October 18, 2025 • 56 mins
In the dead of night, first-grade teacher Bridget Kelly sat alone in her apartment, preparing for bed—until an intruder forced his way in with a gun. What followed was horror: an abduction, rape, and gunshots in a remote field. But when all odds seemed lost, Bridget chose to keep fighting.
In this episode of Chillworthy, we trace the darkest moments of that night in Killeen, Texas—the forced drive at gunpoint, the terror in the backseat, the betrayal of trust, the moments of pleading, and the shocking violence meant to end her life. Yet, her spirit refused to die. Crawling through pain and fear, she made a break for safety, knocking on strangers’ doors in desperation until one answered.
How did she survive? What haunted her after the assault? And how did that night change everything she knew about vulnerability and strength?
Join us as we unravel the timeline of violence and the aftershocks of resilience—this is Chillworthy exploring survival, trauma, and the quiet resolve that can emerge from heartbreak.
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Instagram: @chillworthypodcast
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Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/chillworthy--6229613/support.
DISCLAIMER The content presented on Chillworthy, including all episodes, transcripts, social media posts, and associated materials, is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The podcast does not offer legal, medical, psychological, or professional advice of any kind. While the hosts—Brent and Talia—make a good faith effort to ensure that the information shared is based on publicly available sources and is as accurate as possible at the time of recording, Chillworthy does not guarantee the completeness, timeliness, or reliability of any statements made. Listeners should be aware that cases may involve ongoing legal proceedings or developments that evolve over time. The hosts are not licensed attorneys, journalists, law enforcement professionals, or forensic experts. Opinions expressed in the podcast reflect the personal views of the hosts and do not represent factual determinations or official findings. All individuals named or discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Any resemblance to real individuals or entities, outside of those explicitly named, is purely coincidental. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by any legal authority, news outlet, or investigative body. By listening to Chillworthy, you acknowledge and accept these terms and agree not to hold the hosts or producers liable for any inaccuracies, misstatements, or interpretations derived from the content.
In this episode of Chillworthy, we trace the darkest moments of that night in Killeen, Texas—the forced drive at gunpoint, the terror in the backseat, the betrayal of trust, the moments of pleading, and the shocking violence meant to end her life. Yet, her spirit refused to die. Crawling through pain and fear, she made a break for safety, knocking on strangers’ doors in desperation until one answered.
How did she survive? What haunted her after the assault? And how did that night change everything she knew about vulnerability and strength?
Join us as we unravel the timeline of violence and the aftershocks of resilience—this is Chillworthy exploring survival, trauma, and the quiet resolve that can emerge from heartbreak.
Click here to leave a donation to support the podcast
Click here to see all links
Find us on socials:
Instagram: @chillworthypodcast
Bluesky: @chillworthypodcast
Skylight: @chillworthypodcast
Youtube: @chillworthypodcast
Tiktok: @chillworthypodcast
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/chillworthy--6229613/support.
DISCLAIMER The content presented on Chillworthy, including all episodes, transcripts, social media posts, and associated materials, is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The podcast does not offer legal, medical, psychological, or professional advice of any kind. While the hosts—Brent and Talia—make a good faith effort to ensure that the information shared is based on publicly available sources and is as accurate as possible at the time of recording, Chillworthy does not guarantee the completeness, timeliness, or reliability of any statements made. Listeners should be aware that cases may involve ongoing legal proceedings or developments that evolve over time. The hosts are not licensed attorneys, journalists, law enforcement professionals, or forensic experts. Opinions expressed in the podcast reflect the personal views of the hosts and do not represent factual determinations or official findings. All individuals named or discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Any resemblance to real individuals or entities, outside of those explicitly named, is purely coincidental. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by any legal authority, news outlet, or investigative body. By listening to Chillworthy, you acknowledge and accept these terms and agree not to hold the hosts or producers liable for any inaccuracies, misstatements, or interpretations derived from the content.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
You're listening to Chillworthy.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
A podcast where two best friends discuss mysteries, murders, and
anything in between for your enjoyment.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
So if you're ready to hear some chilling and unsettling cases,
you're in the right place, happy listening. Hello, Hello, everyone,
Welcome back to the first episode of season three of
Chillworthy with Brenton Talia.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Hi, everybody, season three?
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Wow? Wow, indeed he What what are you thinking as
we begin this new season? Not a heck of a lot.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
It's fine, star, I say that.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
So yeah, well really, season three for us wasn't much
of a break in terms of between two and three.
Two and three, But so what have you been reading
since we took our one week break?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
So I had said to you and you thought I
was crazy, But nothing new there that book What kind
of Paradise? And I said I had to take breaks?
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Oh yeah, yeah, scaring me.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
It wasn't scaring me, but it was like unsettling. I
have to say I would not recommend and I hate
to say that, you know, I hate it.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
But what was so wrong about it?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Was wrong? It just it wasn't I didn't find it
totally believable with some of the stuff. I think it's
very difficult when a book is being written. And I'm
always impressed with books in this like little genre of people,
(01:56):
children whatever being raised off the grid and like, oh god, yes,
no memory of like or whatever of the outside world.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
So I remember that other book and I thought, God,
this is boring.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yes with Kimmy Cunningham, and we were like, you were
talking about it, and I said, oh my god, it
reminds me of this one book. I freaking loved that book.
Let's look that up right now, because that, I mean,
I've definitely remember what it was called. Well me neither,
which is so sad. But I know Kimmy Cunningham was
the author, and I know I've talked about here these
silent woulds. Oh yeah, I gave it five stars. I
(02:28):
this one day Brent and I were talking and he's like, yeah,
I read this book and it was all, you know, awful.
I didn't enjoy.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
It and it was awful. It was just boring. Wow,
nothing ever happened. There was no twist. Nothing happened.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Are you talking about? No twist? So very similar though
with Father and Young Girl, and that's what I sort
of was thinking this was going to be about. And
I'm glad it was very different. Similar premise though, but
the father.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
I mean, I mean, are you glad it was different?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
You hated it because the main character was extremely disturbing.
If you remember anything from These Silent Woods. I thought
that father character was very endearing. Do you remember him?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yeah, I remember him.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
I liked him. I thought he was a wonderful father.
I think it was just there were very likable characters
in that book. And yea, I guess actually that was
part of this. I didn't particularly love the majority of
the characters in this hall right, and that always sort
of awaised me. Yeah, so I gave it three stars.
(03:37):
Like I said, I don't think I would really necessarily recommend. Oh,
that's what I was going to say. How I didn't
think everything like sort of made sense to me. But
I think those are hard books to write with like
what someone who's living off the grid is aware of
modern society. Like in this book, they were still going
into town at times, so I think that gave the
(03:57):
author simile way of like what they wouldn't kind of
be aware.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Iout going, she went met a friend at a book
or at a coffee shop, and they were like, what
are you gonna do?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yes, exactly when you turn eighteen. Then things freakin went
off the deep end shortly after that. So it kept
me very sucked in and I got through it quickly,
this book because it was like fast paced. So then
I always struggle with those ratings too, because then it's like, well,
to me, that's a sign of a good book. It
kept my attention, so I did still, like I said,
give it three. But what I thought was really interesting
(04:27):
at the end of the book and the acknowledgments. She says,
as I'm sure some of you already know, I based
the father off Ted Kaczynski, the unibomber, and I thought, shit,
I don't know a lot about him, Like that's so
fascinating to me. So then she says, I listened to
this podcast that helped me sort of like develop this character.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Hill Worthy, me and I.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
So it's called Project Unibomb And so she says, like
she listened to this podcast as she was developing this character,
and I was like, oh, well, I remember as a
kid being fascinated by you and a bomber, but like
I didn't know much. I still don't. So I started
listening to this podcast. Very good so far, so okay,
Little Shout Out to Them Right also started and finished
(05:19):
Since We Met Last The Last Thing He Told Me
by Laura Dave. I read another one by her Oh gosh,
if only goodness curious. The other one was called The
Night We Lost Him. So this current one I gave
four Oh, I gave them both four stars. So also
very fast paced. It's about a man and a woman.
(05:42):
They're married, he has a stepdaughter. He ends up going missing.
That's all I'll say. Very fast paced. I thought it
was well written. It was good. Then I have started
Ten Kids, Two love Birds, and a Singing Mermaid by
Kathy Lamb. This book, so Erica read it, her mom
read it. No, it is definitely not for you. Erica's
(06:04):
mom read it first, recommended it, like highly recommended it.
Erica read it, and now I'm reading it. It is
so freaking good. It is not what I was expecting.
It's a summer read, for sure, like in terms of
it takes place in the summer, takes place in the seventies,
about these two families. What why did you make that
feast the seventies?
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Oh gosh, a period piece? No, I'm out.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Well it's very good. And then I, you know, now
that the weather has started to change a little bit,
mornings are super chilly, evenings are super chilly. There's been
like less humidity. It feels like fall is solidly in
the air. You know, we might still have some hot days,
oh we will, right right, but it is feeling lovely lately.
So I've really been, like, you know, looking at my
(06:48):
fall reading list and fall books and what am I
going to do? And I really like, now I'm creating
mysteries more so. I started Only if You're Lucky by
Stacy Willingham. I got to thirty percent in that, so
still have quite a ways to go. But I've read
other books by her, A Flicker in the Dark. Did
you read that one? I loved that book, I'm not sure,
(07:09):
and then all the Dangerous Things I did not read.
But she has a new release coming out with this
Tuesday called Forget Me Not and I want it batt oh,
And it sounds a little summary, so I could maybe
pull that off before the season's solidly changed. And that's it.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
That's it. Huh, all right, well, wait, do you want
to talk about your new editions? Talia's very excited that
I got a few more fish.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I'm very excited, I said to him. I was doing
my topic list for today, and my first topic I
had listed was you got new a fish exclamation point.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, but one of them's dead.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
You know, it's the circle of life. It's very sad.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
So I got a better He.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Died, the poor soul. I think it was a peaceful though,
I hope.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
And then the rest are just.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Just are you kidding me? You're forgetting the most important
one ghost shrimp everybody. I saw it today. I saw
one of them today. This thing, holy moly, looks like
literally a ghost mixed with Lauvager the crystal yes, and
shrimp as well. A shrimp. Yes, you're correct. No, I
can't find it, but it is so big. And also
(08:25):
tell them the good news about the ghost shrimp.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
I believe one might be with children, but I don't
have sure.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Well I'm freaking pumped.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
So anyway, But Peto does have a a refund, so
I have to take the beta back and I can't
get another one. I can't do that to another beta.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
You've got to figure out what's what. Well, you were
trying to do the right thing by getting it out.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Of that that cup hell right.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Things, but breeding factory. Let's move on to a very
exciting thing that will be beginning that you will be well, I.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Think we use the word very exciting loosely, but I disagree.
