0:14

What is going on true crime fans?

0:16

I'm your host, Keith, and I'm your host. Daphne.

0:18

And you're listening to going west.

0:20

Hello, everybody. Happy Valentine's

0:23

Day if you're listening on the day

0:24

of Yes. Happy v day. And thank

0:26

you so much to Brandon for recommending

0:28

this case. This case is freaking

0:31

nuts. Yeah. I mean, the details of this

0:33

case are just They're they're

0:35

really conflicting and there's probably

0:37

a lot of different opinions on

0:40

this case. Bizarre. It's

0:42

so Bizar. So thanks again,

0:44

Brandon, for putting this on our radar and we're

0:46

gonna get right into this one. Alright,

0:48

guys. This is episode two hundred and

0:51

seventy nine of going west. So

0:54

let's get into it.

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2:32

In January of twenty seventeen, The

2:35

body of a twenty four year old man

2:37

was found naked at the bottom of a

2:39

cliff in a state park in

2:41

Maryland. Although

2:44

his girlfriend claims he died from

2:46

the injuries he sustained in the fall.

2:48

An autopsy revealed his throat

2:51

had been slit, multiple times.

2:55

As baffling details emerged,

2:58

she became investigators number

3:00

one suspect. This

3:04

is the story of Alexander

3:06

Stevens. Alexander

3:19

Arthea Stephens, known by most as

3:21

Alex, was born on March twenty

3:24

third nineteen ninety two in

3:26

Allegheny County, Maryland. His

3:29

parents Janet and Jay actually

3:31

welcomed twins, Alex, and his sister

3:34

Tristan, who was born one

3:36

minute later, which is how far apart

3:38

I am from my twin too. The

3:40

family attended their local Methodist

3:42

Church where Alex's dad Jay sang

3:44

in the choir and performed in the

3:46

hand bell Kourous as well as the wind

3:48

ensemble. Jay passed

3:50

this passion down to Alex, who

3:52

was gifted with a strong bear tone

3:54

singing voice. Well, in high

3:57

school, Alex was very active

3:59

in his school's theater department starring

4:01

as Sky Masterpieces in Guy's and

4:03

Dolls and the pirate king in pirates

4:05

of Penzance. He also

4:08

sang in his school's concert choir

4:10

and played in band marching band

4:12

and jazz orchestra. Alex's

4:15

father Jay also passed down his love

4:17

of travel instilling in his children

4:19

the importance of immersing themselves in

4:21

other cultures, which is so awesome. So

4:24

Alex really just enjoyed, you know, different

4:26

trips all over Europe and parts of Asia

4:28

with his family while he was growing up.

4:31

In addition to performing arts, he

4:33

loved using visual arts as an outlet,

4:35

and he was also a very gift athlete.

4:38

When he wasn't performing, he

4:41

competed on his school's football, basketball,

4:44

track, and cross country teams.

4:47

Before graduation, he spent the summer

4:49

completing a study abroad program

4:51

at the University of Cambridge and Cambridge

4:53

England. And in his limited free

4:55

time, he loved to take advantage of

4:57

the very rich natural beauty and

5:00

just lush wild life that the area

5:02

had to offer. His

5:04

hometown of Frostburg again in

5:06

Maryland is just a short drive away

5:08

from the state lines of Pennsylvania and

5:11

West Virginia. And it boasts multiple

5:13

nearby state parks. Hundreds

5:15

of hiking trails in the Allegheny

5:18

Mountains.

5:20

Alex took great pleasure in spending outdoor

5:22

time recharging with his family, doing

5:24

things like stargazing, ramping,

5:27

rock climbing, and hiking. So

5:29

they were just really big into the outdoors and they

5:31

spent a lot of time doing that together.

5:34

And Alex even worked as a lifeguard the

5:36

summers to spend more time outside.

5:39

His family remembers his gentle, sensitive

5:42

nature and that he doted on their family

5:44

pets his beloved twin sister.

5:47

A lifelong member of the Boy Scouts, he

5:49

reached the highest level of Eagle

5:51

Scout. At his graduation,

5:54

from Mountain Ridge High School in two thousand

5:56

ten, he delivered the senior address

5:58

to his class. And after graduation,

6:00

Alex went on to attend the Coast Guard Academy

6:03

in New London, Connecticut studying

6:05

engineering. While serving

6:07

at the Academy, he continued to indulge in

6:09

love of music and he sang in the Glee

6:12

club. But in two thousand

6:14

thirteen, so three years into his training,

6:16

Alex found himself in middle of a massive

6:19

controversy when he was accused of

6:21

assaulting a female student. A

6:24

female cadet came forward and said that Alex

6:26

had gone into a room when she was sleeping

6:28

and standing above her as she slept,

6:30

reached under the blanket to grab her

6:33

thigh. Now, the of me took

6:35

this accusation very seriously.

6:37

I mean, as they should, but Alex

6:39

claimed that this was just a misunderstanding. He

6:42

had been seen another female cadet at the time

6:44

and alleged that it was late and that he had

6:47

been drunk and then stumbled into

6:49

the wrong room, mistaking the student

6:51

for his girlfriend. Now while there

6:53

were no criminal charges leveled against

6:55

Alex, he was dismissed from the academy

6:57

following his act actions. His

7:00

father Jay believed his son's account that

7:02

it was a misunderstanding explaining, quote,

7:04

the academy is the only place that Alex

7:06

wanted to go to college. Every

7:09

September, they change rooms. His

7:11

girlfriend had been in that room, only

7:13

it was someone

7:14

else. He turned himself in because

7:16

of the honor code. Now obvious we

7:18

don't know exactly what happened

7:20

here, but we wanted to mention it because it is

7:23

a part of the story as a whole. But This

7:25

is definitely a very sensitive thing to discuss

7:27

since we don't know every detail. So we're

7:29

just explaining what we do know, which is

7:32

what the school said and what his parents

7:34

said because that's all we can go

7:36

off of. So that's what we're doing here.

7:38

So Alex was less than

7:40

a year away from graduating when he

7:42

left or was dismissed. And

7:44

according to his dad Jay, the sentence

7:47

or the sequence of events really devastated

7:49

him. Jay said his son

7:51

was never the same after that saying,

7:53

quote, I think it just hurt him

7:55

so bad. But his mom

7:57

remembered that despite this whole situation,

8:00

Alex always tried to do the right thing.

