Bad Behind Bars: Jodi Arias (2023) Movie Script
Sorry, everything's a
bit cold this morning.
Thanks to jodi arias,
I've had my life
threatened repeatedly,
I've been attacked.
I lost my job and my family.
For a while, I was the second
most-hated person in america.
Marked by the devil herself.
I think I'm okay
with a bit of cold.
Let's start with your name.
Donavan bering.
D-o-n...
A-v-a-n...
I thought
being sent to jail
Was my rock bottom.
Now I know, it
wasn't even close.
My plan was
simple: To survive.
Take one day at a time
and just get through it.
What wasn't in the plan?
Falling in love.
Watch out for rosie today.
She's looking for
someone to punish.
Well, she's always
been nice to me.
Nobody's nice in here.
You understand that, right?
Okay.
Babe, trust me.
The ones that
aren't getting out,
They've got nothing to lose.
If I hadn't met you, I don't
think I would have made it.
Yeah, but you did.
And you will.
Stay by my side, I got you.
Y'all hear what's
for lunch today?
Prime ribs with baby
baked potatoes and
Grilled asparagus.
Or a chunk moldy bread
arpaio found in a dumpster.
no.
Lemon meringue pie for dessert.
Seriously, shut up.
Or...
- Chocolate fudge cake.
- Oh, yeah.
- You see what you started?
- Yup.
Warm raspberry crumble
with vanilla ice cream
Just melting on top.
- Ooh...
- That's the one.
Meeting tracy made
jail survivable.
Now I-we-had a new plan.
Do our time, live
happily ever after.
And then, jodi arias
walked through the door.
yeah...
None of us had
access to the news.
While the rest of the
world knew her as the woman
Who'd soon be on trial for
murdering her boyfriend,
All we knew was she didn't
look like she belonged here.
Snitch.
She won't last long.
There's only one
empty bunk that way.
Oh, hell no!
Oh! Uh-oh!
brown... Brown!
There's no way I'm
bunking with a snitch!
- Get out!
- Hey!
This ain't summer camp, brown.
You don't get to choose
who you bunk with.
You want to get written up?
Hey!
Got a new girlfriend, brown?
I guess they're
not even trying to
Disguise snitches anymore.
God, it's like
dropping a baby bunny
Into a coyotes' den.
I know, right.
A snitch can get
your charges upped,
Get you sent to the hole.
But we haven't done anything.
It doesn't matter!
Never forget where you are.
I won't, I promise.
Goodnight.
Did she say anything?
What is she doing
in there all day?
Drawing, writing.
"dear diary, I'm
starting to reconsider
My life as a snitch."
I know how we can
find out for sure.
Ask her to do something illegal.
So you never thought about it?
Tattoos?
You'd be good at it.
-Well, how would
we... there are ways.
You in?
Can I do the first one on you?
Sure.
Getting your hands
on the stuff you need
To do jail tattoos is easy.
But tattooing is a
major infraction,
Right up there with
doing drugs or fighting.
If you're caught, you could
lose all your privileges
And end up in solitary.
No snitch would take the risk.
You need it to be a fine powder.
- Thanks.
- For what?
Trusting me to do this.
I felt so alone coming
here, this means...
It means a lot.
Now, shampoo.
Just a drop.
alright.
You know what happens if
you get caught, right?
Can I ask you a question?
You mean "the" question?
How'd I end up here?
You don't have to answer.
Same as everybody.
Bad choices.
I was with a guy who
tied somebody up,
Beat him, left him for dead.
I thought he was
gonna kill me too.
I was high and...
I don't trust cops.
I got charged like I did it.
I'm not going home
for a long time.
And your... Girlfriend?
Did you know her before?
No, met here...
Day she arrived.
And her bad choice?
Ah...
She trusted somebody that
burned a business down
For insurance money.
She found out about
it, didn't snitch.
So, they put in her
in maximum security?
She's from alaska.
They thought she
was a flight risk.
I'm so sorry for what
you've both gone through.
It doesn't seem fair.
What about you?
I'm not supposed
to talk about it.
Is this hurting?
It looks like it would.
It's fine.
There was so much blood.
Sorry...
It's just that...
Travis, my boyfriend...
He was murdered.
Stabbed and shot
right in front of me.
What do you think so far?
Um...
You'll get better with practice.
It'll be great when it's done.
Trust me.
hey...
I finally got a crystal
they can't take from me.
So, she's okay?
Yeah, I think so...
Hey!
This is donavan.
I'm jodi.
Initials of my niece and nephew.
And now I appreciate
the skill those took.
I have another one on my
back and a buddha on my leg.
- You're buddhist?
- Since I was 22.
I asked my mom to send me books.
There's one about
buddhism on my list.
I'll share it with you.
I'm actually mormon now.
I converted for my
boyfriend, travis.
For me, really, for us.
But I'm fascinated
by all religions.
Tracy's wiccan.
When I was younger, I had
a boyfriend who was wiccan,
So it was a big
part of my life too.
What I love most both
about buddhism and wicca
Is the emphasis on nature.
When you strip
everything else away,
All the stuff that
doesn't matter,
That's what we
have left, nature.
And love...
Sorry, sometimes I talk
too much about subjects
I'm really passionate about.
That's okay.
I think it's beautiful that
you two found each other.
Here, of all places.
I think it was anne
frank who wrote,
"I don't think of
all the misery,
But of the beauty
that still remains."
Does anybody want
this? I don't need it.
I'll take it.
Of course we liked her.
She was smart, she
was interesting.
And she wasn't like
anybody else we'd ever met.
"pernicious."
You realize none of this
is sinking in, right?
Okay well, how about a
word from yesterday then?
"duress."
We're being forced to
learn words under duress.
see?
"pernicious."
No clue.
"causing great harm or
damage in a way that
Is not easily
seen or noticed."
Huh.
Let's do another one.
mom, I just miss you...
Thank you so much.
What was that about?
Nothing.
She needed to call her family,
But she couldn't afford it.
You put money on
her phone account?
Do you even know her?
She needed her mom.
There's this one or...?
I want something to
symbolize my love for tracy.
My boyfriend travis
used to do that.
He wouldn't even
have to say anything.
He'd just look at me and I knew.
More than anything else,
that's what I miss.
He was murdered.
The police think I did
it, that's why I'm here.
As if I could ever
kill somebody I loved.
Crazy, right?
Not everybody liked her.
Hey...
They're making a
plan to get jodi.
Who?
Who do you think?
Today.
What am I going to do?
You want to get to arias...
You gotta go through me.
Everybody got that?!
Got it?
Do you...
hear me?!
During the day, jodi
stuck to us like glue.
But nights were another story.
Hey, where were you?
I've been doing tv interviews.
It's going to help my case.
If people get to know me,
see that I'm smart and
Articulate, hear my
side of the story.
Yeah, I'm sure there
are hundreds of women
Who would love to tell
their side of their story.
why you?
It's not my fault that
people are interested in me.
be careful.
Always.
Jodi did endless interviews.
While everybody on the
outside was seeing this...
I'd be shaking in my boots
right now if I had to
Answer to god for
such a heinous crime.
I'm very grateful
that this is one thing
I'll never have to answer to.
I did not kill travis.
All we were seeing was this...
...Sprucing up any dish.
And these pastries will
be the apple of your eye.
I'm gonna call you
songbird from now on.
That's what you remind me of.
Goodnight, songbird.
Goodnight.
amazing grace,
How sweet the sound.
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost...
But now am found.
Was blind, but now I see.
'twas grace that
brought... My heart...
Until my dying day,
That song will never
bring me comfort.
Thanks to jodi, it's
burned in my memory as
Something I was too naive
to realize at the time...
The sound of the devil
singing us to sleep.
...How precious
did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
prison crushes you.
Makes you less than you are.
But tracy gave me hope.
Hope I could survive it.
We were a team
facing it together.
It didn't take long for us
to realize that there was
One set of rules for jodi arias,
And one set of rules
for everybody else.
This is gonna look
so good, donovan.
Can't wait.
Guard.
This ain't your cell,
brown, clear out.
Where were you yesterday,
officer bricker?
We missed you.
You need to wrap
this up in here.
Since you asked so nicely.
Love the new
haircut, by the way.
There are benefits to being
nice to them, you know.
You can do what you want.
I'm no badge bunny.
So you don't want one then?
Nope.
chocolate
chip cookies.
Chocolatey chip in
tracy's tummy tum.
- Mm!
- Mmm!
- My god.
- Mm, right?
The lady who lived
next door to us
Made these when I was little.
She'd see me sitting
outside and call me over.
Sometimes it was all
I had to eat that day.
Where was your family?
Ah... I lived with
my grandmother.
Yeah...
She hated me.
Or...
that's how it felt.
I'm sure she didn't.
My grandmother carried around
a wooden spoon with her.
She would beat me with
it every single day.
Sometimes she would
beat me so hard...
It would break in half.
Then she'd use the belt.
I had so many bruises
and welts on my body that
I had to wear a
long-sleeved shirt and
Pants to school
just to hide them.
At the end of her life,
my grandmother apologized.
