Narrator

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Police Officer

Refreshers contain caffeine.

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Narrator

Sword and scale contains adult themes and violence and is not intended for all audiences. Listener discretionary is advised.

Brittany Barron

And then he gave me the night. And even then, he was concerned about me walking behind him. And I'm like, well, we both got trust issues now, don't we?

Narrator

There is no honor amongst thieves or murderers. Really. Sometimes people that listen to the show get things a little confused. They think I hate this race or this sex or this pansexual binary dog kin or whatever the fuck you want want to be. I really couldn't care less. Sure, you're unusual, but I think that's what you're going for. But this show is about murder, not your personal political causes. So if I make fun of some asshole that's pretending to be a victim and is instead a killer, well, too bad. We're gonna keep doing what we. And if you don't like it, well, you know where the door is. You don't have to announce your exit.

Commercial Announcer

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Narrator

It's Monday, September 23, 2020, Keene, New Hampshire. That's the day 25 year old Jonathan Amarault was reported missing. At first, nothing about it seemed urgent. John was a hiker, one of those obsessed types. The mountains of New Hampshire were his second home. Long, grueling day trips, sometimes stretching into the night. That was normal for him. He had already conquered 99 of the hundred highest peaks in New England and nearly every 4,000 footer in the region. So when his mother didn't hear from him over the weekend, she wasn't that alarmed. Maybe he was just out of service. Maybe he was with friends. He had plenty of them. John had a full life. But then Monday came and John didn't show up to work. That's when the unease set in. Because that just wasn't like him. John was dependable, focused. At just 25, he was already a biomedical engineer at Teleflex Medical, building devices that helped save lives. He showed up for work, he checked in, and he loved his career. So his mother made the call. She asked the police to check in on him. But when officers arrived at his quiet cape style home, John was gone. And so was his Subaru Impreza, the one with the run happy bumper sticker. State police looking for a missing 25 year old man from Keene. Police say that Jonathan Armirault was reported missing after he failed to show up for work in Jaffrey. His family hasn't heard from him since Saturday. He may be driving a gray Subaru Impreza with New Hampshire plates. Anyone with information asked to contact state police. While John's friends rallied on social media to try to find their friend, the police pinged his phone and discovered its last known location was near a hiking trail in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. A desperate scramble started. Most of John's friends and family were concerned that something had happened to him out on the trail. Maybe he was just sitting there with a broken leg waiting for help. But the police got to work chasing down leads. When they spoke with Teleflex, they learned that not only had John mysteriously been absent from work, but another Teleflex employee, 31 year old Brittany Barron, had also failed to show up on that same day. On Monday, September 21st, Brittany had called HR. Not to call out sick or a personal day, but to quit. Just like that. After six and a half steady years at Teleflex, she walked away without a warning. It didn't make sense. Brittany was a married mother of three young girls. Her husband did not work. She was the sole earner for the family. And she loved Teleflex. She too had been moving up in the ranks over the years. Brittany Barron lived in Jeffrey, New Hampshire with her husband Armando and their three kids. They lived modestly on one side of a duplex house and Armando's parents lived on the other side. When the police arrived at the barren house, they found Armando's mother, her hands full watching her granddaughters because apparently Brittany and Armando were on a hiking trip. Brittany's mother in law told the police that she hadn't seen Brittany since Saturday when the couple left for the mountains.

Armando's Mother

I think it was Sunday when she called my cell phone, but unfortunately, you know, so bad we're listening to the messages that it's full. I don't bother to delete and delete because what's the point, you know, gets already full. And then she just, she just text me and she says, mama, please let the phone ringing to get to the boys mail. I want to leave a voicemail to the girls.

Narrator

Brittany had called and asked her mother in law to let the phone go to voicemail so she could leave a special message for her daughters. But her mother in law couldn't figure out how to delete her old messages. So she just had to relay what Brittany said.

Armando's Mother

She says, but please tell my girls I love them with all of my heart. And then she mentioned all the names of the girls. And then she said, remember girls, you're a team. Please pray continuously. Pray to Yahuwah that we call God Yahuwah. And then she goes, be good to your grandma abuelita. Spanish grandma abuelita. And to your papa. And I'll be. I'll see you guys soon. I love you, my girls.

Narrator

Her message was less like an update from her mom on a hiking trip and more like a dark goodbye.

Armando's Mother

She called back on Monday. Yeah, she called back on Monday earlier. And then she goes, she talked to them. She talked to all of them, all of them. And then she says that she loved them and she's taking time off, taking little time because she wants to heal, she wants to get the marriage, you know, being a better mother.

Narrator

That's when Brittany's oldest Daughter jumped on

Armando's Mother

the phone, where are you at, Mom? Then she goes, I am in a safe place.

Narrator

Though Brittany had told Teleflex she was quitting, she also made sure to text a group chat with close friends and co workers to let them know what was going on. She told her friends she had left Armando and that she was going home to New Mexico to stay with her family. She said she needed to get herself right again. When her friends asked about her daughters, she said she didn't want to bring them along. On, quote, mommy's mental breakdown. She claimed that Armando was being extremely patient and nice about the whole thing, which is interesting. She confessed she felt like a failure as a mother. But here's the thing. Armando and Brittany left on Saturday. That same day, people stopped hearing from John. By Monday, Brittany was communicating with people only by phone or text. But Armando had returned home without his wife.

Police Officer

And Brittany was here as well. Yesterday with Armando.

Brittany Barron

No.

Narrator

No, she wasn't.

Brittany Barron

Okay,

Police Officer

Yesterday. When did you first see Armando? Was he here all day yesterday?

Armando's Mother

Yeah, he got here Monday night.

Police Officer

Monday night.

Narrator

Armando's mother didn't find it strange. She thought this whole trip was a spiritual way to bring the couple closer to God. Yeah, that's what she thought.

Armando's Mother

It's because he told me that he needed. Also he said that he needed some space, some time off, you know, and because we pray and fast. I think that this. I was thinking that this is like a spiritual thing. Right. That they want our time to pray and be better. Right. Cuz we believe Jesus is coming soon. Right.

Police Officer

Okay.

Armando's Mother

And we have been trying our best to be spiritual beings. Right.