8:02

She said, quote, he worked to rectify

8:05

bad or wrong situations. But

8:07

it was hard to ignore his new behaviors.

8:10

He grows hair out much longer than its usual

8:12

crew cut. He withdrew from his normally

8:15

active social, academic and athletic

8:17

life. Jay said this of his

8:19

son, quote, he was reading about

8:22

religions, thinking about his place

8:24

in diety. But

8:26

when asked if Alex had thought about taking

8:28

his own life, Jay said no.

8:31

Quote, I I never never ever ever

8:33

thought that he was suicidal. I know

8:35

my son, he had all these plans to

8:37

do big things. According

8:40

to Jay, he was looking excitedly to

8:42

the future despite the detour he had

8:44

taken. Alex moved back

8:47

home to Frosberg Maryland and began

8:49

attending Frosberg State University

8:51

to finish up his degree, majoring in

8:54

materials, engineering, and economics.

8:57

There was a definite shift in Alex

8:59

after leaving the Coast Guard Academy, though

9:01

not necessarily for the worse. But

9:03

he did seem to be taking a new approach

9:05

to his relationship with himself

9:08

and those around him. He

9:10

even marked this realization with life

9:12

event announcement on Facebook, and

9:14

he wrote quote, after intoxicating

9:17

my life with doubt, I filled the void

9:19

in my soul with horrible things. On

9:21

this day, February third two thousand

9:24

sixteen, I realized that what I needed

9:26

was now what I wanted, a healthy

9:28

and loving lifestyle with prosperous relationships

9:31

between me and every other human being

9:33

and living creature. After

9:36

this day, it has been under standably

9:38

difficult for those around me to accept these

9:40

changes. But in time, all

9:42

will discern that I mean them know

9:44

ill will and only wanna pursue

9:46

my passions and dreams for the betterment

9:48

of myself and everyone around

9:50

me. Please accept me for who

9:52

I've become because I guarantee that

9:55

this man is millions of times better than

9:57

the child you knew before. He

10:00

also posted a touching tribute to his mom

10:02

and his twin sisters saying, quote, 279

10:05

and Tristan, the women I've spent a

10:07

majority of my infinitesimally small

10:09

life with thus far. I say thank

10:11

you. Thank you for preserving

10:13

in being such strong role models for

10:15

women in this bigoted world. Thank

10:17

you for showing me that limitations inflicted

10:20

by the world lady, peers,

10:22

loved ones, and even myself are

10:24

fallacies, and that worth is self

10:27

defined. Thank you for being women,

10:29

and thank you for embrace sing it.

10:31

I love you with all of my heart for

10:34

who you are and who you have allowed

10:36

me to become as a truly empathetic

10:38

man. Feminism is

10:40

not just for women. Just

10:43

two weeks before his death, Christmas

10:45

two thousand sixteen, Alex was

10:47

pictured attending Christmas Eve church services

10:50

beaming alongside his parents and his twin

10:52

sister. His last update

10:54

was from New Year's Eve two thousand sixteen

10:56

which read, quote, try thinking

10:59

less and feeling more.

11:01

It was at his new school from Brook

11:03

State University, like I said before, where

11:05

he met fellow student twenty year old

11:07

Meghan Schaeffer. Some

11:10

reports prefer to Meghan as just a friend

11:12

or a close friend, but it was most widely

11:14

reported that the two had been dating. One

11:17

friend of Alex's claim that they dated in

11:19

the past, but had decided to become just

11:21

friends, and Meghan's Facebook status

11:23

was set to singles. So we may never

11:25

know the exact nature their relationship,

11:28

but I think this gives us a pretty good idea.

11:31

Meghan grew up in Ridgley, West

11:33

Virginia, attended Frankfurt high

11:35

school and moved to mayor in to begin studying

11:38

at Frostburg State University, majoring

11:40

in business administration. And

11:43

in addition to studies she worked at

11:45

a Bath and Body Works. On

11:47

January third two thousand seventeen,

11:50

Alex and Meghan went for a Mike.

11:53

What initially appeared to be an

11:55

accident turned out to be

11:57

the start of a twisted investigation

12:00

that would land Meghan in jail.

12:03

But let's go back a bit. On

12:05

the morning of January fourth two

12:07

thousand seventeen, around seven thirty

12:09

AM Police received

12:11

a nine eleven call from a home in

12:14

a remote part of the Savage River

12:16

State Forest asking for

12:18

help at after a hike had gone

12:20

wrong. Twenty year

12:22

old Meghan Shaffer was calling to say

12:24

that her boyfriend, Alex Stephens was

12:27

still missing in the forest somewhere and

12:29

likely fatally wounded. She

12:32

told them that she herself had been severe

12:35

hurt and was hypothermic. The

12:38

temperature that night had been around thirty degrees

12:40

Fahrenheit, so below

12:41

freezing, and it had been raining.

12:44

So it does not seem like the

12:47

best time to go for

12:49

a hike. Yeah. I mean, it it makes us wonder

12:51

why they did and what the story behind that

12:53

is because we see this is just horrible weather

12:56

to go on and do this. It's just very dangerous. So

12:58

in the chilling nine eleven call,

13:01

the operator asks Meghan, where

13:03

is Alex? To which Meghan responded,

13:06

he's still in the woods. When

13:08

asked if she thought he was okay, Meghan

13:11

replied flatly, no, I believe

13:13

he is dead. When

13:15

pressed for in formation, the operator

13:18

learned that Meghan and Alex had

13:20

set out for a hike the evening prior

13:22

headed toward high rock in the Savage

13:25

River State Forest. The

13:27

high rock hike is a moderately difficult

13:29

two mile loop hike to a beautiful

13:32

overlook with a very steep decline.

13:35

Meghan claims they had both taken their clothes

13:37

off and walked to the edge of the cliffs of

13:39

High Rock. One

13:41

or both of them had fallen over

13:44

thirty feet below. And Meghan

13:46

said she had no recollection of

13:48

what happened next. When

13:51

police and emergency services Meghan.

