WHEN RICKIELEE BENECKE FIRST MET POLICEMAN JEFF PELO,
SHE THOUGHT SHE HAD FOUND HER LIFELONG PROTECTOR.
MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS,
"MY GOSH. HE IS SO HOT."
A LOT OF MY FRIENDS
SAID THAT MY PARENTS HAD, LIKE, THE "PERFECT" MARRIAGE.
THEY WERE VERY MUCH IN LOVE.
BUT THE POLICE MOTTO "TO PROTECT AND SERVE"
WASN'T EXACTLY WHAT RICKIELEE'S HUSBAND HAD IN MIND.
HE BETRAYED EVERYBODY HERE.
HE BETRAYED THIS WHOLE COMMUNITY.
AND WHEN HE CROSSED THE THIN BLUE LINE,
RICKIELEE HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO BELIEVE.
THEY'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN.
WHO AM I GONNA BELIEVE?
NONE OF IT MADE SENSE.
WHEN IT COMES TO LOVE AND MARRIAGE,
THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS AS THEY SEEM.
GROWING UP IN RURAL ILLINOIS,
RICKIELEE BENECKE WAS RAISED
TO ALWAYS STAND BY THE PEOPLE SHE LOVES.
I ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT I WAS A VERY FAITHFUL PERSON,
NEVER SAW THE BAD IN PEOPLE.
I ALWAYS TRIED TO FIND THE GOOD.
IN THE SUMMER OF 1987, WHEN SHE WAS JUST 17,
RICKIELEE SAW PLENTY OF GOOD IN 22-YEAR-OLD JEFF PELO.
HE WAS IN THE SERVICE IN THE NAVY.
HE HAD A GREAT SMILE.
IT JUST LIT UP HIS WHOLE FACE.
WE STARTED GOING OUT TO MOVIES AND DINNER
AND REALIZED...
WE JUST COULDN'T BE APART.
A FEW MONTHS LATER, JEFF GOT OUT OF THE NAVY,
AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP BEGAN TO TAKE OFF.
WITHIN A YEAR, THEY WERE MARRIED IN A SIMPLE CHURCH CEREMONY.
IT WAS A CHURCH THAT I WENT TO GROWING UP.
WE HAD WANTED TO HAVE A NICE, PERFECT LITTLE WEDDING,
BUT MY DAD HAD SOME SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS AT THE TIME,
SO IT WAS JUST FIVE PEOPLE THERE, BUT WE WERE BOTH HAPPY.
I TRUSTED JEFF IMPLICITLY.
THEY WERE A TOTAL COUPLE.
I MEAN, IT SEEMED LIKE THEY'D BE TOGETHER FOREVER.
MONEY WAS TIGHT FOR THE NEWLYWEDS
UNTIL JUNE OF 1989,
WHEN JEFF FOUND A NEW WAY TO SERVE HIS COUNTRY...
BY JOINING THE POLICE FORCE IN BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.
HE ALWAYS KNEW
HE WANTED TO GET INTO LAW ENFORCEMENT,
AND I ALWAYS LIKED THAT HE HAD A PLAN.
HE SET OUT TO MAKE THE STREETS A SAFER PLACE.
THE WORK WAS HARD, AND THE HOURS WERE LONG,
BUT SIX YEARS AND THREE CHILDREN LATER,
JEFF AND RICKIELEE STILL MANAGED TO KEEP THE SPARK ALIVE.
WE WOULD HAVE THREE NIGHTS A MONTH
WHERE IT WOULD BE JUST THE TWO OF US.
I'D PLAN A NIGHT. HE'D PLAN A NIGHT.
HE'D BRING ME FLOWERS... THAT SORT OF THING.
IT WAS A GREAT CHILDHOOD.
HE'D ALWAYS SPEND TIME WITH US.
WE ALWAYS THRIVED ON OUR DADDY TIME.
BUT IT WASN'T ALWAYS EASY.
