Jealous Rage Fueled Shooting or Accidental Firing? The Case Danielle Nemetz

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Thank you so much for all you have done to make this possible and for supporting this show while I'm on maternity leave. True Crime with Kendall Ray. Very difficult, very confusing, and also just extremely sad. We're going to be talking about the case of Danielle Nemitz. And at the end of the day, there is no debate over who killed Danielle, but there's a lot of debate over why the person who killed her did so and if it was intentional or if it was an accident. If this was an accident, it's a horrible, tragic, beyond words accident. Or if this was on purpose, it's a horrible, tragic, beyond words accident. This was a deliberate, cold, vicious killing. And it's really hard to say either way, I think. Like I said, I really feel like 90% confident in my opinion. And yeah, I'm just really curious to see what you guys are going to think. Because I'm pretty sure knowing my audience, I know where most of you are going to fall. But I think there'll be some debate. And I think that's healthy. I'm curious to see what the discussion will be like in the comments of this episode. But yeah, we have a lot to go over. So I want to get into it. But before I begin, I just wanted to remind you that this is a pre-recorded episode. I'm actually recording this in May of 2025. And I don't know when you'll be seeing it because at this point, I am not pregnant. But when you do see this, I'll either be very pregnant or have just had my daughter. And if you're looking for any updates on what's going on with me during maternity leave, you can check out my Instagram. I'll leave my handle below. I'll be posting the, I don't know, maybe updates on there if you want to check in with me. But hopefully things are good. It's always just so weird recording this far out. I've never done this. I was pregnant last time. I didn't start pre-recording episodes until I was already like pretty pregnant. And it was pretty tough to fit in an extra fourth recording on weeks where I was feeling so horrible. So that's why I'm trying to do this so far in advance. And it's also kind of weird that this episode in particular, I am so looking forward to hearing what you guys have to think. And now I have to wait at least like 10 months, maybe even a year longer because I don't know what the future holds for me at this point. But I will be looking forward to seeing what you guys have to think on this one. And Danielle's case is really one I wanted to highlight. So I appreciate you guys sticking with me during this time until I am able to come back. And so with that, let's get into the case, starting with Danielle's early life and what we know about her. So Danielle was born at Tira Ripion, and she went by her middle name, Danielle. She was born on January 11th, 1995 in Northern California to her mother, Elizabeth. And everyone actually called her a miracle baby because she was born seven weeks early and doctors didn't think that there was a good chance of her surviving. But like many things in her life, Danielle pushed through. Danielle had two sisters and one brother. And sadly, when she was only two years old, her siblings and her went through a devastating time when their mom died of cancer. And because of that, they ended up going to live with their grandmother in McKinleyville, California, which was great in a lot of ways. And because of that, they ended up going to live with their mom in McKinleyville, California, which was great in a lot of ways. Hey, so this is my makeup collection video. I thought it'd be a fun way to start out my life here on YouTube and show all you beautiful people my makeup collection. So, as it is, let's jump on into it. But yeah, when you watch these videos, you can really get a sense of her energy and excitement that she had towards life. Hey guys, so don't worry about all this. Not important. I just got a package from. We did a friend mail swap here on YouTube, and I'm excited because it's my first swap. And yeah, so let's get to opening it. Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Let's see if I can do this. Ooh, it's a cute little. Yeah, I'm really excited. I hope you enjoy. Thank you guys for watching my video. And I will check you later. Don't forget to like and subscribe. And yeah, have a good one. Bye. And Danielle just seemed to have a huge heart. Her loved ones say that she was super into giving bear hugs and spending time with her friends. And she especially loved love. And growing up, she had a few boyfriends that she really wanted to give that love to. And of course, she wanted that in return. And there have been people. Who knew her well that have been interviewed that say things along the lines of, you know, she was sort of filling a void with these boyfriends. And of course, this is just their opinions. But it seemed like she would get really close with the boyfriend's family. families as well, and I can see why these other families would accept her so much because she's so awesome, and I think she was really, really searching for that fairy tale ending and stability. Her cheer coach said that she could just sense that Danielle was longing for that family dynamic that she was missing, and she went looking for it in boys. She said, quote, every boyfriend was the one she was going to marry, and I don't think she means that in a bad way at all. I think she could just see how much love Danielle had to offer and how ready she was to give that to someone and have her storybook ending. But like most young relationships, things didn't always work out with all of these different boyfriends. That was until her junior year of high school, though, when she met Skylar Nemitz on Facebook. Now, Skylar was a few years older than her and had recently graduated from a nearby high school, and it's been said that these two fell head over heels for one another. His mom, Danette, said that her son just suddenly had this sort of sparkle in his eye that she had never seen before. And after some convincing, she agreed to let Danielle move in with them. And keep in mind, she had only known Skylar for a month at this point. But his mom just said that she felt really sorry for Danielle in a lot of ways and for the circumstances that she dealt with in life. And she genuinely loved being around her, loved spoiling her, and enjoyed making her feel like part of the family. And she said that she was going to be a part of the family. Eventually, Danielle even started calling her mom. And Danette said that she really also thought of Danielle as a daughter. And not too many months later, she did become a member of their family. After knowing each other for three months, Skylar bought a ring and proposed on top of Neyland Mountain during their Christmas break. Now, by this point, Skylar had joined the army. And shortly after proposing, he went to Georgia to begin his basic training. And then on March 7th, the same day he graduated from boot camp, Skylar and Danette were married. And Skylar and Danette he and Danielle got married at the courthouse. With a criminal justice degree, you could analyze digital evidence. With a business degree, you could guide victims through the legal process. With a business degree, you could start a nonprofit. Visit snhu.edu slash Kendall Ray. Outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, baby gates. Where do you even start? Don't wait. And the U.S. Virgin Islands invites you to experience the magic of St. Croix and celebrate the holiday season cruise and style in late December to early January. 