Transcript

Episode 299

From Sword and Scale · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 1 h 12 min · 11,419 words · 227 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Episode 299", an episode of Sword and Scale published December 14, 2025 (1 h 12 min, about 11,419 words). It mentions 52 people, works and ideas, including Chase Daniel, Antoneta, Floor and Decor, Antinetta, Ring Camera.

What this episode is about

Episode 299 of Sword and Scale explores the tragic story of Julian Reyes, whose fiancée, Ashley Bokeenegra, dies unexpectedly after a violent incident. The episode delves into the events leading up to her death, including her frantic call for help and the investigation that follows as detectives seek to uncover the circumstances behind the attack.

Key takeaways

  • Murder podcasts: the morbid conga line of curiosity and discomfort. Why are we entertained by gore?
  • Birthday gone awry: Cake replaced by tragedy when Julian's birthday surprise transformed into Ashley's last act.
  • Ashley recognized no faces from her past; two strangers etched her fate with fists and kicks.
  • From New York hustle to Southern strife: A relocation promising closure unfolded into unforeseen violence.
  • Irony bites more than bullets: On detective's watch, loose leads dance, unclear as Ashley's story ends.

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: Sword and Scale, Ashley Bokeenegra, Detective Blackburn, Episode 299 of Sword and Scale
  2. – 20:00: Ring Camera, Ashley Bokeenegra, Buford, Georgia, Final Destination
  3. – 30:00: Antoneta, Chase Daniel, Floor and Decor, Antanetta Stevens
  4. – 40:00: Chase Daniel, Antoneta, Antinetta, Floor and Decor
  5. – 50:00: Chase Daniel, Antoneta, Antinetta, Antinet Stevens
  6. – 1:00:00: Chase Daniel, Antoneta, Antinetta, Danielle
  7. – 1:10:00: Chase Daniel, aggravated battery, battery, manslaughter
  8. – 1:12:06: Episode 15 titled Burn, Sword and Scale, Sword and Scale Television, swordscale.com

Notable quotes from "Episode 299"

  • Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.
    about Sword and Scale · at
  • Sitting in a waiting room in his gray sweatuit. His fianceé, 30-year-old Ashley Bokeenegra, had suddenly died.
    about Ashley Bokeenegra · at
  • A detective about Ashley's murder. Now that's a twist. Ashley and Julian were both from New York City. The Projects to be exact. They'd met in middle school.
    about The Projects · at
  • To you and your family. Though Julian supported the family on his income, Ashley had taken a job at Floor and Decor to bring a little extra money in and give her some…
    about Floor and Decor · at
  • Julian and Ashley had a Ring camera on their front door, so their daily movements were tracked. The apartment complex they lived in was one of those cookie cutter apartment communities with.
    about Ring Camera · at
  • Then they fought. Apparently, Ashley had been sleeping with Antetta's fiance, Daniel, who was the one who answered the door. Antoneta claimed that Ashley was Daniel's boss at…
    about Chase Daniel · at
  • As officers prepared to leave, Antinetta joked that she wished that they could take her away for the weekend. Well, they can.
    about Antinetta · at
  • But it wasn't just the evidence that left investigators disgusted. In the interrogation room, something unexpected emerged.
    about interrogation room · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Chase Daniel — Person · 31 mentions · first at
  • Antoneta — Person · 16 mentions · first at
    Been sleeping with Antetta's fiance, Daniel, who was the one who answered the door. Antoneta claimed that Ashley was Daniel's boss at Floor and Decor and she had been forcing him to have sex with her. How about that?
  • Antinetta — Person · 5 mentions · first at
  • Danielle — Person · 3 mentions · first at
    Antoneta let officers inside. In the living room, Danielle and Antetta's toddler was watching TV. Antoneta's sister-in-law, Janine Gonzalez, was there, too. She admitted that she had also been a witness to the fight.
  • Ashley Bokeenegra — Person · 2 mentions · first at
  • Janine Gonzalez — Person · 2 mentions · first at
    Living room, Danielle and Antetta's toddler was watching TV. Antoneta's sister-in-law, Janine Gonzalez, was there, too. She admitted that she had also been a witness to the fight.
  • Julian Reyes — Person · 1 mention · first at
    It was a busy August evening at a hospital in Georgia. Julian Reyes was sitting in a waiting room in his gray sweatuit. His fianceé, 30-year-old Ashley Bokeenegra, had suddenly died.
  • Detective Blackburn — Person · 1 mention · first at
    How you doing, sir? Detective, this is Detective Blackburn. First, just want to say I'm really sorry for your loss.
  • Antanetta Stevens — Person · 1 mention · first at
    The woman who fought Ashley was 27-year-old Antanetta Stevens. Though she was shaking with adrenaline, she claimed that Ashley had confronted her at her front door. That means there was no street brawl, no random attack.
  • Detective Carter — Person · 1 mention · first at
    I'm Detective Carter with Bonet County Police. Are you your internet?
  • Detective Poppy — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Hey. This is Detective Poppy. Sergeant Poppy.
  • Sergeant Poppy — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Hey. This is Detective Poppy. Sergeant Poppy.
  • Ashley Bokengra — Person · 1 mention · first at
    30-year-old Ashley Bokengra had been attacked by Antinet Stevens and Janine Gonzalez in their apartment complex.
  • Antinet Stevens — Person · 1 mention · first at
    30-year-old Ashley Bokengra had been attacked by Antinet Stevens and Janine Gonzalez in their apartment complex.
  • Detective Parker — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Girl, you I know. I met you at the at your apartment. I'm Detective Parker. This is Detective Aria. He's still trying to like get filled in on everything. So, basically her sister-in-law, there was a situation with her, her brother.
  • Detective Aria — Person · 1 mention · first at
    I know. I met you at the at your apartment. I'm Detective Parker. This is Detective Aria. He's still trying to like get filled in on everything. So, basically her sister-in-law, there was a situation with her, her brother.

Companies & orgs

  • Floor and Decor — Company · 7 mentions · first at
  • Sword and Scale — Company · 3 mentions · first at
  • Quick Trip — Company · 2 mentions · first at
    Yesterday I'm walking to Quick Trip. I see them walking together. And you're a woman. You know our intuition. I know that's the girl. I seen her. We argued yesterday. He broke it up. It was fine.
  • World Star hip hop — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Egged her on like a deranged cheerleader. Let's not pretend that World Star hip hop was not a cultural phenomenon.
  • Bonet County Police — Company · 1 mention · first at
    I'm Detective Carter with Bonet County Police. Are you your internet?
  • Arendelle State Prison — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Two decades in Arendelle State Prison will do things to you. There's plenty of time to relive every reckless second, every cruel decision. Every moment of that recording is on Janine's phone.
  • Sword and Scale Television — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Episode 15 titled Burn of Sword and Scale Television is out now at swordscale.com.
  • swordscale.com — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Episode 15 titled Burn of Sword and Scale Television is out now at swordscale.com.
  • Crocs, Inc. — Company · 1 mention
  • Google Maps — Company · 1 mention
  • QuikTrip — Company · 1 mention

Products & tech

  • Ring Camera — Product · 4 mentions · first at
  • ventilator — Product · 1 mention · first at
    The hospital, she had severe internal bleeding. She couldn't breathe and was put on a ventilator. When the doctors discovered all the blood was pooling around her kidneys, they…
  • Crocs — Product · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

