Social Media Murders S02E01
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:00I
00:30If it's a social emergency
00:33Hi, we all of our friends have been texting us that she's obviously having an emergency
00:40What's your friend's name?
00:42Ashley was work
00:44I
00:58Open the door I
01:01Know you're in there. I've just seen you
01:04You need to open the door. It's gonna come in
01:06Yeah, no one's answering the door there's a male inside who we've seen again who's refused to answer the door
01:19So I think you have to put it in mr. Chuck and a female's welfare
01:22Might open the door. You've got five seconds. Otherwise, we're kicking it in
01:36I
01:55Actually was with who was 19 and
01:57From Canada. She was found stabbed to death at the property behind me on Tuesday afternoon
02:03The 19 year old a member of the Mormon Church, but had met 23 year old Jack Seppel online when she was 12, and he was
02:11Ashley arrived in the UK in November on a six-month tourist visa
02:16The
02:31Forensic post-mortem
02:33Showed that Ashley had been stabbed at least 90 times in her chest area and it's so that she'd also been strangled
02:42He was arrested at 51 Tennyson Road
02:46I
02:48Can't even begin to imagine and what happened in that address and what Ashley had to go through
02:54I
03:13Actually was super happy
03:16The happiest child you ever met it's always a big smile on her face
03:21Wants to explore and play and laugh ready
03:34We had so much fun growing up we did so many adventurous outdoorsy things
03:44Like every teen she loved social media she would make tick-tock so I go in her room and she'd be like mom
03:50It's a video
03:53Funny
04:08Ashley first met Jack as I understand it on the Facebook. So they were just friends at first it was
04:16Yeah, and then they would talk about Britain and he asked about Canada and they were young
04:21She must have been about I'll say 11 or 12
04:26He presented himself pretty well to like my mother and I like if she was talking to him
04:31I'd be like, oh hi Jack and I'd ask him about
04:34England and loved his accent
04:38And so I'd always say I love your accent. She thought it was a nice guy by her stuff and
04:43Random stuff. I just send it over. So she thought she was she thought he was really nice for doing that
04:50I just knew she had a friend in England and she talked to him all the time and she would tell me it's her boyfriend
05:04I
05:06Just thought it was a little strange that a man that's like four years older than her is like buying her stuff and
05:13Sending it from England
05:24They didn't become super serious until like 16 seat 16
05:34She
05:36Always thought that he was a good-looking guy. There were times that he was
05:42Really caring
05:54But I always said, you know, don't get your heart on him because you don't we don't live in the same continent
06:06And you're not going there under under my roof
06:10She had asked me and I said, uh, no, you're too young and when you're an adult if you're still talking I can't stop you
06:30A 23 year old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of a woman in Chelmsford police were called to Tennyson
06:37Road in the Melbourne area
06:41So this is what I'm going to say I understand that I'm being charged with the following offense to murder
06:47Victim one year of age or older on the 1st of the 2nd 2022 at Chelmsford in the county of Essex
06:53Murdered Ashley Woodsworth contrary to common law
06:57I
07:07Actually did not want to stay in Vernon
07:14She wanted to be in a bigger city and
07:18Try new things Vernon would have been too small for her
07:23There isn't much to do after 6 p.m.
