Teen Found Dead on Senior Trip to Myrtle Beach

And I'm one of the saddest emergency. I'm out in Merville Beach right now for our senior trip. And our friend is passed out on the floor right now. And she's ice cold. And she's very blue. Her lips are blue. Is she breathing? Is your friend breathing? I do not think so. Officers are immediately dispatched and missed all the chaos. They find the body of Natalie Martin. Something unnatural has occurred for an 18-year-old to die. That's what they've really got to try to piece together from the very beginning. Wasn't in my right mind, but it seemed like she was dying. I messed up. [MUSIC PLAYING] Merville Beach is a big party area. It's absolutely common for groups of teenagers and young spring breakers to come to Merville Beach. And for 18-year-old Natalie Martin, who just graduated from high school in Ohio, this trip would be no different. [MUSIC PLAYING] She was very excited at graduation time, you know, because they had this trip planned. And a bunch of friends were born. She started getting really excited. And she would FaceTime me. And she's like, won't this look so cute on the beach? She worked two jobs, you know, and saved money and planned for this well over a year in advance. It's a nice kind of mediums day, adrenaline. When you watch your child, you know, playing a trip more responsible than I would myself, all I could do was try to educate her and all of the things that can go wrong. What happened was the noddle in my radar. We received a 911 call from the unit. They were all saying it was chaotic. 911 was sad as the emergency. I'm out in my little beach right now for our senior trips. And she's ice cold. And she's very blue. Her lips are blue. If she breathes in as your friend breathes in, I do not think so. I really do not tell. She is ice cold. She had gone into Natalie's room. She described Natalie was down beside the bed, but her arm was up over toward her head. I've been carefully, and I'm going to tell you how to do chest compressions. She does not know what happened. She's trying to help her friend. And so she is scared, concerned, and doing what she can. Are you needed to do CPR if she's not breathing? You're going to pump the chest hard and fast, at least twice per second, and two inches deep. One, two, three, four. I know you're scared just trying to hold it together. OK, and so they can take over. You're doing a good job, OK? Keep counting with me. One, two, one, three, four. Our officers were dispatched to the location. A lot of teenagers in one location. So the whole unit was somewhat in disarray. And they found Natalie on the floor in her bedroom. They did do CPR and chest compressions. They took over for the kids. But she was dead at that point. She was cold. She was blue. It was immediately obvious to them that she had not just recently passed on. She had been there for several hours. So much of the initial response is to determine the framework of this story. The bathroom was next to the bedroom. And in that bathroom, there was a kitchen knife in the shower. There was a crucifix style, religious pendant on the bottom of the showers. When detectives are assessing the scene, there is one detail they can ignore. A teenager fresh out of the shower, 18-year-old Blake Lucas. He had just graduated high school. He was in the football rastling. He was sort of a man amongst men. As law enforcement entered, Blake, it came out of the room, alerted the other friends that were staying at the location that something was wrong with Natalie. The Blake also made a statement to his friends that he had injured itself. Blake had a gouge injury to his chest. And he had several cuts and scrapes on his arms. The EMTs and the police, their attention is to Natalie. But there's no doubt that there's blood on another kid. So it would have been very easy to believe that these scratch marks may have come from some sort of altercation with somebody. And if his appearance alone isn't enough, it's what he's saying that really raises suspicions. I don't know what happened. I don't know. I may have been at fault. I just don't know. I blacked out. Just almost zombie-like walking around. And that's what they've really got to try to piece together from the very beginning. Natalie's situation is going to require an autopsy. She has taken to the Medical University of South Carolina. Natalie did not have any drugs in her system. She was not drunk. But we need to know what happened. When the autopsy results come back, there is no room for doubt as to what happened to Natalie Martin. It was immediately clear that she died by strangulation. It was one of the most strongly worded autopsy results. The reason this particular strangulation was so significant in the opinion of our forensic pathologist is a level of force and prolonged force required to cause the damage. This took time. It's personal. Somebody has lost their temper and lost it in a long series of minutes, because it doesn't