Police Officer

And was he here in the morning and then left and came back when? Yesterday.

Armando's Mother

Yesterday he slept here. Monday he slept here with his bed with the girls, and I slept on the feet with the girls.

Narrator

Something about Armando's mother felt a little off. Maybe it was the language barrier. English wasn't her first language. But it didn't feel like confusion. What mattered was this Armando came home without his wife. Behind him was a trail of strange phone calls and what sounded like a goodbye message from Brittany to her girls. Then, after grabbing some food and supplies, Armando took off again, saying he too needed space. A little while later, he called his mother. This time, though, he didn't sound like himself.

Armando's Mother

Then he called me. And then he says, mom, Rinna is not with me. And then he says, I left her. I don't know what. She says, I left her and I'm just going. I'm just gonna be okay. I said, okay. Then I said, what happened? And then he says, it's because she says that she needs time, but she is not with me. And I said, okay. And I said, how are you doing? And he was crying. He was crying. And he says, I don't feel good, mom. I don't know, he says.

Narrator

In her text chain with her friends, Brittany also mentioned that Teleflex had sent a police officer to her house despite her having called in quit. They knew her that well and were concerned that her impromptu exit felt wrong. Her friends let her know that John also hadn't shown up to work and that people were actively searching for him. Brittany never called her friends. She just texted. And her friends thought that the messages didn't sound like her. But was there a connection between Britney and John beyond the fact that they both worked at Teleflex? It was a massive company. Brittany worked as a machine operator, and John was a biomedical engineer. They weren't even in the same divisions. Brittany was six years older than John, with a husband and kids. In what world would they be friends? But something was pulling their stories together. Then, on Tuesday morning, just 24 hours after John's mother had reported him missing, New Hampshire Fish and Game found something in the woods of Jaffrey. It was a woman all alone. Just her and her dog. She'd set up a makeshift camp in a place no one was supposed to be. She was shaking. Her face was destroyed. Both eyes were black, the bruises flooding down to her puffy cheeks. One eye was completely swollen shut, filled with blood she couldn't even see out of it. The top of her head was split open, still bleeding, and she was crying as a bloody saw sat a few feet away on the dirt. This was Brittany Barron. A few feet behind her, Fish and Game found John's missing Subaru Impreza.

Commercial Announcer

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Narrator

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Brittany Barron

Hey, it's your ceiling vent. So I'm dripping. Could be the rain, could be the upstairs bathroom. Yikes. You could hire the guy your neighbor recommended, but I'm pretty sure that's just his cousin. Do we know if he's licensed or does he just own a ladder?

Narrator

Listen to your home. Go with thumbtack. Upload a photo or voice note and we'll diagnose your project and match you with the right pro for the job. Thumbtack. We know homes hire the right pro today. 25 year old Jonathan Amirault had been reported missing in September of 2020. He was a biomedical engineer who worked at a company called Teleflex in Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Smart, driven and aspirational, John had climbed the ladder at work, purchased his first home and was living life to the fullest when he disappeared. But now police had found his co worker, 31 year old Brittany Barron, in a desolate area of the New Hampshire wilderness. Beaten to a pulp and camping out with John's car parked behind her. The police brought her into the station. They knew this woman was the key to finding John, and time was of the essence. But coaxing things out of a woman who had seemingly been battered and abandoned wouldn't be quite so simple.

Police Officer

How you doing? Okay. You need an ambulance or anything for your.

Brittany Barron

I'm okay.

Police Officer

Are you sure? Okay.

Narrator

Brittany sat with her head down. Beside her was her dog, panting and lying at her feet. The officers offered her medical help, but she refused. She insisted she was fine.

Police Officer

Brittany, what brings you. What brings you up up here? Camping?

Brittany Barron

Just trying to clean my head.

Police Officer

Clean your head?

Brittany Barron

Just clear my head. Yeah.

Police Officer

Okay.

Armando's Mother

Just.

Police Officer

You have some stuff going on.

Brittany Barron

Yeah, I just needed to get away for a while.

Police Officer

Okay.

Brittany Barron

So I did. That's about it.

Police Officer

Okay. Do you mind me asking what happened to your eye and your.

Brittany Barron

I don't really want to answer it.

Police Officer

Okay. And you don't have to. That's. That's. You did exactly the right thing. If. If ask you a question that you don't feel comfortable with, then just don't. You don't have to talk about it. Okay. But I want to make sure that you get whatever help that you. That you need, if you need it. Okay.

Brittany Barron

I'm good.

Police Officer

Okay. So you wanted to. To clear your head and that's why you would. You would come up and where did you go?

Brittany Barron

I went to. I don't know what it's called. Moose Buck. Moose Buck, something like that. Cabins. But you turn off on like a logging road.

Police Officer

Okay.

Brittany Barron

It's pretty far out.

Police Officer

It's just.

Brittany Barron

I knew nobody would really be there, so.

Police Officer

Okay, then. When did you come up?

Brittany Barron

Sunday morning.

Police Officer

Sunday morning. And who did you come up with?

Narrator

Her speech was slow and removed. The 31 year old mother slowly tucked her brown hair behind her ear and closed her eyes. The white of her right eye wasn't even white anymore. It was a deep blood red. It was uncomfortable to look at.

Police Officer

What kinds of. What kinds of things are you going through?

Brittany Barron

I don't want to talk about it.

Police Officer

Okay. Is everybody. Are your three kids okay?

Brittany Barron

Yeah, they're with my mother.

Narrator

Brittany assured the officer that she was only taking some time alone to clear her head. There was too much going on. But her face told a different story.

Brittany Barron

Nobody knows where I am. Okay,

Police Officer

well, part of the concern was people want to make sure that you were okay.

Brittany Barron

They know that I'm safe and okay, but that I'm choosing to not come home for now.

Police Officer

Okay.

Brittany Barron

I wanted, like. I just didn't want my girls to see my face. Okay. Honestly. So I was like, if I can spend at least a couple weeks trying to get it down and when I look at them, they're not gonna be afraid of me.

Police Officer

Sure.