07:29And everybody knows everybody
07:47She was gonna go to England no matter what like she
07:53Always wanted to go to England
07:56She had asked when she was 16, but that was a definite no, but as soon as she turned 19 she took the chance I
08:07Immediately said no way and
08:11Well, I'm gonna go no matter what so you're either with me or against me so
08:17Said okay. I'm with you start save up your money and
08:21You go go have fun
08:28Oh, she was so excited to go to England this was the trip of a lifetime for her
08:44I'm going to England
08:47soon, I'm
08:50So fucking excited
08:52She was astonished like she was so excited like finally got to meet the man that she's been
09:01Like loving for years. I looked his name up just to see but I couldn't see anything
09:11And I said to him, you know Jack I said I'm sending you my baby so
09:16Please take care of her
09:19As she's I trusting you with her and he said yeah, I'll guard her with my life
09:24I'll keep her safe. I promise I said, okay
09:29Did you know I'd say I think that my home defense if you do not mention now something which you're there to rely on in
09:35Court anything you say maybe good
09:38You could just sign in this box here
09:41I
09:48Got in my car and
09:51took her to the airport and got her a ticket and did everything and
09:55Tried to get her to go outside and say goodbye again, but she just
09:59wanted to get to that airport and make sure she was in the right place and
10:05That's the last time I saw her a lot
10:11I
10:21Actually was declared deceased by the ambulance crew and your client was further arrested on suspicion of murder
10:27We wish to speak to your client in relation to the murder of Ashley
10:29I
10:40Plane I've got TV blanket pillow water
10:47space and
10:50It's huge
10:53The airport was the first time they ever met in real life
10:58Yeah, like without a screen
11:05Her first impression of Jack was amazing
11:17The meet-up went great and they were like this like
11:22You ready
11:34The next day I'm like, how was your first night like so what you got and she's like
11:39I fell asleep and he picked me up and carried me and put me to bed and
11:43Yeah, so I thought oh and she's like he's so kind and and we have such a good connection
11:49And we have such a good connection, it's yeah, so she was really happy
11:57Like I thought this is great like perfect it's going fantastic what could go wrong
12:19I
12:34Forensic officers remain at the scene in Tennyson Road today
12:38Essex police are continuing to investigate the events leading up to miss Wadsworth's death earlier this week
12:45So at the the scene itself as in the address in Tennyson Avenue that remained locked down with police officers guarding it
12:52Our crime scene investigators will go into that scene to secure evidence to identify whether jacksepticeye was responsible or not
13:04Did you kill Ashley no comment
13:14Oh
13:39She thought England was just beautiful
13:42I mean everything that from the cobblestone streets to the old buildings to the old pubs to an end
13:49London like she was amazed
13:53This was the dream she had
13:58They went on a few like little tourist trips with his mom
14:03The photos
14:06Were her smiling and happy and it seemed to be a great trip overall. I
14:16Think she was living their dreams. I mean she was happy. I'm sure
14:22I want to believe that she was enjoying herself during those times that she shared with everyone on social media
14:36I
14:40Think she was happy
14:43I
14:46Think she was living her dreams. I mean she was happy. I'm sure
14:52She was showing it off showing all the pictures of like where they went the few times that they did go
14:57But she posting post it making it look like it was like a lot better than it was
15:04Where things going good at that moment or
15:07Was it?
15:09Really, not that great
15:11Now knowing and looking back there had been signs, I believe
15:16He didn't take her out for dinner. He didn't buy her flowers. He didn't buy her anything
15:21He didn't do anything nice for her
15:26Her life kind of came boring stuck in the
15:30Flat that they lived in Jack wasn't working and I said like you guys just sit there all day
15:34I figured they'd be walking around Chelmsford and seeing the sites
15:39But apparently and that that wasn't exactly the case. I mean, I
15:45think they just stayed home and
15:48And I think it was just a control situation
16:02Over the Christmas period there had been a call
16:06I believe to the ambulance service that that Jack had
16:09Taken an overdose and he had gone to the local hospital with Ashley with paramedics
16:18He was in the hospital because he had taken a bunch of pills and had tried to
16:23kill himself and
16:24She actually from what I know saved him and called on the ambulance to come get him
16:31I feel like he was trying to get attention of some sort
16:34For her to try and get her more. I don't know into him
16:39I don't know. It's like a sick a sick game in his head
16:48You
16:58When he got out after New Year's things really started to change that's when he started to be more controlling
17:08What about social media accounts did she have any
