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Podcast Episode Notes: Sword and Scale Episode 330
Overview Episode Title: Episode 330 Release Date: [Insert Release Date Here] Podcast Description: Sword and Scale explores the dark underbelly of true crime, featuring raw audio from actual 911 calls, court testimonies, and interviews to paint a full picture of heinous acts and the criminal justice system's response.
Episode Summary In this episode, the podcast delves into the brutal murder of 17-year-old Caitlin Root, who was found in Krug Park, St. Joseph, Missouri, in October 2016. The investigation revealed a chilling narrative intertwined with themes of satanism, delusion, and teenage chaos. Caitlin's life was cut tragically short as she became the target of a planned satanic ritual, a murder committed by Amanda Bennett and Sebastian Dowell.
Key Points Discussed
Discovery of Caitlin Root's Body
- Caitlin's body was discovered on October 16, 2016, in a park. She was naked, stabbed multiple times, and had her throat slashed.
- Initial investigations identified Caitlin using her clothing and a logo from a local high school.
Background on Caitlin Root
- Caitlin was a well-liked teenager, known for her bubbly personality.
- She had been living with friends prior to her death, leading to no missing persons report being filed.
Investigation
- Interviews revealed Caitlin was last seen with friends and family near her home, raising questions about her presence at Krug Park.
- Suspicions focused on several individuals, including her boyfriends and friends, particularly Kevin Whitmer, who had a history of tension with Caitlin.
Amanda Bennett and Sebastian Dowell
- Amanda and Sebastian emerged as prime suspects, with their relationship marked by control and violence.
- Investigators discovered Amanda had sent Caitlin a Facebook message inviting her to meet, under the pretense of friendship, while hiding darker intentions.
The Murder
- The couple's confession revealed a twisted plan where they intended to conduct a human sacrifice.
- Amanda claimed she was coerced by Sebastian, while Sebastian emphasized Amanda's role in the planning.
Confessions and Legal Proceedings
- Amanda and Sebastian were both arrested and eventually confessed to the murder, each blaming the other for their actions.
- Both were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
Key Themes and Discussions
- Isolation and Delusion: Caitlin became a victim due to the isolation and distorted beliefs of Amanda and Sebastian, highlighting how loneliness can breed dangerous behaviors.
- Youth Vulnerability: The episode showcases the fragility of trust, particularly how Caitlin's willingness to hang out with friends led to her demise.
- Manipulation and Control: Amanda's manipulation of Sebastian and her attempt to project herself as a victim during interrogations illustrate the complexities of abusive relationships.
Conclusion The episode emphasizes the randomness and senselessness of Caitlin's murder, driven by the perpetrators' delusions rather than any personal vendetta. It serves as a stark reminder of how easily someone's life can be extinguished by the twisted intentions of others.
Host: Mike Boudet Production: Michael Stabile
Key Takeaways
- The murder of Caitlin Root was a premeditated act rooted in delusion and satanic beliefs.
- The investigation revealed multiple layers of deception among suspects, with Amanda and Sebastian's conflicting stories complicating the case.
- Caitlin's trust and friendly nature ultimately led to her tragic fate, emphasizing the dangers inherent in modern social dynamics and isolation.
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Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.
0:12What happened? It's okay. It's okay. Get it off your chest. I didn't do anything. You're a liar. You danced around in her blood. Yay, me. Look at me. Here's to you, Satan. Here's to you. My first sacrifice.
0:30Life is hard. But it is wonderful, isn't it? and every day is a gift. So thank you for sharing yours with us today. This is episode 330 of Sword and Scale, a show that reveals that the worst monsters are real.
1:06Thank you.
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3:25Tucked into the northern edge of St. Joseph, Missouri, Krug Park spans 163 acres of meticulously landscaped grounds, Renaissance-style architecture, and winding walking trails. Sounds nice. Known for its rose gardens, quiet lagoon, and even whimsical Italian castle, the park draws families and joggers alike, especially when it transforms into a glowing spectacle during the holidays. But beneath its tranquil charm and seasonal cheer, Krug Park holds a dark memory, one that shattered its peaceful facade.
4:32Okay, can you describe the person to me? Young lady, completely black, her clothes are all ripped off. Her shoes are right next to her. Did you see any hair or eye color on the female? The eyes are wide open, they're brown. On the morning of October 16th, 2016, a young man was walking through Krug Park when he made a discovery that would haunt him for the rest of his life. He found the body of a teenage girl lying exposed on the jogging trail. She had been stabbed repeatedly. Her throat slit. This was no accident. It was a brutal and deliberate killing. When investigators arrived, the details were as strange as they were disturbing.
5:17The girl was naked, her clothes tossed nearby in plain sight. No attempt had been made to hide her or the clothing. There were no signs of sexual assault and no form of identification was found. A search of the surrounding area turned up only a few broken and seemingly useless pieces of a cell phone. A medical examiner later concluded that the murder had taken place recently, likely within 24 hours of the body being found. It was ultimately determined that the teenage girl was killed the night before. The investigator's first priority was to identify the girl. Until they had a name, she was referred to only as Krug Park Jane.
6:00Hoping for a lead, detectives examined her discarded clothing and found a logo on a t-shirt, one belonging to a nearby high school. They visited the high school where the principal provided a tentative identification. A 17-year-old student named Caitlin Root. Yearbook photos confirmed it. The victim was Caitlin. Detectives then reached out to her family and continued the investigation by interviewing her father. Now, is Caitlin the only child you guys have together? Yes. Okay. And when was the last time you saw Caitlin? It was actually in person. It was probably around the, I think probably the 7th.
6:48Okay. Caitlin's parents were divorced, and she wasn't living with either of them at the time, which partly explained why no missing persons report had been filed before her body was found. And when was the last time that she stayed with you? It's been about a year. About a year? So. What's Caitlin's lifestyle like? Yeah, she's just, let's follow her friends. Okay. Do whatever they do. Okay. A few months before the murder, Caitlin's mother was preparing for an out-of-state job transfer. At the time, Caitlin was living with her, but the prospect of leaving her friends behind didn't sit well. She was determined to stay in St.
7:28Joseph. Looking for another option, Caitlin reached out to her best friend's mom and grandmother to ask if she could move in with them. They didn't hesitate and welcomed Caitlin with open arms. They had known Caitlin for years and already thought of her as family. How do you feel about Caitlin before this all happened? What do you think about her? She's my daughter. She's not my biological, no. But from the moment she walked in the door and met me, I was mama. That was that. Caitlin was welcomed by a loving family who offered her care and support. But the home was considerably chaotic and very crowded.
8:10Who all lives there with her? There's a list. There's my buddy Pablo, and then Tabitha and her two daughters, and then grandma, grandpa, and then basically they're nurses. On care of people? Pretty much. Take care of it? Okay. Yeah. But they also are kind of living at the residence. Oh, really? Yeah. There's actually two houses right next door to each other. Okay. Grandpa has one and then grandma has the other. And so where does Caitlin stay with her? She stayed in grandma's. Despite the crowded living situation, everyone in the house was glad to have Caitlin move in. They genuinely liked her.
