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48 Hours

A Campus Mystery Unraveled

Thu, 30 Jan 2025

Description

In early September 2005, 17-year-old Taylor Behl, a Virginia Commonwealth University freshman, disappeared from the Richmond campus. A police investigation eventually uncovered her association with Ben Fawley, a 38-year-old man who confessed to having sex with Taylor. “48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty reports. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 7/7/2007. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Transcription

0.738 - 4.66 Unidentified Advertiser

Now streaming, Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh takes command.

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5.16 - 8.062 Unidentified Advertiser

Gather your people. We're gonna need every one of them.

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8.362 - 12.484 Unidentified Advertiser

In Section 31, a new Star Trek original movie on Paramount+.

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12.984 - 16.486 Unidentified Advertiser

Section 31 is just a place for people to bend the rules.

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16.546 - 18.567 Erin Moriarty

Starfleet is here to make sure no one commits murder.

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18.867 - 22.809 Unidentified Advertiser

What a cute idea. This is chaos. Let's get messy.

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23.589 - 28.492 Unidentified Advertiser

Don't miss Star Trek Section 31. Now streaming exclusively on Paramount+.

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40.683 - 67.38 Glynis Keough

Taylor was a very self-confident, beautiful person. She just saw all the good in everyone. She was never really negative. She would just make sure that you felt comfortable and that you knew you were loved. My name is Glenna Skia, and I'm Taylor Beal's best friend. In the fall of 2005, Taylor was very excited about going to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

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68.26 - 80.203 Janet Pellisara

I did worry. She hadn't even turned 18 yet. And I'm Janet Pellicera, and I'm Taylor's mother. I kissed her goodbye, and she got in her car, and off she went.

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82.384 - 88.926 Glynis Keough

She didn't call me that night, which is weird to me. I was scared. You know, why isn't she turning up? Did she run away?

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91.584 - 106.651 John Venuti

In the initial stages when she was first reported missing, we didn't have a whole lot to go on. My name is John Venuti. I'm a captain with the Richmond Police Department. We know that she left the dormitory. And basically, she's gone. Her car's gone.

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109.733 - 116.856 Erin Moriarty

The mystery deepens. A missing Virginia Commonwealth freshman, 17-year-old Taylor Beal, seems to have dropped off the face of the earth.

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119.156 - 123.378 Janet Pellisara

Where would she go? Who would she go with? She wouldn't skip school. It's the second week of school.

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123.898 - 129.14 John Venuti

We actually wanted to find out what she did, where she went, who she hung around with, who her friends were.

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132.041 - 141.045 Glynis Keough

One day, we were, like, talking, and she was like, I have a secret to tell you. There was this man, and he's showing a lot of attention to me. I mean, I know it's wrong, but don't tell anyone.

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141.905 - 158.488 Erin Moriarty

He was a wolf in sheep's clothing. There was no way to know. My name is Erin Craville. I was a student when Taylor disappeared. I think that she was just a normal college girl and got mixed up with the wrong person.

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160.749 - 175.454 Unnamed Commentator

Taylor Beale is just an interesting girl. On one hand, you've got this very bright, very bubbly, very personable college student. And then on the other hand, you have this young lady that is very amorous and very flirtatious towards older men.

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178.083 - 186.668 Unidentified Friend of Taylor

They were saying that Taylor was very into bondage. I knew that she was not into this weird, creepy sex. She never would have done any of that. That wasn't who she was.

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189.569 - 197.854 John Venuti

About 30 days into the investigation, Aaron Crable gave us some really significant information that would wind up busting the case wide open.

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198.854 - 203.477 Erin Moriarty

This is Taylor. This is my friend. And I will do what I can.

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205.938 - 207.359 Unidentified Advertiser

Searching for secrets

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208.171 - 219.156 Unidentified Musician

America's patchwork quilt, oh, you got me so wrapped up. Fly, fly, fly, fly.

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219.196 - 229.08 Narrator

For 17-year-old Taylor Beal of Vienna, Virginia, happiness was sipping cappuccino and listening to live music at her favorite neighborhood coffee shop.

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229.14 - 234.303 Unidentified Musician

We got a life, we got a life to love.

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235.7 - 245.927 Narrator

But on Labor Day 2005, having spent the long weekend at home, all Taylor wanted was to get back to her freshman year of college. She was so excited.

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246.308 - 252.172 Janet Pellisara

She had met tons of people and she liked her roommate and her suitemates.

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253.581 - 264.209 Narrator

Virginia Commonwealth University, known as VCU, was only two hours away in Richmond, but too far away for Taylor's mother, Janet Pellisara.

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264.469 - 284.325 Janet Pellisara

I was having migraine headaches, panic attacks, just knowing that she wasn't going to be around. This is the first picture of the two of us. Taylor is Janet's only child. It was the happiest day of my life, and I just squished her every chance I got.

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285.146 - 287.187 Narrator

The two were inseparable.

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287.528 - 297.635 Janet Pellisara

When we would go shopping, it was nothing for us to hold hands, even as a teenager, or lock arms or arms around each other. And she had no problem with that.

