The Moment He Realized His Life Would Never Be the Same

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]How did he get cut? Why did you Why did you cut him? Like why did How did he end up in the hospital?

[00:00:06]>> Right. If somebody threatens me and any Like I'm the one to defend myself.

[00:00:10]>> Okay.

[00:00:11]>> A man was attacked while waiting for a bus, but what terrified people was the perpetrator's indifference afterward. No panic, no haste as if nothing had ever happened. So, in your opinion, was that true apathy or is there something even more disturbing behind it?

[00:00:25]>> Do you think when we find the axe at your house, it's going to have his blood on it or any of his DNA on it since you hit him in the neck?

[00:00:33]>> Most likely, yeah.

[00:00:37]>> The incident began when police received an emergency call about a man being attacked at a bus stop in the city center. Upon arriving at the scene, they found the victim in critical condition and quickly transported him to the hospital. He was later identified as Jacob Couch, a man who had been on his way home with his wife and had stopped there along the way. At first, everything appeared to be a random attack, no prior acquaintance, no previous conflict. However, after reviewing surveillance footage and collecting witness statements, police identified a man who had been present at the scene both before and after the incident displaying several suspicious behaviors. Following this evidence, they identified Daniel Michael as the primary suspect. That is also the reason he was brought into the interrogation room to face what had truly happened. So, the question remains, was this truly a spontaneous, uncontrolled act or had it all begun earlier unnoticed by anyone?

[00:01:30]From the very first minutes, Daniel appeared quite calm, almost unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

[00:01:37]When asked why he was being detained, he offered unrelated speculations, even mentioning recent personal issues such as the death of a relative.

[00:01:45]>> Daniel.

[00:01:47]What do you think this is about?

[00:01:49]>> All the misdemeanor warrants I have.

[00:01:51]>> Well, and and I I guess you've got some warrants, but this is It's It's not about warrants, okay?

[00:01:57]>> [clears throat] >> What do you think that this would be about?

[00:02:00]>> My brother.

[00:02:01]>> Your brother?

[00:02:02]>> Yeah. Cuz police said they'd be in contact with me later on about that, too.

[00:02:06]>> Well, okay. Were you arrested over something to do with your brother?

[00:02:09]>> No, he died in my house.

[00:02:11]>> Okay. I'm sorry about that.

[00:02:13]>> I don't know. I don't know.

[00:02:15]>> You're right. How old is your brother?

[00:02:17]>> He was 27.

[00:02:18]>> 27? Sorry to hear that. I'm sorry for your loss.

[00:02:21]>> What was his name?

[00:02:22]>> Angel.

[00:02:22]>> Angel?

[00:02:24]>> Um wasn't taking anything else. He just died there. I found him and police were not helpful at all. They were just disrespectful to the body.

[00:02:33]>> I'm sorry, man.

[00:02:34]>> Mhm.

[00:02:35]>> As the conversation shifted to the time of the incident, Daniel repeatedly claimed that he had been drinking throughout the weekend and could not remember anything. He neither denied nor admitted anything, instead choosing to erase his memory as a form of defense.

[00:02:49]>> I honestly have been drunk all weekend, so I really can't say.

[00:02:52]>> So, tell us about your weekend then. I mean, how did that start like? You said you've been drunk all all this weekend.

[00:02:58]Were you celebrating something? Are you just kind of trying to mourn your brother? Or were you out with friends?

[00:03:03]Like, tell us about your weekend.

[00:03:04]>> Just trying to forget. Yeah, my brother's dead.

[00:03:06]>> I hear you.

[00:03:07]Have you been struggling with that?

[00:03:09]>> Yeah.

[00:03:10]>> I'm sorry. You know, that's tough. And you said that he had a heart attack in your your apartment.

[00:03:15]>> Yeah.

[00:03:15]>> Did they tell you what the cause was?

[00:03:17]Did he have heart disease? Or was he drinking heavily?

[00:03:21]>> was fentanyl, they said.

[00:03:22]>> Fentanyl? Okay.

[00:03:24]Did he have >> They found a bag of powder on him.

[00:03:28]>> Were you aware he was using? Or was that something new for him?

[00:03:33]>> It was new to me.

[00:03:34]When I found him, he was like stiff and >> [clears throat] >> wasn't breathing.

[00:03:39]>> Have you ever had struggles with addiction or anything yourself?

[00:03:43]>> Yeah.

