Nursing Student Killed by Fellow Peer?! What Happened to Haley Anderson?
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of True Crime with Kendall Rae. Thank you so much, as always, for joining me today. And if you're new to the show, welcome. So happy to have you. I just wanted to quickly have a little sappy moment because I'm a sappy girly. And last night I was sitting on our back deck and just enjoying the sunset and really reflecting on how grateful I am to be able to be a part of this.

to be able to do what I do for a living. And that is because of all of you. And whether you watch the show on YouTube or you listen via Spotify or Apple Podcasts or something else like that, or you watch on Facebook or you watch on Snapchat, I just wanted to tell you how much I truly appreciate you. And I know that some of you have been with me for a long time. I started my show, well, not

It's developed a lot. But when I used to do makeup and reviews and story times, I started all of that in summer of 2012, I'm pretty sure. Yeah, like August 2nd, 2012. And I just cannot believe how long I've been able to do this and what it's grown into. And I'm so, so beyond grateful to have such a supportive audience. I mean, your guys' comments every week just...

are so kind, so encouraging, and inspire me to continue doing the work that I'm doing that is not only very enjoyable for me, it feels very rewarding, and I feel like I'm doing meaningful work. And I don't, you know, take it for granted that that is all because of all of you. And I just...

Wanted to truly, truly from the bottom of my heart say thank you. And also, I do realize that things have changed a lot since 2012 and that nowadays there is so much content available online. There's so many amazing content creators, especially in the true crime space. And the fact that you choose to spend time with me just means the world. And again, I'm just truly, I'm so, so thankful and grateful. And sometimes I just cannot believe I get to do this. It's just...

I mean, I don't even know how to put it into words. It's a blessing beyond anything I'd ever thought my life would be. And to be honest, I never really thought that I was going to do much in my life. I mean...

I had learning disabilities growing up. I had a very low self-esteem. I've always... I always considered myself to be very unintelligent because I had, you know, special education throughout school and I just never really had any confidence in myself to do anything important in the world. And I just...

Sometimes I have to pinch myself that I am able to do what I do and reach so many people and that people want to hear me talk. And I just, I'm going on and on and on now, but thank you. That's my bottom line is thank you. But getting into today's case, oh God, I just got to say, I mean, I feel like I say this pretty much every week, but this one absolutely infuriated me. I mean, they really all do. But this is another one of those cases that say, if I can't have her, no one can situation. And they

It's so unnecessary that it's hard to put into words just how...

frustrating it is to research these types of cases and think about how preventable they were and how unnecessary. And I know that you guys feel the same about these types of cases. Today, I'm going to be telling you about Haley Anderson and how she was murdered, senselessly murdered for absolutely no reason beyond a man's selfish insecurities and need for control. And yeah, just

basically being like, well, if she doesn't want me, then no one else can have her. And Haley was such a beautiful young woman who was really just starting out in life. She was not only just beautiful on the outside, but beautiful on the inside. She was truly a wonderful person who had a lot of friends. And there's a reason for that, because from what I understand about her, she seemed to be so enjoyable to be around and kind and fun and just had such a great personality. And

And her killer is a literal idiot. In my opinion, he's a demon, really, and has no remorse. So, yeah, it just pisses me off, and I think you guys are going to feel the same. Let's go ahead and jump into Haley's story. Haley Anderson was born on May 9, 1995, in the Long Island village, Westbury, New York, to her parents, Karen and Gordon, on the 9th of May, 1995.

alongside her one younger sister named Maddie. And I thought this was a fun little detail. Her mom actually gave birth to her right on her due date, which is very rare. If I'm not mistaken, I think 10% of babies are actually born on their due date. And I thought that was kind of a fun detail. And her mother, Karen, says that she feels that it was very rare

fitting to Haley's personality that she was born exactly when she was supposed to be. And from a young age, Haley was always a very tenacious person, and really in anything she took on, she did the absolute best of her capability and brought passion into all that she did. And that's from sports to friendships and academics, and she truly just excelled no matter what it was. She was also a very high-energy person too, very rambunctious, so...

I imagine that's why she was able to do so much. Her mom says that she was a super curious kid and that she had a very strong passion for learning. And after you heard that, I'm sure you won't be surprised that Haley was a straight-A student.

and loved by her teachers and everyone in the school, and she was on every honor roll that her school had to offer. And while other high schoolers were out partying and getting into trouble, Haley was not. She would much rather hang out with her friends and make pizza or make YouTube videos. And another thing about Haley that you should know is she was very self-sufficient and

And she definitely did, you know, lean on her friends and family, but she, at the end of the day, was more than capable and confident in herself to do things on her own. Which is actually something that her friends say that she got from her mother, Karen. When Haley was 14, her parents got divorced and...