I sat by her side for a week.
She just kept saying
it over and over.
There's not enough
apologies in this world
For being a monster.
I'm so sorry.
I can't imagine.
My parents weren't perfect,
But my childhood was
pretty much ideal.
You're such a beautiful person.
You didn't deserve that.
Nobody does.
Anybody that hurts a kid
Deserves to suffer.
Every last one of them.
Well, I'm sure the sugar will
Help us sleep like
babies tonight.
yeah.
Hey?
I hope you dream of...
Something better.
Yeah, thanks.
Donavan has her
court case today.
Judge will decide how
much longer she's here.
What do you think
is going to happen?
In my experience, nothing good.
She's so scared.
I have to do something.
She'll be fine.
If I could just make her laugh,
I know it would make
her feel better.
Donovan!
Brown, arias.
Show's over.
Arias!
I love you more than unicorns!
don't worry.
She doesn't deserve to be here.
But if she goes home...
You don't want to lose her.
I could be here for ten years.
I can't ask her to wait.
I don't think you have to.
She loves you and you love her.
It's worth doing whatever
it takes to hang on to that.
Sure.
Listen to me.
You can't let anybody take
that love away from you.
Ever.
Thanks, songbird.
And a sexy dance every
now and then never hurts.
Always happy to help.
Five months, minus time served.
The judge wished he
could give me less,
Doesn't think I
should be here at all.
Yeah, he's right.
So, what, you could be out
of here in a couple weeks?
I could.
Hey look, it doesn't
matter where we are.
We're still together.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
Sorry to interrupt.
I had an idea.
It wasn't real...
You look so beautiful.
But it was as close as
we could get at the time.
And it felt real to us.
Fate, karma and
destiny have brought
Tracy and donavan
together in a marriage
Of two faiths and
two beautiful souls.
We had no idea that the hand
that blessed our marriage
Was the same hand that,
just five months earlier,
Stabbed travis alexander
as many as 29 times,
Shot him in the head, and
sliced his throat with so
Much force that it just
about decapitated him.
You okay?
Yeah, just, weirdest dream.
Hm, I get those a lot too.
All I saw was you, alone...
Like, wearing a white dress.
Like floating.
I mean, it was beautiful, but...
Something about it...
It was a prophecy.
What do you mean?
If I'm found guilty, I'm
going to kill myself.
Songbird!
Don't worry about it,
no jury will convict me.
Hey, hey, possible incoming.
Who is it?
It's the new guy, schmidt.
Don't worry about him.
Did you flash him?
I can neither confirm nor deny.
oh my god.
You're the worst.
We do what we have to do.
Mind if I sign my name to it?
Um...
I want you to have
something to remember me by.
Songbird, please don't.
I told the police everything
that happened that night.
I was there when two
intruders broke in-
One male, one female.
Dressed in black, wearing masks.
I saw
them kill travis.
I thought they were
going to kill me too,
But I got away.
As long as I'm in here,
do you think they're even
Bothering to look for
the real murderers?
I just thought, when I'm gone,
At least my name will
still be with you.
Maybe knowing I'm at peace
will bring you peace too.
Never mind, it's a silly idea.
No...
I mean...
Sure, why not?
when jodi
tattooed her name on tracy,
It seemed innocent enough.
Up until that day, the three
of us had been inseparable.
That was about to change.
no!
Somebody reported
your relationship
With donavan bering.
You know how this works.
We have to separate you.
This isn't right
and you know it!
Please let her stay, please.
Arias, step outside,
step outside.
What's happening!?
They're moving her to tower b.
No!
Don't make this harder
than necessary, brown.
Let's go.
This is bull!
The one good thing
I have in my life.
Songbird, you and donavan
Have to take care of each other.
No, no, no, I can't
do this without you.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
It's gonna be okay,
it's gonna be okay.
- Let's go.
- No!
- Brown, let's go!
- I'm not going!
- Let's go!
- Tracy!
Stay back!
Tracy!
Tracy! Tracy!
Tracy! Stop,
you're hurting her!
Lock down, back to your cells!
come on, you don't
want to get in trouble.
After tracy was
moved to solitary...
Jodi was scared.
So was I.
Tracy kept us safe.
And now, no matter
where we were,
Locked down or not,
anything could happen.
And there were new arrivals
Who had seen plenty
of jodi on tv.
They figured they'd get
their 15 minutes of fame
By being the one
to kill jodi arias.
take it easy out there.
On the outside, I
may have looked like
I could protect jodi.
But on the inside,
I knew I couldn't.
And I missed my wife.
I really don't want
to lose touch with you
After you leave.
Me either.
Hey, remember that first
day when I met you?
I knew you came into
my life for a reason.
Our bond of sisterhood,
it makes me feel like
I can survive anything.
That's all thanks to you.
Me?
When are you going to
start believing people
When they tell you
how awesome you are?
Hey, maybe you can help
me with my social media,
So I can get the word
out about my innocence.
I need somebody I trust
to help me with that.
You know I trust you more
than anyone, even my family.
Sure, whatever you need, yeah.
I got
a note from tracy.
She told me to act out so
they put me in the hole too.
You're not going
to do it, are you?
- I have to.
- No, you don't.
It's the last chance I have to
see her before I'm released.
When I'm out, I'll
be on probation,
It's not like I can go visit.
I can't wait years
to see her again.
But you'll be abandoning me!
Either way, I'm
getting out soon.
I can't protect you forever.
If you do this, I will
never forgive you.
-Songbird... ever!
lock down!
I warned the guards that I
wasn't going to lock down.
They knew why.
They had no choice but
to send me to the hole.
They knew I'd go willingly.
Bering.
Bering!
I hope she's worth it.
Let's go.
Arias! Back to your cell.
protective custody.
"the hole".
No communication with humans,
No privileges, no humanity.
Just one second of every
day made it worth it.
Before long, letters from
jodi started appearing.
"my dearest donavan,
I miss you so much."
"somewhere in time
I must have done
An enormous amount of good deeds
To have been rewarded
with such wonderful and
Selfless friends as you two."
"I just don't know what
I'll do without you."
"hello, my lovely friend."
"I'm so grateful that
you've offered to help me
When you get out."
"I'm more determined than
ever to clear my name and
Gain my freedom.
You can help me
make that happen."
"I'd like to know what
is being posted online on
Some specific personal
social media pages.
I will send you a list of names,
Including travis'
family members."
"I'd definitely like to know
if any of them mention that
They're in favor of
the death penalty.
A true christian should
never favor death.
That is god's place to say."
"my dearest tracy...
I know that times are
tough for you right now
But don't you dare give up.
Love you and miss you.
Your songbird."
"thinking of what good
friends you are makes me cry,
And crying is something
I don't do often anymore
As I've gone numb
since being hit with
One traumatic event
after another."
yeah, get her!
Yeah, get her!
Rosie!
One word...
One word...
You're both dead.
amazing grace...
brown, roll
up, you're moving out.
After tracy's sentencing,
She was transferred
to perryville prison
To serve out the remainder
of her ten years.
Let me say goodbye to donavan.
let's go.
I knew there was a
good chance I wasn't
Going to be able to
see her for years.
I love you, donavan bering!
I love you too!
Not long after,
they released me.
But I would never be the same.
Jail changed me.
It didn't make me feel
remorse for failing to
Report a crime when I should've.
I carried plenty of
remorse long before
I was put behind bars.
Jail made me mistrust
a system that
Treats people like us
way differently than the
Sheriff's rich hunting buddies.
More than anything,
Jail made me want to hold
those I loved close and
Fight for them with
everything in me.
It's lies, all of it.
I know her, jodi's
a good person.
She would never-
you don't know her!
Hello?
you have a
call from the arizona
Department of corrections,
estrella jail.
To accept the call from inmate-
jodi arias-
press 2.
this
call is being recorded.
Songbird!
oh, I really wish
I could hug you right now!
It's unbearable without you!
I sent some letters to your
house, did you get them?
Probably.
I saw you on
magazines, on tabloids,
There are so many of
them. You're everywhere.
How did I look?
The things they're
saying are awful.
Are there any pictures
of me when I was blond?
Travis loved my hair that way.
when I found out
I was gonna be arrested,
I had to dye it
back to my natural.
No way I was just gonna let
it grow out and end up with
A two-tone mess.
Can you imagine me doing
interviews like that?
I guess not.
Look for the first
letter I sent.
I drew a songbird on it.
Oh, I got it.
I need you to get in touch
with some people for me.
- Who are they?
- Friends!
People who can help.
Jodi never told me
how she knew them.
I thought they were
old friends of hers.
They weren't.
They were new friends, like me,
Who believed in
her innocence and
Were willing to
help her prove it.
Hello, is this lukas?
Lukas was a computer
genius in germany.
He'd written a program that
had made him enough money
To spend his time
on his hobbies,
Like helping an accused
american murderer
Prove her innocence.
Whatever jodi needed
researched, he was her guy.
There was a lawyer from miami
Who I only knew by
his last name, olek.
Whenever jodi wasn't
sure her own lawyers were
Making the best decisions,
Olek came to the rescue
with his legal expertise.
