Pod Insights True Crime with Kendall Rae Abducted While Biking Home: The Murder of 20-Year-Old Sierah Joughin About this episode Sierah Joughin was a 20-year-old college student who was riding her bike home from her boyfriend's house one night when everything suddenly changed. Her boyfriend had been following alongside on his motorcycle, and when they parted ways, Sierra was immediately attacked and abducted by a sick man who lived nearby.
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Transcript 14,046 words · 8 speakers
Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:00 Kendall Rae? This podcast covers some tough cases, but it also highlights the heroes in every story. Advocates, investigators, first responders, people who know their purpose and are using it for good. If you want a career that helps others, Southern New Hampshire University can help you. Their online programs are designed to give you job-specific skills that you'll actually use in the field. With a cybersecurity degree, you could analyze digital evidence. With a criminal justice degree, you could guide victims through the legal process. With a business degree, you could start a nonprofit. And no matter your goals, SNHU makes college feel possible. There are no set class times, so school fits your schedule. And their online tuition is some of the lowest in the US. Put your purpose into action with a degree from Southern New Hampshire University. Visit SNHU.edu/ KendallRay.
0:45 Kendall Rae? Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids. But what about protecting them? Outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, baby gates. Where do you even start? Well, protecting your home and auto is a great place to start. Progressive offers customized coverage options. You can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones. They're basically the outlet covers, the kitchen cabinet locks, and the baby gates of insurance. Don't wait. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states.
1:29 Kendall Rae? Hello, everyone, and welcome back to True Crime with Kendall Rae. Thank you so much for joining me today. And if you're new, then welcome. I'm so happy to have you. Okay, guys, so today we are going to be talking about a case that was requested in my members-only form. And I can't believe I hadn't heard of this case. I have to just right off the bat tell you that this is a very heavy one. And it was very hard to research and prepare for. I was able to learn a lot about Sierra Jogan, and I was just so impressed with the young woman that she was. She was such an interesting, special, unique, kind, creative person. And for her life to have ended at 20 years old is just... It's hard to even wrap your mind around.
2:13 Kendall Rae? Her family has done so much to honor her memory and I think it's really important that people know more about her and know her story. So that's what we're going to be getting into today. Before I get into the case, I did want to tell you guys some great news. I'm very excited to share with you the impact that Higher Hope was able to make in our first only four months of running our foundation. If you missed last week's episode, I just again, wanted to say thank you to everyone who has donated so far or participated in our holiday matching program. We raised quite a bit and that is all going to be put to great use in 2025. But in our first four months in 2024, we were able to award 14 different grants at a total of $99,821 and I am very, very proud of that.
2:57 Kendall Rae? We could not have done this without all of your support on all of our shows, all of your donations. This was a combination of Hope and Empower grants and I could not have done this, my team could not have done this without all of your support by just watching our shows or making direct donations. It means so much to us and also I wanted to thank our sponsors who also make this possible. If you want to follow along with us, you can follow us on Instagram or head to our website at any time. If you're interested in making an impact yourself, you can make a donation at our website, which is higherhope.org. I'm very excited to see what we're able to do in 2025 and hopefully we just keep, you know, taking it a mile higher. But let's go ahead and get into Sierra's case because we do have quite a bit to go over and I want to start out, as I always do, by telling you more about who Sierra was.
3:41 Kendall Rae? Sierra Catherine Joggin, or Cece, as she was lovingly called when she was a kid, was born on February 11th, 1996, in Slovenia, Ohio, to her parents Sheila and Tom. She was actually the only child that came from their relationship, but in total, she would end up having four siblings after her parents split up, two on her dad's side and two on her mom's. And it's kind of funny, her mom actually wasn't sure if she wanted to have any more kids because Sierra was a perfect baby. Like even when she was bad, she was still good. For example, there was this one time while they were on a family trip in the Bahamas and I guess she had kind of like gotten into trouble for something and they couldn't find her for a minute and then all of- All of a sudden, they ended up finding her in the closet and she told them that she had put herself in time out.
4:26 Kendall Rae? And from a young age, Ciara just always seemed to be self-aware, well-intentioned, and very sure of exactly who she was. Oh, and definitely confident. Ciara was a very confident person and that just comes across in any videos of her, any pictures of her, any stories that you hear about her. Her mom Sheila says that Ciara's confidence really just started at a young age. And even as she grew older, when most girls unfortunately tend to lose some of their confidence over time, that really was never the case for her. And when I say confident, I don't mean that in a cocky type of way. She was just very sure of who she was. She knew who she was and she was happy to be who she was. And she was also that type of person that could bring anyone out of their shell
5:11 Kendall Rae? and always made sure that everyone around her felt included. Now, one of the most important women in her life, aside from her mom, was her Aunt Tara. She was Ciara's aunt on her mom's side. And since she was only 16 years old when Ciara was born, it really fostered a very close relationship between the two of them. She was kind of like her sister aunt and sort of second mom all in one. And when she and her husband Howard had four kids of their own, Ciara was practically her fifth. She would go on their family vacations and they would include her in everything they did as if she was their own daughter. And one thing about Ciara that everyone seemed to just love about her is that she just didn't have an off switch. She was all gas, no brakes, all the time, full of energy and full of life.
5:54 Kendall Rae? She was just someone that people loved to be around and she loved to be around people as well and also loved to make people laugh. I think the best way to put it is that Ciara was someone who not only found joy in everyday life, but she was someone who brought joy to everyone else's everyday life. She also loved to travel, she loved to exercise, she loved to spend time with her friends. And as I'm sure you can already tell, she had no problems in the friend department. She went to Evergreen High School where she played for the volleyball team and was definitely the life of every party. And I think something that people really loved about her and something that I loved learning about her is that she just Didn't take life that seriously, even when she was in high school.
6:35 Kendall Rae? And that's a time where most of us take life too seriously, if that makes sense. But for example, she was not even on the cheerleading squad, but she would still wear a cheerleading uniform or outfit or whatever around at school just because she liked it. She also had a boyfriend, a really great guy named Josh Kolosinski. And when everything that I'm about to tell you happened in 2016, they had already been dating for seven years. Their parents were actually friends when they were growing up and sources say that they'd known one another since they were as young as six. And what started as a friendship turned into a relationship kind of around middle school and they never looked back. Everyone in their lives just knew that the two of them were a package deal from very early on. Wherever Sierra was, there was Josh.
7:20 Kendall Rae? Wherever there was Josh, there was Sierra. And even when they were young, they were already starting to have conversations about wanting to get married one day. Sierra did want to wait just a little bit longer, you know, sort of get her career jump started. But at the end of the day, it was always gonna be the two of them. Their relationship was really so beautiful and it didn't matter what they were doing. Josh said that they were always having a good time. They did fun things like parties and school dances and even skydiving. But Josh has said that some of their best moments together was when they didn't have anything to do and they were just bored and found ways to entertain themselves together. And because of where they were living, they definitely had to make their own fun quite a bit of the time. I mentioned earlier that Sierra was born in Sylvania, Ohio,
8:03 Kendall Rae? but she actually grew up 10 miles down the road in Metamora, which is where this case takes place. Now, Metamora is about 24 miles west of Toledo and the most accurate way I can describe it from my research is rural. Very rural and corn, lots of corn. Based on the 2016 census, Metamora had a population of only 617 people. So we're talking very, very small. But from what I can tell, Sierra really loved living there. So much so that after her sophomore year of college, where she was attending the University of Toledo, she decided to spend that summer living back at home. At her grandparents' house, which was about a mile or so down the road from her mom's house.
