WEBVTT 00:08.639 --> 00:10.400 [somber music playing] 00:21.920 --> 00:23.920 [Siobhan in Spanish] In 2015… 00:26.360 --> 00:27.840 I traveled to Seville 00:29.639 --> 00:32.559 and I met Manuel Blanco Vela. 00:36.400 --> 00:38.120 One day… 00:38.960 --> 00:41.280 I got an email 00:41.360 --> 00:44.680 that said, "Terrible news 00:44.760 --> 00:48.879 about a CIEE program participant." 00:53.320 --> 00:56.879 [in English] "Dear students, I am very sorry to be writing this email 00:56.960 --> 00:59.839 with the terrible news of an unfortunate accident 00:59.919 --> 01:04.560 occurring to Pennsylvania State University student Lauren Bajorek, 01:04.640 --> 01:06.360 as a result of which… 01:07.800 --> 01:09.200 she died." 01:12.399 --> 01:16.479 [in Spanish] A friend of mine wrote back. She replied to the email and said, 01:16.560 --> 01:18.759 "Are we in danger?" 01:18.840 --> 01:23.920 Then we found out that… she had fallen from Manuel's apartment. 01:29.160 --> 01:31.160 [tense music playing] 01:36.520 --> 01:37.960 [neighing] 01:38.600 --> 01:41.399 [metallic squeaking] 01:51.320 --> 01:54.960 [Gabrielle] I remember the Megyn Kelly episode coming out that morning. 01:56.199 --> 01:59.960 People and locals in Sevilla started reaching out to me. 02:00.039 --> 02:04.440 Like expats, people who had competitor companies. I don't give a shit who it was. 02:09.720 --> 02:12.960 All these whispers started coming out. 02:17.960 --> 02:21.519 They would tell me about the bars he would go to… 02:25.480 --> 02:28.200 that he would go to intercambios with the kids, 02:28.280 --> 02:32.080 that he would always hang out with younger girls, 02:32.160 --> 02:35.440 always American girls, to which restaurants he would take them to. 02:35.519 --> 02:37.280 They started giving me information. 02:38.000 --> 02:40.440 Random people would give me information. 02:41.760 --> 02:43.760 [electronic party music] 02:45.640 --> 02:47.239 [excited whooping] 02:50.720 --> 02:51.640 [men laughing] 02:51.720 --> 02:54.000 [in Spanish] They called me "Iberian meat." 02:54.080 --> 02:57.600 [in Spanish] During this time, it was just on Facebook still. 02:57.679 --> 02:59.400 I was just posting every single… 02:59.480 --> 03:02.200 I mean, I would literally go to bed… 03:03.679 --> 03:10.480 on my email, wake up, email, Facebook, talk to people, all day. All day. 03:10.560 --> 03:11.959 I wasn't sleeping. 03:12.040 --> 03:15.000 I was just on my phone, nonstop, talking to people. 03:15.080 --> 03:18.280 Trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. 03:21.679 --> 03:25.600 [Siobhan in Spanish] I sent a friend request to Gabrielle Vega. 03:28.160 --> 03:31.160 Gabrielle was talking about Discover Excursions 03:31.239 --> 03:32.640 and was telling a story 03:32.720 --> 03:35.560 that was very similar to the story I remembered. 03:49.000 --> 03:50.720 [Siobhan] When we got to Seville, 03:50.799 --> 03:56.160 each group had an assigned "culture guide." 03:56.920 --> 03:59.200 My culture guide 03:59.280 --> 04:04.079 took us straight to a travel agency office. 04:04.160 --> 04:07.640 This agency was called "Discover Excursions." 04:08.959 --> 04:10.000 [in English] Welcome. 04:10.079 --> 04:12.239 Here we are at the Discover Sevilla office. 04:12.320 --> 04:16.640 We're open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. No siestas for us. 04:16.719 --> 04:20.560 Come by any time you'd like. Let's check it out right now. [echoes] 04:21.720 --> 04:23.560 -Bro. -[Manuel laughs] 04:25.680 --> 04:30.200 [Siobhan in Spanish] Their office had lots of flags from our universities. 04:30.280 --> 04:34.680 The flag from my university, Penn State, was there. 04:35.560 --> 04:38.240 And behind a desk 04:40.120 --> 04:42.160 was Manuel White. 04:42.240 --> 04:45.520 At the time, I thought he was about 40 years old. 04:46.280 --> 04:51.160 He had dark hair and a super white smile. 04:52.479 --> 04:54.440 He asked me where I went to school. 04:54.520 --> 04:58.080 And I said, "I'm studying at Penn State." 04:58.160 --> 05:01.200 And he said, "Oh, how exciting, 05:01.280 --> 05:03.479 because I love Penn State girls." 05:03.560 --> 05:06.200 "They're fun and know how to party." 05:09.240 --> 05:11.760 I remember that at that moment, I felt like, 05:11.840 --> 05:15.400 "What a weird thing to say." Because in my mind, he was like a teacher. 05:18.520 --> 05:22.960 I thought, "Oh, okay, Discover Excursions and Manuel White 05:23.039 --> 05:25.120 are associated with the university, 05:25.200 --> 05:29.400 and this is where we go if we want to make another trip." 05:30.440 --> 05:34.080 Well, I never would have imagined what was really going on. 05:34.160 --> 05:39.479 [Sarah C.] Manuel says, "We do trips to Lagos and Morocco." 05:39.560 --> 05:41.599 "We do everything for you." 05:41.680 --> 05:46.760 "And we also have an activity every night." 05:51.359 --> 05:54.840 He used to throw parties at the office. 05:54.919 --> 05:56.160 Very informal. 06:00.599 --> 06:04.320 [in English] Manu would host free sangria nights 06:05.320 --> 06:07.120 for the study abroad students… 06:07.200 --> 06:09.200 [pop music playing] 06:09.960 --> 06:12.200 …where the office was open 06:12.280 --> 06:17.840 and we would just go and drink as much sangria as we wanted. 06:20.080 --> 06:25.160 It seemed like he was creating friendships with everyone. 06:25.240 --> 06:28.720 I spent many nights there. 