Teens Party for Days After Murdering Grandparents

(upbeat music) - Here is the lake. - Want to be Pawnee and Clyde? - I was really hit in the back of the head, then he slid every storm. - Saturday, April 8th, 2017, Lawrenceville, Georgia. Around 10 p.m., Gwyneth County police officers are called to a home in a quiet upper middle class suburban neighborhood for a welfare check on the couple who lived there. 63-year-olds, Wendy and Randall Bjorg. It's at least the fifth time officers have checked on the couple, a request from concerned family members who live out of state and haven't heard from them in over a week. Though officers have not had reason to break into the home before this point, this time is different. What they find leads the Gwyneth County Police Department to issue this statement. This is a very unique and disturbing case on so many levels and detectives are still exploring motive. We may never find a scenario that makes sense to a reasonable person. - Let me get your full name. - To Sandra, we be your. - And can I call you Cassie? - Yep. - Okay. - That nickname they give you? - Yeah. - Zach, C-A-S-S-I, E-I-E. 17-year-old Cassandra Bjorg has had her share of troubles. She lives with her grandparents, Wendy and Randall Bjorg, and has been reported as a runaway, at least 18 times by her grandmother, Wendy, in the past year. - Guess let's start from scratch about what happened starting from when you ran away, I guess. Is that the 31st? Do you remember 28 or something like that? - I didn't really run away. My grandmother kicked me out. - Okay. - It's like, this is what happened. I was told with Johnny and my other friend (beep) and I came home because I was tied for curfew. - Johnny is Johnny Ryder, Cassie's boyfriend of a few months. - And so I came home and my grandpa was asleep and my grandma got really mad at me and she was like saying like, oh, you know, if you don't like it here, you know, we're just gonna find someone else for you to stay. She just said that I was blue. Like she just got really mad for some reason. And so I was just like, if you're gonna find another place for you to stay, I'm just gonna leave. I'm just gonna find somewhere else to go. - On the night of April 8th, 2017, Gwyneth County Police respond to a 911 call of an assault on Rambling Woods Drive in Lawrenceville. Inside, they discover Johnny Ryder's sister and her boyfriend, both severely beaten with a baseball bat and their car stolen. Outside Johnny's sister's apartment, officers locate a different vehicle. One registered to Wendy and Randall Bjorg. Cassie's grandparents, investigators immediately rush over to the Bjorg house on for long drive and four century. Their investigators began to realize the attack on Johnny's sister may not be the most disturbing crime tied to Cassie and Johnny. - In an upstairs bathroom and bedroom, an officer finds the bodies of Cassie's grandparents, savagely beaten, their throats cut. The doors to the runes they are in are cocked shut, possibly to try to prevent odor from seeping out. Now police need to find Cassie Bjorg and Johnny Ryder. Their prime suspects in the homicides and the attack on Johnny's sister. Around 4 a.m. on the morning of April 9th, Johnny's sister's stolen vehicle is located outside an apartment building on McGuinness Ferry Road in Sawani. Investigators place surveillance on the vehicle. And within hours, a SWAT robot is activated to enter the building. Unsure of what may be awaiting officers on the inside. The SWAT robot makes its way inside the apartment, moving carefully from room to room. Before finding Cassie Bjorg and Johnny Ryder. Suffering from self-inflicted injuries. Unapparent suicide attempt following their prime spree. While spending a few days in the hospital, Cassie admits killing her grandparents in an unrequited conversation. Investigators place Cassie under arrest and bring her to the Gwyneth County Police Department on April 12th. - There you go. You can have a seat right here. I'm going to clean it up a little bit. They offer her a familiar comfort. A McDonald's burger and fries, hoping to ease her nerves and lower her defenses before questioning begins. Her hands and forearms are still covered in bandages and are chained together. The detectives eventually unchain her to allow her to eat her McDonald's. But it's time to get down to business. - You see, you just had argument with your grandma right? - Mm-hmm, I left. - I left. - I'm sorry, I got you. - And then when you left, where'd you go to? - I was just staying with Johnny. Like, we were sleeping in his car. - So you, so I guess when do you decide to go back to your grandparents house in the middle of the night? - It was like a couple of days after. Like two or three days. - You remember Saturday, Sunday, do you have an exam? - I don't really remember. I didn't really even know what day it was that we went into the house. - It wasn't my idea at first. - How did you even get, I guess, what was said? How did you even bring out what was the context? - He first asked me, "Are you afraid to die?" And I