0:03

Hi, it's Alison Plum. Welcome back

0:06

to Erased. In our last episode,

0:08

the defense had to change their strategy once

0:10

their theory that Elma took her own life was completely

0:13

unraveled. They accused Richard

0:15

Croucher, the jealous creep of the house, of

0:17

killing Elma and framing Levi. Here

0:20

we are at our final chapter. It's been

0:22

a journey through this chaotic two day

0:24

trial. I'm so glad you're here. If

0:27

you were in the courtroom for this, you were flooded

0:29

with theories. Colden presented

0:31

his case that Levi Weeks lured

0:33

Elma Sands out of the boarding house to the Manhattan

0:36

Well under the pretense of marriage, and with

0:38

help from his brother Ezra, killed her

0:40

and threw her into the water, and

0:43

the defense presented their series of rebuttals.

0:45

They attacked Colden's credibility. They iced him

0:47

out of essential due process using their power

0:49

and connections, and they alleged that Elma

0:51

was a suicidal opiate addict whose death

0:53

had nothing to do with their client. They

0:55

uncovered that Elma was surrounded by dangerous

0:58

men. They suggested that she endured repeated

1:00

abuse by her uncle, Elias Ring, and

1:03

that Richard Croucher ignited a firestorm

1:05

of negative public opinion towards their client. The

1:07

audacity and power of these claims

1:10

took a toll on everything, the

1:12

jury's patience, the endurance of

1:14

Colden's story from the day before, and

1:16

the prosecutor himself honestly. In

1:19

this last episode, we find out can Colden

1:21

stand up to all of this? Will there be justice

1:24

for Elma?

1:25

We're

1:30

back in the courtroom toward the end of day two, April

1:33

first, eighteen hundred, as Hamilton and Burr

1:35

prepared their finishing blow.

1:37

Levi Weeks has sat here

1:39

in peace and silence for

1:42

two days. He's listened to

1:44

unqualified idiots eviscerate

1:46

his character with vicious and

1:48

unfounded accusations. He

1:50

has exemplified restraint and dignity.

1:54

Levi Weeks is a builder. He

1:57

builds.

1:58

Levi Weeks is an architect, not

2:01

a murderer, and his character speaks

2:03

for itself.

2:04

Mister Hamilton, is this your closing

2:06

statement?

2:06

I'm going to deliver our closing

2:08

statement, m m gentlemen

2:12

of the jury.

2:14

As the Great Matthew Hale said in

2:16

his masterpiece, Please

2:18

of the Crown, It's better five

2:22

guilty persons should escape

2:24

unpunished than one innocent

2:26

person should die.

2:28

Have mercy on this innocent

2:30

man.

2:31

Oh, Johnner, sorry to interrupt. I have

2:33

more witnesses.

2:35

We've listened to hundreds of witnesses.

2:38

We've listened to seventy five witnesses.

2:41

We're tired.

2:42

We're so tired.

2:44

Well I'm tired too, but I'm still presenting

2:46

my case.

2:47

Mister Colton, do you have new evidence?

2:49

How could he have new evidence? Now?

2:51

Have a new lens to which I'd like to examine the evidence

2:53

we've heard this fall. If I could request

2:55

another German just till the morning?

2:57

What I

3:00

like theirselves?

3:02

Counselors approach the bench, mister

3:07

Coldon, for the well being of our jurors, we simply

3:09

cannot adjourn again.

3:10

Do you really have new evidence that

3:12

we haven't heard?

3:13

I have character witnesses, serve a bunch of

3:15

them.

3:16

We don't need more character witnesses, cold, and the jury

3:18

knows who everyone is.

3:19

I have four witnesses for Elias Ring, who's

3:21

been ceaselessly lambasted all day, plus

3:23

character witnesses to prove Alma had a great life

3:25

and wouldn't end it herself.

3:26

This is over cold.

3:28

The defense has closed our case.

3:30

But I don't have the energy to close mine tonight. I

3:32

think if we can all just sleep on it for just

3:35

a few.

3:35

Hours, not adjourning colding.

3:37

Okay, fine, then then give me an hour for

3:39

character.

