A young woman cosies up with her new boyfriend at his remote cabin but has no idea who he really is or what he's done. When he reveals his violent side, she must dig deep in the hopes of surviving every hellish scenario he throws at her.
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00:00Hey Township is a remote area.
00:08We have quite a few cabins that are seasonal.
00:13It was a requirement for Cindy to live in the middle of nowhere and she liked that about
00:18being in the cabin.
00:24It was just the two of them up there.
00:27It's a very isolated area.
00:29Nobody would see a thing or hear a thing.
00:32He kept putting the gun on me on my face and asked me if I could feel it.
00:39There was a freshly dug hole.
00:42There was a can of gas.
00:43So in my mind his intention would have been to kill her, burn her, bury her and try to
00:50obliterate or destroy any evidence.
00:54She was not going to die in the cabin.
00:57She was not going to let that be the end of her story.
01:21On Saturday the 19th, I was in the area patrolling.
01:29When Central Dispatch contacted me by radio and advised that a woman had been shot in
01:33the head two times, they said the person that shot the victim, Cynthia Hartman, was currently
01:41driving around and he was in a silver and colored trailblazer.
01:46We located the suspect traveling down the road.
01:49That's when I initiated a traffic stop.
02:00You're obviously being detained because I'm trying to figure out, we got sent to a house
02:05as a report of some female that has been shot.
02:07Okay?
02:08Okay.
02:09I mean, are you willing to talk to me?
02:11There's nothing to talk about.
02:12Well, I got plenty to talk about.
02:14What do you want to ask me?
02:16Several questions.
02:17Where were you coming from right now?
02:19I'm from Hungry House.
02:21Listen, you're not the first person I've ever interviewed.
02:23And when I'm asking you questions, you're showing signs of deception.
02:26And some woman's claiming that you shot her.
02:28And all you can say is, I wanted to go get pizza.
02:32Why is some girl claiming that you shot her?
02:45My sister Cindy was like fearless.
02:49You just, you could not stop her.
02:52She was a fun person to be around.
02:54She was excited.
02:55She would never say no to anything, you know, let's go canoeing.
02:59All right, what day?
03:01She was always adventurous.
03:04I'm the oldest.
03:06Tricia is the next.
03:08She is two years younger than me.
03:10Cindy would be next.
03:11She is three years younger than Tricia.
03:14And then Darcy is the baby.
03:21Growing up wasn't easy for any of us, that's for sure.
03:24It was always a fear of violence.
03:27We had food.
03:28We had a roof.
03:30But it was not a good childhood.
03:37She met her husband, her friend, and they hit it off.
03:41And then they ended up getting married and she got pregnant young.
03:46Cindy had three children.
03:48Her boys were her whole world.
03:51Cindy was her kids' hero.
03:54Cindy was a great mom.
04:04Cindy was 33 and her three boys were in school and she decided to go to college.
04:09Her husband didn't want her to go to college.
04:12Her relationship with her husband was tenuous.
04:16He wasn't encouraging her to follow her dreams.
04:19She said he was being too controlling.
04:21So she decided to leave her husband because it wasn't working.
04:27Their kids weren't staying with their dad at the time.
04:30She was trying to actively get a good future going for her and for her kids.
04:37Things were starting to turn around, starting to look up.
04:41Cindy seemed very happy.
04:42She was in school studying to be a mortician.
04:46In October 2012, she told me she met a man named Sean Cleary.
04:51She needed help with math and Sean was her math tutor.
04:56He seemed really friendly and kind and she wanted to pursue a relationship with him.
05:04She seemed to really care about him.
05:07Taking a lot of interest in like her hobbies and stuff and things that she did.
05:12He said he was in the Army for four years.
05:14I was in the Army.
05:15And I was like, cool, you should ask him what job he had or where he was.
05:21Apparently they hit it off and we're spending a lot of time together.
05:38Cynthia had been staying with Sean Cleary for a couple months at his dad's cabin in
05:46Hay Township.
05:50Hay Township is a remote area.
05:53We have several lakes and rivers.
06:00There are quite a few cabins that are seasonal.