As you can imagine, it wasn't easy on her. I mean, it really never is, right? But through that, there was a lot that she learned from her mom, including some of that independence. Karen was an amazing role model for both of her daughters, and I just loved hearing the way that she speaks about Haley. You can just truly feel how proud she is when you see her speak about her daughter, and it's

truly so beautiful to see. And in my opinion, I think she should also be very proud of herself. I mean, she raised a kind, thoughtful, hardworking, and selfless person who effortlessly brought joy to everyone around her. And Karen describes Haley as a millennial hippie. I loved that because of how free-spirited she was and how carefree she was. And that's one of the many things that she admired the most about her. And to give you an idea of Haley's state of mind,

There was one time that a friend remembers that she asked her what it feels like to be depressed. And I love that for her. She felt like she had never experienced depression. Obviously, she was younger. But I can sense just by hearing about the way that she conducted herself and the happy mindset that she had that happy and carefree was really like her defiance.

default emotion. And what a beautiful way to go through life. And I'm very happy that the years that she was on this planet, that she was very happy, loved, and seemingly very fulfilled. And it seems like friendship and making friends just came naturally to Haley. And I think that's really amazing that her life was filled with so many happy memories with people that she loved and people who loved her back. Haley also loved the show Friends, which I know

so many people love that show, and I read that she would put it on and quote every episode line by line. And so based on the way that I've described her, maybe you guys can take a quick guess about what career Haley wanted to get into. Someone who is incredibly hardworking, driven, personable, kind. Well, Haley wanted to be a nurse. And as soon as I read that Haley was in a nursing program, I was like, okay, yeah, that definitely checks out. In

In the summer of 2012, she and her mom were touring colleges. And as soon as Haley stepped onto the Binghamton University campus, that was it for her. And despite it being a more difficult school to get into, Haley obviously had no problem being accepted. Now, BU is a SUNY school, aka a State University of New York. And it's pretty common for kids who grew up on Long Island to go to one of these schools. So...

When that was the one that Haley chose, it definitely made sense to her friends and family, and they were super excited for her. And what was especially nice about it and very appealing to her is that it was only a few hours away from home, and it was a really fun college town too, which was really something that Haley wanted,

I mean, for as academically driven as she was, she was also excited about the college experience, getting to meet new people and learn more about herself. And part of learning about herself was figuring out what she wanted to do. And she initially didn't start in nursing, but as soon as she realized that that was what she wanted to do, it was just like a no-brainer for her. Because nursing combined her passion for learning with her passion for helping others and, you know, being around other people. And as you'll hear me explain...

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And so in her junior year, she applied for the Decker School of Nursing. And as you can imagine, she was super excited when she got accepted. And she did really well in this program. And in the summer of 2017, she even got a great internship at Northwell Health, where she was expected to accept a job upon graduating and passing her board exams.

But in order to graduate, Haley would have to do a fifth year in school, which honestly wasn't an issue for her at all. She was really loving college. She even had a little job at the cafe in the library and was really thriving. So who wouldn't want one more year of that? And

Not to mention, she also had a great group of friends, and her social life was really thriving. And among the people that she enjoyed spending her time with was this guy named Kevin. And Kevin and Haley first met a few years into college, and they really hit it off right away. He was also a Long Island kid, and the two of them seemed to have a lot of fun together. Their friends say that Kevin was similar to Haley in a lot of ways, and it made their relationship...

just an easy one. He was sweet, he was kind, and much like Haley, he was always down to have a good time. And another thing that her friends say really made their relationship work was the fact that Kevin was more than happy to just let Haley be Haley. He didn't try to change anything about her, and he knew that she was more of a free-spirited person. And one major thing that he understood was that

as graduation was slowly approaching, Haley wasn't sure if she wanted to be in a committed relationship. And as I mentioned just a couple of minutes ago, traveling was something that Haley really wanted to do, and ultimately Haley's dream was to move to California and buy a hippie van and then become a travel nurse. She wanted the freedom and flexibility of being on the road, and she didn't necessarily want to be tied down to any one person or one place. And she knew that a committed relationship may...

kind of hinder that, right? So her relationship with Kevin ended up being sort of an on-again, off-again relationship that they were just

enjoying their time together and they deeply cared for each other. And even when they were off, they would still, you know, talk, but they weren't always romantically involved with each other and like as committed, if that makes sense. And also, like a lot of college students, Haley was open to the idea of dating around and, you know, seeing what else is out there, who else is out there and not being tied down to just one person, which I think is very mature.

And that, unfortunately, brings me to a guy named Orlando Tercero. And let me just give you a little bit of a background on him. Okay, so...

Orlando was born in Miami, Florida, but he actually grew up in Nicaragua because that is where his family was from. And he, you know, came back to the States for school and to pursue nursing. And his dad, who actually passed away, was a physician. And it's reported that he was looking to follow in his father's footsteps. And it's said that he was a really good student.

