Episode 2: Sororicide
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There's actually a word for the act of a sister killing a sister. It's called "sororicide" comes from the Latin terms for "sister" and "to kill."

Wanda Rudler and her daughter Shauna believed there wasn't a chance in the world that Jill Blackstone could have killed her sister Wendy or their dogs. At least that's what they thought on their way over to Jill's house, where they were headed to go get some things to take to Jill, who was in the hospital. My mom was one of the only people that had a spare key to the house, so naturally it made sense that we would be the ones to go. So I opened up the door and we just walked in.

And all over the house, there were posting notes everywhere of with people's names on everything on the TV on lamps on on clothes. Every room had posting notes of what Jill wanted.

people to take, you know, that this was given to this person, Lynn, or, you know. In the living room, there was a stack of papers, like the deed to the house, really official, important looking things. And there was keys laid out on this table and they all had post-it notes on them saying, you know, this is this paper, this key is to unlock this. What struck me was not one was on Wendy's things, but there was nothing from Wendy. It was all Jill's.

Shawna walked by a desk and saw something laid out in plain sight that gave her the chills. It was a folder labeled Last Will and Testament. And next to the folder was a pink post-it note with Jill's handwriting on it. Only five words. Know this. Wendy was loved.

And I thought, this is really weird. And I started to get a little uncomfortable. And I followed my mom into Jill's bedroom to get her clothes. And I looked down on the floor. There was a like a lazy boy type chair. And I looked down on the floor next to that chair were two lock boxes. And they also had post-its on them saying who to give them to.

And at that point, I'm like, you know what? Like people that are alive and healthy and normal don't label their stuff. Something's really, really wrong. And I told my mom that something's wrong. Like we got to go just get what you need. Let's let's leave. Let's go.

Wanda and Shawna quickly grabbed the clothes and the other items Jill wanted and left the house. As they walked by the garage where Wendy and Izzy died, they paused. The bodies were gone now, the garage was empty, but they couldn't bear to look inside. And they turned away, holding on to each other, as the realization hit them full force. They would never see Wendy Blackstone again. This is Episode 2 of The Blackstone Sisters, and I'm Barbara Schroeder.

Wanda and Shawna didn't know this yet, but because police had been at Jill's house the night before and had also seen those post-it notes that made it look like somebody was planning on dying, they had placed Jill under a suicide watch. Take us to the hospital and describe what it was like when you walked in and saw her. Did you give her the stuff? Oh, yeah. My daughter and I, we had all of her things, and we went to the front of the hospital, and there was a police officer right there. There was police everywhere around the hospital, and we thought, whoa, I wonder what happened here.

And the officer at the desk, he just looked at us and, you know, and there's all kinds of buzz with police everywhere. And so he called his sergeant and the sergeant came down and he talked to us and he wanted to know. I said, well, Jill called me. I'm her friend and this is my daughter and we have her things that she wanted. So he went through and he went through all of the bags. He said, OK. And so we went upstairs and to her room and there were police at her door, right at the door.

And that's when I thought I started getting it. Oh, wait, you know, Wendy's gone. The dogs are gone. Jill's here and there's police everywhere. And I'm looking at Shauna and she's like, just, you know, mom, don't lose it yet. Don't, you know. And so they went through our things again and they smelled our coffees and everything. And, and so they allowed us in and Jill was laying in bed. Hi. Oh, good. I'm so glad you're here. You know, just welcoming and happy. And, and that's what I'm thinking. She's got a, the doctors had to have given her something.

And did you ask her any questions like what happened? Well, no, because she we she just said, OK, you know, I'm glad you got this. Wanda and Shauna only stayed a few minutes with Jill just as they were getting ready to leave. Jill asked them to do her one more favor. Could they please go check on the two surviving dogs, Bruce and Bentley, at the animal clinic? Maybe, Jill suggested, if the dogs were well enough, Wanda could take them home with her.