8:48In fact, Caitlin was well-liked by many. Her cheerful personality and charm made people naturally gravitate towards her. Caitlin has, she's crazy, but it's a bit crazy. What do you mean by that? Like, she's kind of got my personality. Which is how I would describe it. Bubbly. Bubbly. And Caitlin, she's fun to be around. She's fun to be around. Yeah. Tragically, Caitlin's life was cut short at just 17 years old, and investigators were faced with the heartbreaking duty of informing her family and friends that the young woman found in Krug Park was Caitlin Root. You know, there's really no easy way to say this or do this.
9:36We do believe it is. Caitlin, that was found up in Krug Park. We're really probably pretty certain it is. We do have a couple pictures that if you'd be willing to take a look at it to say for sure. Yeah. There's really no easy way to prepare yourself for this. You know, when you're ready, if you just want to.
10:07Yeah, that's fair. Are you relatively certain or you're 100 % or? Yeah, that's fair. How can you be so sure? Just tell by the picture. I'm so very sorry for your loss. So we're going to stay alive. Somebody can do that, Jerry. We're going to do everything in our power, you know, to be able to answer all the questions for you. Naturally, everyone who knew and loved Caitlin were desperate for answers. They wanted to know who had done this to her and why. I just want to know who. So do we, and we're working on it. I just can't figure out why. Even if we figure out the who, why? Hopefully they'll be able to explain it.
10:51Caitlin? Who would be that mad at her? I don't know. For a time, the case was a classic whodunit. Caitlin was an extremely well-liked teenager, making the brutal nature of her murder all the more perplexing. Investigators and loved ones alike were left asking the same haunting question. Why would anyone want to kill her? Adding to the confusion, no one could explain why Caitlin had even been at Crook Park in the first place. So as far as you think, it's that a character for her to be walking in the park? Yes. Okay. Does she enjoy nature at all? She's never been to the park, Crook Park ever. Okay.
11:33Has anyone even known her? She hasn't been there since I've known her in about a year or two. I don't think she would go to the park unless it was a coercion. In their efforts to unravel the mystery, investigators spoke with several of Caitlin's family members and everyone she'd been living with. All were cleared as suspects, and none could shed light on why Caitlin had gone to Krug Park that night, the night she was killed. With those leads exhausted, detectives shifted their focus to another group of people, Caitlin's boyfriends. She has dated several people. She was a very promiscuous little girl.
12:11Oh, really? Yes. And I'm not saying that to disrespect her character, but she was. And the week before this all happened, she and I had gotten into an argument over it. I said, Caitlin, you don't have to do that to be liked. You think she was doing it to be liked? I think she was doing it to be liked, to fit in. Caitlin had been through many short-lived relationships. But at the time of her murder, she wasn't dating anyone.
13:10that he has put hands on her. During the initial round of interviews, one name surfaced repeatedly. Kevin Whitmer. It quickly became clear that there had been some recent tension or drama between him and Caitlin. I know she was getting threats from Kevin Allen Whitmer. She sent you about the guy who hit her? Yeah. Who's this Whitmer? Apparently he hit her on Friday. she sent him a message saying hey he hit me and stuff like that. Well then other people started putting on, what was she putting on? Facebook, public, right? Publicly then all these other people started commenting on it. What was it about?
13:52Any idea what that was about? No, I have no clue. Rumors started to swirl after a Facebook post and a string of comments beneath it suggested that Kevin Whitmer had recently gotten violent with Caitlin. But before investigators had a chance to find Kevin he contacted them and voluntarily came to the police station for an interview. How did you meet her? She is a friend of my old buddy's. How long have you known her? Actually knowing her for probably maybe three weeks. When's the first time you guys started talking or hanging out or whatever? Actually talking, it would have been roughly three weeks ago.
14:29That's just, you know, conversation. But when did you guys start? Hanging out. Hanging out, dating, or whatever. I think the first time we hung out was like a week and a half ago. What'd you guys do? Just drove around. Were you guys hanging out as friends? Yeah, just friends. Were you eventually looking into engaging in a relationship with her? She wanted to, but she's 17. I'm 21. That's my thing. She wanted to, and I was like, I'm cool with friends, but that's as far as it's going to go. She tried kissing me. I mean, we kissed. That's about it. That's the end of it. 21-year-old Kevin told investigators he had only known Caitlin for a short while and insisted he had no interest in a romantic relationship with her.
15:13According to him, it was Caitlin who had wanted something more. And then we finally got to hang out Thursday, and then she stayed the night with me. Were you guys watching movies? Sitting there on Facebook and talking. Did she stay the night that night? Mm-hmm. Okay. Anything going on that night? Did we just cuddle? No, we just cuddle. That's it. Now, here's the deal. We've already talked about this. 17 to 21. Right. No, literally. 17 is illegal. So I just want to make sure that you're... Telling me the truth. Please. Because if you don't, it's up to go there later. The most... I did talk to her about having sex.
15:50And she told me that she's had sex with multiple people. And I'm like, no, that's not going to happen. So we just cuddled. And when we got up the next morning, we laid in bed until probably, like I said, 1230, one o 'clock and then I took her home and dropped her off. Kevin explained he was put off by Caitlin's age and her alleged promiscuity. So he chose not to sleep with her or pursue a relationship. He also claimed the last time he saw her was three days before the murder when he dropped her off at home. The following day, he received a strange and threatening phone call. A 689 number called me and was like, are you Kevin Whitmer?
16:29I was like, who is this? And know that you're a woman beater and if you're gonna beat on a woman you can beat on me so i called caitlin and i was like what the hell is going on and she's like you know you hit me twice and gave me two bloody noses and i was like the fuck ever i don't put my hands on women she's like you know what you did and fuck off or whatever and she hung up on me so i made a status after that and put it on facebook i have all the screenshots of all the comments up today to last night whenever i went to sleep i woke up this morning like 30 plus people commented on it so i just went and deleted it.
17:03According to Kevin, Caitlin had told someone he hit her. This was an allegation that he firmly denied. With her claiming that you punched her in the face and gave her a blatant nose and all that, why do you think that she would say that? What did she get out of it? Attention. I don't know. Honestly. With this new information, investigators were faced with two possibilities, neither of which was easy to prove. Either Caitlin, upset over being rejected, had falsely accused Kevin of violence, or Kevin was lying to cover up something far more sinister. Without evidence, both scenarios seemed frustratingly out of reach, and this was just the beginning.
17:48As the investigation unfolded, detectives encountered a growing list of unusual suspects, each one adding new layers of confusion. More often than not, interviews ended with more questions than answers, and investigators were left asking the one question that continued to haunt them. Who killed Caitlin Root?
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21:24on october 16th 2016 17 year old caitlin root was found murdered in krug park she had been stabbed her throat slit her naked body left in plain sight with no witnesses and a few leads investigators struggled to piece together why she was there, who she was with, and what went so horribly wrong. Suspicions swirled around a young man named Kevin Whitmer. But nothing could be proven, and the deeper investigators dug, the stranger the case became. During their conversations with Kevin, investigators learned about another young man who was reportedly eager and maybe even desperate to start a romantic relationship with Caitlin.
22:11What exactly did she tell you about Adam? That this guy has the biggest crush on her, and she doesn't want to be with him, and he keeps messing with her suicidally, he wants to cut himself, he wants to kill himself, da-da-da. Police were already familiar with the name Adam Brown. He was one of Caitlin's closest friends. They'd known each other for years and were often seen together. To those who knew them, the dynamic was clear. Adam wanted something more, but Caitlin had firmly placed him in the friend zone. Adam, kind of always had a thing for her, it just never worked out. Yeah, that's the way I would interpret it, judging by actions.