13:54

They found her naked, chilled

13:56

to the bone and hypothermic, with

13:58

a broken shoulder and back injuries.

14:02

She was lying on a couch covered

14:04

in a blanket in the home that she had broken

14:06

into. Meghan said

14:08

that she had been wandering the woods for upwards

14:11

of twelve hours seeking

14:13

help. She came across

14:15

a home on pine swamp road

14:18

that was empty, but was able 279

14:20

get the basement door open and

14:22

used a phone inside to

14:24

call for

14:25

help. So let's break this down real

14:27

quick before we move on because this is a lot

14:29

of information that we have to digest here.

14:32

So basically, the two are out hiking.

14:34

It's raining. It's cold. It's freezing. And

14:36

they take their clothes off and get

14:38

complete. Naked, the both of them. And actually,

14:41

I feel like we talked about that in a

14:43

previous episode because we know that, like,

14:45

very, severely hypothermic people

14:48

are sometimes known to take their clothes

14:50

off

14:51

because sometimes it's almost like if you're about

14:53

to freeze to death, you have this

14:56

state where you almost get too

14:57

warm. Right. Like you're so cold

14:59

that your body starts getting hot.

15:01

Right. Even though you're not actually hot.

15:04

Right. Yeah. So that could explain

15:06

that. Right? But then, yeah, then we have her

15:08

calling 911. She is

15:10

in a house that she broke into because she's

15:13

freezing to death. And she's

15:15

saying that Alex is still in the

15:17

woods. Now before we keep talking,

15:19

Heath, I think we should play a part of the 911

15:21

on call because it's one thing

15:23

for us to tell you what it says and another

15:26

thing to actually hear it. We do 279 mention

15:28

that it's very hard to understand Megan

15:30

and we have to remember that she is suffering from hypothermia.

15:33

That's probably why she is not speaking

15:35

very clearly or enunciating her voice.

15:38

So the nine eleven operator is

15:41

kind of eating what she's saying that makes it a little easier?

15:43

Right. But also, it's because people,

15:46

you know, say that she is

15:48

a very petite woman. So

15:50

she's she's like she's

15:53

smaller than five foot tall. And so

15:55

she she does have like a bit of higher voice Some

15:58

people say that it's kind of mousy

15:59

sounding, not to be rude or anything,

16:02

but that's how they described it. So maybe it's

16:04

it's like that anyway and Right. -- maybe be harder

16:06

to discern over the phone, but

16:08

the hypothermia doesn't help. So we're gonna

16:10

play a few minutes of that call

16:12

now. So here we go.

16:14

There anybody else with you that was lost?

16:16

There's

16:17

nobody there. There's

16:22

nobody there There

16:24

was one

16:27

other male.

16:29

Okay. Are you hurt or injured? Do you need

16:31

an ambulance? Okay.

16:35

Where's the other person that was with you?

16:37

I'm still in the woods. Where

16:39

at in the woods? Do you know? Okay.

16:43

Just stay on the phone with me. I'm gonna get some information.

16:45

Okay? Can I sit down?

16:48

Yeah. Sit down on the front porch or sit down

16:50

somewhere there and and oh, and

16:52

wait for it. We're gonna wait till you And

16:55

then the house. Are

16:57

you inside the house now? Yeah.

16:59

Yeah. Okay. Do you are you sure there's

17:02

no one there? Yes. Okay.

17:04

I don't because, I mean, do you know whose home that is?

17:07

No.

17:08

Okay.

17:08

I just found it and we

17:11

279 call someone. Okay. And you

17:13

went in and got the phone? Yes.

17:15

Okay. Do

17:18

you know what that means? Okay.

17:20

Just stay on the phone and I'm not gonna hang up with

17:22

you until the till you we get some

17:25

off officers out there with you. Okay? I

17:27

mean, you can they're gonna be

17:29

there shortly. They're looking for you. They've been looking

17:31

for you all night. Okay?

17:34

Just Okay. I need you to do one thing.

17:36

I need you to make sure there's no one in the

17:38

house that may hurt you if you wait if

17:41

they come out and find you, I need you to holler

17:43

and or make sure there's no one there. Because

17:45

I don't want just

17:49

Hello? Yes. Okay. Is there anyone

17:52

answering you? No. Just

17:54

tell them you need help. Okay.

18:00

We're the missing people

18:02

that you've had now in the semi server.

18:04

Okay. So

18:06

are what what are you injured? Are you just

18:08

you just need an ambulance because of your are

18:11

you cold? No. You're

18:14

cold? Both. Both

18:16

are what how are you injured? Right.

18:19

I think I'm working

18:21

fine. Okay. What happened

18:23

if you fell off

18:26

a

18:26

cliff. Okay. You fell off a cliff?

18:29

Yeah.

18:30

Okay. What's is the

18:32

other What what's your name? Megan. Megan?

18:36

What's your last name, Megan? Shaffer.

18:39

Megan Shaffer. Okay. Megan Shaffer.

18:43

Okay, Megan. Just stay on the phone. I'm

18:46

fine. Where's

18:48

So where's the other person that you were with?

18:50

What's his name? Alex.

18:54

Alex Wood. Steven.

18:57

Alex Stevens. And where is

18:59

Alex? Okay.

19:02

Was he okay? Remember

19:05

is he he hurt

19:07

or is he Probably dead.

19:10

Or you think he's dead? Yes.

19:13

But what did you both fall off the cliff?

19:16

Okay. Okay. Okay. Just stay on the phone

19:19

with me. Okay. Just

19:22

Okay. I'm I'm gonna get I'm

19:25

I'm getting you an ambulance started too.

19:27

Okay? Please. Yeah.

19:29

The officers are on their way. I'm

19:31

her children. How

19:33

old are you? I'm twenty

19:35

years old. Oh,

19:41

okay. Yeah. Okay. So we need

19:43

to send park for him down there to his apartment. Yeah.

19:45

I'm going to I would. Okay.

19:49

Okay. Like I said, I'm not gonna I'm just gonna get

19:52

some ask you some questions. I'm gonna stay on the

19:54

phone with you until the officers get there.

19:56

Okay. When did you fall? Last night.

19:59

Last night? Okay.

20:02

Is there any serious bleeding?

