Chapters
Shownotes Transcript
What's something that works so well that it's basically magic? It's summertime, so how about air conditioning? Noise-canceling headphones? Meeting-free Fridays? Well, what about selling with Shopify?
Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. From the "launch your online shop" stage, to the first "real life store" stage, all the way to the "did we just hit a million orders" stage, Shopify is there to help you grow. Whether you're selling trained detective t-shirts or advocacy gear, Shopify helps you sell everywhere.
From their all-in-one e-commerce platform to their in-person POS system, wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered.
What I love about Shopify is no matter how big you grow, Shopify grows with you. And they give you everything you need to take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial at shopify.com slash justice, all lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash justice now to grow your business no matter what stage you're in. Shopify.com slash justice.
This is Jessica Knoll, host of the new series Back in Crime. If you're a follower of true crime, you're probably familiar with some of the most shocking stories from our history. Horrific tragedies like the Columbine Massacre. He turned the gun straight at us and shot. Oh my God, the window went out. And the kid standing there with me, I think he got hit. Okay. Oh God. And notorious criminals like cult leader Charles Manson.
In a scene described by one investigator as reminiscent of a weird religious rite, five persons, including actress Sharon Tate, were found dead at the home of Miss Tate and her husband, screen director Roman Poliansky. But what if we were to turn back the hands of time and relive these events as they unfolded? Follow along each week as we take a fresh look at crimes from the past. Back in Crime is available now.
Voices for Justice is a podcast that uses adult language and discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics, including violence, abuse, and murder. This podcast may not be appropriate for younger audiences. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some names have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney, and this is Voices for Justice.
Today, I am discussing the case of 9-month-old Jacob Jeremiah Laundeen, who tragically lost his life after being left in the care of his mother's boyfriend for just one hour in 1987. This case was brought to my attention by Jacob's brother, Eric. He actually interviewed me for his podcast, True Consequences, early in 2020, but at that time, he hadn't gone public with Jacob's story.
But since then, he has released three very detailed and very touching episodes about Jacob on that feed that I cannot recommend enough. He actually records the very first time he and his mother discuss Jacob's case, and it will 100% make you cry. But here is Eric giving a brief overview of Jacob's case. My brother was murdered 33 years ago by my mom's ex-husband, and...
I can't really say his name right now, but he's been free for the last 33 years. He's never been charged or prosecuted for the murder. My brother was only nine months old when he died. And despite a bunch of evidence pointing to him, despite the fact that he failed a polygraph and all of these other issues, for some reason he's managed to not ever be
If you have been a long-time member of the Voices for Justice Patreon, you are probably quite familiar with Jacob's case by now. It was featured as a mini-sode, we've told the story on livestreams together several times, and we talked about Jacob's case at CrimeCon last year. This is one of those cases that hasn't gotten a ton of media coverage. I mean, there's almost nothing.
So the majority of my information is coming directly from 158 pages of police reports, supplemented by Eric's podcast, True Consequences, and my interview with Eric himself. Before I get into Jacob's story, I need to clarify that Eric has chosen to not release the name of his mother's boyfriend at this time, so I will be honoring that choice. And he will be referred to as Jacob's mother's boyfriend throughout this episode.
I also want to take a moment to hear from Eric about what he remembers about his baby brother Jacob. So Jacob was born on July 1st, 1986, and I had prayed for him to be born when I was five years old. I told my mom that I had been praying for a baby brother and that she was going to get pregnant and have a baby boy. She kind of laughed at me and brushed it off a little bit, but shortly after that,
she found out she was pregnant and I was so excited to be a big brother. It was, I remember when I found out like I had learned how to ride my bike that day without training wheels and then as soon as we finished that my dad and my mom kind of got down on their knees and told me that she was pregnant and I was jumping around with joy. I was so excited to be a big brother and you know I wasn't disappointed. He was the most incredible baby I've ever met in my life
No offense to my son, but he was this bright light of joy and he was fearless. He had this really incredible personality. You know, he was a daredevil. He loved to do things that were dangerous and, um,
He just really had no fear, which was the complete opposite of me as a child. I was very fearful. And so I admired him a lot because he would do things like when he was in his baby swing, he would reach forward and grab the legs and throw the entire swing backwards. So he would be on the floor laughing.
He would pull all of the drawers out of the cabinets in the kitchen and cutlery be flying all around him, knives and forks and all this really dangerous stuff that you wouldn't want around a baby. And he thought it was the funniest thing that ever happened to him. And I'll never forget his laugh. His laugh was the most amazing thing. It's not like any other laugh I've ever heard. It's kind of this weird croaking sound, I guess, is how I would describe it.