There were the
becks in new york.
They were great at drumming
up even more supporters.
Whenever jodi needed anything,
All it took was one call
and they'd be there.
That was just the
beginning of team arias.
All of us dedicated
to saving jodi.
When you were released
from prison and
You began working
for jodi arias,
Did you believe she
was innocent of the
Murder of travis alexander?
Yes.
Was she innocent?
Hell no.
While I was trying
to restart my life,
Tracy was facing a new,
much tougher prison.
And she was doing it alone.
For me, helping
jodi was becoming
My whole world.
My new job was finding
a publisher for the book
Jodi had been writing
about herself and
Getting her own words out
there on social media.
I am so
grateful for every letter,
Comma, postcard, comma...
Are you getting this?
"every letter, comma, postcard-"
It's my name, donavan.
No spelling errors, no
missing punctuation.
If you make any mistakes,
I'm the one that
looks like an idiot.
I cannot look stupid.
Ever. Understand?
I'm being careful, I promise.
At first, the posts
were harmless,
And I was happy
to help my friend.
Pretty soon she was calling me
With instructions every day.
Then twice a day,
sometimes more.
Hello? This is donavan.
Yes, I know jodi arias.
Yep, 4pm, I can.
They want to interview me.
Who?
One of the news stations.
I don't want to be on tv.
Think about how much
it'll help my case
For people to hear the truth.
I don't
know, I'm not like you.
I'm not comfortable
in front of a camera.
oh, you'll be great.
I thank god for you every day,
You know that, right?
Jodi is smart, she's generous.
She wouldn't hurt a fly,
let alone someone she loved.
She told me that
intruders in black masks
Broke into his house,
a male and a female.
I'm not sure if they were there
As a robbery gone wrong,
Or if they intended to hurt
him for whatever reason.
Luckily, jodi escaped without
them killing her, too.
People see the front page of
the tabloids and they assume
They know what happened,
but they don't.
I know jodi.
Everything about her
is love and not hate.
Fired for what?
Going on tv, supporting
someone who's innocent
Until proven guilty?
You know I work hard here.
This isn't fair.
Hey.
What are you doing, dov?
You're defending murderers now?
- No, I...
- We saw you on tv!
- Mom did too.
- Jodi's my friend.
I know that she didn't do any-
how can you
still be so gullible?
You've already been to jail
for trusting the wrong person.
- Didn't you learn a thing?
- This is different.
damn right it is!
Do I need to call your
probation officer to
Save you from yourself?
but I haven't
done anything wrong.
Jodi's not a convicted felon,
I'm allowed to talk to
her without violating
My probation.
Do you have any idea
how much she's hated?
You seriously want to be on
the receiving end of that?
I've been on the receiving
end of hate my whole life!
"freak! Dyke!"
And what, when the kids
were coming after you,
You didn't mind
me standing up to
The bullies then, did you?
That's not the same
thing and you know it.
It is to me, jodi
is a victim too.
Look, I love you,
but you're choosing
Jodi arias over your family.
Oh, please.
I've got to
watch out for my kids, dov.
Don't call me, don't call mom.
We didn't want this,
but we're done.
We're just done.
life was about to
get harder for tracy, too.
Does that say, "jodi arias"?
open 7-1-3.
What's going on?
What are you doing?
Turn around! Hands
behind your back!
Tell me, just tell
me what's happening!
I didn't do anything!
Please, I didn't do anything!
Where are you taking me?
Why am I here?
When was the last
time you communicated
With donavan bering?
What is this about?
Are you gonna answer
the question or
Am I gonna write you up?
When was the last
time you communicated
With donavan bering?
She was on the
approved visitors list.
Then she got removed.
I guess you'll have to see
her like the rest of us,
On tv.
Let's talk about your tattoos.
I had them all when I got here.
What about the one with
the murderer's name on it?
This facility operates
under my rules.
And only my rules.
Whatever plans you're putting
in place for jodi arias,
Abandon them now
and save yourself.
I'm not planning anything.
When was the last time
arias contacted you?
- She sends me letters.
- About what?
I don't know. Pep talks,
"hang in there,"
that kind of stuff.
What does she ask
you to do for her?
Nothing!
You call her songbird?
She sings a lot.
Who else does she know here?
I don't know!
We know what she's
up to at estrella.
And she's not gonna
get away with it here.
Oh my god,
You're actually
afraid of jodi arias.
You best think about how many
years you got left in here.
How hard do you want them to be?
If she's sending
you instructions,
If she's laying the
groundwork for an
Escape attempt, we
will find out about it.
And as god as my witness, brown,
You'll regret the day
you ever heard the name
Jodi arias.
Or had it permanently
etched in your skin.
The jodi I know would
never have harmed travis.
While jodi sits in jail,
The intruders are
free to murder again.
Why are you not
talking about them?
I'd spent months
doing jodi's bidding.
Posting whatever she wanted.
Getting messages to team arias.
And coordinating
with jodi's mom.
By the time I finally met
her parents in person,
I'd spent so much
time talking to them
On the phone, they
already felt like family.
At last!
Oh...
Come on in, hun.
Donavan...
Oh, no, no, no, it's okay.
Thank you for everything
you're doing for us.
They haven't found us here yet.
Who?
Oh, you know, all of them.
We had to shut down our
restaurant for good.
Every week, more...
Broken windows, more threats.
They found my mother's house.
Told her they were
going do to her
What was done to travis.
She's in her 80s,
it's just not right.
It doesn't matter if we
change our phone number.
They find us. I
don't know how.
We live in fear.
Fear that their
threats are real.
Fear that they're gonna
find our daughter guilty and
Sentence her to...
Jodi's difficult, we know.
We're not blind to who she is.
Bill...
She's no angel.
But she's still our child.
You know I'm here to
help any way I can.
I'm not going anywhere.
After my own family
had disowned me,
I needed jodi's parents
as much as they needed me.
They were afraid of jodi arias.
What are you looking for?
Tracy paid the price.
Oh, hey, that's my wife!
Please don't, please,
please don't, please,
It's all I have.
Hello?
Tracy needs to talk to
you, I'll put her through.
donavan, you need
to stop helping jodi.
What's going on, are you okay?
they keep
searching my cell.
They won't stop.
They're looking for
anything from jodi.
Tell her to stop writing to me.
You should stop helping her too.
Trust me, you need to
walk away from this.
I can't.
this call
is being recorded.
songbird.
I need to ask you a favor.
Okay.
I know you believe
in the power of prayer.
And I'm sure you pray for
me each and every day and
I'm endlessly grateful for that.
As you know, my
trial is coming up.
I'm asking that you set
aside a special day for
The purpose of praying
and fasting for me.
Can you do that for me?
Donavan?
Sure, of course.
They're threatening
us! Do something!
on that first day,
I didn't care about anything
the prosecution said.
It was their job to
prove jodi's guilt...
We knew that.
But when jodi's own lawyer
gave her opening statement,
It took everything in me
not to stand up and scream.
Jodi arias killed
travis alexander.
There is no question about it.
The million-dollar question...
It's, what would have
forced her to do it?
And throughout this
trial, you will hear
That jodi was indeed forced.
I didn't hear anything else.
you have a call
from the arizona department
Of corrections, estrella jail.
To accept the call from inmate-
jodi arias-
press 2.
this
call is being recorded.
donavan?
I know you're probably
angry right now.
And I can't blame you.
I need you to know that I
didn't tell you everything
Because I was ashamed.
And I didn't want
you, of all people,
To think less of me.
I was worried that if I told
you what really happened,
I'd lose you.
And I can handle a
lot, but not that.
All my life, whenever
I heard a story of
Some woman whose
husband was abusive,
I could never understand
why she wouldn't just leave.
How she could suffer through
that kind of abuse and then,
Get into bed with him at
the end of the day and
Cry herself to sleep.
I never understood it...
Until the one crying
herself to sleep was me.
If it was up to me, none of
this would be coming out now.
I don't want people
to think less of him.
And I don't want people
to see that I was weak,
That I let that happen to
me, let it get that far.
But...
My lawyers tell me that the
only way to save my life
Is to tell the truth.
When jodi dropped the
intruder theory and
Claimed self-defense,
I had to accept that
She was capable of
murder after all.
I was shocked, I was angry,
But I knew one thing
from my own experience.
When somebody tells
you they're a victim
Of domestic abuse...
You believe them.
I was back on team
arias, believing jodi,
Supporting her parents.
But the details of the
crime would test us all.
He was stabbed so many times,
The coroner couldn't even
make sure of the count.
Then a shot to the head, and
a final cut to the throat.
As one of the
experts described it,
She had killed
travis three times.
One minute it was
horrific autopsy photos,
And the next...
A sex tape.
oh, travis...
You make me feel
so dirty.
They'd spent months
harassing tracy about jodi,
Writing her up for
no good reason.
Locked down 23 hours a day,
No phone calls, no visitors.
All for what,
knowing jodi arias?
I need you to
tweet that travis liked
Looking at little boys
in their underwear.
I don't know.
It'll help my case
if people know
What kind of person he was.
I can't post that.
sure you can.