20:04

Yeah. I'm going to be blunt.

20:07

Okay. Okay.

20:10

What part of the body is injured?

20:16

not sure. You're not sure? Okay.

20:18

I'm just not being hurt. Okay. Alright.

20:21

We're setting up a permit. Just

20:24

sit down there and don't move unless absolutely

20:26

necessary. Okay? From

20:30

don't eat or drink anything. Okay? Just

20:33

just sit still and wait for help to

20:35

arrive. Okay? And

20:39

and you're you're sure that Alex wasn't

20:41

able to move? Yes, ma'am. Okay.

20:43

Okay. Just

20:49

just stay on the line. I'm gonna I'm gonna

20:51

mute my mic, but I'm gonna be able to hear you.

20:53

I'm gonna dispatch an ambulance. Okay?

20:58

I'm still here.

21:06

Alright. So that kind of better explains

21:10

how we described it because I told you she had

21:12

flatly said that she believes that Alex

21:14

is dead. Now you kinda know why.

21:16

And and, yeah,

21:18

there's still while on this phone

21:20

call and this particular part of it, they're still

21:22

trying to find Alex, but at least they can

21:25

find Meghan and then kinda

21:27

go from

21:27

there. And what's also really interesting

21:29

is just going back for just a second when we

21:31

were talking about the possibility of like taking

21:33

your clothes off during hypothermia, There's

21:36

also some really weird details that

21:38

are coming up that may also

21:41

explain

21:42

why they had taken their clothes off, but we're gonna

21:44

get into

21:44

Yeah. I mean, it's just gonna get so

21:46

much weirder. Yes, it definitely

21:49

is. So about two hours

21:51

later, a Maryland state police helicopters

21:53

spotted Alex lying face

21:56

down in the water of a drainage ditch

21:58

about a mile and a half or a little over

22:00

two kilometers from the base of the lookout

22:03

that he had supposedly fallen from.

22:06

Now, he was pronounced dead immediately,

22:09

but here's the really strange part.

22:11

His throat had been slashed multiple

22:14

times. A knife

22:16

with a seven inch blade was found near head

22:18

in the water. He,

22:20

like Meghan, was also naked.

22:23

And that morning, Meghan's story

22:25

changed constantly. She couldn't

22:27

seem to clarify if they had jumped purposefully,

22:30

fallen due to an accident or a struggle

22:32

between the two of them, or if they

22:34

had been climbing down and simply tripped.

22:38

So while being transported to the hospital, which

22:40

took about forty minutes, she explained

22:42

her account of the events of the night before.

22:45

But her story was a bit different each

22:47

time. Initially, she

22:49

claimed that Alex had survived the fall

22:51

and been able to get up and walk away. But

22:54

that he fell to the ground later in their journey

22:56

and then he died there. Then

22:58

she claimed that he had fallen 279 his

23:00

night and died

23:01

there. Falling 279

23:03

his knife. Yeah. No. And when

23:05

we get into the details, you'll understand why I

23:07

say no. Then she changed her

23:09

story again and said that they had reached

23:11

the water in which he was found, and

23:13

he concluded that he wanted to kill himself,

23:16

which he wound up doing there where

23:18

he was located by police the following

23:20

morning. Now according

23:22

to the paramedic with whom she was speaking,

23:25

Meghan said quote, This is

23:27

probably not gonna look good. But when

23:29

they find the knife, my

23:31

handprints will be on the knife.

23:54

Alright. Before that quick break, Heath let

23:56

us know that Alex was found at the bottom

23:58

of a cliff with multiple slash

24:01

wounds to his neck. And

24:03

Meghan's story is changing a

24:05

lot. But one of the most alarming things

24:07

that he told us is that Meghan said

24:09

279 the paramedics, quote, this

24:11

is probably not going to look good,

24:13

but when you find the knife, my

24:16

hand will be on the

24:18

knife. And then after this,

24:20

the paramedics notified law enforcement

24:23

that they should meet Meghan at the hospital

24:25

because they heard that and they're

24:27

saying, okay. Yeah. The police are gonna

24:29

279 talk to you.

24:30

We've gotta situation here. So

24:32

Meghan sustained a frostbite as

24:35

well as a broken shoulder and severe

24:37

back injuries. Between

24:39

January fourth two thousand seventeen

24:41

when she was taken to the hospital to be treated

24:44

for her injuries and two days her

24:46

January sixth when she had been discharged,

24:48

she was interviewed by police three

24:51

separate times. In

24:53

her first interview, Meghan explained

24:56

that she and Alex had gone up to the cliff

24:58

to take part in what she called a

25:01

cleansing of some

25:02

type.

25:03

And this is where we're getting into

25:05

some strange details here.

25:07

Yes. We are. So she remembered that she

25:10

and Alex had disrobed and

25:12

walked to the edge of the cliff at high bro

25:14

or high rocks, sorry, when they had

25:16

slipped and fallen to the base of

25:18

the cliff due to the rain.

25:20

So she's saying, they got

25:22

naked and they both just happened to slip

25:24

off a cliff. Meghan explained

25:27

that they laid there in scrutiating pain

25:29

for a while before they attempted to walk

25:32

and seek help. At

25:34

some point on their journey, she said Alex

25:36

slid his own throat. Meghan

25:40

denied having anything to do with his

25:42

death and that she had no intent

25:44

to hurt or kill herself. The

25:47

second time she spoke with investigators, she

25:50

maintained her original story that they

25:52

had slipped and fallen, and that Alex was

25:54

in pain from his injuries from the fall

25:56

and that he had slit his own throat to put

25:58

himself out of his misery. The

26:01

next time she was interviewed though, her

26:03

statement changed significantly.

26:07

This time, Meghan remembered

26:10

that Alex had actually pulled her down

26:12

with him like off the cliff, holding

26:14

her hand around his hand

26:16

against the knife at his throat,

26:19

as they felt to the depths below

26:21

the cliff. She explained

26:23

that while holding her hand over the

26:26

knife, Alex slid his

26:28

own

26:28

throat, mold to pull times.

26:30

I just I that detail

26:33

just doesn't get less weird because she

26:35

is you know, obviously she's changing her story

26:37

a lot, but now you saying, he made

26:39

me slit his throat with

26:41

him, like his own throat. Yeah.