[00:03:44]>> Okay. What kind of things were you struggling with?

[00:03:47]>> Alcohol.

[00:03:47]>> Okay.

[00:03:48]Anything like fentanyl, meth?

[00:03:51]>> I don't touch any of that stuff. Weed, do you smoke weed maybe occasionally?

[00:03:54]>> Yeah.

[00:03:55]>> But we don't really consider that an issue, right? Cuz that's >> Okay.

[00:03:59]>> So, your perspective on fentanyl, how how does that make you feel? Like, did did you kind of have a I know >> me sad because I see a lot of people dying from it and no offense, but none of you guys are really doing much about it. You just let it slide and >> I hear you.

[00:04:14]>> everybody's just out here doing it in front of everybody.

[00:04:17]>> Do you see a lot of people using out on the east side or >> Yeah, especially the soap cave.

[00:04:22]>> Okay.

[00:04:24]Um do you ever confront these people that you see using out in open? I and I dude, I get it.

[00:04:29]>> Mhm.

[00:04:30]>> I I it frustrates us, too, because sometimes I and I don't want to blame other people and like, you know, the call load that same, you know, we always say, "Oh, we're busy." But it frustrates us, too, cuz, you know, we drive down the street sometimes and we see people using and some sometimes our hands are tied because, you know, policies and stuff like that. But have you ever since your your brother passed away, have you has it gotten you so upset that you just like, "Hey, man, knock that off. Like, I don't want to see that in my neighborhood" type of thing. Have you ever confront people about that? No?

[00:05:04]>> I just stay away from them.

[00:05:05]>> Okay.

[00:05:05]>> I don't I can't tolerate the smell.

[00:05:07]Makes me sick.

[00:05:08]>> Okay.

[00:05:09]>> This is a familiar tactic in interrogations when suspects cannot explain. They choose not to remember, but it is precisely this emptiness that makes investigators focus even more on breaking through it.

[00:05:21]>> There was an incident that happened downtown.

[00:05:23]>> Mhm.

[00:05:23]>> And I'm sure you're aware there's lots of cameras here and there and everywhere. And it looks like you were downtown during this incident. So, I know you said you're drunk, but does it ring a bell that you were downtown briefly for a little bit?

[00:05:38]>> Mhm.

[00:05:38]>> No?

[00:05:39]>> No.

[00:05:40]>> You didn't get into any kind of argument with some people maybe smoking on a sunlit stop or a bus stop or anything that?

[00:05:47]>> No, I don't remember that.

[00:05:50]>> You would >> Yeah, I mean, you would remember it.

[00:05:52]This is This is a memorable thing.

[00:05:55]And um like I said, we didn't come to talk to you by accident. There are tons and tons of video cameras downtown, and you were seen on a number of them.

[00:06:07]Um and it was on Saturday.

[00:06:10]Um it was in the morning, and >> So, what we're trying to do is I mean, video can tell us a lot, right? Video can tell us It can give us times, it can give us plates, it can give us people, play times, places, people, right? It can show things that are happening um before, during, and after an incident. It can show where people go after an incident, what they do. But, um I mean, one thing video doesn't show is what's going on in your head, right?

[00:06:37]That's not something video can tell us.

[00:06:40]Video can't tell us what your feeling, what your thoughts are, what you're reacting to, how a certain like situation is making you feel.

[00:06:49]>> Instead of arguing, the investigators shifted to presenting images from surveillance cameras. Specific details such as clothing, personal items, and movement routes were gradually laid out in a systematic manner.

[00:07:01]>> That looks like me.

[00:07:02]>> Yeah.

[00:07:02]>> Yeah, it does.

[00:07:04]>> How about that handsome guy?

[00:07:06]With some Those would look some cool glasses. Are those Oakleys or what are those called? I I >> I don't know.

[00:07:12]>> You know. But, that's you, right?

[00:07:14]>> Yeah, I'm pretty sure.

[00:07:15]>> Yeah.

[00:07:16]Leather jacket?

[00:07:17]>> Yeah.

[00:07:18]>> What kind of shirt is that? Button down or is that a zip down? I can't tell. It looks like button, right?

[00:07:22]>> Yeah.

[00:07:22]>> Is that like lined with white down the middle there?

[00:07:26]>> That's That's what I wore to the club that night.

[00:07:28]>> Do you have a bad memory after you drink? I'm just trying to I'm just trying to understand.