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And this became somewhat of a fresh start for Danielle. This is where she and Skylar planned to start their own family and live the life that she had always wanted. The thing is, though, some of her friends were worried that she may not have been very happy. Once she moved away, Danielle's light really started to dim, according to them. And they think it was because of Skylar. It's been said that he really sort of isolated her from the people in her life and really didn't make an effort to get to know any of them. Now, James Peltier was a former neighbor of Danielle's, and he was actually really like a father to her growing up. He would take her and her siblings to the movies and out to dinner, and he played an important role in her upbringing. But despite James being so important to Danielle, Skylar didn't really seem to give too much. So, I think it's a good thing that Skylar's been about him or really didn't seem to prioritize getting to know him. And James thinks that he only met him maybe like three times, and that the most interaction that they had was when Skylar like shook his hand and then got in his car and drove away. And while Danette describes her son as loving, caring, and sensitive, those in Danielle's life feel like he may have had a different side to him. And they think that that side was controlling and jealous. And Danielle once had control over Skylar, and she was like, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't confided in James that Skylar had smashed her phone when he was angry at her, which is obviously a big red flag, right? But Danielle was quick to defend him and said that right after he broke the phone, he went and bought her a new one. And understandably, James did not like hearing this. He even told Danielle that if she wanted to get away, all she had to do was say the word. But she reassured him that everything was fine and she'd already forgiven Skylar for that incident. But James wasn't the only one to get weird vibes about Skylar. Danielle's best friend, Mikayla, also did. Now, Mikayla and Danielle had been friends since they were very young, and they bonded because they had both lost their moms. And Mikayla also felt that Danielle just wasn't the same as she used to be. This is just one example, and keep in mind this is coming from Mikayla. And, you know, I can't confirm that it's true, but Mikayla. was her best friend. So she felt like Skylar was forcing her to keep the house clean, and not in a way that's like, it'd be nice if you did the laundry and did the dishes type of way. It was a, you need to have our house spotless, you need to shampoo the carpets, and do anything he asked kind of way. Apparently, Danielle always seemed really stressed out whenever Skylar was on his way home because she had to make sure the house looked the way that he wanted it to. Again, that's at least the way that Mikayla was perceived. And most of the time that was through FaceTime, because that's how she and Danielle would keep in touch after she moved. But it was through these FaceTime calls that she says she could see Danielle was starting to change. And this is so heartbreaking, but the two of them were actually on one of those FaceTime calls only 12 minutes before Danielle was killed. Now, to give some context, in September of 2014, Skylar left on a training mission in Eastern Washington, where he was gone for a total of 19 days. And while Skylar and Danielle had been apart before, he said that this time was especially difficult. Again, this is coming from him. But he said that they both missed each other more than they ever had, and they were really struggling with being apart. And so when he returned on October 16th, he said they were just over the moon to be reunited. Danielle even told his mom that she gave the dogs a bath, she got a bunch of candles, and was really, really just eager to be with them. And he said that he was really, really eager to be reunited with her son. And one really important thing that you need to know is that while he was gone, Skylar left one of their rifles out of the gun safe, in case Danielle needed it for an emergency. Now, this particular rifle was an AR-15, and it was actually one that he had built for Danielle as a gift on her 19th birthday. And actually, their love of guns is one of the things that the two of them really bonded over, and they had spent a lot of their free time together at the shooting range. There's actually a clip of Danielle shooting this gun, and I don't know if I can play it. I don't know if YouTube will allow me to, but it's especially eerie, given what happens. You can tell it was something that she enjoyed, and she looks back at the camera with this big smile, but I don't know. In hindsight, it's just very, very sad to see. So, Skyler says that leaving it out wasn't a huge cause for concern, considering she knew her way around it, and if she weren't home, he said the gun would have been in its safe, where it was. Which is also where he kept the rest of the guns, and by rest of them, I'm talking about, like, 14 more guns. Now, Skyler's mom says that they had a rule growing up that their guns had to always be unloaded and in the safe, and Skyler says that he followed that same rule, and that Skyler often says that he was very big on gun safety. But for this three-week span, he made an exception, and it ended up being this same gun, the one that he gifted to Danielle. The one that she is seen shooting in that clip, that was used in her death. The big question, though, in this case is, was it on purpose, or was it an accident? Well, if you ask Skyler, the whole thing was a terrible accident, and here's what he says happened. On the day that he returned from training, Danielle drove about 30 minutes to pick him up, and then the two of them ordered a delivery pizza from Domino's. He says that they got home around three, they walked through the house so that she could show him the pizza, and then they got home around three, they got home around three, and then they got home around three, and then they got home around three, how she cleaned it, and then he changed out of his work clothes. After that, he says the two of them went to their second bedroom, which is where Danielle had her desktop computer, because she wanted to show him a few videos. While living in Lakewood, she had actually gone back to school to finish her degree, and she got a job working for a granite company, and part of her job was to make these videos showing the granite transformations, and so that's what he said they were watching. Then, according to Skyler, they had sex, and then they took a shower, and then went to the couch to watch a movie. And throughout this, he said he had a shot of Sailor Jerry's rum, and then one drink with Fireball and Red Bull. Then, in one version of the story, and we get a lot of versions here, but he mentioned that just before 6 p.m., Danielle got up from the couch, went into the primary bedroom, and she moved the into their second bedroom. And when she was moving it, she asked him if he would go put it back in the gun safe. And rather than get up and do what she asked, Skyler said that he just kept watching TV for about another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, while he is watching TV, according to him, Danielle stayed in the spare bedroom to finish up work, and then she decided to FaceTime with Michaela. And this was actually their second FaceTime