Narrator

When Fish and Game found Brittany in the woods, they handed her over to New Hampshire deputies who arrested her for illegal camping. Not so much for the crime, but as a cover. It was the only way to get this beaten, terrified woman somewhere safe to find out what happened and why exactly she had John's car. Now she sat under fluorescent lights, shaking, insisting she'd only gone into the woods so her girls wouldn't have to see her face the way it was.

Police Officer

You said that you had come up here with someone, but you didn't want to get into who that person was. We know that there's a car. That's where your. Where your camp was. Did you come up with that person that's. That car belongs to?

Brittany Barron

I don't.

Police Officer

Okay, well, Brittany, the thing is, obviously you've been injured. You know, we know that the person who owns that car is missing. I know that you think that you might be in trouble. And what I don't know is kind of what the circumstances were that led up to that and why you feel that way. And my guess is that you're. Your eye. Your eyes. Something happened that led to that, and I think that that's important to explain that. What happened to you? Did John cause those injuries to you? No. Did Armando?

Narrator

Brittany looked down and whispered, I don't want to talk about it. That's when the cop knew what was happening. He knew he had to get through to this damaged, battered woman to find out the truth about where John was and what exactly happened in those woods.

Police Officer

Well, before. Before you leave here today. And you're leaving here today, regardless of what we talk about, regardless of what you say, you're going to leave today. Okay? Regardless of what you say, you have my word. I'm telling you now, you're leaving here as long as I have your word that you'll stay in contact with me if we need to. Okay. Is that. Is that fair?

Brittany Barron

Yeah.

Police Officer

Okay. It's kind of a good faith thing. If you. If I can take your word and you can take my word, then do

Brittany Barron

I get to go back home?

Police Officer

Yes, as long as we can establish that it's safe. But we need to. We need to make sure that it's safe. But do you understand why I'm kind of in a difficult position right now?

Brittany Barron

I'm not crying because I'm scared, because I get to see my girls. Oh, I get to see my girls. Oh, I get to see them.

Narrator

That's when Britney broke. Everything she'd been holding inside slowly started coming out at the thought that if she told the truth, she'd get to go home and hug her children once again.

Police Officer

All I want is the truth. I don't want any more or any less. I just want. I just want the truth, whatever that may be. And if that means that you were in fear, you were in danger, if it means that you were, you know, in a relationship with, you know, John from work, whatever it may be, whatever the truth. Truth is, is all I want. If that's not the truth, that's not what I want, you know? But I also don't want to be reliant on what other people tell us, you know?

Brittany Barron

I mean, you're gonna find out that me and John were talking to each other. We only talked for, like, a week. And he was really serious.

Police Officer

What do you mean by he was really serious?

Brittany Barron

Just really liked me a lot.

Police Officer

Okay.

Brittany Barron

And I didn't realize that he liked me a lot like that. We worked together for a long time, but I didn't talk to him because I was attracted to him.

Narrator

John liked Britney. He had made it known. And though she felt the same way, she avoided him. After all, she was a married woman who had been with her husband since she was 18. She grew up in faith. Adultery was out of the question no matter what problems were brewing inside her marriage. Supposedly, that is.

Brittany Barron

And then like beginning of the month, I made up a stupid nickname for him at work and I felt really bad. I called him Abrami because he looked like a mortal. Okay, really handsome. Like really, really okay. And he found out about the nickname because somebody called him that and they were like, isn't that your last name? It's because I called him Armani at first. And then I said, he's way too young. He's an Abercrombie model. And we laughed and it stuck. But he didn't know because I was not going to tell him that I thought that.

Narrator

Is this normal behavior for women in the workplace? I wonder how many times former co workers referred to me as Adonis back in the day. Makes you think. The Abercrombie nickname Brittany made up for John spread throughout the office, as things do. And eventually it got back to him. At first he thought people were making fun of him, Britney explained, because as a kid, John was often made fun of for his outfits. You see, he was colorblind, so he didn't really match very well. So when Brittany found out about all of this, she felt bad and decided to talk to John. Big mistake.

Brittany Barron

I always felt bad. I told my friend to just tell him the truth. Like just tell him that it was because he's really hot. I mean, I don't want to be a jerk, you know, to make him think that people were saying mean things about him.

Police Officer

Right.

Brittany Barron

So she told him. But I never really appreciate apologize. Beginning of the month, I messaged him on Facebook and I apologized for the nickname.

Narrator

That first Facebook message opened everything. John had always had a crush on Britney, and now she responded. By early September, they were talking online and then at work they took breaks together. But this mutual attraction and communication had only been going on for about two weeks.

Brittany Barron

So let's just. We were just talking anyways, you know what I mean? Like, we weren't dating cuz we couldn't. But he really liked me. I really liked him.

Police Officer

What did he say to you?

Brittany Barron

What do you mean?

Police Officer

Like, what do you. How do you know that he really liked you?

Brittany Barron

He wanted me to go with him. Like be with him.

Police Officer

Like leave your leave your husband and be with him.

Brittany Barron

Yeah, like, basically my husband admitted to me, like, last year that he cheated on me, like, our whole marriage.

Police Officer

Since coming to New Hampshire.

Brittany Barron

Like, no, like, the whole time.

Police Officer

Like, so back in.

Brittany Barron

Yeah, like a year in, he messed with somebody else. And then I knew that he was, like, hitting on my. Like, he would hit on my friends and stuff, but, like, I didn't know that he was, like, having sex with other women. And then he told me about, like, two other times, and so we weren't like.

Police Officer

When. When was the. When was the. You said a year into your marriage. When was the most recent since you've moved here?

Brittany Barron

When I was pregnant with my last baby. Okay.

Police Officer

Sorry to hear that.

Brittany Barron

Me too. So John knew that you told him?

Police Officer

Yeah, he was kind of your. Somebody that you trusted that you could confide in.

Brittany Barron

He became weird in really short time. Like, again, I. I hadn't really spoken to him until this month. Yeah, I didn't say a word to him. I avoided him at all costs. Acted really weird. He used to laugh at me because I acted really weird. I just avoided him.

Police Officer

You were just initially physically attracted to him, and then once you got to know him over the last couple of weeks.

Brittany Barron

Wow. You're actually really cool too. Like, genuinely. Yeah, genuinely nice.