8:45 Kendall Rae? In school, Sierra was a member of the National Honor Society and took learning very seriously. In her first two years, she was studying business, specializing in human resource management. In the summer that she was home, she had both an internship and a personal assistant job. Her internship was for ICE Industries, which is actually her Uncle Howard's company. And long story short, she was on a path towards getting a job there after graduation. She was also planning on moving in with her Aunt Tara and Uncle Howard in the upcoming school year. It would be a very easy location for her to live because they lived super close to campus. So as you can tell, Sierra had a very bright future ahead of her and was really going to continue to impact people's lives for years to come.
9:29 Kendall Rae? But that was all ripped away from her on July 19th, 2016. It was a Tuesday and her mom Sheila remembers it being a completely normal day. She got up, she went to work, and at one point in the day, she connected with Sierra over the phone to coordinate a family movie night because Secret Life of Pets was coming out. Sierra wanted everyone to go and see it. She also remembers that she and Sierra were planning on talking later that evening about Sierra studying abroad in the fall. That summer, she had been working to get her passport up to date so that she could leave the country and study abroad, which I'm sure she was very excited about. And the updated passport was actually supposed to come in the mail that evening. But they didn't really get the chance to talk about it
10:11 Kendall Rae? because Sierra decided that she wanted to ride her bike, which actually was a new bike, over to Josh's house. She'd recently gotten this purple mountain bike from a garage sale. And since her family had just come home from a vacation, she was really eager to go and see Josh. So sometime around 5:00 PM, she gets on her new bike and heads off to Josh's house. And he actually lived seven miles away from her. But like I've already mentioned, she was a very active person and this was no big deal to her. Although it was a very hot day in July and Josh said that she seemed pretty tired when she did get to his house. But she got there, she made it there, everything was fine. They spent just a little bit of quality time together because she did have to head back home. Because Josh actually had plans with another friend that night.
10:54 Kendall Rae? So she was always just going to stop by for a little bit and then head back.
11:01 Kendall Rae? This podcast covers some tough cases, but it also highlights the heroes in every story. Advocates, investigators, first responders, people who know their purpose and are using it for good. If you want a career that helps others, Southern New Hampshire University can help you. Their online programs are designed to give you job-specific skills that you'll actually use in the field. With a cybersecurity degree, you could analyze digital evidence. With a criminal justice degree, you could guide victims through the legal process. With a business degree, you could start a nonprofit. And no matter your goals, SNHU makes college feel possible. There are no set class times, so school fits your schedule. And their online tuition is some of the lowest in the US. Put your purpose into action with a degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
11:44 Kendall Rae? Visit SNHU.edu/KendallRay. Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids. But what about protecting them? Outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, baby gates. Where do you even start? Well, protecting your home and auto is a great place to start. Progressive offers customized coverage options. You can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones. They're basically the outlet covers, the kitchen cabinet locks and the baby gates of insurance. Don't wait. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states.
12:28 Kendall Rae? So a little after 6:30 PM, she leaves his house. However, this time she wasn't riding alone because Josh actually decided to ride his motorcycle alongside of her. And I really thought this was very sweet, but he just didn't like the idea of her riding home by herself. Even though the way home should have been very safe. I mean, it's very rural. I'm talking like a few houses and just cornfields all the way back. He still wanted to make sure she made it home safely. And he had no reason to believe she wouldn't, but he just wanted to be sure. Now, during the few miles that they rode together, Josh ended up recording two different Snapchat videos. And in these videos, they look like they're having such a great time. It's honestly so heartbreaking to look at these, especially when you know-
13:10 Kendall Rae? Know what is about to happen and I just hope that those last few moments that she had with Josh were special to her and filled with laughter and joy because in just a matter of moments, it was all gone. And here's how that happened. While they were riding home together on County Road Six, Sierra ends up telling Josh that she's got it from here. He can take off and it was okay for him to turn around and just go back home. She was a very headstrong person, someone very independent, someone you'd almost never win an argument with. So she insisted that she didn't need him to escort her the entire way home. And he actually did push back at first. He really wanted to take her all the way home, but she really insisted that she was okay. She assured
13:52 Kendall Rae? him she was gonna make it home just fine. And so eventually he did agree. And that was about another mile into the journey. So they went about two miles together before he turned around. They got to Evergreen High School. When they finally stopped, Josh gave her a kiss. He told her that he loved her and said, text me when you get home. But that text never came. And at first, Josh didn't really freak out. He did say that normally she was very good about sending him a quick text, letting him know that she had made it somewhere safely. But, you know, he didn't want to panic and it hadn't been that long. So he just sort of kept his eye on his phone and figured that she would eventually text him. Meanwhile, her mom was also experiencing
14:36 Kendall Rae? sort of a strange feeling, but just like him, she didn't freak out right away. That evening, she had taken her two younger kids to Taekwondo class and on her way home, she had to stop at her mom's house. I mentioned earlier that Sierra had been living with her grandparents, but what I didn't mention yet is that Sheila's younger daughter was also staying there. And she remembers that as she was pulling in to drop her other daughter off, she noticed that Sierra's bedroom light was off. And she thought it was kind of strange because it was only 9:00 PM. It was pretty early for Sierra to go to sleep, but she figured that, you know, maybe she was just tired. She'd been busy lately and Didn't think too, too much of it. She just took note of that. However, the weird feeling that she was experiencing turned into a full-blown panic
15:21 Kendall Rae? a little over an hour later when Josh called her at 10:15 PM and asked if she had heard from Sierra. He still hadn't gotten a text from her. And every time that he tried calling her, her phone was going straight to voicemail. So he was getting really concerned and he thought, you know, maybe she had reached out to her mom and just wasn't calling him back or answering for some reason. But he quickly panicked as well when he heard that Sheila also hadn't heard from Sierra. So at that point Sheila reaches out to her mom and it was the same thing. Not only was Sierra not in her room, but her bike wasn't in the barn either. And right away, everyone had this horrible gut-sinking feeling. This was completely out of character for Sierra.
16:06 Kendall Rae? So they all end up getting in their cars and driving around trying to find her. And at first, they were thinking that maybe she had some type of horrible bike accident. Maybe she'd been hit by a car, wasn't able to get in touch with them, that she was injured on the side of the road somewhere, maybe she was unconscious, something like that. So Josh heads out and starts looking along the route that they had taken together. And then Sheila went in a different direction towards a neighboring town, which she didn't think that Sierra had likely gone that way, but she wanted to cover their bases. And also, that was the direction of the fire station where she ended up going and finding a sheriff's deputy sitting in their car right out front. And that's when she frantically explained what was going on and that she desperately needed help.