said, "No." And I asked him, "Are you afraid to die?" And he said, "No." And he was just talking about how we could run away together, you know, the kind of like dream. And he asked me, "Would you kill your grandparents?" And I kinda like hesitated for a minute. I was like, "Why?" And he was just like, I don't know, I mean, 'cause he knows probably everything that I've been through with all of my family. And he understands that, you know, like, all I really wanted to do was just kind of get away from everything, kind of just move on with myself. Like I wasn't having a good relationship with my grandparents, like it just, it started getting really bad, you know, like. - When you guys met at the park, did he ever go over the actual plan on how you guys would do it or anything like that, or what was that, how? - How we started talking about it was, like, we started out like with, you know, what time should we go into the house? How are we gonna do this, you know, like, what, you know, material do we need to, you know, do this? So you know, we started talking about that. And you know, so we decided to go around like midnight or one, one, 30, because my grandma normally went to sleep around like 11, 30, 12. So we decided like, you know, we would park down the road. And then the park was literally, like, right behind my back yard, like the neighborhood park. - So when you guys made it to the back gate, what'd you guys do next? How'd you move up to the house? - Well, we went up to stairs to-- - The decking stairs? - Yeah, the back deck. And my grandma was still up 'cause we got there a little bit early. So we went back down and we were kind of just chilling over where-- - The shed is? - Yeah, we were just chilling by the shed. And then we saw that the lights turned out and then we just, like, stayed outside for a little bit longer just to, you know, wait. And then I already had the keys to my house 'cause I already had a set of keys. So I was able to lock the back door. And then that would, they just made everything easier. Did you guys have anything in your hands or just-- - Yeah, I had a, it's a car. It's one of those car tours. - Is it to do a tire or is it the fixing? - It's a tire, it was a tire iron. So I had one of those. - What'd you get that of? - Johnny's car, 'cause he had one of his cars. - It's Honda, whatever. And Johnny just used his face. And he brought a black book bag that I dug tape in it. And the tire iron in it, and the gloves in it, 'cause we were also wearing gloves too. I go upstairs, he goes into my grandpa's room and then I go into my grandpa's room. - And then he, do you hear kind of what's going on over there? And does that kind of cue you off to, was your grandmother there? - Yeah, he started going out and, you know, I could hear my grandpa just yelling, you know, them fighting, and then I started eating the rush, and then, you know, that's when I started hitting my grandma in the head. - So you took the tire iron, is it, just? - I started just beating her head, is it? And, you know, I stuck here in Johnny doing whatever. And so he comes in the room with me and my grandma. in our e-house. you like tie up my grandma with the duct tape and how do you tie how do you do that it's just her hands or I order her hands I got her a whole head and then I got her into my grandpa's room and then Johnny asked me to go get some knives so I got some knives she found stairs in the kitchen and I got three big blitzer knives and then that's when you start like stabbing my grandpa because then I went back upstairs and I dragged my grandma into my grandpa's room so they were balls in there and then I asked her for the cone to her safe because I already knew that she had a safe in her closet I just didn't know it was in the safe so we left my grandma sitting there before and then I got the cone to the safe so Johnny's watching my grandpa and my grandma and I'm over how did you get that cone she was telling you guys her she told us so she told us the code and you know I went in the closet because that's where they kept the safe so you know I go in there you know I'm checking out all the stuff and I grab the book bag and I just start stuff in the book bag with everything you know like there's envelopes just filled with money there is probably about like a thousand dollars that we found in that safe that they were just saving so you guys put that stuff in the bag and then basically Johnny's in your grandpa's room with your grandpa and your grandma in the room do you come back in there say hey I got the stuff from okay okay I go back into the room and I told them that I got the stuff and so after that he slips my grandpa's throat and then we drag my grandma into the bathroom and what was the reason for that just to bring her to bathroom yeah I don't know why we brought her back into the bathroom I guess we didn't want to bring her into the bedroom okay so we just brought her into the bathroom and then yeah and then Johnny slit her throat too and I actually hit her in the back of the head with the tire I will not the back