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A Death in Payson Canyon - Encore

2019-10-27

A teen’s death appeared to be a suicide -- but investigators say she was helped by a friend who recorded it and weeks earlier texted “it's like getting away with murder.” CBS News correspondent David Begnaud reports.

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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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warning by turkey hunter he's going. Through the trees trying to find game simply said I've found young woman hanging from a tree I mean there were: there was no present. can you read, it says name's sounder brown. I hated my life goodbye world watch the video on my phone, I see this is the phone that contained the actual video in question. The phone was dead at the time he picked it up. Yeah wouldn't charge, wouldn't turn on the.
Gender is my world. She was my golden gender died. My heart shattered I don't even know she had any like depression it's or anything like that, couldn't believe that she wasn't there with us. She just never won, and the message and rwanda to any of us to be sad, so she'd make every wednesday, including hers in looking at the scene. There was no vehicle there. I'm trying to figure out how this person got here and I note an individual walking towards our location, that's wearing a bright orange shirt, Introduces himself to me, has tyrell provision, and he tells
because I think you want to talk to me. I need to tell you the whole story. He's very emotional he's crying is stupid kid who made a very big mistake. This goes far beyond making bad mistakes. This was criminal. Behavior he's brand about it. He called other people. All yeah recorded her hanging there for ten minutes. Tyrell had been planning this Wanted this to happen. In his mind, I don't think that he was committing murder. He was helping her do what she wanted to do. A cottage He clouded her emotions. He made her feel nothing but alone. There is no doubt in my mind. The chandra does not die.
May fifth, twenty seventeen if she had never met tyrant
The the the with six feet of snow on the ground. Getting up to maple naked march calls for some pretty unique trade. rotation. Fortunately,
Utah county sheriff's office is well equipped and they agreed to take us there. has been more than two years since sergeant quinn, factual and sergeant Josh chapel were called up to pace and can about twenty miles south of provo We cover the areas that people go to get away from people, those are our areas, its appeal Hello location with snowmobiles and back country scares and the winner and hikers, and turn in the warmer months. Unfortunately, this remote area attracts people for other reasons as well. We get a lot of people from like to go to the mountains or to the areas outside the city and cause harm to themselves. So we a fair amount of suicides that we investigate One of those investigations
the suicide of sixteen year old, chandra brown, which occurred on may fifth, two thousand. Seventy- who's. Gonna company, where you can see here in gender stereotypes sue, Brian relishes, the visits that she has with her son, Dustin and her grandchildren, but missing from this table, and this family is sues. Daughter gender tell me about the blue color near her, It's an honor of my daughter, cause she loved having her vibrant blue hair, which matched her super vibrant and lovely personality or nickname. When she's little was jellybean jelly means. Did you call her jollier gender? I caught her, both as a young girl, growing up in twin falls, idaho, soon
his Chandra always seemed to be one of the happiest kids in the room. If you met january- and you just fell in love with her and sleep, how cute she was very active and adventurous, and she wanted to try and do think, so she would do the water signs, which was invaluable. We weren't picnicking dancing. She loves skiing tubing. She was a cheerleader when so many award. She was so good into Sixteen gender is mother had stepped father, moved her for my to hope to spanish fork. You talk, they wanted to be closer to generous brother Dustin and his family how'd you get along with kids great, I mean they adored her and roger and risk will. Oh just super excited with them. to a new town came anew. School and, of course, new friends,
Grace enjoy usually called ourselves is the three musketeers, though they didn't gender very long, hannibal, grace, jackson and Ashton wall say they were key to have known or at all. She I to mean a lot of ways of other people. Didn't she got you she? She got me I've, never met anybody like lakers. There was never a dull moment or boring moment when I was whether we always found something to do. We always had fun doing it. She was always hopping around the place. She was like jelly holding everyone together. You know PB and J snow, the ashes out of this world, surely was, but after living in utah for just a few months, gender, seem to need someone to hold her together. I guess since she was sad and having problems, she just was
herself. What was different, she wasn't happy all the time and she was frustrated very easily. She was filling good and I actually took her to a doctor jones was prescribed in antidepressant. She had been treated for depression, a year earlier back in idaho, depression really affects the way you think it affects the way behaviour that affects the way you experienced the world doktor held cobbler, which is one of the leading voters in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry. He never treated chandra, but we asked him to take a look in her case. I think that what all young adults struggle with is in control and the intensity of their feelings. They freeze or their boiling or they hate you
or they love you zero to sixty quickly right. Did you talk about that pressure with her all the time? I in my heart. What depressed chandra was not being close to our friends family in idaho. Did you ever talk about life in idaho, missing it? Should it all the time of her members from either? I think the move from idaho to utah was much more problematic for her. Then we would expect, there there ever an indication that gender might harm, or so I know that she self turned by doing one. Cutting cutting has become much more frequent than it was two years ago, and so very often when you do talk to cutters, they will tell you, I feel nothing and when I cut, I feel something, but that's a sign. Pressure. That's a sign of someone's really reaching out for help.
