The Kidnapping of Le-Zhan Williams
01:01:14 Share

It's summertime and it is officially self-care season. How are you taking care of yourself? Are you working out? Are you eating healthy using that sunscreen that you're supposed to use? Well, whether you're off to the pool, hiking, or traveling this summer, you can bring your microbiomes with you too. That's right.

Seeds DS01 Daily Symbiotic benefits your gut, skin, and heart health with just two capsules a day. I've been really trying to figure out my health journey. I've been telling you guys about this, especially since I'm 30. And one thing I've noticed is that my gut...

I have to make sure that this is all the way together. And Seeds DS01 Daily Symbiotic has been so great for me. Your body is an entire ecosystem and your gut is the central hub for various pathways through your body. And a healthy gut microbiome means benefits for digestion, skin health, heart health and immune system and so much more. And trust me, this is backed by science. A lot of science.

So support your gut this summer with Seeds DS01 Daily Symbiotic. Go to seed.com slash sisters and use code 25 sisters to get 25% off your first month. That's 25% off your first month of Seeds DS01 Daily Symbiotic at seed.com slash sisters code 25.

25 sisters. I love being outside. And when I mean being outside, I mean going to events.

concerts, baseball games, basketball games, anything that you can think of. I love being just in the mix. My family has a tradition of going to the Braves game every single year and I haven't missed a year yet. And this year buying tickets is going to be easier than ever with the Game Time app. I'm using the Game Time app to buy Father's Day Braves tickets for my cousin and for the rest of my family and we'll all get together. And the deals that I see for these seats are a

So much cheaper than they would have been going through any other app or the team website. I can customize my spot. They've got flash deals. And I am so excited about all the MLB games that I will be able to see this year because finally there's something in my budget. You can save up to 60% off when buying last minute tickets for sports, concerts,

comedy theaters, anything that you can get a ticket for. And trust me, it is the lowest price guaranteed. And you know that means a lot to me. And if you find a price that's lower, don't you worry your pretty little head. Game Time will credit you 110% of the difference. Now that is a guarantee that I can work for.

So take the guesswork of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code SISTAS to get $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem with the code SISTAS to get $20 off.

Download the GameTime app today. Last minute tickets, lowest price, guaranteed. What's going on, everybody? I'm Marah. And I'm Tez. And welcome back to Sisters Who Kill.

When you're waiting for justice for a loved one, sometimes the clock is ticking by so slowly. You may even think that nobody cares and everybody has given up on that case. Sometimes you just have to keep the faith and hold out because your justice will come. Our players this week are Daphne Bowden, the victim. LaZon Williams, our victim. Oceanetta Williams, accomplice.

Delores Brown, Latasha's mom and accomplice. And Latasha Brown? Latasha Brown was born on November 4th, 1980 to her mother, Delores Ann Brown. Latasha Brown, who often goes by Tasha, graduated from Hogan High School in Vallejo, California. I looked up the school and it said that it was also a

It was a middle and a high school, and it seemed like it was been one. I don't know how the school systems are in California. She graduated from one of them. Now, most of her childhood is unknown, but we did read in a few articles that she was sexually abused as a child by both a family member and by a neighborhood boy. By the time she was 16 years old, Tasha already had a criminal record, mostly battery charges, and she was even currently dodging a warrant.

Now, LaTosha's mom, Dolores Ann Brown, her mom worked at a Joann's Fabric and Craft store in Beller Plaza. She worked part-time there and worked full-time in a nursing home. She was a member of the Volunteer Police Department, and this was a nice change of pace because actually Dolores grew up a little rough on the streets. She had a few minor misdemeanor charges of theft back in the 70s and 80s. I guess maybe she had...

and wanted to get her life back right. Now, if you were an old lady, you would probably describe LaTosha as real fast.

She was 15 years old and she was running in the circles with like these local teen musicians, one of which was Lathan Williams. Now, this guy Lathan, he was a rapper and he went by Young Lay. And Young Lay was this up and coming Bay Area gangster rapper born in 1975 in the Bay Area. It seemed like his career was really starting to take off.

And in 1995, he actually was in the car with one of his homies and a dude came up with a gun and was trying to rob them or whatever. They speed off, shoots through the glass. He gets hit in the head. When he gets hit in the head, of course, they take him to the hospital. He spends about two weeks in a coma. And then when he comes out of the coma, he was left with a very mild speech impediment and he was going to therapy for that, but it actually didn't really affect his rap. And he was...

up on his feet fairly quickly because by the time 1996 rolled around he was in a position where his career was really getting ready to take off right like he just got signed he was getting ready for his first album to drop on his first album Pac had a feature so like it's looking like that year like it's

You got a pocket on your debut album. That's looking like a really good look. And on top of all of this, to just wrap up how he was planning on 1996 being his year, he got a baby on the way. And his baby mom's name was Daphne Bowden. Daphne Marie Bowden was born on June 27th of 1978 in Vallejo, California. Her mom was Frida Lynn Hayes Bowden.

and she also attended Hogan High School. She did get pregnant as a teen, but she was still determined to finish high school, so she stuck it out and did what she had to do. During this time, she lived with her grandmother, Reva Bowden, which was perfect for her because she was soon going to need help with her baby when he came. Daphne and Latasha, they went to the same school, but they were in different grades.

But ran in the same circle, so they were friendly to each other. Now, Daphne is preparing herself for the birth of her son. And a couple of miles down the street, Latasha is also preparing for the birth of her own son. Latasha tells her mom early in 1996 that she just found out that she was a few months pregnant and the baby was due sometime in May or June.