Fine, say it's a rumor then.
I designed a domestic
abuse survivor t-shirt.
We can sell them on one
of my supporter pages and
Donate the proceeds
to a women's charity.
I need you to find
one we can work with.
Also, talk to lukas and see
who's running this website
"justice for travis."
I sent you a list of some of
the people supporting that
We need to make sure look
blocked on all my pages.
Oh, and get that
list to the becks,
They can check them out.
We need to go after them.
Oh, and talk to my mom,
And tell her to put
more money on my phone.
And commissary.
I'm dying for some chocolate.
I should've listened to tracy,
But I still believed
jody was a victim.
did you
kill travis alexander
On June 4th, 2008?
Yes, I did.
why?
The simple answer is
that he attacked me,
And I defended myself.
after sticking
with jodi so long,
She must've thought there
was nothing she could say
Or do that would make me
change my mind about her.
She was wrong.
Let's back it up a little and
Talk about your
immediate family.
My mom began to carry a
wooden spoon in her purse.
She would beat me with it.
Every single day.
It was a wooden kitchen
spoon that she would carry
In her purse and if
we were misbehaving,
She would use it on us.
when you say, "use it"?
She would hit us with it.
It felt pretty
hard, it left welts.
Sometimes she would
beat me so hard,
It would break in half.
What happened when you
were ten years old?
I think that's the
first year my dad
Started to use a belt.
I had so many bruises
and welts on my body...
That I had to wear a long
-sleeved shirt and pants
To school just to hide 'em.
Did he leave welts?
He didn't leave welts
as often as my mom.
She also used the belt.
My dad was very intimidating,
So I don't think
he had to hit us
Quite as hard to get
the point across.
My mom didn't carry that
fear factor with her,
So I think she used more force.
So, you loved them,
and they hit you?
Yes.
At the time, I
didn't know she was
Stealing tracy's story.
But I did know that what was
coming out of jodi's mouth
Was a lie.
I was lucky, my
childhood was ideal.
Growing up, my childhood
was pretty much ideal.
And her lies were hurting
people I cared about.
I didn't...
I know.
I wasn't perfect...
But I would never.
She's my little girl.
We know the truth.
What you got?
What you need?
Inmate down, inmate down!
A-pod 7-1-3.
Inmate down and unresponsive!
We need an ambulance!
Come on, brown, come
on, stay with us!
Yeah?
donavan bering?
Who's asking?
I'm an
officer at perryville,
This call is off the record.
Is tracy okay?
she's okay, but
she attempted suicide.
I have to see her,
I'll come right-
I'll come down right away.
you know
that's not possible.
You're not official next of kin.
I shouldn't be making this
call, but if it was me...
Can I talk to her?
Please, please.
It's donavan.
Babe, are you there?
I'm sorry.
If you die, I'm going
too, you hear me?
I did everything
I'm supposed to do.
They won't leave me alone.
It's all 'cause of jodi.
And they're taking it out on me.
They're not even hiding it.
I can't live like this anymore.
I promise you, it'll get better.
I'll write the
warden, I'll call,
Do whatever it takes...
Get them to stop.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry it took me so long
To see who jodi really is.
That everything out
of her mouth is a lie.
She's taken so much from us.
No more.
no more.
I changed the passwords.
Social media was
jodi's lifeline.
I cut it off.
I'm gonna continue
using the media coverage
That I've been given.
But not to help jodi.
To defend you.
You're my family
now, both of you.
That's why I'm gonna keep
my mouth shut about what a
Despicable human being
I think she really is.
We're gonna be late.
From very early on,
Jodi was completely
obsessed with travis.
I started seeing things
about her that were...
Disturbing.
I said, "travis, I'm
afraid we're gonna find you
Chopped up in her freezer."
how do you know her?
I saw that you were
looking at her...
Bikini, sitting by the pool.
Who is she?
You still haven't
answered my question.
Who is she?
Without me to post her lies,
Without me to post her attacks
On anybody who criticized her,
Without me to give
instructions to team arias,
She had nothing.
But nobody leaves jodi arias.
Ask travis alexander how
that worked out for him.
They all came after me at once.
Lukas in germany, the
computer genius who helped
Jodi by finding anything
and everything online,
Was now hacking into sites
to find personal information
About me, ruining my
life in any way possible.
Olek, the lawyer,
as it turns out,
His best connections were
with people who didn't mind
Breaking the law on his behalf.
And they had plenty
of time on their hands
To come after me.
I was already hated enough
for supporting jodi.
The team arias attacks
were so much worse.
They humiliated me online,
hacked my accounts,
Falsely reported I'd
committed crimes that
Could send me to
prison for years.
They contacted my
friends and family and
Started going after them too.
I was terrified, for myself,
and everyone I cared about,
But every time I called the
cops they'd just say it was
My own fault for associating
with people like jodi arias.
I sit in bonded
captivity in the filth of a
Dark and artificial
environment while someone else,
Who has nothing to gain or lose
Whether I live or
die, fights for me.
We may both have people
that pray for us to live,
But the difference is
I also have people that
Pray for me to die.
When everyone else was
turning their backs on me
During the darkest
time of my life,
You claimed to be a solid and
immovable rock in my support,
But it is you that has
shown me the facade
That our friendship really was.
I have to accept what is
so blatantly obvious and
Staring me in the face:
It was a false sense
of hope, strength,
And support you instilled in me.
False!
you're
either helping jodi...
Or you're lying awake at
night wondering which one
Of your loved ones
we'll find next.
Your choice, bering.
you may say
"goodbye" if you wish.
many have.
But it is too painful
for me to say it back.
Hello?
you have a call from the
Arizona department of
corrections, estrella jail.
To accept the call from inmate-
jodi arias-
press 2.
this
call is being recorded.
Donavan!
I missed talking to you so much.
You know, when you changed
my social media passwords
And wouldn't answer your phone,
I was so mad.
I did feel like you betrayed me.
But it's in the past
now and I love you.
Everything you said about
your parents in court,
How they beat you?
don't worry about that.
It's all my lawyers,
they think it'll help.
What about travis
liking little boys?
Is that a lie too?
ignore all that stuff.
They're just trying
to save my life.
You understand that, right?
Can you pretty please
change my passwords back
And post something for me?
So, you ready for the verdict?
I guess so. How are
things over there?
- Any better?
- Yeah.
Thanks to you.
How many complaints
did you file?
Hm, about a dozen.
Got my privileges again.
And, looks like I'm getting
my old job back at programs.
My old supervisor there is
putting in a good word for me.
After jodi's sentenced
and moved over there,
They won't put her
in your unit, right?
No, no.
She won't be anywhere near me.
- Don't worry.
- I can't help it.
babe, once the
verdict is read, it's over.
She'll have nothing
left to lose or gain.
And her puppets have
nothing left to fight for.
Songbird will either
be caged or killed.
Either way, you'll be free.
I know.
- Hey.
- What?
I love you more than unicorns.
Me too.
The jury couldn't
come to a consensus.
Some thought jodi deserved
the death penalty.
Others didn't.
Even knowing what she had
done and how she had done it,
Some of them were
still conned by her.
Thank you, donavan.
You know I'm here for
you no matter what, okay.
Jodi arias...
The court finds,
as the jury found,
The crime is especially cruel.
The offense was
committed with at least
Two deadly weapons.
A gun and at least one knife.
The crime involved
substantial planning
And preparation.
The defendant did not
render aid to the victim.
The defendant destroyed
evidence at the crime scene.
The defendant went to
great lengths to conceal
Her involvement in the crime.
The court has also
considered the
Defendant's
childhood, background,
Family history, and
her expressed remorse.
The court finds that a
natural life sentence
Is appropriate.
It is ordered the defendant
shall be incarcerated in the
Department of corrections for
the rest of her natural life,
With no possibility of parole.
It felt wrong to wish
jodi arias would die
In an execution chamber.
But I did.
Jodi arias claimed no jury
would ever convict her,
But she will spend the
rest of her natural life
Behind bars.
There's one word jodi
would never say and mean...
Sorry.
I'm not jodi arias.
I'm sorry for believing her.
I'm sorry for all the
things I did on her behalf.
The alexanders didn't deserve
how she vilified them,
And I will go to my grave
feeling remorse for my part.
A polygraph wouldn't
clear the names of
The ones jodi took
down with her,
But it was the only
thing left I could do
To bring the truth
into the light.
I did it for the memory
of travis alexander,
For bill and sandy arias,
and for tracy and me.
The press wanted
the inside scoop,
So I gave it to them.
Did jodi arias tell you
that she falsely accused
Travis alexander of
being a child molester?
Yes.
Did jodi arias tell
you she lied about
Being abused by her parents?
Yes.
Let me guess...
No deception detected?
No deception detected.
I will never be
as trusting again,
But I won't stop loving
and caring for those
Who deserve it.
Jodi arias took a lot from us.
But she didn't take everything.
Is that hebrew?
It's beautiful.
I dated a guy once
who was jewish.
I'm actually mormon now. I
converted for my boyfriend.
But I'm fascinated
by all religions.
Do you want this?
I'm not going to eat it.