22:52What do you mean by his actions? He was always trying to impress her in some way or shape of her. She thought of him as a brother. Nothing more, he had less. He wanted more, I think. He wanted more. Do you think he was jealous of the attention the other young man got from her? If he was, he never let it show. And technically, he's the last person we really know was seen with her, right? By his own admission. Right. After gathering some background information on Adam's relationship with Caitlin, investigators brought him in for questioning. Well, I believe it was like the 15th, Saturday. So I messaged Caitlin and I asked her if she wanted to hang out for a little bit.
23:38I can come by because where she was staying was like right up the street from me. And she sat over on the other porch at Grandpa's and we were just talking and talking and talking, catching up. And we were just sitting there and then she like jumps off the porch and was like, I got to go meet Amanda. And I'm like, Amanda, who? And she said, Amanda Mix. And I'm like, I wouldn't do it. Just stay home. It's late. Don't you get hurt. Adam freely admitted he was with Caitlin on the front porch of her home the night she was murdered. and that he was the last person to see her alive. He claimed that during their final moments together, Caitlin abruptly decided to leave and meet up with someone else.
24:15Poor Adam. Adam said he tried to warn her not to go, but she ignored his advice. She didn't listen. She went down to the corner on 15th and Olive, got into a car that I couldn't even actually recognize. It looked like a SUV-ish kind of looking thing. and it's the last I heard from her. Adam told investigators that Caitlin stepped off her front porch, walked down the road, and climbed into a mysterious black SUV. If you've heard enough Sword and Scale, you know that this kind of story immediately raises some red flags. Investigators wondered why someone would pick her up down the street instead of at her house.
24:56What were they trying to avoid or hide? Did this even really happen? Or was it just a whole story that Adam was making up just to cover his tracks? So you guys just all sitting there chatting on the front porch? So when does she take the leave? She left about like in between like 10, 30 and 11. So how did she tell me the story again, how she up and leaves? She was messaging Amanda on Facebook. What's the relationship between her and Amanda? As far as I know, they're just friends. And that's Amanda Mix? Yeah. Okay. Have they had any trouble with each other before? No, but I've had my doubts about Amanda, and I don't really trust her.
25:39What do you mean you've had your doubts about? Like, to me, she's just not the right kind of people to really be hanging out with. Personal nitpicking things, and me and her, we just don't click. Don't get along or anything? Yeah. So basically, yeah, they were texting on Facebook. That's whenever she was like, I got to try to get out of here. She's about to pull up and everything. I'm like, you should not go. Did she say what she was going to go do? Yeah, she said that they were going to go sit at Hyde Park and they were going to basically be hanging out and everything else. Just basically doing girl stuff.
26:06Adam identified the person who picked up Caitlin as someone named Amanda Mix. This was a name that caught investigators off guard. Until this moment, no one else had mentioned her in connection with this case. So actually, when Caitlin left, you were the only one that truly saw her leave. Pretty much. I was sitting on the porch. On the porch, yeah. Investigators were clearly wary of Adam. There was something a little shady about him. They questioned both his account of that night and how he characterized his relationship with Caitlin. There was a brief moment where we thought me and her needed to eat together.
26:46But, no, I'm sorry, I'm not going to date my best friend for 12 years. No. So, basically, I was just... So, how long did you guys date? or how long that network got out there? We pretty much were together for about six hours total. Oh, really? You guys ever have sex? No. Do you have any idea who might have done something to her? I mean, I can only pretty much, like, start where basically the first person I knew about that she was going to be with, which would be Amanda. Like, that's who I would think about first. How the heck would I get in touch with Amanda? That's a very good question, because I haven't been able to get a hold of her all day.
27:22Despite their doubts about Adam's story, investigators decided to look into Amanda Mix. What they found was intriguing. Amanda, as it turns out, was once Caitlin's best friend. You said that Amanda Mix and her were friends, but they had a falling out, and only recently... And that's the person she was last seen with at nine. How do you know that? Yes. From everybody who's told me that she came over to that house on 15th to get Caitlin and pray. Before long, Amanda's name started coming up repeatedly in the investigation. Some even claim that the former best friend of Caitlin's had confessed to murder.
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28:09The next day, at the candle lighting, my brother came up to me crying. I mean, he was like shaking and crying. And he's like, hey, dude. He's like, I'm glad I found you. He's like, I'm scared shitless right now. He's like, she admitted it. I was like, admitted who? Come down and tell me what's going on. He sat there and told me, he's like, she admitted it. I was like, who admitted it? What? He's like, Amanda. She admitted that she, her and several other people beat that shit out of that root girl. Did they, you said earlier that they, you referred to them as they had jumped her. I don't know who they are.
28:47Okay. He just said Amanda and several other people. Eventually, investigators brought Amanda Mix in for questioning. But her situation was a bit different from the other potential suspects. Unlike the rest, Amanda had not come willingly. She was picked up on an unrelated outstanding warrant. Which, you know, is always a good sign. Do you know a girl by the name of Kate McRude? Yes. How do you know her?
29:40Amanda told investigators there was no bad blood between her and Caitlin. They had simply grown apart over time, which is why they were no longer as close as they once were. You never had a falling out with Caitlin anything a while back? I mean, because I've got friends that have grown up for a long time. Right, right, right. But was there anything that ever happened between you two that you just kind of lost track of each other? It's just, I've lost all friends because I don't like being around people. Are you going mad or pissed off at Caitlin for anything? No. Okay. Can I ask what this is about?
30:14I'm asking about Caitlin. Okay, so why is she, I mean, why? Well, she's missing. What? She's missing, yeah. When did she go missing? The other day, I'm not quite sure what day. When's the last time you saw her? Um, I just seen her. I mean, I went to a, I don't know what day it was. It was like some day last week. Why are you so upset?
30:51Amanda appeared genuinely unaware that Caitlin was dead. She told investigators the last time she saw her was more than a week before the murder. According to Amanda, she and her boyfriend were walking past Caitlin's house when they spotted her sitting on the front porch. Amanda asked if anyone inside could give them a ride home, and Caitlin found someone willing to help. Since that day, Amanda had not seen or heard from Caitlin, or so she claimed. Do you ever Facebook her or talk to her on Facebook? We have, yeah. Not recently, no. Not recently? No. It hasn't been recently at all. We don't really talk on Facebook.
31:31Somebody said that you guys talked the other day on Facebook. Is that not true? That's not true. I haven't talked to Caitlin on Facebook. or Messenger or something like that. Nothing like that. How many Facebook accounts do you have? One, independent. I just feel like there's something you're just not quite telling me. I mean, I promise I'm not keeping anything from it. Amanda also claimed she had not communicated with Caitlin through texts or social media in quite some time. If true, that directly contradicted Adam Brown's statement. He had told police that Caitlin was messaging Amanda the very night she was killed.
32:08To be honest, we talked with somebody, said that you were with her Saturday night. Are you serious? Yeah. Okay, I was with her Saturday night. It's no big deal. I don't know why somebody would lie and say that you were with her on Saturday. Exactly. You know what I'm saying? Unless they don't want to get somebody else in trouble. I can get a serious trouble with whatever the fuck's going on. What's going on? Whatever the situation is. I don't know what's going on. That's what I'm saying. So you mean telling me you didn't know that Caitlin's been missing? No, I didn't know shit in hell now. So what would you say if I said that somebody saw you leaving with her about 10 o 'clock Saturday night?