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305.379 - 312.524 Matt Beale

She was a very kind girl. She was always concerned about other people.

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313.585 - 324.093 Narrator

Matt Beale, Taylor's dad, and Janet divorced when Taylor was almost two. But they shared a profound love for their daughter.

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324.394 - 330.258 Matt Beale

She didn't have a wide circle of friends, but those that really knew Taylor really liked her.

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331.519 - 336.465 Narrator

When I say the name Taylor Beale, what first comes to mind? Her smile, actually.

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337.105 - 344.708 Glynis Keough

Taylor's best friend, Glynis Keough. She would always stand up for her friends, and you could turn to her for anything. Like, she would always be there.

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347.369 - 356.352 Narrator

So on that Labor Day weekend, no one wanted to see Taylor leave as she headed back to VCU.

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357.112 - 365.95 Matt Beale

And the last memory is giving her a hug and a kiss, telling her I loved her.

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372.032 - 386.677 Narrator

A few hours later, Taylor arrived here in Richmond at her college dorm. She unpacked, chatted with a few friends, and then called both of her parents to let them know she was okay. But later that night, Taylor Beal disappeared.

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389.082 - 396.526 Emma Ellsworth

She came in, picked up her keys, and left. And she said she would be back in three hours.

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397.106 - 403.95 Narrator

Those were the last words Taylor said to her roommate, Emma Ellsworth. When did you really become worried about her?

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404.83 - 415.056 Emma Ellsworth

The next night, when we realized she hadn't been back for a day. Her books were still there. She hadn't gone to any of her classes, which was odd.

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416.306 - 439.538 Narrator

Emma notified the VCU campus police, who told Janet that both her daughter and her car were missing. I paced around the house thinking, okay, do I panic? Did you try calling her on her cell phone? Yes. No answer. VCU police questioned friends and acquaintances. Could Taylor have simply wandered off?

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440.098 - 454.285 Erin Moriarty

She was a teenage girl, but she was still a responsible teenage girl. Taylor's VCU friend, Erin Crable. She wasn't the kind of person who would just go, hey, that motorcycle guy looks cool. I'm going to go drive off down the block with him.

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456.726 - 467.85 Narrator

A desperate mother turned to the press to get the story out. The search for Taylor went nationwide. Police in Richmond, Virginia say there's still no sign of a college freshman.

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470.391 - 473.112 Janet Pellisara

Somebody had to have seen her. Someone had to have seen her car.

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474.403 - 481.546 Glynis Keough

Hope became less and less. I kept telling everyone around me, you know, it's going to be okay. She's going to come back alive.

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483.467 - 495.151 Narrator

Ten days after Taylor's disappearance, VCU turned the case over to the Richmond Police. Chief Rodney Monroe organized a task force made up of university, state, and federal investigators.

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495.591 - 500.153 Unnamed Officer

The task force was mainly created just so that we could handle the volume of information that had to be processed.

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500.97 - 504.273 Narrator

Let me hit you back. Richmond Police Captain John Venuti.

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504.774 - 509.418 John Venuti

Everyone had one objective, and that was for the task force to find Taylor Beale.

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511.12 - 516.184 Narrator

Investigator Les Lozier of the Virginia Attorney General's Office feared the worst.

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516.525 - 522.31 Les Lozier

We had no cell phone activity. We had no charge card activity. None of those things that would show that she's out and about.

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522.951 - 530.995 John Venuti

Where do you start? You start with your victim. Everyone your victim knows, every place your victim's been, and that's what was our starting point.

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531.975 - 536.738 Narrator

Then Folly was one of the last people to have seen Taylor the night she disappeared.

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537.258 - 544.863 Ben Folley

What happened when Taylor came over? Well, she was upset because she had been dumped online by her official boyfriend.

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546.274 - 558.147 Narrator

But when police interviewed the boyfriend, Jacob Cunningham, they learned that he and Taylor had dinner that night and had made up. We were on good terms. We left holding hands. Richmond Police Detective Jason Hudson.

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558.687 - 566.356 Jason Hudson

Once you talk to Jacob, he's a very nice young man. We narrowed his timeline to where we felt comfortable excluding him from any person of interest.

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567.057 - 575.241 Narrator

After dinner, Taylor told Jacob she was planning on going skateboarding. Could you find anybody she had made plans to go skateboarding?

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575.281 - 576.001 Jason Hudson

Not for that night.

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576.121 - 586.606 Narrator

Not for that night. This is the last sighting of Taylor the night she disappeared, captured on campus surveillance video at 10.24 p.m.

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588.767 - 594.37 John Venuti

This video represents the last time that we know for certain that Taylor was alive.

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605.003 - 617.111 Narrator

Twelve excruciating days pass, and finally a break. Taylor's car is found on a quiet residential street not far from campus. Did that give you hope?

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617.351 - 621.854 Janet Pellisara

Yes, it did give me hope that she was still alive.

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621.874 - 631.78 Les Lozier

At least we found the car. Now maybe in that vicinity we may find Taylor. Good boy. Work hard.

