Book Deals, Blood Feuds, and a Bullet That Changed Everything

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Stories were Tucker Reed's whole life.

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She was born into a family of best-selling authors, landed a six-figure book deal as a teenager,

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and even starred in a horror movie.

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On paper, it looked like the perfect setup for a literary success story, except for one

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tiny issue.

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Somewhere between publishing and performing, Tucker found herself tangled in a legal battle,

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accused of something a little more serious than bad writing.

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The family had money problems.

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Her uncle had opinions about those money problems, and let's just say that their last conversation

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didn't end in a handshake.

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By the time the cameras were rolling on her indie horror film, Tucker had already lived

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through a scene far more dramatic than anything on the script, and the people who worked with

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her had no idea.

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This is the story of how a rising young author went from writing fiction to starring in a

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real-life courtroom drama.

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If you think this is about self-defense, hold that thought.

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But before we dive in, if you like your true crime brief and bingeable, you're in the

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right place.

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Hit follow now for at least two new episodes every week.

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This is 10 Minute Murder.

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Let's get into it.

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[Music]

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Tucker Reed didn't just grow up around stories.

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She was one.

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The eldest daughter of New York Times bestselling authors Daniel Reed and Kelly Moore, she was

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practically written into existence.

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Her parents had barely finished basking in the success of their book when she arrived,

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as if she were the sequel they didn't know they were writing.

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From the start, storytelling was in her DNA.

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She was raised on family lore that traced their roots all the way back to the Mayflower.

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A lineage that, if nothing else, gave her plenty of material.

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By high school, she wasn't just consuming stories.

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She was writing them, getting her work published in the school paper, and slowly building a reputation

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for crafting compelling narratives.

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And then, at just 19, Tucker pulled off something most aspiring writers only dream of.

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Alongside her mother, Kelly, and her younger sister, Larkin, she co-authored a book called

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Amber House.

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The details of the publishing deal are murky, but rumor has it the right sold for six figure

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sum.

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What mattered more than the money, though, was what it symbolized.

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These women were on the verge of literary success.

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Amber House was the first in a planned trilogy, arriving at the same time when pop culture

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was obsessed with paranormal romance.

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Twilight was dominating bookshelves and movie screens, and Belliswan had become the

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poster child for Love's Structain Angst.

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Some readers swooned over her tortured relationships with a vampire and a werewolf.

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Others saw her as, well, a bit of a doormat.

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That's where Amber House offered something different.

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Its main character, Sarah Parsons, wasn't waiting around for a brooding love interest to dictate

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her fate.

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Readers called her strong, independent, and admirable heroine who chose her own path rather than

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letting it be chosen for her.

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It was a shift from the era's typical young adult romance, and in some ways a reflection

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of the woman who helped write her.

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Sarah Parsons, the protagonist of Amber House, stood apart from the wave of passive heroine's

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dominating young adult fiction at the time.

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That same drive to take action showed up in Tucker Reade's own life.

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After high school, she moved on to college, though she wouldn't end up finishing her degree,

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but she did find, with something that felt even more important.

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Advocacy.

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She began working with other students, particularly survivors of sexual assault, helping them file

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complaints with their schools and law enforcement.

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Her work didn't go unnoticed.

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She was given the Lucy Burns Challenger Award from the Veterans Feminist of America, a

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recognition of her dedication to helping survivors navigate a system that often worked against

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them.

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But standing up for others came with consequences, while Tucker had success guiding others through

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the process of reporting assault, her own case didn't go the same way.

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She had filed a report with the LAPD against an ex-boyfriend, accusing him of sexual abuse,

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but the case was dismissed for lack of evidence.

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That didn't stop her from speaking out.

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In a blog post, she named her ex, shared a photo of him, and detailed what she said he had

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done to her.

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That decision landed her in legal trouble.

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He filed a liable suit against her.

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A friend later told the press, "I think she had to take down the original blog post, and

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she wasn't allowed to mention him by name anywhere.

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They settled it out of courts, and then she moved back to the area."

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It was a loss, but it didn't stop her.

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Tucker returned home and kept moving forward.

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She found work as a journalist and even landed a lead role in an independent horror movie called

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"From the Dark," which was released in 2020.

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She could easily pull out an emotion, said the movie's lead composer and production manager.

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Everyone on set was impressed with her ability to bring a complex mix of emotions to her role,

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especially during a pivotal moment where her character shoots someone on screen.

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Looking back, her co-star and the film's executive producer Matthew Spicker found it unsettling.

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"When I watch the movie now, like I feel like someone's messing with me, it's like a sick

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joke in a way that I don't get.

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That's because at the time no one on set knew the truth.