happen in seconds. Back home in Ohio, Natalie's parents have no idea that their daughter is already gone. No idea that their lives are about to change forever. I got a phone call from a friend whose son was staying with them at the house down there. As she said, they said, but Natalie wasn't breathing and her lips are blue. I'm like, what? What are you talking about? I called Jesse because he was at work. And I'm like, you got to get him. Everybody's calling saying something happened to Natalie. I raised home and began calling hospitals, ambulance services. I called everybody that I could possibly call. And then we hastily threw some clothes in a bag and decided we're going to have to go to South Carolina and find Natalie herself. Was it a drowning? Was it kidnapping? Was there nothing that didn't cross your mind? I knew something was wrong because how much we communicate with Natalie. I had the worst in my heart. Maybe an hour and a half away from him, I finally got a call. And it was the coroner's office now. Meghan put it on speakerphone and all of the uncertainties and the bad feelings that I had had right up until that second was confirmed. Her mother said, what is the cause of death and the coroner said manual strangulation? It took way more time after that to process that or the only thing I heard was my little girl's gone. She was my first child, my only daughter, my right hand. We'd done all the things that a dad wants to do with their kids. There was just nothing that would slow her down or stop her. She's just kind of a natural at whatever she wanted to do. Things seemed to come pretty easy for her if she was a great athlete. And she wasn't scared of anything. If she saw a snake, she was getting her hands on it. I went hunting with Natalie. And I didn't know anything like what, to shoot and what not to shoot. And after I shot, I just remember, Natalie, it gave me a big hug and just share that with Natalie was like a very wholesome moment, trusting in her. She was so silly and just goofy and fun all the time. All animals loved her. She definitely had maternal instincts. She worked at a daycare. We worked together there. I really saw her passion for kids. She had a very open heart. We were very close. Honestly, closer than some sisters. Meanwhile back in South Carolina, there is still a lot to process at the crime scene because detectives learn that Blake Lincoln and Natalie weren't just friends. They were high school sweethearts, so what really happened between them? When Natalie started talking to Blake, I was happy for her. She found someone that she really likes. They went to many dances together, all the special moments were spent with him. But over time, the people closest to Natalie started to see a change. She started to shut down. I would hear things from Blake that Natalie wouldn't tell me and that was a red flag to me. And he buttered things up a lot. Prior to coming to Myrtle Beach, there was some kind of a physical episode where Mr. Lincoln's put his hands on her. I get a call from Blake and he's like Brooklyn. I really messed up last night. I got mad and I kind of shoved Natalie down to the ground. When they were in the spare bedroom, listening to music, Blake comes in saying we're being too loud, yelling at everyone. Natalie stands up to calm them down. He grabs her and then just pushes her back onto the ground where she pulls back and hits her head. Blake actually came to me at one of Natalie's softball games and sort of apologized, promised me. I would never do anything to hurt her. Abusers do not want to be caught. They'll do anything they can to mask the truth. As a father, I lost my mind. Her mother and I both, you know, said, you know, bad or not. You know, they can't put his hands on you. That's not how somebody that cares about you or loves you, you should be treating you. I think she took that to heart and, you know, knew that we were right. After the altercation, Natalie was done. She was over it. She blocked him on everything. The challenge for teenagers when there's dating violence is you can't just leave because this person is in your life in many ways, whether it's through family friends, whether you go to high school together. And so that complete breakup softens a little bit. They're still talking. They're still interacting. But that incident was of significance in Natalie's mind. She said, we're over but we can get along. We'll come to middle beach together and I think in good faith they thought they could do that. She doesn't know how serious or bad the situation was and like, this is not going to go well. Which is why the timeline leading up to this becomes so critical for detectives they need to nail down every detail. Like and Natalie, we're having an argument. The day prior, Natalie, she had been sending a message to another person. Blake had made that comment to one of the friends that he was upset about that. He still wants to have ownership of her. He has not at all