It was like, and you couldn't help but start laughing whenever you heard him laugh. It was the best thing ever. He loved things like being put up in the air and, you know, played rough with and I was the complete opposite of that, but he really enjoyed it. So in the spring of 1987, Jacob was living with his six-year-old brother Eric, his mother Brenda, and her boyfriend in Socorro, New Mexico.
Socorro is a very small town with a population of about 8,000 people in 1987, and it was a very tight-knit community. It's the type of place where everyone knows everyone, and word travels quickly, at least according to Eric.
About a month before Jacob's death, he actually suffered a few documented injuries while in the care of his mother's boyfriend. But according to this boyfriend, these injuries actually came from 6-year-old Eric. There was an injury to Jacob's ear and to his arm that weren't considered to be serious but were treated by a doctor.
And then Brenda discovers a large soft lump on Jacob's head that was much more serious. So Brenda takes Jacob to the hospital and they state that he has a hematoma which needs to be lanced and drained and Jacob ends up staying in the hospital for two days. At this point, Child Protective Services is called and they actually receive a tip that Brenda's boyfriend was hitting Jacob. But no action is taken.
When Brenda and her boyfriend ask Eric if he knew how Jacob's head got injured, he at first denied it, but later stated that he did kick Jacob in the head after Jacob pulled his hair. But I think it's important to note here that when Eric was interviewed by police at the age of six, he told police that his mother's boyfriend threatened to physically harm him if he lied. This was also reiterated in some other witness statements.
Although Brenda has stated that she doesn't believe Eric caused these injuries now, at the time, she really didn't know what to do. So as a precaution to make sure Jacob is safe and that Eric isn't being unfairly blamed, Brenda calls Jacob and Eric's father Gene in California and asks him to take Eric for a while while she figures everything out.
But during this time, Brenda also notices something strange about Jacob's behavior. Like Eric was telling us, Jacob was one of those babies who just kind of liked to play rough. He liked being bounced around, he liked being thrown in the air, that type of thing. But all of a sudden, one day, Jacob began really resisting being played with by Brenda's boyfriend, to the point that he would literally clutch onto her and scream whenever she tried to give Jacob to him.
And when she would put him up in the air like he used to love doing, he would now scream and act like he was absolutely terrified. Pretty much all of that rougher type of play that he used to love scared him now. About a month after Eric goes to stay with his father, on Thursday, April 9th, Brenda was working the 11am to 7.30pm shift at the supermarket as a cashier.
Now, when she was working, Jacob usually stayed with her mother, Merlinda. But on this particular day, Merlinda mentioned that she really wanted to go to church that night around 6.30. So Brenda tells her to go ahead and drop Jacob off at her house with her boyfriend for that last hour, thinking literally what's the worst that could happen in just an hour.
So Merlinda drops off Jacob around 6pm, and by 7pm, Brenda's boyfriend is running into the supermarket in hysterics to tell Brenda that something terrible has happened. Jacob fell off of the living room couch and wasn't breathing, and he told her that Jacob was currently in an ambulance on his way to the hospital. Now, I actually read Jacob's autopsy report, and I've seen the pictures of him. It's heartbreaking.
I won't go into graphic detail, but it's important to note that Jacob had quite a few injuries.
The report confirmed the trauma to his ear. There was a superficial abrasion on his forehead above his left eyebrow. Both of his eyes had retinal hemorrhages. The back of his skull was fractured. He also had a healing subdural hematoma. They found bruising on both sides of his chest, including a patterned mark on the left side of his chest indicating that he might have been hit by an object. He had bruising on his back, a fractured rib, and hemorrhaging in his left buttock.
Ultimately, it is determined that Jacob died from a blood clot between his brain and the dural membrane that compressed his brain and caused irreversible damage. The report states, "...such injuries may be associated with an episode or episodes of child abuse." But ultimately, the manner of death is ruled to be undetermined.
This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by Ibotta. Are you planning your dream vacation but dreading the cost? With Ibotta, you get cash back on all your purchases, so you can spend more time making memories and less time dreaming about them. Ibotta is a free app that lets you earn cash back every time you shop. You
You can earn on hundreds of items you buy every day, from groceries to beauty supplies and even toys. The average Ibotta user earns $256 per year.
That's a plane ticket, a shopping trip, or even a fancy dinner. And they have so many brands, over 2,400. Lowe's, Macy's, Sephora, Best Buy, and more. I've been using Ibotta for a really long time. It's one way that I make every penny stretch. And right now, Ibotta is offering our listeners $5 just for trying Ibotta by using the code CRIME when you register.
