Someone They Knew S01E03 Last Call

  • last month
Ashley Biggs thought it was just another pizza delivery. She didn’t know who was waiting on the other end.

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00:00Is it fair to say that Ashley did not leave that parking lot alive?
00:13Her attacker was waiting in the shadows.
00:22She was jealous of Chad.
00:23If I told my dad what she was doing to me, then she would do worse.
00:28I didn't feel it was complete because we didn't get the other person.
00:31Somebody wanted to hurt Ashley Biggs.
00:42The heartbreak of a broken family, a loss of power and control, volatile personalities
00:48and a ruthless manipulator.
00:50The anger and resentment builds as a powder keg of domestic violence is about to explode.
00:56That's what was happening outside the city of Akron, Ohio, when someone hidden in the
01:01darkness finally lit the fuse.
01:06We're a bedroom community in New Franklin.
01:08People out here live and they drive into Akron or Cleveland to work.
01:1115,000 people maybe, so not like a city, even though we are a city.
01:16Everybody in the communities know each other.
01:19Ashley Biggs was one in a million.
01:20If you met her once, you'd never forget her.
01:23Ashley was the kindest, most gentle soul you could ever meet.
01:28She loved everyone.
01:29There was not a mean bone in Ashley's body.
01:33Ashley was a young girl, liked to go out and do stuff with her friends.
01:37Then she also enrolled in the Army in October of 07.
01:42My son Chad and Ashley met on a double date roller skating.
01:46They dated.
01:47I think they had their ups and downs.
01:49They kind of bounced back and forth between males and female partners.
01:55Chad and Ashley were never married.
01:58She was young, around 18 when she had GC, and just not ready to be in the role of mother.
02:08She was retired from the U.S. Army, and she was working as a pizza delivery person for
02:14one of the bigger pizza franchise joints in the greater Akron, Ohio area.
02:21Wednesday, June 21, 2012.
02:24The night's going to start off like a normal shift.
02:26It's going to be busy.
02:27There's plenty of orders coming in.
02:28The pizzas are hot.
02:29They get a call at 11.50 p.m. for a delivery in order to go out to a business address located
02:36on Turkey Foot Lake Road with specific instructions for the driver to take the pizza around to
02:44the back of the business.
02:46This will be Ashley's last run of the night.
02:49With this late hour and little to no cars on the road, the late night crew expects Ashley
02:55to return rather quickly.
02:57She's not returned, and the crew is becoming concerned, and the manager is the one that
03:02places the call.
03:05I was called in the evening by my supervisor.
03:07They had a missing female by the name of Ashley Biggs.
03:10She had delivered a pizza to a local business that was closed down.
03:13She did that, and then she never returned back to the pizza delivery.
03:17Relatively quickly, the deputies are on scene.
03:20They're going to go where the delivery was scheduled for.
03:23When we showed up at the original scene, there was evidence that there was a struggle there.
03:26They don't find Ashley.
03:27They don't find her vehicle.
03:29What they do find is a large amount of blood on the pavement.
03:33They also find skid marks.
03:35You could tell that somebody had been lifted up and put into a vehicle, and that vehicle
03:38driven away.
03:43When you're arriving on scene, as an investigator, what you are seeing and what your experience
03:48is telling you is that something very personal happened here.
03:53The police find cash at the scene, so this will be an indicator to them that this wasn't
03:57some kind of botched robbery.
04:00This looks like we have a situation where it's personally motivated.
04:04Ashley was targeted.
04:06Everything that's taken place up to this point is deliberate and planned.
04:11Somebody wanted to hurt Ashley Biggs.
04:16They found her body inside of her car in a cornfield in Wayne County.
04:21When they arrive on the scene, an officer approaches the vehicle.
04:25You can see through the window that there is a female wearing a pizza franchise shirt.
04:32She was laid down in the back seat, face up in her vehicle.
04:35She was zip-tied from her legs all the way to the top of her arms.