06:31.520 --> 06:34.840 [in Spanish] Manuel Blanco is very knowledgeable 06:34.919 --> 06:37.560 about Seville's nightlife, 06:37.640 --> 06:39.280 or at least the student area. 06:39.359 --> 06:41.840 Alfalfa, Cuesta del Rosario, 06:41.919 --> 06:45.280 Betis Street, Alameda de Hércules. 06:45.359 --> 06:48.000 He went to those places with the American students. 06:48.080 --> 06:50.359 [dark electronic music] 07:00.799 --> 07:03.799 On the travel agency's own blog, he even had… 07:06.599 --> 07:09.200 a schedule of nights out in Seville 07:09.280 --> 07:13.400 that not even the most hard-partying body could handle, because it was every day. 07:14.640 --> 07:16.799 [in Spanish] Monday on Betis Street. 07:17.799 --> 07:19.520 Tuesday in Alfalfa. 07:19.599 --> 07:20.880 [man] I want one too. 07:20.960 --> 07:23.320 -[Sarah] Wednesday, soccer. -[woman] Seville! 07:23.400 --> 07:25.840 And Thursday at the Buddha nightclub. 07:27.440 --> 07:32.599 I felt like I had an "in." I thought, "I can go to Buddha. I don't need to pay." 07:32.680 --> 07:39.280 A lot of girls would always repeat this same schedule every week, 07:39.359 --> 07:43.640 because if you didn't have anything else to do, you had this plan. 07:45.719 --> 07:51.440 [in English] Whenever there was an event at a bar or a discoteca 07:51.520 --> 07:56.280 that was geared towards study abroad students, he was there. 07:56.359 --> 07:59.479 [electronic dance music] 08:00.960 --> 08:03.599 Manu was like a man-about-town. 08:04.200 --> 08:07.359 He was handsome. He knew everyone. 08:10.280 --> 08:14.080 And every bar we walked into, every restaurant we walked into, 08:14.159 --> 08:16.679 he would clap the bartender on the back. 08:18.640 --> 08:24.120 It was very clear that he knew everyone that we were interacting with. 08:25.679 --> 08:27.120 Hey! 08:28.520 --> 08:31.880 [Amanda] I don't remember if he used Manuel White or Manuel Blanco. 08:32.559 --> 08:38.120 I think he put it in English, but I don't really know why. 08:40.440 --> 08:44.480 I just remember at some point in the welcome party, 08:44.560 --> 08:46.680 meeting him with some of my friends. 08:46.760 --> 08:48.680 He just was, like, 08:49.199 --> 08:51.400 fairly charismatic, talkative. 08:51.480 --> 08:55.800 Kind of a playful sort of personality. 09:01.320 --> 09:04.040 [Fernando in Spanish] Manuel Blanco came to introduce himself 09:04.120 --> 09:05.920 as the Prince of Seville. 09:06.760 --> 09:09.560 That hints at what his personality was like, 09:09.640 --> 09:11.320 or what he is like. 09:11.400 --> 09:13.959 He had a lot of power and connections. 09:14.040 --> 09:19.280 But I also felt something else. Like this man doesn't have a soul. 09:19.360 --> 09:21.720 His vibe was a little off. 09:27.880 --> 09:31.480 [Fernando] He also organized various activities, like travel raffles. 09:37.160 --> 09:41.959 [Siobhan] Manuel was giving away trips at the raffle party. 09:45.240 --> 09:48.640 They handed out pieces of paper. 09:50.600 --> 09:53.440 And I got mine, without thinking, 09:53.520 --> 09:57.079 because I hadn't bought a raffle ticket or anything like that. 09:59.120 --> 10:02.600 And like a few minutes later, about an hour later or so, 10:02.680 --> 10:06.120 someone came, looked at my ticket number and said, "You won!" 10:06.199 --> 10:09.800 And I was like, "Well, what did I win?" 10:09.880 --> 10:14.959 And they told me, "You won a free trip to Lagos, Portugal." 10:16.680 --> 10:19.880 [Fernando] It was always the really pretty girls who won. 10:19.959 --> 10:21.560 A guy never won. 10:22.079 --> 10:26.160 And my parents told me they didn't think it was a good idea. 10:39.560 --> 10:44.880 [Gabrielle in English] Finding these women changed my fucking brain chemistry. 10:44.959 --> 10:49.199 I felt a lot of responsibility for them. 10:49.280 --> 10:50.920 And I felt a lot of, 10:51.000 --> 10:53.920 "Don't worry about it. Thank you for telling me." 10:54.000 --> 10:57.680 Like, "I'm going to figure this out. And just stay with me." 10:59.360 --> 11:02.280 I just started building an investigation. 11:07.560 --> 11:09.800 I was an art student. I didn't know anything. 11:09.880 --> 11:12.839 And so my dad created this Excel sheet for me. 11:18.400 --> 11:20.199 Added the dates. 11:22.839 --> 11:27.280 How many were inappropriately touched? How many did he try to kiss? 11:27.360 --> 11:30.560 How many did he try to corner in a bathroom? 11:30.640 --> 11:32.360 How many did he rape? 11:32.440 --> 11:35.839 All the different things I started to try to get organized. 11:36.719 --> 11:39.800 I was the administrator. 11:40.920 --> 11:43.400 The public kind of outreach. 11:44.160 --> 11:46.320 Organizing everything. 11:46.400 --> 11:48.120 I refused to let anyone help me. 11:48.199 --> 11:52.839 Because I felt like that would be a breach of their trust. 11:52.920 --> 11:56.800 So then I just had to work on all of it by myself. 11:57.560 --> 12:00.040 It was very taxing for Gabrielle. 12:00.120 --> 12:02.800 She would say, at least three or four times a week 12:02.880 --> 12:06.400 for months and months, "I have to get on a call with somebody." 12:06.480 --> 12:09.240 And she would go in the room, close the door, 12:09.320 --> 12:11.800 and come back out and she would say, 12:11.880 --> 12:15.680 "He raped that girl." Or, "He, you know, tried to rape her." 12:15.760 --> 12:18.800 Or, "He did this to her, that to her." It was like, you know… 12:18.880 --> 12:20.600 But always the same scenario. 