When you walked out of the room, what did you think and what were you saying, what were you and Shauna saying to each other? I was kind of saying, can you believe this? What, what? And Shauna was like, okay, hold it together till we get out in the car. Just, you know, because I was, I love these two women. And Shauna, Shauna liked them too, you know, especially Wendy.

And so we, I go, so Jill killed Wendy, huh? And she goes, it looks like Jill killed Wendy. Otherwise, Mom, why are all the police? After we went to the hospital and dropped Jill's clothes off to her, we went to the animal hospital where I remember seeing Bentley, who was their Doberman. And Bentley always had some kind of physical disability. I can't quite remember what it was, but he was a pretty capable, capable dog. And at

At that point he was pretty messed up from the carbon monoxide poisoning. I believe he had lost his eyesight and he was for the most part paralyzed. But he started to regain muscle function. And so when I saw him he actually sat up, laid up in his kennel and propped himself up on his front legs. And you know we got to open up the kennel door and pet him and talk to him. And I remember talking to the text and the doctor and

They couldn't make any promises about his recovery, but they did tell me that he was doing a lot better than he was the night before. And so I walked out of the animal hospital really optimistic for his recovery. Bentley was not well enough to leave the clinic yet, but Bruce was. He had recovered, and Wanda took him home. The following day, a Monday, March 16th of 2015, Joe Blackstone was discharged from the hospital

but immediately arrested and taken into custody by the officers who'd been on the suicide watch. Jill wasn't surprised by this because detectives had told her an arrest was imminent. But her family and friends were all stunned by this development. All the different theories being reported in the news about what happened made no sense, especially the one about the sisters having a suicide pact. Did you notice a change in Wendy in the months before her death? No, not really. Wendy, I was telling you,

She worked out. I don't know if I was going to kill myself, I surely wouldn't be working out every single day, you know, the week before today or the day before. Did you notice a change in Jill? I know that Jill was a successful producer for a time, and I know that Jill was having a hard time finding and holding down work. And I think part of it was because she wasn't super current. She was getting stressed because she had the questionings of, you know, is she too old for this now?

couldn't deliver what audiences today wanted when it comes to pop culture. And I know that she did have lupus and I do remember hearing about it and hearing about doctor's appointments and things like that. So was it a case of Jill wanted to work and she couldn't get work? Or was it a case that Jill was sick and couldn't work? I think it was both. It was both.

And as for the reports that Jill killed Wendy because she was tired of taking care of her disabled sister, that was hard to believe too. They were together, they had each other's backs, and they were their own tight, close family unit.

By now, Jill and Wendy's parents had been notified of their youngest daughter's death. When they arrived in L.A., they told detectives they believed that Wendy died by accident because Jill had always been Wendy's greatest protector. They must have been relieved to find out that the district attorney was not going to charge Jill after all because they didn't have enough evidence of a crime. And so just two days after Jill was arrested, she was released from jail.

One of the first things she did when she got back home was to call Wanda, who said Jill was laser-focused on only one thing. As soon as she got out, she started calling me. And, because for Bruce, you know, not for Wanda I didn't do it or anything like that. It was just for Bruce. Jill wanted Bruce back right away. She wanted, she started calling me, she wanted Bruce, she wanted Bruce, she wanted Bruce.

Jill told Wanda she was on her way to pick up Bruce. And so a little while later when the doorbell rang, Wanda was expecting to see Jill, but instead it was two LAPD detectives, Johnny Jones and Steve Castro. They had come to take Bruce into protective custody to keep him away from Jill Blackstone.

Wanda brought them the dog and then asked if they were going to go get Bentley, too. The officers had some bad news. They already had Bentley, or rather his frozen corpse. They had just retrieved it from the clinic. Wanda was shocked. She asked when Bentley died. She had just seen the dog. The officers told her Jill had gone to see Bentley, too, right after she was released from jail. As soon as she got out, she went directly over to the vet's office and had Bentley put down.

Bentley was supposed to be Wendy's dog. I remember when they adopted Bentley and he was supposed to be Wendy's. And I would just think that if you just lost your sister in an accident or otherwise, and you were truly mourning, wouldn't you want to keep that dog alive and healthy as this like last living, like connection to your sister? Yeah.

