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“The federal investigation is getting too close,” David said. “They’ve discovered the 15 million I stole from government contracts. If I don’t disappear soon, I’ll spend the rest of my life in prison.” Kan’s voice was calm and professional. “So you fake your death. Sara takes the blame, and you start over in Mexico with a new identity. And I’ve already wired the money to accounts in the Cayman Islands,” David replied. “Once Sara is convicted, I’ll be able to access it safely from my new life as Richard Stone.”
Another recording revealed how they had recruited Dr. Edward Wals, the medical examiner who performed David’s supposed autopsy. Kane told Walsh, “$5 million to falsify an autopsy report.” “All you have to do is identify the homeless man’s body as David Mitchell. Change the dental records, and no one will notice the difference.” Walsh seemed nervous. “And if anyone questions my conclusions, no one will,” Kane assured him. “I’ll make sure the investigation is superficial.”
Detective Morrison will focus solely on building a case against Sara. The evidence will be so strong that no one will doubt the victim’s identity.” The most disturbing recording was from July 2017, just two months before David’s fake death. It featured all four conspirators: David, Kane, Morrison, and Walsh. “Sarah is starting to get suspicious,” David reported. “She’s been asking me questions about my phone calls and keeping a closer eye on me. So let’s move the timeline forward,” Kane decided.
Morrison, how long will it take you to plant the evidence? Give me two weeks, Morrison replied. I need time to get Sara’s fingerprints off the murder weapon and prepare the gunpowder residue. Make sure there are witnesses to her domestic disputes,” Kane added. The jury has to believe Sara had a motive to kill him. Craford felt sick listening to these people matter-of-factly talk about destroying an innocent woman’s life. They weren’t just criminals. They were supposed to be the guardians of justice.
As the recordings played back, one fact became clear. Sarah Mitchell was completely innocent, and the system had failed her in the worst possible way. The most crucial recording was dated August 10, 2017, just 50 weeks before David’s fake death. In this file, David explained the entire plan to Kan in chilling detail. “I’ve found the perfect corpse,” David said with satisfaction. “A homeless man named Jeremy Walsh, no family, no one to miss him, the same height and build as me.
Morrison’s contact will take care of him tomorrow night.” Kan’s voice was cold and calculating. “And the death scene. I’ll shoot Jeremy three times in the chest, just like we planned for my fake death. Then we’ll burn his face and hands with acid to make identification difficult. Walsh will handle the rest during the autopsy.” Crawford felt his stomach turn as David continued to explain how they would murder an innocent homeless man just to frame Sara.
“And Sara’s alibi?” Kane asked. “She has a client meeting that evening,” David replied. “I made sure she scheduled it at exactly the time I need. She’ll come home, find the body, call 911, and walk right into our trap.” The recording revealed how carefully they had planned every detail. Morrison would place Sara’s fingerprints on the murder weapon while she was being interrogated. Gunpowder residue would be applied to her hands during the arrest process.
Kan would make sure the investigation focused solely on building a case against Sara. The beauty of this plan, David continued, is that Sara will never see it coming. She thinks I’m just an abusive husband. She has no idea I’m smart enough to plan my own fake death and frame it all on her. Kan laughed. By the time she realizes what’s happened, she’ll be strapped to the execution table, and you’ll be living like a king in Mexico on $15 million.
Another recording from late August showed David practicing his new identity as Richard Stone. He had already obtained false documents and rented an apartment in Tijuana. His escape route was planned down to the minute. “Once Sara is arrested, I’ll wait three days and then drive to the border,” David explained. “Richard Stone has a clean passport and a bank account waiting for him. In a week, I’ll be completely gone.” The final recording in this series was just David’s voice, speaking as if he were writing in a diary.
Tomorrow is the day. Sara has no idea that her beloved husband is about to destroy her life. He will die believing he has failed to prove his innocence. And I will be free to start over with more money than I could have ever dreamed of. Sometimes the best revenge is letting someone else take the blame for your crimes. At 8:20 a.m., just 40 minutes before the execution, Torres found a series of recordings that changed everything.
These weren’t conversations between the conspirators; it was Sara’s voice speaking quietly and urgently. The first recording was dated July 18, 2017. “I don’t know who’s listening to this, but I need to record what I just discovered,” Sara’s voice whispered. David was on the phone in his office, and I heard him talking about faking his own death. At first, I thought I’d misunderstood, but then he mentioned my name. He said I would be blamed for his death.
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