High School Prank Kills Mom of Four

Well, we want to know, was this an accident? There's always two sides of it. I'm not like in this. I don't like this one, they're like it either. They're the family, they're like it either. Excuse me, I know that. I have felt very bad about that. That is sickening to me. You know, if even said this is a horrible thing, then for you to sit here and say that he had something to do with this. You know, I feel really bad for this lady who's gone in her family. And this is not good to do to our family. This is right, it's just going to rip my family apart. I know this much. It's a job. I love that look. I don't have to wait for the baby baby baby. I do. Monday, September 2nd, 2019. It's Labor Day in Logan, Ohio. And 44-year-old photographer, Victoria Schaefer, is taking advantage of the beautiful day at Hawking Hill State Park to capture six high school students for their senior portraits. Schaefer has just finished taking the photos and is walking back up the staircase when the students hear an unforgettable, loud cracking sound. When they look back, Schaefer isn't a heap on the staircase, not moving. Lying nearby is a large log that must have tumbled from the cliff above. The crack they heard was the log landing on Schaefer's head. One of the students runs up the staircase to grab her cell phone. 9-1-1, where's your motion see? Okay. What? You threw it. Now I'm hiding. It's going to go up. Okay, take a breath. You're an old man's cave. Yes. Okay, and what happened? A three-whip found her. A three-branch fell on someone. Yes. Okay. You went back for three. When rescue crews arrive, they find Schaefer, a mother of four dead, most likely killed instantly by the falling log. Since this is a state park, officers with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources are the first investigators on the scene. Detective Robinson, Hawking County Sheriff's Office. Today's date, September 3rd, 2019. Time is now approximately 11.29. Presence myself with Detective Investigator Troy Newman with the DNR. As they inspect the scene, they notice the log that killed Schaefer is almost exactly six feet long, weighing approximately 75 pounds. It appears to be weathered with clean cuts. This tells them it didn't just fall off a dead tree. They head to the top of the cliff to try to find out where the log came from. We're right above the top of Old Man's Cave is what I know this has. On top of here to my left is there's a walkway where the tunnel would be located. And front of us is where the tree stop was located, and we'll be walking in a walk through here. Up top, they see other cut logs, the same size in a pile. 44 feet away from the cliff, nowhere near the edge, and certainly not close enough that they could roll off on their own. What we believe is here located in this section is where the approximately six foot log was located at, which you can still kind of see where the log was located with this coloration, or it's been there for quite some time. They begin to form the theory that someone must have moved the log from the pile over to the cliff. From there, it was carried over approximately about where Nicole and Rose is at, where they're getting ready to go off the side. They're going to do a exact measurement from the edge down to where the female deceased was found. The ODNR investigators determined the log fell 76 feet about the height of a six-story building. And with the log weighing 75 pounds, they begin to suspect that it would have taken more than one person to get the log from the pile to the edge of the cliff and then eventually over it. They determine Schaefer's death is suspicious, and they call in homicide investigators from the Hawking County Sheriff's Office. Hawking Hills is a popular local hiking spot, and this being Labor Day, the park is filled with families and hikers. Who would throw a heavy log over a cliff on a busy day in the park knowing someone could have likely been standing below? Over the next several weeks, detectives speak with witnesses who were at the park that day. They learned people were spotted on the cliff before the log tumbled over, but so far they are no closer to figuring out who threw the log. Finally, on October 8th, a month after Schaefer's death, a call comes in to the Hawking County Sheriff's Office. Hello. Is this death? Yes, it is. Hi, Deb. This is Lieutenant Robinson from the Hawking County Sheriff's Office. I had a message to give you a call. Yes. Okay. My daughter is a student at Logan High School, and she has a friend that she rides the bus with. And this friend's boyfriend had admitted to her that he took part in the death of -- I'm trying to think why her name was Miss Schaefer. Actually, I'm going to have you speak to my daughter. She can give you the