32:43I would laugh at you because it's not true. 10 o 'clock that night, I was up in my room. Amanda insisted she was home the night of the murder, and she was adamant about it. She even claimed she could back it up. At the time, Amanda was living in a group home, and she told investigators that the house manager could confirm her whereabouts.
33:30Amanda urged investigators to contact her house manager to confirm her alibi, and she grew increasingly impatient as the questioning continued.
34:03Tell y 'all, you know, this sounds like one of the mysteries fucking TV shows. I know, I agree. It does? Doesn't it? So, just call Tina, please. Get this shit figured out. Like, this is ridiculous. If y 'all just call, y 'all know this fucking truth. Here's the thing. I'm not talking about tell y 'all call Tina. No, it's one of those things that... It's one of those things where you can get that fucking proof right now. It doesn't make sense. You can go get my boyfriend and he'll tell you the same exact shit. Why are you yelling? Because you're not here. You think I really think something to Caitlin?
34:36I don't really fucking talk to Caitlin anymore. Who said anything happened to Caitlin? Okay, she's missing. Well? So something obviously had to happen. Maybe she's in Can City. Totally. What? Caitlin did not go to Can City. I don't know. How do you know that? You haven't been friends with her for a while? So. But I know, okay, just because, you know what? I'm gonna sit down. Sit down. No, I'm gonna go, man. No, I'm done. Sit down for me. I don't want to talk. I'm not talking. I'm going to be silent. I just want to go. That's all. Amanda took a firm stance with investigators and ultimately chose to remain silent, which is of course her right.
35:14When they followed up with her house manager, the story she gave them seemed to check out. Amanda had signed in early that evening, but the alibi wasn't airtight. Nothing would have prevented her from slipping out unnoticed later that night. Once again, investigators were faced with two conflicting stories. Either Adam Brown had lied about Caitlin messaging and leaving with Amanda Mix, or Amanda was lying about her whereabouts on the night of the murder. Now's a good time to test your sleuthing abilities, and I ask you, who do you think was responsible out of these two? I wonder if you'll get it right, because what came next was a revelation that no one expected.
35:59Neither of them had lied. Yeah, how about that? The person who had actually misled the investigators and did not tell the truth was the most unlikely person of all. The victim, Caitlin Root.
36:41In October of 2016, homicide investigators in St. Joseph, Missouri, were deep into the investigation of 17-year-old Caitlin Root's brutal murder. Caitlin's body had been found in Krug Park with a few clues to follow. Investigators chased down leads, questioned family and friends, and attempted to unravel conflicting stories, but nothing was adding up. Then came a stunning theory. Perhaps the person misleading them wasn't a suspect. Perhaps it was Caitlin herself. You see, Caitlin's close friend Adam Brown told investigators that the last time he saw her, she'd said that she was going to meet up with Amanda Mix.
37:27Maybe she told him the truth, or maybe it was a lie. It was entirely possible that Caitlin had plans with someone else that night and just didn't want anyone to know. With answers still elusive, investigators returned to the crime scene and expanded their search of the area. This decision led to a crucial breakthrough. While the initial sweep had uncovered only broken fragments of Caitlin's cell phone, the extended search turned up even more pieces. Forensic specialists managed to reassemble the phone, giving detectives access to Caitlin's texts and social media. This was a game-changer. The recovered messages revealed that Caitlin had been planning to meet someone named Amanda that night, but not Amanda Mix.
38:19It was another teenager who had gone to high school with Caitlin. Her name was Amanda Bennett. These messages revealed that Amanda Bennett had invited Caitlin to hang out with her and her boyfriend and had even told her not to tell anyone who she was with. Armed with this discovery, investigators quietly surveilled Amanda Bennett and her boyfriend for several days before making their move. Both were arrested. Amanda's mom was also brought in for questioning. So Amanda and Sebastian both live with you? Correct. And how long has she been living with you? He's been there at least over a year. Where's Amanda working at right now?
39:03She works at North Belt Pizza Hut with me. And how about Sebastian? Where's she work at? The McDonald's down on the interstate. What do they do for fun besides at the house? What kind of things do they do? They don't really do much, that's what I'm saying. Like I said, I have internet and Netflix and all that, so they pretty much stay in their room and watch TV or they play video games. They ever go anywhere and hang out? Not really, no. Anyone ever come to the house and hang out? And that's been a lot of Amanda's problems. She don't have very many friends. So she doesn't have any friends, and she'll tell you that.
39:38She doesn't hang out with anybody. Investigators learned that 17-year-old Amanda Bennett and her 18-year-old boyfriend Sebastian Dowell were living with Amanda's mom. The couple was reclusive with no known friends or social connections. What they did have was a newborn son who was just a few months old. The soft cooing heard in the background of this interview belongs to their baby. I don't keep driving with Sebastian, honestly, because I can care less about Sebastian. What's the deal with that? Well, he's lazy, pretty much. There's always an excuse why he can't get up and go to work or, you know, he doesn't want to do any tours around the house.
40:18He's just not a good dad. She's usually up with the baby all night. She'd been trying to go to school and then working and he does nothing. And it makes me mad. And it was to the point I've been talking to my son. I said, you know, she's been talking about moving out with them. and if that's the case, I will get an attorney and get custody of Siler. He's not taking care of himself or the baby from what it sounds. And he also has a two-year-old little girl. And I know that he doesn't ever see her nor pay child support, doesn't do anything for her. Amanda's mom shared some background with investigators about her daughter and Sebastian.
40:58She confirmed that both were high school dropouts, with Amanda working at Pizza Hut and Sebastian at McDonald's. What a pair. She also admitted she wasn't fond of Sebastian, describing him as a lazy, inattentive, and irresponsible father. When asked about the night Caitlin Root was murdered, she recalled that Amanda and Sebastian had gone out, supposedly to see a movie. They returned home very late. And you work together, so you're together all day until 9 p.m. So when you come home, 9 p.m., does she ride home with you? Yes. Okay. We came home. Sebastian was home with the baby. And I'm going to look on my phone because I want to say that that was the night they went to the movies.
41:45As far as I know, they went to the movies is what I was told. Okay. And they take your car? Yes. And what time do you think they text you to tell you that they're going over to Jeremy's? Well, they didn't actually text me to tell me that's where they were going. I text her and asked her. I said, where are you guys at? because I don't think the movie lasts no three hours. So it was like 10, I'm at 1230. She said, oh, we came over to Jeremy's house. After their conversation with Amanda's mom, investigators sat down with Amanda herself, who appeared remarkably unfazed by the situation, showing little concern or emotion as the questioning started.
42:22You're 17? Mm-hmm. Today. Today. Happy birthday. Yeah, what was the last grade level in school you completed? I finished sophomore year. Okay. And you working anywhere? Pizza Hut, Northville. Any idea why you're here? Mm-mm. I'll be honest, I find it hard to believe you don't know why you're here. We have a lot of information. We have a lot of evidence. And I know you know why you're here. You know, I don't believe that your involvement is done on your own. I know that, you know, somebody else was there. We don't think you're a bad person, not at all. When do I ask for a lawyer? You can ask for a lawyer anytime you want, if that's what you want to do.