12:21.880 --> 12:24.800 [menacing music playing] 12:27.520 --> 12:29.560 [Jordan] I don't think I was the first. 12:29.640 --> 12:33.959 I don't know that for sure. But the system was already in place. 12:51.079 --> 12:56.400 I think that he had been doing this for a long time before I got there. 13:07.040 --> 13:12.719 I think it was about the last week that I was in Spain 13:12.800 --> 13:15.480 that he started texting me. 13:15.560 --> 13:18.079 And they were very flirtatious. 13:18.160 --> 13:21.560 Um, I mean, pretty direct 13:22.320 --> 13:25.240 "let's get together" texts. 13:25.760 --> 13:28.920 As far as I was concerned, this was a friend. 13:43.280 --> 13:47.400 Manuel texted me, either on Facebook or WhatsApp, 13:47.480 --> 13:49.920 and had basically said, like, 13:50.880 --> 13:54.599 we could meet him and have some free drinks or have a night out. 13:54.680 --> 14:00.520 And then me and my female roommate and our other friend, 14:00.599 --> 14:02.839 we met Manuel. 14:14.719 --> 14:16.719 [wind chimes jingling] 14:21.800 --> 14:24.000 [Sarah C.] It was really dead outside. 14:25.719 --> 14:28.880 We were walking along the river, 14:29.719 --> 14:33.360 kind of on the main Sevilla side towards the Torre de Oro. 14:35.760 --> 14:39.160 [scooter engine revving and idling] 14:39.240 --> 14:41.000 It was pretty dark. 14:45.160 --> 14:49.120 And this man on a motorcycle cuts in front of us. 14:49.839 --> 14:51.360 -[engine revving] -[girl yelps] 14:53.160 --> 14:55.640 And he's in all black. Black helmet. 14:59.240 --> 15:02.439 He kept walking to us with his helmet on. 15:02.520 --> 15:05.640 And he takes his helmet off, and he's like… 15:06.640 --> 15:09.920 "Girls, it's Manu. I'm joking." 15:10.000 --> 15:12.280 And we were, "Oh my God, Manu, you scared us." 15:13.040 --> 15:17.000 And he was, "Why don't you come and have a drink with me at the Phoenix?" 15:22.319 --> 15:24.719 [techno dance music] 15:41.400 --> 15:46.640 And so we were there, and we had a few shots of tequila, 15:46.719 --> 15:49.839 but they were baby shots, so it was fine. 15:57.280 --> 15:59.560 He was flirting with my friend, 15:59.640 --> 16:02.479 and I was kind of trying to be a good wingwoman. 16:02.560 --> 16:05.000 He was like, "Let's go back to my apartment." 16:05.079 --> 16:08.880 "We can play guitar and hang out for a bit." 16:08.959 --> 16:11.160 And I was like, "All right, when in Spain." 16:14.839 --> 16:18.240 I was nervous to meet him alone. 16:19.280 --> 16:23.560 So I brought my best friend with me, 16:24.599 --> 16:27.120 and he picked us up on his Vespa. 16:28.479 --> 16:32.599 And he drove us to his apartment. 16:35.079 --> 16:40.040 [Amanda] At some point, he invited me and my friends back to his apartment. 16:41.240 --> 16:44.880 And then, yeah, that's where things get really blurry 16:44.959 --> 16:48.000 and where I have a lot of trouble remembering. 16:54.719 --> 16:58.280 [Sarah C.] From what I can remember, when you get into Manu's apartment, 16:58.359 --> 17:02.359 you walk in, and there might have been a little living room to the left. 17:06.319 --> 17:11.040 [Jordan] There was a balcony. So, like, sliding glass doors. 17:13.960 --> 17:17.200 He opened two Coronas. 17:18.040 --> 17:21.919 And he had us sit on his bed with him. 17:31.320 --> 17:34.120 [Sarah C.] He and my friend were sitting together, 17:34.200 --> 17:37.280 and so we, um… 17:37.360 --> 17:41.280 He was playing guitar with this friend, and I was just sitting there. 17:41.360 --> 17:44.159 He clearly wasn't interested in me, which was fine. 17:45.240 --> 17:49.080 [Amanda] I know for the majority, it was only the three of us girls 17:49.159 --> 17:50.919 and Manuel at his apartment. 17:51.000 --> 17:53.440 [girl laughing] My tooth! 17:55.520 --> 17:57.159 [Amanda] I remember… 17:58.440 --> 18:03.960 my roommate at the time, she was getting sick. 18:06.040 --> 18:07.800 I think at a certain point, 18:07.880 --> 18:13.800 Manuel got a taxi for my sick roommate to go home, 18:13.880 --> 18:17.800 but I don't remember too much. 18:25.040 --> 18:27.840 And he was like, "Let's play a game." 18:27.919 --> 18:32.480 He was getting very touchy. I remember his hand on my thigh. 18:32.560 --> 18:38.080 And he was encouraging, I can't remember whether it was directly or not, 18:38.159 --> 18:39.159 to have a threesome. 18:40.200 --> 18:44.399 I didn't feel comfortable. Like, I wasn't… I didn't really feel safe. 18:48.880 --> 18:51.440 [Sarah C.] I just remember feeling really heavy. 18:52.040 --> 18:57.240 Like, I couldn't really move with much confidence. 18:58.960 --> 19:04.040 And kind of just fell into his bed and fell asleep. 19:12.840 --> 19:15.520 [Amanda] I just remember little pieces. 19:15.600 --> 19:20.159 I remember, like, a door slamming. And I remember… 19:20.240 --> 19:23.000 my other friend and Manuel kissing. 19:23.080 --> 19:27.919 And I think I remember Manuel kissing me, but I don't remember, like… 19:32.640 --> 19:34.280 the sequence of events, really. 19:34.360 --> 19:38.960 It's just, like, little flashes and little moments. 19:41.320 --> 19:44.360 [Sarah C.] And I wake up to Manu saying, 19:44.440 --> 19:48.000 "Your friend's left. Can you give me a hand job?" 19:48.520 --> 19:51.080 We finished our beers, 19:51.159 --> 19:55.800 and I was like, "I think we have to go." 19:57.120 --> 20:00.679 And he was like, "No, no, no. Just stay for one more drink." 