information a little bit better than what I can. Hello. Hi. So, I grew up at the bus with -- Her now ex-boyfriend, Jordan Buckley, apparently, was one of the two boys at the park, who part took in the bridge falling down and hitting Miss Schaefer. I didn't know about the mail from the morning on the bus when she told me, but she has a message on her phone. I don't know if she deleted it. Now she's told me or not, but -- I'm saying that there's something serious happened. It was right after her apparently, but incident at the park. That's something serious happened in the park, and that he needs to talk to her, but he can't send it over text. And then, apparently, on the third at school, he told her what happened. Apparently, according to what he told -- She and one other boy, apparently, the other boy is a junior, but I don't know his name. We're at the park, and they were messing up with the brand. And that's how it fell and hit Miss Schaefer. Do you have a sign number for Jordan? I do not, and I don't know his social media. I'm not allowed to have social media myself. Do what great to you? Hucking County Sheriff's Detective, Dustin Robison, and ODNR investigator Troy Newman, head to Jordan Buckley's high school and bring him into a conference room for questioning. The first thing they notice is that he has an injury to his hand. The investigators move on to reading Jordan, his Miranda writes, and he quickly seems ready to talk. The detectives finish reading Jordan his rights, then they get down to business. I'm so you're ready to start rambling. Let us need to talk more here. Well, what I want to listen to is Phil. Well, so that day, me and my friends don't have a few guys want me to give you their names. Oh, yeah. It doesn't really matter. We were just walking around board, so we were like, what's going to hike, and we were just going to hike. You know when you go down, you cross the bridge, and you go up, and then we went up on the back side of the hill. And we came back because some guys told us that someone got smashed by a branch. So we turned around and we went down towards the bottom part. And then we came back up, and there was a bunch of like EMS people running past us, some sirens and everything. Yeah, so we just left. But Jordan appears to be leaving out some details. The investigators call him out on it. This is the time you come clean. There's some allegations about against you. What were they? Well, you were there. You confirmed that you were there. You didn't know that you were there. So there's more to this story. Ghostbuck branch made up of top. Well, then I didn't do anything. I just don't like snitching on people like this at home. Now Jordan's story starts to change. This is the time when you know it's not about snitching. This is about down the truth. And down the truth gets you farther than not down the truth. So we were majoring all the way farther down, like cleared to the end. Not far the better bridges. This guy did say that to us, but we didn't end up going back down. But I skipped the part of what we did. We walked all the way down to the end and this. And Jake kicked off a branch. Not a branch, it was a log. It was a big log, like probably just why this log was kicked in. And it rolled off the cliff and it made a loud bang so we ran. I don't know if he, I wasn't like paying attention to what he was doing. So I don't know if he intentionally kicked it or if he like stumbled on it. Did you pick it up first in the area? No. He didn't pick it up at all and after I saw him. How did it get on the other side of the tree? I had no idea. Based on what the witness told them, the investigators know Jordan is lying. And soon his story begins to fall apart. You've been following this on TV. Following what? The story on TV. Do you see nothing on TV? I don't see anything about it. You don't even know what happened that day. No, I just didn't acknowledge anything. You didn't acknowledge anything? Yeah, I just didn't think anything of it. So you know what happened? Not really. Yeah, no idea. Not really. So when you sent a text to your girlfriend at the time? I mean, yeah, well, I knew what happened, but I didn't know what happened to cause that completely what happened. Like I was there with my friends, but I wasn't the one I didn't. And I know that it killed the one when it fell down on her. And I heard the loud bang and I saw Jake run and I was around. So what did you come up with? What did you do? Because I was freaking out, and I thought I was gonna get in trouble for it. Okay. And I didn't acknowledge any charges against me. Do I get voluntary manslaughter or something? Did you ever search this? No, I just know a lot. Cause I've been in trouble with calls before. And it's not fun. So I tried to like not even deal with it at