43:12Well, you guys think I did something, so I think I did a lawyer. What do you think we think you did? I don't know. Then I would think you would want to find out. I thought you were supposed to tell me. What do you think I did? Amanda claimed she had no idea what was going on, and it quickly became clear that a confession wasn't coming anytime soon. Shifting tactics, investigators eased into a gentler line of questioning, focusing instead on her relationship with Sebastian. Does he stay anywhere else now, even occasionally? Every night at you? Got a thumb on that, right? Make sure he's where he's supposed to be.
43:50Yep. He's pretty. You've got to keep a lock on that. He's pretty? Yeah, you've got to keep a lock on that. Do you guys ever go out separate? Do you guys ever do separate things? No. You go, he goes. He goes, you go, huh? Except for work, of course. Yeah. I'm usually at his work, too. Really? Except for when I work. Who do you guys run around with? I mean, who do you guys do stuff with other than when you guys go do stuff? I don't have friends. I don't have any friends. No. You guys don't run around with anybody. You don't hang out with anybody. It's just you two. We're always home. Love exciting and new.
44:28No, we just don't have friends. We don't have any friends. Sebastian didn't have any friends? No, I don't. I don't let him. Amanda was pretty open about her relationship with Sebastian and admitted to being a very controlling presence in his life. Let's put it that way. I shaved his legs. What? He let you shave his legs? Like with a razor shave? Like all the way up, top, all the way down? Why is that? I wanted to get rid of his masculinity. Okay, now you're going to have to explain that one to me. You got me scratching. Because he thinks he's all that. Well, you do too, apparently. Investigators also questioned Amanda about her religious beliefs, particularly her views on the devil.
45:13Their curiosity stemmed from a search of her bedroom where they had found books related to Satanism. In her basement, they also found a journal penned by Amanda that was full of bizarre writings about demons, sacrificing souls, and controlling fire with one's mind. How about that? So what do you think about the devil? Do you think the devil exists? I don't know. Have you ever looked into other forms of religion? Have you ever considered other forms of religion? Experimented with any of that or any satanic stuff or anything like that? No. So you have faith in God, but you've questioned it. Well, I've grown up believing that, like, ever since I was born, I was in a church environment, so.
45:59After gaining more insight into Amanda, her relationship with Sebastian, and her beliefs, investigators turned to a crucial question. Where was she and Sebastian on the night of October 15, 2016, the night Caitlin Root was murdered? We were going to go to the movies because I got two free tickets. You know how they had those free tickets? But we watched The Girl on the Train. We were going to go see that. Is that good? No. Most scary movies nowadays are good. So you stayed for the whole movie? Mm-hmm. How'd the movie end? Weird. Just weird? It was all like a mystery about murder. Who did the murder?
46:49I don't know. I wasn't paying attention. I wasn't paying attention. It was a boring movie. Yeah. What did you do up to that? And then we went to Sebastian's dad's house. Amanda told investigators that she and Sebastian had gone to see the movie The Girl on the Train that night. But when asked about the plot, she couldn't recall a single detail. Pro tip. If you're going to use a movie as an alibi, make sure you've actually seen it. Also, that movie was fantastic, so if you say it was boring, then you're either lying or you're extremely unintelligent. Or most likely both. Amanda went on to say that after the movie, the two of them headed to Sebastian's dad's house and spent a few hours there.
47:33But Amanda didn't know that investigators had already done their homework. You see, this is the kind of person that doesn't do homework, so she assumes no one else does either. The police had reviewed surveillance footage from the theater, and neither Amanda nor Sebastian appeared in any of it. Her story was obviously a lie. Why would you tell me that you were at the movies when you weren't at the movies? We were at the movies. At the late movie which started at 1010 of Girl on the Train. Mm-hmm. then why I mean are you guys like invisible or something or I mean why won't you be on the video you're not there well hey you got to be there if you were there you had to go up to the window and get exchange your passes for tickets right mm-hmm neither one of you are on video getting the tickets there they've got the videos on thumb drives they're gonna bring it back here you know and you can't be there if you're not there you know cameras don't lie so tell me why you wouldn't be on on video i don't know i would suggest it's because you weren't there and i would suggest you were somewhere else and you don't want to tell me about that we were at the movies what would you say if we had sebastian on video somewhere else i'd say you were a liar are you afraid to tell us the truth no i went to the movie other than the movie are you afraid to tell us the truth are you afraid to know everything but for us to know everything that happened Saturday night?
49:08I told you everything that happened. In addition to the theater footage, police had surveillance from another location that placed Sebastian across town, alarmingly close to Krug Park. A street camera captured him sitting in the passenger seat of Amanda's mom's car. Presumably, Amanda was behind the wheel. so how do we explain that how do we explain your car with sebastian in it being at a completely different location the time the movie was going on are you scared right now i don't know i would be because you're not telling us the truth i would be looking for a chance to help yourself and stop lying.
49:52I mean, if you think I did something wrong, either way, I'm going down. No, that's not true. If you didn't do it, you wouldn't have anything to worry about. You wouldn't need to be scared right now. I'm not scared, but you should be because I know you did it. And I know you think I did it. No, I know. It's not. It's not a matter. Don't get upset. I'm talking to you. I mean, person to person being real, I told you I would not lie to you. I will not tell you that I can prove something that I can't prove. You know, this is not our first rodeo. We've had a team. There's seven homicides in St. Joe within the past year.
50:30Yeah. At least that you found a body for it. Right. It's probably more, but. Is it? Well, who said anything about a homicide? Google. But I mean, we didn't say anything about a homicide. interestingly the first mention of murder during this interview didn't come from investigators it came from amanda herself oops i guess you're not the criminal mastermind you thought you were ain't that right amanda he says this is a homicide we're talking about is there something we need to know about a homicide well you're investigating the homicide we're investigating hundreds of crimes Well, that's the only one in the news, so I'm assuming.
51:13So what do you know about the homicide then, since you're talking about it? What do you know about it? The stuff in the news. For a while, Amanda stuck to her flimsy story about going to the movies on the night of the murder, even though it had already been disproven. So investigators decided to leave her alone in the interrogation room and shift their focus to her boyfriend, 18-year-old Sebastian Dowell. Saturday, did you work last Saturday? A week ago today? I don't think I did. I'm pretty sure it was off that day. Okay. So did you guys do anything Saturday? No, we just stayed home. Stayed home the whole time?
51:54Yeah, we normally do. It's Saturday night. Don't do none, no date night, no. No, just watch TV and watch Netflix. For investigators, it was clear that Amanda and Sebastian hadn't coordinated their story very well. Amanda said they were going to a movie on the night of the murder while Sebastian insisted they had stayed home the entire time. So who's the domineering one in the house? Probably her. There's nothing wrong with the men. It's the same way. Yeah, we're the same way. She a jealous woman? She does get that way, yes. Yeah. Like, majorly. Majorly? Tell me about that. Well, she'll slap me if she thinks I did something wrong.
52:42She'll yell and. So what's the most violent thing she's ever done over jealousy?
52:51She fractured my ribs. I think she tried to stab me at one point. Wow. How did she crack your ribs? She gave me and punched me. And tried to stab you? Yeah. That's scary, isn't it? Yeah, but she has always been controlling. I have to ask if I can move the house. I have to ask her anything if I want to do anything. Sebastian confirmed the controlling nature of his relationship with Amanda and added a disturbing layer. He claimed Amanda's dominance over him was enforced through violence, alleging that she had once fractured his ribs and even tried to stab him. While the rest of the interview offered deeper insight into their toxic and abusive relationship, much of the audio was difficult to make out, with Sebastian muttering barely above a whisper like a little kid.