and then came the events of may fifth, two thousand and seventeen which turned out to be the last day of genders life. She got in trouble for smoking pot and having it not smoking it getting caught with it, and this wasn't the first time she got caught. It happened once before in idaho this time, though she got suspended from school. She was so worried and freaking out about what her mom would do, because she was so upset that her mom might be mad at her she shamed and she feels hopeless, and now I'm caught with weed These seemingly insignificant events for someone whose very vulnerable can mean something. She came home from school that day and she you gonna yell at me, I said I'm not. I figure you ve, been in trouble enough at school. That
no reason for me to yell, and we can talk about it when we're com- and I said if you have homeward you'd better get it done, because you have worked genders punishment, sue com, skated her cell phone later that afternoon, she drove chandra. Night job at a nearby wendy's last sooner if she thought I was mad at her that I didn't love her. I do I don't know cause I didn't get to talk to her again. What time was she supposed to come home, so she was supposed to get off around one thirty in the morning yeah, but Chandra never made it home and
it's kind of weird. I set straight up in bed and chandra, and I freaked out- and I can't call her because I took her phone away and so I called the police and I told him I guess my daughter had run away, and so they put a report out and they went looking for But the police didn't find gender that morning someone else did, but at the end the emergency for advice on recognising depression in teens and how you can help them good. Forty eight hours dhaka, if you're like me, your hooked on fast pace I'm thrillers, that's why I'm so excited to listen to the gift by international. best selling author Sebastian fit act available
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style and gives shop at sea dot com at sea has it giving up the spot where gender browns body was discovered was not an easy task, It took two search and rescue vehicles, three pairs of snow shoes and some pretty careful tracking but we want you to see just how far jan for went to leave her life behind It was may sixty two thousand seventeen turkey hunter was walking right through this area. When you know the body of a young girl hanging from that tree branch he's.
I called nine one one and to the detectives who first responded. They thought it was a pretty clear cut case of suicide when, in fact it was anything but that about right here, where the rope was hanging off of the tree. What's it like to be back, it brings back a lot of memories. In my mind, I can visualize chandra and hanging in that tree
Yeah, the wind sheriff's officials arrived early that morning there was no snow on the ground, and this tree limb was ten feet in the air. What was on the ground with the clues that Chandra did not die here alone. There was two grocery bags just read over here on the ground. When I went through everything. That's when I discovered a crinkled up receipt for purchase of rope and on that receipt was to rails name, it A debit card we're with the name tyrrell prohibition, so this was the first thing you saw. That said, I gotta talk to this guy. Yeah when we saw that receive, we knew that we needed to contact tyrrell also in the bag
the out gender is note, pointing them to a cell phone video, the form that was left at the scene. Now her mom had taken away her phone. This was a spare phone that she had. The phone could be the answer to many of their questions, but there was a problem. I tried to power the phone on it, wouldn't power on sergeant factual, decided to leave and charge the phone in his car. They drove back to spanish for and when it finally powered up. That's when I saw the video that was recorded at that time of the incident this a ten minute video chandra die. I was shocked, absolutely shocked what was so shocking, given what you normally
the any given day. I was shocked for the fact that somebody could sit by Let somebody lose their life and not do anything. Or suspected that the person who bought the rope may have shot that video too. He was obviously a person that we wanted to talk to you. What is it turned out? Tat realm found them first, I kind of look up the hill and I notice that there is somebody walking to us, so I actually walked back up. The hill immediately tells me who he is. I recognise his name from the receipt. Why have you come back to his initial statement to us was, as he's going to make sure that Chandra was dead. sergeant. Chapel wanted to hear more so he suggested they ride together
The? U talk county sheriffs department, to continue the conversation. At that moment, were you thinking of him as a suspect? I certainly thought that there might have been a crime committed, but what crime is we drove to the sheriff's office? We just talk generally about who he was and what is interests were he was a quiet kid. He always cared of others. Derails mother, Brittany says he always made her proud he's very smart, very smart I was always ahead and his reading always ahead and his mouth love. Science, he was very active, did a lot of sports. He trade, soccer, baseball, basketball, wrestling. But his tyrrell got older. Brittany started to see
changes in her son. You just pulled credibility of negative thoughts and to everyday life. It was shocking, So I took him to the doktor, but thinking he was depressed. You know something is not right. The doktor told me that he just there's a pessimist and that's hard to be told. Did you know anything about gender brown before she died? I had never heard of her direction, mentioned. Her no never saw him with her. Now Finally, I was the one who introduced her to cairo toll tyrrell, hey. I have a new friend And he said he: why meter