  • interrogation room — Concept · 3 mentions · first at
  • battery — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
    We're going to have to book you into the jail. your charge is going to be back battery. All right. For the fight.
  • aggravated battery — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
    Antineta and Janine were charged with felony murder, robbery, and aggravated battery. They waited in jail for their day in court. When it was Janine's turn, she sat beside her courtappointed lawyer, tears streaming down her acne.
  • manslaughter — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
    Splotched face as she argued she was just a bystander and deserved a manslaughter charge instead. But the video disagrees.
  • Episode 299 of Sword and Scale — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    I don't know, Karen. Why do you listen to murder for entertainment? It's a contradiction, isn't it? This is episode 299 of Sword and Scale. You know the drill.
  • Final Destination — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Darkness they left behind had tracked them down. Kind of like what's that movie? Final Destination. The Final Destination franchise is what I'm thinking of. It's as if when…
  • The Final Destination franchise — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Darkness they left behind had tracked them down. Kind of like what's that movie? Final Destination. The Final Destination franchise is what I'm thinking of. It's as if when…
  • sociologist — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    What exactly? I'm not really sure. I'm not a sociologist.
  • bipolar depression — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    I've been mentally going through a lot. I have bipolar depression and I'm just going through a lot right now. And I came here from up north with my fiance. That's him.
  • felony murder — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Antineta and Janine were charged with felony murder, robbery, and aggravated battery. They waited in jail for their day in court. When it was Janine's turn, she sat beside her courtappointed lawyer, tears streaming down her acne.
  • Plea Deal — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    But after weeks of wrangling, both Antetta and Janine took their plea deals. 20 years for voluntary manslaughter and robbery by force.
  • voluntary manslaughter — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    But after weeks of wrangling, both Antetta and Janine took their plea deals. 20 years for voluntary manslaughter and robbery by force.
  • robbery by force — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Antetta and Janine took their plea deals. 20 years for voluntary manslaughter and robbery by force.
  • Episode 15 titled Burn — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Episode 15 titled Burn of Sword and Scale Television is out now at swordscale.com.
  • 1080p — Concept · 1 mention
  • 480 — Concept · 1 mention
  • 720 — Concept · 1 mention
  • court-appointed lawyer — Concept · 1 mention
  • IV — Concept · 1 mention

Places & events

  • The Projects — Place · 2 mentions · first at
  • Buford, Georgia — Place · 1 mention · first at
    In the quiet city of Buford, Georgia, Ashley Bokeenegra's life ended violently. She told everyone she was ambushed by two strangers. It happened in the middle of the afternoon as Ashley.

Sponsors

Full transcript with timestamps

Sword and Scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.

I will murder you. I will murder you. I will murder you. I will murder you. I will [ __ ] murder you.

Why do we play this dumb music at the beginning of a show about murder? I don't know, Karen. Why do you listen to murder for entertainment? It's a contradiction, isn't it? This is episode 299 of Sword and Scale. You know the drill.

Heat. Heat. It was a busy August evening at a hospital in Georgia. Julian Reyes was sitting in a waiting room in his gray sweatuit. His fianceé, 30-year-old Ashley Bokeenegra, had suddenly died. Detectives had just arrived at the hospital and sat down across from Julian.

How you doing, sir? Um, Detective, this is Detective Blackburn. First, just want to say I'm really sorry for your loss. We're going to do everything we can to find the people responsible.

Please, you know, please. Oh man, I know this is really difficult right now. Doesn't even seem real. It's like Oh my god. Every day is just a normal day. It doesn't even seem real.

Of course, it didn't seem real. When Julian left the house that morning, his fianceé was in good spirits. Ashley was an active, thriving, working mom of their 7-year-old son. Now she's dead. A few hours earlier, Ashley had called Julian for help, telling him that she had been jumped.

You know, she called me and she was just like really out of breath. So, she trying to get it out. She was like, she told me can't breathe. I can't breathe. Can't breathe. I'm like, calm down. What happened? What happened? I just got jumped. I just got jumped. I can't breathe. All right, I'm on my way. I let my job know. I left. I came home. She's on the bed just like gasping for air.

And when she called you on the phone, did she tell you who did this to her? She told me two female.

She recognized him? No. Did she describe them? One was a um dark skinned uh heavy set woman and then one was a light-skinned thin woman. That's all she said. I asked her, "Who are they? Do you know them? Have you seen them before?" "No, I've never seen them before. I have no clue who they are."

During her labored breaths, Ashley described the woman who jumped her. She was shaken up, exhausted, and kind of embarrassed. She had been beaten up very badly, barely able to defend herself against two other women. Still, she swore she didn't know who they were. Not a clue.

When you got home, did did it appear that maybe she had cleaned her wounds up or anything like that? Take a shower like the washcloth and wipe off.

They were fresh. Fresh like like I mean did you see any paper towels or like rags in the apartment where you know she

No. When I got home, I opened the door. I said, "Where are you?" "I'm in here." She's in the bedroom.

Um I turned the light. She took off clothes off. She completely naked on the bed.

Ashley looked awful. Her skin was raw and red in places where she'd been hit. Her hair was tangled and matted, and one side of her face was scraped, leaving angry marks that told the story of what she'd been through. Ashley tried to sit up and talk to Julian, but vomit spewed out of her mouth instead.

When she threw up, did you look at it? Like what did it look like? Um, this is red.

Okay. Uh, when we was in the car, I gave her a black plastic bag to throw up and I didn't see it. She said, "I think I'm throwing up blood." I get her dress, we leave, and we go straight to for size. They uh do what they do. They scanned her oxygen, IV, nausea medicine, whatever they could do to make her feel better. And then the doctor told me that she was like, they did a scan and they had this little blood by her kidney, you know, and that's when they decided to fly her out here. When Ashley arrived at the hospital, she had severe internal bleeding. She couldn't breathe and was put on a ventilator. When the doctors discovered all the blood was pooling around her kidneys, they decided to airlift her to another hospital for surgery. She died in route.

She was banged up. She was banged up. But what got her was cuz she told me all right. She had gotten bit on her cheek. She like she bit me on my cheek. She bit me in my arm. She they kicked me in my ribs while the big heavy set one was on top of her. The other one was kicking her in her rib cage.

Okay. You know, obviously that's what caused it, you know. And she say that they were using any weapons.

She didn't say anything about weapons. They were fighting. She said it happened so fast that she didn't have a chance to do anything.

Mhm. It was just they just gave the alarm. Before she died, Ashley had been able to describe the woman who attacked her as well as some of the beating. It was all melting into fragments as she lay dying on the hospital stretcher. Now, Julian was left to try to make sense of it all.

And I just don't know why. I just don't know why, you know, because we only been back in Georgia. We recently just moved back less than a year ago.

When was it? We moved back in December of 2021. Okay. After my mom passed. My mom passed in November, right before Thanksgiving. We moved back in December to be close to family. 8 months later, 9 months later, this happened. And it's like there's no reason like I I I don't even get it, you know? Why would anybody want to do that?

You know, it was like random. She was going out to get me a birthday cake. Today, my [ __ ] birthday, she went out to get me a birthday cake.

Yes, it was Julian's birthday. And instead of enjoying a delicious cake with frosting and candles and maybe a birthday card and some balloons, maybe a couple pictures with the fiance and the son. Nah, nah, no, no. Now he's sitting in a hospital waiting room talking with a detective about Ashley's murder. Now that's a twist. Ashley and Julian were both from New York City. The Projects to be exact. They'd met in middle school.

