AI Summary
5 min readWhen Self-Defense Goes All Wrong
The morning started like any other for the man police would later interview—he left for work at 6:01 AM, driving his newly purchased Mustang toward McKinney, Texas, where he ran an independent bread delivery route for Flowers Baking Company. But by 6:45, something was wrong. He called his ex-wife Elizabeth, as he often did to chat while he sorted his load, and the phone answered to the sound of her arguing with someone. He couldn't make out the voice. He got in his car and drove home.
What happened next would become the central question of a self-defense claim that prosecutors ultimately rejected.
A House Under Siege
The man—let's call him by his name from the interrogation, Justin—lived in South Austin with Elizabeth, his ex-wife of many years, and six of their seven children. Their relationship was complicated. They'd divorced years earlier due to Elizabeth's drug problems but reconciled shortly after, and she'd lived in the house almost continuously. The previous year, she'd moved out for a stretch, and during that time, she'd had a brief relationship with a man named Jeremy O'Barr.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Episode Introduction & Sponsors** - The episode opens with a series of political ads and a promotional segment for Greenville, South Carolina, before the true crime story begins.
- 2 (00:36) **The Setup: Emma's Disappearance** - The host begins the main narrative, describing a woman named Emma who disappears during a family trip to Greenville, South Carolina.
- 3 (01:36) **Detective's Initial Interview: Establishing Basic Info** - A detective begins a recorded interview with a suspect, later identified as the homeowner, Justin Watts.
- 4 (03:45) **The Troubled History: Elizabeth's Drug Issues and Prior Incidents** - Justin details Elizabeth's substance abuse, legal troubles, and a pattern of unwanted visitors at the house.
- 5 (06:36) **The Morning of the Shooting: The Phone Call** - Justin recounts the events of the morning, starting with a phone call to Elizabeth that reveals an argument in the background.
- 6 (08:05) **Confronting Elizabeth and Calling for Backup** - Justin speaks to Elizabeth on the phone, who downplays the situation, and he asks his daughter Dallas to accompany him.
- 7 (09:11) **The Arrival: Breaking the Chain** - Justin arrives home and finds the door locked with a security chain, which he breaks to enter.
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Show Notes
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