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632.321 - 646.786 Narrator

Detectives showed us how the bloodhound they called in picked up a scent around the car. That scent led them to a home five blocks away. Where did that scent ultimately take you?

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647.346 - 648.526 John Venuti

It took us to Jesse Schultz.

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649.566 - 651.147 Narrator

So who's Jesse Schultz?

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652.13 - 662.173 John Venuti

Jesse Schultz was pretty much an average young guy. He wasn't affiliated or enrolled in VCU, but I guess he would go down to the VCU area to meet girls.

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663.573 - 694.683 Narrator

Let me ask you something, Jesse. Do you know Taylor Beale? Almost two agonizing weeks had passed since the disappearance of Janet Pellisara's 17-year-old daughter, Taylor.

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695.104 - 706.173 Janet Pellisara

Did someone have her in their basement? Was she being held hostage? Whoever has her, just let her walk away. Just let her go.

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708.275 - 715.661 Narrator

Task Force members Les Lozier, Jason Hudson, and John Venuti worked around the clock searching for clues.

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716.297 - 721.879 John Venuti

The momentum was just, I mean, it was incredible. And how would you describe that momentum? Like a runaway train.

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723.4 - 732.583 Narrator

A train coming straight at 23-year-old Jesse Schultz. Why would the police who are looking for Taylor Beal come to you?

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734.023 - 738.425 Jesse Schultz

It had to have stemmed from the dog. I mean, that's the only way. Good boy.

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739.201 - 750.447 Narrator

A bloodhound led police from Taylor Beale's car to Schultz's relative's house. Investigators searched the house but came up empty until they asked one last question.

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751.307 - 756.45 Jesse Schultz

On leaving, they asked mom and uncle who was the last person to visit here. They're like, probably our nephew, Jesse.

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759.011 - 768.443 Narrator

So detectives brought Jesse in, questioning him for several hours. Later, they asked him to take a polygraph. And how did he do on that polygraph?

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768.903 - 770.925 John Venuti

The results from the polygraph indicated deception.

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773.667 - 776.048 Jesse Schultz

Frankly, I told them they were effing crazy.

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777.169 - 780.651 Narrator

Did you know Taylor Beale? No. Had you ever met Taylor Beale?

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781.212 - 782.353 Jesse Schultz

Not to my knowledge, no.

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785.615 - 790.198 Narrator

As days passed, Jesse Schultz's story began to ring true.

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791.259 - 794.401 John Venuti

Do I think Jesse had anything to do with Taylor's disappearance? No.

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795.302 - 797.804 Narrator

As for the scent picked up by the bloodhound?

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798.105 - 800.907 John Venuti

To this day, it still remains a big question mark.

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801.808 - 811.796 Narrator

Just as Jesse Schultz was being cleared, police were taking another look at Ben Folley, one of the last people to have seen Taylor before she disappeared.

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812.977 - 819.003 Unidentified Interviewee

First sticker was on the original bumper. The original bumper is not there anymore, but the original stickers were the Team GT stickers.

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820.373 - 831.118 Narrator

Then Folley was known around campus for his colorful hair and his equally colorful van. A van so distinctive it was featured on local television.

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831.138 - 841.603 Unidentified Interviewee

I've seen it all over Richmond and I think it's very interesting. I do that to almost all my vehicles. I've had a 66 Dodge Dart that was... Folley had been a suspect almost from the very beginning.

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841.883 - 852.409 John Venuti

His story had lots of holes in it. He left a gigantic gap in the timeline. We knew he was affiliated with Taylor, so he was a good suspect.

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854.03 - 867.297 Narrator

Folley first met Taylor in February 2005 when she and her father Matt visited colleges and checked out the VCU campus. A very different looking Folley talked with us about the encounter.

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867.981 - 874.842 Ben Folley

What was your first impression of Taylor? A very beautiful, very attractive young lady with her dad at the door.

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876.243 - 883.164 Narrator

Taylor planned on staying over with a friend already enrolled at the university. Folly was the friend's roommate.

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883.744 - 893.386 Ben Folley

We had a lot in common. We had very similar opinions about things. We spent the entire time talking about everything.

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894.775 - 904.26 Narrator

Taylor's dad, Matt, spoke with Folly before leaving Taylor for the night. Did you have hesitation leaving Taylor with really a stranger?

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905.42 - 918.127 Matt Beale

No, because Taylor was comfortable. He was very friendly, very personable. You know, dressed a little differently, but appropriately for what you would think you would see on a college campus.

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921.044 - 934.009 Narrator

What Matt didn't know was that Ben Folley was no longer a student at VCU. Even more alarming, Folley was 37 years old. How old did you think he was?

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935.19 - 936.57 Matt Beale

Mid-20s at best.

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936.931 - 939.331 Narrator

And he didn't volunteer that he was much older than that?

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939.472 - 940.252 Matt Beale

No, not at all.

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941.263 - 952.677 Narrator

Back home, while still in high school, Taylor continued communicating with Folly by email. And when she visited the campus again, this time on her own, she again saw Folly.

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953.317 - 957.743 Ben Folley

She liked the fact that I respected her opinion and that I didn't treat her like a child.