He and Haley were both in the Decker School of Nursing, and that is technically how the two of them first met. They were sophomores at the time that they first met, but they didn't become close right away, and it wasn't until her senior year, coincidentally, at a party that Kevin was throwing that

The two of them ran into each other and things just sort of snowballed from there. And that night, Haley actually introduced Orlando to Kevin. And what's interesting is that from that point forward, the three of them became pretty close friends. In fact, Kevin and Orlando hit it off so well that Kevin actually invited him to join his fraternity.

Both of them came from Spanish-speaking backgrounds, and nobody else in the frat spoke Spanish, so Kevin thought that Orlando would be a good addition and someone that he could get close with. And for some context, during this time, Haley and Kevin were still in

in their on and off again cycle, but for the most part, everything was pretty normal. That is until they were in an off cycle, and Orlando saw this as his opportunity to pursue Haley. And like I said, Haley was open to seeing new people. So when things with Orlando started to become more romantic, she was open to it. However, and I can't stress this enough, the

The two of them were never a couple. I mean, did they really like each other? Yes. Did they spend a lot of time together? Definitely. However, he was never her boyfriend. And just like her situation with Kevin, her situation with Orlando was kind of on again, off again as well. And when the fraternity found out, it was not good. They were pissed. I mean, he essentially broke up.

you know, bro code by dating his fraternity brother's ex. And I say dating very lightly, and I also say ex lightly too, because Kevin was still in the picture to some degree. Either way, though, when those guys found out about this, Orlando ended up being kicked out of the frat, which he ultimately decided to use as an opportunity to manipulate Haley into getting closer with him.

I guess he threatened to take his own life because of getting kicked out of the frat, which is just insane on so many levels, and made her feel guilty for what happened. And he was just, you know, that type of person. We all know him, who can make a sob story out of anything. And being the kind-hearted person that Haley was, she felt bad for him. So it really ended up just...

drawing the two of them closer together. And before things got really bad, which we will get to, the two of them seemed to be happy with what they were doing. Now, Orlando has been described as being the, you know, life of the party, and his energy did, at least in those moments, seem like a good match to Haley's, even if it was on and off. But there was one underlying problem. Orlando wanted more from her.

Unlike Kevin, who seemed to just understand and respect that Haley did best when she wasn't tied down. And eventually, Haley decided that she only wanted to be off with Orlando. Just friends. But of course, Orlando did not like that at all.

And almost immediately, he began stalking outside of Haley's house, showing up at her and her roommate's door unannounced. Sometimes he would even be super creepy and just sit on their porch and smoke a cigarette. He constantly needed to know what Haley was doing, who she was with.

and when she was going to be home. And I think we can all agree this is major red flag behavior. And one of her super close friends and roommates, Josie, said that she would often be the one to tell Orlando that he needed to leave Haley alone. But the dude was absolutely incessant. I mean, he was just fixated on Haley in every way. Obsessed with her, truly, in my opinion. And Josie thinks that...

he was worried that Haley was seeing someone else and at that point became extremely possessive over her, which is something we often see, especially with insecure people like this, even if they are not, you know, their ex is not dating someone else, which I shouldn't even say ex here because they were never dating. But if they get an idea that they might be with someone else or might want to be with someone else, they just cannot handle it. They get so jealous and

bad things can happen if it's the type of person who can't control those emotions. And so if he hadn't already crossed the line by stalking her the way that he did, get this. On September 15th, 2017,

Orlando and his roommates were throwing this party at their house, which Haley and her friends ended up going to. However, this was not a fun night for anyone because during that party, Orlando found out that Haley was back on with Kevin and he absolutely freaked out on her. He ended up confronting her in front of everyone.

which turned into him shouting and causing a big scene at this party. And it seems like he must have gotten embarrassed after this, you know, embarrassed by his own behavior, because then he tried to remedy the situation by pouring Haley and her friends a couple of shots. But this loser ends up embarrassing himself even more, because he was already super drunk, and when he started taking these shots, he pretty quickly began throwing up. And

And so Haley, being the angel that she is, after everything that he's done to her and the way he's treated her, shouting at her just, you know, very shortly before this, ends up helping him. She got him into bed and made sure that he was okay before she went home. And then when she got home...

he started blowing up her phone because of course he did. And I'm not sure if she responded, but I'm guessing she probably didn't based on what he did next. This loser decides that it would be a good idea to go and slash all four of her tires. Slash them. I mean, how insane is that? And Kevin was actually...

of all people, the one who discovered it. He had actually spent the night at Haley's that same night, and he was the one that realized what had happened when he left her house that next day around 3 p.m. And Haley ended up posting a video of her car on Snapchat to be like, literally, what is my life? And guess what happened after she posted that? Orlando's dumbass texted her, thinking he's being real slick, saying that his tires were slashed too. And this dummy really thought this would, like, further prove that

He didn't do it, and he even went as far as sending her a text message that he had sent to his roommates asking if they were the ones

who slashed his tires to, I guess, try and sell his story better, which obviously was a total load of shit. He clearly was the one that slashed Haley's tires and made up this ridiculous story about his tires being slashed too so that he didn't look guilty. But Haley was pretty convinced that he did it because when she told Orlando that she was going to file a police report, he told her, of course, that it wasn't a good idea. Bro, come on. I mean, obviously you think it's a bad idea to report it because you were the one who did it.

