Swindled

0:13Speaker 1:Carol walks up to the front door of her townhouse. The autumn wind tumbles fallen leaves down the quiet street, echoing her unsettled mood. As she reaches the door, she pulls her keys from her pocket and shakes them together, ringing them like a bell. Usually one or two of her neighbor's cats would pop out of somewhere, softening her day, but today, nothing. It's quiet. It's eerie. She tries to focus as she searches for the right key, but unease prickles at her skin when she hears a truck pull up behind her. She turns to see her neighbor's on-again, off-again boyfriend pulling into the driveway. She watches as he gets out and starts walking towards the front door. Her voice wavers slightly when she stops him with a polite hello. Hey, haven't seen Jamie in a while. Tell her I say hi.

1:17Speaker 1:The man doesn't miss a step as he responds. You won't be seeing much of Jamie anymore, he says quickly. She doesn't quite hear what he says next because her mind immediately starts racing. Fear clenching at her chest. It's something about Jamie having a new job with long work hours, but the words barely land. Carol says, trusts her intuition. And in this moment, her intuition is screaming at her. Something is wrong. Doubt courses through her, twisting her neighborly smile into a mask. She ends the chat with the usual pleasantries and steps inside her home. Once the door closes, she stands there, back against the wall, thinking. She knows, Jamie.

2:11Speaker 1:She knows she had spent months saving for a trip, but now she'd be gone for weeks all of a sudden. In their neighborhood, the routine is obvious. Carol sees it all. The same cars, the same people, the same schedules. Everything is the same except for John Chapman. She's seen John coming and going from Jamie's townhouse for weeks, but no Jamie. Not even once. At first, she didn't think anything of it, but now, with him seemingly living there, she couldn't excuse the deviation from the routine. Suddenly, all the trash he'd been throwing out seemed a bit ominous. Carol pulls her phone out of her pocket, her pulse quickening. She opens up Facebook and searches through Jamie's friends list. She finds her best friend, Danielle, and messages her. She hopes, wherever Jamie is, that she's okay. The End Welcome to Sword and Scale Nightmares. True crime for bedtime. Where nightmare begins now.

4:10Speaker 1:Danielle grew up with Jamie Fieden. They were less than a year apart in age, and she considered her sort of a little sister in more ways than one. Jamie was now 33 and independent. She lived by herself in a townhouse on Timber Ridge Drive in Bethel Park, a Pittsburgh suburb. She worked at an assisted living facility for seniors. And when she wasn't at work, she was at home with her cats. But even though Jamie was independent, Danielle still worried about her. Jamie had been born with Vader syndrome, a rare condition that affects multiple parts of your body before birth. At 33 years old, she stood just over 4 feet tall and weighed barely 75 pounds. One of her eyes drifted slightly. Her voice stayed high-pitched and childlike, her sentences broken by deep breaths between words. Multiple surgeries throughout her life left her with a steel rod and fused vertebrae in her spine, forcing her to turn her entire body instead of just her neck. Jamie was small, trusting, and vulnerable. Danielle's phone chimes with a notification. She glances at it, even though she's busy. It's a Facebook message from... Carol? Carol?

5:39Speaker 1:She recognizes the name only as Jamie's neighbor. She stops and taps the icon, and the app opens. Her hand starts to tremble as she reads Carol's message. She already suspects something is off with Jamie. Earlier, she'd gotten a message from Jamie saying she probably wasn't coming back to Pittsburgh. The message didn't feel like Jamie. Danielle's brow furrowed with confusion and worry. It just didn't sound like Jamie at all. Jamie has a house, a job, bills, and pets to care for. How could she just disappear? Unease coils inside Danielle, making the message impossible to shake. Now that she's reading, John Chapman is back. But Jamie isn't. Her body fills with dread. She taps the icon and calls Carol immediately.

6:41Speaker 1:She listens as Carol explains all the trash, Jamie's absence, and John Chapman's explanation. You won't be seeing much of Jamie anymore. The words made Danielle shiver, so the two concerned women decided to test Jamie. They took turns messaging her. Carol asked Jamie to return the red purse she lent her. Jamie responded as any person would, but you see, that was the problem. Carol never lent a purse to Jamie. Danielle reached out to let Jamie know that her uncle Ralph had passed away. Jamie responded that she couldn't attend the funeral because she and John needed to focus on their relationship. Kind of a weird thing to say, no?