04:40There are some kind of taser wires coming off of this individual.
04:44Ashley's blood was on the passenger side dashboard, which indicated somebody else was driving
04:50that vehicle, most likely, told me someone obviously had to do this and drag her up into
04:53that car.
04:54They tased her, beat her, strangled her with the industrial zip cords, placed her in the
04:59back seat of her vehicle, using her own vehicle to transport the body.
05:04It was a very violent death.
05:09I'll never forget that night.
05:11I was actually a third shift caregiver at a nursing facility, and a friend from our
05:17group called me to let me know that Ashley was missing.
05:22I think I probably paced a hole in my work floor just trying to keep myself moving.
05:28I didn't want to believe it, but I knew that what we had always suspected had finally come
05:35to fruition.
05:36It is shocking.
05:38You never want to believe that the worst can happen until it does.
05:45Regardless of how much you prepare for something or how seated you think you are for it, when
05:51that hits, you're shell-shocked.
05:56You're always going to look to somebody that they know, because that's often where they
06:01find the killer.
06:03Ashley chose to live her life as a lesbian.
06:07She felt that it was sick, and he made many threats.
06:25Investigators on the scene quickly deduced that what happened in that darkened parking
06:29lot was deeply personal.
06:31It doesn't take long for them to come up with a prime suspect and get hot on his trail.
06:37Police immediately identify at the ambush scene that this is probably a personally motivated
06:42attack, that somebody set this girl up.
06:46From what information we learned about it from Ashley's friends, there was a pretty
06:50bad relationship between Chad Cobb and Ashley.
06:53That made us think that there was something wrong there, that it could have been him.
06:56So that's why we kind of zeroed in on him first.
06:59They learn that she's been in this contentious and costly custody battle with her ex-boyfriend,
07:07Chad Cobb.
07:08Chad is a dad first and foremost.
07:11He loved his kids.
07:13Chad didn't date a whole lot.
07:14His main concern was raising GC, and the winner of both seven.
07:19He met Erica.
07:21Subsequently, they had two more children together.
07:24They did get married.
07:26Erica had once told me that she was jealous of Chad and GC's relationship.
07:32Erica knew this going into the relationship, that they had a nice bond, and she didn't
07:38like that bond.
07:42Ashley did talk to me about the relationship between her and Chad, and it was very tumultuous.
07:46He from the get-go was not kind to her.
07:51He was physically, emotionally abusive.
07:54We saw her demise coming, and he made it very clear that if she ever tried to take
07:59their daughter from him, he would hunt her down.
08:03After their split, Ashley chose to live her life in the gay community as a lesbian.
08:11He didn't like that she was dating women, and he didn't like that there was the idea
08:17of having their daughter around that.
08:20When Ashley did have visitation with GC, there were times Ashley would pick her up and there
08:27would be multiple females in the vehicle.
08:31He felt that it was sick.
08:33He made many threats.
08:35He told her that she would never get their daughter, that she would be dead before she
08:40touched her, and that she didn't have the right to be a part of their daughter's life.
08:47Chad had spent money on the attorney.
08:49It wasn't really getting anywhere.
08:51It was just tearing the rest of the family apart.
08:54It would appear to me that Chad Cobb was looking for a way for this custody dispute to end.
09:00He didn't want to spend any more money or time on this issue.
09:05Ashley Biggs, from what we can see coming out of the courts, she had to be afraid of
09:09Chad Cobb.
09:10She took out several restraining orders against him.
09:14At one point, he had put a GPS tracker, supposedly, on her car to try to track her whereabouts
09:20and things like that.
09:21So that kind of spiked us up to say, let's try to find him.
09:26They find her vehicle, but it's also less than three miles from Chad Cobb's home.
09:32They find Chad Cobb out hiding in the woods, covered in blood.
09:38They catch him red-handed.
09:40He was hiding behind his grandfather's garage.
09:43He had got out and wandered into the woods.