16:49 Kendall Rae? But unfortunately, like we hear so often, her pleas for help were met with some resistance. At first, she got the whole, you know, she's 20 years old, she has every right to leave speech. But, you know, Sheila is like, that is not what is going on here. I know my daughter, this doesn't make sense. And she was not going to take that as an answer. So at that point, she makes a 911 call of her own and several more calls after that to make sure that something was being done. And meanwhile, her Aunt Tara was calling local hospitals to see if anyone matching- Sierra's description had been brought in and there actually was a brief moment where they thought they had found her. A hospital in Detroit had an unidentified woman come in who had a belly button piercing
17:33 Kendall Rae? just like Sierra and also had a scar on her calf that was just like Sierra's, but it didn't end up being her, which of course only added to the fear that her loved ones were feeling. So they continued to do what they could, which was posting online and organizing search groups in hopes that she would be found quickly. And thankfully by around 11:30 PM, it was all hands on deck with the local sheriff's department. One deputy, Matt Smithmeither, was woken up that night by a family member who explained what was going on and he jumped right out of bed to help. He started making some calls and really just helped kick things into gear. And a discovery was made that very night. Right around midnight, a different deputy and his canine were patrolling County Road
18:15 Kendall Rae? 6, looking for any sign of Sierra, when he came across some matted down cornstalks, which of course, given the circumstances, was something worth looking into. And when he got closer, that's when he saw it. Three to four rows deep in the corn, his flashlight reflected off of Sierra's purple mountain bike. It was standing up on its kickstand and based on the fact that it was left a few rows deep, he immediately believed that someone was trying to conceal it. And upon further inspection, he realized why. The bike had what appeared to be blood on both the seats and the handlebars. So right away, backup was called and minutes later, the entire area was just swarming with law enforcement.
18:56 Kendall Rae? And they ended up finding several other key pieces of evidence, including a fuse box, a pair of women's sunglasses, a pair of men's sunglasses, an orange handled screwdriver with blood on it, and also a green sock. And they also said that there was a strong smell of gasoline, motorcycle tire tracks, and most notably, blood stains on several cornstalks. And of course, with all that, it was immediately undeniable that this was the scene of an abduction. Maybe not a murder, at least they hoped not, but definitely the scene of a violent struggle at the very least. So that night, Sierra's family ends up getting a call from someone that they knew that there was a ton of law enforcement by the cornfields not far from their home.
19:41 Kendall Rae? And so of course, they all rushed to go see what was going on. But when they got there, no one would tell them anything. So it wasn't until hours later that an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent came by their house to tell them about what they had found. And that news was, I mean, you can't even put it into words. This was just confirmation for them that something horrible had to have happened to Sierra. Something far worse than a biking accident. And so from that moment forward, they're dealing with a whole new set of fears. Not only was Sierra missing, but she's missing because someone took her. So they needed to figure out who that person is, why they took her, and where they were keeping her. And I'm sure this won't come as a surprise to you, but the first person of interest, of course, was Josh.
20:25 Kendall Rae? Not only because he was the last person with her, but also because he was riding a motorcycle that night. And considering that a fuse box and motorcycle tire tracks were found at the scene, he just seemed like the most likely person. Plus, you know, statistically speaking, it would make sense, right? So the next day, on July 20th, he was questioned. And by that morning, local investigators and BCI agents had set up a mobile command center at Evergreen High School, and that's where Josh was spoken to. And he was, right off the bat, extremely cooperative.
20:56 Speaker 01 I sat around for a little while. It was probably half hour, four ten minutes. We sat there and just checked her weather. I should just take her home, or whether she wanted to ride a bike back. And we said she wanted to ride a bike, and I had my motorcycle, and I figured, you know, I'll follow her a little bit and just kind of give her a crash and stuff. I'm good. So I followed her. She left. I followed her down the street, and I said, all right, she said, like, you can leave, you know? So just turned around, wow.
21:24 Speaker 02 What do you think?
21:26 Speaker 01 No.
21:27 Speaker 02 What do you think?
21:28 Speaker 01 What happened? Found them. I'm a little scared. I have no idea. I don't know if it was someone she knew. And that's what, and we think Sierra is a trapper. She is a strong girl, and if someone came up where she would have put up a fight, I guarantee it. Unless it happened like that, unless it was, I can, I can see her having a music game. You don't even hear someone coming up, and it's just bam. And being the only one.
21:55 Kendall Rae? He told them absolutely everything that he knew and even offered to draw a map of his and Sierra's movements from the evening before. He also agreed to let them search his house and his truck because he had nothing to hide. At one point, they did find a pair of bloody coveralls in his truck, but they ended up confirming that it was animal blood from a hunting trip. And even though he was innocent, Josh, of course, as anyone would be, was terrified. Not only terrified for Sierra and what she's going through or what could have happened, but the idea that they think that he might have been involved. I mean, that's really scary, especially for a young person like him. Thankfully, though, pretty quickly, investigators did come to the conclusion that he was telling the truth, and that was partially because
22:37 Kendall Rae? of a new piece of evidence that they found that they could not connect to him. But it was evidence that definitely belonged to whoever was responsible. That same day, July 20th, the community was going as hard as possible in their search for Sierra. Law enforcement didn't even need much help rallying people to look for her because everyone was just already doing it. And it hadn't even been 24 hours. Yet you'd be hard pressed to find someone who didn't know what happened or wasn't already out there searching, which is exactly how this piece of evidence was brought to their attention. It turns out that the night before, a farmer and his son were driving home on County Road 6 when they noticed a black motorcycle helmet on the side of the road. And without even giving
23:19 Kendall Rae? it a second thought, they pulled over, picked it up, and continued driving home. And then it wasn't until the next day that the farmer heard about what had happened and was like, oh, wait, that helmet we found was pretty close to where they're saying the crime scene was. So he immediately got in contact with police and turned it over to them. And thank God he did, because when they took a closer look at it, they could see that it was covered in blood-like stains, and that one of those stains was a partial palm print, which, of course, suggested that this helmet might have been used to strike Sierra during her abduction. And because Josh was able to prove that the helmet didn't belong to him, it was helpful in clearing him. But obviously, now they're stuck with the question of whose
24:04 Kendall Rae? helmet is this? They did submit it and all those other items for DNA testing right away, but of course, those tests take time. And time was something they just didn't have because nobody knew if Sierra was alive or not, and they just couldn't wait on test results to make their next move.
24:25 Kendall Rae? This podcast covers some tough cases, but it also highlights the heroes in every story. Advocates, investigators, first responders, people who know their purpose and are using it for good. If you want a career that helps others, Southern New Hampshire University can help you. Their online programs are designed to give you job-specific skills that you'll actually use in the field. With a cybersecurity degree, you could analyze digital evidence. With a criminal justice degree, you could guide victims through the legal process. With a business degree, you could start a nonprofit. And no matter your goals, SNHU makes college feel possible. There are no set class times, so school fits your schedule. And their online tuition is some of the lowest in the US. Put your purpose into action with a degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
25:07 Kendall Rae? Visit SNHU.edu/KendallRay. Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids. But what about protecting them? Outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, baby gates. Where do you even start? Well, protecting your home and auto is a great place to start. Progressive offers customized coverage options. You can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones. They're basically the outlet covers, the kitchen cabinet locks and the baby gates of insurance. Don't wait. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states.
25:51 Kendall Rae? So they begin a bunch of other methods to try and find her, starting with pinging her phone, which is an obvious first step in a missing persons investigation. And unfortunately, they did not have any luck with that because the ping took them right back to the abduction site. They also weren't able to get anything off her Fitbit, which they knew that she was wearing because of those Snapchat videos. So at that point, their best bet was to continue with the ground searches. So those searches carried on all day Wednesday with the help of several law enforcement agencies, K-9 units, helicopter crews, family, friends, community members. But even with hundreds of volunteers, nobody found anything. There was a report of a van that had been apparently speeding through.