7:35Speaker 1:I mean, you can't attend a funeral because you're working on your relationship? What? When Danielle reads this message, her stomach sinks. She starts shaking her head in disbelief. Because if Jamie were really the person texting back, she would know that she didn't have an uncle named Ralph. A Bethel Park police officer cruises down Timber Ridge Drive towards Jamie's house. It's overcast, typical for November. The street is lined with identical townhouses on both sides, little blocks of eight at a time, with the only distinction between them being the decorations out front. He pulls up to Jamie's house.

8:55Speaker 1:It's tucked in the middle of a row. It's a quaint three-story house with all the living quarters above the ground-level garage. He stares at her red door and the decorative wreath on it for a moment, before stepping out of the damp cold. He looks around at the unassuming neighborhood as he walks to the front door. Nothing seems out of place. The storm door swings open with a creak, and he knocks right in the center of the wreath. The pounding echoes inside. He waits for a moment before announcing himself. Still, no answer. He grabs the radio and tells dispatch he's going to make entry. He walks into the house, announcing himself. The home is silent. He walks up the stairs to the main level. It's just a few steps and he's in the living room. From there, he could see a bathroom and a kitchen. It strikes the officer as odd that the home lacks... what he would call a woman's touch. He walks up the stairs, his footsteps the only sound in the apartment. The third floor had two bedrooms and another bathroom. The home seemed lived in, but it was strangely empty. He pokes his head in the bathroom. It's devoid of any of Jamie's belongings.

10:23Speaker 1:He starts going through every room, every closet. There was no sign of Jamie, let alone anyone. If he didn't know any better, he would say that no one lives in the apartment at all. The bathroom lacks all the female toiletries you would expect. The closets are empty. There's no clothing. The walls are bare. No photos whatsoever. No decorations. Then, at the bottom of the closet, he spots a lone backpack. It's a black tactical-style bag. He puts on gloves and kneels in front of the closet. Slowly, he unzips the bag. Inside, he finds an assortment of zip ties, some duct tape, and a pair of wire cutters. A knot ties in his stomach. This... Looks like a kill kit, he thinks, as he grabs his mic to radio dispatch. In minutes, Jamie's townhome is surrounded by police. The only sign of her is her cell phone, left behind on the table.

11:37Speaker 1:For the officer, dread hardens in his stomach. In this day and age, no one goes anywhere without their cell phone. So, this is a bad sign. The police started searching for John Chapman immediately. They tracked down his last known address and called, but his mother answered the phone. He wasn't there. Minutes later, John called the detective back. When they told him they were looking for Jamie, he said he'd just seen her. He said that after he spoke with his mother, he realized the police were searching for Jamie. So he called her and told her. But, he said, she freaked out and ran to the trolley stop. He said he'd been driving around and looking for her ever since. He finished the call, offering to go to her house and pick her up when she returned and bring her to the police station so they would know she was okay.

12:35Speaker 1:Later that night, John made his way to Jamie's apartment. As soon as he entered the neighborhood, though, he was stopped and taken into custody without incident. The police took him to the station and started questioning him about Jamie Fieden's whereabouts. John sits in the interrogation room as the detective walks in. The bright lights are a stark contrast to the pitch blackness outside. He glances at his watch. It's 2.30 a.m. He pulls out a chair and sits across from John. The faint odor of stale coffee catches his nose. He grabs a half-empty cup from the table and tosses it into the trash. He thumbs through his notes, then stops and stares at John. John sits with his hands in his lap, staring back. He wears a black hoodie and blue jeans. His hair is short, his eyes narrow-set.

13:36Speaker 1:He wore a blank expression on his shaven face. The detective thinks about how this guy looks like a regular everyday citizen. But he's worked this job long enough to know looks can be deceiving. They always look like that. Even the really bad ones. The detective leans forward and puts his elbows on the table. John senses the interview's about to start. His hunched body tilts forward. So, you live in Maryland, the detective asks. John's lips part as he prepares to answer. Then he starts to speak. And John talks a lot. A nervous energy fills the sterile room.

14:24Speaker 1:John confirms he lives in Maryland and has been married for a year. Not to Jamie, they were just friends. He did stay at her townhouse last night, though. He tells the detective about his irritable bowel syndrome. from greasy foods before he lets it slip that he was on probation. You're on probation here or in Maryland? The detective asks. John clarifies he was on federal probation for wire fraud and identity theft, but not anymore. John had run a tax scheme, filing false tax returns 26 times. all using the identities of Supplemental Security Income Recipients, or people with disabilities.