3:39

Witnesses fifteen minutes. Then

3:42

you're closing argument starting right

3:45

now.

3:45

So they refuse to do another adjournment. Cold

3:48

then started faltering, or, as one stenographer

3:50

put it, crumbling under fatigue.

3:53

Imagine trying to do your job and then having

3:55

to stay awake for two days, and everything

3:58

you try to do is against the rules, rules that once

4:00

told you about that are being made up right in front

4:02

of you. I'd be in bad shape

4:04

too.

4:05

The prosecution calls Henry Clement.

4:07

A sorry,

4:12

can you walk a little faster please?

4:13

Mister Clement?

4:14

Futs asleep?

4:15

Ooh

4:18

yights.

4:18

Okay, mister

4:21

Clement. What were you doing on

4:23

the night Elma Sands was murdered?

4:25

Well, my wife and I had barley

4:27

in steak and then the Macombs rang our doorbell

4:30

at nine pm. My wife

4:32

said, nine pm, so wait for visitors.

4:34

Must be an emergency.

4:36

And was it an emergency?

4:39

No?

4:39

No, it was just Beth and John McComb looking

4:41

for a night cap. They just finished dinner at

4:43

Ezra Weeks's house.

4:44

And Ezra walked into Frederick Grindlander's corner.

4:47

Beth and John McComb went to your house, and

4:49

Ezra went to help his brother commit a murder at the Manhattan

4:51

Well.

4:52

Speculation storytelling

4:54

at this.

4:54

Point, Ezra Weeks was unaccounted for between eight

4:57

twenty five and nine to fifteen that night, So it's obvious.

5:00

Elma SAMs was out and unaccounted for all

5:02

the time.

5:02

Hold on, that's not true.

5:04

What was that, missus wing?

5:06

Elma was never out past perfew.

5:08

I always knew where she was.

5:10

Sit down, missus ring talk, mister

5:12

Colden.

5:14

Stop the room, mister Colden,

5:16

you still have a witness up here.

5:18

Mister Clement. Do you socialize with the McCombs

5:20

often?

5:21

Yeah, well fairly often. There are acquaintances

5:23

of mine.

5:23

When did you next seat them?

5:25

We ran into each other three days after

5:27

the murder at the Christmas buffet

5:30

at San Franci's Tavern on Pearl Street

5:32

off by John McComb was wearing a top

5:34

hat and a green velvet jacket.

5:38

The storied Francis Tavern on Pearl

5:40

Street, where this witness's testimony takes

5:42

us next was a major hub of New

5:44

York's high society. Imagine

5:47

like an old English style house in

5:49

Lower Manhattan, but inside the

5:51

rich and powerful get drunk and make important

5:53

decisions. The Continental Congress

5:55

had their first ever meeting at Francis Tavern. The

5:57

New York Chamber of Commerce was founded there. It

5:59

was Washington's favorite bar. It was kind of

6:01

a scene.

6:02

Ah, looking good, John, I like your

6:04

jackets.

6:05

This party was on Christmas Day and Alma

6:07

had disappeared on the twenty second.

6:09

Where's the wife?

6:10

She's getting us more brisket. John,

6:12

Listen, I've been hoping to run

6:15

into you. Come on, Clement, No

6:17

work talk on Jesus' birthday.

6:19

No, it's not about.

6:20

Work, Hey, Darling was surprise.

6:23

Ah, missus McCombe.

6:24

I was just telling John about something sort

6:27

of gruesome.

6:28

If you want to go, sit down.

6:29

No, my wife's tough, tougher

6:32

than you, dear.

6:33

What's so gruesome?

6:34

Clement?

6:35

My advice to you is this, don't

6:38

tell anyone you had dinner at Ezra.

6:40

Weeks's house the other night. Why

6:42

not?

6:43

I met Ezra's shop all the time we worked

6:45

together. I think you should avoid associating

6:48

with the Weeks brothers.

6:49

For now, Clement, come

6:51

on, what's this about.

6:55

Okay?

6:56

You heard about the girl who disappeared

6:58

right?

