• AC: This is Amber. Hello? L: Hi, I’m calling you back, hi I had to get someone’s phone. AC: Sure. Alright Tecia, like I said I know this this is an awkward thing for you to have to keep going through this over and over again but uhm, I would like you just to kind of start me at the beginning of this whole thing and try to walk me through it as to what happened
• L: So I mean, am I just supposed to start from Monday because I already went through the whole everything else 15 times and Monday is when you know, ? thing so is that where you want me to start from? AC: Yeah, sure start there. I mean, honestly like I said you know we’re in the detail business so it’s always every little detail you can think of. It may be a help. L: Okay.
• L: So on Monday we were gonna go get a bike, agenda was to get a bike AC: Okay. Okay and I’m gonna be one of these annoying people that I’m gonna try to get as much detail from you as possible ‘cause like I said, Monday you’re gonna go get a bike. Did you get the bike from somebody, were you talking to somebody, where were you gonna get the bike, you know, details about stuff like that L: I was gonna get to that [she laughs] AC: Sorry [laughs] L: I was just gonna say our agenda before we left home and all that stuff. The agenda was to get a bike that day that we were gonna trade in some sports equipment and then just you know go shopping a few times, a few places here and there and then come back home but then we set up ? day that I was gonna leave Gannon at home because he stays at home sometimes by himself or whatever like if we’re at work and yadda yadda yadda but he wasn’t feeling well because he had already like hurt his foot, he had some burns from the carpet from the fire that he accidentally set so I didn’t feel comfortable leaving him by himself, ? I didn’t feel comfortable because I didn’t wanna get fussed at about him being at home you know by himself ? yadda yadda yadda so I told him, I said hey you have to ride with me. I decided to stay home with him that day because Albert was out of town and I said you have to ride with me. He was like “ok, can I take my switch?” he wasn’t feeling that well uhm as far as like he was not complaining with any kind of pain or like sickness or anything like that he just kinda felt like you know down just because he had stayed up the prior night on Sunday, probably until about 3 or 4 AM because he has a lot of problems using the bathroom when he takes medicine and doesn’t take it and he takes Vyvanse
• AC: Mhm L: So sometimes his stomach will get really backed up, it had already gotten that way AC: Mhm L: So we stayed up a lot that night after I had put the fire out and he was in there in the bathroom he was kinda tired, exhausted, a little bit whatever uhm but I was like hey you wanna just ride to me so we did, it was about like maybe ten oclockish or so when I set the alarm to leave. I think we went to Dunkin Donuts first, we went somewhere to get coffee. I’m not real sure, we got gas ‘cause there was no gas in the truck. I don’t remember exactly where I got gas because if I looked it up my credit card, I wanna say Exxon but I don’t remember exactly. Then we got gas, you know then we just went on our little way and we went to PetCo which was on Nevada uhm, I think it was, I don’t know the exit I’m not really familiar to give you that detail, I know it was on Nevada AC: Ok, and is it easier for you to just kind of run through the whole story and then I can go back for the details or is it easier if in trying to think about it if you can give me the details on the way? ‘Cause obviously we wanna hit all these points like you said you went to Dunkin Donuts so I’d wanna know where that was, to get gas where you stopped there. L: I mean, yeah I can, I don’t have ? to give you exactly AC: You don’t have to give me the exact address cause obviously I can look that up. The Dunkin Donuts, do you know what the street was? L: No, it was in Fountain like the one near the house AC: Okay so Fountain like the one near the house is the Dunkin Donuts and what street was that on or do you know? L: Mesa Ridge or ? or something like that? Yeah. AC: So you guys get up L: I wanna say that the gas store was right across the street first, it was one of the gas stores that was in the area right there the one across from Dunkin Donuts AC: Ok so the Dunkin Donuts near your house on Mesa Ridge then the Cotsco across the street, then PetCo L: No, no, I didn’t say a Costco, I said the gas store AC: Oh, I’m sorry, I can’t read my own handwriting [laughs] my bad L: That’s ok. Yeah