of the day, and Michaela remembers that Danielle seemed really happy. Skyler even came into the room at some point, and Michaela says that she actually saw Danielle run and jump into his room. And then, in the second FaceTime of the And that, according to her, they looked like they were in really good moods, as far as she could tell. So they talked for a little bit longer, but eventually the conversation ended with Danielle telling Michaela that she loved her and was looking forward to talking again. But they never did get that chance to talk again, because only 12 minutes later, 19-year-old Danielle Nemitz was dead. And that's because, according to Skyler, when he went back into the room to make sure there were no The weapon discharged, shooting her square in the back of the head. Danielle was facing her computer screen when this happened. The bullet went right through her head and hit the computer screen, and she died instantly. And it gives me, like, this tiny sense of relief that at least she probably didn't even know what happened, that it was so instant that she couldn't have possibly comprehended what just happened to her. And that's why she died. And I hope that gives her loved ones a tiny, tiny sense of peace. And I'm sure a lot of you already have a lot of thoughts at this point, especially if you are someone who really knows guns. And he swears that he never saw a single bullet in the chamber, but many question if that was actually the truth. Because, and this is a huge red flag, one of many, but rather than call 911 or even try to save his wife or, you know, hold her body, he says, he didn't do any of that. He proceeded to clean up the scene. He hid the magazine under the bed, he moved the rifle to the closet, and he even dumped the alcohol down the toilet and tossed the bottles over their balcony. And yes, you heard me right. Skyler did not call 911. It was actually two of their neighbors who called 911. And you can hear that they were pretty confused about what happened. And I'm sure a lot of you have heard this story before. And I'm sure a lot of you know this story. And no matter your goals, SNHU makes college feel possible. There are no set class times, so school, college, college, college, college. There are no set class times, so school, college, college, college, college, college, college. Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids. But what about protecting them? Progressive offers customized coverage options so you can be sure you have the best possible time. And if you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones, they're basically the outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, and the baby gates of insurance. Don't wait. The U.S. Virgin Islands invites you to discover the stunning beauty of St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John. 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Because the real test of a mattress is how you feel in the moment. GhostBed is designed to help you feel the difference for you in the morning. Promo code iHeart. 9-1-1, what are you reporting? Hi, I think somebody was shot at our neighbors. We heard a loud bang and our neighbors were making a lot of noise. I didn't want to check. She said his rifle was out and there was an accident. She said her name is Danielle. Danielle was the one that shot and he accidentally shot her? I don't know that part. We just heard the gun go off and he said there was an accident. Okay, is she breathing at all? Is she breathing? No. No. And you said you don't know his name? No, I don't. Can you ask him his name? What's your name? Tyler. Do you hear someone screaming? Um, I was, I'm their neighbor and I heard a shot, um, go off and I wasn't sure if it was shot or anything else. Um, uh, the husband has said that she's dead and he doesn't want me going in to see her. Uh, it was a, it was a accidental discharge because the, the ground was in a right, in a rifle. So the male told you that his wife is dead? Yes. Okay. So she accidentally shot herself. Is that correct? Or what you've been told? Um, she accidentally shot herself. The husband does not want to talk about it. Um, so we just need somebody here. Yeah. We have, we have been notified at some point from somebody else. do you guys know where that rifle is now at all i didn't ask and it's interesting this second caller said that skylar didn't want to talk about what happened but some sources have reported that skylar told a neighbor that danielle shot herself and you can actually hear in a 911 call that that's what's being told to the operator that the operator seems to believe this at some point but skylar said that it was an accident that the gun went off while she was cleaning it but that's not the story we know he told police but what a lot of people want to know though is if this was truly an accident regardless of how it happened why did he not call 911 himself and of course why did he clean up the scene and not rush to his wife's side and of course you could you know think about the fact that if this really was an accident maybe he was scared in the moment knew that it would look bad and so he tried to clean up the scene because maybe because of the alcohol um but when you really look deeper at it there's definitely other reasons why he would clean the scene especially if this wasn't an accident but you would think if it really was an accident it would just be your gut reaction to rush right to your wife's side and call 911 because maybe there's a chance that she's still alive i mean he said in court that he knew right away that she was gone but even then i think most people would want to embrace their life partner um as they're lying dead on the floor you know and i i guess that's not the case for everyone and that's why this case is so difficult in general because everyone deals with grief and shock so differently so there's not one formula for how everything should be done not one textbook way but there is a way that the majority of people would act but anyway when police show up he didn't have any of her blood on him which made them believe that he never tried to save her and another really weird thing is when police got there he was making sobbing sounds and saying i don't know why i can't cry and again this is it's a tough thing to judge because no one knows how they would act in that situation and maybe if you're in such shock you can't cry but to me it's strange that he's even acknowledging this that he's even thinking like doesn't really look good that i'm not crying right now and he's forcing out sobbing sounds but makes it very clear i don't know why i can't cry just another red flag after that he was placed in handcuffs and put into the back of a police vehicle where he was transported to the police station for nearly five hours of questioning and i am very curious to hear all of your thoughts on this footage from the back of the cop car why me i love my wife so much why me i love my wife and my life i love my dogs i love everything why me i love my i love my family i love my dogs i love my wife so much she's everything please me my wife i love i need to talk to somebody like a chaplain or a lord or a priest or someone please i love being in the military i love being in the army i love my wife i love i love my family i love my friends i would never hurt any of them i'm innocent i didn't i didn't mean to hurt anybody i love it all i love my life i love the military i love the government i love my wife so much my mom my dad they're so disappointed in me all