Justice for Eric

The pivotal moment in the recording came when Eric insisted that he get out of Kari-Ann’s car, so he could try to find his own way home. Kari-Ann was pissed with him, considering him to be ungrateful, so she insisted he just get out of the car and walk all the way home in the dark of the night.

A few more words were exchanged, then Eric finally got out of the car. But the recording continued when he went after Kari-Ann, even as she drove away. Kari-Ann was debating whether to return to the party at Daphne’s house or not, with Eric challenging her about leaving him behind to spend time with “all her friends” at the party.

Then a telling statement from Kari-Ann caught Detective Gordon Marshall’s attention, when she told Eric, “I’m this close to running you over, so don’t even test me right now.” He paused the recording right there, and he exchanged glances with Sabrina and Frank Walker, and Frank’s pregnant fiancée, Elizabeth Wilkins, letting them know the significance of that statement. He replayed that quote three more times for emphasis, and Sabrina and Frank were just shocked speechless. Elizabeth held Frank’s hands for comfort.

“There’s still more, but I just wanted to let you guys hear that a few more times,” Marshall said. “Her saying ‘I’m this close to running you over’ really says something, doesn’t it? How did Eric die? He was struck by a vehicle. Coincidence? I don’t think so. We don’t believe in coincidences in our line of work.”

Sabrina kept shaking her head in disgust and disbelief. “That bitch. The nerve of her. What was she thinking? Was she really going to allow my son to get home on foot in the dark at night?”

Marshall sighed. “I hate to side with Kari-Ann based on what we’ve heard so far, but it sounds like Eric pretty much egged her on to just leave him behind as he made his own way back home. I’m sure Kari-Ann didn’t really want to leave him alone like that. Yes, her word choices were cruel and wrong, but still…”

“She did have something to do with it, after all,” Frank said. “Unbelievable.”

“Yes, it appears very much so,” Marshall said in agreement. “Okay, let’s keep listening. There’s still more.” He continued playing the recording, picking up at the part where Eric told Kari-Ann that she didn’t have the guts to run him over with her car.

Kari-Ann continued to torment Eric into getting him to confess to her once again about his transgressions from the summer—one of which included cheating on her with cheerleader Olivia Lansing and even impregnating her—so that she could “torture him with it for the very last time.” The “very last time” part was also an intriguing statement to Marshall, which made him wonder if Kari-Ann had actually planned to kill Eric that night. That part also fascinated Sabrina, Frank and Elizabeth.

While Eric confessed once again to Kari-Ann, he pretty much confirmed that things were actually better for him at home—reconnecting with his father Frank, and Sabrina finally breaking things off with Henry, his former stepfather. Kari-Ann then accused Eric of trying to make her feel bad for him. The recording then picked up on the sound of Kari-Ann’s car starting, indicating that she was getting ready to move… Even when Eric stood by her side of the car. Did this possibly show that she planned to hit him at any time?

The audio picked up on Kari-Ann calling both Frank and Henry “loser men”, and how she felt sorry for Sabrina for having been involved with either one of them, and then giving birth to a “lowlife” like Eric. That was more than enough to incite Eric’s wrath, and also more than enough for Kari-Ann to do the unthinkable—hitting him. With the car.

Followed by Eric’s cries of pain as he landed on the ground, which made a large, thudding sound. That confirmed eyewitness accounts hearing of a large, thudding noise on the ground, but unfortunately, no one actually saw anything because it was very late at night and the sound of the Labor Day fireworks overpowered Eric Walker’s final moments.

The audio picked up Kari-Ann constantly asking Eric if he was okay, and with the sound of Kari-Ann’s car running, it appeared as though she was trying to take him to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible. Along the way, Eric told Kari-Ann that she “struck him, hard”, and Kari-Ann apologizing, “I didn’t mean to.” Kari-Ann’s car stopped, meaning she parked at the hospital’s parking lot, got out of the car and went to check on Eric as he continued losing more blood.

It was important to note that he said to her, “You tried to kill me. I’ll tell them what you did.” Those were significant words to Detective Marshall, and to Sabrina, Frank and Elizabeth. Sabrina could feel her heart pounding out of her chest in anxiety, knowing full well what horrors her son had gone through that night, the final night of his life.

Kari-Ann then urged him not to say anything, or she would get into “serious trouble.” Eric’s final words: “I believe you, Maloney, that it’s an accident.” When he started coughing and vomiting up blood, that was also more than enough to make Marshall, a seasoned detective, tear up a bit. That was what it sounded like to hear a person dying. “Oh, God, help… I’m dying.” Those were Eric Walker’s final words he uttered to Kari-Ann Maloney, his ex-girlfriend, that fateful night on Labor Day.