26:44

It's just so strange change. So

26:46

this time she indicated that he may have

26:48

intended to kill himself when he jumped off

26:50

the cliff and that he had simply brought her

26:52

along for support. However,

26:55

an autopsy was quick to poke holes

26:58

in many of Meghan's theories. Because

27:01

Alex had sustained at least seven

27:04

swipes of the blade across his

27:06

throat in what the medical examiner

27:08

described as a song motion.

27:11

Yeah. A song motion. That's

27:13

the one detail that just really gets

27:16

me.

27:16

Well, actually, also, they were so

27:19

forceful that they had

27:21

severed his carotid artery

27:23

and his jugular vein

27:25

and had even nicked the bone in his

27:27

spinal column like that how deep

27:30

this knife went into his neck. He

27:32

also had broken ribs and a

27:34

punctured lung. So

27:36

obviously, waiting through these inconsistencies in

27:39

Meghan's account, doubt really crept

27:41

into the minds of investigators. On

27:43

the evening of January third, after

27:45

not having heard from her brother, Tristan

27:48

grew very worried and texted

27:50

Alex's middle school best friend Steven

27:52

asking if he had seen or heard from Alex.

27:55

But even hadn't.

27:58

Concerned, he decided to set out looking for

28:00

him on his own. Stephen

28:02

decided to check some of the places that the friends

28:04

had frequented together, one of which

28:06

was high rock. At

28:08

the base of the trail, Stephen

28:11

found Alex's car which had been

28:13

left with the hood open. The

28:15

entire body of the vehicle had been drenched

28:17

with chemical substance, which

28:19

was possibly motor oil, a bottle

28:22

of which was found on the roof of the car.

28:24

It was parked next to a car Steven didn't

28:27

recognize. This was later identified

28:29

as Meghan's car. So after

28:31

walking the trail for about a mile or

28:33

one point six kilometers in the pitch

28:35

black back in reign using only

28:37

his cell phone flashlight to guide him.

28:40

Alex's friends stumbled upon a series

28:42

of strange gouvries. Alex's

28:46

beloved cat, Sabilla, had

28:48

apparently been left in a pet carrier

28:51

near the end of the trail. He

28:54

had only recently gotten this cat,

28:56

posting a new profile picture with his fluffy

28:58

green eyed black cat perched upon

29:00

his shoulders while he drove. The

29:03

caption red quote, meet

29:05

Sabilla. And actually, that particular

29:07

picture is the one that was used most widely

29:09

in press releases and articles about

29:11

Alex's case, because he looked very

29:14

different than he used 279, no longer the

29:16

clean-cut young student that he appeared to be

29:18

at the academy. So this

29:20

led some to believe that he had in

29:22

fact been engaging in some sort

29:24

of ritual, starting his life

29:26

anew or ending it on purpose after

29:29

the sacrifice of himself and as

29:31

animals. Now, near

29:33

this carrier that was containing the cat,

29:36

there were burned down candles that

29:38

looked as if they had been lit for hours.

29:41

So when I said that these details are 279 get

29:43

really strange, now we know that there

29:45

is a cat and a pet carrier and

29:47

there's melted candles situated

29:49

along the trail. I mean, that's just so

29:52

damn weird. It just yeah. It's just

29:55

totally insane. There was

29:57

a backpack that it also appeared to be covered

29:59

in an oily substance and contained

30:02

clothing. Now inside Steven

30:04

noted women's underwear and

30:06

a pair of jeans, glasses,

30:09

and a belt that Steven recognized

30:11

as Alex's.

30:12

Also, can we just talk about how crazy

30:14

this is that his like, one

30:16

of his best friends is the one that

30:18

happened to discover all

30:19

this. Yeah. That's that to

30:21

me is I mean, that's a really good friend for

30:24

going out there and looking for Alex, but

30:26

also for for Steven

30:28

to go and stumble upon all these really strange

30:30

changed

30:30

clues. That must have been horrifying. But

30:33

also just weird that he happened to

30:35

find it before police not saying that it's

30:37

suspicious, but it it it is just weird

30:40

that somebody that didn't have

30:42

any idea where Alex was and just

30:44

presumed he would be here stumbled

30:46

upon all this stuff.

30:47

Right. But it gets even stranger

30:49

because right next to the backpack was

30:52

another bottle of motor oil.

30:54

Also, Sabilla's collar and drenched

30:57

bath towels. Steven

30:59

tried to look for Alex but couldn't see anything

31:01

off the edge of the lookout. So

31:03

he texted Alex quote I

31:06

have your cat, but again, he

31:08

received no response. He

31:10

returned to his car with Sabilla and

31:12

dropped her at Alex's parents' house. Then

31:15

after this, Steven returned home around

31:17

two AM on January fourth,

31:19

and then later that morning was summoned

31:21

back to the area by investigators to be

31:23

interviewed. Steven

31:25

remembers their last interaction is positive

31:28

just a few days prior, and that Alex

31:30

had been looking forward to finishing up his degree.

31:32

And he also wanted to write more sick.

31:35

Some sources claimed that Alex's

31:37

family dog, Sid, had been

31:40

left by the couple in a graveyard before

31:43

the hike. The graveyard

31:45

was one that Steven claimed that he and Alex

31:47

had frequented. I guess they kind of enjoyed,

31:49

like, the tranquility of it and having

31:51

picnics there. Which, I mean, I like to

31:54

do that too, so I guess it's not that weird. But

31:56

Alex's dad disputed the claims

31:58

that this was any sort of ritualistic or

32:00

sacrificial offering and

32:02

blamed, quote, the cat was

32:05

Alex's cat, the cat was never

32:07

harmed.