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958.55 - 963.873 Narrator

Folly, an amateur photographer, took this series of pictures during one of Taylor's visits.

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964.454 - 973.86 Glynis Keough

Mostly it was just him shouting her with attention. She never thought of him seriously. It was never, I want to date him. It was more like intriguing.

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974.6 - 998.024 Narrator

But at one point, Taylor shared with her best friend, Glynis Keough, that she and Folly had been intimate. It was a one night thing. She didn't regret it, but she didn't want to do it again. Erin Crable, another of Taylor's VCU friends, understands how Taylor could be drawn to folly. The 24-year-old once dated him. What attracted you to him?

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998.804 - 1013.197 Erin Moriarty

You were the only person in the world. All of his attention was on you. And he had all these crazy stories. He would steal cars and break the law, but he was reformed. He was your bad boy. He was the expert.

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1015.031 - 1019.44 Narrator

But Erin ended her relationship with Folly almost as soon as it began.

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1020.225 - 1030.409 Erin Moriarty

He became very jealous and then the thing that caused me to end it was he broke into my apartment in the middle of the night.

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1030.869 - 1037.832 Narrator

With what Erin says were evil intentions. What was actually in Ben's hands? What did Ben have?

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1038.072 - 1043.774 Erin Moriarty

Mace and a hammer. I felt like I don't know what this man is capable of.

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1045.811 - 1057.159 Narrator

Neither did task force detectives, who continued questioning Folley about Taylor's disappearance. As they delved deeper into his past, they discovered a disturbing pattern.

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1057.94 - 1067.447 Les Lozier

We found that there were other young girls who had been in contact with him over the years and had been assaulted or had been threatened or felt threatened by him.

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1068.317 - 1072.92 Narrator

In fact, Folley was convicted of assaulting one former girlfriend in 2003.

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1072.98 - 1079.244 Les Lozier

At that point in time, for all of us, you know, Folley's starting to look like he's the guy.

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1079.964 - 1105.668 Narrator

But the task force needed evidence linking Ben Folley to Taylor's disappearance. Under questioning, the only thing Folley would admit to was having sex with Taylor. But Taylor was a minor and that violation gave detectives what they needed to search Folley's apartment. What they found here disturbed even the most experienced investigators. A massive amount of child pornography.

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1106.328 - 1115.47 Les Lozier

And when you say child pornography, how graphic was it? Extremely graphic. These are images, movie images, of children as young as three and four being brutally raped.

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1117.73 - 1121.191 Ben Folley

None of the pornography that was in that apartment was mine.

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1121.735 - 1129.32 Narrator

Folley claimed it had been left behind by the previous tenant. Still, possessing child pornography is a felony.

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1129.78 - 1130.901 Unnamed Officer

Open the door, Ben.

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1131.241 - 1133.583 Narrator

The police immediately arrested him.

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1136.344 - 1146.111 John Venuti

That was the vehicle that was used to put Ben Folley in jail so that we would have the time to find Taylor and eventually put all the pieces together.

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1148.1 - 1156.288 Narrator

But the search of Folly's computers yielded an unusual clue that led investigators to an unlikely crime solver.

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1157.429 - 1159.211 Erin Moriarty

Whoa, I just got chills.

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1172.469 - 1180.556 Narrator

Ben Folley, now 38, was in jail under arrest for the child pornography police had found on one of his six computers.

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1181.196 - 1182.557 Detective

That was really only the beginning.

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1183.718 - 1191.144 Narrator

For Detective Jeffrey Dean, revelations about Folley began with the sheer volume of data he'd stored away.

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1191.705 - 1197.39 Detective

It was just an amazing amount of material. One computer had, I believe, five hard drives in it.

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1198.402 - 1215.479 Narrator

In an endless variety of random photos, abandoned buildings, secluded locations, maps and weapons, the truly bizarre, along with photos of Taylor, investigators sensed a jigsaw puzzle of evidence.

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1215.979 - 1217.521 Les Lozier

The job is to put the puzzle together.

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1218.1 - 1233.894 Narrator

Ben Folley was now a prime suspect in the disappearance of Taylor Beal, and police were looking for someone who could link the talented student to the temperamental college dropout. Erin Crable would be that someone.

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1234.354 - 1238.558 Erin Moriarty

Taylor's missing, and I know Ben, and I know Taylor, and I want to talk about it.

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1239.668 - 1247.113 Narrator

Erin, as a one-time girlfriend of Folly's, soon figured out just what the police were beginning to conclude.

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1247.573 - 1263.781 Erin Moriarty

I realized they were looking for someone who was dead. They weren't looking for live Taylor anymore. And then they started showing me photographs that had been pulled off his computer, and they said, do you recognize this one, the one that you've got in your hands?

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1264.201 - 1269.702 Narrator

So when they showed you this, and it says Home Sweet Home, what was your reaction when you saw this picture?

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1270.262 - 1272.803 Erin Moriarty

I said, oh, that's right next to my parents' house.

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1273.123 - 1275.523 Narrator

And how did the detectives react when you said that?