53:48Still, he revealed that both he and Amanda were deeply involved in Satanism and considered themselves devoted followers. As for Caitlin Root, Sebastian claimed he barely knew her. According to him, the only time they met was on the day his son was born when Caitlin visited Amanda in the hospital and, get this, started flirting with him. Right there, right in the hospital, right in front of Amanda. That was in front of Amanda? Yeah. Again, I wasn't there, but was she being disrespectful? She would be. In her face, like children in Amanda's face that she's... It was kind of disrespectful, I'd say.
54:29I guess what I'm kind of missing here is she, they're not really friends, but she shows up at the hospital and starts hitting on the father of the child. I mean, why? I mean, what's... I have no idea. According to Sebastian, during the hospital visit, Caitlin implied that Amanda's newborn son wasn't his, but rather a child of Amanda's ex-boyfriend. This suggestion infuriated Amanda. Hoes mad, as they say. Finally, after two hours of questioning, Sebastian requested a lawyer, bringing the interview to a close. Investigators then shifted their attention back to Amanda, returning to the interrogation room where she'd been waiting.
55:37and say no no no and when you go to court and we prove this this this this this and this that we have and you sit there and say i don't know anything show no remorse say you didn't do it and the reason is gone i mean we know what it's a threat no it's not a threat it's not a threat no it's not you said you weren't gonna do that no if you get convicted honey i'm going away forever And you don't do anything to help yourself to explain why this happened. Don't you think that everybody deserves to at least know why? Sure. Then tell us why. Why what? Why you guys killed this girl. We didn't kill anyone.
56:22That's not true, and you know it. This time, investigators adopted a much tougher approach with Amanda. and it quickly revealed the very cold and callous side of her personality. There's only two people that were there, you and Sebastian. So you're telling me he did it all? He didn't do anything. And who did then? A bear. You know what I'm beginning to think? What I'm beginning to think is you are a very cold, hard person that you can sit here and have no emotion and make funnies about all this stuff to say maybe she was killed by a bear. Well, I don't know what she was killed by. Oh, you know exactly what she was killed by.
57:09But yet you sit here and make light of it like it's no big deal taking a human life. You don't physically scare me, but it's just spooky. that you just have no emotion about it. Possibly recognizing that they were dealing with someone who was deeply detached and sociopathic, investigators abandoned any pretense of gentleness and doubled down on their hardline approach with Amanda. You killed her. I don't know Caitlin Root. You're a liar. You like the fact that you killed Caitlin Root and you can't wait to do it again. You're a killer. and you like that. You don't care. Less than a week ago, you killed somebody and you don't care.
58:01You probably went home and had a great time. Oh, wasn't that fun? Wasn't that great? I can't wait to do again. Maybe we should do it to Siler. You're sick. You're sick. I've never killed anyone. Neither have I. You're a liar. You're a liar. You watched her die and you got off on it. What was it like? were you looking in her eyes the whole time and she's dying did she say anything to you do you replay it when you close your eyes at night you and Sebastian are killers and you like it you want to be known as the people who kill people you're getting off on the fact that you know that you guys killed somebody together and you'll kill again because you're killers you probably rubbed her blood all over your body and probably probably had some weird sex you did?
58:49is that what you think? What happened? It's okay. It's okay. Get it off your chest. I didn't do anything. You're a liar. You danced around in her blood. Yay, me! Look at me! Here's to you, Satan. Here's to you. My first sacrifice. Or is it my first sacrifice to you? Despite their best efforts, investigators did not get a confession from Amanda. And eventually, they had to call it quits. Amanda remained in the interrogation room waiting to be booked for murder. While she sat there, a different officer kept her company and the two engaged in a surprisingly casual conversation about favorite TV shows and other everyday topics.
59:31During the course of that seemingly harmless chat, Amanda revealed some unsettling things about herself. Nothing really bothers me because I've interacted with the supernatural. I've seen demons. So nothing really scares me anymore. You ever do any of the ghost hunting kind of stuff before? I'm interested in that. I like to do... You're going to think I'm crazy, but I've been to hell before. So once you cross over that border, you can see everything from a spiritual point of view. Well, if they want you to see them. Hell is way more complex than what everyone says. Like, there's no fire, for one.
1:00:19It's not hot. It's normal. And there's like, it's kind of like an office building. There's different sections and each demon has like a secretary who goes out and collects like debts and souls from people. It's like corridors like that. And you get to decorate, you get to like design it however you want. Like the secretary for Almadier has a room exactly like this. It's great. That's it. As Amanda continued to ramble on about her bizarre and quite frankly retarded beliefs, something unexpected was unfolding in the other interrogation room. Sebastian had waived his right to an attorney and asked to speak with investigators again.
1:01:02After a week-long investigation and countless hours of interviews with friends, family, and suspects, the moment they had been waiting for had arrived. One of Caitlin's killers was finally ready to confess.
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1:02:49On October 2016, teenagers Amanda Bennett and Sebastian Dowell were arrested for the brutal murder of Caitlin Root. At first, both denied any involvement, but investigators knew it was only a matter of time before one of them cracked. They were right. During a second interview, Sebastian finally began to open up, revealing not just pieces of the truth, but also the disturbing details about his beliefs about himself. I'm a sociopath. For starters, that's when the priest was so calm. I had an emotion right now. I have my own religion. Which is? I'm a polytheist. There's an exact name for all of my religions.
1:03:35It's mostly based in myth now. But we have a patriarch of gods in my religion. Mine is Hades, the lord of the underworld. In case Sebastian's low, muttered voice is hard to make out, he told investigators that he considered himself a sociopath and claimed to worship Hades, the Greek god of the underworld. I have my own religion, he says matter-of-factly. To be clear, Amanda and Sebastian weren't dark mystics or vessels of some supernatural evil. They didn't have their own religion, as he says. What they did have was way too much time on their hands and a lack of cognitive skills. They were delusional and deeply out of touch with reality.
1:04:22They fancy themselves connected to something sinister. But that's what losers do. They spend their lazy asses online building up delusions of grandeur to feed and protect their own egos from coming to the realization that they are utterly useless trash, leeching off the goodwill of others and contributing absolutely nothing to society other than misery and death. In truth, they were nothing but just a couple of high school dropouts working part-time fast food jobs, living in a cluttered bedroom in Amanda's mom's house, barely managing to care for their newborn son. And they were responsible for the murder of an innocent 17-year-old girl.
1:05:07That's it. That's the end result of too much coddling, too much sheltering, and no actual parenting. Where the fuck is the father? Where are the rules? Where's the goddamn discipline? If you're an adult with a child still living at your mom's house because that's all you can afford, Jesus Christ, where's the fucking shame? As this interview continued, Sebastian revealed another bizarre detail about himself. He claimed to have a second personality of all names, Drake, who would sometimes take control of Sebastian's body, he said. So here we go with all that bullshit. And when you're Drake, do you feel, I mean, can you, like, does Sebastian look back on a third-person view and see Drake talking and doing?