moved on. It's important to know that first night, Natalie spent that night in her car. She would not even stay in the same room with Blake. You gotta remember that house was packed to the gills. Every band was spoken for. The only place to lay down was in the room with Blake. The evening of June 6th of 2023, there was a under 21 party for all the kids in the apartment and wanted to go that night. One of the friends was turned away. So Blake, Natalie and the other friend went back to the condo. Natalie and Blake went back to the back bedroom and saw a group of the kids came back. They think everything is fine. They think Blake and Natalie are asleep. And one of the individuals there of here banging in the room that he was so concerned about the banging that he had his phone with. And he actually texted his girlfriend, who was in the next bedroom, saying, "Did you hear that?" And that banging was around 1122. She confirmed she heard it too, goes to check the door is locked. Didn't know one really knew what was going on in the room. And when detectives speak with one of the friends at the condo, they learn something dammit. A message that Blake sent to his father the night before. Mr. Lincoln's texted his parents at 1102, specifically his father, and saying, "I got mad and screwed up." So 20 minutes went by, something happened. Every sign is pointing to one person and one person only. Blake Lincoln's. He is the one holding the answers as to what happened to Natalie. Ultimately did not end up being an identity case. It ends up becoming why did I do it case? All right, real quick, today's episode is brought to you by Vinted. 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That means you're motivated to finally clean out your closet. See what's ahead in your closet. It might be surprised how much you can earn with Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free to start listing with no seller fees. Now, remember those injuries that officers noticed on Blake when they first arrived? Well, he's taken to the hospital to get treated and to find out how he got them. The marks on his arms are self-inflicted, hesitation marks, an attempt at suicide. And the gouge mark was in the chest near where the heart was, but not deep enough to puncture anything. Suddenly, that message to Dad, the one that detectives flagged earlier, starts to click into place. He had done something bad, which we believe was hurting Adelaide. At that point, we felt he was telling his parents goodbye. He was going to harm himself. When law enforcement arrives to the hospital to try to interview Blake Linkus, he is trying to be cooperative but not tell the truth. So, one of the ways that you do that is you just simply say, "I don't remember, I was drunk, I can't remember." Blake would have to receive medical care so it stopped the interview. After his release, he wasn't under arrest yet. They were strongly suspicious, put it that way. He was red Miranda rights and waved his Miranda rights and was interviewed in the police station. "Oh, you guys were planning on going to the house that believes right? Start from there." Everyone else was in the back, towards the back of the line. Now, we did a few of those issues. We're going to go back, have back, and later on, the whole situation happened. Which, within the mean too, did just happen. I would never hurt her anyway. I don't know the dream, I don't even know the truth. I'm pretty sure we will watch it take time for something. I got mad at her or something on her phone. It's hard for me to exactly remember what it was. I thought I'd choke her for a little bit and she fell off the bed and I thought she said something to me. I didn't think she was just dead, so I just started to get a bag. You said you got an argument over something over the phone, what was that? Sure is, I got other dudes or something, I don't know. We have to try to look at what motivates him to commit this act in the room. At that point in time, Adely was texting another boy. I think that's the moment where things start going badly. Now, what lit up to you? She was on her back and I was on my side and reached to her. She was out the edge of the bed, so I just choked her for a little bit, not meaning to just try to kill her or whatsoever. She went sideways and fell over and I just said, "All right, I'm just going to go to bed. I'm not dealing with this right now." She tried to push you all over, grab your hands and try to say anything. She was pushing a little bit, but I wasn't really where were you at. I mean, first I was laying on the bed and then when she got up, I got up a little bit. I think we were just sawing knees and that's when she fell back and then she maybe pushed a little bit. It just didn't feel won't be all. Honestly, and she fell back. I didn't think anything of it. He was in a state of complete denial and had no ownership, no responsibility, no concern at all for what he had done. Did you hear anything, any noises? I