09:45He was wearing full camouflage gear, a hunting knife, had a taser.
09:49Duct tape strips were on his clothes, zip ties, everything he needed pretty much as
09:54an assault kit.
09:55I just don't think it was thought through well.
09:58And then he panicked and left all that stuff lay there and kind of gave it to us on a silver
10:03platter at that point.
10:05We arrested Chad that day, kind of turned himself in, he didn't have anywhere to go.
10:11It takes a little bit of time for Chad Cobb to confess to killing Ashley Biggs.
10:17He was not very cooperative following his arrest, but he's going to be indicted by a
10:22grand jury who is going to let him know that he's going to be facing the death penalty.
10:27And now he's willing to talk.
10:30He ended up pleading and taking a plea to it.
10:33He confessed to the crime.
10:35Most of the time when we are looking at a case where a man kills his wife, ex-wife or
10:41ex-girlfriend, they make an arrest, he confesses to the murder, lock him up for life.
10:48That's the end of the story.
10:49Not here.
10:50Not in this case.
10:51The investigation I didn't feel was complete because we didn't get the other person.
10:55Wholeheartedly, we believe that there was a female involved and that somebody else helped
10:58him by making the phone call.
11:05Chad Cobb is almost immediately arrested, pleads guilty and is sentenced to life in
11:17prison for the violent murder of Ashley Biggs.
11:20But veteran police investigators strongly believe he didn't act alone.
11:24The problem for them is they don't have proof.
11:27And while Chad Cobb sits in prison year after year, he's still not talking.
11:33When you talk about getting the whole story, even when we have a killer that confesses
11:40to an attack and a murder, you have seasoned detectives who have this nagging, nagging
11:46feeling that, you know what, we may have got our guy, but we don't have the whole complete
11:51story here.
11:52There's something else going on.
11:56Investigation I didn't feel was complete because we didn't get the other person.
11:58Wholeheartedly, we believe that there was a female involved.
12:00We were thinking definitely that somebody else helped him by making the phone call and
12:04most likely obviously driving him there because he couldn't have drove both cars out.
12:07The person that placed the call for that pizza that night that ultimately sealed the fate
12:12of Ashley Biggs was a female voice on the phone.
12:16The call didn't come from Chad Cobb.
12:18Naturally, the detectives are going to suspect his wife, Erica Cobb.
12:27When I came in contact with her at the house, first thing Erica said was she didn't want
12:31to talk to us.
12:32I don't know if it was an attorney.
12:34Most people I would say would be concerned a little for somebody who's missing.
12:37She had no emotions, didn't want to talk about it.
12:40So that kind of steered me to believe she was involved from the get-go.
12:44A detective is going to want to know why, when they found Chad Cobb out running around
12:49hiding in the woods, why his wife and children are in an SUV that's hiding behind a garage
12:56on his grandparents' property.
12:58Why is his wife in such close proximity to him, the murder victim, and her vehicle and
13:04the ambush site?
13:05There would be days where I would just go out and follow her to see where she would
13:08go to.
13:09She ended up going to one of her husband's best friend's houses.
13:13Erica moves on very quickly.
13:15Chad Cobb, he's put away.
13:17Lock him up.
13:18He's going away for life.
13:20But Erica, very quickly she has Christopher Michael Stefanko, Chad Cobb's best friend,
13:27move into the house with her and the kids.
13:30She got really friendly with Chad's best friend.
13:34She was pregnant before Chad ever got sentenced.
13:39Not too long after that, we have a divorce, and we have Erica getting married.
13:44And at some point, it becomes difficult for Chad to see any of his kids.
13:49It seems like he had a lot of love for these kids, and losing them and not being able to
13:55see them was the final straw for Chad Cobb.
13:57Oh yeah, he was pissed.
14:00Chad has always been there for his kids.
14:03He was allowed to by the courts to be able to see them.
14:07Erica chose not to, and cut him out.
14:10Chad ended up talking to us.