26:33 Kendall Rae? Through the area on the day that Sierra went missing and that created a lot of concern because Toledo is actually a sex trafficking hub and as I mentioned earlier, they were only 25 minutes from the city. So, you know, they started thinking the worst there, but then they ended up finding the driver of that van and cleared him. And then there was also a woman who reported that at 7:20 PM on the 19th, she was driving down County Road 6 when she saw something strange. She saw a man bent over at the waist, about two or three rows deep in the corn, along with a bike lying on the side of the road. And she actually didn't think much of it at the time, but once she heard about Sierra, she thought
27:14 Kendall Rae? it might be an important detail to the case. And she describes this man as a white male wearing red shorts and possibly a white t-shirt. So, law enforcement didn't have too much to work with there. So that left them, once again, scratching their heads with no idea where to turn to next, feeling frustrated, but luckily that didn't last too long. Because of how many volunteers were helping comb through these cornfields, officers were able to utilize their time conducting door-to-door searches. And one of these doors belonged to a man named James Dean Worley. And what's crazy is they went to this guy's house on only a hunch, but within moments of talking to him, they realized that this was their
27:58 Kendall Rae? guy. On July 21st, three law enforcement agents went to James Worley's home, which mind you, was located only five miles from where Sierra was abducted. And this sicko wasted no time getting chatty. And right off the bat, I just need to tell you guys, this guy is a fucking freak. Like, it did not take long at all for them to figure out that something is seriously off with this guy. And as soon as they knocked on the door and explained why they were there, James let them in and insisted that they all sit down. And they were like, no, it's cool. We're not gonna be here long. We don't need to sit. But he was like, no, you're gonna sit down and you're gonna listen to me. Overall, right away, the whole situation was just a giant red flag. I mean, for starters, James was looking rough. He had visible scratches.
28:43 Kendall Rae? And bruises all over his body that were clearly defense wounds. So, you know, they're getting red flags from that alone. But then he opens his dumb mouth and starts word vomiting some of the most outrageous things I have ever heard. And as soon as he starts blabbing, one of the officers is like, okay, we need to record this. So he gets out his phone and starts trying to subtly record him. James, you know, gets a feeling that he's being recorded, so he gets all sketchy about him having his phone. The officer lies to him and tells him that he's just texting his boss, but he is secretly recording him. And thankfully he did. I mean, they really had to because this idiot was immediately placing himself at the crime scene on the night it happened.
29:28 Kendall Rae? So here's his full story. Okay. According to James, around 5:45 or 6 o'clock on the evening of July 19th, he left his house to go ride his motorcycle. And while he was driving through County Road 6, his motorcycle stalled out. So he pulls off to the side of the road where he apparently ends up coming across not one, but two bikes. A gray one and a blue one. And try to stick with me as I attempt to explain this the way that James did because quite frankly, this dude is a real fucking idiot. And so none of what he said really makes sense, but he basically said that his plan was to ditch his motorcycle and then walk home.
30:10 Kendall Rae? But since he had back problems, he instead decides that he's going to ride one of these bikes that he found all the way home. However, after standing there and thinking about it, he decides that he is not going to take one of the bikes. Instead, he's going to try and push his motorcycle home, like walk besides it. Which of course doesn't make any sense because he just said that he has back problems and can't really walk that far. So makes a whole lot of sense, right? That if you can't walk, might as well try pushing a motorcycle and walking at the same time. But like I said, dude's an idiot.
30:42 Speaker 03 Out of here and you can take care of mom. Okay. Um, I started two bikes. I'm pushing and you're on and they're on there. There's a cornfield and I'm about half a mile down the road. Okay. There's two bikes sitting right in the wheat field. So back to the story here, I'm pushing my bike and I had to stop and there was bicycles sitting there. And I thought to myself, I ain't gonna stand stay out here. I pushed my bike into the cornfield because the end rows are open. I was in my head thinking, I'm gonna ditch this thing, but there's these bikes here. This was probably my bike and somebody else's bike. There was a blue one and a charcoal gray one, light charcoal gray color. Anyways, I'm right there and I'm over boiling and I look across the wheat field. I don't see no kids or nothing. There's nobody on the road.
31:27 Speaker 03 I didn't see anybody. Okay. And I thought, man, I'm gonna stick my bike in here and I'm gonna walk home. Problem is I can't walk because the sciatic nerve. So you didn't leave the bike in the cornfield? I was thinking about it and I went and I got it inside and I thought, now don't go wrapping this up in your heads. I go and park the bike and attack the chick. That ain't no well, so I screwed with it for a while and I took a break and I decided, you know what? I'm gonna turn this around, which I did. I got it back out and I commenced to pushing and then I made it home here about 10 o'clock.
32:01 Kendall Rae? Now, two things to note about his story. Okay, so first of all, the whole thing about there being two bikes there is not true. He was just trying to convince officers that someone else had been there with Sierra. And two, and I'm sure this is obvious, but his whole story was a way to explain why his DNA would be on her bike. And he could not have been more obvious because he even asks in the interview if they found his DNA on it.
32:30 Speaker 03 So are you really getting every house up and down?
32:33 Speaker 01 Yep.
32:33 Speaker 03 Forty weeks. Did he find my fingerprints on a bike or something? Is there any information like that coming back on me?
32:40 Kendall Rae? So the bullshit detector is clearly going off for these officers. He not only placed himself at the scene and came up with a nonsense story about the bike, but then he dropped some more info, which was really the icing on the stupid cake. James told them that when he left the area, he lost a few of his belongings. And do you want to guess what those items were? It was a pair of sunglasses, an orange handled screwdriver, a fuse box, and drum roll please, his helmet. And he just offered this up to officers on a silver platter.
33:15 Speaker 03 I had traffic issue with my bike here the other day. I dealt with it the best I could. I never saw anyone. I saw two bicycles. That's it.
33:25 Speaker 01 Mm hmm.
33:26 Speaker 03 My helmet's gone. My fuses are gone. My screwdriver's gone and my glasses are gone.
33:31 Kendall Rae? Because keep in mind, none of that information had been made public. Okay? It was so obvious right away that he was the one who was responsible, but he definitely wasn't going to admit that. In fact, he makes multiple weird comments that he's not out there killing chicks and raping chicks and stealing people. And at one point, he mentions how he recently had a girl come to his house, but she left alive. And the way he delivered that information is so strange. Like, he's trying to be like, well, someone was recently at my house, a girl in fact, and she's not dead. As if one person leaving his house alive proves that he didn't kill someone else.
34:11 Speaker 03 I'm not out there killing chicks, dude. I don't have relationships. I mean, I'm in fact trying to get one started online a little bit right now. But, uh, and she's been out here. And guess what? She went home alive.
34:23 Kendall Rae? So yeah, it was pretty obvious to officers right away that he was their guy. I mean, he had to have been the one responsible by the way that he was acting. Everything he was saying was so bizarre and coming from a place of like aggression, but then trying to cover tracks that didn't even need to be covered yet. I mean, he was the one who put the target on his back, which is crazy because really they only went to his place on a hunch. And even though they're now definitely feeling like he has got to be a suspect, he's likely the one responsible, they don't want to let him know that they're thinking that because in their minds, maybe Sierra is still alive and they don't want him making any sudden moves if that's the case.
35:04 Kendall Rae? So they decided to leave and let him think that everything was fine, even if just for a few hours while they obtained a search warrant, which of course they went to go get right away and then they start looking more into this man's background and what they found left them speechless and is certainly going to leave you speechless as well.