I'm jodi.
bit cold this morning.
Thanks to jodi arias,
I've had my life
threatened repeatedly,
I've been attacked.
I lost my job and my family.
For a while, I was the second
most-hated person in america.
Marked by the devil herself.
I think I'm okay
with a bit of cold.
Let's start with your name.
Donavan bering.
D-o-n...
A-v-a-n...
I thought
being sent to jail
Was my rock bottom.
Now I know, it
wasn't even close.
My plan was
simple: To survive.
Take one day at a time
and just get through it.
What wasn't in the plan?
Falling in love.
Watch out for rosie today.
She's looking for
someone to punish.
Well, she's always
been nice to me.
Nobody's nice in here.
You understand that, right?
Okay.
Babe, trust me.
The ones that
aren't getting out,
They've got nothing to lose.
If I hadn't met you, I don't
think I would have made it.
Yeah, but you did.
And you will.
Stay by my side, I got you.
Y'all hear what's
for lunch today?
Prime ribs with baby
baked potatoes and
Grilled asparagus.
Or a chunk moldy bread
arpaio found in a dumpster.
no.
Lemon meringue pie for dessert.
Seriously, shut up.
Or...
- Chocolate fudge cake.
- Oh, yeah.
- You see what you started?
- Yup.
Warm raspberry crumble
with vanilla ice cream
Just melting on top.
- Ooh...
- That's the one.
Meeting tracy made
jail survivable.
Now I-we-had a new plan.
Do our time, live
happily ever after.
And then, jodi arias
walked through the door.
yeah...
None of us had
access to the news.
While the rest of the
world knew her as the woman
Who'd soon be on trial for
murdering her boyfriend,
All we knew was she didn't
look like she belonged here.
Snitch.
She won't last long.
There's only one
empty bunk that way.
Oh, hell no!
Oh! Uh-oh!
brown... Brown!
There's no way I'm
bunking with a snitch!
- Get out!
- Hey!
This ain't summer camp, brown.
You don't get to choose
who you bunk with.
You want to get written up?
Hey!
Got a new girlfriend, brown?
I guess they're
not even trying to
Disguise snitches anymore.
God, it's like
dropping a baby bunny
Into a coyotes' den.
I know, right.
A snitch can get
your charges upped,
Get you sent to the hole.
But we haven't done anything.
It doesn't matter!
Never forget where you are.
I won't, I promise.
Goodnight.
Did she say anything?
What is she doing
in there all day?
Drawing, writing.
"dear diary, I'm
starting to reconsider
My life as a snitch."
I know how we can
find out for sure.
Ask her to do something illegal.
So you never thought about it?
Tattoos?
You'd be good at it.
-Well, how would
we... there are ways.
You in?
Can I do the first one on you?
Sure.
Getting your hands
on the stuff you need
To do jail tattoos is easy.
But tattooing is a
major infraction,
Right up there with
doing drugs or fighting.
If you're caught, you could
lose all your privileges
And end up in solitary.
No snitch would take the risk.
You need it to be a fine powder.
- Thanks.
- For what?
Trusting me to do this.
I felt so alone coming
here, this means...
It means a lot.
Now, shampoo.
Just a drop.
alright.
You know what happens if
you get caught, right?
Can I ask you a question?
You mean "the" question?
How'd I end up here?
You don't have to answer.
Same as everybody.
Bad choices.
I was with a guy who
tied somebody up,
Beat him, left him for dead.
I thought he was
gonna kill me too.
I was high and...
I don't trust cops.
I got charged like I did it.
I'm not going home
for a long time.
And your... Girlfriend?
Did you know her before?
No, met here...
Day she arrived.
And her bad choice?
Ah...
She trusted somebody that
burned a business down
For insurance money.
She found out about
it, didn't snitch.
So, they put in her
in maximum security?
She's from alaska.
They thought she
was a flight risk.
I'm so sorry for what
you've both gone through.
It doesn't seem fair.
What about you?
I'm not supposed
to talk about it.
Is this hurting?
It looks like it would.
It's fine.
There was so much blood.
Sorry...
It's just that...
Travis, my boyfriend...
He was murdered.
Stabbed and shot
right in front of me.
What do you think so far?
Um...
You'll get better with practice.
It'll be great when it's done.
Trust me.
hey...
I finally got a crystal
they can't take from me.
So, she's okay?
Yeah, I think so...
Hey!
This is donavan.
I'm jodi.
Initials of my niece and nephew.
And now I appreciate
the skill those took.
I have another one on my
back and a buddha on my leg.
- You're buddhist?
- Since I was 22.
I asked my mom to send me books.
There's one about
buddhism on my list.
I'll share it with you.
I'm actually mormon now.
I converted for my
boyfriend, travis.
For me, really, for us.
But I'm fascinated
by all religions.
Tracy's wiccan.
When I was younger, I had
a boyfriend who was wiccan,
So it was a big
part of my life too.
What I love most both
about buddhism and wicca
Is the emphasis on nature.
When you strip
everything else away,
All the stuff that
doesn't matter,
That's what we
have left, nature.
And love...
Sorry, sometimes I talk
too much about subjects
I'm really passionate about.
That's okay.
I think it's beautiful that
you two found each other.
Here, of all places.
I think it was anne
frank who wrote,
"I don't think of
all the misery,
But of the beauty
that still remains."
Does anybody want
this? I don't need it.
I'll take it.
Of course we liked her.
She was smart, she
was interesting.
And she wasn't like
anybody else we'd ever met.
"pernicious."
You realize none of this
is sinking in, right?
Okay well, how about a
word from yesterday then?
"duress."
We're being forced to
learn words under duress.
see?
"pernicious."
No clue.
"causing great harm or
damage in a way that
Is not easily
seen or noticed."
Huh.
Let's do another one.
mom, I just miss you...
Thank you so much.
What was that about?
Nothing.
She needed to call her family,
But she couldn't afford it.
You put money on
her phone account?
Do you even know her?
She needed her mom.
There's this one or...?
I want something to
symbolize my love for tracy.
My boyfriend travis
used to do that.
He wouldn't even
have to say anything.
He'd just look at me and I knew.
More than anything else,
that's what I miss.
He was murdered.
The police think I did
it, that's why I'm here.
As if I could ever
kill somebody I loved.
Crazy, right?
Not everybody liked her.
Hey...
They're making a
plan to get jodi.
Who?
Who do you think?
Today.
What am I going to do?
You want to get to arias...
You gotta go through me.
Everybody got that?!
Got it?
Do you...
hear me?!
During the day, jodi
stuck to us like glue.
But nights were another story.
Hey, where were you?
I've been doing tv interviews.
It's going to help my case.
If people get to know me,
see that I'm smart and
Articulate, hear my
side of the story.
Yeah, I'm sure there
are hundreds of women
Who would love to tell
their side of their story.
why you?
It's not my fault that
people are interested in me.
be careful.
Always.
Jodi did endless interviews.
While everybody on the
outside was seeing this...
I'd be shaking in my boots
right now if I had to
Answer to god for
such a heinous crime.
I'm very grateful
that this is one thing
I'll never have to answer to.
I did not kill travis.
All we were seeing was this...
...Sprucing up any dish.
And these pastries will
be the apple of your eye.
I'm gonna call you
songbird from now on.
That's what you remind me of.
Goodnight, songbird.
Goodnight.
amazing grace,
How sweet the sound.
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost...
But now am found.
Was blind, but now I see.
'twas grace that
brought... My heart...
Until my dying day,
That song will never
bring me comfort.
Thanks to jodi, it's
burned in my memory as
Something I was too naive
to realize at the time...
The sound of the devil
singing us to sleep.
...How precious
did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
prison crushes you.
Makes you less than you are.
But tracy gave me hope.
Hope I could survive it.
We were a team
facing it together.
It didn't take long for us
to realize that there was
One set of rules for jodi arias,
And one set of rules
for everybody else.
This is gonna look
so good, donovan.
Can't wait.
Guard.
This ain't your cell,
brown, clear out.
Where were you yesterday,
officer bricker?
We missed you.
You need to wrap
this up in here.
Since you asked so nicely.
Love the new
haircut, by the way.
There are benefits to being
nice to them, you know.
You can do what you want.
I'm no badge bunny.
So you don't want one then?
Nope.
chocolate
chip cookies.
Chocolatey chip in
tracy's tummy tum.
- Mm!
- Mmm!
- My god.
- Mm, right?
The lady who lived
next door to us
Made these when I was little.
She'd see me sitting
outside and call me over.
Sometimes it was all
I had to eat that day.
Where was your family?
Ah... I lived with
my grandmother.
Yeah...
She hated me.
Or...
that's how it felt.
I'm sure she didn't.
My grandmother carried around
a wooden spoon with her.
She would beat me with
it every single day.
Sometimes she would
beat me so hard...
It would break in half.
Then she'd use the belt.
I had so many bruises
and welts on my body that
I had to wear a
long-sleeved shirt and
Pants to school
just to hide them.
At the end of her life,
my grandmother apologized.
I sat by her side for a week.
She just kept saying
it over and over.