thought she was saying something and I thought like, "I heard." I don't know. I'm sure that I just didn't want to talk. I should have just checked on her and called, but then I'm on one. I wasn't in my right mind. Now that I didn't see what she was like dying, was I never heard anyone die. Did you text anybody or anything at that point? It takes some uphairs. I messed up. I mean, that was really it. What was that about? Because I mean. I've never done that to a woman before my life. The whole world is shrinking, and especially you wake up the next morning, and she's still dead. It wasn't a bad dream. I'm sure it crossed his mind, what do I do with this body? There's got to be a way out. But he's trapped. When you got up, you saw Natalie still on the floor. Where was she at? Just saying, wait. Just on the side of the floor, she had to move anywhere else. It was the first thing you think, see, do it at moment. I got kind of checked on her a little bit. I just moved her on a little bit, and she was cold and blue. And I'm just like, this is really happening. I wanted to end my life, because I didn't want to live without her. I just did that. I just finished the shower for a minute. And I just couldn't do it to myself. So I just went out, I was like, we need to get her help now. So I wanted to end my life. I didn't want to know if she was dead. And then, in what looks like a slip of the tongue, Blake makes a shocking admission. She hit the ground, and I just stopped. I was dead. I literally, my phone is already across the bed. So I just got on the bed, rolled over. Got my phone in text of that. I knew, like, she would have complained about it, so their friends are going to leave that next day. He says, she's going to tell everybody tomorrow what I did. That means she was alive and capable of communicating to folks after something happened. We can use their phone data to indicate that they're both operating autonomously. She was texting another dude. He confronted her with it and laid hands on her. He harms her and is right there. And that is around 11.02. He texted, "Dad, I got mad. I screwed up. I'm sorry. I'm going to have to do this. I love you." At that point in time, I believe the evidence was shown that he made a decision for a murder suicide. At that point, what you're telling me is you went into the kitchen area and got denied if you came back into the bedroom and then went into the shower, does that correct? Is it the common just running to die with her? Do you wear any kind of necklace or anything at the end of your time? My neck was kind of snubs off. My favorite necklace. When did that happen? That's when when you both came up and she kind of just ripped it off the neck. As she's suspended and I went into the shower and stuff, I decided if I was going to do that to come myself, and that was just another thing about becoming yourself a sin, and I knew the ship's going to be real and you're helping. You guys are in any bad ARU us before? I mean, nothing that led to that, no, you were so perfect. That's what the family knows me, I did always learn my protection I had for her. I've fought over people for good reasons. What do you mean you fought over people for? There was rumors going around saying that like, I don't know, this dude is messing around with the urge stuff and she was denying it and everyone was saying this dude could beat me up with stuff and I fought over her for her. He's telling the detectives that he has abuse of qualities, whether he can realize that as he's saying that he just admitted something that maybe he wouldn't want somebody to know. And Blake's anger issues, that's not new to the people back at home. I think everyone knew that, just from watching him play football. He couldn't keep his composure on the field. He would get into fights all the time. He had multiple broken arms and wrist throughout our school year from punching things. He punched his tail lights out of his truck. Because I'm not controlling, I'm not insecure, I mean that was a little bit mad obviously, but it wasn't trying to, like, complete me harmer. What did you get mad about? Whatever else you know or found, it was just like, what did you see on the phone? You know what you saw. Well, it was nothing like, well, dude, it was like, trying to meet up with her car bay and stuff. I just kind of got mad about it. That's why everything that I do and I drink, it just leaves in the sorts of mad. I was just kind of wondering at what point it seemed like a good idea to grab ahold somebody about it through. Alcohol exacerbated and made the situation more risky, but it's definitely not the cause of the murder. It's very difficult to rationalize with evil. It's also even more difficult to rationalize with intoxicated evil. What was being said at that point, were you saying anything or was she trying to say you anything or was saying nothing at all, and she wasn't either at all? Can you just kind of show me what you're talking