20:00.760 --> 20:04.600 I gave him a hand job with my arm behind my back. 20:04.679 --> 20:06.480 Not even looking at him. 20:06.960 --> 20:11.120 I just kind of felt, like, let's get through this. 20:11.200 --> 20:16.159 Like, I just need to have this happen, and then this will be over. 20:17.520 --> 20:20.399 [Jordan] And I remember him trying to block the door. 20:21.159 --> 20:24.760 And then he said, "Are you going to leave me with blue balls?" 20:26.120 --> 20:27.320 [Sarah C.] Thank God, 20:27.399 --> 20:32.720 I don't know how my phone ended up in bed with us, or how I heard it. 20:33.440 --> 20:36.360 But I heard my phone, and I picked it up. 20:38.280 --> 20:42.480 He moved enough for us to get out of the apartment. 20:42.560 --> 20:48.640 And I just remember I felt like I flew down the stairs. 20:49.480 --> 20:52.399 [Sarah C.] My friend was like, "Where are you?" 20:52.480 --> 20:54.520 And I couldn't form words. 20:54.600 --> 20:59.399 I gave the phone to Manu, and he was like, "Oh, she's fine." 20:59.480 --> 21:03.520 And thankfully, my friend was like, "No, I'm coming to get her." 21:03.600 --> 21:05.240 "Text me your address." 21:06.440 --> 21:08.960 I remember afterwards, walking home, 21:09.040 --> 21:13.600 trying to find something familiar, and just being like, "That was weird." 21:14.399 --> 21:18.520 "But I guess it's a Spanish man thing." 21:19.919 --> 21:22.000 I just literally left the house. 21:24.600 --> 21:28.040 And my friend brings me back to my apartment. 21:29.040 --> 21:31.640 I knew I was safe, and I was like, "I can go to bed." 21:31.720 --> 21:33.919 And slept the rest of the day. 21:50.840 --> 21:52.399 [Amanda] When I woke up, 21:53.000 --> 21:54.520 no one else was there. 21:54.600 --> 21:56.960 I was completely alone with Manuel. 21:57.040 --> 22:01.480 And I was completely naked in the bed next to Manuel. 22:02.360 --> 22:05.120 And Manuel was also naked in bed next to me. 22:05.640 --> 22:08.880 I just remember spiraling, 22:08.960 --> 22:13.960 because I didn't have any memory of taking off my clothes 22:14.040 --> 22:17.280 or of him taking them off. 22:17.360 --> 22:21.159 And I just remember being frozen. 22:21.240 --> 22:26.200 And, like, "What the hell happened?" Basically. 22:28.520 --> 22:33.280 My whole body felt heavy, and I couldn't move. 22:33.360 --> 22:34.880 And then… 22:34.960 --> 22:39.760 Manuel rolling over and assaulting me. 22:39.840 --> 22:42.720 And I remember that… 22:42.800 --> 22:43.919 really clearly. 22:44.000 --> 22:46.000 Just laying there 22:46.080 --> 22:51.200 and not being able to really move or get him off. 22:51.280 --> 22:52.280 And then… 22:52.960 --> 22:56.520 It was just him doing whatever he wanted. 23:09.000 --> 23:12.760 I remember just not knowing what to do. 23:12.840 --> 23:17.480 And so I got dressed really quickly. 23:18.439 --> 23:21.880 And then I just went downstairs and… 23:21.960 --> 23:25.360 went back to the residencia. 23:30.399 --> 23:35.120 I never talked about it with anyone, 23:35.200 --> 23:39.280 except the two girls that were implicated. 23:39.360 --> 23:40.320 And also… 23:41.240 --> 23:44.520 I just felt, I think, so… 23:45.200 --> 23:50.720 nervous and ashamed and helpless at that point in time. 24:11.200 --> 24:12.280 [Gabrielle] Um… 24:13.679 --> 24:17.919 Yeah, there was definitely a pattern that was established. 24:19.320 --> 24:22.320 Young women who are very vulnerable, 24:22.399 --> 24:24.919 in a place where they don't speak the language, 24:25.000 --> 24:27.320 in a place where they need someone to trust, 24:27.399 --> 24:30.000 they need someone to kind of guide them. 24:30.840 --> 24:34.360 I started to realize that it wasn't just rape. It was… 24:35.320 --> 24:39.080 Anything this fucker could get from these girls, he did. 24:39.960 --> 24:44.080 It was expanding and expanding. The story just kept getting bigger. 24:47.600 --> 24:50.520 And I remember I got a direct message on Facebook. 24:52.720 --> 24:55.040 And the second Carey came into the picture 24:56.800 --> 24:58.880 and told me about Lauren, 25:00.480 --> 25:05.600 it was one of those moments where I had no idea 25:05.679 --> 25:07.560 what I was involved in. 25:07.640 --> 25:10.560 I mean, at the time, I didn't know what happened. 25:10.640 --> 25:12.040 All I heard was… 25:15.040 --> 25:16.840 "He killed my daughter." 25:18.240 --> 25:19.720 It's terrifying. 25:20.360 --> 25:21.760 [sirens wailing] 25:38.360 --> 25:42.760 [Sarah T.] I was in my mom's apartment when… 25:44.480 --> 25:47.480 I would get a message from Carey Bajorek. 25:47.560 --> 25:52.320 "Sarah, it's Lauren Bajorek's mother. There's been a tragedy with Lauren." 25:52.399 --> 25:55.760 "If you have a chance, please call me." 26:00.159 --> 26:04.040 I can't remember exactly what she told me, but it was, whatever, the basics. 26:04.120 --> 26:09.520 She had fallen from a man's apartment balcony. 26:12.199 --> 26:16.280 That she had fallen and that she had died. 26:18.080 --> 26:20.720 I was the person that she knew 26:20.800 --> 26:24.880 because Lauren and I coordinated our trip to Spain for the summer. 26:25.880 --> 26:29.439 And we went on the trip to Lagos, Portugal, 26:30.399 --> 26:32.679 with Discover Excursions. 26:33.600 --> 26:37.360 [in Spanish] I remember that I arrived on the trip that I had won… 26:41.159 --> 26:44.000 to Portugal, to Lagos, 26:44.080 --> 26:47.600 and Lauren Bajorek was there. 