32:08

Alex's friend Steven agreed saying, quote,

32:11

he didn't want to harm animals. And

32:13

even added that Alex had adopted a plant

32:16

based diet to avoid eating meat because

32:18

he loved animals so much. But what's

32:20

strange is, like, why then why is

32:22

the cat

32:23

there? I mean, I don't know. It's a Why are the candles

32:25

there? Like, none of it makes sense. Right. The cat's at

32:27

the top of a mountain. Yeah. It it's

32:29

super weird and also in its

32:31

carrier. So it's like, you know, it would make

32:33

more sense if, like, your dog is

32:35

there wandering around with its leash on,

32:37

like, you went on a hike with your dog, people

32:39

do that all the time. Right. Why would you bring your cat

32:42

in a carrier on a hike? It's it doesn't

32:44

make sense. So the Steven's

32:46

family dog did was also found safe

32:48

and was returned to them. And

32:51

Alex had apparently asked to take

32:53

the dog for a walk on the after knew that

32:55

he went for the hike. In

32:57

one interview that he granted, Jay,

33:00

his dad, said that Sid was sitting

33:02

happily at his feet and that he had

33:04

not been harmed or endangered. But

33:07

if you can imagine it, this was not

33:09

the strangest or most shocking

33:11

detail of the case because

33:13

on December twenty eight, twenty sixteen,

33:15

so one week before his death.

33:18

Alex had named Meghan the

33:20

beneficiary of investment

33:23

account. An account which

33:25

contained one hundred and

33:27

eighty eight thousand and three

33:29

dollars and ninety eight dense.

33:32

And

33:33

I mean, I hate to keep using

33:35

these words like strange and

33:37

weird and bizarre, but

33:38

not that many synonyms. What

33:40

what else can you say about this case?

33:42

Yeah. I mean, it's crazy. Why

33:45

would he do that if they were good

33:48

friends or even if they were casual boyfriend,

33:50

girlfriend, it's let's

33:53

let's keep going. So,

33:55

yeah, let's let's talk about this investment

33:57

account. So on December twenty eight, twenty

34:00

sixteen, exactly one week before

34:02

his death, Alex closed an

34:04

investment account with Stifel,

34:06

an investment banking company worth over

34:09

thirty billion dollars. The

34:11

entirety of his funds, which again was

34:13

a hundred and eighty eight thousand and three

34:15

dollars and ninety eight cents, was

34:18

transferred to Edward Jones. Which

34:20

is another financial services company. But

34:22

why he chose to move all this money is

34:24

pretty unclear. But when he did,

34:27

he named Meghan Shaffer, the sole

34:29

beneficiary, meaning that if

34:31

and when Alex died, the money

34:33

would be left to her. One

34:36

of the strangest details of this already

34:38

flabbergasting case is that

34:40

this was early discussed in the courtroom

34:42

as a potential motive. While

34:45

it seems pretty obvious that the money provided

34:47

a clear motive Meghan, it didn't

34:49

have any bearing on her sentencing. Jay

34:52

was able to step in on his son's behalf

34:54

and stop the transfer, requesting

34:57

the court issue a restraining order for

34:59

this account. And also

35:01

the Stevens family hired lawyers to aid

35:03

in the fight the money to stay in the family

35:05

where it belonged. Now Meghan

35:08

and her family meanwhile declined

35:10

to grant interviews or comment on the case.

35:13

Meghan's lawyer simply said, quote, shaffer

35:15

and her family are distressed over the situation,

35:18

and that it was, quote, very upsetting.

35:21

Meanwhile, Alex's family was fielding

35:23

speculation that Alex had been involved

35:26

in illegal operations in order

35:28

to gain this money. But

35:30

Jay disputed these claims telling one reporter,

35:32

quote, money was given to Alex

35:34

over time. He did some investing on

35:37

his own. He was a confident blad.

35:39

It's straight law abiding money.

35:43

Jay explained that Alex's great aunt had set

35:45

aside some money in a trust for and his sister

35:47

Tristan before she passed away,

35:49

which could explain where, you know, a

35:51

part of this money had

35:53

come from. So after his

35:55

great aunt did pass away and the twins

35:57

turned eighteen, the money was theirs

36:00

at that point. But Jay explained

36:02

that Alex was responsible about it, saving

36:04

it and investing it instead of just blowing

36:06

it like many other, you know, teenagers may

36:09

have

36:09

done. Or just young people, yeah, before you really know

36:11

what to do with money. But

36:13

by March of twenty seventeen, Alex's

36:16

death was officially ruled a

36:18

homicide. So about a couple months

36:20

later, they're already thinking that this is a homicide.

36:23

Not already thinking because it's pretty fucking

36:25

obvious.

36:25

But clear. Yeah. But within two months that

36:27

ruling was made. So it

36:29

took months, but there were

36:32

finally charges filed against Meghan

36:34

Schaeffer on September twelfth twenty

36:36

seventeen which was the day that she turned

36:38

twenty one actually. On

36:41

September fourteenth, she was arrested

36:43

and charged with its second degree murder

36:46

as well as assisting to commit or

36:48

attempt to commit suicide and

36:50

manslaughter. She

36:52

posted bail which was set at a hundred

36:55

thousand dollars and it was put up by

36:57

her parents and went home to

36:59

a weight trial. The case

37:01

moved swiftly and by March of twenty

37:03

eighteen, so within about a

37:05

little over a year of his death,

37:08

she was in court to fight for her alleged

37:11

innocence. The state

37:13

attorneys speaking on behalf of Alex Stevens

37:15

said this of Meghan, quote,

37:18

she chose to tell lies. This

37:20

is not a suicide. Meghan's

37:23

attorney responded

37:24

with, quote, use your common sense,

37:27

deserve your judgment. Her

37:29

lawyer also accused Alex of drug use,

37:32

by the way. Now Alex's friend Steven

37:34

admitted that he had combined LSD

37:37

and cough syrup in the past, leading

37:39

him to have a hallucinogenic episode.

37:42

Stephen claimed, quote, He went through

37:44

phases but was improving. According

37:48

to Steven, Alex was, quote, pretty

37:50

much clean of drug use and even

37:52

Al a call at the time of his death.

37:55

In her trial, Meghan claimed

37:57

that the initial conflicting statements that

38:00

she gave 279 THE PARAMEDIC ON HER JOURNEY

38:02

TO THE HOSPITAL SHOULDN'T BE HELD

38:04

AGAINST HER AS SHE HAD BEEN IN A STATE

38:06

OF SHOCK AND SHE WAS STILL TRYING TO process

38:09

the sequence of events. Now

38:11

that I do agree with in a way

38:13

like if she was suffering from hypothermia, she

38:15

had just gone through like this insane

38:17

experience of being in the woods and wandering

38:19

around for twelve hours while she's freezing to

38:21

death.