06:05The winters are quite cold here and the vast majority of the time in the winter those cabins
06:12are vacant.
06:18That area is surrounded by miles of forest.
06:21There's not a lot of close neighbors around the cabin.
06:31Cynthia loved living in the woods.
06:33She loved living in northern Michigan at the cabin.
06:38She loved being outdoors, the quiet.
06:45It was a requirement for Cindy to live in the middle of nowhere.
06:49She would say, I don't want to live where I can hear traffic.
06:51I don't want to live where there's people coming in and out of the building next to
06:54me.
06:55She knew she liked that about just being in the cabin.
07:03It was just the two of them up there.
07:08She started getting closer to him.
07:10She started feeling like she was giving more information than he was.
07:13It was a one-sided relationship.
07:17And I think she realized, whatever it is, something's off.
07:23She wasn't sure about continuing to date him.
07:38That morning, Sean Cleary left for work around 3.45 in the morning.
07:42He was a sawmill operator.
07:53They're texting back and forth about whether they're going to continue this relationship.
08:00Sean Cleary texted that she should probably get back together with her husband.
08:07She was definitely distraught over this argument.
08:12She just wanted to clear her mind and figure out what she was going to do.
08:18She already was going to her friend's house to babysit.
08:20So she decided to stay there a few days.
08:29She started to pack all her belongings into her vehicle without telling Sean.
08:54But he came back early.
08:58Instead of going to his place of employment, he returned back to the cabin to speak to
09:01Cynthia.
09:06Sean Cleary observed all her stuff packed in her vehicle, which upset him.
09:14He convinced her, when she was trying to leave, to stay.
09:17They go inside the cabin.
09:19He said, I want to give you a letter that I wrote that expresses how I feel about you
09:26and about us.
09:28And you know, she's always willing to listen.
09:43He said, can you go back in the bedroom?
09:56When Sean Cleary came walking into the bedroom, instead of having a letter in his hand, he
10:03had a rifle.
10:11Sean said to Cynthia, nobody leaves me.
10:29When Sean pointed the gun at her, just the sheer fear that she must have been going through
10:37the disbelief.
10:41He had never done anything like this to her before.
10:45They'd have arguments, just like any couple would have an argument.
10:49But they never got violent, never physical.
10:53Cynthia had no idea of his past.
10:58She didn't realize how much danger she was in.
11:03She didn't know about Penny Doan.
11:19Sean Cleary was 19 years old at the time.
11:23He and Penny Doan had been dating for two years and were engaged for about a year.
11:31But in her mind, things weren't working out.
11:33She wasn't happy.
11:42The relationship was failing, and Penny was honest with Sean about that.
11:50October 8, 2000, it was a Sunday morning.
11:57They'd been arguing, and Penny told Sean that it was over.
12:04Sean was crying, and he was very upset about the breakup.
12:12He wanted to go for a walk with her and discuss the matter, and, of course, she wanted to
12:18appease him.
12:21She believed she owes him at least a conversation.
12:31Sean told Penny, if I can't have you, nobody will have you.
12:40Sean snaps.
12:50Sean attacks Penny.
12:56He stabbed her in the chest.
13:02There's a shed that's back in the woods, and he locks her inside the shed.
13:19This was kind of a sustained assault, a sustained captivity.
13:24This occurred over hours.
13:27Penny really believed she was going to die.
13:34Eventually, she thought she heard a truck leaving, thinking it might be Sean leaving.
13:48She seized that opportunity.
13:50She mustered what little strength she had left, and she was able to get out.
14:02It's a miracle that she survived.
14:09After I arrived on the scene, I recall there was a freshly dug hole next to the shed.
14:14There was a can of gas that I remember seeing.
14:17So in my mind, from what I saw, his intention would have been to kill her, burn her, bury
14:23her, and try to obliterate or destroy any evidence.
14:27Those things kind of burn into your memory.
14:30They're kind of seared in your mind, just like the name, like Sean Cleary.
14:46He met Cynthia a year after he got out of prison.
14:59He was lying about just being in the military.
15:01He was really in jail during that period.