We've been together 10 years. We've known each other since [ __ ] 8th grade. Though they met in school, Julian and Ashley didn't start dating until years later when they reconnected. until 2012 is when we finally kind of reconnected on Facebook. You know, I finally I was old enough. I had the courage, her, you know, come out with me. It's my birthday, you know, and she came out with me for my birthday. 8 days later, we're together.

So, not only was it Julian's birthday, but today also marked 10 years since their first date. The timing couldn't be any more cruel. A milestone meant for celebration was now twisted into a gut-wrenching loss. Julian and Ashley had grown up together, but they'd always dreamed of leaving New York City. Julian's family started trickling down to Georgia, and they followed. That same year, their son was conceived. But the couple had gone back and forth between New York and Georgia for about a decade, never really able to cut ties with the Big Apple. As crime rates rose and the constant chaos of New York seemed unavoidable, they said goodbye to the North and called Georgia their home.

We were both New Yorkers, but we always wanted to eventually go back. So, we planned to go back last year. We moved in January of 2021. being back and going back to where, you know, to visit her mom. It was just like we we forgot what we left. Like we don't need this [ __ ] Like it's just so much. And you see on the news about all these random shootings and beatings and stabbings and

they moved to escape the violence of New York, but mostly they wanted a better life for their son.

That's what our world revolves around, you know. So when my mom passed away, we decided, you know, I don't really believe in this [ __ ] We're going back to Georgia where we don't have to deal with the nonsense. And then we come back to Georgia and deal with the same [ __ ] that we tried to leave.

The irony was chilling. This young couple, raised in the unforgiving sprawl of New York City's projects, had chased a dream of a better life in the suburbs of Georgia. But it was as if the darkness they left behind had tracked them down. Kind of like uh what's that movie? Final Final Destination. The Final Destination franchise is what I'm thinking of. It's as if when death comes, you have to hurry up and set the place mats out cuz they ain't leaving.

So like you're you're [ __ ] you're never you're not safe anywhere, you know? But I try to do the best I can to give my family the best that I can, you know, give, you know, the best chance possible. And it's like they [ __ ] work, you know. Like I said, we're going to do everything we can to find these people. Make sure they pay for what they did to to you and your family. Though Julian supported the family on his income, Ashley had taken a job at Floor and Decor to bring a little extra money in and give her some independence outside of her role in the home. She'd been promoted to night manager and was working the overnight shifts, which had put a strain on the couple.

I start work at 6:00. She gets out at 5:30. She's right next door. So, as soon as she gets home, I bye. I go to work, you know, and that's just how it has always been, you know.

The couple started bickering. Julian supported her desire to work, but kept reminding her that they didn't need the money. Plus, she didn't like working overnight shifts. It just seemed unsafe. Ashley was adamant about keeping her job, and making time for one another became really hard. There's only so many hours in the day. You know, they had been fighting for the last week.

It was so petty. And I was like, the last few days we were fighting about something that didn't matter. And now you're not even here. And it's like I could have spent those last few days rekindling and saying, "I'm sorry, you know, I'm sorry for starting some [ __ ] you know, and now we never get that chance again. Julian sat there baffled as to how this happened to his wife.

She even she told the nurses it came out of the blue like I can't even tell you why. You know, I have no clue. You know, I I'm I go to work every day. All I do is work and come home, you know, and that's all I do. So, if I had any slight idea of what could have caused this, I would definitely say something. But it's like I I don't even know. I don't even know. Like I said, we only been back in Georgia 9 months and we don't do anything.

We literally work and go home every day. This attack did not feel random. Ashley was not robbed. In fact, she didn't even have her purse on her. Two women had brutally beaten her, working together to hold her down, kick her, punch her, bite her, and scratch her. They left her gasping for air and bleeding from the head. It was savage, like an animal. But Ashley swore she didn't know them, and Julian believed her. Julian believed a lot of things. To detectives, it felt like there was more to the story. Maybe, just maybe, Ashley had taken a dangerous secret to her grave.

In the quiet city of Buford, Georgia, Ashley Bokeenegra's life ended violently. She told everyone she was ambushed by two strangers. It happened in the middle of the afternoon as Ashley walked to pick up a birthday cake for her fianceé, Julian. Out of nowhere, two girls sprang out of the bushes outside her apartment complex and pounced. In broad daylight, they beat her mercilessly, leaving her gasping for air. Barely holding herself together, Ashley stumbled back to her apartment and called Julian for help. At the hospital, things only got worse. Her breathing faltered. Her lungs started to collapse, and her body started to shut down. Slowly, piece by piece, it gave out. By the end of the day, Ashley was gone. She was only 30 years old. It was her fiance's birthday and the 10-year anniversary of their first date.

Now, Julian was left heartbroken and puzzled as to why this happened. The more he talked with detectives, the more he questioned what Ashley had told him before she died. you know, I have the camera right

at home. So, all I see is like the typical neighbors we have walking the dogs. Um, when we leave, there's nobody in the front. There's really nobody ever walking around. There's nobody ever really walking around. Everybody's just getting in their car and leaving.

Julian and Ashley had a Ring camera on their front door, so their daily movements were tracked. The apartment complex they lived in was one of those cookie cutter apartment communities with a gym, a pool, a little park, and plenty of green space between the buildings. People keep to themselves, shuffling to and from the parking lot to their own suites after work. Ashley had described her attackers as a young Hispanic female and a heavy set black woman. That was all she knew. with that description. I I can't even put a face to it. Like I I don't even have a clue. Like I I don't know if they live there. I don't know if they just happened to stumble in there.

I don't know if there was an actual reason for picking her. I I don't know. The way she's explained and what all the injuries you observed, it seems personal. So maybe it was something very little to her, little to you that you're overseeing and like go back to it and it's like, "Oh, like for example with with my girl, if some girl like smiles at me, right?" And she's like, "Oh, what was that about?" Right. She if she, you know,

Yeah. and she gets extremely jealous about it, whatever. Do you think of any situation where like maybe some guy was being friendly, she just was being friendly back just to be friendly and didn't know that maybe that guy had like a girlfriend and then this girl is not retaliating. Julian shook his head no. Then after a long pause, he admitted something. Remember how he said they'd been fighting earlier that week. What he hadn't mentioned was why. It all started with a suspicion that he could not shake. The suspicion that Ashley may have been cheating.

I don't know. It's like I get these little moments where any little thing you do would make me believe that you cheated. Did you just have like a feeling that she was doing that or

No, I had no no type of proof. It was just Do you guys have each other's passcodes to each other's phones?

Um, she doesn't have mine. Okay. But you have hers. I I know hers. You never found anything on her phone?

I never I don't look. Okay. You know, I I boundaries, you know what I mean? I don't care if you give me your code. I don't look

any like weird uh behavior like me with a Ring camera you've noticed her going in and out of the house. Okay.

No, normal. Julian said that jealousy had been an issue for both of them over the years.

Was it just you guys just talking or was there actually No, we we never really argued.

No, I mean like the like the the cheating. Was it just saying it just because of just jealousy or did actually something actually happen? Now, previously in our earlier years, we've been together 10 years.

Okay. In our earlier years, I I did [ __ ] up and she in New York. In New York.

Okay. Nothing here. Nothing here. Okay. Just live was in New York. Um, ever since that day, you know, she always had her doubt about me.

