The Minnesota Mother

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[SPEAKER_00]: Warning check the locks podcast is a true crime podcast and may contain graphic descriptions of violence, murder, sexual assault, and more.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Check the locks podcast is not appropriate for all listeners.

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[SPEAKER_00]: Listener discretion is strongly advised.

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[SPEAKER_01]: A Minnesota apartment becomes the scene of a brutal killing when a mother is found dead.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And the person investigators believe is responsible is someone she knew better than anyone.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And a family tragedy begins to look like something far more sinister.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Join me, John Connor, as I discussed the murder of Georgina Lee Monk.

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[SPEAKER_01]: This is Check The Rock's podcast.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Hello, and thank you for joining me as I dive into yet another truly terrifying true crime case.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Before we get started, hope that you are doing well.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Hope it's been a wonderful week, and just wanted to say thank you for letting me hang out with you while you were doing whatever it is you got going on today.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I know for us here, my daughter went back to school this week.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I know for some folks, the summer is still wrapping up and they were like a week or so left.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So I really do hope that you're getting the most out of this wonderful summer weather.

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[SPEAKER_01]: My wife and I went for a walk earlier today, still 91 degrees and hot and humid here.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So hopefully, if you've got the opportunity, you're still enjoying some outside time hanging out with the kids.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I know for us, it's always a bummer when summer's over, but

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[SPEAKER_01]: As a parent, there is something you look forward to about getting a little bit of your time back and the kids getting back on the structure and the routine and things like that.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So as much as I'm bummed out, we're not going to be splash padding as much as we normally do.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I am glad that she's back.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And if your kids still have a week left or, you know, in that time frame, please make sure that you are making the most of it, I did want to say thank you.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I know that I was off last week.

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[SPEAKER_01]: My mom came into town to see my daughter, spend a little time with her, get some quality grandma time in.

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[SPEAKER_01]: She usually only sees her once or twice a year, so it was really cool for her to be able to come and spend some time, take her to do a bunch of fun stuff.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So thank you so much for understanding.

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[SPEAKER_01]: With the summer coming to a close, again, I know that we still got some kids who were getting ready to go back to school.

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[SPEAKER_01]: we are going to do one last short on time this week.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Just be honest with you because I can see the numbers, the downloads and everything like that.

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[SPEAKER_01]: What typically happens over the summer and there's a little inside baseball, but most of the people who listen to this podcast are parents or have kids or you know your on vacation and stuff like that.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So

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[SPEAKER_01]: Usually during the summer the downloads kind of go down a little bit and then rise the kids go back to school everybody catches up so you know just to make it easy simple we're going to do one last short on time this week and then the kid should be back in school next week we'll get back into those normal episodes and and keep the ball rolling there.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And speaking of short on time episodes before we jump into it, I wanted to take a moment to read a Spotify comment from one of our listeners.

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[SPEAKER_01]: This is on our last short on time episode that we did grandmother's house, and this is from Miami Justice.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I love that username.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But Miami Justice said, short on time, long on time, I just appreciate your episodes.

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[SPEAKER_01]: What a scary episode and so heartbreaking.

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[SPEAKER_01]: it definitely was very, very sad.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Again, just kind of devastating when I, you know, was going through that research, I talked a little bit about it on the last episode, but if you haven't heard that one, please go back and check that one out.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And my aim is just to thank you so much for taking the time to leave that Spotify comment.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Really does mean the world that you're not only listened, but that you took the time to leave some feedback.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I really appreciate it and I hope you've been enjoying the episodes and continue doing joy.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I'm as we go forward.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I will say, I didn't need to do this, but I'm kind of keeping in a theme with the episode that we put out last.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, there might be some familiar tones.

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[SPEAKER_01]: In this case, we're gonna cover this week.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's one that just happened a few months ago.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I was not familiar with it, and I'll be honest, I was a little shocked when I stumbled upon it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So again, not a super long one, but I do think it's very interesting.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm gonna be,

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[SPEAKER_01]: Very interested to hear what you have to say in the Facebook group or what your feedback is on this episode as well.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So if you would like to leave some feedback and have your comments right on the show, please.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Hit up Spotify, leave us a Spotify comment.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You can also leave a podcast review on App Podcast.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I would love to get those as well.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And you can also send any feedback to contact at checkboxpod.com.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I would absolutely love to hear from you.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Smoke singles, whatever you got, send that feedback over.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I would absolutely love to hear from you.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So with that, we're gonna go ahead and wrap up the summer short on time.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So we're gonna jump into this weeks' case.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So let's go ahead and break it down.