Her mom, Delores, is like, oh, shit, okay, it's time to be a grandma. Got a grandbaby on the way. We just have to stick it out. There's nothing we can do about it now. Her mom is doing whatever she can to be supportive. She takes her to one prenatal appointment at Kaiser Medical Center. She's just trying to be a supportive mother she can to her pregnant teenage daughter, right?

Of course, people are questioning her. Who's your baby daddy? Want to be all up in her business. When LaTosha's cousin, O'Shanetta, asked who the baby daddy was, LaTosha responds that her baby daddy's name is Rico Sondrafer. Now, we have yet to identify who Rico is. Maybe it was her boyfriend. Maybe it was some dude she fucked around with. But this is the name that she gave her cousin as to who her baby daddy was.

Now, her cousin, Oceanetta, was born somewhere between, like, 1979 and 1980. Her and LaTosha were hella tight, and she also had a bit of a criminal record. So, in 1998, she was convicted of robbery. Now...

Her and her cousin are tight. Whatever. And here it is, April 27th, 1996, and LaTosha goes to her mom and she says, oh my gosh, mom, I am in labor. And of course, her mom grabs things. It's time to go. It's time to go. And she also brings an ultrasound with her. Now,

So the brand of this ultrasound and what type of ultrasound this was has been redacted. But mama had an ultrasound. So they go to the hospital and they're getting ready to have this baby. They're there. She gets examined by the nurse. And this nurse says, Latasha, baby, you aren't pregnant. There's no way that you can be in labor right now because you're not pregnant.

And they're like, what? What do you mean we're not pregnant? Like, there's been a baby. I'm showing. What do you mean? And then comes in a doctor, Dr. Daniel Oliver. And Dr. Daniel Oliver gives the ultrasound. He's like, yeah, baby, you're not pregnant. She's like, but look at me. I look pregnant. And he's like, just because you look pregnant doesn't mean that you are pregnant.

And so Latasha is freaking out at the hospital. She doesn't know what to do. And she's screaming. She's like, where did it go? Like, where did the baby go? Who took my baby? And both Latasha and her mom are visibly upset. Like they're confused. They don't understand what's happening. How could this entire time we be pregnant, but all of a sudden she's not pregnant anymore. How is that even possible? Yeah.

And so the Dr. Tolliver is like, listen, I'm going to tell you something that you probably don't want to hear. There is a psychological condition called pseudosciences. And basically your mind thinks you're pregnant and it makes you like look like you're pregnant. You may even lose your period. You may be thinking that you're pregnant, but you're actually not pregnant.

And they are upset to hear this. They can't believe that you're even saying this. You're telling me that I mentally thought up a pregnancy, so my body moved like it was pregnant? Like, that doesn't even make sense to me. But he's like, it's a rare condition. But it's very possible that's what's happening right now. Dr. Oliver says, listen, the best I can do for you guys in this situation is offer therapy. Offer some type of counseling for both LaTosha and her mama. And once they get home, LaTosha, poor thing, she is...

devastated. She cannot believe. She really truly thought that she had a baby. And it's not like she had a miscarriage and she lost the baby in a way that she could really comprehend. Like she was not pregnant at all. And it seemed like she really thought that she was. And in her mind, what she was thinking is like, this has to be some type of punishment from God. Like, I don't understand how this could possibly happen. All I want is a baby. All I want to do is hold a baby. That's all

I wanted was to have somebody to protect, like somebody should have protected me. And so she gets into this deep depression. Like, mind you, she's like 15 at this time, getting drunk every single day, slipping deeper and deeper into a depression, starting to do really hard drugs. And it's getting pretty...

sad and bleak on her end. Now, jumping back to Daphne and Young Lay, Daphne is actually pregnant and

And Young Lay is actually having an album come out. He was gearing up for his album to drop in June. And a couple months before, on May 15th, 1996, he gets to welcome in his first son, his first child. And Daphne is just so overwhelmed with joy about her time being a mom.

She has everything that she can ask for. Like her baby daddy is doing well. She got a healthy baby boy. She's got a support system like her grandma that's really ready to go 10 toes down and rock with her. Like she's feeling very secure about everything that's happening in her life. And at this time, since she has the baby, he's a little local celebrity. So she's been getting a lot of traction as well. People dropping off gifts,

People just wanted to come by and see the baby. People making sure that she's okay. Things are really looking well for these babies' first couple of moments being welcomed into this world. Meanwhile, Tasha is falling harder and harder after finding out that she's not pregnant. Like, to get so attached to a baby, in her head it was real. And I'm sure it feels like a loss of some sort that probably in her mind is equatable to a miscarriage or something like that. She's really grieving. She's young, too.

She's just a teenager. This is just a lot going on for her right now. Now, I heard that Tasha used to mess around with young Leigh as well. And now here she is, them got Daphne over here pregnant, and they living a happy best life. And what is she left with? Nothing. She starts drinking heavy, only 16 years old.

She's doing the drugs. She tells her cousin, Oceanetta, that she wants to kill Daphne and take the baby. She said, quote, I'm going to kill that bitch, take her baby, and burn that house down. And Oceanetta's like, girl, you are way too high right now. It's May 17th, 1996. LaTosha is in an alcohol and LSD-induced haze. She is sitting on a park bench with her cousin, Oceanetta, and they decide they're going to head on over to Daphne's house.