Just go to the App Store or Google Play Store and download the free Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CRIME. That's I-B-O-T-T-A in the Google Play Store or App Store and use code CRIME. So what happened to 9-month-old Jacob?
Well, according to the police report, Brenda's boyfriend stated that Marlinda dropped off Jacob to him around 6 p.m., and despite him being sick for the past few weeks, he actually seemed to be feeling better that day. So he puts him in his walker with a teething cookie and a bottle while he's laying on the floor dubbing cassette tapes for his brother.
But the wheel of Jacob's walker apparently kept getting stuck on this box of cassette tapes, and Jacob kept trying to get into the box to play with the tapes, so he just pulls Jacob out of the walker and lays him on the ground behind him and gives him a few tapes to play with to distract him while he continues dubbing these tapes for his brother. Pretty soon, Jacob gets fussy and sleepy, so Brenda's boyfriend picks him up to put him to bed.
But while he's doing that, he hears one of the tapes click, indicating that it was finished recording on that side, so he puts Jacob down on the couch to change the tape.
At this point, Brenda's boyfriend says that he hears Jacob make a noise, and when he turns around, Jacob was on the floor between the couch and the coffee table. He's not sure if Jacob's head hit the coffee table, but when he picks him up, there is a yellowish fluid coming from Jacob's mouth and nose. So he turns Jacob on his stomach and pats his back in hopes of clearing the fluid. But when he turns Jacob around to his back, his eyes begin rolling in the back of his head.
They didn't actually have a phone in their house at that time, so Brenda's boyfriend runs to the neighbor's house to ask them to call 911. But Jacob is still throwing up this fluid, so both Brenda's boyfriend and the neighbor attempt to clear the fluid and give Jacob mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until the paramedics arrive. When they get there, Jacob is taken to the Presbyterian Hospital alone, while Brenda's boyfriend rushes to the supermarket to tell her what happened.
When Jacob arrived at the hospital, they determined that his injuries were so severe that they were unable to treat him, and they send him in a helicopter to the University of New Mexico hospital, where he is rushed into emergency surgery. But unfortunately, Jacob becomes unstable and passes away in the early hours of April 10th.
I really struggled with reporting this next part, but I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you. The interviews conducted with Brenda, her boyfriend, and her mother Merlinda place a lot of blame on six-year-old Eric for what happened to Jacob. Brenda says her boyfriend could have never hurt Jacob, her boyfriend says Brenda and Merlinda are great, and Merlinda basically says that Brenda's boyfriend is never really alone with the kids.
And they all mention Eric being jealous of the new baby and how he kicked him in the head. But the evidence does not support the theory that 6-year-old Eric is ultimately to blame for Jacob's death.
First, let's talk about what one of the doctors who treated Jacob that night had to say in his interview with police. Dr. McWilliams was called into the emergency room at the University of New Mexico hospital as soon as Jacob was admitted, and he spoke with Brenda's boyfriend immediately.
He tells Dr. McWilliams about Jacob falling off the couch, but the doctor immediately tells him that he doesn't believe that type of fall could harm Jacob in such a serious manner, even with the prior head injury. Further, Dr. McWilliams says not only was Brenda's boyfriend terrified that he was going to be blamed for Jacob's injuries when he got to the hospital, but that he continued to reiterate it the entire time Jacob was there.
Dr. McWilliams is actually the same doctor who informed the family that Jacob passed, and while Brenda and her mother were absolutely beside themselves after the news, again, Brenda's boyfriend expressed concern that he would be in trouble. Dr. McWilliams tells the police that Brenda's boyfriend, quote, "...did have more concern about being blamed than the average person." End quote.
The police also interviewed the pathologist that assisted in performing Jacob's autopsy, who determined that in addition to finding an older head injury on Jacob, the one that was supposedly caused by Eric, he also stated, quote, The skull had been fractured along a suture, and an open hand probably caused the injury. End quote.
In addition to these medical professionals concluding that Jacob's injuries were most likely not caused by falling off the couch, the investigation into Jacob's death also leads away from the theory that his six-year-old brother was to blame. On April 12th, so two days after Jacob's death, Brenda's boyfriend actually reaches out to Detective Patrick Apodaca of the Socorro Police Department, stating that he's hurting and wants to talk.
So Detective Apodaca invites him down to the police station to meet. He reads him his Miranda rights, and they talk.
But Brenda's boyfriend basically tells the exact same story about the couch and the tapes, but he also tells them, yes, I hit Jacob on his bottom lightly when he got into the trash, but I didn't hit him on the head. And Detective Apodaca tells him outright, like, listen, we spoke to the pathologist. Jacob didn't die from falling off the couch. He died from being hit on the head very hard by an open hand.