[00:07:33]>> I have insomnia. I don't sleep much, but I don't sleep well.

[00:07:36]I would remember leaving the house.

[00:07:38]>> Yeah. The the trolley?

[00:07:40]>> Yeah.

[00:07:41]>> Yeah. When's the last time you rode it?

[00:07:43]>> A while or so >> What's that?

[00:07:45]>> A few months ago.

[00:07:46]>> A few months ago? Not Saturday?

[00:07:48]>> Um >> These pictures are from Saturday and from downtown. That's why we're asking.

[00:07:52]>> Yeah.

[00:07:53]That happened last Saturday. I don't remember any of this.

[00:07:56]>> You don't remember any of this? Is that because you were so intoxicated or you just don't want to remember it?

[00:08:02]>> I was probably more intoxicated than I'd like to admit, but >> Well, so you you were at the bar What time did you leave the bar?

[00:08:09]>> Friday night.

[00:08:11]Like 7:00.

[00:08:12]>> 7:00 p.m.?

[00:08:14]>> Yeah.

[00:08:14]>> Okay, that's super early. Earlier than I expected. Where'd you go after you left the bar?

[00:08:20]>> Back to my house. We had a bunch of cases of beer and a bunch of bottles.

[00:08:25]>> Okay. So, you drank Friday night.

[00:08:28]And how late were you up?

[00:08:31]>> Like 1:00, 2:00.

[00:08:33]>> Okay. And then what did you do?

[00:08:35]>> I assume I fell asleep.

[00:08:37]>> When you say you assume you fell asleep, do you remember >> falling asleep?

[00:08:41]>> Fall asleep, passed out?

[00:08:43]>> I was sitting on on my recliner and just sitting there.

[00:08:47]But yeah, I do I I do remember falling asleep, but I don't I don't remember laying down.

[00:08:53]>> Okay.

[00:08:54]>> Daniel began to admit that the person in the footage bore many similarities to him, but still kept his distance by saying he did not remember being there.

[00:09:03]However, the certainty in his initial statements had already begun to waver.

[00:09:07]>> Everybody, all three of us in this room knows that you have more recollection about what it is we're talking about than you have spoken about so far. All right? All three of us know that.

[00:09:19]Um and the whole I'm not I was really drunk. I don't remember what I did. That that doesn't help us understand the why.

[00:09:29]Okay?

[00:09:30]And because what what happened happened.

[00:09:34]We can't go back and change it.

[00:09:36]I think >> I still don't understand why I'm here.

[00:09:39]Like you're you're too showing me pictures of me being downtown. I don't remember being downtown.

[00:09:43]>> Okay. So, you were down >> of my water bottle that I don't remember taking out of the house.

[00:09:47]>> Okay, but those pictures are you, right?

[00:09:49]>> Yeah.

[00:09:50]>> And that's your water bottle, right?

[00:09:51]>> Yeah.

[00:09:52]>> Okay. Those those are downtown. Let me ask you this.

[00:09:55]Um have you been victimized before? Have you been robbed or attacked, assaulted?

[00:10:00]>> Huh?

[00:10:01]>> Plenty of times.

[00:10:02]>> Plenty of times. Do you ever carry a weapon with you, a gun or anything like that to for self-defense? What kind of No? Do you Do you carry any kind of knives or brass knuckles or anything like that?

[00:10:12]>> I used to.

[00:10:13]>> What did you What did you carry?

[00:10:14]>> Uh little pocket knife.

[00:10:15]>> Okay.

[00:10:16]Um Where's the pocket knife?

[00:10:19]>> It's at my house.

[00:10:20]>> Oh, the pocket knife is at your house?

[00:10:21]>> Mhm.

[00:10:23]>> When physical evidence was introduced, the not remembering strategy started to lose its effectiveness. This is the point at which a suspect is forced to shift from denial to adapting to reality.

[00:10:33]>> Can you Are you piecing this together now why we're asking about being downtown and knives and and talking to a guy or getting into it? What What do you What do you think we're trying to get at here? You're not a dumb guy.

[00:10:45]>> Trying to say that I assaulted somebody.

[00:10:48]>> Well, we're not trying to say it happened, but we're We're we're kind of beyond the Like we're we're trying to get And this is your opportunity to tell us your side of the story. So, if there's something that occurred between you and somebody else and you felt like there was a necessity for you to take action to um pull your weapon out or use your weapon or swing your your uh >> I don't ever attack anybody out of >> Well, that's what I'm saying though. If >> They have to try to attack me first.