26:49.720 --> 26:52.159 And that was one of the last days of her life. 26:53.760 --> 26:55.840 [Sarah T.] Lauren was my best friend, so… 26:56.640 --> 26:57.880 Sorry. 27:01.159 --> 27:03.480 That, like, she… 27:04.720 --> 27:07.720 Lauren's mom, Carey, was so important to her. 27:07.800 --> 27:11.679 So I had to, sorry, help out. And… 27:13.120 --> 27:16.000 I wasn't there, but I was still in a position 27:16.080 --> 27:18.199 to connect her with a lawyer. 27:18.280 --> 27:21.120 I talked to my host family immediately after as well, 27:21.199 --> 27:24.640 asking them if they knew someone or recommended someone 27:24.720 --> 27:27.439 that can bring some light onto this. 27:30.960 --> 27:33.840 [in Spanish] Carey Bajorek is Lauren Bajorek's mother. 27:33.919 --> 27:36.280 She contacted me as her lawyer 27:36.360 --> 27:39.720 in a terrible state of mind. 27:41.399 --> 27:44.360 One of absolute disorientation and absolute desperation. 27:44.439 --> 27:47.120 All this, moreover, from thousands of kilometers away. 27:48.919 --> 27:50.760 Her daughter was an only child. 27:51.439 --> 27:52.919 She was 21 years old. 27:53.000 --> 27:56.040 And she sent her to Spain with all the enthusiasm parents have 27:56.120 --> 27:59.919 when they send a child abroad to learn, in this case, a language. 28:00.960 --> 28:02.600 A few weeks later, 28:02.679 --> 28:06.840 they call her to say her daughter has died after jumping from the 10th floor. 28:09.960 --> 28:11.560 And without further explanation, 28:11.640 --> 28:14.080 they give her the option to repatriate her body, 28:14.159 --> 28:15.800 and that's the end of the story. 28:17.760 --> 28:20.800 That's when she asked us to try to determine 28:20.880 --> 28:24.240 the circumstances surrounding her daughter's death. 28:24.320 --> 28:28.000 Beyond the obvious conclusions of the autopsy, 28:28.080 --> 28:30.360 which was death due to multiple trauma. 28:32.800 --> 28:37.800 [Fernando] Gabrielle Vega reports her rape by a Sevillian tour guide and businessman. 28:37.880 --> 28:40.320 And it turns out that in 2015, two years earlier, 28:40.399 --> 28:43.199 another young American woman had died 28:43.280 --> 28:46.600 at the home of the same guide who had been reported. 28:46.679 --> 28:49.800 Well, it's not a coincidence. 28:51.879 --> 28:54.800 [Eduardo] The police conducted an analysis 28:54.879 --> 29:00.639 to determine whether there were any prints on the terrace wall. 29:02.520 --> 29:05.360 It was very small, only 80 centimeters high, 29:05.439 --> 29:07.800 which is extremely dangerous on a 10th floor. 29:07.879 --> 29:11.280 At that height, when you get close, it only comes up to your knees. 29:11.360 --> 29:14.040 If you lean forward even slightly, you fall. 29:14.120 --> 29:17.959 And the wall obviously had a metal-and-wood barrier 29:18.040 --> 29:21.120 running along the entire penthouse, except at one end 29:21.199 --> 29:24.080 where the barrier had been removed. 29:26.280 --> 29:31.800 That part was at the end of the penthouse, where there was a Jacuzzi without water. 29:31.879 --> 29:33.199 And the police ruled out… 29:33.280 --> 29:36.879 Rather, no prints were found there, which led police to rule out 29:36.959 --> 29:40.439 that Lauren Bajorek had been sitting on the wall, 29:40.520 --> 29:43.959 since there were no footprints or handprints. 29:44.040 --> 29:49.120 In other words, she fell directly from inside the terrace outward. 29:51.080 --> 29:53.439 That could be consistent with a push, 29:53.520 --> 29:55.720 but also with an accidental fall, 29:55.800 --> 29:58.000 given that the wall was only 80 cm high. 29:58.080 --> 30:00.600 It's consistent with both theories. 30:00.679 --> 30:03.639 In the transcription of the police report, 30:03.720 --> 30:07.520 it states that Manuel says she jumped. 30:09.120 --> 30:12.760 When you have someone who has fallen from the 10th floor, 30:12.840 --> 30:14.639 it could be an accident, 30:14.720 --> 30:18.439 it could be a homicide, but it could also be a suicide. 30:18.520 --> 30:21.679 The police did a psychological autopsy 30:21.760 --> 30:27.679 based on the WhatsApp messages the girl had sent minutes and hours earlier 30:27.760 --> 30:30.760 to her mother and her partner in the United States. 30:43.120 --> 30:46.720 [Anthony in English] Me and Lauren dated back in college. 30:48.600 --> 30:53.480 She was just different, you know? She just always had a bubbly energy. 30:53.959 --> 30:56.399 She was very warming to everyone around her. 30:59.959 --> 31:02.600 -[man] Beautiful. -I'm gonna… I'm gonna make a video. 31:02.679 --> 31:06.480 July 19th was her birthday. I remember… 31:07.639 --> 31:10.360 You know, I mean, it was tough in ways, 31:10.439 --> 31:14.959 at least for me, you know, not being able to be there for her to celebrate. 31:16.080 --> 31:19.679 But she was definitely excited, and I was excited for her. 31:19.760 --> 31:22.240 [Sarah T.] It was gonna be a night of celebration. 31:22.320 --> 31:26.120 She's turning 21, which is a big deal in the United States. 31:26.199 --> 31:29.879 Yeah, it was just something that she was very much looking forward 31:29.959 --> 31:33.520 to celebrating with friends and with dancing. 31:35.919 --> 31:41.919 So Lauren went with her friends, Sarah, Ellie, and Lauren. 