Narrator

Brittany found in John what she'd been missing. A partner who felt like a friend. At home, her marriage to Armando was unraveling. Years of cheating, no financial support from this lazy douchebag Armando, unless his parents gave him some money, that is. There was no way out. She'd been with this adult toddler since she was very young, Their families living side by side. But Brittany had changed. She'd lost over £130 in the last two years. She'd built up her confidence and started building a career. She was building a life, you know, and in John, she saw something potentially dangerous. A way out of her life with Armando. So Brittany told Armando that she wasn't in love with him anymore. He begged her for forgiveness about the cheating. He promised he would change. But she told him she was not interested in trying. She was just exhausted, which is understandable.

Police Officer

So Saturday, you end up leaving. Did Armando go with you?

Brittany Barron

I don't want to talk about that.

Police Officer

I know that when the fishing game person came up to you today, you were digging, digging a hole today. And you told them that you felt like you. You were in a lot of trouble, that you were going to be in a lot of trouble. But there, there are clearly some. Some answers that, that we need to give to John's family. You know they're looking for their son right now.

Brittany Barron

That man is dead.

Police Officer

John is dead.

Brittany Barron

I did not kill him.

Police Officer

How do you know that he's dead?

Narrator

Brittany broke. Her tears were soft at first, and then the truth slipped out. She said she'd be betraying him if she spoke, but the officer already knew she wasn't a killer. The bruises on her face, the blood tangled in her hair, the way they found her, alone in the woods, digging a hole and crying. This was not a choice.

Brittany Barron

He found my phone on Saturday night. Armando did okay. And he opened my Snapchat and saw my messages, which pulled me to the bathroom where he was. When he found it, he grabbed me by my neck and threw me down. And he showed me the phone, and he was choking me, and I was positive I was gonna die.

Narrator

Armando choked Brittany until she saw black specks and stars. She told the officers she was surprised that he let her live.

Brittany Barron

My face was already pretty swollen. And he opened the middle door. We fought for a while. He struggled and struggled. He put the gun in my mouth. I was just praying, and I kept screaming, so he kept choking me so that I wouldn't scream, so the girls wouldn't hear me. They were upstairs. He told the girls to go into grandma's house. And then he went and he told his mom. Like, we stood in the doorway, and he's like, stay right there. He was holding me, and I saw my oldest daughter, and I just. I was telling her, help me. Help me. Like, without words. Like, without saying it. And my poor baby, she just looked at me, and her eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted. And I was like, fuck, I'm gonna die. He just told his mom, hey, Mom, I'm going out. And she didn't ask any questions. She was in the living room with the baby, and she just thought we were having relationship problems. So she was like, of course. Go out, Have a date. You know, do whatever you guys need to do. I screamed so loud in the house, and no one heard me. No one heard me at all.

Narrator

Armando walked Brittany outside to her car and started driving. He continued reading through her messages as they drove, administering blow after blow to her face with each flirty text. He discovered by the time they got to Annette State park, her face was dripping with blood. After they parked, Armando started texting John from Brittany's phone.

Brittany Barron

And he messages him, and I'm just like, please don't answer me. And he messaged him, hey, can we meet? And of course, John was super stoked because it was Me. And he was like, finally, we're gonna hang out. It was probably 10 o'. Clock. It's probably around 10 o'. Clock.

Narrator

John replied he'd be there in 30 minutes. He said Brittany waited, praying for anything to stop him. But nothing did. Soon, John's car pulled into the lot.

Police Officer

And he gets out of the car.

Brittany Barron

He saw my face, like he saw me sitting because I was sitting in the driver's side. And Armando got out before he got there. And he stood behind the car so that John wouldn't see that he was there. But I could tell John knew something was wrong. And then when he saw my face, he definitely knew something was wrong. Okay. And then that's what. When Armando came around the corner and he pointed the gun at him, John

Narrator

threw his hands up, pleading for his life. Armando was in control. He had a loaded gun.

Brittany Barron

He punched him. John fell. And then he just started kicking him and kicking him and kicking him. He stomped on his face. At one point, this killed me because I've been thinking about it, it non stop. At one point, Armando looked at me and said, yeah, so you were going to my wife, bro. He like, look at her now. Do you still think she's pretty? And John looked up at me and he goes, yeah, she's still pretty. Like, even when your life was like, you were still so nice to me.

Narrator

But the memory of John standing up to Armando was too much for Brittany. She had never experienced a man being that chivalrous.

Brittany Barron

Sa. He started asking him questions about us to see if the stories match. And I didn't tell him everything because I didn't want to die. And then John admitted stuff that he didn't know. He got even angrier. At one point, he handed me the gun and he told me to do it.

Police Officer

Armando handed you the gun and told you to shoot John?

Brittany Barron

We were outside and I was like, I can't do it. He's like, no, no. You wanna, you wanna do this? And I was like, I don't. Like, he's trying to make me prove who I was loyal to. And then he said, fine, stand on his. He said, come on, hurry up. He's like, he's not dying fast enough.

Narrator

Britney was crying, begging Armando to stop. But he said he'd kill her too.

Brittany Barron

I wasn't heavy enough to do anything to him.

Narrator

Humbled Rag.

Brittany Barron

I don't know. I guess, I don't know. He had me stand on there for a while. And then finally John, like, actually had the ability to, like, move. Like, like just jerked me off. And I was like, thank you.

Police Officer

When you had your foot on his throat, what was Armando doing standing there watching? Where does he have the gun pointed out of his. Okay. Is it still in his hand?

Brittany Barron

Yeah.

Police Officer

Okay. Is he pointing at you, Pointing at him?

Brittany Barron

I'm not exactly sure. Okay. I was trying.

Police Officer

And that goes on for what feels like a long time to you?

Brittany Barron

Yeah. But it wasn't long.

Police Officer

And then what happens?

Brittany Barron

You're like, fine. This is taking too long. Get off.

Narrator

Armando was frustrated. He wanted Britney's stomp on John's throat to be the final pain that killed him. Shakespearean, this guy was. But John was still jerking and moaning, fighting for his life under her heel. That's when Armando picked John up like a sack and pushed him into the back of his own car. Then Armando handed a knife to Brittany and told her to slit John's wrists. Brittany refused, but then he threatened her again. So Brittany here, who couldn't point a gun at a perpetrator that was threatening her life, gave her new boyfriend what she calls a shallow cut. Just deep enough to satisfy Armando, yet keep John alive.