about as far as your handplaced, but now that was my handplaced, me, on Natalie. Anytime you can get someone gesturing or reenacting, that's a very successful technique to get them to the next stage. Your recreation is meaningful in that it shows specific recall of details and it makes any lack of recollection anywhere else not plausible. Because I was like this, and she was like propped up and then I looked at that, and we were just like always going out, I kind of leaned up a little bit, and then she like conduit, they scooted up a little bit more, and I grabbed her with this arm, grabbed her with which arm. The right one grabbed her and then she kind of got up with it, so when I swish, the necklace came off at some point and this little bit, and then I just, we basically just pushed each other off and whenever it felt like maybe it was moving me out and then I think do you doubt what you did cause her death? Is there any doubt in your mind what you done cause her death? Cause her to die? I got the time when at first I didn't know that now I do know and there's no other way. I mean, it was me and I remembered that happening. Can see a shift in his statements. He's not going to be able to charm his way out of this, he's not going to be able to make people forget. The gravity of what his anger, his rage, his drinking has put himself in, it's coming down to ruin. I see a question. Sure. I mean, when you like already have talked, have you talked to her mom or just your dad? That's about to her dad briefly yesterday. You don't mind if you're about to think, well, what did you say? I just told him that his daughter was deceased and that there was some suspicious circumstances that was under investigation right now, what do you say? Well, he was quite devastated, my sister's daughter, this is baby girl, I'm pretty sure you're probably not going to be their favorite person in the world for a long, long, long, long, long time. And my intentions were not to do that at all. Now everyone's going to hate me and I didn't do that, I mean, I do got it. The anger issues were never towards her. The second the detectives walk out of that room is when it all starts to set in for Blake. I'm supposed to see you one more time, just a little more time, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, That was it, please. This is an arrest warrant, the defendant Blake Fuliam Lakers. Did it with the mouse, fourth off, cause the death of Natalie Martin. You being charged with murder. Grab us a lady by the neck, bodice. U.S. You're expressing that you intend to do them harm. You grabbed me by the neck. It's going to get real bad real fast. Do you think my label will be ruined? Blake, I'm about to tell you this buddy bit will actions heal somebody. So yeah, your life's fixing to be a show for a while for like a better way to put it. Blake Linkus is officially charged with Natalie's murder, but detectives still have to tell her family who's responsible for her death, and that is another gut punch to this family that is already grieving. I couldn't believe that he could actually do something like that to her, something so intimate and physical. I obviously resorted back to the shoving incident and you know, I wish that I would have went and killed him. It is over the top of that sounds, you know, I wish that I would have done that. you know, and dealt with the consequences of that because if I would have, my little girl would still be here. As time goes on, you know, you start thinking about who you do have left and now that's not really a smart way of looking at it. And then all of the things that you thought that you didn't like about him, that you thought, you know, was just a father not liking, you know, details about his daughter's boyfriend was now reality and you were right. When this dude is a monster, you know, that somehow slipped under your radar. Now, in South Carolina, if you're charged with an offense that carries up to life in prison without the possibility of parole, you're entitled to a bond hearing. And that's just what Blake gets. We oppose bond. We thought all the factors were there. Unfortunately, the judge did not agree with us and granted him a bond. We would have had a lot more to stand on if Blake had been a menace to the community in Ohio. He didn't have a record. And he really wasn't a flight risk. But it's a thousand times tougher for a grieving father or a grieving mother to get. That is inconceivable that you could kill my child and then bond out. Here we are, trying to learn how to even live and breathe. And he's back home, sleeping in his comfy bed and, you know, eating whatever he wants to eat at home and getting taken care of. Every day, having to drive around and hope you don't see him or run into him, made you like not want to leave the house. Prosecutors aren't interested in this drawn out back and forth. No, they want to go full speed ahead with no plea deal on the table for Blake. In the first