[00:11:16]>> Okay, so did something like that happen this weekend? Did you feel like you were possibly in harm's way and that you had to take action to defend yourself? Like you got to give me something here because >> I I would never attack anybody out of just sheer spite. it. to.

[00:11:31]>> Okay.

[00:11:31]>> When we're done at the crime lab, your DNA is going to come back on this and your fingerprints.

[00:11:36]>> Yeah.

[00:11:37]>> Okay.

[00:11:38]Yeah, cheers.

[00:11:39]So, there's no doubt that you were downtown and that you were carrying this and witnesses said the guy wearing that black jacket with that water bottle got into it with another guy at that bus stop right there, right? So, we're we're beyond whether that happened or not.

[00:11:54]That happened, okay? But what >> I'm telling you I don't remember any of that.

[00:11:59]>> Okay.

[00:12:00]>> I don't know if I I'm cooperating. I have nothing to hide. Like I'm not going to lie to anybody. Like there's no reason for any of this.

[00:12:07]>> Well, maybe you felt like you >> me questions and stuff online. So, >> Okay. So, my question to you is is why did how did he get cut? Why did you Why did you cut him? Like why did How did he end up in the hospital?

[00:12:19]And And again, like I said, there's no doubt that it occurred. We know it occurred. You're telling me you don't remember, but my I guess we're trying to figure out >> I'm telling you who I am as a person. If somebody threatens me in any Like I'm just going to defend myself. I'm not going to go out of my way to attack somebody. I might yell at somebody, but until they threaten me with like physical violence or like try to pull a weapon on me.

[00:12:42]>> Well, and and I hear that, but what you're saying is well, I don't remember, so anything could happen. So, you could have.

[00:12:47]>> Yeah.

[00:12:47]>> Right? You could have just completely attacked some >> more more self-control than that. I wouldn't attack somebody out of nowhere.

[00:12:52]>> When you're drunk? You said you don't have any memory whatsoever. So, here's the thing. We're giving you an opportunity to explain what may have happened. Not like well, I know what kind of person I am, so if something did happen, it's because this and that.

[00:13:04]That's not That doesn't That's not a thing, okay?

[00:13:08]>> Under pressure from the evidence in the investigators psychological approach, Daniel Michael gradually shifted from denial to recalling parts of the incident as they continuously presented evidence and reconstructed the scene.

[00:13:20]>> Did somebody Did that guy threaten you that day? Did he say Was he talking [ __ ] to you? Did he come at you? Tell me what happened between you and him.

[00:13:28]>> Yeah.

[00:13:28]>> Stop, take a breath because again, Daniel, I know that you remember this.

[00:13:34]It may not be the clearest in your mind, but I know you remember what happened because it is a memorable event and it's not going away. It's not leaving your head. It's not something you can unsee.

[00:13:45]You're a good person.

[00:13:47]>> We I I don't know you. We've been in a room together for a short amount of time. I don't know your life story. I don't know everything about you. But a good person knows when he's gotten himself into something and that he's become involved in a situation and reacted to something. Like an evil person can be like, "Nah, put that out of my head. That was nothing. I'm moving on." But a a good person weighs on him.

[00:14:14]A person who cares about other people, it stays in that person's heart.

[00:14:20]You know what I'm talking about. I want to give you the opportunity to explain how that interaction happened and the why. We have the what, the where, and the who. We're here to hear the why from you.

[00:14:35]>> He began to recount that there had been a confrontation with a stranger after he felt threatened and admitted that he was the one who struck first, but still claimed it was an act of self-defense.

[00:14:46]>> Cuz I'm getting glimpses like walking past John and Gibson's and there being shadows, but I do remember passing two parents, a mom and her baby and a dad and his baby.

[00:14:57]>> Yes.

[00:14:58]>> And because I kept walking and I like I said, that smell.

[00:15:03]>> Okay.

[00:15:03]>> That smell.

[00:15:04]>> Yeah, that like burning plastic, burning tire smell?

[00:15:07]>> Yeah, that's what I smelled.

[00:15:08]>> Okay. And >> him to knock it off and go somewhere else.

[00:15:10]>> You told who to knock it off?

[00:15:11]>> See, the people who were smoking there.

[00:15:14]I couldn't see them cuz they had a blanket over their heads.

[00:15:16]>> Okay.

[00:15:17]All right.