I had gone through initially thinking it was an accident and then going to the house and thinking, I think that this was a suicide. And then hearing as the story started to shift and change, I started to realize that there was a lot of lies going on. And I started to think that Jill did this.

Shawna never spoke to Jill Blackstone again, but her mom was conflicted. I was in a really weird place. It's like I missed both of my friends, but Jill was still alive. And so I kind of hung to that little hope that maybe, maybe she didn't do it. And that's why Wanda continued to hang out with Jill, even celebrating with her what would have been Wendy's 50th birthday. I had talked to Jill several times. I had lunch with her on Wendy's birthday the first year.

We went to Porto's and we got a cake and then we went, Wendy's favorite cake, went to the park by their old house. What was Wendy's favorite cake? It was just chocolate. And we talked about everything but that because I did tell Jill, is there something I could have done? Is there something I missed? What could I have done to change it? And she told me to stop trying to get, for the police, stop trying to get her to open up so I could tell the police.

Wow, so Jill thought you were trying to get information out of her for the cops. For the cops, yeah. No, I never was. But once all of this happened and I found out Jill was out of jail and she was contacting my mom, and I know my mom was still so conflicted because you never want to believe that someone you love would be capable of that. But I was pretty upset when I found out my mom was entertaining the idea of talking to her because...

You know, she's dangerous. Like, you can't trust her. Don't go out with her. Don't be alone with her. You know, my boyfriend, he put a little knife in my purse one day because he didn't want me to go with her. He's like, you know, she could hurt you. I'm like, she's about, you know, five foot and she's not going to hurt me. Just take it. There was no public funeral for Wendy Blackstone, just a private viewing for family and close friends. During the short service, there was a very awkward moment.

A friend who had helped train the sisters' dogs had come to pay her last respects. Jill rushed over to this friend, but didn't say hello. Instead, Jill blurted out, just know I didn't do it. The room fell silent. Jill's friend hugged her, but told her this wasn't the time or place to be talking about that. A few weeks after the viewing, Jill asked Wanda to come with her to a tattoo parlor.

Jill was going to get something inked on the inside of her wrist in honor of Wendy. What was the tattoo of? Well, I think it was like a little saying. It wasn't Wendy's name, but it was like, I'll be there or, you know, I'm with you or something. But he put it in like a white ink so you couldn't really see it because tattoos are just so not Jill. You know, because she, oh, that's so, you know, that's trashy. You don't, you know.

But then she did that. But when she was picking, I was sitting there with her and I was picking, helping her pick out the font. And she kept turning away and talking. And I'm like, and then, you know, I pick out the font and I hear this and it's nice. And she goes, and she's looking, she goes, Wanda, you know, Wendy doesn't like this. I go, well, Wendy said she didn't like this. I'm like, what do you mean? Wendy said, you know, I didn't, she didn't like it.

And she goes, "Well, Wendy talks to me all the time." And I'm looking at her and I'm trying to think, "Okay, either you're crazy or I should feel sorry for you. I should feel bad for you." She tried to get me to be on her side afterwards. And I told her, "Look at Jill. Don't tell me anything that... Because if you tell me,

If you don't tell me, I won't be able to testify against you because no matter what, whatever's right, I'm going to do the right thing, not what you want or whoever wants. I'm just going to tell the truth, you know? And she actually told me, you don't know the truth because you don't know what's going on in someone's house after the door is closed.

Wanda told me she never was able to get up the nerve to just flat out ask Joe what happened to Wendy, but somebody else did ask exactly that. Another friend of Wendy's. We'll call him Joe, not his real name. He's asked for anonymity. Joe and Wendy had been friends for over 15 years. They met in an online retinitis pigmentosa chat room. Joe told me that Jill Blackstone reached out to him right after Wendy died, and she was offering to send him Wendy's white cane as a keepsake.