15:11Speaker 1:A program he was also a recipient of because he, too, had a disability. John said he had Asperger's, Tourette's, and ADHD. Weird how all three of those can be faked by just about anyone, with no objective way to tell if you actually have anything or not. In total, he had scammed more than $ 100, 000. He spent some time in prison and on probation after that. Now he mostly delivers Uber Eats for income. The detective just sits back and lets him talk. It's a standard practice to let the interviewee get comfortable before starting the really hard questions. This was also a good opportunity to let him talk himself into a corner. Which... Stupid criminals usually do. John continues to talk about his relationship with Jamie. He says he sees her multiple times a week, even though they broke up more than a year ago. They like going to the movies, out to eat, or hiking in the woods. The detective's ears perk up at this admission. In the woods, he asks? Yeah, John replies. Jamie likes to, um, have sex. in the woods.

16:35Speaker 1:The detective couldn't help but ask, You spent so much time with Jamie, why didn't you marry her? It's because of her size, John shamefully admits. I don't want people thinking I'm a pedophile because she looks like she's eight. The detective just nods. What do you tell your wife you're doing during these visits? She thinks I work for Google, so I just tell her I have an emergency. John admits. The detective steers the conversation back to Jamie. John claims he last saw her at about 4.30 when he left her house to go home to his wife. Later, after he learned from his mother that the police were looking for her, he started messaging her while driving back to her townhouse via voice-to-text. He offers to show them the Facebook Messenger thread. When the detective asks why she would freak out about the police, John only says that when she gets worked up, she's a different person. John, the detective says, we need your help. Where do you think she's at right now? The detective watches John's demeanor shift.

17:51Speaker 1:You had a conversation with her, right? The detective follows up. Did you use your phone? I was at my computer at my house. The detective interrupts John. Wait, you said you did voice to text. That was like on my other phone at home, John stammers. You said you were driving, the detective says with an angry tone. Oh, John exclaims. That was probably the black phone in the back pocket of my truck. The detective sends an unconvinced look across the table. What's the passcode to your phone? He asks abruptly.

18:36Speaker 1:I don't know, John says. It takes a fingerprint. Try it, the detective insists. John claims he never set it up, but the detective tells him to try it anyway. He watches as John tries several fingers until the phone is disabled. John. The detective pauses for a long time. You called dispatch on this phone. You know the password. What's the password? The tension in the room increases as the detective leans in. I know it's bullshit. We traced the number Jamie was messaging her family from, and it's connected to a burner app.

19:22Speaker 1:One linked to your phone. We know it was you. who has been impersonating her for a month, maybe more. You've manipulated everything. Where is Jamie? The detective urges. I don't know. I lied, John says. I haven't seen her for weeks. You've been in her house for weeks, though, the detective asks. John's answer? squeaks out of him. Yeah? With her phone, the detective adds. Yeah? John says. Where are her clothes or things? The detective's questions land heavily.

20:07Speaker 1:I don't know, says John. grasping his head with both hands. Give me a second to think. I want to do the right thing. The detective leans in, softening his voice a little. Then tell us where she's at. After a long pause, longer than is comfortable for anyone, John looks up and slowly says, It happened in Las Vegas. The sunrise paints the desert floor as it rises over the El Cortez, a hotel and casino off the Strip. One of the ones that they make for poors. Ain't that right, Segura?

21:14Speaker 1:John and Jamie had been in Vegas for three days after driving across the country. Jamie is giddy that their relationship is taking a turn. She scrolls through the real estate listings trying to decide which houses to look at. A smile appears on her face as she thinks about living in a new house in a new town with her new husband. That's why they're there. To buy a house, get married, and start a new life together. John interrupts her daydream with only a sly grin on his face. Hey, let's do a little photo shoot, he says with a naughty look. He sits next to her on the bed and pushes a strand of hair behind her ear Maybe I could tie you up a little, he says, trying to gauge her response. We could drive out to the desert.

22:08Speaker 1:It'll be sexy, he pleads. Jamie doesn't want to disappoint John. Besides, sounds like fun. So, she agrees. The drive into the desert takes a while, but they don't want to get caught. Minutes later, Jamie stands in the desert as the sun beats down. John says, puts zip ties around her wrists and ankles. Scoot your feet back, he says. She positions her feet closer to the lone metal pole in the middle of nowhere. The cold metal feels good on her skin.

22:46Speaker 1:John adds another zip tie, binding her hands and feet together, and to the pole. He steps back, pulls out his phone, and starts taking pictures, then pauses. Something's missing, he says as he digs through his backpack. A tactical-style bag he brought all the way from Pittsburgh. He pulls out a roll of duct tape and starts tearing a piece off as he walks towards Jamie. Hold still, he says as he slaps it over her mouth. Jamie stands there with her hands tied behind her back and her mouth covered.