[00:15:19]And then what happened?

[00:15:20]>> He He started threatening me.

[00:15:22]>> What did he say?

[00:15:23]>> I couldn't really tell him. I had headphones in.

[00:15:26]>> Okay, well, what was he doing?

[00:15:27]>> Reaching or something in his pocket.

[00:15:30]>> Okay, so what did you do?

[00:15:31]>> I reached for Yeah, I reached for mine.

[00:15:34]>> For your what?

[00:15:35]>> I guess I had my axe on me that day.

[00:15:37]>> Okay.

[00:15:38]So what happened?

[00:15:40]>> I got him first.

[00:15:41]>> What hand did you pull the axe from?

[00:15:44]Or with?

[00:15:45]>> I would only use my right hand.

[00:15:46]>> Well, now it's I don't want to talk about woods or because this is important. What we want to hear is the truth as you remember it, not what you what could have happened, what could have happened. Where do you remember having your axe with you that day?

[00:16:03]>> No.

[00:16:04]>> Well, you said you pulled it, right?

[00:16:06]>> Yeah, but till right now >> Okay, well, and so >> Show me like showing me different things and I started putting [ __ ] together.

[00:16:14]>> So let me say this and I want to make sure that we're totally clear.

[00:16:17]Initially, and I want I'm going to kind of paraphrase what I think you're saying back. Don't let me put words in your mouth. Don't let him put words in your mouth. What What we want you to do is we want to hear the truth from you. Okay?

[00:16:29]So if I get something wrong, correct me, all right?

[00:16:32]>> However, Daniel's statement contained many unclear points and did not fully align with witness accounts, indicating that the truth was gradually emerging but not yet entirely consistent. This marked a crucial psychological turning point when the suspect began constructing a version of the story instead of completely avoiding it. And it is precisely this version that would gradually reveal contradictions.

[00:16:55]>> I don't I don't know what he was.

[00:16:58]I don't know if it was a man or female.

[00:17:01]I was yelling at somebody.

[00:17:02]>> Mhm, [clears throat] okay.

[00:17:03]>> He started like reaching into his his pants and his pockets.

[00:17:07]>> Like front pockets?

[00:17:08]>> Yeah, and I I don't know what it was.

[00:17:11]So I Yeah, I was telling him just to leave or what not.

[00:17:14]>> Mhm.

[00:17:14]>> [clears throat] >> But think I I might have reacted to what he was doing.

[00:17:18]>> Okay. Did he say anything while he was reaching?

[00:17:21]>> Yeah, he said, "I got something for you."

[00:17:24]>> Okay.

[00:17:25]Was he white, black, Hispanic?

[00:17:28]>> I couldn't couldn't tell. His hands were all dirty. His face is dirty.

[00:17:33]>> Okay.

[00:17:34]>> I think he might have been Caucasian. He probably said, "I got something for you."

[00:17:37]>> Okay.

[00:17:39]And did he pull his hand out?

[00:17:41]>> He was about to, but I I I got him first.

[00:17:44]>> Okay. And when you say you got him, you got him with You said earlier what was your >> Pretty sure the axe.

[00:17:50]>> You're pretty sure? What What else would it be?

[00:17:53]>> I didn't have anything else on me.

[00:17:55]>> Where did you carry the axe?

[00:17:57]>> On you.

[00:17:58]In my jacket.

[00:18:00]In the leather jacket.

[00:18:02]>> Do you have like a pocket in there or was it >> No, I just kept it on my shoulder.

[00:18:06]>> Did it have like a strap or something?

[00:18:08]>> No, it just hangs there.

[00:18:09]>> Well, how does it hang? I'm I'm confused. How does an axe hang from your shoulder if it doesn't have a strap?

[00:18:14]>> The head sits right here.

[00:18:16]>> Oh, you had it in your sleeve?

[00:18:17]>> sleeve. Yeah.

[00:18:18]>> Oh, okay. So, you reached in, pulled it out of your sleeve?

[00:18:22]>> Yeah.

[00:18:22]>> Okay.

[00:18:23]Oh, so like the head the head's in your sleeve and then the handle's like down along your body?

[00:18:28]Okay.

[00:18:29]>> Daniel Michael began to cooperate more when he no longer completely denied everything and admitted to certain details related to the incident. He described his actions in a fragmented way and maintained that it was merely a reaction in a tense situation while still being unable to clearly explain the full sequence of events before and after.