Joe kept his email exchanges with Jill because she talked about what happened the night Wendy died. These are actors reading their conversation. Hello, Jill. How are you? I hope you're doing well. Thanks for messaging me. I had wanted to email you as well. I'm about to start cane training, and since Wendy had urged me to do this, it would be nice to have her cane. Just having it would be comforting.

I've been thinking of Wendy lately and I'm having a hard time accepting her passing. I have wanted to ask you this for a while but didn't want to upset you. The thing is that I don't really know how Wendy died. I don't know what happened. I saw some things on the internet but nothing that made sense. I actually found out about Wendy when it was on the Mario Lopez show. I've looked online for an obituary or funeral notice and haven't found anything. I don't know if or where she's buried or for that matter much of anything else.

I hope you're able to shed some light on this. I don't want to upset you, but I would really like to know. And thank you for thinking of me. I really do appreciate it. Take care. Joe. Dear Joe, I understand the impact Wendy had on your life, like so many she touched, and I fully understand you wondering what happened, needing to know to make peace with it. Here's what I can tell you about Wendy's passing.

Whatever you heard on TV or saw on the internet is ridiculous. In fact, it was downright offensive because of the intrusion on my family's privacy and, of course, the hurtful things said about me. The nightmare of the asinine media coverage and stupid rumors disappeared because there was no validity, and it was idiotic gossip.

What I tell people is that anyone who truly knows me and knew Wendy would know that we shared a deep connection that transcended the word friend or sister, and that I spent my whole life making sure she was safe and happy. We shared a very special relationship. Because there are unanswered questions, I am legally barred from talking about the details I do remember. What I can tell you is this.

Wendy passed away at her home on a beautiful, peaceful night with her and me and our dogs. She died of carbon monoxide poisoning. I myself was hospitalized for the same thing. And the doctors told my parents that by all accounts, I too should have died because my levels were so high. I say often that the gigantic hole in my heart speaks to the enormous love I was lucky enough to share.

The emotions of loss are something I never imagined existed on the human spectrum. As per her wishes, Wendy was cremated and she's with her dog, Oliver. What lingers is what's most important. The vivid, happy memories of Wendy and the commitment to honor her life and legacy. Joe, I would be happy to send you Wendy's cane.

Cane training is quite an undertaking and an achievement. Wendy practiced diligently and she got very good at it, but it's demanding physically and mentally because it takes such concentration. I know you can do it, but don't get discouraged when there are metaphorical bumps in the road.

I treasure any connection to Wendy I can get. So if you want to stay in touch, I'd be thrilled. Tell me where I can send you her cane and know that Wendy and I are both cheering you on. Jill sent Joe Wendy's white cane and she wanted to stay in touch with him. But Joe didn't want to talk with Jill again. He didn't believe her story about how Wendy died. Something about it just didn't ring true to him.

And that's why he wasn't surprised at all when Jill was arrested several years later for the second time. Joe was eager for the trial to start now. He said he not only wanted, but needed to know what really happened to Wendy. It was spring of 2020 now, and I was still going to Jill Blackstone's court hearings. It sounded like the trial might be starting soon. Both sides were close to agreeing on a date. But then the COVID pandemic hit, and the trial was put on hold.

I figured I'd have to stop working on this story, but I thought I'd try one last time to see if I could get those case files I'd requested. And maybe because everything had slowed down, I was finally able to get some of the evidence submitted to the court. This was the evidence that can take us to the very beginning of the investigation, and it reveals how the outside world first found out that Wendy and the dogs might be dead. Turns out Joe Blackstone did make the first phone call, but it wasn't to 911. Instead,

She reached out to a friend, Dr. Tracy Reese, her veterinarian.

You've known them for about 10 years. How did you guys meet? They were clients of mine. They brought animals into the emergency clinic, and then she was running a big rescue at that time, Thumping Tails Rescue. This is Tracy Reese's police interview. She's talking with detectives Johnnie Jones and Steve Castro. How did you find out about it? Because Jill called me. I was at the hairdresser in West Hollywood, and she called me and said she was all slurry and said, I think I've had a stroke.