Police Officer

Which way did you cut like that? Down, like, down the forearm, down below.

Brittany Barron

I couldn't get. I couldn't. It was really hard to cut. Like, it was really hard to cut. It wouldn't just.

Police Officer

How many times do you go down

Brittany Barron

as soon as it was open? I just.

Commercial Announcer

Once.

Brittany Barron

I didn't.

Police Officer

Both sides. Okay.

Brittany Barron

I don't even think the second one. I. I even didn't. I don't even think I cut him. Cut him deep enough to actually do any damage. Okay.

Police Officer

Did you cut anywhere else?

Brittany Barron

No.

Police Officer

Okay. No.

Brittany Barron

That was the only thing. I stood on his throat, and he made me slit his drink.

Police Officer

Was this inside the car, outside the car?

Brittany Barron

The wrist was inside the car, standing on his throat, outside the car.

Police Officer

Okay. Where is he? Inside the car, in the back.

Narrator

They say if you want to slit your wrists and have it actually be effective, you should cut down the forearm lengthwise, not across, as so many unsuccessful suicides do. Suicides? Suicidees.

Police Officer

Is John fighting at all?

Brittany Barron

He knew I didn't have a choice. He was like, please, no, please. But he wasn't, like, struggling to, like, get his arms away from me or fight me. Just even worse.

Narrator

Armando grabbed Brittany, forced the trunk shut, and the two of them got in the front of John's car with him stuck in the back.

Brittany Barron

And we were both in the car. And at one point, Armando got out of the passenger side to go get.

Police Officer

So you closed the. Who closes the back door?

Brittany Barron

I Don't remember. It might have been Armando. Or it might have been me. I don't remember.

Police Officer

So the back hatch goes down.

Brittany Barron

Yep. And then we go into the front of the car, and then Armando puts the machete in the car, which I believe he hit him a couple times with that, too.

Police Officer

Okay. With like.

Brittany Barron

Like the handle?

Police Officer

No, that. The blade.

Brittany Barron

Yeah.

Police Officer

Okay.

Brittany Barron

But it didn't do a crazy amount

Police Officer

of, like, you know where he hit him?

Brittany Barron

I don't. I know. His hands, probably. He was, like, covering, so, like, whatever was covering. Got it.

Police Officer

Okay. And you guys go in the car.

Brittany Barron

Yes.

Police Officer

And then who goes in what seat?

Brittany Barron

I went in the driver's side, and Armando went in the passenger, and he put the machete down on the floor, and he's like, get. So I don't know why he left me. I don't know why. And he looked at me too, like, I don't know if I should. And when he left, John sent to me, he's like, just pick up the machete and kill him. Just pick up the machete and kill him. And I'm like, you don't understand, man. I'm not gonna kill him with that blow, and we're both gonna die in this car. And I just told him just to be quiet. Let's just stop. Don't just stop. Because he hadn't killed him yet. And he told him that he wasn't going to. He was like. I'm thinking he's like, I just might let you live. Like, he kept on playing with him. He even said something about the judge. He's like, do you know what this is? Like, he was just so ridiculous. He came back to the car, and he sat in it, and I don't remember what he said. Honestly, after that, all I remember was hearing he pointed the gun at him, and I heard the one gunshot.

Police Officer

You're on the driver's side, driver's seat.

Brittany Barron

I didn't look back to see.

Police Officer

Does he go back and open up the back?

Brittany Barron

No, he did it from the passenger.

Police Officer

He did it from the passenger seat.

Brittany Barron

He was turned back, aimed.

Police Officer

How do you know where he shot him?

Brittany Barron

He told me afterwards.

Police Officer

How many. How many shots did you hear?

Brittany Barron

3. Two in the body and one in the head.

Narrator

Brittany claims she kept her face forward as the shots rang out. She said she couldn't bear to turn around. Yet somehow she knew exactly where her boyfriend was shot. She told detectives she thought she'd be next. But then Armando told Brittany to start the car and take them home. Brittany's mind raced with all the possible scenarios, each one more graphic than the last. According to Brittany, as they pulled up to their house, Armando instructed her to go inside and pack up all their camping gear. He stood there and watched her holding the gun down the hallway. Their girls and Armando's parents were fast asleep.

Brittany Barron

Every time we went outside, I could hear John.

Police Officer

So John was still making noise. What was he. What was he doing or saying?

Brittany Barron

He was just squeaking.

Narrator

Armando told Brittany they'd be going deep into the woods in Jaffrey. He had her follow him in the Jeep, and she drove John's car again. She's in a car. She has control of the car. She doesn't have to follow him, but she does. He handed her phone back so he could stay on the line the entire time. And it was one o' clock in the morning. The sky was black, the roads were vacant. Armando stopped at a store to get a shovel and buy some supplies. All the while, Britney's in John's car with his body in the back. She thought she was next, she says Armando kept talking on the phone, asking questions she had to answer, keeping her paralyzed with fear. When they finally got to the forest at the end of the long logging road, Armando guided them deeper into the thick, cold woods. This was a place only a hunter would venture.

Brittany Barron

I was waiting for him to shoot me out there, like I was waiting for it. I was afraid for him to walk behind me. And so he told me to get rid of the body and to hide the car and that he would be back Friday.

Narrator

But before he left, Armando said something chilling.

Brittany Barron

As soon as the sun comes up, I'm gonna forgive you. Like I decided I forgive you. He's like, even after all this, I'm still in love with you.

Narrator

Isn't that sweet? And they say romance is dead. Britney's phone had died, so he left it with her. Knowing she couldn't get help, he took off in their car. He planned to go home and resume life as usual, tell his mother some lies about Brittany needing some space, and pass his kids off to her while he plans his next move. By now, though, it was Monday and Brittany was expected at work. You know the thing that Armando doesn't do? Armando had sent an email to her boss on Saturday night saying she wouldn't be there. But what Armando didn't know was that Brittany's boss was aware of Armando's violence. This wasn't the first time he had beat Brittany. He had done it once before, and Brittany had confided in her manager. So when Brittany Mysteriously didn't show up for work. Her manager sent police to her house. As Armando drove away from the campsite, he hit a cell service area, and his mother started calling, freaking out that the police were at her door. So Armando backtracked to Brittany. He needed to get her to call HR and stop the police from sniffing around.