14:11He said that she had her part to do.
14:13He had his part to do.
14:15He lets the detectives know, hey, my ex-wife Erica, she was involved in this.
14:21Chad Cobb told us that Erica was the one who made the phone call to order the pizza that evening.
14:26She had just as much to do with it as he did, even though he is the one who physically killed her.
14:32There was also a recording, a recording that was made by Chad Cobb's mother.
14:37I put a recorder out.
14:40We talked for a few hours, and then she had stated that she made the phone call to deliver the pizza.
15:00That's what got Erica Stefanko arrested.
15:03The proof that she made that phone call.
15:05Erica Stefanko stands accused of luring a pizza delivery driver into a trap that ended her life.
15:12Chad's mother, she had a recording that Erica confessed to making this phone call,
15:16and that helped us.
15:17It wasn't enough to give us what we wanted.
15:19Do you think by being here that you're helping your dad get out of prison?
15:36After years of taking the rap on his own and stewing in prison, Chad Cobb is fed up.
15:41He finally implicates his former wife, Erica Stefanko, in the killing of Ashley Biggs.
15:47She's charged with aggravated murder.
15:51Ladies and gentlemen, we will proceed with opening statements.
15:54The state of Ohio does have the burden to prove each element in this case.
16:01Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are here today to hold this defendant, Erica Stefanko,
16:07accountable for what she did on June 21st, 2012.
16:12We are here to hold her responsible for the actions she chose to take that day.
16:18Whether you hold Erica Stefanko accountable as the principal, actor, or as an accomplice,
16:27all roads lead to the same place.
16:32Once you see the evidence and the testimony, all roads lead to Erica Stefanko being found guilty.
16:42This murder of Ashley Biggs could not have happened if Erica Stefanko and Chad Cobb did not work together.
16:53It was planned together, and it was carried out together.
16:58Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the state is confident once you hear the evidence,
17:02you will find Erica Stefanko, the defendant, guilty.
17:15This case has its genesis in a custody battle.
17:22So Mr. Cobb develops in his own mind a plan.
17:29And that plan is, I know how I'm going to make sure I get custody.
17:37I'm going to eliminate the mother.
17:40She gets to that parking lot, and there only Chad Cobb.
17:54He then stands in front of a judge and admits that he beat and strangled and was guilty of aggravated murder of Ashley Biggs.
18:09He never mentions that he has an accessory.
18:15He never mentions Erica Stefanko's name.
18:20After eight years now, he's stewing in that prison.
18:26He wants to get out of prison early.
18:29He wants his sentence shortened.
18:32Listen to every side of the story.
18:36And at the end, ladies and gentlemen, I'm convinced you will find that Erica Stefanko is not guilty.
18:50I am Dr. Lisa Kohler.
18:52I am the chief medical examiner for the county of Summit.
18:55So the next slide is going to be evidence of the ligature strangulation.
19:02There is a photograph that shows the zip tie present around her neck.
19:07So what is the significance of that?
19:10There's been some deep trauma to the neck.
19:13She has injuries around where the ligature is, where there are some abrasions, which likely are her attempting to dig at the ligature itself and remove it.
19:25She does have injuries on the backs of her hands, which would be what we would classify as a defensive type wound where somebody is trying to fend off another individual.
19:35Were you able to determine which of the findings would have been inconsistent with life?
19:42The ligature around her neck would be a lethal injury.
19:46It's going to be very difficult for the defense to put together a good defense that's going to sway a jury the way they want to sway them.
19:54Because the jury is going to see a child on the stand.
20:04We would call GC.
20:06GC, if you don't mind, if you would raise your right hand.
20:10GC actually had a lot of involvement in this matter.
20:13Her mother was murdered when she was just seven years old.
20:17And her biological father and her stepmother are the two that were charged with the murder of her mother.
20:24Under Ohio law, GC meets the definition of victim.
20:27We did not find out about the abuse that Erica was doing until after Chad was incarcerated.