I said, what do you mean? And I can hear her. And then she said, I woke up in the front yard. I said, what? And she said, I woke up in the front yard. I think Wendy and the dogs are dead in the garage. And I said, why? Why are they dead in the garage? Can you get up and go look? Because I thought, well, if she's hit a stroke, maybe she's just confused. Right. And I said, what are you? Why would they be in the garage? Well, we were roasting marshmallows, but the flames were out and

I said, where are you now? She said, in my bedroom. I said, can you get up and go look? She said, no, if I try to stand up, I fall down. The other thing she said on the phone when she first called me is, don't let him take my dogs. Don't let him take the dogs. You take the dogs. I said, okay, I'm hanging up and calling 911, which I did. Mm-hmm.

Tracy Reese didn't tell the 911 operator that Jill told her Wendy and the dogs might be dead in the garage because, as Tracy explained to the officers, she wasn't sure that was even true. I am, I'm in total shock. I got my collar rinsed out and it's my relaxing day and ran out of the hair salon and go back to West Hollywood. 12, 49, and 11 seconds. Phone rings.

One of the other court records I'd been able to get was the transcript from the preliminary hearing. That was the first time paramedics revealed publicly how bizarre the situation was when they got to the Blackstone house. We're asking actors to read from the court transcripts. We'll hear first from paramedic firefighter David Jorigie, then from his partner, Steve Hopkins.

Keep in mind, these first responders didn't know anything yet about dead bodies in the garage. All they know is that there is a woman on property who might have had a stroke. Upon arrival, we saw a house, the driveway, a detached garage in the back, and a white picket fence.

The front door was open. We approached the residence. The gate was locked, so we stepped over the picket fence to gain access to the home, and upon arrival at the front door, we identified ourselves. We called out fire department, paramedics, just to identify so we don't surprise anybody, and they know we're coming in, and then we entered the home. I don't remember exactly which direction we went. I just know we had to...

We got called there for somebody in distress, and we had to find them. So we ended up in the back bedroom. The back bedroom paramedics have entered is Jill Blackstone's, and that's where they find her, in a very unusual position. Down on the floor, wedged between some furniture and a sliding glass door. Making the situation even more peculiar, Jill isn't fully dressed. She's wearing a top, but doesn't have anything on below the waist. We grabbed a sheet from the bed and covered her.

She wasn't worried about that, that she was nude. We asked her why, why she was nude, and she didn't know why. Initially, I believe we asked her, you know, what happened? Why are we here? How can we help? And she acted confused at first, didn't really know what happened, how she got to the position she was in. She didn't really, like I said, complain of any medical problems, but I kind of asked her how she got to the point where she was at, and she said it took her all morning to get where she was at.

I said, well, where were you? And she said she was on the front lawn. Then I said, well, how did you end up on the front lawn? And she stated that last night her and her sister were in the garage having a family night barbecue. And they had the big garage door open, is what she stated. Then they had kind of like a bonfire going in the Weber barbecue. And at some point that fire went out.

So she told me they moved it inside, closed the garage door to roast marshmallows, and then she said her sister wasn't acting right, so she got out of the garage, went to get a glass of water for her sister. That was the last thing she remembers until she remembered waking up in the front yard. She said she crawled from the front yard to the bedroom. Jorgi said that he and his partner checked Jill for signs that she crawled from the garage to her bedroom. We didn't see any injuries?

No grass stains. And so we began to ask her more questions to get more information about what's going on. Why are you so confused? Do you have diabetes or seizures or what type of medical problems she had? Trying to figure out why somebody would be confused that way. And she denied that she had those things. Next, the paramedics conduct an exam on Jill called the GCS or Glasgow Coma Scale.