35:25 Kendall Rae? This podcast covers some tough cases, but it also highlights the heroes in every story. Advocates, investigators, first responders, people who know their purpose and are using it for good. If you want a career that helps others, Southern New Hampshire University can help you. Their online programs are designed to give you job-specific skills that you'll actually use in the field. With a cybersecurity degree, you could analyze digital evidence. With a criminal justice degree, you could guide victims through the legal process. With a business degree, you could start a nonprofit. And no matter your goals, SNHU makes college feel possible. There are no set class times, so school fits your schedule and their online tuition is some of the lowest in the US. Put your purpose into action with a degree from Southern New Hampshire University.
36:07 Kendall Rae? Visit SNHU.edu/KendallRay. Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids, but what about protecting them? Outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, baby gates, where do you even start? Well, protecting your home and auto is a great place to start. Progressive offers customized coverage options. You can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones. They're basically the outlet covers, the kitchen cabinet locks and the baby gates of insurance. Don't wait. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states.
36:52 Kendall Rae? That back in 1990, James was convicted of a crime that was eerily similar to Sierra's disappearance. On July 4th, 1990, Robin Gardner was a 26-year-old girl living in White House, Ohio with her mom. And just for your reference, White House is only about 20 minutes away from where Sierra lived. And so on that day, July 4th, 1990, Robin decides she had nothing else to do. It was a holiday and she wants to go for a bike ride. And she remembers that she had ridden about a mile away from her house before she decided that was far enough and that she should probably turn around and go back home. But just as she makes that decision, she heard a car approaching and thought, "I'm just gonna wait for them to pass and then I'll turn around."
37:37 Kendall Rae? So the truck passes and she circles the other way. And then, almost out of nowhere, she goes flying off her bike and lands in a ditch. And it was because the driver of the truck had turned around and hit her. And at first, she thought it was an accident because the driver got out of the car and was seeing if she was okay. But just a split second later, he'd taken a hammer out and smashed her on the back of the head. Luckily, she didn't end up passing out, but because she was still conscious, the guy got out a screwdriver and pressed it to her neck. She's screaming at this point and he tells her that he would kill her if she didn't stop screaming and get into his truck with him.
38:18 Kendall Rae? So Robin ends up fighting against him as hard as she could the entire time that he dragged her into his car. And she continued fighting when she was in the car as well. However, he still manages to get a handcuff onto her right wrist. Luckily, he wasn't able to do so on her left wrist, so she grabs the steering wheel and just starts screaming and screaming and screaming, hoping that someone will hear her. But of course, they were on a very rural road, a lot like the one that Sierra was abducted on. And the odds of someone driving by or hearing her were extremely slim. But by some sort of miracle, really, a motorcyclist just happens to drive by. And because Robin had made such a commotion, he stopped and he helped her escape. The two of them rode right to her house where they
39:02 Kendall Rae? Called the police and what's insane is that when the motorcyclist took the place back to where he found Robin, her attacker was still there. And who do you think it was? Yep, that's right. It was James Worley. And of course, he had a ridiculous story for the police. He basically tells them that he was just driving and then Robin swerved into his car. And when he got out to check on her, she began acting hysterically. So he thinks it's a good idea to put handcuffs on her while he goes and gets help. In what world does that make any sense? Of course, it just doesn't. And the police agreed. So he was arrested for attempted abduction.
39:43 Kendall Rae? But he only ended up serving three years out of a six to 10 year sentence for good behavior. And what's so maddening is he literally told his court ordered therapist that he'd bury the next one. And yet they still let him out. Unbelievable. And as you can imagine, this was so, so traumatic for Robin. So much so that she moved to California where she felt a lot safer. But even still, she says that she can't be alone because she's scared that if something ever happened to her again, nobody would ever hear her scream. And believe it or not, probably you're on the side of believe it with this guy. But there were probably others that he did this to as well.
40:25 Kendall Rae? And that brings me to Claudia Tinsley. In September of 1996, a 24 year old mother named Claudia Tinsley was reported missing by her mom after she failed to come home one evening. Claudia was a sex worker and on the night that she disappeared, James Worley came to her house and picked her up. And according to James, the two of them drove around for 45 minutes, had oral sex, and then he dropped her off at an unknown location. Her mom got worried, of course, when she didn't come home. So she told police that James Worley was the guy that she had been with last. And of course, as you're probably picking up on, James is just someone who is a walking red flag. And her mother had a weird feeling about him as soon as she met him. And so she had actually written down his license plate, thankfully.
41:10 Kendall Rae? And of course, James swears up and Down that he didn't kill her, which of course, none of us believe, but they brought him in for questioning a week after she disappeared, but ultimately they couldn't prove that he did something to her. So he was never arrested. They did end up getting a search warrant for his place a couple of years later, but ultimately they didn't find anything that connected him to Claudia. Well, they did actually find some weed, so they were able to send his ass back to prison for two years for that. But that was pretty inconsequential, considering what they suspected him of doing. And it's heartbreaking, but to this day Claudia has never been found. So technically, James's involvement in Claudia's disappearance is alleged, but the fact that him
41:54 Kendall Rae? of all people was the last guy to see her. I mean, to me, just tells you everything you need to know. I can't sit here legally and say that he did it because there's no proof that he did and it's all alleged. But yeah, I'm sure we can all agree how we feel on that one. But getting back to Sierra's disappearance, obviously, as investigators are learning all of this, they needed to get back to his property ASAP. So later that same day, they returned to his house to ask him more questions. And when they got there, this jackass has the audacity to ask for his helmet back, which of course, officers are like, uh, no, my dude, that is
42:35 Kendall Rae? not going to happen. This time though, they outright told him that they found blood on the helmet, which James was like, oh no, that's not possible. But this time around, he seemed very agitated and very nervous. Now, he did allow them to walk around his property, but he made sure to stay close by. Now, as for his house, it more or less looked okay. I mean, it was messy, but besides that, it didn't look like Sierra had been there. But it was the barn where the real horrors were waiting and they didn't even need to go inside to know that something was in there because as soon as they started to approach it, James's whole demeanor changed. He seemed like he really didn't want them to go inside,
43:18 Kendall Rae? but of course they did anyway. And what they found was truly, truly horrifying. I mean, for starters, the barn reeked of bleach, like someone had clearly been trying to clean up something, which they could also tell because there were fresh rake marks on the ground. They also noticed that the glass on the door to the barn had been spray painted black, as if someone was trying to prevent other people from seeing inside. Then it got even worse, because as they're poking around, they end up finding a green crate that's tucked behind some hay bales. And inside of the crate, they found adult diapers, a bag containing bondage clothing and restraints, a roll of white clothesline, latex gloves, clear plastic bags containing
44:03 Kendall Rae? women's lingerie and clothing, a piece of duct tape with straw, hair, and other debris stuck to it, brown rope, white socks, and a bag for storing an air mattress, along with a pink sex toy. So obviously, this is shocking to law enforcement, shocking to anybody. It is so creepy. I mean, why the fuck does he have these items? I mean, this freak literally kept Ziploc baggies stuffed with women's underwear and lingerie, and he had it all labeled and organized. It's just, ugh, so beyond creepy. And when they found this, James, of course, goes into full defense mode. He tries explaining to them that he had all of these items because
44:46 Kendall Rae? he had a bunch of different girlfriends, and he liked giving out underwear and lingerie and different items to all of them, which obviously wasn't true. I mean, look at the guy. But also, come on, no one has labeled little bags like this. It's a clear attempt at a cover up of what he was actually doing. And by this point, the search warrant had been secured. So it was game over for James Worley. Now, in addition to the women's clothing found in that green crate, investigators also found a freshly made sandwich tucked in there as well. And of course, they're thinking that this meant Sierra could still be alive and possibly somewhere nearby. So they tore that barn and the rest of his property up,
45:29 Kendall Rae? trying to find her. And at one point, they thought they did. Inside the barn, investigators uncovered a piece of plywood on the ground, and it had what looked to be breathing holes cut out of it. And when they lifted it up, they didn't find Sierra, unfortunately, but they did find something very disturbing. Under the plywood, a chest freezer had been lowered into a hole in the ground, and that freezer had been secured shut with a ratchet strap. And when they opened it, they found that it had been lined with blood-soaked carpet and smelled very strongly of bleach. Now, by this point, James had been brought into the station for questioning, and when they asked him about this freezer, of course, he said he had an explanation.