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Now, her mom and friends really encouraged her to file it, though, anyway, which she did because getting something like this on record is very important. However, Haley, being such a kind person, wasn't willing to press charges because the damage to her tires was worth about $600 and it would have been considered a felony. And Haley, because she was just such a forgiving person and wanted the best for everybody, even people who had hurt her,

She didn't want Orlando to be kicked out of nursing school. So instead, she told the officer that she would speak with him and just sort of, you know, sort it out on their own rather than pressing charges. And to wrap all this up, Orlando did end up admitting that he was the one who did it, obviously. And he went ahead and paid her cash to replace the tires. And Haley saw this as a genuine gesture on his part. I mean,

The girl was just so, so, so kind to handle the situation with grace the way that she did. She felt like he took responsibility, and because of that, she was willing to forgive him and move on. And it didn't happen right away, but eventually, and I should know against everyone in her life's wishes, she did decide to let him back in. But for the next six months, there was a similar pattern of stalking and possessive behavior, which ultimately

ultimately led to a breaking point. And it all started on the evening of March 7th, 2018. Now, Wednesdays were a very fun night for Haley and her roommates because that was the night of the week that they typically drank wine and played games, which sounds like a total blast to me. And that night they played Pictionary and Taboo, some of my favorites, and then one of Haley's favorite games, which is called Quiplash. I've never actually heard of that, but now I kind of want to check it out.

Anyway, the four of them were living together, and as they always did when the night was over, the girls went into their rooms for bed. And so, by all accounts, this was a very normal Wednesday for Haley. However, when everyone in the house woke up, her roommates noticed that Haley hadn't come out of her room yet and wasn't responding to their texts, and...

You know, to be fair, this didn't concern them at first. This is college. And she typically, I guess, was a very late sleeper. One of her friends said that she loved sleep, which I can very much relate to that. And so they went about their days and didn't think too much of it. And to me, this makes total sense. I mean, Haley was an adult and her friends were just a little bit like, we don't need to know where she is every second of the day. She can have her own space and, you know,

They just weren't concerned right away. So whether she was sleeping or woke up and went somewhere, it didn't feel like a weird enough situation yet to start worrying. But then something very uncharacteristic happened. Haley did not show up for one of her roommate's poetry readings, and Haley was really someone who always showed up for her friend's.

And if she said she was going to be there, she was going to be there. And so that was the moment where her friends knew that something had to be wrong. So what did they do? They tracked her phone on the Find My Friends app, which is something so crucial. I feel like everyone should have an app like that or Life360 and at least have a couple of close friends and family connected.

on there just in case something like this does happen. It's very useful in these cases. And when they looked at the app, it placed her at none other than Orlando's house. And at first, there was a little bit of relief in that, but soon...

That relief turned into fear because by the next morning on March 9th, they realized that it didn't make sense for Haley to be unresponsive for this long. And at first, when they tracked her to Orlando's, they thought maybe she just didn't want them to know that she was there. But by this point, it had just been too long without them hearing from her. And so as the good friends that they were, they decided to go there themselves and just chat.

check it out. And to my knowledge, they only lived just around the corner, so it wasn't that far. But when they got there, nobody answered when they knocked on the door. And so they ended up, because they are such good friends, just climbing through the window because they were that concerned by that point. Her friend Josie hoisted up their other friend, Michelle, through the window. And then she just jumped through it herself from there. And it wasn't long before Michelle let out this

blood-curdling scream because inside Orlando's bed was Haley's naked, lifeless body. And at first, they weren't 100% certain that she was dead because there was no blood, but as soon as they saw how pale she was,

it became clear that their friend was no longer alive. Josie called 911, and when the police arrived, they noted that Haley had bruising around her neck and signs of petechial hemorrhaging. And after speaking with her friends, the officers quickly learned about this on-and-off-again relationship between Haley and Orlando, and of course, they didn't leave out any of the details about their troubling history, which made them even more concerned.

specifically that he had been possessive over her and had been stalking her for months, and very importantly, that the two of them were never boyfriend and girlfriend. And so it really didn't take a seasoned investigator very long to figure out what had happened here. I mean, a perfectly healthy 22-year-old doesn't just die in bed like that, especially when they're in the bed.

of a man who does things like slash their tires. Plus, there were also some major findings in the house that painted a very scary, very sad, but very clear story of what happened. As soon as the search warrant was obtained, investigators made their way through the apartment and they found a bookshelf that looked askew, as well as four hooks screwed into a beam near the kitchen.

