Update
OK. I guess to update the first go back in time and tell you the story.
When I first started work at Wendy's I was pregnant. I met a manager there who was pregnant also, though a little further along than I. Needless to say, she and I became friends because we were going through much the same experiences. For both of us this was our first child. Her name was Carla. Now, during my time at Wendy's I worked with her off and on. She was a manager and I was crew when I started, then I moved up to managment. At the franchise I worked for they transfer their managers frequently. We used to refer to it as playing "musical managers."
Carla was a wonderful person, like everyone she had her faults, but she was a wonderful person. I remember going in at five am on monday mornings to help her with monday morning paperwork, I remember the song we used to always listen to (My Immortal by Evanescence). I remember...so much...her oldest daughter used to make her Steven let her call Carla at work and she would ask her to bring home a "mommy drink." That meant Dr. Pepper. Carla was such a wonderful mother. Now her children will never know. She would have done anything for her children.
Carla was living with an abusive man. They weren't married, but they told everyone they were. Reason: he was on the run from the law, and when she first met him, he swept her off her feet and she believed all his lies about him being innocent and such. She found out differently, but by then it was too late. He told her if she ever left him, he would kill her. Said if she left him she would be just another loose end and he didn't leave loose ends. He made this threat often, and he meant it. She was pregnant when she got with him, but he was the only daddy her oldest daughter knew. Then she became pregnant with his child when the oldest was two. He told everyone the child she was carrying was not his. He said he wanted nothing to do with it. Well, she had the child, and he had to watch it while she worked. He, of course, couldn't work because he was on the run. She told me how he used to wrap his hand up in a towel and beat her that way so she would be less likely to bruise.
Well, Carla met a man, a good man. And after much talking to from friends and this new man and after "Junior" (that was his alias, his real name is Steven) busted her lip in front of her oldest daughter, she left him. She was free for three weeks. I remember when she told me the news. She was so happy. Then he stalked her. Finally, one day in April 2004, he followed her to McDonald's here in my hometown. They argued, and she tried to leave. She strapped her two children, by then one and three (two beautiful little girls) in their carseats in the back, then got in and shut the door. She saw him pulling the gun, she told him not to. He said he wouldn't. Then he pulled it and shot her five times. In the shoulder, the chest, the cheek, the top of the head, and the back of the head next to her neck. He did this because she left him. She told him she wouldn't tell his secret, and she wouldn't have. But he killed her anyway, why? Because he said she was a loose end.
Workers from that McDonald's got the little girls out of the car and cleaned them up. The oldest had blood splatter all over her face. Steven took off after he killed Carla. He finally called the police to turn himself in. Why, you might ask, because he was afraid if he didn't they would use lethal force on him if he was found. He used "lethal force" on Carla, but he was afraid of dying they same way he killed her.
Now, not many people know this, but I blame myself in a way for her death. You see, the day she was killed was on a Monday, it was payday. I was going to go get my check that day and stop by that McDonald's and bring food home. IF I had done this, I would have been there when she was. I might have been able to do something, and she might still be alive, but I didn't. I woke up that morning and felt sick to my stomach, so I made Brandon (my husband) go get my check. When I got to work that afternoon, I had to be there at four, one of the other managers came running out to my car and knocked on my door. I was late, and I thought that was why. Then, she told me to let her in, so I did and she said, "Crystal, oh Crystal, honey, I'm so sorry. I have bad news for you." She started to cry at this point and I was completely confused. She said, "Crystal, Carla is dead." I said, "No she's not. Carla's fine. She's supposed to come up here and see me tonight." Terry (a female) said, "Crystal, she was shot today, she's dead." I just stopped. It took a minute for it to all sink in. I broke down. I couldn't even work that night. I told her that day that if I had followed through with my plans...Terry stopped me and told me no. She said I couldn't blame myself, but I still do. Not completely, I know that even if I had been there I might have been nothing more than a witness, but partly, I still think..."what if..." I know that "what ifs" are useless, but...
Well, anyway, Steven went to trial this week. He tried to claim it was a crime of passion. Said Carla showed him a picture of the girls, the girls he wanted nothing to do with while she was alive, got pissed because he had to watch them while she worked, and said he would never see them again. He claimed he wadded it up and threw it on the ground, amazingly, there was no wadded photo found at the scene of the murder. He claimed after she showed him the photo and he wadded it up that she slapped him. He says after that he doesn't remember anything. Now, get this, he doesn't remember shooting her, but he remembers gunshots. The jury saw right through his lies and convicted him of first degree murder. He is not eligible for parole for at least 55 years. By then he will be 90.