Brittany Barron

So I called Jen, and again, he's sitting with me the whole time.

Police Officer

So I'm like, you called Jen?

Brittany Barron

Jen Bell from my work. She's the HR lady. And she was just like, are you okay? And I'm like, I him. She asked me when I had heard from John last, and I lied to her.

Police Officer

What did you say?

Brittany Barron

I told her the last time I talked to him was on Saturday and that we met at Temple Mountain because that's what Armando was writing down for me to say.

Narrator

HR was actively looking for John at this point, and they knew something was going on between him and Britney. She lied. She said she hadn't heard from him. Then Armando texted her friends a strange message from Brittany saying she was leaving and going to New Mexico alone. He thought he had all his bases covered. Armando took her back to the campsite and left her with their dog and a.22 for protection. Yeah, he gave her the gun he used to kill John and told her what to do next. So once again, she's standing there holding a gun and not pointing it at her aggressor. That's twice now for you keeping score at home.

Police Officer

And what was the plan? For you to bury that?

Brittany Barron

Yeah, he. He wanted. He made me cut off his head.

Narrator

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second. You did what?

Brittany Barron

Because he wanted the dental records to not be found.

Police Officer

Okay, so where is John's head?

Brittany Barron

It's in the woods.

Police Officer

It's in the woods. What did you use to cut a saw?

Brittany Barron

They're gonna find it right next to the car. Okay, It's a saw. It was a saw.

Police Officer

Now, when did you do that?

Brittany Barron

Yesterday morning.

Narrator

Armando stood back and watched. After all, he wasn't big on things like working. He claimed he couldn't do it himself. So he made her do it. He put the saw in Britney's hand and waited. And she obeyed. Now, people like to believe. They'd fight, they'd refuse, they'd run. But in that moment, with death standing right in front of you, sometimes survival doesn't look like bravery. Sometimes it looks like doing something absolutely demonic. Just for the slim chance to see your children one more time. And anyone who thinks that they know what they would do in a situation like, this is deluding themselves.

Brittany Barron

So you guys together, you and Armando cut his head off. It was just me. It was just you. But you said Armando was still there. He was there. So he made you do that? He watched me do it. Okay. That was me said, I think. Correct me if I'm wrong, that was part of your punishment. He said it wasn't the punishment. Oh, he said it wasn't the punishment. He said, I made you. He made you do that? Yeah. He didn't have a stomach for it. He expected me to cut the whole thing up.

Judge

What do you mean?

Brittany Barron

Like, to chop him up. So was that the plan?

Judge

Very.

Brittany Barron

He. He mentioned that. And once I did, I was like, dude, what? Like, I, ah, what? No, I'm not doing that. I'm not doing that anymore. Never again. Like, ah, no. What? And then he said, okay, like, just bury him. Like, but you need, like, no later than tomorrow. It has to be done.

Narrator

Armando told Brittany what to do. She had the guns, her bloody saw, a shovel, and her dog to keep her company. She stared at John's decapitated body, raw and ragged, unable to process exactly what she'd done. Armando hugged her, told her it was hard for him to leave, but then he did anyway.

Brittany Barron

I hate myself for this. It's not your fault. I should have just left the kid alone. He's 25. He's 25. He was so nice to me. But you didn't know this was gonna happen. I didn't. I didn't know. I didn't know that talking to him was gonna cost him his life, dude.

Armando's Mother

The hell?

Brittany Barron

Like, who does that? Who kills somebody like that? Oh, God, he's so stupid. He could have just left him alone. He could have just been like, you're quitting your job. You're never going back. Yeah, that's all he had to do. When you're quitting your job, you're never going back. You can't talk to him anymore. Leave the guy alone. Leave him alone. He was such a gentleman. He was so nice, so sweet. Was so good at his job, like, he didn't deserve any of it. And I did it do. I did it do. I heard him do. I really suck that I'm even still alive? And I was almost thinking, too, like, when he comes back. When he comes back after I dispose of everything. And then he just asked me to.

Narrator

Without Armando hovering over her, putting her under pressure, she just sat at the campsite trying to figure out what to do next. A million thoughts ran through her head about John, his Family, her girls back home, Armando, all of it before Saturday.

Brittany Barron

Has Armando been physically abusive to you in the past? In the past? Yeah, early past. Like, 18 past. So in the beginning of your relationship, he was abusive? It was just like a control thing. Like, he wanted me to be a certain way. Like, I wanted to smoke and party and drink. He didn't want me to want that. But he. He gave me a black eye once before. One time, and when I was 19, and it was so out of nowhere. That was the scary part about him, is that he has emotion, but he doesn't show it. So when he blows up, it's like you didn't even see it coming because there was nothing there before. And he said something to me, and I kind of pushed him. Like, I, like, pushed him like that. And he got on top of me and he just started punching. And this slimy. Oh, yeah, this side, too. He just kept slapping the hell out of my face, like, just slapping me. And I was just, like, staring at him. Like, I had no idea what was going on. Like, no idea what was going on. And then he said sorry, and he was super apologetic, and that was it. And then up until that Saturday that I said I wasn't in love with him anymore, which was the Saturday before last. When he slapped me before this last one. Yeah. And he slapped me then. And that was then. And then Saturday night and Sunday morning, he just. So from age 19 till two Saturdays ago, there was no physical abuse?

Police Officer

No.

Narrator

Here's the thing about a man like Armando. He's deeply insecure. But his insecurity doesn't show up as tears. It comes out in rushes of rage. Brittany said that until two Saturdays ago, he hadn't beaten her like that since the early days of their marriage. Maybe she had just learned how to stay in line just enough to avoid punishment. Or maybe it was that his mother was living next door, always close, always watching for bruises. But then Brittany changed. She lost 130 pounds, took control of her diet, started exercising, and started getting attention. And when Armando saw proof of that new life in her Snapchat messages with John, something in him snapped. Because in his world, there were rules. He could cheat, he could call prostitutes. He could not work for years, basically be a complete deadbeat piece of shit. He could do whatever the fuck he wanted. Cause he's the man. But Britney was never supposed to become someone else. She was never supposed to have options besides him.