they taught me is just on the waist i've never been in handcuffs before one ticket my entire life now i want to point out just once again that everybody reacts to shock trauma and grief very differently so it's hard to judge him in this situation but that being said his behavior to me is very strange i think it's odd that he is immediately saying things like why me why me he does say you know i killed my wife and i love my wife and things like that but he also says i've never been in the back of a cop car and it's very clear that he is trying to make it i think he knows he's being filmed clearly and i think he is trying to make it seem like how how could this happen to me i've never been in trouble before i'm such an upstanding citizen and the fact that he's so focused on all of that when your wife was just shot in the head by you is strange and then there's another part where he talks about the gun more and gun safety try to clear the rifle because i was home i was her safety now i was her safety not some stupid guy left for a month because i was gone i was the safety all they wish i had clear as i could put it away because i was there because i was gonna i was i was gonna clear it i was gonna put it away that i was gonna come come up behind her i was gonna kiss her on the neck and i was gonna tell her i loved her i just had dinner with her we were relaxing just watching tv she went to go to the room making phone calls for work i think i told her you're cute i think i said you're cute you're really cute and before dinner i told her i loved her after her before what happened i said you're cute you're a very cute girl who the fuck does this happen to how does this happen to people who does this who the fuck does this happen to how the fuck what the fuck what the fuck my wife is dead because of a firearms accident i'm gonna go to prison the rest of my life i'm never gonna live again i'm gonna get kicked out of the military i'm i'm not gonna be in the military i'm gonna go to prison the rest of my life i'm never gonna live again i'm gonna get kicked out of the military i'm i'm not gonna be in the military i'm not gonna be in the military i'm not gonna be in the military a magazine away from in the closet because she doesn't know how to use the safe and all that so I left that in the closet and I told her you only touch this if you need it and when I get home I'll put it away because I'm I'm home anyways I got home I just relaxed and finally she went to work on computer and talked to employees and whatnot and I just thought to myself oh I'm home I'm just gonna go I'll unload the rifle and I'll put it away because she doesn't need it anymore anyway she was in the spare bed movies for when I give stuff on the computer for work or she calls employees she goes in there because we have a computer and it's silent she was in there and I left the rifle in there because the safe is in that same room it's a Cabela's safe I went into the room I was behind her when she was on the computer I right before I said right before anything happened I was just like watching I took over her shoulder and I was looking at what she was doing here and I was like you know you're really cute so I took the rifle I took the magazine out and I I don't know what the fuck happened like I didn't charge it I didn't pull the trigger in I hit the safety I turned the safety from safe to semi because I was about to charge it to make sure it was clear even though when I gave it to her I knew it wasn't around so here I think that when maybe when I was gone she might have put a round in the chamber maybe and I don't know how the fuck it went off but it went off so I don't know if you caught this but in that clip he says that he took the magazine out and one of the detectives even presses him on this and he says that he remembers for a fact that he took it out take a listen but some things I know you're upset I've been doing this job longer than you've been alive so I mean I get that right but you've changed your story twice since we've been sitting right here and I just want to make sure I'm not lying I'm not saying it's got a yard it could be the fact that you're upset so initially he said the gun was in the bin and it could be just confused but initially he said the gun was in the office and then then later on it was in the bedroom when you brought it in there and then the other magazine you know hang on just I just want to make sure we're understanding so she brought the gun into the office and said put this away about 30 minutes later you decided that was the time to put it away the magazine was in the attached birdcage on the side of the firearm right yeah okay so you took the magazine out or you left it in and in the just when you were going to clear it when it was in the birdcage yeah the magazine was in the birdcage okay I took the magazine out I from me I remember for a fact I took the magazine out of the birdcage before I tried to clear the weapon however in other versions of his story he says that the magazine was never attached and he said that he put it far away from the gun to avoid an accident similar to what just happened he also changed his story on where the gun was located when he was out of town and most notably how he was holding it when it went off at first he said he was holding it by his thigh and somehow bumped it against his thigh and the gun just discharged accidentally against your okay so can you can you demonstrate just how you how you did it when you just went down or did no I was just like this like if you were so so Daniel was over here she's facing the computer I went like this and I had the stock like this and I went like that like my hand this hand was on the buffer tube and this hand was on the fork group it has an angled fork on those holding it I went like this and I hit it on my thigh and when I did that I don't know what happened like I don't know if like I don't know how the hell happened but within beforehand the weapon I had on fire when I hit it against that it went off and then at one point he even suggested that he shook the gun and it went off which I can't even believe he was trying to say stuff like this given that he's in the weapons don't just randomly go off like that and they certainly there is not a model of ar-15 that goes off when it is shook and I just want to note here also that a forensic expert later confirmed that the gun was working just fine meaning that the only way that it could have gone off was if somebody pulled the trigger and it also bothers me that in a lot of his interrogation clips and in I think other moments too maybe in court I'm not completely sure but I know there are times where he says the gun just went off the gun just went off which always pisses me off when people try to use this guns don't just fire themselves okay that's not how it works and he's smart enough to know that that's not how it works and the fact that he even tries to say that it's just offensive and within that same interview Skyler changed his story and said that he was holding the gun on or near his shoulder very different than his thigh and that he did in fact pull the trigger I took the magazine out I put on the bed I put on fire and I pulled the trigger and it went off and I it was on my shoulder it was on my shoulder it was on the breast it was up high it was around here I don't know why I thought it was on my thigh but that was just you didn't think it was on your thigh you thought the story sounded better Skyler but he swears up and down that he thought the