But Brenda's boyfriend maintains that he did not hit Jacob on the head, so Officer Apodaca asks him if he'd be willing to do a polygraph test, to which Brenda's boyfriend says he will, but he admits that he is afraid of failing it. So they schedule the test for three days later.
But the day before the test, Detective Apodaca cancels it, stating in his report that it is no longer necessary because the police have obtained a confession from Brenda's boyfriend.
This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by CB Distillery. If you're anything like me, my medicine cabinet was filled with things that just didn't help me. I still couldn't sleep, I was still in pain, and I was still stressed out. So I gave CB Distillery a try, and it has been a real change. And in two non-clinical surveys, 81% of customers experienced more calm.
and 90% said that they slept better with CBD. And I'm a part of that 90%. I've had trouble sleeping for most of my life, and after trying every tea, every pill that I could get my hands on, CBD distilleries' deep sleep gummies have actually worked for me. It not only helps me fall asleep, but it helps me stay asleep, which has been my big problem in the past.
So if you struggle with a health concern and haven't found relief, make the change like I did to CB Distillery. And with over 2 million customers and a solid 100% money-back guarantee, CB Distillery is the source to trust. I have a 20% discount to get you started. Visit cbdistillery.com and use code JUSTICE for 20% off. That's cbdistillery.com, code JUSTICE. cbdistillery.com
But here is the kicker, you guys. The original police report about this confession didn't actually contain the confession, and apparently didn't even mention what he confessed to or under what conditions, only that a confession was obtained and that the case was still being evaluated. And when investigators would take another look at Jacob's case almost 20 years later, they were ultimately unable to find this confession.
So apparently Brenda's boyfriend confesses, but absolutely nothing happens until July 9th, 1987, so literally three months after the day Jacob was rushed to the hospital. And this is when Brenda's boyfriend finally takes a polygraph test and admits that he was not telling investigators or Brenda the truth about what really happened to Jacob. The police report reads, quote,
The following relevant questions were posed. Did you intentionally strike Jacob in the head area on April 9th, 1987? Answer, no. Did you intentionally strike the baby in the head area before he went limp? Answer, no. Based on the numerical evaluation of his graph recordings, I, Sergeant Garcia, concluded that he was not being truthful when he answered no to the relevant questions.
Sergeant Garcia continues to write,
Allegedly, at the time he had been questioned, he had been sedated to the extent that his mental faculties were impaired. He attributed his untruthfulness to his fear of rejection by his girlfriend, Brenda Laundeen, the child's mother. He expressed regret that the mother would now learn the truthful facts, inasmuch he felt the death had been accidental. He explained that on April 9th, 1987, he was caring for Jacob, awaiting the arrival of Brenda Laundeen.
The child was in a standing position, holding himself onto the wooden arm chest of a chair in the living room. He allegedly knelt beside him and angled his chin in a position to playfully rub his growth of beard between the child's legs.
While doing so, he sensed the child was about to lose his balance, and he abruptly raised his head to prevent Jacob from falling. Instead, the child had leaned his body over his head, and as he raised his head, he forcefully raised the child off of his feet, causing Jacob to impact heavily on the floor. He further explained he was certain that the child's head struck the wooden armrest before he fell to the floor.
Immediately after the baby fell, he picked him up and held him in his arms for what he approximated to have been 10 minutes. During this time, Jacob did not exhibit any visible indications of being injured. However, he did appear to be drowsy. He, at this point, decided to put the child to bed and began walking towards the bedroom. He had been duplicating cassette recordings, and before reaching the bedroom door, he heard the recorder reverse automatically to a pre-recorded side.
He placed the child on the sofa while he attended to the recording device, and while doing so, the unattended child fell to the floor for a second time. He quickly picked up the child, who at that point went into convulsions and was regurgitating from both mouth and the nostrils. He leaned the child over his left forearm, patting Jacob on his back, attempting to clear the air passage to no avail.
He then held the child from both feet and continued patting Jacob's back. When Jacob lost consciousness, he panicked and ran with the child to seek assistance from a next-door neighbor. Medical assistance was then summoned. This concluded the letter-slash-correspondence from Sgt. Garcia. End quote.
But despite being worried about Brenda finding out this new information, he actually doesn't even tell her this new story, and in fact tells her that he passed the polygraph test. So, at this point, they consider Jacob's death to be a tragic accident and try to resume their lives the best they can.