There's not enough
apologies in this world
For being a monster.
I'm so sorry.
I can't imagine.
My parents weren't perfect,
But my childhood was
pretty much ideal.
You're such a beautiful person.
You didn't deserve that.
Nobody does.
Anybody that hurts a kid
Deserves to suffer.
Every last one of them.
Well, I'm sure the sugar will
Help us sleep like
babies tonight.
yeah.
Hey?
I hope you dream of...
Something better.
Yeah, thanks.
Donavan has her
court case today.
Judge will decide how
much longer she's here.
What do you think
is going to happen?
In my experience, nothing good.
She's so scared.
I have to do something.
She'll be fine.
If I could just make her laugh,
I know it would make
her feel better.
Donovan!
Brown, arias.
Show's over.
Arias!
I love you more than unicorns!
don't worry.
She doesn't deserve to be here.
But if she goes home...
You don't want to lose her.
I could be here for ten years.
I can't ask her to wait.
I don't think you have to.
She loves you and you love her.
It's worth doing whatever
it takes to hang on to that.
Sure.
Listen to me.
You can't let anybody take
that love away from you.
Ever.
Thanks, songbird.
And a sexy dance every
now and then never hurts.
Always happy to help.
Five months, minus time served.
The judge wished he
could give me less,
Doesn't think I
should be here at all.
Yeah, he's right.
So, what, you could be out
of here in a couple weeks?
I could.
Hey look, it doesn't
matter where we are.
We're still together.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
Sorry to interrupt.
I had an idea.
It wasn't real...
You look so beautiful.
But it was as close as
we could get at the time.
And it felt real to us.
Fate, karma and
destiny have brought
Tracy and donavan
together in a marriage
Of two faiths and
two beautiful souls.
We had no idea that the hand
that blessed our marriage
Was the same hand that,
just five months earlier,
Stabbed travis alexander
as many as 29 times,
Shot him in the head, and
sliced his throat with so
Much force that it just
about decapitated him.
You okay?
Yeah, just, weirdest dream.
Hm, I get those a lot too.
All I saw was you, alone...
Like, wearing a white dress.
Like floating.
I mean, it was beautiful, but...
Something about it...
It was a prophecy.
What do you mean?
If I'm found guilty, I'm
going to kill myself.
Songbird!
Don't worry about it,
no jury will convict me.
Hey, hey, possible incoming.
Who is it?
It's the new guy, schmidt.
Don't worry about him.
Did you flash him?
I can neither confirm nor deny.
oh my god.
You're the worst.
We do what we have to do.
Mind if I sign my name to it?
Um...
I want you to have
something to remember me by.
Songbird, please don't.
I told the police everything
that happened that night.
I was there when two
intruders broke in-
One male, one female.
Dressed in black, wearing masks.
I saw
them kill travis.
I thought they were
going to kill me too,
But I got away.
As long as I'm in here,
do you think they're even
Bothering to look for
the real murderers?
I just thought, when I'm gone,
At least my name will
still be with you.
Maybe knowing I'm at peace
will bring you peace too.
Never mind, it's a silly idea.
No...
I mean...
Sure, why not?
when jodi
tattooed her name on tracy,
It seemed innocent enough.
Up until that day, the three
of us had been inseparable.
That was about to change.
no!
Somebody reported
your relationship
With donavan bering.
You know how this works.
We have to separate you.
This isn't right
and you know it!
Please let her stay, please.
Arias, step outside,
step outside.
What's happening!?
They're moving her to tower b.
No!
Don't make this harder
than necessary, brown.
Let's go.
This is bull!
The one good thing
I have in my life.
Songbird, you and donavan
Have to take care of each other.
No, no, no, I can't
do this without you.
- I love you.
- I love you too.
It's gonna be okay,
it's gonna be okay.
- Let's go.
- No!
- Brown, let's go!
- I'm not going!
- Let's go!
- Tracy!
Stay back!
Tracy!
Tracy! Tracy!
Tracy! Stop,
you're hurting her!
Lock down, back to your cells!
come on, you don't
want to get in trouble.
After tracy was
moved to solitary...
Jodi was scared.
So was I.
Tracy kept us safe.
And now, no matter
where we were,
Locked down or not,
anything could happen.
And there were new arrivals
Who had seen plenty
of jodi on tv.
They figured they'd get
their 15 minutes of fame
By being the one
to kill jodi arias.
take it easy out there.
On the outside, I
may have looked like
I could protect jodi.
But on the inside,
I knew I couldn't.
And I missed my wife.
I really don't want
to lose touch with you
After you leave.
Me either.
Hey, remember that first
day when I met you?
I knew you came into
my life for a reason.
Our bond of sisterhood,
it makes me feel like
I can survive anything.
That's all thanks to you.
Me?
When are you going to
start believing people
When they tell you
how awesome you are?
Hey, maybe you can help
me with my social media,
So I can get the word
out about my innocence.
I need somebody I trust
to help me with that.
You know I trust you more
than anyone, even my family.
Sure, whatever you need, yeah.
I got
a note from tracy.
She told me to act out so
they put me in the hole too.
You're not going
to do it, are you?
- I have to.
- No, you don't.
It's the last chance I have to
see her before I'm released.
When I'm out, I'll
be on probation,
It's not like I can go visit.
I can't wait years
to see her again.
But you'll be abandoning me!
Either way, I'm
getting out soon.
I can't protect you forever.
If you do this, I will
never forgive you.
-Songbird... ever!
lock down!
I warned the guards that I
wasn't going to lock down.
They knew why.
They had no choice but
to send me to the hole.
They knew I'd go willingly.
Bering.
Bering!
I hope she's worth it.
Let's go.
Arias! Back to your cell.
protective custody.
"the hole".
No communication with humans,
No privileges, no humanity.
Just one second of every
day made it worth it.
Before long, letters from
jodi started appearing.
"my dearest donavan,
I miss you so much."
"somewhere in time
I must have done
An enormous amount of good deeds
To have been rewarded
with such wonderful and
Selfless friends as you two."
"I just don't know what
I'll do without you."
"hello, my lovely friend."
"I'm so grateful that
you've offered to help me
When you get out."
"I'm more determined than
ever to clear my name and
Gain my freedom.
You can help me
make that happen."
"I'd like to know what
is being posted online on
Some specific personal
social media pages.
I will send you a list of names,
Including travis'
family members."
"I'd definitely like to know
if any of them mention that
They're in favor of
the death penalty.
A true christian should
never favor death.
That is god's place to say."
"my dearest tracy...
I know that times are
tough for you right now
But don't you dare give up.
Love you and miss you.
Your songbird."
"thinking of what good
friends you are makes me cry,
And crying is something
I don't do often anymore
As I've gone numb
since being hit with
One traumatic event
after another."
yeah, get her!
Yeah, get her!
Rosie!
One word...
One word...
You're both dead.
amazing grace...
brown, roll
up, you're moving out.
After tracy's sentencing,
She was transferred
to perryville prison
To serve out the remainder
of her ten years.
Let me say goodbye to donavan.
let's go.
I knew there was a
good chance I wasn't
Going to be able to
see her for years.
I love you, donavan bering!
I love you too!
Not long after,
they released me.
But I would never be the same.
Jail changed me.
It didn't make me feel
remorse for failing to
Report a crime when I should've.
I carried plenty of
remorse long before
I was put behind bars.
Jail made me mistrust
a system that
Treats people like us
way differently than the
Sheriff's rich hunting buddies.
More than anything,
Jail made me want to hold
those I loved close and
Fight for them with
everything in me.
It's lies, all of it.
I know her, jodi's
a good person.
She would never-
you don't know her!
Hello?
you have a
call from the arizona
Department of corrections,
estrella jail.
To accept the call from inmate-
jodi arias-
press 2.
this
call is being recorded.
Songbird!
oh, I really wish
I could hug you right now!
It's unbearable without you!
I sent some letters to your
house, did you get them?
Probably.
I saw you on
magazines, on tabloids,
There are so many of
them. You're everywhere.
How did I look?
The things they're
saying are awful.
Are there any pictures
of me when I was blond?
Travis loved my hair that way.
when I found out
I was gonna be arrested,
I had to dye it
back to my natural.
No way I was just gonna let
it grow out and end up with
A two-tone mess.
Can you imagine me doing
interviews like that?
I guess not.
Look for the first
letter I sent.
I drew a songbird on it.
Oh, I got it.
I need you to get in touch
with some people for me.
- Who are they?
- Friends!
People who can help.
Jodi never told me
how she knew them.
I thought they were
old friends of hers.
They weren't.
They were new friends, like me,
Who believed in
her innocence and
Were willing to
help her prove it.
Hello, is this lukas?
Lukas was a computer
genius in germany.
He'd written a program that
had made him enough money
To spend his time
on his hobbies,
Like helping an accused
american murderer
Prove her innocence.
Whatever jodi needed
researched, he was her guy.
There was a lawyer from miami
Who I only knew by
his last name, olek.
Whenever jodi wasn't
sure her own lawyers were
Making the best decisions,
Olek came to the rescue
with his legal expertise.
There were the
becks in new york.