conversations I had with Jesse and with Megan, I told them that I believe that Blake murdered her and I have no intention of reducing that offense. And so when I made that position clear to Mr. Lincus that you will either win a trial or you're going to get a minimum of 30 years day for day, up to life imprisonment, plead guilty and mitigate to the court. Ask the court for mercy. Don't ask me for it. The defense attorney says he wants to plead guilty. So we set up a court date, we bring all of the victims' family down. We had everybody in place and Thalasmi says no, I'm not going to admit my guilt to murder. Nothing surprised me. It was just simply a way for him to, you know, try to make himself look like he isn't the monster that he is. We say fine, it's already ready for trial. We're ready. Let's go. And just as jury selection is about to kick off the defense flips the script yet again. They come in and say, look, we want to plead guilty. What can you offer us? Nothing. Nothing. So they go ahead and plead guilty anyway. Almost two years since Natalie was murdered. The sentencing for her killer finally arrives. Lion eyes when your daughter is murdered over there trying to keep my cool, trying not to get up and run across the courtroom. You have a mandatory minimum sentence in South Carolina of 30 years day for day. Him just pleading guilty, walk into the courtroom. That's a big step and that's not lost on the court. Having said that, it's important to say why this one does not deserve a 30-year sentence. He needs to be sent in a more aggressive manner than just a mandatory minimum sentence. Before Blake Link is pleaded guilty, the prosecution was fully prepared to go to trial. And they have all of this evidence. So this was their moment to put everything they have on the table and show what was going on before that trip even began. If you give me so much, I just want you to try to find someone else, so I can get their ass and feel a lot better. With sentencing underway, solicitor Scott Hicks and wants to show the judge where Blake's head was at leading up to Natalie's murder. And that includes reading these text messages that were sent just weeks before her death. There is a notice that says, if you give me so much, I just want you to try to find someone else so I can read their ass and feel a lot better. That's how I'm thinking. You see it out of jealousy, control, and situation in the world. He has so many feelings of jealousy. It's almost like he owns her in a sense when he makes that kind of statement and that is very, very concerning. I've seen it a lot with teenagers who are in relationships where there's violence. There are certainly teenage boys out there that will not be okay with being broken out with. Natalie, your response to some Blake, protects your substance being X. You want to come to a particular party because you thought it was going to be evening or out of the glass, which is why you had to be a correct like all of these. It's okay and what it's not okay and I have come to realize that it's impossible and you will always do you. Your actions are not okay at all and it's annoying, but I'm over-slicing. All I have to say is if you want to have me like, can you fix your state? But I'm done and I can't be anymore. When I see Natalie standing up to him, I think, good for her. Do I see that a lot? No. I see many teenagers who have relationships with X's say to me, look at what he wrote, what do I do? If Natalie has some insight and understanding into what isn't, isn't okay, this is a young girl who's saying, you can't treat me like that. That is not acceptable. The question now, will Blake Linkus finally take responsibility for his actions? Are you feeding guilt and servication guilty? Are you feeding guilty freely and voluntarily and on their own though? I know that Natalie Warren was 18 years old at the time and he's just going to just subjugate it for 18 years in her life and devil it up. At least 30 cents at one more. Are you requesting 40 years or are you saying something? A sentence never has anything to do with the life of the victim, but you can't help but believe that it's somehow it does. The criminal justice system, and it does not necessarily embrace that theory even though the prosecution, the family are trying to get an eye for an eye to some degree. 