Gotcha. Maybe Julian had his suspicions due to his own guilt about his own past. Teachers often accuse their spouses of cheating. But the bottom line was that he had no proof. Ashley never went anywhere without him. It seemed logistically impossible for her to manage an affair. All she did was take care of their son and go to work. The Ring camera proved it.

I'm not trying to get into your personal business or anything, but I mean, you weren't talking to any female on the side. Like, does this m like these females that

Oh, no, no, no, no. You know what I'm saying? Maybe you've gotten jealous. I know nobody here in Georgia,

you know. You know what I'm saying? I just surprisingly I've been on Georgia, you know, almost 8 years total.

I don't know anybody. So these this description that she gave you, they're not nothing familiar.

The police were getting nowhere. There was no shady business on Julian's end that could have provoked this deadly midday attack. Keep in mind, Ashley died late in the evening, but she'd been attacked around 100 p.m. in the afternoon. Around that time, a 911 call came in from Ashley's apartment complex.

Hi, I I worked here at the apartment complex and there was two girls fighting and she's really bloody. I can see the blood from where I'm at. There was fighting in in the apartment complex in the parking lot. I mean on the street. Okay. What what did the address of two cross streets?

The woman who called 911 worked at the leasing office in the apartment complex and had seen the fight on her way to work.

And you say one of them is bleeding. Yeah, I can see her forehead from down here is bleeding. The girl had her on the ground. It's a black girl and I I can't tell if it's two white girls or two Spanish girls.

So it's three of them. Three girls. Three girls all together. Okay. Three girls. Okay. Have you seen any weapons? I I have been. They're arguing right now. They stopped fighting, but they're arguing now.

Policing manager watched from her car down the road as Ashley's attackers screamed at her while she was on the ground. Ashley hugged her knees to her chest, flipped back her curly mess of hair, and suddenly sprung up to her feet.

I think they might be together because the girl who got beat up is following them.

Ashley was following her attackers. The leasing manager watched intently, trying to piece together exactly what was happening. As she trailed the two women, her unease set in as to where this strange pursuit might end.

Thought they were tight from where they were. They started walking towards me. So, I'm I'm driving away. Okay, that's fine. But I'm trying to see what building they go to. They're going to building 300, the high end of 300. According to the leasing manager, one witness to the fight, Ashley, had followed the girls who attacked her into the 300 building. But that is not where Ashley and Julian lived. In fact, at the hospital, the nurse who tended to Ashley had also reported the assault to the police. When the cops called to talk to Ashley before she died, the cops were able to get her side of the story. So, what happened?

Well, I cuz right now is was my fiance's birthday. So, I went to go rest my friends to go, you know, grab them the cake and stuff like that. So, I was outside waiting for my um Uber. I see these two females walking around. They look kind of iffy like they was like, you know, getting into something, but I didn't think anything of it. And then they started me. All I hear is um that she matches the description and that out of nowhere literally they just came and attacked me. I don't know like the reason or anything like that. So unless they were looking for somebody or what, but sorry.

Ashley said the women called out she matches the description before they attacked her. She said she was blindsided. Yet she was adamant she did not want to pursue charges.

And but once again, you don't want the police involved. You want you don't want anything documented. You just want to go about your way.

Yeah. Okay. Yeah, pretty much. Ashley's refusal to press charges just didn't add up. This was an unprovoked attack. According to her, her hesitation made no sense. Something about the situation just felt off. The police didn't have to look very far to find Ashley's attackers. The witness who called 911 led them straight to a building in the same complex where Ashley lived. Apparently, her attackers were her neighbors. Two officers knocked on the door and a young man answered.

So, what's going on? We just want to make sure everybody's good. So, that's why we're here.

That's fine. But we'd rather y'all come out here. Can they come out? The females that are in there.

Yeah. At this point, all that officers knew was that a fight between three women had been reported. They had no clue that Ashley had been sent to the hospital. They just needed to get details about this assault. The young man at the door stepped aside and a heavy set black woman walked to the open breezeway. She was breathless and sweaty, wearing a white t-shirt and yoga pants.

This girl, she came to my house. She's asleep with my fiance. She works over there. She's his manager and she keeps on forcing him to have sex with her after he been cut it off or she was going to fire him. And we ended up fighting right there because she approached my home. This is my home. She lives all the way over there. Is

everybody in the house right now? Oh, just me. I'm the only one that fought. Just me. The girl, she left. The woman who fought Ashley was 27-year-old Antanetta Stevens. Though she was shaking with adrenaline, she claimed that Ashley had confronted her at her front door. That means there was no street brawl, no random attack. Then they fought. Apparently, Ashley had been sleeping with Antetta's fiance, Daniel, who was the one who answered the door. Antoneta claimed that Ashley was Daniel's boss at Floor and Decor and she had been forcing him to have sex with her. How about that?

I'm very heartbroken. I got you. I got you. I got you. So, we're going to make sure everybody's okay cuz a third party called 911.

Antoneta let officers inside. In the living room, Danielle and Antetta's toddler was watching TV. Antoneta's sister-in-law, Janine Gonzalez, was there, too. She admitted that she had also been a witness to the fight.

All right, so kind of slow it down. You were going the female that he's been sleeping with.

Him? Yes. My known for 5 years. We moved here together from up north. He has wor he's worked he works at Floor and Decor. He's been sleeping with his manager

and that's who was here. Yes. And I've been feeling it for some time now. Okay.

Yesterday I'm walking to Quick Trip. I see them walking together. And you're a woman. You know our intuition. I know that's the girl. I seen her. We argued yesterday. He broke it up. It was fine.

According to Antoneta, she had caught her fianceé Daniel walking to the corner store with Ashley. This was all the confirmation she needed to secure her feeling that Daniel had been sleeping with Ashley

this morning. Now she's calling calling test on testing text on saying that she's going to be coming here. I waited for her and then I fought her because I'm just enraged. I'm very heartbroken. You see, I started packing my stuff yesterday. Nothing is even in bags. I'm just mentally out of it right now because this is a person that I want to grow old with. This is a person I want to share my life with and I feel dirty. I feel disgusting. I feel heartbroken and I feel this.

Antoneta was fired up clearly. She alleged that Ashley had shown up at her front door asking for a fight. So they duped it out. Then Ashley left.

But I'm okay right now. I'm not like going to be going out hitting anybody. I'm not a mess of society. I'm just very heartbroken my life has been doing.

We just had to make sure everybody was good because we got a call. The adrenaline was raging through Antetta and she couldn't stop talking.

She's actually cheating on her family, too. Go figure. You know, the husband and she drive off.

No, she she walked. She walked. I don't know if she has her own car, but you know, her I don't know. I hope her husband finds the hell out because why do I have to be the only one in shambles for my life? But um

what was her name? I have no idea. You don't know her name? I'm assuming he's not going to tell me her name.

Probably not cuz he probably wouldn't want me to find out. How old is she? 30. 30. What does she look like?

Um, Hispanic female. Yeah. Black hair with kind of like highlights. Curly. No color highlight.

Messed up teeth. Really big jaw. Of course, the man who this fight had erupted over, Daniel, you know, the prize. He just sat there quietly while his angry fiance rattled off catty remarks about his mistress, just sitting there like a grown baby. It's amazing.

But I'm not going over there. Just to let you guys know, I'm not going to go on a manhunt looking for her. I don't care. I already handled my business.