chamber was empty and he thought it was just going to click when he pulled the trigger indicating that there was no ammunition inside but here's what a lot of people think people want to know even if the gun was fully unloaded why would you ever point it towards the back of your wife's head there is just no reason in the world to do that and anyone who knows anything about gun safety knows that you never point a gun at someone regardless of if it's loaded or unloaded and as much as I went back and forth a bit while I was researching this case I think where I ultimately really struggle to believe him that this was an accident is because he's not just a gun enthusiast right like he's not someone who just collects guns and goes hunting and has been around guns since he was a child he is in the military in fact while he was in the military he was building ar-15s Skyler himself says that he knew gun safety like the back of his hand yet when he's checking to see if the weapon is unloaded he points it directly at the back of his wife's head and he's like oh my god I'm and on top of that it was a perfect shot and I hate to describe it that way but it was as a reminder it went dead center through the back of her skull and out the other side straight into her computer screen this shot killed her instantly and investigators just had a hard time believing that an accidental shot would have ended up right there in fact they believe that he changed his story about how he was holding the weapon when they told him that the trajectory of the bullet didn't match his initial story and let me tell you these homicide detectives were not messing around they called him out this podcast covers some tough cases but it also highlights the heroes in every story advocates investigators first responders people who know their purpose and are using it for good if you want a career that helps others southern new hampshire university can help you their online programs are designed to give you job specific skills that you'll actually use in the field with a cyber security degree you could analyze digital evidence with a criminal justice degree you could guide victims through the legal process with a business degree you could start a non-profit and no matter your goals snhu makes college field possible there are no set class times so school fits your schedule and their online tuition is some of the lowest in the u.s put your purpose into action with a degree from southern new hampshire university visit snhu.edu slash kendall ray everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids but what about protecting them how long does it take to raise a child outlet covers kitchen cabinet locks baby gates where do you even start well protecting your home and auto is a great place to start progressive offers customized coverage options you can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones they're basically the outlet covers the kitchen cabinet locks and the baby gates of insurance don't wait get your quote today at progressive.com progressive casualty insurance company affiliates and other insurers not available in all of your homes so i'm trying to get to the bottom of this man scholar i don't think you're a dumb guy but i think you're sitting there thinking that fat fucker's a dumbass and i'm getting over on it you i have no problem with you guys i don't understand what you think i do i don't i really have no problem because your story doesn't make sense there's a huge fucking gap in your story you're detailed all the way through up into the point where we had to talk to you for two and a minute and you think and you shouldered a weapon because the fucking trajectory of that fucking round didn't match up so immediately you changed the fucking story that's about the eighth time you've done that when your story about eight times when your story doesn't make sense and you hear it for the second time and we bring something up you change the story i'm trying to figure out why you put a gun in the back of your wife's head and pull the trigger i have to speak for the ones who can't speak anymore because somebody put a fucking gun in the back of their head and pulled a trigger and i gotta find out why and you're sitting in this seat not this seat so this seat you need to tell me why it happened so i can explain that because your wife danielle she deserves that but if detectives don't think this is an accident why do they think it was intentional what was the motive well they think it had to do with that fireball and sailor jerry's alcohol that i briefly mentioned earlier because what had happened was while skylar was at training he asked a buddy of his to buy him alcohol because he was underage and it was this guy named anthony who was also at training and i guess he was leaving before the rest of the So he had asked him to buy him some booze, and the plan was for him to drop it off with Danielle. The thing is, though, for whatever reason, Anthony didn't end up getting it. And knowing that her husband really wanted alcohol when he returned, Danielle asked two other guys, kind of in a panic, to go and get it for her. And one of the guys that she asked was someone who she was really close with. His name is Jeremy, and long story short, they'd known each other since they were young. And they tried dating, but ultimately just decided that they were better off as friends. But Skylar, I guess, hated Jeremy. I mean, hated Jeremy. And I'm guessing that had to do with his jealousy and the fact that there was ever something between them before. Maybe he had trust issues with her for whatever reason. As far as I know, she didn't give him any reasons to feel that way. So to make another long story short, investigators believe that when Skylar came home and found out that she had asked Jeremy to buy the alcohol, that he became enraged. And they think he found out because when he went to thank Anthony for buying it, Anthony said it wasn't him. It was those two other guys, one of them being Jeremy, instead. And he says that Skylar was visibly angry because Danielle lied about where it came from. Now, it turns out that Jeremy wasn't even the guy to buy the alcohol. I think it must have been this other guy. It's kind of confusing. But either way, Skylar thought that it was from Jeremy and got super angry. Again, this is just a theory, but the theory goes that after learning the truth, he picked up that AR-15 and shot her in the back of the head and then tried to hide the evidence while coming up with a made-up story for how she died. And even though Skylar appeared happy in the background of that FaceTime that Danielle was having with Michaela, investigators believe that he was, quote, lying in wait like a well-trained soldier. They ultimately believed that he waited until she got off the phone and then proceeded to shoot her with the intent to end her life. So they charged him with first-degree murder and set his bail at $1 million, which he ended up posting after it was reduced to $350. And he wouldn't have been able to post that bail if it weren't for his mom helping him. And a lot of the leniency that Skylar experienced was actually due to his mom. She had been living in Utah when she got the call about what happened, and she ended up moving to Washington, dropping everything, selling almost all of her possessions so that she'd be closer to her son and get him an expensive lawyer. As most mothers would do, she hired the best defense attorney she could, and he was actually the one that got the bail reduced. And being