I just thought, you know, now that we're in season three,
there'll be a nice new little segment, a relatively quick one,
of course, where I will be going through the alphabet.
Every episode will be a new letter and we're just
(09:27):
going to talk about an old tradition. No, I'm sorry,
stupor superstition.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
So no, wait, before you go into any of this,
did you or do you still believe in some like
you're superstitious to a degree.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Yeah, I'm trying to think of something that I.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Like, if you were to do see a black cat? No,
would you cross the street?
Speaker 1 (10:00):
No, we have in my home.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
I'm just trying to give people example making conversation. Jeez, Louise,
would you walk under a ladder.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
If? Yeah, probably, if it was the only way to
get through something you Actually we.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Did talk about this recently. Was my Friday the thirteenth
episode and you talked about burying mirror bits.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Yeah, so, but that was a long time ago.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Would you do it if you broke a mirror today,
I suspect you would.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah, maybe I would.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
So maybe are you superstitious?
Speaker 2 (10:32):
I think I'm very superstitious. I knock on wood a lot.
I I'm like superstitious. I feel like in the way
of like speaking, like don't say i'll see you soon,
I'll be back. I think that just is impending doom.
I said to you the other day about bugs. The
(10:52):
bugs were showing up. I forget. I saw like this
crazy looking black and white spotted hornet outside. Then the
other bug that I said I saw, and I was like,
this is very bad bug luck, A lot of bad
bug luck.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Well, I don't remember any of the Oh, speaking.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Of bugs, I want to say, real quick, guess what. Well,
I don't know what I saw today. I told Erica
about it. I called it a locust. I don't even
know what that is. But she's like, oh, I think
that's a cicada, and I think they're the same thing.
But she said she wasn't positive, so it's And she
also commented, I'm like, oh, it's what you're hearing at night.
Which when this little thing happened this morning, this little
(11:27):
showdown I had with it. It made a really loud
sound before it flew away, and I was like, shit,
that kind of sounds like what's happening at night. This
thing was so big. I'm not even kidding you. It
was probably three quarters of the length of my pot.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Oh, get out of it, which I know is not.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Very big, but for a bug it is. The wings
on it, it was so big. One of the dogs
was just staring at it, and I like stopped and
I'm thinking, lot the hell is that? Then Erica also
said they're blind. Apparently I didn't know this well for
being blind. This thing, I will say it like haphazardly
(12:06):
went into the air, but it flew right for a
tree and got right in the tree. Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 1 (12:12):
It's wild. That's all the time we have for this segment,
and unfortunately I didn't actually get to the segment.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Now stop it go ahead, all right?
Speaker 1 (12:27):
So I wanted to talk about the superstitions revolving around apples.
Apples for a So there's an old English proverb that
says an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I
think we've all heard that.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Surely, right, do you subscribe to that belief? Right?
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Another one says to eat an apple without rubbing it
first is to challenge the.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Devil interest and very intense.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Fascinating, and last from this old English proverb, a bad
woman can't make good apple sauce. It gets mushy.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Wait now, a bad woman cannot make good apple sauce.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
It gets mushy.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
So all right, noice, we have it right.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
So many many years ago, maybe still today, but I
don't think it's as prevalent. People used to use it
for finding future husbands apples. Yes, So what you would
do was you would give one twist of the stem
for each letter of the alphabet, and wherever it broke,
(13:43):
that's the first initial of your true love. So you
could say the following apple peel, apple peel twist, then rest,
show me the one that I'll love best, apple peel
over my shoulder. Fly, show me the one I'll love
(14:06):
till I die. Shaw me ye, show me the one.
So that's also fascinating. What just what I said? But
don't let me bother you.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Do you think people really did this?
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Oh? I'm sure they did so you know. Then, of
course we have the Greeks. They thought that apples stood
for immortality, and almost all of the English speaking places
believed in its magical qualities, and of course it we use.
It was used to prove Newton's law of gravity, so
(14:47):
take that for what you will. And of course, the
most famous legend regarding the apple is the American folk
tale of Johnny apple Seed. So there we have it.
Superstitions revolving around apples that I found.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Yes, so it is my case that we are going
to do today, and this case is going to be
the case of Bridget Kelly.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
I've always liked that name, which Bridget.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yes, it's a very nice name.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
I think so too.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
So now this one is a little bit different than
our normal because it you know, it's a true crime,
but it is a true crime with a survivor.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
We typically never have that right, So most uplifting of you.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
To thank you. Now you know the trigger warning for
this would be sexual assault, so just so and well
for Italian home invasion, but for most people, well, yes.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
I think both pack a punch.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
I don't know, I've never heard of people not watching
movies because of a home invasion.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Really, you've never besides you no, have you no?
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Any way? So who is Bridget Kelly?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
I think I've also I like the name Kelly as well.
Now that we're talking about.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Well, I do too. Kelly Kapowski.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Oh that last name is all She was so pretty? Yeah,
so damn pretty. Who else was on that show? Lisa Turtle? Oh,
Jesse Spano wowsa. We don't have enough time to get
into that.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Now, go ahead, all right, Bridget Kelly. She was twenty
four years old at this time that this happened. She
had grown up in Omaha, Nebraska, and she was the
third of four children in a pretty close knit Catholic family.
So she went to Hm, I'm not going to be
(17:12):
able to pronounce this duchene d u c h E
s n E.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
I was gonna say, do Shane, Okay, we'll go now,
don't go by me.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
She went to that academy and Saint Louis University. Okay, right.
So Bridget was known to be driven by an adventurous
spirit and just an overall lovely individual. So by two
thousand and two, she was in her first year of
teaching first grade in Texas, and this was near the
(17:53):
Fort Hood Army Base, not Fort Worth, Fort Hood get it.
Colleagues described her as kind, intelligent, and dedicated to her students.
All nice for a teacher to be. Absolutely, Bridget was
also a woman of faith and determination, and these qualities,
(18:15):
sadly were going to have to be tested in the
very near future when this is taking place. So she
lived on her own, and you know, I mean she
liked her independence, and she was very happy being a teacher,
and you know, she was just never imagining the fate
that was about to take place in her house, which
(18:37):
was a horrific crime, but as I said, an inspiring story. Also.
So the night that this crime happens, so it is
June twenty first, two thousand and two, so it's the
first day of summer, and it was a typical day
for Bridget. That night, she drove a friend home for
(19:00):
the airport in Austin, which was about an eighty mile trip.
So then she returns home to her apartment and she
gets there a little bit after midnight. So Bridget gets home,
she goes inside, she double locks the doors, and she
(19:22):
starts getting ready for bed. But she has no idea
that there is a predator lurking outside.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Oh, I thought you were gonna say, already inside the
house like waiting.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
No, So all of a sudden like literally, you know,
with no kind of warning. The door jam explodes inward
and it strikes Bridget in the face and knocks her
to the floor. And so this now intruder who's now
in her home is an eighteen year.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Old a kiddo, unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
So his name was Jamal Turner. So he bursts into
the house and he has a nine millimeter handgun.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
A gun?
Speaker 1 (20:08):
A gun?
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Is that what blew the door jam? Like, did he
shoot it or like, assuming it wasn't like a little
tiny bomb or something.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
I thought he just like ran up and kicked it.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Oh that's what I picked ye, okay, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So obviously Bridget is terrified. So this kid presses a
gun to her chest and demands money.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Oh so you.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Know, she's now like pleading for her life. Obviously, she
offers him everything, you know, So she says, take my money,
take my car. She's just begging him, you know. She
starts to like pray out loud. She's trying to like
make him see her as human, you know, have some
type of like connection on a human level, like that
(20:56):
kind of thing. So then Bridget says that, you know,
she's like trying to talk to him from being a teacher.
You know, of course she's a first grade teacher. So
she was telling him that she's a teacher, and she's like,
you know, I really loved like children's stories were like
(21:21):
very important to me growing up and they are still now.
So now she's trying to ask him what are his
favorite you know, did he have any favorite childhood stories?
Speaker 2 (21:31):
And I don't think he wants to about that right now.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
So you know, she starts trying to talk about like,
I guess one of them, which was Peter Rabbit, but
he tells her to shut up.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
As you said, yeah, I didn't think he'd be in
the mood.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
No, so he is very unmoved by any of this.
So now so he's got the gun at her side
and he is forcing Bridget out of her home and
into his car, no I'm sorry, into her car because
he wanted to get to an ATM. Now, I don't
know what made him pick her to do this, like
(22:12):
to like to drive to an ATM. I mean, she's
just she's a single woman coming home to an apartment.
Like I don't know if she's really rolling in it,
but true, it's an odd I don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
I was thinking, like maybe when if he set out
that night to do this, like with that plan, just
kind of like what do I say? What should I say?
Wrong place, wrong time, like her coming home so late?
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Wrong that like it was just ideal for him knowing
that she just got back. But again, what does that
necessarily mean? Like you can break in anywhere? I don't know,
but you're right, you wouldn't necessarily associate those circumstances with
someone who would have like a ton in the bank.
But so who knows.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
But anyway, so he wants to drive to an ATM,
so he he has her be the driver. They drive
to the nearest ATM and they withdraw two hundred.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Dollars, so not even that much.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
No, and this is twenty twenty two, No, twenty two
thousand and two. We're not saying nineteen fifty, right, but
you know whatever, So she hands over the money, and
of course she's just praying like this is where it stops.
But of course it did not stop. So instead of
(23:26):
letting her go, the kidnapper tightens his grip on her
and sliding behind the wheel and so like he then,
I guess, slides behind the wheel and he starts driving
further away from her house from like the public, you know,
(23:49):
like the town, like just out into a rural area.