6:59

Oh, yes, from the Ring's house.

7:01

Truly shocking.

7:03

It happens young girls run away, then

7:05

they come home.

7:05

It's not good Christmas talk.

7:07

I don't know, John, I have a bad feeling about

7:10

this, and people are saying Levi Weeks

7:12

hold on.

7:14

This is a court of law, not a

7:17

court of feelings.

7:18

Girls like Elma Sands don't just vanish

7:21

I knew if something that happened to her. The Weeks

7:24

brothers were probably involved. See

7:26

I was right.

7:27

I'm always right.

7:28

Ezra Weeks kicked down for the country's best and

7:30

brightest legal team to defend his brother

7:32

because they.

7:33

Know he's guilty. Speculation.

7:35

Plus, Levi's legal team has had months to prep

7:37

their case. They started working on this in January.

7:44

Hey, can we get it on the ram shamp

7:46

and some chips? What

7:50

a double Sam?

7:51

And here we are back at Francis Tavern

7:54

a month later, shortly after

7:56

Burr and Hamilton were brought onto this case.

7:59

With its reputation and clientele, the

8:01

tavern was a great place to work and to be

8:03

seen working.

8:04

You know what our biggest problem is everyone

8:07

in New York saw Elma's dead body.

8:10

Stop saying your name.

8:11

It wasn't just any dead body here, and it was a battered

8:13

twenty two year old girl in a box outside

8:16

a Quaker boarding house.

8:18

That scars people.

8:20

I'll bet you right now, at

8:22

this time next year, nobody

8:24

remembers the name Elma Sands.

8:27

What will you beten?

8:28

You're broke.

8:30

You're broke too. Come

8:32

on, can we be a little bit more fun

8:34

about this. We're taking our

8:37

brand new baby for

8:39

her first test ride.

8:40

Don't refer to anything as our baby,

8:43

especially the US Constitution.

8:45

This country's future is on our

8:47

shoulders.

8:49

Let's stop worrying about

8:51

Elma Sands and build

8:53

a case for our guy for

8:55

America.

8:56

Here you go, Jentlyn.

8:58

Good to see you two out social.

9:01

Hamilton and I are not hanging out, sam.

9:04

We're working on a murder case,

9:06

Sammy, the first one ever going to

9:08

trial.

9:09

Who is murdered.

9:10

It doesn't matter. There's gonna be

9:12

a judge jury of full audience.

9:14

Was it the girl that pull out of the well or they're

9:16

on the list of arts?

9:18

Oh God bless

9:20

her, Julielma.

9:22

It doesn't matter what her name was. If

9:25

anyone asked you about the dead

9:27

girl. Don't participate in

9:29

gossip. Leave it in the hands

9:31

of the US justice system.

9:33

I never gossip, mister

9:36

good.

9:37

If anyone's wondering about Alma or

9:40

whatever her name was, they can

9:42

come see for themselves at the trial.

9:44

It's on March thirty first to ten am, Federal

9:46

Hall. If I'm going to write that Downsams, the.

9:48

Trial is open to the public, of course.

9:51

An audience is vital for justice.

9:54

Cheers to being on the right side of

9:56

justice.

9:57

For justice Justice.

10:02

Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton were excited

10:05

to test out the new system in its first

10:07

official murder trial, and

10:09

maybe in all that excitement they forgot

10:12

that a person was murdered, and

10:14

if that person was erased from history

10:17

as collateral damage for the construction of

10:19

the great New US System. It probably

10:21

didn't seem like a big deal to them. They

10:23

wanted to win, They wanted to see the system work

10:25

for them, and it was their job to

10:27

win. When it came

10:29

time for their opponent Colden to close

10:32

his case, this happened.

10:35

Are you okay there, Coldon?

10:37

Yes, gentlemen

10:41

of the jury.

10:42

Today this

10:46

case has the power to change the

10:50

levi week's murdered Elma in

10:52

the well, and I

10:55

am.

10:56

What's happening, mister Colden.

10:59

I don't

11:02

have the energy to deliver my closing arguments.

11:04

What you

11:10

don't want to say anything at all? No?