15:04For most people, you would think that would give them an opportunity to reflect, possibly
15:10get rehabilitated, but not Sean.
15:15He came back out and just settled right back into what he'd done before.
15:20Picked another girl, another relationship, and when things didn't go his way, he turned
15:25to violence.
15:26With Penny, he did tell her that if he had had a gun, it would have been much easier.
15:33It would appear that he did take his own advice and obtain a gun to use for the next situation
15:39he ran into with a woman that wanted to break up with him.
15:52After she was shot, Cynthia thought she had died, and it came to her almost as like a
15:59realization that she was getting onto her feet.
16:06She didn't have a chance with him having a gun to be able to defend herself.
16:17He pulled the trigger and shot her again in the head.
16:25Amazingly, she was still alive, and it kind of stunned her.
16:37She's in shock.
16:39She's upset.
16:40She's trying to get away.
16:47Some people give up.
16:52Cynthia Hartman didn't give up, but Sean is larger.
16:59He's stronger.
17:01She's injured.
17:04Sean pressed the gun against her forehead while she just sat there and begging.
17:10She was bleeding from her head.
17:13It was running down her face into her eyes.
17:16Cynthia told Sean that she needed to go to the hospital.
17:20She was afraid that she was going to die from the gunshot wounds.
17:26Sean did not take her to the hospital.
17:30Instead, he said, put your hands together as if you're praying.
17:38That's when he duct-taped her two hands together.
17:49She was begging him and pleading for her life, and then he kept telling her to be quiet
17:55and stop talking, stop talking.
17:59And she continued, even though he was threatening her with a gun.
18:04It's not like a neighborhood or in the suburbs where there's house after house after house.
18:11Unless you're right there at that property, you might not hear somebody scream, and you
18:17might not think that much of it if you did.
18:36When Cynthia tried to scream, Sean began to wrap duct tape around her head, starting at
18:43the top and working the way down.
18:45So not only is she shot, not only is she bleeding, not only is she scared beyond belief, but
18:53now he's potentially going to cut off her air supply by wrapping her head up in duct
18:58tape.
19:01Cindy thought that Sean was trying to suffocate her.
19:04She thought she would suffocate to death, and immediately, of course, he tried and cleared
19:10the duct tape off, but her hands were duct-taped together, so that didn't work.
19:15And she could barely take in any air.
19:21She realized that she had to calm her breathing down in order to survive this.
19:31Once she stopped struggling, he removed the tape from her face, at least her mouth, where
19:36she could breathe.
19:41And then she said, I bet you'll be quiet now.
19:49If you continue to scream, Cynthia, at least in her mind, would believe she's committing
19:54her own death sentence.
19:57So she stopped.
20:00Sean left most of the tape on her face, just where she could breathe but could barely see.
20:07It was hard to distinguish between hours and days, but it was quite a long time where she
20:17just laid on the floor quietly while Sean paced through the residence.
20:25She thought she would die from bleeding out.
20:29I can only imagine it felt like you wanted to end, but you don't want to die, and those
20:33are conflicting thoughts when someone's got you captive.
20:47After a while, Sean clearly returned with some kind of capsules.
20:58Once Sean walked away, she didn't swallow any of the capsules because she was unsure
21:02what they were.
21:03She spit them out, but some of them actually stuck to the duct tape that was on her face.
21:12When Sean returned, he observed the pills that were attached to the duct tape and asked
21:15why she didn't take it.
21:17Cynthia basically told him that he gave her too many that she was unable to swallow.
21:22That upset him that she did not take the medication that he gave her.
21:30She laid there for several more hours, just in the darkness, waiting and trying to figure
21:36out what was going on.
21:39Sandy was stronger than Sean internally, had a lot more willpower, a lot more drive, and
21:46I think that that was part of it, is just thinking, this is up to me to get out, to
21:52still be alive, to beat him.
21:57Cindy was in survival mode, just thinking, how do I get back to my boys?
22:04She was not going to die there in the cabin.
22:06She was not going to let him kill her and be the end of her story.
22:12Eventually Sean clearly comes in the room, picks her up, says, time to go for a ride.