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1276.103 - 1283.345 Erin Moriarty

They said, oh, I just got chills, and I got goosebumps. And he said, that place is going to be important. We need to go there.

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1288.337 - 1309.213 Narrator

After Erin Crabill told two VCU cops how she had once taken Ben Folley to this house in the photo, it was pure police instinct that led them to rural Virginia's Matthews County, 90 miles from Virginia Commonwealth University. Still, Erin wasn't sure what, if anything, police would find.

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1309.233 - 1315.798 Erin Moriarty

I'm thinking, God, I feel so bad. I'm wasting their time. They could be doing other things. They could be doing something important.

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1317.35 - 1329.295 Narrator

It was a month since Taylor Beal had disappeared. Erin Crable led the way. First officer said, do you smell something?

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1329.315 - 1342.381 Erin Moriarty

I said, yeah. It smelled like the end of something. The officer saw her before I did. He said, we found someone.

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1344.787 - 1353.313 Les Lozier

shallow grave and with remains strewn about. That's pretty much that. That's what it was.

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1353.333 - 1369.906 Unidentified Commentator

I didn't want to believe that it was her. I didn't want to think that she was gone because I knew that if she was dead,

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1373.325 - 1384.372 Narrator

that Ben had killed her. It was not just the news of her daughter's death that hit Janet Pellisara so hard, but how Taylor died.

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1385.093 - 1405.559 Janet Pellisara

For him to leave her in a shallow grave, a ravine, to be eaten by animals, by insects, She was a skeleton. That's what was left of my baby because of him.

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1405.579 - 1411.702 Ben Folley

I didn't murder anybody, but you know, that's what everyone expects me to say.

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1413.01 - 1430.559 Narrator

That's what Ben Folley told the police. In a rambling statement, he adamantly denied killing Taylor Beal. But he did admit he was with Taylor the night she died. It's not like we were hiding. But that would be virtually the only part of his story.

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1430.979 - 1447.768 Ben Folley

My concept of time is a little wax. That would be clear. No, that was something else. Or straightforward. I... was very drunk and very high, and I don't know why Taylor died.

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1449.048 - 1452.849 Narrator

Folley claims that everything about that evening was consensual.

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1453.189 - 1454.81 Ben Folley

She asked me to wait for her. I waited for her.

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1455.59 - 1485.209 Narrator

Starting with his picking up Taylor at her college dorm. Police discovered Folley on the college security videotape waiting just outside Taylor's dorm at 10.21 p.m. Minutes later is when the same camera captures Taylor leaving. Folly says they ended up at his apartment. He started drinking, and she started egging him on. How much had you been drinking? It was a bit. Narcotics? Yeah.

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1486.835 - 1504.405 Narrator

A daring teenager out for a thrill. That's how Ben Folley tells the tale. And he adds, there was much more that Taylor Bia wanted to do. So they drove her car out towards Matthews County and started to play a different, far deadlier game.

0
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1505.725 - 1511.949 Ben Folley

She wanted to try an activity. What kind of activity? She was calling it drunk monkey, I think was the term.

0
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1512.879 - 1526.592 Narrator

Ultimately, this is how 38-year-old petty thief Ben Folley claims 17-year-old college freshman Taylor Beale died at her own game, a sex game known as erotic asphyxia.

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1527.112 - 1530.596 Ben Folley

It's where you pass out during sex.

0
💬 0

1530.916 - 1532.678 Narrator

And she's the one who came up with this idea?

0
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1533.323 - 1534.604 Ben Folley

I had never heard of it before.

0
💬 0

1535.064 - 1539.007 Narrator

You had never heard of erotic asphyxia? Never. We only have your word for this.

0
💬 0

1539.028 - 1539.868 Ben Folley

I'm aware of that.

0
💬 0

1540.108 - 1546.093 Narrator

We only have your word for this. And I'm aware of that. And what are you saying that Taylor wanted you to do that night?

0
💬 0

1548.595 - 1557.075 Ben Folley

She wanted to pass out during sex. For what purpose? the ultimate orgasm.

0
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1557.916 - 1566.322 Narrator

So Folley claims at her urging, during sex in the backseat of her car, he tried various ways to restrict Taylor Beal's breathing.

0
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1566.923 - 1573.788 Ben Folley

She wanted me to put a bag over her head. Is that what you did? We tried that several times.

0
💬 0

1573.968 - 1574.809 Narrator

What do you do with it then?

0
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1575.529 - 1597.272 Ben Folley

I held it over her nose and her mouth. For how long? I don't know. And what happened? At first I thought she was laughing because we fell off the seat. We'd fallen off the seat several times this night. I thought everything was fine and dandy. Was she talking to you? But she was passed out. And that's what she wanted.

0
💬 0

1598.212 - 1605.398 Narrator

Then he claims, unable to wake Taylor up, he froze into a stone cold panic. Why didn't you call for help?

0
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1609.381 - 1609.361 Narrator

911?

0
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1609.502 - 1625.095 Ben Folley

I thought about it. And why didn't you? Because by the time I tried to wake her up. What was running through my head was I'm in some serious here.