1:06:03Sometimes it's just like, I blink my eyes and it's over. And then sometimes it's just watching what's happening. After setting the stage with claims of memory loss and blame for his alter ego, Sebastian started recounting his version of what happened on the night Caitlin Root was murdered. You were holding her head? No, she was holding her head. So did maybe Amanda hit her with something to knock her down? I suppose. And so this was part of the satanic part that she had kind of off-read of you? I think I'm obsessed with. She's pretty obsessed with doing the sacrifices? I think so, yeah. As expected, Sebastian claimed he couldn't remember much about the murder because Drake had taken over his body.
1:07:00Still, he told investigators that Amanda had struck Caitlin over the head, and once she was unconscious, the two of them cut off her clothes and carried out what he described as a satanic human sacrifice, stabbing her multiple times and slitting her throat. Sebastian emphasized that Amanda was the mastermind behind all of this. According to him, she'd planned the entire thing and taken the lead. While he didn't deny participating, he painted himself as a passive accomplice. Despite the outlandish claims of memory loss and a second personality, investigators had what they needed, a confession. And it wouldn't be the only one.
1:07:47Just two days later, Amanda requested another meeting with investigators. I was just messaging people to see if anyone wanted to hang out because I never do. I messaged a girl named Haley, another girl named Haley, and a girl named Allie. And I was like, hi, how are you guys? So are you the same age as all these girls? Yeah, they're in my grade. Okay. During her next interview, Amanda revealed that on the night of the murder, she had sent Facebook messages to several teenage girls, asking if they wanted to hang out with her and her boyfriend, Sebastian. The first to respond was Caitlin Root. Then Caitlin talked to me.
1:08:39I was like, oh, you want to hang out or something? She said, yeah, that'd be cool. I was like, do you smoke? Because I know she hangs around that crowd that does. So, we, you mean? I told Sebastian that we were going to go to the park, and he was like, okay. And then we left, and then I asked her where she was at. And then she told me, and I was like, well, can you just walk up to the corner of the street so I didn't have to look for your house? Amanda and Sebastian drove to Caitlin's neighborhood. As they got closer, Amanda told Caitlin to meet them at the nearby street corner. After picking them up, the two drove around for a bit before ending up at Krug Park, where they walked the wooded trails and paused for a while to smoke some weed.
1:09:30And then Sebastian sat down next to me, and he said they wanted her for a sacrifice. They wanted her specifically, and that she fit the criteria, and that they wanted her. I told him that we were having a bug with her and that she was becoming my friend and that I didn't want it to be her. And he said that it had to be her because they wanted her. So we kept walking and then Sebastian, like she was leading, so Sebastian pulled me aside and handed me a stick and said, hit her you need to hit her and i told him i didn't want to and he said hit her now so i hit her with a stick and then after i hit her sebastian jumped up top of her and started choking her so she went to the ground after him no he ran past me she she ran past me and knocked her to the ground started choking her how was he choking her She was laying right here and he had a hold of her like that and was choking her.
1:10:45And then she was trying to say, help me, please stop, I can't breathe. And he said, can you help me? And I just stood there, I didn't know what to do. And then he took a syringe out of his pocket. What? A syringe, and he stabbed her in the neck with it. And I asked him what that was, and he said it was supposed to make her go to sleep. So she didn't feel anything. So then he cut her cloth off and pulled her pants off. Hold on. I thought that once you'd been to hell, nothing scared you anymore. Why are you crying, Amanda? What happened? As you can tell, Amanda's version of events differed quite a bit from Sebastian's.
1:11:33She was just a reluctant bystander and an unwilling participant in a satanic ritual that Sebastian alone wanted to carry out. It was all him. It wasn't her. She was just an innocent little girl. Female accountability. Am I right? And then he handed me a knife and said to stab her. And I told him I couldn't do it. I told him that I couldn't do it and he said that I had to. I told him that I couldn't and he said we have to do it now. So he took it back and he stabbed her in the shed. And then I covered my eyes and ears and I turned around. When I turned around she was standing up. I knew he had stabbed her though but she was standing up and starting to get up and walk away.
1:12:24And he looked surprised so I don't think it was supposed to happen. But he, like, knocked her back down and jumped on top of her, like, on top of her with his legs. And, like, he was choking her again. After a while, he said that she didn't have a pulse anymore. He looked at me and he said he was proud of me. He said he was proud of me for being there. Amanda claimed that after Caitlin was killed, Sebastian smashed her phone and scattered the pieces throughout the park. He then coached Amanda on what to say if they were ever questioned by police. He took his SIM card out and he broke it in half and put it somewhere.
1:13:06He told me to look at it and he told me that if we were caught, to tell the police that we were at the movies. Amanda also insisted that any evidence linking her to Satanism or human sacrifice was entirely Sebastian's doing. it's always the man who's to blame isn't it she claimed he had forced his beliefs onto her and that she had simply gone along without taking any of his beliefs seriously I know you guys found the books as you were talking to me about Satanist satanic rituals and the stuff that was written in the books is the stuff that he told me that was handwritten instead yeah in the black book who wrote it I wrote what he told me.
1:13:57Amanda explained that Sebastian had mentioned performing a human sacrifice more than once, but she never actually believed he would do it. How many times have we heard that shit before? She claimed that when they picked up Caitlin that night, she had no idea what Sebastian intended to do. There's a part of you thinking that, yeah, this is going to happen, right? I thought he was kidding. I didn't think he was really going to do it. That's why I thought when we got to the inn that we were just going to take her home. I thought he was joking. I thought it was just all a big joke. Why were you telling him I've got somebody that you can sacrifice?
1:14:33I found her. I found the one we can sacrifice. Because he said that he needed to do it, and I didn't want him to kill a random person if he was going to do it. Amanda's story was riddled with inconsistencies, and after listening to her for several minutes, Investigators started pushing back with pointed questions and rebuttals. It was clear she was still lying and trying to protect herself by shifting all of the blame onto Sebastian. I mean, when we talked the other day, you talked about how you control him, how you're the domineering person in the relationship, how you keep him locked down because he's pretty.
1:15:14You lock that shit down. Is that what you told me? Well, I don't let him talk to anybody. like his phone isn't on and i read all of his messages because he's had jealous yeah i mean you basically you made it pretty clear that you were the boss in the family about some things but then now we're at where he's controlling you and well another thing is i'll honestly and i'm just being straight with you i mean you showed no remorse no emotion whatsoever As a matter of fact, I laughed a couple times when we were talking about the situations. And now there's this complete mood and demeanor change in these crocodile tears stuff.
1:16:01I mean, with your demeanor the other day, I have a hard time believing that all of a sudden now, complete opposite. You were just as cold and soulless as you could possibly be. Amanda's interviews with investigators painted a picture of two entirely different people. In the first, she came off as a cold, arrogant, and detached sociopath. But after two days in a jail cell, she returned as a tearful, self-proclaimed victim. You know, female privilege. So why, if this is a story we would believe now, that he's this evil person and you're just kind of a, I guess you're kind of saying you're a victim of this.
1:16:46Why didn't you tell us all this, didn't I? Because he didn't. Why did you act so cold? Why did you not care? Why did you laugh? Why did you tell us to prove it? How could you possibly have no... With the emotions you're having today, how could you possibly sit there as I'm describing this homicide? It didn't affect me because it wasn't true. I mean, I knew what he was telling me wasn't true. How did it affect you? You said you went and threw up. You said you had to cover your eyes. And your ears. And your ears so you wouldn't hear her scream and you wouldn't see it. But you had no emotion in the other day.