Yeah, like I said, it's not considered domestic violence. Y'all went at it together. So, it's would be if you want to prosecute, she wants to prosecute, then technically both of y'all would go to jail. So, If you're not wanting to worry about it, then we're going to go our separate ways and not worry about it.

Thanks. Appreciate it. Oh, you want anything done to her? Nope. Nope. I think she's got enough. You know,

like Ashley, Antetta was firm. She did not want to press charges. This was street justice. She didn't need no cops. You know, her claim that Ashley had shown up at her door only deepened the confusion, and none of it added up. Buried within the strategic white lies of both Ashley and Antetta's stories was a truth neither woman seemed to be willing to share.

I'm guessing you're going to pack all your crap up and get out here while your clothes are on the couch or y'all going to try to try to work this out cuz y'all have a kid. What's your plan?

He works right there. So, would I be a horrible woman and tell you to quit your job and then you have to work with this woman and I have to sit here? I work from home. I'm in this house 24/7. I cook, clean, work. That's all I do all day. It's probably why I lost my mind like that.

And worked from home while Daniel did overnights at Floor and Decor with Ashley. Their affair grew in the shadows of the home renovation depot, hidden under stacks of tile and carpet swatches. Through long nights stocking shelves, Daniel and Ashley fell hard for one another. Their shifts became an escape. A stolen chance to leave their other lives behind and be together in secret. It was kind of the perfect affair. No seedy hotel meetups were required. All sex was maintained at work. But once Antineta figured out what was happening, the party was over. Now she was livid and threatening to leave.

So I don't really know, but I I think I want to leave though. So I'm in the process. I just don't know where to go. Like as I did say, I'm from up north. I don't really have family out here, you know. So put all my eggs in one basket just for this to happen. I wish you guys can take me for a weekend. I really need a break from this in this house. Please.

Well, be be careful what you wish for. There you go. Cuz I seriously be careful what you wish for. As officers prepared to leave, Antinetta joked that she wished that they could take her away for the weekend. Well, they can. She had no idea at that very moment, Ashley was being admitted to the hospital, and by the time the night was over, she wouldn't be leaving on her own two feet. She'd be leaving in a body bag. Text between Daniel and Ashley from the morning of the attack showed that they'd been swooning over each other. They were falling in love. Since I've met you, you've made everything so much better and bearable. I don't know how to explain it.

Wow, Ashley, you really make it hard not to want you or keep falling for you. I can tell you how I feel and not worry about your reaction. I feel secure around you. I don't know why, but I just do. Just know it's going to be like that. Be yourself, Ashley. I want Ashley, not someone else. The conversation ended up with Ashley telling Daniel to get some rest. He signed off saying he was about to have a nap. An hour later, he started texting Ashley again. Where you at? I need to see you.

Lol. I'm in bed. I want you here so bad. Meet me, please. I'm going through it. I got kicked out.

Are you serious? Let me put on something real quick. All right, I'm outside. Okay, about to come out now.

Not only did Ashley and Danielle work together at Floor and Decor, but they lived in the same apartment complex. Ashley's husband, Julian, was at work when she allegedly left to get his birthday cake. But really, she was rushing out to meet Daniel because he had texted her saying that Antanetta had just kicked his cheating ass out of the house. Ashley put on her green leggings and Crocs, as he would, and left the house with only her iPhone. The Ring camera on her front door was the only witness to her leaving. She walked around looking for Daniel, texting him as she searched. He said he was on his way, that Antetta was furiously packing, that she was crazy.

Ashley texted back how sorry she was as she crossed the road towards their meeting spot. And that's when it happened. Antoneta and her sister-in-law, 17-year-old Janine, came storming onto the street. Janine had her phone recording, the only truthful witness to the fight.

Look at her right there. That's my baby. That was me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Antoneta sprang into action. Perhaps that's a bit hyperbolic. She was a very big girl. Regardless, she tackled Ashley to the ground. She grabbed fistfuls of her hair, smashed her head into the pavement, and punched her repeatedly. Her sister-in-law, 17-year-old Janine, egged her on like a deranged cheerleader. Let's not pretend that World Star hip hop was not a cultural phenomenon.

Here's what we do. We're sad [ __ ] We're sad [ __ ] You're going to get [ __ ] up. Get the [ __ ] off.

Get off my hair, [ __ ] Get the [ __ ] off. Get off my hair, [ __ ] Get the [ __ ] off.

Get off my hair. Ashley's small body was powerless against Antinetta. After all, she was twice her size. Consumed by rage and jealousy, Antoneta straddled her, fists crashing down as she unleashed everything she had on Ashley.

Say hi to Daniel. Say hi to Daniel. You know, he said I could come out here and [ __ ] you up, right?

You know that, right? He's in the house with our son, [ __ ] He said I could [ __ ] you up. Yep. This is what we do. If I get mad and he knows I'm leaving, he feels sad. He says, "God, why you [ __ ] her up?" That's what I'm doing. [ __ ] you off.

All right. You better die over dick. Real crazy dick. Yeah, you are. At this very moment in the video, the leasing manager drove by. She stopped when she saw Antetta on top of Ashley using handfuls of her curly hair to keep her skull pinned to the pavement.

Right. You his manager. I'm getting you fired, [ __ ] That's bias. That's conflict of interest. I'm showing this to the job. You're [ __ ] my [ __ ] while he's on the clock. [ __ ] my [ __ ] going. You're trying to ruin his family. [ __ ] he has a whole son. You're mad for him?

Ashley was losing strength. She put up a fight, but now her breathing was slowing as Antetta sat on top of her stomach, crushing her and banging her head. Then Antetta pushed herself up and started whipping Ashley across the pavement like a ragd doll.

I will murder you. I will murder you. I will murder you. I will murder you. I will [ __ ] murder you.

Antoneta and Ashley's rail thin body twisted over itself like a wire hanger bent beyond recognition. She shook her, punched her, and screamed in her ear.

Stop. You sound like my nails cuz I was really doing worse to you right now. I will do worse to you. I will do worse to you. I will do [ __ ] worse to you. That's why he was trying to protect you, but now he don't care to for you to get your ass beat. He let me do this. He let me. That's enough.

You're getting fired. You're getting [ __ ] fired. You're getting [ __ ] fired.

Yeah. I'm done. I'm done. You're getting [ __ ] I'm [ __ ] done. Yeah. The fight was completely one-sided. Antoneta dominated Ashley, punching her over and over with hard, angry fists. Well, Janine held the camera and continued cheering on her sister-in-law. Janine was giddy like the bad teenager that she was completely devoid of morality. Then when Antineta was done beating Ashley, she held her in place and called to Janine.

You want some of this, Janine? Yeah, I do. That's when Janine backed up, took a running start, and drove her foot into Ashley's side with brutal force. Over and over, she kicked her mercilessly, cackling and screaming like a deranged wild animal, like something with rabies. She wanted to show her beloved sister-in-law exactly how tough she really was. So, she killed someone.

[ __ ] go ahead. [ __ ] [ __ ] Want to jump her now? Yeah, we could do that. You done? You having?

Yeah, I'm done. I'm like, you messed with a crazy ass [ __ ] When Antetta and Janine were satisfied, she took Ashley's Crocs and her cell phone, leaving her sitting on the black top, trying to fix herself up and salvage what little pride she had left.