Brittany Barron

Like, I don't know when that decision to not kill me happened. I don't know. Because he's like. Honestly, he told me that. He's like, you were both gonna die that night. I hope you. He told me that was his plan to kill the both of you. Said you were both gonna die that night. I hope you know, I really didn't expect you to slit his wrists. You surely proved that you really cared about the family. He said the same thing about the head.

Narrator

In Armando's warped mind, Brittany had proven herself. Every order followed, every step obeyed. It all fed his delusion of loyalty. But none of this was loyalty. It was just pure survival. And that delusion, his inability to see the truth, may have been the only reason she lived.

Police Officer

I do. I am going to ask you for a couple of more things. One being to bring us out to John's head and show us where that is. And the other being, I would like to be able to document your injuries with some photographs.

Narrator

Brittany nodded and agreed. Now the police had the story. They knew what had happened. But knowing wasn't enough. They had to retrace every step, lock down every piece of evidence. They had to move fast because Armando Baron was still out there, still armed, still unstable and unraveling. And no one knew exactly what he might do next. When Jonathan Amirault went missing in late September 2020, no one suspected foul play. The assumption was simple. He was lost. An avid outdoorsman and biomedical engineer, John spent as much time as he could on the trails. If anyone could vanish by accident, it was him. But then, something just didn't add up. Around the same time, his co worker, Brittany Barron, abruptly quit and disappeared inside the office. Rumors had already started circulating. They had grown close in the weeks before he went missing. What felt like a coincidence started to feel connected. Then Fish and Game made a discovery. Deep in the woods. They found Brittany at a remote campsite, alone, beaten and terrified. Nearby was John's Subaru. And not far from that, John. His body had been dismembered and decapitated. Brittany told investigators that her husband, Armando, had discovered the flirtation and snapped. Out in the woods, under constant threat, he forced her to cut off John's head herself. She obeyed only to survive. Before leaving the campsite for the final time, Armando told her he forgave her. In his mind, she had proven her loyalty to him, to their family. He believed in his dumb, underdeveloped mind that they could simply return home, resume their lives, and move forward as if none of this had ever happened. But nothing about this was forgettable. Armando had taken the life of Jonathan Emerald, who was deeply loved by his family. His Friends, his colleagues, and everyone who ever met him. He wasn't someone who would fade into the background. He was someone whose absence would be felt forever. The police found Armando quickly. It was easy. He wasn't that smart.

Police Officer

You're under arrest for domestic violence. Assault. So, a domestic assault. What's that?

Brittany Barron

On who?

Police Officer

On Britney.

Brittany Barron

On Brittany. Okay. Okay.

Police Officer

So that's. That's what you're charged with. So that's what we want to talk to you a little bit about.

Brittany Barron

Okay. So where is she? Britney?

Judge

Yeah.

Police Officer

Brittany is at another police department right now. Okay.

Armando's Mother

Okay.

Narrator

The officer started reading Armando his rights, informing him that they already had Britney in custody and had her testimony. Then he interjected, so when did I

Brittany Barron

get to call her?

Police Officer

Well, like, so do you understand each of these rights? All right, I'm gonna just ask you to initial next to yes. And then understanding these rights, are you willing to answer questions?

Commercial Announcer

No.

Brittany Barron

Not a lawyer.

Armando's Mother

No.

Brittany Barron

Okay.

Narrator

Armando may be dumb, but asking for a lawyer was a surefire way to tell he knew the difference between right and wrong when it came to abuse, torture, and murder. He wasn't crazy. He was just evil. But still, Brittany told the officers she knew he would never hurt their children. Then again, I'm sure she would say she never thought any of this would happen either. Not exactly a great judge of character.

Police Officer

You don't think he would do anything?

Brittany Barron

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. I just. I'm like, I hope they're not there when they arrest him. I hope they're not there. I hope they don't see it. I feel so bad for him. Yeah. Even I know it's stupid, but even after all that, like, I feel bad for him. Like, I feel bad for what's gonna

Narrator

happen, she felt bad for him. Let that sink in. We've covered so many domestic violence episodes on this show, and any expert worth their salt will tell you that most domestic violence homicides are preventable. If someone strangles you to the point of passing out and puts a gun in your mouth, death is the next step. But Armando had only given Brittany a taste of what he was capable of at age 19. Then he hurt her in other ways. By not being a provider, by cheating on her and harming her emotionally. But that violence never reared its head again, although it had clearly been brewing seething inside Armando. And on the night he found the texts, he lost all control. Armando did a very good job at hiding who he really was. But we could only hide pure evil for so long. The police put Armando in a holding cell and he requested his phone call. So they let him call his mother and of course it went to voicemail. I'm sure she never got it.

Brittany Barron

Mom, it's me.

Police Officer

They're taking me to King. Cheshire. Cheshire House of Corrections, which is in Marlboro.

Brittany Barron

Cheshire House of Corrections in Marlboro.

Police Officer

They're charging you with more things now, I guess just.

Brittany Barron

I love you.

Police Officer

You can get a lawyer for me.

Armando's Mother

Thank you.