38:22

I do get that, but we know that she

38:24

was interviewed over the next three days

38:26

and her story changed even

38:28

then. So how do you explain that? I would

38:30

also be really interested to know if

38:33

she was ever tested at the

38:35

hospital for certain types of drugs in her

38:37

system.

38:37

I would like to know that as well.

38:39

Yeah. So her lawyers argued that if

38:41

her statements were to be missable in

38:43

court, she should have been read her Miranda

38:45

rights. When Meghan

38:48

arrived at the hospital, you know, when

38:50

she was originally admitted. She was told

38:52

her family was there waiting to see her,

38:54

but that she would have to give a statement to

38:56

police first. She claimed

38:59

she was again not given the option to

39:01

have legal counsel present or read

39:03

her Miranda rights. But

39:05

ultimately, this did not place enough

39:07

doubt in the minds of the judges and

39:09

jury. And on July twenty fifth

39:11

twenty eighteen, Meghan was as

39:14

convicted. After

39:16

deliberating for just four hours,

39:18

the jury found her guilty of all

39:20

three charges leveled against her

39:22

in the death of Alexander Stevens.

39:25

The judge called her behavior, quote, heinous

39:28

and vicious Shocked,

39:30

Meghan was seen crying and shaking her

39:32

head. She was observed in court

39:34

as stoic and emotionless throughout the

39:36

trial until her verdict was finally

39:39

red. The relief among

39:41

Alex's friends and family however was

39:43

palpable. The Stevens'

39:45

sat in the front row holding hands and

39:48

even hugged the homicide detective when

39:50

the verdict was finally read. His

39:53

twin Tristan addressed the court

39:55

bluntly saying quote, Alex

39:57

was brutally murdered. His head

39:59

was nearly severed from his body.

40:02

She talked of how they were best friends and

40:04

spoke every day even when they had

40:06

moved out of their parents house. She

40:09

explained that their father Jay had been

40:11

diagnosed with stage four cancer and

40:13

that Alex was her biggest support system

40:16

and had been there for both her and her mother

40:18

to lean on. She said, quote,

40:20

I miss him so much. I'll never

40:22

forget him. And my pain will be with

40:24

me until I

40:25

die. I mean, you're having a twin 279, is

40:27

like, it's such a special bond. Obviously,

40:30

having a sibling or a loved one, it

40:32

it's just as strong, but, like, having a twin, there's just

40:34

something special about that. Like, you're connected

40:37

since

40:37

birth. Like, I can't imagine what

40:39

that would feel like losing your twin.

40:40

Absolutely. It'd be like losing your other

40:43

half.

40:43

Yeah. Like, my twin is is my other

40:45

half. So Alex's mom,

40:47

Giannet, also read a victim impact statement

40:50

explaining how much her son's death had

40:52

affected her life, including anxiety,

40:55

depression, and trouble sleeping, ultimately

40:58

leading her to early retirement. She

41:01

said, sadly, quote, nothing

41:03

absolutely nothing can prepare

41:05

you for the death of a child.

41:07

While obviously very heartbroken

41:10

at how quickly this dark turn

41:12

of events took place. The Stevens

41:14

family was very thankful to law enforcement

41:17

for maintaining their pursuit of justice.

41:19

It would have been easy for a case like to 279 of

41:22

slip through the cracks given that, you know, the only

41:24

person who really knew what had happened that night

41:26

was now dead. So Jay

41:29

said thankfully that the officers were

41:31

so kind and comforting throughout the

41:33

whole proceeding. But

41:35

he also added that the verdict didn't necessarily

41:38

bring them any comfort. Saying, quote,

41:40

we don't have joy. It's so

41:42

sad. Many

41:45

came to Alex's defense posthumously

41:47

claiming there was no way that he

41:49

had anything to do with his own

41:51

death. Janet remembered

41:54

her son fondly as having a, quote,

41:56

white knight personality saying,

41:58

quote, Alex went out of his way

42:00

to help others. Alex's

42:03

grandma said, quote, I'm feeling wonder full

42:05

that we've gotten justice, but I feel bad

42:07

for that little girl. Was it worth

42:09

taking a life, taking Alex from

42:12

us? And his twin sister,

42:14

Tristan, you know, agreed with this saying

42:16

that she was glad that they found justice for him.

42:18

But basically in the trial, Meghan's

42:21

lawyers kinda used tactics claiming

42:24

that Alex had been abusive to her

42:26

and that she was scared of Alex.

42:28

Now there's no evidence that

42:31

this was true and really like everything else

42:33

in this case, it was just Meghan's word against

42:35

Alex's who was no longer able to speak

42:37

for himself. So this is what Tristan

42:40

said about Meghan claiming that Alex was

42:42

abusive. She said, quote, a lot

42:44

of things were said in there just get her off.

42:46

Meghan made it up in here just to make him

42:49

look awful. Anyone who knew

42:51

him was disgusted by that.

42:53

He was a wonderful person

42:55

in. Yeah.

42:55

I mean, it seems like that would be the only defense

42:57

that they could really take in that scenario

43:00

because Yeah. But it's the thing

43:02

is though is I feel like

43:04

it's a risky move to

43:06

make anyway because she

43:08

said that they fell off the cliff, and then

43:10

she said that she helped him commit

43:13

suicide. So now you

43:15

saying that he was abusive to

43:17

you is more so putting you in the position

43:20

of I killed him because he was

43:22

abusive to me and I was defending myself. That's

43:24

not what you said happened. So now

43:26

you're just changing the story even more, which

43:28

makes it hard for us to believe anything you

43:30

say. Yeah. And I believe that they used this

43:33

angle because of the whole the

43:35

heart where she basically said that

43:38

her like Alex grabbed her hand

43:40

and the knife and, like, forced her to cut

43:42

his own throat, which may come off

43:44

as, like, him forced her to do something.