46:12 Kendall Rae? And that explanation is that this is where he kept his weed, right? Because everyone who partakes in the ganja knows that you've got to keep it in a underground freezer covered with plywood, right? Okay, ridiculous. But anyway, their discoveries didn't end there. Back in the barn, they also found an air mattress, duct tape, zip ties, handcuffs, handcuff keys, more rope, and more adult diapers. So basically, everything a person would need to commit an incredibly heinous crime. Then, inside of his machine shop, they found his motorcycle, which later tested positive for blood, more adult diapers,
46:54 Kendall Rae? two sets of handcuffs with keys, a zip tie, and a bottle of bleach. And then this is also really disturbing, but they ended up finding a nanny cam. And I'm not sure if any footage was recovered from that that hasn't been revealed, but just the idea of him having one of those is very, very, I mean, beyond scary. And then there was a search of his two trucks as well. In his red truck, they found a can of pepper spray in the driver's side door pocket, a black ski mask, work gloves, an ear warmer, a roll of duct tape, and seven 24-inch zip ties which had already been connected, meaning that he pre-started those zip ties, making it easy for him to quickly tighten them.
47:38 Kendall Rae? Then, in his green truck, they found a white rope that was bundled with black electric. And again, zip ties under the driver's side seat and under the floor mat of the driver's seat. And then inside his house, there were yet again, more adult diapers and then also a pair of black boots that were caked with mud. But despite all of this, all of this sick and disgusting, very obvious evidence, James, of course, says he can explain it. He says that all of it is for his new adult film company. Yeah, he actually tried to sell that story. He said it's definitely not for kidnapping and killing, which is honestly so offensive, right?
48:19 Kendall Rae? Like, really, you're caught having all of this and you're still going to try and lie? I mean, give it up, dude. The jig is up. Okay? You're done.
48:30 Kendall Rae? This podcast covers some tough cases, but it also highlights the heroes in every story. Advocates, investigators, first responders, people who know their purpose and are using it for good. If you want a career that helps others, Southern New Hampshire University can help you. Their online programs are designed to give you job-specific skills that you'll actually use in the field. With a cybersecurity degree, you could analyze digital evidence. With a criminal justice degree, you could guide victims through the legal process. With a business degree, you could start a nonprofit. And no matter your goals, SNHU makes college feel possible. There are no set class times, so school fits your schedule. And their online tuition is some of the lowest in the US.
49:12 Kendall Rae? Put your purpose into action with a degree from Southern New Hampshire University. Visit SNHU.edu/KendallRay.
49:19 Kendall Rae? Everyone talks about how challenging it is to raise kids, but what about protecting them? Outlet covers, kitchen cabinet locks, baby gates, where do you even start? Well, protecting your home and auto is a great place to start. Progressive offers customized coverage options. You can be sure you have the right coverage for you and your loved ones. They're basically the outlet covers, the kitchen cabinet locks, and the baby gates of insurance. Don't wait. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states.
50:01 Kendall Rae? And plus, investigators had uncovered video surveillance from outside of Evergreen High School that showed a truck driving towards the scene of the abduction on the night of the 19th. And as you can probably guess, it looked a whole lot like James's truck. So the thinking was, maybe this was him returning to the scene to go back and pick up Sierra. Because if you think about it, he likely could not have abducted her on his motorcycle. So they thought, maybe he incapacitated her, then hit her in a cornfield, went back home, got his truck, and then went back to pick her up. And you guys, when James was shown the video of the truck passing by the school, he fully admitted, "Oh yeah,
50:44 Kendall Rae? that was me." But of course, he had some bullshit story about how he was going back to get his helmet. But yeah, this idiot, once again, just placed himself at the crime scene. And luckily, at this point, they had enough to go ahead and place him under arrest. And you will not believe, or maybe you will, what this monster had to say when they arrested him for abduction. He said that he wanted his own room, so that he could get a good night's sleep that night. Like, anyone gives a fuck about your sleep. I mean, after what he did, he deserves to go to sleep and never wake up. And stick around, because that might just be happening. After his arrest, investigators were hoping that James would just man up
51:26 Kendall Rae? and tell them where she was. But because we're talking about an evil person here, he admitted to nothing. And so the searches for Sierra had to continue. They spent hours and hours combing through every inch of James's property and came up empty-handed. And also, there were still tons of volunteers searching in other areas, and they couldn't find anything either. And of course, this is all just agonizing for the Joggan family. I mean, they didn't even know who James Worley was. They had never heard of him. But now they are hearing his history, and, you know, hearing that he has a history of abducting women in the past. And this sicko is likely the one who took Sierra from them? I mean, it was excruciating.
52:10 Kendall Rae? An anonymous $100,000 reward was posted for information leading to Sierra's whereabouts, but in just a few hours, they realized that she would not be coming home safely. Because that very same day that James was arrested for her abduction, her remains were found. That day, a volunteer was driving south on County Road 7 in an effort to help look for Sierra when he noticed a disturbance in the cornfield. So he got out of his car to check it out. And after walking 20 to 25 yards into that field, he spotted a patch of dirt that looked like it had been disturbed, almost like someone had dug that hole and then filled it back in with dirt. But after law enforcement came and dug it up themselves, it was empty, which was discouraging,
52:54 Kendall Rae? but they felt like they were close to finding something. That same guy had found a yellow latex glove sort of between the road and the cornfield. And while they didn't find her body near there, they figured it had to be connected. So they fanned out and that's when they found it. It was another mound of disturbed dirt that looked like a hole had been dug and filled back in. And this time, the hole wasn't empty. It took five hours in the 95-degree heat and law enforcement literally had to use little hand shovels to get to it. But throughout the night, they had been able to uncover Sierra's body. The idea of her laying in that grave any longer was unbearable to them.