They were great at drumming
up even more supporters.
Whenever jodi needed anything,
All it took was one call
and they'd be there.
That was just the
beginning of team arias.
All of us dedicated
to saving jodi.
When you were released
from prison and
You began working
for jodi arias,
Did you believe she
was innocent of the
Murder of travis alexander?
Yes.
Was she innocent?
Hell no.
While I was trying
to restart my life,
Tracy was facing a new,
much tougher prison.
And she was doing it alone.
For me, helping
jodi was becoming
My whole world.
My new job was finding
a publisher for the book
Jodi had been writing
about herself and
Getting her own words out
there on social media.
I am so
grateful for every letter,
Comma, postcard, comma...
Are you getting this?
"every letter, comma, postcard-"
It's my name, donavan.
No spelling errors, no
missing punctuation.
If you make any mistakes,
I'm the one that
looks like an idiot.
I cannot look stupid.
Ever. Understand?
I'm being careful, I promise.
At first, the posts
were harmless,
And I was happy
to help my friend.
Pretty soon she was calling me
With instructions every day.
Then twice a day,
sometimes more.
Hello? This is donavan.
Yes, I know jodi arias.
Yep, 4pm, I can.
They want to interview me.
Who?
One of the news stations.
I don't want to be on tv.
Think about how much
it'll help my case
For people to hear the truth.
I don't
know, I'm not like you.
I'm not comfortable
in front of a camera.
oh, you'll be great.
I thank god for you every day,
You know that, right?
Jodi is smart, she's generous.
She wouldn't hurt a fly,
let alone someone she loved.
She told me that
intruders in black masks
Broke into his house,
a male and a female.
I'm not sure if they were there
As a robbery gone wrong,
Or if they intended to hurt
him for whatever reason.
Luckily, jodi escaped without
them killing her, too.
People see the front page of
the tabloids and they assume
They know what happened,
but they don't.
I know jodi.
Everything about her
is love and not hate.
Fired for what?
Going on tv, supporting
someone who's innocent
Until proven guilty?
You know I work hard here.
This isn't fair.
Hey.
What are you doing, dov?
You're defending murderers now?
- No, I...
- We saw you on tv!
- Mom did too.
- Jodi's my friend.
I know that she didn't do any-
how can you
still be so gullible?
You've already been to jail
for trusting the wrong person.
- Didn't you learn a thing?
- This is different.
damn right it is!
Do I need to call your
probation officer to
Save you from yourself?
but I haven't
done anything wrong.
Jodi's not a convicted felon,
I'm allowed to talk to
her without violating
My probation.
Do you have any idea
how much she's hated?
You seriously want to be on
the receiving end of that?
I've been on the receiving
end of hate my whole life!
"freak! Dyke!"
And what, when the kids
were coming after you,
You didn't mind
me standing up to
The bullies then, did you?
That's not the same
thing and you know it.
It is to me, jodi
is a victim too.
Look, I love you,
but you're choosing
Jodi arias over your family.
Oh, please.
I've got to
watch out for my kids, dov.
Don't call me, don't call mom.
We didn't want this,
but we're done.
We're just done.
life was about to
get harder for tracy, too.
Does that say, "jodi arias"?
open 7-1-3.
What's going on?
What are you doing?
Turn around! Hands
behind your back!
Tell me, just tell
me what's happening!
I didn't do anything!
Please, I didn't do anything!
Where are you taking me?
Why am I here?
When was the last
time you communicated
With donavan bering?
What is this about?
Are you gonna answer
the question or
Am I gonna write you up?
When was the last
time you communicated
With donavan bering?
She was on the
approved visitors list.
Then she got removed.
I guess you'll have to see
her like the rest of us,
On tv.
Let's talk about your tattoos.
I had them all when I got here.
What about the one with
the murderer's name on it?
This facility operates
under my rules.
And only my rules.
Whatever plans you're putting
in place for jodi arias,
Abandon them now
and save yourself.
I'm not planning anything.
When was the last time
arias contacted you?
- She sends me letters.
- About what?
I don't know. Pep talks,
"hang in there,"
that kind of stuff.
What does she ask
you to do for her?
Nothing!
You call her songbird?
She sings a lot.
Who else does she know here?
I don't know!
We know what she's
up to at estrella.
And she's not gonna
get away with it here.
Oh my god,
You're actually
afraid of jodi arias.
You best think about how many
years you got left in here.
How hard do you want them to be?
If she's sending
you instructions,
If she's laying the
groundwork for an
Escape attempt, we
will find out about it.
And as god as my witness, brown,
You'll regret the day
you ever heard the name
Jodi arias.
Or had it permanently
etched in your skin.
The jodi I know would
never have harmed travis.
While jodi sits in jail,
The intruders are
free to murder again.
Why are you not
talking about them?
I'd spent months
doing jodi's bidding.
Posting whatever she wanted.
Getting messages to team arias.
And coordinating
with jodi's mom.
By the time I finally met
her parents in person,
I'd spent so much
time talking to them
On the phone, they
already felt like family.
At last!
Oh...
Come on in, hun.
Donavan...
Oh, no, no, no, it's okay.
Thank you for everything
you're doing for us.
They haven't found us here yet.
Who?
Oh, you know, all of them.
We had to shut down our
restaurant for good.
Every week, more...
Broken windows, more threats.
They found my mother's house.
Told her they were
going do to her
What was done to travis.
She's in her 80s,
it's just not right.
It doesn't matter if we
change our phone number.
They find us. I
don't know how.
We live in fear.
Fear that their
threats are real.
Fear that they're gonna
find our daughter guilty and
Sentence her to...
Jodi's difficult, we know.
We're not blind to who she is.
Bill...
She's no angel.
But she's still our child.
You know I'm here to
help any way I can.
I'm not going anywhere.
After my own family
had disowned me,
I needed jodi's parents
as much as they needed me.
They were afraid of jodi arias.
What are you looking for?
Tracy paid the price.
Oh, hey, that's my wife!
Please don't, please,
please don't, please,
It's all I have.
Hello?
Tracy needs to talk to
you, I'll put her through.
donavan, you need
to stop helping jodi.
What's going on, are you okay?
they keep
searching my cell.
They won't stop.
They're looking for
anything from jodi.
Tell her to stop writing to me.
You should stop helping her too.
Trust me, you need to
walk away from this.
I can't.
this call
is being recorded.
songbird.
I need to ask you a favor.
Okay.
I know you believe
in the power of prayer.
And I'm sure you pray for
me each and every day and
I'm endlessly grateful for that.
As you know, my
trial is coming up.
I'm asking that you set
aside a special day for
The purpose of praying
and fasting for me.
Can you do that for me?
Donavan?
Sure, of course.
They're threatening
us! Do something!
on that first day,
I didn't care about anything
the prosecution said.
It was their job to
prove jodi's guilt...
We knew that.
But when jodi's own lawyer
gave her opening statement,
It took everything in me
not to stand up and scream.
Jodi arias killed
travis alexander.
There is no question about it.
The million-dollar question...
It's, what would have
forced her to do it?
And throughout this
trial, you will hear
That jodi was indeed forced.
I didn't hear anything else.
you have a call
from the arizona department
Of corrections, estrella jail.
To accept the call from inmate-
jodi arias-
press 2.
this
call is being recorded.
donavan?
I know you're probably
angry right now.
And I can't blame you.
I need you to know that I
didn't tell you everything
Because I was ashamed.
And I didn't want
you, of all people,
To think less of me.
I was worried that if I told
you what really happened,
I'd lose you.
And I can handle a
lot, but not that.
All my life, whenever
I heard a story of
Some woman whose
husband was abusive,
I could never understand
why she wouldn't just leave.
How she could suffer through
that kind of abuse and then,
Get into bed with him at
the end of the day and
Cry herself to sleep.
I never understood it...
Until the one crying
herself to sleep was me.
If it was up to me, none of
this would be coming out now.
I don't want people
to think less of him.
And I don't want people
to see that I was weak,
That I let that happen to
me, let it get that far.
But...
My lawyers tell me that the
only way to save my life
Is to tell the truth.
When jodi dropped the
intruder theory and
Claimed self-defense,
I had to accept that
She was capable of
murder after all.
I was shocked, I was angry,
But I knew one thing
from my own experience.
When somebody tells
you they're a victim
Of domestic abuse...
You believe them.
I was back on team
arias, believing jodi,
Supporting her parents.
But the details of the
crime would test us all.
He was stabbed so many times,
The coroner couldn't even
make sure of the count.
Then a shot to the head, and
a final cut to the throat.
As one of the
experts described it,
She had killed
travis three times.
One minute it was
horrific autopsy photos,
And the next...
A sex tape.
oh, travis...
You make me feel
so dirty.
They'd spent months
harassing tracy about jodi,
Writing her up for
no good reason.
Locked down 23 hours a day,
No phone calls, no visitors.
All for what,
knowing jodi arias?
I need you to
tweet that travis liked
Looking at little boys
in their underwear.
I don't know.
It'll help my case
if people know
What kind of person he was.
I can't post that.
sure you can.
Fine, say it's a rumor then.