of the head but like right where your spine is because he was telling me he was like if you hit right there like just one like good hit you can just knock the person out from the movie then and she was like pretending to be dead for a while like I would you know check up on her and I would see that she was still breathing and I'll be like Johnny she's still alive what the heck and then like Johnny finally like like made the like last blow and then after he like did that then he's still still then we left and then we came back to the house what when you guys left where did you guys go to we went over like Kroger or public to go get something to eat and then we went back to the house so I'm just kind of like chilled there after brutally killing the two people who took care of Cassie when her parents couldn't and who called police 31 times as they tried to help her the pair hangs out at the house living it up on her grandparents money did you guys kind of just stay in the house then or yeah it was kind of both you're kind of like in and out of the house for a couple days it was just me and him we didn't tell anyone I mean I told my friends that my grandparents went on a vacation for like two weeks did you take your grandma's purse or yeah that's what my grandmother's purse what was that at it was in the car what about the men they carried wallets and take her up and wallet I couldn't find his wallet so I didn't know where his wallet was so I just have my grandmother's wallet in her purse I hit it on a razor's bed smart guy because we're almost gonna find his wallet on the cell phone wonders but yeah I guess that's where he started hiding it Cassie seems to chuckle that her grandfather managed to hide his wallet from her then Cassie says something somehow even more shocking than what detectives have already heard during that conversation you were talking about maybe getting out of town and stuff like that starting your new life starting over and whatnot yeah um how come you guys didn't say yeah so the reason why we stayed in town was because the plan was we were gonna give both of our families that's why okay so the plan was that we were always gonna get both of our families but first we got my grandparents and that's why we went over to Johnny's house and we attacked his sister and her boyfriend because we were he wanted to kill his family okay so that's like we stayed in town for a couple days because you know wanted to get some money we wanted to get ready to go leave and then that plan just going over to his house kind of just like it didn't work out at all it's just it went it went downhill from there and then with Johnny's house you went before everybody else got back for the night yeah because like our plan was like why did you want to attack them while they were sleeping I'm not sure why we didn't do that but um he kind of said it would be a lot easier if we kind of just waited for them to each come home so we could each of us not come out yeah and it didn't really go like that who whose idea was that was that also talking about a future rich farm that was Johnny's idea because then that's why that's the reason why you asked me if I wanted to kill my grandparents because you wanted an already killed his family and he was like what to be Bonnie and Clyde hmm so that yeah I was like okay that's why that's what I first said when uh because I don't know when I got called out to the scene initially and that's the first thing that came out of my mouth so Bonnie and Clyde have you seen the movies of course you have or you have it yes of course I had like the notorious criminal couple Bonnie and Clyde Cassie and Johnny wanted to go on a crime spree and his family and her grandparents weren't the only people on their kill list was your um ever part of the plan killing them I wanted to was it something you and Johnny discussed or is it something you just thought of well I mean we did discuss it but then Johnny was like no we can't waste our time home then and I was okay but I wanted to was there like ever a snapping point or I mean do you feel bad about what happened do you think she deserves what happened or what you know how are you feeling right now I'm not in your shoot yeah I mean I feel terrible I mean I feel like the worst person on the planet but at the same time it's it was kind of just like I don't know I mean I feel heartbroken but I don't know it's really weird like I'm just I'm really sad about it and that's like one of the reasons why like I wanted to you know kill myself and you know and just overdose because you know like there was so much stuff going on between me my grandparents already like I couldn't I couldn't handle it anymore you know the thing is we can basically piece together kind of what happens based on the evidence of stuff like that but what we never can fully explain is why it happened were you angry were you were you sad when I was going on what kind of kind of walked me through what was going on in your head I mean was it like you said the rush where it's go time I just need to do what the