and attached to those hooks was a men's tie. And on the ground below were drops of blood and a kitchen chair that had been kicked to the side. And so based on this, it was very clear that someone had attempted to take their life but was unsuccessful. And the blood on the ground was evidence that whoever did this must have fallen and gotten hurt, which was also confirmed by the bloody gauze packaging that they found on the kitchen counter. And if all of that didn't spell out what had happened there...

there was something else. There was a note that was written in Spanish, which translates to, I'm really sorry about this. I never felt I could be capable of doing this. Father, I'll see you soon. I'm sorry this is stupid. I'm sorry. Now, I think we can all put two and two together here and know what happened, that Orlando was responsible for Haley's death, and

This was his apartment, his bedroom, and he was nowhere to be found. In fact, on the morning of March 9th, before Haley's body was even found, Orlando's sister contacted the BU police. Apparently, she had received some concerning texts from her brother, and she wanted someone to check on him.

He said something about being a failure and that he left his car at the JFK airport. And I'm sure you can see where this is going. Well, that morning when officers stopped by his place, nobody answered when they knocked and his car wasn't in the driveway. And because they didn't have any additional information at that point, there was nothing they could do. So fast forward a handful of hours, though, and now they were realizing what those texts were actually all about. And so as soon as it clicked for everyone that Orlando...

might have gone to the airport, this investigation became a race against time and sadly a race that they lost. And I will get to that, but first I want to talk about what Haley's mother is going through during this time. So around 4 p.m. on March 9th, Karen had just got home from school where I'm guessing she worked and she remembers seeing a big black car parked outside of her house.

She saw two men wearing suits inside and got a really weird feeling about the whole thing. So she went inside but kept an eye on the window to try and see what was going on, and to her complete shock, they were there for her. She watched as they took a big gulp of water and then approached her house, and honestly, a lot of what they told her was just a blur. She remembers them saying homicide, Orlando's address, and Haley, but that's it.

They didn't tell her what happened, but it was clear to her immediately that her daughter was no longer alive. And just three days earlier on the 6th, the two of them had talked on the phone, and Haley was so excited that she was going to be getting $400 back from her taxes, and Karen had no way of knowing that this would be the last time that the two of them ever spoke. And Orlando was actually someone that she had met not long before all of this, and she had met him at a Super Bowl party of all places, and

The weight of it, I mean, it's just indescribable. Karen wishes that she would have pushed her daughter to press charges on him back when he slashed her tires. But this is one of those things where it's like, how could anyone have known? And if she had pressed charges, would that have changed the outcome for anything? I don't know. Nobody, I mean, nobody could have guessed that Karen would have pushed her daughter to press charges on him.

that this was going to happen, that he was going to take it this far. And truly the only person at fault here is him. And it just breaks my heart for Karen in these moments. I can't even begin to put myself in her shoes in a moment like that, finding out that

Your precious daughter, who means more to you than anything in the world, is no longer alive at the hands of an angry, possessive, evil man like Orlando. And the first thing that she did, and this breaks my heart, is she called one of her friends because she didn't want to grieve in front of these two strangers. And that's, I guess, when she really let it all out. It was an unimaginable pain, and it was truly felt by everyone, which to me is a

testament to the amount of people that she was able to touch in her 22 short years. The nursing school actually shut down classes for a day, and the university was offering counseling to any students in need. And there just seemed to be a real community-wide effort to come together in mourning and support. And when some of her closest friends found out, they just described going completely numb. I mean, it was hard for them to even wrap their minds around it. And they talk about

feeling like they couldn't even walk or think or really process the news at all. But one thing they knew without a shadow of a doubt is that Orlando was responsible.

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So on March 10th, an autopsy was completed and ultimately confirmed what everyone already had assumed, that Haley had been murdered. And her cause of death was ruled homicide by manual strangulation. And by this point, a full-blown investigation had kicked off. And of course, finding Orlando was their number one priority. And because of that call that his sister had made,

They had a strong feeling that he drove three hours to the JFK airport, but by the time they got there, he was gone. And they learned that he had actually missed a flight to Miami, but soon after that, he boarded a plane to Nicaragua. So he fled. Orlando literally fled the country like the little bitch that he is. And I can imagine that that moment had to just be...

gut-wrenching for investigators. But thankfully, though, it didn't stop them from pursuing justice. In fact, it seemed to push them even more. I mean, Orlando leaving the country was a clear sign of guilt to them. I mean, to anybody, right? And they felt more motivated than ever to take this fucker down. The fact that he strangled Haley in such a violent way and then just left her there was

What a disgusting, despicable person. I mean, there are no words for someone like this, right? Other than evil. To me, he fits the word demon, really. And what's even more despicable and disgusting is that investigators believe, they say it almost looked

as if he staged her body in bed like that, which, you know, can't be confirmed. But the fact that they think that is so disturbing. And a big part of their investigation was just trying to piece all of this together. They had a good idea of how it ended, but how did it all start? Well, thankfully, and I feel like I'm very rarely able to say this, unfortunately,