23:24Speaker 1:John then tears another strip of tape and seals it over her nose. She looks at him, an annoyed expression on her brow. John steps back. Jamie tries to talk, but it comes out as mumbles. She tries to draw a breath, but she can't. Panic starts to set in. She looks at John, then back to her feet. She starts to struggle, but with her small frame, it's useless. She looks back at John, her eyes pleading to be let go. John just stands and watches, coldly. Jamie's body starts to heave, trying to suck in air, and not being able to. A few minutes tick by, and Jamie collapses, unconscious.

24:23Speaker 1:She crumples at the base of the pole, her body lying in an uncomfortable position. John waits a few more minutes, enough time to let her die. Then he walks over to her lifeless body and snips the zip ties. He pulls the tape off of her purple face and strips her naked. John leaves Jamie there, nude, in the desert, and drives back home. 90 miles outside of Las Vegas, a man was driving down the road. He was returning from an antique train exhibit. He'd taken his grandson and his grandson's friend along. It was a lot of fun.

25:37Speaker 1:They spent the better part of the day touring the train and hearing about its history. The kind of nerd shit I would love to do, if I wasn't here talking to you people. But now, they were on their way back home, and The long ride took a toll on the young boys. They needed to pull over. The man sees a little dirt road off the main highway and starts slowing to take it. He turns onto the road and drives a little further down. He doesn't want to stop right next to the highway. He finally pulls over, puts the truck in park, and steps into the desert heat.

26:14Speaker 1:The boys hop out of the truck and start relieving themselves when his grandson shouts, I see something over there. I think it's a dead coyote. His grandfather ushers the boys back into the truck and heads to check it out. As he gets closer, he slows down. He squints his eyes as he inches forward, scanning the desert floor, wary of snakes. He sees it in the distance, next to an old, washed-out road sign. Its skin looks like dried leather. baked in the sun. But the closer he gets, the less it looks like a carcass of a coyote, and the more it looks like a human body. His hand suddenly, involuntarily, covers his mouth to muffle a startled gasp. He nearly trips, backing away from the sight. He thinks, it must be a child. Who could do this? He rushes back to the truck and immediately calls police. This was almost a month before Carol and Danielle called for a welfare check on Jamie. Weeks passed after John Chapman's arrest before her body was identified with dental records. She'd been in the desert nearly two weeks and was reduced to a husk.

27:43Speaker 1:In the aftermath, John's current wife had to face a very hard reality. John lied about She thought he worked for the CIA. He had a fake badge. She believed he was on a two-week training session at Area 51, if you can believe that, when he committed this murder. And after the truth came out, she made another painful discovery. In the closet was a collection of organized, labeled Ziploc bags full of women's underwear. He had never been truthful nor faithful. During the investigation, John finally admitted why he did it. He had Jamie under his thumb, just stringing her along as long as he got what he wanted.

28:34Speaker 1:She gave him money, $ 200 a week from her trust fund. But when she started to complain that he was never around anymore, he got tired of dealing with her. He still wanted the money, though. Before they ever left Pittsburgh, he had prepared a backpack of supplies and knew what he was going to do. He was going to kill her, stay with his wife, and still collect that now $ 800 a month. She wouldn't need it, after all. In the state of Pennsylvania, John was charged with the criminal use of a communication facility for impersonating Jamie to her friends and family. He was also charged with obstruction for misleading police.

29:20Speaker 1:But once her body was identified, it became clear that she was transported across state lines under false pretenses. It became a federal kidnapping case, resulting in death. It would be years before the case went to trial, delayed in part by the possibility of the death penalty and also by the slowdown of the courts during the COVID pandemic. That annoying power grab. Finally, in September 2022, John Chapman pleaded guilty to kidnapping resulting in death. in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty. In February 2023, he was sentenced to life in federal prison without the possibility of parole. Back on Timber Ridge Drive, the routines eventually returned.

30:16Speaker 1:The same cars, the same people, the same schedules. But Jamie Fieden never came home to the townhouse where she once lived alone with her cats, saving money and dreaming about a new life in Las Vegas. John had taken all of her cats to the Humane Society while dismantling the rest of her life. Instead, Jamie died beside a rusted signpost in the Nevada desert, abandoned by the man who spent years pretending to love her. If you enjoyed the show, please consider joining PLUS at swordandscale.com Sweet dreams and good night.