Now, they both know that she had just given birth just a few weeks ago. And Oceanetta didn't really know Daphne, but Latasha told her that she wanted to visit her and her baby. The girl was like, cool, whatever. I'm with you, cuz. So they roll around to Daphne's grandma's house at 124 Round Street. When they arrive, they just so happen to have a gun on them. They're walking up to the house. A neighbor sees them, and one of the girls says,

had a bag and she looked like she was adjusting things inside of the bag and inside of there was a rope. Now the neighbor got a creepy feeling like she was like when something just tells you something is wrong or that person ain't no good and she was like I got that feeling but you know what she did she minded her black ass business and she kept it moving.

Now, Daphne is home with her grandma, Miss Reva Lee, and her four-week-old baby. And it's about 5 p.m., and Grandma Reva Lee is like, all right, honey, I'm about to go play bingo. I love bingo. I feel like we just said this a couple episodes ago because... Did we? Yes. Somebody else is going to play bingo. I need a bingo night. Now, as she's leaving, she says two black girls come onto her porch, and they ask to see Daphne and her baby. Now...

Grandma really don't know these girls, but Daphne's been getting a lot of visitors to come see this baby. She was like, oh, well, these two seem friendly enough. Go on in the house, girl. Daphne right in there with the baby. I'll see y'all later. I'm headed out. So Daphne comes into the living room with her baby. Latasha and Elsonetta sit on the couch and they chit-chat for a little bit. Now, we're about five minutes into this visit, and Latasha asks if she can go use the bathroom. And when she gets finished...

She gives Daphne a hug, and she tells her that her cousin's about to leave. They're going to head out. Now, Daphne's just sitting there on the couch. She's feeding the baby. And as Latasha goes in for the hug, Oceanetta says that she hears a pop-pop. And as Latasha backs away from Daphne, there is blood all over her chest.

Now Oceanetta is like, what the hell is going on? She starts screaming. She picks up the baby who fell to the floor during all of this. Then Oceanetta says that she sees LaTosha start pouring, she thinks to be nail polish remover all over Daphne. Then she throws something at her and Daphne catches fire. At this point, both LaTosha and Oceanetta are crying and they now have this baby with them and they just run out the house.

While they're running out of the house, a neighbor actually sees them and they couldn't really see them. Right. Like all they could see was that one girl had on a hat. The other girl was tied up with a scarf and they're leaving the house carrying something like really bundled.

The girls leave out of sight, and one of the other neighbors sees that the house is, like, smoking and that it's on fire, so gets their garden hose and tries to start putting out the fire while they're telling people to call 911. The fire captain comes, and when they respond, all the neighbors are like, they're supposed to be, like, a girl. She just had a baby. There's a baby in the house, so y'all need to really go in there and find her. The captain goes into the house. Of course, they find Daphne's body, and they're like,

And very quickly they can determine that she is dead at the scene. And they're looking everywhere they can for the body of this infant. Grandma Reva...

gets a call at bingo and they're like your house is on fire she said my house is on fire they say you gotta come here right now so she runs up to the scene her house is on fire and she's like you gotta help me like my granddaughter's in there we got a baby in there did you find everybody did you find everybody and they're like ma'am we found your granddaughter she is dead we cannot find the baby at all what you can't find the baby's remains what

And how I just left and my granddaughter was alive and just like things just switch too fast, too quickly. I'm just, I just went to go play bingo. Right. When she finds out that they can't find the baby, everybody's confused because where could this baby have gone? Now, LaTosha and Oceanetta, they go to the bus stop and they go and take public transportation to Oceanetta's house. Now they walk into with the baby and her family is like,

Oh my goodness. You had the baby. Let me see the brand new baby. How was the hospital? I can't believe you didn't tell me you were in labor. What? And the family, she basically is like, here's my new son. Gives it to the family. And Oceanetta and LaTosha go upstairs just so they can have a quick cry fest. Change their clothes. Get cleaned up. And come back down. After about an hour, Dolores comes to pick up her child. And LaTosha is there holding a baby. And Dolores is like, okay, let's get in the car. She's like, who baby is that?

And she's like, oh, well, it's a friend's baby. They asked me to hold the baby. So I'm just holding on to the baby. And she's like, OK, well, you're going to have to take that baby back wherever you brought it. OK, wherever you got it, bring it back. And Latasha says, OK, of course, that's what I'll do. I'll get the baby back. And so Dolores is like, great, goes to work. She's at Joanne's.

And Latasha packs up her, her baby, and decides to go to Texas to stay with her grandma in Waco. So the Vallejo Police Sergeant Vic Massinkoff was assigned to investigate the fire. Now, he looks and he's like, okay, looks like the fire most likely started around the sofa in the living room. He doesn't find any flammable liquids, any incendiary devices. And he determined that the only way this fire could have started

It's by arson. Now, he did not find a source of what started this fire, but he did later testify that the ignition source, such as a match, may be completely consumed in a fire and it's sometimes impossible to recover traces of the accelerant. Daphne's body was autopsied by pathologist Arnold Jostelson.

He identified her based on her dental records and recovered two bullet projectiles from inside her skull and one from her spine. He did rule that these gunshot wounds would have been fatal. And he also noted that there was no smoke in her lungs or larynx, which means that she died before the fire ever started. Now, as Vic is investigating this case, he's like, you know what? Maybe the robbery happened.

Where her baby daddy got shot in his head, it's connected to all of this. That was only about 10 months prior to this situation. So he goes and he talks to Lay. And Lay's like, no, I don't think so, man. He's like, it just, it don't feel related. He was like, the way it was set up,

They would have went after me and only me. This was a hit on Daphne and the baby, you know what I mean? Or even just Daphne, because it seemed like the baby ain't really there, so it don't really feel like it's related to this robbery. Now, when Latasha's mom gets home, Latasha and the baby are gone. And Latasha's mom didn't know where either of them were for the next three to four months. Latasha needs to figure out her next move, so her first idea was...