20:34We tried to get GC into counseling early on, and that's actually where we found out about the abuse.
20:41GC wanted to be heard.
20:43GC said, you know what, I want to testify in person.
20:46And she wanted Erica Stefanko herself to hear, this is how I feel and this is what you did.
20:51What types of things are we talking about that you're remembering?
20:55She was mentally abusive and physically.
20:59And how was she mentally abusive?
21:03She would tell me that if I told my dad what she was doing to me, then she would do worse.
21:09And you said physically, so what was the physical type of abuse?
21:13I remember she would hold me on the ground and she would hit me.
21:17And then she also before made me eat dog feces.
21:22Do you know why she made you eat dog feces?
21:25Because she was jealous of my relationship with my father.
21:30It took a lot of guts for that kid to get up and testify because she was standing in front of Erica.
21:37Testimony from child victims in particular, it kind of cuts both ways.
21:42There are some jurors that will say, oh, this is a child.
21:45They're not fully developed, maybe their perceptions aren't clear.
21:48I don't know if they can remember everything correctly.
21:51Especially in this case with GC being 15 at the time of trial and 7 when the incident occurred.
21:57Do you remember your mother's death?
22:02I remember it happening, yes.
22:05Do you remember that there was a custody battle over you?
22:11I don't remember the custody battle.
22:14Whenever I talk with any of my clients about testifying in a courtroom, I give a lot of the same advice.
22:22With GC, it was just to make sure whenever you're asked any questions, all you have to do is tell the truth.
22:28If the answer is I don't remember, if that's the truth, that's the answer.
22:32You said you remember when she died.
22:35Do you have any recollections of that night?
22:39Yes.
22:40Do you have a memory of Erica making a phone call?
22:45Yes.
22:46Tell us about the phone call.
22:49I can remember her and I remember hearing it but not seeing it.
22:55And I know she ordered a pizza and I can remember that she did not use her name.
23:02Do you remember what name she did use?
23:05No.
23:07She was there when Erica placed the phony pizza order.
23:12She said, not only did my father kill my mother, but I was witness to some of the murder plot.
23:25GC, I'm going to ask you a couple, I'll say sensitive questions.
23:33Do you know why your dad is in prison?
23:36Yes.
23:37Why is that?
23:39Because he did some not so nice things.
23:43I'm sorry, ma'am?
23:44Because he did some not so nice things.
23:47If a defense attorney seems to be a little overly aggressive with a victim while they're testifying, especially a child victim,
23:53my spidey senses are tingling, so to speak, I'm watching for it.
23:57You are not going to bully my client and you are not going to go after this kid on the stand.
24:03Is it your understanding that he did some not so nice things to your mother?
24:11Yes.
24:14Do you still love your dad?
24:16Yes, I do.
24:18Would you like to see him get out of prison soon?
24:22Yes, he's my dad.
24:24This defense attorney did his job, but had enough respect for the situation,
24:28and knowing that going after this kid is not going to help his client in any way.
24:33Do you think by being here that you're helping your dad get out of prison?
24:38No, this isn't his case.
24:40I'm sorry, miss?
24:41No, this isn't his case.
24:44I don't think the fact that GC was a child testifying was the clincher in the whole thing.
24:49I think it was just one puzzle piece to help connect the dots of all the other evidence that the prosecution had.
24:55Who does the state wish to call as its next witness?
24:59Call Chad Cobb.
25:00Is it fair to say that Ashley did not leave that parking lot alive that night?
25:20The defense claims that all of this is the result of a bitter Chad Cobb wanting revenge and retribution
25:26for his ex-wife Erica leaving him and moving on with her life.
25:30The prosecution calls Cobb himself to the stand via remote video from the prison where he is serving a life sentence.
25:37He tells his side of the story, but will the jury believe a convicted killer?
25:45Who does the state wish to call as its next witness?
25:48Call Chad Cobb.