all. And I just wanted to block it out. Yeah, basically. Jordan's lies tumble out one by one. But nothing gets past the investigators. You and Jake talked any more about this? Nope. You guys didn't make a pact and said you gotta keep this a secret. Well, yeah, we did say that. That's why I told you that story. After I realized the severity of it, I could get in trouble for his actions. If I'm not doing anything. Cause I was tipped off already that this was gonna happen. But I didn't. Someone told me that **** told you guys all about all this. So I kind of knew what it was about. So I kinda texted you. Something's gonna happen. We're gonna get caught. I don't know what you want me to say. But I'm not being in trouble for you. I said, I won't tell them. But if they ask me, I'm not gonna come wake me up and get myself in trouble. And then he said, okay, I'm not really worried about it. At this point, the school has brought Jake and church house and his mother into another room to wait while they talk to Jordan. So when you guys talk to Jake, you just got an income in here. And quit in fifth. You might not say nothing happened. And I'll say this was you that didn't know? No, he must get out of it. Cause he doesn't know what to do with it. He's in trouble when you say that you did it. And I know if he said, I did it, I'll be right. I didn't know what to do. Did you say that? Yeah, Jordan says he told me that he didn't meet with the girls. Yeah, he said that from that. And then he would say, he said, I already called a body, but age is 16. Is that him? More body than this one. He said, what? I already got a body. At the age of 16, he said, this was something. I don't think it's funny. I think that's the only reason I'm telling you all this because I think it's serious. It's very serious. Someone lost their life for someone being stupid and messing around. After talking to Jordan for nearly an hour that detectives leave, Jordan seems unbothered while he waits. When the investigators come back in, Jordan wants to show them what he was wearing that day. He tells them he and Jaden took a selfie while they were at the park. But they noticed something unsettling about the photo. I love the four of them. That was after this, after they hit it. Their day was so eventful, it would seem, that they wanted to remember it with a selfie. And as Jordan is showing the detectives where he was standing when Jaden kicked the log over the ledge, he says something even more disturbing. I have to say something because this is just me and me. I was being retarded, I told that I did do this with him, but I did not. I was just trying to act cool in front of her because I thought it was cool, but it's not after I realized the severity of it. And you know who's going to beat you. I know, but that's what I'm saying. If it comes down to that, I would literally take a lot of detectives before this. If you guys do not believe me, I will 100% take a lot of detectives. And I heard samples prove to you that I had nothing to do with it. And I did not kick or touch that log. Why did you think it'd say something? Speak up. I don't know. I was freaked out about it. I thought it was just all going to go away and everybody would forget about it. You don't forget about it, death? No. I don't know. I just. I don't know how it is. You wish you were the woman that looked like with your head bashed up? No. You want to see it? No. Yeah, that's the thing. It's your responsible act, I know. Four kids have done mom, husband, son of a wife. Let's grow up. It's time to grow up right now. Did you touch that log? Come on. Wait a second. When he. When I was standing in front of him, he said. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Put your answer in my face. So, what DNA is? Yeah. You do. Yeah, I know what DNA is. So, I touched the log to move it out of the area. But I didn't move it out of the area. It was right in between these trees and you pushed it out. And then I helped him push it out, but he kicked it out. I didn't kick it. So, I didn't touch the log. So, you didn't help me? No, I didn't know he was going to kick it off. Would you? I helped him pull it out, yeah. Around 2.20 p.m., detectives get worried that Jordan's mom, who had been notified at work, that her son is being interviewed by police, is on the phone in the school resource office, had there to let her know what's going on. Were you a part of it, Jordan? I didn't like push it off, but I moved the log with him. I pulled it out. I didn't know he was going to kick it off though. But a woman died. Why did you not tell Chris that I was. That's why I switched out of here. I freaked out. It doesn't matter. I've taught you to do right, Jordan. A woman lost her life and you knew it. Always coming first is what you do. As Jordan's