I designed a domestic
abuse survivor t-shirt.
We can sell them on one
of my supporter pages and
Donate the proceeds
to a women's charity.
I need you to find
one we can work with.
Also, talk to lukas and see
who's running this website
"justice for travis."
I sent you a list of some of
the people supporting that
We need to make sure look
blocked on all my pages.
Oh, and get that
list to the becks,
They can check them out.
We need to go after them.
Oh, and talk to my mom,
And tell her to put
more money on my phone.
And commissary.
I'm dying for some chocolate.
I should've listened to tracy,
But I still believed
jody was a victim.
did you
kill travis alexander
On June 4th, 2008?
Yes, I did.
why?
The simple answer is
that he attacked me,
And I defended myself.
after sticking
with jodi so long,
She must've thought there
was nothing she could say
Or do that would make me
change my mind about her.
She was wrong.
Let's back it up a little and
Talk about your
immediate family.
My mom began to carry a
wooden spoon in her purse.
She would beat me with it.
Every single day.
It was a wooden kitchen
spoon that she would carry
In her purse and if
we were misbehaving,
She would use it on us.
when you say, "use it"?
She would hit us with it.
It felt pretty
hard, it left welts.
Sometimes she would
beat me so hard,
It would break in half.
What happened when you
were ten years old?
I think that's the
first year my dad
Started to use a belt.
I had so many bruises
and welts on my body...
That I had to wear a long
-sleeved shirt and pants
To school just to hide 'em.
Did he leave welts?
He didn't leave welts
as often as my mom.
She also used the belt.
My dad was very intimidating,
So I don't think
he had to hit us
Quite as hard to get
the point across.
My mom didn't carry that
fear factor with her,
So I think she used more force.
So, you loved them,
and they hit you?
Yes.
At the time, I
didn't know she was
Stealing tracy's story.
But I did know that what was
coming out of jodi's mouth
Was a lie.
I was lucky, my
childhood was ideal.
Growing up, my childhood
was pretty much ideal.
And her lies were hurting
people I cared about.
I didn't...
I know.
I wasn't perfect...
But I would never.
She's my little girl.
We know the truth.
What you got?
What you need?
Inmate down, inmate down!
A-pod 7-1-3.
Inmate down and unresponsive!
We need an ambulance!
Come on, brown, come
on, stay with us!
Yeah?
donavan bering?
Who's asking?
I'm an
officer at perryville,
This call is off the record.
Is tracy okay?
she's okay, but
she attempted suicide.
I have to see her,
I'll come right-
I'll come down right away.
you know
that's not possible.
You're not official next of kin.
I shouldn't be making this
call, but if it was me...
Can I talk to her?
Please, please.
It's donavan.
Babe, are you there?
I'm sorry.
If you die, I'm going
too, you hear me?
I did everything
I'm supposed to do.
They won't leave me alone.
It's all 'cause of jodi.
And they're taking it out on me.
They're not even hiding it.
I can't live like this anymore.
I promise you, it'll get better.
I'll write the
warden, I'll call,
Do whatever it takes...
Get them to stop.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry it took me so long
To see who jodi really is.
That everything out
of her mouth is a lie.
She's taken so much from us.
No more.
no more.
I changed the passwords.
Social media was
jodi's lifeline.
I cut it off.
I'm gonna continue
using the media coverage
That I've been given.
But not to help jodi.
To defend you.
You're my family
now, both of you.
That's why I'm gonna keep
my mouth shut about what a
Despicable human being
I think she really is.
We're gonna be late.
From very early on,
Jodi was completely
obsessed with travis.
I started seeing things
about her that were...
Disturbing.
I said, "travis, I'm
afraid we're gonna find you
Chopped up in her freezer."
how do you know her?
I saw that you were
looking at her...
Bikini, sitting by the pool.
Who is she?
You still haven't
answered my question.
Who is she?
Without me to post her lies,
Without me to post her attacks
On anybody who criticized her,
Without me to give
instructions to team arias,
She had nothing.
But nobody leaves jodi arias.
Ask travis alexander how
that worked out for him.
They all came after me at once.
Lukas in germany, the
computer genius who helped
Jodi by finding anything
and everything online,
Was now hacking into sites
to find personal information
About me, ruining my
life in any way possible.
Olek, the lawyer,
as it turns out,
His best connections were
with people who didn't mind
Breaking the law on his behalf.
And they had plenty
of time on their hands
To come after me.
I was already hated enough
for supporting jodi.
The team arias attacks
were so much worse.
They humiliated me online,
hacked my accounts,
Falsely reported I'd
committed crimes that
Could send me to
prison for years.
They contacted my
friends and family and
Started going after them too.
I was terrified, for myself,
and everyone I cared about,
But every time I called the
cops they'd just say it was
My own fault for associating
with people like jodi arias.
I sit in bonded
captivity in the filth of a
Dark and artificial
environment while someone else,
Who has nothing to gain or lose
Whether I live or
die, fights for me.
We may both have people
that pray for us to live,
But the difference is
I also have people that
Pray for me to die.
When everyone else was
turning their backs on me
During the darkest
time of my life,
You claimed to be a solid and
immovable rock in my support,
But it is you that has
shown me the facade
That our friendship really was.
I have to accept what is
so blatantly obvious and
Staring me in the face:
It was a false sense
of hope, strength,
And support you instilled in me.
False!
you're
either helping jodi...
Or you're lying awake at
night wondering which one
Of your loved ones
we'll find next.
Your choice, bering.
you may say
"goodbye" if you wish.
many have.
But it is too painful
for me to say it back.
Hello?
you have a call from the
Arizona department of
corrections, estrella jail.
To accept the call from inmate-
jodi arias-
press 2.
this
call is being recorded.
Donavan!
I missed talking to you so much.
You know, when you changed
my social media passwords
And wouldn't answer your phone,
I was so mad.
I did feel like you betrayed me.
But it's in the past
now and I love you.
Everything you said about
your parents in court,
How they beat you?
don't worry about that.
It's all my lawyers,
they think it'll help.
What about travis
liking little boys?
Is that a lie too?
ignore all that stuff.
They're just trying
to save my life.
You understand that, right?
Can you pretty please
change my passwords back
And post something for me?
So, you ready for the verdict?
I guess so. How are
things over there?
- Any better?
- Yeah.
Thanks to you.
How many complaints
did you file?
Hm, about a dozen.
Got my privileges again.
And, looks like I'm getting
my old job back at programs.
My old supervisor there is
putting in a good word for me.
After jodi's sentenced
and moved over there,
They won't put her
in your unit, right?
No, no.
She won't be anywhere near me.
- Don't worry.
- I can't help it.
babe, once the
verdict is read, it's over.
She'll have nothing
left to lose or gain.
And her puppets have
nothing left to fight for.
Songbird will either
be caged or killed.
Either way, you'll be free.
I know.
- Hey.
- What?
I love you more than unicorns.
Me too.
The jury couldn't
come to a consensus.
Some thought jodi deserved
the death penalty.
Others didn't.
Even knowing what she had
done and how she had done it,
Some of them were
still conned by her.
Thank you, donavan.
You know I'm here for
you no matter what, okay.
Jodi arias...
The court finds,
as the jury found,
The crime is especially cruel.
The offense was
committed with at least
Two deadly weapons.
A gun and at least one knife.
The crime involved
substantial planning
And preparation.
The defendant did not
render aid to the victim.
The defendant destroyed
evidence at the crime scene.
The defendant went to
great lengths to conceal
Her involvement in the crime.
The court has also
considered the
Defendant's
childhood, background,
Family history, and
her expressed remorse.
The court finds that a
natural life sentence
Is appropriate.
It is ordered the defendant
shall be incarcerated in the
Department of corrections for
the rest of her natural life,
With no possibility of parole.
It felt wrong to wish
jodi arias would die
In an execution chamber.
But I did.
Jodi arias claimed no jury
would ever convict her,
But she will spend the
rest of her natural life
Behind bars.
There's one word jodi
would never say and mean...
Sorry.
I'm not jodi arias.
I'm sorry for believing her.
I'm sorry for all the
things I did on her behalf.
The alexanders didn't deserve
how she vilified them,
And I will go to my grave
feeling remorse for my part.
A polygraph wouldn't
clear the names of
The ones jodi took
down with her,
But it was the only
thing left I could do
To bring the truth
into the light.
I did it for the memory
of travis alexander,
For bill and sandy arias,
and for tracy and me.
The press wanted
the inside scoop,
So I gave it to them.
Did jodi arias tell you
that she falsely accused
Travis alexander of
being a child molester?
Yes.
Did jodi arias tell
you she lied about
Being abused by her parents?
Yes.
Let me guess...
No deception detected?
No deception detected.
I will never be
as trusting again,
But I won't stop loving
and caring for those
Who deserve it.
Jodi arias took a lot from us.
But she didn't take everything.
Is that hebrew?
It's beautiful.
I dated a guy once
who was jewish.
I'm actually mormon now. I
converted for my boyfriend.
But I'm fascinated
by all religions.
Do you want this?
I'm not going to eat it.
I'm jodi.