11:13

No, I want to say a lot more,

11:15

but I'm just I'm just too tired right

11:17

now.

11:18

No.

11:18

Please, I'm so sorry everyone,

11:20

I'm just I'm sinking.

11:22

Stand up, I'll say it, your

11:24

honor.

11:25

Can I make the closing statement?

11:26

Sit down? Missus ring?

11:30

Could she give the closing statement since the prosecutor

11:32

was crumbling under exhaustion and pressure, or

11:35

could someone else speak for Elma

11:38

anyone?

11:39

I've been awake for forty four hours. I'm

11:41

just so tired.

11:43

I'm not tired.

11:45

Let me do it, please, your Honor. I can do it,

11:47

please.

11:50

And a few days earlier, Catherine

11:52

had faith that he could do it. How

11:55

hard could it be to prove that a murderer that

11:57

happened happened? As

12:00

a Quaker, Catherine believed that the truth

12:02

was more important than anything else. The truth would

12:04

triumph here. There was no way

12:07

that Elma could be brutally murdered and then completely

12:09

erased without justice. There was no way

12:12

Coldon had four or five days to prepare

12:14

for this trial, in which he tried to piece

12:16

together the story. He started with Catherine

12:19

Ring, his star witness, his very first testifier.

12:22

Would you like some more to you, mister.

12:24

Colden, Please?

12:26

Yes, I

12:29

have a question for you.

12:29

I hope it's not insulting

12:32

by all means. Have

12:35

you ever prosecuted a murder trial before?

12:39

Well, there's never been a murder trial before,

12:43

right, But I've.

12:44

Got four whole days to repair case.

12:46

So yeah, there are just so many details.

12:49

Are you good at keeping notes?

12:51

I got this, Catherine, I'm

12:53

great under pressure.

12:54

Okay, you're the first witness I'm calling,

12:56

though, so you're the one to set up the story.

13:00

Make sure to look at the jury. Don't

13:02

act nervous.

13:03

I'm not nervous, mister Coldon. You

13:05

seem nervous.

13:07

No, No, I'm

13:09

good. You look

13:11

bad. Coldon, I'm

13:14

not well, your honor. I'm

13:16

too tired to make any more statements.

13:19

I have to go home, so the prosecution is

13:21

too tired to deliver closing remarks.

13:23

What Coldon?

13:24

You can still do it, Katherin.

13:26

I'm crumbling you, and I

13:29

wish I could tell you that the courtroom doors

13:31

burst open. And a magical fairy

13:33

assistant prosecutor arrived with a coffee

13:35

and a dossier of new evidence for Colden.

13:37

But that is just not

13:40

how it went. After

13:42

peddling against the system for two long

13:44

days, Coldon had nothing left but

13:47

hope that he had done enough and that

13:49

the jurors would do the right thing. And of

13:51

course Catherine was desperate and furious

13:54

with him. Everyone probably was, but

13:56

what could they do.

13:57

It was over orders

14:00

in the chambers. Jurors,

14:04

please rise, These

14:07

proceedings are now closed.

14:11

Clerk, yes, your honor, escort

14:13

the jury out to begin deliberations.

14:16

Jurors, I trust you'll deliberate

14:18

a fair and just verdict.

14:20

Gentlemen, please gather your belongings

14:23

and follow me right this way.

14:24

Through the double doors.

14:26

Everybody watched the jury file out

14:28

of the courtroom to deliberate. Twelve

14:33

men walk out in a group, each member

14:36

of the jury, a friend of the judge, a

14:38

colleague of the defense attorneys, a regular at

14:40

Francis Tavern, or as soon to be politician,

14:43

for whom this was just one moment, a

14:45

deliberation, one decision,

14:48

and then they could finally go home.

14:50

Everybody else while we wait for the jurors decision.

14:53

If you need to rest, take a brief slumber

14:55

in your seats. But nobody leaves this room

14:57

until the jurors return. Nobody speaks to the press,

14:59

Nobody he ask me questions. Nobody

15:02

does anything until the jurors come

15:04

back.