0
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1625.195 - 1651.947 Narrator

You might have been able to save her. I might have. I don't know. And no one ever will, because Ben Folley then claims he panicked again, that he drove the body of Taylor Beale back to Richmond, left her in her car, went to sleep, and then a day later returned to Matthews County, dug a shallow grave, and left the once vibrant girl by the side of the road.

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1653.783 - 1663.186 Narrator

By the time her body was discovered, a month later, it was impossible to tell exactly how Taylor Beale died. You thought you could get away with it?

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1664.047 - 1666.147 Ben Folley

I thought I could, yeah.

0
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1667.748 - 1674.41 Narrator

Ben Folley was charged with first degree murder, but he may not be the only one who was on trial.

0
💬 0

1675.191 - 1678.532 Unnamed Commentator

It's almost like you're dealing with two different people when you talk about Taylor Beale.

0
💬 0

1691.462 - 1705.464 Narrator

One day after what should have been a celebration of Taylor Beal's 18th birthday, family and friends were instead mourning Taylor's death.

0
💬 0

1706.785 - 1714.026 Unidentified Advertiser

The service was beautiful and touching, short and sweet, just like Taylor's life.

0
💬 0

1716.477 - 1725.8 Narrator

On that wet, gray October day, Janet Pellisara was filled with grief and rage for the man believed to have murdered her daughter.

0
💬 0

1727.68 - 1743.585 Unidentified Advertiser

My prayer is for the courts see fit to give him the death penalty so he may continue his downward spiral into the depths of hell.

0
💬 0

1745.267 - 1752.309 Narrator

But Ben Folley claims that Taylor's death was an accident, the result of a sex game that went horribly wrong.

0
💬 0

1753.249 - 1764.093 Ben Folley

I definitely did not murder Taylor. Am I the direct cause of her death? I very well could be. But am I guilty of murder? No.

0
💬 0

1764.813 - 1767.974 Narrator

Prosecutors Jack Gill and Chris Bullard disagree.

0
💬 0

1768.494 - 1774.436 Unnamed Prosecutor

And this predator descends upon her, selects her, picks her out, and kills her.

0
💬 0

1774.778 - 1781.263 Narrator

You know, he says that Taylor Beal's death was an accident. I mean, isn't it possible it was?

0
💬 0

1781.583 - 1789.628 Unnamed Prosecutor

It's possible a meteor landed on Taylor Beal. Is it probable? No. The evidence shows that Mr. Foley killed her.

0
💬 0

1790.809 - 1801.477 Narrator

The prosecution's theory? Foley took Taylor for a drive to a secluded area to have sex. When Taylor rejected him, an angry Foley strangled her.

0
💬 0

1802.808 - 1812.728 Unnamed Prosecutor

It's unlikely to the point of being almost impossible that she was interested in anything to do with sex or kinky sex with this guy.

0
💬 0

1813.424 - 1821.587 Narrator

Prosecutors point out that in Folley's own statement to police, he admits he flipped out and told Taylor to shut up.

0
💬 0

1822.007 - 1827.128 Unnamed Prosecutor

He says he thinks he put his hand over her mouth and told her to shut up. That's, I'm angry.

0
💬 0

1827.789 - 1837.492 Ben Folley

Taylor and I were not mad at each other. She was not rejecting me. She was not telling me it was over. There was nothing for there to be over between us.

0
💬 0

1838.442 - 1845.785 Narrator

Prosecutors also say Folly duct taped Taylor's wrists, not as part of a sex act, but to restrain her.

0
💬 0

1846.546 - 1860.352 Unnamed Prosecutor

There was duct tape on the cuff, on the outside of the jacket. Now, that's not erotic asphyxiation, bondage, or any kind of sex that any of the textbooks that I've looked at have.

0
💬 0

1860.692 - 1861.553 Narrator

What is that to you?

0
💬 0

1861.993 - 1864.154 Unnamed Prosecutor

That's not consensual.

0
💬 0

1864.557 - 1867.418 Narrator

Her hands, according to your own statement, were tied behind her back.

0
💬 0

1867.578 - 1868.978 Ben Folley

I know at one point they were.

0
💬 0

1869.278 - 1875.679 Narrator

Isn't that more consistent with an abduction than a sexual... I did not abduct Taylor.

0
💬 0

1875.839 - 1878.079 Ben Folley

It was two people consenting.

0
💬 0

1879.36 - 1885.461 Narrator

In his statement recorded by police, Foley insists the duct tape was simply part of the game.

0
💬 0

1885.481 - 1894.747 Unidentified Speaker (Brief Interjection)

She wanted to feel like I was kidnapping her, make her feel like she was being kidnapped, tie her up. And she said, really tie her up.

0
💬 0

1895.207 - 1900.008 Narrator

Do you think the jury is going to believe that this 17-year-old girl came up with this idea?

0
💬 0

1901.029 - 1909.572 Ben Folley

I think if people are honest, you don't realize what people are doing until a tragedy like this happens.

0
💬 0

1911.372 - 1918.955 Unnamed Officer

She's a sweet, young college girl who was experimenting with sex and who knows what else. And unfortunately, it led to her death.

