Incest & Murder – The Cheryl Pierson Story

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What drives a young girl to take drastic measures in the face of unimaginable torment? Cheryl Pearson's story forces us to confront the haunting realities of life behind closed doors. As you tune into this emotional episode of Human Wreckage, you'll hear how a 16-year-old cheerleader from Long Island bravely protected her younger sister from the horrors she herself endured. Cheryl's chilling account of the relentless abuse by her father reveals a stark failure by those around her to recognize the signs and act. Her desperate decision to end the cycle will leave you grappling with the complexities of justice and survival.

The episode delves into the unsettling dynamics of Cheryl's case, dissecting the societal silence that often envelopes child incest victims and the psychological scars such abuse leaves behind. We explore the legal proceedings that followed, questioning the fairness of a system that handed Cheryl a manslaughter conviction despite the appalling circumstances. As Cheryl's story unfolds, it challenges us to rethink the protection offered to victims like her, and whether true justice is ever served. Join us as we navigate this gripping and tragic tale, and reflect on the broader implications for both victims and society at large.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
16-year-old Cheryl Pearson was a popular
cheerleader from Long Islandwith numerous friends and a
loving boyfriend, robert Cuccio.
But behind this facade ofnormality, she was harboring a
horrific secret.
Welcome to another episode ofHuman Wreckage.
On this episode we cover thecase.
Cheryl Pearson Is what she didjustice.
Let's get into it.

(00:44):
Since the tender age of 11,cheryl's father, james Pearson
SR, had been molesting her.
The first assault happened whenJames was driving Cheryl to
visit her mother in hospital.
As they drove he fondled her.
She later recollected how hewould often force her to the bed
and tell her to pretend that hewas her boyfriend.
She was subjected to all kindsof sex and was often being raped

(01:07):
at least twice a day.
Whenever James felt as thoughCheryl was acting out of place,
he would beat her mercilesslyand would even exact punishment
on her dog, coco.
He kicked her so hard that shebounced off the wall and then
cried for hours.
He wouldn't let me go near herto comfort her.
She kept crying and it made mefeel so sad I wanted to die.
Cheryl said he was a tickingtime bomb.

(01:30):
He had such a ferocious temperthat he once punched Cheryl in
the face when he learned she hadsent a Valentine's Day card to
a boy that he didn't approve of.
Cheryl often showed up toschool riddled with bruises.
When Cheryl's mother passedaway in 1985, she hoped the
abuse would cease.
But her hopes couldn't havebeen further from the truth.
In fact, the abuse became morefrequent and Cheryl would be

(01:53):
raped up to three times a day.
16-year-old Sean Pica satbeside Cheryl in their high
school homeroom as the duochatted one day about a recent
hitman murder.
Cheryl confided in Sean thatshe wanted somebody to kill her
father.
After withstanding the abuse foryears, cheryl reached her final
tether when her fatherthreatened that he would rape
her eight-year-old sister.

(02:13):
One afternoon, when Cheryl camehome from school, she found
James and her younger sisterroughhousing around on the
carpet.
She was seething.
She didn't want her sister togo through the same trauma she
had been subjected to.
Cheryl decided she would askSean if he would kill her father
for her.
After informing her boyfriendRobert of the plan, he collected

(02:34):
$1,000 which would be paid toSean once the job was done.
On the afternoon of the 5th ofFebruary 1986, sean hid behind a
tree outside the Pearsonhousehold armed with a .22
caliber rifle.
When James stepped foot out ofthe door to go to work as an
electrician, sean shot him dead.
It wouldn't be long untilrumors were circulating around

(02:55):
their high school.
Multiple pupils had heardCheryl, sean and Robert talking
about hit men.
By the following week, cheryl,sean and Robert were arrested.
Both Cheryl and Sean pleadedguilty to
manslaughter.
As the lurid details of herfather's sexual abuse came to
light, numerous witnesses cameforward to admit that they had
failed to act on signs of thesexual abuse.

(03:17):
Many people said they knewsomething was awry but didn't
know what to do about it or ifthey should report it.
Alberta Kosser, a neighbor ofthe Pearson family, said she
didn't go to the authoritiesbecause I'd never seen it.
Maybe I blocked it out of mymind To think that such a thing
could go on.
I didn't want to.
Cheryl's own step-uncle knew ofthe abuse and decided to

(03:38):
testify on her behalf at thelast
minute.
For all those tormenting yearsCheryl kept quiet and didn't
tell a soul.
Many question why she didn'tspeak up, but silent on the part
of a child-incest victim isclassic.
Often children blame themselvesand the silence avoids the
betrayal of a parent.
Furthermore, it protects thefear of disbelief or the
accusations of lying.

(03:59):
Experts estimate that one tofour percent of all women have
been sexually abused by theirfathers or stepfathers.
The judge argued that Cheryl'slife wasn't threatened, to which
her therapist rebuffed byreferring to incest as the
murder of the soul.
The feelings literally dieinside and what you have left is
a shell.
Although the judge found Cherylto be the victim of frequent,

(04:21):
repeated incest at the hands ofher father, he sentenced her to
six months in jail.
Taking into consideration thatthe prosecution was recommending
two to six years, it could haveended worse.
Ultimately, cheryl served threeand a half months of her
sentence before she wasreleased.
When Cheryl was released,robert was waiting for her.
He had been given probation asan accessory.

(04:43):
The couple got married the sameyear in St Louis de Montfort
Roman Catholic Church.
Three years later, cheryl gavebirth to their first child,
samantha.
Three years later, they hadanother daughter, casey.
Sean was released on the 13thof December 2002 after serving
16 years for his part in themurder.
During his time incarcerated,sean joined a prison education

(05:06):
program called Hudson Link,which gave him the opportunity
to earn a bachelor's degree.
In addition to his owneducation, he assisted other
inmates in learning to read andwrite.
After his release, seanreturned to prison to run their
college program.
Becoming the executive directorof Hudson Link, he speaks
around the country to highschool students and helps

(05:27):
paroled inmates get back ontheir feet.
Following their release In 2016, cheryl and Robert wrote a book
detailing her traumatic past,which is titled Incest, murder
and a Miracle.
Thanks again for joining me onthis episode.
Let me know what you think inthe comments.
If you like what I do, pleaselike and subscribe.
Till next time, take care ofyourselves.

(05:49):
Thank you, you.