So you know, the night is pitch black out there
as they leave the city and they head to the
outskirts of this. I guess it's like it was a
new subdivision that was happening, Like there was a bunch
of construction fields and stuff, but it was obviously totally
(24:10):
abandoned because of the time of day. So Bridget is
obviously very scared. You know, she's isolated, she's being held captive,
and she's realizing like that, you know, like why is
he taking her out there? Obviously, and it's not like
he had a mask on or anything, so I mean
she has seen him this whole time. So she is
(24:33):
quoted in saying, I was thinking, maybe he's going to
rape me, maybe he's going to kill me. I guess
that's what she told ABC News. So in that moment,
her instinct for survival kicked in and she kept she
kept saying out loud, the hail Mary's you know, which
I'm of course not as I don't know what that
(24:56):
sounds like.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Well, I could certainly recite it for you if you
would like, oh, over and over, if you.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Chose that's that's really your call. But but I don't know.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
I always assumed that it stemmed from Catholicism, but maybe
it didn't. It's part of the rosary. Like when you say, oh, okay,
the Rosary, you're saying, like a decade I should say
is ten hail Mary's. Like, so hail Mary's are like
a huge part of the rosary. When you're saying it,
you can obviously say that he'll Mary, Hail Mary, full
of grace. The Lord is with the blessed art the
(25:28):
almng women, and absolutely not Jesus.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
I'm thinking it was like, you know, like now I
lay me down to sleep, no type of type of thing. Well,
it sounded lovely whatever you were saying.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
I think it's a lovely prayer.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Yeah great, then we're on the same page. So anyway,
this is what she's saying. Okay, yeah great. So she
says that, I think probably just to try to stay
as calm as she can't. Who knows, but I mean,
giving yourself something to focus on is probably not bad. Now,
the car stops in this empty field and it's bordered
(26:03):
by weeds, and like I said, these half built homes,
of course completely abandoned. Yes, so obviously this guy still
has the gun on her, and you know, he orders
Bridget to take off her clothes, so she obeys him,
(26:24):
and of course she's a nervous wreck. So but she
in a desperate, like split second decision, she decides to
turn and run into the darkness. Sadly though, she did
not get far because he chased her down almost instantly,
and so he's holding the gun, you know, forces Bridget
to get down on the ground. So she's laying there
(26:48):
and she, I guess, makes one final like plead to
him and says, God doesn't want you to do this.
This is what she tells him, but he ignored that,
and this is when he rapes her at gunpoint, inflicting
this thing that she was thinking was going to happen
from basically the get go of when he barged into
our house. So Bridget described this as just this like
(27:12):
surreal sense that she was like not completely alone in
the moment. She's quoted as saying, as he was on
top of me, it was like God was holding my
hand saying just hold on, just hold on, I've got you.
That is her direct quote. Wow, So Bridget remained conscious,
(27:32):
I guess, for all of this attack. And when that
was done, the attacker makes his final, probably most brutal move,
I guess, because he orders Bridget to get up and
go stand like a little bit away from him, turn
around so he can shoot her. So she's she has
(27:53):
no clothing on. He tells her to do this. The man,
I guess did not want to see her face when
he did this, so Bridget kind of already realized what now,
what was happening? So she turns away and she braces herself.
So he does shoot, and I believe the first shot
he made missed, but then he shoots again and the
(28:21):
bullet went right into her back, and you know, pushes
her to the ground. And obviously now she's on the
ground in a lot of pain. She fights the instinct
to move because she's thinking, you know, just play dead.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Good point.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Yeah, So she's lying motionless, she's just hoping he's going
to go away, like leave her there. Sadly, again, this
man did not just go away. He steps forward and
stood over her, and he shoots her two more times
in the back. So then this is when her you know,
she goes unconscious, and I think he thinks so that
(28:59):
she was dead, so he's thinking she's dead. He finally leaves.
He steals Bridget's car and her money, obviously, and he
disappears into the night and he leaves her in that place,
like I said, just lying there bleeding. But as I
said to you in the beginning, this is a survivor story.
(29:21):
So Bridget did not die. For a few minutes, there
was only stillness in the dark field because Bridget had
now been shot three times, so one had gone right
through her abdomen. The other two were lodged near some
of her organs, so it's completely silent. So now she
(29:42):
realizes that the shooter is gone. But she was obviously
like majorly wounded, no clothes, she's probably freezing, but she
manages to stand up. Oh my gosh. And later I
guess when this is being an interview, she is quoted
in saying like I stood up and I did not fall,
(30:06):
like in this like kind of proud right esque way
of talking. So Bridget forced herself onto her feet. She's
up right now. There's like blood falling from all these wounds,
so her body wasn't a lot of shock I guess.
Later it was discovered that the bullets had shredded her stomach, liver, diaphragm,
(30:31):
colon in testing's in testines end spleen.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Oh my god, it's a miracle.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
She was, of course, so in the distance, though, I
guess across this open field, Bridget said that she did
see some faint lights like it was another newly built
and finished subdivision from where she was. So she said
those porch lights were her only hope. Yeah, which I
(30:59):
do have chill, sillworthy, I do have.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Chills as you should for this one. My gosh.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
So she's like, this is my only hope. I need
to get to these houses. So she said what got
her there was the the instinct and drive to survive.
So Bridget says, in that instant she found the strength
to move. So now she's barefoot, she's bleeding, and she
starts staggering towards this glow on the horizon. Which are
(31:26):
these these porch lights? You know? She said every step
was painful. She had lost so much blood. She was
very lightheaded and on the verge of collapse. She tried
to scream for help into the empty night, but there
was no one around to hear her. Several times. Bridget
did end up falling to the ground, fighting just to
stay conscious. She kept thinking, I can't black out, I
have to keep going. At one point she feared, you
(31:49):
know that, like even if she did live, you know,
she had like a lot of fears about how much
her body was damaged. You know, she had thoughts about like,
because I'm assuming from this quote she wanted to have
children someday, and she was like, I might not even
be able to have babies. Like that was like a
fleeting thought that she had as she was trying to
(32:10):
get to safety or to help. So Bridget makes it
crazily enough across roughly two hundred yards of you know, terrain, basically.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Right well fields. I guess I should say.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
The length of two football fields. And she reaches the
first house on the edge of this subdivision. She bangs
on the door. She leaves like bloody hand prints. She's
crying out for help. So inside a woman who lived
there was obviously very startled, and she hears this person
desperately knocking, but she does not let her in. But
(32:47):
she does dial nine.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
One one oh good, which you know.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
I mean, I can't blame the woman for not opening.
But it's all, you know, this story is like this
woman just needs some freaking help. But how does that
lady know that? I mean, you know, so not. Unfortunately,
though not knowing that help was already being summoned, Bridget
starts dragging herself to the next house. She collapses on
(33:13):
the welcome matt and she starts like knocking weakly on
the door, and she's kind of like screaming in pain.
This time, somebody does open the door. I guess it
was forty three year old Frank James, who was an
army veteran of desert storm.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
Oh good, perfect person to answer the door.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
So you know, he is like completely bath, which, of course.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Oh yeah. Well, and if this all, if the breaking
happened at twelve, this is what two three am.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
I don't even know what time it is at this point,
but one would assume, yeah, the middle of the night.
So like he opens the door, she's there soaked in blood.
He can see that she's at least got two visible
bullet holes in her torso naked, don't forget. So when
he opens the door, Bridget is quoted in saying, as
soon as I saw the reaction of the man who
(34:04):
opened the door. I knew he was a father, She
later said. Oh, so Frank's protective instincts kick in immediately.
So he's yelling to I guess his sister in law
who's also inside, to get a blanket, and he kneels
beside her, and I guess waits for this.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
So then she I'm so sorry to interrupt you. How
old is she again?
Speaker 1 (34:27):
Bridget? Yeah? Twenty four, thank thank you. Okay, So he
gets the blanket. He gently covers up Bridget, who's shivering,
and he keeps one hand pressed against her back to
try to slow down the bleeding that's happening. So so
Frank is now on his phone with nine one one,
(34:48):
and he's saying, you know, she's been raped and shot.
She's bleeding all over the place. So despite all this chaos, though,
Frank doesn't hesitate. You know, he said, I wasn't going
to leave her, no matter what he said, even if
the guy returned, I was not going to leave her,
which is very even her.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Yeah, goh, exemplary, yes, even her, Like dragging herself up
to that other subdivision. That's what I was thinking about,
Like the terror I would be feeling of like he's
going to be watching me. He's going to come back
in the car. He's going to see this. He's going
to run me over, like make sure that I am silenced,
you know.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
Yeah. So within minutes, police and paramedics get to the scene.
Bridget is barely holding on to life at this point,
but she's rushed to the trauma unit at Fort Hood's
Darnal Army Medical Center. So at this place, a team
of surgeons fought to save her life. She was wheeled
(35:45):
into the operating room for six and a half hours
of emergency surgery to repair basically the catastrophic internal injuries
that she suffered. Doctors would later say that it was
incredible that Bridget was live at all, can considering all
the damage that she had in her body. She had
lost a massive amount of blood and she suffered wounds
(36:05):
to numerous organs, but her heart kept beating, is what
this doctor said. As dawn broke. On June twenty first,
Bridget emerged from surgery in critical but stable condition. For
the moment, she had cheated death. When Bridget's father, Michael Kelly,
got the fateful phone call that morning, he flew from
(36:29):
Omaha to Texas immediately at the hospital, Mike found his
daughter in the ICU bed, barely recognizable under the tubes
and machines. So it's quoted here saying she went from
critical too serious to fair condition definitely the right direction.
He had reported like I guess to like a reporter,
(36:51):
you know, but talking about how she was battling like
extreme nausea, depression, anxiety, all actiones, which I mean. Yeah.
So when her dad arrived, Bridget knew that he was there,
but she wasn't able to speak to him because of
the ventilator tube. She was on a ventilator, yes, so,
(37:13):
but she did motion weekly because she wanted something to
write with. So now I think from what I remember
her dad is a reporter.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Oh wow.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
So yes, because he hands her his reporter's notebook and
Bridget writes this to him, Dad, I was thinking, I
was thinking about you and mom and my whole family
when this was happening. I didn't want to die, it
is what she wrote. So now a little bit about
(37:50):
like the search for the person who did it. So,
while Bridget was fighting for life and surgery, law enforcement
was already mobilized in full force to catch the person
who did this responders had arrived at the field to
find the horrific scene, but they also wanted to gather
all the evidence. So the attacker had fled in Bridget's car,
(38:13):
which was a nineteen ninety three Nissan Maxima, which officers
immediately broadcast, you know, put out like on an alert.
The police department reacted very fast, wow, and very thoroughly.
From what I.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Gather, what a breath of fresh air.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
They cast, did a wide net around the area. Police
helicopters went over you know, like overhead at first light.