0
💬 0

1919.969 - 1932.858 Narrator

Attorneys Chris Collins and Bill Johnson are defending Ben Folley. How would Taylor Beal have any kind of knowledge about this bondage or any of these sexual practices?

0
💬 0

1934.019 - 1941.665 Unnamed Commentator

Folley showed it. He had a computer that was filled with pictures of young ladies involved in various bondage poses.

0
💬 0

1943.446 - 1948.65 Narrator

And at trial, the defense plans to show that Taylor wasn't a naive college freshman.

0
💬 0

1949.229 - 1956.896 Unnamed Commentator

Taylor was very aware that these models were involved in the bondage industry. I think that may have perked her fascination.

0
💬 0

1957.356 - 1966.425 Narrator

It sounds as if in order to save Ben Folley from a long time in prison, you're going to really have to put the blame on Taylor Beale, the victim here.

0
💬 0

1966.925 - 1974.893 Unnamed Officer

Not going to put any blame on her, no. But we're certainly going to incorporate her activity. And I think that's fair.

0
💬 0

1976.289 - 1983.331 Narrator

Not according to Taylor's best friend and confidant, Glynis Keough says the defense theory is simply ridiculous.

0
💬 0

1984.192 - 1989.713 Glynis Keough

I know for a fact that Taylor would have never done that. She would have never been into bondage. She was not a sexually experienced person.

0
💬 0

1990.234 - 1993.215 Narrator

Did she ever talk about being interested in bondage?

0
💬 0

1993.715 - 1997.556 Glynis Keough

No, never. According to 17-year-old standards, she was a prude.

0
💬 0

1999.443 - 2010.55 Narrator

In fact, prosecutor Chris Bullard says he was unable to find any evidence, other than Ben Folley's word, that Taylor had any interest in bondage and risky sex acts.

0
💬 0

2010.85 - 2020.356 Unnamed Prosecutor

There's no computer evidence to show that she was visiting websites about erotic asphyxiation. We're confident that that was not what she was into.

0
💬 0

2021.017 - 2033.858 Narrator

What's more, prosecutors say they can prove that Ben Folley is lying about how Taylor died that night. by reenacting Folley's story. Richmond police showed us what they learned.

0
💬 0

2034.559 - 2036.841 Officer Sarah Powell

I'm Officer Sarah Powell. I was portraying Taylor Buehl.

0
💬 0

2037.201 - 2040.404 Jason Hudson

Jason McClung with the Richmond Police Department, and I portrayed Ben Folley.

0
💬 0

2041.124 - 2048.911 Narrator

The two young Richmond police officers are the same size as Taylor and Folley, and the car an exact replica.

0
💬 0

2049.371 - 2052.574 Jason Hudson

We did it as accurately as possible as it was told to me by Ben Folley.

0
💬 0

2053.354 - 2057.458 Narrator

Detective Jason Hudson read from Folley's own statement as a script.

0
💬 0

2058.291 - 2062.994 Jason Hudson

I was half off, half on the seat. Her head was against the door, and she was bent sideways.

0
💬 0

2063.034 - 2065.535 Narrator

And this is Folly's voice.

0
💬 0

2066.016 - 2077.523 Unidentified Speaker (Brief Interjection)

I was looking at the side of her. Her front was facing the front of the car. She was on top of me. Her bottom was right on, her hips were right on top of me.

0
💬 0

2077.983 - 2079.944 Jason Hudson

And I remember hooking my arm in her arm.

0
💬 0

2080.424 - 2084.627 Unidentified Speaker (Brief Interjection)

And grabbing her by the hips and pulling her up onto the seat.

0
💬 0

2086.994 - 2087.575 Jason Hudson

Is that hard?

0
💬 0

2087.895 - 2088.936 Unidentified Speaker (Brief Interjection)

Yeah, it's pretty hard.

0
💬 0

2089.977 - 2095.562 Narrator

The obvious takeaways say the officers... Someone could not get any kind of enjoyment out of this.

0
💬 0

2095.842 - 2105.37 Officer Sarah Powell

Well, I've only been here a few minutes and already half of my body is completely numb. So I know that any teenage girl wouldn't settle for this too long.

0
💬 0

2106.311 - 2110.115 Jason Hudson

As for Detective Hudson... Well, it tells you it didn't happen the way that he said it did.

0
💬 0

2111.752 - 2123.695 Narrator

But will this be enough to prove that Folley intended to kill Taylor? Or, as the defense is counting on, will 12 jurors have their own doubts about the victim herself?

0
💬 0

2124.435 - 2132.477 Unnamed Commentator

Rural jurors expect men to act like gentlemen and they expect young women to act like ladies. That mindset, we believe, certainly played into our favor.

0
💬 0

2134.42 - 2141.058 Narrator

and Matthews County is as rural and conservative as it gets. Jan, you're on 1140 WRVA.

0
💬 0

2141.338 - 2143.223 Unidentified Commentator

It was almost like she was asking for it.

0
💬 0

2156.755 - 2164.783 Narrator

The quiet conservative community of Matthews County, Virginia was bracing for a sensational trial in the death of Taylor Beale.