fuck we came here to do yeah or was it like they give me her few a deserved it it's both both like I don't know like just all of my emotions kind of just like came out when it was happening like I was angry and I was sad but I was heartbroken at the same time you know because it was just like you know why did all this stuff happen to you know happened with my family like why did I have to do with all this you know and it's just I just kind of really got tired of it and I couldn't handle it anymore like I just kept exploding inside almost like I wanted to just run away and just be by myself for someone you know and just start my life I was just tired of being you and you're on gravel were you bigger turtles yeah where were you going to go afterwards you're going to go like Florida okay I wear a particular you know like Pensacola panelists they just somewhere you know where we can just like escape yeah somewhere you can just kind of just be reality I'm not sure this kind of just all I've been lying do for such a long time just get reality or kill them I'm kind of just at the state from everything you know just start my life the detective leaves and returns with a video from someone who claims they partied in the Björg House days after the murders while the grandparents bodies were still upstairs I'll say about you like you know I'll listen to people like I love you you take. So for all these people to be inside your house, we're going to both have to assume that it was after you guys killed your grandparents. Do you only, the only people who came over to the house was so they did come over to the house, so do you kill your grandparents? Yeah, I mean all of it was like one big rush, you know, I don't remember what day they came over. I'm not asking for a day. I'm just asking for, in seven days after you guys killed your grandparents and before you went to go attack Johnny's family. Yes. Right, your house. Yes. Let me ask you a question. You killed grandma and grandpa with Johnny. Johnny, you said, close and what, we know to be cocked, cocked the daughters. Was that immediately after or was that before people came over? Oh, it's before people came over. Okay, so I even poured bleach on them before he did that to them. Before bleach on grandma grandpa? Yeah. Then you left one of the bleach bottles in the bathroom next to grandma. Yeah. Why did you pour bleach on them? Johnny told me to. For the smell. Okay, and that was because it smelled and you were having people over. We weren't intending to have many people over. We only had to try and don't go over just that one day because we were like, you know, it was only a couple days after, so we thought it was going to be okay. Like, it didn't smell in the house. Do they know that your grandparents were upstairs? No. They have no idea. They had no idea. I told them that they were on vacation. Did they go upstairs at all? No. How long did they stay there for? Just for like a few hours. They came really late at night. Did you text anyone on grandma's phone? Yes. Protecting the big grandma? Yes. Who did you text? Just Sylvia. Okay, who's that to you? She's a family member in California. Okay, so you text Sylvia. What did you say to Sylvia? She kept asking us everything okay because she just started freaking out. Like, my grandma wasn't texting her and so I started texting her saying everything's fine. Where'd you take grandma's phone from? Was it on her nightstand? Was it in her first? She was on her nightstand. Did you take it before or after you hit her with tiring? It was like in the middle. In the middle? So she couldn't call that one one? Yeah. You know, we made sure that they kept calling them. No one else came to the house? After nearly two hours in the interrogation room, it seems the detectives have had enough of Cassie's calm demeanor. All over the news? Yeah. Is anything else? It only seems that you're sorry. You got caught that you had people over after. You don't seem to be sorry that you killed your grandparents. I am. So I'm just letting you know. I'm just letting you know. Not if you need anything. For the next several minutes, Cassie's cold exterior seems to break down, as she switches between crying and trying to hold herself together. Finally, detectives have heard enough and Cassie is booked into the jail. You're being charged of malice murder for your grandmother and then malice murder grandpa. Also, he knows I'm transported to the jail. So. Cassie Bjorg and Johnny Ryder are charged with two counts of malice murder for killing Wendy and Randall Bjorg and two counts of aggravated assault for the attack on Johnny's sister Mindy and her boyfriend. In February 2018, they both plead guilty to all counts. They are each sentence to two life sentences. At their sentencing, Johnny apologizes for his actions, saying, "I know what I have done is abominable and evil and is deserving of hellfire. I would like to express my deepest apologies to the Bjorg family. I'm so sorry for the pain and grief I have caused all of you." Cassie, with her family watching, doesn't speak.