AS JEFF CLIMBED THE LADDER AT WORK,
THE NIGHT SHIFTS AND EMERGENCY CALLS
BECAME MORE FREQUENT.
THE UNUSUAL HOURS BEGAN TO TAKE A TOLL.
HE WANTED TO WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK AS MUCH AS HE COULD.
BUT IT WAS JUST HARD, AS A POLICE WIFE,
TO GET USED TO FEELING
LIKE THE JOB WAS MORE IMPORTANT SOMETIMES.
BUT THE EFFORT PAID OFF
WHEN JEFF WAS HONORED BY A LOCAL ORGANIZATION
AS POLICEMAN OF THE YEAR.
IN THE SUMMER OF 2000, JEFF WAS PROMOTED TO SERGEANT,
AND RICKIELEE WAS THRILLED.
I THREW A PROMOTION PARTY FOR HIM...
HAD CAKE, GIFTS.
I HAD A LITTLE COFFEE MUG
ENGRAVED WITH "SERGEANT PELO" ON IT FOR HIM.
I WAS SO PROUD OF HIM.
HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY!
THE FUTURE LOOKED BRIGHT FOR THE PELO FAMILY.
BUT SIX YEARS LATER,
ALL OF THAT PROMISE WOULD SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR.
ON THE AFTERNOON OF JUNE 10, 2006,
RICKIELEE AND THE KIDS WERE DRIVING HOME FROM THE MOVIES.
JEFF WAS AT THE STATION AND HAD JUST TAKEN AN EXAM
FOR ANOTHER BIG PROMOTION.
WE TURNED DOWN THE ROAD OUR HOUSE WAS ON,
AND I NOTICED A COUPLE OF VEHICLES THERE.
I RECOGNIZED THEM AS BEING POLICE VEHICLES,
BUT NOT MARKED.
MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS,
"JEFF HAD A BUNCH OF PEOPLE OVER AFTER THE TEST
"TO RELAX AND UNWIND FROM THE TEST.
OKAY."
BUT THE POLICE WEREN'T THERE FOR A PARTY.
I HAD SEEN THE ASSISTANT CHIEF OF POLICE.
I WAS LIKE, "THERE'S NO WAY HE'D BE HERE AFTER A TEST
FOR ANY TYPE OF GATHERING."
MY HEART JUST, LIKE, DROPPED,
BECAUSE YOU'RE TAUGHT YOUR ENTIRE LIFE,
"IF YOU EVER SEE ANOTHER COP AT YOUR HOUSE,
YOUR DAD'S PROBABLY DEAD."
I GOT OUT, WENT UP STRAIGHT TO THE ASSISTANT CHIEF.
HE GOES, "I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, BUT JEFF'S OKAY."
SO I WAS LIKE, "OH." HUGE RELIEF.
"ALL RIGHT. WHY ARE YOU HERE?"
THE POLICEMAN OF THE YEAR
WAS ABOUT TO BE STRIPPED OF HIS TITLE, HIS BADGE,
AND ULTIMATELY HIS FREEDOM.
IT'S THE STUFF THAT YOU SEE IN HOLLYWOOD.
I MEAN, YOU DON'T SEE THIS EVERY DAY.
I WAS ASTOUNDED.
I WAS... "ARE YOU KIDDING? THIS IS A JOKE, RIGHT?"
IN THE FALL OF 2002,
FOUR YEARS BEFORE RICKIELEE PELO ARRIVED HOME
TO A HOUSE FULL OF POLICEMEN,
HER HUSBAND, JEFF, WAS HARD AT WORK,
TRYING TO ADVANCE HIS POLICE CAREER.
JEFF'S JUST NOT A LAID-BACK TYPE OF PERSON
WHEN IT COMES TO WORK.
WHEN HE WORKS, HE PUTS EVERYTHING INTO IT.
I WORKED WITH HIM ALMOST AS CLOSELY AS A PARTNER.
HE SEEMED TO BE A GOOD FRIEND TO PEOPLE.
HE WOULD GO OUT OF HIS WAY TO HELP THEM.