31:43.360 --> 31:47.919 We didn't really have, like, a plan. We were just… 31:48.000 --> 31:51.840 We went out to dinner in the centro, you know. 31:51.919 --> 31:54.040 [ominous percussion] 31:57.560 --> 32:00.399 They were at the restaurant, and… 32:04.000 --> 32:06.480 Manuel showed up. 32:10.399 --> 32:13.919 [Ellie] I remember him further in the restaurant, up by the bar. 32:16.240 --> 32:19.080 And then we sat at a table, and… 32:20.520 --> 32:24.159 We saw him, or he saw us, and he came over to our table. 32:25.919 --> 32:30.399 And then he asked if we all wanted to go to Bilindo. 32:31.000 --> 32:34.159 [Lauren] He said, "Come with me. I'm going to show you guys." 32:34.240 --> 32:36.760 "I'm going to take you to this discoteca." 32:36.840 --> 32:40.959 And so we just went with him because we were like, "Why not?" 32:45.439 --> 32:48.639 [Ellie] We went with him to Bilindo, 32:48.719 --> 32:51.800 and we went into the VIP section. 32:56.280 --> 33:00.159 He had a bunch of drinks, and there was hookah. 33:02.639 --> 33:05.560 That was kind of the majority of the night. 33:08.879 --> 33:11.199 [Anthony] We texted the whole time that night. 33:12.080 --> 33:17.919 She just kept me updated with all the details while she was there. 33:18.919 --> 33:22.879 She said, "I don't feel comfortable around him." 33:22.959 --> 33:25.360 She definitely did not like him. 33:25.439 --> 33:29.320 She wrote me a text saying that she was very drunk. 33:29.399 --> 33:33.280 And I was like, "Ha-ha, great," like… 33:34.800 --> 33:36.040 "Sounds good." 33:40.639 --> 33:42.919 I think they had a couple of drinks. 33:44.679 --> 33:49.840 And then I think it was Ellie, and then her friends 33:50.560 --> 33:52.280 left to go home. 33:56.159 --> 34:01.120 Ellie was sick. And it was 3:00 a.m. 34:01.199 --> 34:04.080 Ellie was like, "I don't feel good." 34:04.159 --> 34:09.360 It was not a normal feeling. I feel like, that night… I don't… 34:09.440 --> 34:12.440 Looking back, I remember afterwards, I'm like, "Did…?" 34:12.520 --> 34:14.880 "I wonder if there was something in the drinks." 34:14.960 --> 34:17.679 Because he was giving us all the drinks, 34:17.760 --> 34:20.440 and they were all up there in the VIP section. 34:23.040 --> 34:27.120 And we talked to Lauren and Sarah, and they didn't want to leave yet. 34:27.199 --> 34:29.880 I was like, "I'll go with Ellie. I'll walk her home." 34:29.960 --> 34:32.639 "I'll make sure she gets home." And then I walked home. 34:32.719 --> 34:37.199 But I do remember saying goodbye to Lauren. 34:37.280 --> 34:41.839 She was, like, very intoxicated. 34:42.960 --> 34:45.159 And Sarah was also intoxicated. 34:47.319 --> 34:50.679 Obviously, looking back, I shouldn't have left her. 34:59.440 --> 35:03.560 But I just, you know, made a mistake. 35:12.160 --> 35:15.640 [Sarah T.] For some reason, they ended up going to his house. 35:16.280 --> 35:18.720 I'm not sure what he said to get them there, 35:18.799 --> 35:22.920 but it's a bit surprising that she would have done that 35:23.000 --> 35:25.480 and that Sarah C. would have done that too, 35:25.560 --> 35:30.240 given that neither of them was interested in Manu. 35:31.440 --> 35:32.960 It didn't fit. 35:34.680 --> 35:36.960 [Anthony] Her messages didn't make sense. 35:37.040 --> 35:39.360 In terms of, like, gibberish. 35:39.440 --> 35:40.839 I thought that was weird. 35:40.920 --> 35:45.280 I was wondering if she herself got drugged or something. 35:45.880 --> 35:47.400 At one point, she said that… 35:49.600 --> 35:51.520 she missed me, and I answered back. 35:51.600 --> 35:53.400 And I didn't get any response… 35:55.160 --> 35:56.319 from there. 35:59.319 --> 36:00.760 PSYCHOLOGICAL AUTOPSY 36:01.440 --> 36:04.760 [Eduardo in Spanish] The police ruled out suicide. 36:04.839 --> 36:06.360 That left only two options. 36:06.440 --> 36:09.720 Either it was an accident, or it was a homicide. 36:09.799 --> 36:14.480 What happened in that penthouse is known only to two people who are still alive. 36:14.560 --> 36:18.680 Those are Manuel Blanco Vela and Sarah. 36:20.720 --> 36:25.400 Sarah gave her testimony to the police while drunk at the scene, 36:25.480 --> 36:27.319 not even at the police station. 36:27.960 --> 36:31.240 Right there, the officer took her statement in one paragraph. 36:31.319 --> 36:36.520 Which who knows how closely it matches reality, if at all. 36:38.120 --> 36:41.040 [Ellie] She said they got to his house, 36:41.120 --> 36:45.760 and she said they were standing around for a little while. 36:45.839 --> 36:47.480 MANUEL BLANCO TOOK BOTH OF THEM 36:47.560 --> 36:49.520 TO DRINK THE "PENULTIMATE" 36:52.200 --> 36:53.960 They went out on the balcony. 36:58.000 --> 37:02.920 They had all been on the balcony, but Lauren stayed inside 37:03.000 --> 37:06.680 a Jacuzzi that was empty on the balcony. 37:08.240 --> 37:09.120 PARTIALLY UNCLOTHED 37:09.200 --> 37:13.080 Sarah and Manu had gone inside to get water. 37:13.160 --> 37:15.600 THEY WENT INSIDE TO GET A GLASS OF WATER 37:15.960 --> 37:21.160 LEAVING HER ON HER OWN 37:22.560 --> 37:25.560 [Ellie] And then they heard a noise. 37:25.640 --> 37:28.960 And so then they went out there, and she was on the ground. 37:29.040 --> 37:30.920 Off the balcony. 37:31.760 --> 37:35.160 [distant sirens wailing] 37:35.760 --> 37:42.240 I never have pushed more on Sarah to give me more details of that night 37:42.319 --> 37:45.600 because it was so traumatic for her and awful. 