Canine units were out in the vicinity, and patrol officers
swarmed through the streets looking for any trace of the
shooter or the car. Bridget's father said that officers were
everywhere during this time. So unbeknounced to the police. The
(38:59):
young orbetrator actually returned to the crime scene shortly after
the attack.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
To her house or to the subdivision that was being built,
to the subdivision.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
Okay, so he so Jamal had driven a short distance
I guess after leaving you know what he thought was
Bridget's dead body, and he picked up two friends, and
then he came back near the field apparently intending to
show off.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
What had had what he did, Wow wow to the friends.
But when Turner got within a half block of the site,
he saw the flashing emergency lights and the crowd of
first responders, so he realized that his victim, Bridget, had
somehow survived. He panicked and he fled on foot. So
(39:54):
his friends scattered too, and one of those accomplices in
fear nearby and soon was spotted by police. So that
individual provided a very critical lead. Within about six hours
of the attack, investigators had pinpointed a house where Turner
was hiding out to be if the friend in that
(40:18):
scenario is nuts because one assumes he said why they
were going there, but you don't actually know that a
correct I mean, he could have been like, I gotta
show you something and just leave it at that. So
I don't know, but that yikes. So on the morning
of June twenty first, probably around the time Bridget was
(40:40):
done being operated on, a heavily armed swat team moved
in on the residence for where Jamal was staying. Fourteen
officers with guns drawn surrounded the house and ordered anyone
inside to surrender. So a figure bolted out of the
(41:01):
back door attempted to escape it was an eighteen year
old man matching the suspects description. He was swiftly tackled
and taken into custody, and it turns out that this
was indeed Jamal Adrian Turner, so he was under arrest
before the day was done. Evidence against Turner piled up quickly.
(41:23):
Bridget stolen car was recovered, and likely forensic evidence from
the car as well as atm footage you know, tied
him to the crime. And that that same week, a
Bell County grand jury indicted Turner on a slew of
felony charges, which were the following aggravated sexual assault, attempted
(41:47):
capital murder, kidnapping, robbery, and burglary.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
Which is so like to be that young, like his
life is over?
Speaker 1 (41:57):
Well yeah, yes, So these charges obviously went the entire
spectrum of the cruelty and monstrosity aous but he did whatever,
however you would describe that to Bridget. So the prosecutors
noted that all of these counts could send him to
(42:18):
prison for life, which I would assume the community was
horrified by the brutality of the crime against this young teacher,
but of course there was a sense of relief that
they were able to catch him, and thanks to Bridget's
survival and then the swift police work, a very dangerous
predator was now off the streets within literal hours of
(42:40):
the crime.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
Oh exactly.
Speaker 1 (42:42):
So, legal proceedings moved fast, so rather than drag Bridget
and her family through a long trial, Jamal Turner soon
agreed to a plea deal.
Speaker 2 (42:54):
I wondered if they were going to offer him one.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
So on August thirtieth, two thousand and two, just ten
weeks after the attack, ten weeks, ten weeks, Turner stood
shackled in a Bell County courtroom and pleaded guilty to
his crimes. In exchange, he avoided the death penalty that
could have resulted if Bridget had died. The judge handed
(43:17):
down a stiff sentence. Turner would serve at least fifty
years behind bars before any chance of parole. In fact,
he won't be eligible for parole until June twenty first, twenty.
Speaker 2 (43:29):
Fifty two, fifty two.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
That would make him sixty eight.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
I was just gonna say, now, what are we talking here?
Speaker 1 (43:37):
If he lives to sixty eight, obviously, so, essentially the
plead deal ensured that he would spend his life in
prison where he could not hurt another woman again. Bridget
chose not to attend the sentence hearing. She never wanted
to lay eyes on him again. Her father did go, though.
(43:59):
Mike Kelly he was there and he had something to.
Speaker 2 (44:02):
Say, like a victim impact statement.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
Yes, so in Texas victims are allowed to make what
you said a victim impact statement. So Mike stepped up
to the courtroom like lectern, just six feet away from
the man who had done this, and you know, he
was able to look him in the eyes, and he
started out by saying, we stand in the presence of evil.
(44:27):
Mike began speaking controlled but very angry. Obviously, he addressed
Turner directly, calling him the beast who raped and shot
my daughter, and noted he saw nothing in the young
man's eyes, not a flicker of remorse. So Turner sat
there expressionless. He didn't offer any apology. There was no
(44:48):
explanation as to why he did what he did. Mike
Kelly's words went through the courtroom, saying Bridget in effect
survived her own murder, is what he coined it as.
If Bridget had died as you intended, you surely would
have been caught and received the death penalty. So to
whom do you owe your life? He was asking him, Bridget,
(45:09):
she saved hers and thereby she saved yours. But again
he was like unmoved by any of this. So Mike
Kelly's statement ran for about five minutes. So and then,
like I said, you know, the guilty party was led
(45:30):
away in chains and you know, ready to begin his
half century behind bars. So now that their focus could
return to Bridget's healing, Bridget was determined, you know, to
get back to where she was. So this is nuts.
But by October, which wasn't which wasn't even three, well,
(45:53):
just over three months after being left for dead, she
returned to teaching first grade.
Speaker 2 (45:59):
Wow, the woman, the woman, The bravery that this woman has,
and just the strength, I don't know where she pulls
it from.
Speaker 1 (46:07):
Well, I said, it was inspired, It absolutely is. And
you're very quiet.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
I've noticed that. I've noticed that myself. I'm I'm barely
breathing over here, shallow breaths only who.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
So anyway, the sparkle that was once in her eyes
gradually returned. After she went back to work. She started
to laugh again and like you know, like happiness came
back into her life. Her physical wounds did slowly heal.
She did have to have another surgery in August. I
guess to reverse a colostomy that happened from him. And
(46:51):
there were other things that happened, like she became insolent
dependent because of.
Speaker 2 (46:57):
Her pancreas well.
Speaker 1 (46:58):
It said the attack had triggered this extreme stress response
in her. Interesting, So so now you know surviving this assault,
this is kind of you know why I said it
was such an inspirational story. Like from her hospital bed,
(47:19):
Bridget made a very important choice. She would not hide
what happened to her. While many sexual assault victims understandably
choose privacy, Bridget felt that silence would only serve the
attackers' purposes. So I guess when her dad was going
to do an article, he was going to say that
(47:40):
she was kidnapped and like held a gunpoint, but he
wasn't going to include the sexual assault. And she was like, no,
you need to include the sexual assault, Like, you know,
I'm not ashamed of that happening to me. Stuff like
that good for her. So there was a section of
(48:03):
the report that said, quote unquote, now you don't have
to read between the lines. In wonder my daughter was raped.
That's what her father wrote in July two thousand and two. So,
and that's when Bridget there was just like a lot
of like a lot of other media people were tiptoeing
around the rape aspect of it. And they again, there's
(48:26):
like I was saying, they just said she was kidnapped
and shot and let for dead. And Bridget was like,
this is completely unacceptable. You know, why should the rape
be treated as this shameful secret, Like it's okay to
say the word rape? Is what she kept repeating, because
she just wanted the full truth out there, not just
from her father but from everybody.
Speaker 2 (48:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:45):
And one of her I guess more famous quotes is
why is it more shameful to be a rape victim
than a gunshot victim?
Speaker 2 (48:52):
She's right, I know.
Speaker 1 (48:55):
So she basically started to like try to shatter the
stigma of what was going on there. Once fully recovered,
Bridget took her mission a step further. Less than a
year after the attack, While still regaining her strength, she
actually began speaking publicly. In early two thousand and three.
She appeared on national television programs like Good Morning America
(49:18):
to share her story of survival and hope. She stood
in that very field outside you know, like outside that
subdivision where she was attacked and told a reporter, my
name is Bridget I was raped and shot in this field. So,
of course, while she's talking to all of these people,
she also started going around to schools. She addressed a
(49:43):
room full of teenage girls. She told them all about
the attack in very like frank detail and told the students,
you know, that the rape was a reality of her life,
but it was not the defining moment of her life.
And she basically that if any of them ever faced
such trauma, she urged them not to let embarrassment or
(50:04):
shame silence them. And the girls were asking pretty like
raw and honest questions, Like some of the girls were like,
do you forgive him for what he did? And I
actually saw this part in a video and she said
that she was not ready to forgive him for what
he did, but when other people say that they're praying
(50:26):
for him, she's like, good, because then I don't have to.
Is that was the response she gave to the girl.
Speaker 2 (50:34):
Yeah, so very powerful.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
So then there was this thing called speak Up, Speak Out,
So back in Texas, sexual assault prevention advocates took notice
of Bridget's outspokenness, and the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault
TASSA was planning on groundbreaking, was planning a groundbreaking awareness campaign.
(51:02):
So in spring of two thousand and three, Bridget joined
this group and participated in the Speak Out Speak Up,
Speak Out, which was the first ever Texas public service campaign,
which was featuring a real rape victim telling like real
rape victims telling their stories. Basically again, I'm assuming to
(51:25):
get rid of that stigma, like these are real people
with real life events. So as we're wrapping it up here,
Bridget's advocacy did not just stop with that campaign. She
became an enduring voice in the movement to support survivors
and eliminate the stigma of sexual assault. National organizations now
took notice of Texas success and they began doing their
(51:49):
own speak Up, Speak Out like they and they used
Speak Up Speak Out as a national model for like
an outreach across the country, which you know, so it
started this entire movement, not just in Texas. And so
in the years after the attack, she was able to
rebuild her life. She returned to the job that she loved,
(52:13):
She married a man who you know, understood and highly
admired her strength. He was actually an ABC News producer
who had covered the story. So I don't think though
that she had children.
Speaker 2 (52:27):
So I've been looking her up over here while you've
been talking, and I found a picture of I think
him in the background and her holding an infant.
Speaker 1 (52:35):
Oh okay, I don't.
Speaker 2 (52:38):
It's an omaha, a world herald Kelly, a precious gift
of life for a life that was nearly lost.
Speaker 1 (52:44):
Oh all right, well then she did.
Speaker 2 (52:46):
Yeah, I just didn't see. Well, I don't know, but
it looks as though, well that picture, yeah, so all right,
Well then I guess she did, which is fantastic. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
And the last thing I'm gonna say he is her father.
I guess when in the courtroom he captured you know
the essence of this addressing the man again who destroyed,
who tried to destroy his daughter, and he said, my
daughter is a survivor. Yes, she is also a rape survivor,
(53:18):
and she knows that she has not diminished one bit.
Rape is not her shame, it's his shame. And that
is the story, the remarkable story of Bridget Kelly.
Speaker 2 (53:32):
Very good job, so very well done.