1:17:33Not a single tear, not even a sad face. Well, because... You sat in jail for 48 hours now? because you realize that you guys aren't going to get away with this because you realize you've been charged and you're going to go to prison is that why no it's because he told me that no matter what it would be okay and obviously since we're getting charged with something so if you let me get charged everything would have been okay well i wanted to tell you guys what happened but i knew it would probably be worse. Amanda's Facebook messages to Caitlin erased any chance of plausible deniability. She lured Caitlin to Krug Park and specifically told her not to reveal who she was meeting, asking her to keep it a secret under the pretense of hiding her marijuana use.
1:18:29Tragically, Caitlin honored that request when she lied about her plans that night. In return, Amanda repaid her trust by slitting Caitlin's throat and stabbing her to death. All in the service of some twisted delusional beliefs in the supernatural. Everything you're saying now is exactly what he said about you. You know, he's saying that you said it had to be Caitlin, that had to be an unclean soul, someone was condemned, said that you've been talking about sacrifice for some time, that he's kind of squashed it, but when you said it, he said he went along with it. He said he held her down while you stabbed her and cut her throat.
1:19:20How many of the wounds were from you on Caitlin? Let's be honest now. I hit her with a stick. What about the stabbing or cutting? I didn't stab her. Cut her throat. He said you did it all while she held her down by the shoulders. That's not true. I believe that you were both equally on board with it. I believe that you picked her. I believe that you lured her out, just like the text messages show. And I believe that what you need to do is be responsible for your actions. What makes this case even more chilling is the fact that Caitlin wasn't Amanda's only target. She was just the first to respond.
1:20:05By her own admission, she reached out to four different teenage girls that night. Any one of them could have ended up as the victim to this brutal, senseless murder. Caitlin Root was just unfortunate and friendly. She accepted Amanda's invitation to hang out, which was her undoing. Investigators would later uncover an even more disturbing detail. Amanda and Sebastian had created a twisted mandate for themselves to kill two people per year. Had they gotten away with Caitlin's murder, there's little doubt they would have struck again. I'd be curious to know what your feelings are on these other three girls.
1:20:48If maybe all four of these girls really didn't really care that much for them. The first person who would have went with you would have been the person, and she's just the one that went. Yes. Following Amanda's confession, which was filled with contradictions and obvious lies, investigators sat down with Sebastian one last time to confront him with what she had said. He denied most of it, falling back on memory lapses and claiming he couldn't recall details. It's funny how amnesia hits after you do something really bad. Much like Amanda, this follow-up interview revealed a drastically different version of Sebastian.
1:21:28The cold, stoic follower of Hades, Lord of the Underworld, had vanished. He was replaced by a frightened, trembling young man who looked nothing like the supernatural villain he claimed to be. You seemed perfectly fine. You didn't seem like you had these, you know, kind of like now with the shades and having the difficulty. called it doesn't seem even it seems like more you're acting more than anything right now and i know that's nerves and you don't want to become off as this this terrible animal or whatnot you know and i don't think you are i think you guys got caught up in a kind of a romantic notion that this was something neat or cool and now that the realism set in that's really not so romantic and It's not so neat.
1:22:18It's not the Twilight Saga. It's real life, and it's affected both you guys and your families and Caitlin and her family. You're kind of looking for an out in a sense of trying to bury yourself behind this persona. I do. I think you got wrapped up in this shit mentally, physically, emotionally. and then when it happened, you know, and now they have to face the realism of it, I think the realism has hit home, you know, and it's a mess. Indeed, this situation was a disturbing mess, and it was now up to the justice system to sort it all out. On that note, Amanda had an unusual suggestion for how she thought the system should deal with her.
1:23:08You guys are involved in this. Caitlin's dead. What do you think the appropriate punishment would be? I mean, honestly, for me, I was there, and I didn't tell anybody anything happened. So, I mean, I should be put in jail for some time, but I do have a baby that's two months old, and that's a vital part of his life because he's going to be crawling soon. He's going to have his first Halloween without me there already. He's going to start talking, and he's growing out of all of his clothes that I got for him and stuff, and I'm never going to get to see him in those, and I'm not going to get to dress him and stuff like that.
1:23:59I don't know. I mean, there's house arrest. Amanda suggested that as a mother, house arrest would be an appropriate form of punishment. Fortunately, a prosecutor and judge saw things a little differently. I hate to keep beating this drum, because Jesus Christ, talk about female privilege, but yeah, that's what every baby needs. A psychopathic, moronic, devil-worshipping loser of a mom with bad taste in men, abandoning them to go kill innocent young women. Sure, Amanda. In the end, both Amanda and Sebastian accepted plea deals, but not the kind they wanted. They pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and were each sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
1:24:46I would leave you with this. Kaylin will never have a baby. Her parents will never see her get any older. Her friends will never see her grandparents. She'll never... Yeah, and I know. I've listened to all of the things that people said. Yeah, but this is me saying it, okay? And, you know, when we compare the things that you're going to miss, that sucks.
1:25:19But you have a chance at some life in the future. You have a chance at parole. You will. I mean, as young an age you are, chances are you'll probably come out of prison a young woman yet and get to remake the rest of your life for the better, I hope. But Caitlin will never have that opportunity. The murder of Caitlin Root wasn't the result of a sudden outburst or tragic misunderstanding. It was a calculated act, fueled by delusion, detachment, and a warped sense of purpose. Amanda Bennett and Sebastian Dowell had isolated themselves from the world, living in a bubble of dysfunction and feeding off one another's twisted beliefs, seemingly with mom's approval.
1:26:08They spiraled deeper into a fantasy where they weren't just ordinary teenagers, where they weren't just the losers that we all know them to be, but in their own minds they were powerful, dark figures, fulfilling some higher, unholy calling. What a bunch of fucking losers. In truth, they were nothing of the sort. They were deeply troubled, profounding, immature high school dropouts clinging to half-baked ideas about Satanism and sacrifice, desperate to inject meaning into their otherwise aimless lives. Their belief system wasn't just stupid. It was deadly. And Caitlin Root paid the ultimate price for their stupidity.
1:26:53She was a kind-hearted, free-spirited, and trusting 17-year-old who wanted to hang out and have a good time. Her life, her future, and her relationships were stolen in a brutal, senseless act committed by two people who confused cruelty for purpose. What's most haunting is how random this all was. Caitlin wasn't targeted because she was part of a love triangle or a bitter betrayal. She was just the first person to say yes to a Facebook message. that's it. That's all it took. One moment of trust. One response to an invitation. And her life was over. As if making friends isn't already hard enough.
1:27:40These losers go around killing people who want to be their friend. If nothing else, this case is a stark reminder of how dangerous isolation can become, how toxic delusions can fester, and how easily the innocent can be pulled into someone else's madness.
1:28:32The show was written and produced by Michael Stabile, hosted by yours truly, Mike Boudet. Thank you so much for joining us. If you like the show, check out our website, swordandscale.com. You'll find our TV show on there, which is pretty good. you might want to check that out. It's available at only$20 a month. You can cancel at any time. Thanks for supporting and stay safe.
1:29:44Hey, Mike. My name is Nicole. I have been listening since 2017. Tell everybody about the show. It is my favorite thing. Your storytelling is unmatched, dude. Listen, not like you need the advice from me, but screw the shit talkers. You're incredible. Keep doing what you're doing. Love the show. Thank you.
1:30:23Thank you.
1:30:46Thank you.
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