15:07

December twenty first, seventeen ninety

15:09

nine, the day before the murder in

15:12

the boarding house.

15:13

Give me your blessing.

15:16

What just tell

15:18

me you want me to marry Levi and

15:21

everything is going to be great.

15:24

I don't support the marriage, Alma, I

15:27

can't lie to you.

15:28

Then just support me, please,

15:31

I'm serious.

15:34

Okay, say

15:36

it?

15:39

Do I have to?

15:41

Yes?

15:42

Please?

15:46

Okay, Alma, I

15:49

want you to marry Levi tomorrow. Everything's

15:53

gonna be great.

16:02

Parks, they're a problem.

16:04

The jury has reached a unanimous verdict,

16:07

your honor.

16:08

Is that a joke?

16:10

I don't really joke, sir.

16:12

But it's only been three minutes and

16:15

they're ready to come back in, sir.

16:18

Okay, bring them in

16:22

all rise.

16:27

And though we can never know what happened

16:29

that night, my best

16:32

guess is this. They

16:34

got to the list. Benard Meadows, who

16:38

is this the place? Got out

16:40

of Ezra's sleigh

16:43

started walking and

16:47

God, it's so

16:50

quiet.

16:52

I got.

16:56

Sorry.

16:59

Should I? Should I start saying my vows

17:01

now?

17:02

I'm going to get out of here. Wait,

17:05

aren't you staying to officiate?

17:09

Where are you going stay with

17:11

me? A?

17:13

Well, obviously I'm staying with you.

17:15

I'm just trying to understand the whole eloping

17:17

logistics.

17:18

Too many questions. I

17:21

just want to get it right. Should I start

17:23

saying my vowels now? I mean, it's more of a list of reasons

17:25

why I love you, but.

17:29

I need you to make this easier for me?

17:33

Make what easier?

17:34

Vibe?

17:36

Oh?

17:39

What are you doing? That

17:42

hurts up?

17:44

Now?

17:46

Don't let me go.

18:17

Juror number one, how

18:19

do you find a defendant.

18:23

Not guilty, your honor? What

18:26

did he say during number

18:28

two?

18:29

Not guilty? During

18:31

number three?

18:32

Not guilty?

18:33

Then you have to see something?

18:36

Yeah, did you hear that?

18:38

Move on?

18:38

Juror number four, they're saying,

18:40

not guilty, we did it?

18:42

Stop it, Juror number five.

18:44

I didn't do it. I didn't do it.

18:47

We did it.

18:47

I can't mean to number six, not

18:50

guilty.

18:51

You won.

18:52

I can't hear you.

18:53

Well, it's won, dur

18:55

number seven, you won, not

18:58

guilty, your honor.

19:00

Number eight.

19:00

Oh, that's guilty.

19:04

This is this is not

19:06

justice.

19:07

Your number nine.

19:08

Nothing happens to Levi?

19:10

Oh guilty?

19:11

Sure, number ten, not guilty,

19:14

your honor, grab my hand, caster sure

19:16

number eleven.

19:17

Catherine here, as hard as you can't, it's

19:20

guilty.

19:21

Now your hand, Katherine, you're

19:23

number twelve.

19:24

Not.

19:30

Thank you for your service.

19:31

Gentlemen, the

19:34

State of New York hereby finds

19:36

lee By Weeks not guilty of

19:38

the murder of Elma Sands, your

19:43

honor, Yes, mister Murray.

19:45

Is my client. Free to go order

19:49

order.

19:52

I don't think there's anything else we have

19:54

to do, so yes,

19:57

Levi Weeks and everyone else

20:00

we are dismissed.

20:01

Good night, All

20:03

right, folks, this way there are multiple

20:07

Let's not tremble.

20:09

Just can't.

20:12

That is.

20:14

Those who you gave to us.

20:15

You did not do something and gave them to us and throw

20:18

them by.

20:18

Their return to sol.

20:19

The sun has taught us that life is eternal and

20:21

love cannot die.

20:22

We have to leave this true. You

20:24

get up.

20:26

I'm up.

20:27

You're on your knees.