• L: And then we went to PetCo and uh I went in PetCo he was gonna go inside PetCo with me but he was like can I stay in the car and play the switch and I said yeah and so I go in PetCo and when I was getting out the car I was like well I probably should make him go with but then I was like you probably don’t wanna shop with girls ‘cause he never liked shopping with me so I was like yeah okay he’ll be fine. I don’t ever worry about him in the car or anything but because he wasn’t feeling that well I did keep going to like look and check and make sure he wasn’t you know looking for me or wanting to go to the bathroom or getting out. He knew that I was in PetCo but at the same time he knows I go somewhere and I might say I’m in one store and go to the next store too AC: So did he go in with you at Dunkin Donuts too then? L: We went through the drive through at DD. AC: Ok. Alright so he stayed in the car at PetCo L: Right AC: okay L: So then we had planned on going to look at some of these bikes (or somebody’s bike) so I was like ok, I have the information on my phone so I don’t know like they have my phone so it’s just in there but AC: So you said you were gonna go look at these bikes, were you going to a store, were you going to meet a specific person or? Where were you gonna look at the bikes? L: Right, there was that’s how I looked up a bunch of things online so I had the people’s information where they said they had emailed back and said just ? when you get close, you can come by and look at it AC: Ok, so where all did you search online, were you looking at again was it stores or you looking at was it Craigslist or what was it? L: Yeah, it was local Craigslist in CO Springs, like just Google CO Springs Craigslist or whatever
• AC: Ok, so you were looking up for Craigslist did you find you know was it a lot of them just a couple of them? L: I didn’t never made, I didn’t go to do it yet that’s why I hadn’t go to that part to tell you that part AC: Ok, so you’re looking up a bunch of places on Craigslist as to where you might do it and then did you arrange to meet somebody? L: No AC: okay, so uh what happened next you looked on Craigslist L: I didn’t look on Craigslist that day, I had already looked prior, I was saying that the conversations back and forth was whenever you’re in or out for clothes you’d call and someone could look at it AC: Okay, well and um L: ? want you to think that AC: No, I got you so you had already arranged with somebody to go meet them, who did you arrange to meet? How were you in contact with em? L: I said that prior I had looked online on Craigslist to find some different bikes on email when you reply to Craigslist you know how you have like email? I got their information in my phone I messaged they said when you get close if you plan on coming up as in up as in north message whenever you wanted to come by
• AC: Okay, so you were emailing with them back and forth and they tell you to come when they get close so they gave you their telephone number L: I never told them for certain what day I was coming I just had it all hey we’re gonna go on Monday to me and Gannon, there was no specific person that I was like, this is not even relevant to anything, I just wanted to let you know that was on our agenda
• AC: Okay, and that’s just, we’re trying to recreate every moment that you can ‘cause you never know what’s important. So you were gonna make this plan to go talk to somebody at Craigslist you were emailing with them you’re gonna call if you get close what happens next? L: So then we were out of time because we’d already been in town for a little bit and we had to make sure we were heading back to get Laina AC: Okay L: ‘Cause Laina would get home from school so I ended up not uhm meeting with anybody I just said I would go another day so that’s why I said it wasn’t really relevant AC: Sure L: I just wanted to tell you that was on the agenda AC: And that last thing you had told me was you were at PetCo so were you just like hanging out in the parking lot doing that or did you drive somewhere? L: No, I bought things in PetCo AC: Yeah, it’s just as you were saying you were kinda out and about so I didn’t know if you made another shop or what was going on there L: No I went to PetCo twice so by the time I was in Dunkin Donuts, the store, PetCo twice and I don’t even remember if I went in another shopping store because it’s already been how many days AC: Well, what’d you go to PetCo twice for I mean like did you go to PetCo and then have to head somewhere else and then come back? L: I mean, I always do that like AC: yeah L: go somewhere and then I’m indecisive and I go back ? AC: Sure, I get that, but so after you left PetCo where’d you head there? L: Ma’am I don’t know exactly, I just was going to different stores. I don’t even know if I did anything else ? if I went to the TJ Maxx but I don’t remember how to tell you where the TJ Maxx was at AC: Ok, well was it still in COSprings, it’s on the North side or? L: Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, there’s only stuff on the north side of us AC: Alright so you were at PetCo you went probably to somewhere else, maybe TJ Maxx and then back to PetCo again L: Yeah AC: Okay and then you said it was getting to the time you were probably gonna have to pick up Laina L: YEah we were gonna have to go home to get Laina so we start, we drove home, I remember I went inside the house, I get out uhm I walked inside the house, Gannon walked inside the house. I was gonna work out so I had put like my headphones on cause I was gonna work out till Laina got there. I don’t remember like if we ate or something between there, I’m not really sure uhm exactly what we did between there AC: Ok, but it’s the three of you there at the house or L: No Laina hasn’t gotten, hadn’t got there yet AC: Ok she hadn’t got home yet, ok L: Yeah, no, uhm Gannon went to his room uhm he was doing stuff and playing whatever ‘cause he was gonna have a sleepover so he kept you know moving his room around or whatever ‘cause he’s always wanting to have sleepovers AC: Mmhm L: I had my ear, my headphones kind of like mash your head a little bit so I kind of pulled them back a little bit and I was like I was listening or doing a thing or whatever and then I heard something really loud it sounded like something hollow broke but also you have to remember you know upstairs downstairs sometimes if you can like just walk loud it’ll echo and sound like it was something loud you know so I just when the dog started barking so of course I walked downstairs and Gannon had his door locked and I knocked on it like what are you doing and do I need to tell you work for work everything he said or? AC: Well I’m just trying to get whatever happened so I mean if what was he saying to you, you guys are just trying to, [friendly/amused] I have two boys too so I totally get that there’s the door’s locked [laugh]