Speaker 1 (53:36):
Thank you, And it is nice to tell a story
of an inspiring person and not you know, well they're all,
I guess inspiring, but yeah, somebody who actually is not yes,
was a survivor and you know, did what all the
incredible things that she did.
Speaker 2 (53:56):
Then moving forward, agreed, I was giving you a funny
look because I thought you were going to say it
is so nice to be able to tell a story
without being interrupted.
Speaker 1 (54:07):
For one, that it was nice, but but it was
it was also you know, I don't know it was.
It wasn't our style, No it was. It wasn't your style,
but I was. And you only yawned like twice. Oh
my god, barely at all. You didn't recline, you didn't
(54:32):
grab a blanket. So and we're just hitting an hour.
Speaker 2 (54:39):
Oh wow, So okay, what a way to start off
season three, season one.
Speaker 1 (54:50):
So there we have it. Thank you for listening, Thank
you everybody for joining us again on this this new
thrilling season, and we hope to see you again in
season two. I'm sorry in episode two, in episode two
(55:12):
of season three, and until then, stay safe and stay chill.
Speaker 2 (55:20):
Bye everybody, goodbye, you've just listened to Chilworthy.
Speaker 1 (55:31):
Thank you for joining us on this latest episode. While
we strive to keep our discussions engaging and lighthearted, we
also wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the real
lives and events that are at the heart of these stories.
Speaker 2 (55:43):
We try to approach each topic with a sense of
curiosity and respect fully, aware of the impact these events
have had on the individuals and their loved ones. Our
goal is to honor their memories by keeping your stories
alive and shedding light on the mysteries that surround them.
Speaker 1 (55:59):
And joyed this episode, please remember to subscribe, rate and
leave a review, and don't forget to join us on
the next episode of Chilworthy
You're listening to Chillworthy.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
A podcast where two best friends discuss mysteries, murders, and
anything in between for your enjoyment.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
So if you're ready to hear some chilling and unsettling cases,
you're in the right place, happy listening. Hello, Hello, everyone,
Welcome back to the first episode of season three of
Chillworthy with Brenton Talia.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Hi, everybody, season three?
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Wow? Wow, indeed he What what are you thinking as
we begin this new season? Not a heck of a lot.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
It's fine, star, I say that.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
So yeah, well really, season three for us wasn't much
of a break in terms of between two and three.
Two and three, But so what have you been reading
since we took our one week break?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
So I had said to you and you thought I
was crazy, But nothing new there that book What kind
of Paradise? And I said I had to take breaks?
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Oh yeah, yeah, scaring me.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
It wasn't scaring me, but it was like unsettling. I
have to say I would not recommend and I hate
to say that, you know, I hate it.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
But what was so wrong about it?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Was wrong? It just it wasn't I didn't find it
totally believable with some of the stuff. I think it's
very difficult when a book is being written. And I'm
always impressed with books in this like little genre of people,
(01:56):
children whatever being raised off the grid and like, oh god, yes,
no memory of like or whatever of the outside world.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
So I remember that other book and I thought, God,
this is boring.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Yes with Kimmy Cunningham, and we were like, you were
talking about it, and I said, oh my god, it
reminds me of this one book. I freaking loved that book.
Let's look that up right now, because that, I mean,
I've definitely remember what it was called. Well me neither,
which is so sad. But I know Kimmy Cunningham was
the author, and I know I've talked about here these
silent woulds. Oh yeah, I gave it five stars. I
(02:28):
this one day Brent and I were talking and he's like, yeah,
I read this book and it was all, you know, awful.
I didn't enjoy.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
It and it was awful. It was just boring. Wow,
nothing ever happened. There was no twist. Nothing happened.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Are you talking about? No twist? So very similar though
with Father and Young Girl, and that's what I sort
of was thinking this was going to be about. And
I'm glad it was very different. Similar premise though, but
the father.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
I mean, I mean, are you glad it was different?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
You hated it because the main character was extremely disturbing.
If you remember anything from These Silent Woods. I thought
that father character was very endearing. Do you remember him?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Yeah, I remember him.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
I liked him. I thought he was a wonderful father.
I think it was just there were very likable characters
in that book. And yea, I guess actually that was
part of this. I didn't particularly love the majority of
the characters in this hall right, and that always sort
of awaised me. Yeah, so I gave it three stars.
(03:37):
Like I said, I don't think I would really necessarily recommend. Oh,
that's what I was going to say. How I didn't
think everything like sort of made sense to me. But
I think those are hard books to write with like
what someone who's living off the grid is aware of
modern society. Like in this book, they were still going
into town at times, so I think that gave the
(03:57):
author simile way of like what they wouldn't kind of
be aware.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Iout going, she went met a friend at a book
or at a coffee shop, and they were like, what
are you gonna do?
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Yes, exactly when you turn eighteen. Then things freakin went
off the deep end shortly after that. So it kept
me very sucked in and I got through it quickly,
this book because it was like fast paced. So then
I always struggle with those ratings too, because then it's like, well,
to me, that's a sign of a good book. It
kept my attention, so I did still, like I said,
give it three. But what I thought was really interesting
(04:27):
at the end of the book and the acknowledgments. She says,
as I'm sure some of you already know, I based
the father off Ted Kaczynski, the unibomber, and I thought, shit,
I don't know a lot about him, Like that's so
fascinating to me. So then she says, I listened to
this podcast that helped me sort of like develop this character.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Hill Worthy, me and I.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
So it's called Project Unibomb And so she says, like
she listened to this podcast as she was developing this character,
and I was like, oh, well, I remember as a
kid being fascinated by you and a bomber, but like
I didn't know much. I still don't. So I started
listening to this podcast. Very good so far, so okay,
Little Shout Out to Them Right also started and finished
(05:19):
Since We Met Last The Last Thing He Told Me
by Laura Dave. I read another one by her Oh gosh,
if only goodness curious. The other one was called The
Night We Lost Him. So this current one I gave
four Oh, I gave them both four stars. So also
very fast paced. It's about a man and a woman.
(05:42):
They're married, he has a stepdaughter. He ends up going missing.
That's all I'll say. Very fast paced. I thought it
was well written. It was good. Then I have started
Ten Kids, Two love Birds, and a Singing Mermaid by
Kathy Lamb. This book, so Erica read it, her mom
read it. No, it is definitely not for you. Erica's
(06:04):
mom read it first, recommended it, like highly recommended it.
Erica read it, and now I'm reading it. It is
so freaking good. It is not what I was expecting.
It's a summer read, for sure, like in terms of
it takes place in the summer, takes place in the seventies,
about these two families. What why did you make that
feast the seventies?
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Oh gosh, a period piece? No, I'm out.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Well it's very good. And then I, you know, now
that the weather has started to change a little bit,
mornings are super chilly, evenings are super chilly. There's been
like less humidity. It feels like fall is solidly in
the air. You know, we might still have some hot days,
oh we will, right right, but it is feeling lovely lately.
So I've really been, like, you know, looking at my
(06:48):
fall reading list and fall books and what am I
going to do? And I really like, now I'm creating
mysteries more so. I started Only if You're Lucky by
Stacy Willingham. I got to thirty percent in that, so
still have quite a ways to go. But I've read
other books by her, A Flicker in the Dark. Did
you read that one? I loved that book, I'm not sure,
(07:09):
and then all the Dangerous Things I did not read.
But she has a new release coming out with this
Tuesday called Forget Me Not and I want it batt oh,
And it sounds a little summary, so I could maybe
pull that off before the season's solidly changed. And that's it.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
That's it. Huh, all right, well, wait, do you want
to talk about your new editions? Talia's very excited that
I got a few more fish.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
I'm very excited, I said to him. I was doing
my topic list for today, and my first topic I
had listed was you got new a fish exclamation point.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, but one of them's dead.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
You know, it's the circle of life. It's very sad.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
So I got a better He.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Died, the poor soul. I think it was a peaceful though,
I hope.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
And then the rest are just.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Just are you kidding me? You're forgetting the most important
one ghost shrimp everybody. I saw it today. I saw
one of them today. This thing, holy moly, looks like
literally a ghost mixed with Lauvager the crystal yes, and
shrimp as well. A shrimp. Yes, you're correct. No, I
can't find it, but it is so big. And also
(08:25):
tell them the good news about the ghost shrimp.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
I believe one might be with children, but I don't
have sure.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Well I'm freaking pumped.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
So anyway, But Peto does have a a refund, so
I have to take the beta back and I can't
get another one. I can't do that to another beta.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
You've got to figure out what's what. Well, you were
trying to do the right thing by getting it out.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Of that that cup hell right.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Things, but breeding factory. Let's move on to a very
exciting thing that will be beginning that you will be well, I.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Think we use the word very exciting loosely, but I disagree.
I just thought, you know, now that we're in season three,
there'll be a nice new little segment, a relatively quick one,
of course, where I will be going through the alphabet.
Every episode will be a new letter and we're just
(09:27):
going to talk about an old tradition. No, I'm sorry,
stupor superstition.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
So no, wait, before you go into any of this,
did you or do you still believe in some like
you're superstitious to a degree.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Yeah, I'm trying to think of something that I.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Like, if you were to do see a black cat? No,
would you cross the street?
Speaker 1 (10:00):
No, we have in my home.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
I'm just trying to give people example making conversation. Jeez, Louise,
would you walk under a ladder.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
If? Yeah, probably, if it was the only way to
get through something you Actually we.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Did talk about this recently. Was my Friday the thirteenth
episode and you talked about burying mirror bits.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Yeah, so, but that was a long time ago.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Would you do it if you broke a mirror today,
I suspect you would.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah, maybe I would.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
So maybe are you superstitious?
Speaker 2 (10:32):
I think I'm very superstitious. I knock on wood a lot.
I I'm like superstitious. I feel like in the way
of like speaking, like don't say i'll see you soon,
I'll be back. I think that just is impending doom.
I said to you the other day about bugs. The
(10:52):
bugs were showing up. I forget. I saw like this
crazy looking black and white spotted hornet outside. Then the
other bug that I said I saw, and I was like,
this is very bad bug luck, A lot of bad
bug luck.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Well, I don't remember any of the Oh, speaking.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Of bugs, I want to say, real quick, guess what. Well,
I don't know what I saw today. I told Erica
about it. I called it a locust. I don't even
know what that is. But she's like, oh, I think
that's a cicada, and I think they're the same thing.
But she said she wasn't positive, so it's And she
also commented, I'm like, oh, it's what you're hearing at night.