I'm going to go see my grandma down in Waco, Texas. And so she caught a greyhound down there and her grandmother is like, oh my goodness, you're here with the baby. What's the baby's name? And she says the baby's name is Shay Brown. While she's living with her grandmother, things seem to be going well. And then her cousin, Oceanetta, comes to visit. And then LaTosha's grandma had to kick Oceanetta out. She said that she was drinking up all her alcohol and she had to go.

Again, Latasha and the baby are doing pretty okay. And she ends up moving in with her aunt. Now her aunt is her mama's sister. And when she tells her aunt about the baby, she says, my boyfriend was very abusive to me. And when I had the baby, my mom kicked me out. So now I'm here and I had a baby just like naturally. I didn't even go to the hospital. So the baby doesn't even have a birth certificate.

And Latasha's auntie is like, oh, I can help get you a birth certificate. Because, girl, at some point, you have to go and get a birth certificate. Like, your baby has to be documented.

Right. Like, was the baby even getting shot? Right. So here it is. It's October of 1996, and LaTosha calls her mom, says, hey, Mom, I want you to come visit me down here in Texas at your sister's house. And her mom goes. And so I know at some point she saw the baby. And then Dolores goes back home. LaTosha tells her mom, she says, I had this baby here in Texas. This is your grandson. Here's the Texas birth certificate. Right.

to show you that while I was away, I had a baby. And her mom believed her. Of course, then Dolores says, my daughter and my grandson, they need a stable place to stay. You should come back and live with me. And that's exactly what they do. So Dolores, Latasha, and heavy air quotes Shay, live in the same neighborhood, two miles away from the house that they murdered Daphne in.

And he is growing up like a normal kid. He's playing football. LaTosha is loving being a mother. She said that when he was around 11 months and he started calling her mama, she was like...

I felt it. I felt it deep in my core. Like, this was my baby. And I felt like I was doing the right thing. And LaTosha, from all accounts, started getting her life together. They said that she was in classes to become a medical assistant. She had stopped using drugs. She had gone back to church. She got baptized. And in her mind, she's like, I'm being a better person because of my son. My son. My son.

It seems like towards the end of the year, everything starts to become extremely hectic. You have more work, you have more bills, you have more people wondering what you, Santa Claus, is going to get them for Christmas. So why not take one thing off of your plate? Dinner.

And HelloFresh can definitely help with that. HelloFresh is America's number one meal kit, and it has that rating for a reason. This holiday season can be really hectic, so when you're making dinner, you don't have a lot of time. That's when HelloFresh's 15-minute meals come in. They are quick fixes to get you a wholesome meal on the table in less than it takes to get delivery.

Just like always, HelloFresh's ingredients travel from the farm to your door so you know that they're fresh. And everything arrives pre-portioned so you can get right to cooking. I actually use HelloFresh and I love it. I love the fact that it takes the thought out of dinner. I just come home, I pull out my brown bag that has all of my ingredients in it, all the seasonings, everything that I need. I get to jazz it up the way that I want to, but I know what I'm going to have for dinner tomorrow.

every night and it just takes the worry away. Go to HelloFresh.com slash SWK free and use the code SWK free for free breakfast for life. That's right. One breakfast item per box while subscription is active. That's free breakfast for life at HelloFresh.com slash

SWK free with the code SWK free. Thanks again to HelloFresh America's number one meal kit.

Now, all the while, Daphne's family is holding marches in memory of Daphne. They're asking for LaZahn to be returned home safely, just over and over, never giving up hope. Lytton even goes on the Mario show to bring some attention to his son's kidnapping, but no clues came from it. Jessica Knox was the godmother of the baby. She made greeting cards with pictures of LaZahn and information about him to pass out.

Young Lay also released a second album titled Unsolved Mysteries in 1998, and he sampled the interview he gave to Unsolved Mysteries in the intro. Like, whatever he can to continue to bring awareness to the fact that his son is missing. They have not found a body.

Dead or alive, they have no answers as to what has happened to him. Just one day, he was gone. Now, his uncle, Eric E.B. Boland, said that Layton was deeply affected by the murder and the kidnapping. Layton was doing this to raise awareness for his dead girlfriend, his missing child, and how they were trying to build a pipe so that the word could get out.

The police also suspected that the person who took Luzon was the same person who killed Daphne. But after a few weeks with no lead, the search for Luzon scaled down. Luzon's family kept trying to keep his name alive by keeping his story circulating in the paper and on TV, but they weren't so successful. And it wasn't until late 2002, six years after the murder and kidnapping, that the police received an anonymous tip

about Latasha, which connects her to LaZahn. The anonymous tip led police to Dolores' apartment, and she then helped police locate her daughter and Shay. One source mentioned a typewritten note left at an officer's desk with details of what happened to LaZahn. And when they contacted the elementary school he went to, Latasha and LaZahn had disappeared. Mm-hmm.

Then on December 6th of 2002, the police arrest Latasha on the Greyhound bus after they received this tip. The tip led the police straight to Latasha and Oceanetta. And after looking into Latasha, they learned that she didn't have a boy six years ago. Therefore, she cannot be Shae's mother. As a matter of fact, she was never even pregnant six years ago. Now, Latasha and Dolores were arrested on December 6th.

by the Vallejo Police Officer Lee Horton. When the police do stop,

Latasha on this bus, she's with her mom, who was also arrested, and they check her wallet for ID, and they see an ID card for Shay. And when they asked Latasha where Shay is, she said, "On the way to Vegas with one of my friends." Take her in, and they start interrogating her. They found Lazon, and when they found him, they needed to put him in protective custody. They informed Daphne's grandmother about everything that was just developing in this case.