• L: Yeah so he was saying he was trying to keep Laina out and I was like Laina ain’t even here yet ? he’s been trying to build this like memory box ‘cause I always told him I kept a memory box for my daughter so like elementary and I also had one growing up and I gave it to my daughter as a box so he’s in doing everything with this boxes I mean he even put pieces of paper in the trash in there, ? the Nintendo thing with like the cardboard since you got boys you know the cardboard box that it come in? He would put it in ? AC: OK L: ? he was being all secretive about the box and just ? or whatever uhm and then I come back upstairs and like come back upstairs so like we had, I had the garage open at that time. I think I might’ve closed it, I’m not really sure. At this point in time, I went back upstairs again and then I hear another loud noise and I was like oh my god Gannon what are you doing again and Laina hadn’t gotten there quite yet and then when I go down uhm I realized that someone was in our house
• AC: Okay… L: and so they asked me you know ? was ? El Paso, uhm ? at first all I remembered you know was the what kinda what he looked like or whatever so I’ll get back to that later I was just gonna tell you that I finally remembered(?) when I initially called the police I thought Gannon was hiding AC: Ok well and we’ve kind of skipped a lot right there so you heard somebody or you found out somebody’s in your house, were you downstairs? Were you upstairs? L: ? AC: I’m sorry I think you’re cutting out L: ? I’m sorry I might’ve said it was going out it’s just hard I’m just trying to get off the wifi or whatever AC: Sure L: ? AC: So, yeah, uhm, you were in your story and you basically had said the last thing I was hearing was this you know you’re sitting there, you’ve heard a loud noise downstairs and then you realized somebody was in the house so
• L: I realized somebody was in the house AC: How did you realize somebody was in the house cause if you’re upstairs and you know that Gannon was downstairs did you go down there and see him? L: I just told you, what I just told you, I just told you that, I said I went down there and AC: Ok L: ? did you not hear me say that AC: No, I’m sorry, it’s probably cutting out, so you went downstairs and what did you see? L: well I went downstairs immediately and I saw that this guy was standing at the storage room which is in between Gannon’s room and our downstairs basement AC: Ok, and as you’re looking at this guy what does he look like L: He was dark skinneded, like hispanic maybe mixed you know, I’m not real sure like as far ar to give you a nationality more darker skinned complexion about like 5 7 and about maybe about 180 pounds AC: I’m sorry did you say 108? L: In my mind I didn’t, in my mind I didn’t just go over those originally I got scared and then I just kinda AC: Yeah oh I’m sure it’s terrifying I mean I can imagine it would be terrifying to see somebody in your house. So you’d said he is about 5’7, 180 or 108? Am I? Did I miss you? L: 180 AC: Oh okay L: I say 180 because my husband is like 200 so like smaller than him so that’s why I would say 180 AC: Ok and do you remember anything else about him like his haircolor what he was wearing? L: Yeah he was very closecut beard uhm he had a tattoo on his arm I don’t remember what it was I just vaguely remember that AC: uh huh what was he wearing?
• L: I don’t really remember. I’ve had so many like bad dreams that I’ve pictured so many different things that I’ve pictured so many different dreams now that I don’t remember AC: So as you’re looking at him which arm was this tattoo on L: I don’t remember AC: Ok, I mean was he facing you was he facing away from you L: Right so he was coming out of our storage room which I can assume, I don’t wanna make any speculation, that;s where he was hiding at and now so let me tell you what was weird about that before I finish. When I got there the alarm was, I set the alarm away, when I got there, I mean when I left, but it was armed stay but it didn’t dawn on me at the moment what armed stay meant that someone there’s no uh AC: your motion sensors, I know what that means, I got you L: So it didn’t dawn on me that I didn't have to put the alarm in when I walked in so none of this went through my mind until in the moment all this is running through my mind like this is why cause I was thinking dogs or whatever but I I was like this is why all this stuff happened and this is why the alarm didn’t ? on or away or AC: So do you think that somebody reset your alarm? Is that what you’re getting at? L: Do what now?