20:30

Hey, Catherine, how

20:33

are you? My friends?

20:34

Congratulations on my not guilty verdict,

20:36

and you can stop shunning me.

20:38

Now stay away from us.

20:40

But you guys were wrong about me. I

20:43

know it's hard for you to admit that I'm not guilty.

20:45

Of course you're guilty, Levi.

20:48

You owe me one. Remember, Just

20:51

go leave?

20:54

Come on, Catt, how about some drinks?

20:57

Just a second was waiting outside?

20:59

First on you, buddy.

21:02

We never want to see you again,

21:04

so you may as well go drink with your lawyers.

21:07

Don't be dramatic, Catherine.

21:08

I mean it.

21:10

I don't want to know you, or think

21:12

of you, or hear your name. I

21:14

don't want to know where you are or

21:16

what you're doing. Disappear,

21:19

Levi and never come back.

21:21

To New York.

21:21

Good evening, missus Rain or good morning.

21:24

I think I see the sun rising on a brand

21:26

new day out there.

21:27

You know what?

21:28

Yeah, the pub sounds great, mister Hamilton.

21:30

Let's go.

21:31

Come on, ladies want to come celebrate Lee by his victory

21:33

with us.

21:34

Ella would have wanted you to.

21:35

Party, mister Hamilton.

21:37

And don't be so sad, Catherine.

21:39

It doesn't suit you when.

21:41

You lay suffering a sudden,

21:44

violent, brutal death.

21:47

I hope you'll.

21:47

Think of me, Okay, I

21:50

don't think, and I.

21:51

Pray you'll be sorry. Mister Hamilton, I do believe

21:53

you'll be sorry for the things you've done.

21:57

Let's go home now, Catherine.

22:01

And so Levi Weeks walked out of

22:03

the courtroom Ernberr and Alexander

22:06

Hamilton by his side. He

22:09

started his story over that night as Elma's

22:11

disappeared into history. And

22:14

it's tempting to tell you here why I'm so

22:16

obsessed with this story and what I think it tells us

22:18

about our justice system now. But

22:21

at its core, it's about a twenty two year old girl

22:23

who was murdered and then erased because

22:25

her story was inconvenient for men in power.

22:29

And I keep hearing that story even

22:31

today. Why are

22:33

we still like this? Stenography

22:37

in the courtroom was a brand new

22:40

idea at the time of this trial. Partial

22:42

notes and transcripts had been taken at trials

22:45

before, but the Alma Sans murder trial

22:47

is the first time where multiple full length

22:49

accounts were published. But

22:51

who were the guys taking these notes and

22:54

were they capable of neutrality? Is

22:56

anyone The prominent

22:59

manuscript of the trial was written by

23:01

a friend of Alexander Hamilton and

23:04

sent to him and Ezra Weeks for proofreads

23:06

and approvals. Before it went out for print.

23:09

One stenographer was paid off by Ezra

23:11

Weeks five hundred dollars to

23:13

leave certain details of the story out

23:16

before releasing it to the public. So

23:19

we're left with just a partial history written

23:22

by and for the winners. Here's

23:25

what we know. Trying

23:28

to escape his bad reputation in New York,

23:31

Levi Weeks lived in several places

23:33

Massachusetts, Ohio, Kentucky before

23:35

settling in Natchez, Mississippi. He

23:38

started looking for work as an architect. His

23:40

first client was an old friend of Aaron Burr's,

23:43

and then he started getting big commissions. He

23:46

built a college, a government building, and

23:48

he even got a holiday named after him

23:50

for his architectural contributions to the city

23:53

in Natchez. April twenty first is

23:55

Levi Week's Day. Kadwalader

23:58

Colden would eventually become a well respected

24:01

lawyer. He later became Mayor

24:03

of New York and then was elected to Congress.

24:06

If only he prosecuted this case a little

24:08

later in his career, maybe we'd

24:10

be telling a different story right now. Judge

24:13

John Lansing disappeared also in

24:15

Soho. To this day, his disappearance

24:17

is a cold case. A magazine

24:20

article in the mid nineteenth century would

24:22

blame the bitter, conniving ghost

24:24

of Elma Sans for Judge John's disappearance.