25:49Chad Cobb, he testified today from the correctional facility where he is located, spending the rest of his life.
25:56No possibility of parole. He was testifying via the internet.
26:01After that conversation, did you stay there at the tree with Erica or did one of you leave the tree?
26:08Erica left and walked back over to the Lincoln.
26:11So when she walked over to the Lincoln, what did she do?
26:15She made a phone call.
26:17What did you hear Erica say on that phone call?
26:21I remember her saying somebody else's name and I remember she ordered a pizza.
26:29Where were you when Ashley got out of the car?
26:32I remember I was somewhere on the other side of the parking lot. I was approaching and made myself known.
26:40And how did Ashley respond when she saw you there?
26:46Worked up.
26:47At the end of the day, there are three people that know what happened.
26:50Chad Cobb knows what happened.
26:53Erica Stefanko knows if she was involved or not.
26:56And the third person is not here to tell us her side of the story.
27:01Is it fair to say that Ashley did not leave that parking lot alive that night?
27:07Yes, sir. That is accurate.
27:09If I would have cooperated with the state and gave them the information that they saw,
27:15I don't know what would happen, Erica, because I can't understand why she was able to walk out of the police station the same day that we both were put in there.
27:26I mean, I got hauled off to jail and she walked right back into the home of everybody and everything that I love.
27:37What stays with me about this case is the uncertainty.
27:40Is Chad Cobb simply upset and angry that his ex-wife moved on with her life and he's stuck behind bars for the rest of his?
27:50Does he start bringing all this stuff up then for that reason and that reason only?
27:55Is it fair to say that you and your family still hold out hope of you getting out of prison?
28:03I would say it's fair to say that.
28:05Is it fair to say that your mother, Cindy Cobb, also holds that hope?
28:11Yes, sir.
28:13Chad's mother came to us years after we arrested Chad. In 2018, it was brought to our attention.
28:19She had a recording that Erica confessed to making this phone call and having knowledge of the details and things that nobody else would know about the homicide.
28:27Cindy Cobb holds on to this recording. For a couple of years, Chad Cobb sits in prison behind bars knowing all this time that his ex-wife, who's taken up with his best friend, was involved in this murder as well.
28:43But nobody says anything.
28:45Attorney O'Brien, how would you like to proceed?
28:48Judge, at this point in time, we have Christopher Michael Stefanko here.
28:53What kind of mother is Erica Stefanko?
28:57An amazing, loving, and extremely caring mother.
29:03Did Chad ever threaten Ashley?
29:06He made a comment that when it was all said and done that he wanted to keep her skull as a trophy.
29:14Chad started slowly with the abuse, whether it was tearing her down or, you know, he'd strike her and then apologize.
29:21Oh, I didn't mean to do that. I was angry.
29:23From the time I met her, she spoke of her fear of him.
29:27The early morning hours of June 21st, 2012.
29:32Did you have any contact with Chad Cobb?
29:39I spoke with him on the phone.
29:41Between what, hours?
29:43I believe 3 and 5 in the morning. The sun wasn't even up yet.
29:47Do you remember what Chad said to you?
29:50The very first thing out of his mouth was, I f***ed up.
29:56Attorney LaPrenzy, who do you wish to call?
29:58We call Cindy Cobb.
30:02Raise your right hand.
30:03Do you swear or affirm the testimony or statements you're about to give shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
30:09I do.
30:12I testified about the phone call, which G.C. stated all along, and it's in her counseling records, that she overheard Erica make the phone call.
30:25You made a recording?
30:27Yes, sir.
30:28Who was there when you made that recording?
30:30Just Erica and I.
30:32Where was the recording made?
30:34In our barn.
30:37You told me that you made the phone call and you set the meeting up.
30:42Chad said this is what we're going to do, and this is your part of it, and you did exactly what you told me to do.
30:47If everything had been told exactly as it happened, then we would all be in prison right now.