When I first started work at Wendy's I was pregnant. I met a manager there who was pregnant also, though a little further along than I. Needless to say, she and I became friends because we were going through much the same experiences. For both of us this was our first child. Her name was Carla. Now, during my time at Wendy's I worked with her off and on. She was a manager and I was crew when I started, then I moved up to managment. At the franchise I worked for they transfer their managers frequently. We used to refer to it as playing "musical managers."
Carla was a wonderful person, like everyone she had her faults, but she was a wonderful person. I remember going in at five am on monday mornings to help her with monday morning paperwork, I remember the song we used to always listen to (My Immortal by Evanescence). I remember...so much...her oldest daughter used to make her Steven let her call Carla at work and she would ask her to bring home a "mommy drink." That meant Dr. Pepper. Carla was such a wonderful mother. Now her children will never know. She would have done anything for her children.
Carla was living with an abusive man. They weren't married, but they told everyone they were. Reason: he was on the run from the law, and when she first met him, he swept her off her feet and she believed all his lies about him being innocent and such. She found out differently, but by then it was too late. He told her if she ever left him, he would kill her. Said if she left him she would be just another loose end and he didn't leave loose ends. He made this threat often, and he meant it. She was pregnant when she got with him, but he was the only daddy her oldest daughter knew. Then she became pregnant with his child when the oldest was two. He told everyone the child she was carrying was not his. He said he wanted nothing to do with it. Well, she had the child, and he had to watch it while she worked. He, of course, couldn't work because he was on the run. She told me how he used to wrap his hand up in a towel and beat her that way so she would be less likely to bruise.
Well, Carla met a man, a good man. And after much talking to from friends and this new man and after "Junior" (that was his alias, his real name is Steven) busted her lip in front of her oldest daughter, she left him. She was free for three weeks. I remember when she told me the news. She was so happy. Then he stalked her. Finally, one day in April 2004, he followed her to McDonald's here in my hometown. They argued, and she tried to leave. She strapped her two children, by then one and three (two beautiful little girls) in their carseats in the back, then got in and shut the door. She saw him pulling the gun, she told him not to. He said he wouldn't. Then he pulled it and shot her five times. In the shoulder, the chest, the cheek, the top of the head, and the back of the head next to her neck. He did this because she left him. She told him she wouldn't tell his secret, and she wouldn't have. But he killed her anyway, why? Because he said she was a loose end.
Workers from that McDonald's got the little girls out of the car and cleaned them up. The oldest had blood splatter all over her face. Steven took off after he killed Carla. He finally called the police to turn himself in. Why, you might ask, because he was afraid if he didn't they would use lethal force on him if he was found. He used "lethal force" on Carla, but he was afraid of dying they same way he killed her.
Now, not many people know this, but I blame myself in a way for her death. You see, the day she was killed was on a Monday, it was payday. I was going to go get my check that day and stop by that McDonald's and bring food home. IF I had done this, I would have been there when she was. I might have been able to do something, and she might still be alive, but I didn't. I woke up that morning and felt sick to my stomach, so I made Brandon (my husband) go get my check. When I got to work that afternoon, I had to be there at four, one of the other managers came running out to my car and knocked on my door. I was late, and I thought that was why. Then, she told me to let her in, so I did and she said, "Crystal, oh Crystal, honey, I'm so sorry. I have bad news for you." She started to cry at this point and I was completely confused. She said, "Crystal, Carla is dead." I said, "No she's not. Carla's fine. She's supposed to come up here and see me tonight." Terry (a female) said, "Crystal, she was shot today, she's dead." I just stopped. It took a minute for it to all sink in. I broke down. I couldn't even work that night. I told her that day that if I had followed through with my plans...Terry stopped me and told me no. She said I couldn't blame myself, but I still do. Not completely, I know that even if I had been there I might have been nothing more than a witness, but partly, I still think..."what if..." I know that "what ifs" are useless, but...
Well, anyway, Steven went to trial this week. He tried to claim it was a crime of passion. Said Carla showed him a picture of the girls, the girls he wanted nothing to do with while she was alive, got pissed because he had to watch them while she worked, and said he would never see them again. He claimed he wadded it up and threw it on the ground, amazingly, there was no wadded photo found at the scene of the murder. He claimed after she showed him the photo and he wadded it up that she slapped him. He says after that he doesn't remember anything. Now, get this, he doesn't remember shooting her, but he remembers gunshots. The jury saw right through his lies and convicted him of first degree murder. He is not eligible for parole for at least 55 years. By then he will be 90.