And he knows I'm crazy. Look at her face looking dumb. [ __ ] Babe, don't do this again cuz you're going to have to make me fight another [ __ ]

Wow. That's what happens. Go home. Let's go. But Ashley needed her phone back as she wasn't going to let Antetta and Janine take it. And so, even though she had been shamelessly beaten, she followed them back to their front door. She was woozy and breathless as she trailed them. Antoneta and Janine screamed at her to go home, but she didn't relent. The screaming between the three women was so loud it woke up Daniel, who had been asleep the entire time. Can you imagine that? This is all your fault and you're just sleeping through it. Unlike Antetta had professed during her brutal beating of Ashley. He had not okayed any of this. As he walked into the living room, Antetta burst inside yelling, "Damn, your outside just [ __ ] her up. I used your phone to write letter and I recorded it.

Let me repeat what Antineta said in case you missed it. Daniel, your [ __ ] is outside. I just [ __ ] her up. I used your phone to write her and I recorded it. There it was. This 14-minute video held it all. A motive, a plan, the murder, and a confession. All recorded by Antinetta's trusty 17-year-old accomplice. What a [ __ ] idiot. When Daniel figured out what was going on, he opened the front door and saw Ashley there, bloody and shaken up. Stunned to find his boss and his secret girlfriend at his front door. He quickly slammed it in her face, then found her phone and gave it back to her. She snatched it and scured home.

Daniel was overcome with guilt. He immediately started texting Ashley from the privacy of another room.

Ashley, please. Are you okay? Nah, I'm good. Leave me alone. Please talk to me.

I can't breathe and my heart is skipping a beat. I'm about to go to urgent care. Bye.

No way. Please. Your [ __ ] sister kicked me in my back. I was good until she did that. Ashley, I really want with all my good intentions. I want to see you and check on you. I feel sad. I can't believe your face and body are hurt. Talk to me or let me see you. [ __ ] I'm sorry. Sorry I wasn't there. In the light of truth, Ashley's secrecy at the hospital made sense. Why she never told Julian or the police that she knew her attackers. She couldn't risk her husband discovering the affair, especially not with their 10th anniversary and his birthday on that day. Antoneta refused to press charges, knowing full well she had set this storm in motion, luring Ashley out with a message from Daniel's phone. It wasn't like she claimed.

Ashley didn't come to her looking for a fight. But as the chaos simmerred, one fact remained. Ashley was still alive when they left her. Neither Antonetta nor Janine realized that their cruel plan to teach Ashley a lesson about infidelity had already spiraled into something that they couldn't lie their way out of. Something that they wouldn't be confronted with until hours later after the adrenaline rush had subsided and their kids had fallen asleep. It was about 4:00 a.m. when the police came back to Antetta and Daniel's house and knocked on the door.

Hey. Hi. I'm Detective Carter with Bonet County Police. Are you your internet? Yes. Hi.

Hey. This is Detective Poppy. Sergeant Poppy. Hi. We know that there was like an incident.

Yeah. That happened earlier today. Has anyone called you about it since? No. Was somebody supposed to?

Well, we just got another call about it. So, I guess the girl went to the hospital.

Okay. And she died. She died. She's dead. So, but we know that there was like an altercation that happened beforehand.

That was mutual and she came here. Yeah, we understand that. So, but we because of it,

I'm going to kill him, but I'm not that person. I get it. The lack of remorse here is astounding. It truly says something about the state of our society today. What exactly? I'm not really sure. I'm not a sociologist. Is that who does things like that? I don't even really know. But I can tell you that as a human being, it feels disgusting. Antoneta sounds like she's just been told her pizza delivery will be late, not that the girl she beat up, another human being, has died. I don't think I could ever fully understand the complete lack of empathy and sympathy that it takes to do something like this and then be so cold and callous about it.

But because of that, we have to kind of talk to you guys and get a more formal statement.

Sure. Um, wow. I'm so sorry about that. Um, that was not my intention. Um, I've been mentally going through a lot. Um, I have bipolar depression and I'm just going through a lot right now. And you know, I came here from up north um with my fiance. That's him. Of course she has bipolar depression. Of course, right? Who doesn't? It's 2025. Everybody has mental illness. You're not special. She's mentally been going through a lot. as if this [ __ ] matters, seeing as she's just murdered someone with her bare hands. But sure, it's all about guns.

I came here with my fiance um to start a new life, buy a house, everything like that. And I never expected him to basically cheat on me with someone at the workplace. You know what I'm saying?

So, we would like to get like a formal statement. So, we're going to ask that you come up to our headquarters and talk to us.

It's just right up the street. Okay. All right. I hear kids. Is there someone else here that can

There's someone here with them? Yeah. Okay. Were they Were they involved at all?

No. Okay. All right. So, it was just you two guys. If you don't mind, if we can just get some shoes, it'll be quick. We can get an ouch.

Okay. But their time at the police station wouldn't be quick. Antetta and Janine's reckless decision to film their assault had already set the stage for disaster. But it wasn't just the evidence that left investigators disgusted. In the interrogation room, something unexpected emerged. Something that would shift the entire case and reveal a darkness no one could see coming.

30-year-old Ashley Bokengra had been attacked by Antinet Stevens and Janine Gonzalez in their apartment complex. Ashley was having a secret affair with Antetta's fianceé, Daniel. You see, she was his manager at the Floor and Decor, a place that sells a bunch of tiles and flooring and [ __ ] When Antineta discovered the affair, she used her fiance's phone to lure Ashley to a meetup spot where she and her sister-in-law Janine beat Ashley up until she had to be hospitalized. Hours later, Ashley succumbed to her injuries and died. Now, Antinetta and Janine were on the hook for her murder.

not just a malicious cat fight. They were taken down to the police station and the officers finally got Daniel alone so they could talk with him about what had happened.

How long have you lived here? About like a year. About a year. Um, do you know Ashley?

Yes, sir. How do you know Ashley? Uh, do you know anybody? I don't know if she relationship.

Daniel admitted that he'd found out about the fight after Ashley showed up at the door looking for her phone. He felt terrible for slamming the door in her face, but he was stunned to see her there.

How did she look when you when she opened the door? I'm not going to lie. She She look [ __ ] up.

Yeah. Okay. I mean, when you say she, you're talking about Ashley? Y and when you said they took her phone.

Yeah. So they could text um so they could text her husband whatever she got. So sorry.

How do you know that they took her phone? Did she tell you? Yeah. She she knocked on the door and yelled, "Please, I just want my phone."

Daniel explained that he and Antineta had been having relationship problems long before his affair with Ashley. He'd wanted out of that relationship and he was preparing his exit. You and Taneta are having relationship problems already.

Yeah. No, it's it's deep. Like it's deep. We got a kid and everything. So, it's like it's more I'm I go off respect. I have a kid with you. I'm going to respect you regardless. But if I'm not with you, then I don't have to I don't have to like I don't I don't have to do that part anymore.

I can just take care of my kid and if you need help, I'll help you. Like it's not like this is fresh like I'm over here cheating on this woman. I'm not. like we've been like this has been a toxic environment and she's just been trying to figure out what to do and I've been trying to figure out what to do but but she doesn't want nobody to leave. I'm telling her like I'll leave. I'll live in my car. I'll do whatever. But Daniel had made it clear that he wanted to leave even if it meant living in his car. What is it with these grown adults that can't get their [ __ ] together?

Anyway, Antoneta refused to let him go cuz that's how it works. This sucks, man.