Kari-Ann was panicking: “Oh, my God, Eric… No.”

For the next five minutes, Kari-Ann was crying and panicking until she finally decided to call her brother, Damian, for help. Sabrina realized that Damian Maloney—who worked at Santori’s Diner where she and Erika had lunch last Saturday—was also involved in acting as Kari-Ann’s accessory to the crime. Damian arrived, and Kari-Ann spilled her guts out to him about what happened that night leading up to Eric’s death, and Damian was heard saying that Eric had it coming and Kari-Ann “did her classmates a favor.”

The rest was history—Damian and his three friends were involved as accessories after the fact, and Damian asked Kari-Ann to lie to their parents about why she’d really come home early that night from the party. Twenty minutes after that, the recording was over, indicating the moment that Damian and his friends had tried to dispose of Eric’s body by dumping it in the water. The minute Eric landed in the water, his phone in his jeans’ pockets immediately stopped working. So, in conclusion, that was every single thing the recording had picked up on that evening.

It was very chilling. Marshall gave the Walkers and Elizabeth some time to process all that they’d just listened to in the recording. It really said a lot about what happened to Eric Walker, and it was more than enough for the Ryder PD to officially build a case against Kari-Ann. Frank gave Sabrina a tissue to wipe her face with as she grew more emotional than ever. Elizabeth, as a mom-to-be, was also emotional.

“It’s going to be okay, sweetie,” Frank reassured Sabrina. “The recording is exactly what we need to know exactly what happened.”

Elizabeth then asked, “So, wait, this whole recording was taken directly from Eric’s phone? And he didn’t even know it?”

“Correct,” Marshall replied. “I don’t think he was aware that he’d been recording. I’m not sure how it started in the first place, but the recording is a breath of fresh air for us.”

“Oh, my God… That bitch. That stupid bitch.” Sabrina kept repeating. “My poor son, and she just let him suffer like that. The nerve of her!”

Marshall gave her a gentle, friendly pat on the shoulder. “You’re right to be angry, Sabrina. I think one of the most chilling parts of the audio is the minute when Kari-Ann and her brother are sort of joking about CPR, essentially saying why it’s not important for her to learn it. That boggles my mind, too: Why wouldn’t you think performing life-saving measures is essential for someone in an emergency situation, like Eric was in this case? The way they’re joking about it, saying it’s only important if you’re working with kids, that’s…” Marshall shook his head in disbelief. “My mind can’t even begin to comprehend such logic. It’s no big deal to them. It’s just a game to them, and to hell with Eric’s loved ones, right?”

“That bitch needs to pay for what she did to my son,” Sabrina snapped. “There’s no way in hell she’s gonna get away with living a normal life and being able to attend prom and other school dances, knowing full well that my baby took his final breaths in front of her and was responsible for taking his life. She thinks she can ditch school for how long, just because she’s so ‘scarred’ by what happened that night? No, I’m not having it!”

“You’re right, Sabrina,” Marshall said. “It’s to your understanding—and ours—that Kari-Ann had attempted suicide about a week ago. So, what’ll happen is that the defense will claim she’s mentally unfit and she had no full control of her actions that night. Which, I suppose, is true in a way, based on what we’ve just listened to. She definitely lost control of her thoughts and her feelings, and she allowed them to get the best of her, which led her to hit Eric with the car. But, I guess to be fair, Eric was already standing next to her.

“Even then, she should’ve had better control of her actions because there was a human person standing right next to her, and she’s behind the wheel… So in a way, she was responsible for her actions that night. Mental illness has nothing to do with anything, and I’d be very surprised if her parents take her side and make excuses for her, saying she really had no idea what she was doing. Well, audio recording says otherwise, so…”

“Okay, so what’s gonna happen now?” Frank asked. “What are the next steps in moving this case forward?”

Marshall took a deep breath before he responded. “That’s the thing. We already have everything we need to bring forward the charges against Kari-Ann. You all know she’s a minor, of course—only 16. Given her personal circumstances, we want to keep into consideration that she had just attempted suicide, so by law, she is deemed mentally unstable or a person who has a mental illness or disorder.

“I know, not the best news or a good excuse, right? But it’s what we have to abide by, for those of us who work in law enforcement. So, ideally, the best way we can try this case is to wait until she turns 18, which will be in two years from now, and she’ll be a senior at Jimmy Carter High. If we get her then, there’s a chance she will not be able to graduate with her fellow friends and classmates, so that’s one thing to consider.”