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[SPEAKER_01]: On June 26th of this year, 17-year-old Taylor McKenzie-Munk walked into her day treatment center in Maplewood, Minnesota.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Now at this time, the reason for Taylor's treatment is unknown, but what we do know is that the 17-year-old approached a staff member with an odd request, asking that a welfare check

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[SPEAKER_01]: According to reports and people who knew her, Gigi centered her life around helping others.

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[SPEAKER_01]: She was a diabetic and was dealing with a foot infection, using a wheelchair to get around.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But Gigi didn't let that stop her.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Despite her health battles, she was a determined advocate for people with disabilities.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Gigi was known for her creativity, and she ran the art department for the disability motivational network, a Minnesota nonprofit organization, and ministry that empowers people with physical and developmental disabilities.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Now on June 26, the staff member noticed that Taylor was acting odd and appeared to be spiraling.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So the police were called, and an officer arrived at the family's apartment, finding

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[SPEAKER_01]: He made his way through the unit and to one of the bedrooms, and there he found Gigi, lying lifeless in her bed with obvious severe blunt force trauma to the head.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Gigi had been murdered.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Homicide investigators were called and they began processing the scene, finding dry blood throughout the apartment, including on the bedroom door knob,

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[SPEAKER_01]: They also found bloody clothing inside Taylor's hamper.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So detectives spoke with a manager at the apartment complex, who said that they were aware of the conflict between the mother and daughter.

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[SPEAKER_01]: The manager told police at the night before they had heard the pair arguing, and it sounded more heated than normal.

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[SPEAKER_01]: At one point, they claimed to have heard Taylor scream, I'll do it, I'll do it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: A neighbor also spoke with police and shared that GG had recently taken Taylor's cell phone

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[SPEAKER_01]: Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the complex, and in the video, Taylor could be seen leaving with a full white garbage bag at around 3.23 in the morning, returning empty handed only moments later.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Then, at 5.27 a.m., Taylor appeared on the video again.

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[SPEAKER_01]: This time holding a hammer, and again returning empty handed only a few moments later.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Then,

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[SPEAKER_01]: Taylor McKinsey monk would be arrested, and when questioned by the police, she told them that she had enjoyed a normal evening with her mom, claiming that she had heard a loud scream and a thud at around 3am, but she thought that it came from an upstairs apartment.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Taylor also told police that she had taken out the trash because it was just one of her chores, and she claimed that her mother had asked her to return the hammer to the garage, indicating that they kept it in the home for self-defense.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But as the interview went on, the truth seemed to slip out.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Taylor told detectives that there had been conflict with her and her mother, and that she had been struggling with her mental health.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And at some point, she claimed that a thought had just popped into her head.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Get rid of anybody who hurts you in your life or anyone who dare hurt you.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Telling investigators that her mother was the closest, saying,

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[SPEAKER_01]: I couldn't wait another year of all the criticism and all of the manipulations, the mental and emotional abuse, I just couldn't, it was too much.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Taylor McKinsey Monk was charged with second-degree murder with intent, and as of now there have been no reports of a plea bargain being entered, or of an attorney representing the 17-year-old.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Gigi's friends and family are obviously still heartbroken.

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[SPEAKER_01]: With one saying, we miss her so much.

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[SPEAKER_01]: She was an amazing soul.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Love ones plan to come together sometime soon for a celebration of life.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So obviously we're gonna keep an eye on this case, track any developments, and I'll make sure that I loop back and provide any updates to it.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But that is this week's case, and as always, I just wanted to share some final thoughts.

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[SPEAKER_01]: First and foremost, as I had mentioned in the beginning of the episode, tonally and thematically, this is very similar to the last episode that I dropped called grandmother's house, which again, if you haven't listened to that one, please go back and do.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But if you did listen, you may remember me saying that, you know, I was kind of surprisingly overwhelmed as I was going through the research on that one.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It just hit me a little bit harder than I thought it was going to.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And I have to say that this case did the exact same thing.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I think the first reason for that is that my wife's stepmother is affectionately known as Gigi.

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[SPEAKER_01]: We actually went to Gigi's house for brunch yesterday and spent the day hanging out with her.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And so I think, you know, going through the research and seeing that Georgina's nickname was Gigi and people called her that affectionately.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I think that just kind of resonated with me because

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[SPEAKER_01]: terrible things, this violent beating, and then, you know, your brain is just associating it with somebody that you really care about.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that kind of hit me a little harder than I was expecting.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And then as I had mentioned earlier, my wife and I went out and walked today, and she's not really a true crime fan.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I know I've talked about it before, but every once in a while, she was like, you know, what are you doing for this week's case, you know, talking to me a little bit

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[SPEAKER_01]: In those cases, because she doesn't kind of invite this chaos in, like a lot of us true crime people do.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So I just gave her an overview and kind of talked about what was going on with the case, without getting into crazy detail.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But, you know, I look at her.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I said, you know, I don't think this woman ever looked at her child when her daughter was our daughter's age, right?