• AC: I’m sorry so were you thinking that somebody reset your alarm? Cause you said that it was at stay instead of away L: No. You don’t reset it. If you have, the way that ours is set up because of how that door didn’t have a sensor on it, for example if I set it on arm away and I left for the dogs and say one of the dogs got out their crate and moved it would go to armed stay first because there was already motion in there AC: Okay so when you left the for the day did you set it as stay or away when you and Gannon left at ten? L: I’m pretty sure I set it as arm away cause this is something I had to show later on so ? we were talking about, that was just, I’m not a positive if that’s why, I’m just saying that was something later on that when we went through everything that was what we noticed that it went to armed stay AC: Ok L: Anyway at this point in time I was thinking he’s gonna like completely rob us because he had one of our guns so at this point I knew that he had already been in our house somewhere somehow sometime because in order for him to have obtained a handgun he would’ve had to already you know be in the house AC: Ok, did you guys normally lock your weapons up? L: No AC: ok, where do you normally store ‘em? L: So they’re all over the house so prior to this happening my husband and I went on a cruise and so when we went on the cruise we had hired a lady, my daughter was old enough to stay at home with them but we hired a lady to come stay as well on Rover.com and she just kind of stayed in the house so when she came we moved the handguns downstairs and like Albert we were talking about making sure we weren’t just leaving them around the house even though she had been like checked on Rover and stuff like that we didn’t want ? AC: Sure L: So I had took the handguns downstairs so that was the only reason that two of the guns would’ve been downstairs because uhm we had just got back from our cruise and we had hid them down there in the storage room AC: Okay so he came out of the storage room with one of the weapons you had previously stored in there is that what you’re saying? L: Yeah and when I say hid they weren't like put away somewhere they were just in the storage room they were in like ? AC: Ok and which weapon was it that he had had with him? L: Uh one of the black ones AC: like was it a handgun a long gun? L: yeah, a handgun, the big guns were upstairs AC: Ok L: So at first i was in shock thinking whatever you want and I’m not gonna go through screaming what I said I’m just gonna tell you you won’t understand me if I ? like four different times telling people so ? I can’t go through screaming and all that again AC: Obviously you don’t have to scream at me, I understand L: yeah no I just don’t want you to like to think I you know word for word verbatim to tell you what I said and this and that so I immediately was Gannon was in the room like about maybe I don’t know maybe two feet from his door doing his thing yadda yadda yadda AC: I’m sorry, he was Gannon was in his room or Gannon was outside of his room so he saw this guy out there too? L: No no no no, Gannon was still in his room, I was just giving you a distance of how far ‘cause Gannon’s door was open at this point ‘cause Gannon had I guess opened his door AC: Okay cause you said his door’s open but you could see Gannon in his room?
• L: Yeah, yeah and I could see Gannon in his room AC: Mhm L: So, he, I don’t remember exactly what the guy was saying to me I just remember I was like yelling and Gannon was yelling and as soon as Gannon saw that I was like freaked out and scared and I told him he could have whatever he wanted all this so it went about one hour of us just sitting there me and Gannon sitting in his room that this guy was asking questions, he was asking did we own this did we own that, all I remember was about weapons and did we know anything about these people he said somebody name Terrence and I don’t even know, I didn’t know, have no clue who he was talking about, what he was talking about, my assumption was he had the wrong people that he was looking for ‘cause we haven;t even lived there that long we don’t eve know these people AC: Ok so what kind of possessions was he asking you about if he had? I mean was he asking you about your possessions or somebody else’s or what? L: Yes he was asking was there a safe, like your typical theft you know like things that a theft would want. If we had a safe, was there any money in the house and I swear to you we don’t keep any I swear to God we don’t keep any money in the house we barely even keep our card on us. oh crap, this is at 2%, hold on one second
• [long silence/shuffling] L: can I use your car charger? Yeah this is at two percent. Hold on a second, this is at 2%. AC: Okay. L: Okay, thank you, do I need to turn it on? Thank you
• [long silence]