isler hughes. Milman was good friends with both chandra and tyrrell did you ever know tyrrell to be depressed really here little bit press the same like sometimes, but he wasn't that bad. Ginger hung out with him all the time. wouldn't drew her to him. I actually have no clue lighting out within alive, we're time, engender a romantic and anyway no shit. Not see him as a relationship, I'm a guy. She wanted to try and help him. She thought she could change. Yes, she thought tat she could make. want to join other people and actually have fun and subsidies. I'm himself. She knew when who were upset or sad, she would go up to talk tomb and make him feel comfortable, before ginger died. Had you ever heard of tyrol provision
not from her or anybody else. But the you talk county sheriffs investigators were about to get it, tyrrell very well. On Saturday morning may six two thousand seventeen hours after she reported her daughter, jan, were missing. Sue Brian went to work not long after she got there. Her manager wanted to see her sergeant, factual, was waiting to they have we sit down and he says janitors gone and she's not coming home, I make where she gone to. Why why,
where she gone too and then he said, she's gone, passed away. We found her in pacing canyon. She was devastated as any parent would be. obviously it's like drop in a bomb on the family and it's not easy for them to process. What I said was I should have loved her more should it gave her more love, because now I thought too, completed suicide. I didn't know that's what went through my mind. So suicide was the first thing you thought, because all I could think was she's at the bottom of the canyon. Just
us town, tyrrell prohibition was talking to sheriff detectives to so what you relationship german austrian, For the next five hours, tyrrell described just how january ended up in pace and canyon the night, Were you described how he got the text from Chandra? That said, let's do this tonight, The word investigators would later discover that tyrol in january, texting each other for weeks about suicide.
once you get your hands on the text messages. What do they tell you that tyrell had been planning this from probably the first week that he had met her head research? This he wanted to happen and he carried it out and they live. and went to cower ranch and he bought the rope store security, video and the receipt founded at the scene. Both show tyrrell, purchased twenty feet of nylon rope.
Where do I proceeded to drive. What's pace and can treat ideal, time. Else's. That's when he picked up the phone so popular.
One quarter did he in any way try to paint? This is a suicide. He did but sergeant factual, says. Tyrell also told him several times that he had no intention of completing suicide. That night we talked about her understood what was likely suicidal now, you're telling us that the doctor, you were never so sorry that has over the years fascinated by the macabre, before I begin. Are you then thinking that he's a suspect in a crime watch the crime? Well, possibly, murder, possibly, but that was it decision so I told the officer I said, keep digging keep learning about what happened in circumstances, but if all we have is just him recording this in its her act, we might not have anything deputy.
you talk county attorneys, Chad, grew andor and ryan Mcbride, worse, to evaluate the case for possible prosecution. Brian was the initial contact with accounting sheriff's office. I was a supervisor at that time. From the start, they faced a unique challenge. Two thousand and seventeen utah had no law against assisted suicide, If only a handful of states in the country that did not have an assisted suicide crime, and so was either going to be murderer potentially manslaughter or nothing at all, and that's when another tactics sent me a text message recovered from an acquaintance of titles. What would you do You had a friend that wanted to kill themselves. This friend said I would talk them out of it, of course, and he responds back
I would help them do it, it's like getting away with murder. When we got that message, it was very clear in our minds that he was acting intentional. He was wanting to help cause her death. We felt like we had enough That was the break for us a bizarre case out of pace in a sixteen year. Old girl is dead and another team is accused of helping her? Hang yourself. Georgia's now been just five days after introducing himself to sergeant chapel in pace in canyon. Tyrrell prohibition was charged with first agreement. How me she told later part of his reasoning for going back to the scene. Was this to make sure, though she was dead, and then he had plans to collect the news, the rope and save it and keep like some kind of souvenir like a souvenir, a trophy yelling
and there was something else tyrrell wanted. The detectives to know he described Chandra had written a note to her mother and he left it in the mailbox outside the home. I have read the note sense, first time that it was read to me. It was your typical: emotionally charged letter basin. We say and she sorry, Gender also wrote something else in that letter. This was, All my decision, the question was was this her decision or was this his plan the
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system follow american scandal, wherever you get your pont guests, you can listen ad free on the amazon, music or wondering app. when you found out what he did. What was your first reaction they have their own person. There is no way. Tyrell would do anything like this. Brittany Johnson says she never imagined she'd finders in jail awaiting trial for murder. A truly fat lake.