Which when this little thing happened this morning, this little
(11:27):
showdown I had with it. It made a really loud
sound before it flew away, and I was like, shit,
that kind of sounds like what's happening at night. This
thing was so big. I'm not even kidding you. It
was probably three quarters of the length of my pot.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Oh, get out of it, which I know is not.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
Very big, but for a bug it is. The wings
on it, it was so big. One of the dogs
was just staring at it, and I like stopped and
I'm thinking, lot the hell is that? Then Erica also
said they're blind. Apparently I didn't know this well for
being blind. This thing, I will say it like haphazardly
(12:06):
went into the air, but it flew right for a
tree and got right in the tree. Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 1 (12:12):
It's wild. That's all the time we have for this segment,
and unfortunately I didn't actually get to the segment.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Now stop it go ahead, all right?
Speaker 1 (12:27):
So I wanted to talk about the superstitions revolving around apples.
Apples for a So there's an old English proverb that
says an apple a day keeps the doctor away. I
think we've all heard that.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Surely, right, do you subscribe to that belief? Right?
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Another one says to eat an apple without rubbing it
first is to challenge the.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Devil interest and very intense.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Fascinating, and last from this old English proverb, a bad
woman can't make good apple sauce. It gets mushy.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Wait now, a bad woman cannot make good apple sauce.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
It gets mushy.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
So all right, noice, we have it right.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
So many many years ago, maybe still today, but I
don't think it's as prevalent. People used to use it
for finding future husbands apples. Yes, So what you would
do was you would give one twist of the stem
for each letter of the alphabet, and wherever it broke,
(13:43):
that's the first initial of your true love. So you
could say the following apple peel, apple peel twist, then rest,
show me the one that I'll love best, apple peel
over my shoulder. Fly, show me the one I'll love
(14:06):
till I die. Shaw me ye, show me the one.
So that's also fascinating. What just what I said? But
don't let me bother you.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Do you think people really did this?
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Oh? I'm sure they did so you know. Then, of
course we have the Greeks. They thought that apples stood
for immortality, and almost all of the English speaking places
believed in its magical qualities, and of course it we use.
It was used to prove Newton's law of gravity, so
(14:47):
take that for what you will. And of course, the
most famous legend regarding the apple is the American folk
tale of Johnny apple Seed. So there we have it.
Superstitions revolving around apples that I found.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Yes, so it is my case that we are going
to do today, and this case is going to be
the case of Bridget Kelly.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
I've always liked that name, which Bridget.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yes, it's a very nice name.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
I think so too.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
So now this one is a little bit different than
our normal because it you know, it's a true crime,
but it is a true crime with a survivor.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
We typically never have that right, So most uplifting of you.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
To thank you. Now you know the trigger warning for
this would be sexual assault, so just so and well
for Italian home invasion, but for most people, well, yes.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
I think both pack a punch.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
I don't know, I've never heard of people not watching
movies because of a home invasion.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Really, you've never besides you no, have you no?
Speaker 1 (16:23):
Any way? So who is Bridget Kelly?
Speaker 2 (16:29):
I think I've also I like the name Kelly as well.
Now that we're talking about.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Well, I do too. Kelly Kapowski.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Oh that last name is all She was so pretty? Yeah,
so damn pretty. Who else was on that show? Lisa Turtle? Oh,
Jesse Spano wowsa. We don't have enough time to get
into that.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Now, go ahead, all right, Bridget Kelly. She was twenty
four years old at this time that this happened. She
had grown up in Omaha, Nebraska, and she was the
third of four children in a pretty close knit Catholic family.
So she went to Hm, I'm not going to be
(17:12):
able to pronounce this duchene d u c h E
s n E.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
I was gonna say, do Shane, Okay, we'll go now,
don't go by me.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
She went to that academy and Saint Louis University. Okay, right.
So Bridget was known to be driven by an adventurous
spirit and just an overall lovely individual. So by two
thousand and two, she was in her first year of
teaching first grade in Texas, and this was near the
(17:53):
Fort Hood Army Base, not Fort Worth, Fort Hood get it.
Colleagues described her as kind, intelligent, and dedicated to her students.
All nice for a teacher to be. Absolutely, Bridget was
also a woman of faith and determination, and these qualities,
(18:15):
sadly were going to have to be tested in the
very near future when this is taking place. So she
lived on her own, and you know, I mean she
liked her independence, and she was very happy being a teacher,
and you know, she was just never imagining the fate
that was about to take place in her house, which
(18:37):
was a horrific crime, but as I said, an inspiring story. Also.
So the night that this crime happens, so it is
June twenty first, two thousand and two, so it's the
first day of summer, and it was a typical day
for Bridget. That night, she drove a friend home for
(19:00):
the airport in Austin, which was about an eighty mile trip.
So then she returns home to her apartment and she
gets there a little bit after midnight. So Bridget gets home,
she goes inside, she double locks the doors, and she
(19:22):
starts getting ready for bed. But she has no idea
that there is a predator lurking outside.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Oh, I thought you were gonna say, already inside the
house like waiting.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
No, So all of a sudden like literally, you know,
with no kind of warning. The door jam explodes inward
and it strikes Bridget in the face and knocks her
to the floor. And so this now intruder who's now
in her home is an eighteen year.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Old a kiddo, unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (19:57):
So his name was Jamal Turner. So he bursts into
the house and he has a nine millimeter handgun.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
A gun?
Speaker 1 (20:08):
A gun?
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Is that what blew the door jam? Like, did he
shoot it or like, assuming it wasn't like a little
tiny bomb or something.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
I thought he just like ran up and kicked it.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Oh that's what I picked ye, okay, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So obviously Bridget is terrified. So this kid presses a
gun to her chest and demands money.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
Oh so you.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Know, she's now like pleading for her life. Obviously, she
offers him everything, you know, So she says, take my money,
take my car. She's just begging him, you know. She
starts to like pray out loud. She's trying to like
make him see her as human, you know, have some
type of like connection on a human level, like that
(20:56):
kind of thing. So then Bridget says that, you know,
she's like trying to talk to him from being a teacher.
You know, of course she's a first grade teacher. So
she was telling him that she's a teacher, and she's like,
you know, I really loved like children's stories were like
(21:21):
very important to me growing up and they are still now.
So now she's trying to ask him what are his
favorite you know, did he have any favorite childhood stories?
Speaker 2 (21:31):
And I don't think he wants to about that right now.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
So you know, she starts trying to talk about like,
I guess one of them, which was Peter Rabbit, but
he tells her to shut up.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
As you said, yeah, I didn't think he'd be in
the mood.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
No, so he is very unmoved by any of this.
So now so he's got the gun at her side
and he is forcing Bridget out of her home and
into his car, no I'm sorry, into her car because
he wanted to get to an ATM. Now, I don't
know what made him pick her to do this, like
(22:12):
to like to drive to an ATM. I mean, she's
just she's a single woman coming home to an apartment.
Like I don't know if she's really rolling in it,
but true, it's an odd I don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
I was thinking, like maybe when if he set out
that night to do this, like with that plan, just
kind of like what do I say? What should I say?
Wrong place, wrong time, like her coming home so late?
Speaker 1 (22:36):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Wrong that like it was just ideal for him knowing
that she just got back. But again, what does that
necessarily mean? Like you can break in anywhere? I don't know,
but you're right, you wouldn't necessarily associate those circumstances with
someone who would have like a ton in the bank.
But so who knows.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
But anyway, so he wants to drive to an ATM,
so he he has her be the driver. They drive
to the nearest ATM and they withdraw two hundred.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Dollars, so not even that much.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
No, and this is twenty twenty two, No, twenty two
thousand and two. We're not saying nineteen fifty, right, but
you know whatever, So she hands over the money, and
of course she's just praying like this is where it stops.
But of course it did not stop. So instead of
(23:26):
letting her go, the kidnapper tightens his grip on her
and sliding behind the wheel and so like he then,
I guess, slides behind the wheel and he starts driving
further away from her house from like the public, you know,
(23:49):
like the town, like just out into a rural area.
So you know, the night is pitch black out there
as they leave the city and they head to the
outskirts of this. I guess it's like it was a
new subdivision that was happening, Like there was a bunch
of construction fields and stuff, but it was obviously totally
(24:10):
abandoned because of the time of day. So Bridget is
obviously very scared. You know, she's isolated, she's being held captive,
and she's realizing like that, you know, like why is
he taking her out there? Obviously, and it's not like
he had a mask on or anything, so I mean
she has seen him this whole time. So she is
(24:33):
quoted in saying, I was thinking, maybe he's going to
rape me, maybe he's going to kill me. I guess
that's what she told ABC News. So in that moment,
her instinct for survival kicked in and she kept she
kept saying out loud, the hail Mary's you know, which
I'm of course not as I don't know what that
(24:56):
sounds like.
Speaker 2 (24:56):
Well, I could certainly recite it for you if you
would like, oh, over and over, if you.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Chose that's that's really your call. But but I don't know.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
I always assumed that it stemmed from Catholicism, but maybe
it didn't. It's part of the rosary. Like when you say, oh, okay,
the Rosary, you're saying, like a decade I should say
is ten hail Mary's. Like, so hail Mary's are like
a huge part of the rosary. When you're saying it,
you can obviously say that he'll Mary, Hail Mary, full
of grace. The Lord is with the blessed art the
(25:28):
almng women, and absolutely not Jesus.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
I'm thinking it was like, you know, like now I
lay me down to sleep, no type of type of thing. Well,
it sounded lovely whatever you were saying.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
I think it's a lovely prayer.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
Yeah great, then we're on the same page. So anyway,
this is what she's saying. Okay, yeah great. So she
says that, I think probably just to try to stay
as calm as she can't. Who knows, but I mean,
giving yourself something to focus on is probably not bad. Now,
the car stops in this empty field and it's bordered
(26:03):
by weeds, and like I said, these half built homes,
of course completely abandoned. Yes, so obviously this guy still
has the gun on her, and you know, he orders
Bridget to take off her clothes, so she obeys him,
(26:24):
and of course she's a nervous wreck. So but she
in a desperate, like split second decision, she decides to
turn and run into the darkness. Sadly though, she did
not get far because he chased her down almost instantly,
and so he's holding the gun, you know, forces Bridget
to get down on the ground. So she's laying there
(26:48):
and she, I guess, makes one final like plead to
him and says, God doesn't want you to do this.