mom makes her way to the school, back in the conference room, Jordan makes an offer. If I get permission from my parents, could I take you? Can you guys take me there? Let me show you everything that happened. Back to the club too. It's a woman's game for me to take you there, can I do that? Before they leave the school, they want to talk to Jayden. But investigators have one more question for Jordan. What do you think would happen? You know there's trails throughout. People walk trails. You know, Hockey and Hills has 3.5 million visitors a year. So what's the odds? I think somebody's underneath that edge right now. I'm right in the second, but back here. Let's be honest. Pretty high? Pretty high. Well high. Popular high. 67%. I saw an attacker be right there. Was there a good bit of people in my day? Yeah, it was. Yeah, I was parking in front of parking place. Now it was packed. So you knew it was packed? Yeah. But I knew he was going to throw it off. I swear on that thing I know it. You knew he was going to throw it off. Select a DNA swab from Jordan and make plans to bring him back to the park later that day. Next they bring Jayden and his mother into the conference room. And Jayden's mom is already fired up. I was going to get good when I got here. I said I need to show you how I work. Yeah, we're sorry. You're right there. Are you kidding me? I've been sitting there for two hours waiting on you guys. I know. I know. I gotta play that. Play that. Jordan. Jordan? He's my friend. What's Jordan there? I know the water group. Jordan. Butler. Butler. Butler. Butler. I mean. He's a great under me, not hung out. Oh, you're right, swearing for me sometimes. It quickly becomes clear, Jaden has no intention of telling that detectives would happen that day. Jaden, we've been being around the bush, and I'm just going to get straight to our point, and we're about to go ahead and go down on the ground, and then some dude comes running past, and he's like, "Somebody just got hit with something," and we think that, so we're like, "What?" We turn around, and we leave, because we don't even want to go down there and see it, or anything. And once we're walking out, there's, like, ambulance is pulling up and all of this. Before we come in here, we already have all the answers, it might be one or two that we don't do. We've already talked to people. Okay. I know about your Instagram. We've got intel. Well, there are a lot of serious accusations about against you, and this was the time to tell you, to help yourself, to go right now, it's really serious, really, really serious. As detectives begin to push Jaden, his mom decides she's had enough. He needs to be honest, but up front, because we know a lot more than what you think, right? And you need to talk to me, sir, in private, because he's under age, he's under age, and it sounds like you're, you know exactly what happened, so make sure you should go tell me exactly what happened, and then I will talk to him, because I don't like you saying that you knew what happened, and okay, then, you know, who did it, and what happened, so good, then we'll go in the other room, and you can tell me if he's participated, and it doesn't work. No, not at all, your son did something, the result of it, I definitely, no, no, I can prove that he wanted to shout it out. Did somebody ought to be proven it to me before they're saying something like that, because that is very upsetting. There's always two sides of this. No, I'm not. Why can this? I don't like this one. I don't like it either. That is sickening to me, and I have even said this is a horrible thing for you to say you're insane that he had something to do with this. Detectives push on, and this time, Jaden chooses a different path. But I wanted to know, was this an accident, or is this something that you meant to do? That's a big difference, and this is an accident, or you, or trying to do this, is one thing. I didn't do it. I was there. Okay. So tell me what happened, instead of by step. Like, they see what I was saying, when we walked up, by the stairs, the, I might have the same thing. That is, I don't know. He has the same news. If Jordan walks, like we were walking, and then there was a log, and he kicks it, and it starts to slide. It's the same to Jordan kick, and then it's slid, and then there, but, but, did you touch the log? Because we've talked to Jordan. Miranda? Yeah. It ****. They all said you were the one. I grabbed the log. Okay. So you touched the log. I touched it, but I did not kick it off or throw it off. How did that, especially, he got kicked off the edge, he kicked it. Jordan? Jordan kicked it? Yes. Are you sure? Yes. We talked to Miranda. I know this ****. I know this. I know about your act. The Jordan. You guys already had this rehearsed. It