30:52She's admitting that if everybody would have seen everything the way it went, they would both be in prison. That was one of her quotes, I believe, inside this tape.
31:01It wasn't because he was forcing me to do it. It was because he said this is your part, and this is what you're going to do.
31:08He came up with how to do it. He executed almost all of it. The part that he executed went totally awry.
31:16How could she know that if she didn't know the plan? Do you know?
31:19I do not know the answer to that.
31:22Erica walked out of the police station, I am told by the prosecutor, without even giving a statement.
31:28I'm thinking she's the mastermind.
31:43So then she tells you after that, now GC has a chance at a life.
31:49Correct.
31:51All this in the context of your son getting ready to give up his rights.
31:56Yes.
31:58And she's explaining to you how she wasn't going to let him do that.
32:05Yes.
32:27Attorney O'Brien, you may proceed with cross-examination.
32:32Now, Chad is your only child. Is that a fair way of putting it?
32:37Correct.
32:39If Chad went to trial and lost, a jury could have recommended the death penalty.
32:46Yes, sir.
32:47Now, Chad pled guilty and he was sent to prison. Soon after he went to prison, he filed an appeal. Even though he just, to save his life, he pled guilty.
33:03Yes, sir.
33:04This case had its genesis in a fierce custody battle. Would you not agree?
33:12Yes.
33:13Chad wanted to go to trial, wanted to tell the story, didn't want to see this happening to another family.
33:20But he was also told at that time that his trial had to be closed by a year's anniversary date.
33:28If it was not, all of the children would all be placed up for adoption and none of us would ever see them again.
33:35So, at one point in time, he takes responsibility for the murder of Ashley Biggs. And then a short time after he goes to prison, he changes his mind?
33:50I can't speak for his actions.
33:53Is it safe to say that you don't like Erika Stefanko?
34:01After what's transpired, that'd be fair.
34:04As much as you were kind of supportive of me before now, you didn't say it. But I felt like in the back of your head, you still let me blame you for it.
34:13Which is not unreasonable, but it still ended up putting me in a comfortable spot to be here.
34:19You're hoping some way, somehow, to get Chad out of prison, is that correct?
34:27I would hope to one day.
34:29You're still willing to do just about anything legal to help get him out of prison or at least get his sentence reduced. Is that a fair thing to say?
34:40I think any parent would do that.
34:43Going through the trial with Erika Stefanko, hearing the facts, seeing the photos, there was a lot we had never seen and there were things that we hadn't heard.
34:53It was like losing Ashley all over again.
34:57It was that gripping feeling of she's really gone.
35:03I'm sorry.
35:05It's my understanding that the jury has reached a verdict.
35:24Nine years after Ashley Biggs' brutal murder and Chad Cobb's conviction, a jury is now poised to decide whether Erika Stefanko played a role in the crime or if, as the defense claims, she's yet another victim of Chad Cobb's vengeance.
35:43Ladies and gentlemen, you've heard all of the testimony and evidence. We are now in a place where we will proceed with closing arguments.
35:52So at this time, counsel will be prepared to proceed.
35:57Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are here to hold Erika Stefanko accountable for the actions she chose to take on June 20th through June 21st, 2012.
36:10Now, whether you all hold her responsible as the principal or as the accomplice, it all leads to the same place.
36:20All roads lead to Erika Stefanko being guilty of the crimes charged in the indictment.
36:28Chad Cobb could not have committed the murder of Ashley Biggs by himself.
36:37She drove Chad to the crime scene.
36:42She knew why it was going to happen. It was that custody battle. It was retaliation.
36:48She made the call that lured Ashley Biggs to her death.
36:52She followed Chad to the cornfield. She waited at that cornfield for him to dump Ashley's body in the car.
37:00Went back to the initial crime scene with him to clean up the evidence.
37:05And hid with Chad at his grandparents' house where they actually were caught by the police.
37:11She committed this murder with Chad Cobb.
37:17She was there with him every step of the way.