This is what she tells him, but he ignored that,
and this is when he rapes her at gunpoint, inflicting
this thing that she was thinking was going to happen
from basically the get go of when he barged into
our house. So Bridget described this as just this like
(27:12):
surreal sense that she was like not completely alone in
the moment. She's quoted as saying, as he was on
top of me, it was like God was holding my
hand saying just hold on, just hold on, I've got you.
That is her direct quote. Wow, So Bridget remained conscious,
(27:32):
I guess, for all of this attack. And when that
was done, the attacker makes his final, probably most brutal move,
I guess, because he orders Bridget to get up and
go stand like a little bit away from him, turn
around so he can shoot her. So she's she has
(27:53):
no clothing on. He tells her to do this. The man,
I guess did not want to see her face when
he did this, so Bridget kind of already realized what now,
what was happening? So she turns away and she braces herself.
So he does shoot, and I believe the first shot
he made missed, but then he shoots again and the
(28:21):
bullet went right into her back, and you know, pushes
her to the ground. And obviously now she's on the
ground in a lot of pain. She fights the instinct
to move because she's thinking, you know, just play dead.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Good point.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Yeah, So she's lying motionless, she's just hoping he's going
to go away, like leave her there. Sadly, again, this
man did not just go away. He steps forward and
stood over her, and he shoots her two more times
in the back. So then this is when her you know,
she goes unconscious, and I think he thinks so that
(28:59):
she was dead, so he's thinking she's dead. He finally leaves.
He steals Bridget's car and her money, obviously, and he
disappears into the night and he leaves her in that place,
like I said, just lying there bleeding. But as I
said to you in the beginning, this is a survivor story.
(29:21):
So Bridget did not die. For a few minutes, there
was only stillness in the dark field because Bridget had
now been shot three times, so one had gone right
through her abdomen. The other two were lodged near some
of her organs, so it's completely silent. So now she
(29:42):
realizes that the shooter is gone. But she was obviously
like majorly wounded, no clothes, she's probably freezing, but she
manages to stand up. Oh my gosh. And later I
guess when this is being an interview, she is quoted
in saying like I stood up and I did not fall,
(30:06):
like in this like kind of proud right esque way
of talking. So Bridget forced herself onto her feet. She's
up right now. There's like blood falling from all these wounds,
so her body wasn't a lot of shock I guess.
Later it was discovered that the bullets had shredded her stomach, liver, diaphragm,
(30:31):
colon in testing's in testines end spleen.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Oh my god, it's a miracle.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
She was, of course, so in the distance, though, I
guess across this open field, Bridget said that she did
see some faint lights like it was another newly built
and finished subdivision from where she was. So she said
those porch lights were her only hope. Yeah, which I
(30:59):
do have chill, sillworthy, I do have.
Speaker 2 (31:03):
Chills as you should for this one. My gosh.
Speaker 1 (31:06):
So she's like, this is my only hope. I need
to get to these houses. So she said what got
her there was the the instinct and drive to survive.
So Bridget says, in that instant she found the strength
to move. So now she's barefoot, she's bleeding, and she
starts staggering towards this glow on the horizon. Which are
(31:26):
these these porch lights? You know? She said every step
was painful. She had lost so much blood. She was
very lightheaded and on the verge of collapse. She tried
to scream for help into the empty night, but there
was no one around to hear her. Several times. Bridget
did end up falling to the ground, fighting just to
stay conscious. She kept thinking, I can't black out, I
have to keep going. At one point she feared, you
(31:49):
know that, like even if she did live, you know,
she had like a lot of fears about how much
her body was damaged. You know, she had thoughts about like,
because I'm assuming from this quote she wanted to have
children someday, and she was like, I might not even
be able to have babies. Like that was like a
fleeting thought that she had as she was trying to
(32:10):
get to safety or to help. So Bridget makes it
crazily enough across roughly two hundred yards of you know, terrain, basically.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Right well fields. I guess I should say.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
The length of two football fields. And she reaches the
first house on the edge of this subdivision. She bangs
on the door. She leaves like bloody hand prints. She's
crying out for help. So inside a woman who lived
there was obviously very startled, and she hears this person
desperately knocking, but she does not let her in. But
(32:47):
she does dial nine.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
One one oh good, which you know.
Speaker 1 (32:51):
I mean, I can't blame the woman for not opening.
But it's all, you know, this story is like this
woman just needs some freaking help. But how does that
lady know that? I mean, you know, so not. Unfortunately,
though not knowing that help was already being summoned, Bridget
starts dragging herself to the next house. She collapses on
(33:13):
the welcome matt and she starts like knocking weakly on
the door, and she's kind of like screaming in pain.
This time, somebody does open the door. I guess it
was forty three year old Frank James, who was an
army veteran of desert storm.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
Oh good, perfect person to answer the door.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
So you know, he is like completely bath, which, of course.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
Oh yeah. Well, and if this all, if the breaking
happened at twelve, this is what two three am.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
I don't even know what time it is at this point,
but one would assume, yeah, the middle of the night.
So like he opens the door, she's there soaked in blood.
He can see that she's at least got two visible
bullet holes in her torso naked, don't forget. So when
he opens the door, Bridget is quoted in saying, as
soon as I saw the reaction of the man who
(34:04):
opened the door. I knew he was a father, She
later said. Oh, so Frank's protective instincts kick in immediately.
So he's yelling to I guess his sister in law
who's also inside, to get a blanket, and he kneels
beside her, and I guess waits for this.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
So then she I'm so sorry to interrupt you. How
old is she again?
Speaker 1 (34:27):
Bridget? Yeah? Twenty four, thank thank you. Okay, So he
gets the blanket. He gently covers up Bridget, who's shivering,
and he keeps one hand pressed against her back to
try to slow down the bleeding that's happening. So so
Frank is now on his phone with nine one one,
(34:48):
and he's saying, you know, she's been raped and shot.
She's bleeding all over the place. So despite all this chaos, though,
Frank doesn't hesitate. You know, he said, I wasn't going
to leave her, no matter what he said, even if
the guy returned, I was not going to leave her,
which is very even her.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Yeah, goh, exemplary, yes, even her, Like dragging herself up
to that other subdivision. That's what I was thinking about,
Like the terror I would be feeling of like he's
going to be watching me. He's going to come back
in the car. He's going to see this. He's going
to run me over, like make sure that I am silenced,
you know.
Speaker 1 (35:25):
Yeah. So within minutes, police and paramedics get to the scene.
Bridget is barely holding on to life at this point,
but she's rushed to the trauma unit at Fort Hood's
Darnal Army Medical Center. So at this place, a team
of surgeons fought to save her life. She was wheeled
(35:45):
into the operating room for six and a half hours
of emergency surgery to repair basically the catastrophic internal injuries
that she suffered. Doctors would later say that it was
incredible that Bridget was live at all, can considering all
the damage that she had in her body. She had
lost a massive amount of blood and she suffered wounds
(36:05):
to numerous organs, but her heart kept beating, is what
this doctor said. As dawn broke. On June twenty first,
Bridget emerged from surgery in critical but stable condition. For
the moment, she had cheated death. When Bridget's father, Michael Kelly,
got the fateful phone call that morning, he flew from
(36:29):
Omaha to Texas immediately at the hospital, Mike found his
daughter in the ICU bed, barely recognizable under the tubes
and machines. So it's quoted here saying she went from
critical too serious to fair condition definitely the right direction.
He had reported like I guess to like a reporter,
(36:51):
you know, but talking about how she was battling like
extreme nausea, depression, anxiety, all actiones, which I mean. Yeah.
So when her dad arrived, Bridget knew that he was there,
but she wasn't able to speak to him because of
the ventilator tube. She was on a ventilator, yes, so,
(37:13):
but she did motion weekly because she wanted something to
write with. So now I think from what I remember
her dad is a reporter.
Speaker 2 (37:27):
Oh wow.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
So yes, because he hands her his reporter's notebook and
Bridget writes this to him, Dad, I was thinking, I
was thinking about you and mom and my whole family
when this was happening. I didn't want to die, it
is what she wrote. So now a little bit about
(37:50):
like the search for the person who did it. So,
while Bridget was fighting for life and surgery, law enforcement
was already mobilized in full force to catch the person
who did this responders had arrived at the field to
find the horrific scene, but they also wanted to gather
all the evidence. So the attacker had fled in Bridget's car,
(38:13):
which was a nineteen ninety three Nissan Maxima, which officers
immediately broadcast, you know, put out like on an alert.
The police department reacted very fast, wow, and very thoroughly.
From what I.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Gather, what a breath of fresh air.
Speaker 1 (38:33):
They cast, did a wide net around the area. Police
helicopters went over you know, like overhead at first light.
Canine units were out in the vicinity, and patrol officers
swarmed through the streets looking for any trace of the
shooter or the car. Bridget's father said that officers were
everywhere during this time. So unbeknounced to the police. The
(38:59):
young orbetrator actually returned to the crime scene shortly after
the attack.
Speaker 2 (39:05):
To her house or to the subdivision that was being built,
to the subdivision.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
Okay, so he so Jamal had driven a short distance
I guess after leaving you know what he thought was
Bridget's dead body, and he picked up two friends, and
then he came back near the field apparently intending to
show off.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
What had had what he did, Wow wow to the friends.
But when Turner got within a half block of the site,
he saw the flashing emergency lights and the crowd of
first responders, so he realized that his victim, Bridget, had
somehow survived. He panicked and he fled on foot. So
(39:54):
his friends scattered too, and one of those accomplices in
fear nearby and soon was spotted by police. So that
individual provided a very critical lead. Within about six hours
of the attack, investigators had pinpointed a house where Turner
was hiding out to be if the friend in that
(40:18):
scenario is nuts because one assumes he said why they
were going there, but you don't actually know that a
correct I mean, he could have been like, I gotta
show you something and just leave it at that. So
I don't know, but that yikes. So on the morning
of June twenty first, probably around the time Bridget was
(40:40):
done being operated on, a heavily armed swat team moved
in on the residence for where Jamal was staying. Fourteen
officers with guns drawn surrounded the house and ordered anyone
inside to surrender. So a figure bolted out of the
(41:01):
back door attempted to escape it was an eighteen year
old man matching the suspects description. He was swiftly tackled
and taken into custody, and it turns out that this
was indeed Jamal Adrian Turner, so he was under arrest
before the day was done. Evidence against Turner piled up quickly.
(41:23):
Bridget stolen car was recovered, and likely forensic evidence from
the car as well as atm footage you know, tied
him to the crime. And that that same week, a
Bell County grand jury indicted Turner on a slew of
felony charges, which were the following aggravated sexual assault, attempted
(41:47):
capital murder, kidnapping, robbery, and burglary.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
Which is so like to be that young, like his
life is over?