635 days, a few followers days, two Thanksgiving, two Christmas days, the Easter and a birthday early, paying to mother's debt. 635 days of every day you need to look it up and decide if you love her. Is this the fact that I'm here for the judicial system here, that doesn't feel like anybody else has left her? You know, my mind, I got a slideshow with that play. It doesn't feel like, no matter what, the beginning and the end of that slideshow you're on, is one of that soul. That was in a cup. She looked beautiful as always, but she looked sad and her lips were a little bit blue. The reason that she was sad looking and her lips were blue, because she was dead, because believe like this, rap is greasy, cowardly, hands around her neck and she strangled her light up. So, asking you, you know, to 40 years, 35 years, nothing's anything to me. I want you to sentence somebody that wraps their hands around an innocent one's neck and strangles them to death. I want you to sentence them how you steer. Today is Monday March 3rd, 2025. It has been in 635 days since I burned your voice. Our 12-year friendship was strictly their hands of someone else, 630 by days ago. But today is finally the day that our family, our friends and our community have prayed for. Today is the day just this will be served. They don't teach you in English class how to write an essay for when your best friend dies and you need to put her murder away. They don't teach you that. It was something that meant the most to me that I got to say what I needed to say. After Jesse and Brooklyn's powerful statements, Blake now decides to address the court. I was never trying to run away from this tragedy. She was the love of my life. I swore to protect her and I failed. My show is new trial to ends. Some change but not at least family and everyone else. That's it, your honor. Is he regretful? Sure he is. But Blake was the type of young man that turned to violence and alcohol and that's part of the immaturity. And in a moment of truth, the judge is ready to deliver her decision. While the court understands that as a result of this incident, Nala was in smart and life lost, but in essence, Mr. Lindus' life, following sense and purposes, was lost as well. And under those suffering sances, the men most certainly would not be appropriate. However, I do think that the state has requested is more appropriate under the circumstances. And sorry, you sent us to stage for our infractions for a period of 45 years. When the judge came back with the sentence, I didn't feel anything. I mean, my little girl was gone forever. I wished that he was the one life. There's also a part of me that thinks like death to him would be a way to merciful. 45 years of everyday waking up where he's at is better than him being dead. And just when Natalie's loved ones thought that they could finally move on, they get the news that Blake is looking to fight his sentence. Ohio man who pleaded guilty to strangling his ex-girlfriend to death in the Myrtle Beach area is now challenging his murder conviction. He also said he feels his 45-year prison sentence is too long. He planned to fight to get his charge downgraded to manslaughter, but then pleaded guilty in order to not put the victim's family through a trial. When you plead guilty, what you gain in less years, you give up in your ability to get your sentence overturned. There's no errors of law because there was no arguments over the admissibility or inadmissibility of evidence. The sentencing is in the sound discretion of the court to find a legal basis to appeal it because you got more than you thought you were going to get. Is not a legal basis for appeal. Mr. Lankus wants to accept responsibility, but he doesn't want to accept the consequences of responsibility. I can almost tell you with a certainty that the court of appeals is not saving you. The Supreme Court is not saving you. You'll be up there 45 years from the date that you plead. The loss of Natalie is indescribable, but her family knows that there's a lesson in all of this, one that maybe they can pass down to anyone who is going through something similar. The hair on the back of your neck doesn't lie. Something so minor could definitely progress into something worse. A lot of times they shut you down, but just ask the uncomfortable questions in the long run. They're not going to be mad at you. You just want the best for them. If you're noticing that your son is seeing me more angry, is obsessing more about his girlfriend. You could think to yourself, that's a little odd. He is a little bit more involved with this girl. That's a warning sign. So there's things we can do for both the potential victims and also the potential abusers. This is the beginning of the next chapter. We're not going to forget Natalie, you cannot forget Natalie. But now we know how this story ends and now the healing can start. Remembering Natalie's day is not hard. She crosses my mind a thousand times a day. I do have a memorial stone at our house for her. It's in our backyard, so we keep that decorated and filled with her favorite flowers. This necklace holds Natalie's ashes. Which is so hard for me to say, because she used to be a living, breathing human, and now I'm wearing her around my neck. I just feel like I'm carrying her with me wherever I go. And I feel like that's a way that I can include her in my everyday life. She had a contagious laugh. She was always laughing, always having fun. She could light up a room. She would come into the house and scream, "I love my dad," at the top of her lungs. What I wouldn't give to her, hear that. [BLANK_AUDIO]