took him about 30 seconds of breaking. Same thing with Miranda and ****. They're pissed. They didn't want anything to do with this. I did this. We know what they were saying that we got to be clean, clean on this with ourselves and others here. You touched it. I touched it. When? Yes. Before I fell off. So now, Jaden points the finger at Jordan. Jaden tells investigators that Jordan flipped the log around a tree in front of the cliff. So you flipped it over, and you weren't kicked, why did you flip it over? I flipped it over the line because we was going to kick it off because we just wanted to be like, who this would be fine, who right, you should not just girls. So I flipped it down like a second thoughts for a third or something and then we did the same thing. I love it. Yeah. You guys, I'm being very patient with this. And it sounds like you're trying to talk him in to say something that he's trying to talk with. I'm trying to talk him in to tell me the truth. But he just should have had it. So you're trying to get in to say something that I'm trying to tell us the truth. But Jaden's mom is not done trying to shut down the interview. You think I would let you arrest him? Like Jordan's here. So I'll let you arrest Jordan with Alan Wider, Tector Toss. You know what? I'm going to have to just send him up and talk to him. I'm going to give it to him. But the minimum wage two jobs that I work, because you know what? We do have choices. When you get the, when you get the, when you get the, when you get the, I know this lady died. When you get the light detector test set up for him, then you'll just have to contact me. I swear, Neil Jane and I will be leaving. And that's all right. You can leave. Jaden was going to place under arrest. No, he said he can't. He said he's 16 years old. So? It doesn't matter. He did something that resulted in the death of a shaper. Where are you think you're going to take him? You don't have the intention. No! That's how serious this is. There's evidence. There's evidence. There's evidence of what happened. So, in the meantime, you guys both touched it. They both resolved them to the death of another. You're both going to get her home side. Unless there's anything you want to tell me. I told you everything that happened. I told you who came to it all. I told you who flipped it. That's the story I'm sick with. The investigators leave the room. And when they return, they take Jaden's DNA. They leave the room once again. And when they come back, another officer joins them. What Jaden's mom says next, shocks Hawking County detective Dustin Robison. We have not done that enough. We have your statements. All right. I'm going to have arrested for right now. I'm going to be detained. I'm going to take you down to JVC. The prosecutor and the judge already sent it off. We have to think about this. Do you want that stupid me? That's in here. I had with a log. You cannot do that. I don't know what you said. Because you can't take him to jail. There's bad people there. Well, there's not good people here. What did you say? I'm taking the log to the head. Because you're trying it. You're trying to take him away for something that you can't take. This is not me. This is the prosecutor's office. This is the actual prosecutor. And then you've been out of work today. This is out of my hands. These are the elected officials. You're just going to take him out of here with him right now through this school. Yes. Does that make sense? I make you feel. It hasn't made me feel very good at all since the beginning of this. This is September 2nd, 620 when I got the info calling. I've seen that lady have not made me feel good at all. This doesn't make me feel good. Do you know what? I have raised this boy for 17 years, but myself. And this does not make me feel good. So, why would you take him out of this school like this? In front of these people? Where's everyone else here? There's no one. There's no car right there, wait. Jason, never been away from me. This is not my decision. He's never been away from me. You can't just take him out of here. Yes, maybe we can. So, stay out of here, please. No, you guys. You're going to have a recording tomorrow. Thanks, everything. So Friday, it will be in front of you. Do you want more judge? Or is it right? And I don't know on that. He needs to. Yeah. What he needs to do, the options he has. Yes. All right. You guys, don't. Listen to me. Tomorrow, the right will be at the juvenile court. You know where that's at? No, I don't. No, where the court houses. It's a second floor. The order of court houses. And I'll find out what time it is and let you know what time it is either. Detectives. Take jins. in a way. Around APM, they head to Hocking Hill State Park with Jordan, his mother and stepfather. But