And here it is. You've arrested somebody who lives right there, right down the street, literally two miles away. It's pretty bold, you know. He was able to integrate right into society because he was away for the first couple of years of his life. By the time you come back, you're not a baby anymore. You can just go out and play with the kids and nobody's going to think you're any different than this kid that just popped up.

Because kids move in and out all the time. It's kind of bold, though. It's bold as hell. To sit there in the same neighborhood and come back and raise this child. But I guess she figured the only one who would really know by looking at him is probably his mom. Daphne's grandma was like, they were right under my nose. It's like, when I tell you there's no degrees of one degree of separation between me and this person that has seen me,

These postcards that I put everywhere about this baby walks past him and just says, yeah. And it's not like he was mistreated as a child or anything like that, but he also was not with his parents.

Yeah. When police go and they start interviewing neighbors and they start talking to just the community around, people are obviously shocked. And even the house manager, the apartment manager, was like, I would have never guessed. Like, the kid is fine. He clearly has a house over his head. I see him playing all the time. That's bizarre. They go to Dolores' job at Joanne's and everybody's like, what?

She talks about that baby like she is so proud. Like, she just talks about that baby like any grandmother would. Why would we even suspect that of her? We're so...

Of course, she lost her job, obviously. But the community really was happy because for once they kept Hope alive and they really had a return on that Hope. Police and the FBI did a videotaped interview of LaTosha. And in her interview, she claimed that she couldn't remember anything about Daphne's murder or how she got this baby.

It was a stork. I don't know. She said she didn't remember anything until that point where she was getting on the bus headed to Texas. She said she was looking down at the baby. She then says that Shea was hers, but he did not come out of her body. During this interview, she was given two or three breaks when she said she didn't want to talk anymore.

Now, before Detective Darden left the room, he suggested that Latasha write a letter to Shay explaining the situation to him. He gave her a piece of paper and a pen and he left the room. But instead of writing to Shay, Latasha wrote a letter to God. And the letter read, Dear God, it's me, Margaret. The letter read, God, right now my life is pretty much worthless. I'm sorry that this happened.

I think about all of the beautiful people in my life that I'm going to miss. I think about how sad everybody is or how poor her grandmother felt. Nobody really cares what happens to me and neither do I. I'm truly sorry that this happened. No words can change what was done. But look how many lives were changed by this. Everybody thinks I'm cold and heartless, but only you really know me. All I wanted was to be a mommy and now I never will.

I can imagine how they will beat me in prison and slander my family's name. I know that what happened can't be undone, so now I have to find a way to take full blame so everybody can live happy lives. I tried to say I was alone, but the truth about Oceana being there came out. What do I do? I need your mercy, Lord God. For the rest of my life, I will be away from Shayne.

I know he will never forgive me and hate me. I never wanted that boy to suffer. I pray that I have at least one chance to hug him. I'm so sorry, Lord. Now where do we go from here? I wish I could just wake up and it would all go away, but it won't. My head hurts. My body is tired. I just want to rest. I've never had joy besides Shea, and now I never will. I'm tired of talking. My stomach is aching. I know this is the end for me. Just be with me.

What a letter. Yeah, and you said it with passion. The crazy thing about this is that she really believed everything that she... I personally think that she believed everything that she's saying. You know what I mean? I fully feel the remorse that she's giving in there. I think she was sick and she was depressed and I, like, snapped without any real...

I know she probably thought about it a bit, but I don't think she was in her right mind. She hadn't been in her right mind for some time. She was so out of her right mind that her body was fooled into thinking she was pregnant. And then, like, how do you deal with that grief? Like, it...

She should have been in therapy. Yeah. And then Daphne is just like lost in the story because what she did overwhelms everything that she was going through. She had a couple of jailhouse interviews where she was just talking about like, I just wanted to hold a baby. Like I just needed to hold that baby. And she told people that she had dreams about the time that Daphne died because I feel like Daphne just did not. She didn't do nothing to you.

She really didn't. And she's just saying that she had nightmares about the time that Daphne died and that she remembers having the blood all over her. And I'm sure that haunts you because who wouldn't it haunt? And she said... Psychopath. Yeah, but she believed it. She was like, quote, it may sound crazy, but in my mind...

my life revolved around him. Like, I regret everything that happened, but she doesn't regret that boy. And it's... I think she needed a baby to save her life in that moment. And when she thought she was getting that love or whatever from that baby and it was just snatched away from her, I think it really broke her. And I think she really did...

need a baby. And of course, you can't adopt one because you're fucking 17, 16. And like, she's back against the wall. Everybody's going to tell her she don't need one. Like, she's in this impossible situation, going crazy, dealing with the hormones, her teenage hormones on top of postpartum hormones. Because I feel like if her body faked her into being pregnant, her body probably also had that postpartum effect too. You know what I mean? Very true. And I just...

I she's dealing with a lot but there was no signs of abuse or anything it's she didn't torture that boy or nothing she loved that boy he was none the wiser you know what I mean you just they were just living their lives down the street when sisters who kill began an online store was the furthest thing from our minds I mean

We didn't even know if this podcast was good or not. Now we're selling hats, we're selling sweatshirts, we're selling t-shirts, we're selling rolling papers, and it is so easy. All because we at ShopSistersWhoKill.com use Shopify.