I know. Is she hurt? Absolutely. Like real bad. So, honestly, I'm I'm not going to make a show. I'm not going to go in jail and I'm not going to go call her. I just just want to know.

Well, yeah. We got a call from the hospital a while ago and she actually passed away from

No, stop playing with me. Please. Please stop playing with me. Please stop playing.

Sit down. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down. Please stop playing. Shh.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. [ __ ] [ __ ] Daniel broke down in uncontrollable sobs when the officers told him Ashley was dead. He was panicking, and it seemed like he was the only one who had been truly devastated by her sudden death.

The baby. The baby. The baby. The baby. Oh my [ __ ] god. He [ __ ] [ __ ] [ __ ]

Daniel was shattered. The woman he loved was gone. Murdered by the very person he'd been trying to escape. Every breath felt heavy, weighed down by the cruel truth. Ashley was dead because of him.

So, wow. Now you know why we're here. It's more than just a little fight. Wow. Wow. I felt Mhm. I felt the home in my heart as soon as you left. Really [ __ ] came in. [ __ ] How am I going to [ __ ] do this?

Listen, you just got to take a breath and give yourself some time. The officer left Daniel with his thoughts and his son to keep him hopeful. They had two murderers waiting for them at the police station. The ring leader, Antetta, was first. After having her rights read to her, she did the smart thing. Sort of

have these rights in mind. Do you wish to talk to us now? Um, well, I do want to speak with the lawyer just because of how sensitive the situation is. Um, I I will say that, you know I don't go out looking to harm anybody. Um, that's not my intention. And I do feel, you know, very remorseful about anything that has happened with that that young lady. Um, I'll also say that, you know, it wasn't my intention to even get into an altercation with her today. Um, she came over to my place of residence looking for my fiance. We argued, I was hit, we fought. Um, I feel really bad, but you know, I really I'm I don't know. I'm just No, it's just this is just too much. Uh, it's just too much. She really trails off there, doesn't she? Real low energy, low confidence [ __ ] Antoneta clung to her story, ignoring the damning video evidence on Janine's phone. Maybe she was dumb enough to think that the cops

would never find it. I don't know. I wouldn't put it past her. But because she wasn't willing to talk, she was thrown in jail. 17-year-old Janine wasn't as sharp as her sister-in-law. She'd stayed quiet when the police first showed up. But the moment a female detective strolled into the interrogation room, mirroring her tone and attitude, Janine's face lit up. All it took was a little imitation for her to believe she'd found a friend. Hey, at least it's not blazing hot in here, right? Yeah.

You look comfy. Can you stay right here for me? It's dirty. Where's the dirty at?

I swear. I swear it was just dirt. Girl, you I know. I met you at the at your apartment. I'm Detective Parker. This is Detective Aria. He's still trying to like get filled in on everything. So, um, basically her sister-in-law, there was a situation with her, her brother. There's a whole situation, whatever. We just got through talking to Antonet. Um, so basically, we just got to get your side now. Um, because you are in here, he has to read some stuff to you, so he's he's going to be the lead detective, so he's going to do most of the talking, but I'm just in here because I'm kind of familiar with it, but I'm here, too. No.

Janine smiled at her, falling for the trick that this cop was somehow in the room for her benefit.

Just go through basically since I was in there and I'm I'm playing casual basically. So what happened?

So like let me start to where it leaded. Okay. All okay. So like since I've been down here, they they have been on good terms. So, you know, arguments back to back.

Janine confirmed that Danielle and Antetta were on the rocks. Things were bad. So, like, you know, they're arguing or whatever. So, my brother, him being a man, cheats like always, you know, he's feeling less than. He thinks it's okay to cheat. So, you know, he tells me he tells me who is he cheating with and stuff. Now, me and my steps sister, I mean, not my step sister, my sister-in-law, we're very close. Like, so close. Like, you understand? Like, she's more of a sister to me than my brother's a brother to me, you know?

Yeah. So, like, we're very close. Antoneta was the sister Janine never had. She had visited her every summer. So when Daniel admitted he was seeing Ashley, Janine couldn't wait to share the juicy gossip.

So once he told me, I was just like girl, right? To teenage Janine, this was all a game. The fact that Daniel, Antetta, and their son were a family meant nothing. She was riding high on the thrill of being the gatekeeper of his secret. In case you haven't figured it out, kids are dumb, especially teenagers. If you're looking for them to guide you, boy are you lost.

Two days prior before this day, um, we were just chilling, she was working, and Daniel did something to her to make her upset. So, we were talking or whatever, and I was just like, "Oh, I forgot to tell you." No, I didn't forget, but I said, you know, so I was like, um, told her what happened. He explained what she did or whatever. She was like, "Oh, really?" She was upset or whatever. I was like, "Don't tell him that cuz he was going to be mad at me, right?"

He explained how the girl looked to me though and you know, curly Puerto Rican skinny girl. So I was like, "Okay." So then I explained it to another. So the next day after that, we went to the store last night. Last night we went to the store last night and we were walking to [ __ ] Trip. [ __ ] Trip is right there. You know,

I thought I thought you walking earlier. I thought that was you guys. Okay. So, we walked to [ __ ] Trip. As we're walking a [ __ ] trip, both of them are walking together from Quick Trip. So, they're just now leaving and we're just now coming. So, Antenna is like, "Is that Daniel walking?" So, now she runs there. I'm like, "Who is this?" The feud had been boiling for 24 hours. Janine told Antinetta about Ashley and then Antinetta and Janine caught Daniel and Ashley walking to the corner store on their work break. Janine kept talking to officers as if she was gossiping with her girlfriends on FaceTime. Her story was a far cry from the truth. She lied and said Ashley came to the door looking for a fight.

And she come to the house, you know, big fight. big fight. So, uh after the fight, um we took her phone. We were going to call her husband to let her know that, you know, just thirst.

So, did she knock on the door at first or you guys just saw her outside? Outside. She She didn't knock. She didn't get the chance to.

Okay. Cuz like, oh, got this [ __ ] coming. I'm about to beat her up. So, yeah. Do you guys start yelling at her before you guys approached her or how that go down?

Yeah. Yeah. Tell us about that. It wasn't really all. It was like, "Yeah, and you came to see my [ __ ]

and then it was just fighting after that." She knew what it was cuz she she got ready to, you know, and then it was just fighting.

Who was fighting? Um the girl. Everybody. No. Girl, you making No. Yeah. Of course you did. I knew you did. Just just just a little bit.

You got cuz like you said, that's your home girl. It's amazing how this detective just mirrors Janine's style of talking right back at her. And every time she falls for it, she relaxes her body and slips up again.

Tell me about that. How I didn't I didn't go I didn't go crazy though cuz she's small as hell. Like

you're you're enough already. I don't need to be punching her, dragging her. I don't need to do all of that. I'm good. Yeah, I get my little hit in and then that's it.

Where'd you get it in? Um, I don't know. I know. I know. Janine kept changing her story. First, it was Ashley who woke Daniel up. Then, wait, it was Antetta who woke him up. Her lies were getting tangled and frayed as she tried to keep her story straight.

Did you guys text her? What do you mean? Did you guys send messages to her? No, we don't get her number.

No, I mean from his phone. Oh, from his phone? Mhm. No, I don't think so. No. Okay.

Mhm. You sure? Yeah, cuz you you messed up your story a little bit. I already read the messages. You messed up a little bit.