37:23From the beginning, the planning. From the middle, the execution.
37:28In the end, the potential cover-up.
37:31The state is confident that you will find the defendant, Erika Stefanko, guilty of all the crimes charged in the indictment.
37:39Thank you very much.
37:42Attorney O'Brien?
37:45Ladies and gentlemen, one of the Supreme Court Justices of the United States said many years ago that cross-examination was the greatest determiner of the truth that we have in our judicial system.
38:03What you heard early on in the cross-examination of Chad Cobb speaks volumes.
38:13When Chad Cobb was asked, did you and Erika plan to kill Ashley Biggs?
38:23And what was his answer? One word. No.
38:27He didn't hesitate. He said no.
38:30This is the state's witness.
38:33Now I'm not going to pick on a 15-year-old, but let's talk a little bit about GC right now.
38:39When this incident happened, she's seven years old.
38:46Eight years later, comes into this courtroom and describes with unusual detail about this phone call.
38:59Yet, she tells us she was asleep the rest of the time.
39:04I would submit, ladies and gentlemen, that children of any age group are susceptible to influence.
39:19I submit to you that Erika Stefanko is a scapegoat of Chad Cobb.
39:31He wants to use her to get out of prison.
39:37What's his motive?
39:39Ladies and gentlemen, if you haven't thought of it by now, it's real simple. It's revenge.
39:48It's my understanding that the jury has reached a verdict.
40:00Regarding count 15, the jury has found the defendant, Erika Stefanko, guilty of the offense of aggravated murder.
40:20The jury says that Erika Stefanko is guilty, that she was involved in this premeditated murder that resulted in Ashley Biggs' death.
40:29Ms. Stefanko, the jury has found you guilty of the charges as articulated on the record.
40:39The two responsible parties are in prison.
40:43Sure, Chad Cobb can be a loving father. How much do you love your daughter when you kill her mother?
40:48That's where those two bypassed everybody else. They didn't care about all or any of these other people.
40:53They wanted things their way. And when they couldn't have it their way, they were willing to do anything they could to change that.
41:01It's a terrible crime anytime somebody loses their life. Chad does deserve to do time for his part in the crime.
41:10But also when you look at other incidences where people have lost their lives and what has been done, for him to get life without parole, I think is harsh.
41:22In cases like this, I say nobody ever wins. The dad's in prison for life. Mom's going there for 30 years.
41:29The children are with different parents now, grandparents, but they never get to grow up with their own biological parents now because of the decisions they made.
41:37So I don't think that's fair to the kids. You know, that kind of sticks with you.
41:44GC asked that I share this for her part of her story.
41:48Through everything I've chosen the path that is right for me and I have let the people in my life that I know want to be in my life and benefit my future.
41:58Anyone that I choose to have in my life will be by my own choosing.
42:02I've gone through tragedy and survived to be a strong young person that does my own fact finding to make my own decisions and has the strength and knowledge to be able to stand on my own two feet.
42:12I feel safe after experiencing the outcome of Erica's sentencing, knowing that the world will be one person safer for at least a few decades.
42:20My father and I both know the tragedy she has caused and there's still a lot to be told.
42:26I would like for her daughter to know that Ashley loved her very much. In fact, Ashley died fighting to be with her.
42:37She lost her life because she loved her daughter so much.
42:40If you are being abused, there is help. No matter how many times that person threatens you and tells you that no one will be there for you, there are people who will be and please reach out. Don't stay silent.
43:01Because those who remain silent are those who lose their lives.
43:11Erica Stefanko was sentenced to life in prison. She is appealing her conviction. Chad Cobb will remain behind bars for the rest of his life.
43:20Some of Ashley's friends now work to keep her legacy alive by providing help for those suffering from domestic violence.
43:27If you're a victim of abuse, we urge you to contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline. It's completely confidential and they can help you find a way to safety.
43:36I'm Tamron Hall. Thank you for watching Someone They Knew.