when they get there, Jordan changes his story several times. Sometimes he says he was looking at Miranda Spencer and the other teenage girl who was with them and didn't see Jaden throw or kick the log. Other times, he says he can't remember what Jaden did. Investigators quickly begin to poke holes in his version of events. Not only that, there's twigs and branches and everything right here. Made the ways of what it caught your attention. This is here and I'm taking care of it. Or wasn't one of these. What did they do? Did they do anything? Turn around and grab it. You got your back hand? That's a clear pass. No, I did not. I did not pick that log up. Like if I were to pick up your story straight because right now, this is what we need to do. I know, I'm trying to tell you, like she. I'm trying to say, if she threw it, it wouldn't have bounced. If we were to throw it like that, it wouldn't have bounced like that anyway. So if he would have kicked it, it would have bounced. Or if he would have pushed it, it would have bounced. But I don't know if he didn't need that. So can you hear that baby right now? Yeah. I mean that was a bit of a baby crying. He didn't hear anybody screaming. No, nobody yelling. Jaden and then we're yelling at me for running with them and then we ran. Look before the citizen of 3,000 people here. I hear people down here right now. Maybe 20 here. I was more just fucking all that. Jordan tells them that he turned his head when he heard Jaden say he was going to throw the log over and then he saw the log bounce over the edge. It hurt less than like a gunshot. Yeah, I stopped and I saw him run up there and I wasn't thinking anything of it. Because I didn't think anybody's going to get hurt that afterwards anyway. Like that soft sound was where that split point was where it's going. I know it scared me. It sounded like a bomb. Like a bomb exploded. Yeah, exactly. And then when I saw him right there, he turned around and Jordan come on and he ran. As they're trying to work through the details, Jordan has a question of his own. Well, what did he tell you happened? He said you did it. He said I did it. Yeah, really? I'm dead serious. Like a told person your mom. All right, I believe you. I think you're being honest. That's why I want to make sure that this was not here. Yeah, I never touched the log over here. I'm not saying you, but did Jaden ever grab anything from there? Not that I recall. Jordan insists he only moved the log a little with his foot because his hand was injured and it was Jaden who sent the log over the edge. But the investigator's suspicions are raised again when Jordan walks them through what they did after the log went over the edge. Jordan says they walked past EMS as they arrived to help Victoria Schaefer, then stopped to take a selfie. It seems they didn't just run out of the park and back to their car. Miranda was mad at us the whole time for what? For this? Yeah, for this. Because she knew that someone got hurt. Because that guy told us. And that's what she got mad. And she was fine until that happened. Yeah, and then like right up around here, she wouldn't even talk to us. She kept telling us just leave her alone. And then once we got into her car, she said, "Guys, we need to talk about this." And then we talked about it. And she dropped me and Jaden off in town to get out because she didn't want to deal with it. Or she dropped you off the right front of Jaden's house. And when we went over there, we went, we ate cookies, drank some tea. And then we went and rode our shooters around town for a little bit. I went home. They ate cookies and rode scooters. In October 2019, 16-year-olds Jaden Churchhouse and Jordan Buckley are charged with reckless homicide. At a probable cause hearing, their friend Miranda testifies that Jordan is the one who moved the log from the pile, 40 feet away from the ledge, and that Jaden is the one who kicked the log over. She says that Jordan told Jaden there was no one below. Even though Miranda herself knew there must be and told Jaden not to do it. The judge sends the boys to adult court and charges them with murder in voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault. In September 2020, both boys, now 17 years old, plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter. The judge sends them back to juvenile court for sentencing. In an October 2020, they're sentenced to three years in juvenile detention. Miranda Spencer, one of the other teens present the day, Victoria Schaefer was killed, pleaded guilty to obstructing official business and was handed down a suspended 90-day jail sentence. A senseless act forever changed countless lives and left four children without a mother, all for a fleeting thrill. For Long Crime Investigates, I'm Kristen Thorn. [MUSIC]