22:20He had no idea where he was taking her or what was going on.
22:25They drove only a short distance and she could discern kind of where they were.
22:31He said, get out of the car, and she's trying to like hop down a hill.
22:40She's falling down.
22:43She realized that due to the incline, she was going towards the river.
22:50He is leading her down from the roadway, down closer to the water.
22:56He said, this all has to end, and at some point she decides, I'm not going to go like
23:02a lamb to slaughter.
23:08She's already been assaulted.
23:10She's already been shot, not once, but twice.
23:16Now he's trying to drown her.
23:23That's when she decided to just stop and drop all her weight.
23:29After a few minutes, Sean said, you must have a guardian angel because I'm unable to kill you.
23:37He still loved her.
23:38In his own way, he loved her.
23:40It's hard to understand that, but that's the only thing that makes any sense, especially
23:46if you'd plan to throw her into the water, because it's a very isolated area.
23:54Nobody would see a thing or hear a thing.
23:59I think that's when it changed in her head, and she's like, oh, my life is still in my
24:03hands, and she's planning to do something about it.
24:17Cynthia Hartman is able to at least temporarily stall his plan to kill her, and they end up
24:27back at the cabin.
24:35At that point in time, his attitude did change.
24:42Sean still kept her bound, had her ankles and her wrists, but he did remove the tape
24:51from her face.
24:55She ends up building rapport, sort of winning him over every now and then.
25:01He started to take care of her.
25:04He was allowing her to eat or drink at this point in time, and then he would also provide
25:09her with Tylenol.
25:12Sean tried to tend to her wounds and help clean her up.
25:17She was shot with a .22 short, so normally people would use that to shoot, like, a squirrel
25:23or a rabbit or some small mammal, which is probably why she didn't die.
25:31And then other times, his demeanor and disposition would change to frightening.
25:39It seems as though his anger waxes and wanes, like he can almost be nice and then he's not.
25:47Just very unstable.
25:49That must have been very tormenting for her, and this goes on not just for minutes or hours,
25:55but this goes on for days.
26:04At different points in time, he would take the rifle and put it on her body and say,
26:10do you want me to shoot you there?
26:12How about here?
26:15How about here?
26:18These aren't idle threats.
26:19She already knows he's violent.
26:21She already knows the trauma that's been done to her.
26:26At any point, her life could end.
26:30I'm sure that would play through your mind over and over.
26:33This is how I'm going to die.
26:35Is anybody going to find me?
26:36Are they going to know how I die?
26:44We had no idea anything was going on.
26:46I hadn't heard from her in a little while, and I texted her and I said, hey, are you
26:51doing okay?
26:52What's going on?
26:54She texted back and she said, yeah, I'm fine, but it just seemed a little weird because
27:02she didn't elaborate and she wouldn't reply to any more texts, and it turned out that
27:06that was him.
27:10That was Sean replying with her phone to my text message.
27:16The way he was manipulating, making her believe at any moment that she was going to die, and
27:23then prolonging that.
27:25It's like if you ever watched a cat with a mouse or a shrew, they'll catch it.
27:32The mouse is not likely to escape, but the cat won't kill it.
27:36It'll bat it.
27:37It'll play with it.
27:38It'll taunt it.
27:39It'll let her crawl a little ways, then it'll drag it back.
27:42Sean is like that cat.
27:44He's just taunting her, keeping her alive, controlling the situation.
27:51She had to have kept a cool head.
27:55She didn't ever test him.
27:57She always just pleaded and begged, and I think that's what filled his ego enough to
28:03keep her alive.
28:05She knew what she had to do because of our abusive childhood.
28:12She's been trained to deal with a person that one minute is very loving and kind, and the
28:20next minute will beat you into submission.
28:27Cindy used those childhood experiences in order to stay alive.
28:40Sean Cleary grabbed the gun and placed the barrel against his chest and ordered Cynthia
28:46Hartman to pull the trigger.
28:49Cynthia was scared.
28:50She didn't know if the gun was loaded.
28:52She was afraid this was a trick.
28:54I mean, it didn't kill her, so who's to say it would kill him?