I was living a nightmare that I would wake up from. I just couldn't process tyrrell participating pity in anything like this. Have you ever been able to ask him why. In his mind. I don't think that he was committing murder. He was helping or do what she wanted to do. Neil scales and and stewart were hired to defend tyrell at his upcoming trial. How does this These comparative anything you ve dealt with prior, nothing, tempers I'd, know guilty. I thought I did burner. That's. Why are you so helpless? one. So how do you defend a case we apply? It seems to have already confessed. We had the words of children in her suicide. She
her mom. This was all her decision. We could not escape the fact that Chandra participated in her own death that she wanted to die. That was a real factor that we had to consider in prosecuting this case. His No doubt that she was determined that doesn't mean we couldn't have had another outcome choice. An adolescent psychiatrists, doktor Harold, complicates the leading cause of death worldwide for fifteen nineteen year old girls is suicide, its its unacceptable. did she ever mention about? Talking with I read about suicide, those things that should keep to herself, mostly even though you guys were some of her closest friends. Yes, shit,
Everybody has lessened when you read the text, you start to think that this has become a part of the game. They pray, except it's a very dangerous game in one of them tyrrell asks Chandra. You want to quicken painless No chance of escaping a returning to this life. Gender responded, I just wanna die I've been trying to long. I just want to make sure I ended Do you think tyrrell was a negative influence on ginger. Yes, most definitely should get one,
more depressed the longer she hung out with him. That was obvious at least to me. It was hm he was feeding her. She had these thoughts, she had these plans and he was encouraging it. He was scratching the edge and he went further and further and further without his support and has help for doing that. She wouldn't have been able to do still be here. I think it's true. He didn't pusher off the cliff, but he kept his arm around her and encouraged her to keep moving forward. But The prosecutors be able to convince a jury of that. The prosecution has the burden to show the necessary intent to commit a crime and the best way to show that is through the defendants. Own words Anti roll gave them a lot to work with all,
whose text messages between him and Chandra yeah tyrrell talking out how he's gonna help jan for die different You have taken or life recording her do it. This is a test the tyrrell sends to ginger. Can mutilate your body and cut your head off and dispose of your by yes very disturbing all, these messages just add up to this depravity: not caring about human life, and argument is an intent to kill and a desire to participate in causing someone else's death, what was the most damning piece of evidence. I think some of the text message of came out when he was talking about getting away with murder. as a father a fifty year old daughter and as a defence attorney. That was one thing that I guess troubled me,
those types of statements hadn't been out there, it would have made defending the case ethical up. What a lot easier if wicked, keyboard clients mouth shut, that's really a big this, but tyrrell still had a lot to say reaching out to fail in friends with letters and phone calls from jail. He brag about his conduct, his accomplishment. If you will talked about when I get out, I want to get a noose, tattooed over my arm. asked. A friend of his to set up an instagram page use the media to enhance it. No rioting, somehow profit off of this tyrell also wrote that he to get in touch with Michel Carter. She caught the nations attention during her prey Then it setting trial for encouraging her friend red roy to kill himself tyrrell wrote we'd get along great.