17:12Social media accounts at all. No comment. Did she use Facebook? No comment. She's tick-tock
17:20No comment. She's Instagram
17:23No comment. He definitely knew the passwords to Ashley's accounts. We know that from some previous mission
17:29He was able to control and have access to her phone
17:41There
17:47Was one message I had received from her
17:52And
17:54After she had sent it and I've seen it
17:56She had unsent the message so that nobody could see it anymore
18:00Not even myself we'd get on FaceTime and she like like he's getting he's getting mad or something
18:06Like don't speak like that. This is a recording of Jack
18:09Losing his temper
18:39Well
18:44Ashley had
18:45phoned me on FaceTime and
18:50Jack had hit in her over the head with a glass cup. She was more of a private person
18:56She didn't want to tell my mom or my dad or make them worry
18:59I started hearing a little less of her and I kind of had a feeling that things weren't going as good
19:05But I didn't want to look intrusive
19:10With
19:14Every chat it just seemed
19:18Shorter
19:21Less smiles just slowly downhill with every phone call
19:28About a week later. They got another altercation
19:31Where she FaceTime me and he had started throwing objects at her while we were on FaceTime
19:38And
19:40Then that's when I kind of said like I'm gonna kind of let mom know like it's not going the greatest. I started
19:48thinking something wasn't right and I said brought it up to Ashley and
19:54She just kind of shut me down and said I'm fine
19:57I
20:07Think it fits a well-known and well-trodden pattern of
20:12An individual who has a need to control has a need to coerce
20:19Women in this case to do what he wants and then uses anger and violence
20:27I
20:34Was so awful I spent like two weeks begging her to come home
20:51This man was manipulating my sister
20:57I
21:14Was trying to get ready to go to hospital she came running around banging on the door
21:21She had no shoes on
21:23She had a cut on her hand and a bone was smashed to pieces
21:28and she said Jack's just beating me up and I said look we've got phone the police and
21:34She said no not for a minute. She said then he threw the kitten against the wall and I said we've got to phone the police
21:48And then all of a sudden I get a phone call
21:52From the neighbor Helen and I'm like, who is this Helen woman calling me and I answered it's Ashley
21:59He's like after after you hung up. He smashed my phone. He beat me up
22:03I'm like, I know I've seen Kate like come home. Like can you come home now?
22:07I'm like, please and she finally like started to decide like yeah
22:11I think I need to go home. Like I need to come home like ASAP
22:16I
22:20Said enough this is done Ashley you're coming home. Yes, mom
22:25grandma, but my grandma our grandma went and booked her flight instantly and
22:31The only thing that stopped her from getting on the plane as fast was that she needed to get a kovat test
22:37So after we booked the flight and everything he said he was gonna take her she was gonna get her kovat task
22:44So I'm like, okay, so I went back to sleep
22:50She calmed down after she spoke to Haley and and
22:56She went she said
22:58Because he wanted to talk to us. I don't know they were talking though. Shut them and she went back in
23:14You
23:29The last thing I got from her was at 3 30 a.m. Our time
23:34I
23:41Woke up morning our time right away. I started messaging
23:56I've called at this point. I've called I don't know 19 times. I've called Jack's phone
24:05Like something's off so I feel like I knew I knew something was wrong
24:18Haley couldn't get a hold of Jack on his phone because we knew she didn't have hers
24:23And I said, okay, so it's ringing
24:26And then not answering no no answer. No answer
24:35I went round I knocked on the door
24:38And there was no answer. So I knocked again
24:42while I was there and there was still no answer and I was ended up shouting through the letterbox and
24:51He said we're in bed and I should have just came back in and phone the police
24:57But because she didn't want me to I didn't
25:05I
25:09Had received a message at about 3 a.m. My time
25:26I need you to contact
25:28These sister missionaries, you know, they know
25:32They know stuff
25:35I
25:39Think she was just feeling really down in her relationship and she needed a lift up
25:43so she went started reaching out to the Mormon Church in
25:47Chelmsford she did meet with the sisters
25:52At least once while she was there and that's how they had known her my mom went on Facebook to see if
26:00She could find them the Mormon Church
26:03There to go and someone to go and knock on the door to make sure she's okay
26:09so we'd found Jamie and she's like, yes, I can go there and
26:14We said perfect no one was answering the door
26:20They heard muffling but no one was answering they called the police and then
26:26That's when it got real
26:40If it's a sister emergency
26:42Hi, we all of our friends have been texting us that she's been in a domestic that like they've had some abuse in her home
26:50Okay, it is happening now. Yeah. Yeah. What's your friend's name?