BUT AT HOME, THE PELOS' ONCE-SOLID MARRIAGE
WAS ON SHAKY GROUND.
JEFF'S CAREER, ALWAYS A SOURCE OF PRIDE,
WAS NOW PULLING THEM APART.
I REALLY STARTED GETTING VERY FRUSTRATED WITH THE JOB,
WITH THE AMOUNT OF HOURS HE WAS PUTTING IN,
NEVER BEING ABLE TO SEE HIM.
I DON'T THINK THAT HE REALLY KNEW WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE.
AS THE STRESS BUILT,
JEFF STARTED TO TAKE IT OUT ON RICKIELEE.
WHAT'S THIS?!
HE WOULD COME HOME FROM WORK...
"WHEN'S THE LAST TIME THIS HOUSE HAS BEEN CLEANED?
THIS HOUSE IS A MESS!"
AT TIMES, HE COULD EVEN BE CRUEL,
MAKING FUN OF A HEARING DEFECT SHE WAS BORN WITH.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?
I WAS AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS,
YELLING FOR YOU FOR THE LAST 10 MINUTES!
HE WOULD GET FRUSTRATED ABOUT HER HEARING.
AND IT WAS LIKE, "YOU'RE STUPID BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HEAR ME."
AND I WOULD GET SO ANGRY.
I SAID, "JEFF, YOU KNEW ABOUT HER HEARING
WHEN YOU MARRIED HER."
SOMETIMES I FELT LIKE I WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH
OR THAT I DIDN'T DO THINGS WELL ENOUGH.
BY THE SPRING OF 2004, LIFE AT HOME SEEMED TO IMPROVE
WHEN JEFF GAVE UP THE GRAVEYARD SHIFTS FOR GOOD.
BUT HE WAS STILL OUT AT ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT,
AND HIS FAMILY DIDN'T ALWAYS KNOW WHY.
HE LIKED TO GO ON WALKS AT NIGHT.
IT SEEMS LIKE CRAZY HOURS, AT LIKE 1:30 IN THE MORNING.
JEFF WOULD TELL ME
THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF TIMES HE JUST COULDN'T SLEEP,
SO HE WOULD GET UP AND USE THE COMPUTER,
TAKE THE DOG FOR A WALK... WHATEVER...
AS A WAY OF TRYING TO RELAX.
WHILE JEFF WAS RELEASING HIS TENSION FROM THE DAY,
BLOOMINGTON POLICE HAD GOOD REASON FOR STRESS AT NIGHT.
A TROUBLING NEW CASE WAS KEEPING THEM ON EDGE.
A SERIAL RAPIST WAS ON THE LOOSE,
THE FIRST IN THE TOWN'S HISTORY.
IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, THERE HAD BEEN FOUR ATTACKS,
AND THE DETAILS WERE USUALLY THE SAME.
WHEN THE SUSPECT WAS COMMITTING THIS ASSAULT,
HE WAS EITHER WEARING A SKI MASK OR A SCARF OVER HIS FACE.
HE WOULD USE DUCT TAPE TO BIND THEIR WRISTS.
AND IT SEEMED THAT THE RAPIST
KNEW HOW TO COVER HIS TRACKS.
IT WAS VERY FRUSTRATING
BECAUSE WE HAD VERY LITTLE EVIDENCE.
THE SUSPECT IS TAKING THINGS WITH HIM.
HE'S MAKING THE VICTIMS BATHE.
HE'S DOING ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING HE CAN
TO PREVENT LEAVING ANYTHING LIKE DNA BEHIND.
INVESTIGATORS HAD NO SOLID LEADS
AND NO IDEA WHEN THE ATTACKER WOULD STRIKE AGAIN.
MEANWHILE, RICKIELEE STARTED TO SPECULATE
ABOUT WHY HER HUSBAND WAS REALLY LEAVING THE HOUSE AT NIGHT.
SOME SIGNS SEEMED TO POINT TO ANOTHER WOMAN.