out on bond was not glamorous. He had to wear an electronic monitoring device 24-7, and he and his mom actually shared the same bedroom at a friend's house in Tacoma while the legal proceedings were underway. And I don't believe it'll come as a surprise to any of you that his mother wholeheartedly believes that this was an accident, and she did everything in her power to try, and help him. And honestly, Danette feels that investigators really never gave her son a chance, that they had already made up their minds at the scene and on that day. She's talked about how his mental health has really suffered throughout all of this, and how from the moment that she got the call, she felt like they just decided that he was guilty. She's even said things along the lines of, there have been times I'm worried that he's going to take his own life, there's still part of me that thinks he might one day. As his mother, she does have that right, to believe in his innocence. But at the same time, of course, her friends and James have the right to believe the opposite. And Daniel's friends and siblings all feel strongly that Skylar intentionally took her life. And a few people have pointed out that she was likely the victim of domestic abuse. And there's no evidence of the physical abuse, there's some evidence of just verbal and just him treating her, like shit, in my opinion. But there are people who claim they know of physical abuse. For example, the day after Skylar was questioned, that guy Anthony's wife came into the station because she had something that she needed to share. Apparently, she told investigators that Skylar had been physically violent with Danielle and that she would often wear long shirts to cover up the bruises. And then there was Jeremy, who also had an interview with police, and he said that Danielle confided in him about how Skylar gets violent when he drinks hard alcohol. Did you ever know of her to have bruises or marks from when you hit her or anything like that? I never saw them, but she did mention them to me. What did she say to you about that? She pretty much told me that when he drinks, he becomes abusive. He tends to hit her, slap her. I guess it all kind of depends on what he's drinking. Usually, it's just hard alcohol. It just puts him off. When he drinks hard alcohol? Yes, sir. And in my opinion, even though there isn't. There isn't any proof of this documented or pictures or anything like that. We just have their statements. I believe them. I really do, especially Jeremy. They were very close, and I don't think he would just make that up. And I don't think Anthony's wife would want to insert herself into this unless she really believed that. And of course, we do know that he was drinking alcohol on the night that she was killed, and he even took the extra steps of trying to hide that and get rid of it, before police came. But again, at the end of the day, what this whole case boils down to is not the who, it's the why. We know that Skyler killed his wife 100%. We know he was negligent, wasn't intentional, and why would he do it? And that was really the focus of his trial, which took place in January of 2016. And during the trial, nobody denied that Skyler killed her. I mean, he knows that he did. It was all focused on the potential motive or lack thereof. Now, prosecutors obviously took. took the same stance as investigators, which is that they think he intentionally killed Danielle in a fit of jealous rage under the influence. And to convince the jury that he was a jealous person, they pointed to his text messages. Some of them read, Danielle, what the fuck? We have Amazon. You don't need that prime shit. Another one says, Come on, can you ask before you shit with my money? Thanks. Another one says, You're an idiot. Then there's this one, which is really disturbing to me. It says, No lunch! Exclamation, exclamation. I am a. I am about to leave for three weeks. I need homemade food. You let me down. And when I first read this, I just. I don't know. There was part of me that was like, was he saying this in a sarcastic way? Were they joking? But I think he really meant it like that. And that's what we're hearing from other people, that he sort of expected her to be this traditional homemaker and keep the home nice and cook for him. And I think he really meant that. And then in another text, he actually accused her of going on a date with Jeremy. And here's what Danielle said in response. You either have insecurities you need to work on or you don't trust me when it comes to hanging out with Jeremy. Which I can imagine Skylar was not happy about this text. And let's just call a spade a spade here. In my opinion, like I said, these texts come across to me as verbally abusive. But at the very least, these texts suggest that he was very unkind and a very volatile person. And I don't think really anyone could argue against that. And it sounds like Jeremy was really someone who triggered him. And this was confirmed by Anthony's testimony in court. Anthony was actually the star witness for the prosecution. And he said that he saw Skylar get visibly angry when he found out that Danielle had reached out to Jeremy about the alcohol. His testimony spoke ultimately to the headspace that the prosecution believed Skylar was in when he went home that day. And that, in their argument, was the headspace of a jealous and angry man. And another thing that the prosecution brought up in court was the fact that Skylar had tried to clean up the scene, which is something we've talked about. But what I haven't yet mentioned is that investigators found blood tracked through the house. And it wasn't Danielle's. It was Skylar's. They believe that he cut his finger while pulling the trigger and that marks of the blood through the house showed the path that he took while trying to clean up the evidence. And the fact that none of that blood was hers showed that at no point did he ever try and save his wife. Now, again, Skylar said that he knew that she was already gone. He said that he looked at her and could tell that she was dead. But in the eyes of the prosecution and, like, most people, who cares? You accidentally shoot your wife. You would think that the first thing you would do is run to her, hold her, do anything but clean up the scene. Especially, why wouldn't he have called 911? And once again, I do need to point out that he could have been so freaked out. You never know. How you would act in a situation like that if it was truly an accident and maybe he was just scared that he was going to look guilty based on the scene because it certainly makes him look that way. So he was trying to clean it up in that case. If you want to go from the idea that it was accidental. But I think, I think with, when you're really looking at everything, to me, there's like that room for it being accidental, but it's very small. It's very small compared to my personal belief that it was intentional. Not to mention, there were all those times that he changed his story and changed it a lot. Plus the fact that with his extensive background using guns and being in the military, he would have known never to point a gun towards another person. In the minds of the prosecution, there was just no way that this was accidental. And they say that the placement of the bullet alone just speaks to that. However, the defense, argued that it was possible for the bullet to have taken that path accidentally. And would the chances of that be low? Sure, but it was possible. And that can't be argued. It is possible. And