The Glasgow Coma Scale is a way to determine somebody's level of consciousness. Generally, we ask, "What's your name? Where do you live? What's wrong?" We gave her a Glasgow Coma Scale score, a GCS of 15, which is just a normal person answering all questions and behaving normally. At that point, somewhere in there, my partner, who had noticed multiple dog bowls and dog toys in beds and asked where the dogs were, because we've had problems in the past where we get bit out of nowhere,

And she stated that the dogs were in the garage, but that they were dead. And after that, she said something to the effect that my sister's in there too, and she's dead also. Me and my partner looked at each other, stunned, and he began to open the glass slider that led to the backyard. It's in a visual shot where I can see through the opening all the way to this side door in the garage. He proceeded. He entered into the garage,

As I approached the garage from the exterior, the big garage door there was still shut. I opened the side garage door to find out what was going on, if we actually had dead bodies in there. As I opened it, I looked in and I could see that there were bodies on the ground, dogs and a human body.

Also inside the garage, Hopkins sees two bright blue plastic Adirondack chairs. One is tipped over on its side. Close to those chairs is the toppled over portable barbecue grill and what could have been another source of carbon monoxide fumes, a large silver metal trash can. It had a lit charcoal or partially burnt charcoal and ash inside of it. There wasn't an active fire. It was lit, but wasn't burning like a hot fire.

Hopkins notices an awful smell. He looks around to see several piles of dog vomit and diarrhea. Then his eyes begin to sting. But he knows from experience he's actually reacting to something he cannot smell, the carbon monoxide fumes. He opens the main garage door to get fresh air in. Once I was in there, I had to check to determine if this patient was alive or dead. Wendy Blackstone was laying deceased on the floor of the garage, laying on some blankets and a sleeping bag.

Wendy was laying on her right side with her left leg partially pulled up, slightly above her right leg. Her right arm is extended out straight underneath her body, kind of perpendicular to her torso, with her left arm bent at the elbow. I checked to see if she had a pulse, which she did not, so I also took note she wasn't breathing.

While Hopkins is checking Wendy, he observes that something called purge is happening to her. Internal fluids have been leaking from her body, staining the white t-shirt and khaki shorts she'd been wearing. This is a sign that decomposition has begun. She was on her right side, back to back with a dog. It was a brown dog. I believe its name was Izzy. Hopkins checks the dogs, too. Izzy is dead. Bruce and Bentley are still alive, just passed out.

They have several burn marks on their muzzles and paws. Over by Wendy's right hand, Hopkins sees a few items that appear to have fallen from her grasp, some pictures of different dogs, and a letter. Meanwhile, inside the house, Hopkins' partner is waiting anxiously for him to come back out of the garage and tell him what he found.

And he came out and after a minute or so, and we kind of made eye contact and he shook his head yes. And at that point he called for more people. We're going to need more people in that kind of situation, meaning being somewhat suspicious in nature. We did call for LAPD right away and our arson as well.

I continued to do the assessment of Ms. Blackstone and couldn't find anything medically wrong. Blood pressure, good. Heart, great. We did an EKG and her pulse oximetry was 100%. Didn't appear to be in any distress. More first responders are now arriving to the Blackstone house. And they enter the garage.

I would say maybe 30 seconds later, and another big dog got up, kind of stumbled out. And once the dog was outside, we secured the dog so it wouldn't just roam around and just be able to go after anybody. It was a Rottweiler, or would appear to be a Rottweiler.

That dog was Bruce. One of the firefighters holds on to him, trying to calm him down. Suddenly, there's more commotion. The third dog, Bentley, has come too. He is convulsing, trying to get up. Firefighters bring in their gear, and they start giving oxygen to both of the dogs. They respond quickly. They're breathing easier. As all of this drama is unfolding, Tracy Reese pulls up to the house, gets out of her car, just as her friend Jill is being brought out on a gurney to the ambulance.

They said, she's in here. She wants to talk to you. So she's sitting up on the gurney in the back of the ambulance. And I said, I'm here. And I said, I looked right at her and said, did you do this on purpose? And she said, no. But there was like, it was no expression. And she had like dried crust around her mouth and her lips looked a little bluish. And I said, you know, Wendy's dead. And I said, you know, Izzy's dead.

When you approached her and you had said, did you do this? Was there something that made you feel, what made you feel to say that instead of saying, what happened? Was there something that she may have said or was she going to say a first phrase? That's the thing is that it wasn't, it was like a gut instinct. I just need to ask this now. Surprised you at all that Jill called you and didn't call 911?