Narrator

Jonathan's family was devastated. They avoided the media entirely as news of his brutal murder spread across local headlines and flooded the Internet. His friends were grieving, trying to process the loss. At Teleflex, John and Brittany's co workers were unable to comprehend how a rumored war workplace flirtation could spiral into something so horrific. Even Brittany said it herself. Armando didn't have to do this. There were other options. He could have forced her to quit, made her find another job, put distance between them. But he didn't. Armando let something much darker take hold. Jealousy, rage. It consumed him completely, spreading fast like a cancer. And in that spiral, he never stopped to think perhaps he was incapable of it. Armando was charged with capital murder and 12 additional charges. Brittany was charged with falsifying evidence. Armando faced life. Brittany was looking at three to seven years. They were both put in jail, leaving their kids in the care of Armando's broken, helpless mother, who didn't even know how to check her voicemail. But as clips of Brittany's bruised, battered face in that arraignment room spread across the Internet, a question lingered. Did she really deserve to be locked away? I mean, this was a woman who had been brutally beaten, strangled and had a gun forced into her mouth inside her own home. She was made to watch John die and forced to participate in his torture. She was dragged miles into the woods where the man she'd been married to for 12 years stood over her and forced her to cut off John's head. Just imagine that for a moment. The isolation, the fear. If Britney had screamed, no one would have heard her. No one would have come. In fact, it's a miracle that Fish and Game even found her. Armando made the mistake of taking them to what he thought was a public hunting area. But it wasn't. The landowner saw them and contacted Fish and Game. And look, sure, she could have gotten away multiple times. Sure she could have pointed the loaded gun she was given by Armando to Armando and ordered him to stop doing what he was doing. But that would have meant she would have had to have been capable of pulling the trigger. And she just wasn't. I mean, she could cut off a human head, but she couldn't squeeze a trigger. I still don't fully understand why. Maybe I never will. Maybe I am lucky to never have to know. I ask the audience, though. What do you think? Is Brittany a victim, or does she hold some culpability here? Brittany's lawyer started working on a deal. In exchange for her testimony against Armando, who we all know is really the bad guy, she would be granted parole until his trial. Jonathan's family was adamant that this was unacceptable, and the prosecution fought hard for Brittany to remain locked up. Brittany was put before the parole board to make her case. Barron's parole was vehemently opposed by Amaral's parents. They wrote a letter that was read by the victim's advocate, urging the parole board to keep Britney in custody until after she has testified against her husband.

Brittany Barron

So if you think chances are low that someone capable of doing all that wouldn't simply just run before testifying next month or simply go back on her word at his trial, please think again.

Narrator

In granting parole, the board made it clear that Barron must fulfill her obligation to testify truthfully at her husband's trial. Brittany told the board she understands and that her actions over those days continue to haunt her.

Brittany Barron

Something that I continue to struggle with is forgiving yourself for the choices that you make and being able to own, like, just really accept that it happened.

Narrator

But should Britney forgive herself as a religious woman? Is that even her place? Or is that something that only God can grant? Maybe self forgiveness is necessary just to survive, Just to get out of bed in the morning, to eat, to face the courtroom. Maybe it's just something she has to say out loud to keep going. But could you ever truly believe it? Could you ever forgive yourself for something like this? Because I don't think I could. I think I'd be begging God and the universe and everyone in it for forgiveness every single minute of every single day until I didn't have a breath in me anymore. Brittany was a victim of Armando that night, but John was the victim. The only thing anyone could possibly fault him for was getting involved with a married woman. But John's presence lit something in Britney. It gave her the confidence to finally tell her cheating, deadbeat husband that she was done trying to fix their marriage. And that shift is what set everything in motion. That push for her empowerment, her independence. It's what triggered Armando's suspicion and his need to start digging into his wife's phone. The plea deal allowed Brittany to skip straight to sentencing in exchange for her testimony in 2021. She pleaded guilty to falsifying evidence which included removing John's head and putting it into a hole that Armando dug. But she was granted parole in April of 2022. Armando's trial took place a month later. His team argued that Brittany was a liar. She had participated much more in Jonathan's murder than she let on. Armando slumped in and out of the courtroom every day with his scraggly prison beard, potbelly and snarling face. He was vile. No one felt a drop of sympathy for him, except maybe his own mother. In the end, Armando was found guilty and the judge spared him no mercy.

Judge

The depravity of your actions in single handedly causing the immense suffering and the death of Jonathan Emerald show an extreme indifference to the value of human life. Your actions were brutal. They were absolutely horrific. They were selfish and they were completely senseless. The abject cruelty, the pain and suffering and all that you inflicted on Jonathan that night is unfathomable. As his parents just said, he did not deserve to die in that manner. One of the hardest parts of my job is often sentencing in cases and finding the appropriate balance to strike in imposing a fair sentence. However, I have absolutely no hesitation or reservation in imposing the sentences that I'm about to impose on you, given your actions and the crimes that you committed and that you were convicted for. In this case.

Narrator

The judge gave Armando life with no possibility of parole for Jonathan's murder. She tossed on even more years for the kidnapping and domestic violence. But in essence, he was never leaving prison unless he was in a body bag. The judge also instructed that he receive counseling in prison. Maybe they could beat morality into him somehow. Not that it mattered anymore.

Judge

So that is the sentence. You will be spending a very long time at the state prison for these heinous crimes.

Narrator

Instead of taking the punishment he deserved, Armando spent the next three years filing appeal after appeal after appeal, all of which were denied. Now that he's exhausted all of them and spent all of our taxpayer money, he will sit quietly in prison waiting to die. No one will ever hear about him again. Jonathan, on the other hand, continues to be remembered for the incredible young man that he was. After the barons were arrested, 18 of his friends honored him in a way he would have wanted by hiking. They took a six and a half mile climb up one of his favorite trails in New Hampshire and built a small altar for his worn trail shoes. By the end, their legs were shot. Jelly, they told the local news reporters. But it was a release of grief and a path towards healing. Out there surrounded by the elements John loved so much. They shared stories. They laughed, cried. They sent their prayers out into the mountains, hoping somehow they'd reach him. And now, every time they return to those trails, they carry him with them. John loved life. He chased it into the unknown, down unmarked trails with nothing but a paper map and the confidence that he'd find his way. He was smart, driven, and unafraid of what might be ahead. Then he met Brittany Barron. What started as a flirtation, a few messages, and a couple of kisses in a parking lot grew into something much more. John saw something in her, something worth caring about. And he couldn't quite pull himself away. John was a kind man. Brittany had never known that kind of kindness before. She'd spent her adult life with someone who cheated on her, who failed. Her whole just was one disappointment after another. And ultimately showed just how dangerous he truly was. John didn't see a situation to avoid. He saw a person in Brittany. And tragically, that was what put him in Armando's path. You know, we've got a lot of feedback on our new animated true crime history thing called Tales. Go check it out. Sword and scale.

Brittany Barron

Sa. It.