26:54What's your friend's name Ashley Wadsworth her age she's 19 19 years of age
27:04She's comedian
27:08You know, she's boyfriend's name
27:12Jack
27:17Have you heard things in the past about
27:20Ashley and Jack because this is like an ongoing is abusive relationship in general
27:25It seems like it's always been kind of a dodgy relationship
27:32We're on our way by the way
27:49I
27:51Know you're in there. I've just seen you
27:54You need to open the door. It's gonna come in
27:58Right open the door. You got five seconds. Otherwise we're kicking it in
28:01Yeah, no one's answering the door there's a male inside who we've seen again, who's refused to answer the door
28:08So I think you have to put it in just to check on the females
28:11Right, we're gonna kick the door in
28:32Right come out
28:35When those officers went through that door they would have immediately seen into the bedroom and Jack Seppel on the bed
28:42with Ashley laying next to him and and there was a
28:47Large quantity of blood in that bedroom. It was a it was a truly gruesome scene
28:53And
29:00A police car came in and I went Oh God, he's hurt her again
29:05He's hit her again. So I went round there and
29:10I'll put one foot of the threshold and they told me to go
29:15But by this time I'd already seen Jack in bed with Ashley
29:24I
29:29Jack Seppel was sat next to her throughout the bed
29:33When the officers went through the door, he wasn't using his phone. He was talking to his sister
29:38one of the officers as
29:40their colleague performed first aid and
29:43Asked Jack Seppel what happened and he said quite chillingly. I went psychotic. I'm sorry
29:51When the officer asked some clarification of what what they meant by that he said I strangled her and I stabbed him
30:02And then it took a long time to hear anything back
30:07And I started thinking. Oh gosh your mind. I think I knew I
30:13Didn't know at or about the time of this murder
30:17Jack Seppel updated his profile picture with a picture of him and Ashley with the term
30:24mine forever and
30:27The point when your partner is murdered next to you the thought of updating your Facebook profile is is obscene
30:37It was it was chaos it was just chaos and then I
30:43was standing outside and
30:46They brought Ashley out paramedics
31:00They put her on the lawn
31:08And they're trying to resuscitate her but and I remember screaming oh
31:15My god, he's fucking stabbed her. He's fucking killed her
31:21Honest to scream that loud because half neighbors came out
31:44Yeah
31:51The tragic and sad truth is that the injuries that Jack Seppel caused to Ashley was worth is that she was
32:00Unsurvivable and she would have died a number of hours before police had arrived at the address
32:14And then the neighbor Helen had called Haley's phone said oh
32:19my god, she's been stabbed I
32:23Think she's dead. I
32:25Said what did he do? What did he do to her? And she said he stabbed her to death
32:30I said what and then my mom got the phone call and
32:34She was gone
32:36But I still didn't want to believe it
32:39And then the police called me
32:42She said I believe we have your daughter and I'm sorry to tell you but
32:47Your daughter's deceased and we have the perpetrator in custody. I
32:52Said Jack she said yes, we've just arrested him
32:58And I dropped to my knees and I scream I did I don't remember anything after that
33:11I
33:41Don't know
33:45Did you even say to PC Mills I struggled there and stopped or is he just made it up no comment he was interviewed
33:53three times
33:55Under caution at the police station by detectives with his solicitor president and throughout those
34:01Interviews as three interviews on the 2nd of February. He answered no comment to all questions
34:06He was asked and remained emotionless throughout that process as well
34:10When you told officers you were sorry, I
34:13Would suggest that was admission to you killing Ashley. Did you kill Ashley?
34:18No comment. We were missing a murder weapon. We knew Jack sepul was in the house
34:23We didn't know whether he'd been in and out the house and we didn't know where the murder weapon was
34:29Where's the knife you used no comment. You use more than one weapon
34:34No comment and jacksepticeye wasn't telling us so we had specialist search officers police officers who go in and do a search of that address and
34:43They did find the murder weapon and it was behind the radiator in the bedroom
34:48Blood stained with Ashley's blood later found out the DNA of jacksepticeye on the other end of the handle
34:55PC Mills then asked you what have you done with it?
34:58And
35:01You replied I
35:03Strangled her and stopped her
35:06Tell me why you told PC Mills like no comment
35:09there are a number of
35:11defenses to murder that can bring that offense down to manslaughter, which is
35:16Still a very serious, but lesser charge and they would include
35:20insanity
35:21So PC Mills says
35:24What have you done?
35:26He replied I went psychotic. I'm sorry
35:36It was identified very early on an investigation that jacksepticeye
35:40Absolutely was suffering with a level of mental health issues
35:46That will require experts and in this case there were experts that that worked with jacksepticeye to understand
35:52How much his mental health affected his actions on that day?