Eric actually moves back in with Brenda and her boyfriend, and they end up getting married. But for the sake of clarity and at the request of Brenda, I will continue to refer to him as Brenda's boyfriend. Unfortunately, things weren't good in the home after Jacob's death. Brenda and Eric both admit that her boyfriend was both physically and emotionally abusive towards Brenda.
It was so bad that Eric actually slept with a can of hairspray, a lighter, and a knife under his pillow in case he was attacked. And on one occasion, he did end up saving his mother's life while she was being attacked.
It is an incredibly crazy and intimate story that I did not want to ask Eric to relive for the purposes of this episode. And I don't want to speak for him because Eric talks about it in detail on his podcast, True Consequences. So I definitely recommend checking it out over there. But eventually, Brenda does file for divorce and gets away from him.
And it's at this point that Brenda goes back to the police and says, hey, I see things a little differently now. He was violent towards me in a way I never thought he could be, and I think he might have caused the death of my son. The police report states, quote, End quote.
But despite this report, on August 25, 1992, Brenda's boyfriend is arrested for abandonment or abuse of a child in relation to Jacob's case. And this is where we get the third version of what happened to Jacob that day. The police report reads, quote,
On August 25, 1992, Detective Haley arrested and interviewed Brenda's boyfriend at the City Police Department in Socorro, New Mexico in connection to this investigation. The arrest warrant was issued for abandonment or abuse of a child, a first-degree felony in 1987. At approximately 1.53 p.m., Detective Haley conducted a tape-recorded interview. The following is a brief synopsis of that interview.
Brenda's boyfriend stated that the original statement was that Jacob Londeen fell off the couch, and that Jacob had been sick and was taking medication. He then stated what really happened was that Jacob would lean on his neck while Brenda's boyfriend was lying on the floor, and that he felt Jacob was losing his balance. He then grabbed Jacob's leg. He stated that it felt like Jacob was going to fall to the right, but that Jacob fell to the left instead.
He stated that he moved fast to try to stop Jacob's fall, but Jacob fell anyway and hit the armchair. He stated that when he picked Jacob up, his eyes were white and he was not moving. He then stated that Jacob was trying to catch his breath and that he was talking to Jacob, but Jacob did not react. He stated that he ran to the neighbor's house and a black woman came out and started giving Jacob mouth-to-mouth.
He stated that he panicked and went blank. He did nothing and just stood there. He stated that someone called an ambulance and he thinks he went to get Brenda. He stated that he went to the hospital in Socorro, New Mexico, and he eventually went with Brenda, too, to the hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Detective Haley asked if he remembered talking to the police in Albuquerque, and he stated no.
Detective Haley asked why he told the police the first story about Jacob falling off the couch. He stated that he feared Brenda's dad and that he had threatened to shoot him, and that Detective Apodaca also threatened him. He stated that he was having difficulty dealing with this situation and he was put on Xanax to keep him calm. Detective Haley asked Brenda's boyfriend to tell him what the first story was compared to what the true story is.
He stated that Brenda's mother had given Jacob some medication before she dropped him off, and that she dropped him off in his car seat. He stated that Jacob was sitting on the couch and had fallen off the couch. Detective Haley then asked him about the previous injury that Jacob had sustained. He stated that Brenda's grandmother said that Eric Londeen, Jacob's older brother, had kicked Jacob. He stated that Jacob was taken to the hospital and that he had a bump on his head.
He stated that the story he told to Detective Apodaca was the same story he told Brenda. Detective Haley asked him why he did not tell Brenda the truth from the beginning. He stated that he did not think Brenda would marry him if she knew the truth. He stated that Detective Apodaca had really got on him and said that he would make him pay.
Detective Haley asked if he remembered talking to Chief Johnny Trujillo and telling him about hitting Jacob on the back. He stated yes, and that he had given Jacob some biscuits sometime before they were playing on the floor and Jacob had fallen. He stated that Jacob started choking on the biscuit and he had patted Jacob on the back. He stated that he held Jacob upside down and was patting him on the back and the biscuit came out.
He stated that he gave Jacob a bottle and Jacob drank from it. Also, the hits on the back were not hard. He stated that he played with Jacob the very same way he plays with all of his kids. Detective Haley asked him if he remembers taking a polygraph examination, and he stated yes.
He stated that he was messed up and out of it when he took the exam. Detective Haley asked him what was it that messed him up. He stated it was due to stress, that it was mental. He stated that he didn't know night from day, and that he was grieving and was freaked out. He stated that the same thing happened when he got divorced from Brenda, that he didn't know how to handle it. Detective Haley again asked him about the two questions that he failed from the polygraph test.