29:04And she refused to pull the trigger.
29:08At this point, she realized, like, he's either too much of a coward to do what he wanted
29:14to do, or this is just going to keep going.
29:19Nobody's going to come and save her.
29:21It's not a movie.
29:24She was the one that was going to have to pull through this.
29:27She was the one that was going to have to save herself.
29:34At that point, he's already done so many horrible things.
29:38She's already desperate.
29:41She knew that if she was not going to escape this residence, it was eventually going to
29:45kill her.
29:46He's going to go in and take a shower.
29:48She pleads with him, please don't tape my hands up, so he doesn't restrain her as much
29:53as he had before.
29:55She had angled her foot just slightly to where when he taped her ankles, there was enough
30:01gap for her to slide her foot out.
30:04He threatened her and said, don't get rabbit in your blood, to try to convince her not
30:09to run.
30:10And he took the gun with him when he went to the shower.
30:16After five days of torture, it was her moment to get out.
30:25She waited until she heard the shower curtain close and the water turn on.
30:31She knows as soon as she starts to unlock that deadbolt, it's going to make that click,
30:36and Sean's probably going to hear it.
30:38But at this point, she doesn't have a choice.
30:47She ran out and never looked back.
30:52She runs outside, and she can hear Sean coming.
31:01There's not a large population in that geographic area during that time of the year.
31:06She has no idea.
31:07If somebody will notice her, somebody will help her.
31:12She was good at hiding, especially out in the woods.
31:18She ran to a neighbor's barefoot, and she saw something that had a tarp over it.
31:28Cynthia Hartman was terrified that Sean Cleary was going to find her.
31:32She didn't know if Sean had the rifle with him.
31:35She just stayed quiet, and she played the waiting game.
31:40It was just a nightmare, a living nightmare, and this is far from over.
31:59While Cynthia Hartman was hiding at that neighbor's house, she could hear two gentlemen talking
32:03inside the cabin, but she was afraid to make contact with them.
32:11She didn't feel safe at the moment.
32:17Eventually, she could hear Sean Cleary's car leave the dirt road that they lived on, and
32:25she knew he was driving the other way.
32:32Cynthia Hartman then made contact with the gentleman that lives at that residence.
32:39He was able to call 911 to get her some help.
32:48I was about a mile and a half away when the initial call came in.
32:54Within two or three minutes, I was able to locate the suspect vehicle and identify the
33:00driver as Sean Michael Cleary.
33:04Why did some person get shot, and they're blaming you for it?
33:07I have no idea, man.
33:08That's a pretty legitimate question, am I right?
33:10Ask them.
33:11Who's the girl that's down there that's claiming she was shot?
33:16Ask her, man.
33:17I have no idea, man.
33:19Sean Cleary initially denied all allegations, and then while I was trying to figure out
33:24exactly what was happening, radio traffic from my 911 dispatcher came in.
33:38He overheard the radio communications, and he immediately bowed his head.
33:43Some girl just claimed that she was tied up and that she just got away.
33:46That came over the radio, and that brought emotion onto you.
33:49Why would that bring emotion to you?
33:51Wouldn't it bring to you something that you knew or something you didn't do?
33:55And then one of the other police officers approached me during my interview and told
34:01me that Cynthia Hartman identified Sean Cleary as the person responsible for shooting her.
34:06And she knows who he is and the name and date of birth and all that stuff?
34:09Yep.
34:10Pointing out to the right house?
34:11Yep.
34:12Good enough for me.
34:13She was placed in the back of a patrol car and taken to jail.
34:20At that point, I began aiding Sergeant Townsend and securing the scene.
34:27Inside the cabin, I observed there was some blood spatter on the wall that would be consistent
34:34with Ms. Hartman's statement that she was shot.
34:38We also recovered some pieces of duct tape that would have presumably been used to restrain
34:46Ms. Hartman.
34:51Once we had Sean Cleary in custody, Cynthia was able to go to the hospital.
34:57She did have to have further medical treatment.
34:59The bullets were removed.
35:02At least the majority was removed.
35:03Some of the fragments remain in her skull.
35:08Cynthia was quite distraught at the hospital.