But the security cameras outside of Orlando's apartments were actually working. Such a relief. And they were right on the side of the house, sort of like above the door, and it captured everything that investigators needed. Starting around 2.30 a.m. on March 8th, Orlando can be seen leaving his house alone,

and returning 45 minutes later with Haley. And they walk inside the house together, but after this, Haley is never seen leaving. Orlando, on the other hand, he comes and goes a bit. And then nearly seven hours later, he can be seen exiting the house, throwing some items away in the garbage, and then driving off. And investigators found a receipt inside his home

That led them to believe that this is when Orlando went to CVS, where he purchased Z-Quil and melatonin. The camera captures him coming home, where he stayed inside for another seven hours. But when he left that time, he didn't leave for long. In fact, he really didn't actually leave at all. He just walked out of his front door and went to the basement door, which I'm guessing could only be accessed from the outside. And it's believed that this is when Orlando was getting the hooks before he attempted to take

And then finally, at 8.22 p.m. on the night of the 8th, he is seen putting suitcases in his car and leaving for the very last time. And it was ultimately confirmed through airport security footage that he went straight to JFK. A camera captured him entering the airport with a gauze-bandaged head, which...

further confirmed that he had attempted to take his own life. And once he landed in Nicaragua, it was later learned that he was picked up at the airport by his mom, who drove them back to their small town. However, the injuries to his head required medical attention, so his mom drove to the larger city of León, where he was receiving treatment for his self-inflicted injuries.

And it was there on March 13th that Nicaraguan authorities arrested him. And it's believed that someone recognized Orlando because the case quickly got international attention.

And the next day, a press conference was held where he could be seen handcuffed with a bandage over his eye. And honestly, his arrest felt a little bit like a miracle because this early on, they weren't sure if Nicaraguan authorities were even looking for him. So before his arrest there, it was a genuine fear that he was about to get away with murder. Because Orlando had dual citizenship in both Nicaragua and the United States,

Technically speaking, Nicaraguan authorities didn't have to do anything. Even though murder is an extraditable offense under a U.S.-Nicaraguan treaty from 1907, neither country has to extradite if they choose not to. So the fact that they arrested him was a really good sign. And in those early days, weeks, and months, U.S. officials, along with the Broome County District Attorney's Office, put in a ton of work to try

to try and get Orlando extradited. And they had confidence that it would happen. I mean, there's obviously a bit of a process to it, but they took all of the steps. They got an arrest warrant signed and an indictment on charges of second-degree murder. And from there, they took all the legal steps possible to try and bring him back. And for a while, like I said, they were under the impression that it was going to happen, but it didn't. In August of 2019, 17 months after her daughter was senselessly taken from her,

Karen got a call from the D.A. explaining that Orlando would not be returning to the U.S. to face his charges, which really devastated her emotionally.

for many different reasons, but mainly because she wanted to come face to face with her daughter's killer. But instead, he was going to be prosecuted in Nicaragua for the charge of femicide. Now, femicide is something I don't believe we've ever discussed on this show. And although it's not recognized in the United States, femicide is defined as the killing of a woman or girl

particularly by a man, on account of her gender. And her loved ones were actually glad to hear that this is what he was being charged with and are actively trying to get that charge brought to the United States. They've started a petition, which I'm going to link for you guys in the show notes of this episode. And please, if you have a free minute, I encourage you to sign it because I agree that femicide should absolutely be a law in the United States. And you know, it's honestly kind of ironic and hilarious to me in a weird way that Orlando tried to

flee to Nicaragua to try and get away with murder, and he ended up in a far worse position. And let me explain why. In the United States, he was facing a second-degree murder charge, which means a maximum sentence of 25 years to life with the possibility of parole. In Nicaragua, he was facing 30 years, no parole, and

and in a prison that is known for inhumane treatment of prisoners. It's called El Chipote, and it's known for essentially being a torture chamber. And just to give you an idea of what this prison is like, and of course, this is just from what I was able to find, some prisoners are kept in the light 24 hours a day, and some are kept only in the dark, which is a torture tactic, of course. Prisoners have had their teeth and toenails ripped off, and they've been shocked with electricity.

and basic human needs like food and water are often withheld. And that's where Orlando was being held leading up to his trial. Haley's loved ones have shared that knowing Orlando was captured was really relieving, but as we hear so often, it just didn't change the facts.