[00:18:48]>> Hey, where'd you hit him with the axe?

[00:18:50]>> Pretty sure in his neck.

[00:18:52]>> Do you know what side?

[00:18:53]>> Well, he was facing me.

[00:18:56]I had it in my right hand.

[00:18:58]So, if I went to his left >> His left side of his neck? Okay. So, like I'm facing you like this side of my neck?

[00:19:05]>> Yeah.

[00:19:05]>> Okay. So, that's the the left side of my neck. Okay.

[00:19:08]Is there a reason Did you aim for the neck or was it like why the neck?

[00:19:15]>> I was always taught go for the head.

[00:19:18]>> Who taught you that?

[00:19:19]>> My uncle.

[00:19:20]>> Oh, okay.

[00:19:22]With an axe?

[00:19:23]>> Any weapon.

[00:19:24]>> Fair enough.

[00:19:25]>> A rock could be a weapon. Right. A pen could be a weapon. His glasses could be a weapon.

[00:19:29]>> Right.

[00:19:29]>> Fists could be weapons.

[00:19:30]>> Right. Why do you go for the head?

[00:19:33]I know your uncle told you, but what's the logic behind it?

[00:19:38]>> Uh it's to de- uh incapacitate the enemy.

[00:19:42]>> Okay.

[00:19:43]>> Okay.

[00:19:44]>> That's what he taught me.

[00:19:45]>> Okay. So, you were trying to incapacitate him?

[00:19:47]>> Uh I'm not I'm not trying to hurt nobody and I'm not trying to get hurt myself.

[00:19:51]>> Okay.

[00:19:53]>> Investigators continue to probe the inconsistencies, especially the fact that he could not remember many details, yet recalled key elements, gradually narrowing the gaps in his statement. The truth does not appear all at once, it is pulled out piece by piece. And when a suspect begins to recount events themselves, they also unintentionally start to break down their own defenses.

[00:20:14]>> No.

[00:20:15]>> Did you see how the effect of hitting him with the axe? Did you see Did he get cut open? Did it knock him down? What >> I seen him back up and then I just walked away.

[00:20:26]>> Okay.

[00:20:27]Not like I usually like would I could.

[00:20:29]How did you get How did you get home that day?

[00:20:33]After you hit this guy with your axe?

[00:20:35]>> I took the bus.

[00:20:36]>> Okay. And where did you pick that bus up that day?

[00:20:39]>> The one on Balboa.

[00:20:41]>> Okay, by Del Taco?

[00:20:42]>> Mhm.

[00:20:43]>> Okay.

[00:20:44]How did you get downtown before this happened?

[00:20:47]>> I probably took the same bus downtown.

[00:20:49]>> And why did you go downtown?

[00:20:52]>> I don't know.

[00:20:53]>> Do you remember taking the bus to go downtown?

[00:20:56]>> No. I wouldn't have any reason to come downtown.

[00:20:59]>> What's the first thing you remember downtown before >> That smell.

[00:21:05]>> this.

[00:21:06]Kind of some stuff happens, you're next thing you know, you're downtown.

[00:21:11]You smell that smell, you have the babies that are walking behind you, you confront the person that that there's an issue with you and the axe with him.

[00:21:19]That happens, you walk away, you go do what you do, you end up somehow getting home, and then what you're you fall back asleep?

[00:21:28]>> On the recliner or?

[00:21:29]>> Yeah, cuz that's where I woke up at.

[00:21:31]>> Okay. And then you go to the dispensary, you get some weed, you go back home, and then you start drinking again.

[00:21:36]>> Mhm.

[00:21:36]>> Okay. Did you tell anybody what happened?

[00:21:38]>> No.

[00:21:39]>> Why not?

[00:21:39]>> I didn't think it was real.

[00:21:41]>> What do you mean?

[00:21:42]>> I still don't, cuz this is really confusing to me.

[00:21:45]Like as a whole, cuz I didn't think I left my house.

[00:21:50]To be honest with you, I didn't even know why I was getting picked up. They told me I had a bunch of warrants.

[00:21:54]>> Let me ask you this. You you initially said you didn't call 911 because you don't have any faith in us, which >> Yeah.

[00:22:01]>> I respect. I get that. I haven't lived your life. I if I had, I probably would feel the same way.

[00:22:05]>> You guys killed my grandparents, so I'm not supposed to have faith in you.

[00:22:08]>> I didn't know that.