0
💬 0

2166.744 - 2176.474 Unnamed Commentator

For Matthews County, it's huge. It has no peer. God knows how many people are going to be there for the trial. It's a real, real, real big event.

0
💬 0

2180.2 - 2186.521 Narrator

Everyone seemed to know about the 17-year-old college freshman abandoned by the side of a country road.

0
💬 0

2186.881 - 2199.184 Matt Beale

To think that she was discarded in the woods the same way that you might throw a piece of paper out of your car window, it makes me sick.

0
💬 0

2202.065 - 2211.88 Narrator

Janet fears the trial will force her to confront the horror of what happened to her child. What scares you the most about this trial coming up?

0
💬 0

2213.321 - 2229.371 Janet Pellisara

Hearing lies, but mostly is being exposed to the photos of Taylor in that ravine. I don't want to see those pictures.

0
💬 0

2234.434 - 2250.54 Narrator

The trial seemed set to begin when suddenly defense attorneys learned about a startling statement made by Ben Folley from behind bars. Even from the isolation of his cell, Folley managed to do what he had done all his life.

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💬 0

2251.841 - 2254.162 Ben Folley

I am king at putting my foot in my mouth.

0
💬 0

2256.593 - 2276.367 Narrator

In a flip jailhouse conversation with an officer, Folley described his previous statement to police as nothing more than a cynical strategy to beat the system, leaving the impression his story about erotic asphyxia was completely made up. It put his lawyers in a very awkward position.

0
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2276.808 - 2290.733 Unnamed Officer

He went back to his cell and immediately said, to one of the deputies, it's a big chess game and I just made a huge move, let's see what they do. That's pretty devastating stuff.

0
💬 0

2291.694 - 2295.537 Narrator

And then there was this jailhouse letter, penned to an ex-girlfriend.

0
💬 0

2296.218 - 2304.345 Unnamed Commentator

I can't quote it verbatim, but it simply said that I am the reason why Taylor is dead. I deserve to be imprisoned.

0
💬 0

2306.141 - 2310.562 Narrator

Prosecutor Chris Bullard plans to use that letter against him in court.

0
💬 0

2311.282 - 2319.384 Unnamed Prosecutor

People are right. Something is wrong with me. All the thoughts of death and killing in my head, and now it's true, I've killed.

0
💬 0

2321.465 - 2332.268 Narrator

The letter, coupled with his description of the proceedings against him as nothing more than a chess game, left Ben Folley with few options.

0
💬 0

2336.158 - 2337.539 Unnamed Commentator

He knew he was in a box.

0
💬 0

2338.74 - 2341.562 Judge

I'm advised there's an agreement in this case? That's correct, Judge.

0
💬 0

2344.303 - 2352.909 Narrator

Trapped by his own boastful words, Ben Folley could only manage a whisper as he agreed to a plea deal.

0
💬 0

2352.929 - 2356.111 Judge

Mr. Folley, your plea is guilty, is that correct?

0
💬 0

2356.912 - 2357.152 Narrator

Yes.

0
💬 0

2357.892 - 2363.856 Judge

Was it your decision? Yeah. Say it again. You're going to need to speak up, Mr. Folley.

0
💬 0

2368.962 - 2388.612 Narrator

Yes. The deal? Second-degree murder. And the child pornography charges dropped. Instead of life in prison, 30 years, which Folley's lawyers thought was a pretty good deal for him. If this is a big chess game, did you win or lose?

0
💬 0

2389.693 - 2391.073 Unnamed Officer

It's pretty close to a tie, I think.

0
💬 0

2392.154 - 2402.333 Unnamed Commentator

I agree. I think things could have gone far worse for Mr. Folley. I think he may have come out on a little bit better end of the stick, all things considered.

0
💬 0

2404.715 - 2409.939 Judge

Mr. Foley, before sentence is formally pronounced, is there anything you would like to say? No.

0
💬 0

2411.3 - 2417.305 Narrator

But Taylor's mother, Janet, had something to say to her daughter's killer.

0
💬 0

2417.625 - 2418.046 Unidentified Commentator

Taylor!

0
💬 0

2425.169 - 2436.179 Janet Pellisara

After the trial, once he was put away, I thought there would be some relief. But it hasn't really made a difference.

0
💬 0

2437.701 - 2444.627 Matt Beale

It's something that you think of every single day of your life. You really miss her, don't you, Matt?

0
💬 0

2448.482 - 2455.565 Janet Pellisara

It's just very, very heartbreaking and sad to have to keep going on without her.

0
💬 0

2458.827 - 2468.112 Narrator

But Janet Pellisara has vowed to keep going. She's written a book, Love You More. And this is what she left me when she went off to school.

0
💬 0

2468.852 - 2470.093 Janet Pellisara

It says, I love you more.

0
💬 0

2470.853 - 2476.736 Narrator

That special little phrase she and Taylor always ended their conversations with.

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💬 0

2478.706 - 2495.892 Janet Pellisara

It's about her, about what he took from her. She was so excited about the future, the list of things that she wanted to do and who she wanted to be. And she would have succeeded. She would have been all those things.

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