24:28

Elias Ring lost the boarding house

24:30

that year due to increased financial

24:33

stress. He worked odd jobs and

24:35

then fell into debt, ultimately getting kicked

24:37

out of the Friends his Quaker organization

24:39

for drinking too much. In the meantime,

24:42

Elias and Catherine had ten children, and

24:44

then Elias died from the yellow fever. Catherine

24:48

Ring lived another fifty six years.

24:50

She moved back up to New Cornwall with hope.

24:53

She turned the house where she grew up into a boarding

24:55

house where she took care of dozens of boarders

24:58

at once. That house is dif standing

25:01

where most of the key players in this story

25:04

have museums and monuments

25:06

and like landmarks committed to the

25:08

preservation of their names and stories

25:11

and legacies. Alma

25:13

Sands was buried unmarked in

25:15

a mass grave on the Lower East Side.

25:18

It's nearly impossible to find details about

25:21

Elma's life. Even the official spelling

25:23

of her name is lost. The

25:25

well where Alma was murdered still stands

25:28

now unlandmarked, in the basement

25:30

of a clothing store in soho. Alma

25:34

moved to the city when she was eighteen from a

25:36

farm upstate. She was raised

25:38

by a single mom, and she loved the piano.

25:42

Almost all other personal details about

25:44

Elma outside the context of

25:46

her murder trial have

25:48

been erased, but

25:52

Alma's cousin, Catherine, her

25:55

best friend and her biggest advocate

25:57

in the world, would

25:59

remember her like this.

26:01

Catherine, Catherine,

26:05

come make a snow angel.

26:09

Is that what you're doing?

26:10

Yes, come try it.

26:13

I'm not gonna lay in the snow.

26:14

It's freezing.

26:16

Oh please, there's

26:19

an echo.

26:22

Alma.

26:23

You'll make a scene.

26:24

Oh but it feels so so powerful.

26:27

Catherine, come here.

26:29

Catherine.

26:31

Please, okay, just for

26:33

a moment, yes,

26:36

yes, okay, lay down right

26:39

here. Okay,

26:45

now, scream something.

26:48

I can't stand to yell.

26:50

Scream something anything.

26:52

It feels good, Catherine,

27:00

Helloa, Loder.

27:04

You can do it.

27:05

God Dad, Alma,

27:14

I'm freezing.

27:19

And I love you.

27:22

I love you the most in

27:24

the world.

27:26

In the world.

27:29

Okay, Okay, it's

27:32

so cold. I

27:37

got you, Alma.

27:45

Let's walk on this side over

27:47

here. Yeah,

27:51

so we can stay in the sun.

28:21

Erased. The Murder of Elma Sands

28:23

is a production of Lunch Plans and Lava

28:25

for Good Podcasts in association with

28:28

Signal Company Number One. The

28:30

show is narrated, written and produced by

28:32

me Alison Flamm. It

28:35

stars Alison Williams as Catherine

28:37

Ring, Tony Goldwyn as Alexander

28:39

Hamilton, Barry Sheck as Aaron

28:41

Byrr, and Jason Flamm as Judge

28:43

John Lansing.

28:45

Our executive producers are.

28:47

Alison Williams, Jason Flamm, and

28:49

Kevin Wartis. This show

28:51

is produced by Goldhalk Productions. The

28:54

show is sound designed and mixed by Steve Bond.

28:57

The music is composed and performed by Sasha

28:59

Putnak. The producer for Goldhalk

29:01

is Andy Goddard, with production management

29:04

from Emma Hearn. The executive producer

29:06

for Goldhalk is John Scott Dryden.

29:09

You can listen to every episode of Erased the Murder

29:11

of Alma Sands right now ad

29:13

free by subscribing to Lava for Good plus

29:15

on Apple Podcasts. You can also

29:17

follow the show on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook,

29:20

and Twitter at Lava for Good and

29:22

For more information on this story plus a

29:24

complete list of our incredible cast,

29:27

visit Lava Forgod dot com. Slash Erased