[00:22:09]>> Yeah.

[00:22:09]>> When did that happen?

[00:22:10]>> Before I was born.

[00:22:12]>> What were What were your grandparents' >> Matilda Michael.

[00:22:14]>> Matilda Michael >> And Matilda, her name was Julianne.

[00:22:18]Matilda's the one who raised me. Her daughter's name was Julianne.

[00:22:21]>> Okay.

[00:22:22]>> In the final stage, Daniel Michael almost no longer denied his involvement in the incident. He admitted to his actions, but did not clearly express remorse, instead showing ambiguity and a lack of connection to the consequences.

[00:22:35]>> You didn't call 911 because you didn't think it was real. You didn't you didn't call 911 you said because you didn't have any faith in us.

[00:22:41]>> Yeah. No, I'm just telling you that's just generally how I feel on a daily basis. I don't have any faith in any of you guys.

[00:22:48]>> Okay. All right.

[00:22:50]Have you been drinking at all today?

[00:22:52]>> Yeah.

[00:22:52]>> Okay. When did When did you drink today?

[00:22:55]>> Since this morning.

[00:22:56]>> Since this morning, what time did you start?

[00:22:59]>> I 6:00.

[00:23:01]>> 6:00 a.m.?

[00:23:02]>> Yeah.

[00:23:03]>> Okay. What have you What have you had to drink so far today?

[00:23:06]>> Um Ornitos and Bud Light.

[00:23:10]>> Okay. How much Ornitos?

[00:23:12]>> Like three shots.

[00:23:13]>> Oh, okay. So, three shots Ornitos, how much Bud Lights?

[00:23:17]>> A 12.

[00:23:18]>> Okay. 12 pack of Bud Lights. Anything else you've had to drink today?

[00:23:21]>> No.

[00:23:22]>> Okay. Would you say you're buzzed, drunk?

[00:23:25]>> I'm tired, man.

[00:23:26]>> Yeah, you do look sleepy. I'm more tired, too. It's It's good.

[00:23:31]So, I want to make sure So, everything you've said to us has been true. Is that fair to say? You have told us What you have told us is true.

[00:23:41]>> Yeah.

[00:23:41]>> Okay.

[00:23:43]>> [snorts] >> All right.

[00:23:44]Do you Do you Do you feel bad or regret having happened? I mean, it sounds like not kind of comprehending at the time what was going on, but if he was hurt and sent to the hospital, do you feel bad about that?

[00:23:59]>> I wouldn't really know how to feel about it, to be honest.

[00:24:02]>> Okay. That's a fair answer.

[00:24:05]>> When asked about the severity of the situation, his response revealed a notable disconnect between his actions and his awareness.

[00:24:12]Meanwhile, information about the victim's condition pushed the case far beyond a typical conflict.

[00:24:18]This was not just a moment of facing the truth, but also when the gap between action and responsibility became evident.

[00:24:26]>> Cuz if [clears throat] if it were like if it came down to a fist fight, yeah, I'd I'd feel kind of bad about it cuz of his size.

[00:24:35]But, I don't know how to feel when it comes to weapons.

[00:24:38]>> Okay. Have you ever had to use a weapon against anybody before?

[00:24:41]>> Mostly just animals.

[00:24:44]>> What animals?

[00:24:46]>> Like drunken deer, coyotes, sometimes foxes.

[00:24:51]>> Drunken deer?

[00:24:52]>> Well, I live uh on the reservation where I lived at, there was like these crab apples that would fall and rot.

[00:24:58]>> Copy that.

[00:24:58]>> And the deer would get aggressive when they eat it.

[00:25:00]>> I got you.

[00:25:01]>> [laughter] >> Okay. I don't mean to laugh, but that's Okay. I can see that happening. It's All right.

[00:25:07]Hey, this guy is really messed up.

[00:25:09]>> And sometimes it is precisely that gap that makes a case so haunting. After the incident was investigated and clarified, Daniel Michael was charged with first-degree murder and brought before the court.

[00:25:20]However, at this time, the case is still ongoing and no final verdict has been issued. Given the serious nature of the case and the evidence that has been collected, the suspect could face a very severe sentence under the law if convicted. A brief moment changed a family's life forever. Not just a life lost, but emptiness that nothing can fill. Meals missing a seat, unfinished plans that will never have the chance to be carried out, and no matter what verdict the court delivers, the pain that the victim's family must carry will not be erased by any sentence.