53:36 Kendall Rae? So they were willing to work as long as it took to get her out, even if it was the middle of the night. And this is just a beyond disgusting detail, but they also found human feces nearby. Human feces, meaning this sicko, as if everything else he did to her wasn't bad enough, he had the audacity to take a shit near her grave and just wait until you hear the condition that he left her in. And full warning. This is very disturbing. I debated not even sharing it, but I know you guys will want to know. And it's important to know the facts here and know the reality of what James did to her. So here it is. In that shallow grave, Sierra was found hogtied and handcuffed,
54:21 Kendall Rae? wearing only an adult diaper and a lacy bra. Again, this is very disturbing, but a rubber dog toy had been placed in her mouth and tied around her head using a shoelace. And after her autopsy was conducted, a medical examiner determined that her cause of death was asphyxiation. When that dog toy was put in her mouth, it restricted her ability to breathe. And they say it would have taken her 10 minutes, 10 excruciating minutes to lose her life. And what's even worse, they said that that toy had been shoved in her mouth so violently that it actually had broken one of her teeth. The autopsy also revealed that Sierra had suffered a wound to the right side of her forehead, a hairline
55:02 Kendall Rae? fracture at the left occipital bone, and several contusions on her left leg. And so based on these horrific injuries and all the evidence that they had found so far, they were able to paint a better picture of what they believe happened to her, which was that while riding her bike, Sierra was struck by James on his motorcycle. And after that, he proceeded to strike her in the head with his helmet enough times to make her lose consciousness. He then moved her deep into the cornfields where he left her while he rode his motorcycle back home to retrieve his truck, which he then drove back to the scene to collect her body. The autopsy did not find any signs that she had been assayed. But that's not to say that this crime wasn't sexual in nature. And I'm getting
55:44 Kendall Rae? a little bit ahead of myself here, but investigators determined that there was semen on a blanket found inside his barn, as well as data from his computer showing that he had been watching porn for hours leading up to her abduction. So while he may not have violated her physically in that way, they do believe that it was a sexually motivated attack. Now, going back to the night that she was found, Sierra's loved ones actually were all together when that call came in. And her stepdad, Matt, answered the phone and- He didn't even have to say anything for everyone in the room to know what he had learned. There were a collection of screams and sobs that nobody in that room will ever
56:25 Kendall Rae? forget. Her mom says it sounded like wolves howling at the moon and everyone collectively wept out of sadness and anger. There was a very small, very, very small sense of relief in the fact that at least now they knew where she was. But of course, along with that came the knowledge of the horrors that she had endured at the end of her life. A candlelight vigil was held in her honor on the 30th at the University of Toledo, which was organized by a friend of Sierra's from college. It was attended by her friends, family, members of her business sorority, and even complete strangers who just wanted to show their support. I think one thing that really rings true when it comes to this
57:06 Kendall Rae? case is how the community really came out and supported Sierra and her family during this time. And I wanted to show my support too. And so on behalf of this channel today, I will be making a donation to the Justice for Sierra nonprofit. This nonprofit was started by her Aunt Tara in an effort to help protect other Ohioans. And they've already done some really incredible work. For starters, they were able to pass a bill known as Sierra's Law, which quote, "established a database accessible to both law enforcement and everyday citizens, enabling them to identify the presence of violent offenders in their neighborhoods." And then they also host an annual Spirit of Sierra run, which I love. It's a 5K run
57:47 Kendall Rae? and fundraiser that takes place at the University of Toledo campus. And it's a color run, which is so fun. And it's supposed to be a lighter day, you know, one of happiness that truly honors Sierra's life and her legacy. And they honor her in a way that she would have loved. It also helps raise money for the nonprofit, which they use to fund programs such as Sierra Strong, which is yet another cool thing that this family is doing. The Sierra Strong program is a self-defense program for students that they have turned into a curriculum to be taught in schools. The program is taught annually to students in middle school and high school, and it seeks to empower them to be self self-aware and learn how to better protect themselves in the event that they are attacked.
58:28 Kendall Rae? And then they also host these community events where they teach self-defense and they provide parents with something that they call a kid print ID. And this is so genius. A kid print ID is a laminated card for parents that includes vital information about their children, such as their height, their weight, their hair color, eye color, as well as a copy of their fingerprint. And the point of it is if your child goes missing, then parents can give this card to police very easily so they can quickly disseminate the information to the public. There's even info on the back of these cards so parents know exactly what steps to take in the event that their child goes missing. I'm just so impressed and proud of everything that they're doing in the wake of all of
59:10 Kendall Rae? the tragedy that they have been through themselves, trying to, you know, do something to help other parents who could end up in a situation like this and teach kids how to defend themselves. I mean, it's so much great vital work and I think it's just amazing. So if any of you are interested in learning more about it or maybe making a donation yourself, I'll be sure to link their website in the description box or the show notes if you are listening to the podcast version of the show. But now let's jump back into the case and the road to justice, which took about two years. After Sierra's remains were found, James Worley was officially charged with her murder. And in total, he would end up being indicted on 19 felony counts, including two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of abduction, four counts of kidnapping, two counts of
59:55 Kendall Rae? felonious assault, two counts of murder, two counts of aggravated robbery, one count of possessing criminal tools, one count of gross abuse of a corpse, one count of tampering with evidence, and two counts of having a weapon while under disability. And this sicko, no shock here, but he pleaded not guilty to everything despite the literal mountain of evidence they had against him. So let's get into the trial and go over again what that evidence was. James's trial began in March of 2018 and when this good-for-nothing, evil, ugly loser walked into the courtroom, he had the nerve to have this poor me sort of look on his face, which was just so offensive to the Joggin family.
1:00:36 Kendall Rae? As if being in the same room as this sicko wasn't traumatizing enough for him to be walking around acting like the victim here.
1:00:47 Kendall Rae? Oh, I would just be so infuriated. It would take everything in me not to want to get up and punch that stupid look off his face. But of course, they can't do anything. They have to just sit there. This podcast covers some tough cases, but it also highlights the heroes in every story. Advocates, investigators, first responders, people who know their purpose and are using it for good. If you want a career that helps others, Southern New Hampshire University can help you. Their online programs are designed to give you job-specific skills that you'll actually use in the field. With a cybersecurity degree, you could analyze digital evidence. With a criminal justice degree, you could guide victims through the legal process. With a business degree, you could start a nonprofit. And no matter your goals, SNHU makes college
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1:02:11 Kendall Rae? of insurance. Don't wait. Get your quote today at progressive.com. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company, affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states. Anyway, though, the trial begins, and the prosecution's case against James is a strong one. Because after processing the evidence from the crime scene and also James's house, the two DNA profiles came back belonging to him and to Sierra. And just to name a few things that they found it on, James's DNA was found on the male sunglasses and the screwdriver that was found at the abduction site, also the latex glove found near her grave, some duct tape, as well as traces of his own blood on his helmet. As for Sierra's DNA at the scenes, it also came
1:02:56 Kendall Rae? Back to the yellow latex glove, as well as the women's sunglasses, the sock, the blood on the cornstalks, and of course, the helmet. As for inside the barn, they found traces of her DNA on some rope, duct tape, the air mattress, paper towels, and blood on a pair of pink underwear. They also collected swabs from James's motorcycle, and her blood was found on that as well. And despite all of that, the defense still tried to say this man was innocent. They ended up questioning a lot of the DNA, because out of all the DNA that did come back as a match to James, the DNA sample that was collected from underneath her fingernails did not. Also, remember how I mentioned earlier that that woman had thought she had seen a man
1:03:40 Kendall Rae? in the cornfields that was wearing a red pair of shorts? Well, they never found a red pair of shorts at James's house. So they ridiculously suggested that someone else had murdered her. And to explain how her DNA got all over James's barn, they said that this strange man abducted her, snuck her into James's barn without his knowledge, and then killed her and disposed of her. Because that makes a whole lot of sense, right? Yeah, some strange man abducts Sierra on his motorcycle with his helmet, hides her in his barn, and then uses his handcuffs and ropes to tie her up and kill her? Absolutely not. I mean, the fact that they even tried to make this argument is just laughable.