35:11She was not sure what was even happening to her.
35:15He kept putting the gun on me, on my face, pointing it at my face and asking if I could
35:21feel it and asking me, just, oh, can we just take a break, please?
35:32Come on, take a break.
35:33Take a break.
35:36Oh, God.
35:39Do you have any questions for us?
35:41Yes, I do.
35:43Neighbor said he has a record.
35:46Does he?
35:47Because I didn't know that.
35:49Yeah, he's got a record, yes.
35:51He does.
36:02The next day, I sat down and interviewed Sean Cleary in reference to the allegations.
36:14I mean, I'm not a monster.
36:17I'm not.
36:19That was a pretty bad mistake, but, you know.
36:21It wasn't a mistake, it was a decision.
36:23Yeah, it was a bad decision.
36:24Well, no, I'm not the monster.
36:27What is the only thing that you really told me so far?
36:30I don't know, what is it?
36:31I'm guilty.
36:32I want to plead guilty.
36:33How do I plead guilty?
36:34I'm telling you right now, I'm guilty.
36:35I have to ask why.
36:37I have to ask what.
36:39I have to ask where, okay?
36:42During the interview, I noticed the complete lack of empathy.
36:45Yeah, I mean, you know what?
36:47I'm not going to be doing this again, man.
36:49Do what?
36:50Do all this trial bull-
36:51I'm not doing it again, man.
36:53I spent years of my life locked up.
36:55And you know I'm going away for the rest of my life.
36:58I'm not sure why Sean came clean.
37:00I don't think it's because he felt bad.
37:03I think he just knew that he was caught.
37:08In January 2014, Sean Cleary pled no contest
37:12to assault with attempt to commit murder.
37:20Cynthia Hartman was able to write down
37:22quite a great impact statement.
37:25She read at his sentencing.
37:28Cynthia talked about the ways that those days in the cabin
37:31changed her entire life.
37:34Everything from when she could see her own sons
37:39to how she took care of herself.
37:42She had health issues and she had PTSD.
37:49Sean Cleary was sentenced to between 30 and 65 years.
37:53And he was 32 at the time.
37:56He turned to Cynthia before he left the court
37:59and said, I'll see you soon.
38:02It's just absolutely sinister.
38:07And all this time Sean is writing her letters
38:10from jail or prison and contacting her.
38:15They were crazy ramblings.
38:18He'd go from it's not your fault
38:20to I can't believe you made me do that.
38:23And then back to it's not even my fault.
38:27It was just someone grasping at straws.
38:35She just wasn't the same person after that.
38:38She was so scared.
38:48I don't think she ever made it out of the cabin.
38:50I don't think she ever made it out of the cabin.
38:52The fearlessness was gone.
38:54The bravery was gone.
39:00She was on several different drugs for the pain
39:04and she was on different antidepressants.
39:10I felt really helpless for her.
39:13It was like everything was against her.
39:20I got a call from my mom
39:22and she could barely get the words out.
39:25Said that Cindy's dead.
39:27And I remember feeling completely crushed by the grief.
39:31Like it was so difficult that I thought it could kill me.
39:38The coroner's report was that she died
39:41from a lethal mixture of prescription medications.
39:47I don't necessarily know that it was an accident.
39:51Part of me hopes and wishes and wants it to be an accident
39:55but part of me knows that she was tired.
40:02A human can only fight for so long.
40:07100% Sean Cleary killed my sister.
40:11He didn't kill her physically, he killed her spirit.
40:15And then four years later, she died.
40:19I will make sure that he spends his entire life in prison.
40:24There will be no doubt.
40:27I think he's a very dangerous man
40:30that should never see the light of day on the outside.
40:34He has something wrong with him in his brain
40:38that makes him pure evil.
40:42He took my sister away.
40:48He took my best friend.
40:53She was witty.
40:56She was fun, but mostly I just really miss her.
41:02Every day I think about her.
41:04It was just my sister, you know.
41:06I couldn't believe it for years.
41:08It still doesn't feel right.
41:12I'm very proud of her.
41:19I just wish she were here to tell her that.