The Godfather slot. Someday, I will call upon you to do a service for me. Play The Godfather now at chumpacasino.com. Welcome to the family. No purchase necessary. VGW group void. We're prohibited by law. 21 plus terms and conditions apply.
From the publisher
Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com