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. From the launch your store online stage to the first real life store stage, all the way to did we just hit a million dollars stage? Shopify is there to help you grow. So whether you're selling sleuthing supplies or marketing mystery merch,

Shopify helps you sell everywhere from their all-in-one e-commerce platform to their in-person POS system. Wherever or whatever you're selling, Shopify has got you covered. Shopify helps you turn browsers into buyers with its internet's best converting checkout up to 36% better compared to other leading commerce platforms. And now you can sell more with less effort thanks to Shopify Magic, your AI-powered platform.

all-star one thing that we really love about shopify is that the analytics are absolutely amazing we love looking at the numbers love seeing who's coming to our page love to see who's purchasing and it just makes us feel like we're really growing as a brand and shopify has everything that we need so that we can make it to the next level shopify powers 10 of all e-commerce in the u.s

And Shopify is the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and millions of other entrepreneurs of every size across 175 countries. Plus, Shopify's extensive help resources are there to support your success every step of the way. Because businesses that grow, grow with Shopify.

Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash sisters, all lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash sisters now to grow your business, no matter what stage you're in. shopify.com slash sisters.

If it is one thing that I really love, it is shopping for jewelry. If I'm buying jewelry for myself or if I'm buying jewelry as a gift for somebody else, I really enjoy the process, but sometimes it can be a

a bit overwhelming. You don't know the cut, the style, and buying jewelry is a very serious purchase. That's why I love shopping with BlueNile.com. Blue Nile offers thousands of independently graded diamonds and fine jewelry at prices significantly lower than retail.

So whether you like a classic bracelet or need a new earring to make your outfit pop, you should try bluenile.com. And if you have any questions about anything that they have on their website, Blue Nile's jewelry experts are on hand 24/7. They're available via phone and via chat. So if you have technical questions about the jewelry, if you're trying to figure out something within your budget, you can know that somebody is on your side to answer everything, making the process easy and enjoyable.

So experience the ease and convenience of shopping Blue Nile, the original online jeweler. Go to BlueNile.com today. That's BlueNile.com. Now that I'm a real adult, I've been really thinking about getting myself together financially. I have subscribed myself to a lot of things, started subscriptions on a free trial, and then I just started paying for things that I haven't been using. I found myself paying for subscriptions sometimes twice.

And I didn't know any of this until I downloaded Rocket Money. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel unwanted subscriptions. It monitors your spending and helps lower your bills so that you can grow your savings. I love Rocket Money because I can see all my subscriptions in one place. And if I see something that I don't want to see, I can get Rocket Money to help me cancel it with just a few clicks.

Rocket Money has over 5 million users and has saved members a total of $500 million in canceled subscriptions. That's up to $740 per year when using all of the app's features. Stop wasting your money on things you don't use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to rocketmoney.com slash sistas. That's rocketmoney.com slash S-I-S-T-A-S, rocketmoney.com.

rocketmoney.com slash sisters. From where you murdered my biological mom. I saw an article and they were like, it's like a Greek tragedy. This kid had no idea. And take it like you're six years old. Six years old is when you really start remembering stuff. And so now your core memory is

that your mommy killed your real mommy and now you everything's confused it's a lot it's a lot and if you care about the baby you want to done that DNA testing came back and they found out that yes that was the real baby of Daphne Bolden and Latham Williams and they were able to determine that Latasha was definitely not pregnant and therefore the baby could not be biologically hers they

They were able to catch up with Oceanetta. She was arrested shortly after, and she was homeless at the time that she was arrested. And what's really crazy is if you see the sketches for this case, what the sketch artist made,

Latasha, she is like out. She's got this asymmetrical bob going on. And Oceanetta, they have her with a hoodie on and a scarf wrapped around her neck. And all you can see are her eyes. And then when you see that sketch and you see her real picture, them eyes match up perfectly. It's crazy because I don't think I'd be able to describe somebody that well. Yeah, I don't think I could describe in that detail either.

Like, I don't know, they were round, but not so round. I think her lashes were long. I don't know. Like, I just got a quick glance at her. I just know she existed. So, Oceanetta, she decides that she is going to plead guilty for voluntary manslaughter. And in exchange for her plea, she needed to testify against her cousin, Latasha.

Dolores was charged with child concealment. She pleaded no contest. She had to serve a year and then she had to pay restitution. In July of 2003, Latasha goes to trial. Her jury consisted of eight women and four men.

Defense attorney was Bill Pendergast, and Latasha's defense was that she was a young woman who desperately wanted to be a mother. And after she learned that her pregnancy wasn't real, she was devastated.

Medical professionals testified that despite what Latasha says, on April 27th of 1966, she was never actually pregnant, but instead suffering from pseudocysis, which led her to believe that she was with child. Her medical condition led her to believe that this child was hers, and her reason was not that she was in a deliberate and premeditated fashion killed this woman.

But she thought that child was hers and reacted in the defense of others means to get her child back. Meaning my baby can't protect himself. So I'm going to have to maybe mother bear it and protect my baby. And somebody's got my baby and I've got to get my baby back. They also read Latasha's letter to God out loud in court.

OCN had testified about LaTosha telling her a week prior to the murder that she wanted to, quote, kill Daphne, take her baby and burn the house down. She also testified that she was with LaTosha when she killed Daphne. And she said that she shot Daphne, took the baby.

and started a fire in the house. And then continues to tell about how they left afterwards and got on a bus to her house. Daphne's grandma also testified that she let in two African-American girls, and about five minutes later, she left for Bingo. It's crazy how you think you're not going to get caught. They played the unsolved mysteries of this twice. They ran this back twice, and you were right over there. That's crazy.

That's crazy it took so long to catch you. And I think she said that at one point she was like, day after day, it just got easier and easier. I didn't get caught. And she was like, oh my gosh.