What was the messages? He wasn't getting kicked out. Oh, that Yes, he was. Mm- I don't know. What the hell? You sure it was text messages just a fight or was it something else?

I don't know. You don't know. You don't want to tell us. You're been honest this whole time. It's fine. Just be straight up.

You're smart. That a smart move because you know if you text come over, I'm going beat your ass. She's not going to come over like that.

You know, y'all were smart. Y'all finessed the hell out of that girl. Of course, she she know that if we was to stay No, she was going to come fight regardless to be honest. Janine's lies were like a bad high school rumor, spreading fast but falling apart under the slightest scrutiny. She was too oblivious to grasp the fact that she wasn't walking out of this police station scot-free with her cell phone and her jean shorts.

Earlier today, she didn't know that she was walking into a fight. Now she's dead.

I know that [ __ ] is crazy. Do you know how she died? like from fighting the injuries of her death.

They had to do an autopsy, but it was actually as a result of her uh the injury she sustained during the fight.

Shit's crazy. How does it make you feel? That [ __ ] make me feel like I'm going to hell. That I'm not going to lie.

I heard [ __ ] was pretty [ __ ] up. I don't know. D when I opened the door, I saw her. I was like, "Oh shit." And I had to slam the door cuz he feel so [ __ ] up. He did do that. He did do that. He did do that. He did do that.

The careless and sinister nature of her affect is terrifying. People like this actually exist in society and sometimes they vote. This girl has absolutely no remorse for the fact that she helped murder someone. Nor does she even really care that Ashley was being an alleged home wrecker. trying to ruin break up your family. I'm sure that made you upset.

No, I wasn't upset. No, you just No, they've been on rocky road for a minute. Like I knew I've been knew he was cheating when he when he told me. So I was just like, what do I expect from this? This her first scared that she he was going to go off with her. was that scared he was going to go for him. To be honest, me and my brother isn't really that close. We're trying to work on it. So, it was just like it

just makes it easier when family's together. You got your sister and you got him.

Yeah. But we I don't live with those, you know? I don't really feel that family connection. It's like me and her close and I come visit her and he's just like my brother. With that, they left Janine alone. In the interrogation room, she laid her head on the desk and slept on it like a pillow, like little kids do in preschool. She played with the scrunchie around her wrist. Then the detective came back in.

Hey, it's me. All right. So, we're going to have to book you into the jail. Uh, your charge is going to be back battery. All right. For the fight.

Okay. Aggravated battery. Oh, aggravated battery. Yeah. So, it's just basically just a little more serious than just a regular battery. Um, but we have to take the phone for evidence.

Ah, Janine's phone. The only character in this entire story capable of telling the truth.

So, what happens? We're going to go to the jail. We'll get you booked in, fingerprinted, photo, all that.

And then what else? Uh, wait for a court. So you clear on your charges? Yeah, I guess.

Yeah, it's robbery. Robbery? Oh, what? Robbery? Yeah, we didn't steal her phone. We took it so she could come to the house.

Oh, you took it? Yeah, she got she got her phone back. I told you she wasn't leaving unless she got We gave her back her phone. We just did it so we could call her husband, but we changed our mind.

Okay. Yeah. going to do. She got her phone. She She said it was okay for you to take it.

No. Okay. Yeah, that's a robbery. Um the other charge is uh murder. Murder? Yep. You're being charged with murder.

Me? Yep. That's that's that's too bad. That's deep, right? Yeah. That's that's [ __ ] insane.

Yeah. No. No. No. No. What? Murder. I barely laid hands on her. All I did to her. You want some of this, Janine?

Yeah, I do. [ __ ] go ahead, [ __ ] [ __ ] It was Janine's foot that delivered the fatal blows. The ones that pushed Ashley past the point of no return. The sheer force of them big ass hams as those final kicks caused bleeding in Ashley's lungs, sealing her fate in a brutal, merciless instant. Though it would take hours for Ashley to actually die, Janine's pardon this beating was the nail in her coffin. Antineta and Janine were charged with felony murder, robbery, and aggravated battery. They waited in jail for their day in court. When it was Janine's turn, she sat beside her courtappointed lawyer, tears streaming down her acne splotched face as she argued she was just a bystander and deserved a manslaughter charge instead. But the video disagrees.

There was no spinning the truth. That was all caught on 1080p. Actually, it could have been 720 or 480. Who knows? This ain't a camera course. But after weeks of wrangling, both Antetta and Janine took their plea deals. 20 years for voluntary manslaughter and robbery by force. Two decades in Arendelle State Prison will do things to you. There's plenty of time to relive every reckless second, every cruel decision. Every moment of that recording is on Janine's phone. Plenty of time to regret it all microscond by microscond.

But would either of these women be capable of such introspection? I doubt it. After all, it takes a little bit of intellect to have a conscience. It's ironic. Ashley and Julian came to Georgia from New York, searching for a better life, a fresh start from the chaos of the projects and their tangled past. Antoneta and Daniel came for the exact same reason. even from the same state. But neither couple was truly in a good place. Your geographic location doesn't really matter much if the core of who you are is all [ __ ] up. The trouble they tried to escape followed them across state lines, growing into an unstoppable force when Daniel and Ashley started falling for each other during their night shifts at Floor and Decor.

Daniel and Ashley found one another because they weren't happy in their own relationships. They wanted something more. And when a new town, a new house, and a new life wasn't enough to fill the void. What they wanted was a new person to be with, not a change of scenery. Daniel was a man trapped with a woman he didn't like, bound by a sense of duty to their son. His affair with Ashley was a spark of hope in a life that felt dim and joyless. Every moment with her was electric, and Ashley felt the same. We all heard Daniel's sobs when she died. Who knows what they talked about in those quiet moments together. Maybe they dreamed of turning their affair into something real and long lasting. Maybe they even imagined leaving their partners and starting fresh together. But those dreams died the minute Daniel confided in his teenage sister.

Janine was the little piece of the past that came down to Georgia that summer and threw gasoline on the fire. A child who didn't create the situation, but she surely made it go from bad to fatal and pretty fast. For Julian, for their son, for Daniel, and for all those who loved Ashley, one heartbreaking reality remains. Sometimes a fresh start isn't enough to leave the troubles of the past behind. And if you find yourself being miserable and you want to just patch it up instead of discovering and fixing the actual problem, well then don't worry because the problem will eventually find you.

Heat. Heat. Episode 15 titled Burn of Sword and Scale Television is out now at swordscale.com. It's a harrowing tale of a couple teenagers that just wanted to buy some pot and uh bad things happen. state of the world these days. I swear it's like parenting took a decade off once they invented the iPad. I'm going to go record some more. Maybe you should try being a mom.

Heat. Heat.

Questions about this episode

What is "Episode 299" about?

Episode 299 of Sword and Scale explores the tragic story of Julian Reyes, whose fiancée, Ashley Bokeenegra, dies unexpectedly after a violent incident. The episode delves into the events leading up to her death, including her frantic call for help and the investigation that follows as detectives seek to uncover the circumstances behind the attack.

What is mentioned in this Sword and Scale episode?

52 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Chase Daniel, Antoneta, Floor and Decor, Antinetta, Ring Camera, Sword and Scale. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Episode 299"?

The episode runs 1 h 12 min; the transcript is about 11,419 words in 227 timestamped sections.

More from Sword and Scale

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated December 15, 2025.