No matter what his outcome was, she would always be gone. There was nothing that could change that. Thankfully, though, his outcome was as harsh as it gets. So let's talk about it. Orlando's trial began on October 1st, 2019. And amazingly, an agreement was made where U.S. officials and witnesses were allowed to testify. And they were actually only given notice of this eight days out. So it was...

kind of a scramble, but they managed to get everything they needed together and they didn't need to go to Nicaragua to do it. They set up a teleconference and essentially live streamed the trial and people in the states were able to testify digitally. And keep in mind also that this is pre-COVID, so the fact that they did this was pretty remarkable and unheard of. And of course, there were some technical difficulties at times, but for the most part,

It ended up working. In total, the prosecution called 17 witnesses to testify, including members of Haley's family, some of her friends, and several investigators. Her mother, Karen, testified first, and she sat beside a translator who helped make sure that the judge knew exactly the type of person that Orlando was. Her friends also talked about their on-and-off situationship and Kevin's

Kevin even took the stand to talk about the tire slashing incident. The pathologist who conducted her autopsy also testified, and he believes that Haley might have been asleep when Orlando began to choke her. Which her death is already so sick and twisted, but that's a whole other level of fucked up, in my opinion. I mean, to decide to kill someone while they are asleep. Potentially, we don't know that for sure, but if that is really the case...

It's like, it's just demented. And thank God the prosecutor on this case was a total badass. The Nicaraguan prosecutor who took this case was a woman, and despite having no connection to Haley, she absolutely kicked ass in her honor. She ultimately argued that Orlando killed her out of jealousy because she reconnected with Kevin, and it really, despite the circumstances, couldn't have gone better. At least for the prosecution. But the defense, on the other hand, oof. Absolutely.

absolute mess. I mean, they called only one witness to the stand and just listen to this. Orlando's defense wasn't that he didn't kill Haley. His defense was that he did, but he was temporarily insane at the time that it happened. And it wasn't because of his mental health that he was insane. It was because of...

alcohol. They basically said that he was so drunk that he became temporarily insane and therefore he should be found not guilty. I've heard a lot of really bad, stupid, quite frankly, arguments from defense teams in the past, but I think this might take the cake as the worst I have ever heard.

In what world is being drunk justification for murder? Like, they really thought that was going to work? Or maybe they just thought it was so hopeless that they didn't even really try and that was the best thing they could come up with? I don't know. But either way, they couldn't even prove what they were trying to argue. And that one witness that I mentioned, it was a psychiatrist who testified that Orlando had no memory of the night Haley died. He said Orlando woke up after drinking and she was just already dead.

But this so-called expert couldn't even verify if this was true and said there's no way of knowing what Orlando's mental state was at the time of the murder. And he also said that there was nothing wrong with his current mental state. So I'm guessing they probably had a lot of regrets about picking this guy to testify. But thankfully, it was great for the prosecution. But even if it felt bad,

like things were going their way. No one really knew how it was going to go in the end because this was so different. And in the U.S., a jury will decide someone's fate, of course. But in Nicaragua, it's just the judge. And they didn't know anything about this woman and what her stance was on crime.

But let me tell you, this woman is a queen. After closing arguments wrapped up, she was kind enough to give Karen the last word. And Karen gave a beautiful, really, really moving speech about her daughter, who she says was and still is her best friend. And she had a really hard time watching the trial, not just because of what happened to her daughter, but because...

Orlando looked like he just did not care. And in my opinion, it looked like he was bored during the whole thing. I truly don't think he understands the gravity of what he did or really has any remorse or empathy for her loved ones and her friends that have to now live the rest of their lives without her and all that he took from Haley. I mean, I just...

don't think he even has the capacity to feel something like that. I mean, this dude has zero empathy. In my opinion, he's like kind of soulless. And thankfully, that judge saw him as the monster that he is. So after a brief 90-minute recess, she came back and handed him a guilty verdict. And in a confident statement, she denounced violence against women, adversely

advocated for equal rights and said that it was in her opinion that Orlando killed Haley because he couldn't accept that she had control over herself. She agreed with the prosecution that Orlando's jealousy and obsession led him to murder, and she was not going to let him get away with it. Her family was advised not to show emotion when the verdict was read, but

Afterwards, there was an overwhelming feeling of relief. This obviously didn't bring her back, but it meant that they could now move on towards healing. And after the verdict, Karen spoke, and when referencing Orlando getting the max penalty, she said, "'Because clearly you will do this again if you do not. I hope that the demons that are inside you that have enabled you to commit such a heinous crime are able to get fixed. Because of you, my daughter will never be able to fill her life to the potential that she had.'"

She will never get to see the age of 49 or 50 or beyond. And two weeks later, Karen got her wish of the maximum penalty. 23-year-old Orlando Tercero was sentenced to 30 years in prison and will have to spend those years in that hellhole of a prison. And this was, again, of course, a huge relief to Haley's loved ones, but it will never change the fact that she's gone. And this is really disappointing, but...

Not totally surprising. We've seen this many times, but Orlando's loved ones don't believe that he did this. They just can't accept it. They don't even think he would be capable of it. And, you know, maybe they never saw that side to him. They didn't want to believe it. They didn't want to believe that they had raised someone who could do this. But it's true. I mean, the evidence doesn't lie. Two people walked into that house and one person walked out and

the person who walked out doesn't deserve to live life freely. In February of 2020, Orlando's defense attorney did try to appeal his conviction and ask that he be re-evaluated by a new psychiatrist who is well-versed in temporary insanity cases. But right off the bat, a panel of three magistrates denied this request. I mean, it's

Pretty hard to believe that a nursing student, of all people, didn't know what he was doing. His attorney also said that Orlando was wrongfully convicted of femicide and that his sentence was too harsh. And this is just so stupid. I can't believe he even said this, but he said that in the U.S., he would have faced a lighter sentence and that that should apply here, but...