37:45.680 --> 37:49.960 And she probably doesn't even remember half of it because she was so wasted. 37:50.040 --> 37:53.520 It was such a blur, and then the trauma on top of all of that. 37:53.600 --> 37:57.680 Looking back, it just feels like a really weird story. 37:57.760 --> 38:01.160 It feels like Sarah… 38:02.560 --> 38:05.400 I want to say this without saying that Sarah… 38:05.480 --> 38:07.640 Sarah did not have anything to do with this. 38:07.720 --> 38:12.240 Like, Sarah is… 38:13.000 --> 38:14.720 very much a victim. 38:14.799 --> 38:18.880 But I think that she was also trying to protect herself 38:18.960 --> 38:22.600 in telling a story that was kind of vague. 38:22.680 --> 38:23.880 I believe the story. 38:23.960 --> 38:28.319 I just think there were a lot more details that maybe weren't told. 38:28.839 --> 38:30.440 [Anthony] Some of it is… 38:31.640 --> 38:32.960 kind of a blur. 38:33.040 --> 38:36.480 I think it was like three days I didn't sleep for a while. 38:36.560 --> 38:39.000 It was like everything was keeping me up. 38:43.080 --> 38:44.560 It was tough. 38:46.240 --> 38:50.200 You know, so much of my life was taken away from me at once. 38:58.160 --> 39:02.240 [Fernando in Spanish] At the time, although it seemed an accidental fall, 39:02.319 --> 39:05.640 they do not miss the opportunity to administer a breathalyzer test 39:05.720 --> 39:08.880 to both Manuel Blanco and Sarah. 39:09.680 --> 39:11.440 BREATHALYZER TESTS 39:12.920 --> 39:15.120 This was two hours or so after the accident. 39:15.200 --> 39:16.680 RESULT 39:16.760 --> 39:19.680 Sarah's level was 0.48, if I remember correctly. 39:20.359 --> 39:23.359 A fairly high blood-alcohol level. 39:24.200 --> 39:27.160 [Eduardo] Lauren Bajorek's test showed 39:27.240 --> 39:30.720 2.99 grams of alcohol per liter of blood. 39:30.799 --> 39:33.960 That blood-alcohol level was close to an alcohol-induced coma. 39:35.040 --> 39:39.720 In the words of the forensic examiner, with 2.9 grams of alcohol in the blood, 39:39.799 --> 39:41.600 one is either dead 39:42.200 --> 39:43.359 or unconscious. 39:45.400 --> 39:47.080 And Manuel tested at 0.0. 39:49.960 --> 39:51.200 0.0. 39:51.760 --> 39:54.000 That is, he took both of them out partying. 39:54.080 --> 39:55.080 Both of them drank, 39:55.160 --> 39:58.319 one of them to the point of reaching an alcohol-induced coma, 39:58.400 --> 39:59.520 and he tested at 0.0. 39:59.600 --> 40:02.280 He was in control of the situation at all times. 40:03.680 --> 40:06.720 [Sarah T. in English] They didn't find any alcohol in Manu's, 40:06.799 --> 40:10.720 which was weird because he was at the clubs with them. 40:11.839 --> 40:13.960 [in Spanish] I think Manuel is a predator. 40:15.040 --> 40:17.480 He's a predator, a hunter. 40:18.120 --> 40:20.680 I think that night he went hunting 40:20.760 --> 40:23.440 and had the attitude predators have. 40:23.520 --> 40:27.920 That is, a plan, a strategy, and the patience predators have. 40:29.280 --> 40:33.600 It took him hours to end up where he wanted to end up, 40:33.680 --> 40:37.359 and in the situation he wanted to be in, which was at 5:00 a.m. 40:37.440 --> 40:44.160 in his penthouse, with two girls who were completely vulnerable 40:44.240 --> 40:46.920 as a result of consuming, at the very least, alcohol. 40:49.319 --> 40:50.560 And he tested 0.0. 40:51.280 --> 40:53.080 Those are the facts. 41:09.960 --> 41:13.040 [Siobhan] One day later, I received an email 41:13.120 --> 41:16.920 that said, "Terrible news 41:17.000 --> 41:21.080 about a CIEE program participant." 41:25.799 --> 41:29.680 I realized that it could have easily been me. 41:34.760 --> 41:37.440 When I look at photos from that time, 41:37.520 --> 41:40.920 I realize I was very vulnerable. All of us were very vulnerable. 41:41.000 --> 41:45.359 And we didn't see that. 41:45.960 --> 41:47.880 But Manuel did. 41:55.960 --> 41:58.480 So when the new group of students arrived, 41:58.560 --> 42:01.920 they all came in like, "We heard a girl died. What happened?" 42:02.000 --> 42:03.720 And I told them, 42:04.359 --> 42:07.200 "Don't go on a trip with Manuel White." 42:07.280 --> 42:09.400 "Don't trust that guy." 42:10.200 --> 42:14.040 "I don't know what happened there, but something's off." 42:19.480 --> 42:23.520 When Carey Bajorek hires us for this case, 42:23.600 --> 42:26.600 the criminal side of the case had already been dismissed. 42:27.760 --> 42:29.400 The investigating judge in Seville, 42:29.480 --> 42:32.359 without carrying out any further investigative steps, 42:32.440 --> 42:33.520 closed the case 42:33.600 --> 42:37.160 saying that there was not enough evidence to continue the investigation. 42:37.240 --> 42:40.799 But in my opinion, it was absolutely premature and unjustified. 42:40.880 --> 42:43.839 There were no grounds to rule out anything. 42:45.240 --> 42:48.880 Without further eyewitness testimony, the proceedings were closed. 42:48.960 --> 42:51.880 Hours later, she was flown back to the US. 42:52.760 --> 42:55.480 And that also caught our attention. 42:55.560 --> 42:59.280 SARAH LEFT THE COUNTRY AFTER THE EVENTS, MAKING AN EXTENSIVE INTERVIEW IMPOSSIBLE 43:03.040 --> 43:06.920 We explained to her that the criminal route was closed 43:07.000 --> 43:09.799 and that there was no way to reopen it. 43:09.880 --> 43:12.920 But there was a possibility of civil proceedings. 