He stated that the polygrapher said the machine was not working properly. He stated that he was totally out of it and thought he was back in the hospital when he was a child. He stated he had taken some allergy medication before the test and doesn't remember being asked any questions. He stated that the now DA was Brenda's lawyer during her first divorce to Jean Londeen. He also stated that the DA had told Brenda that the polygraph machine was broken.
Detective Haley asked Brenda's boyfriend about his statement to Officer Sue DeWalt, and he stated that he didn't know how to tell Brenda. He stated that he felt that if he told the truth about playing, that Brenda would think he was a worthless father. He stated that he was confused, that he thought that if he said he was playing with Jacob that they would say he threw him, that it was very confusing.
He stated that after his divorce, he had a nervous breakdown and was put in the hospital for about a day and a half. He stated that he received counseling after Jacob's death and after his divorce to Brenda. He stated that he was very attached to Jacob, and that night they were playing like they always did. He stated that he used to call Jacob, Jake the snake, and that if Jacob started crying, Jacob would go to him for comfort, which made him feel good.
Detective Haley asked Brenda's boyfriend when he was striking Jacob on the back, could he have hurt him? He stated that it was possible because he panics. He stated that one of his strikes could have hit Jacob on the head. Detective Haley asked Brenda's boyfriend if he had been drinking that day, and he stated that it was possible, that he does not remember specifically, but that it was usual for him to have at least two shots a day.
Detective Haley concluded the interview, end quote. But ultimately, Brenda's boyfriend isn't charged with any crime related to Jacob, and they don't even go to court. But just like the confession, the paperwork on why or how he seemingly just walked away from these charges does not exist.
This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by Quince. I can't believe that we are rolling into fall, but we are, which means it's time to refresh your wardrobe. And luckily, Quince offers timeless and high-quality pieces that will not blow your budget.
Like cashmere sweaters from $50, pants for every occasion, washable silk tops, and more. All Quince items are priced 50-80% less than similar brands. And they do that by partnering directly with top factories. That way, they cut out the cost of the middleman and pass those savings on to us. At this point, I've tried a little bit of everything from Quince.
and I'm still in love with their 10-Cell Jersey Fit and Flare dresses. Especially in Arizona, it's really easy to dress them up or dress them down and add some layers if it gets colder.
Make switching seasons a breeze with Quince's high-quality closet essentials. Go to quince.com slash justice for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. That's q-u-i-n-c-e dot com slash justice to get free shipping and 365-day returns. quince.com slash justice
And this is where we kind of need to time travel from this arrest in 1992 all the way to 2005. Because this is when Brenda goes back to the Socorro Police Department to ask what is going on with Jacob's case. And at this time, Officer Thomas E. Christian Sr. finally takes another look at everything. And this is actually where the 158 pages of police report comes from.
All from Officer Christian trying to go back and collect everything to find answers for Jacob and his family. But again, he literally cannot find the paperwork outlining the confession or explaining how this man was arrested for the crime, but ultimately let go. Officer Christian's synopsis of his investigation reads, quote,
After an extensive review of the completed investigative reports, which included the autopsy reports, it is my opinion that the criminal charge of abandonment or abuse of a child, which resulted in the death of Jacob Londeen, a first-degree felony in 1987, was justified and should have been pursued against Brenda's boyfriend.
He was arrested in 1992 and charged with that offense, but after his arrest, it appears that nothing else occurred after the initial filing of the criminal charge. And I have been unable to determine why this had occurred, as records no longer exist.
There was sufficient evidence in this investigator's opinion to prove that Brenda's boyfriend knew of Jacob's recent head injury, which occurred several weeks before this incident, and this incident which then resulted in Jacob's death. Brenda's boyfriend should have been more attentive to Jacob's needs due to Jacob's recent head injury. In addition, he had taken care of Jacob numerous times before this incident, so he was familiar with Jacob.
In addition, Brenda's boyfriend had prior experience with infants and small children, as he at that time had small children of his own from a previous marriage, in which he still had physical contact with those children. Brenda's boyfriend did negligently and without justifiable cause place Jacob in a situation that endangered his life.
He knew of Jacob's prior injury, and combined with the fact that he changed his story or version of events during this investigation, which were not witnessed by anyone else several times, that fact alone draws a lot of suspicion to any story he tells after his initial statement.
This incident, which resulted in Jacob's death, occurred one way, not two or three ways as told by Brenda's boyfriend. He knew that he needed to be much more attentive to Jacob's needs, as Jacob was only nine months old and still in need of almost constant supervision, and the recent head injury, and he failed to do this.