And because she gave you the information that her sister was dead? No, because that's just how the dynamics were. That's just the way it is with her? Yeah. Okay. I don't think Jill would ever do anything to hurt Wendy or the dogs. I just don't. Unless she's truly a sociopath and I never knew that. And I can't tell.

Later that afternoon, around 3 p.m., LAPD detectives get to the Blackstone house. As they approach the scene, they notice something out of place. A big trash bin was positioned right in front of the main garage door, as if it was standing guard. Somebody had taped two white sheets of paper with typewritten instructions on them to the front of the bin. This is Detective Timo Illig's testimony.

The letters stuck on these trash cans were like signs that begged to be read. So I read them. The one on the left says, The note on the right read,

There were also two yellow post-it notes stuck to those papers. One post-it read, The other post-it note had written on it,

Gas in house and garage have been turned off. The officers go inside the garage, and as they take in the tragic sight of Wendy and Izzy laying side by side, they pause for a moment of silence, and then they get to work. Illig puts on some gloves and reaches down to pick up those photos by Wendy's hand. He will learn later that these are pictures of Wendy's favorite dogs, including Oliver. Illig then picks up the letter that was also by Wendy.

The note says, I have a do not resuscitate and living will. Under no circumstances do I wish to be resuscitated or kept on life support. My body should be cremated. My ashes should be scattered around the sycamore tree at Landale Street in Studio City, as my dog's ashes have all been scattered there. I am not the homeowner, so if that's not possible, please scatter my ashes somewhere along the Fryman Canyon Road.

or Tree People Hike Trail, or someplace pretty and woodsy. My sister, Wendy Blackstone, also wished to be cremated. Her ashes should be combined with the ashes of her dogs, Oliver and Hannah, and scattered in California. And this note was signed, Jill Blackstone, Los Angeles, California. It's close to midnight when detectives finish their investigation. They lock up the house and leave.

Izzy's body will be alone in the dark garage for the last few hours of the night. Early the next morning, Tracy Reese and a friend arrive to take care of Izzy's remains. They gently lift her onto a stretcher. This is a full-circle moment for Tracy because she and Jill Blackstone had once saved Izzy's life.

I can't believe it. Izzy's my heart. She was four weeks old, or 12 weeks old and run over. Somebody ran over both her front legs and brought it to me. And we put gas on her. We called Jill at 2 a.m. and said, do you want a really cute little pit bull? I don't understand. Even if the stupid barbecue pit was in there, Izzy and Wendy are dead. Bentley's almost dead. And Bruce was okay. I just don't understand. I don't understand.

and we're trying to figure that out too. Wendy opened my eyes to so much that we're so unaware of and she's such a special person. I just hope she's with Ollie. I'm sure.

Now that I had all these new details about the investigation, thanks to those court records, I realized I had some new problems, too. More questions, like why did Jill Blackstone write that suicide letter and put up all those post-it notes? No doubt the LAPD investigators asked Jill all of that during their three-and-a-half-hour interview with her, but that interview was not in the court files I'd been able to get. So I made another round of calls to all my contacts on this case, and I gave everyone my work address.

no one seemed willing to give me a copy of the interview, least of all Joe Blackstone's attorney, who said that when the COVID delay was over, he would still be trying to get the judge to declare the interview inadmissible. Fast forward a few weeks, and someone anonymously sent me that interview. It was played at the preliminary hearing, but this will be the first time it's been made public like this. And in listening to it, it becomes clear pretty quickly why Joe Blackstone's attorney doesn't want a jury to hear it.

Because Jill Blackstone is going to tell police a story about her and Wendy that's far more riveting and revealing than any TV show she ever produced. This is Detective Castro with Detective Jones, and we're going to interview Jill Blackstone at Sherman Oaks Hospital. Today's date is March 15th. Jill Blackstone's police interview coming up next in episode three of The Blackstone Sisters. Thanks for listening.