again, I'm not a gun expert, but from listening to people who are, they say that there is a very small chance that that could have been what happened. And the defense also argued that Skyler was pressured to change his story. His attorney said that the detectives pushed him to say that the gun was on his shoulder and that they did it in a moment when his client was clearly in shock, which is how they explained the rest of his behavior. Shock. And everything he did after the fact, they said he responded to in a mental state that he shouldn't be held accountable for. And to be very clear here, the defense was not asking for Skyler to be acquitted. They knew that he was guilty. They knew that he was guilty of killing her, but they said that it wasn't first degree murder. And this is pretty rare. You don't often see this, but instead they were asking for the jury to find him guilty of second degree manslaughter, which is criminal negligence. And to do that, of course, they need to paint him not as someone with jealousy issues, but someone who is a loving husband who was excited to be reunited with her. And like the state, they also displayed some of his texts to prove that. Things like, I'm going to bed, hon. I love you. And hey, babe, how was your day? And to me, these are pretty weak. I don't think that says a whole lot, but that's just my opinion. And then this was really surprising to me, especially in this case, and it's just rare in most cases, but especially this one, this was kind of odd. But Skyler ended up testifying in his own defense, and he took the stand over the course of two days and he was crying on and off while he talked about what happened. And let's just take a listen. Before Danielle got on the phone with Michaela for this facepalm. I didn't see the weapon in question. I hadn't seen that weapon since before, you know, when I was back from Yakima, before I left. And during, right before that call happened, Danielle took the rifle from the master bedroom closet and brought it to the spare bedroom. During that, she told me to put it away. You know, she wanted me to put it away. Okay. And then she proceeds to work on the computer. And continue FaceTiming with her friend. Is that right? Yes. Are you watching TV? Yeah. Very cheesy news on. I was channel surfing and then somehow I winded up watching G.I. Jane. I don't know how that happened, but it happened. And I was just dozing on and off on the couch. I would say at least a half an hour after Danielle had told me to put the weapon away, I got off the couch and I went into the room to put this rifle away. And I picked it up and not, you know, not paying attention to where that weapon was pointing. I'm going to ask you a question about that. Were there magazines inside the rifle? No, there was not. So I pick up a weapon that is in a state that the same way I left it unloaded, to my knowledge. And I pick it up and. I was inside the room and in my time I was trying to clear the weapon and I didn't do it correctly. And I made a terrible mistake. And the weapon went off in my hands. And it struck the back of my wife. I believe from what I remember I was holding the weapon like so and with the ejection port facing down. And I was just looking at the weapon almost admiring what I saw. And when you looked at that weapon, do you recall if it was on safe or fire? I don't recall if it was on safe or fire. You know that you told the police that you switched it from safe to fire. Yes, I did tell the police that I switched the safety selector from safe to fire. Do you remember doing that? I do not remember. So despite him initially saying he never went to his wife's side, a decision he accepted. Explicitly said he regretted. Skyler is now saying that he did in fact go to her after she was shot. After the smoke cleared, I saw my wife. And she wasn't moving. I dropped the weapon and I went up to my wife on the left side. And I saw her face. And my wife wasn't there anymore. Did you see the gunshot? I saw the gunshot. Where did you see it? I saw it on the back of her head. Did you know she was dead? I knew she was dead. And I didn't know what to do. Skyler, did you touch your wife? I think I touched my wife. I believe I did. Did you see her face? I saw her face. Did you see the exit wound on her forehead? I don't recall seeing the exit wound. But I remember, I do remember touching her. And I remember feeling a deformation on the back of her head. What did you, what did you know when you felt a deformation on the back of her head? There was nothing that hit her in the head. He also denied ever speaking with Anthony about these two other people buying alcohol, which was corroborated by a friend of his who took the stand and said that this conversation never happened. Someone is lying. I mean, clearly either that conversation with Anthony happened or it didn't. And if it did happen, that means Skyler was angry at Danielle on the day that he shot her. If it didn't happen, though, it's confusing because I guess I'd want to know Anthony's reason for lying. I mean, what would he have to gain when lying like that? You know, now when I first watched his testimony and him crying on the stand, I had a lot of sympathy for him, but I am also a massive sucker. I will just admit that the more I watched it and I listened to the jury and people who were actually in the courtroom speak about it, the more I saw a less genuine Skyler on the stand. And that's why I said I went back and forth so much during this. But yeah, I, the more I've looked into this and just heard other people speak on it and their opinions, especially people who have experience with guns. It has really changed my mind. Now on cross-examination, Skyler's demeanor changed quite a bit. He went from being very upset, crying, displaying his emotion to being pretty combative. He responded a lot by saying he couldn't remember what he did and said, and both defended his actions and denied other ones that were presented to him. And from what I can tell, of course, I wasn't in the courtroom myself, but there were wins on both sides of the argument. In particular, the defense got the prosecution's weapon expert to admit that mistakes can be made and that it, can be hard to tell when AR-15s are loaded. I found this testimony to be really interesting. Again, I know just nothing about guns, especially assault rifles, but especially with a gun like that, why would there be so much room for error for mistakes to be made? And hearing that from a weapons expert was really shocking to me and confusing. And that's why I'm really curious to hear from some of you out there, because I'm sure there are, you know, people out there, who have much more experience than me and opinions on just the gun portion of things. But something that the state came back to a lot was the fact that Skyler knew his way around a rifle. And I think that's what really was the just nail in the coffin for me, is I cannot get over how much experience he had with guns and that he was in the military, that he has built AR-15s, that he should, that he claims to be the stickler on gun safety so much that his friends, think he's an asshole because he's so particular about it. And then he breaks like five gun safety rules in that moment. I just can't believe it. Him being a very experienced gun owner and being in the military just can't be disputed. I mean, how can you argue against that? But all of this made the jury's decision very difficult. And I really feel for a lot of them, this would be a very, very tough case to