The problem with this investigation at this time is the statute of limitations, and in this investigator's opinion, if this is not overcome, there cannot be a successful criminal prosecution in this manner. We also have a speedy trial issue. Brenda's boyfriend was arrested in 1992, and it appears that the criminal charge was never pursued by the state.
On Wednesday, October 6, 2005, at 10 a.m., I met with Brenda at the state police office in Socorro, New Mexico, in regards to this investigation. I advised her that my review was complete and that I would be submitting my case file to the district attorney's office in Socorro, New Mexico, for their review and a decision on where the investigation might go from here.
End quote. It would take over a year for the DA to get back to Officer Christian, but in November of 2006, he finally receives a response and documents it in his report. Quote,
Mr. Burwell had determined that there is insufficient evidence at this time to proceed with a felony prosecution. The letter also stated that Mr. Burwell is of the opinion that the extreme age of the matter coupled with the statute of limitations, which was in effect at the time of Jacob Londeen's death, would by itself make it impossible to proceed with a prosecution in this case. The case is now considered closed."
Unfortunately, that is the end of the official investigation into Jacob Londeen's untimely death. And Officer Christian retired from the New Mexico State Police in 2019 after 41 years of service. So how does this happen? How does an investigator conclude that a 9-month-old's death was caused by negligence, literally arrest the suspect for this crime but is unable to proceed with any charges?
Well, like Officer Christian stated, New Mexico actually had a statute of limitations for murder in 1987, which does unfortunately factor into this case. But that has since been eliminated. However, New Mexico is currently the only state in the country with a statute of limitations for second-degree murder, which is set at six years.
But in January of 2021, a bill was introduced to remove this statute. I wasn't able to find a resolution on this as of recording this episode, but I have to hold out hope that if and when this gets passed, this will help Eric's mission of getting justice for Jacob.
I really wanted to ask Eric directly why he thought his mother's boyfriend was never charged. And he does consider this statute of limitations, but he does have other theories of his own. Yeah, it's really hard for me to really know why things happened the way they did. I have my suspicions, but...
I'll just kind of lay out some facts for everybody so they understand the situation and let them make their determination for themselves. He worked for the county. He had the keys to every building in the county. That included the DA's office. He was friends with all the local police officers. They played basketball every weekend. He somehow managed to convince people that he wasn't the monster that he really was.
And even for my mom and I, before she married him, we thought he was a great guy. He seemed like a great guy. So you couple that with the fact that the DA in 1991, when my mom went to him to ask for him to reopen the case and to prosecute him, accused her of changing her story.
So he refused to prosecute because he felt like my mom was a woman scorned who was just trying to get revenge on her poor husband that everybody liked, that everybody knew. And at least that's what he told her. So once we get to that point, you know, and then time passes and then there's a statute of limitations. So then that becomes an easy out for the DA that comes after him, which my mom went to the new DA and said, Hey,
you know, will you look at this case? And he said no, because of the statute of limitations. And so the cold case investigation was really like the last hope here. But, you know, in my mind, the best case scenario is that the prosecutors and the police were negligent in prosecuting this person. And the worst case scenario, you know, maybe there was some sort of collusion. I don't know. I
I feel weird saying that because I have no proof of that, but there are a lot of suspicious circumstances that make me question if it is negligence or not. Eric has now taken over advocating for Jacob's case, and like I've mentioned, he does have three amazing episodes on his podcast, True Consequences, where he goes over evidence, discusses personal experiences, and conducts his own interviews looking for answers for Jacob.
But he didn't start his podcast with Jacob's story. He started with others in need of help. So I had to ask Eric what compelled him to start the podcast and what eventually compelled him to tell Jacob's story. And of course, I had to ask how his mother was doing through all of this, all of this new exposure and all of this new media. So that's a multi-layered answer. At first, I didn't want to. And I...
I don't want to speak for you, but I feel like you probably understand not wanting to come forward with all this information publicly because it is difficult and it hurts. It's painful. I'm a very private person. You know, I've never been one to put all my laundry out there for everyone to see. I've never been one who wanted the spotlight, so to speak. But as I started telling these stories for other people, I had a moment where
where I was talking to the mother of a, of a murder victim. And, you know, I, I said something along the lines of silence equals permission for things to continue. And it kind of hit me in the face really hard. I have a knack for, for saying things that really shake me and, and make me aware of things that are going on in my life. And, and I realized in that moment that
I can't really expect anything to change with Jacob's case if I'm not willing to talk about it. You know, my silence equals permission in this situation. But on top of that, I had been listening to Voices for Justice, and you really inspired me, Sarah. Honestly, like, I've told you that before, but...