This baby was meant for me. I don't know. So the prosecution claims that LaTosha was this just jealous ex-girlfriend of Latham Williams and that Daphne had Latham's baby. She wanted Latham's baby. And so she decided to take it, which also that doesn't make sense. It's a very shaky ground for me because A, she told her cousin that it was some other dude. B, she wasn't in a relationship and he actively knew that he was about to have two baby mamas at once. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.

If you wanted his baby, he would have known that he had a baby by you this whole time he was pregnant, right? Especially if you up and coming. Prosecutors were saying that she was jealous of Daphne. And because she was jealous of Daphne, she wanted to kill her and she wanted to take the baby for herself. Now, the jury consisted of eight women and four men, like Tazzy said. And it really is a which way are you going to lean here? The trial lasted an entire week.

And the jury came out after eight hours of deliberation, and they found Latasha guilty of murder, kidnapping, plus an enhancement for using a firearm.

Like we said, Dolores, her mom only got a year and had to pay restitution. Oceanetta got 13 years and eight months for her testimony against her cousin. And Latasha was given 37 years. Since they were minors when the crime took place, like she's automatically not going to be eligible for the death penalty.

But that was pretty much the maximum they could give her for a crime that she did as a minor. Now, Latasha does try to appeal her conviction. And she says that, first of all, the video statements should have been suppressed because she wasn't read her Miranda rights. But at the time, you still give them away freely. You weren't under arrest, but you were still talking. Girl, that's why you should have been... You stupid and young and you should have...

had a lawyer. She says that she was coerced because they were, I was telling them I was a Christian and they were telling me, oh, well, if you're a Christian, then you should be able to tell us what happened and you shouldn't be lying and all of these other things. So you're using my religious beliefs against me. And because of that, my sentence should be reversed. And the trial court was like, nope, good try. Yeah. And that's what she was trying to say. She was like, I wasn't Mirandas. And they were like, but at the time you weren't under arrest. We just brought you down to the station.

And then they say because LaTosha, during those interviews, that she had no memory. Remember, Tassie said she had no memory. She looked down and there was a baby. So she didn't really admit to doing anything.

And you're trying to say that she did. It looked like she got good lawyers for her appeal. And the fact that the letter was read, they said that it was an act of coercion, again, to read that letter out in trial. She also appealed her sentencing. She said that the court really erred in the fact that they were imposing an eight-year sentence for the kidnapping to run consecutively with her 25-to-life sentence because these were two different crimes, there were two different victims, and therefore she should be sentenced differently. And again, her appeal was denied.

In 2009, Dolores had to pay this fine. Now, she proposed a specific payment plan of $100 a month for 21 months, which was accepted by the court. But instead of making these payments in 2010, Dolores filed a motion to waive her restitution payments altogether. That request was denied. In February of this year, LaTosha Brown was named in a lawsuit against the Vallejo Police Department.

The suit was brought against the police department on behalf of Tremaine Dion Carroll. The suit claims that Tremaine, LaTosha, and some other inmates are victims of sexual assault at the hands of the Vallejo Police Department, particularly Warden Mike Polaris, former Officer Rodriguez, Sergeant Contreras, and a few others who weren't named. As a result of the sexual assault, LaTosha got pregnant from it. Now, LaTosha didn't sign the suit herself,

So if she wants justice, the courts are claiming that she will have to bring forth her own suit. This claim was later dismissed because a failure to state a claim would lead to a mint. According to her writeaprisoner.com profile as of this year, she's 42 years old. She enjoys writing, taking long walks, reading, cooking, and dancing.

She says that she likes to make art, including poetry, and considers herself to be a thoughtful, considerate, funny, and ambitious person. She also says that she is a great listener. And that is the story of the kidnapping of LaZahn. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Have you ever started off on a path and you're feeling really good about it and all of a sudden you start doubting yourself and you can't figure out why?

Sometimes it feels like your brain is getting in your own way, like you know what you should do and you know what's good for you, but you just can't do it. Try therapy so you can start working for yourself instead of against yourself. I've tried therapy and it's been really great for me to...

Figure out things that I've been ignoring that are hindering me from my growth. Every day I strive to be better. I want to be more than I was the year before and therapy really keeps me accountable and helps me figure my stuff out. If you're thinking about starting therapy, you should give BetterHelp a try.

It's entirely online. It's designed to be convenient, flexible. It's designed to suit your schedule. You can go into BetterHelp, fill out a brief questionnaire, then you'll get matched to a therapist. You can change a therapist at any time, and you can start making your brain your friend. Make your brain your friend with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash SWK today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp.com.

All right, y'all. It's time for...

I didn't do it, but if I did, this is how I would have got away with it. I didn't do it, but if I did, for OC and Netta, or a general rule, when people start just joking to you about murder, they probably are thinking about doing it. So you're telling me you was going over there and you had no idea what was about to go down? Yeah, I went over there with, like, a bag of rope and all of this stuff. I'm being lenient with LaTosha because there was something psychological going on. OC and Netta had plenty of opportunities, right?

To stop it, to say, hey, girl, you tripping a little bit. She was literally there every step of the way and at no point said no, just kept riding along. Girl, you crazy, still doing it. I ain't do it, but if I did, I don't understand why Daphne had to die. You could have at least tried to kidnap the baby at night. Then it would have been two people in that house. All Grandma Rivoli got to do is pull out her gun and... It's a wrap. But I also don't feel like...