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Tucker Reed wasn't just an actress playing a character who pulled the trigger.

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She was out on bond for fatally shooting her own uncle."

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Tucker Reed's home life was full-blown psychological and emotional warfare.

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Her parents, Kelly and David spent years locked in a volatile marriage that finally imploded

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in 2000.

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The divorce wasn't clean and neither was the financial fallout.

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While they battled over money, their children were left to decide which side to take.

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Tucker and her siblings chose their mother, Kelly, who packed them up and moved them to Oregon

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to be near her own parents.

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It wasn't a family reunion.

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It was a financial move.

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Kelly's parents owned a million dollar ranch, not only gave them a place to live, but also

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provided a source of income.

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Despite being a published author with best-selling books, Kelly's financial situation was bleak.

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Instead of getting a job, she opted to remain a stay-at-home mother.

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Her parents supported this choice, even buying her a home in Ashland.

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But when the money ran out, they started taking out loans against their own property just

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to keep Kelly afloat.

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And that's where the trouble started.

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Every loan shipped away at the inheritance Kelly was set to receive, and she wasn't the

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only one expecting a payout.

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That money was supposed to be split equally with her brother, Shane Moore.

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Shane Moore had his own complicated history.

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Once struggling with addiction, he had turned his life around after their father got sick.

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He moved back home, cared for his parents, and eventually settled into his own cabin on

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the property.

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But he had one major issue.

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His sister was draining the value of the land that was supposed to be both of theirs.

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Shane was furious.

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He wanted Kelly to stop taking out loans and to get a job.

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And their arguments became frequent and explosive.

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One altercation ended with Shane allegedly throwing an oil can at Tucker, hitting her in

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the face.

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She got a restraining order against him, making family meetings even more complicated.

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But Shane wasn't backing down.

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On July 26, 2016, he learned that Kelly planned to sell the ranch.

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He wasn't about to let that happen.

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He came up with his own plan.

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He would have their mother signed the property over to him and Kelly immediately.

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That way, if she wanted to keep borrowing money against it, she could only touch her share,

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not the entire estate.

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To make it official, he called the Notary Public to the property.

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But he wasn't taking any chances.

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He also called the Sheriff's Department, saying he was concerned about how things might go

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that day.

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He asked for a deputy to be present, just in case.

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Kelly's realtor got there first.

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Another heated argument broke out between Kelly and Shane.

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According to Kelly, Shane told her not to "eff up my deal" and threatened to kill both

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her and Tucker.

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The realtor backed up those claims, sensing that things were spiraling.

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The realtor left, just as the notary arrived.

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That's when everything turned deadly.

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Kelly and Tucker went inside with the notary to go over the paperwork.

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Shane approached the house.

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Tucker later told investigators, "I was absolutely sure he was going to kill my mother."

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So she grabbed a gun.

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She fired one shot.

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Shane Moore was hit in the chest.

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He died at the scene.

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Tucker was arrested for manslaughter just hours later.

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But at first, it seemed like she might be able to argue self-defense.

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She bonded out.

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And for a while, it looked like the case would quietly fade away.

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Then the notary came forward.

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She told investigators that Shane had fallen four to five feet away from the door.

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It didn't look like he had been trying to force his way in at all.

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Then the police found the video.

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Tucker and Kelly had recorded the moments leading up to the shooting.

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The footage showed Shane pacing outside, but never coming close enough to violate the restraining

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order.

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Then suddenly, Tucker's voice cut through.

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He's coming into the house.

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She grabbed the gun.

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Kelly shouted, "She's not signing a grant deed.

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It's her property."

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And then, without much hesitation, Tucker fired.

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Shane could be heard yelling before he hit the ground.

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The video shattered their self-defense claim.

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It showed that Shane hadn't been trying to enter the home.

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He hadn't made any aggressive moves.

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The shooting wasn't reactionary.

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It was preemptive.

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Tucker was re-arrested.

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This time, for murder.

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When Tucker finally went to trial, she pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter.

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She was sentenced to six years in three months in prison.

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According to an NBC documentary, she was released in November 2024.

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Thanks for listening to 10 Minute Murder, Your Brief and Bingeable True Crime Podcast.

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I'm Joe, on the host, and if you've got a request for a story you'd like me to talk about here

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That's your episode for today.

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Now if you're off to binge more episodes of the podcast, don't let me stop you.

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But if you run out, if this is the last episode, you're like, oh, heck, what do I do now?

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You can go check out 10minute mystery, my other podcast.

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There aren't very many murders over there, but it's just a bunch of weird things.

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Bigfoot, aliens, pyramids, ghosts.

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If you like all that stuff, this is a good podcast for you to check out in the meantime when

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Thanks.