THERE WERE TIMES WHERE I JUST HAD SUSPICIONS, YOU KNOW?
I JUST HAD THOUGHTS THAT, YOU KNOW, "HE'S HAVING AN AFFAIR."
FINALLY, RICKIELEE DECIDED TO VOICE HER SUSPICIONS.
I ACTUALLY CONFRONTED JEFF ABOUT IT.
HE COMPLETELY DENIED IT.
HE WAS ANGRY.
"HOW COULD YOU THINK I WAS DOING THAT?"
I HAVE BEEN WORKING.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD EVEN THINK THAT."
AN AFFAIR WOULD HAVE BEEN DEVASTATING,
BUT THE REAL REASON BEHIND JEFF'S LATE-NIGHT FORAYS
WOULD BE FAR WORSE.
I WASN'T PROWLING AROUND ANYONE'S WINDOWS.
I WASN'T PROWLING AROUND AT ALL.
IN JUNE 2006,
JEFF PELO WAS UP FOR A PROMOTION FROM SERGEANT TO LIEUTENANT
IN THE BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS, P.D.
BUT FIRST, HE HAD TO PASS A BIG EXAM.
ON THE NIGHT BEFORE THE TEST,
RICKIELEE URGED JEFF TO GET SOME REST.
I GOT IN BED AND STARTED READING.
HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO TAKE A SHOWER,
JOKED AROUND ABOUT SOME STRESS RELIEF.
TOLD ME, "DON'T FALL ASLEEP."
WELL, I FELL ASLEEP BEFORE HE GOT OUT OF THE SHOWER.
AND I REMEMBER WAKING UP VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING,
AND HE WAS LAYING IN BED NEXT TO ME, ASLEEP.
MEANWHILE, THAT SAME NIGHT,
THE BLOOMINGTON POLICE WERE ABOUT TO GET
AN UNEXPECTED BREAK IN THEIR SERIAL RAPE CASE.
SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT,
A 911 CALL CAME IN FROM THE EDGE OF TOWN.
ON THE NIGHT OF JUNE 10, 2006,
AN OFFICER GETS A CALL OF A SUSPICIOUS PERSON
KNOCKING ON THE DOOR,
AND THE VICTIM WOULD GO TO THE DOOR,
AND THERE WOULD BE NOBODY THERE.
WHEN THE OFFICER ARRIVES,
HE SEES A FIGURE WITH HIS BACK PRESSED UP AGAINST THE HOUSE,
JUST TRYING TO BE AS STILL AS HE POSSIBLY CAN.
HE CALLS OUT TO THE PERSON... "HEY, YOU, COME HERE.
POLICE. I NEED TO TALK TO YOU."
I CAN SEE YOU THERE.
AND THE PERSON TURNED AROUND AND WALKED AWAY.
AS HE'S WALKING AWAY,
HE'S STUFFING SOMETHING IN THE FRONT OF HIS PANTS.
SO THE OFFICER DREW HIS GUN AND SAID, "STOP... POLICE."
STAY RIGHT THERE.
BUT WHEN THE OFFICER SAW THE MAN'S FACE,
HE COULDN'T BELIEVE WHO IT WAS.
EVENTUALLY, THE SUSPECT TURNED AROUND,
AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT'S, "WAIT A MINUTE.
THIS IS MY SERGEANT."
LATER THAT DAY, AROUND 3:00 P.M.,
RICKIELEE WAS RETURNING HOME FROM THE MOVIES WITH THE KIDS.
AS SOON AS THEY REACHED THE DRIVEWAY,
SHE REALIZED THAT SOMETHING WAS TERRIBLY WRONG.
MY DAUGHTER STARTS TO PULL IN,
AND I TOLD HER TO STOP BECAUSE I HAD SEEN
THE ASSISTANT CHIEF OF POLICE.
I TOLD THE KIDS TO STAY IN THE CAR.
I GOT OUT, WENT UP STRAIGHT TO THE ASSISTANT CHIEF.