35:57I
35:59Think all of us
36:01were fearing of the outcome because of his mental health that maybe
36:07They would use that and he wouldn't maybe to get off but get off easy lighter
36:12You know, they could say well, he's only 23 and if he gets on the proper medication
36:21Like he's not
36:22As crazy as he was trying to portray and I think he was trying to do that so that he would get a lighter sentence
36:28and
36:30Hopefully not go to prison for a long time is what he was thinking
36:38The experts that were employed came to the decision that jacksepticeye
36:43Yes
36:44Suffered with issues in mental health that they were not to the level that made him insane or diminished his
36:51Responsibility to understand what he did in that day
36:56It was here at Chelmsford Crown Court this morning that jacksepticeye admitted murdering his teenage girlfriend Ashley Wadsworth
37:04After a psychiatrist found him fit to enter a plea to the single charge of murder. He told the judge
37:11I'm guilty
37:13Today's plea was unexpected Ashley's family had been preparing to travel to Essex for a trial which had been set for November the 8th
37:21He's now been remanded into custody and he'll be sentenced on October the 10th
37:35We are heading to say goodbye to Ashley before I go to get justice for her
37:43Hey, baby
37:47Mama's here. I'll be buried with her
37:52So she's 12 down 12 12 feet and then I'll be six on top
37:59It's gonna be the longest. I haven't been here
38:03Bye for 10 days
38:05So important I go and do this. It's gonna be the hardest thing. It's the most important thing for Ashley
38:12I'm gonna have to see him. It's gonna be difficult
38:18Mama loves you
38:22You
38:39He needs to see our faces I just want to see him do a lot of time
38:49Today
38:51Be reading my victim impact statement for the sentencing of my daughter's murderer
39:05I'm making this statement in relation to the impact that the murder of my daughter Ashley Wadsworth has had on me and my family
39:13I
39:17She is my youngest of my two daughters one two three
39:27Her sense of adventure and love for life was an amazement to us all
39:31As she was fiercely loyal always protecting her sister niece and myself. She was truly the backbone of our little family
39:44As she's passion and love for Jack would ultimately cost her her life
39:51My last memory of Ashley will always be her funeral and holding her cold hands
39:56But this is no Sleeping Beauty story as Ashley's never waking up again
40:05As she was ripped away from us in the most cruel way and this is a nightmare that thanks to you Jack
40:10We will never wake up from
40:26You
40:38The court was told today Jack Sepple has a long history of violent and controlling behavior against women dating back to
40:48Jack Sepple was known to Essex police his offending began in
40:532014 and there was an escalation of that over the years. It started with the use of social media to harass
41:01someone else in another part of the UK and and that offending continued over a number of years that when
41:08Jack Sepple didn't get what he wanted then he had the capability to become
41:13violent
41:15You know in a social media way with threats with harassment and it's control. It doesn't matter whether it's physical violence
41:22There's still control
41:25Well, Jack Sepple will serve 23 and a half years behind bars as a minimum but tonight
41:32Jack Sepple admitted murdering 19 year old Ashley Wadsworth
41:36Instead of sharing a life together. He will serve a life sentence alone
41:40We can hopefully save someone else from going through this terrible
41:45And keep them off the street
41:47Keep other girls safe
41:53You
42:03It's been devastating I'm not the same person I once was
42:11There's always a hole there's always an emptiness and there always will be
42:19She just wanted love and
42:21He took it from her
42:24He offered her love and gave her death
42:32You think after someone's talking to someone on social media for eight years
42:38You'd think you'd know them, but clearly it just shows you you never know someone until you meet them in person
42:52It's
42:55Such a tragic element this case that we didn't know
42:58Anything that was going on between Ashley and Jack my message to anyone would be tell us
43:03The legacy of Ashley's death is Essex police have moved towards a new
43:10Matrix to identify the highest harm offenders to make sure that the likes of a Jack Sepple are
43:16Identified as people who may commit harm in the future
43:21If as a result of this tragic death
43:23We're able to prevent crime towards women to have caused other victims of domestic abuse and vulnerable people
43:30Then in a small way, there's some level of success
43:36It's exactly what Ashley would have wanted to help you that's who she was
43:41To save someone else if they hear this story
43:44And to save another family
43:46another
43:47young girl or boy
43:49Save them from these signs that start to reach out for help before it's too late
43:59She lived her life to the fullest like every second mattered
44:13She's seen the world so freely like
44:16She just wanted to do everything make memories go on adventures
44:28It really makes me happy to hear her voice
44:37She was a very free spirit, it's a video
44:40It's a video funny she's loved life
45:10You