1:04:22 Kendall Rae? And the defense even tried to suggest that James couldn't have buried her on his own, so they suggested that if he did do it, maybe he had an accomplice. There had to be someone else involved. Which is a pretty strange suggestion, considering that their main argument was that James wasn't involved at all. So, not the brightest defense team here. And of course, they wanted to make the jury believe that all that creepy stuff in his barn, all of the lingerie, the underwear, the little shorts, everything like that, was innocently for his so-called adult film studio that he was about to create. They also tried to really push lack of motive. They suggested that Sierra and James didn't know each other, so he would have no motive to kill her. But obviously, that's just another stupid
1:05:06 Kendall Rae? stupid argument because as we know, people kill people they don't know all the time. It's called a crime of opportunity, right? It happens quite frequently. Plus, not to mention, James went to jail for trying to abduct someone he didn't know, Robin. And speaking of Robin, she ended up very bravely taking the stand during the trial. And she had to sit there and recount and explain the worst thing that ever happened to her. But she said she did it for Sierra because she wanted to be a voice for her. She is the only living victim of James Worley, as far as we know. And she knew that the value of her testimony would be huge in this case.
1:05:47 Kendall Rae? And to be clear, while there haven't been any other confirmed victims, one therapist said that after analyzing James, he believes he fits the profile of a serial offender. I guess he kept these journals and videos, possibly. And while we don't know the contents of these, the therapist was basically like, yeah, this guy has done this before. Or at the very least, is capable of doing it again. And thankfully, for every BS argument that the defense presented, the prosecution came back with an undeniable rebuttal. Plus, they'd also looked into his phone data, which literally placed him at the abduction site for nearly two hours on the 19th, where they were also able to trace Sierra's phone.
1:06:29 Kendall Rae? There was no way he was trying to fix his motorcycle for that long at the same time in the same place that a brutal attack was taking place. And his phone also pinged where he buried her. I mean, come on, it's so obvious. Oh, and when they searched his computer data, that was also really disturbing. In both 2015 and 2016, he had been looking up porn categories such as hogtied teen, bound, beaten down teens, forced teens, stranded and forced, and rough pickups. And maybe that's what floats his boat. I mean, whatever, I'm not here to kink shame or whatever. But when you look at that, and then you look at the condition Sierra was found in, it looked bad.
1:07:12 Kendall Rae? Plus, James had been buying women's lingerie And I'm sorry, but there is no way that ugly perv had that many girlfriends that he was giving out underwear and lingerie to. I mean, come on. He had some sick sexual fantasies, and he disgustingly used these items to make that fantasy come true. And he did so at the expense of an innocent girl's life. And thankfully, the jury agreed, and it only took them six hours of deliberation. Fifty-seven-year-old James Dean Worley, one of the most worthless humans I've ever had the displeasure of learning about, was found guilty on all nineteen counts.
1:07:53 Kendall Rae? And he didn't even flinch. He sat there completely emotionless. I mean, he didn't show a ounce of remorse at all. And a month later, he was sentenced to death. And I know people have different opinions on the death penalty. I have my own opinions, and I'm not going to break all down here today. But in my opinion, James Worley does not deserve to live his life. He does not, after what he did, buy, literally buy good nights, salutations. He deserves it. I'm just so angry after learning about this case. It is so despicable. It's so disgusting. Sierra deserved so much more. And I don't even want to say person when it comes
1:08:37 Kendall Rae? to James, because to me, he is not even a human. He is nothing but a monster, not just for what he did to Sierra, but to the other women that he has done things to. And there's probably more we don't even know about. But not just all of that. When you hear what he had the nerve to do to her family during sentencing, you're going to want to throw up. The judge ended up letting him speak, and this asshole went on a forty-five-minute rant about his innocence. And he cries, and he talks about how Sierra lives on, and it's just, it's such bullshit. It's such an act. And it's outright offensive for him to claim that he is still the victim in all of this. Just take a listen for yourselves.
1:09:19 Speaker 05 Their hearts are wounded, and they always will be. But if you believe what I am, if I believe that Sierra lives on...
1:09:32 Speaker 05 She may have been murdered and decedded, but she goes on.
1:09:38 Kendall Rae? So his execution date is set for May 20th of 2025. So it's coming up soon. Hopefully this year he will finally pay for what he did. Like a lot of families say, Sierra's family was grateful that her killer was brought to justice, but it doesn't change what happened. She will always be gone. And a guilty verdict and a death sentence will never bring her back. Her Aunt Tara said it wasn't anything to celebrate and she's right, it's not. Sheila also expressed that over the years, one of the things that has been especially difficult is seeing her daughter's friends grow up. They're all getting married, they're having kids and doing things that her daughter should
1:10:19 Kendall Rae? be doing right now, but instead of celebrating her life with her, they're continuing to mourn her loss every day. They ended up filing a wrongful death lawsuit against James, which was settled in 2018 for $3.6 million. But the one thing they wanted out of that lawsuit was ownership of his property, specifically that barn. They wanted to tear that God forsaken thing down. And in 2019, they were able to do just that. Of course, it doesn't bring her home, but it does allow her family the freedom of knowing that the place that she lost her life will no longer exist, at least not in the capacity it once did. And it's so heartbreaking to think about, but if Sierra was still here today, it's likely that she and Josh would have gotten married. Who knows? They might have even had kids, but instead Josh was left without the person that he pictured
1:11:04 Kendall Rae? the rest of his life with. He spoke during the trial, which was, as you can imagine, incredibly emotional for everyone and the impact that this has had on him is just undeniable. Being the last person to see her alive is a horrible weight to carry. And I just hope that he knows that he is not responsible for what happened. In somewhat positive news, when it comes to Josh, he did go on to get married and have kids and I'm so glad that he has been able to find some happiness again. And even though I'm sure he will always love Sierra, I have no doubt about that.
1:11:40 Kendall Rae? But I am just very glad that he was able to move forward in that way. Again, I'm just really so impressed with this whole family and everything they've done to honor Ciara. Her favorite quote was actually "Live, Laugh, Love," and it seems that they've really adopted that into, you know, their mentality and everything that they have done moving forward. The Justice for Ciara nonprofit seems like they are making a massive difference in their community, and I can't wait to see everything that they end up doing in years to come. At the end of the day, it's just so heartbreaking to think about, you know, someone as young as Ciara was, 20 years old, losing their life because of a monster. I mean, there was no reason for it. And like I said, I know the death penalty is very controversial, and I certainly have
1:12:25 Kendall Rae? a lot of different opinions when it comes to it and who should get it, who shouldn't, and just kind of how I feel about it overall. And my opinion on it is constantly evolving, but I just can't think of a single reason why James should be able to continue living after what he did to Ciara. But of course, I'm curious about what you guys think, and I know opinions will vary. And so I'd love to hear from you. Do you think that he should have been given life without parole, or do you think the death penalty was fair? That is going to be it for me today, guys. Thank you for joining me for another episode, and make sure you follow the show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. It really does help me out. If you want to watch the video version of this show, you can find it on my YouTube
1:13:09 Kendall Rae? channel, which will be linked, or you can just search Kendall Rae. I will be back with another episode soon, but until then, stay safe out there.
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