HE GOES, "I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, BUT JEFF'S OKAY."
SO I WAS LIKE, "ALL RIGHT. WHY ARE YOU HERE?"
HE SAID, "WELL, HE HAS BEEN ARRESTED,
AND WE DO HAVE A SEARCH WARRANT FOR YOUR HOUSE."
THE CHIEF EXPLAINED THAT JEFF HAD BEEN CAUGHT
ATTEMPTING TO BREAK INTO A WOMAN'S HOUSE
JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT.
HE WAS BRIEFLY DETAINED AND THEN LET GO.
TO ME, THAT MADE NO SENSE
BECAUSE I NEVER NOTICED HIM GONE LAST NIGHT.
WHEN I WENT TO BED, HE WAS IN THE SHOWER.
I WOKE UP. HE WAS IN BED NEXT TO ME.
"YOU'RE LYING."
BUT LATER THAT MORNING, AFTER JEFF TOOK HIS TEST,
OFFICERS ARRESTED HIM FOR STALKING AND ATTEMPTED BURGLARY.
I STARTED YELLING AT THE ASSISTANT CHIEF
AND YELLING AT ALL THE OTHER OFFICERS THERE
AND REALLY MAKING A SCENE,
BECAUSE IT WAS JUST BEYOND BELIEF.
BUT RICKIELEE WOULD SOON LEARN
THAT THE BURGLARY ARREST WAS ONLY THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG.
THE POLICE WERE SURE THEY HAD CAUGHT THEIR SERIAL RAPIST.
WAY BACK IN 2003, WE FOUND RECORDS
THAT OUR SECOND VICTIM HAD HAD HER LICENSE PLATE RUN
AT A CERTAIN TIME AND PLACE THAT JUST DIDN'T MAKE SENSE.
WELL, THE LICENSE PLATE HAD BEEN RUN AT THAT TIME
BY AN IN-CAR COMPUTER
THAT WAS LOGGED IN UNDER JEFF PELO'S LOG-IN.
THREE YEARS LATER, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
JEFF PELO IS FOUND OUTSIDE A WOMAN'S HOUSE
AT 1:00 IN THE MORNING, TRYING TO BREAK IN.
CONVINCED OF A LINK,
DETECTIVES PULL JEFF IN FOR QUESTIONING
RIGHT AFTER HIS EXAM.
DURING THE INTERROGATION, JEFF'S BEHAVIOR WAS BIZARRE.
TO ME, THAT EXCUSE OF
"OUT LOOKING FOR A HOUSE FOR MY MOTHER-IN-LAW"
JUST HAD A LOT OF HOLES.
IT JUST DIDN'T MAKE SENSE.
I MEAN, ANY POLICE OFFICER KNOWS THAT YOU DON'T GO UP
ONTO SOMEBODY'S PRIVATE PROPERTY AT THAT TIME OF THE MORNING.
LATER ON, WHEN INVESTIGATORS
PUT JEFF IN A LINEUP, THINGS ONLY GOT WORSE FOR HIM.
HIS STRIKING BLUE EYES AND DISTINCTIVE VOICE
WOULD BECOME THE KEY TO PUTTING HIM AWAY.
THE MAIN PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
THAT ALL OF THE VICTIMS DESCRIBED WAS HIS EYES...
HOW DISTINCTIVE HIS EYES WERE,
THOSE BRIGHT, PIERCING BLUE EYES.
THE ONE I'LL NEVER FORGET
IS WHEN WE PLAYED THE VOICE FOR OUR THIRD VICTIM.
SHE LITERALLY CURLED UP INTO A FETAL POSITION,
PULLED INTO THE WALL AS SOON AS SHE HEARD HIS VOICE,
AND SAID, "THAT'S IT. THAT'S HIM."
AS THE CASE BUILT AROUND JEFF PELO,
ONE PERSON STILL COULDN'T BELIEVE
HE WAS CAPABLE OF SUCH TERRIBLE CRIMES.