From the bottom of my heart like hearing your story and how open you were with what was going on in the case and learning about Alyssa and everything that happened that really inspired me and motivated me to want to share my story. It gave me strength and courage because I knew if you were able to do it and you were able to do that so well then then I could do it too.
And so couple that with my own realization, that's really what motivated me to tell Jacob's story.
I knew you were going to make me cry. You make me cry every time we interviewed together. Sorry. No, you're fine. You're fine. No, and honestly, like, that's obviously, like, why I do it is, you know, well, I mean, you know, with Alyssa, it was, you know, for other reasons, and then it slowly became this, oh, my gosh, I'm inspiring other people. I can't stop ever now. So I just love you so much, which...
Oh my gosh. I love how I'm like, which brings me to our next question. I feel like so professional, but it's true. My question on here is I want to know how is your mom doing with all this media exposure? And if it's private and she doesn't want, you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. I just, after hearing her and I tell this to you all the time, but after hearing her on your podcast, True Consequences, I cannot get your mother out of my mind and I just want to hug her and love her. So even if it's off the record, I would love to know how she's doing.
You can put this in. It's fine with me and it's fine with her. She is, first of all, so grateful to you for lending us your platform. And I talk about you all the time to her. So I feel like she probably knows you. My mom, as you can imagine, has severe PTSD, complex PTSD, and
telling Jacob's story was not an easy situation for either of us. That was the first time that both of us had ever spoken about it to each other ever. So it was very raw. But there was some healing that happened in that conversation that was unexpected and powerful. And while I don't think we're ever going to be over it, or I don't think it's ever going to stop hurting,
There's some peace that we have now. I feel like our relationship is better. She is still living her life and still dealing with all the issues that she has, but I think that we are all, my entire family feels a semblance of hope because of all the exposure. And that's the first time we've had hope about Jacob's case in decades. So it's pretty powerful that
And I think we all are realistic in knowing that it's quite possible that Jacob never gets justice for what happened to him. But my mom said it perfectly in that interview when she said, if it helps one person, if telling our story helps one person, helps one kid, then it's worth it.
This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by June's Journey. June's Journey is a hidden object mystery game, and you step into the role of June Parker and search for hidden clues to uncover the mystery of her sister's murder. Basically, you engage your observation skills to quickly uncover key pieces of information that lead to chapters of mystery, danger, and romance.
Throughout your investigation, you also customize your very own luxurious estate island. You collect scraps of information to fill your photo album and learn more about each character. But my favorite part is chatting and playing with or against other players by joining a detective club and putting my skills to the test in a detective league.
So, there's kind of two times that I find myself playing June's Journey. One is kind of throughout the day when I just need like a little decompression break, I play a few scenes and get back to work. Or more often than not, when I'm laying down for the night, I tend to play then too. For me, it's a nice way to unwind, decompress, and get lost in a mystery. Discover your inner detective when you download June's Journey for free today on iOS and Android.
Of course, the reason we are all here is our call to action. So I asked Eric what he felt needed to be done to get the district attorney to take another look at Jacob's case. So the biggest thing I need right now is continued exposure. You know, I think at a later date, I might need something different. But right now, sharing Jacob's story is worth so much to me and my mom and the case.
Because the more people are aware of it, the less likely it is that the DA can hide from needing to deal with it. You know, I'm going a little bit of an indirect route here, and that's on purpose. Everything I'm doing is calculated and planned out and trying to do everything I can while not jeopardizing the case. So
you know, some people may feel like, oh, well, I don't have that many followers. It's not worth it. Trust me, if one more person hears Jacob's story, it means the world to me and to my mom. And if everybody shares it with one person, then that's an amazing amount of people that are aware of Jacob's name and of his case and of his story. And that is so valuable and so important. And so I would just ask that
If you can, if you can find it within yourself to share it, that would help me so much. So please take a moment to share Jacob's story. Whether that is the images I share on social media, this podcast, or Eric's episodes on True Consequences, we need to get this story out there.
It is absolutely insane to me that the doctors who treated Jacob, the pathologist who performed the autopsy, and the police who investigated the case all believe there is more behind his death, yet nothing has been done, and Brenda's boyfriend continues to walk free. We literally have a missing confession, and we have no idea how he got out of those child abuse charges, and ultimately, no one is taking accountability.
We need to help Jacob, so please share. But as always, thank you, I love you, and I'll talk to you next time.
Voices for Justice is hosted, produced, and edited by me, Sarah Turney. For more information about the podcast or to submit a case you'd like me to cover, visit VoicesForJusticePodcast.com. And for even more content, you can join the Patreon family for just $5 a month at Patreon.com slash VoicesForJustice.