43:46

So therefore, they're like running with this,

43:48

oh, well, maybe he was abusive to her

43:51

and was forcing her to do these

43:52

things. Yeah. It's just it's obviously,

43:55

if that's true, it's not okay, but it just

43:58

it's hard to know if that is true

44:00

because there's many different stories

44:02

flying around from Meghan and from

44:04

Meghan's lawyers. And actually,

44:08

one of Alex's ex girlfriend spoke

44:10

out and agreed with Tristan

44:13

saying, quote, Alex did not have a

44:15

mean bone in his body. Meghan's

44:19

family was present in the courtroom

44:21

at the time as well at the time that she

44:23

was found

44:23

guilty, but declined to comment

44:26

and have not granted interviews.

44:29

Meghan was sentenced to thirty

44:31

years in prison in Cumberland, Maryland

44:34

where she remains today. In

44:37

two thousand nineteen, Meghan appealed her

44:39

case, but her conviction was upheld.

44:42

This case just leaves us

44:44

with an infuriating lack

44:46

of answers, and obviously many

44:48

armchair detectives believe that Meghan

44:51

is in fact innocent and that she was

44:53

simply brought into whatever kinda like spiritual

44:55

journey that Alex had been partaking

44:58

in. But the truth is that

45:00

maybe we will never fully know.

45:02

But to me, really, one of the biggest pieces

45:05

of this case is the whole, you know,

45:07

beneficiary his investment account. And

45:09

it it really is just it's

45:12

very reminiscent of

45:14

when a husband kills his wife or a wife

45:17

Hills, her husband, or whatever, when

45:20

there is a big life insurance

45:22

policy, it's very similar to that.

45:24

There's a motive there. Yeah. It seems there is.

45:26

It seems like that would be a motive to possibly

45:28

kill somebody. But obviously,

45:30

there's a lot that happened that night knowing how

45:32

Meghan was found with hypothermia and she

45:34

did all these injuries like, did

45:37

she also fall off the cliff? Did they

45:39

fall off together? Did they jump? Did

45:41

she try to, you know,

45:44

slice his throat and then shim and she fell

45:46

279 or she had to be or

45:48

she had to injure herself to make her point

45:50

of the story seem

45:51

accurate. Like, what the fuck happened?

45:54

Yeah. That's I mean, it seems like,

45:56

again, there's just not lot of answers. Was

45:58

she I mean, was the fuck

46:00

all bad enough to where she was trying to

46:02

quote, put him out of his misery. The

46:05

the other thing that I wanted to go back to is the fact

46:07

that there was motor oil found all

46:10

over the car. Thank you. Because was

46:12

there intention to light this car on fire?

46:14

Was she trying to burn

46:15

evidence? Yeah. Or did did

46:17

he was he the one that poured the oil on the

46:19

car before they went up the mountain? I I mean, I don't

46:21

know. You know? Why would he pour motor

46:23

oil on his own car? And then

46:26

there was some found on his back

46:27

pack, like, what is that about? Because usually

46:29

Because you're not gonna go back after you

46:32

have fallen off cliff or if you decided to

46:34

actually take your life and

46:35

and, you know, jump off a cliff, you're not gonna go

46:37

back to light your carifier because you're you're

46:39

dead. Right. But then it's also like

46:41

the there was a bottle of motor oil found

46:43

on top of his car and his backpack. So it's

46:45

like, why are the bottles left there?

46:48

They're not set on fire?

46:50

Why was the cat there? What were the candles

46:52

for?

46:52

Was this a suicide pact? I

46:55

just I don't know why it would be. You know, like Oh,

46:57

well, I just I mean, I'm just thinking possibly

46:59

because of the candles and the fact that their

47:01

possession were on the mountain, but but again,

47:04

this this is all pure speculation and we

47:06

just don't know. And that's the strangest

47:08

thing about this case is that Meghan

47:11

really didn't relay all that

47:13

much

47:13

information. She she obviously backed

47:15

herself up. Well, that was the problem she

47:18

said she didn't really remember much.

47:20

Yeah. Did she not remember much because she

47:22

had experienced horrific trauma herself

47:25

physically and men

47:26

Tally? Or is she saying

47:28

that because she doesn't 279 tell the truth?

47:30

Yeah. I mean, it's just all around. It's just

47:33

incredibly bizarre. Agree.

47:36

So, sadly, in twenty twenty,

47:38

Alex's dad, Jay, succumbed to his

47:40

illness, and the Steven's family was

47:42

left without both father and son.

47:45

At Alex's trial, Jay had said,

47:47

quote, I never dreamed I would

47:49

outlive my son. If I could

47:51

change places with him, I would. We

47:54

lost so much when we

47:56

lost Alex.

48:05

Thank you so much everybody for listening

48:08

to this episode of Going West.

48:10

Yes.

48:10

Thank you guys so much for listening to this episode.

48:12

And on Friday, we'll have an all new case for

48:14

you guys to dive into

48:16

please let us know what you think about this case,

48:18

at least I really

48:19

279 know what you guys think. I feel like you and I are a little

48:21

biased, but I think it's because this is what you and believe,

48:23

but also because she was convicted, so it's

48:26

not totally wrong for us to do that and

48:28

to be on that side. But I I

48:30

really would love to think or love to know if

48:32

you guys think that she is

48:34

guilty or if she is innocent and

48:36

what could have happened? I mean, like, he'd said,

48:39

a lot of it is pure speculation because

48:41

there's so many missing pieces to the

48:43

puzzle, but it's still interesting to talk

48:46

about and just just sad that that

48:48

this had to happen at all. Just these

48:50

two young people, one who lost their life, one

48:52

who kinda lost their life in another way who's

48:54

in prison for

48:55

many, many years. Yeah.

48:57

So where you guys can actually comment on

48:59

this case is on our social medias. You

49:02

can hit us up over on Instagram at

49:04

going west podcast Twitter at going

49:06

less

49:06

pod, and also we have a

49:08

Facebook discussion group. Yes. Please

49:10

let us know, share the story, share

49:13

our post, whatever you guys wanna do, and

49:15

thank you in advance for doing so and for

49:17

listening. Oh, and quickly, I just wanted to

49:19

mention that if you do 279 see photos from

49:21

this case in every other case that we've ever covered,

49:24

You can find those on any of our socials.

49:26

So go take a look.

49:28

Alright, guys. So for everybody out there in

49:30

the world, don't be a stranger.