I KNOW, WITHOUT ANY DOUBT IN MY HEART,
THAT MY HUSBAND IS COMPLETELY INNOCENT OF ALL THESE CHARGES.
RICKIELEE STOOD BY HER HUSBAND,
DENYING THE CHARGES TO ANYONE WHO ASKED.
BUT POLICE HAD SEARCHED HER HOME AND FOUND SOMETHING SO DAMNING
THAT IT WOULD SHAKE EVEN RICKIELEE'S FAITH IN JEFF.
JEFF SAYS HE'S INNOCENT.
I'VE ALWAYS STOOD BY HIM.
IT WAS DRIVING ME INSANE.
EVERYTHING FELL RIGHT IN LINE.
ALL THE PIECES TO THE JIGSAW PUZZLE FELL TOGETHER.
IN THE SUMMER OF 2006,
POLICE SERGEANT JEFF PELO STOOD ACCUSED
OF FOUR SHOCKING RAPES.
BUT HIS WIFE, RICKIELEE,
WAS DETERMINED TO STAND BY HER MAN.
I SAID, "WE'RE GONNA FIGHT THIS.
"THEY CANNOT PROVE THAT HE'S GUILTY.
"JEFF SAYS HE'S INNOCENT.
WE'LL GET THROUGH A TRIAL AND BE FINE."
BUT WHEN POLICE EXAMINE THE DUCT TAPE
USED TO BIND THE VICTIMS,
THEY FOUND THE EVIDENCE THEY NEEDED TO MAKE THEIR CASE.
A SCIENTIST AT THE FBI LAB
FOUND FIBERS ALONG THE EDGE OF THE DUCT TAPE,
AND HE WAS ABLE TO MATCH THOSE FIBERS TO TWO SEPARATE
ARTICLES OF CLOTHING THAT WE FOUND IN JEFF PELO'S HOUSE.
ONE WAS A NYLON JACKET THAT ZIPPERED UP,
AND THEN ALSO A SKI MASK.
THAT JACKET AND THAT SKI MASK
LOOK EXACTLY LIKE WHAT THE VICTIM DESCRIBED THEM AS.
THEN, ON JEFF'S HARD DRIVE,
INVESTIGATORS MADE A SHOCKING DISCOVERY
THAT CONVINCED THEM THEY HAD THEIR MAN.
WE WERE ABLE TO FIND PORNOGRAPHY ON HIS COMPUTER.
IT WASN'T JUST RUN-OF-THE-MILL PORN.
IT WAS SEARCHES FOR BRUTAL RAPE.
THERE WERE IMAGES OF UNIFORMED PEOPLE COMMITTING RAPES.
EVERYTHING FELL RIGHT IN LINE.
ALL THE PIECES TO THE JIGSAW PUZZLE FELL TOGETHER.
DETECTIVES LEARNED THAT JEFF'S ATTACKS
HAD FOLLOWED THE SAME PATTERN.
HE STALKED HIS VICTIMS FOR MONTHS,
USING POLICE RESOURCES TO ACCESS PERSONAL INFORMATION.
THEN HE WAITED UNTIL THE WOMEN WERE HOME ALONE AT NIGHT
AND BROKE IN.
THE ATTACKS LASTED FOR HOURS.
AND WHEN JEFF WAS FINALLY FINISHED,
HE CAREFULLY TOOK THE EVIDENCE WITH HIM.
CAN'T EXPLAIN TO ANYBODY WHAT IT'S LIKE
TO SIT IN ONE OF THOSE SMALL INTERVIEW ROOMS WITH THE VICTIM
AND GO OVER FOUR HOURS OF THEIR LIFE
WHEN HE WAS DOING THESE THINGS TO THEM.
STILL, RICKIELEE'S FAITH IN HER HUSBAND
WAS UNSHAKABLE.
WITHOUT ANY DNA EVIDENCE, SHE CLUNG TO THE HOPE
THAT INVESTIGATORS HAD GOTTEN IT ALL WRONG.