43:13.000 --> 43:13.839 COURTHOUSE 43:13.920 --> 43:16.160 And that is what she hired us to do. 43:16.240 --> 43:19.560 It's what we did, and that's the case we took to court in Seville. 43:23.400 --> 43:25.920 A few days before the trial took place, 43:26.000 --> 43:31.120 Lauren's mother, Carey Bajorek, told me she was dying, 43:31.200 --> 43:33.960 and that she would hold on until the trial was over 43:34.040 --> 43:35.680 and we had a ruling. 43:36.720 --> 43:40.920 And that's what happened. The judge upheld our claim and ruled in our favor. 43:41.000 --> 43:46.080 He found that there had been liability for negligence 43:46.160 --> 43:47.680 on Manuel's part, 43:47.760 --> 43:51.960 and set compensation at just over 70,000 euros. 43:53.359 --> 43:56.440 I informed her of the ruling, and a few days later she died. 43:58.319 --> 44:02.200 She felt relieved in the sense of at least knowing part of what happened. 44:02.280 --> 44:05.680 But of course, a ruling couldn't give her what she truly wanted. 44:13.200 --> 44:17.879 [Lynn in English] The empathy you feel for that mother is just horrendous. 44:17.960 --> 44:21.440 And that mother was so alone in it, you know? 44:21.520 --> 44:26.319 And that's what I just kept thinking of, how alone she was, and she was desperate. 44:27.240 --> 44:28.960 She was desperate to… 44:29.839 --> 44:32.319 to get this story on, to get justice for Lauren. 44:32.400 --> 44:34.520 And I said, "Gabrielle…" Just today I said, 44:34.600 --> 44:39.240 "Can you imagine being her mother and seeing you on The Megyn Kelly Show?" 44:39.319 --> 44:44.839 "And the realization like this is a serious predator?" 44:51.359 --> 44:54.680 This motherfucker was walking down the street, 44:54.760 --> 44:56.520 getting his fucking tapas and copas, 44:56.600 --> 44:59.760 and doing whatever the fuck he wanted, and you guys did nothing? 45:02.879 --> 45:05.480 He's still outside. On the street this whole time. 45:05.560 --> 45:07.160 I think I'd be really upset. 45:09.200 --> 45:12.680 I had to face the fact that this person will never take accountability 45:12.760 --> 45:14.879 for anything he's ever done. 45:21.240 --> 45:24.960 If that was my community, I'd be like, "What the fuck?" 45:29.440 --> 45:31.799 [Lynn] It makes me sick that he's on the streets, 45:31.879 --> 45:35.160 that he's doing intercambios with these young girls. 45:36.120 --> 45:39.080 Look at these little kids that are going out into the world. 45:39.160 --> 45:42.240 Their parents are sending them away. They think they're safe. 45:44.400 --> 45:46.160 I hate to think it, 45:46.240 --> 45:51.359 but I'm pretty sure that he hasn't stopped what he's been doing all these years. 45:53.400 --> 45:56.280 That he's laughing and smiling and going out with friends 45:56.359 --> 46:00.359 and pretending to be a person who isn't dangerous, 46:00.440 --> 46:02.640 and doing exactly the opposite. 46:02.720 --> 46:06.040 Telling girls, "You'll be safe with me." And… 46:06.120 --> 46:09.520 It just sickens me that he's still free. 46:10.520 --> 46:13.440 Nothing is happening to Manuel. 46:13.520 --> 46:16.760 And so there was almost like, "What can I do?" 46:16.839 --> 46:21.200 "What can we do to make this stop?" 46:21.280 --> 46:25.120 And so my role was to just figure out how to do it. 46:25.760 --> 46:28.839 [Lynn] So it doesn't surprise me one iota 46:28.920 --> 46:31.879 that she's determined to do this for the other girls. 46:31.960 --> 46:35.440 When she was in elementary school, anybody that was being bothered, 46:35.520 --> 46:36.960 Gabrielle was in the middle. 46:37.040 --> 46:40.319 I remember saying to her, "Gabrielle, you're a rebel without a cause." 46:40.920 --> 46:44.160 "You're like James Dean, and you need to just stop it." 46:44.240 --> 46:46.960 And this is Gabrielle. I mean, it was who she is. 46:51.879 --> 46:55.160 [Gabrielle] I didn't want to do this. I don't want to go to trial. 46:56.960 --> 46:59.319 I don't want to deal with this fucking bullshit. 46:59.400 --> 47:03.680 But if there are all these other women and this is a fucking… 47:03.760 --> 47:06.160 Every semester there are new girls. 47:06.879 --> 47:08.120 [excited shouts] 47:08.200 --> 47:10.080 I felt like I needed to do something. 47:10.160 --> 47:13.400 Suddenly it went from, "I don't want anything to do." 47:13.480 --> 47:16.200 "I'm not prosecuting. I don't want to talk about it." 47:16.280 --> 47:19.359 It went from that to, "We have to do something." 47:20.319 --> 47:22.520 [Gabrielle] This is just the beginning. 47:23.400 --> 47:25.600 It was the beginning for the both of us. 47:25.680 --> 47:27.120 For him and me. 47:37.040 --> 47:39.680 [judge in Spanish] Do you swear to tell the truth? 47:40.280 --> 47:41.120 [in English] Yes. 47:41.200 --> 47:42.640 [judge in Spanish] As defendant, 47:42.720 --> 47:46.520 you have the right not to plead guilty, not to testify against yourself, 47:46.600 --> 47:47.960 or not to testify at all. 47:48.040 --> 47:50.000 [reporter] Any words for the victims? 47:50.080 --> 47:51.160 Hey, don't touch me. 47:51.240 --> 47:52.720 I'm just talking to you. 47:52.799 --> 47:56.920 If they don't know each other, how do all their statements match? 47:57.000 --> 47:58.640 [Manuel] I had nothing to do with it. 47:58.720 --> 48:01.560 I had no relationship with that person during that trip. 48:01.640 --> 48:03.000 I didn't do anything. 48:07.920 --> 48:09.920 [unsettling music playing] that person during that trip.