Sabrina sighed as she thought about it. She did not want to wait two years to bring justice for her son; she wanted it now.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I do not believe for one minute that she really is at risk of harming herself again. Call me heartless, but I don’t believe it’s possible for someone to use mental illness as an excuse to not know the difference between right and wrong. She needs to be held criminally responsible, Gordon, and she needs to be prosecuted now!

“I don’t give two shits about her depression or whatever the hell she claims to have. She knew exactly what she was doing that night when she hit my son with her car. She knew what she did, and she knew right from wrong. I don’t want anyone else making anymore excuses for her again. Shame on her parents if they choose to side with her and get her to avoid the law and think she’s untouchable just because she tried to take her own life. No, I’m not having it.”

“The fact that she’s ditched school for this reason isn’t fair for us, either,” Frank said. “She didn’t even show up to Eric’s memorial service yesterday. I can only imagine why that is… That’s right; she’s guilty. She has something to hide. We’re grateful that she didn’t show up to the service, now that we’ve just learned what we can about the case. If she did, she had a hell of a nerve.”

“Exactly, Frank,” Sabrina said. “I would’ve smacked the shit out of her—and pardon my French—but that’s how I feel, and that’s what I would’ve done. You killed my son, and you have every nerve to show up to his memorial service like you cared for him? No.” She shook her head again. “I am not having it. I need justice for my son as soon as possible.”

Marshall gave Sabrina an understanding smile. He really felt her pain. The fact that he also knew Eric and the Walkers personally made it all the much worse, if there was ever a delay in the prosecution aspect.

“One thing we can make happen is for Kari-Ann to turn herself in, if possible,” he said. “It needs to be a voluntary thing, so no pressure on her or anything. In order for that to happen, we would try to make some things happen without media coverage because we want to be the one to disclose that information before the press picks up on it, and then it becomes a media frenzy, which we don’t want. So, I’m thinking maybe Kari-Ann should feel comfortable talking to you about what happened that night. It needs to be a recorded conversation so we know we’re getting an actual confession and not just a made-up story.”

Sabrina, Frank and Elizabeth took time to consider that idea. Sabrina then asked, “So, are Damian and his friends in custody right now?”

“Yes, they are,” Marshall replied, “and the plan is to try every single suspect in this case together. That was the initial plan, but given Kari-Ann’s age…”

“Right,” Frank said.

“That’s gonna be an issue,” Marshall continued. “Damian and his three friends are already in custody for accessory charges, tampering with evidence, and all that. Kari-Ann is the major one right now. So, Sabrina, do you think you can try to get a confession out of her anytime this week? Do you have her number, or…”

“No, I don’t think I have her number,” Sabrina replied. “I can get it from Erika. I’ll get in touch with Erika tonight.”

“Okay, no problem. The sooner you’re able to do all this and send us a record, the sooner we can proceed with the charges against Kari-Ann. Frank, you’re okay with this?”

“Anything to get justice for my son, Gordon,” Frank replied. “I don’t care what needs to be done to get it. We just want information out of this young lady, and we’ll see where that takes us.”

“I agree,” Elizabeth said. “As a soon-to-be mom, I’d want justice for my child as soon as possible. I won’t rest until I get my closure.”

“Okay, so we’re all on the same page, then,” Marshall said. “That’s good. Great, really. I’ll inform the department of your plan, and whenever you’re ready to schedule a meeting with Kari-Ann, let us know so we can listen in on the conversation. As soon as she confesses, we’ll get her. No ifs, ands, or buts. As we all agree, she’s not going to get away with it.”

Sabrina nodded in agreement. “Her biggest punishment is living through it and being miserable. I’m sure she’s suffering, just like she made my son suffer that night.”

“That’s right.” Marshall then started gathering his belongings, getting ready to leave. “Well, it was really nice to have this meeting with you guys to discuss where we are in the case. Sabrina, Frank, I apologize again for all the awful things you’ve heard in the recording, but it was worth it, wasn’t it? At least you have your answers now, and you won’t have to keep worrying anymore. What happened has already happened; now it’s just a matter of bringing the main suspect to justice.”

Sabrina, Frank, and Elizabeth all shook hands with Marshall as he got ready to leave. Sabrina offered to escort him to his car. She gave him a small smile through her tears. “Thank you so much for telling me all this.”

“No problem, Sabrina. That’s my job. If I were you, I’d get in touch with Erika as soon as possible, and ask her to give you Kari-Ann’s number. Chances are, she probably knows what Kari-Ann might be hiding about that night.”

“Definitely, I’ll get in touch with her once I get inside. Thanks so much for coming.” Sabrina and Marshall gave each other a hug. She watched him as he got into his car, put his notepad on the passenger seat next to him, and made his way back to the station to update the Ryder PD about moving the investigation forward into building a strong case against Kari-Ann Maloney.