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[SPEAKER_01]: And it was like, oh, one day, this kid is going to take my life.

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[SPEAKER_01]: because as a parent, I think that's just something that you don't ever really think to prepare yourself for.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm sure that there are some cases and obviously Taylor had some serious mental issues going on.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Some mental health stuff.

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[SPEAKER_01]: She openly said that to the police.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Again, we don't know what she was in that day treatment center for.

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[SPEAKER_01]: This is totally just speculation, but, you know, we would make a lot of sense to me if it was for some kind of mental health treatment or disorder or something of that nature.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But I don't think any parent really, you know, except for these maybe isolated situations, but I think it's very uncommon for a parent to look at their child and think that that could even be a possibility.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, it's heartbreaking because we spend

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[SPEAKER_01]: all of our time with our children, you know, if you're doing it right, we're doing it the best you can, right, like you want to show them what unconditional love is.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And you want to help them grow up to be the best person that they can be and to feel accepted and to feel safe, you know, and then when these kind of terrible stories happen, because we've covered a few of them on the podcast

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, your kids are supposed to outlive you, and not only your kids supposed to outlive you, you know, your kids aren't supposed to take your life.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, especially over a cell phone or, you know, whatever mother-daughter disagreement may have been going on, I think in her statement to police, you know, Taylor made it very clear that she felt like she was being judged and criticized and

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[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I don't know if it was a case of feeling over-controlled, but, you know, nothing, I think prepares you for what this type of outcome was.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, my heart just breaks first for Taylor because she's 17 and is now thrown her entire life away.

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[SPEAKER_01]: you know, over again, if this was over a argument about a cell phone, like, you know, you've, you've potentially given yourself life in prison, you know, over a disagreement with your mother.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And then, you know, my heart also breaks for Gigi, you know, she, I'm, I really do feel like the majority of parents do the best they can, you know, and whatever

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[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, it's just, it's tragic.

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[SPEAKER_01]: It's heartbreaking.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And then to know that Gigi was also so invested in helping others and it's obvious that the people who cared about her devastated by this as well.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And I've mentioned it before, but it's that ripple effect.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So you throw one stone into a lake and it just goes out and out and out.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, if I'm talking debble to have something like this, I would definitely, I'm gonna put this in eight.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Again,

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[SPEAKER_01]: Am I worried about this happening to me, no, but I don't think anyone who actually goes through something like this is worried it's going to happen to them.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that's why I'd have to put a little bit higher on the list, but as always, I want to hear from you the listener, the locksmith, where does the murder of?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Georgina Lee monk fall on your devil test.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You can let me know, reach out on Instagram, check a lot's pod.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You can find me at Twitter, check the lots.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And if you're not in our Facebook group, what the heck are you doing?

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[SPEAKER_01]: Come hang out with me.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I would love the opportunity to get to spend some time media, get to know you here, which I think about the cases.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I said it a million times, but it really is the best place on the internet, shout out to one of our members Scott.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Anytime we have a new member, he's the first one, hey, welcome to the chill group.

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[SPEAKER_01]: uh... everybody is super cool and and cordial and kind to each other so if that sounds like the kind of place that you would like to hang out there's a link in the description the episode that you listen to right now click that link answer a few questions come on hang out i would love to have you as part of our community

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[SPEAKER_01]: And as always, if you like the pod, you want to help support the show.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You can do so by becoming a patron head over to patreon.com for slash check the locks, get signed up.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Today we got a lot of great tiers, exclusive benefits, stickers, coffee mugs, stuff like that.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But you also get the episodes commercial free and I try to get them out early whenever I can.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So again, if you like the podcast, but you hate those commercials.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Then Patreon is the way to go.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So again, if you want to help me out, nickel dime, whatever you got, that is patreon.com forward.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So let's check the last you can get signed up today.

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[SPEAKER_01]: And if you can't financially support the show, just hang it out with me and listen in the show and share in it with your friends and family means just as much if not more.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Again, I say it every week.

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[SPEAKER_01]: But this is a small grassroots podcast, right?

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[SPEAKER_01]: And anytime you tell people that it exists or you suggest an episode or a case to them, it helps us grow exponentially.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Just know that if you were sharing this in any way shape reform, it really does mean the world to me and I appreciate you so very much.

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[SPEAKER_01]: That is all that I have for you for this week's case, but please make sure that you're subscribed.

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[SPEAKER_01]: You check the locks in your favorite podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I will see you again next week with another truly terrifying true crime case, but until then remember, monsters are real.

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[SPEAKER_01]: So stay safe.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Stay ready.

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[SPEAKER_01]: Don't forget to check the locks.

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[SPEAKER_01]: I'll see you next week.