Speaker 1 (41:57):
Well yeah, yes, So these charges obviously went the entire
spectrum of the cruelty and monstrosity aous but he did whatever,
however you would describe that to Bridget. So the prosecutors
noted that all of these counts could send him to
(42:18):
prison for life, which I would assume the community was
horrified by the brutality of the crime against this young teacher,
but of course there was a sense of relief that
they were able to catch him, and thanks to Bridget's
survival and then the swift police work, a very dangerous
predator was now off the streets within literal hours of
(42:40):
the crime.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
Oh exactly.
Speaker 1 (42:42):
So, legal proceedings moved fast, so rather than drag Bridget
and her family through a long trial, Jamal Turner soon
agreed to a plea deal.
Speaker 2 (42:54):
I wondered if they were going to offer him one.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
So on August thirtieth, two thousand and two, just ten
weeks after the attack, ten weeks, ten weeks, Turner stood
shackled in a Bell County courtroom and pleaded guilty to
his crimes. In exchange, he avoided the death penalty that
could have resulted if Bridget had died. The judge handed
(43:17):
down a stiff sentence. Turner would serve at least fifty
years behind bars before any chance of parole. In fact,
he won't be eligible for parole until June twenty first, twenty.
Speaker 2 (43:29):
Fifty two, fifty two.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
That would make him sixty eight.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
I was just gonna say, now, what are we talking here?
Speaker 1 (43:37):
If he lives to sixty eight, obviously, so, essentially the
plead deal ensured that he would spend his life in
prison where he could not hurt another woman again. Bridget
chose not to attend the sentence hearing. She never wanted
to lay eyes on him again. Her father did go, though.
(43:59):
Mike Kelly he was there and he had something to.
Speaker 2 (44:02):
Say, like a victim impact statement.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
Yes, so in Texas victims are allowed to make what
you said a victim impact statement. So Mike stepped up
to the courtroom like lectern, just six feet away from
the man who had done this, and you know, he
was able to look him in the eyes, and he
started out by saying, we stand in the presence of evil.
(44:27):
Mike began speaking controlled but very angry. Obviously, he addressed
Turner directly, calling him the beast who raped and shot
my daughter, and noted he saw nothing in the young
man's eyes, not a flicker of remorse. So Turner sat
there expressionless. He didn't offer any apology. There was no
(44:48):
explanation as to why he did what he did. Mike
Kelly's words went through the courtroom, saying Bridget in effect
survived her own murder, is what he coined it as.
If Bridget had died as you intended, you surely would
have been caught and received the death penalty. So to
whom do you owe your life? He was asking him, Bridget,
(45:09):
she saved hers and thereby she saved yours. But again
he was like unmoved by any of this. So Mike
Kelly's statement ran for about five minutes. So and then,
like I said, you know, the guilty party was led
(45:30):
away in chains and you know, ready to begin his
half century behind bars. So now that their focus could
return to Bridget's healing, Bridget was determined, you know, to
get back to where she was. So this is nuts.
But by October, which wasn't which wasn't even three, well,
(45:53):
just over three months after being left for dead, she
returned to teaching first grade.
Speaker 2 (45:59):
Wow, the woman, the woman, The bravery that this woman has,
and just the strength, I don't know where she pulls
it from.
Speaker 1 (46:07):
Well, I said, it was inspired, It absolutely is. And
you're very quiet.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
I've noticed that. I've noticed that myself. I'm I'm barely
breathing over here, shallow breaths only who.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
So anyway, the sparkle that was once in her eyes
gradually returned. After she went back to work. She started
to laugh again and like you know, like happiness came
back into her life. Her physical wounds did slowly heal.
She did have to have another surgery in August. I
guess to reverse a colostomy that happened from him. And
(46:51):
there were other things that happened, like she became insolent
dependent because of.
Speaker 2 (46:57):
Her pancreas well.
Speaker 1 (46:58):
It said the attack had triggered this extreme stress response
in her. Interesting, So so now you know surviving this assault,
this is kind of you know why I said it
was such an inspirational story. Like from her hospital bed,
(47:19):
Bridget made a very important choice. She would not hide
what happened to her. While many sexual assault victims understandably
choose privacy, Bridget felt that silence would only serve the
attackers' purposes. So I guess when her dad was going
to do an article, he was going to say that
(47:40):
she was kidnapped and like held a gunpoint, but he
wasn't going to include the sexual assault. And she was like, no,
you need to include the sexual assault, Like, you know,
I'm not ashamed of that happening to me. Stuff like
that good for her. So there was a section of
(48:03):
the report that said, quote unquote, now you don't have
to read between the lines. In wonder my daughter was raped.
That's what her father wrote in July two thousand and two. So,
and that's when Bridget there was just like a lot
of like a lot of other media people were tiptoeing
around the rape aspect of it. And they again, there's
(48:26):
like I was saying, they just said she was kidnapped
and shot and let for dead. And Bridget was like,
this is completely unacceptable. You know, why should the rape
be treated as this shameful secret, Like it's okay to
say the word rape? Is what she kept repeating, because
she just wanted the full truth out there, not just
from her father but from everybody.
Speaker 2 (48:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:45):
And one of her I guess more famous quotes is
why is it more shameful to be a rape victim
than a gunshot victim?
Speaker 2 (48:52):
She's right, I know.
Speaker 1 (48:55):
So she basically started to like try to shatter the
stigma of what was going on there. Once fully recovered,
Bridget took her mission a step further. Less than a
year after the attack, While still regaining her strength, she
actually began speaking publicly. In early two thousand and three.
She appeared on national television programs like Good Morning America
(49:18):
to share her story of survival and hope. She stood
in that very field outside you know, like outside that
subdivision where she was attacked and told a reporter, my
name is Bridget I was raped and shot in this field. So,
of course, while she's talking to all of these people,
she also started going around to schools. She addressed a
(49:43):
room full of teenage girls. She told them all about
the attack in very like frank detail and told the students,
you know, that the rape was a reality of her life,
but it was not the defining moment of her life.
And she basically that if any of them ever faced
such trauma, she urged them not to let embarrassment or
(50:04):
shame silence them. And the girls were asking pretty like
raw and honest questions, Like some of the girls were like,
do you forgive him for what he did? And I
actually saw this part in a video and she said
that she was not ready to forgive him for what
he did, but when other people say that they're praying
(50:26):
for him, she's like, good, because then I don't have to.
Is that was the response she gave to the girl.
Speaker 2 (50:34):
Yeah, so very powerful.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
So then there was this thing called speak Up, Speak Out,
So back in Texas, sexual assault prevention advocates took notice
of Bridget's outspokenness, and the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault
TASSA was planning on groundbreaking, was planning a groundbreaking awareness campaign.
(51:02):
So in spring of two thousand and three, Bridget joined
this group and participated in the Speak Out Speak Up,
Speak Out, which was the first ever Texas public service campaign,
which was featuring a real rape victim telling like real
rape victims telling their stories. Basically again, I'm assuming to
(51:25):
get rid of that stigma, like these are real people
with real life events. So as we're wrapping it up here,
Bridget's advocacy did not just stop with that campaign. She
became an enduring voice in the movement to support survivors
and eliminate the stigma of sexual assault. National organizations now
took notice of Texas success and they began doing their
(51:49):
own speak Up, Speak Out like they and they used
Speak Up Speak Out as a national model for like
an outreach across the country, which you know, so it
started this entire movement, not just in Texas. And so
in the years after the attack, she was able to
rebuild her life. She returned to the job that she loved,
(52:13):
She married a man who you know, understood and highly
admired her strength. He was actually an ABC News producer
who had covered the story. So I don't think though
that she had children.
Speaker 2 (52:27):
So I've been looking her up over here while you've
been talking, and I found a picture of I think
him in the background and her holding an infant.
Speaker 1 (52:35):
Oh okay, I don't.
Speaker 2 (52:38):
It's an omaha, a world herald Kelly, a precious gift
of life for a life that was nearly lost.
Speaker 1 (52:44):
Oh all right, well then she did.
Speaker 2 (52:46):
Yeah, I just didn't see. Well, I don't know, but
it looks as though, well that picture, yeah, so all right,
Well then I guess she did, which is fantastic. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (52:58):
And the last thing I'm gonna say he is her father.
I guess when in the courtroom he captured you know
the essence of this addressing the man again who destroyed,
who tried to destroy his daughter, and he said, my
daughter is a survivor. Yes, she is also a rape survivor,
(53:18):
and she knows that she has not diminished one bit.
Rape is not her shame, it's his shame. And that
is the story, the remarkable story of Bridget Kelly.
Speaker 2 (53:32):
Very good job, so very well done.
Speaker 1 (53:36):
Thank you, And it is nice to tell a story
of an inspiring person and not you know, well they're all,
I guess inspiring, but yeah, somebody who actually is not yes,
was a survivor and you know, did what all the
incredible things that she did.
Speaker 2 (53:56):
Then moving forward, agreed, I was giving you a funny
look because I thought you were going to say it
is so nice to be able to tell a story
without being interrupted.
Speaker 1 (54:07):
For one, that it was nice, but but it was
it was also you know, I don't know it was.
It wasn't our style, No it was. It wasn't your style,
but I was. And you only yawned like twice. Oh
my god, barely at all. You didn't recline, you didn't
(54:32):
grab a blanket. So and we're just hitting an hour.
Speaker 2 (54:39):
Oh wow, So okay, what a way to start off
season three, season one.
Speaker 1 (54:50):
So there we have it. Thank you for listening, Thank
you everybody for joining us again on this this new
thrilling season, and we hope to see you again in
season two. I'm sorry in episode two, in episode two
(55:12):
of season three, and until then, stay safe and stay chill.
Speaker 2 (55:20):
Bye everybody, goodbye, you've just listened to Chilworthy.
Speaker 1 (55:31):
Thank you for joining us on this latest episode. While
we strive to keep our discussions engaging and lighthearted, we
also wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the real
lives and events that are at the heart of these stories.
Speaker 2 (55:43):
We try to approach each topic with a sense of
curiosity and respect fully, aware of the impact these events
have had on the individuals and their loved ones. Our
goal is to honor their memories by keeping your stories
alive and shedding light on the mysteries that surround them.
Speaker 1 (55:59):
And joyed this episode, please remember to subscribe, rate and
leave a review, and don't forget to join us on
the next episode of Chilworthy
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