Like, you say she didn't have to die. I didn't think she had to burn down a house. Because, like, first Reva Lee...

gotta come home to her granddaughter dead, her great-grandson missing, but also she don't got a home no more either? I don't know. I don't know about this one. I ain't do it, but if I did, girl... It's a whole, whole lot. If I was her mama, I probably would have immediately got rid of all the baby stuff in the house. Like, immediately. I know her ass was probably sitting around there looking at empty baby carriages and empty baby bassinets and go to that counseling that the doctor told you to, but obviously that's assuming that you can afford to. I feel like...

postpartum counseling should be free. Like, it's just one of those things. They give you this health care so that you can have the baby, and as soon as you have the baby, they're like, there you go, and you're off, and you just have to figure it the fuck out. Yeah, I don't have a lot to say about this. She definitely got away with it for some time. I am curious as to who the anonymous source is, and, like, how long did the anonymous source know? Because it seems like they had a lot of details. Part of me wondered if it was Oceanetta or...

Part of me, I felt like maybe she couldn't live with it anymore, but I think she feels like a sense of loyalty to her cousin. I just don't know. She was probably like day by day. I'm looking at these misupposers. It couldn't have been her. You would make a trade that's going to surely put you in prison when you're, maybe when you're homeless. Maybe you will. I don't know. Maybe you will. Why couldn't it?

But shoot, I just go for another burglary charge or something. I was finna say. Housing. I think maybe it was one of her family members. Maybe her auntie. Me too. I'm thinking a family member. Or like, yeah, somebody who thought something wasn't right and they finally pieced it together. Was like, I'm gonna get a police this and they gonna do what they can with it. But something. Somebody done let something slip. And that's the craziest part about it is they really got away with it. If it wasn't for this tip...

LaZon would still be being raised by LaTosha. Parole or no parole? I'll parole her. But she has to be getting help, like psychiatric help. Yeah. And she has to keep it up. And she's still got a lot of years. And it's probably another whirlwind for her, right? Because it's like, I thought I would never have this chance again. Then this

terrible thing happens to her that blesses her with the thing that she's always wanted and it's just like makes feelings and then still you don't get to have your baby it's too much she definitely got dealt a rough hand it was just a matter of circumstance let's go ahead wrap this show up read some reviews and go home

If you want to leave us a review, you can. Please leave us a five-star in written review wherever you are able, wherever you're listening right now. It means so much to us. If you've made it all the way to the end of this show and you've decided that you don't like it, listen, you made it to the end of the show. You might as well just turn it off now and never speak of it again. No need to write a review. Let's go ahead and read some so we can get out of here. I have one from Anaya.com.

She says,

Hey, girl, when I listen to this podcast, it feels like I'm listening to my two favorite aunties talk shit, LOL. Keep up the good work. Lots of love from Ohio. I was like, how? When I was reading it, I was like, okay. And then when I got to the auntie's part, I said, hold on. Somebody said, there was no mistake. Somebody put on Facebook that one of the students called him OG on the yard. I said, oh. That auntie stunk a little bit. We there. We there.

Happy birthday, Tazzy. If you're listening to this episode, Taz is at her birthday. And you're 30. Quite know how to take that, okay? Yeah, as of, yeah, 30. So that auntie really stunk. So yeah, as of Thursday, November the 2nd, all you perpetrators, November the 2nd, for y'all who don't know who I'm talking about, all last week, the discussion group was flooded with people like,

Oh, it's Taz's birthday. We have the same birthday. And it must have been about 500 people telling me happy birthday. Yeah.

To the point where my family members start reaching out and texting me, happy birthday. And I'm like, what? Mariah's texting me, apparently it's your birthday. And I'm like, apparently it is. What is happening? Everybody on Facebook talking about it's my birthday. That's right. I get it. Y'all are more excited than I am. Scorpio season has started. But Thursday is the day. And I'm real grown. So I deserve a real grown drink. So send it on over. So if you...

Trying to buy me a real grown drink or send me a little something for my birthday because I saw y'all asking in the discussion group. You can cash at me at money sign. Tassie needs money. That's T-A-S-H. Last year, I made you make that cash app because the other one has your real name on it. Why didn't you just change the name on your real one? Because the cash thing also has my initials in it. Oh, yeah. Don't nobody get to know. It's K-R-S-H.

Yeah. They can be like, K.R., we've got the first clue. Wow, a birthday gift just for us. Scorpio season is magical. Okay, so this one says, good afternoon. I love the podcast. I've been a true crime junkie since 2018 and quickly got tired of the white. Girl. Okay, the show is over. Go to work. Go do what you got to do.

Listen. I'd have robbed somebody of a chance. Oh, this one's great. This one says, love this podcast. Okay. Thank you. She gonna be like, they robbed her of you twice. All right, take us out, bro. Wonderful. The show is over. If you'd like to keep up with us, you can. Follow us on Twitter, Sisters Who Kill. Follow us on Instagram, Sisters Who Kill Pod. Follow us on TikTok, Sisters Who Kill Podcast. Follow us on...

Facebook. There's a public Facebook page. Make sure wherever you're listening, you're following us there so you can instantly get like a... Sisters Who Kill has posted a new podcast. Press play.

And if you want to, you can join the private discussion group where people get Taz's birthday wrong, but sometimes are still a lot of fun. Sisters Who Kill podcast discussion group. Money sign, Tazzy wants money. Tazzy needs money. Money sign, Tazzy needs money for my best friend turning 30. I'm so excited. We're recording this before her birthday, and I have been holding onto your gift for quite a while, and I'm so excited for you to get it. Thank you.

He called me maybe two months ago like, I got your birthday present and I'm going to try and keep it a secret. I have been doing so. And I have it still packaged because I know how much you like unboxing things. So I put a box in a box. You're going to have a good time. So. Lovely. Other than that, friend. Anything else, friend? Talk to you soon. Talk back. Bye.