AS FAR AS THE SKI MASK
AND THE GLOVES AND THE COAT... WE HAD A HOUSE FULL OF KIDS.
EVERY HOUSE, I'M SURE, YOU CAN GO FIND THE SAME EXACT ITEMS IN.
JEFF WAS THE MOST SWEETEST, LOVING PERSON.
HE NEVER LAID A HAND ON THE KIDS OR I
IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.
IT'S LIKE, "THIS IS JUST A BAD DREAM."
ON MAY 12, 2008, JEFF'S TRIAL BEGAN,
AND RICKIELEE SACRIFICED EVERYTHING SHE HAD
TO DEFEND HIM.
WE HAD NOTHING.
MY RETIREMENT WAS GONE.
OUR SAVINGS... GONE.
CREDIT CARDS... ALL MAXED OUT.
SOLD THE HOUSE, ALL FOR LAWYERS.
BUT IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO SET JEFF FREE.
A MONTH LATER, A JURY FOUND THE FORMER POLICEMAN OF THE YEAR
GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES.
THE JURY CAME BACK AND STARTED SAYING "GUILTY."
I JUST COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.
IT FELT LIKE...
I FELT LIKE I DIED, LIKE THAT WAS THE END OF MY LIFE.
DESPITE A LETTER FROM RICKIELEE
APPEALING FOR LENIENCY,
THE JUDGE THREW THE BOOK AT SERGEANT JEFF PELO.
HE WAS SENTENCED TO 440 YEARS IN PRISON.
THE COMMUNITY LOOKS TOWARDS THEIR POLICE OFFICERS
TO HELP PROTECT THEM.
AND, YOU KNOW, HE PUT EVERYBODY HERE IN A BAD LIGHT.
WITHOUT A DOUBT, HE BETRAYED EVERYBODY HERE.
HE BETRAYED THIS WHOLE COMMUNITY.
I WAS JUST AN EMOTIONAL WRECK.
BECAUSE THIS NICE, PERFECT, LITTLE WONDERFUL FAMILY AND LIFE
THAT WE HAD ALL HAD WAS NOW COMPLETELY SHATTERED.
AND I JUST COULD NOT MAKE ANY SENSE OUT OF ANYTHING.
TODAY RICKIELEE HAS A NEW APARTMENT,
A NEW JOB, AND A NEW OUTLOOK ON LIFE.
I'VE MADE A LOT OF CHANGES IN MY LIFE.
AND, REALLY, I'M HAPPY.
I'M... AT PEACE, IF NOTHING ELSE.
AFTER YEARS OF QUESTIONING,
RICKIELEE HAS FINALLY ADMITTED THAT JEFF MAY NOT BE INNOCENT,
BUT SHE'S STILL NOT ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT HE'S GUILTY.
I GAVE UP ON TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT.
IT WAS DRIVING ME INSANE.
JEFF SAYS HE'S INNOCENT.
I'VE ALWAYS STOOD BY HIM.
I WANT TO BELIEVE THAT,
BUT NOW I'VE STOPPED TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT,
AND I AM JUST DOING WHAT I CAN FOR ME TO SURVIVE AND GO ON.
I LOVE HIM.
THERE'S NOT A DAY THAT GOES BY THAT I DON'T THINK ABOUT HIM.
BUT I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH.
IF THIS REALLY DID HAPPEN, COME OUT AND SAY EVERYTHING.
COME CLEAN.
I JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO KNOW SOMETHING.
ALTHOUGH RICKIELEE AND JEFF REMAIN LEGALLY MARRIED,
SHE CONSIDERS THEIR UNION OVER.
WHILE I'M SAD ON ONE HAND
BECAUSE I ALWAYS DREAMED THAT MARRIAGE IS FOREVER,
I ALSO KNOW THAT, WHILE I LOVE JEFF...
I ALWAYS HAVE, I ALWAYS WILL...
BUT WE DON'T HAVE A MARRIAGE.