be on the jury. For it seems to me that they took it very seriously. Of course, I wasn't there. I'm not in the jury myself, but just from interviews I've seen. And also the fact that they deliberated for an entire week and they went back and forth a lot, I guess, about whether or not Skyler had intent. But they said that the reality was at the end of the day, without Anthony's testimony, there was no evidence at all to show that he was in an angry mood that day. So the jury really said that that whole part of the case fell apart for them. Because there was just too much reasonable doubt and they're right. There was not another person, certainly not another witness who saw or heard anything that day to say otherwise, but they actually ended up doing their own test on a gun to recreate what the state's gun expert had demoed in court. And after they did that, they all agreed that he could have absolutely thought that the gun was empty. So to them, it became reasonable. To believe that it truly could have been an accident. Keyword could one of the jurors who was a veteran did say that he just couldn't believe that Skyler could make such a mistake. One of them even said that if the state had presented even one good piece of evidence that proved that it could have been intentional, that he may have taken that and said, okay, good enough for me, but it just wasn't there. Neighbors had reported that they often heard fighting coming from Skyler and Daniel's apartment, but I wasn't able to find anything about if they were heard fighting that day. This was also really interesting, though. The jurors seemed to unanimously, at least the ones that were interviewed, they seemed to feel that Skyler's testimony was very rehearsed, very theatrical, and some of them thought he was unreliable and just hard to believe. And one of them said that his testimony didn't help or hurt his case in the end for them. So in the end for this jury, they did not think that there was enough evidence to convict him. So they found him guilty of first-degree manslaughter, which wasn't quite what the defense wanted. They wanted second-degree manslaughter, but this verdict was definitely more in their favor. And I'd say that his sentence, which was given three weeks later, was also in his favor. Skyler was given a chance to speak at the hearing, and he apologized to Daniel's friends and family, and he said, you know, I am responsible, something along those lines. I killed him. I killed her, and I will accept whatever punishment that I get. I will, whatever it is, I deserve it. Something along those lines. I'm just kind of paraphrasing off the top of my head. But he said something like that, and that is interesting to me considering what happens later. But in the end, he was sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison. Now, some sources say he could be released in 2027, which is coming up very shortly. And going back to what I just said a second ago with him saying that he. believes or will accept any punishment that he is given, it's really so fake to me because, not surprisingly, he tried to appeal his sentence, but there, thankfully, has been no luck on that front. It's just so fake to, in front of everybody, say, I deserve whatever punishment I will get or I accept whatever punishment I'm going to get, something like that. And then to go and appeal it, clearly that's not actually how you feel. Now, the verdict and his sentence was very disappointing to her friends and family. And James, there's courtroom footage of him, and he just looks devastated. And I'm sure it was a huge relief to them that he has not been able to appeal his sentence, which, to them, 13 and a half years isn't enough because they do believe that he did this intentionally. I mean, in their minds, they think that he doesn't deserve to get out at all. And it's so tough because I really, I understand where the jurors were coming from. I don't think that the state was able to prove. I don't think that the state was able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was intent behind it, even though me personally, I believe like 95 percent, 90 percent at least that he did do this intentionally. But that's not how the court system works. You have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. I don't think they did that. James, her aunt and her siblings all came to Tacoma for the trial and devastated does not even begin to describe how they felt. But at the end of the day, it's so difficult because while her killer is behind bars. There was some accountability. Thirteen and a half years just doesn't feel like nearly enough, given how many years were stolen from her. Danielle was only 19, dude. She was a teenager. She was still a baby. And she had so much life ahead of her. And even if it wasn't intentional for it to all have been taken away because of his irresponsible, negligent behavior is infuriating. And then when you add the idea of it actually being intentional. It makes you want to rip your hair out thinking that all he got was 13 and a half years. Well, anyway, that is all I have to report on this case. But I am super, super curious to hear where you all lie on this and why. What reasons really make you lean one way or the other? Again, I am mostly of the opinion that this was intentional. But at the same time, I do believe that the jury got it right with what they did. What the state presented. And I think there might be some of you who disagree with me. And that's fine. I think there are rooms for many different opinions in this case. And you can really make arguments several different ways. So I definitely want to hear what you guys think about the verdict and the sentencing about Skyler. And if you think they got it right. To me, at the end of the day, and this is again my opinion, it's really clear that the jury really did take their time with this decision. I mean, they did take a week to deliberate, which is not always the case. And I just want to know what you would have done if you were on that jury and what you guys think of the evidence. And then at the same time, I'd like to know what you would do if you were on the jury. But then in your personal opinion, what you truly think happened, regardless of the evidence, if that makes any sense. Oh, my head was spinning. This one has been truly driving me insane. I cannot imagine how Danielle's family has felt over the years. Oh, my God. It's just beyond tragic. So my heart truly goes out to all of them, all of her friends, to James. That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode. And make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked. Or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon. But until then, stay safe. Stay safe out there. The U.S. Virgin Islands invites you to explore the stunning islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John. USVI is truly a one-of-a-kind destination with mouth-watering food, the warmest hospitality from the locals, vibrant culture, and pristine beaches. USVI has everything you're looking for in a getaway. And the best part? No passport is required. When traveling from the U.S., go to visitusvi.com to start planning your next vacation. And GhostBed comes with a 100 one-night sleep trial. And right now, get ready. Get an extra 10% off their lowest prices of the season. Promo code iHeart. Think about it. When it comes to your own food, you can walk into a restaurant, see what's being made, and know exactly what you're getting. 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