Ever pay a visit to jail and say to him. You have to stop writing every commissar just weeks before his trial was set to begin tyrrell reached out to his friends. Again, I will courage, you to use your right to remain silent as anything you They is held against me in court. Write a letter telling them that they don't have to testify cast him. They shouldn't testify cast him. It would held my case if you would inform everyone that is subject to interrogation, to use their right remained silent. He was telling essentially to not cooperate with the police, you can't do that. That's witness tampering in fact that letter change everything. Then we know that he would send out letters that would have
us down the road. No did gonna hurt us. Yes in the fall of twenty eighteens was about the utah county process. harrison. Tyrrell defence team we're getting ready for trial. I rail I've been adamant about going to trial? What was his thought process that he had committed murder, I'd plan? My closing argument chad and planned a lot of his opening statement? We had our trial strategy and change his mind, waiting one thing that changed his mind, was national case that we fight against him for witness tampering. After prosecutors found out the tyrol, asked his friends not to testify against him. They charged him with witnessed here
in addition, a murderer and that's when tyrrell asked for a deal we sat down talked and they asked us if we were open to a plea deal with certainly if we think it satisfies the interests of justice. This was the deal. Tyrrell would guilty to a lesser first degree: felony, child abuse, homicide murder was fifteen years to life. We copper eyes and offered child abuse homicide, which was five to life. Why the about face? Why the change? I think it was thinking more clearly about the situation in relation jack. Many was in MR provision as to the amended charge of count, one child abuse homicide. What is your play Who do you think when type pleaded guilty? I was surprised and am glad that he first
I am glad that he didn't try and keep denying that it was child abuse. He did take action. And in my eyes tell dubious homicide is ass, bad Worse than just murder, six weeks later, tyrrell was back in court for sentencing harshly I rail has been some important decisions in his life may sixth, was for they ensure that he wishes if it could undo. She was the witness to anybody's day as statements were read, it was clear how many lives have been damaged by this one event: tyrrell out is kept for others more than himself. I am truly sorry for the loss of jobs.
I wish we shall come back to that day and they haven't you over but of the cap two families now have been torn apart. I feel really bad for the provision family. I really do they lost a son. and I ve always felt bad for the browns. They lost their daughter, there's a whole. In our lives and our hearts that sheaves to fill and we suffer greatly without her. There will never be true justice for gm drive because just never getting come to me. If you listen to the story, what makes you Chris It is a fact that there's somebody missed opportunities to help her, so many missed opportunities to change. The outcome is We are very clear: His death was avoidable before
judge handed down his sentence tyrrell. also given a chance to speak, all those two victims, mother, so irresponsible and irrational. But I am not proud and doesn't deserve provisions. You were charged with child abuse, homicide in which you played guilty to I'm required by law, to sentence you to an indeterminate terminated state prison of not less than five years but which may be for life tyrrell is now serving out. His sentence said the utah state prison in draper as a risk In this case, the state legislature passed a new law which now- clouds assisted suicide in its definition, of manslaughter
assisting somebody providing the means or the opportunity to have somebody killed? There is now a second degree felt in the state of utah. Is this Justice for janshah, just four chandra would be. He didn't, do it didn't record, he stopped and saved her. It's completely understandable that her parents and her friends blame him but in the same way that I don't think we had this outcome without tie, I dont think we'd have this outcome without Chandra. So what's take away. I think, to take away is that we have to take is more seriously when kids start having Without at school, when changing their behaviour when you start to suspect that something is wrong? There take it seriously, love your family love your children if there,
find out if they need help, ask every day asking questions? Those are the things. I regret that I didn't do a gender Have you identified one thing? It works better really than anything else, shopping, someone who is right on the brain, so I think that in the very important question, because remember if you're a teenager, you feel terrible for the moment and if you find someone who says to stop wait, let's think about this: it's not that bad! I'm sure I can help you get out of this. But ginger never got that help from tyrrell. This is an unacceptable outcome suicide is not acceptable. That has become the nations thought about this, that suicide partition in teenagers is not an acceptable outcome, that's supposed to die when you're sixteen years of age and especially by suicide.
Gender brown was returned to her home town of twin falls, idaho, michiganders, she's, buried near her great grandmother. I might do you ever think you forget this man. My face says that I should forgive him. I art says if forgive someone and just accept I'm sorry, sorry, that I made a bad decision and that I too you're beautiful, loving kind daughter away from you. How? How can someone forgive someone for what he did
we're thinking about suicide or know someone who is. Please call the national suicide prevention lifeline, one, eight hundred to seven three, eight to five five, suicide prevention, lifeline dot org. You can also reach out to the crisis text line a free twenty four seven confidential text message: service for people in crisis text home to seven for one, seven for one crisis text line dot org hey. Prime members, you can listen to the forty eight hours per gas ad free on amazon, music, download the amazon music up today or you can listen ad. Free with wondering, plus an apple pie. Gas before you go tell us about yourself by completing a short survey of wondering dog com sledge survey.
Transcript generated on 2023-06-02.