It's like, dude, I'm sorry, what? Didn't he flee the country to avoid being caught, and now he wants to play by U.S. rules? All right, makes sense. The magistrates did take some time to deliberate things, but in the end, his conviction was upheld, thankfully. Despite the fact that they wanted to convict him themselves, the Broome County DA was really pleased with this outcome. He said that this was an incredible example of two governments working together,

And it might not have been his first choice, but he was happy to see justice in the end, especially on an international stage. Now, as for what's next, that's a little bit up in the air. There is still a warrant out for Orlando's arrest in the United States. And should he ever step foot on U.S. soil, he will be arrested and charged with second-degree murder, although I...

don't think he's going to do that, right? I mean, how stupid would he be to do that once he gets out of prison there? I mean, there's just, there's no way in my opinion, but I don't know. He is stupid, so maybe he will come back. You never know. However, the U.S. can request to extradite him again when he's released.

But that's also sort of up in the air. Orlando's attorney actually said that doing that would violate double jeopardy laws, but the DA's office disagrees since his original conviction was in a different country. Ultimately, Haley's family can and should be the ones who decide what they want to do when he's released in Nicaragua, and I'm happy that they get to be the ones who make that decision. What happened to Haley Anderson is beyond disturbing. It's, like I said, so unnecessary and just inexcusable and evergreen.

every way. And it blows my mind every time. I swear, no matter how many times I cover these cases, I still can't understand the mindset of someone who thinks that murder is a better option than not getting to be with someone. That logic will just never make sense to me. And I always see you guys in the comments saying the same thing. So I know that you agree and

It's just devastating thinking about the life that Haley has to miss out on. You know, she had so much to offer the world and was going to help so many people and continue on making friends and eventually maybe finding love. And all that is just gone thanks to one person.

greedy, demented sicko. If this hadn't happened to her, I'd like to believe that when she graduated, she would have actually gotten that hippie van that she always wanted and that she would have become a travel nurse. One of her friends described her as a beacon of joy, and I can absolutely see how she would have made the most amazing nurse. And speaking of graduation, a picture of Haley was placed among the students on a chair in

during the Decker School graduation, and her dad actually got on stage and accepted her diploma on her behalf. He said that he wanted to feel a part of her and himself, which I thought was really beautiful. Karen said that graduation day was one of the hardest because this was a day that other students got to begin the rest of their lives, and her daughter never got that chance. It's really heartbreaking to think about, but she was actually planning on throwing her this big graduation party before

Before everything happened, Haley was helping her put together a list of people that she wanted to invite. And so to see all of those students walk across stage, that was...

That was really hard. And like I said earlier, Karen is petitioning to bring the femicide charge to the United States. And again, I really encourage you to sign that. Karen wants Haley's death to have a purpose and helping other women get justice is just one step in that direction. And she also wants women to take red flags more seriously when it comes to their partners, which is something...

Of course, we talk about on this show all the time. There was a lot of information that she didn't know, though, like the extent that Orlando was stalking her daughter. But in hindsight, she wishes she knew more before it was too late. So if you're in a situation where something doesn't feel right or know someone who's in a situation you feel like may not be right, please talk to someone about it. I know how hard it can be and.

You know, we have been talking about this more recently on the show and reading all of your comments about how you were able to get out of a situation or how you are trying to figure out how to. I mean, it is so hard. No one can truly understand what it's like to be in a relationship like this, whether it's just red flags or full on abuse and violence.

Just, I don't think you can understand what that would be like unless you're in that situation yourself. I mean, I certainly can't. And so my heart just truly goes out to all of you who know someone who is or is yourself or has been in your life. I mean, there's just...

It's so, so calm and it's really scary. And of course, I will link some resources in the show notes of this episode for domestic violence. And I'm also going to provide a link to RAINN. I'm sure most of you know what RAINN is, but it's the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. And it's where one of her friends has chosen to volunteer. She says that she hopes she can save at least one person from a situation like Haley's. Her loved ones hope that she is remembered for her

kindness for her sense of humor, as well as the quirky and happy person that she was. Even though her trustworthy nature is ultimately what drew her to Orlando, her mom says that this was one of her best qualities. Karen says that not a single day goes by for her without thinking about her beautiful daughter, and she misses her every single day. And...

God, I don't know if Karen will ever see this, but my heart truly goes out to you and to Haley's father as well and everyone who loved Haley and now has to live life without her. I mean, it's just such a massive loss. ♪

That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode and make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Ray. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then stay safe out there.